Of all the arts, music is by far the most popular and the dearest to man, because her language, that of the soul, is under stood by all; she succeeds where all others fail in expressing thoughts, feelings, and longings unutterable in words. We enjoy and prize the orchestra in these days; it cannot, there fore, be without interest to us to look back and see how it was evolved through countless ages, and what it cost of life — long study and energy to bring each family Of instruments to its. Present stage Of development.