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U n iv ersity o f O regon M o n th ly
.M u s ic a p d
M o ra le
4"
Soriie one has said th at music “is breaking into sound of
the fundam ental rhythm of the universe” and the definition
is one full of m eaning and of deep tru th , for there is no other
art so wide in its compass, so evidently a m anifestation of
God. Indeed music is a creation of God, a harm ony loving
God, the “greatest m usician” whose world is full of the most
beautiful melodies ; man only can- find this music and give it
to the ears '< of his fellow beings. The planets and all the
heavenly bodies move with a rythm which, could it reach
our ears, would doubtless be the sw eetest m usic; every breath
of air w hispering in the tree-tops, every wave beating against
a rocky shore, every insect hum m ing its little life away, sings
the song th at the great M aster has commanded. T here is no
other power so universal ; music is as intelligible to the dwel
ler in the far E ast as to the citizen of our W estern America,
if the soul be open to the comm unication it will tell the same
story to us th at ancient Greeks heard from strings of the
Aeolian harp. It expresses the deepest emotions of life, uni
versal emotions, those which have been and alw ays will be
instinctive to every hum an being. As Carlyle says, “The
m eaning of music goes deep. A kind of inarticulate, unfath
omable speech which leads üs to the edge of the infinite and
lets its for a m om ent gaze into th a t.” Perhaps it, is part of
ihat glory of heavèn which W or’d sw orth m aintains does, not
altogether depart from us during our sojourn in this w orld;
and, if this is true, the music which we h e a r . is probably
only the sm allest part of th at infinite harm ony, too delicate,
for our dull senses to perceive.
This divine origin and depth of music gives then an
ample reason for the great influence th at it has upon lives of
men. One chord from the organ can soothe and calm the
heart, torn by trouble or anxiety; it can level the great moun-