77 8 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ON MELODY IN SPEECII. 



By F. WEBER. 



THERE is an infinite variety of interesting and pleasing sounds in 

 Nature's music around us, that may be noted by an attentive ear ; 

 these sounds are mostly melodious and harmonious, or in some harmo- 

 nious connection, and form exact intervals and chords. 



The wind in passing over houses, over trees, in gardens, fields, and 

 forests, produces beautiful sounds of every variety, swelling from the 

 softest to the loudest in majestic grandeur. On a stormy morning in 

 town I heard the wind sing this melody over the roof of the house : 



tzT— zt=t=t: 



:f ^ 



:t=f 



HS 



3=t 



&---&- 



— i- 



zMij&zztj 



& 



feg?$^ 



and on a similar night at Boulogne I copied the following passage 

 that was wailing through the house in beautiful crescendo and de- 

 crescendo, and in many repetitions : 



Thunder strikes us with awe by its deep, rolling tones ; a storm or 

 gale* on land or on the ocean sends forth fierce and sublime sounds, 

 rushing from the lowest to the highest pitch ; the stately flow of a 

 great river sings an everlasting deep organ-point, while the lively 

 brook sings melodiously, and modulates like human speech. 



The suspended wires of an electric telegraph, when vibrated by a 

 strong wind, produce touching and wailing sounds and chords over a 

 whole country, like so many ^olian harps of sweet and sad sounds 

 that may, from solemn strains and most perfect ideal harmonies, rise 

 in an indescribable and inimitable crescendo, higher and higher, to 

 moans and discords, and with the abating wind return to harmony. 



All the animals on land, quadrupeds and bipeds, have their charac- 

 teristic voices and calls in distinct intervals. Of our domestic animals 

 the cow gives a perfect fifth and octave or tenth : 



* A gale in old Saxon and English means also a song, and with the bold sea-kings of 

 old may also have had this meaning — a song on the ocean. Gale in Danish means to 

 "crow" : Hancn galcr, the cock crows. Other relatives, the English to call and the Ger- 

 man Keltic, throat, the organ of song. 



