or the Division of the Octave. 171 



Mr. Hullah, for instance, who caught it at once, thought it very 

 disagreeable. I have come to like it, but only as a consequence 

 of custom, and by attending rather to the smoothness of the 

 chords than to the melody. Mr. Parratt, organist of Magdalen 

 College, Oxford, who has a most acute ear in every respect, and 

 possesses the perception of absolute pitch in a very high degree*, 

 has frequently listened to these sequences. The result is always 

 the same ; he cannot tolerate any of them. They are different 

 in magnitude from the sequences he employs ; and, as he de- 

 scribes it, when he hears one of these intervals he also hears 

 clearly in the mind the note that would be given by the interval 

 he is accustomed to, i. e. the equal-temperament interval ; and 

 the result is to him intolerable. There is no doubt also about 

 the chords ; the note most objected to in chords formed from 

 the diatonic scale is the minor third. Many musicians have 

 singled this out instantly as offensive. In fact it is about one 

 sixth of an equal-temperament semitone higher than the equal- 

 temperament note would be. On evidence of this kind I refuse 

 to believe that the diatonic scale is a natural standard of melody. 



A strong piece of evidence in the same direction is obtained 

 from the mean-tone system. The semitone of that system is 

 one sixth part greater than an equal-temperament semitone 

 (1*171). The best musicians perceive this at once; indeed 1 

 perceive it clearly myself. This effect was, when I first realized 

 it, decidedly unpleasant; and the dislike manifested to this 

 semitone by those I really trust, is such as to convince me that 

 to them it is intolerable. Now the diatonic semitone is 1*117; 

 it is consequently nearer to the mean-tone semitone (1*171) than 

 to the equal temperament (l'O); and if the diatonic semitone 

 were really the standard, the mean tone should be better than 

 the equal-temperament one, which is contrary to the fact. 



The mean-tone system was placed on one stop of a small organ 

 with my generalized key-board, which was exhibited to the Mu- 

 sical Association on May 3. Three of Bach's preludes were 

 played on this system as examples ; and the above point about 

 the semitone came out strongly in the remarks which were made. 

 The other stop was tuned on the so-called just system (Helm- 

 holtz's). 



I may observe that these points about melodic sequences. can- 

 not be experimented on to any purpose, unless performance of 

 some development is carried out. If I had been content to 

 sound a few chords instead of showing what effect would be 

 produced by music of some development, I should have lost 

 the most conclusive piece of evidence I have so far obtained. 



* The existence of this power is a great guarantee for trustworthiness 

 in these observations. 



