The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-17
RACE IN MUSIC.

At a recent meeting of the British Anthro-
biological Society Mr.. Henry L. Chorlev read
paper on ''Race in Music, of which che
following is an abtract:-
The author, after remarking on the vast
extent of the subject to be treated in so small
a compass, proceeded to point ont the diff
culties that stand in the way of determining
what is and what is not national music, the
chief difficulty consisting in the Inaccuracies
of notation. Notation being comparatively
modern art, and being also the only means
by which musical ideas can be transmitted,
we are very much in the dark as to the ad-
vances made by the ancients in the art of
music. Confning himself chiefly to the
modern development of music, MIR. Chorley
argued that new and original
melody is far less common than is
generally supposed. BY the simple
variation of tempo, implying some change in
accentuation, q melody can be SO entirely
Transformed as to lose its original character.
Genuine, fresh, original music, again, is
comparatively rare, and its character has
always been most marked whenever inter-
course has been most restricted. Passing
from the more limited subject of national
music to the broader question of race ele-
sments in music, the author illustrated the
great distinction which exists between the
Asiatic and European development of art.
In the former it is confined to rhythm, and
seldom includes beauty of sound or symme-
try of form. In strong contrast to the Ori-
entail ideas of music were cited those of the
North of Europe-in Norway, Sweden, Den
mark, and Russia. 1t was the opinion of
the author that these people take the
highest place as melodists. The fact was
pointed out that, with few exceptions,
those Northern airs are in minor keys, which
might be taken as an expression of, rather
than protest against, the gloom of the eli
,,,Nf fI.Atf fl,AC
characteristic largely obtains among inhabit-
ants of the torrid zone. The sense of musical
rhythm seems as distinctly marked amongst
different peoples as varieties of physognomy.
For instance the PepinsulGr melodies are only
chal cteristic when they are in triple time,
the t'rs in common time being essentially
mawAlsh and pointless, owing such indvidu-
ality as they have to the sleepy, voluptuous
delivery of the executant. On the other
hand, the music of France lies essentially in
the direction of squared music-towards
what is piquant as distinct from what is
undulating. The author then called at
tention to a phenomenon which is
of universal recurrence, viz, the demarca-
tion, not merely of race, but also Of sex, in
the art, be its stages of culture or civiliza-
tion ever so primitive ever SO mature.
The absence of musical inventive genius in
woman is most curious and ineXplicable, and
affords another signal illustration of the con.
tradictions and Inconsistencies which mark
music beyond any other art. While women
have achieved distinction, and often great
success in literature, painting, sculpture
architecture and science, and while they are
unsurpassed as interpreters of the drama ani
of the art of music, not a solitary female
composer of originality, or even Of repute
is known to the historical or critical observer
The paper was ably illustrated or the piano
forte by MIR. Dannreuther.