Musical Notes.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 1, 31 March 1893, Page 14

Musical Notes.

[By Coenbt.] As is Well known, singing in public school#forms one of the class subjects, but how neglected it is in the majority of cases. Excepting a few nursery rhymes, little else i# taught. Would it not be a good plan for committees to provide a piano for the use of the teacher, as it must be very difficult, if not impossible to teach music intelligibly without the aid of an instrument on which the tone* are fixed with mechanical precision. What does the dominie say of this P The ancient Chinese scale consisted of only six notes, those missing being the two semitones, and this scala is found in many of tho older Irish and Scottish ballads. Tho brass bands of Christchurch havo decided to make their first contest under tho auspices of the New Zealand Brass Bands Association a big success, having obtained the assistance of a strong and influential committee. We wish them every success, and trust they may not bo disappointed, as on a forfner occasion. The Association meota ia Oamaru during Easter week, gand from th® notices of motion already given, it is proposed to have two selections provided for bands to practise instead of only one test selection and. one of the bands’ own choice. This will test the reading capabilities of bands, and if adopted will stop a lot of cramming. Tho relation of music to poetry in many of the songs one hears at concerts, particularly those of modern composition, is as a rule little studied. As a writer well says—“ Surely th* beauties of thought, the sense and sentiment of poetry could be conserved, nay, enhanced within the limits of musical form and exposition.” Who has not hoard and felt tho influonce of tho old folk songs, the result of wedding tho music to the poetry ? If th® words were sad, the music was in sympathy if joyous, the music correspondingly gay; if martial, the music stirring. On tho influence of a mother or nurse on a child’s perception of intervals, Gounod says—* “My mother had made mo her pupil as ® nursling, and familiarised my ears with sound® and words. Hence, my perception of airs and of the intervals composing them was quite a® rapid as my perception of words, if not more so. Before I could speak I distinguished and recognised perfectly tho different airs with which my ear was lulled. It must not be con. eluded that a precocious culture of the ear i® sufficient to make a musician capable of composing. But it is certain that one can initiate tho ear to musical language, exactly as to spoken language, and can develop th® musical sense in a much larger number of children than is commonly done. I hav® known children sing false because their mothers and nurses sang false and spoiled their ear. It is not tho voice which is false—it is tho perception of the intervals which ha® been falsified by vicious expressions. Bossini wrote his popular opera, “II Barbiera di Siviglia,” within one week, and “ Tha Prayer in Mose” in three quarters of aa hour during a rehearsal. It is not generally known that TrumpetMajor Landfield, the sounder of the famou® charge at Balaclava, is still alive and following his musical profession as Bandmaster of the Ist Sussex Yolunteer Artillery. The Invercargill Garrison Band have ordered a set of new instruments from Boosey and Co., of London, and not before they were wanted, the present ones having done duty for nearly fourteen years.