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'that the sentiment may be transfused and the language left behind. So nice is the machinery of 'human discourse, that no small part of the senti'ment consists in the very word itself which is em'ployed to express it; and the translator will find it impossible with all the coaxing and entreaty 'which he can use, to persuade the sentiment to migrate from the word, and to take up its resi'dence in a more diffuse or circumlocutory expres'sion.' In the original score of the Creation, Haydn, with the assistance of the Baron Von Swieton, affixed the English words. This translation is but dull and unmeaning, yet it possesses the requisite properties we have been describing. Many attempts have been made to improve these words, all of which have rendered them still worse. As for instance, the song representing the creation of the birds,' On mighty pens soars the eagle aloft,' has been altered to 'On mighty wings;' and another translator has adopted, On mighty plumes,' without reflecting that neither of these words opens the mouth sufficiently to produce that rich holding note which the author designed. In the chorus, 'Achieved is the glorious work,' a contrary effect takes place : the first word has been changed to Accomplished, which is too much of a mouthful for the neat expression with which this subject opens. In our early composers little attention was paid either to accent, or quantity; and though Handel must be excused as a foreigner in faults of this kind, yet it

In

is rather surprising that none of his friends should have pointed out to him the following errors. his Ode to St. Cecilia's Day, we meet with this passage,

The double, double, double beat of the thund'ring drum. where the unimportant word the is placed on the bar; and if I recollect right, in one of his songs, 'Give me but her, and I'll crowns resign,' by a similar mistake of accent, the sense is converted into the ludicrous request of Give me butter, and I'll crowns resign.'

In the chapter upon rhythm, it has been explained, that the sonorous words and important notes invariably fall upon the bar. The exceptions to this law are termed false accents, which are of rare occurrence, as few of our words will bear them without torture. An instance will be found in the song at page 154, showing that they fall upon the second crotchet in the bar. In instrumental music, they have a bold and spirited effect, which authors commonly reserve for the scherzando-a movement replete with jocularity and humor. At page 252,

we see how the sedate Haydn has used this remarkable feature in his Gipsey Minuetto.

So intimate is the connexion between the words and the music of those vocal pieces which delight us, that we may say, as of old, 'the poet is the musi

cian.' He fixes upon a tune, and the melody gives birth to his verse. From this internal sense of musical beauty springs all the power of the lyric muse. If we examine the poems of Metastasio and Moore, we find them wholly composed of words of one and two syllables. Long words have no affinity to melody. They belong to the epic part of the drama, and their power is peculiarly shown in the most turbulent passions. The duration of words, or the time occupied in uttering them, may properly be considered under the head of quantity. Hitherto prosodians have classed our syllables simply into long and short; but this is a distinction much too rude for a musician's ear. Most persons are sensible of that charm in language that may be called 'the dance of words,' and which depends upon the varieties of times in which they are spoken. Perhaps no language possesses a richer assortment, in figure and force, than our own. Could we give some of them a higher degree of softness and ductility, we might rank the English next to the Italian for the great variety of its vocal effects.

The true pronunciation of our words depends upon the length of the separate syllables;-in which the ear demands that the finest gradations should be observed. A specimen of classification is given in the following table, under which all our words of every form and description might be arranged.

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Le - thar-gic
E -normous

Im-me-diately Judicious

I-den-ti-ty

E-me-jit-ly In si- pid Mag-ni- ficent

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