Vol. EI. 
folely produced by due attention to mo- 
dulation, The fafhionable compofers, 
Hay.pn and PLEYEL, by avoiding oc- 
cahionaily the regular and ftudied unifor- 
mity of medylation and ftyle which has 
been generaily adopted by molt of their. 
predeceffors, have certainly attained far 
more originality and greater variety. 
in Chamber Mufic; the moderns have 
hkewite, by the introduction, of quar- 
tetros, quintettos, dc. made confiderable 
improvement, ‘The ancients had chiefly 
confined themfelves in this {pecies. of 
mufic, to trios for two violins and a bafs. 
‘Thete, though compleat in themfelves, 
have yet been greatly umptoved by the 
addition of a tenor. This la:ter inftru- 
ment fills up the harmony without 
double ftops, which have generally a bad 
effect, from the neceflity of ufing open 
firings, and the difficulty of flopping 
them in time. It moreover gives an op- 
portunity for one of the parts to reft oc- 
cafionally for a few bars, by which 
means a much greater contraft can be 
attained, than with fewer inftruments: 
Modern mufic certainly alfo has its 
fhare of demerits. As too much atten 
tion is fometimes paid to harmony in the 
ancient mufic, to the neglect of melody 
and contrat, fo in the modern too much 
‘attention is frequently paid to. air and 
contraft, to the negleé& of harmony, and 
jometimes of modulation. Harmony and 
metody are cilential to all good mufic, as 
well as modulation and contraft. If tne 
pieces be not very thort, none of thefe 
effentials ought to be particularly re- 
garded, to the exclufion of the others, 
except, however, in cafes. where, to 
‘vary the ftyle, any of them may be made 
to predominate occafionally. 
_ Another fault of modern compofition 
‘is, that the ftrains are frequently much 
too long and tedious. On this account 
-much mufic, in which no other fault 
can be found, is thrown away upon an 
audience, and which, if properly ma- 
‘naged, might have given pleafure, and 
excited attention throughout. Though 
Many ancient pieces may alfo be thought 
too jong, yet their length is generally 
occafioned by the xumber of the ftrains 
_of which they confift. Thefe fucceeding 
-each other in different. meafures and de- 
grees of time, prevent the teédioufnefs 
occafioned by a fingle ftrain or movement 
protraéted to a great length. This fault, 
in the length of the ftrains in modern 
‘roufic, occurs the moft frequently in folo 
concertos, in which the body of the 
~egmpofition may be copfidered as a mere 
® 
Gomparifon of Ancient and Modern Mufie: 
983. 
vehicle for conveying particular paffages 
that are intended to exhibit the execu: 
tion and dexterity of the performer. In» 
thefe folos; many paufes are introduced 
ta give him an opportunity of thewing 
-of in an a@d dibitum eadence, which: 
(though generally unconnected with the 
fubject of the piece) is frequently the 
only part atsendéd to by the audience. 
Thefe cadences are alfo conftantly in- 
troduced by a very full noity paffage, 
feeming to announce to the audience 
What is to follow, and induce. them to: 
refume their attention to the mufic. 
Among the demerits of modern muficy 
may alfo be reckoned, the too great-ex- 
tenfien of the compafs of the vioioncello, 
tenor, ‘and viclin. The former of thefe 
is too frequently made -to encroach on the 
{eale of the tenor, which not poffeffing 
the capacity of extending itsfcale down- | 
wards, into that of the violoncello; is. 
made to encroach in its turn on the fcale 
of the violin, which latter imfirument; 
having no fuperior, whofe province it 
‘may encroach on, is at liberty to range 
to an unlimited height, or finds no other 
boundary than the bridge.—Were, how- 
ever, firfi-rate performers aad 'profeffors 
only to avail themfelves of this ¢xtenfion 
of compafs, and were even they to bé. 
more fparing in the practice of it, this 
objection would, perhaps, ii {ome de- 
gree fall to the ground. In their hands 
it mruft be allowed, that novel and fara 
prifing, as well as pleafing effects, may 
be occafionally produeed by the praétice, 
but unfortunately almoft every inferior 
performer and amateur aims at the fame 
extent of compafs, and unwifely neg- 
leéts the natural feale and ufeful compafs 
of the inftrument. . 
Having mentioned CONTRAST as” 
one of the principal requifites in a piece 
of mufic, it may here. be obferved, that 
by blending or chequering the ancient.and 
the modern flyles in one performance, the 
effect of each of them will be impréved. 
A piece of ancient mufic, in which the 
harmony chiefly predominates, will cer= 
tainly be heard with double pleafure by 
all lovers of harmony, immediately after 
a modern piece, in which the harmony 
is fubordinate to the melody. In like 
manner, a good modern piece will feem_ 
to have a greater degree of brilliancy, 
and appear to greater advantage, after 
one in which claflical accuracy is more 
attended to than general effeét. By ad- 
hering therefore, as is fo much the pre- 
fent practice, to one particular stile, to 
the tetal exclufion of the other, the very 
6K 2 
“obvious 
