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Show JAPANESE MUSIC. Keeognized ns One ol' the Professions ol the IllintJ. Berlioz once wrote a sort of erit ieisn: of Chinese music, intimating that it was beneath notice. Chinese music i anterior to Japanse music, says the Boston Transcript. The people o'. Japan took- their music from China, and have improved upon it. A gooc many intelligent westerners argue that there is no music at all among tin Along-ol races. But that is a mistake, certainly as regards the Japanese. Modern Japanese music is composed almost al-most exclusively for the thirteen-stringed thirteen-stringed koto, For the kokyn, or fiddle, there appears to be no independent inde-pendent music; but for the ,samiscn irreverently called by some the banjo of Japan, an instrument w ith which it has no affinities there exists a small repertory of songs. For the sakuhaeh: a lipped bamboo pipe there is also a quantity of independent music, which seems to have come down to the present pres-ent time from quite different source:-than source:-than those from which the koto music has been derived. The music for tin .bh.va has not altered for over six bun JredyeaLs. Koto music is writ ten. It has been many times stilted that there is no notation; but the music is si complicated that it, would pass the wit of man to do without some form oi musical writing. The books are nevci used except for reference. By tin majority of professional mesicia us. indeed, in-deed, they could not be use-', for they are blind, music being one of tin recognized professions of the blind. And, second, the written music is tin exclusive possession of the professionals profession-als of the highest rank. Hxeept by very special dispensation no pupil b ever allowed to learn -in any other way than by listening-, watching and com mitting to memory. |