The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-01-24
MARTYRS TO MELODY
some GREAT MEN WHO HAD A
STRONG AVER RslON TO MUSIC.

.soIo- and sonatnS Give Ne the
Spleen" said Sir walter scott
Gautier called Music "tIse Most Ex-
pensive Noise on Earth"
Poverty, says some wise man. Is no
land insensiblity to the concord Of
kweet sounds. il may also be said.
hhough not criminal despite Shake
lkpeare's dictum that no man deaf to
5he appeal of music should be trusted.
js certainly n very great deprivation.
Net. great and lamentable loss though
jt may be, ii IL loss which has been
fhe lot OF a really extraordinary mum
Der OF men and women, not merely
nmong the rank and file of the worlds
! workers and drones, hut among those
syho have in various directions won
3stinctlon.
Even the poets have been divided on
the subject, although one might nat
rrally have imagined that felicity In
Verbal harmony would imply appreca.
J lion of music. Tennyson is reported TO
J bavc remarked once TO Sir Hubert Par
~: Browning is devoted TO music and
} Knows a great deal about il, but there
i no music in his verse. | know
ss,,S0ihing about music and don't care for
: h in the least. but my verse is full OF
I nlusic." In a general way the state
! brent was very true and embodied q
D curious fact.
Coleridge, though he protested that he
Nd no ear whatever and could not sing
, ID air to save his life, yet delighted
\ greatly In good music and, indeed, dis
played excellent taste in his apprecia.
|, Con. He liked Beethoven and Mozart
Ind some OF the earlier Italian com.
posers, such as Palestrina aud Carts
nmi, and. much 10 his credit. loved our
English Purcell Good music" he
Etd, never tires me nor sends me to
ncep. / feel physically refreshed and
( strengthened by II, as Milton says he
3D."
ION the other hand, Southey was In
fnsIble TO the charms OF music, dep
z fvation which was shared by Scott
~ November, 1915, sir Walter wrote
z his friend Morritt OF Rokeby that he
A gas writing from u lonely fireside, his
y fife and daughter having gone In to
\ ,iinburgh TO attend great musical
estlval II have an Indifferent good
Nsr Tor iig." he continued but your
elos and sOnatas give me the spleen
cen remained behind to prune my
laks."
Scott apparently, would have sym
athized with Theophlle Gauticr. who
mee called music the most expensive
ioise on earth. or Gautier 1t Is also
elatcd that on one occasion when TAX
to task by scandaliZed host for
liking while some one was singing he
leplied. 'Je ne supprimc pas In muslque,
ne fails que 'lattcnuerw
A still more famous Frenchman, Vic
br Hugo, objected strongly TO his
lfamas being used as librettos. He
Id the music spoiled his verses. Mil
n took very different view. He
ng of soft Lydian airs
Married to immortal verse.
Such as the melting soul may pierce
In notes with many "A winding bout
OF linked sweetness long drawn out.
,rhe composer of the deep organ har-
lonies of Paradise Lost was prob
hN one of the greatest music lovers
the ranks of the poets. lie was II
nsician himself of no mean ability.
hd his love for the art stands revealed
many passages IN his works
nsenslbility TO music has been by
means confined To poets. \ latter
~ ducal governor of Madras is said To
I'VE declared that there were only two
Ines--one was God Save the Queen"
ne other was notw He would
", appreciated the remark Of the
imam that music is "the only
KSMf for which one is obliged To pay"
Tdictum with which DR.. johnson
puld have cordially sympathized.
Ihe doctors remark at II violin per-
finance is familiar. When Il friend,
cing the great mans inattention
the dextcrity displayed, remarked
/on the difficulty of the performance
which they were listening the doc
cried: Difficult, do you call il,
"A wish it were impossible"
nd when Boswell in gushing fit
r. kcrbed how music affected him 50
1 pngly and painfully producing in
mind alternate sensations of pa
ktlc detection so that he was ready
shed tears and of daring resolution
that he was inclined to rush into the
ltkest part of the battle, the doctor
Rply and effectively gave him II cold
hchp-"Sir | should never hear il II
made me such fool"'
let johnson once confessed TO hav
been impressed by solemn music
la funeral, and on another occasion
in asked by lady whether he wa:
d OF music he replied gallantly tha
Iall noises lie considered il the leas
agreeable. Johnson even went 81
% as to ask his friend, DIR. Burney
historian of music, TO teach him th'
A. 4