thousand years before, the
professional playwright had a chance to ply his trade. The Middle Ages
had known the theatre merely as part of certain church celebrations. The
tragedies of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries had told the story
of the suffering of our Lord. But during the sixteenth century the
worldly theatre made its reappearance. It is true that, at first, the
position of the professional playwright and actor was not a very high
one. William Shakespeare was regarded as a sort of circus-fellow who
amused his neighbours with his tragedies and comedies. But when he died
in the year 1616 he had begun to enjoy the respect of his neighbours and
actors were no longer subjects of police supervision.

William's contemporary, Lope de Vega, the incredible Spaniard who wrote
no less than 1800 worldly and 400 religious plays, was a person of rank
who received the papal approval upon his work. A century later, Moliere,
the Frenchman, was deemed worthy of the companionship of none less than
King Louis XIV.

Since then, the theatre has enjoyed an ever increasing affection on the
part of the people. To-day a "theatre" is part of every well-regulated
city, and the "silent drama" of the movies has penetrated to the tiniest
of our prairie hamlets.

Another art, however, was to become the most popular of all. That was
music. Most of the old art-forms demanded a great deal of technical
skill. It takes years and years of practice before our clumsy hand is
able to follow the commands of the brain and reproduce our vision upon
canvas or in marble. It takes a life-time to learn how to act or how to
write a good novel. And it takes a great deal of training on the part of
the public to appreciate the best in painting and writing and sculpture.
But almost any one, not entirely tone-deaf, can follow a tune and almost
everybody can get enjoyment out of some sort of music. The Middle Ages
had heard a little music but it had been entirely the music of the
church. The holy chants were subject to very severe laws of rhythm and
harmony and soon these became monotonous. Besides, they could not well
be sung in the street or in the market-place.

The Renaissance changed this. Music once more came into its own as the
best friend of man, both in his happiness and in his sorrows.

The Egyptians and the Babylonians and the ancient Jews had all been
great lovers of music. They had even combined different instruments
into regular orchestras.