The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-04-13
MUSIC OF THE ORIEHTALS
A Hindoo Defends Il Against the
Idea Predominant in the
West
Argues That tho Human Ear Ia
Not the Same in ID f5rent
Races
How the Octave Was Founded Far India
Rightly Called the Mother
of Music.

You westerners DO not like our oriental
/ gnusic. and we eastern people do not like
/ tours. What you call music TO rs il dis
I cord. while 20 You our most harmonious
T strains appear meauingless-not TO say
/ harsh. Now, why is thisY Is il a matter
! % education only, OF is there real physi-
/ illogical difference in the hearing organs
OF widely different nationsY / put this
question 20 one OF your college professors,
and it was his opinion that educational
methods, psychological influences, mental
bias. etc, were sufficient Ia account for
the various national peculiarities in the
way Of music We orientals. however, as
sert that physiological differences lie at
the root OF this divergence in musical taste
Reflect a moment on the influence climate,
food, environment, etc, have on the phys
ical body. BY such influences are created
the variants as TO complexion, vitality,
mental capacity and a hundred others.
Change all these modifying conditions for
others Of a different type, and in course Of
time you will have a different type Of man.
Now take the human ear. We know
that as the organ for the perception OF
sound Il responds to the vibrations of the
soniferous ether These vibrations are ma
terisl-must be, 70 call forth any response
in a material organ. Every time the hui
man ear takes In these vibrations Of the
sound waves the physical organs within
respond accordingly. Given ages Of "A spe-
cialized type Of Hural vibrations, and the
result will naturally be specialized type
Of organ TO receive them This is the real
reason why the people OF one race have no
ear, so to speak, for the music Of another.
The aural nerves vibrate toa different rate
and are attuned 10 "A different pitch and
quality as to sound. Originally, Of course,
wo were all alike as 10 physical structure,
but we Hindoos believe in seven original
types Of mankind, and each such type de
veloped along its own cline Of least resist
ance," evolving civilizations ard CORE
spondent physical notifications of its own.
Hence the present wide divergences be-
tween the grent races Of the world in ev-
erything that pertains TO modes Of life,
habits OF thought, art and harmony. Each
rice has its own keynote, physical, men
tai and spiritual, and 20 this alone will 10
fully respond.
We llindoos. for instance, started out
with certain definite conceptions Of our
own concerning the nature of harmony it.
self aud I'm time developed a musical sys-
TEN Of expression peculiar TO ourselves.
Our aural nerves have been modified-dif-
ferentiated, You may say-by ages of pc
culiar training, until physiologically the
harp of Corti within the ear responds only
10 the IIindoo conception Of harmony all
others appearing nonmusical and discord
ant. So with the Chinese. Their aural
nerves Rre attuned 20 another key pecul-
lar TO them a. a people. and that which
Is 20 you meaningless tOmtom beating
excites i'm them emotions Of keenest de-
light. The same applies to every other
race as well, the European included. The
ears ~ people are thus modified physio-
logically according TO its peculiar genius
and inherent character The conception
Of music. therefore, differs with each race.
and as TO what constitutes harmony and
what does not there can be no possible sat
isfactory agreement in this our present
stage Of evolutionary development, at
least. II follows, therefore, there can be
DO absolute standard Of harmony. no uni
versally accepted criterion as TO what mu-
sic is
Every race has its own aural develop
meut and its own opinion on the subject,
aud no two Of them will be- found to per
fectly agree. The historical aspect Of the
development Of music illustrates these ra-
cial aural differences. the different types
never change, however modified. A 70
where the study Of harmony originated.
even your western experts acknowledge
that India has been rightly called the
mother ~ music Some Of our musical
MSS. are from 4 900 90 900 years old
China has musical compositions written
centuries before the Christian era: Egypt
too, for in one Of the ancient tombs Of
Thebcs there was found a harp OF 90
strings, and musical instruments Of vari-
ous kinds are pictured among the ruins Of
other civilizations that have fourished
since
we Hndoos claim that ours Is the only
natural music, because ia DO We but seek
70 echo the voices Of nature SAYS one Of
our teachers. "Nature has no fulsc or ar
tihcial notes. and all her sounds. moreover.
make but one tone. which we can an hear
81 we know how To- listen. This tone il
the middle i. the fundamental tone in ma
ture. Too our melodies 10 serves as the start
INK point. which we cmbody in the key
notes. ami around which are grouped ull
tine other sounds % our ancient Aryau an
ceetprs, moreover. discovered THE natural
origin pf the octave itself iu seven typical
tones boo the animal kingdom. These seven
tones are said 20 pond 10 the cries Of
the y0at thc p-ar0cl. the OK. the pf-rut.
tie frog. tha tiger and thedrphant. Sub
divisions aud measures fluid their basis in
the complicated variations ~ the snme
sounds. Thus was founded the octave.
aud from this sprung the subsequent rise
81 harmony al un art ] wish not 90 iie
crusoriuus, bat compared with the simple
aud natural melody ~ my own country
the finest compositions md performance
OF your western nation seem 10 me but ur.