On RYTHMICAL MEASURES. 85 



fure ; the whole fucceflion muft be made up of parcels of fome 

 determined number of units, and muft be fo contrived as that 

 the hearer may be inftantly led to adopt that number, and re- 

 tain it to the end of the fucceflion. This may be effected by 

 various means. If, for inftance, we wi(h that the hearer 

 mould count off the equal times by parcels of four, we may 

 firft exprefs four diftincl and undivided units, and afterwards 

 other four in fome way combined or divided *. By this 

 means, the hearer will naturally be led, after having reckoned 

 four units, to flop and begin a new parcel. He will be ftill 

 more confirmed in this arrangement, if we make our third par- 

 cel fimilar to the firft, and our fourth fimilar to the fecond f . 

 We may obtain the fame end, by exprefling three diftinct un- 

 divided units, and refling during the time of the fourth, and 

 ftill more certainly by doing the fame thing over again. In 

 like manner parcels of other numbers may be fuggefted. Va- 

 rious other contrivances for indicating the meafure, will readily 

 occur to every one who attends to the works of muficians. The 

 return of fimilar founds, and of fimilar combinations and di- 

 vifions, after any number of units has been exprefTed, naturally 

 fixes the attention of the hearer to that number, and determines 

 him to, adopt it, for counting off fucceeding parcels ; and if 

 care be taken not to confound him, by bringing in fuch returns 

 at different parts of the parcel, by continuing founds from the 

 end of one parcel to the beginning of the next, or by making 

 minute and perplexed divifions, he will hold by that number to 

 the end of the piece. 



We naturally wifh, when hearing a fucceflion of meafured 

 founds, not only to form them into parcels, but alfo to join 

 two, three or four of thofe parcels together, thus forming 



larger 



* Firft movement of the fixth periodical overture, publifhed by R. Bremner, 

 \ Symphony to the firft recitative in Handel's Messiah. 



