9 TH E ETUD E should be able to denote the kind of technic involved in the rendering of a passage. The book contains a number of valuable ideas for the thoughtful teacher, and will aid greatly in an under-standing of the signs of interpretation. HOW MUSIC DEVELOPED : A Critical and Explana-tory Account of Modern Music. By W. J. HENDER-SON. FREDERICK A . STOKES CO. Price, $1.00. This book seems designed for the general public more than for the musician, although the latter will find light on many points that have not been made fully clear. The general plan of the work seems to be first to show the development of composition, as shown by the early contrapuntal schools and the minstrels and minnesingers, in secular music ; how the pianoforte and pianoforte music advanced ; the evolution of the classic forms, especially the sonata, leading to the broadening of the orchestra and the increase of its resources, and, always ahead of it, as it were, the demands made by the great composers in their works ; the development of chamber music, the oratorio, and opera in its various phases, from the early Italian to Wagner. A broad field, and one that is well covered by Mr. Henderson. The last two chapters in the book are par-ticularly valuable. "Wagner and the Music Drama" gives a very clear, full exposition of the peculiar prin-ciples which Wagner advocated, and which he uses so much. It is illustrated by quotations from the various operas. The final chapter, on " The Lessons of Musical History," is a fine critical estimate of "th e intellectual and emotional impulses which governed the develop-ment " of the tone art. From the standpoint of usefulness, one of the best features of the book is the unusually complete index, without which no book can be said to be practical. Almost the minutest paragraph in the book is available because of the great detail in the index. VOICE AND VIOLIN : Sketches, Anecdotes, and Reminiscences. B y DR . T . L . PHIPSON. J . B. LIP -PINCOTT Co. Price, $1.75. The reminiscences are largely personal, the author, an English gentleman, having had wide acquaintance with violinists, singers, and other musical people of the last half century. Many of the characters introduced are well known to the music world, while others, though new, are the central figures in interesting episodes. TECHNIC AND NOTATION AS APPLIED TO THE PIANOFORTE . B y JOHN W . TUFTS. CLAYTON F . SUMMY Co. Price, $1.25. In his introduction the author says : "This book is intended as a contribution to the art of playing the pianoforte, and is especially designed to assist those who desire to gain an idea of the positive effects of our notation as presented through that instrument." There is no room for doubt that our system of signs, characters, and terms does enable a composer or an editor to convey a tolerably clear idea of how he wishes a composition to be performed ; but, on the other hand, the whole system is so loose, so few composers give proper attention to the meanings of signs and terms they use, that one may say that it is not at all strange that players distort passages into a totally different rendering from that intended by the composer. He can cite rules and custom in justification for his interpretation. It rests, then, with the musical editors, proofreaders, and engravers of a publishing house to get the mechanical make-up of a piece into something like uniformity with the general system of notation, and this opens the way for trouble, since different editors will vary largely in regard to the exact significance of certain signs. Mr. Tufts calls attention to these facts in his book, and makes out a good case for his contention that what we lack is a uniformly accepted system of signs, terms, and characters which shall cover the questions involved in interpretation, both from the artistic and technical side ; particularly that the system and the manner of using SHOULD THE LAST NOTE UNDER A SLURRED GROUP BE PLAYED STACCATO ? BY H. S. SARONI. A MUSICAL PUZZLE. In THE ETUDE for December, 1898, we published a list of questions which could be answered by musical characters. The answers follow : I HAVE been very much interested in the article on the above subject by J. S. Van Cleve in the December num-ber, and that of W. S. B. Mathews in the January number of THE ETUDE, and I take the opportunity afforded by the editor of THE ETUDE to add my " mite " to the discussion. The slur, unfortunately, is a character which has to serve various purposes. We see it employed : 1. As indicating a strict legato of a group of two or more notes. 2. As a tie of two notes. 3. For phrasing purposes. It is a pity that it is used for the latter purpose at all, since other characters, such as*| j, would have achieved the same object without causing the confusion incident to the slur. But since it has no bearing upon the question at issue, we need no further refer to it. I think that by going back to the origin of the slur all misconception can be avoided. Like all the other characters connected with " touch," it was borrowed from the technic of the violin. Here it indicated that the group or groups over which it was placed should be played with one and the same bow, thus creating the most perfect legato. Now, the strict legato is but a com-bination of successive tones " without a break between them." This, as we have seen, is easily done by the bow of the violin, while on the piano it can only be approximately effected by holding down one key until the next one is pressed. (See No. 1.) 12 3 4 After the last note of a slurred group, a new bow is taken for the next note or group—i. e., the up-bow gives place to the down-bow, or the down-bow to the up-bow, creating necessarily a momentary cessation of sound, so that No. 2 in the above would sound like— This effect is produced on the piano by playing the group legato, but withdrawing the finger from the sec-ond key before the third is touched. It is evident, there-fore, that there is no necessity of a dot over the second and fourth notes of No. 2, unless an extra-short tone is required for those notes, in which case it would be far better to indicate it by a sixteenth " rest." In No. 3 we find a slur between the second and third . notes. They have both the same pitch, and using the same bow for the two changes them into one tone, as at No. 4, for there must be no break between tones under the same slur. Here, then, we have the slur as a "tie. " It is easily seen that with a proper understanding of the slur there is no need of formulating new rules, which are afterward found " too sweeping." The fact is, there is altogether too much " ten-pin playing " in teaching the theory and practice of music. Too often rules are " set up " to be " knocked down " afterward. —A recent letter of Joseph Jefferson contains this in-teresting passage, which presents a new and somewhat unique idea as to the scope of music : " I have always loved music, and I would not give away for a great deal the little that I know. I pretend, and I declare it with-out shame, that after theology there is no art comparable to music. When natural music is perfected by art we see, as far as we are able, the great and perfect wisdom of God in His fine music," 1. Part of the feet of quadrupeds. 2. A reflection on character. 3. A measure used by woodmen. ^ Pause—(Paws). Slur. Chord—(Cord). 4. A wharf. •m Key—(Quay). 5. What a worm will do when touched. Turn. 6. When two competitors are even. Tie. 7. A number, f (Forty). 8. A kind of residence, h Flat. 9. To annul, ft Cancel. 10. Once again. T| Repeat. 11. What betrays nationality? > Accent. 12. What knights of the yard-stick do. 13. No respecter of persons, g 4 Time. 14. What nightingales do. Trill. 15. A vegetable, f=3= | Beat. Measure. 16. Used in driving. Lines. 17. Seen in account-books. Leger—(Ledger) Lines. Pedestal of a statue. A trickster. % Sharp. 18. 19. 20. Strengthening medicine. Bass—(Base). 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. P Tonic. What unaffected people are. tf Natural A musical instrument, p Piano. What a general has. " — 1 Staff. Part of a flower. | ^ ^ Stem. Used by fishermen. ^ Hook. A carpenter's tool, j Brace. All around us. izzpzzz Space. Dots. Signature. Can be found on dominoes. Wha t makes a check valid. Three of a kind. Triplet, «7 — What one does when weary. J n Rests. A n association of lawyers. ^ Bar. Seen on the ocean. -= = Swell. Important ingredient in a dye. Mordent—(Mordant). ONE STEP TOWARD SUCCESS. How frequently we find a music-teacher discontented with his surroundings ! He feels that he is not in his proper sphere ; that his opportunities are circumscribed, his work unappreciated, and his professional rank lower than he deserves. With what force come Emerson's words, " O dis-contented man, if there is anything you want, pay the price and take it! " Aye, there's the rub. We want things ; we want better positions, better opportunities, greater appreciation, but we are loth to " pay the price." The teacher who wishes to go to the large city must know that there he meets with fiercer and greater competition. His equipment must be of the best if he is to take high rank. If he has not the necessary training, he must "pa y the price" in hard work, money, health, nervous strain, and heavy sacrifice to secure the higher training before he can demand the higher position. He must be able to fill it. A singer weak in body envies the suc-cess of a Hercules like Jean de Reszke. He can never "pa y the price" to acquire the position he dreams of. But we can all aspire to one step at a time, no matter how small, and we can get that step if we are manfully in earnest about it, and will " pay the price " demanded, no matter what it be. —If we thoughtfully consider many of our mental griefs, we shall find quite a large proportion to be unnecessary and unwarrantable. We have let envy or j ealousy rankle within us, and the sting poisons all our happiness. Our vanity has been wounded and we are smarting with the pain.
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