The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-06

leaves her;
Next where the syrens dwell, you
plough the seas,
Their song is death, and makes destruc-
ton please.
Fly swift the dangerous coast! Let
Be stoppd against the song! Ills death
ody, IL.
The whole story of the Syrens seems
little else than an allegory illustrative
of the dangerous seduction of thought
lessness and enervating pleasure, as
opposed to the meditative and strenuous
pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. But
as affording another proof of the raw
ishing power of the ancient melody, it
| possesses interest and in general
History of Music, could not have been
omitted without leaving a blank.
There are other particulars connect
ed with this fable, which Pope, when
writing his notes on the twelfth book
of the Odyssey. collected as follows;
| 1.-The critics have greatly labored to
explain what was the foundation of
this fiction of the Syrens. We are
! told by some, that the Syrens were
queens of certain small islands, named
Sirenusae that lie near Caprae in
Italy and chiefly inhabited. The pro-
montory of Minerva, upon the top of
which that goddess had a temple, as
some affirm, was built by Ulysses
Here there was a renowned academy
in the reign of the Sirens, famous for
leloquence and the liberal sciences,
which gave occasion to the invention
of this fable of the sweetness of their
voice and attracting songs Of the ST.
rens. But why, then, are they tabled
to be destroyers and painted in such
dreadful colors? We are told that at
last the students abused their knowl-
edge to the coloring of wrong, the cor
ruption Of manners and the subyersion
of government; that is, in the language
of poetry, they were feigned to be
transformed into monsters and, with
their music, to have enticed passengers
to their ruins, who there consumed
their virtues with riot and effemin-
acy
There were two great musicians in
antiquity of the name of Olympus
They were celebrated performers on
the flute. One fiourished before the
Trojan war and the other was contem-
rary with Midas, who died six hum
bred and ninety years before
Christ The first was a mysian and
scholars Of Marsyas and the second
was a Phrygian. The most important
addition which the disciple Of Marsy-
as made to the musical knowledge Of
his time was the invention Of the En-
harmonic Genus. Plato and Aristotle
as well as Plutarch, celebrate his
musical and poetical talents but tell us
that some of his airs were still sub
sisting in their time. The airs Of
Olympus used In the temple worship
during the time Of Plutarch were not
more ancient than the Chants, or Cam
to Fermo, or some of the hymns of
the Romish church; and the melodies
tnow sung to many Of the psalms and
hymns Of the Lutherans and Calvin
lists are such as were applied to them
at the time of the Reformation. Plato
says the music Of Olympus was, In a
peculiar manner. adapted to affect and
Ianimate its hearers. Aristotle afflrms
that it swelIed the soul with enthu-
siasm and Plutarch declares that it
surpassed in simplicity and effect, ev-
cry other music then known. Accord
ing to this biographer, he was the au-
| tbnr np t,l,
Alexander to seize his arms when 1t
was performed by the Antigenides. To
his great musical abilities he Joined
those of poetry and according to Sui
das and Jul. Pollux, he composed ele-
giles and other plaintive songs which
were sung to the sound Of the flute.
The melodies of these poems were so
much celebrated in antiquity for their
pathetic and plaintive cast that Arts
tophanes, In the beginning Of his com
edy called THE Knights where he
introduces the two generals, Demos,
themes and Nicias, travestied into
Wallets and complaining of their mas
ter, makes them say, LET us weer
and wall like two flutes breathing
some air of Olympus"
Besides the Curule or chariot air
just mentioned, Plutarch ascribes to
him several homes or airs that are
frequently mentioned by ancient writ.
ers, among which is the spondean OF
celebrated libation melody.
Among the first musicians after Apol
10, handed down to us by what MAY
be called fabulous record, is Philam,
mon Of Delphos. According to Tatian
he was not only practical artist bu
a scientific student in music and flour
ished as speculatlst before the tim,
of Homer
The exploits of Amphton, Chiron, Lin
} us, Orpheus and Musaeus are gravel!
marshalled before us and excite a curl
osity that can never be gratified. Am
{ phion is one of the sixteen kings O
! the first Theban musicians upon rec
ord. Homer tells us that, to secure tn,
crown he usurped, he enclosed the cit,
but says nothing Of the miraculou
| powers Of his Tyre or nothing of hi
: having built the wall by virtue of it
sound Pllny says he was the inven
: tor Of music and of the cithara
Chiron was called by Plutarch tn
Wise Centaur. He was not only a musi
} clan but a distinguished astronomers
5 and general scholar. One of his mos
favored scholars was the Grecian Bac
chus who learned from him the revels
l orgies, Bacchanalia and other cerenon
ious worship. AS TO the time when som
of these great musicians lived, it i
stated by the learned antiquarian
: Archbishop Usher, that Linus flourish