FORM IN MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1920, Page 15

FORM IN MUSIC

ITS EVOLUTION. The President of the Wellington Society of Musicians (Mr Laurence Watkins) delivered a lecture before members of the society and their friends, oru 'the subject of the "Evolution of Form in Music." He briefly traced the history of form from the earliest-known examples down to present times, and showed that the governing principle of music was rhythm, as proved by its universality. As soon as 'rhythm was lost, chaos reigned, and, contrary to common belief, music, chiefly rhythmic, . was found often highly developed in the most uncivilised peoples. Tos prove this, he quoted numerous examples of form from such widely separated peoples as the North American Indians, the natives of Nigeria, Bushmen of South Africa, the peoples of Kamtchatka and New Guinea, Maoris, Siberians, and others. In the evolution of the Eastern music, notably of India and China, melody had been developed along the lines of rhythm and pitch done, to a very high degree of perfection, whilst in Europe, harmony, melody, and form had evolved; and after having passed through a period of stagnation, due to the imposition of counterpoint, founded on the Church model system with its lack of rhythm and definite tonality, the introduction of the chromatic element and the chorda] conception, of music brought about a rapid evolution, culminating in its present highly-develop-ed form. . Parfc-singing was highly developed in Europe, and particularly in England, long before the Normagj conquest, and visitors to our islands in/those early days noted that even the children of Yorkshire always sang in parts. Part-singing was found amongst peoples who were, even now as backward in civilisation as people of the Stone Age: The sense of rhythm and pitch amongst the Hindus, Chinese, and Maoris was extremely keen, and the quarter, the third tone, and other small intervals' were used, whilst amongst civilised Western people, the ear, long trained in an arbitrarily formed scale. ■■ consisting of an orderly progression of tones and semitones, did . not easily recognise an interval smaller than a semitone. Notation, and the use of the stave in the West, helped ■ the evolution, of music, while in the East .the stave was unknown, and the art of musiefhad not advanced for many centuries. At the death of Bach, who brought counterpoint to its highest development, Western musicians began to turn their thoughts into chorda! channels, due largely to a. treatise on music by Rameau, 1722; this work forced on the world the need of making harmony, not counterpoint, the basis of musical education. Since then the evolution of musical ibrm # has made great strides, and through the fenius of such men as Bach, Haydn, lozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and others too numerous to mention, it had reached a wonderful stage' of growth. In certain directions, such as sonata form and fugal development, the last word seemed to have been said, but still it must progress in some direction or other, for art I was a living force and could not remain stagnant. A great genius would always strike out on some new line of thought, impelled by his inherent powers, and the future would probably show some new development, as potent a. factor in musical evolution as that d^played by the giantsi of the past. Miss Gladys Watkins (piano), Miss Jean Mathieson (violin), and Miss Eileen Driscoll (vocalist) gave very artistic renderings of the iTumerous examples quoted to illustrate the lecture.

England, Wales, Germany, India, China, Japan, Africa, New Zealand (Maori), Samoa, and Siberia, were all drawn upon for the purpose of the lectivre, which was listened to with great interest by a large gathering of members alfd'tlieir friends.