,,spirit ,,and ,,music      ,by the same
 ,author      ,,nerve ,,control         
,,self ,,training     ,a ,,book ,,of    
,,auto-,,suggestions     ,,the          
,,influence ,,of ,,thought     ,a       
,,manual ,,of ,,hypnotism     ,,the     
,,hidden ,,self     ,,points ,,on       
,,practising     ,spirit and ,music     
,,by  ,h4 ,,ernest ,,hunt  ,author of   
,nerve ,control1 ,self ,training1 c1 c42
 ,lecturer in ,psychology at the        
,training ,school for ,music ,teachers1 
,the ,metropolitan ,academy of ,music1  
,the ,kensington ,school of ,music1 c41 
,london  ,,london3 ,,kegan ,,paul1      
,,trench1 ,,trubner  ,,co41 ,,ltd4 ,j4  
,,curwen  ,,sons1 ,,ltd4 ,,new ,,york3  
,e4 ,p4 ,,dutton  ,,co4 #aibb  ,printed 
in ,great ,britain by ,st4 ,stephen's   
,printing ,works1 ,bristol4             
,,contents   ,,chap4  ,i ,,the ,,spirit 
,,of ,,music  ,,ii ,,the ,,place ,,of   
,,music ,,in ,,life  ,,iii ,,the        
,,expression ,,of ,,life  ,,iv ,,spirit 
,a ,,living ,,fact  ,v ,,the            

,,conditions ,,of ,,inspiration  ,,vi   
,,the ,,interpreter  ,,vii ,,the        
,,teacher  ,,viii ,,the ,,soul ,,of     
,,song  ,,ix ,,music ,,and ,,education  
,x ,,the ,,artistic ,,temperament  ,,xi 
,,pure ,,music  ,,xii ,,the ,,purpose   
,,of ,,art     ,,spirit ,,and ,,music   
,,chapter ,i  ,,the ,,spirit ,,of       
,,music  ,art is the ,manifestation of  
the ,spiritual by means of the ,material
  ,newlandsmith   ,music is a part of   
life4 ,it is not merely an              
accomplishment or a hobby1 nor yet a    
means of relaxation from the strenuous  
business of earning a living4 ,it is not
 an addendum or an excrescence3 it is an
 actual part of the fabric of life      
itself4 ,the object of these pages will 
be to show how closely ,music1 and      
indeed ,art in general1 has woven itself
 into the pattern of our lives1 and how 
intimately it may influence and fashion 
the design4  ,the structural basis of   
,music is vibration4 ,sound comes to us 
in the guise of air-waves1 which impinge

 upon the drum of the ear4 ,the         
nerve-impulse thus aroused is conveyed  
to the brain1 and there translated into 
sound4 ,strictly speaking there is thus 
no sound until the brain translates the 
message1 while if the machinery of the  
ear be too dull to answer to the        
vibration the sound simply does not     
exist for us4 ,beyond doubt the world is
 full of sounds that we cannot hear and 
of sights that we never see1 for of the 
whole range of vibration our senses     
permit us to garner but the veriest     
fragment--a few notes here of sound1 and
 a brief range there of sight1 out of   
the whole vast scale of vibrant ,nature4
  ,there are sounds which are musical1  
and others that are raucous and mere    
noise4 ,the difference lies in the fact 
that harsh sounds are compounded of     
irregular vibrations1 while the essence 
of ,music is that its waves are rhythmic
 and follow each other in ordered swing4
 ,rhythm is thus the primary            
manifestation of ,music3 but equally so 

it is the basic characteristic of       
everything in life4 ,we learn that in   
,nature there is nothing still and      
inert1 but that everything is in        
incessant motion4 ,there is no such     
thing as solid matter4 ,the man of      
,science resolved matter into atoms1 and
 now these atoms themselves are found to
 be as miniature universes4 ,round a    
central sun1 termed a ,proton1 whirl a  
number of electrons in rhythmic motion  
and incessant swing4 ,and these         
electrons and protons--what are they8   
,something in the nature of charges of  
electricity1 positive and negative4 ,so 
where is now our seeming-solid matter8  
,when this knowledge informs our outlook
 we see that all that lives1 moves3 and 
even that which never seems to move1    
lives also in continual rhythm and      
response4 ,the eternal hills are vibrant
 to the eye of science1 and the very    
stones are pulsing with the joy of life4
 ,the countryside sings1 and there is   
the beat of rhythm not merely in our    

hearts but in every particle of our     
body4 ,stillness is a delusion1 and     
immobility a fiction of the senses4     
,life is movement and activity1 and     
rigidity and stiffness come more near to
 what we understand as death4 ,yet even 
in death there is no stillness1 there is
 but a change in the form of activity4  
,the body is no longer alive as an      
organised community1 but in its         
individual cells3 the activity is the   
liveliness of decomposition4 ,thus all  
the world expresses life1 and expresses 
it in a rhythm in which law and order   
reign supreme1 and in which a sweet and 
sane regularity is the ordinance4       
,regular rhythm involves accent4        
,whether or no there be any such        
emphasis as a thing in itself1 the      
listening ear supplies it to meet a     
need4 ,when we attend to a clock        
ticking1 the tick-tock1 tick-tock1      
however even it may sound at first1 soon
 resolves itself into a rhythm with the 
accent on either the tick or the tock4  

,so does the beat of an engine1 or the  
hum of a railway train1 merge itself    
into some definite sound picture1 with  
the accent for relief that the ear      
demands4 ,thus out of rhythm grows very 
naturally an accentuation which gives   
balance1 structure1 and form4 ,we start 
with the little units--the ticks and the
 tocks--and we build something bigger by
 grouping these together4 ,this is a    
principle which we may see running      
through the activities of life in a     
thousand forms4  ,bricks are made to    
pattern and thus possess a rhythm of    
their own1 but when they are laid in    
courses they merge their individual     
rhythm into the ordered lines of the    
courses4 ,these again may be            
comprehended in larger units of arches1 
buttresses1 and stories3 and all these  
again will be grouped and contained in  
this or that style of architecture4 ,so1
 too1 ,music may begin with notes and   
tones1 but accent quickly groups these  
into larger units to satisfy the senses 

in their demand for balance and         
proportion4 ,thus by increasing the size
 of our unit we build the rhythm of form
 and lay the foundation for the further 
development of the ,art4  ,since ,nature
 is regular1 from the beating of our own
 hearts to the swing of universes in the
 heavens1 therefore engrained in our    
very selves is this claim for ordered   
progression1 balance1 and sustained     
sequence4 ,when we attain this1 whether 
in ,music or otherwise1 we derive a     
measure of restfulness and satisfaction 
and we gain a sense of completeness4    
,any work of ,art should leave us with  
this conviction1 that nothing could be  
added or left out without marring the   
perfect proportion of the whole4 ,jazz1 
whether in ,music or in any other       
direction1 gives just the very opposite 
effect1 marring the sense of proportion 
and distorting the feeling of           
satisfaction4 ,it exists as a testimony 
to a morbid dissatisfaction with life1  
it gives emphasis to the unbalanced and 

neurotic4 ,the true beauty of ,art--as  
of ,music--consists on the contrary of  
this larger rhythm which makes for      
wholesomeness and proportion1 which     
achieves at once the rest and the       
satisfaction that the soul craves4 ,its 
wholesomeness is health1 which again is 
ease4 ,its reverse is disease3 and when 
,music becomes mere noise and discord it
 is the same as when beauty becomes     
ugliness and health vanishes in         
sickness4  ,the second element of ,music
 is melody1 and this corresponds to the 
outline in ,nature4 ,things have their  
shapes and their forms1 even as our very
 lives consist of ups and downs1 varied 
with occasional runs along the level4   
,the country has its outlines1 its hills
 that rise and climb1 its valleys that  
fall and fade4 ,there is the even line  
of the horizon1 topped by the swelling  
clouds3 there are curves and sweeps in  
the swaying of trees and grasses1 in the
 flight of birds1 and in the grace of   
the human form4 ,it is significant that 

,nature's handiwork so abounds in       
curves1 whilst that of man is fashioned 
so much upon straight lines with        
consequent sharp points and angles4 ,is 
it not obvious that ,art has had but    
scanty share in designing our towns and 
manufactories8 ,right angles1 no doubt1 
stand for utility in a commercial age1  
but ,nature with her longer purview has 
little use for them and prefers a more  
rounded way of progress4 ,nature        
inspires1 but not in square-cut periods4
 ,it is a safe plan to turn to ,nature1 
as to the diagram of ,god1 if we find   
ourselves in any doubt as to the way4   
,let your air be good1 and your         
composition will be so likewise1 and    
will assuredly delight1 says tuneful    
,father ,haydn1 and ,music's outline in 
melody limns1 as does that of ,nature1  
the beauty of her design4 ,it speaks of 
wood or stream1 of billowed sky1 and now
 of sombre shadow4 ,it ripples in dainty
 dance1 or tumbles down in cascades of  
joy4 ,music's melody vies with the drive

 and bluster of the wind1 sobbing and   
sighing1 whistling round corners and    
playing pranks4 ,then1 maybe1 it sinks  
to silence1 and the white mist creeps   
up3 and now there is no melody1 no      
outline1 but just the one still sameness
 over all4  ,we live in a three         
dimensional world1 and in its length1   
breadth1 and solidity do we disport     
ourselves4 ,music also has its          
three-fold manner of expression1 its    
rhythm1 its melody1 and now its harmony4
 ,the rhythm is for balance1 the melody 
for the outline1 while the harmony      
constitutes the texture4 ,here again in 
other directions we may trace the same  
essentials3 there is a texture of       
colouring1 a style in ,literature1 and  
an appropriate technique for harmony in 
every branch of ,art1 just as there is  
an harmonic scheme in ,music4 ,this may 
be airy1 light1 and gossamer1 or turgid 
and obscure3 it may be commonplace or   
ponderous4 ,like ,nature1 it may have a 
thousand or a myriad shades to mirror as

 many moods and tenses4 ,it may have the
 misty filminess of steam1 the limpid   
deeps of water1 or the cold weight and  
icy dullness of pompous ignorance4  ,see
 how ,nature harmoniously groups her    
colour scheme1 with a master hand       
ensuring that nothing shall clash or be 
inappropriate4 ,into this scheme she    
introduces the song of birds and the    
sighing of the breeze1 with perhaps in  
the dull distance the roar of the sea   
growling away and refusing to be driven 
from its obstinate pedal bass4 ,into our
 life she brings affection rose-colour1 
and for openness and truth the blue of  
the sky4 ,she paints hatred dark1 and   
passion fiery4 ,energy she portrays as  
red1 and purity white4 ,could we but see
 ourselves in this colour-scheme we     
should realise that1 like ,god's fresh  
air1 all should be clear and bright1 but
 we ourselves pollute the design with   
the smoke of our own desires4  ,so the  
musician to-day takes the theme that has
 been given to him by the high gods1 for

 the idea in embryo comes from a ,higher
 ,power#a and paints in and accompanies 
it with such harmonies as his soul may  
sound and his technique record4 ,he has 
,nature for pattern1 and he may do what 
he will so long as1 ,nature-like1 there 
is life expressing itself4 ,everything  
in the world stands for something1 as   
even the hills stand for pulsing life4  
,as within1 so without3 the outer       
semblance is never the real thing1 but  
ever stands as a mirror to the inner4   
,the bird sings1 but he is ever         
expressing his soul in song3 it is only 
the human singer who can utter sounds   
without significance4 ,music is never   
mere notes1 never sound alone1 but      
always the outer form as the expression 
and unfoldment of something deeper4     
,rhythm1 melody1 and harmony are simply 
the three-fold means of expression1 both
 of the musician and of ,mother ,nature4
 ,of the two1 ,nature makes the better  
,music1 being closer to the heart of    
,god4  ,note #a3 ,macpherson4 ,music and

 its ,appreciation4     ,,chapter ,,ii  
,,the ,,place ,,of ,,music ,,in ,,life  
,music is not merely a matter for the   
cultured3 it is inextricably bound up in
 the bundle of common life  ,scholes    
,music1 as we have seen1 is implanted in
 the very nature of things1 and it is as
 deeply embedded in our lives4 ,was     
there ever a time when no man sang8 ,as 
a matter of evolutionary accuracy1 yes1 
there probably was such a time4 ,but1   
looking at it in a commonsense way the  
answer is ,no4 ,to-day we find that     
savages and aborigines1 who are still in
 the childhood stage of evolution1 are  
immensely susceptible to the sway of    
rhythm1 and in their weird dances to the
 beating of the ,tom-toms accompany     
their antics with a crooning or         
chanting1 which no doubt to them stands 
in the place of song4  ,was there ever a
 mother who did not croon to her fretful
 child1 and who did not rock her babe to
 sleep with rhythmic lullaby8 ,song     
spans the gap from mother ,eve to the   

mother of to-day3 the song may vary1    
though the emotion of the mother-love   
remains the same4 ,this crooning1 with  
its element of soothing monotony1 it is 
interesting to note is distinctly       
hypnotic in its effect1 for the sleep of
 hypnosis is definitely induced by      
monotonous stimulation of any of the    
senses4 ,the rocking and crooning on the
 part of the mother are quite akin1     
though unconsciously so1 to the approved
 scientific methods4 ,it is also curious
 that the nature of the monotonous      
stimulation does not seem to matter very
 much1 for there is a case on record    
where a doctor hypnotised a patient by  
reciting to him in a low voice a few    
verses of ,the ,walrus and the          
,carpenter4 ,the psycho-analysts would  
probably say that the patient went to   
sleep in self-defence4 ,we can well     
remember how we were lulled to sleep in 
earliest days to the following somewhat 
fearsome and original words sung to the 
tune of a popular hymn3--     ,bye1 bye1

 bye1 bye1     ,horse1 pig1 cow1 sheep1 
,rhinoceros1 donkey1 cat3     ,dog1     
dickie1 hippopotamus1     ,black-beetle1
 spider1 rat4  ,from which it appears   
evident that the actual words used as a 
soporific allow considerable latitude of
 choice4  ,no doubt ,pan piped1 and the 
,nymphs danced to his music in their    
woodland groves1 much as the poor       
kiddies in the slums and alleys of our  
smoke-ridden towns dance to-day when the
 ,italian organ man comes round with his
 instrument4 ,the melody and rhythm     
float out and call to the music lying   
hid in their hearts1 and their self     
responds4 ,something within them demands
 instant expression1 and they forget    
their slums in dancing their merry      
measure1 till the music stops and the   
,italian passes on to raise ,fairyland  
in the next slum4 ,music has given them 
a glimpse of something outside their    
dull and prosaic surroundings1 it has   
touched their hearts with a glamour     
which is a glint of spiritual sunshine  

in a drab world4  ,it was our privilege 
a dozen years or more ago to have a     
small share in the active work of the   
,art ,studies ,association of           
,liverpool4 ,this organisation1 due to  
the zeal of the ,director of ,education1
 existed for the purpose of introducing 
the joys of ,music to the children of   
the various elementary schools4         
,concerts of different types were given 
for their benefit in their own          
schoolrooms in the evenings1 and as     
admittance could not be given to all it 
was considered a privilege to be able to
 attend4 ,the pathos stills echoes in   
mind when we recall how some of these   
children1 boys and girls1 would trudge  
out in the wet evenings1 often          
ill-nourished and insufficiently clad1  
to taste the joys of music4 ,never was  
there any question of attention1 for    
they were eagerness personified1 and it 
seemed as if they found there something 
that their souls had missed4 ,too little
 do we realise that food and clothing do

 not suffice us1 young or old4 ,we      
cannot live by bread alone3 our stomachs
 may be full and our souls empty4 ,the  
spiritual side of our nature demands    
sustenance and1 as in the case of these 
hungry and often wet little school      
children1 it is the province of ,music  
to minister to that need4 ,a love of    
music is worth any amount of five-finger
 exercises1 and the capacity to enjoy a 
,symphony is beyond all examination     
certificates4#b  ,note #b3 ,everyman and
 his ,music4 ,scholes4  ,a brass band   
will fill a whole street with glamour1  
and the normal person finds it quite    
impossible to be out of step with the   
rhythm of the march4 ,watch the way in  
which1 as the ,pied ,piper of ,hamelin  
drew the children after him1 the band   
draws the elders to the window and the  
children to the street3 the appeal is   
never in vain4 ,marching in time with   
the music tired feet forget their       
weariness1 and new strength comes from  
the reserves of the greater self1       

liberated at the unspoken appeal of     
melody and rhythm4 ,the ,salvation ,army
 with its sometimes quite excellent     
brass bands ever attracts a crowd of    
interested listeners4 ,their enthusiasm 
is quite as real as1 and perhaps even   
more real than1 that of a fashionable   
audience in the ,queen's ,hall3 more    
real1 because if the ,salvation ,army   
fails to please it is always possible to
 walk away4 ,if a person is bored at the
 ,queen's ,hall a lack of moral courage 
will probably detain him to the end of  
the performance4 ,there is magic in a   
bugle call1 there are whole volumes of  
countryside history in a posthorn's     
blast as the four-horse coach swings    
past4 ,the beat of the drum and the     
shrill pipe of the fifes carry a        
come-along atmosphere with them1 and if 
we fail to answer the call it is most   
likely with a lingering feeling of      
regret that the days of adventure for us
 are past and gone4  ,all this is the   
incidental music of the highways and    

byways1 but as a perennial stimulant for
 the emotions we call for ,music's aid  
in many circumstances4 ,does not the    
villain of the piece enter and take the 
stage to a suggestively diabolic tremolo
 in the orchestra1 and is not the       
lovemaking also conducted to an         
appropriately sensuous accompaniment1   
sufficiently subdued1 to keep the       
emotions susceptible and fluid8 ,could  
the villain enter with the same eclat to
 a stony silence1 or the lovemaking     
thrill in the same way without the moral
 support of a few well-chosen harmonies8
 ,it may be that in heightening the     
emotional element we correspondingly    
diminish the appeal to the intelligence1
 and thus render ourselves less critical
 both of stage-villainy and of          
fictitious lovemaking4  ,nothing can be 
accomplished without music of some sort4
 ,we must have it in our churches and   
our chapels1 in our moving pictures1 in 
schools1 at banquets and dinners1 and in
 the restaurants4 ,could any bride feel 

the same satisfaction in walking down   
the silent aisle of the church1 after   
the most important ceremony in the      
world1 as if the organ were pealing out 
its good wishes in ,mendelssohn's       
,wedding ,march8 ,oh ,,no4 ,music we    
must have1 for it has wedded itself to  
all our pomp and ceremony1 and if we may
 not have it in any other guise we must 
at least end up with ,auld ,lang ,syne  
or ,for he's a jolly good fe-e-ellow1 or
 at any rate the ,national ,anthem4  ,in
 the robust and plain-speaking days of  
old ,pepys our forbears took their      
,musick seriously4 ,there was less of   
the gadding about that fills the time   
to-day1 and much of the melody was      
perforce home-made4 ,any educated person
 was expected to be able to take his    
part in a glee at sight1 and some of the
 music was none too easy at that4 ,the  
contrast with the present lamentable    
lack of sight-reading ability is most   
marked4 ,the number of people who could 
do the same to-day is1 in comparison1   

small4 ,we have not made progress in    
this direction1 indeed we have fallen   
back4 ,but we have multiplied our choirs
 and our choral societies1 our ,musical 
,festivals with their competitions have 
taken solid root1 training in musical   
work is now more widespread than ever   
before1 and these considerations have   
served1 and are serving1 to make music  
more and more a part of the national    
life4  ,sometimes indeed we happen upon 
music in unexpected quarters4 ,one of   
the most impressive scenes that comes to
 mind is an occasion during the ,great  
,war--in which music played so valiant a
 part in sustaining the morale of       
combatants and non-combatants           
alike--when1 drawn up on the departure  
platform of a ,metropolitan railway     
station1 in full kit and in two long    
ranks1 was a number of ,welsh ,guards4  
,they were singing some song in two     
parts1 and while the one half sustained 
the melody the others were rolling out a
 fine contrapuntal accompaniment with   

full1 resonant1 and sonorous tone4 ,the 
effect was quite remarkable4 ,song      
heartens us when weary and helps the    
miles to slip past even though the ditty
 be but ,tipperary or ,john ,brown's    
body4 ,in the emergency someone will    
strike up a ditty or a hymn and at once 
the human spirit and ,will revive their 
native courage3 did not the ,titanic    
sink to the strains of the hymn ,lead1  
kindly ,light1 sung by a group of those 
who were facing death1 and faced it with
 song upon their lips8  ,we have music  
in our heritage1 we have ,folk ,songs by
 land and ,chanties that smack of the   
seas3 in these there lies a wealth of   
melody and sentiment of which we have   
made too little4 ,but it is entirely    
charming to see the way in which small  
children in the schools will sing these 
songs with complete natural verve and   
appreciation4 ,oh1 no ,john1 no ,john1  
,no will be rendered with that ,art     
which only springs from artlessness4    
,surely it is to the young that we must 

look if the love of music is to be      
fostered and encouraged in the coming   
years4 ,let the rising generation become
 thoroughly well acquainted with the    
best ,musical works through the medium  
of concert-lectures1 the mechanical     
piano-player1 municipal1 hotel1 and     
garden concerts4 ,let them follow up    
their knowledge with reading about      
,musicians' lives1 work1 and influence4 
,throughout all this instruction--and   
from the very first--let them become    
acquainted with the elements of musical 
theory1 both in their minds and also as 
exemplified on the pianoforte keyboard3 
and when all this has been done we shall
 have a cultivated musical public--a    
public that is able to discriminate     
between the good and the bad1 the true  
and the false art4#c ,this may perhaps  
be the counsel of perfection of an      
enthusiast1 but progress lies more along
 the lines of appreciation of music than
 in the personal performance of it4     
,there are thousands who are able to    

appreciate the technical mastery of an  
instrument to every one who can         
accomplish it4 ,music as taught at      
present in the non-elementary schools is
 largely a snare and a delusion4 ,a few 
are turned out with a musicianly        
equipment1 largely in spite of the      
system rather than by its aid1 but the  
vast majority have little more than a   
smattering of musical knowledge and a   
mediocre standard of executive ability  
as the result of years of study4 ,but   
the growth of the artistic soul is not  
accomplished through the fingers1 and   
indeed it is not infrequently strangled 
at birth by five-finger exercises4      
,note #c3 ,newlandsmith4 ,the ,temple of
 ,art4  ,yet we are waking up4 ,music   
already occupies an unassailable        
position in our daily activities1 it    
will presently occupy a still greater   
place4 ,nothing is still1 and least of  
all does ,art remain fixed4 ,the whole  
world is awakening to a new standard of 
values1 for we have at length discovered

 the impossibility of running           
civilisation on purely materialistic    
lines4 ,the inner side of things is     
becoming manifest1 and a measure of     
spiritual insight is being vouchsafed to
 us3 therefore all those things which   
minister to the spiritual will be       
increased in our regard4 ,of these      
,music is certainly not the least4      
,religion1 love1 and ,music1 are they   
not the three-fold expression of the    
same fact1 the need of expansion under  
which every noble soul labours8#d ,so   
the ,art of the future may be expected  
to ally itself with religion1 on the    
side of spirit1 for the battle royal    
against the forces of an outworn        
materialism4 ,the end is not by any     
means yet1 but the issue is certain3 and
 we ourselves to-day may play the more  
valiant part in the moulding of the     
years to be if we realise to the full1  
not only what ,music is and the part it 
plays in life1 but also the fine        
possibilities that lie hidden in the    

future4  ,note #d3 ,balzac4             
,,chapter ,,iii  ,,the ,,expression ,,of
 ,,life  ,music is the mediator between 
the spiritual and the sensual life      
,beethoven   ,if ,music be a means of   
expression1 we must needs ask ourselves 
what it expresses4 ,it is entirely      
insufficient to accept music as sequence
 or a combination of tones that sound   
nice4 ,it would be just as reasonable to
 regard a meal as something that tastes 
nice1 whereas of course the meal has a  
meaning and a use beyond mere taste3 its
 purpose is to sustain life1 and the    
question of taste is merely incidental  
to the larger issue4 ,music therefore   
may sound nice1 but we desire to arrive 
at some explanation far transcending    
this4  ,all phases of life express      
something1 and we shall not be very far 
from the truth if we regard that        
something as spirit4 ,the grass1 we say1
 is alive3 but its life consists in its 
ability to express that essential       
something which we here term spirit4    

,when it is no longer able to accomplish
 this1 the grass is still there1 but we 
call it dead4 ,we might draw an apt     
parallel from the electric light bulb3  
this is nothing but a possible source of
 light1 until it is connected with the  
main supply from the generating station4
 ,the seeming independence of the bulb  
is a fiction1 it has no true existence  
as a lamp until it expresses itself by  
giving light4 ,yet the light is not its 
own light1 and when the filament breaks 
and the current can no longer circulate 
through the bulb it ceases to be a lamp4
 ,it is1 like the grass1 dead3 and for  
exactly the same reason1 that it can no 
longer express life or spirit4          
,furthermore1 the amount of resistance  
that a lamp interposes to the free      
circulation of the current through it   
has its effect upon the light it gives4 
,one lamp may yield a fine light1 and   
another on the same circuit may afford  
but poor illumination3 the one expresses
 well1 and the other ill4 ,so1 too1 with

 the grass1 one patch may be            
free-growing and another may be but poor
 stuff3 one expresses well1 and the     
other feebly4 ,in the same way with     
ourselves1 if our bodies have the life  
force circulating freely they express   
robust health3 and if the force find but
 a constricted channel1 then our bodies 
express health in scanty measure and    
approximate more to disease than to the 
normal well-being4 ,our bodies are no   
more independent organisms than is the  
lamp bulb3 they express the spirit which
 is the essence of the self1 and when   
that self withdraws the body is as dead 
as the grass or the worn-out bulb4 ,yet 
the failure of the bulb casts no        
reflection upon the generating station1 
for the current is still there4 ,we do  
not need to assume that the current has 
failed1 for in that case it would fail  
alike for every bulb upon the circuit4  
,if every form and phase of life were to
 expire and cease at a given moment1 we 
might then1 and then only1 be justified 

in assuming that spirit had ceased to   
be3 but in that case there would be but 
little need for us to worry about the   
point4  ,we may imagine spirit as the   
driving force behind everything1 as the 
urge towards evolution1 as the pent-up  
intelligence which ever seeks one       
variation and then another4 ,then1 when 
one variation appears1 more appropriate 
to its surroundings than others1 this1  
because of its fitness1 survives4 ,as   
human beings we are individualised      
fragments of the great universal spirit4
 ,there is only the one life and the one
 spirit1 but there are diversities of   
gifts to enable that spirit to be       
expressed4 ,the grass expresses it in   
its luxuriance1 its colour1 and its     
growth3 the birds in their song3 and the
 whole of what we are pleased to term   
the lower creation bespeaks this spirit 
in the daily activity4 ,when this       
expression ceases1 the thing that was   
once alive is dead4  ,there is no       
special merit that all the works of the 

,lord should thus praise the ,lord in   
their expression1 because below the     
stage of a human being there is no      
option4 ,the lower forms of life are    
like lamps on a circuit which light up  
by reason of the current over which they
 exercised no control4 ,but a human     
being is like a lamp that is connected  
with the main circuit and yet has its   
own switch4 ,this ability to switch on  
or off constitutes our measure of       
freewill1 our power of saying yes or no4
 ,it is a necessary accompaniment of our
 knowledge of good and evil for no      
choice1 no progress4 ,it betokens our   
progress from the merely animal stage of
 consciousness to that of               
self-consciousness--the phase of        
existence where we not only know1 but we
 know that we know4 ,this ability to    
express well1 badly1 or not at all1 just
 as we may please1 is our special       
prerogative3 it gives man the privilege1
 which is denied to all life below him1 
of deliberately choosing the worse and  

of making a fool of himself4 ,the       
animals know what is good for them      
because they follow their unreasoning   
instincts and blindly repeat the racial 
course of action implanted within them1 
and the mere survival of the species    
proves that this particular response to 
the particular circumstance has been    
tried out by ages of experience4 ,but a 
man blinds and smothers his instincts   
7and these at the best1 it may be       
observed1 are distinctly mixed7 or      
perhaps indulges them in defiance of his
 better judgment1 and thus his          
expression of his own divinity is often 
sadly marred4#e  ,note #e3 ,james       
,rhoades4     ,know this1 ,o man1 sole  
root of sin in thee     ,is not to know 
thine own divinity4  ,a man may even    
deny the very existence of spirit1 and  
thus by a subtle but efficacious species
 of self-suggestion prevent its         
manifestation in himself4 ,but whether  
he expresses this spirit well or ill1 a 
man does in fact join with all creation 

below him in manifesting this innate    
spirituality without which there can be 
no life4  ,thus everything stands for   
something else that is deeper1 there is 
an outer form and an inner soul or      
spirit4 ,spenser thus expresses it3--   
,for of the soule the bodie forme doth  
take1     ,for soule is forme1 and doth 
the bodie make4  ,it is only when we    
grasp this elementary truth that life   
becomes in the least plain and          
intelligible1 and the result of grasping
 it is that we cease to be deceived by  
the apparent values of things1 and are  
able to appraise them more at their true
 and spiritual worth4 ,we are then      
enabled to pass from circumstances      
7which are results7 to the realm of     
causes3 the balance is transferred from 
the seen to the unseen1 and the point of
 view approximates more to the eternal  
than the transient4 ,a greater poise and
 certainty follow as a matter of course1
 since the mental outlook is centred in 
the true rather than the seeming4  ,all 

life then is the expression of spirit1  
and our varied activities are but the   
modes of this expression4 ,to this1     
,music is no exception4 ,very naturally 
also1 the better the machinery or the   
technique of expression1 the more of the
 spirit can get through4 ,we can play   
more sympathetically1 more fluently1 and
 with finer effect on a beautiful grand 
than on a jangly upright instrument3 the
 one is a better vehicle of expression  
than the other4 ,so also we can secure  
more fluent expression with a fountain  
pen than with one that continually      
interrupts the free flow of ideas by    
demanding to be dipped in the inkpot4   
,we have two typewriters of the same    
manufacture1 but one is an early model  
and the other a modern machine3 there is
 a vast difference in the ease of       
expressing thought1 in the favour of the
 later instrument with all its special  
conveniences4 ,in general terms the     
object of all improvement of technical  
means is the better expression of the   

spirit4 ,musically1 to practise scales  
and exercises with the object of getting
 one's fingers loose is like eating for 
the sake of developing a fluent jaw     
action--the vision of the end has been  
lost in the means4 ,we must ever keep in
 view the fact that life itself1 and    
especially ,art and ,music1 can only    
fulfil a proper purpose when resulting  
in the ever-increasing and better       
expression of the underlying spirit1 or 
as ,elgar puts it--more of ,truth4  ,the
 law of spirit is ,love4 ,the drive of  
spirit is ever upward towards progress1 
aspiration1 and unity4 ,if we take a    
drop of quicksilver and separate it into
 smaller particles1 as soon as ever the 
conditions allow1 these smaller globules
 will amalgamate themselves with the    
larger body from which they have been   
temporarily divorced4 ,we can almost    
imagine we hear them utter a fervent    
thank goodness as they reach that home  
of heart's desire4 ,so are we1 too1 as  
separated and individualised sparks of  

the divine fire1 burning till at length 
we reach our freedom and can merge      
ourselves in that ,sun of spirit whence1
 trailing clouds of glory1 we have come4
  ,man1 we say1 is a gregarious animal1 
and it is certainly only the man of     
warped mind who seeks to cut himself off
 from his fellows3 we are all of us     
spirits1 and spirit seeks unity and     
approach4 ,love is the one uniting and  
binding force in the universe1 just as  
its opposite--hatred--is the            
disintegrating element4 ,love operates  
in attraction1 as we see it in          
motherhood1 childhood1 and the love of  
man and maid4 ,but it also works on the 
grand scale in the guise of the law of  
,gravity which attracts and binds       
universes together1 and regulates and   
controls the swing of inconceivable     
immensities4 ,look again and we may see 
love working as chemical affinity to    
attract molecule to molecule1 or as     
cohesion to keep the very particles knit
 together in kinship4  ,it is this      

spirit of love that unites the myriad   
cells of our own body into the little   
commonwealth of self3 when this         
life-force withdraws1 the love ceases to
 bind1 and immediately the dead body    
becomes infinitely alive1 but the unity 
is at an end and decomposition has set  
in4 ,so love is the fulfilling of the   
law3 not merely a law1 but the very     
fundamental law on which our continued  
existence hangs4 ,eliminate gravity1 and
 the universe as we know it must come to
 an end in a catastrophe which it is    
beyond the power of our imagination to  
conceive4 ,if cohesion ceased to be1    
then everything would fall to powder and
 would disintegrate4 ,destroy all love  
between man and man1 and civilisation   
itself would fall to pieces4 ,this is no
 question of dogma1 gospel1 or man-made 
law1 it is simply a plain statement of  
the fundamental condition of our very   
existence4 ,the importance of love is   
paramount1 and if we are wise we shall  
seek to discover these overriding laws  

of our being1 and adjust our lives in   
conformity with their requirements4     
,spirit is love1 and love manifests     
itself in service3 the love that seeks  
its own ends1 or strives to get instead 
of to serve1 is no love at all4         
,therefore if ,music is to express this 
spirit it must do so by contributing its
 meed of assistance to make this        
workaday world more bright by gladdening
 the heart of man4 ,quite obviously much
 of the music that is written has been  
composed with no such intent1 therefore 
and to that extent it stultifies itself4
 ,it must be classed as the sounding    
brass and tinkling cymbal of the        
prophet4 ,st4 ,paul's analysis of the   
reason of the ineffectiveness of such1  
too1 is searchingly accurate3 that1     
lacking charity1 it signified nothing4  
,charity is only another synonym for    
that love which is the manifestation of 
spirit4 ,the true musician has this     
spirit of love within him and it demands
 expression1 and so we find ,mozart     

exclaiming ,i write because ,i cannot   
help it4 ,so ,granville ,bantock1       
too--,the impulse to create ,music is on
 me1 and ,i write to gratify my impulse4
 ,when ,i have written the work ,i have 
done with it4 ,what ,i do desire is to  
begin to enjoy myself by writing        
something else4#f ,the musician sings   
because he must3 he writes so that the  
spirit may find its outlet in that      
direction3 or he plays1 when only       
through his fingers and the instrument  
can he find that expression which his   
soul demands4  ,note #f3 ,j4 ,c4        
,hadden1 ,modern ,musicians4  ,when     
,music is thus outpoured it speaks of   
spirit1 and adds to the spiritual store 
of the world4 ,it reinforces the unseen 
hosts that fight for spirit in the      
age-long struggle with the powers of    
materialism and darkness4 ,no breath of 
spirit is ever lost1 and nothing devoid 
of it is ever permanent1 either in music
 or in anything else4 ,sounds without   
sense or meaning are futile1 notes      

without a heartfelt message are returned
 empty as they were sent forth1 and     
practice without purpose other than mere
 self-gratification1 agility1 or        
display1 is a magnificent and glorious  
waste of time4 ,but ,music1 when its    
true underlying purport is discovered1  
is at once an inspiration and a most    
real means of achieving that fundamental
 object1 for which our very existence   
here at this present moment is devised1 
namely spiritual growth and development4
     ,,chapter ,,iv  ,,spirit ,a        
,,living ,,fact  ,is ,music the         
inarticulate ,speech of the ,angels on  
earth8 ,or a voice of the ,undiscovered 
,bringing great truths to the birth8    
,f4 ,w4 ,faber   ,life is a diversity in
 unity1 and the expression in countless 
different forms and shapes of the one   
fundamental reality1 spirit4 ,we        
ourselves are comprehended in this      
definition1 being part of this          
fundamental spirit1 and claiming thereby
 our divinity4 ,music also1 as a part of

 life1 is subject to the same           
explanation3 and thus the spirit of     
,music is a real thing4 ,the ,muses of a
 ,classical day typified this same idea 
of the spirit behind the form4 ,indeed  
man1 spiritual as at base he is1 can    
never rest finally satisfied with the   
outer semblance and form3 just as the   
body craves sustenance1 so does the     
spiritual part of him4 ,no amount of    
physical satisfaction will ever allay   
the heart-hunger1 and no flood of       
,rationalist thinking will ever put an  
end to the instinctive search after the 
,unknown ,god4  ,in spiritual law1 as in
 natural law1 nothing is ever lost4 ,we 
study the physical1 and by analogy we   
may learn much of the spiritual3 we have
 not been left without guidance in the  
maze of life4 ,but the first essential  
is that we should study those things    
which are open to us1 and through them  
learn something of the wisdom that      
otherwise lies hidden4 ,nothing is lost3
 we see1 as the hymn puts it1 change and

 decay1 but the decay is only change of 
form1 and death1 in the form of         
extinction1 simply does not exist4 ,even
 thoughts1 transient and gossamer as    
they may appear1 do their work in our   
brains and leave their permanent impress
 with us4 ,occultists further assure us 
that they are recorded in the eternal   
archives4 ,it is said that there are the
 ,akashic ,records1 in some subtle way  
which we cannot pretend to understand1  
imprinted in the ether4 ,this primary   
substance is of exquisite fineness and  
is so sensitive that the slightest      
vibration444 registers an indelible     
impression upon it4#g ,if this be so1   
then here is the story of all that has  
ever been1 and all that is4 ,in our own 
subconscious minds we know full well    
that there is such a perfect and        
complete record as to constitute an     
individual ,judgment ,book within of    
unimpeachable accuracy1 and there seems 
to be nothing intrinsically unreasonable
 in the idea that there should be       

something of the kind on a world scale4 
,monumental histories of the traditional
 lost continent of ,atlantis have been  
compiled1 professedly from this source1 
and we find an interesting inkling of   
the same idea in the way in which       
objects will sometimes impress sensitive
 folk with their own history4 ,things   
sometimes have a feel about them1       
pleasant or the reverse1 just as        
buildings acquire an aura and an        
atmosphere1 sacred or convivial1 or even
 unholy4  ,note #g3 ,dowling4 ,the      
,aquarian ,gospel4  ,the musician1 then1
 may obey ,nature's universal behest1   
and change his form from the physical of
 to-day to the more tenuous of a finer  
realm4 ,he may die3 but his music lives 
on4 ,he perhaps has played his part in  
the world symphony and1 his present work
 finished1 he lays his instrument aside4
 ,this body of ours is the instrument of
 the spirit3 no wedding feast without a 
wedding garment1 and no part or lot in  
the physical world without a body4 ,the 

tuning of the body to delicate response 
and high endeavour enables the spirit to
 express its melody the better1 and     
therefore it is incumbent upon the      
musician to cultivate a high standard of
 physical health4 ,this does not mean   
the maximum of nourishment1 combined    
with stimulants to compel a jaded       
appetite3 on the contrary1 artistic     
efficiency demands super-cleanliness and
 a tolerably rigid self-denial4 ,girth  
is no measure of artistic ability4 ,but 
the body1 sound or otherwise1 is the    
instrument through which we play life's 
little tune1 just as the pianist plays  
through his pianoforte4 ,but when we    
have closed the pianoforte nobody       
supposes that we have extinguished the  
artist1 or annihilated the music3 we    
have merely put an end to its expression
 for the time4 ,so when our instrument  
of the body grows old1 worn-out1 or     
decrepit1 so that it can no longer      
answer to the dictates of the spirit    
within1 we cast it aside1 as an         

instrument whose keys are broken1 or    
whose strings are for ever mute4 ,then  
the musician goes upon his far journey4 
,but long though the journey seem1 it is
 a change of state rather than of place3
 as if from being cased in solid ice he 
now were buoyant in limpid water4 ,his  
music and his melodies which were so    
great a part of him now constitute his  
real self1 besides being for ever       
inscribed upon the roll of eternal      
remembrance4 ,so the great musicians    
still live on1 and when we claim that   
such-and-such an interpreter gives us   
the spirit of ,bach1 we may be saying   
more truly than we realise4 ,there is no
 limit to the range of thought save the 
intrinsic nature of the thought itself4 
,all thoughts seek their own1 by the law
 of sympathy3 like to like1 fine to     
fine1 and gross to gross4 ,not all of us
 give due credit to the anomalous nature
 of love1 reaching as high as heaven1   
sinking as low as hell1 uniting in      
itself all extremes of good and evil1 of

 lofty and low4#h ,so when a man steeps 
himself in thoughts of a type1 when he  
ponders over and lives in the music of a
 master1 his thoughts span the realms   
and the ages1 and he reaches that       
master1 even if only to touch the hem of
 his garment4 ,then the master's        
thoughts are his1 and he truly gives of 
the spirit of the music1 for a measure  
of inspiration has been vouchsafed to   
him4  ,note #h3 ,jung4 ,analytical      
,psychology4  ,whatever we dwell upon   
has its tuning effect upon our thoughts1
 and thus we reach some of the lore and 
wisdom of those who have trodden the way
 before us4 ,the inventor and the       
discoverer are truly what the words     
imply3 the inventor comes upon the new  
idea or principle1 and the discoverer   
uncovers and makes plain4 ,but all the  
ideas and all the new and novel         
discoveries1 and all the laws1 were     
there before3 we only reach them when we
 have climbed to a sufficient height to 
be able to apprehend them4 ,so the      

musician who reaches the spirit of ,bach
 has1 by the attunement of his thoughts 
and his aspirations1 crept into the     
heart of the music and has tugged at the
 musician's heart-strings4 ,he has      
touched the composer's soul1 and        
henceforth he plays ,music1 not notes4  
,again1 ,bach1 and all the masters of   
,music have in their turn but discovered
 the ,music that was already there4 ,no 
man really creates1 any more than the   
gardener creates an oak tree by the     
planting of an acorn4 ,the gardener     
provides the necessary conditions in    
which the oak1 already miraculously pent
 within the acorn1 can unfold and       
develop4 ,so the musician also provides 
the necessary conditions in which the   
spirit of ,music can blossom and bear   
fruit4 ,he need take to himself no vast 
amount of credit1 for he is but a       
trustee of that which has been lent to  
him3 he neither creates it nor owns it4 
,his music is a gift of spirit1 and when
 by his life's work he has glorified    

that gift1 then henceforth that is his  
contribution to the universal store of  
spirit1 and his ,art belongs to the     
ages4  ,inspiration is a commonplace of 
life1 though only too often we think of 
it solely in connection with religion1  
and especially with reference to the    
,bible4 ,because thought flies free and 
ever consorts like with like1 so almost 
every moment of our days we are         
inspiring others and being inspired in  
return4 ,it is mere delusion that we    
consider ourselves independent units1   
for we are literally built of one       
another4 ,memory largely constitutes the
 man1 for his every experience and      
thought is recorded by his subconscious 
memory1 and goes to the making of his   
characteristics and his personality4    
,day by day we meet1 and perforce       
remember each other3 we remember also   
those to whom we may never have spoken1 
and so--unintroduced--they creep in this
 subtle way into our personality4 ,we   
are1 each one of us1 united by bonds of 

emotional influence with the            
personalities of all those with whom we 
have had to do4 ,if we could see them1  
they would guide us to their objects1   
for they never lose their way4 ,thus by 
threads of love1 threads of hatred1     
threads of adoration1 threads of        
thought1 the universe of souls is       
interpenetrated and linked up into a    
unity of correlated activity1 an        
intricate web of life4#i ,something of  
myself goes1 in my thoughts1 into this  
written word3 you read it1 and as the   
thought incorporates itself in your mind
 so does some tenuous element of my     
personality creep into your own4 ,our   
independence is a fiction4 ,we inspire  
each other1 whether we like it or no4   
,note #i3 ,c4 ,j4 ,whitby1 ,m4,d4 ,the  
,open ,secret4  ,but inspiration is of  
all kinds3 it is like those neutral     
forces of faith and thought1 which      
depend for their result upon the        
direction in which they are turned4     
,inspiration can uplift1 but it may also

 degrade4 ,we ourselves by the tuning of
 our own thoughts determine which it    
shall accomplish4 ,like can only answer 
to like3 anger can never play echo to   
love1 for their vibrations are so far   
apart in attunement that the one cannot 
influence the other4 ,but anger answers 
to anger1 and love to love4 ,it is the  
eternal response of the love implanted  
in the spirit of man that ever bids him 
answer to the love that radiates from   
the divine4 ,hence1 in whatever age or  
clime we look1 always there is to be    
seen man in quest for the unseen1 after 
joy1 beauty1 truth1 happiness1 after all
 those spangles that glitter on the     
garment of love4  ,the mind of man is   
ever the tenuous instrument upon which  
are playing the invisible forces of     
inspiration4 ,all the thoughts that have
 existed1 exist still3 all the thoughts 
that man can ever think are there       
already1 they do but await the time and 
season in which he can sense and        
interpret them4 ,these are the future   

discoveries for you and for me4 ,the    
pioneers who have passed our way are    
still working at the tasks that were at 
once their life and love3 and they have 
not gone so far upon the journey that   
they have outspanned the reach of       
thought4 ,if our thoughts be fine and   
unselfish enough1 if aspiration tune    
them sufficiently high1 they will reach 
their aim3 and the reply will be        
vouchsafed4 ,there was never yet an     
aspirant who was unable to find a       
teacher4 ,it is most true that the      
living and the dead are still one       
family1 for of course there are no dead1
 unless we most correctly put into this 
category the dull of hearing1 the dull  
of heart1 and the loveless who still    
walk this earth4 ,but if we deem the    
pioneers defunct and inarticulate1 then 
it is little likely that we shall       
comprehend the reality and the          
naturalness of this interplay and       
inspiration4 ,if we never seek1         
information and insight will scarcely   

drop upon us from the skies4  ,we talk  
of inspired playing1 inspired teaching1 
the gift of song1 and so on1 and we talk
 of a reality4 ,the playing that is not 
inspired is worth but little1 it has the
 worth of a nutshell with the kernel    
gone amissing4 ,it is sound1 perhaps it 
may even be fine sound1 yet it signifies
 nothing3 it is as the painted face     
aping true beauty4 ,art without         
inspiration is our electric light bulb  
disconnected from the main current4     
,there are prophets in the world to-day1
 for a prophet in the strict sense of   
the word is one who speaks forth his    
message4 ,everyone who senses something 
of the eternal message--which is        
love--is in his degree a prophet1 yea   
and a saviour too4 ,he may speak or     
sing1 he may perform or compose1 he may 
wait and serve1 or he may just pass his 
message on with a handshake and a smile3
 he is an interpreter1 a medium twixt   
wisdom and the unwise4 ,thus we must    
place the true artist1 whatever be the  

particular bent of his activities1 as a 
prophet in his day and his generation4  
,that he may be far from being regarded 
as such by those to whom he ministers is
 merely one of the incidental           
disadvantages of being a prophet4       
,quite obviously also there will be both
 good prophets and bad3 even a prosaic  
telegram may be repeated on payment of  
half the original cost1 because of the  
possibility of error occurring in the   
text4 ,how much more may error occur1   
then1 when tenuous messages are being   
sent from high sources by the power of  
thought1 and when the receiving         
instrument is so often imperfect1 so    
frequently out of gear1 and when that   
instrument in addition is more than a   
trifle wilful and tainted with          
selfishness4 ,inspiration is ever ready1
 it floats around us like tuned wireless
 vibrations waiting to be picked up by a
 sympathetic receiver4 ,yet so few      
receivers1 being but human after all1   
are sensitive enough and sufficiently   

delicate in in their poise to catch the 
floating news3 and so the harvest is    
plenteous but those who garner it are   
few4  ,perhaps ,sullivan felt something 
of this when1 in the ,prodigal ,son1 he 
penned the simplest and yet most        
eloquent of melodies to the words1 ,o   
that thou hadst hearkened to ,my        
commandments1 ending up with the words1 
set too simply for any but a consummate 
artist to sing with complete            
effect1--,turn ye1 turn ye--why will ye 
die8 ,the marvel truly is that we are   
already so dead1 so immured and         
petrified in our hard self-satisfaction1
 when we might so easily develop the    
freedom1 fluidity1 and delicacy of fine 
response to these tenuous intimations of
 our own spirituality and high destiny4 
,here we live1 as some writer has aptly 
said1 on top of a gold mine1 and the    
tragedy is that we are ignorant of the  
gold4 ,we live1 and move1 and have our  
being in an ocean of spiritual and      
inspiring thought3 surely our problem is

 to find the conditions that will avail 
to put us in touch with this lively     
world of inspiration in which we are    
accustomed to pass so dead and          
unresponsive an existence4     ,,chapter
 ,v  ,,the ,,conditions ,,of            
,,inspiration  ,the greatest            
,masterpieces in ,music will be found to
 contain sensuous1 emotional1 and       
rational factors1 and something beside3 
some divine element of life by which    
they are animated and inspired  ,w4 ,h4 
,hadow   ,it may be interesting for a   
little space to consider the conditions 
under which ,inspiration operates1 for1 
like any other faculty1 it is subject to
 the control of law4 ,we have already   
emphasised the universality of vibration
 and the call of like to like1 but the  
theme will bear some further            
elaboration4  ,we adventure into the    
study of sound and its laws and we find 
that all sounds are propagated by means 
of waves4 ,these proceed in circular    
fashion1 as do the ripples upon the     

still surface of a lake into which a    
stone has been thrown4 ,further1 these  
waves are of differing rates4 ,middle   
,c1 on the piano1 for instance1 is made 
by waves that reach us at the rate of   
about #bef per second4 ,as sound travels
 roughly at #a1ajj feet to the second1  
it is clear that the wave of this note  
is something over four feet from crest  
to crest4 ,the wave of a note an octave 
higher would be double the rate and half
 the length4 ,in addition to this there 
may be big waves and little waves       
travelling at the same rate1 and also   
the actual shape of the waves may differ
 very widely4 ,thus waves have points of
 similarity and yet their infinite      
variety1 as do human beings4  ,this     
variety in the shape of the waves       
results in the difference in timbre     
between various tones4 ,nobody could    
fail to distinguish between the sound of
 a note played on a penny whistle and   
the same note given out on a violin or a
 cornet3 yet the actual rate of wave    

would be the same in each case4 ,the    
reason is that no tone is a pure        
fundamental tone1 there are always      
super-added a number of other tones1    
termed the overtones4 ,these are1 to the
 original tone1 exactly what the        
flavouring is to the pudding4 ,you have 
your fundamental tone and you can add   
your overtones to taste3 you can flavour
 with the penny whistle1 the violin1 or 
the cornet timbre to suit yourself4 ,but
 according to the flavouring1 so is the 
shape of the wave4 ,isolated fundamental
 tones are apt to be colourless and     
monotonous1 like the diapason work on an
 organ4 ,the organist is able to flavour
 his fundamental tone at will1 by the   
stops he draws to add to it3 he has a   
special supply of mixtures which sound  
truly dreadful and impossible by        
themselves1 but these in combination    
with the fundamental go to the making of
 a successful timbre4 ,carrots1 by      
themselves1 are not a ,christmas diet1  
but we understand that they go to       

improve the flavour of the festive      
pudding4  ,in some such way as this     
thoughts are tuned1 and from the        
thoughts we think1 the desires we       
entertain1 and the aspirations which    
fill our souls1 the timbre of our life  
is determined4 ,no one is fundamentally 
and wholly good or bad1 we have all of  
us our overtones1 and some of us have   
very curious mixtures which go to make  
us what we are4 ,but just as the        
gramophone will take in all the         
wonderful complexity of sound waves     
which are sent out by a whole orchestra 
of instruments1 and will combine these  
into one wavy line on the record--a kind
 of compound wave containing all the    
elements so mixed--so also it is with   
ourselves4 ,all the thought elements are
 so mixed in us that as we go through   
life we vibrate to a note that is       
unique1 compounded as it is of all those
 inner thoughts and emotions that are so
 exclusively our own4 ,to those who     
sound the same note1 or one that is in  

harmony1 we are akin4 ,we meet them for 
the first time1 and in a moment we have 
known them for years1 perhaps always3 we
 play unison or harmony in our          
sympathetic attunement4 ,on the other   
hand1 sounding our persistent middle ,c 
on our little journey1 perhaps we come  
up against an equally insistent ,c      
sharp3 excellent notes1 each of         
them--yet there promises but doubtful   
harmony4 ,keep to your own key1 and be  
happy4  ,whatever note we sing is an    
invisible1 and yet most potent1         
influence in our lives4 ,we may deem    
that our thoughts do not matter         
overmuch1 and that it is only deeds that
 count4 ,heresy and mistake4 ,thoughts  
make us or mar us4 ,sympathy ensures    
that we are surrounded and encompassed  
by that which we ourselves attract4     
,there is a law of consonance1 and we   
are responsible for things in a way that
 but few realise4 ,this note we sing1   
this mirror of our personality1 this    
invisible force attracts our friends3   

change the note--the personality--and we
 inevitably alter the friendships which 
were determined thereby4 ,this same note
 selects the clothes we wear1 the things
 we eat1 it chooses the books we read   
and the avocations we pursue4 ,it is    
reflected in the pictures on our walls1 
and in the furniture which decorates our
 rooms4 ,it determines the prospects    
which are before us1 just as it has     
attracted the appropriate difficulties  
and trials that we have left behind4 ,it
 marries us1 and eventually it buries   
us4 ,sometimes our overtones of desires 
or greed inter us long before our lease 
of life is due to expire4 ,but perhaps  
most important of all1 it determines and
 selects the ,inspiration we are able to
 receive4  ,thoughts of every kind beat 
upon our minds1 as the waves lap the    
seashore1 but we are only able to       
respond to those that call and awaken   
some sympathetic answer within us4 ,the 
heart that is pure can live in an ocean 
of impurity1 and yet remain unsullied3  

but the character with anger implanted  
within will find that anger blazing out 
in echo and answer to a hundred         
provocations a day4 ,hatred means       
nothing1 in temptation or response1 to a
 heart overflowing with love4 ,thus this
 attunement is at once an avenue for our
 assault1 or our sure shield of defence1
 according as its note determines4 ,a   
low tone is an ever-present danger1 and 
a high one a permanent safeguard4       
,inspiration is therefore only possible 
to us at our own level1 and unless we   
are mentally attuned to a high note the 
inspiration itself will reach no lofty  
measure4 ,it is true that a mood of     
exaltation1 of earnest prayer or        
aspiration1 may enable us to catch a    
glimpse of the higher vision1 but under 
these circumstances it is apt to be     
elusive and fragmentary4 ,the condition 
of any permanent influx is that the     
attunement should be habitually and     
continuously lofty4 ,when this condition
 is at length reached we are not so very

 far from that prayer without ceasing1  
which most truly means the practice of  
the presence of ,god4  ,the avenue of   
inspiration is the subconscious part of 
the mind1 that part of us which in fact 
constitutes the greater self4 ,in       
ordinary life this department of mind is
 more or less shielded by the           
consciousness4 ,it would retain the     
permanent impress of every idea it came 
across1 were it not that the            
consciousness off-hand and summarily    
rejects a number of impressions which   
might otherwise prove detrimental4 ,one 
man calls another a fool1 but this one  
knows very well that he is nothing of   
the kind1 and so the idea carries very  
little weight in its record on the      
subconscious4 ,on the other hand1 if    
there were no protective mechanism of   
this nature1 the subconscious might very
 well accept the statement and believe  
that its owner certainly was the fool he
 had been dubbed4 ,the effect1          
therefore1 of consciousness is thus to  

limit and reduce this sensitiveness and 
susceptibility of the subconscious part 
of mind4  ,as the consciousness passes  
out of action1 as in dream states1 brown
 studies1 and in the induced sleep of   
hypnosis1 this sensitiveness and        
activity of the subconscious gradually  
emerges4 ,the normal sleep1 or as       
,iamblichus calls it--,the night-time of
 the body--is1 to continue his remark1  
the day-time of the soul4 ,thus it is so
 often in the ,bible stories that we    
find the phrase--,the ,lord--or the     
,angel of the ,lord--appeared1 in a     
dream4 ,these waves of thought and      
,inspiration are continually lapping the
 margin of our subconscious selves1 both
 by day and by night1 leaving the       
dream-traces of their impress as the    
ripple leaves its marks upon the sand4  
,it is the connection between this      
under-mind and the consciousness that is
 so frequently at fault1 so that we     
remain unaware of the tidings4 ,usually 
the consciousness is kept so busily     

engaged that it never has a minute to   
itself1 and so peace1 quiet1 and        
receptivity are unknown4 ,the           
subconscious tries hard to get in its   
modest word occasionally and edgeways1  
but the consciousness rarely stops      
talking3 the whole business is          
one-sided4 ,plenty of material goes from
 the consciousness to the subconscious1 
but comparatively little is able to come
 in the reverse direction4  ,this1 of   
course1 is a distorted method of        
existing3 there should ever be in the   
mind a process corresponding to the     
in-breathing and out-breathing of the   
lungs4 ,the active and acquisitive      
consciousness procures the mental food3 
the subconscious stores this up1        
assimilates it1 and turns it into a kind
 of inner mentor or conscience which in 
due course issues its orders and offers 
its advice4 ,but just as we are said to 
stifle the still1 small voice1 so also  
do we strangle our possible inventions  
and discoveries1 and so do we cause our 

inspirations to remain still-born4 ,this
 is the price we pay for our mad rush   
after the things that do not matter4 ,we
 have said that no aspirant ever lacks a
 teacher1 but we would further say that 
when a person is content to make use of 
the subconscious powers he possesses1 he
 will find that the knowledge and the   
inspiration he earnestly seeks will be  
granted him4 ,with an eye made quiet by 
the power of harmony1 and the deep power
 of joy1 we see into the heart of       
things4#aj ,the acorn is already in the 
garden of the mind1 we need only to     
provide the requisite conditions for    
growth1 and the oak tree will then      
follow as a matter of course4  ,note    
#aj3 ,wordsworth4  ,things grow and     
fashion themselves in this under-mind1  
as the novelist and dramatist will      
testify4 ,the artist finds his picture  
forming itself before his inner vision1 
and so the musician hears his           
composition4 ,it comes1 they say3 so    
does the oak4 ,but like the oak it can  

only come when conditions allow1 and one
 of the main conditions is that the     
consciousness should not rule the roost1
 and hold sway and dominance to the     
exclusion and smothering of the still1  
small voice4 ,be still1 and know4  ,many
 things and conditions clog             
communication from the under-mind to the
 consciousness4 ,the well-being of the  
body is of the utmost importance3 a     
clogged and constipated body is no      
medium for inspiration4 ,high living    
kills the genius of inspiration1 and    
masterpieces are more often produced in 
the garret than where luxury rules4     
,success is an even greater test of true
 genius than is poverty4 ,a bilious     
attack will put a stop to the most      
perfervid outpourings of genius1 and a  
common cold in the nose will play havoc 
with a work of ,art4 ,an unstable       
temperament will have its moments of    
exaltation and its hours of despair3    
this is sensitiveness uncontrolled4     
,sensitiveness is indeed the            

stock-in-trade of all who work in the   
temple of ,art1 but unless it be        
controlled by reins of more than        
ordinary strength it is a very doubtful 
blessing4 ,we must ever be able to keep 
our souls in tune so that they afford no
 echo to the undesirable4 ,indulgence of
 the body in any form hampers its work  
as an instrument of the spirit1 while   
self-discipline 7tho' by no means to the
 verge of asceticism7 increases its     
sensitiveness1 and occasional quiet     
periods afford the opportunity for the  
subconscious treasures to reveal        
themselves4  ,on the mental side1       
selfishness is one of the most complete 
and effectual deadeners of inspiration4 
,the delicate intimations of finer      
things can make no impression on a      
hide-bound mind4 ,as ,trine somewhere   
puts it--,the man who is always thinking
 of himself generally looks as if he    
were thinking of something disagreeable4
 ,the self-centred mind is a mind closed
 to other things1 and to this extent it 

is nearly always unbalanced and         
distorted4 ,under these conditions such 
inspiration as it may receive is liable 
to be of an uncouth and bizarre nature4 
,hatred1 malice1 and all                
uncharitableness tune the mind to very  
undesirable levels1 and at this level it
 will come in touch with the whole body 
of similar undesirable thought that is  
circulating around it4 ,it both gives   
out and receives4 ,such a mind is indeed
 doing active work in the world1 but in 
the wrong direction4 ,nevertheless1 the 
individual who sets himself to work     
positively and constructively to utilise
 inspiration1 as it assuredly may be    
used1 is in some degree helping his     
generation and becoming a prophet1 and  
maybe a saviour4     ,,chapter ,,vi     
,,the ,,interpreter  ,i like joy1 for it
 is life4 ,i preach joy1 for it alone   
gives the power of creating useful and  
lasting work  ,jaques ,dalcroze   ,there
 are1 roughly speaking1 three classes of
 interpreters in ,music3 performers or  

executants1 composers1 and teachers4    
,the function of each of these is1 by a 
special sensitiveness1 to apprehend the 
message of spirit1 and then1 by their   
own technique and in their own          
particular way1 to pass it on for the   
benefit of others4 ,in the body the     
nervous system1 which is the link       
between spirit and matter1 serves       
somewhat the same purpose4 ,spirit is   
too tenuous to be able to act directly  
upon the comparatively inert matter of  
the body1 but through the medium of the 
brain and nervous system it makes       
contact with spirit at the one end1 and 
at the other the nerves control the     
muscular system1 which effects the      
necessary and desired movements4 ,thus  
the spirit in music is sensed by the    
artist in solitude and communion1 and is
 given out by him to the multitude in   
public4  ,the artist thus necessarily   
has two sides to his work1 the inner and
 the outer1 the artistic and the        
technical4 ,no amount of technique alone

 will ever make an artist1 nor will     
artistic or spiritual perception by     
itself enable the message to secure     
adequate treatment4 ,both sides are     
indispensable4 ,but there has been far  
too much worship of mere technique in   
,music1 until at times even the fact    
that there has been any message at all  
has been overlooked4 ,in times1 happily 
now gone by1 a simple melody which      
perhaps by itself might have conveyed a 
homely message1 has been smothered under
 showers of variations1 decked out in   
wearisome arpeggios1 and entangled in   
meaningless scales1 until it has        
reminded one of nothing so much as a    
vulgar and greatly over-dressed woman3  
and yet this has been looked upon as    
music4 ,technique is indeed necessary1  
but only as a means to an end4 ,directly
 it begins to obscure the meaning1 or is
 developed for its own sake without     
reference to its task1 it is missing the
 mark4 ,it puts itself on a par with the
 stupidity that leads a man to undertake

 to play the piano for twenty-four hours
 without stopping4  ,so many hours'     
scales per diem would be warranted to   
drive the spirit of music to            
distraction3 the utmost perfection in   
scales does not of necessity lead to any
 illuminating message4 ,it cannot be too
 strongly urged that the feeling and the
 emotion are the real things1 and that  
the object of technique is simply that  
these may be expressed in the best and  
most intelligible manner4 ,indeed the   
artist himself is secondary in          
importance to the message1 it is the    
spirit that works in and through him    
that must ever come first4 ,the true    
artist never seeks to obtrude1 or to    
make his own personality the first      
thing4 ,he will1 of course1 endeavour to
 make his technique fully equal to all  
demands that can be made of him1 but he 
will realise that he is doing his work  
in trust4 ,no ,,man ever did any great  
work yet3 he became a free channel      
through which the eternal powers        

moved4#aa ,in thus working the artist   
shines1 as does the electric bulb1 by   
reason of the unlimited power which     
according to his own measure may flow   
through him3 and this limitless power   
may be relied upon to secure its own    
effect1 if only the steward be faithful4
  ,note #aa3 ,newlandsmith4 ,the ,temple
 of ,art4  ,contrast the work done in   
this spirit with that accomplished under
 the stimulus of financial gain1 or for 
the end of mere selfish display4 ,the   
latter is a species of artistic         
prostitution4 ,superficially the        
performances may seem something alike1  
the difference may be intangible1 but it
 exists and is real4 ,time is ever the  
winnower4 ,things always prove their    
survival value1 that is to say the real 
things last1 while the shams are sooner 
or later extinguished4 ,it is necessary1
 no doubt1 to make a living1 no one will
 be so foolish as to overlook this      
elementary fact3 but the mere aim of    
making a living only too often obscures 

the actual meaning of life4 ,balanced   
and informed views of life work1 through
 a law of consonance1 to ensure a       
corresponding equilibrium in the outer  
circumstances3 in other words1 if we    
seek first the inner ,kingdom1 all these
 things1 financial means and so forth1  
will be added4 ,but there are thousands 
who drive for the financial and other   
incidental ends1 and as a matter of fact
 miss the ,kingdom entirely4 ,to find   
the personal centre of gravity in the   
world is to master life1 to fail to find
 it is to be mastered by life4  ,a      
performance that has self as its central
 motive can never ring true or achieve  
any lasting success4 ,inferior music may
 be decked out by a capable performer to
 sound impressive or pretentious1 or be 
invested with a glamour which is largely
 fictitious1 but this surely amounts to 
false pretences4 ,it is simply a method 
of misleading the public4 ,such a       
performer has misconceived his function1
 which should be to act as interpreter1 

guide1 philosopher1 and friend to those 
who follow his efforts4 ,what is to be  
said to the singer of royalty ballads8  
,here is a vocalist who receives1 maybe1
 two or three guineas for each dozen    
times he sings particular songs1 the    
publisher of the song in question being 
his paymaster4 ,of this type of song a  
contemporary ,musical ,journal          
states3--,every serious musician knows  
it1 and1 scenting the boredom1 tries to 
avoid it4 ,it is highly sentimental1 it 
moves within a limited scope1           
emotionally and technically1 and it     
deals with a few well-worn subjects4    
,gardens1 spring1 sunshine1             
flowers--these are favourite themes4 ,if
 only1 the singer tells us1 he could    
have a cottage on the hillside1 with    
honeysuckle round the door 7this appears
 to be of great importance71 heaven     
would indeed be there4 ,these ,,may be  
compositions of artistic worth1 in which
 case financial gain and true musical   
interest consort together3 but on the   

other hand they may ,,not4 ,which1 then1
 is to receive the first consideration8 
,is the artist to refuse the guineas    
because the ballad possesses no         
intrinsic worth1 or is he to pocket the 
cash and deck out with all the devices  
of his ,art the twopenny-ha'penny       
shop-tune1 and make it sound something  
like the real thing8 ,no doubt under    
these circumstances the song may achieve
 a certain measure of appreciation4     
,some of the audience will buy it1 and  
only when they come to try it at home   
will they realise what feeble stuff it  
truly is4 ,the artist has been paid to  
betray those who trusted in him and     
followed his taste4 ,in this he may have
 been eminently successful1 but what is 
the value of such success8 ,and what of 
,art--and ,music8  ,wherein is the      
particular glory of a top note1 or the  
specific value of a compass that extends
 a note-and-a-half beyond that of anyone
 else8 ,why should it be considered     
meritorious to be able to bang louder or

 to scramble more quickly over the keys 
than one's competitors8 ,yet we have    
certainly met singers and players who   
gloried in such accomplishments4 ,a     
performer may also know every device and
 trick of the trade1 he may be well     
aware of what will go down with his     
audience1 he may play up to all their   
little foibles and weaknesses and give  
them exactly what they want3 we can     
indeed scarcely quarrel with this4 ,but 
so many are apparently content to allow 
the matter to remain on this lowly      
level4 ,a singer who is thus able to    
play upon his audience and hold them in 
his grip can surely also lead them up to
 the appreciation of better things4  ,an
 audience is normally receptive and     
impressionable1 they come expecting to  
receive satisfaction and enjoyment for  
the money they have expended in the     
purchase of a ticket1 or because they   
have some other interest in the         
proceedings4 ,presumably if they were   
not interested they would not be there4 

,this element of expectation stimulates 
their receptivity1 and aids the         
performer in his work of giving out4    
,whatever the audience receives1 by the 
mere fact of its making some impression 
on the delicate nerve-stuff of the      
brain1 is retained and becomes actually 
a part of them4 ,thus the artist is     
definitely building the minds of his    
audience3 he is forming their taste1 and
 giving them that material in mind which
 will enable them to enjoy and          
understand music the better for the     
future4 ,he is passing on the message   
according to his ability4 ,therefore    
that individual who is merely seeking   
for compass1 technique1 press notices1  
or his fee1 shows that he has not       
appreciated the elements of his task4   
,being thus in search of all the things 
that really do not matter1 he is putting
 himself into a position that will      
ensure him a more or less comfortable   
mediocrity1 provide he is lucky enough  
to escape actual failure4  ,we call to  

mind a press criticism that appeared in 
a first-class ,london daily newspaper1  
with reference to a singer quite unknown
 to fame4 ,it stated that every note was
 pure joy4 ,could one say anything finer
 than this1 and would not anything added
 to it but serve to spoil it8 ,it       
epitomises what we have here been       
endeavouring to express4 ,there could be
 no pure joy apart from spirit1 and in  
giving this forth in song the singer    
achieved the aim of ,art4 ,this joy     
would become part of the life of those  
who heard her1 because it can never be  
too clearly understood that we are built
 of our memories1 and though we seem to 
forget1 yet these memories are absolute4
 ,so the joy that the singer gave out   
went to gladden the world1 and that     
which she gave1 paradoxically enough1   
remained with her4 ,that which we       
express1 by the record of that          
expression we tend to become4  ,herein  
the personality of the interpreter      
counts for much4 ,the music1 it is true1

 carries its own meaning and message1   
but this is reinforced by the mediumship
 and the imagination of the performer4  
,imagination is the life of art4 ,why so
 many performers give such little       
pleasure and leave the audience coldly  
critical is simply because their        
imagination is of the feeblest4#ab      
,necessarily there is always a certain  
coloration from the mind which transmits
 the message1 just as the tones of two  
violins though played by the same hand  
might be different4 ,moreover1 as a     
resonant instrument would amplify the   
sound and an inferior one would hamper  
it1 so a greater artist would interpret 
a message to more effect than one less  
capable4 ,the gramophone will give us   
the actual notes of the singer1 but it  
depends upon ourselves as to whether we 
catch the real thing or not4 ,what is   
actually there is the shell3 there is no
 personality unless we ourselves build  
up that personality of the singer in our
 imagination4 ,we must supply that which

 the machine lacks1 or else perforce go 
without4 ,when the artist is present in 
person we need no effort of the         
imagination1 and though the machine can 
give us a personal rendering it can     
never offer us the personality4 ,in much
 the same way the mechanical            
piano-player may give ,so-and-so's exact
 rendering if only we follow the        
requisite directions1 but it is         
impossible for it to be the same4 ,two  
things seem alike1 but one is stuffed1  
and the other hollow4  ,note #ab3       
,lancelot1 in the ,referee4             
,personality1 then1 must always be a    
vital factor since it colours and       
vitalises1 as well as reinforces the    
meaning of the music4 ,spirit is a fact1
 but a beautiful personality will invest
 it with all the glamour of romance4    
,the emotion may be pure joy but it     
needs a warm heart to give it out to    
full effect to a coldish world4         
,consequently1 for the beauty to shine  
through1 the artist's personality must  

be finely wrought4 ,a selfish soul might
 sing a love-song1 but a woman would not
 be taken in by it--unless she thought  
twice3 it would not ring true enough4   
,beauty lies in the heart of all worthy 
music1 so the artist who studies it and 
lives in its atmosphere gradually builds
 that beauty into the life and the      
character3 the mere expression          
henceforth makes it part of him through 
memory4 ,so1 beautiful thoughts are     
needful food to the mind of the artist1 
and no amount of cleverness in the      
simulation of this or that emotion will 
ever enable the same effect to be       
produced1 as when beauty is reinforced  
by beauty4 ,personality counts beyond   
all calculation4  ,the music that is    
written shows whether its composer was  
an artist or a mechanic in music4 ,the  
spirit of anything which a man makes1 or
 does1 is his nature expressed in those 
things1 and the fineness or poorness of 
his work and actions depends upon the   
way in which he feels or thinks4#ac ,the

 academic writer1 steeped in his        
contrapuntal devices and harmonic       
progressions1 so intent upon the        
orthodox resolution of his discords1 is 
apt to produce excellent dry bones      
without the informing spirit4 ,we have  
even heard it stated that no music      
publisher would deign to consider for   
publication a song manuscript with ,mus4
 ,doc4 on the title page4 ,yet ,parry's 
books of ,english ,lyrics stand as      
permanent testimony that scholarly music
 may also contain the emotional and     
spiritual elements to infuse it with    
abundant life3 the pity is that the     
combination is none too frequent4 ,a    
vast proportion of what is printed and  
sold as music444 is meaningless1 and    
therefore worthless4#ad ,such music as  
is composed1 or selected1 for popular   
consumption is frankly written for this 
purpose of pot-boiling1 and as such it  
settles its own fate4 ,we need waste no 
tears upon it4 ,nor need we devote much 
consideration to the sentimental ballads

 issued by the hundred1 for if music has
 no further function than to appeal to  
the emotions1 then it is nothing better 
than melodious nonsense4#ae ,of the     
dance and other miscellaneous music     
issued broadcast some1 no doubt1 is     
genuine music1 but the greater part of  
it is avowedly commercial in tone and   
intention3 in any spiritual scale its   
weight is of the lightest4  ,note #ac3  
,leigh ,henry4 ,music4  ,note #ad3 ,sir 
,henry ,hadow4  ,note #ae3 ,sir ,henry  
,hadow4  ,the interpreter who works in  
collaboration with others1 the choral   
singer or the orchestral performer1     
should be bound by the same canons of   
,art as the soloist4 ,a chorus does not 
merely consist of a certain number of   
voices1 any more than eleven football   
players constitute a team4 ,even the    
footballers must have their technique   
and must play with their heads as well  
as their feet3 but to ensure success    
they must individually have subordinated
 their personal interests to that of the

 team1 they must play in the spirit of  
the game4 ,equally so a choral singer   
must first have the vocal ability1 then 
the intelligence1 and furthermore the   
spiritual vision4 ,his individual aims  
must also be subordinated in team play1 
so that collectively1 as individually in
 the case of the soloist1 the purport of
 the music may find its due expression4 
,the one point to be emphasised is that1
 in whatever capacity the exponent and  
interpreter of ,art be concerned1 the   
paramount consideration must be the     
transmission of the artistic impulse4   
,people do not send telegrams flying    
about the country except for the purpose
 of conveying a message3 in the absence 
of a message there is1 naturally1 no    
telegram4 ,it would be a step in the    
right direction if it were generally    
recognised that ,art-work should be     
based upon somewhat the same substantial
 and bed-rock foundation4     ,,chapter 
,,vii  ,,the ,,teacher  ,the teachers of
 this country have its future in their  

hands  ,william ,james   ,ideas on the  
subject of the teaching of ,music are   
changing at such a rapid rate to-day    
that the position of the teacher as an  
interpreter may well receive some       
consideration4 ,the study of psychology 
and the many new discoveries in the     
realm of mind bid fair to revolutionise 
our conception of teaching3 the old     
standards are fast becoming obsolete4   
,once the idea of education was more or 
less to get something into the pupil1   
the newer ideal is to get something out3
 instead of compression or repression   
the process is now regarded as one of   
expression4 ,we aim at developing the   
latent faculties and exploiting the     
hidden resources of the mind4 ,it is    
assumed that the various qualities and  
abilities are embodied in mind1 just as 
the possibilities of the oak were       
implanted in the acorn3 it is the       
function of the teacher to ensure the   
requisite conditions under which these  
qualities may come to fruition4  ,from  

this it is clear that the modern teacher
 is more occupied in teaching the pupil 
than the subject4 ,the old method of    
grinding in scales1 scales1 and yet more
 scales until those scales had become   
second nature is recognised as being    
worse than merely futile4 ,what can it  
profit a pupil if he gain the whole     
world of scales and lose his artistic   
soul8 ,so also with other points1 the   
centre of attention is transferred from 
the subject to the pupil4 ,furthermore1 
the wise teacher recognises that as     
music is a part of life1 so the         
understanding of music should lead to a 
larger comprehension of life4 ,there are
 no watertight compartments in our      
lives1 everything is acted upon and     
reacts3 all life is of a piece1 and     
nothing comes out of the mind in exactly
 the same condition as it entered4      
,things become transformed and          
assimilated in the process of mental    
digestion4 ,consequently the discerning 
teacher knows that he is working in     

terms of life through the agency of the 
music4 ,he is helping to modify1 form1  
or transform the mind of the pupil      
through his memories1 he is moulding his
 character3 and his character weighs in 
the eternal scales4 ,the teaching thus  
stands on a base that is wider than life
 itself1 and such a teacher is invested 
with a dignity and worth that can never 
attach to the time-server or the        
crammer4  ,the ,royal ,academy of ,music
 gives the ,licentiate diploma for 7a7  
teachers and 7b7 performers3 this is a  
technical distinction without any real  
difference4 ,it is the function of both 
alike to reveal and to pass on a message
 of spirit4 ,the performer passes it on 
to an audience of many1 and the teacher 
to a little audience of one4 ,teachers  
are artists to whom the most priceless  
material has been committed4#af ,there  
is an idea abroad that those who are not
 clever enough to perform can always    
take to teaching1 but this is of course 
a lamentable perversion of the truth4   

,there are diversities of gifts1 but the
 same spirit1 and certainly as high a   
degree of spiritual perception is       
necessary for the teacher as for the    
executive artist4 ,the teacher has      
merely chosen a different technique for 
its expression4 ,not so many years ago  
the teaching profession was known as the
 refuge of the destitute1 but we are    
changing all that with the revaluation  
of values which is being forced upon us 
by the logic of events4 ,in course of   
time the old type of teacher must become
 as extinct as the dodo4  ,note #af3    
,canon ,j4 ,h4 ,masterman4  ,effective  
teaching can never be done to pattern1  
for the simple reason that pupils are   
not machines or blocks of wood and      
cannot be turned out to sample4 ,every  
pupil is unique3 he is the inheritor of 
a spirit which is peculiarly his own1   
and of a body in its endowments and     
proportions unlike that of anyone else1 
and in his nervous system he possesses  
special pre-dispositions and potentially

 linked paths which provide him with    
particular adaptabilities and traits4   
,were the teacher to treat every pupil  
alike1 his scheme would probably truly  
fit none of them3 but as a matter of    
fact each one of them calls for insight 
and special treatment4 ,so the teacher  
learns from every pupil1 and the        
experience garnered from contact with   
the many phases of human nature renders 
his judgment the surer and his sympathy 
the more sound4 ,but this1 quite        
obviously1 is mind-moulding and         
character-building1 with the emphasis   
laid upon the teaching of the pupil     
rather than the subject4  ,the three    
generally accepted divisions of mind are
 7a7 intellect2 7b7 feelings2 and 7c7   
will2 and in these directions the       
teaching of music should have           
far-reaching effects upon the culture   
and the outlook4 ,observation is the    
root of all mental growth3 it supplies  
the mind with the necessary food for    
development and expansion1 and according

 to the range and definiteness of the   
evidence supplied by the senses1 so is  
the foundation laid for a good memory   
and a lively quality of imagination4    
,the earliest lessons will thus be a    
stimulus to mental growth3 the pupil    
will learn to take in by the eye and the
 ear1 and what he takes in will enable  
him to understand and to appreciate more
 and yet more4 ,he will be taught that  
everything in music means something1 and
 even exercises will be invested with a 
meaning and a purpose of their own4     
,purely mechanical work has gone1 never1
 we may hope1 to return3 and meaningless
 music is discarded in favour of that   
which expresses something4 ,it may      
illustrate a mood or an emotion1 a      
scene1 an action1 or a fairy tale--it   
matters not what so long as it possesses
 a meaning to lend it point and purpose4
 ,so right from the beginning the action
 of the pupil will be the expression of 
the emotions and ideas that hold sway in
 his mind4  ,in this connection we may  

quote an actual instance4 ,a teacher    
writes3--,a young pupil 7age #ad7 came  
for a lesson1 playing ,farjeon's        
',prelude and ,pavane4' ,she had learnt 
the ',prelude1' and had had one lesson1 
a fortnight before1 on the ',pavane4'   
,we went through the technique1 and ,i  
told her a little about the             
',pavane'--when it was danced1 the      
derivation of the name1 and so on4 ,when
 she played it1 she played it very1 very
 slowly1 but quite correctly and        
finished in detail4 ,i asked her if she 
liked it quite as slowly as that1 and   
she replied that she thought 'the ,court
 ladies with their long dresses would   
not be able to dance any quicker' and   
that it 'sounded grander very slowly4'  
,so ,i left it4 ,this1 we may add1 is an
 illustration of method quoted by a     
teacher in a diploma ,examination paper1
 but it aptly shows the new spirit4 ,the
 teacher had no mind to force her own   
views upon the pupil4 ,had she insisted 
that the dance should be played more    

quickly1 she might have spoiled the     
child's mental picture and destroyed her
 interest in the piece4 ,the incident   
also points the way in which the pupil's
 observation1 imagination1 and powers of
 deduction were being stimulated1 so    
that1 as we have been endeavouring to   
show1 the music--of value for its own   
sake--was also ministering to the larger
 end of life-growth4  ,the world of     
affairs and the world of education see  
to it that our intellect and will are   
duly and properly brushed up1 they exact
 their penalties in default from the    
stupid and the invertebrate1 but the    
feeling and emotional side of the nature
 is too often ignored4 ,it is left to   
develop by chance instead of being      
nurtured by design4 ,as a consequence a 
vast amount of distorted feeling exists 
in the world1 and a very great deal of  
emotion is repressed4 ,music is at once 
a means of cultivating the rightful     
feelings towards life1 and an outlet for
 the repressed emotions4 ,the           

interpreter recognises that his true    
function is to serve his day and his    
generation1 and so he places this ideal 
of ,service in the forefront of his     
vision4 ,if he substitute ,selfishness  
he is permanently wrongly adjusted to   
life1 and nothing can go truly right    
with him4 ,he is off the lines of his   
spiritual evolution1 and ,nature will   
take pains to impress the fact upon him3
 she has her larger vision to which he  
must1 willy-nilly1 conform4 ,the        
teacher1 in handing on the torch1 will  
thus be able at the very outset to point
 to this ideal of ,service1 exemplified 
in finding out the beauty or the meaning
 of the music1 and in passing it on for 
the benefit of others in song or sound4 
,repressed emotions are now recognised  
as a potent source of trouble1 both     
mental and physical4 ,in the adolescent 
stage of youth vital forces surge       
through the body1 they are perhaps      
indefinable but they are none the less  
potent4 ,the emotions are there1 and it 

is for us to find the way in which we   
can best turn them upward3 the time has 
passed when we need or can deny their   
existence1 or their expression4#ag      
,these emotions cannot be permanently   
repressed1 they are too deeply embedded 
in the self3 they may find an outlet in 
the amours of youth1 or in some other   
way4 ,but music offers a means and a    
channel through which these emotions may
 flow in useful direction1 and this is a
 most valuable service4 ,failing        
legitimate expression they not          
infrequently find an inappropriate or   
distorted outlet4 ,there is discord     
within1 and it is far better that the   
discord should be resolved harmoniously 
rather than ill1 or not at all4 ,the    
study of music at this period may thus  
result in marked benefit to the physical
 health in a perfectly natural manner3  
for to forbid any expression to these   
emotions would be much as if we forbade 
a canary to sing or a lambkin to jump4  
,if they can be reflected in pure joy in

 song we may indeed be sure that the    
outlet they are finding is a happy one4 
,the subject is a very important one1   
but it leads us far afield from the     
present scheme4 ,the reader who is      
interested may find further treatment of
 this topic in the present writer's ,the
 ,hidden ,self1 and its ,mental         
,processes4  ,note #ag3 ,ernest ,hunt4  
,the ,hidden ,self4  ,the modern teacher
 has progressed beyond the stage of     
imposing his own standard of judgment   
upon the pupil4 ,by introducing the     
element of musical appreciation and     
making the pupil familiar with a wide   
range of musical ideas1 he will         
gradually build up his power of         
discrimination and judgment and his     
standard of taste4 ,these are no fixed  
things1 but will grow as the experience 
of the pupil himself grows4 ,as his     
sympathy and insight also increase1 so  
will his knowledge of the good and evil 
of music progress4 ,this is a vastly    
different process to any arbitrary      

enforcement of this is good and that is 
bad standards1 and indeed it is but a   
poor compliment to any teacher when we  
find pupil after pupil a more or less   
complete imitation of the same original4
  ,one thing that is conspicuously      
lacking in the world to-day is the      
ability to be one's self4 ,suggestion   
and habit are ever at work to kill      
originality and to stifle self-reliance 
and initiative4 ,thousands can copy1 few
 can invent4 ,the reason may be that    
only the few are able and willing to go 
to the fountain-head of spirit1 where   
there is the infinite variety of        
universal thought to be their           
inspiration4 ,the many are content to   
live their teachers' ideas over and over
 again1 building their lives and        
abilities on quite ordinary models in a 
quite ordinary way4 ,in music we already
 possess far too many dittos1 ditto     
programmes1 ditto compositions1 ditto   
renderings1 and ditto ideals4 ,praise   
the ,lord for originality wherever it   

may be found4 ,the conventional goes    
round and round in a circle1 like a     
puppy after its own tail3 but           
originality rises at each revolution and
 so reaches on and up1 in progress like 
a spiral4 ,so to-day the teacher fosters
 originality1 shaping it with kindly    
criticism or helpful suggestion1 but    
never damning it with a fatal don't4    
,education's maxim to-day is ,do2 but do
 better next time4  ,in this larger view
 of teaching1 the technique1 though not 
despised and rejected1 is relegated to  
its proper place in the scheme of       
things4 ,the cult of the head and the   
heart predominates1 and the whole course
 of the instruction is an integral part 
of the training for life4 ,if it be true
 that we are making houses built without
 hands1 for our souls to live in1 then  
music is determining no small part of   
the architecture for the student who    
follows the gleam4 ,the inspired teacher
 7and1 without the vision1 teaching must
 ever be the veriest drudgery7 is       

engaged upon one of the noblest of tasks
 as well as one of the most responsible4
 ,we may even hope that one day the     
world will awaken to this fact4         
,incidentally teachers themselves1 by   
thinking more nobly of their tasks1 can 
do much to dignify their calling4 ,they 
are truly in the van of progress1 and   
with the power of the ,spirit almost    
untried and the possibilities of ,prayer
 as little known1 with the inheritance  
of ,love still unclaimed and the ocean  
of ,truth yet unexplored1 life is full  
of an immensity of purpose4#ah  ,note   
#ah3 ,kirkham ,davis4 ,where dwells the 
,soul ,serene4     ,,chapter ,,viii     
,,the ,,soul ,,of ,,song     ,all the   
hearts of men were softened     ,by the 
pathos of his music3     ,for he sang of
 peace and freedom1     ,sang of beauty1
 love1 and longing3     ,sang of death1 
and life undying     ,in the ,islands of
 the ,blessed1     ,in the ,kingdom of  
,ponemah1     ,in the land of the       
,hereafter4     ,longfellow   ,the power

 to sing is innate in practically       
everybody1 and the number of people who 
are actually incapable of any musical   
expression through the voice is really  
very small4 ,suggestion plays an        
important part in this matter1 for there
 are few children having mothers or     
nurses who sing to them who fail to pick
 up and imitate that singing4 ,the      
reason is fairly clear1 because every   
idea in mind tends to pass into action  
unless something intervenes to stop it3 
consequently the child having the idea  
of singing in mind1 simply from having  
heard others sing1 has the initial      
impulse to song4 ,as he gradually       
acquires the control and co-ordination  
of his faculties1 song will follow as a 
matter of course4 ,on the other hand if 
the child never hears anyone sing1 from 
where is the motor impulse to come8     
,those good people who boast that they  
cannot sing have very often1 by the     
simple denial of their ability1 ensured 
a kind of mental atrophy in the         

function4 ,it is quite a usual thing for
 us to fasten unnecessary limitations   
upon ourselves by refusing to believe in
 our own powers1 and most of us have a  
large stock of very real inhibitions1   
which prevent us from doing things      
otherwise well within our capacity4 ,if 
we do not believe we can do a thing1 as 
a rule we do not try3 or if we try1 it  
is in a half-hearted1                   
beaten-before-we-start kind of fashion4 
,thus we find that as a matter of       
experience things generally do turn out 
for us according to our belief4 ,it is  
in this spirit that a man professes     
himself unable to tell the difference   
between the ,national ,anthem and ,pop  
goes the ,weasel4 ,there are cases1 of  
course1 where the individual may be able
 to distinguish the tunes mentally1 and 
yet may be unable to sing them          
correctly1 or even to vary the tones of 
the voice according to the desired      
pattern3 in this case the fault probably
 lies in a lack of the power of         

co-ordinating the various activities4   
,the necessary associations between the 
hearing centres and the motor centres   
for the control of voice have not been  
built up4 ,but they can be so built1 and
 then the inability to sing vanishes4 ,a
 person who can speak has the necessary 
machinery for song1 and to say that one 
has no voice is mostly nonsense4  ,many 
people possess quite good voices until  
they learn singing4 ,their natural      
aptitude1 which so largely depends upon 
the models they may have had for        
imitation in the earliest days1 is      
possibly quite excellent4 ,then comes   
the ,voice ,specialist on the scene with
 his pet theories for improving upon    
,nature1 and he gets busy4 ,he may have 
his ideas upon breaks1 registers1 and a 
thousand other details4 ,perhaps he has 
written a book on the way in which      
,nature has made a botch of the voice1  
creating it in a number of sections like
 a fishing rod1 specially to provide an 
interesting and lucrative profession for

 the voice trainer4 ,on the other hand  
he may be wise enough to thank ,heaven  
when he finds a good natural voice1 and 
leave it alone4 ,voices when naturally  
used have beauty1 ease1 compass1 and an 
even tone without break throughout3     
this1 we assert1 in spite of the fact   
that many a famous contralto possesses  
apparently two voices1 so marked is the 
break4 ,there is a technical alteration 
of the working of the vocal chords at a 
certain pitch1 but with a rightly-used  
voice this is automatic and unfelt3 the 
whole body is full of such wonderful    
adjustments4 ,to be called upon to deal 
consciously with such details is        
generally proof that they have gone     
wrong4 ,your attention to your digestion
 is enforced by dyspepsia3 nobody       
notices a perfectly acting digestion4   
,some voices are expressive and carry   
emotion easily1 while others are hard   
and inelastic4 ,some correspondence in  
the temperament will nearly always be   
found4 ,therefore the teacher who works 

at the voice 7which is a means of       
expression of the temperament7 without  
touching the inner characteristics1 is  
like the man who tries to make an       
ill-regulated clock keep time by        
altering the hands4 ,lack of tone colour
 is not to be cured by cultivating a    
number of different sizes and shapes for
 the mouth and a selection of assorted  
smiles for the features4 ,if a person   
feels sad1 he will talk sadly4 ,carrying
 the same principle into song1 we find  
that a voice naturally shows the timbre 
appropriate to the mood4 ,therefore in  
order to ensure proper tone colour the  
prime requisite is imagination and the  
ability vividly to call up and          
experience the various emotions4 ,it    
will be evident that we are endeavouring
 to impart into vocal work precisely    
those same principles which we assert to
 be fundamental to the whole of music1  
namely--the importance of the idea as   
behind1 distinct from1 and manifested   
through1 the technical means4 ,the vocal

 machinery must necessarily be in       
first-class order1 but the influence of 
the mind upon the body is so intimate   
and so extraordinary that even technical
 acquirement hangs to no small extent   
upon mental working4  ,seeing that song1
 then1 is to be the vehicle for emotion1
 even though that emotion be so tenuous 
as almost to defy verbal expression1 for
 the most part we ally words and music4 
,the timbre of a voice1 singing tones   
without words1 might carry a message to 
the sensitive1 just as the inflection of
 a voice may be exquisite joy or        
suffering to a lover3 but it would be   
insufficient to move the average hearer 
to any response4 ,the reason is that    
there is always a dual process at work  
in mind3 there is the sense-perception  
of the actual sound1 and a              
brain-recognition of its meaning4 ,this 
latter must be supplied by the hearer   
himself from his own imagination or     
experience4 ,the non-musical multitude  
has neither1 and is therefore unable to 

complete this second process of         
recognition4 ,thus the hearer hears1 but
 does not understand4 ,it is probably   
for some such reason as this that we    
resort to words to make the message     
clear4 ,herein lies the importance of   
the words themselves1 and of the diction
 of the singer4  ,quite notoriously1    
many singers entirely fail to make their
 words intelligible to the listener1 and
 in the majority of cases this is due to
 insufficient stressing of the          
consonants4 ,vowel tones carry1 while   
consonants do not4 ,if we want to shout 
to anyone we call out ,hi or ,hey3 never
 by any chance do we try to reach them  
with a ,p-p-p-p-p or a ,t-t-t-t-t1 and  
for precisely this reason4 ,if1         
therefore1 a singer wishes his words to 
carry to the end of the hall he must    
needs exaggerate his consonants to allow
 for this loss in transit3 the vowels   
will look after themselves4 ,then1      
although the balance of the words as    
they are uttered may be a trifle        

distorted1 they will nevertheless reach 
the hearers in due proportion4 ,comfort 
in listening is greatly increased when  
this sense-perception is clear and      
unambiguous1 and the brain-recognition  
is easy by reason of a certain          
familiarity4 ,when the sense-perception 
is blurred1 as in faulty diction1 extra 
work is thrown on to the brain3         
listening then becomes a strain1 and the
 brain is fatigued with supplying the   
details which it supposes the singer to 
have intended4 ,the listener has1 as it 
were1 to put in his consonants for him1 
to dot his i's and cross his t's4  ,some
 singers distort their vowel sounds     
almost beyond recognition1 and many     
pupils seem to be definitely taught to  
adopt the habit4 ,then and becomes awnd1
 and the various words take on new      
disguises after the reputed ,oxford     
model of ,he that hath yaws to yaw1 let 
him yaw4 ,singing is but glorified      
speech1 it is not a thing apart1 neither
 is there one language of the speaker   

and another of the vocalist4 ,this      
distortion may be due to affectation or 
to ignorance1 but in either case we     
could well do without it4 ,in cases     
where the actual production of the voice
 is mechanically stiff1 rigid1 and      
therefore distorted1 it is not likely   
that we can secure a free and flexible  
musical elocution4 ,we do occasionally  
meet singers whose diction is delightful
 to hear because of its absolute freedom
 and complete naturalness1 but these    
only serve to heighten by their         
excellence the shortcomings of the many4
  ,consideration of the manner in which 
the words are put forth leads us to the 
matter of the words themselves4 ,it is  
difficult to find even a modicum of     
meaning1 to say nothing of spirit1 in   
much of the verse that achieves musical 
setting to-day4 ,a critic in a ,london  
,daily some time back inquired if all   
our native poets were paralysed1 the    
query being suggested by an examination 
of a representative batch of songs4 ,but

 the poet is hardly to blame for the    
present state of affairs4 ,in the       
wedding of words and music1 the usual   
routine is for the author of the lyric  
to submit his effort to the composer for
 his consideration4 ,the composer will  
neither select nor waste his time in    
setting the better class of verse       
because1 as he says1 the publishers will
 not look at it4 ,the publishers will   
not print and issue it because1 so they 
say1 the public will not purchase it4   
,the public might very well retort that 
they get precious little chance to      
listen to it1 since royalty ballads come
 first3 nor to come in contact with it1 
for the ordinary dealer does not stock  
it4 ,there1 then1 is the vicious circle 
quite complete4 ,but the poets are not  
paralysed1 they are merely inarticulate 
by reason of this commercialisation of  
,art4 ,at the best of times the average 
lyric author has a difficult and        
somewhat heart-breaking task to dispose 
of his wares1 and we need not further   

harrow his artistic soul by suggestions 
of literary impotence4  ,it must1       
however1 be admitted that on the whole  
there is an extraordinary poverty and   
bareness of idea and inspiration in the 
general run of songs3 neither ,nature   
nor ,love are themes that can ever be   
finally exhausted while human nature    
remains as it is1 but the treatment can 
be so stereotyped that it eventually    
wears threadbare4 ,it is possible to    
become thoroughly weary of roses and    
gardens1 and gardens of roses1 gardens  
without roses1 and gardens where we hope
 there will be roses4 ,it is such a     
pity1 too1 that there are so few rhymes 
to love4 ,yet even in dissatisfaction   
there exists the element of progress3 if
 we are bored with the present style we 
shall demand something better1 and the  
demand will create the supply4 ,but to  
swing from bareness and boredom to the  
other extreme of abstruseness and       
complexity is no remedy3 in these latter
 qualities there exists no special      

compensating virtue4 ,listening to a    
song as it is sung is very different to 
reading the verse at leisure4 ,the sense
 of the song must be caught as it flies1
 the verse can be read and re-read if   
necessary1 until its meaning be clear4  
,it is no progress1 therefore1 to       
worship the turgid and obscure1 whether 
in words or music1 or both4 ,we may     
pretend that we appreciate things       
because we cannot understand them1 but  
that is only a concession to convention 
and a convenient way of smothering      
artistic conscience4  ,of late an outcry
 has arisen1 on the part of wise men in 
exalted station1 about beastly tunes1   
but surely if a tune can attain         
sufficient popularity to earn the       
picturesque adjectives of the academic1 
there must be some element in it which  
has escaped the attention of its        
detractors4 ,the ,southern ,syncopated  
,orchestra1 which played for some       
lengthy period in ,london a little while
 back1 showed that popular music might  

yet be extremely clever and artistic in 
scope and performance4 ,there were      
high-brow musicians who would not even  
go to listen to such1 but preferred to  
condemn it unheard3 the loss was        
emphatically that of the high-brows4    
,humour abounded in this little band of 
performers on such a strange array of   
instruments1 and it appeared as if the  
players enjoyed their work no less1 at  
any rate1 than their audience4 ,yet     
their programme was full of tunes4 ,is  
any tune in itself beastly8 ,or is it   
that the brain-recognition1 to which we 
have alluded1 decks out the tune in     
sordid or sweet trappings according to  
its own nature8 ,we certainly know that 
in other directions we are apt to see   
things according to the colour of our   
own mental vision4  ,these tunes1       
however1 that have become so popular1   
have the three essentials of music      
strongly marked3 they have decided      
rhythm1 attractive melody1 and harmony  
at times quite good4 ,are we to try and 

attract the multitude to music by       
muddling up or emasculating rhythm1 or  
by eschewing melody and banishing       
anything that intrigues the ear1 and by 
supplying an harmonic scheme that       
awakens no brain-recognition and cannot 
in consequence be understood8 ,well1 the
 conventional suburbanite may gush over 
such indeterminate and invertebrate     
music1 saying1 ,yes1 isn't it just too  
lovely1 but the rough and tumble        
individuals who make up most of the     
world will plump for the tune every     
time4 ,give him what he wants1 and then 
induce him to want something better1 but
 avoid the mistake of trying to turn him
 into a musical vegetarian while his    
meat-eating appetite has no liking for  
the diet4  ,the incongruity of some of  
the songs we hear sung is truly         
appalling3 we find a charming maid1 love
 for whom might honour any man yet born1
 singing ,less than the dust1444 even   
less am ,i1 and so on4 ,lies1 all lies1 
even though she lie melodically with    

charm and with apparent conviction4 ,we 
have passionate love-songs sung by      
guileless individuals who would be      
inexpressibly shocked if you explained  
to them the meaning of the sentiment to 
which they had been giving utterance4   
,there are operatic scenas1 dealing with
 abduction and all sorts of             
uncomfortable situations1 and again     
youngsters declaim of their somewhat    
indecorous emotions with gusto and--let 
us hope--a sublime insensibility of all 
that they imply4 ,they are warbling     
words to music1 but they are not        
singing1 for the meaning is not there4  
,the fault1 of course1 lies in the      
traditional idea that all aspiring      
vocalists must learn certain things1    
just as that all pianists should go     
through a corresponding round of        
instrumental compositions4 ,why should  
they8 ,many of these classical examples 
that we accept as the right things to   
sing or play are hopelessly antiquated  
and out of date3 they would not stand a 

chance as new compositions to-day4      
,antiquity itself is only a             
recommendation if we are collectors of  
curios4 ,the literature of ,art is far  
too comprehensive for anyone to study it
 all1 we can but touch a fragment of the
 whole3 why1 then1 should that fragment 
be determined by tradition and custom   
alone8 ,will anybody's clothes fit me3  
am ,i not likely to secure a better fit 
by being measured for my own8 ,and why  
should not the same consideration apply 
to my mental outfit8 ,it is the same    
desperate fear of originality and       
initiative1 coupled with a certain      
unwillingness to take individual        
responsibility3 it is the ditto idea    
again1 and yet a writer has said        
imitation is suicide4 ,let music be     
studied historically and in its         
development1 by all means1 this indeed  
is necessary3 but to spend hours and    
hours learning to play or sing something
 just because everybody does it is the  
sheerest waste of time1 unless the music

 so played or sung still bears a living 
message for the performer4  ,protest    
might also be registered against the    
unadulterated rubbish that is put       
forward as a translation when a song or 
operatic excerpt of foreign origin is   
rendered in ,english4 ,of grand opera   
even the ,daily ,telegraph is moved to  
say that the translations are in most   
cases literary nightmares4 ,mere        
baldness might be excused1 and even     
doggerel overlooked1 but one has only to
 turn to almost any of the current      
standard translations of foreign songs  
to see that the matter is worse than    
this4 ,to expect a student to get up and
 participate in this verbal foolishness 
and ineptitude1 by endeavouring to      
express as genuine the balderdash that  
poses as sentiment and sense1 is an     
insult to his or her intelligence4      
,finally there remains the graveyard    
school of composition4 ,here we have the
 author or composer1 or both of them1   
seeing the world much worse than it is1 

and think that they do ,art a service by
 putting their realistic conceptions on 
permanent record4 ,we would join issue  
with all the various methods--song1     
literature1 drama1 and painting--of     
giving the unpleasant a wider and more  
effective publicity4 ,the suggestive    
nature of all of these negative things  
cannot be overlooked1 and should not be 
underestimated4 ,the ,biblical advice is
 to the point3 ,whatsoever things are   
true1 lovely1 and of good report3 think 
on these4 ,the graveyard and realistic  
schools reverse this sage precept1      
saying1 in effect1 ,whatsoever things   
are nasty1 unwholesome1 and             
disagreeable--make the most of them3    
they will always appeal to a certain    
section whose minds are correspondingly 
unpleasant4 ,we prefer the pure joy     
gospel1 as being nearer the truth3 for  
spirit is ever pointing the vision      
upward to what we may become1 instead of
 allowing it to grovel around in the    
very unpleasant circumstances in which  

some people are liable to find          
themselves4 ,the outward vision is      
transient1 the inner vision can build   
eternal realities4 ,are we to beg and   
cringe and hang on the outer edge of    
life1--we who should walk grandly8 ,is  
it for man to tremble and quake--man who
 in his spiritual capacity becomes the  
interpreter of ,god's message1--the     
focus of ,divine ,light8#ai  ,note #ai3 
,kirkham ,davis1 ,where dwells the ,soul
 ,serene4     ,,chapter ,,ix  ,,music   
,,and ,,education  ,music is not only a 
source of noble pleasure--everyone      
admits that1 at any rate in theory--it  
is a form of intellectual and spiritual 
training with which we really cannot    
afford to dispense  ,sir ,henry ,hadow  
,we may agree that education consists in
 the bringing of the latent             
possibilities of the individual into    
action1 and one of the most important   
parts in the process of education is    
played by memory4 ,the fact that memory 
places on record our first impression of

 a thing is the reason why we are able  
to recognise it on the second occasion3 
otherwise we should have to make its    
acquaintance afresh every time4 ,it is  
memory again which enables us to retain 
the mental pattern of an action we have 
once performed1 and so to do it the more
 easily a second time1 and on subsequent
 occasions4 ,thus we see that everything
 we express1 whether in word1 thought1  
or deed1 leaves its mark within us3 this
 impress is1 as it were1 a brick in our 
life's edifice1 and it has added        
something to that disposition of mind   
which constitutes our character4        
,mental growth is thus profoundly       
influenced by the things we express1 for
 whatever we express forthwith becomes  
part of ourselves4 ,anything1 therefore1
 that teaches us to express the fine1   
the noble1 or the beautiful1 leaves the 
self by the fact of that expression with
 the impress of that fineness1 nobility1
 or beauty henceforth in the character4 
,we do not mean that by the utterance of

 a praiseworthy sentiment a man at once 
grows estimable1 but we do mean that the
 sentiment according to its intrinsic   
value and worth has become an element in
 his make-up4 ,we observe every day in  
the contrary direction that giving vent 
to continual complaint soon makes a     
person grow sour-minded3 and            
incidentally it also makes him grow     
sour-visaged4 ,it is frequently possible
 to tell a man's philosophy from his    
countenance4 ,those whose efforts are   
devoted to preaching a violent          
discontent seem to run to type1         
acquiring a discontented kind of        
countenance to match their views4       
,equally so a person whose outlook is   
more balanced1 and whose character is   
gentler1 will gradually inscribe a finer
 type of characteristic both in mind and
 body4 ,the case is very much the same  
with ,art4 ,those to whom ,art stands   
for beauty and love must necessarily be 
building themselves of their thoughts1  
and so be tending towards their ideal4  

,thus so far as music becomes the       
expression of spirit and love1 so far   
its influence upon the individual is    
permanent and progressive in these      
directions4  ,apparent exceptions will  
at once spring to mind1 and we may ask  
why musicians as a class do not stand   
out specifically as more spiritual than 
their fellows4 ,there are many reasons4 
,not all musicians pursue their calling 
with insight and understanding3 mere    
perfunctory performance has the effect  
of influencing in the direction of the  
commonplace and the casual1 and music is
 never the sole influence at work1 and  
not always the chief4 ,the character is 
the result1 on balance1 of ,,all the    
forces that have played their part1 just
 as the annual balance on profit and    
loss account represents the net result  
of all the transactions that have taken 
place4 ,unless the spiritual forces at  
work in an individual's life outweigh   
the material1 the net result will still 
be on the side of the latter1 even      

though he may have had music in his     
soul4  ,when we look at the adolescent  
of to-day1 particularly the town-bred   
youth of from sixteen to twenty years1  
we may well ask what opportunity he gets
 for the expression of any theme of     
beauty1 or for any impression of the    
like4 ,the mind has a kind of breathing 
motion1 as have the lungs3 it takes in1 
stores up and assimilates1 and then     
expresses4 ,education must allow for    
both processes4 ,but our youthful friend
 has left school1 and is probably       
engaged in some more or less strenuous  
work which brings him into the closest  
contact with grown men4 ,from these he  
derives most of his inspiration3 much of
 it is highly coloured1 and some of it  
is certainly degrading4 ,he does not    
read1 and so knows nothing of the       
inspiration of literature1 and the past 
is to him a closed book4 ,he comes      
across nothing artistic1 and he hears no
 concerts4 ,he never goes to church1 and
 you can see him by the thousand loafing

 about in any large town on a ,sunday4  
,the modern townsman444 has forgotten   
the habits and sentiments of the village
 from which his forefathers came4 ,an   
unnatural and unhealthy mode of life1   
cut off from the sweet and humanising   
influences of nature1 has produced an   
unnatural and unhealthy mentality1 to   
which we shall find no parallels in the 
past4 ,its chief characteristic is      
profound secularity or materialism4 ,the
 typical town artisan has no religion   
and no superstitions3 he has no ideals  
beyond the visible and tangible world of
 the senses4#bj  ,note #bj3 ,w4 ,r4     
,inge4  ,there is1 however1 one thing   
that our young friend does3 he sings4   
,we see him1 in company with three or   
four of his fellows1 marching along the 
street singing the latest music-hall    
ditty1 with all the approved music-hall 
inflections and mannerisms4 ,sometimes  
the group will be accompanied by one of 
their companions on a mouth organ1 and  
occasionally they will attain to the    

dignity of two-1 or even three-part     
singing4 ,now and again we find them    
throwing back to the days of ,hucbald   
the ,fleming1 and running their harmony 
in a kind of diaphony a fifth below the 
melody4 ,but they sing because they like
 to sing4 ,the idea naturally suggests  
itself that if more firms and works     
would assist in making provision for    
brass bands1 string orchestras1 and     
choral societies among their employees1 
the music would prove to be a humanising
 agency of the greatest value4          
,especially would this be the case if   
some of the higher officials of the     
firm1 not even excluding the directors1 
would join on a footing of musical      
equality with the rest4 ,the aloofness  
of class is a potent cause of           
misunderstanding1 but ,art knows nothing
 of social distinctions4 ,if we knew    
more of each other we should probably   
fight a good deal less1 and it is just  
here that the power of music might be   
used in healing fashion4  ,on one       

occasion in a suburban district1 outside
 a branch of the ,y4,w4,c4,a4 on a      
,sunday evening1 we stopped to listen to
 some excellent part-singing1 and we    
could not help thinking what an         
educative influence it would surely     
prove in the lives of the music-makers4 
,we could wish that such opportunities  
were more generally available4 ,the     
provision of ,municipal facilities1     
which would cost very little1 would     
probably be a most sound investment4    
,but everything would in such case hinge
 upon the conductor3 mere perfunctory   
work at the husk of music would quickly 
damn any such scheme4 ,in addition it   
would do definite harm by creating a    
permanent distaste for music in the     
minds of those who first were attracted4
 ,something has1 of course1 been done in
 the way of providing organ recitals and
 so on1 but we are here suggesting that 
the working classes should be provided  
with the chance of being their own      
music-makers4 ,the use of a room1 a fee 

to the conductor1 and possibly a small  
grant towards the cost of music would be
 all that was necessary1 but who can    
tell what might be the result in harmony
 and good feeling8  ,folk dances1 and   
the singing of old folk tunes1 as taught
 in the elementary schools1 are of great
 value4 ,there is a grace and poetry of 
movement about some of the children thus
 taught1 which is engaging in the       
extreme4 ,nor can this be without its   
reflex action upon the mind of the      
child4 ,when taught to move easily and  
to express fluently in pose and gesture1
 the child will have acquired some      
tendency towards a corresponding        
facility of expression in other         
directions4 ,according to the songs     
chosen the singing itself provides      
outlet for the emotions1 and stimulates 
imaginative play4 ,the prosaic life and 
surroundings of the slum child are      
sufficiently deadening1 and the new     
mental pictures thus given are in the   
nature of windows opening on new vistas 

of life4 ,they suggest views that could 
come to the child mind in perhaps no    
other way4 ,the finer type of patriotism
 can be encouraged by such songs as     
,parry's ,england 7,john o' ,gaunt's    
,verse71 and the more spiritual element 
by the same composer's ,jerusalem 7words
 by ,blake72 while as an example of the 
imaginative scene we might mention ,dr4 
,wood's ,the ,knight's ,tomb4 ,regarding
 the simpler type of song1 we recall the
 case of an ,inspector of ,music in     
,schools who was moved1 almost to tears1
 by the rendering of ,will ye no come   
back8 by a class of children who had    
been taught by a truly inspired         
instructress4 ,a dull teacher1 and there
 are too many1 does frequently damp and 
quench the fires that should be fanned2 
and the personal element is an enormous 
factor in the situation4  ,the mental   
and intellectual value of music should  
by no means be overlooked4 ,the mental  
alertness developed by sight-reading is 
of much importance4 ,some children are  

slow thinkers1 and react lethargically3 
as a class1 country children are        
mentally much slower than town-bred     
youngsters4 ,a city child quickly has to
 learn to look after himself1 and to    
make his own decisions on the spur of   
the moment1 and consequently his mental 
processes are more fluent than those of 
the bumpkin type4 ,but anything that can
 be done to accelerate this reaction    
time is so much added to the efficiency 
of the individual4 ,sight-reading1 we   
believe1 possesses a special value in   
this direction4 ,singing at sight is    
also a means of developing the          
co-ordination of the various faculties4 
,there are numbers of people who know   
things ought to be done1 and yet fail to
 do them4 ,in the case of sight-singing1
 the mental picture has to be           
immediately translated into action1 it  
is the essence of the proceeding4 ,the  
child is thus developing not only the   
mental faculties1 but is also acquiring 
increased power of regulation and       

co-ordination1 through the training of  
the faculties of the cerebellum4  ,it is
 now becoming generally recognised that 
the interest of the young in music may  
be expressed in intellectual and        
emotional enjoyment1 and not only       
instrumentally and vocally4 ,in other   
words we realise that good listeners and
 appreciative understanders of music    
are1 in their way1 as essential as      
executants4 ,shocking as it may seem1   
hundreds of children 'learn music' for  
the length of their school life and     
never hear a masterpiece1 and indeed1   
hear no music at all except such as     
their own untrained musical sense and   
half-trained fingers can compass4#ba ,in
 increasing measure the teaching of     
music appreciation is coming into vogue1
 and as an aid to this the piano-player 
and gramophone are demonstrating their  
value4 ,the slogan of the musical       
advance guard is a gramophone in every  
school4 ,teachers who are competent to  
give first-class expositions of the     

classics in schools are naturally few   
and far between1 and it would be        
impossible for even the first-class1    
with the best will in the world1 to     
cover a range in any way commensurate   
with that which can be reached          
mechanically4 ,therefore the mechanical 
piano-player with a constant change of  
rolls1 and the gramophone with its      
ever-increasing list of records1 are    
adjuncts to education which are at      
present only in the stage of small      
beginnings4 ,they possess drawbacks and 
disadvantages1 of course1 but these are 
far outweighed by the many solid points 
that tell in their favour4  ,note #ba3  
,percy ,scholes4 ,everyman and his      
,music4  ,the standard of musical       
accomplishment to be found in the       
various schools is of very wide range4  
,in the elementary schools there is a   
certain uniformity of scheme1 if not of 
achievement4 ,but in the ,public        
,schools1 and in the preparatory schools
 which act as feeders to them1 there is 

no uniformity of scheme1 and the range  
of achievement is from a very great deal
 to just nothing at all4 ,too much      
depends upon the individual outlook of  
the ,headmaster4 ,if he be musical1 then
 the music prospers3 but if he be not   
interested in the subject1 then the     
music languishes accordingly4 ,this is  
not rational4 ,either music has its     
value as an educational subject1 in     
which case it ought to be in the        
curriculum independent of the vagaries  
of the ,headmaster for the time being2  
or else it has no educational value1 and
 should never be there4 ,whims in such a
 matter are out of place3 but they are  
nevertheless too often a deciding       
factor4 ,in many schools music is       
frankly regarded as a nuisance1 a sort  
of frilling that is inappropriate to the
 rigid texture of education4 ,it touches
 the emotions1 and the ,public ,school  
man has a horror of being even so much  
as suspected of having emotions4  ,the  
average net result is that music has    

been tolerated rather than encouraged1  
and most often the boy who elects to    
study music has to do so at the expense 
of his playtime4 ,class singing is      
sometimes taken in the regular school   
hours1 but more often not4 ,the         
consequence is that it is frequently    
regarded as a grind and a bore3 an      
attitude scarcely conducive to any      
appreciation of its inner significance4 
,again1 the influence of the ,music     
,master is of extraordinary importance3 
his subject is identified in the boy    
mind with himself1 and if the master be 
not respected for his own personality1  
then the music suffers in precisely that
 degree4 ,a fine influence can be       
trusted to make itself felt in every    
circumstance1 though perhaps battles may
 have to be fought before victory is    
achieved1 and if the musician has       
grasped the fundamentals of his ,art1   
and realises that it is not so much     
himself as the spirit that works through
 him1 then the work that he can do both 

for music and for his little musicians  
is beyond all price4  ,in one ,public   
,school with which we were closely      
acquainted the standard of music was    
extremely high4 ,the ,head had his own  
ideas1 which occasionally came out in   
unexpected guise4 ,for example1 every   
,sunday morning there was a             
choir-practice before ,chapel for the   
non-singers4 ,this1 of course1 is a     
contradiction in terms1 but an effective
 procedure in reality4 ,all the boys who
 were not in the choir had to attend a  
practice for the musical part of the    
service1 while the choir had the        
privilege of a free time4 ,there was no 
grievance about this1 and it was taken  
simply as a matter of routine4 ,further1
 in addition to the usual ,shields that 
were won and kept for the year by the   
various competing ,houses1 for cricket1 
football1 sports1 cross-country running1
 etc41 there was a ,house-singing       
,shield4 ,this was competed for by the  
various houses1 each of which had to put

 up an ,s4,a4,t4,b4 7four-part7 choir4  
,the competition consisted in the       
singing2 of a compulsory glee1 chosen by
 the authorities some months in advance1
 and a voluntary part-song selected by  
the competing choir4 ,both were to be   
sung without accompaniment4 ,if the     
house-master happened to be musical he  
generally undertook the training of the 
choir3 but if he were not1 then a head  
boy took it on4 ,the standard achieved  
was1 as a rule1 remarkably good4 ,at the
 time of which we speak there were five 
competing houses in a school of some two
 hundred boys1 and this means that in   
the school there were five complete     
four-part choirs capable of singing an  
unaccompanied part-song4 ,practically   
every boy belonged to one or other of   
the choirs1 for marks were added to the 
total in proportion as the number of    
boys singing rose1 as compared with the 
total number in the house4  ,we cite    
this case from our own experience in    
order to show what has actually been    

accomplished in the way of fostering the
 love of music in one ,public ,school4  
,we are aware that this standard would  
appear entirely visionary to the        
authorities of some other schools3 there
 are some to whom the idea of one choir 
singing in two parts seems more than is 
practicable4 ,but when music is         
recognised as an integral part of       
education1 as it used to be in ,greece1 
then we may look forward to a different 
standard indeed4 ,we may also recognise 
that unless education itself pays some  
attention to the emotional and feeling  
side of life1 it is leaving neglected an
 element which has no little to do with 
national stability and sanity1 since    
these can only be grounded upon the     
manifestation of spirit in love and     
service4     ,,chapter ,x  ,,the        
,,artistic ,,temperament  ,conventions  
mean very little to the artist1 because 
conventionality arises either from      
mental laziness or fear of what others  
will say and think4 ,moreover the true  

genius must ever have the capacity to   
feel deeper love and emotions than the  
man in the street  ,eaglefield ,hull    
,we frequently hear the artistic        
temperament referred to in ordinary     
conversation as if it were some kind of 
a vice1 a mental aberration or a        
disease3 and it is certainly doubtful   
whether those who so casually discuss   
the subject have any clear idea as to   
what constitutes this particular        
equipment4 ,that no great work of       
artistic merit can be accomplished in   
its absence is more or less tacitly     
agreed1 but it may be interesting to    
consider in what this essential basis of
 artistic success consists4  ,we have   
before pointed out that the function of 
an interpreter is to act as a link      
between the spiritual and the material3 
he is the prophet to reveal the         
otherwise hidden message4 ,the          
interpreter is the artist1 and the      
artist is the interpreter4 ,the ability 
to come into contact with the finer     

things1 tangible or intangible1 is      
simply a capacity of response finer than
 normal4 ,a trained sense-perception is 
more acute than a non-trained3 and quite
 apart from training there are very wide
 divergences in the innate range of     
activity of the various senses4 ,again1 
keen interest and attention tend to make
 a particular sense more alert1 and even
 to extend the boundaries of its        
response4 ,a man who is particularly    
interested in some maiden's voice or    
footstep will be able to make correct   
distinctions which simply do not exist  
for anyone less actively interested in  
that particular lady4 ,concentration    
enables any sense to become more acute4 
,this increased acuteness naturally     
gives its possessor the power to receive
 impressions which would otherwise      
escape record4 ,in the sense of not     
being usual1 this acute sensitiveness of
 the artist is thus an abnormality3 but 
it is only a variation in the direction 
of progress1 for the whole story of the 

evolutionary climb up life's ladder is  
one of ever-increasing sensibility and  
response4 ,the artistic temperament is  
thus1 in essence1 a phase of evolution  
somewhat in advance of its day4  ,any   
departure from the normal1 even though  
it be in the forward direction and      
carrying with it certain privileges1 yet
 entails its disadvantages4 ,the man who
 breaks out is generally made to pay    
pretty dearly for his temerity3 but1 if 
there were none to advance and thus     
break out1 civilisation itself would    
stagnate and there could be no progress4
 ,the artist1 the dreamer1 the          
visionary1 the poet1 the genius1 these  
all are the advance guard of humanity4  
,as such they frequently receive the    
pioneers' scanty reward1 but their eyes 
are scarcely fixed upon mundane         
munificence1 already their scale of     
values is a spiritual one4 ,but it is   
just these delicate1 sensitive folk1    
susceptible to the gossamer impulses    
that would never even ruffle the surface

 of the average man's mind1 who are open
 to the urge of spirit and responsive to
 its drive4 ,so they answer to the helm 
and steer out into the unknown1 while   
the more sleek1 comfortable1 and        
well-fed do not so much as guess that   
there has been any impulse at all4 ,h'm1
 say the corpulent1 why can't they leave
 well alone and be comfortable8 ,but it 
is no part of the great plan that the   
wheels of progress should ever slow     
down1 it is much more to the point that 
they should be made to turn more        
quickly4 ,spirit is the force behind    
evolution1 the force that makes the     
acorn unfold into the oak1 and it is the
 urge of spirit which compels man to    
unfold his own divinity4  ,the artistic 
temperament1 then1 is the               
super-sensitive1 and by this very virtue
 it creates its own difficulties4 ,the  
artist is too responsive1 too widely    
responsive unless he knows how to       
safeguard himself4 ,nature herself in   
her thousand moods plays upon the       

sensitive mind3 she moulds it with her  
beauties1 leads it out into the open    
with the call of the wild1 or terrifies 
it with the grandeur of her anger4 ,the 
artist replies to the appeal of beauty1 
but is seared with the degradation of   
ugliness or the sordid4 ,he is thrilled 
with love1 and wounded to the core by   
hatred4 ,he responds to praise1 but is  
depressed by sneers to a degree which   
the ordinary man is unable to           
comprehend4 ,thus his daily life is     
pierced with a thousand exquisite       
emotions to which your well-fed plebeian
 is stranger indeed4 ,he lives on more  
exalted heights and yet sinks to        
inconceivably greater depths4 ,life     
truly consists more in our wealth of    
impression than in the length of our    
days1 and therefore the artist lives at 
greater intensity1 and consequently with
 a greater nervous wear and tear4  ,this
 sensitiveness is more easily moved to  
tears1 since it is in essence more      
feminine than masculine1 being more a   

matter of the heart than the head3 but  
because of this element of the feminine 
it partakes more of the magnetic        
temperament than the electric4 ,it      
possesses to a greater degree the       
capacity for holding on4 ,thus the      
sensitive artist1 for the sake of his   
ideal1 will peg away at the forlorn     
hope1 and1 sustained by the spirit1 may 
bring off the thousand-to-one chance4   
,he has the capacity to endure to the   
end1 while the man without this drive   
will weigh things up1 eventually playing
 for safety and1 incidentally1 comfort4 
,our friend of the artistic temperament 
will be acutely sympathetic1 and thus an
 easy prey for the importunate3 he may  
even give everything away and so have   
nothing for himself4 ,the world will    
furnish him with countless opportunities
 both of great joy and bitter grief1 so 
the readings of the temperament-chart of
 the artist will be apt to resemble the 
variations of a barometer when          
changeable weather is about4 ,genius is 

thus as a rule variable to the verge of 
the irrational4  ,erratic as it may seem
 to the ordinary person1 the vision of  
the artist is often inherently near the 
truth4 ,his sensitiveness enables him to
 see this more of truth1 even if it     
becloud his vision occasionally with    
mundane perversions4 ,he possesses his  
own standards1 and when these conflict  
with the conventional it is convention  
that must be sacrificed4 ,thus the      
conventional mind brands the artistic   
temperament as immoral4 ,but morality is
 not absolute1 it is conventional and   
relative3 we do not1 as once1 punish the
 sheep-stealer with the gallows nor the 
heretic with red-hot irons1 for our     
standards have changed with the years4  
,so also do they vary with our locality3
 what is right in this place is wrong   
over the border4 ,the vision of the     
artist sees beyond the formularies to   
the substance1 and so he is prepared to 
brave criticism for his stand upon what 
he knows to be true4  ,love and beauty  

call to him with other meaning than they
 bear to the prosaic and self-satisfied1
 and so he answers to the call of       
affection when perhaps it would have    
been better for his peace of mind that  
caution and prudence should have held   
sway4 ,but again it is an open question 
whether the man who follows the gleam1  
with inspiration to beckon him1 does not
 come nearer to the truth than the man  
of calculating caution who sums up and  
weighs4 ,sometimes crabbed age awakes to
 the realisation that the cocksure aim  
of youth is on occasion nearer to the   
mark than the aim directed by cold      
intellect1 plotted out on a diagram1 and
 worked out correct to three places of  
decimals4 ,it is perfectly possible for 
the cautious and orthodox pedestrian to 
spend so much time and effort in dodging
 the dangers of life's path1 and in     
endeavouring to keep off the grass1 that
 he makes no solid progress4 ,on the    
other hand1 the artistic temperament    
lives in the world and is not entitled  

to follow its own laws where those      
conflict with the interests of others4  
,the mere possession of this type of    
temperament involves its ,bohemian owner
 in many difficulties which do not beset
 the path of those who fit into the     
routine of life as they find it4        
,certainly it is advisable for the      
artist to temper his ways with          
discretion1 for genius is altogether too
 apt to make a meteoric blaze and end up
 in a fizzle4  ,the possessor of the    
artistic temperament is frequently      
deemed unreliable and capricious1 and to
 a certain extent this is true4 ,it is  
the sensitiveness first to one impact   
and then another1 the susceptibility to 
the manifold forces that play upon the  
individual1 which turn him now in the   
one direction and then in the other4 ,he
 is lured and led by this1 and then by  
that4 ,yet at times he is capable of the
 greatest concentration3 immersed in his
 subject he may even forget the outer   
world and omit to eat his dinner1 or    

perhaps like the philosopher he may eat 
it twice4  ,it is1 however1 quite       
possible to cultivate some of the       
advantages of this temperament and to   
restrict the disadvantages4 ,it is not  
necessary1 for example1 that anyone     
should be at the mercy of every         
transient impulse3 this involves an     
enormous waste of energy1 as would the  
voyage of a ship which should suffer    
itself to be blown hither and thither by
 every passing breeze4 ,we only respond 
to that to which we are mentally        
attuned1 and our minds pick up out of   
the welter of errant thought only those 
which correspond to the note we sing4   
,this1 then1 suggests that by attuning  
the mind to certain things we           
automatically throw it out of tune with 
conflicting ideas4 ,the successful      
artist1 as a rule1 is one who has learnt
 to render himself oblivious to         
distractions1 and so is enabled to      
concentrate his attention solely on the 
work in hand4 ,the artist who will be   

permanently unsuccessful is the one     
whose enthusiasms attract him first to  
one thing and then another1 never       
allowing him to remain absorbed by the  
one thing long enough to bring it to a  
satisfactory issue4 ,auto-suggestion    
applied to this point of inculcating    
response to certain things1 and immunity
 from the influence of others1 is an    
easy and extremely practical help4  ,one
 characteristic of genius is an extreme 
fertility in making mental associations4
 ,a central object comes into mind1 and 
immediately the mind of the genius1 by  
contrast1 comparison1 analogy1          
inference1 and imagination1 weaves      
around it a wealth of possibility3 the  
dull-witted man sees the same1 but his  
mind travels no farther than the actual 
vision4 ,the quick mind supplies the apt
 repartee1 while the dullard thinks of  
the appropriate reply next morning--if  
at all4 ,the disadvantage of the latter 
mind is that it does not work easily1   
the danger of the former is that it may 

work too easily and get out of control4 
,where the central control does not     
suffice to keep a strong hand upon this 
easy-running mental machinery1 it may   
quickly merge into eccentricity and     
possibly into madness4 ,the insane show 
this same tendency to rapid1 but        
irrelevant1 association which lands them
 in incoherency3 they make1 or indulge  
in1 associations which no normal person 
would allow4 ,a genius is only a genius 
while the necessary selection and       
control over these associations is      
retained1 when this is lost the genius  
passes into that insanity to which it is
 so closely associated4 ,the same       
conditions and remarks apply to the     
artistic temperament1 which itself is a 
mark of possible genius4  ,the artistic 
impulse is essentially creative1 and in 
this it demonstrates its relationship to
 the question of sex4 ,it is well       
recognised that many of the inspirations
 of genius in the various forms of ,art 
have come at a time when the artist was 

in the throes of the gentle passion4    
,this love neurosis1 as the cold        
specialist dubs it1 is in essence a     
condition of exaltation1 and therefore  
of exceptional sensitiveness4 ,need we  
wonder1 then1 that our artist-friend    
makes perhaps more frequent excursions  
than the humdrum individual into the    
realms of amorous exuberance8 ,by nature
 he is more susceptible to the influence
 of the finer emotions1 and he will find
 a thousand graces in the curve of an   
arm or the turn of an ankle1 where1 were
 you to appraise such in cold blood1    
there might be after all little enough  
to rave about4  ,it seems probable that 
the inspiration of the opposite sex in  
the artistic direction lies more in this
 mood of exaltation than in any specific
 influence4 ,in the exalted condition   
there is the greater capacity of        
response to inspiration from outside    
ourselves1 and also from within4 ,under 
all circumstances we are being played   
upon by the waves of the sea of thoughts

 in which we daily live1 and therefore  
inspiration from this outside source is 
somewhat of a commonplace4 ,but under   
certain conditions one can undoubtedly  
be inspired by one's own greater        
7subconscious7 mind1 which contains as  
treasure all the lore of its own        
experience1 and probably a good deal    
more beside4  ,however1 the artistic    
temperament1 with all that may be said  
for or against it1 is a gift of the high
 gods1 and while it does not of         
necessity imply a greater degree of     
spirituality and spiritual impulse than 
the normal1 it does at any rate make    
this possible4 ,the conditions are      
provided for finer work than is open to 
the majority1 but so long as man has a  
measure of free will he is able to turn 
the use of his gifts upward or down4    
,the freedom of the artist may of course
 degenerate into license1 and the       
spiritual impulse may be turned to      
perverted ends4 ,there is a distinct    
difference between the truly spiritual  

and what may be termed the psychic3     
there are hidden powers and latent      
possibilities which the specially       
sensitive are beginning to unfold4 ,but 
the danger is exactly on a par with that
 which up-to-date chemists and          
scientists foresee in the physical      
world4 ,there are tons of energy1 we are
 told1 locked up in the atom of the     
physical world1 and the scientist prays 
that mankind may not find the secret of 
unlocking that power until his moral    
sense is developed to such a degree as  
to prevent his using it for destructive 
ends4 ,it is comparatively easy to      
stimulate the psychic side of our       
natures1 but unless these powers be     
tuned by an accompanying spirituality to
 a high note1 unexpected and even       
undesirable results may follow4 ,the    
artist has taken a step forward in the  
exploration of a new realm1 and new     
discoveries--even though he does not    
fully comprehend their import--are      
falling to his lot4 ,the safeguard of   

the pioneer lies in his recognition of  
the spiritual nature of his quest3 if he
 realises that he is making contact with
 a new realm of thought and idea1 then  
he will rate his calling high1 and not  
run unnecessary risk by pursuing it in  
any unworthy or selfish aim4            
,,chapter ,,xi  ,,pure ,,music  ,we     
understand but little of music4 ,the    
greatest masterpiece is but a signpost  
to that infinite realm of harmony1 in   
which music is for ever included1 and to
 the joy which awaits in its eternal    
unfoldment  ,f4 ,l4 ,rawson   ,the point
 has been raised in discussion--,is     
there such a thing as pure music8 ,the  
question involved is whether music must 
necessarily convey any emotional        
message1 or whether it may just be a    
concourse of sweet sounds signifying    
nothing4 ,there are those who are       
prepared to lend support to the         
proposition on either side3 but1        
inasmuch as the whole object of these   
pages has been to emphasise the         

spiritual message of music1 our         
viewpoint would naturally lead us to    
take up a position in conflict with that
 of the pure music school4  ,the        
difficulty in all discussion1 and       
particularly in such as this1 consists  
in the fact of our own individual       
uniqueness4 ,little as we may realise   
it1 our standards of judgment and       
criticism are purely individual and     
infinitely variable4 ,two people see a  
thing3 put scientifically1 the result of
 this is that each experiences a        
stimulation of the optic nerve4 ,apart  
from any differences arising from the   
varying powers of concentration and     
observation1 the stimulus will be the   
same4 ,but the next step in the process 
of seeing is the translation of this    
nerve-stimulus by the brain into a      
visual image3 this can only be done by  
the awakening of a brain-picture which  
is already there--in short1 by          
recognition4 ,as the pictures already   
existing in the mind are compiled by the

 experience of the individual1 and as no
 two sets of experiences can possibly be
 identical in all respects1 it follows  
that the visual image awakened is a     
purely personal and unique one4 ,the    
thing seen is variable according to the 
individual4 ,it is impossible for us to 
observe alike even when we are concerned
 with concrete objects3 still more is it
 impossible when we deal with abstract  
subjects such as ,art and ,beauty4      
,hence arises the fundamental difficulty
 of discussion4  ,in the world of       
affairs we have arrived at certain      
understandings or conventional views    
which we generally accept1 and upon this
 basis we proceed to argue as if our    
facts were facts--which which they are  
not4 ,we agree to regard a certain      
colour as red1 although as a matter of  
fact it is neither a colour1 nor is it  
red4 ,colour is merely the reflection of
 certain light rays transmitted by ether
 waves3 our red object reflects the red 
rays of the spectrum1 having absorbed   

all the others4 ,but in the absence of  
light our object is no longer red1 and  
colour does not exist4 ,had we generally
 agreed to call this colour blue1 then  
it would be blue instead of red4 ,the   
basis of any argument about colour must 
be some sort of convention of this kind 
to form a common meeting ground4 ,the   
difficulty in discussion about music is 
that such a conventional basis of       
agreement does not exist4  ,music may   
thus convey a message to one person and 
not to another3 it may be pure music    
carrying no emotion to this man1 and yet
 it may convey something peculiarly     
definite1 to the mind of the other4 ,the
 message is not a thing of which we can 
logically argue either it is1 or it is  
not3 both statements may be true4 ,sound
 exists in the form of vibration1 but if
 ,i am deaf ,i cannot hear it3 it has no
 existence--,,for ,,me4 ,the problem    
thus centres itself largely in the mind 
of the individual rather than in the    
question whether there is or is not a   

message and a meaning4 ,not only music1 
but the whole world is brimming over    
with messages and meanings which our    
dull senses cannot appreciate4 ,the folk
 who populate this globe are largely    
dead4 ,they answer to such a limited    
range of interests and sensations that  
they cannot in any real sense be said to
 be alive4  ,the message of music may be
 a very gossamer thing1 it may be far   
too tenuous to be expressed in words1   
though possibly it might be conveyed    
eloquently enough in some of the sister 
,arts1 in dancing1 posture1 gesture1 or 
in facial expression4 ,pour not out     
words where there is a musician1 says   
the writer in ,ecclesiasticus4 ,the     
message may scarcely be a thought1 or   
emotion1 or even an idea3 it may simply 
be a mood4 ,words so often become our   
masters instead of our servants1 and we 
are apt to think that if a thing cannot 
be reduced to a verbal formula it is an 
airy nothing1 a figment of the          
imagination4 ,so it may be1 but it is   

none the less real4 ,we have thought of 
ourselves as material individuals for so
 long that it is difficult for us to use
 other than material standards in our   
estimate of immaterial things3 hence our
 confusion4 ,we can feel a thousand     
things far too delicate to explain or   
express1 joys too exquisite to voice1   
doubts too tenuous to utter1 and griefs 
too heavy to be borne3 we could not put 
them on paper1 nor submit to be         
cross-examined as to their reality and  
substance1 but there they are1 and not  
all the argument in the world could     
impugn their reality to us4 ,what is the
 most emotional of all the ,arts8       
,music4 ,no art has a deeper power of   
penetration1 no other can render shades 
of feeling so delicate4#bb  ,note #bb3  
,ribot4 ,psychology of the ,emotions4   
,let us take a concrete example3 the    
change from the major to the minor mode 
carries with it a change of sentiment4  
,we feel that1 quite noticeably1 the    
minor mood is one of sadness and        

resignation as compared with the major  
of brightness and activity4 ,it may be  
advanced that this is merely a matter of
 association in the mind1 that we have  
been long accustomed to relate grief and
 melancholy and sadness with minor keys1
 and that therefore the one idea very   
naturally brings up the other4 ,the     
argument is logical1 and cannot be      
summarily dismissed4 ,but when we       
reflect that this contrast of activity  
and resignation1 as typified by the     
major and minor modes1 also corresponds 
to the fundamental relation of the      
sexes1 the active and the receptive1 the
 doing and being1 we may question       
whether association is sufficient as an 
explanation4 ,the major and minor modes 
may thus be themselves but expressions  
of some deeper spiritual relationship   
embodied in the nature of things4       
,without giving rise to any definite    
emotion1 and in the absence of any      
specific programme1 it is thus quite    
possible for music to suggest a mood or 

to induce an atmosphere4 ,surely this   
is1 in effect1 the conveyance of a      
message and a meaning1 even though both 
be inarticulate4 ,such influences may   
call to like moods or atmospheres within
 ourselves and bring them into          
expression3 by being made thus explicit 
instead of remaining latent they gain   
added strength1 and are recorded in     
ourselves by memory4 ,thus even the mood
 suggested by the music of the moment   
may be a lasting item in our soul's     
growth4 ,art in all its variety of noble
 forms is ever beckoning to the best in 
us1 to the sense of the beautiful and to
 the unformulated ideal3 it is the      
spirit clothed in form calling to the   
spirit not yet expressed1 bidding it    
build beauty4 ,this building of man's   
true world--the living world of truth   
and beauty--is the function of ,art4    
,man is true1 where he feels his        
infinity1 where he is divine1 and the   
divine is the creator in him4 ,therefore
 with the attainment of his truth he    

creates4#bc ,this call to spirit is the 
old allegory of the sleeping beauty     
waiting to be awakened to her royal rank
 by the kiss of the seeking prince3 it  
is the same truth as expressed in the   
,bible--,we love ,him because ,he first 
loved us4  ,note #bc3 ,rabindranath     
,tagore4 ,what is ,art8  ,it is not     
music alone that thus seeks to arouse   
our latent divinity and to stimulate the
 tenuous virtues which expression alone 
can make robust4 ,when rhythm without   
calls to the rhythm within1 it answers  
because it must4 ,dancing is symbolical1
 it means something1 it expresses a     
feeling1 a state of mind4#bd ,the grace 
of the dancer may very well stir        
something in mind that ordinarily       
receives but little awakening4 ,with the
 changes in the rhythm of the dance1 and
 the gestures that vary in consonance1  
the echo within sings to a new tune4    
,perhaps we find ourselves tapping the  
rhythm with our feet or our fingers1 or 
it may be that we find the very         

expression on our own face is altering  
to match that upon the countenance of   
the dancer4 ,the skilful speaker also   
can arouse almost any emotion he pleases
 in the minds of his audience4 ,he may  
one moment have them laughing1 and then 
the next1 as if by magic touch1 he may  
bring them to sober mood or even to     
sorrow4 ,music no less surely does the  
same through the agency of rhythm1      
melody1 and harmonic texture4 ,there may
 be no words in the music or the dance1 
but the emotion is nevertheless         
conveyed4 ,moreover1 each idea in mind  
has its own associations1 and when once 
the central idea is implanted it        
forthwith proceeds to clothe itself in  
these associations1 decking itself out  
according to the native colour of the   
mind4  ,note #bd3 ,ribot4 ,psychology of
 the ,emotions4  ,we find it impossible 
to conceive that anything which may be  
termed music is devoid of significance1 
though there are certainly gradations   
and degrees of import4 ,it may well be  

that music1 like so many other things in
 nature1 has a three-fold aspect        
corresponding to our own make-up as     
body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,the outer form1
 the composition and actual structure1  
represents the body of music3 that part 
which is visible even to the unobservant
 eye and audible to the indiscriminating
 ear4 ,this is a matter of notes and    
tones quite apart from any real meaning 
or value4 ,such would be an academic    
exercise1 or a technically correct but  
unconvincing ballad4 ,it might possibly 
make some appeal to the intellect by by 
virtue of the exhibition of balance and 
symmetry1 the definiteness of plan and  
design1 the vitality and proportion of  
organic growth1#be but this would not   
suffice to place it in the category of  
music displaying the soul element4      
,note #be3 ,hadow4 ,studies in ,modern  
,music4  ,this second and higher soul   
significance shows itself in the        
emotional appeal of the music1 in the   
feelings it provokes and the mood it    

engenders4 ,here sound speaks in        
parables with an outer story and an     
inner meaning4 ,the non-musical person  
hears sounds1 but the musical mind hears
 sense4 ,whether the tidings be of      
sweetness1 affection1 or delight1 of    
strength1 vigour1 or energy1 of sorrow  
or regret1 there is all the difference  
in the world between the outward        
comprehension and the inner             
interpretation4 ,the formal part of the 
music is the frame1 but the emotion     
supplies the picture within4  ,yet this 
is not all4 ,there is still the         
significance which the picture is       
intended to convey1 the spirit1 the very
 heart of it4 ,this constitutes the     
inspiration and if this inner reality   
7,spirit7 does not exist in a work it   
ceases to be a work of art at all3 it   
becomes an example of beautiful         
handiwork--fine craftsmanship1          
perhaps--but not art4#bf  ,note #bf3    
,newlandsmith4 ,the ,temple of ,art4    
,it is only in the spirit that the real 

meaning of true music is to be found1   
minor and partial revelations may be met
 and enjoyed at the lower stages1 and at
 their level these may satisfy the      
aspirations of those who cannot take the
 higher seats at the musical feast4 ,it 
is impossible that this spiritual       
message should be comprehended except by
 those who have in some measure unfolded
 their own spiritual perceptions4       
,spiritual things must be spiritually   
discerned4 ,the ,bible has its literal  
and verbal message1 appropriate in      
degree to those whose intellectual      
accomplishment rises no further than an 
ordinary story3 but there is an inner   
meaning which the more advanced can     
appreciate4 ,there is yet an esoteric   
meaning1 a holy of holies1 into which   
only the initiated and instructed can   
penetrate1 and this only those whose    
spiritual vision is unfolded can        
discern4 ,only those in whom the spirit 
is evolved can understand the spiritual 
meaning4#bg ,but each stage has its     

gospel1 though that of the higher stages
 is incomprehensible to those in the    
lower4 ,so in all true music there are  
meanings within meanings1 and nothing is
 meaningless4 ,pure music perhaps       
conveys the innermost meaning of all1   
for shades of colour1 like shades of    
sound1 are of a much subtler nature1    
7and7 cause much subtler vibrations of  
the spirit than can ever be given by    
words4#bh  ,note #bg3 ,besant4 ,esoteric
 ,christianity4  ,note #bh3 ,kandinsky1 
quoted in ,eurythmics4 7,dalcroze47  ,in
 this three-fold aspect of music1 then1 
we may perhaps find the key as to       
whether music must necessarily imply    
anything or not4 ,there are the outer   
courts of the ,temple of ,art1 where the
 meaning and expression is adapted to   
those who may foregather only there1 but
 there are the inner courts where more  
of truth is to be found by those who    
have ears to hear4 ,but in the inmost   
chamber we may discern in the greatest  
masterpieces in music that something    

beside1 some divine element of life by  
which they are animated and inspired4#bi
 ,all true music has true meaning1 but  
this must correspond at each stage with 
the power and grade of discrimination   
and appraisement possible for the       
individual4 ,we are wise in our         
generation if we refrain from           
disparaging what we do not understand2  
it is easy to reflect upon ourselves in 
such disparagement4 ,conversely1 if     
there be no meaning1 surely there is no 
music1 and we need waste no time in     
endeavouring to find a message and a    
meaning in that composition wherein the 
composer himself could find none to put4
  ,note #bi3 ,hadow4 ,studies in ,modern
 ,music4     ,,chapter ,,xii  ,,the     
,,purpose ,,of ,,art  ,but ,god has a   
few of us whom he whispers in the ear3  
,the rest may reason and welcome3 'tis  
we musicians know  ,browning   ,there   
are in essence but two creeds in the    
world1 the one a materialistic belief1  
and the other some degree or phase of a 

spiritual conception4 ,every degree of  
density is to be found in the material  
view1 and every grade of refinement     
exists in the spiritual vision3 by      
imperceptible gradations they may shade 
from one into the other1 but the two    
extremes are material and spiritual4    
,the latter view will tend to result in 
unselfishness1 in altruism and a keen   
desire to leave one's own little corner 
of the world better for having lived in 
it4 ,the material idea must almost of   
necessity lead up to a selfish course of
 conduct1 where the personal interests  
are put foremost1 and the sole object is
 to get as much as possible1 as opposed 
to the spiritual philosophy which would 
advocate giving4  ,the old wise-heads   
who carved ,,man--,,know ,,thyself over 
the entrance to the ,temple at ,delphi  
knew what they were talking about1 for  
it is largely owing to the fact that man
 knows so little of himself--and        
generally knows that little wrong--that 
his philosophy has taken such a         

perverted turn4 ,the world1 and more    
especially our western world1 is        
hopelessly material in its outlook1 and 
we would suggest that it is because the 
average man thinks of himself as his    
material body that his philosophy       
follows along the same lines4 ,when a   
man identifies himself with his body1   
and has only a pious hope of having a   
spirit which will come into action when 
he dies1 or perhaps a very long time    
after he is dead1 then naturally his    
chief concern is with the body of which1
 at any rate1 he has definite assurance4
 ,so he looks after the body1 seeks     
comfort and luxury for it1 and strives  
for the necessary money with which to   
gratify its whims4 ,this means that he  
must get money the best way he can1 but 
he must get it3 if it has to be at the  
expense of others--well1 so much the    
worse for them4 ,if it has to be fought 
for1 then naturally the stronger wins3  
the survival of the fittest he will say4
 ,thus1 quite logically1 from the       

primary misconception a superstructure  
of error is raised4 ,as each body has   
diverse whims1 the pursuit of these must
 lead to the widest range and conflict  
of aims1 and thus materialism results in
 disorder1 cross-purposes and confusion4
 ,on all sides this diversity of aim1   
with its corresponding confusion1 is    
visible both in individuals and in      
nations to-day4  ,but as soon as a man  
realises that he is primarily a spirit1 
having a body as an instrument through  
which to play1 his point of view is     
entirely altered4 ,the pursuit of mere  
physical enjoyment and luxury is        
recognised as having an enervating and  
blunting effect upon the finer spiritual
 faculties3 it puts the instrument out  
of tune and spoils its tone4 ,money is  
seen as somewhat of a snare and a       
delusion1 when valued for its own sake4 
,the object of life is recognised as    
spiritual growth1 and in that growth    
happiness is found4 ,quite notoriously  
it is sought in vain in mere selfish    

pursuits4 ,this spiritual growth can    
only be attained by the practice of the 
law of love1 manifesting itself in      
unselfish service in the interests of   
others4 ,the effect of this spiritual   
conception is to eliminate diversity of 
aim1 and to lead back to the simplicity 
and unity of a single purpose--that of  
spiritual evolution4  ,the body1 we     
know1 has come up the long ladder of    
evolution1 and it still retains in its  
build many traces of the climb4 ,there  
are muddy patches in the instincts and  
passions1 and encumbrances and          
impedimenta in both mind and body1 as   
part of our heritage4 ,but spirit has   
come ,,down4 ,as ,wordsworth expresses  
it--trailing clouds of glory do we come 
from ,god4 ,all religions claim for us  
an immortality1 and it is difficult for 
us to conceive an existence finite at   
one end and infinite at the other3 so if
 we are to claim our immortality of     
spirit we should surely recognise our   
present spirituality which ensures that 

immortality4 ,however this may be1 we   
may at any rate agree that body comes   
,,up and spirit comes ,,down1 and they  
consort here together for a few decades3
 then the body undoubtedly returns as   
dust to dust1 and the spirit returns to 
,god who gave it 7,ecclesiastes74 ,but  
there would be no evolution and no      
fulfilment of purpose if the spirit were
 not to return a richer and more        
developed spirit by reason of its       
sojourn in the flesh3 there would be    
stagnation1 just a simple ineffectual   
turning round and round1 as of a screw  
that had stripped its thread4  ,the     
battle royal is the fight for mastery as
 between body and spirit3 evolution     
proceeds apace when spirit takes command
 and bids the body minister to its      
progress1 but evolution halts when the  
body clogs the spirit4 ,then ,nature1   
our taskmaster1 punishes us1 ever       
choosing that way which is entirely     
appropriate and induced by the fault    
itself3 this is the purpose and the     

cause of our pecks of trouble4 ,the     
battle has to be fought--and won--by    
each of us3 the only effect of temporary
 surrender is indefinite delay4 ,the    
battle has still to be fought again with
 added difficulties later on4 ,the      
popular-class composer nowadays is not  
infrequently a thoroughly competent and 
well-read musician who1 if he chose1    
could write really solid and substantial
 music4#cj ,so the frankly commercial   
musician who writes for the market has  
surrendered in one skirmish of spirit4  
,very possibly he gains the desired     
pieces of silver1 but they are dearly   
paid for at the expense of his own      
artistic soul4 ,also in the long run the
 surrender is futile1 for he ,,must     
evolve3 and if he has slipped down1 then
 so much further has he again to climb4 
,note #cj3 ,article in ,john o'         
,london's ,weekly4  ,the antagonist of  
,materialism in the world-contest is    
,spirit1 and the organising and         
marshalling of the spiritual forces has 

been the province of religion in        
general4 ,but religion has itself been  
too much apart from the things of       
everyday1 it has lived in a compartment 
of its own1 labelled ,sundays only4 ,as 
a consequence its influence has failed  
to permeate the world of affairs1 and   
both religion and the world have        
suffered direly as a result4 ,when      
religion ceases to carry any weight with
 the individual1 his balance necessarily
 sways toward the material3 and when    
religious teaching practically ceases to
 have any vitality in the education of  
the nation1 it follows that the outlook 
must turn more and more in the direction
 of selfishness1 force1 and mere worldly
 affluence4 ,this may be a tolerably    
comfortable method of extinction1 but it
 is no way of progressive life4 ,music  
allies itself with the forces at work on
 the spiritual side1 and thus comes to  
the battle in support of religion4      
,music exists as a permanent witness to 
the reality of the intangible1 and to   

the power and pre-eminence of qualities 
which no money can purchase and which   
,time is powerless to destroy4 ,the     
so-called solid things disintegrate1 the
 vogue of one year spells oblivion in   
the next1 but the power of music to stir
 the pulse1 to awaken the emotions and  
to uplift the spirit1 has remained      
through all the yesterdays1 and will do 
so--we may anticipate--through all the  
to-morrows4 ,it is an ally and          
co-witness with religion for immaterial 
and spiritual ends4 ,another ally1 in   
the guise of science1 is also coming    
fast in support4 ,science has already   
overstepped the bounds of the material  
in many quarters3 its trend is ever in  
the direction of the invisible1 where   
there is another range of values and    
qualities1 and where no scales weigh and
 no footrules measure4 ,it is now       
engaged in discovering the unseen causes
 which underlie the objective effects we
 notice in the physical world4          
,presently1 there can be but little     

doubt1 we shall find the three1         
,religion1 ,science1 and ,music 7or     
rather1 ,art in general7 ranged side by 
side for the ultimate destruction of the
 purely material and mechanistic        
theories of life3 and when these are    
finally overthrown1 with them will also 
topple the doctrines1 founded thereon1  
of self-seeking and strife4  ,our own   
spirit-nature is our truest guide to the
 discernment of the spirit universal4   
,there is but one life and one spirit1  
though the degrees of its manifestation 
are wide as the poles asunder3 just as  
in our own body there are specialised   
cells for high tasks and for lowly1 yet 
the same life pervades them all4 ,there 
is a wild robin redbreast who always    
comes when ,i dig my garden1 to eat the 
grubs that the spade turns up4 ,he is   
not in the least afraid1 and he often   
answers when ,i whistle to him3 he is a 
little cousin of mine4 ,his life is in  
no essentials different to my own life1 
except that ,i have the advantage of him

 in being able to express so much more  
of the same spirit4 ,divinity and spirit
 7are not the terms synonymous87 are in 
all1 behind all1 and in ever-increasing 
degree before all4 ,our own answering to
 love and the appeal of beauty is simply
 the echo of like to like2 the spirit   
within replies to the call of spirit    
without4 ,for this reason ,music is a   
universal language1 and ,art can know no
 boundaries4  ,to explore the beauties  
of ,art and ,music is to add those      
beauties1 by expression and the power of
 memory1 to the self4 ,thus we may grow 
more beautiful1 just as surely as by    
thinking ever in terms of pounds1       
shillings1 and pence1 we grow more      
sordid and mercenary4 ,it is a perfectly
 commonsense process4 ,furthermore1 the 
appreciation of beauty and of artistic  
expression develops our power of keener 
appreciation4 ,evolution in music cannot
 stop1 for spirit is behind it3 and the 
spirit within must eventually find its  
way back to the universal source from   

which it came1 just as water must find  
its own level4 ,the present status of   
everything that we observe to-day is    
purely temporary3 we are looking at one 
picture of a cosmic cinema film that    
stretches on to infinity4 ,just because 
we see only one static picture of a     
process which truly never stops moving1 
so we get a view of life that contains  
much of delusion4 ,we have heard a      
,doctor of ,music state in public his   
opinion that the age of the composition 
of musical masterpieces was for ever    
passed3 so will others say that the age 
of inspiration and prophecy has also    
departed4 ,these good people are        
mistaking the outer form which is       
transient1 for the inner principle which
 is spirit and eternal4 ,they have lost 
their bearings4 ,music must go on from  
development to development1 and just as 
soon as it proves itself incapable of   
further development and expression along
 certain lines1 the spirit within will  
rend the husk that can no longer contain

 it and will blossom forth in some new  
and more expansive guise4 ,as with our  
own bodies1 the outworn garb will be    
laid aside1 and the spirit will find a  
finer form4  ,like ,scriabin1 ,scott    
looks to ,music as a means to carry     
further the spiritual evolution of the  
race1 and believes that it has occult   
properties of which only a few          
enlightened people are aware4#ca ,there 
can be no doubt that this survival-value
 of ,music lies in its power to assist  
spiritual unfoldment and progress1 and  
if the serious practice of music        
involves a certain discipline of plain  
living and high thinking1 are not these 
themselves adjuncts to a progressive    
evolution8 ,where the adequate          
interpretation of music involves a      
certain abnegation and unselfishness in 
the case of a soloist1 and a large      
measure of team-play and co-operation in
 the case of concerted work1 are not    
these again elements in inculcating an  
attitude that transcends self8 ,does not

 the simple appreciation of music tend  
to unlock the doors of imagination and  
set it free in regions far removed from 
the gross8 ,and are not all these so    
many aids to higher ends8  ,note #ca3   
,eaglefield ,hull4 ,cyril ,scott4  ,if  
the inspiration that is in music and    
works through it serves to awaken us to 
the fact that the world of spirit is    
very close at all times1 and that our   
knowledge of it and our communion       
therewith is solely limited by our      
capacity of fine response1 it will have 
done something of incalculable value4   
,if it arouses in us the desire to fit  
ourselves by aspiration and a high      
resolve to achieve that delicacy of     
sensitiveness whereby we ourselves may  
catch some of the spirit's tenuous      
message1 it will have served to put us  
in touch with eternal influences4 ,it   
should certainly assist in breaking down
 any leanings towards a gospel of       
materialism with all its naked          
selfishness1 and in so doing ,art is    

calling us the 'children of the         
immortal1' and proclaiming our right to 
dwell in the heavenly worlds4#cb  ,note 
#cb3 ,rabindranath ,tagore4             
,personality4