Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-10-08

Foot Guards. Kalaksua's predccessor on
he Hawaiian throne applied to The Pms.
sian Minister Of War FOR n member of n
~ military band who might organize such
band on the Prussan system in Honolulu.
The Minister Of War made the rcan.st
public, and the successful candidate for tho
post was the oboist Berger who, literally
provided with money for travelling OK.
penses, forthwith started for Honolulu.
Several natives blessed, according to Ha-
wanan ideas, with natural aptitude for
music, were placed Mt his disposal, and
with these he began his course Of instruc-
&tlon. That this task was neither easy nor
8slmplo will readily be believed. Still, it
WAS not long before no had got his pupils
'Eon so far as to DO capable Of executing
Nshort military signals on the horn and
&drum. Other instruments having been
Wondered from Berlin manufacturer. tho
j. Hawaiian musicians were taught how TO
use them, and initiated in THO secrets of
fnusicia notation. The band progressed
4and WINS Increased in numbers. The mann.
,bors were soon able to execute on festive
koccasions the national hymns Of different
countries. II is true, they were rather
BADLY off vii regard to outward equipment,
They had kind of uniform coat md
Strousers, but were provided with boots only
Hat special solemnitics; as rule. they
{played Mt concerts and during his Maiesty's
dinner-in their feet. This was during
King Lunallo's reign. Tho present King
4 speedily adopted measures to have his ma.
#tional band dressed MS nearly as possible in
accordance with European notions. When
HPrince Heinrich on his tour round tho
world, landed at Honolulu, he was sur.
5prised at his reception by the strains of
tho national hymns, executed quite cor
3rectly: "Heil dir i'm Siegerkranz" and
|" 1ch bin DIN Preusse," executed with al.
most uniform precision and correctness; to
his astonishment moreover, the instru-
1ments were in the hands Of colored per-
FORMERS, and it was not until bandmnster
Berger, the Berlin oboist, was presented,
that the matter became clear to him -
Berger is very much respected and liked by
THE Court of Honolulu and the European
colony in the place. Several years since
The visited his mother in Berlin, but stopped
3only for short time before returning to
Hawaii"
As we are surrounded on MI sides by
Chinese it may not be uninteresting 10 our
READERS to learn something of their style of
music. Their music is more wonderful as
n formulated system than as leading to the
production of beautiful melodies. 1t is dry
Ito desperation, unnatural in structure,
weak and mechanical as to accent. 1t re-
lpels rather than attracts, and perhaps for
this reason few students have been led to
study it's many marvels. Their love of
symbolism is, however, very strong. They
find in the imperial stringed instrument,
tho "kin," correspondence rs follows:
|" It's length is as three hundred and sixty
five days its breadth as the six points Of
the universe its thickness MS the four sea-
isons. The five strings are as the FIVE
Original elements water, fire, wood, metal
land earth: its arched top and fat bottom
Iare as heaven and earth and 90 on. The
Ichromatic scale of the Chinese is singu.
|larly associated with the months of the
|year. Beginning with "F" which agrees
with November, they proceed through " '"
sharp, which is associated with December,
tav 8 u'yl for R9yYe apa re m tteRTyd
Significant of great personages. Thus,
that of Koung or "Fn" is grave and serious.
lit represents the Emperor; the sublimity
sof his doctrine, the majesty of his counten-
lance and the high importance of his actions.
THAT of Cheng or "Sol" is as the Minister;
fails justice, intrcpidty, etc. And so on for
! Kio or "La ;"Tche or "Do;" Yn or Gre"
strangely enough these modes cannot bo
stransposed without its being discovered.
Qualities of tones are carefully formulated
aby the Chinese in circular parndigms. They
dare those obtained from wood, silk, terra
Gotta, stone skins, gourd and bamboo.
sThe student of Chinese music must be-
Scome acquainted with the following works:
lSix books of authenticated theory, four
5books on music and the dance, twenty.six
ION ancient music and that of each succeed
zing dynasty, twelve on the usages respect
Sing the musical instruments "Kin" and
a''che" from the highest antiquity; five on
Sthe music of the Imperial Palace, and that
required for great occasions; three on cal
aculating the diameter and circumference,
SSand three on measuring rythms. In the
4library at Pekin there are four hundred
f'and eighty books on music. The College
Rof Musical Mandarins is within the I'm.
Z perial Palace. Music is taught in the
lsmallest schools. The compass of Chinese
Amusic extends through three octaves.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
q R.-What is q ballad?
: Ans.-In poetry it is a story in verse;
in music it is story in tones.
w. S.--What is considered the best
9piano- forte instruction bookY
q Ans.-A large number Of methods have
been published for tho piano. We have
used several, but find nothing better than
Richardson's method; improved edition.
We know Of teachers who use o method
Hconsisting of merely four hand exercises.
perfectly ridiculous thing. The book we
mention is invaluable aud should become
standard book it is already very popular,
b and much sought after.