to music.  There is no physical relation between music, poetry, and light, but it is easy to lean upon the established terminology for purposes of discussion.  Those who would build color-music identical to sound music are making the mistake of starting with a physical foundation instead of basing the art of light-expression upon psychological effects of light.  In other words, a relation between light and music can exist only in the psychological realm.

These melodies and symphonies of light in nature are admittedly pleasing or impressive as the case may be, but are they as appealing as music, poetry, painting, or sculpture?  The consensus of opinion of a large group of average persons might indicate a negative reply, but the combined opinion of this group is not so valuable as the opinion of a colorist or of an artist who has sensed the wonders of light.  The unprejudiced opinion of artists is that light is a powerfully expressive and impressive medium.  The psychologist will likely state that the emotive value of light or color is not comparable to the appeal of an excellent dinner or of many other commonplace things.  But he has experimented only with single colors or with simple patterns and his subjects are selected more or less at random from the multitude.  What would be his conclusion if he examined painters and others who have developed their sensibilities to a deep appreciation of light and color?  It is certain that the painter who picks up a purple petal fallen from a rose and places it upon a green leaf is as thrilled by the powerful vibrant color-chord as the musician who hears an exquisite harmony of sounds.

Music has been presented to civilized mankind in an organized manner for ages and the fundamental physical basis of modern music is a thousand years old.  Would the primitive savage appreciate the modern symphony orchestra?  Even the majority of civilized beings prefer the modern ragtime or jazz to the exquisite art of the symphony.  An appreciation of the opera and the symphony is reached by educational methods extending over long periods.  An appreciation of the expressiveness of light cannot be expected to be realized by any short-cut.  Most persons to-day enjoy the melodramatic “movie” more than the drama and relatively few experience the deep appeal of the fine arts.  Surely the symphony of light cannot be justly condemned because of a lack of appreciation and understanding of it, for it has not been introduced to the public.  Furthermore, the expressiveness of music is still indefinite at best despite the many centuries of experimenting on the part of musicians.

If poetry is to be believed, the symphonies of light as rendered by nature in the sunsets, in the aurora borealis, and in other sky-effects of great magnitude have deeply impressed the poet.  If his descriptions are to be accepted at their face-value, the melodies of light rendered in the precious stone, in the ice-crystal, and in the iridescence of bird-plumage please his finer sensibilities.  If he is sincere, mobile light is a seductive agency.