THE FORERUNNERS OF SCARLATTI, BACH, AND HANDEL

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21419, 11 March 1935, Page 7

THE FORERUNNERS OF SCARLATTI, BACH, AND HANDEL

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PU*SS. Sir.—Mr CIi(To Stanford speaks of The changing times and evolution in his latest, letter. There is no changing time in music. Music is music, and discord is discord. I quote from that old-established channel, Shakespeare: Then? i- nc 1 the smallest orb that thou hrliuldest I Uut, in liis motion like an angrl sings, j ,still (juii'inj;' to the young eyed chevubins; Such harmony is in mortal souls; But, whilst this muddy vesture of decay _ Doth grossly close it in, wc cannot hoar it. Now I'll quote one of to-day's scientists in regard to things evolving: Finn and design as far as we know then; immediately confront us in the works ol man, i.e., in tlie works of art, music, science, industry, etc.; and here they always have their ultimate foundation in a something that we may call a spiritual ayent, namely the mind or soul of man. Hans Kriesch. Now we have another man who is worth while in the world of brains scientific, Younghusband: There is a great rljythm in the realm of living in the atom as well as tne heavenly bodies, and all the rhythms are indicative of order, system, and precision. Nature's mode of working is the same, whether she is dealing with atoms or stars and all is in the march of evolution. We evolve into higher vibrations, the more refined or cultured we grow and all is in due order. Evolution is one great scheme from first to last in the vast or the minute." "Gravitational attraction" is always operating. Thus out of the various rays which come out of the universe at large, those which are ours —according to our evolution —come to us. So we attract to us, or belong to what is ours. . . . , So after all, old-fashioned William Shakespeare says yesterday what science i? finding out to-tiay about rhythm and harmony, and blessed is he who can tune in to the music of the spheres. In regard to to-day's production of inharmony, it is like a thing in travail. The higher self or powers are withdrawn, and only suffering is to be endured until the birth of a new understanding comes. That new understanding is of the same kind as its parents, only it is fresh and clean and not hidden by man's conceit It is man's conceit that has to be cleaned off by suffering; and we who truly recognise the divine in music and art only suffer until the birth pangs are over, and we thereupon have the voung inspiration fresh ind clean. Yours, etc.. SENSE. March 9, 1.035.