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The act of modulating, or the state of being modulated; as, the modulation of the voice.

Modulation of the voice in speaking; manner of speaking or pronouncing; peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice; tone; as, a foreign accent; a French or a German accent. "Beguiled you in a plain accent." Shak. "A perfect accent." Thackeray. The tender accent of a woman's cry. Prior.

pitch or modulation of the voice in reciting portions of the liturgy.

A rhythmical modulation of the voice or of any sound; as, music of bells in cadence sweet. Blustering winds, which all night long Had roused the sea, now with hoarse cadence lull Seafaring men o'erwatched. Milton. The accents . . . were in passion's tenderest cadence. Sir W. Scott.

A chanting; recitation or reading with musical modulations.

A succession of chords according to the rules of progression and modulation.

A slide, modulation, or accent of the voice; as, the rising and the falling inflection.

The fundamental tone of a movement to which its modulations are referred, and with which it generally begins and ends; keynote. Both warbling of one song, both in one key. Shak.

which a piece or passage is written; the fundamental tone of the chord, to which all the modulations of the piece are referred; -- called also key tone.

Of or pertaining to mode, modulation, module, or modius; as, modular arrangement; modular accent; modular measure.

Applied to an air or modulation of harmony which moves by easy and smooth transitions, digressing but little from the original key. Moore (Encyc. of Music). Natural day, the space of twenty-four hours. Chaucer. -- Natural fats, Natural gas, etc. See under Fat, Gas. etc. -- Natural Harmony (Mus.), the harmony of the t…

Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune. Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Plain chant (Mus.) Same as Plain song, below. -- Plain chart (Naut.), a chart laid down on Mercator's projection. -- Plain dealer. (a) One who practices plain dealing. (b) A simpleton. [Obs.] Shak. -- Pla…

lar succession of tones or chords; the movement of the parts in harmony; the order of the modulations in a piece from key to key. Arithmetical progression, a progression in which the terms increase or decrease by equal differences, as the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 1010, 8, 6, 4, 2 -- Geometrical progression, a progression in…

To utter sounds with musical inflections or melodious modulations of voice, as fancy may dictate, or according to the notes of a song or tune, or of a given part (as alto, tenor, etc.) in a chorus or concerted piece. The noise of them that sing do I hear. Ex. xxxii. 18.

That which is sung or uttered with musical modulations of the voice, whether of a human being or of a bird, insect, etc. "That most ethereal of all sounds, the song of crickets." Hawthorne.

Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion. Eager his tone, and ardent were his eyes. Dryden.

A direct or indirect passing from one key to another; a modulation.

An affected modulation of the voice; a kind of nasal sound. He has such a twang in his discourse. Arbuthnot.

A quavering modulation of the voice; a musical trill; a song. And he, the wondrous child, Whose silver warble wild Outvalued every pulsing sound. Emerson.