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LETTERS 
 
 C N THE 
 
 ITALIAN OPERA: 
 
 ADDRESSED TO 
 
 The Hon, Lord MONBODDO, 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 Mr. J O PI N B R O W N. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Sold by T. Cadell, Strand. 
 
 & 
 
 V 
 
 M DCC XC1. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2017 with funding from 
 Getty Research Institute 
 
 i 
 
 https://archive.org/details/lettersonitalianOObrow_O 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 P. 9. 1. 1 1 .for 11 volarmi read Involarmi 
 P. 63. 1 . 14. for te read ti. 
 
 Ibid. 1 . 1 5. for Pammiro read t’ammiro. 
 Ibid. 1 . 16. for te read ti. 
 
 P. 80. 1 . 1 1 . for Their read Here. 
 
 P. 91.I. 5* for mie read mi e. 
 
 P. 92. 1 . 3. for carefully read carelefsly* 
 
 P. 99. 1 . 2. for cambio read cambio. 
 
 Ibid. 1. 13 for there read thou. 
 
 P. 102. 1 . 10 for fmanie read fmania. 
 
 P. 106. 1 . 7 > for afcoltar read afcoltai. j 
 P. 126. 1 . 6. for affe&ed read effe&ed. 
 
 P. 133. 1 . 1. for le read la. 
 
 Ibid. 1 . 3. for aquifta read acquilta^ 
 
% 
 
 t 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 HIP HIS little piece is the com- 
 
 -fi- pofition of one of the great- 
 eft artifts that ever was in Scotland ; 
 who, befides his fuperior excellence 
 in his profeffion, which was Draw- 
 ing, the principal part of Painting, 
 was very learned in all the Italian 
 Arts ; and particularly in their Poe- 
 try and Mufic, the fubjedt of this 
 little work, more learned, I believe, 
 than any man in Great Britain. 
 
 As 
 
( Iv ) 
 
 As Beauty is pretty much the fame 
 in all the Fine Arts, there being a 
 cognation, as Cicero exprefles ir, 
 by which they are connected and 
 related more or lefs to one another, 
 Mr Brown has Ihown, in this work, 
 that he knew very well what Beau- 
 ty was in Writing as well as in o- 
 ther Arts ; for there is in his (tile 
 a copioufnefs and elegance, and 
 withal an accuracy of expreffion, 
 which are feldotn to be met with 
 in the compofitions of this age; 
 and, both for matter and ftile, I 
 will venture to fet this little piece 
 againft any thing that has been 
 written on the fubjeft of the Fine 
 
 Arts 
 
 i 
 
C T ) 
 
 Arts in modern times; and, I am 
 perfuaded, it would have been (till 
 more perfect in every refpecff, if he 
 had lived to publifh it himfelf. He 
 has explained moll accurately every 
 thing belonging to the Italian Opera, 
 beginning with the Recitative , by 
 which the bufinefs or a&ion of the 
 Opera, the principal thing in all 
 dramatic performances, is carried 
 on ; and then proceeding to the 
 Airs or « Songs, by which the fenti- 
 ments and paffions of the Dramatis 
 Terfonae are expreffed, Thefe Airs 
 he has divided and explained fo 
 accurately as to fhow very clearly 
 ‘ that there is no affection of the 
 
 4 human 
 
( vi ) 
 
 ; human bread,’ (to life his own 
 words, and 1 cannot ufe better), 
 ‘ from the flighted and mod gen- 
 * tie dirring of fentiment, to the 
 4 mod frantic degree of paffion, 
 ‘ which fome one of thefe clafles’ 
 (of Airs) ‘ is not aptly fuited to 
 ‘ exprefs He has alfo fliown 
 how the defcriptive part in the 
 Opera is executed, and of what 
 good ufe the Orchedra is there, 
 which is fo indifcreetly employed 
 in the Britifh Operas f. In this 
 pafiage, he has very judly cenfured 
 our tafle in Operas. And, in a- 
 
 nother 
 
 * Letter 8. in the beginning. 
 
 f Page 88. 89. 
 
( vii ) 
 
 nother paffage *, he has faid, that 
 4 the admiration beftowed in Bri- 
 4 tain on difficulty and novelty, in 
 4 preference to beauty and fimpli- 
 4 city, is the effect, not of the de- 
 4 cline, but of the total want of 
 4 tafte, and proceeds from the fame 
 4 principles with the admiration of 
 4 tumbling and rope-dancing, which 
 4 the multitude may gaze on with 
 4 aftoniffiment, long before they 
 4 are fufceptible of the charms of 
 4 graceful and elegant Pantomime, 
 4 thefe feats of agility having ex- 
 4 adtly the fame relation to fine 
 
 4 dancing 
 
 * Page j 15. 1 16 . 
 
( viii ) 
 
 £ dancing that the above mentioned 
 6 Airs have to expreffive Mufic/ 
 And, in the fame paffage, he ob- 
 ferves, that this admiration of the 
 new and difficult, which begins to 
 prevail in Italy, is a fymptom of 
 the decline of the Arts there ; fo 
 that he appears to me to have had 
 a tafte, not only fuperior to what 
 is to be found in Britain, but even 
 to the tafte at prefent in Italy, the 
 country of the Fine Arts ; and I 
 have heard from others, as w-ell as 
 from him, that the butletta, and 
 the tafte for the ridiculous, is pre- 
 vailing very much in Italy, than 
 which there can be no furer fign of 
 
 the 
 
( ix ) 
 
 the decline of genius and tafle in a 
 nation. But the ferious Italian 
 Opera, as he has defcribed it, and 
 as it is adted in Rome, though it 
 may not be fo perfect as it for- 
 merly was, is fill the mod; perfedb 
 junction of Poetry, Mufic, and Ac- 
 tion, (or Dancing, as the ancients 
 called it, which, among them, was 
 an Art of Imitation, as well as 
 Poetry and Mufic), the three fineft 
 of the Fine Arts, that is now to be 
 found in the world, and fuch as 
 only can give us any idea of Attic 
 ‘Tragedies , of JlateiicJi and mojl 
 regal argument , (to ufe an expref- 
 fion of Milton), with which that 
 
 learned 
 
( * ) 
 
 learned and elegant people were 
 fo much delighted, and, upon the 
 reprefentation of which they be- 
 flowed the greateft part of the re- 
 venue of their ftate. This work, 
 therefore, of Mr Brown, will give 
 great pleafure, not only to the 
 Connoifieurs in Mufic, but alfo, I 
 hope, to all the admirers of anci- 
 ent Arts ; and I am fure that all 
 thofe who were acquainted with 
 him, and knew him to be a man 
 of great worth as well as genius, 
 will be very glad to encourage 
 this publication for the benefit of 
 his widow and child. 
 
 L E T- 
 
c xi -3 
 
 Some Account of the AUTHOR. 
 
 M R. BROWN was a native of 
 Edinburgh, and was early de- 
 fined to take up the profefiion of a 
 painter. He travelled into Italy, and 
 at Rome met with Sir William Young 
 and Mr. Townley, who, pleafed with 
 fome very beautiful drawings done by 
 him in pen and ink, took him with 
 them, as a drafrfman, into Sicily. Of 
 the antiquities of this celebrated ifland 
 he took feveral very fine views in pen 
 and ink, exquifitely finifiied, yet ftill 
 b preferv- 
 
< xii ) 
 
 preferving the character and fpirit of 
 the buildings he intended to reprefent. 
 He returned fome years afterwards from 
 Italy to his native town, where he was 
 much beloved and elteemed by many men 
 of letters, and by many women of ele- 
 gance; his converfation being extreme- 
 ly acute and entertaining on mod fub- 
 je£ls, but peculiarly fo on thofe of art ; 
 and his knowledge of mufic being very 
 great, and his tafte in it extremely juft 
 and refined. Lord Monboddo, with 
 that liberality which has ever charac- 
 terized him, gave him a general invita- 
 tion to his elegant and convivial table, 
 and employed him in making feveral 
 drawings in pencil for him. Mr. Brown, 
 however, in the year 1786, came to 
 London (that great emporium of ta- 
 lents 
 
( xiii ) 
 
 lents and abilities), and was greatly ca- 
 refifed by fcholars and men of tafte in 
 that metropolis, where he was very 
 much employed as a painter of fmall 
 portraits in black lead pencil, which 
 were always corredly drawn, and exhi- 
 bited, with a pidturefque fidelity, the 
 features and character of the perfon who 
 fat to him. It is much to be lamented 
 that the public could make little ufe of 
 his talents, death depriving the public of 
 this very ingenious artifi: in 1787, afcer 
 a difeafe of great languor, which he bore 
 with that firmnefs of mind for which he 
 had been ever diftinguifhed through life. 
 
 Mr. Brown was not only known as an 
 exquifite drafcfman, he was alfo a good 
 philofopher, a found fcholar, and en- 
 dowed 
 
( xiv ) 
 
 dowed with a juft and refilled tafte in 
 all the liberal and polite Arts, and a 
 man of confummate worth and integrity. 
 Soon after his death thefe Letters on 
 the Poety and Muficof the Italian Opera, 
 ■were firft published for the benefit of 
 .his widow. They were originally writ- 
 ten to his friend Lord Monboddo, who 
 %vifhed to have Mr. Brown’s opinion on 
 thofe fubjeCts, which have fo intimate a 
 connexion with his work on the Origin 
 and Progrefs of Language ; and who 
 was fo pleafed with the ftyle and obfer- 
 vations contained in them, that he wrote 
 an Introduction to them. The Letters 
 are written with great elegance and 
 perfpicuity; they are mo ft certainly the 
 production of a ftrong and fervid mind, 
 acquainted with the fubjeift ; and muft 
 
 be 
 
( XV ) 
 
 be of infinite utility to moll of the fre- 
 quenters of the Italian Opera, by ena- 
 bling them to underftand the reafons on 
 which the pleafure they receive at that 
 mufical performance is founded. They 
 were nioft affuredly not written for pub- 
 lication : they have, therefore, that 
 fpirit and fimplicity which every man 
 of genius diffufes through any fubjedl: 
 of which he treats, and which he is but 
 too apt to refine away, when he feri- 
 oufiy fits down to compofe a work for the 
 Public. Lord Monboddo, in the fourth 
 Volume of the Origin and Progrefs of 
 language, fpeakingof Mr. Brown, fays, 
 c ‘ The account that I have given of the 
 Italian language is taken from one who 
 re Tided above ten years in Italy •, and 
 who, befides undemanding the lan- 
 guage 
 
 o G> 
 
( xvi J 
 
 guage perfe&ly, is more learned in the 
 Italian Arts of Painting, Sculpture, 
 Mufic, and Poetry, than any man I 
 ever met with. His natural good tafte 
 he has improved by the ftudy of the 
 monuments of ancient Art, to be feen at 
 Rome and Florence ; and as beauty in 
 all the Arts is pretty much the fame, 
 confiding of grandeur and fimplicity, 
 variety, decorum, and a fuitablenefs to 
 the fubjeft, I think he is a good judge 
 of Language, and of Writing, as well 
 as of Painting, Sculpture, and Mufic.” 
 Mr. Brown le& behind him feveral 
 very high finifhed Portraits in pencil, 
 and many very exquifite Sketches in 
 pencil and in pen and ink, which he had 
 taken of performs and of places in Italy ; 
 particularly a book of Studies of Heads, 
 
 taken 
 
( xvii ) 
 
 * t r 
 
 taken from the life, an ineftimable trea- 
 fure to any Hiftory Painter, as it would 
 have ferved him as a common-place- 
 book for his piftures, the heads it con- 
 tained being" all of them Italian ones, 
 of great expreftion, or of high charac- 
 ter. He was fo enraptured with his Art, 
 and fo affiduous in the purluit of it, that 
 he fuffered no countenance of beauty, 
 grace, dignity, or expreflion to pafs him 
 unnoticed ; and to be enabled to pof- 
 fefs merely a fketcn for himfelf, of any 
 fubje6t that ftruck his fancy, he would 
 .make a prefent of a higk-finifhed draw- 
 ing to the perfon who permitted his 
 head to be taken by him. The cha- 
 ra&eriftics of his hand were delicacy, 
 correctnefs, and tafte, (as the drawings 
 he made from many of Mr, Townley’s 
 
 bed 
 
( xviii ) 
 
 beft ftatues very plainly evince.) Of 
 his mind* the leading features were 
 acutenefs, liberality, and fenfibility, 
 joined to a chara&er firm, vigorous, and 
 energetic. The laft efforts of this in- 
 genious Artift were employed in mak- 
 ing two very exquifite drawings, the 
 one from Mr. Townley’s celebrated 
 buff of Homer, the other from a fine 
 original buff of Mr. Pope, in general 
 fuppofed to have been the work of 
 Ryfbrac. From thefe drawings two very 
 beautiful engravings have been made 
 by Mr. Bartolqzzi and his pupil Mr. 
 Bovi. 
 
LETTER I. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 I N order to give your Lordfhip a 
 diftinft idea, not only of the va- 
 rious kinds of verfe made ufe of by 
 the Italians in their Opera, but of the 
 principles alfo by which the application 
 of that variety is direfted, I find it ne- 
 ceffary to take into confideration the 
 union of poetry and mufic, which is 
 A pecu- 
 
C 2 ) 
 
 peculiar to this fpecies of drama. The 
 nature of this union feems to have 
 been well underfirood by their bed 
 dramatic writers, and they have feidom 
 loft fight of it in their works ; whilfl 
 thofe of our poets, who have written 
 Cantatas or other compofitions for 
 mufic, appear either to have been not 
 at ail acquainted with it, or, if they 
 were, to have totally difregarded it. 
 The Italians have, with great propri- 
 ety, confidered, that the fpeeches in the 
 drama, whether in dialogue or folilo- 
 quy, muft be either fuch as are ex- 
 preflive of paffion and fentiment, or 
 fuch as are not fo. On this real di- 
 ftin&ion, and not, as with us, on the 
 mere caprice of the coir-pofer, is found- 
 ed 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 ed their firft great divifion of vocal 
 mufic into recitative and air. It is e- 
 vident, on the flighted confideration, 
 that, in the progrefs of the drama, 
 many pafi'agea nuft necefifarily occur, 
 fuch as fimpie narration of faffs, dl- 
 reftions given, plain anfwers made to 
 plain queftions, fometimes abftrsfl: 
 truths or moral reflections ; — none of 
 which, as they contain nothing of 
 paffion or fentiment, can ever become 
 the fubjeft of mufical exprefiion. Sim- 
 ply to have fpoken thefe paffages, how- 
 ever, and then abruptly to have fet 
 up a Tinging, when any pathetic part 
 prefented itfelf, would have produced 
 exafUy that barbarous jumble of profe 
 and poetry, of mufic and diflfonance, 
 
 which 
 
which characterizes the Englifh comic 
 opera. To avoid this, and, at the fame 
 time, not idly to bellow the charms 
 of fancy and feeling, where embellilh- 
 ment and expreffion would be im- 
 proper, the Italians have invented that 
 fpecies of finging termed by them fon- 
 dle recitative. Its name aimoft fuffici- 
 ently explains its nature : It is a fuc- 
 ceflion of notes fo arranged as to coin- 
 cide with the laws of harmony, tho s 
 never accompanied but by a fmgle 
 inftrument, whofe office is merely to 
 fupport the voice, and to diredl it in 
 its modulations. Though, for the fake 
 of this accompanyment, recitative is, 
 like other mufic, divided into bars, 
 yet are not thefe bars, as in other 
 
 mufic. 
 
C 5 ; 
 
 mufic, necefiarily of equal lengths ; 
 the notes of which they are compofed 
 being fubjedted to no precife muficai 
 meafure, but regulated, in this re- 
 fpedt, almoft wholly by the natural 
 profody of the language. Thus, this 
 kind of recitative anfwers completely 
 its end: It detains the audience verv 
 
 j 
 
 little longer than the fpoken recital 
 would do ; and, being mufic itfelf, 
 the tranfition from it to the higher and 
 more interefling parts is perfectly na- 
 tural, and agreeable to the ear *. 
 
 The 
 
 * According to your Lordihip’s opinion 
 that there is fcarcely any fuch thing as long 
 and (hort fyllabies in modern languages, the 
 notes of the Italian recitative would be all 
 
 of 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 The verfe appropriated to recitative 
 Is of a mixed kind, confiding of the 
 
 heroic 
 
 of equal lengths. To obviate this objeSion, 
 I muft take notice, that what your Lordfhip 
 would call the accented fyllable, they efteem 
 the long one and whatever may be the cafe 
 in fpeech, in pronouncing the recitative, they 
 moll certainly render it longer, in the pro- 
 portion, generally, of two to one. Thus, the 
 words amo , talar, cede , f'irii, tornai , in which 
 the accent is laid on the lafl: fyllable, are, in 
 recitative, pofitively iambics, the firft fylla- 
 ble being expreffed by a quaver, the other by 
 a crotchet, thus, amo , talor, See. the lafl; of 
 
 CJ CJ 
 
 which chara&ers is the fign of a duration of 
 time, exactly double the length of that denoted 
 by the firft. Thofe again which have the ac- 
 
 1 cent 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 heroic line of eleven fyllables, and of 
 a line of feven fyllables, with now and 
 
 then 
 
 cent on the firft fy liable, as dmo, bene , cielo^ 
 
 J C J C j.t 
 
 tromla , are trochaics. All the Articles of 
 
 j t 
 
 two fyllables, fuch as delle, alii , &c. and the 
 Pronouns perfonal when joined with another 
 monofyllable, fuch as mene y celo , vela y tiffi, 
 glielo , &c. may, with the ftri&eft propriety, 
 be confidered as each a pyrrhic foot, which, 
 in recitative, would accordingly be expreffed 
 by two quavers, mene y celo , & c. The words 
 
 docile fleVtle* mormora , are thus real daclyles, 
 
 Jtl Jtt } tt 
 
 whilft fuch as thefe again, timbre^ briore, & c. 
 
 CjC CjC 
 
 are* 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 then a rhyme. In the intermingling,, 
 however, thefe lines with each other, 
 
 as 
 
 are, to all Intents and purpofes, each a foot, 
 confiding of a fnort, a long, and a fhort fyl- 
 lable. Nay, I may go fo far as to fay, that no 
 fpecies of foot occurs in the ancient poetry 
 which is not frequently to be found in the 
 Italian recitative, in which three fucceflive 
 fnort, three fucceflive long fyllables, and often 
 four of each are to be found, and, indeed, 
 all the poflible varieties in which long and 
 fhort fyllables can be combined together. 
 Now, though it be allowed that the Italian 
 verfe is formed, not by the number of feet, 
 but of fyllables, it is fair to conclude, that this 
 manner of reciting it, by which not only va- 
 rious combinations of them are formed, but 
 their refpe&ive length and brevity pofltively 
 
 afcer- 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 as well as with refpeCt to the intro- 
 duction of the rhymes, the poet is 
 entirely left to the guidance of his 
 own ear and fentiment. This kind of 
 mixed verfe, from the variety of the 
 cadences which it affords, feems well 
 calculated to give to the recitative as 
 marked a refemblance to common, 
 fpeech as is confident with the dignity 
 and beauty of numbers; whilft the fpa- 
 ring and judicious introduction of 
 rhyme, either to finifh more highly 
 fome beautiful palfage, or more ftrongly 
 to point fome remarkable aflertion or 
 B reflection, 
 
 afcertained, mud not only give additional beauty 
 and variety to the verfe, but render the pro- 
 nunciation itfelf more clear and explicit. 
 
( io ) 
 
 refle&ion, ferves to preferve through- 
 out the piece a proper degree of u- 
 nity of effedr, by preventing that irk- 
 fome and unnatural diflimilarity be- 
 tween the recitative and the airs, which 
 would, in feme degree, be the confe- 
 quence of the want of this kind of 
 medium. Upon the whole, it appears 
 admirably well fuited to the lefs im- 
 portant parts of a produftion fo refined 
 and artificial as the Opera, whofe ob- 
 je&, like that of the arts of painting 
 and fculpture amongft the ancients, is 
 not fo much the exadl imitation of 
 nature, as the union in as high a de- 
 gree as poffible of what is beautiful 
 with what is natural. 
 
 LETTER 
 
( U ) 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 I N the former fheets I have endea- 
 voured to explain to your Lord- 
 fliip the nature of fimple recitative, and 
 to defcribe the kind of verfe appro- 
 priated to it. I proceed now to treat 
 of the higher parts of vocal mulic, 
 thofe, namely, which are adapted to 
 the more interelling and pathetic paf- 
 fages of the drama. With refpeft to 
 
 thefe 3 
 
 / 
 
( 12 > 
 
 thefe, diftin&ions have been likewife 
 made by the Italians, which feem 
 perfe&ly well founded. They muft, 
 in the firft place, have obferved, that 
 all thofe paffages in which the mind 
 of the fpeaker is agitated by a rapid, 
 fucceflion of various emotions, are,. 
 from their nature, incompatible with 
 any particular ftrain, or length of me- 
 lody ; for that which conftitutes fuch 
 particular ftrain is the relation of feve- 
 ral parts to one whole. Now, it is 
 this whole which the Italians diftinguilh 
 by the name of motivo , which may be 
 tranflated ftrain. or fubjecl of the air 3 
 and which they conceive to be incon- 
 fiftent with the brevity and defultory 
 fenfe of thofe ejaculations, which are 
 
 the 
 
( J 3 ) 
 
 the effect of a high degree of agitation. 
 Air they think even inadmiffible in thofe 
 pafiages, in which, though the emotions 
 be not various, yet the fentences are 
 broken and incoherent. To give an 
 inftance : The following fpeech, tho’ 
 terror be uniformly expreffed by the 
 whole of it, feems not at all a fubjeft 
 fit to be comprehended under, or ex- 
 preffed by one regular flrain : 
 
 1 
 
 Bring me unto my trial when you will. — 
 Dy’d he not in his bed? — Where fhould he die? 
 Oh ! torture me no more — I will confefs. — 
 Alive again! — then ihevv me wh re he is ; 
 
 I’ll give a thoufand pounds to look on him, 
 
 — *He hath no eyes ; — the dud hath blinded 
 them — 
 
 Comb 
 
( H ) 
 
 Corrib down his hair — look ! look ! it (lands up- 
 right 
 
 Like lime* twigs fet to catch my winged foul,— 
 Give me fome drink, &c. — — 
 
 Shakespeare’s Henry VI. 
 
 But, whilft the Italians conceived 
 fuch paiTages to be incompatible with 
 that regularity of meafure, and that u- 
 nity of flrain which is elfential to air, 
 they felt, however, that they were of 
 all others the moll proper fubjeft for 
 mufical expreffion : And, accordingly, 
 both the poet and mufician feem, by 
 mutual confent, to have bellowed on 
 fuch palfages their chief Itudy ; and the 
 mufician, in particular, never fails to 
 exert on them his higheft and mofl 
 
 brilliant 
 
( *5 ) 
 
 brilliant powers. It is to them they 
 adapt that fpecies of recitative termed 
 recitativo i/lrumentato , or recitativo o- 
 biigato, — accompanied, recitative. In 
 this kind of recitative the finger is, 
 in a more fpeciai manner, left to the 
 dictates of his own feelings and judg- 
 ment with refpect to the meafure : 
 He mud not indeed reverfe the natural 
 profody of the language, by making 
 fhort what fnould be long, or vice vcr- 
 fa ; but he may not only proportion- 
 ally lengthen the duration of each fyl- 
 lable, but he may give to particular 
 fyllables what length he pleafes, and 
 precipitate confiderably the pronuncia- 
 tion of others, juft as he thinks the ex- 
 predion requires. The march of the 
 
 notes 
 
( >6 ) 
 
 notes is very different in this from that 
 of the common or fimple recitative; 
 delicacy, pathos, force, dignity, accor- 
 ding to the different expreffions of the 
 words, are its chara&eriftics. It is in 
 this fpecies of fong that the fineft effe&s 
 of the chromatic, and, as far as our 
 fyflem of mufical intervals is fufcepti- 
 ble of it, even of the enharmonic fcale, 
 are peculiarly felt ; and it is here alfo 
 that the powers of modulation are mofl 
 happily, becaufe mofl properly, em- 
 ployed, by changes of tone analogous 
 to the variety of the matter, in a won- 
 derful manner enforcing and character- 
 izing the tranfitions which are made 
 from one fubjeft or emotion to ano- 
 ther. Here, too, the whole orcheftra 
 
 lends 
 
( 1 7 ; 
 
 lends its aid ; nor are the inftruments 
 limited to the fimple duty of fupport- 
 ing and directing the voice. In this 
 high fpecies of recitative it is the pe- 
 culiar province of the inftrumental 
 parts, during thofe paufes which natu- 
 rally take place between the burfts of 
 pafiion which a mind (trongly agitated 
 breaks into, to produce fuch founds as 
 ferve to awake in the audience fenfa- 
 tions and emotions fimilar to thofe 
 which are fuppofed to agitate the fpeak- 
 er. Here, again, another fine diftin&ion 
 is made by the Italians, between the de- 
 fcriptive and the pathetic powers of mu- 
 fic. Thefe laft are proper to the voice, 
 the firmer to the orcheftra alone. Thus, 
 
 the fymphonies which accompany this 
 G kind 
 
( i8 ) 
 
 kind of recitative, befides the general 
 analogy they mull have to the imme- 
 diate fentiments, and even to the cha- 
 rafter, of the fpeaker, are often parti- 
 cularly defcriptive of the place in which 
 he is, or of fome other concomitant 
 circumftance which may ferve to heigh- 
 ten the effefl: of the fpeech itfelf. Sup- 
 pofe, for example, the fcene to be a 
 prifon ; the fymphonies, whilft they 
 accord with the general tenor of the 
 words, will paint, if I may be allowed 
 the expreflion, the horrors of the dun- 
 geon itfelf : — And I can allure your 
 Lordlhip that I have heard fymphonies 
 of this kind ftrongly expreflive of fuch 
 horrors. Again, fuppofe the fceoe by 
 .moon- light and the general tone of 
 
 the 
 
C r 9 ) 
 
 the paffion plaintive, the fweetnefs, the 
 ferenity, and, (though to thofe, who 
 have never experienced the efie&s of 
 mufic in this degree, it may feem pa- 
 radoxical to fay fo), even the folitude, 
 nay, the filence of the fcene, would 
 make part of the ideas fuggeded by 
 the fymphonies. Should a dorm be 
 introduced, the Ikilful compofer would 
 contrive to make the rain beat, and 
 the temped howl mod fearfully, by 
 means of the orchedra : Nay, in a 
 fcene fuch as that of the dying Beau- 
 fort, which I have quoted above * to 
 your Lordlhip, the mufician, follow- 
 ing clofe the wild ravings of the fpeak- 
 er, would, during the paufes of the 
 
 fpeechy 
 
 * Page 13. 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 fpeech, call forth from the inftruments 
 filch founds as would thrill with terror 
 the audience, by realizing, in a man- 
 ner, to their fenfe and feeling, the hor- 
 rible apprehenfions of his diftra&ed 
 mind. But the combined powers of 
 melody and harmony are never more 
 effeftually felt than when, in this kind 
 of recitative, they are employed to 
 mark feme very ftriking tranfition. In 
 a feene of madnefs, for example, where 
 the imagination of the fpeaker is fup- 
 pofed to Hart from a gloomy defart to 
 flowery meads, the orcheftra would,, 
 by an immediate change of meafure, 
 of melody, of harmony, perhaps of 
 founds too, mark the tranfition — would 
 proceed to fpread out the finding land- 
 fkip, to adorn it with gay eft flowers, 
 
 .to 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 to awake the zephyr, and, in Ihort, 
 give to the audience, by means of a 
 wonderful analogy of founds, the moll 
 lively reprefentation of the new image 
 which is fuppofed to have taken poffef- 
 lion of the madman’s mind. — Thefe 
 are effe&s of what 1 have ventured to 
 call theDefcriptive,or Imitative, powers 
 of mufic. With refpeft to the tranli- 
 tions of paffion, fucn as from tender- 
 nefs to jealoufy, from joy to anger, 
 &c. thefe belong to the Pathetic pow- 
 ers of mufic, and are the peculiar pro- 
 vince of the vocal part. Often, in the 
 middle of a very agitated Recitative, 
 on the occurrence of fome tender idea, 
 on which the mind is fuppofed to dwell 
 with a kind of melancholy pleafure, 
 
 the 
 
the mufic lofes, by degrees, the irre- 
 gular character of Recitative, and re- 
 folves gradually into the even meafure 
 and continued melody of Air, — then, 
 on a fudden, at the call of feme idea 
 of an oppofite nature, breaks off again 
 into its former irregularity. This change 
 from Recitative to Air, and thence to 
 Recitative again, never fails, when pro- 
 perly introduced, to have a very brib- 
 ing and beautiful effect. Whillt it is 
 the bufmefs of the orcheftra thus clofely 
 to accompany the fentiments and fitua- 
 tion of the finger, the aftor, in his 
 turn, as there is no note without a 
 meaning, muff be continually attentive 
 to the orcheftra : During thofe inter- 
 vals, in which the inftruments may be 
 
( 2 3 ) 
 
 faid to fpeak, his action muft be in 
 ftrick concert with the mufic ; every- 
 thing mu ft tend to the fame point ; fo 
 that the poet, the muftcian, the aftor, 
 mu ft ail feem to be informed by one 
 foul. If your Lordfhip, to the na- 
 
 tural voice of paffion, and the proper 
 and graceful exprellion of action, ima- 
 gines, thus united, the intrinnc charm 
 of found itielf, and the wonderful pow- 
 ers of melody and harmony, I hope 
 you will join with me in opinion, that 
 the effedt produced by fuch union is 
 much richer, much more beautiful, 
 much more powerful and affecting, 
 than any*that can be produced by fim- 
 ple declamation. Though, in paffages 
 of this delcription, the language ought 
 
 certainly 
 
\ 24 ) 
 
 certainly to rife with the fubje£h, yet 
 the verfe which is here made ufe of, is 
 of the fame kind with that employed 
 in the common Recitative, as being that 
 which has the greateft variety, and fuf- 
 fers the feweft reftrictions, and, as fuch, 
 the belt adapted to the irregular nature 
 of fuch pafiages. Having thus en- 
 
 deavoured to explain to your Lordfhip 
 the nature of recitative, fimple and ac- 
 companied, of thofe diftindtions on 
 which they are refpedtively founded, 
 and of the fpecies of verfe in which 
 they are written, I proceed to treat of 
 Air, and of the different kinds of veri- 
 fication which are employed in it. As 
 to the principles which diredt the choice 
 in adapting particular meafures to par- 
 ticular 
 
( 2 5 ) 
 
 ticular airs, I (hall have nothing to fay, 
 they being exa£Uy th»e fame with thofe 
 by which the lyric poet adapts the verfe 
 to the various fubjedt of an ode the 
 heroic to the grave and fublime 
 that which ftill partakes of dignity, 
 though rather fmooth than grand, to 
 the tender and pathetic j— that which 
 is more violent and unequal, to the 
 highly impaffioned parts ; — and that 
 which is of the airy dancing kind, to 
 the lighter and more lively pafiages of 
 the piece : Diftin&ions, which, it may be 
 obferved, are evidently confequences of 
 the original union of poetry and mufic. 
 
 I am well aware, that great part of 
 what I have here faid of the power of 
 D the 
 
the Italian mufic would, to many, per- 
 haps to moil people, appear the lan- j 
 guage rather of enthufiafm than of any I 
 thing elfe : Perhaps it partly is fo ; for 
 my own feelings, on the authority alone j 
 of which I fpeak, may, in forne degree, 
 proceed from enthufiafm. Whether 
 this be the cafe, or whether the effe&s i 
 I mention be completely real, but take 
 place in confequence of certain fenfibi- 
 lities, fo partially diftributed among 
 mankind, that, perhaps, even the lefler 
 number are fufceptible of thefe effefts, 
 
 I do not prefume to determine. If. 
 this laid be the cafe, (and there is no 
 abfurdity in fuppofing it to be fo), it is 
 evident, however, that thofe who pro- 
 fefs fo great a degree of fenfibility to 
 
 the 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 the powers of mufic, will be very apt 
 to appear affeCted and enthufiaftic to 
 the reft of mankind, who are, furely, 
 in fome degree, juftified for calling in 
 queftion the exiftence of pleafures to 
 which, pofleffing the fame organs, all 
 in feeming equal perfection, they find 
 themfelves perfect ftrangers : Whilft, 
 on the other hand, thofe who acknow- 
 ledge the power of mufic, will think 
 they have a complete right to affert the 
 reality of that of which they have fo 
 feeling a conviction. For my own 
 part, I am firmly perfuaded, that what 
 I have ventured to advance to your 
 Lordlhip touching the effeCts of mufic, 
 is not at all exaggerated with refpect to 
 the feelings of thoufands befides my- 
 
 felfs 
 
( *8 ) 
 
 felf : Nay, it is my opinion, that, were 
 mufical entertainments arrived to that 
 degree of perfe&ion to which they 
 might be brought, they could not fail 
 of producing effe&s much more pow- 
 erful than any I ever had an opportu- 
 nity of experiencing. 
 
 LETTER 
 
( 2 9 ) 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 R ecitative and Air may be con- 
 lidered as genera in mufic, and 
 the different kinds of each as fpecies . 
 
 What I have already had the honour 
 of lubmitting to your Lordfhip’s peru- 
 fal, on the fubjeft of Recitative, may 
 ferve partly to explain the nature of 
 Air. All thofe paffages where the 
 
 tranfi- 
 
 I 
 
( 3 ° ) 
 
 tranfition from one emotion to another 
 is fudden and violent, and which, 
 therefore, can neither, on account of 
 their brevity, make each a whole of it- 
 felf, nor, by reafon of their variety, be 
 made parts of the fame whole, are ex- 
 preffed in Recitative. Thofe, on the 
 other hand, in which one fentiment 
 pervades a whole fentence compofed 
 of different parts, become proper fub- 
 je&s for Air ; and, indeed, every com- 
 plete mufical ftrain may, with great 
 juftnefs, be termed a fentence or pe- 
 riod in melody. Before proceeding 
 
 to fpeak of the different kinds of Airs, 
 it may not be improper to fay fome- 
 thing of the Symphony by which they 
 are in general preceded. This Sym- 
 phony 
 
( 3 1 ) 
 
 phony is the enunciation, by the or- 
 cheflra, of the {train or fubjeft, what 
 the Italians call the motivo of the Air ; 
 and when not improperly introduced, 
 (which it always is when the fenfe ad- 
 mits not of any paufe), ferves feveral 
 ufeful purpofes ; — it gives time to the 
 finger to breathe, already, perhaps, fa- 
 tigued by a long recitative ; — it often 
 fills up, with propriety, a natural paufe, 
 and always finely prepares the audi- 
 ence for what is to come after, by e- 
 nabling them, having thus once heard 
 the drain, to liften with more intelli- 
 gence, and, of confequence, with more 
 intereft and pleafure to the fong. Be- 
 fides, the general ufe of the Symphony, 
 renders the ornijfion of it, on particular 
 
 occa- 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 occafions, beautiful and linking.— 
 Thus, for example, at the end of a 
 Recitative, or at the beginning of a 
 fcene, when the audience are expelling, 
 as ufual, the preparatory Symphony to 
 the Air, they are fuddenly furprifed by 
 the violent burfl of fome impetuous 
 paffion, which admitted of no poffible 
 paufe. The propriety of having, in 
 fuch a circumftance, omitted the Sym- 
 phony, comes forcibly on the mind, 
 as, ’vice verfa , the effedt of the omif- 
 fion here confirms the propriety of u- 
 fing it where the fenfe allows it to be 
 introduced. Sometimes, again, the 
 Symphony is omitted in a very differ- 
 ent manner, tho’ vrith equal propriety : 
 When, for inftance, in an accompa- 
 nied 
 
/ 
 
 l ( 33 ) 
 
 nied recitative, after a fuccefflon of 
 very different emotions, fome fentiment 
 is fuppofed to take pofieffion of the 
 mind, related to that which is to be 
 the fubjedt of the Air, and to which it 
 is afterwards led by a gradation of 
 kindred emotions : — The progrefs, in 
 this cafe, from Recitative to Air, is fo 
 gentle, that the audience frequently 
 find themfelves melting into tears at 
 the affecting and continued melody of 
 the Air, before they are aware that 
 the Recitative is ended. This imper- 
 ceptible tranfition is effected fometime 
 by fubjedting the recitative itfelf to 
 mufical meafure, and making the notes 
 of it, by degrees, take a refemblance 
 to thofe of the Air. At other times, 
 E it 
 
c 34 ; 
 
 it is brought about by introducing, 
 in the inftrumental parts, during the 
 paufes of the Recitative, paflages of the 
 ftrain which is to make the fubjed of 
 .the Air : Sometimes by both thefe 
 means. The effed of this gradual 
 tranfition is always very fine, and, as 
 your Lordfhip will obferve, is, in part, 
 derived from that habitual diflindion 
 which the audience are accuftomed to 
 make between Recitative and Air. — As 
 to the Airs themfelves, your Lordfhip 
 will conceive that they are as various 
 as their fubjeds. Thefe are every pof* 
 fible fentiment, affedion, or paflion, 
 the expreffion of which is extended 
 through one fentence of a certain 
 length ; fuch fentences as thefe, — / i 
 love 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 love — I fear bis wrath — I mourn her 
 lofs — though all proper fubje&s for 
 mufical expreffion, being evidently too 
 (hort to afford matter for a (train or 
 melody, which, however fimple, muff 
 (till be cotnpofed of parts, the relations 
 of which to one another, and to one 
 whole, constitute, indeed, the effence 
 of fuch (train. — The Air, though it 
 muff contain at lead one complete fen- 
 tence, is not, however, limited to one 
 alone : It is often cotnpofed of two, 
 fometimes of more parts ; but thefe,. 
 whether related by analogy or by con- 
 traft to the principal one, muff each 
 ffridly belong to the fame whole. 
 The Airs are divided, by the Italians,, 
 into certain claffesj thefe claffes are 
 
 origi- 
 
I 36 ) 
 
 originally founded on real diftinCtions, 
 drawn from the nature of the various 
 affections of the mind ; but muficians, 
 who, like other artifts, are feldom phi- 
 lofophers, have diftinguifhed them by 
 names relative to the praftice of their 
 own profeffion. — The principal are the 
 following : 
 
 Aria Cantabile , — by pre-eminence 
 fo called, as if it alone were Song ; 
 And, indeed, it is the only kind of 
 fong which gives the finger an oppor- 
 tunity of difplaying at once, and in 
 the higheft degree, all his powers, of 
 whatever defcription they be. The 
 proper fubjeCts for this Air are fenti- 
 ments of tendernefs. 
 
 Aria 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 Aria di portamento , — a denomination 
 expreflive of the carriage, (as they thus 
 call it), of the voice. This kind of Air 
 is chiefly compofed of long notes, fuch 
 as the finger can dwell on, and have, 
 thereby, an opportunity of more effec- 
 tually difplaying the beauties, and call- 
 ing forth the powers of his voice ; for 
 the beauty of found itfelf, and of voice 
 in particular, as being the fineft of all 
 founds, is held, by the Italians, to be 
 one of the chief fources of the pleafure 
 we derive from mufic. The fubjedts 
 proper for this Air are fentiments of 
 dignity. 
 
 Aria di mezzo carattere . — Your Lord- 
 fhip can be at no lofs to underftand 
 
 this 
 
( 3 « ) 
 
 this term ; though I know no word's 
 in our language by which I could pro- 
 perly translate it. It is a fpecies of Air, 
 which, though expreffive neither of 
 the dignity of this laft, nor of the pa- 
 thos of the former, is, however, feri- 
 ous and pleafmg. I 
 
 Aria parlante . — fpeaking Air, is that 
 which, from the nature of its fubjedt, 
 admits neither cf long notes in the 
 compofition, nor of many ornaments 
 in the execution. The rapidity of the 
 motion of this Air is proportioned to 
 the violence of the paffion which is ex. 
 prefied by it. This fpecies of Air goes 
 fometimes by the name of aria di nota 
 e parola , and likewife of aria agitata ; 
 
 but 
 
C 39 ) 
 
 but t’nefe are rather fub-divifons of the 
 fpecies, and relate to the different de- 
 grees of violence of the paffion ex- 
 preffed. 
 
 Aria di bravura, aria di agilita , — is 
 that which is compofed chiefly, indeed, 
 too often, merely to indulge the finger 
 in the difplay of certain powers in the 
 execution, particularly extraordinary 
 agility or compafs of voice. Though 
 this kind of air may be fometimes in- 
 troduced with fome effect, and with- 
 out any great violation of propriety, 
 yet, in general, the means are here 
 confounded with the end. 
 
 Rondo 
 
'( 4° ) 
 
 Rondo — is a term of French origin* 
 unknown, I believe, till of late to the 
 Italian muficians. It relates merely to 
 a certain peculiarity in the conltru£tion 
 of the fong, in which the compofer, 
 after having properly eftablifhed the 
 fubjeft, carries it through a variety of 
 tones, every now and then returning 
 to the principal drain or part, and al- 
 ways concluding with it. 
 
 Cavatina — is an expreffion which 
 likewife relates to the form alone, 
 meaning an Air of one part, without 
 repetition. 
 
 Thefe, to the bed of my remem- 
 brance, are the claffes into which the 
 Italians have divided Air. 
 
 I 
 
( 4i ) 
 
 I (hall now fay fomething of each 
 elafs ; and, in doing fo, I hope to give 
 your Lordfhip fome idea of the great 
 extent as well as precision of the Ita- 
 lian mufic, and to fhow, that, though 
 the names of thefe clafles be evidently 
 taken from circumflances of practice, 
 yet thefe circumftances, if properly at- 
 tended to, will be found to be ftrictly 
 connected with, and, indeed, to ori- 
 ginate from diftin&ions of a higher 
 kind, which mud have been previouf- 
 ly made with refpeft to the nature of 
 the paffions, and their effect on utter- 
 ance and expreffion. Whether the I- 
 talian compofers, in obferving thefe 
 diftindtions, have been guided by fome 
 fyftem, or have been merely influenced 
 F by 
 
C 4* ) 
 
 by feeling, I cannot take upon me to 
 fay. I am rather, however, inclined 
 to think that the latter is the cafe ; in 
 the fird place, becaufe I never heard 
 of any fuch fyftem exifting among 
 them, and, becaufe I have been per- 
 fonally acquainted with feveral of their 
 fined compofers now living, that had 
 no idea of it ; and, again, becaufe I 
 think, that, to the want of fuch a fyf- 
 tem can be alone attributed the grofs 
 deviations (which, even in the works 
 of their greated mailers, are fometimes 
 to be met with), from its mod obvious 
 and mod effential principles. 
 
 LETTER 
 
C 43 ) 
 
 letter IV. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 ' H E aria cantabile is emphatically 
 
 JL f 0 called, as being the higheft 
 fpecies of Song. It is that indeed 
 which affords the finger an opportuni- 
 ty of difplaying, in the execution of 
 it, all his powers and fkill if he has 
 voice, if he has feeling, if he has tafte, 
 if he has fancy, if he has fcience — • 
 here he has ample fcope for the exer- 
 
 tion 
 
( 44 ) 
 
 tion of them all. The fubjeec proper 
 for this air is the expreffion of tender- 
 nefs. Though this be an expreffion 
 which always tends to fadnefs, yet the 
 fadnefs is of that pleafing kind which 
 the mind loves to indulge : Thus, the 
 memory of pleafures that are pad, the 
 complaints of a lover abfent from his 
 faithful midrefs, and fuch like, are 
 proper themes for this air. Hence it 
 arifes, that the aria cantabile , whilft it 
 is fufceptible of great pathos, admits, 
 without prejudice to the expreffion, of 
 beihg highly ornamented ; for this 
 plain reafon, that, though the fenti- 
 ments it exprefles are affedting, they 
 are, at the fame time, fuch as the mind 
 dwells on with pleafure*; and it is like- 
 
 wife 
 
C 45 ) 
 
 wife for this reafon that the fubjed of 
 the cantabile mud never border on deep 
 diftrefs, nor approach to violent agita- 
 tion, both of which are evidently in- 
 confiftent with ornament. The motion 
 of this air, though not fo folemn as that 
 which belongs to (till graver fubjeds, 
 is very flow, and its conftituent notes, 
 of confequence, proportionally long ; 
 I fay conftituent notes , in order to diftin- 
 guifli thofe which the finger introduces 
 as ornamental from thofe which con- 
 ftitute the melody itfelf. Thefe laft 
 are, in general, very few, extremely 
 Ample in their march, and fo arranged 
 as to allow great latitude to the {kill of 
 the finger. The inflrumental parts 
 are, in this kind of fong. reftrided to 
 
 a! moil 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 almofl; nothing ; for, though the accom- 
 panyment is of ufe to the finger be- 
 caufe it fupports the voice, yet ought it I 
 to be kept fo fubordinate to the vocal 
 part, as never, during the fong, to be- 
 come the objeft of attention. The 
 finger who attempts the cantabile fhould 
 be endowed, in the firfl place, with a 
 fine voice, of the fweet and plaintive 
 kind, that the long notes, of which 
 this fong is compofed, may, of them- 
 felves, delight the ear : He ought to 
 have great fenfibility, that he may 
 nicely feel and exprefs in an affe&ing 
 manner the fentiment : He fhould pof- 
 fefs, befides, great tafte and fancy, 
 highly to ornament the melody, and, 
 thereby, give to it that elegance which 
 
 is 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 is effential to this kind of fong : An 
 accurate judgment is likewife neceffary, 
 to keep his fancy within due bounds ; 
 and he ought to be a perfect mailer of 
 the fcience of counter-point, that he 
 may know precilely what liberties he 
 may take with refpeft to the harmony 
 of the other parts. As the productions 
 of fcience are, at lead: in part, juftly 
 e (teemed by the degree of utility which 
 attends them, fo thofe of art may be 
 by the degree of pleafure they afford. 
 Now, it is the fuperior degree of plea- 
 fure (which proceeds from the joint 
 exertion of fo many powers of nature 
 and art in the aria cantabile ) that gives 
 to it the pre-eminence over every other 
 kind of fong ; for your Lordlhip will 
 
 obferve. 
 
( 48 ) 
 
 obferve, that, in liftening to an air 
 of this defcription, though the mind 
 is all awake to feeling, yet are the e- 
 motions it experiences of that gentle 
 kind which unfit it neither for the con- 
 templation of beauty, nor for the ad- 
 miration of art ; on the contrary, they 
 ferve to difpofe it more effectually for 
 both. Thus, many of the nobleft fa- 
 culties of the mind are gratified at 
 once ; we judge, we admire, we feel, 
 at the fame inftant of time; and, I 
 may even fay, we are, at the fame in- 
 ftant, fenfibly feafted ; for there is no 
 doubt but there is a charm, not only 
 in the harmony of founds, but even in 
 the beauty of found itfelf, which a£ts 
 phyfically on the machine, and may 
 
 be 
 
( 49 ) 
 
 be confidered as a&ually producing a 
 fenfual gratification. The following 
 are examples of the cantabile from Me- 
 taftafio : In the firft, a lover, complain- 
 ing to his friend of the cruelty of his 
 miftrefs, concludes the recitative by 
 faying, 
 
 Ma quanto, ah, tu nol fai, quant’ e tiranna. 
 
 But thou knoweft not, alas! how unkind 
 lhe is. 
 
 AIR. 
 
 Jo lo fo, che tl bel fembiante 
 Un iftante, oh dio, mirai, 
 
 E mai piu da quell ’iftante 
 Non lafciai di fofpirar. 
 
 G 
 
( 5 ° ) 
 
 I know it* who, but for a moment, be- 
 held that lovely countenance ; and never, 
 from that moment, have ceafed to figh. 
 
 jo lo fo 5 lo fanno quefle 
 Valli ombrofe, erme forefte, 
 
 Che han da me quel nome amato, 
 
 Imparato a repiicar. 
 
 I know It $ and thefe fhady vales, thefe fo* 
 litary woods, which have learned from me 
 to repeat her beloved name, know it alfo. 
 
 In this iecond, a young warrior, a- 
 bout to take leave of his weeping mif- 
 trefs, thus addreffes her : 
 
 Frena le belle lagrime, 
 idolo del mio corf 
 
 No, 
 
 * 
 
< 5 l ) 
 
 No, per vederti piangere, 
 
 Cara, non 6 valor ; 
 
 Ah non deftarmi almeno 
 
 Nuovi tumulti in feno ; 
 
 Baftano i dolci pal pit! 
 
 Che vi cagiona amor# 
 
 Ceafe thofe gentle tears, m y foul’s idol ; if 
 I fee thee weep, my fortitude fovfakes me. 
 Ah, forbear to awake in my bofom new tu- 
 mults ; the foft palpitations are fufficient 
 which love caufes there already. 
 
 I have only now to add, on the fub- 
 jeft of this air, that I Ihould be forry, 
 from what I have faid of the ornament 
 effential to it, to have given rife to an 
 opinion in your Lordfhip, which the 
 general pra&ice of fingers is, I own, 
 
 but 
 
C 5* ) 
 
 but too apt to confirm, namely, that 
 the cantabile is little elfe than a firing 
 of flourifhes, originating almoft entire- 
 ly in the caprice of the performer. 
 This is very far from being the cafe : 
 Though the melancholy expreffed by 
 the cantabile be of that foothing kind 
 which the mind loves to indulge, and 
 is, therefore, not incompatible with 
 fome exertions of the fancy, yet are 
 thefe exertions clearly limited, both 
 with refpedt to number and quality, 
 by the fenfe of the words ; fome ad- 
 mit of more, fome of lefs ornament. 
 The expreffion of tendernefs, as has 
 been already obferved, is that which 
 peculiarly chara&erifes this air ; and 
 juft in proportion as this expreffion is 
 
 allied 
 
( 53 ) 
 
 allied to fentiments of hope or plea- 
 fure, or tends rather towards fadnefs 
 and defpondency, it admits more or 
 lefs of being ornamented. — As to the 
 exaft quantum, no precife rules can be 
 given: — This, it is evident, muft always 
 depend on the nice judgment of the 
 performer ; and it is certain, that, the 
 greater his feeling, and the more cor- 
 reft his tafte, the more (paring he will 
 be in the application of embellifhments. 
 — Thofe, he makes ufe of, will refemble 
 in kind and number, not thofe orna- 
 ments which, without diftinftion, o- 
 verload the whole furface of a Gothic 
 building, but thofe with which the 
 Greeks adorned their architecture* 
 which, in times of the purelt tafte* 
 
 were 
 
( 54 ) 
 
 were never fo many as to difguife, in 
 any degree, the appearance of fimpli- 
 city, nor fo prominent as to difturb 
 the fymmetry of the great component 
 parts of the edifice. Having mention- 
 ed architecture, a very ftriking analo- 
 gy prefents itfelf to me between the 
 Corinthian order and the aria cantabile. 
 
 As in this order it appears evi- 
 dently to have been the intention of 
 the inventor to unite, as far as they 
 are confident with each other, beauty 
 and utility ; fo it feems the object of 
 the cantabile to unite, in the fame man- 
 ner, beauty and expreflion. Thus, e- 
 legance and refinement are equally the 
 character of both, — in both have the 
 
 fame 
 
( 55 ) 
 
 fame kind of limitation ; — in the for- 
 mer, any thing, however beautiful in 
 itfelf, that militated againft utility, 
 would have been inadmillible ; — in the 
 latter, any ornament, however graceful 
 in itfelf, that ran counter- to, or, in the 
 lead, diminilhed the expreffion, would 
 be unpardonable; — for utility is the 
 firft principle of archite&ure, and ex- 
 preffion is the great end of mufic. 
 This analogy might be carried a great 
 deal farther, but, l am afraid, I have 
 already exhaufted your Lordfhip’s pa- 
 tience. 
 
 LETTER 
 
 v. 
 
( \l ; 
 
 . ' : i 
 
 -v 
 
 - 
 
 
1 57 ) 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 H E fecond clafs of Airs to be con- 
 
 -B- fidered, is the aria di portamento , 
 —a term expreflive of a certain way of 
 managing the voice. It means, that 
 the voice muft be ftrongly fupported, 
 and artfully managed, through the 
 long notes, of which this air is com- 
 pofed, the motion of which is graver 
 than that of any other fpecies. In the 
 
 H 
 
 cantdbik 
 
( JS ) 
 
 cantabile the notes are alfo long ; but 
 their march is, in general, gradual and 
 gliding : Here, on the contrary., the 
 intervals ought to be bold, ftriking, 
 and unexpe&ed. In the former, the 
 gentle dying away, — here, the grand 
 fwell of the voice ought to be princi- 
 pally attended to. In fhort, pathos 
 and elegance are the charatteriftics of 
 the cantabile , — grandeur and fublimity 
 of the portamento. The great objefr, 
 which muficians feem to have had in 
 view in this kind of air, is to give full 
 fcope to the voice to difplay, in the 
 higheft degree, its powers and beau- 
 ties ; — as the Italians very emphatically 
 exprefs it, “ far pompa della voce. ,, 
 In the general definition of this air, I 
 
 took 
 
( 59 ) 
 
 took notice to your Lordfhip of the 
 high value which the Italians put on 
 the beauty of voice itfelf ; and, indeed, 
 the effett of a powerful, and, at the 
 fame time, harmonious voice, in the 
 execution of an air of this kind, is 
 fuch, as, I believe, mud be felt before 
 it can be conceived. 
 
 Every fentiment, which proceeds from 
 greatnefs of mind, or that fpeaks the 
 admiration of what is itfelf fublime, 
 is a proper ground-work for this air. 
 The fentiment expreffed by it may be 
 accompanied with fenfibility, but mud 
 be calm, and undidurbed by paffion. 
 This being the cafe, your Lordfliip 
 will fee, that the fubjeft of the porta- 
 mento 
 
£ 6o } 
 
 mento is of a nature too ferious and 
 important to admit of that degree of 
 ornament which is effential to the can- 
 labile. Like the Doric order in archi- 
 te&ure, though it rejette not ornament 
 altogether, yet it mud owe its effeft 
 chiefly to its fimplicity and grandeur. 
 If your Lordfeip will allow me, in a* 
 nother way, to illuftrate the fpecific 
 difference of thefe two clafles, I might 
 fay that, were Venus to fing, her mode 
 of fong would be the cantabile ; the 
 ■portamento would be that of the Queen 
 of gods and men. 
 
 Your Lordfhip will be fenfible, that,, 
 though the line between thefe two 
 claffes be diflindly drawn, yet they 
 
 may, 
 
C 6 1 ) 
 
 may, more or lefs, partake, fometimes, 
 of the nature of each other. Some 
 fentiments, for example, of a female 
 lover, all gentlenefs and fenfibility, 
 may yet be accompanied with a degree 
 of noblenefs, which, if properly felt 
 by the compofer, may induce him to 
 give a grandeur to the mufic that will 
 make it partake, more than ufual, of 
 the ftile of the portamento : As, on the 
 other hand, circumftances may be i- 
 magined in which the moft heroic fen- 
 timents, from the mixture of fome 
 tender affe&ion, may, without lofing 
 their dignity, be expreffed by ft rains 
 fomewhat more approaching to the 
 cantabile than the general character of 
 the air allows : But thefe, indeed, are 
 
 nice 
 
( 6 * ) 
 
 nice fhades of diftin&ion, which efcape 
 the controul of fixed rules, and can be 
 appretiated only by correfpondent feel- 
 ings. The peculiar qualities neceflary 
 for the proper performance of this air 
 are, firft of all, a powerful and beauti- 
 ful voice ; for, without this, no Ikill, 
 no tafte, no feeling even, can ever ren- 
 der long notes fupportable, much lefs 
 make them a fource of delight. Se- 
 condly, a clear and unequivocal pro- 
 nunciation, by virtue of which, not- 
 withftanding the length of the notes, 
 the articulations, with which they be- 
 gan, may be fo ftrongly impreffed on the 
 memory, as to render the fenfe eafily 
 followed and underftood. Laftly, A 
 graceful manner of a&ing, without 
 
 which. 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 which, in that kind of 6S a&ion fou* 
 
 tenue,” which the great length of 
 the notes requires, the deportment of 
 the aftor mull indeed be aukward in 
 the extreme. 
 
 I proceed now to give your Lordfhip 
 iome examples of thefe airs, beginning 
 with one of the moft ferious kind, 
 and, by its nature, the fartheft removed 
 from the cantabile : — It is likewife 
 taken from Metaftafio : — In the Ora- 
 torio of the pajfion of Chriji : 
 
 Dovunque ii guardo giro, 
 
 Immenfo Dio, te vedo 
 NelP opre tiie Pammiro, 
 
 Te reconofco in me. 
 
 Wherever 
 
( «4 ) 
 
 Where’er 1 turn my eyes, Great God, I 
 fee thee ; I revere thee in thy works ; I feel 
 thee in myfelf. 
 
 La terra, il mar, le sfere 
 Moftran il tuo potere ; 
 
 Tu fei per tutto, e noi 
 Tutti viviamo in te. 
 
 The earth, the fea, the heavens, (hew forth 
 thy power ; thou art over all, and we all live 
 in thee. 
 
 The following example is from the 
 opera of Attilius Regulus, by the lame 
 author. It is put in the mouth of the 
 Roman Conful, on hearing Regulus 
 infill on being fent back to Carthage. 
 
 Oh 
 
( 65 ) 
 
 Oh qual fiamma di gloria e d’onore 
 Sento fcorrer per tutte le vene, 
 
 Alma grande, parlando con te. 
 
 t V 
 
 Oh ! What a flame of glory and honour I 
 feel run through every vein, thou great foul, 
 in converfing with thee. 
 
 No, non vive fi timido core 
 Che in udirti, con quelle catene 
 Non cambiafle la forte d’un re. 
 
 No, there lives not a foul fo vile, who, hear- 
 ing thee, would not exchange with thefe chains 
 even the fortune of a monarch. 
 
 Here is a third from the fame opera: 
 
 - — The daughter of Regulus feeing her 
 father fo much occupied by the great 
 I public 
 
C -66 ) 
 
 public objeft he had in view, that he 
 appears dead to that paternal fondnefs 
 which fhe had before experienced from 
 him, fays, — 
 
 Ah ! father, Why are you Co much changed ? 
 
 To which he anfwers, clofmg the re» 
 citative, 
 
 My fortunes are changed, — I am ftill the 
 fame. 
 
 A I R, 
 
 Non perdo la calma 
 ■Fra i ceppi, o gli allori : 
 Non va fino all’ altaa 
 JLa mia fervitu. 
 
 Whether 
 
( <7 ) 
 
 Whether bound in chains, or encircled with 
 laurels, I lofe not my ferenity, my fervitude 
 reaches not the foul, 
 
 Combatte i rigori 
 Di forte incoftante 
 In vario fembiante 
 L’iftefla virtu. 
 
 The fame virtue, under different appear- 
 ances, combats the rigour of inconftant for** 
 tune. 
 
 LETTER 
 
( 6g ) 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 H E aria di mezzo earattere comes 
 
 JL next to be confidered. The fub- 
 jefts proper for this kind of air are 
 many, and very different, its particu- 
 lar character being neither the pathetic, 
 the grand, nor the paflionate, but the 
 pleafing. There may be an almoft in- 
 finite variety of fentiments, very pretty 
 
 and 
 
( 7 ° ) 
 
 and very interefting, which are not* 
 however, of fufficient importance to 
 be made the fubjed either of the can - 
 labile or the portamento The aria di 
 mezzo carattere comprehends all fuch. 
 — From the great variety which this 
 air, of confequence, embraces, as well 
 as from the lefs emphatic nature of the 
 fentiments to which it belongs, its ge- 
 neral expreflion is not fo determined 
 as that of the former claffes $ yet, with 
 refped to each individual air, the ex- 
 preffion is far from being vague or 
 dubious, and though fome greater la- 
 titude be here granted to the fancy of 
 the compofer, nothing is given to his 
 caprice, the fenfe itfelf of the words 
 clearly afcertaining, in point both of 
 
 degree 
 
( 7« ) 
 
 degree and quality, the expreffion. 
 The degree ought to be in exaft pro- 
 portion to the placidity or warmth of 
 the fentiment, and its particular caft 
 ought to be regulated by the nature of 
 that paffion to which the fentiment is 
 naturally allied $ for fentiments are but 
 gentler degrees of paffion. Thus, this 
 clafs of airs, whilft it retains its own 
 particular charafter, may, by turns, 
 have fome affinity with almoll all the 
 other daffies ; but, whilft its latitude is 
 great in refped of variety, its limita- 
 tions, with regard to degree, are ob- 
 vious ; — it may be foothing, but not 
 fad ; — it may be pleafing, but not ele- 
 vated ; — it may be lively, but not gay. 
 The motion of this air is, by the Ita- 
 lians,. 
 
{ 7 2 ) 
 
 lians, termed andante , which is the 
 exad medium of mufical time between 
 its extremes of flow and quick. As 
 the vocal part is never fuppofed here 
 to be fo beautiful and interefting as in 
 the higher daffes, the orcheflra, tho* 
 it ought never to cover the voice, is 
 not, however, kept in fuch fubordina- 
 tion to it ; — it is not only allowed to 
 play louder, but may be more fre- 
 quently introduced by itfelf, and may, 
 on the whole, contribute more to the 
 general effed of the air. 
 
 This kind of fong is admirably well 
 calculated to give repofe and relief to 
 the mind, from the great degree of at- 
 tention and (with refped to myfelf, at 
 
 Ieaft; 
 
( 73 ) 
 
 leaft, I might fay) agitation excited by 
 the higher and more pathetic parts of the 
 piece : — They poffefs the true character 
 which belongs to the fubordinate parts 
 of a beautiful whole, as affording a 
 repofe, not the eifedl of a total want 
 of intered, but of an intereft which they 
 call forth of a dilferent and more placid 
 Idnd, which the mind can attend to 
 with more eafe, and can enjoy without 
 being exhausted. I could wifh it were 
 in my power to give here three or 
 four examples of this air, the more 
 clearly to evince to your Lordfhip that 
 this air, whilft it retains perfectly its 
 own peculiar character, may fometimes 
 approach, in its expreflion, the canta~ 
 blle y fometimes the portamento , and 
 K fome- 
 
( 74 ) 
 
 Sometimes the parlanie , — but having, 
 but one volume of Metaftafio by me, 
 
 I cannot make that Selection of exam- 
 ples which I could wifh. ' The follow- 
 ing is from the facred compofition of 
 the death of Abel ; and, as your Lord- 
 ihip will obferve, partakes of the na- 
 ture of the cantabile. — AbelTpeaks ; 
 
 Quel buon pallor fon io 
 Che Canto i! gregge apprezza, 
 Che, per la fua falvezza, 
 
 OfFre fe fleffo ancor. 
 
 I arn that good fhepherd, who To loves his 
 flock, that, in defence of it, he offers his own 
 
 life. 
 
 Conofce 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 'Conofco ad una ad una 
 Le mie dilette agnelle; 
 E riconofcon quelle 
 11 tenero paftor/ 
 
 I know one by one my pretty little lambs 3 
 and they, in return, know each their tender 
 ihepherd. 
 
 letter 
 

 
LETTER VII. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 ROM what has been faid of the 
 
 JL foregoing clafies, it is evident, 
 that none of them are at all calculated 
 to exprefs any emotion which ap- 
 proaches to agitation. Their peculiar 
 ehara&eriftics, dignity, tendernefs, e- 
 legance, are fuitable to the more tem- 
 perate and finer feelings j their fubjeft, 
 in fhort, is fentiment rather than paf- 
 
 fion. 
 
( 7 § ) 
 
 fion. This laft, however, affords yet 
 
 a very wide field for mufical expref- 
 
 fion j and, perhaps, it is not going too 
 
 far to fay, that the more violent the 
 
 pafiion, the more apt the exprellion of 
 
 it is to receive additional energy from 
 
 the power of mufic. The kind of airs 
 
 which go under the general denomi- 
 , * 
 nation of aria parlante is that whofe 
 
 peculiar province is to exprefs violent 
 
 emotions of all kinds. As, on the one 
 
 hand, the neceffary conne&ion between 
 
 the fubjed of the portamento, the cant a- 
 
 bile, and the aria di mezzo carattere, 
 
 with the refpedive length of notes, 
 
 and, of confequence, flownefs of mea- 
 
 fure, which has been mentioned as 
 
 charaderiftic of each of thefe claffes, 
 
 is 
 
( 79 ) 
 
 is -evident; fo, on the other hand, the 
 incompatibility of emotions, in any de- 
 gree violent, with flow and deliberate 
 utterance, is .equally evident. The cir- 
 cumftance, from which this clafs takes 
 its denomination, being the acceleration 
 of fpeech, common to all emotions 
 whatever of the impetuous kind, it 
 comprehends, of confequence, a vaft 
 variety with refped both to quality and 
 degree : — It may be faid to take up 
 expreflxon juft w'here the aria di mezzo 
 carattere leaves it. Some airs of this 
 laft clafs, of the livelielt caft, may ap- 
 proach indeed fo near tofome ofth epar- 
 lante of the lead agitated kind, that it 
 might, perhaps, be difficult to fay to 
 1 which clafs they belonged ; but, as foon 
 
 as 
 
( So ) 
 
 as the expreffion begins to be in any de- 
 gree impetuous, the diftin&ion is evi- 
 dent, as the degree of paffion to be ex- 
 prefled increafes the air, affumes the 
 name of aria agitata , aria di Jirepito, 
 aria infuriata. Expreffions of fear, of 
 joy, of grief, of rage, when at all im- 
 petuous, to their higheft and moll fran- 
 tic degrees, are all comprehended un- 
 der the various fubdivifions of the 
 clafs. — Their rhythm has its peculiar 
 province, the effect of this kind of airs 
 depending, perhaps, chiefly on its pow- 
 ers. The inflrhimental parts are here 
 likewife of great efficacy, particularly 
 in the expreffion of the more violent 
 paffions, giving, by the addition of a 
 great body of found, and by the di- 
 
 ftin&nefs 
 
( 81 ) 
 
 ftinctnefs and rapidity of their execu- 
 tion, a force and energy to the whole, 
 which could never be the effedt of a 
 voice alone, however flexible, however 
 powerful ; and if it be allowed, that the 
 beating of a drum has, in confequence of 
 certain principles of found and rhythm, 
 a conliderable effect on the mind, and 
 that ten drums have a proportionably 
 greater effedt than one, it mult, I ap- 
 prehend, be alfo allowed, that founds 
 more beautiful, and as diftindt, nay, 
 infinitely more capable, from their du- 
 ration, to mark the rhythm by diftin- 
 guifhing paufe from length of note, 
 mull have a fimilar effect on the mind, 
 — finer, however, and more powerful, 
 in proportion to their fuperior beauty, 
 L 
 
 accu~ 
 
( 82 ) 
 
 accuracy, and other advantages. The 
 inftruments here, far from , being re- 
 ftriXed to the mere fupport of the 
 voice, are called in to co-operate with 
 it in producing one and the fame ef- 
 fect, but with greater power than that 
 which could be produced by the voice 
 alone. 
 
 I am well aware, it may be objeXed 
 here, that the greater the force of the 
 inftruments the more they will be apt 
 to overpower the voice, and, of confe- 
 quence, to deftroy the principal fource 
 of expreffion, namely, the fenfe of con- 
 nexion between the words and the 
 notes; and, perhaps, it may not be 
 very eafy to convince thofe, who are 
 
 not 
 
C 83 ) 
 
 not converfant with mufic, how it is 
 poffible this fhould not be the cafe. 
 All thofe, however, who have been ac- 
 cuftomed to hear good mufic well per- 
 formed, will be fatisfied, on recollec- 
 tion, that, in this kind of airs, they 
 have often heard a very numerous or- 
 cheftra exert all its powers, without in 
 •the leaf! covering the voice, or difgui- 
 ling the fenfe : And the reafon is lim- 
 ply this, that what is called the “ for- 
 “ tilfimo,” or extreme fdrce of the or- 
 eheltra, is not continued uniformly 
 throughout the accompanyment, which 
 would, indeed, have the effect of com- 
 pletely drowning the voice, — but that 
 this extreme exertion is inflantaneouf- 
 !y called forth, either in thofe particu- 
 lar 
 
( S 4 ) 
 
 lar notes which are peculiarly fignin- 
 cant of the rhythm, fuch as the firfl of 
 the bar, &c. or on fome note or notes 
 where the fenfe itfelf requires it ; after 
 which the piano or hufh of the orchef- 
 tra immediately takes place, bearing 
 the voice, excepting in fuch inftanta- 
 neous lightnings of found, if I may be 
 allowed the expreffion, eminently fupe- 
 rior throughout, nor ever playing for 
 any length of time with the fame con- 
 tinued, or with increafing force, ex- 
 cepting in the cafe of fome climax in 
 the expreffion, where the words have 
 either been already heard, or in which, 
 at leaf!, their fenfe, even were they not 
 diftin&ly heard, cannot, from the ge- 
 neral tenor of the air, be miftaken. 
 
 This 
 
( 8j ) 
 
 This extraordinary fvvell from all 
 the parts of the orcheftra is, in gene- 
 ral, pradifed with great fuccefs at the 
 conclufion of fuch airs, in which, fup- 
 pofing the words even not to be un- 
 derftood, (any further than they can 
 be gueifed at from the context, and by 
 the adion of the fpeaker), the effed 
 they are intended to have on the audi- 
 ence is more happily obtained than it 
 could be by the clear articulation of 
 them, unaccompanied by that torrent 
 of paflion, if I may fo fpeak, which 
 may be produced by this united exer- 
 tion of ali the inftrumental parts. — For 
 it muft be likewife obferved that paf- 
 fion, when very violent, is expreffed 
 not fo much by the words of the fpeak- 
 
 er 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 er as by other figns, — the tones of the 
 voice, the a&ion of the face, and the 
 gefture ; infomuch, that I am confident 
 1 have heard many airs of this kind, in 
 which, had the a£tor, without fpeaking 
 a note, looked and a£ted his part with 
 propriety, nobody would have been at 
 a lofs to judge either of the kind or of 
 the degree of paffion by which he feem- 
 ed a&uated. Roufieau, fomewhere in 
 his works, makes a very ingenious ob- 
 fervation, the truth of which the Italian 
 compofers feem evidently to have felt, 
 — That, as violent pallion has a ten- 
 dency to choak the voice, fo, in the 
 expreffion of it by mufical founds, a 
 roulade , which is a regular fucceffion 
 of notes up or down, or both, rapidly 
 
 pro- 
 
( 8 7 ) 
 
 pronounced on one vowel, has often a 
 more powerful effeQ: than diltinft ar- 
 ticulation : — Such paflages are fome- 
 times introduced in airs of this kind j 
 and, though I cannot help giving my 
 
 alfent to Roufieau’s obfervation, vet I 
 
 * 
 
 mull, at the fame time, confefs, that 
 they are too apt to be abufed, and that, 
 if continued for any length of time, 
 they have always appeared to me un- 
 natural. Upon the whole, I hope, 
 however, it mull be evident, even to 
 thofe who are not converfant with mu- 
 fic, that, in the expreffion of the more 
 violent paffions, the inflrumental parts 
 may have a greater latitude than in o- 
 ther kinds of airs, in which the emo- 
 tions being more moderate, the expref- 
 fion 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 fion of them depends proportionally 
 more on the force of the words, and 
 lefs on the tone and adlion with which 
 they are accompanied. But, whatever 
 may be the effedt of airs of this kind, 
 when properly led by the circumftances 
 of the piece and explained by the cha- 
 radter of the fpeaker, your Lordlhip 
 mult fee with what impropriety they 
 are introduced, as is frequently the 
 cafe, in our concerts, where, without 
 the audience being apprifed either of the 
 intereft of the piece, or the nature of 
 the charadters, they are fung by a fel- 
 low Handing bolt upright, with one 
 hand in his fide, and the other in his 
 breeches-pocket, and w'here, into the 
 bargain, the unmerciful fcrapers of our 
 
 orchehra 
 
( ) 
 
 ©rcheftra, taking the advantage of the 
 fortijfimo , which they find now and 
 then written above the notes of their 
 parts, feem to vie with one another, 
 who {hall moft effe&ually overpower, 
 throughout, both the voice of the fing- 
 er, and the melody of the fong. It 
 is this kind of ignorant fele&ion, and 
 murderous execution, which give fen- 
 fible people a diftafte to Italian mufic 
 in general; nor can they furely be 
 blamed for thinking it abfurd, that a 
 man fhould fay what cannot, in the 
 nature of things, be heard, and that 
 all that violent fracas and noife of in- 
 ffruments is a moll ridiculous accom- 
 panyment to the affected immobility 
 and unmeaning fimper of the finger. 
 
 M But 
 
( 90 ) 
 
 But to return to the fubjeft ; — your 
 Lordlhip will perceive, that between 
 thofe moll violent expreffions, and 
 thofe that are lead fo, which this clafs 
 comprehends, there mud be an almoft 
 infinite variety, in refpeft both of kind 
 and degree. 1 fhall, therefore, content 
 myfelf with giving your Lordlhip ex- 
 amples of the principal divifions only, 
 and fhall begin by that kind which I 
 mentioned before as taking up expref- 
 fion, where the aria di mezzo carattere 
 leaves it, and as being of this nature, 
 that it might even be fometimes diffi- 
 cult to decide which of thefe claffes it 
 belonged to. 
 
 ; J 1 1 A vj ‘ k . H ♦ ^ v 
 
 Del' 
 
( 9 * ) 
 
 Del fen gli ardori 
 NefTun mi vanti : 
 
 Non foffro amori ; 
 
 Non voglio amanti ; 
 
 Troppo mie cara 
 La liberta. 
 
 Let no one boaft to me the ardours of his 
 bofom : I fuffer not loves ; I am adverfe to 
 lovers ; my liberty is too dear to me. 
 
 Se foffe ognuno 
 Cofi fmcero, 
 
 Meno importune 
 Sarrebbe il vero 
 Saria pui rara 
 L* infedelta. 
 
 If every one were as fincere, truth would 
 be lefs offensive, and infidelity more rare. 
 
 If 
 
( 9 2 ) 
 
 If the words of this air were put in 
 the mouth of a gay young girl, thus 
 carefully fignifying her infenfibility to 
 ove and her defire of liberty, it might 
 with propriety be fo compofed as to 
 rank with the Airs di mezzo carattere , 
 and would be well exprefled by that 
 pleafing, though unimpaffioned, can- 
 tileno, which is chara&eriftic of that 
 clafs. But if, on the other hand, we 
 fuppofe them fpoken with a degree of 
 earneftnefs to an importunate lover, 
 in order to get rid of him, it mull, in 
 that cafe, certainly be fo compofed as 
 to belong to the firfl divifxon of the 
 aria par lanie* 
 
 in 
 
e 93 ) 
 
 In the following example no fuch. 
 uncertainty can take place, the degree 
 of paffion, or of intered, at lead, ex- 
 prefled by it, referring it plainly to this 
 lad clafs : Achilles fpeaks it, about to 
 leave Deidamia : 
 
 Dille che fi confoli, 
 
 Dille che m’ ami e dille, 
 Che parti fido Achiile 
 Che fido tornera. 
 
 Tell her to be comforted ; tell her to love 
 me ; and tell her, that Achilles left her faith- 
 ful, that faithful he will return. 
 
 Che a fuoi bei occhi foli 
 Fia che ’1 mio cor fi ftempre 
 Che V idol mio fu fempre 
 Che V idol mio fara. 
 
 That 
 
( 94 ) 
 
 That her charms alone fhall have the fo- 
 vere'gnty of ray heart ; that fhe ever was, 
 that (he ever fhali, be my only love. 
 
 In order to be as explicit as pofiible, 
 
 I {hail give your Lordfhip two other- 
 examples from the fame piece, which, 
 with regard to the expreflion, feem 
 nearly equal in degree, though widely 
 different inkind.— Deidamia, reproach- 
 ing Achilles for want of alfeftion, fays 
 
 No, ingrato, amor non fenti ; 
 
 O fe pur fenti amore, 
 
 Perder non vuoi del cor 
 Per me la pace. 
 
 No, ungrateful! thou feeleft not love ; or 
 if, indeed, thou feeleft it, thou art not willing, 
 for my fake, to lofe the peace of thy bofcm. 
 
 Amai y 
 
( 95 ) 
 
 Amai ; fe te ’1 rammenti, 
 E puoi fenza penar, 
 Amare e difamar 
 Quando ti piace. 
 
 Perhaps thou loveft ; but remember, thou 
 can’ft not love, and, without pain, ceafe to 
 love at pleafure. 
 
 The other is put in the mouth o£ 
 Achilles, on his fufpicion of being de* 
 prived of his miftrefs by a rival : 
 
 II volarmi il mio teforo ! 
 
 Ah dov’ e quefP alma ardita ? 
 A da togliermi la vita 
 Che vuol togliermi il mio ben. 
 
 Rob me of my treafure ! Ah, where is this 
 
 pre- 
 
( 9 « ) 
 
 prefumptuous foul ? He mull firft take my life 
 who would rob me of my love, 
 
 M* avvilifce in quefte fpoglie 
 II poter di due pupille ; 
 
 Ma lo fo ch’io fono Achille, 
 
 Ma mi fento Achille in fen. 
 
 The power of too bright eyes difgraces me 
 in thefe weeds ; but 1 know — I feel, that I am 
 Achilles. 
 
 Though the general acceleration of 
 fpeech common to each of thefe Airs, 
 and which, therefore, brings them un- 
 der the fame clafs, be, perhaps, nearly 
 equal in both, yet the Ikilful compofer 
 will nicely difcriminate, not only be- 
 tween the warlike audacity of Achilles, 
 
 and 
 
( 97 ) 
 
 and the feminine foftnefs of Dudanio, 
 but alfo between the expreffion of dif- 
 appointed affe&ion in the former, and 
 of jealous refentment in the latter. 
 
 I beg leave to offer the two follow- 
 ing examples alfo, as approaching, 
 in degree, to the foregoing, though 
 very different in kind; the firll par- 
 taking fomewhat of the tendernefs 
 which is chara&eriftic of the cantablle ; 
 the fecond of the dignity v/hich belongs 
 to the portamento. 
 
 Parto, non ti fdegnar ; 
 
 Si madre mia da te ; 
 
 Gli affetti a moderar 
 
 QuefP alma impara. 
 
 N 
 
 i 
 
( 98 ) 
 
 I go, be not offended ; yes, my mother, I 
 go ; this foul fhall learn from thee to moderate 
 its affections. 
 
 Gran Colpa pur non e 
 Se mal frenar fi puo, 
 Un figlio che perde 
 IJn figlio che trovo 
 Si cara madre. 
 
 Surely it is no heinous fault that a fon can* 
 not eafiiy command himfelf, who loft, who 
 found, fo dear a mother. 
 
 In the following Air, Xerxes, on 
 being reconciled to Themiftocles, thus 
 addreffes him : 
 
 Contrafto affai piu degno, 
 Se vuoi, cominciera j 
 
 Or 
 
( 99 ) 
 
 Or che la gloria in noi 
 L’odio in amor cambio. 
 
 A much nobler combat, if thou wilt, fhall 
 commence betwixt us ; now that glory has 
 changed our hatred into love. 
 
 Scordati tu lo fdegno 
 Jo le vendette obblio 
 Tu mio foftegno ed io 
 Tuo difenfor faro. 
 
 Forget there thy enmity, I will bury in ob- 
 livion my refentment ; thou fhait be my tup- 
 port, I will be thy protector. 
 
 In the following examples, the vio- 
 lence of the expreffion being increafed, 
 the mufic affumes the denomination of 
 aria agitata. 
 
 L’alnvi 
 
( I GO ) 
 
 Ifalma delira, 
 
 Par che manchino 
 Quafi i refpiri, 
 
 Che fuor del petto • 
 
 Mi balza il cor. 
 
 My foul grows delirious with exceffive joy; 
 1 pant for breath, my heart feems to jump 
 from my bofom. 
 
 Quant’ e pm facile 
 Ch’un gran diletto 
 Giunga ad uccidere 
 Che un gran dolor. 
 
 How much more apt is exceft of joy to '-kill, 
 than excefs of grief. 
 
 I cannot pafs by this example, how- 
 ever, without observing to your Lord- 
 
 ihip, 
 
( I°I ) 
 
 fhip, that the fecond part of the Air, 
 is by no means proper for mufical ex- 
 preffion : It ceafes to be the language 
 of paffion ; and is, befides, a refle&ion 
 which no perfon, in fuch a Hate as the 
 firft part indicates, would naturally 
 make. In fetting the Opera to Mufic, 
 a judicious compofer would ftrike it 
 out altogether. The next example, 
 though evidently different, with re- 
 gard to the kind of expreffion, belongs 
 to the fame fub-divifion of this clafs. 
 
 Gia l’idea del giufto fcempio 
 Mi rapifce, mi diletta, 
 
 Gia penlando alia vendetta 
 Mi commincio a vendicar. 
 
 Already 
 
( 102 ) 
 
 Already the Idea of the juft daughter de- 
 lights me ; already, thinking of my vengeance, 
 
 I begin to be revenged. 
 
 Gia quel barbaro quel empio 
 Fa di fangue il fuol vermiglio 
 Ed il fangue del mio figlio 
 Gia ft fente rin facciar. 
 
 I fee the impious wretch already dye the I 
 earth with his blood ; already the murder of J 
 my fon ftares him in the face. 
 
 The ^examples I am next to give 
 your Lordihip, are of that kind which j 
 takes the name of aria di fmanie ; for 
 which I do not recollect any phrafe in 
 Englifh exacUy equivalent : It is an 
 appellation given to the expreffion of 
 fuch emotions as take away, in fome 
 
 degree, 
 
( i°3 ) 
 
 degree, the right ufe of reafon, and 
 begin to border on infanity. 
 
 Non vedi tiranno 
 Ch’ io moro d’affanno 
 Che bramo che in pace 
 Mi iafci morir. 
 
 Seed thou not, tyrant, that I die of grief, 
 and only wifh thou wouldit fuffer me to die in 
 peace. 
 
 Ch’o Palma fi oppreffa 
 Che tutto mi fpiace, 
 
 Che quad me fteffa 
 Non poffo foffrir. 
 
 That my foul is fo oppreffed, that every 
 thing is hateful to me, that I can no longer 
 fuffer even myfelf. 
 
 DimmI 
 
( io 4 ) 
 
 Di'mmi crudel dov* e : 
 
 Ah non tacer cofi. 
 
 Barbaro Ciei perche 
 Infino a quefto di 
 Serbarmi in vita. 
 
 Tell me cruel — Where is fhe ? Ah do not 
 thus be filent, barbarous Heaven ! Ah, Why 
 didit thou prolong my life to this day. 
 
 Corrafi — Ah ! dove ? oh Dei ! 
 
 Chi guida e paffi miei 
 Chi, almen, chi, per meice 
 La via m’ addita. 
 
 Let me run, — Where ? oh God ! Who will 
 guide my fteps $ who, for pity’s fake, will di- 
 rect me i 
 
 Recitative. 
 
( *05 ) 
 
 RECITATIVE. 
 
 & Fuggi Sebafte,- ah dove 
 
 Fuggiro da me fteffo ? ah porto in feno 
 
 11 carnefice mio : dovunque vada 
 
 II terror, lo fpavento 
 
 Seguiran la mia traccia 
 
 La colpa mia, mi ftara fempre in faccia. 
 
 Fly Sebafte — ah whither fhall I fly from 
 xnyfelf? Alas! I carry in my bofom my exe- 
 cutioner; wherever I go horror follows my 
 iteps; my guilt mull ever flare me in the face. 
 
 A I R. 
 
 Afpri remorfi atroci 
 Figli del fallo mio 
 Perche fi tardi, oh Dio ! 
 
 Mi lacerate il cor. 
 
 O 
 
 Cruel 
 
Cruel heart- rending remorfe, offspring of 
 my crime ; Why, oh God, fo late doft thou 
 tear my bofom ? 
 
 Perche funefte voci, 
 
 Ch’or mi fgridate appreffo, 
 Perche vi afcolto adeffo, 
 Ne v’afcoltar fin or ? 
 
 Ye fatal voices, which now howl around 
 me, if deaf to you hitherto, why do 1 liften 
 to you now ? 
 
 The lafh divifion of this clafs of airs 
 is that which is adapted to the expref- 
 fion of paflion, of whatever kind, when 
 become frantic ; and is properly termed 
 aria infuriata . 
 
{. 10 7 ) 
 
 RECITATIVE. 
 
 —Non piu, Mandane, 
 
 11 mio furor mi avanza, 
 
 Non ifpirarmi il tuo, fremo abbaftanza. 
 
 No more, Mandane, infpire me not 
 
 with thine, my own fury is fufficient. 
 
 A I R. 
 
 &len bramofa di ftragi funefte, 
 
 Va fcorrendo l’Armene forefte 
 Fera tigre che i figli perde. 
 
 With lefs thirft; for blood and daughter, the 
 fierce tyger, robbed of its young, fcours the 
 Armenian forefts. 
 
 Ardo d’ira, di rabbia deliro 
 Smanio, fremo, non odo, non miro 
 Che le furie che porto con me. 
 
 Mr 
 
( io8 ) 
 
 My wrath confumes me, I rave, I rage, I 
 hear and fee nothing but the furies, which I 
 carry with myfelf. 
 
 Rendimi il figlio rriio : 
 
 Ah ! Mi fi fpezza il cor ; 
 
 Non fon piu madre, oh Dio ; 
 
 Non 6 piu figlio. 
 
 Give me back my fon oh, my heart 
 burfts ; — no longer am I a mother;— oh- God, 
 any child is no more. 
 
 Fra mille furori 
 Che calma non anno, 
 
 Fra mille timori 
 Che intorno mi ftanno, 
 
 Accender mi lento, 
 
 Mi fento gelar. 
 
 Surrounded 
 
( 109 ) 
 
 Surrounded by a thoufand furies which 
 know no calm, by a thoufand terrors which 
 inceffantly purfue me, by turns I freeze, I 
 burn. 
 
 I hope I have been able, by the 
 foregoing examples, to give your Lord- 
 ihip fome idea of the nature, extent, 
 and variety of this clafs of airs, as well 
 as of the reafon why lo great a variety 
 is comprehended under the fame ge- 
 neral denomination ; a circumftance 
 which, without due attention to its 
 caufe, would appear abfurd and con- 
 tradictory. Before I conclude, it is 
 proper to take notice to your Lordfhip, 
 that the w’ords of an air may be fo 
 written, as to afford fubjeft for two, 
 or even three, of the claffes hitherto 
 
 mentioned, 
 
( ”o ) 
 
 mentioned, not in a mixed manner, 
 but feverally, of which my memory 
 furnifhes me with the following exam, 
 pie : 
 
 Prla ch’io rieda al campo, 
 
 Penfa ch’io fon Romano ; 
 
 Che d’una fpada il lampo, 
 
 No, non mi fa terror. 
 
 Before I return to the camp, remember I 
 am a Roman ; that I rejoice in danger of bat- 
 tle.’ 
 
 Spofa, Signor, che affanno ! 
 Deh tergi i vaghi rai 
 Che fol nel dirti addio 
 Vacilla il mio valor. 
 
 Spoufe, — Sir,— what mifery! — for pity’s 
 
 fake 
 
( III ) 
 
 fake dry up thefe tears ; only, in bidding thee 
 adieu, my conftancy is fhaken. 
 
 Empio deftin tiranno : 
 
 O cento fmanie in feno* 
 
 O cento furie al cor. 
 
 Cruel, barbarous fate ; a thoufand torments 
 rend my bofom ; I have a thoufand furies in 
 my heart. 
 
 This air, your Lordffiip fees, is di- 
 vided into three different parts j the 
 firft of which, expreffing dignity of 
 fentiment, belongs to the portamento $ 
 the fecond, expreffing tendernefs, to 
 the cantabile ; and the third, expreffing 
 rage, to the lad divifion of the aria 
 pari ante. 
 
 LETTER 
 
( "3 ) 
 
 LETTER VIIL 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 F ROM what I have faid of the 
 aria di portamento, the cantabile , 
 the mezzo carattere , and the different 
 fub-divifions of the aria pari ante, I 
 hope I have, in fome degree, made it 
 plain to your Lordfhip, that there is no 
 affe&ion of the human bread, from the 
 flighted and mod gentle dirring of fen- 
 timent, to the mod frantic degrees of 
 P paffion, 
 
( ”4 ) 
 
 paffion, which fome one of thefe claffes 
 is not aptly fuited to exprefs. If this 
 be true, other claffes mud be either 
 bad or fuperfluous : This, in faff, is 
 the cafe of the aria di agilita , or aria 
 di bravura , as it is fometimes called ; 
 in treating of which, it will be almoft 
 fufficient to repeat to your Lordfhip 
 the defcription I gave of it in the 
 general enumeration of the different 
 claffes : It is an air compofed chiefly , 
 indeed too often merely , to indulge the 
 finger in the difplay of certain powers 
 in the execution, particularly extraor- 
 dinary agility or compafs of voice* 
 In fuch a compofition, the tneans are 
 evidently confounded with the end of 
 the art $ dexterity, (if I may be allow- 
 ed 
 
 \ 
 
( 1*5 ) 
 
 ed the expreffion), and artifice, infiead 
 of ferving as the inftruments, being 
 made the object of the work : Such 
 are the airs which, with us, we fo fre- 
 quently obferve fung to ears eredl, and 
 gaping mouths, whilft the heart, in ho- 
 neft apathy, is carrying on its mere 
 animal fundlion : And of this kind, in- 
 deed, are all the attempts, in the dif- 
 ferent arts, to fubflitute what is diffi- 
 cult or novel for what is beautiful 
 and natural. Where there has ever 
 been a genuine tafte for any of the arts, 
 this aptnefs to admire what is new and 
 difficult is one of the fir ft fymptoms of 
 the decline of that talle ; fuch is at 
 prefent the cafe in Italy with refpect to 
 all the arts ; but the admiration be- 
 llowed 
 
( «6 ) 
 
 (lowed in Britain on difficulty and no- 
 velty, in preference to beauty and firn- 
 plicity, is the effedt, not of the decline, 
 but of the total want of tafte, and pro- 
 ceeds from the fame principles with the 
 admiration of tumbling and rope- 
 dancing, which the multitude may gaze 
 on with aftonifhment long before they 
 are fufceptible of the charms of grace- 
 ful and elegant pantomime, thefe feats 
 of agility having exadlly the fame re- 
 lation to fine dancing that the above 
 mentioned airs have to expreffive ma- 
 fic : They are, therefore, I conceive, 
 incompatible with the nature of a ferr- 
 ous drama ; but in the burletta, or 
 comic opera, in which much greater 
 liberties may be taken, I think I have, 
 
 fome- 
 
( ,I 7 ) 
 
 foraetimes, heard them introduced with 
 fuccefs. In a comedy, a pretty frolic- 
 fome coquette may be fuppofed to cut 
 an elegant caper, at once to lhow her 
 legs and to difplay her fkill in dancing ; 
 nay, fuch a ftroke might be charadle- 
 riltic, and therefore proper: So a gay 
 falhionable lady might, with a kind of 
 graceful levity, exprefs, by an air of 
 this kind, fome of her pretty capricious 
 humours, equally unintelligible with 
 the mufic itfelf, the merit of both con- 
 filling merely in the prettinefs of the 
 'manner ; for this kind of mufic, tho’ 
 incapable of any exprefiion excepting 
 that, perhaps, of gaiety in general, may 
 yet have all the beauty which can be 
 given to it by a fine voice running, 
 
 with 
 
( MS ) 
 
 v.’ith eafe and velocity, though an ar= 
 rangment of notes, not in itfelf un- 
 pleafing, juft as the humour of the 
 lady, though perhaps rather unmean- 
 ing, may be accompanied with many 
 graces of countenance, figure, voice, 
 and motion. 
 
 Now, the union of all this with the 
 mufic, produces often, without any vi- 
 olation of propriety, a very happy ef- 
 fect on the ftage ; but your Lordlhip 
 ■will obferve with what abfurd impro- 
 priety thefe airs often make a part of 
 our concerts, where all this elegant 
 flirtation of face and figure is forbid- 
 den, and where thefe fanciful and ex- 
 uberant fallies are gravely pronounced 
 
 by 
 
/ 
 
 ( 1*9 ) 
 
 by a lady {landing at the harpficord 
 with downcaft, or, at beft, unmeaning 
 eyes, and without the {mailed apparent 
 tendency to motion. 
 
 LETTER 
 
I 
 
 
 
( HI ) 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 I Have now endeavoured to give 
 your Lordfliip as diftinct an idea 
 as I could of the fimple and accompa- 
 nied Recitative, and of all thofe clafles 
 of Airs which have names in Italian, 
 and which I mentioned in the firft ge- 
 neral enumeration I made of them. 
 There is, however, another fpecies of 
 Airs, which I have not claffed with 
 
 them, 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 them, becaufe it has no particular de- 
 nomination, though it appears to me 
 well deferving of that diftin&ion : But 
 this is eafily accounted for, when it is 
 confidered, as I took occafion to ob- 
 ferve in the beginning, that the names 
 of thefe claffes are all taken from cir- 
 cumltances of the pra&ical part of the 
 art. The Airs alluded to here are thofe 
 whofe fubject is a fimile, and which I 
 /hail venture to call Airs of Imitation : 
 Thefe, though effentially different from 
 all thofe before mentioned, yet, from 
 fome circumflance of fimilarity in the 
 praftical part, have been referred to 
 cue or other of the above claffes. 
 
 Though, 
 
( 123 ) 
 
 Though, upon the whole, fimiles of 
 any length be perhaps feldom admiffi- 
 ble in dramatic poetry, being in gene- 
 ral repugnant to the genuine expref- 
 fion of paffion, yet fometimes they may 
 be introduced without impropriety, 
 more particularly in the mufical drama, 
 which, like all the other arts, juftly 
 claims fome licenfe in practice, with 
 refpeCt to that beauty which is its chief 
 object, or that fpecies of pleafure which 
 it is peculiarly calculated to infpire. 
 
 Now, the greateh poflible variety of 
 mufical effeCt being exaCtly the per- 
 fection of this kind of drama, and thofe 
 Airs which have for their fubjeCt a fi- 
 raile, by giving fcope to the defcriptive 
 
 powers 
 
C 124 ) 
 
 powers of Mufic, being a fource of 
 great beauty and variety to the piece, 
 a more frequent introduction of fnniles 
 may, on this principle, be allowed in 
 the opera than in dramatic works, un- 
 accompanied by mufic. Before I pro- 
 ceed to give yourLordfhip any examples 
 of this Air, I beg leave to fay fome- 
 thing on the principle of Mufical Imi- 
 tation in general. And, firft, it is evi- 
 dent, that, befides the relations of acute 
 and grave, of loud and foft, of conti- 
 nuous and difcontinuous, which are 
 limply the fame in noife of all kinds, 
 as in mufical founds, there are many 
 circumlfances of refemblance between 
 thefe laft and other founds, for fome of 
 which we have not even names. The 
 
 found 
 
( 125 ) 
 
 found of a little flute, for example, re-, 
 fembles the finging of birds, not from 
 its Ihrillnefs merely, but on account of 
 a certain quality of found common to 
 both, which every ear is fenfible of, 
 but which we have no words to exprefs. 
 It is by this quality of found that we di- 
 ftinguifh the voices of perfons, though 
 fpeaking, perhaps nearly on the fame 
 pitch, and difcriminate different inftru- 
 ments while playing the fame mufical 
 notes ; and the Italians have, therefore, 
 very properly termed it il metallo della 
 voce. Again, motion in bodies, though 
 not common to motion in mufic, in all 
 its extent, is, in fome refpe&s, the 
 fame ; in others fimilar, or at leafl: a- 
 nalogous : Slow and quick, with re- 
 gard 
 
( 126 ) 
 
 gard to fucceffion, with all the poflible 
 degrees between their perceptible ex- 
 tremes, are common to both : The 
 fame may be faid of regular and irre- 
 gular \ and, where thefe fail, analogies 
 can be affe&ed by different means, as 
 flriking as circumftances of pofitive 
 famenefs or refemblance. Gliding, as 
 it is fometimes pra&ifed, both by the 
 voice and by certain inftruments, is 
 the fame in mufic as in bodies, it being 
 in reality the effect of that motion in 
 fome body a&ing on another. The 
 notes of mufic, however, being each, 
 by its nature, ftationary, cannot, ftri&ly 
 fpeaking, be faid to glide ; yet the idea 
 of a gliding motion is eafily conveyed 
 by a certain arrangement of notes: 
 
 In 
 
C * 2 7 ) 
 
 In the fame manner, foaring, finking, 
 and even level motion, are equally ea- 
 fily expreffed ; and though, to be fure, 
 a note cannot be faid to turn or run 
 round like a body, yet a fucceffion of 
 notes may be found that may give an 
 idea of circular motion, the difference 
 between thefe motions in mufic and in 
 bodies being fomething like the differ- 
 ence between thefe circles 
 
 Setting afide then the more obfcure a- 
 nalogies in mufic, which are felt, per- 
 haps, only in confequence of a certain 
 
 orga- 
 
( 128 ) 
 
 organization, or a degree of imagina- 
 tion not common to all men, it is fure- 
 ly evident, that refemblances or analo- 
 gies may be produced, by means of 
 .founds, and of their rythm and ar- 
 rangement, to every thing in nature, 
 which we perceive in confequence of 
 found and motion : Thus the whittling 
 of the winds, the noife of thunder, the 
 roaring and dafliing of the fea, the 
 murmurs of a ftream, the whifpers of 
 the breeze, — the folemn waving of a 
 lofty pine, the forked motion and mo- 
 mentary appearance of lightning, the 
 grand fwell of a billow, the rapidity of 
 a torrent, the meanders of a rivulet, 
 or the fmooth gliding of a filent ftream, 
 mult, even to thofe who have not a 
 
 mufical 
 
( 129 ) 
 
 mufical ear, appear all within the com- 
 pafs of mufical imitation ; for this 
 plain reafon, that pofitive refemblance 
 is, in fact, the ground of this imita- 
 tion. Nor does the analogy feem much 
 {trained, when we fay that mufic.may 
 imitate the tread of a giant, the light 
 and nimble footfteps of a nymph, or 
 even the motion of thofe fanciful beings 
 whom Shakefpeare has defcribed as 
 “ chafing, with printlefs feet, the eb- 
 “ bing Neptune.” But the imitation 
 of which mufic is capable is not {tinted 
 to fuch pofitive refemblances as thofe 
 now cited ; general ideas of hugenefs 
 and immenfity, of lightnefs and ele- 
 gance, of operations that are performed 
 with difficulty or with facility, of or- 
 R der. 
 
( x 3° ) 
 
 der, of confufion, of exertion, of re- 
 pofe, of energy, of debility, of fimila- 
 rity, of difcrepancy, of union, of incom- 
 patibility, and many more, may be 
 clearly conveyed by different qualities, 
 modifications, arrangements, rythm, 
 and combinations of mufical founds. 
 With refpeft to the more diftant and 
 obfcure analogies, fuch as that to cold, 
 light, darknefs, pain, and the like, as, 
 to thofe who are lefs fenfible of the 
 effects of mufic, they may feem to ori- 
 ginate rather in the enthufiafm of the 
 hearer than in any reality in the art, 
 I fhall not infift on them. 
 
 1 hope, upon the whole, your Lord- 
 !hip will agree with me that it is evi- 
 dent 
 
( * 3 * ) 
 
 dent that there are fufficient grounds 
 to go upon to judify the attempt of i- 
 mitative mufic as diftinCt from paffion- 
 ate ; and that the introduction of airs 
 of this lad kind mud, in confequence 
 of the variety they give, tend to beau- 
 tify the whole, and render it more 
 complete. I mud confefs, however, 
 that I have often feen them ufed too 
 frequently in the fame piece ; and that 
 the effeCt of them can never be com- 
 pletely fine when they are not dictated 
 by, and accompanied throughout, with 
 fome fentiment or paffion of the fpeak- 
 er. — The following is an example in 
 point. 
 
 REC I- 
 
I *3 2 ) 
 
 RECITATIVE. 
 
 Tn ogni forte 
 
 L’ideffa e la virtu ; Pagita e vero, 
 
 11 nemico deftin, ma non Popprime ; 
 
 E quando e men felice, e piu fublime. 
 
 In every date virtue is the fame ; adverfe 
 fate, it is true, agitates, but cannot opprefs it,; 
 and when it is lead happy, it is then mod fu- 
 blime. 
 
 A I R. 
 
 Quercia annofa, fu Perte pendici. 
 
 Fra il contrado di venti nemici, 
 
 ^Piu fecura, piu falda ft fa. 
 
 The knotted oak, which, high on the rug- 
 ged cliffs, braves the contending winds, be- 
 comes by them more firm and more fecure. 
 
 £ he 
 
( *33 ) 
 
 Che s’el verno di chiome le sfronda, 
 
 Piu nel fuolo col pie fi profunda, 
 
 Forza aquifta, fe perde beka. 
 
 And if the winter defpoils it of its leaves, 
 it makes it fink deeper in the earth its roots, 
 and it acquires ftrength in proportion as it 
 lofes beauty. 
 
 In the foregoing example, the image 
 of the oak itfelf on the high cliffs, the 
 raging of the winds, and the dignity 
 of the fentiment in the fpeaker, all 
 confpire to produce the fame effedl of 
 grandeur. But I have feen airs, in 
 which the fubject of the paffionate part 
 was different from that of the imitative, 
 fo contrived, as to keep each moft di- 
 itinUly feparate from the other, whilft, 
 
 at 
 
C *34 ) 
 
 at the fame time, the union of both 
 made one beautiful whole. Handel, 
 in his Oratorio of Acis and Galatea, 
 has produced a mafter-ftroke of this 
 kind. — Galatea, addrefiing herfelf to 
 the birds that are fuppofed to be fmg. 
 ing around her, fays, 
 
 Hufh, hufli, ye little warbling quire, 
 
 Your thrilling drains 
 Awake my pains. 
 
 And kindle fierce defire. 
 
 In this example, there is no compa- 
 rifon made ; the imitative part is only 
 fuggefted by the fenfe, and the com- 
 pofer has taken the hint in adapting 
 the mufic to it, and has Indeed done 
 
 it 
 
C *35 ) 
 
 it with the utmoft propriety as well as 
 ingenuity. It is plain, in this air, 
 that, if the imitation of any thing is 
 to be at all attempted, it mull be that 
 of the warbling quire : And it is as 
 plain, that the paffionate expreffion of 
 the fpeaker has not even the molt di- 
 ftant relation to the finging of birds j 
 — to have fet the voice a Tinging, in 
 imitation of the birds, or, whilft the 
 voice fang the paffionate part, to have 
 made the birds fing either in unifon, 
 or in direct harmony, with the voice, 
 would have been each equally abfurd. 
 It would feem, indeed, at firft fight, 
 almoU impoffible to reconcile two 
 things fo different ; yet this great ge- 
 nius, by confining each part to its pro- 
 per 
 
( « 3 « ) 
 
 per province, has fo artfully managed 
 the compofition, that, whilft the vocal 
 part moll feelingly fpeaks the paffion, 
 a little flagellet from the orcheftra car- 
 ries on, throughout, the delightful 
 warbling of the quire, and though per- 
 fectly different in found, melody, and 
 rythm, from the notes fung by the 
 voice, inftead of diftra&ing the atten- 
 tion from it, or confounding the ex- 
 preffion, ferves to add new beauty and 
 grace to the effect ; juft as your Lord- 
 fhip may conceive a naked figure fo 
 veiled with fome light and tranfparent 
 veftment floating to the wind, as at 
 once completely to reveal the figure, 
 and, by its undulating folds, add new 
 charms both to the motion and the 
 
 form. 
 
( *37 ) 
 
 form. Nothing can put in a ftronger 
 light the difcrimination which I before 
 made to your Lordlhip, of the pafiion- 
 ate and imitative powers of mufic, 
 than the above mentioned air, or more 
 clearly evince the propriety of affign- 
 ing the firfl to the voice alone, and of 
 confining the inftruments to the other 
 only. This principle, indeed, long be- 
 fore it was perhaps ever thought of, 
 either by philofophers or compofers, 
 inuft have been generally felt ; and 
 even the powers of the great Handel 
 could not compenfate its violation in 
 compofition ; for, in the very fame 
 opera, a little after, when Galatea is 
 made to convert Acis into a ftream, 
 and, after the fymphony has made a 
 S fine 
 
( 133 ) 
 
 fine imitation of the winding of the 
 ftream through the vale, he makes 
 Galatea repeat it with her voice ; and, 
 though the mufic of the air be, in o- 
 ther refpeds, beautiful in the extreme,, 
 yet I do not believe it was ever per- 
 formed without appearing tedious, e- 
 ven to thofe who never dreamed of 
 this principle ; and, to thofe who were 
 acquainted with it, at once tedious and 
 abfurd. 
 
 In the firft example I gave your 
 Lordlhip of thefe airs of imitation, the 
 comparison is itfelf the fubjed, and the 
 nature of the fentiment coinciding per- 
 fediy with it, only ferves to increafe, 
 perhaps, the general pathos, without 
 
 forming, 
 
( *39 ) 
 
 forming, in any degree, a feparate 
 fubject. — The fecond contains plainly 
 a double fubjeft, contrived with won- 
 derful art to go on together, to fet off 
 each other, and to form one beautiful 
 whole. There is ftill a third kind of 
 thefe airs, that holds a middle place 
 between thofe two, in which, there be- 
 ing no exprefs comparifon, the imita- 
 tive part, as in the laft, is only fug- 
 gelled by the words, but being, as in 
 the firft, of the fame quality, as it 
 were, with the fentiment, does not 
 make the immediate fubjeft of the 
 muffc, but is kept fubordinate to the 
 expreflion of the paflion or fentiment. 
 The following air is of this fpecies : 
 
 latendo 
 
X H° ) 
 
 Intendo, amico rio ; 
 
 Quel baiTo mormorio 
 
 Tu cliiedi in tua favella 
 
 II noflro ben dov’ e. 
 
 I underhand thee, gentle river ; in that 
 plaintive murmur, thou inquired with me 
 where our love is gone. 
 
 As the comparifons which make the 
 •fubject of thefe airs, or, as the cbjedls 
 of which they only fuggeft the imita- 
 tion, may be fublime, elegant, gay, 
 boiflerous, &c. fo they may feverally 
 have a relation to fome one or other 
 of the claiTes before mentioned, the 
 portamento , the cantabile , the mezzo ca- 
 raticre , and the different divifions of 
 .the aria par I ante. — and, of confe- 
 
( 141 ) 
 
 quence, may be referred to them ; the 
 divifion which I have made of mufic 
 into paflionate and imitative being ra- 
 ther of a philofophical kind, whiKt 
 that by which the Italians have formed 
 the different claffes of their airs origi- 
 nates, as I have faid, in circumftances 
 of practice only. So juft is their 
 divifion, that, to give a diflindl idea of 
 any of thefe airs, we mull fay it is an 
 air of imitation of the portamento flile, 
 or of the cantabilc, he. 
 
 F I N I S. 
 

 

 
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