Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-11-14

From ne Hart.ord Times.
The Harp ana me Piano Forte.

From shs Hartford Times.
The Harp and the Piano Forte.
NEW YoRK, Oct. %, 1858.
/ Great ideas may suddenly cast their shadOss on
I the mind but like the New World to the vision Of
Columbus, they loom up in the distance with shadow
forms and obscure outlines that remain 70 be ear-
/ " perceived and defined BY the careful inspection
! Of the close observer. lt ts seldom that great
thought is conceived in an Instant. The pFoli6e
mind has its periods Of gsstatoB and he develop
! ment Of single living idea may occupy many years
in its embryotc formation and silent growth before
il struggles iato visible, active existence The sub
lection Of the subtle elements in nature 70 the hu-
man will; the inventions in the mechanic arts and
the application Of scientific discoveries to the Prae-
teal interests and pursuits Of men, have all been
4 progressively realized Some prophet Of God, or
high priest in the Temple of Nature is inspired with
| The truth At frat it is but vaguely suggested in
prophetic words, or shadoWed forth in symbols OF
1 doubtful Significance But by degrees it assumes
| more positive FORM and the common mind is able
to trace its clear outlines These most brilliant ar
tiste achievements, the whole domain Of seisntihe
research, and the busy arena practical lne exnlo
many illustrations Of this progressive development
of the faculties Of the mind manifested in its do
miuion over the essential forces and material fOrms
| of the natural world 7 l-r..s----r t.-- t..-.t|
The Piano Forte, Of which We propose succinot
| history affords remarkable illustration OF the
fact that tle uoDlebb II
The union Of the ideas Of several miRds in one COM
/ DrehensiYs design Schroeder lived before Fulton.
] ar Morse and the Piano Forte was In use previous
/ to the advent Of the Steam Engine ard the fele-
graph Indeed il We trace the instrument from the
beginnnR We fnd that in the form Of the Harp It has
an ancient history inWrOught with the records ef
musical inspiration and poetic genius, with the pop
/ ular amusemenis and the devotional exercises OF
/ the most ilustrious nations OF antiquity The his
tory and poetry Of the ancient Hebrews Greeks and
/ Romans contain frequent illusions TO the HARP. II
VAS used alike TO extinguish the hames Of unbridled
/ nassion and to kindle the 6res Of pure deEouOn.
| II furnished &c accompaniment 20 the OrPhie
/ Chants of David; and when Saul was recommended
TO have recoursetO Music as remedy for his gloomy
insanity the inspired Poet and musician Of the heF
4 brews wss employed to wake the soul Of Music
The nervous tension and mental agitation Of the
King WereQraduaIly subdaed lhe minstrsPs skill
full hand swept the chords Of bis Tyre - .-r
'.Uutvis.ing all he chains that tie --..
J The hidden soul Of harmony"
The ancient Irish, Scotch and Weleh, Che Anglo
saxons and Anglo-Normans were skillful performers
on the Harp; and it was in constant use in France
In he DAYS OF chiValry. It is significant fact that
ths Harp is emblazoned on the arms Of Ireland,
vbiob would seem 10 justify the inference that the
spirit Of eontentOniR other words the icaT sPirit
AZ A national characteristic, was less conspicuous
than the love Of harmony. -r.---. s..-..-
soma writer's have afirmed that the Harp origi-
mated in Syria and that the Greeks Obtained it from
that country Others assert that its name rs Of la
ian nriqia b,t that the instrument invented By
ibe Irish However, these and all similar opinions
/ are set aside by the discoveries OF Demon whose
travels and explorations smong the ruins Of Thebes
carry us back TO ancient Egyptfor the earliest au-
tbsntic evidence Of its existence. In the tonbs or
Favptiau kings, situated among the mountains Al
he vest Of Thebes he found paintings in which
tbs Harp vas represent ed in nearly the precise form
AZ the modern instrument, aud drawings Of the same
accompany the narrative Of his travels. = ..-#-
The Harp, for sges, has been in triangular form
with cords running in parallel dire'uons from me
upper extremity 70 one side. The scale extends
tbrouvh the common compass, semitOne intervals
beiuq observed in tuning The instrument The ehsrds
are acted upon BY the thumbs and fingers Of both
hands In the nineth century the instrument used
among the peopls Of Northern Europe had only
twelve strings; in the thirteenth century the hsrI
reouired ssTenteen strings, while ct the present
time the number, if We mistake not is forty eight
n ia better suited to the private parlOr than te
the public concert room, and few persons al ths
present day are able to move the strings s. once
1Tith that degree Of dsicaey, force and precision
vbioh are necessary to invest the Harp with the at
traction accorded to it BY the ancient bards and II
classic history. +s a b-s
In the form and with the name Of the Lyrs, ths
Harp is 50 intimately associated with the names an1
the uspirstions Of the great lyric poets OF the Pst
thol a will alwsys claim place in the most refined
circles Of modern society. In The mind OF th'
nolished courtier it is associated with all the glo
Ties Of ehfvalry; the classic scholaF calls uP th'
1 illustrious Greeks and Romans whose verses Wei'
accompanied BY its thrilling tones; tne Poes re
members that its chords once trenblsd to the note
of inspiration, - r..-=Is --rl. 49, .-1s
"whsn burning saPPhO WePt and sung" -
bile the pious saint is carried back TO the days
ne eaDtivitv. when, the Hebrew minstrels, hangin
their 'harps upon the willows, SAT down Dy IN n
rivers of Babylon 10 weep for their country Ehii
they recalled the sacred memories thaE hhEso lnei
L ,.,-,tl, Fhn 1anarfed glory on Zion.
NTbe CEasrs6Orgfs a kind Of instrument the ide
~ -b;eb vas borrowed from tbehaFp. The string
which are supported BY FIVE bridges are covered wy
cloth which has the effect TO diminish the Ponel
wbile Il softens the tones Of the instrument II
NJ oiy s5anled 10 private apartments, and was neV'
in GENERAL use except at one time among the nnr
An improyement on the last mentioned instr
= msnf is present in the HGrPsiehord In the ma
I'd tbe strusture Of the two instruments is sinfar-
ia,tsr bsino furnished with sounding board ar
kovs The pressure Of the fingers on the Keys el
vsfas The oppOste exremites as 70 raise the ltl
blocks Of wood called jacks, which are made % sun
n | the strings This arrangement was the nrst gre
Ov approximation toward the mechanism ael0h SAAi
lied in the Piano Forte Of the present day. lts 3
% neroritv chiefly consists in its capacity 20 soul
- many notes and enabling the skilhul performer
1,rodace those harmonic svolutions which transce
The possibilities Of any single instrument. Mos
and several other illustrlous composers usso
[ HaTD91clOEus
favorite instrument in every part Of Europe
The great and most substantial imProVeme
Wbieh substituted the Piano Forte for the iniefi
Instruments that preceded it. is sscFibed to Chf
ian Gottlieb Schroeder; Of Hohonsein, who
- born shout III, al Dresden. This instrument ee
sists Of the haFp-ususlly in horizontal Posl.l
Ma, -encosed in case and furnished with nee
art instruments, and. superior modes for srlElng
chords and regulting the tones Of ne lnstE rune
a. The strings are drawn over bridges rising rom
= sounding board, and are Vibrated oy penn stfl
III Ii,fls covered hammers put in notion b
sudden pressure on the keys. In vienna Fial
were made with hammers over the strings, put
-, ipstrumeut is usually constructed that the eho
atSi 80 sty1cE from beneath Pedals are employed
n in uroione an otherwise modify the tones The Pr
o. which is far the most elegant snd useful Of al
. strinqed ipstruments-soon superseded the bar
~, obo-i All over the world, owing to the supel
tate Strength funess and duration Of tone, and the
q . tent ana variety Of the harmonic combinations
iasi ,bioh il is susceptible. The Grand Piano is 4
d sipIV one Of the nobes instruments ever constr
. sd by human ingenuity, sad in the hands Of 2