s which it incarnates in sound is determined by some sequence
of ideas, such as is furnished by the words of a libretto. Not that the
words should have predominance over the music, or even coequal sway with
it, but that they should serve to give direction to the succession of
feelings expressed by the music. "Lift up your heads" and "Hallelujah"
do not owe their glory to the text, but to that tremendous energy
of rhythmic and contrapuntal progression which the text serves to
concentrate and justify. When precision and definiteness of direction
are thus added to the powerful physical means of expression which we get
in the combination of chorus, orchestra, and organ, we have attained
the greatest sureness as well as the greatest wealth of musical
expressiveness. And thus we may see the reasonableness of Dommer's
opinion that in order to restrain instrumental music from ruining itself
by meaningless extravagance, it is desirable that there should be
a renaissance of vocal music, such as it was in the golden age of
Palestrina and Orlando Lasso.

We are not inclined to deny that in structural beauty--in the
symmetrical disposition and elaboration of musical themes--the symphony
has the advantage. The words, which in the oratorio serve to give
definite direction to the currents of emotion, may also sometimes
hamper the free development of the pure musical conception, just as in
psychical life the obtrusive entrance of ideas linked by association may
hinder the full fruition of some emotional state. Nevertheless, in spite
of this possible drawback, it may be doubted if the higher forms
of polyphonic composition fall so very far short of the symphony in
capability of giving full elaboration to the musical idea. The practical
testimony of Beethoven, in his Ninth Symphony, is decidedly adverse to
any such supposition.

But to pursue this interesting question would carry us far beyond our
limits. Whatever may be the decision as to the respective claims of
vocal and instrumental music, we have every reason for welcoming the
appearance, in our own country, of an original work in the highest
form of vocal music. It is to be hoped that we shall often have the
opportunity to "hear with our ears" this interesting work; for as a rule
great musical compositions are peculiarly unfortunate among works of
art, in being known at first hand by comparatively few persons. In this
way is rendered possible that pretentious kind of dilettante cri