Musical Myths and Facts, Volume 1 (of 2). Engel Carl
to render them fully intelligible to those travellers who are but little acquainted with music. Of this kind are, for instance, the names of the different musical scales. The English missionaries, traders, merchants, consuls, and other residents in foreign countries, seldom possess any available knowledge of music. Still, among the questions here submitted to them are many which they may be able to answer satisfactorily; while, on the other hand, it must be admitted, not a few can be properly replied to only by men of musical education and experience. However, what one person is unable to investigate another may do; and thus, perhaps, we may hope, in the course of time, to be supplied with reliable and instructive answers to most of the questions from different parts of the world.
Some of the questions may appear, at a first glance, to be of but little importance; it is, however, just those facts to which they refer which ought to be clearly ascertained before we can expect to discern exactly the characteristics of the music of a nation or tribe.
It will be observed that certain questions pre-suppose a somewhat advanced state of civilization – as, for instance, those referring to musical notation, instruction, literature, etc. There are several extra-European nations – as the Japanese, Chinese, Hindus, etc. – which have advanced so far in the cultivation of music as to render these questions necessary; and it would be very desirable to possess more detailed information concerning the method pursued by these nations in the cultivation of the art than is at present available.
The present scheme is quite as interesting to the musician, or even more so, than it is to the ethnologist. Professional musicians in general are, however, not likely to become acquainted with the instructions for musical researches published together with various other scientific inquiries by the British Association. It is for this reason that they are here inserted, since the present work has a better chance of coming into the hands of professional musicians than the anthropological publication. Howbeit, years must elapse before it leads to a practical result. The originator of the questions may never enjoy the advantage of receiving the answers; but he has, at least, the pleasure of preparing the way for an accumulation of well-ascertained facts which intelligent musicians of a future generation will know how to turn to good account.
"The music of every nation has certain characteristics of its own. The progressions of intervals, the modulations, embellishments, rhythmical effects, etc., occurring in the music of extra-European nations, are not unfrequently too peculiar to be accurately indicated by means of our musical notation. Some additional explanation is, therefore, required with the notation. In writing down the popular tunes of foreign countries, on hearing them sung or played by the natives, no attempt should be made to rectify anything which may appear incorrect to the European ear. The more faithfully the apparent defects are preserved the more valuable is the notation. Collections of popular tunes (with the words of the airs) are very desirable. Likewise, drawings of musical instruments with explanations respecting the construction, dimensions, capabilities, and employment of the instruments represented.
"1. Are the people fond of music?
"2. Is their ear acute for discerning small musical intervals?
"3. Can they easily hit a tone which is sung or played to them?
"4. Is their voice flexible?
"5. What is the quality of the voice? is it loud or soft, clear or rough, steady or tremulous?
"6. What is the usual compass of the voice?
"7. Which is the prevailing male voice – tenor, baritone or bass?
"8. Which is the prevailing female voice – soprano or alto?
"9. Do the people generally sing without instrumental accompaniment?
"10. Have they songs performed in chorus by men only, or by women only, or by both sexes together?
"11. When they sing together, do they sing in unison, or in harmony, or with the occasional introduction of some drone accompaniment of the voice?
"12. Is their singing in regular time, or does it partake of the character of the recitative?
"13. Have they songs for solo and chorus, – or, with an air for a single voice, and a burden (or refrain) for a number of voices?
"14. Describe the different kinds of songs which they have (such as sacred songs, war-songs, love-songs, nursery-songs, etc.), with remarks on the poetry.
"15. What are their instruments of percussion (such as drums, castanets, rattles, cymbals, gongs, bells, etc.)?
"16. Have they instruments of percussion containing sonorous plates of wood, glass, stone, metal, etc., upon which tunes can be played? and if so, write down in notation, or in letters, the tones emitted by the slabs.
"17. Have they drums with cords, or some other contrivance by means of which the parchment can be tightened or slackened at pleasure?
"18. Have they drums with definite tones (like our kettle-drums)? and, if so, what are the tones in which they are tuned when two or more are played together?
"19. Any open hand-drums with one parchment only (like our tambourine)?
"20. Are the drums beaten with sticks or with the hands?
"21. What wind-instruments (trumpets, flutes, etc.) have they?
"22. Any trumpets with sliding tubes (like the trombone)?
"23. How are the flutes sounded? is there a plug in the mouth-hole?
"24. Any nose-flutes?
"25. What is the number and the position of the finger-holes on the flutes?
"26. What tones do the flutes yield if the finger-holes are closed in regular succession upwards or downwards?
"27. If the people have the syrinx (or Pandean pipe), ascertain the series of musical intervals yielded by its tubes.
"28. Do the people construct wind-instruments with a vibrating reed, or some similar contrivance, inserted in the mouth-hole?
"29. If they have a reed wind-instrument, observe whether the reed is single (like that of the clarionet) or double (like that of the oboe.)
"30. Have they a kind of bagpipe?
"31. What musical instruments have they which are not used by them in musical performances, but merely for conveying signals and for such like purposes?
"32. Have they stringed instruments the strings of which are sounded by being twanged with the fingers?
"33. Any stringed instruments twanged with a plectrum?
"34. Any stringed instruments beaten with sticks or hammers (like the dulcimer)?
"35. Any stringed instruments played with a bow?
"36. If there are stringed instruments with frets on the neck (as is the case with our guitar), note down the intervals produced by the frets in regular succession.
"37. What are the substances of which the strings are made?
"38. Is there any peculiar contrivance on some of the instruments in the arrangement and situation of the strings?
"39. Are there stringed instruments with sympathetic strings (i. e., strings placed under those strings which are played upon. The sympathetic strings merely serve to increase the sonorousness)?
"40. What are the musical intervals in which the stringed instruments are tuned?
"41. Do the people possess any musical instrument of a very peculiar construction? If so, describe it minutely.
"42. Give the name of each instrument in the language of the country.
"43. Describe each instrument, and give illustrations, if possible.
"44. Give some account of the makers of musical instruments; of the woods, metals, hide, gut, hair, and other materials they use; of their tools, etc.
"45. What are the usual adornments and appendages of the musical instruments?
"46. On