Music — Ancient and Modern

Southland Times, Issue 21773, 30 July 1932, Page 16

Music — Ancient and Modern

SOUTHLAND WOMEN’S CLUB. The Music Circle of the Southland Women’s Club met in goodly numbers on Tuesday evening, when Mrs E, C. Smith, of Gore, traced the growth of music from early times to the present day, reading the following interesting and instructive paper:— Musical items illustrative of the subject were interspered during the lecture, and these comprised the following:—“Summer is icumen in” (1226) and “Our poor bird” (rounds) by Miss Jopp’s party; “I attempt from love’s sickness to fly” (Purcell) —Mrs B. W. Hewat; “Dreaming” and “May Song” part songs (Schumann) Miss Jopp’s party; “To a Butterfly” (Grieg) Miss E. O’Byrne; Land of Hope and Glory (Elgar) Community; On the Lake Waltstadt (Liszt)—Mrs L. B. Rowe; Golliwog’s Cake Walk (Debussy)—Miss W. Thom; Danny Boy (Irish Folk Song) Miss R. Brown; It was a Lover and his Lass (Shakespeare)—party. At the close a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the lecturer, and all expressed the hope that the circle might at some future time be favoured by such another visit. “The history of music is simply a record of man’s study of sound as he found it in nature, his gradual understanding of its physical properties and its possibilities for artistic pleasure.” Music is one of man’s greatest intellectual and one of the most uplifting of human pleasures. The primary appeal of music is to the emotions and the whole story of music from prehistoric times to the present day is a record of human feelings expressed in rhythm and melody; There are references to music in the earliest literary records, yet strange to say, music as we know it to-day is the out-

come of the genius of the last few centuries.

The- first recorded musician' was Jubal the father of all such as play the harp' and the flute; or organ as it is translated, showing that music was a cultivated art very early in ,the history of the human, family. It would be interesting to know what music was”, in vogue to celebrate great national- occasions down the ages. . National . Music: Pictures; Suppose for instance we had sound. pictures or “talkies” in colour, of these eVents. Civilization on the march .with’ a great pagent of music. It would'make an interesting evening’s- programme., _We will have to see it with our imagination, at the same time getting a’glimpse of the growth ’of ■ written- music ' and the gradual development of musical, instruments. , . An Egyptian Picture: .The first picture on our programme might be an Egyptian festival at the time of Tutan--kamen’s -reign. The tomb treasures of that monarch have shed. light .on the advanced art of those . days. They painted the records of their daily lives, their festivals and - entertainments etc. on the walls, the columns of the temples, on the obelisks and in the tombs, so our film director could get a good picture of Tutankamen’s coronation and the musical instruments used ,in conjunction, with his flourish of trumpets. The temples of Egypt . were so huge that music had to be on a large scale. They thought nothing of an orchestra of six hundred players of harps, lyres, flutes and sistrums or bell rattles. Trumpets of all lengths, were mostly used in war and triumphal marches, but these- various instruments with cymbals, tambourines, lutes and two headed drums figure in wall paintings showing that the Egyptians were a highly musical nation, though they left no theoretical treatise, nor any single note of music. It is • recorded that Ptolamy Soter H another famous Egyptian ruler, gave a fete in which were heard a chorus of twelve hundred voices, accompanied by three hundred Greek kitharas or large lyres and many flutes. Egyptian music was greatest as far back as 3,000 B.C. State law prevented improvement and new music was forbidden, strange to say. We.must pass on to our next picture. . Hebrew Music: The ascension to the throne of King Solomon at Jerusalem, with all the grandeur of eastern ceremonial or the visit of the Queen of Sheba, when it is likely she was entertained with music as well as words, will give us an idea of Hebrew music. According to the deserpition of temple worship during the reign of his father David, music was a highly cultivated art . both vocal and instrumental, they had all kinds of instruments made from the fir tree. At one time form thousand people supplied music including two hundred and eighty-eight professional singers, psaltrees, harps and cymbals are often referred to. If as Josephus writes, Solomon had two hundred thousand singers, forty thousand harpists, forty thousand sistrum players and two hundred thousand trumpeters he might well have had a magnificent musical fete. We should give a place in that picture to the capable conductor who had fourteen sons and three daughters in his choir. A scene from Babylon: When Nebuchadnezzar had his magnificent display of pomp and power nearly a hundred years later we read of his musicians playing the comet, flute, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimers and all kinds of music. Harps of all sizes were used, some seven feet high with as many as twenty-two strings. A city that boasted such wonderful walls and hanging gardens was not behind in the arts, as archeology is daily proving. Persian Music: Again when Cyrus the Persian came into power and celebrated his victory over the Babylonians no doubt he brought other instruments and a variety of Persian songs to interweave with those of rival kingdoms. The present Bedouin music with its monotonous rhythms, short compass and faint pipe and string accompaniment may be a fair representation of Persian music. .... . A Grecian Picture: No doubt when Alexander the Great celebrated his victories there was a great fanfare Ox trumpets, accompanied by all the art of those clever people. The Greeks used music in their theatres as the Hebrews did in their temple and naturally had a different kind of music; one wonders if they were as musically inclined as they were artistic. With the Greeks music was no longer the concern only of priests and warriors or an affair of slaves, but became the honourable pursuit of freemen and free minds. Greek lyrical dramas accompanied by orchestras of lyres and flutes were given in the famous theatre of ancient Athens. John Dryden’s poem “Alexander s Feast” would make a good picture here. “Timotheus placed on high amid the tuneful choir—with flying fingers touched the lyre; the trembling notes ascend the sky and heavenly joys inspire..*..' . The many rend the skies with loud applause . . So love was'crowned but music won the cause.”

No really authentic examples of Greek music have come down to us, with the exception of one or two unintelligible fragments. Music was so largely passed on by rote, imitation and memory,_ it is difficult for us to conceive such stirring music without the printed pages. The diatonic scale is of Greek origin, having been introduced about the middle of the sixth century B.C. in the Golden Age of Athens; when Pericles searched the world to find famous scientists, sculptors and painters to make Athens the most beautiful city. Early Roman Times: When Caesar sailed to take possession of the British Isles, was there a military band with him and what were the favourite songs of those days? During the decline of the Roman Empire there was little progress in music; what they had achieved was seriously threatend by the materialistic age. “Music for the Italians was at that time an exotic art professed and performed by the Greeks.” The Romans took the Greek tone system but made no advance; so far as is known they borrowed the Greek and Egyptian instruments;'the kithara (large lyre).was in constant use. It was probably this instrument that has. been connected with Nero’s name while Rome was burning.'

Development of Music through the Church:-“The' beginning, of a new era in- music was marked by the. public recognition and triumph of Christianity and its ritual worship.” The Jewish temple songs formed the basis of the earliest church music; these and heathen tunes were continually altered and adapted to suit the requirements. The earliest examples of Christian compositions date from the 4th century when St. Ambrose improved church music—popular street songs had crept in with the Hebrew Psalms and Greek and Roman Chants. From the earliest times the Sanctus Magnificat,- Benedicts and Nunc Dimittis were sung. Written music was gradually developing, alphabetical letters giving place to a series of characters called neumoe; they marked the place for breathing, while eights signs, with Latin names, gave full directions when to raise or lower the voice. Tn the 6th century Pope Gregory founded a school of singers and introduced the far famed Gregorian chants. Everything had to be learnt from memory as only the leader-had. a song book. Very beautiful music was written in those early dates without either time or key, as we know them. Lines for notes, beginning with one red line, were introduced about 900 A.D. Then, early in the 11th century, a young Italian monk guide, d’Arezzo, called the father of music, thought out an improved method of notation, in-

troducing the four-lined staff, with lines and spaces, also tonic-sol-far. All music had to be written by hand and the monks made wonderful parchment copies of works composed for church services. Norman Influence: For yet another state occasion, let us picture William the Conqueror crossing the Strait of Dover and taking the French influence on English folk songs. His bards and minstrels would naturally play their own tunes and songs, introducing another kind of song in England. Minstrels travelled from place to place, broadcasting the events of the day. The French who Came with William of Normandy, were leaders in composing poetiy and song; they brought romantic songs glorifying deeds of valour and ladies’ lovely charms. One of the most beautiful rounds is an English song which was composed about 1250. It was written in the old square neumes on a-six-line staff and is called “Summer is icumen in,” said to be the work of a monk, John Fossets, or Walter Odling-. ton. Secular music now became, more and more popular. Through the Crusades, the cultured Arab influence was brought to Europe, new songs and two new instruments, a kind of guitar and a lute which strongly influenced popular music. In Germany, singers formed themselves into guilds, when they had yearly festivals and competitions, so that vocal and instrumental music was greatly encouraged and made a pastime of domestic life. France ; has the credit of introducing a tune system in music. In the 14th century, the Netherlands school came to light with pioneer composers. Josquin dis Pres made a great name for himself. Sixteenth Century Music: A musical genius now came to light again in Italy, Palestrina, whose genius improved church music. He left a great many beautiful compositions and was called a Prince of Music. Queen Elizabeth’s festive occasions would benefit by the advance of continental music. Greater depth was now possible through the Flemish system of introducing chords. Elizabeth herself played on tire virginal, a small kind of harpsichord. Her reign was noted for the singing of madrigals. Elizabethan Madrigals they are now called, part songs for several voices, often with elaborate parts. They gave a new outlook to composers, were freely published and sung everywhere; so great was their popularity that the singing of madrigals became an accepted part of social intercourse and a gentleman would take his part in a madrigal at that time as readily as he now takes a hand at bridge, and to much better purposes, says one writer. Poets loved to mak'- the Queen the subject of their verse and musicians vied with them in this, eventually producing the most famous collection of English madrigals existing to this day, “The Triumphs of Oriana.” Advance of Musical. Instruments: Another picture might trace the gradual development of musical instruments and the inventors concerned. The organ was first known about 200 B.C. The water aulos is mentioned, then by Philo of Alexandra. Many such instruments were made in portable form and used in theatres, arenas and places of amusement, hence the prejudice against the organ in the church. About the 10th century they came more into use for the church; we read of one in Winchester, England, that had 400 pipes and 26 pairs of bellows. It took 70 men to pump air into it and two men to play it by pounding on the keys with fists and elbows. As time passed, all musical instruments were gradually changing for the better, clavichord, a small instrument that could be placed on a table, the spinet and the harpsichord, giving place to the modem piano.

Beethoven used and composed first for the harpsichord but the glorious music of those days demanded a better medium of expression. One brain composed; another thought and schemed to produce the required instrument which first came from Italy and was called forte piano or loud, soft. The violin, too, was vastly improved till Stradivarius and Guarnerius produced their far-famed instruments, supplying the need for the master musicians. Gradually compositions for all stringed instruments in conjunction with trumpets, trombones, etc., gave us the orchestral music which now plays such a large part in modem life; through orchestral societies and the radio. Gluck, called the father of modem , opera, introduced the big drum and cymbals into the orchestra. His enemies got out satirical pamphlets in which the big noises were ridiculed. Our minds need to be trained to listen for the various instruments in an orchestra, that we may have a greater appreciation of the lovely colour effects devised by the composers in their works. The amateur likes to have music explained to know the what and how and why of the particular theme, while the student enjoys the harmonies with added cultivated musical appreciation. I would refer you to Charles Lamb’s description of instrumental music “Not understood” as given in “A chapter on ears.” To be Concluded Next Week.