Page:Polynesian Mythology by George Grey (polynesianmythol00greyuoft).djvu/367

divided like the intervals of the Chinese kin, I have endeavoured to give an idea of those airs of New Zealand which I heard, yet so difficult is it to discover the exact interval, that I will not vouch for the mathematical exactness: neither will I pledge myself not to have written a chromatic for an enharmonic interval, or vice versâ.

I must also, in justice to myself, add, that the singer did not always repeat the musical phrase with precisely the same modulation, though, without a very severe test, this would not have been discernible, nor then to many ears; the general effect being to an European ear very monotonous.

But I may say that, when I sang them from my notation, they were recognised and approved of by competent judges; and that the New Zealander himself said, "he should soon make a singer of me."

I may also add that I have studied the subject for more than twenty years, and have read something out of almost every book of note that has been written on it; but yet I only offer these airs as an approximation, and if any one shall be found who may do more justice to them, I shall be delighted to hear of the result.

The notation that I have adopted is, for the enharmonic diesis, the St. Andrew's cross or saltier 🞪, quarter tone or half sharp; the usual ♯ for the sharp; and ${\displaystyle {\overset {\times }{\sharp }}}$ for three-quarter sharp. In like manner, the 𝄳 for quarter tone or half flat; ♭ for the flat; and 𝄳̅ (or I might have said 𝄳̶) for the three-quarter flat.

In the Arab ternal division I should use—one-third sharp, /♯; two-third sharp, ♯/; one-third flat, /♭; two-third flat, ♭/.

In my notation, also, it must be observed, that a sign