The Music of Japan

Extract

The abundant leisure of Eastern life affords ample opportunity for the study of the curious customs, the cultured arts, the profound sciences of the people, who are never slow to extend to the Western, who dwells, though but for a few years, among them, the graciousness of their hospitality; and to open freely the treasure-houses wherein the stores of their learning lie hoarded. But you will well understand that difficulties innumerable impede the acquisition of exact information by those who are ignorant of the languages. So much of Eastern learning is traditional, so much of the practice is hereditary, that it is of first importance to acquire it only from those who are in the direct succession of knowledge. When they are discovered, and the necessary formal introductions have been accomplished in accordance with the rigour of native etiquette, a fresh difficulty arises which is in truth a very labour of Sisyphus, so often has the stone of knowledge to be rolled over the same ground. The interpreter must possess not only a good knowledge of English, but also a quick intelligence to grasp the technicalities of the subject, the double set of art terms used by the questioner and the questioned. In such a subject as music, where each can only use those terms with which he is familiar, you will easily understand the patience necessary to arrive at facts, the prolonged process of sifting to which all statements have to be subjected, and the almost indefinite postponement of conclusions.