1 5. It has been a matter much debated among the learned, whether the ancients Ns-ere possessed of harmony, in the mo dern sense of the word—that is, of music in parts. For a full and very candid account of the controversy, we refer the reader to Dr. Butney's dissertation on the music of the ancients, prefixed to the 1st vol. of his History. The ac count already given of the scale of the Greeks, art. 1 O. shows that it could not furnish any sufferable combinations, but fourths, fifths, and octaves ; and the conclusion to which the most learned and unprejudiced inquirers have come, Meibomius, Dr. Wallis, M. Burette, Padre Alartini, &c. is, that the ancients were ignorant of counterpoint, or music in parts.
1 6. In the general wreck of literature and the arts which followed the irruption of the barbarous nations into the western empire, music found an asylum in the church. It was there that some knowledge of ancient music was pre served; and that new inventions originated, which, in pro cess of time refilled and perfected, became the modern sys tem of harmony. The practice of singing, psalms and spiritual songs is recommended by the Apostles, both by precept and example; and, there can be no doubt, was adopted in the meetings of the first Christians for social wor ship, and for mutual encouragement, comfort, and edifica tion. It is reasonable to suppose that this music was taken at first, rather from the sacred songs of the Hebrews than front the temple worship of the heathens. When afterwards the church began to imitate the splendour of the Pagan worship, and adopted their images and processions, we may believe she would adopt their music also. Of this indeed, as Dr. Burney observes, the Nersification of the hymns re cei% ed into the service oldie church, affords an indisputable proof, as it by no means resembles that of the psalms or any other I lebrew poetry. Examples may be found in all the breviaries, missals, and antiphonaries, ancient and modern, of every form of versification practised by the Greek and Roman lyric poets. Prudentius, a Christian poet, who died toward the end of the fourth century, was author of most of the hymns in the Roman breviary. About the middle of the fourth century, Flavianus, bishop of Antioch, established a regular choir in his church, which he tlivided into two parts, and made them sing the psalms of David alternately.
This practice, says Theodoret, which began at Antioch, af terwards spread itself to the end of the world. This is called Antiphonal singing, and out of it afterwards grew harmony in fugue.
17. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, introduced this practice into the western church, towards the end of the fourth cen tury. He also chose four modes, in which he appointed the service of his church to be sung. To these modes the old Greek names of Dorian, Phrygian, ./Eolian, and Myxoly dian were given; but the Grecian modes were really the same scale in dill-dent keys, whereas the Ambrosiali are merely the same series of sounds as they lie in one scale, reckoned successively from 1), E, F, and G. These four modes are called Authentic. To each of these Pope Gre gory the Great, about 230 years after, in the beginning of the seventh century, added what was called its plagal, that is, according to the most probable derivation, its adjunct or collateral mode. Each of these had the same final or key note as its relative authentic, from which there is no other difference than that the melodies in the four authentic or principal modes are generally confined within the eight notes above the key-note, and those of the four plagal or re lative modes within the compass of the eight notes below the fifth of the key. " Utile chant," says Rousseau, " tle scends three degrees below the tonic or key note, then the tone (or mode) is plagal." These are called the eight eccle siastical tones or modes. The following- examples, which are taken from Dr. Burney, but given in a notation more familiar to our readers, exhibit the essential features of each.
Each tone, besides- its final, with which the -psalm or chant generally begins, hut always ends, has another essen tial note, called its dominant, which prevails chiefly in the song.; and this makes another distinction between the au thentic and plagal modes. Here is a table of the finals and dominants of the tones.
The only accident allowable in the Ecclesiastical modes is a flat to B, which is temoved by a 1:1. No character )K‹ oc curs in genuine chants of 114.111 antiquity. Hence the bald conclusion of the second of these examples, like what We still hear in the Psalmody in country churches. The third of these examples is called irregular, because it does not appear to belong to any of the modes.