VAULT fc-V 'fd.-- $ . * >' c.Jx ■ ili "■ • :vfai h ^SSSft'iiiiii* >® ? ^ ; %r" . , r ■ ■ i £* «?£* e Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/artofmusickbyjohOOIamp f HE A R m O F M U S I C K. By JOHN PREDERICK LAMPEi For Man, Nature s Mlnijler arid Interpreter, doth and un- der- /lands fo much, as he hath by Operation or Contemplation cbferved of Nature's Order ; nor can knoiv or do any morel Lord Bacon's Preface to Advancement of Learning. LONDON: Printed for G* Cor be tt, at Addifori% Head, iii Fketftreett 1740. [Price Two Shillings and Six-pen^e.] ( 3 ) illB§lii& THE PREFACE. C V HESE few Sheets have bee?i the S* Labour of Years, and I hope not ill be/lowed, if my Endeavours have fucceeded to form Rules for Mufeck from the Principles and DiEiates of Nature accomplijhing her own Work. As to what I have faid againft the mo ft material Principles of the ancient Writers upon Mufick I hope my Rea- ders will fnd in this Treatife fuffcient Reafons for reje&ing them, and will approve of my dfavowing Errors, thd of never fo long a fta7tding. I am not infenfible, thai this Work may be in Danger of being oppofed as a Novelty, but from thofe who can or lpill refeB, I fear no Qppofition, Lei 1027715'- ( 5 ) Lei it not be thought, I elevate my- f elf above another \ or pretend to Jet my- Jelf at the Head of the Science, my Endeavours have been to make Difcove- ries to improve myfelf and others, but if I have found out the Mine, I dont pretend to engrofs the Treafura. I have givejt but few Rules, its true, but they are followed by Examples that I hope fhow the Force of my Reafoning, and perhaps more then could be expe&ed info fhort a Piece. If the Rules I have laid down are good, folid and jufl, arifeng 07ie from the other by natural Order, the Foun- dation is well laid, fo that we may build upon it, without Fear of Confufon, and raife the Superftru&ure with due Beauty and Symmetry ofParts,andfuch who judge and think for themfelves^ will approve them ; to the ferious 'Thoughts therefore of the Candid and Judicious they are recommended, THE The C O N T E N T S r MUSICK preferable to other Arts and Sciences . Page i The Power of Mufick over our Paflions The Necefllty of Principles to form the true Qrounds of Mufick They are taken from Nature Of Uniformity in Mufick 2 The Want of true Principles, the Caufe of Miftakes and Abfurdities Principles of Mufick, taken from Mathematicks, fallacious. Concerning the Ancients, who wrote about Mufick Their Principles condemn'd ■» The Moderns mifled by them The. Senfe of Hearing mod; necefTary for the Know- ledge of the Nature of Sounds The Beauties of Mufick loft by following Mathema- tical Principles A clear Conception of the feveral Changes of the human Paflions necefTary for a Compofer 4 Variety of Sounds required to touch the Paflions The greateft Mafter not acquainted with them all Some of the Caufes confider'd Mr. Locke's Opinion upon the Imperfection of our Perception The Performance infipid, without touching the Paf- fions K The Beauties and Variety of Expreflions in Mufick are infinite ? Experiment, Reflexion, and Pradice necefTary for the finding of them 5 —Are founded in Nature Improved by Art The Duration of one fingle Sound confider'd 7 A human Voice prefer'd before other Sounds in Mu- lick The Expreflion of a human Voice commended . 8 Art ! CONTENTS. Art and Application neceflary for the Improvement of a human Voice Page 8 Loudnefs and Softnefs in mufical Expreflions con- fider'd The Power of fuch Expreflions over the Paflions A proper Degree of mufical Loudnefs required 9 Straining and bawling difcommended Directions for encreafing a Sound into mufical Loud- nefs 10 A regular Motion and Time required A ftrong ImpreJJion of Harmony neceffaty to good Performers 1 1 Of the Want of it The Dependence of one Sound upon another to be learn'd , Has been the Study of the Learned in all Ages J 2 The Reafon of their ill Succefs The Ancients not rightly acquainted with the Rela- tion of Sounds Nature by her free Operation gives us a Chain of relative Sounds Objections in Favour of the ancient Syftems of Mu- fick confider'd and refuted 1 3 The Moderns fuperior to the Ancients in their Com- pofitions and mufical Performances Pythagoras's Difcovery of fome Species of Harmony confider'd The Reafon of his Miftakes A blind Man may be a good Performer 14 The ImprefTion of Harmony confider'd and com- mended 1 5 Proportionable Numbers and Meafuring of Sounds rejected My Lord Bacon's Opinion concerning th$ Reverence due to Antiquity 1 6 The Ancients to be no Patterns for us in Mufick at this Day No right Method hitherto pointed at to try the va= rious Relations of mufical Harmony CONTENTS. The Difficulty of finding out the Grounds of Mu- fick, and forming of Rules from the Scores of the ben: Matters Page 1 7 The fruitlefs Endeavours of the Author that Way The Manner how to find the firft Quality of Sounds The Sounds of a String on a Harpficord confider'd 1 8 The Ear the greateft Help to diftinguifh them The Neceflity of a nice Ear in Regard to mufical Harmony All practical Harmony truly derived from Nature in her free Operation The Sounds fo given to be ttrongly imprcfs'd on the Mind 19 Memory neceflary Method of fixing the Sounds there Of inward Melody Of Tranfpofition Their Ufe The Neceflity of clofe Study to diftinguifh the Com- bination of Sounds 20 Their Relation and Modification - Art neceflary Directions for the Ufe of it Experiment of the various Sounds produced by one String during its Vibration by one pulfe Nature to be left at Liberty 24 Some Directions on that Head Art and Invention inferior to Nature Mathematical Rules by Numeration and Meafuring in Regard to mufical Harmony exploded All Rules in Mufick to be taken from Nature in her free Operation 25 The Compafs of mufical Harmony according to Na- ture A Rule laid down for forming any mufical Piece The three different Kinds of Sounds by which Na- ture eftablifhes perfect Harmony confider'd 28 An Impreflion of the firft Species of Harmony abfo- lutely neceflary 29 The CONTENTS. ^ The Reafon why Page 2'cf Every Sound tho* of the fmalleft Diftance from the other has its perfect Harmony Directions for the ufmg of them, and the Doctrine of Modulation confider'd Several of the Rules given by the Author of a Trea- tife on Harmony r dedicated to all Lovers of Mufkk, cohfider^d and refuted %6 The.Author's Definition of Melody 46" A Maxim to be obferved not to repeat too often the fame Species and Manner of Modulation 47 A good Management of the Varieties of Sounds ne- ceffary A new Style dangerous to be attempted, and why ? The Manner of making the fame Species of Har- mony appear new as often as repeated Some Directions for ordering the Variety of the Numbers of performing Parts 49 A due Succeffion of a greater or leffer Number of per- forming Parts neceffary 50 The Manner how to clofe the Parts well The Effect the Seventh hath added to a Cord, with a greater Third The Nature of the firft Species of a Tune or Air 52 The great Confequence of a fufficient ImpreiTion of Harmony 52 Only two Sorts of Harmonies in Nature Directions for a regular Succeffion and proper Return of thefe Harmonies The Foundation of a Key in Mufick ^ 53' — Confifts of what is call'd full and half Tones 54 The Reafon of Sounds being called natural 55 The Difference between an original and a tranfpofed Key The Properties of a Key, with the leffer Third 56 The Method to compote in thefe Keys, with as many different Parts as Nature will admit of gC XH ( I ) THE Art of Mufick. riPl H E jufl Title that Mufick hath had I to the Preference of all other Arts and Sciences, from the earlieft Accounts of Time, hath been fully agreed to by the beft Hiftorians. Delight is certainly the Centre of every Man's Wifh, and that Mufick has the Power to give it, by engaging our Attention, and working upon our Affections, mult be al- lowed ; it has fuch a tranfcendant Maflery over our Paffions as to be able to turn us furprifingly from one to another, which is evident almoft to every one who hears good Mufick , they find themfelvcs touched, but few know the Reafon why they are fo ; but this Knowledge cannot be attained without firft obtaining fuch Princi- ples as are neceffary for forming the true Grounds of Mufick^ and thqfe Principles muft be firft taken from Nature (for there they are founded^ and formed upon obferving her Ope- rations ) and being duly connected, and flrongly B knpreffed 2 The Art ^/Musick. impreffed on our Minds, enable us to form right Conclusions, and to bring the Work to Perfection ; the whole Performance muft be put into fuch a Method and Order that it be uniform throughout, and confiftant with itfelf ; by this Means there will arife a lafting Satif- fadlion to the Party, who will be furprifed with the pleading Variety which creates the Har- mony. Thofe who fet out on other Principles, or on their own Notions, governed by no Rules, (or fuch as ought to be none,) let their Genius be ever fo great, yet are they led into Miftakes and Abfurdities, and they will never be able to produce any thing correct, or even worthy No- tice, and if any thing pretty happens to be found among Heaps of Inconfiftances, we can be only forry that a good Genius had been no better taught. The original Caufe of the Miftakes, that have been made by fome of the moil: learned among the Ancients in Mufick was, that they took their nril Principles from the Mathe- maticks, and by endeavouring to make Mufick fubfervient to Numbers and Lines, and by calculating Proportions, have done them- felves infinite Prejudice, but enduring Thou- fands of Years in a Manner uncontrouled, and the The Art of Musick, • the latter Age fettered by Cuftom, thofe looked no farther, but took all they had found for all that could be found, and thefe rarely venture out of their Steps, but take from them every thing upon Truft, and facrifice their Judg- ment and Underftanding to the Authority of the Ancients, and meanly give up the great Prerogative of thinking and judging for them- felves. Had it been duly confidered, that the Know- ledge of the Nature of all Sounds depend upon the Senfe of Hearing, they would have eafily found, that Mufick is not confined to Mat he- maticks, nor would they have taken fo much Pains, to fettle a Syftem upon fuch Principles, which {were they ftrifily followed) would deprive us of the greateft Part of the Beauties of Mufick, It is true, Sounds may have as exa£t Pro- portion as Numbers, Lines, or Bodies, and may be calculated Arithmetically, but this deftroys the great Variety of fucceeding Har- monies, and therefore Mufick muft have other Principles then fuch as are built upon the Mathematicks. Nature has given us mufical Sounds, by which the Soul of every thinking Creature muft be touched, who has any tolerable Ear B 2 for 4 The Art ^/Musick, for Mufick, to affect them with Mirth, Sorrow*' or Surprife in a greater or lefTer Degree ; can Mathematicks ftsrnim us with fu-ch Principles as are proper upon thefe Occaiions ? Indeed it muft needs (to the Conn derate) appear a Work that requires all our Attention, to gain a clear Conception of the feveral Chan- ges of human Paffions, and fo to manage them as to raife ox fall them by mufxal Sounds , where every Thing fhould rife and fall, only according to Nature ; to have the pleafing Variety of Sounds ever before us, and as it were the Eye of the Soul turned upon the Perfor- mance, and here we muft reach as far as we can, tho' we fall fhort at laft ; fince the greateft Mafter can fay no more then that they are ac- quainted only with fome few Turnings and Windings in this great Labyrinth -, and the Rea- fon may be this, as the judicious Locke obferves, whofe Words I beg leave to quote on this Oc- cafion, cc How much the Imperfection of accu- " rately difcriminating Ideas, one from an- " other, lies either in the Dullnefs or, Faults only to affift the Memory, he might, as he was a ftudious and a wife Man, have made a wonderful Progrefs in this Science* Had he liftned to the Duration of the dif- ferent Sounds of a String, in its free Vibra- tion, what then mull have been his Surprife at the Harmony he would there have found,, when he was fo aftonifhed at the Sounds of Hammers. The Senfe of hearing is certainly more §£ fential to Mufick then any other of the Senfes; as the Eye is either pleafed or dif~ pleafed by the Objeft, fo is the Ear by Sound, and the Ear, not the Eye, muft dif- tinguifh its Beauties ; even a blind Man may gain fuch an Impreffion of Harmony, as muft be allowed can make an excellent Performer^ as well as a good Judge of Mufick ; and fome who know not any thing of Mufick can tell, if a Song (their Ear has been acquainted with) be fung in, or out of Tune, altho' they are igno- rant of the Proportion or Meafure of thole Sounds, and nothing is more common then for ignorant Fidlers to tune their Fiddles by fifths , altho' they have no Knowledge of their refpec- tive Proportions, and this is done by the Help of the Ear only. a The Art (?/Musick, ijj He that tunes his Voice, or an Inftrument, thinks not of, or perhaps knows not, either the Proportion of his Voice, or the Meafure of the Strings, yet by the Impreffion he hath gained of Harmony ', and by the true Afliftance of the Ear, he makes the Sounds throughout agreeable to practical Harmony. Another Inftance, that the Impreffion of Sounds, conveyed by the Help of the Ear to the Mind, has a ftronger and more furprifing Effe& than by the Afliftance of proportionable Numbers or Meafures is, that if one Angle Sound is made on an Inftrument in the ufual Pitch, a fkillful Matter will immediately name it without having the Advantage to hear or compare it with another, and by Sounds conveyed to the Mind (and there jixt) by the Help of the Ear only, the Lear- ner without any other Afliftance, can pro- duce the fame Diftances at any Time, with- out any mathematical Afliftance, and therefore the Ear, not the Eye, ftands our beft Friend in eftablifhing the Properties, natural Qualities and Diftances in Harmony, nor has the Sight any Share in Relation to its firjl Principles. I have dwelt the longer upon this Point, it being abfolutely Neceflary to fhow how Mif- jta&es 1 6 "The Art of M u s i c k. takes firft began, and the Reafons why thofe Syftems were not brought to greater Perfection, and that a much perfecter one is required in Muftck, That eminently great Man Lord Bacon has obferved in his Treatife of the Ad- vancement of Learning, that Antiquity deferves that Reverence that Men Jhould Jiay awhile , and Jiand thereupon^ and look about to difcovef which is the bejl Way ; but when the Difcovery is well taken, then not to reft there \ but chear- fully to make ProgreJJion* I am very far from denying the Praifes due; to the Merit of the Ancients for their Endea- vours, but Reafon and Experience convinces me, they ought to be no Patterns for us in Mu- Jick y fince their Syftems are founded on fuch defective Principles. It is furprifing to find, that not an Author (to the beft of my Knowledge) who hath written about Muftck ever pointed at a Method by which to try the various Relations of mufi- cal Harmony, to diftinguifh and difpofe Sounds in fuch a Manner as the Learner might at once receive Delight and a thorough Impreffion, with- out which he muft have a very imperfect Notion of Muftck. Thofe The Art of Mu sick. 17 Thofe who have been inclined to ftudy thoroughly to learn the Grounds of Mufick, have for the moft Part, for want of fome Rules to guide them better, been obliged to make Ufe of the Scores of the beft Matters they could get, in order to learn their Man- ner, and pick and cull here and there for Prin- ciples to begin with ; thus groping in the Dark, its no Wonder if they loft their Way, fuch Pieces of Mufick being only Samples of the Compofers Fancy and Tajle ; what Pains, La- bour, Doubts, and continual Apprehenfions of fetting out wrong, attend Beginners of this fcind is inexpreffible, I remember it too well myfelf, which put me firft upon feeking for the true Principles of Mufick, from which the Learner might regularly improve, without fo great and almoft fruitlefs Fatigue of Body and Mind. From Nature therefore I take my firft Principle, and from thence form my firft ge- neral Rule, how to find the Quality of Sounds, with their proper Species and Rela- tives, and fhow the Reafons for the Variety of Movements, from Harmony to Harmony ; and upon this Head I can find nothing has been faid to the Purpofe ; notwithftanding the great Number of large Volumes extant, C By i8 The Art 0/MusicK. By ftriking one of the biggeji or longefi Strings on a Harpfichord or Spinnet, and carefully liftning to it, we may hear different harmonious Sounds, during the Vibration of that String, this Nature freely gives us ; and were not the Modification of thofe united .Sounds w r e hear on one String different, we could not diftinguifh any more than one Sound, nor can they be conveyed to the Mind, but by the Help of the Ear, and as this is more or lefs perfecl, the Mind more or lefs perceives the Truth, Beauty, Nature, and Variety of the produced Sounds -, and whatfo- ever Sounds a nice Ear is either uncapable of hearing, or bearing, cannot regard mufical Harmony. How this "Experiment may be looked up- on at firft Sight I know not, but I am fure as fimple as it may feem, the curious and at- tentive Experimenter will find this leaves Na- ture to her own free Operation, and by the Motion or Vibration of one fingle String gives a perfedl Connnedion, or Chain of Harmony : And from this great Original of mufical Sounds, as from the Fountain Head, all prac- tical Harmony is naturally and truly derived. Nature The Art of Mu sick. 19 Nature therefore having given us thefe Sounds in her free Operation, they fhould be ftrongly impreffed and fixed on the Mind, fo as to always have them in Readinefs in the Memory ; and to do this, we but follow what is ufed in Practice, which is to repeat the fame Sounds or Cord very often on the Harpficord, from which the other Inftru- ments are tuned ; which is done on Purpofe to give fuch an Impreffion as to enable the Per- former to put his Inftrument in the fame Pitch ; then comparing one Sound with another (not one String) higher or lower {not mathemati- cally) but mujically, that is to hear the Sounds together, then one after another, by this means the Mind perceives their different agreeable Qualities and Effedts. By gaining thus the Imprejfton of one Species of Harmony, the Mind, by forming an inward Me- lody, is capable of forming any Species of Har- mony, of the fame Kind, either higher or lower, which is called Tr an/portion, which repeated and compared with others, in the fame Man- ner, become familiar to the Mind. A Variety of melodious Sounds being thus imprinted in the Memory, the Mind can filently within it- felf form Airs, and repeat Songr y and the Soul as fenfibly touched as if it was heard from C z without 20 c The Art of Mxjsick. without from Voices or Inftruments. A Corn- pofer often compofes without an Inftrumentj and a Performer makes his Airs, Humour s^ Graces, or Fancies extempore, many of which are oftentimes almoli quicker then Thought. Nature out of her Abundance has given us fuch a neceffary Combination, fuch Relations^ and Qualities, fuch beautiful and fprightly Connections, fuch Elegancies of the constituent., as well as ornamental Parts of Mufick, that it requires diligent Application, accurately to dif- tinguifh their feveral various Modifications \ this is the Buiinefs of experimental Philofophy\ and here Art muft keep as clofe to Nature as poflible, nor is Art ever fo perfect as when it imitates Nature moil. Nature in her free Operation, by one Pulfe of a String in the Pitch o£AA 5 gives the fol- lowing combined Sounds, and their Species of Harmony, as in Example the Firft 3 Plate i . A. founding with A A. the Ear diftinguiihes an agreeable Refemblance and Affinity of Sounds between them, with this Diftin&ion only, that A. is of a higher and fmaller Tone then the A A. and mutually give harmonious Sweetnefs ; and for this Reafon a Violon called a The Art o/Musick. 21 a double Bafs, and a double Baffoon gives fuch a Spirit to mufical Performances when play'd in Octaves with the four String Bafs and Baffoons. E. the third Sound taken from Nature, founding with its principal A A. has a more beautiful Effect, the Sound of £. to A A. is perceived to be quite of another Kind or Spe- cies, but that a middle Part is wanting to bet- ter connect the Harmony, and if A. is put to fill up that Vacancy, the Harmony is aug- mented and made more pleafing. a. the fourth Sound, produced by Nature, founding with A A. we perceive it to be of the fame Species, but at a greater Diftance then any I have mentioned from A A. and makes a greater Contrail between high and low Sounds then any beforetreated on. This may ferve for a Maxim -, a Treble fetts off a Bafs-part more than a Counter Te- nor, and a Counter Tenor, more than a Tenor Part. If A. as a Medium, be founded with A A. and a, they being all of one Kind or Species^ and at fuch a Diftance from each other (altho' it be Harmony) yet there's not half the Power and Beauty in it as A A. founding with A, C 3 and 22 7fa Art of Mvsick. and E. becaufe E. is a different Kind, and fills up the Parts better. The two extream Parts of Harmony there- fore, fhould never be fo far afunder, as that the intermediate Space cannot be properly filled up. If E> is added to the Harmony of Si! as another middle Parfc, this > (although I A A J the principal ground Note A A. is ftrengt:hened with two Odtaves of its Kind) yet the diffe- rent Nature of the jEL has fuch a Power, that it wants no Support of another of its Kind, and cannot be either overpowered or weakened by any of the other three Sounds, and by adding the other EE. the Smoothnefs and Delicacy that Nature produced in the before mentioned Harmony would be fpoiled s The The Art 0/" Music L 23 The fifth Sound produced by Nature (pradtically called c. jharp) is diftinguiihed to be of a different Species from any be- fore mentioned, and at fo far a Diftance from the principal Ground Note, that altho' A. is added, it cannot fill up the Vacancy fo as to give full Satisfaction, But if E. is added to them, (even without A.) the Ear conveys a greater Satisfaction to the Mind than with any of the foregoing Spe- cies, and by adding the a. according to the Rule of Nature to the A. the Harmony is more compleat. And altho* there is found three Sounds of one Kind, viz. A A. A. a. and the E. of another, yet they cannot de- minifh the Power of c. Jharp 5 but fhould we add another of its Kind to it thereby we mould deftroy that admirable Equality of Sounds, which has fo much Power to pleafe. Which is a convincing Argument, how much it is the Bufinefs of a Mailer to obferve clofely the Dic- tates of Nature \ if they would ever reach the peculiar Elegancy and Beauties of Mufick. It is an intolerable Fault to pretend to exceed her, by flying upon the Wings of crude indi- gefted Fancies : We mould fpoil, not enrich the Harmony, by filling up with additional Concords the Vacancies, C 4 Nature 24 The Art <9/Musick, Nature muft be nicely treated, me will not be erouded nor left at more Liberty then fhe dire&s herfelf ; and as me has given us Sounds In their beft Diipofition, it would be unpar-: donable not to follow her. c. Jharp be- ing inclofed, by Nature, with the two higher Sounds e. and a a. there being four of the firft Kind, viz, A A. A, a, a a. two of the fe~ cond E. and e. c. Jharp being the only one of Its Species, though at fo great a Diftance from the original fundamental Note, and that Na- ture has placed it beyond the Compafs of the fecond Octave, and the E. as the firft of the fecond Species, by natural Order, ftands be- yond the Compafs of the firft Octave, or nearer to the Ground Note, yet is c. fiarp no Ways weakened or diminillied in the Strength and Beauty of Its Sound. What Art or Invention could otherwife have attained to what Nature has given us ? Could all the Rules of the Mathematieks by Numeration, Mefuring, &c. have given us fuch delightful and compleat Imprefiions of Harmony ? Or would not fuch Mathematical Principles have deitroyed the peculiar Niceties, fine Touches, or Mafier Strokes of Nature, and the Piece appear without any Spirit or Life ? Therefore The Art of Music k. 25 Therefore we ought to take all our Rules from the free Operation of Nature, and as its Species of Harmony daes not exceed the Compafs of three Oclaves ; we ought to make it a Rule, that fdch a Compafs is fufficient to form the compleateft Number of Parts in any muficalPiece, nor is there any Occalion for the fourth Compafs of an Octave, by which the two Extreams (I mean the higheft and the loweft Part found- ing together) muft be too far afunder ; and even within the Compafs of three Oclaves, the fur- ther the two Extreams are from one another, the more middle Parts are required to fill up, and of Confequence the nearer the two Ex- treams, the lefTer Number are required, which is the Reafon, why Solos of a Treble Part are commonly accompanied in a more delicate Man- ner by another Treble, or Counter Tenor In- strument, to keep the Melody of both Ex- treams clofer, and to produce a more tender Harmony. This is directed by Nature, who gives us the lower Parts more diftanced then the higher, which always keep nearer and clofer together jf therefore a true Bafs Melody ought to abound with large principal Intervals, and the Treble Melodies with the fmaller, As 26 The Art ^/"Musick. As Nature has eftablifhed but three different Species or Kinds of Sounds to make a perfeft Harmony, it neceffarily follows, that all other Sounds have their Derivation and Being from one of thofe. Two fingle Parts of a different Kind give us a greater Tafte of Harmony, then three or four of one and the fame Sort and Species, and fix different Sounds of two Sorts do not enrich the Harmony fo compleatly as when but three are founded of a diftin£l different Species to each other, as 1 e | , 1 c . Jbarp 1? E >1< 1 a > a ■ {.A A. L j A Sound of a different Species is effentially Neceffary, to compleat a perfeB Harmony, and no others mould be brought into Compofition s when a full Harmony is required. Thefe Tie Art o/Musick. 27 Thefe three effential Parts may vary in their Situation without a Vacancy, and according to natural Order, as la J {j.jbarpj {fi J within the Compafs of an Oftave, or with a Vacancy between each beyond the Compafs of an Oftave, icjbarp^ Can "J Cee "1 r i WW J and this is to be done always keeping Nature in View to imitate her Delicacy. But he that founds the Cords on an Organ or Harpficord in four Parts with his left Hand, with the loweft Sounds, intending to fill the Harmony as much as his Thumb and Fingers can take, ftrives againft Nature, can be n6 competent Judge of what he is about, and loofe$ the Delicacy there is in the Situation and doub- ling of the Parts, 2% 7he Art of Musick, If to the Example, or Curd above, any other Sound mould be added of a different Kind or Species, we fliould difcern, that fomething was wanting to come after, and fo either it is imperfect, or makes the whole harm and dif- agreeable, therefore we may be certain that this Species of Harmony wants no Addition* and is capable of itfelf to give full Satisfaction, and the Mind finds a perfect Beginning and End. As Nature eftabliflies perfect Harmony by Sounds of three different Kinds, it is a very difcommendable Piece of Practice to endeavour to gain new Harmony, by comparing only two Sounds of a different Kind, without hav- ing any Regard to the Third, and I think it cannot be poffible to have a juft Difcernment of the due Relation and Production of Sounds^ to difcover the Varieties of Harmony, without firft being perfectly well acquainted with the Harmony of the jirfi Species as Nature gives it us. We muft always mind to follow the Traces me has made, or we fhall fail after all our Labour, and at beft make but a Piece of Deformity of that, which otherwife might have had all its regular Features. The "The Art 0/ Musick. 29 The Impreffion of the Harmony of the firji Species being fixed in the Memory, they may be tranfpofed (as I have faid) compared, and the Cords will be found to be of the fame Quality,, with this Diftindtion, that they are in a higher or lower Pitch. One Sound, tho' of never fo fmall a Diftance from the other, has its Species of the three principal Sounds^ but each Har- mony muft be properly introduced, fo as there may be harmonical Relation and mujica Connexion ; therefore on the Doftrine of har- monical Relations [called Modulation) depends th^ Art of acquiring and changing the Har- mony, and forming the Melodies. If we keep clofe to Nature y and proceed from the Harmony of A A. to that of E E« that change has a melodious and agreeable Bffedt, provided the Parts are moved regularly and conformable to one another, but ill Ma- nagement will fpoil any Thing, as when the Harmony has not a fufficient Variety of different, regular, fuitable Melodies oi { the Parts. To move the Parts at Random is intollera- ble in Mufick. He muft be very lucky this Way, that hits on any Thing worth Obferva- tion. The 30 The Art 0/*Musicic. The Sounds of the following Harmony E E. diredt the Parts in the foregoing A A. either to continue the Sound, or to change, and yet keep their proper Courfe, which if done dif- tin&ly, gives the Mind an agreeable Pleafure and Satisfa&ion. But the Parts made ufe of, ought to be well confidered, and we mould refleft upon the Time of their Motion, their continuing and changing the Sounds, where they vary or not, to obferve where there is Variety required in one Part, and none in the others* They don't vary in Regard to Time, when they continue or move together, but they do, when their Sounds proceed one after another, nor is there any Variety in the Parts in chang- ing the Quality of Sounds when they proceed together to another of the fame Species or Kind, by repeating the fame Diftance, fome of which the Ear is not pleafed with, when continued, as the Sequel of O&aves in Parts defign'd for different Melodies, and Fifths. The Sequel of Thirds and Sixes, provided they afcend or defcend according to the Na-* ture and Quality of their Sounds, the intended Melody gives Satisfaction. Parts The Art of Musick. 31 Parts vary with only changing the Quality of a continued Sound, called a holding Note, and others by their moving, produce new Species of Harmony. In Point of high and low, thofe Parts give no Variety when they afcend or defcend to- gether by the fame Degrees, or rife or fall to- gether by the fame Sort of Skipps : But the Variety lies in afcending or defcending by De- grees of different Kinds, or Hupping together of Diftances of different Quality. The innumerable beautiful Turns, that may arife from this Ocean of Variety, where fome- thing always new and delightful is to be found, is worthy our clofefc Attention, that the Parts may be fet off, with juft fo much Variety as may make the Performance bril- liant without being glaring, and by a due keeping, to give Nature her Due, this will give inimitable Grace to the Compofition. Too little Variety can hardly gain Atten- tion, much lefs give Satisfaction, where the Mind has gained an Impreffion of the pleafing Effedts, Parts make in Contrail: with others, but how delighted muft they be to hear one Part continue the Sound, and at the fame Time others 32 7%e Art of Musict.. others move, fome quicker, others flower, to- gether, or one after another, and all in a fine regular Order by their proper Duration ; fome Parts afcending or defcending together, others moving contrary to one another, the one af- cending, the other defcending by Skipps, or moving by Degrees, fome by full, fome by half Tones. If we try the Harmony acquired by Tran pqfition of the fifth E E. being compared with A A. ftanding in the Situation Nature give them us in the following Manner ! re ... A C". Jharp . . i 1 . . g. Jharp \ «.>«..<<. . . . * \ E . . . . . ■ . \ 1 A . . . . . . . i I AA . , . . f . . . EE We find the Parts and Diftances of the fecond Column feem to have the fame Affinity to one another, have the fame Quality in Regard to each other as thofe of the firft, but that thefe are "The Art^Musick. 33 are of a higher or fharper Nature, which is all that the Senfe gives us to diftinguifh them by. Thus b b. is of a fharper Nature then e. in the firft Column, and g. Jharp is of a fharper Nature then c. fkarp. The Ufe of this Obfervation will appear the better by changing or moving of the Parts in the fr/l Harmony to the fecond, imitating the great Rule of Nature, fo that the fame Num- ber of /even Parts, and the fame natural Si^ tuation of Sounds as are found within the Compafs of the firft Species of Oclaves return to the fame again, which will give us the Mo- dulation as in Example the Second, Plate I. The Diflance from g. Jharp to E E. is not fo far as a a. to A A. yet it is as compleat a Harmony as c. tharp \ 1 4 I a a We cannot be too careful in duely ordering the Variety which is abfolutely necefTary to give D Lift 34 7/je Art of Musick. Life and Fire to the Performance either by ex- tending the Compafs and Situation of the Parts in one Species, or contracting them in another. The Increafe or Decreafe of the Number of Dijlances in the Parts by the Modulation of Harmony is effentially neceffary for forming a fine licce of Mufick. The fundamental E E. as in the laft Example, hath but two of its Kind, b. has no other of its Species, but like the £. under it, they are fup- ported and ftrenghten'd by their refpe&ive Unijbns. The Sounds of the fecund Species of Harmony E E. are heard in the fame Order as thofe of the firji\ and provided the Parts take and change their Distances, either more or lets, conformable to their high and low Nature, this Part of Mo- dulation mud be infinitly the bed in Point of its Delicacy and Freedom, and by the Rule Nature herfelf has laid down. A. in the Nature of an GBave Bafs pro- perly moves with its fundamental A A. in the fame Diftance. Here E. being a low Tenor Part continues its Sound, but making Part of two different Species of Harmonies or of two different Concords, therefore varies its Quality. That Part beginning ivitb a. here in the Situ- ation The Art ^Musick. 35 ation of a higher Tenor varies its Motion by attending, then defcending by a leffer Diftance than the Bafs, practically call'd a full Tone. That Part, which begins with c.Jharp as a Coun- ter Tenor part defcends, and then afcends, by a full Tone, by a contrary Motion to the laft mentioned Part and the Bafs. The e. as a higher Counter Tenor or Zw Treble Part, in - troduces again a Continued Sound of the fame Kind as E. below it, which (hows, that in a compleat Number of Parts one continued Sound with another of its Kind in a higher or lower Pofition is neceflary. The Tart beginning with a a. defcends and afcends again by a fmaller Diftance, Space, or Interval, then the Part beginning with c . (harp, which the Ear diftinguifhes prefently by lower- ing or flattening the a a. till to the Sound of g. fharp, or by rifeing of fharpning the g, fharp -till to the Sound of a a. no Sound or Diftance is to be found betwixt them, that caufes any fenfible Alteration in the Effeft of that Melody \ which thefe two Sounds,, called Half a To?je i produce together, but when c. fharp is lowered or flattened before the b. is heard, there is a Sound pra&ically call'd r . natural or b.Jharp, which diftinguifhes itfelf be- tween 1 hem, and appears fo ftrong, there is a dif- ferent Melody from that made by c . (harp going D 2 to 36 "The Art o/Musick. to b. which is a plain Demonftration that no- thing under the Value of half a Tone is ca- pable of giving Variety in Melody. We percievepl inly the Power of Harmony by Modulation^ and the abfolute riling given to a Sound by the g. fharps abfolute Motion into a a. and the Mind fo much looks for it, that if we form the Melody in the Part downwards as g. (harp into e. we think flill the Sound goes from g. (harp, to a a. and by leaving out the a a. the principal Part of Melody is wanting and the Modulation of the Species of Harmonies (tho* never fo good in themfelvts) feem imperfect and give not the Satisfa&ion deiired. By fuch Order and Difpoiition of Sounds as thefe we attain the true Knowledge and Reafon, how to compcfe in Harmony without burthening the Memorywith a Multiplicity of general Rules fuch as are mentioned in the Treatife of Har- mony, dedicated to all Lovers of Mufick-, I own when I firfl took the fecond Edition of this Book in my Hand, altered enlargd and illujlrated' as the Title Page informed me, my Expec- ta ion was fo great, that I can hardly relate the Surprize I was in, when I found fuch mani- {t& Blunders in the very Beginning of the Book. .,. And here I beg leave to take Notice, that The Art of Music k. 37 that it is for the fake of Truth and Improve- ment of Knowledge, for the clearing of Doubts and for the Good of Lovers and ProfeJJors of the Science, and no other Inducement, that I make here fome few Obfervations upon that Treatife. The learned Author in his Introduction pag. the 5th fays : " Thus much is fufficient to " explain fome of the general Terms, relating <£ to Competition, that are made Ufe of in this u Treatife, which we produce, not as pre- " tending to give in it full and compleat In- " ftructions for every thing, that concerns Mu- " lick; but only as an Effay to incite the able " and learned Profeffors of this delightful Art, " to apply themfelves, not only to the retrieving " what of it may have been loft or neglected, " but alfo to the difcovering of fuch Improve- " ments, as may be neceffary to the further " Perfection of it," Altho* I do not prefume to the Title of Learned and Able, yet my Endeavours are for the Difcovering fuch Improvements, as are ne- ceffary to the further Perfection of this delight- ful Art, which I hope will be a fufficient Ex- cufe to the Author, for the few following Re- marks on his Treatife, more efpecially, when no greater Liberty is taken with him, then he himfclf hath taken with another, in Pag. 69. D 3 and 38 Tfa Art of Musick* and 70: he fays: a very ingenious Author . " that Publfh'd, in 172 1. a Treatife of Mu- " fick, concurrs with others in running down " the Hexachords, which 'tis plain, he did £< not perfectly underftand the Ufe of; ©V/ s We fiiall fee how well acquainted our Au«> thor is, with the Subject, he treats upon ; he lays Pag. lft. Concords, are thofe Intervals, whofe extreme Notes being founded together^ are agreeable to the Ear, They are Eight in Number viz. The Unifon, the Octave, the Fifth, the Fourth, the Third Major, the Third Minor, the Sixth Major, and the Sixth Minor. Here our very ingenious Author makes the Unifon a Concord and gives it the Name of one, and gives the foregoing Reafon for it 2 becaufe of its being an Interval whofe extream Notes being founded together, is agreeable to the Ban Who but this Author ever calPd the Unifon :\n Interval ? or can think that the Unifon can be heard founding extream Notes. I think more befide the Matter he could not be; had he perufed the antient Authors upon Mafick ■there he wou'd have found quite the contrary aiierted, Euclid fays: Conjbnantia ejl Mijiio duorum The Art of Musick. 39 duorum, finorum acnti Scilicet and gravis. Zarlin in his harmonical Demonfcrations, i? 2 D 1 gives the following Definition of a Concord, Confonanza propri anient e detta, e Miftura compofitione di Suono grave, & diacuto \ la quale foavemente & uniformemente viene alt XJdito. And again in Part 2. Chap xii of his Inflitu- tions : La Confonanza nafie, quando due Suoni y che fono tra lor differently fienza alcun Suono mezono, Ji congiungono concordevolmente in un Corpo. And Chap 15 Part 2. defcribing an Interval thus : facuto & il grave fono gli ejlremi dello Intervallo. And he gives the further fol- lowing Definition of a Unifon in the third Part Chap. ii. of his Inftitutions : Unifono e una Adunanza di due, over piu Suoni, voci equah\ che non fanno alamo Intervallo ^uejlo non fi pone tra le Confonanze Of tra gli Intervalli — -I' unifono e filament e principio del/a Con- fonanza dell' Intervallo, ma non 4 Confonanza, ne Intervallo & perche ogni Confonanza Ji ritrova tra due Suoni diflanti per il grave & per I'acuto ; i quali fanno uno Intervallo & e Mijlura compofitione di fiuono grave & di acuto : perb non havendo l unifono alcuna di quefte ^ualita, non lo potiamo chiamare per alcun modo ne Confonanza, ne Intervallo. He goes on to give an Inftance of a certain Philofo- pher, who proved by a Mufical Example the Difference between a Concord and a Unifon aoA 4o ¥he Art <9/Musick. and then fays : Meritamente adunque $ chiamato funijbno, quafi di un fuono Jolo. Nichoh Vincentino lib. 2. delta Prattica Mu~ fica & Zaccaria Tevo, fay the fame of the Unifon : Tevo fays Part iii. Chap. ii. Pag. 114. Uunifono che deriva dal Latino \ e tanto vale quanto a dire: vox unius foni non Ji deve dire propriamente Confonanza, ma ex vi vocabuli & efformationis unifonanza perche infojlanza non e Juono diver fo, ma benfi replicato^ che percib diremo non ejere, ne Con- jbnanza ne Diffbnanza, ma principio & radice di quelle. It is needlefs to make any more Quo- tations iirice every Author that comes to my Hand fays, that a Unifon is no Interval, and therefore it is not, or ought not to be reckon'd among the Number of Concords, even according to this Authors own Definition of a Concord-, and if this be true it muft neceffary follow that his Number of Eight Concords muft be reduced to Seven. This Definition of Concords, by our Author if a Thing may be laid to be defined, (which it's plain he did not perfectly underftand) and the Confequence he draws from it, is the Parent of many grofs Miftakes, and muft give the Reader very little Appetite to go thro* the Work, more efpecially (altho- he is not alone in The Art of Mvsick. 41 In this) thro' his whole Treatife he gives his Rules and Definitions, but does not for the Generality give us the Reafon why it is or mujl be fo, and why not otherways; Affer- tions is no Proof and Rules laid down, with- out the Reajbns upon which they are founded ought to have as little Weight. What Satif- fa&ion a Reader gains by being barely told, it is fo and fo, without a Reafon given to con- vince his Underftanding, by our Authors Trea- tife before us, fufficiently appears. After having fo well denned what Concords are, our Author bri:Mg|^? fourth for one^ whofe extream NotebSP^^ounded together are agreeable to the Ear, and in Pag. 2. he fays The Unifon, Octave, Fifth, and Fourth, are called perfect Concords, becaufe they are more agreeable to the Ear then any of the others^ which are therefore cali'd imperfedi Concords, and in the very next Line he fays : We muft obferve, that in a compofition of two Parts only, the Fourth is always ufed as a Difcord ; and immediately after he fays : That the Dif- cords are diftinguifhed by their Extream,* when founded together, being difagreeable to the Ear. This feems to be a manifeft Contradiction, why is the Fourth in two Pdrts ufed as a Dif- cord, it being as he fays a perfect Concord? Whv 42 The Art of Mv sick. Why only this and no other Concord? And why are the ^Thirds and Sixes always ufed as Concords in two Parts, and yet as he fays : They are xmperfe the third and The Art of Music & 55 and fourth Note in the Key, and the other by the feventh < \ i and eighth Note of the Key, The Sounds of this Key not being mark'd ia Pra&ke, with a Sharp or Flat before them, are call'd natural, as fignifying its Sounds are immediately derived from the relative Harmony of the firft Species produced by Nature, as I have before fhown in the Pitch of A A. fo here the iirft loweft or fundamental Note of the relative Harmonies is F F< Altho* the Harmony from G. to C. is of the fame Kind of Modulation as that from C. to F. F. only higher by Nature, yet in Regard that C. is made the Key Note, the Harmony of G. as the Card of the fifth Note to C. may have the feventh j in the Manner I have faid before from the Harmony of E, to A. but when the feventh is put in the Cord €( C. then the Property of this Harmony is alter'd and turned from that of a Key Cord to a fifth Harmony j here F F. is the Key, and its gradual Sounds and Relatives take the fame Nature or Quality as thofe in the Key of C. fo that F. confiding of the fame Harmonies and Modulation, and hav- ing the fame Order or Syftem of full and half Tones. £6 "The Art of Music k; Tones, becomes a tranfpofed Key from the faid original Key of C. If we would find out the Properties of a Key with the lejfer Third out of the general relative Syftem, let the Sound of a. be made a Key Note^ it has c. for its third in that Syftem, by connecting its neareft relative Har- monies, from hence is formed a Scale or Order of full and half Tones in the fame Manner as in the laft Example, The Sounds of this Key being taken from the firft Species of natural Sounds, takes there- fore the Name of an original Key, but ranged in a different Order from that of C. The fe- cond and third Note to the Key Note make one half Tone, and the fifth and fixth Note to the Key Note make the others. The Harmonies of this Key are with lejfer Thirds, when on the contrary the Harmonies of the former Key are with greater Thirds^ which always remain in its Modulation,which is not fo with this Key of A. or a Key with a lejfer Third, which continues to be a Key, tho* by the Return made from the Harmony of the fifth to the Key Cord, the Sharp feventh £hte to the Key Note is accidentally founded inftead The Art o/*Mv$ick. 57 iftftead of the feventh Note, as g. fharp is in- ftead of g. The Reafon of this Alteration by talcing g, Jharp inftead of g. is from the Neceffity there is of a Return of the Melody to the higher Key Note which agrees with the Nature of the abfolute Rifing of the g. Jharp into the a. as in Page 36. and with the other Parts well manag'd gives all the Satisfaction that can be wifh'd from a proper Return or Clofe ; which cannot be perceived in the Melody by g afcending to the a* The g. Jharp^cmks here another Alteration by introducing f Jharp, or the jharp fixth Note to the K&y Note, inftead of the fat fixth Note, or f in the Key, in order to form the gradual Progreffion of Sounds, according to the Nature of the firft Sort of Melody, taken from the neareft Har- monies in the general relative SyJlem, which Melody proceeds gradually by full and half Tones, and as from the f to g. fiarp is called a full Tone and a half, we can make ufe of the/1 Jharp toafcend to g. Jharp, they mak- ing only zfull Tone. A Compofer may (if he thinks fit) introduce another Kind of Melody, and ufe the Progreffion afcending from f to g. Jharp. or defcending from g. Jharp to f for the Sake of a certain Expreffion, which tho' contrary to what has been faid before F yet 58 *fhe Art of MwsicicJ yet is grounded on a reafonable Succeffion a of two different Cords , the one of which F D arifes from the Connexion of the general rela-. b \ five SyJIem^ and the others g- fi>arp may he made ufe of, to make a proper Return in the Melody to the higher Key Note, as I have be^ fore made appear. If d. is founded with the Cord of E. with the leffer Third, this may lead us to the Cord of A. but gives us no Notion of this Cord be- ing the laft Return or Key Harmony, which we only find, when the greater Third is foun^ ded, and is perceived ftronger with the fventh to the fifth Cordo The Cord of A. following has the Effeft of an ending Harmony,, and gives it the Property of a Key Cord, Therefore we may take this as a general Rule r that a Cord with the Jharp Third, ac- companied The Art a/'Musick. 59 companied with the feventh makes us the moft fenfible of its Key, whereas other Har- monies may receive different Qualities by be^ ing a Cord of the fecond, third, or fourth Note, &c. to a Key, and therefore like fmgle Sounds are Relatives to feveral other Keys. If feveral Harmonies are compofed after the Manner of the general relative Syjlem> that is to fay, to make each Sound fwhich is in th& Species of an O Slave of a Key) p. fundament ai y er a fifth to the foregoing or following Har- mony, we mall find a particular relative Syftem of fuch Harmonies, whofe refpedtive fundamen- tal Sounds compofe or fill up the Oclave of the Key ; from which a beautiful Succefiion o* Harmonies and Melodies may be compofed in as many different Parts as Nature will admit of, as for Inftance in the Key of A. and C. as in the Examples, Plate IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX. In fome of the foregoing Progreffions, we find a Species of Sounds proper for the Return to the Key made by joyning the two Extreams B. and R caufing the following Trias D B whofe 6o The Art of Muscik. whofe two Extreams form the Diftance of & lejjer fifths which flat Fifth is not only neceTary to conneB the other relative Harmonies in or to the Key, but makes the fucceeding con* neBing Cord or Cords, appear to greater Ad vantage. Thus have I endeavoured to fhew, what from the Obfervation of Nature herfelf are the jirjl Principles of mulical Sounds, and which I humbly conceive are the jirjl Rudiments of Compofition •> I intend further to enlarge by Experiments, Rules, and Examples upon this Science, and if I have ventured to go out of the common Way, I muft ftand or fall by the Judgment of the VirtuofL FINIS. HH P m J PISS Z> ~\* Vr* mm m m '&!*: *m *iv v S W4-