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102 itself. Music was to him an elevating, I might say a moral, art, and this treatise may justly claim to have exercised a moral influence. Thibaut maintains that as there is music which acts as a powerful agent in purifying and cultivating the mind, so there is music which has as depraving an influence as that exercised by immoral literature. From this point of view he urges the necessity of purity in music, and sets himself firmly against all that is shallow, common, unhealthy or frivolous. But this is difficult ground. His idea of impurity may be gathered from the fact that in the essay on instrumentation he unhesitatingly condemns the flutes, clarinets, and bassoons, added by Mozart to 'The people that walked in darkness,' urging that they entirely change the character of the piece. He also strongly censures the frequent changes of tempo and expression by which Mozart gives colour to his splendid motet 'Misericordias Domine.' The remaining articles are on the following topics: The Chorale; Church-music outside the Chorale; Volksgesänge; The study of models as a means of culture; Instrumentation as a means of effect; the great masters compared; Versatility; Corruptions of the text; and Choral unions. It is not too much to say that this book, dealing as it does in a spirit of great earnestness with questions which are at this moment agitating the musical world, will always be of interest. The last German edition came out in 1861. The English version ('Purity in Musical Art,' John Murray 1877) is by Mr. W. H. Gladstone, son of the Premier. [ F. G. ]

THILLON,, was born in 1819 in London. Her father's name was Hunt. At the age of fourteen she left England for France with her mother and sister, and received instruction from Bordogni, Tadolini, and M. Thillon, conductor of the Havre Philharmonic Society, whom she married at the early age of fifteen. She appeared at Havre, Clermont, and Nantes, with such success as to obtain an engagement at the Theatre de la Renaissance, Paris (Salle Ventadour), where she made her début Nov. 15, 1838, as the heroine, on the production of Grisar's 'Lady Melvil.' She was very popular in that and several new operas, as Argentine in 'L'Eau Merveilleuse,' Grisar; Demise in 'La Chasse Royale,' Godefroid; La chaste Suzanne, Monpou; etc. Her voice was a 'soprano sfogato' of marvellous timbre, from B♭ below the stave to E♭ in alt., and, combined with her personal charms, it obtained for her the favour of the public in a remarkable degree. In August 1840 she first appeared at the Opéra Comique as Mathilde in 'La Neige.' She next played Elizabeth in 'Lestocq,' and became a great favourite with Auber, who gave her instruction, and composed 'Les Diamans de la Couronne' (produced March 6, 1841) expressly for her. She also sustained the parts of Bianca di Molina and Casilda in his 'Due d'Olonne' and 'Part du Diable' on their production. Mme. Thillon also created Geraldine ('Les Puits d'Amour'), Balfe; Corilla ('Cagliostro'), Adam; Marquise de Gevres ('Sainte Cecile'); Montfort; and played Laurette on the revival of Grétry's 'Richard Cœur de Lion.' On May 2, 1844, she first appeared in public in England at the Princess's in the 'Crown Diamonds,' and met with extraordinary success, both on account of her voice, her charming acting and attractive manners; and the opera, then first produced in England, ran to the end of the season. She was also well received at the Philharmonic and other concerts. She afterwards appeared in England in 45 and 46 at Drury Lane, playing Stella in the 'Enchantress,' on its production May 14, 45, a part composed expressly for her by Balfe; in 46 at the Haymarket in 'Le Domino noir' and 'L'Eau merveilleuse'; and in 48 at the Princess's in 'La Fille du Regiment.' She also played at Brussels and in the French and English provinces, and from 51 to 54 in America, first introducing opera at San Francisco. She reappeared in 54 at Jullien's concerts, after which she was only heard at intervals, on account of a severe throat attack. Her last appearances in opera were in 1856 at the Lyceum as La Catarina. The performances ended abruptly on account of her illness. She was last heard in public at Kuhe's Festival of 1867. She and her husband now reside at Torquay. [ A. C. ]

THIRD. One of the most important intervals in modern music, since, by one or other of its principal forms, it supplies the means of definition in all the most characteristic chords. Three forms are met with in modern music—major, minor, and diminished. The first of these occurs most characteristically in the major scale between the Tonic and the Mediant as between C and E in the key of C (a). It is also an important factor in the Dominant chord, whether in the major or minor mode—as between G and B in the Dominant of the key of C (b). The minor third occurs most characteristically in the minor scale as the converse to the principal major third in the major scale; that is, between Tonic and Mediant; as C and E♭ in C minor (c). It also makes its appearance characteristically in the chord of the subdominant—as F–A♭ in C minor (d);

but both this minor third and the major third of the dominant chord are sometimes supplanted by major and minor thirds respectively for the convenience of melodic progression in the minor mode. In all fundamental discords, such as the Dominant seventh and Dominant major and minor ninths, the first interval from the root-note in the original position of the chord is a major third.

The major third is well represented in the series of partial tones or harmonics, by the tone which comes fourth in order, and stands in the second octave from the prime tone or generator.

The ratio of the sounds of the major third is 4:5, and that of the minor third 5:6. Thirds were not accepted by the ancients as consonances,