to what Extent, and how most readily attainable P" 323 



wholly of that description cnWed fixed tones or monotones, — the 

 f/irfe, or variation of tone on the same syllable, being very seldom 

 employed. The voivel caWed " lo7ig i" (or perhaps more pro- 

 perly triphthong, for besides its ordinary character, if prolonged 

 it will terminate in ee,) must be considered an exception to this 

 general observation ; this letter appearing, at all times, to ter- 

 minate somewhat higher than it began *. The latter character 

 indeed, viz. that of terminating higher than the commencement, 

 is equally applicable to almost every other slide that was ex- 

 pressed ; — the opposite character or downward slide being 

 scarcely ever affected during the course of this investigation, ex- 

 cept in a few instances where the vowel or diphthong u became 

 the terminating syllable of a period, as in you, news, refuse, &c. 



No circumjiex-'y whatever was observable. 



Remarks. Dr. Burney in his " History of Music," with every 

 appearance of «orrectness observes, that it is extremely difficult 

 to preserve a slide, when speaking to any person at a consider- 

 able distance; and that on such occasions we naturally use our 

 efforts to express ourselves mjixed tones. Quintii.ian too, in 

 his " Institutes of the Orator," makes a nearly similar remark; 

 he positively asserting that the command of our inflexions is lost 

 upon the higher keys ];. 



Some modern theorists, however, would insist thai fixed tones 

 are the peculiar characteristics of song; and that a series of 

 speaking sounds cannot be accomplished but through the agency 

 o£ slides. 



A Mr. Steele (I believe of London), the author of a work 

 intitled " Prosodia Rationalis," but deserving rather the appel- 

 lation of " Prosody run mad," was the origin of this egregious 

 absurdity, which he deduced or rather fancied to have deduced 

 from a very obscure passage of Dionysius Thrax: — But of this 

 hereafter. 



The reality is, that slides must be considered as graces, and 



* May we not thus account for the well-known difficiilty of singing this 

 triphthong in perfect tune ? 



t Dwelling on the base of an upward, or on the summit of a downward 

 slide will he taken by the grosser ear for two species of the circuniHex. 

 Thus, ,^ may be taken for \y' , and "^ for /\ : errors into wliirh 

 I am persuaded that our giammarians have constantly fallen, when speak- 

 ing of the Scottish and other intonations. — See Sheridan, IValker, &c. — 

 This deception is principally attributable to the management of the ictus. 



X Is it necessary to observe, that in calling to a distant object, we are 

 compelled by necessity to the adoption of the higher keys or pitch? I iiave 

 met with some professional musicians who imagined the reverse, until ac- 

 tual experiment convinced them of their mistake. Mad they reflected on 

 the wide diiTerence, both in loudness and acutencss, between the. braced 

 and unbraced drwn, the question liad been instantly resolved. 



X 2 oftentimes 



