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TOC
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long known the mechanical laws of coun-
ter-point as any nation in Europe; and,
that at present, by means of M. Rameau's
system and rules for a fundamental base,
they are very good judges of harmony. It
must likewise be allowed, that they
have long been in possession of simple
and agreeable Provençale and Langue-
docian melodies, to which they continue
to adapt the prettiest words, for social
purposes, of any people on the globe; and
that they have now the merit of imitating
very successfully the music of the Italian
burlettas, in their comic operas, and of
greatly surpassing the Italians, and, per-
haps, every other nation, in the poetical
composition of those dramas.
During my last residence at Paris, I
had the honour of conferring with many
men of letters of the first class, whose
openness and politeness to me were such
as merit my most grateful and public
acknowledgments; and I cannot resist
the desire of mentioning two, among
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