ELEMENTS OF MUSICAL NOTATION, ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS EXERCISES, ROUNDS, PART-SONGS, ETC. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by MASON BROTHERS, in the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York. CHAPTER I. PROPERTIES OF TONES-DEPARTMENTS IN THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC. 81. A TONE (musical sound) has three essential properties-LENGTH, § 2. Hence, elementary musical instruction is naturally divided into 1. RHYTHMICS, treating of the length of tones. CHAPTER II. RHYTHMICS. MEASURES-BARS-NOTES-RESTS. § 3. Measures. The length of tones is measured by a division of time into equal portions; these portions of time are called MEASURES, or PARTS § 4. Measures expressed; counting and beating time. Measures and parts of measures may be manifested or expressed as follows: first, to the ear, by counting; second, to the eye, by motions of the hand called BEATS, § 5. Double Measure. A measure having two parts is called DOUBLE § 6. Manner of beating time. In beating time in double measure, a downward beat is usually made for the first part of a measure, and an up- § 7. Accent. The first part of a measure should usually be accented, NOTE.-While it is important that rhythmic accent may be observed, its constant automatic, or 88. Signs of Measures-Bars. Measures are represented by inter- measures. THE SCALE-ITS NAMES AND SIGNS. § 12. The Scale. Musical sounds, or tones, when considered with re- spect to the relation that exists between them, are arranged in a certain NOTE 1.-The word Scale is from the Latin Scala, meaning a ladder. The Scale is a musical NOTE 2.-The Scale, melodically considered, consists of eight sounds; but when considered with respect to harmony, of only seven sounds: the Scale consists of eight sounds, but seven sounds only are necessary to constitute a key. § 13. Names of the tones of the scale. The tones of the scale are named § 9. Signs of Tones. Tones (musical sounds) are represented by cha- from the name of numbers. beginning with the lowest, thus: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT. NOTE.-Observe that the names are not first, second, and third, nor are they No. 1, No. 2, and 8 14. The Staff. The relative pitch of tones is represented by a charac- § 15. Notes. Notes represent the length of tones, and also the order of § 16. Degrees of the Staff. Each line, and each space of the Staff, is called NOTE.-The word degree as applied to the Staff, is used to mean point, place, or position; thus 817. Added Lines and Spaces. The compass of the Staff may be extended THE SINGING SCHOOL. 8 18. Syllables. In elementary singing-exercises, or as helps to beginners, the following syllables are used in connection with the tones of the scale, and are applied to them, as follows: Scale names, Syllables as written, Syllables as pronounced, One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. § 19. The Scale represented on the Staff. The Scale may be represented on the Staff by notes in various positions; thus the note representing the tone one may be written on either line or space; but when the place of this note is fixed, notes representing the other tones must follow in their proper order. NOTE. The pupils should understand that the Scale has not necessarily any particular position or location on the Staff, but that the note representing the tone one may be written upon any of its degrees. § 20. Absolute Pitch Letters. Absolute pitch, or the pitch of tones independent of scale relationship, is indicated by letters, as A, B, C, D, E, F, G. § 21. C as one of the Scale. Key of C. In the first steps of musical study, C is taken as the pitch of the tone one, or as the basis of the scale, and the scale is then said to be in the key of C. The order of the scaletones in the key of C is thus: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. C is one, D is two, E is three, F is four, G is five, A is six, B is seven, and C is eight. EXAMPLE. The scale represented on the staff, with the names and pitch of its tones, and their appropriate syllables. 7 are two positions in which it is common to represent the C scale on the Staff. In the first, the note representing the tone one is placed on the added line below; in the second, the note representing the tone one is written on the second space. 23. Clefs. To determine the position and pitch of the scale as represented on the Staff, one of the letters is used as a sign or guide, and when thus used is called a CLEF. NOTE.-Clef is a French word signifying key; thus the clef-letter is a key or guide to the manner of representing pitch on the Staff. § 24. Clef-letters. The letters commonly used as Clefs are F and G. NOTE. The letter C is also taken for a Clef, and when thus used it has three positions, but since it is not much used in this country, and is gradually going out of use in Germany and England, it is not thought necessary to explain it here. 8 25. The F Clef is placed upon the fourth line, and determines the pitch of that line to be F; consequently C, or one of the C scale must be represented by the second space. § 26. The G Clef is placed upon the second line, and determines the pitch of that line to be G; consequently C, or one of the C scale must be represented by the added line below. NOTE.-It should be understood that a Clef is merely a letter differing in shape from its ordinary form. NOTE-The word key is used in this connection to signify the relationship of tones. Seven tones are required to constitute a tone-family, or a key; thus the key of C consists of the sounds C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. § 22. Common positions of the Scale as represented on the Staff. There §30. Derived forms of measure are obtained from primitive forms, by second parts of a measure, it is called the FIRST DERIVATIVE; when it is uniting the different parts of a measure. obtained by the union of the first, second, and third parts, it is called the SECOND DERIVATIVE. § 37. When in a derived form of measure the union of the parts com. mences with the first part, the derivative is said to be in the FIRST CLASS ; when the union of the parts commences with the second part, the derivative is said to be in the SECOND CLASS. § 38. The longer tone, occupying three parts of a measure, is represented by a note of a different form from the two previously introduced; this may be called the longer note. |