TABLI OP MINOR VMS.
C has B, E, and A, all flat.
D has B flat.
E natural, has G sharp.
F natural has A, E, A, and D, all flat.
G natural, has B and E, flat.
A natural, has neither sharp nor flat.
B flat, has B, E, A, D, and 0, flat. B natural, has F and C, sharp.
Example 15, shows the flats or sharps necessary for bringing the notes into their proper intervals, as has already been shown, according to what note may be selected for the key. Thus we see in the first instance two sharps, F and C, with the note D, whence we know the key, or mode, to be major : after the first double bar, we see two flats, B and E, whence we know the key to be E flat major. The order in which the flats suc ceed in augmentation, is this : B, on the middle line of tb e stave, is al ways the first, because F is the first of the•flat keys, and requires that B should be flat, to bring the notes to their proper intervals, for the next flat count a fourth upwards, and you have E flat, which added to B flat, gives the letter for the key ; again, count another fifth upwards, and you have A flat, making three flats, with E flat for the key. The figures under the stave, at Example 16, show the order in which they thus follow and accumulate. The sharps proceed exactly the reverse, for they count downwards; thus F, the first sharp, gives G for the key ; for each succeeding sharp, counted by fourths down the scale, gives the note immediately above it for its key ; there fore, counting the fourth downwards, we have C for the second sharp, and D for the key of two sharps : then, another fourth downwards, we find G, which be ing the third sharp, gives A for its key ; and, descending still another fourth, we have D sharp, with E for its key. In this manner we see the succession of sharps marked in Example 17. Minor keys take the signs of the major' keys, one third above them : thus B natural, minor, takes two sharps; which, by reference to the first table, will be seen to indicate the key of D major.
To elucidate what has been above said, respecting the ascent inid descent of an octave in the minor key, the reader is referred to Example 7th : it is in the key of G minor, with two fiats, B and E. It is to be remarked, that a sharp, prefixed en the line, or space, of any particular note, implies, that all notes of that name, wherever situated,whether octaves above, or below, are to be played sharp : a flat has the contrary effect, causing all to which it relates to be played flat. A na tural is applied either way ; when prefix ed to a note that should else be played sharp, it causes it to be played half a note lower; i. e. natural : when before a note that should else be played flat, it raises it a semi-tone, causing it to be played na tural. Those signs of sharp, or of flat, which are prefixed at the commence. ment of the stave, govern throughout the piece ; while those sharps, fiats, or natu rals, which are found interspersed among the notes in the music, indicate that only the succeeding notes of that name, con tained within that bar, are affected there by ; for those in the succeeding bars would be played according to the key of the piece, unless such accidental signs should be repeated in them. Besides, ac cidental signs may be contradicted in the same bar ; of which the chrometic pas sage, in Example 8th, will be a sufficient explanation.
There are various kinds of notes, all different in their elevation ; and there are various kinds of rests, each corre sponding with some one kind of note, di rects a pause or cessation of sound, during such time as the note corresponding with such rest would occupy in playing, ac cording to the measure. Example 9, shows the form of each kind of note in modern use. No. 1, is a semibreve,
which, in modern music, is held to be equal to a whole bar of common time. No. 2, is a minim, equal to half a semi breve. No. 3, is a crotchet, equal to a quarter of a semibreve. No. 4, is a qw ver, equal to half a crotchet No. 5, is semiquaver, equal to the fourth of a crotchet. No. 6, is a demisemiquaver, equal to the eighth of a crotchet : the rests which correspond with these notes, are placed under them respectively. A bar may be made up of one semibreve, or of two minima, or of four crotchets, or of eight quavers, or of sixteen semiquavers, or of thirty-two demisemiquavers, or of any mixture of those notes, provided their aggregate does not exceed the value of four crotchets in a bar, for common time ; or of three in a bar, for triple time. A dot, added after a note, causes it to be held half as long again as when not dot ted; and when two dots are put, they lengthen the preceding note to three fourths more than its original value ; at?. where a dotted minim and a crotchet make up the bar ; at 8, a crotchet, a.mi nim, and two quavers ; at 9, a' rotchet. four seiniquavers, a dotted crotchet, and a quaver ; at 10, only a semibreve. The commencement of Example 9th is mark ed with a C, through which is a perpen dicular stroke : this sign, either plain, or so intersected, means common-time of four quavers (or their equivalents) in each bar : when we see 2 it implies that there are only two crotchets, or four quavers, in each bar, as in Example 10th, in which every bar will be found to contain an equal measure of notes. When one or more notes are placed before the begin ning of the first bar, such always are de. ducted from the last bar, and, with its amount, will be found to form a complete measure. At No. 5 and 6, in Example 9th, we see the notes in three several forms ; the first are detached, the second four are tied, and the rest are all written in an abbreviated manner. The number of hooks, or strokes, affixed to the tail of a note, indicate its value : the more strokes, or ties, the shorter the note's duration: this will be seen also to affect the rest of all the shorter notes, in the same rittio with the notes they represent. Rests, being dotted, are equally affected as the notes themselves. Triple-time re lates to all measures which contain three, instead of four, equal parts; and is usually known by I, marked at the commence. ment, if the measures he of three crotch ets in a bar ; but if of three quavers, then is prefixed; sometimes we have 1, which implies nine quavers:, this last is almost exclusively peculiar to Irish mu sic. Regarding the above points, we refer to the explanations, No. 11, 12, 13: in the last, it will be seen that a qua ver•rest fills the place of the quaver wanting in the music to complete the measure. There is also a measure called 6 which is generally called compound common time, but which is, in fact, a spe cies of triple time. The reason given for clgssing it as a common-time measure is, that the beat of the foot, i. e. its tall, is at the first note ; and that the rise of the foot is in the middle of the bar ; whereas, in all kinds of triple-time, the foot rises at the third division of each bar. This is called beating time. The letters d and u, put under the notes in the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Examples, will show when the foot should fall (at d) and rise (at a). This operation is not necessary among good musicians; at all events, only one, that is, the leader of a hand, should ever beat the time, and then only loud enough to govern those who accompany him. Those performers who cannot feel the measure will never be the betterfor its being beat into them.