MUSIC. 
as are rather above the common pitch of 
the tenor and counter tenor, and of course 
rank as seconds, in chorusses, glees, &c. 
Composers frequently make use of the 
clefs, the tenor especially, for the purpose 
of transposing into other keys with the ut- 
most facility ; thus, if a piece of music be 
composed in the key of D, with two sharps, 
by annulling the sharps, and placing the 
tenor clef on that line where D stood, the 
whole piece is transposed one note lower. 
In the hurry of composition this is essentially 
useful, regarding such parts as are intended 
for horns, trumpets, &c. which never hav- 
ing sharps or flats prefixed to their staves, 
but being guided by a written notice as to 
what key the crooks should be arrangeddo 
(for their music is always written in C na- 
tural) by observing the clef, instead of any 
superscribed direction, and the proper 
crooks being affixed, according to the clef, 
the performers go through their parts with- 
out difficulty. The great importance of 
becoming perfectly familiar with this useful 
and versatile clef, must be obvious, indeed 
the deficiency of a competent and ready 
knowledge of it, at sight, is not merely a 
disadvantage, but in many instances a com- 
plete disqualification; especially to public 
performers, who are often served with parts, 
either separately copied, or in a score, 
which they are expected to go through 
without hesitation or error. 
Etymologists differ in regard to the deri- 
vation of the terms treble, tenor, bass, used 
for the names of the clefs. Some derive 
treble from the theatre, others from the 
old practice of singing trios, in winch the 
middle part, thence said to be called the 
tenor, bore the burthen, while the upper 
voice proceeded always a third, i. e. a tre- 
ble above it. In all probability the latter 
is the most correct, though at the best we 
can only venture a conjecture, the strict 
derivation having been lost. The origin of 
the term tenor may, as some authors as- 
sert, be from the verb teneo, to hold ; but 
the manner of its application, though from 
the same root, may be somewhat different ; 
some have hinted, and not without reason, 
that it was on account of the tenor being 
that link which held the upper and lower 
parts together. As for the bass that evi- 
dently proceeds from bas, i. e. low. 
Having premised thus much, regarding 
those points which we deemed of much 
importance, to have fidly explained, before 
we proceed to detail the relations of notes, 
in regard to their places and to their dis- 
tances on the stave, or scales, we will now 
treat of the latter, and also of the mode of 
ascertaining the key in which the music is 
composed. Respecting the value or duration 
of the notes, we shall reserve what is neces- 
saiy to be stated, until we come to ex- 
plain that most important matter, the time 
table. 
There are but seven sounds in music, 
which are distinguished by the letters A, B, 
C, D, E, F, and G. The situation of the 
original sounds, of which all bearing those 
names are replicates, whether they be above 
or below those seven which we assume in 
any part of the stave as a standard, it is 
perhaps out of our power to ascertain, for 
every atom in nature is capable of produc- 
ing some sound corresponding with some 
part of our scale, either perfectly in unison, 
or inclining to be sharper or flatter. What- 
ever may be the sound produced, we can, 
by the various means in common use, ac- 
commodate our instruments thereto. Thus, 
if any tone is heard, we can, to a certainty, 
accord without deviating more than four 
notes eitlier above or below the then pitch 
of the instrument that it is to imitate. For 
supposing a string to be tuned to A, and 
that a sound corresponding with the note E 
below it, were heard, the intonation would 
be perfectly imitated, by relaxing the 
string until it should liave descended six 
semi-tones, or a fourth ; it w'ould then cor- 
respond so very exactly, as to be in perfect 
unison with the sound in question ; but if, 
instead of relaxing, the string were to be 
tightened, so as to cause its note to be 
raised eight semi-tones, or a fiftli, the two 
sounds would blend completely, not in per- 
fect unison, but in replicate unison ; for 
the former term, in its strict sense, relates 
to sounds which positively yield the very 
same note in the same part of the scale. 
This requires no proof to persons skilled 
in acoustics, or the science of sounds ; but 
its demonstration would occupy more space 
than can be allotted to this article; under 
the head of Sounds more will be said. At 
present it suffices to state, that all notes of 
the same name are considered by harmo- 
nists as being the same note, as will be 
shewn; though the effects produced by 
placing them differently, in various parts of 
chords, are extremely various. The melo- 
dist who is utterly unacquainted with music 
as a science, and who whistles, or sings, ei- 
ther a well known air, or the wild effusions 
of his own imagination, naturally concludes, 
that every sound he can produce, from the 
