The present practice of musick vindicated against the exceptions and new way of attaining musick lately publish'd by Thomas Salmon, M.A. &c. by Matthew Locke ... ; to which is added Duelium musicum, by John Phillips, Gent. ; together with a letter from John Playford to Mr. T. Salmon by way of confutation of his essay, &c.

TO THOMAS SALMON, M. A. of Trinity College, Oxon. Author of the Essay to the Advancement of Musick.

Sir,

SInce you have engaged me, as well as Mr. Lock and Mr. Philips, by putting my Name with theirs in your Book, and that in such abu∣sive and scoffing Language; I con∣ceive my self obliged to joyn with them in acknowledgment of that your kindness. If my Lines savour not of your Academical Learning, I hope you will excuse me; however, I shall do my endeavour to write more civilly than you, though in a more homely Stile. The Thanks, Sir, which I intend to return, is only a brief accompt of those few Inspections which I have made into your new and elaborate Essay to the Advancement of Musick, &c. with some short Re∣ply's in defence of the Old Scale of Musick. This being a Work of no great difficulty, I have the more readily and willingly undertaken it; and (for a return of your Favours) shall make bold to present you with these my Remarques.

First, Before your Title Page appears the Picture

of a Fine young Lady (of Musical Education in Hackney School no doubt) Playing and Singing to her Lute. 'Twas excellent policy to fix such a fair Bait there, for it will most certainly catch both the Eyes and Hearts of all our new soft-headed Gal∣lants; and undoubtedly draw more Spectators to your Book than ever Merry Andrew did to his Master Iacob Halls Stage.

Next is the Title, or a Description of what is held forth in your Book, in as many large promi∣sing Words and Truths, as there is in those Moun∣tebank Doctors Bills; which are pasted up at every pissing Corner; (and it was ingeniously done of your Stationer Mr. Car to paste your Title also in the same places, since they do so well correspond;) 'tis in these words, An Essay to the Advancement of Musick, by casting away the perplexity of diffe∣rent Cliffs, and uniting all sorts of Musick, Lute, Viol, Violin, Organ, Harpsichord, Voice, (with &c. to include all other kinds, as Bagpipes Jews-trump, Drums, Trumpets, Tongs, &c.) in one Vniversal Character. And that we might not think this Work designed by a mean or obscure Person, it follows, By THOMAS SALMON, Master of Arts of Trinity College in Oxford. But how well this is made out by you in your following Discourse, I leave to the judgment of all ingenious Musicians.

In the following Page is an Epistle by Mr. Iohn Birchensha, your Publisher, no mean Person in the Science of Musick, witness his Learned Tem∣plum Musicum, and this his Epistle, or Flambeau, to Light all Musicians out of their Egyptian Dark∣ness,

to behold the New Light or Musical Elysium held forth in your Essay: And this Commendatory Epistle is so subtlely and plausibly done, to the Advancement of your new Reformation, that he deserves double the Reward he received for it. It begins thus: There is not any Art, which at this day is more Rude, Vnpolish'd, and Imperfect in the Writings of the Ancient and Modern Authors, than Musick; for the Elementary part thereof, is little better than an indigested Mass, and confused Chaos of impertinent Characters, and insignificant Signs. It is intricate and difficult to be understood; it afflicts the Memory, and consumeth much time, before the knowledge thereof can be attained: Because the Cliffs are divers; their Transpositions frequent; the Order and places of Notes very mutable; and their denominations alterable and unfix'd. These things being considered by the ingenious Author of this Book, (who endeavoureth only a reformation of the Regula∣tive Principles of Practical Musick) he hath here presented thee with an Eexpedient, for the redress of these Obstacles, &c.

Now, Sir, you being that ingenious Author here mentioned, which has by your elaborate Pains, great Learning, and subtle Invention, found out this new Expedient or Reformation, I shall leave the Publisher and Epistle, and proceed to examin the several Particulars and great Advantages proposed to us by your Book.

The first Chapter is nothing to the purpose of Reformation, but a bare Discourse of the Advan∣tages of Musick, which is frequent in all Authors that have written of that Science.

The second Chapter is entituled, The Gamut Re∣form'd: Here the Axe is laid to the Root, and you begin your Reformation thereof in words of re∣proach and defamation, thus: That which first of all terrifies a Beginner, is a long Discourse of Gibbrish, a fardle of hard Names and fictitious Words, called the Gamut, presented to him perfectly to be learned without Book, till he can readily repeat it backwards and forwards; as though a man must be exact in the Art of Conjuring before he might enter upon Musick. Are not these prety Bugbear Words, to fright Boys and Girls ever from learning Musick by such a Gamut, that is compounded of hard insignificant Words to Conjure up Devils? This, Sir, shews, that because you understand not the excellent Use of that Gamut, and its Words or Names, you are therefore offended with it, and endeavour to per∣swade others to the same opinion with your self, which is ever the practice of Innovators. Certain∣ly, Sir, Men of greater knowledge in the Science of Musick than you can pretend to, have declared them of better Use; who tell us, That they are Words or Names, by which Notes or Sounds are called and known in their distinct and proper pla∣ces; and Notes or Sounds comprehend Musick, and Musick is known rather to expel Devils than raise them; it did out of Saul, but, Sir, what operation it may have upon you, I know not. You go on in these Words, But I am certain if he can say, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, it will do to all intents and purposes [as well]. We thank you for this as well, but, Sir, will it do no better? then why do you propose it to us, when there's no advantage in it?

Are we not much beholding to you, Sir, to deprive us of our Old Scale, which is Universally ap∣proved, and by known experience found to be per∣fect and good. And impose upon us this New one of your own production, lame and deformed, a thin-gut Monster, which has neither Speech nor Language, whereby it may be understood; yet are you so in love with it, that you would fain lick it into some kind of form: But your Tongue (though well hung) is not long enough.

Your next words are these, For the plain truth is, there are but seven Notes in all, only repeated over and over again in double and treble proportion. You say very right, Sir, but this is demonstrated more plain in the Old Scale than in your New one, as thus it appears: In the Old Scale the seven Notes and their Names are repeated three times over in words at length, on their proper and assigned Rules and Spaces: In yours but once, and that in single Letters only; which you tell us is to be done over and over in double and treble proportions. Surely this needs must confound a Beginner, there being no plain demonstration to guide him, but only your Eight single Letters, and his own Imagination.

Page 14. your words are these, Those afore∣said hard Names are nothing to the purpose, they can't declare a Note to be in a different Octave. This declares again, that you do not, or wilfully will not understand the Old Scale, notwithstanding Mr. Locke lately sent you an excellent pair of Ob∣serving Spectacles for that purpose, with which if you view the Old Scale, you will see there are diffe∣rent names enough in each of the Octaves, to di∣stinguish

them in their proper places of Bass, Mean, and Treble. Is not the Octave to Gam ut in the Bass G sol re ut in the Mean? To A re, A la mi re; To B mi, B fa b mi; To C fa ut, C sol fa ut; To D sol re, D la sol re? Here are diverse Names sufficient to distinguish between the Octaves of the Bass and Mean. So in the Treble, or higher Octave there are differe••t Names, as C sol fa, D la sol, E la; which Names are in nei∣ther of the lower Octaves of Mean and Bass. There∣fore this Objection against the Old Scale is remo∣ved, and may be fixed more properly upon your New one, which consists only of Eight single Letters, set down in this Chap. Page 17. and there named The New Gamut: So that all a Beginner hath to distinguish your Octaves by, is to say A in the first, and A in the second, and A in the third, which is the whole design of your—what d'ye call't—Hypothesis, or circulation of Octaves; and probably might hold good, if all that learn'd your way, were taught to Sing by Letters, or Ta∣blature; for by Notes they cannot: And this it was which made you scratch your head to the pur∣pose. But what will not a man do, before he will scratch a hole in't: Alass, your New Gamut is so young, it can't speak, nor ever would, unless you seek out for help; wherefore, rather than it should continue speechless, you'l take confidence, and borrow out of the Old Scale those Gibbrish Words or Names of Notes, Sol La Mi Fa, &c. which but a little before you render so terrible to a Learner. He that shall read your Page 15. will have cause to smile to hear how ridiculously you

quarrel against the Old Scale; yet in the four last Lines thereof your words are these—Wherefore that We may know how to place Mi, They give us this Rule, (not so, for you take it) which alwayes holds good, (a civil acknowledgment) viz. before Mi as∣cending to name Fa Sol La, and after Mi descen∣ding La Sol Fa.

Now Sir, you have gotten this Old Rule, I will insert your following words in the next Page, that it may appear to all Judicious persons what a prety confusion you make about ordering them for the Mouth of your New Gamut.

Now that which they are to be blamed for in this is, that when they have given their Scholars a Notional understanding of this direction, their practice is to take their rise from Sol, and Sing Sol La Mi Fa Sol La Fa Sol; as though Sol was the syllable from whence they should take aim, by which means they never perfect their main rule, and so as Mi alters, are con∣founded in naming their Notes; whereas, if in their practice they begin with Mi, and so Sing forwards, Mi Fa Sol La Fa Sol La Mi, they would at once learn to rise an Octave with their Voice, and gain a rea∣diness in this Rule, which they are always to account by in whatsoever condition they find Mi.

It is to no purpose to plead that Sol is for the most part in the Cliff line, and therefore ready to begin with as they go upward; because these syllables are practiced only in order to other Singing; now Songs begin not with Sol, and go forward in that method, but upon any Note, and so skip about, that no Rule can be observed, but that which we contend for always to be practised.

This is indeed the language of your whole Book, (as it will appear to such as shall read it) 'tis such a Babel of confusion, Fardle of contradictions, and Impossibilities: Such a Mathematical Rat-Trap of Non-sense, as the like was never made in Crooked-Lane. In the former Chapter you confine the Notes, here the Names, and set them in the Stocks together; as appears by these your next words, Page 18.

We are sure, what we have undertook, is sufficiently proved, that G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, will do as well as the old hard Names; and for the placing of Mi, you must take the usual Monosyllables, so you order them in the most practicable method, viz Mi Fa Sol la Fa Sol La Mi.

So that here Mi is always in your first line G, Fa in A, Sol in B, and La in C; and so ascending in your first Octave, you begin Mi again in the second: All by way of Circulation.

And so again in the 20th Page of your Vindica∣tion, your words are these, How happy would it be for the ease of Musick, and the exactness of Tuning, if the same proportions were ever fixed to the same places of the Septenary (or your Octaves) i. e. Mi alwayes in B. And again, in Page 49. And about the confinement of Mi with the avoiding regular flats and sharps, I have delivered my Iudgement in the Description of my Whirligig: (That is your Cart Wheel with Seven Spokes:) The first beginning in Mi and as it makes a turn round, it comes to Mi again. So that all you give us for a New Gamut, is your Whirligig, or Wheel of seven Spokes, marked with G A B C D E F, which you

say is a speedier way to attain Musick then to take a long Journey on foot by the Old Gamut. And since your nearest way to it is the furthest about, let those that like it take it, and your second Chapter to boot: I have done with it. If this won't do, I have yet more in Vindication of the Old Scale of Musick.

I come next to your Third Chapter, (in which and the former is contained your whole Design) En∣titled The Cliffs reduced to one Vniversal Character. The first Page of it is nothing to the purpose, but a fardle of words about Tablature, &c. But in the middle of your next page your words are these, The present Practice (or Old Way) is to make three Cliffs, whose Notes▪ by which they are called, are a Fifth above one another; and according to the most conveniency in writing, are usually assigned to there places, as in the Scheme.

And since you have done us the kindness to insert a Scheme of our three Cliffs, in your Book, (which you borrow'd out of Mr. Simpson's Compendium, Page 4. as you do all your other Examples from him and other men) I doubt not to prove that your new Invented Cliffs BMT will Be-e M p T y of any Invention you pretend to the Advancement of Musick.

[illustration] music

An Example of the Three proper Cliffs assigned to each Part.

Bass. Mean. Treble.

By these Three Cliffs, as they are thus planted in there usual and proper places, may be Prick'd any Song proper for that Part, and in the compass of the Voice, and without any transposition (except it be in the C sol fa ut Cliff) which is vniversally proper to the inward or middle Parts, and is so transposed sometimes for conveniency of Pricking; especially in Cathedral Musick, where Anthems and Services of five and six Parts do require it: Nor doth the transposition of that Cliff create any confusion to a Beginner, as you vainly alledge; for Vocal Musick is seldom learn'd by men of Forty or Fifty Years old, but by those that are young, whose Voyces are proper to the Treble, and by that Cliff are only taught; nor is the C sol fa ut Cliff now much used (unless as I said before) in Cathedral Musick. If you cast your Eye upon those several Collections of Ayres and Songs, which I have lately published, you will find I have not made use of the C sol fa ut Cliff in all the second Part of the Musical Companion, which consists of Songs of Two, Three and Four Parts; but Printed them all in the G, or Treble Cliff, as proper to be Sung by Men or Boys. As to my Psalms in Four Parts, which are Printed in three Tenor Cliffs and a Bass; I could have Printed them as well in Three Treble Cliffs, had I thought all had been so ignorant in the use of our Cliffs as I am assured you are: It being usual and common for Men to Sing those Songs which are prick'd in a Treble an Eighth lower, where the Parts are so Composed, that they do not interfere with the Bass. And if Musick be made difficult (as you say) by the

transposition of one of our Cliffs, I shall plainly demonstrate that you have made it ten times more difficult and confused, by the frequent transposition of your Three new invented Cliffs BMT, in your new whim-wham Circulation of Octaves; which according to your Hypothesis is thus set down in your Diagram.

[illustration] music

Bass. Mean. Treble.

In Page 38 and 39 you give us these following Rules and Directions, viz. 1. In any place, where the Notes rise or fall an Octave (which is usually the cause of greatest distress in this case) set the next Note in the same place, only changing the letter of the Octave, which will direct you to Sing it an eighth higher or lower; as you may see these three Notes, which required three different Places, in three different Cliffs, are here situated all upon the same Line, only with the letters of their Octaves prefix'd at first sight, palpably discovering what they stand for.

By which means the Octave only▪ not the Cliff is altered, neither is there the lest shadow of the old confusion; for the G, which I instanced in, or any other Note in this case, will stand in every part in the same place. And certainly, one that has but very indiffe∣rent skill in Singing, can rise or fall an Octave, when the prefixed letter shall give him timely warning of it. 2. If the Notes ascend, or descend by de∣grees, and you have occasion to go far into anoth••r

Octave, when you come to an higher G, alter the Sig∣nal Letter, and it falls upon the lowermost Line; the like discretion also must be used in descending: By which means, and good fore-cast, no Song can be so spiteful and u••lucky, but may be evidently and conve∣niently written in the compass of four Lines, which is the STATVTE OF OVR HYPOTHESIS, the lowermost beginning with G, the uppermost ending with F; and the higher and lower Notes than these, by the change of the Signal Letter, ought to be lodged in their own Octaves, to which they do belong.

Hitherto I hope, Sir, I have proceeded fairly; and because it shall appear so, I will here, according to this Statute of your Hypothesis, give one or two Examples of both together, and leave it to Judicious Judgements to determine where the confusion, or transposition of Cliffs is most frequent, and which is most pleasant to the Eye of the Learner.

[illustration] music

An Example according to the Rule of the old Gamut, wherein the whole Scale is Prick'd down proper for Vocal Musick, in two Cliffs only, viz. the Bass and Treble; in which compass may be Prick'd any Song without any transposition.

Example.

[illustration] music

The same your New Way is thus,

[illustration] music

A common Tune of a Psalm, pick'd according to the Old Rule or Scale of Musick.

[illustration] music

The same Tune Prick'd your Way.

Now behold, good Sir, is not this Tune prickt according to the STATUTE of your Hypothesis or new Method you would impose upon us? I am sure it is. In our way there is no Transposition of Cliffs, but in yours, in this short Tune of Twenty eight Notes, your M T Cliffs are Transpos'd or Impos'd no less than Eleven times; and are not the

Notes cunningly planted for a Beginner to Sol-Fa? Tis so retrograde to our old Rule, that when our Notes Rise your Notes Fall, and when ours Fall yours Rise, to the Eye. Had I not heard otherwise, I should have imagined you had been a Quaker, you so imitate them, who act all by contraries, against the established Rule both in Church and State; for because our Three Cliffs, Bass, Mean, and Treble, are distinguished by three known Characters out of the Old Scale, your Three Cliffs must be other∣wise, B for Bass, M for Mean, and Tr for Treble: An excellent Reformation▪ and to as much purpose, as he that changed the Name Kingdom into Common∣wealthdom.

But I cannot find, Sir, in all your new Essay any provision for Tenors and Contratenors; you never thought of Cathedral Men, which are the greatest number of Singers in the Land; sure your design is, that since you cann't do as the late Reformers did, sequester them of their Means, you will sequester them of their Musical Cliffs, Tenors and Contra∣tenors: For this, I remember Mr. Lock gave you a Check in his Observations, and wondred you could be so uncivil: to which (in the 49th Page of your Vindication) you answer, if he still grumbles that Scholars cann't tell which is a Contratenor, or lower Mean, or the like, for them that cann't understand the nature of the thing, let there be writ over them, This is a Cock, and that is a Bull; which Itake to be an easier remedy than to learn all the variety of old Cliffs. From whence (according to your method) I may draw this Inference, That the Gentlemen of His Majesties Chappel, and all Catherdral Singing∣men,

are presented by you (for the Advancement of their Musick with little better than a Story of a COCK and a BULL; for which I shall leave them to give you thanks, and proceed further in the Vindication of our Cliffs.

Since all your whole Design, Sir, is to have Musick confin'd, and kept to the Statute Rule of your Hypothesis, which is by three Octaves fix'd to constant Rules and Spaces, in the compass of Four Lines, for the Pricking of all Songs; why did you not give us some Examples thereof in your Book, but tell us, That no Song can be so spightful or unlucky, but it may be evidently and conveniently written in the compass of Four Lines, by the Rule of OVR Hypothesis: Your omission in this case, gave me occasion in insert for foregoing Tune of a Psalm; I could have prick'd down many more (but this may suffice any ingenious person) to have shewed you the Beauty of the Mistress of your Invention; but I suppose you perceived by her limping and hop∣ping what was her Distemper, which made you pre∣scribe her a Leiger-Line, and if that would not perfect the Cure, then to add thereto an ascititious Line, which together would prove an Infallible Remedy for the Rickettiness of your dearly Be∣loved B M T, and no doubt enable her to walk in the same path and state with the Old Scale: For though in many places you plead hard for the keeping to the Statute of your Hypothesis, viz. Four Lines, as for instance, in pag. 73. your words are these, But left any one should still run droaning in his own way, I shall mind him of OVRS, and tell him again, W E do not reckon upwards, as it the Lines

were continued together; neither make WE any Cliffs five Notes asunder, but WE compleat on Octave in the Systeme of Four Lines, which reaches to Ffaut, and then begin the Systeme of the next Four Lines in the Middle Part with G again; as after Saturday night comes Sunday morning; Or to explain your meaning, 'tis thus; after you have gone up seven Rounds of the Ladder, you must come down again to the first to go the eighth: Yet notwithstanding this, you tell us before in pag. 23. of certain Notes which you call Pilgrim Notes, that have higher and lower steps to go, and will not be fix'd in any constant dwellings (now for these in your next words are some Crums of Comfort, for you have provided them Lodgings let them ramble whether they please) but that the following Contrivance shews me it may, and is here already adcomplished Welcome Leiger∣Line Handy-Pandy, now, shall we have a Leiger-Line, or no Leiger Line? you resolve this doubt in the aforesaid pag. 73. when you tell us, if for con∣veniency of Pricking, WE allow the Systeme to be of [Five] or [SIX] Lines, &c. Rejoice O ye Musical Notes, here's a Gaol-delivery! you shall be no longer confin'd in the Prison of a Four-Line Hypothesis. But till this was done, Sir, your Mrs. Aurelia, with her Song of Four Parts, could not appear; which you tell us, pag. 82. Mr. Theod. Stefkins transcribed for you; I wonder, since you were not capable of doing it yourself, you did not require the assistance of your Publisher in that as well as in all the rest: In pag. 37. where this Song is fix'd as an Example, that it may be done your Five-line way, and not in your Four-line way, your

words and these; But that you may see how unneces∣sary those former various Cliffs are, how conveniently a Song will fall in the Systeme of Five Lines, for though an Octave is compleated in Four, yet you may take such a liberty, &c. Therefore, Sir, that you may see we can present you with this Song in less various Cliffs than you have done, I have transcribed it in the same Key you have put it in, that when it is compared with yours, the World may judge wherein lies the Advantages your propose.

A. 4. Voc. Mr. Pelham Humphryes. 〈♫〉〈♫〉

When Aurelia, &c. 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉

〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉 〈♫〉〈♫〉

I have but one Example more, by which may be judged now you have got a Leger Line to make Five as well as we, whether you be not almost come back into our Old Way of Pricking, as well as you did before into the use of the Words of our Gamut.

The Old Way.

Bass. Mean. 〈♫〉〈♫〉

Unisons in their proper places. Treble. 〈♫〉〈♫〉

Unisons in their proper places.

Your New Way.

Bass. Mean. 〈♫〉〈♫〉

Unisons out of their proper places. Treble. 〈♫〉〈♫〉

Unisons out of their proper places.

By this Example I prove your Universal Chara∣cter of having G always on the First Line to be con∣fused, whatever pretences and plausible words you give us to the contrary: for to make the same Note to be in two places at one time (in the Space in the Bass and on the Rule in the Mean) is to sit between two Stools, whereby the A—of your whole Design will fall to the ground. If you could have kept to your

first Rule of Four-line Octaves, you had committed that absurdity but once, and that in your Octave Note only, but now by your Leiger-Lines you ad∣vance it in as many Notes as you please; whereas on the contrary, you may see dour Unisons of the Bass when they come into the Mean, are, if in Space in space, if on Rule on Rule, and the like 'twixt the Mean and Treble. By all which it will appear, that our Gamut is a perfect Rule, and so are our Cliffs in their use, without any difficulty or confusion, how ridiculously and ignorantly soever you have rendred them.

Thus far I have Vindicated the Old Scale; I could have enlarged much further, but as I turn'd over both your Essay and Vindication, I met with so many impertinent Impossibilities and Contradictions, e∣specially about instrumental Musick, so confusedly jumbled together; and not finding the Gittar (the only School-Instrument) so much as mentioned in all your Book, and your Hypothesis being so pertinent to it; I had not patience, but threw them aside, as unworthy the perusal of any Person skill'd in Musick.

Sir,

Your humble Servant is anything but your new Musical HYPOTHESIS, Iohn Playford.

August 26. 1672.

FINIS.