Tillsonburg District High School - Tatler Yearbook (Tillsonburg, Ontario Canada)

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x THE HISTORY OF MUSIC by Richard Jones, XIA Senior Oraforicnl Confcst Prize-W'i11.ni1lg Sp0CCh Mr. Kirkwood, honourable judges, ladies and gentlemen: is there anyone here who can honestly say he dislikes music? I doubt it, for everyone has a certain appreciation of that art. Therefore, I should like to present briefly The History of Music. Music is regarded as one of the Fine Arts. To the regret of the student, re- search only reveals the obscurity in which its early history is shrouded. In the works of ancient writers are to be found incidental comments on music, but from them no definite knowledge may be ob- tained with regard to the character of music itself. Upon the monuments of ancient Egypt are discovered harps, lutes and other musical instruments, together with groups of musicians, evidently sing- ing, however crude the performance may have been. Whether harmony was known to the ancients is still an unsettled question with historians. Many incline to the belief that the stringed instruments, as well'as the double pipes blown by one mouthpiece, evidence a certain degree of harmonic perception. Pythagoras, the noted Greek theorist who lived around 600 B.C., origi- nated the notion of the Music of the Spheres , which was supposed to be the sound given out by the heavenly bodies as they passed one another in space, a sound so delicate as to be inaudible to the human ear. In Greece. too, we find Ter- pander of Lesbos C670 B.C.J, who invented the stringed citharag Olympus, who intro- duced the art of fiute-playing, an accom- nlishment much practiced in Greece: and Tyrtaeus, who was the ancestor of the modern troubadour or minstrel. While the Egyptians appeared to have enjoyed the music of their solo instruments alone, the Greeks preferred vocal music, using their instruments as accompaniments to the voice, or to a chorus of voices. In the ability of the flute players of Greece, how- ever, originated their ruin, for the tests in which they competed resulted in the sacrifice of their musicianship to technical feats alone. Given over to the military spirit, Rome had no love for the gentler art of music until Nero gave it an impetus by affecting a high regard for its charm. Greek slaves, as singers and players, were employed by THE TATLER the Romans, an evidence of the small re- gard in which the latter held the art. It was not until the fourth century, when Ambrose formulated the then existent scales into the Authentic Modes that the definite history of music begins. From that time until the present day, a central idea in its progress is discernible to those who follow its development. With Rome's decay, all the beauties of mythology and of the classics became dimmed. For a long period the hope of the progress of humanity was indeed dark. As the Christian Era dawned, there came a new factor in human progress and civil- ization, at first feeble in its influences, and slow in working out its mission. To none of the refined arts was the inculcation of the new religion destined to give more sympathetic or higher impulse than to the art of music. In early Judaism the Psalms of David offered the chief themes for sacred music. From the very earliest days music has played an important part in the religious cult of all nations. In the Catacombs of Rome, the early Christians chanted, in secret, their hymns of sorrow, in memory of St. Cecelia, the patron saint of music. Then, music was not only important as an essential part of worship, but it was the consolation of captives and the persecuted. R . Z Mr. D. F. Gibson, K.C., R. Jones. 45

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DID YOU KNOW THIS? The well-known composition, Eigh- teenth Century Drawing Room was from Sonata in C Major by Mozart. Polon- aise in A Flat Major by Chopin was the piece from which Till The End Of Time was taken. The music In The Moon Mist, made popular by Johnny Desmond a few years ago, was adapted from Berceuse From Jocelyn , written by Benjamin Godard many years ago. The Anniversary Song , made famous by Al Jolson, was based on Joseph Ivano- vici's Danube Waves. Frederick Chopin was, in some respects, the real author of I'm Always Chasing Rainbows , which owes much of its popularity to the movie, The Dolly Sisters g Fantasie - Im- promptu is the name of the original. Full Moon And Empty Arms , an ever- popular song, is the theme of Opus 18, from Second Piano Concerto by the well- known composer Rachmaninoff. Carolyn Merrill set words to Concerto No. 1 by Tschaikowsky and called it Love's Melody. Know your classics! It is one sure road to popularity. Getting down to one of the latest choices of teenagers, Billy Reid has written an- other all-time favourite song. His previous success was The Gypsy , which was first on the Hit Parade longer than any other song. Now he has added A Tree in the Meadow to his fame. Hats off to Mr. Reid: let's have another hit. q Elizabeth Simmons, XIB. CHOMA'S CHUMMY CHUMPS The organization of a second orchestra f'?J by Steve Choma, to introduce a lighter form of entertainment into the school, has created a great deal of interest this term. The students as a whole, however, know very little about Choma's Chummy Chumns , as this orchestra UD is called, for it is as yet unheard and unappreciated. The boys who make up this group have a variety of instruments which offer a nebulous, if not minacious, sound. For often the musician loses control over his instrument, and along with the audience must suffer from the resulting emission. We are still awaiting the first public appearance of this group and hope that 44 MUSIC CLUB EXECUTIVE M. L. Gross, J. Culp, M. MocEwan, R. Gibson, S. McQueen, Miss Field. it will not continue to remain mute. At least, until we have heard it we can ex- press that hope. Maybe afterward .... '? Donald Currie, XII. ON AN INTERVIEW WITH MESSRS. TAYLOR AND MOORE Very few students of T.D.H.S. know that Mr. Taylor is a harmonica virtuoso and that Mr. Moore is equally skilled in the playing of the sweet potato. After my interview with them, I had learned that there are many difficulties to be overcome when these artists attempt a duet. It seems that the sweet potato is an instrument in the key of H sharp and the harmonica is in the key of N flat. Before even the simplest duet is attempted the music must be transposed. Now you may readily understand that this is a task that only a maestro can perform, and takes many hours of arduous labour. Sometimes it is impossible to transpose a passage completely, transposition then is done by both musicians in the fervent hope that they may meet harmoniously somewhere near the middle point. We hope that at a later date our two teachers will arrange a concert for our pleasure. THE TATLER

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The cultivation of modern music as an art was begun by the mediaeval priests of the Roman Catholic Church, in en- deavoring to arrange a Liturgy for their service. It is owing to this fact that for several centuries the chief artistic music was that of the church. In the beginning the Chants of the Christian Church, from which the mediaeval chant developed, were without system. The Psalms were chanted responsively by priest and congregation. There was no fixed system in the church until its various branches were unified by Constantine C306-337 A.D.J under whom art and architecture began to serve the church. With the Middle Ages there came a great awakening along the lines of re- ligious music. Singing of hymns was in- troduced by Ambrosius in the 4th century. At first popular melodies were adapted to German words. In England composers took the form of the motet and wrote their music to English words. Thus arose the Anthem By decree of Elizabeth in 1559, the anthem became an essential part of the Anglican ritual. In Germany, Bach's predecessors devel- oped the anthem into the Church Can- tata. Independent of church services arose the Oratorio. Catholic composers originated this form in 1575, and German and English Protestant masters adopted it. Aside from Church Music a vast deal of influence was brought to bear on the future of secular music by the Trouba- dours, who were wandering minstrels who chanted the stories and legends of the people and their times. These were the first to cultivate music from a pure love of the art. In the theoretical school, music was an accessory to the church, but with these minstrels of the people, it was used as a means of earning a livelihood. In the ninth and twelfth centuries there appeared for the first time what is known as part music. Instrumental music was enriched by the rapid development of stringed instruments, organs, and other keyboard instruments. We have today, however, no existing examples of any instrumental music of that period. In the tenth century, came the innovation of calling notes by the first seven letters of the alphabet, as it is done today. The most flourishing period was that between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. During that time much was done in developing counterpoint, the art of placing 46 notes in music so as to indicate the harmony of parts. The hundred years between 1600 and 1700 was the century of reforms. The old habit of over-elaborating was laid aside and a return was made to the simpler style of the Greeks. Music and poetry were given an equal importance side by side. Then came what is known as the Classical Period between the years 1700 and 1827. Here music reached the highest point of perfection in its history. In general terms Classical Music, like Classical Literature, is that which has been recognized by the ages as of the best and highest class. Thus, in common accepta- tion, ClG,S8'IlCl1.l is the antithesis of popular. Under Classical Music may be included symphonies, symphonic poems, overtures, and other best recognized forms of com- position of the masters. In its stricter sense, a classical pro- duction is one that has stood the test of be acknowledged time, and has come to by students and teachers of the art of music as a model of purity of style and form, and most worthy of emulation. In the modern world Bach stands out promi- nently as one of the greatest exponents of Classical Music. The Sonata may be looked upon as one of the most important forms of classical composition. The Symphony is only a sonata written for the orchestra, and in this sonata form are found some of the grandest, most inspired and inspiring works of the masters. It includes also chamber music, such as trios, quartettes and quintettes, for strings, or for piano and strings. Even symphonic poems and overtures, consisting of but one piece. are looked upon by musicians as simply differ- ent expressions of the idea summed up in the word Sonata. There are many compositions written today, which in the course of years may become the Classics because of their purity of form, universality of idea and permanent value to the musical art. Aside from Bach, there are many works of other masters which have stood these tests. Among them are a number of Beethoven's Symphonies, Sonatas and chamber music, also various compositions of Gluck, Mozart, Handel and Brahms. The present period Ci.e. from about 18301 is known as the Romantic Period. The tendency of these times is for tone- paintingng in other words, making music THE TATLER