I94-

ANNUAL REGISTER, 1767.

ways laboured, will pardon this my compofer would endeavour to Tup-

preface.
Cazberim V ade’.

 

Curious Ixtrafl: from Mr. Ron/watt’:
letter an Franc/J mu/ic.

Ox i/n language mq/l proper fbr mu-
fic, now trait/land.

T is eafy to conceive that fome
languages are more proper for
mulic than others, and that there
may be fome languages totally im-
proper for any. Of the latter kind
would be a language compofed of
tnixt founds, of mute, furd and
nafal fyllables, of few fonorous
vowels, and a great many confo-
nants and articulations; and which
might want fome of thofe eflential
conditions which I fhall fpealc of
under the article of meafure. For
the fake ofcuriofity, let us enquire
what would be the confequence
‘of applying mufic to fuch a lan-
guage.

In the firll: place, the want of
force in the found of the vowels
would oblige the compofer to give
a good deal to the notes, and be-
caufe the language would be furd,
the mufic would be noify. In the
fecond place, the hardnefs and fre-
quency of the confonants would
oblige him to excludea great num-
her of words, to proceed on others

only by elementary tones, f0 that

the mulic would be inlipid and mo-
notonous. For the fame realion, it
would be flow and tirefome, and
when the movement fhould be ever
fo little accelerated, its halle would
referable that ofan hard and angular
body rolling along on the pavement.

As fuch a mufic would be delli-
tute of all agreeable melody, the

ply its place, by faétitious and un-
natural beauties; it- would be
charged with frequent and regular
modulations; but cold, gracelefs,
and inexprellive. Recourfe would
be had to trills, flops, lhakes, and
other falfe graces; which would
ferve only to render the Tong more
ridiculous, without rendering it
lefs infipid.

A mufic attended with fuch fu-
perfiuous ornament will be always
faint and inexprefiive; while its
images, deltitute of all force and
energy, defcribe but a few objects
in a great number ofnotes, exactly
like Gothic writing, the lines of
which are full of llrokes and cha-
racters, yet contain only two or
three words, and but a very {mall
quantity of. meaning in a great
{pace of paper.

The impollibility of inventing
agreeable fongs would oblige the
compofers to turn all their thoughts
to the lide of harmony; and for
want of natural beauties to intro-
duce thofe of arbitrary falhion,
which have no other merit than
lies in the delicacy of the execu-
tion. Thus inltead of compofing
good mufic, they would compofe
dijicult mufic; and to fupply the
want offimple melody, would mul-
tiply their accompanyments. It
would coil them much lefs trou-
ble to lay a great many bad things

one upon another, than t0 invent

one good one.

In order to remove the inlipidi-
ty, they would increafe the confu-
lion ; they would imagine they
were makicg mulic when they were
only making a noife.

Another effect which would re-
fult from this defect of melody, is,

that the mulicians, having only a
falfe