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K- THESTANDARD MAGAZINE SECTiON-OGDEN, UTAH, DECEMBER 27, 1913. lifl
Grand Opera In the K'ndergarten!
Old writers of child music who
fii.ve Ions held to the Idea that small
: children are Incapable of singing
I other than simple little sonRs are as
tounded at the Idea Yet grand
opera music arranged for children
1s being taught In the primary
grades and has invaded the kinder
garten In spots where the old kin
dergarten system can be broken
' into.
In many of the schools or Amer
ica singing has made a decided ad
vance In recent years. There was a
time when net kinds of songs were
Written for the schools.
In the countries of Europe that
system never was In vogue. The
German child sings the songs of the
; grown-ups. and when he Is grown he
' fontlnue. to sing mem It Is part of
H jklm. That Is why the German na
ff tlonal songs arc so universally
W known.
B In Italy everybody knows the clas
1 1. Slcs. Children sing snatches of "II
H t Trovatore" at play and lovo to sing
lit In the recent celebration of the
H f hundredth anniversary of Verdi, the
Y author of "II Trovatore," children
- crowded to the public gatherings
Rand with song paid tribute to tho
writer of Italy's soul-stirring opera.
"But the Italian sings naturally."
I I argues the child song writer of the
I old school.
I True, Indeed, so does the Ameri
can child, according to the new song
. : writers and teachers and their re
i suits in teaching children are won
derful. In the old song days -when singing
, was taught in the Fchoolb In a hap
' hazard fashion and the children
! Bang as a sort of excp-l'-e the !o - of
music was not developed That
, pitiably shown In a reo r.r session of
IBCongTess when the hwm.ikcri of
America, rose to sing 'Star Span
Bglcd Banner." The band played
wonderfully. Half of those playing
Bwero of foreign birth. The on
gressmen rose to their feet In solemn
respect to the great song, but only
Bitre and there were men able to
Hiing :t
They recognized tho tune ss ono
!"" recognizes a face of a slight ac-
qualntanee, but they didn't know
the worciF. 'I 1 1 - v. .v d. 1 l.rv'
, them sang a whiie and !! grew
difcouraged os their weak voices
L grew weaker In the great hall of tl
JjJI lent men.
1 AMERICAN'S ARK PI T
V rtO SHAME ON LIN EH.
M I Again on a great ocean liner was
j the Star Spangled Banner put to
M phame. On board the ship thero
Were passengers of French. German.
S English and American citizenship.
1 T The last r.lcht on the ocean tho
I band played national a. is A.-
j played the citizens of each land
sang. England did well at "God
;Save the King. Germany grew he
H role with "Der Wacht Am Rhine."
H France distinguished himself, with
"La Marseille;:.' b it America fell
i "f 'down completely with "Star Span
H pled Banner" and had to take a try
fl M America at which she did only ln
j differently well
PH When It comes to tho great op
j5 ras rew Americans recognize them
t2 When they are played. "n account
"5 ef tho fl"')ri' lo teach music well
'3 Americans have turned to the rag
time songs.
Following the intredi: -lion of sys
jSMtematic singing In the sh-oi-
1 have gone to the other
AKxtreme and have spent m-j
EKcachln? the technical side of sing
lngr. Thera has been a growing op-
position to laying stress on the tech
nical, however.
These dlesenters point out that the
majority of children will not make
music a profession. They should
learn to sing for enjovment and to
give vent to their higher emotions.
They should sing freely, is tho argu
ment Among those who have had won
derful results by teaching singing
with little reference to the technical
side Is Thomas Edwin Spencer, prln
elpal of Irving School. His pupils
show remarkable ability n singing.
They sing with the full joy of mak
ing beautiful sounds. From the
chart class to the highest grade he
has developed a school of wonderful
singing.
He has proven that the range of
ITPPER left. The finale,
y Upper right: A young
Caruso. Lower left: Thos.
E. Spencer, principal of Irv
ing School. ower right:
The troubadour.
voice of a child Is extensive. They
sing difficult music easily and lovo
the classics. For the younger chil
dren snatches from the operas are
taken and words children can com
prehend are fitted to them When
asked about his methods, Mr. Spen
cer said:
"Wo employ music at the Irving
School for Its value In training tho
sensibilities. We have many sub
jects for training the Intellect and
the will, but music, when rightly
taught, makes a direct appeal to the
sensibilities, that part of the mind
that receives so little attention in
our scheme of education. Reading
and speaking arc directly con
cerned with Ideas. Is It true that,
when rightly taught, they are an
Interest and delight for their pres
ent and future uso and Joy So
with singing, love of good singing
Is the chief thing aimed at In our
school. Now. we hold that thero
can be no really good singing un
less there Is In tho singing an ex
pression of Ideas. There can be no
love of good singing unlets the
emotions are kindled We find the
singing is best where the counte
nance and bodily attitudes and
movements become the outward
signs of Inward thoughts and feel
ings. The natural child expresses
himself not only with his voice, but
with hi countenance and with ges
ture and posture Wo carry this Into
our children's singing. Wo use It
to develop the sense of perfect
rl.ythm, as well as to give dramatic
-expression to their thoughts and
emotions.
CHILDREN VTVACTOrS
AND SIMP! I
"Two attributes characterize all
children vivacity and simplicity.
Our selection of souks Is based upon
those childish attributes, and also
upon the Children's appreciation of
the humorous. We have regard al
so lo tho fact that children's
voices aro pitched high, because
their vocal organs are small. The
piccolo ronges higher than tho flute
becauso It Is tmaller and songs for
children should not be written In a
key too low
"For a good many years we havo
been selecting tunes and words
suitable for children's singing. Tho
Mother Goose rhythms set to suit
able music are a delight to children
they are truo folk songs, but our
collection covers a very wide range.
"When considering the perma
nent benefit that the chlld'9 educa
tion Is to derive from his school
study of music, wo ask ourselves
tho question: What will probably
be the relation of our children to
music after they havo left the
school and are grown? How will
they use music In life? Answer;
They will sing and they will hear
singing and Instrumental music.
Our aim, then, should be to lead
them to love good music, and. as
far as wo able, to teach them to
know pood music. And by good mu
sic I mean music tht appeals to
and expresses the better and high
er emotions of the soul appeals to
duty, to patriotism to friendship,
to reverence, to filial and parental
affection, to aspiration towards the
spiritual things of life. For music
Is a language and most of the pleas
ure of singing lies In the expres
sion of a state of feeling. To this
end the song singing of the upper
grades should be much more com
prehensive and systematic than the
ordinary 'rote singing' that Is u
ually done In schools, both as to
selection of the songs and the way
they should be rendered. We should
not spend time upon trivial songs
In the upper grades, which after
wards older children and adults do
not care to sine. We should em
phasize folk songs and national
songs, and also classic ballads and
standard non-sectarlan devotional
songs (even sones whose words may
be beyond the child's complete com
prehension) with the purpose that
children are to learn them as Grr
mans learn their chorals to last
through life. To have a score or
more of fine songs so that each
child can sing the melody through
correctly with the words from mem
ory would be no mean musical ed
u -j Ion. even though nothing else,
were learned. In the thorough
learning of these songs there Is
laid a rhythmic, melodic and har
monic foundation for future music
development that Is quite as valu
able as tho really technical drill
might bo that is forced upon chil
dren without their feeling Its value.
Tho song3 selected should typify
somo external fact of human na
ture, or recall some great episode
or great personality; songs which
should not only be sung, but
thought about, so that maidens
might be restrained from wayward
ness by memories of 'Ye Banks and
Braes of Bonnie Doon." and youths
be raised to heroism by Forty
Years On.'
ROUGH STRIDENT VOICES
ABSENT AT IRVING.
"You do not hear the rough, loud,
strident voices in the Irving that
are most often heard In public
school singing. Tim tone cjuallty
Is good, because tho child's atten
tion Is not directed to tho mechan
ical process of tone production, but
upon the thought and feeling he la
expressing, thus retaining the nat
ural response of the vocal organs.
Dramatic Interpretation through
tho countenance, and by bodily ac
tion contribute to pure tone of
voice
"Wo havo enjoyed visits from
many musicians of national reputa
tion who tell us that the singing of
our children Is not equaled any
where else In this country. Visitors
remark upon tho cheerful, even
Joyous, behavior of our pupils, and
the mutual sympathy existing be
tween teachers and pupils Wo at
tribute this largely to the Influent o
of our singing.
" 'But what about the technical
tS 'JBXBBSBBSSSSSSSBSSSSBsSB-'
Children in the Primary 1 1
Grades Have Wider I
Range in Voice Than I
Those Ten Years I
Older, Says Principal
of School Who Gets
Wonderful Results in
Singing. I
such thing as playing in parts All
sang the air.
Harmony was developed by the
Northern peoples Colncldcntally
with the church practice of con
structing unrhythmical melody and
singing in an unnatural mode, the
Poplc of Northern nations began
singing with accompaniment of dif
ferent voices In harmony, but sing
ing different parts. So devoted were
the people In England to their
tuTioa that churchmen wrote re
ligious words to their tunes so sit. to
attract men to church.
For a long time opera was con
fined to the courts of Europe. In
Italy, however, "the people declared
" their Independence and took what
was theirs by right. Opera became
popular first In Italy in the seven
teenth century. It spread over the
Alps Into France and Northern Eu
rope, f
Tnrdinnl Mazarln first Introduced
opera Into France when he brought
a troupe of Italian singers and it
waa received with favor. In France
the ballet became a part of the
opera and remains so even yet.
In Germany opera was not well
received until the close of the Sev
enteenth Century. Germans allowed
Italians to come across the Alps and
ple performances, but they did not
care much for opera themelvcs.
When they did take it up they went
In for opera with the zest of youth
and German writers as a result have
produced some of the most wonder
ful pieces of opera.
In England the lyrical drama was
their first opera, It was first Iniro
du e,i i.y men of Italian parentage
or birth. The Puritans gained the
leadership In English affairs about
at that time and their Influence on
the opera of that time Is shown In
the religious element Injected.
Grand opera reached Its height
one hundred years ago. Sine then
there have been many Inspiring
operas written, but musical critics .H
say that In recent years there have
been none equal to those of more H
than a generation ago. 'H
Sciential have taken music to
pieces and given It thorough t
analysis, They know all about the
beats, measures, half tones and
causes of different effects. They can
tell to a mathematical certainty bbbbb!
what causes a discord, although the 'H
particular scientist working out the
problem would be unable to strike 'M
two notes In harmony on the piano.
That is why the dl&senterg In music
do not wish empharls to be laid on 'M
the technique. Let the child be
free, they say, and the music will
come out of him, for music is nat
to the child
Way to Get Results. I
Some clerks sell a man a necktie.
then as they reach for the money,
they repeat a slng-snng formula;
"Any collars, shirts, handkerchiefs
suspenders,'' and t-o on, like a waiter
In a chophouse. That's not sugges
(Ion. Here's a way to produce bet
results: "There's .i new collar that seems
to be tho present fad and we've
received the first ones here." iJM
Usually you can find something H
like that without fabricating. If your
tore Is a progressive one, and you
can reach for the collar nhlle say-
lng It. Tho words interest the cua- ;H
tomer for a moment the new
shape collar Interests him a mo- H
ment 'M
Tht's the difference between a
clerk and a salesman. But don't H
think the man who forces sales on
a customer and worries him into H
buying is making good. There's a H
difference between celling a man
something he wants and some
thing he has no use for. 'M
2bS. STRAOSS PORTRAIT,
BBS
drill?' you ask We do something of
that, but we hold It in to be kept
subordinate In the small time that
can be given to the public school
music In tho curricula. We know
that song preceded the science of
volco production and the theory of
music by thousands of years. Ws
know that whoever loves to slur
will probably, sooner or later, wish
to burn what the music teachers
have to teach. If young people do
not wish to barn It. they had bet
ter not be worried with It at all.
We think that. In the grammar
school, ear tests, tune tests, scale,
clefs, and all the rest of the para
phanalla of music teachers should
be put In the proper and very mod
est place
Music, like other forms of artic
ulate speech, Is primarily a matter
for the ear and voice, and not for
the eye. It Is. then, of V ry great
Importance that tho old-fashioned
singing by ear should not be pushed
out of tho schools by instruction
in musical technique.
"We have used many operettas In
our work, for these give play to tho
imagination, and to tho dramatic
Instinct of pupils. We have found
'Sylvia.' The Belle of Bnrnsta
poole.' 'Blbl.' 'The Comedy of Toys.'
The Land of Pie.' and one of our
own composition, entitled Joyland,"
admirably adapted to our needs
Parents attend the rendition of
these musical plays, and llnd pleas
ure In the performances given by
their children, and their pride In
their school la augmented."
Wo owe much of .our musical
knowledge to the Greeks, but they
In turn go to Egypt for their learn
ing. Music In tho earliest times
went thronch threi stages of devel
opment Instruments of percussion
are the oldest kinds of music pro
ducers. Ind instruments arc next
In order, and stringed Instruments
are the latest form of development.
The clapping of hands and stamp
ing of feet mark tho first era In
musical development. Drums then
came Into Irf-lng- Among barbarous
nations today, wherw thero Is- no
other musical Instrument, there is
a drum. Then bells and cymbals
vvci" developed Somo savage wan
dering along the banks of the Nile
picked up a hollow reed and blew
In one end. A shrill note was
sounded, and so we have the begin
ning of wind Instruments.
He found that by cutting a se
ries of holes In tho reed he could
blow different notes He made high
and low pitched tones and soon ho
had a flute. Then came the clario
net and finally the reed organ.
BTBANOE! HARP
FOUND IN AFRICA.
But long beforo the reed organ
was developed stringed music came
Into being. In Africa we find a
strange harp made of ebony with
long steel spikes driven into It and
held In place These steel spikes
ore struck with the linger and
1 1 ol a weird sort can be pro
duced. With the growth of tho
nations the harp has developed.
It must be taken Into considera
tion that music came long before It
was learned there was any such
thing as technique, Bavnsje men
played by ear and produced won
derfully beautiful songs. The music,
however, was simple. Thero was no
NEW CLEW TO CRIME FOUND
The science of deduction as ac
credited to detectives may receive
a setback as a result of a discover
In medical science Just made known
by Dr. John B. Murphy, the noted
Chicago physician and surgeon, on
his return from the International
Congress of Medicine In London.
It is a process by which it may
be determined positively whether a
bloodstain I human or from one of
the lower animals.
"Tho old way of determining
whether bloodstains were human
was by an examination of the stain
under a ulcroscope." Dr. Murphy
explained, "and It was more or less
gus?vvork Analysis of the stain In
the new way would establish the
fact beyond a doubt by the preclp
itauts In the blood.
"In the rase now of the chimpan
zee, the precipitant would come
within 10 per cent of tho human
while In the case of an ordinary
monkey the percentage would be
much less."
In the opinion of Dr. Murphy,
the most important matter before
tho congress had to do with the
cancer problem. "Or rather, I will
r wee pc-rhups the most Im
port int.
The problem was liseussed by
un Italian, a German and a French
man," he aaid. "Let It be under-
stood that is Is purely a scientific re- H
search into the cancer of mice, and H
has nothing to do with the cancer H
of humans as yet, at any rate, ex- J
cept by analogy.
"It was shown that cancer In tho H
Japanese waltzing mouse is cap- H
ble of transplanting in others of the H
same breed In nearly 100 per cent
of the cases used In experiments. H
in tiie caes of the Jensen mouse it Ll
was shown that tho cancer could F&
be transplanted In about 85 per ifcijH
'Then they crossbred the Japan- ILLifl
ese and Jensen mle. and they ftl
could not infect a single one of the gnl
resulting mice with the disease, ill
"That," asserted the doctor, vlg- H
orously. "Is the first Instance of H
cancer Immunity as a result of H
crocs-breeding, or. for that matter. Plll
as a result of anv thing. And It H
lends a great hope In connection J
with the solution of the cancer H
problem of humans." ilLfl
Dr. Murphy spoke enthuslastlcal- 'ffLiiv
Ij of the discussions of disease re-
suiting from vice and of the wld H
prominence given the discussion by H
tho English press.
As a result of this phase of the aflsl
congress ?ir Malcolm Morris at a 'LnLiV
tlnal dinner to the members stated. 'ffilH
according to tho Chicago surgeon. J
that In an Interview he had with
Premier Asqulth the Premier prac- ruBLUfl
llcally had promised tii.it a commi?- ffl
sloii would le appointed undr the ByB
British government to investigate (I yfc;sBBBM
such diseases, for the benefit, chief- 'BLtH
ly, of innocent ictlms. JSviaasv