THE

PREFACE.

INGING of Pfalms is fo fit a part of Divine Service, fo natural an Expreffion of our Joy, and ferves to so many noble Ends, that it comes recommended to us by the Practice of all Nations, feems to be as ancient as publick Worship, and has had the good Fortune to be approv'd of by all Parties of what Denomination foever; and therefore the Pfalmift directs his Precept not to any peculiar Church of God, but to all Lands, to ferve the Lord with Gladness, and to come before his Prefence with a Song.

It has that Force upon the Paffions, as to compofe our Thoughts, to diffipate our Sorrows, and to enliven our Devotion. It fuits the Spirits when heavy with Grief, or exalted with Joy, and brings them into a Temper of grateful Serioufness. How ravishing and delightful is this Exercife when perform'd with Skill in a becoming, Manner? And how much unlike itself when made up harsh and difagreeable Sounds? They must have very hharmonious Souls, who can hear the one without Pleaure, or the other without Pain: I may appeal to agreat many of our Country Congregations for the Truth of this; and yet with how much difficulty are they p raded to Sing in Tune, or to forfake that they have been accustomed to? What terrible Outcries do they make ch Force has Prejudice) against any Alterations and their Under

Randing

ftanding does not help 'em to any Arguments against the thing itself, they immediately cry out Popery! A frightful Word, often made ufe of by fuch as have neither Knowledge enough to judge of a thing nor Prudence to let it alone. The Design of this Undertaking is to better and improve this excellent and useful Part of our Service, to keep up an Uniformity in our Parish Churches, and bring them as much as may be, to imitate their Mother Churches the Cathedrals; and therefore all the Tunes and Anthems are in Four Parts, and fo make up that fulness of Confonancy which cannot be expected in Two or Three: Each Part when fung alone, is as Mufical as could be allowed, which renders them easy to the Learner; and the Compass of the Parts is fuch, that there fhall scarce a Tuneable Voice be found, but one at least, of the Four Parts hall contain and confift of thofe Notes which that Voice will most naturally and easily perform; fo that all that are capable of Harmony may join in this Confort, and Young Men and Maidens, Old Men and Children may praise the Name of the LORD.

It is very much to be wifh'd that this Religious Exercife might be more efteem'd, and that (fince it is an effential Part of the Duty and Homage we owe to the Divine Majefty) a decent Performance of the fame might be countenanced and encouraged by the better fort; this would be a means to add to the Church daily, and make us glad to go into the Houfe of the LORD; this would tend so to cite and heighten the devotional Paffions, and fo to move the Affections of the Mind towards God, that our Pfalms and Hymns would become Spiritual Songs, when in Imitation of the bleed Chorus above, we fing unto the LORD, with Grace in our Hearts, and with the Voice of Melody.

PSALM

T

HE Gamut, or Scale of Mufick, confifts of Lines and Spaces, on which are placed thefe feven Letters, viz. A, B, C, D, E, F, G; which are repeated as often as the Compals of Mufick requires.

The three Characters which are in the Scale, viz. are the three Single Cliffs; the first of which is called the G Cliff, becaule the Letter G is placed on the fame Line with it; and in this Cliff is pricked the Treble, or highest Part in Mufick. The Second is the C Cliff, because the Letter C is pla ced on the fame Line with it; and in this are pricked the Medius, Tenor, and all inner Parts in Mufick. The Third is the F Cliff, because the Letter F is placed on the fame Line with it; and in this Cliff is pricked the Bass, or loweft Part in Mufick.

All Tunes are generally pricked within the Compass of five Lines, in

which

which the three Signal Cliffs are placed thus, The G Cliff on the fecond

Line, the
F Cliff on the fourth Line; the
on one Line, and fometimes on another.

C Cliff fometimes

But to prevent any Difficulty that might arife from the removal of the Cliffs, each of the four Parts in this Book is conftantly pricked in its own Cliff, i. e. the Treble is always in the G Cliff; the Medius in the C Cliff fet on the third Line; the Tenor in the C Cliff let on the fourth Line, and the Bafs in the F Cliff, as in this Example.

Thefe feven Letters, viz. A, B, C, D, E, F, G; are called Keys, each of which is a feveral Degree of Sound, which is more grave of acute, according to the Line or Space in which it is plac'd.

That thefe Degrees may be performed by the Voice, four Syllables, viz. Mi, Fa, Sol, La, are appropriated to the feven Keys in fuch manner, as to express their feveral Sounds, however varied by the [6] Flat and [] Sharp, and yet keep the fame Diftance of Sound cach to other; Eg. Sol is always the next Note after Fa; the fame Distance of Sound that is between Fa and Sol, fuppofing they are plac'd on the Keys C, D, is the fame in Vocal Musick, when they are plac'd on F, G, and to of the rest.

In a gradual Series of eight Notes are contained all the feveral Sounds in Mufick. Now thefe eight Notes are not fo many equal Degrees, but confift of five Tones or whole Notes, and two Semitones or half Notes, whole Order differs according to the Key they are compuced from.

The Key is the principal or fundamental Note of a Tune, to which the other Notes have proper Relation, and in which the Bafs always concludes. It is called Flat or Sharp, not from the Flats and Sharps fet at the beginning of the Tune, but with refpect to the Third, Sixth, and Seventh above it; for it the Third, Sixth, and Seventh above the Key be Leffer, the Key is Flat; if Greater, the Key is Sharp.

3 Thirds, &c. are called Greater or Leffer, according to the Number of Semitones contain'd in them. A Greater Third confifts of 4 Semitones; a Leffer Third of 3 Semitones; a Greater Sixth of 9 Semitones; a Leffer Sixth of 8; and fo of the Seventh, as will eafily be demonftrated, when :he Places of two Semitenes in the Scale ofeight Notes are obferv'd.

The Places of the Semitones are diftinguifhed by the Note Fa; E. g. from Mi to Fa, and from La to Fa is a Semitone; from Fa to Soi, fion Sol to La, and from La to Mi, is a Tone, as in this Scale, in which the Semitones are marked with a Star.

Any three of thefe Notes are called a Third, which reckon'd inclufively, contains but two Notes; now if one of thefe be a Semitone, that Third is called Leffer, but if they be two whole Tones, it is called Greater?

Thus