LETTER LI.

To the Reverend Father FILIPPO BONINI, at Rome.

Dear Sir,

D

URING the time I tarried in Paris, I could never perceive that the French mufic was ever adapted to the words which accompanied them; no paffion whether love or hatred, anger or despair, were attended with thofe founds, which are uttered by those who are under the influence of either of these paffions.

THE lover, but for his action in his tender paffages, would to my hearing have been indiftinguishable from thofe in his rage; the mufic feem'd as well adapted for the expreffing one sensation as the other in each circumstance; this made the French opera a most displeasing entertainment to my ears, especially when every thing was accompanied with a fquawl, which is as much out of tune, as the crying of cats, or a pig leading to the slaughter.

NOTWITH

NOTWITHSTANDING this, to the fenfe of feeing, an opera in France is an agreeable amuse, ment, even the chorus of fingers, which made my eats thrill with horror, offered an agreeable entertainment to my eyes, and in fome measure abated the distress of hearing; and tho' Jelliot gave me pain in his finging, yet Duprés charmed me with his graceful attitudes in dancing; the eye is exquifite, and the ear almost vold of di ftinction in the natives of France. Yet it must be acknowledged, that the little chanfons à boire, and d gay fonnéts, are fet naturally and well, and

ar

the others infufferable; these are innate t every French creature.

PERHAPS the French language, which seems but badly adapted for poetry, is not capable of being fet to music, in parts which express the pathetic or any other paffion; and the same fault has crept into the founds which form their language, thro' want of accuracy in the organs of hearing, that has into their mufic from the fame cause.

METHINKS,

METHINKS Voltaire writes much better in profe, than poetry; and no poet, Rousseau excepted, amongst this nation, has fucceeded fo well in verfe as in profe; the language is abfolutely. repugnant to the measures and sweetness of true verfification; yet it becomes profe extremely well in moft kinds of writing, particularly the narrative, airy, and trifling, in which it excells all languages that I understand. 4579

.

THE language of Great Britain is well adapted I for poetry; it has a strength which is not to be found in the French, and a variety which

is wanting in the Italian, from that kind of monotony which attends our

words being termi

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INDEED, after having lived long d long amongst thefe founds, I am inclined to think, that no language is better form'd for being well put

to mufic than the English; and Mr. Handel,

and others of their own compofers, have shewn, that this obfervation is true beyond contradiction; a thing which I never could perceive in the French compofitions.

YET,'

YET, this does not feem to have much influenced the opinion of the inhabitants of this ifland a few women, ; and a few men, who are judges of harmony, for the fame reafon that birds are of pneumatics, becaufe one has fled thro Italian music, as the others have thro' the air, determine all in favour of Italy, and a caftrato

is the only finger, and Italian the only melody si tup ov on earth.

To fuch a degree is this carried, that in complaifance to the most miserable set of Italian fingers that ever accompanied any inftrument above a falt-box, or a Jews harp, an English opera, compofed by an English mufician, was prohibited being presented; and the living language of a country, capable of equal graces with the Italian, well fet to mufic, which which was universally understood, has been postponed in preference to bad voices, unknown-language, old fcenes, and dirty cloaths. This is encouraging foreigners in a true fenfe, and outdoing the good Samaritan, who, tho' he poured wine and oil into the wounds of a stranger, did not prefume

to

to starve the natives of his own country; this then is the land of true hofpitality.

e

IT is a true obfervation of the English, that they love their country, and are not much attach'd to loving one another; and that the Scotch love not their country, but are very warm in affection for their countrymen; and yet the Englishman fhall continually exclaim against England, and never quit it for another place; and the Scot harangue in the praise of his native land, and never wish to return to it.

P

METHINKS, the language which is most cápable of being fet to those founds which accompany fenfations of the foul, fhould be the best & and as the inhabitants of this earth, whether white, brown, or black, express their feelings By much the fame tone of voice in joy or fortow, fear, hope, anger, or love; it is a most amazing thing, how the founds which exprefs thofe ideas fhould in themfelves be to different, and that words which have no affinity in found, mib bus Cpp bas

IT

hould exprefs the fame idea, as e̟ws, amor, apog, ed out

love, in Greek, Latin, and English, or how quum. Jen L-3. 1230617 6 10 abrow

that feeling, which feems to be one in all the

different