nts.

Spirit is love, and love manifests itself in service: the love that
seeks its own ends, or strives to get instead of to serve, is no love at
all. Therefore if Music is to express this spirit it must do so by
contributing its meed of assistance to make this workaday world more
bright by gladdening the heart of man. Quite obviously much of the music
that is written has been composed with no such intent, therefore and to
that extent it stultifies itself. It must be classed as the "sounding
brass and tinkling cymbal" of the prophet. St. Paul's analysis of the
reason of the ineffectiveness of such, too, is searchingly accurate:
that, lacking charity, it signified nothing. Charity is only another
synonym for that love which is the manifestation of spirit. The true
musician has this spirit of love within him and it demands expression,
and so we find Mozart exclaiming "I write because I cannot help it." So
Granville Bantock, too--"The impulse to create Music is on me, and I
write to gratify my impulse. When I have written the work I have done
with it. What I do desire is to begin to enjoy myself by writing
something else."[6] The musician sings because he must: he writes so
that the spirit may find its outlet in that direction: or he plays, when
only through his fingers and the instrument can he find that expression
which his soul demands.

[Note 6: J. C. Hadden, "Modern Musicians."]

When Music is thus outpoured it speaks of spirit, and adds to the
spiritual store of the world. It reinforces the unseen hosts that fight
for spirit in the age-long struggle with the powers of materialism and
darkness. No breath of spirit is ever lost, and nothing devoid of it is
ever permanent, either in music or in anything else. Sounds without
sense or meaning are futile, notes without a heartfelt message are
"returned empty" as they were sent forth, and practice without purpose
other than mere self-gratification, agility, or display, is a
magnificent and glorious waste of time. But Music, when its true
underlying purport is discovered, is at once an inspiration and a most
real means of achieving that fundamental object, for which our very
existence here at this present moment is devised, namely spiritual
growth and development.

CHAPTER IV

SPIRIT A LIVING FACT

"Is Music the inarticulate Speech of the Angels on earth? Or a
voice of the Undiscovered Bringing great truths to the birth?"

_F. W. Faber_

Life is a diversi