de. It is clear, too, that the intoning used in some
churches is representative of this same mental state; and has been
adopted on account of the instinctively felt congruity between it and
the contrition, supplication, or reverence verbally expressed.

And if, as we have good reason to believe, recitative arose by degrees
out of emotional speech, it becomes manifest that by a continuance of
the same process song has arisen out of recitative. Just as, from the
orations and legends of savages, expressed in the metaphorical,
allegorical style natural to them, there sprung epic poetry, out of
which lyric poetry was afterwards developed; so, from the exalted tones
and cadences in which such orations and legends were delivered, came the
chant or recitative music, from whence lyrical music has since grown up.
And there has not only thus been a simultaneous and parallel genesis,
but there is also a parallelism of results. For lyrical poetry differs
from epic poetry, just as lyrical music differs from recitative: each
still further intensifies the natural language of the emotions. Lyrical
poetry is more metaphorical, more hyperbolic, more elliptical, and adds
the rhythm of lines to the rhythm of feet; just as lyrical music is
louder, more sonorous, more extreme in its intervals, and adds the
rhythm of phrases to the rhythm of bars. And the known fact that out of
epic poetry the stronger passions developed lyrical poetry as their
appropriate vehicle, strengthens the inference that they similarly
developed lyrical music out of recitative.

Nor indeed are we without evidences of the transition. It needs but to
listen to an opera to hear the leading gradations. Between the
comparatively level recitative of ordinary dialogue, the more varied
recitative with wider intervals and higher tones used in exciting
scenes, the still more musical recitative which preludes an air, and the
air itself, the successive steps are but small; and the fact that among
airs themselves gradations of like nature may be traced, further
confirms the conclusion that the highest form of vocal music was arrived
at by degrees.

Moreover, we have some clue to the influences which have induced this
development; and may roughly conceive the process of it. As the tones,
intervals, and cadences of strong emotion were the elements out of which
song was elaborated, so we may expect to find that still stronger
emotion produced the elaboration: and we have evidence im