would violate condition 2, weakening the word boundary. A compromise is effected in
Figure 27.10 by a duple realization—two equal eighth notes—for ‘hard-est’. The rhythm of
‘But only so an hour’is caused by a different factor: the only content words are ‘only’and
‘hour’, so that the monosyllabic words ‘so’and ‘an’are cliticized. The absence of any stress
between ‘on-’and ‘hour’permits a quick setting.‘Hour’arrives a beat earlier than it other-
wise would, and consequently there is a longer pause between the two quatrains than
between the lines internal to each quatrain. These changes in lines two, three, and four
induce considerable rhythmic variety in the first quatrain. This variety in turn sets up the
second quatrain’s rhythmic monotony, a reflection of its sense of futility.
We turn now by way of stress to contour. Three acoustic variables contribute to stress:
intensity (or loudness), pitch height, and duration.^11 While duration is an independent
variable, intensity and pitch height covary, for the muscles that enable greater intensity also
tend to raise pitch. Even when pitch height is artifically isolated, relative height induces the
perception of relative stress. Thus, pitch height is a strong projector of stress. Since pitch
height is a matter of contour, stress patterns can provide a basis for the derivation of speech
melody. There are many acceptable contours, however, for an intonational phrase or utter-
ance, each having its own nuance. If our concern were grammaticality, in keeping with420 Figure 27.9Addition of the subtactus level to Figure 27.7, with translation into musical durations.
Figure 27.10Durational reading of the poem.