5. “Which measure a Fifth, C to D one Tone, D to E one Tone, E to F half a Tone, F to G one Tone,—total C to G, or a Fifth, three Tones and half. In Norwegian the interval is said by Professor Storm to be usually a Fourth, and in Swedish it is said by Weste to be about a Third or less,” A. J. Ellis English, Dionysian, and Hellenic Pronunciations of Greek, p. 38. (Under the initial “A. J. E.” occasional quotations will be made from this pamphlet, to which the phonetic studies of its author lend special interest, even when his conclusions cannot be accepted.)
10. “That is, the voice glides from the high to the low pitch, and does not jump from high to low,” A. J. E.
12. “That is, one pitch does not glide into the other, but each is distinctly separated, as the notes on a piano.” A. J. E.
20. δίεσιν: see Gloss., s.v. δίεσις.
23. Line 140 of the Orestes is assigned to Electra (rather than to the Chorus) not only by Dionysus but seemingly also by Diogenes Laert. vii. 5 (Cleanthes). 172 ἐρομένου τινὸς τί ὑποτίθεσθαι δεῖ τῷ υἱῷ, “τὸ τῆς Ἠλέκτρας, ἔφη: σῖγα σῖγα, λεπτὸν ἴχνος.”—If the reading λευκὸν (rather than λεπτὸν) is right, the word may possibly be understood (like ἀργός) of swift, glancing feet, though the notion of rest rather than of movement is prominent here.
24. Reference may be made to Ruelle’s “Note sur la musique d’une passage d’Euripide” in the Annuaire de l’Association des Études grecques, 1882, pp. 96 ff.
σῖγα σῖγα, λευκὸν ἴχνος ἀρβύλης
τίθετε, μὴ κτυπεῖτ’·
ἀποπρόβατ’ ἐκεῖσ’, ἀποπρό μοι κοίτας.
ἐν γὰρ δὴ τούτοις τὸ “σῖγα σῖγα λευκὸν” ἐφ’ ἑνὸς φθόγγου
μελῳδεῖται, καίτοι τῶν τριῶν λέξεων ἑκάστη βαρείας τε τάσεις 5
ἔχει καὶ ὀξείας. καὶ τὸ “ἀρβύλης” τῇ μέσῃ συλλαβῇ τὴν
τρίτην ὁμότονον ἔχει, ἀμηχάνου ὄντος ἓν ὄνομα δύο λαβεῖν
ὀξείας. καὶ τοῦ “τίθετε” βαρυτέρα μὲν ἡ πρώτη γίνεται,
δύο δ’ αἱ μετ’ αὐτὴν ὀξύτονοί τε καὶ ὁμόφωνοι. τοῦ τε
“κτυπεῖτε” ὁ περισπασμὸς ἠφάνισται· μιᾷ γὰρ αἱ δύο συλλαβαὶ 10
λέγονται τάσει. καὶ τὸ “ἀποπρόβατε” οὐ λαμβάνει τὴν τῆς
μέσης συλλαβῆς προσῳδίαν ὀξεῖαν, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὴν τετάρτην
συλλαβὴν μεταβέβηκεν ἡ τάσις ἡ τῆς τρίτης. τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ
γίνεται καὶ περὶ τοὺς ῥυθμούς. ἡ μὲν γὰρ πεζὴ λέξις
οὐδενὸς οὔτε ὀνόματος οὔτε ῥήματος βιάζεται τοὺς χρόνους 15
οὐδὲ μετατίθησιν, ἀλλ’ οἵας παρείληφεν τῇ φύσει τὰς συλλαβὰς
τάς τε μακρὰς καὶ τὰς βραχείας, τοιαύτας φυλάττει· ἡ δὲ
μουσική τε καὶ ῥυθμικὴ μεταβάλλουσιν αὐτὰς μειοῦσαι καὶ
παραύξουσαι, ὥστε πολλάκις εἰς τἀναντία μεταχωρεῖν· οὐ