CHAPTER VI. HARMONY-MELODY. § 264. MELODY is founded on pitch; and requires that the phrases or members of a sentence be so constructed and disposed that, in the pronunciation, the successions of pitch be pleasing to the ear. The term "melody," as applied both to style in composition and to elocution, has, for the most part, been used in a vague and indeterminate sense. Its use in music is. however, fixed; and there is obviously every reason for preserving to it the same radical import in all its various applications. In song, it denotes pitch in succession, and is clearly distinguished from rhythm, which respects accent in succession. In elocution, we perceive the necessity of maintaining the same distinction, and need, for this purpose, the same precision in the distinct use of the terms. The same necessity, likewise, exists in style. The exact relations of pitch to style are indicated in the fact that, in the oral delivery of discourse, the mutual dependence and connection of the particular constituents of the complex thought are expressed chiefly, although not exclusively, through the variations of pitch. While it belongs to elocution to define precisely what these variations are, it is the appropriate province of rhetoric to prescribe how the sentence shall be constructed so as to meet these qualities of an easy and agreeable elocution. More particularly, every constituent part of a complex thought, or the expression of it in a particular phrase, has, in a correct elocution, a pitch of its own by which it is distinguished from the other constituent parts. In passing from one phrase to another, the voice changes its pitch for the purpose often simply of making the transition, and with no reference to any emphatic distinction. These successive ranges of pitch, given respectively to the several phrases, may obviously be such as to be offensive to a musical ear. So far, therefore, as they are determined by the structure of the sentence, they need to be regarded in style. But, farther than this, the relations between the constituent thoughts are indicated, in delivery, chiefly, by the pitch of the voice. If, accordingly, the sentence be so constituted that these relations cannot appropriately be expressed with ease and agreeable effect under the limitations of the laws of vocal sounds, it is so far faulty; and the prevention or correction of the fault comes within the proper purview of rhetorical style. How far, and in what particular respects, the principles of melody in elocution may thus affect the style of discourse, will be exhibited in the sections which follow. § 265. Melody in style may be distinguished into two kinds; the melody of proportion, and the melody of arrangement. A fault in melody may be either in the time of the variations of pitch, the variations being too rapid or the contrary; or in the character of the variations themselves, being in their own nature unmusical. That species of melody which is founded on the time of the variations, or what amounts to the same thing, on the length of the phrases, is denominated the melody of propor tion. The melody of arrangement respects the character of the variations themselves, as judged by a musical standard. $ 266. The melody of proportion is founded on the relative length of the phrases or parts of a sentence; and requires that the discourse be neither frag mentary and abrupt, on the one hand; nor on the other, be made up of phrases too extended for easy elocution. The abrupt and fragmentary style is more tolerable in essays; and is more frequent in this department of writing. The following extract from Lord Bacon, however excellent in other respects, is deficient in melody. Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business; for expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars one by one, but the general counsels, and the plots and marshaling of affairs come best from those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules is the humor of a scholar: they perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. The opening sentence in Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, as well as the succeeding extract from Middleton, labor from being broken up by numerous qualifying clauses. Though for no other cause, yet for this; that posterity may know we have not loosely, through silence, permitted things to pass away as in a dream, there shall be for men's information extant thus much concerning the present state of the Church of God established amongst us, and their careful endeavor which would have upheld the same. And that it was not peculiar to the gift of language or tongues only, to be given at the moment of its exertion, but common likewise to all the rest, will be shown, probably, on some other occasion, more at large in a particular trea tise, which is already prepared by me, on that subject.— Middleton. The style of Ossian and of Young in his Night Thoughts is also deficient in this species of melody. Leave, blue-eyed Clatho, leave thy hall. Behold that early beam of thine. The host is withered in its course. No further look--it is dark. Light trembling from the harp, strike, virgins, strike the sound. No hunter he descends, from the dewy haunt of the bounding roe. He bends not his bow on the wind; or sends his gray arrow abroad.-Temora, B. v. Sense! take the rein; blind passion! drive us on; Night Thoughts. The opposite fault of this kind may be exemplified in the following extracts from John Howe: If we can suppose an offence of that kind may be of so heinous a nature and so circumstanced as that it cannot be congruous it should be remitted without some reparation to the prince and compensation for the scandal done to government; it is easy to suppose it much more incongruous it should be so in the present case.-Living Temple. And no doubt so large and capacious intellects may well be supposed to penetrate far into the reason and wisdom of his dispensations; and so not only to exercise submission in an implicit acquiescence in the unseen and only believed fitness of them, but also to take an inexpressible complacency and satisfaction in what they manifestly discern thereof, and to be able to resolve their delectation in the works and ways of God into a higher cause and reason than the mere general belief that he doth all things well; viz: their immediate delightful view of the congruity and fitness of what he does.--Ibid. In this class of faults-those against melody of propor tion, may be included, also, the joining together of disproportionately long and short members. The ear demands not only variety, but, also, a harmonized variety or proportion between the members of a sentence. The following sentence from Sterne is in this respect highly melodious: The accusing spirit which flew up to Heaven's Chancery with the oath, blushed as he gave it in; and the recording angel, as he wrote it down, dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever. By simply altering the length of one or two of the clauses, the melody may be entirely destroyed through a mere change of proportion between the parts. This may be done by leaving out in the last clause the phrase "upon the word," and also the word "forever"; thus, "and the recording angel, as he wrote it, dropped a tear and blotted it out." $267. THE MELODY OF ARRANGEMENT is founded on the variations of pitch which are requisite for expressing the proper relations between the constituent parts of a complex sentence, or more directly on those relations themselves; and requires that the sentence be so constituted that those relations may be easily expressed by the voice. It has been remarked, under § 264, that the vocal expression of the relations between the different parts or phrases of a complex sentence, or the grouping of speech, as it is called, is mainly effected by the function of pitch. In a melodious style, accordingly, the sentence must be so constructed that these relations may be easily expressed; in other words, so that there may be no confusion in the indication of the relations on the one hand, and no laborious effort be imposed on the voice in effecting this, on the other. |