Text: There are also tetrasyllables, sixteen in number, which, of course, consist of the possible positions of four syllables of different lengths: - - - - Proseleusmatic (Double Pyrrchic) - - + - Third Pæon (Pyrrhic & Trochee) - - - + Fourth Pæon (Pyrrhic & Iambic) - - + + Inoic a minore (Pyrrhic & Spnodee) - + - + Diambic (Double Iambic) - + - - Second Pæon (Iambic & Pyrrhic) - + + - Antispast (Iambic & Trochee) - + + + First Epitrite (Iambic& Spondee) + + + + Dispondee (Double Spondee) + + - - Ionic a majore (Spondee & Pyrrhic) + + - + Third Epitrite (Spondee & Iambic) + + + - Fourth Epitrite (Spondee & Trochee) + - + - Dichoree (Double Trochee) + - - + Choriambic (Trochee & Iambic) + - - - First Pæon (Trochee & Pyrrhic) + - + + Second Epitrite (Trochee & Spondee) [- = short; + = long] Feet of more than four "times" or syllables are, strictly speaking, merely compounded of dissyllables and trisyllables. Musical examples of all the above could be easily given if space allowed. On examination of the musical dissyllables and trisyllables many important questions present themselves. It will be noticed that long syllables almost invariably fall on the accented part of a bar. Can we conceive of a long syllables in music as quantity without stress? This question has been discussed over and over again with reference to modern languages. Some authorities say that stress and non-stress have ejected quantity from our poetry.

See Also: TIME; SCALAR

Source: 125