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CHAPTER XI

VERSE FORMS[56]

No pupil has passed through the graded schools without being told that he should not sing verses, though no one is inclined to sing prose. One can scarcely help singing verse, and one cannot well sing prose.

What is there about the form that leads a person to sing verses of poetry? For example, when a person reads the first lines of “The Lady of the Lake,” he falls naturally into a sing-song which can be represented by musical notation as follows:—

^ ^ ^ ^
eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note
“The stag at eve had drunk his fill,
^ ^ ^ ^
eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note
Where danced the moon on Mon an’s rill,
^ ^ ^ ^
eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note
And deep his mid night lair had made
^ ^ ^ ^
eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note
In lone Glenart ney’s ha zel shade.”

^ ^ ^ ^
eighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter note
“The stag at eve had drunk his fill,
^ ^ ^ ^
eighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter note
Where danced the moon on Monan’s rill,
^ ^ ^ ^
eighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter noteeighth notequarter note
And deep his midnight lair had made