LECTURE AT WOMEN'S CLUB.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20224, 30 April 1931, Page 2

LECTURE AT WOMEN'S CLUB.

MUSIC IN PSYCHOLOGICAL GLIMPSES. ' At the Canterbury Women's Club last night, Miss Hannam gave ail instructive and interesting address on "Music in Psychological Glimpses." The psychology of music, the speaker said, I was such a wide subject that it was I possible in the short period at her disposal to take *01) ly a brief survey of the J j psychological effect of music in Nature, the effect of rhythmic force, the attitude of mind responsible for musi- | cal compositions, the psychology of lis- | tening, of interpretation, and reciprocity, the effect of technique and the i effect of mechanical music. I In this mechanical age, the speaker said, when babies were lulled to sleep by gramophones and wireless music was heard all day, one wondered what future effect continual niisic of that description would have on tho development of children. "Is it not apt," Miss Hannam asked, "to create a spirit of unrest and a lack of disposition for silence, quietness, and reflectivenesst" Mechanical music, she said, was, to a certain extent, good from a*i educational point of view, for it enabled the genoral public to hear symphonies, famous orchestras, and talented musicians. Gramophones had elevated the standard of musical appreciation of the masses, had given powers of discrimination, and had made people familiar with better music. But it had brought about a strong desire for individual expression or a combination of individual expression and mass expression. Perhaps radio would encourage home life, and with homo life, a desiro for porsona! expression. Necessity of Self-Expression. Self-expression stimulated intellectual interest, and gave animation and alertness to the mind. The children of ancient Greece read and declaimed in a rhythmical sing-song, that was thought to have an effect on their physical growth. To the savage, music.- was a real stimulating power, and by it, they expressed pleasure, fear, and anger. I Pythagoras, the father of musical scioncc, counselled his disciples to refresh themselves at the fount of music, in order to restore the inner harmony of their souls, and Confucius said, "The wise man seeks by music to strengthen the weakness of his soul, and the thoughtless one uses it to stifle his fears." Music had, throughout the ages, been deemed necessary for the elevation of mankind. Plato taught that music was as essential to the mind and soul as air to the bodj\ An Intellectual Stimulus. Music, Miss Hannam continued, was intellectual as well as emotional. It was an emotional' outlet —the power of expressing emotion on the one hand arid the power of controlling emotion on the other hand, and,of purifying it. Music acted on the mind and the mind influenced the body and nervous system; the body quickly re-acting to the mind. It was not merely listening, but how one listened- that was important. Men going to battle were cheered by light rhythmical tunes, children responded <to music by rhythmic movements, and orderly rhythmic movements could bring about balance and poise of mind. They were a natural form of self-expression, which helped to develop motor control, to obtain harmony of mind, mental and physical alertness, and quicker action—in other words, harmony of the whole system. The Art of Listening. Much mechanical repetition in practicing could be eliminated if students truly listened to "Nature in all her different voices and moods. A writer of rural life once expressed a wish to make others hear "tho songs, the silences, the rustlings of tho air." Most people were not aware of the psychological value of silence. Famous Composers. Miss Hannam described the characteristics of many composers and their works —the depth and steadfastness of Bach, his spiritual vitality and strength, the rugged, powerful nature of Beethoven, with his thirst for Divine truths, the great mental gifts of Hugo V.'olf, anfl tho vivid inspiration of ,Tsehaikowsky. Sentiment and Sentimentality. The speaker differentiated carefully between the effect of sentiment and sentimentality in music. Sentiment gave strength, courage, and loftiness of ideas; sentimentality meant weakness, and had a degenerating effect. It was true wisdom to seek, not only the works of great composers, but to seek also the spirit which animated them, to develop intuition, imagination, and intuneness with the Infinite Mind. The Programme. *. At intervals during the lecture, the following programme was given:— Pianoforte solos, "Cracovienne Fantasique," Opus 14 (Paderewski), and "Ireland Spell" (John Ireland), Miss B, Tipping, L.T.C.L.; violin solos: "Romance," Opus 26 (John Svendsen), Fugue in A Major (Tartini-Kreisler), and Bavarian Hymn (arranged by Kreisler), Mr Bernard Barker; pianoforte solos: "Nocturne in C Minor," Opus 48, No. 1 (Chopin), "Poissons d'Or" (Debussy), Miss Doreen Shaw, L.T.C.L. A hearty vote of thanks to Miss Hannam and the performers was 'carried by acclamation on the motion of Mrs J. A. Flesher, who also welcomed new members to the club. AFTER 69 YEARS. BUTTERWORTH BROS., LTD., RETIRE FROM BUSINESS. STOCKS TO BE OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC. After playing a prominent part in the Wholesale field in New Zealand for 69 years, Butter worth Bros. Ltd., Warehousemen and Manufacturers are now retiring from business. In order to liquidate their stocks it is their intention to open their different warehouses throughout Now Zealand to the public and offer the whole of their stocks at genuine wholesale prices. Preparations for this purpose are now well forward a,t the Christchurcli Warehouse, 80 Lichfield street, and in a, very few days the doors will be open to the genera] public-. It j 8 qu i te unnecessary to stress that this will be a phenomenal opportunity for the public of Canterbury to purchase every description of General Drapery Clothing, etc at genuine wholesale prices. The acual day of opening will be advertised shortly and every advantage will bo gamed by watching this paper for I further announcements. g ,