"
Yet the philosopher will go on to the end of time despising the poet,
who grasps at mysteries _per saltum_, neglecting the military road of
logic.
Shall we then, by a violent recoil, abandon Mathematics and Philosophy
and commit our faith to Music? Music is, above all things, harmonious:
Music has the emotion in which Mathematics and Philosophy have been
found wanting. Music can be "personal"; Music, since the invention of
counterpoint, is capable of harmonies deeper and more intricate than any
within the range of human speech. In short, against Poetry, Music can
set up a very strong claim.
But first we note that--_securus judicat orbis terrarum_--in the
beginning Poetry and Music did their business together (with the Dance
conjoined as third partner); and that, by practice, men have tended to
trust Poetry, for an interpreter, more and more above Music, while
Dancing has dropped out of the competition. The ballad, the sonnet, have
grown to stand on their merits as verse, though their names--_ballata,
sonata_--imply that they started in dependence upon dance and
orchestra. This supersession of music by verse, whether as ally or
competitor, is a historical fact, if a startling one, which Mr.
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