Antiphon

“ As a substantive, “gradual” (Med. Lat. graduale or gradale) is used of a service book or antiphonal of the Roman Catholic Church containing certain antiphons, called “graduals,” sung at the service of the Mass after the reading or singing of the Epistle. This antiphon received the name either because it was sung on the steps of the altar or while the deacon was mounting the steps of the ambo for the reading or singing of the Gospel. ”

“ It is to the antiphon that we may look as the precursor of harmony and counterpoint, and thus the origin of modern music.
Antiphony was the ancient mode of rendering music, in which two sets of voices sang alternately. They were placed on opposite sides of the choir, as may be seen in Catholic and Anglican [Pg 95] churches to-day, and were respectively entitled "Decani" and "Cantoris." ”

“ Thus, the melody of the Antiphon, Angelus autem Domini (see Antiphon) , is in the Eighth Mode; but, as it only extends from F to D—two notes short of the full range of the Hypomixolydian scale—it is called an Imperfect Melody.
[ W. S. R. ] III. Imperfect Cadence or Half Close. Cadences occupy the position in music which stops do in literature, and of these the Perfect Cadence or full close answers to a full stop, and the Imperfect Cadence or half close to stops of less value. The former consists invariably of a progression towards and a pause upon the Tonic chord in its first position ”

“ Mone has vindicated the claim of Hermann which is set forth in Migne. (Patrologia, 143; 20 ff.) So that we are again sure of a piece which has been meritorious enough to be coveted.
Then comes the antiphon Simon Barjona, which Du Meril calls 160 Simon Baronia and of which no trace remains. Two other sequences are, however, extant, and are beyond any question or debate. They are the Salve regina, which Daniel calls a “most celebrated antiphon,” and the Alma redemptoris mater, the refrain of which Chaucer used in that “Prioress’s Tale,” which Wordsworth has modernized. ”

“ But gradually, for the sake of brevity, this method {105} was abandoned, and the normal use of antiphons in the Breviary was simply after (or on festivals before and after) each Psalm or set of Psalms. The advantage of the antiphon lay in the fact that it shewed at once with what particular intention the Psalm was sung, as the same Psalm naturally might be sung on many different occasions and with reference to a different season or festival. But the very complex nature of the antiphons or "anthems" led the English Reformers to abandon them altogether ”

“ Its authenticity has been further questioned, but we have so little material for judging of the style of Antiphon that it is impossible to pronounce definitely against the supposition that this speech was composed by him. It may be that it was an early work; it is certainly less powerful than the other two genuine speeches.
The Argument.—A young man accuses his stepmother of having poisoned his father by the help of another woman, a slave. ”

“ In the middle of the market-place stands a fountain, which they call Careotis, {138c} and two temples of Truth and Falsehood; there is an oracle here, at which Antiphon presides as high-priest; he is inventor of the dreams, an honourable employment, which Somnus bestowed upon him.
The dreams themselves are of different kinds, some long, beautiful, and pleasant, others little and ugly; there are likewise some golden ones, others poor and mean; some winged and of an immense size, others tricked out as it were for pomps and ceremonies, for gods and kings ”

“ A technical word, formed from the vowels of the last clause of the 'Gloria Patri'—seculorum. Amen; and used, in mediaeval Office-Books, as an abbreviation, when, at the close of an Antiphon, it is necessary to indicate the Ending of the Tone adapted to the following Psalm, or Canticle. ”

“ They are the most beautiful antiphons in the liturgy, expressing the prayers and ardent hopes for the coming Saviour. They have formed the subjects of study for poets, scholars and liturgists, ancient and modern. It is asked why these antiphons introduce the Magnificat and not the Benedictus. And liturgists reply: Because the Incarnation was of Mary, and hence these heralds of the Infant King more appropriately introduce Mary's canticle rather than that of Zachary. ”

“ A term used by the ancients, in opposition to homophony, which implied a performance wholly in unison. Antiphony also signified certain symphonies performed by various voices, or instruments, in octaves and fifteenths to each other, but was more particularly applied to the practice of singing anthems and hymns alternately, or in dialogue. ”

“ A consecrated altar cloth.
Antimony. The oxide of this metal is employed in the preparation of yellow pigments for enamel or porcelain painting. Glass is coloured yellow by antimony. (See Naples, Guimet’s Yellows.)
Antipendium, Chr. (See Antependium.)
Antiphoner, Chr. An antiphonarium; a book of responses set to music.
Antique. Pertaining to ancient Greek or Roman art: more freely used in recent times to describe the quality of ancient art in general, but properly applicable only to classical art.
Fig. 32. Opus Antiquum. ”

“ Ambrose took only the four 'authentic' Greek modes, being the first, third, fifth, and seventh of the eight commonly called the Gregorian Tones, from being all used in the revision of the Roman Antiphonarium by St. Gregory the Great at a subsequent date (A.D. 590) . But St. Ambrose's own statement in his letter to his sister St. Marcelina is merely that he wished to take upon himself the task of regulating the tonality and the mode of execution of the hymns, psalms, and antiphons that were sung in the church he had built at Milan. ”

“ James in the universal English Dispensatory says, it is astonishing that so many physicians, and some of them men of learning, should so strenuously oppose the introduction of antimony into medicine, and without any manner of evidence or experience, treat it as a deleterious poison. For it appears that antimony reduced to powder is neither emetic nor cathartic: though, if given in large quantities, it may perhaps, by its weight, gently loosen the belly ”

“ When steam is made to pass over ignited antimony, the decomposition of the water is so rapid, as to produce a violent detonation. At a white heat, it burns, and forms a white coloured oxide, called the argentine flowers of antimony. Its oxides are various, some of which, possessing acid properties, are called acids. The protoxide is gray, the antimonious acid, white, and antimonic acid, of a straw colour. The crocus of antimony, and the glass of antimony are oxides of this metal, but in particular states of combination. ”

“ Simple sounds are the anodes, the beginnings of sounds. There is no life in them, no rhythm, no melody, no light, no grace, no beauty. These are imparted to them by the fusion of the cathode element of vocal sounds with this, the anode; the spiritual with the material. The anode is formed first. It is the passive element, the female, the patient, the waiting, which must have been before the male, the impatient, the aggressive. ”

“ But it is particularly demonstrated, by the purity of antimony, which is regenerated from regulus and pure sulphur, which is much finer and milder than vulgar or native antimony [26] .
The author of the New Dispensatory, however, in opposition to these weighty authorities, and to the concurring testimony of almost all the chymists, affirms, that this opinion, however plausible, does not seem to have any just foundation. Nothing arsenical, he says, has ever been separated from pure antimony. ”

“ For example, in making some experiments on the properties of antimony, or stibium, as it was then called, it was found that when given to the swine in their food it increased their fatness with surprising rapidity. But when it was administered to some half-starved monks the poor fellows were every one killed. Hence the modern name of antimony, from anti, against, and moine, a monk. It may also be added that antimony, whether used as a medicine or in the composition of printer's type for the dissemination of truth is equally unhealthy for sectarian bigots of every description. ”

“ Basil Valentine, if he really lived in the Middle Ages, and is not merely a name for a writer of the early sixteenth century, as modern historians seem inclined to think, suggested the use of antimony for the removal of the materies morbi from the body that has so much obsessed physicians for many generations. Antimony continued to be used down to the nineteenth century. ”

“ Pure metallic antimony, in coarse powder, or small fragments, is digested in excess of concentrated nitric acid, until the oxidation and conversion is complete; the excess of nitric acid is then removed by evaporation nearly to dryness, and the residuum thrown into cold distilled water; after which the powder (ANTIMONIC ACID) is collected on a calico filter, washed with distilled water, and dried by a gentle heat. Pure.
2. Metallic antimony (in powder) , 1 part; powdered nitre, 6 or 8 parts; are mixed and ignited or deflagrated in a silver crucible; the mass, when cold, is powdered ”

“ The antimony, which enters into the composition of many fire-works, is not to be understood to be the metallic, or regulus of, antimony, unless so expressed; but the crude antimony of the shops. Crude antimony is a combination of antimony and sulphur, and is usually met with in fine powder. That both antimony and its sulphuret have a powerful effect in modifying the flame of gunpowder, and all compositions, in which nitre and inflammable substances form a part, is evident from the many cases, in which it is employed, and from the effects that thereby result. ”

“ Antimony Trioxide occurs ready formed in nature as white antimony or antimony bloom. It is very simply prepared by burning the metal in air, when it forms soft needles with a silvery lustre. It is only necessary to heat melted antimony to a little above its melting point in a crucible placed in a slanting position, when the metal takes fire and burns with a blue flame. Nitric acid converts metallic antimony very quickly into antimony oxide with a copious evolution of brown fumes. ”

“ Antimony is prepared in a state of greater purity by heating with charcoal the oxide obtained by the action of nitric acid on the impure commercial metallic antimony. This is based on the fact that by the action of the acid, antimony forms the oxide Sb2O3, which is but slightly soluble in water. The arsenic, which is nearly always present, forms soluble arsenious and arsenic acids, and remains in solution. The purest antimony is easily obtained from tartar emetic, by heating it with a small quantity of nitre. Metallic antimony also occurs, although rarely, native ”

“ The existence of such a fragment—of a cast vase of pure antimony—is singular, for this metal is not employed pure for any such use in modern industry, although it is often used in alloys; and I know of no similar example in the vessels either of the present or of past times. I had been told, however, that the Japanese used antimony in their manufactures, and I had been presented with a little winged dolphin which was supposed to be made of antimony. But the analysis of this dolphin showed that it was composed of zinc and other associated metals, and was far from being formed of pure antimony. ”

“ If antimony be melted or boiled with a fixed alkali, a precipitate is made by [Pg 123] cooling, called kermes mineral, formerly used in medicine. The antimonial preparations that are now most in use are antimonial wine and tartar emetic. The wine is made by infusing pulverized glass of antimony in Spanish wine some days, and filtering the clear fluid through paper. The emetic tartar, or antimonial tartar, is a saline substance, composed of acid of tartar, vegetable alkali, and antimony partially calcined. ”

“ As the author goes on to deal with the various compounds or derivatives from antimony, it is abundantly clear that he writes from practical experience. He describes the Regulus of Antimony (the metal) , the glass (an oxy-sulphide) , a tincture made from the glass, an oil, an elixir, the flowers, the liver, the white calx, a balsam, and others.
Basil Valentine’s scathing contempt for contemporary medical practitioners calls for quotation. “The doctor,” he says, “knows not what medicines he prescribes to the sick; whether the colour of them be white, black, grey, or blew, he cannot tell ”

“ This opinion, contradicted by the general voice of mineralogical and chymical writers, since it is not supported by more convincing proofs, should not have been published in a book intended for the use of every pupil in pharmacy; if the prevailing opinion of the poisonous quality of antimony should be erroneous, it cannot affect the lives of mankind, but if it is well founded, what words can express the dangerous tendency of a false doctrine so universally propagated! ”

“ A strain of music or a simple tone will vibrate in the air forever and ever, decreasing according to a fixed ratio. The diffusion of the agitation extends in all directions, like the waves in a pool, but the ear is unable to detect it beyond a certain point. It is well known that some individuals can distinguish sounds which to others under precisely similar circumstances are wholly lost. Thus the fault is not in the sound itself, but in our organ of hearing, and a tone once in existence is always in existence. ”