On Musical Temperament. 25 



the other : there can be no doubt that the greater part of the 

 temperament ought to be thrown upon the latter. Hence it 

 becomes an important problem to ascertain, with some degree 

 of precision, the relative frequency with which different con- 

 sonances occur in practice. Before proceeding to a direct in- 

 vestigation of this problem, it may be observed, in general, 

 that such a difference manifestly exists. In a given key, it 

 cannot have escaped the most superficial observer, that the 

 most frequent combination of sounds is the common chord on 

 the tonic ; that the next after this is that on the dominant, and 

 the third, that on the subdominant. Perhaps scarcely a piece 

 of music can be found, in which this order of frequency does 

 not hold true. It is equally true that some signatures occur 

 oftener than others. That of one sharp will be found to be 

 more used, in the major mode, than any other ; and, in general, 

 the more simple keys will be found of more frequent occur- 

 rence than those which have more flats or sharps. These 

 differences are not the result of accident. The tonic, domi- 

 nant, and subdominant, are obviously the most prominent notes 

 in the scale, and must always be the fundamental bases of more 

 chords than either of the others ; while the greater ease of 

 playing on the simpler keys will always be a reason with com- 

 posers for setting a larger part of their music on these, than 

 on the more difficult keys. It is observable, that the greater 

 part of musical compositions, whether of the major or minor 

 mode, is reducible to two kinds : that in which the base chiefly 

 moves between the tonic and its octave, and that in which the 

 base moves between the dominant and subdominant of the key. 

 The former class, in the major mode, are almost universally 

 set on the key of one sharp ; the latter, generally on the na- 

 tural key, or that of two sharps. In the minor mode, the for- 

 mer class have usually the signature of two flats, or the natural 

 key ; the latter, that of one flat. Hence the three former 

 keys will comprise the greater part of the music in the major 

 mode, and the three latter, of that in the minor mode, in every 

 promiscuous collection. But if we were even to suppose each 

 of the chords in the same key, and each of the signatures, of 

 equally frequent occurrencCj, some chords would occur much 



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