CHARACTER OF KEYS, in Music. Most of those writers who have brought forward irregular systems of temperament, or such wherein an invariable law is not observed (as far as the scale or number of notes in the octave will admit) in the temperament of the different concords, as in regular douzeavea for instance, in the case where eleven of the fifths are tuned equal, have insisted much on the advantages of what they call the peculiar character of certain keys, arising from their varied and often very considerable degrees of imperfection, in the principal concords of such keys. Earl Stanhope was one of those who insisted on the advantage of the great con trast of the harmony in some of the keys in his temper ament, when compared with others. This gave rise to a controversy on the subject in the Monthly Magazine, vol. 22 and 23, in which the very able and much to be lamented Dr Callcott took a part. From all, however, that we have read or heard, we are disposed entirely to disregard the characters of keys derived from their im perfections; and to contend, that nothing seems wanting to heighten the pleasure of hearing modulation skilfully conducted, on regularly tempered scales, and where the different keys are exactly alike tempered, as on D.
Locschman's patent instruments with 24 strings or pipes in each octave, or by able singers or violin players, who use no tempered harmonies whatever ; and the same has lately been more fully confirmed, by often hearing the Rev. Henry Liston's pltent organ, where every harmony is given absolutely perfect, and yet nothing seemed want ing in the effects of its modulations, or of the pieces per formed upon it in different la ys. ci ARACTER1ST1C NcerEs, in music, are the lead ing note, and the subdominant. Their uses in pointing out the key of a piece of music, where the proper num ber of sharps or flats happens not to have been affixed to the beginning of the piece, or supplied afterwards at the beginning of staves where modulation has taken place, are fully treated of by Dr Callcott, in his Musical Gram mar, art. 278, &c.