New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-01

The first volume Of the oxford History OF
Music marks the beginning Of undertaking
planned on lines that should make it of the
most interesting and important Of its kind ever
published in English 1t is proposed TO cover
the entire history Of music from the earliest
times down through the Romantic period. down
through those formative conditions which in
spired Weber in the theatre. Schumann and
Chopin in the concert room" There viii be six
volumes. Besides the present one. Professor
Woodbridge viii write the second tracing the
course Of modal counterpoint up to the work OF
Palestrina and his successors. The third Will
be by Sir c. II. II. Parry, following the lines
OF the early monadic movement from its origin
in Josqun and Arcadelt TO its culmina ton in
Purcell The fourth. by J a. Fuller Maitland,
deals especially with the music OF Bach and
Handel, and with the harmonic counterpoint
which is the peculiar characteristic Of their time
The fifth. by W. Il. Hadow, who is also the
editor OF the series viii narrate the rise and
progress Of the Viennese school. and carries from
Haydn 10 Schubert the development of the
great instrumental forms The sixth, by Ed
ward Dannreuther. describes that phase just
mentioned as the one at which the history will
stop--the Romantic period. Such is the outline
presented by the editor in his preface. But
the generous scheme which the undertaking
is based is not the only. or. indeed. the chief
distinction it viii have over previous orks Of
the kind. This is to be found in the method Of
treatment TO be pursued Most histories of
music says Mr. Hadow. are frankly and os-
tensibly biographical:
Their spirit has been largely that Of the saga
epic. rOusng our admiration for the achieve
ments Of princes and heroes. but leaving US UNI
informed and. indeed. unconCerned, 10 the
eral fortunes Of the host.
With all the human interest that such
course can give TO musical history. II is liable
Mr.. Hadow points out. to two dangers-that
of ignoring the work done by lesser men and
that of placing genius itself IN false perspective
This history is intended 10 deal with the art
rather than with the artist; 10 follow its prog
ress through the interchange Of success and
failure. of aspiration and attainment. The
whole ground has been surveyed afresh, and
the facts interpreted with little may be
of prejudice or prepossession. Such procedure
is always a wholesome one, especially IN me
department of musical history. where the writ
ers Of books have gone cheerfully on writing
down the errors and misapprehensions Of their
predecessors without taking the trouble 70 look
or to think for themselves. And whenever a
man Of power has departed from this practice,
he has achieved notable performance Old DR..
Charles Burney. when he started 10 write his
own history of music. paid his compliments
to those who have found it convenient TO COM
pile books at their own hreside from books that
have been compiled before" Like him, Pro
fessor Woodbridge has determined to AMY hie
thirst for knowledge at the sources" and IN
doing so he has produced a notable book.
He was confronted by Of the most diff
cult and thankIess tasks that be out before
the historian of music. The origins Of music
are, as far possible removed from anything
that strikes the man OF to-day music. or as
tNf IA
artistic or emotional. Their interest IS purely
antiquarian; and, furthermore the subject is
hedged about by difficulties of many sorts that
make its study perplexity even to those Who
are intelligent and veTsed in music.
Professor Woodbridge begins with a sketch
OF Greek music. brief. but clear as that be
wilderine subject doubtless can he made. There
was no harmony among the Greeks, and the
only traces Of a direct advance toward polyph-
ony in their music is the simultaneous en-
ploylnent Of men and children's voices or GER
tain voices and instruments in the same melody
Historians have looked eagerly into the works
Of later Greeks in the hope of finding some
reference 10 the employment Of fourths and
ffths in this vay-called "magadizing"; but re-
Gently this hope has been abandoned, and there
is no reason 10 suppose that the Greeks ever
proceeded beyond the consouance Of the octave
Early Christian music was evidently the ont
o
no longer presented with the ancient fable Of the
Modes Of St Ambrose and the revision and
addition To existing musical material by St
Gregory-the hymns Of Ambrose are now seen
10 be evidently based the Graco-Roman
scales; and recent discoveries have shown that
Christian music continued on the old classical
basis till hundred years after Gregory's time,
and perhaps much longer The employment Of
music in the worship Of the church vas the
controlling factor in the history of music at
this time: but for this and the new spirit that
was thereby breathed into the dying art Of the
Greeks music might not have been the first
Of the arts to rise again in Italy and to obtain a
new growth through the new principle of
polyphony.
The first mention Of symphonious singing and
playing called organizing" from which the
development Of polyphony can be traced. is
found in the treatisies Of Otger or Odo, an abbot
Of Proyence in the tenth century who succeeds
TO the dethroned Hucbald, not as the inventor,
but as the first one to describe the new system
as an existing and a well recognized procedure
The advance which at that tine had been Of
fected by practical musicians was important
and significant. Not only in addition to the
octave, were the consonances Of the fourths
and ffths sung in parallel movement and in
various combinations. but there was even a
growing use OF discord and a certain tendency
toward independence in the voices. The next
great step IN advance the Introduction OF
a musical measure nle''-and the denotenent
OF rhythm. Into the intricacies of this dis
can't and its notation, based on some of the
most bew!ldering subtleties Of the medieval
intellect. Professor Woodbridge takes $ far
as is necessary to gain a comprehension OF the
system. Some Of the contemporary treatises
are obscure 10 the point Of blindness; different
authors sometimes differ with manifestations OF