OlBs SOME ESSENTIALS IN THE TEACHING OF MUSIC ft FRANK DAMROSCH California ^^B egional ^^M icility ^^M LONDON G, SCHIRMER NEW YORK BOSTON llillllillllliJiJ-' ;iTY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES SOME ESSENTIALS IN THE TEACHING of MUSIC SOME ESSENTIALS IN THE TEACHINGS/MUSIC For the Consideration of Music-Teachers, Music-Students and Parents By FRANK DAMROSCH, Mus. Doc. Director, Institute of Musical Art of the City of New York G. SCHIRMER NEW YORK BOSTON Copyright, 1916, by G. SCHIRMER 26460 MTIO To James Loeb, the rare music-lover who understands, this book is dedicated in friendship and appreciation by the Author. 338912 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION i CHAPTER I Preliminary Development of Facul- ties Necessary to the Study of Music 5 CHAPTER II The Training of the Mind-Ear 30 CHAPTER III Interpretation: 74 1. Musical Form 2. Musical Content CHAPTER IV How TO Study 84 CHAPTER V Correlation of Practical with Theoretical Work 92 CHAPTER VI Pedagogic Material 94 CONCLUSION 99 INTRODUCTION It is doubtful whether there Is any subject of instruction which is taught so carelessly, so ignorantly, so improperly, and by so many people who are by nature and by training un- fit to teach, as music. Thousands of people who have learned to play or sing a little, barely enough to perform a few pieces more or less acceptably, consider this a sufficient qualification to teach music. It seems to them an easy way of earning a living and, while the State exacts the attainment of defi- nite standards in Normal training in all other subjects, they know that no such standards are established in the teaching of music and that they can offer themselves to the public with impunity. The ignorance of the public makes it easy and safe to impose themselves as competent and, by dint of advertising, personal influence and acquaintance and by off"ering cheap service, they often manage to assemble large classes of pupils. But even the better trained musicians, equipped with ample musical and technical ability, frequently enter upon the career of teaching with an imperfect knowledge of true educational principles. They start with the [ 1 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music idea that they need only pass on to others what they themselves have acquired, employ- ing the same methods and material, not know- ing that good teaching means the development of the pupil from within, the recognition of his inherent qualities and their development along lines of natural growth.y Such teachers are prone to study this or that "method" which, whether good, bad or indifferent, when ap- plied indiscriminately to all pupils is bound to be a misfit in many cases. As stated before, these conditions are to a great extent due to the ignorance of the public. Some parents will engage a "cheap teacher" to begin with, not realizing that this is the most important period of the child's development and that a faulty or insecure foundation will prevent future progress and will lead to cer- tain disappointment and discouragement. Par- ents of another class will start at the other extreme, in the belief that only a teacher of great reputation is good enough to teach their children. Such a teacher may be excellent for advanced pupils, but may not be at all inter- ested in the early formative processes of musical development; and again much money will be wasted with little result. J These parents do not realize that an artist- teacher is worthy an artist-pupil and that, until this stage has been reached, instruction [ 2 ] Introduction should be given by one who is in sympathy with the child-mind and who understands the principles upon which rests the development of the physical, intellectual and spiritual faculties, c^^ It is important, therefore, that those who look upon teaching as an art, not as a trade, should study this art of teaching as a specific part of their equipment, without which their musical talent, ability to perform, and know- ledge of musical science, can never produce satisfactory results. This little book was written in the hope of giving helpful aid to those who aim to become true teachers, and, as the text has been kept as free as possible from technical terms, it may also prove of service to parents. For, unless the parent understands to some extent the plan and purpose of the teacher's work, the cooperation which is so desirable and helpful cannot be established. It should not be necessary to state that a knowledge of the contents of this treatise is not sufficient to make a good music-teacher. He must be a person of culture and good breeding; well educated; a good musician, able to play or sing with ample technical skill, accuracy, intelligence and taste; thoroughly grounded in the theory of music; equipped with a wide knowledge of musical literature and [ 3 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music acquainted with the standard compositions in every field of musical art; and, finally, 'rie must have high art-ideals and be abj'fe to arouse and maintain them in his pupils. So prepared, if he will follow out the sugges- tions contained in these pages, he may not be able to create a Kreisler, a Paderewski, or a Sembrich, but he will at least develop each pupil to the highest point of musical and artistic excellence of which he is capable; and if, in one of his pupils, there should be the germ of a great artist, it will stand a better chance of reaching maturity than when left to the haphazard methods of teaching so com- mon all over the world. If, on the other hand, the pupil has only moderate talent, he will at least grow into an intelligent music-lover who can understand and truly appreciate good music well per- formed; and that, too, will "fill a long-felt want." [4] CHAPTER I Preliminary Development of Faculties Necessary to the Study of Music. The teaching of any subject involves three processes: The creation of interest in the sub- ject, the development of the physical and mental faculties necessary to its mastery, and the comprehension of its scope and of its rela- tion and application to life. In the teaching of an art-subject there enters a fourth process, namely, the development and culture of cer- tain psychic faculties required for its proper apprehension and expression. These processes* will be discussed in their relation to the teaching of music as an art; but it must be understood that, while they will be treated separately, their practical ap- plication is not consecutive but simultaneous, that is, all four processes must progress cor- relatively from first to last, from the first lesson of the beginner to the most advanced study of the artist-student namely, throughout life. Processes of teaching The first process, the creation of interest, ^f**^? ' involves certain psychological problems. Stu- [5] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music dents of music, especially those who begin very young, require careful study on the part of the teacher in order that he may find the proper starting-point that will enable him to secure the child's willing attention and co- operation. Broadly speaking, young music- students may be divided into two classes, those who have a natural bent for music spon- taneously seeking expression, and those whose parents love music and wish their children to have music as part of their life-assets. Among the latter will be found every variety of apti- tude and inaptitude; yet even the least promis- ing children may, under good guidance, de- velop into intelligent, music-lovers, if not into good musicians. * * Natural j^ the first class^those who have a natural bent for music the awakening of interest will present little difficulty; but even here the teacher will be called upon to exercise careful discrimination in properly directing this in- terest toward true art-ideals. Children who have great facility in remembering tunes or in "picking out" melodies on the piano are prone to pick up most readily the jingles of the popular songs of the street, the sentimental maunderings of the lady in the next flat, or [6] Preliminary Development of Faculties the ragtime of the phonograph, therefore, the teacher's first problem will be to direct the child's interest into channels appropriate to his age and conducive to the development of his sense for beauty. ; In the second class the ingenuity of the Moderate teacher will often be severely taxed. The en- talent vironment of the child may be devoid of musical influences, or, what is worse, may teem with bad influences. The first step, then, would be to find the subject in which the child is most interested and to bring this into relation with music. If the little girl is inter- ested in her doll, sing or play a lullaby to put dolly to sleep, a waltz to let her dance. If the boy is interested in his drum, play a march. The numerous excellent publications of chil- dren's songs will supply material for practically all activities of the child, be they physical, mental or psychic; and the teacher of the young should have a thorough acquaintance with this literature and a goodly collection of it in his library. The teacher must endeavor at this stage of ??"^^?..V^, the child s the child's musical development to introduce life [ 7 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music music as part of his daily life not as some- thing separate and extraneous. This can, of course,, be accomplished only if either the teacher or some member of the family compe- tent to do so gives the child daily opportunity to express himself in music. This should not, as yet, take the form of "practice," but should rather enter into the usual activities of the day, such as playing in the park, building a house with blocks, or looking at a picture- book. Creation of interest evolves desire to learn We cannot successfully teach anything with- out the full cooperation of the student. It is for this reason that we must begin by creating an interest in the subject, and this interest will evolve that desire to learn, without which the best teacher's best efforts will be futile. Desire to learn breeds effort This desire breeds effort to acquire the object of desire, and herein the teacher will find the best helpmate in all his work. There remains only to provide the right kind of objective, and a start will have been made in the right direction. Preliminary Development of Faculties Let us now analyze the nature of this Effort "effort," which we will assume to have been secured by creating a desire to learn through interest in the subject. Effort is either un- conscious, induced by natural talent, or con- scious, induced by an awakened interest, by acquired ability to accomplish, by a develop- ment of mind, body and spirit to make it a medium of self-expression. In its best form, effort is a combination of the conscious and unconscious activities. Unconscious effort usu- ally requires restraint to avoid too rapid advancement along lines of least resistance; but with intelligent guidance it will prove to be the greatest stimulus to the development of conscious effort and all the activities which this involves in the training of the mind and the body. Effort involves an appreciation of the object to be accomplished (this includes mental and psychical processes), the mastery of the tech- nical means of expression by proper practice (physical), and the final act of self-expression through the musical medium selected. This effort at self-expression should be the ^'^' keynote of all art-work. Without it, music may be pleasing, technically perfect and super- [9] expression Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music ficlally attractive, but it will lack the deeper significance, the direct appeal to the emotions which is the result of sincere individual ex- pression. Can this quality be taught? Un- doubtedly, but only by one who is not a mere trainer, but a real educator, that is, one who knows how to develop his pupil from within. Perhaps it may help us to recognize the differ- ence between a trainer and a teacher if we analyze their methods. The trainer starts with a predetermined feat which the pupil is to perform in exactly the way in which the trainer believes it should be accomplished. He uses as his means chiefly imitation, repetition, and sometimes the rea- soning faculties. The result at its best is a flawless copy of either his own work or of that of some master-performer. The teacher, on the other hand, seeks from the beginning to let the pupil feel his way toward individual expression. This does not mean, however, that he is permitted to disfigure through ignorance and inexperience or through wilfulness music which in itself is beautiful when properly rendered; but it means that the pupil is caused to grow in such a way that his method of self-expression will be in harmony with art-principles and with the spirit of the composer. In other words, the true music- teacher must be something more than a mere [ 10] Preliminary Development of Faculties teacher of music. He must know how to find and to awaken the spiritual qualities of the pupil, that is, to kindle the imagination, to arouse and stimulate his mental activity, to cultivate his taste and judgment, to strengthen and ennoble his character and to encourage and maintain his individuality. Art at its best is an expression of the spirit. The pursuit of an art without a proper de- velopment of the spiritual qualities is a failure from the start. It will be seen from this that the first music-lesson should not begin by teaching the notes or the names of the keys of the piano or the correct position of the hand on the keys. These things are necessary at the proper time and in the proper way, but more important things must be done first. Develop- ment of spiritual qualities The true teacher studies his pupil con- ^^^^J, ^ . pupil s stantly, seeks for seeds in his mind and heart qualities which should be made to sprout, and nurses them into flower. He skilfully adapts the pupil's musical activities to his spiritual, in- tellectual and physical capacity and in this way associates musical expression with his life- [ 11 1 Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music experiences in a natural manner, so that the pupil learns to use it as a means of self-ex- pression. The teacher's task It will be seen from this that the task of the music-teacher is not an easy one. On the con- trary", it is most complex and exacting, and few very few who call themselves teachers have the qualities needed for this noblest pro- fession. But it is also the most fascinating work when its problems and scope are rightly understood. To the true teacher every pupil and every moment of every lesson is interest- ing. He who looks upon teaching as drudgery is not a good teacher is, indeed, no teacher. Channels of appre- hension and ex- pression Let us now proceed to consider the channels through which music reaches our comprehen- sion, and those through which we express our- selves in music; for it is these two processes of apprehension and expression which require constant cultivation. The channels of apprehension are: a. Ear and eye (physical). b. Brain, intellect (mental). c. Emotions, spirit (psychical). [ 12 1 Preliminary Development of Faculties The channels of expression are: a. Emotion (psychical). b. Brain (mental). c. Voice, fingers, etc. (physical). * * We apprehend music first through the ear Apprehen- . ^ . , , sion of or eye; i. e., sound-waves strike the tympanum music of the ear, or light-waves, reflecting the sym- bols of musical sounds, strike the retina of the eye. These sensory impressions are communi- cated to the brain, and this brings them into consciousness and into orderly relationship. Finally, they reach the emotions, which re- spond to the spiritual qualities of the music. We give out music through the desire to Expression %-i 11 J through communicate our emotions, ihe intellect de- termines the form and nature of expression, and the voice or fingers carry out the demands of the higher faculties. * * It will be seen that the two processes are car- Compari- ried out inversely. Apprehension takes place the two from the physical to the psychical, expression processes [ 13 ] music Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music from the psychical to the physical, while both proceed through the medium of the brain. This should make clearer the teacher's task in giving equal attention to all the various processes, for if any of them are neglected an essential element will be omitted. Develop- ment of faculties in accord with Pes- talozzian principles Having outlined the processes which enter into the reception and expression of music, let us consider how to develop the various facul- ties required to carry them out. Before doing this, however, it will be desirable to establish certain general pedagogical principles, first formulated by Pestalozzi as the basis of all correct teaching, which have stood the test of time and experience. While these have been universally applied In the general education of children, there has been little use made of them in the teaching of art-subjects, a fact which accounts to a great extent for the exist- ing conditions in art-education. Cultivation of faculties in their natural order The first of these general principles is: Culti- vate the faculties of the mind in their natural order. What is their natural order .^ First, the conscious apprehension of facts or phenomena through the medium of the senses; second, the [ 14 ] Preliminary Development of Faculties combination of such isolated impressions into intelligent forms of thought; third, the asso- ciation of such forms of thought with others having one or more terms in common; fourth, the application of the thought-material so acquired to self-expression. To illustrate: A child is taken to visit a small island. He is conscious of walking on dry land, and on completing the circuit of the island realizes that it is surrounded by water on all sides. He has therefore learned by two sensory impressions a fact which he is able to express in intelligent form to the eflFect that an island is a body of land entirely surrounded by water. Subsequent expeditions make him fa- miliar with the different characteristics of peninsulas, mountains, rivers, etc., each of which he is able to associate with and differ- entiate from his former experiences, and thus to bring into orderly relation all the phenomena of physical geography. The know- ledge so acquired will have become part of himself and can be applied by him in the form of individual thought, thereby becoming ing a means of self-expression. * * * The second general principle is: Lead the The child . must dis* child to discover for himself. The child should cover for do the work the teacher lead. himself [ IS ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music Taking the former illustration as an ex- ample, we must appreciate the superiority of a process whereby the physical facts and phe- nomena are discovered by the child through the senses, combined, under the guidance of the teacher, into intelligent thought and, again under guidance, formulated into general know- ledge by inductive reasoning. Knowledge based upon the experience of others is rarely accurate. Facts, be they ever so true, forced upon a mind which has had no previous experience with the elements upon which they are based, will appear in a dis- torted form upon the mental retina. More- over, the child-mind cannot bring any thought- conceptions into sharp, clearly defined out- lines until the experience of his senses teaches him the boundaries of time and space. And yet how many teachers are satisfied to pump "facts" into children which, at best, are taken on the faith that the teacher knows every- thing, but which, having no association with the child's experience, mean nothing to him. * * * Proceed from the known to the un- known The third general principle is: Proceed from the known to the unknown; from the concrete to the abstract; from the particular to the general. Imagine that each point of knowledge, or I 16] Preliminary Development of Faculties of ability to do, which is gained is a step upon which the child mounts, and which prepares and places the next step. In other words, knowledge is not developed from above, but from below. At the foundation are the ele- mentary facts and phenomena discovered by the senses. These are brought into relation with each other by mental action, thereby establishing new thought-conceptions. This process is continued by various associations, comparisons, correlations and inferences, con- stantly evolving new thought-facts, each of which is based upon those previously derived from the acquired thought-material. Thus the child gradually illuminates the vast, dark cavern of the unknown by the light of the known facts which he has himself discovered. Again, it will be seen that this knowledge is part of himself, ready to his use for self-expres- sion whenever he requires it. With these three main principles of peda- Application gogy established, we may now proceed to principles consider their application in the teaching of in teaching . music music. They are exceedingly simple indeed, they sound like truisms accepted by every- body as a matter of course, but their applica- tion requires the utmost concentration and [ 17 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music intelligent planning on the part of the teacher. Many consider them very useful in the ele- mentary processes of education, but deny their applicability and usefulness for more ad- vanced work. This position should be com- bated most emphatically, and this treatise may help to disprove its validity. It is true that the application of these principles re- quires more ingenuity, logical thought, and imagination, the more complex become the problems involving appreciation of the tech- nical, intellectual and aesthetic elements en- tering into the work; but their correct solution depends upon the logical evolution of these principles, and avoidance or disregard of them is due simply to mental sloth and induces misconceptions and mechanical, inartistic results. Howto Quj. f^j-g-j- problem is to develop the child's interest interest. In order to accomplish this we must first find out to what extent it has already been done through home influence or natural bent. The child-mind is like a mirror. It reflects the impressions received from its en- vironment, causing the child to try to imitate the actions and sounds that come to its notice. Thus it has been frequently observed that I 18] Preliminary Development of Faculties children whose mothers sing in the nursery will hum these tunes long before they have learned to talk correctly. The singing of good, simple songs to children in their earliest years is one of the most valuable means for inducing, not only a correct musical ear, but also a love for music as such. Wherever this is found to be the case, the work of the teacher will be com- paratively easy. Unfortunately, it is rather the exception than the rule in America; and then the first step will be to supply this funda- mental requirement. l/^ The first vehicle of musical conception and Song the of musical expression should be a song. It vehicle combines a concrete thought intelligible to the of musical conception child with an appropriate tune that, so to speak, floats the words and enhances their meaning and their power to stir the imagina- tion. Great care should be exercised in the selection of these songs in order that they may serve their purpose in interesting the child, in cultivating his taste and in training his ear to recognize correct musical relations. The child will learn the songs by his natural gift of imi- tation, but, as he will imitate not only the words and sounds of the tune, but also the [ 19 Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music tone-quality, enunciation of words, rhythm and other details, it will be seen how impor- tant it is that the example set by the teacher is of the best. It does not matter at this stage whether the child is to learn to play the piano or the violin; his first step must be to learn to sing songs. Why? Because, in order to develop his musical concepts from within, we must utilize the child's natural means of music-apprehen- sion and expression, the ear and the voice, not the mechanical devices of piano-keys or strings which would distract his attention from the real thing. He will use these, his natural tools, unconsciously, and will therefore concentrate his attention on the song itself. Develop- j^ jg ^q j^g remembered that our primary ment of r ^ i r i child's love purpose tor the present is not the specmc cul- for music tivation of the voice or of the ear, but rather v'the development of the child's love and taste for good music. From the interest thus aroused we shall secure the strong desire to learn which will form the mainspring or motive-power in the more serious work to come. But even though we may be satisfied if the tones are sweet and pure, we cannot be too exacting in the creation of a keen recognition of true in- [ 20] Preliminary Development of Faculties tonation of pitch, for thereon hangs all future musical work, and any neglect at this most plastic stage in the child's development will cause much unnecessary trouble later. Training of the ear first step The ear is the channel through which all musical impressions reach the mind, and also the one through which the mind censors and controls the apparatus which produces our own musical expression. It is, therefore, ob- vious that the correct training and use of the ear must be the teacher's first and constant care. When we speak of the ear we do not mean the organ of hearing itself whose physical perfection must be taken for granted but the mental ear, that is, that part of the brain which receives aural impulses, stores them, registers them as noise or musical sounds, groups these into intelligible musical thoughts, conveys their emotional character to the feel- ings and, in short, brings all musical impres- sions to our consciousness. * The processes of the ear are therefore mam- Processes / 1 J T 1 1 r 1 performed fold. In the apprehension oi musical impres- by the ear [ 21 1 Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music sions the physical ear receives and transmits them to the brain. If this is untrained, the impression will be superficial and evanescent. In the moment of reception there may be a feeling of sensual pleasure, but this disappears almost immediately and no conscious im- pression of the music which caused it re- mains. If the mind is trained, however, it becomes active the moment musical sounds impinge upon the recording brain-cells. It notes the nature and quality of the sounds, their pitch-relations to each other, their rhyth- mic grouping, accentuation and tempo; in short, it receives the musical message, under- stands it, and records it so that it may be re- called at pleasure, sometimes long after the first impression was received. In musical expression the ear again plays an important part. Before the voice can utter a sound or the instrument produce a note, the brain-ear must first conceive it in the exact form as to pitch, duration, quality, etc., in which it is to appear as part of an intelligent musical thought. Then again, when uttered, the ear must be the critic which accepts or re- jects the sound as fit to take its place in the succession of tones devised to express this thought. But not only this, it must antici- pate utterance by a marvelous contrivance of subconscious cerebration, so that it compels [ 22 ] Preliminary Development of Faculties the nerves and muscles of the tone-productive apparatus to meet exactly the form in which the brain has conceived it. Is it not remarkable, then, that the develop- ment of this most important faculty the brain-ear has usually been left to hap- hazard? It should and must receive the first attention, and, indeed, it cannot receive too much or too constant care. Let us assume, then, that the child has learned to take pleasure in the singing of songs and that he has accumulated a goodly repertory representative of such thoughts and feelings as his pleasures, games and nature environment may engender. The time has now come to build upon this foundation, or rather to utilize the unconscious musical qual- ities already obtained in the singing of songs, in shaping the elementary facts of musical consciousness upon which the whole structure of music rests. * * Application of musical conscious- ness en- gendered by songs As this is not a treatise on methods of in- Conscious 1 1 .... - recognition struction, but on the general prmciples or of tone- musical education, the application of these relations [ 23 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music principles will be left to the teacher's indi- vidual preference. Our next step, therefore, the development of the mind to a conscious recognition of tone- relationship, may be led up to in many ways. The usual way is to start with the major scale and, by bringing its steps into conscious rela- tion to its keynote and to each other, to obtain a knowledge of all the diatonic intervals. An- other way is to utilize song-material already familiar to the child, and to select from it the various intervals to be consciously appre- hended. Some teachers consider it desirable to develop a sense of absolute pitch from the very beginning. But, whatever the method, the main thing must be to train the ear to a recognition of definite tone-relationships by means of its own experience. If this important work is properly done, the child should soon be able to recognize the major and minor sec- onds, thirds and sixths, the perfect fifths and octaves, and the augmented fourths and di- minished fifths in association with their resolu- tions. The few remaining diatonic intervals will offer no difficulty. Application "jj^g ^^g ^j^^ mental advancement of the or correct principles pupil must determine whether these musical [ 24 ] Preliminary Development of Faculties conceptions, called intervals, shall be named as such, or whether they shall be treated simply as combinations of the different steps of the scale. For instance, a very young child will be able to sing one-three of the scale, while he might fail to associate the term major third with this tone combination. A pupil a little older would, after singing this interval until he is familiar with its sound-effect, have no difficulty in remembering its name as major third, and would sing the interval when called for by its name. The important point is, that the teacher should give names only to those musical conceptions with which the pupil is familiar through his own active experience. If the teacher were to play a major third and say to the pupil: *'This is called a major third,^' the pupil would of course accept the statement, but would probably forget quickly the sound- effect associated with the name. But if the pupil has frequently sung one-three of the scale, has recognized it as one-three when the teacher sang or played it and has thereby be- come thoroughly familiar with it as a concrete tone-conception, he will always recall this tone-combination when the teacher names it as maior third. In other words, the pupil has learned a musical fact by doing; he has de- rived a new fact from an old one; he has pro- ceeded from the known to the unknown; he [ 25 ] in develop- ment of knowledge of tone- relations Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music has himself discovered a new fact, and all that remains for the teacher to do is to name this new fact John Smith, General Grant, Susan Jones or major third whatever the name, it will be associated in the child's mind with the musical conception to which the teacher applied it. Therefore, our rule must be: Do the things then name it. This rule must be applied henceforth with rigid consistency, for only in this way can the teacher make sure that every musical term will be associated with a clear and correct conception of the thing which it represents. Interval Tht practice in the singing and recognition of intervals either as such or as steps of the scale should be carried on daily for a longer or shorter period, according to the age of the pupil and his power of physical endurance and mental concentration. As a rule, frequent short periods of practice will be more pro- ductive than long periods at greater intervals. The teacher must judge also whether the pupil is old enough to do this practice as a task or as a form of childish diversion. If the former, it should be so conducted as to make the task pleasant through the pupil's real in- terest and desire to learn. The interval-practice [ 26 1 Preliminary Development of Faculties may be followed hy chord-practice at an early stage, as it offers no greater difficulties in ap- prehension. The pupil who can recognize one- three-five of the scale, or a major third and perfect fifth, will have no trouble in recogniz- ing and naming it a major triad whenever the teacher has decided to associate that name with this particular tone-combination. * * * And so, gradually, all diatonic tone-com- ^^^3*^S <>* 1 1 1 1 -11 rhythm bmations, and also some chromatic ones, will become known to the pupil by doing, and he will associate them with their appropriate names. Simultaneously with this work in pitch-relation, however, there must progress an appreciation of that other great element of musical expression rhythm. The lack of rhythmic sense is probably that element in the majority of music-students which gives most frequent cause for complaint. The reason for this condition is usually to be found in the inadequate and incorrect way in which .this feature of musical expression has been taught in the early stages of music-study. The process is generally like this: The teacher shows the pupil a whole note and tells him that, whenever he sees a whole note, he must count four; then a half-note, count two; a quarter-note, count one; eighth-notes, play [ 27 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music two to each count; sixteenth-notes, four; and so on. As a result, when the playing is easy, the pupil will count quickly, when it is difficult, slowly; consequently, no true rhythmic feeling will be developed. This method of teaching violates the rule which is derived from our main principles: Teach ideas bejore words; the thing before the symbol. Before we talk about "time," "metre" or "rhythm" we must develop the feeling of rhythm and apply this to musical expression. So taught, rhythm will not be associated with symbols, but with rhythmic action, through which the rhythmic sense becomes part of the pupil's organism. Every child loves to march and to dance. This is the best aid to the teacher in developing rhythm. Play a march and let the pupil march, accentuating the step on the left foot. The tempo of the march should be changed from time to time; but not within the same lesson, so as not to con- fuse the pupil. A little song in march-rhythm may then be learned and sung, while march- ing, with proper emphasis on the first beat of each measure. Similarly, a Polonaise a stately march in triple time may be exe- cuted; then a Waltz, Polka, etc. It is unneces- sary at this stage to talk about metre or rhythm. The important thing is, that the child learns to feel rhythm, to recognize the [ 23 1 Preliminary Development of Faculties inexorability of the regular recurrence of the accented sounds. Any laxness in this respect must be immediately corrected, and the ex- ercises, both physical and musical, continued until the teacher is assured that the child can no more deviate from true rhythmic feeling than can the pendulum of a clock. It should be reiterated here that our present Summary . , . . , , . - of the consideration is not the teaching or music in chapter in any one of its different forms, but simply the development of those faculties which are necessary to the apprehension and expression of music. We are opening the door through which music enters and passes out. Without an intelligent musical ear and rhythmic sense as part of the trained ear there can be no real musical intelligence. The time devoted to this preparation should not be begrudged, even though the actual teaching on the piano or violin be delayed for a year or even two years. The progress, both in quality and quantity, will be greater and more rapid if this preparation has been thorough. Would that parents were more prone to recognize this, instead of insisting upon demonstrations of "progress" by me- chanically acquired repertories. [ 29 ] CHAPTER II Compari- son of the trained ear with the untrained The Training of the Mind-Ear. Before proceeding to the work of building upon the foundation provided by the above- mentioned preliminary development, let us make clear to ourselves the processes of physical and intellectual action and reaction entering into the apprehension and expression of music. A musical illustration will perhaps best serve our purpose. Let us listen to the first move- ment of Beethoven's Sonata in Cif minor, Op. 27, No. 2. The untrained ear will come under the spell of this music, and there will be a certain emotional response during its con- tinuance, but it will be vague and evanescent because there are no intellectual milestones and finger-posts to guide the listener. He travels the road and enjoys its scenery for the time being, but knows not whence it starts, whither it goes, or where and how it turns. Beyond the recollection that it was pleasant he cannot re- call its features or bring back those character- istics which most impressed him at the time. The untrained ear communicated the sensual impressions directly to the emotions without passing them through the analytical, critical [30] The Training of the Mind-Ear and recording processes of the mind. The trained ear, on the contrary, will recognize every feature of the music as a concrete, recognizable and definable phenomenon. It will establish its melodic, harmonic and rhyth- mic elements, its tempo, its spiritual charac- teristics and its relation to the listener's own soul-experience, which is, of course, the meas- ure of comprehension which any one can bring to the appreciation of a work of art or any other form of spiritual expression. The intellectual grasp thus gained, the trained ear will be able to facilitate self-expression through the medium of the same composition, so that it will not only convey to other intelligent listeners the message of the composer, but will do so with the added force of conviction which sincere individual expression gives. * For the purpose of this discussion let us call '^^^^^^^^ the untrained ear the passive ear, the trained, passive the active. The former receives, enjoys the ^^ pleasing sensations induced by the tone-suc- cessions and combinations, and reacts sub- consciously in emotional reflexes. The latter, however, acts instantaneously, constantly and in various directions, and it is important that the teacher should know the physical and in- [ 31 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music tellectual processes in which the brain-ear, the active ear, is the centre of activity. It would lead too far to introduce an explanation of the acoustic properties of sound and of the anatomical structure of the ear. These mat- ters can and should be studied by the musician in the comprehensive literature which treats thereof. We are concerned principally with the activities of the mind on receiving the im- pressions of musical sounds from the ear, and in directing the expression of musical thoughts through some tone-medium. Processes of music apprehen- sion Let us suppose that we hear one isolated musical sound, the tone of a bell, the whistle of a steamboat, the note of a bird or a human voice, uttering one single tone. This impres- sion is transmitted by the proper nerve to the brain, and there it calls for analytical and critical observation. The intellect recognizes its nature as a bell-tone, whistle, bird-note, or human utterance, and may define its pitch, duration and quality; but so long as this tone is unrelated to other tones there will be no musical thought or meaning conveyed by it. The hearing of two tones in succession or simultaneously may suggest the germ of a musical thought, but is insufficient in itself to [32] The Training of the Mind-Ear convey an intelligent message. It is only when a series of musical sounds is grouped in rhythmical units and these groups are brought into intelligent harmonic relation to each other, that we are able to recognize an intel- ligible musical thought. The mind will classify two tones as such and such an interval, but there interest ends, for this interval, unrelated to further musical values, suggests no com- plete musical thought. To illustrate : is a descending minor third and sug- gests the note of the cuckoo. But let us bring this interval into relation with other tones in rhythmic grouping and it immediately acquires musical value through intellectual association. For example: It is not necessary to supply the words in order to recognize that it is a complete mu- sical thought expressed metrically, similarly to poetic verse. In the latter form it might look like this: Cuckoo, cuckoo calls from the tree. Cheerfully singing, Summer he's bringing; Cuckoo, cuckoo, welcome to me. [ 33 1 Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music To the musical ear the characteristics of metre, melodic progression and harmonic cadential relations proclaim it as a complete, intelligible musical thought. The mind recognizes, ana- lyzes, compares and registers this group of musical sounds and stores it up ready for use in case the mind should direct its utterance by the organs of expression. The mental processes involved in the appre- hension of the above simple tune apply to the apprehension of all musical works, large or small, for the elements of melody, rhythm and harmony are common to them all. Processes This function of the mind, the apprehension or mtisics.! expression of music, may seem complex, but it is really simple in comparison with the mental activity involved in intelligent musical self-expression. Here again the mind-ear is the general super- intendent of activities. The emotions seek expression and the mind devises its form and means, which latter we will assume to be the voice. The mind con- ceives a certain tune and wills that the voice shall commence on a tone of a certain pitch, quality, intensity, duration and stress. To produce this particular kind of tone the whole vocal apparatus, the lungs, the muscles sur- [ 34 ] The Training of the Mind-Ear rounding them, the vocal cords, tongue, palate and maxillary" muscles, the nerves governing their action, etc., etc., must be set in motion instantly and harmoniously and with such accuracy that the exact tone-effect conceived and willed by the mind is produced. It is the mind-ear, previously trained to its functions, which alone makes this marvelous action and reaction, this cooperation and reciprocal sup- port, possible. It performs most of its func- tions subconsciously; indeed, the number and complexity of the processes required in pro- ducing a single musical tone are so great that conscious control of each activity would take too much time and would be futile because all must take place simultaneously. To secure the highest development of the directive powers of the mind-ear and the quickest and most accurate response to its demands upon the medium of expression is one of the prin- cipal tasks of the teacher. * * To illustrate the nature of the directive work Directive which the mind-ear is called on to perform, let the mind- us assume that the brain is a room in which the ^ mind-ear is seated before- a large telephone switchboard. He receives from his superior officer in the intellectual-spiritual department [ 35 1 Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music orders to connect the vocal apparatus with the centre of thought and emotion and to stand by to control the machinery. As the higher power wills each tone, the mind-ear flashes commands to every part of the vocal apparatus, which responds instantly, provided each part of the machine has been perfectly fitted for its share of the task. It is this fitting process which we call study. The mind-ear finds that the vocal cords failed to produce the exact pitch therefore it exacts repetition of the process until the pitch is true. The tone is not evenly sustained, hence the bellows are in need of attention; the vowels are impure and the enunciation indistinct, hence there is much to remedy in the organs of speech. All this the mind-ear must control, must have ready for immediate use. Would it not seem evi- dent, therefore, that, before we can train the apparatus, we must train the man that runs it,^ For it is most important to remember that your machine cannot do my work, nor can my machine do yours. Each machine is so constructed that it can do only the owner's work; hence it is only the owner himself who can gradually adjust it, adapt it, polish it until it does the work the owner exacts of it. As this is possible only through his assistant, the mind-ear, the importance of giving this personage the best education [ 36 ] The Training of the Mind-Ear conceivable and obtainable will readily be granted. * * He must first of all hear as much as possible "^f^if"^^ all that is beautiful in sound. He should learn mind-ear to distinguish between the myriad sounds in nature. His first acquaintance with human music should be a mother's sweet lullaby. The songs of the nursery should ever be gentle and in association with words that stimulate thoughts of beautiful ideas. As he grows older, his power of discrimination should be encouraged, the preference for the beautiful, the rejection of the inadequate or the vulgar. Remember, we are speaking of the mind- ear not the owner. He, poor fellow, gets a general education, hard knocks and poor fare; the ugly with the beautiful; the contact with evil as well as good. But the mind-ear must be a specialist, and it is therefore necessary that his powers of discrimination, his know- ledge of all elements in the domain of sound, be of the highest order. In some people the mind-ear is naturally keen and competent; in others it must and can be trained. We need only look back on our own development to realize how our powers of discrimination, our musical judg- 1 37 ] 3389ia Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music merit and taste, have developed and improved through experience, study and opportunities for comparison. * * Necessity of highest develop- ment of mind-ear Technical training Unless the mind-ear is developed from the first, musical practice, except under constant supervision by the teacher, would be impos- sible. For practice may not be mechanical. It must be made to conform to higher stand- ards of expression, and that needs constant criticism and control, which must come from the pupil in order that musical thought and expression may become simultaneous functions, In which case they are true self-expression. Therefore, once again, the highest culture of the ear the physical and the mental ear is the alpha and the omega of music- study, and all processes of music-expression are subordinate to it and under its direct control. * * * Having established the important functions which the mind-ear exercises in the apprehen- sion and expression of music, and discussed the ways and means calculated to develop this faculty, we must now devote ourselves to the shaping and training of the tools employed [ 38 1 The Training of the Mind-Ear in music-expression. Here again we are not to discuss methods of application, but funda- mental principles. In approaching this subject it will be well to recognize that the physical elements of music-expression, the voice, fingers, etc., must not be looked upon as a purely mechanical apparatus. Efforts to train the hand and fingers mechanically by the use of dumb claviers have always proved unsatisfactory. The separation of so-called technical training from the musical purposes to which it is ulti- mately to be applied may lead to mechanical skill, but not to musical results. At the outset, therefore, let us recall our previous statement that the channels or processes of music-expres- sion are threefold, namely: Psychic emotional. Mental Intellectual. Physical voice, fingers, etc. These three processes are introactive. They are not consecutive, as might appear to be the case at first sight: that a feeling seeks expres- sion, that the mind then devises its form and manner, and the fingers finally do the actual work according to pattern. The proof of this is obvious in listening to two singers or two instrumentalists of equal technical and mental ability, one of whom conveys to the listener a [ 39 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music deep feeling and meaning, while the other, with equal beauty of phrasing, fails to move us. In the former, the connection between emotion and means of expression is direct, having become so by habitual introactive use. The latter has only shaped the garment, and the emotion cannot get into it because it will fit only when fashioned upon its own body. Relation of physical to mental and spiritual processes The physical, mental and psychic processes must therefore always progress hand in hand. Besides the advantage of securing thereby a perfect medium of expression, we also avoid the error, all too common, of developing the fingers far beyond the ability of the mind and heart to grasp the inner meaning of the things they utter; or of attempting to sing Wagnerian roles which stir our emotions before we have learned to sing correctly. The effort of the teacher must be to develop all three processes evenly and to see to it that they properly react upon each other. Technique \ye -^[w ^ow discuss the development of the physical processes, usually termed technique. [40] The Training of the Mind-Ear These processes depend upon the use of the nerves, muscles, bones, cartilages, sinews, tendons, joints, membranes, etc., which make up the apparatus of the vocalist or instru- mentalist. This machinery of levers and other mechanical devices is set in motion through the medium of the nervous system in obe- dience to the will. Most of the processes are carried out subconsciously and, where origi- nally done consciously, they often develop into reflex actions by dint of frequent repetition. The teacher's problem is to shape this ma- terial, varied and complex in its composition, into a perfect tool of expression capable of uttering feelings so deep that speech cannot express them, and of arousing similar feelings in the breast of the listener. We shall take it for granted that the pupil Application 1,1 . , . 1 ^ of musical has had some musical experience and ear- experience training through singing and hearing songs, to first and is ready to travel farther on the road of technical the study of music. We must now recall one of training the fundamental principles enunciated above. Lead the child to discover for himself. The child should do the work, the teacher lead. If the instrument is the piano, the first thing the pupil must learn is the arrangement [ 41 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music of the keys of the instrument and the tones they produce when struck. The usual way in which this is done is to point to Middle C and say: "This key is called C, and this one just above it is D," and so on. Then the pupil is told to strike C, D, etc., and, as a result, in- stead of associating the letter-names with sounds, he associates them with keys. The better way is to let the child discover for himself. Let him sing one of his simple songs, such as "Three blind mice," or "My country, 'tis of thee," in the key of C, and then let him pick out the tones on the piano. In this way the key will always be associated in his mind with a sound, not with a name or a note, except as these are representative of a tone. * * * Teaching Simultaneously with this exercise of finding notation , . i -n i n i his songs on the piano, it will be well to teach the notes. Again, we must not draw a staff and say: "This is a staff"; and then make notes and name them; but we must let the pupil sing a scale C or D or any other tone on some neutral syllable such as la or loo^ then with the letter-names C, Z), E, etc. Then dictate: "Sing C, sing Z)," the pupil producing the tone called for by its name. When this as- sociation of tone with name is thoroughly es- [42] The Training of the Mind-Ear tablished, draw a staff (do not yet discuss Its name or properties) and say: "Sing C" When the pupil has sung it, place the note on the staff and say: "This is the picture of the tone you have sung." This method is con- tinued throughout the scale and followed by dictation-exercises in which the teacher points to notes, or writes notes, letting the pupil sing them. The process is continued by going to the piano, when the teacher writes a note, the pupil sings it, and then finds and plays the key, thereby associating the key with its note through association with the tone. This would be the logical exposition of the rules: Teach the thing before the symbol; do the thing, then name it, then represent it; both of which are derived from the general principle: Let the child discover for himself, that is, let him make thorough ac- quaintanc'e through his sense-experience with the thing to be learned; then we may name it and represent it, and the name or symbol will always recall the real essence of the thing. The pupil is now ready to begin piano- lessons. What does that mean.'* Is he now to do systematic finger- and wrist-gymnastics in order to develop the so-called piano-tech- nique Is he to practice dry five-finger exer- [ 43 1 Beginning to play the piano Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music cises, each exercise to be played twenty times in each practice-hour? Is he to be taught to hate music fervently and to wish that lightning might destroy the piano? Or is he to play little commonplace tunes or simplified operatic arrangements, all of which the teacher has drilled into him mechanically with many thumpings on the floor to make the pupil "keep time," and innumerable cor- rections of wrong notes recurring always in the same place? No, he is to do none of these things. He is to learn from the beginning to use the piano as a means of self-expression. It is the most important moment of his musical develop- ment, and everything depends upon the teach- er's skill in turning the pupil's face in the right direction. * * First steps Suppose that the pupil is required to dis- cover the following tune on the piano": Oh how loTeJy Is th ewe-ning, is the eve-ning,Whea the bells are Bweet-ly risg-ing, sweet-ly riog'-lii^, Dins', ioag, dingy iong, Hag, dong- He has sung it many times, alone, or with others as a Round. His imagination pictures [44 ] The Training of the Mind-Ear the sound of the church-bells throbbing through the evening air. He will soon find the keys, and after some effort he will, under the guidance of the teacher, group the tones in correct rhythm in accordance with the well-known song. If the teacher stops at this stage and declares his satisfaction with the correctness of tones and time, great damage will result, for the pupil draws the inference that he needs only push down the right keys and do it in the right time in order to satisfy the teacher's require- ments and "to play the piano." On the contrary, now begins the most im- portant part of the lesson. The teacher must lead the pupil to come as close as possible to the song. The legato playing, the emphasis of the important tones, the proper detachment of the phrases from each other, just as they are detached by breathing in the song, the spirit of tranquillity in the swing of the metre and the onomatopoetic ding, dong of the bell all these must be discovered by the pupil in the song and rendered as closely as possible on the piano. The teacher must always hold before him the imaginative, poetic and aesthetic features of the melody and must stimulate the pupil to express them. Comparison, con- trast and antithesis are valuable means to demonstrate to him his failures and the road to success. But be it ever remembered: Let [45 ] Some Essentials hi the Teaching of Music the pupil discover for himself, the teacher lead! The pupil's interpretation of the song may be crude, but it will be his own and, if he has been correctly guided, it will be along the right musical and aesthetic lines. The song as bridge to first attempts to play It is obvious that a song should form the bridge to the piano, for we must proceed from the known to the unknown, and the pupil's knowledge of music is hitherto solely comprised in the song. Moreover, it will be advanta- geous to continue to translate songs to the key- board, for in this way the pupil will gradually find ways and means to express a large variety of sensations, fancies and emotions, thereby gaining valuable experience in self-expression. The time will come before long when a tune without words will convey its emotional mes- sage with unfailing accuracy, but this condition can be developed only from an association with concrete poetic ideas expressed in words from which abstract emotional sensations are de- rived and expressed purely in tones. Natural "Meanwhile," asks the teacher, "what be- adaptation r ^i. i. j j 3 t-u of physical comes of the hands and lingers? ihereisno 146] The Training of the Mind-Ear cause for worry. Create In the pupil a clear apparatus conception of what he wants to express, and musical arouse his will to express It, and nature will ^^^k find ways and means nay, the best ways and means to express It. It will shape the tools of expression with a refinement of accuracy which no mechanical means can hope to secure. The chief duty of the teacher Is to see that the muscles are relaxed In order that they may be ready to do whatever work the will, acting through the mind-ear, may exact of them. From time to time, hints as to the advantage of dropping the wrist below the knuckles, or of carrying the thumb under- the fingers in running up or down the scale, or of other manipulations, may be given, but they should be given only as applicable to some particular case In point, not as general practices. It will be found advantageous to use the left Simultane- OUS 06V61- hand, alternating with the right, when first opmentof beginning to render songs on the piano. This left and will not only tend to develop the left hand hands evenly with the right, but It will prevent the Incorrect conception that the left hand Is less Important than the right. There Is also no reason why, when the notes are Introduced In the treble clef and played by the right hand, [47 ] Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music Real piano music the notes In the bass clef should not be taught simultaneously and played by the left hand. But this must be done strictly In the same order as before, I. e., tone, name, symbol, key. * * * As soon as the pupil has gained sufficient acquaintance with the notes and the keyboard through the playing of songs and of simple tunes, real piano music, that Is, music written for this instrument and not associated with any song or necessarily descriptive of any definite poetic thought, should be introduced. It may be helpful, and serve as a bridge, to choose at first such little pieces as contain some definite appeal to the Imagination, such as Schumann uses In his titles In the Album for the Young and Scenes from Childhood. But gradually these programmatic crutches should be dropped and, if the child's Imagination and poetic sense have been rightly developed, he will recognize, respond to and express the emo- tional contents of a piece of music without a title or a programme. * * Function of music is to ex- It may be well at this point to state, as a principle which cannot be too strongly up- press itself held, that the highest function and purpose of [48 ] The Training of the Mind-Ear music is to express itself. In all the other arts expression is sought through analogies with other mental and physical phenomena. Paint- ing, sculpture and architecture borrow their medium of expressioti from nature; poetry and the drama appeal to the emotion and the mind through the recital or portrayal of defi- nite phases of human thought and emotions. They are, so to speak, mirrors of life. Music, however, is not bound to or limited by any natural object, human thought or specific feeling. If it is to be so limited, it must be so labeled or brought into definite relation with the specific thought or feeling. To illustrate: Imagine listening to the Introduction to the Third Act of "Die Meistersinger" without knowing whence it is taken and without any acquaintance with either the text or the music of this opera. It will not arouse the thoughts associated with the situations, characters or emotions of the drama, but it will convey its message to you as music pure and simple, causing certain strings of your soul to vibrate in tune with it. The listener to whom the opera is familiar will, as he listens to this in- troduction, imagine Hans Sachs in deep medi- tation over the events of the past day the advent and trial of the young knight by the MastersingerSy the love of Walther and Eva^ her coquettish suggestion of his own eligibility f 49 1 Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music and his own realization of his age. Then the soft intoning of his great hymn, ''^ Awake! " foreshadowing his apotheosis all of these thoughts may be called forth by this music; but without these poetic associations the music is just as beautiful, its emotional power just as great nay, I would say greater, because less limited. Is the Andante of Beethoven's Fifth Sym- phony less impressive because it has no title or text? Is the message in the Finale of Brahms' First Symphony unintelligible be- cause it is not labelled "Heldenleben"? No, music uses and needs no other medium than itself. It does not try to express love, hate, joy, sorrow, or any other human emo- tion as such; but it may arouse such feelings under conditions favorable to their develop- ment, such as individual conditions of mind and soul of the listener; poetic or dramatic association. Take the music of any love- song, dissociate it from the text and from pre- conceived association with the expression of love, and you cannot say that this succession of musical notes spells "I love you." If you are eighteen it may do so, but so would the music of the song entitled " 'fVay down upon the Suwanee Ribber,'' or ^^Flow gently, sweet Afton." If you are fifty-eight, love-songs are scarcer and not so quickly recognized as such, [ 50] The Training of the Mind-Ear but the true love-song will then have gained immensely in depth of meaning, especially if the words are left out. Returning now to the process of develop- ment in playing the piano, let us see how we logically apply the fundamental principles of good teaching. Again, the first step will be to arouse the pupil's interest; therefore, the teacher should play the piece as a whole exactly as it should sound. This is not done for imitation on the part of the pupil, but in order to kindle his interest, to give him a general impression of the character of the music and to set for him a goal toward which to strive. He will not remember the details of melody, harmony and phrasing, so that there will be no danger of loss of initiative in discovering these for him- self. All elementary conceptions recognize complete objects more readily than incom- plete ones, even though the complete be more complex. The reason for this lies in the fact that the complete object expresses itself and explains itself by means of its functions. For instance, a child will readily recognize a wagon as such when he plays with his little express cart, pulling it along by the pole, [ 51 ] Application of funda- mental principles to study of piano Some Essentials hi the Teaching of Music watching its wheels turn and putting sand or sister's doll into the box. But if we were to give the child the wheels, then the bottom of the box, then the sides and then the pole and try to explain to him what the wagon would be if these parts were all put together, his conception of a wagon would probably be a queer one. We therefore follow in elementary teaching the rule: Present the zvhole before its parts. So presented, these parts will become in- telligible to the child-mind through their rela- tion to the whole; while, dissociated from this relation, they are meaningless. ^f% The next step will be the pupil's own effort expression to express himself through this piece. He has some knowledge of the notes and some ac- quaintance with the keys of the piano; how shall he apply this knowledge? Shall he read the first note and then touch the key which corresponds to it, then the next note and key and so on? No, indeed. That would be purely mechanical and would tend to destroy the musical interest just aroused by the teacher's playing. It would be the playing of a succession of detached tones having no musical significance and being in no recog- [ 52 ] The Training of the Mind-Ear nizable relation to the piece as a whole. The better way would be to let the pupil sing the first phrase of the melody and play it as connectedly as possible. This phrase should be repeated as often as may be necessary to secure accuracy, proper rhythmic grouping, emphasis and phrasing. Then the accom- panying hand should join preferably with- out first playing alone. This will usually be possible, because the melody-hand will re- quire little attention after it has gained the "feel" of its tune by repetition. In this manner phrase will be added to phrase until the whole piece is finished. As the musical quality of each phrase will have been maintained, there will have resulted no loss of interest in the analytic process of be- coming familiar with the parts, and the piece as a whole will come appreciably closer to a correct interpretation. * * This process of teaching the reading from Reading from notes notes corresponds to modern ways of teaching as corn- reading from books. Formerly, children were ^^^.f^ taught to read each letter and then these mg from were put together to form the word. To-day ^oo^s they are taught to recognize the word as a whole, this whole representing some object [ 53 ] r J ( Some Essentials in the Teaching of Music or mental conception; then, and not till then, is it broken up into its component parts, the letters. "^^^i ca^^ p^yf, .*/^^/^ , . .. ; musical phrases in reading them / ,v* Another important object is gained by this process. The child, in reading each phrase, becomes more and more expert in hearing the tones represented by the notes before playing them. Consequently, the moment a key is struck which does not correspond to the sound expected by the mind-ear, it will be detected as an error and corrected. Furthermore, this reading of the phrases with the mind-ear de- velops greater speed and accuracy in sight- playing, a most important accomplishment which is unfortunately rare among music- students. /. Adaptation of tech- nique to musical require- ments In the course of working out the playing of each phrase, certain so-called technical diin- culties will develop, such as the even, rapid playing of a portion of a scale, the smooth playing of a broken chord, or the accurate execution of a rhythmic figure with dotted notes. In all cases the pupil's mind should be kept concentrated on the musical quality and significance of this detail, and he should be [ 54 ] The Training of the Mind-Ear ^^v- ' made to strive toward its realization. A hint >>- c-^-^^ -"^ from the teacher from time to time as to how ,^^ "-i-^<-c,^' best to use the fingers should suffice. The ^^ . actual doing of the phrase, repeated always Ki--.' i with the object of expressing its musical ^''^g-''J^)^f-r