New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-01-30
MITSIC AND THE DRAMA.
Mp .pTHoRP's LECTURES.

.onclnded a course Of six lectures Oh I'll of
~ the Growth of the Art of Music III IN, The
the Long Island Historical Society," DIVA rnmber
lectures had the patronage - society
of men distinguished IN W., and letters.
,or thair knowledge and lore OF al. Mr. An
ior then h"o"'v ,ritb the other that ME- APP
~, To- Won prominsnt position ainone 80
'Noi' "' 49, Irr,ted States by his wIi'ias' e.
critics OF the On n that entitled them
them n significance '" a. received
theh o1t.rtion than they reoei'oN'
TO "' delivered originally peIoro 'n0
Inv! Io.t;tute in Boston, and were INC ii'
L""ei &c civen under the sanction OF tha' III
's.1. thew were deemed worthy py MI. D"'sN'
HLI;oation in his Journal Of MaS'c an" We az
Leased 10 say that they are to be uehNeieo "'1O
baltimore before the Peabody Institute III
ary and March Ill. of tho
.orrsa and the fact that it was designed loI 'io
eouio, Ill, and not alone for music students,
a. tbs lectures should contain great deal Vi
-a~o,aIization but Mr. Apthorp managed admiraoly
=. envoy 10 his hearers q clear ldea Vi
A. a,olonment OF the musical art from ABOUT lho
s,,rtb ccntury to the present tlme experimenting
b,s dissertations, arguments and explanations WIN
n,actical musical illustrations by the help ol
ruortet of singers and pianoiore ms feature W.
tides its value as a help to the UNDERSTANDINGS
added much TO the pleasure of the entertainments
In the subdivision of his salject and the essential
things in the discussion Mr. Apthorp did not uepaI'
far from the beaten path lie dd not 60 hl'o 'no
history prior to the Christian era. bdt IKE the "
thors of the shorter cOmpendums OF musical history
ho accented the church chants compiled and
regulated in the times of St. Ambrose and 81 OIeg-
orv. as the outcome and elimination OF the antique
Wy vi these chants as start
inc roint he discovered the germ OF
,,odern harmony in the invention OF the
oroapum which moved in parallel sequences,
and showed its growth through the discantus OF
The French Dechanteurs the first rude attempts ~
imitation the pr oppressive experiments IN counter
point by the Flemish school. the cuiInina-
lion of the ecclesiastical style in Palestrlna'
10 the final blossom and fruit IN the mouelh
systems of tonallty and harmony MS
musical examples he drew from liucoalu' Ouiuo
dArezzo. Duiay, Josquln de Pres, Orlando Lasso
and Paesrina and all of them he gave as nearly as
nossible without change In the fifth lecture he
spoke of the rise of opera in the Florenlne renals-
Sapoe and carried its history down to the time OF
Handel and in the last he discussed the reforms
which began with Gluck and eliminating with
WAGNER The classic period of modern music, from
Bach f. Beethoven received attention III one lec-
ture and the beginnings Of the instrumental art were
not forgotten but Mr.. Apthorp did not venture 10
touch the many questions which the latest advances
in tins provnce have called up; they are, he said
In substance not yet ready for record IN history
From this imperfect outline it will be seen that
in some things Mr.. Apthorp adopteda popular treat
nent for his subject; he avoided as much as
nossib1e technicahties and refused TO burden the
minds of his listeners with dates We have o1teh oeen
Impressed however with the conviction that musl-
raj history might be made not only more entertain
Inc lint also more instructive if the conventional
methods of teaching wero cat loose from entirely.
There are few, even among musicians, VINO
rare TO know all the stages through
which the science Of music has passed
Indeed il is almost without charm TO anyone e1-
cent n musical antiquarian--yet we are convinced
that if the exposition could be made Of the eYolu-
ton of the spirit Of the art instead OF only ITS body
its ideal part instead IF its mechanical.
II would command greater interest on all
sides and help the progressive ideas of to-day
10 an understanding TO dc this. however, it wonld
be necessary to take different course from the
usual one 1t would not do 10 ignore everything
which preceded the Ambrosian chant as though the
Christian era had begun new art Tree
FROM all the influences OF pagan culture.
Where The effort is directed to reestabliShing the
antique systems the absence Of monuments IS OF
course great and almost lnsuTnOuntable obstacle,
and II is because Of this probably that many his
toTianS are willing TO deSCant briefly on the Greek
1crach RI, and then begin the history OF music as
Mr. Apthorp did. Blu there l. sufficient material
In the legends and poems and treatlses
OF the ancicnts to point the way to pretty clear
idea of the then province and power OF mdslc, IT'S
nSes and influence. the relations between the 10
etrumental and the vocal art, its progress as
medium of expression, and many other things
which are of living interest to-day. An
inquiry conducted in TINS way might
bh5w that the Church, instead of always
promoting music. retarded 1t by frowmng
upon its purest mode of expresslon-by m
struments and that its chief merit lay Ill that
regulation and conseTy alton which made possible
the development of a science of harmony
That there was in its One-sIded promotion OF the
vocal art something like heritage from the od
systems in which suPerstitlous fear prevented
variation from the religious chants lest
their efficacy should be impaired might
also appear and that the very eclecu-
Cisn in the religion of the Romans which broke
down these supersttions and adm ted all kinds OF
instrumental musc INTO the service. though IT APP
peared au abOInnatiOn to the pOus Church fathers
was in reality a step toward the modern art Then,
too that free, romantic spirit Of the people which
preserved for us the instruments, and tine dance
rhythIns which under the ban of the Church,
would receive the full credit which II still lacks
From them came the sonata form which Slr. Apth0rp
very correctly considers the most perfect art me uIn
ever discovered We cannot compass the subject but
Il certainly does seem though method like that
dimy suggested would open an interest in musical
history which would be understanding and more
living tban that awakened by old methods.