NEW METHOD OF TEACHING MUSIC.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2146, 19 November 1875, Page 3

NEW METHOD OF TEACHING MUSIC.

On the 29tli June, M. Balm, Professor of Harmony, gave a lesson illustrative of hia method of teaching the theory of music, at the-Rooms of the Society of Arts. M. Eahn's object is to put the elementary facts of harmony in such a form as to render them intelligible to the youngest learners, and thereby facilitate the acquisition of accurate musical knowledge as •well as mechanical facility. The success which has attended his. endeavors in Paw* %s induced M. Uaha to visit this cooate^ior the purpose of oialiing his m'efaod known here, and he proposes to publish a translation of his vioxh, explanatory of the method which he adopts, accompanied with a key for the use of English teachers. M, Sahn commenced by saying that the usual way of teaching music is to guide a pupil in the manipulation of the keyboard. This, however, is often dull, uninteresting work, and: it is possible to make the acquisition of music much more interesting by an explanation of principles. These principles are really easy to learn, and exercise ia them forms quite a game for children. There is a certain mixture of notes which pleases the ear, which we call.consonance or concord, and there is a certain mixture which we call a dissonance or discord. We cannot fully explain why this is, but ; there are the facts; some notes sounded together give, pleasure, others give pain. It is very easy to reduce to a system what these mixtures should be to produce pleasure to the ear, and it is a simple matter for a person who has any idea of music in any way to improvise' a melody that shall be pleasing by following a system so arranged. Many people find put empirically what consequences of notes, and what chords are pleasing. -They allow their fingers to wander over the key-board of a piano, and if the memory is good they soon learn what is pleasing. Beginning with C, E, G, or D,

F, A, all up the key-board, or striking either set together as a chord, it is noticed a pleasant eflect is produced. Reference was then made to a diagram, showing the notes in succession marked on the five lines. He showed that in a -chord there are some notes which must be counted on thirds, a chord of consonance being obtained from a series of thirds one above another. The notes being the thirds if struck together with any of them formed a dissonance. In constructing a melody four full-time notes should be used, though short-time notes would answer if immediately followed by one of the thirds. Mr Eahn illustrated his system by starting a note, and then asking one of the audience to name a third and a note between. By this means a melody was composed entirely by the audience^ and the lecturer sat down and played it on the piano.