Smyrna times., 1861-11-14
NATIONAL HYMNS.


THE extracts Wh'ca follow are from a voumn
jsn ga5..saeI by George w. Elliott, No. 80
WalseF street. snd Ru4I and Carleton. The
wsrs .. sa,l.led National IIymns. How lhey
afe Wrius1 aud How they are Mt Writter;a
Tyre All Nau'nai Study for tie Times" By
RIcAard Grtn, Wh.ts, the we'll known Shake
fJearAa scholar, and one of the committee ..
Py'ttea 10 award prize of FIVE hundred dol.
lars Tor The best National Hymn, words and
Hsse. Shich ,aigat BE- presented for their ac-
eePiaace. Tae vulImn is not simply a colec
ina Sf rejected addresses, but it contains ESSAYS
o. The subject of National Hymns, with an ac-
soiai Of Iae origin and proceedings of the COM
miiles, aud illustrated by some of the songs
P'-selie Tne essays are quite as interesting,
All certainly more entertaining reading than
ssns Of the contributions. Why the commit
tee cd not make a selection from the really
seaagiful aud patriotic hymns which are con-
tanned in this vOlumn, we cannat understand.
Tlere are certainly three or four which are
fally- equal to any of our present patriotic
hlmss.
POWER or MUSIC.
Music has the two fold effect Of stimulating
snd relieving the grand passions Of the SOUL
Bet 70 little Of its power in awakening senti-
meat aad keeping It alive, is derived from its
association with words or with events. There
Was no particular aesthetic reason why the
bFuse, calm English soldiers should sing "Annie
Laurie " IN their cherries camp before Siebas-
ioPp. aud weep wnlle they sang or listened.
There are other ballads just as sweet al that
sSsei ballad, as there ire other girls as dear as
AnaIs Laurie; hDt u happened to be a iavorIte
n Eagland when the war broke out ; il mingled
VITA the memories Of the fading Dover cliffs,
nd 'Old shuse fearful, bearded heroes Of the
gEls they had lett benInd them. The Swiss
herdsmea's songs are beautiful; but the songs
laEt Mozart wrote are tar more beautiful, with
= beauty higher, tenderer, more essential, more
enduring. Yet the strains Of the hsrCsmen
never die cat off SWiIzeT's ear, and ever call
hl'n back 10 his mountain home with sad imps-
FIoasness, while he is content to admire Mozart
SLerever he csn hear him to the best advan-
tage. u Is not safe TO measure the power of
music By the effects that il produces. or to trust
10 the genuineness of feeling exhibited under
lie Influences. So many dull ears and honest
hearts think they are enjoying music when
thsir mothers lap, or trembling again with the
sseet Iunu'ts IT their first PASSION; many
sensitive organizations think that they are
wEaps IA the iervOr OF religious worship, when
thsy are but spsllbOund by the enchanting
siralns Of Haydn or Of Cherubini.
PATRIOTIC SONGS.
Patriotic feeling, like all other feeling ex-
cited By aay unusual incident seeks utterance
IN verse nd music and thus a national hymn
sssms slmsst as indispensable an sppauage Of
natinnalty asa national flag. One of the first
iaiiestions Of an incipient revolution in France
u the singing Of the Marseillase Hymn :"
Ahd one Of the irst steps taken to restrain the
outbreak is the suppression Of the song. Only
Few months age the Poles, charged and fred
upon BY the Russian troops. as they assembled
70 present petition in Warsaw, tell upon their
knses. aaa sasg their national hymn thus for
tisiag themselves TO endure an attack which
they we're powerless to repel. And so when
loyal Americans assembled in these dark days
ct Ibe Republic which Immediately followed
The bombardment Of Fort Sumter, they loHged
70 sing; but there was no song suited to them
OTTO the occasion. The Star SDangIed
BtnRsr" had been growing 10 favor in the
loyal States from the beginning of the secession
mavemsat. and was played continually by all
military and orchestral bands, and sung often
a. teOneerts and prisais music gatherings. But
sss-pstrintis song for the people at largo. as
The Nasionai Hymn. ii was found to be almost
ussisss- rhe range of the air, an oetave and
half pisc-s il 0nl Of the compass OF ordinary
v'aees; and 40 change that has been made in il
has succeeded in obSialing this paramount OBJ
J.elinn, without depriving the music OF that
Characteristic spirit which is given by it's quick
a.ee1t ,hrou,h such anextended range OF notes
The words are altogether untitled for a nation.
a hymn. They are almost entirely descriptive,
ard oil a parlicnlar event. Such lines as these
h"vs not sufficiently general spplicatiOn for
s-ueasl Aymn; they paint Q, picture, they do
nas emho ~ q sentiment,--
Qa the shore dimly seen through the mists of
the .rp.
WAsEe shs foes naughty hOstin dread si.