Rhythm is the first of a basic trio of three music elements to appeal to the individual. It is the easiest to grasp, and in its simpler forms it gains a hearing even with the uneducated ear.
Melody, another important part of music, is the next level of music appreciation, and represents an appeal that is higher than that of rhythm. This does not mean that rhythm should be shunned. These elements of music are not unlike a three-layer cake. The bottom layer, because it is below the other two, should not be pushed to one side of the plate and left untouched.
Harmony is the last of the three to receive personal interest. Chord construction and chord progression give directional meaning to the other members of the basic trio, and require a greater degree of native ability or music education to gather more of what they offer:
A happy combination of all three of these elements, bearing their proper relation to one another, produces what might be labeled "good music;" although because of this balanced union the music may not become "popular," in the sense of general acceptance.
The preacher who during his sermon periodically refers to his chosen text, will send his congregation home with the text riveted in their minds. Because of the repetition, a more comprehensive meaning will have been attached to that text, and at least one nail will have been driven home. Repetition plays an important part in memory. Radio advertising well illustrates the principle of repetition. Count the number of times the name of the product advertised is sounded in one program. Notice the pithy remarks—and the terse slogans that are difficult to forget.
We should learn the effectiveness of a direct thought forcibly expressed—couched in succinct language. Thus also, short poems, when given an appropriate musical setting, and repeated until they become familiar, go hom4 with the audience and hum themselves into the very life by their insistent repetition. Their reiteration, through the gentle persuasiveness of music, lingers in the mind. Thus a pertinent thought expressing some desire for a yielding heart, or a longing for the return of Jests, may soften and subdue the heart
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