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Article ON THE MUSIC OF THE ANCIENTS. ← Page 3 of 6 →
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On The Music Of The Ancients.
fiave you instructed in letters , in playing on the harp , in wrestling , and the other objects of emulation at the public games ? ' Thus , wesee , that Music formed an essential part of education , not only according to the custom , but by the laws of the Athenians . Yet unquestionably the Athenians were the most elegant and refined nation of antiquity ; and at Athens some of the arts were carried to the highest perfection which they ever yet attained . Even the wise and
virtuous Socrates himself became a musipal scholar in his old age . Plato , in his system of laws , recommends , that children should begin to learn the literary branch of their education at ten years of age ; and the lyre at thirteen ; and that they should continue three ., years at each . But it may be proper to add , that in addition to letters , Music , and the gymnastic exercises , Plato recommends that the
children of freemen should be instructed in three , other branches of education ; one of these was a knowledge of numbers and accounts ; the second was , a knowledge of the measurement of lengths , surfaces , and depths ; and the third was , a knowledge of the heavenly bodies ; or in other words , arithmetic , geometry , and astronomy . An abstruse study of these sciences he recommends to a few but
^ a general knowledge qf them to the sons of all citizens . Plato employs a considerable portion of his dialogues , pa , politics ' and jaws , in treating of the nature of the Music , and tire , regulations and institutions respecting it , which ought to be adopted in every well-regiilated state . So powerful , in his opinion , was the influence of Music on mankind , that he thought a change . oij the music of his
country mus , t produce a change of its poetical . constitution , or a revolution in its government . Cicero , with his usual eloquence , describes the powerful influence of Music on the human , mind . He . assents , in general , to . tkfi sentiments of Plato on this , subject ; only with some qualification of the opinionthat a change in the Music of a country would produce an
, alteration in its constitution , I do not know , Mr . Editor , that I should be able to conclude this essay in a manner more likely to atone to your readers for its dulness , than by transcribiag the last stanza of a well-known ode , in which ' the charms and : enthusiasm of poetry are employed to enforce the opinion , that the Grecian Music far surpassed-the modern .
O Music ! sphere-descended . maid ! Friend of pleasure , Wisdom ' s aid I Why , goddess ! why , to' us denv'd , Lay'st thou thy ancient lyre . a ' side ? As , in that lov'd Athenian bower You learn'd an all-commanding power , Thy mimic soul , O nymph endear'd , Can well recall what then it heard !
Where is thy native simple heart , Devote to virtue , fancy , art ? Arise , as in that elder time , Warm , energetic , chaste sublime ! Thy wonders , in that god-like age .
Fill thy recording sister ' s page :.
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Music Of The Ancients.
fiave you instructed in letters , in playing on the harp , in wrestling , and the other objects of emulation at the public games ? ' Thus , wesee , that Music formed an essential part of education , not only according to the custom , but by the laws of the Athenians . Yet unquestionably the Athenians were the most elegant and refined nation of antiquity ; and at Athens some of the arts were carried to the highest perfection which they ever yet attained . Even the wise and
virtuous Socrates himself became a musipal scholar in his old age . Plato , in his system of laws , recommends , that children should begin to learn the literary branch of their education at ten years of age ; and the lyre at thirteen ; and that they should continue three ., years at each . But it may be proper to add , that in addition to letters , Music , and the gymnastic exercises , Plato recommends that the
children of freemen should be instructed in three , other branches of education ; one of these was a knowledge of numbers and accounts ; the second was , a knowledge of the measurement of lengths , surfaces , and depths ; and the third was , a knowledge of the heavenly bodies ; or in other words , arithmetic , geometry , and astronomy . An abstruse study of these sciences he recommends to a few but
^ a general knowledge qf them to the sons of all citizens . Plato employs a considerable portion of his dialogues , pa , politics ' and jaws , in treating of the nature of the Music , and tire , regulations and institutions respecting it , which ought to be adopted in every well-regiilated state . So powerful , in his opinion , was the influence of Music on mankind , that he thought a change . oij the music of his
country mus , t produce a change of its poetical . constitution , or a revolution in its government . Cicero , with his usual eloquence , describes the powerful influence of Music on the human , mind . He . assents , in general , to . tkfi sentiments of Plato on this , subject ; only with some qualification of the opinionthat a change in the Music of a country would produce an
, alteration in its constitution , I do not know , Mr . Editor , that I should be able to conclude this essay in a manner more likely to atone to your readers for its dulness , than by transcribiag the last stanza of a well-known ode , in which ' the charms and : enthusiasm of poetry are employed to enforce the opinion , that the Grecian Music far surpassed-the modern .
O Music ! sphere-descended . maid ! Friend of pleasure , Wisdom ' s aid I Why , goddess ! why , to' us denv'd , Lay'st thou thy ancient lyre . a ' side ? As , in that lov'd Athenian bower You learn'd an all-commanding power , Thy mimic soul , O nymph endear'd , Can well recall what then it heard !
Where is thy native simple heart , Devote to virtue , fancy , art ? Arise , as in that elder time , Warm , energetic , chaste sublime ! Thy wonders , in that god-like age .
Fill thy recording sister ' s page :.