General exposisRationalism, which is the very basis of Western civilization and
which deserves its place in our lives, save when it runs to excess in the
religion of mechanization-rationalism has bred habits, and exacting
habits, in Western men. The neophytes of rationalism ask of every-
thing, and in every connexion: ‘What does that mean?’ ‘What does
that signify?’ I can, of course, quite understand this often obstinate
questioning. But I think that, since the beginning of the new century,
a new generation has grown up in the world of science, a generation
which knows that the rational must be wide enough to include the
irrational. Music often disturbs and tends to irritate young minds or
minds which have remained immature. They ask that it should be trans-
lated into familiar terms, that it should be explained, whenever it is
unaccompanied by words or even by a title-Symphony in C Major,
as a title, does not necessarily mean that the piece is written in an affir-
mative mood, for, despite arbitrary attributions, the major key is not
necessarily more optimistic or cheerful than the minor.
I believe that, so far as pure music is concerned, teachers should
show their pupils that this music is a splendid vessel to which we our-
selves consign the things which move and stir us. Nevertheless, if the
creator of the music has written even one word in the margin, that
word is a light and a guide to us. If however the word has been added
later, by zealous admirers, we are entitled to treat it with mistrust and
to seek, in any given page, for what we ourselves hope to find there.
We are much given to talking of good music and bad music. This re-
presents a very summary judgment. Generally speaking, classical
music is respected; it has endured through the centuries and that, in
itself, commands respect. On the works of contemporary composers,
the professional critics ply their pens unflaggingly. They may enlighten
us and guide us in our choice. They may equally well lead us astray.
Where musical works are concerned, as with literature or the visual
arts, it is for us to develop our own taste and make our own selection.
Folk music is almost always good and holds a great place in our mem-
ories, especially when it has stood the test of time, when the taste of
a whole people has gradually discarded the mediocre and preserved the
best. That indeed is the reason why folk themes have so large a place
in the music of the great composers, in all Western countries.
While there may be cases in which we are entitled to hesitate, while
there may even be works on which we reserve judgment, while we
may sometimes adopt a quite naturally and indeed wisely cautious
attitude towards the experiments of innovators until these experiments