much; but still greater Advantage may be gain'd from the ill-natur'd
Criticks; for, the more intent they are to discover Defects, the greater
Benefit may be receiv'd from them without any Obligation.
Sec. 27. It is certain, that the Errors corrected by our Enemies are better
cur'd, than those corrected by ourselves; for we are apt to indulge our
Faults, nor can we so easily perceive them.
Sec. 28. He that sings with Applause in one Place only, let him not have
too good an Opinion of himself; let him often change Climates, and then
he will judge better of his Talent.
Sec. 29. To please universally, Reason will tell you, that you must always
sing well; but if Reason does not inform you, Interest will persuade you
to conform to the Taste of that Nation (provided it be not too deprav'd)
which pays you.
Sec. 30. If he that sings well provokes Envy, by singing better he will get
the Victory over it.
Sec. 31. I do not know if a perfect Singer can at the same time be a
perfect Actor; for the Mind being at once divided by two different
Operations, he will probably incline more to one than the other; It
being, however, 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![96]
Sec. 32. Having said, a Singer should not copy, I repeat it now with this
Reason; that to copy is the part of a Scholar, that of a Master is to
invent.
Sec. 33. Let it be remembered by the Singer, that copying comes from
Laziness, and that none copy ill but out of Ignorance.
Sec. 34. Where Knowledge with Study makes one a good Singer, Ignorance with
one single Copy makes a thousand bad ones; however, among these there
are none that will acknowledge her for a Teacher.
Sec. 35. If many of the female Singers (for whom I have due Respect) would
be pleased to consider, that by copying a good one, they are become very
bad ones, they would not appear so ridiculous on the Stage for their
Affectation in presuming to sing the _Airs_ of the Person they copy,
with the same Graces. In this great Error, (if it does not proceed from
their Masters) they seem to be governed by Instinct, like the inferior
Creatures, rather than by Reason; for That would shew them, that we may
arrive at Applause by different ways, and past Examples, as well as one
at this present make us sensible, that two Women would not be equally
eminent if the one copy'd the other.[97]
Sec. 36. If the Complaisance, which is due to the fair Sex, does not excuse
the Abuse of copying when it proves prejudicial to the Profession, what
ought one then to say of those Men, who, instead of inventing, not only
copy others of their own Sex, but also Women. Foolish and
shameful!----Supposing an Impossibility, _viz._ that a Singer has
arrived at copying in such a Manner as not to be distinguished from the
Original, should he attribute to himself a Merit which does not belong
to him, and dress himself out in the Habits of another without being
afraid of being stripp'd of them?
Sec. 37. He, that rightly knows how to copy in Musick, takes nothing but
the Design; because that Ornament, which we admire when _natural_,
immediately loses its Beauty when _artificial_.
Sec.38. The most admired Graces of a Professor ought only to be imitated,
and not copied; on Condition also, that it does not bear not even so
much as a Shadow of Resemblance of the Original; otherwise, instead of a
beautiful Imitation, it will become a despicable Copy.
Sec. 39. I cannot decide, which of the two deserves most to be despised,
one who cannot imitate a good Singer without _Caricatura's_, or He that
cannot imitate any well but bad ones.
Sec. 40. If many Singers knew, that a bad Imitation is a contagious Evil,
to which one who studies is not liable, the World would not be reduc'd
to the Misfortune of seeing in a _Carnaval_ but one Theatre provided
with eminent Performers, without Hopes of[98] an approaching Remedy.
Let them take it for their Pains. Let the World learn to applaud Merit;
and (not to use a more harsh Expression) be less complaisant to Faults.
Sec. 41. Whoever does not know how to steal the Time in Singing, knows not
how to Compose, nor to Accompany himself, and is destitute of the best
Taste and greatest Knowledge.[99]
Sec. 42. The stealing of Time, in the _Pathetick_, is an honourable Theft
in one that sings better than others, provided he makes a Restitution
with Ingenuity.
Sec. 43. An Exercise, no less necessary than this, is That of agreeably
_putting forth_ of the Voice, without which all Application is vain.
Whosoever pretends to obtain it, must hearken more to the Dictates of
the Heart, than to those of Art.
Sec. 44. Oh! how great a Master is the Heart! Confess it, my beloved
Singers, and gratefully own, that you would not have arrived at the
highest Rank of the Profession if you had not been its Scholars; own,
that in a few Lessons from it, you learned the most beautiful
Expressions, the most refin'd Taste, the most noble Action, and the most
exquisite Graces: Own, (though it be hardly credible) that the Heart
corrects the Defects of Nature, since it softens a Voice that's harsh,
betters an indifferent one, and perfects a good one: Own, when the Heart
sings you cannot dissemble, nor has Truth a greater Power of persuading:
And, lastly, do you convince the World, (what is not in my Power to do)
that from the Heart alone you have learn'd that _Je ne scai quoy_, that
pleasing Charm, that so subtily passes from Vein to Vein, and makes its
way to the very Soul.
Sec. 45. Though the way to the Heart is long and rugged, and known but to
few, a studious Application will, notwithstanding, master all Obstacles.
Sec. 46. The best Singer in the World continues to study, and persists in
it as much to maintain his Reputation, as he did to acquire it.
Sec. 47. To arrive at that glorious End, every body knows that there is no
other Means than Study; but That does not suffice; it is also necessary
to know in what Manner, and with whose Assistance, we must pursue our
Studies.
Sec. 48.[100] There are now-a-days as many Masters as there are Professors
of Musick in any Kind; every one of them teaches, I don't mean the first
Rudiments only, (That would be an Affront to them;) I am now speaking of
those who take upon them the part of a Legislator in the most finished
part in Singing; and should we then wonder that the good Taste is near
lost, and that the Profession is going to Ruin? So mischievous a
Pretension prevails not only among those, who can barely be said to
sing, but among the meanest instrumental Performers; who, though they
never sung, nor know how to sing, pretend not only to teach, but to
perfect, and find some that are weak enough to be imposed on. But, what
is more, the instrumental Performers of some Ability imagine that the
beautiful Graces and Flourishes, with their nimble Fingers, will have
the same Effect when executed with the Voice; but it will not do[101]. I
should be the first to condemn the magisterial Liberty I take, were it
meant to give Offence to such Singers and instrumental Performers of
Worth, who know how to sing, perform, and instruct; but my Correction
aims no farther than to the Petulancy of those that have no Capacity,
with these few Words, _Age quod agis_; which (for those who do not
understand _Latin_) is as much as to say,-----Do You mind your _Sol-fa_;
and You, your Instrument.
Sec. 49. If sometimes it does happen, that an indifferent Master should
make an excellent Disciple, it is then incontestable, that the Gift of
Nature in the Student is superior to the Sufficiency of the Instructor:
and it is not to be wonder'd at, for, if from time to time, even great
Masters were not outdone, most of the finest Arts would have sunk before
now.
Sec. 50. It may seem to many, that every perfect Singer must also be a
perfect Instructor, but it is not so; for his Qualifications (though
ever so great) are insufficient, if he cannot communicate his
Sentiments with Ease, and in a Method adapted to the Ability of the
Scholar; if he has not some Notion of Composition, and a manner of
instructing, which may seem rather an Entertainment than a Lesson; with
the happy Talent to shew the Ability of the Singer to Advantage, and
conceal his Imperfections; which are the principal and most necessary
Instructions.
Sec. 51. A Master, that is possessed of the abovementioned Qualifications,
is capable of Teaching; with them he will raise a Desire to study; will
correct Errors with a Reason; and by Examples incite a Taste to imitate
him.
Sec. 52. He knows, that a Deficiency of Ornaments displeases as much as the
too great Abundance of them; that a Singer makes one languid and dull
with too little, and cloys one with too much; but, of the two, he will
dislike the former most, though it gives less Offence, the latter being
easier to be amended.
Sec. 53. He will have no Manner of Esteem for those who have no other
Graces than gradual _Divisions_[102]; and will tell you, Embellishments
of this Sort are only fit for Beginners.
Sec. 54. He will have as little Esteem for those who think to make their
Auditors faint away, with their Transition from the sharp Third to the
Flat.
Sec. 55. He'll tell you, that a Singer is lazy, who on the Stage, from
Night to Night, teaches the Audience all his Songs; who, by hearing them
always without the least Variation, have no Difficulty to learn them by
Heart.
Sec. 56. He will be affrighted at the Rashness of one that launches out,
with little Practice, and less Study; lest venturing too far, he should
be in great Danger of losing himself.
Sec. 57. He will not praise one that presumes to sing two Parts in three of
an Opera, promising himself never to be tiresome, as if that divine
Privilege of always pleasing were allowed him here below. Such a one
does not know the first Principle of musical Politicks; but Time will
teach it him. He, that sings little and well, sings very well.
Sec. 58. He will laugh at those who imagine to satisfy the Publick with the
Magnificence of their Habits, without reflecting, that Merit and
Ignorance are equally aggrandized by Pomp. The Singers, that have
nothing but the outward Appearance, pay that Debt to the Eyes, which
they owe to the Ears.
Sec. 59. He will nauseate the new-invented Stile of those who provoke the
innocent Notes with coarse Startings of the Voice. A disagreeable
Defect; however, being brought from[103] beyond the _Alps_, it passes
for a _modern_ Rarity.
Sec. 60. He will be astonished at this bewitched Age, in which so many are
paid so well for singing ill. The _Moderns_ would not be pleas'd to be
put in Mind, that, twenty Years ago, indifferent Singers had but mean
Parts allotted them, even in the second-rate Theatres; whereas at
present, those, who are taught like Parrots, heap up Treasures beyond
what the Singers of the first Degree then did.[104]
Sec. 61. He will condemn the Ignorance of the Men most, they being more
obliged to study than the Women.
Sec. 62. He will not bear with one who imitates the Women, even in
sacrificing the Time, in order to acquire the Title of _Modern_.
Sec. 63. He will marvel at that[105] Singer, who, having a good Knowledge
of Time, yet does not make use of it, for want of having apply'd himself
to the Study of Composition, or to accompany himself. His Mistake makes
him think that, to be eminent, it suffices to sing at Sight; and does
not perceive that the greatest Difficulty, and the whole Beauty of the
Profession consists in what he is ignorant of; he wants that Art which
teaches to anticipate the Time, knowing where to lose it again; and,
which is still more charming, to know how to lose it, in order to
recover it again; which are the Advantages of such as understand
Composition, and have the best Taste.
Sec. 64. He will be displeased at the Presumption of a Singer who gets the
Words of the most wanton _Airs_ of the Theatre rendered into _Latin_,
that he may sing them with Applause in the[106] Church; as if there
were no Manner of Difference between the Stile of the one and the other;
and, as if the Scraps of the Stage were fit to offer to the Deity.
Sec. 65. What will he not say of him who has found out the prodigious Art
of Singing like a _Cricket_? Who could have ever imagin'd, before the
Introduction of the _Mode_, that ten or a dozen Quavers in a Row could
be trundled along one after the other, with a Sort of _Tremor_, of the
Voice, which for some time past has gone under the name of _Mordente
Fresco_?[107]
Sec. 66. He will have a still greater Detestation for the Invention of
Laughing in Singing, or that screaming like a Hen when she is laying her
Egg. Will there not be some other little Animal worth their Imitation,
in order to make the Profession more and more ridiculous?
Sec. 67. He will disapprove the malicious Custom of a Singer in Repute,
who talks and laughs on the Stage with his Companions, to induce the
Publick to believe that such a Singer, who appears the first time on the
Stage, does not deserve his Attention; when in reality he is afraid of,
or envies, his gaining Applause.
Sec. 68. He cannot endure the Vanity of that Singer, who, full of himself
from the little he has learned, is so taken with his own Performance,
that he seems falling into an Extasy; pretending to impose Silence and
create Wonder, as if his first Note said to the Audience, _Hear and
Die_: But they, unwilling to die, chuse not to hear him, talk loud, and
perhaps not much to his Advantage. At his second Air the Noise
encreases, and still encreasing, he looks upon it as a manifest Injury
done him; and, instead of correcting his conceited Pride by Study, he
curses the deprav'd Taste of that Nation that does not esteem him,
menacing never to return again; and thus the vain Wretch comforts
himself.
Sec. 69. He will laugh at one who will not act unless he has the Choice of
the Drama, and a Composer to his liking; with this additional Condition,
not to sing in Company with such a Man, or without such a Woman.
Sec. 70. With the like Derision, he will observe some others, who with an
Humility worse than Pride, go from one Box to another, gathering Praises
from the most illustrious Persons, under a Pretence of a most profound
Obsequiousness, and become in every Representation more and more
familiar. Humility and Modesty are most beautiful Virtues; but if they
are not accompanied with a little Decorum, they have some Resemblance to
Hypocrisy.
Sec. 71. He will have no great Opinion of one, who is not satisfied with
his Part, and never learns it; of one, who never sings in an Opera
without thrusting in one _Air_ which he always carries in his Pocket; of
one, who bribes the Composer to give him an _Air_ that was intended for
another; of one, who takes Pains about Trifles, and neglects Things of
Importance; of one, who, by procuring undeserved Recommendations, makes
himself and his Patron ridiculous; of one, who does not sustain his
Voice, out of Aversion to the _Pathetick_; of one, who gallops to follow
the _Mode_; and of all the bad Singers, who, not knowing what's good,
court the _Mode_ to learn its Defects.
Sec. 72. To sum up all, he will call none a Singer of Merit, but him who is
correct; and who executes with a Variety of Graces of his own, which his
Skill inspires him with unpremeditately; knowing, that a Professor of
Eminence cannot, if he would, continually repeat an _Air_ with the
self-same _Passages_ and _Graces_. He who sings premeditately, shews he
has learn'd his Lesson at Home.
Sec. 73. After having corrected several other Abuses and Defects, to the
Advantage of the Singer, he will return with stronger Reasons to
persuade him to have Recourse to the fundamental Rules, which will
teach him to proceed on the Bass from one Interval to another, with sure
Steps, and without Danger of erring. If then the Singer should say, Sir,
you trouble yourself in vain; for the bare Knowledge of the Errors is
not sufficient; I have need of other Help than Words, and I know not
where to find it, since it seems that there is at present such a
Scarcity of good Examples in _Italy_: Then, shrugging his Shoulders, he
will answer him, rather with Sighs than Words; that he must endeavour to
learn of the best Singers that there are; particularly by observing two
of the fair Sex,[108] of a Merit superior to all Praise; who with equal
Force, in a different Stile, help to keep up the tottering Profession
from immediately falling into Ruin. The one is inimitable for a
privileg'd Gift of Singing, and for enchanting the World with a
prodigious Felicity in executing, and with a singular Brilliant (I know
not whether from Nature or Art) which pleases to Excess. 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 a Genius, are Qualifications as particular and uncommon,
as they are difficult to be imitated. The _Pathetick_ of the one, and
the _Allegro_ of the other, are the Qualities the most to be admired
respectively in each of them. What a beautiful Mixture would it be, if
the Excellence of these two angelick Creatures could be united in one
single Person! But let us not lose Sight of the Master.
Sec. 74. He will also convince the Scholar, that the Artifice of a
Professor is never more pleasing, than when he deceives the Audience
with agreeable Surprizes; for which reason he will advise him to have
Recourse to a seeming Plainness, as if he aim'd at nothing else.
Sec. 75. But when the Audience is in no farther Expectation, and (as I may
say) grows indolent, he will direct him to rouse them that Instant with
a _Grace_.
Sec. 76. When they are again awake, he will direct him to return to his
feigned Simplicity, though it will no more be in his power to delude
those that hear him, for with an impatient Curiosity they already expect
a second, and so on.
Sec. 77. He will give him ample Instructions concerning _Graces_ of all
sorts, and furnish him with Rules and profitable Documents.
Sec. 78. Here should I inveigh (though I could not enough) against the
Treachery of my Memory, that has not preserved, as it ought, all those
peculiar Excellencies which a great Man did once communicate to me,
concerning _Passages_ and _Graces_; and to my great Sorrow, and perhaps
to the Loss of others, it will not serve me to publish any more than
these few poor Remains, the Impressions of which are still left, and
which I am now going to mention.
CHAP. X.
_Of_ Passages _or_ Graces.
_Passages_ or _Graces_ being the principal Ornaments in Singing, and the
most favourite Delight of the Judicious, it is proper that the Singer be
very attentive to learn this Art.
Sec. 2. Therefore, let him know, that there are five principal
Qualifications, which being united, will bring him to admirable
Perfection, _viz._ _Judgment_, _Invention_, _Time_, _Art_, and _Taste_.
Sec. 3. There are likewise five subaltern Embellishments _viz._ the
_Appoggiatura_, the _Shake_, the _putting forth of the Voice_, the
_Gliding_, and _Dragging_.
_The principal Qualifications teach,_
Sec. 4. That the _Passages_ and _Graces_ cannot be form'd but from a
profound _Judgment_.
Sec. 5. That they are produced by a singular and beautiful _Invention_,
remote from all that is vulgar and common.
Sec. 6. That, being govern'd by the rigorous, but necessary, Precepts of
_Time_, they never transgress its regulated Measure, without losing
their own Merit.
Sec. 7. That, being guided by the most refined _Art_ on the Bass, they may
There (and no where else) find their Center; there to sport with
Delight, and unexpectedly to charm.
Sec. 8. That, it is owing to an exquisite _Taste_, that they are executed
with that sweet _putting forth_ of the Voice, which is so enchanting.
_From the accessory Qualities is learned,_
Sec. 9. That the _Graces_ or _Passages_ be easy in appearance, thereby to
give universal Delight.
Sec. 10. That in effect They be difficult that thereby the Art of the
Inventor be the more admired.
Sec. 11. That They be performed with an equal regard to the Expression of
the Words, and the Beauty of the Art.
Sec. 12. That They be _gliding_ or _dragging_ in the _Pathetick_, for They
have a better Effect than those that are mark'd.
Sec. 13. That They do not appear studied, in order to be the more regarded.
Sec. 14. That They be softened with the _Piano_ in the _Pathetick_, which
will make them more affecting.
Sec. 15. That in the _Allegro_ They be sometimes accompanied with the
_Forte_ and the _Piano_, so as to make a sort of _Chiaro Scuro_.
Sec. 16. That They be confin'd to a _Group_ of a few Notes, which are more
pleasing than those which are too numerous.
Sec. 17. That in a slow _Time_, there may be a greater Number of them (if
the Bass allows it) with an Obligation upon the Singer to keep to the
Point propos'd, that his Capacity be made more conspicuous.
Sec. 18. That They be properly introduc'd, for in a wrong Place They
disgust.
Sec. 19. That They come not too close together, in order to keep them
distinct.
Sec. 20. That They should proceed rather from the Heart than from the
Voice, in order to make their way to the Heart more easily.
Sec. 21. That They be not made on the second or fourth Vowel, when closely
pronounc'd, and much less on the third and fifth.
Sec. 22. That They be not copied, if you would not have them appear
defective.
Sec. 23. That They be stol'n on the _Time_, to captivate the Soul.
Sec. 24. That They never be repeated in the same place, particularly in
_Pathetick Airs_, for there they are the most taken Notice of by the
Judicious.
Sec. 25. And, above all, let them be improv'd; by no means let them lose in
the Repetition.
Sec. 26. Many Professors are of Opinion, that in _Graces_ there is no room
for the marked _Divisions_, unless mix'd with some of the aforesaid
Embellishments or some other agreable Accidents.
Sec. 27. But it is now time that we speak of the _Dragging_, that, if the
_Pathetick_ should once return again into the World, a Singer might be
able to understand it. The Explanation would be easier understood by
Notes of Musick than by Words, if the Printer was not under great
Difficulty to print a few Notes; notwithstanding which, I'll endeavour,
the best I can, to make myself understood.
Sec. 28. When on an even and regular Movement of a Bass, which proceeds
slowly, a Singer begins with a high Note, dragging it gently down to a
low one, with the _Forte_ and _Piano_, almost gradually, with
Inequality of Motion, that is to say, stopping a little more on some
Notes in the Middle, than on those that begin or end the _Strascino_ or
_Dragg_.[109] Every good musician takes it for granted, that in the Art
of Singing there is no Invention superior, or Execution more apt to
touch the Heart than this, provided however it be done with Judgment,
and with putting forth of the Voice in a just _Time_ on the Bass.
Whosoever has most Notes at Command, has the greater Advantage; because
this pleasing Ornament is so much the more to be admired, by how much
the greater the Fall is. Perform'd by an excellent _Soprano_, that makes
use of it but seldom, it becomes a Prodigy; but as much as it pleases
descending, no less would it displease ascending.
Sec. 29. Mind this, O my beloved Singers! For it is to You only, who are
inclined to study, that I have addressed myself. This was the Doctrine
of the School of those Professors, whom, by way of Reproach, some
mistaken Persons call _Ancients_. Observe carefully its Rules, examine
strictly its Precepts, and, if not blinded by Prejudice, you will see
that this School ought to sing in Tune, to put forth the Voice, to make
the Words understood, to express, to use proper Gesture, to perform in
_Time_, to vary on its Movement, to compose, and to study the
_Pathetick_, in which alone Taste and Judgment triumph. Confront this
School with yours, and if its Precepts should not be sufficient to
instruct you, learn what's wanting from the _Modern_.