The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-02-24
PLAYING AT SIGHT.
Practice by Which sight Reading of Must
Is Developed and Improved.

Practice by Which sight Reading of Music
Is Developed and Improved.
The ability to perform a piece of
music well at first sight is often con-
sidered a natural gift, like playing
from memory, although sight reading
is ever the more desirable and valuable.
To come right down to the point, a
players sight reading represents just
what he is truly master of. Perhaps
none had a more exalted opinion of it
than that excellent musician Carl Colt
lieb Freudenberg of Breslau, who de-
clared that sight reading represents the
knowledge and ability the performer
has at his fingers ends. A merchant
might call it cash IN hand. In this con-
nection Carl W. Grimm says in The
Etude:
Practice can develop and improve
sight reading. 1t is necessary to know
all the major and minor chords and
their diversions, likewise the dominant
seventh chords of each key; then al the
scales. Further. thorough knowledge
and feeling of time (meter and rhythm)
are necessary. Practice sight reading reg
ularly play music of every description.
Play Accomplishments, instrumental
duos, trios and piano duets the primo
as we'll as secondo parts. List was COM
PEELED by his father to play at sight
every day, and no doubt this regular
practice helped a great deal to enable
him to perform those marvellous feats of
sight reading recorded in his biogra-
phies
Play music at sight that is a grade or
two below your standing. Play it over
,C1r
Look at the tempo, time and key sigma
lures. Look through the piece before
startling it. Then play without stops
Do not mind mistakes; correct them
when you practice. Keep on. Don't be
afraid of approaching difficult places
Determination to keep up does wonders
for "well heOnn is half done ''
From the NoveI1st's stanupoin..
Woman suffrage is often said to be in
the air. One evidence is the entirely in
cidental way in which the subject is
frequently referred to in present day
fiction. The hero in Paul Leicester
Ford successful novel "Peter Stirling"
thus expresses himself: Broadly speak
ing, all persons of sound mind are enti-
tied to vote on the men and the laws
which are to govern them. Aside from
this, every ounce of brain or experience
you can add to the ballot makes it more
certain. Suppose you say that half the
people are too ignorant to vote sensibly.
Don't you see that there is an even
chance at least that they will vote
rightly, and if the wrong half carries
the election it is because more intelli-
gent people have voted wrongly, have
not voted or have not taken the trouble
to try and show the people the right
way, but have left them to the mercies
of the demagogue? If we grant that
every man who takes care of himself
has some brain and some experience, his
vote is of some value, even if not high
one. Suppose we have a gold eagle and
a thousand pennies. Are we any better
off by tossing away the coppers because
each is worth SC little? That is why l
have always advocated giving the fran
chise to women. If we can add 10, O0O,-
600 voters to an election, we have added
just SO much knowledge to it, and made
it just so much harder to mislead or
buv enough votes to change results.
Muddy Umbrellas.
1t often happens that umbrellas get
splashed with mud spots; even occasion
ally they fall into puddle and present
forlorn appearance. 1t is best not to
touch this mud until it has quite dried,
for to rub it when wet only insures its
permanency in the fibers of the fabric.
The mud should be allowed to dry first,
with the umbrella wide open, then the
dust should be rubbed off with piece
Of coarse flannel, and the spots sponged
with strong black tea or ammonia and
water. Umbrella silk should never be
brushed while wet, for it is liable to
stretch out of shape.