Page:Polynesian Mythology by George Grey (polynesianmythol00greyuoft).djvu/359

place in the scales of nature, and that those who attempted to prove it were mere triflers (πεφλυαϱηκέναι).^[1]

He then makes the remark about the possibility of accompanying the enharmonic intervals with instruments, and adds, "and these very people who talk about the enharmonic having no foundation in nature, have an extraordinary attachment to dissonances and irrational intervals" (πεϱιττά…ἦ ἄλογα), which have no existence in the real science of the proportions of natural intervals, and may be compared to certain irregular tenuities or awkward excrescences on what should be a beautiful tree or other object. For whatever reason, it appears it was wholly laid aside in Plutarch's time, which he attributes to the dulness of the ears of those of his day.

Wallis supposes the genera of the chromatic and enharmonic to have fallen into disuse for many ages; Scaliger, not till Domitian: the enharmonic, because of the extreme difficulty; the chromatic, on account of its softness and effeminacy. Dr. Wallis adds, "modern music never affected to appreciate such subtilty and delicate nicety, for neither voice could execute, nor ear easily distinguish so minute differences, at least so we suppose now-a-days."

Dr. Burney (i. 433), in his History of Music, from various authorities, concludes that this genus (the close enharmonic) was almost exclusively in use before Aristoxenus (about the time of Alexander the Great), and we gather from Aristoxenus that there were exercises in it for practice, and this observation is corroborated in the "Notices et Extraits des MSS.," t. xvi., in a most elaborate and clever