The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-05-17


will, even the terrible rage of the
Furies was calmed by his entrancing
tones which gained him free admit
tance to that dark abode of his lost
wife, Euridice. Homer makes frequent
illusions to the power and use of
music. During the Argonaut expedi-
tion Orpheus is said to have stim-
ulated, by his music, the courage of
the heroes. Ulysses. hearing of the
power the Sirens had over sailors pass
ing near them, caused himself to be
lashed to the mast that he might hear
their beautiful melodies. To ensure
safety to his ship he ordered the ears of
the sailors to be filled with wax. Or
pheus is said to have SO far surpassed
them in musical skill that the alluring
Sirens cast themselves into the sea in
despair. Achilles relieved the monot-
ony of life on shipboard by playing the
Tyre, the art of which was taught by a
Centaur.
One of the oldest traditions referring to
Apollo as god of the Tyre is that in which
Marsyas, the celebrated flute player,
was f1ayed alive for presuming to enter
musisal contest with the son of La
tOna.
While Apollo was regarded as the per-
sonification of that noble power of the
tonal art which was able to purify and
elevate the mind Bacchus was repre-
sentative of wild, frolicsome music
which was always sung in the chorus
praising the god of spring and protector
of rural life.
The German myths of the Soreley and
the daughters of the Rhine originated
from the legends of the Mermaids who
were fond of singing ripping melodies
while-splashing in the waves
About the year 1000 B: c., the Olym-
plan games were instituted. Songs of
celebrated poets were sung at the ban
quets given after the gymnastic contest.
The Pythian games dedicated to the
Pythian Apollo were confined to musi-
cal contests in which the contesting
parties sang a festival hymn accom-
panied on stringed instruments or flutes
the reward being simple laurel wreath
greatly priced by the recipient.
A very close relation existed between
the music and the poetry of the Greeks,
the former being considered as the COM
plement of the latter. The poet and
the musician were often the same per-
son. The poets sang their compositions
to the accompaniment of the Tyre, hence
the term ''lyre poet had more liteal
significance then than it now has. A
vase in the museum at Munich repre-
sents contest between the poets Al
caeus and Sappho, each accompanies
the poetical composition on harp.
The Dorians led in the earlier develop
ment of the tonal art in Greece and gave
their name to the scale that became and
the national one. The Dorian
scale, or mode, was always employed
when singing the praise of their gods
and of their native land, and when
ylorifying all that is noble and sublime.
In 676 B. c., Tyrtaeus, the warrior
md bard, reused the Spartan youths to
acts of heroism by his patriotic songs.
It is he who introduced the use of the
among the Spartans. The
strange and warlike sound of that in
'trument put the Messenians to flight.
The father of Greek music, Terpander,
who flourished about $40 B. c., founded
he famnus Sesbian school sometime
lfter the first Messenian war. This
chool was proud to claim such names
is Arion, Alcaeus and Sapphy. Ter
'ander had great influence among the
'partans and was long gratefully re-
nembered by them, chiefly because his
melodies were found to exercise the
highest moral effect upon the spirit and
ourage of the youths. His influence
vas so great, that according to proph-
cy of an oracle he settled, by the
'ower of his song, a great party dis I
that threatened the safety of
he state. He made collection of
Asiatic, Egyptian and Aeolian melodies