MUSIC. 
3£Q 
refer the reader to the bookitfelf (ch. xli. p. 203.) for an 
explanation. This ftrange inftrument was of his own 
making; and he fays, (thus confirming that the theorbo 
was the original Englifh lute,) “ When I had finilh’d it, 
I be-dedt it with thel'e fine rhimes following, fairly written 
upon each belly ; viz. 
(Firft, round ihe theorboe-l;not, thus:) 
“ I am of old, and of Great Brittain’s fame: 
Thcorhoe was my name.” 
(Then next about the French-lute knot, thus:) 
“ I’m not fo old; yet grave, and much accute. 
My name was the French lute.” 
(Then from thence along the fides,from one knot to the other, thus:) 
“ But, fince we are thus joyned both in one, 
Henceforth our name fltall be The Lute Dyphone.” 
The Guitar. —The word guitar feems naturally dedu- 
cible from the Latin cithara. There is little doubt but 
the Roman C was hard like modern K; and the Italian 
word chitarra is manifeftly derived from the Greek 
But, what is more to our purpofe, the learned Ainfworth 
obferves, that “ the Roman C is more probably framed 
from the Greek T, its right and perpendicular line, for 
the more eafe and quick difpatch in writing, having de¬ 
generated into a femicircle, inftead of an angle. The 
rank which C holds in the Latin alphabet, anfwering to 
that of T in the Greek, is a farther proof of this extrac¬ 
tion ; and in many Latin words K and G are written in¬ 
differently, as Cains Cnceus, or Gains Gneeus fo that, 
when the Romans had got the letter G into their alpha-' 
bet, which was not till after the firft Punic war, they 
would be as likely to have written kithara , for a harp or 
lute, as cithara. 
It is difficult to trace the origin of the guitar. The 
reft of Europe had it from the Spaniards, to whom it was 
probably brought by the Moors. It is however the ge¬ 
neral opinion in Spain, that it is as ancient as the harp. 
Either through refpedt for this opinion, or from the fweet 
reverie which it infpires, being congenial with thenational, 
tender, gallant, dilcreet, and melancholy,character; whe¬ 
ther, in ffiort, the filence of the beautiful nights in Spain, 
when the inhabitants are raoft alert and adtive, is moft 
favourable to its mild and dulcet harmony, we know not; 
but it is eftabliffied there as a national inftrument. It 
has had the fame fuccefs among the Portuguefe and the 
Italians ; and feems to have been at all times the favourite 
inftrument of warm climates : it is fo portable, and grace¬ 
ful of carriage, that ferenaders, nodturnal revellers, and 
day-break lovers, prefer it to all other tuneful interpreters 
of paffion. The Portuguefe having loft a battle, 14,000 
guitars were found on the field of battle. (Menagiana. 
tom. i.) The guitar is made to be heard alone, or with 
a voice. It is unfit for a concert, and has therefore given 
way to more powerful inftruments. 
In France, fome lovers of mufic revived, a few years 
ago, the paffion for this inftrument, which was in great 
vogue there in Louis XIVth’s time ; and was a very fo- 
ciable companion of French vaudevilles, paftorals, and 
brunettes, of which, fays M. Laborde, it augments the 
charms. 
The common guitar ufed in England has frequently 
had fits of favour in this country. About fifty years 
ago, its vogue was fo great among all ranks of people, as 
nearly to break all the harplichord anxl fipinet makers, and 
indeed the harpfichord-mafters themfelves. The ladies 
difpofed of their liarpfichords at auctions for one-third of 
their price, or exchanged them for guitars ; till old Kirk- 
man, the harplichord-maker, after almolt ruining himfelf 
with buying-in his own inftruments for better times, hit 
upon the expedient of purchafing fome cheap guitars, 
and made prelents of l'everal to girls in milliners’ ftiops, 
and to ballad-fingers in the llreets, whom he taught to 
accompany themlelves with a few chords. This foon 
made the ladies afhamed of their frivolous tafte, and re¬ 
turn to the liarpficliord. 
During the guitar paroxyfin, not a fong or ballad was 
printed, without its being tranfpofed and fet for that in¬ 
ftrument, at the bottom of the page ; as in the beginning 
of the lalt century was done for the common flute. The 
old tablature, however, was thrown afide, and the fame 
notation adopted for the guitar as for other inftruments; 
but confined to the key of C natural, except by Marella, 
a good player on the inftrument, and not a bad com*, 
pofer, who tuned and taught the guitar in the key 
A major. 
The Englilli guitar has fix wire firings; of which the 
four firft are double, the fifth and iixth fingle but covered ; 
the three firft are fteel, the others brafs. They are tuned 
as exprefied by the notes dole to the clef in the following 
example ; and the fcale of the inftrument follow's the dou¬ 
ble bar in the order of the firings, 6, 5, 4, &c. the open 
note denoting the open firing: 
6thString. 5th. 4th. 8d. 2d. lit. 
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The Spanifh guitar, fig 3, has fix firings alfo, but fingle, 
and made of catgut. It is of a much larger fize than the 
chitarra of Italy, or the guitar ufed in France or England, 
being a full yard long; and, in form, it feems to have 
been conftrudted of a fection of a pumpkin or gourd, 
to which is adjufted a belly of'deal, and a neck lit the 
upper part of the body of the inftrument. It has frets, 
dividing each firing into femitones : of thefe the ten lion 
muft be extremely tight round the neck, for fear of their 
giving way. The firings are fattened to a bridge fixed 
to the lower part of the belly, and fupported by a nut 
at the end of the neck. The firings are governed by 
pegs or metal pins at the back of the neck. 
The tablature of the guitar in Spain and Portugal is 
ftill the fame as that of the lute; but in moft other coun¬ 
tries, its notation is the fame as for the harp or piano¬ 
forte. In the ancient tablature, letters of the alphabet, 
or ciphers, are ufed for the melody and accompaniment. 
This method, though ancient, is preferved in France for 
the convenience and carriage of the hand, the arrange¬ 
ment of the fingers, the clearnefs of the tone, the har¬ 
mony and facility of execution. If this inftrument is not 
ftudied as much as the harpfichord or piano-forte, it is 
hardly poffible to find the pofitions of the hand with fuf- 
ficient readinefs. 
There are two ways of performing on this inftrument, 
either by fweeping or pinching the firings; many affedt 
one way more than the other: fome ufe both w'ays occa- 
fionally, which is preferable. The moft extenfive, and the 
moft fufceptible of execution, is the pinching of the firings. 
The arpeggios are more harmonious, becaule all the firings 
are in vibration ; but they muft be touched very lightly 
and delicately with the right hand, and with firmnefs and 
correft pofition with the left hand, to produce a good 
effedt; for nothing is fo eafy as to metamorphofe this in¬ 
ftrument, of which the harmony may be rendered fo fweet, 
into a mere kettle. The firings are pinched or thrummed 
between the role and the bridge ; but the arpeggios ought 
to be made between the rofe and the laft fret of the neck, 
that is, about the middle of the firings, to avoid the harfh- 
nefs relulting from playing too near the bridge, where 
the firings are more ftubborn and unmanageable than to¬ 
wards the middle. 
This guitar is fuperior in tone, expreffion, and power, 
to the common guitar ftrung with wire. About forty- 
five years ago, foon after the confpiracy at Lifbon, of 
Malagrida and others, a Portuguefe gentleman, or inn- 
fician with the appearance of a gentleman, of the name of 
Menefis, probably involved in the plot, refided fome time 
in London, feemingly as a man of fafhion, who performed 
in a very fuperior manner on the large Spanifh guitar, 
ftrung with catgut, or bowel-firings. He was fo great a 
1 xn after 
