The Daily spy., 1850-03-08
THE EUHARMoNIC ORGAN.-NoIu.

see no difficulty IN going at once from the natural Key
to that OF four sharps if any likes 1.-THE change Is,
III its own nature, abrupt, and attended with some de-
gree of violence. Oiy cultivated musicians can be
made to like it at ALL But whether the really goodor
bad, the change will be no worse the organ than
the old 1t is true the which belongs in the scale of
q, is not the proper fundamental for the signature of
four sharps but comma ower Still the last key has
its proper relation to the first, as it is the result of
ries of perfect fths Now if cultivation will enable
to take pleasure in the transition, made it is the
common organ, ortori it should enable to enjoy it
when it accords with mathematical laws.
For after all there is no denying that musical harmo-
ny depends entirely upon the mathematical ratios of
sound. When these are observed in transitions
and moduations, ought to expect the most perfect
satisfaction to the which the nature of the change
admits The effect of habit is to reconcile to what
is repugnant to the untuored ear; and learn to
commodate ourselves to incorrect progression, not
for any beauty which it has in ITSELF but solely
count of its SUGGESTIONS We perceive often times, like
in caricaturc bad drawing of beautiful scene
may give pleasure, because it aids the imagination in
depicting the true aspect. But it would be quite absurd
to say that drawing ought not to be perfect
Music is the expression of beautiful forms, conceived
in the imagnation and is sculpture and pain
ting and architecture Why should it not be perfect
representation Of the mental figure! Has any composer
ever found tempered fifth in his visions? When lis
ening to the angel voices from the spiritand did he
ever detect false third! fin his spiritual
nings his has been greeted by music in the
tone system, it have been when sensuaity and sin
had brought him into relations with the neither regions
and their inhabitants.
But not to digress. Let it be asked Why is it that
organists in the practice of nodulang so much
and so abruptly! One is that it saves the ne
cessity of invention. When the player has no thoughts
to express in he scale in which he begins he can as
tonish his auditors by sudden transition By the time
this is fairly over, finding the same barrenness in his
own soul, he is ready to create another surprise Of the
same kind and when he has turned the organ over
and over, when he has spun the whole harmonic circle
round and round and finds nothing in it, he concludes it
to be time for the prayer to commence. And this is
about fair description of the average of vounares in
church and elsewhere.
Another reason why so great and so frequent modu-
atons are male is that in consequence of the ncor-
rectness ofthe organ, players find it unsatsfyng
not to say painful, to remain any key Besides,
it is difficult keep the inventive faculties the imagi-
nation, the fancy, in play when the outwardexpression
has such distressing unlkeness to the inward thoug
The consequence is the organ music othe day has lit
tie in it to crafty the lovers of music while at the
best 1t affords to the musician only sort of artistic
satisfacton-that kind of pleasure which we expert
ence in exercise of manpulatory skill
Butzgive us perfect harmony and melody in every
SCALE give the perfect relations of scales to each 9TH
er and then shall find stimulus to the imagination
in the constant beauty of the outward expression. We
shall be content to remain in key, or, least
make only occasional excursions into neighboring KEYS
and if for the sake of greater variety we may be temp
ted into more remote regions, we shall take care
to go by the path and make ourselves thieves and
robbers, by climbing up some other way.
1t is not intended to assert that transitions more or
less remote not at any time proper. Doubtless they
are, when certain effects are desired. But certainly
they are not to be recommended substitute for mel
ody and harmony in principal key. Changes tkey
are agreeable just far their relations each other
are peceved by the hearer These relations will be
apparent to the cultivated musician when the common
hearer would fail to discern them. If cultivated mI-
sican likes abrupt transition from to d it will be
because his ear glance from successfully to G. d,
and to the dominant of D, and must make this
tai hop, skip and jump with almost instantaneous celer-
ity, in order to repose with satisfaction in his new po-
ston. So to go from to Abb as is often done requires
rapid mental movement through f, BIB and Eb.-
Practice may enable us to enjoy this change, but there
was was time when remote and sudden a dgres-
sion would be painful to every musician.
With the organ it has been, the chord of Alb does
not exactly meet expectation. We are not prepar-
ed for precisely that-but for something which is in
tue harmonic proportion to G.. Hence there must be a
momentary harshness when the chord is first struck
and all the cultivation of long life will not fully recon-
cile us to it. But the Euharnonc Organ, giving the
chord it stands in its mathematical relations will
perfectly meet the expectation of the mind, and thus
whatever beauty there may be in this or any other alb
rupt change, viii be always available.
The capacity of the new organ for meditation and
transition is equal to that Of the organ while
has the adv mtagc in accuracy 1t just as easy to 90
from the Key Of (fre sAa,ps) to d fiat five aats)
isy go from to G.. There is but one pedal to be
move and the transition though extremely harsh under
any circumstances is, to say the least no worse ON the
lew than the old organ.
ltmay he supposed by some to be difficult to work
the pedals where there frequent changes of SCALE
But is to be observed that where the dsrcsson is