falfe idea of it, would invent a melody of their own. Having nothing of true mufic, they would find no difficulty in multiplying its parts; because they would give that name to what was not fo; even to the thorough bafs; to the unifon of which they would make no fcruple to recite the counter-tenour, under cover of a fort of accompaniment, whofe pretended melody would have no manner of relation to the vocal part of the fong. Wherever they faw notes they would find a tune, although in effect their tune would be nothing but a fucceffion of notes. Voces prætereaque nihil. Let us proceed now to the meafure, in the difpofition of which confifts the greater part of the beauty and expreffion of the fong. Measure is to melody nearly what fyntax is to difcourfe: it is that which connects the words, diftinguishes the phrafes, and gives fenfe and confiftency to the whole. All mufic whofe measure is not perceived, if the fault lie in the perfon who executes it, refembles writing in cypher, which requires one to have a key to explain it; but if the mufic have no fenfible measure in itself, it is only a confufed collection of words taken at hazard, land written without connexion, in which the reader finds no fenfe, because the author gave them none. I have faid that every national mufic takes its principal character from the language which is peculiar to it and I should have added, that it is the profody of that language which principally conititutes its character. As vocal mufic long preceded the inftrumental, the latter hath always received from the former both its tune and time: now the different meafures of vocal mufic could arife only from the different methods of fcanning a dif courfe, and placing the long and fhort fyllables with regard to each other. This is very evident in the Greek mufic, whofe measures were only fo many formula of the rythmi furnished by the arrangements of long or fhort fyllables, and of thofe feet of which the language and its poetry were fufceptible. So that, although one may very well diftinguish in the mufical ryth mus the measure of the profody, the meafure of the verfe, and the measure of the tune, it cannot be doubted that the moft agreeable mufic, or at least that of the most complete cadence, would be th in which the three meafures fhould concur as perfectly as poffible. After thefe eclairciffements, I return to my hypothefis, and fuppofe that the language I have been fpeaking of fhould have a defective profody, indiftinct, inexact, and without precifion; that its long and fhort fyllables fhould have no. fimple relations with regard to time or number, fo as to render its rythmus agreeable, exact, and regular; that its long fyllables fhould be fome fhorter and others longer than others; that its short ones fhould in like manner be more or lefs fhort; that it should have many neither short nor long; and that the difference between the one and the other fhould be indeterminate and almost incommenfurable. It is clear that the national mufic, being obliged to receive into its meafure the irregularities of the profody, would have fuch meafure of courfe vague, unequal, and hardly perceptible; that its recitative would in particular partake of this O 2 irre irregularity; that it would be very difficult to make the force of the notes and fyllables agree; that the measure would be obliged to be perpetually changed, and that the verfes never could be fet to an exact and flowing measure; that even in the measured airs, the movements would be all unnatural and void of precifion; that if to this defect be added ever fo little delay in time, the very idea of its inequality would be entirely loft both in the finger and the auditor; and that, in fine, the meafure not being perceived,nor its returns equal, it could be fubject only to the caprice of the mufician, who might hurry or retard it as he pleafed fo that it would be impoffible to keep up a concert without fomebody to mark the time to all, according to the fancy or convenience of fome leader. Hence it is that fingers contract fuch an habit of altering the time, that they frequently do it defigned ly even in thofe pieces, where the compofer has happily rendered it perceptible. To mark the time would be thought a fault in compofition, and to follow it would be another in the tafte of finging; thus defects would pafs for beauties, and beauties for defects: errors would be established as rules; and to compofe mufic to the tafte of the nation, it would be necessary to apply carefully to thofe things which would difpleafe every other people in the world. Thus, whatever art might be ufed to hide the defects of fuch mufic, it would be impoffible it fhould be pleafing to any other ears than thofe of the natives of the country where it should be in vogue. By dint of fuffering con ftant reproaches against their bad tafte, and by hearing real mufic in a language more favourable to it, they would at length endeavour to make their own refemble it: in doing which, however, they would only deprive it of its real character, and the little accordance it might have with the language for which it was conftructed. If they fhould thus endeavour to unnaturalize their finging, they would render it harth, rough, and almoft unutterable: if they contented themselves with ornamenting it with anyother than fuch accompaniments as were Feculiarly adapted to it, they would only betray its infipidity by an inevitable contraft: they would deprive their mufic of the only beauty it was fufceptible of, in taking from all its parts that uniformity of character by which it was conftituted; and by accuftoming their ears to difdain the finging only to liften to the fymphony, they would in time reduce the voices only to a mere accompaniment of the accompaniments. Thus we fee by what means the mufic of fuch a nation would be divided into vocal and inftrumental; and thus we fee how by giving each different characters to the two fpecies of it, they make a monftrous compound of them when united. The fymphony would keep time; and the finging would fuffer no reftraint; fo that the fingers and the fymphonists in the orchestra would be perpetually at variance, and putting one another out. This uncertainty, and the mixture of the two characters, would introduce in the manner of accompaniment, fuch a tamenefs and infipidity that the fymphonists would get fuch a habit, that they would not be able even to execute the beft mufic with spirit and energy. In playing that like their own, they would totally enervate it; they would play the foft ftrong, and the ftrong foft, nor would they know one of the varieties of these two terms. As to the others rinforzando, dolce, rifoluto, con gufto, Spiritofo, foftenuto, con brio, they would have no words for them in their lan. guage, and that of expreffion would be totally void of meaning. They would fubftitute a number of trifling, cold, and flovenly ornaments, in the place of the mafterly ftroke of the bow: and however numerous their orchestra, it would have no effect, or none but what was very difagreeable. As the execution would be always fluggish, and the fymphonists are ever more folicitous to play finely, than to play in time, they would be hardly ever together; they would never be able to give an exact and just note, nor to execute any thing in that character. Foreigners would be almoft all of them aftonifhed to find an orchestra, boasted of as the first in Europe, hardly worthy to play at a booth in a fairt. It would be naturally expected that fuch muficians fhould get an averfion to that mufic which thus difgraced their own; and that adding ill will to bad tafte, they would put in execution the defign of decrying it, with as ill fuccefs as it was abfurd" ly premeditated. On a contrary fuppofition to the foregoing, I might eafily deduce all the qualities of a real mufic, formed to move, to imitate, to pleafe, and to convey to the heart the most delicate impreffions of harmony: but as this would lead me too far from my prefent fubject, and particularly from our generally received notions of things; I fhall confine my felf to a few obfervations on the Italian mufic; which may enable us to form a better judgment of our own. If it be asked what language will admit of the best grammar, I anfwer that of the people who reafon beft; and it it be asked what nation fhould have the peft mufic, I should answer that whofe language is beft adapted to mufic. This is what I have already established, and fhall have farther occafion to confirm it during the courfe of this letter. Now, if there be in Europe a language adapted to mufic, it is certainly the Italian; for that language is foft, fonorous, harmoni. ous, and more accented than any other; which four qualities are precifely thofe which are most proper for finging. The Italians pretend, that our [the French] melody is flat and void of tune; all other nations alfo unanimously confirm their judgment in this particular. On our part There is not, perhaps, four French fymphonists in Paris who know the difference betw en piano and dolce; and indeed it would be unneceffary for them fo to do; for which of them would be capable of executing it? Not that here are not fome very good violin-players in the ochestra at the opera on the contrary, they are almost all fuch, taken separately, and when they do not pre end to play in concert. There was a time, fays my lord Shaftesbury, when the custom of speaking French had brought French mufic alfo into fashion among us [the English]. But 0 3 the part, we accufe theirs of being capricious and barbarous*. I had much rather believe that one or the other were mistaken, than be reduced to the neceffity of faying, that, in a country where arts and fciences in general are arrived to an high degree of perfection, that of mufic is as yet unknown. The leaft partial among us + contented themselves with faying, that, both the Italian and French mufic were good, in their kind, and in their own language: but, befides that other nations did not fubfcribe to this comparifon, it fill remained to determine which of the two languages was the beft adapted to music in itfelf. This is a queftion which was much agitated in France, but will never be fo elsewhere; a question which can only be decided by an ear that is perfectly neuter, and which, of courfe, becomes daily more difficult of folution in the only country where the object of it can be problematical. I have made fome experiments on this fubject, which every one may repeat after me, and which appear to ferve as a folution of it, at leaft, with regard to melody; to which alone the whole difpute is in a manner reducible. I took fome of the most celebrat. ed airs in both kinds of mufic; and divefting the one of its trills and perpetual cadences; the other of the under notes, which the com. pofer does not take the trouble to write, but leaves to the judgment of the fingert. I folfa'd them exactly by note, without any ornament, and without adding any thing to the fenfe or connexion of the phrafe. I will not tell you the effect which the refult of this comparifon had on my own mind, because I ought to exhibit my reafons, and not to impofe my authority. I will only give you an account of the method I took to determine, so that, if you think it a good one, you may take the fame to convince your. felf. I muft caution you, however, that this experiment requires more precautions than may at first appear neceffary. The first and most difficult of all, is to be impartial and equitable in your choice and judgment. The fecond is, that in order to make the Italian, exibiting fomething more agreeable to nature, prefently difgufted us with the other, and inade us perceive it to be as heavy, flat, and infipid, as it is in fact. *It fecms thefe reproaches are much lefs violent fince the Italian mufic hath been heard among us. Thus it is that this admirable mufic need only fhew itfelf what it is, to justify itfelf againtt every thing that is advanced against it. Many perfons condemn the total exclufion which the connoiffeurs in mufic give, without hefitation, to the French mufic. Thefe conciliating moderators would have no exclufive tafte; juft as if the love of what is good muft neceffarily work fome regard for what is bad. This method was very much in favour of the French mufic; for the under notes in the Italian are no lefs effential to the melody, than those which are written down. The point is lefs what is written, than what ought to be fung; and indeed this manner of writing notes ought to pafs for a kind of abbreviation, whereas the cadences and trilis in the French mufic are requifite, if you will, to the tafte, but are by no means effential to the melody: they are a kind of paint, which ferves to hide its deformity, without removing it, and which ferves only to render it the more ridiculous to the ears of good judges, this this experiment, it is néceffary for you to be equally acquainted with both ftyles; otherwife that which fhould happen to be most familiar, would perpetually prefent itfelf to the mind, to the prejudice of the other. Nor is this fecond condition lefs difficult than the first for among those who are acquainted with both kinds of mufic, there is no hesitation of choice? and it is eafy to perceive by the ridiculous arguments of thofe who write a gainst the Italian mufic, how little knowledge they have of that, or indeed the art in general. Add to this, that it is very effential to proceed in exact time; but I foresee that this caution, though fuperfluous in any other country, would be useful in this, and that this omiffion alone neceffarily carries with it an incompetency of judgment. Taking all thefe precautions, the character of each kind of mufic cannot fail of declaring itfelf; when it would be difficult not to clothe the paffages with thofe ideas which agree with them; and in. deed not to add, at leaft mentally, those turns and ornaments, which may be refufed them in finging. We should not reft the matter, alfo, upon a fingle experiment; for one air may please more than another, withoutdetermining the preference of the kind of mufic; nor is it without a great number of trials that a reasonable judgment is to be formed. Befides, in taking away the words, we take away the moit important part of the melody, I made another trial, which requires lefs precaution, and will yet appear probably more decifive. I gave to fome Italian musicians the fineft airs of Lulli, and to fome French ones the select airs of Leo and Pergolese, and I remarked, that though the latter were very far from entering into the true tafte of thefe pieces, they were fenfible nevertheless of their melody, and made out of them, in their manner, agreeable and runeful paffages. But the Italians folfa'd our most pathetic airs, without discovering either paffage or tune: they found no mufic at all in them, but faw only a fucceffion of notes placed without choice or defign; they fung them indeed exactly as you would read Arabic words written in French characters*. My third experiment was this: I had an opportunity of feeing at Venice, an Armenian, a man of understanding, who had never before heard any mufic; and to whom were exhibited in the fame concert, a French piece, which began with these words. Temple facre, fejour tranquille: Our musicians pretend to deduce a great advantage from this difference. We can execute the Italian mufic, fay they, with their ufual vanity, and the Italians cannot execute ours; therefore our mufic is better than theirs. They do not fee that they ought to deduce a confequence directly contrary; and fay,' Therefore the Italians have a melody and we have none. 0 4 and |