rably so. It cannot often be introduced into narrative reading. Pathetic subjects, if not highly plaintive, when read with a grave tone, and with long drawn time, will be sufficiently expressive without the semitone. The pathetic character of the language itself, being enough to produce the desired impression. The semitone, however, is necessary to express grief, and vexation. It is the natural language of lamentation, sorrow, complaint, disappointment, and pity, in their highest degrees. It is appropriate to the penitential parts of supplication; but only to these—not to prayer in the form of requests, etc. The semitone is too much in use, in the pulpit, where it is often combined with a drawl, and a mixture of song; which, certainly, together, constitute a mode of utterance, which can only please those who have their own peculiar associations, to reconcile them to such offence against the laws of agreeable speech. Many persons perform all their religious services, as if under the constant pressure of severe bodily pain. The simple melody of speech, is appropriate to all those portions of discourse, where emotion, interrogation, and emphasis, do not intervene, and should never be broken, except for the purpose of expressing these. The rising slides of the voice, differ in intensity, from the simple suspension of the voice at a comma, up to the sneering octave, in scornful interrogation. The slides, and radical changes, appropriate to interrogation, emphasis, and emotion, are those of a third, a fifth, and an octave. The more intense the slide, the more earnest is the question, and the greater the degree of emotion expressed by it. Persons are less likely to fail in the right expression of interrogation, than in many other points of speech. The expression of interrogative sentences, is effected by con crete and discrete rises of a third, a fifth, and an octave. Words of long quantity, in such sentences, become interrogative by a concrete rise, and words that do not admit of extended quantity, acquire the interrogative intonation, by running along the line of the vanishing points of the long concretes, with the simple rise of a second. In instances of very intense and earnest questioning, the short syllables not only begin an octave higher than the long concretes, as just stated, but rise concretely, a third, a fifth, or an octave, in addition. Such combination of radical and concrete rise, is confined, however, to words and sentences of earnest and passionate interrogation. The greater the number of werds are on which the interrogative intervals fall, the more intensely earnest the sentence becomes. Vanishing stress, renders interrogation more passionate and emphatic. We deem this sufficient on the subject, as the object of this work is exclusively practical. Persons who wish to see the principles of interrogatory sentences more fully discussed, will do well to consult Dr. Rush's "Phisophy of the voice," on that subject. Indeed, on that and all others, connected with the art of speech, the most valuable information will be derived from its perusal nor is it in the slightest degree intended, by the author of this grammar to offer it as a substitute for that profound, original, and ingenious treatise. The rising radical movements of the voice, are employed in various degrees of intensity, to mark emphasis, condition, and admiration, and, (as has been already observed) interrogation. The downward movements of the voice, in the various degrees of intensity marked by the descent of a third, a fifth, and an octave, express strong exclusive emphasis, surprise, astonishment, wonder, command, reprehension, denunciatton, positiveness of conviction and determination, indignation, resolve, confidence, satisfaction, defiance, etc. We refer to examples under emphasis. Protracted quantity. Long drawn time, as has been already said, naturally assumes the form of the wave of the second. It is appropriate to subjects of a solemn and grand character, and has been fully treated under its appropriate head. Force. The use of force, under its various forms, has been already amply specified. So have that of the tremor of the voice, aspiration, and the guttural emphasis. DRIFT OF VOICE. Sometimes the use of the same elements of the voice prevails throughout the whole, or certain portions of a discourse, giving a peculiar character or coloring to expression, independent of emphasis, or solitary words. Dr. Rush is the first person who has drawn attention to this department of elocution. See sect. 45, of his Philosophy of the Human Voice. The diatonic drift, is the most common, and of most extensive application. It consists, principally, of a series of rising tones, with an occasional fall of a second. We have already stated under what circumstances it is applicable. It may be united with more or less of stress and quantity, and is subject to all possible varieties of quality of voice. All passionless subjects take on this drift, with occasional emphasis to mark the sense. Drift of the wave of the second. This drift is united necessarily, with slow time, can only be maintained on long quantities, and is limited to dignified, solemn, deliberate subjects. This, when united with long quantity, makes a drift of the wave of the semitone. It is adapted to all highly penitential, tender, and plaintive subjects. CONSPICUOUS EXAMPLE. Yet, O! Lord God, most ho-ly, O! Lord, most mighty. O! ho-ly and most merciful Sav-ior, deliver us not into the bitter pains of e-ter-nal death. The whole is semitonic; the words in italics take the wave. Drift of the downward third, and fifth. This is often united with vanishing, with compound, with median, and sometimes with radical stress. This union of elements, will express positiveness, conviction, indignation, surprise, denunciation, reprehension, reproach, authority, command. EXAMPLES. Positiveness. He is a prophet. John, ix. 5. I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. In these two examples, some of the emphatic words have an elevation of note, but the downward concrete is conspicuous, and is combined with stress. Denunciation. Woe unto thee, Cho-ra-zin; Woe unto thee Bethsai-da. “For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee, shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. Authority-command. He that be-liev-eth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoso-ev-er liveth and believeth in me, shall nev-er die. Uz-ziel, half these draw off, and coast the south With strict-est watch; these oth-er wheel the north; There is a downward concrete heard in the above in stances, and with marked stress. So in the following. Such where ye find, seize fast, and hither bring. A-bide in me, and I in you. Surprise, with conviction. And Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God. Reprehension. Why hast thou, Satan, broke the bounds prescribed To thy transgression, and dis-turbed the charge Of oth-ers, who approve not to transgress |