MUSIC. 
though improvements on the modes of the 
earlier ages, were not only very defective, but 
seemed to debar the progress of this pleas- 
ing science, the celebrated John de Mnrio, 
who lived in the fourteenth century, offered 
to the world a new system (from which 
very few alterations have since been made), 
whereby not only the value, i. e. the proper 
duration or holding of each note, was 
clearly defined by certain marks, but the 
compass, or 'extent of each voice, or part, 
was distinctly laid down by appropriate 
clefs, or keys, which are now vidgarly called 
cliffs. Until that time the pitch and value 
of every note were known only by letters 
and signs used for the occasion, according 
to Guido’s notation. 
This change was peculiarly important, 
and received additional approbation from 
its great simplicity ; by it the whole orches- 
tra were divided into three great classes, 
namely, the trebles, the tenors, and the 
basses ; which, at the same time, the voice 
parts were more methodically arranged 
into five parts, consisting of two trebles 
(i. e. first and second), two tenors, and one 
bass, forming what W'e call a qiiintctt ; but 
in general only four were used, namely, the 
soprano, the counter-tenor, the tenor, and 
the baks ; and, indeed, such seems, on the 
whole, to be the most natural division, for 
as we rarely find more than four notes used 
in any chord that is sounded at the same 
moment, so it appears proper that the 
number of parts, vocals at least, should 
he comprised within that arrangement ; 
fewer would often cause the omission of 
many notes whereon the harmony might 
essentially depend. The propriety of this 
will be more evident when we come to 
treat of discords. 
In speaking of parts we are not to con- 
clude that music is now confined to any 
particular number, although four, or five 
at the furthest, are as many as can be gene- 
rally found useful, or even applicable to 
file purposes of our most conspicuous exhi- 
bitions, such as operas, oratorios, &c. Va- 
rious eminent composers have arranged 
their pieces for even as many as fifteen or 
sixteen voices, each independent, and not 
merely the repetition or echo of others ; 
these are called real parts, in contradis- 
tinction to such as are similar to others, 
but being peifornied on different instru- 
ments, or being an octave higher or lower, 
become mere reinforcements. Thus when 
we see an orchestra of forty or fifty per- 
formers, we are not to conclude that each 
performs a succession of notes differen 
from his neighbours; on tlie contrary, all 
who play the first violin parts, play exactly 
the same passages tliroughout ; the seconds 
have also their part of the composition, 
which they play together ; the tenors, first 
and second, sometimes in the same man- 
ner ; the basses are also of various descrip- 
tions, such as the violincellos and the dou- 
ble basses. The wind instruments, such as 
the horns, trumpets, trombones, flutes, 
oboes, clarinets, the bassoons, and the 
serpents, are also classed, though each in 
general has its se|)arate part, which, when 
sustaining any full passage, blends freely 
with the others of its own class, rarely de- 
viating mu'ch therefrom, except in solo pas- 
sages, wherein peculiar effects are to be 
jiroduced. It may be supposed that most 
of these parts must be duplicates of others, 
either throughout, or partially, when we 
consider that the performer at the organ 
or harpsichord plays all the harmony con- 
centered, as it were, muier his own hand. 
Knowing this, we must view the formation 
of numerous vocal parts, merely as ap ex- 
ercise in the arts of permutation ; as we 
see the youths of various parishes emulating 
in the ringing of various peals on the bells ; 
or we must judge, that in instrumental music 
the various parts are necessary to produce a 
superior effect, derived from the Judicious 
appropriation of various passages, or of 
various emphatic and accented notes, to 
those instruments most suited to the desired 
expression. We shall not be at a loss to 
estimate this branch of the science dulyq 
when we call to mind, that by such a contri- 
vance, which is by no means superficial, 
some composers have so completely ex- 
pressed the passions of love, hatred, fear, 
grief, joy, &c. as to cause their audiences 
to become deeply affected, according to 
the intention and character of the music. 
The relative gravity and acuteness of 
sounds were, as we have said, first arranged 
into a systematic point of view by John de 
Miirio. He abolished the obscure and 
indefinite punctuations, &c. of bis prede- 
cessors, and contrived the grand musical 
scale now in use, and which, notwithstand- 
ing the wonderful advances made in the 
science since his time, but especially within 
the last century, remains exactly as he first 
ushered it into the world. This we may 
presume to be the surest proof both of its 
excellence, and of his genius, for Murio wa* 
original in his invention, which does not ap- 
pear to be, in any shape, built upon the 
