* * *
PHRENOLOGICAL ORGAN MUSIC.
[Illustration: T]
The Philharmonic Concerts are tolerably good; those of the Sacred
Harmonic Society are pretty fair, but there is a musical entertainment
now going on which, if it realises the object it aims at, must beat
every other quite out of the field. A lady, MRS. HAMILTON, under the
title of "Practical Phrenologist," professes, by advertisement, to give
public performances, described by her as "Phrenology illustrated by
Music." The shallow punster will of course remark that he imagined that
the only organs susceptible of musical expression were those of the sort
invented by ST. CECILIA, and not such as were discovered by GALL and
SPURZHEIM; except that the phrenological organ of tune might, perhaps,
sing for itself. However, HANDEL may be considered to have illustrated
the organ of Veneration in his Oratorios; WEBER that of Marvellousness
in his _Der Freischuetz_ and _Oberon_; BEETHOVEN that of Ideality and the
organs of the other sentiments proper to man, in combination with those
of the reflective faculties, in his symphonies and sonatas; BELLINI and
DONIZETTI the organs of Adhesiveness and Amativeness. ROSSINI might also
be adduced as an illustrator of Gaiety or Mirthfulness, and Imitation,
or the dramatic organ. But MRS. HAMILTON'S music, which is to illustrate
Phrenology at large, and consequently all the organs, must, if it
accomplishes as much as it attempts, be equal to HANDEL'S, BEETHOVEN'S,
WEBER'S, ROSSINI'S, BELLINI'S, DONIZETTI'S; indeed to the music of all
the great composers put together. She must be a sort of musical
SHAKSPERE--than whom nobody else ever succeeded in giving illustrations
of Phrenology, or the philosophy of human nature, at large.
To illustrate the whole of Phrenology by Music in one evening must be
impossible. The shortest way to do it would be by means of a symphony,
consisting of no less than thirty-five movements, if we are to consider
the "Love of Life" and "Alimentiveness" as established organs. The
latter of these might he elucidated, musically, by the introduction of
"_The Roast Beef of Old England_;" for the former, just now, the best
notion would, perhaps, be the Russian National Anthem turned into a
fugue, to signify PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF'S troops saving themselves as fast
as possible from OMAR PACHA. But a series of performances would be
required by the extensive nature of the subject; for any one organ,
taken in al
|