New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-12
HOW TO HEAR MUSIC.
THINGS ESSENTIAL TO REAL APPREC1A'
TYON


COMPLETE MUSICAL ANALYSIS. A system pesgnsd
10 Assst I'm The Performance and Understanding OF
the Works of the Great Composers OF no c,nI
Epocbs BY A. J. Goodrich eNo' PIP oo@. S'n-
cinnati: The John Church Company.
Mr.. Goodrich OF whose individuality and past ac'
Invites as musical pedagogue and essayist we CONFESS
ignorance would obviously not have been true to bis
literary ips tincts IL he had chosen shorter title for
the book hefore~us. As writer be commands style
whose chief fault Is profusion Of words coupled
with a scantiness Of ideas of real depth. dignity or
beauty. II may strange that We should purpose
10 devote considerable space and attention to book
which obliged to chsrac terize thus at the out
SET but the fact is. that in spite Of nelegances. in
accuraoies and foolish utteraneeS without number Mr.
Goodrich has written book Of real and remarkable
value in view OF the condition and needs of musical
culture In the United States. He has had the wisdom
ard the penetration 10 recognize wherein our popular
cultivation Of music is most lacking; and though he
has not convinced that he has been completely
successful in suggesting the remedy for the gievous
defects in pedagogcs he has worked in the right
direction. His book is designed for teachers and
students. We wish 10 enlarge It's field OF usefulness.
and TO this end we urge discriminating study OF u
upon all lovers OF music, whether they are stl con-
cerned with the practice of the art or have reegeu
that activity to Others and become only listeners 10
music. We might extend the number OF those ioI
whom the book has value beyond the class OF
professionals and amateurs, 10 thOse Nuo wv NV !"
anywise practice but simply love the art
Putting aside the primary purpose OF the su"'oi
VIC wish 10 direct attention 20 what IT may heip ~
accomplish in a kind of eduoeton wslch Is OF greater
significance than that devoted manly 10 the oeVcop
ment OF agility and power In The fingers Oh "ouiu
be planoforte players to the hexibllity OF 'ne
Isrypx In ambitious singers. The greatest need or
tho peope OF the United states to-day In the matter
Of musical culture is knowledge Of how to listen 10
music The ability properly TO listen to- symphony
or a sonata is rdfcr than the ABILITY 10 pay the
pisnoforte seceptably and is truer touehstone OF
a person,s or a communitys refinement. genueness
and culture 1t will require argument TO con
vince the iudcious that this ability Is Just as much
a product of special training as the ability TO ap.
nreciste the merits of picture, statue or piece OF
architecture. Much more so. indeed for Ialnuhs
and sculpture being arts Of imitation Keen facui'S
for comparison goes far toward helping TO approel%
,io Of their merits at least so far as hrst pcpeS
arc concerned But music is least OF all an iini'au'c
art. Its spiritual side is quite as significant as It's
material its appecl to the higher faculties Of the MIND
and TO the emotions cutie as important mission as
its appeal 10 the senses. Are these cohmohpi"es'
Possibly: but how seldom do the writers on music
manifest recognition Of them! Why are 50 many
of these writer's concerned only With forms and rules
with externas 70 the forgetting of that which Is
,ollcr and hirher2 Why are so many others nero
foolish rbapsod!sts who take advantage of the fact
that the language Of music is evsnesceht anu IT"
detcrminae to exploit themselves as persons Vi On
ouIste sensbAltles. instead Of directing atiehuch
10 the real elements of beauty In music why are
VIC Obliged 10 make the humiating confession that
the author Of " Charles AucheSter" and the Rev MI
Uaweis with their idOtic rhapsodes and 1antss1c
scntimentalities have done more to create puoii0
oplnion on the nature and purposes and possOihies
Of the musical art than all the metaphysiciahs ANU
aeshcticians who ever wrote? The TACT Is 'l"'
music IS the only art on which we have never thought
nj
gary arr of all the arts whose proper valuation as
an aconcv of culture and whose appreciation as
manifestation of the beautiful Is most uhquaiheuI'
conditioned upon some degree OF knowledge "A ineIe
senuence of lovely sounds passing before the ear may
delight and even stir the emotions. but the fancy
and the IMAGINATION will not be moved unui the
listener at concert of high-caSs music IS aoie IA
a deorce 10 perceive the purposes OF the composer
aud recognize the means which he has employed 10
obtain LIS end. .
Mr. Coodrchs book, which, for various
reasons some of them already announced
we would hesitate TO eommonu d"
advanced textbook musical FORM points
,be yav in which a good lover of music may become
also a good listener 10 music In series OF run
msntary chapters it discloscs add eXpouhds the
materials VIII which the composer goes 10 "orh ~
initiates the reader or student, INTO inc sii"pie
mysteries of intervals and the more complex ones Oh
metres rhythms and time movements. 1t next shows
how melodies are constructed by conjunction of phrase
section and period From simple forms, the product
of repetition (the most useful principle tha' music
knows it proceeds to complex forms. tracing 'heT
historical development alter it has SUBJECTED uem 10
anayss ard shown their Constituent parts. Finally
il attempts assiy OF the development OF sNIeS anu
schools entering here into field where Criticism II
il is TO be true TO its mission must urge the exercise
of care and discrimination in the acceptance OF the
theories which it advances, if they belonged to the
scientific part Of music and not TO be quaTreued
about as Beethoven said of counterpart and religion
Throughout tho author has appealed 10 examples, and
when he comes to apply his teachings I'm score OF
illustrative analyses he does his country
men the compliment Of selecting a nunteF
of American works for analytical treatment
We must here admire his patriotism and amabi'y
more than his judgment. 1t would have been more
profitable to have bestowed the labor on works OF
the highest grade Of excelencc-the works from which
the laws of competition have been educed No go0d
can come to native art land We fancy that such
remark may be made in this journal without arOnsing
suspicion Of hostility TO American composers from
forcing It's examples and Representatives into places
which respect toward the musical masters demands
should be reserved for them Besides. the really
fine talent of America is not honoed by such
jmbles of names good bad very bad and Indifferent,
which Mr.. Goodrich has admitted In his preface
and his compendium consisting Of st Of compositions
I'm all departments. ii IS only 100 evident that
he studied programmes and moi compositions in com
pilng tic list special word Of praise ought 10
be spoken for the publishers because OF the excellent
biographical style OF the book