and improvement, and we cannot but admire and be in good humour while they are entertaining and teaching us, like the nightingale, during their wakeful intervals.

PART THE SECOND.

The finger, having learnt as it were to walk with the voice in plano et firmo cantu afcending, defcending, and ftriking the diftances neatly, like the fteps of the foot in the movement of the minuet, is next to be taught the ornaments and graces.

Here I would pre-admonish the master to discover and obferve the genius of the learners, their natural powers and efforts of imagination, not entirely to remove, but gently to correct, guide and improve them.

Many a fcholar hath been spoilt by injudicious inftruction in mufick, as well as in other branches of erudition.

The ornaments are the fwell, ftriking the notes plain, taking breath; and the

graces

graces are the glide, dragging, appogiatura, afpiration, flur, turn, fhake, shake and turn, divifion

This

The first ornament is the art of putting forth the voice in the manner of a fwell, called by the Italians Meffa di voce. is formed by giving strength to the voice gradually from piano foft to forte loud, and returning to piano, steadily, without any shaking, quaking, quivering, or trembling.

Some have not unaptly likened this progreffion of the voice to the shape of a barley corn, or to any fpheroidical figure, pointed at the Poles, that is, the ends, and broad at the Equator, that is, the middle.

A beautiful messa di voce, used sparingly and only upon the open vowels, can never fail of having an exquifite effect from the human voice, as well as from the throat of the nightingale.

This is not only ornamental, but useful; for it will prevent a too common and very ill effect, that of pushing the voice and driving it as it were with a kind of start or jerk into a fudden and boisterous loudnefs,

ness, or letting it drop into an extreme foftnefs.

A smooth, easy, and even delivery of the voice, is one great, if not the greatest, excellence in speaking and finging, and must therefore be carefully ftudied, preparatory to the next ornament, the manner of putting the voice on the notes.

Every note, especially femibreves and minims, should be ftruck plain and firm, like one who walks and marches well, with his foot fet on the ground and lifted up fmoothly, without any fhuffling and ftamping.

The beft method perhaps of acquiring this ornament may be one while to strike the notes fmartly and fully, then to take off the voice immediately, or in the words of Pier Francesco Tofi, "Let the finger not omit frequently to put forth the voice, and stop it, that it may always be at his command:" another while it will be right to continue every note a femibreve, then a minim, crotchet, quaver-full, but with-out any fwell from low, and equally foft or loud to the upper notes, accompanied

with the next ornament, that of taking breath and supporting the voice.

The art of taking breath and supporting the voice after the manner, which the Italians call foftenuto di voce, will prevent two common faults beginners are liable to, that of relaxing the voice into a fluttering, tremulous motion, and that of not paffing smoothly and readily from note to note, after the practice of those, who have no command of the voice, and fing in a very bad taste.

Obferve, there can be no command of the voice in public fpeaking or finging. without a perfect command of the breath; which therefore should be gained by learning to draw up the breath quick and without any noise, fully into the cheft and lungs, after the manner of holding the breath in the action of inspiration, and letting as little expire at a time as poffible: fufficient breath fhould be taken before. holding notes, a divifion and cadence.

To acquire a long breath, and to ftrengthen the lungs, there can perhaps. be found no better method than that of

running

running often up fome afcent, or ufing muscular exercise, especially in a morning, leisurely at first, and accelerating the motion near the top, without fuffering the lungs to play quick, in the manner called panting, either during the exercise or after its ceffation, but letting the breath expire or waste like the wind in a pair of bellows.

Next to this exercife, is temperance, particularly in the use of malt liquors, and avoiding all occafions of heats and colds, but especially of fudden cooling, either by ceffation of all motion, or by drinking any thing cold; which instantaneously stopping, and as it were congealing the boiling fluids in an over-heated body, bring on hoarsenefs, coughs, and other impediments of finging and health.

He, therefore, that would always be prepared with a voice and power of finging, or a capability of playing well, befides being in conftant practice, must avoid all excefs, as it is faid, "He that striveth for the maftery is temperate in all things," keeping nature cheerful and in conftant good humour, but free from all felf con