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 Musical criticism and biography / 
 
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MUSICAL CRITICISM 
 
 &c. 
 
LONDON : PRINTED BY 
 
 SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE 
 
 AND PARLIAMENT STREET 
 
MUSICAL CRITICISM 
 
 AND 
 
 BIOGRAPHY: 
 
 FROM THE PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED WRITINGS 
 
 THOMAS DAMANT EATON, 
 
 LATE 
 PRESIDENT OF THE NORWICH CHORAL SOCIETY. 
 
 SELECTED and EDITED by HIS SONS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
 
 1872. 
 
/ rO'HsTerre^ -\roi^> 01' ^ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The following selection has been made with 
 the view of preserving in a convenient and durable 
 form the more generally interesting of the Author's 
 writings on music. Critical notices of Performances 
 have, therefore, for the most part been omitted, though 
 in some cases extracts from them have been inserted 
 in order to illustrate a principle or to continue an 
 analysis of the music performed. A few short 
 extracts have also been added for the sake of giving 
 a more complete picture of the Author's opinions, and 
 of enriching the book with his descriptions of the 
 style and peculiarities of some of the great musicians 
 of his time. It is hoped that this Memorial Volume 
 will be a welcome addition to musical literature, and 
 the means of carrying on the Author's work ; thus 
 enabling him ' still to serve that good cause to which 
 his life was so much devoted.' 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART I.— CRITICAL. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 English Music. Convivium Musicum : A Colloquy op the 
 
 Dead (From the Anglo-Saxon of 1850) ... 3 
 
 English Music. Convivium Religiosum : A Colloquy of 
 
 the Dead (From the Anglo-Saxon of 1850) . 23 
 
 Remarks on Haydn's ' Creation ' (Published as a pamphlet 
 
 in 1849). 44 
 
 Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. (From Sunnan's Handbook 
 
 Oratorio, ' The Messiah, ' Exeter Hall Edition) ... 65 
 
 A Selection from the Musical Articles of the ' Norfolk 
 News ; ' consisting of complete articles and extracts 
 {January 11, 1851 to December n, 1869) .• — 
 
 'Acis and Galatea' . 70 
 
 'Israel in Egypt' ..... . 81 
 
 'Alexander's Feast' 93 
 
 'Judas Maccabeus' 96 
 
 'Ode to St. Cecilia' — Madame Clara Novello . . 103 
 Additional Accompaniments— Mozart . . . .104 
 
 Mozart's 'Requiem' 106 
 
 Beethoven 109 
 
 Haydn's 'Seasons' 112 
 
yni 
 
 Contents. 
 
 Spohr 
 
 Handel and Spohr 
 Gluck's 'Armida' 
 Mendelssohn 
 
 'St. Paul' 
 
 The ' Lobgesang ' 
 
 'Elijah' .... 
 Recitative . 
 Choral Recitative 
 Madame Goldschmidt. 
 
 Sivori 
 
 The Overture to 'Figaro' 
 Bellini. ' Norma ' 
 
 OURY 
 
 Sacred Music 
 
 Rules . 
 
 Joachim . 
 
 Madrigals 
 
 Rossini . 
 
 Grisi 
 
 Harmonised Songs, &c. 
 
 Imitation. ' Israel Restored ' 
 
 Pieuson 
 
 ' Sound Immortal Harp ' . 
 
 'Jerusalem' 
 Letters on the Decline of Music (From the ' Musical 
 
 Standard' of 1869) . 
 A Letter on the Philosophy of 
 
 Standard' of 1870) . 
 
 Music (F 
 
 rom the ' Musical 
 
 "3 
 116 
 117 
 119 
 119 
 120 
 124 
 126 
 128 
 129 
 134 
 135 
 135 
 136 
 
 137 
 138 
 139 
 140 
 141 
 142 
 142 
 143 
 145 
 
 145 
 146 
 
 147 
 
 PART II.— BIOGRAPHICAL. 
 
 The late Mr. George Perry (From the 'Norfolk News' of 
 
 April 19, 1862) 197 
 
 The late Professor Taylor (From the 'Norfolk News' 
 
 of March 28, and April 4, 1863) . . . , 2I0 
 
Contents. ix 
 
 PAGR 
 
 Some account of the Life and Doctrines of Mr. James 
 
 Taylor, Organist (From an unpublished Manuscript). 256 
 
 Mr. James Taylor's system of tuning the Pianoforte. 
 
 (MS.) 286 
 
 A Letter on the Double Peal of Six (From the ' Norfolk 
 
 Chronicle ' and ' Norwich Mercury ' of June 2, 1832) . . 2S8 
 
 Scheme of a Double Peal of Four. (MS.) . . 290 
 
Part I. 
 
 CRITICAL. 
 
Musical Criticism and Biography* 
 
 ENGLISH MUSIC. 
 
 CONVIVIUM MUSICUM : A COLLOQUY OF THE DEAD. 
 By an Anglo-Saxon Amateur. 
 (From the 'Anglo-Saxon' of i%$o.) 
 
 SCENE: THE ELYSIAN FIELDS. 
 
 Colloquy I. — Dr. Arne, Jackson, Shield. 
 
 Jack. Welcome, dear Shield, to the felicity of these 
 Elysian shades. Let us repose, with Arne, upon yon 
 flowery bank. There will we converse together upon 
 the art we still love ; accompanied the while by the 
 murmur of a streamlet, as melodious and soothing as 
 your own. 
 
 Shield. Alas ! the spirit of Shield is unworthy to 
 mix with such associates as Jackson and Arne. 
 
 Jack. Pray lay aside that affectation of modesty. 
 You displayed too much of it, even for the other 
 world, in your celebrated ' Essay on Harmony.' 
 
 Arne. Modesty, either real or .affected, will never 
 be imputed to Jackson of Exeter ! But tell me, 
 
 B 2 
 
4 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Shield, (not that I care,) does my music yet retain a 
 degree of public favour ? 
 
 Shield. Your 'Rule, Britannia,' is 'familiar as 
 household words,' wherever the British flag floats 
 upon the breeze. Yet few, I suspect, could name you 
 the composer. Some say you stole it from the 
 Italian ; be that as it may, it still divides the national 
 heart with ' God save the King.' 
 
 Jack, Is 'God save the King' still popular in 
 England ? Why, I published my reasons for de- 
 spising that trash, and hoped to have seen it shelved 
 before I died. 
 
 Shield. It is not the only point on which you and 
 the public could not quite agree. ' Non nobis Do- 
 mine ' is more sung than ever, whilst the canon you 
 wrote with a view to supplant it has long been con- 
 signed to ' the tomb of all the Capulets.' 
 
 Jack. I wish, Shield, you could break yourself of 
 constantly quoting. It renders your ' Essay on Har- 
 mony ' ridiculous. What business, for instance, had 
 the 'judicious Hooker ' in an ' Essay on Harmony ' ? — 
 to say nothing of the clumsy way in which you have 
 introduced him. 
 
 Shield. I confess I wanted your facility of style. 
 But I wrote that 'Essay' for the sake of the ex- 
 amples. You must allow that these are not without 
 merit. 
 
 Arne. \ am glad that 'Rule, Britannia,' maintains 
 my reputation. Ah ! I always liked an air that 
 
English Music. 5 
 
 would grind about the streets.' But what do people 
 Say of my operas now ? 
 
 Shield. 'Comus,' ' Artaxerxes,' and one or two 
 others are occasionally revived. But perhaps it would 
 give you little pleasure to hear them. 
 
 Arne. How so ? 
 
 Shield. The managers have a trick of substituting 
 some trashy ballad of the day, which has nothing to 
 do with the story, in place of the most important 
 song in the opera 
 
 Arne. I'm glad I am dead ! 
 
 Shield. If they did not do this, the best lady singer 
 would have no opportunity of showing off her grand 
 cadenza. 
 
 Arne. Oh that I had burnt all my scores before I 
 died! 
 
 Shield. Singers, you know, must be nursed and 
 indulged ; besides, you are little aware of the trouble 
 of getting up a modern cadenza. In the first, place, 
 care must be taken that it have no individual charac* 
 ter. I mean, that it have no relation to any particular 
 song. 
 
 Arne. Sir, your singers would have driven me mad. 
 If / know anything of music, a cadenza should be 
 founded upon the melody that it is expressly intended 
 to grace. It should seem to grow, as it were, out of 
 the subject — to be suggested by the immediate air — 
 to derive its meaning 
 
 Shield. My dear Doctor, a modern cadenza . ought 
 
6 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 to have no meaning ; otherwise how could it be made 
 to form a part of fifty or a hundred different songs ? 
 Give me leave to enlighten your darkness a little. 
 Before a lady ventures to ' make her first appearance,' 
 she studies the ' Grace-book', or goes perhaps to some 
 hackney composer for half a score cadenzas, which 
 (like a young curate's paternal sermons) are to carry 
 her safely through her professional life. Now, these 
 cadenzas must embrace every difficulty which the 
 zealous aspirant is capable of executing ; they must- 
 abound with chromatic runs and divisions ; they must 
 include the utmost compass of the voice ; they must 
 have holding notes that will admit of swells, and 
 pauses at the proper points for shakes ; they must have 
 both staccato and legato passages ; because the former 
 will exhibit neatness of articulation, and the latter 
 will develope purity of tone. They must also 
 
 Arne. If I were alive, I should die of laughter. 
 • Jack. Can the tasteful aristocracy of England relish 
 this sort of display ? 
 
 Shield. By no means. They are, however, com- 
 pelled to endure it, and that by their own fault. It is 
 now reckoned extremely vulgar to betray any out- 
 ward symptom of pleasure or disgust. Only the gods 
 in the gallery are guilty of this rudeness ; hence their 
 noisy approbation, in the absence of all other evidence, 
 must be taken for the sense of the audience. Now, 
 what is so likely to enrapture the gods as a run, a 
 swell, and a shake ? 
 
English Music. 7 
 
 Jack. This is a melancholy picture indeed. 
 
 Shield. I own it is. Since it would be obviously 
 impossible to perform these tricks with such airs as 
 ' Gentle youth, ah ! tell me why,' ' Blow, blow, thou 
 winter's wind,' 'Where the bee sucks,' or, indeed, 
 with any rational melody, we have been driven into a 
 showy, rambling, unmeaning style of writing, with 
 scarcely any character whatever. 
 
 Jack. A melody, in order to be good, must form a 
 connected whole ; it must be a true chain of depen- 
 dencies, whereof you cannot break a single link with- 
 out injuring the general effect. This is the principle 
 I always kept in view when composing my duets and 
 canzonettes. 
 
 Shield. Your duets perhaps have scarcely been 
 excelled by any succeeding writer, at least in your 
 own country. Your canzonettes are of little use in 
 private life, on account of the figured basses. 
 
 Jack. Why, you would not have had me leave the 
 voice entirely without accompaniment ? 
 
 Shield. Certainly not. But the modern practice is, 
 to write a melodious accompaniment for the right 
 hand, the chords being elegantly filled up, so that 
 nothing, save expression, is left to the choice of the 
 performer. 
 
 Jack. That strikes me as being an excellent im- 
 provement. 
 
 Shield. It is only one out of many. Handel and 
 his contemporaries clipped their songs, like their trees, 
 
8 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 into a stiff and formal pattern ; the moderns allbw- 
 their melodies to grow as nature, and good taste dic- 
 tate. 
 
 Jack. You forget what you have just been telling 
 us about cadenzas. 
 
 Shield. No ; I then merely censured an. abuse, to 
 which our music may be more liable than yours, but 
 which is nevertheless separable from it_ 
 
 Arne. And pray what is your objection to the form 
 of Handel's songs ? 
 
 Shield. They consist of a long and masterly move* 
 ment, complete in itself, and satisfactory to the ear :. 
 so far all is well. But the tyrant Custom whispered 
 to Handel that it would be necessary to append some 
 ten or twenty bars of minor modulation ; and, as he 
 could not end here, he was, obliged to send us. back, 
 by a da capo, to. the beginning of the first strain ; thus, 
 jading his singer, and cheating himself, of an encore. 
 
 Arne. I think this construction of a song maybe, 
 rendered very effective. 
 
 Jack. Nothing can justify it as an imperative rule, 
 and such it seems to have been practically. Let m& 
 quote an example from your own works, Doctor. I 
 • have always thought your ' Vengeance, O come in- 
 spire me,' in the ' Masque of Alfred,' a very spirited 
 composition in Eb. The little imitation between the 
 treble and bass in the symphony is really delicious. 
 After the song is, to all intents and purposes, ended, 
 and the audience are beginning to. applaud, you chill 
 
English Music. 9 
 
 them with fifteen* bars of modulation through the 
 keys of C minor, F minor, and G minor ; for no better 1 
 reason, you must be aware; than that this would be 
 expected by the critics. Then comes the da capo. But 
 how tame is your second invocation of ' Vengeance ' 
 when compared with the first ! Your fruitless at- 
 tempt to rekindle the fire only shows how completely 
 you had quenched it. 
 
 Arne. There is a good deal of truth in that, but 
 you must not be too hard upon me. Consider what 
 I had to go through ! Handel had his troubles, and 
 I am sure I had mine. I was abused by rascally 
 foreigners, and, what was worse, by my own fellow- 
 countrymen. Sir, they tried to crush me with the 
 overwhelming weight of Handel. They accused me 
 of ignorance and barbarism. They drove me to 
 Vauxhall for bread, and then affected to despise me 
 for writing in the style of Vauxhall. Where would 
 have been the use of my departing from the model of 
 Handel ? An omission of that minor modulation would 
 have been imputed, not to the independence of genius, 
 or to the discrimination of a refined taste, but to an 
 abject poverty of resources. By Jove, Sir, they would 
 have told me that I didn't know how to modulate. 
 
 Shield. A very good personal defence, Doctor ; but 
 since you are at the bar, I shall prefer another charge 
 against you. Pardon my freedom ; I never could 
 reconcile myself to the final close of your songs. It 
 has neither the dignity of Handel's cadence, nor the 
 
io Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 expression of that of Mozart, but is a commonplace 
 piddling run, that carries its date upon the face 
 of it. 
 
 Arne. He who writes for the vulgar must write 
 what will please the vulgar. You know I was con- 
 demned to Vauxhall. 
 
 Shield. Cadences, graces, and divisions stamp the 
 date of a composition, whereas a simple unadorned 
 melody is for all ages and nations : such are many of 
 yours. 
 
 Jack. Few composers have prudence enough to be 
 satisfied with doing a good thing once ; if they had, 
 it would be difficult, if not impossible, to steal it from 
 them. I am told that Mozart has carried the chro- 
 matic appoggiatura into almost everything he wrote. 
 A host of servile imitators, who could not catch a 
 sparkle of his genius, were glad to seize upon this 
 peculiarity ; so that what was characteristic of the man 
 has at length become the mannerism of his day. Now 
 had Mozart (or whoever first invented this appoggia- 
 tura) restricted it to the piece in which it first ap- 
 peared, it would have been recognised ever after as 
 part of an individual melody, and could not have 
 become antiquated. 
 
 Shield. Mozart had a creative genius if ever man 
 had, though he was not quite free from singularity. 
 
 Arne. Sir, the supposition of an original writer, 
 devoid of singularity, seems to me to be self-contra- 
 dictory. What is originality but a certain style, or 
 
English Music. 1 1 
 
 character, or something (whatever you choose to call 
 it) in a composition, whereby it differs essentially from 
 every other,? This distinguishing feature is a salient 
 point for the imitator. There is no security therefore 
 for the composer ; his best ideas will be appropriated 
 and debased, till the public appetite, satiated with 
 repetition, reject both the copies and their type. 
 
 Shield. I am not sure of that. An imitator must be 
 careful to borrow, not that which is peculiar to one 
 air, but that which is common to many, otherwise the 
 plagiarism would be immediately detected. 
 
 Jack. There are different degrees, nay, different 
 kinds of originality. Where this quality consists of 
 petty strokes, such as the turning of a cadence, the 
 introduction of a grace-note, or the connection of 
 independent, though perhaps expressive phrases, each 
 of these may be pilfered separately, and so be made 
 to embroider a thousand different airs. This sort of 
 originality I should have envied no man ; but when 
 the entire flow of the melody is original — when a 
 grand subject is made to unfold itself gradually, till 
 we behold it as it existed in the conception of the 
 composer, a perfect, undivided whole — it may safely 
 bid defiance to the powers of imitation. For what, in 
 such a case, is there to lay hold of ? Mere parts, taken 
 by themselves, are worth nothing. It is not the brick, 
 but the design, that constitutes the beauty of the 
 building. 
 
 Arne. By Jove, Jackson, I like that remark. 
 
1 2 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Jack. Who would ever think of stealing from the 
 'Hallelujah Chorus'? 
 
 Arne. True; very true. 
 
 Jack. Sometimes two different degrees of originality 
 meet in the same composition ; the one liable to be 
 imitated, the other not. Take; for instance, the ' Dead 
 March ' in ' Saul.' A sublime effect is produced by the 
 peculiar accompaniment with the drum. Whether the 
 subject is taken up by the whole orchestra, or left to 
 the bewailing flutes, still the melancholy, sullen beat 
 of the drum goes on — on — on, till the very life-blood 
 begins to curdle at your heart. 
 
 Shield. It does, Jackson, it does ; that is, it didvtheti. 
 we were alive. 
 
 Jack. Now here you have originality of effect pro- 
 duced by originality of treatment. But as the drum 
 is common property, and, moreover, only capable of 
 measure — in short, as anybody may write a drum 
 part to a march — later composers have constructed 
 dead marches, into which they have, infused this sort 
 of effect without having been considered plagiarists ; 
 but then they respected Handel's melody. The 
 originality of effect in the ' Dead March ' in ' Saul ' is 
 partly due to originality of subject; and this it is which 
 distinguishes that famous march from all the other 
 dead marches that have been, or ever will be written. 
 
 Shield. Even a short and simple air may be original 
 and inimitable. Some of Dibdin's songs are of this 
 character. He who hears them once would know them 
 
English Music. 13 
 
 ■again anywhere. The same may be said of * Cease 
 yourfunning.' Who could borrow from this little tune 
 with a chance of escaping detection ? Melodies of 
 this sort may be sung till people get tired of them, 
 and then they will be consigned to temporary oblivion. 
 Another generation accidentally revives them, and 
 they spring up as fresh and beautiful as ever. They 
 may long lie dormant, but they never die. 
 
 Jack. Your minute critic seldom hears A, B, C, in 
 succession in a piece of music, without calling your 
 attention to some other piece, wherein the same pro- 
 gression of melody occurs. Then he shakes his head, 
 looks wondrous wise, and convicts the unlucky com- 
 poser of plagiarism. Now, a man cannot be fairly 
 accused of plagiarism, unless he steals somewhat of 
 the character of a melody, and to do this he must 
 generally purloin a whole period. 
 
 Shield. Mozart begins an ' Et incarnatus est ' with 
 the first period of the second strain of ' God save the 
 King ; ' and yet the effect is so totally different, that 
 the identity of the notes does not make it a pla- 
 giarism. 
 
 Jack. He who really understands the art, knows 
 that casual coincidences are inevitable in music. Con- 
 sider how large a portion of every composition con- 
 sists of fragments of the scale, and of the tonic and 
 dominant harmonies drawn out into arpeggio. 
 
 Shield. The cry now is, that melody is exhausted. 
 
 Arne. Bah ! Sir. The same twaddle was talked in 
 
14 Musical Criticism and* Biography. 
 
 my day ; but the poverty was in the artists, not in the 
 art. I never found myself at a loss for ideas, or for 
 notes to express them. 
 
 Shield. Nor I. Indeed I used, to say, 'Practise the 
 scale, and ideas will crowd upon you even to your 
 own astonishment.' Yet some modern composers are 
 ever ransacking the heights and depths of the scale in 
 search of originality. No compass of voice, or even 
 instrument, will satisfy them. One thing only they 
 forget to obtain, which is, a natural simplicity. 
 
 Artie. That is quite enough to account for their 
 failure. 
 
 Jack. Music is at once both poor in resources and 
 rich in variety ; but a remarkable peculiarity is, that 
 she is indebted to this very poverty for her riches. 
 
 Arne. Sir, you remind me of that quaint line in 
 the play : 
 
 My wound is great because it is so small; . 
 
 and of the rejoinder of the witty Duke of Bucking- 
 ham : 
 
 Then 'twould be greater were it none at all. 
 
 Jack. Seven notes — only seven notes out of the 
 great system of sounds — form our musical scale. 
 
 Shield. You may enlarge as much as you please 
 by repeating these notes in their octaves. 
 
 Jack. Yes ; but repetition is not novelty. 
 
 Shield. Then you have the semitones at your dis- 
 posal. By the help of flats and sharps you may take 
 
English Music. 1 5 
 
 any note included in the diatonic scale as a new key- 
 note. 
 
 Jack. Say rather you may begin your scale where 
 you please, provided you construct it upon the diatonic 
 model ; however, mere transposition does not alter a 
 melody. Sing ' Cease your funning ' in whatever key 
 you may, it will be ' Cease your funning ' still. 
 
 Shield. But modulation enables you to take new 
 notes. 
 
 Jack. Not many. In going from C to G you get 
 only FJf, and in going from C to F you only get b!?. 
 You also get only GJf, and occasionally FJf by pass- 
 ing from C to A minor. Abrupt modulations do 
 more for you in this respect, but these are generally 
 reckoned bad, except in recitative ; at least they were 
 so in my day. Now consider for a moment the advan- 
 tages we derive from this state of things. If the scale 
 be restricted to narrow limits, so also is the ordinary 
 compass of the voice ; the one, therefore, is admirably 
 adapted to the other. The circumstance of the same 
 notes forming a large part of several scales enables us 
 to exhibit great freedom of modulation within the 
 range of the octave ; and the liberty we have of 
 repeating our scale, either above or below, gives scope 
 for the employment of all kinds of voices in harmo- 
 nical combinations. Had the scale been more con- 
 tracted, it might have equally answered the purposes of 
 
 colloquial intercourse. I am therefore of opinion 
 
 Shield. Pardon me for interrupting you, but this 
 
1 6 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 reminds me of a curious passage in Dr. Beattie's 
 ' Dissertation on the Theory of Language.' He there 
 mentions it as being ' somewhat remarkable, that of 
 those voices which are most necessary in harmony, 
 as trebles and basses, there is great abundance, while 
 counter-tenor voices, whereof one is sufficient in a 
 numerous chorus, are not often met with.' 
 
 Jack. I was about to observe, that the elements of 
 music are given by nature, or rather by the beneficent 
 Author of nature, as a soil which cultivation is to render 
 fruitful. Light is not more curiously adapted to the 
 eye, nor sound to the ear, than is the scale to man's 
 musical organisation. 
 
 Arne. Sir, you seem to take it for granted that our 
 diatonic scale is as natural a thing as a self-sown tree. 
 But you should remember that man, in the savage 
 state, is content with a less perfect series of sounds. I 
 believe the Chinese scale, even to this day, wants 
 the 4th and the 7th. The same deficiency is 
 observable in ancient Scotch and Irish melodies. 
 
 Jack. That strengthens my case. 
 
 Arne. Be consistent ; either adhere to the primitive 
 simplicity of nature, or take in all the resources of 
 art. You know the scale may be minor as well as 
 major, chromatic as well as diatonic. 
 
 Jack. I might safely deny the existence of a chro- 
 matic scale ; but all I contend for is this — that you 
 cannot exceed a major 7th without repeating some 
 note contained within that interval. This argues 
 
English Music. 1 7 
 
 poverty. Consider the scale as a system of tetra- 
 chdfds, and this poverty becomes greater still. Let 
 the scale be 
 
 C D E F — G ABC. 
 
 The latter half of it is the same melody in the key of 
 G- that the first half is in that of C ; and the first half 
 is the same melody in the key of F that the latter 
 half is in that of C. But if the scale be thus meagre, 
 is harmony less so ? Let me consider this matter a 
 little. In the first place we have Only two chords ; 
 the common chord, and the discord of the 7th. 
 
 Skidd. Nay, but out of the common chord you get 
 the chords of the 6 and £ ; and out of the discord of 
 the 7th you get 
 
 Jack. Can you call a mere difference of arrange- 
 ment a hew chord ? That you get variety by it I do 
 not mean to dispute'. But the very fact of your being 
 driven to this shift is evidence of the poverty I speak 
 of. Really, Shield, you remind one of the poor 
 fellow who lined his blue cloak with red cloth, and 
 wore it inside out on Sundays, to make people believe 
 he had two\ 
 
 Shield. We have major, minor, and imperfect 
 chords. 
 
 Jack. Of course you may take your chord, or your 
 discord, on any note of the scale, and this gives rise to 
 specific differences. It is another proof of your poverty, 
 another shift to which you are driven. The common 
 chord on the lowest note of the scale, preceded by the 
 
 c 
 
1 8 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 discord of the 7th upon the fifth note of the same scale; 
 constitutes the perfect cadence, or key. Now I will tell 
 you a secret. You play the perfect cadence and are 
 charmed with it ; you then have recourse to the shifts 
 I have mentioned. You try the different species of 
 these chords and their inversions ; but, finding them 
 all more or less unsatisfactory, you return to the 
 common chord with which you started, and there is 
 an end of your music ! 
 
 Arne. By Jove> Sir, you make the art cut a pretty- 
 figure. 
 
 Jack. And yet, Doctor, the murder is not quite 
 out. You are restricted in the use of even these 
 slender means. You cannot pass from scale to scale, 
 from chord to chord, ad libitum.. You must make 
 every chord a kind of servant of all work ; at least 
 you must employ it in more than one capacity. 
 Thus in the key of C you must use the chord of C 
 again and again, because it is part of the perfect 
 cadence. If you take refuge in the key of G, you do 
 not get rid of it, because here it has a part to play as 
 4th of the new scale. If you modulate into F, this 
 chord of C will be still more important, since, with 
 the addition of B U, it becomes the dominant or go- 
 verning harmony. Nay, even in E minor you will 
 find it of use for the purpose of interrupting the close. 
 Now the unavoidable repetition which this state of 
 things engenders would seem, d priori, fatal to all 
 originality ; whereas it is, in point of fact, a mine of 
 inexhaustible riches. 
 
English Music. i§ 
 
 That the common chord may be used in various 
 capacities depends entirely upon the influence of a 
 key. The key is omnipotent in music. Suppose 
 yourselves in C major, and every chord you play will 
 have relation to that key, till the introduction of 
 some new dominant prepares the ear for modulation. 
 The chord of D minor, for instance, will raise an 
 expectation of the perfect cadence. Disappoint that 
 expectation by taking B b with your chord of C. Let 
 the chord of D minor immediately follow. Mark now 
 the difference. D minor no longer invites the perfect 
 cadence in C, but leads through the chord of G minor 
 to the dominant of F. The key is no sooner changed 
 than, as if by magic, every chord of the former scale 
 assumes a totally new character, with new duties and 
 new affinities. Here, then, we have a clue to the 
 true source of originality, of sublimity, of beauty. 
 
 The paramount importance of a key has been too 
 little insisted upon by theoretical writers, if we except, 
 perhaps, Bemetzrieder. His doctrine of the calls 
 strikes me as being singularly original and elegant. He 
 considers B, D, F, A, as so many calls, and C, E, G, 
 the sounds called. ' The natural sounds, C, E, G,' says 
 he, 'are always the notes of the cadence. When the 
 sonorous body has possessed itself of our ears, the 
 other sounds, B, D, F, A, only serve to make us wish 
 for the return of nature. Melody and harmony offer 
 us, without cease, but a chain of wanderings, more or 
 less distant ; but a series of little collisions, more or 
 
 c 2 
 
20 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 less violent ; but a repetition of the vails, more or less 
 energetic, from, with, and after nature, which we all 
 regret in quitting, and which we only quit in order 
 that, we may return to her with greater pleasure. 
 What then,' he adds, ' is music ? My opinion may be 
 controverted, but experience unites with me to define 
 it. The art of music is no other than the art of 
 pushing at a distance the natural sounds to make 
 them come back upon us more agreeably. Let us 
 depart from this rule in practice — no more melody; no 
 more harmony.' 
 
 The root and the third are allowed to be the most 
 important notes of the tonic chord. The former, 
 because it is the key-note ; the latter because it 
 determines whether that key be major or minor. 
 
 Bemetzrieder's theory will furnish us with an addU 
 tional reason. The, key-note and its third are each 
 placed between two calls, and are each, moreover, 
 called chromatically ;. whereas the calls of the fifth 
 are both extremely feeble; 
 
 The same doctrine admirably accounts for the new 
 affinities produced by modulation. To give yom an 
 example : by adding B b to the chord of C, the note 
 E, which was one of the notes called, immediately 
 becomes a most powerful call; whilst F, which was 
 an energetic call, is now the most important of the. 
 called notes., 
 
 This delicate theory might have been better re^ 
 ceived.by musicians, had it not been for the. extreme 
 
English Music. n 
 
 vigour with which its practical observance must have 
 fettered them in composition. 
 
 Shield. Then I am sure it would never go down 
 with the writers of the present day. Look at our 
 'fashionable chords;' our German, French, Italian, 
 and Neapolitan sixes ; our diminished 7ths ; our 
 double enharmonic changes ; our 
 
 Artie. What, what, what, Sir? What jargon is 
 this ? I know nothing of the chords you talk of — at 
 least by those names — except the diminished 7th, 
 which I used myself upon proper occasions; but 
 really 
 
 Jack. I foresaw what we should come to. These 
 chords, my dear Doctor, are nothing more than 
 extravagant calls, which composers now-a-days insert 
 before the concord, in order that they may taste it 
 with keener relish. They are to the ear what a 
 devilled chicken is to the palate, a mere artificial 
 provocation of thirst. Once in a while a temperate 
 man may indulge without offence in this sort of 
 pleasure ; but nothing can excuse it as a habit. 
 
 Shield. Jackson is right. You might as well ex- 
 pect a confirmed brandy-drinker to enjoy a draught 
 of water, as that ears long accustomed to these power- 
 ful stimulants should be charmed with the pure sim- 
 plicity of nature. 
 
 Jack. Nevertheless as music,, like all other arts, is 
 progressive, I am satisfied that much improvement 
 must have been made in it. 
 
22 Mtisical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 'Hbrne. Sir, I don't know. The million want taste. 
 How else can you account for their neglect of my 
 music ? 
 
 Jack. Much of it was hissed as soon as it came out, 
 for the sake of the doggerel to which you would set it. 
 
 Arne. Doggerel, Sir ? doggerel? Why, I was often. 
 my own poet. 
 
 Jack. More fool you. Why not be content with 
 setting other people's sense, instead of obtruding 
 nonsense of your own ? The cobbler ought to have 
 stuck to his last. 
 
 Arne. Come, I like that from Exeter Jackson. 
 You stuck to nothing, Sir. You must be painter, 
 philosopher, critic, the devil knows what. You were 
 Jack of all trades. You were — — 
 
 Jack. What I attempted I at le.ast did well, 
 
 Arne. You say it yourself 
 
 Mercury. Silence, there, you rascally fiddlers ! 
 Pray keep the peace,, or I'll strike you all dumb. 
 Methinks you had quarrelling enough in your lives, 
 for you did little else. 
 
 Shield. Nay, we only 
 
 Mercury. Silence, I say, or I'll do it, by Styx I 
 
23 
 
 ENGLISH MUSIC. 
 
 CONVIVIUM RELIGIOSUM: A COLLOQUY OF THE DEAD. 
 
 By an ANGtp-SAXON Amateur. 
 
 (Frorfi the 'Angl/r-S<tx»#' dfi8$o.) 
 
 SCENE: THE ELYSIAH FIELDS. 
 
 Colloquy II. — Dr. Beckwith, The Rev. W. Jokes, 
 Dr. Chard. 
 
 The following account of Dr. Beckwith's last illness 
 was written by Mr, John Beckwith, shortly after his 
 father's decease, at the request of the late James 
 Bennett, Esq., of Norwich, by whorti it was communi- 
 cated to the author of the following Colloquy, about 
 nine years ago. Whatever may be thought of the 
 play, it is expected that the prologue will be read With 
 interest, since it gives an authentic account of the last 
 moments of one of the best and most learned of out- 
 modern Anglo-Saxon composers for the Church. 
 
 ' Dear Sir, — Since I parted with you, several circum- 
 stances have occurred to me respecting my reared 
 
24 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 father, which will serve to show how little to be 
 expected was the dreadful 'stroke which deprived his 
 family and friends of his valuable life. 
 
 ' For many days previous to the attack, he ap- 
 peared as well in health, and as collected in mind, as 
 he ever was ; no drowsiness or stupor, no want of 
 memory was observable in his business or conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 ' On Sunday morning he played as usual at St. 
 Peter's [Church], and in the afternoon, after St. Peter's 
 service, at the Cathedral, in his own peculiar style of 
 excellence. 
 
 ' After tea in the evening he took a long walk on 
 the Ipswich road, and came home by Lakenham ; 
 his conversation during the walk was remarkably 
 pleasing, and often recurs to my mind with increasing 
 pleasure. At our return home we found Mr. Cocks 
 [Cox] waiting for my father, who had appointed him 
 for the purpose of trying an anthem compiled by my 
 father from the works of Handel, with considerable 
 additions of his own composition. It happened that 
 ' Lord, remember David/ which is introduced in the 
 anthem, was mislaid, and could not be found ; it 
 was the song that Cocks [Cox] more particularly 
 wanted to rehearse. My father, without hesitation, sat 
 down and wrote the song out from memory, with a 
 trifling variation from the original, for I have since 
 looked it over. Cocks [Cox] sang it, and my father 
 accompanied him. He played a part also of Handel's 
 ' Coronation Anthem,' as it was his intention that it 
 
English Music. 25 
 
 Should be performed on the following Sunday, being 
 the King's birthday, 
 
 ' He ate sparingly at supper, which was his habit, 
 but his conversation, as usual, was cheerful and instruc- 
 ■ tive, He conversed much on religious subjects. He 
 went to bed rather early. 
 
 ' On the Monday morning he rose, I believe, about 
 eight (I was out at an earlier hour, and did not see 
 my father till dinner-time). He was rather late with 
 the Miss Bosanquets, the last scholars he taught, and 
 did not get home to dinner till half after two. I 
 thought his manner hurried, but not more so than I 
 had frequently seen him when late home. He ate a 
 hearty dinner off a shoulder of veal, and was perfectly 
 cheerful, as we all were, little imagining what a shock- 
 ing circumstance was about to take place. My father 
 rose from table before the cloth was removed, and 
 took the wine from the cupboard. He went to the 
 door. My father was always remarkably kind and 
 attentive to dumb animals. A cat was sitting near 
 the door ; he spoke to it in a tone of peculiar sweet- 
 ness — " Pussy, pussy, shall I let you out ? " We 
 observed his face to be much flushed. After he had 
 left the room we mentioned [this] to my mother, who 
 did not remark it, adding, that the dinner had dis- 
 agreed with ray father. My mother went in search 
 of him, and found him, rubbing his right hand and arm 
 at the kitchen fire. On my mother asking his reason 
 for doing so, he replied, " Mary, this is a paralytic 
 stroke." He rubbed his face and was much agitated. 
 
26 Musical Criticism and Biography- 
 
 He said, " I will endeavour to shake it off though." 
 He hasted with irregular steps to the garden. He 
 did not proceed far. He became more affected, and 
 was just saved by my mother from falling. The fatal 
 stupor followed immediately, and never left him en- 
 tirely. Now and then a dawn of reason appeared, 
 but it was of short duration.' . ., « 
 
 It may be worth while to add, that Dr. John Beck- 
 with died' June 3, 1809, aged 58; and that his son, 
 Mr. John Beckwith, died October 19, 18 19, at the age 
 ©f 31. They are both buried under the organ-gallery 
 of St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich.* 
 
 Jones. I am rather pleased than surprised, my dear 
 Doctor, at seeing you here. You had a temper framed 
 for Elysium. 
 
 Beckwith. I was naturally irritable ; but knowing 
 patience to be one of the cardinal virtues in a teacher, 
 I laboured successfully to conquer that failing. You 
 will please to recollect that I devoted twelve, and 
 often thirteen hours a day, to the most slavish part of 
 my profession. 
 
 Jones. The Church, Doctor, did not know your 
 value, though my friend Bishop Home did. You had 
 a vigorous fancy, enriched with learning and refined 
 by taste. I trust posterity will do you justice. 
 
 Beck. If hats were worn here I would take mine oft! 
 
 * When this was written the organ stood at the west end of the 
 ehurch ; it has since been moved to the north-east corner; 
 
English Music. 27 
 
 Not that I think you merely mean to compliment. 
 Flattery was not one of your faults. 
 
 Jones. No ; I always, spoke my mind pretty freely. 
 I did not mince the matter in my ' Treatise of the 
 Art of Music' 
 
 Beck. You know how much I . admired your com- 
 positions. 
 
 Jones. Perhaps I ought to have been ashamed of 
 composing so well ; but so long as music shall be part 
 of devotion she. will have strong claims upon the. 
 clergy. 
 
 Beck. Man may be defined, par excellence, a musical 
 animal ; for though we have singing birds whose notes 
 are not disagreeable, they are yet very different from 
 what we understand by music. 
 
 Jones. The canary-bird is said to have a larger 
 brain than perhaps any other animal of the same size 
 and weight. Your phrenologists tell us (as I am in- 
 formed—they are since my time) that the organ of 
 tune is planed off in the cuckoo. What do they mean 
 by their ' organ of tune ' ? It takes a whole brain, 
 and a good one too, to make a musician. 
 
 Beck. Music, like religion, whose handmaid she is, 
 — music, my dear Sir, is a transcendental that runs 
 through all the business of life. Whether men weep 
 or rejoice, marry or bury, pray or fight, they are 
 equally indebted to her aid. 
 
 Jones. Music sways the Indian savage at the pre- 
 sent moment, I venture to say, as much as she once did 
 
28 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 the sages of Greece and Rome ; and when those 
 countries sank into effeminacy, the corruption was 
 first discoverable in their music. 
 
 Beck 1 Music- 
 
 J 
 
 Jones. 
 
 Mercury. One at a time, gentlemen, or I shall be 
 obliged to use my wand. Here is your friend Dr. 
 Chard just landed ; pray try to console him. He 
 threatened to pitch Charon into the Styx, for refusing 
 to load the boat with manuscript music ! 
 
 Beck. My brother of Winchester ? Welcome, dear 
 Chard. But how you are aged ! By the bye, you 
 used to be a peaceable fellow ; you must mind your 
 hits if you quarrel with Charon. 
 
 Chard. Curse the fellow ! — he would bring me over 
 Without my luggage. I only asked a passage for my 
 own compositions. The rail would have carried them 
 free, if one travelled first class. Let me see ; — about 
 seventy anthems, twelve services, with chants, and 
 minor pieces in proportion. 
 
 Jones. I am glad you were not permitted to bring 
 them. They now belong to your Church and country. 
 
 Beck. As to that, of course they have all been pub- 
 lished ? 
 
 Chard. Published ! Beckwith, how green you are ! 
 But I forget how long you've been.dead. And yet you 
 might remember that, in better times, you durst not 
 risk a thin volume of. chants without a subscription. . 
 Jones, too, grudged the cost of the plates for his 
 
English Music. 29 
 
 ' Treatise on Music,' well knowing he had small chance 
 of seeing his money again," notwithstanding his posi- 
 tion in the Church, his interest with the great, his 
 dedication to the directors of the concerts of ancient 
 music, and his long list of subscribers. As for my 
 works, if the world cared to have them, I should 
 gladly have left them behind me. 
 
 Jones. So music does not sell ? 
 
 Chard. I did not say that. Some music sells at a 
 very good price ; take quadrilles and polkas. Songs 
 of a certain class are also popular. For instance, there 
 is one called ' Jump, Jim Crowe,' that must have paid 
 the author well. Just hear a few bars. . . . 
 
 Jones. Hold, Sir! unless -you mean to drive me 
 mad. 
 
 Beck. Such songs have their own times and places ; 
 but how does sacred music get on ? 
 
 Chard. Grand triennial festivals have been es- 
 tablished in the provinces, and in London there are 
 performances in Exeter Hall which you- would be 
 delighted to- hear.. The oratorios of Handel and 
 other great composers : are mounted, as they now say, 
 in a style of which you can form no idea. Five or. 
 six hundred performers, vocal and instrumental, are 
 employed in the orchestra, and the improvements in 
 wind instruments have been so important, that our 
 bands are now nearly perfect Some of the choral 
 effects that I have heard' upon- these high occasions 
 have been awfully sublime. 
 
30 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Jones. Chard, you delight me. But now, tell me' 
 candidly, do you think My Treatise has in anywise 
 contributed to this state of things ? 
 f Chard. Your Treatise ! How should it ? It never 
 was read. Musicians could not relish your beau- 
 tiful language ; scholars could not understand your 
 musical examples ; your philosophy, too, has had its 
 day. But your name stands high, with good men 
 and true, throughout the length and breadth of Old 
 England. 
 
 Beck. Tell me, Chard — you see I can bear it — that 
 my compositions, like my body, are buried. 
 
 Chard. No, my old friend ; you wrong the world 
 there. Your works continue in high repute amongst 
 candid and competent judges of the art. Your noble 
 chants are still often heard, and never without exciting 
 devotion. 
 
 Jones. Church music flourishes, and I am content. 
 Chard. Why — a— hem ! Abuses have crept in ; 
 chanting has found its way into parochial services, 
 but how is it performed ? When you come to the 
 Amen in the Gloria Patri, an adagio is commenced 
 upon the last half of the penultimate bar. You will 
 scarcely believe me, but, upon my honour, I have 
 heard this done even in a cathedral. 
 
 Beck. Your organists are without excuse. I left 
 them my rules for the performance of the chant I 
 said, 'This should be very decent, grave, and uniform ; 
 the choir attentive to their several parts ; the organ 
 
English Music. 31 
 
 hot too loud ; the length of the concluding semibreve 
 never exceeded, a pause being disagreeable, unneces- 
 sary, and distracting ; the organ should not clog the 
 voices by hanging on the note of recital a moment 
 after the words are finished.' It is true I did not tell 
 them not to violate the time of the penultimate bar, 
 because the possibility of their so doing never entered 
 my head. Now, what defence could they make for 
 their practice ? 
 
 Chard. They would probably say that your style 
 of chanting had passed away, like any other fashion, 
 and music was the better for it. 
 
 Jones. Which would be tantamount to saying that 
 the sense of man, as it was in Dr. Beckwith's time, 
 had turned to nonsense, and was the better for 
 it. 
 
 Chard. To return to the parochial service. I think 
 it is to be regretted that some organists and choirs 
 are ambitious of concluding with an anthem. They 
 disdain the psalm-tune as being beneath their powers, 
 little dreaming how incompetent they often are to do 
 it justice. 
 
 Jones. In this they resemble those young artists 
 who rush to colour before they are masters of form 
 and the effects of light and shade. But men should 
 weigh well the reason of what they do. Now the 
 object of church music is to excite devotion : if it effect 
 this, it answers its proper end ; if not, it does more 
 harm than good. 
 
32 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Beck. I was always an advocate for Congregational 
 singing, and for this the psalm tune is better adapted 
 than any other form of composition. However, I 
 tried, in spite of the authority of Dr. Burney, to make 
 the people join even in the cathedral chant. We 
 ought to recollect that we are all capable of varying 
 the tones of our voice, that we often find a peculiar' 
 pleasure in sounds, and that most of us possess' an 
 imitative power of expressing sounds similar to those 
 we hear. If with these be combined a just concep- 
 tion of mensuration, we have the grand requisites of 
 singing. It is presumed that no one Would venture 
 to join in a chant, if conscious that he is not able to 
 express himself in either tone or time. A congrega- 
 tion of Christians; who assemble to adore their 
 Creator, will and should, in the best manner they can, 
 follow the invitation, ' O come, let us sing unto the 
 Lord!' There is somewhat in singing, though ever 
 so soft, far more elevating to the mind than reading 
 over the verses with the choir in a dull indifferent 
 manner. In this part of the service fine singing is no 
 particular object, and in the hymns and anthems all 
 people would be profoundly silent. 
 
 Chard. Though psalm tunes are easily executed, 
 they require to be played with judgment. 
 
 Beck. They should be performed with the utmost 
 solemnity, and with the strictest regard to time. The 
 notes should never be drawled, and the start-note, if 
 there be one, should always be felt as unaccented, 
 
English Music. 33 
 
 otherwise the rhythm would be violated. The only 
 ornaments I allowed to the psalm tune were the shake 
 and the appoggiatura. 
 
 Chard. To which I would add, perhaps, the passing 
 note ; but adjunct notes and turns are abominable. 
 
 Jones. How often has my patience been tried, and 
 my nerves put upon the rack, by the impertinent 
 quaverings in some country choirs, while at the same 
 time I have observed the congregation either laughing 
 or frowning, and all serious people uneasy at seeing 
 every good end defeated for which music is brought 
 into the church. However, I have no objection to 
 appoggiaturas and passing notes, sparingly employed, 
 if the tune be written in plain counterpoint ; but com- 
 posers generally weave these into the texture of their 
 melodies. 
 
 Beck. Florid psalm tunes are execrable. Without 
 simplicity there can be no dignity. What can be 
 more simple or more elevating, for instance, than the 
 Old Hundredth ? 
 
 Chard. Great care is required in the selection of 
 proper tunes for public worship. Of the old ones that 
 have come down to us, all are not good ; neither is a 
 tune necessarily the worse for being modern. Nay, 
 some of the finest of the old tunes have been so dis- 
 figured by graces in many of the late editions, that 
 the composers would scarcely recognise them. 
 
 Jones. It is a safe way to consider old psalm tunes 
 as consisting either of minims or crotchets, and then 
 
 D 
 
34 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 to proceed as follows. If the tune be written ih 
 minims, strike out all the crotchets ; if in crotchets, 
 expunge the quavers. Play it over ; and if you find 
 a short note anywhere necessary to complete the air, 
 insert one that belongs to the harmony. If the effect 
 be improved, you will know that you have only re- 
 moved a modern varnish of graces ; but if not, depend 
 upon it the tune was good for nothing. 
 
 Chard. In the first part of the 'People's Music 
 Book,' published by the organist of Westminster Abbey 
 and the Gresham Professor of Music, there is a tune 
 by Dr. Croft, set in E minor to the words, ' Lord, in 
 thy wrath, reprove me not,' which is deservedly a 
 favourite in our churches. Mr. Turle has added a 
 fourth part to it. If you strike out the first crotchet 
 in the penultimate bar of the second strain and make 
 the next note a minim, the melody will be sufficiently 
 pure ; but the crotchets in the minor parts injure the 
 majesty of the subject. Neither should the word 
 ' Lord ' have been put to a start-note. The line might 
 be advantageously transposed and altered thus : ' In 
 anger, Lord, reprove me not.' The interrupted cadence 
 upon the word ' Lord ' would be sublime ; the transi- 
 tion to the relative major at the commencement of 
 the second strain is the acme of pathos. 
 
 Jones. Major chords are supposed to be cheerful, 
 and minor ones the reverse. This, however, depends 
 entirely upon the key. The major chord that inter- 
 rupts the cadence in the minor mode is solemn, not 
 
English Musk. 35 
 
 cheerful. Ifi major keys, minor chords lose their 
 mournful character. 
 
 Beck. The case of semitones is analogous. You 
 must have a succession of them if you would hear 
 them wail. Take, for example, the passage to the 
 words, ' hear my suit, or else I die,' in the duet, ' Who 
 calls my parting soul from rest? ' in Handel's ' Esther ; ' 
 and the ' Jtixta crucem lachrymosa,' in Pergolesi's 
 Stabat Mater ; whereas in the melody of the diatonic 
 scale the ear does not recognise the semitones. 
 
 Jones. Single intervals must be unexpected to 
 raise peculiar emotions, but their power is great 
 when they come upon you suddenly. The mind is 
 remarkably softened and depressed by hearing a 
 minor interval where a major, as belonging to the 
 scale of the key, was expected. How sweetly pathetic 
 is the new flat seventh in that simple air of Handel, 
 ' Sin not, O King, against the youth.' But it is only 
 in slow music that effects can arise from single inter- 
 vals : the impression is otherwise too transient ; it 
 must be like the gentle fain that has time to sink into 
 the ground. 
 
 Chard. To return to church music ; I was about to 
 observe, that there is some excellent matter for psalm 
 tunes at the end of Kollman's ' New Theory,' in the 
 shape of hymns. One begins, ' Eternity, tremendous 
 word ;' another is headed, ' Gastorius at Jena, 1675.' 
 But the best is a piece in the Phrygian mode (' Com- 
 
 D 2 
 
36. Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 mit thy ways and goings '*), from the 'Grosse Pas- 
 sionsmusik ' of J. S. Bach. Kollman himself says, 
 f This is to my feelings the finest hymn possible.' 
 Weber has inserted it in a long sacred composition of 
 his own. Such, however, is the difference in the 
 styles, that it was something like patching a scarlet 
 pair of breeches with a bit of blue cloth. 
 
 Beck. I somewhat regret that I did not introduce 
 that noble hymn, as well as some of Bach's famous 
 Corahs, into the church I served. But you know 
 how slavishly my time was consumed. I used to do 
 an air from ' Der Tod Jesu,' by Graun ; we called it 
 ' Martin Luther's Hymn ; ' is that still in use ? 
 
 Chard. Oh yes ; it was one of your best. There is 
 another which you also did, (called 'Oxford, or Coombs,' 
 in the ' People's Music Book,') which has had the run 
 of our churches from time immemorial. Yet few of 
 the old airs are so contemptible. The commonplace 
 triplets, the unmeaning suspensions at the beginning 
 of the last strain, and the old-fashioned jump that the 
 melody makes before the cadence, are in the very 
 worst taste. However, our tunes, upon the whole, are 
 as good as the version to which they belong. 
 
 Jones. Whose version is now employed ? 
 
 Chard. That of Brady and Tate. 
 
 Jones. My friend Bishop Home praises Merrick's 
 in his ' Commentary on the Psalms.' 
 
 * This hymn is not in the 'New Theory,' but in the 'Essay on 
 Harmony.' 
 
English Music. 37 
 
 Beck. Merrick's is far superior. Nay, I even prefer 
 the despised rhymes of Sternold and Hopkins. I would 
 have ' All people that on earth do dwell ' to the ' Old 
 Hundredth.' The plain simplicity of the words ac- 
 cords well with the stately march of the melody. 
 
 Jones: The version of Brady and Tate is bad, but 
 not equally bad throughout. 
 
 Beck. Unfortunately, we get the worst of it. One 
 line I never hear without being tempted to make a 
 profane alteration, ' Let the cheerful song go round.' 
 For song substitute glass ; that is what the poets must 
 have been dreaming of. Then in another place we have 
 ' lead the van ' and ' bring up the rear.' Pray, were 
 Brady and Tate privates in some marching regiment ? 
 
 Chard. Would to Heaven they had been ! In that 
 capacity they might have done their country some 
 service. 
 
 Jones, Brady and Tate were at least unexception- 
 able in their metre, which is no small praise. Whoever 
 undertakes to improve upon them, must, like them, 
 shun the anapestic measure — dactyls with trochaic 
 endings to the lines must be carefully excluded from 
 the church. 
 
 ; Chard. After all, it must be admitted that the 
 loftiest poetry, wedded to the finest music, is liable to 
 be marred in its effect by some blundering organist. 
 ' Hawks should not pick out hawks' een ; ' but I must 
 confess this, it is too much the fashion to introduce 
 piddling interludes between the verses of the psalm \\- 
 
38 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 these are supposed to be extemporaneous effusions, 
 and I hope really are so, for pity it. were such stuff 
 should be written. 
 
 Jones.. How, if the sense be suspended at the end of 
 the verse ? This occasionally happens. 
 
 Chard. Sense, my dear Sir, has nothing to dq with 
 it. I have heard the following line — 
 
 What mortal eloquence can raise — . 
 
 sung thus : — 'What mortal el — -What mortal el — What 
 
 mortal el ; — What mortal el-^o— quence .' 
 
 Beck. 
 
 To laugh were want of goodness and of grace, 
 And to be grave exceeds all power of face. 
 
 Jones. Gentlemen, this is indeed no laughing 
 matter. 
 
 Chard. False accents are perpetual. 
 
 Jones. Where the same strain occurs to three or 
 four different stanzas in succession, these may be in- 
 evitable, without taking liberties either with the words 
 or music ; but there is no excuse for such a fault in 
 setting the first verse. 
 
 Chard. It is not uncommon to start with a false 
 accent. Take the following instances, which I give, 
 from a work of some musical authority :^- 
 
 Blest I are the | souls. 
 Lo from the | hills. 
 Jesus my | strength. 
 
 Are you satisfied ? 
 
English Music. 39 
 
 - Jones. We don't want any more broken English, 
 if that's what you mean. It is bad enough to have 
 conjunctions, prepositions, adverbial endings, et hoc 
 genus omne, accented ; but to put a false accent upon 
 the name that Christians fear to speak argues a want 
 of reverence that nothing can palliate. 
 
 Chard. Mozart's exquisite duet, ' Ah Per dona 1 , has 
 been tortured into a psalm tune ! The same liberty 
 has been taken with the first strain of ' Softly sighs the 
 voice of evening,' in ' Der Freischiitz ; ' nay, some 
 country congregations have been edified with ' Drink 
 to me only with thine eyes ' ! 
 
 Beck. Meanwhile, some of the finest compositions 
 upon earth, written in the style which alone is proper 
 for the church, lie neglected. 
 
 Jones. When the true sublime has been attained, 
 men may forget it as they forget the sun, whose 
 brightness is inherent ; but such music, to those who 
 know it, will be esteemed as a pattern of excellence 
 to the end of the world. 
 
 Beck. Are your voluntaries good at the present 
 day ? 
 
 Chard. Great improvements have been made in 
 English organs. We have now a long row of pedals 
 to trot over. A sublime effect is given by the pedals 
 to the ' Dead March ' in ' Saul.' The organ cannot 
 give the knock of the muffled drum, so it imitates the 
 roll, which sounds like the muttering of distant 
 thunder. 
 
4-0 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Beck. I wish I had had pedals. However, as it 
 was, I could never play the congregation out with my 
 ' Dead March ' in ' Saul.' 
 
 Chard. Nor with anything- else ; at least the 
 musical part of them. Old Sam Wesley was your 
 only rival. 
 
 Beck. During the continental war, an officer be- 
 longing to a regiment for a short time quartered in 
 Norwich, chanced one Sunday to attend St. Peter's 
 Church. The churchwarden, an intimate friend of 
 mine, admitted him into his pew. Soon after I had 
 commenced the fugue in my first voluntary, the 
 officer started up, quite electrified, and enquired ' who 
 was playing the organ.' On being informed, he 
 expressed his surprise that he should never have 
 heard of me before. ' For,' added he, ' I thought I 
 had heard all the great organists in this country as 
 well as in many parts of the continent ; but I do not 
 remember this man's equal.' So long as the regiment 
 remained in the city, that officer was to be seen every 
 Sunday, either at the Cathedral or at St. Peter's 
 Church ; nor did he ever quit his place till I had 
 played the last note of my concluding fugue, ' Fuimus 
 Troes ! ' 
 
 Chard. Cathedral choirs, too, might say ' Fiat in- 
 gens gloria Teucrorum! They have been wronged 
 and mutilated (as an old friend of yours, Dr. Beck-> 
 with, has boldly told the world) by those very digni- 
 taries whose duty it was to cherish and protect them, 
 
English Music. 41 
 
 and who now seem ready to catch at any pretence for 
 getting rid of them in toto. 
 
 Beck. To whom do you allude ? 
 
 Chard. To the Deans and Chapters. 
 
 Jones. Dr. Chard, have a care what you say. 
 
 Chard. I repeat it. The Deans and Chapters have 
 impaired the efficiency of the choirs, and have tried 
 (at least some of them) to do away with intoning the 
 service. This was to have been the first step towards 
 reducing cathedral music to a level with that in our 
 parish churches. 
 
 Jones. Dr. Chard, I heard you with patience when 
 you told me that my philosophy had had its day, 
 and that my favourite treatise had been consigned to 
 oblivion. But do not tell me, I beseech you, that 
 this disgrace has befallen the Church of England. 
 
 Beck. Name a cathedral. 
 
 Chard. I might name you more than one ; but the 
 most notorious is Bristol. A minor Canon of that 
 cathedral was virtually suspended by the' Dean and 
 Chapter for refusing to read the service, in direct 
 violation, as he conceived, of his oath. 
 
 Jones. What could be their motive ? 
 
 Chard. I had rather not tell you ; it would only be 
 giving you unnecessary pain. But the upshot of the 
 whole affair was this : — The persecuted minor Canon' 
 and some of his brethren were at last constrained : to 
 appeal to the Visitor. Then the Chapter got fright- 
 ened, and rescinded their order for reading the service. 
 
42 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 The Dean, however (For some ' rush on, where angels 
 fear to tread '), forbade the intoning upon his own 
 responsibility. In pursuance of a citation from the 
 Lord Bishop of the diocese, a chapter meeting was 
 held. Dr. Badeley conducted the case for the appel- 
 lants, and read the Dean and Chapter a lesson which 
 they may by this time have forgotten, but which will 
 not so soon be forgotten by the country. 
 
 Jones. Which way did the Bishop decree ? 
 
 Chard. In favour of the appellants ; and all the 
 world now knows that Deans and Chapters cannot 
 violate the chant without at the same time violating 
 the terms of those statutes by which they hold their 
 position ; and so forfeiting their rights, their privi- 
 leges, and their temporal property. This the people 
 of England will do well to remember. 
 
 Jones. It is provided by the statutes that a minor 
 Canon must be cantandi peritus — a finished singer ; 
 which no man can be, without having received a 
 liberal education. This wise provision therefore 
 secures the efficiency of cathedral choirs. 
 
 Chard. Instead of which we are now in danger of 
 having minor Canons, incapable of singing, obtruded 
 by favour. These men are to pocket emoluments for 
 the discharge of duties which they must suffer to 
 devolve upon illiterate hirelings. 
 
 Beck. Every lover of the art, to whatsoever church 
 or sect he may belong, has an interest in preserving 
 the integrity of our cathedral service. The triennial 
 
English Music, 43 
 
 festivals may do somewhat to prevent the degeneracy 
 of music; but even these owe their origin to the 
 Protestant cathedrals. 
 
 Jones. This is not a question of sect, or party, for 
 music is not a party thing. We are indebted to such 
 men as Bird, Tallis, Gibbons, Purcell, and Croft, for 
 some of the finest compositions upon earth. The 
 works of these men have stood the test of time, and 
 owe their preservation to their excellence. To banish 
 them from the cathedrals were to silence them al- 
 together, and to deprive the musical world of a high 
 standard of art. Moreover, the cathedral is a school 
 for training up organists to the severity of fugue and 
 canon. These men, byteaching, by mixing with the 
 world, and by associating with professors of secular 
 styles of music, serve in some measure to check 
 that tide of innovation which is ever setting in from 
 abroad, and deluging our theatres and concert rooms. 
 Mercury. Gentlemen, I have been an invisible 
 auditor of your conversation, and have found it so 
 pleasing and instructive, that I shall take some steps 
 to make it known in the upper world. If anything 
 could enhance your present happiness, I am sure it 
 would be the consciousness that you were still serving 
 that good cause to which your lives were so much 
 devoted. 
 
 Beck. Thank you, good Mercury, and — hark, in your 
 ear — you could not do the Church better service than 
 by putting in a word for Chard's manuscript music. 
 
44 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 REMARKS ON HAYDN'S 'CREATION'; 
 
 INTENDED TO PREPARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT STUDIED THE 
 
 RULES OF MUSICAL COMPOSITION FOR ENJOYING SOME 
 
 OF THE HIGHER BEAUTIES OF THAT ORATORIO. 
 
 Published as a pamphlet shortly before a performance of the ' Creation ' 
 in Norwich in 1 849. 
 
 PART THE FIRST. 
 
 A profound musical Critic has affirmed, that ' ever 
 since instrumental music has been made independent 
 of vocal, we have been in danger of falling under the 
 dominion of sound without sense.' This is not the 
 place for making invidious comparisons between, 
 vocal and instrumental music : we shall therefore be 
 content with asserting, what we think will scarcely be 
 denied, namely, that a combination of voices and 
 instruments is superior to either taken separately; 
 and that when voices, accompanied by instruments,' 
 strive to reach the dignity of a sacred theme, by 
 expressing the conceptions of genius in the native 
 tongue of the singers and audience, the highest aim of 
 
■ " Remarks on the ' Creation.' 45 
 
 music is. satisfied. Henceforth it becomes a question 
 of degrees. We might have a better band, a better 
 chorus, better execution, — but supposing these to be 
 perfect in themselves, and the band and chorus justly- 
 balanced, and duly proportioned to the size of the 
 building wherein they were to be employed, nothing 
 more would be left to desire. We should be entitled 
 to expect the highest gratification that music will be 
 capable of affording us, till the hallelujahs of earth 
 shall be exchanged for the hallelujahs of heaven. 
 
 An Oratorio is a kind of sacred drama, embracing 
 ■effects of the most opposite character, but which are 
 at the same time linked together by perceptible 
 gradations, so as to be felt as parts of one common 
 whole. Hence a song from an Oratorio always suffers 
 when introduced into a miscellaneous concert. 
 
 The interest of an Oratorio depends in great 
 measure upon the characters and the story ; so that it 
 is of importance to have all the parts equally well 
 sustained. Hence one superior singer, by throwing the 
 others into shade, would rather produce want of keep- 
 ing, than improve that general effect to which included 
 effects should be subordinate. 
 
 The plan of the work before us is too well known 
 to need explanation. Angels and our first parents 
 are the persons ; Creation is the theme. Some notices 
 of the musical treatment of this subject by Haydn 
 may supply the place of a friendly critic at the elbow 
 of the uninitiated. If they can be" prepared for 
 
46 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 particular effects, so as to comprehend somewhat of 
 their nature, they will relish the performance infinitely 
 more than they could do by hearing it in ignorance. 
 We shall attempt therefore to give them a little 
 guidance, starting with a few rough definitions, by 
 the aid whereof we hope to be able to make our- 
 selves understood. 
 
 The proximate elements of musical composition 
 are, — Harmony, Melody, and Modulation. 
 
 Melody is an agreeable succession of single sounds, 
 performed by a voice or an instrument. 
 
 Recitative is a species of melody, answering to 
 narrative, or declamation, in prose. 
 
 Air is a kind of melody, resembling the metrical 
 stanza ; the strains or verses being regulated by 
 measure. 
 
 Harmony is a combination of sounds heard together, 
 as when a chord is struck upon a piano-forte. 
 
 Harmony may be either concordant or dissonant. 
 Discords have been aptly termed calls ; concords, the 
 sounds called. The former excite expectation, which 
 the latter satisfy. Hence to end a piece of music with 
 a discord, would be like leaving off speaking in the 
 middle of a sentence. 
 
 Modulation is the passing from one key to another! 
 
 When we enter a key closely related to the one we 
 quit, the modulation is said to be natural. When 
 this relationship is distant, the modulation is called 
 abrupt. This relationship itself depends upon the 
 
Remarks on the ' Creation! 47 
 
 circumstance that one and the same chord forms a 
 part of several keys, to any one of which it may lead 
 at the will of the composer. 
 
 Transition is the taking one key immediately after 
 another, instead of proceeding by degrees. 
 
 A Key is that concord, with its call, which generally 
 begins, and always ends, a piece of music. It is so 
 important, that while it exists, all melody and harmony 
 are felt as having relation to it, and absolute depen- 
 dence upon it. For example, suppose ' God save the 
 Queen ' to be sung as a melody, with the omission of 
 the last note, the penultimate note being repeated in 
 its stead, for the sake of the word ' Queen.' Now, 
 who would say the tune was finished ? 
 
 Every key is in one or other of two modes ; the 
 major or the minor, The former has generally a 
 cheerful, the latter a plaintive effect. 
 
 A Cadence is the discord that calls the harmony of 
 the key-note, followed by that harmony. It answers 
 to the full stop in language. When the fundamental 
 bass, instead of going to the key note, rises a tone, or 
 a semitone, the cadence is said to be interrupted, the 
 ear being kept in suspense. 
 
 Imitation is, technically, a contrived resemblance 
 between melodies succeeding each other in different 
 parts of the harmony ; but it also applies to music 
 composed in imitation of natural effects ; such as the 
 foiling of thunder, the murmuring of water, the sing- 
 ing of birds, and so forth ; when the composer, like 
 
48 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 the poet, but with far greater resources at command, 
 makes the 'sound an echo to the sense.' 
 
 Having thus prepared the reader, we proceed to our 
 remarks. 
 
 The Oratorio opens with an instrumental picture 
 of Chaos. Much nonsense has been written about 
 this introduction. In the bass are some staccato 
 notes, which, a minute critic tells us, describe the 
 ' picking up of the atoms ' for the formation of the 
 new world. If Haydn had such a conceit, it is puerile 
 and unworthy of him. By chaos we understand a war 
 of jarring elements, an incongruous battle of antago- 
 nisms, such as Ovid describes at the beginning of his 
 Metamorphoses. 
 
 Haydn has availed himself of harmony to paint this 
 state of things. Melody and modulation had savoured 
 too much of order, and here all was to be confusion, 
 yet not unstudied. Listen to the discords, wailing, 
 and screaming for resolution. Call succeeds call, yet 
 the concord does not come ; when at length it comes, 
 and order seems about to beam upon you, the sepul- 
 chral glimmer is extinguished by a series of discords 
 more horrid than before, and night more profound 
 deepens round you. Thus you are led through a 
 labyrinth of sounds, till the scene dissolves in a low 
 faint moan, the key (if key it . may be called) being 
 minor. 
 
 Raphael interprets the music in a recitative of 
 corresponding gloom, and, immediately a chorus of 
 
Remarks on the ' Creation! 49 
 
 Angels announces the brooding of the Spirit upon the 
 waters. How magical the change produced by the 
 new major key, the rhythm of melody, and the piano 
 chorus ! 
 
 The magnificent burst upon the word LIGHT, speaks 
 for itself. Uninstructed hearers, however, fall into the 
 error of attributing the whole effect to the sudden 
 forte of the band artd chorus ; but in addition to this, 
 the ear is startled by the composer's having taken a 
 major chord where the minor one was expected. 
 
 URIEL'S air, 'Now vanish,' will be felt by all 
 hearers as Haydn intended. It is a manifest struggle 
 between light and darkness ; the former being ex- 
 pressed by sweetness of vocal melody, accompanied 
 with instrumental arpeggios ; and the latter, by 
 descending chromatic passages. At the words ' Af- 
 frighted fled,' there is an abrupt modulation from E 
 major to C minor. This modulation is here effected 
 by a staccato passage, executed by instruments, in 
 unisons and octaves ; an intermediate announcement 
 of the key of A minor connecting the two remote 
 keys. Discordant harmony drawn out into melody, 
 and descending chromatic runs upon the instruments, 
 depict the fall of the spirits of darkness into the abyss 
 of night. * 
 
 Suddenly the key of A major heralds 'A new 
 created world.' We wish to call particular attention 
 to this chorus, because we do not remember another 
 in the whole range of musical composition so well 
 
 E 
 
5<D Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 calculated to enable a novice to feel its harmony as 
 a distinct effect. The leading melody, sung by the 
 sopranos, is sweet and simple ; just the kind of air to 
 haunt one in the street, in the field, or in the silence 
 of night. It is moreover short, and four times re- 
 peated, so that we have ample opportunity of attend- 
 ing to its treatment. 
 
 At first the harmony is natural, the vocal counter- 
 point plain, the chorus singing sotto voce, while joyous 
 bird-like passages from the flute give a sparkling 
 animation to the whole. The strain is repeated ; 
 again we enjoy the same bewitching melody sung by 
 the sopranos, but we no longer listen to the same 
 music. At the second bar the harmony is changed, 
 and leads us to the cadence by a different route. We 
 feel that we behold the same landscape, but a cloud 
 is passing over it, 'imparting the charm of accidental 
 light. 
 
 As yet this ' new created world,' like Thomson's 
 ' trembling year,' is 'unconfirmed.' Accordingly the 
 strain is interrupted by the distant yelling of the 
 spirits of darkness, accompanying Uriel's recitative. 
 Again the chorus take up the dismal howl, accompanied 
 as before by chromatic wailings. Order, however, 
 soon prevails, and the sunny landscape returns upon 
 us, as at first, in unsullied brightness. Yet once more, 
 and for the last time, is the strain, 'A new created 
 world,' repeated. At the second bar the cloud returns 
 as before, but at the fourth, it emits a flash of summer 
 
Remarks on the ' Creation! 5 1 
 
 lightning. The chord of B minor in the third bar 
 naturally leads to the governing call of the harmony- 
 proper to the key note, instead of which we have the 
 chord of G natural startling the ear with a delightful 
 surprise. The melody itself is now slightly altered, 
 for the sake of introducing a discord, in order that 
 the cadence may return with additional sweetness, and 
 then the chorus ends with an exhilarating burst of 
 unisons and octaves. 
 
 When we find a man of Haydn's genius thus labori- 
 ously fetching out the treasures of art, for the sake of 
 adorning eight bars of melody, in a work of such 
 extent as this Oratorio, we may well blush at the 
 encomiums, which (begrudged to works stamped for im- 
 mortality) we lavish on the fugitive trifles of the hour. 
 
 Raphael's recitative, which follows, is narrative, 
 the instrumentation being descriptive; the words, 
 therefore, merely interpret the accompaniment. Thus 
 we have the whistling of the storm, the roaring of the 
 thunder, the driving of the rain, the pattering of the 
 hail, and so forth, depicted by the instruments. 
 
 The chorus and quartet, 'The marvellous work,' 
 is sufficiently intelligible to all hearers. Haydn's 
 choruses have neither the sublimity nor the learned 
 contrivance of Handel's. Still they are very effective 
 and elegant, from the singular beauty of the melodies. 
 
 The bass air, ' Rolling in foaming billows,' is intro- 
 duced by a short recitative. The song begins in P 
 minor. The divisions given to the second violins, 
 
 E 2 
 
52 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 tenors, and basses, exhibit the tumbling of the waters. 
 The voice goes up to F above the stave, to paint ' their 
 tops into the clouds' The winding of the rivers is 
 expressed by the oboes, and short divisions by the 
 first and second violins. The major movement, ' Soft 
 purling glides,' is accompanied with some charming 
 triplets by the first violins, and afterwards by an 
 exquisite phrase of melody, taken up by the oboe and 
 flute. The words 'through silent vales,' are sung 
 upon holding notes, accompanied with a long holding 
 note upon the horns, and a few gliding minims, 
 executed pianissimo by the stringed instruments. 
 This little bit is a perfect gem. That sound should 
 give the perception of silence, is paradoxical, but 
 nevertheless true. The murmuring of water had been 
 imitated by sound in motion ; the silence of the vale 
 is described by sound comparatively at rest. This 
 analogy may strike even the common hearer ; but the 
 languor, the pensive repose diffused by the minor 
 seventh with which the harmony of the key note is 
 accompanied, and by which that key is instantaneously 
 destroyed, thrills the very blood of the musician. 
 Not that it is an uncommon progression (it is quite 
 the reverse), but because its employment then and 
 there shows the consummate art of the master. 
 
 The exquisite canzonet, 'With verdure clad,' 
 preceded by a short recitative, is next in order. The 
 symphony opens with clarionets and bassoons obligate 
 The pastoral melody, which has always found an 
 
Remarks on the * Creation! 53 
 
 echo in every bosom, needs no comment ; we shall 
 therefore confine ourselves to some points less easily 
 understood. The air is in B flat. At the words ' By 
 loads of fruit * * are press'd ' there is an abrupt 
 modulation. The previous word ' plant ' was in the 
 key of F major, one flat ; the word ' pressed ' is in D 
 flat major, five flats. The two remote keys are con- 
 nected by means of the intermediate key of B flat 
 minor, through which the instruments pass in arpeggio. 
 The next strain is in A flat major, and the next to 
 that, in B flat minor, to prepare for a return to the 
 original key. On the word ' brow ' the voice rises to 
 G flat, and the note is accompanied with a discord 
 (the diminished 7th) which shocks the ear, just enough 
 to indicate the pain of the mountain's ascent. At the 
 words ' closed wood,' the closeness of the minor chord, 
 and the rapid iteration of the notes, paint the umbra- 
 geous confusion and density of a sylvan labyrinth. 
 When the voice repeats the original air, we find our- 
 selves translated again to the breezy, healthful, open 
 country. 
 
 In the chorus, ' Awake the harp,' will be found some 
 of those technical imitations before defined ; par- 
 ticularly at the words ' For He the heav'ns,' &c. 
 
 We are now come to the famous recitative, 'In 
 splendour bright,' descriptive of the rising of the sun 
 and moon. Much fanciful criticism has been written 
 upon this imitation. Colours have been likened to 
 sounds; and it has been said, that the distinctive 
 
54 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 tones of the instruments successively employed, re- 
 present, and even resemble, particular colours, with 
 the order in which they usher in the dawn. Dismiss- 
 ing this learned trifling, we will confine ourselves to 
 what we know to have been actually done. The rising 
 of the sun is depicted by the diatonic scale of D major, 
 in semibreves, going from D on the fourth line of the 
 stave to the F sharp, a tenth above ; the scale being 
 given to the flute, an instrument, perhaps, superior to 
 all others in combined delicacy and space-penetrating 
 power. The harmony is a masterly accompaniment 
 of the scale. The first violins are irt unison with the 
 flute. The scale begins ftianissirno.. The second 
 violirts come on in unison upon the half bar, and at 
 the beginning of the second bar discord with the first 
 violins and flute, the resolution taking place on the 
 last half of the bar. The beautiful discords of suspen- 
 sion between the first and second violins, represent 
 the struggling shades of darkness, which the sun dis- 
 perses as he mounts. At the third bar, the violoncellos 
 steal in ; then the double basses and tenors ; then the 
 bassoons and oboes ; then the horns ; till, at the tenth 
 bar, the whole band, fortissimo, announce the culmina- 
 tion of the sun of harmony. 
 
 The rising of the moon is, if possible, even more 
 beautiful. The scale commencing with G, as a hew 
 key note, on the lowest line of the stave, is assigned to 
 the double basses and violoncellos. The pensive modu- 
 lation and the grave sound, aided, no doubt, by our 
 
Remarks on ihe ' Creation! 55 
 
 own foreknowledge, and the mysterious faculty of 
 association, seem to realise the dream that it is indeed 
 the Queen of night. The chromatic progression at 
 the third bar, the piano ohserved throughout, the ab- 
 sence of wind instruments, and the sweetness of the 
 vocal melody, which has more the character of air 
 than properly belongs to recitative, contrasted with 
 the gorgeousness of the preceding instrumentation, 
 render this one of the most charming musical pictures 
 ever painted. A spirited allegro delineates the ' Host 
 of radiant orbs,' whose numbers are indicated by rapid 
 semiquavers on the stringed instruments. 
 
 The first part of the Oratorio ends with the grand 
 chorus ' The heavens are telling.' Haydn has done 
 nothing to disturb the supremacy of Handel in choral 
 writing. Unable to reach the greatness of Handel's 
 musical subjects, he showed little of the learned con- 
 trivance with which they are treated. Instead, there- 
 fore, of adopting the model of Handel, he wisely em- 
 ployed a style of his own. He depends for his effects 
 upon the exuberance of his fancy ; upon his power 
 of wielding an improved band ; upon his command 
 over the resources of harmony and modulation ; and 
 upon the striking potency of contrasts. ' The heavens 
 are telling ' furnishes us with a good example. The 
 chorus is in C major, the leading melody being sweet 
 and simple, consisting of a regular strain of eight bars. 
 As an opposition to choral volume, we have the 
 elegant trio, ' The day that is coming.' When we are 
 
56 Musical Criticism and Biografhy. 
 
 told of the ' night that is gone ' the minor mode is 
 adopted. In the 'following night,' the interrupted 
 cadence upon the word night is very effective. The 
 chorus comes in with a startling transition to the 
 original major. Then we have the charming trio, ' Ira 
 all the lands,' with its beautiful legato passages for 
 the wind instruments ; though, if we remember rightly,, 
 similar passages occur in the overture to Handel's. 
 Occasional Oratorio. The chorus at the piu allegro 
 is worked up with much fire. The chromatic descent 
 of the bass, towards the climax, and then the rushing 
 of the stringed bass instruments up to B flat, B 
 natural, C natural, C sharp, and D, have an extremely 
 fine effect, and carry the audience by storm. 
 
 PART THE SECOND. 
 
 Having been somewhat copious in our remarks 
 upon the first part of Hadyn's great work, we will 
 avoid tiring the reader unnecessarily, by passing over 
 the remainder of the ground as rapidly as we can. 
 The symphony to the song, ' On mighty pens,' is bold 
 and eagle-like in its flight, and therefore proper for 
 the subject ; the accompaniments to the voice are also, 
 highly imaginative. The key is F major. The lark 
 is introduced by the clarionet ; the cooing of the dove 
 imitated very happily by the bassoons ; and the 
 warbling of the nightingale, by the flute. Thirty-five 
 bars, towards the close of this song, are usually cut 
 
Remarks on the ' Creation? 57 
 
 out ; either for the sake of brevity, or for the better 
 reason that Haydn had unluckily wandered into the 
 doleful key of G minor, whilst telling us that the nightin- 
 gale's lay had not yet been tuned to a '.mournful tale ; ' 
 but this is a mistake composers are apt to fall into, by 
 attending to the meaning of particular words, rather 
 than to the general scope of the sentence. Recit., ' And 
 God created great whales.' The sporting of these 
 monsters is depicted by violas and basses. 
 
 Terzetto, ' Most beautiful appear.' The vocal 
 melodies are exquisite. The ' Gently sloping hills ' 
 are described by undulating divisions in thirds for 
 the first and second violins. ' The fountain,' by the 
 bassoon ; whilst the violins "distil in crystal drops.' 
 The ' cheerful ' host of ' birds,' by the flute. The 
 ' flying whirl,' by scintillating passages taken up in 
 quick succession by various instruments. The ' up- 
 heaving ' of. ' Leviathan,' by violoncellos and double 
 basses. In short, we have only to bear in mind that 
 the composer's aim here is to make 'the sound an 
 echo to the sense,' and then the words will be a key 
 to the accompaniments. 
 
 Chorus, ' The Lord is great.' 
 
 Recit. Raphael — Creation of the ' living creature 
 after his kind.'' We have the . roaring of the lion 
 admirably imitated by the stringed instruments. Then 
 the stealthy pace, the leap, and finally the spring of 
 the 'flexible tiger.' The bounding of the 'nimble 
 stag ; ' and the neighing of the ' sprightly steed.' 
 
58 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 After which an extraordinary transition is made from 
 the key of D flat major, five flats, to that of A major, 
 three sharps. The new key begins, andante, with a 
 pastoral flute solo introducing the ' cattle in herds.' — 
 After which we have the ' whirl ' of a ' host of insects,' 
 and the long ' sinuous trace ' of the ' worm,' portrayed 
 with wonderful spirit and truth. 
 
 ' Now Heaven in fullest glory shone,' a superb 
 song, replete with dignity and grace, in D major, with 
 a splendid blaze of accompaniment. The air stamps 
 itself upon your memory and haunts you when you 
 get home. It is bold, clear, and decided. ' By heavy 
 beasts the earth is trod.' The B. flat of the inverted 
 chord of G minor, by the bass instruments upon the 
 word ' trod,' is like the tramp of a Megatherium. The 
 repetition of the sentence takes us into the key of F 
 major. ' There wanted yet ' — upon the word yet a 
 grand discord calls for the ' wondrous being ' about to 
 be created ; then we have a return to the original air 
 slightly varied and thus rendered more attractive. 
 ' God's power admire ' — the last time these words 
 occur, the voice has C natural to the word 'power,' and 
 the brief destruction of the key, besides its fine pathos, 
 gives sweetness to the succeeding close. 
 
 Recit. ' And God created.' ' Male and female 
 
 created he them.' Haydn has accompanied the first 
 introduction of the -word female with a discord. His 
 own marriage was certainly unlucky, but did he mean 
 to insinuate * * * ? even if he did, he has made ample 
 
Rematki on the ' Creation! 59 
 
 amends in the song that follows, so we trust most 
 ladies will forgive him. 
 
 ' In native worth ' — a charming canzonet in C major. 
 At the words ' in his eyes with brightness,' the flute 
 expresses the sparkling glances. ' Image of his God ' 
 —the triteness of the modulation into the key of G, 
 is taken off by the previous discord of the diminished 
 7th (inverted) resolved upon the chord of the sixth 
 and fourth. This resolution was less common in 
 Haydn's time than now, but it must always be en- 
 chantingly sweet. The next time the words are re- 
 peated, there is an abrupt modulation into A flat 
 major, from which the composer escapes by carrying 
 his symphony through C minor, and then the air re- 
 commences in the original major key. ' Of flowery 
 spring the mirror,' — the announcement of D minor 
 gives a feminine grace to the arpeggios. 
 
 Chorus — 'Achieved is the glorious work ' — attend 
 to the technical imitations at the words ' In lofty 
 strains,' and so forth. 
 
 Trio — ' On Thee each living soal.' We should call 
 this the gem of the Oratorio, were there not so many 
 other gems of the first water in it. 'With sudden 
 terror they are struck.' At the word struck, the 
 stringed instruments paint this terror by replications 
 of triplets. We are now hastening into the valley of 
 the shadow of death. ' They vanish into dust.' The 
 key is G flat. 'Thou takest their breath away! Here 
 the mysterious effects of the tempered scale oppress 
 
60 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 our spirits. No sound accompanies the voice but a low- 
 soft shudder from the strings. The wind instruments 
 are "as idle as the crew of a merchantman becalmed ; 
 and well it is that they are so, for little could they do 
 in this remote, untrodden region, — the key announced 
 being Cflat minor with ten flats ! A writer of the 
 present day would be tempted to cut the knot and 
 slip into three or four sharps by taking advantage of 
 the enharmonic change. Not so, Haydn ; he travels 
 to his primary key by a more legitimate route. ' They 
 vanish into dust.' Again the key of G flat, whence 
 the road home is open through the related key of E 
 flat minor. ' Life with vigour fresh returns.' A breeze 
 springs up filling the sails of our craft, — and giving 
 activity to horns, bassoons, clarionets, and flute. All 
 is life and joy through the remainder of this charming 
 trio. The second part of the Oratorio ends with the 
 grand chorus ' Achieved is the glorious work.' 
 
 : PART THE. THIRD 
 
 Opens with a Terzetto, in the key of E major, for 
 three flutes, accompanied by stringed instruments and 
 horns, leading to the Recit. ' In Rosy mantle,' and 
 descriptive of the freshness and purity of morning. 
 Let the reader run his thoughts back for a moment to 
 the picture of Chaos, and compare it with the elegant 
 melodies of this introduction ; he will then be struck 
 with the differences of style that may properly have 
 
Remarks on the ' Creation! 6 1 
 
 place in the same Oratorio. — At the 17th bar of the 
 voice part there is a pretty phrase for the horns, which 
 is taken up by the bassoons at the 22nd bar, and at 
 the 27th by the oboes. The Recit. is followed by the 
 magnificent hymn of Adam and Eve, ' By Thee with 
 bliss.' It is a duet in C, the time being adagio. 
 The vocal melodies are simple and impressive, with 
 natural harmony. The accompaniments are supposed 
 to be performed by angelic harps, and therefore are 
 constructed of arpeggios, proper to that instrument, 
 intermixed with obligato passages for the oboe. At 
 the 24th bar, the Heavenly Host, as if carried away 
 with the fervour of the theme, mingle their voices 
 with those of our first parents. Oboes, flute, and 
 bassoons now help to fill up the chords, which never- 
 theless preserve their harp-like character. At the 
 words 'this world so great,' the drum comes in solo,, 
 with a piano roll. Such is the effect, that a mind 
 striving to realize the scene, and the subsequent fall 
 of those happy beings, might well be overcome by 
 excess of emotion, and constrained to find relief in 
 tears. 
 
 The subject of Adam's solo at the allegretto in F, 
 is one of those melodies that intrude themselves un- 
 bidden long after they have ceased to vibrate in our 
 ears. It seems, too, to have been an especial favourite 
 with the composer, for he has introduced it in three 
 different keys and lavished much rich accompaniment 
 upon it. In sooth, it is passing sweet. The chorus 
 
62 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 breaks in upon the solo, which is afterwards taken up 
 by Eve at the words ' And Thou that rulest '—with 
 the addition of a few feminine graces to heighten the 
 charm. Then Adam — 'Ye strong and cumbrous 
 elements,' accompanied by ohoes and brilliant divi- 
 sions on the flute. Adam's solo modulates into A 
 flat major, in which key the chorus breaks in at the 
 words 'Resound the praise.' Then Eve has the 
 original melody, but in the key of A flat, at the words 
 ' Ye purling fountains,' Adam's next so.lo, at ' Ye 
 that lowly creep,' has a passage imitating the action, 
 by the basses. This solo has a good deal of modula- 
 tion, going as far as G flat, six flats. The words ' Ye 
 living souls extol the Lord,' are in the key of E flat 
 minor, six flats. The chorus comes on in F minor, 
 whence it makes a transition into G minor, at the 
 , words ' Him celebrate.' 
 
 After this little bit of chorus Adam and Eve blend 
 their voices in duet, the latter singing the sweet 
 melody so often mentioned, but in the key of G ; the 
 fine chorus, ' Hail, bounteous Lord/ comes in upon 
 the last cadence. 
 
 We shall not fatigue the reader by going through 
 the modulation of this chorus. At ' We praise Thee 
 now,' there are some technical imitations which may 
 be easily caught, even by an unpractised ear. But 
 we call close attention to 'Thy power adore the 
 heaven and earth/ sung piano in .ummptts and octanes, 
 ■^ccompaitied by arpeggios upon the chords of C minor 
 
Remarks on the ' Creation! 63 
 
 and A fiat. It is the heavenly choir — ' Hark, now I 
 hear them ! ' hymning and sweeping their seraphic 
 harps ! Celestial music ! 
 
 We have next a recti, by Adam, ' Our duty we 
 performed ' — in which there is a good deal of modula- 
 tion. Eve takes it up in the key of G flat, upon an 
 interrupted cadence, passing through D flat and A flat, 
 to the key of E flat, to prepare for the duet that is to 
 follow. This course of modulation, being brilliant, 
 gives a spirited effect to the run up to A flat upon 
 the word ' Pride ; ' as well as joyousness to the 
 ' Happiness ' which succeeds. 
 
 The duet, ' Graceful consort ' — depicts the serene 
 and healthful joy of pure conjugal affection. The 
 exquisite tenderness of the melody, touched, as.it is, 
 with a shade of that pensiveness which seems insepar- 
 able from all human bliss, and the surpassing elegance 
 of the accompaniments, render this one of the most 
 charming compositions imaginable. It needs no 
 comment. If you say, with Erasmus, 'Fac ut sen- 
 tiaml we reply with Erasmus, ' Eadem opera fac ut 
 sentiat adamas.' We are writing for beings born of 
 flesh and blood, not to stocks and stones. So much 
 for the first movement. The allegro is the bounding 
 and dancing of two grateful hearts in their satisfied 
 moments. The voices are encouraged by animating 
 phrases from the clarionet, oboe, and flute ; till, at 
 the words ' Is every joy enhanced,' ' Delight is ever 
 new/ there is a burs^ of rapture from all the wind 
 
64 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 instruments. This movement is long, and generally 
 cut down, we suppose, for that reason. 
 
 After a short recit. we have the final chorus ' Sing 
 the Lord.' At the allegro there is a double subject, 
 the second subject coming in under the fourth note of 
 the first ; subsequently the two subjects are intro- 
 duced simultaneously in another key. There is also 
 much technical imitation, Haydn having shown more 
 learned contrivance here than in any other part of the 
 Oratorio. But an analysis of the treatment would 
 carry us far beyond the object of our light criticism ; 
 we shall therefore only add that this chorus is attrac- 
 tive in its fine general effect. 
 
 Our task is now done. We had intended to give 
 some broad results, but these the reader must deduce 
 for himself, as we have already much exceeded our 
 prescribed limits. We' have not done so well as we 
 wished, but as well as, under all circumstances, we 
 could ; such information as we had to bestow having 
 been derived solely and faithfully from personal study 
 of the full score, and from dementi's arrangement, 
 which had the express approbation of our illustrious 
 composer* 
 
 * We have all along quoted the old words— doggerel that out- Brady's 
 Brady, and out-Tate's Tate. 
 
65 
 
 HANDEL'S HALLELUJAH CHORUS. 
 
 [An analysis; written in i%<-,$for the Author's friend, the late Mr. 
 Surman, and published in 1854 as a preface to the Exeter Hall edition 
 of 'Surmaris Handbook Oratorio, " The Messiah." "] 
 
 ' The Messiah ' is much too wide a field to expa- 
 tiate upon within the limits of a mere prefix; but 
 perhaps a popular analysis of the ' Hallelujah Chorus ' 
 will throw some light upon Handel's unrivalled 
 greatness as a choral writer, and also assist the reader 
 to appreciate the excellences of some other parts of 
 the oratorio. 
 
 Handel seems to have thought less of himself, and 
 even of his art, than of his poem and of his audience. 
 He considered himself as appealing less to musicians 
 than to mankind, through a medium which was part 
 and parcel of his nature. 
 
 This appears from his reply to Lord Kinnoul, who 
 had complimented him, soon after the first performance 
 of the Messiah, on the noble entertainment he had 
 just given the town. 'My Lord,' said Handel,^' I 
 should be sorry if I only entertained them ; I wish to 
 make them better.' 
 
 But it appears even more clearly, from the evidence, 
 F 
 
66 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 afforded by his works, as we proceed to instance in 
 the case of the ' Hallelujah Chorus.' 
 
 After an announcement of the subject in three bars 
 for the stringed instruments, it is taken up by the 
 voices, iterating the word ' Hallelujah.' Nothing can 
 be more simple than the melody. He who hears it 
 for the first time is conscious that he has never heard 
 anything like it, and that it can form no part of any 
 other composition without being instantly recognised 
 and restored to its rightful owner. Having no resem- 
 blances, no associations, it is necessarily exempt from 
 the slightest taint of vulgarity. It is withal so easy 
 of execution, and lies so well for the voices, that the 
 youngest singers in the chorus can throw their hearts 
 and souls into it. The harmony is equally simple, 
 glowing with the common chord. When the audience 
 have been wrought into a state of excitement by this 
 jubilant outbreak, it is suddenly arrested that they 
 may hear the reason for it, and feel the solemnity of 
 it : ' For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' This 
 forms a new musical subject, given out in unisons and 
 octaves. So startling is the effect, that (we are told 
 on the authority of Lord Kinnoul) at the first per- 
 formance of the Messiah, the king, who happened to 
 be present, and the whole company rose, as one man, 
 and remained standing till the end of the chorus. 
 Then the Hallelujah returns, accompanied, however, 
 with drums and trumpets in addition to the strings, 
 and invested, by the chastened feeling of the audience, 
 
Handel 's Hallelujah Chorus. 67 
 
 with a kind of religious awe. After this the second 
 subject is repeated, followed as before by the Halle- 
 lujah. By this alternation the two subjects are 
 indelibly stamped upon the mind, so that even the 
 common hearer is prepared to feel and understand 
 them when taken in conjunction. The second subject, 
 ' For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,' is then led 
 off by the trebles, the other parts, beginning with 
 the tenors, consecutively taking the subject of the 
 Hallelujah under it. Here again we see the consum- 
 mate tact of the composer, in addressing himself to 
 flie people. The uneducated ear generally recognises 
 only the highest melody ; had the lead been given to 
 an inner part, its effect upon the general audience had 
 been lost ; but Handel well knew that the Hallelujahs 
 might be safely left to take care of themselves ; that 
 by making them subordinate the audience would feel 
 the two subjects simultaneously, endowed, as it were, 
 by art, with more ears than nature gave them ; and 
 that, when the lead afterwards fell to the tenors and 
 basses, it would be distinctly felt as an independent 
 melody, even below the ringing of the Hallelujahs, 
 the thunder of drums, and the fanfare of trumpets. 
 By way of contrast, we have next a picture of this 
 beneficent reign in a strain of heavenly sweetness. 
 The turbulent rule of the Prince of the air has been 
 overthrown, and 'the kingdom of this world is 
 become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.' 
 At the words ' of this world ' a charming effect is pro- 
 
 r 2 
 
€B Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 duced by a progression known to musicians as the 
 hypodiatohic cadence of Mercadier de Belesta. A 
 new subject then announces the eternal durability of 
 the Saviour's throne : ' And He shall reign for ever 
 and ever.' It is a plain and noble fugue lead, 
 delivered by the basses in what is' technically called 
 the plagal mode, and answered in the authentic mode 
 by the tenors. The free accompaniment to the words 
 'for ever and ever,' having the character of the. 
 Hallelujah melody, not only preserves uniformity in 
 the composition, but tells upon the audience, because 
 they have been prepared to follow and to feel it. And 
 now we have a proclamation of the titles of the 
 Almighty King, heralded, trumpet-tongued, by the 
 trebles and altos, ' King of kings and Lord of lords,* 
 All this is done by the iteration of a single note. Th6 
 titles are thrice proclaimed, the voices rising a fourth 
 the second time, and then ascending gradually to like 
 notes upon the trumpet, and accompanied by Halle- 
 lujahs, till they have drawn the mind upwards to the 
 skies, and we are ready to sink under the force of the 
 expression. Mark the effect of the holding note in 
 the pauses between the Hallelujahs. Observe too, that 
 Handel has here, for the first time, taken advantage 
 of the modulation. We say taken advantage,~-Aie 
 does not seek it, but falls naturally into that train 
 which the melody suggests. It does not drag you 
 away, but it forces you along ; you are chained to the 
 flaming car of Elijah. The remainder of the chorus- 
 
, HandeVs Hallelujah Chorus. 6g- 
 
 is one bright effulgence of glory. He who could stand 
 it with an equal pulse and an unmoistened eye, may be 
 both a wise and a good man, but assuredly has no sensi- 
 bility for music. 
 
 It might have been thought that one such effort as 
 this would have exhausted the mightiest human genius, 
 had not he who wrote the ' Hallelujah Chorus,' after- 
 wards equalled, if not transcended it, in the same 
 Oratorio, by his ' Worthy is the Lamb.' 
 
 It is instructive to compare the grandeur of Handel's 
 effects with the poverty of his means ; to contrast his 
 meagre bands with the appliances of the modern 
 orchestra, and then to reflect upon what he has 
 done. 
 
 The secret lies in a nutshell. He made the pro-, 
 foundest musical learning subservient to the higher 
 beauties of expression. He never suffered petty 
 details to interfere with the breadth of his colouring 
 or the severe majesty of his outline. He knew that 
 forced consecutions, abrupt modulations, close inter- 
 vals, and chromatic progressions, can never kindle 
 popular enthusiasm. Hence his greatest works are 
 still as fresh as when the ink first dried from his pen. 
 
 But the dignity of Handel is twofold ; he has 
 dignity of treatment, and dignity of subject. The 
 former may be profitably studied and rationally ex- 
 plained, the latter can only be regarded with that mute 
 reverence which is due to the creations of genius. 
 
yo Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 A SELECTION 
 
 PROM THE MUSICAL ARTICLES WHICH HAVE APPEARED IN 
 THE ' NORFOLK NEWS ' AT VARIOUS TIMES FROM JANUARY 
 II, 1851, TO DECEMBER II, 1869. 
 
 The selection consists of complete articles on some of the Great Works of 
 Handel, and extracts from reviews, notices of concerts, &c. For con- 
 venience of reference tlie extracts are given under appropriate headings, 
 and those on the same subject are placed together. 
 
 FESTIVAL MUSIC— ACIS AND GALATEA. 
 
 WRITTEN DURING THE REHEARSALS FOR THE NORWICH MUSICAL 
 FESTIVAL OF 1854. 
 
 THE chorus were last week employed with this 
 refreshing music, to which they went like the ' hart ' 
 to the ' water brooks.' As this charming ' Mask ' is 
 now seldom done here, it may be worth while to 
 make some attempt to prepare our readers for enjoy- 
 ing its beauties at the approaching festival. 
 
 The overture consists of only one movement, in the 
 same key as the chorus to which it leads, and for 
 which it prepares the audience. After a cheerful sub- 
 ject of ten bars for the strings, there is a flowing duet 
 for the oboes, moving in thirds, the strings breaking 
 
A cis and Galatea. 71 
 
 in at intervals with a striking arpeggio upon the 
 tonic harmony. The piece is wrought out of these 
 two subjects, the melody occasionally taking the 
 character of the singular flute accompaniment to the 
 song, ' O, ruddier than the cherry.' The overture 
 ends with an adagio of four bars, finally reposing 
 upon the dominant harmony of the relative minor. 
 This creates expectation, and gives force, by contrast, 
 to the jubilant symphony to the chorus, ' O, the 
 pleasure of the plains ! ' This lovely chorus is a 
 genuine gush of rural joy. The melody dances, 
 Sparkles, and bounds along like a mountain stream in 
 the morning sun. The unisons and octaves at the 
 words ' free and gay,' make the very heart leap ; and 
 the effect of the consecutive leads at ' dance and sport 
 the hours away,' is delightful. At ' For us the zephyr 
 blows' there is a movement in the relative minor, 
 after which a Da Capo to the original subject in B 
 flat. 
 
 The chorus is followed, after a short recitative, by 
 Galatea's famous song, ' Hush ye pretty warbling 
 choir.' Nothing can be more impassioned than the 
 vocal melody, or more thrilling than the bird-like 
 accompaniment for the piccolo ; and the consummate 
 tact with which subjects so opposite are blended to- 
 gether, and made to heighten the effect of each other, 
 can never be sufficiently admired. This song has 
 since been imitated in ' Say, little foolish fluttering 
 thing,' but has never been equalled. Then Acis 
 
72 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 has the song, ' Where shall I seek the charming fair ? 
 The two flats at the signature in the old scores are 
 apt to deceive the amateur as to pae key. But it was 1 
 the custom in Handel's time frequently to omit the 
 last flat in the signature, and introduce it as an acci- 
 dental. The song is in C minor, and depicts the 1 
 sorrow and bewilderment of Acis in search of his 
 love. Damon, a brother shepherd, arrests his steps 
 with the song, ' Shepherd, what art thou pursuing ? ' 
 Handel has given emphasis to the words 'heedless! 
 rushing to thy ruin,' by fine and natural syncopation* 
 At the words, ' Leave thy passion till to-morrow;' 
 this song has a conventional quantum of modulation, 
 and then conventionally goes by Da Capo to the 
 beginning. This was a sort of standing rule with 
 composers of that date, and gave their songs some- 
 what of the formal air of the dipt yew-trees in their 
 gardens. Audiences were thus somewhat unfairly 
 entrapped into hearing j:he air twice over without the 
 option or the credit of an encore. 
 
 The two songs that follow : ' Love in her eyes sits 
 playing,' by Acis, and ' As when the dove,' by Gala-< 
 tea, are exquisitely impassioned. The melodies are' 
 elegant and expressive, and the plaintive oboe ac- 
 companiment is very beautiful, though not so inde- 
 pendent as would be expected at the present day. 
 But in Handel's time it was much the fashion to 
 make some instrument go in unison with the voice. 
 The. lovers then meet, and pour forth their mutual 
 
'Acts and Galatea. 73 
 
 delight in the duet, 'Happy we.' The accompani- 
 ment moves in animating triplets in accordance with 
 the character of the vocal melody, which, by the by, 
 has some fine points of imitation. At length the 
 chorus, catching the infection, and supposed to be 
 transported at the sight of Galatea's beauty, take up 
 the same subject, and make the groves ring with 
 their rejoicing. The parts are so nicely balanced, and 
 lie so well for the voices, that there is no excuse for 
 imperfect articulation : moreover, the words, ' What 
 joys I feel, what charms I see,' are so inimitably set, 
 that the language is perfectly intelligible, however 
 numerous the chorus. All is life, light, and joy. 
 Yet how simple the means ! — a few strings and a 
 couple of oboes ! But a sling and a stone, wielded by 
 David, could slay a giant armed in proof. 
 
 We believe a pause is usually made here ; and here 
 we, too, suspend our remarks. 
 
 II. 
 
 We are now arrived at the celebrated chorus, 
 ' Wretched Lovers,' which is said to have first opened 
 the eyes of the world to Handel's greatness as a 
 choral writer. It is written in five vocal parts, the 
 three intermediate parts being for equal voices, and 
 accompanied only by strings and oboes. A century 
 and a quarter have rolled away since Handel pro- 
 duced the effect he intended with this meagre band. 
 
74 Musical .Criticism and Biography. 
 
 It is true he might have added horns, drums, and 
 trumpets, and thus might have made louder noise ; 
 but he was writing pastoral music, and so did not use 
 them. He rejected even flutes, which he might have 
 employed. Since that day the world has grown older 
 and wiser, having made mighty strides. Not to speak 
 of locomotives, electrotypes, photographs, and other 
 physical marvels which do not apply, new musical 
 instruments have been invented, and old ones so 
 improved as to have, become, in fact, new. We have 
 not only enlarged our orchestras, multiplied our 
 voices, and performed miracles with wood and brass, 
 but have introduced harmonies and passed into 
 modulations of which Handel, in his simplicity, per- 
 haps never dreamed, though he was an innovator in 
 his day. We have also had genius of first-rate order. 
 Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Weber — to mention 
 no others — have appeared upon the earth, and passed 
 away, after fulfilling their mission and earning for 
 themselves undying fame. Yet there stands Handel, 
 with his ' Wretched Lovers,' his fiddles and his pipes, 
 as he did at first, alone in his glory! , We hear the 
 chorus, and immediately feel that we never heard 
 anything like it, no, nor approaching it, in that kind 
 of music. Mozart had this feeling when studying 
 the inspirations of Hartdel ; so also had Beethoven ; 
 and those great men were not ashamed to own it. 
 Whence is this, but that the gifts of Providence are 
 
Acts and Galatea, 75' 
 
 wisely rare in proportion to their magnitude ? Europe 
 has but one Mont Blanc. 
 
 Wretched lovers, fate has past 
 This sad decree — no joy shall last. 
 
 We are struck, at starting, with the emphasis given 
 to the word ' wretched ' by syncopation. We admire 
 the sweetness and easy flow of the melodies, so ex- 
 pressive of compassion and sorrow. We melt at the 
 weeping pathos of the E flat by the first tenors, 
 where the trebles fall a fifth, after the brief modula- 
 tion into F from the original key of B flat ; and the 
 equal pathos of the E natural, when the trebles again 
 fall a fifth to cadence in F. All this is obvious. 
 But the vast musical learning concealed under these 
 beauties is not quite so obvious. The first five bars 
 for the second and . third tenors move in canon. The 
 first tenors and basses reply with a point of fugue. 
 The mixture of equal voices allows the intermediate 
 parts freely to cross or pass through each other with- 
 out injury to the melodies, whilst close imitations and 
 beautiful suspensions abound throughout. When the 
 modulation comes on, it is 
 
 Wretched lovers, quit your dream, 
 Behold ! — the monster Polypheme ! 
 
 The startling effect of the ' Behold ! ' after a pause of 
 all the voices, and the agitation of the chorus, moving 
 in semiquavers to the words ' Behold the monster,' 
 &c, must arouse the most lethargic audience. But 
 the first subject is never relinquished. We hear it 
 
76 Musical .Criticism and Biography. 
 
 wailing over all by the trebles * who no sooner leave 
 it than it is taken up by the . basses and then by the 
 intermediate voices. 
 
 There is then a pause of expectation, followed by, 
 
 See what ample strides he takes — 
 The mountain nods, the forest shakes.- 
 
 The words are here sculptured into syllables, that we 
 may hear the very tramp of the giant in the isolated 
 masses of sound. But this is not all. Observe the art 
 of giving ' See what ' to the first and second tenors, 
 before the other voices come in. A concourse of 
 people would not simultaneously notice the same 
 thing — a few only would notice and exclaim, and then, 
 all would exclaim. The pauses between ' The moun- 
 tain nods * etc., and the masses of sound which ex- 
 press the thing, are inimitably fine. This leads us to 
 the climax— 
 
 The waves run frightened to the shores, 
 Hark ! how the thundering giant roars. 
 
 The frightened waves are painted by rapid divisions 
 and close imitations. ' Hark! ' is an invitation to listen^ 
 The harks, therefore, are taken up successively, 
 beginning with the basses and echoed by the other 
 
 * It seems to have been a rule with Handel, when he had two 
 simultaneous subjects, one simple and the other complicated, to give 
 the former first to the trebles, then to the basses, and lastly to the inner 
 parts, as in the case of the 'Hallelujah Chorus.' His motive is, obvious.. 
 Common audiences hear little more than the extreme parts, attending 
 mostly to the highest melody. The composer, therefore, forces the 
 inner parts upon them, thus making them hear with more ears than, 
 nature gave them.— Author, 
 
Acts and Galatea. jy 
 
 Voices, while the basses and instruments describe the 
 •roaring of the giant. Mere words, however, are 
 inadequate to convey an idea of the effect, though 
 they may prepare the mind, in some degree, for enjoys 
 ing it. Enough to say that the thundering of the 
 giant and the contagious excitement of the chorus 
 act electrically upon all who have any souls for music, 
 and transport them awhile out of themselves. 
 
 Having dwelt longer than we intended upon this 
 magnificent chorus, we must reserve what we have 
 further to say till next week. 
 
 III. 
 
 After the chorus ' Wretched lovers,' Polypheme 
 sings the recitative and air ' O ruddier than the 
 cherry,' which has been heard at a former festival as 
 a concert song. But it owes much to its connection 
 with the story. It is, indeed, a love song, but the 
 love song of a monster, striving to be graceful 
 and unable to avoid being uncouth. Ponderosity is 
 given to the voice by the artful flute accompaniment^ 
 with which it forms a striking contrast ; the latter 
 ■being light and brilliant throughout. This effort of 
 Polypheme being unsuccessful, and his overtures re- 
 pulsed by Galatea in a conversational recitative, he 
 sings, 'Cease to beauty to be suing,' a song more 
 congenial to his character. Damon, a shepherd, then 
 addresses him in the air ' Would you gain the tender 
 creature' — an elegant and persuasive melody. 
 
78 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Acis, stung with jealousy, gives vent to his rage in 
 ' Love sounds the alarm.' This song is none the less 
 warlike and spirited for its simple oboe accompani- 
 ment. The shepherd has but his pipe wherewithal to 
 animate his courage, but it is enough. The melody- 
 has drums and trumpets in itself, and the arpeggios,, 
 where the voice holds on, are extremely effective and 
 beautiful. Clori then advises Acis in the charming 
 air ' Consider, fond shepherd.' Here the subject is a 
 musical exaggeration of what would be the natural 
 inflection of the voice in simple declamation — a thing 
 attempted more or less by all composers in recitative, 
 but seldom achieved in air, unless by genius of the 
 highest order. This song is followed by the trio, 
 'The flocks shall leave the mountains,' than which 
 nothing finer was ever written. The murmured 
 passion of the lovers, and the savage fury of the 
 giant, are inimitable, taken independently ; but heard, 
 as they are together, each heightening the effect of 
 the other by the power of contrast, and forming a 
 delicious whole, they excite the liveliest emotions, 
 and fill us with admiration of the consummate skill of 
 Handel. The rock is then supposed to be hurled ; 
 and Acis shrieks for help in a short recitative, the 
 accompaniment to which paints his death. 
 
 We have then the chorus ' Mourn all ye Muses ' 
 
 a sweet and passionate ebullition of sorrow. Handel 
 evidently had this chorus in his thoughts when he 
 wrote his ' Mourn ye afflicted children,' as an opening to 
 
Acis and Galaha. 79 
 
 * Judas Maccabaeus.' Upon the whole we prefer the 
 former. The grief may be more profound in ' Mourn 
 ye afflicted children,' but what it gains in depth it 
 loses in tenderness. ' Mourn all ye Muses 'is in F 
 minor, though there are only three flats in the signa- 
 ture. The pensive modulation to A flat major at 
 ' Tune your reeds to doleful strains,' gives effect to 
 the discordant ' Groans, cries, and howlings ' that 
 follow, and 'fill the neighbouring shore.' At 'The 
 gentle Acis is no more,' to the word ' more' a major 
 chord is taken where a minor one was expected, 
 which gives the blood a thrill. Next time we have 
 'is no more* unaccompanied, and pianissimo in the 
 key of A flat major — then again in C minor. Then 
 the ' groans ' become more discordant, the diminished 
 seventh being employed, with which Handel and his 
 cotemporaries produced the greater effect because 
 they reserved it for particular occasions. But the 
 unaccompanied chords for the voices to the words 
 ' No more ! no more ! ' are sublime ; producing a 
 sensation, which it is not often the good fortune even 
 of a Handel to call forth. 
 
 Galatea then sings the pathetic solo ' Must I my 
 Acis still bemoan,' the chorus, the while, attempting 
 to comfort her by reminding her of her divine power ; 
 all this is perfectly enchanting. The song that 
 follows, ' Heart the seat,' by Galatea, combines the 
 elegance of Haydn with the passion of Mozart. The 
 abrupt breaking into recitative at ' Rock, thy hollow 
 
8q Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 ■womb disclose,' for the transformation of Acis into a 
 fountain, relieved Handel from the conventional 
 modulation and Da Capo, which were the besetting 
 sin of his day ; hence, this is one of the least man- 
 nered of his songs. The accompaniment throughout 
 is a subdued murmur, imitating the gurgle of running 
 ■water. 
 
 The ' Mask ' ends with the chorus, ' Galatea, dry 
 thy tears.' Handel rises with his subject to the last, 
 so that this cheerful and picturesque chorus suffers 
 nothing from a remembrance of the beauties which 
 preceded it. There is a freshness in the melodies 
 "which renders them ever new. The words ' Shep- 
 herd's pleasure, muse's theme,' are exquisitely set. It 
 is the poetry of pastoral life. At ' Murmuring still 
 thy gentle love,' the accompaniment to ' Heart the 
 seat,' is distributed among the voices, and we hear 
 the sound of 'many streams, 'murmuring still thy 
 gentle love.' Thus ends the ' Mask,' a composition 
 which shows that Handel could be as great in the 
 tender as in the sublime ; and which, had he written 
 nothing else, would alone have rendered him im- 
 mortal.. 
 
 It is almost superfluous to add, that the words 
 were written by Gay, and that the story is told in 
 Ovid's ' Metamorphoses.' 
 
Israel in Egypt. 8 r 
 
 ISRAEL IN EGYPT. 
 
 As the public will soon have an opportunity of hear- 
 ing this great work performed by the Choral Society, 
 a few particulars concerning it, which are not gene- 
 rally known, may be welcome to musical readers. 
 
 We learn from M. Victor Schcelcher's valuable life 
 of Handel, that this oratorio was composed in the in- 
 credibly short space of twenty-seven days ! It was 
 not, however, begun and written to the end exactly in 
 the form wherein it now exists. M. Schcelcher says 
 ' The Exodus (which is now the second part of Israel 
 in Egypt), was written between the ist and nth of 
 October' (1738). 'The first part was commenced on 
 October 15 ' (and took to November 1 of the same 
 year). ' If we consider, then, that what is now the 
 second part is not called an act in the MS., we are 
 tempted to believe that the author had originally the 
 idea of composing ' The Song of Moses ' for his own 
 satisfaction only, and without any premeditated de- 
 sign — at any rate without determinate end. Per- 
 ceiving afterwards that the description of the plagues 
 of Egypt would be a fine subject to treat, and would 
 make a beautiful introduction, he set to work four 
 days afterwards and cast the whole into an oratorio. 
 This hypothesis supports the opinion which, without 
 certitude, attributes the choice of words to Handel 
 himself, and it goes to explain why Israel is without 
 
 G 
 
82 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 an overture. It seems to be still more plausible, 
 when we remember that the work was only in two 
 acts, and is principally composed of choruses, of which 
 there are twenty-eight, whilst there are only five airs 
 and three duets.' — P. 209. 
 
 Five of the choruses and two of the duets are taken 
 from a Magnificat, which Handel had composed thirty 
 years before, when in Italy. As for the words, like 
 those of The ' Messiah,' they are derived entirely from 
 Scripture. 
 
 After the first performance of this oratorio, Handel 
 omitted some of the choruses, and inserted some 
 Italian songs in their place — an example which has 
 been quoted in justification of the liberties which have 
 since been taken by others. But to this profanation 
 his 'poverty,' and 'not his will,' consented. His 
 ' Israel in Egypt ' was as good as ' damned ' the very 
 first night — neither could any of these artifices save it. 
 After three mutilated performances, it had to be with- 
 drawn, though announced for a fourth night, and 
 ' Saul ' was done instead ; added to which ' the famous 
 Signor Pianlanida ' played a solo upon the fiddle ! 
 
 Peace be with Piantanida and with the fiddle of 
 Piantanida ; for, whatever their merits, they were 
 quite good enough for their audience. ' Israel ' was 
 not written for the men of a day ; certainly not 
 for the men of that day. Enough that it is now 
 striking its roots deeply into the heart of the people 
 of England Not only is it done to vast assemblages 
 
Israel in Egypt. 83 
 
 in its original state, but hearers of all classes may be 
 seen following the music with cheap vocal scores be-^ 
 fore them, the better to feel its effects. 
 
 In order properly to enjoy a work which appeals 
 with equal force- to the heart, the imagination, and the 
 intellect, some little previous study is needed. We 
 shall best guard against disappointment by ascertain- 
 ing beforehand what it is that we have to expect. 
 Now, there is one degree and kind of study whereof 
 all are capable, and from which all might derive 
 some advantage — a study of the Scripture text. 
 Upon consulting the words we shall find that 
 grief, horror, and finally triumphant exultation, are 
 the dominant emotions ; and that these emotions 
 are excited by tremendous supernatural agency, 
 the results of which are related with sublime sim- 
 plicity. Music set to so lofty a theme can be good 
 only in so far as it is appropriate. If it cause in us a 
 more lively feeling of these emotions, and present us 
 with a more vivid picture of the scene than would be 
 excited by reading the story, or hearing it read, 
 then, and not otherwise, has the composer proved 
 himself to be equal to his task. The only exception 
 is in the case of hearers whose physical organisation 
 renders them incapable of deriving pleasure from 
 musical sounds ; such persons being as incompetent 
 to judge as blind men to judge of colours. 
 
 Without pretending to go into anything like 
 analysis, we may single out a few choruses, and touch 
 
 o 2 
 
84 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 upon some leading points, by way of illustrating what 
 4 we have said, and of indicating the path to be pursued 
 by those who would enquire further. 
 
 Handel was unrivalled in the expression of grief, 
 whereof we have a striking instance in the opening 
 double chorus, 'And .the children of Israel sighed.* 
 Here the profoundest musical learning is made a 
 mere handmaid to expression. The isolated words 
 ' sighed,' ' sighed,' by the second chorus, under the 
 leads 'They oppressed them with burdens,' by the 
 first, have a pathos alike original and touching. 
 
 Men, under the influence of any strong passion, 
 speak, not only with peculiar emphasis, but also with 
 peculiar inflections of voice. In orators and actors, 
 who have to address multitudes, the accents and in- 
 flexions are the same, but exaggerated. The musician, 
 with still greater exaggeration, should aim at pre- 
 serving the truth of these natural accents and inflexions. 
 This is done with marvellous force in the chorus 
 ' They loathed to drink.' Not only is the accent ex- 
 pressive of disgust, but two distinct natural inflexions 
 are given, and carried on together through the in- 
 tricacies of an elaborate fugue. 
 
 In the double chorus, ' He spake the word,' the 
 instruments depict the buzzing of flies. The effect of 
 this buzzing, between volumes of choral sound, at the 
 Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace, was similar to 
 what might be expected from holding one's head in 
 an empty sugar hogshead, when flies are in season. 
 
Israel in Egypt 85 
 
 This, and the fiery, impetuous ' Hailstone ' chorus 
 which follows, are short. Handel was no wire-drawer; 
 he knew that violent excitement must necessarily be 
 of brief duration, and therefore did not give his 
 audiences time to cool. ' He sent a thick darkness,' 
 also short, solemn, and terrific, is totally unlike any- 
 thing else to be found in the whole range of musical 
 composition. It cannot be said to be in any par- 
 ticular key, being really a collection of cadences in 
 different keys, linked together by complicated and 
 equivocal harmonies. Such music in ordinary hands 
 would be wanting in distinctness and meaning. 
 Handel, however, has preserved order by his pointed 
 and rhythmical phrases of melody. His periods are 
 simple and short. After a time the parts are intro- 
 duced separately, the melodies becoming more varied, 
 but still of decided character. Long holding notes, 
 the lowest in the system of sounds, are heard under 
 and between the melodies. These deep vibrations 
 oppress the senses, compelling the imagination to 
 realise, so far as fancy can, the ideas presented to the 
 mind by the words. Hence it is obvious that the 
 utmost pains should be taken to articulate the lan- 
 guage and preserve the purity of the vowels ; more- 
 over, the time should be religiously kept. 
 
 In the brief chorus ' He rebuked the Red Sea, 
 and it was dried up,' the rebuke is given fortissimo ; 
 the shrivelling up of the waters, piano ; and to the 
 alternation of loud and soft, common hearers attri- 
 
86 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 bute the whole effect If this were all, however, the 
 effect would be poor indeed. Observe the art used to 
 obtain a true fortissimo. We have eight real parts, 
 but the notes lie in those parts of the scales which the 
 voices can deliver most boldly. The intervals are 
 all easy and truly vocal. The harmonies are grand 
 and open, consisting of the chords of C, F, and C. 
 When we come to the piano, descriptive of the shrink- 
 ing of the waters, the ear is surprised with the chord 
 of C minor, where that of C major was expected; 
 Nor is this all ; instead of a cadence in C minor, the 
 ear is again surprised by a cadence in E flat major. 
 We have then this majestic and awful rebuke in the 
 key of E flat, followed by a piano cadence in G minor, 
 and the drying up of the waters is complete. The 
 contrast between loud and soft is heightened in both 
 periods by the bass being fundamental in the former 
 case, and partly derived in the latter. 
 
 It must be evident that remarks of this kind might 
 be multiplied to almost any extent, perhaps without 
 much profit. We have said enough to show that 
 music of so high an order cannot be fully appreciated 
 without some study. Yet it may be deeply felt by 
 all those who have natural taste and a musical or- 
 ganisation. No one, however, should be discouraged 
 if a first hearing should not satisfy the expectations 
 which our observations are calculated to raise. It is 
 the nature of high excellence to improve upon ac- 
 quaintance. The oftener such a work as ' Israel in 
 
Israel in Egypt 8 7 
 
 Egypt ' is heard, the more keenly will its beauties be 
 enjoyed, because they will be better understood. 
 
 \Extract from the notice of the Concert.] \ 
 
 In the grand chorus, 'He led them through the 
 deep' — and here only— Handel himself seems to 
 have taken a wrong view of his subject. The in- 
 strumental painting gives one an idea rather of the 
 maze at Hampton Court, than of a wild and howling 
 wilderness. Handel's idea of a wilderness seems to 
 have been that of a labyrinth, more than of a desert. 
 The chorus which immediately follows, 'But the 
 waters overwhelmed their enemies,' makes ample 
 amends for the mistake, if mistake there be. Here 
 we have the tumbling of the billows depicted to per- 
 fection ; and the ferocious joy of the Israelites, shout- 
 ing 'There was not one, not one of them left,' haa 
 something fearful in it. 
 
 In the ten bars of symphony with which the second 
 part of the oratorio commences, Handel bespeaks; 
 attention to the song of Moses and the Children of 
 Israel. He bespeaks it with a vengeance. In this 
 sublime symphony, from which the composers of this 
 generation might learn a valuable lesson, we have 
 five major common chords, each in its three positions, 
 in succession, the bass being fundamental. Each of 
 these bold and sonorous harmonies takes the ear by 
 
88 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 surprise, producing some such effect as consecutive 
 explosions of cannon might have upon the nerves of 
 a timid woman. The song itself first introduces 
 'The horse and his rider;' after which the choruses 
 rise with the subject till the final climax is reached. 
 In the opening of ' The. depths have covered them,' 
 nothing can exceed the sweetness and solemnity 
 of the melodies ; neither can anything be conceived 
 more graphic than the conclusion of this short chorus. 
 In 'Thy right hand, O Lord,' how startling is the 
 transition to savage and victorious joy! It is the 
 devotion of gratified vengeance. Equally fine is the 
 end of ' Thou sentest forth thy wrath ! ' the rage is so 
 hearty, arid has so much soul in it. In ' The people 
 shall hear,' we have a transition to the extreme 
 terror and melting away of the Canaanites, with the 
 * passing over ' of God's peculiar people. This is the 
 most difficult chorus in the whole oratorio. Some of 
 the harmonies are awful, and make the hair stand on 
 end. As for the final chorus, it throws all that has 
 been written since Handel's day to an immeasurable 
 distance. Well might such efforts wring from Haydn, 
 Beethoven and Mozart, the honest confession that 
 this man was master of them all ! 
 
Israel in Egypt 89 
 
 [Extract from the notice of the performance of Israel in JE%ypi, 
 during the Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace in 1857.] 
 
 The oratorio itself is remarkable in every respect. 
 Nobody but Handel would have dreamed of present- 
 ing an audience with eight-and-twenty choruses in 
 one connected work, thirteen of which follow each 
 other in uninterrupted succession — save the break of 
 silence between the first and second parts of the 
 drama. To balance these, we have no overture — 
 only one air in the first part and three in the second 
 (written in anything but an ad captandum style), 
 three duets, four bits of recitative, and a short soprano 
 solo ! Such unpromising ingredients have frightened 
 the directors of musical festivals. They had not that 
 confidence in Handel which he had in himself, and 
 therefore, either shrank from doing ' Israel in Egypt,' 
 or interpolated it with airs derived from other 
 sources. They set up their puny judgments against 
 that of the great master, rendered his greatest effort 
 unpopular, and then argued that the work being 
 heavy with all this lightening, no audience would 
 endure it as it stands in the score. Whereas they had 
 added the weight which sank it. 
 
 The performance of which we have to speak was 
 grand beyond conception as a whole, the only weak 
 points being those wherein the composer's intentions 
 were not religiously respected. If the long pauses 
 
go Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 between the choruses were necessary in order to re- 
 cruit the physical power of the singers, there remains 
 nothing further to be said. This may have been 
 sometimes the case, but we think not always. The 
 effect of such breaks was in the last degree painful 
 and disagreeable. It was like telling an audience, 
 'The next piece is in an unconnected key ; we must 
 give you time to forget the last key.' Now, we 
 would have urged the singers till they dropped, 
 rather than have given them a needless moment. 
 Handel pours out his phials of wrath one upon 
 another in unbroken consecution, in order to heighten 
 the terror by contrast. Hence his choruses are short 
 — they are double — they are fugued — that the voices, 
 without resting, may have rest. We will fortify our 
 opinion by giving an instance. The 'Hailstone' 
 chorus is a spirited allegro, of awful power. No 
 sooner has the last chord ceased to vibrate than you 
 hear the key-note largo and piano, in distinct crot- 
 chets, and then spinning itself out into a thread of 
 , sound, till gradual harmony and modulation have 
 carried you into the gloom of profound darkness— 
 a darkness exaggerated by the dazzling blaze of the 
 ' fire ' which you have just seen running ' along upon 
 the ground.' This chorus of ' Darkness ' ends with a 
 staccato passage, and the next chorus, ' He smote all 
 the first-born' begins with a staccato passage ; more- 
 over, the last chord of the former chorus is the 
 dominant harmony of A minor,, with the tonic of 
 
Israel in Egypt. 9 1 
 
 which the latter chorus commences. Can any musi- 
 cian in his senses believe that Handel would have 
 thus artfully connected these pieces, if he had in- 
 tended a considerable interval of time to elapse 
 between them ? To us this seems inconceivable and 
 impossible. Their isolation (by silence) to our ears 
 deprived them of half their beauty. The little that 
 remains to be said by way of censure shall be said 
 and done with. The chorus, ' He sent a thick dark- 
 ness,' was not so effective as it might have been, 
 for want of a more curt enunciation on the part of 
 the basses and inner voices. It is by staccato sing- 
 ing over long holding notes by the instruments that 
 the feeling of gloom is in great measure produced. 
 The worst feature, however, was the barbarous rallen- 
 tando at the end. True, it had an effect, but a very 
 bad effect. Throughout the festival there were occa- 
 sionally slight deviations from what we have been 
 accustomed to regard as the traditional time of 
 Handel. 'The people shall hear' is marked largo, 
 and was taken too fast. At the passage ' Till thy 
 people pass over,' the voices sometimes sang a major 
 sixth instead of a minor sixth to the bass, in the 
 upper melody, thus destroying the beautiful pathos of 
 Handel. Upon the whole, however, the choruses 
 went finely. The difference of opinion which has 
 been expressed as to their general effect in all proba- 
 bility depends upon the different places occupied by 
 the respective hearers. An amateur told us that ' he 
 
92 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 tiever was more disappointed in his life than he was 
 with the first part ' of ' Israel in Egypt,' and that he 
 'never heard anything so magnificent as the second 
 part,' a result which he attributed entirely to having 
 been upon the ground floor under one of the side 
 galleries in one case, and aloft upon the third gallery 
 in the other. 
 
 The first chorus, ' And the children of Israel sighed,' 
 was very fine. The expression of disgust in ' They 
 loathed to drink,' was also striking ; this feeling, first 
 excited by wide and unusual intervals, is kept up by 
 chromatic passages, which Handel never employed 
 without a reason in his choruses. The buzzing of 
 insects, in ' He spake the word,' was marvellously 
 imitated by the strings. There is nothing truer to 
 nature even in Beethoven's ' Pastoral Symphony.' With 
 the exceptions we have named, 'The people shall 
 hear' deserves high praise. It is one of Handel's most 
 picturesque choruses, portraying fear, sorrow, the 
 melting away of the Canaanites, their stillness, and 
 the passing over of the Lord's people, all which points, 
 were kept in view. 
 
Alexander s Feast, 93 
 
 ALEXANDER'S FEAST. 
 
 HERE we have one of the finest odes in the English 
 language, written by one of the greatest of England's 
 poets, descriptive of the ' Power of Music,' and set by 
 the immortal genius of Handel. Such words and 
 such strains should cause the ears of every musician 
 to tingle. 
 
 Although it would be an insult to the reader to 
 suppose him unacquainted with Dryden's celebrated 
 Ode, the music of Handel is probably not so well 
 known. Yet there is, perhaps, no finer descriptive 
 composition in existence. The overture is short, and 
 in the style of Handel's day. The first recitative., 
 4 'Twas at the royal feast,' leads to the solo and chorus, 
 ' Happy, happy, happy pair.' The melody is simple 
 and sweet, as well as in perfect harmony with the 
 sentiment. In the chorus a charming effect is pro- 
 duced by bits of duet between the soprano and tenor, 
 and the breaking in of the other voices, as if in assent, 
 on the word ' happy.' Then a recitative leads to the 
 chorus, ' The listening crowd admire the lofty sound.' 
 Whilst attention is absorbed by a lovely symphony 
 for the stringed instruments, the soprani unexpectedly 
 break in with the golden harmonies of the key. This 
 chorus is short, but masterly throughout. The follow- 
 ing song, 'With ravished ears,' abounds with those 
 
94 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 long divisions which were in vogue in Handel's time, 
 and which were perhaps intended to show off the 
 powers of the singer. The holding notes for the voice 
 against an independent accompaniment are still used, 
 and will always be classical. After another recitative, 
 we have a chorus in praise of Bacchus, which must 
 always please by the sweetness and purity of its 
 melody. Then ' the master ' chooses ' a mournful 
 muse ' to ' check the pride ' of the king. ' He sung 
 Darius great and good ; ' a beautiful air, which is con- 
 nected by a recitative, with a chorus upon the same 
 theme. In nothing is Handel greater than in the 
 expression of profound sorrow. The words ' Fall'n 
 from his high estate and weltering in his blood,' are 
 set as he only could have set them. The air ' Softly 
 sweet in Lydian measures,' was rendered famous in 
 every English concert-room in Lindley's time, by his 
 beautiful execution of the obligato accompaniment for 
 the violoncello. The solo, ' War, he sung, is toil and 
 trouble,' is wonderfully graphic and striking. The 
 first part ends with the noble chorus, ' The many rend 
 the skies,' which is too well known to need any com- 
 ment. 
 
 The second part begins with symphony, interpreted 
 by unaccompanied fragments of recitative. This and 
 the following chorus, 'Break his bands of sleep 
 asunder,' afford a valuable lesson. The power of 
 sound is tremendous, and it is produced by the most 
 
A lexanders Feast. g 5 
 
 simple means. The voices have easy notes in the 
 strongest parts of their respective scales ; sonorous 
 instruments are employed ; and the harmonies are 
 bold and open, consisting chiefly, if not entirely, of 
 tonic and dominant chords. This chorus verifies the 
 saying of Mozart, that ' Handel when he chose could 
 smite like a thunderbolt.' After a short recitative, we 
 have the noble bass song, ' Revenge, Timotheus cries.' 
 According to Dr. Burney, Handel was as much 
 superior to others in his bass songs as in his choruses. 
 In the recitative following the bass solo introducing the 
 ' Grecian ghosts,' the accompaniment happily depicts 
 the flashing of the torches. The same may be said of 
 the tenor song, ' The princes applaud.' ' Here,' says 
 Clouet (quoted by Schcelcher), ' whilst the accompani- 
 ment sparkles with the confused and unequal glare of 
 the torches, the song expresses truthfully the precipi- 
 tation and tumult of the crowd, the rolling of the 
 flames, and the living splendour of a conflagration.' 
 The last chorus, however, is the crowning glory of this 
 beautiful work. The four lines — 
 
 Let old Timotheus yield the prize, 
 Or both divide the crown ; 
 He raised a mortal to the skies, 
 She drew an angel down — 
 
 have four distinct musical subjects, each of which is 
 singularly expressive of the words to which it is set. 
 Each individual subject is first introduced as a solo, 
 in order to stamp it well upon the mind of the 
 
96 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 audience, and prepare them to follow it out through 
 all the complications of its subsequent treatment. The 
 subjects are heard with their replies, sometimes in one 
 part and sometimes in another; and sometimes 
 two, and even three, of these subjects are going on at 
 the same time, yet the profound depth of learning 
 which is shown throughout this wonderful chorus is 
 always subservient to that vigor of imagination which 
 appeals to the learned and ignorant alike. It is the 
 prerogative of genius to trample upon difficulties, and 
 to make those efforts, which would be impossible to 
 ordinary men, seem to be the spontaneous effusions of 
 inherent power. 
 
 JUDAS MACCABEUS. 
 
 ON Monday evening there was a rehearsal of the 
 choruses of ' Judas Maccabaeus ' at St. Andrew's Hall, 
 to which the public were admitted on payment of a 
 shilling a-piece. One great blessing attending a 
 rehearsal is, that a man may drop in and enjoy the 
 music, wrapped up in his great coat, instead of having 
 to sit and freeze in an evening dress. He stands 
 a chance, too, of meeting with congenial spirits, for 
 people who pay to hear a rehearsal do it generally 
 out of love for the art. We shall take this opportunity 
 of saying a few words about the choruses, in the hope 
 of profiting such of our readers as mean to attend the 
 concert. 
 
Judas Maccabeeus. 971 
 
 Most of the choruses in ' Judas ' are short ; for 
 Handel, when he had hammered the iron to a white' 
 heat, knew better than to strike another blow. The 
 first chorus, ' Mourn, ye afflicted children,' has much: 
 in common with ' Mourn, all ye Muses ' in ' Acis and' 
 Galatea.' This is partly to be accounted for from the. 
 similarity of the sentiment, and even of the words. 
 The famous chorus, 'See the conquering hero comes,'' 
 is transplanted from ' Joshua ; ' and the accompani- 
 ment to the air ' Rejoice, O Judah,' is borrowed from 
 the ' Messiah.' This is a liberty which Handel took 
 openly, and which he had a right to take. 
 
 The chorus, ' Mourn, ye afflicted children,' breathes 
 the very soul of grief. It is written in the key of C 
 minor. The passage in the relative major of E flat, 
 at the words ' Your sanguine hopes of liberty give' 
 o'er,' has, to our feelings, unutterable pathos. The 
 same may be said of the arpeggios to the words 
 ' Your hero is no more, your father is no more.' It 
 is worth while to mention that Mozart has transferred 
 this lovely melody to the exquisite trio, ' Protegga il, 
 giusto Cielo,' in his opera of ' Don Giovanni.' 
 
 The chorus, ' For Sion lamentation make,' is literally 
 a ' storm of grief See the language, ' with words that 
 weep and tears that speak.' Mark, too, the sobbing 
 effect in the accompaniment for the bass instruments. 
 
 The next chorus, ' O Father, whose almighty power,' 
 speaks for itself. The late Mr. James Taylor used to 
 say that ' the first movement would make the finest 
 
 H 
 
98 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 psalm tune in the world/ arid that the allegro is truly 
 ' a soldier's prayer.' 
 
 The short chorus, 'We come in bright array,' is 
 martial and spirit-stirring. The same may be said 
 of ' Lead on, lead on,' which is calculated to excite 
 the enthusiasm of an audience to its highest pitch. 
 
 We have then the trio and chorus, ' Disdainful of 
 danger,' which has always been considered a master-' 
 piece. We are inclined to think that Handel intended 
 the upper part for counter-tenor male voices, as it 
 is rather absurd for girls and young women to be sing^ 
 ing, ' We rush on the foe.' 
 
 The chorus, ' Hear us, O Lord,' which is rather long, 
 is a fine piece of musical painting. 
 
 The second part of the oratorio commences with 
 the chorus, ' Fallen is the foe.' The tenors and basses, 
 start in unison with a decided phrase of melody, 
 constructed out of the chord of the key note, which is 
 D minor. There is a tumultuous accompaniment, the 
 spirit of which Mendelssohn has caught in the ac- 
 companiment to his ' Baal, we cry to thee,' but in all 
 other respects the ' Baal ' chorus is vastly inferior. 
 At the words, 'Where warlike Judas wields his 
 righteous sword,' we have a new and totally different 
 subject, worked up into a short fugue of imitation. 
 But the original subject is by no means done with. It 
 bursts upon the startled ear, sometimes against the 
 subject, and sometimes against the counter-subject of 
 the fugue. The chorus ends with a climax of what 
 we may venture to term vplley-firing. 
 
Jtidas Maccabtzus. 99 
 
 The long chorus, 'Tune your harps,' is delicious in 
 point of melody, and it literally glows with harmony. 
 Handel is said to have dictated this chorus to Smith, 
 after the former had become blind. 
 
 The short chorus, ' Hail, Judea,' begins with the 
 ' volley-firing.' It is bright and joyous in its character. 
 
 The chorus, ' Ah, wretched Israel,' comes on under 
 a note spun out by the soprano at the close of a pre- 
 vious air. This is one of the effects in which Handel 
 delighted. At the words, ' Fallen how low ! ' we have 
 the same charming pathos as in ' Your Hero is no 
 more.' But the circumstance that one chorus is in 
 triple and the other in common time, produces suffi- 
 cient variety. 
 
 After the song of ' Sound an alarm,' a thrilling 
 effect is gained upon the entrance of the chorus, ' We 
 hear,' by making the soprani sing a minor seventh 
 over the tonic harmony. The hair is made to stand 
 on end, and it is kept on end to the close. 
 
 The chorus, ' We never will bow down,' is supposed 
 by an able critic to be one of the finest things that 
 even Handel ever wrote. The first movement is a 
 florid andante in C minor. The very fiddles seem to 
 speak the words, ' never, never.' This movement is 
 abruptly interrupted, and after a brief silence we have 
 the words, ' We worship God, and God alone,' in the 
 relative major, and in counter-point of the first of the 
 five orders. It is a noble peal of ecclesiastical har- 
 mony which, says the critic just alluded to, ' almost 
 
 h 2 
 
ioo Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 takes one's breath away.' After half a dozen bars, 
 the altos continue the subject, under which the tenors 
 have a florid counter-subject. Here the counter-point 
 is double ; that is, capable of inversion. For immedi- 
 ately after, the subject is taken by the basses, while 
 the soprani sing the counter-subject over it. The 
 dignity of the music never flags for a moment. The 
 sublime effect above described is what Mendelssohn 
 wanted at the words ' but the Lord,' in his ' Thanks 
 be to God,' in ' Elijah.' 
 
 'See the Conquering Hero comes,' is too well 
 known to need a word of comment. The chorus, 
 ' Sing unto God,' abounds with brilliant divisions and 
 enticing melodies. The setting of the words 'to 
 crown,' where the parts seem to vie with each other in 
 zeal, is singularly happy. The chorus, ' To our great 
 God,' is perhaps of a less popular stamp. 
 
 The ' Hallelujah ' chorus, with which the oratorio 
 ends, is quite different in character from that in the 
 ' Messiah ; ' and it has been well said ' properly so ; ' 
 for in the 'Messiah' we have a divine and in 'Judas' 
 a human triumph celebrated. The 'Hallelujah' of 
 the .latter is sufficiently bold and exhilarating, and the 
 melody at the word ' rejoice ' is delicious. So much' 
 for the choruses. Some may think that we have said 
 too much, but the subject gives scope for a great deal- 
 more. 
 
yudas Maccabezus. ioi 
 
 n. 
 
 In our notice of last week we confined ourselves to 
 the choruses of ' Judas Maccabaeus,' as the songs ad- 
 dress themselves more immediately to the popular 
 ear, and therefore less need comment. It may be 
 worth while, however, briefly to call attention to the 
 duet, ' From this dread scene,' because it is something 
 very different from the duets which pass muster in 
 the oratorios of the present day. In the latter the 
 voices generally rise and fall together, so that only 
 one melody is heard, accompanied by thirds or sixths. 
 In the duet ' From this dread scene ' (which is in the 
 key of G minor), we have two distinct melodies going 
 on at the same time, but unity of effect is preserved 
 by imitations and by an interchange of the vocal 
 passages. It is not to be supposed for a moment that 
 this style of writing is peculiar to Handel, or even to 
 sacred music. On the contrary, it is the test of a 
 composer's skill in this kind of composition. This 
 union of two melodies to form an agreeable whole, is 
 to be found in the secular duets of Jackson and Arne 
 as well as in the delightful operatic duets of Mozart. * 
 Almost any dunce can string thirds and sixths to- 
 gether. 
 
 There are no fewer than nineteen airs, or songs, no two 
 of which resemble each other, in ' Judas Maccabaeus.' 
 Surely this shows astonishing fertility of invention!: 
 
io2 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Handel himself, however, did not use all the music 
 which is written upon ' Liberty ' in this oratorio at any- 
 one performance. He introduced sometimes one 
 piece and sometimes another. 
 
 The song of ' Wise men flattering ' has the peculi- 
 arity of being founded more on the arpeggios of chords 
 than was the fashion in Handel's day. In this air; 
 indeed, he seems to have anticipated that mode of 
 writing, which was afterwards to be carried to perfec- 
 tion by Haydn and his successors. 
 
 Upon the songs we have this general remark to 
 make, namely, their vocal melody is different from 
 that of the accompaniment, and that the joint melo-' 
 dies, as in the case of the duet, contrast with and sup- 
 port each other. Let us take the air of ' Call forth thy 
 powers, my soul, and dare,' by way of illustration. 
 Here we have a bold phrase of a bass character for the 
 symphony, totally unlike the ascending melody which 
 is given to the voice. But this bit of symphony is 
 really the accompaniment of the song. It is heard to 
 trickle continually from the bass instruments, in- 
 spiriting the singer and the audience. We cannot 
 help its haunting us as part and parcel of the piece 
 itself. Now, this again is not peculiar to Handel. It 
 is really the test of a good composer. Every reader 
 of taste must see how much better this sort of thing 
 is, than the S/mothering of the voice with dry chords, 
 or unmeaning arpeggios, as is too commonly done at 
 the present day. Yet to show that we are not wedded- 
 
Extracts. 103 
 
 to age for age's sake, we will point out what we con- 
 sider to be a great fault in the songs of Handel's time. 
 We allude to the practice of tagging a certain numbef 
 of bars to an air for the sake of introducing modula-» 
 tion, and then sending the singer back by a da cap& 
 to do all his work over again. We might also object 
 to the length of the divisions and to the cut-and-dried 
 character of some of the cadences ; but we must pass 
 on to the concert itself. Of this not much need be 
 said. A performance is a thing which is heard to- 
 day and forgotten to-morrow ; but the music remains* 
 and a musical analysis is, or ought to be, instructive. 
 
 ODE TO ST. CECILIA.— MADAME CLARA NOVELLO. 
 Norwich Musical Festival, 1854. 
 
 THE morning ended with Handel's 'As from the 
 power of mighty lays,' in the ' Ode to St. Cecilia.' 
 Madame Clara Novello's execution of the solo threw 
 all the previous vocalisation to an immeasurable dis- 
 tance, as Handel here did all the previous music. 
 We do not remember to have had such singing at a 
 Norwich Festival since the days of Malibran. It was 
 perfectly simple and truly sublime. The truth of the 
 intervals — the ringing volume of tone — the firmness 
 of the lofty holding note under the ascending ac* 
 eompaniment of the trumpet, and the dignity of the 
 
104 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 words, made the singer, for the time, almost super-* 
 human. Then came the chorus ; and when Handel 
 had made the eyes water, the flesh quiver, and the 
 breath grow short with the grandeur of his subject 
 and the awful majesty of its treatment, then, and not 
 till then, he brought in the drums, as a reminder that- 
 he had not yet reached the climax ! And so ended 
 the first morning's performance. 
 
 ,•- ADDITIONAL ACCOMPANIMENTS.— MOZART. 
 
 The first part of the concert consisted of Handel's 
 ' Acis and Galatea,' with Mozart's additional- accom- 
 paniments. Now Mozart was a man of most excel- 
 lent judgment, and executed the task which, we 
 presume, was imposed upon him (as in the case of the 
 ' Messiah ') in the best imaginable manner ; that is, 
 he did no more harm than he could possibly help. 
 But one great charm of ' Acis and Galatea ' is its 
 simplicity, and we therefore prefer it as Handel wrote 
 it. 
 
 The Messiah. 
 
 First for Mozart's accompaniments. No one can 
 object to the employment of trombones in the choruses, 
 Handel would most certainly have used them where-. 
 ever they are there introduced. With regard to the, 
 
Extracts. 105 
 
 employment of other wind instruments, there have 
 been, are, and probably ever will be, two different 
 opinions. We shall not argue the point, but will just 
 take leave to remind our readers that they have not, 
 though they may be told otherwise, the authority of 
 Mozart's own approval for all that he has done. 
 He did not write to please himself, but because he 
 was desired by the Baron von Swieten. Some of his 
 additions are allowed to be improvements, to others we 
 shall never be reconciled. The flute accompaniment, 
 for instance, to the song ' O thou that tellest,' divides 
 attention with the voice, whereas the latter ought to be 
 supreme. This, however, we could tolerate, though 
 We do not like it, but the flute accompaniment to 
 ■ I know that my Redeemer liveth ' is not to be endured. 
 If it be urged that ' Mozart wrote it,' we reply, ' At 
 the instance of a thick-headed Baron.' If the sweet 
 tone, improved scale, and perfect execution, in the 
 Case of the modern flute, be advanced in its defence, 
 we answer, in proportion to it's being better it is worse; 
 We mean, the nearer it approaches the beauty of the 
 voice, so much the more does it detract from what 
 ought here to be the absolute supremacy of the latter." 
 Nothing should be heard but Handel's accompaniment 
 for stringed instruments, which differ from the voice 
 so essentially in quality as to throw it out in high 
 relief. But even the strings should be touched with; 
 ' a religious softness ;' we should hear them, without 
 thinking about them. If they once subdue the voice, 
 
lo6 Musical Criticism and Biography* 
 
 how should the voice subdue the soul ? By making 
 the female voice omnipotent, Handel wisely trusted 
 to the power of ' the sweetest sound in art or nature.' 
 But sensibility and expression are needed. True. And 
 if we do not find them in a woman, we should like t» 
 know where on earth we are to seek them. 
 
 MOZART'S REQUIEM. 
 
 The performances of this morning end with Mozart's 
 divine ' Requiem.' It was a proof of excellent judg- 
 ment to reserve this work for the last. Had it been 
 heard first, it would have enfeebled both the other 
 pieces.* That our readers may the better enjoy this 
 great work, we advise them to invest two shillings in 
 Novello's edition, to which is prefixed an admirable 
 critique by Mr. E. Holmes, the biographer of the 
 wonderful composer. It will be found an amusing 
 and invaluable guide, imparting the fruits without 
 entailing the labour of study. 
 
 It is a lesson to this age of ' sound and fury signify* 
 ing nothing,' to glance at the score of the ' Requiem.'* 
 There are neither horns, oboes, nor flutes. Even the 
 trombones are very sparingly employed. Mozart,, 
 who wrote as well for acute wind instruments as any, 
 man who ever lived, has here deliberately discarded- 
 
 * Spohr's sacred Cantata, ' God, Thou art Great,' and Mendelssohn's 
 * Lobgesang.' 
 
Extracts. I07 
 
 them all. He knew that great effects must be pro- 
 duced rather by judicious selection than by multi- 
 plicity of means. What he gives us is music, not 
 noise. And yet in the Dies Irce we have a power of 
 sound more crushing and overwhelming than the 
 discharge of a park of artillery. This tremendous 
 effect is produced by realising to the imagination, so 
 far as music can realise it, the wreck and dissolution- 
 of the world. Little men, attempting things beyond 
 their reach, are always complaining of the lack of 
 means — their cry is for more instruments — for larger" 1 
 orchestras — for a multitude of voices — to do their" 
 business for them. But it requires a Goliath to wield 
 a weaver's beam, while for a David a sling and a stone 
 will suffice. It is somewhat singular that Mr. Holmes,, 
 who has criticised the Dies Irce minutely, should 
 have omitted to point out the artful and effective- 
 piece of close imitation by the tenors at the words 
 Quantus tremor est futurus. This is a fine stroke; 
 augmenting the agony and horror, 
 
 Mr. Holmes thinks that the Dies Irce may be. 
 regarded ' as an opening in that new department of 
 symphony music, choral and instrumental — dramatic,; 
 yet leaving the drama to the imagination — whicli 
 Beethoven and Hector Berlioz have successfully 5 
 brought before modern hearers.' He afterwards 
 admits that Mozart ' used voices to accompany,' and 
 thinks that by ' employing them often in this capacity 
 he enlarged the scope of vocal effects, and greatly 
 
Xo8 Mtcsical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 extended the powers of both voices and instruments.' 1 
 Now, from this we beg leave to dissent. ' Symphony 
 music, choral and instrumental,' was employed by 
 Handel in ' He spake the word ' in ' Israel in Egypt,' 
 in ' Wretched Lovers ' in ' Acis and Galatea,' and in 
 many other choruses. ' Israel in Egypt ' and the 
 •- Messiah ' are also ' dramatic, yet leaving the drama 
 to the imagination ' — that is, they leave it to the 
 auditors mentally to supply the characters. That 
 Mozart used ' voices to accompany ' in any other sense 
 than Handel so used them, we very much doubt. If 
 he did, the ' Italians ' had a right to be ' offended.' 
 We presume that Mr. Holmes does not mean to deny 
 that sound should be subordinate to sense. However 
 freely instruments may be employed, if the sense 
 be enforced, as it is by Mozart, the supremacy of the 
 Voices, which utter it, remains undestroyed. 
 • We shall only add that the ' Requiem ' is not en- 
 tirely free from secular passages. Mr. Holmes has 
 pointed out one in the ' Lachrymosa,' at the words- 
 Pie Jesu, Jesu Domine, of which he truly says, ' there 
 is a tone of melancholy farewell about this cadence, 
 as if it exhaled the last breath of human passion.' 
 By the by, there is a false quantity in this said 
 *■ Lachrymosa ' which ought to be corrected. The 
 word ' Huic ' is tortured into a dissyllable, without the 
 least necessity, in Novello's edition. 
 
Extracts. a 09 
 
 BEETHOVEN. 
 From a Review of Pierson's ' Beethoven's Studies in Thorough-Bass,' Sfc 
 
 Mr. Pierson's estimate of Beethoven's music accords 
 so closely with our own, that we cannot resist the 
 temptation to transcribe two or three of his remarks. 
 
 ' The strongest characteristic of Beethoven's finest 
 music is a vast strength of wing ; his flight is that of 
 the eagle, broad, rapid, bold, cloud-piercing ; but he 
 knew little of ' the angel's floating pomp,' — his mind 
 was not filled with that sacred enthusiam which is so 
 palpable in the conceptions of Milton and Handel, 
 and which bore them, as on seraphic pinions, to the 
 very throne of sublimity. It may be that Beethoven's 
 want of belief in theology gave to his Oratorio and 
 his Masses that secular colouring which is observable 
 in them ; he is often both tragic and pathetic, as in 
 his funeral marches, the overture to ' Coriolanus,' and 
 many passages in the music of Egmont and Fidelio, — > 
 there is true solemnity in the introduction to the 
 ' Mount of Olives,' and in the last chorus, ' Hallelujah,' 
 there is such a glorious fire and intensity, that if 
 Beethoven ever attained to the sublime, it is in this 
 instance.' (Appendix, p. 32.) • 
 
 Again,— 
 
 ' The Sinfonia Pastorale is, perhaps, the most 
 perfect and the most genial of all his works, — it is 
 nature set to music' (Ibid. p. 32.) 
 
i I o Musical Criticism and Biography, 
 
 Again,— 
 
 ' It is for the artist to find out— for his own in- 
 struction—why Beethoven's ninth Symphony is not 
 such a favourite as several of the others ; why " Fidelio" 
 is less popular than " Don Giovanni," or " Der Frei- 
 schiitz ;' " why the " Mount of Olives " is far less gener- 
 ally admired than the " Creation ; ' why the " Ade- 
 laide " retains its power of attraction undiminished ; 
 and what is the subtle charm residing in Beethoven's 
 symphonies, concertos, and sonatas ; a charm that has, 
 hitherto, placed them beyond successful competi- 
 tion.' (Ibid. p. 32.) 
 
 Mr. Pierson does not, like the mother of Sisera, 
 return answer to himself, so we will venture to reply 
 for him. It is Melody, all-pervading melody, that 
 constitutes ' the estro divino of the real bard.' 
 
 Norwich Musical Festival of 1854. 
 
 ON Monday evening Mr. Benedict was down to 
 conduct a rehearsal of Beethoven's service in C. 
 This ' Service ' is no other than the ' Messe,' ' Hym-* 
 nen,' or Mass, marked Op. 86 in the authentic cata- 
 logues of the composer's works. It has been called a 
 ' Service ' and accommodated with English words, out 
 of deference to the real or supposed prejudices of the 
 public. This is much to be regretted. The Latin 
 words fit better than the English, and at the same 
 time contain no point of doctrine that would not be 
 
Extract's. in 
 
 ^subscribed to by ninety-nine out of one hundred Pro-, 
 testant sects. 
 
 We believe the chorus had not had half a dozen, 
 full rehearsals of this difficult music before they had, 
 to sustain the ordeal of singing under Mr. 'Benedict's 
 baton. They went through their task, upon the 
 whole, with much spirit and confidence. There was, 
 one passage that rather gravelled them in the ' Et 
 Incarnatus ; ' we allude to the chromatic descent of 
 the voices to the words 'sub Pontio Pilato 1 in the 
 Mass. We have no doubt the chorus will be drilled 
 till they have this passage quite under command, 
 For its own sake, however, it is not worth the trouble. 
 Failure here would be disgraceful to the compose^ 
 rather than to the singers. The chromatic descent is 
 not choral, and it was not wanted ; for all this stir is 
 made in simply telling us a mads name ! 
 
 There is another difficulty, perhaps even greater, 
 for the chorus, in the eighth bar of the ' Sanctus.' 
 This, too, will have to be got over by drilling, but in 
 this case the passage is worth the trouble. It is not 
 like polishing shot, to take pains with such music, for 
 the Sanctus is a perfect gem. The chord of A major 
 (the key note) at the tenth bar, after a brief destruc- 
 tion of the key, has winning sweetness ; and the 
 interruption of the cadence by the chord of B fiat, 
 at the thirteenth bar, is one of those delightful sur- 
 " prises which are the especial prerogatives of genius. 
 
 The Mass, taken as a whole, has great variety of 
 
112 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 style, some parts reminding you of the old masters ," 
 for instance, the sequence at the beginning of the' 
 ' Quoniam tu solus; and the fugue ' Et vitam ; ' whilst 
 other parts, as the ' Sanctus,' are essentially modern.. 
 But it is a noble composition, and worthy of the 
 genius of Beethoven. Moreover, it abounds with that 
 captivating melody which never fails to touch the 
 heart. 
 
 Beethoven avowed that he 'hated to write for 
 voices,' because he could ' exact anything he pleased 
 from instruments.' But when he did write for voices, 
 he took care to give them their due. He did not 
 make them a mere peg to hang his band upon. 
 
 HAYDN'S 'SEASONS.' 
 
 No one is ignorant that Haydn's ' Seasons ' is divided 
 into four distinct parts, descriptive of spring, summer, 
 autumn, and winter. Though the composer was be- 
 tween sixty and seventy years of age when he pro- 
 duced this long work, it has all the originality and 
 freshness of youth. When Rossini was the rage, and 
 his admirers, regarding the music of Haydn as that of 
 an old barbarian, were thrown into raptures by ' Zitti, 
 Zitti,' they little thought that the motivo was stolen, 
 note for note, from ' With joy the impatient husband- 
 
Extracts. 113 
 
 man ' in Haydn's ' Spring.' The charming pictures 
 of rural life with which we are presented in the 
 ' Seasons ' can hardly fail to delight the population 
 of an agricultural county. There is scarcely a 
 melody which the farmer cannot take home to his 
 fields and whistle over his furrows. Neither let him 
 fear for one moment that, because this is the case, 
 he betrays a vulgar and antiquated taste by feeling 
 or expressing admiration of such music. Quite the 
 reverse. A man only exposes himself, when he 
 evidently takes his pleasures upon trust ; when he 
 praises the flavour of his first olive, or his first glass 
 of claret ; or when he affects to melt away at hearing 
 a strain of which he manifestly knows no more than 
 he does of the language to which it is set, since, if he. 
 did, he would pronounce it to be worthless. 
 
 SPOHR. 
 
 WE have always considered Spohr the finest and 
 most original writer that has appeared since Bee- 
 thoven. Less wild and eccentric than Weber, more 
 solid and inventive than Mendelssohn, he is great in 
 all styles of music. Yet it is much to be doubted 
 whether he will ever become popular in this country, 
 owing to his inveterate predilection for artificial har- 
 mony. His melodies are often intensely sweet, as 
 well as clear and simple, taken by themselves ; but the 
 harmony gives them a different character. Where 
 
 1 
 
H4 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 the musician is delighted with an artful beauty, the 
 common hearer is disappointed by an effect which he 
 can neither feel nor understand. The new relation- 
 ships that are constantly starting up are too subtle 
 and refined for him to trace. All men who are 
 musically constituted by nature derive more or less 
 pleasure from natural harmony ; but artificial har- 
 mony is chiefly for those who have studied, or at 
 least become familiar, with the resources of art. 
 Since music is intended for all mankind, we cannot 
 help thinking Spohr's excess of refinement a defect 
 in his music. He who habitually feeds upon dainties, 
 and creates a morbid appetite by stimulants, will 
 come at last to loathe wholesome food. But let us 
 be just to the noble qualities of Spohr. He has 
 never wilfully degraded his art, or pandered, like 
 Rossini, to the taste of the vulgar, for a low and 
 transient popularity. We doubt whether Spohr ever 
 wrote a progression which he could not find a canon 
 to justify. But what shall be said in excuse for that 
 passage in Rossini's terzetto, 'Ah, vieni,' in which 
 he treats us with a series of five consecutive fifths and 
 three sevenths resolved by ascension, except that he has 
 so smothered his villanous harmony with noise that 
 the ear cannot comprehend the musk) Composers 
 who never had a tithe of his genius have since been 
 busied in retailing his defects ; hence our Merca- 
 dantes, Donizettis, Verdis, et id genus omne, whose 
 small faculty of writing pretty melodies has only 
 
Extracts. 115 
 
 enabled them to do the more harm. That which this 
 tribe want is individuality — the true test of genius. 
 Their music is less the music of the men than of the 
 day. There is no stamp of one mind upon it. 
 
 ( Written before a performance of ' The Last Judgment. ') 
 
 That Spohr is somewhat of a mannerist no one 
 would be likely to deny, since this would be tanta- 
 mount to denying him to be an original writer. But 
 his manner is entirely his own. He borrows from no 
 one ; and few, if any, have borrowed much from him. 
 To do so, indeed, would be next to impossible, for the 
 peculiarity of his style does not consist of quaint 
 turns and singular isolated passages, but of a deep 
 vein of thought which pervades everything that he 
 does. His music is sometimes dark and gloomy, 
 sometimes it melts into exquisite tenderness : but it 
 is always the music of Spohr. His chorus resembles 
 that of no other master. It carries us in imagination 
 back to the ancient Greek plays, where the voices, 
 supposed to be assembled in the open air, swell and 
 fade with the breeze, like the tones of an ^Eolian 
 harp. In ' The Last Judgment ' the solo and chorus 
 ' Holy, holy,' and the quartet and chorus ' Blest 
 are the departed/ are indescribably beautiful. Here, 
 if ever, the composer wrote ' with the winds of Para- 
 dise upon his brow.' Here, too, we have a judicious 
 
 1 2 
 
1 1 6 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 example of leaving the voices without accompani- 
 ment. But in the third bar of the 'Holy, holy,' the 
 word ' Lord ' is sung to an unaccented quaver, a fault 
 that might easily be remedied by dividing the first 
 crotchet into a dotted quaver and a semi-quaver for 
 the word ' Holy ;' the next word, ' Lord,' would then 
 be sung to two quavers, and thus, as the time is slow, 
 become sufficiently impdrtant. 
 
 HANDEL AND SPOHR. 
 (The ' Dettingen Tc Deum ' and ' The Last Judgment' ) 
 
 NOTHING could be finer than the contrast afforded by 
 this morning's programme. Handel and Spohr are 
 very antipodes in music. The choruses of the ' Old 
 Teutonic Giant ' may be compared to the thundering 
 of billows upon a rocky shore; whereas those of 
 Spohr resemble the moaning of the wind after the 
 storm has spent its fury. But, with the exception 
 of both being great musicians, they have nothing in 
 common between them. This was fortunate for the 
 modern, inasmuch as no one could successfully 
 compete with Handel in his own style. The structure 
 of music, as it was in Handel's day, continued to be a 
 model to composers till Haydn captivated the world 
 by deviating into an untrodden path. The influence 
 of his new style of writing is strongly felt in the pro- 
 ductions of Mozart and Beethoven, though they were 
 
Extracts. 117 
 
 no slavish imitators, but had each a decided character 
 of his own. Haydn's leading feature was elegance ; 
 Mozart's passion ; and Beethoven's, a wild exuberance 
 of fancy. It was reserved for Spohr to depart as far 
 from the style of his predecessors as Haydn had done 
 before him; and Spohr's influence is as much felt 
 in the compositions of Weber and Mendelssohn as 
 Haydn's had been in those of Mozart and Beethoven. 
 Yet Spohr, unlike Haydn, has had few or no direct 
 imitators. His works are so much a part and parcel 
 of himself, that successful imitation would scarcely be 
 possible ; and this, delightful as those works are, we 
 cannot help regarding as fortunate for the art. 
 
 GLUCK'S 'ARMIDA.' 
 
 The more we hear of this sort of music, the more 
 dissatisfied do we become with many modern innova- 
 tions, miscalled improvements. If, as such compositions 
 prove, the passions may be wrought to the highest 
 pitch of excitement by simple means, when those that 
 are complex leave us as cool and as much masters of 
 ourselves as they found us, why should we be ever 
 straining to complicate music ? The answer, we fear, 
 is too easy. Wanting the ' ounce of mother,' we 
 seek for a substitute in the ' pound of clergy.' The 
 art of composition may be acquired by study, but 
 invention is a natural gift. Men of genius must labour 
 
1 1 8 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 in order to be great ; and they do labour. But where 
 genius is wholly wanting, the labour, at best, is only 
 thrown away. 
 
 Had the 'Armida' been introduced as a modern 
 composition, we doubt whether many who heard it for 
 the first time would have suspected its antiquity. Yet 
 they might have in that case denied its originality, 
 because its effects have been imitated by others. It 
 is to be regretted that so fine a work as Gliick's could 
 not have been given entire. The stringed accompani- 
 ment to the duet between ' Armida' and ' Hidraot' is 
 .delicious, and equally so are the vocal melodies. This 
 accompaniment is carried on, at least in character, 
 under the beautiful air which Roland sings in the 
 ' Garden of Enchantment ;' here, too, the flute has an 
 independent melody in the most pathetic parts of its 
 scale. The accompaniment is as continuous as the 
 flow of a river. The very atmosphere seems to be 
 impregnated with music, and it is the absence of the 
 least cessation of the instruments which gives that 
 bewildering effect proper to the influence of magic. 
 The dreamy way in which Mr. Sims Reeves warbled 
 the air, and his delightful tone, showed that he entered, 
 most completely into the design of the composer. 
 
Extracts. < 119 
 
 MENDELSSOHN. 
 {'Elijah,'' and Beethoven's 'Mass.') 
 
 The more we hear of ' Elijah ' the more fully do we 
 become convinced that Mendelssohn's genius was 
 essentially dramatic. His musical painting is vivid 
 and romantic, like that of Weber and Spohr. But 
 Beethoven, so far from suffering, by coming immedi- 
 ately after, showed that he had the loftier mind and 
 the profounder feeling. The former constantly 
 delights and surprises, but the latter sometimes strikes 
 with awe. Parts of the Mass are not only gorgeous 
 but majestic. 
 
 'St. Paul.' 
 
 The book of words to ' St. Paul ' would have been a 
 millstone round the neck of any composer ; but since 
 this book was voluntarily accepted, it cannot be 
 complained of as an injury. Much of the music itself, 
 however, is essentially heavy, as may easily be made 
 to appear. In the first place, there are more than thirty 
 pieces of recitative, most of which are not only long 
 but narrative, instead of being declamatory. Add to 
 this that the voice is generally fettered and made hazy 
 by a cloud of accompaniment. Many of the choruses, 
 though consisting of responsive movements and 
 admirable counterpoint, are rendered ineffective by 
 
1 20 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 the want of striking and original melody. What is 
 still worse, the cadences, like the plums in the sailor's 
 pudding, are ' not within hail of each other.' 
 
 Rameau, the founder of the modern system of funda- 
 mental bass, laid it down as a rule that a cadence of 
 some sort or other should occur at the end of every 
 two or four bars, and the reason is obvious. Music is 
 a language, in which the cadences form the punctuation. 
 Now, a sentence of which the members are too long, 
 and which is also too long in itself, must always 
 be unmeaning and unintelligible. The old melodic 
 cadence from the third to the key note is of frequent 
 occurrence in ' St. Paul,' yet hackneyed as it is, it is 
 hailed with pleasure as a rest for the wearied ear. Of 
 the choral accompaniments it may be said, as of 
 Virgil's Sea, ' nee mora, nee requies.' Wind instruments 
 are holding on, stringed instruments are executing 
 rapid divisions, and the voices are fighting a battle for 
 supremacy. The composer might have taken a 
 valuable lesson from the motto to Hubbard's little 
 tract upon Bell-ringing, 'In musica, si non adsint 
 Harmonia, Simplicitas, et Veritas, compositio omnino 
 consistere nequit.' 
 
 The 'Lobgesang.' 
 
 The Lobgesang of Mendelssohn is a 'symphonia 
 cantata,' too long for description, as it consists of ten 
 pieces. The introductory symphony has three dis? 
 
Extracts. 121 
 
 tinct movements. The first movement, maestoso con 
 moto, in B flat, opens with a phrase of two bars of 
 melody which seems to have been an especial favour- 
 ite of the composer, since he has not only constructed 
 that movement out of it, but introduced it into the 
 following allegro, and treated it in a great variety of 
 ways. The chorus end the cantata with it. This 
 phrase is original and sufficiently decided, but is too 
 short to inspire much interest. It rather excites than 
 gratifies expectation. We have it distributed among 
 the parts in the animato movement of the first chorus, 
 and again at the end of the allegro di molto of the 
 same. In short, it sticks to the composer as the Old 
 Man of the Sea clung to the neck of Sinbad. The 
 choruses are elaborately written, and by no means 
 without spirts of fire, though rather dry upon the 
 whole ; as there are no fewer than seven, we cannot 
 help thinking that they render the cantata somewhat 
 heavy. The soprano solo, with duet and chorus, ' I 
 waited for the Lord,' is sure to please every hearer. 
 The solo is one of those delightful and original melo- 
 dies which never cloy by repetition, and for which 
 Mendelssohn was famous when he happened to be in 
 the vein. But sacred music was not his forte. We 
 have been accused of singularity, if not something 
 worse, for daring to say this, but others are already 
 beginning to be of the same opinion. M. Victor 
 Schcelcher, for one, has spoken to the point in his Life 
 Of Handel. 
 
122 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 The Performance. 
 
 The long instrumental symphony of the Lobgesang 
 was played with marvellous beauty and precision,, 
 from the first grand heralding by the trombones to 
 the very last note. We learn from a descriptive 
 notice in the Festival books that the preliminary 
 mcestoso con moto is supposed to be a chorale of 
 Luther's ; and though we think the subject of the 
 first two bars has been much too often introduced, 
 yet we must admit that it is always treated in an 
 artistic and masterly manner, and that it imparts a 
 classical unity of style to the entire work. The first 
 allegro is said to be ' the longest ever written.' How- 
 ever that may be, we cannot help thinking it much 
 too long. There is no doubt of the composer having 
 written it con amore, and of his having lavished much 
 scientific treatment upon it ; but science is mere 
 pedantry if it be employed only for its own sake. 
 Prolixity, however, has always been the fault of the 
 German school. We have already stated in a former 
 article that Dr. Burney said of the Germans, more 
 than a century ago, ' their vices ' are 'prolixity and 
 pedantry' Here the italics are his. This symphony 
 requires a first-rate band, which it assuredly had 
 upon the present occasion. The rapid divisions for 
 the strings went off like lightning ; the wind instru- 
 ments were always strictly in time and tune, and the 
 minutest niceties of expression were duly attended 
 
Extracts. 123 
 
 to. Mendelssohn was great in the expression of 
 grief, and partial to the minor mode. The key of G 
 minor seems hardly appropriate to the tenor solo — 
 allegro moderate — ' He counteth all your sorrows in 
 the time of need ; he comforts the bereaved with his 
 regard.' Here the composer seems to have been 
 thinking more of the words ' sorrows,' and ' bereaved ' 
 than of the ' comfort,' which is the subject upon which 
 his mind should have been fixed. However, the 
 expression of deep anguish is so fine in the chorus, 
 'All ye that cried,' which immediately follows, that 
 we think that chorus one of the finest things in the 
 work. Of the duet and chorus, ' I waited for the 
 Lord,' we have before spoken in terms of unqualified 
 praise. The recitative, 'We called through the 
 darkness,' is finely dramatic ; and the chorus, ' The 
 night is departing,' is worked up with much spirit. 
 The chorale is an old German psalm tune finely 
 harmonised. It is first sung in chords by voices 
 alone, and then in unison, to a divided accompani- 
 ment by the instruments. We don't admire the 
 pauses in the first verse, because they seem to us to 
 cut up the melody; Neither is it very safe to leave 
 the voices so long by themselves, since they have 
 always a tendency to flatten. The chorus, however, 
 sustained the pitch and produced the intended effect ; 
 the voices in unison sounded very grandly through 
 the splendidly-played band accompaniment. The 
 duet, ' My song shall be always thy mercy,' begins in 
 
1 24 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 G minor, and has a good deal of that doleful key) 
 though it ends in B flat, preparatory to the final 
 chorus, 'Ye nations offer to the Lord,' which is a 
 great favourite with the admirers of Mendelssohn's 
 sacred music. It is due to the great composer to say 
 that his work is entirely free from the taint of secu- 
 larly. This, however, is but negative praise. It 
 does not follow that a work must be devotional, if it 
 be not secular. It may be simply dull. The Lobge~ 
 sang is not devoid of devotional feeling and dramatic 
 fire, though upon the whole we think it somewhat 
 heavy. 
 
 Mendelssohn has been praised for what has been 
 called ' the recurrence of his thematic forms ' ; but in 
 plain English this fine phrase only means ' repetition,' 
 which was this composer's besetting sin. 
 
 * Elijah.' 
 
 We have always considered ' Elijah ' to be a grand 
 and delightful effort of true genius, though vastly 
 inferior to the sacred inspirations of Handel. Some 
 faults there are which have been copied by other 
 composers. We have formerly stated our reasons 
 for objecting to choral recitative,, which was unhappily 
 imitated by Mr. Horsley. But the famous chorus, 
 ' Thanks be to God,' which ends the first part, con- 
 tains a harmony (if harmony it may be called) to 
 
Extracts. 125 
 
 which our ears will never be reconciled. We allude 
 to the naked minor second at the words, 'But the 
 Lord,' &c. It is very difficult to sing. We only 
 wish it had been more difficult, for then it would have 
 been impossible. Handel has employed the same 
 interval with profound judgment in the song, 'He 
 was despised.' Here it is used to express the word 
 ' grief,' and, though softened by consonant intervals, 
 crushes the heart with a momentary pang. But 
 Mendelssohn harps upon the naked minor second, in 
 what should be an ebullition of holy joy. We do not 
 wish the reader to take our word for what we have 
 said. He may realise the effect for himself by strik- 
 ing two contiguous white notes simultaneously upon 
 the pianoforte. 
 
 The first part of the oratorio was interesting through- 
 out ; the second part was, and always must be, heavy. 
 This is partly due to the want of finer subjects in the 
 songs. Every candid auditor would confess a prefer- 
 ence to 'Oh, rest in the Lord,' on account of its 
 superior melody ; for though harmony may be called 
 the body of music, melody is its soul. The singers, 
 however, are as much in fault as the composer. The 
 error of the latter was, that he wrote the airs too much 
 in the unconnected style of recitative. The mistake 
 of the former is, that they sing the recitative too much 
 in the fashion of airs, instead of simply speaking it in 
 
1 26 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 tune. If singers could only be persuaded to think 
 less of vocalization in these recitatives, ' Elijah ' would 
 lose half its heaviness. Even Mr. Montem Smith, 
 who is remarkable for his judgment, pulled a long 
 face, and forgot to be natural. He was no longer the 
 same man who sang ' The Flaxen-headed Ploughboy.' 
 Ah, but this was an oratorio ! As if an oratorio could 
 change human nature. English recitative seems to be 
 buried in the grave of Braham. 
 
 RECITATIVE. 
 
 To carry the subject into ' Elijah,' let us glance at 
 
 Obadiah's recitative, ' Man of God,' &c, by Mr. . 
 
 This gentleman is gifted with a natural organ equal 
 to any musical requirement. He might have made 
 as great a hit in that recitative as Braham could have 
 done in his best days, but threw away the opportunity. 
 Braham would have gone to work thus. Considering 
 notation, for the time, his slave, he would have thrown 
 himself heart and soul into the words. ' Man of God, 
 now let my words be precious in thy sight.' Here he 
 would have been pointed, earnest, and supplicatory — 
 not so much singing as verbally entreating. ' Thus 
 said Jezebel, " ELIJAH is worthy to DIE " ' — this 
 would have been given with a tremendous and me- 
 nacing expression. 
 
 ' So the mighty gather against thee, and they have 
 
Extracts. 127 
 
 prepared a net for thy steps ; that they may seize thee, 
 that they may SLAY thee ' — here every emphatic word 
 would have been chiselled and clipped till it stood 
 out in startling relief ; but this — with ' bated breath} 
 lest some spy should overhear, or, that being impos- 
 sible, lest a bird of the air should carry the matter. 
 ' Arise, then, and hasten for thy life ' — here he would 
 have forgotten his caution, and been loud, sudden, 
 and rapid. ' To the wilderness journey,' — frightened 
 at the sound of his own voice, he would here have 
 almost whispered his advice. ' The Lord thy God go 
 with thee : He will not fail thee, He will not forsake 
 thee ' — here he would have been fearless, solemn, and 
 impressive ; for God, in his thoughts, is a tower of 
 strength. ' Now begone ' — he would have given this 
 quickly and peremptorily ; ' and bless me also ' — his 
 pathos here would have melted the audience into 
 
 tears. Now, what of all this did Mr. do, or even 
 
 think ? Of what could he be thinking, when he de- 
 livered 'Arise, then, and hasten for thy life,' in a 
 style that would have graced a love song ? . . . 
 
 We shall not be thought to have given this subject 
 undue prominence, if its importance be rightly con- 
 sidered. We have often felt, and therefore so we pre- 
 sume have others, that recitative is generally the 
 heaviest part of an oratorio ; whereas it ought to be 
 quite the reverse. It is here that composers generally 
 indulge in their boldest modulation, and here also a 
 
128 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 singer has scope for his finest expression. Recitative 
 carries on the story, which necessarily halts in choruses, 
 airs, and other vocal pieces, where a repetition of the 
 words occurs. It should arouse the flagging spirits 
 of the audience, instead of sending them to sleep. 
 Some relief from consecution of air is imperative, but 
 it should be derived from a different kind of excite- 
 ment, and not from the rest which inattention bestows. 
 
 The recitatives in 'Elijah' are particularly fine. 
 The libretto is well written, and this difficult species 
 of composition was peculiarly suited to Mendelssohn's 
 dramatic genius. 
 
 CHORAL RECITATIVE. 
 
 A CHORUS can only give us the form of recitative with- 
 out the spirit ; neither do we want a hundred voices 
 to tell us what might be told more naturally and 
 forcibly. by one. Add to this that what Rousseau 
 says is true—' The intention of recitative is to con- 
 nect the several parts of the drama, and, by separating 
 the airs, to add to their brilliancy, and to prevent the 
 ear from being satiated by a continuance of loud music'. 
 
 The true doctrine of recitative was laid down a cen- 
 tury ago by Grassineau, in a book which was licensed 
 
Extracts. 129 
 
 and approved by Pepusch, Greene, and Galliard. The 
 same doctrine was taught by Rousseau, and much 
 more recently by Beethoven. We admit that a really 
 fine effect stands securely upon its own authority ; 
 but in this case the effect is not fine. A choral recita- 
 tive is a mongrel mixture of psalm singing and 
 cathedral intoning, without possessing the value of 
 either. Mendelssohn's example, however, has been 
 much followed, and will probably continue so to be, 
 for this sort of thing is very easy tq write, though 
 extremely tiresome to hear. 
 
 MADAME GOLDSCHMIDT. 
 
 SOME songs in the ' Messiah ' have been supposed 
 inferior to others, rather because they have generally 
 fallen to the lot of inferior singers than on account of 
 any intrinsic mediocrity. ' He shall feed His flock,' 
 for instance — notwithstanding the sweetness of the, 
 pastoral melody — generally 'drags its slow length 
 along.' But in this case it is the singer, not the song, 
 that sends the audience to sleep. When Madame 
 Goldschmidt took up the air at ' Come unto Him all 
 ye that labour,' there was no drawling, and therefore 
 no drowsiness. The ever-varying beauty of expression 
 and the curt boldness of the cadences infused life and 
 spirit into every repetition of a passage. The same 
 may be said of ' But Thou didst not leave.' It is not 
 indeed a great song, but it has much simple pathos, 
 
 K 
 
1 30 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 and is tame only, as Madame Goldschmidt showed; 
 when tamely sung. She knew how to make it a 
 vehicle for carrying the words to the heart. 
 
 Her greatest efforts were doubtless ' Rejoice greatly,"* 
 and ' I know that my Redeemer liveth.' The me- 
 chanical difficulties of the former have been conquered 
 with equal ease by others ; but few have equalled 
 Madame Goldschmidt in forcible expression of the 
 sentiment. Every phrase should be a thrill of exul- 
 tation ; and such she made it. The latter song, 
 however, was her noblest achievement. The holding 
 notes afforded scope for the legitimate display of 
 those subtle crescendoes and that exquisite quality of 
 tone in which she is perhaps unrivalled. There were 
 also some grand telling points. Take for instance, 
 the triumphant rendering of ' Now is Christ risen from 
 the dead,' where the startling crescendo is carried to a 
 double forte, and drops at once to a tender piano upon 
 the word ' dead.' Or take the sweet pathos of her 
 cadence, where a modulation is made into the sub- 
 dominant of the original key. But, not to dwell too 
 minutely upon particulars, we may say that the whole 
 song must have been studied with that sort of care 
 which John Kemble is known to have bestowed upon 
 the speeches of Shakspeare. Madame Goldschmidt 
 proved this in her only encore, by not varying one 
 jot or tittle from her first reading. We here allude to 
 ' Come unto me.' The air, ' If God be for us,' gave 
 Madame Goldschmidt a fine opportunity (of which she 
 
Extracts. 1 3 1 
 
 did not fail to avail herself) of showing how exquisitely 
 she can treat a long holding note. This song, too, 
 was remarkable for containing the only word that 
 she could not pronounce nearly as well as a native — 
 the word ' intercession.' ' How beautiful are the feet ' 
 was charmingly sung. The contrast between her 
 level style of singing, till the modulation comes on, 
 after the first cadence in B flat, and the increasing 
 energy displayed at every repetition of the words, 
 ' And bring glad tidings,' was delightful. The recita- 
 tives, ' There were shepherds,' &c, were a lesson to 
 English singers. They were firm and decided — an 
 emphatic announcement of facts. If we were disposed 
 to be hypercritical, we might perhaps cavil at a short 
 cadence in ' I know that my Redeemer liveth ; ' but 
 this was no drawback upon our pleasure. There was 
 only one drawback, and that was the conviction, which 
 we could not shake off, that the gifted being who so 
 much delighted us was probably then and there herself 
 a sufferer from indisposition. 
 
 The ' Messiah ' was such new ground to Madame 
 Goldschmidt, that her triumph in that oratorio seemed 
 to introduce us to a new singer. She was another 
 and yet the same. But the evening concert was a 
 return to the 'Jenny Lind ' of former days — a return 
 which seemed to annihilate the interval which has 
 elapsed since her last visit to this country. We felt 
 
 K 2 
 
132- Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 hat the singer was still young, and (delightful illu-\ 
 §ion !) that we were young too. There was the, 
 familiar holding note with its ' sweetness long drawn 
 out ' — the silvery shake — the facile execution — the 
 bold declamation — the leaning forward to the audience 
 in the earnestness of appeal — and the abrupt reining 
 back of the head and chest in throwing out the bold, 
 curt cadence ; as much as to say, ' Thus far I have 
 solicited your sympathy ; now I demand it.' And 
 truly might it have been responded, ' to hear is to 
 obey.' All acknowledged the presence of an inspired 
 priestess in the temple of art. We are not of the 
 number of those who hold Madame Goldschmidt's 
 singing to be absolutely faultless. We think it, upon 
 the whole, less faultless than that of Madame Clara 
 Novella The faults, however, are results neither of 
 weakness, which could be pitied, nor of ignorance, 
 which would be despised — but of a noble daring, which 
 draws too freely upon the utmost physical power in 
 attempting to give utterance to the mental concep- 
 tion. 
 
 Her first song, Mozart's rondo ' 77 Re Pastore,' was 
 perfectly enchanting, and the violin accompaniment 
 by M. Sainton exquisitely handled. We believe the 
 composer was a boy of seventeen when he wrote it. 
 He has now been dead some sixty years, yet the music 
 is still as sweet as a March violet. ' On mighty pens ' 
 called forth higher vocal powers. Nothing could be 
 grander than the crescendo at the words, ' In swiftest 
 
Extracts. 133 
 
 -flight to the blading sun.' The G minor strain was 
 delicious. We may here add that the imitations of 
 the lark, the dove, and the nightingale, by the clarionet, 
 bassoon, and flute, were worthy of the singer and of 
 the song. The scena and aria, ' Ah mie fedeli,' ex- 
 hibited to perfection Madame Goldschmidt's marvel- 
 lous powers of execution. Still, in the concert room 
 we cannot think it a composition worthy of her. The 
 Recueil de Mazourkas, de F. Chopin, contained little 
 popular melody, but enabled her to exhibit much fine 
 declamation. ' John Anderson ' was treated with 
 much originality and force ; but all who remember 
 Miss Stephens will probably be ready to admit that 
 none of her successors have rivalled her in that style 
 of ballad. Madame Goldschmidt's Swedish ' Echo 
 Song ' was a wonderful display of versatility of power. 
 Here she accompanied herself upon the pianoforte, 
 but the voice was everything. The shout ' Hoah ! 
 Hoah !' was as ringing as though the hall had been 
 empty, and the rapid calls, with the returns of the 
 echo, were admirably true to nature. Miss Stephens, 
 in Comus, gave a beautiful imitation of echo ; but 
 here we had Echo herself. After the voice had 
 exhibited prodigies of execution without a note of 
 accompaniment, and when it was dying away in the 
 final close, Madame Goldschmidt just touched the 
 instrument. Words could not have said more plainly, 
 ' Do you doubt me ? Would you know whether I have 
 fallen an iota from the pitch ? Take it then.' At this, 
 
1 34 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 •the audience instinctively rose and rent the air with 
 acclamations. 
 
 Madame Goldschmidt's liberality is not confined to 
 a lavish distribution of money. She left a sick bed 
 that others might not be disappointed of a promised 
 pleasure. She gave them their full tale, with a hearti- 
 ness and cheerfulness that betokened an utter abnega- 
 tion of self. We dare not say that we never heard so 
 fine a singer ; but we do say that so fine a singer is 
 very rare, and so fine a character is rarer still. Take 
 Madame Goldschmidt for all in all, we shall not look 
 upon her like again. 
 
 SIVORI. 
 
 Signor Sivori's performance of the 'Prayer of 
 Moses ' upon the fourth string, may be objected to by 
 the legitimatists as Paganini's was before him. But, 
 taking Sivori for all in all, we have never heard a 
 violinist with the like variety of powers, with the 
 .single exception of his master — Paganini. We hold 
 too that Sivori, like Paganini is truly great in expres- 
 sion. He has learned the secret of knowing when 
 enough has been done. He is no wire drawer. We 
 have heard fine players prepare for a pathetic passage, 
 dwell upon it, and then leave the audience delighted 
 with their skill. Sivori knows better how to go to 
 work. He takes you by surprise, knocks you down, 
 ,and leaves you. 
 
Extracts. 135 
 
 Sivori portrayed the humours of the carnival with a 
 felicity peculiarly his own. He can be grotesque 
 without being vulgar. Even 'Lucy Long* became 
 half a lady under his hands. On being encored he 
 gave some variations which we believe to be Paganini's, 
 upon the air ' Nel Cor Piu.' From this may be had, 
 perhaps, the best idea that can now be obtained of the 
 manner of that wonderful performer. 
 
 THE OVERTURE TO 'FIGARO.' 
 
 CRACK bands rattle through ' Figaro ' as fast as they 
 can, the fastest being always considered the best. 
 But this is an error. In the first place, presto is not 
 prestissimo. In the second place, the presto of the 
 present day is not the same thing as the presto of 
 seventy years ago. And in the third and last place, 
 the result is, that one of the sweetest bits of melody 
 that ever issued from the brain of a musician, which 
 occurs in the middle of the overture, is thereby utterly 
 destroyed. 
 
 BELLINI. 'NORMA.' 
 
 It was a decided improvement upon the former con- 
 cert to have the music of ' Norma ' done to the 
 original Italian words. To the opera itself, we can 
 only give very qualified praise, especially when it is 
 
1 36 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 made the subject of a concert. Bellini had unques- 
 tionably the faculty of writing graceful and often 
 enchanting melody. His accompaniments, too, are 
 light and elegant. His best airs follow an audi- 
 ence to their homes. But unhappily all these airs are 
 founded upon one common type, and most of them 
 are more or less deformed with lengthened roulades 
 of a uniform character. Bellini's expression of joy 
 and grief is chiefly confined to the use of the major 
 or minor mode. For the rest, whether the singer be 
 dying in resignation, or raving with despair, he 
 announces his (or her) case in a flourishing division. 
 We are by turns both disgusted with the impropriety 
 and wearied with the monotony of this manner of 
 composition. In a word, an opera of Bellini is a 
 dessert without a dinner. After such a feast, the 
 selection from 'II Trovatore' was refreshing, and 
 infused some spirit into the conclusion of the concert. 
 
 OURY. 
 
 M. OURY recalls to us Sterne's pithy remark, that 
 'there is who makes what he fiddles to be felt.' 
 Possessing unlimited control over the varied resources 
 of his fine but difficult instrument, he renders them 
 always subservient to the higher graces of expression. 
 His ordinary tone is full, round, and firm, and withal 
 
Extracts. 137 
 
 so sweet as to be scarcely distinguishable in quality 
 from that of his harmonics. He executes the most 
 rapid and intricate divisions with a due observance of 
 light and shade, and with an ease that masks their 
 extreme difficulty. 
 
 SACRED MUSIC. 
 
 MOZART'S MASS, No. 7, in B flat, was done here for 
 the first time without alteration or omission. This 
 work is a glorious effusion of art and genius. The 
 lovely passages for the clarionets, which were deli- 
 riously played by Mr. Lazarus and Mr. Horace Hill, 
 were as beautiful as the vocal melodies. Well might 
 Samuel Warren, in his ' Diary of a late Physician,' 
 call this ' heart-rending music' We doubt, however, 
 whether the feelings which it excites in an Englishman 
 familiar with Handel be ' sacred.' The sense of 
 pleasure with which we listen is intense ; but it is a 
 pleasure entirely divested of that awe which addresses 
 to the Supreme Being should inspire. The same re- 
 mark applies, perhaps in an inferior degree, to Spohr's 
 ' Christian's Prayer.' Here, indeed, we have gloom, 
 but it is not awful gloom. It is rather that pensive 
 melancholy which we associate with the twilight of 
 summer, when all around is warmth and fragrance; 
 and when our pleasurable feelings are equally far from 
 being cheerful or religious. It would be a great 
 
138 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 mistake, however, to infer hence, that the composers 
 were not duly impressed with the solemnity of their 
 subject. The truth rather is, that Englishmen and 
 foreigners have been educated in different schools, and 
 express the same feelings in a different manner. So 
 Beethoven's ' Gloria ' is gorgeous and grand, without 
 possessing any of that sublimity which, as Mr. Pierson 
 truly says, is ' so palpable in the conceptions of Milton 
 and Handel.' The reason is obvious : one insepar- 
 able element of the true sublime is simplicity; and 
 all the works which we have been considering are 
 more or less elaborate and complicated. The leading 
 .Subjects are simple, but they are clothed with a mere- 
 tricious dress. 
 
 RULES. 
 
 THE ' Sonata ' for violin and pianoforte is a welcome 
 return to the old thematic form of composition. We 
 have long thought that the preference shown by 
 modern writers for the ' Fantasia,' the ' Solo,' the * Ca- 
 priccio,' et id genus omne, was rather due to want of 
 sustaining power, than to innate conviction that free- 
 dom from restraint was any token of superiority in 
 art. The greatest geniuses have gloried in showing 
 independence of thought and inspiration of fancy 
 while submitting to the rigour of the strictest rules. 
 Hence some of Purcell's finest songs have been written 
 over two bars of ground bass. This was in the days 
 
Extracts. 1 3.9 
 
 of musical pedantry. Here, as in everything else, the 
 golden mean lies between two extremes. All rules are 
 bad which serve only to fetter, and all are good which 
 only restrain from licentiousness. 
 
 JOACHIM. 
 
 He is truly a violinist sui generis. His very manner 
 of holding his instrument is somewhat peculiar. Spohr 
 held his fiddle in a horizontal position. Many players 
 drop the left hand a little, so as to get a slight down- 
 ward slope ; but Joachim elevates the left hand enough 
 to make the fiddle slope considerably in an opposite 
 direction. His tone did not strike us as being remark- 
 able for its power, but it was exquisite in its quality. 
 He never seeks to astonish, but the wonderful truth 
 and beauty of his expression and the masterly ease 
 with which difficulties are overcome are really more 
 astonishing than any mere tricks of execution. The 
 subtle charm of his playing consists in the developing 
 of innate beauties, which ordinary players would fail 
 to discover in an author. He is thoroughly in earnest 
 in everything he does. 
 
140 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 MADRIGALS. 
 
 Of all vocal compositions, this kind is perhaps the 
 most difficult to write, and certainly not the most easy 
 to sing. The old madrigal composers were grave and 
 earnest men, whose music was no child's play, or its 
 merits would not be recognised after a lapse of three 
 centuries. Their means were limited. Their rules 
 were rigorous. Variety had therefore to be obtained 
 by ingenious and learned contrivances. A deep know- 
 ledge of counter-point was considered the main feature 
 ' of a musical education, and this led naturally to the 
 mysteries of fugue and canon. We moderns are apt 
 to think that the ancients must have been terribly 
 fettered ; but it was not so. Morley, in alluding to 
 the leading point of ' Non nobis Domine,' which was 
 then often taken as a theme for descanting, has this 
 observation — ' If a man would study, he might find 
 upon it variety enough to fill up many sheets of paper; 
 yea, though it were given to all the musicians in the 
 world, they might compose upon it, and not one of 
 their compositions be like unto that of another. 
 "And you shall find no point so well handled by any 
 man, either composer or organist, but with study, 
 either he himself or some other, might make it much 
 better.' Hear this, ye prolific concocters of 'variations ' 
 and ' polkas ! ' 
 
Extracts. 141 
 
 r 
 
 ROSSINI. 
 
 THIS celebrated composer died lately at Paris in the 
 77th year of his age. In his youth he wrote with 
 fabulous rapidity, but, though he took a deep interest 
 in his art to the last, he retired from the field of active 
 labour in the middle of his life. He was a man of rare 
 genius, or he would not have had the power to corrupt 
 the music of his country. Since his operas were in 
 the zenith of their popularity, Italy has produced only 
 a tribe of imitators, Verdi being the last. The over- 
 tures of Rossini were for the most part sparkling, but 
 flimsy ; yet the overture to ' William Tell ' can never 
 be heard without pleasure. He was unrivalled in 
 comic music, but this is the lowest style of composi- 
 tion. His chief strength lay in melody and invention ; 
 yet Spohr contends that many of his supposed novel- 
 ties had been previously familiar to the Germans. 
 Rossini had the ' ounce of mother,' but he wanted a 
 little more of the ' pound of clergy.' In a word, he 
 wanted earnestness and a greater reverence for the 
 higher beauties of his art. Yet let us be just to the 
 author of ' Di Tanti P 'alpiti,' and ' Cujus Animam' 
 and confess that he has left behind him melodies that 
 will endure for ever. 
 
 We think ' Cujus Animam,' perhaps, the finest of 
 Rossini's songs ; the melody is exquisite — the cadences 
 enchanting. Yet it is unquestionably opera music, 
 
14.2 Musical Criticism' and Biography. 
 
 though forming part of a Stdbat Mater. He who 
 doubts the incongruity of the music and words, has 
 only to remember Handel's treatment of an analogous 
 sentiment in ' He was despised and rejected.' 
 
 GRISI. 
 Dec. il, 1869. 
 
 The queen of lyric song has passed away from us, 
 but not before her work was done. For a quarter 
 of a century she was almost without a rival as a 
 dramatic singer, but at last it became a case of 
 * superfluous lags the veteran on the stage.' Now 
 that she is gone, however, the lovers of the opera 
 remember her only as when she was in her glory, and 
 few of them will live to see her like again. But 
 Providence is more bountiful to us in singers than in 
 composers, and the reason seems to be because 
 human life is short, and still more brief is the period 
 that can be devoted to singing ; whereas the works of 
 a great composer are undying. A Grisi may be the 
 darling of her day ; a Mozart is a delight for ever. 
 
 HARMONISED SONGS, &c. 
 
 From a Notice of ' National Songs, chiefly Scottish ; harmonised for 
 four voices,' &v. 
 
 The modern custom of writing the tenor and 
 counter tenor parts in the treble clef is radically 
 
Extracts. 143 
 
 faulty. If a singer refuses the trouble of learning the 
 clef proper to his voice, let him go a step further and 
 give up the trouble of attempting to sing. Neither 
 are all melodies improved by being harmonised, buti 
 some are positively injured, apart from the violence 
 often done to the sentiment. It is absurd to hear 
 four people thus lamenting 
 
 What made my heart so sore ? 
 
 Oh, it was parting with Robin Adair.' 
 
 It is true that this part of our censure equally 
 applies to some first rate glees, such as ' From Celia's 
 Arbour ; ' but it is also true that it is not undeserved. 
 
 IMITATION. 'ISRAEL RESTORED.' 
 Oct. 25, 1851. 
 
 IMITATIVE music is, or ought to be, suggestive, in the 
 sense in which that word has of late been applied to 
 painting — that is, more should be intimated to the 
 mind than the ear actually hears. In this kind of 
 music, descriptive colouring is more or less confined 
 to the accompaniments, and even there the slightest 
 exaggeration offends. Neither Handel nor Haydn 
 escaped the charge of having stepped from the ' sub- 
 lime ' to the ' ridiculous.' Sometimes the imitation is 
 so far-fetched that it avoids being ludicrous only by 
 being unintelligible and therefore unsuspected; but 
 
,144 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 when true, and sufficiently apparent without being 
 strained, it is always heard with delight. Now the 
 recitative accompanied ' Many oxen are come about 
 me,' with which the second part begins, was a dangerous 
 edged tool in the hands of a young composer; 
 and in no part of the oratorio has Dr. Bexfield dis- 
 played a more excellent judgment than in this. The 
 lowing of the oxen is indeed heard ; even the gaping 
 of the bulls is imitated by short crescendos ; but the 
 strokes are so few and so delicately touched, as not 
 to disgust the most fastidious taste. The long drawl- 
 ing notes to the pause on the chord of B flat, de- 
 scriptive of ' my strength is dried up,' the crashing 
 discords which paint the horror excited by the ' blas- 
 phemy ' of the multitude, and the stream of harmony 
 to the enharmonic change, where 'they conspire 
 together,' are admirable. This is followed by a fine 
 song in E major, ' Hear O Lord.' 
 
 . . . We must give a passing notice to the 
 chorus 'The waves of the sea,' because here Dr. 
 Bexfield has shown that he has, a right notion of the 
 true sublime. The chorus is in C minor. The 
 tumult of the waves, and the horrors of the scene, 
 are depicted with uncommon force. The effect of a 
 full chorus singing pianissimo the word ' mighty,' and 
 the grating of the discords to the word 'horribly,' 
 might even be considered sublime by some, and so to 
 a certain extent they are ; but our composer had to 
 
'Extracts. 145.: 
 
 set ' The Lord who dwelleth on high is mightier ; ' 
 and he has contrived to rise with his subject, by 
 resorting to simplicity. Tumult distracts the mind — 
 the truly sublime absorbs it in the contemplation of a 
 single idea. The plain subject in C major comes 
 upon us, therefore, like a sunbeam on the dark and 
 troubled waters, and is indeed sublime. 
 
 PIERS ON. 
 ' Sound, Immortal Harp.' 
 
 If Pierson had written nothing else, he would have 
 deserved the name of a genuine composer. We have 
 assuredly in this chorus that ' genius ' which, Lavater 
 says, ' is the intuition of truth.' 
 
 . . . All music is a compound of melody, har- 
 mony, and modulation. Wherever these three meet 
 in due proportion, there is music. Now, melody is 
 but the expression of harmony, and modulation is but 
 the wanderings into which melody is betrayed by 
 passion. That which determines melody is accent, 
 and it is only the diversity of accent in different 
 languages that imparts a national character to 
 music. Every great composer has an accent of his 
 own, without which he would not be great. It is this, 
 and this only, that characterises and individualises 
 
146 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 him. And it is the fine accent of Mr. Pierson's 
 music that warranted us in boldly claiming for him 
 the attribute of genius. We do not ask the reader to 
 take this doctrine upon our assertion, but upon the 
 authority, or rather upon the reasoning, of Rousseau, 
 perhaps the profoundest musical critic that ever lived. 
 Accent is the. thing ' unteachable, untaught' — that 
 kindles enthusiasm or embitters malignity in those 
 who admire genius, or envy its achievements. It is 
 part and parcel of the essence of a man. It is that 
 which makes the difference between a Bononcini and 
 a Handel ; a Siissmayr and a Mozart. 
 
 'Jerusalem.' 
 Dec. 19, 1868. 
 
 •We have it on the best authority that Mr. Pierson 
 has just completed an elaborate revision of this 
 oratorio, preparatory to the publishing of a new 
 edition. The work, which in its original form was 
 somewhat too long for public performance, will now 
 consist of thirty-six numbers instead of forty-nine. 
 We have always regarded the ' Jerusalem ' as a rare 
 emanation of genius, and are quite sure that, if it ever 
 have fair play, it will become a lasting favourite with 
 the public. 
 
H7 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 'THE DECLINE OF MUSIC 
 
 rom the 'Musical Standard' of January 2nd, gth, 2yd, February 13th, 
 2"]th, and March 6th, 1869. 
 
 It was the Author's original intention that the 
 following series of letters should begin with one 
 treating of the decline of music in our cathedrals, and 
 pointing out the evil effects produced on secular 
 music by the debasement of the cathedral choirs. 
 Although this letter was actually written, circum- 
 stances occurred which prevented its publication, and 
 it is mentioned here merely that the Author's plan 
 may be seen, and that the subject may, to that 
 extent, be completed. The substance of the letter 
 is contained in the leading article of the 'Musical 
 Standard' of Nov. 14, 1868, and the subject finds 
 a place in this volume in the second ' Colloquy.' 
 
148 Musical Criticism and Biography, 
 
 TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'MUSICAL STANDARD. 
 
 SIR, — In former times the music of the cathedral 
 differed essentially from that of the parochial service. 
 Our forefathers wisely took into account the difference 
 in the size of the buildings and the difference in the 
 culture of the singers. They confined the chant and 
 the elaborate anthem to the cathedral, because the 
 former kind of composition can be heard properly only 
 in vast edifices, and because the latter kind requires 
 numerous and well-trained choirs. The music of a 
 large parish' church in which there was ah organ was 
 of the following description. There were usually three 
 voluntaries — one to play the people into church, 
 another to play them out ; and an intermediate, or, 
 as it was called, a * soft voluntary,' which served the 
 double end of resting the clergyman and exciting a 
 devotional spirit in the congregation. The singing 
 was devoted to English Protestant psalm-tunes, with, 
 perhaps an ornate hymn to conclude with. All 
 efforts at improvement should have been directed to 
 the raising of the cathedral and the parochial music 
 to the highest pitch of perfection which their respec- 
 tive standards permit, but with a rigid adherence to 
 the standard of each. Thus in the parish church, 
 
The Decline of Music. 149 
 
 *where the choir is maintained by voluntary contribu- 
 tions, much improvement might have been effected by 
 more liberal donations. The number of singers in a 
 choir might have been increased ; the balance of the 
 parts might have been improved, the voices might 
 have been better cultivated, and some attention might 
 have been paid to the higher beauties of expression. 
 An easy anthem, such as ' In Jewry is God known,' 
 might have been occasionally substituted for the 
 ornate hymn ; in which case all would have been done 
 that ought to have been attempted, always supposing 
 the music selected for performance to be the best of 
 its kind. 
 
 Instead of trying to improve the music of our parish 
 churches, we have altered its character, by endeavour- 
 ing to assimilate it more or less to the cathedral 
 service ; with what results I proceed to show. 
 
 For this purpose I shall fetch my examples from 
 the ' Church Psalter and Hymn Book ' of the Rev. 
 William Mercer, because that work is most widely 
 known, and because- it has been most extensively 
 used. It was dedicated, by express permission, to his 
 late Royal Highness the Prince Consort, to two 
 archbishops, and to . sixteen bishops. All the ' har- 
 monies,' too, are stated to have been 'revised' by 
 Mr. Goss, the organist of St. Paul's Cathedral. Thus 
 the work bears the stamp of very high authority.* 
 
 * The edition quoted is dated i860. 
 
150 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 With Mr. Goss's share of the compilation I have no 
 fault to find. I will only say, that if the music were " 
 good it needed no revision, and if bad deserved none. 
 
 In his preface Mr. Mercer enforces 'the duty of 
 Congregational Psalmody,' a ' duty ' which, he says, 
 the Church of England not only ' recognises,' but 
 'requires' of her members. I am of opinion that 
 those members of a congregation who are able to 
 assist without injuring the effect of a choir, are not 
 only privileged but bound to do so. These, however, 
 must always be a small minority. In every large 
 congregation there will be many of both sexes too 
 old and many too young to sing. There will be some 
 who have no voices, and others who have no ears ; some 
 who have no liking for music, and some who have no 
 skill in it. There will also be those who are physi- 
 cally incapable of exercising a due control over their 
 vocal organs. To say, therefore, that the Church 
 requires singing of her congregations as a duty, is to 
 liken her to an Egyptian task-master, demanding brick 
 where straw has not been given. 
 
 I have heard what is called ' congregational singing ' 
 in very many parts of this country, and have generally 
 been more or less offended by it. The effect was that 
 of a crushing of the four-part choir under the weight 
 of the upper melody, sung in bad unisons and octaves 
 by the people. 
 
 Here, for the present, like Scheherazade, I must 
 break off, lest I trespass too much upon your space. 
 
The Decline of Music. 151 
 
 11. 
 
 Sir, — I have already said that chants are suited only 
 to large buildings, and, let me add, to highly cultivated 
 choirs. The reason is obvious. The chant is a very 
 short composition, and it has to be repeated ten, twenty, 
 thirty, perhaps forty or more times. A bad perform- 
 ance, therefore, must needs render this repetition 
 irksome to the last degree. So far as my experience 
 goes, chanting in parish churches is purely mechanical. 
 When boys sing the treble part they generally flatten 
 after a few verses. As the pitch of the organ is fixed, 
 all that the organist can do is to try to smother the 
 voices, in order to conceal the false intonation of his 
 choir. 
 
 With Mr. Mercer's chants I have no fault to find. 
 They are, as he himself tells us, ' the best of those in 
 ordinary use in our cathedrals ;' but when he asserts 
 that ' the system of punctuation adopted is that com- 
 monly used in our cathedrals,' I join issue with him — 
 I say ' Heaven forbid ! ' and I require proof of the 
 truth of the assertion. 
 
 The laws of the chant, as laid down by Dr. Beck- 
 with in the preface to his own collection, upon the 
 authority of Dr. William Hayes, are these : — ' The 
 perfect chant has four tones contained in three alla- 
 breve bars to the mediato, or breathing-place, or 
 double bar. The first of these tones is the reciting 
 
152 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 note, which serves all verses, long or short, to the 
 third word or syllable before the middle of such verse. 
 It has six more tones in four bars from the mediato to 
 the end ; the first of these is also the reciting note, 
 which, like the other, is kept till the fifth word or 
 . syllable from the conclusion. The melody and har- 
 mony should be solemn and impressive; not trite, but 
 elevating. The ear must not be surprised by harsh 
 discords ; discords are not forbidden except on either 
 of the reciting notes.' 
 
 Dr. Beckwith says ' word or syllable,' because an 
 entire word is used whenever it happens to be a mono- 
 syllable. The rule was vulgarly called ' the rule of 
 three and five;' because the first strain of the chanj: 
 had three and the second strain five syllables after the 
 reciting note. , 
 
 Now, I do not say that this rule is wholly incapable 
 of modification, for when either half of the verse ends 
 with a dissyllable whereof the first part is accented^ 
 
 as in ' Glory,' ' Father,' and the like, it is clearly 
 Jbetter to give the whole word to the last note than to 
 -falsify the accent. But I do say that the rule observed 
 
 in all its rigour produces fewer absurdities than the 
 
 new punctuation has entailed upon us. 
 
 I cannot trespass upon your space further than to 
 
 give a few instances of Mr. Mercer's improvements. ; 
 For instance, in the Jubilate Deo we have ' Sheepof 
 
 his pasture,' instead of ' Sheep of his pasture.' The 
 
 first two words being sung to one note, have the effect 
 
 of being one word ; but there is no such word as 
 
The Decline of Music. 153 
 
 skeepof in the English language. Again, in the 
 Magnificat we have ' magni— fiedme,' instead of 
 'magnified me.' There is no such word as 'fiedme,' 
 to say nothing of the false accent. Examples of this 
 ■kind, in which the old rule is violated without need of 
 warrant, might be almost endlessly multiplied. ; 
 
 I have next to object to the improper use of the slur. 
 When one of the semibreves has an appoggiatura pre- 
 fixed to it, or when a minim is divided into two 
 crotchets (or a dotted crotchet and a quaver), the slur 
 is rightly used, because in these cases the two notes 
 represent one of the tones, and a tone is equivalent to 
 a syllable. But Mr. Mercer does not scruple to slur 
 two minims ; that is, to give a monosyllable to such 
 minims, and thus to violate the true character of the 
 .chant. ' For instance, in the forty-fifth Psalm he haSj 
 :'My heart,' &c., a ' go — od matter,' when it ought to 
 . be ' my heart,' &c, ' a good ' matter. Here, as before 
 .it would be easy to multiply examples ; but one by 
 way of illustration will suffice. 
 
 ; Let me not be misunderstood. It is not an occa- 
 sional deviation from rule of which I complain, fof 
 there is no such thing as a rule without exceptions* 
 What I condemn is an ignorance or a reckless defiance 
 of fixed principles. The English Protestant chant has 
 a character of its own, and that character should 
 •always be respected. 
 
 Neither will it do to tell me that Mr. Mercer is 
 justified by his reverence for truth of accent, since his 
 book abounds with false accents. Nothing can be 
 
154 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 worse than the false verbal accents in the first strain 
 of the Sanctus by Orlando Gibbons, or the first strain 
 of the Sanctus by Dr. Arnold. The first strain of the 
 Sanctus by J. Davy is right, and a comparison of these 
 three strains will show the wonderful difference that 
 there is between what is right and what is wrong. 
 
 I now come to the psalm and hymn tunes. Here 
 I am afraid it will be found that what is good is not 
 new, and what is new is not good. Why go to 
 Germany for humdrum chorales ? Have we not enough 
 that is humdrum at home ? A really fine German 
 chorale would cut a sorry figure in an English parish 
 church. Mr. Mercer tacitly confesses as much when 
 he tells us that the music of ' Sebastian Bach ' had to 
 be ' simplified.' The late Professor Taylor and 
 Mr. Turle tried their hands at 'simplifying' Bach. 
 They spoiled one of the finest chorales that ever was 
 written, by translating it out of the Phrygian mode 
 into the modern key of E flat major, and by substi- 
 tuting their own common-places forits noble harmonies. 
 After all it made but a poor psalm tune. In fairness 
 to Mr. Mercer I must say that the tunes in his collection, 
 with which I was previously unacquainted, are rather 
 vapid than secular. There is one, however, called 
 'Montgomery,' Hymn 57, which if it be spurred into 
 a gentle trot at once betrays its innate vulgarity. 
 
 Some of the tunes have a pause at each double bar 
 after the German fashion. I trust it will be long before 
 this barbarous practice becomes tolerated in England. 
 
The Decline of Music. 155 
 
 We are told in the preface that the compiler has 
 ' most carefully consulted ' — inter alia — ' propriety of 
 phrase and sentiment,' by which I understand him to 
 mean that the music is suited to the words. I confess 
 therefore that I was surprised to find ' Brightest and 
 best of the sons of the morning ' started off in minims, 
 and in the sepulchral key of G minor ! 
 
 In psalms and hymns, where one and the same 
 melody has to do duty for many stanzas, false verbal 
 accents are often unavoidable. But there is no 
 excuse for beginning with a false accent. Yet this is 
 done more than once or twice in Mr. Mercer's collec- 
 tion. Thus in hymn 21, the first syllable of 'Jesus' 
 has a start note ; in hymn 24, the first syllable of 
 ' Saviour ' has the same ; in hymn 238 we have ' Oh, 
 f6r a heart,' etc., instead of ' Oh! for a heart,' etc.; in 
 hymn 243, ' J^sus ' has again a start note ; in hymn 
 368 we have ' Lord 6f the harvest,' instead of ' Lord' 
 of the harvest;' in 372 the first syllable of the word 
 ' Fountain' has a start note. All these faults could 
 and should have been avoided. 
 
 The moral to which I point, is this — that the high 
 patronage and wide popularity of a work so defective 
 justify me in affirming that the present state of the 
 musical part of the service in parish churches is one 
 proof of the ' decline of music in this country.' 
 
 Before leaving the subject of sacred music, I may 
 touch upon oratorios and the triennial festivals. 
 
156 Musical Criticism and Biography* 
 
 in. 
 
 Sir,— It would be a strange thing if music had 
 degenerated in the cathedral, in the parish church, and 
 in the dissenting chapel, and yet preserved its purity 
 in the triennial, musical festivals. Of course special 
 'causes operate in special cases ; but when disease is 
 in the stem, all the branches of the tree will be more 
 or less affected. Originally the organist, or the 
 London conductor, acting in harmony with some ac- 
 complished local amateur, was responsible for the 
 'musical details of a festival ; such as the making of 
 the bills, the engaging of the principal singers and the 
 ,band, the training of the chorus, and so on. There 
 was, indeed, a committee, for without a committee 
 nothing can be done in this country. But in the days 
 of which I speak committees were satisfied with having 
 the management of general affairs, and with keeping 
 .a jealous eye over the expenditure. In process of 
 time, however, they began, to exercise musical func r 
 tions. They shared the conductor's duties, and with 
 them shared his responsibilities. Now, a divided 
 responsibility is worth little, because it shifts itself 
 from shoulder to shoulder till scarcely any weight is 
 felt. Ih such a case adverse criticism, however power- 
 ful, and however just, can do little good, because it 
 cuts at a shadow. The conductor does not feel it, 
 because he merely ' complies with the wishes of the 
 
The Decline of Music. ' 157 
 
 committee.' The committee do not feel it, because* 
 they have had ' the consent of the conductor.' The 
 Cap may fit both, but neither will wear it. Amateurs 
 of fine taste and competent knowledge are so rare, 
 that they will always be in the minority on a mixed 
 committee. Let such a one (if such there be) object 
 to any work as trivial and unworthy of a musical 
 festival, the answer is ready : ' Ah, but that music is 
 now very popular. People like it, and they will go 
 to hear it. We must first think of the charity! 
 
 In the fine arts it unfortunately happens that every 
 man thinks himself competent to give an opinion. 
 The reason is that the object of the fine arts is to give 
 pleasure, and every one knows best what pleases 
 himself. True. But there are degrees of pleasure ; 
 and he who can only enjoy the lowest, ought not to 
 make himself a standard for the rest of the world. 
 Music is a language. But it is a modern mistake to 
 say that it is a language for the expression of thought, 
 although thought is required for the production of a 
 musical composition. It is a language for the expres- 
 sion of feeling, and that, too, a feeling of beauty. If a 
 composer be without this feeling, or without the power 
 of expressing it so as to impart it to others, his com- 
 positions will be worthless, whatever amount of learn- 
 ing and ingenuity they may exhibit. Yet, on the. 
 other hand, a piece of music is not to be condemned 
 merely because some hearers can find no merit in it. 
 In order that music may produce its full effect two- 
 
158 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 things are necessary — ability on the part of the com- 
 poser, and sensibility on the part of the auditor. For 
 the heart that is dead and cold, the sweetest strains 
 will vibrate in vain. 
 
 The feeling and learning that are required for the 
 due appreciation of a fine composition may belong to 
 few in a large audience, but nearly all can distinguish 
 between what is good and bad in the performance. 
 Hence the cry for fine singers, for fine bands, and for 
 fine execution. All these things are excellent in their 
 way, but unfortunately they are often employed to 
 make what is worthless attractive. 
 
 One of the faults of the times is the abuse of 
 modulation. The old masters laid great stress upon 
 what they called ' the art of keeping the key.' Now, 
 a key seems to be chosen, only that it may be 
 abandoned as speedily as possible. Nothing shows 
 the poverty of a composer more than restless modula- 
 tion. The late ' curate of Nayland ' says, in his 
 ' Treatise on the Art of Music :' — ' How sparing was 
 the modulation of antiquity ! And yet how sweet are 
 many of its productions !' Natural modulation affords 
 great variety ; and this, with occasional exceptions, 
 should obtain in the oratorio. In recitative, however, 
 a composer may riot in abrupt modulation, when the 
 turns of passion require it, and when he knows how to * 
 employ it with judgment. The perfection to which 
 wind instruments have been brought in our days has 
 been a not unmixed good. In symphonies, overtures; 
 
The Decline of ' Mttsic. 159 
 
 and other instrumental pieces, composers may make 
 the most of them. But in vocal compositions they 
 ought not to be allowed to detract from the supre- 
 macy of the voice. Acute wind instruments were as 
 well known in Mozart's time as they are now. No 
 man ever knew better how to write for them than 
 Mozart. Yet in his Requiem he has discarded them 
 all. Why ? Because it is a Requiem, and therefore he' 
 did not want cheerfulness, but gloom. 
 
 Again, in ' Acis and Galatea ' the only wind instru- 
 ments employed by Handel in addition to the strings 
 are acute wind instruments. Why ? Because ' Acis 
 and Galatea ' is a Pastoral. We have therefore the 
 oboe (the shepherd's reed), the flute (the shepherd's 
 pipe), and the piccolo (to counterfeit the singing of 
 birds). As if to show what a great master can do 
 with simple means, Handel has produced one of the 
 finest effects in this charming Mask, with voices 
 entirely unaccompanied, at the end of the chorusi. 
 ' Mourn all ye Muses,' to the words ' No more ! no 
 more !' 
 
 But we of the present day have not been content 
 with injuring ' Acis and Galatea ' with our ' additional 
 accompaniments;' we have spoiled it by giving the 
 part of Acis to a tenor, for the sake (I suppose) of 
 ' hearing Mr. Sims Reeves sing ' Love in her eyes sits 
 playing.' Now, Acis was not a man, but a boy, and 
 his part was written for a treble voice. Thus in the 
 delightful trio, ' The flocks shall leave the mountains,' 
 
1 6a Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 the voices of Acis and Galatea cross each other, to 
 represent the fondling of lovers, and to contrast finely' 
 with the savage roughness of the bass. By the 
 employing of a tenor— a sort of half-way house 
 between two extremes — the intended effect is marred 
 altogether. 
 
 If conductors and festival committees would allow 
 us to hear the music of former days exactly as it was 
 written, two advantages would be gained ; the morning 
 bills would have greater variety, and they would 
 possess historical interest. We should see where we 
 have improved and where we have corrupted the art. 
 But what do festival committees know or care about 
 music ? Left to themselves they would be content to 
 ring the changes upon the ' Messiah,' the ' Creation," 
 and ' Elijah ' forever ! Did George the Fourth present 
 them with the scores of Handel's works with the intent 
 that they should only do the 'Messiah?' Run over 
 the bills of the triennial musical festivals for the last 
 ten years, and what will you find ? Will you discover' 
 the names of Porpora, Hasse, Graun, Marcello, Sarti,.: 
 Jomelli, Pergolesi, Paisiello, or even Cherubini ? Will 
 you find any of the anthems or of the dramatic works 
 of our own illustrious Purcell ? Will you learn any- 
 thing of Boyce's 'Solomon,' or of his fine anthem, 
 ' Lord, Thou hast been our refuge ? ' Will you make ■ 
 any acquaintance with Arne's ' Abel,' or his ' Judith ?' 
 Will you find any trace of Arnold's ' Cure of Saul,' of 
 his ' Abimelech,' his ' Resurrection,' or his ' Prodigal; 
 
The Decline of Music. 1 6 1 
 
 Son ?' What ! are all these things so profitless that 
 nothing can be culled from them worthy of the present 
 day ? Or are the gentlemen who manage our musical 
 festivals wholly unfitted for their task ? Mendelssohii 
 is the little god of their idolatry ; and Henry Hugh 
 Pierson is banished from his native land because he is 
 cursed with the gift of genius ! 
 
 Neither does the wealth of the evenings make up 
 for the poverty of the mornings. One may be occa- 
 sionally regaled with a fine modern symphony ; but 
 the stringed concertos of Corelli, of Scarlatti, of 
 Geminiani, of Avison, and of Handel, alas ! are mute. 
 Not so much as a Trio of the ' gentle Corelli,' is ever 
 heard. Neither would it be relished if it were. Those 
 who have learned to love noise have also learned to 
 hate music. 
 
 The vocal music is selected in the vain hope of 
 pleasing everybody, and the consequence is that it 
 satisfies nobody. There are hackneyed songs from 
 ' classical* composers, ' Royalty' songs, and songs from 
 the ' last new opera.' There is also a ' cantata,' a 
 ' serenata,' or some other ata, long enough for an entire 
 concert. It must be confessed that what is lost in 
 quality is gained in quantity. The unhappy audience, 
 after having suffered for four hours in the morning and 
 four more at night, are expected to rise with the lark 
 to be ready for the next day's performance. They do 
 it because they think it is the right thing to do, flatter- 
 ing themselves that the more they suffer the more 
 
 M 
 
1 62 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 they deserve to gain a reputation for being real lovers; 
 of music ! 
 
 I consider our triennial festivals flagrant proofs of 
 the ' decline of music ' in England. 
 
 If you bear with me I may next touch upon secular 
 performances. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Sir, — Let us now take a peep into the concert room,. 
 Concerts undertaken by professional musicians for 
 their own pecuniary advantage must not be too closely- 
 scrutinised. ' Those who live to please must please 
 to live.' A professor ought not to be expected to 
 sacrifice his bread to quixotic notions of the dignity 
 of his art ; still, concerts of this sort are tests of the 
 public taste. When good music is in fashion, those 
 who cater for the public will find it their interest to 
 give good music ; and when trash is more attractive, 
 they will be compelled to provide trash. The case is 
 different with regard to concerts undertaken by ama- 
 teurs for the amusement of themselves and their 
 friends. Such persons can afford to gratify their own 
 inclinations : they have no excuse for giving what is 
 low and empty, beyond the simple fact that they like 
 what is low and empty, and if they do, they must 
 bear to be told so. 
 
 Fifty years ago I used to attend the weekly con- 
 certs of an amateur society of which I afterwards 
 
The Decline of Music. 1 63 
 
 -became a member. The performance commenced at 
 eight o'clock in the evening, and ended at ten. As 
 fifteen minutes' rest was allowed between the first 
 and second part, the music never lasted two hours. 
 No tokens of approbation or dissent were allowed on 
 the part of the audience. There was an organ as well as 
 a band ; the vocal music consisted of songs, duets, glees, 
 and choruses ; the instrumental of symphonies and 
 overtures, as well as of accompaniments to the voices. 
 It was a standing rule that a concerto of Corelli, 
 Geminiani, Scarlatti, or Handel, should make a part 
 of every bill (although such concerto excluded the 
 wind instruments) in order to keep up the character 
 of the concerts ; but the best music of the day was 
 never rejected. 
 
 This society lasted for many years, and did much 
 to preserve a taste for good music in the town. After 
 its dissolution other musical associations started up ; 
 but now all things were changed. There were no 
 longer wise rules to maintain a classical character in 
 the performances, to limit their length, and to curb 
 the display of personal vanity. The vocal societies 
 relinquished the glees in favour of part-songs, in which 
 all could join. The instrumental societies discarded 
 the stringed concertos, because the players upon wind 
 instruments did not like to stand idle ; at all the 
 concerts applause was encouraged, and encores were 
 allowed. Instead of giving weekly concerts, each 
 society was obliged to content itself with getting up 
 
 M 2 
 
164 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 two or three in a year. The voices seldom had any 
 other assistance than that of the pianoforte, and the 
 bands lost the difficult art of accompaniment. Such 
 being the state of things, the result was necessarily a 
 ' decline of music' 
 
 Another class of amateurs sprang up, rather too 
 high in the social scale to sing at concerts, unless they 
 were given in the name of charity. I say ' in the 
 name,' because there is not a word in the English 
 language more abused than that of ' charity.' But if 
 a church, or a church-organ, chanced to get out of 
 repair, it was a godsend to these ladies and gentle- 
 men :• they could then condescend to sing or play, 
 because it was a case of ' charity.' Tickets might be 
 sold for four times their intrinsic worth, for ' charity " 
 would be the gainer thereby. Of course the pro- 
 fessional musicians were excluded ; partly because 
 "they were only ' professional people,' and partly 
 because they would have expected to be paid for 
 their services, and the money paid to them would be 
 so much taken from the ' charity.' Love of music 
 was not even pretended as an excuse for these 
 concerts. 
 
 There was yet another class of amateurs who occa- 
 sionally got up vocal entertainments. The music 
 consisted of songs and part songs written after the 
 continental fashion, for male voices only. Dr. Beattie 
 says (and I with him) that ' a fine female voice, mo- 
 dulated by sensibility, is the sweetest sound in art or 
 
The Decline of Music. 165 
 
 nature:' I pity those who can enjoy a concert from 
 which female voices are entirely excluded. 
 
 In my opinion the substitution of the part-song for 
 the glee has had an injurious effect upon the music of 
 our concert-rooms. When Spohr first came to this 
 country from the land of part-songs, he was quite en- 
 chanted with our native glee. He supposed it to be 
 the only species of national music that we have, and 
 he wondered at our insensibility to its beauty. As 
 the glee allows of only one voice to a part, it must 
 surely require finer singing, and be capable of greater 
 expression than can be given to part-songs, in which 
 the voices in all the parts are multiplied. Many of 
 our boasted part-songs are little more than har- 
 monised airs, if indeed they have any air in them. 
 They are not worthy to be compared with such 
 glees as Webbe's ' When winds breathe soft,' or his 
 ' Swiftly from the mountain's brow,' to mention no 
 others. 
 
 If I were asked whether I would exclude Pierson's 
 national part-songs, such as ' To Arms ' and ' Ye 
 Mariners of England,' from our concert rooms, my 
 answer would be that they are quite exceptional.. 
 Though called ' part-songs,' they have the effect of 
 noble choruses, enriched with fine instrumental accom- 
 paniments. Besides, I would exclude nothing that 
 reflects the radiance of genius. 
 
 What are called 'royalty songs' have had a bane- 
 ful influence on our public concerts : the pecuniary 
 
1 66 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 agreement implied by the term ' royalty ' is not 
 wholly indefensible. A singer and a composer are 
 free to enter into a contract which is certainly not 
 illegal. Each of the contracting parties seeks only 
 individual advantage, nor can either be bound with- 
 out mutual consent. Neither, therefore, has a right 
 to complain of having made a bad bargain. Though 
 I know not how the system originated, I can con- 
 ceive that its beginning may have been innocent 
 enough. Perhaps the singers sought by demanding a 
 small commission upon a certain number of copies of 
 the song sold, to rid themselves of harassing impor- 
 tunities ; or it may be that they supposed themselves 
 fairly entitled to some share of a profit which they had 
 mainly contributed to create. Thus, when Madame 
 Vestris took it into her head to sing Horn's song of 
 ' Cherry ripe,' then almost unkown, she made it so 
 popular that the publisher (Power) was enabled to sell 
 some thousands of copies ; added to which a demand 
 was established for Horn's future songs. Now, had 
 Madame Vestris previously put in a claim for some 
 share of the profits, I see not how such claim could 
 have been ignored on the principle of abstract justice. 
 The real gravamen of the charge now brought against 
 singers I take to be, not so much that they demand a 
 ' royalty,' as that they are ready to sing trash for the 
 sake of what they get by it. Singers who will con- 
 descend to do this must bear to be told that they are 
 false to themselves and to their art ; that they abuse 
 
The Decline of Music. 167 
 
 the public ; and that they justly forfeit the esteem of 
 all sincere lovers of music. 
 
 ' Touring parties ' from London, ' starring ' in the 
 provinces, have done more harm than good. It is 
 true that they have done some good, because it is in- 
 structive to an audience to hear fine singing and play- 
 ing : but they have taught people to think more of 
 the manner than of the matter ; more of the singer than 
 of the thing sung. Their concert bills are framed in 
 the hope of pleasing all tastes, so that they are sure 
 to offend good taste. The names of two or three 
 ' classical ' composers are paraded in large letters, but 
 the best pieces selected are generally such as have 
 been worn threadbare : they are . often taken from 
 Some well-known opera, and they suffer a twofold 
 injury ; that of being separated from what ought to 
 precede and follow them ; and that of being accom- 
 panied by a pianoforte instead of by a band, It is well 
 if the rest of the programme be not a wretched Olla 
 Podrida, the main end sought being an opportunity 
 for the display of holding notes, swells, shakes, and 
 meaningless fioriture. 
 
 Audiences, however, are as much to blame as per- 
 formers. The upper classes in this country deeming 
 it vulgar to show any outward tokens of admiration 
 or displeasure, the ' clapping ' is done either by men 
 hired for the purpose, or by the least educated people 
 in the room. Singers are not without excuse if they 
 mistake noisy demonstrations which are flattering to 
 
1 68 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 their vanity for the real sense of the company. They 
 forget, however, that the highest applause is to be 
 found in breathless attention, in the silent tear, or 
 -in the deep drawn sigh when the song is over. 
 
 With your kind permission I may take a glance in 
 my next at the lyrical drama. 
 
 Sir, — -The opera is a fashionable institution which 
 reflects, while it cannot control, the form of the public 
 taste. A little consideration will satisfy anyone that 
 this must be so. A manager might as well close his 
 doors as introduce music, however excellent, which 
 people would not go to hear. The ' decline of music ' 
 in the church and in the concert-room would therefore 
 tell with disastrous effect upon the opera-house; 
 Those who like what is low and trivial in a church, 
 will not seek what is noble and great at the theatre. 
 
 There are peculiar difficulties in the way of keeping 
 up the character of the opera. To write a fine lyrical 
 drama requires not only competent knowledge,, but 
 genius of a very high order. Now, men of genius will 
 always be rare. The appetite of the public for novelty 
 must consequently be fed by composers of inferior 
 pretension. But this is not all. The singers must be 
 consulted and petted, at least to a certain extent, or 
 they might get an opera damned, and contrive to 
 
The Decline of Music. 169 
 
 throw all the fault upon the music. Now, Italian 
 singers do not like ' earnest German music,' on account 
 of the rigour with which it fetters the voice. They 
 must have scope for the display of flexibility, tone, 
 and feats of execution. On the other hand, German 
 instrumentalists, who regard human voices rather as 
 their slaves than their masters, look with ill concealed 
 disdain upon fine Italian singing. 
 
 Dr. Burney, after having made his musical tours 
 through Italy and Germany, gave an opinion of the 
 characteristics of the two schools, which was not only 
 true then, but is equally so at the present day, ' The 
 Italians,' says he, ' are apt to be too negligent, and the 
 Germans too elaborate ; in so much that music, if I 
 may hazard the thought, seems play to the Italians, 
 and work to the Germans. The Italians are perhaps 
 the only people on the globe who can trifle with grace, 
 as the Germans have alone the power to render even 
 labour pleasing.' 
 
 If the excellencies peculiar to each of these schools 
 can be united, the result will be that we shall have 
 fine operas. Now, when a German composer is gifted 
 with genius and an Italian is endowed with learning, 
 this will be brought about. Hence we see why the 
 operas of Mozart, which overflow with the sweetest 
 melody, and those of Cherubini, which are enriched 
 with appropriate harmony, are among the finest 
 compositions for the stage : whereas in Verdi's operas, 
 in my humble opinion, we have a soul without a body, 
 
1 76 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 and in those of Meyerbeer, a body without a soul'. 
 The fact is, that Mozart was a German and an Italian 
 'rolled into one ; and the same may be said of 
 Cherubini, if not to the same extent. Beethoven 
 Imputed it as a fault to ' Don Juan ' that it ' has the 
 complete Italian cut ; ' but the public continue to 
 think it one of the finest operas in the world, perhaps 
 for that very reason, and in this I quite agree with 
 the public. 
 
 '■• Handel's operas have been abused more than I 
 think they deserve. Indeed, I see no reason why they 
 should be abused at all, seeing that they are not 
 likely to be ever performed. His ' Otho ' is, in my 
 judgment, a constellation of beauties from beginning to 
 ■end ; and the same may be said of the third act of 
 "his ' Richard the First.' There is in this act a short 
 .Song, '.Morte, vieni,' which to my feelings is worth 
 more than Winter's ' O Giove onnipotente ! ' and 
 Beethoven's ' In questa tomba,' both weighed together. 
 Titiens could electrify an audience with it, if they 
 were educated up to the mark. But Handel's operas 
 are not easily obtained, because Walsh, the publisher, 
 -after Handel's death, melted down the plates of the 
 voice parts, in order to make other use of the metaL 
 
 The newspaper notices of a new opera harmonise 
 admirably with the interests of the music sellers. Let 
 ■there be two or three ad captandum songs, and the 
 . * critics ' will not be sparing of their praise, or slow to 
 ^prophesy that ' these delightful airs ' will soon become 
 
The Decline of Music. 171 
 
 ' the charm of the domestic circle.' These sly hints: 
 are quoted by the music sellers ; the ' delightful airs ' 
 are bought by the simple-minded public, and the 
 newspapers reap a golden harvest in the shape of 
 advertisements. You will find no notice taken of the 
 ' Recitative,' a most important feature in an opera, It 
 is not then to be wondered at that managers dare not 
 bring out an opera of Gluck, although he is the 
 greatest of dramatic composers. His ' Alceste,' indeed, 
 is said to have kept audiences in a thrill of suspense 
 from the rising of the curtain till its fall. But un- 
 fortunately his airs were written with a view td 
 Character and situation : they resemble certain flowers, 
 which are beautiful where they grow, but which will 
 not bear transplanting. In a word, they could not be 
 crammed down the throats of the ' domestic circle.' 
 How then should they ' pay ' ? 
 
 1 Great improvements have been made within the 
 last half century in the band and in the scenery of 
 the opera in England. But what we have gained in 
 brass we have lost in gold. The voices are ho longer 
 supreme. They have often to sustain an unequal 
 contest with the instruments and sometimes they are 
 extinguished altogether. One is then reminded of 
 the Frenchman who had plenty of ruffles, but never a 
 
 Shirt. 
 
 .. I maintain that the last seventy years have witnessed 
 a terrible decline in the taste of subscribers to the 
 Dpera. I don't ask you to take my word for this or 
 
1 72 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 for anything. I will give you a simple and an in- 
 fallible test. Such a test is a ' benefit night.' I look 
 upon a benefit night as a sort of carnival, when the 
 beneficiary will do anything and everything that is 
 likely to please the audience in order to secure the 
 greatest possible amount of public favour. Now, 
 Mrs. Billington, one of the finest singers this or any 
 other country ever produced, invited the celebrated 
 composer Winter to write his ' Calypso ' expressly for 
 her. He afterwards wrote three other operas for the 
 King's Theatre : ' II Trionfo dell' Amore Fraterno,' for 
 Mrs. Billington, who brought it out for her benefit on 
 March 22, 1804; ' Zaira,' for Grassini, who gave it 
 for her benefit on May 3, in the same year ; and ' II 
 Ratto di Proserpina,' which was brought out for the 
 benefit of Grassini on January 29, 1805. On March 
 28, in the same year, Mrs. Billington took for her 
 benefit ' La Clemenza di Scipione ' of John Christian 
 Bach; and in 1806, at her benefit, she gave the 
 amateurs of London the first opportunity of hearing a 
 complete opera of Mozart, by selecting his ' Clemenza 
 di Tito,' the libretto of which, as is well known, is, 
 abridged from the beautiful drama of Metastasio. I 
 might go on to show how Camporese, Naldi, Braham; 
 and others for a long time followed these excellent 
 examples, but enough has been said. Let us look at 
 the reverse of the medal. In these days a prima 
 donna will not scruple to give us for her benefit three 
 acts selected from as many different operas, and. those 
 
The Decline of Music. 1 73 
 
 far from the best. She is thinking of herself more 
 than of her art, well knowing that the public are 
 attracted to the opera rather by the singing than by 
 the music. I forget how many characters Piccolomini 
 appeared in on one of her benefit nights, or how many 
 fragments of operas she introduced, but her trans- 
 formations were almost as numerous, and quite as in- 
 congruous as those of Indur. 
 
 It may be said that anything should be allowed 
 upon a benefit night ; but we need not a benefit as an 
 excuse for corrupting the art of music. Most people 
 remember how Signor Arditi dared to tamper with 
 the score of Mozart's ' II Don Giovanni.' How the 
 part of the hero, which was written for a bass, was 
 altered to suit a tenor, either that Signor Mario might 
 figure in it, or because there was no competent bass 
 in the company. In better times Europe would have 
 been ransacked for a bass, rather than that this thing 
 should have been done ; or some other opera of 
 Mozart would have been substituted for the one in 
 question till a suitable bass could be obtained. Of 
 course we don't expect to get another Ambrogetti. 
 
 Perhaps you will kindly allow me space for one 
 more letter to touch upon English opera, in comple r 
 tion of the subject. 
 
1 74 Musical Criticism and Biography, 
 
 VI. 
 
 Sir,— I now approach the last and most painful part 
 of this branch of my subject. I allude to the decline, and 
 might almost say the extinction, of the English opera. 
 Yes, sir, the English opera ; for our countrymen have 
 produced operas which were the rational delight of 
 our ancestors, and which will always be regarded with 
 affection by English lovers of music. There are no 
 vocal strains which touch the inmost heart of a man 
 like those of his native land. To give all the reasons 
 for this would be to run into a disquisition too long for 
 a weekly journal. I can only try to throw a gleam of 
 light upon the matter in as few words as possible. 
 
 We are to remember that singing differs from comr 
 mon speaking only in being more highly coloured and 
 more impassioned ; that though it is bad to sing in 
 talking, it is good to speak in singing ; and that reci- 
 tative, which is a sort of connecting link between song 
 and speech, is nothing more than declaiming in tune. 
 
 Now, different nations have not only different lan^ 
 guages, but also different tones in their manner of 
 speaking. By ' tone ' is meant the sound of the voice 
 throughout the whole course of a sentence. The difr 
 ferences of tone I take to be partly due to differences 
 in the collocation of words in a sentence in different 
 languages. This difference of collocation or arrange- 
 ment will involve a difference in the position of the 
 
The Decline of Music, 175 
 
 accents, and so give rise to what is called tone. For 
 instance, it is not uncommon to hear it said of a 
 Frenchman, or an Italian, ' he speaks English well* 
 but with a slightly foreign accent.' That is, with a 
 difference of tone. It is remarkable that differences 
 of tone pervade different parts of one and the same 
 country. Thus in England you may tell what county 
 an uneducated person was born in, as soon as he 
 opens his mouth ; and it is one of the highest com- 
 pliments that you can pay to an educated man to say 
 of him, ' I know not what part of the country he 
 comes from.' 
 
 In what has been said we have a key to the pre-r 
 ference which most nations show for the music of 
 their respective countries. I have already given some 
 superficial reasons for the dislike which Italians have 
 to singing the music of Mozart. But there is another 
 and a deeper reason. Mozart was a German ; he 
 might set Italian words, and he might write in the 
 Italian style ; but there would inevitably be some in^- 
 flexions of tone in his recitatives and airs which an 
 Italian composer would not use, and which Italian 
 singers would not like, because to the Italian mind they 
 would not be the voice of nature. 
 
 All foreigners marvel at the reverence of the 
 English for Purcell. They do not like his music. I 
 should wonder if they did. It would be mere affec- 
 tation in them to pretend to like what it is impossible 
 
1 76 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 for them to understand. You might wed the music; 
 of Purcell's ' From rosie bowers ' to German, French, 
 or Italian words, but you could not do this without 
 utterly ruining that inimitable song. 
 
 I may be asked how then is it that we English are 
 intensely pleased with the operas of Mozart, and with 
 the ' Fidelio ' of Beethoven ? I will answer this ques- 
 tion with another. How is it that we are intensely 
 pleased with the ' symphonies ' of these composers ? 
 The truth is, that the pleasure which the operas give 
 us is of the kind afforded by instrumental rather than 
 by vocal music, with the additional charm of that 
 sweetest of instruments, the human voice. Who that 
 is ignorant of Italian could hear the ' Madamina ' in 
 Mozart's ' Don Giovanni ' without delight ? Who 
 would not have that delight lessened by being told 
 the meaning of the words ? 
 
 H. H. Pierson, the greatest of living composers, has 
 spent the best years of his life in Germany, and in 
 writing for the Germans. They admire the beauty of 
 his music, but they complain that it is 'intensely 
 English.' I make no doubt that his opera of ' Leila,' 
 originally set to German words, has more or less the 
 effect of a translation, and that it would be more at 
 home in an English dress. I have heard one song 
 from that opera to the words ' Thy heart, O man, is 
 like the sea,' and my feeling was that it could have 
 been written only by an Englishman. Such a singer 
 
The Decline of Music. 177 
 
 as Santley could render it a household word among 
 us. 
 
 Again, Handel, notwithstanding his long residence 
 in this country, could never be sure of setting English 
 words as a native would set them. ' He was despised,' 
 in the ' Messiah,' is accentuated just as most foreigners 
 would accent the phrase in speaking. It\ ' I know 
 that my Redeemer liveth,' a force is given to the pos- 
 sessive pronoun by the minim, and by the interrupted 
 cadence on the accented part of the bar, which gratesi 
 terribly upon English ears. Of course it would be 
 easy to multiply examples, but what has been said 
 ought to be enough. 
 
 Addison, in No 29 of the ' Spectator,' has some 
 admirable remarks upon the subject in hand. He 
 justly prefers the Italian method of connecting the 
 airs of an opera with recitative, to that of speaking 
 the words, as is done in Purcell's operas. I mention 
 this for the sake of observing that Purcell was not 
 here in fault. In the ' Conjuror's Song,' in his ' Indian 
 Queen,' he has written the finest piece of English 
 recitative extant, to the words ' Ye twice ten hundred 
 Deities.' But it would have been useless for him to 
 write what his countrymen did not know how to per- 
 form. Mozart wrote recitatives in the Italian settings' 
 of his operas, but in the German settings he omitted 
 them altogether, because the Germans could not 
 execute them properly. It was reserved for Dr. Arne 
 
 N 
 
J 78 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 to prove that recitative is not uncongenial to the 
 English opera ; and John Braham has shown to 
 many now living (myself among the number), that 
 English recitative is capable of the finest declamation. 
 
 Let me now compare the past and the present, 
 as I did in the case of the Italian opera. 
 
 Dr. Arne's 'Artaxerxes' was the glory of the 
 English stage. It was a daring thing to substitute 
 recitative for dialogue in an English opera, but not 
 more bold than successful. Arne, however, was a man 
 of genius and learning ; and he had not miscalculated 
 his powers. The poetry was translated by himself 
 from Metastasio's 'Artaserse.' 
 
 It may be said that ' Artaxerxes ' was all very well 
 when it was written, but that ' it would never do now.' 
 Why ? ' Oh, because it is old, and so thin, and so 
 much improvement has been since made in instru- 
 ments and instrumental accompaniments.' Nay, but 
 hear me ! Mrs. Billington was the greatest soprano 
 that this country ever produced ; she was not only 
 prima donna at the King's theatre ; she was the dar- 
 ling of Europe. Yet that mighty singer was so far 
 from being above appearing in English opera, that 
 she gathered her greenest laurels in this field. 
 ' Artaxerxes ' was nearly half a century old when she 
 first acted and sung in it. She was familiar with the 
 operas of Winter and Mozart, and consequently no 
 stranger to wealth of accompaniment. Indeed, we 
 have receded rather than advanced in the art of writ- 
 
The Decline of Music. 1 79 
 
 ing accompaniments ; why then should not ' Artax- 
 erxes' do now? Simply because the taste of the 
 public has degenerated. For seventy years the 
 ' Mandane ' of this opera was the crucial test of our 
 public singers, and the music was a perennial favour- 
 ite ; why then should it not ' do ' now ? To say that 
 it would not ' do now ' is to utter a bitter censure 
 upon the taste of the present day ; and the greater 
 the truth, the severer the censure. 
 
 ' Artaxerxes ' called forth all the powers of Mrs. 
 Billington. I can scarcely imagine a greater treat 
 than must have been enjoyed by those who heard 
 her and Mrs. Mountain in the exquisite duets of ' Fair 
 Aurora ' and ' For thee I live.' But Mrs. Billington 
 reserved her power for the song ' Adieu, thou gentle 
 youth,' because she never allowed herself to sing down 
 the voice of another. Her cantabile style is said to 
 have been shown to perfection in the airs ' If o'er the 
 cruel tyrant,' and ' Let not rage thy bosom firing.' 
 In the latter, the words 
 
 I, alas, at once have lost, 
 Father, brother, lover, friend ! 
 
 were given with a thrilling pathos that suffused every 
 eye and melted every heart. What her execution of 
 ' The soldier tired ' must have been, we may partly 
 conceive from the cadenza, which has come down to 
 us. It is founded, as all cadences should be, upon 
 the melody of the song, and could never be appended 
 
 » 2 
 
1 80 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 to any other composition. Here she would generally- 
 run up to F sharp in altissimo, and always without 
 sinking so much as a comma ! 
 
 Much later, Incledon used to electrify the audience 
 in the admirable song, 'Thy father! away. I re- 
 nounce the soft claim ;' but the whole opera is a 
 cabinet of beauties. 
 
 The pasticcio of ' Love in a village,' contains much 
 charming music. Those who have heard Miss 
 Stephens in Arne's air, 'Gentle youth, ah tell me 
 why,' will never forget the touching expression which 
 she threw into the words ' Go, and never see me more,' 
 where a brief modulation is made into the subdomi- 
 nant of the original key. 
 
 The ' Duenna ' is another pasticcio, the whole of 
 the music to which is first-rate, having been selected 
 by Sheridan from the purest sources. Some of it is 
 by T. Linley, junr., the friend of Mozart, and whose 
 untimely end (by the upsetting of a boat, if I re- 
 member rightly) cost Mozart many tears. The- 
 ' rondo overture,' the opening serenade, ' Tell me, my 
 lute,' the song, ' Friendship is the bond of reason,' the 
 trio, ' May'st thou never happy be,' the song, ' Sharp is 
 the woe,' and the duet, ' Turn thee round,' were all 
 written by this young composer. They are all 
 original and all deliciously vocal. Linley resembled 
 Mozart in this, that he always had the right note in 
 the right place. 
 
 Many of your readers must remember the triumphs 
 
The Decline of Music. 1 8 1 
 
 of Madame Vestris and Braham in what is called the 
 'ballad opera,' wherein the airs are connected by 
 spoken language, as in Purcell's operas and in the 
 German operas of Mozart. Nothing can be more 
 grateful to the ear of an Englishman than are many of 
 these dramas. Take for instance Arne's • Comus,' his 
 ' Midas,' his 'Alfred,' and others. There is Arnold's 
 comic opera, ' The Maid of the Mill ; ' there is Jack- 
 son's ' The Lord of the Manor,' containing among other 
 admirable things, the exquisite air, ' Encompassed in 
 an Angel's frame,' and there are the operas of Shiel 
 abounding with beautiful melodies, to mention no 
 others. 
 
 I have shown you what we have lost, let us now 
 see what we have gained. In the newspapers of every 
 large town in which there is a theatre, you will from 
 time to time see a long paragraph, or series of para- 
 graphs, headed ' English Opera.' You will be told 
 that a ' talented ' company from London are regaling 
 the good folks of the place with ' English operas ' of 
 the first class, for it is an ' English Opera Company.' 
 Then you will find what must be called, in courtesy, 
 a critique of the performances. But what of the 
 things performed ? There will be the ' grand ' opera 
 of 'II Trovatore;' that of 'La Traviata;' that of 
 ' Norma ;* that of ' Lucrezia Borgia ;' et id genus omne 
 (minus the recitatives, and otherwise disfigured by 
 cuts), tortured into doing duty to English words. In 
 the orchestra will be found a few players upon 
 
1 8 2 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 stringed instruments, and a clever conductor with one* 
 hand upon a pianoforte and another hand upon the 
 harmonium, filling up gaps and keeping things to- 
 gether. As the words and music were not written for 
 each other it is impossible that the former should be 
 really sung. You can have nothing better than a 
 string of nonsense verses, reminding you of your 
 school days at Eton or Harrow. Perhaps upon the 
 last night of the company's appearance some lovers 
 of music will be attracted to the theatre by an an-r 
 nouncement of the ' Beggar's Opera.' But they will 
 soon find that the singers have been so vitiated by 
 their familiarity with trash, that they have little 
 idea of how to sing real English music in their native 
 tongue. 
 
 If some enterprising manager would risk a reviv-* 
 ing of the true English opera, I have little doubt that 
 his efforts would be ultimately rewarded with success. 
 He could anywhere get together a band capable of 
 playing the simple accompaniments ; the voices of 
 his singers, instead of being torn to tatters would 
 long maintain their freshness ; and the patronage of 
 people of taste would soon be followed by that of 
 those who only care for what is the fashion of the 
 day. 
 
 For more than half a century we have been sliding 
 down the hill in all branches of music, and we have 
 found this to be much easier than we shall find it to 
 
The Decline of Music. 183 
 
 regain the summit, ' Facilis descensus Averni ; sed 
 revocare gradum, hie labor, hoc opus est.' 
 
 Thanking you for your courtesy, and asking the 
 pardon of your readers for having trespassed so long 
 upon their patience, I now take my leave of this un- 
 grateful subject. 
 
1 84 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 A LETTER 
 
 ON 
 
 'THE PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC 
 
 From the ' Musical Standard' of March J, 1870. 
 
 TO THE EDITOR OF THE 'MUSICAL STANDARD.' 
 
 Sir, — There is at this day so much ignorance of 
 what may be called the philosophy of music, that it 
 may be worth while to touch upon the subject, though 
 of course this can only be done superficially within the 
 compass of a letter. 
 
 The essence of man is his will, and the form in 
 which that essence exists is his understanding. His 
 will is the seat of his loves and affections ; his under- 
 standing is the seat of his perception of truth. Love 
 answers to heat, which can be felt, but not seen ; 
 truth answers to light, which can be seen, but not felt. 
 Now, the will and the understanding are so united as 
 to form a one, although their operations are distinct. 
 Every appeal that can be made to man must be either 
 to his will through his understanding, or to his under- 
 standing through his wilL 
 
The Philosophy of Music. 185 
 
 The essence of music is sound ; and that mere 
 sound appeals to the will, or feeling, and not to the 
 thoughts of the understanding, is not only true, but 
 capable of proof. Articulate speech is addressed to 
 the perceptions, or thoughts, of the understanding. 
 Thus when you talk with your friend, you think upon 
 the subject of his words ; you perceive the truth or 
 falsehood of what he relates, and you judge concern^ 
 ing the spirit with which he is animated. But the 
 case is far different with respect to the tone of his 
 voice : this corresponds with his state of affection, and 
 it appeals to your own state of feeling. A bystander, 
 who might not catch his words, could know by this 
 tone whether he Were friendly to you or angry with 
 you, or whether he were appealing to your pity. A 
 man begs in a different tone to that in which he 
 threatens. Novelists take advantage of this truth, 
 when they describe the tone with which their charac- 
 ters speak when under the influence of any strong 
 passion. 
 
 A reader of the orations of Demosthenes, of Cicero, 
 or of Burke, is sometimes tempted to doubt whether 
 the effect which is said to have been wrought upon 
 audiences by some of those orations may not have 
 been exaggerated, inasmuch as he experiences no 
 such strong emotions in himself. But he forgets that 
 a printed speech is like a body without a soul, because 
 the tone of the living voice, which was the vehicle of 
 conveying the speaker's affection, is absent. The 
 
1 86 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 printed language, can do no more than appeal to the 
 will through the understanding, whereas the spoken 
 words went home to the will and the understanding 
 as a one. Not only was the force of the arguments 
 perceived, but the passion of the speakers was also 
 felt. 
 
 The reason why mere tone is so potent in its opera- 
 tion is because it is capable of modulation, or inflec- 
 tion. The affections of the will, which are endless in 
 variety, accommodate to themselves an equal variety 
 of tones by inflection : hence the will can make itself 
 felt, at the same time that the intellect makes itself 
 understood. 
 
 Music may be called inflected sound, because 
 without inflections there can be no such thing as air, 
 or melody. This may be seen in the case of the drum, 
 which is capable only of measure, because it cannot 
 give more than one note. In an orchestra, however, 
 two drums are generally employed — one sounding the 
 key note, and the other its fifth. For proof that these 
 can produce a simple melody I refer your readers to 
 the opening of Handel's 'Dettingen Te Deum.' 
 Neither can sound, without inflections, excite the 
 various emotions of the will. In Pierson's edition of 
 Beethoven's ' Studies ' are to be found directions for 
 writing Recitative, which illustrate this. Thus there 
 are examples in notation for expressing ' the question,' 
 for 'an exclamation of astonishment,' for 'tranquil 
 sentiments,' and for ' agitation and violent passion/ 
 
The Philosophy of Music. 187 
 
 for expressions ' of wonderment and delight,' together 
 with many others — all of which demand inflections of 
 sound. There are also ' harmonies to express sadness 
 and lamentation.' 
 
 We are now in a position to see the folly of mono- 
 toning a psalm, or other long canticle, in the church. 
 The iteration of a single note is not music, and it 
 cannot therefore produce those effects which naturally 
 flow from music. It may be said, however, that these 
 effects can be produced by the organ accompaniment. 
 But to depend upon the organ is to invert the order 
 of things: it is to make that which should be secondary, 
 principal ; and to reduce that which should be principal 
 to the level of a key ciphering, or of a humming-top, 
 or of a railway-whistle. 
 
 But though mere tone is nearly worthless without 
 inflections, yet variety of tone is of the utmost value 
 when that tone is inflected. Why else should Nature 
 give soprano and contralto voices to women, and 
 tenor and bass voices to men ? Why should we strive 
 to enrich our orchestras with so great a variety of 
 instruments ? What composer does not introduce 
 drums and trumpets into his martial music ? Who is 
 ignorant that the flute is appropriate to a love song, 
 the oboe to a pastoral ditty, and the horn to a descrip- 
 tion of the pleasures of the chase ? 
 
 Allusion has been made to the truth that the will 
 and the understanding in man, though they are distinct 
 in their operations, are so united as to form a one.* 
 
1 88 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 The will acts ; the understanding thinks. The former* 
 is the seat of love, and the latter is the seat of wisdom. 
 Everything human has relation to both these faculties, 
 since they constitute the essence of the human being. 
 It is by virtue of the understanding that what we call 
 music is an Art, and that it differs from the singing of 
 birds, and from the tones of an ^Eolian harp. This' 
 art is reached by gradation. Thus there are agreeable 
 sounds, such as the murmur of waterfalls, the rolling 
 of thunder, and the singing of birds, which cannot 
 properly be called musical. The song of the cuckoo, 
 however, may be said to contain musical sounds, 
 because that bird makes musical intervals, the closest 
 interval being a major second, and the widest a perfect 
 .fourth. He also gives the minor and major thirds at 
 different periods of his stay. A nearer approach to 
 music is made by a peal of eight bells, because here 
 we get the diatonic scale, with its tones and semi- 
 tones in due order. We also get harmony by ringing 
 the bells in couples. Music strictly begins when Time 
 is introduced ; that is, when inflected sounds are 
 measured by bars, and when these bars are collected 
 into rhythmical periods, so as to form regular strains, 
 which strains can be adjoined to poetry and sung by 
 the human voice. 
 
 That vocal music is intrinsically the highest order 
 of music I take to be a self-evident truth ; indeed, the 
 late Mr. Jones, of Nayland, went so far as to say, 
 ' Ever since instrumental music has been made inder 
 
The Philosophy of Music. 189 
 
 .pendent of vocal, we have been in danger of falling 
 under the dominion of sound without sense.' Even 
 in these days the superiority of vocal music is tacitly 
 acknowledged ; first-rate singers are better paid than 
 first-rate instrumentalists ; and when voices and instru- 
 ments are employed together, the latter are still called 
 ' accompaniments.' Vocal music is not only capable 
 of the highest beauties of expression ; but it has this 
 further advantage, that the passion appealed to being 
 fixed and determined by words, the hearer can know 
 infallibly whether that expression be just. 
 
 Everyone hates incongruity, as far as he is able to 
 perceive it, and is delighted with fitness in all things. 
 In the Fine Arts education enables a man to detect 
 incongruities, which escape the notice of those that 
 rare uncultivated ; hence the latter are often pleased 
 .with music that fills the former with disgust. This 
 may be made to appear by examples. 
 
 I take a man, for instance, to a soldier's funeral, to 
 hear the 'Dead March in Saul;' he is probably 
 struck and affected with the music, and calls it ' indeed 
 fine.' I take him soon after to a wedding, and when 
 the bridal procession enters the church the organist 
 strikes up the 'Dead March in Saul.' The man 
 remembers the air, and is forthwith indignant. ' My 
 friend !' I exclaim, ' why are you angry ? It was only 
 the other day that I heard you call that music fine !.' 
 He would naturally reply, that what was fit for a 
 funeral is unfit for a wedding, for that very, reason ; 
 
190 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 and that the bride might as well be attired in blacky 
 which would be quite as much in keeping. The incon- 
 gruity is here so gross that the man perceives it, and 
 he is accordingly offended. I next take him to a 
 concert to hear ' Acis and Galatea,' as it was originally 
 ■written, and he listens to it with pleasure. I again 
 take him to hear it performed with 'additional ac- 
 companiments.' This time he is much more delighted, 
 ' What an improvement,' he affirms, ' are those drums 
 and trumpets ! Oh, I love drums and trumpets ! ' I 
 return his own argument upon him. I tell him that 
 what is fit for war is for that very reason unfit for 
 peace, and that drums and trumpets are quite out of 
 place in a pastoral. But I make no impression, 
 because, though he may perceive, or be made to per- 
 ceive, he does not actually feel the incongruity ; 
 whereas I, who do feel it, am tormented, as he was 
 tormented at the wedding. 
 
 When a well-known preacher introduced secular 
 music into his church, that 'the Devil might not have 
 all the best tunes,' he simply showed an ignorance of 
 which he ought to have been ashamed. Any poor 
 gardener could have" told him that the sweetest flower 
 is no better than a weed when out of its place. In 
 music, as in all other things, a man's understanding 
 reacts upon his will in proportion to his experience 
 and knowledge ; and his pleasure is heightened and 
 refined in proportion to the sensitiveness of this 
 reaction. 
 
The Philosophy of Music. 191 
 
 Now-a-days every man who can string a few chords 
 together sets himself up for a composer, and affects 
 much disdain for what he is pleased to call pedantic 
 and obsolete rules. But a man should be master of 
 harmony before he begins to study the art of composi- 
 tion. Thus, in Beethoven's ' Studies,' after a ' system 
 of thorough bass ' has been taught, the pupil begins 
 the ' theory of composition,' or counterpoint. In 
 Cherubini's ' Treatise on Counterpoint and Fugue,' he 
 ' thus commences : — ' I suppose the pupil to be already 
 acquainted with the theory of chords, and consequently 
 of harmony.' He further tells the pupil that, when 
 he has mastered the instructions upon fugue, he ' will 
 have no more need of lessons.' Now the pupil will 
 have been taken through the five orders of counter- 
 point, extending to eight parts ; he will have been 
 initiated into imitation in all its phases ; he will have 
 studied double counterpoint ; and he will have learned 
 to write real fugues in eight parts for two choirs : and 
 all this will have been done before, in Cherubini's 
 opinion, he can have ' no more need of lessons.' If 
 you, my friend, think that this severe study would 
 cramp your genius, know that Handel, Sarti, and 
 Cherubini, had all these things at their finger's ends, 
 and that these composers were among the sweetest of 
 melodists. 
 
 The cry at present is for monster orchestras, monster 
 choruses, and monster bands. Nay, upon one occa-' 
 sion it was thought necessary to add the infernal din 
 
192 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 of bells, anvils, and cannon ! Need we any stronger 
 proof that the golden age of music is past, and that 
 we have sunk into the noisiness of brass and the hard- 
 ness of iron ? The reason why men tolerate these 
 barbarous innovations is because they have come to 
 the mistaking of means for ends. Voices and instru- 
 ments are now regarded as ends, whereas they are 
 only means : they are the vehicles by which the 
 thoughts of the composer are conveyed, through the 
 medium of the ear, to the heart and mind of the 
 auditor. If a musical subject be intrinsically worth- 
 less, all the singers and players in the world can never 
 give it value ; they cannot bring more out of it than 
 they find in it. But if the subject be noble in itself, 
 it will need no costly gilding. I will illustrate this 
 by an example. Some years ago the Norwich Choral 
 Society used to have an occasional supper, after which 
 the famous canon, ' Non nobis Domine,' was always 
 sung. It began with one voice or so to a part, the 
 other voices gradually falling in to the number of 
 perhaps one hundred and fifty. The tones used to 
 swell upon the ear and fade into distance, as if they, 
 had been wafted by the wind. The effect was so 
 sublimely devotional, that I have seen strangers, who 
 were present by invitation, scarcely able to control 
 their emotion. When the climax was reached, the 
 twitching features and the glistening eye showed the 
 thrilling effect which was produced by the crescendos, 
 
The Philosophy of Music. 193 
 
 to the words ' sed nomini tuo da gloriam : ' only a 
 .stock or a stone could resist it. 
 
 Let us now look at the composition itself, to see 
 what there is in it. It is a canon in the fourth and 
 eighth below, of only three parts, and of course without 
 accompaniments, and without the charm of the female 
 voice t Often only one note is heard at a time, with 
 or without its repetitions in the octave, and often only 
 two. Nay, there are even grievous infractions of rule. 
 Thus in one place the leading note falls, instead of 
 rising ; in another place the minor seventh rises where 
 it ought to fall ; add to which, consecutive fifths are 
 dimly masked by the prolongation of the bass note of 
 the preceding bar. These progressions would not be 
 allowed in the free style of writing, but they are fully 
 justified by the exigencies of the canon. Rules were 
 made for music, not music for rules. Infraction of a 
 rule, though an evil in itself, is praiseworthy when 
 more is gained by breaking than could be got by 
 keeping it. No one, for instance, would deny that it 
 is wrong to throw corn into the sea ; yet probably the 
 Apostle Paul assisted with his own hands in casting 
 the wheat over-board, 'to lighten the ship' for the 
 saving of men's lives. In ' Non nobis Domine ' some- 
 thing is due to the language itself, which is admirably 
 suited to the delivery of pure tone. The musical 
 effect is partly owing to the dignity, propriety, and 
 sweetness of the subject, partly to the solemn harmony, 
 
1 94 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 and partly to the lucidity which enables the ear to 
 follow the melody in all its windings and simul- 
 taneously in all the parts. You not only taste the 
 wine, but you see it glowing through the crystal cup. 
 When the second strain successively commences after 
 half a bar's rest, you do not think of the art . of the 
 composer ; it seems as if the voices come in simply 
 because they are inspired by the theme, and therefore 
 cannot do otherwise. Surely such music must be 
 superior to pieces that require the aid of ' bells, anvils, 
 and cannon,' both in kind and in degree, as much as 
 the highest pleasures of men are superior to the toys 
 that delighted their childhood. 
 
 In concluding this letter, I wish it to be understood 
 that I have only .just touched the border of the subject ; 
 I have merely stated a few irrefragable truths, and 
 made some applications of them, in the hope of setting 
 other heads a-thinking. 
 
 Norwich, February 1 1. 
 
Part II. 
 BIOGRAPHICAL. 
 
197 
 
 THE LATE MR. GEORGE PERRY. 
 
 (From the ' Norfolk News' of Saturday, April 19, 1862.) 
 
 This excellent musician and able composer died on 
 Shrove Tuesday (March 4), in the 69th year of his 
 age. As he was a native of Norwich, we trust it will 
 gratify the musical readers of this journal to be pre- 
 sented with a few authentic particulars concerning 
 him. For these we are mainly indebted to Professor 
 Taylor and to Mr. Surman, of London. On writing 
 to Mr. Taylor requesting such information of Perry's 
 early life, as we knew could be obtained from no other 
 source, we were favoured with so admirable an account, 
 that, in justice to the Professor, we shall give it in his 
 own words — 
 
 - 'Although,' says Mr. Taylor, 'writing is now toil 
 and trouble to me, I will endeavour to comply with 
 your request. 
 
 ' George Perry's father was a turner in St. Gregory's ; 
 he used to sing bass at the yearly oratorio, and thus 
 became known to Dr. Beckwith, who introduced his 
 
1 98 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 son into the Cathedral choir. Vaughan was then 
 about to quit it. He (Perry) had "a very powerful but 
 not a fine voice, and was chiefly remarkable for his 
 quickness in learning, and for the pleasure he evidently 
 took in singing. This was so apparent, that my 
 brother-in-law, Dr. Henry Reeve, enquired the name 
 of " that boy who always appeared to sing with all his 
 heart and soul ?" " Sir," replied Dr. Beckwith, " that 
 boy, Perry, is brimful of music ; if you were to prick 
 him with a pin music would run out." 
 
 ' He never was articled to Dr. Beckwith, but when 
 he left the Cathedral, he was taught to play the violin 
 by Jos. Parnell (who was then one of the lay clerks), 
 and the pianoforte by his son John. Where he 
 acquired his knowledge of harmony I know not, but I 
 suspect from Bond, who was a pupil of Jackson, of 
 Exeter, and who was afterwards Mr. Garland's deputy, 
 Garland having been a pupil of Dr. Greene. 
 
 ' Perry used to play the violin at the Hall Concert, 
 but he had nothing to do with its management, for he 
 was not even a member of the society. It was at this 
 time, to my surprise, that he brought me the full score 
 of his oratorio, " The Death of Abel," the words of 
 which were written by George Bennett, of the Norwich 
 Theatre. This was performed at one of the Hall 
 Concerts. 
 
 ' On the resignation of Binfield, Perry succeeded him 
 as leader of the band at the Theatre. While holding 
 this situation, he composed his oratorio " Elijah and 
 
Mr. George Perry. 199 
 
 the Priests of Baal,' the words of which were written 
 by the Rev. J. Plumptre. It was performed March 12, 
 1 8 19, at the Concert Room, St. George's-bridge. He 
 then requested me to select for him the words for 
 another oratorio, which I did from Milman's " Fall of 
 Jerusalem." It was not published till 1834, when 
 Perry had been appointed composer to the Haymarket 
 Theatre, and organist of Quebec Chapel, about the 
 year 1822. 
 
 ' My removal to London very soon followed, and 
 from that time we very rarely met.' 
 
 The above narrative contains, perhaps, nearly all 
 that is now remembered of Perry's Norwich life. We 
 know no more than Professor Taylor does where 
 Perry learned the rudiments of harmony, but he was 
 indebted to the late Mr. James Taylor for his know- 
 ledge of fugue. After a performance of one of Perry's 
 oratorios (we believe ' The Death of Abel,') Taylor 
 was complimenting him upon the merits of the work, 
 at the same time adding that ' the choruses would 
 have been none the worse for a little fugue.' To this 
 Perry assented, and honestly confessed that ' Fugue 
 it should have had, if he had known how to write it.' 
 Taylor then delicately hinted that ' if he would accept 
 a few friendly lessons, he should have much pleasure 
 in giving them.' This offer was gratefully received 
 and the lessons immediately commenced. We have 
 frequently heard James Taylor express his astonish- 
 ment at Perry's aptitude for receiving instruction. A 
 
200 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 few days after the very first lesson, Perry brought his 
 master one of the choruses rewritten, and the subject 
 fugally treated. ' Ah,' said Taylor, ' If I had expected 
 this, I would have given you a little more of it.' 
 Taylor would often say, ' It was a pleasure to teach a 
 man like Perry : a hint was enough ; Sir, he always 
 anticipated what I had to tell him.' We have the 
 same authority for giving a curious instance of Perry's 
 facility in composition. He would occasionally be; 
 writing four songs at once ; not indeed, designedly, 
 but to save himself time and trouble. Being too 
 careless to provide blotting paper, and too impatient 
 to wait till his ink was dry, he would place four sheets 
 of music paper at the four sides of his table. On the 
 sheet that chanced to be nearest him, he would write 
 a page of song, No. I. This being done, he would 
 begin song, No. 2, on the next sheet, and having 
 reached the bottom of the page, he would commence 
 No. 3, and then No. 4, in like manner ; so that by the 
 time he again arrived at the first sheet, the ink would 
 be dry and he would turn over and go on with that 
 song, continuing to write till the four songs were all 
 committed to paper. It is possible that the beautiful 
 air, ' See, Rosa, this flower,' may have been one of the 
 melodies produced in this way. 
 
 If Dr. Beckwith regarded Perry as a boy ' brimful 
 of music,' Perry, on his part, had a profound venera- 
 tion for the doctor. He would say, ' Dr. Beckwith is 
 
Mr. George Perry. 201 
 
 none of your little dogs : no, no, sir ; the doctor is a 
 great man, he has a grand outline! 
 
 We remember to have once seen Mr. Perry lead at 
 a concert in the Bridge-street room, though we forget 
 how it came about. It was in the days of knee- 
 breeches — in the days, too, when the leader was the 
 sole conductor. It being an amateur band, he could 
 not keep them together to his satisfaction with his 
 bow, and therefore stamped with such vehemence, 
 that at last his stocking broke from its moorings, and 
 slowly descended to the middle of his leg. Of course, 
 the ladies tittered, as ladies will titter ; but all this 
 was nothing to Perry, whose heart and soul were so 
 wholly in his work, that he was blessedly unconscious 
 alike of the cause and the result. 
 
 Mr. Perry's fine chorus, ' Give the Lord,' from the 
 oratorio, 'The Death of Abel,' which was then un- 
 published, was performed at the first Norwich Trien- 
 nial Musical Festival, in 1824, the composer himself 
 conducting it ; Sir George Smart having, with gentle- 
 man-like feeling, resigned him the baton for that 
 purpose. 
 
 Somewhere about the year 1822, Perry went up to 
 town, having accepted an invitation to undertake the 
 duties of composer and director of the music at the 
 Haymarket Theatre, of which Mr. Morris was then 
 proprietor. Whilst Mr. Perry occupied this post he 
 composed his celebrated opera, ' Morning, Noon, and 
 
202 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Night,' and several others. It was the custom then, 
 as indeed it is now, for the singers to interlard an 
 opera with some of the popular songs of the day. One 
 morning it happened that a parcel of such songs was 
 brought to Mr. Perry, for Madame Vestris, who was 
 then prima donna, to try over. They ran through 
 one after another till they came to Horn's then com- 
 paratively unknown song of ' Cherry ripe.' This air 
 so pleased the lady that she tried it a second time, 
 and then declared, that ' if she obtained an encore in 
 it she would make it popular.' Mr. Perry had ac- 
 cordingly to arrange it for a full orchestra for perform- 
 ance the same evening. The result was, that it was 
 rapturously encored, and that the publisher (Power) 
 was enabled to sell some thousands of copies. Hence 
 its popularity even to the present day. 
 
 Successful, however, as Perry undoubtedly was in 
 dramatic composition, the theatre was not his natural 
 element. He loved the greatness of the sacred style 
 and panted to enrol his name with those of the musi- 
 cal benefactors of mankind. Hence the production 
 and publication, so far as his means would allow, of 
 his oratorios — 'The Death of Abel,' 'The Fall of 
 Jerusalem,' ' Belshazzar's Feast,' and ' Hezekiah ;' as 
 well as some anthems for particular occasions. He 
 wrote an anthem in D, ' Blessed be the Lord thy God," 
 for the accession of Queen Victoria, in 1838; 'The 
 Thanksgiving Anthem,' composed on the occasion of 
 the birth of the Princess Royal, in 1840; a very 
 
Mr. George Perry. 203 
 
 spirited work, with a melodious treble solo, which was 
 sung by Madame Caradori Allan, when this anthem 
 was performed, at the time, by the Sacred Harmonic 
 Society, with an orchestra of five hundred voices and 
 instruments. To these may be added his own anthem, 
 ' I will arise/ which was written for the London Choir 
 Association. 
 
 Not satisfied with the production of these original- 
 works, Mr. Perry sought to extend the performance of 
 Handel's Oratorios by writing additional accompani- 
 ments to ' The Dettingen Te Deum ' and ' Jubilate,' 
 ' Judas Maccabaeus,' ' Samson,' 'Israel in Egypt,' 
 ' Jephthah,' 'Deborah,' 'Joshua,' 'Saul,' 'Solomon,' 
 '■ Coronation and Funeral Anthems,' ' Athaliah,' 
 ' Esther,' ' Belshazzar,' ' Acis and Galatea,' and the 
 ' Overture ' to the ' Occasional Oratorio.' He also 
 arranged for the organ or pianoforte, a folio edition of 
 ' Deborah,' and had commenced ' Belshazzar ' and 
 'Joshua,' with an intention of completing Dr. Clarke's 
 edition of Handel's works; — 'labours,' says Mr. 
 Surman, ' which will hand his name down to posterity 
 in black and white, better than any monument of 
 brass or stone.' 
 
 It may not be out of place here to mention the 
 modest manner in which Mr. Perry gave his reasons 
 for writing the ' Additional accompaniments.' ' It 
 was not,' he said, ' that Handel's works in their intrinsic 
 substance were capable of improvement/ but 'that 
 the score might be enriched by the employment of 
 
204 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 such instruments as Handel himself, it is to be sup- 
 posed, would have used, had they in his time attained 
 their present perfection.' A recommendation of these 
 * Accompaniments ' was signed by more than twenty 
 distinguished instrumental professors, most of whom 
 are still living. 
 
 Yet, valuable as are Perry's contributions to the 
 church and the concert-room, they might have rotted 
 in his closet (like Robinson Crusoe's big boat, which 
 the builder had not strength to push into the water), 
 had he not found a coadjutor after his own heart in 
 his friend, Mr. Surman, of Exeter Hall. This gentle- 
 man, animated by a kindred zeal for the cause of 
 sacred music, printed most of Perry's works, doubtless 
 at a considerable outlay of capital, with a view to their 
 performance at Festivals and at the concerts of choral 
 societies. He also exerted himself to bring them out 
 in London, which he did with success. As yet (we 
 cannot write it without a 'tinge of shame), they are 
 least known, perhaps, in the composer's native city. 
 
 ' The Death of Abel ' was brought out at Weeks'- 
 rooms in the Haymarket. It was performed with 
 success by the Sacred Harmonic Society on March 19, 
 1 84 1 ; and again, on May 17, 1845, the principal 
 vocalists then being Miss Rainforth (a pupil of Perry's), 
 Miss Poole, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Manvers, Mr. H. Phillips, 
 and Herr Staudigl ; upon which occasion there were 
 no fewer than six encores. The first performance of 
 his ' Fall of Jerusalem,' in London, was at the 
 
Mr. George Perry. 205 
 
 Hanover-square-rooms, where he was assisted by hi S 
 personal friends ; Miss Paton and Mr. Braham being 
 in the number of those who took the principal parts. 
 It was next done by the Cecilian Society, and again 
 (being the third time) by the Sacred Harmonic 
 Society. Portions of each of. the above Oratorios 
 were introduced with great success at the Worcester 
 Festival in 1842. 
 
 Perry was the leader of a party who met in 
 Mr. Armstrong's school-room, in the Borough ; and 
 here it was that he used to get his oratorios rehearsed. 
 He also had an offer of the post of leader to the 
 Choral Harmonic Society ; but though he required 
 only five shillings per night for his services, so low 
 were the society's funds, that his terms were not ac- 
 cepted. 
 
 At the formation of the Sacred Harmonic Society 
 in 1832, Mr. Surman, who filled the double post of 
 conductor and librarian, invited Mr. Perry to come 
 and lead, as the prospects of the society were favour- 
 able. Perry consented ; and the members, about 
 sixty in number, continued to meet for the space of 
 two years, in Gate-street Chapel, Lincoln's-inn Fields. 
 In those days, the difficulties with which amateur 
 bodies had to contend were so great, and the pecuniary 
 risk of getting up oratorios was so serious, that the 
 success of this society was, perhaps, almost without 
 precedent. But it was not destined to be long un- 
 interrupted. Some of the managers of the chapel all 
 
206 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 at once discovered that it was highly improper for 
 young people to meet together, there for the practice 
 of sacred music. As there had been no indecorum or 
 misconduct of which these pious people could complain, 
 or to which they could have been indebted for their 
 illumination, they must (like Miss Pupford's assistant 
 with ' the true Parisian accent ') have been somehow 
 or other ' inspired.' However, they ejected the society 
 from their chapel, and then the practice-meetings were 
 held in Henrietta-street Chapel. Here two perform- 
 ances were given with moderate success, but the 
 attendance at the weekly rehearsals was thin, on 
 account of the inconvenience of the locality. The 
 society was at length reduced to so low an ebb, that 
 not one of the members paid any subscription for an 
 entire quarter. It happened upon one wet night when 
 Mr. Perry made his appearance, with his violin under 
 his arm, and Mr. Surman arrived with a load of musifi , 
 in his bag, that they found only one other member to 
 join them in a rehearsal of Handel's ' Messiah !' Men 
 less determined and less enthusiastic would, at that 
 crisis, have deserted their posts. But, no ; they pre T 
 ferred adjourning to a neighbouring tavern, where 
 they drank ' success to -the society,' and seriously 
 bethought them as to what could now be done, 
 Mr. Perry had three miles to walk to his home, but 
 they would not separate till they had resolved upon 
 endeavouring to get twenty members to put down one 
 guinea each for the purpose of carrying on the society's 
 
Mr. George Perry. 207 
 
 business, at their own risk, in some more central 
 situation. This was eventually done, or there had 
 been an end of the Sacred Harmonic Society. 
 
 Mr. Perry continued to lead from the foundation of 
 the Society in 1832, to 1848— a period of sixteen 
 years, during the whole of which time he was not 
 absent from a single performance, and he missed only 
 one rehearsal. 
 
 In the year 1848, the conductor's baton was wrested 
 from Mr. Surman and placed in the hand (we regret 
 to say the not unwilling, hand) of Mr. Perry. If hi* 
 acceptance of this new position showed a want of right 
 feeling towards the friend to whom he was indebted 
 for his connection with the society, he had soon ample 
 time for repentance : for, after about half a dozen 
 performances, he, too, was in his turn deposed and 
 dismissed. 
 
 A few of Mr. Perry's friends then tried to support 
 him in some other society, but thei* efforts were a 
 failure ; and from that time, instead of mingling, as 
 heretofore, with amateurs and professors, he seemed 
 rather to avoid than to court their company. 
 
 Perry enjoyed considerable reputation both as aft 
 organist and as a teacher. No man could be more 
 indefatigable than he was in the discharge of his 
 professional duties. He was organist of. Quebec 
 Chapel, where he had an excellent choir under his 
 command, for about twenty years. For the last 
 fifteen years of his life he held the organ at the church 
 
•2o8 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 in Gray's Inn Lane ; and during his possession of 
 both these appointments he was never known to be 
 absent from either church for a single Sunday, till 
 the two last previous to his death. His remains were 
 deposited in the Kensal Green Cemetery, on March 1 1, 
 in the presence of a few of his old associates, for in 
 the musical world his end was scarcely known. 
 
 In his vocal compositions Mr. Perry affected neither 
 the pedantry of the German, the frivolity of the French, 
 nor the effeminacy of the Italian school. He was 
 English to the back bone. In writing for the stage 
 he did not always disdain to injure a fine song by 
 giving it a theatrical close. We may instance in the 
 capital scena, ' Mid hidden rocks that ambushed lay,' 
 and doubtless many other instances could be given. 
 
 His sacred works, especially his oratorios, are 
 founded upon the model of Handel. In saying this, 
 however, we would by no means imply that he was a 
 slavish imitator. On the contrary, his subjects were 
 entirely his own. But he aimed at Handel's simpli- 
 city and breadth of style. He never went out of his 
 way for the sake of introducing what Shield calls 
 'fashionable chords.' His part- writing is clear and 
 intelligible. His harmonies are bold and open ; and 
 his accompaniments are generally kept in due subor- 
 dination to the voices. Like Handel, he wisely 
 husbanded his means, employing particular instru- 
 ments for particular effects, and reserving his drums 
 and trumpets for a grand climax. His choral com- 
 
Mr. George Perry. 209 
 
 positions will always be valuable to many amateur 
 societies which may not possess either the means or 
 the capabilities of doing justice to the more elaborate 
 works of Spohr and Mendelssohn. In order that they 
 may be useful, however, they must become better 
 known. If the Sacred Harmonic Society would 
 purchase one of his oratorios, and complete its publi- 
 cation by printing the whole of the instrumental 
 parts, a great step - would be made towards the 
 attainment of this end. An annual performance of 
 such oratorio might not only be profitable to the 
 Society's benevolent fund, but it would also be a 
 graceful tribute to the composer's memory. 
 
2-i o Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 THE LATE PROFESSOR TAYLOR. 
 
 From the ' Norfolk News ' of March 28 and April 4, 1863. 
 
 Not quite a year has elapsed since the last lines, 
 which, in all probability, were ever traced by Pro- 
 fessor Taylor's hand for the press, were kindly com- 
 municated to this journal for the completion of a 
 memoir of the late Mr. George Perry. We then little 
 thought that we should so soon have to perform for Mr. 
 Taylor what he was assisting us to do for another. 
 But no man is to be much lamented who has run a 
 useful and honourable career of nearly fourscore years. 
 To such an one death cannot be premature, and ought 
 not to be unwelcome. 
 
 Mr. Edward Taylor was the great grandson of the 
 celebrated Dr. John Taylor, a man not less beloved 
 for the kindliness of his disposition, than he was 
 venerated for his vast learning. Dr. Taylor was born 
 at Lancaster in the year 1694, and came to Norwich 
 (according to Mr. Edward Taylor's account) in 1733. 
 Here he remained till 1757, and here it was that he 
 
Professor Taylor. 211 
 
 produced many of his works, amongst others his 
 famous Hebrew Concordance, which was published in 
 two large volumes folio, and was the labour of four- 
 teen years. Many copies of the frontispiece (a fine 
 portrait engraved by Houbraken) are still extant in 
 this city. Dr. Taylor must have been fond of music, 
 and must also have made it a personal study. This 
 we infer, less from his having published ' A collection 
 of tunes in various airs,' for the use of his Norwich 
 congregation, than from his having been able to pre- 
 fix thereto ' Instructions in the art of Psalmody.' 
 The airs themselves have no other part, or accompani- 
 ment, added than an unfigured bass, but the collection 
 contains many of the finest melodies which are now" 
 in use. The instructions were intended to enable a 
 student to sing at sight. 
 
 When Dr. Taylor quitted Norwich, his only surviv- 
 ing son, Richard, remained and carried on the busi- 
 ness of a manufacturer in St. George Colegate. Mr. 
 John Taylor, father of the subject of this memoir, was 
 a son of the above named Richard. John Taylor was 
 born July 30, 1750. In 1773 he entered into the busi- 
 ness of a yarn-maker, in partnership with his brother, 
 in the parish where their father had lived. If not a 
 musical composer, John had the reputation of being 
 at least a tolerable poet, and he was peculiarly 
 happy in writing words for music. His Christmas 
 hymn — 
 
 Exulting, rejoicing, hail the happy morning, 
 
2 1 2 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 was so admirably adapted to the air ' Adeste Fideles,' 
 that it found its way from the Octagon Chapel into 
 the Church of England services, and was long a 
 favourite in the parish of St Peter Mancroft. In 
 April 1777, Mr. John Taylor married Susanna, the 
 youngest daughter of Mr. John Cook of Norwich. 
 Mr. Edward Taylor, the only issue of this marriage 
 with which we are immediately concerned, was born 
 on January 22, 1784, in the parish of St. George Cole- 
 gate. He was baptised by Robert Alderson (after- 
 wards Recorder of Norwich) when minister of the 
 Octagon Chapel. Out of this arose a good story 
 which Edward Taylor has been heard to tell. One 
 day being under examination as a witness in Court, 
 Alderson questioned him, not very pertinently, as to 
 his age. ' Why,' said Taylor, perhaps a little nettled, 
 'You ought to know it, for you baptised me.' — 'I 
 baptised you ! ' exclaimed Alderson, ' What do you 
 mean ?' He never liked to be reminded of his having 
 been a preacher. 
 
 In his boyish days Edward Taylor was made to 
 imbibe the usual quantity of Greek and Latin, and 
 the cask ever after retained the flavour of the wine. 
 But music even then was his chief delight. When 
 arrived at manhood he was tall and well formed ; he 
 had a fair, though by no means a pallid complexion, a 
 penetrating eye, and a majestic voice, which sounded, 
 in conversation, like the roll of a fine bass drum. In 
 whatever part of the world he had been met it would 
 
Professor Taylor. 213 
 
 have been said at a glance, ' That's an Englishman.' 
 He had that unmistakeable stamp of bluntness and 
 sturdy independence which seems to be an English- 
 man's birthright. He was proud, not altogether 
 without reason, of his ancestors, whose religious and 
 political opinions he inherited. Hence, he was a 
 Dissenter of the Unitarian school, and what was then 
 called a radical reformer. Deeming himself to be in 
 the right, he of course considered all those who dif- 
 fered from him in the wrong. But being himself con- 
 sistent he knew how to respect consistency in others. 
 His hostility was confined to men's doctrines and 
 measures ; it was never extended to their persons. 
 In a word he was generous, manly, and sincere, and 
 he therefore enjoyed the friendship of good and true 
 men, whatever might be their party or creed. 
 
 In a fugitive narrative intended to be chiefly musical, 
 it may suffice to give a rapid sketch of Mr. Taylor's 
 political doings, the authenticity of which may be 
 relied on, since we are indebted for it to memoranda 
 in his own handwriting. So far back as 1 808, we find 
 Mr. Taylor recording that he was ' elected a common 
 council man for the fourth time.' He also states that 
 the contest for nominees in the Long Ward was ' the 
 severest ever remembered.' Few people now-a-days 
 could realise the import of those few words. Few 
 understand how much was implied by the once com- 
 mon phrase, ' a battle for the Long Ward.' The com- 
 batants would have scorned such mealy-mouthed 
 
214 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 appellations as ' Conservative ' and ' Liberal,' or in- 
 deed any name but that of the colours under which 
 they fought. They were 'Blue and Whites,' and 
 'Orange and Purples,' the former being what would 
 now be called the ' Liberal,' and th&'latter the ' Con- 
 servative' party. To be a Blue and White or an 
 Orange and Purple, was to be an angel or a devil, as 
 the case might be ; the angels of course being those 
 of your own side, to whichever you belonged. Great 
 was the potency of colours. Though not supposed 
 to be worn at municipal elections they were a rallying 
 cry, and they were always at hand to be flouted, like 
 a red rag at a turkey, in the face of the enemy. Even 
 housemaids and children concealed them about their 
 persons in readiness to show them slyly from some 
 window, both to encourage their friends and exasper- 
 ate their enemies, whenever a ' procession ' passed. 
 Great were the preparations for the contest. A sort 
 of civic press-gang prowled the streets by night for 
 the purpose of ' cooping chickens,' which, being done 
 into English, means, carrying men off by force, and 
 keeping them drunk and in confinement, so that, if 
 they could not be got to vote ' for,' it would be im- 
 possible for them to vote ' against.' If they could 
 not safely be secured in the city, they were ' cabined, 
 cribbed, confined' in wherries on the river or the 
 broads, or even taken to Yarmouth and carried out to 
 sea. When the day of battle came, great was the 
 shouting, the drinking, the betting, the bribing, and' 
 
Professor Taylor. 215 
 
 the fighting, till the longest purse contrived to win 
 the day. Of course the dirty work was done by dirty 
 men. But leading men on both sides were so used to 
 see the thing, that they considered it only part and 
 parcel of an election. It was regarded rather as a 
 limb which could not safely be severed from the body, 
 than as a shabby coat which disgraced the wearer. 
 Besides, palliating rhetoric was not absent. Better 
 do a little evil than surrender a cause essential to the 
 welfare of the state. ' What we did ' (we honest 
 ' Orange and Purples,' or we pure ' Blue and Whites ') 
 ' was done in mere self-defence.' It was always the 
 other boy who struck the first blow ; the other servant 
 who really cracked the china. 
 
 Mr. Taylor's electioneering exertions were chiefly 
 confined to serving on committees, visiting clubs, 
 canvassing voters, and haranguing the people. On 
 the platform his strong good sense and nervous elo- 
 quence rendered his speeches telling and effective. 
 His words also derived additional weight from the 
 known integrity of his character ; and could elec- 
 tions be gained by arguments alone, they would 
 have been more formidable to his adversaries than, 
 they were. But there was often a majority which 
 could be won to. either side, only by the expression of 
 golden opinions. This of course applies chiefly to 
 wards where the parties were pretty nearly balanced. 
 
 The year 1808 was a busy one for Mr. Taylor. On 
 May 9 he began a new business, that: of an iron- 
 
2 1 6 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 monger in St, Stephen's at the corner of Rampant 
 Horse-street. He was also at Yarmouth for the third 
 time with the Norwich regiment, being on permanent 
 duty as a volunteer. A gentleman now living well 
 remembers the admiration he felt, as a boy, at seeing 
 Taylor's stately figure, rendered more imposing by 
 his military hat and high feather, make an awful bend 
 to get in at the low door of his new shop. Mr. 
 Taylor was also chosen a deacon of his congregation 
 on July 10. 
 
 In 1 8 12, being in London, he had the pleasure of 
 dining with Sir Francis Burdett and Mr. Whitbread. 
 It was in this year that the Prince of Wales came 
 into full power, and to Mr. Taylor's great disgust con- 
 tinued ' Mr. Percival and his crew,' as he calls them, 
 in their places. 
 
 In 1814 a Common Hall was held to petition 
 against the Corn Bill. The business was opened by 
 Mr. Taylor, who drew up the petition and took it up 
 to London. 
 
 In 1815, he wisely disposed of his ironmongery 
 business, which probably gave him neither pleasure 
 nor profit, and returned to St. George Colegate. 
 On March 4 in this year he stood a contest, the third 
 time, for nominee of Mancroft Ward. Of course he 
 was beaten, this being an Orange and Purple ward, 
 but he polled 107 votes. However, he was soon after 
 elected a Common Council man, without difficulty, in 
 the Northern Ward, where the Blue and Whites had 
 
Professor Taylor, 217 
 
 always held a large majority. This was on March 
 16 ; on May 3 he was elected a member of the Court 
 of Guardians. On February 20 next year, 1816, there 
 was a Common Hall to petition against the property- 
 tax, but it does not appear what part, if any, Mr. 
 Taylor took in it. On October 14, however, at a 
 Common Hall to petition for Parliamentary Reform, he 
 records that ' Messrs. Pitchford, £. Taylor, and William 
 Smith were for, and Mr. Firth against it.' The pe- 
 tition in favour of the objects of the meeting was 
 moved by Mr. Taylor. 
 
 1817. On January 22 Mr. Taylor attended a meet- 
 ing of deputies at the Crown and Anchor in London, 
 Major Cartwright being in the chair. Next day he 
 was present when Mr. Waithman moved a petition 
 for Parliamentary Reform in the Common Council 
 of London. He this year removed into St. Mary's 
 parish. 
 
 1818. In the January of this year we find him 
 visiting Archdeacon Bathurst at South Creake, and 
 dining at Holkham in company with Lord Spencer, 
 Lord Stair, Lord Ebrington, &c. It does not appear 
 that this was strictly a political dinner, though there 
 is some reason to believe that politics had a good 
 deal to do with it. Certain it is that at the county 
 election which took place in June, it was no fault of 
 Mr. Taylor's that Edmond Wodehouse had not to 
 stand a contest 'for his seat. On the 20th of this 
 month there was a meeting of the freeholders at the 
 
2-t 8 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Swan, to invite Mr. Philip Hamond to stand in 
 opposition to Mr. Wodehouse, at which meeting Mr. 
 Taylor was not inactive. Next day he went in person 
 to Westacre, and obtained Mr. Hamond's consent. 
 The Whig aristocracy, however, refused to second the 
 yeomanry in this move, on discovering which Mr. 
 Hamond prudently declined the contest. On July .9 
 Mr. Taylor went over to Ireland, on a visit to his 
 uncle, the Rev. Philip Taylor, where he remained till 
 August 21. 
 
 In 1 8 19, Mr. Taylor was elected Sheriff after a 
 contest with Mr. T. S. Day. The former was evi- 
 dently the popular candidate, the numbers being,' 
 Taylor 807, Day 530. 
 
 In 1820, Jan. 24, Mr. Taylor was one of a company 
 of 460 of his own party who had a grand celebration 
 of C. J. Fox's birthday, at St. Andrew's Hall. Among 
 those present were the Dukes of Sussex and Norfolk, 
 Lord Albemarle being in the chair. On May 18, 
 Mr. Taylor went to a dinner at Harling, to celebrate 
 the birthday of Lord Albemarle ; and on July 2 he 
 attended the Holkham sheepshearing. On August 2 
 a common hall was held for the purpose of getting up 
 an address to be presented to Queen Caroline. 
 
 On December 2 he took the address up to London, 
 and on the 4th had the satisfaction of presenting it to 
 the Queen at Brandenburg House, in company with 
 Alderman Bolingbroke and Mr. William Smith. There 
 was but one opinion of the character, of George IV., 
 
Professor Taylor. 21'gr 
 
 ajid with respect to the Queen all the world agreed 
 that she was much to be pitied. Men's passions were 
 so strongly excited, whichever side they took, whether 
 for or against her, that her conduct was viewed 
 through a false medium. Nothing shows this more 
 strongly than the behaviour of the two parties upon 
 the occasion of her melancholy death. The Blue and 
 Whites, many of whom had never put on black for a 
 Royal personage before, were to be seen decked in 
 black and white, like so many magpies ; while on the 
 other hand, the Orange and Purples, not content 
 with appearing in their ordinary attire, flaunted about- 
 in the gayest colours. One party thought itself 
 inspired by a natural grief, which it would be in- 
 human not to feel and to express. The other party 
 conceived itself to be animated purely by a pious 
 abhorrence of vice. But in reality the more violent 
 of the factions dressed not for the Queen but for each 
 other. It was a case of ' I bite my thumb at you, Sir.' 
 In 1821 we find Mr. Taylor dining at Lord Albe- 
 marle's, with the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of 
 Norfolk, Sir Francis Burdett, and Mr. Coke. He 
 also this year paid another visit to Archdeacon 
 "Bathurst. On the 7th of November he was elected 
 Chairman of the Paving Committee ; and on the 13th 
 Vice-President of the Norwich Public Library, an 
 institution the interests of which he had always much 
 at heart. On the nth of December he dined with 
 the celebrated Mr. Cobbett, at the house of Mr. 
 
220 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Clarke, at Bergh Apton. In this year, also, Mr. E. 
 Taylor and his father jointly presented to the Cor- 
 poration of Norwich the portrait of Thomas Hall, 
 Esq., a liberal benefactor of Norwich, which still 
 graces the Council Chamber of the city. 
 
 In the year 1822, Mr. Taylor was actively engaged 
 with political meetings. On January 12 he moved 
 and carried a resolution for Parliamentary Reform 
 at a county meeting, assembled for the avowed 
 object of considering agricultural distress I On 
 March 5 he attended a reform meeting at Bungay. 
 On April 24 he was at another ' agricultural distress ' 
 meeting in Forehoe Hundred, and again moved and 
 carried a resolution in favour of ' Parliamentary 
 Reform.' On May 6 he was at the celebration of 
 Mr. Coke's birthday at Attleborough, Sir Thos. 
 Beevor taking the , chair. On May 11 there was a 
 county meeting convened, with the express object of 
 petitioning for reform. The resolutions were written 
 by Mr. Taylor, moved by Sir T. B. Beevor, and 
 seconded by Mr. Southwell. On the 22nd, Mr. 
 Taylor went up to London, for the purpose of being 
 at the Westminster dinner next day. Sir Francis 
 Burdett was in the chair. On September 3, Mr. 
 Taylor waited upon Bishop Bathurst with a deputa- 
 tion from the Eastern Unitarian Society, in order to 
 thank his Lordship for his support of Religious 
 . Liberty. On the 5 th he passed from the office of Vice- 
 President to that of President of the Public Library. 
 
Professor Taylor. 221 
 
 * 
 
 On November 5, he presided at a dinner of the 
 Norwich Reform Society. On May 3, 1823, he 
 says characteristically, ' I was re-elected a guardian 
 after having been turned out for two years.' The 
 only other meeting in which he this year took part, 
 was one held at the Swan, for the purpose of raising 
 a subscription for the Spaniards. Mr. Taylor se- 
 conded the resolutions. 
 
 On January 19, 1824, he had the honour of dining 
 with the Duke of Sussex at Kensington Palace. 
 The next year, 1825, terminated Mr. Taylor's resi- 
 dence in his native city, though to the end of his life 
 he continued to take' a warm interest in whatever 
 concerned its welfare. On May 21, having already 
 made arrangements for giving up his business in 
 Norwich, he went up to London to prepare for 
 making it his future abode. On August 5, he served 
 on the Norwich Grand Jury ' for the last time,' and the 
 next day took his final departure. On the 15 th, he 
 joined his brother Philip and his cousin John Marti- 
 neau in their business as civil engineers, having hired 
 a house for that purpose in York Place, City Road. 
 
 It has been seen that Mr. Taylor took a very 
 active part in local politics. He ' was the first man 
 who ever reported and published the proceedings of 
 the Common Council Room. He was the life and 
 soul of his party at contested elections, whether for 
 the city or the wards. 
 
 But Mr. Taylor did not confine his political efforts 
 
2T2 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 to Norwich. Besides taking much interest and lending 
 much assistance at the county elections, he was in 
 correspondence with the opposition leaders in London. 
 It has been already stated that in January, 1 8 17, he 
 •attended a metting of deputies at the Crown and 
 Anchor, on the subject of Parliamentary reform,' under 
 the auspices of Major Cartwright ; and that he was 
 personally acquainted with Sir Francis Burdett and 
 Mr. Cobbett, two of the most conspicuous and active 
 opponents of the then existing administration. The 
 country was at that time supposed to be filled with 
 revolutionary clubs and Government spies. A delegate, 
 therefore, from a country society to head quarters in 
 London, was closely watched, whatever might be the 
 purport of his mission. To be an object of suspicion 
 in those days was no light matter, since the very fear 
 which fell upon Government, whether well or ill- 
 founded, had a tendency to make its treatment of 
 political offenders severe. Such was the state of 
 things when Mr. Taylor had the misfortune, or as he- 
 would have called it, the honour, of having his name in 
 Lord Castlereagh's green bag, on the assumption that 
 he was disaffected. Some have hinted that Mr. Taylor 
 owed his extrication to the secret, but zealous inter- 
 ference of his political opponents. The most honourable 
 and influential among them not only respected him 
 as a man, but valued him as a friend. It was enough 
 for them that Taylor was in trouble, and they knew 
 . how to represent him as a loyal volunteer, a true friend 
 
Professor Taylor. 223 
 
 of the Hanoverian succession, and a lover of cathedral 
 music, to those in power, in a tone that would have 
 less the air of a request than a demand. Whether 
 this was so or not we cannot affirm, but the end of 
 all was, that Dr. Fayerman had ultimately to call upon 
 Mr. Taylor, for the purpose of confessing his own mis- 
 take and humbly begging Mr. Taylor's pardon. 
 
 On January 3, 1826, the year after Mr. Taylor 
 finally left this city for London, he came down to a 
 dinner which was given at the Rampart Horse in his 
 honour. The original intention had been to place his 
 portrait in St. Andrew's Hall, and Sir James E. 
 Smith had actually written some lines to be placed 
 under it, beginning 
 
 Avaunt ye base, approach ye wise and good, 
 Thus, in this Hall once Edward Taylor stood, &c. 
 
 but that idea was abandoned, and a presentation of a 
 service of plate determined upon by his fellow citizens. 
 The proposition originated with the strongest of his 
 political antagonists in the Corporation. The plate 
 was given at this dinner at the Rampant Horse, 
 Henry Francis, Esq., against whom Mr. Taylor had 
 entered the lists in the severest contest ever known for 
 the Mancroft Ward, being in the chair, to render Ihe 
 compliment greater. 
 
 We must now go back, and bring up Mr. Taylor's 
 Musical Life, as Rapin did the affairs of the church, 
 to the same period. 
 . . Mr. Edward Taylor's first music-master was" the 
 
224 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Rev. Charles Smyth, a man who was equally remark- 
 able for his eccentricity and his musical learning. 
 Mr. Taylor always spoke with great respect of Mr. 
 Smyth's musical knowledge. How long the lessons 
 continued we have no means of ascertaining, but we 
 afterwards find Taylor gaining instruction with the 
 Cathedral boys, under Dr. Beckwith, at the music 
 room in the Cathedral. He also had lessons in the 
 vestry room of the Octagon Chapel, and he acquired 
 some skill upon the flute and oboe from Mr. Fish. 
 But we believe that his musical education was through- 
 out gratuitously bestowed, out of respect to himself 
 and his jamily. Doubtless he was greatly indebted 
 for his extensive knowledge of the art, as well as of 
 the German and Italian languages, to his own persever- 
 ance in solitary study. For Dr. Beckwith he enter- 
 tained a profound reverence both as a composer and 
 an organist. We have frequently heard him say, ' I 
 have never heard Dr. Beckwith's equal upon the organ, 
 either in this country or in Germany, the land of 
 organs ; neither is this my opinion only, but that of 
 every competent judge who has heard him, so far as I 
 have been able to collect.' George Perry always 
 spoke of the doctor in the same terms ; and James 
 Taylor called his playing ' brilliancy itself.' Beckwith 
 would frequently play four extempore fugues upon the 
 organ, at the Cathedral and at St. Peter Mancroft 
 Church on a Sunday. 
 
 Mr. E. Taylor used to sing at the Octagon Chapel, 
 
Professor Taylor. 225 
 
 which was then distinguished for the excellence of 
 its choir ; but he by no means confined himself to the 
 practice of sacred music. He was the mainspring of 
 the Norwich Glee Club, which contained some excel- 
 lent voices, and which numbered Harry Staff, J. Youngs, 
 and J. Roe amongst its members.' Mr. Taylor, how- 
 ever, found a wider field for the display of his talents 
 as an amateur in the famous Hall Concerts, which he 
 joined in the year 1800, and of which he continued to 
 be the life and soul till his final departure from 
 Norwich. 
 
 We are indebted to the kindness of Mr. Henry 
 Browne for the following brief but valuable sketch of 
 the history of the Hall Concert. It stands in the 
 handwriting of M. B. Crotch (who was designated the 
 ' Father of the Society '), in one of the old concert 
 books, and is headed ' A Brief History of the Hall 
 Concert ' : — 
 
 * This society originated from a few persons meet- 
 ing in the year 1789 to play in the Hall in St. 
 Andrew's, and thence it took the name of the Hall 
 Concert. The number of members amounted at first 
 to six only, but assisted usually by other persons, 
 who afterwards became members, so that they in- 
 creased to about fifteen, who continued to meet in the 
 Hall in summer, and in a room adjoining in winter, 
 playing sinfonias, singing a few songs, and some of 
 the most familiar choruses. Mr. Thos. Johnson was 
 the first secretary, who was succeeded by Mr. Seth 
 
 Q. 
 
226 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Coppin (both attorneys), and tickets were first used 
 
 in 1792. 
 
 'In 1794 the concert removed to a room formerly 
 a small chapel or hermitage, in the Barge-yard, 
 opposite St. Julian's Church, King-street, which was 
 fitted up with an orchestra containing an organ first 
 played by Mr. Richard Taylor. The room being too 
 small, chorus singing was almost entirely discontinued 
 until 1798, when the present room, formerly the 
 chapel of St. Ethelbert, over the Priory gate on 
 Tombland, being unoccupied, was looked at by some 
 of the members with an anxious wish of obtaining it 
 for a concert room ; but there appearing at that 
 time some insurmountable difficulties, it was relin- 
 quished, and the Old Assembly Room at the King's 
 Arms, near Messrs. Gurneys' bank, was hired, and 
 thither the concert immediately removed. 
 
 'During its continuance there, it was in a very 
 fluctuating state ; sometimes having strength to sing 
 double choruses, and at other times scarcely enough 
 to sing a glee. 
 
 ' In 18.01 the ;01d Assembly Room and premises 
 adjoining were pulled down to make room for the 
 street leading from St. Michael's at Plea Church to 
 the Castle Ditches, when the society succeeded in 
 obtaining the present room, namely, St. Ethelbert's 
 Chapel before mentioned, of the Dean and Chapter, 
 without rent, on condition of putting it in repair, 
 which was done by making a new ceiling four feet 
 
Professor Taylor. 227 
 
 ■higher than the former one ; covering the dilapidated 
 stone stairs with wood ; and (doing) every thing else 
 that was necessary to make it comfortable. From 
 the year 1806, a rent of three pounds per An:' 
 * * * * Catera desunt. 
 
 To the above account we can only add that Mr. 
 James Bennet and Mr. Merriman, both amateurs, the 
 former playing the violin and the latter the oboe, were 
 undoubtedly two of the original members, as well as 
 Crotch, and that they always used to place their 
 music books against one particular pillar in St. 
 Andrew's Hall. Mr. W. Fish remembers that in the 
 year 1791 or 1792 Miss Coppin, daughter, he believes, 
 of the then master of the Workhouse, used to beat 
 the drums ; and that the concert was sometimes 
 dubbed in derision, ' the Workhouse Concert.' Mr. 
 Fish, and Mr. Shalders of Bethel-street, the publisher 
 of the Iris, are by far the oldest surviving members. 
 
 As the date of Mr. Edward Taylor's ivory ticket is 
 1800, he must have joined the society about a year 
 before its removal to what was called the ' Gatehouse.' 
 We can just remember the Gatehouse Concerts when 
 they were in their glory. Dr. Beckwith presided at 
 the organ or pianoforte; Angell was leader; Fish, 
 second violin ; Blyth, violoncello ; Sharpe, oboe ; 
 Crotch, trumpet ; Athow, drums ; &c. As for 
 Edward Taylor — besides singing principal bass, and 
 taking the bassoon (his proper instrument) — he was 
 always ready to take a part on the organ, oboe, or 
 
 Q2 
 
228 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 flute, or to beat the drums, when a vacancy had to be 
 filled up in "those instruments. Works were then 
 per/ormed which no amateur society in Norwich have 
 been able to attempt, unaided, since. We allude to 
 such oratorios as the ' Messiah,' ' Joshua,' ' Acis and 
 Galatea,' and other great compositions of Handel, to 
 which might be added Purcell's ' Tempest,' Locke's 
 ' Macbeth,' &c, &c. Dr. Beckwith would get one of 
 his boys from the Cathedral to sing Purcell's ' From 
 Rosie Bowers,' or one of Haydn's lovely canzonetts, 
 And the glees were the finest that could be selected. 
 
 One night Edward Taylor stood up to sing but 
 continued silent at the end of the symphony. 
 Angell, who was leading, not knowing what was 
 wrong, but surprised that the song was not taken up 
 at the proper place, stopped the band by tapping the 
 back of his fiddle with the bow, and recommenced 
 the symphony. When the voice should have come 
 in, seeing Taylor standing silent as before, he called 
 out, ' Mr. Taylor, why don't you begin ? ' ' Sir,' said 
 Edward Taylor, 'when those ladies have done 
 talking, I will, but not before.' The late Alderman 
 Browne, who sat amongst the audience, immediately 
 exclaimed, ' You are perfectly right, Mr. Taylor ; I 
 am only surprised that people should come to a room 
 like this and not know how to behave better.' The 
 ladies, and a young gentleman who was with them, 
 though they had made themselves conspicuous by 
 laughing and talking during the progress of the music, 
 
Professor Taylor. 229 
 
 and justly subjected themselves to this reproof, got up 
 and left the room as soon as the song was ended, 
 Next day the young fellow called upon Mr. Taylor, 
 who then lived in St. Stephen's, with a card in his 
 hand, to • demand satisfaction for the insult he had 
 received the evening before in the presence of ladies.' 
 Edward Taylor's answer was— 'Young man, there's 
 the door ; if you don't get out of my shop, I'll give 
 you the satisfaction of kicking you out' — a strong 
 hint, which needed no repetition. 
 
 Mr. Taylor would never permit the rule which 
 existed against any marks of applause or disappro- 
 bation being allowed on the part of the audience 
 to be broken. If clapping commenced, he was 
 always the first to put it down. He would say, ' If 
 people may clap, they may hiss ; I don't choose to 
 be hissed.' 
 
 In those days it was the custom for the members 
 to have an annual supper together. Of course music 
 formed part of the entertainment, and Taylor was 
 always one of those who took part in the catch 
 ' Look, neighbours, look,' to add to the humour of 
 which, the singers tied their handkerchiefs over their 
 heads, the better to personate old women. 
 
 In the year 18 15 the late Dean Turner and the 
 Chapter gave the members of the Hall Concert notice 
 to quit possession of the room in St. Ethelbert's 
 Gate. At this crisis of the society's affairs the late 
 Alderman Browne (who had always been their firm 
 
230 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 supporter, and whose son Henry had joined the band 
 as a violoncello player in 18 10) offered to build a 
 room for them, according to their own plan, in St. 
 George's, Bridge-street, upon the estate which had 
 been occupied by the ' Norwich Flour Company/ the 
 society undertaking to pay five per cent, interest on 
 the outlay. Mr. Taylor states in his memoranda that 
 on December 27, in that year, ' Messrs. Athow, Blyth; 
 and Shickle contracted for the repair of the new 
 concert-room for 270/.;* and that 'on October 17, 
 1816, the new concert-room was opened.' 
 
 The society continued to exist until 1834, when its 
 dissolution took place ; and in the month of October 
 in that year, the estate, organ, orchestra, and music 
 were sold. The affairs of the society were wound up, 
 by Mr. Henry Browne, who paid to each member his 
 share of the proceeds of the sale. We here quote a 
 letter which Mr. Browne received from Edward 
 Taylor at the period of this settlement, because it 
 shows the deep interest which the latter still felt 
 upon this subject, and all matters connected with it. 
 
 'Many thanks,' writes Mr. Taylor, 'for your 
 obliging letter, and for the trouble you have taken in 
 winding up the affairs of the Hall Concert. I will, 
 call at Hankey's for the amount when I have occa- 
 sion to go into the city. I deeply regret the extinc- 
 tion of a society in which I spent so many happy 
 hours, and which was so beneficial in its musical 
 operations. I never can forget how much I owe it.' .. 
 
Professor Taylor. 231 
 
 At the Bridge-street room, Mr. Taylor showed 
 both his readiness to oblige and the great compass of 
 his voice, by relinquishing the bass part in the glees 
 to Mr. David, himself taking the tenor. In 1 821, on 
 January 26th, the floor of the concert-room caught 
 fire from the furnace flue having been too much 
 heated. There had been a concert on the evening of 
 the night of the fire, and it was thought to be a 
 curious coincidence that the music books, which had 
 been left upon the stands, remained open at the 
 chorus ' See the new light ! ' 
 
 Before we dismiss the subject of the Hall Concert, 
 we may add that here Mr. Taylor used to sing the 
 songs he best loved. He would put Purcell's noble 
 Recitative and Air, ' Ye twice ten hundred Deities,' 
 into the bill, and would say just before it came on, ' I 
 am now going to sing a song which will please nobody 
 but myself ; ' so well did he love music, and so little 
 did he value worthless praise. Calcott's ' Pilot ' and 
 his ' Sisters of Acheron ; ' Handel's ' Del minacciar del 
 vento,' from the opera of ' Otho ; ' and Smith's ' Battle 
 of Hohenlinden,' were also in the number of his 
 favourites. Yet he did not refuse to sing the music 
 then in vogue, such as the opera songs of Rossini, and 
 others. Between the acts of the concert, fun would be 
 going on in the retiring-room, where a tenor and a 
 soprano from the Theatre, and others who were willing 
 to assist at the concert, were admitted. Mr. Gattey, 
 who played the -flute at the Theatre, and who was 
 
232 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 then very young, allowed himself to be wickedly per- 
 suaded that he had a talent for the stage, and to be 
 tormented into giving a display of his powers. We 
 believe he attempted a speech from 'Hamlet.' Edward 
 Taylor took up the following speech, whatever it might 
 be, and so they went on, alternately breaking down, 
 and being hissed or applauded alternately, till the 
 director came in, much frightened, to say, that ' time 
 had long been up, and the audience did not understand 
 the meaning of the noise.' 
 
 It was a standing rule at the Hall Concert, that one 
 of the Grand Concertos of Corelli, of Handel, or of 
 Scarlatti, for stringed instruments, should always have 
 a place in the programme. Since the dissolution of 
 the society, these noble compositions have ceased to 
 be heard in Norwich. The same may be said with 
 regard to the Trios of Corelli, and Handel's Oboe 
 Concertos, in which the Obligato part used to be 
 delightfully executed by Mr. William Millard. As 
 the concerts took place weekly, and always contained 
 songs with full band accompaniments, they formed a 
 better school for the training of amateurs than we have 
 since had, or are likely to have again. 
 
 It may be right to add here, that Mr. Taylor did 
 not confine his services to the Orchestra, He was 
 much employed in writing words, copying music, and 
 even composing, for the Hall Concert. A chorus of 
 his, called ' Sound the loud timbrel,' with band accom- 
 paniments, was occasionally done. Besides singing in 
 
Professor Taylor. 233 
 
 this society, at the Octagon Chapel, and in the Glee 
 club, he used to take the bass songs in a selection from 
 the ' Messiah,' on a Christmas day, at the church of 
 St. Peter Mancroft. He also sang at the annual 
 Oratorios at the Cathedral, where he was a kind of 
 director of the chorus, and where Mr. Fish for many 
 years afforded his gratuitous services as leader. 
 
 Upon the discontinuance of these performances, 
 because they had ceased to be sufficiently remunerative, 
 it was determined to try the experiment of having a 
 Festival upon a much grander scale than had hitherto 
 been attempted in Norwich. The result was the Festival 
 of 1 824, the first of those triennial celebrations which 
 have lasted up to the present day. 
 
 We learn from the 'Quarterly Musical Review,' 
 which was edited by the late Mr. R. M. Bacon, who 
 was also at that time Editor of the ' Norwich Mercury/ 
 that at the Festival of 1824, 'Mr. Bacon, Mr. Taylor, 
 and Mr. Athow, were nominated a committee for the 
 entire conduct of the musical department.' — VoL vi. 
 p. 434. The same authority says, a little further on, 
 ' Mr. Taylor undertook the formation of a Choral 
 Society, which he accomplished with a degree of 
 knowledge, skill, and perseverance, that cannot be too 
 highly praised.' Again, 'The Musical Committee 
 then decided upon the following vocalists and instru- 
 mentalists,' &c. From all which it would appear that 
 the musical labours of getting up the Festival rested 
 pretty equally upon the shoulders of the triumvirate. 
 
2 34 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 But it is our duty to show that such was far from being 
 the case. To Mr. Bacon, indeed, belongs the merit of 
 having paved the way for the Festival, by a series of 
 brilliant articles, thrown out from time to time, per- 
 haps for years, in the columns of the 'Norwich 
 Mercury.' Thus no doubt that gentleman rendered 
 important service to the cause. But in the musical 
 committee of three, Mr. Taylor's two associates, like the 
 wings upon a stage sylph, were rather for ornament 
 than use. We are indebted to Mr. Robert Fitch 
 (than whom no man was ever more assiduous in seek- 
 ing, or more careful in preserving, records of our local 
 worthies) for evidence which will be found conclusive 
 upon this point. Mr. Fitch had written to Mr. 
 Edward Taylor to request that gentleman to furnish 
 him with an account of what share he had had in the 
 management of the first Musical Festival. The follow- 
 ing is Mr. Taylor's reply, bearing date March 25, 
 1847 :— 
 
 'When the Norwich Festival was resolved on in 
 1823, I made the entire Selection (morning and; 
 evening), I engaged every performer, I selected the' 
 entire band, and I formed and trained the Choral 
 Society. 
 
 ' I have done the same for every subsequent Festival 
 (until the last), with the exception of having anything 
 to do with the Choral Society or any of the country 
 performers. 
 - ' Every Oratorio brought out (and a .new one was. 
 
Professor Taylor. 
 
 235 
 
 always brought out) was translated and prepared for 
 performance by me. These were 
 
 The Last Judgment 
 
 • Spohr. 
 
 The Crucifixion . 
 
 ' • ■ »» 
 
 The Fall of Babylon . 
 
 * • ' ti 
 
 The Deluge 
 
 . Schneider. 
 
 Redemption 
 
 . Mozart. 
 
 The Death of Christ . 
 
 Graun. 
 
 The Christian's Prayer . 
 
 Spohr. 
 
 ' All these were performed for the first time at 
 Norwich.' 
 
 It will be seen by the above how little Mr. Taylor 
 left for anybody else to do ! 
 
 But Mr. Taylor's statement is indirectly confirmed 
 by the ' Quarterly Review ' itself ; for therein we read 
 that ' The Hospital Board presented to Mr. Taylor a 
 piece of plate of fifty guineas value, for his services in 
 raising and instructing the Choral Society, and for his 
 general assistance ; ' whereas we have not found it re- 
 corded in that journal that his two coadjutors received 
 so much as a vote of thanks. We may here add, from 
 the 'Quarterly,' 'There was also a disappointment 
 from Mr. F. Novello's absence. Mr. E. Taylor, with 
 the utmost willingness, consented to supply his place.' 
 We well remember this circumstance, as well as the 
 applause which was accorded to one of the concerted 
 pieces in which he sang. The other singers bowed to 
 the audience as usual, but Mr. Taylor turned away 
 without making the slightest . motion of acknowledg- 
 ment. He would not detract from the claims of the- 
 
236 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 profession by letting it be supposed for a moment that 
 he thought the clapping in anywise intended for him. 
 
 In this place we may give a few gleanings from 
 Mr. Taylor's Norwich life, before we follow him to 
 London. 
 
 It is remarkable that in his occasional jaunts to 
 the metropolis he jots down his visits to the theatres, 
 without ever mentioning the Opera. Thus, he says, 
 ' May 19, 18 1 2, saw Mrs. Siddons in " Queen Cathe- 
 rine " ' ; 'June 7, 18 14, saw Kean in " Richard III." ' ; 
 'May 20, 1816, saw Miss O'Neil at Covent Garden, in 
 " Mrs. Beverley " ' ; 1817, ' August 22, to September 1, 
 saw Kean in " Othello," " Bertram," " Sir Giles Over- 
 reach," " Sir E. Mortimer," " Octavian," and " Paul." ' 
 But not a word about going to the Opera. The fact 
 is, that he probably did not go, because the music 
 which happened to be done was, in his opinion, not 
 worth hearing. Nothing is more painful to a man of 
 refined and cultivated taste than to have to hear first- 
 rate singers and players wasting their powers upon 
 trash. He tells us, however, about musical perform- 
 ances — such as his going on March 26, 18 18, to sing 
 at Swaff ham upon the opening of a new organ. Again, 
 August 17, 1820, 'Went to the Festival at Yarmouth,' 
 and he names the principal singers. In 1821, August 
 10, he sang at the opening of an organ at Loddon, 
 and in 1823 he attended the Birmingham Festival. 
 
 It has before been stated that on August 15, 1825, 
 Mr. Taylor entered upon a new course of life in London 
 
Professor Taylor. 237 
 
 in connection with his brother Philip and Mr. John 
 Martineau, who were civil engineers. Had the busi- 
 ness proved lucrative, there is no reason to suppose 
 that Mr. Taylor would have left it. It is certain that 
 when he went to live in London nothing was further 
 from his thoughts than that he would ever embrace 
 music as a profession. He says himself, in an entry 
 made in his diary on the day when he first came out 
 as a public singer — 'Although I never should have 
 cltosen music as a profession, yet I considered it as an 
 act of duty to employ those powers for the benefit of 
 my family which I fortunately possessed. My wish 
 and hope is not to leave business, but the events of 
 last year' (this was written March 28, 1827) 'having 
 materially reduced my income, and placed the whole 
 derived from that source in jeopardy, I cannot look 
 that way for any permanent resource.' 
 
 Mr. Taylor began anew the battle of life by taking 
 private pupils. From the first moment of his entering 
 the musical profession, his classical attainments, his 
 skill as a translator, his superior mental powers, and 
 his extensive musical research were honestly and 
 fully recognised. 
 
 On March 28, as may be gathered from what has 
 been already said, Mr. Taylor made his ' first appear- 
 ance ' before a London audience as a public singer. 
 His dibut was at Covent Garden, at the oratorios 
 under the management of Sir H. R. Bishop. The 
 song he chose was 'The Battle of Hohenlinden,' 
 
"2 38 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 composed by C. Smith, and the reception he received 
 from a very crowded audience was, to use his own 
 words, ' exceedingly favourable.' Whether Edward 
 Taylor was nervous under this ordeal it is impossible 
 to say ; but we remember his once telling a young 
 flute player who had made a wrong note in the 
 'Dead March in Saul' — 'You were nervous, but you 
 will get over it.' ' Ah ! ' said the other, ' you don't 
 know ; you never were nervous.' ' Why, I came out 
 las a flute' player,' said Mr. Taylor, 'in Arne's 
 " Overture to Artaxerxes," the easiest thing I could 
 pick ; and all I know is, that you might have knocked 
 me down with a straw.' He says in his journal of 
 this year — 
 
 ' March 29. — I sung at the Hanover Square Rooms, 
 in Dr. Crotch's " Palestine," two solos and three con- 
 certed pieces, and I hope with some credit' 
 
 'June 19. — Went to a concert at Ipswich.' 
 
 'June 26. — Attended the Oxford Festival with 
 Madame Pasta, Madame Caradori, Miss Stephens, 
 Messrs. Vaughan, Phillips, and Curioni.' 
 
 'September 18. — Sung at the Norwich Festival. 
 The band consisted of 350 performers, Mr. F. Cramer 
 leader, and Sir George Smart conductor. Madame 
 Pasta, Madame Caradori, Miss Stephens, Miss Bacon, 
 Messrs. Braham, Vaughan, Terrail, Signor Zuchelli, 
 and myself, the principal singers. I was received 
 with very great applause by my old friends, and I 
 hope added something to my musical reputation.' 
 
Professor Taylor. 239 
 
 ' October 1. — Sung at Liverpool. Principal 
 singers nearly the same as at Norwich. The band 
 was on a much smaller scale, and the arrangements 
 in general not so good.' 
 
 In justice to Mr. Taylor we shall now give the 
 critiques which appeared on his performances in this 
 and the following year in the ' Quarterly Musical 
 Review,' which was, as we have said, conducted by 
 Mr. R. M. Bacon, and which may be considered good 
 musical authority. 
 
 Norwich Festival, 1827. 
 
 ' Mr. E. Taylor took a vast stride — a station, 
 indeed, which his best friends could hardly have 
 hoped he could ever fill. Meeting Zuchelli, the most 
 splendid bass in Europe, upon his own ground, namely, 
 in " O, Nume Benefico," Mr. Taylor appeared to stand 
 upon the same plane ; and his oratorio songs were 
 marked by intellect, feeling, and sound musical 
 taste.' 
 
 Liverpool, 1827. 
 
 ' In the sacred music Mr. Taylor had his full share 
 of credit, and upon the whole is thought to have sung 
 even better than at Norwich.' 
 
 Salisbury, 1828. 
 
 ' The principal novelty in this (Friday) morning's 
 performance was the selection from Haydn's Second 
 
240 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Mass, adapted to English words by Mr. E. Taylor, for 
 the last Norwich Festival. We are glad to find that 
 so splendid a composition as this is attracting the 
 notice it deserves. Indeed, Mr. Taylor had here full 
 scope for his powers, which are not those of the mere 
 voice, fine as that voice really is. The department of 
 the bass from " For behold darkness shall cover the 
 earth," to " Zitti, Zitti," was entrusted to him, and in 
 the great variety of styles in which he was employed 
 he obtained almost equal credit. If the provincial 
 journal reflects the public sentiment, he has every 
 reason to be satisfied with his reception, for the 
 Editor says, " The Fall of Zion (adapted by him from 
 the works of Paisiello) was the perfection of correct 
 and grand singing," yet his " Non piu andrai '' 
 gained him the most applause,' 
 
 Derby, same year. 
 ' The county journal says, " Mr. E. Taylor sang 
 ' The Fall of Zion,' by Paisiello. The recitative was 
 particularly distinguished by dignity and solemnity of 
 intonation. We had not previously, during the whole 
 of the music meeting, heard this gentleman to such 
 advantage, and although in some pieces he had pre- 
 pared us to expect everything from a voice so power- 
 fully expressive in its depth, yet we scarcely expected 
 such majestic, and we may say, terrible energy." Of 
 his own song, " O, Peace," it says, " the mildly ex- 
 pressive music with which this song commenced, and 
 
Professor Taylor. 241 
 
 the bold contrast of the second part; are highly 
 creditable to Mr. E. Taylor's talents as a composer, 
 while his execution of it proved his skill and taste as 
 a singer." ' 
 
 York, same year. 
 
 ' Mr. E. Taylor, by his science, taste, and splendid 
 voice, has already secured a far more eminent alti- 
 tude than has ever been gained by a singer who came 
 so late into the profession. Of this the demonstration 
 is that there has scarcely been a Festival this year at 
 which he has not been engaged.' 
 
 In this year was published 'Airs of the Rhine,' 
 accompaniments by William Horsley, Mus. Bac. 
 Oxon., the poetry translated by Edward Taylor. Of 
 Mr. Taylor's brief sketch of German music prefixed 
 to this collection, the Quarterly Musical Review says 
 it is ' so agreeably written, and contains so many 
 authentic and interesting particulars, that we must do 
 him the justice to give it a place at length. It will 
 speak more for the publication than anything we can 
 say to interest the reader.' 
 
 Amongst Mr. Taylor's great musical friends was 
 Dr. Hague, Professor of Music at Cambridge. Dr. 
 Hague pressed Mr. Taylor very strongly to accept 
 the degree of Doctor of Music, which the latter reso- 
 lutely declined on the score that it would oblige him 
 to subscribe to the Articles of the Church of England, 
 
 B 
 
242 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 to which, as a consistent Dissenter, he was wholly- 
 averse. He simply said, ' I cannot.' 
 
 At the Norwich Festival of 1830, Mr. Taylor intro- 
 duced Spohr's Oratorio of ' The Last Judgment ' for 
 the first time into this country, the words being trans- 
 lated and adapted to the music by Mr. Taylor 
 himself. This was followed at subsequent Festivals 
 by other oratorios of the same composer, which, for 
 originality, richness, and beauty, are unrivalled in 
 their way. After the performance of ' The Last 
 Judgment,' Mr. Taylor had a strong desire to become 
 personally acquainted with Spohr, and one day 
 getting an invitation from Mendelssohn to visit him 
 and his family, at Dusseldorf on the Rhine, where 
 Spohr then was, the invitation was accepted, and thus 
 Mr. Taylor first became known to the illustrious 
 composer, with whom he formed a friendship which 
 lasted as long as they both lived. 
 
 After the performance of ' The Crucifixion,' Spohr 
 and Mr. Taylor were travelling outside the coach to 
 London, when the former expressed a wish to write 
 another oratorio for Norwich, but said that he was at 
 a loss for a subject. Mr. Taylor then suggested ' The 
 Fall of Babylon.' This led to a chat about the 
 effects which might be introduced in the way of 
 contrast, &c, and ultimately Spohr promised to write 
 the oratorio, if Taylor, on his part, would write the 
 book of words. The bargain was struck, and the 
 result was a work which will live to the end of time. 
 
Professor Taylor. 243 
 
 As an instance of Spohr's implicit trust in Mr. 
 Taylor, it may be related that when Spohr was to 
 play at one of the Philharmonic concerts, he wrote to 
 his friend to make all arrangements for him with the 
 directors as to terms, &c. All that Mr. Taylor could 
 induce the directors to give was fifteen guineas. 
 Spohr came and played without having the remotest 
 idea of what he was to be paid ; and when, after the 
 concert, Mr. Taylor put a note into his hand con- 
 taining a cheque for the fifteen guineas, he put it into 
 his pocket without either looking at it or asking a 
 question about it. Neither, whatever may have been 
 his surprise when he discovered the amount, did he 
 ever allude to the subject. 
 
 At the Norwich Festival of 1836, the expenses 
 exceeded the receipts by 231/. 5 s. lod. We give an 
 extract from a letter written the following year by 
 Mr. Taylor to Mr. Henry Browne, which will be read 
 with pain, because it shows that Mr. Taylor received 
 far other treatment than he deserved at the hands of 
 the then committee of management. 
 
 ' I hear,' says Mr. Taylor, ' of the discord engen- 
 dered by the winding up of the Festival with much 
 concern, and which seems to threaten the existence of 
 future ones. How it happened that the last termi- 
 nated so unprofitably has always been a mystery to 
 me. I think it ought not. 
 
 ' I can't say but that I felt some surprise that the 
 auditors seemed to intimate in their report that they 
 
 B 2 
 
244 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 had been unable to obtain vouchers for the expendi- 
 ture, since I wrote to Mr. G. Chapman several months 
 ago stating that, to the best of my belief, Mr. T. 
 Steward held the vouchers for all the engagements I 
 had made (including all the London instrumentalists 
 and chorus), but that if any further explanation or 
 information was needed, I was most anxious to give it. 
 Hearing nothing from him, I concluded that the 
 auditors were in possession of all they wanted from 
 me (if not, it was their own fault) ; and I was rather 
 surprised to find their recorded expression in the 
 newspapers of a general want of the information they 
 needed. 
 
 ' The task of engaging the London performers is, 
 to me, an irksome and thankless one. I am pestered 
 with applications which I am obliged to refuse ; and, 
 knowing how essential economy is to the very exis- 
 tence of the Festival, I am constantly obliged to fight 
 a battle about terms. No band in the kingdom is 
 engaged on the same terms as the Norwich one, but 
 it requires an intimate knowledge of the situation, 
 abilities, wants, and other engagements of the parties 
 to accomplish this. For all this labour I don't receive 
 a shilling, nor for the time I devoted in preparing the 
 different works which have been produced at succes- 
 sive Festivals. I receive at Norwich just what I have 
 the following week at Worcester, where my duties 
 are confined to the orchestra, and begin and end with 
 the week. All this I am willing to do, although I 
 
Professor Taylor. 245 
 
 have not received even a thank for it ; but I did not 
 anticipate from those who had to examine the 
 Festival accounts (in which the engagements I made 
 formed a large feature) a sweeping expression of dis- 
 satisfaction on account of want of information.' 
 
 Any comment upon this extract would be super- 
 fluous. We can only express our admiration of the 
 temper and dignity with which Mr. Taylor, when 
 smarting under a sense of injustice, could open his 
 heart to a friend. The letter above quoted is dated 
 November 27, 1837, being the same year in which 
 Mr. Taylor had been elected Gresham Professor of 
 Music. He thus alludes to this event, in continuation : 
 'Allow me to thank you for your kind congratulations 
 on my recent appointment to the Gresham Professor- 
 ship. I had very little expectation of success, and on 
 the morning of the election had only the promise of 
 a single vote. The contest excited a great deal of 
 interest, and I believe the result is approved by the 
 majority of the profession. The place has been, for 
 200 years, a mere sinecure, generally held by persons 
 wholly ignorant of music. I hope to do something to 
 render it useful to the art. I know that a great deal 
 is expected from me, and I will endeavour, as far as I 
 have the power, not to disappoint the public expec- 
 tations. I am going in a week to lecture at Edin- 
 burgh, and then at Manchester. My first Gresham 
 lectures will be the latter end of January, after which 
 I am engaged at the London, and then at the Royal 
 
246 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Institution. These engagements, added to my other 
 professional avocations (which don't diminish), leave 
 me scarcely any leisure.' 
 
 In 1838, Mr. Taylor published his 'Three Inaugu- 
 ral Lectures,' which he dedicated to the trustees of 
 Gresham College. The first of these lectures gave 
 Professor Taylor's view of ' the purpose and objects of 
 the Gresham music lecture; ' the second contained a 
 picture of ' the life and times of Sir Thomas Gresham 
 with especial reference to music ; ' the third described 
 ' Gresham College, its glory and its destruction.' 
 These lectures were replete with fervid eloquence, 
 strong good sense, immense musical research, and 
 sound instruction. But Mr. Taylor was not content 
 with reading a lecture, however good, or however 
 carefully prepared. He announced his intention of 
 illustrating his subjects, by having some compositions 
 of the masters who might be Under discussion well 
 sung in parts by a competent choir. The trustees 
 consented. Amateurs of distinction and professional 
 men of high repute readily lent their aid ; and the 
 consequence was that the theatre soon became 
 crowded with eager and attentive audiences. As a 
 sample of the attraction which Professor Taylor could 
 throw into his style, take the following description of 
 music, which we quote from his first lecture : — 
 
 ' The empire of music may with truth be said to be 
 universal, and the pleasure which it is capable of 
 diffusing seems to overspread all existence. If the 
 
Professor Taylor. 247 
 
 song of the lark is its jocund and instinctive welcome 
 to the new-born day, we are also taught that the 
 highest intelligences circle their Maker's throne with 
 songs of praise ; and every intermediate link of the 
 chain which descends from heaven to earth vibrates 
 at its touch. Music is the language of nature, and is, 
 for that reason, a beautiful, an expressive, a varied, 
 language. It echoes in the forests and the groves, it 
 whispers in the breeze, it murmurs in the brook, it 
 rushes in the torrent, and roars in the tempest. Its 
 presence is everywhere — on earth, sea, in air, in the 
 world that is, and in that which is to come. There is 
 music in every accent of joy ; there is music in every 
 response of gratitude ; there is music in the plaint of 
 sorrow, and there is music in the voice of pity. We 
 meet and own the power of this language in every 
 walk of daily life, 
 
 In every burst of sympathy, 
 In every voice of love. 
 
 Suppose the world destitute of all these sweet and 
 melting accents, these solemn and majestic voices, 
 this daily and hourly appeal to the heart and the ima- 
 gination ; suppose this enchanting and endless variety 
 all withdrawn, even for a short and single day, and in 
 its stead, dull monotony or death-like silence. Oh, 
 how would the most insensible heart and the obtusest 
 ear long and pray for its return, and own the bene- 
 ficence of that Power which had made all nature 
 vocal ! ' 
 
248 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 There is something so characteristic in a remark- 
 made near the end of this lecture that we cannot 
 resist the temptation of quoting it. ' Many musical 
 opinions,' says the Professor, ' I have seen reason to 
 change ; many prejudices I have had cause to aban- 
 don ; and I often look back with wonder and shame 
 at the confident tone with which imperfect informa-. 
 tion and immature judgment led me to maintain 
 them. I am a learner yet, and so I shall remain to 
 the end of my life.' 
 
 But when it began to be discovered that Professor 
 Taylor was not only earnest, but successful, in his 
 endeavours to create a taste for good music in the 
 people ; that he constantly held up the noblest 
 examples in his art to their admiration ; and that he 
 exposed mediocrity, wherever he found it, however 
 popular it might be, the professional mind became 
 rather uneasy. The worshippers of ' the great goddess 
 Diana ' (though of course there were many honourable 
 exceptions) began to be jealous of this new apostle, 
 who had so lately sprung from the ranks, of the ama- 
 teurs. But this was not all. It was found out that 
 the sound and honest criticisms in the Spectator — the 
 best that were published in this, -country — proceeded 
 from his pen ; and moreover that it was not correct 
 for ' a professional man ' to ' sit in judgment ' upon 
 ' his musical brethren.' Had Professor Taylor, con- 
 descended merely to puff ' his musical brethren,' both 
 in and out of season, doubtless the thing would have 
 
Professor Taylor. 249 
 
 been deemed ' correct ' enough. But he felt it his 
 duty, as Gresham Professor of Music, to instruct the 
 people by all the means in his power — without, as 
 well as within, the walls of his own theatre. He 
 would thus be carrying out the noble intentions of the 
 founder. He thought, too, that the Profession ought 
 to be for the Art, as well as the Art for the Profession. 
 Fatal mistake ! ' Continuo venti volvunt mare.' 
 Immediately the sky began to lower. He was not the 
 man to be openly attacked, but his influence might be 
 secretly undermined. Without exactly knowing how, 
 or why, he must have felt a chill and blight around 
 him. The press which had set up Spohr as an idol, 
 now began to damn that illustrious composer with 
 'faint praise.' The innocent public, who swallow 
 music as they swallow medicine {because it is prescribed 
 for them) without understanding how one or the other 
 is composed, began to find out that the compositions 
 which they had once admired, or at least affected to 
 admire, were ' really somewhat dull.' But thoughtful 
 men, who knew the intrinsic value of Spohr's composi- 
 tions, remembered that he was the friend of Professor 
 Taylor ; and that Taylor had laid the foundation of 
 his fame in this country by bringing out his splendid 
 oratorios at the Norwich Festivals. This of itself 
 was significant, but this was not all. Mendelssohn, a 
 musician of vast learning, indefatigable industry, and 
 consummate skill so far as construction is concerned, 
 ait length entered the lists with Spohr as a composer. 
 
250 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 of oratorios. Of Mendelssohn's 'Songs without 
 Words,' of his ' Midsummer Night's Dream,* and of 
 his pianoforte and some other instrumental composi- 
 tions, it would be difficult to speak too highly. There 
 are two opinions of his merits as an oratorio writer. 
 His first oratorio, ' St. Paul,' can scarcely be called a 
 success. His 'Elijah' was always a favourite with 
 the public, and it contains some good descriptive 
 music ; indeed, description was Mendelssohn's strong 
 point. Some of the press, however, not content with 
 giving this oratorio the praise which was its due, 
 affected to consider 'Elijah' inferior indeed to the 
 ' Messiah,' but in such an artful way, that the opposite 
 conclusion might be drawn by the reader. It is not 
 for us to pretend to fathom motives, but it is very re- 
 markable that the efforts first made to elevate Men- 
 delssohn in this new walk were contemporary with 
 those by which it was sought to depreciate Spohr. 
 
 In the year 1845, Professor Taylor published, in the 
 ' British and Foreign Review,' an article headed ' The 
 English Cathedral Service ; its Glory, its Decline, and 
 its Designed Extinction.' This was subsequently pub- 
 lished, by permission of the proprietor, in the form of 
 a thin octavo volume. It was a masterly defence of 
 the musical services of our cathedrals, and of the choirs t 
 against the spoliations of the Deans and Chapters, 
 which had been silently and surely going on ever since 
 the time of Queen Elizabeth. It made a strong 
 sensation at the time, and even now, whoever would 
 
Professor Taylor. 251 
 
 strike a blow for the cause of cathedral music (which, 
 in Professor Taylor's opinion, is the salt which can 
 alone save the musical taste of the people from corrup- 
 tion) will find the best weapons ready to his hand 
 contained in this little volume. 
 
 But it is a hard thing to kick against the pricks. 
 Professor Taylor found that though he had right on 
 his side, the might of the world was against him, and 
 this must have sometimes tinged his mind with sad- 
 ness. A shade of this feeling will be discovered in the 
 following extract from a letter which he wrote to Mr. 
 Eaton (the President of the Norwich Choral Society) 
 on December 21, 1847. He says, 'As President of 
 the Purcell Club, I am editing an edition of the words 
 (sacred and secular) which he set to music, with an 
 introduction to each of his operas. At our next anni- 
 versary we shall do the " Tempest," having done "King 
 Arthur," " Dido and ^Eneas," " Bonduca," and several 
 of his odes. This work, of which we print only three 
 sheets in a year, is solely for the members of the club. 
 I take great interest in it, and the more I know of 
 Purcell the more true do I find Dr. Beckwith's remark 
 to me when, as a boy, I was expressing my admira- 
 tion of his music, " The longer you live, and the more 
 you study Purcell, the more you will admire him." 
 
 ' But what know or care his countrymen about 
 him ? Nothing. We are going to put up a statue to 
 Mendelssohn — a foreigner — who had not a tithe of 
 Purcell's genius, but the English Orpheus is forgotten, 
 
252 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 while of the resting-place of Arne (to whom we owe 
 " God save the King," and who was the composer of 
 "Rule Britannia") there is no mark or sign what- 
 ever. 
 
 ' Don't wonder that I am unknown in the present 
 musical world. I find no associates in it, and belong 
 to another age.' 
 
 That the man to whom we owe so much should 
 have had reason for writing thus, shows that ' there is 
 something rotten in the state of — music. 
 
 Professor Taylor, who had been long a widower, 
 died with the utmost tranquillity on the 12th ult, at 
 his house at Brentwood. He had three children, all 
 of whom survive him — a son, Mr. John Edward Taylor, 
 who was with him in his last moments, and two 
 daughters, one of whom is married and lives ■ in 
 Germany, her sister living with her. 
 
 We believe that Mr. Taylor left injunctions that 
 his manuscripts should not be published, which is 
 surely to be regretted. If his rare and valuable 
 musical library, the acquisition of which was the 
 labour of a life, should be sold, we trust that it will not 
 go piecemeal to the hoards of individual collectors, 
 but be bought for the use of Gresham College and its 
 future musical professors. 
 
 Some apology is due from us to many kind friends 
 who have favoured us with authentic and interesting 
 particulars concerning Professor Taylor, which we have 
 heen wholly unable to employ, for want of time 
 
Professor Taylor. 253 
 
 and space. We have been obliged rather to hint at 
 the nature of the Professor's labours than to attempt 
 giving any detail of them. But no one ought to ex- 
 pect that materials which would not be exhausted by- 
 several octavo volumes, could be satisfactorily con- 
 densed in a newspaper memoir. It is to be hoped 
 that Professor Taylor will have a biographer worthy < 
 .of him, and capable of doing him that justice which 
 the nature of things forbids to be done in the columns 
 of a weekly journal. 
 
 Since the above was in type, valuable information 
 has been obtained, of which we would* gladly have 
 availed ourselves, had it been earlier received. We 
 must, however, find room for what follows : — 
 
 In an interesting letter written by Professor Taylor 
 to Spohr, after his return from a visit to the latter at 
 Cassel in 1840, he says — ' I went to Offenbach, to visit 
 Dr. Becker, with whom my son resided some months. 
 There I saw Andr4 who showed me his valuable 
 Mozart MSS. With what reverence did I take the 
 original score of " Die Zauberflote " into my hands.' 
 
 The following is characteristic : — ' At Ghent, where 
 I rested again, I scored a great many compositions of 
 Orlando di Lasso, and some other of the early Flemish 
 masters. There is a Conservatorium of Music here, 
 but I was surprised to find the pupils and their master 
 equally ignorant of even the name of Orlando di Lasso. 
 / told tliem they ought to feel ashamed of their ignorance^ 
 
254 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 They begged copies of some of the scores I had 
 made.' 
 
 The following extract from a letter from Mr. Rintoul 
 to Professor Taylor, on the latter retiring from the 
 musical department of the ' Spectator,' dated May 15, 
 1843, is too important to be withheld : — 
 
 ' My dear Mr. Taylor, — Your letter is a sad remem- 
 brancer of the tenure of all mortal engagements and 
 pleasures, that they come to an end ; and that the time 
 is drawing on when with me, too, those pursuits that 
 have occupied me so busily for so many years must be 
 relinquished. _ When that time comes, I may not hope 
 for higher approval, either of conscience or the judg- 
 ment of other men, than to find that my career has 
 been as honourably and usefully distinguished as yours. 
 I can bear willing testimony to the high aims, the 
 great ability, the persevering zeal, and undeviating 
 punctuality, with which you have upheld the cause of 
 good music in my journal for the long period of four- 
 teen years. I believe that a selection from your 
 writings in the " Spectator " during that period would 
 comprise a body of the soundest and best musical 
 criticism in the language ; and when you retire, I know 
 , not that any second man in England is qualified to 
 sustain the elevated standard that you have raised,' 
 &c. 
 
 With all this we cordially agree, and trust that a 
 selection from Mr. Taylor's contributions to the 
 ' Spectator ' will be made and published. 
 
Professor Taylor. 255 
 
 There has of late been an agitation for a new 
 musical college ; but let the next Gresham Professor 
 only do his duty as earnestly as did the last, and no 
 new college will be needed ; we believe it would do 
 more harm than good. 
 
256 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND DOCTRINES 
 
 1 
 
 OF 
 
 MR. JAMES TAYLOR, 
 
 ORGANIST. 
 
 {From an unpublished Manuscript. ) 
 
 James TAYLOR was born at Norwich, on the 7th of 
 October in the year 1781. His father, who carried on 
 the trade of a baker in that city, died either before, or 
 very soon after, the birth of this son. Had the father 
 lived, James would have been brought up in the Pro- 
 testant religion ; but Mrs. Taylor was a Roman 
 Catholic and she naturally instructed her son in the 
 tenets of her own faith, to which he strictly and con- 
 scientiously adhered through life. The father never 
 locked or bolted his outer doors, being of opinion that 
 ' locks, bolts, and bars soon fly asunder.' He con- 
 tented himself with inserting wedges at night, 
 under the impression that any efforts which thieves 
 might make to break into the house would only 
 Strengthen his measures for keeping them out. This 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 257 
 
 showed a mechanical turn, which James in some degree 
 inherited and which he would probably have cultivated, 
 had he not been blind from his birth. His mother 
 married a second time and sent him to a school in 
 Wiltshire to get rid of him, under the pretence that 
 his blindness rendered him incapable of tuition beyond 
 learning his catechism and religious duties. From 
 Wiltshire he was removed, for some reason not known, 
 into Lincolnshire, where one of Lord Arundel's 
 daughters took much notice of him, and very kindly 
 instructed him in music so long as her health permitted. 
 He was next sent to London, where he studied music 
 under Molineux till he was about the age of sixteen, 
 when his mother dispatched him to Norwich with a 
 letter to his aunt, requesting that he might be kept 
 ' under strict restraint.' His aunt put him into lodg- 
 ings at the house of Mr. Lambert, a dancing master, 
 and here he commenced teaching the piano-forte and 
 singing upon his own account. His aunt, to his great 
 delight, thought it unnecessary to show his mother's 
 letter to Lambert. Whatever Mrs. Taylor's reasons 
 may have been for enjoining 'strict restraint,' it is 
 certain that he considered this mandate a piece of un- 
 called for severity, and that he never could speak of it 
 without disgust. At a much later period Mrs. Taylor 
 became insane and she once threatened her son's life. 
 It may be harsh, therefore, to judge of her conduct by 
 ordinary rules. 
 
 Taylor used to say that ' if he had any politeness,, 
 S 
 
25.8 Musical Criticism and Biography,. 
 
 he owed it all to Mrs. Muller.' This lady, who had a pen- 
 sion from government as the widow of an engineer of 
 some eminence, lodged at his mother's house when he 
 was a boy. She had half an eye and he had none ; 
 hence perhaps the mutual sympathy between them. 
 She was fond of walking with him and of polishing his 
 manners. One day, as they were walking, he accosted 
 some one whom they met, as *Mr. Smith.' 'James,' 
 said Mrs. Muller, 'that gentleman knows that his 
 name is Smith, without your telling him ; Sir would 
 have been quite enough.' From that time he never 
 could bear to be mistered, or to address another by the 
 appellation of Mister; and when a pupil has so called 
 him, he has been heard to say, ' It is not proper for 
 you to mister your superior. I speak for your own 
 sake, I care not what you call me.' 
 
 His sense of touch was remarkably quick, nature 
 having compensated for defect of sight, as is not un- 
 usual, by bestowing greater keenness on the other 
 faculties. Upon one occasion he gave a curious 
 instance of this. He was spending an evening with a 
 party of joiners, at the house of one of them, who was 
 giving a treat in honour of his wife's birthday. In the 
 course of the evening the host produced a tea-caddy, 
 which he had made for a birthday present, and which 
 the company pronounced to be a master-piece of skill. 
 Taylor requested permission to examine it, and pass- 
 ing his lip over its edge, said that, * It was very pretty, 
 but not quite square.' This opinion was by no means 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 259 
 
 relished. The tea-caddy was more minutely examined, 
 and by all but Taylor declared to be faultless. He, 
 however, remained dissatisfied, insisting upon the ap- 
 plication of the rule. The maker was as eager for 
 the test as he ; but the result showed Taylor to be 
 right, though the deviation from truth was so small as 
 to be scarcely appreciable. 
 
 That his ear should have been fine will excite no 
 surprise, since it was in constant exercise and since it 
 had been assiduously trained. He could detect a 
 sleeping echo by the sound of voices in common con- 
 versation, and he knew when he approached a post by 
 his footfall. This acuteness of organ rendered him 
 intolerant of some passages which good composers 
 employ without scruple. Thus, he would not allow 
 the interval of a perfect fourth, in the cadence, for the 
 sake of a full chord, between two flutes, or two 
 clarionets ; the peculiar quality of tone in these instru- 
 ments rendering the fourth naked (however full the 
 band), and causing it to be felt as an unresolved dis- 
 cord. 
 
 In early life he was intimate with Michael Crotch, 
 a celebrated tunist and a half-brother of the late Dr. 
 Crotch. Crotch exercised a powerful ascendency over 
 Taylor's mind, being many years his senior and a very 
 able man. The former was a rigid and an exclusive 
 adherent of the old school ; one who looked upon the 
 homage which then began to be paid to Haydn, as a 
 sort of rebellious defection from Handel. Taylor, to 
 
160 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 whom Crotch's word was law, joined in the abuse 
 which was liberally bestowed upon the oratorio of 
 ' The Creation.' He assented to the opinion that the 
 chorus ' A new created world,' was better suited to 
 the words ' A new enamelled watch ; ' and he accepted 
 Crotch's dictum, that ' If Haydn had restricted 
 himself to writing canzonets, there would have been 
 but one opinion concerning him.' Crotch, it is to be 
 feared, died in this narrow creed ; but Taylor lived to 
 repent of his folly. Latterly his admiration of Haydn 
 was great, though he did not rate him highly as a 
 choral writer, and he has been heard to confess that 
 'he could not help being pleased with Haydn's 
 music, at the very time when he was abusing it, and 
 that he was angry with himself for feeling that 
 pleasure.' There was no insincerity in all this. 
 Taylor believed the music to be bad upon authority ; 
 ' for,' said he, ' I had laid my own judgment at the 
 feet of Crotch.' 
 
 No man could have a more slavish reverence for 
 authority than Taylor had before he learned his own 
 strength, after which he completely shook off old 
 trammels. He did not, however, emancipate himself 
 from the thrall of superstition. To the last he was an 
 avowed believer in ghosts, and he silenced all argu- 
 ment by the startling assertion that he had once 
 seen one ! As there is no reason to doubt his having 
 been in earnest, and as he had a reverence for truth, 
 it can only be supposed that he was the dupe of some 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 261 
 
 melancholy dream, at a time when his bodily health 
 was disordered. 
 
 At an early period of his musical career he was of 
 course acquainted with the leading professors and 
 amateurs of Norwich. Of the latter the Rev. C. 
 Smyth seems to have stood well in his opinion as a 
 theorist. For Dr. Beckwith, both as a composer and 
 an organist, he had great reverence. When Taylor 
 was a youth of about eighteen, he would take the 
 melody of some fugue subject to St. Peter's Church 
 on a Sunday afternoon, put it into the Doctor's hand 
 during the sermon and request him to introduce it 
 into the voluntary in playing the people out of 
 church. The Doctor would ponder over it for a few 
 minutes, take an enormous pinch of snuff, and then 
 say that he would see what he could do with it. 
 When the Doctor had given out the subject and 
 replied to it in the regular way, he would treat it, if 
 possible, by inversion, reversion, augmentation, and 
 diminution, carrying it through a course of modula- 
 tion till he came to the knot, when he would bring the 
 replies in closer and closer, till Taylor was in a 
 rapture of delight. He used' to say ' Doctor Beck- 
 with's playing was brilliancy itself.' He did not rate 
 the Doctor quite so highly as a theorist as he did as 
 a composer. He would say, ' Dr. Beckwith, sir, had 
 a retentive memory ; he would defend a progression 
 by ready quotations from Haydn or Handel. If you 
 disputed these authorities he had no more to say. 
 
262 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 Now, / would have given reasons, which could not 
 have been disputed.' In fact the Doctor disliked 
 reading treatises of harmony ; but Taylor, if he had 
 not been obliged to depend upon others, would have 
 read from morning till night. Yet he greatly re- 
 spected Dr. Beckwith's mental powers. He often said 
 of Beckwith, ' He was a man of so much mind, sir ! 
 He had a bushel of mind. He was none of your little 
 dogs. Oh, no, the devil a bit. He was a fine 
 fellow ! ' 
 
 Taylor went on, teaching, composing, and playing 
 the organ at the Roman Catholic Chapel in St. 
 John's Madder-market, apparently in easy circum- 
 stances till his mother's death. Upon that event the 
 misconduct of two lawyers, whom he imprudently 
 trusted, robbed him of his little patrimony and threw 
 him into difficulties from which he had no power to 
 extricate himself. The remainder of his life was a 
 painful struggle with the 'res angusta domi' Yet, 
 having schooled his heart to the duty of forgiveness, 
 he never alluded to the cruel treatment that he had 
 received ; nor sought for retaliation upon the authors 
 of his ruin. His blindness, and even his religion, 
 were, more or less, obstacles to his obtaining pupils, 
 and his profound musical knowledge could not be 
 turned to much pecuniary advantage. Soon after he 
 became pressed for money, he was persuaded to give 
 a lecture upon music at the Old Hall Concert Room 
 by St. George's bridge. The lecture was well 
 
Mr. James fay lor. 263 
 
 attended, and the musical compositions with which 
 he illustrated it upon the organ excited the surprise 
 of those who had not known him as a composer. 
 The proceeds, though small, delighted him so much 
 that after a short time he was anxious to repeat the 
 experiment, and he actually prepared another lecture 
 for that purpose. His friends, however, knowing that 
 it could at best afford mere temporary relief, did not 
 come forward with alacrity, as before, and so the 
 project was abandoned. He then set himself to 
 write a practical treatise upon harmony, an arduous 
 undertaking under his peculiar circumstances. The 
 examples were pricked upon a wooden board con- 
 taining raised lines and spaces in imitation of the 
 musical staff. The lines and spaces had holes for the 
 reception of pegs with flat heads and short arms, the 
 position of which indicated the value of the notes. 
 When the board was full he was obliged to lay it 
 aside till he could find some one at leisure to copy its 
 contents upon paper. The letter-press was written 
 from his dictation. Thus, like Robinson Crusoe, he 
 built his boat without having calculated upon how it 
 was to be got into the water. He could neither 
 publish his work himself, nor find others who were 
 willing to encounter the risk of doing it for him. At 
 length the manuscript was mentioned to Dr. (then 
 Mr.) Buck, the organist of Norwich Cathedral, who, 
 seeing the urgency of the case, bethought himself of 
 another way of serving him. The plan was to raise a 
 
264 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 subscription by quarterly payments, from which 
 Taylor was to receive a certain sum weekly for the 
 term of his natural life. The cheerfulness with which 
 this call was responded to by Taylor's friends and the 
 public was alike creditable to all parties concerned. 
 If the generosity exhibited was extraordinary, the 
 worth which called it forth could have been no less so. 
 Mr. Taylor received his first payment in August, 
 1840, and continued to receive for nearly ten years, 
 in sums varying from five shillings to eight shillings 
 a week. During this period he gave frequent proofs 
 of the honour and integrity by which his conduct was 
 always guided. Upon several occasions, he received 
 sums of money directly from private hands, together 
 with an intimation that such sums were not intended 
 to form part of the subscription, but to be used by 
 himself as his exigencies might require. He, however, 
 invariably brought them to those who had undertaken 
 the management of the fund, with whom he would 
 have no concealments. Had a purse of untold gold 
 been committed to his care, when he wanted bread, 
 it is believed by those who knew him best that he 
 would have held the contents sacred. By the year 
 1849, death and other causes had so reduced the 
 subscriptions as to render them inadequate to the 
 purpose for which they were intended. When this 
 became known to Mr. R. N. Bacon, the Editor of the 
 ' Norwich Mercury,' that gentleman kindly exerted 
 himself to procure him the benefit of a local charity 
 
Mr. y antes Taylor. 265 
 
 called the « Old man's Hospital.' In this he happily 
 succeeded. Taylor, however, steadily refused to 
 become an inmate during the lifetime of his wife, 
 from whom he would not be separated ; but about 
 a year after her death, which took place in May, 
 185-1, he entered the house, which thenceforth became 
 his home. 
 
 He died in the parish of St. Augustine, while on a 
 temporary visit to his son, on Thursday, June 7, 
 in 1855, without apparent suffering, and he was 
 buried on the following Sunday by the side of his 
 wife in St. Mary's churchyard, being carried to the 
 grave by the choir of St. John's Chapel. 
 
 Mr. James Taylor was only once married ; he had 
 twelve children, eight of whom died young ; four 
 arrived at maturity, and two, a son and daughter, 
 survive him. 
 
 Taylor was a man of middle size, rather inclined to 
 corpulency in the prime of life, with a florid com- 
 plexion, Roman nose, and comely features. His 
 address was bland and insinuating, and his vocabu- 
 lary copious, considering that his infirmity cut him 
 off from literary resources. His articulation in 
 speaking was beautifully distinct. Like many other 
 blind men, to avoid singularity of speech, he would 
 always tell his friends ' He was glad to see them.' 
 His temper was naturally warm, though well under 
 command. He had a large share of harmless ego- 
 tism, that was excessively amusing. Conscious . that 
 
266 Musical Criticism aiid Biography. 
 
 his profound musical learning and original views 
 were ' caviare to the million,' he would inflict them 
 without mercy upon those whom he judged capable 
 of understanding and appreciating them, and this the 
 more eagerly as the number in his opinion was very 
 small. His reverence for the sex was deep and sincere. 
 He would say to any man, in the strictness of whose 
 morals he professed to believe, ' Sir, I doubt whether 
 you, or I, be capable of imagining the purity of the 
 female mind.' He had also an awful sense of the 
 truth and obligations of Religion. But in his mind 
 Christianity was absolutely identified with Romanism. 
 It was useless to argue the point with him, since to 
 refute was not to convince him. He once cut short a 
 controversy with ' Sir, if the Catholic Church go to 
 hell, we Catholics will go to hell wjth her.' All he 
 would grant was, that ' Had his father lived and his 
 mother died, he should have lived and died a Protes- 
 tant.' 
 
 The sense of his poverty and blindness rendered his 
 natural sensitiveness painfully acute. His pride was 
 always being needlessly wounded. Drawing himself 
 up he would say — ' Though we sweep the streets, we are 
 gentlemen.' To soothe him he was often told that he 
 might be a doctor of music, when he pleased ; to which 
 he would reply — 'Yes, sir; 'tis true I could write for 
 my degree, but who ever saw a doctor with a hole in 
 his coat?' 
 
 The Norwich Festival Committee showed their 
 
Mr. y antes Taylor. 267 
 
 respect for his talents, by always granting him a free, 
 ticket of admission to all the rehearsals and perform- 
 ances. The Gresham Professor of Music (who, though 
 a namesake was no relation) was always his steady 
 friend, and when asked for his contribution to the fund, 
 used to say, 'Taylor shall never want a sovereign 
 while I live and have one to give.' 
 
 Mr. James Taylor was always ready to impart his 
 musical knowledge to a professional brother, either 
 gratuitously, or for such a fee as the other could afford 
 to pay. After hearing some parts of Mr. George 
 Perry's first Oratorio, he told the composer that some 
 of the choruses would be vastly improved by the in- 
 troduction of fugue. To this the other honestly replied, 
 that ' he would have given fugue, had he known 
 how to write it,' or words to that effect. Taylor 
 hinted as delicately as he could that he should 
 be happy to give him information on that head. 
 Perry was delighted, and after their first conversa- 
 tion upon the subject, produced a chorus that per- 
 fectly astonished Taylor, ' Odds, Bobs, sir,' said he, 
 ' I did not throw away a word upon Perry — a hint to 
 him was as good as a lesson to most men — I could 
 hardly give it him fast enough.' 
 
 It has been shown that Taylor had been prejudiced 
 against Haydn in early life ; it must now be confessed 
 that he entertained a still more violent dislike to 
 Mozart ; a dislike which he never could entirely over- 
 come. The thing, however, may be easily, if not 
 
268 Mtisical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 satisfactorily, accounted for. Taylor's blindness com- 
 pelled him to get all his chapel music by heart. He 
 could retain or vary his own compositions at pleasure ; 
 but the length of Mozart's masses rendered them too 
 great a burden for his memory, and the fear of com- 
 mitting some mistake always made him nervous when 
 he had to do them. Now, the Willow-lane congre- 
 gation had a pardonable preference for Mozart's 
 music, which, he thought, ultimately deprived him of 
 the organ of that chapel. Hinc illce lacrymce ! A 
 wicked friend took a malicious pleasure in tormenting 
 him upon this subject, and used to enjoy the ludicrous 
 dilemma in which he was placed by his consciousness 
 of Mozart's greatness, together with his determination 
 never to acknowledge it. He, however, always con- 
 fined his censure to the sacred compositions of Mozart 
 — and would say, by way of compensation, after 
 having abused them liberally — ' Sir, I know a move- 
 ment of Mozart's in C minor, which makes him a king 
 of composers ! ' And then, as if this were too much, 
 he would add, ' but only think, sir, of a fellow's begin- 
 ning an " Agnus Dei" precisely in the way in which he 
 began " Dove sono ! " but the devotion of a foreigner 
 is not like the devotion of an Englishman.' He was 
 then perhaps reminded of the Benedictus in the 
 Requiem, and asked if that were not sweet ? ' Sweet, 
 sir ? ' he would exclaim, ' a great deal too sweet— that 
 Benedictus is a plum pudding all plums ; but I don't 
 .like a plum pudding all plums. If I had to write, a 
 
Mr. yames Taylor. 269 
 
 requiem, do you think I would make it sweet ? No, 
 sir, I should see the corpse before me.' Then roaring 
 out some sepulchral strain in G minor, he would end 
 with ' that, sir, is the sort of stuff that requiems are 
 made of.' 
 
 His musical sensibility was so great, that he has 
 been seen to grope his way out of St. Andrew's Hall 
 in order to escape some chorus of Handel, which he 
 felt that he should not be able to stand. Once, how- 
 ever, he was caught at a performance of the ' Messiah;' 
 He sat in deep attention till the commencement of 
 the chorus ' And the glory of the Lord shall be re- 
 vealed.' In spite of all his efforts to control himself, 
 his breath grew short, his knees knocked together, 
 and before the grand climax he was carried out in 
 strong hysterics. He used often to say that the only 
 music which could so affect him was Handel's and 
 his own ! In spite of his reverence for the great 
 master, there was one progression in ' Deeper and 
 deeper still,' to which he affirmed ' he could never be 
 reconciled, though it was written by Handel.' 
 
 His favourite composer was Webbe, whose masses 
 and glees he held to be first rate. He was also a great 
 admirer of Spohr, giving the palm to his ' Fall of 
 Babylon.' Weber he thought rather too unconnected. 
 To him the greatest charm in music was simplicity. 
 He has been affected even to tears by an air in 
 Mehul's ' Joseph,' sung to the words ' When death with 
 his cruel arm hurried.' He did not think highly, of 
 
270 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 French music, and said that ' a Frenchman did not 
 often write a good thing, but when he did, it was sure 
 to be a gem! 
 
 His own compositions were chiefly vocal, with an 
 organ or piano-forte accompaniment. But the mass 
 composed for the opening of the Willow-lane Chapel 
 employs a full band. Being desirous of introducing 
 ■trombones, he sent for the players to hear what they 
 could do, and when they had left him, wrote the ' Kyrie ' 
 in G minor. Sir George Smart, who chanced to be in 
 Norwich and heard that movement rehearsed, was so 
 struck with the wailing of the trombones that he would 
 not believe that the instrumentation was written by a 
 poor, blind, Norwich musician, till he had seen and 
 conversed with the composer. 
 
 It has been already said that Taylor was a great 
 lover of simplicity, wherein only he thought, true ex- 
 pression could be found. His melodies therefore 
 were pure and vocal, and his harmonies generally 
 natural. He wrapt himself up in his words and studied 
 to impart their meaning to his music. But he delighted 
 in now and then treating the ear to what he called ' a 
 fine surprise.' An example of this occurs in his air 
 ' Bring forth the lyre,' at the words ' And list to the wild 
 wind's song,' where the interrupted cadence proper to 
 the minor mode, is given in the major. As an instance 
 of the simplicity of his part writing we have the glee 
 ' Romantic Sounds,' an effect of gradual harmony. 
 We may also quote the set of three anthems dedicated 
 
Mr. James Taylor. i*]\ 
 
 to Lady Bedingfield, which have been long published, 
 though they are little known, and a MS. anthem 
 ' Sweetly was heard,' which deserves to see the light. 
 
 It is needless to say that the ballads of Shield and 
 Dibdin stood high in his estimation, except for the 
 purpose of observing, that he thought the latter was 
 indebted for some of his great originality to the singu- 
 larity of his metre. 
 
 Taylor's execution upon the piano-forte would not 
 be thought much of at the present day, but what he 
 did, he did well. Nothing could be more finely gradu- 
 ated than his crescendos and diminuendos. He also 
 prided himself upon having equal power of execution 
 with either hand. This he acquired and maintained 
 by frequently playing the upper part upon the bass. 
 He used to say, ' If you would have both hands equal, 
 you must give them equal work to do.' He brought 
 out a fine volume of tone and made the instrument 
 sing. 
 
 His pupils were kept to level playing for an un- 
 usually long time. Upon one occasion a lady who had 
 unbounded confidence in him, could not help rather 
 losing patience whilst her daughter was acquiring 
 firmness of touch and strength of hand. Other girls 
 in a much shorter period, had gained much brilliancy 
 and dash, whilst the young lady in question had been 
 not so much as told the meaning of the words ' forte ' 
 and 'piano! The answer to all solicitations upon this 
 head was, ' Not yet, not quite yet.' Till at length the 
 
272 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 mother was asked one morning ' Whether she would 
 like to hear her daughter execute a crescendo, for the 
 time had now arrived and the thing could be taught 
 in five minutes ? ' In about the time specified the 
 thing was taught and done. Taylor's secret was 
 simple — ' For a forte, or piano, you must stiffen or 
 relax the fingers.' After this young lady (or one of 
 her sisters) had been playing one evening at a private 
 house in London, her mother was asked, by a musical 
 professor, under whose instructions the former had been 
 placed during her visits to town ; and he expressed 
 some surprise, when told that she had never received 
 a lesson in London, that so much elegance and finish 
 was to be obtained in the country. The fact was, that 
 she had never had tuition from any one but Taylor. 
 
 Taylor had some peculiarities of fingering, which 
 were laughed at by some of his brother professors, till 
 Hummell's work came out ; but when they found that 
 Hummell had been anticipated in more than one 
 instance, they laughed no longer. 
 
 His singing lessons also were in many respects 
 peculiar to himself. Thus, instead of beginning with 
 Do, Re, Mi, and the slow scale, he gave the pupils 
 one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, one, and the quick 
 scale. When it was objected that he should have taught 
 his pupils to walk, before he taught them to run, his 
 reply was that he did so teach them ; meaning that he 
 advanced from the easy to the difficult. He held that 
 the scale should be perfectly equal, like a fine peal of 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 273 
 
 bells. That if you began with the slow scale, it would 
 be impossible for the pupil by the time of arriving at 
 the fourth or fifth note, to remember what had been 
 the quality of the first. But that, in the case of the 
 quick scale, there was no time either to forget, or to 
 alter. The use of the figures ensured a good articula- 
 tion. When the time arrived for teaching the slow 
 scale, he did not resort to the syllables, but to the 
 word ' Hallelujah,' lest the pupils should be misled by 
 the idea, that scaling is something different from sing- 
 ing. Whilst the scaling was going on, he would 
 sustain the voice by an extempore accompaniment 
 upon the piano-forte ; familiarizing the pupil by 
 degrees, to maintain equality of tone against the 
 richest and boldest harmonies. His favourite practice 
 for securing articulation and point was Recitative. He 
 would put the pupil to this at a very early stage, himr 
 self always playing the accompaniment. He invari- 
 ably detected the slightest distortion of visage in the 
 singer. ' Ah,' he would exclaim, • you are making up 
 a face, you must sing before a glass.' When things 
 went well, his countenance would brighten up and he 
 would encourage the voice with an accompaniment of 
 consummate elegance. 
 
 Taylor was very jealous of the purity of the vowel 
 sounds. The care which he took to* prevent the i from 
 degenerating into e, was extreme. He was also very 
 careful that words should be distinctly separated ; 
 thus, if one word ended with a consonant and the next 
 
 T 
 
2 74 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 began with a vowel, he insisted that the word begin- 
 ning with the vowel should be pronounced ' with a 
 rising chin.' But that which he held to be above 
 everything, the sine qud non with a singer, was a 
 liberal education. ' Except I have ladies and gentle- 
 men,' he would say, ' I cannot make finished singers. 
 Give me an educated child, who never heard others 
 sing, and I shall have little or nothing to teach ;' 
 meaning that he would have no bad habits to over^ 
 come. He would say at the commencement of the 
 slow scale, or of a long passage, ' Fill your chest and 
 husband your breath as a miser would his gold.' 
 
 In selecting voices for a chorus, he allowed that 
 trebles and basses should be more numerous than the 
 inner voices, because the trebles have the melody and 
 the basses form the foundation ; but he liked that the 
 counter-tenors should rather outnumber the tenors ; 
 his reason being, that the greater compass usually 
 assigned to tenors in the higher part of their scale, 
 by demanding from them greater exertion,, sometimes 
 brings on reed. He occasionally strengthened a solo, 
 at his chapel, by making two or three voices sing the 
 part. The quality, however, was so identical, that no 
 one detected the employment of more than one 
 voice. 
 
 It was, however, in what is called ' the theory of 
 music,' that Mr. Taylor's originality of conception had 
 most scope for display. His attention was first 
 directed to this branch of his art, by reading (or 
 
Mr. J 'antes TaytoK 275 
 
 rather hearing read to him) a translation of Rameau's 
 celebrated treatise. The acquisition of Rameau's 
 principles gratified his appetite for speculative study. 
 Whether he lay awake in his bed at night, or walked 
 abroad in what to him could hardly be called day, he 
 revolved them in his mind. He next betook himself 
 to the theoretical works of Kollman, with whom he 
 became personally acquainted, and for whom he had 
 always a very high esteem. The rock upon which, in 
 his opinion, they both split, was a rigid adherence to 
 system. Music was an art which had not to be 
 invented, but explained. Instead of explaining it as 
 far as they could see their way, each of these writers 
 affected to reduce it to a perfect system. To this 
 end they gave rule upon rule and precept upon 
 precept ; but as some of these rules were at variance 
 with the practices which they were brought to sanction, 
 a necessity arose for exceptions and assumptions often 
 of a self-contradictory character. This Taylor saw, 
 and wisely abstained from attempting to construct a 
 system of his own. He pointed out the evils to which 
 this excessive love of system had given rise, gave clear 
 rules for writing correct harmony, and in disputed 
 cases maintained that the ear must be finally the 
 umpire. 
 
 He not only accepted Rameau's doctrine of 'the 
 double employ ' but extended its use to the dominant 
 seventh, in a stream of harmony, and hence produced 
 a regular scheme for the twofold resolution of discords. 
 
 t 2 
 
276 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 It was enough, he thought, except in a cadence, if 
 discord was followed by concord. He thus obtained 
 many novel effects, and gave new progressions to 
 inversions of the minor and diminished sevenths. 
 Thus, if C and D were bound together in the key of 
 G, instead of resolving the discord C into B, he let it 
 hold on, sending D up to E, which equally resolved 
 the second into the third. To show his readiness at 
 reply it may be observed, that upon some one's once 
 objecting to the new resolution upon the ground that 
 the fourth of the scale calls the third more powerfully 
 than the fifth does the sixth, he instantly rejoined, 
 You are assuming the mode to be major ; but, Sir, 
 I did not say that the new is an equally satisfactory 
 resolution, but merely that it may be allowed with 
 advantage for the sake of variety, in the middle of a 
 period.' 
 
 He thought that the modern chord of the ' added 
 sixth ' crept in through a misapprehension of Rameau. 
 Wherever we find the fourth of the scale bearing a 
 chord of the sixth and fifth, we are told now, that the 
 fourth is the fundamental note, whatever may be the 
 progression. Thus, in the key of C, F with a six five, 
 is called a chord of the added sixth, though the 
 progression be to the chord of G. But Rameau's 
 chord of the added sixth invariably went to the 
 tonic harmony. In the case of the progression 
 to G, he would have considered the chord as an in- 
 version of a chord of the seventh upon the second of 
 the scale. When Taylor was told that the moderns 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 277 
 
 defend their practice by an appeal to nature, urging 
 the impossibility that a note bearing an imperfect fifth 
 (as would be the case if the mode were minor) could 
 ever be the root of a chord, he laughed, and replied, 
 ' Then, Sir, I will rob them of their minor mode 
 altogether; for nature disowns the minor third as 
 much as she does the imperfect fifth. But why make 
 the fourth the root? Let them be consistent. If 
 they must have a root, let them go down by thirds 
 till they arrive at a note which bears a perfect fifth, 
 and much good may it do them.' 
 
 Thus far he followed Kollman ; but when Kollman, 
 in his love of system, declared that ' to play strictly 
 •in the diatonic minor mode of any key requires that 
 no other notes be introduced but those contained 
 in the diatonic scale,' whilst at the same time he was 
 obliged to allow the necessity of the sharp seventh, 
 * where the harmony is the leading chord to a perfect 
 cadence on the tonic, or an inversion of it,' Taylor 
 was quick enough in detecting the absurdity. ' Koll- 
 man,' he would say, ' is so blinded by devotion to his 
 system, that he can't see the difference between an 
 essential note and what he calls a chromatic extremity. 
 But the latter effects nothing, and the former deter- 
 mines everything. Sir, I should like to hear him 
 modulate from C major to A minor without his G 
 .sharp! 
 
 He thought that the writers of modern musical 
 treatises did not insist enough upon two things ; the 
 omnipotence of melody, and the paramount import- 
 
278 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 ance of a key. His reverence for the former was so 
 great, that he never would condemn a progression till 
 he had first heard the melody. 'However bad it 
 may seem,' he would say, ' perhaps the melody may 
 justify it ; for melody will sometimes vindicate that 
 which nothing else can.' In ' accordance with this 
 view he once sent a phrase of melody to the ' Har- 
 monicon,' which, in his opinion, justified consecutive 
 fifths. The editor pounced upon the fifths and pro- 
 nounced the passage 'neither good nor tolerable.' 
 Taylor did not reply, but said privately amongst his 
 friends, ' that the passage was good, because so con- 
 structed, that the fifths did not produce the same melody 
 in two different keys, the only thing upon which their 
 prohibition was founded.' He had arrived at this con- 
 clusion independently, and great was his delight when 
 it was afterwards pointed out to him, that Rousseau 
 was on his side ; and so, it may be added, is Cherubini. 
 It has been seen that he enriched music with A 
 scheme for 'the twofold resolution of discords,' 
 founded upon the ' double employ ' of Rameau ; and 
 it remains to be added, that he founded a doctrine of 
 'abrupt modulation by natural means,' upon the 
 ' threefold use of the major and the fivefold use of 
 the minor common chord.' It is not intended 
 to be implied, that others have never used the 
 same progressions, or some of them, which this doc- 
 trine led him to employ. But it is asserted that he 
 alone introduced the principle into our systems of 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 279 
 
 harmony. He acted upon it methodically, and the 
 result was, that he rendered the most abrupt modula- 
 tions apparently natural. They were effected by 
 degrees which enabled the ear to follow and find out 
 their meaning. The nicest shades of affinity were 
 brought into play, and led to passages of endless 
 variety. When he was modulating at the pianoforte, 
 it was his custom to strike every chord four times, as 
 crotchets, and since it was impossible to tell, when he 
 had a major chord under his hands, whether he meant 
 to treat it as a key note, a fourth, or a fifth, — or, when 
 a. minor, whether as a key note, second, third, fourth, 
 or sixth — the ear was always held in a pleasing state 
 of suspense. To use a phrase of his own, he loved to 
 ' make the hair stand on end ; ' but this was always 
 done without harshness. Indeed it was a positive 
 rule with him always to introduce the new key note 
 before its dominant, if a major key was adopted 
 where a minor one would have been expected, or the 
 reverse. He made this hold good, even in going from 
 C natural to C sharp major. Thus if he had taken 
 the chords of C natural, G, E major, D sharp with a. 
 sharp sixth, sharp fourth, and sharp third, followed 
 by C sharp, he would have made the last a minor 
 chord. In order to allow it to be major, after the 
 chord of E, he would probably have taken the chord 
 •of E sharp with a sharp sixth, followed by F sharp 
 with a sharp sixth and sharp fifth, then G sharp with 
 a sharp seventh, and C sharp major.. 
 
280 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 He would sometimes produce ' a fine surprise ' by 
 unexpectedly treating the common chord under his 
 hands as a new key-note ; at other times by giving 
 the interrupted cadence proper to the minor mode, in 
 the major. He would also produce beautiful effects 
 by taking any common chord, then the diminished 
 seventh upon the note below, resolving it upon the 
 tone or semitone below that, using sometimes funda- 
 mental and sometimes inverted harmony. But, of 
 course, his resources were endless. 
 
 A well known professor, long since dead, was once 
 playing Purcell's ' From rosie bowers ' to him upon 
 the pianoforte, when he remarked that 'the accom- 
 paniment could be none of Purcell's, since it con- 
 tained consecutive fifths.' The other excused him- 
 self by saying, ' that he had merely played an 
 extempore accompaniment' 'As if,' said Taylor 
 afterwards, ' the circumstance of its being ex- 
 tempore could be any justification of the consecutive 
 fifths ! ' 
 
 Taylor allowed an imperfect fifth to succeed the 
 perfect in descending, but he would not suffer an im- 
 perfect fifth to rise to a perfect one. Thus, if the bass 
 went from the key note to the third of the scale, and 
 the melody from the third to the fifth, he let the key 
 note hold on, under the seventh, instead of giving the 
 dominant harmony. When pressed with the authority 
 of Dr. Crotch for the full chord and ascending fifth, 
 he would reply that ' neither Dr. Crotch nor anyone 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 281 
 
 else could make what was radically bad, good ; and 
 that it was a clumsy and needless violation of rule.' 
 Here he had the practice of Mozart on his side. 
 
 He had little respect for the old rules for the pro- 
 gression of intervals. With Kollman, he regarded 
 intervals as incomplete chords ; insisting that if the 
 chords were right, the intervals would not be wrong. 
 He admitted, indeed, that the doctrine of intervals, 
 and of the preparation of discords, had been of great 
 use in their day ; that the progression of intervals had 
 probably led to the invention of fugue and canon ; and 
 that the preparation of discords had given rise to 
 beautiful binding notes and suspensions. But these 
 things being now understood, the old scaffolding, he 
 thought, might safely be removed. To the doctrine 
 of chords he attributed the use of arpeggios ; and to 
 the enlarged employment of arpeggios by Haydn, he 
 imputed much of the elegance and refinement of 
 modern melody. ' Haydn, sir,' he said, ' boasted of a 
 secret, whereby he could teach people to write in his 
 style. Now, I think I have found out his secret. It 
 lay in an extended use of the arpeggio. When I am 
 in the vein to compose, I play a few arpeggios of the 
 common chord, slowly, upon the pianoforte. This ex- 
 cites expectation, and expectation begets ideas. One 
 begins to sing ; the piece is thus begun, and a piece 
 once begun is almost as good as ended ; for when the 
 fancy is warmed, ideas flow fast enough of them- 
 selves.' He would often add, ' but mind you, sir, I 
 
282 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 wrap myself up in the words, for the words are half 
 the battle.' 
 
 It may be said, that this only applies to vocal com- 
 position. But instrumental writers, if they had not 
 words, seem to have been driven to find a substitute. 
 Thus Haydn found ideas for his grand sinfonias, by 
 imagining some visible scene, such as the departure 
 on a voyage of pleasure or the like ; and Beethoven is 
 Said to have considered a double subject as the strife 
 of two conflicting principles, and so on. All this 
 Taylor could understand. But he never could com- 
 prehend how it was that some composers could set 
 the most contemptible trash to exquisite melodies, 
 as was the case with Dr. Arne and Mozart. He used 
 to say, ' the words they had to set would have killed 
 him.' 
 
 In teaching harmony he was careful not to over- 
 burden the memory with rules at starting. Instead 
 ■of telling his pupils to avoid consecutive fifths and 
 -octaves, he would caution them against similar motion, 
 and against having two chords follow in the same 
 position. They thus acquired a habit of observing 
 the rules before they were even aware of their exist- 
 ence. 
 
 He never approved Burrowes' book on thorough 
 bass. In his opinion 'thorough bass belonged to 
 masters, not to scholars ; it was the last step in har- 
 mony.' His own plan was this. He gave the pupil 
 the bass of a psalm tune figured ; but the tune was 
 
Mr. James Toy tor. 283 
 
 composed by himself for the purpose. The harmony 
 was simple, consisting of two or three chords and 
 their inversions. To this bass the pupil had to com- 
 pose a melody, filling up the intervals and giving 
 each note its right progression. The metre of the 
 psalm secured the rhythm, and divided the music 
 into periods. The pupil took an interest in his work 
 from its commencement, the melody being his own 
 composition. Instead of being burdened with innu- 
 merable rules, and having to fill up dry chords, he 
 was led at once into a flowery path, receiving rules 
 by degrees which he had all along been uncon- 
 sciously observing ; the consequence was, that these 
 rules, when imparted, failed to embarrass, because 
 they entailed no new difficulty. They merely gave 
 the sanction of reason to practice. The tunes became 
 richer, by degrees, both in harmony and modulation. 
 When the pupil had in this way cultivated his taste 
 for melody and acquired a habit of filling up correctly, 
 he was taught to write his music in parts. It was 
 pointed but to him how easily this might be done, 
 by merely allowing the inner parts to cross, or by 
 occasionally inverting them, so as to render them 
 melodious and bring them within the compass of 
 the voices. No new harmonies, no new bass, or 
 treble, were needed. In all this Taylor did for his 
 musical pupils what Mr. J. D. Harding has done for 
 the student in art. In both cases one step succeeds 
 another in such easy and natural gradation, that 
 
284 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 •progress is rapidly and unconsciously made. When 
 you can do the foliage and ramification of a bough, 
 you can do the foliage and ramification of a tree. 
 There may be more surface to cover, but there is no 
 new principle to. master. 
 
 When Taylor's pupils had gone through the course 
 of study above described, they had no longer a fig- 
 ured bass given them, but were expected to write the 
 four parts for themselves ; not by composing a bass 
 and setting parts to it, but producing the whole 
 together as consecutive chords. The bass, however, 
 was required to be melodious, and also to exhibit its 
 peculiar character. That no embarrassment might 
 arise from the student's ignorance of the laws of pro- 
 gression, he was restricted to the tonic and dominant 
 harmonies and their inversions. Other chords were 
 added, one at a time, till a tolerable degree of facility 
 was acquired, and then the pupil was gradually 
 initiated in the doctrine of connections and affinities. 
 The old rule, that ' any two chords may succeed each 
 other which have a note in common,' was thought by 
 Taylor to be worse than useless, except in abrupt 
 modulation, where the note in common lay upper- 
 most, as in a transition from the chord of C major 
 to that of A flat major. ' For,' said he, ' you cannot 
 even go from the key-note to its third fundamentally, 
 by means of the note in common, because in this 
 case the ear requires the third to carry the chord of 
 •the sixth.' He also repudiated Kollman's doctrine, 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 285 
 
 that two concords cannot succeed each other diaton- 
 ically ; and that when they seem to do so, one of 
 them must be understood to be an incomplete chord 
 of the seventh. According to Taylor's view, a dis- 
 cord with the discord omitted, was no discord at all. 
 He fell back upon that maxim of the lawyers : — ' de 
 non apparentibus, et non existentibus, eadem est ratio' 
 To justify the interrupted cadence, as some have 
 done, by an imaginary chord of D, between the 
 chords of G and A, he thought the height of ab- 
 surdity. With respect to the interrupted cadence, 
 he said, ' is the effect good or bad ? If it be bad, 
 away .with the interrupted cadence ; but if good, what 
 better reason can be given for any progression than 
 this — it has a good effect ? ' As for imaginary 
 chords, he reasoned thus unanswerably against them. 
 If they really justified any progression, it could only 
 Joe to those capable of forming the imagination. But 
 the doctrine was invented to defend progressions, 
 which had been held good before it ever was thought 
 of, and which therefore could not possibly have 
 admitted such vindication. Dr.. Johnson refuted 
 those who denied the existence of matter, by kicking 
 a mighty stone down a hill. Taylor refuted the 
 opponents of diatonic progression, by composing a 
 magnificent psalm-tune, full of such progressions by 
 contrary motion, and pleasing those with it, who had 
 never heard of imaginary chords ! 
 
 Diatonic progression was forbidden, because chords 
 
286 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 so succeeding each other wanted the note in common. 
 Taylor, by showing that a progression which had the 
 note in common might be bad, and that progressions 
 were acknowledged to be good, which were without it, 
 struck at the very root of the rule. His progressions 
 were founded on the relationship of chords to the 
 key, and on their mutual affinities and dependencies. 
 His pupils, however, got a practical feeling of natural 
 relationships, from being set to play the ' rule of the 
 octave ' in all keys, in both modes, and in all the 
 different positions of the chords. 
 
 It only remains to be added, that Taylor was pro- 
 foundly versed in the mysteries of Fugue, Canon, 
 and double Counterpoint, his rules for all which were 
 short and simple. He always insisted that a com- 
 poser should be familiar with this branch of his art, 
 not for the sake of writing fugues and canons, or of 
 showing his learning, but in order that he might 
 know the true value of a subject, and how to make 
 the most of it ; for without this knowledge many fine, 
 points of imitation would be lost. 
 
 MR. JAMES TAYLOR'S SYSTEM OF TUNING 
 THE PIANOFORTE. 
 
 Extract from another account of Mr. Taylor, intended for publication 
 but unfinished. 
 
 He held that a palpable line ought to be drawn 
 between the Science of Acoustics and the Art of 
 
Mr. yames TayloK 287 
 
 Music. ' An art,' said he, * which has not now to be 
 invented but explained to those who need an expla- 
 nation.' Accordingly he would hear nothing of 
 ratios and vibrations and the comma ditonicum ; for 
 he considered that a fine and educated ear is the last 
 court of appeal in music. Hence he would have even 
 the operation of tuning to be rather a musical than a 
 mathematical affair. He once tried his hand upon 
 his own pianoforte and obtained what he called ' that 
 . fine ringing tune ' for which 'his friend Crotch was 
 celebrated. His blindness, however, made the task 
 so irksome that he did not repeat it. His advice to 
 me upon this head was as follows. 
 
 Cfa being tuned to concert pitch, tune its chord E, 
 G, C, to it, as perfect as possible. To. the G tune B 
 and D, a third and a fifth, and tune the lower D an 
 octave to the upper one. Tune the chord of F as 
 fifth and third below the upper C. Then try the four 
 chords thus: C common chord, G common chord, 
 D with the seventh G common chord, C common 
 chord and F common chord. You thus get the chords 
 in connection and can hear; and rectify whatever is 
 amiss. Tune FJf a major third to D. Do the same 
 by G# to E, and Qff to A. Tune B^ a minor seventh 
 to C and then try it as a minor third to G. Tune Eb 
 as a minor seventh to F and try it as a minor third to 
 C. Also try it with care as a fifth to A^. The rest 
 of the instrument is to be tuned perfect octaves to the 
 field, or foundation, thus obtained. 
 
288 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 The great advantage of the above system of tuning 
 consists in its affording means of preserving a con- 
 nection between the chords, which are rendered de- 
 pendent upon each other, as in real music. 
 
 THE DOUBLE PEAL OF SIX. 
 
 The following letter appeared in the ' Norfolk Chronicle,' 1 and in the 
 'Norwich Mercury' of June 2nd, 1832. 
 
 TO THE EDITOR. 
 
 Sir, — On Tuesday morning the scale of a double 
 peal of six, upon an entirely new construction, was, 
 at my request, executed by St. Peter's company of 
 ringers, under the direction of Mr. Hurry. The com- 
 plete success which attended this effort leads me to 
 hope, that in time we shall hear the 720 changes 
 rung upon the same principle. This would be the 
 commencement of a new aera in the annals of ringing, 
 and would do more to impart a musical character to 
 the art, than anything that has hitherto been at- 
 tempted. 
 
 For the ingenious and beautiful arrangement which 
 I am about to lay before your readers, the public is. 
 indebted to the skill of my friend, Mr. James Taylor, 
 a gentleman whose compositions and profound know- 
 ledge of harmony have obtained for him no mean 
 celebrity in his profession. 
 
Mr. James Taylor. 289 
 
 The following scheme shows the order in which the 
 bells are united : — 
 
 S 6 4 1 2 3 
 7 8 9 10 11 12 
 
 Thus, the fifth and seventh bells are struck to- 
 gether, the sixth and eighth, the fourth and ninth, the 
 treble and tenth, the second and eleventh, and the 
 third and tenor. 
 
 The common wedding peal consists of a monoto- 
 nous succession of octaves, preceded (ominously, it 
 must be confessed) by a discord. Mr. Taylor's 
 arrangement comprises a minor and major third, a 
 major sixth, and a major and two minor tenths. An 
 entire peal on these incomplete chords would form an 
 union of two distinct melodies, flowing in reversed 
 and retrograde counterpoint. A single example will 
 suffice to show the beautiful variety which would be 
 produced by an employment of the changes. The 
 major sixth, in its present situation, is felt as a 
 portion of the dominant harmony ; but if we suppose 
 it to be followed by the minor third now placed at 
 the beginning of the series, the new progression 
 would cause that sixth to become part of another 
 chord, and consequently to assume quite a different 
 character. Delightful and uncommon effects upon a 
 magnificent scale would thus be continually breaking 
 upon the ear of the gratified harmonist. The solitary 
 and fitful sixth, now coming between the thirds, and 
 
 U 
 
290 Musical Criticism and Biography. 
 
 now between the tenths, and now forming a connec- 
 ting link to both, would give to each period its 
 peculiar charm. One cannot indeed conceive to 
 what a depth that voluptuous melancholy which the 
 sound of distant bells is well known to have the 
 power of exciting, might be carried by this species 
 of music. 
 
 Double peals of four might be constructed upon 
 the same principle, which would be equally superior 
 to those in present use. 
 
 May 30, 1832. 
 
 Scheme of a double peal of four. (MS.) :- 
 
 3 4 2 1 
 S 6 7 8 
 
 September 18, 1833. 
 
 *** The pamphlet on Haydn's ' Creation ' and the Letters in this volume 
 were originally published under the Author's name. The analysis of 
 Handel's Hallelujah Chorus was stated to be ' by the Author of'Muskal 
 Colloquies in the Anglo-Saxon " " Remarks on Haydn's Creation, &c." ' 
 
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INDEX. 
 
 Aoton's Modern Cookery 28 
 
 Allen's Four Discourses of Chrysostom .. 22 
 
 ALLIES on Formation of Christendom .... 21 
 
 Alpine Guide (The) 23 
 
 AMOS'S Jurisprudence 5 
 
 Arnold's Manual of English Literature . . 7 
 
 Arsott's Elements of Physics 11 
 
 Authority and Conscience 19 
 
 Autumn Holidays of a Country Parson .... 8 
 
 Ayre's Treasury of Bible Knowledge 21 
 
 Bacon's Essays, by Whatbly 6 
 
 Life and Letters, by Spedd ISO .. 6 
 
 "Works, edited by Spe d ding 6 
 
 Bain's Logic, Deductive and Inductive .... 10 
 
 ■ Mental and Moral Science 10 
 
 on the Senses and Intellect 10 
 
 Ball's Alpine Guide 23 
 
 Bayldon's Rents and Tillages 19 
 
 Beaten Tracks 23 
 
 Becker's Charicles and Gallus 25 
 
 Sentry's Sanskrit Dictionary 8 
 
 Bernard on British Neutrality 1 
 
 Black's Treatise on Brewing 28 
 
 Blacklet's German-English Dictionary .. 8 
 
 Blaise's Rural Sports 26 
 
 Veterinary Art 27 
 
 Blo saji's Metals 12 
 
 Booth's Saint-Simon 3 
 
 Soultbee on 39 Articles 19 
 
 Bourse on Screw Propeller 18 
 
 Bourse's Catechism of the Steam Engine . 18 
 
 i, ■ — ■ Handbook of Steam Engine .... 18 
 
 Improvements in the Steam 
 
 Engine 18 
 
 — .. i Treatise on the Steam Engine .. 18 
 
 Examples of Modern Engines .. 18 
 
 Bowdler's Family Shakspe are 26 
 
 Bbaddon'S Life in India 22 
 
 Bbamlet-Moore's Six Sisters of the 
 
 Valleys 24 
 
 Bhasde's Dictionary of Science, Litera- 
 ture, and Art 14 
 
 Bray's Manual of Anthropology 10 
 
 . Philosophy of Necessity 10 
 
 on Force 10 
 
 (Mrs.) Hartland Forest 24 
 
 Bree's Fallacies of Darwinism 13 
 
 Browse's Exposition of the 39 Articles.... 20 
 
 Brunei's Life of Brunel 4 
 
 Buckle's History of Civilization 4 
 
 Bull's Hints to Mothers 28 
 
 Maternal Management of Children 28 
 
 Bunsen's God in History 3 
 
 Prayers 20 
 
 Burke's Vicissitudes of Families 5 
 
 Burton's Christian Church 4 
 
 Cabinet Lawyer 28 
 
 Campbell's Norway gg 
 
 Cates's Biographical Dictionary ]* 5 
 
 and Woodward's Encyclopedia 4 
 
 Cats* andFARLiE's Moral Emblems 17 
 
 Changed Aspects of Unchanged Tmtha .... 9 
 
 Chesney's Indian Polity g 
 
 Waterloo Campaign "]\ 2 
 
 Chorale Book for England is 
 
 Christ the Consoler -. ] jg 
 
 Clouqh's Lives from Plutarch ...!!!!!!.!] 2 
 
 •COLENSO(BiBhop) on Pentateuch 21 
 
 Collingwood's Vision of Creation ..." 25 
 
 Colllss's Perspective \"' t u 
 
 Commonplace Philosopher, by A. K."h"b* 8 
 
 Conington's Translation of the jEndd...\ 26 
 
 Miscellaneous Writings s 
 
 CoNTANSHAU'sFreuch-EnglishDictionariea 8 
 
 Conybearr and Howson's St. Paul .... so 
 
 Cotton's (Bishop) Life 5 
 
 Cooper's Surgical Dictionary \\\\ 15 
 
 Copland's Dictionary of Practical Medicine 16 
 
 Counsel and Comfort from a City Pulpit. ... 9 
 
 Cox's Aryan Mythology 
 
 Manual of Mythology WW*, 26 
 
 Tale of the Great Persian War,.."* 2 
 
 Tales of Ancient Greece » 
 
 and Jones's Popular Romances .... 24 
 
 Creasy on British Constitutions 3 
 
 CRESY'sEn^clopaadiaofCivilEngineering 18 
 
 Critical Essays of a Country Parson 8 
 
 Crookes on Beet-Root Sugar is 
 
 'S Chemical Analysis 15 
 
 Culley's Handbook of Telegraphy I is 
 
 Cusaok's History of Ireland 3 
 
 D'Atjbigne's History of the Reformation 
 
 in the time of Calvin 2 
 
 Davidson's Introduction to New Testament 21 
 
 Dead Shot (The), by Marksman 26 
 
 De la Rive's Treatise on Electricity 12 
 
 Denison's Vice-Regal Life 1 
 
 Disraeli's Lord George Bentinck 4 
 
 — Novels and TaleB 24 
 
 Dobell's Medical Reports 15 
 
 Dobson on the Ox 27 
 
 Dove on Storms n 
 
 Doylb's Fairyland .- jg 
 
 Drew's Reasons of Faith 19 
 
 Dyer's City of Rome , % 
 
 E A8TL ake's Hints on Household Taste .... 17 
 
 Gothic Revival 17 
 
 Eden's Queensland 14 
 
 Elements of Botany 22 
 
 Ellioott on the Revision of the English 
 
 New Testament 20 
 
 Commentary on Ephesians .... 20 
 Commentary on Galatians .... 20 
 
NEW WORKS published BT LONGMANS AND CO. 
 
 Ellioott's Commentary on Pastoral Epist. 20 
 
 Philippians, &C. 20 
 
 Theesaloniana 20 
 
 Lectures on the Life of Christ. . 20 
 
 Evans's Ancient Stone Implements . . . . # . 18 
 
 Ewald's History of Israel SI 
 
 Fairbatrn on Iron Shipbuilding 18 
 
 ■ 'b Applications of Iron 18 
 
 ^^^__^_ Information for Engineers .. 18 
 
 i. — Mille and Millwork 18 
 
 Faraday's Life and Letters 4 
 
 Faheae's Families of Speech 9 
 
 . Chapters on Language 7 
 
 Feni'ELL's Book of the Roach 27 
 
 Fitzwygram on Horses and Stables 27 
 
 Fowler's Collieries and Colliers 28 
 
 Francis's Fishing Book 26 
 
 Feeshfceld's Travels in the Caucasus. ... 23 
 
 Froude's History of England 1 
 
 Short Studies on Great Subjects 9 
 
 Gamoee on ITorse- Shoeing 27 
 
 Ganot's Elementary Physics 12 
 
 Natural Philosophy 12 
 
 Gilbert's' Cadore, or Titian's Country .... 23 
 
 Gilbert and Churchill's Dolomites .... 23 
 
 Girdlestone'S Bible Synonymes 19 
 
 GLADSTONE'S Lift of WHITEFIELD 5 
 
 Goddard's Wonderful Stories 25 
 
 Goldsmith's Poems, Illustrated 26 
 
 Goodbye's Mechanism 12 
 
 Graham's Autobiography of Milton .... 4 
 
 View of Literature and Art .... 3 
 
 Grant's Home Polities 3 
 
 .^_—_ Ethics of Aristotle 6 
 
 Graver Thoughts oi a Country Parson 8 
 
 Gray's Anatomy 16 
 
 Greeshow on Bronchitis 15 
 
 Griffin's Algebra and Trigonometry .... 12 
 
 Griffith's Fundamentals 20 
 
 Grove on Correlation of Physical Forces . . 13 
 
 Gurnet's Chapters of French History .... 2 
 
 Gwilt's Encyclopaedia of Architecture .... 17 
 
 Hare on Election of Representatives 7 
 
 Hartwig's Harmonies of Nature 13 
 
 ! Polar Worjd 14 
 
 ■ — Sea and its Living Wonders . . 13 
 
 — — — : — Subterranean World 14 
 
 Hatherton's Memoir and Correspondence 2 
 
 Hersohel's Outlines of Astronomy 10 
 
 Hewitt on Diseases of Women 15 
 
 Hodgson's Theory of Practice 10 
 
 Time and Space 10 
 
 Holland's Recollections 4 
 
 Holmes's System of Surgery 15 
 
 Surgical Diseases of Infancy .... 15 
 
 Horne's Introduction to the Scriptures.... 21 
 
 How we Spent the Summer 23 
 
 Howitt'b Australian Discovery 23 
 
 Rural Life of England 24 
 
 Visits to Remarkable Places .... 24 
 
 Hubnee's Memoir of Sixtus V. „... 8 
 
 Hughes's (W.) Manual of Geography .... li 
 
 Hume's Essays lo 
 
 - ■■ Treatise on Human Nature 10 
 
 IHNE'S Roman History 2 
 
 Ingelow's Poems 26 
 
 Story of Doom 26 
 
 James's Christian Counsels 19 
 
 Jameson's Saints and Martyrs 17 
 
 Legends of the Madonna 17 
 
 Monastic Orders 17 
 
 Jameson and Eastlaee's Saviour 17 
 
 Jardine's Christian Sacerdotalism 19 
 
 Johnston's Geographical Dictionary 11 
 
 Jones's Royal Institution 4 
 
 Kalisoh's Commentary on the Bible 7 
 
 Hebrew Grammar 7 
 
 Keith on Fulfilment of Prophecy 20 
 
 Destiny of the World 20 
 
 Kerl's Metallurgy 18 
 
 Kibby and Spence's Entomology U 
 
 LANG'S Ballads and Lyrics ' 25 
 
 Lanman's Japanese in America 22 
 
 Latham's English Dictionary 7 
 
 Laughton's Nautical Surveying 11 
 
 Lawlor's Pilgrimages in the Pyrenees .... 24 
 
 Lbokt's History of European Morals S 
 
 Rationalism 3 
 
 Leaders of Public Opinion 5 
 
 Leisure Hours in Town , by A. K. H, B 8 
 
 Lessons of Middle Age, by A. K. H.B 9 
 
 Lewes' History of Philosophy S 
 
 Liddell and Scott's Two Lexicons 8 
 
 Life of Man Symbolised 17 
 
 LiNDLEYand Moore's Treasury of Botany 14 
 
 Longman's Edward the Third a 
 
 ' Lectures on the History of Eng- 
 land t 
 
 Chess Openings 28 
 
 Loudon's Agriculture 19 
 
 - Gardening 19 
 
 Plants n 14 
 
 Lubbock on Origin of Civilisation 13 
 
 Lyra Germanica 16,17,22 
 
 Lytton's Odes of Horace 26 
 
 Maoattlay's (Lord) Essays 2 
 
 — ■ ■ Jlistory of England .. 1 
 
 — Lays of Ancient Rome 26 
 
 MiscellaneousWritinga 9 
 
 Speeches 7 
 
 ■ ■ — Complete Works 1 
 
 MacLeod's Elements of Political Economy 7 
 ■ Dictionary of Political Eco- 
 nomy 7 
 
 — Theory andPractice of Banking 27 
 
NEW "WORKS published BY LONGMANS and CO. 
 
 81 
 
 MoCulloch's Dictionary of Commerce .« 27 
 
 Magtjire's Life of Father Mathe w 5 
 
 PopePiusIX. 5 
 
 Mankind, their Origin, and Destiny 13 
 
 Manning's England and Christendom .... 21 
 
 Maecet 's Natural Philosophy 12 
 
 Marshall's Physiology 16 
 
 MABSHMAK'SliiieofHavelock 6 
 
 .. . LTistory oi India 3 
 
 Marttneatt's Christian Life 22 
 
 Massxhgberd's History of the Reformation 4 
 
 Mathews on Colonial Question 3 
 
 Matjndeb's Biographical Treasury 6 
 
 Geographical Treasury 11 
 
 ■ Historical Treasury 4 
 
 ■ Scientific and Literary Trea- 
 
 sury 14 
 
 Treasury of Knowledge 28 
 
 . Treasury of Natural History 14 
 
 Maxwell's Theory of Heat 12 
 
 Mat's Constitutional History of England.. I 
 
 Melville's Novels and Tales 34 
 
 Mendelssohn's Letters 6 
 
 Merivale's Fall of the Roman Republic. . 8 
 
 — _ Romans under the Empire 2 
 
 Merrifield's Arithmetic & Mensuration . 12 
 
 . Magnetism "11 
 
 i and Ever's Navigation.... 11 
 
 Meteyard's Group of Englishmen 4 
 
 Miles on Horse's Foot and Horseshoeing .. 27 
 
 Horses' Teeth and Stables .:.... 27 
 
 Mill (J.) on the Mind 9 
 
 Mill (J. 8.) on Liberty , 6 
 
 — - on Representative Government 6 
 
 on Utilitarianism 6 
 
 Mill's (J. S.lDissertations and Discussions 6 
 
 - Political Economy 6 
 
 - . System of Logic. . , 6 
 
 _____ _. Hamilton's Philosophy 6 
 
 Subjection of Women G 
 
 Miller's Elements of Chemistry 14 
 
 Hymn-Writers 22 
 
 ^ Inorganic Chemistry 12 
 
 3 of the Sierras 25 
 
 Mitchell's Manual of Architecture 17 
 
 Manual of Assaying 19 
 
 Monsell's Beatitudes 22 
 
 . His Presence not his Memory 22 
 
 , ' Spiritual Songs' 22 
 
 Moore's Irish Melodies 25 
 
 LaUaRoofch 25 
 
 Poetical Works.... 25 
 
 Moreil's Elements of Psychology 9 
 
 Mental Philosophy 9 
 
 Muller's (Max) Chips from a German 
 
 Workshop 9 
 
 - Lectures on Language 7 
 
 (K. O.) literature of Ancient 
 
 Greece 2 
 
 MUBOmsoNon Liver Complaints 16 
 
 M use's Language and Literature of Greece 2 
 
 Wash's Compendium of the. Prayer Book.. 20 
 
 New Testament, Illustrated Edition 16 
 
 Newman's History of his Religious Opinions 5 
 
 Nightingale's Notes on Hospitals 96 
 
 - ■ - ■ Lying-in Insti- 
 tutions 28 
 
 Nilsson's Scandinavia 13 
 
 Noethcott's Lathes and Turning 17 
 
 Odling's Course of Practical Chemistry.. 14 
 
 ■■ Outlines of Chemistry 14 
 
 Owen's Lectures on the Invertebrata is 
 
 ■ - Comparative Anatomy and,Physio- 
 
 logy of Vertebrate Animals .... IS 
 
 Paoee's Guide to the Pyrenees S3 
 
 Paget'S Lectures on Surgical Pathology .. 15 
 
 Pereira's Elements of Materia Medica .. K 
 
 Phrring's Churches and Creeds 20 
 
 Pe wtnee's Comprehensive Specifier 28 
 
 Pictures in Tyrol.. 23 
 
 FlESSE'6 Art of Perfumery IB 
 
 Player-Frowd's California 22 
 
 Prendergast's Mastery of Languages..., 6 
 
 Presoott's Scripture Difficulties 91 
 
 Present-Day Thoughts, by A. K. H.;B 
 
 Proctor's Astronomical Essays 10 
 
 '■ New Star Atlas 11 
 
 Orbs Around TTs 11 
 
 — . Plurality of Worlds 11 
 
 — Saturn and its System 11 
 
 The Sun 10 
 
 Scientific Essays 12 
 
 Public Schools Atlas iThe) 11 
 
 Bae's Westward by Rail 23 
 
 Ranken on Strains in Trusses 18 
 
 Recreations of a Country Parson, by 
 
 A.K.H.B 8 
 
 Reeve's Royal and Republican France . . 2 
 
 Rbilly's Map of Mont Blanc 23 
 
 Rivers' Rose Amateur's Guide M 
 
 Rogers's Eclipse of Faith , 9 
 
 _ Defence of ditto e 
 
 Roget's English Words and Phrases...... 7 
 
 Ronald's Fly-Fisher's Entomology 26 
 
 Rose's Ignatius Loyola 2 
 
 Rothschild's Israelites , 91 
 
 Russell's Pau and the Pyrenees 22 
 
 Sakdaes's Justinian's Institutes ;.... 6 
 
 8avile on the Truth of the Bible 19 
 
 ■ Sohellen's Spectrum Analysis II 
 
 Scott's Lectures on the Fine Arts 16 
 
 Albert Durer 16 
 
 Seaside Musings, by A. K. H. B 6 
 
 Sebbohm's Oxford Reformers of 1498 9 
 
 Sewell's After Life 94 
 
 — Amy Herbert 24 
 
 CleveHall 24 
 
 Earl's Daughter 94 
 
 . Examination for Confirmation ». 81 
 
NEW WORKS published BY LONGMANS ajtb 00. 
 
 ill's Experience of Lift •• 24 
 
 - Gertrude 24 
 
 -Giant 25 
 
 - Glimpse of the World 24 
 
 - History of the Early Church .... 4 
 
 . Ivory 24 
 
 . Journal of a Home Life 24 
 
 ■ Katharine Ashton 24 
 
 . Laneton Parsonage 24 
 
 Margaret Percival 24 
 
 Passing Thoughts on Religion .. 21 
 
 Preparations for Communion.... 21 
 
 Principles of Education 21 
 
 Readings for Confirmation 21 
 
 __ . Readings for Lent 21 
 
 . Tales and Stories 21 
 
 . Thoughts for the Age 21 
 
 Ursula 24 
 
 Thoughts for the Holy Week. ... 21 
 
 Short's Church History 4 
 
 Smith's (J.) Paul'B Voyage and Shipwreck 20 
 
 , (Sydney) Miscellaneous Works. . 9 
 
 _ Witand Wisdom 9 
 
 ,, Life and Letters 5 
 
 (Dr. R. A.) Air and Rain 11 
 
 Bouthey's Doctor 7 
 
 Poetical Work 25 
 
 Stanley's History of British Birds 13 
 
 Statham'S Eucharis 26 
 
 Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 
 
 Playground of Europe 22 
 
 Stirling's Secret of Hegel 9 
 
 Sir William Hamilton 9 
 
 Protoplasm 10 
 
 Stonehenge on the Dog 27 
 
 on the Greyhound 27 
 
 Strickland's Queens of England 5 
 
 Sunday Afternoons at the Parish Church of 
 
 a Scottish University City, by A.K. H. B.. 9 
 
 TAYLOR'S History of India 3 
 
 (Jeremy) Works, edited by Eden 22 
 
 Text-Books of Science 12 
 
 Thirlwall's History of Greece 2 
 
 Thomson's Laws of Thought 6 
 
 New Woridef Being 10 
 
 Thudiohtjm's Chemical Physiology 15 
 
 TODD (A.) on Parliamentary Government 1 
 Todd and Bowman's Anatomy and Phy- 
 siology of Man 16 
 
 Trench's Ierne, a Tale 24 
 
 Trench's Realities of Irish Life 3 
 
 Trollofe's Batch ester Towers 24 
 
 "Warden 24 
 
 Twiss's Law of Nations 28 
 
 Tyndall on DiamagnetiBm 12 
 
 ■ i . . Electricity 12 
 
 Heat 12 
 
 Sound 12 
 
 *s Faraday as a Discoverer 4 
 
 Fragments of Science 12 j 
 
 Tynd all's Hours of Exercise in the Alps.. 23 
 Lectures on Light 12 
 
 ..■Molecular Physics... ........... 12 
 
 Ueberweg's System of Logic 9 
 
 Use's Arts, Manufactures, and Mines 18 
 
 Van Deb Hoeven's Handbook of Zoology 13 
 
 VEREKER'S Sunny South 22 
 
 Vogan's Doctrine of the Eucharist 19 
 
 Waloott's Traditions of Cathedrals 
 
 Watson's Geometry 
 
 Principles & Practice of Physic . 
 
 Watth'S Dictionary of Chemistry 
 Webb's Objects for Common Telescopes .. 
 Webster and Wilkinson's Greek Testa- 
 ment 
 
 Wellington's Life, byGLEiG 
 
 West oh Children's Diseases 
 
 Nursing Sick Children 
 
 's Lumleian Lectures 
 
 Whately's English Synonymes 
 
 , Logic 
 
 Rhetoric . 
 
 Whately on a Future State 
 
 -■ - . Truth of Christianity 
 
 White's Latin-English Dictionaries 
 
 WiLOOck's Sea Fisherman 
 
 Williams's Aristotle's Ethics 
 
 Williams on Climate of South of France 
 -Consumption 
 
 Willioh'S Popular Tables 
 
 Willis's Principles of Mechanism . 
 
 Winslow on Light 
 
 Wood's Bible Animals , 
 
 Homes without Hands . . . . .. 
 
 - — ■ Insects at Home 
 
 ■■■ Strange Dwellings 
 
 (T.) Chemical Notes' 
 
 Wordsworth's Christian Ministry 
 
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 Yardley's Poetical Works 26 
 
 Yomdale 34 
 
 YONGE's English-Greek Lexicons 8 
 
 .Horace 26 
 
 History of England 1 
 
 • Three Centuries of English Lite- 
 
 rature 1 
 
 ■ Modern History 
 
 Yotjatt on the Dog 27 
 
 . ■ .. — on the Horse 27 
 
 Zeller's Socrates 6 
 
 Stoics, Epicureans, and Sceptics. . 6 
 
 Zigzagging amongBt Dolomites 2S 
 
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