S E R 



S E R 



SERRA, Paolo, m Biography, author of an elaborate 

 treatife on folmifation, pviblifhed at Rome in 1768, fmall 

 folio, entitled " Introduzione Armonica Sopra la nuova fe- 

 rie de' Suoni modulati oggidi, e mode di rettamente, e piu 

 facilmente intuonarla;" or, " Harmonical Introduftion to a 

 new feries of modulated founds, and a method for accu- 

 rately, and with greater facility, learning to name and pro- 

 duce them with tlie voice." 



The author begins, cap. i, with the origin of mufic, its 

 utility, and the different modes of naming the notes in fmg- 

 ing. After endeavouring to rob Guido of the invention of 

 the hexachords and folmifation, and condemning its uie, he 

 propofes a new method of naming the notes in learning to 

 fing ; aHignm;^ a fpecilic name to every found in the fcale 

 ending with the vowels A, E, I ; as ca for a flat note, ce for 

 a natural note, and cl for a fliarp note ; beginning each 

 found with the letters now in ufe in the Septenary, by 

 which means the ftudent is difembarraffed from all mutations, 

 and every found in the fcale has a fpecitic and invariable name 

 appropriated to it. 



C D E F 



CA CL Cl 



D.-V Dh. DI iE E OE 



±c^oiC_ : 



FA FE FI 



GA GE Gl 



A AO AU 



BA BE BI 



This method had the approbation of feveral of the bell 

 mailers in Rome, who have figned a certificate of its effeft 

 upon the ftudies of a young finger of the name of Bene- 

 detti, who was rendered capable by it, in lefs than a year, 

 of finging at fight any vocal mufic that was put before him, 

 even without accompaniment. Benedetti has fince fung 

 the firft man's part in the operas of feveral of the principal 

 cities of Italy ; and, perhaps, his genius may be fuch, as 

 would have enabled him to have done the fame by any other 

 method, with equal ftudy and praftice. Inftrumental per- 

 formers, at prefent, are not plagued with the ancient names 

 of the notes and mutations, but learn them by the fimple 

 letters of the alphabet ; and yet we have never heard of one 

 that has been able to play at fight in a year's time. 



Upon the whole, the alphabetic names of the notes feem 

 the moll fimple and ufeful for every purpofe but that of ex- 

 ercifing the voice, which is belt done by the vowels ; and it 

 may be faid, that to Jy/labize in quick padages is little more 

 than to fpeak, but to vocalize is to fing. However, we 

 were told by a fcholar of the famous Durante, that while 

 he was in the confervatorio of St. Onofrio, at Naples, when 

 the boys ufed to be tormenting themfelves about the muta- 

 tions, and the names of notes in tranfpofed keys, with 

 double fl.its and (harps. Durante cried out, " Quelle note 

 intonatele, chiamatele poi anche diavole fc volete, ma into- 

 natele." Meaning, that if they did but hit the intervals 

 right, and in tune, he did not care what they were called. 

 And, perhaps, what Pope fays of different forms of go- 

 vernment, may be more jullly applied to thefe feveral methods 

 of finging. 



" Whate'er is bed adminilter'd is belt." 



As, in the ufe of any of them, whoever has the beft matter, 



and. feconds his inftruftions with the greateft degree of in- 

 telligence and indullry, will be the molt likely to fucceed. 

 And when we recollect the great abilities and enchanting 

 powers of m.any fiiigera of paft times, who have been 

 obliged to articulate ever)' note of their folfeggi in the moil 

 rapid movements, we may apply to the new fyllems what 

 M. Roulfeau faid with refped to his own : " That the 

 public has done very wifely to rejeft them, and to fend their 

 authors to the land of vain fpeculations." For innovators 

 will always find, that a bad method, already known, will be 

 preferred to a good method that is to learn. 



Serra, in Botany, a genus of plants, fo called in the 

 Flora Peruviana, after a Spanilh bolanift of the fame name, 

 who has fludied the plants of Minorca. DeTheis. 



Serra, in Geography, a tow-n of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Jemappe, and chief place of a canton, in the 

 diftrift of Corte. The canton contains 2 171 inhabitants. 



Serka, a town of Corfica ; 11 miles S.S.W. of Ccr- 

 vione. 



Serra de A-z.enhao, mountains of Portugal, in Alentejo ; 

 4 miles N. of Monfort. 



Serra d' Alcoba, mountains of Portugal, in the province 

 of Beira, between Vifeu and Bragan^a Nova. 



Serra de Bouzeno, mountains of Portugal, in Alentejo ; 

 4 miles S. of Portalegre. 



Serra de Culdelrao, mountains of Portugal, between 

 Algarva and Alentejo. 



Serua da EJlrtca, -mountains of Portugal, in the province 

 of Entre Duero e Minho ; 18 miles N. of Braganza. 



Serra Falperra, a town of Portugal, in Tras los Monies ; 

 15 miles W. of Mirandela. 



Serra de Maram, a mountain of Portugal, in the pro- 

 vince of Tras los Montes ; 10 miles S. of Chaves. 



Serra de Alonchtque, mountains of Portugal, between 

 Alentejo and Algarva. 



Serra de Momil, mountains of Portugal, between Miran- 

 dela and Torre de Moncorvo. 



Serra de Querera, a town of Africa, in Lower Guinea, 

 on the river Camarones. 



Serra de Reboardaos, mountains of Portugal, fouth of 

 Braganza, in Tras los Montes. 



Serra de St. Miguel, mountains of Portugal, in Alentejo, 

 on the fouth fide of the Tagus ; 15 miles N.N.W. of Caf- 

 tello de Vide. 



Serra de Salvador, mountains of Portugal, in Alentejo ; 

 8 miles E. of Arronches. 



Serra Pifcis, in Ichthyology, a name given by many au- 

 thors to the pri/Us, ax fa-ju-fjh. 



Serra is alio a name given by Pliny to a fpecies of the 

 balilles, called by the generality of wxiters fcolopax , It is 

 diilinguifhed by Artedi by the name of the balilles, with 

 two fpines in the place of the belly-fins, and one behind the 

 anu«. See Trumpet;/^. 



SERRAE, in Geography, a town of European Turkey, 

 in Macedonia, the fee of a Greek archbilhop ; 36 miles 

 E.N.E. of Saloniki. 



SERRAIN, a town of Arabia, in the province of 

 Hcdsjas ; 40 miles S.W. of Mecca. N. lat. 21° 5'. 



SERRANA, or Pearl IJland, a fmall ifland in the Carib- 

 bean fea, fo called from Serrana, the commander of a Spaiiilh 

 veflel in the time of Charles V., who was ftiipwrecked on 

 the coafl N. lat 14=5'. W. long. 78=50'. 



SERRANILLA Islands, adulter of fmall iflands in 

 the bay of Honduras. N. lat. 16^^ lo'. W. long. 80° lo'. 



SERRAPETRONA, a towu of Italy ; 7 miles S.W. 

 of Ancona. 



SER. 



