Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/328

* MELLO. 294 MELODY. then in the Portuguese service wlien liis na- tive louiilrv asserted its independence. Uespite his loyalty, he was imprisoned by order of Julin 1'., and, after an ineareeration that lasted from 1(144 to 1053, he was banislied to Brazil. There he remained six years, until the death of the monarch permitted his return to Portugal. Wello is one of the best Portuguese poets of the seventeenth ccntuiy, conimendably free from most of the mannerisms of the time. His numerous po- etical compositions, collected under the title of Miisas de Melodino, fall into two divisions, of which the first comprises his Spanish verse, and the second — bearing the sub-title of .Is sccju/tdtis trcs jHH.so.? — his Portuguese poems. These latter reveal him as a true poet and are not without popular and patriotic elements. Of Hello's other works in Portuguese may be mentioned certain prose compositions: the HoapHal das Leitras, a dialogue containing much sound literary criti- cism; the Dialogos apoloffacs: and the Carta de giiia dc casados { 16.51 ), in which the autlior gives a picture of Portuguese family life of the period. Xot the least meritoriinis of .Icllo"s producticms is the historical work, Historia dc los moriniicit- ios, separacion, y guerra de Catalui'ia (1045), which is in Spanish. An historical treatise in Portuguese is the Epanaphnras de raria historia portugucza (1060). Consult: the Obran metri- cas de D. Francisco Manoel and his Obras in general (Lyons, 1065) ; the Fidalgo Aprciidiz in the Musas, and also separately in 1070 (cf. T. Braga's essay on it in his Thrairo Portuguez no sectilo AT//"., 1870-71) ; P. Chasles, Voi/agcs d'lin erili(iae (Paris,180i)) ; Branco in the edition of the Carta dc giiia de casados (Oporto, 187.'?). MELLONI, mel-lo'nf, .MACEnoMO (1708- 1S.')4|. An Italian experimental physicist, famous for his researches on the sibject of radiant heat. He was born in Parma. In 1824 he was called to the chair of natural philosophy in the University of Parma; and afterwards he was appointed by the King of Naples director of the meteorological observatory on Mount Vesuvius. He discovered the existence of heat in lunar light, and the results of his investigations of invisilile heat — i.e. beat emit- ted by bodies at a lower temperature than (bat at which they become incandescent — have formed contributions of the utmost importance to phys- ics. He published numerous memoirs on various topics in natural philosophy, and the volume La thcrmriclirosr. nu la coloration, calorifiqiie ( KSoO). MELMOTH, CorRTXEY. The pen-name of the Knglish miscellaneous writer, Samuel Jackson Pratt (q.v.). MELODEON. The early American organ, in wliii li an ibaust or suction bellows draws the air inward through the reeds. About 1830 J. Carhart made a number of improvements in the melodeim. and upon the application of still fur- ther inventions by K. P. Xeedliam and E. Hamlin the instrument became widely pijpular. The supply of wind for the reeds is dbtaini'd liy means of a pair of treadles, worked by the performer. and the reeds themselves are controlled by stops nnd slider mechanism. The tone of the instru- ment has been steadily improved, and now suc- cessfully imitates a number of orchestral in- struments. Scp H.VRMOXHM; Onr.AN. MELODRAMA (from Ok. fie?or. mctns. song 4- fifiapa, drama, action, play). Properly a half- musical drama, or a dramatic performance in which the dialogue is interspersed with music. Rousseau's Pygmalion is connuonly cited as the lir.st French melodrama, and some of the earlier English operas are of this type. In Italy, how- ever, the name was first applied to the opera, by its inventor, Ottavio Rinuccini, near the end of the si.xtecnth century. In Germany the term has been particularly used to designate a decla- mation with instrumental accompaniment (as distinguished fiom the recitative, which is char- acteristic of the regular opera, q.v.). The ob- ject of the music is to intensify the emotions evoked by the spoken words, which may be a poem like Schiller's Lied von der Ulovke, or a regular drama; but the cesthetie value of the practice has been much disputed, and it has almost fallen into disuse in serious works. Our present use of the word melodrama appears to have originated in France, where, in the latter part of the eighteenth century, it came to be apidicd to the style of iiojuilar tragedy in which were presented the conventional types of stage villains, persecuted innocent heroines and their kind, along with elements of comedy as well as of music and dancing, and with a regularly happy ending in deference to well-known popular preferences in this respect. MELODY (Lat. melodia, Gk. /le^.i^iia, from /li'/.vg, nulos, song -+- iji'''}. Ode, song), A suc- cession of tones constituting a musical phrase. That this succession be pleasing is not absolutely essential. Whereas harmony considers all the tones sounded simultaneously in the various voices or parts, melody primarily considers the various tones of only a single voice or pari. i.e. in relation to every |)receding or succeeding tcne. Broadly speaking, it has been stated that a melody rising in jiitch corres|ionds to the more violent emotions, such as determination, desire, longing, striving; while a melody falling in pitch corresponds to the more passive states, as resignation, contem])lation, sadness. But in reality a melody can never be considered abso- lutely by it.self. ' The character of every musical phrase is iletermined by a combination of tliree vital and fundamental elements, melody, har- mony, an<I rhythm, each of wliicdi alVects the others. This is easily seen by examining any of Wagner's leading motives, where the same melodic phr:ise is rendered capable of great emo- tional v.iricty by changes in the harmonic or rhythmic elements. In fact, the same succes- sion of nol<'s may sound noble or trivial, accord- ing to the choice of refined or commonplace harmonics supporting it. There is an endless variety in the sticcession of musical tones form- ing a melody; some being so easily iiitidligible that even peojile of little musical taste can dis- tinguish them, as is the case with some popular dance forms. The term melody is by no means synonymous with cantilena, as many seem to tliink. The former term is infinitely broader than the latter. Xo special course in melody is given in conservatories, although in recent years several theoretical treatises on the subject have appeared. The pupil almost unconsciously ac- qiires the practical elements of melodic forma- tions while pursuing the study of harmony anil the higher forms of composition. I'pon any harmonic basis a practically endless n uber of melodies may be written, and, vice versa, all melodies can be reduced to a simple