How to Study Music

HOW TO STUDY MUSIC
By Charles Hubert Farnsworth
Abridged Contents CHAPTER I: DIFFICULTIES IN THE STUDY OF MUSIC. SUMMARIZING PROPOSITIONS.
The study of notation is often conducted in such a way as to produce a dislike of music and a misjudgment of its values.
The study of singing is often so conducted that it is thought of only as a clever thing to do, rather than as a beautiful expression.
Chorus practice in school is often so conducted that the opportunity is considered as a recreation period without standards.
Piano practice is often so done that it is thought of as drudgery without compensation.
There is frequently an attitude towards music that looks on it as a sensuous excitement, its value determined only by the individual's fancy, while musical production is looked on as an exhibition of skill.
Producing and listening to music as a family is a great help in making a united and happy home. CHAPTER II. HOW TO LISTEN TO MUSIC.
Music is an expressive art, hence when employed with poetry the latter must be understood.
Music is an art of the imagination, hence demands active cooperation on the part of the listener.
Music is an art of design, hence needs the development of the memory for grasping the design.
The most effective aid in order to grasp the form of music is to memorize the motives from which music is developed.
The most effective aid in order to grasp and retain the content of music is to attempt to describe its mood in some dramatic way. CHAPTER III. HOW LEARN NOTATION WITHOUT AWAKENING A DISLIKE FOR MUSIC. SUMMARIZING PROPOSITIONS.
Showing how meter is a practical device for deciding the plan of the music and the relative duration of its parts.
Showing how variation in duration is a part of the design of the music and may be determined by aid of the meter.
Showing how the feeling for key, or tonic, is essential in deciding how the pitch varies and may be discovered by anyone who goes at it right.
Showing how the pitch notation for the singer is a device for measuring distance and not the names of particular tones.
Showing how analyzing what is heard may help one to enjoy music better by teaching one how to listen and remember better. CHAPTER IV. HOW A CHILD SHOULD LEARN TO SING. SUMMARIZING PROPOSITIONS. . . CHAPTER V. HOW LEARN TO PLAY THE PIANO. STAGES OF STUDY. . . CHAPTER VI. HOW LEARN TO ENJOY CLASSICAL AS WELL AS MODERN MUSIC. . . CHAPTER VII. HOW TO SELECT MUSIC. SUMMARIZING PROPOSITIONS. . . CHAPTER VIII. HOW MAKE USE OF MUSIC IN THE FAMILY. SUMMARIZING PROPOSITIONS. . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices. This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making. We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.