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Art. I.—Observations with a view to an Inquiry into the Music of the East

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2011

William Dauney Esq
William Dauney Esq
Affiliation:
Scot.
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Extract

It is well known that the style and character of melody, with the tonalities and scales upon which it is composed, differ in different ages and countries to a great extent; and it is obvious that a more perfect acquaintance with these than that which we possess, would be of great consequence to the art of music in various ways. Those forms of melody which are solely recognised as legitimate, according to the modern European system, may possibly be the best which can be adopted; but this can only be known for certain by an extensive comparison with other systems. The furtherance of such inquiries, therefore, may lead to a direct improvement in the cultivation of music, while there can be no doubt that the resources of that art would be immensely enriched by a more complete knowledge of the different styles of melody which prevail in foreign countries, and copious and authentic collections of the airs themselves.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 6 , Issue 11 , January 1841 , pp. 1 - 10
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1985

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References

page 1 note 1 As to those travellers who have confined themselves to general descriptions, there are no bounds to the extravagances into which they have sometimes fallen. Mr. Bowdich, in his mission to Ashantee, speaks of a negro whom he met, from the interior, who liad a harp, “the tone of which was full, harmonious, and deep.” IIe concludes the account of his performance as follows;— “Sometimes he became more collected, and a mournful air succeeded the recitative, without the least connexion, and he would again burst out, with the whole force of his powerful voice, in the notes of the Hallelujah Chorus of Hundel! To meet with this chorus in the wilds of Africa, and from such a being, had an effect I can scarcely describe; I was lost in astonishment at the coincidence; there could not be a stronger proof of the nature of Handel, or the powers of the negro!”

page 3 note 1 With respect to India, Sir William Ouseley has observed, in his Oriental Collections, that “Counterpoint seems not to have entered at any time into the system of Indian music. It is not alluded to in the MS. treatises which I have hitherto perused; nor have I discovered that any of our ingenious Orientalists speak of it as being known in Hindustan.”

page 3 note 2 In No. VII. of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, there are some interesting specimens of Indian airs, some of which bear an extraordinary resemblance to well-known Scottish tunes, such as “The Mill, Mill O,” und “Jenny's Bawbie;” whether the above remarks apply to them I cannot say, but my belief in their fidelity is somewhat shaken by a note of the Editor, in which he speaks of their having been set to music by one person, and arranged by another.

page 7 note 1 See “Ancient Scottish Melodies, from a manuscript of the reign of King James VI., with an Introdutory Inquiry, illustrative of the Music of Scotland.” 1838Google Scholar. And particularly An Analysis of Scottish Music, by Mr. Finlay Dun, of Edinburgh, contained in that volume.

page 9 note 1 Hawkins', Hist., vol. i., p. 285.Google Scholar