isie.] 



Analogy between Oratory, Poetry, and Music. 50f 



which few literary characters ha\e at- 

 laiueil. 



FILIPPO BALDINUCCI. 



Among; a variety of interesting works 

 on the fine arts, tiiis author published 

 the Life of tlie celebrated sculptor, archi- 

 tect, and painter, the Cavaliei- Beniino, 

 dedicating it to Queen Christina of 

 •Swedeii, at wiiose request it was com- 

 posed. This great protectress of letters, 

 and of tliose who cultivate them, was so 

 much sjratified by the compliment paid 

 lier, that she addressed the following 1 t- 

 ter to Jialdinucci in return. It is ex- 

 tracted from a vaiicty of orip^iual docu- 

 iiients respecting this writer, and hifihly 

 flatterinsf to him, contained in the Pog- 

 giali collection, 



"Sig'iior Filippo Ualdinucci, — The 

 Life of Cavalier Bernino, written l)yyou, 

 lias been received by me with all the 

 fatisfaetiou which so valuable a work de- 

 serves. Your pen has displayed the vir- 

 tues, and recorded the memorials of this 

 great man. in a style, and with an order 

 and arrang,ement, such as I wascxpressly 

 Jed to expect from the strength and vi- 

 vacity of your genius. Setting aside 

 therefore the part which relates to me, 

 and of which, by the grace of God, I 

 kiiow and feel liow much is to be 

 credited, all the rest appears to me to be 

 worthy of applattse and esteem. I thank 

 you, in the name of the public, for the 



seems to be the natural olfspring of har* 

 mony; at any rate, tl-.ey evidently must 

 be so intimately connected, tliat, for the 

 sake of perspicuity, it would not be ex- 

 travagant to consider them as one; and 

 embrace all the cons'ituent parts of mu- 

 sic in one general term, which we are 

 accustomed to call harmo'iy. If then 

 harmony is the only fundamental priiici- 

 plc of music, I think we may be able to 

 apply it very reasonably to oratory ot 

 poetry. 



It would be equally absurd to suppose, 

 that an iiidi\idiial note had more nnisi» 

 in it than an individual word; but I aiu 

 aware harmony is not produced in tha 

 same relative apj>lieatioii by wojds as 

 in tones, l<)r wonis seems to cinbrai e it 

 in a more extensive sense, in as mucli 

 greater projjortioii as it affects our sen- 

 sibilities. Music only alieets the lacuity 

 of hearing primarily; whilst oratory 

 claims the attention of all our noblest ca- 

 pacities, Iherefore it is not to be >\on- 

 dcred at if the musical jiart should be- 

 come comparatively inconsiderable to 

 common observers. 



An a^ialytical inquiry into the nature 

 of our feelings on hearing a good orator, 

 would convince us, a great portion of 

 our pleasure was derived from harmony ; 

 but not merely of \\(irds considered only 

 as such, but of parts, of sense and gene- 

 ral sound, managed in subordination to, 

 and in connection with, each other, so 

 as to produce that pleasing efteet o)dy to 



work you have completed, assuring you 



that I hold in my particular reraem- be perlbrmed, or justly appreciated, by 



brance the service you have thus ren- what is called a musical ear. It might 



rfered; and may God preserve and pros- 

 j)er you. Dated at Rome, this 18th day 

 of April 1682. The Queen." 



The above accomplished sovereign, 

 under date of the 4th of October of the 

 same year, likewise transmitted a brevet 

 to Baldipiucci, dt^claring him lier /«- 

 miliar, and one of her virtuosi, with all 

 <he honours and prerogatives belonging 

 to sucii a character. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



IN your Magazine for last month, I 

 observe an article on the inconsis- 

 tency of classing oratory and poetry w ith 

 the principles of music; I have taken the 

 liberty to sulimit a few remarks on the 

 Bubje<:t, although, at the same time, with 

 the greatest deference to your intelligent 

 corre.',j)ondent. 



I believe it may be possible to produce 

 harmony without melody, but sh.iuid 

 Konceivt; it utterly impossibh" to cll'eet 

 uelody wilUoutliarmvayj indeed, oielody 



be possible to teach any person, totally 

 insensible to the charms of nnisic, to 

 speak critically correct; but how far such 

 an one might be from being a good ora- 

 tor, every day's experience proves, as W8 

 frequently find the highest classical scho- 

 lars bad orators. I'o speak correct is 

 one thing, to be an orator quite another. 

 What tlie qualifications necessary to form 

 one is the point on which I rest, which 

 appears (o me to be no other than that 

 delicacy of fei.sibility, orchaslitv of con- 

 ception, tiiat pervades uuiversally all tha 

 sensible organs. 



Foelry seems more nearly to partake 

 of the musical qualities, or, at least, is 

 more apparent to the wnerality of ca- 

 pacities; as some light air, to persons 

 unused to music, frequently appears, at 

 first, nuire agreeable than pieces of a 

 more scientific nature. 



As (o Pope, I'rior, and others, I can- 

 not for a moment suppose they could 

 possibly be insensible to t!ie powers of 

 harmony; allhou^^h tlj<;y ini;^ht not havo 



Itikcu 



