It is perhaps necessary to explain the nature of a Catch, or Round,
more clearly. The two names were interchangeable in the 16th and 17th
centuries. It was not till quite modern times that 'Catch' implied a
necessary quibble in the words, deliberately arranged by the writer.
First, a Catch or Round of the best type of Elizabethan times
consisted of _one melody_, generally perfectly continuous. Secondly,
the said melody was always divisible into a certain number of _equal
sections_, varying from three to six, or even eight; and as many
sections as there were, so many voices were necessary. Thirdly, each
of these equal sections was deliberately arranged so as to make
_Harmony_ with every other.
Here are the words of a Round of the 17th century, which is divisible
into three equal sections, and therefore is sung by three voices.
1. 'Cuckoo! Hark! how he sings to us.
2. Good news the cuckoo brings to us;
3. Spring is here, says the cuckoo.'
Now, the way for three persons, A, B, and C, to sing this Catch or
Round, is as follows:--
A begins [see above, line 69, '_Begin_, fool'] line 1, and immediately
proceeds to line 2; at this very instant, B in his turn begins line 1,
and acts similarly. When A has reached the first syllable in line 3,
and B is at 'Good' in line 2, it is time for C also to begin at line
1. As soon as A has finished line 3, he begins again; and so on with
the others--'round' and 'round' till they are tired of 'catching' each
other up.
Thus when they are all three fairly set going, their _one_ melody
produces _three part_ harmony, and the catchers have drawn 'three
souls out of one weaver.'
The principle in all other Catches or Rounds is exactly the same,
however great the number of parts.
In the following we have another case of catch-singing. The original
music of 'Flout 'em' has not come down to us.
_Tempest_ III, ii, 122.
_Stephano._ Come on, Trinculo, _let us sing_.
[They sing a _catch_, 'Flout 'em and scout 'em.']
_Caliban._ That's not the tune. [Very likely, as they
were tipsy.]
[ARIEL _plays the tune on a tabor and pipe_.]
_Ste._ What is this same?
_Trin._ This is the _tune of our catch_, played by the
picture of Nobody.
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