The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-05-29
Gounod on Modern Music.

Gounod on Modern Music.
NJ. Gounod has written preface to
Noel and Stoullig's annual review of
the Partisan musical season. 1t bears
the title of ''Reflexions on the Music
OF the Period, and an extract, trans
lated from the Figaro, and printed be-
low, may be called "Catechism OF the
Composer OF the Future" The por-
tlon OF the prefacereferredt to embodies
the following questions and answers:
Q.-What is the art OF music?
A.--The art of combining sounds in
a manner painful to the ear and
wearisoGle for the mind.
Q.-Wby painful for the ear?
A.-Because music, when it caresses
the ear, has a tendency to develop
! the listeners sensual to the detri-
ment of his intellectual nature, and
| the holiness OF art forb:ds that it
should make itself the accomplice of
such corruption.
Q.-Why do you add 'and weari-
some for the mind?"
| A.-Because it thus becomes q means
of stimulating and developing intel
| lectual energy and raising the mind to
| the transcendency that is the rational
summit OF art and inaccessible to the
| vulgar masses.
Q.-Have not the great masters,
hitherto, held an adverse opinion on
| the subject?
A.-Yes, because they still walked in
| the darkness that surrounded the
childhood of art; now the gloom is
gradually dispelling, thanks to the
| triumphs of modern aesthetics, and at
present compose music as Sganarelle
once practiced medicine, Gin accord
ance with a quite new method"
Q.-Then art must be a sort OF NOR
tification?
A.-Precisely.
Q-Wherefore?
A.-Because the property and duty
of all exalted missions is to combat
the relaxation of nature by the prac-
tice OF the virtues, and principally by
that of patience in trials.
Q.-What is the essential condition
OF genius?
A lack of ideas.
Q.-What do you mean by this?
Al mean that genius being the
creative faculty, Its distinctive charac-
teristic must be its likeness to the
Creator that made all things out of
nothing!
And so on, and so on, fer after the
error has been admitted at the start,
one can progress indefinitely in the
domain OF the absurd.
A Dental Surgeon Called.
From the New York Heraldl
He looked ha6gard and careworn as
he came out of the Castle Garden gate
and listlessly took ais seat on bench
near the sea-wall. The little box on
his knees was half open, and the glitter
OF a. polished steel weapon reflected
the rays OF the sun from beneath the
lid.
ut was an awful job" said he to the
man who sat on the seat beside him;
''but got EN- Strengthened out. You
see, the clerk who rolls out the names
| of the passengers got mis- Jaw out OF
Joint, and his assistant he got his Jaw
out OF Joint, and the third clerk got in
the same fix. II looked as if it was
going to be as the poet says, q Jaw
forever out OF Joint for all Castle Gar
den"
"What happened ?" nervously in
quired the stranger.
ooh, Capt. Schwensen arrived from
Hamburg to-day with his Hammonia,
and he brought lot of families along
with him, not his own. Now, I'm a
dental surgeon"
'fWell ?"
'TWelI, l was called in by telephone
with this box OF instruments, and you
ought to see me yank those fellows
around; but Igot 'em alright. There's
a fellow getting through with his work
now eplendidly."
"What's the matter with their
laws?
"Capt. Schwensen's responsible. His
families are a terror. Here's q few Of
'em; Bella, Bertha, Emma, and
Marga Schwedersky; Franz, Karl,
Maris, Anna Wyskocil; Vincent, Catha,
Bronislawn Pigstowski; Franz, Marie,
Sophie, Anne, Jacob, Susanne Tacsyn-
ski, and Heinz, Trina, Herm, Alisabeth,
Dorothea, and Odolf Nieschulz.
They re all going to be set to music
when the German opera gets back"
''Those are nice names"
eyes. But the clerk broke down
mheh tH?y cS''401 0'0i' annoy anu
Mary QVist."
"But who's the fellow that's doing
so sp.endidly?"
They sent for him up in Greenwich
Street. Heis a Bohemian. His nameis
Observation-Disclosures
gutzki."
"He's doing splendidly, is he2"
eyes; the clerks say he knows all
about Schwensen's passengers, and as
he's slow writer ] thought I'd come
out here for an hour or two and rest
while he was signing his name. Hehad
Just begun before | left. )"