Muncie Normal Institute - Arbor Vitae Yearbook (Muncie, IN)

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Editorial 1,559 IT is not necessarv to emphasize tl1c powel' lllltl i11tl11e11ce of lllllSlt' i11 tl1e ll0lllC illlll in ll1e school. lt's val11e is universally appreciated. "Music comes lll'UIll ll1e feelings more tl1a11 l'l'0lll ll1e reason." so says one of our greatest authorities o11 tl1e art: it is an expression of tl1e e111otio11s, pI'0llll!lt?tl by experience. Music, the suhtlest of tl1e arts, demantls more tl1a11 elaborate designs lllltl tl1e prompting of ambition. It is an ex- pression of tl1e inner life of tl1e composer. 'l'he history of a nation is portrayed, largely, lllllbllgll the SClllllllL'lll of its so11gs. Good songs are 11ot si111ply good poetry set to music, as so llllllly see111 to think, but tl1e 111usic of tl1e song tells its ow11 e111otio11al story and is aided i11 expression by words expressing tl1e sa111e feeling. Une of tl1e good illustrations of Sllt'll SOIIQS is tl1e resurrected "Silver 'l'hreads Among the tl1e tloldf' il is so alive with feeling in both music and words, tl1at it did not "rest lll0l'll0llS desuetude" as Grover Cleveland said. but still exhales that mysterious heart touch that gets i11to so111e songs. I11 direct contrast to this most llCtllllll.lll song, comes "Bob l'p S1-renely," a wild two-step that stirs tl1e blood of tl1e meeltest of beings. Then another llllll one of the best uses of tl1e art of so11g, is lllll l'lllll'l'lI choir: 11ol a paid quartet, but tl1e chorus choir, used i11 tl1e SlllllllL'l' lUXX'llS and cities. lt is often the means of lltlltllllg the interest of ll1e yo11ng people to the better things in life, simply because tl1ey lllllSl express their better feelings and have 11ol 1'eacl1ed tl1e stage where tl1ey are co11te11t to listen to sermons. For them. lllllSll' is worship and is their only way of expressing it. 'l'he gl'01ll temple of Solomon had a choir. consisting of twenty-tive lllUllStllltl singers, divided into twelve cl1oi1's f-one for each 111o11ll1, of two thousand each: and ll1ese XVQVL' subdivided i11to four smaller ones. one for each week, of live hundred each. The chorus has many advantages over any otl1c1' form of cl1urcl1 music: o11c 111ay have anything l'l'0Ill an Aria to tl1e llallelujah tlhorusf IllllSlt' fro111 Handel and Hayden are all possible. XVagner says, "lt was tl1e spirit of Christianity which animated LIIIEXY tl1e soul of music." Many there are wl1o can take a part i11 a chorus who t'illlllOl. i11 any otl1e1' way, express themselves, sthey have 11ever had lllc advantage of taking i11stru111e11tal 1n11sic, or of vocal lessons, but have an inherent love of 11111sic a11d ti11d a solace i11 tl1e church choir. Now just a word on instru111e11lal music. A child lllllSl learn music just as it does a language: naturally and without too lllllt'll rule. Accustom tl1e pupil to different keys early i11 tl1e stages of practice: so many instruction books use the G clef alo11e for so lo11g a time. that when he comes face to face with the bass clef. tl1e foundations of the world are shaken. liring lI1e bass elef into play at the earliest possible instance. A sense of absolute pitch in a cl1ild is a good indication of tl1e 11111sical se11se, but 11ot of a musical genius. Some pro111ine11t musicians do not possess it at all, while many mediocre ones do. Relative pitch is another matter and should he cultivated as early as possible. This means identifying of any tone. after some other l0IlC has ltlil