Omaha daily bee., 1895-06-02
BAETENSWRITESON HARMONY
Series of Articles by One of 0maha's Music
Teachers to Be Published Weekly.
CONSERVATORY OF Muse COMMENCEMENT
"Rcmeo and Juliet" n Musical Burlesquet
with Wen Known Omaha People In
tho Cast, win Follow the Fa-
nous Ysayc at Boyd's.

1t Is his or her rest period from the arduous
and exacting duties of the profession.
Some there be who are permitted to enjoy a
period of relaxation from hours OF practice
and get away to the mountains. ledge or
shore. Others, however are not so condi-
TONED and they are compelled to remain
at home, exacting. however. from the rest
strength to renew the battle of the musi-
clans life when the days of summer have
gone and the crisp. bracing atmosphere is
Indicative of another recurring season"
For the stay-at homes for those who de-
sire to keep in touch with musical thought.
the musical editor of The Bee has arranged
with Dr. Charles Baetens for a series of
characteristic articles along musical lines.
known in the community that it would
seem wholly unnecessary to speak of his
qualifications. with fifty years almost to
his credit as a musician, he is in position
to lead the younger musicians to higher
planes of musical knowledge, and he sets
about doing this in the following article:
A FEW WORDS ON HARMONY.
1t is frequent practice to give musical
lectures in the form of concerts. inter
spersed with anecdotes of the masters
whose compositions they include. with per-
haps a chronological notice OF the rise and
decline of the various styles these compost
tions exemplfy. In pursuing a different
course from this of presenting musical per-
Gormances with, shall l say historical illus
trations, l trust 1t may not be vain for me
to emulate the pattern Of great men in all
departments of knowledge, and | shall be
proud IL | communicate any insight
into musical principles analogous to that
which you receive upon other subjects. l
| presuppose that the announcement of the
above theme will find you prepared to look
! rather for instruction than amusement, and,
| as | shall not pretend to furnish you with
| amusement, / must appeal to the interest
in the technicalities of harmony for such
sympathy with the subject | am about to
write upon as may enable me to render
| acceptable the instructive form in which it
| will be cast.
l will not weary my readers with ex-
| plantations of technicaities with which
| every musical tyro is conversant; but must
| tax your patience, | trust not too heavily
! in defining some terms that are in less gen.
! eral use, yet must frequently occur in my
| remarks Let me say, also, in advance, to
mature musicians. If any such honor me
| with their attention, who come less to learn
! than to criticise, that any unfamiliar
views which | may bring forward are not
of my own discovery.
The term harmony" belongs not exclusively
to music. The Greek original defines the
| fitness. propriety, accordance of things so
that we use the word in primitive rather
than in figurative sense when we speak OF
harmony among the members of society, of
harmonious whole, comprising the diverse
elements in a work Of art. 1t is employed as
a technical term by painters with whose
province however. | will not interfere by
speaking of the Specification in which II is
understood by them In music the word
harmony" expressly defines a combination
of notes. in contra-distinction to melody"
which means succession of notes; the first
signifying music which requires several
| performers except when such instruments
as the piano forte are employed. whereon
| many notes may be sounded together: the
second which can be executed by a single
voice. or any instrument that can yield but
one sound at a time; the first expressing
| music which Is written vertically; the second
music which is written horizontally. We
must not confound this bare technical inter
probation Of the horizontal. ne-voiced, sue
cessive melody with the sense in which the
word is popularity received, the sense com
| prising rhythm, accent and numbeTless del
| icate gradations. the total of which consti-
| tutes what should properly be called good
melody. whose absence is implied when
critics complain that a piece of music con-
| tains no melody at all. since this would be
| in true technical terminology to declare
| that such a piece was composed of single
| reiterated note.
| The term harmony" In the musical sense
of symphony, accordance and combination,
was unknown to the Greeks i am aware
4 that scholars have had divided opinions as
| to this fact, but am convinced, by the very
passages in the writings OF Greek theorists
| which are adduced to the contrary, that the
| ancients never knew the effect Of harmoni-
GUS combination. The art of music, there
| fore. which / am not single in estimating as
Fthe most subtle, the most intense medium of
! the expression of the beautiful, which has
| always been caused by ancients and mod
erns in advance OF poetry and painting. is
/ virtually the youngest Of the artistic sis
1 terhood for its very birth-nay. the first
! dawning upon mems minds Of the natural
| principles which are at its basis-dates only
4 within the last six or seven centuries. Since
| all harmonic progressions must, however,
consist of a combination OF melodies, IL may
| be as well to glance briefly at the melodic
| code Of that great people. and to note
some of the distinctions which have been too
commonly confounded between the Greek
principles and our own. l will spend
short time first upon the three genera of
| the Greeks, since their titles belong to our
| modern terminology.
| CHARLES BAETENS.
The presentation of the travesty, Romeo
and Juliet modestly announced as super
vised by j. Edgar Owens and losing thereby
\ none of the promise OF brilliant achieve
ment to those who know Mr. Owens capa-
| biities, is set down for Wednesday evening.
\ June L. at Boyd's. Omaha has been highly
/ favored of late In the matter OF burlesques.
| OF all this seasons enormous aggregations
\ which minister to the desires OF those who
| derive pleasure from gorgeous scenic effects
and a mingling Of vocal and physical feats
/ of endurance with stimulating exhibitions
i of feminine charms, hardly one has spared
u.s. The entertainment which Mr.. Owens
and his associates win provide appeals rather
to the ear than to the eye: depends for the
making OF its points upon the receptiyity OF
the audience rather than upon the shapeli-
ness of the ladies in the chorus. and pro-
| ceeds. If one may venture to hope so para
| doxcal a statement will not be misunder-
stood, more naturally upon its head than
upon its heels, being for all these reasons
and more beside less a burlesque, as that
term has come to be popularity used, than
trayesty. AS will be seen from the cast OF
characters appended. the principal roles will
be carried by people whose names are
/ guarantee OF earnest endeavor and success
| full accomplishment The book is bright and
cleverly written and the music, though orisi-
nality is not claimed for 1t, is of kind
which comes nearer 10 pleasing all the people
| all the time than most OF the compositions
| offered nowadays. No pains or expense VIII
| be spared TO the end that the play may be
! correctly staged and the players appropri-
| ateIy costumed. and as the piece has been
atxg. NNNannp MH