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Humphrey Milford M.A. Publisher to the University
MUSIC
AS A LANGUAGE
LECTURES TO
MUSIC STUDENTS
BY
ETHEL HOME
HEAD MISTRESS OF THE KENSINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
G.P.D.S.T.
OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1916
The following lectures were delivered to music students between theyears 1907 and 1915. They have been partly rewritten so as to beintelligible to a different audience, for in all cases the lectures werefollowed by a discussion in which various points not dealt with in thelectures were elucidated.
An experience of eight years in organizing a training course forstudents who wish to teach ear-training on modern lines to classes ofaverage children in the ordinary curriculum of a school has shown methat the great need for such students is to realize the problems, notonly of musical education, but of general education.
Owing to the nature of all art work the artist is too often inclined tosee life in reference to his art alone. It is for this reason that hesometimes finds it difficult to fit in with the requirements of schoollife. He feels vaguely that his art matters so much more to the worldthan such things as grammar and geography; but when asked to give areason for his faith, he is not always able to convince his hearers.
He feels with Ruskin that:
'The end of Art is as serious as that of other beautiful things—of theblue sky, and the green grass, and the clouds, and the dew. They areeither useless, or they are of much deeper function than givingamusement.'
But he has not always the gift of words by means of which he candescribe this function.
We want our artists, and their visions, and those of them who canrealize a perspective in which their art takes its place with othereducative forces are among the most valuable educators of the risinggeneration.
ETHEL HOME.
KENSINGTON,
January, 1916.