1000000031

r-r ELO DY

is tI,o a;r or ,ho uppormoil or fi ril pan In

mnfick.

cOOlmanl)'

called

lhe

tunc o

;¡

pLtin

r('ln~.

the air is formcd witho.lIt confidering

the rel.l[ion ""hieh the othcr parts. which mily be fct in

c.ompofition

with

¡lo OlA)'

bCH,

Far, being

firfi fnmcd.

anJ (,,, Ihe (ole end or plca(, ng ,he e." and hoey ; i, mufl,

it is cl'idcnt , be indcpenJcnt of them.

¡'''or as

fra01ing lhe

bars

(¡rn,

nd rctting

che treble

It,

th ere appctrs na neccffity

eilher in reafon or

(he

T'lles of compofitio n; lhcy

equally

ferving

the

purpofe of

begillning Wilh any

pan,

no part

being

pri\.ilegcd

Wilh

::any parti cul..tr member of

dlr~ord

ar harmony; as is a–

bundandy mi\nifell (rom the

vuious

pofitions which lhe

dircordant notes llave beco Chewn to Aand in; as well as

(rom ,he 41h axiom of lhe:

theory,

which e:fi,¡blirhcs va–

t iety for condutling and rendcri'lg even

h~rrnony

acce:pt–

able:

ra01e:oerS in the: rucceffive concords being the:

0 0 -

lhing e:xceptionablc: in

that

part of compofition .

AH the parts or mulieK ,hca being equ.lly eonccrned

in the compofition;

prcfcr any one pare, as a bafis, or

unerring gnidc, on which to ered the mufiak. or bring

in lhe parts ,

doiog injury tOthat liberty which nature

O\nd the rules of art rUl us in poCfeffion of.

BUl the air of the fi rel pan (o eerential

the tune. or

rather lhe tune it(elf, compels us to decide io favour of

fr.ming ,he ,reble firCl. In which i, wiH be found im·

i'0mble

fuccct'd, when it ia cOl1flned tOwbat

lh~

bar,.

be (,ril r..moJ, mufl of needli,y prcfcribe.

This preference in framing the treble firfi, chieAy re–

fpeéts a plaio fong, or air. For, io more elaborate

pieces, where thl! ddign of the luthor is imitadon of

p:dfAgCS

io the fever..1 parts by turn,. according

his

choice or of. ney making ufe of ,he fa:ne libeny, he will

u ke

y for the leadiog part, 2nd accordingly write

I:t=

parr.ge

in ,ha' par!, and fini(h ,he eompor.tion in lhe

·eil.

Thc :\ir or firfl part in ioOrumental mulick is called

'he firll trcblc:; the air for a fingle: voice is called the

""oice pa:-f, or fOflg; and in mufick for many voiees, the

upper p:.rt is c41l1ed {he counter ·tenor.

thís

muC.ck.

the: "ir of the tenor, and of

e'Y~ry

part

performed by the voicc, is Cludied with mOre cxaBaefs

than lhe inward parts of ¡nflrumenla1 muCick.

l l 1e reafon fo r lhi s diffcrcnce is, that in innrumental

H,ufick . Ihe {idl vioJin cencr3.lIy prefides, or leads the mu ·

(j, k by its air: as rhis is the compofer's ddign. the oIher

parts mun of ne:ceffity be accommodated

ilo

\Vhere3'J in muCick for voices, every foi ce repeating

lhe fal11e words. that ¡s. expreffing lhe fam:

feofe,

at lhe

farne time, or immcdialeJy (ucceedi ng; nothing can de–

{e;tI t!le cnd of the n1l1fick fo much, whieh

the feuing

of words, or rather fentiOlenu. to notes

exprdJive of

the (eore as ina rticulate founds oan poffibly do, as fo r

{lne

P¡Ut

tO t'xcel (he o\hers fo much in this nccefrary point,

;19

by c(JmpariJon

Jepreciate, wcaken, or alt er tlle fen(e

in Ihe othcls .

1'he ai" thcrerorc. of cvery p:\rt in vocal mu(j¡k muObe

conrultrd; no! onlyfor ,lte rake orh.rOlony, (for a gooc\

air in

t. ...

ch pan imrrovcs even (he h.umony. ) bUI alfo

lor

the fcntil1l -:nt f.,kt , with oUl which lhe murid: .. rnu!l. be

~bfurd

aud dd[o,<r.:.

No!wi, hChnding ,he liherty ",h;eh e• • ry one may jonty

chaJlc:nge of {raming an air agreeable

his owo faney •

yet it cannot be faid. th.u this libeny is uDcomroulable:

or be'yond the power of art tO preferabe iJouods to: For

¡hen indced every O..in compo(ed by even abad . nd in.

JlJcheious e:ar might Hand

competition witb the

mofi

linifhed pieees. S ut as this will not be: allowr-d

any

hand , even ao undiltinguiOli ng eH conceiving a degrte of

plea(ure

hearing good murick; ro (here

¡,

no doubt

but

th~l

the:re

mutt be

fome prece:pt or manotr found out

byexperience:.

afeertain and conduét the air or

Oraln.

and whieh will render i, to a good .od judiciou. eH plain–

Iy preferable.

The rules ,herefore which we (hall lay down ror me–

lody, are fueh only as are: founded

tru\h

aD~eafon;

(he

refuh of cxperience, joined to

n<ill ;

and which are

admitted in every liberal art : Thefe are: unity, imitatíon,

and order.

i, (halL be faid, tha< perfons unlkilled iD

mu!ick. bue otherwife very capable from a Datural good

ear.

will Gng ao

air which an IrtiCl cannot 6nd fauh \lfieh,

we coofefs

may be iRfome fort true.

Bu, Ihe Orain. or fueh eompofer. are . lway. Yery (horl;

I nd as !hey feldom or never depa r! from ,he key, fo

tl,.y

afford no, ,ha, v.riety fo defirabl e in mufick: Nay, wha,

is lhis but faying thal the rules of art are concluraoos takeo

(rom nature. as in truth they 2re ; fo cheD they muO be

alfuredly righ,? This muil be ro, wheo ,he appeal i. made

Erom

art

oatu re.

As 'o ,hofe elfay. c.lled .olun!arie.., ihere w•• aever

• ¡¡ood one performed bUI by a good m.fler. The muo

6ck was 21ways good

proportion

th e mancr's /kill

the 2rt ; in proportioo to the variety he introduced ac–

cording

the rulea of arto Therefort even voluntaries are

Ihe e/feéls or knowledgo and dehbera,ioa.

Bu,

relurn . The firfl rule of mclody is uoilY.

The unity of '"ne i. faid 'o be in refpeél of ,he key,

and of !he fubjeél .

Evcry tune: mun be wdnen io fome ke:y, in

whicb

muO begin and cnd.

A. every air i, faid !o be io fueh a key a. i. Ihe lael

note, efpecially ,he la!1 no' of ,he bar.; fo , here is Ihe

fame necdli ,y fo r ,he firCl and lail note of every .ir tObe

fome member of ,he eoneord of the key. Thi. difeo«rs

,he defiga Qr ,h e au,hor. H.ving ,hus fixed ,he .tlen,iOD

of che hearer to this parrieul .. r, th., ear aod imaginatioR

'can no o,her w.y be fatisfied thao by holding tO aDd ex–

eeu,ing ,he fame de(,gn.

The unily of tune is as nece!f:lry

this refpeét. as

conGfiency io the words and fentiments of an orator

i. requir.,e 'o direover ,he feope aod meaniog of his dif–

cour(e:.

Seeoodly, the uoity or ,une, in refpeél or ,he fubj <é1.

fignifi e•• ,ha< there (hould be one fllbjeél of every picee of

mulick repealed and inlilfed on, as oftt!o as convenlently

can be, throughoul the whole riece.

And (his repetition will be in proportion to thc length

of the lene,. and delign of the eorn pol't:r

E\'cn in a

01.'–

flu re. or any orher eKaél plcee

~onfin('d

a cena:n

oumb~r

of b3n, lhe repeti lion of the

fubj~ét

nuy

ef.

feélcd. Now,

th~

fubjet"t of every airo or patee ot mu–

Ciek, is ,he urfl p,.tr'ge of ,he

f.me,

f", ao)" nuroba

b.ln,