We begin to seek in music for the thought
and intention of the composer, and, little by little, even before we
know it, we begin to seek out what kind of mind and heart the composer
had. We begin really to study his character from the works he has left
us.
We have now taken the first really intelligent step toward knowing for
ourselves something about common and classic music. Later on, as our
ability increases, this will be of great value to us. We begin to see,
bit by bit, what the author intended. That is the real test of it all.
We do not want to find mere jingle in music, we want music that says
something. Even a very young child knows that "eenty meenty meiny moe"
is not real sense, though it is a pleasant string of sounds to say in
a game.
Thus we learn to look into what we hear and into what we see and try
to find how much thought there is in it, and the kind of thought it
is. We want to know if goodness is expressed; if the best work of the
man is before us, or if, for a lower reason, his selfishness and
vanity are most prominent. And let us remember that as we seek these
things in the works of others, so others of thoughtful kind will watch
our doings, our playing, our speech, our little habits, and all to see
what our intentions are each time we express ourselves. They will look
to see what thoughts we are putting into our doings, whether thoughts
of goodness or of selfishness.
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