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Scan 45
A dictionary of musical terms, 1889
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1oratorical. The former is that method of pronunciation which a word receives if it stands alone in a vocabulary or dictionary; the latter that which it receives in consideration of its position in a sentence, words being of course influenced by the meaning to be expressed in a sentence of prose, or by their metrical position in verse.
3There can be no doubt that a nice ear and appreciation of pitch is required before accent and quantity can be distinguished from each other in modern languages. With regard to ancient languages the same difficulty does not exist, because, putting aside the question of the correctness of our pronunciation of them, quantity is governed by either known laws of syllabic structure and position, or by the actual shape of the letters. Hence, many have thought that quantity does not exist in modern languages, and all that we possess is accent (elevation of the voice) and emphasis, and that these two always coincide, and are commonly included in the one term accent. But as a matter of fact, the pitch of voice is in modern languages quite independent of quantity, e.g., precarious, request, &c., in which the voice is high for the short syllable, drops in pitch for the long, yet no one can doubt that there are long syllables in these words, just as much as in such others, as probable, symmetry, pendant, &c. The pronunciation of English in the common conversation will give but a very slight clue to the intricacies of our language in this respect. For, in addition to the acute accent already spoken of, we certainly have a flat accent corresponding to the Greek ˈ, e.g., cumbersome, where the voice drops a little below what might be termed its key-note. We have also the up-and-down slide indicated by the Greek circumflex, e.g., fearful, loâthsome. But with us these are always oratorical, never vocabulary.
5Having said thus much as to elevation and depression of the voice, it is now time to show how arsis is used as a musical term. According to Scaliger, when the voice is raised on a syllable it is called arsis, when it returns to its original position it is called thesis. Priscian (see Foster on Accent, p. 81, note) not only says the same thing, but gives as an example the word natura, pointing out that there is an arsis at the syllable tu, and thesis on ra. In this sense arsis is evidently the accent, or elevation of the voice, which has been already spoken of.
7(2) But arsis and thesis are not only applied to the elevation and depression of voice, but also to the strong and weak parts of metrical scansion. But unfortunately, scholars have used these terms in two ways. For instance, Tate says (see Donaldson, Theatre of the Greeks, p. 371), "those syllables which have the metrical ictus are said to be in arsi; those which have it not, in thesi . . . . the latter is sometimes called the debilis positio." In this he follows Bentley, who makes ictus (or percussio), elevatio, and arsis synonymous.
9To this other scholars object, and say truly that a syllable often is in arsi as regards metre, when it is in thesi as regards accent (elevation of voice). Also, Victorinus says distinctly that "arsis and thesis, as used by the Greeks, refer to the movement of the foot (significant pedis motum), and that the former is 'the elevation of the foot' without sound, the latter the 'lowering of the foot' to the ground, with a sound, the sounds marking the metrical ictus. To this Foster (on Accent, p. 166) agrees. With these authors, therefore, ictus and thesis are synonymous.
11Hence, musicians who agree with the former of these opinions and make arsis and ictus synonymous are justified in saying that there is an arsis on the down-beat of every bar, and its up-beats are in thesi, for if thesis is debilis positio, it would be absurd to say that this occurs on the down-beat, except in some rare cases of syncopation.
13Those musicians, on the other hand, who believe that ictus and thesis coincide, because the thesis of the foot marked the ictus of the metre, have a perfect right to say that the down-beat of a bar is in thesi, and an up-beat in arsi.
15Inasmuch as the confusion among musicians in using these terms has resulted from the disagreement of scholars as to their proper application, it is much to be hoped that they will be allowed to sink into disuse. The expressions, strong position and weak position of the bar, imply all that is understood by arsis and thesis, without the risk, by their use, of calling forth absolutely contradictory opinions as to their meaning.
17Art (Ger.) Species, kind, sort, as auf polnische Art, a sort of polonaise, &c.
19Articulation. (1) In singing, the art of distinct pronunciation. (2) In instrumental music, the art of producing proper tone by a right adjustment of the fingers, or the lips. The latter application of the term is less commonly met with than the former.
21Artist. One who possesses in a high degree that appreciation of the beautiful and that refined temperament, which, when duly trained and educated, become active faculties, and render their owner an able and influential exponent of Art.
23As (Ger.) The note A♭.
25Asamentata, Assamenta, or Axamenta (Lat.) The songs or hymns sung by the Salii, q.v.
27As dur (Ger.) The key of A flat major.
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