Each tremulous impulse, or tittle, is a brief concrete, having its own radical and vanish, and its own rising or falling inflection. If the concrete and discrete movements of the tittles are upon minor intervals, the plaintive Tremor of weeping, sorrow, sympathy, or penitence is heard; if the interval of the tittles is diatonic, we hear the mirthless suggestion or mockery of a laugh; and if the concretes have the interval of third, fourth, or fifth, and the syllabic units are separated by the discrete interval of second or wider major step, we hear the laughing Tremor of gaiety, banter, joy, triumph, pleasure, glee, or delight. The radical pitch succession of the tremor tittles, as united in the syllabic impulse, produces the syllabic inflections that belong to speech,-slides and waves, rising and falling. 1. EXAMPLES OF TREMOR. Final and Median Stress, with Plaintive Tremor. 2. Blushed at the praise of their own loveliness. Bright Radical and Springing Median Stress, with Joyous Tremor. Last, came Joy's ecstatic trial. He, with viny crown, advancing, First to the lively pipe his hand addressed; Whose sweet, entrancing voice he loved the best. To some unwearied minstrel dancing; As if he would the charming air repay, 3. Idem. 4. With the blue crystal at your lip! O happy crew! My heart with you Sails and sails, and sings anew! T. Buchanan Read-Drifting. Idem. Laughing Utterance at intervals. Oh! then I see!-Queen Mab hath been with you! She comes, In shape no bigger than an agate stone On the forefinger of an alderman, Over men's noses, as they lie asleep: Her wagon-spokes made of long spinners' legs; The cover, of the wings of grasshoppers; The traces, of the smallest spider's web; 5. The collar, of the moonshine's watery beams; Made by the joiner squirrel, or old grub, And in this state, she gallops, night by night, Through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love: -Shakespeare-Romeo and Juliet. Dark Orotund and Oral Qualities; Chromatic Inflection and Melody; Strong Tremor of Grief. Alas! my noble boy! that thou shouldst die! Cold is thy brow, my son, and I am chill, How was I wont to feel my pulses thrill Like a rich harp-string, yearning to caress thee, -N. P. Willis-Absalom. 6. Oral, Natural, and Orotund Qualities; High Pitch; Varied Movement; Tremor of Rapture. 7. 'The Hielanders! Oh! dinna ye hear The Macgregor's? Oh! I ken it weel; God bless the bonnie Hielanders! We're saved! we're saved!' she cried; -Robert Lowell-The Relief of Lucknow. Prevailing Pectoral, with intermingled Natural and Orotund Qualities; Strong Aspiration. Median and Final Stress, Final predominating in the last five lines. Increasing Tremor of Fright through the last six lines. Now all is hushed and still as death! 'Tis dreadful! Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads, FOR DAILY PRACTICE. THE VARIOUS FORMS OF STRESS, ILLUSTRATED BY SHORT EXAMPLES. THE EQUABLE CONCRETE. To detect the flavor of an olive is no less a piece of human perfection than to find beauty in the colors of the sunset. THE LOUD CONCRETE. The year's at the spring, The hillside's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing; God's in his Heaven All's right with the world! BRIGHT RADICAL STRESS. So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung, VIVID RADICAL STRESS. Let earth withhold her goodly root, Let mildew blight the rye, Give to the worm the orchard's fruit, But let the good old crop adorn The hills our fathers trod; Send up our thanks to God! IMPASSIONED RADICAL STRESS. Upon them! Victory sits on our helms! Back to thy punishment, false fugitive! Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts, Turn, turn, thou traitor knight! FINAL STRESS. If it be the pleasure of Heaven that my country shall require the poor offering of my life, the victim shall be ready at the appointed hour of sacrifice, come when that hour may. Up, all who love me!-blow on blow! And lay the outlawed felons low! |