Of the inversion of Chords in the treble. These are made manifest by notation. Provided that the bass continues firm, or remains the same by iteration, there is no change of chord. When the bass moves by wide intervals, common chords in succession may be played without fear of successive 5ths and 8ths. The danger of violating the rule which prohibits their succession, diatonically, occurs when the bass rises or falls gradually. At the bottom of p. 8. we have a good example for figuring accidentals: but at the top of this page, we think, the author introduces his young readers to anomalous chords too soon. Those that are mentioned here are well explained, and denominated passing-notes: yet before regular and simple harmony has been defined, exceptions and licences should be kept back. The whole of page 9. is good, and not only clear and unexceptionable, but contains what a student would do well to adopt. The first example in notes should, perhaps, have been barred in pairs; to shew that a whole line of such crude chords was not given as good music, but that any two such chords, so figured, may be used. The difficulties and crudities of pp. 10. and 11., it is to be feared, would disgust a young player with a nice ear, and make him hate music as long as he lived. These anomalies, on which Mr. K. dwells so long, whenever used otherwise than as transient and passing-notes of taste, are, to our ears, detestable. The 4 in the treble, against the D in the base, as at pp. 13 and 17, must always be as offensive to young ears, undepraved, as any thing that is nasty is to the palate. There are filthy lights and sounds, as well as tastes. The bass at 4 would frighten a young musician by its aukward intervals. 6 4 The examples of are good exercises for the hand, though not pleasant to the ear; and such a series of fourths and sixths is not likely to be wanted. The notes at p. 12. are clear, though perhaps the text may be found a little embarrassed :-but it is the business of notes to illustrate the text; and Mr. Kollmann's musical notes are in general so accurate and clear, that they almost preclude the necessity of reading the text. If any thing in his method and manner of writing should be found objectionable, it would be his too numerous references; which take up a great part of each page, and occupy much time in turning to them; occasionally for a few words only. It would be better, perhaps, that that a rule should be finished at once, than divided and subdivided into so many numbers, sections, &c. In treating of the 7th, its accompaniment, preparation, resolution, and inversions, no notice is taken of its being allowable to accompany it with the octave, as well as 3d and 5th. Besides enriching the harmony, its convenience to the hand, in combining the chords is such, that in a series of 7ths accompanied by 4 parts, two are retained, and only two are to be changed, in each bass. Rameau, in his Code de Musique, (the last work which he published, 1760,) calls this la méchanique des doigts, the mechanical arrangement of the fingers. By the addition of the octave to the chord, it makes the rule for it short; the 7th is added to the common chord.' 6 ད In examples of chords of the in succession, the 8ths are wanted as much as in a series of 7ths, of which the chords of 6 are the inversion. The last three examples of page 16, 5 b, c, d, are good, and uncommon.-If a fundamental bass, were given to the example of thirds and fourths, at the bottom of p. 17, it would shew whence the chord is derived, and the use of accompanying the 7th with an 8th. The examples at p. 18. are all good for practice; the 3d example is very good in theory, and pleasant to the ear; and in the last way of figuring the chord of the, the author has given 4 notes, as in the 7th, accompanied by the 8th, of which the fundamental is 2 In a succession of chords of the second, in old masters, the 4 were alway struck in the accented part of a bar, whether in common time of 4 crotchets, or 4. In page 19, all the three examples strike the 2ds on the unaccented part of a bar. Chap. VIII. The suspensions and anticipations, of which this chapter treats, are but appoggiaturas in the treble or bass, figured; and the ear disputes whether any notice should be taken of appoggiaturas in accompaniment. If the player or singer makes an appoggiatura in a close note, from the 2d or sharp 7th of the key, and the accompanier plays a common chord, the appoggiatura is but the more impressive, and melts into the key-note more agreeably. We apprehend that such full and crowded figuring will not only embarrass the accompanier, but disturb the singer or instrumental performer. It is making a lesson of the chords, which will attract more notice than the person accompanied would wish.-At p. 50, to which the author refers, we think that a thorough-bass player has nothing to do with the little notes or appoggiaturas; and REV. Nov. 1801. X that that a singer, who wished to have the taste and expression respected, would receive such assistance with indignation. Accompaniment on keyed instruments was originally meant to enrich the harmony and guide intonation, without noticing or disturbing the melody. In accompanying from a score, indeed, of many parts, when any one of the instruments (the player being absent) has a solo passage, or any peculiar melody worth hearing, it should be picked out, and played instead of chords, but quietly, to preserve transparency. This page (50) is well calculated to shew what effect these appoggiaturas would have, if played; and to account for their effect, if sung, and unnoticed in the chords. All the advantages to a singer, resulting from their accompaniment, are so well described by Rousseau, in his Letter upon French Music, that we shall refer our speculative readers to that excellent piece of musical criticism. In Chap X. the author gives some judicious instructions for accompanying Recitative, a subject which has been neglected in most books on Thorough-Bass that we have seen. In Recitative, few chords are wanting; none, indeed, that require to be irregularly prepared and resolved; such as the 4th, 9th, The chief that are required, besides the common 99. &c. 42, 4 72 5' chord, are the 6th,, 7, 1, and 2.and 7.-The references in p. 30. to Chap. VII. will be very troublesome to the student, who must turn backwards and forwards for almost every note. The Règle de l'Octave would have saved much trouble, by telling on what intervals or sounds of the ascending and descending scales, in each key, certain figures and chords are wanted. Page 33, in which " Alps on Alps arise," will be styled the cramming page. All the discords of suspension and supposition, heaped on each other, can never be necessary in accompaniment. In composing for many parts, it would be useful to know what may be done but to crowd the hand, and to fatigue the eye and ear, with such a crash of discords, will be downright jargon, and will have all the effect of a person playing with his elbows. "It is excellent (says Shakspeare) To have a giant's strength; but tyrannous 8 Rameau's double discords, by suspension, are given before the single. We look in vain for examples of the 4th and 9th, with their simple accompaniments of and 5. A single 4th is just mentioned at p. 23. when the signatures 4 3 are said to denote two chords: but what those chords are, we are not 6. 5 3 told. told. Yet this appears to have been requisite before the chord of the 11th was described, which is but the chord of the +, 7-7 2 4. 7 7 4 or which is simply expressed by any of these sig 2 2 natures, and answers the purpose of chord of the 11th or 13th. At p. 58, we have single 4ths: but they are almost all unprepared. Perhaps, new harmonies should not be introduced in accompanying old music. Corelli, Geminiani, and Handel, by a 4th and 9th, meant nothing more than that the 4th in the triad should be taken instead of the 3d, and the 9th instead of the 8th: but the Rameau school gives the 9th with the 4th, and the 7th with the 9th. This method disguises, and, we think, deforms old compositions; of which the simplicity is now become their greatest beauty and rarity. The enumeration of chords by supposition, which Mr. K. has given at p. 33, will probably serve as a beacon to young musicians; and warn them not to meddle with them, in accompanying a single verse or instrument. 2 We find no rules nor examples of the simple 2d, as prepared and resolved in the bass, before ornaments, appoggiaturas, notes of taste, and double and triple discords are considered. We think that simple discords, in the manner used by old masters, as 4 3, 98, 4 should be explained by the tutor, and learned by the student, before refinements are discussed. Most of the anomalies, concerning which Mr. K. has lavished his science, are but false relations, and should be touched as tenderly as a sharp against a natural of the same name. Em. Bach and Haydn have done this without offence: but as soon as clumsy imitators handle such dangerous tools, they are sure of inflicting a wound on the ears of all around them. At the end of the work, we meet with fragments of movements by six celebrated authors: Em. Bach, Handel, Corelli, Geminiani, Rameau, and Tartini, as figured by themselves, with some explanations under the notes. These will be excellent studies for young practitioners in Thorough-Bass; and we may venture to recommend the whole work as constructed on sound principles of counterpoint, replete with useful rules and precepts of accompaniment, and truly meriting the attention of students in practical harmony. Parts VIII. Art. XIV. Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible, &c. &c. to xx1. inclusive *. 4to. 58. each. Taylor, Hatton-Garden, PARTICULAR circumstances have delayed, much longer than we wished, our farther notice of this laborious and important publication. It proceeds with rapidity, yet, we believe, with attention and accuracy; and it seems to obtain that success which, from what observation we have made, it certainly merits. It cannot be expected that we should enter into a critical examination of a work so extensive, so multifarious, and which is not yet arrived at its conclusion: but we must inform our readers that it is a performance which abounds with entertainment and information, separate from its more direct intention of elucidating the Scriptures, and advancing biblical knowlege: in which latter respect it is likely to prove peculiarly useful. The dictionary of Calmet has itself undergone emendations, remarks, and omissions, inclosed in crotchets, which we presume are the work of the editor: but its value is still more increased by the collections which occur at the end of each part, under the name of Fragments. Here are stores of erudition, valuable instruction, and agreeable amusement, compiled from numerous writings and authors; together with many reflections and observations suggested by the editor himself, or those who are connected with him. The attempt, in No. CLI, to vindicate the Prophet Daniel, or rather to illustrate his Hieroglyphic animals, by the figures which Le Bruyn has copied from the ruins of Persepolis, is very ingenious; the ideas (says our author) are remarkably coincident; they differ but as the language of sculpture differs from that of poetry.' He adds; such instances should be well understood and maturely weighed, before we deprive Daniel of the station he occupies in our sacred books.'-In the foregoing article, No. CL, we observe learned and curious criticisms, which apparently contribute to lessen the difficulties attending the account of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. The subject of No. CXLV. is Dagon and Dergetos, half fish, half human, images or heathen deities, in whose form and name some have supposed (and Mr. Bryant in particular) that there is an allusion to the preservation of Noah in the Ark. For the skilful and erudite manner in which this conjecture, is here supported, we must refer to the work itself: but we cannot omit to notice the application that is made of these reasonings to the famed history of Jonah. With great modesty, several questions are proposed; one of the principal of which See M. R. vol. xxiii, N. S. p. 392, and vol. xxvi. p. 451. |