Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-04-22

ered tine greatest musicai composer ct
the century. Struggling on up from 8
years Of age, when he was left father
less, Wagner rose through the obloquy
of the world and ofttimes all nations
seemingly against him until be gained
the favor Of a king and won the enthusi-
asm Of the opera houses Of Europe and
America. Struggling all the way on to
20 years Of age to conquer the worlds
ear In that same attempt to master the
human ear and gain supremacy over
this gate of the immortal soul great
battles were fought by Mozart, Gluck
and Weber aud by Beethoven and Mey-
erbeer, by Rossini and by all the roll Of
German and Italian and French COM
posers, some Of them in the battle leaY-
ing their blood on the keynotes aud the
musical scores. Great battle fought for
the ear-fought with baton, with organ
pipe, with trumpet, with cornet-a-pis-
ton, with all ivory and brazen and sill
yer and golden weapons OF the orchestral
royal theater and cathedral and acad-
envy Of music the fortresses for the con-
test for the ear England and Egypt
fought for the supremacy Of the Suez
canal, and the Spartans and the Persians
fought for the deiile at Ihermopyl&,
hut the musicians Of all ages have
fought for the mastery If the auditory
canal and the defle Of the immortal
soul and the Thermopyle Of struggling
cadences
Conquest of the Ear.
For the conquest Of the ear Haydn
struggled on mp from the garrett, where
be had neither fire nor food, on and on
until under the too great nervous strain
Of hearing his own oratorio Of the
Creation" performed he was carried
out to die, but leaving as his legacy to
the world lis symphonies, 1853 pieces
for the baritone, 10 masses, . oratorios,
AZ German and Italian songs, 80 canons,
365 English and Scotch songs. with ac-
compartment, aud /, 536 pages Of libret-
ii. All that to capture the gate OF the
body that swings in from the tympanum
TO the "snail she'll" lying on the beach
of the ocean Of the immortal soul.
To conquer the ear Handel struggled
on from the time when his father would
not let him 20 to school lest he learn
the gamut and become a musician, and
from the time when be was allowed IN
the organ loft just to play after the au-
dience had left TO the time when be left
to all nations bis unparalleled oratorios
of Esther " Deborah, " Sampson,
"Jephthah, Judas Maccabaus, IS
rael In Egypt" and the Messiah " the
soul of the great German composer still
weeping in the dead march Of our great
obsequies and triumphing in the rap
lures Of every Easter morn.
To conquer the ear and take this gate
Of the immortal soul Schubert composed
his great "Serenade, writing the
slaves Of the music on the bill OF fare
in a restaurant, and went on until he
could leave as a legacy to the world
over |, 200 magnificent compositions IN
music. To conquer the ear and take this
pate Of the souls castle Mozart strug-
gled on through poverty until he came
to a pauper's grave, and one chilly,
wet afternoon the body Of him who
gave to the world the Requiem" and
the sc Minor Symphony was crunch
ed in on the top of two other paupers
into a grave which to this day is cpl
taphless.
For the ear everything mellihuous,
from the birth hour when our earth was
wrapped in swaddling clothes Of light
and serenaded by other worlds, from
the time when Jubal thrummed the first
harp and pressed a key Of the first Or
gan down to the music Of this Saboatn
day. Yea, for the ear the coming over
lures Of heaven, for whatever other
part of the body may be left in the dust
the ear. we know, is to come TO celes'
tial life; otherwise why the "harpers
harping with their harps?" For the ear,
carol Of lark, and whistle Of quail, and
chirp Of cricket, and dash Of cascade,
and roar Of tides oceanic. and doxology
of worshipful assembly and minstrelsy,
cherubic, seraphic and archangeilc. For
the ear all Pandean pipes, all flutes, all
clarinets, all hautb0ys, all bassoons' all
bells and all organs-Luzerue and West
minister abbey, and Froiburs, and Ber-
lin, and all the organ pipes set across
Christendom. the great Giants Cause
way for the monarchs Of music 70 pass
over For the ear, all chimes, all tick
ings Of chronomoters, all enthcms' all
dirges, all glees, all chosnscs, all lui!a'
bies. all orchestratiou. Oh, ihe ear inc
God honored ear. gr0oved with divine
sculpture and poised with divine grace
fulness and upholstered with curtains
of divine embroidery, and corrldorei by
divine carpentry, and pillared with di'
vine architecture, and chiseled ia bone
of divine masonry, and conquered by
professions of divine marshalingl The
ear A perpetual point Of Interrogation,
asking. How? A perpetual point Of
apostrophe appealing to God None but
God could plan it None but God could
build it, Mono but God could work it.
None but God could keep it. None but
God could understand it. None but God
could explain it. Oh, the wonders Of
the human ear
A Sacred Thing.
How surprising sacred the human ear
You had better be careful how you LEI
the sound Of blasphemy or uncleannes'
step into that holy Of holies. The Bible
saws that in the ancient temple the
priest was set apart by the putting Of
the blood of ram on the tip OF the ear
the right ear of the priest. But. my
friends. we need all Of US to have the
sacred touch Of ordination on the hang
ing lobe of both ears and on the arches
of the ears. on the eustachian tube OF
the ear on the mastoid cells Of the ear,
on the tympanic cavity Of the ear and on
everything from the outside rim OF thu
outside ear clear in to the point WHERE
sound steps Off the. auditory nerve and
rolls on down into the unfathomahl'
depths Of the immortal soul. The Bible
speaks Of "dull ears" and Of "uncir
onmcised ears" and Of etching ears
4 tt..kolI;o,o oorcif and of "onpl