Read Ebook: Punch or the London Charivari Vol. 159 1920-09-15 by Various Seaman Owen Editor

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 239 lines and 17315 words, and 5 pages

PAGE

Preface 5-17

Music as a Human Need 19

Music and Motion 31

Group and Individual Reaction to Music 41

Toneurology: A New Branch of Study 56

Italy 61

England 68

Germany 71

France 81

United States 91

APPENDICES.

Appendix A.--Questionnaire 97

Appendix B.--Sources of Statistical Material 99

Appendix C.--Tabulation of Foreign State Subventions 101

Appendix D.--Notes on the Tabulation of Foreign State Subventions 103

Appendix E.--Communications 112

Appendix F.--Bibliography 138

Vita 143

Index 144

PREFACE

It will be observed that in the following pages political and economic events are presented in their aspect of emotion-producing forces in social pressure, with but scant attention to their other values. An artificially selective process must also be acknowledged in that, of those events only such as seem to have produced a direct emotional reaction upon a people have been considered. Those long continued economic movements which produced no sudden changes have not been taken into account, because what may be termed their disturbing effects were too gradual to allow of their being included among specific emotion-making forces; slow changes are not sensed by whole peoples. Uneducated masses, especially, do not become conscious of progressive movements until their effects are so apparent as to require consideration by reason of aroused emotional reaction. The history of a slow transition, therefore, may be for the scientific purposes of this investigation unimportant as compared with the somewhat dislocated perturbance, which resulted at the moment when the events under consideration were happening, and calling forth a reaction definitely emotional. Moreover, at such a precise moment, the events may have been raised to social consciousness, not as they appear to us in the clear afterlight of scientific attitude and historical accuracy, but as popular concepts of the moment, having power to arouse intense national emotional reaction; similar recent popular waves of feeling, due not to facts as they are, but to popular conceptions of such facts, will readily occur to each reader.

With this warning that not the dignity of history, but the intensity of public emotionalism is within the purview and area of our investigation, we may proceed to a statement of the method and of the general thesis.

The method to be pursued, is to examine contemporaneous and concurrent public events and emotion products, as expressed in Music.

The results indicated may be given a preliminary statement as follows:

These points are part of the general thesis, which may be stated in the following terms: MUSIC IS A HUMAN NEED, INCREASING AND DECREASING WITH SOCIAL PRESSURE.

The tendency of a group in each stage of human development, is to produce Music fitting the character of the social disturbances of its time, and communities which most fully meet this need of rhythm by national culture of Music, tend to preserve for longer periods, the serenity of the public mind. Thus it will be seen that national control and support of Music may be assumed to be a national duty. This control and support will aid in the preservation of a healthy state of the public mind. Such a condition will make more effective all other efforts for the abolition of discontent, disease, vice and criminality.

National culture and support of Music are effective means of exercising social control, because of the calming influence of Music upon disturbed thought. Such an influence is a most necessary one at the present stage of mental agitation. Established within disturbed zones, national institutions for free musical instruction would place a check upon strained intellectualism, with its brood of idea-monstrosities, since Music would cause a relaxation of mental concentration. It is a matter of experience, that relaxation of tension generally accompanies the yielding of the excited mind to musical rhythm.

Furthermore, there are other and not inconsiderable arguments for the national support of Music. On account of the great expense of a musical education, much promising American talent is now deprived of cultivation. To all persons evidencing marked musical ability, and showing themselves worthy of aid, this rich country should give national support.

American national instruction in Music is also a duty to American industry because such instruction would open the employment field in Music to American wage earners. Some idea of the amount of private business along this line may be gained from the following:

MUSIC IN THE WEST.

At present America is obliged to depend both for her best Music and musical instruction largely upon foreign talent. With national support of her own talent, this deplorable condition would soon cease. This would also free Americans from absolute dependence upon private institutions.

Music has also become an important industry, employing a vast number of agents. It is high time that this employment were placed within reach of American labor. Such an end can be attained only by furnishing adequate training for this skilled work. At present foreigners are the agents for the satisfaction of this need for rhythm in orchestras, bands, hotels, restaurants, church choirs, studios, clubs, steamships, operas and at social functions. An important wage earning occupation is thus out of reach of our own talent.

It may be argued that considerable expense is already incurred by municipalities and states, for training in musical appreciation in the form of concerts, public school instruction, park bands, etc. These expenses are admittedly very large and yet what is their productive value along the line of musical instruction? What is the real value, for instance, of the many thousands of dollars annually expended upon public Music in a city like New York? The educated listener finds the programs faulty, falling far short of a true expression of a composer's idea, while to the uneducated hearer, it is principally a diversion of his attention, without teaching him anything. The establishment of musical departments in colleges will never be able to meet this crying need. The majority of the institutions which depend even in part upon tuition-fees received from their pupils, reach the least needy of our people, and sometimes the least talented. Where the industrial shoe pinches the hardest, there is where the national social or political danger lies, and there is where the need is greatest. Where the social pressure is most felt, there is formed a mine of musical diamonds. Neither the city nor the state can so control musical development, as to produce a national type in musical composition. Music is a universal need, passionately craved by the nation's children. Hence our federal government should attend to this demand, which is becoming more and more insistent every day, indicative of a national want. We venture the not idle prophecy, that the whole American nation would cheerfully bear a tax, for so good a work as the establishment of national free schools of Music all over our land. That European countries have recognized this need is shown by the statistics which will be found below. These statistics were very difficult to procure, and are rather surprising in content.

A copy of the questionnaire sent out will be found in Appendix A. The nations from whom we expected the least expenditure for musical culture, were found to be the most lavish. The United States stands apart from the world's array of musical patrons. The recent interest in Indian and Negro Music may, however, prove an entering wedge to a wider cultivation of our national musical resources. Our State universities and our public schools are institutions of which the nation is justly proud. Why not open your arms a little wider, generous America, and take into your embrace your own fair musical child, now so weak and puny, but full of promise for the future? The hope of the writer is, that this cry will be heard by the nation's head.

With such national support in view, we have gathered our statistics. City ventures are not considered; park bands, military bands, new buildings for national musical academies, in short, all outlays for Music not tending to contribute directly toward the musical education of the people under consideration, are omitted. Thus the large contributions of cities for public entertainments are left out of our calculation entirely. The United States has not fallen into line with European countries in national culture of Music, but probably this is simply because the attention of our nation has not hitherto been called to Music as a health measure. Too much ink has flowed in describing Music as a diversion, as an amusement, as an ideal, as a superfluous luxury, whereas no greater physical and mental need exists, than the unconscious physical need of rhythm, the conscious physical need of Music.

The world, it is true, may not at once accept the theory of "rhythm" herein set forth. An investigation of it, however, would bring about some new and interesting discoveries, in regard to unsuspected effects of Music upon the nervous system. In any case, Music is a wonder worker which should now occupy the attention of sociologists, psychologists, and physicians.

Music has been generally regarded as the language of the emotions, but it has never been Ties.

Ireland.

The prevalence of deafness amongst blue-eyed cats.

Mesopotamia.

The Fall of Man.

Of all these topics the first is, of course, by far the most absorbing, and almost everyone has remarked how the love of sport, for which Britons are famous, is growing more passionate than ever. It is not only cricket and football, of course; only the other day there was a shilling sweepstake on the St. Leger in our office and, from what I hear of the form of Westmorland in the County Croquet Championship during the past season--but I have no time to discuss these things now.

The point is that, whilst this excitement over games grows greater and greater, the country is suffering, say the economists, from under-production and the inflation of the wage-bill. This means that everyone is trying to do less work and get more money for it, a very natural ambition which nobody can blame the miners from sharing. I suppose that if they all stopped mining and we had to depend for warmth on wrapping ourselves up in moleskins, the molliers, or whatever they are called, would strike for a two-shillings rise as well.

The worst of it is that under-production, say the economists again , sends prices up. Obviously then there is only one thing to do: we must take advantage of the prevailing passion and make mining a form of sport. The daily papers should find very little difficulty in doing this.

WHO HEWS HARDEST? CLAIM BY A LANARKSHIRE COLLIER

would do very well for the headings of a preliminary article; and the claim of the Lanarkshire collier would, I am sure, be instantly challenged. After a few letters we might have a suggestion, say from Wales, that no team of eleven miners could hew so hard and so much as a Welsh one. And from that it would be only a short step to the formation of district league competitions and an international championship. Or the old-time system under which cricketers were matched for a stake by sporting patrons might be revived, and we should have headlines in the evening Press after this fashion:--

HUGE HEWING CONTEST. NOTTS FOREST v. NEWCASTLE UNITED. TREMENDOUS WAGER BETWEEN THE DUKES OF PORTLAND AND NORTHUMBERLAND

and all the glades of Sherwood and the banks where the wild Tyne flows would be glad.

It will be objected, of course, that the hewing of coal is not a spectacular affair. You cannot pack sixty thousand spectators into a mine to watch a hewing match, and even if you could the lighting is bad; but that is just where the skill of the reporters would come in. After all, we do not most of us see the races on which we bet, nor the Golf Championship, nor even BECKETT and WELLS. But there would be articles on the correct swing whilst hewing, and the proper stance, and how far the toes should be turned in; the chances of every team would be discussed; the current odds would be quoted, and, whoever won, the consumer would score, whilst the strongest hewers would become popular heroes and be photographed on the back-page standing beside their hews.

I admit that the South of England and London in particular would have very little share in these competitions, and we should depend for local interest mainly upon the promising young colts from the Kentish nurseries. But we could find out from our dealers where our coals came from and follow from afar the fortunes of our adopted teams; and Cabinet Ministers, at any rate, could distribute their patronage and their presence with tact over the various areas involved.

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet