Mr. URBAN, Salop, July 20.

S

far-famed Museum with views

of Churches, I am induced to send you a view of the curious old Church of ALBERBURY, in Shropshire. Probably some of your antiquarian friends will favour the publick with a descriptive account of it. THOMAS PARR, who lived to the great age of 152 years, 9 months, and some days, was born at Winnington in this parish; and at the age of 105 years did penance in the Church of Alberbury, for an amour with Catharine Milton. The cottage in which he resided still remains, and retains the name of Parr's Cottage.

J. P.

A Series of Letters on AcouSTICS, addressed to Mr. ISAAC ALEXANDER, Teacher of the Piano-Forte. SIR, LETTER I.

IN

N conversing with professors of great eminence both as practical musicians and composers, I have most frequently found them totally uninformed in the science of Acoustics; a science which instructs us in the nature and properties of sound. It is for their benefit, therefore, I have compiled the following work.

I am well aware that a knowledge of ratios and vibrations would not have made them better performers, or better composers: but there is no reason to imagine that it would have cramped their genius, or restrained their fancy. No one acquainted with the elegant as well as scientific compositions of the late Dr. Boyce, regrets that he was profoundly versed in the science of musical calculation.

The epistolary style is best adapted for a work intended to convey much miscellaneous information, to those who have neither leisure nor opportunity for studying Acoustics, or col lecting and comparing a number of valuable experiments; and to whom it is an object to see the result of any particular mode of temperament, without bestowing at least four hours in calculating the Beato, which constitute the merits or demerits of the system.

I shall dedicate the remainder of this letter to a little historical information, and begin by saying somewhat about the musical writers and musical instruments of the Antients. Musick was practised by men of GENT. MAG. January, 1812. Ο

The first writer upon Musick was Lasus Hermionensis; but his work is lost, as are all the works of very many more both Greek and Latin authors.

Aristoxenus, the disciple of Aristotle, is the first writer extant on Harmonics. Euclid, the author of the Elements of Geometry, is next to Aristoxenus, having written an "Introduction to Harmonics." I shall merely give you the names of subsequent writers; Aristides, Quintilianus, Alypius Gaudentius, Nichomachus, Bacchius, Claudius-Ptolomæus the famous mathematician, Boethius, Martianus Capella, St. Augustine, Aurelius-Cassiodorus.

By Harmonics, they understood, a power or faculty perceptive of the differences of sounds with respect to acuteness and gravity.

I will not waste your time, so much more profitably employed, with any account of their Systems, Genera, Modes, Mutations, Melopoeia. For information on these subjects, I refer you to Dr. Burney's and Sir John Hawkins's History of Musick.

One circumstance will surprise a modern musician; the antients did not allow the major-third to be a consonance. The fact is, in consequence of their tuning by perfect 4ths and 5ths, the major-thirds were a comma too sharp; and consequently very offensive. And this I conceive to have been the reason why they had not musick in parts, that is, they sung and played only in the unison and octave; which is positively asserted by Aristotle in his Problems (very many of which relate to musick). Because, had they tuned their lyres as our harps, organs, and piano-fortes are tuned, it is impossible but in preJuding they must have discovered the beautiful effect of major and minorthirds, and major and minor-sixths, which would necessarily have led to simultaneous harmony. Of the comma I shall say more in its proper place; but at present shall only observe that, when you have tuned your violin or violoncello by four perfect fifths, the first and the last string, as an octave sixth, will be a comma too sharp; and

if

if the ear would tolerate major-thirds and major-sixths, to be so much too sharp, we might then tune our pianofortes and organs by perfect fifths, instead (with one exception) of tuning them flatter than perfect, in order that the major-thirds and majorsixths may come out in tolerable tune *. But this subject will be completely unfolded when we come to Temperament.

"In the fullest theatres in Greece a general displeasure and disgust might be observed, if the most skilful musician chanced to strike a single note out of tune," &c. Had the same fastidiousness of ear obtained with respect to singing, it would have made a Catalani shudder to have' performed before an audience with such critical ears. We, the moderns, by a note out of tune, mean a note more or less too flat or too sharp. Upon reading this paper, I was disposed to think that, to convey the proper meaning of Dionysius, the original should have been translated a wrong note,' i. e. a note out of the tune; which, in consequence of musick in his time being played or sung in the unison or octave, might have been easily perceived by an attentive audience; without giving them credit for that exquisite sensation of just intonation which Bishop Horsley's translation implies: but, upon consulting a very eminent classical scholar, he could by no means allow the original Greek to be so translated. I trust he will forgive me if I quote a passage from his letter.

"On examining what Dionysius says more closely, and observing that he speaks of oue who played on a harp, and another who played on a flute, I apprehend he means the audience were disgusted, because, in a single instance, the one struck a string, and the other blew a note ' out of tune;' the case of the fluteplayer is obvious: for, by not compressing his mouth properly, he made rather a hissing noise."

The first Lyre, with three strings, is said to have been invented in Egypt by Hermes, under Osiris, between the years 1500 and 1800 before Christ.

We have, in modern musick, a spe

Eleven-fifths will be perfect 1+ of a comma too flat nearly, and one-third and one-sixth of a comma too flat Bearly.

cimen of a pleasing air, by Rousseau, formed on three notes alone; the key note, with its second and third but there can be little doubt that the earliest melodies must have had a greater compass than this; although some suppose the three strings of the earliest Tyre to have been successive notes of the scale. The Trumpet is said to have been invented about the same time.

"There is now in Rome a most beautiful basso-relievo, a Grecian Sculpture of the highest antiquity, of a Bag-piper playing on his instrument, exactly like a modern Highlander. The Greeks had their aoxavans, or instruments, composed of a pipe and blown-up skin; the Romans in all probability borrowed it from them, and introduced it among their swains, who still use it under the names of piva and cornu-musa."

In what estimation we should now hold a Flute for which the Antients paid an enormous price, I cannot pretend to say but some are said to have cost 17007.; and 50%. was a very common price in those times.

Dr. Young, mentioning the authority of Theophrastus, but not referring to the place, asserts, that the Tibia of the Antients was an instrument resembling our Clarinet, with a reed three inches long. Now it is well known that the Antients played on two Tibiæ, or Flutes, resembling our English (not German) flutes, at once; and upon consulting the master of a military band, I found his opinion coincided with my own, that it was impossible for one man to have blown two such instruments at once: and Dr. Burney says, "In all my researches I have not been able to discover that the Antients had reeds for any of their instruments. They had flutes of natural reeds, and of canes; but no such artificial reeds as we use for bassoons, hautboys, or clarinets.” Perhaps Dr. Young took his idea from a paper of Mr. Castillon, published in Berlin, Memoirs 1774, vol. V. But this paper I have no means of consulting, and consequently must leave you as ignorant as myself of the passages from antient authors (for I trust he has recourse to them), on which he grounds his hypothesis.

The following remarks on the Trumpets of the Antients are not to be found in the Histories of Dr. Burney and Sir John Hawkins; they were

com

communicated to me in the following letter from a learned friend.

66

My dear Sir,-You were talking to me a little while since of the Trumpet, or oλy. I believe it is but once spoken of by Homer in his Hliad or Odyssey. "Οτε ιαχε σαλπιγξη finishes line 219, of Lib. xviii. of Iliad, and μεγαλας σαλπιίΓγας" occurs in the Batrachomyomachia, line 199. The caλy is deemed to have been but recently used in war, in the

time of Homer. There are said to have been six kinds of Yes; the first of which was reported to have been discovered by Minerva, and was used by the inhabitants of Attica. The next species, which is attributed to Osiris, is the Egyptian; it was called Xvan, and was in form orpoyyuan; it was used in religious ceremonies, and in calling together the people. Quære-Does this resemble the ram's horns of Scripture? The third kind was the Taharin, or Sallica; this was XwVEXTM (a fusore fabricata), not very large, and having its awdwva (corpus ipsum tubæ, as some translate, but perhaps rather its bell, or swelling part), made in the form of a wild beast; it had an avλov (superiorem orificii partem) of lead (ovdov), into which the trumpeter blew; the sound arising was ous: this kind of σαλπιγξ was called by the Cetts xagvu. The fourth kind of trumpet was the Paphlagonian: its bell or xwdoy was of the form of an ox; it was Baguwvos, it was called Bovos. The fifth kind was the Median, the avaos of this kind was of reed (xaλapevov), and its xwdwy is not exactly described; but the instrument was oyxo@avos. And the sixth kind was the Τυρσηνικη, like to the Phrygian αυλος, having a κώδωνα κεκλασμένον ; it was λιαν οξύφωνος.

"The above account is not very full, but I thought it might not be unacceptable."

It is probable you, Sir, are more desirous of knowing when the PianoForte was invented; and I will proceed to give you the best information I have been able to collect on this subject.

A gentleman, who signs himself R. R. D. in the Monthly Magazine, September 21, 1809, informs Capel

Lofft, esq. who had inquired in the same publication when piano-fortes were first invented, that he has a square piano-forte made by Zum in 1768; it is upon the common construction. It has the mark XVIII upon it, which appears to have been the number he had then made.

"The first person in England, who attempted a large piano-forte, was Plinius, a German."

the invention of the piano-forte is In the Belle Assemblée, August 1807, attributed to the late celebrated C. G. Shroeter, organist, at Nordhausen, Germany. He presented a model of his invented mechanism, in 1717, to the Elector of Saxony, who was then also King of Poland.

The following account, with which I was favoured in a private letter from Mr. James Broadwood, is, I apprehend, more authentic. If by the celebrated Shroeter, mentioned in the Belle Assemblée as having invented the piano-forte in 1717, the late composer for the piano-forte and first elegant performer on that instrument is meant, the article must be incorrect, as he only died about twenty years ago, aged about 58.

"The first maker of the Grand

Piano Forte was H. Báccers, a Dutchman, who, in 1772, invented nearly guished from the instrument with the mechanism, by which it is distinthat name made in Germany."

"From the improvement by the English makers, particularly by my fa ther John Broadwood, who was the first nativeof this Island that attempted the business (before, exclusively, carried on by Germans and Flemings), be claimed as a British instru

it may

ment, from its capacity of tone, extent of compass, superior in effect to every instrument of the reed kind made on the Continent."

To the superlative excellence of Mr. Broadwood's Piano Fortes, you, I know, will most readily subscribe; and being, perhaps, impatient to proceed to another subject, will have no objection to my subscribing myself,

I

Yours most truly, C. J. S.
Mr. URBAN,

May 25. HAVE lately purchased a book intituled," Micro-Chronicon; or, a briefe Chronology of the Time and Place of the Battels, Sieges, Conflicts, and other most remarkable Passages,

which

A

Mr. URBAN, Portman-sq. Dec. 31. MONG the many venerable remains of the once magnificent dwellings of Princes, there cannot be one more deserving of notice than that of Eltham in Kent. Its favourable situation (not more than seven miles from the Metropolis), and wholesome air, drew many a Royal visitor under its splendid roof. This extensive place was surrounded by a large and deep moat, with two bridges; one on the North, and the other on the South side of the Palace. That on the North is very perfect; the other has been entirely demolished. The bridge that is left is composed of four very large Pointed arches, and is groined with stout plain ribs, the ends of which die into the piers; usually they rest on brackets. An angular buttress with a base divides these arches. The bridge terminates with a straight parapet, which does not appear to be its original finish, as the wall above the points of the arches is brickwork. At the South end of this bridge was originally a gateway, but not a vestige of it is left. The two antient brick houses that are left, one on each side of the bridge, shew every appearance of there having been one, by several stone brackets that are left in the wall. On entering this gate, the noble Hall (a that now remains) and the Palace attached to it, present themselves to view. From the South side of the Palace is to be seen the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London; but, in its feudal grandeur, a much nobler object was in view, the Heaven-directed spire of old St. Paul's.

The habitable parts of this mansion appear to have been at the East and West ends of the hall, by the fragments of the walls that join in different places, and the plastering which it left on the West end. A few paces from the South-West angle of the hall, is an arched conductor, for water and other purposes: it is nearly filled with rubbish, but is still large enough to admit a person on his hands and knees; in its original state it would admit a person standing upright; it is of considerable length. Such conductors are very often mistaken for subterraneous passages communicating from one town to another. At Woodstock such a passage is said to have communicated with Oxford.

In

The hall is now the only remain, and a sufficient proof of its original grandeur. Its principal entrance was under a Pointed arch on the South side, between the two last buttresses at the East end; this door led under the Musick-gallery, and from thence into the Hall. The South side consists of five bays, in each of which are two windows, joined together by the sweeping cornice which covers them. The heads of these are flat-pointed arches; the width is divided by a mulion, and has no transom (or cross bar); the mullion turns off at the top, as high as the springing of the arch which encloses them, and joins the large one above half way, whereby two small Pointed arches are formed, in which are five turns. The space between these points and that of the large arch is occupied by four other turns of the same description. the pier, between every two windows, are handsome buttresses; at the splay of the window the buttresses project farther, and continue down within three feet of the ground, and finish with a base, which runs along the whole of the South side. The dado, or blank space of wall under the windows, is entirely plain, which is nearly two-thirds the height to the parapet line. On the South side, in a line with the West end, projects the oriel. This beautiful addition occupies the space of one of the bays. The front of the oriel is filled by two lofty windows; the whole of which up to the heads of these arches has been cut away, to admit a waggon or cart to load or unload! The interior of the sides of it are suffered to remain very perfect; the West side has in it a window of the same description as those in the front, but no lower than the transom, which divides the height of all the openings. Under itare two small compartments, the pointed heads of which are ornamented with double turns; that is, small sweeps within larger, like the openings of the windows; and under these compartments is a flat-pointed head doorway, without any ornaments, resting on very slender columns with lofty bases. It does not appear to have been ever used as an entrance, as the dwelling-rooms joined the wall. The East side of the oriel has a single window divided by a transom, which is ornamented at the top with small battlements. The width of this end

was