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not only two words in succession, but even three, four, or five, with scarcely a perceptible variation of tone.

Example

He combined within himself all the elements

of terrour, nerve, malice, and intellect a heart that never melted, a hand that never trembled, a mind that never wavered from :ts purpose."

Remarks. In pronouncing the words "terrour, nerve, malice, and intellect," the intonation should continually vary is it passes on from one word to another. In enunciating 'hand," the modulation should be nearly similar to that given o "heart" but the effect of a good elocution would be greatly njured, were one to pronounce "mind" without a far greater variation in his tone of voice. Similar directions might be given for pronouncing the verbs "melted, trembled, and wavered," as well as the adverb "never," although it would be improper to adopt a uniform variety in enunciating these three classes of words.

In such instances as these, the leading characteristick in the change of tone that is proper to be made, consists in an increase of the force and fulness of volume, as the voice advances from one word to another. This augmentation of force and energy, however, must be slight or otherwise, just in proportion to the nature and spirit of the sentiment expressed. Another feature of this kind of modulation, is controlled by the inflection of voice that is proper to be adopted. This subject, therefore, will be resumed again in those chapters which treat of inflection and emphasis.

Errours in Modulation.

Monotony. The monotone may sometimes be advantageously employed in pronouncing a simile, or some other peculiar construction of language; but a dull, monotonous method of pronouncing words in general, is, in the highest degree, reprehensible. When the monotone is proper, a reader or a speaker of ordinary capacity and acumen, will adopt it naturally, and without the least artificial effort, just as he would express, by the modulations and tones of his voice, many of the passions and emotions, merely by the promptings of internal feeling. If we would interest those who listen to us, we must adopt a pleasing and natural variety of tones and modulation: and nothing will be more sure to produce the opposite effect, than the adoption of artificial tones, or of a drawling, lifeless monotony.

Artificial Variety.-But in order to avoid a monotonous manner of delivery, many a one falls into an opposite extreme,

equally offensive to a chaste ear, and not less inconsistent with the principles of correct enunciation. In order to give his words the greatest possible variety of intonation, inflection, and modulation, he loses sight of both principle and natural propriety. He plunges into the depths of artificiality, and soars above the heights of elegance. He gives you correct tones and incorrect, agreeable modulations and disagreeable, all blended together, and displeases more than the dull, plodding, humdrum monotonist. But this artificial variety, is very apt to settle down into what is no less intolerable, a

Uniform Variety.—Among tasteless readers and speakers, a uniform variety assumes as many set forms as Proteus had shapes; but they are far less pleasing. These artificial and uniform modes of delivery, are too numerous to admit of an adequate description: and they too frequently occur not to have attracted the attention, and have elicited the displeasure, of most people.

This displeasing and unnatural uniformity occurs with some speakers who run into the false conceit, that they must begin every sentence in the same tone and elevation, or depression, of the voice, and always close it with the same fall or cadence. A sameness of tone and modulation, they also adopt at every recurrence of any particular stop or pause, how different and varied soever the language and sentiments may be. But in poetry this characteristick of dulness attains its full growth. Here we often see this uniform variety carried into a regular tune; but it is a tune that shocks every ear but that of the pseudosongster.

As these last two faults often arise from an improper application of the inflections of the voice, and of emphasis, they will be more particularly noticed in a subsequent chapter.

QUESTIONS.

What is said of commencing a discourse in an abrupt and vociferous manner?

What is said of a very low pitch?

What is said of affected tones ?-What of natural tones?

What is said of trilling sounds ?-What is said of monotony?
What is said of a drawling, lifeless, monotonous enunciation ?
Is artificial variety in modulation, at all admissible?

What is said of uniform variety?

EXERCISES.

King Philip of Mount Hope, was a patriot, attached to his native soil; a prince true to his subjects, and indignant of their wrongs; a soldier, daring in battle, firm in adversity, patient of

fatigue, of hunger, of every variety of bodily suffering; and ready to perish in the cause he had espoused. Possessing heroick qualities, and accomplishing bold achievements, that would have graced a civilized warriour, and have rendered him the theme of the poet and the historian, he lived a wanderer and a fugitive in his native land, and went down, like a lonely bark, foundering amidst darkness and tempest-without a pitying eye to weep his fall, or a friendly hand to record his struggle.

Placid Tone-Come, gentle Spring! ethereal mildness! come,
And from the bosom of yon dropping cloud,

While musick wakes around, veiled in a shower
Of shadowing roses, on our plains descend.

Low-Adah-Hush! tread softly, Cain.

Cain. I will: but wherefore?

Adah. Our little Enoch sleeps upon yon bed
Of leaves, beneath the cypress.

Cain.

Cypress ! 'tis
A gloomy tree, which looks as if it mourned
O'er what it shadows; wherefore didst thou choose it
For our child's canopy?

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Shut out the sun-like night, and therefore seemed
Fitting to shadow slumber.

Middle-O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea,
Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free,
Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam,
Survey our empire and behold our home!
Very Low-Hark! they whisper: angels say,
"Sister spirit, come away."

Loud-The world recedes: it disappears!
Heaven opens on my eyes! my ears
With sounds seraphick ring!

Very Loud-Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!
Loud-O grave! where is thy victory?

and very Slow.

Ŏ death! where is thy sting?

Plaintive Ye woods and wilds, whose melancholy gloom
Accords with my soul's sadness, and draws forth
The voice of sorrow from my bursting heart—
Farewell awhile; I will not leave you long,
For in your shades I deem some spirit dwells
Who, from the chiding stream, or groaning oak,
Still hears and answers to Matilda's moan.

Slow and

O, Douglass! Douglass! if departed ghosts Are e'er permitted to review this world, Plaintive. Within the circle of that wood thou art, And with the passion of immortals, hear'st My lamentation; hear'st thy wretched wife Weep for her husband slain, her infant lost.

CHAPTER III.

INFLECTIONS OF THE VOICE.

THE INFLECTIONS of the voice consist in those peculiar slides which it takes in pronouncing a letter, a syllable, or a word.

There are two of these slides, the upward and the downward. They are most apparent in the pronunciation of emphatick words, and words immediately preceding a pause, especially the closing pause at the end of a sentence.

The upward slide is called the Rising Inflection. It is sometimes indicated by the acute accent, or following mark ().

The downward slide is denominated the Falling Inflection. It is represented by the grave accent; thus ().

When both the upward and the downward slides of the voice occur in pronouncing a syllable, they are called a Circumflex or Wave.-The Circumflex is indicated thus (^).

CONCRETE SLIDES OR INFLECTIONS OF THE VOICE.

Before the learner proceeds to a perusal of the following development of the subject under consideration, he is requested to turn back to page 55, and carefully re-examine what is there said of the concrete and discrete movements of the voice, and of the radical, and concrete and discrete pitch, as such an examination will enable him more readily to comprehend the illustration which follows.

By pronouncing in a very deliberate and perfectly natural manner, the letter y, (which is a diphthong,) the unpractised student will perceive, that the sound produced, is compound, being formed, at its opening, of the obscure sound of oo as

heard in oo-ze, which sound rapidly slides into that of i, and then advances to that of ee as heard in e-ve, and on which it gradually passes off into silence.

But, at present, the attention of the student is particularly called to the lessening vanish of the voice as it dies away into silence at the close of a sound. A few experiments, therefore, on some of the vowel elements, such as o, a, e, u, or on the words man, name, joy, song, and the like, may be instructive to such as have not hitherto given this subject a separate attention, as it will enable them to perceive two important circumstances in regard to the philosophy of vocal sounds, namely, that in the delicate vanish of the voice at the close of a letter or word, the stream of sound generally takes either an ascending or a descending direction, as it dies away into silence, according to the impulse given by the organs which explode the sound, and that a little attention to this vanishing slide, will enable any one to ascertain its direction, and thus to distinguish between what is called the rising and the falling inflections of the voice. If, in slowly pronouncing the letter y, i, or o, for example, the attention of the learner be directed to the opening fulness, and the gradually diminishing volume of the voice un til it terminates in silence, he will readily perceive the propriety of Dr. Rush's giving the name of radical movement to the first part of the elementary sound, and that of vanishing movement to the second-and, also, that of designating the whole movement which has been described, a vanishing tone. "This gradually lessening volume of sound upon syllables, and exquisite vanish with which they terminate, contrasted with their opening fulness, are circumstances which show the superiority of the human voice over all musical instruments. The full manifestation of the radical and vanish in the management of the slides of long quantity, or, in other words, in the utterance of long syllables, in speaking, reading, and recitation, is, in the highest degree, captivating to the ear, and is what gives smoothness and delicacy to the tones of the voice. In short syllables, the difference of the radical and vanish is perceptible, though not so obvious."*

RISING INFLECTION.

In the first place, let the sentence, "I will try to do better," be pronounced in a very deliberate manner, but without any stress being given to the word try; and let the attention be

Dr. Barber.

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