MUSIC. 



109 



not greater than a full tone ; but the motion is by 

 skips if the interval be equal to or greater than a 

 third. 



In all keys, major and minor, the following notes 

 in the octave take the common chord as their accom- 

 paniment, viz., the key note, the fourth, fifth, and 

 octave; but in the minor mode the fifth has a major 

 sixth as its accompaniment; all the other notes 

 require the uncommon chords, the seventh of the 

 minor mode excepted, whose accompaniment is a 

 fifth. Those melodies are the most agreeable which 

 proceed by harmonies, and they require the funda- 

 mental bass, and next are those which proceed by 

 small intervals. On the other hand, those melodies 

 are least agreeable which go most by skips, to 

 remedy which the fundamental bass is not used, but 

 other notes are employed, which have thence received 

 the name of supposed basses, being found extremely 

 useful to the composer, since they serve to give 

 variety to the harmony without destroying it, render- 

 ing the different parts more equable in their motion, 



and tending greatly to facilitate the singing of the 

 air. It is usual for every composition to begin with 

 a perfect concord of the key, that is, either octave or 

 fifth, and it must invariably terminate on the key note 

 with the harmony of the common chord ; sometimes 

 it may begin or end with a third. When the same 

 note is immediately repeated in the melody, it may 

 be considered as one long note divided into two, and 

 in this case, but in no other, two perfect concords 

 may follow each other ; and for the purpose of pre- 

 venting a repetition of concords, the parts ought to 

 be made as much as possible to move by single 

 degrees and contrary motion, as it is invariably 

 accompanied with a bad effect to pass from one 

 perfect concord to another by similar motion. 



In moving from the unison to a third, it is best to 

 take the minor, which may be either by oblique or 

 contrary motion ; but if to the major third, it is best 

 to go by oblique rather than similar motion. This 

 we shall illustrate by two parts on the same clef, 

 called the arrangement of first and second, thus : 



oblique. 



contrary. 



oblique. 



similar. 



If one part move by a simple degree, motion may 

 be made from a unison to a fifth obliquely, or even 

 contrarily, and from the unison we may also pass to 

 the sixth minor by contrary motion, and to the 

 octave we may pass by oblique motion. 



Although thirds are imperfect concords, neverthe- 

 less they are agreeable, either ascending or descend- 

 ing, and are therefore frequently employed. In 

 ascending, the third major has a cheerful effect, but 

 the contrary in descending, and the reverse holds of 

 the third minor. When two notes of equal length 

 follow each other, one of which is a discord (called 

 division by supposition), minor thirds may follow each 

 other to any extent : major thirds are not so agree- 

 able. The latter is employed in ascending, and the 

 former in descending, and in moving from a third to 

 any other concord the nearest possible should be 

 taken ; and, in parts removed from the bass, repli- 

 cate thirds, or thirds themselves ought to be employed. 

 In passing from the minor third to the unison the 

 motion ought to be oblique, but from a major third 

 to the unison the motion ought to be similar, and by 

 a single degree. In passing from a third to a fifth 

 by contrary motion, the minor third ought to be pre- 

 ferred ; and if one part move a single degree, the 

 motion may be similar. From the major third to the 

 fifth we pass by similar descending motion, but we 

 may pass by oblique motion if one of the parts 

 move by a single degree. We may go by similar or 

 contrary motion from the third major to the sixth 

 minor, or from the third minor to the sixth major, 

 but the motion should be oblique when the thirds 

 and sixths are both major or both minor. In passing 

 from a third to the octave the movement may either 

 lie oblique or contrary, this arrangement being most 

 effective when one part moves by a single degree ; 

 and it may be added, that when the third is minor 

 the motion ought to be contrary, but should, if pos- 

 sible, be avoided. 



From the fifth we may move obliquely to any other 



chord of the key, but although in point of perfection 

 the fifth is next to the octave, nevertheless it ought 

 not to be much employed except in parts near the 

 bass. To either of the thirds, major or minor, you 

 may move from the fifth by any of the three ways, 

 but the oblique is best. The imperfect fifth may 

 follow the perfect, if the third major immediately 

 succeed in the bass, and the motion be contrary. And 

 from the fifth to the sixth major or minor we ought to 

 move obliquely; but in ascending, it is not allowed 

 to pass from the fifth to the sixth minor. When 

 motion is made from the fifth to the major sixth, and 

 thence to the octave, such motion must be contrary, 

 and motion ought never to be made from the fifth 

 immediately to the octave, nor should a minor sixth 

 ever intervene. From the major sixth we may pass 

 immediately to the octave, but if the sixth be minor 

 we must move to the fifth or to the unison by con- 

 trary motion, or to the fifth the motion being oblique; 

 and from the major sixth to the fifth we also pass 

 obliquely, but in this case a third major must follow. 

 Sixths may follow each other by any motion, but it 

 is better that they should be alternately major and 

 minor, the former ascending and the latter descend- 

 ing ; and this arrangement is especially useful where 

 the parts move quickly and by single degrees. 

 Motion from the minor sixth to the octave is not 

 allowed. 



By oblique motion we may proceed from the octave 

 to any concord whatever, with the exception of the 

 minor third; we may pass to it, however, by any 

 other motion ; and to the unison we can only pass 

 by oblique motion. If one part move in similar or 

 contrary motion by a single degree, we may pass to 

 the third major from the octave by all the three 

 motions, and to a third minor by contrary motion. 

 By oblique motion we may pass from an octave to a 

 fifth, and even by the other two motions, provided 

 one part move in a single degree. After the octave 

 the sixth major and minor may follow by all the 



