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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

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    Humor in Music

    Author(s): Henry F. GilbertSource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan., 1926), pp. 40-55Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/738506Accessed: 08-04-2015 01:32 UTC

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    2/17

    HUMOR IN MUSIC

    By

    HENRY F. GILBERT'

    WHY

    is it that

    certain

    ieces

    of

    music,

    r

    at

    least certain

    phrases

    of

    music,

    seem to

    us

    funny,

    ause

    us

    to

    laugh

    involuntarily,

    o

    smile,

    or

    to

    feel

    amused.?

    How

    are

    these

    humorous

    ffects

    btained,

    by

    what

    means,

    and

    on

    what

    do

    they

    depend?

    And

    finally,why

    should

    these effects

    f

    which

    speak arouse the sense of the comic in us? What causes us to

    laugh

    or to

    feel

    amused?

    These

    questions

    have

    always possessed

    a

    most

    vital

    interest

    forme.

    Personally

    like to

    laugh,

    and

    my

    sense

    of

    humor con-

    ceive

    to be

    one

    of

    my

    most

    precious

    possessions.

    Birne

    says

    that

    "life would be

    a

    slow

    bleeding

    to

    death were

    it

    not

    for

    poetry,"

    to which take

    the

    iberty

    f

    dding

    that

    even

    with

    poetry

    t

    would

    run

    the

    riskof

    being

    omewhat

    rosaic,

    without

    he sense

    ofhumor.

    The sense

    of

    humor

    s not to

    be

    decried

    or

    by any

    means

    belittled,

    for,n itshighestmanifestation,tis at leasta firstousintophilos-

    ophy.

    It is

    a

    great

    resource

    against

    the

    continuous

    lls

    of

    ife,

    shield

    against

    the too

    serious

    effect

    f

    the

    tragic,

    nd

    a

    sovereign

    remedy

    nd

    preventive

    f

    pettyannoyance.

    When

    the

    humorous

    perception

    s

    very

    keen the

    humoristbecomes

    philosopher

    nd,

    thereby

    perceiving

    the

    fundamental

    relations,

    the

    causes,

    the

    effects,

    nd

    the

    necessitous

    nature of

    all

    parts

    of

    life,

    refuses

    o

    take

    any

    one

    part

    too

    seriously.

    He even refuses

    o take

    himself

    too

    seriously,

    nd

    thereby pares

    himself

    many

    a

    heartache.

    The above, settingforthmy opinion and estimate of the

    humorous

    faculty,

    nd

    I

    being

    somewhat nterested

    n

    music,

    t

    is

    but natural

    that I

    should

    seek to

    investigate

    the

    causes

    and

    phenomena

    of

    the

    expression

    f

    the

    humorous n

    the

    art

    of tone.

    Before

    we

    can

    investigate

    he modus

    operandi

    by

    which

    humor

    is

    expressed

    n

    music

    we

    must establish n

    our

    minds

    comprehen-

    sion

    of

    what constitutes

    he

    comic: we

    must

    arrive

    t an

    under-

    standing

    of what

    circumstances re

    necessary

    o

    arouse

    in

    us

    the

    sense

    of

    the ludicrous. This is

    the

    only

    way

    in

    which we

    can

    decide

    concerning

    the

    essential

    nature

    of

    humor.

    Schumann

    wrotea shortarticle "On the Comic in Music," but it is ofno

    1Lecture

    first

    given

    by

    the author

    at

    Harvard

    University,

    February

    19,

    1917,

    with Mr.

    George

    Copeland

    at the

    piano.

    40

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    3/17

    Humor

    in

    Music

    41

    help

    to

    us

    in

    our

    present

    nquiry,

    nasmuch

    as he

    does

    not

    ap-

    proach

    the

    subject

    from

    a

    scientific

    tandpoint,

    but

    contents

    himselfwith enthusiastically pecifying few instances which

    appeal

    to

    him

    as

    humorous,

    without

    offering ny

    explanation,

    or

    attempting

    ny

    particular

    nalysis.

    Psychologists

    ell

    us

    that

    our sense

    of the

    comic

    is aroused

    by

    unexpected,

    ncongruous

    happenings;

    by

    unusual and sudden

    interruptions

    f

    the

    natural

    or

    customary

    order of

    things.

    The

    resulting

    hock

    to

    our

    sense

    of what

    might naturally

    have been

    expected,

    f not

    too

    severe,

    causes

    us to smile

    or to

    give

    more

    boisterous

    evidence of

    our

    amusement.

    Our

    habitually

    sane

    and sober

    mental

    balance is

    momentarily isturbed and as a result our risibilitys affected.

    It

    is

    much the

    same

    as

    though,

    while out

    walking,

    we should

    meet

    a

    friend

    nd

    engage

    in a

    theological

    discussion with

    him

    concerning

    he

    "Fall of

    Man,"

    and

    during

    the

    conversation

    he

    should

    suddenly

    nd

    in

    a

    totallyunexpected

    manner

    each out

    one

    of

    his

    feet

    and

    trip

    us

    up.

    It would be some

    littletime before

    we

    recovered

    ither

    our

    physical

    or mental

    balance.

    Our

    habitually

    sane

    and sober

    method

    f

    standing-i.e.,

    on our

    feet-would

    receive

    a

    sudden

    and

    unexpected nterruption.

    There

    would

    be

    a

    slight

    physicalshock and the "Fall of Man" would be illustrated n a

    most

    striking

    and

    incongruous

    manner. We

    should

    decidedly

    lose

    our balance

    for the

    time

    being-be

    knocked

    off

    our

    base-

    and

    inasmuch

    as we were not

    looking

    for

    anything

    of

    the

    kind

    we

    should,

    forthe

    moment,

    e the

    victim

    of

    the

    unexpected.

    Now

    this

    s

    just

    what

    happens

    on

    the

    mental

    plane

    when

    we

    appreciate

    a

    joke,

    laugh

    at

    a

    pun,

    or are filledwith

    the

    delightful

    feeling

    of

    humor

    at

    certain

    happenings,

    tories,

    or even

    musical

    compositions.

    Somewhere

    in

    the

    pun,

    the

    circumstance,

    the

    story, rthemusic,will be found he element fthe"incongruous"

    or the

    "unexpected."

    Indeed,

    in

    most,

    cases

    the

    "cream

    of

    the

    joke"

    is

    that

    the

    jarring

    element,

    the

    thing

    which

    produces

    the

    shock,

    is

    both

    incongruous

    nd

    unexpected.

    To

    begin

    at the

    bottom,

    pun,

    which

    s

    said to be

    the

    lowest

    form

    of

    wit,

    depends

    for

    ts

    effect

    pon

    the

    unexpected

    use of

    a

    word which

    has,

    or

    can

    have,

    two

    meanings.

    One of

    thesemean-

    ings

    is

    eminently

    uitable

    and

    fitting

    o

    the

    statement

    which

    is

    made,

    but

    the

    other

    meaning

    has

    nothing

    o do

    with

    the

    matter.

    At the same timethissecondmeaning s stronglympliedand in

    fact

    usually

    accented,

    and

    tends

    to

    produce

    a

    feeling

    f

    confusion

    and

    incongruity

    in

    our minds

    which

    results

    in

    the

    arousing

    of our

    sense

    of

    the

    ridiculous.

    Some

    of

    the

    best and most

    perfect

    ex-

    amples

    of

    puns

    have

    been

    furnished

    us

    by

    Tom

    Hood of

    jocular

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    4/17

    42 The Musical

    Quarterly

    memory.

    Doubtless

    many

    of

    my

    readers remember

    he

    poem

    beginning

    hus:

    BenBattlewas a soldier old

    And

    used to war's

    alarms,

    But

    a cannon all

    took

    off

    is

    egs,

    So he

    laid down

    his

    arms.

    By

    the time we

    get

    to "arms" in

    the ast

    line

    most

    of

    us will

    admit

    the

    unexpected

    ppearance

    of

    the double

    meaning,

    also

    the in-

    congruity

    f the

    implied secondary

    meaning,

    nd there

    can be

    no

    doubt

    that

    our

    amusement

    has been

    started-touched

    off,

    s it

    were-by the slight hockwhich has been givento thematter-of-

    fact

    and

    rather

    erious

    mood

    established

    by

    the first

    hree

    ines.

    I have

    analyzed

    the

    pun

    thus

    minutely

    ecause

    it

    affords

    he

    most

    brief,

    oncentrated,

    nd

    obvious

    example

    of

    the

    operation

    of the

    elements

    of

    humoras

    above

    specified.

    An

    examination

    of

    stories,

    plays

    or

    poems

    which

    are

    humorous

    n

    their

    ntent,

    r a

    thoughtful

    bservation

    of

    a

    circumstancewhich

    mpresses

    us as

    funny,

    will

    always

    reveal

    the

    presence

    of

    one

    or

    more of

    these

    elements.

    The habitual state ofmindofmost of us in thismatter-of-

    fact

    world

    s

    rather

    neutral,

    neither

    oo

    much cast down

    nor,

    on

    the

    other

    hand,

    over-merry.

    This is

    indicated

    by

    a certain

    gravity

    of

    demeanor

    with

    which we

    go

    about our affairs.

    One

    never

    fails

    to

    perceive

    n

    the

    majority

    of

    persons

    a

    kind

    of

    unconscious

    but

    absolutely

    implicit

    trust in the

    inviolability

    of

    custom. Their

    actions

    indicate

    that

    it

    is

    well

    nigh impossible

    for

    them

    even to

    imagine

    hat

    things

    re

    not

    going

    on

    in

    the same

    old

    way,

    forever,

    and

    that

    certain

    effects

    will not

    follow certain causes with the

    certainty f deathor taxes.

    But

    now

    let

    a

    slight

    but

    totally

    unlooked-for

    hing

    happen-

    something

    f

    an

    incongruous

    nature,

    such

    as a

    tired cab horse

    attempting

    o take

    a

    bite

    of

    a

    green

    wning

    under

    the

    impression

    that

    it is

    hay,

    or

    a

    man

    stepping

    nto a

    puddle by

    accident

    and

    spoiling

    his ten-cent

    hine-and the

    shock

    to

    our

    habituallygrave

    and

    matter-of-fact

    ondition

    of mind will be

    similar to a

    rap

    administered

    o a bowlful

    of

    jelly.

    The

    placidity

    of our

    gravity

    will be

    disturbed

    nd we

    mayhap

    will

    shake

    with mirth.

    It is, however, commonplaceofpsychology hat the bases

    of humor nd

    of

    tragedy

    re

    the same. That is to

    say,

    that in a

    tragic happening

    as

    in a

    comic

    circumstance

    here

    are the

    same

    elements

    of

    "unexpectedness,"

    of

    "incongruity,"

    and of

    "shock."

    For

    instance,

    let

    us

    imagine

    a

    workman

    to

    be

    employed laying

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    5/17

    Humor in

    Music

    43

    bricks

    at,

    say,

    the

    fourth

    tory

    of

    a

    building

    under construction.

    Instead

    of

    placing

    a

    certain brick where it

    naturally

    would

    be

    placed thebrick lipsfromhisfingersnd falls. Here wehave the

    element

    of

    "incongruity"

    nasmuch

    as the

    brick,

    nstead

    of

    fitting

    into

    the

    customary

    nd

    properplace,

    flies

    off n

    a

    manner

    nd

    in

    a

    direction

    which was

    never

    intended

    either

    by

    the workman

    or

    by

    the

    manufacturerf

    the

    brick.

    Now,

    although

    his occurrence

    -we

    will

    say-takes

    place

    in

    a

    comparatively

    nfrequented

    treet,

    yet

    it

    happens

    that

    a

    pedestrian

    rrives

    n

    front

    f the

    aforesaid

    building ust

    in

    time

    to

    receive the

    brick

    on

    the

    top

    of

    his

    head.

    Here

    we have the

    element

    of

    unexpectedness. Nothing

    in

    the

    man's past experience r in our own experience ould have led us

    to

    expect

    that

    such

    a

    thing

    would

    happen

    as

    it did. And

    finally,

    there can be

    no

    doubt

    as

    to

    the

    shocking

    effect

    n

    the

    mind of

    any

    one

    who

    happened

    to

    observe the

    circumstance.

    But

    now

    et

    us

    imagine

    he

    same

    occurrence

    f

    the

    accidentally

    dropped

    brick

    with

    the

    tragic

    conclusion

    eft

    out.

    There

    shall be

    no

    pedestrian

    nd no

    broken

    head.

    In this

    case

    we

    have all the

    psychological

    elements

    present

    which

    were

    present

    in

    the

    first

    instance-unexpectedness,

    ncongruity

    nd

    shock-but

    now

    the

    shock s so slightthat the occurrencewill, n all probability, ive

    rise

    to

    the

    comic

    emotion on

    the

    part

    of

    an

    observer.

    Given the elements

    of

    unexpectedness

    and

    incongruity;

    whether

    certain

    occurrence-or

    the

    narrative

    of an

    imaginary

    occurrence-produces

    a

    comic

    or a

    tragic

    effect

    pon

    us,

    depends

    upon

    the

    degree

    n

    which

    our

    minds are

    shocked

    thereby.

    Too

    much

    of

    a

    shock

    will

    destroy

    ll

    aspect

    of

    comicality;

    whereas

    n

    certain nstanceswhich

    affect

    s as

    indisputably

    omic,

    the shock

    may

    be so

    slight

    as

    to

    consist

    of no

    more

    than a

    momentary

    interruptionrslightdisturbance f ourhabitualgravity.

    II

    Now,

    having

    determined

    that

    unexpectedness

    and

    incon-

    gruity

    re

    necessary

    elements

    of

    the

    comic,

    let

    us see how these

    ideas

    are

    applied

    n

    music

    with

    he

    object

    of

    producing

    humorous

    effect.

    Every

    one

    knows the Andante

    from

    Haydn's

    Surprise

    Sym-

    phony.

    This

    is

    the movement

    in

    which a somewhatprosaic,but on the whole contentedand

    charming

    mood,

    is established

    by

    a

    blithe

    little

    melody

    in

    Haydn's

    best

    manner. This mood

    of

    trueGerman

    "Gemiithlichkeit"

    s of

    a

    sudden

    rudely

    nterrupted

    by

    a

    fortissimo

    ang

    on

    the

    kettle-drum

    nd

    wind-instruments.

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

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    44 The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    We

    hardly

    expected

    this,

    so

    we

    are

    both

    shocked and

    surprised.

    However,

    as

    we are

    not

    hurt

    we

    are

    more

    nclined

    to

    laugh

    than

    cry. The incongruous lement s also present, s the loud bang

    on

    the kettle-drum

    s

    certainly

    "out

    of

    whack"

    with the com-

    fortable

    nd contentedmood

    of what

    went

    before.

    Although

    his

    joke

    was

    originally

    ontrived

    o

    overcome he somnolent endencies

    of

    a

    London

    audience,

    it is

    funny oday

    even

    in

    America,

    where

    everyone

    makes

    a

    point

    of

    being

    as

    wide awake

    as

    possible.

    In

    this

    particular specimen

    of

    musical

    humor

    the

    elements are

    as

    obvious

    as

    they

    are

    in

    the

    pun;

    and,

    like the

    pun,

    this kind of

    thing

    will

    not

    bear

    repetition.

    Haydn

    was

    evidently

    een

    enough

    to knowthis,as he cracksthe joke but once in the wholecourse

    of

    the

    movement.

    Ex.

    I

    Haydn:

    eginning

    f

    Andante,

    Surprise

    Symphony"

    A

    ten.

    ten-

    fik*.

    From

    Haydn

    to

    Debussy

    is

    a

    long

    jump,

    but this

    modern,

    mysticaland elusive minded Frenchmanevidentlyhad a keen

    sense

    of

    humor,

    nd

    his

    experiments

    oward

    its

    expression

    deal

    with

    such

    fundamental

    spects

    of

    music

    that

    they rightly

    ind

    a

    place

    here.

    That

    rhythm

    s

    the basis of

    music

    s a

    commonplace

    of

    knowledge,

    and

    that

    we

    habitually

    think music

    in

    regular

    rhythms

    s

    a

    commonplace

    f custom.

    That

    is to

    say,

    humanity

    has been

    brought

    up

    and habituated

    for

    long

    time

    to

    think

    hat

    the

    strongest

    ccent

    must

    necessarily

    all on the

    first

    eat of

    the

    musical

    measure;

    that this

    shall

    be

    followed

    by

    a

    weaker

    accent,

    and

    so on.

    Now,

    whether

    person

    knows

    this

    consciously

    or

    feels t

    unconsciously,

    he result s the same. The customis so

    firmly

    mbedded

    n

    our

    minds

    that

    it seems

    natural.

    Therefore

    any

    arrangement

    f

    accents

    which

    contradicts

    nd violates

    this

    apparently

    natural

    one

    produces

    a

    slight

    shock

    to our

    sense

    of

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

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    Humor in Music

    45

    what

    mightnaturally

    have been

    expected.

    We

    cannot

    help

    being

    conscious of

    incongruity,

    nd from his

    frequently

    rises

    a

    sense

    ofthe comic. It is a musicalwayofsaying"No you don't " In

    Debussy's

    "Preludes" for

    piano,

    Book

    I,

    the

    piece

    called

    "Min-

    strels"

    illustrates this

    rhythmic

    ccentricity,

    which

    has

    a de-

    cidedly

    comic

    tendency.

    "General Lavine"

    in

    "Preludes,"

    Book

    II,

    also

    illustrates

    t

    in

    perhaps

    an

    even more

    marked

    manner.

    In

    the

    "Children's Corner" the

    humorous

    effect

    of

    "Jumbo's

    Lullaby"

    also

    depends

    upon

    the

    same

    principle-irregular

    and

    eccentric

    rhythm;

    nd

    in

    "Golliwogg's

    Cake-walk"

    in

    the

    same

    collection,

    Debussy,

    perceiving

    he

    humorous

    possibilities

    f

    rag-

    time,has attempted o make use of it withthe same end in view.

    This

    last

    experiment

    s,

    to

    my

    mind at

    least,

    not

    so

    successful

    s

    the

    others,

    and

    quite

    naturally

    so,

    as

    Debussy

    here

    works

    n

    a

    rhythmic

    medium not

    by

    any

    means native

    to

    either

    himself r

    his

    country.

    Ex.

    II

    From

    Minstrels"

    Moder6

    F1

    --,

    -.~

    P

    -

    pp

    -ekc

    From

    General

    avine"

    Asspiritueltisezoddret

    "'"

    i2 "F$

    -I

    "tc,.

    pp

    p

    "smlr

    p

    se.,

    12

    M9

    1

    .7

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    8/17

    46

    The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    From

    Gouiwogg's

    ake-walk'

    Allegroiusto

    f.

    ...

    ?

    ?

    eet ,?s?ax

    foolrror

    Pr0

    ri rroi

    4 4

    * 4

    ..

    IF

    .-.

    v.

    ?

    ' ,

    .. .

    Ragtime,

    an

    American

    nvention,

    has

    certainly

    he

    elements

    of

    humor n

    it.

    Its

    very

    life

    depends upon

    this

    rhythmic

    ide-

    stepping

    of the

    usual,

    the

    expected,

    the

    customary.

    But

    rich as

    it

    is

    in

    potentiality,

    n

    suggestive ossibility,

    t

    is

    as

    yet

    unrefined,

    crude

    art-material,

    s

    it

    were. It has

    by

    no means

    attained

    the

    dignity

    nd

    development

    of

    art,

    and

    its

    humorous

    character at

    present

    s on

    the

    circusorder: more of

    the natureof musical

    horse

    play than anything lse. Yet the principle fhumor s actually

    there and it but

    waits the

    powerful

    nd

    magic

    touch

    of

    genius

    to

    become

    something

    rtistically

    aluable and

    truly

    distinctive.

    From"Bdla

    Ex.EII

    YaaYm

    From

    "The.Yanma-Yama

    Man

    .-

    To find

    the

    spirit

    of

    comedy fully

    nd

    artistically xpressed,

    however,

    n

    all its

    various

    degrees

    rom

    ough

    nd

    clownish

    humor

    to

    the most

    delicate

    sparklings

    f

    ironic

    wit,

    one must

    turn

    to

    Wagner's

    Meistersinger.

    The

    genius

    of

    Wagner

    seems

    to have

    been

    marvellously

    niversal.

    For,

    whatevermood

    of the

    human

    spirit

    he

    touched,

    t

    seems

    to be

    expressed

    with

    equally

    convincing

    power. The tragic,the grand,the heroic,the tender,and the

    humorous,

    ll

    seem to

    receive

    an

    equally

    vivid and

    illuminating

    presentation

    y

    the force

    f his

    genius.

    Now,

    the tune with which the

    Prelude of

    the

    Meistersinger

    opens

    is

    a

    sturdy,

    ompous,

    dignified,

    nd full-blooded

    une,

    which

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    9/17

    Humor

    in

    Music

    47

    becomes identified

    ubsequently

    with the

    "Masters"

    and

    their

    musical-art

    uild.

    It

    well hadowsforth

    heir olid

    self-satisfaction

    and assumed dignity.

    Ex. IT

    AFL-

    .. Ai i

    I

    ,I

    iI

    ..f

    .-

    A-M%-

    --."6

    -

    "

    $ff

    .

    %M .d OR Mor-

    ..

    ...

    _

    ...

    .....

    ..4V

    46J

    -

    Mr.

    I---

    ,

    M9--

    AJ

    3 "

    ,"'

    i

    y"

    ..

    .

    "

    -

    .

    +

    |

    ii

    l

    n

    i is

    -"-", 7 J 441o #-J..t7 . 7jt . . . ..

    But

    this tune

    is

    later in

    the

    Prelude

    travestied and made

    fun

    of.

    Its

    rhythm

    s

    somewhat

    trivialized and

    its

    originally

    pompous

    phrases

    (which

    have

    been

    ignominiously

    ompressed

    by

    means of

    diminution)

    re

    now

    hurried

    over

    in

    a

    most

    amusing

    manner. To make mattersworse,the somewhathollowdignity

    of the

    original

    une is

    most

    deliciouslypuncturedby

    the

    staccato

    notes of

    the

    wood-wind

    nstruments

    pon

    which t is

    now

    played.

    Ex.V.

    &

    molto

    taccato

    "r"

    f1"

    -o

    '-...'

    m

    1Lrm,-M

    ...

    i_

    I

    --

    d,-

    OP.

    .......

    .

    bo

    40

    0-a

    "-6

    .

    -

    I

    M -

    i O

    F,

    11

    --.o

    .I,

    I

    etc

    As

    we

    have

    previously

    heard this

    tune

    in

    all

    its

    massive

    dignity,

    nd

    also

    orchestrated n a

    manner

    befitting

    hat

    dignity,

    the

    incongruity

    f

    hearing

    t

    thus

    rhythmically

    nd

    instrumentally

    made fun

    of

    gives

    us

    an

    unexpected

    hock.

    The

    possibilities

    of

    the

    orchestra

    s

    a

    powerful

    djunct

    in

    the

    expression

    f

    the

    humorous

    re

    well

    known.

    It

    can

    intensify

    the

    humorous

    s

    well as

    every

    other

    kind

    of

    emotion. A

    piece

    of

    musicwhich s presented hrough he mediumoftheorchestraanbe

    compared

    to

    an

    unorchestrated

    iece (or

    one

    written

    or

    piano),

    as

    an oil

    painting

    an

    be

    compared

    to a

    pencil

    drawing.

    All

    the

    lines of

    the

    design

    re

    present

    n

    the

    pencil drawing,

    ut

    when

    this

    drawing

    s

    colored

    properly

    hese

    very

    ines

    have

    more

    meaning,

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    10/17

    48

    The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    more

    life,

    and

    more

    character. So the

    orchestra an make

    that

    which

    s

    inherently

    umorous

    ppear

    more

    o if

    t is

    orchestrated

    with sufficientkill. Also,

    owing

    to the manifold

    possibilities

    f

    the

    orchestra,

    piece

    of

    music which s not in

    itself

    humorous an

    be orchestrated

    n

    such

    a

    manner

    s to

    give

    it a

    humorous ffect.

    We

    all

    know

    the staid and

    grave

    quality

    of

    the

    Bassoon,

    or

    the

    Tuba,

    for

    nstance. The most natural

    character

    of

    these

    instru-

    ments

    s

    solid and

    dignified,

    ell suited

    for

    sustaining

    bass

    notes

    ofthe

    harmony.

    One

    would

    not

    naturally

    hinkof

    them

    as

    lightly

    skipping

    about

    or

    playing

    graceful

    or

    rapid passages.

    But

    now

    if either

    f

    them s

    suddenly

    alled

    upon

    to

    execute

    rapid

    passage

    orone ofconsiderable loridity,heeffects so unexpected nd in-

    congruous

    hat

    it

    is

    funny.

    It

    produces

    a

    similar

    effect

    pon

    us

    as,

    an

    undertaker

    performing jig

    at

    a

    funeral

    or a

    fat man

    making

    frantic

    fforts

    o

    catch

    a

    car and

    tearing

    his

    shirt

    n

    the

    process.

    But

    such

    effects s this are

    hardly

    musical humor.

    The

    comical

    effect

    ies more

    n

    the

    mannerof

    presentment

    han

    in

    the

    thing

    itself.

    It

    is

    somewhat

    as

    if

    a

    comic actor

    should recite

    a

    serious

    poem

    and

    so

    burlesque

    it in

    his

    manner

    of

    delivery

    s

    to

    make us laugh. On the otherhand,when themusic s humorous

    in itself he

    orchestra

    an so

    very

    much

    heighten

    he comic effect

    that t often eems s

    if t

    depended

    ntirely

    pon

    the

    orchestration.

    There

    s

    such

    a

    delicate ine

    tobe

    drawnherebetweenwhat

    s comic

    in

    itself,

    nd what

    s comic

    through

    he

    manner f ts

    presentation,

    that

    no

    general

    remarks

    f

    any

    value

    can

    be offered.

    Each

    par-

    ticular

    case

    requires

    ts

    own

    special

    analysis.

    To

    return

    to the

    Meistersinger:

    Although

    the music

    of

    the

    Meistersinger

    s

    full of

    all

    shades

    of

    humor,

    nd this

    humor s ex-

    pressednowin the music tself, owin theorchestration,nd now

    in

    both

    at

    the

    same

    time,

    t is

    nevertheless

    ather

    n

    unsatisfactory

    thing

    o

    analyze

    for

    pecimens

    f

    pure

    musical

    humor.

    For,

    being

    an

    opera,

    it has

    a

    libretto,

    which s

    literature,

    nd

    inasmuch

    as

    it

    is

    presented

    with

    action and

    scene,

    it

    is

    drama.

    As the

    libretto

    is

    a

    masterpiece

    f humor

    and even

    the scene

    and

    action

    is

    fre-

    quently

    funny

    by

    itself,

    we can never

    be

    sure

    whether ur sense

    of

    the

    comic

    s aroused

    by

    the

    ibretto,

    y

    the

    scene,

    by

    the

    music,

    or

    by

    a

    combination

    fall three.

    Particularly

    hard

    s it to unravel

    the proportionof humor contributedby each factor. Beck-

    messer's

    erenade

    n Act II

    is

    a

    case

    in

    point.

    Here

    is

    undoubtedly

    true

    musical

    humor.

    Witness

    he

    awkward

    nd unusual

    succession

    of

    intervals

    in

    certain

    of

    the

    phases;

    the

    grotesque

    and

    unbeautiful

    abuse

    of

    the

    fourth;

    the

    pauses

    upon

    most

    unexpected

    notes;

    the

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    11/17

    Humor

    in

    Music

    49

    ridiculously

    ut-of-joint hrases;

    and

    lastly

    the

    stilted,

    haphazard,

    hit-or-miss

    ccompaniment

    on

    the lute.

    Ex.

    VI

    Beckmesser

    "

    >

    fornow

    my

    heart akes

    a.

    right

    our-age

    both fresh

    nd

    new;

    L..

    do not think

    of

    dy

    -

    ingra-ther

    of

    try.

    -

    -

    -

    ig

    ayoung

    maid-enowin.

    dy

    ing,

    ra-ther

    f

    ..

    .

    .

    .

    ing

    a-young

    maid-en

    o

    wimI

    ek.

    ,IL

    ;

    '

    .

    ',

    :

    J

    "

    =1iv

    ?

    ,1

    All this

    produces

    n

    the musical mind

    a

    delicious

    sense of the

    ridiculous. We

    are

    conscious

    of all sorts of

    musical

    incongruities

    and are

    shocked

    ust

    enough thereby

    o set our

    sense

    of

    the

    ludi-

    crous

    agoing.

    But

    the scene is also

    very funny,

    nd

    the libretto.

    Sachs' banging away with his shoemaker'shammer at Beck-

    messer's

    mistakes,

    Beckmesser's

    ill

    adapted

    words

    to his

    own

    awkward

    music,

    the

    ridiculous

    nature

    of

    the

    scene,

    and

    in

    fact

    the

    whole business: all

    these

    things

    ontribute o

    our

    sense of the

    comic;

    but

    who

    shall

    say

    how

    much of this s

    due to

    each?

    Though

    the

    opera

    "Carmen" is

    likewise

    pen

    to

    all the

    above

    objections,

    here s

    one

    example

    of

    true musical humor

    n

    it

    which

    is so

    delicious

    that

    I

    cannot

    forbear

    peaking

    of it. It is at the

    beginning

    of

    the

    second scene

    in

    Act

    I.

    Soldiers

    are

    about

    to

    comeuponthestageand we areput intheproper ndfittingrame

    of

    mind

    by

    a

    decidedly

    military

    ounding

    fanfare

    pon

    the

    trum-

    pets.

    Then

    begins

    a

    rathermartial

    sounding

    une with

    regularly

    stepping rhythm.

    But

    this

    tune is at

    the

    beginningplayed by

    two

    piccolo-flutes

    n

    a

    very

    high

    octave and has a most

    ridiculously

    trivial

    effect,

    specially coming,

    s

    it

    does,

    immediately

    fter

    he

    bold

    fanfare f the

    trumpets.

    The tune

    itself s rather

    take-off

    on

    the

    customary

    omposity

    f

    military

    music,

    nd

    this,

    ombined

    with

    ts

    triviality

    f

    presentation, ives

    us

    such

    a

    combination

    f

    incongruitieshatthe effects extremelymusing.

    Ex.VII

    Trumpets

    (18

    9 tme

    p,

    2nd time

    f)

    -

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    12/17

    50

    The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    EMR.

    II

    vpI2

    Piccolos

    I

    """

    t

    .

    .

    -

    ~

    lIII

    ll

    Incidentally,

    this

    music

    is

    exquisitely appropriate

    to

    the

    scene,

    which

    consists

    n

    the

    antics

    of a lot of street

    gamins

    who

    imitate

    on

    a small

    scale

    the

    evolutions f

    the

    military;

    ut

    this

    s

    reallynotgermane o ourinquiry.

    Only

    a

    few

    of the

    decidedly

    comic

    effects

    n

    which

    modern

    music abounds can

    be

    mentioned

    here.

    Anything

    ike

    a

    complete

    list

    is,

    on the face

    of

    it,

    impossible.

    Nevertheless,

    mention

    must

    be made

    of

    the

    delicious

    musical

    wit

    of

    the modernFrench com-

    posers,

    particularly

    Chabrier

    n

    the

    Joyeuse

    Marche,

    the

    Bourrde

    Fantasque

    and

    the

    Espaia Rhapsody.

    Richard

    Strauss

    must also

    be mentioned s

    a most

    consum-

    mate humorist

    n

    tones.

    His

    humorous

    masterpiece

    Till

    Eulen-

    spiegelcertainly bounds in the mostpiquant and mirth-provok-

    ing

    contrasts.

    The motive of Till himself

    s a

    little

    masterpiece,

    a

    true musical

    oke

    with

    all the

    witty

    parkle

    of

    unexpectedness

    and intervallic

    ncongruity.

    True

    to the

    character of

    Strauss'

    hero,

    its melodic inflections

    always

    just

    as

    you expected-it

    wouldn't

    be.

    Ex.

    IX

    451W.p

    -..-

    - '

    '.r

    I

    ....

    . .

    ..

    And

    the Rosenkavalier-what

    museum

    of humorous

    musical ef.

    fects

    And

    what

    a

    charm

    f

    urety,

    f

    mastery,

    nd ofthe resultant

    freedom,

    ies

    over

    it all.

    Enough

    has

    been

    said to

    show

    that the humorous

    n

    music,

    that which

    arouses

    our sense

    of the

    ludicrous,

    rises

    from

    juxta-

    position

    of

    two

    elements

    which

    do not

    naturally

    or

    customarily

    go

    together;

    such as

    sudden and

    unexpected

    rhythmic

    ffects,

    unusual

    harmonizations, ueer

    intervallic

    successions,

    freak

    or-

    chestrations,

    tc. But notall oftheseeffectsre

    necessarily

    unny.

    Many

    there are

    who

    aim to be

    funny

    but miss the

    mark,

    for

    n

    this

    as

    in

    other

    hings

    t

    takes

    genius

    to

    carry

    t off.

    So much

    for

    the comic.

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    13/17

    Humor

    in

    Music

    51

    III

    The

    foregoing xamples

    are

    all

    illustrative

    f

    the

    spirit

    of

    the

    Comic.

    I

    have

    thus

    far

    concerned

    myself

    ntirely

    with Humor

    as

    Comedy.

    The comic

    depends

    very largely

    upon

    the

    exis-

    tence of

    the

    incongruous.

    But

    there

    s another

    pecies

    of

    humor

    which

    does

    not

    depend

    upon

    the

    presence

    of

    the

    incongruous;

    which

    s not

    necessarily

    omic:

    which

    an

    in no sense

    be

    regarded

    as

    a

    joke:

    and

    yet

    which is

    nevertheless

    rue humor.

    In the

    truly

    comic

    or

    ludicrous

    there

    s

    always

    present

    omewhat

    of

    the

    ridiculous,but in the kind of humorof which now speak the

    element

    of the

    ridiculous s

    absent.

    It can best be

    described

    by

    such words as

    mirth,

    merriment,

    r

    oviality,

    nd

    frequently

    rises

    from

    a

    pure

    exuberance

    of

    good

    feeling.

    It is

    a

    sportive

    and

    lightsome

    way

    of

    looking

    at

    things, argely depending

    upon

    our

    well-being

    r

    our

    freedom

    rom

    he

    pressure

    of

    the

    more

    serious

    concerns

    f ife.

    It

    is

    at

    least

    first

    ousin

    to that

    feeling

    opularly

    known

    as

    "good

    humor."

    It

    is

    by

    no

    means

    a

    superficial

    eeling;

    its

    lightsomeness

    oes

    not

    spring

    necessarily

    rom

    uperficiality;

    but ratherdoes it indicatea superior uality,a detachment rom

    that whichwould

    darken

    our

    horizons,

    n

    escape

    from

    dull

    care,

    a

    dancing

    freedom

    f the

    spirit.

    The

    laughter

    f

    children

    t

    play

    frequently

    prings

    rom

    his

    cause

    alone. The

    pressure

    of care is

    non-existent

    or them

    as

    yet,

    and

    the world

    is

    a

    place

    for

    aughter,

    happiness

    and

    frolic.

    Where

    the

    adult fails

    to

    see

    that

    any

    thing

    of a

    comical

    nature

    has

    happened,

    the

    child

    is filled with

    apparently

    uncaused

    merriment

    nd

    mirthfulness.

    Literature s repletewithexamplesof the expression f this

    feeling.

    Many

    of

    the delicate

    and

    quasi-philosophical

    Wonder

    Stories

    of Hans Christian

    Andersen,

    he

    poetic chapters

    of Jean

    Paul,

    or

    the inimitable

    paragraphs

    of

    our own Charles

    Dickens,

    are

    splendid

    examples

    of

    it. In these

    writings

    he

    elementof the

    comic,

    although

    frequently

    resent,

    akes

    second

    place.

    It

    is

    not

    the

    principal

    thing.

    But

    the humor

    s

    indisputable.

    Now,

    a

    superficial

    ut extensive

    survey

    of music seems to

    reveal

    the fact

    that the

    expression

    f the

    purely

    comic is

    not one

    of music's strongpoints. But in the expressionof this second

    species

    of humor-the

    non-comical

    variety-music

    certainly

    x-

    cels.

    One

    can

    easily

    think of

    a hundred

    examples

    of music

    which

    can

    truly

    be described as

    "merry,"

    to one which

    can

    be said

    to be

    truly

    "comical."

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    14/17

    52 The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    Many

    persons

    are misled

    by

    the

    title

    "Humoreske,"

    given

    to

    so

    many

    musical

    pieces,

    nto

    ooking

    n

    vain for

    omething

    om-

    ical in the aforesaidpieces. The comicalin themajority fthese

    pieces

    is

    not

    present,

    or do I

    believe

    t

    was

    intended o

    be

    present.

    But

    the

    kind of

    humorwhich

    s

    intended o

    be

    expressed

    s

    entirely

    of

    the second

    species-merriment,

    rolic,

    nd

    fun-and

    when this

    is taken into

    consideration

    ,

    for

    one,

    believe

    these

    pieces

    to

    be

    very

    rightly

    named.

    Grieg's

    "Humoresken,"

    for

    nstance,

    must

    naturally

    be

    considered

    as

    belonging

    to

    this

    class,

    although

    at

    the date of

    their

    publication (about

    1865)

    they

    did

    exhibit a

    certain

    ncongruity

    ith

    the

    then existent

    harmonic

    sages.

    But

    the incongruitys too slight o justify nd excusethetitleon that

    ground

    alone.

    Rather

    does

    the title serve

    as

    an

    excuse

    for

    such

    incongruity.

    The

    spirit

    of

    the

    pieces

    is

    certainly

    ne of

    careless

    and

    happy gayety,

    pure

    non-comical

    good

    humor;

    mild

    fun,

    in

    otherwords.

    Ex.X

    Grie,

    HumoresIe

    o.

    8

    Allegretto

    etc.

    The

    expression

    f

    the kind of humor

    of

    which

    now

    speak

    is,

    moreover,

    not at all

    confined

    o

    those

    pieces

    which are

    entitled

    "iHumoreske."

    Quite

    the

    contrary;

    by

    far

    the

    greater

    number

    which breathethis

    merry

    pirit

    have

    eitherno

    titles

    at

    all,

    or are

    called

    something

    uite

    different.

    The

    title

    has

    little

    to

    do

    with

    the

    matterand is frequentlydded merely s an afterthoughtr

    possibly

    to

    serve as

    guide

    and

    mood-indicator o

    the

    musically

    helpless.

    In

    fact,

    this

    very

    title

    of

    "Humoreske,"

    t

    appears,

    was

    quite frequently

    pplied

    not

    as

    indicating

    anything

    ither

    of

    a

    comical

    or

    even

    merry

    ature,

    but

    merely

    n

    justification

    f

    a

    cer-

    tain

    eccentricity

    which a

    composition

    possessed.

    This

    practice

    was based either

    consciously

    or

    unconsciously upon

    the mis-

    conception

    hat

    ncongruity,

    ccentricity,

    r

    unusuality, ecessarily

    constituted

    humor.

    As we

    have

    seen,

    incongruity

    does not

    necessarily

    mean

    comedy.

    It

    may just

    as

    well

    mean

    tragedy,

    f

    pushed

    far

    enough.

    As an

    illustration,

    how

    many

    of

    Haydn's

    rondos,

    minuets,

    piano

    pieces,

    movements f

    symphonies,

    uartets,

    tc.,

    are

    delicious

    expressions

    f

    this

    non-comic

    ut

    merry

    nd

    jovial

    humor.

    Many

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    15/17

    Humor in

    Music

    53

    of

    his

    pieces

    might airly

    e said

    to "bubble" with

    t,

    as

    the

    Gipsy

    Rondo,

    for

    nstance:

    Ex.

    XI

    From

    Haydn's

    ipsy

    ondo

    1

    1r%

    In

    fact,

    Haydn may

    be

    called the

    first

    f

    the

    modernhumor-

    ists

    in

    music,

    and

    perhaps

    a

    larger

    percentage

    f

    his

    compositions

    are

    humorous

    in

    this

    non-comic

    but

    merry

    manner)

    than

    those

    of

    any

    other

    composer.

    Mozart

    has

    ever and

    anon

    a

    merry

    bit,

    but

    on

    the

    whole he has

    more

    dignity

    han

    Haydn,

    and

    dignity

    and humor are ratherpoor bedfellows. However, such pieces

    as

    the

    Minuet from

    he

    Symphony

    n E,

    simply

    adiate

    the

    merry

    and

    sportive.

    Ex.

    XII

    Mozart,

    Minuet

    rom

    heE?

    Symphony

    Allegretto

    Ltc

    Beethoven was

    certainly

    a most

    whimsical

    and

    joke-loving

    individual,

    and

    much is

    usually

    made

    of

    the

    element

    of

    humor

    said

    to

    be

    so

    apparent

    n

    many

    of

    his

    compositions.

    But

    regarding

    those effectswhich

    Beethoven

    may

    have

    intended

    to

    be comic-

    owing

    to

    their

    then

    ncongruity-the

    spirit

    of

    comedy

    has

    largely

    faded

    for

    us,

    as

    they

    no

    longer

    affectus as

    incongruous.

    The

    classic

    example

    in

    the Sixth

    Symphony,

    where the

    Oboe

    appar-

    ently

    omes in too late, and the

    Fagotto

    confines imself o a few

    somewhat

    uncertain

    notes, s,

    I

    contend,

    not

    musical humor t

    all.

    For

    the

    fun

    does not

    here

    depend upon

    the

    music

    (which

    n

    itself

    is

    quite beautiful),

    but

    upon

    the

    imaginarypicture

    of the

    semi-

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    16/17

    54

    The

    Musical

    Quarterly

    intoxicated

    village

    band

    which

    we

    have

    been told

    it

    was

    intended

    to call

    up.

    The scherzos fBeethoven's ymphoniesreordinarilyointed

    out

    as

    examples

    par

    excellence f his

    humorous

    proclivity;

    but of

    the

    two

    most

    commonly pecified,

    hat

    of

    the

    Third

    Symphony

    certainly

    ontains

    no

    suggestion

    f

    the

    "comic,"

    but at most ex-

    presses

    he

    "good

    humor"-ous motion.

    The

    scherzo f

    the

    Fifth

    Symphony,

    however,

    does

    contain

    an

    indisputably

    omic

    effect.

    It

    occurs

    in

    the second section

    of

    the

    piece,

    where the

    double-

    basses

    play

    a

    somewhat

    rapid passage

    in

    eighth-notes.

    Berlioz

    compares

    these

    double-basses

    o

    would-be"frolicsome

    lephants,"

    but theeffect, hileundoubtedly unny,s, mustpointout,ofthe

    same

    species

    as

    similar

    effects

    n the bassoon or tuba

    of

    which

    have

    already

    made

    mention. The same

    passage

    when

    played

    upon

    the

    piano

    is

    not

    humorous,

    herefore he

    humor

    ies more

    n

    the

    manner

    of

    its

    presentation

    i.e.,

    the character

    of

    the instru-

    ment

    upon

    which

    t

    is

    played)

    than

    in

    the

    music

    tself.

    The

    Eighth

    Symphony,

    again-usually

    regarded

    as Beet-

    hoven's

    most

    complete

    expression

    of

    humorous emotion-is

    a

    good

    example

    of

    the

    inability

    of

    music

    to

    express

    the

    "comic";

    but is, on the otherhand, a fine xampleof its abilityto express

    the

    mirthful,

    un-loving,

    on-comical

    species

    of

    humor.

    How-

    ever

    much we

    may

    be

    historically

    ssured

    that

    certain

    boisterous

    jokes

    were

    ntended,

    hese

    okes,

    as

    jokes,

    have

    largely

    vaporated

    in

    the

    passage

    of the

    years,

    whereas the

    fun-loving

    nd

    charm-

    ingly

    good

    humor"-ous

    uality

    of most of

    t

    remains

    n

    evidence,

    unmistakably.

    In

    Schumann,

    gain,

    we have the

    decidedly

    humorous

    uality.

    What

    exuberance

    does the First

    Symphony

    not

    show,

    and

    how

    "merry" s the last movement In it one againfeelsthemirthful

    and

    "bubbling"

    quality already

    referred

    o

    in

    regard

    o

    Haydn.

    Ex

    XIII

    Schumann,

    ymphony

    ,

    4th

    mov't.

    Allegro

    anunato

    ..

    To render

    yet

    more clear

    that of which

    speak,

    let

    anyone

    compare

    Schumann

    and

    Chopin.

    Schumann

    possessed

    and

    ex-

    pressed

    the

    merry

    mood;

    Chopin apparently

    did

    not,

    for

    nowhere

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  • 8/20/2019 Humor in Music F. Gilbert

    17/17

    Humor

    n

    Music

    55

    in

    the

    latter's

    compositions

    o

    I

    remember

    free nd unlimbered

    expression

    of it.

    One

    always

    senses

    the

    presence

    of

    the

    tragic,

    or thesentimentallyomantic, t least,in thebackground.

    The

    expression

    f

    the

    humorous

    n

    the tone

    art is

    very argely

    a modern

    development.

    It is

    part

    of

    the

    expansion,

    he

    broaden-

    ing

    of

    the art

    of

    music

    which

    ogically

    followed

    ts

    emancipation

    from

    he

    Church.

    The

    Church

    s

    indeed

    the motherwhose

    hand

    rocked the cradle

    of

    our

    modernart. But

    in

    the

    same

    way

    that

    a

    boy

    does

    not

    become

    a

    man until

    he

    has

    cut

    loose

    from

    his

    mother's

    pron-strings,

    s

    the

    saying

    goes,

    so the

    art

    of

    music

    did

    not attain

    its

    present

    mature

    development

    until

    it

    ceased

    to be

    devotedwell-nigh xclusively o the serviceofthe Church. One

    usually

    does not smile

    when

    engaged

    in

    Divine Service.

    But

    since

    this

    cutting

    oose

    of

    music the art

    has

    appeared

    to

    smile;

    to

    laugh;

    and

    to

    make

    merry

    n

    pure

    exuberance

    t its

    new-found

    freedom.

    I

    do not

    speak

    of the

    present

    day,

    for

    ust

    now

    a

    frown

    of self-conscious

    eriousness

    ppears

    to

    have

    overclouded he

    face

    of

    music.

    But

    during

    the

    last

    three hundred

    years-say

    the

    seventeenth,

    ighteenth,

    nd

    nineteenth

    enturies-the

    gradual

    growth

    n

    the

    possibility

    f

    expression

    f

    comedy,

    wit,

    and

    merri-

    mentby music,is veryapparentand must certainlydelightall

    those

    who,

    ike

    myself,

    re

    possessed

    of a

    sympathetically

    umor-

    ous

    temperament.