The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-01-31
\ Strange Music.

one evening the family gathered -
heat thc famity talk about tie strange
ulsic ol t.alua AIo,ncr brought in her
sewing, ana improved her n1pt u.a th"
claff6n.ns' 8 csia.s at tie same ein,c
BatAlmnd a5ai Aftz1ar saton Il faa lge,
one aa caell sian - nDe iiefnctt. s#eNut
ING their attention to bin
i oppose we ought 10 begin .5 the
beelnnina, said IT,. t.-lrce Chinese mu.
sic Is sald to have been invented oya per
son Whom you i ge=o.tpn ie;eu at,ofie He
WAS Emperor O" China ahonl 3g5a r. G..
or nearly 5000 wear. ago. The Chimes Z
called him !fo III mi su0e oi oisr own
people suppose thai ne rcsav was Noah.
Vie lived about la4t nme The Chinese
also hold that much of tleir music was
broaght to them from Heaven hv Il bird
winch they named the .Ioan4 Hoan@,
This WAS supposed TO tie 4 very iur,nnate
bird, which never anDea.ed anywhere
else but in China and, whenever teame,
II brought good luck withip ii appt Az 4
whenever a good emperor We born, and
It's nest was wrapped in mystery for no
one knew where II fvelt.
.Nhy, that something like the PhT-
nix. that the Greeks used to believe in >
said Maud.
"ies, there is resemblance; perhaps
the Greeks borrowed their bird from the
Chinese one. Tins bird appeared with
Its mate, Wien Lang Lun, bv the order cf
the Emperor Hoang Ii, was making bis
first inventions in mussc. It sang to him
in slX tones, while It's mate also used six
different tones, making a scale contain
ing twelve notes, lust like our chromatic
scale. But the Chinese only use i've of
these, and call the Others female tones
In China everything female is thought to
be useless
"Haven't they got topsey y-turvey ideas
said Maud
well, III this case they are open to
thai suspicion. The singing of the
'Foang Hoang' was such beautiful music
that !, caused absolute goodness in every
one who heard il, and It's songs had the
beautiful name of .fse-ven' Temperance
ard Mercy He had large drums beat
4, a,'ons hours OF the night 10 tell vi hat
clock 1t was: he composed. also many
songs. The ea, es, cmperors all studied
music, hu. ii was viii 4 view Of teaching
their subjects good manners and morals.
He songs Wee sometimes ONLY difec-
tions when 10 pian. seed how to catch
llsh, how to oahaYc j conplny, and 50
on. Sometimes, ,he words are to keep
the Ell pelor $ own duty "a mind. Thus,
one begins The breeze of mid.aay
brings warmth and dlspels sorrow. may
il be the same with Ghun may he be the
joy and consolation 81 ms people.
.Anothel emperor Yu tie great
used musical instruments for very good
purpose. IL placed before his palace 4
large and asrnalI bell, drum. 4 2unu.
and ampeur,ne. and any person hay,
Inc business with hlm, would be admit
ted on striking one Of these By various
sounds. Ike could tell bct Dre seeing him.
! the natute Of his visitors business The
/ large bell meant that the person was
coming TO complain 81 ~ injustice. the
small one VAS Tor private visitors the
drum told that the business was about
\ the manners or customs IT the empire
7 the gong, 4 public misfortune: the tam
( BOURNE asked ior the emperors iudg
ment III regard to some crime. China
possessed some,yery patriotic songs Al