the latter assumes the form of sacred lyrics, the highest species of all verse. Many readers shrink from the full expression of feeling and imagination, in the high-wrought forms which these justly assume in the composition of psalms and hymns, because, say they, such expression is not natural or habitual to us; it seems forced and excessive: we prefer to read in a plain, unpretending style. Such is, usually, the plea offered for reading poetry, in its sublimest and most sacred forms, as if it were not only flat prose but hum-drum, or familiar talk. It is forgotten, in such cases, that the standard of conversation and of prose reading cannot apply to poetry of a lofty or a solemn character, and that the tones in which we talk of domestic incidents and ordinary affairs, can never be those in which we can properly discourse of God, eternity, and immortality. But the prevalent fault of some readers, is, to utter every stanza of every hymn with one uniform, heavy, and unwieldly solemnity of voice, which observes no distinction of subject, style, or versification, and kills the effect of every form of sentiment by a dull monotony. The peculiar vividness and fire, the pathos and the fervor, the sublime force of lyric compositions, are thus altogether lost to heart and ear. The whole design of the defeated; and the souf remains uninspired, the feelings untouched, composition of hymns, is thus The minor details of defective elocution in the reading of hymns, regard chiefly the application of the rules of inflection, False "intonation" commonly consists in overlooking the distinctive slide of verse, as contrasted with those of prose. The former varies but little in effect from the "monotone," and does not, in most passages, transcend the limits of the interval of the "second," or the slightest rise of voice except the plaintive "semitone." The use of the larger intervals of "thirds" and "fifths," turns poetry into prose, so far as the ear is concerned. To persons whose ear is not trained to these distinctions in music and in elocution, it may be sufficient to say that the fault lies in raising or lowering the voice too much in a style approaching to that of question and answer, instead of keeping it nearly level. The fault of sing-song reading is usually caused by allowing the voice to drop at the end of the second line of a stanza, instead of keeping it up till the proper cadence at the close. Thus "There is a land of pure delight, And pleasures banish pain." There are two obvious reasons why the fall, or downward slide, at the word "reign," should not be used: 1st, the sense is not independently completed there, since the words and where are required, mentally, to fill up an ellipsis between the second and third lines of the stanza; 2d, if the word "reign" is allowed the "downward slide,” the corresponding rhyming word "pain" having necessarily the same "slide" at the cadence, a painful sameness of melody is produced to the ear, as if the reader were, in the last two lines of the stanza, repeating, in a mocking tone, his own melody used in the first two. The rule of appropriate intonation in stanza, is, Keep the voice up, at the end of the second line, unless emphasis, or independent sense, or abrupt style authorizes or requires a downward slide; and let the voice take a lower pitch, at the beginning of the third line. But the worst of all faults, the doggerel see-saw, is that which is produced by throwing the voice up and down alternately in the penultimate line of a stanza,and alternately down, up, and down again, in the last line. Thus "Etérnal dày excludes the night, And pleasures bánish pàin." The following exercises should be repeated till a perfect command of "expression" and "melody," is attained. EXAMPLES OF SOLEMNITY AND AWE.* Eternity of God.- Watts. 1. "Great God! how infinite art thou!- 2. “Thy throne eternal ages stood, 3. "Eternity, with all its years, To thee there's nothing old appears ; 4. "Our lives through various scenes are drawn, While thine eternal thought moves on 5. "Great God! how infinite art thou!- Let all the race of creatures bow, 1 "The house appointed for all living.” — Anon. 1. “How still and peaceful is the grave, The appointed house, by heaven's decree, *The classification of hymns for the purposes of elocution, is similar to that of the Book of Psalms, exemplified before. The style of reading as to "quality" of voice, force, "stress," pitch, "inflection,” “movement," pauses, emphasis, and "expression," should be defined, in every instance, before commencing the reading. The examples of this elocutionary analysis which occur in previous pages, may serve as guides to the mode of performing this exercise. 2. "The wicked there from troubling cease And there the weary pilgrim rests 3. "All, levelled by the hand of death, Till God in judgment call them forth, GRANDEUR, MAJESTY, AND POWER. And guides the worlds his hands have made. 2. "Ere rolling worlds began to move, Or ere the heavens were spread abroad, 3. "The swelling floods tumultuous rise, And foam, and lash the trembling shore. 4. "The Lord, the mighty God, on high, 1. "Eternal Wisdom, thee we praise, Thee all thy creatures sing; While with thy name, rocks, hills, and seas, 2. "Thy hand-how wide it spread the sky! Tinged with a blue of heavenly dye, 3. "Thy glories blaze all nature round, Through skies, and seas, and solid ground, 4. "Almighty power, and equal skill 5. "But still, the wonders of thy grace 4. "While all the stars that round her burn, Confirm the tidings, as they roll, And spread the truth from pole to pole. * Change of expression from awe to gratitude, blending ardor and tenderness. |