The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-03-27

cultivated and wild %Jwer are forms
OF life, whereas t./essential distinc-
tion is to be draw between the flower
hnd the imiu/1n flower. which is
not a form life. And II English
follxmusic I've ceased to charm tho
Englishr n, though he have all knowl-
edge II make music to the end OF
time, ,It viii be but as empty sound
and/waste paper. since he is persist
entity ignoring the law OF nature
which DEGREES that. because sincerity
Is the first requirement. only through
the gateway of national character can
art attain to the expression of the uni
versal" 'E
An idea of the unconventional man
ner in which the subject of "tone ma
terial" Is presented. can be gained
from a glance at the various chapter
headings OF the first part OF the book.
Among them are The Simple Standard
OF Time and It's Notation. (the beat)
The Compound Standard of Time, (the
measure); Relative Pitch and It's Mo-
tation: The Simple stanSsrd OF Ton
alitY. (the common chord): The Evo-
luton Of the Scale: Primitive Har-
mony: Advanced Harmony: The Com
pound Standard of Tonality; Counter
point VS.. Chord Conception: etc.
The second part OF the book il en-
titled Rhythm, and the discussion Of the
general principles to be studied Is so
important and withal so clear that
quotations from 1t will give an idea
of the whole OF the second division of
the work:
Musical form consists Of a COM
bination OF varied rythmic movements
conveyed by means Of the tone-mater-
lal already described; these are all
grouped under the central principles
of rythm.
"At first sight 1t may appear unlike
ly that all the widely differing factors
of music should have anything of
Importance in common: the object of
intellectual study OF art, however. Is
precisely to discover those underlying
features OF unity which exist in all
art, disguised by superficial variations.
If no similarity existed between the
various parts Of a composition, II
would not fulfill the conditions neces-
sary to work OF art, which require
OF all the parts to the whole.
The general features Of art are var
iety Of appearance combined with
unity Of principle.
"The essential fact OF rythm is its
or recurrence. The under
standing OF musical form resolves st.
self into a knowledge of the units or
points OF recurrence and their COM
binations.
1T is to be noted that the rythmic
principle as a whole makes invariably
for orderly arrangement of material.
Whatever be the nature Of the unit.
the fact Of periodicity enables US to
perceive an intelligable order. which Is
the basis OF unity in art. This order.
in music called form is in the early
stages of a very simple and obvious
nature. n course of time, this strict
form. which at first satisfied. begins
to appear monotonous, and variety is
desired. Thus is produced free" form.
which is essential to the progress Of
any art. and perhaps especially OF
the art of music.
"The nature of rythm may now be
defined as the periodic quality, pulsa-
tive. circiing. or undulating, of all
movement These three essential
characteristics of rythmic motion,
beats, circles, and waves. are all to
be found in music. Although 1t Is
their combination that produces the
sum of musical effect. each has it's
own development apart from the 9TH
ers. Musical rythm. therefore. divides
naturally into three great branches;
the pulsative, or beating rythm. the
circling, or centering Tythm. and the
undulating, Or wave rythm. OF these
pulsative rythm naturally has prec-
edence, being the primary source Of
the art.
Another phase of the relation Of mu-
sic and emotion Is well brought out In
statement that "The loftiest emotional
music is invariable found to be of a
range. Time-outline is naturally ryth-
mic. since 1t makes no sensuous ap-
peal. but into the other outlines a
very large sensuous element neces-
sarily enters The lowest order of
emotions are the ones most closely
connected with sensation. Therefore
unless these sensuous outlines are
dominated by rythmic principle, their
tendency will be to give utterance to
the lower sensuous emotions. In or
der to combat this demoralizinR emo
tional force, 1t is necessary to assert
and to reassert the supremacy of
rythm."
Chapters on Time-idiom. Pitch
idiom. Phrase and Stanza, Idiomatic
Derived Vocal Types,
The Cycle, and The Continuous Style,
lead to the inevitable conclusion that
Ito use her own words). at is not too
much to say that the whole future
Of music will depend upon the number
Of people who are able to read and
write 1t. at least in its simpler ut
terances. Then there will be a de-
mand for simple music which the peo-
pie can read. Music is now in the
position OF literature before the educa-
tion of letters became general. when
a book was as completely a sealed
thing to the people as a "score" is
Everyone knows the enor-
nous difficulty Of learning to read
In later life, but 1t is learned in child
hood with comparative ease, and ex-
perience shows that with even greater
ease can musical reading be taught to
the young when this teaching is con-
Quoted upon rational lines. In this way
we open to them a storehouse Of
healthy enjoyment, recreation from
which they are at present effectually
barred. The prodigious technique OF
music will then be easily mastered and
will fall into its right place as a
means and not an end. The true in
wardness OF musical form will then
be perceived. For the power of music
is universal. Setting aside the cases