The falfe tafle of not keeping a voice and inftrument to its natural tone or compass.

The modern practice, or rather vicious trick, of running one voice or inftrument into another, the bafs into a contralto, the foprano into a flagellet, the violin into a flute, and the violincello into a violin, as being unnatural, is certainly fo far improper, even could the divifions and pasfages be executed clean, with exactness and unity; but as this is not done for the moft part, even by thofe, who have the character of being the best performers, nor fcarcely poffible to be done in very fwift movements, the practice is exceedingly offenfive to a chafte and difcerning ear, and therefore should be fparingly used by the ableft practitioners, and ought to meet with disapprobation from the audience, when attempted by novices, who aim to run and fly, or ever they have learnt to walk.

Each voice and inftrument hath its own extent, bounds, and excellencies, fufficient for cultivation and pleasure, without invading or engroffing the property of another.

The reed inftruments, fuch as the hautboy and baffoon, are nearest perhaps in

found

found to the human voice, and require as great and like care, attention, study and practice, to bring out the tones united beautifully in the piano, forte and fwell.

The lower tones of the hautboy feem to be the worst, fomewhat refembling the croaking of a frog, duck, or hoarfe rough voice, and require the most care to be formed, or not to be used, if incapable of being well shaped.

Falfe Ufe of the Chromatic and Enbarmonic
Modes.

I would here, with due fubmiffion, reprobate two other tricks or abuses of modern compofers and practitioners, when they aim at introducing very often the chromatic and enharmonic modes crudely and by force, only to fhew their skill, without discovering any propriety and view of impaffioning words, the melody or harmony, especially in clofes or cadencies.

The common Chords in Mufick.

If we would know the Creator, admire his wisdom and power, and love him for his goodness, we must fearch deeply into

his works, the divers forms and qualities of beings, numberless and infinite, from matter perhaps homogeneous.

Among forms and qualities occur founds in language and mufick, their various changes and combinations.

Of mufical founds the fundamental is a unit, and the firft fimple concord in afcending is a third, next the fifth, inclufively comprehending two thirds, and laftly the eighth, made up of three thirds, called the common chords; again defcending from the unit or first found exclufive, you have a third below, commonly called the fourth of the key, or tetrachord, fuppofed to be the most perfect chord.

It is a curious and pleafing experiment, that of striking a fingle note on the harpfichord in the bafs, or on the violincello, the ear held clofe to the inftrument perceives the undulation to pass off evidently and diftinctly in the common chords of third, fifth and eighth: This distinction or plurality and unity runs through all

nature.

Thus far you have a fhort and plain view of mufick, its mere elements and

fimple requifites, especially those of singing with agreeable founds, and with variety of height, depth and measure, in melody and harmony.

The effects of pleafing founds are great, and very fenfibly felt even naked and bare, conveyed to the ear by inftruments only, but much more ravifhing and active are they, when prefented to the mind and paffions by the human voice in the elegant garb of poetry and oratory.

It is poetry which gives mufick its very form, and the power of conveying sensations and ideas in the defcription of actions, and in the excitation and abatement of the paffions.

Here founds in melody and harmony may one while be plain and narrative, as in recitative, yet neat, pleasing and instructive; another while full, bold, and enforcing; fublime, marvellous, and even terrible.

be

Again, on the contrary, founds may tender and perfuafive, lively and joyous, plaintive, melting, pathetic and fupplicatory, softening severity into pity, and haD 4

tred

tred into love, cheering the heart, foothing its cares, elevating it with fpirit, and roufing it into courage.

It were cafy to fpecify compofitions containing innumerable airs, capable of raising these latter emotions of the foul in almost every common hearer; I fhall therefore bring to the remembrance of the judicious a few inftances only of the marvelous and terrible kind from among many, in the choruffes of the Meffiah, Ifrael in Egypt, Saul, and the final grand chorus in the Prodigal Son; the whole of which laft is a moft excellent compofition, the choruffes enriched and varied with pleafing melody, and many of the airs moft delightful, in the Italian caft.

"Unto us a Son is given-Glory to God in the highest-Lift up your heads,

ye gates-Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth-Bleffing and honour -Begin; each tuneful voice employ”— These choruffes are in the grand and fublime ftyle, as thofe of "Fire running along the ground, mingled with the hail

of