120 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



We have said that the Norman Conquest was for the time 

 the destruction of the native literature. The " Saxon Chronicle," 

 no doubt, was continued for nearly a century longer, down to 

 the end of the reign of Stephen ; and there are still extant 

 songs in the native tongue dating from a very early period. 

 But these exceptions are so slight, that it may safely be said 

 that after the Conquest the Saxon tongue soon ceased to be 

 used for literary purposes, its place being taken partly by Latin, 

 and partly by Norman-French. 



The period between the death of Stephen and the age of 

 Chaucer, a period of about two hundred years, is commonly 

 divided, as has been already pointed out, into two pretty equal 

 periods, during which the names Semi-Saxon and Old English 

 are applied to the language. But we must again remind the 

 student that these divisions are adopted, not to mark any 

 sudden breaks in the development of the language, but because 

 chronological divisions are convenient as aids to the memory 

 in retaining a large number of facts Epread over a long time. 



During the first of these two periods, the Semi-Saxon, we find 

 a tendency to revival in the English language, though the 

 remains that have come down to us are but small in extent- 

 Layamon was a priest of Earnley, on the Severn, probably in 

 the days of Henry II. He wrote a chronicle of Britain, 

 under the title of " Brut." The name represented the general, 

 though of course groundless, belief among our ancestors that 

 this island was colonised by one Brutus, of Trojan descent, and 

 after him was called Britain. This chronicle, as the author 

 himself tells us, was founded upon several earlier books in 

 Latin, including Bede's history, and upon the French narrative 

 of Wace. The work of Layamon displays considerable poetical 

 power and originality ; and it curiously illustrates the character 

 ef the times in which it was written, and the transition that was 

 commencing, by its form ; for, alternating with the old Saxon 

 system of alliterative verses, it shows us the rhyming versifica- 

 tion borrowed from the Norman- French. In the main, however, 

 its structure is Saxon, 



To the same century, though probably a later portion of it, 

 belongs the " Ormulum," so called by its author Orm, or Ormin, 

 after his own name. Ormin was an Augustinian friar, and his 

 book is a metrical version of the Gospel narrative, harmo- 

 nised, as he explains himself, from the four Evangelists ; and 

 with homilies or discourses added upon the various passages, 

 in the order in which they occur in the Church services. The 

 " Ormulum " is very long, and has but little poetical merit ; 

 but the versification is smooth, and its form is worth noting. 

 The metre is almost identical with the modern ballad metre, 

 but without rhyme, and also without alliteration. 



Other remains of Semi-Saxon literature have come down to us, 

 but none of so great general interest as the two of which we have 

 Bpoken. The largest and most important work of this period 

 which has been published next to those mentioned is the " An- 

 crem Eicole," or " Eule for Anchoresses" (that is, nuns). This 

 curious book is a treatise on the duties and dangers of nuns, with 

 full instructions for their guidance upon all points, illustrated by 

 warnings and examples from the Bible and other sources. It is ad 

 dressed, apparently by a learned divine, to three ladies, " sisters, 

 of one father and one mother, having in the bloom of youth for- 

 saken all the pleasures of the world and become anchoresses." 



The remaining period, falling between the middle of the 

 thirteenth century and the age of Chaucer, is that during which 

 the name of Old English is given to the language ; and in it, as 

 in the preceding period, the literature in the native tongue is 

 but scanty. 



The two most ambitious works in English belonging to this 

 period are metrical chronicles, those of Robert of Gloucester, 

 and Robert Manning, or Robert of Brunne. Neither of these 

 is of much historical merit ; neither is much more than a trans- 

 lation from earlier Latin and French authors. They illustrate, 

 however, the increasing demand for the means of historical 

 teaching in the vernacular. The same thing is strongly shown 

 by the increasing number of versions, sometimes in verse, some- 

 times in prose, of portions of the Holy Scriptures, and other 

 works designed for the purposes of religious instruction. 



But the revival of national spirit is manifested more plainly 

 still by the lighter literature of the period. At an earlier date 

 the literature of mere pleasure, as distinguished from that 

 designed for instruction, was all, or nearly all, in French. But 

 at this period, writers were bu?y turning the most popular of the 



French romances into English ; and, as might be expected, they 

 were not only translated but imitated, and to such an extent 

 that a considerable quantity of the vernacular poetry of that age 

 has been handed down to us ; while, of course, that which we 

 possess must be but a very small part of that which once 

 existed. Such was, in brief outline, the history of literature in 

 England before the great era of which Chaucer is the most dis- 

 tinguished representative. The literature of his age will form 

 the subject of the next succeeding lessons. 



LESSONS IN MUSIC. XXII. 



MODULATION-TRANSITION-" MELCOMBE "-MENTAL 

 EFFECTS OF TEANSITION. 



THE subject of "transition" or "modulation," on which we 

 have now to speak, will be deeply interesting to those who have 

 studied the " mental effects " of notes as developed in the pre- 

 ceding lessons. We shall first describe this musical change, 

 and then show our pupils how to test our description by their 

 own ears. If we had them under oral instruction, we should 

 first make their ears conscious of the change, and then persuade 

 them to analyse it, trace its origin, and describe it. As we 

 cannot compel our pupils to pass through this discipline, we 

 trust that they will be their own masters in this respect, and 

 remember that music is not to be learnt by the eye, but by the 

 ear. If you do nothing but read a verbal description of a mu- 

 sical fact, you can only be said then to have learnt the descrip- 

 tion ; the musical fact itself you can know nothing of until you 

 have heard it. 



Sometimes, in the course of a tune, the notes are so ordered 

 as to direct the ear to a new GOVERNING or KEY-NOTE, divert- 

 ing the mind for a time from considering the original key-note 

 as the principal key-note or the principal note of rest and close. 

 The music is then said to have passed into a new key, and 

 the several notes exchange the mental effects which they pos- 

 sessed as members of the old key for those which are proper to 

 their position in the new key. This is called TRANSITION, and 

 is usually effected by an alteration in one or more of the notes. 



" Modulation " is another name commonly given to this 

 magical change of musical intention and effect, which, at the 

 call of some single new note characteristically heard as it entera 

 the music, causes all the other sounds to acknowledge a new 

 ruler and sovereign, and suddenly assuming the new offices he 

 requires, to minister in their places around him. Modulation 

 means, more properly, simply singing in " mode " or key, which 

 of course includes the singing which passes into various 

 "modes " or keys, but is also applicable to correct performance 

 in one mode. 



The note most frequently chosen to become a new governing 

 (or key) note is son, .the fifth of the common scale. The ear is 

 usually made to feel that SOH (the fifth) is treated as the key- 

 note, by the introduction of a new note instead of the FAH of 

 the original key. This new note occupies the same position in 

 respect of SOH which TE holds to DOH; and so, having become 

 ths new DOH. it would be properly called TE. When, however, 

 it is desirable to indicate the new note alone, and to distinguish 

 it from the DOH of the original key, it is named FE. 



In the diagram on the next page, we have endeavoured to illus- 

 trate the consequences of this change in the new effects produced 

 on the mind. The central column represents the principal key 

 of the tune in which you are singing, with those adjectives by 

 which we have, in previous lessons, designated the mental 

 effects of the notes of the scale placed on either side of each 

 note. These descriptive words, however, must be taken with all 

 the limitations arising from rate of movement, harmonic ac- 

 companiment, etc., to which we before referred. With this 

 understanding, the right-hand column will show how the notes- 

 change their mental effect at the call of the new note, now 

 called FE, and direct the ears to what before was SOH. as a new 

 key-note a new DOH. The "steady, calm" note begins to 

 produce the effect which we describe as " weeping and sorrow- 

 ful." The " hopeful rousing " note changes to the " grand and 

 clear " effect, and so on. Let the pupil sing the following tune 

 " Melcombe " to the figures " one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, 

 eight one, two," etc., or get it sung to him. In singing this 



