Friend. But did she not begin to climb the ladder at the bottom?
Dominie. By no means. She certainly never was able to reach the top. I should say, rather, that she tumbled down head foremost. To speak mildly, she began to climb in the middle; and even then you tried to chase her up, instead of allowing her, carefully and quietly, to clamber up one step at a time. Bring me your youngest daughter, Bessie, and I will show you how I give a first lesson.
Dominie. Bessie, can you say your letters after me? so,—c, d, e, f.
Bessie. c, d, e, f.
Dominie. Go on,—g, a, b, c.
Bessie. g, a, b, c.
Dominie. Once more: the first four again, then the next four. That's right: now all the eight, one after the other, c, d, e, f, g, a, b, c.
Bessie. c, d, e, f, g, a, b, c.
Dominie. (after repeating this several times). That's good: now you see you have learned something already. That is the musical alphabet, and those are the names of the white keys on the piano-forte. Presently you shall find them out, and learn to name them yourself. But, first, you must take notice (I strike the keys in succession with my finger, from the one-lined c to the highest treble) that these sounds grow higher and become sharper one after the other; and in this way (I strike the keys from one-lined c to the lowest bass) you hear that the sounds grow lower and heavier. The upper half, to the right, is called the treble; the lower half is the bass. You quite understand now the difference between the high sharp tones and the low deep ones? Now we will go on. What you see here, and will learn to play upon, is called the key-board, consisting of white keys and black ones. You shall presently learn to give the right names both to the white keys and the black; you see there are always two black keys and then three black keys together, all the way up and down the key-board. Now put the fore-finger of your right hand on the lower one of any of the two black keys that are together, and let it slip off on to the white key next below it; now you have found the key called c; what is the name of the next key above it? Say the whole musical alphabet.
Bessie. c, d, e, f, g, a, b, c.