must remember that the vibrations of bodies are regulated by laws very similar to those of the pendulum; consequently the duration of the vibrations of strings or chords depends upon their length and thickness; for if two strings of equal magnitude, but with their lengths as 2 to 1, be equally stretched, their vibrations will be in the same ratio; therefore, the shortest will make two vibrations, while the longest makes one; but the vibrations of the same string will always be the same whether it be struck quickly or slowly, upon the principle of the isochronous property of the pendulum, already described." 66 "Upon my word, Mr. Seymour," cried Mr. Twaddleton, 'you are getting out of our depth; pray let us take leave of this subject, for I am quite sure that my young friends have already received more than they can profitably carry away." 66 "I submit, my good sir; and in return for my compliance," said Mr. Seymour, use your influence with Miss Villers, and induce her to favour us with a practical illustration of our subject upon the pianoforte." "Most cheerfully; but my intercession is quite unnecessary, for I am sure that our fair friend is no disciple of Tigellius."* "I am ever ready, sir, to comply with the wishes of those I respect. I consider the caprice which our sex too often displays upon these occasions, as not only a breach of good taste, but an evidence of unpardonable vanity." *Horat. Sat., lib. i. sat. 3. U A LEARNED DISCUSSION, TOUCHING THE SUPERIOR POWERS OF AFTER the several conversations related in the foregoing pages, the reader will not be surprised to find that the opinion of the vicar, regarding the superior attainments of Miss Villers, had daily acquired an increasing ascendancy; and had that lady been free and disengaged, and could "dear Mr. Twaddleton" have obtained a slice of one of those Scandinavian apples to which Mr. Seymour had lately alluded, we are by no means sure, in spite of his bachelor tendencies, that the current of his admiration might not have murmured in a softer channel :—but that is beside our present purpose. We only desire to impress upon our readers the high amount of respect he entertained for her abilities and judgment; and it was under such a conviction that he was induced to submit a question which gave rise to the learned discussion we are now about to relate. "Pray Miss Villers," said the vicar, "may I be allowed to inquire whether, amidst your diversified pursuits, you have ever directed your inquiries into the nature of ancient music? I have long been convinced that it must have been very superior in power and effect to that of modern times, although I am well aware that our friend Mr. Seymour entertains a very different opinion; and, with his usual banter, tells me, that all my crotchets are of the old school." "Upon a question of such doubt and difficulty, I feel that it would ill become a person of my very limited knowledge to offer an opinion; although," added Miss Villers, "I am willing to confess that the subject has not entirely escaped my attention; and you could not afford me a greater gratification than by clearing up some of those doubts which have perplexed me. It is, I believe, admitted, that we are unable to ascertain the real nature of ancient music; but it is evident that it was an art with which mankind was extremely delighted; for not only the poets, but the historians and philosophers, of the best ages of Greece and Rome, are as diffuse in its praises, as of those arts concerning which sufficient remains have descended to evince the truth of their panegyrics." "Nothing, as you very justly observe, is now left us but conjecture," said the vicar; "and yet it is impossible to read the accounts of the extraordinary effects produced by the different modes' of ancient music, without entertaining a strong conviction of its superiority over that of modern 6 6 times. What have we, my dear Miss Villers, to compare with the soft Lydian,' the grave Dorian,' or the furious 'Phrygian;' to say nothing of the subaltern modes of Aristides Quintilianus, and others; such, for example, as the 'erotic,'' comic,' and 'encomiastic'? What modern strains can produce the effects which are recorded to have followed the performance of Timotheus, the director of the music of Alexander the Great? One day, while the prince was at table, the musician performed an air in the Phrygian mode, which made such an impression on him, that, being already heated with wine, he flew to his arms, and was going to attack his guests, had not Timotheus immediately changed the style of his performance to the sub-Phrygian, or Lydian. Music," continued the vicar, "has, in modern times, so fallen from this degree of majesty and power, as to induce some persons to doubt the truth of the historical statements." "I confess, Mr. Twaddleton," said Miss Villers, "that I have always been inclined to regard ancient music as the vehicle of poetry; and in a great degree to attribute to the power of the latter that influence which you appear to refer exclusively to the former." "I am willing to admit," replied the vicar, " that, in the ancient theatre, poetry always accompanied her sister science, assisting, animating, and supporting her; in short, that she was, in all respects, her friend and fellow-labourer, 'qualem decet esse sororem,' as the poet has it: but does not this rather prove that poetry, in itself, was insufficient to produce its full effects without the aid of music? In further proof of the power of ancient music, permit me to remind you that Plato has said, 'No change can be made in music without affecting the constitution of the state;' and Aristotle, who seems to have written his Politics only to oppose the sentiments of Plato, nevertheless agrees with him, concerning the power which music has over mortals; and has not the judicious Polybius told us that music was necessary to soften the manners of the Arcadians? In short, madam, music has lost its power over the passions of mankind, and this can only have happened in consequence of its having degenerated from its ancient purity and grandeur. If any one should have the hardihood to deny this my position, let him attend a modern rout in London. I have seen, my dear Miss Villers, a party at a whist-table, a dozen persons in tête-à-tête, and as many solitary individuals, sitting like automatons, not one of them being moved by the concord of sweet sounds with which some lady has been endeavouring to delight them." "That is exactly as it should be," interposed Mr. Seymour; "whist✶ and music have nothing in common, but are really antagonistic." 66 "I admit it," said the vicar. Silence, by a generally acknowledged convention, is to wait on whist; and yet methinks, had Timotheus appeared amongst them! hey, Miss Villers? I think I see the party at the whist-table, as his lyre suddenly changed from the Lydian to the Phrygian mode. I must, however, in candour state, that I once did actually see a lady lay down her cards in an apparent state of ecstacy, as a chorus of Handel suddenly burst upon her ear, in spite of a handful of trumps." "And what might that chorus have been?" said Mr. Seymour; "Bless'd be the hand'? But, joking apart, you appear to have satisfied your mind upon a point which all the learning of Europe has left in a state of doubt and perplexity." "I have merely delivered an opinion, sir; you perhaps will favour us with your judgment." "The subject under discussion, my good sir, is one upon which no person can ever deliver a judgment, for this plain reason, that it is not possible for us to hear both sides." * WHIST! an interjection commanding silence; a name suggestive of a very important, and even imperative condition of the game; whence, we presume, its name. |