Music — Poetry — Fiction 



waters," — from Luna Island, and from various points on both the 1881 

 American and Canadian side of the Falls. He says in part: lhayer 



It had ever been my belief that Niagara had not been heard 

 as it should be, and in this belief I eagerly turned my steps hither- 

 ward the first time a busy life would permit. What did I hear? 

 The roar of Niagara? No. Having been everywhere about 

 Niagara, above and below, far and near, over and under, and 

 heard her voice in all its wondrous modulations, I must say that I 

 have never, for a single instant, heard any roar of Niagara. 

 From the first moment to the last, I heard nothing but a perfectly 

 constructed musical tone — clear, definite and unapproachable in 

 its majestic perfection; a complete series of tones, all uniting in 

 one grand and noble unison, as in the organ, and all as easily 

 recognizable as the notes of any great chord in music. And I 

 believe it was my life-long familiarity with the king of instruments 

 which enabled me to detect so readily the tone-construction of 

 this mighty voice of the " thunder of waters." 



I had been told that the pitch of this tone had been given by 

 various persons. That were an easy task, although no two of 

 them seem to have been entirely unanimous. I propose to give 

 much more than this, and the reader will find not only the pitch 

 of the chief or ground tone given, but that of all the accessory or 

 upper tones, otherwise known as harmonic, collateral or over 

 tones; also the beat or accent of Niagara, with its rhythmical 

 vibrations and subdivisions, from the largest to the smallest, and 

 all in such simple notation that any one who understands the 

 rudiments of music may readily comprehend it. Indeed, I believe 

 that all good readers may understand it clearly without any 

 special technical knowledge of music to assist them. 



After the more technical details are discussed the author says: 

 I have spoken only of the pitch and rhythm of Niagara. What 

 is the quality of its tone? Divine! There is no other word for 

 a tone made and fashioned by the Infinite God. I repeat, there 

 is no roar at all — it is the sublimest music on earth. 



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