LISTENING TO MUSIC

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 121, 20 April 1940, Page 8

LISTENING TO MUSIC

STEPS IN APPRECIATION. ADDRESS TO LUNCH CLUB. Hints on musical appreciation were given by Air John Emmett, choirmaster of St. Andrew’s Church, in an address to the Citizens’ .Luneli Club yesterday. His subject was “Listening j to Aiusic.” ! i Aiativ persons who liked music fail- 1 ed to appreciate tally that to which they were listening, because they did not know how to go about enjoying it, said Air Emmett. They had a desire to enjoy it, but felt that they were faced with a “closed book.” Just as there were people who were able to discriminate between the qualities of various j wines, so there were persons who tvere' able to discriminate between one comIlKisitio.n and another. Three steps to- , wards becoming good judges of music were love of music, becoming familiar with the terms used in music, such as sypiphony. concerto, fugue, etc., and hearing plenty of music by tho great masters, foF in some instances we became good judges by watching, in others by tasting; and so m music wo became good judges by listening. It should be clearly understood, however, that while we said we heard music we did not in reality hear niusic at all. but heard the sound waves out of which music was constructed. It was necessary to become familiar with the language of a composer it we were to understand his meaning. Thus we listened to sound, understood the language and held in suspense that which we heard until the mind com- j prehended its meaning. ! Aiusic could be roughly divided into two classes; firstly, that niusic which was a series of melodies, one following the other, which could be called the story division; and, secondly, one melody with which the composer played about, which could be called the essay class. In music a pretty melody, repeated, was all a child asked for, but most adults were not satisfied with the simple tune that pleased the child. 1 The story type ot music was not : necessarily bad, any more than to say f that all of the essay class was good, j In his endeavour to convey what was j in his mind, the composer used the j following mateiials: Time, rhythm | (which was somewhat separated from! time, although related to it), melody (or “line”), and variety of tone of j various instruments in type, pitch and : harmony, which, according to the arrangement, produced harmony. “Our next step,” said Air Emmett, “is to concern ourselves not so much with the material that is being used but that which is being done with the material, whatever that material mayj be.” A composer might desire to make known to us what was in his mind by a series of chords which when played in a symphony orchestra produced a continuity of harmony. The sound reached our ears, but the inner harmony was comprehended by the mind of the listeliei, who knew the language of harmony and had the ability to hold in suspense the sound reaching his cars “from without” until that which was “within” him “contacted” and he knew what the composer desired should be conveyed. Steps in musical discrimination therefore tvere: —Ability to listen, becoming familiar with the term used, hearing plenty of niusic by the great masters, classifying that to which one. was listening, comprehending the language of the composer, and making “contact” and understanding his meaning. When we were able to comprehend fully -these six steps then wo should be able to claim that we listened to music intelligently. The chairman (Air W. G. Black) moved a vote of thanks to the speaker, which was carried by acclamation. Visitors were Mr E. W. Simmons and Mr C. L. Mayo, of Palmerston North.