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such a manner as seemed, in each case, best suited to the accent of the words which were to be sung to them.

In the Scheme of the Tones, will be found all the various Endings made use of in this Psalter.

It will be remembered that, with three exceptions, the Intonation is not, according to the plan of the present Psalter, to be used by the congregation; but that it is to be sung by the Priest alone, or, otherwise, by only a certain portion of the Choir, in unison. This arrangement, as regards the Intonation, besides perhaps being the one most in accordance with its primary intention, has also, it is thought, the further advantage of greatly simplifying the use of the Ecclesiastical Chant by the congregation. For it has plainly the effect of reducing it, so far at least as they are concerned, to merely the Recitation-note, with the middle and final inflexions, (i. e., with the Mediation and Cadence). In other words, it reduces it to its primary and elemental character; viz., that of a simple recitation, or intoning, of the two halves of the verse, with an inflexion at the end of each of them.

And it will be observed, that we have endeavoured to make the system of pointing used in this Psalter, as much as possible in accordance with this fundamental idea of the Ecclesiastical Chant. Those words and syllables, indeed, of each verse, which are to be sung to the reciting or fundamental note, are found in the ordinary type of the work, i. e., in

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Roman character; while those which are to be sung to the exceptional inflexions, i. e., to the Mediation and Cadence, are printed in the exceptional Italic type.

It will also be observed that, in order to make it appear more plainly, where the simple intoning ends and the inflexion begins, there is a kind of zigzag bar (}) introduced, first into the music at the head of the Psalm (i. e., after the reciting note), and then afterwards, into the text of the Psalter, in the corresponding place, viz., between the Roman and Italic type.

With regard to the adaptation of the music, in the Mediations and Cadences of the Tones, to the words which are to be sung to them, perhaps the most natural mode would seem, at first sight, to be that of appropriating one syllable to each note; i. e., in other words, what is sometimes called the syllabic method. And perhaps this method might fairly be adopted as the rule for singing the Psalter, if it were not for two considerations ;-first, that it is impossible to avoid giving a certain rythm or accent to the several notes of the music, and secondly, that the quantity and emphasis of the syllables which would have to be sung to them, would not in every case correspond with the accent of the music. But this being the case, it has been thought necessary to depart from the syllabic method, in all those instances where there was a marked incongruity

between the accent of the words and that of the chant. Hence, in some instances, we have appropriated two or more notes to a syllable, in others two or more syllables to a note.

And we think it will be seen, on referring to the Psalter, that its mode of pointing is a natural expression of this view of the subject. It will be observed that, as the general rule, with regard to the mediation and cadence, is to sing a syllable to a note, so also generally, the syllables to be sung to them are each divided by a hyphen, (unless they form distinct words, in which cas ethey have, of course, a natural division of their own); and then, that, if the syllables and notes correspond in their number and accent, there is no other mark employed in the pointing, besides the hyphen just referred to. If, however, there be not a proper correspondence between the number and accent of the syllables and of the notes, and if it be therefore necessary to depart from the syllabic method, in order to meet this want of correspondence, then such departure is indicated by certain appropriate signs over the syllables, which mark their exceptional character. For example, if it be necessary to sing two syllables to one note,2 then the mark representing that note is elongated over those two syllables, and also there is no hyphen placed between them, (i. e., in the case of their forming parts of the same word); this omission, with the line over them, shewing that they are dealt with as if they were but a single syllable. If, however, there

are two or more notes to be sung to one syllable, then there are placed over such syllable certain marks corresponding to those notes, as they are expressed in the music at the head of the Psalm.

The following examples will illustrate each of these points. They shall be taken from the first part of the Te Deum, as sung to Tone 8. C.

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Or again, the following illustration will perhaps serve still further to elucidate the principle of pointing adopted in this Psalter. We will take one or two verses out of the last division of the Te Deum, and suppose them to be sung to Tone 3. B.

Tone 3. B.

Now we will first mark the mediations and endings of the verses, so as exactly to correspond with the above stave of music; placing over the syllables in each, just as many marks as there are notes, in the music to be sung to them. We will then repeat the verses, with the marks expunged, in every case

where there is just one syllable, neither more nor less, to be sung to a note.

First, then, we will give the verses, with all the notes of the mediation and ending placed over the syllables :

O Lord, save thy peo-ple: and bless thine her-i- tage. Vouch-safe, O Lord: to keep us this

O Lord, have mercy up-on us: have

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day with-out sin.

mercy up-on us.

In each of these verses it will be seen that there are exactly as many marks over the syllables in the Mediations and Cadences, as there are notes in the music of the Tone, as given above.

Let us, then, now proceed to expunge the marks, in all those cases where there is just one syllable to a note, neither more nor less; leaving them only in such instances as form exceptions to the syllabic method. The verses will then appear exactly as they would be pointed, according to the principle adopted in this Psalter.

O Lord, save thy peo-ple: and | bless thine her-i-tage.

This is strictly according to the syllabic method. Vouch- | safe, O Lord: to keep us this | day with-out sin. Here there are two exceptions, each of them having two notes to a syllable.

O Lord, have mercy up-on us: have mercy up-on us.

In this third verse there are three exceptions; two ofthem being cases oftwo syllables to one note, and the other a case of two notes to one syllable.

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