-~ 
Lag On aCriticism of the Columbiad, in the Edinburgh Review. [March ft; 
‘imaginary intervals and chords; whereas 
the common keys do but furnish some 
of them.” 
Tn Rousseau’s Dict. de Musique, 
plate I. fig. 3. exhibits an arrangement 
of the keys different from that in common 
use at present, and too widely different 
ever to be generally adopted. Under 
the head Clavier, he'remarks, that, ‘ for- 
merly, the twelve keys in every septave 
nauswered to fourteen sounds; and that 
the ‘two additional sounds were played 
by means of two divided keys, (towches 
brisées ;) but that these two have been 
retrenched, because our rules of modu- 
Jation would require additional sounds to 
be put every where. Many years ago, 
jnustrument-makers divided all the short, 
keys, and by that means seventeen 
sounds could be played in every sep- 
tave; but this method of supplying in- 
struments with more sounds, was laid 
aside on account of the diffeulty of 
playing upon so many keys.” However, 
it is not entirely laid aside, for the Tem- 
ple organ has at present two additional 
sounds in every septave of the choir and ~ 
full organs, except the lowest. The 
organ in the- Foundling Hospital has 
four additional sounds, but they are 
managed by stops, or slides, and not py 
divided keys. - 
G. B. Doni (Trattato sopra glinstru- 
menti di tasti), mentions that the long 
keys of sume instruments have been diz 
vided as well as the short ones; and, to 
render some particular keys conspicuous, 
he recommends their being made round 
at the end, longer or shorter, and placed 
higher or lower than the others; or else 
to be of different colours. A curious 
arrangement of keys, fer the use of the 
genera and tones, is represented on 
page 53, tom. 2. fol. 
Perhaps Mr. Lofft is unacquainted 
with the recent attempts to improve 
piano-fories.  _ Claggett’s piano-forte 
had pedals to alter the tension of the 
wires, when different sounds were wanted 
‘to the same finger-keys: as might have 
been easily foreseen, this instrament 
would never stand in tune.” In Mr. 
Hawkes’s organ, by means of one pedal, 
five sounds in every septave are changed 
at once for five others; so that the short 
keys are all sharps, or all flats : conse- 
aently, # sharp and a flat cannot be 
played together. Ar. Loeschman’s 
*< grand harmonic piano-forte” is fur. 
ished with twenty-four sounds in every 
septave. It has six pedals to introduce 
the aditional sounds, when required, by 
' that the square and oblate cast 
shifting the hammers under different 
wires.. The finger-keys are exactly the. 
same as those in general use. I have 
heard it, and have played on it myself 
with great pleasure; and Mr. Loesch- 
man boasts that it has received the ap- 
probation of Dr. Burney, Dr. Crotch, 
Mr, Salomon, Mr, C. Wesley, and other 
eminent iusicians. 
Mr, Maxwell, (Essay on Tune, 1781,)} 
proposes that every. finger-key should 
have the command of ‘ never less than, 
three, but oftener fout degrees of tune ;” 
p. 184. According to his calculations, 
instead of twelve, degrees of tune in the 
common computation of the octave,. 
‘there must be no less than forty-four 
furnished, to complete a system of twenty 
four keys, tuned by the true intervals of 
the diatonic scale; or if both extremes of 
the octave be included, instead of thir- 
teén, there must be no less than forty- 
five.” ee | 
After all, whatever may be Mr. Lofft’s. 
improvement, I think the generality of: 
performers will rest satished with the 
common imperfect scale. Ct 
Cirencester, ~ “Your's, &c. 
Junuary, 1810. A. MERRICK, 
Lo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, on | 
HE observations in the last Edin- 
burgh Review, intended as a cri- 
tigue upon the admirable, though not 
absolutely faultless, poem, ‘*Tbhe Colum 
biad,” Are conceived in a style at once so 
superstitiously illiberal, and unworthy. the 
character of genuine criticism, that a 
candid and impartial survey of its claims 
to the approbation of the public, will, I 
‘trust, tend to, obliterate those false im-— 
pressions, which the animadversions of | 
our nortbern literati are calculated, by 
their general diffusion, and the homage 
paid to their opinion, to produce on the 
minds of their readers. a eae ui: 
And here, Sir, it may not be esteemed 
irrelevant to give some idea of the phra- 
seology adapted by those gentlemen in 
their quarterly lucubrations. ‘The fol- 
lowing elegancies of expression, % this. 
goodly firsthng;” * they have all a little 
Latin whipped into them in their youth ;” 
“before we proceed to lay before our 
readers,” &c. are peculiarly felicitous: 
but I am fearful their beauty, however 
exquisitely it may be felt in their native 
regions, will not be acknowledged by the — 
generality of their English friends. 
It is indeed, Sir, difficult to conceive 
of mind, 
inherent 
ie 
