New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-24
ANCIENT MUSIC.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE SCALES OF
sAvAGES AND GREEKS.

MEDIAEvAL MUSIC: An HISTORICAL sketch BY
Robert charles Hope. F. s. Al F. r. oI r.. ei b.
Cha 9isS scribner's Sons, New-York
We confess to considerable embarrassment as 10
The most advisable way in which to approach the
two books whose titles are given above Each III
Itself might well furnish topic for prohtaoie c's
cussion though the attitude OF the reviewer "oui"
necessarily have 10 undergo an extreme change as
he turned from book book. Or. Parrys WORK
Is Of all the books OF its kind that have peeh pun
lished for a decade more the most Original III
manner the most comprehensive In matter and the
soundest in thought. To the admiration which he
has compelled as a egrounded and serious com
poser we must add admiration OF higher
mower for his capacities as an unconventional
thinker a sound reasoner. an accurate ciasS"ei
and a calm, lucid convincing expositor his oooh
IS really the ground work of a new hist ~ OF
music and we should be happy could we look ior-
ward TO such literary structure "a II sues'S''
reared by his own hands. DR.. Parrys degrees nave
been appended to his name in the above u'e not
because they convincing on any point IN 'heih-
selves but indication OF the quaiiicatohs
which are as essential in a modern musical historian
as they are rare. Mr. Hope IT would seem from
his offhand condemnation OF Sir John Hawkins. Dr.
Burney and other pioneers in this extremely diH'-
cult study Is also something OF scholar Al ieas'
he is of the opinion that to write ABOUT HreeK
music one ought 10 be able to understand Hreeh'
and with this contention we have no disposition 10
quarrel. Our only embarrassment. TO be entreiy
frank springs from a fear that however much
Greek scholars may write about Greek music the!
neither understand it themselves nor are able 10
put the world at large in position to understand IT,
II seems opposite. however. TO say that In some re-
spects Mr. Hope does not seem TO be very great
commencement upon the men whom he disposes OF
40 cayslierly He may know more Greek than Sir
John or DR.. Charles Though we nave reason 10
doubt 10, but he knows less music He is an
antauary and to judge by the list or his WORKS
NAH nna IN
ventory Of the Church Plate in Rutland. English
Coldsmiths' and THE Holy Wells Of England
are doubtless repositories OF curious ana Iasclha
ing facts and there are many pages IN MediaeVal
Music" which are extremely suggestive ana nstruc-
tive; but they such as give play to his skill IN
literary excavation, compilation and comparison
Those Of his readers who are willing 10 coh'eue
that the subject has historical value Will be CRATE
fu to him for his sub-chapters on service-booKs'
and will enjoy also the spirit with when ne uhuer-
takes to demolish few old ideas which nave per-
baps been too long and generously exploited IN inc
handbooks At the same time 1t Is to be reared
that they will not look upon his Transcription OF
the 1--WE should like to say legendary stories com
piled by Plutarch Gear and suiicent history
of Greek music. Neither will the sceptca student
who has his classics at hand be able long 10 con-
tinue TO have faith in Mr.. Hope or love for MS
methods after discovering tina. as rule MS loo'-
mote references to Puarch are wholly without war
rant In this case Faith Hope and Love must
mart company If Mr.. Hope has copy OF Plutarch
which contains the information in Chapter XVI
that the first use Of the pecrum was ascribed to
Sappho or in Chapter XXVIll, that the Greeks
accompanied the songs note f5r note with the ice
whatever that may .nereas the accom-
panment on the ambuca was absolutely free ana
independent OF the voice. and was played above IL,
the melody being in the bass" II must be one OF
unique edition II is TO be feared that the gentle
man who was so ready to wave Sir John Hawkins
nd Dr because
not ,ad Gil eek we'll as music historian ought
has himself been doing his Greek reading vicari-
ously And II ne has invited doubt upon his classi-
cal scholarship he has also given somewhat
ambiguous title TO his muscianshp by speaking OF
the hnger-Doard Of the Egyptian lutes as enabling
'the sounding Of two more notes at one and the
same time is done on the modern violin ana IN
struments OF that species In our own day How
fnger-board increases the harmonic capacity or
strnged instrument, except in respect OF variety It
would be interesting to know. Heretofore the char
acteristc type OF a melody instrument has been
supposed be the violin with its fnger-board. the
characteristic type of harmony instrument. on the
contrary, the harp without finger board But
there is no pleasure in this sort Of criticism The
points are made only as a gentle reminder that
those who condemn the labors Of the first historians
out OF whose generous volumes all their little sue
have dipped spoonfuls OF fat. as Jean PauIs
village parson did out Of the German hymnbook
when preparing his first sermon ought themselves
low their condemnation with muddled interpreta-
tions Of what original critics have said (Mr. Chap
pel, for instance).
The subject to which Mr.. Hopes little book Is de.
voted is, in its essence. presented In a new, in-
teresting and convincing manner by Dr. Parry in
his chapter on Scales. 1t is a singular thing tina,
the fundamental principle Of music as an art the
qualifying phrase must be noted Is the one con-
corning which there is the greatest confusion in tho
popular the professional understanding.
One of the commonest phrases to be heard is that
the scale at the bottom Of modern European
music is the scale Of nature, and that without II
there be no music. 1t is generally assumed that
a scale which is recognized such must precede
the practice of melody. Investigators and collectors
of savage and folk music always greatly con-
cerned about the scales in which this music Is
written and SO soon as they find that the melodies
which they hear can not be fitted into the Spanish
boots of the European system they set down the
scale OF that system as a norm, or standard. ana
begin their search for those fractional tones which.
strictly speaking. scientific refinement OF that
scale and IL developed as most OF them think
would be evidence, not Of savagery, but OF the
highest culture 1t is exceedingly instructive. and II
ought to be suggestive. 20 be reminded that the
scale upon which the whole wondrous system Of
modern harmony has been reared is not only the
product Of the eighteenth century, but is a com.
promise which comes TO us as the final result OF
thousand years, or even more of wrangling. 1t Is
not nearly true and correct, from a mathematical
and strictly Scientnc point OF Vle" as Some Oh tho
scales developed in Persia and the East with Its
older civilizations. Yet 1t is the only scale which
could have given birth TO the entire body Of modern
music Music is not primtively art but ritual.
When II enters upon the formulative processes and
becomes the handmade Of esthetics. then begins
the scientific study of the scale. In savage music.
as a rule we find premonitions OF fundamental
intervalc system but not a completed and recog.
nized system. In the study of the aboriginal music
Of America, which has not gone far. the theory OF
O scale with intervals split up enthusiastically has al
ready begun to spook though nothing ought to be
palmer 10 an investigator than that the Indians
have no science of music, and that ine-tenths OF
their practice is rtuastic. not artistic. In conse
ouence, there is no conception among them OF
harmonic exactness. and esthetc offence Is