the value of speaking about the Roman lady? Let us see.

In music, the tones are made either by the hands or by the voice. And
to make a tone is to _do_ something. This doing something is an
action, and action comes from thought. No music, then, can be made
unless it be made by thinking. And the right playing of good music
must come from the right thinking of good thoughts. It may be that you
will hear some one say that to think good thoughts is not needed in
making good music. Never believe it! Bad thought never made anything
good, and _never_ will because it never can. In the very first days
you must learn, that good things of all kinds come from good thoughts,
because they can come from nothing else.

Here, then, is the second truth of this Talk:

Good music being the fruit of good thought can be played rightly only
by one who thinks good thoughts.

This leads us to another matter. First, let us see if everything is
clear. True music is written out of good thought; hence, when we begin
to study music we are really becoming pupils of good thought. We are
learning the thoughts good men have had, trying to feel their truth
and meaning, and from them learning to have our own thoughts not only
good but constantly better and better. This now seems simple and
necessary. We see that if we would faithfully study a composer's work
it must be our principal aim to get into his heart. Then everything
will be clear to us.

But we can never find our way to the heart of another until we have
first found our way somewhere else. Where, do you think? To our own