compass of notes

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Mhd shaher

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hi..
what does (compass of notes ) mean?
I know it is in music
but what does (compass) mean here?
 

The French

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hi..
what does (compass of notes ) mean?
I know it is in music
but what does (compass) mean here?

Hello, [Not a teacher and not English],

Compass is a device which show a direction. I reckon it is not the real sense in your sentence but perhaps something that gives you a direction for doing something. It's just my mind but maybe with more context we can help you to find a way to overcome this point of vocabulary.

See you later.
 

emsr2d2

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hi..
what does (compass of notes ) mean?
I know it is in music
but what does (compass) mean here?

Can you give us the full sentence in which you found this phrase, and the context? Without it, it's hard to know what was meant.
 

Mhd shaher

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From harmony, from heavenly harmony
This universal frame began:
From harmony to harmony
Through all the compass of the notes it ran,
The diapason closing full in man


this is some lines from (a song for ST. Cecilia's day) by John Dryden
 

BobK

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We do need more context, but what limited context we've got ('music') makes it clear that it's nothing to do with direction finding (or, for that matter, drawing circles :)). It's probably something to do with range or spread or extent of [musical] notes.

b

PS Students of flamenco music can probably ignore the word compás as well, unless it's a mistranslation....

PPS Oh, Dryden - 'range' then. He's talking about an organ. See more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diapason_(pipe_organ)#Diapasons
 

Mhd shaher

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from harmony, from heavenly harmony,
This universal frame began:
When nature underneath a heap
Of jarring atoms lay,
And could not heave her head,
The tuneful voice was heard from high,
"Arise, ye more than dead."
Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry,
In order to their stations leap,
And Music's power obye.
From harmony, from heavenly harmony,
This universal frame began;
From harmony to harmony
Through all the compass of the notes it ran,
The diapason closing full in man.

II.

What passion cannot music raise and quell?
When Jubal struck the chorded shell,
His listening brethren stood around,
And, wondering, on their faces fell
To worship that celestial sound:
Less than a God they thought there could not dwell
Within the hollow of that shell,
That spoke so sweetly, and so well.
What passion cannot Music raise and quell?

III.

The trumpet's loud clangor
Excites us to arms
With shrill notes of anger
And mortal alarms.
The double, double, double beat
Of the thundering drum
Cries, hark! the foes come:
Charge, charge! 'tis too late to retreat.

IV.

The soft complaining flute,
In dying notes discovers
The woes of hopeless lovers;
Whose dirge is whisper'd by the warbling lute.

V.

Sharp violins proclaim
Their jealous pangs and desperation,
Fury, frantic indignation,
Depth of pains, and height of passion,
For the fair, disdainful dame.

VI.

But oh! what art can teach,
What human voice can reach,
The sacred organ's praise?
Notes inspiring holy love,
Notes that wing their heavenly ways
To mend the choirs above.

VII.

Orpheus could lead the savage race;
And trees uprooted left their place,
Sequacious of the lyre:
But bright Cecilia raised the wonder higher;
When to her organ vocal breath was given,
An angel heard, and straight appeared,
Mistaking earth for heaven.

Grand Chorus

As from the power of sacred lays
The spheres began to move,
And sung the great Creator's praise
To all the bless'd above;
So when the last and dreadful hour
This crumbling pageant shall devour,
The trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And Music shall untune the sky.
 

emsr2d2

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We do need more context, but what limited context we've got ('music') makes it clear that it's nothing to do with direction finding (or, for that matter, drawing circles :)). It's probably something to do with range or spread or extent of [musical] notes.

b

PS Students of flamenco music can probably ignore the word compás as well, unless it's a mistranslation....

Absolutely! Now that we have the context, I entirely agree that it means "the full range" of musical notes.

The word "compass" can be used in this way. For example:

The play was so beautifully written, that it took the audience through the full compass of emotions.
 

Mhd shaher

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ok..
the line after:
The diapason closing full in man.

what does closing full in man mean?
 

BobK

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ok..
the line after:
The diapason closing full in man.

what does closing full in man mean?

Hang on - you ask the one about compass a week ago, and it was answered here: https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/.../116673-song-st-cecilia-s-day.html#post587363 . Admittedly, Gilnetter gave you a different answer, but it's quite rude just to ignore him. :-|

Both our interpretations of 'diapason' are possible, and Donne may have meant both (as the context explained by Gilnetter is about music in creation, and St Cecilia is often depicted playing an organ). That's the thing about poetry - the meaning is fluid. The question 'what does a poem mean?' is impossible to answer. It is; indeed, in its Greek root, it is 'a thing done'.

As to 'closing full in man', that's going to have different meanings depending on which meaning of diapason you take. If it's an organ pipe, mankind either stifles the natural music of the world (that sort of 'closing') or mankind marks the fullest sound of the organ - a crescendo or fanfare at the end of creation (that sort of 'closing'). If you take Gilnetter's meaning, 'closing full in man' presumably is tied in with the Reformation view of man as the 'Crown of Creation' (that sort of 'closing'). There are other possible interpretations.It's a poem.

b
 
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