Mr. Osborne on Modern Music.

The first lecture in the series on "Modern Music" was given by Mr. T. M. Osborne last evening in the Fogg Lecture Room. The subject was "Beethoven and the Symphony."

It has been said that the nineteenth century has had little of the artistic element in its development; yet there has been a great advance in the art of music. In spite of this great progress, however, music is still in its formative stage. It is an art of which the nature is still mysterious and unknown. "Modern Music" is essentially individual in its expression, and is of dramatic tendency. Beethoven, Schubert and Wagner are the exponents of the more strictly modern music. Before Beethoven's time all the elements of the art existed, and were organized by Bach in such a way as to completely anticipate modern changes. But it remained for Beethoven to develop these elements into something like their present form. Before Beethoven, we had perfectly organized simplicity. Into the music of Mozart, which was merely a concord of sweet sounds, Beethoven introduced an entirely new harmony, founded openly on "discord." To people in Beethoven's time this produced an involved effect that they were unable to understand or appreciate. But as time went on it became a recognized principle of harmony, without which music would be robbed of most of its strength.

At the close of the lecture Beethoven's Fifth Violin Sonata was rendered by Mr. Henry Eichheim, assisted by Miss Alice Coleman, accompanist.