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I now go on to give a summary of the modes of thought, variously called, sentiments, emotions, feelings and passions, which are severally signified by their instinctive or appointed vocal symbols. And first of

Feebleness of Voice. This element of expression is contradistinguished from strength or loudness, and is here spoken of as a Drift, or as applied in continuation to discourse. There are some states of mind connected with feebleness of body, that are properly portrayed by feebleness of voice. The expression here in view does not admit of the higher intervals of intonation, nor of the impressive modes of stress; for these, and indeed other elements that might be mentioned, imply an energy which, by the very terms of this head of our subject,

with the light of classification and description contained in this eassay, would find no great difficulty in discovering, whether the chirp of a bird is in the concrete or radical pitch of a semitone, a second, or other interval; of how many movements the phrase consists, and what are their places of pitch; and of what combination of phrases the melody is made. As far as observation extends we know that the voice of birds is unchangeable in the species: it is therefore as well entitled to nomenclature, provided it can be assigned definitely, as the feathers, beak and claws. If analysis had never furnished discriminative names for color and form, even these characteristics, like those of the voice would never have been known in the descriptions of ornithology.

Without extending our observations to the whole range of animals, among which all the accidents of the human voice, even to the protracted radical and vanish of song are found, I here give an outline of the vocal functions of the Mocking-bird, as illustrative of the powers which generally belong to its class.

The Mocking-bird has every variety and degree in Quality of voice from the delicate chirp of the sparrow, and harsh scream of the jay, to the guttural bass of the clucking of the hen. He uses every form of time, from a mere point of sound, to the duration of our most passionate interjections. He has a perfect command over all the intervals of the scale, both ascending and descending, and in the discrete as well as the concrete pitch. His simple concrete exhibits the most beautiful structure of the radical and vanish. He performs the wave in its equal and unequal, its direct and inverted forms, through all intervals: but I can not say that he uses its double movement. He exhibits all the modes of stress on the concrete, which belong to the human voice. Its compound species which constitutes the proper vocal shake, he has in great perfection. It is the diatonic shake, the semitonic not being found in his song, nor, as far as I know, in that of any other bird. He makes great use of the tremor, both in a continued line of pitch, and in every diverse movement through the scale. His tremor has not the chromatic character, as far as I recollect it; for my observation of the bird has been transient, and never with a view to the present record. Some other birds have a tremor of a plaintive expression. The structure of his song is that of chirp, phrase,

is excluded from its signs. Some of the conditions and sentiments requiring a feeble voice, are humility, modesty, shame, doubt, irresolution, apathy, fatigue, caution and tranquillity. These generally employ the simple diatonic melody: but there are some emotions, which together with feebleness, use the semitone, and the wave of the second. Of this kind are grief, pity and awe.

Loudness of voice. This element as the reverse of the last, is appropriated to states of mind which are associated with muscular energy, and vivid degrees of passion. There are a great many sentiments signified by this symbol; for besides those which employ it as a leading characteristic, such as rage, wrath, danger and horror, there are some that depend, for their

and melody. His melody however is very short: the apparent continuity of its powerful and rapid evolutions consisting of an endless permutation of chirps and short phrases; for I have not been able to perceive any formal order in their successions.

It may thus be seen that the vocal elements of the Mocking-bird, like those of the human organs, are few in number; but in each case our ignorance of their analysis has created a belief that they are infinite. The union of their combinable forms makes them appear more numerous than they are: thus a certain quality or interval, may be heard in succession under every variety of time; and the same concrete, or tremor or shake is heard upon one breath, in several different qualities, and in as many different places of pitch.

The doctrine of the signs of the passions in speech, is strictly applicable to the voices of inferior animals, as regards those sounds which are purely vocal and separate from words. Thus the repeated chirp, which seems to be the idle and unmeaning voice of birds, is generally a short quantity, upon a single rising or falling concrete second, and rarely, as far as I have observed, on the wider intervals. A prolongation of the chirp is usually expressive of their passions and appetites. Pain, love, and fear, are always exhibited in the movement of the semitone.- But I am agreeably led on towards an arrangement, when I designed only to suggest the scheme to others.

The subject is at least curious, if not useful. But it lies out of my way. There are in all sciences large volumes of compilation; let us have from some naturalist with a good ear, a little book of original truth on the matter here proposed. Let it be done by pure and persevering observation. Let the author not lose his strong breath of usefulness and fame, by a puerile precipitancy after reputation; nor hasten with his unripeness, in the market-like fear of being forestalled. Patient and enthusiastic study, independent observation and thought, and a disinterested love of truth, with their sure and great results in science, are always solitary in an age, and can not therefore be forestalled:-and on this point, as in promises of another kind to man, it will be with those who seek the eternal truths of knowledge, that 'the Last shall be First.'

expression chiefly on intonation or stress, which do at the same time assume the character of loudness. Of this class are astonishment, exultation and laughter.

Quickness of Voice. In as much as quickness of the current melody generally goes with a Short Quantity in individual syllables, I shall not make separate heads for these two subjects. Some of the states of mind that fall under this division, are likewise expressed by other symbols, particularly by that of Loudness, last mentioned; as rage, wrath, mirth, raillery and impatience. It also happens that many of the sentiments which have their principal signs in forms of intonation and stress, are associated also with quickness of voice.

Slowness of Voice. A Slow time of discourse, if not made by Long quantities on single syllables, would be offensive from its pauses. These two forms of time therefore necessarily involve each other. Slowness of time and long quantity are generally joined with the element of the wave; since the return or contrary flexure of intervals is one of the means for producing an extension of time without destroying the nature of the equable concrete of speech. They are an essential cause of dignified utterance, and are therefore always united with those intonations which bear this expression: Slowness of time, with its constituent long quantity, is used as the symbol of many emotions or passions; among which may be enumerated sorrow, grief, respect, veneration, dignity, apathy, contrition, and all other sentiments that embrace the idea of deliberation.

Quality of Voice. I have more than once spoken of the Quality or kind of voice. I need not here repeat all the terms by which its species are commonly noted. But the following are some of them, with the passions annexed. Harshness is affected by anger and imperative authority: softness by grief, modesty and commiseration: the whisper, which is a kind of voice, by secrecy. The falsette is heard in the whine of peevishness; in the high tremulous pitch of mirth; and in the piercing scream of terror. The full body of the orotund, in a cultivated speaker, gives satisfactory expression to all those sentiments which are grounded in solemnity and grandeur.

The Semitone. The simple rise of the semitone is rather an unfrequent element of expression; since most of those passions which call for its plaintive intonation, and there are many

of this kind, require a long quantity, and consequently are properly expanded into the wave of this interval. Still complaint, grief, and the other emotions of like import, may sometimes be made with an earnestness or spirit which requires a short syllabic time. In this case the voice can not bear the delay of the wave, and effects all the purposes of the semitonic intonation by the simple rise or fall through the concrete, with the addition, when necessary, of the radical or vanishing stress.

The Second or Tone. All those states of mind which accompany what may be called mere thought, in contradistinction to passion: all those narratives or descriptions which represent things as they are in themselves, without reference to our relationships to them, on the point of pleasure or pain, desire or aversion, interest or injury-these are all represented by the plain unobtrusive interval of the second.

The other elements of expression have something striking in their character which the attentive student may easily recognize. When, therefore, none of these are obvious, he may conclude that the current of speech is in the diatonic melody; that is, the syllabic utterance, is through the rise or fall, and the radical change of a tone.

The Rising Third, Fifth and Octave. I have thrown. these intervals into the same class because they are generally used to express different degrees of a passion. They represent, according to the extent of the interval employed, interrogation under the different features of dignity and of earnestness. They mark admiration, and hence are frequently used as means for emphatic distinction. When united with aspiration they do the part of the downward intervals of the scale, and indicate surprise and its congenial emotions. They express a conditional sense when used on emphatic words. The octave has the power of raillery, of quaintness and of mockery. When the guttural emphasis is united with these intervals, particularly the higher, it adds scorn to a question; and joins to their character in emphasis, the sentiments of haughtiness, disdain, indignation, contempt and scorn. The deliberate execution of these high intervals requires long quantity in syllables: but in their simple rise, they have not that protracted duration, and consequently that solemn and dignified character which belongs to them when doubled into the form of the wave.

The rising Minor Third has the general character of the expression of the semitone. But it seems to be less adapted to Speech, except where the emphasis calls for something of the cry.

The Downward Third, Fifth and Octave. In general description, we may say these intervals severally express different degrees of the same sentiments. They are emphatically appropriated as the signs of surprise, astonishment, wonder and amazement; and though the terms of these emotions, are by no means synonimous, still the emotions themselves are each and all effectually represented by any one of the above named intervals. The designation of the specific difference being made by the conventional meaning of the words on which the element is employed, and not by any power of intonation; for this, by the condition of the cases here considered, is identical in each instance. These downward intervals denote a positiveness of mind; and a settled conviction on the part of the speaker: hence they are given to phrases significative of authority, command, confidence, and satisfaction.A downward movement is, as we have seen, the symbol of a pause in the sense, at the place of a cadence: and consequently is well suited to express those sentiments which have some affinity with that state of repose; such as resignation, despair, and the condition of mind that attends fatigue. What was said of the rising minor third, is applicable to its use in a downward direction.

The Wave of the Semitone. I spoke of the simple rise and fall of the semitone; but its return or contrary flexure into the wave, is by far the most common form of this expressive element. Indeed I do not know a symbol of speech which represents so many and such various emotions: the specific distinction of the cases depending on the phraseology or term in which the emotion is conveyed. The wave of the semitone differs from the simple interval, in the dignity of the expression derived from its extended quantity and in its enhanced degree, from the repetition of the element in a contrary direction. Sorrow, grief, vexation, chagrin, repining, contrition, impatience, peevishness, compassion, mercy, commiseration, condolence, pity, love, fondness, supplication, fatigue, and pain-with all the differences which may exist between them,

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