1807.} On the Mufical Properties of English Syllables, 
mere tafte and eleéion, but refulting 
from the phyfical necejfitiés under which 
the primary,organ of vocal impulfe, and 
indeed all organs and implements of mo- 
tion muit eternally act) conftitute thofe 
afcertainable and menfureable cadences, 
by which alone (in the Englith language 
at leaft) the proportions and varicties of 
rythmus can.be rendered palpable to the 
Fane tee |\ 
éar, — This &c. con- 
of common meafure ; 
Meditate 
triple : meature So allo the monofyllables 
Mun to | man and | horfe to horfe | 
and I the following Bde of mon ol iyi 
h! | golden 
bles “0 ee 
days ap 
oY sae 
= 
common ; and the following, 
ititute all 
A bjolu Af 
A} 
&c. cadences of 
oe 
las 
and diffyllables 
pear” 
| econttitute cadences of 
‘ For hus 
i i ght 
cadences of ae time, 
counts ry he 
A 
ars d when at ‘| 
ee ae erie, . 
re 
paring” 
z Vv 
. 
SECONDLY ——Syllables may be further 
dittinguifhed by the property of percul- 
fion (& )—that is to fay, by an explotive 
force faper: added to the heavy poule, or 
more emphatic part of the cadence. 
Such percuftion is always luperadded to 
dome one iyliable of every word that has 
more heavy fyllables than one — as 
Abfo- pels pine pidity|| Se- 
& Pts & ae ti Bete 
ringapa- | tam 
‘ Tt peer ee alfo to the 
. 
ees ee 
heavy fyllable of fome diflyllabie words, 
when arranged into fentences ; and even, 
oc cationally, to certain monofyllables, 
ce 
under fimilar circumftances :—as— Bt 
{pri - i 
airy |, P (CS | fiwho | oft as fancy 
yet ee eV Bee uw aes 
alls 
e “T}| hope that the | man 
A “N Oe AA oie a a 
will | do his uae 
falli lug, in this 
fame lawa, 
Turrpix¥—The tune of fyllables is 
{till further diyerfitied by different degrees 
of loudnels and foftuefs :  fubfiantives and 
verbs, for example, (as a general rule) 
demanding a more fwelling loudnets, and 
articles and conjunctions more of dimi- 
| |—Proje and verje 
bets precifely under the 
Anni dd n= 
29 
nivendo, or foftnefs, than the other parté 
of {peech: a circumttance, ‘by the way, to 
which it would be well, if fome even of 
our very firft rate players would pay more 
attention; as they would be fure to, do, 
if they were but in the habit of obferving 
and analyling the pure unpremeditated 
Jpeech of thote with whom (of whatfoever 
rank or intelleét) they may occafionally 
converte. We thould~not then fo tree 
quently hear the fine fentences of out 
immortal Shakefpeare deformed and de- 
graded by the pretern natural tamefaétion 
of unimportant particles; nor would our 
ears be thocked by thofe frequent thun- 
derings of “he, fhe, it, and, we, ye, they” 
which remind us of the wretched {petta- 
cle of a rickety child the feeblenefs of 
whofe trunk and the flancidity of whofe 
watied muicles, are deplorably compen- 
fated, by the lar genefs of his wrilts ‘and 
diiclés. 
T ufe the word loudnefs m the above 
paragraph, in preference to the word 
Jorce; and, indeed, in contradiftinétion 
to it, though they are fo generally cone 
founded. Force is, indeed, rather an 
object of attention in the general manages 
ment of the voice, than a property of 
particular fyllables: though its diftinc- 
tions may indeed be fuper-added to par. 
ticular fyllables, or combinations of fyl- 
lables, as one of the modifications of em- 
phafis: but a well regulated utterance 
will render the fofteft and the highteft 
fyllables forcible; as well as the loud, 
the heavy, and the percuffed. : 
Fount. y—Syllubles differ from each 
otherin thofe mott evanefzent, yet highly 
inportant proper: ties —their mufical  ae- 
cents. But with what an, unfortunate 
word am I obliged to conclude this enn- 
meration ?—decent / that word fo perpe- 
tually ufed by our grammarians and pro- 
‘foditis, but fo little underitood.—Acceént 4 
that unfortunate fervant of all work im 
the houfehold of Exglifh rythmical criti- 
eifm, almoft inceffantly emp loyed in every 
office it is unfit for, woe the department 
for which 1¢ is exclutively oN oathge re- 
mains almoft entirely neglected. viet 
exainple, the term a is applied 1 
the cafe cf all words (either of two or 
three fyllables) that conflitute but one 
Laden, exac ly as it als ly the teri 
heavy, and as the Greek orammariais 
applied the word eh :—thus the words 
“ fancy,” “ abfolate,” “ arpa pi ERE 
pairing, ” &e. are ond to be accented, ie 
éaland fecond on the initial, the’ third 
and 
