The Story of 'Music 3—SINGING MUSIC

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21806, 11 June 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

The Story of 'Music 3—SINGING MUSIC

'ft already been explained pas spoken language came Written language, so sung pate before written music. K before instrumental *wo -kinds of singing plages of various races—■fppa fjnjgtng and the,-social games, dances and Fust the religious music fuQjr. This was called ecftn music from Greet; eka church. 'The first form ages was known as [wbsoiy. Decause the priest tt in ceremonial music, and grajttion responded, much , tribes in ancient times Ea the chorus after one perhaps the priest, had ifhe theme. Then a new | Was introduced: the best angers in the congregation rouped in one part of the Wnd it was their duty to | file words, even though nibers of the congregation uotlan some of them.

choir, as the group was called, sang the greply to the priest, and Jffte choir sang the whole fjJSymn. Many famous m musicians have begun Jg* sioging in a church •Sfc Haydn, who was born in the choir in the Vienna when he was f|Mw old. But the unify about these boy ■■ggHttches was that the fegw places when their BP* *nd became squeaky HMMr; It is the same Olden times, in iiP>» time for instance, 18. might well have not been cared tePMtiws in which they wmmm ytm ym* '"no 'were: Haydn iMibi had It who■PpKnl®?* i .■

trained singers the music became more elaborate and difficult. There were many singers taking different parts of prayer hymns and chants. Soon the music took up the greater part of the service and after a tune the music was the whole service. There were mystery or miracle plays, with words and actions and songs telling the story of parts of the Bible; there were solo (Italian alone) singers and choir choruses, but it was not long before the mystery play became the oratorio or play in music. Of the composers of the most famous oratorios, Georg Frederick Handel (16851759) and John Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) are among the best known. . , Secular or social non-religious music developed also in the middle ages. There were rounds, carols, dance-songs, solos, duets, part songs and glees. From the social or? nonreligious masquerades, and mystery plays grew the opera that we know to-day. The men who did most for this crowned ruler of singing music

were Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), Karl Maria Weber (1786-1832) and Richard Wagner (1783-1813). The opera is sometimes known as the music drama. II you are interested in singing music you will not miss the opera; and you will find It a delight to read about the great dramas in this music before you hear them on the stage or from the gramophone. There are several good books of opera, and these will be found in the libraries.

There is one thing that should be said, about the makers of singing music. Someone once said to me that in New Zealand sch «ols we were taught about the great men of history in such a way that we thought they were all Englishmen. So that when we grew up we were amazed to find that Columbus wife hoi one after all This is not a good thing, of course. But the way it is about the men,of music.is Just as wrong in another way. Do we hear much of the Englishmen who write music? Da we wdnder -who wrote the music lor the

Shakespeare songs, for instance? No, we hear all about the Italians, the Germans, the Austrians, the French and hardly anything about the men who first wrote music for such songs as “Where the Bee Sucks.” “The Wind and the Ram,” “Lady Green Sleeves,” and “Cherry Ripe.” It has been said that until the time of Charles I.—after that the Puritans did their best to drive all the music out of the country— England was the leading musical land of Europe. Henry VIII. had been a composer: the singing of the English was praised in air parts of Europe; the songs of such men as Thomas Morley (1570-1604). Thcmas Weelkes (1575-1623) and Henry Purcell (1658-1695) .were admired and loved by many musical men and women. These are things it is well to remember when we are considering the musicians who are famous for making music for singers, , HU