The most charming and attractive
pictures cluster about them and it all gives us a new inspiration to
be true to music, loyal to the truth of music, and willing to do as we
see others have done, and to learn by doing. The lesson we get from
the life of every man is, that he must _do_ if he would learn.
I am sure you will spend many delightful minutes with the Letters of a
great composer. Every one is like a talk with the writer. They are so
friendly, and so full of the heart, and yet so filled with the man
himself. Especially the Letters of Mendelssohn and Schumann will
please you. In truth the Letters of all the composers are among the
most valuable music writings we have. In some way they seem to explain
the music itself: and the composer at once becomes a close friend. But
besides these read the biographies. Then it is as if we were
personally invited home to the composer and shown all his ways and his
life. And besides these, there are some friendly books full of the
very best advice as to making us thoughtful musicians; many and many
again are the writers who have so loved art--not the art of tone
alone, but all other arts as well--that they have told us of it in
good and earnest books which are friendly, because they are written
from the right place; and that you must know by this time is the
heart.
You will soon see when you have read about the composers that true
music comes out of true life.
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