Scan 71
Groves Dictionary Of Music And Musicians,vol.2, 1906
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1however, of A.B., A.M. or even Ph.D. sometimes imply considerable attainment in music, since the recipient may have won the degree by special emphasis on musical studies. The variety of meaning implied in the above degrees is much increased as soon as music is involved, for the following reasons: (1) Music is such a peculiar subject, and attainment in it depends so largely upon natural aptitude—or, in the case of the highest achievements, upon genius—that it is very difficult to be appraised in accordance with ordinary academic standards. (2) America is a large and young country in which music has been taught in colleges and universities for a comparatively short time; hence no uniform practice has, as yet, been worked out; seventy-five years covers the entire time during which music has been taught in institutions of higher learning. Some institutions confer musical degrees for distinct ability on the executive side of the art, that is, for proficiency in playing upon some instrument (pianoforte, organ, violin) or in singing. Other institutions emphasise scholarship ('musicology'), critical ability and so-called research; while for the highest degrees creative ability is often required. The matter is further complicated by attempts to apply the somewhat arbitrary classification of 'vocational' and 'cultural' studies. It is taken for granted that a young student wishing to teach any subject, such as science, languages, history, etc., will be recognised as a master of his subject by the winning of a degree of some kind from an accredited seat of learning. In the above subjects standards are so definite that rational estimates can be made. When a student with musical aptitude attempts to follow along the same line, difficulties arise, because there is as yet no definition as to just what, from the academic point of view, a musician is. The highest type of musician is undoubtedly one who has creative fancy, deep emotions and a technique in expressing what he has to say. To a man of this kind, as in the case of a poet, it is a matter of comparative indifference whether he has a musical degree or not. When we begin to consider less gifted musicians, who, nevertheless, may be able men in scholarship, in pedagogic ability, or as executants, it is evident that careful classification is necessary, and that the requirements for a degree in music be so planned that they show clearly just what kind of attainment the student has reached. Until quite recently in America there has been an erroneous opinion that any one endowed with a love for music, if he studied sufficiently, especially in methods of teaching, became a musician and was able to teach music. As it was necessary in order to secure a good teaching position to have some degree, many colleges and universities have conferred musical degrees on rather elastic terms. The fact is gradually being faced that, to be a really efficient teacher of music, one must be a thorough musician, and, furthermore, that inborn aptitude is by far the most important factor in the whole question. No one not born with a keen and accurate ear, a sensitive feeling for rhythm, and a certain amount of creative and emotional power can ever acquire these qualities merely through courses of study. Recognition, furthermore, is spreading that a student with innate ability in music should, just for this reason, secure a general education if he wishes to become a broadly equipped musician. The better nourished a man's intellect and imagination, the more he will have to express and the more efficient will he be as a teacher of others. The day has gone by when one may be a musician and nothing else. For the dominant note in the music of our time is its close relationship with the other arts and the fact that it touches life on every side. Hence, in American universities a strong tendency is setting in to have musical degrees imply not merely attainment in music itself, but a knowledge as well of modern languages, the fine arts, history and science—everything, in fact, which would comprise the education of a well-rounded man. To show the actual manner in which these principles are applied, a tabulation is made of the requirements in five American institutions where music has been taught for a considerable time: i.e. Oberlin College, Northwestern University, the University of Iowa, Yale University and Harvard University.
3At Oberlin there is a flourishing Conservatory of Music, that is, a professional school, under the direction of Professor Edward Dickinson, which has affiliations with the college of the same name. The degree of Bachelor of Music is given by the Conservatory to candidates who show a high attainment in a four-year course, the studies of which are entirely of a musical nature, e.g. harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, composition and the history of music. The candidates must also show technical ability on some instrument, as the pianoforte, violin, organ, clarinet or even the cornet. The degree of Master of Music is open to students who take advanced work for a year in the above courses. Students wishing a broader education may combine the requirements for either of these Conservatory degrees with courses in the College, such a plan of studying being completed in six years. It should be understood that before entering Oberlin Conservatory or College, every student is required to pass an examination, which comprises such general subjects as English, mathematics, modern languages, history and science.
5At North-western University, where music is under the direction of Professor Percy Lutkin, only one degree is offered, that of Bachelor of Music, and the terms of qualifying
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