110 



MUSIC. 



motions, with the exception of the former, which 

 cannot follow by similar motion. 



As was observed before, we shall confine ourselves 

 to the consideration of the natural scales C major and 

 A minor, which will serve to illustrate their respective 

 modes and first of the major scale. The funda- 

 mental basses, i. e. the key note, the fifth, and fourth, 

 are the perfect concords of the key, and they are ac- 

 companied with their common chords; this is the* real 

 or thorough bass, but if the third, sixth, and seventh 

 of the key are used as basses with uncommon chords, 

 i. e. their third, sixth, and octave, such arrangement 

 is denominated a supposed bass. The thirds of the 

 fundamentals are their supposed basses, and may 

 therefore be employed alone. This holds true of all 

 the notes except the fifth of the key, which, besides 

 its third, has also its fifth as a supposed bass. The 

 supposed bass does not alter the harmony of the 

 principle. The following example will illustrate 

 what has been said on fundamental and supposed 

 basses, where F signifies fundamental, and S supposed. 



S and F basses 

 mixed. 



S and F baweiCOZ 



6 6666 



Three methods are adopted in making the accom- 

 paniment on the third and sixth of the key note ; one 

 by doubling the sixth of the supposed bass, another 

 by doubling the third, and the last by doubling the 

 octave ; which three methods are given in the order 

 of their preference. There are only two methods 

 for the seventh and ninth, the one by doubling the 

 sixth, the other by doubling the third. These are 

 exemplified below. 



Third. 



Sixth. 



Seventh. 



Ninth. 



The real and supposed basses which we have been 

 considering are all derived from the perfect concords 

 or common chord, i. e. the third, the fifth, and the 

 octave. These real and supposed basses, however, 

 do not afford all that variety which music requires, 

 which defect is supplied by the bass from the uncom- 

 mon chord, i. e. the chord formed by the union of the 

 third, sixth, and eighth. This difference of the bass 

 derived from the common chord is supplied by that 

 derived from the uncommon ; and the supposed bass 

 is derived much in the same way, with this difference, 

 that the supposed bass derived from the uncommon 

 fundamental, is formed by taking minor thirds above 

 the fundamental, whereas the supposed bass, arises 

 from taking major thirds. The supposed bass thus 

 formed keeps in the natural order of the key. 



In the minor key the perfect concords, i. e. the 

 unison fourth, fifth, and octave, require the common 

 chords for an accompaniment ; yet, in this scale, the 

 tonic and fourth admit of a minor third ; the fifth 

 takes a major third, although in the scale of A it is 

 left minor ; wherefore, the third of the fifth of this 

 mode is always sharp. 



The discords and imperfect concords take as har- 

 mony the uncommon chords, but in the key of A the 

 G must be sharpened. The second of the key has a 

 sharp sixth, and the fourth a third, like the tonic ; 

 also, with the exception of the key of E, the fifth of 

 the key has a third major, and the seventh a sixth 

 minor. 



What we have just been considering is what is 



commonly denominated plain counterpoint, that is, 

 composition where the harmony is formed by har- 

 monizing each note of the melody by concords. 

 Figurate counterpoint consists in a proper arrange- 

 ment of concords and discords, and admits of every 

 thing that is capable of adorning a musical composi- 

 tion. 



Before the student can enter on this subject, it is 

 of the utmost consequence that he should be ac- 

 quainted with the nature of the composition and 

 resolution of discords. 



A discord in harmony is the lower of two adjoining 

 tones simultaneously sounded ; and thus a second, 

 seventh, which are the two natural discords, and the 

 ninth is also regarded as a discord, being a replicate 

 of the seventh, that is, an octave above ; or, indeed, 

 any_note whatever may be made a discord. From 

 this definition it will appear, that when the unison, 

 i. e. key note, is sounded, with its second above, the 

 unison, being the lower note, is called the discord. 

 Discords may be prepared and resolved either in the 

 treble or in the bass, being regarded as descending 

 from the former to the latter, or ascending from the 

 latter to the former. 



A discord is prepared in the unaccented part of 

 the bar by taking a chord, but the note being held on 

 in the accented part of the bar, is sounded with its 

 second, or what is equivalent, the replicate of the 

 second; that is, the ninth, becoming thus a discord, 

 which is resolved by descending a major semitone or 

 a full tone, and becoming a concord. 



