THE PURPOSE OF ART
"But God has a few of us whom he whispers in the ear: The rest may
reason and welcome: 'tis we musicians know"
_Browning_
There are in essence but two creeds in the world, the one a
materialistic belief, and the other some degree or phase of a spiritual
conception. Every degree of density is to be found in the material view,
and every grade of refinement exists in the spiritual vision: by
imperceptible gradations they may shade from one into the other, but the
two extremes are material and spiritual. The latter view will tend to
result in unselfishness, in altruism and a keen desire to leave one's
own little corner of the world better for having lived in it. The
material idea must almost of necessity lead up to a selfish course of
conduct, where the personal interests are put foremost, and the sole
object is to "get" as much as possible, as opposed to the spiritual
philosophy which would advocate "giving."
The old wise-heads who carved "MAN--KNOW THYSELF" over the entrance to
the Temple at Delphi knew what they were talking about, for it is
largely owing to the fact that man knows so little of himself--and
generally knows that little wrong--that his philosophy has taken such a
perverted turn. The world, and more especially our western world, is
hopelessly material in its outlook, and we would suggest that it is
because the average man thinks of himself as his material body that his
philosophy follows along the same lines. When a man identifies himself
with his body, and has only a pious hope of having a spirit which will
come into action when he dies, or perhaps a very long time after he is
dead, then naturally his chief concern is with the body of which, at any
rate, he has definite assurance. So he looks after the body, seeks
comfort and luxury for it, and strives for the necessary money with
which to gratify its whims. This means that he must get money the best
way he can, but he must get it: if it has to be at the expense of
others--well, so much the worse for them. If it has to be fought for,
then naturally the stronger wins: the "survival of the fittest" he will
say. Thus, quite logically, from the primary misconception a
superstructure of error is raised. As each body has diverse whims, the
pursuit of these must lead to the widest range and conflict of aims, and
thus materialism results in disorder, cross-purposes and confusion. On
all sides this diversity of aim, with its corresponding confusion, is
visible both in individuals and in nations to-day.
But as soon as a man realises that he is primarily a spirit, having a
body as an instrument through which to play, his point of view is
entirely altered. The pursuit of mere physical enjoyment and luxury is
recognised as having an enervating and blunting effect upon the finer
spiritual faculties: it puts the instrument out of tune and spoils its
tone. Money is seen as somewhat of a snare and a delusion, when valued
for its own sake. The object of life is recognised as spiritual growth,
and in that growth happiness is found. Quite notoriously it is sought in
vain in mere selfish pursuits. This spiritual growth can only be
attained by the practice of the law of love, manifesting itself in
unselfish service in the interests of others. The effect of this
spiritual conception is to eliminate diversity of aim, and to lead back
to the simplicity and unity of a single purpose--that of spiritual
evolution.
The body, we know, has come up the long ladder of evolution, and it
still retains in its build many traces of the climb. There are muddy
patches in the instincts and passions, and encumbrances and impedimenta
in both mind and body, as part of our heritage. But spirit has come
DOWN. As Wordsworth expresses it--"trailing clouds of glory do we come
from God." All religions claim for us an immortality, and it is
difficult for us to conceive an existence finite at one end and infinite
at the other: so if we are to claim our immortality of spirit we should
surely recognise our present spirituality which ensures that
immortality. However this may be, we may at any rate agree that body
comes UP and spirit comes DOWN, and they consort here together for a few
decades: then the body undoubtedly returns as dust to dust, and "the
spirit returns to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes). But there would be no
evolution and no fulfilment of purpose if the spirit were not to return
a richer and more developed spirit by reason of its sojourn in the
flesh: there would be stagnation, just a simple ineffectual turning
round and round, as of a screw that had stripped its thread.
The battle royal is the fight for mastery as between body and spirit:
evolution proceeds apace when spirit takes command and bids the body
minister to its progress, but evolution halts when the body clogs the
spirit. Then Nature, our taskmaster, punishes us, ever choosing that way
which is entirely appropriate and induced by the fault itself: this is
the purpose and the cause of our pecks of trouble. The battle has to be
fought--and won--by each of us: the only effect of temporary surrender
is indefinite delay. The battle has still to be fought again with added
difficulties later on. "The popular-class composer nowadays is not
infrequently a thoroughly competent and well-read musician who, _if he
chose_, could write really solid and substantial music."[30] So the
frankly commercial musician who writes for the market has surrendered in
one skirmish of spirit. Very possibly he gains the desired pieces of
silver, but they are dearly paid for at the expense of his own artistic
soul. Also in the long run the surrender is futile, for he MUST evolve:
and if he has slipped down, then so much further has he again to climb.
[Note 30: Article in "John o' London's Weekly."]
The antagonist of Materialism in the world-contest is Spirit, and the
organising and marshalling of the spiritual forces has been the province
of religion in general. But religion has itself been too much apart from
the things of everyday, it has lived in a compartment of its own,
labelled "Sundays only." As a consequence its influence has failed to
permeate the world of affairs, and both religion and the world have
suffered direly as a result. When religion ceases to carry any weight
with the individual, his balance necessarily sways toward the material:
and when religious teaching practically ceases to have any vitality in
the education of the nation, it follows that the outlook must turn more
and more in the direction of selfishness, force, and mere worldly
affluence. This may be a tolerably comfortable method of extinction, but
it is no way of progressive life. Music allies itself with the forces at
work on the spiritual side, and thus comes to the battle in support of
religion.
Music exists as a permanent witness to the reality of the intangible,
and to the power and pre-eminence of qualities which no money can
purchase and which Time is powerless to destroy. The so-called solid
things disintegrate, the vogue of one year spells oblivion in the next,
but the power of music to stir the pulse, to awaken the emotions and to
uplift the spirit, has remained through all the yesterdays, and will do
so--we may anticipate--through all the to-morrows. It is an ally and
co-witness with religion for immaterial and spiritual ends. Another
ally, in the guise of science, is also coming fast in support. Science
has already overstepped the bounds of the material in many quarters:
its trend is ever in the direction of the invisible, where there is
another range of values and qualities, and where no scales weigh and no
footrules measure. It is now engaged in discovering the unseen causes
which underlie the objective effects we notice in the physical world.
Presently, there can be but little doubt, we shall find the three,
Religion, Science, and Music (or rather, Art in general) ranged side by
side for the ultimate destruction of the purely material and mechanistic
theories of life: and when these are finally overthrown, with them will
also topple the doctrines, founded thereon, of self-seeking and strife.
Our own spirit-nature is our truest guide to the discernment of the
spirit universal. There is but one life and one spirit, though the
degrees of its manifestation are wide as the poles asunder: just as in
our own body there are specialised cells for high tasks and for lowly,
yet the same life pervades them all. There is a wild robin redbreast who
always comes when I dig my garden, to eat the grubs that the spade turns
up. He is not in the least afraid, and he often answers when I whistle
to him: he is a little cousin of mine. His life is in no essentials
different to my own life, except that I have the advantage of him in
being able to express so much more of the same spirit. Divinity and
spirit (are not the terms synonymous?) are in all, behind all, and in
ever-increasing degree before all. Our own answering to love and the
appeal of beauty is simply the echo of like to like; the spirit within
replies to the call of spirit without. For this reason Music is a
universal language, and Art can know no boundaries.
To explore the beauties of Art and Music is to add those beauties, by
expression and the power of memory, to the self. Thus we may grow more
beautiful, just as surely as by thinking ever in terms of pounds,
shillings, and pence, we grow more sordid and mercenary. It is a
perfectly commonsense process. Furthermore, the appreciation of beauty
and of artistic expression develops our power of keener appreciation.
Evolution in music cannot stop, for spirit is behind it: and the spirit
within must eventually find its way back to the universal source from
which it came, just as water must find its own level. The present status
of everything that we observe to-day is purely temporary: we are looking
at one picture of a cosmic cinema film that stretches on to infinity.
Just because we see only one static picture of a process which truly
never stops moving, so we get a view of life that contains much of
delusion. We have heard a Doctor of Music state in public his opinion
that the age of the composition of musical masterpieces was for ever
passed: so will others say that the age of inspiration and prophecy has
also departed. These good people are mistaking the outer form which is
transient, for the inner principle which is spirit and eternal. They
have lost their bearings. Music must go on from development to
development, and just as soon as it proves itself incapable of further
development and expression along certain lines, the spirit within will
rend the husk that can no longer contain it and will blossom forth in
some new and more expansive guise. As with our own bodies, the outworn
garb will be laid aside, and the spirit will find a finer form.
"Like Scriabin, Scott looks to Music as a means to carry further the
spiritual evolution of the race, and believes that it has occult
properties of which only a few enlightened people are aware."[31] There
can be no doubt that this survival-value of Music lies in its power to
assist spiritual unfoldment and progress, and if the serious practice of
music involves a certain discipline of plain living and high thinking,
are not these themselves adjuncts to a progressive evolution? Where the
adequate interpretation of music involves a certain abnegation and
unselfishness in the case of a soloist, and a large measure of team-play
and co-operation in the case of concerted work, are not these again
elements in inculcating an attitude that transcends self? Does not the
simple appreciation of music tend to unlock the doors of imagination and
set it free in regions far removed from the gross? And are not all these
so many aids to higher ends?
[Note 31: Eaglefield Hull. "Cyril Scott."]
If the inspiration that is in music and works through it serves to
awaken us to the fact that the world of spirit is very close at all
times, and that our knowledge of it and our communion therewith is
solely limited by our capacity of fine response, it will have done
something of incalculable value. If it arouses in us the desire to fit
ourselves by aspiration and a high resolve to achieve that delicacy of
sensitiveness whereby we ourselves may catch some of the spirit's
tenuous message, it will have served to put us in touch with eternal
influences. It should certainly assist in breaking down any leanings
towards a gospel of materialism with all its naked selfishness, and in
so doing "Art is calling us the 'children of the immortal,' and
proclaiming our right to dwell in the heavenly worlds."[32]
[Note 32: Rabindranath Tagore. "Personality."]