The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-17
THE LECTURE SEASON.
DE-. s. AUSTEN pEARcG ON THE MUSIC OF THE
FUTURE

DE-. s. AUSTEN PEARCG ON THE MUSIC OF The
FUTURE.
Dr.. s. Austen Pearce delivered the concluding loo
ture OF his course on ''The Music OF All Nations" at
Steinway Hall yesterday morning. His immediate sub
ject was ''The Music OF tho Future" In all proba-
bility, he said, music will In the future attain It's
loftiost heights in connection with the drama
Great composers will soc that the widest
field for the expression Of great ideas exists
upon tho stage. The tendency OF the period Is tow
ard union OF the arts, q massng OF all possible
for tho illustration of great passions and great
principles. Man himself be used art material,
and IS used In dramatic performances. Tho CON-
posers OF operas have combined the two materials.
man aud sound for tho OF elaborate artistic
results. But before Rchard Wagner no composer Of
operas had due regard 10 tho purpose OF art the ex
preston OF ideas They merely sought to please tho
ear 10 amuse the eye
In the beg unng OF tho Christian era the drama was
the favorite amusement OF the citizens OF the Roman
anu byzantine empires. Tho works OF the old Greek
stage and the Latin plays OF later date were con-
statty performed, and were the delight OF tho popu-
lace the UhSist,an priests, however jealous OF any
customs, excrted their power to suppress them and
succeeded IN doing so. Soon after they themselves
established Q description oil drama, from which the
modern romantic school Is derived But at
the period OF the Renaissance. when great
prevalent an attempt was made 10 rcsuscitate the
classic drama and IRON this beginning came the mod
crn opera The ns6t masters IN this style OF conp0.
s,tion intended that 1t should consist of sort OF
declamatory song or recitative, accompanied ny the
lyre which, however, the music should DO suoordi.
nate 10 tho IDEAS aud the language. About 1890 III
Satiro written, ana wae the first oil series of
works which have retained popularity to our own
day In which the music Is tho principal thing and the
words ere merely subordinate.
The first operas were written and performed BY
churchmen. VINO would probably have developed the
system artistic way had not the Slate taken hold
of IT Tor profit and political ends Music then became
debauched and was used to subserve low ends and 10
a,r,l.r 2nrne tntto rkS IN
vised 10 please longing OF the French for military
snow; Mozart wrote al Flauto Magico" n the inter-
operas because they gave him opportunities tor fine
enecs Belini wrote melodies whose sentiments were
adverse TO the words put to taem or wnich HAD no
sentiment at all, and Ofcnbach degrades music to
mean and contemplate purposes.
Wagner, on the other haud forms In hts mind
definite idea aud determines 10 communicate II TO
others. He chooses music as his prime medium. Hc
brings in scenery, lights, men aud words TO render
the I'm preston as vivid 70 others as II ~ in his imag-
nation. me orchestra fills up tue blanks that the
words leave. 1t expresses the thoughts tEat
run through the minds OF tho dramdtis per-
all that Is not put on the stage IL Is IKE the chorus
Of the Greek tragedy II rs tho medium 0y which we
get mental state oil the characters In the be-
ginning OF the second act OF "IohcngrIn" lhe base
pieces repeat all tho previous movements IN the opera
that connected with revenge and Ill Will, so that
when Ortrud, on hearing tho wedding song,
exclams that "this Joy Jars on SOUL" We are
thoroughly Of her subjective condition, though
she has not previously spoken, that We feel no sur
prise. We seem to have followed her Thoughts.
Wagner IT, then, the greatest OF musical artists, since
he studies only 10 express ideas ana uses art era
only IN n legitimate manner, that Is 10 accomplish
sucn EXPRESSION and this the great future that 10
before music
SCIENCE on ANTHROPOLOGY.
Professor Joseph Roles Buchanan last night at
Trcnor Hail. Broadway and thirty second street. gave
the first series oflectures ropology. The
turer complete anhropoIogy included
sciences, winch were e. Cerebral ply Zoology,
cerebral phrcn0ogy, sarcoguomy, psycnometry,
pneumatology aud cerebral pathology. Each Of
these special sciences tho lecturer proposed treat
ing in separate lecture, and last evening
chose Us his first subject 'Psychometry." That
science, as demonstrated by hun, was the
power to explore measure minds, character ana
disease; TO reveal the character OF the absent and
dead; 10 discover medoines, poisons aud crimes to
reveal ones character TO himself and determine
proper associations Tor lie. DR.. Buchanan, alter
giving complete history Of psycbomotry, told Of
many remarkable cases vi startling power met ia his
experience and related many anecdotes OF now the
letters OF dead men had revealed psychonetrcaly
their characters when alive TO pesous who had never
seen them anu did not know VINO they were.
GEORGE TICKNoR CURTIS ON AMERICAN con-
srITUTIoNAL HISTORY
Mr. George TicKnor Curtis has accepted invita-.
ton extended 10 BIN by Ex-Governor John A. Dix,
) udge Ba,chiord, Mr. Manton Marble, ex- Governor
Morgan and several other prominent gentlemen 10
'Amercan Constitutional History" Mr.. Gurus has
Tho three consecutive Tuesday, sven ups CO