The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-24

The upper limit Of audible sound seems to have
been fixed by - spretz and others at - 900 vibrs-
tions In a second, tut 1t Is probable that tho CT
pacity of hearing notes remarkably high aud
sbiill differs widely in different individuals. We
need scarcely add that all The notes comprised |
between these extremes are not musical notes |
properly so.callcd-that Is, available In executed |
music Ia the modern pilnoforte Of seven COM
plcte octaves, the base corresponds to 2,%, |
the highest \ to 3.iS0 vibrations per second. In |
the violin. the fourth open string represents 1913,
while the highest note attainable on tue first
string may be fixed at $500 vibrations.
Speaking generally, the voice Of wOmen may be
said t. represent about twice IA many vibrations
M that of men. Thus, the compass OF atenor may
he set down between G-gs and As vibra-
uons, or II we take ramberlik's ovetptaissd G
sharp, 5A vibrations. On the other hand. the
voice OF soprano ranges from @, corresponding
to l0G, up to c, representing Lot, and In rare in-
stances to Z, equivalent to 1915 vibrations Tue
extreme scope Of the human voice (man's aud
womau's combined may be normally fixed
within four octavcs, from C-6j up to C-l0H.
Certain maryeously giitod ORGANS have had ex-
ceptonal limits. Those OF Cruvei, Catalan,
Patti, aud Nilsson will always he c Celebrated ON
this ground. The highest voice OF which we
have record seems to have been that OF Is star
della. whom Moz1t heard at Parma In 100,
WHICH NoUlNlNtl tuItt hiu ~ " vi pNAdNtHs duu
went up almost to 200 vibrations; also the
voices " cert in eunuchs, and especially OF the
famous Farnelii have had a very great range.
Apropos OF pitch" the writer reminds Us that
| a question OF some pr tctical consequences has
latterly been raised and solved, whereby 1t l.
now possible to tune instruments uniformly
IN all countries. Hitherto the severe theatres
Of Italy and Europe had adopted pitches differ
ing iron each other, and even IN the same
theatre the a bad gone on gradually RISING. At
Paris 10 100 10 was 400; later on, i,j aui In 1Sj1,
/ Az vibrations per second. This last number has
/ since remained steady at the Berlin Opera
! House; but the pitch Of the scala at Milan not
| long ago represented ijl, and TINT OF Covent
! Gard 4jj vibrations. 1t was indispensable to
/ hnd remedy for so grave an Inconvenience.
and IN international commissi1n at icngth nxsd
/ us th, normal pitch CASUALLY called lne dupason
normal a tuning fork giving AS viD atoms per
second Of time.
Respecting the tnbrc Of musical sounds,
which "a PRODUCED by the presence, In greater or
less rlmber and degree, Of the harm oncs which
accompany the f4ndamentl note, this work
presents us with some curious observations, on
which at present we cannot dwell Neither can
we follow the author Ia his evolution of the
modern scale. starting with the axiom that all
NOES. in order to please the ear must bear sim
pl' ratios to each other In regard to the number
o their vibrations per second. But his remarks
upon the so-called temperate scale On which,
or example, all music for the pianof)rte IL
yritten), and upon the propricty q dsplacng
Il by the exact scale. seem to deserve reproduc
ton. Promising that, In the development Of
music, attempts have constantly been made to
diminish the excessive number Of notes and 50
render practical execution easier. Prof Bias
crna shows that these attempts have all been
founded Oh the principle Of abandoning strictly
/ mathematical ratios, aud resting content with
T approximately correct notes, 80 long as the
error is not too rerceptbe to the ear. The
! fruit 81 these manifold efforts. which arose par
/ ticularly toward the end Of the seventeenth
century. l. the temperate scale, which reached
it, full development by means Of the worhs Of
Scbasti IN Bach who dedicated 10 10 forty -eig gut
Of his most inspired 1Igues and prelude. II Is
/ based on the punciple OF making no distinction
between tie MAJOR aud minor tone, Of con-
/ founding the major semi-tons with The minor
senl-tone, and considering the sharp Of one
note a. equal to the MT OF another-reducing.
I'm short all the notes Of an octave to twelve, as
sumed TO lie equidistant from each other" It
Is. = cour e. on this ptin iple that our organs
piAnofortes. Sc., are constructe J, whore al the
notes comprised in an octave are provided ~
| seven whi'e keys aud ave blach once.
The temperate scale has become gtner.l'y .c-
ceutrd, ma h-s come into taly u, tL.i, flr
the most part, our modern cAccu,ant musici us
DO longer know that Il is al lmplrf,c. conir.y-
an e boan Of transition INV ca ed t. su,ooil the
] practical difficulties vi musical execution. Yet
IL Is Ger ain that tie music found % On h. must
be accounted coa'se aud defective, FAR below
our seusiuil.ty and aspirations. 1har It is en-
I dured, and even thought beautiful. only shows
that our e-rs have been ~ ,temailc div I.l-iu.i
from infancy IAe aAtHor Of this bo0k eA-