Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-07-14

Discovery of Remarkable Phenom-
enon by Scientist.
Rays of Light which Produce Ger
tain CoIors Correspond Exactly
with Certain poRes-tSe In
Husical Instruction.

lists between tones and colors; that the
harmonizing of one and the artistic
blending of the others appeal TO the
same sense OF the beautiful; that
sweet sounds and pleasing color
effects are very much akin. 1t has re-
manned for Philadelphia professor TO
trace this phantasy to its source; to
materialize the vague impressions of
dreamers and to reduce them to mat
ter of science says the New York Her
aid. 1t has long been common knowl-
edge that our conception of both musi-
cal tones and colors is due to the effect
of vibrating waves Of movement, but it
is something new to learn that there is
a close and exact sympathetic rela-
tionship between the notes o. the scale
and the colors of the spectrum; that
the same system of nature governs
each and that discords arse in i'll
matched hues from infringement of
the same rules which govern the com
bnation of sounds according to the
science we call harmony.
1t is amazing to learn thet the seven
coiors Of the rainbow exactly CORE
spOnd with the seven notes of the
gamut, and that red. being the dOmi-
nant, has to the other cOlors the same
comparative refrangibility, or wave
lines" as the dominant in any chord
has to the other notes in the scale. It
will blend artistically auG pIeasingly
only with such colOrs rs represent
notes which in music may Oe harmon
iously used with the dominant.
1t is claimed by the disooverer OF
this phenomenon in science, and he
has devoted the last 20 rears to the
study of relationship between tone and
color, that the rays of light which pro-
duce red, at the base Of the spectrum,
correspond exactly with sound waves
responsible for do" the keynote at
the base Of the tcnic scale Orange
CORES ponds with re" yellow with
mi" green with ia" blue with "sol."
purple with Ia" and violet with Isl "
Before scientific experiments and re
search Is. abIished these facts, argues
the professor, impressionIsts, poets
and painters felt this close union be
tween tone and color. Artists knew
that warm splash of red, giving an
impression of prominence end near
ness TO the eye, would dominate the
whole picture. DO the tonic in
music, is recognized as the ctntripetal
force. Opposite in effect is the cool,
impid blue, which is in agreement
with "sol, " the clear. ringing fifth" Of
the scale, the tone of centrifugal force,
while midway and il perfect harmony
1s mi, the yellow, the sweet but un-
obtrusive third" of the scale These
three cOlOrs combined form a most
pleasing group. while the correspond
ing tones form the tonic chord, the
basis of all harmony
This remarkable science. or heOrv,
whichever it may properly be called,
has been put TO practical pury Ose in
the artistic aDd, musical training of
little children, at an age when their
minds are especially susceptibIeto i'm
pressiOns OF sweet sounds and bright
cOlOrs, when the intelligence is mainly
working through the medium OF their
senses
For this purpose an ingenious ar
rangement of colOred balls and sticks
has been devised, by which the lirst
instincts of harmony are instiIled into
children who have scarcely learned
their alphabet. AT the same time they
become acquainted with the artistic
of cOlors.
W hile certain sequences or CON-
binatiOns of colors are being exhih-
tied, sympathetic melodies aud chords
are heard. and the little ones quickly |
learn to associate the two. After
awhile they will sing tunes hitherto
unIearned or unheard by them. mere |
ly following the exhibition of the diff |
ferent colors, which to them have be- /
come associated with and expressive
Of tone. For instance should the fol-
owing sequence of cOlors appear.
Red, Red, Orange, Violet, he'd, Orange.
elbow, Yellow, Green, Yellow, Orange.
Red,
Orange, Red, Violet, Red,
hey would lnstinctively recognize the
melody Of NY Country, Tis OF Thee"
md heartily Join in singing. To have
aught this by musical notation would
lave been impossible.
When they base grown older the or
mary method of musical tuition is
lded by the printing of each note in
Is corresponding color. This is
laimed to show the essential unity OF
ne scale in all it's different positions
n the staff, TO give pictorial repre-
entatioD of the mOdulsSions from kew
} key and greatly to simplify the
Judy Of harmony by showing at a
lance the real character of the chord.