604 



Original Articles. 



[Oct. 



which a small narrow tube is fixed into the closed top of the pipe. 

 This condition is most prominent for I where the length of the small 

 canal is about two inches. . Such a pipe would give the sound c". 

 The tone really found to be produced is d iT , which is pretty near the 

 mark if we take into account the irregular form of the tube. These 

 vowels, then, are distinguished by two tones, the higher of which 

 continues the series of the vowels U, 0, A. Helmholtz has found 

 them to be for M, g'" ; and for E, b'"-flat ; and for I, d iv . The lower 

 tones, which are more difficult to determine, he found to be for M, 

 d" ; and for E, f ; and for I, f. In producing the vowels (E and UE 

 the position is much the same as for the last, except that the lips come 

 into play and lengthen as well as they can the small tube, thus 

 lowering its pitch. For UE, its length will be about 2| inches, and 

 the tone is found to be g'". The lower tones are for CE, f ; for 

 UE, f. The following scheme exhibits the resonance of the mouth 

 for each vowel : — 



t= := 



-E? 



,:t: 



M:- 



M 



<E 



UE 



Hence we may conclude, and the supposition is borne, out in 

 practice, that certain vowels will sound better than others in particular 

 parts of the scale, and they do so whenever their characteristic note is 

 one of the harmonics of the note sung. U sounds in men's voices best 

 on f, its characteristic note, or on d, or the lower octave F ; the vowel 

 E best on f ', or the harmonic under-tones f, or B, and so on. And 

 this is particularly observable at or about the limits of the voice. 

 Female voices have a tendency under c' to run into a dull O or O U, 

 whose proper tone is situated here. In their higher note above e" 

 or f ", the vowel A sounds best, as its proper tone is at b"-flat and 

 above b"-flat I. 



From the foregoing considerations we may deduce the following 

 principles : — 



That what is called the quality of sound is an apparent rather than 

 a real phenomenon. 



That pure soimds, however produced, sound alike soft and pleasant, 

 but dull and of little power. 



That a difference in their quality is only produced when to the 

 simple sounds are added one or more sounds of a higher or lower 

 pitch ; and it is the mixture of simple sounds in various proportions 

 that produces what is called the special quality of the sound emitted 

 from different instruments. 



That soimds which are accompanied by their lower upper tones 

 about as far as the sixth are fuller and richer than simple sounds, but 

 are still soft, provided the higher upper tones are wanting. Under 



