Books › An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925 › scan 209
Scan 209
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
12 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 181. See the scan on archive.org.
1they are interassociated by some historical tie responding to the laws of understanding. It is the same with regard to sounds, which must obey certain laws of attraction, of appellation, whose successive or simultaneous production is registered in order to make them a musical reality, a musical thought. Then they enter into the domain of art."
3The word rhythm, like the word measure, says Lussy, has two meanings; a general and a specific one. One speaks of rhythm in general, and of one or another rhythm just as one does of measure and of one or several measures. "What is measure?" he continues. "What is the term of comparison by means of which it is possible to measure, to divide time? In other words, what is the origin of rhythm? It is evident that this origin can only be found in a phenomenon whose regular movements offer an alternation of strength and weakness, the periodical return, by twos or by threes, of a stress, a sound, a syllable, whose greater strength more especially impresses the sensibilities, and brings with it a sensation of rest, of pausation. Now, respiration alone possesses this peculiarity. Hence respiration, breathing, is the prototype of measure in music, and the generator of rhythm. It is in respiration that there dwells the faculty and power of measuring time, and of supplying our soul with the sensation of rest and pausation of time. In fact, respiration consists of two movements: inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation is equivalent to action; exhalation represents repose, the time of pausation. Exhalation is symbolized by the strong or down-beat of the bar, that is, the thesis or accented syllable. Inspiration corresponds to the weak or up-beat, that is, the arsis or mute, unaccented syllable, of the measure."
5Dr. Hugo Riemann, the distinguished musicologist, seeking a means of comparison for duration of sound and the origin of rhythm in some physiological function, found it in the pulse beat. The comparison is a poor one, since pulsation is regular in strength, one pulse beat is no better than another for conveying the sensation of pause or rest.
7Since we are discussing rhythm, a definition of the "ictus" should be given. The ictus, from the Latin icere, to strike, marks the down-beat, the first beat of the measure, its strong syllable; in a word, the strong sounds of the rhythms. The difference between the ictus and the thesis is that the word thesis is applied to all the strong beats contained in a measure, in a rhythm; while the word ictus is applied only to the first and last strong beats contained in the rhythm on which, so to speak, it rests.
9Hence the very great importance of rhythm cannot be too strongly dwelt upon, and the violinist has at his disposal a rhythmic weapon which is not to be found in the pianist's armory, and which gives him a tremendous advantage—the bow. With the aid of the bow he is able to overcome a thousand musical and rhythmical problems which the pianist cannot even perceive.
11Rhythm also is a help, a powerful help, on occasion, as a preventive against threatened "breakdowns" in public performance. If all factors were invariably
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.