The Music of Nature
Or, An Attempt to Prove that What Is Passionate and Pleasing in the Art of Singing, Speaking and Performing upon Musical Instruments, Is Derived from the Sounds of the Animated World

The 'germs of melody' in nature illuminate the 'true principles of musical taste and expression' in this 1832 work.

William Gardiner (Author)

9781108002134, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 31 July 2014

544 pages
21.6 x 14 x 3.1 cm, 0.68 kg

The English composer and concert producer William Gardiner (1770–1853) published this work in 1832 in order to explain the 'true principles of musical taste and expression' by listening to the 'germs of melody' in nature. Here he musically notates the sounds of oxen, a Newfoundland dog, a blackbird, a cooing dove and even an angry child in an attempt to combine natural history, personal observation and historical anecdotes with his passion for music. Notable for introducing Beethoven's music to Britain, Gardiner sets out his general beliefs about the adaptability of the human ear, the differences between noise and sound, singing and oratory, and the musicality of ordinary language. He also discusses many noted singers of his day and delves into the different techniques used by singers and instrumentalists to elicit emotion in their audiences.

Preface
1. On the faculties of the ear
2. Noise and sound
3. The voice
4. Speaking
5. Language
6. Oratory
7. Singing
8. Air, ballad, bravura and recitative
9. Vocal performers
10. Graces
11. The violin
12. Birds
13. Pianoforte
14. Insects
15. Violoncello
16. Bells
17. Oboe
18. Singing out of tune
19. Psalmody
20. Singing at sight
21. Echoes
22. The flute
23. London cries
24. The horn
25. The harp
26. The organ
27. The clarionet
28. The orchestra
29. The trombone
30. Loud and soft
31. The trumpet
32. Accompaniment
33. The bassoon
34. Drums
35. Roar of storms
36. Ominous sounds
37. Harmony and melody
38. Thorough bass
39. Modulation
40. Composition
41. Phraseology
42. On the different keys
43. Rhythm
44. Dance
45. Tuning
46. National song
47. Singing conducive to health
48. Analysis of the utterance
49. Analysis of the alphabet
50. Rhythm in language
51. Quantity.

Subject Areas: Music reviews & criticism [AVC]