I. That Musick, if not new, was in those Days a rare thing, which the Vulgar, on whom ’tis reported to have mighty Effects, had scarce heard any before, and on whom a little Musick will do great Feats, as we now find a Bag-pipe at a Morris-Dance.
II. Antient Musick was much more simple and plain than ours now, having only one single Voice or Instrument apart, which to a rude Ear is much more taking, than compound Musick; the former not exceeding their Capacity, whereas a Concert of Musick confounds them quite, and ’tis by no means distinguishable by them, so as to affect them with the Harmony of its Parts.
III. Musick, with the Antients, was of a much larger Extent than what we now call by that Name; for Poetry, and Dancing or graceful Motion, were then counted part of Musick, when it had arrived to some degree of Perfection: And we see that Verse alone, if in good Measure and moving Words, sung by an agreeable Voice, with soft instrumental Musick, will work strangely on the Ear, and move all Affections suitable to the Tune and Ditty ... especially if attended with proper Gestures and Actions.... Thus suitable Acting on the Stage, gives great Life to the Words[[334]].
[334]. Lowthorp’s Abridg. vol. i. p. 618.
If a deliberate pathetick Reading of a well-penn’d Romance, will strike the Passions, and produce Mirth, Tears, Joy, Grief, Pity, Wrath, Indignation, suitable to the respective Intents of it; much more would it so do, if accompanied with all those Attendants.——
If it be ask’d, Why may not all this be done now? I answer, No doubt but it may, if the Address be made in proper Words, emphatically spoken, with agreeable Voice, attended with a decent Gesture; and all these adjusted to the Passion and Temper of the Mind, particularly design’d to be produced, (be it Joy, Grief, Pity, Courage, Indignation) will certainly now, as well as then, produce great Effects upon the Mind, especially upon a Surprize, and where Persons are not otherwise pre-engaged. Ibid.
The Antients had the Art of exciting this or that particular Passion of the Mind, the Tunes being suitably adapted to such Designs; whereas those now are almost quite neglected in our modern Musick.
The Chromatick Genus[[335]], with its greater and lesser Semi-Tones, either ascending or descending, is very proper for the Pathetick in Musick; as is also an artful Management of Discords, with a Variety of Motions; now brisk, now languishing; now swift, now slow. The Venetian Musician before-mentioned, excell’d in the Pathetick to that degree, that he was able to play any of his Auditors into Distraction.... The great Means he made use of, was the Variety of Motions.——
[335]. Chroma in Musick, is the graceful way of Singing.
Even little Children, when crying, are charm’d and quieted by a jingling Sound, a Shadow of Musick. In short, Musick attends the Man to his Grave, where Elegies were formerly sung in Honour of the Deceased: Thus the Phenicians added Flutes to their Mournings, and the Romans had their Siticines, that is, those who sung to a Pipe, or blow’d the Trumpet at their Funerals, a Custom not yet entirely abolish’d among the antient Britons and some Parts of England, who, when they take up the Corps, sing Psalms before it all the way to Church; a common Practice about seventy Years ago: So far I can charge my Memory.