4. The demisemiquaver rest has three marks,

and turns to the left also.

As the rests are inserted in the measures, to fill up the time when no sounds are to be heard, the performer should, of course, pay particular attention to the termination of the notes which precede them.

In playing keyed instruments, the rests are often much neglected: and, unless the player carefully raises the finger from the key (but not too far) at the exact commencement of the rest, the intended effect is destroyed.

Indeed Bach remarks, with his usual judgment, that to form a clear, pleasing, and expressive performer, three things are requisite:

1. To play correctly, by covering every note with the finger before it is struck (when possible), so that, in the most difficult passages, the motion of the hands may be scarcely perceived.

2. To make the instrument sing, by taking one finger off the key at the instant the other strikes the following note; and by never playing the notes short or detached except when expressly marked.

3. To play with expression by forcing the finger down upon the key (already covered and lightly touched,) according to the accent or emphasis.

On this subject see also Clementi's Introduction, p. 15. Dussek's Instructions, p. 8. Hullmandel's Principles, p. 19.

Chap. V. Of the Sharps, Flats, &c.

In explaining the tune of notes, the two different intervals of tone and semitone have been noticed. Every tone in the natural scale, is divided into two semitones, by an intermediate sound. This sound is produced, upon keyed in struments, by striking the short key inserted between two long ones, which are consequently

tones to each other.

Of the sharps-When the short key is to be played, instead of the natural note below it (on the left), then the same letter is used, with the additional term sharp.

Thus, to make another fourth, similar to the upper one of C, with two tones and a semitone, and placed immediately above it, at the distance of a tone; the F natural must be omitted, and the F sharp taken in its stead.

The character placed before F is called a sharp, These two fourths united, form a new scale, of which G is the key note, exactly similar to C, but five degrees higher. Its descending series proves, by the melody, that the tones and semitones are between the same degrees of the scale.

As the scale of G is made complete by this alteration of the F alone, F is reckoned the first sharp. For a similar reason (that of forming a new fourth above the upper one of G scale), C is termed the second sharp. Thus the series of sharps ascends by fifths; which, in respect of the letters, is the same as descending by fourths. F C G D A

1 2 3 4 5

ments, with the five short keys above; that is, on These sharps are performed, on keyed instrutwo consists of C sharp and D sharp; the remainthe right hand of the long ones: the division of ing three are F sharp, G sharp, and A sharp.

and F, nor between B and C, which are only semiBut, since there are no short keys between E tones to each other, F natural is employed to express E sharp, and C natural to express B sharp.

When these notes, F and B, become sharpened, their own long keys are never used; and, by their introduction, the series of sharps is extended to all the seven notes.

F C G D A E B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

ed, instead of the natural note above it (on the Of the flats.-When the short key is to be playright), then the same letter is used, with the additional term flat.

Thus to make another fourth similar to the lower one of C, with a semitone and two tones, distance of a tone, the B natural must be omitted, placed also below it (extending to the left), at the and the B flat taken in its stead.

The character placed before B is called a flat. These two fourths united, form a new scale, of which F is the key note; exactly similar to C, but five degrees lower. Its descending series proves, by the melody, that the tones and semitones are between the same degrees of the scale.

As the scale of F is made complete by this alteration of B alone, B is reckoned the first fat. For a similar reason (that of forming a new fourth be low the lower one of the F scale) E is termed the second flat. Thus the series of flats ascends by fourths, which in respect to the letters, is the same as descending by fifths.

BEAD G

1 2 3 4 5

These flats are performed, on keyed instruments, with the five short keys below; that is, on the left of the long ones: the division of two consists of E flat and D flat; and the other three are B flat, A flat, and G flat. For the reason given concerning the sharps, B natural is employed to express C flat, and E natural is employed to express F flat. Thus the whole series of seven flats is completed.

BEAD G C F

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

of the sharps.

It must be recollected, that every one of the short keys has two different letters for its name, according to the natural note for which it is employed.

Thus, the middle key of the three short ones is equally used as the third sharp in the place of G natural below it, and as the third flat in the place of A natural above it.

When any number of sharps or flats are placed after the clef, at the beginning of the staff, they affect all the notes of the same letter in every octave throughout the movement, and are termed the signature.

Those which occur in the course of the movement, in addition to the others, are termed accidental, to distinguish them from those of the signature, which are essential to the scale of the original key note.

The accidental flats and sharps only affect the notes which they immediately precede, and those of the same letter which follow them in the same measure; but, if one measure ends, and the next begins, with the same note, the accidental character which alters the first note, is understood to affect the second.

Of the natural-When any note, which has been elevated by a sharp, or depressed by a flat, is to be restored to its original place, the character called a natural is employed; which lowers the sharpened note, or raises the flattened note; thus,

sion, and Abbreviations.

the appoggiatura, the shake, the turn, and the Of graces.-The principal graces of melody are, beat; with the mordent, beat, slide, and spring, harmony are, the arpeggio, tremando, &c. peculiar to the Germans. The chief ornaments of

placed before a large one of longer duration, from I. The appoggiatura (vorschlag) is a small note which it generally borrows half the value, and always occurs on the strong part of the measure. The appoggiatura, as written.

The natural, although a very ancient character, was not used by Morley, Simpson, or Playford. They always employ the flat to take away the sharp, and the sharp to take away the flat, in the same manner as we now use the natural.

The natural, although evidently an accidental character, and a more general expression for the two others (the sharp and the flat), is sometimes placed essentially at the beginning of a strain, when a former part of the same movement has had a sharp or flat in its signature. (See Steibelt's Sonatas, Op. 37, Turkish Rondo, p. 10.) According to its power, therefore, of raising or lowering any note of the scale, the natural must be always considered as representing a sharp or a fiat.

After all the notes of music have been made sharp, the same series of letters begins again, and F, being the first, takes the name of F double sharp. It is performed, on keyed instruments, by striking the long key G natural; which is not, however, to be reckoned then as a tone from F natural, being placed on the same degree as F, and also consisting of two chromatic (or minor)

semitones.

In the same manner, after all the seven notes of music have been made flat, the same series of letters begins again with B; and that, being the first, takes the name of B double flat.

It is performed by striking the long key A natural two chromatic semitones lower. It is worthy notice, that, as the first sharp is the lowest, and the first flat the highest of the three short keys which are near to each other; so the first double sharp, and the first double flat (the only two in.

In this example the upper note is accented: there are, however, instances in which the composer seems to have designed that the lower note, or that over which the shake is placed, should be accented.

A series of continued shakes, on notes rising or falling by degrees, is called by the Germans triller kette, and by the Italians catena di trilli, both signifying a chain of shakes.

The passing shake (præll triller) is expressed in Germany by a particular character; and its definition varies with different masters, and in different passages. The explanation of Dr. Arnold (Op. XII. p. 36.) is therefore given here, with the mark he adopted for it. Written.

Performed.

In some cases of regular ascent, it is recommended not to make the beat with the semitone, unless particularly marked. (See Clementi, p. 11.)

In the half beat (zusammenschlag) the inferior note is struck only once, and at the same time with the principal note, but is immediately quitted. This is frequently used upon the organ, and particularly in the base. It may be written by a small note, like a short appoggiatura, and is very si

milar to the acciaccatura of the Italians.

1. When a waving line is placed vertically before the chord, the notes are played successively, from the lowest ascending to the highest, and re tained down the full time of the chord.

2. When an oblique line passes through the chord, it is played as before, with the addition of a note where the oblique line is placed; but this added note is not to be kept down.

Of the characters-Characters used in music which do not form a part of any particular class, like the clefs, notes, rests, sharps, flats, naturals, or graces, are the tye or ligature, the pause, the repeat, the direct, the single bar, and the double bar. But, as the tye is similar in form to the slur, it will be classed among the marks of expression in the next section.

The pause (~) is placed over a note, to signify that the regular time of the movement is to be de layed, and a long continuance of the sound made on that part of the measure.

If the pause is placed over a rest, then a stop of considerable length is made; and the part must be

silent.

The same character is employed in those songs of Handel, Hasse, Vinci, &c. which have a second part, and are marked da capo, to shew the note upon which the piece is finally to terminate; but it is not always followed by the double bar.

The repeat) is a sign employed to shew the

place to which the performer must return to repeat the passage. It is usually found in rondos and da capo airs; and it marks that place, in the first strain, where the repetition is to commence. This mark is called in Italian, segno, or the sign.

The direct (A) is a sign employed at the end of the staff, to shew upon what degree the first note of the following staff is placed.

When the inner sides of two bars are dotted, all the measures between them are to be repeated, See an instance of this kind of repetition, (H. S. I. No. 68: "Sin not, O King-Saul").

The word bis (twice) is sometimes placed over passages of this kind, whether the bars are or are not dotted.

The double bar is placed always at the end of a movement, and is sometimes used at other parts, to shew the rhetorical termination of a strain.

If the double bar is dotted on one or both sides, all the measures on the same side with the dots are to be repeated from the beginning, or from the antecedent double bar.

When the rhetorical termination of a strain does not coincide with the grammatical accent, the double bar is then totally distinct from the single bar, and the measures are only reckoned between the single bars, although the double bar may in tervene.

(H. S. V. No. 374: “Above Measure—Semele”).

To these graces of melody may be added those of harmony; the tremolo (bebung), or reiteration of one note of the chord; the tremando, or gene ral shake of the whole chord; and the arpeggio (brechung), or imitation of the harp, by striking the notes of the chord in quick and repeated succession.

Clementi (Introduction, p. 9), has given an explanation of two different characters used for a chord (or combination of several sounds struck to gether), upon keyed instruments.

This double bar does not affect the measure in which it is placed, but the time is kept exactly as if it were not inserted.

As it appears, from the preceding observations, that the double bar is very different and distinct from the single bar, the grammatical use of the latter must not be confounded with the rhetorical employment of the former.

If every piece of music ended with a complete measure, and if the necessity of commencing with single times did not sometimes exist, the double

har might be neglected; but, as it is important to mark the termination of those strains which have their last measures incomplete, this character is adopted, and the double bar bears the same relation to the strain as the single bar does to the

measure.

Every measure contains a certain number of notes, which are terminated by the single bar; and every strain includes a certain number of meagures which are terminated by the double bar.

The chief marks of expression are, the slur, and the dash or point; to which may be added the tye, or ligature,

The tye is an arch drawn over two notes on the same degree, uniting them into one. Upon keyed Instruments, the first only is struck; but the finger

is kept down during the time of both.

The tye is also used to express those syncopated notes which, in the ancient music, were divided by the bar.

The slur is a similar arch, drawn over two or more notes, upon different degrees, and signifies that all the notes are to be played as smoothly and as much united as possible. In vocal music, it is placed over or under all the notes which are to be sung to the same syllable.

When the slur is placed only over two notes, the second is generally made shorter than its proper length. Forinerly, this effect was produced by exact notation.

The dash is a small stroke, placed over those notes which are to be performed in a very short and distinct manner.

The point is a mark employed by many authors instead of the dash; but its principal use is to distinguish those notes from which an intermediate effect, different from the slur or the dash, is regeired, and yet uniting both.

When these passages are performed on keyed instruments, the finger is not kept close, as in the

sur, nor raised, as in the dash, but dropped gently on the note, and taken off before the time is wholly completed.

There are other marks of expression, which have been lately adopted, to express the effect of

certain Italian terms.

1. Crescendo, or increasing the sound from soft to loud, is marked by an angle, the lines extending to the right.

2. Diminuendo, or diminishing the sound from loud to soft, by the contrary sign.

The union of both indicates that the first part of the passage is to be soft, the middle loud, and the last soft again, as the figure shews.

3. Rinforzando is denoted by smaller marks of the same kind,> <, which are to increase or diminish the note as marked.

When the same note, or similar passages, are to be repeated, much time is saved to the composer and copyist, by the use of abbreviations.

A single stroke, over or under a semibreve, or through the stem of a minim or crotchet, divides them into quavers; a double stroke into semiquavers; and a triple stroke into demisemiquavers;

thus,

(H. S. I. N). 18: "Let the bright seraphim").

These passages, in Italian music, had formerly the word crome (quavers), or semicrome (semiquavers), annexed to them. At present we often VOL. VIII.

The degrees and skips of melody are both called by the general term interval; which is the dis

tance between two sounds, or their difference in respect of pitch. Every interval, therefore, implies two sounds, one acute, the other grave; in common language, high and low; and as, in measuring, it is usual to consider the termination of distance more than the space contained; so, in music, the notes which limit the interval, are both called by the name of the interval itself. Thus, from the F clef to the C clef, is contained the interval of a fifth, both terms inclusive; and C is said to be a fifth above F, and Fa fifth below C.

The names of intervals are derived from the number of degrees which are contained between the two sounds; both extremes being reckoned inclusively. Thus the interval of a second consists of two degrees; and, as these may be distant from each other, either by one tone, or by one semitone, there are consequently two kinds of seconds, viz. a major second or tone, and a minor second or semitone.

The natural scale of music, which, proceeding' by degrees, includes both tones and semitones, is called diatonic, a word compounded of dia and tonic, from the Greek dia, through, and tonos, a tone; because the greater number of intervals in the scale, viz. five out of seven, are tones.

The diatonic scale includes all the different intervals formed by the natural notes, and also all those which are produced in transposing the natural scale higher or lower, by the employment of sharps and flats. Those intervals which exceed the limits of the octave, as the ninth, tenth, eleventh, &c. being only replicates of the second, third,

T