Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-01-01
The Late Le cture on Music.

The Lecture of DR.. T. D. SIMoNroN, deliv-
cred at the First Presbyterian Church, on
Monday evening last, was not so well attend
ed as the previous Lecture, nor as it deserved
to be, on account of the reaction on the holl-
day excitements and the banquet of the Sons
of Malta the same evening, which engrosscd
the attention of many who usually attend on
the course. The audience, however, was re-
spectacle in size and most respectable in every
other respect. Not in attendance ourself, we
heard from several who were, that, though the
Doctor evidently labored under severe cold,
his Lecture was well pronounced and was most
interesting in its matter and pleasant in its
style of composition. We are indebted to
friend for the following abstract oft:
"Music, the subject we have met to consider
this evening, strictly falls within the sphere Of
the Fine Arts-those arts which appeal to
some of the noblest and most refined qualities
of the human mind-the emotions, the taste,
and the imagination. Like Poetry, Painting,
Sculpture, and the higher styles of Archtec'
ture, Music is not cultivated because it meets
the lower or physical wants of the human
race; but because, along with all the other
Arts of the imagination, it springs from the
| very nature of man-inroduces him into an
atmosphere higher and purer than that of Or
binary prosaic ife-sheds over all his thoughts
and emotions bright radiance from the ideal
world-and administers exquisite delight at
the same time that it exalts and refines the
whole man, by bringing him into communion
with that which is beautiful, pure, and ennob.
ling.
The old austere notion that the Fine Arts
are merely sources Of amusement, has long
since passed away. The imagination and in
tellectual tastes, are now recognized as facul.
ties equally worthy of cultivation with any
other powers of the mind and the Fine Arts,
in their most comprehensive sense, are properly
looked upon as the true sources Of improve
ment to these important faculties. A man
with education, but no refinement, pretending
to deal with the more delicate questions OF life,
is like Puritan stone mason attempting by
rough, brawny blows to equal the excellence
of Ionian chisels.
From the various Fine Arts, therefore-all
of which appeal to the same general principles
of taste, but through various avenues-as
Painting through the eye, Music through the
ear, and Poetry through the eye of the mind
we have chosen Music as fit theme for
this evening.
Music has to do especially with the emo
tional department of human nature-tha'
restless sea of ever varied movement, whose
waves beat over all the interests of man. II
is here that it comes like magic voice from
heaven, speaking into silence the dark and
turbulent waves Of passion; stealing like
the breath of the south over the whole region
of the finer human feelings, and charming
them into flow, peaceful, beautiful and har'
monious as its own bewitching numbers.
Music is the poetry Of sounds-just as flow
ers are the poetry Of the vegetable world
as waves are the poetry Of the sea-as sculp
ture and architecture arc the poetry of form
and proportion; or as the most refined and
exalted emotional conceptions of the soul
clothed in the choicest Of human language
are poetry by way of distinction or pre-emi
nence.
Music seems like voice from higher
cline, which still, as last angel upon earth
leigns to hover over the haunts of men. From
the grossness of our ears, it appears only {
vague and lingering sweetness we cannot un
terstand. Yet from the glimpses, we some
times seem to catch of its true meaning, ant
the ravishing sweetness of its tones, we can
not but believe it speaks to us of transcend
| ant excellence and love.
J There seems to dwell in the atmosphere o
music radiance of celestial light, like thu
halo of glory that hangs in dreamy distance
over the autumnal landscape. Music bright
ems the whole landscape of the human heart
and emotions. A brilliant piece of music i;
like piece of sunshine caught and detained
for use in all kinds of weather.
Magnificent pieces of music-such as the
great works of Handel, Mozart and Beetho
ven; are the sublime epies of the realm o.
sounds-speaking to the soul with fervor o.
inspiration equal to that of an Iliad or Para
disc Lost They are paintings in like manner
and they pass before the ear like vast pano
ramas, conveying in vivid colors more of beau.
ty, variety, submity and august grandeur
than was ever caught and depicted upon can.
vas by the master Of colors in his moments Of
highest inspiration.
1t is interesting to note the analogies of the
fine arts-how they all appeal to the same gen.
eral faculties of the soul, but through different
avenues. Yet all their materials lie in ma
ture. The painter catches a ray of white
light in prism, and reflects it upon the wall
= there, in the seven colors of the solar spec
trum, are revealed the materials of his art
the seven bright notes of his musical scale.
Or he casts his eye aloft after thunderstorm,
and sees painted upon the more ample wall
Of heaven, in transcendant beaisty, the pro:
duct of natures great pristi-the bright
parallels Of natures musical stayes the. notes
of which are the '.rsverberatns :shuhGe,s,
chanting in sublime, get sehisnant grandeur,
the song of peace to the earth. And as all
the tintings in nature and art are combinations
or notifications of the colors of the solar
spectrum and the rainbow, so also the whole
structure of music is built upon the simple
scale of seven notes, which is founded in ma
ture.
The rainbow reflects itself upon the bosom
| Of the cloud in like ,nannnr thu musical