MUSIC. 
lowest to the highest pitch of his compass, 
is a distinct note ; not considering, that a 
woman or a child, who should sing the same 
tune with Inm, in what is called unison, (i e. 
in the same sound), would absolutely sing 
througliont, in a parallel of notes, one oc- 
tave above him ! or, that, if accompanied 
by a bass voice, that accompaniment 
would be a whole octave below him I 
The truth of this i-, however, firmly esta- 
blished, except in the minds of those few, 
who endeavour by sophistry, and a subtle 
mode of arguing, which, however, cannot 
bear the scrutiny of reason, to create .a 
difficulty, by a'serting that the note. A, 
(&c.) between the second and third lines of 
the stave, cannot be the note. A, which is 
intersected by the first ledger line above 
tin stave! But if, when those two notes are 
sounded together, they so perfectly blend, 
that every auditor, however exquisite his 
sense of hearing, should not be able to dis- 
cover more than one sound ; and, that any 
vessel, such as a rummer, &c. should equally 
accord to either note, how can we say, that 
the octave is a distinct note. We admit it 
to be a distinct degree in the scale of 
soumls, but maintain, that they are, at least, 
as closely allied as the echo is to the voice ! 
But. let us suppose that a house were built 
so completely like a model, that, when the 
former w ere diminished, by means of a suit- 
able mirror, it should be.so very perfectly 
similar, as not to be distinguished from the 
model ; or, that the latter should be magni- 
fied so as apparently to equal the house it- 
self in bulk; and that, in such -states, they 
could not be distinguished ; what would the 
fasti :ious cniic, or rather sceptic, say.> 
“ that they were not the same 1” True, — 
nobody would doubt it ; but they would be 
as forcibly represented to'the sense, that, if 
shewn alternately, without the deception 
being known, the spectator would be men- 
tally convinced, that only one existed ! AVe 
cannot, however, have a more satisfactory 
illustration of our position than by adducing 
tile well-known tact, that all the instru- 
ments, of whatever pitch, used in a concert, 
and w'hcther sounded by percussion, infla- 
tion, or collision, may be tuned from a com- 
mon tuning fork, or by the given note of 
any mstriiment. We find also, that where 
a sha, p, or a flat, is necessary in any part 
of the stave, the same is indispensable 
among all the parts, whether graver or 
acuter in thcir intonations. 
Having established, we trust, in the most 
ample and substantial manner, that there 
are only seven sounds in music, we will now 
show the relation between them mutually, 
remarking, that, of course, every part of the 
scale must be affected in a similar manner 
as the octave we shall treat of, and which, for 
the sake of convenience, we shall select from 
the treble-stave, adding the tenor note C. 
Example 2, represents what is called 
the extent of an octave; it is in the treble 
clef, as may be seen by tlib prefixed figure. 
The lowest note is C, the second is D, the 
third is E, the fourth is F,. the fifth is G, the 
sixth is A, the seventh is B, and the eighth 
is C ; forming a replicate of the first note, 
C. Each of the above notes is designated 
according to the manner in which musi- 
cia«s compute them, always reckoning the 
first note 1-, the next to it a second, and so 
on thronghout: thus E is the third to C, 
and G is third to E, or fifth to C ; always 
counting from, and including the lowest 
note. In the above example, all the notes 
are what is termed natural, because no 
sharp, , or flat, is neccssar^ to give 
them that relative distance which naturally 
prevails in the disposition of the eight pre- 
ceding notes of an octave. This, however, 
only happens wfien C, g, is the first, and 
its octave the last note of the succession, 
and results purely trom the aSove cause. 
This we shall explain. The notes do not 
all stand at equal distances mutually. The 
first interval, from C to D, is a whole tone; 
the second, from D to E, is likewise a whole 
tone; from E to F, is only a semi-tone (or 
half a tone) ; from F to G, is a whole tone ; 
from G to A, is a whole tone ; from A to B, 
is a whole tone; and from B to C, is only 
a semi-tone. 
The above are the distances at which na- 
ture has placed the notes composing amoc- 
tave ill the major key ; of which, as wml as 
of the minor key, we shall treat amply. 
If the notes, as thus arranged, be played 
on an instrument, or be sung by a well- 
tiineil voice, they will be found to follow 
in a most pleasing manner. Tlie smaller in- 
teiwals, as they are called, between the 
third E, and the fourth F ; and between ilie 
seventh B, and the octave, C ; form the 
succession into two distinct periods, of 
which the former raises the expectation, 
while the latter satisfies it. We could not 
stop at F without disappointment; we 
should feel tlie want of some termination ; 
whereas, at C, that tBfmination is given ; 
and we feel^convinced, that we ha»e ar- 
rived at a conclusion. 
Such is the case in every octave of which 
