CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



same letter, with a stroke drawn through it, (JJ. 

 The first beat in a measure always bears the 

 strongest accent. Where there are only two beats, 

 the second remains unaccented ; and where there 

 are three, both the second and third are unac- 

 cented. If there are four beats, the third has a 

 stress greater than that on the second and fourth, 

 but less than that on the first. Where a beat is 

 subdivided, the accents are distributed upon the 

 subdivisions according to their number, just as in 



the whole bar. Thus the fr time is divided into 



two beats, each forming a group of three crotchets. 

 In each group, the first must have the greatest 

 stress, and in the whole bar, the first crotchet 

 receives the strongest accent, the fourth the next 

 strongest, and the second, third, fifth, and sixth 

 are unaccented. Similarly, if a crotchet in 

 time should happen to be divided into four semi- 

 quavers, the accents in this sub-group are placed 

 similarly to those in the whole bar, and so on for 

 all subdivisions. A thorough knowledge of the 

 nature and treatment of these accents is essential 

 to what is called the correct ' phrasing' of a piece 

 of music, and therefore to its correct performance. 

 It is a point, however, too often left untouched by 

 music teachers, with the result that their pupils 

 find their music lifeless and uninteresting. Accent 

 and expression combine to make the light and 

 shade of a musical picture, while harmony fills in 

 its colour. 



5. Relative Force. It is evident that there can 



be no way of marking the absolute degree of 

 force with which any particular phrase or piece 

 of music is to be performed. Its relative force 

 is determined by certain Italian words marked 

 by the composer upon it. Of these the principal 

 are forte (loud) andfo'ano (softly), denoted by their 

 first letters,/ and p. ff and// stand respectively 

 for fortissimo and pianissimo, very loud and very 

 soft ; and mfand mp for mezzoforte and mezzo- 

 piano, with a medium degree of loudness and 

 softness. 



The mark =rr^HI means that the phrase to 

 which it is attached shall become gradually louder, 

 and its opposite 3HH= that the phrase shall 

 become gradually softer ; the words Crescendo, 

 (growing) and Diminuendo or Decrescendo (dimin- 

 ishing) are used for the same purpose. The slur 

 or tie <^~ -^ indicates that the notes covered by it 

 are to be played smoothly and connectedly, the 

 word legato standing for the same thing. Staccato 

 is the opposite of legato, and means that the notes 

 are to be struck sharply, and somewhat detached 

 from each other ; it is indicated by little strokes 

 or dots placed above or below the notes. The tie 

 and the staccato marks are often used together as 

 an indication of phrasing ; in this case the notes 

 are to be ' detached, but not crisp.' When of two 

 notes connected by a tie, the second is simply a 

 repetition of the first, it is not sounded, but merely 

 sustained, unless the notes have staccato marks. 

 Fig. 16 illustrates the application of some of these 

 signs. 





Fig. 16. 



The ornaments used, (principally) in instrumental 

 music are often not printed at full length, but 

 merely indicated by some abbreviation. Of these, 



the principal are the shake, the turn, the trill (or 

 mordent), and the appoggiatura and acciaccatura. 

 Fig. 17 shews the notation used for these orna- 



Written. 



Played. 



Turn. 



Acciaccatura. 



Trill. 



Fig. 17. 



ments, and the way in which they are played. 

 The appoggiatura receives the full accent of, and 

 takes half the time from, the note before which it 

 is placed, and there is no reason why it should not 

 be written as it is played, as is now generally done. 

 Its notation probably arose from a wish to evade 

 the strict laws as to the preparation of discords : 

 it was written as an ornament, with a tacit under- 

 standing that it was to be played out in full. The 

 acciaccatura does not take the stress on itself, but 

 is played simply as a very short unaccented note, 

 liding into the one which follows it 



We have already mentioned that Italian words 

 are used to indicate approximately absolute time. 



696 



The following are some of the other expressions 

 most commonly found, with their meanings ; they 

 are arranged in order from the slowest to the 

 quickest : 



Grave very slow, heavy. 



Adagio, Largo, Lento slow, lingering. 



Larghetto (diminutive of Largo). 



Andante, Andantino ' walking.' There is sor 

 little doubt which of these ought to be the slower, 

 but it seems generally to be the former. 



Allegretto (diminutive of Allegro]. 



Allegro gay, lively. 



Presto quick. 



Prestissimo (superlative of Presto). 



