Article 111. Of the Characters which reprefent Sounds, or of Mufical Notes. The seven different forms of notes are given from the femibreve to the half demifemiquaver (quadruple croche) and the ancient characters of the large, the long, and the breve, are mentioned in a note. P. 3. Article iv. Of the Pofition of the Notes, and of the Staff (Portée). The notes are reckoned grave, mediate, or acute, from their pofition on the staff. The space below the staff, and the two firft lines, include the four grave founds. The fecond space, and the two following lines, contain four of the mediate clafs. The fourth space, fifth line, and the fpace above, reprefent the three acute founds of each voice. By the help of fupplementary lines, four fubgrave, and four fuperacute founds are obtained. Here we find (p. 4) a ftriking inftance of defect in precision. The acute founds are first enumerated (p. 3) as only three, in the following arrangement they are termed four. This, perhaps, may be thought a remark too flight; but when fo many ingenious men pretend to compile a ftandard work, we expect more than usual accuracy. P. 4. Art. v. To make amends for the brevity of the preceding articles, this occupies three whole pages, and is divided into two fections, Sect. 1. Of the Seven Notes of Mufic, their Names, and the Order affigned to them. The series of feven mufical notes is termed thus: ut, re, mi, fa, fol, la, fi, ut. This fucceffion was firft (they affert) called the diatonic scale, and afterwards the diatonic gamut. P. 5. Section 11. Compofition and Divifion of the Gamut, and of the Interval of the Tone and Semitone. Thefe authors now forget the unity of their defign, and choose to begin this Section by way of queftion and anfwer. "What is an interval? "An interval in mufic is the difference between one found and another, more acute or more grave. "What is a tone? "The interval between ut and re, &c. &c. afcending, and between ze and ut, &c. &c. defcending. 3 "This "This interval is named diatonic. "What is a femitone? "The least of all the intervals in the diatonic gamut." After this definition, they inform us, that there are two forts of femitones, the diatonic and the chromatic. The diatonic femitone is between mi' and fa, &c. afcending, and between fa and mi defcending. In thefe definitions nothing precife is contained; fince the diftance or interval between ut and re, or between fi and ut, is wholly independent of the afcent or defcent of the melody, and ought to have been more theoretically explained in a scientific publication. Suremain de Miffery could have afforded them a very useful explanation, which might at least have been inferted in a note. See his Theorie Acoustico-Muficale, p. 105, Paris, 1793, where he not only gives the true mathematical analysis of the tone and femitone, but alfo a practical explication of them by an appeal to the ear alone. It is afferted, by dividing the gamut into two fourths, that they are both perfectly equal. This might be admitted, if the reference had been made to the temperament of keyed inftru ments. Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La Si, Ut. But furely thefe great theorists must know, that the intervals are not equally diftributed; and that the hypothefis of Des Cartes and Rameau, by which ut to re is reckoned as a minor tone (like the real one from fol to la) is evidently falfe. P. 7. To elucidate further the nature and relation of the tone and femitone, the authors have entertained their students with three examples, indicative of the progrefs of mufical notation, and of their own profound acquaintance with mufical antiquities. 1. Gamut on a staff of eight lines, primarily invented (produit) by Guido of Arezzo. In this the eight notes are each placed on a line, and no use whatever is made of the spaces. II. Gamut on a flaff, reduced to four lines, by Guido. In this the fpaces are used, and the notes alternately placed on them with the lines. III. Gamut on the staff of five lines, invented (produit) by Jean de Muris. Where, except in their own inventive faculties, these learned writers have found these curious hiftorical documents, we are at a lofs to imagine. Kircher Kircher and Galilei have indeed given examples of mufic upon eight lines (fee the Mufurgia, vol. i. p. 213, and Sir I. Hawkins, vol. i. p. 429); but they both contend, that this notation was prior to the time of Guido. Dr. Burney has alfo very clearly fhown (vol. ii. p. 87) that Guido probably firft ufed the fpaces intermixed with lines; but as for the reduction of the eight lines to four lines, and the placing of ut on the loweft, no fuch improvement was ever before attributed to this Lord of the Musical Manor. Dr. B. ii. 72. But the most ridiculous circumftance of all this hiftorical information is, that they give Guido the honour of inventing, not merely the hexachord, but the prefent fyftem of the diatonic. octave, and alfo the use of the fyllable fi, in the year 1022; when even Rouffeau proves, that Jean de Muris, in 1330, was ignorant of it. Another curious fpecimen of their accuracy, confifts in naming the first line ut, in both the pretended fcales of Guido, and in the third of De Muris, without inferting any clef whatever, to fhow that they confider the first line to be C. Every mufical writer in England, Germany, and Italy, is apprized that Guido placed his gamma or G, on the lowest line; but they seem to know better in France. Such is the fcience of the Musical Confervatory, illuminated by the affistance of the Inftitute. P. 7. Article vi. Of the Clefs, and their Utility. After deciding pofitively, that the first line is always ut, when no clef appears, it feems rather unneceffary to place a character to name notes which are already named without it. This article, however, makes fome amends for the preceding defect, by being well arranged; and it details the nature of the three clefs, fa, ut, and fol, with fome fuccefs. It is obferved in a note (p. 11) that an organ open pipe, of 97 centimetres, or three feet, will found the F of the bafe clef. P. 12. Article VII. Concerning Degrees and Intervals. The glaring want of precifion in defining their technical terms is here very evident, for the authors contradict themfelves in the space of a few lines. Section 1. Of Degrees, Conjoint, and Disjoint. "A degree is the interval, comprehended between two notes, which follow each other immediately in the diatonic gamut. Confequently ut is the beginning of the first degree, and re terminates the first, first, and begins the fecond, &c. There are degrees conjoint, and degrees disjoint. "The first are found between every line and space adjoining. The laft are those which, inftead of following each other immediately, leave an interval between, more or less great." The inconfiftency and contradiction here shown, by firft de. fining the term degree, in the fense of conjoint only, and then extending its fignification to make it ferve for fkip or leap, as disjoint, is unworthy of a fcientific and profeffional under. taking like the prefent; and, indeed, fince the word degree, taken in these fenfes, becomes perfectly the fame as interval, it may be confidered as wholly useless in the new French system. Section 11. Of Intervals. We arrive here at a little more accuracy; and, in the next, Section III. Of Natural Intervals of every Species. We gain a tolerable infight into the different kinds of intervals, and the major with the minor 2nds and 3rds, 6ths and 7ths, are explained; the 4th and 5ths, although not liable to the fame diftinctions, may become fuperfluous or diminished. P. 16. In reckoning intervals (including the 8ve, and ex, cluding the unifon or prime) they are divided into feven concords and fix difcords. Major 2nd} Diffonances in harmony, but not in melody. Superfluous 4th, afcending Diminished 5th, defcending Diffonance. Major 7th, afcending Minor 7th, defcending All this claffification is correct, and fome of the hints useful. A fmall impropriety occurs in refpect of the fecond not being diffonant in melody; but as this depends on the definition of the term diffonant, we shall not be unneceffarily fevere upon it. Thus Thus far only are we at prefent able to examine this production of the French Confervatory; in our concluding remarks, we apprehend fimilar cenfure will be required; but we will not prejudge what we have as yet only curforily perufed. (To be concluded in our next.) ART. IV. A general Syftem of Nature, through the Three grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals; Jyftematically divided into their feveral Claffes, Orders, Genera, Species, and Varieties, with their "Habitations, Manners, Economy, Structure, and Peculiarities. Tranf lated from Gmelin's laft Edition of the celebrated Syftema Natura, by Sir Charles Linné, amended and enlarged by the Improvements and Difcoveries of later Naturalifts and Societies, with appropriate Copper-Plates. By William Turton, M. D. Author of the Medical Gloffary. Vol. I. to IV.* (Animals). 8vo. 3170 pp. with Three Plates. 21. 10s. Lackington, &c. 1802-1804. THE neceffity of fyftematic arrangement in investigating any confiderable number of individuals, has been always felt; and many authors have, for a long time, been occupied in this very useful defign. Among thefe indefatigable writers, none has attained a higher rank than the juftly celebrated Linnæus, whose ineftimable work is now exhibited to our countrymen in an English form. The Syftema Natura of Linnæus paffed through twelve editions, under the care of the author himself; and, from a rough fketch of a few folio pages (for the first edition was nothing more) it grew to the magnitude of five octavo volumes. The twelfth edition was published in 1766; fince which time, numerous additions having, by the induftry of his followers, been made to the genera and fpecies there enumerated, Profeffor Gmelin thought proper to give a new edition, with thefe additions. Had this been executed with a due degree of care, the fcientific world would have been under great obligations to him; but the cafe was far otherwife, for Gmelin feems, throughout his whole edition, to have been more anxious to * The first volume which begins the botanical part, is also published, and the whole is to be completed in feven volumes. augment |