erious thought of
a truly good and great man. This is what he says:

"The cultivation of the ear is of the greatest importance. Endeavor
early to distinguish each tone and key. Find out the exact tone
sounded by the bell, the glass, and the cuckoo."

There is certainly a good hint in this. Let us follow it day by day,
and we shall see how many are the tones about us which we scarcely
ever notice. We should frequently listen and find who of us can
distinguish the greatest number of different sounds. Then we shall
learn to listen attentively to sounds and noises. Bit by bit all
sounds, especially beautiful ones, will take on a new and deeper
meaning to us; they will be full of a previously unrecognized beauty
which will teach us to love music more and more sincerely.

In order that we may better understand how sounds are related to each
other we should learn early to sing the major scale so that it will go
readily up and down as a melody. As we become more and more familiar
with it we must think frequently of its separate tones so as to feel
just how each one sounds in the scale, how it fits in the scale, and
just what it says, in fact; we shall then notice after a while that we
can hear the scale with the inner ear, which is finer and more
delicate.[13]

We should have names for the scale-tones like the pretty Italian
syllables, or, if not these, whatever our teacher suggests. Then we
should have a conception of the tones as they are related. We should
learn that every tone of the scale is colored by the tonic. Every one
gets a character from the tonic which tells us all about it, because
we learn to hear its relation to its principal tone. In a little
while, with patience, we shall be able to hear the scale-tones in any
order we may choose to think them. That power will be a fine help
forever after--we must be sure to get it in the first days.

Whenever we hear two tones we should try to find them on the piano.
This will make us listen more attentively to the tone sounded by the
clock, the church-bell, the bird, the drinking-glass. And what a lot
there are, like the squeaking door, the cricket, the noise of the wind
and rain, the puff of the engine, and all the other sounds we hear in
a day. Bit by bit, in this way, our familiarity with tones will grow
and we shall be well repaid for all the trouble. Gradually we shall
become better listeners--but about listening we are to speak in our
next Talk. This, however, ma