An Appendix in profe is added, principally from the Abbé Barruel's Memoirs of Jacobinifm, illuftrative of the writer's ar gument, and admirably epitomized. We know not who the writer of this Poem is, but we thank him for his honourable exertion in the common cause of truth and religion, as well as for the entertainment he has afforded us by his excellent Poem, which we have not often feen equalled. The verfification is by no means exceptionable in point of harmony, but is principally remarkable for energy and ftrength, more refeinbling Churchill than Pope. With more correctness than the former; and force fometimes beyond the latter. The author has, beyond doubt, written before, and we exprefs our well-founded expectations that he will write again.

ART. IX. A Practical Guide to Thorough Bafs. Written by A. F. C. Kollmann, Organift of His Majefty's German Chapel at St. James's. Folio. 8 pp. Preface; 68 pp. all engraved Plates. Printed for, and fold by, the Author, Friary, St. James's Palace; Hurft, Paternofter-Row; and Meffrs. Clementi and Co. Cheapfide. 1801.

WE

10s. 6d.

E are happy to renew our acquaintance with this ingenious author, and to find that he has made confiderable improvements in his mode of publication, by intermixing precept and example.

After obferving that his work differs from all others of the kind published in this country, in refpect of fyflem and utility, Mr. Kollmann adds:

"that two mufical authors have revived the moft confufed and obfolete fyftemst, without even fo much attention to the public, as to mention whether they are acquainted with the defcribed fyftem, or have a fingle argument to oppofe to it."

To this follows the fevere animadverfion on Mr. King, to which, in the Preface to the new edition of the " General Treatifet," Mr. King has ftill more feverely replied. We fhall decline entering into the controversy, unless Mr. Kollmann refutes Mr. King's allegations by a public defence of his first affertion. But although we leave to Mr. King the task of fweeping away "the cobweb fyftem of Kirnberger and Kollmann," if he can, it is but juftice to obferve, that Mr. Shield

*Meffrs. King and Shield.

+ Of Rameau and Marpurg.

April 17, 1801. See our 17th vol. for May, p. 517.

fhould

fhould not have been included in the cenfure. If, upon a clofe examination of the "Introduction to Harmony," chapters had appeared exprefsly on the chords of the 11th and 13th, fuch charge might have been well founded; but, fince they are barely mentioned, and fince Mr. Shield has followed one of the first German practical authors (Emanuel Bach) in many places, and omitted (like that great author) all reference to the doctrine of fundamental baffes, &c. &c. we cannot but hope that, in a future edition, Mr. K. will change his numeral from two to one, and turn the whole weight of his arguments towards Mr. King, who is not only able, but willing, to engage in public controverfy. We are forry always to notice any difcords unrefolved, but we conjecture that thefe two gentlemen are fo fully employed in difpenting harmony among their scholars, that they cannot referve any portion for their own particular ufe. Enough then of this difpure, which we fhould have paff ed over almost unnoticed, but for the fake of protecting the diffident merits, and well-earned laurels, of Mr. Shield.

PART I.-P. 1. Chap. 1. Of the Scale. Mr. Kollmann explains this now practically; but there is fome obfcurity in the manner in which he uses the term degree.

1. By the word fcale is understood a gradual fucceffion of founds, either afcending or defcending; and the degrees of the feale are counted according to modern notation; so that if a line is counted as I or the first degree, the space next above it is called 2, the line next over this space 3, the space then following 4, and fo forth afcending, or in the fame manner defcending.

66

2. The founds, by which the modern fcale may gradually afcend or defcend, are either femitones (half tones) or tones (whole tones). A femitone is the progreffion from any key to that next above or below it, fuch as from B to C, from C to C fharp, from C sharp to D, or the fame backwards; and a tone contains two adjoining femitones, fuch as the progreffion from C to D, from D to E, from E to F sharp, or the fame backwards.

3. A femitone which makes a whole degree of the scale, fuch as BC, and E F, is called a major femitone; and one that contains but half a degree of the fcale, fuch as CC fharp, DD fharp, is called a minor femitone.

§ 4. The modern scale may be either diatonic, or chromatic, or enharmonic.

1. A diatonic fcale is that which, according to modern notation, proceeds by whole degrees (fee § 1) or by five tones and two interfperfed major femitones in an octave, fuch as the fcale of C without any flats, or that of A without any fharps. The former, or that of C, is called the major fcale, and has its name from the major (or greater) third which it contains; the latter, or that of A, is called the minor scale, on account of the minor (or leffer) third which it contains.

"2. A chromatic

"2. A chromatic scale is that which proceeds by ten half, and two interfperfed whole, degrees; or by twelve femitones in an octave.

3. An enharmonic fcale, if it was introduced in modern mufic, would be a progreffion by quarter tones. But as this fcale (which has its name from fomething fimilar to it in antient mufic) has not yet been introduced, thofe progreffions only are called enharmonic, where one and the fame key is treated like two adjoining different keys or intervals, fuch as B flat and A fharp."

1 2 3

If we confider the example referred to in § 4, and count C D E, &c. we fhall find eight degrees, according to the definition in §1; and if we confider the founds in § 2, they are certainly neither femitones nor tones, as we have frequently obferved. Whether the term degree be fynonymous with interval, we fhall not decide; but founds are represented on paper by notes, and on the inftrument by finger-keys. This latter word (ufed by an author of fome reputationt) would have prevented the confufion which arifes from the different meanings of the word key, especially at the remark on the enharmonic fcale. Mr. K.'s, theory is perfectly correct, but inaccurately expreffed. This is evident in the definition of the chromatic fcale, for the ten half degrees contain five major or diatonic. femitones, which, in the cafe of EF and BC, Mr. K. calls whole degrees.

P. 2. Chap. II. Of Intervals. If Mr. K. had maintained his first propofition, that the lines and spaces, or rather that the notes on them, were degrees, and had not afterwards confounded the notes, and their distances, under the fame term, the following definition of interval would have been unexceptionable.

*The fignification of the term degree is by no means accurately determined by our English authors.

Dr. Holder makes it fynonymous with interval, Malcolm limits it to the tone and femitone, and Dr. Pepusch leans to the fame opinion. But, if it fignifies the fame as interval, it is an unnecessary word; and, if it be a general term for tone and major femitone, both which change their line and fpace, we cannot think it of much importance. The modern writers of France and Germany, Rodolphe, Pleyel, Türk, &c. feem to affix the term degree either to line or space; and this definition, if not its original meaning, is far more ufeful and intelligible to beginners, for whom all didactic works are fuppofed to be written, than any other, however correct.

+ Mr. Maxwell. Effay on Tune, p. 16 and 40. (Edinb. 1781). In the very ingenious Effay of Holden, 1770, the word fep and degree fignify intervals.

"An

"An interval is the distance from one found to another in refpect of acutenes; and it is named according to the number of degrees it takes up in the diatonic fcale, calling the lowest term one, and counting from degree to degree upwards,"

The remainder of works of the author, P. 5. Chap. III. fential and accidental, P. 7. Chap. IV.

this chapter is fimilar to the two former and unexceptionable.

Of Chords in General. Divided into ef according to Kirnberger.

Of the Triad. Three fpecies, major, minor, and diminished, or imperfect, &c. Two anomalous, its fignature, &c,

P. 9. Chap. V. Of the Inverfions of the Triad. Chord of fixth, and fourth and fixth,

P. 11. Chap. VI. Of the Chord of the Seventh. Repetition of the doctrines of Kirnberger..

P. 15. Chap. VII. Of its Three Inverfians. The fifth and fixth, third and fourth, fecond and fourth.

P. 20. Chap. VIII. Of Accidental Chords. Suspension, anticipation, and tranfition.

P. 23. Chap. IX. Other Particulars. The fignatures, number of parts in a chord, number of chords in a bar, and limits of accompaniments, are very ingenioufly difcuffed.

P. 27. Chap. X. Of Recitative. References to p. 52. Example from Graun.

P. 29. Chap. XI. Of figuring a Bafs from the Score. Several useful rules are given.

P. 30. Chap. XII. Of other Signatures, &c. An explanation of the modes ufed by other authors (particularly Geminani) deserves attention, and the diftinction betwen the and the imperfect triad is important.

P. 32. Chap. XIII. Of Rameau's Chords by Suppofition. As we may have occafion hereafter to reconfider the mutual attacks of Meffrs. King and Kollmann, we think it proper to repeat the explication of the theories of Rameau and Marpurg from the prefent essay.

1. The chords in queftion are nothing elfe but thofe fufpenfions of which I have treated in Chap. VIII. § 2, and the reafon why I explain them here as chords by fuppofition, according to the doctrine of Rameau, is merely to fhow the diligent reader the difference between the faid two doctrines, but not to defire him to ftudy these chords according to the latter doctrine.

2. The faid celebrated author (Rameau) formed the chords in queftion as follows.

First, he placed one fuppofed or indulged third underneath the bafs of the fundamental difcord. This created his chord of the ninth, as at in the following example,

"But

"But he treated the four upper parts according to their original nature, or as if the fuppofed bafs was not under them, and refolved the chord, as at 2. This explanation fhews, that the chord in queftion was nothing else but three fufpenfions of the chord of the fixth, like thofe at p. 42.

Secondly, he placed a fecond fuppofed third (being a fifth) underneath the bafs of the fundamental difcord. This created his chord of the eleventh, as below at 3. But he alfo treated the four highest parts of this according to their original nature, or as if the fuppofed bass was not under them, and refolved it as at 4. This explanation fhews that the chord in queftion was nothing else but three fufpenfions of the fundamental concord or difcord, like thofe at p. 42; or only two fufpenfions of the former, as below at 5. That the above is the true doctrine of Rameau, will appear from the tranflation of his Traité de L'Harmonie (Treatife of Mufic) Chapter XXIX. et feq. and from Rouffier's Traité des Accords, Part I.

66

According to the degrees of the diatonic major or minor scale, on which the above chords of the ninth or eleventh took place, they confifted of different fpecies, viz. the chord of the ninth thus:

G G F

-CECA

C

F

E

Ε

C

A

Α

Both chords were alfo ufed incompleat, in four, three, or two parts. But of their inverfions, Rameau fays or exemplifies nothing; and more than the faid two chords by fuppofition, with their different fpecies,

he does not teach.

§3. But Marpurg, the greateft follower of Rameau, has not only taught the inverfions of the above chords by fuppofition, but also added to them a chord of the thirteenth, with its inverfions, by fuppofing another third (being a seventh) underneath the fundamental difcord.

"According to the faid improvement of chords by fuppofition, the octave of the fundamental concord or difcord may be fufpended by the ninth, the third by the fourth (as eleventh) and the fifth by the fixth (as thirteenth); and of thefe, fufpenfions any one or two, or all three, may be ufed alone, or together, as circumstances require.

In all their compleat or incompleat ftates, the chords in question may also be inverted as often as they contain upper parts.”

P. 34. The firft Part concludes here, and two errata are inferred; the first of which, we conceive, ftill wants rectifying.

Mr. Kollmann, at p. 18, in explaining the chord of the feventh, had given no inftance of it unprepared; to remedy this, the following addition is inferted.

"ERRATA.