Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

distinct organ." ""*

He immediately began connected researches on the subject which led to his admission of une mémoire particulière des tones. He observed further, that those who are endowed with a good memory of tones are generally good musicians, and sometimes composers. He thence concluded that the term memory of tones was too limited to express the whole of the musical talent; for besides memory it comprehends all which concerns the relations of tones; he therefore adopted the expression Sens des rapports des tons: and says, "I finally succeeded in discovering a region in which all musicians endowed with inventive genius have a prominent projection, produced by the subjacent cerebral mass."+

Gall has much insisted that the special function of this cerebral organ is to perceive the musical character of sounds; and it appears to me he was conscious that he knew not exactly in what that character consists. I shall now endeavour to show that all the expressions which he employs to designate that which is perceived by the organ, can have no reference whatever to common audibility; but are exclusively applicable to the Pitch distinctions of sounds in their gamut relations. And pitch was shown in the preceding paper to be the musical property of sound.

It is clearly stated by Gall, that neither Spurzheim nor himself were musicians +; probably they were not at all acquainted with musical science. Gall had not a good ear for music, and he was indifferent to it. He however knew acoustic science, for after some general remarks on the vibrations necessary to produce musical sound, he refers his readers to Chladni's Treatise on Acoustics for further information on the subject.

[ocr errors]

"It is on these laws of vibration, continues Gall, "that tones are founded, which are subordinate and co-ordinate among themselves according to fixed laws." It is implied that these subordinate and co-ordinate tones are the materials of music; and he thus argues. "On the supposition that man is to be sensible to music, it is necessary for him to be endowed with an organisation that will place him in relation to all its laws; that he should possess an organ on which these laws are stamped, which should in some fashion inclose their type." He then states, "Wherever this organ is wanting there is no relation [point de contact] between the animal and the tones. Whenever this organ exists, the animal or the man are agree

Gall, Sur les Fonctions du Cerveau, t. v. p. 102, 8vo. ed.

Gall, t. v. p. 105.

Gall, t. v. p. 114.

Fossati in the Journal de la Société Phrén. de Paris.

Gall, t. v. p. 106.

ably affected by melody and by harmony, and disagreeably by the discordance of tones. When this organ has acquired a certain perfection, the animal or the man not only perceives and judges well the relations of tones, but he also creates within the relations and the successions of tones, which please the more generally as they are more conformable to the external laws of vibration; and to the organisation of other individuals."*

Thus Gall is at great pains to prove that the special function of this organ is to perceive the essential characteristic of music, which he terms the relations of tones. It may be here remarked, Gall had previously shown that the musical talent is entirely distinct from common hearing. Now incidentally Gall gives a yet more exact statement of the organ's special function. "Whoever is endowed with a very active sense of tones, perceives concords, readily judges of the correctness or incorrectness of the relations of tones, and finally has a good judgment of the relations of tones."+

There is not one expression of Gall's that can possibly relate to the quality, the loudness, or the duration distinctions of sounds; while every one is applicable to their pitch distinctions. Thus he says by this organ we are made sensible to musical laws. Now these laws are laws of pitch; for that is the only distinction employed in thorough bass. He says it perceives the relations of tones. Now it has been amply shown that pitch is the only property of sounds which has relations; that the possession of pitch is the test of a sound being musical; and that by this distinction only are sounds ranged in a series called the gamut. He says it perceives concords. Now the term concord is applied to designate certain pitch relationships; thus the third and fifth are concords to the first, or fundamental sound of a series.

Now, if Gall's facts are true and his reasonings are valid, as all his expressions are applicable solely to the perception of pitch, we are bound to admit that the special function is to perceive the pitch distinctions of sounds in their gamut relations.

I pass on to speak of Dr. Spurzheim's analysis. I am informed by Mr. Haley Holm, that although Dr. Spurzheim was unacquainted with musical science, yet that he had a good ear, and was fond of music. And it is evident the doctor was acquainted with acoustic science.

"The immediate functions of the sense of hearing are confined to the perception of sounds; yet it assists a great number of internal faculties which are commonly attributed to it. We

* Gall, t. v. p. 107.

† Gall, t. vi. p. 401.

may conceive that the sense of hearing is modified in different beings, and bears relation to the internal faculties which act by its means; precisely as even external objects are in harmony with internal faculties, or internal faculties with external objects; as the laws of vibrations, for instance, though they exist in external objects, are conformable to the laws of the internal faculty of tune; or as size, number, and succession, which exist in the external world, are in relation to certain internal faculties."*

"The ear hears sounds, and is agreeably or disagreeably affected by them; but it has no recollection of tones, and does not judge of their relations. It does not perceive harmonious combinations of sound, but separate tones only; and sounds as well as colours may be separately pleasing though disagreeable in combination.""There is a striking analogy between colours and tones and their respective organs; colours being perceived by the eyes, and sounds by the ears; there being primitive colours and primitive tones; there being an agreeable succession of colours as there is of tones, that is, there being colours and tones which agree with one another, and others which do not; colours must harmonise, and tones must be concordant; lastly, the concordance both of colours and tones may be considered by the faculties of order and number. In this manner, indeed, colours and tones are calculated, and the principles of painting and music established."+

It is better to pass over his analogy of tones and colours, and to confine my remarks to the immediate subject. Spurzheim maintains the same views as Gall, and employs similar language to express them. Thus he speaks of the external laws of vibration being conformable to the internal faculty of tune - also by this organ we perceive the relations of tones and by it also the concordance of tones. These expressions have already been shown to be applicable solely to the pitch distinctions of sounds in their gamut relationships. And he employs another phrase "harmonious combinations of sound." This term harmonious is also solely applicable to pitch distinctions; whether he means to signify combinations of successive single sounds as in a melody, or, combinations of successive simultaneous sounds as in a harmony.

Dr. Spurzheim says, "Every one knows there is a difference between hearing and having a musical ear; a person may hear a sound very well and yet have no musical ear. There are

persons who do not hear the harmony of tones, and there are others, although almost deaf, yet if they hear two tones brought

Spurzheim's Phrenology, 4th ed. p. 265.

† Ibid. p 286.

together which do not accord, they say there is no harmony in this, there is discord. This power of the mind depends upon a cerebral part, and you will find that all great masters of composition, all great composers are full hereabout, above [the organ of] Calculation. There are individuals who like music and have a good musical ear; they feel the harmony and melody, and can immediately detect any discord in the tones, even when a number of instruments are playing at the same time.”*

Here then is a distinct statement, that the organ of Tune's function is to manifest the musical ear. And hence it is impossible to escape the conclusion, that the function when exactly stated, is to perceive the pitch distinctions of sounds in their gamut relationships.

Dr. Spurzheim considers the function of the organ of hearing to be two-fold, viz. the Immediate and Mediate. He states that the immediate function is to perceive sounds; while the mediate function is to present tones to the faculty of tune in order to have their musical relations perceived.+

It is unnecessary to extend this paper by quotations from Mr. George Combe on Tune; because he has adopted the entire views of both Gaul and Spurzheim on its function, which he has expressed in their words, either by way of abstract, or of quotation.‡

Drs. Fossati and Broussais have treated of this organ's function, and as there are greater objections to my translating quotations from these writers than those quoted from Gall, I shall leave them in their original language. Dr. Gall appears to have carefully avoided using the French word son [sound] in speaking of music, while Dr. Fossati appears to use that word as convertible with ton [tone]: "Le talent de la musique reconnaît pour base essentielle fondamentale, une faculté innée, que nous appelons le Sens du rapport des Sons." He states this faculty to be manifested by a cerebral organ whose situation he describes, and then continues. "On croit généralement que c'est à l'oreille que l'on doit le talent pour la musique. On dit une bonne ou une mauvaise oreille pour indiquer un bon ou un mauvais musicien. L'oreille n'est que l'instrument destiné à recevoir et à transmettre les sons au cerveau ; c'est l'organe interne cérébral qui les perçoit, les juge, et qui crée les accords et les mélodies qui constituent la musique." The Doctor calls the organ that of Sound in the following sentence. "Il est donc démontré que, pour être musicien, la condition principale

Spurzheim's Lectures, p. 125. et seq. reprinted from those reported in the

Lancet.

+ Spurzheim's Phrenology, p. 265. 4th ed.

G. Combe's System of Phrenology, 4th ed. vol. ii. p. 531. et seq.

est d'avoir l'organe des sons convenablement développé." I cannot omit the following words. "Après l'organe du rapport des sous, dont nous avons parlé, l'organe du temps doit être le premier à prêter son appui au musicien: la mesure, le rhythme sont indispensables pour la musique. Il est vrai que l'harmonie qui n'est qu'un accord des divers sons dont les combinaisons nous donnent des sensations agréables, ne suppose pas un rhythme; mais la mélodie, qui est une suite, une succession des sons, ne peut se faire sans mesure.

[ocr errors]

Dr. Fossati states that what is called musical ear, is the function of the organ named tune, and that this function is to perceive, judge, and create concords and melodies. Now it has been repeatedly shown that the constituents of concords, melodies, and indeed of all music, are musical sounds, which (by their musical property, namely, their pitch distinctions) are arranged according to the laws of musical science. And hence his language also is applicable alone to the pitch distinction of sounds in their gamut relations.

The function of this organ is thus described by Dr.Broussais:"Action primitive. Saisir les tons, ce qu'on appelle les airs, les apprendre avec facilité; saisir les mélodies, les créer, ce qui est plus fort; car saisir et produire sont deux choses dans toutes les fonctions receptives." The quantitive power of the faculty he thus describes:-"Sasir un air, premier dégré; pouvoir le reproduire, second dégré; en créer d'autres, troisième dégré, le plus élevé qui présente l'organe. Les observations des phrénologistes tendent à prouver que ces trois dégrés sont en raison du développement de l'organe." On the musical ear he says, "Vous voyez que c'est à tort qu'on donné au sens de la musique le nom d'oreille, expression qui fut censurée avec beaucoup de justesse, par l'illustre Gall, lorsqu'il fit la decouverte de cette faculté. En effet ce n'est pas l'oreille qui perçoit les tons. L'oreille transmet l'impression au cerveau, et ensuite le cerveau, qui la reçoit, la sent et la féconde plus ou moins."+

It will be observed, that this language is also applicable to no other than the pitch distinctions of sounds in their gamut relations; and these distinctions have been amply shown to be the foundation of musical science; indeed they are the sole distinctions recognised in the theory of music.

Gall's facts have indisputably shown that the organ named Tune confers musical capability: and he and his disciples have stated that capability to be the manifestation of the musical

*Fossati, Sur le Talent de la Musique, in the Journal de la Société de Paris. Troisième Année, Janvier, 1835. p. 94-96.

Broussais, Cours de Phrénologie. Paris, 1836. p. 596.

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »