§ 28. Clefs. To show the position of the letters upon the staff, charac- It indicates that G is placed on the second line from the bottom, and is § 25. Our Range of Tones Extended.-We formed the octave by taking two ABCDEFG, ABCDEFG, ABCDEFG, ABCDEFG. NOTE. Though we have here arranged the octaves from A to A, yet that is unnecessary, for if we count from any letter up or down to and including the same letter, we will have eight tones, or an octave. Thus from B to B, or C to C are octaves. § 26. Natural Scale, Key of C.-Beginning on the tone C and proceeding to C again, we have eight tones, forming the scale. This scale, the first used in the study of music, is called the NATURAL SCALE. Beginning on C, it is said to be in the KEY OF C. In this key, C is one, D two, E three, F four, G five, A six, B seven, and C eight. NOTE.-There is no reason why his scale more than another should be called NATURAL. scale perhaps would be better. Model § 27. Letters applied to the Staff.-These letters, indicating tones, like the scale may be placed upon the staff in various positions. Two positions, however, are most commonly used. Example of the scale in the Key of C written on the staff, in the two positions indicated by the two clefs. In the G Clef. NAMES OF THE TONES. One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight. In the F Clef. 9 NAMES. Another clef, the C clef, sometimes used indicates the tone C; sometimes on one line of the staff, sometimes on another. Thus Tenor, Thus: Alto, On the third. Treble. On the first. C on the fourth line. NOTE.-VARIOUS OBSERVATIONS.-Learning to sing the scale is a matter of pure imitation-we making the tones as to their relative pitch as indicated to us by the human voice or by an instrument. The best illustration of octaves, lower and higher, is found upon keyed instruments, such as the pianoforte, where the keys show them to the eye. For example, observe that the black keys are EF, C D E F G A BC D EF G A BC D placed in groups of Two and of THREE, like these dots, where the lower row represents the white keys, and the upper row the black ones, while the letters indicate the tone given by, and the name of each key. ELEMENTS OF MUSIC. Press down-any white key, and the next one of the same name to the right. The latter will produce a tone an octave higher than the former, and between them will be found six white keys producing the six tones, which, with the two at the extremes, are the eight tones of the octave. These are call. ed the NATURAL tones. Begin on C and play ending on the next C, and we have the scale in the key of C. This is called the NATURAL scale and NATURAL key, though no more natural than any other scale or key. In teaching, be careful, as soon as the staff is introduced, not to confine the scale to any one position upon it, but place ONE sometimes on one line or space, and sometimes on another. Perhaps it will be well at first to use the tone C as one in all positions, but as soon as the letters are located on the staff by a clef, be sure, as a general rule, to sing the scale in the pitch in which it is written, that the absolute pitch of each key may be learned. Be sure at least that the pupil in reading be not confined at the fourth line for Tenor, on the third for Alto, and on the first for Soprano, but always indicates all to the key of C. The characters called clefs are only altered forms of letters. The C clef is used on that C nearest the middle of most keyed instruments, called MIDDLE C. The word degree, as applied to the staff, merely means position or place. The use of the syllables in singing is called solfaing. Singing to the syllable la, ah, or to any open vowel, which should be frequently done, is called vocalizing. Notes, by their POSITION on the staff, show the pitch of tones; by their SHAPE, their relative length. COUNTS: One Two Three Four, One Two Three Four. NOTE. No one can tell by hearing us sing these tones whether they are written in double or in quadruple measure. § 30. The Accent of quadruple measure falls upon the first and third parts, that on the first being stronger than that on the third. § 31. Tones may continue during one part, two, three or four parts of a measure; or one part of a measure, or the whole of it may be left silent. § 32. Dotted Note.-A tone continuing three parts of a measure may be thus represented by a half note and a quarter note tied together, but much more easily by the usual contraction called a three-quarter note, or oftener a dotted half. This is its corresponding rest We here see that a dotted note indicates a tone once and a half as long as that indicated by a note without a dot. 7 A rest may also be dotted. A whole note indicates a tone containing four parts of a measure. This is the corresponding rest. For Exercises, see page 21, Nos. 26 and 27 § 33. A Syncopated Note represents a tone that begins on an unaccented where the second is the syncopated note. A syncope, or a syncopated part of a measure and continues on an accented part. Thus: tone should always be accented. the accent. NOTE--Syncope, from the Greek, "to cut," cuts into, or breaks the regular order of § 34. Sextuple Measure is composed of two triple measures. COUNTS: One Two Three Four Five Six, One Two Three Four Five Six. For Exercises in sextuple measure see " Singing School Exercises." Sextuple measure is frequently marked to the eye by two beats, and is then called compound measure. Other kinds of measures, not often used, may be formed thus: Four double measures will make an EIGHT-PART MEASURE, four of triple, a TWELVE-PART MEASURE, and three of triple, a NINE-PART MEAsure. CHAPTER V. MELODICS. § 35. Skips. A melody or tune may proceed, not only by taking the tones of the scale in regular succession (di grado), but also by skips (di salto). § 36. The skips most easy and natural occur between the tones one, three, five and eight. These form what is called a common chord. These tones should be firmly fixed in the mind, they being guides to the other four of the scale. § 37. Two being between one and three, either will be a guide to it; that is by thinking of one or three, we easily sing two. 8 § 39. Six being next above five, five is a guide to it. ELEMENTS OF MUSIC. are called once-marked small c, &c., and four have twice marked letters, § 40. Seven leads to eight, or after seven the ear expects to hear eight; and are called twice-marked small c, &c. therefore eight is a guide to seven. For Exercises on these tones, see No. 30 and onward. CHAPTER VI. MELODICS CONTINUED. The Scale Extended-The usual Vocal Compass-How we distinguish Tones that are Octaves to each other, and named by the same Letter-and the Classification af Voices. We have said in ◊ 25, that above or below any octave or scale, other octaves and scales may be formed, in all of which the succession of the tones and of the letters will be alike; the only limit being the ability of the ear to distinguish the tones. § 41. Upward. When we pass from a scale to higher tones, the tone EIGHT is taken as ONE of a higher scale. § 42. Downward. When we pass from a scale to lower tones, ONE is taken as EIGHT of a lower scale. § 43. The usual Vocal Compass, including both male and female voices, is three octaves, as represented below: NOTE.--Here we have three OCTAVES, but as our natural or model scale begins on C, we have but two ENTIRE SCALES, with a part of another above, and of still another below. C (thus is EIGHT of the lower scale and ONE of the higher. Some voices can naturally sing higher or lower tones than those here written, while the compass of all voices may be extended by cultivation. § 45. Classification of Voices.-The human voice is naturally divided into four classes-those of the male voice being an octave lower than those of the female voice. 1. Low male voices, called BASE; 2. High male voices, TENOR; 3. Low female voices, ALTO; 4. High female voices, TREBLE. NOTE. Other distinctions are also made, as BARITONE, between the Base and Tenor, and MEZZOSOPRANO, between the Alto and Treble. The Treble is often called SOPRANO. § 46. Clefs as used for the different Voices.-The F clef is used for Base and Tenor, the G clef for Tenor, Alto and Treble, meaning, however, when used for Tenor, G an octave lower than when used for Treble or Alto.. EXAMPLES SHOWING THE TWO USES OF THE G CLEF. TREBLE. 1. TENOR. 3. TENOR. 4. TENOR. 2. One. 9: ELEMENTS OF MUSIC. § 47. Each part may be written on a single staff, or the Treble and Alto on one staff, and the Tenor and Base on another, marked with the F clef. The last way is perhaps as well for plain psalmody. CHAPTER VII. MELODICS CONTINUED. § 48. The range of tones appreciable by the human ear, is comprised in about nine octaves, about one-third of which, from C to g, as we have seen, is within the compass of the human voice. § 49. According to the mode shown in § 44, we will now mark the letters in all the octaves. The organ is the only instrument capable of producing all the tones of these nine octaves. 1st or Lowest Octave, CDEFGA B. CDEFGA B. 1. C, the lowest tone of the Organ, requires a pipe thirty-two feet long, and can be produced by no other instrument. 2. C, the lowest C, of the Pianoforte, requires an organ pipe of sixteen feet.. 3. C, or great C, the lowest tone of the Violoncello. Eight feet pipe. 4. c, small c, occupies the second space, Base clef. Four feet pipe. 5. c, middle c. Leger line above the Base clef, and leger line below the Treble clef. Two feet pipe. 6. c, the third space, treble clef. One foot pipe. 7. c. second leger line above the Treble clef. Pipe of half-a-foot. : 8. c, pipe of one quarter of a foot. 9. c, highest c on the Pianoforte. Pipe of oneeighth of a foot. CDEFGA B. NOTE-Read the above from the bottom upward, beginning at C, observing that each octave ends upon the C of the line above where the next one begins. C is sometimes written thus, CC, and called DOUBLE C; and C thus, CCC, and called TRIPLE C. It would require a staff of thirty-two lines, on which to write all these tones; but as such a mass of lines would confuse the eye, we take from them two staves of five lines each, representing the tones oftenest used, adding short lines above or below, for higher or lower tones. The clefs show the tones represented by each staff. NOTE.-Observe that in the great staff of thirty-two lines the five lines of the Treble staff are the next five above those of the Base staff, with the exception of the omission of the line for e, and that in the example in § 43, this line is supplied by a short one, which is the added line above the Base staff and below the Treble staff. Were this line extended like the others, we would have a staff of eleven lines; but it is easily seen how much clearer it is to the eye when the two are separated, CHAPTER VIII. § 50. Intervals.-The difference of pitch between any two tones, is called an INTERVAL. § 51. The Scale Examined. In ascending or descending the scale regularly, two kinds of intervals are found, a larger and a smaller. § 52. The larger intervals are called STEPS; and the smaller ones HALF-STEPS. § 53. These steps and half-steps occur in the following order: between one and two a step; two and three a step; three and four a half-step; four and five a step; five and six a step; six and seven a step; and seven and eight a half-step. NOTE. The terms TONE and HALF TONE are much used to designate these intervals, but as the word TONE also means a musical sound of a definite pitch, it is thought best in elementary instruction to use the terms STEP and HALF-STEP. § 59. The Triplet.-A part of a measure may be filled by three tones of equal length, instead of the usual division by two or four. Such a group of three, is called a TRIPLET. The notes used to indicate these three tones, are of the same denomination that are used for the two that would take the same time, and are usually marked with a figure 3. Thus in this double measure: where the group of two fills the first part, and the triplet the second part. RHYTHMICS CONTINUED. § 60. Thus far a quarter note has always been taken to represent a part of a measure. But any other kind of note may be taken instead; either a Whole note, a Half, or a Sixteenth. § 61. Measures differing as to the number of their parts, are said to be different kinds of Measures; as Double measure, with two parts, and Triple measure, with three. § 62. Measures of the same kind, differing as to the notes taken to represent a part of a measure, are of different VARIETIES OF MEASURE. NOTE.- Varieties of measure differ only to the eye, not to the ear. When the movement is slow and the form of measure complex, it is often better to count twice to each part of a measure, making four counts to double measure, &c. A piece of music may begin on any part of a measure. CHAPTER XI. MELODICS. § 64. Between any two tones of the scale, forming the interval of a step, another tone may be placed, dividing the step into two half steps. Thus a tone may be inserted between one and two, between two and three, four and five, five and six, and six and seven. § 65. Each inserted tone is named from one of the tones between which it occurs, with the addition of the word sharp or flat; sometimes from the lower one, sometimes from the higher. Thus the inserted tone between One and Two, Key of C, when named from the tones of the scale, is called SHARP ONE or FLAT TWO. When named by the letters, C SHARP or D FLAT. § 67. Chromatic Scale.-The series of thirteen tones, formed from the Diatonic Scale with the five inserted ones, having twelve intervals, of a half-step each, is called the CHROMATIC SCALE. § 63. Figures placed over each other like fractions, are used to indicate at once the kind of measure and its variety; the numerator show-tones, were formerly written in colored ink. NOTE. Chromatic, from the Greek, signifying cCOLOR. It is said the notes representing the inserted |