of the Musical Scale. 317 



perform on a greater number of finger-keys (or strings of 

 harps, &c.) than they have been used to, which has not been, 

 nor is it, I fear, very Ukely to be efiected; or to adapt move- 

 able Slops, as Dr. Smith and Mr. Maxwell have described, 

 for readily changing the pipes or strings on which the keys 

 are intended to act, as often as a change of key requires. 

 Hence we see one reason why lord Stanhope, and numerous 

 others who have wriiten on the temperament, have confined 

 their inquiries to twelve notes, or to the douzeave, as 1 have' 

 ventured to call such a division of the septave, for the sake 

 of distinction. We see also why the isotonic scale, or equal 

 temperament, has so many advocates j because it agrees ex- 

 actly with the imperfect language or notation of music, with 

 the practice of modulation, and with the dogmas on this 

 subject, (for I confess many of them have appeared such to 

 me,) of composers and writers on the elements of composi- 

 tion. 



Fourthly, our inquiries being thus limited to doiizcaves, 

 or systems of twelve fixed notes v^-iihin an octave, it be- 

 comes important to consider, that every piece of music is 

 written, that is, generally begins, and aluays ends, in some 

 one key major or tnlnor, which signify, systems of eight 

 notes above a certain sound, called the key note: thus, 

 c, R, A,G,F,E,D,C, are the notes in the 772 ^yo?- key of C, 

 the last or lowest being its key note; c, bB, b A, G, F, bE, 



D, C, are the notes in the oninor key of C, and a, G, F, 



E, D, C, B, A, of the minor key of A, or key of A minor, 

 Vv'hich last, from having none of the b or ♦ notes in its scale, 

 is often called the natural minor, or flat key, as the key of 

 C major is for the same reason called the natural major, or 

 sharp key. Before I speak of such modulations from the 

 natural keys, as can call into action any of the bor* notes, it 

 v.ill be proper to show, that whatever intervals are assumed, 

 above the key or lowest notes C or A, as constitutins: the 

 tight notes of that key, it becomes necessary to consider, » 

 what ii t/ie effect of pcrfonning or accoinpanying a dass : 

 through this octave P for inbiance, if in the major key oi C 

 w'c assume c, or the VIII = | ; B, or the VII = q»- 5 A, or.r 

 the VI = ^ ; G, or the V = f ; F, or the 4th » ^ > E,.oc ^ 



the 



