Melody demands that the pitch on consecutive emphatic words also be agreeably varied. Our limited space will not allow us to mark the many possible permutations of pitch, which may constitute natural melody. We will only repeat the important general directions. Avoid monotony, by giving at most only two or three consecutive syllables, on the same

tone.

Avoid making unnatural changes of pitch, of more than one tone at a time.

Glide up the scale on the negative ideas, so that you will have room above the key-note, to slide down easily on the positive ideas.

COMPASS.

The compass of voice which should be used also depends on the 'spirit' of the piece.

The most 'joyous' and most 'impassioned' demand the widest range of pitch, and the greatest natural variety.

The unemotional' demands only moderate compass. The ' grave' demands still less variety and compass. And when the 'grave' deepens into supernatural awe or horror, by the same analogy, we may infer that natural variety or melody gives place to an unnatural sameness of utterance, with just that little variety of all the vocal elements which is necessary to express the sense at all.

Example for middle pitch' and 'moderate compass.'

"It is these which I love and venerate in England. I should feel ashamed of an enthusiasm for Italy and Greece, did I not also feel it for a land like this. In an American, it would seem to me degenerate and ungrateful, to hang with passion upon the traces of Homer and Virgil, and follow without emotion the nearer and plainer footsteps of Shakespeare and Milton."

'Joyous' example for higher pitch' and 'wider compass.'

"There was a sound of revelry by night,

And Belgium's capital had gathered then

Her beauty and her chivalry; and bright

The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men.
A thousand hearts beat happily, and when

Music arose with its voluptuous swell,

Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again,
And all went merry as a marriage-bell."

'Grave' example for lower pitch' and less than 'moderate

"And,

-

compass.'

when I am forgotten, as I shall be,

And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention

Of me more must be heard of, say I taught thee;
Say, Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory,
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honor,
Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rise in,
A sure and safe one, though thy master missed it.
Mark but my fall, and that that ruined me.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition:
By that sin fell the angels; how can man then,
The image of his Maker, hope to win by 't?
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's,

Thy God's, and truth's: then, if thou fall'st, O Cromwell!
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr!"

VOLUME.

'Full volume' is the most essential element in the truthful expression of noble' sentiment.

1. "MIND is the NOBLEST part of man; and of mínd, vìRTUE is the NOBLEST distinction. HONEST MAN, in the ear of Wisdom, is a grander name, is a more high-sounding title, than peer of the realm, or prince of the blood. According to the eternal rules of celéstial precedency, in the immortal heraldry of Nature and of Heaven, VIRTUE takes place of all things. It is the nobility of ANGELS! It is the MAJESTY of GOD!"

In addition to 'full volume,' 'noble' pieces demand slow time, or long quantity and pauses, long slides, and loud but smooth-swelling force on the emphatic words. Full volume distinguishes manly sentiments from the thin or fine tone of child-like emotions.

2. "But strew his ashes to the wind,

Whose sword or voice has served mankind.

And is he dead whose glorious mind

Lifts thine on high?

To live in hearts we leave behind,
Is not to die.

"Is 't death to fall for Freedom's right?
He's dead alone that lacks her light!
And Murder sullies in Heaven's sight
The sword he draws:

What can alone ennoble fight?
A noble cause!"

use.

STRESS.

Stress is not the degree but the kind of emphatic force we The same degree of loudness may be given to a syllable abruptly and suddenly, as in sharp command, or smoothly and gradually, as in the noble examples given above. This sudden and harsh kind of force we will call 'abrupt stress'; the other, 'smooth stress.'

PRINCIPLE.

'Abrupt stress' should be given to all abrupt or harsh ideas, and pleasant or smooth stress' to all good or pleasant ideas.

Mere command is abrupt; indignation, anger, defiance, revenge, &c., are all abrupt in their very nature; and, therefore, must be read with the abrupt stress.'

ABRUPT STRESS.

1. Impatient command.

"Hènce! home, you idle creatures, get you home.

You blocks, you STONES, you WORSE than senseless things! Be gone!

Run to your houses, fall upon your knèes,

Pray to the gods to intermit the PLAGUE

That needs must light on this ingratitude."

The force must be thrown with an abrupt jerk on the emphatic syllables.

2. Anger. (Loud as well as abrupt' force and 'long slides.')

"CASSIUS. That you have wronged me doth appear in this; You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella,

For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein, my letter, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, was slighted off.

BRUTUS. You wronged yourself to write in such a case.
CAS. In such a time as this it is not meet
That every nice offence should bear its comment.
BRU. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm;
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To undeservers.

CAS. I an itching palm?

You know that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
BRU. The name of Cassius honors this corruption,
And chastisement does therefore hide his head.

CAS. Chastisement?

BRU. Remember March, the ides of March remember. Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?

What villain touched his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What! shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world,
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honors,
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman."

3. Defiance. (Very' abrupt' and 'loud,' with 'long slides.')

"I have returned, not as the right honorable member has said, to raise another stórm, - I have returned to protect that constitution, of which I was the párent and the founder, from the assassination of such men as the honorable gèntleman and his unworthy associates. They are corrupt - they are SEDI- and they, at this very moment, are in a CONSPIRACY against their country! Here I stand for impeachment or trial! I dàre accusation! I DEFY the honorable gèntleman! I defy the GOVERNMENT! I defy their whole PHALANX! Let them come fòrth! I tell the ministers I will neither give thém quarter, nor take it!"

TIOUS

4. Indignation.

"Who is the man, that, in addition to the disgraces and mischiefs of the war, has dared to authorize and associate to our arms the tomahawk and scalping-knife of the savage? to call into civilized alliance the wild and inhuman inhabitant of the woods? to delegate to the merciless Indian the defence of disputed rights, and to wage the horrors of his barbarous war against our brethren? My lords, we are called upon as members of this house, as men, as Christian men, to protest against such horrible barbarity."