The Musical Ear

Author(s): H. Lowery
Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 77, No. 1115 (Jan., 1936), pp. 56-57
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/919128 .
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 56 THE MUSICAL
Mr. J. Pearce Bowden, King's College, Strand-
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Bach; Gavotte,
Bowden; Fanfare, Whitlock ; Caprice, Guilmant
Symphony No. 1, Widor.
Mr. Arthur Mason, St. James's, Piccadilly-Concerto
in G minor, Handel; Largo and Variations,
Festing; Passacaglia, Bach; Scherzo (Sonata
No. 5), Guilmant; 'Clair de lune,' Karg-Elert;
Pastoral Sonata, Rheinberger; Fantasia in F minor,
Mozart.
Dr. M. P. Conway, St. Mary's, Portsea-Toccata and
Fugue in D minor, Bach; Allegretto, Vierne;
Choral, Widor; Scherzo and Cradle Song, Harvey
Grace; 'Marche heroique,' Candlyn. (Miss May
Peat (violin) and Mr. F. B. Coley played works
for violin and piano by Bruch and Grieg.)
Mr. Herbert F. Ellingford, St. George's Hall, Liver-
pool-Trumpet Finale, Gregory Murray; Fantasia
in F minor, Mozart; Funeral March, Mendelssohn;
Prelude and Angel's Farewell, Elgar; Toccata and
Fugue in D minor, Bach; Sonata in E minor,
Piutti ; Cantilene and Adagio and Allegro maestoso,
Vierne; Air and Variations in B minor, Driffield;
Funeral March and Hymn of Seraphs, Guilmant;
Toccata in F, Faulkes; ' Holsworthy Church
Bells,' Wesley ; Marche Pontificale, Widor; Celtic
Melody, Nocturne, Lullaby, Reverie, and Pastorale,
O'Connor-Morris.
Mr. Robert Atherton, St. Thomas's, Blackpool-
Toccata and Fugue in F, Bach; Chorale Improvi-
sation on ' Rejoice greatly,' Karg-Elert; Sortie,
Thiman; Movement No. 2 (Sonata No. 2), Howells.
Mr. Raymond G. Humphrey, St. Matthew's, Redhill
-Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Bach; Three
Preludes on Welsh Hymn-Tunes, Vaughan Williams;
Sonata No. 2, Mendelssohn; Fantasia (Sonata
No. 12), Rheinberger. (Miss Mira Garfield Howe
played 'cello solos by Mozart, Corelli, Mendelssohn,
and Wagner.)
Letters to
TheMusicalEar
SIR,-It is very gratifying to me that a distin-
guished musician, Leonid Sabaneev, should consider
it worth while to say something concerning the
categories of the musical ear (Musical Times,
December, 1935). I have myself given many lectures
and demonstrations on the psychology of hearing to
audiences of musicians and, in general, have found a
very apathetic response to the subject. The attitude
adopted has been that the musician is likely to gain
little by an analysis, psychological or otherwise, of
music or of a musical performance; in the words of a
speaker at one of my recent lectures, ' the music is
the thing-analysis of the conditions of hearing is a
pure abstraction having no relation to aesthetics.'
Sabaneev now tells us plainly that the question of
the categories of the musical ear is a subject of great
importance to the artist and teacher; he points out
that the subject has hitherto been little studied, indeed
the whole science of music has been neglected. My
own investigations on the physical and psychological
aspects of music lead me into complete agreement with
Sabaneev. There are literally hundreds of problems
in this field of intellectual activity simply crying out
for attention, many of them of intense practical
interest.
In his article, Sabaneev has made a valuable
contribution based upon his own wide musical
experience. There is one point however to which I
should like to call attention. He says that 'the
quality and subtleties of the musical ear do not lend
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TIMES January, 1936
Mr. W. Edward Kirby, All Saints', Clifton-Overture
in D, Smart; Sonata in F minor, Speer; Allegretto
and Scherzo, Whitlock; ' In Exitu Israel,' Harwood;
Romanza and Allegretto, Wolstenholme; Festal
Toccata, Baynon.
Mr. John Pullein, St. Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow-
Sonata in B flat, A rne; Pastorale, Franck
Musette, Ravanello; Choral improvisation on' Now
thank we all our God,' Karg-Elert. (Mr. Camillo
Ritter, violin, played Sonata No. 3, Bach ; Melodie,
Gluck ; Minuet, Bach.)
Mr. John Hill, Manchester College of Technology-
Overture to ' Athalia'; Cantilene pastorale,
Guilmant; Fugue in G minor, Bach; Scherzo in
B minor, Lovelock; Finale, Lemmens.
Mr. Gordon Phillips, St. John's, Smith Square-
'Harmonies du soir,' Karg-Elert ; Piece heroique,
Franck; Three Pieces from 'The Water Music,'
Handel; Toccata in F sharp minor, Mulet.
Mr. Melville Cook, All Saints', Cheltenham-Prelude
and Angel's Farewell, Elgar; Fugue in E flat, Bach;
Elegy, Parry; 'Requiem AEternam,' Harwood.
(The augmented choir sang motets and choruses by
Dvordk, Parry, Palestrina, and Brahms.)
Mr. George Dawes, Holy Cross Church, Uckfield-
Adagio and Allegro Fugato, Stanley; Prelude on
' Rockingham,' Parry; First movement (Sonata
No. 18), Rheinberger; Lullaby, Johnson; Military
March, Schubert.
Mr. W. J. Lancaster, Bolton Parish Church-Scherzo
in A minor, Best; Adagio (Symphony No. 3),
Vierne; Passacaglia with choral, 'Jesu, mein
Freude,' Karg-Elert; Vivace (Sonata No. 3), Bach;
Fugue on B A C H (No. 4), Schumann.
Mr. G. F. Suart, Christ Church, Penrith-Sonata
No. 3, Mendelssohn; Finale, Hine ; Andante,
Battishill; Two Trumpet Tunes and Air, Purcell;
Allegretto and Folk-Tune, Whitlock; Fugue in
B minor and Trio in D minor, Bach; Minuets from
'Berenice ' and ' Samson,' Handel.
the Editor
themselves to experimental investigation.' Psycho-
logists and physicists are not able to agree with this,
since during the past few years successful experiments
have been carried out on nearly all the topics he
mentions.
Experiments on thresholds of intensity and pitch
-the 'dynamic' and 'diapason' categories of
Sabaneev-are now among the routine tests of
acoustical laboratories. Experimental studies on the
discrimination of subtle differences in timbre-
determined by the ' timbre ' ear-have been rendered
possible by the development of electrical methods of
tone production and the accurate analysis of tones by
means of the cathode ray oscillograph. Similarly,
perception of accent, rhythm and time have been
subjects on which reliable information has been
gathered as a result of experiment. The pioneer
work of Carl Seashore on these matters, though some-
what (undeservedly) despised by musicians, has
nevertheless been of first-rate importance in indicating
the possibilities of experimental methods.
Absolute pitch has also been investigated by
numerous experiments, but appears to be a barren
subject from the musical point of view. There is,
however, general agreement that absolute pitch is no
criterion of musicality, and possession of it may be
troublesome to the musician. Experiments show
that considerable development of a sense of absolute
pitch is possible by suitable training.
It must be admitted that experiments on the
interpretative side of music are difficult to make,
owing mainly to the complex of factors involved;
January, 1936 THE MUSICAL TIMES
nevertheless it is clear that the musician cannot be
satisfied with anything less than results based upon
reactions to music as distinguished from reactions to
individual tones. Possibly this is what Sabaneev
means in his reference to experimental investigations ;
it is certainly his meaning when he says that artistry
is based not only on the ability to distinguish tonal
phenomena but also to appreciate them aesthetically.
The necessity for a study of the interpretative
aspects of music has already been pointed out
(British Journal of Psychology, vol. 17, p. 111, 1926,
and vol. 19, p. 397, 1929; 'Proceedings of the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society,' vol.
76, p. 53, 1932) and some tests based upon musical
material have been evolved which give considerable
promise of success, thus showing that the experi-
mental method is not impossible even in the aesthetics
of music.
It is to be hoped that musicians will follow the lead
given by Sabaneev and let us have the benefit of their
experiences. Their contributions would be of great
value as a guide in the application of the results of
experimental work.-Yours, &c., H. LOWERY.
College of Technology,
Manchester.
Just Intonation
I Firstly, the appeal of modern music is emotional,
SIR,-May as a subscriber of seventy years (from
1866) add a few remarks to those already made re the
article by Dr. Percy Scholes on Temperament.
In 1868 I was appointed organist of Corsham
Church, Wilts. The organ, built by Clark, of Bath,
in 1835, was tuned unequally, or mean-toned. In
the keys that were sweet the result was heaven, but
in, say, the Gloria of the twelfth Mass (Mozart), the
effect of the A flat section was horrible. This state
of affairs caused me on many occasions to transpose.
I remember well the sweetness of the key of E and
the in-tuneness of the five descending bass notes in
the Pastoral Symphony of 'The Messiah' where the
key of C is resumed. On an organ of the present day
these notes are all out of tune, and a major third
howls infernally.-Yours,
&c., H. G. SPACKMAN
Hastings, N.Z. (Lateorganistof Napier Cathedral,which
was destroyedin the earthquake).
SIR,-In considering intonation, people seem to
think only of the third and fifth of the three main
chords. The great difficulty is elsewhere. In the
ideal scale r to I is not a perfect fifth, and 1 to r is not
a perfect fourth; while r to f is not a perfect third,
nor f to r a perfect sixth; each is a comma, or nearly
a quarter of a semitone out-more than the difference
between a just and tempered third. If a choir starts
in C major, and modulates to G, it needs F sharp, but
it also needs a new A. Going to D major, it needs a
C sharp-a major third above the new A, and a new
E; and so on. Modulating down from C major, in F
it needs a B flat and a new D, and so on. To modu-
late right through from G flat to F sharp raises the
whole scale a comma.
To take a simple case: a choir singing a supertonic
minor chord will have voices singing r, f, and 1; if
the i is now sharpened the 1 which the choir is still
singing ought to rise a comma, if there is modulation
a step- up, and perhaps in any case. If the chord is
followed by a dominant seventh in the original key,
those singing 1 have to flatten it again. How could
singers cope with even this very simple case ?
As to the orchestra: trombones (and slide trum-
pets) are free to adjust pitch. Strings are free except
as to open notes. Valve instruments are naturally out
of tune, sometimes widely if more than one valve is
down. A player will say he corrects with his lips:
but it is more likely he controls pitch by setting his
vocal cavity as for singing the note, the tube acting
like that of an organ reed pipe whose note can be
tuned by the tuning wire. The flute and piccolo are
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57
adjustable enough, but I think the reeds are not, and
are thus also at the mercy of temperature; but I do
not know. If the strings tune to A all the strings
tuned by perfect fifths down are out of the key of C.
Thus the viola has only one string in C; and if the
music is in a sharp key, all its open notes are wrong.
It is thus difficult to see how an orchestra can play in
just intonation, even if the players knew when to
make comma changes.
If may be said that whenever a choir or strings do
not agree with a piano they are not in just intonation,
but merely out of tune; but it is quite possible that
those with a good ear may adjust their intonation to
one another in a way that corrects bad fifths and
thirds temporarily: but this, even if practicable,
cannot be called using just intonation.
The reason why a violin and organ sound unpleasant
is that while an organ sounds a definite note, the
violinist is fluctuating between two notes of different
pitch with a rapid portamento. This has nothing to
do with just intonation.-Yours, &c.,
J. SWINBURNE.
Quarter-Tones
SIR,-Mr. Challen's letter in the November issue
has many points of interest.
but I cannot agree that it is logical. First of all,
because first-movement form has been almost dis-
carded, the composer putting what he himself fancies
in its place, so that the logic and balance of the first
movement have been almost destroyed. In other
forms the maltreatment has not been so apparent.
Secondly, because of the seeming lack of development
of thematic material. There is no modern parallel
to the exhaustive working-out in the first-movement
of Schubert's' Unfinished.' Thus, the logic of modern
music must be sought in other directions.
Let us look at its harmony, the chief characteristic
of which is dissonance. Continued dissonance has
nearly the same effect upon most of us, viz., it
produces excitenment, not always pleasurable. Excite-
ment is physical and sometimes emotional, but not
logical. Both in jazz and modern music this quest
for excitement (one might almost say 'sensation')
is manifest. Since prolonged excitement is not good
for the nerves, the nervous system rebels against it,
and since anything we hear is accepted or rejected
primarily by the nerves, the appeal of modern music
is not physiological. The logic of modern music is a
mystery except to the wiseacres.
The chief advantage of a quarter-tone scale
would be a greater variety of keys. The difficulties
of composing in this style are not unsurmountable,
and should appeal to a composer having a logical mind.
For instance, the key of C semi-sharp minor (using
Vyshnagredsky's notation) would bear the signature
C: (semisharp), D: (semisharp), F#t (hypersharp),
Ft (semisharp), GS (semisharp), B# (hypersharp),
and Ct (hypersharp). Thus:
This, of course, is not in terms of a keyboard instru-
ment.
I have never indicated in any way that I thought
the day near when this scale would be adopted: I
merely remarked that I thought it would happen.
(And I still do, even in the teeth of such opposition
as Pythagoras and Yasser.)
Mr. Challen appears to have been thinking in terms
of contemporary instruments, whilst I see little
advance until electrical instruments are in use.
Has Mr. Challen forgotten that the much-maligned
pibroch once had a scale containing four intervals of
three-quarters of a tone each ? I do not recollect any
outcry on account of this peculiarity: indeed, the