RHYTHMUS AND MELODY. RHYTHMUS and Melody are important factors in the expressive rendering of poetry and well written prose. Rhythmus is mainly dependent upon accent; Melody, upon modulation. Rhythmus is not "sing song, -a common fault in the reading of poetry that should be avoided. It is that gliding movement, noticeable in well spoken language, that gives melody to speech. Rhythmus and Melody are further explained and illustrated under their more practical heading, MEASURE OF SPEECH : The alternate heavy and light action of the voice running through all speech, is caused by a regular action and reaction of the larynx, a phenomenon peculiar to all muscular effort. In the case of the larynx, it is produced "by a slight but decided action between the thyroid and cricoid cartilages, which occasions an alternate tension and relaxation of the vocal cords." words, we recognize it in the accented and unaccented syllables; in sentences, in the percussive and remiss action of the voice in what may be called speech-words. A speech-word may be one word or several words over which the voice is carried by a single impulse. In The percussive action of the voice corresponds to accent; the remiss action to unaccent, as illustrated in the following words and sentences. The accent is marked thus (*); the unaccent, thus (−). 3. Down in the | valley the distant lights | quiver, * * * Gilding the hard frozen | face of the | river. Measure of speech reveals the close analogy existing between speech and song. Rhythmus, as seen, divides language into speechwords of about equal lengths, corresponding to measure in music. The percussive action of the voice, as with accent in music, falls upon the first syllable of the speech-word or measure. The pauses in speech correspond to the rests in music. The markings of the following examples should not be regarded as absolute, but relative. The notations would vary with the different readings and the different interpretations that might be given. In reading the marked paragraphs below, do not try too hard. Too great an effort may defeat your purpose. Read the lines easily, glidingly, naturally, and you will find that the rhythmus, melody and movement will more nearly accord with the notations given. The practice of exercises in Measure of Speech will encourage and develop a gliding movement, that will counteract the tendency toward pronouncing the words of a sentence as though they were separate and of equal importance. In the following exercises, the rests are represented thus (7), and the measures are separated by the "bar" (1), as in music : 1. 7 On | Linden, | 77 | 7 when the | sun was | low, | All | bloodless | 77 | lay the un- | trodden | snow, | 77 | 7 And | dark as | winter | 7 was the | flow 7 Of | Iser | rolling | rapidly. | 77 | 77 | 7 But | Linden | 77 | saw an- | other | sight | 7 When the drums | beat | 7 at | dead of | night, | 7 Com- | manding | fires of | death | 7 to | light | | 77 | 7 The | darkness | 7 of her | scenery. Hohenlinden. * *_ * * * Campbell. 2. 0,7 | green was the | corn | 7 as I | rode on my | way, | 7 And | bright was the | dew | 7 on the | blossoms of | 7 And dark was the | sycamore's | shade to be- | hold, | 7 And the oak's tender | leaves | 7 were of | em'rald 3. 7 I sift the | snow | on the | mountain be- | low, The Cloud. Shelley. 4. 7 But here's a | parchment | 7 with the | seal of | Cæsar; | 77 7 I found it | 7 in his | closet: | 77 | 7 'tis his | will; | 77 | 77 | Let but the commons | hear | 7 this | testament | 77 | - | 77 | 777 And they would go | 7 and | kiss | dead 7 | Cæsar's wounds, | 77 | 7 And | dip their | napkins | 7 in his | sacred | blood; | 77 | Yea, | 77 | beg a | hair of him | 7 for | memory, | 77 | 7 And dying, 77 | mention it within their | wills, 77 | 7 Be- queathing it | 7 as a | rich 7 legacy | 77 | Unto their issue. Julius Cæsar, Act III., Sc. 2. Shakespeare. 5. O, | 7 that my | heart must for- | ever | 7 be | sighing! | 77 | O, | 7 that the | hopes of my | youth | 7 must be | dy ing! | 77 | 77 | Sunshine and shadow | 7 with | shadows in- | creasing; 77 Joy mixed with | sorrow, | 7 the | sorrows ne'er | ceasing. | 77 | 77 | Why will the clouds | 7 in my | sky | 7 be so | lowering? | 77 | Why will the | skies | 7 not be | clear | 7 after | show ering? | 77 | 77 | Echoes | 7 my soul | 7 not a | hint to these | queries ; | 77 | Question on question | 7 my | troubled 7 | heart 7 | wearies. | 77 | 77 | O, | 7 that the | clouds | 7 from my | heaven | 7 would | open! | 77 | O, | 7 for some | love-laden | dove | 7 with | love's 7 | token! 6. 7 My ancestors | came from old | Sparta, |7 and | settled among the | vine-clad | rocks | 7 and citron | groves of Cyra- | sella. | 77 | 77 | 7 My early | life | 7 ran quiet as the brooks | 7 by | which I | sported; | 77 | 7 and | when | 7 at ¦ noon, | 7 I-gathered the | sheep | 7 be| neath the | shade, |7 and | played upon the | shepherd's | flute, | 7 there was a | friend, | 7 the | son of a | neighbor, 7 to join me in the | pastime. | 77 | 77 | 7 We | led our | flocks to the same | pasture | 7 and par- | took to- | gether | 7 our rustic | meal. Spartacus. Kellogg 7. 7 And he showed me a | pure | river of | water of | life, | 77 | clear as | crystal, | 7 pro- | ceeding | out of the | throne of God | 7 and of the | Lamb. | 77 | 77 | 7 In the | midst of the street of it, | 7 and on | either | side of the | river, 7 was there the tree of life, | 7 which | bare | twelve manner of fruits, | 7 and | yielded every month | 77 | 7 and the | leaves of the for the healing of the | nations. Revelation, xxii. 1 and 2. 8. Day is Done. her | fruit | tree | 7 were Then read from the treasured volume The poem of thy choice, And lend to the rhyme of the poet The beauty of thy voice. And the night shall be filled with music, Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, Longfellow. |