And if, as we have good reason to believe, recitative arose by degrees out of emotional speech, it becomes manifest that by a continuance of the same process song has arisen out of recitative.  Just as, from the orations and legends of savages, expressed in the metaphorical, allegorical style natural to them, there sprung epic poetry, out of which lyric poetry was afterwards developed; so, from the exalted tones and cadences in which such orations and legends were delivered, came the chant or recitative music, from whence lyrical music has since grown up.  And there has not only thus been a simultaneous and parallel genesis, but there is also a parallelism of results.  For lyrical poetry differs from epic poetry, just as lyrical music differs from recitative:  each still further intensifies the natural language of the emotions.  Lyrical poetry is more metaphorical, more hyperbolic, more elliptical, and adds the rhythm of lines to the rhythm of feet; just as lyrical music is louder, more sonorous, more extreme in its intervals, and adds the rhythm of phrases to the rhythm of bars.  And the known fact that out of epic poetry the stronger passions developed lyrical poetry as their appropriate vehicle, strengthens the inference that they similarly developed lyrical music out of recitative.

Nor indeed are we without evidences of the transition.  It needs but to listen to an opera to hear the leading gradations.  Between the comparatively level recitative of ordinary dialogue, the more varied recitative with wider intervals and higher tones used in exciting scenes, the still more musical recitative which preludes an air, and the air itself, the successive steps are but small; and the fact that among airs themselves gradations of like nature may be traced, further confirms the conclusion that the highest form of vocal music was arrived at by degrees.

Moreover, we have some clue to the influences which have induced this development; and may roughly conceive the process of it.  As the tones, intervals, and cadences of strong emotion were the elements out of which song was elaborated, so we may expect to find that still stronger emotion produced the elaboration:  and we have evidence implying this.  Instances in abundance may be cited, showing that musical composers are men of extremely acute sensibilities.  The Life of Mozart depicts him as one of intensely active affections and highly impressionable temperament.  Various anecdotes represent Beethoven as very susceptible and very passionate.  Mendelssohn is described by those who knew him to have been full of fine feeling.  And the almost incredible sensitiveness of Chopin has been illustrated in the memoirs of George Sand.  An unusually emotional nature being thus the general characteristic of musical composers, we have in it just the agency required for the development of recitative and song.  Intenser feeling producing intenser manifestations, any cause of excitement will call forth