The Inter-relationship of the Ear and the Eye
These are days, as everyone knows, of great activity on the part of psychologists and sestheticians in regard to the inter-relationship of all the senses. It is alleged of the famous French novelist Guy dc Maupassant that at the end of his brilliant but checkered career he became so subtle that he could smell sound, see touch, and so forth. Whether we shall in time become so far advanced that we can touch smell may be open to honest debate; but it is fair to say that for the average human being "this way madness lies."
We are, however, on solid ground when we say that . there is a relationship between the workings, of all our senses for the simple reason that they are all means of registering on our brain and imagination impressions derived from outside sources. For example, everyone knows in relation to the senses of taste and smell how closely they are interlocked in the enjoyment of our food. It is surmised, in fact, that cooks derive a certain nourishment from the aroma of the delicious dishes which they are preparing, so that they need a minimum of nourishment taken through the ordinary channels; it is certainly true that they often become too stout. There are also very subtle associations, with which everyone is familiar, in regard to the sense of smell in recalling past associations which oftentimes were originally connected with other senses.
To take up the subject of this present article, the inter-relationship of the ear and the eye as means of receiving impressions of sound and sight, there is doubtless a great deal more in this matter than is often believed; the subject should also be one of vital importance to any well-equipped musician. The relationship is a natural and obvious one for the simple reason that both sound and sight, in physical terms, are the result of wave motion-waves of sound striking on the tympanum (thence registering their inner impressons) and waves of light acting in a corresponding way upon the retina of the eye.
The subject is of practical concern to musicians for the reason that we are constantly using our eyes in reading scores, in practicing upon any instrument, or in singing; and the real and final impression of any work of musical art is received through the ear; for, as St. Saens so eloquently says, "The ear is the sole avenue of approach to the musical sense," although the eye is an accessory help of great value.
Truly, it is an open question how much a great many people would get from a symphony concert if a screen were placed before the orchestra so that they could not see any of the motions of the conductor or the impassioned efforts of the performers, and had to rely upon their ear alone.
Color and Tone
Whether we are ready yet to grasp all the mysteries of so-called color audition, or to endorse the experiments of the Russian composer Scriabin-who, after composing a symphony in which during the performance the various colors were thrown on a screen, was planning one in which delightful perfumes were to be released in the auditorium—need not be settled ; but that there is a real connection between color and sound is proved by the word "chromatic," one of the oldest words in musical terminology. This word—the Greek derivation of which is plain from our English word chromo—first came into vogue among the composers of the Venetian School. The Italians are a very sensuous people; that is, rather than apologizing for the senses, which have been bestowed on us by the Creator, they believe that sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell should be developed to their fullest efficiency. Italy, with its gorgeous colors of nature and its startling contrasts between snow-capped mountains and radiant fields, is a constant delight to the eye, just for the sheer pleasure in seeing such a wealth of color; and so the Italian people have a highly developed color sense. It is perfectly valid to say that the Italian musicians, Monteverde, Zarlino, Merulo and the two Gabrielis in their significant works were merely introducing into music the same elements as a fascination to the ear, which their great painters, Titian, Giorgione and Veronese had employed so wonderfully in their glowing canvases.
Ever since that time the chief progress in music on the harmonic side has been involved with the chromatic element; that is, to introduce more and more dissonance as a stimulation to the instinctive desire of the imagination for warmth and color. We see this tendency in Bach's Chromatic Fantasy, in the coloristic modulations of Schubert and Chopin-which often appeal to our imagination through the ear in the same way in which a kaleidoscope or the changing hues of a sunset appeal to the eye-in the orchestration of Berlioz and Liszt with its emphasis on those colorful instruments, the wood-wind group, in the sensuous orchestration of Wagner and Rimsky-Korsakoff, and in the pianoforte pieces of Debussy, perhaps the greatest colorist of modern times.
Do Keys Suggest Color?
That famous French opera composer, Gretry, who indulged in all kinds of speculation, has some very suggestive comments on this subject in his "Essaies sur la Musique," going so far as to assign definite colors to the various keys and to the different orchestral instruments. Although this is a purely subjective matter and one which cannot be treated specifically there is no doubt that the difference which actually does exist between keys in pianoforte and orchestral music can be more vividly expressed in terms of color than in any other way. It is also deplorable that auditors and even conductors are so insensible to these distinctions, for the difference in color of keys should always be considered in arranging the order of pieces on a program. Often the real poetic effect of a piece is largely dependent on just the appropriate setting with reference to the key of the piece which preceded and of that which is to follow.
Let us now consider some practical inferences which may be drawn from the inter-relationship of the ear and eye. The matter is summed up in the statement, well-known but seldom lived up to: "A well-equipped musician must hear with his eyes and see with his ears"—the two senses working hand in hand in their effect upon the imagination; that is, when we look at a printed page of music, actual sound, with all the effect of dissonance and color, must be heard in our brain. Conversely, when we hear music, unless the harmony is extremely complicated or the modulations very exotic, the notes should pass before our eyes as vividly as if we were seeing them on a printed page. Certainly the musician with a keen ear for pitch— and this may be cultivated to a high degree—should always be able to tell in what key the orchestra is playing, and children should be trained early to write down simple melodies and chords from dictation. In this way only may the standard of musicianship be raised so that notes cease to be mere hieroglyphics and become symbols of living sound; so that when we play music or listen to it, something beyond a pleasing mixture of tones is registered within our brains. If the necessity of this connection between the ear and the eye be acknowledged; the faculty for interlocking hearing and seeing can be cultivated like any other of our powers-it being assumed that all musical persons have a certain amount of oral and visual power.
Let us now discuss certain distinct gains which will result in the use of two of the universal media for rendering music, i. e., the voice and pianoforte. We all know how many people sing merely the notes, their tone being hard, dry and cold, and certainly lacking in color. Yet the human voice abounds in wonderful shades of color, and singers should quicken their color sense, open their ears, listen to the tones they are producing, and see to it that the sound of their beautiful instrument delights the ear as much as the color scheme of an artistic painting delights the eye. Whatever the pianoforte is or is not, by means of its mass of vibrating wires, its large sounding board, and, above all, the two pedals, it is certainly one of the most colorful instruments ever invented.
Piano a Colorful Instrument
It should always be played with a constant realization of the fascinating shades of tone which can be produced. Too often it seems as if the player were simply attempting to make up for its deficiencies by forcing it to become something which it is not; for that the pianoforte has limitations is impossible to deny. It is not, for example, a rapid instrument in comparison with many others, such as the violin, flute and clarinet, and it certainly is not a loud instrument in comparison with such overpowering sound producers as the organ, trumpet, cornet and trombone. Its dynamic effects are purely relative, as is implied by the term "pianoforte." Unless pianoforte tone abounds in subtle effects of light and shade, of delicate gradations of color, the instrument is dull and monotonous; but when its innate possibilities are realized it is worthy of the poetic thoughts confided to it by such masters as Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and Debussy. We may say in passing that the pianoforte should be kept in better tune than is generally the case, for the writer is convinced that the lack of development in the color sense is chiefly caused by the fact that people are generally playing upon instruments not in perfect tune. A good pianoforte, when it has just been tuned, sends forth waves of colored sound which delight the ear and stimulate the imagination. On the other hand, no one can make a pianoforte out of tune produce anything but a dry and disappointing effect. If players were more sensitive on this point, instruments would be kept in better tune.
To sum up: the foregoing observations have made plain, we trust, how vital a part is borne by the imagination in rendering music, This important factor in our intellectual and emotional equipment is sensitized by impressions received through the ear, eye and even the touch, for we may go one step further and say that a person who plays the pianoforte really well has ears and a color sense ia the very ends of his fingers. Color means warmth, life and variety, and without a constant recognition of these qualities music becomes atrophied and fails to reveal its complete possibilities. Musicians should nourish their color sense by the study of fine paintings and by frequent communion with the glories of nature. That such famous composers as Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Tschaikovsky, Wagner, Brahms and Debussy were passionate and persistent lovers of nature is surely a fact of great significance, for the beneficent results of that love are vividly reflected in their works, All musicians who strive for close interrelationship of the ear and eye and touch will find their work and enjoyment strongly vitalized and will be doing their part to bring out in music the sensuous delights inherent in its nature.