Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 47.djvu/381

formance at the chief festival tended to become more elaborate and to fall into the hands of persons expressly and professionally trained."

 

In like manner Donaldson tells us "that music and dancing were the basis of the religious, political, and military organization of the Dorian states;" remarking also that—

"The preservation of military discipline and the establishment of a principle of subordination, not merely the encouragement of a taste for the fine arts, were the objects which these rude legislators had in view; and though there is no doubt that religious feeling entered largely into all their thoughts and actions, yet the god whom they worshiped was a god of war, of music, and of civil government."

On which statement, however, we may remark that it contains a species of error common in historical interpretations. It is erroneously assumed that these dances were introduced by legislators, instead of being continuations of observances which arose spontaneously. How in Greece there early began the secularization of music is shown by the traditions concerning the religious festivals—the Pythian, Olympian, etc.—which presently furnished occasions for competitions in skill and strength. The Pythian games, which were the earliest, exhibited the smallest divergence from the primitive purpose; for only musical and poetical contests took place. But the establishment of prizes shows that out of the original miscellaneous chorus had arisen some who were marked by their more effective expressions of praise and finer vocal utterances. And on reading that out of those who played accompaniments to the sacred songs and dances, some became noted for their skill, and that there presently followed at the great Greek games prizes to the best performers on flutes, trumpets, and lyres, we see how there arose also that differentiation of instrumentalists from vocalists which presently became pronounced. Says Mahaffy concerning a performance about 250 b. c.—

"This elaborate instrumental symphony was merely the development of the old competitions in playing instruments, which had existed at Delphi from very early days."

Hence, after a time, a complete secularization of music. Besides musical performances in honor of the gods, there grew up in later days performances which ministered solely to æsthetic enjoyments. Distinguishing the sacred from the secular, Mahaffy says the first "were quite separate from the singing and playing in private society, which were cultivated a good deal at Athens, though not at all at Sparta, where such performances were left to professional musicians."

Parallel evidence is furnished by Roman history. We read in Mommsen that—