The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-10-28
Music

Music.
The following essay was read by Mrs.
Allen w. Clement at the late annual
meeting of the Anderson County Singing
Convention, and is published by request
.sof the Convention
Music is one of the seven liberal arts.
"A science which teaches the properties,
dependencies and relations of melodious
sounds; or the art of producing harmony
and melody by the due combination and
arrangement Of those sounds. This
science, when employed in searching the
principles of this combination and sue
zcession, and the causes of, the pleasure
we receive from them, becomes very pro-
found, and demands much patience,
I:sagacity and depth of thinking. It is
generally supposed that the word sslnu-
ssic" is derived from .musa," because .it
is believed, that the invention of this art
is to be attributed to the MUSES.; but
Diodorus derives it from an Egyptian
name, intimating that Music was first
established as science in Egypt, after
the deluge, and that the first idea of mu-
steal sound was received from that pro-
duced BY the reeds growing on the banks
of the Nile by the wind blowing into
them. Others, again, imagine that the
fret idea of Music was received from the
zwarbling of birds. However this may
really have been, it appears at least
equally rational to attribute its origin to
mankind, since musica, information, in the
infancy of language, must often have
been the natural result of passionate feel
ing; and since, also,, we find that wher-
ever there is speech there is song. Ofall
arts Music is the most natural to man,
and it is fair to, infer that each nation,
even at an early period oftits history,
must have possessed it to q certain ex-
tent, differing only from that OF other
lands according tosclimate and other cir
Scnnstances. Man is an instrument.o of
Music; his every thought is expressed by
tones. Fear, anger, joy and desire have
each a peculiar tone, understood by all
human beings and comprehended by the
brute. Man exercises his power in diff
ferent ayocations of life /; he uses it to
ahigllten certain feeling Of excitement,
or to allay the fury Of his antagonist.
Before the introduction ofsletters Music
was; indeed, it come forth from chaos
with the spirit aof God and moved upon
the face of the waters. The very motion
of the earth, while it was "without form
and void" !" was musical; and as darkness
rested upon it the voice of Jehovah broke
the awful stiffness, and made the earth
musical with created light. All nature
then, as now aud ibrever, was full of
Music. There is Music in the hum of
the Industrious bee, 1T .wantons from
flower to fiower-Music 80 sweet and har-
smonions that it seems, as it were, the
lullaby to the thousand meaner insects
whose couches are made among the, roses
over which the bee rules with unbounded
sway. There is Music in the grove
strains Of sweetest melody from thou
ssand tuneful throats. There is Music in
the breeze at eyentide as it passes,
Eolian.like,s ,soyer the face of the; earth
IN the lond roar Of the storm, as it swells
up and mingles with the louder notes Of
the sky breathed forth in thunder; in the
oceans moan, fearful Music. It comes
upon the soul like a ripple of evil on
the lake of the mind stirring up fear,
which, while it frights and appalls, sub
dues and conquers. The Music of the
mighty deepis the mysterious workings
of Deity; like the harp touched by fairy
fingers, we listen and gaze on the mighty
instrument, breathing its wild melody,
while no visible hand calls it forth.
There is Music in the gentle stream, lit
wends its way murmuring along through
wood and wild. There .ii Music in the
mountain torrent as it rushes down the
steep; harsh and unharmonious as it is,
there are inducements to linger near and
;reyel;in it's sound, and as:they die away
and melt, as itwere, in the distance, leave
II delicious feeling on the soul, which
accompanies the recollection to render it
even more pleasing. There is Music in
the air Myriads of unseen minstrels
tune their varied instruments and fill all
space with heavenly sounds. Romance,
in its widest dreams, never conceived
shAsghalf SO mysterious as this-the
reality surpasses the imaginary. The
tongue cannot express the Music of the
air-man is lost in the bare contempla-
ton of it. Who can write the language
OF Deity? Who paint His glory? Who
Ecriticise His poetry? Earth His Music
stand, the elements and their creatures
His instruments!
The word emusic" was not always con.
fined to the very limited Specification
which it now possesses. It originally
embraced the entire circle of sciences, as
we'll as elegant arts, comprehending
I everything which was POLITICALLY consid.
cred to emanate from the influences of
the nine Muses., and ranging from the
language and accomplishments of Par
nassus through all the varieties aud de-
partments of Hellenic learning. The
ancient writers on this science differ
greatly as to its object and extent. In
general they gave it much wider lati-
ttide than it has since obtained. Under
the name of Music the ancients compre.
hended the melodious union of voices
and instruments as we do, and they also
included the dance, the arts of gesture,
poetry and all sciences. Hermeo defines
Masic to be the general knowledge Of
-.order; which was also the doctrine of
Plato, who taught that everything in the
universe was Music. Music, however,