The Beautiful in SoundsIN this sense we find an equal aptitude to be affected in a soft and delicate manner; and how far sweet or beautiful sounds agree with our descriptions of beauty in other senses, the experience of every one must decide. Milton has described this species of music in one of his juvenile poems. [1] I need not say that Milton was perfectly well versed in that art; and that no man had a finer ear, with a happier manner of expressing the affections of one sense by metaphors taken from another. The description is as follows: Let us parallel this with the softness, the winding surface, the unbroken continuance, the easy gradation of the beautiful in other things; and all the diversities of the several senses, with all their several affections, will rather help to throw lights from one another to finish one clear, consistent idea of the whole, than to obscure it by their intricacy and variety. To the above-mentioned description I shall add one or two remarks. The first
is; that the beautiful in music will not bear that loudness and strength of
sounds, which may be used to raise other passions; nor notes which are shrill,
or harsh,
or deep; it agrees best with such as are clear, even, smooth, and weak. The
second is; that great variety, and quick transitions from one measure or
tone to another,
are contrary to the genius of the beautiful in music. Such transitions [2] often excite mirth, or other sudden and tumultuous passions; but not that
sinking,
that melting, that languor, which is the characteristical effect of the beautiful
as it regards every sense. The passion excited by beauty is in fact nearer
to a species of melancholy, than to jollity and mirth. I do not here mean
to confine
music to any one species of notes, or tones, neither is it an art in which
I can say I have any great skill. My sole design in this remark is, to settle
a
consistent idea of beauty. The infinite variety of the affections of the soul
will suggest to a good head, and skilful ear, a variety of such sounds as are
fitted to raise them. It can be no prejudice to this, to clear and distinguished
some few particulars, that belong to the same class, and are consistent with
each other, from the immense crowd of different, and sometimes contradictory,
ideas, that rank vulgarly under the standard of beauty. And of these it is
my intention to mark such only of the leading points as show the conformity
of the
sense of Hearing with all the other senses, in the article of their pleasures. |
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