PHRENOLOGICAL ORGAN MUSIC.
THE Philharmonic Concerts are tolerably good; those of the Sacred Harmonic Society are pretty fair, but there is a musical entertainment now going on which, if it realises the object it aims at, must beat every other quite out of the field. A lady, Mrs. Hamilton, under the title of "Practical Phrenologist," professes, by advertisement, to give public performances, described by her as "Phrenology illustrated by Music." The shallow punster will of course remark that he imagined that the only organs susceptible of musical expression were those of the sort invented by St. Cecilia, and not such as were discovered by Gall and Spurzheim; except that the phrenological organ of tune might, perhaps, sing for itself. However, Handel may be considered to have illustrated the organ of Veneration in his Oratorios; Weber that of Marvellousness in his Der Freischütz and Oberon; Beethoven that of Ideality and the organs of the other sentiments proper to man, in combination with those of the reflective faculties, in his symphonies and sonatas; Bellini and Donizetti the organs of Adhesiveness and Amativeness. Rossini might also be adduced as an illustrator of Gaiety or Mirthfulness, and Imitation, or the dramatic organ. But Mrs. Hamilton's music, which is to illustrate Phrenology at large, and consequently all the organs, must, if it accomplishes as much as it attempts, be equal to Handel's, Beethoven's, Weber's, Rossini's, Bellini's, Donizetti's; indeed to the music of all the great composers put together. She must be a sort of musical Shakspere—than whom nobody else ever succeeded in giving illustrations of Phrenology, or the philosophy of human nature, at large.
To illustrate the whole of Phrenology by Music in one evening must be impossible. The shortest way to do it would be by means of a symphony, consisting of no less than thirty-five movements, if we are to consider the "Love of Life" and "Alimentiveness" as established organs. The latter of these might he elucidated, musically, by the introduction of "The Roast Beef of Old England;" for the former, just now, the best notion would, perhaps, be the Russian National Anthem turned into a fugue, to signify Prince Gortschakoff's troops saving themselves as fast as possible from Omar Pacha. But a series of performances would be required by the extensive nature of the subject; for any one organ, taken in all its combinations, might be played upon for a whole evening. Some of the organs are susceptible enough of musical treatment: "Philoprogenitiveness," or the instinct of paternal and maternal affection, but more especially of the latter, has its melody in the music of nature, as heard in the nursery, or issuing therefrom, mellowed by distance—the mellower from that cause the better. The effect in question Mrs. Hamilton (who appears to be a Scottish lady) might produce by the judicious employment—it would have to be judicious—of the bagpipes. "Acquisitiveness" rejoices in the jingling of money, which might be expressed by means of the triangles, introducing the appropriated air of "Still so gently o'er me stealing." "Self-esteem" would blow its own trumpet, of course; the want of it being expressed by transition to a minor key. "Destructiveness" could be disposed of by a crash. "Combativeness" might come out in the drums and fifes. "Firmness" might persist in a violoncello accompaniment. "Cautiousness," slow and sure, would speak in a gentle adagio. A lively allegretto would represent "Wit." The music of Masonry would supply some hints for "Constructiveness." There are organs, however, which may rather puzzle a composer. No harmonious measures that one can well imagine would give any idea of "Form" or "Size," and "Locality" would seem to be quite out of the musical way.
Mrs. Hamilton informs the public, that she will lecture on living heads from the audience, assisted by the celebrated Mrs. Carter, "the Jenny Lind of Scotland." Hence, it seems that the music will be, partly at least, vocal. It may be surmised that Mrs. Hamilton's lecture consists principally of recitative, which would be more suitable than an aria, a bravura, a canzonet, or a part in a duet, to the statement of anatomical and physiological facts. Mrs. Carter, we are told, will sing Scotch, English, and Irish songs. There is an Irish song called "Donnybrook Fair," which alludes strongly to the shillelagh, and may therefore be conceived to be very pertinent to bumps. England, doubtless, has ballads adapted to various organs besides the grinding; and in addition to "John Andersen my Jo," and many other songs of the affective faculties, there is a particular Scotch song that might be very useful to a lecturer on Phrenology. Mrs. Hamilton, in lecturing on living heads, may be obliged to describe the upper story of some gentleman as being similar in its build to that of the late Mr. Rush. Any unpleasant feeling, or objection on his part to such a statement, might be quelled by Mrs. Carter immediately striking up, "A man's a man for a' that."
Whether Phrenology is made any clearer or not by Mrs. Hamilton's musical illustrations of it, we dare say that those illustrations are anyhow very well worth hearing.