[330]. Father Regn. from Hist. of the Royal Academy in France.
Another Instance, is a Dancing-Master of Alais in France, who had the same Fate in the Year 1708; after a Fever of about four Days, and a long Lethargy, he fell into a Delirium, both mad and dumb. One of his Friends took his Violin, and plaid to him those Airs he was most accustom’d to: People thought at first, that the Player was as mad as the Patient; but, in a short time, the sick Man raised himself upright in his Bed, with the Air of a Man agreeably surpriz’d.... All his Motions discover’d the Pleasure he felt: Soon after he fell into a deep Sleep, and the Crisis he had during his Sleep, perfected his Cure. Ibid.
One Reason of this strange Operation might be this, viz. The Sound of the Instrument agitates the Fibres, especially those that are in Unison, by that means brings to his Remembrance agreeable Perceptions ... sets the animal Spirits going, and restores them to their natural Course: These Spirits being moved, run into the Nerves and Muscles, where they have been used to run, in order to form the Motion of certain Airs; the Passages of the Blood thereby become more free: Hence that serene Air diffused all of a sudden over the Face of the sick Musician, who was cured by the Charms of his own Art.
These two Instances are quoted by the Learned Dr. Nieuwentyt, who says, both of them (the Musician and Dancing-Master) were perfectly restored to their Senses by Musick. He also observes, that the Wound given by the Tarantula can only be cured by the Sound of Musick, of which different Airs and Tunes must be play’d, according to the different Nature and Colour of those Tarantula’s that have given the Wound[[331]]. Then adds;
[331]. Religious Philosopher, vol. I. Contempl. xiii. Sect. 270.
That the famous Italian Musician, Angelo Vitali had related to him the following Story, and assured him of the Truth of it, viz.
That a certain Player on the Flute at Venice had boasted, that by his playing, he could deprive the Hearers of the Use of their Understanding: Whereupon he was sent for by the Doge, who was a Lover of Musick, and commanded to put his Art in practice before him; where, after having play’d some time very finely, (and to the Amazement of the Hearers) he at last begun a mournful Tune, with a Design, as far as he was able, to put the Doge into a melancholy Humour; and presently, he struck up a jovial one, to dispose him to Mirth and Dancing; and after having repeated these two kind of Tunes several times by turns, the Doge being no longer able to endure those different Emotions, which he felt in his Soul, he was ordered to forbear playing any longer. Ibid. p. 271.
FROM the Account given of Concords and Discords in Musick, a Reason may be form’d why two Strings of a Viol, that are Unisons or Octaves one to another, if one be struck the other will tremble, so as to be visibly perceived.
What is this Unison? In Musick, Unison is a Consonance of two Sounds, produced by two Strings, or other Bodies of the same Matter, Length, Thickness, and Tension, equally struck, and at the same Time, so that they yield the same Tone or Note. Others define it, the Union of two Sounds, so like each other, that the Ear perceiving no Difference, receives them as one and the same Sound.
What constitutes Unisonance, is the Equality of the Number of Vibrations: Unison is the first and greatest of Concords. Others say, it is only that in Sounds which Unity is in Numbers.