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Article MUSIC AND THE MASONIC RITUAL—No. II. Page 1 of 10 →
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Music And The Masonic Ritual—No. Ii.
MUSIC AND THE MASONIC RITUAL—No . II .
BY BRO . MATTHEW COOJvB , ( Honorary Music Master to the " Royal Freemasons' School for Female Children . ) AMONG the writings of the ancients are to be found numerous passages which contain the most surprising accounts of the effects of music ; and although much of that testimony is , in our estimation , very greatly exaggeratedstill there must have been some grounds
, for them to go upon , in order to have enabled them to invest their statements with some tinge of probability ; and , hoivever much we may doubt the wonderful results they record , ifc is certain that music has always had the most powerful effects on nations Avho have longemerged from barbarism , but to whom the perfection of the scale was unknown . A feAv specimens of the testimonies referred to will not ,
perhaps , be deemed out of place if inserted here . *' The effects of music were , in early times , very widely attributed to magic , and it is worthy of remark that the Latin word Carmen , signifying a verse , or a song , , also means a charm . As if to bear this out more fully , Boerhaave tells us that the ancient jrhysicians were well versed in music , and in consequence of their knowledge of that art , it was music , and not enchantments , that was the key to their
charms , for it was constantly employed by them during their supposed incantations * ( p . 116 ) . Plutarch also relates that the Lacedemonians , being afflicted with the plague , were freed from it by music , which purified the air ( ib ., p . 182 ) . Galen reports that a certain Damian , by playing on a flute , in the Phrygian mode , ( not to be understood in any particular manner , according to the fashion of a
certain province , but in a mode , or system , of the Greek tetrachords —from which our scale was afterwards perfected—a series of notes placed in a peculiar order ) , this Damian excited some youths to a state of madness ; but on changing to the Dorian mode , they subsided into their natural and perfect calm ( ib ., 117 ) . Polybius makes mention of tivo races of people in Arcadia , the one esteemed for
their gentleness , charity , and piety , and the other for their ferocity and irreligion . He attributes this difference to music , which was cultivated by the former , but totally neglected by the latter . The ancients also believed that Apollo deprived people of their natural rudeness b y tho aid of music ; and they employed it as a means to prevent drunkenness and sensualit y in their feasts , to inspire courage , to incite men to Avar or peace . And it is said that
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Music And The Masonic Ritual—No. Ii.
MUSIC AND THE MASONIC RITUAL—No . II .
BY BRO . MATTHEW COOJvB , ( Honorary Music Master to the " Royal Freemasons' School for Female Children . ) AMONG the writings of the ancients are to be found numerous passages which contain the most surprising accounts of the effects of music ; and although much of that testimony is , in our estimation , very greatly exaggeratedstill there must have been some grounds
, for them to go upon , in order to have enabled them to invest their statements with some tinge of probability ; and , hoivever much we may doubt the wonderful results they record , ifc is certain that music has always had the most powerful effects on nations Avho have longemerged from barbarism , but to whom the perfection of the scale was unknown . A feAv specimens of the testimonies referred to will not ,
perhaps , be deemed out of place if inserted here . *' The effects of music were , in early times , very widely attributed to magic , and it is worthy of remark that the Latin word Carmen , signifying a verse , or a song , , also means a charm . As if to bear this out more fully , Boerhaave tells us that the ancient jrhysicians were well versed in music , and in consequence of their knowledge of that art , it was music , and not enchantments , that was the key to their
charms , for it was constantly employed by them during their supposed incantations * ( p . 116 ) . Plutarch also relates that the Lacedemonians , being afflicted with the plague , were freed from it by music , which purified the air ( ib ., p . 182 ) . Galen reports that a certain Damian , by playing on a flute , in the Phrygian mode , ( not to be understood in any particular manner , according to the fashion of a
certain province , but in a mode , or system , of the Greek tetrachords —from which our scale was afterwards perfected—a series of notes placed in a peculiar order ) , this Damian excited some youths to a state of madness ; but on changing to the Dorian mode , they subsided into their natural and perfect calm ( ib ., 117 ) . Polybius makes mention of tivo races of people in Arcadia , the one esteemed for
their gentleness , charity , and piety , and the other for their ferocity and irreligion . He attributes this difference to music , which was cultivated by the former , but totally neglected by the latter . The ancients also believed that Apollo deprived people of their natural rudeness b y tho aid of music ; and they employed it as a means to prevent drunkenness and sensualit y in their feasts , to inspire courage , to incite men to Avar or peace . And it is said that