,,music ,,talks ,,with ,,children by ,,thomas ,,tapper ,philadelphia ,theodore ,presser #ahih ,dear child6 dear girl6 that walkest with me here1 ,if thou appear untouched by solemn thought1 ,thy nature is not therefore less divine3 99 99 99 99 99 ,god being with thee when we know it not4 --,,william ,,wordsworth4 ,,to ,,the ,,children ,,at ,,home ,teach me to live6 ,no idler let me be1 ,but in ,thy service hand and heart employ4 --,,bayard ,,taylor4 ,,preface ,a book of this kind1 though addressed to children1 must necessarily reach them through an older person4 ,the purpose is to suggest a few of the many aspects which music may have even to the mind of a child4 ,if these chapters1 or whatever may be logically suggested by them1 be actually used as the basis of simple ,talks with children1 music may become to them more than drill and study4 ,they should know it as an art1 full of beauty and of dignity2 full of pure thought and abounding in joy4 ,music with these characteristics is the true music of the heart4 ,unless music gives true pleasure to the young it may be doubted if it is wisely studied4 ,our failure to present music to the young in a manner that interests and holds them is due not so much to the fact that music is too difficult for children1 but because the children themselves are too difficult for us4 ,in our ignorance we often withhold the rightful inheritance4 ,we must not forget that the slower adult mind often meets a class of difficulties which are not recognized by the unprejudiced child4 ,it is not infrequent that with the old fears in us we persist in recreating difficulties4 ,there should be ever present with the teacher the thought that music must be led out of the individuality1 not driven into it4 ,the teacher's knowledge is not a hammer1 it is a light4 ,while it is suggested that these chapters be used as the subject-matter for talks with the children1 they may read verbatim if desired4 ,all foot-note references and suggestions are addressed to the older person--the mother or the teacher4 ,there is much in the literature of art that would interest children if given to them discriminatingly4 ,,thomas ,,tapper4 ,,boston1 ,october #cj1 #ahif ,,contents ,,chapter ,,preface ,i4 ,,what ,,the ,,face ,,tells ,,ii4 ,,why ,,we ,,should ,,study ,,music ,,iii4 ,,music ,,in ,,the ,,heart ,,iv4 ,,the ,,tones ,,about ,,us ,v4 ,,listening ,,vi4 ,,thinking ,,in ,,tone ,,vii4 ,,what ,,we ,,see ,,and ,,hear ,,viii4 ,,the ,,classics ,,ix4 ,,what ,,we ,,should ,,play ,x4 ,,the ,,lesson ,,xi4 ,,the ,,light ,,on ,,the ,,path ,,xii4 ,,the ,,greater ,,masters ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,masters ,,xiv4 ,,harmony ,,and ,,counterpoint ,,xv4 ,,music ,,and ,,reading ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,hands ,,xvii4 ,,what ,,the ,,roman ,,lady ,,said ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,day ,,xix4 ,,the ,,ideal ,,xx4 ,,the ,,one ,,talent ,,xxi4 ,,love ,,for ,,the ,,beautiful ,,xxii4 ,,in ,,school ,,xxiii4 ,,music ,,in ,,school ,,xxiv4 ,,how ,,one ,,thing ,,helps ,,another ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,child ,,at ,,play ,,appendix ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author4 ,chats with ,music ,students2 or ,talks about ,music and ,music ,life4 ,a remarkably valuable work4 ,it is made up of talks to students1 calculated to make them think2 of hints and suggestions which will be of immense assistance to those who are earnestly trying to become proficient in music4--,boston ,transcript4 ,no other book covers the same broad field which this covers in such a pleasant and inspiring manner4--,the ,writer 7,boston74 ,the ,music ,life and ,how to ,succeed in it4 ,these ideas are worthy of attention from students and workers in all branches of art1 science1 and literature1 who mean to be serious and earnest4--,boston ,transcript4 ,exceedingly valuable because of its broad impartiality in its exposition of truth1 its depth of understanding1 and1 above all1 for its earnest desire1 manifest in every word1 to lead music students to a love for music itself4444 ,it abounds in high artistic thought and insight4--,the ,boston ,times4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,what ,,the ,,face ,,tells4 ,and the light dwelleth with him4--,daniel ,,ii3 #bb4 ,once a master said to a child3 ,if thou wilt study diligently1 learn1 and do good unto others1 thy face shall be filled with light4 ,so the child studied busily1 learned1 and sought how she could do good unto others4 ,and every little while she ran to the glass to see if the light was coming4 ,but at each time she was disappointed4 ,no light was there4 ,try as faithfully as she would1 and look as often as she would1 it was always the same4 ,i do not know if she doubted the master or not2 but it is certain she did not know what to make of it4 ,she grieved1 and day after day her disappointment grew4 ,at length she could bear it no longer1 so she went to the master and said3 ,dear master1 ,i have been so diligent6 ,i have tried to learn and to do good unto others4 ,yet every time ,i have sought in my face the light which you promised1 it has not been there4 ,no1 not a single time4 ,now the master listened intently1 and watching her face as she spoke1 he said3 ,thou poor little one1 in this moment1 as thou hast spoken to me1 thy face has been so filled with light that thou wouldst not believe4 ,and dost thou know why8 ,it is because every word thou hast spoken in this moment has come from thy heart4 ,thou must learn in the first days this lesson3 ,when the thought and the deed are in the heart1 then the light is in the face1 always1 and it is there at no other time4 ,it could not be4 ,and what is in thy heart when thou art before the glass8 ,in that moment hast thou turned away from diligence1 and from learning1 and from the love of doing good unto others and in thy heart there is left only the poor curiosity to see the light which can never shine when it is sought4 ,thou canst never see the light of thy own face4 ,for thee that light is forever within1 and it will not prosper thy way to want to look upon it4 ,it is only as thou art faithful that this is added unto thee4 ,sorrowing yet more than before the little child said3 ,master1 ,i do not understand what thou hast said1 yet ,i believe thee2 but the wish is yet within me to see the light of my face1 if only for once4 ,thou who art wise1 tell me why it is denied me4 ,and the master made answer3 ,it is denied to us all4 ,no one may see the light of his own face4 ,therefore thou shalt labor daily with diligence that thy light shall shine before others4 ,and if thou wouldst see the light thou shalt cause it to shine in another4 ,that is the greatest of all--to bring forth the light4 ,and to do this1 thou shalt of thyself be faithful in all things4 ,by what thou art thou must show diligence1 the love for learning1 and the desire to do good unto others1 even as these things have been taught thee4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,why ,,we ,,should ,,study ,,music4 ,music makes people more gentle and meek1 more modest and understanding4--,martin ,luther4#a ,it was this same music lover who said once1 ,music is the fairest gift of ,god4 ,just these words should be a sufficient answer to the question which we have asked in this ,talk1 but a little more may make it clearer4 ,here we are1 gathered together to talk about music4 ,we know music is pleasing2 to many of us it is even more than a pleasure2 of course1 it is difficult to get the lessons properly and we must struggle and strive4 ,often the way seems so rude and stony that we cannot advance4 ,we are hurt1 and hot tears of discouragement come1 and we sit down dejected feeling it were best never to try again4 ,but even when the tears flow the fastest we feel something within us which makes us listen4 ,we can really hear our thoughts battling to tell us something1--prompted by the heart1 we may be sure4 ,and what is music making our thoughts say8 ,have ,i not been a pleasure and a comfort to you8 ,have ,i not set you to singing and to dancing many and many times8 ,have ,i not let you sing your greatest happiness8 ,and am ,i not ever about you1 at home1 in school1 in church8 even in the streets ,i have never deserted you4 ,always1 always ,i have made you merry4 ,but this was music you heard4 ,now you have said you wished to know me yourself2 to have me come to dwell in your heart that you might have me understandingly1 and because ,i ask labor of you for this1 you sit here with your hot tears in your eyes and not a bit of me present in your heart4 ,listen6 ,am ,i not there8 ,yes1 just a bit4 ,now more and more1 and now will you give me up because ,i make you work a little8 ,well1 we all have just this experience and we always feel ashamed of our discouragements2 but even this does not tell us why we should study music4 ,some people study it because they have to do so2 others because they love it4 ,surely it must be best with those who out of their hearts choose to learn about tones and the messages they tell4 ,did you ever notice how people seem willing to stop any employment if music comes near8 ,even in the busiest streets of a city the organ-man will make us listen to his tunes4 ,in spite of the hurry and the crowd and the jumble of noises1 still the organ-tones go everywhere clear1 full1 melodious1 bidding us heed them4 ,perhaps we mark the music with the hand1 or walk differently1 or begin to sing with it4 ,in one way or another the music will make us do something--that shows its power4 ,i have seen in many ,european towns a group of children about the organ-man1#b dancing or singing as he played and enjoying every tune to the utmost4 ,this taught me that music of every kind has its lover1 and that with a little pains and a little patience the love for music belongs to all alike1 and may be increased if other things do not push it aside4 ,now1 one of the first things to be said of music is that it makes happiness1 and what makes happiness is good for us1 because happiness not only lightens the heart1 but it is one of the best ways to make the light come to the face4 ,the moment we study music we learn a severe lesson1 and that is this3 ,there can be no use in our trying to be musicians unless we are willing to learn perfect order in all the music-tasks we do4 ,in this1 music is a particularly severe mistress4 ,nothing slovenly1 untidy1 or out of order will do4 ,the count must be absolutely right1 not fast nor slow as our fancy dictates1 but even and regular4 ,the hands must do their task together in a friendly manner2 the one never crowding nor hurrying the other1 each willing to yield to the other when the right moment comes4#c ,the feet must never use the pedals so as to make the harmonies mingle wrongly1 but at just the right moment must make the strings sing together as the composer desires4 ,the thoughts can never for a single moment wander from the playing2 they must remain faithful1 preparing what is to come and commanding the hands to do exactly the right task in the right way4 ,that shows us1 you see1 the second quality and a strict one of music4 ,it will not allow us to be disorderly1 and more than this1 it teaches us a habit for order that will be a gain to us in every other task4 ,now let us see3 ,first1 we should study music for the happiness it will give us4 ,second1 we should study music for the order it teaches us4 ,there is a third reason4 ,if music gives us happiness1 do we not in learning it gain a power to contribute happiness to others8 ,that is one of the greatest pleasures in learning4 ,not only does the knowledge prove of use and joy to us1 but we can constantly make it useful and joy-giving to others4 ,does this not teach us how thankful we should be to all those who live usefully8 ,and think of all the men who have passed their lives writing beautiful thoughts1 singing out of their very hearts1 day after day1 all their life long1 for the joy of others forever after4 ,in our next ,talk we shall learn that pure thought1 written out of the heart1 is forever a good in the world4 ,from this we shall learn that to study music rightly is to cultivate in our own hearts the same good thought which the composer had4 ,hence the third reason we can find for studying music is that it makes us able to help and to cheer others1 to help them by willingly imparting the little knowledge we have1 and to cheer them by playing the beautiful thoughts in tone which we have learned4 ,these are three great reasons1 truly1 but there are many others4 ,let us speak about one of them4 ,in some of the ,talks we are to have we shall learn that true music comes from a true heart2 and that great music--that is the classics--is the thought of men who are pure and noble1 learned in the way to write1 and anxious never to write anything but the best4 ,there is plainly a great deal of good to us if we study daily the music of men such as these4 ,in this way we are brought in touch with the greatest thought4 ,this constant presence and influence will mold our thoughts to greater strength and greater beauty4 ,when we read the history of music1 we shall see that the greatest composers have always been willing to study in their first days the master works of their time4 ,they have strengthened their thoughts by contact with thoughts stronger than their own1 and we may gain in just the same way if we will4 ,we know now that there are many reasons why it is good for us to study music4 ,we have spoken particularly of four of these4 ,they are3 ,first1 for the happiness it will give us4 ,second1 for the order it demands of us4 ,third1 for the power it gives us to help and cheer others4 ,fourth1 for the great and pure thought it brings before us and raises in us4 ,all these things1 are they true1 you ask8 ,if the little child had asked that of the master he would have said3 ,these things shalt thou find real because they make thee brave4 ,and the pain and the drudgery and the hot tears shall be the easier to bear for this knowledge1 which should be strong within thee as a pure faith4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,music ,,in ,,the ,,heart4 ,raffaello's genius goes directly to the heart4--,autobiography of ,benvenuto ,cellini4#d ,the only true way to learn is by doing4 ,the skill of the hand and the skill of the thought can be brought out only by use4 ,we shall not become very skilful1 nor very learned1 nor very good unless we daily devote ourselves to tasks--often difficult and unpleasant--which shall bring to us wisdom1 or success1 or goodness4 ,none of these things1 nor any other like them1 come merely by talking about them4 ,that is the worst way of all--merely to talk and not to act4 ,but if we talk truthfully and act with care1 we shall gain a great deal4 ,pleasant companionship often brings forth thoughts which if we follow them industriously1 lead a long way in a good direction4 ,i do not know that any one has likened music to a country4 ,but we can make the comparison1 and then it becomes plain that we may either wander through it1 seeing the beautiful things1 wondering about them1 and talking over our admiration and our wonder2 or we may join to this a true and an earnest inquiry1 which shall give us1 as a reward1 the clear understanding of some things which we see4 ,let us travel in this way2 first1 because we shall gain true knowledge by it1 but better still1 because we shall thereby learn in the first days that the truest pleasures and the dearest happinesses are those for which we have done something2 those for which we have given both of labor and of pains4 ,one of the wisest little philosophers in the world was ,polissena1#e and ,i think she became wise just because she labored4 ,as we become more and more acquainted with true music we shall learn this3 ,true music is that which is born in some one's heart4 ,all immortal writers speak out of the heart4#f ,nothing could be truer2 and as they speak out of their hearts you may be sure they intend to speak into ours4 ,nowhere else4 ,as true music is made in some one's heart1 we must feel it in our own hearts as we play it or it will mean nothing4 ,the heart must make it warm1 then the beauties of the music will come out4 ,it is strange how our moods tell themselves4 ,all we do with our eyes and with our ears1 with the tongue and with the hands1 what we do with our thoughts even1 is sure to say of itself whether we are doing with a willing heart or not4 ,it is curious that the truth will come out of whatever seems to be a secret1 but curious as it may be1 it does come out4 ,we must think of that4 ,every one of us knows the difference between doing willingly and unwillingly4 ,we know that things done with joy and with eagerness are well done and seem to spring directly from the heart4 ,not only that1 but they really inspire joy and eagerness in those who are about us4 ,inspire is just the word4 ,look it up in your dictionary and see that it means exactly what happens--to breathe into--they breathe joy and happiness into all things else1 and it comes out of our hearts4 ,now happiness can be told in many ways3 in laughter1 in the eyes1 in a game1 in a life like that of ,polissena's1 in anything1 but in nothing that does not win the heart4 ,as happiness can be shown in anything1 it can be shown in music4 ,we can put happiness into play1 likewise we can put happiness into music4 ,and as much of it as we put into anything will come out4 ,besides1 we might just as well learn now as at another time1 this3 ,whatever we put into what we do will come out4 ,it may be happiness or idleness or hatred or courage2 whatever goes into what we do comes out very plainly4 ,everything1 remember4 ,that means much4 ,if you should practise for an hour1 wishing all the time to be doing something else1 you may be sure that your wish is coming out of your playing so plainly that every one knows it4 ,do you think that is strange8 ,well1 it may be1 but it is strictly true4 ,no one may be able to explain why and how1 but certainly it is true that as we play our music all that goes on in the heart finds its way into the head1 and the arms1 and the hands1 into the music1 off through the air1 and into the hearts of every one who is listening4 ,so it is a valuable truth for us to remember1 that whatever we put into our music will come out and we cannot stop it2 and other people will get it1 and know what we are by it4 ,once we fully understand how music will show forth our inmost feelings we shall begin to understand its truthfulness and its power1 as well as its beauty4 ,we shall see from our first days that music will tell the truth4 ,that will help us to understand a little the true mission of art1 either to state a true thing1 or adorn a serviceable one4#g ,the moment we understand this a very little we shall begin to love art4 ,we shall be glad and willing for music to reveal us1 to show the spirit within us1 because little by little with the understanding will come love and reverence for the beautiful thoughts that are locked up in tones4 ,men who want to tell something to very many people1 many of whom they do not know and to whom they cannot go1 write down all they have to say and make a book of it4 ,there are some men1 however1 who have many beautiful thoughts which they wish to tell to those who can understand2 these may dwell in their own land or in other lands2 in their own time or in future time4 ,but the message of these men is so beautiful and so delicate that it cannot be told in words1 so they tell it in music4 ,then1 in their own land and in other lands1 in their own day and forever after1 people can find out the delicate thoughts by studying the pages of the music1 seeking with their hearts the thought that came out of the master's heart4 ,do you wonder that composers revere their art8 ,we are told of ,chopin that art was for him a high and holy vocation4#h ,do you wonder8 ,let me read you a few words about his devotion3 ,in order to become a skilful and able master he studied1 without dreaming of the 444 fame he would obtain4 ,nothing could be purer1 more exalted1 than his thoughts1#i because he knew that if his thoughts were not pure the impurity would come out in his music4 ,the music that has first been felt in the heart and then written down finds its way and tells all about the heart1 where it was born4 ,when you play and feel that you are playing from the heart1 you may be sure you are on the right path4 ,the beautiful thing is1 that this is true no matter how simple music is4 ,the very simplest will tell all about us4 ,remember1 in playing music1 that great and good men have put into tones thoughts which will be a joy and comfort to the world forever4 ,some one of these ,talks will be about classic and common music4 ,but even now ,i am sure we understand that good music comes from pure thought1 and pure thought comes from a good heart4 ,that1 surely1 is clear and simple4 ,pure music is earnest and songful4 ,it has meaning in every part4 ,no tone is without a lofty purpose4 ,that is true music4 ,it is classic from the heart that is put into it4 ,by being faithful to our music it will do for us more than we can dream4 ,do you know the inscription that used to be over the north gate of the city of ,siena1 in ,italy8 ,siena opens not only her gates1 but her heart to you4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,tones ,,about ,,us4 ,scientific education ought to teach us to see the invisible as well as the visible in nature4--,john ,tyndall4#aj ,there used to live in ,england a famous scientist named ,tyndall1 who was interested1 among other things1 in the study of sound4 ,he studied sounds of all kinds1 made experiments with them1 wrote down what he observed1 and out of it all he wrote a book1#aa useful to all who desire to learn about sound and its nature4 ,one day1 ,tyndall and a friend were walking up one of the mountains of the ,alps4#ab ,as they ascended the path1 ,tyndall's attention was attracted by a shrill sound1 which seemed to come from the ground at his feet4 ,being a trained thinker he was at once curious to know what was the cause of this4 ,by looking carefully he found that it came from a myriad of small insects which swarmed by the side of the path4 ,having satisfied himself as to what it was he spoke to his companion about the shrill tone and was surprised to learn that he could not hear it4 ,tyndall's friend could hear all ordinary sound perfectly well4 ,this1 however1 seemed to be sound of such a character as did not reach his sense of hearing4 ,one who like ,tyndall listened carefully to sounds of all kinds would quickly detect anything uncommon4 ,this little incident teaches us that sounds may go on about us and yet we know nothing of them4 ,also it teaches us to think about tones1 seek them1 and in the first days increase our acquaintance and familiarity with them4 ,men of science1 who study the different ways in which the mind works1 tell us that habit and also a busy mind frequently make us unconscious of many things about us4 ,sometimes we have not noticed the clock strike1 although we have been in the room on the hour2 or some one speaks to us1 and because we are thinking of something else we fail to hear what is said to us4 ,it certainly is true that very many people do not hear half of the sounds that go on about them1 sounds which1 if but heeded1 would teach people a great deal4 ,and of all people1 those who study music should be particularly attentive to sounds of all kinds4 ,indeed1 the only way to begin a music education is to begin by learning to listen4 ,robert ,schumann1 a ,german composer1 once wrote a set of rules for young musicians4 ,as it was ,schumann's habit to write only what was absolutely needed we may be sure he regarded his rules as very important4 ,there are sixty-eight of them1 and the very first has reference to taking particular notice of the tones about us4 ,if we learn it from memory we shall understand it better and think of it oftener4 ,besides that1 we shall have memorized the serious thought of a truly good and great man4 ,this is what he says3 ,the cultivation of the ear is of the greatest importance4 ,endeavor early to distinguish each tone and key4 ,find out the exact tone sounded by the bell1 the glass1 and the cuckoo4 ,there is certainly a good hint in this4 ,let us follow it day by day1 and we shall see how many are the tones about us which we scarcely ever notice4 ,we should frequently listen and find who of us can distinguish the greatest number of different sounds4 ,then we shall learn to listen attentively to sounds and noises4 ,bit by bit all sounds1 especially beautiful ones1 will take on a new and deeper meaning to us2 they will be full of a previously unrecognized beauty which will teach us to love music more and more sincerely4 ,in order that we may better understand how sounds are related to each other we should learn early to sing the major scale so that it will go readily up and down as a melody4 ,as we become more and more familiar with it we must think frequently of its separate tones so as to feel just how each one sounds in the scale1 how it fits in the scale1 and just what it says1 in fact2 we shall then notice after a while that we can hear the scale with the inner ear1 which is finer and more delicate4#ac ,we should have names for the scale-tones like the pretty ,italian syllables1 or1 if not these1 whatever our teacher suggests4 ,then we should have a conception of the tones as they are related4 ,we should learn that every tone of the scale is colored by the tonic4 ,every one gets a character from the tonic which tells us all about it1 because we learn to hear its relation to its principal tone4 ,in a little while1 with patience1 we shall be able to hear the scale-tones in any order we may choose to think them4 ,that power will be a fine help forever after--we must be sure to get it in the first days4 ,whenever we hear two tones we should try to find them on the piano4 ,this will make us listen more attentively to the tone sounded by the clock1 the church-bell1 the bird1 the drinking-glass4 ,and what a lot there are1 like the squeaking door1 the cricket1 the noise of the wind and rain1 the puff of the engine1 and all the other sounds we hear in a day4 ,bit by bit1 in this way1 our familiarity with tones will grow and we shall be well repaid for all the trouble4 ,gradually we shall become better listeners--but about listening we are to speak in our next ,talk4 ,this1 however1 may be said now3 ,let us always be sure to listen with special care to two tones1 calling one the tonic1 or first1 of the major scale and finding what degree the other is1 or near what degree it lies4 ,this will make us better acquainted with the scale and we shall learn that all the music we have comes out of it4 ,we must also listen to tones so that we can tell something about them besides their scale names4 ,we must learn to describe tones1 tell whether they are high or low1 sweet or harsh1 loud or soft1 long or short4 ,for instance1 through the window ,i can hear a church-bell4 ,some one is ringing it slowly so that the tones are long4 ,the tone is not a very high one 7it is ,g above middle ,c7 and the quality is rich and mellow4 ,this describes the church-bell tone quite well1 and in like manner we may describe all the sounds we hear4 ,we should make it a habit often to stand or to sit perfectly still and to listen to everything that goes on about us4 ,even in the country1 where all seems as quiet as possible1 we shall be surprised at the great number of sounds4 ,there are some other tones to which ,i fear we are prone not to listen4 ,i mean the tones which the piano makes when we play finger-exercises4 ,we think perhaps of the finger motion1 which is not all2 or we think of nothing1 which is very bad2 or our thoughts begin to picture other things even while we play1 which is the worst of all1 and bit by bit we actually forget what we are doing4 ,one of the quickest ways to become unable to hear sounds correctly is to play the piano without thinking fully of what we are doing4 ,therefore it must be a rule never to play a tone without listening acutely to it4 ,if in the first days we determine to do this and remain faithful to it1 we shall always touch the piano keys carefully1 thoughtfully1 and reverentially4 ,elsewhere we shall have some definite tone lessons for the purpose of making us familiar with the tones about us4 ,but no rule can exceed in importance this one1 never to make any music unthinkingly4 ,by care and practice we soon become so skilful as to notice tones with the readiness we notice colors in the garden4 ,the sense of tone must be as strong in us as is the sense of color4 ,then we shall be able to tell differences of tones which are nearly the same1 as readily as we can now tell two varieties of yellow1 for instance4 ,a bit of perseverance in this and the beauties even of common sounds shall be revealed to us4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,listening4 ,you must listen as if listening were your life4--,phillips ,brooks4#ad ,in our last ,talk we learned that it was quite possible for sounds to be about us and yet we not hear them4 ,sometimes1 as in the case of ,tyndall's companion1 it is because we are not capable2 at other times1 as when the clock strikes and we do not hear1 it is because we are occupied with other things4 ,it is from this latter fact--being occupied with other things--that we can learn what listening is4 ,listening is not being occupied with other things4 ,it is being completely attentive to what we are expected to hear4 ,the condition of being occupied with other thoughts when we should be listening is known as inattention4 ,to listen with full attention1 all other things being entirely absent from the mind1 is one form of concentration4 ,inattention is a destroyer4 ,it divides our power between two or more things when it should be directed upon a single thing4 ,concentration gives us greater and greater mind-power4 ,if you will look in the dictionary to find what concentration means 7you should be good friends with the dictionary7 you will find it is made up of con#ae meaning with1 and centrum1 a center1 with a center1 or to come to a center4 ,if you hold a magnifying-glass between your hand and the sun you will find that at a certain distance the sunlight is in a circle4 ,by changing the distance with delicacy you can diminish the circle to almost a point1--you make the light come to a center4 ,when the circle of light is large1 no particular effect is noted by the hand4 ,when1 however1 the circle is as small as it can be made you feel a sensation of warmth which1 if continued long enough1 will really burn the hand4 ,that small circle is the sunlight in concentration4 ,the rays of sunlight1 instead of being scattered1 are centered4 ,they burn the hand because they are full of power--powerful4 ,by way of example3 ,let the different rays stand for inattention and the tiny circle of light for concentration4 ,the former has little or no power2 the latter is full of power4 ,this very well illustrates what happens1 both when our thoughts are scattered over a large area1 and when they are brought together--concentrated--in a small circle4 ,the first listening indeed which should claim our attention is not tone-listening1 but listening to what is said to us4 ,no one under a good teacher ever learns well who is not attentive and obedient4 ,and then listening and doing are inseparably joined4 ,tone-listening makes us self-critical and observant1 and we are assured by men of science that unless we become good observers in our early years1 it is later impossible for us4#af ,in the previous ,talk we spoke about listening to all kinds of sounds1 particularly those out-of-doors4 ,in this ,talk we shall speak only of real music-listening4 ,you know1 now1 that music born out of the heart is the thought of a good man4 ,of course1 beautiful thoughts of any kind should be listened to not only with attention1 but with reverence4 ,reverence is the tribute which the thoughtful listener pays to the music of a man who has expressed himself beautifully in tone4 ,this at once reveals to us that we should listen to what is great for the purpose of getting ideals4 ,we hear what we hope to attain4 ,it is said of the violinist1 ,pierre ,baillot1 that when only ten years of age he heard the playing of ,viotti1 and though he did not hear it again for twenty years the performance ever remained in his mind as an ideal to be realized in his studies1 and he worked to attain it4 ,the pupils of the great ,viennese teacher of the piano1 ,theodor ,leschetizky1 say he asks no question more frequently than ,can you not hear8 ,it is not only difficult to listen to ourselves1 but listening is one thing and decidedly a superior thing1 while hearing is another and equally inferior thing4 ,and it shows us1 when we think of it1 that no self-criticism is possible until we forget all things else and listen to what we are doing and listen with concentration4 ,it now becomes clear to us that no one becomes an intelligent musician who is not skilled in tone sense1 in listening1 and having thoughts about what is heard4 ,we may read again from the excellent rules of ,robert ,schumann3 ,frequently sing in choruses1 especially the middle parts2 this will help to make you musical4 ,out of this we learn to try to hear more than the melody1 to try sometimes not to think of the melody1 but to listen only to that which accompanies it4 ,when1 in school1 you sing in two and three parts1 notice how one is inclined always to sing the soprano4 ,the melody pulls us away from another part if we are not concentrated upon our part4 ,yet notice how beautifully musical the lower parts are4 ,listen intently to them whatever part you sing4 ,it seems in music that we learn to listen in two directions4 ,first1 by training the attention merely to follow prominent sounds and to be conscious of all of them2 then1 later1 we do not need to think so much of the prominent melody but we strive to hear the accompanying parts4 ,these are the melodies which are somewhat concealed by the principal one2 not truly concealed either1 for they are plain enough if we will listen4 ,they make one think of flowers hidden in the grass and foliage4 ,they are none the less beautiful though they are concealed2 for the sunlight seeks them out and makes them blossom4 ,we find hidden melodies in all good music because it is the character of good music to have interesting and beautiful melodic thought everywhere4 ,there are never meaningless tones allowed4 ,every sound says something and is needed4 ,it is curious that in our playing the moment we put our thoughts upon any tone or voice part with the desire to hear it1 it comes out at once as plainly as if it was the highest melody4 ,that illustrates the power of thought concentrated upon even a hidden thing4 ,you know how in ,bach even the piano works move as if all parts were to be sung by voices4 ,it reminds one of conversation2 of the story1 of the question and answer1 of the merry chat in a pleasant company4 ,some bits of sentence are tripping and full of laughter1#ag others grave and majestic1#ah others have wonderful dignity of heart and mind4#ai ,such qualities give music interest and meaning in every part4 ,it will not take you long to discover that it is just the absence of these qualities that makes other music common4 ,the melody is not sustained by anything particularly well worth listening to4 ,one might say that good music is like the foliage of the garden1 every leaf and petal variously yet finely formed1 and all combined to make a beautiful whole4 ,when you have learned carefully to follow the accompaniment of a melody1 try to follow the single voice parts in the chorus1 particularly the ,bass1 ,tenor1 and ,alto4 ,and when you go to orchestral concerts learn early to follow special instruments like the clarinet1 the oboe1 the drum4 ,especially try to follow the lower strings1 the viola1 the 'cello1 and the bass4 ,they are strongly characteristic4 ,you will learn their peculiar qualities only by giving them special and concentrated thought4 ,you will now see that acute and careful listening has its definite ways and purposes4 ,here they are3 ,i4 ,listening comes from concentration4 ,,ii4 ,when listening to great music it must be with reverence as well as with attention4 ,,iii4 ,we must listen for ideals4 ,,iv4 ,we must listen in order to be self-critical4 ,v4 ,constant listening to true music reveals that there is never a tone used unless it has a meaning4 ,and besides all this we must think that among those who listen to us there may be some one who has learned this careful concentrated way4 ,then we shall have it ever in mind to play as if in the presence of a master4#bj ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,thinking ,,in ,,tone4 ,the gods for labor sell us all good things4--,epicharmus4#ba ,perhaps you have some doubt as to exactly what is meant by music-thinking4 ,being somewhat acquainted with composers and with music1 the thought may here come to you that all the music we hear in the world must have been made by somebody--by many somebodies1 in fact4 ,they have had to sit down1 and forgetting all things else1 listen intently to the music-thought which fills the mind4 ,if you will sit quietly by yourself you will discover that you can easily think words and sentences and really hear them in the mind without pronouncing anything4 ,in quite the same way the composer sits and hears music1 tone by tone1 and as clearly as if it were played by a piano or an orchestra4 ,and to him the tones have a clear meaning1 just as words have a clear meaning to us4 ,naturally1 one can see that there could be no other way4 ,unless the composer can think out everything exactly there could be no music1 for music must be written1 and one can only write what one thinks4 ,so at this point the thought to remember is this3 ,music must exist in some one's mind before others can have it to hear and enjoy4 ,in like manner--just the same manner1 in fact--the painter is one who thinks pictures2 the sculptor1 one who thinks statues2 the architect1 one who thinks buildings4 ,they think these things just as you think words2 and as you tell your thoughts in spoken words1 so they tell their thoughts in printed music1 in painted pictures1 in chiseled statues1 and in erected buildings4 ,now1 from all this it should be clear to you that there can be nothing which has not first been thought of by some one4 ,you think the door must be closed and you close it2 you think you must know the time and you look at the clock2 you think the one hand should play more loudly than the other and you try to do it4 ,power to get things and to do things comes to us rapidly only in the fairy-tales4 ,in the real1 beautiful1 healthy world in which we live we have to work hard and honestly for the power either to get things or to do things4 ,by faithful labor must we win what we want4 ,what we do not labor for we do not get4 ,that is a condition of things so simple that a child can readily understand it4 ,but all1 children and their elders1 are apt to forget it4 ,in the life of every great man there is a story different from that of every other great man1 but in every one of them this truth about laboring for the power one has is found4 ,in our ,talk on ,listening1 it was said that the sounds we hear around us are the more easily understood if we first become familiar with the melody which is called the major scale4 ,but in order to think music it is necessary to know it--in fact1 music-thinking is impossible without it4 ,as it is no trouble to learn the scale1 all of you should get it fixed in the mind quickly and securely4 ,it is now possible for you to hear the scale without singing its tones aloud4 ,listen and see if that is not so6 ,now think of the melodies you know1 the songs you sing1 the pieces you play4 ,you can sing them quite loudly 7can you sing them87 or in a medium tone1 or you can hum them softly as if to yourself2 or further yet1 you can think them without making the faintest sound1 and every tone will be as plain as when you sang it the loudest4 ,here1 ,i can tell you that ,beethoven wrote many of his greatest works when he was so deaf that he could not hear the music he made4 ,hence1 he must have been able to write it out of his thought just as he wanted it to sound4 ,when you understand these steps and ways you will then know about the beginning of music-thinking4 ,let us inquire in this ,talk what the piano has to do in our music-thinking4 ,what relation is there between the music in the mind and the tones produced by the piano8 ,it seems really as if the piano were a photographic camera1 making for us a picture of what we have written1--a camera so subtle indeed1 that it pictures not things we can see and touch1 but invisible things which exist only within us4 ,but faithful as the piano is in this1 it may become the means of doing us much injury4 ,we may get into the habit of trusting the piano to think for us1 of making it do so1 in fact4 ,instead of looking carefully through the pages of our new music1 reading and understanding it with the mind1 we run to the piano and with such playing-skill as we have we sit down and use our hands instead of our minds4 ,now a great many do that1 young and old4 ,but the only people who have a chance to conceive their music rightly are the young2 the old1 if they have not already learned to do it1 never can4 ,that is a law which cannot be changed4 ,we have talked about listening so much that it should now be a settled habit in us4 ,if it is we are learning every day a little about tones1 their qualities and character4 ,and we do this not alone by hearing the tones1 but by giving great heed to them4 ,let us now remember this3 listening is not of the ears but of the thoughts4 ,it is thought concentrated upon hearing4 ,the more this habit of tone-listening goes on in us1 the more power we shall get out of our ability to read music4 ,all these things help one another4 ,we shall soon begin to discover that we not only have thoughts about sounding-tones1 but about printed tones4 ,this comes more as our knowledge of the scale increases4 ,we can now learn one of the greatest and one of the most wonderful truths of science3 ,great knowledge of anything comes from never ceasing to study the first steps4 ,the major scale1 as we first learn it1 seems a perfectly simple thing4 ,but if we think of it all our lives we shall never discover the wonders there are in it4 ,hence1 three simple rules for us to follow in learning to think music are these3 #a4 ,to listen to all tones4 #b4 ,never to stop studying the major scale4 #c4 ,to become accustomed to hear tones within4 ,if we are faithful to these we shall1 with increasing study and industry1 become more and more independent of the piano4 ,we shall never think with our hands1 nor depend upon anything outside of ourselves for the meaning contained in printed tone-thought4 ,if now we join two things we shall get the strength of both united1 which is greater than of either alone4 ,if in our playing lessons we have only the very purest music 7heart music1 remember71 and if we are faithful in our simpler thinking lessons1 we shall gain the power not only of pure thought1 but of stronger and stronger thought4 ,this comes of being daily in the presence of great thoughts--for we are in the presence of great thoughts when we study great music1 or read a great poem1 or look at a great picture1 or at a great building4 ,all these things are but signs made manifest1--that is to say1 made plain to us--of the pure thought of their makers4 ,thomas ,carlyle1 a ,scotch author of this century1 spoke very truly when he said3 ,great men are profitable company2 we cannot look upon a great man without gaining something by him4#bb ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,what ,,we ,,see ,,and ,,hear4 ,you must feel the mountains above you while you work upon your little garden4--,phillips ,brooks4#bc ,somewhere else we shall have some definite lessons in music-thinking4 ,let us then devote this ,talk to finding out what is suggested to us by the things we see and hear4 ,once a boy wrote down little songs4 ,when the people asked him how he could do it1 he replied by saying that he made his songs from thoughts which most other people let slip4 ,we have already talked about thought and about learning to express it4 ,if a person of pure thought will only store it up and become able to express it properly1 when the time comes he can make little songs or many other things2 for all things are made of thought4 ,the poem is stored-up thought expressed in words2 the great cathedral like the one at ,winchester1 in ,england1 or the one near the ,rhine1 at ,cologne1 in ,germany1 is stored-up thought expressed in stone4 ,so with the picture and the statue3 they are stored-up thought on canvas and in marble4#bd ,in short1 we learn by looking at great things just what the little ones are2 and we know from poems and buildings and the like1 that these1 and even commoner things1 like a well-kept garden1 a tidy room1 a carefully learned lesson1 even a smile on one's face result1 every one of them1 from stored-up thought4 ,we can consequently make a definition of ,,things by saying they are what is thought4 ,things are made of thought4 ,even if you cannot understand this fully now1 keep it by you and as you grow older its truth will be more and more clear4 ,it will be luminous4 ,luminous is just the word1 for it comes from a word in another language and means light4 ,now the better you understand things the more light you have about them4 ,and out of this you can understand how well ignorance has been compared with darkness4 ,hence1 from the poem1 the building1 the painting1 the statue1 and from commoner things we can learn1 as it was said in a previous ,talk1 that music is stored-up thought told in beautiful tones4 ,now let us heed the valuable part of all this4 ,if poems1 statues1 and all other beautiful things are made out of stored-up thought 7and commoner things are1 too71 we ought to be able1 by studying the things1 to tell what kind of a person it was who thought them2 or1 in other words1 who made them4 ,it is true1 we can4 ,we can tell all the person's thought1 so far as his art and principal work are concerned4 ,nearly all his life is displayed in the works he makes4 ,we can tell the nature of the man1 the amount of study he has done1 but best of all we can tell his meaning4 ,the face tells all its past history to one who knows how to look4#be ,his intentions are everywhere as plain as can be in what he does4 ,thus you see there is more in a person's work than what we see at the first glance4 ,there are reflections in it as plain as those in a mountain lake4 ,and as the mountain lake reflects only what is above it1 so the work of the musician1 of the artist1 of any one in fact1 reflects those thoughts which forever hover above the others4 ,thoughts of good1 thoughts of evil1 thoughts of generosity1 thoughts of selfish vanity1 these1 and every other kind1 are so strongly reflected in the work we do that they are often more plainly seen than the work itself4 ,and with the works of a great artist before us we may find out not only what he did and what he knew1 but what he felt and even what he did not want to say4 ,we now know what music-thinking is4 ,also1 we see why the young musician needs to learn to think music4 ,really1 he is not a musician until he can think correctly in tone4 ,and further than this1 when we have some understanding of music-thought we not only think about what we play and hear1 but we begin to inquire what story it tells and what meaning it should convey4 ,we begin to seek in music for the thought and intention of the composer1 and1 little by little1 even before we know it1 we begin to seek out what kind of mind and heart the composer had4 ,we begin really to study his character from the works he has left us4 ,we have now taken the first really intelligent step toward knowing for ourselves something about common and classic music4 ,later on1 as our ability increases1 this will be of great value to us4 ,we begin to see1 bit by bit1 what the author intended4 ,that is the real test of it all4 ,we do not want to find mere jingle in music1 we want music that says something4 ,even a very young child knows that eenty meenty meiny moe is not real sense1 though it is a pleasant string of sounds to say in a game4 ,thus we learn to look into what we hear and into what we see and try to find how much thought there is in it1 and the kind of thought it is4 ,we want to know if goodness is expressed2 if the best work of the man is before us1 or if1 for a lower reason1 his selfishness and vanity are most prominent4 ,and let us remember that as we seek these things in the works of others1 so others of thoughtful kind will watch our doings1 our playing1 our speech1 our little habits1 and all to see what our intentions are each time we express ourselves4 ,they will look to see what thoughts we are putting into our doings1 whether thoughts of goodness or of selfishness4 ,and our actions will always be just as good as the thought we put into them4 ,now a great and a common mistake is1 that sometimes we hope by some mysterious change1 as in a fairy tale1 that they will be better than what we intend4 ,but in the first days let us learn that this is not possible4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,classics4#bf ,genuine work done faithfully1 that is eternal4--,thomas ,carlyle4 ,the older we grow and the more we study1 the more we shall hear about the classics1 about classic music1 and classic art1 and classic books4 ,from the beginning let us keep it in our minds that one of our duties is to find out the difference between what is classic and what is not4 ,then we shall have a proper understanding4 ,an ,english writer on art says3 ,the writers and painters of the classic school set down nothing but what is known to be true1 and set it down in the perfectest manner possible in their way4#bg ,and we have already learned that thought from the heart1 expressed in tones1 is good music4 ,on the other hand1 a thought with the heart not in it1 expressed in tone1 makes poor or common music4 ,mendelssohn wrote in one of his letters3 ,when ,i have composed a piece just as it springs from my heart1 then ,i have done my duty toward it4#bh ,but in writing thoughts1 whether in words or in tones1 there is a very important thing to add to the bidding of the heart4 ,it is the training of the mind4 ,with both of these one works and judges wisely4 ,with thought and intention ever so pure1 but with no education1 one would not be able to write for others1 and with a little education one would be able to write only in a partially correct way4 ,this brings us to one of the most interesting ,talks we shall have4 ,let us try to make it clear and simple4 ,we can easily imagine a man both true and good who can neither write nor spell4 ,happily1 in these days1 nearly all people who are old enough know how to do both4 ,we can understand that this man may have beautiful thoughts--the thoughts of a true poet or of a true artist--but being unable to write or to spell he could not put his thoughts on paper for others to read and to study4 ,this is the way thoughts are preserved and made into books so that people may benefit by them4 ,it would1 therefore1 be necessary for this man1 about whom we speak1 to get the assistance of some one who knew how to write thoughts and to spell their words4 ,then1 together1 they would have to talk about the thoughts1 choose proper words1 form the sentences1 and make all fit rightly together as a writer must who desires to be clear4 ,but it is more than likely that the one who writes would not do all these things to the satisfaction of the other4 ,of this there could be but one result4 ,the person who had the beautiful thoughts would be forever wishing that he had learned in the first days to write and to spell4 ,then he could do all these things for himself and show his thoughts to others exactly as he wished them to appear4 ,now it is clear that some may have beautiful and valuable thoughts and not know how to write them1 while others may have the ability to write without having thoughts worth preserving4 ,evidently what one must have are both beautiful thoughts and ability to write them4 ,did you think when ,i read you that bit from the letter of ,mendelssohn that all a composer has to do is to find in his heart just what he wants to say8 ,as we have already discovered1 that is not enough4 ,to show you that ,mendelssohn was not afraid of hard work let us read a little from another of his letters4#bi ,mendelssohn had resolved to work in ,germany and maintain himself4 ,if ,i find that ,i cannot do this1 then ,i must leave it for ,london or ,paris1 where it is easier to get on4 ,i see indeed where ,i should be more honored1 and live more gaily and more at my ease than in ,germany1 where a man must press forward1 and toil1 and take no rest1--still1 if ,i can succeed there1 ,i prefer the latter4#cj ,we can now understand that it is quite the same with word-thinkers and with tone-thinkers4 ,good thoughts and the proper writing of them make the classics4 ,out of this thought there comes another4 ,it is this3 ,great thoughts1 expressed well1 out of a great heart1 make the works which last the longest2 and still further1 for one truth leads out of another4 ,only they can appreciate the classics who have something that is classic within them4 ,they must have the heart true in its feeling1 tender in its sentiments4 ,even a child can have that4 ,they must have the mind trained in the truest and best way of expressing thought4 ,and a child may begin to learn that4 ,hence we see that a child may be classic worthy4 ,only we must never1 never1 no matter what is our ability1 think we are better or above others4 ,the more talents one has the more one is expected to do and the greater duty it is4#ca ,thus far we have three truths2 now here is a fourth3 ,some love the classics sooner and better than others because they have more power4 ,and how do they get it8 ,they think more 7thought-making72 they feel more 7heart-learning72 and they see more 7truth-seeking74 ,let us at once go back and gather together these four truths4 ,they are important4 ,perhaps some of us who are willing to spend the time will learn them from memory4 ,and to repay us for the trouble of doing it we shall have greater and greater understanding of many things4 ,here they are3 ,i4 ,good thoughts and the proper writing of them make the classics4 ,,ii4 ,great thoughts1 expressed well1 out of a great heart1 make the works which last the longest4 ,,iii4 ,only they can appreciate the classics who have something that is classic within them4 ,,iv4 ,some love the classics sooner and better than others because they have more power4 ,what shall these truths teach us8 ,that true music cannot be learned rapidly2 that the way of ,art is long and difficult4 ,but if the way is long1 it is yet beautiful in every turn2 if it is difficult1 it is yet worth a struggle for what comes4 ,as you read the lives of the great composers you will learn that they went willingly about their tasks1 doing each one well4 ,this is done by all great men4 ,great men take short steps carefully1 no matter how rapidly they can go4 ,one of them #cb wrote3 ,success comes with tiny steps4 ,and it comes entirely unsought4 ,besides all this we are to remember that the power for these things comes from ,i4 ,thought-making2 ,,ii4 ,heart-learning2 ,,iii4 ,truth-seeking4 ,now1 just to end with let us read a few words from a book ,i trust we all may read some day3 #cc ,great art is the expression of the mind of a great man1 and mean art of a weak man4 ,let us remember that in choosing things to play4 ,further on ,ruskin says3 ,if stone work is well put together1 it means that a thoughtful man planned it1 and a careful man cut it1 and an honest man cemented it4 #cd ,likewise in these things one can see what is classic--work out of the heart and well done1 and that comes from a thoughtful1 careful1 honest person4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,what ,,we ,,should ,,play4 ,but blessings do not fall in listless hands4--,bayard ,taylor4 ,we already begin to understand what the classics are4 ,year by year as our interest in the beautiful increases1 we shall gain more definite knowledge about classic art4 ,that which is classic will begin to announce itself in us4 ,our own choice indicates our taste but does not always indicate what is best for us4 ,and one of the purposes of art is to improve the taste by setting before us the finest works2 in these1 by study1 we find beauty with which we are unacquainted4 ,thus we enlarge our capacity for it4 ,because we are born with taste unformed and untrained you can at once see the reason for gradually increasing the tasks4 ,they are always a little more difficult--like going up a mountain--but they give a finer and finer view4 ,the outlook from the mountain-top cannot be had all at once4 ,we must work our way upward for it4 ,hence you will observe in your lessons that what was once a fitting task is no longer of quite the same value because of your increased power4 ,but about this especially we shall have a ,talk later on4 ,when one has heard much music of all kinds1 one soon begins to understand that there are two kinds commonly chosen4 ,some players choose true music with pure thought in it1 and do their best to play it well after the manner called for by the composer4 ,their aim is to give truthful expression to the music of a good writer4 ,other players seem to work from a motive entirely different4 ,they select music which is of a showy character1 with much brilliancy and little thought in it4 ,their aim is not to show what good music is1 but to show themselves4 ,the desire of the first is truth1 of the second is vanity4 ,now1 as we examine into this1 and into both kinds of music1 we discover much4 ,it proves that we must work for the best2 for the truthful music1 not for the vain music4 ,as we get better acquainted with true music we find it more and more interesting--it keeps saying new things to us4 ,we go to it again and again1 getting new meanings4 ,but the showy music soon yields all it has2 we find little or nothing more in it than at first4 ,as it was made not from good thought but for display1 we cannot find newer and more beautiful thought in it1 and the display soon grows tiresome4 ,true music is like the light in a beautifully-cut gem1 it seems that we never see all it is--it is never twice the same2 always a new radiance comes from it because it is a true gem through and through4 ,it is full of true light1 and true light is always opposed to darkness2 and darkness is the source of ignorance4 ,from all this you can now understand the quaintly-expressed opinion of a very wise man1 who said3 ,in discharge of thy place1 set before thee the best example4#ce ,that means whatever we strive to learn should be learned from works of the best kind4 ,in the beginning1 we cannot choose wisely the best examples to set before ourselves2 therefore it is for us to heed what another wise man said3 ,as to choice in the study of pieces1 ask the advice of more experienced persons than yourself2 by so doing you will save much time4 #cf ,you thereby save time doubly4 ,later on in your life you will have no bad taste to overcome--that is one saving2 and already you know from childhood many classics1 and that is another saving4 ,what we learn in childhood is a power all our lives4 ,you can see plainly1 now1 that both in the choice of pieces and in the manner of playing them1 a person's character will come out4 ,we saw in the last ,talk how character has to come out in writing4 ,only a very common character would select pieces written entirely for a vain show--of rapid runs1 glittering arpeggios1 and loud1 unmeaning chords4 ,worse than that1 such a choice of pieces displays two common people1--three1 in fact3 ,a composer who did not write pure thought from the heart2 a teacher who did not instil good thoughts into the pupil's heart2 and yourself 7if really you care for such things7 who play from a vain desire to be considered brilliant4 ,a player who devotes the mind and the hands only to what a meaningless composer writes for them is not worthy of any power4 ,with our hands in music1 as with the tongue in speech1 let us strive from the beginning to be truthful4 ,let us try in both ways to express the highest truth we are able to conceive4 ,then in art we shall1 at least1 approach near unto the true artist2 and in life we shall approach near unto the true life4 ,every mere empty display-piece we study takes up the time and the opportunity wherein we could learn a good composition1 by a master of the heart4 ,and it is only with such music that you will1 during your life1 get into the hearts of those who are most worthy for you to know4 ,out of just this thought ,schumann has two rules now very easy for us to understand3 ,never help to circulate bad compositions2 on the contrary1 help to suppress them with earnestness4 ,you should neither play bad compositions1 nor1 unless compelled1 listen to them4 ,we now come to a really definite conclusion about the compositions we should play and to an extent as to how we should play them4 ,the heart1 the mind1 and the hands1 or the voice1 if you sing1 should unite in our music2 and be consecrated to the beautiful4 ,consecrate is just exactly the word4 ,look for it in your dictionary4#cg ,it comes from two other words1 does it not8 ,con meaning with and sacer meaning holiness4 ,thus devote heart and head and hands with holiness to the beautiful4 ,this is very clear1 ,i am sure4 ,it is also worth doing4 ,with holiness describes how to play and really what to play4 ,a composition which has been born of a true man is in thought already consecrated4 ,he has heard it and felt it within himself4 ,daily you must get closer and closer to these messages and meanings4 ,and are they not already more luminous to you8 ,and do you remember what we said luminous means8 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,lesson4 ,all people value most what has cost them much labor4 --,aristotle4#ch ,it is true that music is beautiful and that it gives us happiness and comfort4 ,but1 nevertheless1 music is hard to learn for every one2 harder for some than for others1 but hard for all4 ,it is well and best that it should be so4 ,we appreciate most highly that which we labor for earnestly4 ,just imagine if every one could sing or play merely by wishing it6 ,then music would be so common and so much the talent of all that it would cease to give us joy4 ,why8 ,because one gained it by a wish4 ,that is not enough4 ,from this can we learn to understand the great secret of it all8 ,i think we can4 ,let us see6 ,the secret is this3 ,music is a joy because it takes us out of ourselves and we work hard to get it4 ,music teaches us what a wonderful power there is within us1 if we will only strive to bring it out4 ,education is good for us for this same reason4 ,as you learn more and more about words1 you will see more in this word ,education4 ,it means to lead out what is within us4 ,to lead music out of the heart becomes the object1 then1 of your lessons4 ,one cannot drive music into you2 it must be led out4 ,where shall we look for music that it may be led out8 ,only in the heart4 ,that is where all is in every one of us4 ,but often in our hearts there is so much else1 so much vanity1 self-love1 conceit1 love for other things1 that the music is almost beyond reach4 ,almost1 but never entirely4 ,in the heart of every one is music4 ,but often it is deep1 deep down1 covered by these other things4 ,the older we grow and the more other things we see and think about1 the deeper and deeper down does the music get4 ,it is like heaping rocks1 and dirt1 and sticks on a bubbling spring4 ,the spring is down there1 bubbling freely beneath it all1 still striving to be as free and as songful as before2 but it cannot4 ,people may come and go1 may pass near to it1 and hear not one of its sounds2 they may never suspect that there is such a thing ready to go on merrily if it could4 ,when is the best time to lead water out of the spring1 and music out of the heart8 ,before other things begin to cover it4 ,with music the best time is in the early days1 in childhood time--in the first days4 ,we shall hear those words many times4 ,then little by little the bubbling spring of melody gains its independence2 then1 even if other things do come in1 they cannot bury the music out of sight4 ,the spring has been led forth and has grown stronger4 ,thoughtful people who have suffered in learning--all people suffer in learning1 thoughtful ones the most--wonder how they can make the task less painful for others4 ,it will always cause us sorrow as well as joy to learn1 and many people spend their lives in trying to have as little sorrow as possible come with the learning of the young4 ,when such people are true and good and thoughtful and have infinite kindness1 they are teachers2 and the teachers impose tasks upon us severely1 perhaps1 but with kind severity4 ,they study us and music1 and they seek out the work each one of us must perform in order that we may keep the heart-springs pure and uncovered4 ,further than this1 they find the way by which we shall lead the waters of life which flow out of the heart-springs4 ,they find the way whither they should flow best4 ,often in the doing of these things we find the lessons hard and wearisome1 infinitely hard to bear1 difficult1 and not attractive4 ,we wonder why all these things should be so1 and we learn in the moment we ask that question that these painful tasks are the price we are paying for the development of our talent4 ,that is truly the purpose of a lesson4 ,and the dear teacher1 wise because she has been painfully over the road herself1 knows how good and necessary it is for us to labor as she directs4 ,let us suppose you play the piano4 ,there will be two kinds of lessons--one will be for the fingers1 one for the mind4 ,but really the mind also guides the finger-work2 and the heart must be in all4 ,your exercises will give you greater power to speak with the fingers4 ,every new finger-exercise in piano-playing is like a new word in language4 ,provided with it1 you can say more than you could before4 ,the work for the mind is the classics4 ,these are compositions by the greater and lesser masters with which you form the taste1 while the technical exercises are provided to give you the power1 the ability1 to play them4 ,thus you see how well these two things go together4 ,year after year1 if you go on patiently1 you will add to each of these tasks2 more power will come to the fingers and to the mind4 ,all this time you will be coming nearer and nearer to the true music4 ,more and more will be coming out of your heart4 ,the spring will not only continue to bubble clearly but it will become more powerful4 ,nothing is so wonderful as that4 ,do you know what a sad thing it was for the man not to increase that one talent which had been given to him8 #ci ,perchance you have also one4 ,then find it1 love it1 increase it4 ,know that every step of the way1 every bit of task1 every moment of faith is paid for in later years ten thousandfold4 ,if now we remember our ,talk on ,listening it will serve us4 ,did we not say then that the first duty of a listener is to the one who speaks for his good8 ,lesson time is an opportunity above nearly all others when we should listen with love in our attention4 ,yes1 nothing less than that1 because--how many times we have heard it already--putting love into anything1 is putting the heart into it1 and with less than that we do not get all we may have4 ,this ,talk1 then1 is important1 because it gathers together many things that have gone before1 and hints at some to come4 ,let us give the last words to speaking about that4 ,a lesson suggests listening2 listening suggests the teacher1 who with infinite kindness and severity guides us2 and the teacher suggests the beautiful road along which we go and what we hear as we travel1 that is the music of the heart2 and the music of the heart has in it the tones about us1 and the greater and lesser masters who thought them into beautiful forms4 ,the masters are as servants unto whom there is given to some one talent1 to others two1 and four1 and more1 but to each according to his worth1 to be guided and employed in truth and honor2 increased by each in accordance to his strength4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,the ,,light ,,on ,,the ,,path4 ,let us seek service and be helpers of one another4 ,master1 said the little child1 ,i am unhappy4 ,though ,i have companions and games1 they do not content me4 ,even the music which ,i love above all the rest is not truly in my heart2 nor is it the pleasure to me which it should be4 ,what am ,i to do8 ,and the master replied3 ,there is a task1 the greatest and severest of all4 ,but a child must learn it4 ,thou must know from the first days1 that all thou doest and sayest1 whither thou goest1 what thou seekest2 these1 all these1 come from within4 ,all that is seen of thee is of thy inner life4 ,all thy doings1 thy goings and comings1 thy ways and thy desires1 these are from within4 ,and when all these things are for thyself there is misery4 ,now there are many things which may not be had by directly seeking them2 of these the greatest are two4 ,the one is that which already has given thee sadness in the heart1--the ,light of the ,face4 ,and the other is happiness4 ,but there is a way in which these are to be found4 ,dost thou not know that often1 even with much trouble1 thou canst not please thyself8 ,but always1 with little trouble or none1 thou canst please another4 ,and the way is ,service4 ,thou poor little one6 ,thou hast come with thy complaint of unhappiness2 and yet thou hast all that is bright and rare2 companions1 and music1 and a dear home4 ,dost thou know that there are in the world uncounted poor ones1 children like thyself1 who have not their daily bread8 ,and yet there are many of them who never fail to say3 ',lead us not into temptation4' ,and they say this without having tasted of the daily bread for which they have been taught to pray4 ,and thou8 ,thou art unhappy4 ,and thy daily bread is set before thee with music and with sunshine4 ,yet there are little ones1 like thyself1 who are hungry in the darkness4 ,and thou8 ,thou art unhappy4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,greater ,,masters4 ,in spite of all1 ,i have never interrupted the study of music4 --,palestrina4 ,an opera writer of ,italy1 named ,giovanni ,pacini1 once said that to study the writings of ,mozart1 ,haydn1 and ,beethoven lightens the mind of a student1 since the classics are a continuous development of the most beautiful and simple melodies1 and we sometimes hear it said that great men are they who dare to be simple4 ,in our ,talks thus far we have learned one important fact1 which is1 that music is truth expressed out of the heart4 ,of course we know that to be in the heart it must be felt1 and to be expressed we must know a great deal about writing4 ,now we are able to imagine quite well what a great master is in music4 ,as ,pacini says1 his melodies will be simple and beautiful1 and as we ourselves know1 his simple melodies will be an expression of truth out of the heart4 ,but to go only as far as this would not be enough4 ,many can write simply and well1 and truthfully1 yet not as a master4 ,there must be something else4 ,when we have found out what that something else is we shall understand the masters better and honor them more4 ,everywhere in the history of music we read of what men have been willing to do for the love of their art4 ,it is not that they have been willing to do when told2 but that they have cheerfully done painful1 laborious tasks of their own accord4 ,the name of every master will recall great labor willingly given for music and equally great suffering willingly endured1 nay1 even sought out1 that the music might be purer to them4 ,poor ,palestrina went along many years through life with the scantiest means4 ,but1 as he says1 in spite of all1 ,i have never interrupted the study of music4 ,bach was as simple and loyal a citizen as any land could have1 and from the early years when he was a fatherless boy to the days of his sad affliction1 he sacrificed always4 ,think of the miles he walked to hear ,buxterhude1 the organist2 and in the earlier years1 when he lived with ,johann ,christopher1 his brother1 how eagerly he sought learning in the art that so fascinated him4 ,it was a constant willingness to learn honestly that distinguished him4 ,any of us who will labor faithfully with the talents we have can do a great deal--more than we would believe4 ,even ,bach himself said to a pupil3 ,if thou art equally diligent thou wilt succeed as ,i have4#dj ,he recognized that it matters little how much we wish for things to be as we want them2 unless our wish-thoughts are forced into prompt action we cannot succeed2 for while all thoughts seek action1 wish-thoughts demand the most labor4 ,it would be pleasant to have a ,talk about every one of the great masters to see in what particular way each of them sacrificed for the art he loved4 ,in all of them the true qualities come out3 in one as earnestness2 in another as determination2 in another as patriotism2 but all are loyal to the art itself4 ,it must be a very plain lesson to us to see that when men are willing to give all their thoughts to a subject they get much from it4 ,and is it not quite as plain to see that no one can get much if he gives but a few unwilling minutes to it8 ,i trust none who hear these ,talks will ever think that with a little time given to their music1 and that not freely given1 they can ever get either pleasure or comfort from it4 ,they never can4 ,and rather than do it so they would better leave it undone4 ,if we set out on the way to go to the masters we shall get there only by earnestness4 ,lagging is a disgrace to the one who travels and to the one to whom we go4 ,it shows his laziness on the one hand1 and his misunderstanding of the master on the other2 for if he understood he would take no listless step4 ,now we have said again and again that true music comes from the heart1 and is simple4 ,at the same time we find it difficult to understand the music of the masters4 ,that is1 some of us find it so4 ,it seems anything but simple to us2 and naturally we conclude that there is something wrong somewhere4 ,we sit at our tasks1 poring over the music1 and we grow discouraged because we cannot play it4 ,to think it a very hard task is natural1 and we cannot bear to hear such tones4 ,well1 let us not get discouraged for that2 let us see6 ,first of all1 the playing is more difficult to do than the music is to understand4 ,once a great master of the piano played to a lady who had never heard a great master before1 and the playing was like beautiful lace4 ,when it was over and the master had gone away1 some one asked the lady how he had played1 and she said3 ,he played so that the music sounded as ,i thought it should4 ,and they asked her what she meant4 ,always ,i have been taught1 she said1 to listen to music and to think it4 ,i have been taught this more than ,i have been taught to play4 ,and the music of the master-composers ,i always think of as beautiful and simple but hard to make it sound as it should4 ,often ,i have heard others say that the music of the masters is dull1 and not beautiful1 but that is really not what the people feel4 ,it is difficult for them to play the music rightly4 ,and again they cannot understand this3 that art is often simple in1 its truth1 while those who look upon it are not6 simple-hearted1 as they regard it4 ,this is hard to understand1 but it is the true reason4 ,now1 if we think of what this cultured lady said1 we shall think her wise4 ,whatever stumbling we may do with our fingers1 let us still keep in our minds the purity of the music itself4 ,this will in a sense teach us to regard reverentially the men who1 from early years1 have added beauties to art for us to enjoy to-day4 ,the wisest of the ,greeks #da said3 ,the treasures of the wise men of old1 which they have left written in books1 ,i turn over and peruse in company with my friends1 and if we find anything good in them1 we remark it1 and think it a great gain1 if we thus become more attracted to one another4 ,once an ,english lady#db wrote about a verse-writer3 ,no poet ever clothed so few ideas in so many words4 ,just opposite to this is a true poet1 he who clothes in few words many and noble ideas4 ,a master tells his message in close-set language4 ,now1 in the last minutes1 let us see what a great master is3 ,i4 ,he will be one who tells a beautiful message simply4 ,,ii4 ,he has been willing to sacrifice and suffer for his art4 ,,iii4 ,he has lived his every day in the simple desire to know his own heart better4 ,,iv4 ,always he has concentrated his message into as few tones as possible1 and his music1 therefore1 becomes filled to overflowing with meaning4 ,about the meaning of the masters1 one of them has written this3 ,whenever you open the music of ,bach1 ,mozart1 or ,beethoven1 its meaning comes forth to you in a thousand different ways4 ,that is because thousands of different messages from the heart have been concentrated in it4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,lesser ,,masters4 ,and the soul of a child came into him again4--,i ,kings1 ,,xvii3 #bb4 ,if1 one day1 some one should say to you1 earnestly3 ,well day are to you6 you would scarcely know what to make of it4 ,you would at once understand that the person had knowledge of words but could not put them together rightly4 ,and if the person continued to talk to you in this manner you might feel inclined to lose your patience and not listen4 ,but if you would stop and consider things and examine yourself you would learn something well worth thinking about4 ,you would discover that your own ability to put words in the right order has come from being obedient4 ,first of all1 you have been willing to imitate what others said until you have thereby learned to speak quite well4 ,besides that1 you have been corrected many times by those about you at home1 and in school1 until language is at length a careful habit in you4 ,every one knows at once what you mean4 ,you see1 therefore1 that you may combine words in such a manner that you will be easily comprehended by others2 or1 as in the case of the imaginary person we began with1 they may be combined in a perfectly senseless way4 ,consequently1 it is not enough to know words alone1 we must know what to do with them4 ,the true art of using words is to put full and clear meaning into a few of them2 to say as much as possible with as few words as you may select4 ,tones may be treated in the same manner as words4 ,one can write tones in such a manner as to say quite as senseless a thing as ,well day are to you6 ,many do4 ,this teaches you that true and simple tone-sentences1 like similar word-sentences1 must have for their object to say the fullest and clearest meaning in as little space as possible4 ,for many hundreds of years thoughtful composers have studied about this4 ,they have tried in every way to discover the secrets underlying tone-writing so that the utmost meaning should come out when they are united4 ,tones thus arranged according to the laws of music-writing make sense4 ,to learn this art all great composers have studied untiringly4 ,they have recognized the difficulty of putting much meaning in little space1 and to gain this ability they have found no labor to be too severe4 ,we must remember that there is no end of music in the world which was not written by the few men whom we usually call the great composers4 ,perhaps you will be interested to know about these works4 ,many of them are really good--your favorite pieces1 no doubt4 ,when we think of it1 it is with composers as with trees of the forest4 ,great and small1 strong and weak1 grow together for the many purposes for which they are created4 ,they could not all be either great or small4 ,there must be many kinds2 then the young in time take the place of the old1 and the strong survive the weak4 ,together beneath the same sky1 deep-rooted in the beautiful1 bountiful earth1 they grow side by side4 ,the same sun shines upon them all1 the same wind and the same rain come to them1 selecting no one before another4 ,what are they all doing8 ,each living its true life1 as best it can4 ,it is true they may not come and go1 they may not choose1 but as we see them1 beautiful in their leaves and branches we feel the good purpose to which they live and1 unconsciously1 perhaps1 we love them4 ,among us it is quite the same4 ,some are more skilful than others4 ,but be our skill great or small1 we are not truly using it until we have devoted it to a worthy purpose4 ,and as with us1 so it is with the musicians4 ,there are the great and small4 ,the great ones--leaders of thought--we call the great masters4 ,the lesser are earnest men1 who have not as much power as the masters1 but they are faithful in small things4 ,they sing lesser songs it is true1 but not less beautiful ones4 ,often these lesser ones think more as we do4 ,they think simply and about the things which we have often in our minds4 ,it is such thoughts as these which we have in our best moments that we love so much when we see them well expressed by one who is a good and delicate writer1 either of tones or words4 ,particularly do we understand these thoughts well in the first years of our music when nearly all the works of the greater composers are above us4 ,thus are the many composers 7who yet are not great masters7 of value to us because they write well a kind of thought which is pure and full of meaning1 and which we can understand4 ,they give us true pleasure day after day in the beginning and seem at the same time to help us onward to the ability of understanding the great masters4 ,this they do by giving our thought training in the right direction4 ,now1 we know that the very best music for a young musician to learn in the first days is that of the lesser tone masters1 together with those simpler pieces of the great composers which come within his power to comprehend--within the power of a child's hands and voice4 ,let us see1 once again1 if it is not clear3 ,true composers1 great and small1 sing from the heart4 ,if one having a little skill turn it unworthily away from the good and true work he might do1 then he does not use rightly his one talent4 ,he does not give us true thought in tone4 ,he writes for vanity or a low purpose1 and is not a lesser master but he is untrue4 ,it is not our right to play anything4 ,we may rightly play only that which is full of such good thought as we in our power may understand4 ,it is to supply us with just this that the lesser masters write4 ,in simple1 yet clear and beautiful pictures1 they tell us many and many a secret of the world of tone into which we shall some day be welcomed by the greater ones if we are faithful unto the lesser4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,harmony ,,and ,,counterpoint4 ,whilst ,i was in ,florence1 ,i did my utmost to learn the exquisite manner of ,michaelangelo1 and never once lost sight of it4--,benvenuto ,cellini4#dc ,on any important music subject ,schumann has something to say4 ,so with this3 ,learn betimes the fundamental principles of harmony4 ,do not be afraid of the words theory1 thorough-bass1 and the like1 they will meet you as friends if you will meet them so4 ,we now begin to feel how definitely these rules treat everything4 ,they pick out the important subjects and tell the simplest truth about them4 ,the meaning of these two rules is this3 ,from the beginning we must try to understand the grammar of music4 ,some of the great composers could in childhood write down music with the greatest fluency4 ,handel1 even as a boy1 wrote a new church composition for every ,sunday4 ,mozart began to write music when less than five years old1 and when he was yet a boy1 in ,rome1 he wrote down a composition1#dd sung by the choir of the ,sistine ,chapel1 which was forbidden to the public4 ,harmony and counterpoint stand to music very much as spelling and grammar stand to language4 ,they are the fundamentals of good writing and of good--that is1 of correct--thinking in music4 ,harmony is the art of putting tones together so as correctly to make chords4 ,counterpoint has to do with composing and joining together simple melodies4 ,a modern writer#de on counterpoint has said3 ,the essence of true counterpoint lies in the equal interest which should belong to ever part4 ,by examining a few pieces of good counterpoint you will readily see just what this means4 ,the composer has not tried to get merely a correct chord succession1 such as we find in a choral4 ,let us play a choral2 any good one of a ,german master will do4#df ,we notice that the soprano is the principal part1 and that the other voices1 while somewhat melodic1 tend rather to support and follow the melody than to be independent4 ,if1 now1 we play a piece of counterpoint like the ,g-,minor ,prelude by ,bach1#dg we shall have quite a good piece of counterpoint1 as far as separate melodies being combined is concerned4 ,let us play the voice-parts separately4 ,we shall find equal melodic interest in each4 ,the chords grow out of the music4 ,comparing this with the choral1 the main difference between harmony and counterpoint should be clear to us4 ,we shall observe that the three voices do not proceed in the same way4 ,if one part moves quickly1 as in the bass of the first two measures1 the other parts are quieter2 if the bass ceases to move rapidly some other voice will take up the motion1 as we see in the third and following measures4 ,as a general thing no two voices in contrapuntal writing move in the same way1 each voice-part being contrasted with different note-values4 ,this gives greater interest and makes each voice stand forth independently4 ,at first contrapuntal music may not seem interesting to us4 ,if that is so1 it is because we are not in the least degree conscious of the wonderful interest which has been put into every part4 ,the truth is1 that in the beginning we cannot fully understand the thought that has been put into the music1 but by perseverance it will come to us little by little4 ,this is what makes great music lasting4 ,it is so deftly made1 yet so delicately1 that we have to go patiently in search of it4 ,we must remember that gems have to be cut and polished from a bit of rock4 ,in this case the gem is the rich mind-picture which comes to us if we faithfully seek the under-thought4 ,and the seeking is polishing the gem4 ,music written entirely by the rules of counterpoint is called contrapuntal music2 that written otherwise is known as free harmonic music4 ,in the one case the composer desired to have a beautiful weaving of the parts--clear as the lines in a line-engraving4 ,in the other1 the intention is to get effects from tones united into chords1 such as is obtained from masses of color in a painting4 ,neither form may be said to be the superior of the other4 ,each is valuable in its place1 and each has possibilities peculiarly its own1 which the other could not give4 ,pure counterpoint could not give us such a charming effect as ,chopin obtains in the first study of ,opus #aj2 nor could the plainer and more free harmonic style give us such delicate bits of tracery as ,bach has in his fugues4 ,if now you will take the trouble to learn two long words1 later in your study of music they will be of use to you4 ,the first is ,polyphonic2 the other is ,monophonic4 ,both1 like many other words in our language1 are made up of two shorter words1 and come from another language--,greek4 ,in both we have phonic1 evidently meaning the same in each case1 limited or modified by the preceding part--poly and mono4 ,phonic is the ,anglicized ,greek for sound4 ,we use it in the ,english word telephonic4 ,now if we define mono and poly we shall understand these two long words4 ,mono means one1 poly means many4 ,we say monotone1 meaning one tone2 also polygon1 meaning many sides4 ,in the musical reference monophonic music means music of one voice1 rather than of one tone1 and polyphonic music is that for many voices4 ,simple melodies with or without accompanying chords are monophonic2 many melodies woven together1 as in the ,bach piece which we have looked over1 are polyphonic4 ,in the history of music two men surpassed all others in what they accomplished in counterpoint--that is1 in polyphonic writing4 ,the one was ,palestrina1 an ,italian2 the other was ,bach1 a ,german4 ,palestrina lived at a time when the music of the church was very poor1 so poor1 indeed1 that the clergy could no longer endure it4 ,palestrina1 however1 devoted himself earnestly to composing music strictly adapted to the church use4 ,the parts were all melodic1 and woven together with such great skill that they yet remain masterpieces of contrapuntal writing4 ,later ,bach developed counterpoint very much more in the modern way4 ,he did with polyphony for the piano and organ much the same as ,palestrina did for the voice4 ,there have never lived greater masters than these in the art of polyphonic music4 ,there is still another form of writing which is neither strictly harmonic1 nor strictly contrapuntal1--it is a combination of both4 ,there is not the plain unadorned harmonic progress as in the simple choral1 nor is there the strict voice progression as in the works of ,bach4 ,this form of writing which partakes of the beauties of both the others has been called the free harmonic style4 ,it has been followed by all the great masters since the time of ,bach1#dh even before1 indeed4 ,if you can imagine a beautiful song-melody with an artistic accompaniment1 so arranged that all can be played upon the piano1 you will understand what the third style is4 ,it is wonderfully free1 surely2 sometimes proceeding in full free chords1 as in the opening measures of the ,b flat ,sonata of ,beethoven1#di again running away from all freedom back to the old style1 until the picture looks as old as a monkish costume among modern dress4 ,all of the great sonatas and symphonies are of this wonderfully varied form of writing4 ,how full it can be of expressiveness you know from the ,songs without ,words by ,mendelssohn1 and the ,nocturnes of ,chopin2 how full of flickering humor you hear in the ,scherzo of a ,beethoven symphony2 how full of deep solemnity and grief one feels in the funeral marches4#ej ,this school of composition has been followed by both the greater and the lesser masters4 ,every part is made to say something as naturally and interestingly as possible1 being neither too restricted nor too free4 ,then1 in playing1 both hands must be equally intelligent1 for each has an important part assigned to it4 ,the great good of study in harmony and counterpoint is that it increases one's appreciation4 ,as soon as we begin to understand the spirit of good writing we begin to play better1 because we see more4 ,we begin1 perhaps in a small way1 to become real music-thinkers4 ,by all these means we learn to understand better and better what the meaning of true writing is4 ,it will be clear to us that a composer is one who thinks pure thoughts in tone1 and not one who is a weaver of deceits4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,music ,,and ,,reading4 ,truly it has been said1 a loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge4--,thomas ,carlyle4 ,a beautiful thing in life is the friendship for books4 ,every one who loves books pays some day a tribute to them1 expressing thankfulness for the joy and comfort they have given4 ,there are in them1 for everybody who will seek1 wise words1 good counsel1 companies of great people1 fairies1 friends for every day1 besides wonders we never see nor dream of in daily life4 ,some of the great men have told us about their love for books2 how they have saved penny by penny slowly to buy one1 or how after the day's labor a good book and the firelight were prized above anything else4 ,all tell us how much they owe to books and what a blessing books are4 ,imagine the number of heart-thoughts there must be in a shelf full of good books6 ,thoughts in tones or thoughts in words may be of the heart or not4 ,but it is only when they are of the heart that they are worthy of our time4 ,you will not only love books1 but gain from them something of the thoughts they contain4 ,we might1 had we time1 talk of classic books1 but as we have already talked of classic music we know what the principal thing is4 ,it is that good thought1 out of the heart1 be expressed in a scholarly way--,great thought needs great expression4#ea ,this teaches us the necessity for choosing good books for our instruction and for our entertainment4 ,they present beautiful pictures to us truthfully1 or they present truth to us beautifully4 ,and these are the first test of a written thought--its truth and its beauty4 ,if you read good books you will have in every volume you get something well worth owning4 ,you should bestow upon it as much care as you would want any other good friend to receive4 ,and if it has contributed help or pleasure to you it is surely worth an abiding place4 ,a fine pleasure will come from a good book even after we are quite done with it4 ,as we see it in years after it has been read there comes back to one a remembrance of all the old pleasures1 and with it a sense of thankfulness for so pleasant a friendship4 ,hence any book that has given us joy or peace or comfort is well worth not only good care1 but a place for always2 as a worthy bit of property4 ,in the early days of your music study1 it will be a pleasure to you to know that there are many and delightful books about music written1 sometimes by music-lovers1 sometimes by the composers4 ,the written word-thoughts of the composers are often full of great interest4 ,they not only reveal to us many secrets of the tone-art1 but teach us much about the kinds of things and of thoughts which lived in the minds of the composers4 ,we learn definitely not only the music-interests of the composers1 but the life-interest as well4 ,it really seems as if we were looking into their houses1 seeing the way they lived and worked1 and listening to their words4 ,never afterward do we regard the great names in music as uninteresting4 ,the most charming and attractive pictures cluster about them and it all gives us a new inspiration to be true to music1 loyal to the truth of music1 and willing to do as we see others have done1 and to learn by doing4 ,the lesson we get from the life of every man is1 that he must do if he would learn4 ,i am sure you will spend many delightful minutes with the ,letters of a great composer4 ,every one is like a talk with the writer4 ,they are so friendly1 and so full of the heart1 and yet so filled with the man himself4 ,especially the ,letters of ,mendelssohn and ,schumann will please you4 ,in truth the ,letters of all the composers are among the most valuable music writings we have4 ,in some way they seem to explain the music itself3 and the composer at once becomes a close friend4 ,but besides these read the biographies4 ,then it is as if we were personally invited home to the composer and shown all his ways and his life4 ,and besides these1 there are some friendly books full of the very best advice as to making us thoughtful musicians2 many and many again are the writers who have so loved art--not the art of tone alone1 but all other arts as well--that they have told us of it in good and earnest books which are friendly1 because they are written from the right place2 and that you must know by this time is the heart4 ,you will soon see when you have read about the composers that true music comes out of true life4 ,then you will begin to love true life1 to be useful1 and to help others4 ,but all these things do not come at once4 ,yet1 as we go along step by step1 we learn that art is unselfish1 and we must be so to enjoy it2 art is truthful--we must be so to express it2 art is full of life--we must know and live truth in order to appreciate it4 ,and the study of pure thoughts in music1 in books1 and in our own life will help to all this4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,hands4 ,the skill of their hands still lingers4--,john ,ruskin4#eb ,in one of our ,talks1 speaking about the thoughts in our hearts1 we said that they crept from the heart into our arms and hands1 into the music we play1 and off to those who hear us1 causing in them the thoughts by which they judge us4 ,thus we see1 that as ,janus stands sentinel at the doorway of the year1 so the hands stand between the secret world of thought within and the questioning world of curiosity without4 ,if we were not in such a hurry usually1 we might stop to think that every one1 all over the world1 is training the hands for some purpose4 ,and such a variety of purposes6 ,one strives to get skill with tools1 another is a conjurer1 another spends his life among beautiful and delicate plants1 another reads with his fingers4#ec ,in any one of these or of the countless other ways that the hands may be used1 no one may truly be said to have skill until delicacy has been gained4 ,even in a forcible use of the hands there must be the greatest delicacy in the guidance4 ,you can readily see that when the hands are working at the command of the heart they must be ever ready to make evident the meaning of the heart1 and that is expressed in truthful delicacy4 ,not only are all the people in the world training their hands1 but they are1 as we have already said1 training them in countless different ways4 ,have you ever stopped to think of another matter3 that all things about us1 except the things that live1 have been made by hands8 ,and of the things that live very many are cared for by the hands4 ,these thoughts will suggest something to us4 ,those things which are good and beautiful suggest noble use of the hands2 while those which are of no service1 harmful and destructive1 show an ignoble use4 ,but noble and ignoble use of the hands is only another evidence of thought4 ,thought that is pure in the heart guides the hands to beautiful ends4 ,and if the heart is impure in its thoughts1 of course you know what follows4 ,i have always been impressed in reading the books of ,john ,ruskin to note how many times he speaks about the hands4 ,very truly1 indeed1 does he recognize that back of all hand work there is heart-thought1 commanding1 directing1 actually building4 ,it shows everywhere4 ,the building of a wall with the stones rightly placed demands honor4 ,the builder may be rude1 but if his hands place the stones faithfully one upon another1 there is surely honor in his heart4 ,if it were not so his hands could not work faithfully4 ,if the work is finer1 like that work in gold which many have learned eagerly in former times1 in ,rome and ,florence1 still the spirit must be the same4 ,so we see1 that be the work coarse or fine1 it is in either case prompted by the same kind of heart-thought4 ,many times in these ,talks ,i have spoken of ,ruskin's words to you2 for two reasons3 first1 his words are always full of meaning1 because he was so full of thought when he wrote them2 and second1 ,i would have you1 from the first days1 know something of him and elect him to your friendship4 ,many times he will speak to you in short1 rude words1 impatiently too1 but never mind that1 his heart is warm and full of good4 ,now from what was said a moment ago about the stone work and the gold work we can understand these words3 ,no distinction exists between artist and artisan1 except that of higher genius or better conduct4 ,learn from this then1 be the work of our hands what it may1 its first quality and the first things for which it shall be judged are its honor1 its faithfulness1 and its sincerity4 ,of themselves the hands are absolutely without power4 ,they cannot move1 they cannot do good things nor bad things1 they can do nothing until we command them4 ,and how shall this be done8 ,surely ,i can understand it if you have wearied of this ,talk a little4 ,but ,i have said all the things just for the sake of answering this question1 so that you should understand it4 ,how do we command8 not the hands alone but all we do and say8 ,by our ,,thoughts4 ,without them there is no power whatever4 ,until they have commanded1 the hands cannot make a motion2 the feet must have direction ordered to them1 the tongue must be bidden to speak1 and without the command there is nothing4 ,of course1 all these ,talks are about thoughts4 ,but we shall need a little time to speak of them particularly4 ,and little by little it will be clear to us all why the hands need to act thoughtfully4 ,now the harm of the world is done by two forces1--by evil thought and by thoughtlessness4 ,then it is no wonder that ,ruskin speaks much about the hands1 for it is thought that gives them guidance4 ,can you wonder1 that when he says1 the idle and loud of tongue he associates the useless hand4#ed ,these things go together1 and together they come either from evil thought or from lack of thought4 ,the moment ,ruskin speaks of one who uses his hands with honor1 his words glow4 ,so he speaks of the laborer1 describing him as silent1 serviceable1 honorable1 keeping faith1 untouched by change1 to his country and to ,heaven4 ,thus1 when we are earnestly asked to do something worthy with the hands every day1 we can understand why4 ,i do not mean one worthy thing1 but some one particular worthy act1 especially thought out by us4 ,to do that daily with forethought will purify the heart4 ,it will teach us to devote the hands to that which is worthy4 ,then another old truth that every one knows will be clear to us3 ,as a man--or a child1 for that matter--thinketh in his heart1 so he is4 ,bit by bit the thoughts of this ,talk will become clear to you4 ,you will feel more friendly toward them4 ,then you will really begin to think about hands2 your own hands and everybody's hands4 ,you will become truthful of hand1 guiding your own thoughtfully2 watching those of others carefully4 ,and you will find that in the smallest tasks of your hands you can put forethought1 while every use to which people put their hands will teach you something if you observe carefully4 ,it may be folding a paper or picking up a pin1 or anything else quite common2 that matters not1 common things1 like any others1 can be done rightly4 ,by this observation we shall see hands performing all sorts of odd tricks4 ,the fingers are drumming1 twitching1 twirling1 closing1 opening1 doing a multitude of motions which mean what8 ,nothing1 do you say8 ,oh6 no1 indeed2 not nothing but something4 ,fingers and hands which perform all these unnecessary motions are not being commanded by the thoughts1 and are acting as a result of no thought2 that is1 of thoughtlessness4 ,every one does it do you say8 ,no1 that is not true4 ,many do these things1 but those who command their thoughts never allow it4 ,if we never moved the hands except in a task when we commanded them1 we should soon become hand-skilled4 ,the useless movements ,i have spoken of unskill the hand4 ,they are undoing motions1 and teach us that we must govern ourselves if we would become anything4 ,do you know how it is that people do great things8 ,they command themselves4 ,having determined to do something1 they work and work and work to finish it at any cost4 ,that gives strength and character4 ,having observed the hands and their duties1 we can readily see the kind of task they must do in music4 ,it is just the same kind of task as laying a wall of stone4 ,every motion must be done honorably4 ,everything must be thought out in the mind and heart before the hands are called upon to act4 ,wise people always go about their tasks this way4 ,unwise people try the other way1 of acting first and thinking it out afterward1 and1 of course1 they always fail4 ,you can now understand that a great pianist is one who has great thought with which to command the hands4 ,and to be sure they will obey his commands at once1 he has made them obey him continuously for years4 ,this teaching the hands to obey is called ,practice4 ,the ,italian artist1 ,giotto1 once said3 ,you may judge my masterhood of craft by seeing that ,i can draw a circle unerringly4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,what ,,the ,,roman ,,lady ,,said4 ,you may always be successful if you do but set out well1 and let good thoughts and practice proceed upon right method4--,marcus ,aurelius4#ee ,the same wise ,roman emperor who said this tells us a very pretty thing about his mother1 which shows us what a wise lady she must have been1 and how in the days of his manhood1 with the cares of a great nation upon him1 he yet pondered upon the childhood teaching of home4 ,first1 he speaks of his grandfather ,verus1 who1 by his example1 taught him not to be prone to anger2 then of his father1 the ,emperor ,antoninus ,pius1 from whom he learned to be modest and manly2 then of his mother1 whose name was ,domitia ,calvilla4 ,let us read some of his own words about her1 dwelling particularly upon a few of them4 ,he writes3 ,as for my mother1 she taught me to have regard for religion1 to be generous and open-handed1 and not only to forbear from doing anybody an ill turn1 but not so much as to endure the thought of it4 ,now these words are the more wonderful when we remember that they were not taken down by a scribe in the pleasant apartments of the royal palace in ,rome1 but were written by the ,emperor himself on the battlefield2 for this part of his famous book is signed3 ,written in the country of the ,quadi4 ,in our last ,talk on the ,hands we came to the conclusion1 that unless the hands were commanded they could not act4 ,and on inquiring as to what gave these commands we found it was the thoughts4 ,many people believe it is perfectly safe to think anything1 to have even evil thoughts in their hearts1 for thoughts being hidden1 they say1 cannot be seen by others4 ,but a strange thing about thought is this3 ,the moment we have a thought1 good or bad1 it strives to get out of us and become an action4 ,and it most always succeeds4 ,not at once1 perhaps1 for thoughts like seeds will often slumber a long time before they spring into life4 ,so it becomes very clear to us that if we wish to be on the alert we must not watch our actions1 but look within and guard the thoughts2 for they are the springs of action4 ,you now see1 ,i am sure1 how wise the ,emperor's mother was in teaching her boy not even to endure a thought to do evil unto others4 ,for the thought would get stronger and stronger1 and suddenly become an action4 ,certainly2 and hence the first thing to learn in this ,talk is just these words3 ,thoughts become actions4 ,that is an important thing4 ,in a short time you will see1 that if you do not learn it you can never enjoy music1 nor beautiful things1 nor the days themselves4 ,let us see how this will come about4 ,i have told your teacher#ef the name of the book which was written by the ,roman lady's boy4 ,well1 in that book1 running through it like a golden thread1 is this bit of teaching from his mother4 ,not only did he think of it and write it on the battlefield1 but at all times there seemed to come to him more and more wisdom from it4 ,and he tells us this same thought over and over again in different words4 ,sometimes it leads him to say very droll things2 for instance3 ,have you any sense in your head8 ,yes4 ,why do you not make use of it then8 ,for if this does its part1 for what more can you wish8#eg ,then1 a very good thought which we frequently hear3 ,your manners will very much depend upon what you frequently think4#eh ,there are many others1 but these show us that the meaning of his mother's words went deep1 teaching that not action must be guarded but the thought which gives rise to action4 ,now1 what can be the value of speaking about the ,roman lady8 ,let us see4 ,in music1 the tones are made either by the hands or by the voice4 ,and to make a tone is to do something4 ,this doing something is an action1 and action comes from thought4 ,no music1 then1 can be made unless it be made by thinking4 ,and the right playing of good music must come from the right thinking of good thoughts4 ,it may be that you will hear some one say that to think good thoughts is not needed in making good music4 ,never believe it6 ,bad thought never made anything good1 and never will because it never can4 ,in the very first days you must learn1 that good things of all kinds come from good thoughts1 because they can come from nothing else4 ,here1 then1 is the second truth of this ,talk3 ,good music being the fruit of good thought can be played rightly only by one who thinks good thoughts4 ,this leads us to another matter4 ,first1 let us see if everything is clear4 ,true music is written out of good thought2 hence1 when we begin to study music we are really becoming pupils of good thought4 ,we are learning the thoughts good men have had1 trying to feel their truth and meaning1 and from them learning to have our own thoughts not only good but constantly better and better4 ,this now seems simple and necessary4 ,we see that if we would faithfully study a composer's work it must be our principal aim to get into his heart4 ,then everything will be clear to us4 ,but we can never find our way to the heart of another until we have first found our way somewhere else4 ,where1 do you think8 ,to our own hearts1 being willing to be severe with ourselves2 not to be deceitful in our own eyes2 not to guard the outer act1 but the inner thought2 not to study nor to be what seems1 but what is4#ei ,this may seem a long and roundabout way of learning to play music1 but it is the honest1 straightforward way of going to the great masters whom we wish to know4 ,in one of the books of the ,greek general1 ,xenophon1#fj ,socrates is made to say that men do nothing without fire2 and quite in the same way we may learn nothing of each other1 especially of those greater than ourselves1 without thought2 which should be pure1 strong1 inquiring1 and kind4 ,with this we may do all4 ,thus far we have two principles4 ,let us review them3 ,i4 ,thoughts become actions4 ,,ii4 ,good music being the fruit of good thought can be played rightly only by one who thinks good thoughts4 ,now1 is it not clear that this can come about only when we watch over our own thoughts and govern them as if they were the thoughts of others8 ,and when we do not so much as endure the thought of harm or evil or wrong we shall be living in the spirit of the ,roman lady whose son's life was lived as his mother taught4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,the ,,day4 ,be not anxious about to-morrow4 ,do to-day's duty1 fight today's temptation2 and do not weaken and disturb yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see1 and could not understand if you saw them4--,charles ,kingsley4 ,nearly all of us have heard about the little child who one day planted seeds and kept constantly digging them up afterward to see if they were growing4 ,no doubt the child learned that a seed needs not only ground and care1 but time4 ,when it is put in the earth it begins to feel its place and to get at home2 then1 if all is quite right1--but not otherwise--it sends out a tiny rootlet as if it would say that it trusts and believes the earth will feed that rootlet4 ,and if the earth is kind the root grows and finds a solid foothold4 ,at the same time there is another thing happening4 ,when the seed finds it can trust itself to root it feels no longer afraid to show itself4 ,it goes down1 down quietly for a firmer hold1 and upward feeling the desire for light4 ,a firm hold and more light1 we cannot think too much of what they mean4 ,every day that the seed pushes its tender leaves and stem upward it has more and more to encounter4 ,the rains beat it down2 the winds bend it to the very earth from which it came2 leaves and weeds bury it beneath their strength and abundance1 but despite all these things1 in the face of death itself1 the brave little plant strongly keeps its place4 ,it grows in the face of danger4 ,but how8 ,day after day1 as it fights its way in the air and sunshine1 blest or bruised as it may be1 the little plant never fails to keep at one thing4 ,that is1 to get a firmer and firmer hold4 ,from that it never lets go4 ,break its leaves and its stem1 crush it as you will1 stop its upward growth even1 but as long as there is a spark of life in it there will be more roots made4 ,it aims from the first moment of its life to get hold strongly4 ,and it seems as if the plant has always a great motive4 ,the moment it feels it has grasped the mother-earth securely with its roots it turns its strength to making something beautiful4 ,in the air and light1 in the dark earth even1 every part of the plant is seeking for the means to do a wonderful thing4 ,it drinks in the sunshine1 and with the warmth of it1 and to the glory of its own life1 it blossoms4 ,it has come from a tiny helpless seed to a living plantlet with the smallest stem and root1 and while the stem fights for a place in the air the root never ceases to get a strong hold of the dear earth in which the plant finds its home4 ,then when the home is firmly secured and the days have made the plant stronger and more shapely1 it forgets all the rude winds and rain and the drifting leaves1 and shows how joyful it is to live by giving something4 ,then it is clear that every hardship had its purpose4 ,the rains beat it down1 but at the same time they were feeding it2 the leaves dropped about and covered it1 but that protected its tenderness3 and thus in all the trials it finds a blessing4 ,its growth is stronger1 and thankful for all its life it seeks to express this thankfulness4 ,in its heart there is something it is sure4 ,and true enough1 out it comes some day in a flower with its color and tenderness and perfume2 all from the earth1 but taken from it by love which the plant feels for the ground as its home4 ,we can see from this1 that the beauty of a plant or of a tree is a sign of its relation to the earth in which it lives4 ,if its hold is weak--if it loosely finds a place for a weak root--it lies on the ground1 helpless1 strengthless1 joyless4 ,but firmly placed and feeling safe in its security1 it gives freely of its blossoms2 or1 year after year1 like a tree1 shows us its wonderous mass of leaf1 all of it a sign that earth and tree are truely united4 ,it has been said1 and no doubt it is true1 that one who cares for plants and loves them becomes patient4 ,the plant does not hurry2 its growth is slow and often does not show itself2 and one who cares for them learns their way of being and of doing4 ,the whole lesson is that of allowing time1 and by using it wisely to save it4 ,the true glory of a day for a plant is the air and sunlight and earth-food which it has taken1 from which it has become stronger4 ,and every day1 one by one1 as it proves1 contributes something to its strength4 ,all men who have been patient students of the earth's ways have learned to be careful1 to love nature1 and to take time4 ,and we all must learn to take time4 ,it is not by careless use that we gain anything1 but by putting heart and mind into what must be done4 ,when heart and mind enter our work they affect time curiously2 because of the great interest we take in what we do time is not thought of2 and what is not thought of1 is not noticed4 ,hence1 the value of time comes to this3 to use any time we may have1 much or little1 with the heart in the task4 ,when that is done there is not only better work accomplished but there are no regrets lingering about to make us feel uncomfortable4 ,a practice hour can only be an hour of unwelcome labor when one thinks so of it4 ,if we go to the piano with interest in the playing we shall be unconscious of time4 ,many men who love their labor tell of sitting for hours at their work not knowing that hours have gone by4 ,if there is a love for music in any of us it will grow as a seed4 ,and as the seed needs the dear mother-earth1 so the music needs the heart4 ,when it has taken root there and becomes firmer and firmer it will begin to show itself outwardly as the light of the face4 ,after it is strong and can bear up against what assails it--not the wind and the rain and the dry leaves1 but discouragement and hard correction and painful hot tears--then with that strength it will flourish4 ,now1 sometimes1 in the days of its strength the music will seek far more in its life1 just as the plant seeks for more and blossoms4 ,the flower in the music is as great for all as for one4 ,it is joy and helpfulness4 ,when for the love of music one seeks to do good then music has borne its blossom4 ,thus1 by learning the life of a simple plant we learn the true mission of the beautiful art of tone4 ,it must put forth deeply its roots into the heart that it may be fed4 ,it must strive for strength as it grows against whatever may befall it4 ,it must use its food of the heart and its strength for a pure purpose1 and there is but one--to give joy4 ,this turns our thoughts to two things3 ,first1 to the men and women who by their usefulness and labor increased the meaning of music4 ,this is the glory of their days4 ,second1 we look to ourselves with feeble hands and perhaps little talent1 and the thought comes to us1 that with all we have we are to seek not our own glorification but the joy of others4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,the ,,ideal4 ,le beau est aussi utile que l'utile1 plus peuttre4--,victor ,hugo4 ,mozart once had a friend named ,gottfried von ,jacquin1 who was a man of careful thought1 and evidently a good musician1--for we are told that a melody composed by him is frequently said1 even to this day1 to be by ,mozart4 ,this ,gottfried lived in ,vienna with his father1 and to their house ,mozart often went4 ,at this time ,mozart had an album in which his friends were invited to write4 ,among the verses is a sentiment written by ,gottfried von ,jacquin1 saying3 ,true genius is impossible without heart2 no amount of intellect alone or of imagination1 no1 nor of both together1 can make genius4 ,love is the soul of genius4 ,here we have the same truth told us which we have already found for ourselves1 namely1 that all good music comes from the heart4 ,we have found it by studying music and striving faithfully to get deep into its real meaning4 ,but to-day we have the words of one who was enabled to watch closely as a friend one of the greatest composers that ever lived4 ,and being much with him1 hearing the music of the master played by the master himself1 put the thought into his head1 that it is impossible to be a true genius without heart and love4 ,from this we shall have courage to know that what we pursue in music is real2 that the beauties of great music1 though they may just now be beyond us1 are true1 and exist to those who are prepared for them4 ,when in our struggle to be more capable in art than we are to-day we think of the beauty around us1 and desire to be worthy of it1 we are then forming an ideal1 and ideals are only of value when we strive to live up to them4 ,once in ,rome there lived a ,greek slave--some day you may read his name4 ,he has told us1 that if thou wouldst have aught of good1 have it from thyself4#fa ,of course we see in this1 immediately1 the truth that has been spoken of in nearly every one of these ,talks4 ,it is this3 ,we must1 day by day1 become better acquainted with ourselves1 study our thoughts1 have purity of heart1 and work for something4 ,now1 working for something may be accomplished in a simple manner without thinking of it4 ,if every task is done in our best way it adds something to us4 ,it is true and beautiful1 too1 that the reward for patient1 faithful work comes silently to us1 and often we do not know of its presence4 ,but some day1 finding ourselves stronger1 we look to know the cause of it1 and we see that the faithfulness of past days has aided us4 ,so art teaches us a very practical lesson in the beginning4 ,if we would have her favors we must do her labors4 ,if we say to music3 ,i should love to know you2 music says to us1 ,very well1 work and your wish shall be gratified4 ,but without that labor we cannot have that wish4 ,the ,greek slave knew that and said3 ,thou art unjust1 if thou desire to gain those things for nothing4 ,now we begin to see that art has no gifts to bestow upon us for nothing4 ,many think it has1 and pursue it until the truth dawns upon them2 then1 because of their error1 they dislike it4 ,to recognize the truth about art and to pursue that truth1 despite the hard road1 is to have courage4 ,and the ,ideal is nothing else than the constant presence of this truth4 ,and what do we gain by pursuing it8 ,not common pleasure1 but true happiness2 not uncertainty1 but true understanding2 not selfish life1 but true and full life4 ,and we can see the beauty of art in nothing more plainly than in the fact that all these things may come to a child1 and a new and brighter life is made possible by them4 ,the very first day we came together1 the little child said to the master3 ,master1 ,i do not understand what thou hast said1 yet ,i believe thee4 ,it is hard1 sometimes1 to feel the truth and to keep it with us2 hard1 not only for a child1 but for any one2 and yet1 if with faith we will labor with it until the light comes1 then we are truly rewarded and made richer according to our faith4 ,we must not forget in the first days1 as we leave our music1 that the path we have taken since we came together is the hardest2 not for always1 but for now4 ,the right path is hard at first--the wrong one is hard always4 ,we will understand it all better in other days if we remain faithful now4 ,if1 however1 we should forget for a moment that art demands our loyalty1 there will be no joy or peace in it for us4 ,worse1 perhaps1 than starting out upon the wrong path1 is the deserting of the right one4 ,sometimes out of impatience we do this2 out of impatience and self-love1 which is the worst of all4 ,truth is the beginning of all good1 and the greatest of all evils is self-love4#fb ,with the trials that music costs us1 with its pains and discouragements1 we might easily doubt all these promises which are contained in our ideals1 but we shall be forever saved from deserting them if we remember that these ideals have been persistently held by great men4 ,they have never given them up4 ,one of the strongest characteristics of ,bach and of ,beethoven was their determination to honor their thoughts4 ,sometimes we find the same persistence and faithfulness in lesser men4 ,i am sure you will see this faith beautifully lived in the few facts we have about the life of ,johann ,christian ,kittel1 a pupil of ,bach1 and it is strongly brought out by the pretty story told of him1 that when pleased with a pupil's work he would draw aside a curtain which covered a portrait of ,bach and let the faithful one gaze upon it for a moment4 ,that was to him the greatest reward he could give for faithfulness in the music task4 ,and this reminds us of how the teacher1 ,pistocchi1 who1 in teaching the voice1 kept in mind a pure tone1 a quiet manner of singing1 and the true artistic way of doing4 ,among his pupils was a certain ,antonio ,bernacchi1 who1 after leaving his master1 began to display his voice by runs and trills and meaningless tones4 ,and this he did1 not because of true art1 for that was not it1 but because it brought him the applause of unthinking people4 ,once1 when the master1 ,pistocchi1 heard him do this he is said to have exclaimed3 ,ah1 ,i taught thee how to sing1 and now thou wilt play2 meaning that the true song was gone and the pupil no longer sang out of the heart1 but merely out of the throat4 ,pistocchi kept his ideal pure4 ,we have then among our ideals two of first importance4 ,the ideal perception of music1 as being the true heart-expression of great men2 and the ideal of our doings1 which is the true heart-expression of ourselves4 ,and to keep these ideals is difficult in two ways3 ,the difficulty of keeping the pure intention of great men ever before us1 and the difficulty of keeping close and faithful to the tasks assigned us4 ,then we can say with the little child3 ,master1 ,i do not understand what thou hast said1 yet ,i believe thee4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,one ,,talent4 ,then he which had received the one talent came4--,matthew1 ,,xxv3 #bd4 ,some day1 when you read about the great composers1 you will be delighted with the pictures of their home-life4 ,you will see how they employed music every day4 ,in all cases1 as we study them1 we learn how very much they have sacrificed for the music they love1 studying it daily because of the joy which it yields them4 ,we see them as little children1 eager to be taught1 wanting to listen to music1 and to hear about it4 ,many of the composers whose child-life is thus interesting were children in very poor families1 where things were neither fine nor beautiful1 where the necessary things of life were not plentiful1 and where all had to be careful and saving so that every bit should be made to go as far as possible4 ,the eagerness and determination of some children in music-history is really wonderful4 ,it is the true determination4 ,and you are not surprised1 in following it1 to note that it leads the children who have it into lives of great usefulness4 ,all through the life of ,handel we find determination running like a golden thread4 ,he was just as determined to be a musician as ,lincoln was to get an education when he read books by the firelight4 ,handel's father was a surgeon1 and knew so little about music that he failed entirely to understand the child4 ,he not only forbade the boy to study music1 but even kept him away from school that he might not by any chance learn to read the notes4 ,but one who was in future years to befriend homeless children and to write wondrous music for all the world could not be held back by such devices4 ,by some means1 and with friendly assistance 7perhaps his mother's71 he succeeded in smuggling into the garret a spinet1 which is a kind of piano4 ,by placing cloth upon the strings he so deadened the wires that no one downstairs could hear the tones when the spinet was played4 ,and day after day this little lad would sit alone in his garret1 learning more and more about the wonders which his heart and his head told him were in the tiny half-dumb spinet before him4 ,not the more cheerful rooms down-stairs nor the games of his playmates drew him away from the music he loved1 the music which he felt in his heart1 remember4 ,one would expect such determination to show itself in many ways4 ,it did4 ,handel does not disappoint us in this4 ,all through his life he had strong purposes and a strong will--concentration--which led him forward4 ,you know how he followed his father's coach once4 ,perhaps it was disobedience1--but what a fine thing happened when he reached the duke's palace and played the organ4 ,from that day every one knew that his life would be devoted to music4 ,sometimes at home1 sometimes in foreign lands1 he was always working1 thinking1 learning4 ,he is said1 in his boyhood1 to have copied large quantities of music1 and to have composed something every week4 ,this copying made him better acquainted with other music1 and the early habit of composition made it easy for him to write his thoughts in after years4 ,indeed1 so skilled did he become1 that he wrote one opera--,rinaldo--in fourteen days1 and the ,messiah was written in twenty-four days4#fc ,yet parts of his great works he wrote and rewrote until they were exactly as they should be4 ,it will do is a thought that never comes into the head of a great artist4 ,how do you imagine such a man was to his friends8 ,we are told that1 he was in character at once great and simple4 ,and again it has been said that1 his smile was like heaven4 ,we have seen ,handel as the great composer1 but he was not so busy in this that his thoughts were not also dwelling upon other things4 ,if ever you go to ,london1 you should of a ,sunday morning hear the service at the ,foundling ,hospital4 ,you will see there many hundreds of boys and girls grouped about the organ4 ,their singing will seem beautiful to you1 from its sweetness and from the simple faith in which it is done4 ,after the service you may go to the many rooms of this home for so many otherwise homeless ones4 ,there are for you to visit3 the playroom1 the schoolroom1 the long halls with the pretty white cots1 and the pleasant dining-room4 ,here it will please you to see the little ones march into dinner1 with their similar dresses1 and all looking as happy as possible4 ,but the picture you will1 no doubt1 longest keep1 is that of the children about the organ4 ,they will tell you there that it was ,handel who gave this organ to the chapel1 and who1 for the benefit of the children who might come here1 gave concerts1 playing and conducting1 which were so successful that they had to be repeated4 ,a fair copy of the ,messiah will be shown you as one of the precious possessions4 ,it will very plainly be present in your mind how the little boy sat alone playing day after day in the garret1 wishing no better pastime than to express the feelings of his heart in tones4 ,perhaps you will think of his words3 ,learn 7of7 all there is to learn1 then choose your own path4 ,he will appeal to you as having possessed an early completeness of character1 which abided always with him4 ,it is evident in following the life of ,handel1 and it would be equally plain with any other composer1 that great talent is developed out of a small beginning1 and if small1 is yet earnest and determined4 ,from the first days of a great man's life to the last we find constant effort4 ,i consider those live best who study best to become as good as possible4#fd ,music helps us to keep the upper windows open2 that is why it does so much for us even if we have but one talent4 ,to develop our one talent is a duty1 just as it is a duty to develop two or five talents4 ,it is given to us to increase4 ,and no one knows how much joy may come to us and to others from the growing of that talent4 ,we gain much in power to give pleasure to others1 if the talent we have be made stronger by faithful effort4 ,as we have seen good come forth from the story of the man with many talents1 we can see how1 similarly1 he with one talent has also great power with which he may add unto himself and others4 ,in all of our ,talks it has been evident from what we have said1 that music is a beautiful art to us1 even though we may have but little of it4 ,but equally we have learned1 that for ever so little we must prove ourselves worthy4 ,we must honestly give something for all we get4 ,this is the law1 and the purpose of all our ,talks is to learn it4 ,we have1 likewise1 learned that true music1 out of the heart1 may not at the first please us1 but within it there is a great deal and we must seek it4 ,the history of all who have faithfully studied the works of the great masters is1 that for all the thought and time one spends in studying master works a great gain comes4 ,on the other hand1 everybody's experience with common music is1 that while it may please much at first and even captivate us1 yet it soon tires us so that we can scarcely listen patiently to it4 ,still a further lesson is1 that working with many talents or with one is the same4 ,talents1 one or many1 are for increase and faithful development4 ,handel's life was a determined struggle to make the most of his power4 ,it should be ours4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,love ,,for ,,the ,,beautiful4 ,every color1 every variety of form1 has some purpose and explanation4--,sir ,john ,lubbock4#fe ,now1 when we are almost at the end of the way we have traveled together1 it will be natural to look back upon the road over which we have come4 ,not all of it will be visible1 to be sure4 ,we have forgotten this pleasant scene and that2 others1 however1 remain fresh in our minds4 ,and as the days pass and we think over our way there will now and again come to us a scene1 a remembrance1 so full of beauty and of pleasure that we shall feel rich in the possession of it4 ,to me there is nothing we have learned together greater in value1 richer in truth and comfort than the thought that the beautiful in music and in art is at the same time the good4 ,even if a person is not at all times good1 there is raised in him the feeling of it whenever he consciously looks upon a beautiful object4 ,we see in this how wise it is for one to choose to have beautiful things1 to surround others with them1 to love them1 and to place reverent hands upon them4 ,we can never make a mistake about gentle hands4 ,once a lady said to a boy3 ,you should touch all things with the same delicacy that one should bestow upon a tender flower4 ,it shows that deep within yourself you are at rest1 that you make your hands go forward to a task carefully and with much thought4 ,in the roughest games you play do not forget this2 then your hands shall be filled with all the thought you have within yourself4 ,sometimes1 when ,i am in a great gallery1 the thought is very strong in me1 that many 7ever1 and ever so many7 people1 in all countries and in all times1 have so loved the beautiful as to devote their lives to it4 ,painters1 who have made pictures to delight men for generations1 looked and looked and prayed to find the beautiful4 ,and we must believe that one looks out of the heart to find the beautiful or he finds only the common4 ,and the sculptors who have loved marble for the delight they have in beautiful forms1 they1 too1 with eyes seeking beauty1 and hands so gentle upon the marble that it almost breathes for them1 they1 too1 have loved the beautiful4 ,but commoner ones have the tenderest love for what is sweet and fair in life1--people who are neither painters nor sculptors4 ,in their little way--but it is a true way--they have sunlight in their hearts1 and with it love for something4 ,perhaps it is a flower4 ,i have been told of a man--in fact ,i have seen him--who could do the cruelest things2 who was so bad that he could not be permitted to go free among others1 and yet he loved plants so much that if they were put near him he would move quietly among them1 touching this one and that2 gazing at them1 and acting as if he were in another world4 ,as we said once before about the spring1 so we may say here about love for the beautiful3 it may be covered up with every thing that is able to keep it down1 but it is always there4 ,it is always pleasanter to hear about people and their ways than to heed advice4 ,but people and their ways often set us good examples2 and we were curious1 indeed1 if we did not look sharply at ourselves to see just what we are4 ,from all we have been told about the beautiful we can at least learn this3 that it sweetens life2 that it makes even a common life bright2 that if we have it in us it may be as golden sunlight to some poor one who is in the darkness of ignorance1 that is the advantage and the beauty of all good things in our lives1 namely1 the good it may be unto others4 ,and the beautiful music we may sing or play is not to show what we are or what we can do--it will1 of course do these things--but it is to be a blessing to those who listen4 ,and how are blessings bestowed8 ,out of the heart4 ,once there was a nobleman#ff with power and riches4 ,he loved everything4 ,learning and art and all had he partaken of4 ,but the times were troubled in his country1 and for some reason he lost all he had and was imprisoned4 ,then there was scarcely anything in his life4 ,all he had was the cell1 the prison-yard1 and1 now and again1 a word or two with his keeper4 ,the cell was small and gloomy1 the keeper silent1 the yard confined and so closely paved with cobblestones that one could scarcely see the earth between them4 ,yes1 indeed1 it was a small world and a barren one into which they had forced him4 ,but he had his thoughts1 and daily as he walked in his confined yard1 they were busy with the past1 weaving1 weaving4 ,what patterns they made1 and he1 poor one1 was sometimes afraid of them6 ,but still they kept on weaving1 weaving4 ,one day1 as he walked in his yard1 he noticed that between two of the stones there seemed to be something and he looked at it4 ,with the greatest attention he studied it1 then he knelt on the rude stones and looked and looked again4 ,his heart beat and his hands trembled1 but yet with a touch as gentle as any one could give1 he moved a grain or two of soil and there1 beneath1 was something which the poor captive cried out for joy to see--a tiny plant4 ,as if in a new world1 and certainly as if another man1 he cared daily for the tender little companion that had come to share his loneliness2 he thought of it first in the morning and last at night4 ,he gave it of his supply of water and1 as a father1 he watched over it4 ,and it grew so that one day he saw that his plant must either die or have more room4 ,and it could not have more room unless a cobblestone were removed4 ,now this could only be done with the consent of the ,emperor4 ,well1 let us not stop to hear about the way he found1 but he did get his request to the ,emperor and1 after a while1 what happened do you think8 ,that the plant was given more room8 ,yes1 that is partly it1 and the rest is this3 the prisoner himself was given more room--he was liberated4 ,just because the seed of a beautiful thing came to life in his tiny world he found love for it and a new life1 a care1 something outside of himself4 ,and it brought him all4 ,that love which is not given to self reveals the beauty of the world4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,in ,,school4 ,every successive generation becomes a living memorial of our public schools1 and a living example of their excellence4--,joseph ,story4 ,in these days we learn many things in our schools--even music4 ,they surely must have a purpose1 all the studies and the music as well4 ,let us in this ,talk see if we can find what the purpose is4 ,it costs our ,government a great deal to educate the children of the land4 ,there are now nearly twenty million children in our country4 ,that is a number you cannot conceive4 ,but every morning of the year1 when it is not a vacation day1 you may think of this vast number leaving home and going to school to be taught4 ,i am sure the picture will make us all think how wise a ,government is that devotes so much to making us know more1 because by learning more we are able to enjoy more1 to do more1 to be more4 ,and this makes us better citizens4 ,year after year1 as men study and learn about what is best to have children taught in school1 the clearer it becomes that what is given is dictated because of its usefulness4 ,arithmetic teaches us to calculate our daily affairs4 ,grammar teaches us to listen and to speak understandingly4 ,penmanship and ,spelling teach us properly to make the signs which represent speech4 ,geography teaches us of the earth on which we live1 and how we may travel about it4 ,history teaches us how to understand the doings of our own day and makes us acquainted with great men of former times1 who by striving have earned a place in our remembrance4 ,as we go on in our school education1 taking up new studies1 we find to a still greater degree that what we learn is for usefulness4 ,arithmetic becomes mathematics in general4 ,grammar is brought before us in other languages1 and branches out into the study of ,rhetoric and ,literature4 ,history is taught us of many lands1 particularly of ,greece1 ,rome1 and ,england4 ,and1 bit by bit1 these various histories merge into one1 until1 perhaps not until college years or later1 the doings of the countries in all the centuries of which we have knowledge is one unbroken story to us4 ,we know the names of lands and of people4 ,why ,greece could love art1 why ,rome could have conquest2 why these countries and all their glories passed away to give place to others2 all these things become clear to us4 ,we learn of generals1 statesmen1 poets1 musicians1 rulers4 ,their characters are made clear2 their lives are given to us in biography1 and year after year the story of the earth and man is more complete1 more fascinating1 more helpful to us in learning our own day4 ,then1 besides all these studies1 we are taught to do things with the hands4 ,after the ,talks we have already had about doing1 we know what it means to have training of the hands4 ,it really means the training of the thoughts4 ,we are training the mind to make the hands perform their tasks rightly4 ,it is the same in the science lesson which teaches us to see2 actually to use our eyes until we see things4 ,that may not seem to be a difficult task1 but there are really very few people who can accurately and properly use their eyes4 ,if there were more1 fewer mistakes would be made4 ,thus we can see that school work divides its tasks into two general classes3 ,first1 the learning of facts4 ,second1 the actual doing of things4 ,you will readily see that to do things properly is possible only when we know facts which tell us how to do them4 ,that shows you at once the wisdom of the education you receive4 ,now1 let us imagine that school life is over4 ,for many years you have gone faithfully every day to your place1 you have done your tasks as honestly as you could1 and said your lessons1 being wounded no doubt by failures1 but gladdened again by successes4 ,now1 when it is all over1 what is there of it8 ,well1 above all things1 there is one truth of it which it is wonderful people do not think of more frequently4 ,and that truth is this3 ,the only education we may use in our own life is that which we have ourselves4 ,no longer have we help of companions or teachers4 ,we depend entirely upon our own personal knowledge4 ,if we speak it is our own knowledge of ,grammar that is used4 ,we cannot have a book at hand in order to know from it the words we should use4 ,if we make a calculation about money1 or do anything with numbers1 it must be done from our knowledge of ,arithmetic1 and it must be right or people will very soon cease to deal with us4 ,then1 if we have a letter from a friend1 we must of ourselves know how to read it1 and if we have aught to say to another at a distance1 we must be able clearly to express ourselves in writing1 so that we may make no mistake in our meaning4 ,and this1 likewise1 is to be said of all the rest4 ,our knowledge of ,history1 of ,geography1 of men of past times1 of the boundaries of countries1 of cities1 of people1 of everything1 must come from ourselves4 ,and1 further yet1 according as we have been careful to see in the right way and to do in the right way while we were under instruction in school1 so we shall be likely to see and to do when we are not in school1 and no longer have some one over us who will kindly and patiently correct our errors1 teach us new ways1 and give us greater powers4 ,we may1 of course1 go on learning after our school days are ended2 and really much of the best education comes then1 if we will immediately set about correcting the faults which we find in ourselves4 ,indeed1 many men have gained the best part of their education after leaving school1 where1 perhaps1 it was their fortune to stay but a short time4#fg ,but we must remember that the habits of learning1 doing1 seeking1 are gained in early years1 and if they are not gained then they rarely come4 ,now1 what have we learned about schools and school-tasks8 ,we have learned a little of the purpose which lies in the education we receive2 that out of it must come the power to do and to know2 that is our own power2 not that of any one else4 ,we have seen the usefulness of school-studies1 and how practical they are in our daily life4 ,in all this ,talk we have said nothing about ,music4 ,if1 however1 we understand what the other studies mean1 what their purpose is1 we shall learn something which shall be valuable when we come to study the meaning and purpose of music in schools4 ,that shall be our next ,talk4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,music ,,in ,,school4 ,become in early years well-informed concerning the extent of the four voices4 ,try1 even with a poor voice1 to sing at sight without the aid of an instrument2 from that your ear will constantly improve4 ,in case1 however1 that you have a good voice1 do not hesitate a moment to cultivate it2 and believe1 at the same time1 that heaven has granted you a valuable gift4--,robert ,schumann4#fh ,in the previous ,talk we learned two very important facts about school studies4 ,they were these3 ,i4 ,they are useful4 ,,ii4 ,they are useful in proportion to our own 7not to anybody else's7 real knowledge of them4 ,we do not study useless subjects1 and it is not from our books1 nor from our teacher that we go through life1 making our way4 ,in other words1 the harder we work1 the more independent we become2 and the more independent we become1 the more power we have to help others4 ,now1 whatever is true about other school studies is likewise true about music4 ,it is given to children in school because it is useful1 and because a child can gain power by learning it4 ,let us see about this4 ,to one who does not think deeply1 it might seem that if any study in school is merely ornamental1 that study is music4 ,he might say that all the other studies tend to some practical end in life and business3 that one could not add1 nor read1 nor transact business1 nor write a letter any more correctly by knowing music4 ,it is only an unthinking person--none other--who would say that4 ,of the usefulness of all the school studies we have spoken4 ,we need only to take a few steps along the pleasant road1 about which we have had so many ,talks1 and we shall see how much music means in life4 ,to us it is already plain4 ,music is a new world1 to enter which cultivates new senses1 teaches us to love the beautiful1 and makes us watchful of two of the most important things in life3 the thoughts and the heart4 ,we must have exact thoughts or the music is not made aright1 and the heart may be what it will1 music tells all about it4 ,therefore1 let it be good4 ,but music in school brings us to daily tasks in tone4 ,what do we learn8 ,after the difficulties of reading the notes and making the voice responsive are somewhat overcome1 we study for greater power in both1 the one-1 two-1 or three-part exercises and songs2 the exercises for skill and the songs to apply the skill1 and make us acquainted with the music of great masters4 ,in one ,talk1 one of the first1 we spoke of the major scale4 ,it has eight tones only1 and though it has existed for many hundreds of years1 no one has yet dreamed of all the wonderful tone-pictures which are contained in it4 ,it is out of it that all the great composers have written their works1 and for centuries to come men will find in it beauties great1 and pure1 and lasting4 ,as we sing in school1 we are learning to put the major scale to some use4 ,it calls upon us in the melodies which it expresses1 to be careful that each tone shall be right in length1 in pitch1 in loudness1 in place4 ,we must sing exactly with the others1 not offensively loud1 nor so softly as to be of no service4 ,and this demands precision of us2 and precision demands thought4 ,and if we are singing to gain a better use of voice we must1 in every sound we make1 have our thoughts exactly upon what we are doing4 ,this is ,concentration4 ,if1 on the other hand1 we are trying our skill on a song1 we shall have1 in addition1 to be careful to give the right expression1 to sing not only the tones clearly1 but the words1 to feel the true sentiment both of the poem and of the music1 and to express from our hearts as much of the meaning of poet and composer as we understand4 ,all these things are more particularly required of us if we are singing in parts4 ,the melody must be properly sustained and must not cover the under parts2 while the under parts themselves should never intrude upon the melody1 nor fail to be a good background for it4 ,the singing of part music is one of the best ways to train the attention--that is1 to get ,concentration4 ,as we sing our part we must have in mind these things3 ,i4 ,to keep to it and not be drawn away by another part4 ,,ii4 ,to give the part we sing its due prominence4 ,,iii4 ,never to destroy the perfect equality of the parts by unduly hastening or holding back4 ,,iv4 ,to remember that each part is important4 ,the other singers have as much to think of and to do as we have1 and they are entitled to just as much praise4 ,v4 ,to be alert to take up our part at exactly the right place4 ,,vi4 ,to put the full meaning of the poet and of the composer into every word and tone4 ,these1 after all1 are only a few of the things2 but from them we may learn this1 that to sing 7and to play is quite the same7 is one of the most delicate tasks we can learn to perform1 requiring attention from us in many ways at the same time4 ,even now the usefulness of music is clear1 for the faculties we learn to employ in music form a power that can be applied in anything4 ,but music has even a greater reward for us than this4 ,it presents to us many kinds of thoughts and pictures1--of bravery1 of thoughtfulness1 of gaiety1 and others without number--and then it demands that we shall study so as to sing them truthfully from our hearts4 ,and when we can do this music is then a joy to us and to others4 ,now we see that music1 just like the other studies1 is useful and gives us the power to do something4 ,and besides its use and power it is1 perhaps more than any other study1 the greatest means of giving happiness to others4 ,but of that there is yet a word to be said4 ,that shall be our next ,talk4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,how ,,one ,,thing ,,helps ,,another4 ,music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life4--,berthold ,auerbach4 ,just at the end of our ,talk about ,music in ,school1 ,i said that music was the most powerful of all the studies for giving joy to others4 ,in this ,talk we shall try to learn what the studies do for each other4 ,once more--and we must never get tired if the same thought comes again and again--let us remember that music is thought expressed in tone4 ,classic music is great and strong thought2 poor1 unworthy music is weak1 perhaps wrong or mean thought4 ,further1 we have learned that thought may be good and pure1 and yet that of itself is not sufficient4 ,it must be well expressed4 ,in short1 to thought of the right sort we must add knowledge1 so that it may be set before others in the right way4 ,now1 it is true that the more knowledge we have1 the more we can do with music4 ,we can put more meaning into it2 we can better perform all the exacting duties it demands2 we can draw more meaning from its art1 and we can see more clearly how great a genius the composer is4 ,besides these things1 a well-trained mind gets more thoughts from a subject than an untrained mind4 ,some day you will see this more clearly by observing how much better you will be able to understand your own language by possessing a knowledge of ,greek and ,latin4 ,all the school studies have a use1 to be sure--a direct use--in giving us something to help us in life in one way and another4 ,but besides this1 we get another help from study2 namely1 the employment of the mind in the right way4 ,for the right way of doing things which are worthy of the heart1 gives power and good4 ,it is the wrong way of doing things that causes us trouble4 ,some studies demand exactness above all this1--like the study of ,arithmetic--others a good memory1--like ,history--others tax many faculties1 as we have seen in our ,talk about ,school ,music4 ,some of the studies are particularly valuable to us at once because they make us do4 ,they may be called doing studies4 ,in ,arithmetic there is a result1 and only one result1 to be sought4 ,in ,grammar every rule we learn is to be applied in our speech4 ,manual training demands judgment and the careful use of the hands4 ,penmanship is a test for the hand1 but ,history is a study touching the memory more than the doing faculty4 ,school music1 you see at once1 is a doing study4 ,not only that1 it is full of life1 attractive1 appealing to the thoughts in many ways1 and yet it is a hearty study--by that ,i mean a study for the heart4 ,if you have noticed in your piano music the ,italian words which are given at the beginning of compositions1 you may have thought how expressive most of them are of the heart and of action4 ,they are doing words particularly4 ,allegro is cheerful2 that is its true meaning4 ,it directs us to make the music sound cheerful as we sing it or play it4 ,what for8 ,so that the cheerfulness of the composer shall be for us and for other people4 ,and ,vivace is not merely quickly1 but vivaciously4 ,now what does vivacious mean8 ,it means what its root-word vivere means1 to live4 ,it is a direction that the music must be full of life2 and the true life of happiness and freedom from care is meant4 ,so with ,modcrato1 a doing word which tells us very particularly how to do2 namely1 not too fast1 spoiling it by haste1 nor too slowly1 so that it seems to drag1 but in a particular way1 that is1 with moderation4 ,music takes its place as a doing study2 and as we have already discovered1 its doing is of many kinds1 all requiring care4 ,singing or playing is doing2 reading the notes is doing2 studying out the composer's meaning is doing2 making others feel it is doing2 everything is doing2 and doing is true living1 provided it is unselfish4 ,let us see if there is not a simple lesson in all this4 ,to seek it we shall have to say old thoughts over again4 ,music itself uses the same tones over and over again2 it is by doing so that we begin to understand tone a little4 ,the school studies try the mind2 with the tasks increased bit by bit1 the mind is made stronger4 ,thus is ,strength gained4 ,by the tasks demanding exactness1 the thoughts must not be scattered everywhere1 but centered upon the thing to be done4 ,thus is ,concentration gained4 ,by making the hand work with care and a definite purpose1 ,skill is gained4 ,by demanding of the thoughts that they must seek out all the qualities of an object1 ,attention is gained4 ,by placing things and signs for things before us1 we are taught to ,see4 ,by educating us in sounds1 we are taught to ,listen4 ,when we have a task that admits of a single correct result1 we are taught ,exactness4 ,now1 from all we have learned in these ,talks about music it must be clear that all these qualities are just what are needed in music3 ,i4 ,strength of thought for ,real doing4 ,,ii4 ,concentration for ,right doing4 ,,iii4 ,skill for ,well doing4 ,,iv4 ,seeing and listening for the cultivation of ,attention4 ,v4 ,correctness for the ,manner of doing4 ,we sought for a simple lesson4 ,it is this3 ,let us learn all we can that is right and worthy for the strengthening of the mind1 for the cultivation of the heart1 for the good and joy of others2 for these things are the spirit of music4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,child ,,at ,,play4 ,when the long day is past1 the steps turn homeward4 ,once a child played on the sea-shore4 ,the waves sang and the sand shone and the pebbles glistened4 ,there was light everywhere2 light from the blue sky1 and from the moving water1 and from the gleaming pebbles4 ,the little one1 in its happiness1 sang with the murmuring sea and played with the stones and the shells that lay about4 ,joy was everywhere and the child was filled with it4 ,but the day passed4 ,and the little one grieved in its heart to leave the beautiful place4 ,delight was there and many rare things that one could play with and enjoy4 ,the child could not leave them all4 ,its heart ached to think of them lying there alone by the sea4 ,and it thought3 ,i will take the pebbles and the shells with me and ,i will try to remember the sunlight and the song of the sea4 ,so it began to fill its little hands4 ,but it saw that after as many as possible were gathered together there were yet myriads left4 ,and it had to leave them4 ,tired and with a sore heart it trudged homeward1 its hands filled to overflowing with the pebbles that shone in the sun on the sea-shore4 ,now1 however1 they seemed dull4 ,and because of this1 the child did not seem to regret it so much if now and then one fell4 ,there are still some left in my hands1 it thought4 ,at length it came near to its home2 so very tired1 the little limbs could scarcely move4 ,and one who loved the child came out smiling to welcome it4 ,the little one went up close and rested its tired head2 and opening its little hand1 soiled with the sea and the sand1 said3 ,look1 mother1 ,i still have one4 ,may ,i go for the others some day8 ,and the mother said3 ,yes1 thou shalt go again4 ,and the child fell asleep to dream of the singing sea and of the sunlight1 for these were in its heart4 ,,appendix ,the following works are referred to in these ,talks3 ,addison1 ,joseph1 ,spectator4 ,alexander1 ,francesca1 ,christfolk in the ,apennine4 ,antoninus1 ,m4 ,aurelius1 ,meditations4 ,aristotle1 ,ethics4 ,bach1 ,j4,s41 ,the ,well-tempered ,clavicord4 ,bach1 ,j4,s41 ,kleine ,prludien4 ,baldwin1 ,james1 ,old ,greek ,stories4 ,bacon1 ,francis1 ,essays4 ,bridge1 ,j4,f41 ,simple ,counterpoint4 ,carlyle1 ,thomas1 ,heroes and ,hero-worship4 ,cellini1 ,benvenuto1 ,autobiography4 ,epictetus1 ,memoirs4 ,grove1 ,sir ,george1 ,dictionary of ,music and ,musicians4 ,halleck1 ,r4,p41 ,psychology and ,psychic ,culture4 ,handel1 ,g4,f41 ,the ,messiah4 ,haupt1 ,august1 ,choralbuch4 ,liszt1 ,franz1 ,life of ,chopin4 ,lubbock1 ,sir ,john1 ,pleasures of ,life4 ,luther1 ,martin1 ,table ,talk4 ,mendelssohn1 ,felix1 ,letters from ,italy and ,switzerland4 ,parker1 ,j4,h41 ,,abc of ,gothic ,architecture4 ,ruskin1 ,john1 ,queen of the ,air4 ,ruskin1 ,john1 ,sesame and ,lilies4 ,ruskin1 ,john1 ,val d',arno4 ,saintine1 ,x4,b41 ,picciola4 ,schubert1 ,franz1 ,songs4 ,schumann1 ,robert1 ,album for the ,voung4 ,schumann1 ,robert1 ,letters4 ,schumann1 ,robert1 ,rules for ,young ,musicians4 ,tapper1 ,thomas1 ,chats with ,music ,students4 ,tyndall1 ,john1 ,glaciers of the ,alps4 ,tyndall1 ,john1 ,on ,sound4 ,various ,authors1 ,les ,maitres du ,clavicin4 ,xenophon1 ,memorabilia4 99 99 99 99 99 ,chats with ,music ,students ,,or ,,talks ,,about ,,music ,,and ,,music ,,life4 ,,by ,,thomas ,,tapper4 ,price1 ,bound in ,cloth1 #a4ej4 ,this volume appeals to every student of music1 however elementary or advanced4 ,it is designed to bring to the attention of those who make music a life-work1 the very many contingent topics that should be considered in connection with music4 ,to this end the subjects selected for the chats have a practical value1 cover considerable ground1 and are treated from the point of view that best aids the student4 ,the reader is taken into confidence1 and finds in the chapters of this work many hints and benefits that pertain to his own daily life as a musician4 99 99 99 99 99 #ba ,,selected ,,cramer ,,studies4 ,from the ,von ,blow ,edition4 ,,price #a4ej1 ,,firmly ,,bound4 ,the present complete edition sells for #b4ej and #c4jj1 retail4 ,much of the material in the complete edition can be eliminated without injury to its technical value4 ,we have1 therefore1 made a selection of the choicest of ,von ,blow's edition1 which we have bound1 in one volume1 in very neat style4 ,only the most difficult and unimportant ones have been eliminated4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,normal ,course of ,piano ,technic4 ,,designed ,,for ,,schools1 ,,teachers1 ,,and ,,students4 ,by ,,wm4 ,b4 ,,wait4 ,price #a4ej1 ,bound4 ,the ,,normal ,,course is based upon the fundamental idea that1 for the purpose of the development1 discipline1 and formation of the mind1 and for teaching the learner how to think and to do1 ,technical ,studies in ,music are as useful as any other branch4 ,,features ,,of ,,the ,,book3 ,clear1 concise statements of facts and principles4 ,it deals only with essentials4 ,it arranges the materials in grades1 by ,divisions1 ,courses1 and ,steps4 ,it exhibits a distinct mode and order of development4 ,the course is as clearly laid out as in any other branch of study4 ,practice based upon understanding of means as applied to ends4 ,it permits the attention to be given to the hands in practice1 and not to the pages4 ,in schools it will secure uniformity in the instruction given4 ,it furnishes the bases for oral recitations and examinations as in other subjects4 ,it is logical1 systematic1 thorough4 ,it is a book for use by schools1 teachers1 and students4 ,,notes3 #a3 ,from the ,table ,talk4 #b3 ,play to the children ,schubert's song entitled ,the ,organ-man4 #c3 ,phillips ,brooks says in one of his sermons 7,identity and ,variety73 ,every act has its perfect and entire way of being done4 #d3 ,bohn edition1 p4 #ce4 #e3 ,read to the children such parts of ,francesca ,alexander's ,christ's folk in the ,apennine as seem to you pertinent4 #f3 ,john ,ruskin1 from the ninth lecture of ,val d',arno4 #g3 ,john ,ruskin4 ,third lecture of ,val d',arno4 #h3 ,franz ,liszt's ,life of ,chopin1 ,chapter ,v4 #i3 ,ibid1 ,chapter ,,vi4 #aj3 ,on ,sound4 #aa3 ,on ,sound is referred to4 ,the last paragraph of ,section #aj1 ,chapter ,,ii1 may interest the children4 ,the last two paragraphs of ,section #ac are not only interesting1 but they show how simply a scientist can write4 #ab3 ,if the original is desired1 see ,tyndall's ,glaciers of the ,alps4 #ac3 ,schumann wrote in a letter to ,ferdinand ,hiller1 ,we should learn to refine the inner ear4 #ad3 ,from the sermon entitled ,the ,seriousness of ,life4 #ae3 ,notice sometime how many of our ,english words have the ,latin con4 #af3 ,see the fourth chapter of ,reuben ,post ,halleck's ,psychology and ,psychic ,culture4 #ag3 ,for instance1 the subject of the ,c minor ,fugue in the first book of ,the ,well-tempered ,clavicord4 #ah3 ,the subject of the ,c sharp minor ,fugue4 #ai3 ,the prelude in ,e flat minor and the subject of the ,g sharp minor ,fugue4 #bj3 ,robert ,schumann4 #ba3 ,quoted by ,xenophon in the ,memorabilia1 ,book ,,ii1 ,chapter ,i1 ,bohn edition4 #bb3 ,heroes and ,hero ,worship1 ,lecture ,i4 #bc3 ,from the sermon entitled ,backgrounds and ,foregrounds4 #bd3 ,i should again suggest the value of letting the children become familiar with such books as ,j4,h4 ,parker's ,a ,b ,c of ,gothic ,architecture2 and of having always about plenty of photographs of great buildings1 great men1 great works of art and of famous places for them to see and to know 7letting them become familiar1 remember74 #be3 ,see ,r4,p4 ,halleck's ,psychology and ,psychic ,culture4 #bf3 ,read paragraphs #da and #db of ,john ,ruskin's ,athena ,chalinitis1 the first lecture of ,queen of the ,air4 #bg3 ,john ,ruskin1 from the lecture entitled ,franchise1 in ,val d',arno1 par4 #bjf4 #bh3 ,letters of ,felix ,mendelssohn ,bartholdy from ,italy and ,switzerland4 ,letter of ,july #ae1 #ahca4 #bi3 ,letter of ,december #ai1 #ahca4 #cj3 ,read also what is said of ,chopin on p4 #bh4 #ca3 ,read to the children ,the ,wonderful ,weaver in ,old ,greek ,stories1 by ,james ,baldwin4 ,it is only a few pages in length1 and is well told4 #cb3 ,robert ,schumann4 #cc3 ,john ,ruskin's ,queen of the ,air1 par4 #ajb4 7,athena ,ergane47 ,read all of it to the children4 #cd3 ,idem4 #ce3 ,lord ,bacon1 from the essay ,of ,great ,places4 #cf3 ,robert ,schumann4 #cg3 ,read ,john ,ruskin's ,sesame and the ,lilies1 par4 #ai1 and as much of what follows as you deem wise4 #ch3 ,the ,ethics1 ,book ,,ix1 ,chapter ,,vii4 #ci3 ,always ,i have it in mind that the teacher will read or make reference to the original when the source is so obvious as in this case4 ,the teacher's1 or mother's1 discretion should1 however1 decide what and how much of such original should be read1 and what it is best to say of it4 #dj3 ,i have not attempted to quote the exact words usually given4 #da3 ,socrates4 ,this quotation is from the ,memorabilia of ,xenophon1 ,book ,i1 ,chapter ,,vi4 #db3 ,mary ,russell ,mitford4 #dc3 ,autobiography of ,benvenuto ,cellini1 ,bohn edition1 p4 #bc4 #dd3 ,the ,miserere of ,gregorio ,allegri4 ,it was written for nine voices in two choirs4 ,there was a time when it was so much treasured that to copy it was a crime visited with excommunication4 ,mozart took down the notes while the choir was singing it4 7,see ,grove's ,dictionary of ,music and ,musicians4 ,vol4 ,i1 page #ed47 #de3 ,dr4 ,bridge ,on ,simple ,counterpoint4 ,preface4 #df3 ,take1 in ,august ,haupt's ,choralbuch zum huslichen ,gebrauch1 any simple choral4 ,the one entitled ,zion klagt mit ,angst und ,schmerzen is of singular beauty and simplicity4 #dg3 ,peters ,edition1 ,no4 #bjj1 page #aa4 #dh3 ,i should advise the teacher to have the two volumes entitled ,les ,maitres du ,clavicin4 7,they can be had in the ,litolff collection47 #di3 ,op4 #ajf4 #ej3 ,der ,erster ,verlust in ,schumann's ,op4 #fh is well conceived in the sense that it is freely harmonic in some places1 imitative in others1 while in the opening the melody is very simply accompanied4 ,show the children how interesting the left-hand part is in this little composition4 #ea3 ,from a ,letter of the ,spectator4 #eb3 ,from the eighth paragraph of the ,lecture entitled ,nicholas1 the ,pisan1 in ,val ,d',arno4 #ec3 ,a blind beggar sitting on a bridge in an ,english town 7it was ,chester7 many times astonished me with the rapidity of his hand-reading1 and by the wonderful light of his face4 ,it was wholly free from the perplexity which most of us show4 ,it must arise in us from being attracted by so many things4 #ed3 ,eighty-first paragraph of ,val d',arno4 #ee3 ,marcus ,aurelius ,antoninus1 ,the ,meditations1 ,book ,v1 ,par4 #cd4 #ef3 ,see footnote1 p4 #aai4 #eg3 ,from the thirteenth paragraph of the fourth book4 ,i have changed the wording a very little to make it simple4 #eh3 ,sixteenth paragraph of the fifth book4 #ei3 ,essi quam videri4 #fj3 ,the ,memorabilia4 #fa3 ,epictetus1 ,h4,w4 ,rollison's ,translation4 #fb3 ,plato4 #fc3 ,mozart wrote three symphonies between ,june #bfth and ,august #ajth1 in the year #aggh2 and an ,italian1 ,giovanni ,animuccia1 is said to have written three masses1 four motettes1 and fourteen hymns within five months4 ,as an instance of early composition1 ,johann ,friedrich ,bernold had written a symphony before he was ten years of age1 and was famous all over ,europe4 #fd3 ,xenophon1 ,the ,memorabilia1 ,book ,,iv1 ,chapter ,,viii4 #fe3 ,from the ,pleasures of ,life4 ,eighth ,chapter of the ,second ,series4 #ff3 ,the little romance of ,n4,b4 ,saintine is referred to4 #fg3 ,read to the children ,chapter ,,xiv in my ,chats with ,music ,students4 #fh3 ,rules for ,young ,musicians4