to what Extent, and how most readily attainable 2” 403 
the necessary preparative for the semiquaver assigned to der, fol- 
lowed by the quaver assigned to zess. Notwithstanding the ge- 
neral slowness of the whole movement, the recitative performer 
is scarcely enabled to articulate audibly the semiquaver der: in 
the quicker movement of speech it would be almost if not quite 
impossible. ] 
Athalia. 
23) 2) 2 2 22272 y2ind 
«But as the young barbarian I caress’d 
| ns | MEQ a HO Dra srg 
He plung’d a dagger deep within my breast; 
De Dy Os AB ea ARS A iil 
No effort could the blow repel, 
2 4 Qe Zi DQ ia Dig 
I shriek’d, I fainted, and I fell.” , 
(By an attentive perusal of these latter lines we shall find them 
much more exceptionable in the relative proportions of the syl- 
labies (when applied to /anguage) than represented by Dr. Bur- 
ney. Why should the unimportant particle ¢he in the first line be 
twice as long as the important word plunged in the second, or- 
as the equally important word L/ow in thethird? These, though: 
the most prominent, are not the only oratorical objections to 
this highly musical passage. ] 
Is it necessary to add another example? Let us take our own 
celebrated national air ‘* God save the King,” and scepticism it- 
self must acknowledge that the ratio of even three to one, much 
less of e7ght to one as suggested by the originator of our speech- 
barring system, is amply sufficient for the production of superior 
melody even in song. 
God save the King. 
mig! tg nrg oge ital eoy diy ay ae am 4 
“God save great George our king, long live our noble king, 
“Mis Moa aie 
God save our king ; 
4 4 462444 4 624 49393 624 
Send him victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us 
4 4 4 12 
God bless our king.” 
[The dotted minim =12 assigned to the word “ king’ at the 
close of the first and second part, though consonant with the 
usage of song, cannot (as every person is informed) be tolerated 
in speech ; and may it not therefore with justice be asserted that 
the ratio of three to one, which otherwise prevails throughout this 
beautiful production, is even superabundant for the melody of an 
articulate language? The Greek and Roman languages, which 
acknowledged neither inarticulate particles nor inarticulate syl- 
Cce2 lables, 
