Chapter I: Front Matter

MUSIC AND LIFE

A STUDY OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN OURSELVES AND MUSIC

BY

THOMAS WHITNEY SURETTE

AUTHOR OF “_The Development of Symphonic Music_” AND (WITH D. G. MASON) OF “_The Appreciation of Music_”

BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge 1917

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY THOMAS WHITNEY SURETTE

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

_Published March 1917_

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author desires to express his thanks to the Editor of the _Atlantic Monthly_ for permission to use, as a part of this book, material from a series of articles that appeared in his magazine.

CONTENTS

_INTRODUCTION_

CHAPTER I

_WHAT IS MUSIC?_

I. DISTINCTION BETWEEN MUSIC AND THE OTHER ARTS 1

II. THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC 6

III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC 13

IV. “BEAUTY IS TRUTH, TRUTH BEAUTY” 18

CHAPTER II

_MUSIC FOR CHILDREN_

I. TRAINING THE SENSE FOR BEAUTY 26

II. THE VALUE OF SINGING 36

III. CURRENT METHODS OF TEACHING 41

IV. WHAT SHOULD CHILDREN SING? 45

V. THE FALLACY OF THE INEVITABLE PIANOFORTE LESSON 50

VI. THE REAL GOAL 56

CHAPTER III

_PUBLIC SCHOOL MUSIC_

I. IDEALS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION 61

II. THE VALUE OF MUSIC IN PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION 68

III. FALSE METHODS OF TEACHING 74

IV. GOOD OR BAD MUSIC 83

V. ATTEMPTS AT REFORM 91

VI. OTHER ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOL MUSIC 97

CHAPTER IV

_COMMUNITY MUSIC_

I. MUSIC BY PROXY 103

II. OUR MUSICAL ACTIVITIES 108

III. WHAT WE MIGHT DO 117

IV. AN EXPERIMENT 129

V. MUSIC AS A SOCIAL FORCE 134

CHAPTER V

_THE OPERA_

I. WHAT IS OPERA? 145

II. OPERA IN THE OLD STYLE 149

III. WAGNER AND AFTER 158

IV. WHEN MUSIC AND DRAMA ARE FITLY JOINED 166

V. OPERA AS A HUMAN INSTITUTION 175

CHAPTER VI

_THE SYMPHONY_

I. WHAT IS A SYMPHONY? 179

II. HOW SHALL WE UNDERSTAND IT? 187

III. THE MATERIALS OF THE SYMPHONY 196

IV. TONE COLOR AND DESIGN 210

CHAPTER VII

_THE SYMPHONY_ (_Continued_)

I. THE UNITY OF THE SYMPHONY 216

II. STAGES OF ITS DEVELOPMENT 226

III. CHAMBER MUSIC AS AN INTRODUCTION TO SYMPHONIES 234

IV. THE PERFORMER AND THE PUBLIC 237

Chapter VIII

CONCLUSION 241