THE LAW OF EVOLUTION CONTINUED. 367 



The early lyre of the Greeks had four, constituting their 

 tetrachord. In course of some centuries lyres of seven and 

 eight strings were employed. And, by the expiration of 

 a thousand years, they had advanced to their " great sys- 

 tem " of the double octave. Through all which changes 

 there of course arose a greater heterogeneity of melody. Si- 

 multaneously there came into use the different modes — 

 Dorian, Ionian, Phrygian, iEolian, and Lydian — answering 

 to our keys : and of these there were ultimately fifteen. As 

 yet, however, there was but little heterogeneity in the time 

 of their music. Instrumental music during this period be- 

 ing merely the accompaniment of vocal music, and vocal 

 music being completely subordinated to words, — the singer 

 being also the poet, chanting his own compositions, and 

 making the lengths of his notes agree with the feet of his 

 verses; there unavoidably arose a tiresome uniformity of 

 measure, which, as Dr Burney says, " no resources of mel- 

 ody could disguise." Lacking the complex rhythm obtained 

 by our equal bars and unequal notes, the only rhythm was 

 that produced by the quantity of the syllables, and was of 

 necessity comparatively monotonous. And further, it may 

 be observed that the chant thus resulting, being like recita- 

 tive, was much less clearly differentiated from ordinary 

 speech than is our modern song. Nevertheless, considering 

 the extended range of notes in use, the variety of modes, 

 the occasional variations of time consequent on changes 

 of metre, and the multiplication of instruments, we see 

 that music had, towards the close of Greek civilization, at- 

 tained to considerable heterogeneity: not indeed as com- 

 pared with our music, but as compared with that which pre- 

 ceded it. As yet, however, there existed nothing 

 but melody: harmony was unknown. It was not until 

 Christian church-music had reached some development, 

 that music in parts was evolved; and then it came into exist- 

 ence through a very unobtrusive differentiation. Difficult 

 as it may be to conceive, d priori, how the advance from 



