The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-05-02
H Survey Of m,odern fflusic.

FL survey OF TIT
Pepper Read Before the ChautauQua Circle.
TT WILL not be necessary, in view
of the amended title of this paper,
to trace the development of music
back to it's origin, whether that
origin be derived from Jubal, who "was
the father of all such as handle the |
harp and organ," or from that particu- |
lar Simisn who discovered that when
an ape howled, he might nevertheless
howl at regular intervals of pitch.
But in view of the manifold subdivi-
sfons of modern music, it will be desir-
able to inquire to some slight extent
how these subdivisions have arisen, |
before turning to present-day condi- |
lions.
The first broad distinction drawn by
the average man of today is between
classical and popular music. This def
inition would be simple In the extreme:
<'Popular music is what like and un-
derstand-classica music is what do
not like and can't understand" But
as this distinction is rejected by most
musicians, it will be better to com.
mence with one still more obvious,
that between sacred and secular music.
From the earliest recorded ages, mu-
sic has been more intimately connected
with religion than any other of the
arts. True, architecture rose TO its
loftiest heights In the Parthenon and
dn the Gothic churches, but whereas
religious services can be, and usually
are, carried on in buildings which make
no pretensions to architectural beauty,
the best music is and has always been
called into requisition for this purpose.
Search where you will; in ancient
Egypt, that most musical of nations;
tn Israel, In epicurean Greece, in ma
terial Rome, among the ten Thousand
creeds of today, even among those saw
ages who probably represent an antiq-
uity more remote than any known
epoch, and you will find music joined
with worship. Yet secular music could
probably prove an origin fully as re-
mote, since it would seem that the i'm
pulse to sing must necessarily come
before the thought of praising. e deity.
However, leaving this question to
the splitters of hairs, let us consider
the religious music of today. In the
great cities we find, of course, the best
music, performed by salaried cholrs
and skilled organists, playing on in
struments almost as capable of express
ing what is technically known as "light
and shade" as the orchestra itself
Massive oratories, many of them, such
as Handel's Messiah" and Mendels
sohn's "Elijah," almost as popular ant
as we'll known as the latest comic song
are to be heard daily. Yet all those
triumphs of musical art please not th'
Puritan. He feels that there is an un
due intrusion of the aesthetic into hi
austere conception of worship ant
longs, especially if his ear for music b.
defective, for the little backwood
chapel where he can join in singing
"Onward Christian Soldiers" In tn
same backwoods chapel, it would proba
bly, be impossible for musician t
compose his thoughts at all for the tel
rible noise. This is, however, differ
ence IN points of view and even anon
church-going musicians an incongruit
is felt when the organist plays as a
introduction to the service the Veni
berg music from Tannhsuser, or
selection from Tristan and Isolde.
This suggests the first great subd
vision OF secular music-the opera, Ii
cIuding the creations of Wagner, whic
he chose to term music-dramas. tt
opera Is always held up to reprobatio
by good Philistines, who point. Just
enough, to the frivolity of Its inceptio
the class which supports it, and Il
frequent occasions on which the boo
of the opera falls short of the Puritan
standard. But the opera cannot
regarded otherwise than as one Of Il
most important branches of must
o While 1t lacks the solemnity, even Il
dignity, of the orstorio, 1t has the Inc
unable advantage of representing b
man attributes and acti0ns-in {
extremely exaggerated manner, =
course, but with certain amount
fidelity.
Here. suppose 1t would be natu1