M U S 
of tempo rubato, where the perception of meafure is in¬ 
tentionally weakened or fuipended. The Arolian harp 
pleales Indeed without rhythm ; but the pleai'ure would 
loon be exhaufted by repetition. 
From the ltri<St union of poetry and mulic among the 
ancients, which feem to have been almoft infeparable, an 
offence againft time or rhythm was unpardonable, as it 
not only deftroyed the beauty of the poetry, but fome- 
times even the meaning of the words of which it was 
compofed. By the Greeks it was confidered the prin¬ 
cipal point in their mufic, without which they regarded 
melody as wholly unmeaning and lifelefs. Hence Plato 
refufed the title of mufician to every one who was not 
perfectly verfed in rhythm, as we fhould now to a bad 
timift. It is of fuch importance, that, without it, mufic 
can have no power over the human paffions. Pythagoras, 
according to Martianus Capella, ufed to call Rhythm in 
mufic the male, and Melos the female; and Doni has 
compared Rhythm with defign in painting, and Melos 
to colouring. It is certain that an ordinary melody, in 
which the time is ftrongly marked, and the accents are 
well placed, has more effeft than one that is deficient in 
thofe particulars, though more refined and uncommon, 
and fet off with all the richnefs of harmony, and learning 
of modulation. 
Ariltides Quintilianus defines mufical rhythm “ the 
affemblage of many parts of time, which preferve a cer¬ 
tain proportion with each otherwhich, fince the ufe of 
bars in mufic, may be called aliquot parts of a meafure, 
or a given portion of time. For the better underftanding 
of this definition, it is necelfary to remember that the 
mufic in queftion was conftantly lung to verfes, the words 
of which were all compofed of long and Ihort fyllables ; 
that the Ihort fyliable was pronounced as quick again as 
the long; and, the ihort fyllable being regarded as one 
part or portion of this meafure, the long was equal to 
two; fo that, confequently, the found which was applied 
to the long fyllable was equal in duration to two fuch 
founds as were fiung to Ihort fyllables; or, in other words, 
that one note was equal to two portions of time, and the 
other to one. It mult likewife be remembered, that the 
verfes thus lung were compofed of a certain number of 
feet, formed by thefe long and Ihort fyllables differently 
combined, and that the rhythm of the melody was regu¬ 
lated by thefe feet; as, whatever was their length, they 
were always divided into two parts, equal or unequal, the 
firft of which was called agoa?, “ elevation,” and the fe- 
cond Be £tk> “ depreffion.” A foot in poetry feems to 
anfwer to a bar in mufic. A time, among the ancients, 
was a portion of that foot or bar; as, with us, a bar is 
divided into accented and unaccented parts. In like 
manner the rhythm of the melody, correfponding with 
thefe feet, was divided into two parts, equal or unequal, 
which we now call the dawn and up parts of a bar, exprelfed 
by beating down the hand or foot, and lifting it up. Thus 
far concerns vocal rhythm; what follows belongs to in- 
ftrumental. 
As the notes of the ancient mufic were conftantly writ¬ 
ten over each fyllable of the verfes which were to be lung; 
as the quantity of each of thefe fyllables was perfectly 
known to muficians ; and as the duration of each found 
was regulated by the fyllables ; it did not feem necelfary 
that the time fhould be marked by any particular fign or 
character. However, for the eale and convenience of the 
mufician, a canon, or rule, was given of the rhythm at the 
beginning of a lyric poem. This canon confifted of no¬ 
thing but the numbers i and z , that is, the alpha and 
beta of the Greek alphabet, difpofed according to the 
order of the breves and longs which compofed each verfe, 
and divided according to the number of its feet. The 
alpha, or unit, marked a breve, becaufe it contained only 
one portion of time; and the beta, or binary, marked a 
long, being equal to two portions. Some of thefe poeti¬ 
cal or rhythmical canons are ftill to be found in the 
Manual of Hephteftion, 
5 I C. 339 
The Romans had figns for rhythm, as well as the 
Greeks; and thefe figns were not only caller! numerus, 
“ number,” but (era, that is, “ the mark for time.” 
Numera nota, lays Nonius Marcellus. In this fente we 
find the word ufed in a verfe of Lucilius: “ Iltec eft- 
ratio? perverfamv? ? furama fubdufta improbe?” Though 
the word (era was at firft only applied by muficians to the 
time, or meafure of the meiody, they afterwards made the 
fame ufe of it as of numerus, to exprefs the tune or melody 
itfelf; and it has been thought that the word air, or, as 
the Italians call it, aria, which includes a certain piece of 
mufic of a peculiar rhythm, or cadence, is derived from 
ara. 
Such was the manner in which the ancients marked 
the meafure in their written mufic ; but, to make it ftill 
more fenfible in the execution, they beat time in feveral 
different ways. The molt common was by the motion of 
the foot, which was lifted up and beat down alternately. 
To regulate the time was generally the office of the 
mufic-mafter or dire&or, coryphaeus, becaufe he was placed 
in the middle of the orcheftra, among the muficians, and 
in an exalted and confpicuous fituation, in order to be 
feen and heard the more eafily by the whole band. 
The directors of the time were likewife called in Greek 
'arofroy.Twjroi and 'Wo^ot] /otpoi, from the noife of their feet. 
In Latin they were called pedarii, podarii, and pedicularii, 
for the fame reafon. Their feet were generally furniftied 
with wooden or iron fandals, in order to mark the time in 
a more diftindt manner; thefe implements the Greeks 
called x.QHTnQa,, v.QH 7 rXa., xgawsra; and the Latins pedicula, 
Jcabella, or JcabUla, becaufe they refembled little pattens, 
or clogs. But it was not only with the feet that the 
ancients beat the time, but with all the fingers of the 
right hand upon the hollow part of the left; and he who 
marked the time or rhythm in this manner, was called 
manu-dudtor. For this purpofe they fometimes ufed 
oyrter-ffiells, and the iliells of other fifli, as well as the 
bones of animals, in beating time, as we do of caftanets, 
tabors, &c. Both Hefychius and the fcholiaft of Arifto- 
phanes furnifh paffages to confirm this affertion. What 
a noify and barbarous mufic ! all rhythm, and no found. 
The drums and fyftrums of the idsei Dadtyli could not 
have been more favage 
Many ancient inftruments were monotonous, and of 
little ufe but to mark the meafure; fuch were the cym- 
balurn and fiftrum; and it was for this reafon, perhaps, 
that the cymbal was called cera by Petronius. But it 
would afford us no very favourable idea of the abilities of 
modern muficians, who fhould require fo much parade 
and noife in keeping together. The more time is beat, 
fays M. Rouffeau, the lefs it is kept; and, in general, bad 
mufic, and bad muficians, Hand molt in need of fuch noify 
affiftance. 
However, if any thing like the power which ancient 
mufic is faid to have had over the paffions can be credited, 
it muft have derived this power chiefly from the energy 
and accentuation of the rhythm. Ariltides Quintilianus 
gives a long lift of different metres, with their feveral pro¬ 
perties of calming or agitating the mind, according to the 
nature of the fyllables, or feet of the verfes, as well as the 
fentiments which they were intended to exprefs ; and, as 
it will afford the reader an opportunity of leeing how 
much ftrefs was laid on this part of mufic, and how fan¬ 
ciful and ideal many of the diftindtions feem to have been, 
we lhall give the whole paflage in Englifh. “ Meafure, 
which begins by a down part of the metrical divilion, is 
calm and gentle ; whereas, that which begins by an up 
part, expreffes trouble and agitation. Full time, that is, 
always accompanied with melody, is noble in its effedt; 
and that arifing from cataledtic verfes, deficient in a fyl¬ 
lable or note, if it be fupplied by a reft or paule, has more 
fimpiicity. Time of equal proportions, is graceful; and 
that of odd numbers, or fefquialterate proportion, is more 
proper to excite commotion. Double time is a kind of 
mean betwixt the graceful and the turbulent. Among 
3, the: 
