A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke

Scale of Music, assigning to every space and line a several key.

Phi. This is easy. And by this means I find that the first note standeth in Gam-ut, and the last in E la mi.

Ma. You say true. Now sing them.

Phi. How shall I term the first note?

Ma. If you remember that which before you told me you understood, you would resolve yourself of that doubt. But I pray you, in Gam ut, how many clefs, and how many notes?

Phi. One clef and one note. O I cry you mercy, I was like a pot with a wide mouth, that receiveth quickly, and letteth out as quickly.

Ma. Sing then after me till you can tune: for I will lead you in the tuning, and you shall name the notes yourself.

Phi. I can name them right till I come to C fa ut. Now whether shall I term this fa, or ut?

A note for singing of Ut.

Ma. Take this for a general rule, that in one deduction of the six notes, you can have one name but once used, although indeed (if you could keep right tune) it were no matter how you named any note. But this we use commonly in singing, that except it be in the lowest note of the part, we never use ut.

Phi. How then? Do you never sing ut but in Gam ut?

Ma. Not so: But if either Gam ut, or C fa ut, or F fa ut, or G sol re ut be the lowest note of the part, then we may sing ut there.

Phi. Now I conceive it.

Ma. Then sing your six notes forward and backward.

A musical staff with a C-clef on the middle line displays twelve notes, representing an ascending and descending hexachord. Below the notes are the lyrics: "ut re mi fa sol la la sol fa mi re ut". To the right, Philomathes asks, "Is this right?"

Phi. Is this right?

Ma. Very well.

Phi. Now I pray you show me all the several keys wherein you may begin your six notes.

Ma. Lo, here they be set down at length.

Three musical staves display hexachords starting on different keys: G, C, and F. Each staff contains six ascending notes with the syllables "ut re mi fa sol la" printed underneath.

Phi. Be these all the ways you may have these notes in the whole Gam?

Ma. These and their eighths: as what is done in Gam ut may also be done in G sol re ut, and likewise in g sol re ut in alt. And what in C fa ut may be also in C sol fa ut, and in c sol fa. And what in F fa ut in the bass, may also be done in f fa ut in alt. But these be the three principal keys containing the three natures or properties of singing.

The three properties of singing.

Phi. Which be the three properties of singing?

Ma. b quarre square b / natural, Properchant, and b molle flat b.

Phi. What is b quarre?

Ma. It is a property of singing, wherein mi is always sung in b fa $\natural$ mi, and is always when you sing ut in Gam ut.

Phi. What is Properchant?