had hastened to commit to it deeds and passions for the 
benefit of future ages.” People began to act as though 
immortality were inherent in the magic repeatability and 
extensions of print.

     Another significant aspect of the uniformity and 
repeatability of the printed page was the pressure it exerted 
toward “correct” spelling, syntax, and pronunciation. Even more 
notable were the effects of print in separating poetry from 
song, and prose from oratory, and popular from educated 
speech. In the matter of poetry it turned out that, as poetry 
could be read without being heard, musical instruments could 
also be played without accompanying any verses. Music veered 
from the spoken word, to converge again with Bartók and 
Schoenberg.