fweethearts, which they thought very much in the publisher's line, they objected, at the fame time, with fome warmth, to the omiffion of "hot grey peafe", " fprats", and "gallanteefhow", which they further obferved might have been as proper fcreens for churches and fquares as the publifher's "dogs" meat", or even his "hot loaves". Thefe objections, whatever may be our private opinion, we thought it our duty to lay before this hiftorian of wheelbarrows and duft-carts, as they have been made by perfons well qualified to judge, and indeed by the only perfons who can be expected to derive either amufement or edification from a work of this kind. ART. IX. An Introduction to Mufic: in which the elementary Parts of the Science, and the Principles of Thorough Bafs and Modulation, as illuftrated by the Musical Games and Apparatus, are fully and familiarly explained, with copious Examples: together with a Defcription of the Apparatus, compleat Directions for playing the feveral Games, with introductory and additional Games, illuftrating the different Cliffs. On a Plan entirely new. By Anne Gunn, (late Young.) 8vo. 276 pp. 7s. Edinburgh printed; Prefton, No. 97, Strand. 1803. ON Na former occafion we announced this work, and our intention of reviewing it; but, as the games and their peculiarities have been already analyfed; and as, in addition to what we have there advanced, we are perfectly convinced of the danger of attempting to convey ufeful knowledge without labour, we fhall refer our readers to that account, and confine our remarks to the prefent work as an Introduction to Music. Some variations and additions to the games are indeed given; and the Preface contains a fatisfactory account of Mrs. Gunn's ingenious invention. Thefe additions we fhall flightly notice, as a fupplement to the former review of her fcheme. An Introductory Game is firft given, in four Parts. 1. The fignatures of the major keys, as far as fix fharps and fix flats. 2. The fame extended from feven to twelve fharps and twelve flats. 3. The fignatures of the minor keys, as far as fix fharps and fix flats. 4. The fame extended from feven to twelve sharps and flats. The first and third Parts are called common fignatures. The fecond and fourth uncommon figna tures. Game I. On Signatures. Game 11. On various Cliffs. This Game is quite new, and confifts of three Parts; these are, however, too long to be fully described in a periodical publication; but they are well calculated to bring the neglected cliffs of foprano, counter tenor, and tenor into familiar use. Game III. On Mufical Intervals. Part 1. Intervals upon the clavier or key-board. Part 2. Intervals upon the ftave. Game IV. On Cadences. Game v. On the Rule of Octave. Part 1. On the major fcale. Part 2. Game VI. Refolution of Difcords. chords by licence. Game VII. On Modulation. On the minor fcale. Part 1. Modulation in the major mode. Part 2. Modulation in the minor mode. Part 3. Modulation in both modes. All these games are intermixed with the Introduction to Mufic; which we have now the opportunity of inveftigating with clearnefs and precifion, unencumbered with the games, which can only illuftrate the doctrine when played by the scholar. Before we difmifs this fubject, we must inform the reader, that a copper-plate, exhibiting the game tables and drawer, is given as a frontispiece. The Introduction to Mufic confifts of ten Chapters, under the following titles. 1. Of the Clavier or Key Board. 11. Of the Notation of Mufic. I. Of Time. iv. Of Intervals. v. Of the Scale and Syftem of Modulation. Then follow the three firit games above-mentioned. vi. Of Chords. VII. Of Cyphering, and the Inverfion of Chords. Of Cadences. VIII. On the Rule of Octave, or Harmony of major or minor Scales. 1x. Refolution of Difcords. x. Chords by Licence. To those who are converfant with mufical theory it will readily appear, t! at the three first chapters relate to notation; the two next, of intervals, and of the fcale to melody; and the five laft, of chords, cyphering, rule of octave, resolution of difcords and chords, by licence, to harmony. The Introduction is divided, all the way through, into articles or paragraphs, numbered regularly from 1 to 155; and thus diftinguished from thofe parts of the book which relate to the games exclufively. For the convenience of those who E CIT VOL. XXV. JAN. 1805. may may wish to confult it as a mufical treatife, it may be obferved, that from page 1 to 77 contains the first 5 Chapters, of 70 Articles; from page 135 to 165, contains the 6th and 7th Chapters, Art. 71 to 109; from page 177 to 186 contains the 8th Chapter, Art. 110 to 118; from page 193 to 202 contains the 9th Chapter, Art. 119 to 135; from page 207 to 227 contains the 10th Chapter, Art. 136 to 156; and that these parts may be perused without any attention to the intervening pages, as they form a complete system of music, including all the modern novelties. The first elementary chapters are well written. The fcale of mufic is divided into octaves, commencing from F, and thus diftinguished; the high treble octave by Italic fmall letters, fga; the treble octave by Roman fmall letters, f g a; the tenor octave by Italic capitals, FG A; the bafs octave by Roman capitals, FGA; the double bass octave by double capitals, FF GG. This is an ingenious method; but, like the other fchemes of li teral notation, defective; from the gamut of Guido, in which the feptenaries, or series of feven founds, began with A, to the German tablature, in which they begin with C, not forgetting that of Charles Butler, in 1636, which commences with G. The defect of Mrs. Gunn's fcheme (which is fimilar to that of Mr. Holden, in refpect to Italic letter, but differs in this, that his commences, like Guido's, with A) is, that the bass cliff is in the tenor octave; and indeed fo various are the ideas of mufical limits, efpecially to the notes of the tenor, that no precife arrangement will ever be complete; and this arifes from the vicinity of the three cliffs, F, C, and G. We shall pafs over the reft of the three first chapters, and prefent the public with the following intelligence concerning their contents, from a note, p. xviii. of the Preface, where, after mentioning Mr. Holden's Effay towards a rational System of Music, the author fays, "This excellent work, which has never been fo generally known as it deferves, and which, from being out of print, has for many years ceafed to be in the view of the public, is now reprinting at Edinburgh, by C. Stewart and Co.; and, in the mean time, a fheet of it is given with each Number of the Vocal Magazine, publifhed there by J. Sibbald. The defcription of the time characters of music, given in paragraphs 19, 20, 21, and 22 of the fecond chapter of this work, with the illuftrative examples, are moftly tranfcribed from that book, and may ferve as fpecimens of the clearnefs and accuracy of the author's statements." P. xviii. Chapter IV. Of Intervals. Mrs. Gunn very properly diftinguishes between Degree and Interval, calling the notes by the former name, and the diftances between them by the latter. The The old queftion of the 4th being a concord or a difcord is thus properly decided in a note. "Some musical theorists do not allow the perfect 4th to be a concord; because, in the compofition of mufic, it fometimes calls to be refolved, which they confider as the characteristic of a difcord. The fame thing, however, may be occafionally affirmed of the perfect 8ve, and perfect 5th. The perfect 4th, confidered in itself, and independent of the particular fituation in which it may occafionally be found, in a mufical compofition, is undoubtedly a concord." P. 41. Another remark, p. 48, alfo fhows that Mrs. G. is orthodox in her opinions of theory, and agrees with Dr. Pepufch concerning the minor femitone. "As the terms major and minor, when applied to all the other intervals, exprefs the difference of a femitone, it would be more confiftent with precifion, that in every cafe they should be used to exprefs that difference. Although it is certain, in theory, that CC fharp is a fmaller interval than C fharp D; yet, in the compofition and practice of mufic, for keyed inftruments, all the femitones of the clavier are used, as if they were of equal extent; and C C fharp, which is called a minor femitone, is founded by the very fame finger keys with CD flat, which is called a major femitone." An engraved mufic plate, No. 111. p. 50, of Intervals and their Inverfions, is given, fimilar to that which we presented so the public, vol. xxi. p. 42, as taken from her former work. Chapter v. Of the Scale, p. 53. The divifion of the octave into tetrachords, the nature of tranfpofition, and modulation, are all very accurately explained. The following note, on the minor fcale, is interesting. "The form of the minor fcale afcending and defcending, above defcribed, is according to the rule of the older muficians. In the works of the later compofers, the fuperfluous 2d frequently occurs, both in confonance and fucceffion; and, as the ears of musicians are thus familiarized to it, we may, in playing the minor scale, retain the proper 6th of that scale, viz. the minor 6th, or femitone above the 5th, while at the fame time we use the major 7th, or take for that degree the femitone below the 8ve; and we may play it in this manner defcending as well as afcending. The minor fcale of A, when played in this manner, will confift of the following notes, viz. A*BC *D* EF**Gharp A. This form of the minor fcale may, for the fake of diftinction, be called the minor fcale of the moderns." P. 67. Thus far we proceed with the first part of the work, which we pafs rather haftily over, that we may have leifure and room to enter fully into the harmonical doctrines of this ingenious author. E 2 Chapter Chapter vi. Of Chords, p. 135. After defcribing the nature of major and minor chords, the doctrine of cadences is thus clearly laid down, in art. 74, 75, 76. 74. The most pleafing fucceffion of chords is when the bass moves upwards or downwards, by the leap of a perfect 4th or perfect 5th, or in other words, when the fundamental of the following chord is a 4th or a 5th above or below that of the preceding chord. Such movements have been termed Cadences, and are the proper and natural fundamental progreffions in mufic. The fundamental alfo moves to the 6th above, or the 3d below, and these movements may be reverfed. There are alfo fome cafes in which the fundamental moves a 2d upwards, but it more rarely moves a 2d downwards. 75. When the fundamental of a chord is a perfect 4th above, or a perfect 5th below, that of the preceding chord, the fucceffion is named a regular Cadence. This is the most pleafing and fatisfactory of all progreffions, and is the laft in every piece of regular mufic, forming the final clofe. When this movement is reverfed, or when the fundamental rifes a 5th, or falls a 4th, to that of the preceding chord, the fucceffion is called an irregular Cadence. "76. The fundamental of a chord feldom rifes a fingle degree, or to the 2d above that of the preceding chord, except in the two following cafes. ft. The chord of dominant, or the 5th of the key, is fometimes fucceeded by that of the 6th. This is called the falfe, the interrupted, or difappointing Cadence; as, when it occurs, the hearer is generally led by the ftrain of the mufic to expect a close upon the key, formed by a regular cadence, or that the chord of the 5th fhould be fucceeded by the chord of the key, and therefore feels a difappointment. 2dly. The chord of the 4th may be fucceeded by the chord of the 5th. This is called the ftep or gradation of the 4th, and is of very frequent occurrence in mufic. "The first chord of each of thofe fucceffions may be called the leading or antecedent chord; and the other, the following or confequent chord." P. 137. These are the perfect and imperfect cadences of the moderns, with the falfe cadence of Rameau, and the mixed cadence of Tartini. We made fome obfervations on this subject before, vol. xvi. p. 393, xvii. 520. After defcribing the dominant harmony, its difcord and their inverfions, the theory of the added fixth, concerning which we inferted our opinion in vol. xxi. p. 43, is refumed. "82. The chord of 4th, or fubdominant, whether in the major or the minor mode, may have the 6th to its fundamental added. This 6th, which is always major, is the 2d of the fcale. It may be added to the chord when standing in any of its three pofitions. Hence the chord may have four different pofitions, or arrangements of its notes, as fhewn at Plate VIII, No. 3. in the chord of F, the 4th of the ma jor |