excerpt from 'Letter from Anna Seward to Dr Darwin, 22 May 1789' pp. 275–276 (182 words)
excerpt from 'Letter from Anna Seward to Dr Darwin, 22 May 1789' pp. 275–276 (182 words)
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Nothing was ever less meant by me than to maintain that the natural sensibility of melody which, in different people, varies so extremely in degree, and in some exists not at all, results from superior quickness in the simple faculty of hearing. Neither my own mother, or either of her sisters, could, in the least degree, distinguish one tune from another; not even if an instrument was playing the loyal song, without a voice, could they guess that it was “God save the King;”—yet were they the daughters of a man who amused his leisure hours with music, sung well, and played tolerably on the bass-viol. He had a master to teach them all, in turn, to play on the spinnet. The effort was fruitless, Nature had denied the capacity:—yet, fond of poetry, they were all distinguished for reading and repeating verses with sweet and varied cadence; nor was there ever the least defect in their hearing, so far as it extended to speaking, and perceiving noises of every kind, without the pale of musical combination. |
| appears in search results as | excerpt from 'Letter from Anna Seward to Dr Darwin, 22 May 1789' pp. 275–276 (182 words) |
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