1 1 4 Observations on Earl SUmhopes musical U'crk. [Sept. 1 , 



1. C on the fecond fpace in tlic tiafs, 

 and the middle C of llic inftrumcnt, aic 

 tuned octaves to ciuh other. 



'2. (i on the fonrrh fjiace in the bafs is 

 . made a peifect tifih to (J in tlie baf-. 



3. 1:^ on the thiid fpacc in th.c bat* 

 is tnnetl a miijof peifcet third to the . 

 fame C ; and l) on the firll line and !■'. on 

 the fourth fpare in the treble arc turned 

 to E in the hafs. 



4. B on the iirfi f|iiicc above in the 

 bafs is mudc a perfect fifth to E in the 

 bafs. 



5. F on the foin th line in the bafs is 

 made a perfect fifth unth^r th«- middle C! ; 

 nnd Y on the fiifl fpare in the treble is 

 made an octave to I' in tin: bafs. 



<>. I) llat on the firft I'paco above in 

 the bafs is made a perfect ht'ih under F 

 in tl'.c treble. 



7. A flat on the fifth line in the bafs 

 is placed at an equal diltanee lioni I', in 

 the bafs and the middle ('. 'I'his is done 

 by makiuf: the beatin<:s equal ; or, " if a 

 monochord be uled for the purpole, the 

 length of the ^vire A jhit muit be made a 

 peometrcial mean prf)f)oriional betuecn 

 the lennth of the wire F an<l the length 

 «if the «ire ('." Thelc thirds arc called 

 by his Lordrtiip li-cqual Ihinh." 



o. K J/ut on the' fnlt line in the 

 treble is tuned a perfect fifth to Ajlal m 

 the bafs. 



9. Djlat on the third line in tlie bafs 

 is Inned a perfect fifth nudvr A Jtat in the 

 tafs, and \)jhil on the firlt ijjace below 

 in the treble is made un octave to I) J/ut 

 in the bafs. 



10. Vt Jlat on the fourth fpace in the 

 bafs is made a pcrfei'"t fifth under Djhit 

 in the treble. 



11. (S: 12. D on the firft fpace below 

 in the treble, and A on the fecond Ipace, 

 are placed at equal dilfances from Ci in 

 the bafs and F. on the fomth fjiace in the 

 treble, vi/., the fifths tiom d to 1), from 

 D to A, and from A to J",, are made 

 equally imperfect. This is done by nui- 

 kinc; tile beatings equal. Or, " if a mo- 

 nociiord be ufed to determine the pitch 

 of I) or A, then the lenuth of the wire D 

 juid the lenj^th of the wire A inufl be 

 Dna(K' two geometrical nie;ni }>roportion- 

 als between the len<;th of the wire (} and 

 the len2;th of the wire F.." Thefe are 

 called tri-cqual quints. 



" y\y mode of tuning does not produce 

 «t fmgle ortenlive quint." "^ «:t thele tri- 

 eqnal quints are more imperfect than 

 rhofe of the ecjual temperament, nnd con- 

 . fequently more otfenlivc. His Fordlhip 

 iJien vinjiciitci his Li-equ;U thirds, by 



alVcrtin'^ that they have a peculiar arwl 

 folemn character. iSpoaking of fucU u 

 tlurd as is uled in equal temperament, 

 h.s l.()riiilnp allerts it bus neither " of 

 thole two ftrikint; characters whiih are to 

 Ik t'liimd in an iidfinmenl that is tune<l 

 in the moll iidvantageons manner ; f^r 

 not one of tholc: equally lliarp tliird.-< has 

 either the beauty of a third which is per- 

 fect, nor the peculiar and l"oleu\n ehiirac- 

 ter of that other third which 1 have de- 

 nominated a bi-i-qual third." — t^uere, 

 why peculiar undfo/ciiiii 'Z Bocaufe more 



" Between fixty and foventy of the 

 verv iirll profellional perlons of both 

 fexe.s, and of the ablelt eonnoilVeurs in 

 Jlngland, have given to this new ti'mpe- 

 r.'nnent their decided approbation." — • 

 Qiicrc, How many of thelc were compe- 

 tent judges ? How many of them could 

 tune a perfect fifth or third, (not to men- 

 tion a nmfi)n or an octave,) or even tell 

 when it was in tune.? How many of* 

 llu in could tell one key from another ei- 

 ther by its pilch or its tem|terament ? 

 How many of them fpoke their c.\acf fen- 

 timents .? }\i>\\ many diliipproved of the 

 new temperament .'' 



" There are fome few I'acls, in particu- 

 lar, which throw I'uch light upon the I'ci- 

 ence of mutic, that I think proper to 

 mention them. On an excellent piano- 

 forte, tuned in my maimer, that favourite 

 I'ortugue/.e hymn called Aitr/lc I'idclca, 

 which is commonly |)rinted in A major, 

 was played fnccellivily in that key, in 

 the key A flat major, in C iiiiijor, and in 

 Djlal major. The following was Uie re- 

 fult of this comparifon. Firlf, the piccft 

 was the nioli eharaclerifiic and fiiblime 

 in the key of A Jlat: it wai better in 

 that key than in the original key of .V. — 

 S»'Condly, the hymn was comparatively 

 intolerable in the key (I ; although ac- 

 cording to my tcmpcnniicnt the key of 

 C is tuned ]« rf'e( t, haviii:; a perfect third, 

 a perfect fourth, and likewile a perfect 

 quint. — Thirdly, the piece w;is better 

 even in the key of U /?<;/ than in the key 

 of C, alrhon^jh the pit( li of the key of 1) 

 jltit (being higher up,) is lef> fuite(i to the 

 character of that lolemn compolition than 

 the pitch of the key of C. 'I'he ftrikin;^ 

 dilTerence between thofe tlin^*; keys, 

 which every perfon with a good ear nmtl 

 feel, reliilts principally from the thirds 

 and from the lixths in each key refpec- 

 tively ; and thole two keys, namely, 1) 

 fhit and A flat, where the tl.iixl in each 

 is iiuperfect, and is of the exat^t value of 

 a bi-equal third, arc beyond coinparifou 



better 



