on deliberately drawing out this single element, as if it were a question put with great surprise. For in this case its commencement will be what I have called the nominal 'a,' and its sharp termination in 'e,' at a high pitch will be no less distinguishable.

By the same mode of interrogation, the fulness or greater volume of sound upon a,' and the diminishing close in 'e,' will be equally obvious to an attentive ear. And it is not improbable that the feebleness of this last constituent of 'a,' in its ordinary pronunciation, is at least one cause that the dipthongal structure of this element, has, so far as I know, never before been recognized.

Now, that 'a,' when uttered simply as the head of the alphabet, without any striking expression, and as if it were a continuation not a close of speech,-does rise through the concrete of a tone, may be made manifest to the reader, by his ability to intonate the diatonic scale. For let him ascend discretely by the alternate use of 'a' and 'e,' prolonging each as a note, and making a slight pause between them. This will render him familiar with the relationship of the two elements, when heard on the extremes of a tone; as illustrated by the first division of the following diagram, where three degrees of the scale are shown; the notes after their prolongation having a slight diminishing issue, which is represented by a small 'e' subjoined to the larger letters that designate the prolonged notes.

Then let him ascend the scale by a kind of union of the concrete and discrete progressions; that is by beginning with 'a' slightly prolonged, and proceeding to 'e' in the second place, without breaking the continuity of sound, and thence after slightly prolonging the 'e,' passing concretely to 'a' in the third place; as illustrated by the second division of the diagram, where full notes are connected by slender concretes. This practice will make him familiar with the effects of a concrete rise through a tone, when the upper extreme is rendered remarkable, by the stress and prolongation it receives at the second place of the scale.

Supposing then the interval of a tone to be distinguishable, when thus uttered with a full volume of sound on 'a' continued into a like volume on 'e,' or with what may be called a double stress; it may be proved in the following manner that the sim

ple utterance of 'a' in 'day,' passes through a like interval.— Let the 'a' and 'e' be repeatedly pronounced with this double stress, till the effect of the interval, is for the moment impressed upon the ear. Then let the stress on 'e' be gradually lessened in the repetition: as illustrated by the series of symbols in the third division of the diagram. The audible effect, even with this diminution, will so resemble that of the double stress, that the cases, as far as regards intonation, will be admitted as identical. For as the interval is plainly cognizable, when both extremes receive the stress, so in returning to the simple pronunciation of 'a,' the perception of this interval will be kept up through the gradual progress of the change.

FIRST DIVISION.

SECOND DIVISION.

THIRD DIVISION.

A-e E-e A-e

A-E-A A-E A-e A-e A-e A-c

If there should at any time be a doubt as to the extent of the concrete interval, let stress be applied at its summit. When the interval is a tone, the two sounds will form the commencement of the diatonic scale: for with a little experience the course of this scale can always be recognized, upon the execution of its first and second degrees.

The diphthongal sound of 'a' does then in this case pass through the concrete interval of a tone; the movement being divided between the sounds of 'a' and 'e,' the first gliding imperceptibly into the last. But as the question here refers to the extent of the interval traversed, and to its upward direction, as well as to its concrete progress, it is necessary to guard against the utterance of the literal element with any emotion: for if it be done in a plaintive manner, with surprise, interrogation, or other impressive sentiments, or as if it were the close of a sentence, the concrete will be some other interval than the tone, or will move in a downward direction; this tone or second, being as will be shown hereafter, the instinctive mode of intonation, by which the mind denotes its simple thoughts, exclusively of feeling or passion.

The peculiar structure of this concrete rise suggested the division of it, by terms, into two parts; and the use of this division, for explanatory purposes in the following history, will show its propriety.

I have called the first part, or that of 'a' in the above instance, the Radical movement; because, with a full beginning or opening, the following portion of the concrete rises from it as from a base or root.

I have called the last portion, or that of 'e' in the example, the Vanishing movement, from its becoming gradually weaker as it rises, and finally dying away in the upper extreme of the tone.

It must strike the reader that these terms can have only a general reference to the two extremes of the concrete, since the gradual change of the radical into the vanishing movement, prevents our assigning an exact point of distinction between them.

When a single alphabetic sound, capable of prolongation, is uttered with propriety and smoothness, and without emotion, it commences full and somewhat abruptly, and gradually decreases in its upward movement: having the increments of time, and rise, and the decrements of fulness, equably progressive. That is, supposing a gradual diminution of fulness of voice in its gradual rise through a tone, to be effected in a given time-one half or smaller fraction of that rise and diminution will be accomplished in one half or smaller fraction of that time. Let us call this movement the Equable Concrete.

The varied mode of the syllabic function in Song and Recitative, may help to illustrate the nature of this equability of the rising movement of speech.

The long drawn voice of one continued pitch, which we hear in Song and Recitative, is produced in two ways.

First; by giving the greatest proportion of time and volume to a level line of sound, if I may so call it, in the radical place; and by subsequently passing concretely, lightly, and rapidly through the vanishing portion. Let us call this the Protracted Radical.

Secondly; by passing concretely, lightly, and rapidly through the radical portion, and then dwelling with greater

volume on a level line in the highest place of the vanish. Let us call this the Protracted Vanish.

Thus far then, intonation exhibits three modifications of the radical and vanishing movement. The Equable Concrete of speech:-The Protracted Radical, and the Protracted Vanish, both of which are used in Song and Recitative. But we shall have occasion to learn, as we proceed, the various relationships of the concrete, to all the simple and compounded intervals, to the alphabetic elements, to time and to force.

I have spoken of the radical and vanishing movement through a tone, with a view to explain by that interval, the nature of the concrete rise, and its division into the parts which have been named. But in taking a wider survey of this subject, we shall learn, that this function, with all its properties, is performed on every other interval of the scale.

Recurring to the illustration by the second division of the last diagram, if we ascend concretely to the octave by the alternate use of 'a' and 'e' this continuous movement between the two last places, or from the seventh to the eighth, will produce a different effect from that between the first and second, or the tone. The voice will have a plaintive character. Now the interval from the seventh to the eighth place of the diatonic scale, is a semitone. This plaintive concrete rise is then the radical and vanishing movement through a semitone.

By a process analogous to that proposed for distinguishing the interval of the tone and semitone, it may be ascertained that the voice employs a similar mode of progression through other intervals: thereby proving the existence of a Rising, radical and vanishing semitone,-tone or second,-major and minor third,-fifth,-and octave. But these intervals have their proper significations in the expression of speech, and will be particularly noticed elsewhere.

I say nothing here of a radical and vanishing fourth,-sixth, and seventh; nor of higher ranges than the octave; not because the voice does not perform these intervals, but because a reference to the above named points, is sufficiently precise for the purposes of our history.

Let us consider another condition of the radical and vanishing movement. We have viewed the concrete of the voice only in its rising progress. There is a similar glide in a down

ward direction through all the intervals of the scale. Referring to the mode of illustration formerly proposed, if the bow be drawn whilst the finger is moving continually from the eighth place on the string to the first, it will produce the concrete descending sound of the octave. And in like manner, by taking other parts of the scale as the commencement of a descending course, all the other downward intervals may be made. The trial by the voice will exhibit a similar downward continuous sound: for after ascending the diatonic scale by the dipthongal concrete of 'a' and 'e,' if we descend by the alternate use of these sounds, beginning with 'a' on the eighth place, we shall hear the continuous movement between all the points of the downward scale. In the first interval of the descending series, we have the concrete downward semitone; and in the last, the tone. And in like manner, by a previous rise to the place of a third, fifth and octave, and a consequent descent, we may prove the existence of a Downward radical and vanishing third,-fifth,—and octave.

Now if this simple phrase 'farewell a' be uttered without emotion, and with a complete fall of the voice, as if it were the close of a sentence, the downward concrete tone will be heard on 'a' with all the properties which belong to the radical and vanishing movement, in ther ising direction: with this difference, that the radical, if I may now so call it, is at the summit of the tone; whilst the vanish flows dwindling from it to the lower extreme of this interval; the 'e' faintly subsiding there.

He who is acquainted with the musical scale, but who has not yet looked upon it in reference to speech, may ascertain the upward intonation of the tone and semitone, when made upon any vowel sound, by a comparison of their effects with the beginning and the end of the rising order of the scale. And in like manner, he may know the downward courses of the semitone and tone, by comparing them respectively with the beginning and end of the descending scale. Every one knows a plaintive expression in speech; therefore it is easy to discriminate a semitone. And I have full confidence in asserting, that before the attentive reader has finished this essay, he will have no more difficulty in recognizing every other important interval of the rising and falling movement.

G