lO TH E ETUD E MUSIC TALKS WITH CHILDREN. BY THOMAS TAPPER. TH E ON E TALENT . " Then he which had received the one talent came."— Matthew xxv: 2U. SOME day, when yon read about the great composers you will be delighted with the pictures of their home-life. You will see how they employed music every day. In all cases as we study them we learn how very much they have sacrificed for the music they love, studying it daily, because of the joy which it yields them. We see them as little children, eager to be taught, wanting to listen to music, and to hear about it. Many of the composers whose child-life is thus interesting, were children in very poor families, where things were neither fine nor beautiful; where the necessary things of life were not plentiful, and where all had to be careful and saving, so that every bit should be made to go as far as possible. The eagerness and determination of some children in music-history is really wonderful. It is the true determination. And you are not surprised in following it, to note that it leads the children who have it into lives of great usefulness. All through the life of Handel we find determination running like a golden thread. He was just as deter-mined to be a musician as Lincoln was to get an educa-tion when he read books by the firelight. Handel's father was a surgeon, and knew so little about music that he failed entirely to understand the child. He not only forbade the boy to study music, but even kept him away from school that he might not by any chance learn to read the notes. But one who was in future years to befriend homeless children and to write wondrous music for all the world, could not be held back by such devices. By some means, and with friendly assistance (perhaps his mother's), he succeeded in smuggling into the garret a spinet, which is a kind of piano. By placing cloth upon the strings he so deadened the wires that no one down-stairs could hear the tones when the spinet was played. And day after day this little lad would sit alone in his garret learning more and more about the wonders which his heart and his head told him were in the tiny half-dumb spinet before him. Not the more cheerful rooms down-stairs nor the games of his play-mates drew him away from the music he loved—the music which he felt in his heart, remember. One would expect such determination to show itself in many ways. It did. Handel does not disappoint us in this. All through his life he had strong purposes and a strong will (concentration) which led him forward. You know how he followed his father's coach once. Perhaps it was disobedience,—but what a fine thing happened when he reached the duke's palace and played the organ. From that day every one knew that his life would be devoted to music. Sometimes at home, some-times in foreign lands, he was always working, thinking, learning. He is said, in his boyhood, to have copied large quantities of music, and to have composed some-thing every week. This copying made him better ac-quainted with other music, and the early habit of com-position made it easy for him to write his thoughts in after years. Indeed, so skilled did he become, that he wrote one opera—u Rinaldo "—in fourteen days, and the " Messiah " was written in twenty-four days.* Yet parts of his great works he wrote and rewrote until they were exactly as they should be. It will do is a thought that never comes into the head of a great artist. How do you imagine such a man was to his friends ? We are told, 1' that he was in character at once great and simple." And again it has been said, that " his smile was like heaven." We had seen Handel as the great composer, but he was not so busy in this that his thoughts were not also dwell-* Mozart wrote three symphonies between June 26th and August 10th, in the year 1778; and an Italian, Giovanni Animuccia, is said to have written three masses, four motettes, and fourteen hymns within five months. As an instance of early composition. Johann Friedrich Bernold had written a symphony before he was ten years of age, and was famous all over Europe. ing upon other things. If ever you go to London, you should, of a Sunday morning, hear the service at the Foundling Hospital. You will see there many hundreds of boys and girls grouped about the organ. Their sing-ing will seem beautiful to you, from its sweetness and from the simple faith with which it is done. After the service you may go to the many rooms of this home for so many otherwise homeless ones. There are for you to visit: the playroom, the school-room, the long halls with the pretty white cots, and the pleasant dining-room. Here it will please you to see the little ones march into dinner, with their similar dresses, and all looking as happy as possible. But the picture you will, no doubt, longest keep, is that of the children about the organ. They will tell you there that it was Handel who gave this organ to the chapel, and who, for the benefit of the children who might come here, gave concerts, playing and conducting, which were so successful that they had to be repeated. A " fair copy " of the " Messiah " will be shown you as one of the precious possessions. It will very plainly be present in your mind how the little boy sat alone playing day after day in the garret, wishing no better pastime than to express the feelings of his heart in tones. Perhaps you will think of his words : " Learn (of) all there is to learn, then choose your own path." He will appeal to you as having possessed an " early completeness of character," which abided always with him. It is evident in following the life of Handel, and it would be equally plain with any other composer, that great talent is developed out of a small beginning, and if small, is yet earnest and determined. From the first days of a great man's life to the last we find constant effort. " I consider those live best who study best to become as good as possible." * Music helps us to keep the upper windows open ; that is why it does so much for us even if we have but one talent. To develop our one talent is a duty, just as it is a duty to develop two or five talents. It is given to us to in-crease. And no one knows how much joy may come to us and to others from the growing of that talent. We gain much in power to give pleasure to others, if the talent we have be made stronger by faithful effort. As we have seen good come forth from the story of the man with many talents, we can see how, similarly, that he with one talent has also great power with which he may add unto himself and others. In all of our Talks it has been evident from what we have said, that music is a beautiful art to us, even though we may have but little of it. But, equally, we have learned, that for ever so little we must prove our-selves worthy. We must honestly give something for all we get. This is the law, and the purpose of all our Talks is to learn it. We have, likewise, learned that true music, out of the heart, may not at the first please us, but within it there is a great deal and we must seek it. The history of all who have faithfully studied the works of the great mas-ters is, that for all the thought and time one spends in studying master works a great gain comes. On the other hand, everybody's experience with common music is, that while it may please much at first, and even capti-vate us, yet it soon tires us so that we can scarcely listen patiently to it. Still a further lesson is, that working with many tal-ents or with one is the same. From the man of many talents no more is expected in proportion than from him of one talent. Talents, one or many, are for increase and faithful development. Handel's life was a determ-ined struggle to make the most of his power. It should be ours. THE ETUDE FOR 1897. disseminate valuable and practical knowledge. How well it accomplishes its object our readers must judge. During the coming year we propose making THE ETUDE more valuable than ever. The very best only will answer our requirements. We have made arrangements with a large corps of writers to present articles on the salient features of music. We give below a list of those who have positively promised, at least one article during the year. Beside these there are many professional writers and critics, who can be counted upon for some of their best work. We will, from time to time, issue supplements, such as are found in the December issue and in this one. These are valuable pictures and are worth alone the price of the Journal. The introduction of a Voice Department will not be an entirely new feature, but it will now receive more sys-tematic attention from renowned vocalists. In this issue we start a series of articles called "Th e Musical Listener," by one of Boston's most gifted writers. With each issue we expect to present at least one vocal composition. An enlargement of the number of pages of the journal is al-most imperative, to give sufficient space for all we have to present. We enter the new year with full confidence that it will be the best year in the history of the journal. The following are some of the names of contributors that will appear during the year : Carrie A. Alchin, J. E. P. Aldous, Perley Dunn Aldrich, Susan Lloyd Baily, F. Ada Ballou, Winton James Baltzell, Mus. B., Thai on Blake, Ernst Brockmann, Mary Marzetta Churchill, H. Clark, Jr., E. M. Trevenen Dawson, Louis C. Elson, Frank L. Eyer, Henry T. Finck, Edward Fisher, Ad. M. Foerster, Cecil Carl Forsyth, W . O. Forsythe, C. W. Fullwood, Robt. Goldbeck, Mus. Doc., Louise Virginia Gorse, Mme. Julie Titcomb Gouzalez, Roie Adams Grumbine, John H. Gutterson, F. M. C. Hahr, Ralph D. Hausrath, George H. Howard, James Hamilton Howe, P. G. Hubert, G. W. Hunt, Pauline Jennings, H. H. Johnson, E. E. Layton, F. H. Lewis, M. K. Lewis, Don N. Long, Frederic A. Lyman, A. C. M., Bessie Merz, Edwin Moore, J. Max Mueller, Mus. Doc., W. W. Page, S. N. Pen field, Lulu R. Pitts, Mme. A. Pupin, J. W. Rehmann, Bertram H. Riggs, Carl G. Schmidt, William H. Sherwood, John Silvester, E. A. Smith, Fannie Morris Smith, Mrs. Stella Prince Stockton, Harriet L. Sutter, James M. Teacy, John Towers, Frank H. Tubbs, John S. Van Cleve, F. R. Webb, T. Carl Whitmer, H. L. Wickham, Frederick A. Williams, F. W. Wodell, Jaroslaw de Zielinski. WITH this issue we enter on our fifteenth year of pub-lication. Our course from the very start was in the direc-tion it is to-day. The policy of the journal through all these years remains unchanged. Our aim is always to keep in touch with the needs of the professional musician and aspiring amateur. The mission of THE ETUDE is to * Xenophon, " The Memorabilia," Book IV, Chapter VIII. PRIZE ESSAY COMPETITION We will distribute $90 in prizes for contributions to this journal. There will be no restriction as to subject, except that essays be in line with the character of the journal. We do not desire historical or biographical matter. The prizes will be as follows : First prize, $30 Second prize, • * • . . 25 Third prize, 20 Fourth prize, 15 Competition will close May 1st. The essays will ap-pear in June issue. The judges will be the corps of editors of THE ETUDE. The length of an essay should not exceed 1500 words. A column of THE ETUDE contains 675 words. The com-petition is open to all.
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