Scan 64
The American History and Encyclopedia of Music, 1910
8 lines. Read by computer on 15 September 2026. Printed page 44. See the scan on archive.org.
1the voice pass through the air and come in contact with the susceptible wood and strings, which again translate the vibrations into sound by sympathetic vibrations. This is similar to the case of the two tuning forks placed in opposite ends of the conduit, as mentioned above.
3Much of the sound produced by musical instruments that reaches the ear is due to sympathetic vibrations or resonance. This principle is applied with greater nicety in the violin. The sound given off by the strings alone is very small, but is first transmitted to the bridge, thence to the belly, and through the sound-post over which the left foot of the bridge rests, to the back. The fibers of the wood must run smoothly in order that the transmission of the vibrations will be uninterrupted, and none of them lost. The delicate voice of the instrument is due to the unity in which the vibrations of the back and belly occur. The vibrations of the strings of a piano are transmitted through a bridge to the sounding board, which vibrates sympathetically, much as does the body of the violin. Nearly all the stringed instruments embody this principle, and the extreme susceptibility of membranes to sympathetic vibrations has caused them to be used in this manner, although the use is limited to instruments of lesser importance.
5Mythology is ancient man's effort to explain natural phenomena, and in all countries the gods have been regarded as the inventors of music and the instruments of music. There exist beautiful stories hard to discard for the theories of evolution. Underneath the fancy, however, there lies a conjecture worthy of respect. The myths point to nature as the first music teacher. Were not the sounds of nature ever present for man's vocal imitation? The wind in the trees has a voice of its own, as do the birds and the animals.
7There is rhythm in all things. The wild man is driven by his emotions to that rhythmical swaying of his body which is his dance. The mother sorrowing over the dead child sways and bends in rhythm until she is exhausted. The joyful wedding-guests dance or watch other
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