117 



TEMPERAMENT AND TUNING. 



TEMPERAMENT AND TUNING. 



113 



There is no doubt that persons having the complexion and other sign 

 of the sanguine temperament, are more liable to certain classes o 

 disorders than the phlegmatic or melancholic, while the latter hav 

 their own peculiar tendencies. The sanguine, having a fully-developec 

 vascular structure, and therefore a vigorous circulation of blood, t 

 warm skin, and a high degree of organic sensibility, are more liable t< 

 sudden and powerful impressions from external agents than those o 

 more languid vital functions. They are subject in a greater degree to 

 severe inflammatory disorders, and disorders of this class are in 

 them more acute : they bear, however, better than persons of more 

 languid habit, evacuations of blood and the other measures which are 

 found to be the proper remedies for these diseases. The greatei 

 fulness of blood-vessels, of those at least which are near the sur 

 face, the greater warmth of the skin, and the florid complexion o 

 the sanguine, afford reason to believe that the designation given to 

 this temperament is not wholly unfounded. We likewise find that 

 sanguine persons are more subject to hemorrhages (to those at leasl 

 which are termed actire) as arising from excess in the force of circula 

 tion through the arteries. Individuals of the phlegmatic temperamen 

 are predisposed to disorders arising from, or connected with, a low 

 degree of vital energy. Local congestions of blood arising independently 

 of general excitement come under this category. Glandular and tuber 

 cular diseases take place in bodies weak in the structures connected 

 with the vital functions, and are perhaps more frequent in the 

 phlegmatic than in other temperaments. Inflammatory complaints 

 when they attack the phlegmatic, are less acute and more disposed tc 

 terminate in chronic diseases than are those of the sanguine con- 

 stitution, when at least the latter have been treated by appropriate 

 remedies. The relations of the choleric to the melancholic tempera- 

 ment are similar to the relations which the phlegmatic bears to the 

 sangxiine; the former displays greater vigour, both in health and 

 disease than the latter. The choleric and sanguine, when affected by 

 diseases of the nervous system, have complaints of greater violence and 

 acuteness : mania or raving madness belongs particularly (according to 

 the observations of M. Esquirol and many others) to these constitu- 

 tions. The melancholic temperament is most prone to monomania, 

 attended with depression and melancholy illusions. Hypochondrias!! 

 much more frequently affects the phlegmatic and melancholic, though 

 it is occasionally observed in persons who have some of the external 

 characters of the sanguine temperament. The most severe cases of 

 hypochondriasis, adds Dr. Prichard, and those which approached most 

 nearly to the character of melancholia, have certainly occurred in 

 individuals of a dark leaden complexion, fixed and sullen aspect, and 

 lank coal-black hair. 



But it is not merely on the body, both in its healthy and morbid 

 state, that the temperament exerts an important influence ; the relation 

 of the different forms of physical organisation to the intellectual and 

 even to the moral faculties is equally marked and apparent. The 

 relation of mental peculiarities to the structure of the body has been 

 observed by medical authors of every age, and it has been stated and 

 explained in different ways. Hippocrates said that " the soul is the 

 same in all men, but that the body is different in different individuals. 

 The soul is ever like itself both in greater and in less, for it undergoes 

 change neither by nature nor by necessity ; but the body is subject to 

 continual alterations. The affections of the mind depend upon the 

 body ; there are many states of the latter which sharpen and many 

 which obtund it." (Hipp., De VicHU Ratime, lib. i., 21, torn. L p 

 650.) Democritus, in a letter said to have been addressed by him' to 

 Hippocrates, asserted that "the intelligence of the mind depends 

 greatly on the body, the diseases of which obscure the mental faculties 

 and draw the latter into consent." (Hipp., Epist.', torn, iii., p. 824 )' 

 Among the writings of Galen there is a treatise entitled Quod Animi 

 Mores Corpora Temperamenta sequantur ' (torn, iv., ed. Kiihn), written 

 expressly to establish the connection between the passions and desires 

 of the mind and the temperaments, wherein he has handled the subject 

 very ingeniously and has delivered many profound views of the animal 

 economy. But it is in the works of modem writers that we find this 

 doctrine most fully developed, and made a foundation for a division of 

 human characters, though their views are mingled with many fanciful 

 and unphilosophical speculations. 



The doctrine of temperaments is true to a certain extent, and has 

 ever been confirmed by an appeal to experience. States of the 

 mind are so connected with affections of the body, that it is im- 

 possible for any person who considers all the physiological facts that 

 present themselves in connection with this subject to doubt that 

 with each temperament particular mental qualities must be associated 

 although it is manifest that many writers have indulged their fancy on 

 this subject, and have gone into more full and minute details than 

 t ice will establish. 



IPERAMENT AND TUNING. Temperament is the name 



given to the discussion of the subject of which tuning is the appli- 



cation ; and tuning is the art of adjusting the several sounds of a 



musical instrument so as to make its scale approach to correctness 



> that of putting two instruments, each of which has the parts of ite 



cale in proper relative adjustment, into agreement with each other 



Some musical instruments have a permanent relative scale, all the 



irts of which, if changed at all, change together. Thus a horn or a 



flute may change its pitch from the heat of a room, but all the parts 



change together, and the whole effect of temperature is corrected at 

 once by lengthening the pipe of which the instrument consists. Other 

 instruments require to have the parts of their scales compared with 

 each other from time to time, owing to their several parts being 

 unconnected and subject to unequal wear or to separate accident, such 

 as the organ and piano-forte. Others again are so liable to these 

 derangements as to require tuning on every occasion of use, as the 

 violin class, the harp, the drums, &c. It is not our intention to enter 

 into the mode of tuning instruments in detail, but, as promised in the 

 article SCALE, to give some account of the difficulties which are met 

 with in the actual construction of any scale, and the ordinary modes of 

 meeting them. 



In the article just referred to we have pointed out the mathematical 

 commencement of this subject, and have made it evident, from first 

 principles, that a perfect * scale is impossible ; that is to say, one in 

 which all the intervals, or even all the principal intervals, in every key, 

 shall be perfect. Let additional notes be introduced to make existing 

 keys perfect, and those additional notes would themselves become the 

 key-notes of new keys, requiring additional notes to make them perfect. 

 Again, the conditions of the ordinary musical instruments require that 

 the octave shall consist of only twelve semitones ; and ,though some 

 organs have been constructed with more, it is not worth while to 

 embarrass the subject by treating of any other scale than that of the 

 twelve semitones. We shall use the same notation as before, namely, 

 expressing the following note of the treble scale, 



by c, we shall denote the successive cs in ascent by c 1 , o 2 , &c., and 

 those in descent by c,, c s , &c. : thus, c s is three octaves below c, and 

 c< is four octaves above it. 



The first point is to fix upon some one note, by the pitch of wliic-h 

 all others may be determined. The only way of retaining a permanent 

 pitch for use is by having an instrument which time will not alter. It 

 is true that the pitch of a note depends only upon the number of 

 vibrations in a second, and can, by the description of this number, 

 always be recovered by acoustical experiments. But we might as well 

 expect a carpenter to ascertain his own foot-rule for himself by the 

 pendulum as an ordinary musician to appeal to the theory of musical 

 vibrations. A standard pitch is usually obtained, or professed to be 

 obtained, by the tuning-fork, an instrument consisting of two steel 

 prongs growing out of a steel handle. When these prongs are sharply 

 struck they vibrate ; and if the instrument be then held to the ear, or 

 placed upon the flap of a table or any other sound-board, a low and 

 very pure sound is heard, if the prongs be perfectly equal. These 

 tuning-forks are usually made to sound either o 1 or A, and they would 

 answer their purpose exceedingly well if there really were in existence 

 any standard from which they were made. But this there is not ; and 

 the consequence is, that not only do the tuning-forks of different 

 makers frequently vary a little from each other, but the new forks are 

 sensibly higher than the old ones. We have already seen how much 

 ;he pitch used in different places varies [ACOUSTICS], and also how 

 very much what is now called concert-pitch is higher than it was 

 a century ago. [PIPE.] This rise, it appears, is still going on, and, 

 unless measures be taken to stop it, will not finish until all the com- 

 Kwitions of the old masters are played and sung two or three notes 

 ligher than they were really written. 



There was, we are told, a few years ago, a standard, so called, con- 

 structed under the direction of those who manage the Philharmonic 

 Concerts ; but we are not aware that any account was given of the 

 method of selection, or that any experiments were instituted w,ith a 

 view to its perpetuation. We are also told that this mysterious stan- 

 dard was committed to the charge of one particular tradesman, and 

 .hat the rest of the craft had difficulty in obtaining it. We have seen 

 another promulgation of a standard tuning-fork, for the especial use 

 of singing-classes. The prospectus of the seller states that careful 

 experiments have determined that the Philharmonic c (the c 1 of our 

 notation) vibrates less than 512 times in a second ; how much less is 

 not stated. These new tuning-forks are asserted to have had their 

 litch raised to vibrate 512 times in a second ; avowedly for no other 

 eaaon than that 512 is a good number for calculation, and inter- 

 mediate between those of tuning-forks now in use ; and it is stated 

 hat every fork is tuned to the true standard by a " scientific process." 

 Jut directors of concerts and publishers of music should be aware that 



* This means, of course, impossible BO long as only twelve sounds arc allowed 



the octave. General Perronet Thompson, a warm advocate of the total 



bolition of temperament, has constructed an enharmonic organ, which is 



ublicly exhibited, having fifty-four sounds in tho octave, and perfect in twenty- 



ne keys. All that can be said about the subject Is exhausted in his ' Principles 



nd Practice of First Intonation,' 4th edition, 1860 {Efflngham Wilson), it 



ailing tract of 112 very full pages. We think that he overrates the admitted 



nconvenience ; and we despair of seeing a pianoforte with fifty-four sounds 



which shall stand in tune, so as to preserve the minute differences of ncighbour- 



ng sounds. But we decidedly approve of the attempt : and we can only say 



hat if there shall be a general demand for the abolition of temperament, we 



ave no doubt the thing is practicable. But a change of musical scale requires 



Teat concerted action : want of Instruments puts difficulties in the way of 



concert, and want of concert puts difficulties in the way of getting instruments. 



