[Footnote 21: Stanford--Musical Composition (1911) p. 17.]
There may be some difference of opinion among acousticians as to whether Mr. Stanford is correct in his scientific assumptions regarding the difference between "tempered" and "pure" scales,[22] but even so, there is a far more potent reason why the whole-step scale will probably never become popular as the major and minor scales now are, viz., the fact that it offers no possibility of _inculcating tonality feeling_, which has always been the basis of even the simplest primitive music. Tonality scales give rise to a feeling of alternate periods of contraction and relaxation--an active tone (or chord) followed by a passive one, but no such effect is possible in the whole-step scale, and it seems suitable therefore only for that class of music whose outlines are _purposely intended to be_ vague and indefinite--the impressionistic style of music writing.
[Footnote 22: Recent tests in Germany seem to prove conclusively that the _tempered_ scale is the scale ordinarily employed by both vocalists and players on stringed instruments, and that the ideal of and agitation for a _pure_ (_i.e._, _untempered_) scale in vocal and in string music is somewhat of a myth.]
96. Being a list of articles, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and endings, often utilized in compounding terms relating to musical effects.
_A_--preposition--variously translated to, at, for, by, in, with, towards. _A cappella_--in church style. _A capriccio_--at the fancy of the performer. _À deux mains_--for two hands. _A mezza voce_--with half voice.
_À la_, or _alla_--in the manner of. _Alla marcia_--in the style of a march.
_Assai_--very, or very much. _Allegro assai_--very fast.
_Coi, con, col, colla, colle, collo_--with, or with the. _Con amore_--with tenderness. _Colla voce_--with the voice.
_Come_--as, like. _Come primo_--as at first.
_Contra_--against. In compound words means "an octave below."
_Di_--by, with, of, for. _Di bravura_--with daring.
_Di molto_--exceedingly--very much. _Allegro di molto_--exceedingly rapid.
_Doppio_--double. _Doppio movimento_--double movement.
_E, ed, et_--and. _Cresc. et accel._--louder and faster.
_Ensemble_--together, the opposite of solo.