Practised ears, on the other hand, appreciate both
equalities at the same instant, although it is absurd to suppose
that both are heard at the same instant. One is heard and
appreciated from itself, the other is heard by the memory, and the
instant glides into and is confounded with the secondary appreciation.
Highly cultivated musical taste in this manner enjoys not only these
double equalities, all appreciated at once, but takes pleasurable
cognizance, through memory, of equalities the members of which occur
at intervals so great that the uncultivated taste loses them
altogether. That this latter can properly estimate or decide on the
merits of what is called scientific music is of course impossible. But
scientific music has no claim to intrinsic excellence; it is fit for
scientific ears alone. In its excess it is the triumph of the physique
over the morale of music. The sentiment is overwhelmed by the sense.
On the whole, the advocates of the simpler melody and harmony have
infinitely the best of the argument, although there has been very
little of real argument on the subject.
In verse, which cannot be better designated than as an inferior or
less capable Music, there is, happily, little chance for complexity.
Its rigidly simple character not even Science- not even Pedantry can
greatly pervert.
Pages:
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267