Newspaper Page Text
8
/WBw —P
f I IF'
From the music studio
Conducted by Albert Gerard-Thiers.
This department of questions and answers, through which music lovers and
students of music may be brought in coontact with one of the foremost teach
ers in the South, is published every week. Any one interested in music,
either vocal or instrumental, may submit questions to Mr. Gerard-Thiers.
The only requirements are that they be concise, written in good faith and
signed by the sender . They will be answered, through this department only,
as promptly as possible and in the order received, the editors reserving the
right to select such as they deem of sufficient importance. All letters should
be addressed to Albert Gerard-Thiers, care of The Golden Age.
Broken Music.
Can you give me the meaning of
“Broken Music?” It occurs three
times in Shakespeare, viz.: Henry
V. vii, “Come your answer is broken
music for thy voice is music and the
English broken; therefore queen of all,
Katherine, break thy mind to me in
broken English.” “As You Like It, I.ii:
“But is there anyone else longs to see
this broken music in his sides?”
“Troilus and Crossida” 111. i: “Fair
Prince, here is good broken music.”
HENRY M.
“Broken Music” means the music
of stringed instruments, in contradis
tinction to those played by wind. The
term probably originated from Harps,
Lutes, and such other stringed instru
ments as were played without a bow,
not having the capability to sustain a
long note to its full duration of sound.
In the extract from “Troilus,” he re
marks that the musicians on the stage
were then performing on stringed in
struments and thus attempts to prove
his argument. R. G. White, in his
Shakespeare (Boston, 1865,) says
broken music means music in parts.
Bacon in his essay of “Masques and
Triumphs,” referring to the perform
ance of a band, says, “I understand
it that the song be in Quire, placed
Jacksonville’s Mayor Speaks on
Civic Righteousness
Jacksonville, Fla., July 22. —Mayor
Van C. Swearingin, in the midst of
his multifold duties in municipal af
fairs, and the conflict waging between
him and the bond trustees, finds time
to attend a church social. Last night,
by invitation he was at the Wood
lawn Baptist church, where a gen
eral church and 1 community social
was being held. A program of music,
addresses, etc,, had been arranged
and Mayor Swearingin invited to
speak.
The pastor of the church, Rev. J.
W. Senterfitt, in introducing the mayor
said: “In this commercial age, it is
significant and (refreshing to know
that the president of our great na
tion reveres God and considers hu
manity; and I esteem it no little
honor to live in a city throbbing with
commercial life and bounding forward
in material progress, that has as its
mayor a man whose ideal of a great
city is not alone its towering sky
scraper buildings, teaming vaults of,
gold, and over-rushing business, but
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
aloft and accompanied with some
broken music.” In “As You Like It,”
Rosalind punning says: “Is there any
one else longs to see this broken mu
sic in his sides? That is, to see his
in pieces or parts, there being plain
ly no reference to strings.” “It was
the custom in this country in the earl
ier times to assort the viols together,
Hautboys together, and Shawms to
gether and a collection of one class
of instruments was called a “Consort.”
Thus there might be a consort of viols,
or a consort of Hautboys, and at that
time it was rare but not entirely un
known to have a mixture of one con
sort with another consort and there
is a passage of Lord Bacon’s which re
fers to this mixture of one consort
with another, and then it had the
name of “broken music.” A consort
consisted of six viols usually kept in
one case, and when the whole of the
viols were played together it was us
ually called a “Consort,” when less
than six it was called a “Broken Con
sort.”
How long would I have to study to
place my voice, if I devoted all my
time to it? I am 18, strong and am
bitious, and very desirous for an op
eratic career. What must I study,
etc.? M. H. M.
who sees the more valuable asset —the
individual citizen and his development
in morals and righteousness, and who
looks to God as the man of his coun
sel.”
In the course of the mayor’s ad
dress he said: “There is no place in
which I would rather speak than in a
church. I am convinced that all the
good that comes to us comes by or
through the churches; that the good
men and women of our land are so
because of the churches. They are
the hope of the nation, the hope of
the city, the home and the individ
ual.
I recognize the honor ;of being
mayor of so great and progressive a
city as ours; I am conscious of the
responsibility it involves and feel that
I must use all the knowledge and
judgment there is in me in adminis
tering its affairs and look to God for
his guidance.
I am glad to see these children here.
I believe in the child and am inter
ested in every one of them. Were
THE GOLDEN AGE FOR JULY 31, 1913
If you have a splendid voice and
physique, patience and perseverance,
you will no doubt succeed in your
chosen profession if you find the right
voice trainer. As to the length of
time required to place a voice, I al
ways tell my pupils that it depends
entirely upon themselves. If the stu
dent works conscientiously on the
lines that I lay out the voice can be
perfectly placed in three months’ time
and the pupil putting into practice the
voice training by beginning songs.
With my method I do in two years
what it used to take ten to do. I
do not believe in wasting time, for
after one’s voice is in usable condi
tion there is so much yet to learn
in interpretation, language, etc. (which
latter should be mastered before one
begins to sing, that it occupies all
one’s spare time and thought. Be
gin by committing all your music and
words so that it becomes a part of
you, and you will lie perfectly uncon
scious of people around you. This
will give a freedom from restraint
and an easy manner hard to acquire
in later years.
* * *
Will you kindly give a list of songs
to sing in church? L. P. S.
In these columns I cannot give lists,
but upon receipt of a self addressed
stamped envelope, I will be glad to
send a list. If you are not acquaint
ed with great oratories begin at once
to add them to your repertoire as they
are always acceptable, and many of
them very beautiful. Learn the whole
of the oratorio as many churches make
a point of oratorios during the winter,
and at Lent the sacred cantatas are
often given. It is always well to be
prepared with standard works, and be
sides the convenience of being ready
when the call comes to perform some
thing of note, it makes one more mu
sical. For the same reason study
the operas. It is not necessary to
go on the stage in order to learn
such works, nor tin order to use them,
for how often one sees on a program
Aria “Caro Nome” from Rigoletto, etc.
“Always rise a step in choosing a
friend” might be said of choosing one’s
music. One’s vocabulary would never
I able to properly care for them I
would be glad to have fifteen or more
in my own home. With the existing
conditions, I do not believe it is safe
for your child or mine in our city.
But, fellow citizens, I am working
hard every day to remedy this condi
tion. And, with the co-operation of
pure minded, righteous loving citizens,
we shall see a decided change within
less than six months, I am sure. To
this end I am giving my every energy
that the government may be for the
protection of every individual citizen,
and our splendid city go onward and
upward in every essential of prog
ress.”
At the conclusion of the address, a
burst of applause rang out from the
audience, and every one in the audi
ence rose to pledge their confidence
and co-operation.
Another special feature of the even
ing was a magnificent address on
“Wealth and Government” by Hon.
C. B. Hickemell, former mayor of Ada,
Ohio. He is a platform lecturer of
unusual ability. His address was well
received.
A VERY DELICATE PROBLEM.
Parson Henderson, an evangelist of
color, was caught one bright morning
grow if one confined one’s learning to
the letters of the alphabet without
combining them into words.
American Composers.
Will you kindly tell me who are
the American composers of the pres
ent day, considered worth wihile?
Your question covers a large area.
The following comprises a list es those
who were our contemporary American
composers: (I cannot say are, as one
of the greatest, Edw. MacDowell has
but recently died, and Ethelbert Nevin
a few years ago):
Edward MacDowell, John Phillip
Sousa. Arthur Foote, Henry K. Had
ley Frederick Field Bullard, Harry
Rowe Shelley, Edgar Stillman Kelly,
Ethelbert Nevin, Henry Schoenefeld,
Harvey Worthington Loomis, Horatio
W. Parker, John Knowles Paine, Geo.
Whitfield Chadwick, Frank van der
Stucken, Adolph M. Foester, Henry
Holden Huss, Charles Crozart Con
verse, Homer A. Norris, Homer Bart
lett, Margaret Ruthven Lang, Mrs. H.
H A. Beech, Harriet Ware, Mary Tur
ner Salter, Mary Knight Wood, Fred
erick Grant Gleason, Wilson G. Smith,
William H. Sherwood, A. J. Goodrich.
Q. Through what medium is the
voice made manifest? MRS. H. H. S.
A. The physical medium through
which the human voice is made audi
ble is obliviously specific portions of
the human body, viz.: The lungs,
throat and the lips.
Q. What is individuality?
A. “The state or quality of being
individual.
“The attributes, taken collectively,
that make up the character and the
nature of an individual.”
But —it is a question as to whether
it is wise or desirable to conserve
indiscriminate individuality in music.
Kleptomania is indivduality; mmor
ality is individuality.
An individuality in the highest sense
should only be retained and preserved
when it has conformed to the ethics
of the moral law.
holding the hands of one of the lambs
of his congregation, who was a very
popular young lady, and it created
quite a stir among the colored popu
lation. So the parson was brought
up for trial and was questioned by
tne officers of the church as to what
he meant by his action, and this is
what he had to say in answer to the
question propounded to him:
“My brudders, you have seen these
great pictures, I suppose, so you know
dat the great Shepherd am always pic
tured with a lamb of his flock in his
arms.”
“Yes, sah, parson, dat am so,” ad
mitted Deacon Jones.
“Den Brudder Jones, what am wrong
in the shepherd of dis flock holding
a lamb in his arms?”
This was too much for Brudder
Jones, so he proposed the officers of
the church have a call meeting that
afternoon. After the point was dis
cussed fully the following resolution
was adopted:
“Resolved, Dat for the future peace
and dignity of the congregation dat
the next time Parson Henderson feels
called upon to take a lamb of his flock
fn his arms, dat he pick out a ram
lamb.” —From Norman E. Mack’s Na
tional Monthly. • - -