Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1874-05-03
MUSIC.

Music hath charms, etc" Yes we
all know that, bat the charming part
of the matter will depend good deal
upon the nature of the music, and those
to whom it is addressed. II you take
stroll into Chinatown and listen to one
of these fair Monaghan damsels tink-a-
thinking on one Of those peaked looking
Chinese guitars, you will, without you
are native of the middle kingdom, fail
to recognize the charm. again take the
Scotch bagpipes, the sounds of which
will throw true Highlander into costa
sizes, but to others, who are not to the
manor born, affect5-well you know
what Shakspsar says. So in pther and
more pretentiou5 classes of music-to use
a homely phrase-what is one mans
meat is another poison. Still there are
musical phrases or melodies that affect
all hearts. They seem to be like Shak-
spears touch of nature that makes the
whole world kin These are generally
simple but in their very simplicity lies
their charm and the difficulty of produce
ing them. Cnce heard they are never
forgotten They may not be remembered
so that they can be repeated, but when
heard again the same eyquisitely pleas
urable emotions that filled the bosom at
| first are again experienced. They are
like the presence OF old friends, like the
rain falling on the parched whitening
| heritage like sweet consolation in afflic-
ton, like anything and everything that
clears the heart and mind of that peri
| lous stuff, ITO do which, Macbeth S doctor
told him medicine was unavailing. Then
indeed is it true that music hath
charms?" 1t has more, it becomes {
healing, saving influence, to which the
worn heart and weary mind gladly turns
for solace, and for refuge from the ills
of life. This being the acknowledged
esthetic effect of popular music; popula
we mean in its wider and better sense
the popularity that preserves such air
as Robin Adair, Black Eyed Susan, Sally
in our Alley, Roy's Wife of Aldervalloch
and many others-not the ephemeral ca
reer of Captain Jinks, Shoe Fly, etc
Taking then these melodies that with
stand the wear and tear of fashion an
repetition, and still are fresh and Civ
pleasure every time they are repeated
it not strange that many educated an
talented musicians are seen to turn u
their artistic noses at the music that la
won the popular heart and lives in it fo
years and years. Still they do it, an
think they show their superior TASTE
Taste. they show their supreme folly, TO
not one in thousand of them could, t
save their lives, compose bar equal t
the melodies they pretend to deprecatt
Then we have another class of pretendel
:, who say their mission is to raise IL
3 popular taste and compose music for Il
future. The German composer, Wayne
is man of this stamp. He goes
work chord and note stringing, withol
:, harmony, analogy, or continuity, unit
. his auditors, deafened, dulled and daze
rush in despair to recuperate with tt
. fresh simple melodies that the compos
-. and his adherents pretend to dispis
The mission of music is to charm,
-. light and afford enjoyment, and any cor
poser whose compositions fail to do tina
is not for the present or future, al
would do well to devote his energies
the smoothing of wood, or the hamme
ing of iron.