The Descent of Man

and love, which readily pass into devotion. In
the Chinese annals it is said, "Music hath the
power of making heaven descend upon earth."
It likewise stirs up in us the sense of triumph
and the glorious ardour for war. These powerful
and mingled feelings may well give rise to
the sense of sublimity. We can concentrate, as
Dr. Seemann observes, greater intensity of feeling
in a single musical note than in pages of
writing. It is probable that nearly the same
emotions, but much weaker and far less complex,
are felt by birds when the male pours
forth his full volume of song, in rivalry with
other males, to captivate the female. Love is
still the commonest theme of our songs. As
Herbert Spencer remarks, "music arouses dormant
sentiments of which we had not conceived
the possibility, and do not know the meaning;
or, as Richter says, tells us of things we
have not seen and shall not see." Conversely,
when vivid emotions are felt and expressed by
the orator, or even in common speech, musical