containing one femitone more than the minor or flat key.

The three modes of Mufick.

By means of flats and sharps is introduced a ftyle or mode of mufick, commonly called chromatic, becaufe diftinguished by the ancient Greek musicians with black spots, from the natural modulation of whole tones, which fcale or genus is named diatonic, or harmonic.

The inflexions of the human voice in fpeech are wonderfully, mufically, and fignificantly various.

Nature with univerfal and intelligible language, directs perfons of all nations to exprefs their fenfations of diflike and refufal, of anger, pain and forrow, in grave, and of approbation, pleasure and joy, in acute tones, modified into quarter, half quarter, and even more minute divifions, producing another mode or genus, which is intermediate, within or between the chromatic, named for that reafon the enbarmonic.

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Though

Though the chromatic mode cannot reach the enharmonic, yet can it under the conduct of an able compofer and finger, make amazing approximations, and even excel it in lamentations of misery and exultations of happiness.

I here endeavour to convey ideas of the three principal Greek modes or genera of mufick, by speaking in the plain language of common fenfe to thofe, who are unskilled in mufick; they who would wish to know them critically, may confult Simpson, Part III. S. 8. Chambers's Dict. under mode; and above all, Dr. Burney's very ingenious, entertaining and elegantly written History of Mufick, vol. I. p. 7, 29.

All duplicate, that is, any two founds in agreement with each other, produces fimple confonance, as the octaves of fuch founds ftruck together do compound; on the other hand, the agreement of three or more founds produces concord, and a number of these agreements in fucceffion, produce harmonical modulation.

The

The refolution of a discord from a sharp or flat, returning to a whole tone, is done by a mark ↳ called a natural.

Of Measure or Time.

Time, whether flow or quick, is meafured naturally by the pulfe, and by repercuffion of air, as in an echo; alfo by steps of the feet, by motion of the hand up and down, by the fingers after a manner called Scanning, and artificially by a pendulum; and in mufick by the above mentioned notes, confined within bars, where one breve is equal to two femibreves, one femibreve to two minims, two minims to four crotchets, four crotchets to eight quavers, eight quavers to fixteen semiquavers, and fo on.

Time again is either equal, called common and binary; or unequal, called tripple and ternary.

Common time is measured by the motion of the hand or foot equally down and equally up, as in marching, walking, running, trotting; which last answers to Staccato.

In

In very flow time you are to count leifurely one, two, down, and one, two up, the time of a breve; lefs flow, one down and one up, the time of a femibreve, anď of two minims; quicker, two down and two up, of crotchets; very quick, four down and four up, of quavers; and swift in femiquavers, eight down and eight up; and swifteft femidimiquavers, fixteen down and fixteen up.

Triple time is the reverfe, two down and one up, or one up and two down, as in limping and walking lame, or in lamentation and fudden starts, Pes citus-a fhort and quick foot, as Horace calls it.

A long and breve, the longest and flowest notes, were anciently in use, but now feldom or ever, except in madrigals and church mufick; and femidimiquavers, expreffive of the quickest time, are used chiefly in divifions of inftrumental mufick; which, when executed diftinctly, neatly, with unity of tone, and without miffing a fingle note, have a marvelous and most delightful effect; but when otherwife, as is too frequently the cafe, they

are most disgusting, and give the greatest pain to a fine ear and real taste, how much foever admired and applauded by the multitude.

One breve, one femibreve within a bar, as also two minims, four crotchets, eight quavers, fixteen femiquavers, or a mixture of them, as one minim and two crotchets, express common time; fo do fix quavers, three down and three up, commonly called jig time.

Three minims, three crotchets, three quavers, or one minim with one crotchet, or two quavers, exprefs triple time.

Divifibility of Time.

Time as well as tones is divifible, as above explained, into very minute parts, which are expreffed by technical terms, and marks borrowed from the Italian.

Slow and moderate time is denoted by the words grave, adagio, largo, largetto, andante, and quick by allegro.

Common time is marked by the figns