1806.] 



Corrc'ction in Si/no7jymj/. 



11' 



hotter Initcd to tlic folcmn charartor of 

 the hymn than thf key of C, where the 

 third is, oil llie (contrary, tuned quite per-- 

 iWt. We have been in the habit of con- 

 fidering what is conunonly called the 

 no// i\-i an inherent imperfection in every 

 inlirument which has exactly twelve fix- 

 ed keys in each J'cpliivc ; whereas the 

 very remarkable fact Juf!; mentioned, and 

 fevcral mhersof a like kind, moll clearly 

 prove, that fo far from the Jive zcu/vts he- 

 iii'j; imperfections, it is precifeiy the pro- 

 per dillribution of thofe wolves wiiich 

 produC(;s that charming and ciVential va- 

 riety of character between the ditlerent 

 keys, w hicli is one of the chief reqiiilites 

 ill a well-tuned inlirument." 



Thcfe facts have thrown fuch a prodi- 

 gious blaze of " liiiht upon the fcience of 

 inufic," that they have for a time blinded 

 nw. lint I believe I eau go on now. 

 Tlie factfi arc thcfe. — 1. A piece of nmfic 

 performed on an inlirument tunerl ac- 

 cording to tiic Stanho])e temperament 

 will not be certiiin of founding well in its 

 proper key. — 2. A key is perfect if its 

 third, fouith and fifth are )xrfect.-— 

 3. Wolves arc not imperfections. 



My rejjly to the fnit of tiiefo fatts is, 

 th?Lt \i' Aiicj/e Fidc/cx, or any other coni- 

 pofition, will not found fo well in its ori- 

 ginal key as in any other, then wc nudl 

 either tranfjiole all fuch mufic into fome 

 other key to fait the Stanhope tempera- 

 ment ; or, on the other hanil, (which will 

 bo mucii calier and better,) we miiil give 

 up tills new method. 



^ly reply to the fecoiKl faft is, that 

 the third, fourth and fifth of a key may ■ 

 be perfect, and vet that key may be into- 

 lerable ; for there are three triads in eve- 

 ry key,* but only one of the thiee triads 

 of the key of <J are perfect according to 

 the Stanhope temperament. 



I^Iy reply to the lait fact is, that the 

 wolf, or tlie Jive moh'ts, are necelfary 

 imperfections in uncqaal temperament, 

 but that neither Li-ccjital thirds or tri- 

 tqual fifths can protjuce on my ear '' pe- 

 culiar and foleiiui" efledts, or " charming 

 and eilential variety." 

 . The fifths in t!ie Stanhope tcmpcr?,- 

 laent are as follow : — 

 trora C to G, perfecf . 

 O — 1), tri-(;qua!, 

 I) — A, tri-equal. 

 A — H, tri-equal. 

 E— B, perfect. 

 B — V I liar ft, nearly perfei'^f. 

 i' Jharp — 'Cjharp, perfect, 

 C Jharp — G Jharp. (or A flot), 

 pertVCt. 



* See Dr. Callcoit's Mufical Grr.mnmr. 



From A fiM to E /?«^ perfe^^l. 



K )l4jt — U fiat, nearly pcrlect. 

 h'jlal—V', perfect. 

 1—C, perfect. 

 The thirds in the Stanhope tempera- 

 inent are iis follow : — 

 I'roiu C to v., perfccl. 



J^, — i'/jhurp, bi-equal. 

 Aflat — (', bi-equal. 

 G— 15, perfect. 

 U — \)Jharp, bi-cqnal. 

 ^ flat — (j, bi-cqual. 

 H'^-V Jharp, intermediate be- 

 tween perfedt and bi-equul, 

 but nearly perfect. 

 Gjlat—iijlat, bi-equal. 

 h flat — 1), nearly bi-cqual. 

 A — C Jharp, nearly birequal. 

 Djlat — 1", bi-equal. 

 V — A, nearly perfect. 

 Tlie tri-equal /i/i'/'N arc thole which arc 

 perpetually occurring. 



From a comparlfon of the foregoing 

 tables (jt'Jij'ths and thirdx, it will be rea- 

 dily dileovered why the Portugueze hymn 

 would not found well in A ; viz., bccaule 

 that k« y is intolerable in the Stanhope 

 Temperament, 



i will now take my leave of li-equul 

 thirds and tri-equal quints, 



" Notes 



For which, alas I my deftiny fevcrc 

 T1)0' cart ihe gave me tivo, gave mc no ear.'" 

 1 am. Sir, !kc. C. 



To the Editor of the Monthly 2tugazinc^ 



I 



N vour Corrcfpondeut's Contributions 

 to Fiiglilh Synouymy, Xo. IV. (Ma- 

 s:aziiiG for .hine, vol. 21, p. 416) are 

 two on articles which 1 think no quo- 

 tation he can make will bear him out in, 

 as conformable to the general application 

 of thofe words, The word " bough" he 

 defi'Jinates as the iirit grand fub-divilion 

 of a tree, to which " branch" is I'ubordi- 

 iiate. I am certain that the application 

 in authors, as well as common comerfiv 

 tion, are atiiainft him ; but Ihall only 

 quote Shakfpcare's Macbeth, act iv. ■ 

 fccnc 4, where Malcolm tells his men — 

 " Let every foldier hew him down a bough. 

 And bear't before him." 

 And a!k your correfpondent whether lie 

 fnppofes the trees of the wood ofBirnani' 

 ■were lefs, or Malcolm's men bigger, than 

 the men and trees of modern days. 



*f Corn-chandler" he derives from 

 " cantle," to parcel out. Gi\e me leave 

 to alk him, whether the German word, 

 handler, as kora-hnndUr, does not atford 

 a clofer analogy? Wc • have alfu Ih - 

 ciiuiidler, was-chatidicr, tullow-chund^cr, 



