I. EXAMPLES. Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State! 2. O thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my fatherswhence are thy beams, O Sun, thy everlasting light! Thou comest forth in thy awful beauty-the moon, cold and pale, sinks in the western wave! The Impure quality of voice is used to express the action of the baser passions. It is also used in mimicry. The Impure Qualities are the Aspirate, Pectoral, Guttural and Falsetto. The Aspirate is the intense whisper, with little or no vocality. It is used to denote fear, secrecy, great caution, etc. EXAMPLES. (Pure, or Whisper). 1. Soldiers, you are now within a few steps of the enemy's outpost. Our scouts report them slumbering around their watch-fires, and entirely unprepared for our attack. Let every man keep the strictest silence, under pain of instant death. 2. Hark! I hear the bugles of the enemy! They are on their march along the bank of the river. We must retreat instantly, or be cut off from our boats. I see the head of their column already rising over the height. Our only safety is in the screen of this hedge. Keep close to it; be silent; and stoop as you run. For the boats! Forward! I. 2. VOCAL ASPIRATE. Hark! what was that? Hark! Hark to the shout! And now the work of life and death IIung on the passing of a breath; The Pectoral is the deep tone of despair and anger. It is used to denote great solemnity, and in describing the supernatural. It is orotund, very low in pitch, and is formed wholly in the throat. I. 2. EXAMPLES. O, I have passed a miserable night— The skies they were ashen and sober, It was hard by the dim lake of Auber It was down by the dark tarn of Auber, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Wier. The Guttural is a harsh throat-tone, lacking the orotund quality of the Pectoral-the language of hatred, intense anger, loathing and contempt. I. 2. EXAMPLES. I loathe ye in my bosom, I scorn ye with mine eye, And I'll taunt ye with my latest breath, "Curse on him!" quoth false Sextus; "will not the villain drown? But for this stay, ere close of day we should have sacked the town!" The Falsetto is a shrill, high-pitched tone, used in expressing pain or terror. It is also employed in imitating the female voice. EXAMPLES. I. When the lorn damsel, with a frantic screech And cheeks as hueless as a brandy peach, Cries, "Help, kyind Heaven!" and drops upon her knees 2. 3. "Now, Socrates, dearest," Xantippe replied, Now, whenever you speak of your chattels again, "Goodwife," quoth John, "did you see that moose? "A mouse?" Ay, a moose."—" Na, na, Guidman, It wasna a mouse, 'twas a rat. I've seen more mice than you, Guidman- Sae haud your tongue an' say nae mair- MELODY. Melody in Elocution is the effect produced upon the ear by the succession of vocal notes. Slides, and Cadence. It has reference to Pitch, Pitch relates to the elevation or depression of the tone. It varies according to the sentiment. It may be Natural, Low or High. Natural Pitch is used in all ordinary discourse. EXAMPLES. 1. England's sun was slowly setting o'er the hills so far away, Filling all the land with beauty at the close of one sad day; And the last rays kissed the forehead of man and maiden fair, Ile with step so slow and weakened, she with sunny, floating hair; He with sad bowed head, and thoughtful, she with lips so cold and white, Struggling to keep back the murmur, "Curfew must not ring to-night." 2. When Music (heavenly maid!) was young, Low Pitch is used in language serious, grave, sublime, grand, solemn, reverential and vehement. EXAMPLES. I. 2. I had a dream that was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air. Silence how dead, and darkness how profound; High Pitch is used to express sentiment lively, joyous or impassioned. It is also characteristic of fear and grief. SLIDES. Slides are inflections of the voice, used to prevent monotony and to give better expression to the idea. They are Ascending and Descending; both are united in the Circumflex. In music, the ascent or descent is made by distinct steps; but, in speech, the voice is bent more or less upward or downward. These changes are continually taking place, except in the monotone, and they give expression to the voice. Ascending Slides denote uncertainty, doubt, interrogation, and incompleteness of idea. I. 2. EXAMPLES. Hast thou ever known the feeling In the light of by-gone days; Was it the chime of a tiny bell, That came so sweet to my dreaming ear, That he winds on the beach, so mellow and clear, And he his notes as silvery quite, While the boatman listens and ships his oar, To catch the music that comes from the shore? Descending Slides indicate positiveness, determination, or a completion of the thought. EXAMPLES. I. Come one, come all, this rock shall fly Krave, stand aside! I'll have my freedom, or I'll die! |