Observations on the Florid Song, Or, Sentiments on the Ancient and Modern Singers |
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Abuses Airs Allegro Ancients Applause Appog Appoggiatura Art of Singing ascend Author Bass Beat Beauty become Cadences Cantata's CHAP Composers Compositions correct Defects descending difficult distinguish Divisions Earl of PETERBOROUGH endeavour Errors Esteem Examples excellent Expression Falsetto Fault Flat give Graces gradually Harpsichord hear heard Hemistich high Notes Ignorance imitate Instructions Instruments Invention Italian Italy learn'd Lesson Let him learn Let the Master lose Lovers of Musick mark'd ment Merit Messa Messa di Voce Milesian Mode Moderns Motets Motion Nature necessary neral never Numb Number obliged open Vowels Opera's Opinion Palestrina Pathetick Perfection Performers Piano pleasing Profession Professors Publick Reason Recitatives rise Rules Scho Semitone Major Shake shew Singer Sol-Fa-ing Soprano Soul speak Stile Study Suidas sung Taste teach Tetrachords Things Throat tion tiresome Tone Major Treatise Virgil vobis Voice Volubility Vowels whence Whoever Words yourselves
Popular passages
Page 93 - In the first they require nothing but the simplest Ornaments, of a good Taste and few, that the Composition may remain simple, plain, and pure; in the second they expect, that to this Purity some artful Graces be added, by which the Judicious may hear, that the Ability of the Singer is greater; and, in repeating the Air, he that does not vary it for the better, is no great Master.
Page 128 - Every Air has (at least) three Cadences, that are all three final. Generally speaking, the Study of the Singers of the present Times consists in terminating the Cadence of the first Part with an overflowing of Passages and Divisions at Pleasure, and the Orchestre waits; in that of the second the Dose is encreased, and the Orchestre grows tired; but on the last Cadence, the Throat is set a going, like a Weathercock in a Whirlwind, and the Orchestre yawns.
Page 152 - ... much more difficult to sing well than to act well, the merit of the first is beyond the second. What a felicity would it be to possess both in a perfect degree?
Page 22 - Let him attend with great care to the voice of the scholar, which, whether it be di petto or di testa, should always come forth neat and clear, without passing through the nose or being choked in the throat, which are two of the most horrible defects in a singer, and past all remedy if once grown into a habit.
Page 23 - A diligent master, knowing that a soprano, without the falsetto, is constrained to sing within the narrow compass of a few notes, ought not only to endeavour to help him to it but also to leave no means untried, so to unite the feigned (falsetto) and natural voice that they may not be distinguished ; for if they do not perfectly unite, the voice will be of divers registers and consequently lose its beauty.
Page 39 - ... if they mark them that they may acquire the glorious Name of a Virtuoso alia Moda, or a Composer in the new Stile, they ought at least to know, that the Addition of one Note costs little Trouble, and less Study. Poor Italy! pray tell me; do not the Singers nowa-days know where the Appoggiatura's are to be made, unless they are pointed at with a Finger?
Page 171 - The delightful soothing cantabile of the other, joined with the sweetness of a fine voice, a perfect intonation, strictness of time, and the rarest productions of genius in her embellishments, are qualifications as peculiar and uncommon as they are difficult to be imitated. The pathetic of the one, and the rapidity of the other, are distinctly characteristic.
Page 88 - If, out of a particular Indulgence to the sex, so many female singers have the Graces set down in Writing, one that studies to become a good Singer should not follow the Example; whoever accustoms himself to have Things put in his Mouth, will have no Invention, and become a Slave to Memory.
Page 159 - Many graces may be very good and proper for a Violin, that would be very improper for a Hautboy ; and so with every Species of Instruments that have something peculiar. It is a very great Error (too much in Practice) for the Voice, (which should serve as a standard to be imitated by Instruments,) to copy all the Tricks practised on the several Instruments, to its greatest Detriment.
Page 94 - Purity some artful Graces be added, by which the judicious may hear, that the Ability of the Singer is greater; and, in repeating the Air, he that does not vary it for the better, is no great Master. ' Let a Student, therefore, accustom himself to repeat them always differently, for, if I mistake not, one that abounds in Invention, though a moderate Singer, deserves much more esteem, than a better who is barren of it; for this last pleases the connoisseurs but for once, whereas the other, if he does...