junction with the low notes of awe, sublimity, and solemnity, for impressive effect, resembling that of the deep tolling of a large bell. "Monotone," however, is not to be confounded with monotony, the besetting fault of school reading, and which consists chiefly in omitting or slighting the "radical stress," and sometimes abolishing even the "radical movement " of elements. "Monotone " is the sublimest poetic effect of elocution: monotony, one of the worst defects.

When the "radical pitch" of a sound, is above or below that of the preceding tone, it is termed a Rising" or a "Falling Ditone." When the radicals of three successive" concretes," rise or fall, they become a "Rising or a Falling Tritone.” When there is a series of three or more, alternately a tone above and below each other, they form an "Alternate Phrase."

66

66

When three concretes gradually descend in their "radical pitch' " at the close of a sentence, the "vanish" of the last, instead of ascending, descends; so as to give the peculiar closing effect to the cadence. This descent is, accordingly, for distinction's sake, termed the "Triad of the Cadence."

66

It is in this peculiar "phrase" of "sentential melody,' that the very general fault, popularly called a tone," exists. The common style of cadence, instead of being spoken, is usually such as causes it to be sung, more or less, by deviating from the melody of the "triad," and, at the same time, losing "radical," and assuming "median stress," accompanied by a half-musical wave or undulation of voice. A clear, distinct, and exact succession of "radical pitch," in the form of the "triad," would, in most cases, destroy the false tone, and impart to reading more resemblance than it often possesses, to speech or to conversation.

crete

The student will derive much assistance, in this branch of elocution, from repeating the "tonic elements," and appropriate words selected from the exercises in the chapter on enunciation, with a view, first, to observe the " concharacter of the elementary sounds of speech in their initial" radical" and rising "vanish." Let letters, syllables, and words, then be practised, successively, in the forms of the phrases of the "monotone," "falling" and "rising " ""ditone," and "tritone," and the "triad of the cadence."

The following illustration, selected from the work of Dr.

Rush, will suggest the idea how the exercises in this department may be practised in classes, by the use of the chart of exercises, or of the black-board.

The object in view, in the use of such diagrams as the following, is not to exhibit the strict application of any rule or principle of elocution, but merely to aid the mind in attaining an exact apprehension of the nature and character of the elements of vocal sound, in certain relations. It is not meant that either the couplet from Pope's Homer, which is introduced in the following illustration, or the lines which follow it, must be read with the precise melody exhibited in the diagram, or that they cannot be appropriately read with any other. The design of this exemplification, is merely to show the different forms of "radical pitch," as they occur in the actual use of the voice, and to render the practice of them definite and exact. The repetition of the exercise will render the ear accurate and discriminating, and will preserve the student from inadvertently contracting the false intonation arising from the general neglect of this part of elocution, and from the impossibility of discussing or explaining its peculiarities, till the means of instruction were furnished by exact analysis and precise nomenclature, benefits for which science and education stand equally indebted to the discriminating genius and philosophic investigation of Dr. Rush.

"That quarter most the

skilful Greeks annoy,

Monotone. Falling Ditone. Rising Tritone. Rising Ditone.

Where you wild fig trees join the walls

of Troy."

Falling Tritone.

Alternation.

Triad of the Cadence.

To secure the full benefit of discrimination and of exact practice, it will be a useful exercise to repeat the phrases of melody in the diagram, on the "tonic" and other ele

ments, on syllables, and on words, and on the following couplets.

1.

"Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind Sees God in tempests, hears him in the wind."

2.

"There where a few torn shrubs the place disclose, The village preacher's modest mansion rose."

3.

"Thus every good his native wilds impart, Imprints the patriot passion on his heart.”

4.

"The conscious swains, rejoicing in the sight, Eye the blue vault, and bless the useful light."

66
THE SLIDE."

We proceed to the examination of another function of the voice, connected with "melody," or the transition of vocal sound from one note to another of the musical scale. The transit from the radical to the vanish of a sound, is, it will be recollected, limited, in "concrete pitch," to a single tone, or the distance measured to the ear, in passing from one note to the next above, on the scale. We should hear this transition exemplified in the sound of a in the word arm, in the following unimpassioned and incomplete phrase, if read as it would be in the case of a person suddenly interrupted, at the moment of uttering that word, in the act of reading a sentence; thus, "He raised his arm The broken or interrupted, progress of the voice, is here indicated by the fact that the sound of a in the word arm does not descend, but remains suspended by the effect of

66

concrete pitch," or the common difference between the "radical" and the "vanishing movement," in an unimpassioned or inexpressive sound.

But let us suppose the case of a person uttering the same element, in the vivid language of real or affected surprise, in the interjection "ah!" We shall now perceive, that the interval between the "radical" and the "vanish," is greatly enlarged, and that the voice has run up three, five, or perhaps, eight notes, according to the depth and earnestness of the feeling expressed in the utterance of the sound. The more slow and drawling the style of voice is made, in the repetition of the supposed example, the more distinct will be our perception of the transition of sound from note to note, as it glides up the scale. This vocal function is what, in elocution, is termed an "upward slide," or in the language of some elocutionists, a "rising inflection."

Let us suppose, once more, the sound of the same element falling on the ear, in the tone of the bold military command, "Arm!" We shall now perceive that, in the time which transpires from the first to the last moment of the sound, the voice glides down the scale, through an interval, greater or less, according to the boldness and fulness of the utterance. We have here an example of the " downward slide," or "falling inflection."

The extent of the "slide" depends, usually, on the intensity of a prompting emotion, as in the case of surprise, mentioned before. Let the student who has not yet trained his ear to discriminate the degrees of the "slide," and who wishes to attain a clear perception of its different forms, imagine a conversation going on between two persons, one of whom is relating to the other a series of events, each one successively more striking and more surprising than the preceding. Let the hearer be supposed to utter, at each stage in the narrative, the expressive interrogatory interjection of surprise, "indeed!" and with that marked increase of effect, which arises not only from the augmented intensity of force, but also from the wider interval of the scale, or the larger number of notes, which the voice traverses, in the "expressive melody" of speech.

The progressive change of feeling, which causes the progressive change of expression in the voice, may, for the sake of illustration, be supposed to rise from surprise to wonder, and from wonder to astonishment. In such circumstances, may be heard, 1st, the ordinary "slide" of surprise, the interval occupied by the voice, from the moment of uttering the "radical" of the expressive sound, to that of uttering its "vanish," being a rising "third; the voice gliding upward, with a continuous sound, terminating in the note which lies on the third degree of the scale above the "radical: "-2d, the more expressive "slide" of greater surprise, or of wonder, occupying the interval of an upward "fifth;" the gliding sound terminating on the note which is on the fifth degree of the scale above the "radical":-3d, extreme surprise, ecxessive wonder, or astonishment, whether real or affected, (and, particularly, if the latter,) will impel the voice with a slide which glides through a whole " octave," or interval of eight notes, from the "radical" to the vanish."

Again, let it be supposed that the person who is listening to the narrator, is answering in the derisive tone of mockery. The voice, in this case, will utter the word "indeed!" in the downward " slide; and if we suppose, further, the tone of emotion increased in intensity of expression, at each stage, the effect may be to produce the same three intervals of the scale as before, but in the opposite direction: 1st, the downward " third," -2d, the downward 66 fifth," 3d, the downward " octave; "the voice gliding down with a continuous sound, through each of these intervals, in succession, while uttering the last syllable of the expressive word "indeed!"

Similar illustrations might be drawn from the natural expression" of other strong or distinctly marked emotions. But these will occur in subsequent examples. clear and broad definition is all that is now requisite.

A

The "slides" of the voice have three important and distinct offices; and these produce the three principal forms of the "slide" 1st, the "slide of passion or emotion," 2d, the "distinctive slide," or that which is addressed to the understanding and the judgment, as in designation, comparison, and contrast, 3d, the "mechanical slide," which belongs to the mechanism of a sentence, and the