the unseen world and other essays-第53节

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n　the　voices。　For　example；　the　grand　chorus；　〃Awake；　thou　that　sleepest；〃　begins　with　a　rapid　crescendo　of　strings；　introducing　the　full　chorus　on　the　word　〃Awake；〃　upon　the　dominant　triad　of　D　major；　and　after　a　couple　of　beats　the　voices　are　reinforced　by　the　trombones；　producing　the　most　tremendous　effect　possible　in　such　a　crescendo。　Unfortunately；　however；　the　brass　asserted　itself　at　this　point　so　much　more　emphatically　than　the　voices　that　the　effect　was　almost　to　disjoin　the　latter　portion　of　the　chord　from　its　beginning；　and　thus　to　dwarf　the　utterance　of　the　word　〃Awake。〃　To　us　this　effect　was　very　disagreeable；　and　it　was　obviously　contrary　to　the　effect　intended　by　the　composer。　But　with　a　weight　of　four　or　five　hundred　voices；　the　effect　would　be　entirely　different。　Instead　of　entering　upon　the　scene　as　intruders；　the　mighty　trombones　would　only　serve　to　swell　and　enrich　the　ponderous　chord　which　opens　this　noble　chorus。　Given　greater　weight　only；　and　the　performance　of　the　admirable　Portland　choir　would　have　left　nothing　to　be　desired。

We　cannot　speak　with　so　much　satisfaction　of　the　performance　of　the　orchestra。　The　instrumentation　of　〃St。　Peter〃　is　remarkably　fine。　But　this　instrumentation　was　rather　clumsily　rendered　by　the　orchestra；　whose　doings　constituted　the　least　enjoyable　part　of　the　performance。　There　was　too　much　blare　of　brass；　whine　of　hautboy；　and　scraping　of　strings。　But　in　condonation　of　this　serious　defect；　one　must　admit　that　the　requisite　amount　of　rehearsal　is　out　of　the　question　when　one's　choir　is　in　Portland　and　one's　orchestra　in　Boston；　besides　which　the　parts　had　been　inaccurately　copied。　For　a　moment；　at　the　beginning　of　the　orchestral　lament；　there　was　risk　of　disaster；　the　wind　instruments　failing　to　come　in　at　the　right　time；　when　Mr。　Paine；　with　fortunate　presence　of　mind；　stopped　the　players；　and　the　movement　was　begun　over　again；the　whole　occurring　so　quickly　and　quietly　as　hardly　to　attract　attention。

In　conclusion　we　would　say　a　few　words　suggested　by　a　recent　critical　notice　of　Mr。　Paine's　work　in　the　〃Nation。〃　While　acknowledging　the　importance　of　the　publication　of　this　oratorio；　as　an　event　in　the　art…history　of　America；　the　writer　betrays　manifest　disappointment　that　this　work　should　not　rather　have　been　a　symphony；＇63＇　and　thus　have　belonged　to　what　he　calls　the　〃domain　of　absolute　music。〃　Now　with　regard　to　the　assumption　that　the　oratorio　is　not　so　high　a　form　of　music　as　the　symphony；　or；　in　other　words；　that　vocal　music　in　general　is　artistically　inferior　to　instrumental　music；　we　may　observe；　first；　that　Ambros　and　Dommertwo　of　the　most　profound　musical　critics　now　livingdo　not　sustain　it。　It　is　Beanquier；　we　think；　who　suggests　that　instrumental　music　should　rank　above　vocal；　because　it　is　〃pure　music；〃　bereft　of　the　fictitious　aids　of　language　and　of　the　emotional　associations　which　are　grouped　about　the　peculiar　timbre　of　the　human　voice。＇64＇　At　first　the　suggestion　seems　plausible；　but　on　analogous　grounds　we　might　set　the　piano　above　the　orchestra；　because　the　piano　gives　us　pure　harmony　and　counterpoint；　without　the　adventitious　aid　of　variety　in　timbre。　And　it　is　indeed　true　that；　for　some　such　reason　as　this；　musicians　delight　in　piano…sonatas；　which　are　above　all　things　tedious　and　unintelligible　to　the　mind　untrained　in　music。　Nevertheless；　in　spite　of　its　great　and　peculiar　prerogatives；　it　would　be　absurd　to　prefer　the　piano　to　the　orchestra；　and　there　is　a　kindred　absurdity　involved　in　setting　the　orchestra　above　that　mighty　union　of　orchestra；　organ；　and　voices　which　we　get　in　the　oratorio。　When　the　reason　alleged　for　ranking　the　symphony　above　the　oratorio　leads　us　likewise　to　rank　the　sonata　above　the　symphony；　we　seem　to　have　reached　a　reductio　ad　absurdum。

＇63＇　Now　within　two　years；　Mr。　Paine's　C…minor　symphony　has　followed　the　completion　of　his　oratorio。

＇64＇　These　peculiar　associations　are　no　doubt　what　is　chiefly　enjoyed　in　music；　antecedent　to　a　properly　musical　culture。　Persons　of　slight　acquaintance　with　music　invariably　prefer　the　voice　to　the　piano。


Rightly　considered；　the　question　between　vocal　and　instrumental　music　amounts　to　this；　What　does　music　express？　This　is　a　great　psychological　question；　and　we　have　not　now　the　space　or　the　leisure　requisite　for　discussing　it；　even　in　the　most　summary　way。　We　will　say；　however；　that　we　do　not　see　how　music　can　in　any　way　express　ideas；　or　anything　but　moods　or　emotional　states　to　which　the　ideas　given　in　language　may　add　determination　and　precision。　The　pure　symphony　gives　utterance　to　moods；　and　will　be　a　satisfactory　work　of　art　or　not；　according　as　the　composer　has　been　actuated　by　a　legitimate　sequence　of　emotional　states；　like　Beethoven；　or　by　a　desire　to　produce　novel　and　startling　effects；　like　Liszt。　But　the　danger　in　purely　instrumental　music　is　that　it　may　run　riot　in　the　extravagant　utterance　of　emotional　states　which　are　not　properly　concatenated　by　any　normal　sequence　of　ideas　associated　with　them。　This　is　sometimes　exemplified　in　the　most　modern　instrumental　music。

Now；　as　in　real　life　our　sequent　clusters　of　emotional　states　are　in　general　determined　by　their　association　with　our　sequent　groups　of　intellectual　ideas；　it　would　seem　that　music；　regarded　as　an　exponent　of　psychical　life；　reaches　its　fullest　expressiveness　when　the　sequence　of　the　moods　which　it　incarnates　in　sound　is　determined　by　some　sequence　of　ideas；　such　as　is　furnished　by　the　words　of　a　libretto。　Not　that　the　words　should　have　predominance　over　the　music；　or　even　coequal　sway　with　it；　but　that　they　should　serve　to　give　direction　to　the　succession　of　feelings　expressed　by　the　music。　〃Lift　up　your　heads〃　and　〃Hallelujah〃　do　not　owe　their　glory　to　the　text；　but　to　that　tremendous　energy　of　rhythmic　and　contrapuntal　progression　which　the　text　serves　to　concentrate　and　justify。　When　precision　and　definiteness　of　direction　are　thus　added　to　the　powerful　physical　means　of　expression　which　we　get　in　the　combination　of　chorus；　orchestra；　and　organ；　we　have　attained　the　greatest　sureness　as　well　as　the　greatest　wealth　of　musical　expressiveness。　And　thus　we　may　see　the　reasonableness　of　Dommer's　opinion　that　in　order　to　restrain　instrumental　music　from　ruining　itself　by　meaningless　extravagance；　it　is　desirable　that　there　should　be　a　renaissance　of　vocal　music；　such　as　it　was　in　the　golden　age　of　Palestrina　and　Orlando　Lasso。

We　are　not　inclined　to　deny　that　in　structural　beautyin　the　symmetrical　disposition　and　elaboration　of　musical　themesthe　symphony　has　the　advantage。　The　words；　which　in　the　oratorio　serve　to　give　definite　direction　to　the　currents　of　emotion；　may　also　sometimes　hamper　the　free　development　of　the　pure　musical　conception；　just　as　in　psychical　life　the　obtrusive　entrance　of　ideas　linked　by　association　may　hinder　the　full　fruition　of　some　emotional　state。　Nevertheless；　in　spite　of　this　possible　drawback；　it　may　be　doubted　if　the　higher　forms　of　polyphonic　composition　fall　so　very　far　short　of　the　symphony　in　capability　of　giving　full　elaboration　to　the　musical　idea。　The　practical　testimony　of　Beethoven；　in　his　Ninth　Symphony；　is　decidedly　adverse　to　any　such　supposition。

But　to　pursue　this　interesting　question　would　carry　us　far　beyond　our　limits。　Whatever　may　be　the　decision　as　to　the　respective　claims　of　vocal　and　instrumental　music；　we　have　every　reason　for　welcoming　the　appearance；　in　our　own　country；　of　an　original　work　in　the　highest　form　of　vocal　music。　It　is　to　be　hoped　that　we　shall　often　have　the　opportunity　to　〃hear　with　our　ears〃　this　interesting　work；　for　as　a　rule　great　musical　compositions　are　peculiarly　unfortunate　among　works　of　art；　in　being　known　at　first　hand　by　comparatively　few　persons。　In　this　way　is　rendered　possible　that　pretentious　kind　of　dilettante　criticism　which　is　so　common　in　musical　matters；　and　which　is　often　positively　injurious；　as　substituting　a　factitious　public　opinion　for　one　that　is　genuine。　We　hope　that　the　favour　with　which　the　new　oratorio　has　already　been　received　will　encourage　the　author　to　pursue　the　enviable　career　upon　which　he　has　entered。　Even　restricting　ourselves　to　vocal　music；　there　is　still　a　broad　field　left　open　for　original　work。　The　secular　cantataattempted　in　recent　times　by　Schumann；　as　well　as　by　English　composers　of　smaller　calibreis　a　very　high　form　of　vocal　music；　and　if　founded　on　an　adequate　libretto；　dealing　with　some　supremely　grand　or　tragical　situation；　is　capable　of　being　carried　to　an　unprecedented　height　of　musical　elaboration。　Here　is　an　opportunity　for　original　achievement；　of　which　it　is　to　be　hoped　that　some　gifted　and　well…trained　composer；　like　the　author　of　〃St。　Peter；〃　may　find　it　worth　while　to　avail　himself。

　June；　1873。



XIII。　A　PHILOSOPHY　OF　ART。＇65＇

＇65＇　The　Philosophy　of　Art。　By　H。　Taine。　New　York：　Leypoldt　&；　Holt。　1867。

We　are　glad　of　a　chance　to　introduce　to　our　readers　one　of　the　works　of　a　great　writer。　Though　not　yet＇66＇　widely　known　in　this　country；　M。　Taine　has　obtained　a　very　high　reputation　in　Europe。　He　is　still　quite　a　young　man；　but　is　nevertheless　the　author　of　nineteen　goodly　volumes；　witty；　acute；　and　learned；　and　already　he　is　often　ranked　with　Renan；　Littre；　and　Sainte…Be