the change of pitch is without break, or takes place during a single impulse of sound. The term Concrete, etymologically considered, means grown together. It is derived from the verb concresco, concrescere, concrevi, concretum, "To unite or coalesce as separate particles into one body." (Webster.) The term concrete is intended to particularize the nature of the sound produced by the sliding motion of the finger on the string. That sound, as it differs in pitch at its two extremities, must of course be made up of distinct impulses differing in pitch; but as each is too short in its duration to be discerned by the ear, they may be said to be concreted together into one unbroken movement, which is properly enough named a slide. This slide when heard, is perceived to rise or fall in pitch only as a whole, and is therefore called a concrete sound. Such a slide, rising or falling in pitch, is invariably made whenever a syllable is spoken, or in other words is inseparable from the act of speech. It is usually called the slide of the voice, and is more particularly designated by writers on Elocution the upward and downward slide, according as the voice ends at a lower or higher pitch than that at which the syllable began. If while the bow is drawn across it, the string be pressed on the board, at short intervals of time, at certain points or places, rising one above another, determined by a previous known rule of mathematical calculation, the sounds of the common scale will be produced. The sounds thus produced may be called Discrete sounds. The term Discrete is derived from dis and cerno, to see apart, or to distinguish, to apprehend a difference in things. Discerno, discernere, decrevi, decretum. The term discrete is therefore employed to denote two or more separate sounds. The sounds of a piano forte, for instance will consist of discrete sounds. A succession of syllables, consisting of separate impulses, are a succession of discrete sounds, commencing at the same or different points of pitch from each other; while the slides heard in the utterance of each syllable will consist of concrete sounds. Discrete and Concrete sound is therefore heard in all discourse, and both are inseparable from it. Discrete sounds consist of a series of skips. These are made by omitting the concrete or sliding movement previously described, produced by the motion of the finger. TT S TTT ST T STT T S 1 2 34 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 The horizontal line drawn above represents the strings of the violin, the black dots the points, places, or degrees at which it is to be pressed to produce certain sounds. From 1 to constitutes the series of sounds called the scale, each rising above the other. To this series of seven sounds a second series may be added of the same number, beginning immediately above the first; each sound in such second series bearing the same relation in pitch to every other sound in that series, which the corresponding sound bears to every other in the first series. The letters put between the supposed places of sound represent the terms Tone and Semitone. Tone means a certain distance (mathematically determined) between the sounds; Semitone means about half that distance. Musical instruments in general, such as the piano forte, organ and others, produce only discrete sounds, or such a succession of sounds as is here represented. The violin and other stringed instruments can produce both con crete and discret sounds. The human voice produces both. Each sound of the scale is called a note. The distance between any two notes, whether next to each other, or more distant, is called an interval. The interval from 1 to 2 is called a tone, from 2 to 3 a tone, from 3 to 4 (being about half the distance) a semitone, from 4 to 5, from 5 to 6, and from 6 to 7 are tones, from 7 to 8 a semitone. The intervals are named numerically, that is, the interval from 1 to 2 is called a second, from 1 to 3 a third, from 1 to 4 a fourth, from 1 to 5 a fifth, from 1 to 6 a sixth, from 1 to 7 a seventh, from 1 to 8 an octave. The intervals rise from 1 to 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 4 and so on, and fall in the same reverse order. Though the first seven sounds make up what is called the scale, the ear requires, in order to form a satisfactory close, that the first of the second series, marked 8 and called the octave (as before stated,) should be added, in running the voice upwards or downwards, in the order of the scale, or in what is called in musical science solfaing. The first note of any series of sounds is called the key note. The succession of the seven notes above described is called the natural scale, because that succession is satisfactory to the ear. It is also called the Diatonic scale from Dia by or through, and Tonos a sound. The term melody (as applicable to speech) in this Grammar, means the condition of single sounds and the order of successive sounds as respects the pitch. Concrete melody means the pitch of the slides of speech. Discrete melody, the pitch at which successive syllables begin relatively to each other. Intonation means the management of the voice in the production of pitch both concrete and discrete. QUESTIONS. 1. How is Elocution defined? 2. What is meant by quality of voice? 3. What are the most important properties of the voice with regard to quality? 4. What is meant by force of voice? 8. What is the meaning of quantity as applied to the voice? 9. Give an example of long quantity. 10. Give an example of short quantity. 11. What is the meaning of abruptness as applicable to the voice? 12. How is pitch defined? 13. What is meant by the musical scale? 14. What are the particular modifications of pitch in speech? 15. How are the degrees of pitch measured? 16. How are the sounds of the scale produced? 17. What is a note? 18. What is the meaning of interval? 19. What is the meaning of a tone? 20. What is a semitone? 21. What are the different intervals of the scale called? 22. What is the key note? 23. What is the meaning of the term melody? 24. What is concrete melody? 26. What is meant by intonation? RECITATION FIFTH. Of the Elements of Sound which enter into the concrete slide of the voice, when it is so managed as to give the greatest possible pleasure to the ear. WE shall employ the letter I for the purpose of illustrating the slide of the voice. That element (as before stated) is a dipthong; being compounded of the opening sound of the element, and the obscure one of ee as heard in E-ve, upon which latter sound it dies away into silence. If I be properly uttered alone in a deliberate but natural manner, as it would be in the sentence, "I acknowledge him as my friend," it will open with some degree of abrupt fulness, will gradually lessen in volume as it proceeds, will terminate in a delicate vanish and will rise in pitch a tone or second during its slide. The circumstances to be displayed in this process and worthy of notice as elements of sound are, the force and fulness of the opening-the equable lessening of volume, the gradual change of sound from the opening part of the element into the obscure sound of ee-the extended quantity-the final termination of the progressively diminishing sound in a fine vanish upon the ee-together with the rise in pitch through the interval of a tone. The circumstances to which exclusive attention is next to be directed, are, the opening fulness, the gradually diminishing volume, and the final vanish. The contrast of the two extremities of the element, as to force or volume of voice, induced Dr. Rush, the ingenious discoverer of these circumstances, to give the name of radical |