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not only use Blank-verfe in Tragedy and the Epic, but even in Lyric Poetry. Milton's tranflation of Horace's Ode to Pyrrha is univerfally known, and generally admired, in our opinion much above its merit. There is an Ode extant without Rhyme addreffed to Evening by the late Mr. Collins much more beautiful; and Mr. Warton with fome others has happily fucceeded in divers occafional pieces, that are free of this reftraint: but the number in all of these depends upon the fyllables, and not upon the feet, which are unlimited.

It is generally fuppofed that the genius of the English language will not admit of Greek or Latin measure: but this, we apprehend, is a mistake owing to the prejudice of education. It is impoffible that the fame measure, composed of the fame times, fhould have a good effect upon the ear in one language, and a bad effect in another. The truth is, we have been accustomed from our infancy to the numbers of English Poetry, and the very found and fignification of the words difpofe the ear to receive them in a certain manner; fo that its difappointment must be attended with a difagreeable fenfation. In imbibing the first rudiments of education, we acquire, as it were, another ear for the numbers of Greek and Latin Poetry, and this being referved entirely for the founds and fignifications of the words, that conftitute thofe dead languages, will not easily accommodate itself to the founds of our vernacular tongue, though conveyed in the fame time and meafure. In a word Latin and Greek have annexed to them the ideas of the antient measure, from which they are not eafily disjoined. But we will venture to fay, this difficulty might be furmounted by an effort of attention and a little practice; and in that cafe we should in time be as well pleased with English as with Latin hexameters.

Sir Philip Sidney is faid to have miscarried in his effays; but his mifcarriage was no more than that of failing in an attempt to introduce a new fashion, The failure was not owing to any defect or imperfection in the scheme, but to the want of taste, to the irrefolution and ignorance of the public. Without all doubt the antient measure, so different from that of modern Poetry, muft have appeared remarkably uncouth to people in general, who were ignorant of the claffics; and nothing but the countenance and perfeverance of the learned could reconcile them to the alteration. We have feen feveral late fpecimens of English hexameters and fapphics, fo happily compofed, that by attaching them to the idea of antient measure, we found them in all refpects as melodious and agreeable to the ear, as the works of Virgil and Anacreon, or Horace.

Though the number of fyllables diftinguishes the nature of the English verfe from that of the Greek and Latin, it conftitutes neither harmony, grace, nor expreffion. These must depend upon the choice of words, the feat of the accent, the pause, and the cadence. The accent, or tone, is understood to be. an elevation or finking of the voice in reciting : the paufe is a reft, that divides the verfe into two parts, each of them called an hemiftich. The paufe and accent in English Poetry vary occafionally, according to the meaning of the words; fo that the hemiftich does not always confift of an equal number of fyllables; and this variety is agreeable, as it prevents a dull repetition of regular ftops, like those in the French verfification, every line of which is divided by a paufe exactly in the middle. The cadence comprehends that poetical style, which animates every line, that propriety, which gives ftrength and expreffion, that numerofity, which renders the verfe fmooth, flowing, and harmonious, that fig

nificancy,

nificancy, which marks the paffions, and in many cafes makes the found an echo to the fenfe. The Greek and Latin languages, in being copious and ductile, are fufceptible of a vaft variety of cadences, which the living languages will not admit: and of thefe a reader of any ear will judge for himself.

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A SCHOOL in the Polite Arts properly fignifies that fucceffion of Artifts, which has learned the prin ciples of the art from fome eminent master, either by hearing his leffons, or ftudying his works, and confequently who imitate his manner either through defign or from habit. Muficians feem agreed in making only three principal schools in mufic; namely, the fchool of Pergolefe in Italy, of Lully in France, and of Handel in England; though fome are for making Rameau the founder of a new school, different from thofe of the former, as he is the inventor of beauties peculiarly his own.

Without all doubt Pergolefe's mufic deferves the firft rank: though excelling neither in variety of movements, number of parts, nor unexpected flights, yet he is univerfaliy allowed to be the mufical Raphael of Italy. This great mafter's principal art confifted in knowing how to excite our paffions by founds, which feem frequently oppofite to the paffion they would exprefs: by flow folemn founds he is fometimes known to throw us into all the rage of battle; and even by fafter movements he excites melancholy in every heart, that founds are capable of affecting. This is a talent, which feems born with

the

the artist. We are unable to tell why fuch founds affect us they seem no way imitative of the paffion they would exprefs, but operate upon us by an inexpreffible fympathy; the original of which is as infcrutable as the fecret fprings of life itself. To this excellence he adds another, in which he is fuperior to every other artift of the profeffion, the happy tranfition from one paffion to another. No dramatic poet better knows to prepare his incidents than he : the audience are pleafed in those intervals of paffion with the delicate, the fimple harmony, if I may fo express it, in which the parts are all thrown into fugues, or often are barely unifon. His melodies alfo, where no paffion is expreffed, give equal pleafure from this delicate fimplicity: and I need only inftance that song in the Serva Padrona, which begins Lo conofco a quegl' occelli, as one of the finest inftances of excellence in the duo.

The Italian artifts in general have followed his manner, yet feem fond of embellifhing the delicate fimplicity of the original. Their ftyle in mufic feems fomewhat to resemble that of Seneca in writing, where there are fome beautiful starts of thought; but the whole is filled with ftudied elegance and unaffecting affectation.

Lully in France first attempted the improvement of their mufic, which in general resembled that of our old folemn chaunts in churches. It is worthy of remark in general, that the mufic of every country is folemn in proportion as the inhabitants are merry; or, in other words, the merrieft fprightlieft nations are remarked for having the floweft mufic; and thofe, whofe character it is to be melancholy, are pleased with the moft brifk and airy movements. Thus in France, Poland, Ireland, and Switzerland, the national mufic is flow, melancholy, and folemn; in Italy, England, Spain, and Germany, it is fafter, propor

proportionably as the people are grave. Lully only changed a bad manner, which he found, for a bad one of his own. His drowsy pieces are played ftill to the most sprightly audience that can be conceived; and even though Rameau, who is at once a musician and a philofopher, has fhown both by precept and example, what improvements French mufic may ftill admit of, yet his countrymen feem little convinced by his reafonings; and the Pont-neuf tafte, as it is called, ftill prevails in their beft perfor

mances.

The English school was firft planned by Purcel: he attempted to unite the Italian manner, that prevailed in his time, with the antient Celtic carol and the Scotch ballad, which probably had alfo its origin in Italy; for fome of the best Scotch ballads ("The Broom of Cowdenknows," for inftance) are ftill ascribed to David Rizzio. But be that as it will, his manner was fomething peculiar to the English; and he might have continued as head of the English fchool, had not his merits been entirely eclipfed by Handel. Handel, though originally a German, yet adopted the English manner: he had long laboured to please by Italian compofition, but without fuccefs; and though his English Oratorios are accounted inimitable, yet his Italian Operas are fallen into oblivion. Pergolefe excelled in paffionate fimplicity; Lully was remarkable for creating a new fpecies of mufic, where all is elegant, but nothing paffionate or fublime: Handel's true characteristic is fublimity: he has employed all the variety of founds and parts in all his pieces: the performances of the reft may be pleafing, though executed by few performers; his require the full band. The attention is awakened, the foul is roufed up at his pieces; but diftinct paffion is feldom expreffed. In this particular he has

feldom

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