of rural life, nor can we add a truer or more appropriate description than to say that MR. HORSLEY's round breathes of the country, and of the country on May day.

Of the "Harper's Lamentation" we cannot speak so highly; the words are not in our estimation such as could elicit affecting music, being little better than forced representations of unnatural thoughts. The air is, however, chaste, smooth, and polished, yet it never rises into fine expression; nor indeed, above the characteristic mediocrity of such compositions for the day, but it maintains the same general level style.

Of the other ballads "Woman" is lively and agreeable, and what is now somewhat rare in things of this sportive kind, it is neither indecently voluptuous, nor does it aim at insidiously undermining the heart. Unlike the generality of the amatory productions of the most popular ballad-writers of the present day, the poet (MR. HOLLOWAY,) gives to female fascination an intellectual place and dignity. "Young Damon" and "There is a calm for those who weep, are pretty plaintive trifles. In the latter the solemnity and effect are we think disturbed and diminished by the bell accompaniment. A single deep sound, repeated at more distant intervals, though a hacknied expedient, would to our ears have been better. "The winter nosegay is of the same class of bagatelles. In the third line COWPER has given a false emphasis, "Art has in a measure, &c." which the musician perpetuates.

Upon the whole, we may say, the two first of these productions ill add to MR. HORSLEY's reputation, and from the latter, he knows too well the transient duration of agreeable trifles, to hope any more than the communication of transient amusement.

In the last article of the series, the sonatas, MR. HORSLEY, has stooped his hand to a lighter task than usual, and he has produced a very polished example of lessons adapted to an early stage of instruc tion. These sonatas are neither of them difficult, but they are, we conceive, intended to lead the pupil, when somewhat advanced, to graceful expression. In the motivo of the first there is not much melody, but the theme is well kept in the two first variations, and the minor is very beautiful. The romance is plaintive and exceedingly sweet. Parts of the minuetto reminded us of the elegance of HAYDN. The second sonata differs from the first in being very spirited.Though the last movement is scarcely so good as the two former,

there is in the whole the pervading gracefulness, which we should describe as the most peculiar characteristic of this composer. The subject of the third is very pretty, but the effect of the first movement is weakened by too frequent repetitions of the solos in the upper parts and replications in the bass. Its vigor is, however, recovered entirely towards the end. The air of the andantino is very pleasing and sweetly varied, and the last movement is fully equal to the rest, These lessons afford an elegant and complete step in the series of instruction, and may be recommended because they are well calculated to mix some grains of execution with a larger and more valuable portion of expression. They are more particularly fitted to this purpose by the greater care than is customary with authors, which MR. H. has bestowed upon marking the several progressions from P. P. to F. F. as well upon the signs, which describe the grada, tions-the light and shadow in the performance of the piece,

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The Thorough Bass Primer, containing explanations and examples of the rudiments of harmony; with fifty exercises. By J. Burrowes. London. Chappell and Co.

Arcana Musicæ, or a variety of curious and entertaining musical problems, with their solutions, in the most useful and important parts of the science, calculated to facilitate the study of music to young pupils, and save much time and trouble to the master. By J. Jousse, professor of music, and author of several theoretical works. London. Chappell and Co.

By the help of MR. LOGIER and other professors, "the tremendous barriers" which have hitherto excluded from eyes prophane the green land of harmony seem at length to be in a fair way towards melting before certain penetrating fervors, and in a century or two it will be recorded that about the time when eighteen thousand square miles of ice near the poles, disappeared, giving a fresh and verdant country to the weary eyes of puny fishermen, for mighty whales that frequent those latitudes, a new light broke in upon a country not quite so far north, and there suddenly rose up a generation. proficient in the occult science of harmony. At least such are the posthumous rewards which we anticipate, fame has in store. And if this our grander prophecy should fail to its entire extent, we may, with absolute certainty predict, that simpler methods of tuition than those hitherto in use will facilitate the progress of all who are really and truly inclined to study the theory of music, with a determination to accomplish the mastery of the subject, while these same facile methods will engender a far greater proportion of pretenders, who will learn "to talk about what they do not understand," in good set phrase.

The author of THE THOROUGH BASS PRIMER Communicates in a very concise, intelligible, and casy manner, a good deal of valuable information to those whom he addresses, viz. pupils who are beginning to study harmony.-The only thing we are disposed to quarrel with exceedingly in the whole book, is the title, which has a tendency

to give it a more childish and a far inferior place than that which it deserves, while on the contrary, MR. JOUSSE has appended to his exposition a name, as much beyond the nature of its contents, (except he uses it in irony,) though his book also developes in an attractive and a comprehensive form, many of those things which were considered among the musical mysteries.

The first requisites of an elementary treatise are, that it should be perspicuous in style and examples, that it should rise gradually through the scale of its problems, and above all, that redundant or unnecessary explanations should be avoided. MR. BURROWES has never lost sight of these requisites. He places his foundation indeed upon another little publication of his own-" The piano forte primer," a book less called for than that under review, and to which we have even a stronger objection, (yet one somewhat in common be.tween both) that it is too dear. With these reservations and some few others, very slight ones indeed, which we shall point out more in detail, and which our readers may perhaps conjecture, are made because persons of our dignity and function, like Little John in the seat of judgment, are not "to sit here for nothing," this unpre tending work appears to us to be exceedingly plain and morcover exceedingly useful and excellent.

In the first place we demur to MR. BURROWES's definition of a knowledge of harmony or thorough bass, (page 8,) which limits such knowledge to an acquaintance with the sounds implied by the figures, placed over or under the bass. This is not to understand harmony, but merely to know how to play from figured basses. Our objection to the term attendant harmonies of the key, (page 14.) is still stronger. MR. B. might have more safely adhered to his former descriptive terms of "fundamental and derived basses"-which appear to us to be the most philosophical division of the intervals of

the scale.

We have never been quite satisfied with the directions given by some Theorists, (CORFE for instance) to find the fundamental bass of a chord. It appears to us, that a double train of reasoning is employed, where a single idea might suffice. Thus, Mr. Burrowes says, (page 24,) "A bass note, marked is to be considered as the fifth of another note, consequently, the fundamental bass is a fifth below." Why not say "Of the chord of, the 4th is the funda mental bass ?""

If the word Roots were placed against the third line of the example, (page 25,) it would make the intention more clear.

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We submit it to the reconsideration of MR. BURROWES, whether he has not misapplied the term "interrupted resolution" in page 34. It seems to us, that the resolution is complete, and that in point of fact the passage is and should be called an interrupted cadence. Again we differ in opinion concerning the mode of thinning the chord of, (page 39 and 40.) We should prefer to omit the octave of the inverted Base and not the octave of the Root, for in the example the octave of the note which should resolve the discord, is found in the Bass. Now, it is better, in the general, for the discord to be resolved in the part in which it appears, and the example in question becomes by the omission a chord of the 6, and not of the. Page 45 we dislike the doubling of the discord, on account of the increased harshness it produces.

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Page 62. When the fourth of the key carries a chord of the if the descends, it is not a sub-dominant, but is to be considered as carrying an inverted chord of the 7th, the second of the key being its root. It is a sub-dominant only when the 6 is resolved by ascending. Pages 67, 98-we think it would have been better if the author had kept all his accidental chords together, under the head of suspensions.

It will be seen that we have bestowed a diligent attention upon the perusal of this little work, and at every page we were more rivetted by its generally clear and accurate method of combining the knowledge it contains. We can safely recommend it as the most easily intelligible, and, as a whole, the best essay of the kind we have ever met with.

MR. JOUSSE'S Arcana Musicæ contains much theoretical juggling adapted to the understanding of younger pupils. He does less and more than MR. BURROWES. Neither his order nor his explanations are so lucid and luminous as those of that gentleman, although in some instances he has exceeded Mr. B. in the extent to which he goes. What Mr. B. communicates, he communicates radically and perfectly, leaving nothing behind him. Mr. J. on the contrary has gone further, and left a great deal (almost every thing) unexplained. But the solution of this difference appears to us to arise from the wish that each of these writers partake, as well as out of the growing ne