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... E MUSICAL TIMES.-AUGUST I, I894. 522 522 the orze side or the other, as before said, must be determined by the particular exigencies of the individual work. Let the }l.otional principle of the music be congruent with that of the words, and an illusion is largely eSected that the music has but iflterpreted the quality and signiEcance of the words; and that the relation between music and ideas is not only a natural but a rlecessary and inevitable one. Imagination comes further into play, strengthening the arlalogical rpport; and so on, until we gradually perfect an almost seientific scheme of musical illustration. The most successful setting, then, is by that composer who can trace all these analogies of aesthetic expression between the arts, and can elaborate thern in their most suggestive, delicate and subtle ollzczglces of musical characterisation. Nerrertheless, the truth remains the same: that words have very little, if any necessclry musical expression. This is demonstrated, if need be by the curious instance of certain different settings of the same poetical subject by di:Serent cornposers, all of svhich-despite their often wide diversity of musical expression have perhaps appeared equally truthftll, characteristic, and penetrative; so much so, indeed, that each interpretation, away from the others, we mit,ht almost take to be the inevitable and only possibly perfect one. THE ORGANISATIC)N OF CHORAL UN IONS.