THE MUSICAL INSTRUCTOR, 1808-10

The Musical Instructor, [1st ed.], 1808

ASMI 138 

The Musical Instructor: containing a choice collection of psalm tunes, hymns, and anthems; together with the rudiments of music on an improved plan, wherein each sound and its distance from the key is always known by its name and character. All reduced to one uniform plan, and made familiar to the weakest capacity. For the use of singing schools and societies in the United States. By Nathan Chapin, and Joseph L. Dickerson. Philadelphia. Printed and sold by W. M'Culloch, No. 306, Market Street, near the University of Pennsylvania, sold also by M. Carey, No. 122, Market Street. M,DCCC, VIII.

100 p. 115 x 23 cm. p. 11-12, 17-100 engraved; p. 17 signed 'G. E. Blake, Philadelphia. Music printed in 7-shape notation.

Introduction dated Philadelphia, 1 Sept. 1808. Copyright granted, Sept. 1808, District of Pennsylvania, to Chapin & Dickerson as proprietors. p. [1], t-p.; p. [2] blank; p. [3], 'Index'; p. [4], copyright notice; p. [5]-6, 'Introduction'; p. 7-10, Introduction continued in 'Chapters'; p. 11-12, 'Examples'; p. 13-15, Introduction continued in 'Chapters'; p. 16, texts for 3 hymns; p. 17-100, music. 'In the study of Vocal Music, a knowledge of the notes is absolutely necessary, to acquire a correct knowledge of the interval of sounds, and ought to be the learner's introduction to every piece of music. As it is attended with con-siderable difficulty to establish in a Singing School or Society so necessary a basis as to be reduced to practice, that when the society is adjourned recourse is had to the words, and the notes are almost entirely neglected, by which the performer is liable, in a greater or less degree, to err from the true sounds. To remedy this defect, it is hereby endeavoured to afford to the public an uniform plan, whereby the names of the notes, their intervals of sounds and characters that represent them are made familiar at one view. [New par.] The use of practising sounds to certain names or syllables is to naturalize the seven sounds to names, and the names to certain notes or characters, that when we use the seven names, the same name ever means the same character, and is always the same distance from the key, and on the same letter in all parts of the same tune... [New par.] In the old British mode there appears to be an inconsistency in repeating faw, sol, law, twice above mi; as faw first, and faw second have different properties in the scale of sounds; faw second is never a key note, nor a flat third to a key, wherefore it has a distinction from faw first; law second is never a key note nor a sharp third to a key, therefore it has a different property from law first; sol second is never a second nor a fourth to a key, it also has a different property from sol first. From the above principle it appears that the use of the seven names are much less liable to error and has a greater tendency to facilitate the progress of the learner. [New par.] The use of the seven names to the seven sounds, lead to the necessity of making use of certain characters to point out those names and sounds which are represented in the following manner; when we attempt to sound the key in the major mode, or first sound ascending, it is expressed by faw and is known by a triangle; the second sound is expressed by sol, and is known by a round; the third sound is expressed by law, and is known by a square; the fourth sound is expressed by ba, and is known by a triangle and stroke through; the fifth sound is expressed by do, and is known by a round and stroke through; the sixth sound is expressed by na, and is known by a square and stroke through; the seventh sound is expressed by mi, and is known by a diamond, which names and characters never occur but on the lines and spaces corresponding with their respective degrees... [New par.] Those who prefer the use of the four names to the seven, may, with propriety perform by the scheme of the notes here laid down." (Extract from Introduction.)

          75 compositions, incl. 3 anthems & 3 set-pieces, for 4 voices, a few for 2 & 3; full text. Attribs. to Dr. Belknap, Billings (2), Brownson, Bull, Carpenter, Edson (2), I. Lewers, Dr. Madan, W. E. Miller, Read, I. Smith, Stephenson, Swan, Tansur, Williams. 2 1st Am. pr. identified (CONQUEST, NEW MILES LANE). 149 American compositions, 21 non-American, 5 unidentified [BARRINGTON, INDIAN PHILOSOPHER, LIVONIA, NEW MILES LANE, PORTUGAL] (11 attrib. Americans, 38 traced; 6 attrib. non-Americans, 15 traced [ASHLEY, AYLESBURY, CAMBRIDGE NEW, COLESHILL, FALCON ST., FAL-MOUTH, HOTHAM, JEWIN ST., MEAR, MILFORD, NEW COURT, OLD 100, POR-TUGAL, WALSAL, WELLS]). 28 Core Repertory.

          S14673 (MWA). DLC, MWA (lacks some front matter, all after p. 98).

NOTE: The seven-syllable solmization system advocated here (faw, sol, law, ba, do, na, mi) was devised by Andrew Adgate. See No. 2, above.