Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-04-19
From the Baltimore American.
Home Music.

Whatever adds to the attractiveness of |
bone has q value which may not be measured |
by ordinary standards. Our homes furnish !
objects for all our aims and purposes, and
they linger longest in our memories If we
lose them. And the associations that cluster
around household memories are not OILY
defence against the assaults we suffer in the
world without, but also an antidote to much
of the evil we encounter and a solace for
many sorrow. There is so much that is
unreal and conventional, everywhere except
at the family hearth, that il is only there
that our masks are laid aside, and we appear
in our true characters. If selfshness could
be banished from oar houses, and if each
member of every family could be induced to
do all in his or her power to minister to the
general enjoyment, then our houses would be
the happiest places below the heavens. 1t
would seem that the experiment might easily
be tried but selfishneSs is very nearly
universal disease, and men are usually less
| amiable at home than anywhere else.
There are few things that could be made to
contribute more TO home enjoyment than
music, and probably more innocent source
| of amusement cannot be imagined. Without
| pausing TO enquire whether all the wonderful
| effects ascribed TO music by its most enthusias
| tic vOtaries are real or imaginary, we may
admit it 10 the front rank among the sciences
| only on account of the pleasures it confers
| upon humanity. 1t is probable that few of
our readers, even among those who have
| devoted the most time and attention to the
| cultivation of musical talent, have investl-
| gated the curious arbitrary laws of this
| science. For example: the fixed position Of
| the half tones in the major scale, and their
| extraordinary transportation in the minor. 1t
would be easy enough to say that the men
who invented music made the laws to regu-
late it. but the truth is that we have only
| discorered laws that have been in force ever
since men could distinguish between different
sounds. Philosophy processes to account Tor
| the accord of octaves. and the less perfect
accord of thirds and ffths. upon some ascer-
| tanned law of acoustics. Perhaps much may
! be explained that is dark enough TO the unin-
! itiated-but the fixed position OF the SEMI
| tones has. so far as we know, never been ac-
| counted for.
| While. however. this investigation may be
| entertaining and instructive enough to those
who are fond OF unravelling mysteries, 1t Is
| by no means necessary to the enjoyment or
music. And especially with reference to the
simpler pleasures of home music. Extraor-
| binary scientific Attachments are not needed
| A violinist who understands mething about
| the capacity of the instrument, can perhaps
! appreciate the truly marvellous performances
| of VieuXtemps. He will be able to estimate
the enormous difficulties in the passages
/
ease. But he will also know. that this ex-
| auisite execution. is the result of laboriOus
and iucessant practice, through a long course
| Of years Everybody has heard the story OF
| Paganini and the would be musician.-When
! the latter applied to the great vlolinlst Tor
| instruction. the reply was $50 home, practice
| six hours daily. for fourteen years. AMI then
| scome to me and l will teach you to play"
| One great advantage which music possesses
| over any other mere amusement, is that there
| is no danger of getting at the end OF the play
| too soon 1t is capable of indefinite eXpan-
! sion. There is no troublesome probability
that the pianist will after a short time play
| better than Thalberg. so that there is al
ways something beyond present attainments
| to be striVen for. There Is great deal oil
| humbug about the universally admitted ne
! cessity for a natural talent, and we constantly
hear people excusing themselves TOR lgnor-
ance OF music by pleading their want OF
ear Very recently we listened to the per-
formances of lady pianist, whose plea OF
detective ear was perfectly candid, and yet
we have never heard more charming music
than she produced. Her taste was perfect
! and her execution faultless. Undoubtedly
| the want of native ability requires more
! laborious application to tiresome exercises,
but there is success at the end of them.
There is one horrible drawback To all this
! delightful amusement, and that is the unfor-
| tunateIy indispensable practice" The learn
! er can endure the torture, because he or she
| will reap the benefit; bnt outsiders, unInter-
| ested listeners next-door neighbors, all these
| invariably conclude that music students
should be compelled by the most stringent
| laws to pass the years Of their minority in
! "a lodge in some vast wilderness"