The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-01
How Music Became Fashionable.

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There is little need to refer to Swift's
bitter sneer against Handel and Bon
oncini, or to the somewhat obsolete
ieer of Jean de SirieX, in M. Sardou's
famous play, against "hddler, to
mark the appreciation in which pro-
! fessors of music were held, as well in
this country as in France, until within
a comparatively recent period. With
out calling upon centenarian to bear
witness, abundant testimony can be
| found as to the estimation in which
musical studies ON the part of man
were once held by his associates. Very
early in this century, while what were
called convivial habits were sowing the
seeds of the govt and rheumatism
reaped by the present generation,
cheerful gentleman like Captain Morris
might be begged to sing, as the lar
greater Moore and Hook were after
him, to amuse the company, and Bac-
chanalian dittieS were not only roared
out, but ''lived up to- all over the
country, while music for its own sake
part music and instrumental music
were little studied, the latter being held
in profound contempt by the sterner
SEX When the novelist wished to put
an unsuccessful swain in an especially
ridiculous light he made him play the
flute. When the caricaturist wished to
do likewise by the late Prince Consort
he drew him seated on music-stool
and humping the keyboard of piano
forte 1t was well to 90 to the
opera, as lounge, to display a new
icfn frach from a1-is m tn
fiddle" ones self was quite out of
the question. With young ladies it was
much the same. The practice of music
was one of the arts of display, and the
harp was the instrument best calculated
to exhibit the elegance of a beautiful
figure. Therefore the harp was fash
ionable, and ladies were painted in the
act of performing on it. They could
hardly he said to play upon it, for it is
one of the most difficult of musical in
struments, but they twanged an accom-
paniment to a song or an obligatO to a
pianoforte piece executed, " literally,
by a less graceful sister or an oblging
cousin. There was one lady, Mrs.
George Grote, who played the violon-
cello. and she was considered, at least,
eccentric. Many years later there was
one nobleman who played the violin,
and no term of contempt was strong
enough to be used concerning him by
his brother officers in the distinguished
regiment which he joined as a prelimi-
nary to higher destinies.
All this has been marvelously changed,
and in a marvelously short space of
time. Our girls not only play the piano
but the violin; many of them very well,
and some with such enthusiasm that
fond mothers dread that their darlings
may become deformed through perpet-
ual clinging to the fatal Cremona. To
play the piano badly is now less the rule
than the exception, and the actual sci,
entific knowledge of music has advanced
with wonderful swiftness. No amount
of teaching can make every woman
musician, as is sometimes tacitly as
sumed, any more than it will make
every man a successful painter; but ii
has been so improved in method tina,
almost every one can be taught enough
of music and drawing to take an intel
ligent interest in those arts.-L0ndon
Daily NeWS.