about seven and a half inches long, and an eighth of an inch in breadth, pierced, at a distance of about five and a half inches from its upper end, by a hole, through which is passed the pivot upon which it is made to oscillate. This rod—answering to the Double-Pendulum already described—is suspended, by means of the pivot, in front of a wooden case, and kept in a perpendicular position by a stout leaden bullet, fixed to its shorter end, which, thus weighted, sinks, of course, when at rest, to the lowest place. On its upper and longer end is placed a smaller weight, of brass, made to slide up and down at will, and so proportioned to the lower weight, that, by changing its position, the Pendulum may be made to execute any number of oscillations, between 40 and 208, in a minute. As a guide to the position of the upper weight, the rod is backed by a graduated scale—really the invention of Maelzel—affixed to the wooden case: and, by means of this, the instrument may be so adjusted as to beat, silently, for a few minutes, at any required pace. To render it still more effective—capable of beating for a longer time, and, with a distinctly audible sound—it is provided with a strong spiral spring, adapted to an escapement exactly similar to that of an ordinary loud-ticking clock.[1] In this form, it is complete enough to answer its intended purpose, perfectly: nevertheless, an attempt is sometimes made to increase its efficiency still farther, by the addition of a little Bell, which can be made to strike at every second, third, fourth, or sixth oscillation of the Pendulum, and thus to indicate the various accents, as well as the simple beats of the bar. The scale does not include all the units between 40 and 108 [App. p.718 "208"]—which, indeed, would be a mere useless encumbrance but proceeds, from 40, to 60, by twos; from 60, to 72, by threes; from 72, to 120, by fours; from 120, to 144, by sixes; and, from 144, to 208, by eights. In order to indicate the exact Tempo in which he wishes his piece to be performed, the Composer uses a formula, beginning with the letters M.M. followed by a Musical Note, connected, by the sign =, with a number. The letters signify Maelzel's Metronome. The Note implies that the beats of the Pendulum are to be understood as representing Minims, Crotchets, or Quavers, as the case may be. The number indicates the place on the graduated scale to the level of which the top of the upper weight must be raised, or lowered. Thus, 'M.M. 
=60,' would shew that the Metronome was to be so arranged as to beat Minims, at the rate of sixty in a minute: 'M.M. 
=100,' that it was to beat Crotchets, at the rate of a hundred in a minute. Some Metronomes are marked with the words Andante, Allegretto, Allegro, etc., in addition to the numbers. This is a new, and utterly useless contrivance: for it is evident, that, if =100 be held to indicate Moderato, =100 will stand for Allegro, and 
=100 for Largo. The word Moderato, therefore, without the Minim, Crotchet, or Quaver, to qualify it, means nothing at all; and it is absurd to encumber the scale with it, or with any other technical terms whatever.
By far the best Metronomes now attainable are those manufactured in England for Messrs. Cocks, Chappell, Ashdown & Parry, and other well-known Music Publishers. French Metronomes are far less durable than these; and, as a general rule, far less accurate time-keepers; though it is sometimes possible to meet with one which will beat evenly enough, as long as it lasts. A very large and loud Metronome is made by Messrs. Rudall & Carte, of London, for Military Bands; and an instrument of this kind may often be used, with great advantage, when a number of vocal or instrumental performers practise together: for, apart from its primary intention, the Metronome is invaluable as a means of teaching beginners to sing or play in time, and will, indeed, make 'good timists' of many who would be a long while learning to count accurately without its aid.
[ W. S. R. ]
MEVES, Augustus Antoine Cornelius, son of Augustus Anthony William (known as William) Meves, a miniature painter, was born in London Feb. 16, 1785. He was early taught the pianoforte by his mother, a pupil of Linley and Sacchini, and appeared in Edinburgh in 1805 as Mr. Augustus, with considerable success. He followed his profession in London until the death of his father, Aug. 1, 1818, when he gave up teaching for speculation on the Stock Exchange, continuing however to compose and arrange for his instrument. He died suddenly in a cab, May 9, 1859. In the latter part of his life he assumed to be the Dauphin of France, son of Louis XVI., and alleged that he had been rescued from captivity in the Temple through the instrumentality of William Meves. His story may be read in detail in 'Authentic Historical Memoirs of Louis Charles, Prince Royal, Dauphin of France,' etc., by his sons Augustus and William Meves (London, Ridgway, 1868).
[ W. H. H. ]
MEYERBEER, Giacomo, famous dramatic composer, was born at Berlin, of Jewish parents, Sept. 5, 1791 or [2]94. His father, Herz Beer, a native of Frankfort, was a wealthy banker in Berlin; his mother (née Amalie Wulf) was a woman of rare mental and intellectual gifts, and high cultivation. He was their eldest son, and was called Jacob Meyer, a name he afterwards contracted and Italianized into Giacomo Meyerbeer. He seems to have been the sole member of his family remarkable for musical gifts, but two of his brothers achieved distinction in other lines; Wilhelm as an astronomer, and Michael (who died young) as a poet.
His genius showed itself early. When hardly more than an infant he was able to retain in
- ↑ In the first Time-keeper made by Maelzel, in his attempt to improve upon Stöckel's Chronometer, the sound was produced by a Lever, (Hebel), striking upon a little Anvil, (Ambon). This explains a curious expression contained in a letter written, by Beethoven, to Zmeskall—'Erste Schwingmann der Welt, und dies ohne Hebel.'(' First Bwlngman of the world, and that without a lever.') For a description of the instrument—known as the 'Stöckel-Maelzel Chronometer'—see the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung for Dec. 1, 1813.
- ↑ Both dates are given.
