Where the bee sucks, there lurk I: There I crouch, when owls do cry ru, ru, ru, ru, ru, ru, ru, ru, ru, ru. The parental regard which birds show for their young is worthy of remark. Their natural timidity, upon the appearance of danger, is converted into a degree of courage and boldness, truly surprising. 'A turkey, when she eyes a kite hovering in air, 'uses the note of alarm, in the exclamation, "Ko-e-ut, 'Ko-e-ut," and the young ones instantly conceal 'themselves in the grass. ** Who has not roused the plover from her sedgy bank, and heard her mournful note Tumbling in air, in awkward flight, she wheedles you from the haunt of her young by her piteous cry; and the sagacious swallow, by a shrill alarm, bids his fellows beware that the hawk is near. In the summer morn what a chorus of birds! carolling and straining their throats to hail the coming day! Hid in the tangled hedge-row, the loquacious magpie is chattering to the jay. High * Darwin. in the orchestra of the woods, the rooks, in the gaiety of their hearts, attempt to sing, but with no success; and the woodpecker, that critic of the grove, sets up his loud and hearty laugh. As the shades of eve draw on, the cooing doves, in mournful mood, begin their song a tender tale of despairing lovers. After which, 'the merry fern-owl, with the clattering of his castanets, calls his evening party to the dance.' From these natural exclamations, the musician draws the vivifying strokes of his art, and from these fragments of rhythm and melody, he forms the motivos of the most pleasing and diverting compositions; and though the song of birds is coeval with man, yet music is the science which arrives last at perfection. CHAPTER XIII. PIANO-FORTE. THE invention of the piano-forte has formed a most important era in the musical art. No instrument * Haydn has copied them in the Creation, when he describes the 'Cooing dove that seeks his tender mate.' has contributed so much to the improvement of science, or so much displayed the beauties of taste and expression. The period of its introduction may be traced to the works of the harpsichord writers. In the time of Bach it was scarcely known; as, from the features of his compositions, it is evident they were the product of the harpsichord, an instrument of very limited powers, the boldest effects of which were exhibited in trills, and by sprinkling the chords in arpeggio. The early sonatas of Haydn also bear marks of the influence of this instrument, and possess nothing of the expression of his latter works. On the introduction of the piano-forte, this unmeaning style was abandoned, for one more bold and flowing. This instrument has been the means of developing the sublimest ideas of the composer, and the delicacy of its touch has enabled him to give the lightest shades, as well as the boldest strokes, of musical expression. It is the only instrument that will represent the effects of a full orchestra; and, since the mechanism has been improved, Beethoven has displayed its powers in a way not even contemplated by Haydn himself.* For specimens of practical skill we must refer to Cramer, Kalkbrenner, and Moscheles, who rank as the first pianists of the day, and who have written learned works on the study of this instrument. As an instance to what extent these instructions are car* Vide Three Sonatas dedicated to Haydn. ried, we may refer to the elaborate treatise by Hummel of Vienna, which extends to five hundred folio pages. No two authors agree upon the mode of fingering. In the time of Bach, the thumb, now become so important, was seldom used. That lightness of touch, which is the first qualification of a good performer, is soonest obtained by putting the hand into the same easy curved position as when we collect and pick up crumbs off a tablecloth— the tips of the fingers just touching the keys. For a distinct style, the fingers should be sharply drawn inwards, rising from the key, towards the palm of the hand; and, for the legato, more firmly pressed down. The most efficient practice is that of the scales, which should be constantly performed with the crescendo, diminuendo, and every other kind of accent. These remarks are of general application, and will be found serviceable to most performers; yet such are the various methods pursued by different artists in treating this instrument, that no two are found to play alike. In the hands of Mademoiselle de Belleville, the piano-forte becomes another instrument. Her mode of treating it is strikingly new; a bystander is impressed with a novel position of the hands, whether perpendicular, horizontal, or oblique--every motion leads to effects hitherto unheard. The fingers range not in the accustomed track, but strike, and rest upon the keys in every part; often sliding from back to front, as in the act of wiping them. This singular motion imparts to her adagios unspeakable richness. From the rolling thunder of the bass, she will perch upon the altissimo notes, with such neat distinctness, as to elicit points of light similar to those witnessed in the performance of Paganini. The crispness of her staccato passages is not more surprising than the streamy richness of the sostenuto, gliding through the entangled difficulties of Herz and Pixis, with the same ease, and continued flow, as through the simplest melody. Mademoiselle de Belleville was the favorite of Beethoven. In her eleventh year she was a welcome visiter to the deaf musician, who sat by the hour, with his long trumpet in his ear, listening to her inimitable touch of his divine adagios. The following is one, among others, she was in the habit of playing to the immortal composer.† The piano-forte is, of all instruments, pre-eminently the best for the accompaniment of the voice; and no performer, however skilful, can so well second and support the singer, as he who is able to vent his feelings in the power of song. In the last twenty years, the piano-forte has been * A friend of the writer who visited Beethoven at Vienna, and who conversed with him by writing upon a slate, lifted up the lid of his piano-forte which he used in his study, and found but one string upon it. The facility with which pianists run over the keys has deluged the country with unmeaning compositions. As Mr. Worgan observes, 'the fingers are agile while the mind is dormant ; and the variationists have been justly termed the old clothes-men of the art.' |