The School of Recreation, Robert Howlett [general ebook reader .TXT] 📗
- Author: Robert Howlett
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Or Secondly, Place the Bells Thirds; thus: The 6 4 and 2 must hunt up, or else the 3 5 7 down; or otherwise on the middlemost Bells let a Triple, Double or Single Change be made, are to one effect; and then the Bells will lye Thirds thus, 1 3. 5 7. 2 4. 6 8. Herein are four Concords observable; as in the former Peal, viz. 1 3. 5 7. 2 4. 6 8. These Concords may go the Methods of any Changes upon Four Bells, 1, 3 being taking for the Treble, 5, 7 for the Second; 2, 4 for the Third; and 6, 8 for the Fourth; moving in the same manner; as before shewed.
By these Grounds Variety of excellent and Musical Changes are to be Rung; any Concord may be made a Hunt, and to move up and down at the beginning.
In Ringing these Set-changes, the Note will lye sometimes Fifths, sometimes Thirds and both, and then to Clam them, is admirable Musick: Clamming is, when each Concord strike together; which being done true the 8 will strike as but four Bells, and make a Melodious Harmony. You may Clam two or three bouts, and then strike as many times Open, alternatively, one Clam one Pull, and Open the next, &c.
Vocal Musick: Or, Plain and Easy Directions to Sing by Notes, wherein with a little Help, any one who is Musically given, may be perfected in a short time.Musick, especially Vocal, has been of such high Esteem in all Ages, that it is accounted no less than a Divine Science producing such Concordance, and Harmony, that it cheereth and rejoyceth the Hearts of Men, and is delightful to every Creature. It is certainly an Addition to the joy in Heaven, where the Saints and Angels sing Halleluja's and Songs of Praises before the Throne of God. St. Austin tells us, that it is the Gift of God to Men, as well as to Angels, and a Representation and Admonition of the sweet consent and Harmony which his Wisdom hath made in the Creation and Administration of the World. But not to Prologue on what everywhere so much commends it self, I shall Sum up what in that Nature is expedient in a few Verses, and so proceed to the Subject Matter, viz.
Nature, which is the vast Creations Soul,
That steady curious Agent in the whole,
The Art of Heaven, the Order of this Frame
Is only Musick in an other Name:
And as some King Conquering what was his own
Hath choice of various Titles to his Crown,
So Harmony on this Score now, that then,
Yet still is all that takes and governs Men:
Beauty is but Composure, and we find
Content is but the Concord of the Mind;
Friendship the Unison of well tun'd Hearts,
Honour the Chorus of the noblest Parts.
And all the Worlds good on which we can reflect
Is Musick to the Ear, or to the Intellect.
There are to make up a Musical Harmony computed seven Notes; now in the easiest way expressed by the Seven letters of the Alphbet, viz. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. And If it so fall out, that a Voice or Musick gradually rise or fall more than Seven Notes; The subsequent 8th, 9th, or 10th, will in the same order proceed, bearing the like Relation each to the other, as the 1st. 2d. 3d, &c. to which they respectively are Eights. And so that from hence every Eighth Note, being in Nature alike, is called by the name of that to which it is in an Eighth; however above or below it; and for the better understanding the various Musical Compositions out of these Notes, Musicians have devised and make use of Lines and Characters, that as a Language they may be understood and Communicated by Book, for the Instruction of the unlearned: As in the following Introductory Example, you will perceive;
In this example, before I come nearer to particulars in general, observe first, that those Characters you observe at the beginning of the Lines, are termed Cliffs or Claves, Keys to open and signify what part or pitch of Voice, viz. the Treble, Mean, or Basse properly the Notes belong to; as likewise on what Line or Space the Seven letters expressing the Notes is placed. And then again, the five Lines and Spaces between them are useful, as Steps or Gradations whereon the degrees of Sound are to be expressed, or the Notes ascending and descending: Then Thirdly, the Characters placed on the five Lines, express the Notes themselves, or stand for them; and their difference in form, signify their quality, whether they be longer or shorter.
Your care must therefore be in this, and the Chapters following, to consider well in the first place, the Gam-ut, to learn the use of the Cliffs: Next to that, the Names of the Lines and Spaces, whereby you may readily know how to call a Note, as it stands on any of the Lines; and Thirdly, How you should Sing those Notes in right Tune, as well by degrees, as leaps; and last of all, to give each Note its due Quantity of Time.
This in general, being observed, and seriously weighed; that you may take a prospect of your task, I from it proceed to the Gam-ut, so far as I think necessary to my present design, which is to let you understand by it the use of the Cliffs, with the order and distances of the Notes, as the Parts in a Body lye together.
The consistence of this Scale is of Eleven Lines, with the Intermediate Spaces, and contains the places of all the Notes that are made use of Ordinarily in Vocal Musick. In the first Column you will find placed the Old Notes, being set down, that you may see what they are. And in the Second Column you are shewed which of the Seven letters properly belongs to each Line and Space. The Third Column contains the Cliffs, or signed Keys, demonstrating how many degrees of Notes they are one above another, which once Circumspectly observed and known, the other degrees of Distance are with more ease computed. And here
Five of these Lines, with their Spaces, are usually sufficient for the pricking down any Tune, for which reason this Scale is divided into Three Parts or Staves, compassed in with Arched Lines; and of these the lowermost five are proper and belonging to the Bass, and are known by this mark Music on the Line of F. usually, therefore called the F. Fa-ut Cliff or Key; because it opens to us the letters standing on the other Lines and Spaces, as in the ensuing Chapter will appear. As for the uppermost five Lines, they contain the highest of the Notes, and so belong to the Treble or highest Part. The Key to which is marked in this manner, Music and sometimes G S. on the lower Line but one.
The middle part or Tenor, usually takes in two of the upper Treble Lines; also two of the Bass Lines, that in the middle only being proper to it self, known by this mark placed on it, Music for the Cliff or Key, its place being properly in the middle Line, however it is many times placed on one or other of the other Lines; and note which ever the Cliff stands on, that Line is the place of C. and accordingly the other Lines are to be reckoned: Sometimes likewise we find the Bass Cliff is removed to the middle Line, and upon such removal, that Line is F, &c. and tho' this manner of Shifting the Cliff is troublesome, yet Custom and Practice having made the knowing of them necessary, you ought to be very well understanding in the manner of them, if you would be well skilled in Vocal or Instrumental Musick.
The Names of the Lines and Spaces.
Having thus far plainly proceeded to Introduce the beginner or learner, I now lead a step further to the Names of the Lines and Spaces, which is a thing very Materal in the beginning of learning. For in the Gam-ut having seen how the Notes lye together in a Body, it will be proper to know how you must take them into parts according to the several Cliffs, which are three in number, three beginning usually, as most common with the uppermost. And in these your first care will be to learn the Names of the Lines and Spaces, which are opened to you by the Cliff or Key; and these are in number Seven, expressed in the Seven letters, A. B. C. D. E. F. G. which for a more perfect Sounds sake, and other reasons to be given, you must pronounce or call La, B, Ce, D, Læ, Fâ, G. and this Fa must be pronounced broad, &c.
These and the like Names the Notes receive for two Reasons; the first is, because the Voice is best sent forth in expressing some Syllable; as likewise that this number of Notes might be known by as many distinct Names, as for their places in the Cliffs: See the Plate following.
And it will be very necessary, that you should begin with and keep to one Cliff at the first, as it pleases you to chuse, or as either of the three best agrees with your Voice for a high or low Pitch.
Having gone through all the Rules, and being perfect in that, then it is fit you should proceed to the other. There is no need you should meddle or trouble your self with the Tenor or C Cliff because it keeps no certain place; you must observe however, before you go further, to be ready at naming the Lines and Spaces, so readily to tell, as soon as you look on them, what letter any Line or Space is called or named by.
As for the rest, the Cliff leads you to them, for beginning there, and Ascending, you will find the letters lying in Order, and in descending; it is only your naming them backwards.
The dash Lines, which you perceive above and below, are added only when the Notes Ascend above the Staff, or descend below it.
Directions as to the Distances of one Note from another, as to Sound.
In this case, the distances are not all equal, but that in the rising and falling of any Eight Notes, there are two lesser distances; and these are named Semitones, or the Half Notes, which must be well observed and known, in remarquing their places in the Staff of Lines; and the better to have them in your Memory at all times take a rule from certain Rhimes that point at their places, viz.
In every octave there are half Notes two,
Which do to us their proper places shew;
One half Note you will find from B to Ce,
The other half one lyes twixt Fa and Le.
The octave mentioned as an Eighth, and this Rule denotes the ordinary places where you are to Sing the Half Notes, when there are no Flats or Sharps placed or set in the Lines, viz. between B and Ce, and twixt Le and Fâ; these Flats and Sharps you will find thus marked Music and when the Semitones, or Half Notes are shifted, they are known by them when they are found upon the Lines.
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