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of the glottis the most contracted, when the acutest sound is formed. Hence grave sounds appear to come from the chest, and acute ones from the head, or roof of the mouth. From this circumstance, no doubt, has arisen the error of calling the natural voice voce di petto, and the falsetto voice voce di testa.

The whispering voice does not, like the natural voice and the falsetto, owe its peculiarity to pitch, but to the absence of what is generally understood by the term vocality. The compass of the whispering voice is about an octave. My own extends through ten degrees of the scale.*

The natural pitch of the female voice is an octave above that of the male voice. The pitch of the female voice corresponds to that of the violin; the pitch of the male voice, to that of the violoncello. The voices of boys are of the same pitch as the female voice - one octave above a man's voice. When boys are about the age of fourteen, their voices undergo a change of pitch. The notes of the falsetto voice are called treble; the upper notes of the natural voice, tenor; and the lower notes of the natural voice, bass.† (See Diag. 5.)

The divisions of the voice, as given by Italian authors, and adopted by many musicians of other countries, are as follows:

"There are three departments in the human voice, viz., the high, the middle, and the low. These depart ments are in the female, as well as in the male voice. Soprano, mezzo soprano, and contralto, are female voices. Tenore, baritono, and basso, are male voices."

The reader will observe that the falsetto voice is not included in the above division.

To a bass, a baritone, and a contralto voice, natu

Notes analogous to those of the whispering voice may be made on the German flute, and some other wind instruments, through the compass of an octave.

When I speak of the voice, I speak of the adult male voice, unless otherwise stated.

jetta.

Introduction to the Art and Science of Music, by Phil. Tra

rally good, or made so by cultivation, Dr. Rush appines the term orotund.

The notes of music are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet, and are represented by graphic notes, which are written on five horizontal, parallel lines, and in the intermediate spaces. These lines and spaces are called the staff. (See Diag. 6.) The lines and spaces of the staff are counted upward, that is, the lowest THE STAFF. (Diag. 6.)

LINES.

SPACES.

line of the staff is called the first line, the one above it the second line, and so on; the lowest space is called the first space, the next the second space, and so on. (See Diag. 6.) Each line, and each space, is called a degree. Hence, as there are five lines, and four spaces, the staff includes nine degrees. (See Diag. 6.) When it is desirable to extend the notes above or below the staff. short lines, called ledger lines, are employed. (See Diag. 7.)

THE STAFF WITH LEDGER LINES.

(Diag. 7.)

As the great scale of sounds, which includes all the notes that can be made by instrumental means, is very extensive, it has been found convenient to divide it into two parts, and allot a staff to each part. The notes in the upper division of the great scale are written on what is called the treble staff; those in the lower division, upon what is denominated the bass staff.

To distinguish between the two staffs, and to determine the names of the graphic notes, and the sounds which they represent, characters called cleffs are placed at the beginning of each staff. The treble cleff is called G, because a particular TREBLE CLEFF. G note is written upon that line of the staff on which

the main part of this character is placed. This note,

called the G cleff note, occupies that point of pitch G

at which the falsetto voice generally commences.

The bass-cleff is called F, because a particular F note is written

In pluralizing staff, s is preferable to ves. (See Brown's Eng. ist Syntax.)

upon that line of the staff which this character crosses BASS CLEFT as in the margin. The pitch of this note, called the bass cleff note, is nine degrees of the diatonic scale F below that of the treble cleff note, and one octave above the lowest note of the majority of bass voices which have been properly cultivated. (See Diagram 8.)

THREE OCTAVES OF THE FINGER-BOARD OF THE PIANO, AND THE TWO STAFFS, WITH THEIR CLEFFS. (Diag. 8.)

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Diag. 8. represents three octaves of the finger-board of the pianoforte, and the two staffs, with their cleffs. The notes are written upon the staff's opposite those keys of the piano by which they are respectively produced.

The usual compass of a modern grand piano-forte, is six octaves. The instrument extends one octave below, and two octaves above that portion of the finger-board which is represented in Diag. 8.

The keys of the piano, like the notes which they severally pro duce, are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet: the key which produces the F note is called the F Key; that which produces the G note, the G Key; that which produces the A note, the A Key, and so on.

The finger-board of the piano consists of white and black keys. The instrument is so constructed, that if you touch the white keys in their consecutive order, a diatonic series will be produced but if you touch all the keys, white and black, in their consecutive order, a semitonic series will be the result.

In the diatonic scale, as has been shown, there are five tones, and two semitones. There are, however, two varieties of the scale: one is called the major mode; the other, the minor mode. In the major mode, the first semitone is between the third and fourth de

gree of the scale; the second, between the seventh and eighth. (Diagram 4, p. 40, represents the major scale.) The minor mode, in ascending, has the first semitone between the second and third degree; the second, between the seventh and eighth; but in descending, the second semitone is between the fifth and sixth. (See Diagram 9.)

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No. 1, in Diagram 9, represents the ascending and descending major scale; No. 2, the ascending minor scale; and No. 3, the descending minor scale.

There is another scale, called the semitonic, or chromatic. It is formed by dividing the whole tones of the diatonic scale into semitones, by five additional sounds. The chromatic scale may be il lustrated by touching all the white and black keys of a piano-forte, in their consecutive order. (The chromatic scale is represented by No. 4, in Diag. 9.)

The sounds which compose the diatonie scale, as I have said, are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet. The five additional sounds, which, when added to the diatonic scale, divide it into semitones, are called flats, or sharps, according as they receive the names of the notes immediately below, or of those immediately above them. Thus, the second note of the chromatic scale of C, is called C sharp, or D flat; the fourth is called D sharp, or E flat, the seventh, F sharp, or G flat; the ninth, G sharp, or A flat; and the eleventh, A sharp, or B flat. (See No. 4, in Diag. 9.)

When a note is to be sung, or played sharp, a character called a sharp (#) is prefixed to it. When a note is to be sung, or played

flat, a character called a flat (b) is prefixed to it. Sharps and flats are generally placed at the beginning of a tune, or strain, immedi ately after the cleff. They are then called the signature; because they serve to point out the key.

By key is meant a scale of sounds, to the first of which all the others bear a certain relation. This first note is called the keynote, fundamental note, or tonic. As each note of the diatonic scat c C (see No. 1), as well as its sharp and flat (see No. 4), may assumed as a key-note of a series of seven, it follows that there are twenty-one major, and twenty-one minor keys. And as each note of the diatonic scale of C, as well as its sharp and flat, may also be assumed as a key-note of a chromatic series, it follows that there are twenty-one keys in the chromatic genus. These, dded to the forty-two keys in the diatonic genus, make the whole number of keys in the musical system amount to sixty-three. Still, as there are but twelve notes, there can be but thirty-six scales; and even this number may be resolved into three — one major, one minor, and one chromatic; all the others are transpositions of the three primitive scales into different ranges of pitch.

The speaking voice, in good elocution, seldom rises higher than a fifth above the lowest note of its compass. Supposing the lowest note which can be made with a full intonation, to be F, the following scheme will show the relative pitch of keys, adapted to the expression of different kinds of sentiments.

10

KEYS OF THE SPEAKING VOICE. (Diag. 10.)

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Very spirited declamation. (Three millions of people,

Spirited declamation.

Ordinary declamation.

C

Bb

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armed in the holy cause of liberty,

and in such a country as we possess, &c

My brave associates, &c.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, &c.
The tree of deepest root is found, &c.
He scarce had ceased, &c.

I had a dream which was not all a, &e
O when shall day dawn, &c.

The majority of the people in this country pitch their voices too high, not only when they read and speak in public, but also in their colloquial intercourse.

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