Skip to main content

Full text of "George Alexander Macfarren; his life, works, and influence"

See other formats 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
BERNARD  HERRMANN 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED   BY 
BERNARD   HERRMANN 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  MACFARREN 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  MACFARREN 


HIS   LIFE,   WOEKS,   AND   INFLUENCE 


BY 


HENRY   C.   BANISTER 

PROFESSOR  OF  HARMONY  AND  COMPOSITION  AT  THE  ROYAL  ACADEMY  OF  MUSIC, 

THE  GUILDHALL  SCHOOL  OF  MUSIC,  AND  THE  ROYAL  NORMAL 

COLLEGE  AND  ACADEMY  OF  MUSIC  FOR  THE  BLIND 


LONDON 

GEOEGE  BELL  &  SONS,  YORK  STEEET,  COVENT  GAEDEN 
AND    NEW   YORK 

1892 


PREFACE. 

"  Wenn  du  willst  in  Frieden  eingehn, 
Wenn  du  ledig  willst  der  Pein  gehn, 

Spricht  Ben  Kab, 

So  sei  jeder  Grossere  dir  ein  Vater, 
So  sei  jeder  Mittlere  dir  ein  Bruder, 
So  sei  jeder  Kleinere  dir  ein  Kind. 
Du  verehre  deinen  Vater, 
Halt'in  Bhren  deinen  Bruder, 
Zartlich  liebe  du  dein  Kind." 

THIS  Arabic  saying  so  aptly  describes  the  spirit  of 
the  life  recorded  in  the  following  pages  that  it 
may  fitly  introduce  any  prefatory  remarks.  The  social 
side  of  George  Alexander  Macfarren's  character  was 
so  marked  by  the  reverence  due  to  those  around  him 
according  to  their  relative  ages  and  positions, — "  every 
greater  one  ...  a  father,  every  equal  one  a  brother, 
every  lesser  one  a  child," — and  kept  him,  as  an  artist, 
so  free  from  petty  jealousy,  so  ready  with  sympathetic 
help  for  those  struggling,  as  a  teacher  so  kind  and 
patient,  and  tinged  his  whole  life  with  such  humility, 
and  such  consideration  for  others, — that  those  who 
knew  him  best,  knowing  his  manifold  attainments, 
achievements,  and  powers,  as  well  as  these  personal 
and  social  qualities,  cannot  separate  the  two  aspects 
of  his  individuality,  but  delight  to  remember  his 
reverence  for  father,  honour  for  brother,  and  tender 


PREFACE. 


love  for  child,  as  having  combined  with  his  artistry 
to  render  him  so  revered,  honoured,  and  loved  as  a 
friend. 

Those  who  knew  him  but  a  little,  without  sympathy 
if  without  antagonism,  have  often  judged  him  to  be 
simply  a  somewhat  hard,  pedantic,  even  perverse 
theorist;  and  such  will  be  little  prepared  for  such 
claims  on  his  behalf  being  placed  in  the  forefront  as 
those  with  which  these  remarks  are  opened.  The 
perusal  of  this  volume  may  dissipate,  to  some  extent, 
the  mistaken  impressions  that  have  prevailed  in  the 
minds  of  many. 

At  a  dinner  given  by  the  Liverpool  Musical  Pro- 
fessors to  Sir  George  A.  Macfarren,  July  28th,  1884, 
on  occasion  of  his  distributing  the  certificates  to  the 
successful  candidates  at  the  Local  Examination  in  con- 
nection with  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  he,  replying 
to  an  address,  said  that 

"  he  had  had  a  long  life,  and  it  had  not  been  without  its 
vicissitudes,  for  he  could  look  back  to  the  time  of  rejected 
operas  sent  back  without  the  seal  being  broken ;  but  he 
had  worked  hard,  not  for  the  sake  of  work,  but  for  the  love 
of  the  work,  and  if,  possibly,  by  his  example,  he  had  been 
the  means  of  encouraging  others  to  strive  in  a  like  manner, 
then,  indeed,  he  would  have  accomplished  something  tan- 
gible for  music." 

This  long  life  of  hard  work,  and  of  vicissitudes, — 
not  only  such  as  fall  to  the  lot  of  earnest  strivers  gene- 
rally, but,  in  addition,  the  terrible  deprivation  which 
would  have  at  once  dismayed  and  baffled  an  ordinary 
aspirant,  but  which  drew  forth  from  Macfarren  such 
persistent  determination,  and  which  he  never  suffered 
to  deprive  him  of  energy,  or  to  stay  his  undaunted 


PREFACE. 


efforts, — this  life  is  here  traced ;  so  that,  according  to 
his  own  expressed  desire,  his  example  may  stimulate 
others  who  have  similar  aims,  and  their  own  difficul- 
ties :  surely,  not  such  difficulties  as  those  which  he  so 
manfully  overcame.  The  obstinacy,  and  dogged  dog- 
matism, with  which  some  have  credited  him,  may  here 
appear  in  its  more  admirable  aspect  of  unswerving 
consistency,  and  high-minded  perseverance.  On  his 
sixty- third  birthday,  March  3rd,  1876,  he  wrote  to 
Mr.  T.  J.  Dudeney :  "  Nine  apprenticeships  have 
taught  me  more  and  more  love  for  art,  more  and  more 
indifference  to  disappointment,  more  and  more  sym- 
pathy with  fellow  climbers  up  the  hill  whose  prospect 
ever  widens."  Nearly  two  more  apprenticeship  terms 
did  he  serve  without  any  sign  appearing  of  these  high 
qualities  becoming  less  and  less  powerful  factors  in 
the  high  sustainment  of  his  stainless  artistic  career. 
Let  not  the  lesson  be  lost,  the  example  be  unobserved, 
by  those  yet  in  their  earlier  apprenticeship  stage  ! 

In  his  earlier  days  he  fell  into  one  of  the  Hampstead 
ponds  :  finding  himself  in  the  water,  he  struck  out 
like  a  dog,  learned  to  swim,  and  saved  himself.  That 
was  his  way  of  attacking  difficulties  all  through  life, 
enjoined  upon  others,  and  exemplified  by  himself.  He 
would  say,  "  the  difficulty  conquered,  the  acquisition 
of  power  abides." 

Obstinate !  Well,  a  ground-bass  is  a  basso-ostinato ; 
but  what  beautiful  things  Purcell,  Handel,  Bach,  could 
build  on  such  a  bass !  And  so,  a  man  who,  unlike  the 
crowd,  thinks  for  himself,  will  act  for  himself,  and  will 
not  easily  be  persuaded  to  move  again  with  the  throng. 
Macfarren  was  such  a  one :  and  he  was  branded  as 
obstinate.  It  was  sometimes  a  pity,  as  when,  in  the 


viii  PREFACE. 

early  days  of  his  failing  sight,  not  enduring  to  have  a 
guide,  he  rushed  on,  and  struck  against  a  tree  in  the 
Park,  a  broken  nose  being  the  result.  As  one  who 
knew  him  well  writes:  "Not  many  of  his  friends  will 
forget  that  stooping  figure,  in  his  blindly  rushing  walk 
along  the  London  streets,  his  little  guide-boy  strain- 
ing to  keep  pace  with  the  master's  eagerness."  The 
eagerness  remained,  though  he  was  compelled  to  yield 
and  have  the  guide. 

Again  :   a  friend  writes  :— — 

"  One  criticism  he  was  proof  against :  nothing  that  I 
could  say  would  induce  him  to  alter.  I  mean,  his  extraor- 
dinary division  of  syllables  in  his  later  vocal  compositions. 
I  tried  precedent,  the  printer's  habit;  I  tried  quizzing. 
No!  he  had  never  heard  of  Robson,  and  'Villikins  and  his 
Dinah,'  so  it  was  of  no  use.  He  insisted  on  '  wee-ping,' 
'  wal-king,'  till  I  feared  to  worry  him  more.  His  idea  was 
that  singers  are  so  apt  to  pronounce  the  later  consonant  in 
a  syllable  before  the  note  is  over,1  that  he  would  do  his 
best  to  prevent  such  an  error  by  putting  off  the  consonant 
to  the  end  of  the  note,  joining  it  to  the  next  syllable.  He 
had  been  assured  by  good  singers  and  teachers  that  it  was 
a  wise  precaution,  and  he  would  abide  by  it." 

Enough,  however,  of  this.  The  record  is  here  given 
of  a  wonderful  career  of  achievements  for  a  blind  man  : 
a  life  of  marvellous  mental  activity,  productiveness, 
and  influence,  for  any  man. 

A  word  or  two  as  to  the  plan  of  the  work. 

This  being  a  record,  less  of  incident  than  of  thought, 
utterance,  and  influence,  no  apologetic  plea  is  needed 
for  the  somewhat  copious  extracts  from  Macfarren's 

1  See  p.  369. 


PREFACE.  lx 

writings  on  music,  by  which  he  speaks  for  himself : 
writings,  some  of  which  are  quite  inaccessible,  and 
others  practically  so,  being  buried  in  old  numbers  of 
periodicals,  or  casual  numbers  of  those  more  recently 
issued,  and  almost  certain  to  be  overlooked  by  the 
majority  of  those  desiring  to  know  of  his  opinions  on 
the  multifarious  subjects  about  which  he  wrote. 

Moreover,  for  similar  reasons,  a  strictly  chrono- 
logical arrangement  has  been  discarded,  it  having  been 
thought  better  to  focus,  so  far  as  possible,  the  light 
from  his  clear  intellect,  and,  therefore,  to  bring  together 
utterances  and  writings  of  different  times  and  cir- 
cumstances, showing  the  consistency  in  most  cases,  in 
others  the  progressiveness,  of  his  mind.  A  glance  at 
the  headings  of  the  chapters  will  sufficiently  indicate 
this  plan. 

For  invaluable  aid  rendered  to  me  in  the  preparation 
of  this  Memoir,  by  the  loan  of  letters,  manuscripts, 
programmes,  etc.,  the  furnishing  of  reminiscences,  the 
verification  of  dates,  and  in  various  other  ways,  I 
tender  my  most  sincere  thanks  to  Lady  Macfarren, 
Lady  Thompson,  Miss  Macfarren,  Miss  Macirone, 
Miss  Oliveria  Prescott,  Madame  Lemmens-Sh erring- 
ton,  Mademoiselle  Gabrielle  Vaillant,  Mr.  H.  O. 
Anderton,  Mr.  Edwin  Barnes,  Mr.  J.  R.  Sterndale- 
Bennett,  Mr.  G.  J.  Bennett,  Mr.  Windeyer  Clark, 
Mr.  Gerard  F.  Cobb,  Mr.  J.  S.  Curwen,  Mr.  F.  W. 
Davenport,  Mr.  T.  J.  Dudeney,  Sir  George  Grove,  Mr. 
Henry  Holmes,  Dr.  E.  J.  Hopkins,  Mr.  Ernest  Kiver, 
Mr.  T.  B.  Knott,  Mr.  John  Macfarren,  Mr.  Walter 
Macfarren,  Mr.  Charles  Stewart  Macpherson,  Mr. 
Ridley  Prentice,  and  the  Rev.  H.  M.  de  St.  Croix. 
That  there  are  not  more  imperfections  than  I  fear  may 


x  PREFACE. 

be  detected  in  the  work,  results  largely  from  the  hearty 
sympathy  and  ungrudging  assistance  so  readily,  and  in 
many  cases  repeatedly,  accorded  me  in  this  endeavour 
worthily  to  represent  the  unique  personality  and  artistic 
course  of  one  with  whom  I  was  more  or  less  acquainted 
and  personally  associated  for  nearly  half  a  century. 

H.  C.  B. 
LONDON,  November,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

Early  Life.     1813—1829 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
Studentship  at  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music.     1829—1836    .       19 

CHAPTER  III. 
Early  Dramatic  Compositions.     Sojourn  in  the  Isle  of  Man . 

1831—1840 34 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Personal  Acquaintance  with  Macfarren.  Some  of  his  Early 
Compositions.  His  Opinion  of  Dussek.  His  First 
Critical  Article.  Introduction  to  Mendelssohn.  Views 
on  Rhythm.  1838—1842,  etc 61 

CHAPTER  V. 

Symphony  in  C  Sharp  Minor.  Macfarren  and  Davison's 
Concerts.  Quintet  in  G  Minor.  Trio  in  E  Minor,  and 
other  works.  1842—1844 87 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Macfarren's  Theoretical  Views  and  Writings.      Dr.  Day's 

Theory.     1838,  etc 105 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Macfarren  and  English  Music.  Collaboration  with  Mr. 
William  Chappell.  Cornhill  Article.  Lectures  on  our 
National  Music.  Musical  Antiquarian  Society.  Opinions 
on  Orlando  Gibbons,  Henry  Purcell,  and  others.  Glees 
and  Part-Songs.  1838,  1840,  1868,  etc 135 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Handel  Society.  Macfarren's  Visit  to  New  York. 
Editions  of  "  Belshazzar,"  "  Judas  Maccabeus,"  and 
"Jephtha."  Views  on  Editing.  Articles  on  the 
"Messiah."  Marriage.  "Antigone"  Performances. 
Articles  on  Mendelssohn's  "  CEdipus  in  Colonos  "  Music. 
1843—1855 170 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Operas,  Cantatas,  etc.  "Don  Quixote,"  1846;  "King 
Charles  II.,"  1849;  "The  Sleeper  Awakened,"  1850; 
"Allan  of  Aberfeldy,"  1851;  "Quartet  in  G  Minor," 
1852;  "Lenora,"  1853;  "Hamlet  Overture,"  1856; 
"May  Day,"  1857;  "Christmas,"  "Robin  Hood"; 
Entire  Failure  of  Sight,  and  Commencement  of  Dicta- 
tion, 1860;  "  Freya's  Gift,"  "Jessy  Lea,"  1863  ;  "The 
Soldier's  Legacy,"  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer,"  "  Hel- 
vellyn,"  1864  ;  "  Songs  in  a  Cornfield,"  1868  ;  "  Outward 
Bound,"  1872  ;  "  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  1877  ;  "  Kenil- 
worth,"  1880 189 

CHAPTER  X. 

Macfarren's  Critical  Opinions.  Articles  on  Mendelssohn, 
Mozart,  Beethoven's  Symphonies,  "  Ruins  of  Athens," 
"  Fidelio,"  and  "  Mass  in  D. "  Remarks  on  Pedal-points. 
Opinions  concerning  Haydn,  Chopin,  Cherubini,  Auber. 
Airs  with  Variations.  1849—1854,  etc 208 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Macfarren  as  a  Lecturer.  Lectures  on  Sonata  Structure,  the 
Lyrical  Drama,  Sacred  and  Secular  Art,  and  Church 
Music.  Papers  on  Recitative,  Church  of  England  Music, 
Gregorianism,  Oratorio  in  Church,  Rossini's  Mass, 
Mozart's  Requiem,  Wagner,  Organ,  Pitch.  Composi- 
tions :  Overture  to  "Don  Carlos,"  Festival  Overture, 
Symphonies  in  D  major  and  E  minor,  Flute  Concerto, 
Violin  Concerto,  Organ  Works,  Church  Music,  Sonatas 
for  Pianoforte,  and  Pianoforte  and  Violin,  Concertina, 
etc.  1851—1879 235 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII.  PAGE 

Macfarren  and  the  Tonic  Sol-Fa  System.  His  Openness  to 
Conviction.  His  Utterances  concerning  Bach.  Biogra- 
phies. Additional  Accompaniments.  1857 — 1882  .  .  271 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Macfarren 's  Oratorios :  St.  John  the  Baptist,  1873 ;  The 
Resurrection,  1875 ;  Joseph,  1877  ;  King  David,  1883  ; 
St.  George's  Te  Deum,  1884.  Method  of  Composing  and 
Dictating.  Philharmonic  Analytical  Programmes.  1869 
—1880 292 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Principalship  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music.  Professorship 
in  the  University  of  Cambridge :  Lectures.  University 
Degrees.  Knighthood.  "Ajax"  Music.  Tercentenary 
Anthem.  Macfarren  as  Teacher  and  Examiner.  1875 — 
1887 316 

CHAPTER  XV. 

"  Encyclopaedia  Britannica "  Article  :  "Musical  History." 
Addresses  and  Articles  on  "Correct  Musical  Taste,"  In- 
strumentation, Form,  Acoustical  Discovery,  Eistedd- 
fodau,  Part-singing,  Pitch,  etc.  1878—1885 357 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Macfarren's  "  Counterpoint."  Utterances  on  Diaphony,  Con- 
secutive 5ths,  Mendelssohn's  Fugue  in  F  minor,  etc. 
1879—1882 373 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Presentation  at  the  Royal  Academy.  Various  Compositions. 
Speeches.  Failing  Health.  Last  Days,  and  Death. 
Memorial  Service.  Tributes  to  Macfarren's  Memory. 
Miscellaneous  Personal  Details.  Abiding  influence. 
1883—1887 389 

INDEX 413 


LIFE   OF   SIR   G.   A.   MACFARREN. 

CHAPTER    I. 
EARLY  LIFE.     1813—1829. 

IT  is  not  easy  to  realize  that  George  Alexander 
Macfarren,  whom  so  many  have  known  in  his 
relation  to  all  the  activities  of  the  musical  life  of  our 
day,  was  born  only  four  years  after  the  death  of 
Haydn, — "  the  Father  of  the  Symphony/' — and  the 
birth  of  Mendelssohn,  both  of  which  events  occurred 
in  the  year  1809.  The  year  of  Macfarren's  birth, 
1813,  was  that  of  the  establishment  of  the  now  time- 
honoured  Philharmonic  Society,  for  which  Salomon's 
Concerts,  and  Haydn's  visits  to  this  country  in  con- 
nection therewith,  had  prepared  the  way.  Music,  in 
its  grandest  form,  the  orchestral,  seemed  then  to  be 
making  a  fresh  start.  Though  Beethoven  was  then 
forty-three  years  of  age,  many  of  his  greatest  works 
were  not  written ;  and  of  those  then  in  existence,  few, 
probably,  were  at  all  familiar  in  this  country;  his 
pianoforte  works  least  of  all.  Spohr  was  then  a  young 
man  of  twenty-nine,  unknown  here :  Weber,  two  years 
younger.  Mozart's  "  Le  Nozze  di  Figaro  "  had  been 
heard  in  London  for  the  first  time  in  the  previous 
year,  1812  :  "  Don  Giovanni"  was  not  produced  here 

B 


EARLY  LIFE. 


till  several  years  later, — 1817.  There  was  musical 
activity,  however,  of  a  certain  kind.  The  Concerts  of 
Antient  Music,  whose  rule  was  not  to  perform  any 
music  composed  within  twenty  years,  were  going  on. 
The  Caecilian  Society  was  giving  Oratorio  perfor- 
mances in  the  City.  The  Madrigal  Society  and  the 
Catch  Club  pursued  their  several  courses,  devoting 
themselves  to  the  cultivation  of  concerted  vocal  music. 
Muzio  Clementi,  termed  the  "  Father  of  modern 
Pianoforte  Music,"  and  Johann  Baptiste  Cramer,  were 
resident  in  London,  exerting  a  wholesome  influence 
on  pianoforte  music  and  its  performance.  Dussek  had 
died  in  1812.  Among  eminent  musicians  then  living 
in  Europe  may  be  mentioned  Viotti,  Salieri,  Zingarelli, 
Cherubini,  Paganini,  Rossini  (whose  opera  "  Tan- 
credi"  was  produced  at  Venice  in  1813),  Mehul, 
Ignace  Pleyel,  Steibelt,  Boildieu,  Onslow,  Auber, 
Hummel,  Fetis,  Schubert,  Herold,  Mayseder,  Meyer- 
beer, and  many  others.  In  England  there  were  also 
Bishop,  Attwood,  Shield,  Crotch,  etc. 

Such  were  the  musical  surroundings  into  which  the 
subject  of  our  memoir  was  born,  at  24,  Villiers  Street, 
Strand,  on  the  2nd  of  March,  1813,  the  day  being 
Shrove  Tuesday ;  so  that,  as  it  is  related,  he  would 
sometimes  say,  playfully,  that  in  most  years  he  had 
two  birthdays. 

His  father  was  George  Macfai'ren,  described  trust- 
worthily  as  "  dancing-master,  dramatic  author,  and 
journalist,"  a  native  of  London,  as  were  his  immediate 
progenitors,  "  passionately  fond  of  music,  and  himself 
a  fair  violinist."  For  him,  his  son  George  Alexander 
ever  entertained  most  affectionate  reverence ;  and,  as 
recently  as  January  1877,  wrote  a  memorial  sketch  of 


EARLY  LIFE. 


him  which  is  charming  in  its  manifestation  of  filial 
feeling.  It  would  have  been  most  consonant  with  his 
feelings  that  the  memory  should  be  preserved  by 
reference  to  that  sketch.  He  begins — writing  to  his 
friend  J.  W.  Davison,  who  then  edited  the  "  Musical 
World,"  in  the  pages  of  which  the  sketch  appeared — 

"  MY  DEAR  EDITOR  AND  OLD  FRIEND, — You  ask  me 
to  write  of  my  father,  and  my  pride  in  the  subject  is  equal 
to  my  diffidence  of  ability  to  treat  it.  Truly  the  space 
before  me  and  the  time  to  fill  it  are  insufficient  for  justice 
to  the  memory  of  him  to  whom  I  owe,  not  life  alone,  but 
impetus  to  art,  and  the  first  and  best  guidance  in  its 
pursuit.  Yet,  however  briefly,  those  who  knew  him  may 
be  pleased  to  be  reminded  of  himself  and  his  doings ;  those 
who  knew  him  not  may  still  accept  some  words  of  reverence 
and  love  for  one  not  without  influence  beyond  his  imme- 
diate circle.  From  1788  to  1843  his  life  was  of  almost 
ceaseless  activity.  In  early  childhood  he  showed  a  talent 
for  versification,  to  which  a  far  higher  definition  would  not 
be  misapplied ;  and  some  stanzas,  dated  on  his  thirteenth 
birthday,  evince  depth  of  thought  and  power  of  words 
betokening  ripest  years.  While  a  schoolboy  he  wrote  a 
tragedy,  which  was  acted  by  his  mates,  with  the  assistance 
of  young  Edmund  Kean,  then  known  by  the  name  of 
Carey,  with  the  sanction  of  the  afterwards  famous  actor, 
Listen,  usher  at  that  time  in  Archbishop  Tenison's  school 
— the  scene  of  the  performance.  My  father  played  on 
bowed  instruments  so  well  as  to  sustain  either  of  the  parts 
in  a  violin  quartet.  He  had  some  facility  on  the  piano- 
forte, on  which  and  on  the  fiddle,  he  was  my  first  in- 
structor. Would  he  had  had  an  apter  pupil !  He  composed 
songs  of  merit,  and  many  country  dance  tunes  that  had 
great  popularity.  One  of  the  latter,  which  may  now  some- 
times be  heard  on  street  organs — "  Off  she  goes  " — has 
been  claimed  as  a  national  Irish  melody ;  and  this  says 
more  for  the  merit  of  the  tune  than  the  acumen  of  the 
editor.  Music  would  have  been  his  profession,  had  he  not 
met  with  a  fashionable  teacher  of  dancing — Bishop  by 
name — who  offered  to  make  him  a  '  gentleman  instead  of  a 


EANLY  LIFE. 


fiddler,'  and,  accordingly,  took  him  as  an  apprentice.  Here 
was  a  disparity  between  name  and  nature,  the  calling  and 
the  called ;  and,  I  earnestly  believe,  here  was  a  consequent 
loss  to  music.  Quick  in  conception  and  sanguine  in  enter- 
prise, he  promptly  formed  the  plan  of  a  work  or  of  an 
action,  and  eagerly  pursued  it.  So,  when  eighteen,  he 
quitted  his  parental  home,  rented  a  spacious  room,  and 
opened  a  school  for  dancing.  The  theatre  was  the  natural 
home  of  his  diverse  talent  and  the  chief  arena  of  its 
varied  exercise.  His  first  public  dramatic  production  was 
almost  extemporized,  and  acted  for  the  benefit  of  his  then 
intimate  friend,  Harley,  in  1818,  at  the  English  Opera 
House.  Many  of  his  other  pieces  were  also  written  at  a 
sitting,  of  which  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  instance- 
was  the  '  Emblematical  Tribute  '  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Queen's  marriage.  He  suggested  the  first  idea  of  this  to 
the  management  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre  on  the  Thursday 
night  previous  to  the  ceremony.  The  idea  was  applauded, 
but  its  accomplishment  pronounced  impossible.  The  pro- 
nunciation was  confuted ;  for  by  a  strong  power  of  mag- 
netism, he  infused  his  own  ardour  into  every  functionary 
of  the  establishment.  The  book  was  written,  the  musk- 
composed,  the  scenes  were  painted,  the  dresses  stitched, 
the  whole  was  rehearsed,  and  the  masque  presented  to  the 
public  at  the  free  performance  on  the  royal  wedding  night, 
the  Monday  next  following  the  primary  conception.1  Then. 
as  ever,  the  word  impossible  had  no  meaning  for  him ;  and 
to  all  with  whom  he  worked,  his  example  made  '  will '  and 
'  can '  identical.  Those  only  may  be  named  here  among 
his  dramatic  pieces  which  made  the  strongest  mark  at  the 
moment.  '  The  Horatii  and  Curiatii '  was  written  for  the 
appearance  at  the  Coburg  Theatre — then  (how  times  have 
changed !)  a  place  of  high  esteem  and  elegant  resort — of 
Booth,  who  had  been  a  rival  of  Kean,  and  was  the  father 
of  the  future  presidenticide.  '  Sir  Peter  Pry,'  which  had 
great  success  at  the  same  theatre,  has  been 'accredited  as 
the  foundation  of  a  more  popular  comedy,  whose  inquisi- 
tive hero  is  named  after  another  apostle.  '  If  the  Cap  fit 
ye,  wear  it,'  had  also  good  fortune,  being  acted  throughout 

1  See  Chapter  III. 


EARLY  LIFE. 


the  country  under  the  name  of  '  The  Student,'  and  repro- 
duced at  the  Haymarket  as  '  Latin,  Love,  and  War.' 
'  Edward  the  Black  Prince,'  and,  soon  afterwards,  '  Guy 
Fawkes,'  were  talks  of  the  town,  and  are  still  theatrical 
celebrities.  '  Winning  a  Husband,'  a  protean  piece,  was 
written  for  the  favourite  actress  Mrs.  W.  Barrymore,  and 
has  had  hundreds  of  representations  by  her  and  by  others. 
My  father's  first  acknowledged  essay — he  had  contributed 
scenes  or  songs  to  many  pieces  by  other  authors — on  the 
classic  boards  of  Drury,  was  the  ballad  opera  of  '  Malvina,' 
the  merit  of  which  raised  it  into  an  importance  far  above 
what  was  intended  in  the  original  commission.  Then  he 
wrote  '  Oberon,'  which  helped  to  familiarize  the  town  with 
the  incidents  of  Wieland's  poem,  the  groundwork  of  the 
opera  by  Weber,  at  that  time  in  preparation  at  Covent 
Garden ; 1  and  the  task  was  undertaken  within  a  month  of 
the  first  representation.  His  version  of  '  Gil  Bias,'  or 
rather  of  the  first  adventures  of  Le  Sage's  hero,  long  out- 
lived its  Drury  Lane  production.  Elliston  had  acquired 
great  confidence  in  my  father's  power  during  the  last  year 
of  his  Drury  Lane  experience,  and,  on  abdicating  the 
sovereignty  which  had  been  held  by  Garrick  and  Sheridan, 
sought  his  aid  in  his  new  enterprise  at  the  Surrey.  The 
facile  author  being  prostrated  by  a  premonition  of  the 
malady  to  which  he  succumbed  sixteen  years  later,  the 
veteran  new  manager  was  brought  to  his  bedside.  '  I  open 
this  day  fortnight,'  said  Elliston,  '  and  must  have  a  piece 
from  you ; '  the  piece  was  written  and  acted.  The  most 
notable  of  his  productions  at  the  Surrey  was  the  '  March  of 
Intellect,'  a  protean  piece  for  the  display  of  the  versatile 
talent  of  little  Burke,  the  child  prodigy,  who  acted,  and 
sang,  and  danced,  and  played  on  the  violin,  and  spoke 
Irish  with  a  '  brogue  so  rich  that  you  might  cut  it  with  a 

knife.' 

****** 

"  I  must  hurry  on  to  the  works  wherein  I  myself  had  the 
priceless  advantage  of  his  co-operation.  There  are  three 

1  "  The  year  1826  is  memorable  in  the  annals  of  music,  for  it  is 
that'in  which  Carl  Maria  von  Weber  produced  his  last  great  opera, 
'  Oberon,9  on  the  English  stage — the  deathless  work  of  a  dying 
man. " — Recollections  and  Reflections,  J.  R.  Planche,  p.  74. 


EARLY  LIFE. 


operas  that  have  never  seen  the  light,  one  of  them  having 
been  accepted  at  three  several  theatres,  all  of  which  closed 
in  bankruptcy  before  the  intended  representation.  These, 
with  his  prompting  of  what  to  think,  write,  and  avoid, 
made  me  an  apprenticeship  of  which  I,  and  none  but  I, 
can  feel  the  inestimable  value.  There  was  the  '  Devil's 
Opera,'  another  case  of  warfare  against  time,  waged  in  the 
bright  glowing  season  of  the  Queen's  Coronation,  when  my 
father  used  to  work  on  his  libretto  till  the  first  peep  of 
those  inspiring  summer  mornings,  and  then  awaken  the 
composer  to  travail  on  the  music  in  the  stilly  hours  before 
heat  came  into  the  day,  bustle  into  the  streets,  and  out- 
door occupation  into  the  writer's  necessities.1 

Lastly,  there  was  '  Don  Quixote,'  of  which  but  a  portion 
of  the  music  came  to  his  knowledge.  This  was  designed 
for  several  different  productions,  its  cast  of  characters 
changed  for  every  such  purposed  occasion,  and  its  com- 
position only  completed  nearly  three  years  after  his  death, 
when  it  was  really  to  be  represented. 

It  is  now  time  to  speak  of  his  management  of  the  theatre 
in  Tottenham  Street,  to  which,  in  honour  of  King  William's 
consort,  he  gave  the  name  of  the  Queen's  Theatre.  There 
he  ruled  from  February  1831  till'  June  1832 — or  would 
have  ruled,  had  not  the  despot,  Fortune,  governed  him, 
distorted  his  designs,  and  frustrated  his  principles  and 
plans.  He  began  with  Handel's  '  Ac-is  and  Galatea,'  to 
which  Cipriani  Potter  wrote  additional  orchestration  for 
him,  and  its  performance  was  indeed  an  event  in  musical 
London.  '  The  legitimate  drama,'  a  term  now  of  the  past, 
was  then  unallowed  in  any  but  the  '  patent  theatres,'  and 
thus  the  performances  at  the  Queen's  were  restricted  to 
plays  written  for  the  purpose.  In  the  production  of  these, 
regard  was  first  given  to  the  naturalness  of  the  scene,  in 
respect  to  stage  arrangements,  grouping  of  persons  and 
objects,  furnitui-e  and  other  accessories,  all,  in  fact,  that 
distinguishes  the  theatrical  presentations  of  nowadays 
from  the  conventionalism  of  elder  times,  when  a  green 
baize  covered  the  front  of  the  stage,  as  if  to  put  it  in 
mourning,  during  tragedies,  and  when  the  most  suinp- 

1  See  Chapter  III. 


EARLY  LIFE. 


tuously  decorated  chamber  had  but  as  many  chairs  as  the 
dramatic  action  demanded  to  be  sat  upon.  Once,  for  the 
rising  of  the  mist,  the  artifice  of  slaked  lime,  which  of  late 
has  been  re- appropriated  with  world  renown,  was  employed 
with  magical  effect.  Elliston,  one  of  the  latest  representa- 
tives of  the  drama's  so-called '  palmy  days,'  and  himself  at  the 
time  a  rival  manager,  declared  that  such  perfect  pictures  as 
he  saw  at  the  Queen's  had  never  been  put  upon  the  stage. 
My  father's  aptitude  for  painting,  of  which  some  specimens 
are  extant,  doubtless  helped  him  to  conceive  and  to  put  in 
practice  these  effects.  His  musicianship  materially  en- 
hanced his  literary  skill  in  the  writing  of  words  to  music, 
one  of  the  hardest  tasks  of  authorship,  one  in  which  success 
is  rare  as  it  is  difficult,  and  one  in  which  he  was  always 
singularly  happy — witness  the  poem  to  Henry  Smart's 
beautiful  song  of  '  Estelle,'  and  some  of  those,  such  as  a 
'  Legend  of  the  Avon,'  to  some  of  the  first  of  W.  Chappell's 
resuscitations  of  Old  English  Ditties.  The  latest  thing  that 
occupied  my  father  was  the  editorship  of  '  The  Musical 
World '  journal,  and  you  know  who,  at  his  death,  suc- 
ceeded him.  You  remember  the  kindly  and  encouraging 
feeling  that  characterized  his  administration,  how  he 
always  sought  for  merit,  and  did  his  utmost  to  bring  it  to 
the  front,  how  he  would  screen  defect,  and  how  ill-will  was 
in  him  an  incapacity.  You  remember  his  keen  perception 
of  the  beautiful,  and  the  charming  English  in  which  this 
was  set  forth.  His  sunny  temper  was  vexed  by  many  a 
trouble,  but  never  wholly  darkened  ;  and  it  had  the  power 
of  light  as  well  as  warmth  on  all  who  came  within  its 
radiance,  to  draw  out  their  brightest  colours,  as  well  as 
to  nourish  their  minds  and  hearts.  Such  was  George 
Macfarren. 

G.  A.  M." 

To  the  interesting  sketch  from  which  these  extracts 
arc  taken,  the  editor  appended  the  following  post- 
script : — 

"  We  remember  all  this — and  more.  George  Macfarren 
was  one  of  those  born  to  govern  men,  not  by  harsh 
despotism,  but  by  courtesy  and  kindness.  E^en  when,  as 


EARLY  LIFE. 


it  might  happen  at  times,  you  were  not  entirely  of  his 
opinion,  you  generally  found  him  right  at  the  end.  And 
then,  his  reasons  were  urged  with  a  gentleness  which, 
more  than  his  logical  acumen  and  knowledge  of  human 
nature — both  remarkable — went  far  to  convince  you,  even 
when  most  perverse  and  self-willed.  We  were  all  young 
then,  and  trust  we  are  wiser  now.  It  is  only  when  our 
elders  are  gone,  that  we  are  willing  to  confess  how  much 
we  owe  to  them. 

J.  TV.  D." 

In  some  reminiscences  of  early  family  history  which 
George  Alexander  sketched,  he  relates,  in  connection 
with  the  incidents  at  Archbishop  Tenison's  school : — 

"  At  the  school  in  Castle  Street  my  father  made  the 
acquaintance  of  George  Jackson,  and  was  thus  introduced 
to  the  family  of  my  mother,  George's  younger  sister." 

Also  that  he  became  engaged  to  Susan  Jackson, 
"  who  was  by  a  year  his  elder,  .  .  .  but  who  died  of 
consumption  in  1806." 

"  That  my  father  found  consolation  in  the  love  of  her 
sister  is  a  psychological  problem  not  to  be  discussed.  He 
did  so,  and  they  were  married  in  August  1808.  Elizabeth 
Jackson  was  born  20th  January,  1792,  and  it  was  from  her, 
though  there  be  no  Mac  in  her  name,  that  I  drew  my 
veritable  Scottish  descent.  Her  father,  John,  came  in  early 
manhood  from  Glasgow  to  London  to  seek  occupation  as  a 
bookbinder.  John  Jackson  must  have  been  skilled  in  his 
craft,  and  frugal,  for  after  a  few  years  he  purchased  a 
house,  24,  Villiers  Street,  wherein  I  was  born.  .  .  .  Another 
friend  of  my  father,  Alexander  Henning,  a  Scot,  a  navy 
lieutenant,  and  afterwards  a  most  successful  captain  of  an 
Indiaman,  had  promised  to  be  my  godfather,  but  was 
absent  on  a  voyage  when  the  christening  was  to  be  per- 
formed :  the  office  was  however  filled  by  proxy,  and  I  was 
to  have  been  named  solely  after  him,  but  that  on  the  way 
to  the  church  my  grandmother  insisted  that  her  son's 
child  should  be  called  .  George,  and  you  see  the  con- 


EARLY  LIFE. 


sequence.  .  .  .  My  entrance  on  the  scene  expanded  the 
little  family  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  native  home,  and 
removal  to  Kemp  Bow,  Chelsea,  was  the  necessary  conse- 
quence. There  my  father  exercised  his  natural  aptitude 
for  painting,  producing  in  oil  portraits  of  several  of  his 
friends,  and  a  view  from  the  window  of  his  study.  On  an 
evening  he  was  playing  with  me  before  the  fire,  and  with 
a  spring  I  fell  from  his  knee,  face  upward,  under  the 
grate,  when  he  held  his  extended  hand  over  my  face  to 
protect  it  from  the  falling  cinders  while  he  called  for 
someone  to  draw  me  from  under  his  protection  ;  and  this 
was  one  of  the  many  instances  of  his  presence  of  mind  and 
recklessness  of  evil  for  the  sake  of  others.  .  .  .  My  own 
earliest  recollection  is  of  the  first  anniversary  of  the  Battle 
of  Waterloo,  18th  June,  1816,  the  occasion  of  the  opening 
of  Waterloo  Bridge  by  the  Prince  Regent,  after  which  state 
ceremony  the  public  was  allowed  to  cross  freely  the  master- 
piece of  Rennie,  and  I  was  taken  in  the  throng  to  a  com- 
memorative fair  held  in  the  fields  then  open  between  the 
river  and  the  New  Cut." 

Macfarren  relates  that,  in  1816,  certain  circum- 
stances occasioned  a  visit  of  his  father  to  Paris,  and 
that 

"  Foreign  travel  was  so  different  an  affair  in  1816  from 
what  we  now  know  it  to  be,  that,  as  a  preliminary  to  his 
journey,  my  father  made  his  will  and  gave  it  into  the 
keeping  of  my  mother,  together  with  an  excellent  water- 
colour  portrait  of  himself,  the  two  to  ensure  her  welfare 
and  his  memory,  should  he  never  recross  the  Channel.  As 
a  point  of  professional  duty,  he  took  lessons  of  one  of  the 
chief  dancing  masters  in  the  French  capital,  returning 
fresh  from  which,  he  imported  into  England  the  quadrille, 
a  dance  previously  unknown  here,  save  in  its  English 
prototype  '  The  Hay '  with  some  of  the  concomitant 
figures,  and  the  first  set  of  quadrilles  ever  printed  in 
London  was  music  of  my  father's  composition  with  de- 
tailed description  of  the  dances.1 

1  See,  however,  Grove's  Dictionary,  sub  verba. 


10  EARLY  LIFE. 


"  In  the  January  of  1819  I  was  taken  for  the  first  time 
to  a  theatre,  namely  the  Olympic,  where  was  played  a 
pantomime  on  the  story  of  '  Red  Riding  Hood,'  of  which 
Planchc  was  the  author  ;  and  this  I  regard  as  the  founda- 
tion of  my  lasting  love  for  dramatic  entertainment,  which 
was  doubtless  nourished  by  my  interest  in  my  father's  after 
pursuits,  but  must  have  been  to  a  great  extent  intuitive." 

George  Alexander  was  delicate  in  health  from  his 
childhood,  needing  constant  medical  attention.  Not- 
withstanding this,  however,  he  was  sent,  when  little 
more  than  seven  years  of  age,  to  the  school  kept  by 
Dr.  Nicholas,  at  Baling,  in  which  his  father  had  for 
many  years  taught  dancing;  "a  school  which  numbered 
at  different  times  amongst  its  distinguished  alumni  the 
present  Cardinal  Newman  and  Professor  Huxley."  For 
school-life,  however,  with  its  roughness  and  discipline, 
he  was  little  fitted  with  his  tender  constitution;  and 
his  time  at  Ealing  was,  on  his  own  subsequent  testi- 
mony, singularly  wretched.  In  the  family  record  ho 
says  : — 

"  In  August,  1820,  I  was  committed  to  the  care  and 
culture  of  Ealing  School,  an  establishment  that  then 
numbered  365  pupils.  My  being  there  ought  to  have  been 
the  most  propitious  fact  for  my  comfort  and  education, 
because  my  father  attended  the  school  twice  weekly  to 
teach,  and  often  took  me  forth  to  walk  when  his  lessons 
were  over ;  because  his  singularly  intimate  friend  Heslop 
was  one  of  the  chief  masters,  whose  very  dear  wife  took 
special  care  of  me,  and  because  Huxley,  the  philosopher's 
father,  was  another  principal  master,  was  a  familiar  of  our 
family,  and  showed  me  many  a  kindness.  Notwithstanding 
all  these  seeming  sources  of  welfare,  I  was  more  miserable 
at  school  than  words  can  tell.  I  was  sickly,  having,  in  the 
course  of  my  three  years'  sojourn,  to  be  brought  home  on 
account  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  having  an  excep- 
tionally bad  attack  of  mumps,  and  having  much  the  fate 


EAELY  LIFE.  \\ 


of  a  fag  to  a  bigger  boy  in  my  class,  though  fagging  was 
no  part  of  the  school  discipline.  Among  other  tyrannies 
that  he  exercised,  one  only  is  not  to  be  regretted ;  namely, 
that  he  compelled  me  to  tell  him  tales  throughout  the 
play  hours,  which  sharpened  my  memory  for  all  I  had 
read,  and  my  wits  for  all  I  could  invent.  In  August  1823, 
after  my  periodical  return  to  school,  my  sight  began  to 
fail,  so  I  was  taken  home  for  medical  treatment." 

Those  who,  in  his  manhood,  enjoyed  his  friendship, 
will  readily  believe  that  a  nature  so  sensitive  to  kind- 
ness and  sympathy  would  ill  brook  the  lack  of  it  which 
probably  characterized  school-life  in  those  days,  before 
the  more  humanizing  influences  and  healthier  tone, 
brought  about  by  Dr.  Arnold,  and  other  educational 
reformers,  prevailed.  Of  this  sensitiveness  and  affec- 
tionate disposition,  as  well  as  of  the  conscientiousness 
which  marked  him  through  life,  prompting  him  to  a 
ready  acknowledgment  of  faults  and  errors,  there  is 
evidence,  at  this  early  age,  in  his  letters  from  school 
to  his  mother.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  one 
of  these. 

"  Sunday,  May  19th,  1822. 

"  MY  DEAR  MOTHER, 

"  As  I  have  a  little  time  I  can  tell  you  my  thoughts, 
and  what  I  really  have  thought  ever  since  Easter. 

"  I  have  prayed  always  that  I  might  be  good,  both  night 
and  morning,  but  I  could  not.  However,  the  next  time  I 
come  home  I  will  try  to  fulfil  my  promises  better. 

"  I  know  how  very  naughty  I  was  the  two  last  times  I 
was  at  home,  and  the  only  thing  that  keeps  me  up  now  is, 
that  I  know  you  have  forgiven  me  and  that  I  will  try  to 
do  better  another  time.  I  will  try  to  leave  off  my  nasty 
naughty  airs,  my  wicked  ill  temper  and  ill  humour,  and  in 
fact,  instead  of  being  naughty  and  wicked  as  I  was  when 
I  was  at  home,  I  will  be  quite  the  contrary  a  very  good 
bov." 


12  EARLY  LIFE. 


And  in  the  following  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
methodical  habit,  and  disposition  for  thoroughness  in 
work,  which  were  such  distinguishing  traits  in  his  after 
years :  as  well,  it  may  be  said,  as  of  his  self-reliance. 

"  Friday,  August  2nd,  1822. 
"  MY  VEBY  DEAB  MOTHER, 

"  You  may  perhaps  think  it  odd  my  writing  to  you  so 
soon  but  I  write  to  you  to  inform  you  that  I  intend  after 
this — and  now  I  don't  tell  you  a  story  when  I  declare 
upon  my  word  and  honor  that  I  will  keep  my  promise. 

"  I  intend  to  leave  off  all  my  impudence  airs  ill-temper 
naughtiness  and  wickedness  and  be  so  good  that  you  will 
think  it  is  some  one  else  and  indeed  I  will  be  as  good  as  it 
is  possible  for  a  boy  of  my  age  to  be. 

"  If  you  please  mother  will  you  hold  up  your  finger 
always  after  this  as  you  promised  to  do  last  holidays  but 
only  did  the  first  week  or  two,  when  you  see  me  going  into 
an  ill  temper  and  that  will  keep  me  out  of  it. — Now  I  will 
give  you  a  list  of  what  I  intend  to  do  hereafter. 

"  1.  I  keep  an  account  of  what  I  spend  every  day  and 
when  I  come  home  to  show  it  to  you  and  ask  you  w[h] ether 
you  think  it  reasonable  or  no. 

"  2.  I  intend  to  fag  always  as  hard  as  ever  I  can  and  try 
to  get  my  lessons  perfect  so  as  to  get  praise  even  at  school. 

"3.  I  intend  always  to  keep  the  5th  commandment  and 
always  to  mind  what  you  and  father  say  to  me. 

"  4.  To  be  kind  and  good-natured  to  my  two  sisters  and 
my  brother  and  try  to  make  John  a  better  boy. 

"5.  I  intend  to  honour  you  and  all  who  know  me  so  as 
to  make  myself  generally  beloved  by  all  [who]  know  me. 


"  And  now  mother  if  you  will  hold  up  your  finger  when- 
ever you  see  me  getting  into  an  ill  humour  I  think  I  shall 
be  a  very  good  boy  indeed. 
1  am 

My  very  dear  Mother 

Your  affectionate  loving  and 
dutiful  Son 

G.  A.  M." 


EARLY  LIFE.  13 


The  affectionate  spirit  which  these  letters  breathe 
distinguished  Macfarren  all  through  life ;  though  not 
always  discerned  by  those  but  slightly  acquainted 
with  him,  especially  if  themselves  of  shallow  sym- 
pathies. 

While  yet  at  Ealing  his  sight  began  to  fail,  and  it 
became  necessary  that  he  should  use  a  powerful 
magnifying  glass  :  also  that  he  should  be  furnished 
with  a  large-type  Testament,  to  enable  him  to  join  in 
class-reading.  This,  however,  was  but  the  prelude  to 
his  entire  withdrawal  from  the  school,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  under  oculistic  care  and  home- management. 
Under  the  advice  and  treatment  of  the  then  eminent 
oculist,  Mr.  Alexander,  the  boy  was  brought  into 
such  a  condition  of  health  that  his  very  life  seemed 
threatened ;  and,  at  the  instance  of  the  family  medical 
attendant,  the  specialistic  treatment  was  stopped,  and 
he  was  removed  to  a  school  at  Lancing,  quite  as  much 
for  his  health's  sake  as  for  his  education.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  younger  brother  John;  and,  with 
much  enjoyment,  remained  at  Lancing  for  eighteen 
months. 

He  records,  in  his  "  Family  Eecollections,"  that 
"  the  judgment  of  Lawrence,  and  afterwards  that  of 
Tyrell,  were  taken  upon  my  eyes,  which  were  both  to 
the  effect  that  the  disease  was  beyond  the  reach  of 
medical  treatment,  and  that  the  strengthening  of  my 
general  health  would  be  the  likeliest  of  means  to 
restore  my  sight.  Notably,  from  when  my  eyes  first 
failed,  the  sickly  weakness  of  my  constitution  was 
changed  for  the  average  health  which,  with  rare  and 
brief  casual  exceptions,  I  have  since  enjoyed." 

During  his  stay  at  Lancing,  some  hope  concerning 


14  EARLY  LIFE. 


his  sight  seems  to  have  arisen ;  as,  in  a  letter  written 
in  1825,  he  refers  to  "  improvement  in  my  unfortunate 
oculars."  In  the  "Recollections"  he  speaks  of  a 
"  good  Mrs.  Blunden  "  of  Worthing,  with  whom  the 
family  had  lodged,  "  and  who  lightened  the  hardships 
of  our  school-life — school-life  is  the  very  hardest  ship 
that  sails  the  ocean  of  existence — by  having  us  both 
on  occasional  visits." 

During  this  period  the  predilection  for  dramatic 
performance  previously  referred  to,  and  afterwards  so 
fully  developed,  further  manifested  itself;  he  himself 
writing  little  school  tragedies,  constructing  little 
stages,  painting  the  scenes,  and  joining  with  his 
schoolfellows  in  acting  the  dramas. 

Another  letter  evinces  the  thoughtfulness  and 
reasoning  habit,  expressed  in  quaint  phraseology, 
which  were  prominent  in  later  years. 

"Lancing  Academy,  May  19th,  18'2o. 
"  MY  DEAB  FATHER, 

"  I  feel  rather  surprised  at  not  having  heard  from  you 
before  this,  but,  as  mother  says  '  a  letter  home  and  an 
answer  back  makes  a  good  hole  in  one  and  fourpence '  and 
as  Poor  Bichard  says  in  his  Almanac  '  a  penny  saved  is  a 
penny  earnt,'  so  it  does  not  matter  much  but  that  you  are 
all  well  (as  I  trust  you  are)  for  as  '  two  heads  are  better 
than  one  '  so  one  penny  is  better  than  none,  but  as  I  have 
heard  from  you  but  once  since  my  uncle  left  us  I  should 
like  to  hear  as  soon  as  possible."  .... 

It  was  probably  after  leaving  Lancing  that,  his 
eight  continuing  to  fail,  various  oculists  were  con- 
sulted, and  experimented  upon  him  ;  but  all  in  vain  : 
the  failure  was  never  effectually  arrested,  but  in- 
creased until  its  final  culmination  in  later  years. 


EARLY  LIFE.  15 


It  will  readily  be  understood  that  this  imperfection 
of  sight  had  hindered  the  lad  to  some  extent  in  book 
studies;  though  he  alludes,  in  his  letters,  to  his 
geographical  studies,  and  only  mentions  the  want  of 
an  Atlas  for  himself  as  the  hindrance  to  his  finding 
the  places  well,  not  referring  to  any  difficulty  of  sight. 
But  it  seems  probable  that  at  this  age  the  eager  thirst 
for  knowledge,  and  desire  to  master  any  subject  that 
he  took  in  hand,  which  characterized  him  through  life, 
were  in  operation,  and  led  him,  notwithstanding 
obstacles,  to  obtain  the  rudiments  of  a  fair  general 
education.  History  and  biography  were  favourite 
subjects  of  study  with  him  ;  and,  besides  the  dramatic 
or  theatrical  amusements  already  mentioned,  gar- 
dening was  an  occupation  in  which  he  took  great 
pleasure. 

But  he  was  being  appealed  to  by  another  art,  not 
immediately  necessitating  sight  for  its  enjoyment. 
As  has  already  been  stated,  George  Macfarren  senior 
was  a  passionate  lover  of  music,  and  a  fair  adept  in 
it;  and  there  were  home  performances  of  chamber 
music,  vocal  and  instrumental,  which  awakened  the 
interest  of  the  boy.  His  father  instructed  him  in  the 
elements  of  the  art ;  and  his  progress  was  such  as  to 
encourage  the  determination  to  train  him  for  its 
pursuit.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  placed  under 
the  tuition  of  Charles  Lucas,  then  (1827)  a  student  in 
the  recently  instituted  Royal  Academy  of  Music.  He 
writes  :  "  Before  quitting  1827  I  may  note  that  on  its 
8th  of  March  I  had  my  first  lesson  of  Charles  Lucas, 
and  so  formally  entered  my  musical  apprenticeship/' 

Lucas  was  about  five  years  the  senior  of  his  pupil, 
having  been  born  at  Salisbury,  July  28th,  1808. 


16  EARLY  LJFE. 


After  having  been  chorister  in  the  cathedral,  under 
Arthur  Thomas  Corfe,  from  his  seventh  to  his  fifteenth 
year,  he  entered  the  Academy,  and,  though  he  com- 
menced his  career  therein  by  taking  singing  as  his 
principal  study,  subsequently  changed  his  course,  and  . 
turned  his  attention  to  the  violoncello,  which  he 
studied  under  the  famous  performer,  Robert  Lindley. 
He  also  pursued  theoretical  studies  under  Mr.  Lord 
and  Dr.  Crotch.  He  became  a  distinguished  musician, 
not  only  as  an  excellent  violoncellist,  but  by  reason  of 
varied  attainments.  He  was  conductor  of  the  orchestra 
and  choir  of  the  Academy,  from  1832 ;  organist  of 
Hanover  Chapel,  Regent  Street,  from  1839,  for  a 
number  of  years,  a  select  body  of  Academy  students 
forming  the  choir,  for  full  choral  service ;  and,  in  1859, 
succeeded  Cipriani  Potter  as  Principal  of  the  Academy, 
holding  that  position,  in  conjunction  with  that  of  con- 
ductor, until  his  retirement  in  1866.  He  was  also 
composer  of  an  opera,  "  The  Regicide/'  symphonies, 
anthems,  and  other  works.  Under  this  versatile 
musician,  then,  however,  only  in  his  own  pupilage, 
Macfarren  was  placed  for  the  serious  study  of  music ; 
remaining  with  him  till  the  teacher  recommended  his 
transference  to  the  Royal  Academy,  which  step  was 
taken  in  1829,  one  year  before  the  termination  of 
Lucas's  studentship  in  the  institution :  therefore,  the 
teacher  and  the  pupil  were  for  one  year  fellow-students 
in  the  Academy,  of  which  they  were  both  destined  to 
be  ornaments  and  Principals  in  later  years.  Long 
afterwards,  Macfarren,  in  the  "  Imperial  Dictionary  of 
Biography,"  to  which  he  contributed  a  number  of 
articles,  thus  writes  of  his  old  teacher  and  fellow- 
student  : — 


EARLY  LIFE.  17 


"  Lucas'  qualifications  for  his  important  position  as 
Principal  of  the  Academy  consist  in  his  very  extensive 
theoretical  and  practical  knowledge  of  music.  A  sound 
harmonist,  a  good  executant,  having  familiarity  with  the 
mechanism  of  almost  every  instrument,  being  greatly 
experienced  in  public  performance  of  music  of  every 
school  and  style,]  he  is  a  skilful  teacher  and  an  able 
director." 

Concerning  the  period  of  Macfarren's  pupilage 
under  Lucas,  prior  to  his  Academy  studentship,  he 
relates  an  early  effort,  made  in  the  year  1828  : — 

"  In  my  father's  wish  to  stimulate  my  exertions,  he 
obtained  the  promise  from  Blewitt  that  the  band  of  the 
Surrey  Theatre  should  try  an  Overture  of  mine  if  I  wrote 
one,  so  I  made  an  attempt,  in  the  absence  of  Lucas  for  the 
summer  holiday  of  1828,  being  .  .  .  little  fitted  for  so 
high  a  flight.  ...  I  was  to  some,  though  a  very  small 
extent,  prepared  for  the  undertaking,  by  a  translation  of 
the  theoretical  book  of  Friedrich  Schneider  that  had  been 
given  me  by  T.  Cooke,  which  comprised  a  statement  of  the 
compass  of  each  instrument.  When  my  master  came  back, 
I  displayed,  with  great  exultation,  the  score  .of  an  Overture 
in  Gr,  and  was  desperately  disappointed  with  his  condemna- 
tion of  the  plan,  his  detection  of  much  faulty  harmony,  his 
assurance  of  the  impracticability  of  many  passages,  though 
lying  between  the  lowest  and  highest  notes  of  the  instru- 
ments to  which  they  were  assigned,  and  his  declaration 
that  the  whole  was  entirely  unfit  for  performance.  He 
was  certainly  right,  but  this  made  the  matter  all  the 
unpleasanter  for  me.  Still  I  was  urged  to  write,  and  to 
help  me  my  father  made  several  poems  which  I  had  to 
set  to  music." 

Of  Jonas  Blewitt,  alluded  to  above,  Macfarreu 
writes : — 

"  He  was  one  of  those  so-called  natural  musicians,  who 
do  everything  easily  and  nothing  well,  in  the  art  to  which 
they  are  supposed  to  have  a  calling.  He  invented  musical 

C 


18  EAELY  LIFE. 


games  that  sent  large  companies  into  fits  of  laughter ;  and 
he  composed  comic  songs,  which  he  sang  with  like  result." 

We  have  now  reached  that  stage  in  the  career  of 
the  subject  of  our  memoir  which  concerns  his  public 
course — his  first  connection  with  the  Royal  Academy 
of  Music ;  a  connection  continuing,  with  brief  inter- 
ruptions, hereafter  to  be  recorded,  till  the  close  of  his 
life ;  his  last  occupation,  half  an  hour  before  he  passed 
away,  being  the  dictation  of  a  letter  concerning  the 
business  of  the  Institution  in  which  he  was  reared, 
which  he  served  so  faithfully,  and  loved  so  well.  His 
admission  as  a  student,  he  himself  characterizes  as  the 
fulfilment  of  his  "  highest  ambition  "  at  the  time. 


CHAPTER   II. 

STUDENTSHIP  AT  THE  ROYAL  ACADEMY  OP  Music. 
1829—1836. 

WHEN  Macfarren  entered  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Music  as  a  student,  in  1829,  that  Institution 
had  been  established  about  seven  years ;  if,  indeed,  it 
may  be  said  to  have  been  then  "  established  "  at  all, 
seeing  that  it  was  undergoing  much  adverse  criticism, 
and,  moreover,  was  by  no  means  on  a  stable  basis, 
either  financially  or  musically.  There  had  been  little 
experience  by  which  to  profit,  little  to  indicate  the 
best  methods  of  procedure,  and,  moreover,  the  manage- 
ment, or  direction,  was  bureaucratic,  amateur,  and, 
there  can  be  little  doubt,  mistaken.  Founded  by  John 
Fane,  Lord  Burghersh,  afterwards  sixth  Earl  of 
Westmoreland,  it  was,  at  the  time  of  which  we  are 
speaking,  under  the  Principalship  of  Dr.  Crotch,  who, 
remarkable  in  his  boyhood  for  precocious  musical 
capacity,  seems  to  have  well  represented,  in  his  man- 
hood, when  he  was  Professor  of  Music  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford,  the  then  existing  state  of  musical 
learning  in  England.  He  was  fortunate  in  having, 
as  one  of  his  professorial  staff,  Cipriani  Potter,  pianist 
and  composer,  who,  as  he  told  me,  used  to  have  friendly 
disputes  with  Domenico  Crivelli,  the  singing  professor, 


20  STUDENTSHIP   AT   THE 

as  to  which  of  them  actually  gave  the  first  lesson  in 
the  Academy.  Potter  was,  as  he  continued  for  years 
to  be,  abreast  of  the  time  in  practical  musical  know- 
ledge and  attainment,  having  studied  under  Thomas 
Attwood,  who  had  been  Mozart's  pupil,  under  Woelfl, 
and,  to  some  extent,  under  Beethoven,  so  far  as 
counsel  and  some  criticism  of  his  doings  may  be 
reckoned ;  and,  moreover,  by  continental  travel,  and 
intercourse  with  distinguished  musicians  abroad,  he 
had  enlarged  his  acquaintance  with  the  then  modern 
developments  of  the  Art,  beyond  the  insularity  which 
seems  to  have  characterized  and  narrowed  the  per- 
ceptions and  attainments  of  English  musicians  of  the 
time.  All  this,  together  with  his  geniality  of  dis- 
position, admirably  fitted  him  for  the  work  of  guiding 
young  musicians  in  their  studies,  which  fell  to  his 
share  both  as  teacher  in,  and  subsequently,  in  succes- 
sion to  Dr.  Crotch,  as  Principal  of  our  Royal  and 
National  Institution. 

Macfarren  always  entertained  grateful  and  reveren- 
tial remembrance  of  Cipriani  Potter,  his  teachings,  his 
compositions,  and  his  musicianship  in  general :  "  that 
distinguished  teacher,"  he  termed  him.  Long  after- 
wards, on  January  7th,  1884,  he  delivered  an  appre- 
ciative address  upon  his  life  and  work  at  the  Musical 
Association.  It  was  my  wish  to  be  present,  partly 
because,  in  the  conversation  after  the  address,  it  would 
have  been  congenial  to  my  feelings  to  offer  a  few 
reminiscences  of  my  old  master.  Illness,  however, 
prevented  me  from  attending,  and  I  wrote  to  Mac- 
farren explaining  the  cause  of  my  absence,  which  it 
would  indeed  have  been  a  grief  to  find  ascribed  to  any 
indifference  to  the  ever  green  memory  of  one  to  whom 


ROYAL    ACADEMY   OF  MUSIC.  21 

I,  in  common  with  many,  owed  so  much.  My 
explanatory  letter  drew  from  Macfarren  the  following 
characteristic  reply : — 

"My  DEAR  BANISTER, — It  would  indeed  have  been  a 
pleasure  to  have  had  the  interesting  additions  you  might 
have  made  to  the  too  little  I  could  say  of  our  dear  friend 
Potter,  and  I  regret  as  much  the  loss  of  these  as  the  illness 
that  prevented  your  presence  at  the  meeting.  I  deplore 
that  the  Master  is  at  present  less  represented  in  his  own 
works  than  in  those  of  his  pupils ;  and  that  persons  who 
knew  not  himself  have  now  small  chance  of  knowing  his 
merit,  and  on  this  account  it  behoves  us  who  retain  vivid 
recollections  of  his  working  and  its  worth  to  do  all  we  may 
to  impress  our  memory  on  the  consciousness  of  others." 

I  am  therefore  acting  in  harmony  with  the  injunc- 
tions of  him  who  is  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  and 
illustrating  his  character,  as  well  as  doing  that  which 
is  so  consonant  with  my  own  pleasant  recollections, 
when  I  thus  dwell  somewhat  upon  the  admirable 
influence  and  notable  personality  of  one  to  whom  so 
many  English  musicians  were  indebted — Cipriani 
Potter. 

In  the  address  to  the  Musical  Association,  after 
recounting  that  Potter  had  studied  under  Thomas 
Attwood,  Dr.  Crotch,  and  Joseph  Woelfl,  Macfarren 
proceeds : — 

"  Potter  used  to  speak  of  him  [Woelfl]  with  profound 
admiration,  and  to  ascribe  to  him  the  principles  of  plan  of 
which  he  himself  became  a  teacher,  and  to  him  also  those 
principles  of  pianoforte  playing  which  he  himself  advanced. 
It  is  important  to  observe  that  in  these  two  particulars  of 
pianoforte  playing  and  composition,  Potter  has  had  a  most 
marked  influence  on  the  musical  development  of  the  present 
age ;  and  since  Woelfl  died  before  Potter  was  twenty  years 
old,  it  must  have  been  very  largely  owing  to  his  own  reflec- 


22  STUDENTSHIP  AT    THE 

tions  that  that  style  of  pianoforte  playing  was  matured, 
and  to  his  own  particular  genius  for  the  instrument,  that 
we  may  ascribe  what  may,  I  think,  fairly  be  designated  as 
an  English  school  of  pianism.  There  must  be  present 
here,  not  only  the  chairman,1  who,  like  me,  may  boast  him- 
self in  some  particulars  as  the  pupil  of  our  friend  Cipriani 
Potter,  but  some  too,  who,  if  not  his  pupils,  are  certainly 
his  grand-pupils,  and  great-grand-pupils,  who  represent  in 
the  second  and  third  generation  the  excellence  of  the  views 
which  were  first  promulgated  by  him,  and  have  been  dis- 
seminated from  time  to  time  to  the  lasting  advantage  of 

music  in  England. 

****** 

"  Let  us  now  review  the  work  of  Potter  as  a  teacher  of 
composition.  You  have  heard  what  kind  of  music  pre- 
vailed in  England  before  his  influence  changed  the  direc- 
tion of  study  and  the  emulation  of  students.  I  believe  it 
to  have  been  he  who  first  promulgated  the  principles  of 
plan.  '  Plan '  was  the  word  he  used,  a  most  significant 
and  completely  comprehensive  word,  to  represent  the 
principles  of  design  in  musical  art.  It  is  now  customary 
to  speak  of  the  same  thing  under  the  name  of  '  form  ; ' 
but  form  can  only  be  used  in  a  metaphoric  sense,  since  it 
applies  to  tangible  and  visible  objects,  and  unless  we  count 
the  remarkable  form  which  the  waves  of  sound  take,  there 
is  no  form,  truly  speaking,  in  music ;  it  is  only  metaphori- 
cally we  can  speak  of  musical  form  by  analogy  with  the 
forms  employed  in  other  arts.  But  decidedly  there  is  a 
plan  in  the  arrangement  of  ideas,  in  the  conduct  of  keys, 
in  the  juxtaposition  of  one  musical  phrase  with  another, 
the  distribution  of  rhythm,  and  the  whole  musical  struc- 
ture. So  I  think  the  term  '  plan,'  which  he  was  wont  to 
use  among  his  pupils,  is  the  best  that  can  be  applied  to 
what  it  distinctly  defines ;  it  makes  music  really  into  an 
art  instead  of  an  accident.  As  to  the  unrelated  arrange- 
ment of  thoughts  which  appears  in  the  glee  compositions, 
and  in  the  bald  writing  of  the  previous  time,  whatever 
pleasantry  of  phrase,  whatever  momentary  happiness  of 
effect  from  the  combination  of  voices  or  instruments,  there 

1  Mr.  C.  E.  Stephens. 


ROYAL   ACADEMY   OF  MUSIC.  23 

is  no  continuity  in  such  compositions.  But  Potter  showed 
his  pupils  the  art  of  continuity  in  the  development  of 
musical  ideas — the  structure  of  complete  compositions.  I 
believe  that  this  was  not  known  in  England  before  his 
time,  or,  if  known,  it  was  certainly  unpractised.  His 
method  of  explaining  this  was  so  clear,  so  charming,  so 
interesting  to  all  who  heard  him,  that  the  application  of 
his  principles  became  not  only  the  study  but  the  delight 
of  those  who  had  the  advantage  of  hearing  them;  and 
this  advantage  has  been  disseminated  by  his  pupils  until 
now,  when,  I  believe,  the  structure  of  the  sonata  is  very 
generally  understood,  and,  in  many  instances,  very  happily 
practised.  His  views  on  instrumentation  were  as  impor- 
tant as  on  managing  ideas.  He  had  a  great  knowledge  of 
instruments,  a  happy  way  of  writing  passages  appropriate 
to  each,  and  a  very  great  facility,  also,  in  arranging  their 
combination.  His  scores  were  always  clear,  and  he  showed 
his  pupils  how  to  produce  such  clearness.  He  was  not 
unused  to  tell  us  that  it  would  take  a  person  thirty  years 
to  learn  how  to  fill  a  score,  and  then  his  education  began, 
because  it  would  take  him  thirty  years  more  to  learn  to 
take  out  the  surplus  instruments." 

In  the  "  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Biography  "  Mac- 
farren  wrote : — 

"  Potter's  music  is  characterized  by  perspicuity  of  form, 
contrapuntal  clearness,  ingenious  orchestration,  and  appro- 
priateness to  the  instruments  for  which  it  is  written.  .  .  , 
Potter  has  had  a  most  important  influence  on  the  progress 
of  the  pianoforte  in  England,  many  of  the  most  distin- 
guished players  and  teachers  having  been  formed  by  him  ; 
and  his  excellent  system  being  thus  so  widely  diffused,  he 
may  truly  be  said  to  have  established  a  school  of  playing. 
The  effect  of  his  teaching  is  still  more  valuable  in  the 
department  of  composition ;  he  was  the  first  in  this 
country  to  elucidate  the  principles  of  musical  construction, 
and  since  his  appearance  as  a  teacher,  the  productions  of 
our  composers  have  assumed  a  higher  character  in  respect 
of  purpose  and  development  than  ever  before  belonged  to 


24  STUDENTSHIP  AT   THE 

English  music.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  he  has  accom- 
plished more  than  any  other  musician  for  the  advancement 
of  his  art  among  us;  his  good  influence  is  already  felt 
throughout  the  land  in  the  labours  of  the  pupils  of  his 
pupils,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  best  esteemed  artists 
of  the  day  have  received  their  training  personally  from 
him." 


To  resume  our  narrative,  however,  and  to  revert  to 
the  Royal  Academy  of  Music.  During  the  first 
thirty-two  years  of  its  existence,  and,  therefore, 
when  Macfarren  commenced  his  studentship  therein, 
students  were  lodged  and  boarded  within  its  walls. 
Macfarren,  however,  was  never  an  in-student,  but 
continued  to  reside  at  home.  He  found,  already 
studying  in  the  Academy,  "William  Sterndale  Bennett, 
who  had  been  brought  thither  three  years  previously, 
when  a  lad  of  ten,  from  Cambridge,  where  he  was 
discovered  as  a  chorister  in  King's  College  Chapel. 
Among  Macfarren's  fellow-students,  during  the  seven 
years  of  his  studentship,  were  Henry  Michael  Angelo 
(commonly  called  Grattan)  Cooke,  William  Henry 
Holmes,  etc. 

Macfarren  was  placed  under  Thomas  Haydon — a 
painstaking  teacher — in  the  first  instance,  as  his 
instructor  in  pianoforte  playing ;  subsequently  under 
"William  Henry  Holmes,  and,  still  later,  under  Potter. 
He  was  also  assigned  the  trombone  as  a  second  study, 

under Smithies,  "  because  " — to  quote  his  own 

words  in  later  years — "  of  the  custom,  then  impera- 
tive, but  now  grievously  disregarded,  for  every  male 
student  to  have  the  valuable  experience  of  orchestral 
practice."  He  continued  for  some  time  under  his 
former  instructor  in  harmony,  Charles  Lucas,  after- 


ROYAL   ACADEMY  OF  MUSIC.  25 

wards  being  transferred  to  Potter  for  the  study  of 
composition. 

Cipriani  Potter  told  me  that  Sterndale  Bennett 
never  went  through  a  course  of  contrapuntal  study; 
and  as  Macfarren  was  his  fellow-student  at  the 
Academy,  perhaps  he  likewise  did  not  at  first  study 
counterpoint,  unless  Lucas  had  previously  commenced 
to  teach  it  to  him.  I  am  led  to  conclude  that,  at  that 
period,  the  importance  of  that  branch  of  study  was 
hardly  recognized  by  the  authorities  of  the  Institu- 
tion ;  although,  subsequently,  when  I  was  a  student, 
it  was  part  of  the  regular  curriculum  for  those  who 
aspired  to  become  composers.  Even  then,  however, 
it  was  understood  that  it  needed  not  to  be  included  in 
the  course  of  study  of  the  female  pupils.  I  suppose 
that,  at  the  earlier  time,  it  was  not  customary  in 
England  for  musical  students  to  learn  much  more 
than  the  nature  and  treatment  of  chords,  as  then 
classified,  with  just  the  elementary  principles  or  rules, 
mainly  prohibitory,  of  part- writing.  This  my  impres- 
sion as  to  the  then  state  of  theoretical  musical  educa- 
tion in  this  country  seems  borne  out  by  the  fact  that 
when,  a  little  earlier,  Potter  went  to  Beethoven,  with 
the  view  of  studying  under  him,  the  counsel  of  the  great 
man  to  the  young  one  was  "  you  must  study  counter- 
point." And  yet  Potter  had  enjoyed  such  oppor- 
tunities as  were  then  available  in  England  for  musical 
study  as  it  was  then  understood  and  prescribed. 

Some  notion  of  the  state  of  theoretical  knowledge 
and  education  at  the  time  of  Macfarren's  studentship 
may  be  formed  by  examination  of  Dr.  Crotch's  theo- 
retical treatises  as  representing  the  kind  of  instruction 
given  by  him  to  Lucas  and  others,  and  passed  on  by 


26  STUDENTSHIP  AT  THE 

them.  The  matter  is  of  interest,  in  our  present  narra- 
tive, because  of  the  wide  departure  afterwards  made 
by  Macfarren  in  his  theoretical  views  and  teachings. 

])r.  Crotch's  method,  however,  with  his  pupils,  was 
to  give  them  a  theme  to  vary,  contrapuntally,  in  free 
fashion  ;  though  there  had  been  some  course  of  more 
strict  counterpoint  exercises  to  precede  that  freer 
work.  Macfarren,  however,  declined  to  be  removed 
to  Dr.  Crotch's  care,  preferring  to  remain  under  the 
tuition  of  Lucas.  Those  who  remember  the  latter 
will  readily  believe  that  no  undisciplined  freedom 
would  be  permitted  to  his  pupils. 

But,  whatever  the  theories  enunciated  by  Crotch, 
and  accepted  as  more  or  less  authoritative  at  the  time, 
his  actual  class-teaching  seems  to  have  been  of  a 
somewhat  free-and-easy  kind.  The  boys  would  come 
in,  with  little  or  no  work  prepared,  and  coax  him  to 
play  Handel's  choruses  to  them  instead  of  giving  them 
a  lesson,  which  he  readily  did. 

It  seems  probable,  however,  that  Cipriani  Potter, 
after  his  continental  experience,  and  the  advice  given 
him  by  Beethoven,  would,  in  his  position  at  the  Royal 
Academy,  insist  on  the  importance  of  contrapuntal 
training.  Be  that  as  it  may,  there  'is  evidence  of 
Macfarren  having  submitted  to  such  a  course,  either 
under  Lucas  or  with  Potter,  or  else  of  his  own  judg- 
ment, there  being  extant  books  of  exercises  in 
counterpoint  written  by  him.  Preference  seems  to 
have  been  divided,  at  that  time,  between  the  contra- 
puntal treatises  of  Cherubini  and  of  Albrechtsberger  ; 
the  latter  ultimately  receiving  the  official  endorse- 
ment of  the  Academy  authorities,  and  for  long  con- 
tinuing to  be  the  recognized  class-book  in  the  Institu- 


ROYAL   ACADEMY   OF   MUSIC.  27 

tion.  No  modern  English  (untranslated)  book  on  the 
subject  seems  to  have  been  in  use,  though  small 
books,  such  as  Hamilton's  "  Catechisms,"  etc.,  after- 
wards appeared. 

The  difference  between  the  teachings  of  all  these 
books  and  those  of  Macfarren  in  his  after  years  will 
come  to  be  considered  subsequently. 

Under  Potter's  tuition  he  made  such  great  advance- 
ment in  composition  that  a  Symphony  in  C  by  him 
was  considered  worthy  of  performance  at  an  Academy 
concert  in  September,  1830. 

In  recording  the  performance  of  this,  his  first 
Symphony,  Macfarren  says  : — 

"  My  father's  description  of  the  event  in  a  letter  to  my 
mother,  who  was  at  Margate,  shows  him  to  have  been 
more  anxious  over  and  delighted  at  it  than  an  ordinary 
man  would  have  been  at  a  success  of  which  himself  was 
the  hero." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  letter  referred 
to: — 

"  The  Duke  of  Cambridge  and  many  distinguished 
persons  were  present — the  Symphony  went  off  admirably, 
far  exceeding  my  sanguine  foreknowledge  of  it.  At  the 
conclusion  the  Duke  inquired  which  was  Macfarren,  Lord 
Burghersh  called  him  forward — the  Duke  took  his  hand, 
and  in  a  loud  tone  of  approbation  said,  '  Macfarren,  I 
congratulate  you  and  your  master  on  this  performance  ;  it 
does  you  infinite  credit  and  I  am  greatly  pleased.' 

"  The  company,  consisting  of  about  200,  seemed  to  join 
in  the  praise  most  heartily  by  an  additional  round  of 
applause ;  since  then  I  have  received  so  many  congratula- 
tions from  Mr.  Attwood,  Dr.  Crotch,  Lucas,  Hamilton,  Sir 
George  Clerk,  Potter,  and  others,  that  I  begin  to  think 
a  fond  father's  notions  are  not  all  illusive,  that  our  boy  is 


28  STUDENTSHIP  AT   THE 

in  head  what  we  have  fondly  found  him  in  heart,  and  that 
we  ought  to  be  proud  of  him." 

.  Yet  another  Symphony,  in  D  minor,  was  produced 
at  an  Academy  concert,  December  3rd,  1831.  At 
another  concert  of  the  Institution,  June  26th,  1833, 
an  Overture  was  performed,  subject  not  stated ;  Mac- 
farren  having  been  awarded,  two  days  previously,  a 
bronze  medal  for  improvement  in  pianoforte  playing, 
as  well  as  for  composition.  On  May  24th,  1834,  an 
Incantation  and  Elfin  Chorus  were  produced. 

In  this  same  year,  October  27th,  one  of  his  most 
important  early  works  was  produced  as  the  initial 
piece  at  the  first  concert  of  a  most  useful  society,  then 
recently  founded,  the  Society  of  British  Musicians. 
This  composition  was  the  Symphony  in  F  minor,  and 
Macfarren  himself  directed  its  performance.  Con- 
cerning this  performance  the  "Athenaeum"  of  Novem- 
ber 2nd  thus  wrote  : — 

"  We  were  pleased  and  interested  with  Mr.  Macfarren's 
Symphony — both  from  the  youth  of  the  composer,  and  the 
enthusiasm  and  originality  discernible  throughout  his  work 
— it  gives  good  promise  of  excellence;  the  trio  of  the 
minuet  in  particular  struck  us  as  full  of  fine  bold  fancy, 
and  the  conclusion  to  the  finale  was  at  once  clever  and 
animating.  We  are  not,  at  this  instant,  able  to  remember 
any  work  of  similar  length  from  the  pen  of  a  native  writer 
which  has  given  us  so  much  pleasure." 

The  trio  here  alluded  to  is  for  horns  obbligati,  with 
interruptions  by  the  full  orchestra.  The  "conclusion 
to  the  finale  "  is  a  coda  in  fugal  style.  The  whole 
Symphony  is  marked  by  the  freshness  and  vigour  of 
youth,  ably  and  soundly  trained  in  the  study  of  the 
best  models. 


ROYAL   ACADEMY   OF   MUSIC.  29 

A  further  notice  appeared,  later  on,  of  this  same 
Symphony,  on  its  publication  as  a  pianoforte  duet : — 

"  It  bears  the  transformation  well,  and  is,  as  it  was  with 
the  full  orchestra,  an  effective  and  interesting  piece  of 
music.  We  like  the  slow  movement  least ;  it  is  overloaded, 
and  the  melody  wants  freshness.  We  have  been  much 
pleased,  in  examining  this  composition,  to  find  our  first 
judgment  of  its  merits  so  well  borne  out." 

It  is  regrettable  that  even  this  arrangement  is  now 
difficult  to  obtain. 

At  another  concert  by  the  British  Society,  Decem- 
ber 8th  of  the  same  year,  a  Cavatina  by  Macfarren 
was  produced.  More  important,  however,  was  the 
performance,  by  W.  H.  Holmes,  at  the  Society's 
concert  on  November  2nd,  1835,  of  a  Pianoforte  Con- 
certo in  C  minor  by  Macfarren,  which  the  "  Athenaeum  " 
characterized  as  "careful  and  clever  writing — very 
neatly  performed." 

It  is  probable  that  the  Overture  performed  at  the 
Academy  concert  in  June,  1833,  was  the  same  that 
was  included  in  a  concert  given  by  Paganini,  the 
extraordinary  violinist,  on  the  17th  of  July  in  the 
same  year,  in  Drury  Lane  Theatre — an  inclusion  which 
indicates  that  attention  was  already  being  aroused  by 
the  young  composer's  manifest  talent,  outside  the 
Academy  circle.  The  programme  simply  announces 
it  as  "  Grand  Overture  (MS.),  Macfarren."  It  was 
probably  one  in  E,  which  was  played  more  than  once 
at  Academy  concerts. 

To  the  Academy  studentship  period  also  belongs 
an  Overture  to  the  "  Merchant  of  Venice,"  which  was 
performed  by  the  Society  of  British  Musicians,  and 


30  STUDENTSHIP   AT   THE 

which,  in  its  pianoforte  duet  arrangement,  was  thus 
noticed  in  the  "  Athenaeum/'  August  22nd,  1835  : — 

"  The  name,  we  fancy,  is  merely  one  of  convenance,  for 
we  find  little  of  the  story  in  the  composition — but,  setting 
this  aside,  we  were  pleased  with  it  when  we  heard  it  at  the 
concerts  of  the  British  Musicians  :  it  is  written  in  a  sound, 
nervous  style,  with  due  attention  to  contrast  in  orchestral 
effects;  and  we  rejoice  to  see  the  practice  of  such  com- 
positions gaining  ground  (though  but  by  inches)  in  Eng- 
land. We  want,  however,  more  freshness  of  melody  from 
Mr.  Macfarren ;  our  remarks  will  equally  apply  to  his 
'  Switzer's  Welcome,'  a  vocal  round,  and  '  The  Wanderer 
who  out-toils  the  Sun,'  a  cavatina  for  a  soprano  voice,  both 
of  which  were  likewise  performed  at  the  concerts  we  have 
just  mentioned ;  and  to  his  three  songs,  '  I  am  free ! '  '  Give 
me  eyes  that  ne'er  look  sad,'  and  '  Say,  would  you  curb  the 
butterfly  ?  '  from  the  farce  of  '  I  and  My  Double ; '  we  like 
the  second  of  these  best." 

The  farce  alluded  to  was  by  John  Oxenford. 

Macfarren,  as  well  as  many  other  rising  composers, 
William  Sterndale  Bennett,  Charles  Edward  Horsley, 
Thomas  Molleson  Mudie,  Henry  Westrop,  Edward 
Perry,  not  forgetting  Macfarren's  own  brother,  still 
among  us,  Mr.  Walter  Cecil  Macfarren,  owed  much 
to  the  opportunities  for  publicity,  as  well  as  of  hearing 
their  orchestral  works,  to  this  excellent  Society, 
which,  however,  from  causes  which  this  is  not  the 
place  to  discuss,  was  dissolved  in  1865.  At  a  con- 
vivial meeting  of  its  members,  November  24th,  1842, 
Macfarren,  called  upon  to  respond  to  the  toast,  te  the 
composers  of  the  Society,"  said  that  "  whatever 
position  he  now  held  in  the  musical  world,  and  what- 
ever good  luck  he  had  encountered  throughout  his 
not  unfortunate  career  as  an  artist,  were  wholly  and 


ROYAL   ACADEMY    OF  MUSIC.  31 

unequivocally  owing  to  the  Society  of  British  Musi- 
cians." Making  all  allowance  for  the  pardonable 
exaggeration  stimulated  by  the  surroundings  of  the 
moment,  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  sincerity  of  his 
expressions  of  indebtedness,  nor  of  the  general  truth 
of  the  statement,  with  regard  to  himself  and  others. 

A  somewhat  unique  product  of  the  Academy  student 
period  of  his  life  was  the  writing,  in  conjunction  with 
his  fellow-student,  William  Sterndale  Bennett,  a  move- 
ment of  a  Pianoforte  Concerto,  the  MS.  score  of  which 
is  •  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  James  Sterndale- 
Bennett,  by  whose  kindness  I  have  been  permitted  to 
examine  it,  and  am  able  to  trace  the  several  portions 
of  the  movement  to  their  respective  authorships. 

The  movement  was  performed  by  its  composers  at 
the  Academy;  but  the  difficulty  of  performance  on 
the  part  of  Macfarren,  owing  to  his  defective  eye- 
sight, probably  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  original 
design  to  complete  the  Concerto.  This,  moreover, 
was  the  last  occasion  on  which  he  essayed  even  a 
semi-public  performance  on  his  instrument;  hence- 
forth his  career  was  that  of  a  composer,  and — as  the 
sequel  will  show — a  theorist  and  instructor,  in  various 
ways. 

In  the  family  record  several  times  alluded  to, 
Macfarren  thus  writes  concerning  his  distinguished 
fellow-student :  — 

"  With  regard  to  Sterndale  Bennett,  my  father  had  a 
kind  of  jealousy,  always  considering  him  as  a  rival  to  me, 
and  neither  having,  nor  seeking,  a  knowledge  of  his 
remarkable  power  and  truly  exceptional  merit.  In  1834 
Bennett  lent  me  the  manuscript  of  his  Capriccio  in  D 
minor,  which  some  time  afterwards  appeared  as  his  first 


32  STUDENTSHIP  AT   THE 

publication.  I  liked  the  piece  greatly,  and  practised  it 
assiduously  on  the  pianoforte.  One  phrase  prevails 
throughout  the  whole,  the  accent,  if  not  the  intervals,  of 
which  is  constantly  repeated;  my  father  shared  not  my 
admiration,  and,  in  order  to  exorcise  this,  which  he  con- 
sidered to  be  an  evil  spirit  that  possessed  me,  he  argued 
that,  even  were  the  phrase  as  interesting  as  I  protested  it 
to  be,  its  manifold  iteration  failed  to  constitute  an  attrac- 
tive work,  and  he  said  further  that  whatever  the  merit  of 
the  first  line  of  '  Paradise  Lost,'  its  ceaseless  repetition 
throughout  the  twelve  books  of  the  poem  would  have  been 
intolerable.  This  line — 

'  Of  man's  first  disobedience  and  the  fruit ' — 

happens  to  fit  the  notes  of  Bennett's  phrase,  and  the 
derisive  comparison  was  enhanced  by  his  singing  the 
syllables  and  the  notes  again  and  again  transposed,  now 
higher,  now  lower,  till  the  patience  of  hearers  was  ex- 
hausted, but  the  judgment  of  his  antagonist  was  un- 
changed." 

An  interesting  reminiscence  of  his  earnestness  as  a 
student,  and  of  his  determination,  not  only  to  over- 
come, but  to  turn  to  good  account,  difficulties  that 
would  have  baffled  many  less  indefatigable  workers,  is 
furnished  by  the  method  in  which,  as  he  himself  would 
relate,  he  studied  the  instrumentation  of  the  great 
masters.  Orchestral  scores  being  rare  and  expensive 
in  those  his  young  days,  he  set  himself  to  compile 
them  from  the  band  parts,  beginning  at  the  bass  ;  and 
he  used  to  describe  "  the  growing  interest  with  which 
he  would  watch  the  growing  score,  wondering  what 
was  going  to  be  above  the  last  line  written ;  and  then, 
as  he  got  higher,  at  last  the  key  to  it  all  appeared, 
perhaps  in  the  ' hautboys'  (as  he  always  insisted  on 
calling  them)  or  flutes."  Students  nowadays,  with 


ROYAL   ACADEMY   OF   MUSIC.  33 

"  Peters  "  and  "  Litolff "  editions  at  so  low  a  price, 
have  undoubtedly  greater  facilities  for  learning ;  but 
they  lose  the  zest  of  curiosity  which  such  a  course  as 
that  just  described  would  furnish.  The  speculation 
must  have  been  delightfully  exciting. 

Macfarren's  studentship  in  the  Academy  terminated 
in  the  year  1836,  having  extended  over  a  period  of 
more  than  six  years.  Some  of  his  work  during  that 
period,  but  not  connected  with  the  Institution,  as  well 
as  that  following  shortly  afterwards,  will  more  properly 
be  recorded  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER    III. 

EARLY  DRAMATIC  COMPOSITIONS.      SOJOUKN  IN  THE  ISLE 
OF  MAN.     1831—1840. 

AS  has  been  intimated,  Macfarren  wrote  other 
works  during  the  period  of  his  Academy  student- 
ship besides  those  already  referred  to — works  specially 
called  forth  in  connection  with  his  father's  theatrical 
activities,  and  collateral  circumstances.  To  these, 
therefore,  it  is  now  necessary  to  revert.  Writing 
about  his  father,  he  says  :— 

"  The  desire  for  theatrical  management  became  again 
rampant  towards  the  close  of  1830,  when  J.  K.  Chapman 
was  managing  the  theatre  in  Tottenham  Street,  and  my 
father  made  an  offer  to  the  proprietor  which  seemed  so  far 
acceptable  that  the  tenant  was  dislodged  in  his  favour. 
His  notion  was  to  make  opportunity  to  exercise  his  own 
power  as  a  dramatist,  to  give  me  practice  as  a  composer, 
and  to  form  a  school  for  my  brother  John  as  a  scene- 
painter  when  he  should  be  old  enough  to  enter  it.  So 
much  for  private  interest,  while  in  public  announcements 
he  professed  a  purpose  of  instituting  a  theatrical  establish- 
ment with  higher  aims  than  those  of  any  existing  minor 
theatre — the  title  by  which  those  were  designated  which 
possessed  not  a  patent,  and  they  were  restricted  to  have  no 
performances  of  what  was  styled  the  legitimate  drama — 
and  he  trusted  thus  to  attract  the  best  of  middle  class 
society,  and  indeed  to  raise  the  character  of  the  drama, 
which,  then,  was  at  a  sadly  low  standard.  He  changed  the 


QUEEN'S    THEATRE.  35 

name  of  the  place  to  the  '  Queen's  Theatre,'  in  honour  of 
William  the  Fourth's  consort,  whose  accession,  after  a 
very  long  period  without  a  female  by  the  sovereign's  side, 
excited  great  public  rejoicing.  A  house  in  a  back  street 
was  added  to  the  theatre,  the  auditorium  was  reconstructed, 
having  the  names  of  the  Muses  in  as  many  panels  on  the 
box  fronts,  and  the  busts  of  poets  displayed  on  brackets. 
Stanfield  painted  an  act  drop  and  presented  it  '  as  a 
token  of  friendship '  to  the  manager ;  Winston  accepted 
the  post  of  acting  manager,  which  was  the  fact  that  gave 
great  reliability  to  the  scheme.  Leitch,  newly  come  from 
Glasgow,  painted  a  scene  on  probation,  and  on  its  success 
was  engaged  as  painter  to  the  establishment.  It  seems  to 
have  been  a  fault  in  the  design  under  which  the  new 
venture  was  to  be  conducted,  that  several  distinct  com- 
panies for  opera,  for  melodrama,  and  for  farce  were 
enlisted,  which  induced  a  heavy  salary  list,  and,  still 
worse,  so  generalized  the  entertainment,  that  no  special 
attraction  could  ever  prevail.  To  stamp  the  musical 
character  of  the  undertaking,  advertisement  was  promi- 
nently made  that  the  building  had  been  formerly  the 
'  King's  Ancient  Concert  Room ; '  and  to  keep  this  in 
countenance,  the  theatre  opened  with  an  adaptation  by 
my  father  of  '  Acis  and  Galatea.'  Its  being  an  adaptation 
was  in  accordance  with  the  use  of  the  tune  in  regard  to 
musical  works,  which  were  never  given  on  the  English 
stage  completely.  Two  comic  characters  were  accordingly 
introduced,  as  also  Ulysses,  with  two  companions;  the 
part  of  Damon  was  omitted,  as  also  the  incident  of  the 
metamorphosis  of  Acis,  with  the  song  that  describes  it,  and 
several  pieces  of  music  (Handel's,  it  is  true)  were  inter- 
polated. Spoken  dialogue  was  inserted.  Only  by  strong 
persuasion  could  the  adapter  be  induced  not  to  re-write 
the  text  of  the  songs,  and  he  condensed  the  title  into 
'  Galatea,'  with  the  excision  of  her  lover's  name.  Having 
regard  to  Mozart's  additional  accompaniments  to  '  Mes- 
siah,' my  father  supposed  new  instrumentation  indispen- 
sable for  the  present  work ;  so,  unaware  that  Mozart  had 
also  wrought  upon  it,  he  applied  to  Mozart's  pupil,  Attwood, 
to  write  parts  for  extra  wind  instruments,  who,  declining 
the  task,  recommended  Cipriani  Potter,  and  he  was  there- 


36  QUEEN'S   THEATRE. 

fore  requested,  and  undertook  to  make  the  required 
additions.  .  .  .  By  my  father's  persuasive  command  I 
wrote  an  Overture  in  D,  which  was  played  on  the  first 
night.  .  .  .  The  season  was,  as  a  whole,  disastrously  un- 
successful :  it  exhausted  the  savings  of  my  father's  whole 
career.  .  .  .  The  theatre  was  closed  for  the  summer.  His 
health  was  shaken,  ...  so  he  went,  with  me  as  com- 
panion, to  spend  some  weeks  at  a  lodging  ....  in 
Pickering  Terrace,  Paddington,  which  was  then  as  seques- 
tered as  if  it  had  been  100  miles  from  town.  King 
William's  coronation  was  to  be  in  September,  and  all  the 
theatres  were  to  be  opened  free  at  the  expense  of  govern- 
ment on  the  night.  Of  great  importance,  therefore,  was 
to  re-organize  all  arrangements  so  as  to  open  again  the 
'  Queen's '  timely  for  the  festivity,  in  order  to  secure  the 
receipts  for  one  full  house,  and  in  hope  to  inaugurate 
better  fortune.  A  new,  less  costly,  and  less  diverse 
company  was  engaged ;  the  band  was  reduced,  and  in 
every  department  expense  was  lessened ;  but  as  the 
expenses,  so  the  income ;  and  the  weekly  payments  were 
impossible  to  meet." 

After  recounting  the  struggles  that  followed,  he 
continues : — 

"An  offer  of  an  engagement  with  certain  payment  at 
the  '  Surrey '  tempted  [my  father]  to  quit  Tottenham  Street 
at  Christmas,  where  he  left  a  pleasant  memory  with  us  all, 
and  he  was  succeeded  in  his  stage-managership  by  Hooper, 
light  comedian." 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  the  responsibility  of 
lesseeship  still  burdened  him. 

"  All  England,  and  London  not  the  least,  being  in 
feverish  excitement  about  the  Reform  Bill,  my  father 
wrote  and  brought  out  a  Christmas  pantomime  called 
'  Harlequin  Reformer,'  in  which  everything  was  reformed 
but  the  fortunes  of  the  theatre.  Edward  Wright,  the  low- 
comedian,  made  his  first  entry  on  the  stage  at  the  '  Queen's,' 


SOJOUEN  IN   THE   ISLE    OF  MAN.  37 

with  an  old  stager,  Mrs.  Hooper,  in  '  The  Maid  of  Switzer- 
land,' a  piece  for  which  I  wrote  music ;  that  I  should  do 
so  having  been  the  condition  of  its  acceptance  in  January, 
1832." 

Later  on,  in  1834  probably,  the  father,  then  in 
Milan  with  his  daughter  Sophy,  who  went  thither  for 
singing  study,  wrote  the  libretto  of  an  opera,  "  Carac- 
tacus,"  on  purpose  for  George  to  set  to  music,  and  a 
large  portion  was  set  by  him,  but  the  book  was 
rejected  by  T.  J.  Serle,  censor  of  plays,  and  stage 
manager  to  S.  J.  Arnold,  of  the  English  Opera 
House  (now  the  Lyceum) ,  "  on  the  ground  of  its 
historical  inaccuracy." 

Disappointments  and  vicissitudes  continued  to 
pursue  the  luckless  manager  and  author,  culminating 
in  an  unsuccessful  attempt  at  managership  at  the 
Gravesend  Theatre,  in  1836,  the  year  in  which,  as  we 
have  seen,  G.  A.  Macfarren's  studentship  at  the 
Academy  terminated ;  and,  on  account  of  the  un- 
promising condition  of  affairs,  he,  with  characteristic 
and  self-denying  vigour  and  integrity  of  purpose, 
determined  to  become  a  mainstay  of  the  family  instead 
of  a  burden.  In  pursuance  of  this  determination,  he 
severed  himself  from  his  Academy  associations,  and 
other  artistic  and  professional  surroundings,  with  the 
ambitions  and  hopes  which  they  might  well  inspire  in 
a  young  and  ardent  nature,  and  accepted  an  engage- 
ment to  teach  in  a  large  school  in  the  Isle  of  Man. 
The  principal  opportunity  that  he  there  found  of 
exercising  his  artistic  powers  was  furnished  by  an  old 
naval  lieutenant,  who  used  to  play  on  the  double-bass 
the  pedal  part  of  Bach's  Organ  Fugues,  Macfarren 
playing  that  for  the  manuals  on  the  pianoforte!  More- 


38  RETUEN    TO   LONDON. 

over,  while  in  this  voluntary  exile,  he  received  from 
his  father  the  book  of  "  Craso  the  Forlorn,"  a  serious 
opera  in  one  act,  for  him  to  set  to  music,  which  he 
began  to  do,  in  the  intervals  of  school  teaching.  Of 
this  effort,  further  mention  will  be  made  shortly. 

As  an  instance  of  that  command  of  resources,  be 
they  extended,  limited,  or  unusual,  which  indicates 
thorough  training,  and  of  which,  it  may  be  mentioned, 
in  passing,  the  list  of  Mozart's  compositions  affords 
such  various  examples,  the  closing  incident  in  Mac- 
farren's  Isle  of  Man  career  should  here  be  related.  It 
illustrates,  moreover,  both  (as  happily  expressed  by 
Mdlle.  Gabrielle  Vaillant)  his  "  power  of  adapting 
himself  to  his  surroundings,  and  his  amiability  in  never 
refusing  a  request  made  earnestly."  Before  leaving 
the  island,  he  was  asked  to  write  an  overture  for  his 
farewell  concert,  which  would  bring  into  requisition 
all  the  amateur  performers  in  the  place.  On  inquiry, 
he  found  that  the  available  instruments  with  their 
players  consisted  of  a  few  violins,  one  violoncello, 
sixteen  (?)  flutes,  one  clarinet :  voilatoutf  For  this 
singularly  ill-balanced  band,  nevertheless,  he  wrote 
the  overture,  and  it  was  performed  to  the  general 
satisfaction — probably  to  the  special  satisfaction  of 
the  performers.  This  was  in  1837,  in  which  year  he 
relinquished  his  engagement  in  the  island,  where 
there  was  so  little  that  could  be  congenial  to  his 
artistic  feelings  and  aspirations,  and  returned  to  Lon- 
don. He  was  shortly  afterwards  appointed  Professor 
of  Harmony  and  Composition  at  his  Alma  Mater,  the 
Eoyal  Academy  of  Music. 

It  was  during  the  latter  part  of  his  studentship  at 
the  Academy,  or  more  probably  immediately  after  its 


OVERTURE    TO    "CHEVY  CHASE."  39 

termination  in  1836,  that  lie  composed  an  Overture 
which  has  enjoyed  continued  reputation,  and  gained 
at  the  time,  and  subsequently,  distinguished  success, 
that  entitled  "  Chevy  Chase."  It  was  written  as  the 
prelude  to  a  piece  with  that  title  by  J.  R.  Planche, 
which  was  produced  on  Easter  Monday  at  Drury 
Lane  Theatre,  when  under  the  management  of  Alfred 
Bunn,  "  Tom  Cooke  "  being  the  director  of  the  music. 
Some  incidental  music  being  required  for  it,  and  Tom 
Cooke  not  being  ready  even  a  week  beforehand,  he 
asked  Macfarren,  who  had  previously  written  for  him 
a  march,  a  chorus,  and  various  other  pieces,  to  write 
some;  promising,  moreover,  that  if  an  overture  was 
provided,  as  well  as  the  incidental  music,  the  young 
composer's  name  should  appear  in  the  bills.  Not- 
withstanding the  short  notice,  Macfarren,  nothing 
daunted,  and  with  self-reliance  as  a  quick  worker, 
undertook  to  provide  all  that  was  asked  for.  The 
incidental  music  consisted  of  a  hunting  chorus,  a 
chorus  of  nuns,  and  possibly  more.  But  in  the  Over- 
ture he  determined  to  introduce  the  old  English  tune, 
"  Chevy  Chase,"  which,  however,  he  did  not  know, 
or  at  least  in  connection  with  its  name.  He  em- 
ployed, I  believe,  his  younger  brother  John  to  hunt  it 
up  for  him,  his  own  time  being  very  fully  occupied 
with  the  other  music,  as  well  as  with  teaching.  On 
the  Friday  preceding  the  Easter  Monday,  the  tune 
was  discovered,  and  proved  to  be  an  old  acquaintance. 
Macfarren  sat  down  and  wrote  the  Overture  in  that 
one  night,  so  as  to  have  it  ready  for  copyists  on  Satur- 
day morning.  It  was  ready  for  rehearsal ;  but,  when 
the  composer  went  to  the  theatre,  he  found  that  in 
the  bills  the  music  was  stated  to  be  "composed, 


40  OVERTURE    TO    "CHEVY   CHASE." 

selected,  and  arranged  by  Mr.  T.  Cooke."  Bunn 
ignored  Macfarren's  claims,  and  simply  threw  all  the 
responsibility  on  Cooke  ;  in  consequence  of  which  the 
aggrieved  composer  took  his  score  away,  indignant  at 
such  a  breach  of  faith.  The  whole  incident  illustrates 
Macfarren's  determination,  his  capacity  for  quick  work- 
ing, and  his  independence  of  character. 

Probably  Tom  Cooke  was  little,  if  at  all,  blame- 
worthily  responsible  for  this  contretemps;  certainly 
Macfarren  retained  no  grudge  against  him,  writing,  in 
after  years,  respecting  circumstances  in  his  father's 
career  : — 

"  Intimacy  with  Cooke  began  from  this  occasion,  and 
my  father  had  many  a  pleasure  in  assisting  his  composer- 
friend  with  verses,  and  experienced  many  a  pleasantry 
from  him,  by  no  means  the  least  of  which  were  the  kind- 
nesses shown  to  me  when  I  was  enough  advanced  to  profit 
by  them." 

The  Overture,  however,  was  not  to  be  lost  to  the 
world.  Six  weeks  later,  January  7th  (?),  1838,  it  was 
performed  with  success  at  a  concert  of  the  Society  of 
British  Musicians,  being  conducted  by  J.  W.  Davison, 
the  composer  being  then  in  the  Isle  of  Man.1  And 
not  only  did  it  become  an  accepted  Concert-overture 
in  this  country,  but  it  was  the  first  work  by  which 
Macfarren  was  made  known  in  Germany.  In  1843, 
Mendelssohn  wrote  to  Macfarren  about  it ;  though,  by 
a  mistake  of  memory,  he  referred  to  it  as  "  Rob  Roy." 
It  was  performed,  under  Mendelssohn's  direction,  at 
one  of  the  Gewandhaus  Concerts ;  and,  in  a  letter 

1  It  was  encored  on  that  occasion  of  its  first  performance,  as  well 
as  at  its  subsequent  production  at  a  Philharmonic  Concert. 


LETTER   FROM  MENDELSSOHN.  41 

dated  November  20th,  1843,  the  groat  composer  wrote 
to  Macfarren : — 

"  I  must  tell  you  that  your  overture  went  very  well,  and 
was  most  cordially  and  unanimously  received  by  the  public ; 
that  the  amateurs  hailed  it  as  a  work  which  promised  them 
a  great  many  treats  to  come,  and  which  gave  them  such  a 
treat  already  in  itself ;  that  the  orchestra  played  it  with 
true  delight  and  enthusiasm ;  in  short,  that  it  is  sure  to  be 
a  favourite  with  all  of  them.  I  rehearsed  and  conducted 
it  with  the  greatest  care,  but  now  I  am  going  to  Berlin, 
and  shall  not  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  some  of 
your  other  compositions  to  the  public  this  winter ;  but  I 
left  the  whole  of  your  music  with  the  concert  directors, 
who  will  forward  it  back  to  you  after  the  end  of  the  season, 
and  have  promised  me  they  will  bring  out  at  least  one  of 
your  other  works,  if  not  several,  in  the  course  of  this 
winter ;  most  probably  it  will  be  the  Symphony.  God 
bless  you,  my  dear  Sir ;  yes,  God  bless  you  from  all  my 
heart,  and  be  as  happy  in  your  life  and  in  your  art  as  I 
shall  always  wish  you  to  be. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"FELIX MENDELSSOHN  BABTHOLDY." 

We  now  revert  to  the  year  1837,  in  which  Mac- 
farren returned  to  London  from  the  Isle  of  Man. 

During  the  twenty-four  years  that  had  elapsed 
since  the  time  when  our  record  began,  music  had 
made  great  strides,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad  ; 
and  the  influences  at  work — the  musical  surroundings 
amid  which  Macfarren  now  fairly  started  a  metropolitan 
and  public  career — demand  notice. 

The  repertoire  of  music  had  been  enriched,  during 
these  years,  by  the  production  of  some  of  Beethoven's 
finest  works — notably,  the  7th  Symphony  (1813), first 
performed  in  England  at  a  Philharmonic  Concert, 
1817  ;  the  8th,  and  the  9th  (Choral),  expressly  written 


42  ADVANCED   STATE    OF  MUSIC. 


for  the  Philharmonic  Society,  and  performed  at  the 
concert,  March  21st,  1825  ;  the  Overture  to  "  Fidelio  " 
in  E  (1814),  first  performed  in  England,  as  well  as  that 
to  "  Coriolanus,"  by  the  Philharmonic  Society,  in 
1817;  Mass  in  D  (1822,  not  performed  in  this  country, 
however,  till  1846);  "Ruins  of  Athens"  Overture, 
Op.  124 ;  and  several  of  his  Sonatas,  Quartets,  and 
other  works.  Moreover,  his  "  Eroica  "  Symphony  had 
been  heard  for  the  first  time  in  England  in  1814 ;  his 
C  minor  Symphony  also  in  1816  ;  Pianoforte  Concertos 
in  1822,  1824,  1825;  Violin  Concerto,  1832,— all  for 
the  first  time  in  England,  and  at  concerts  by  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society.  At  these  concerts,  moreover,  had 
been  produced,  for  the  first  time  in  England,  Cheru- 
bini's  "  Anacreon"  Overture,  conducted  by  the  com- 
poser (1815);  HummePs  Septet  (1818)  ;  the  Dramatic 
Concerto  for  Violin  by  Spohr,  who  made  his  first  visit 
to  this  country  in  1820,  and  played  the  Concerto  him- 
self, besides  conducting  his  Symphony  No.  2,  coin- 
posed  for  the  Society,  and  producing  his  Nonet ;  other 
works  of  his  being  subsequently  produced,  viz.,  Over- 
ture in  F  (1821);  Overture,  "  Jessonda "  (1826); 
Symphony  in  E  flat  (1828)  ;  Double  Quartet  (1829)  ; 
Overture  to  "Alchymist"  (1831);  "Weihe  der  Tone" 
(1835);  also  Concertos  and  other  works  by  Moscheles, 
who  made  his  first  appearance  in  this  country  in  1821, 
and  whose  long  residence  exerted  so  healthy  an  influ- 
ence upon  pianoforte  playing  among  us,  as  well  as 
upon  music  generally;  Concertos  by  Hummel,  who 
first  appeared  here  in  1831;  many  works  by  Men- 
delssohn (who  first  came  to  England  in  1829,  and  in 
that  year  played  Beethoven's  Concerto  in  E  flat,  its 
first  production  here,  at  a  concert  by  Drouet,  the 


ADVANCED    STATE    OF  MUSIC.  43 

flautist),  the  works  first  produced  in  this  country  by 
the  Philharmonic  Society  alone  being  his  C  minor 
Symphony  (1829)  ;  Overture  to  "  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream  "  (1830)  ;  Overture,  "  Isles  of  Fingal,"  and 
Concerto  in  G  minor  (1832)  ;  Italian  Symphony  and 
"  Trumpet"  Overture  (1833)  j  "  Melusina  "  Overture, 
and  Scena,  "  Infelice"  (1834)  ;  "  Calm  Sea  and  Pros- 
perous Voyage"  Overture  (1836).  Bennett's  Concertos, 
in  D  minor  (1836,  when  he  made  his  first  appearance 
at  the  Philharmonic),  and  C  minor  (1836)  ;  and  his 
"  Xaiades  "  Overture  (1837),  had  also  been  produced. 
Such  a  record  as  this,  by  no  means  complete,  will  show 
what  a  different  musical  atmosphere  now  prevailed 
from  that  which  characterized  the  period  of  Mac- 
farren's  birth.  To  the  enrichment  of  the  Art  by  all 
these  great  works,  and  the  powerful  influence  of  the 
frequent  visits  of  Spohr  and  Mendelssohn,  not  to 
mention  that  of  Weber,  must  be  added  the  foundation 
and  growth  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  and  the 
healthy  teaching  therein  given  ;  and  many  other  cir- 
cumstances not  to  be  here  detailed. 

Into  all  this  full  tide  of  musical  activity  and  ad- 
vancement, Macfarren  was  fully  equipped  to  enter, 
with  all  the  eagerness  of  an  observant  and  receptive 
mind,  well-trained,  and  ready  for  work  in  the  diversi- 
fied ways  that  opened  out  to  an  energetic  nature  and 
resolute  will.  He  had  studied  well ;  but  his  student- 
ship did  not  cease  with  the  termination  of  his  academic 
career — he  was  a  diligent  student  and  learner  to  the 
very  end  of  his  life. 

Of  the  opera  commenced  during  his  sojourn  in  the 
Isle  of  Man,  Macfarren  writes  : — 

"  [My  father]  extended  '  Craso  the  Forlorn '  into  two 


44  EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

acts,  regarding  the  operas  of  Mozart,  Beethoven,  and 
Rossini  as  the  standard  of  plan  and  limit  of  extent  for 
the  construction  of  a  lyrical  drama,  but  having  long 
finales  and  other  pieces  of  concerted  music  wherein  the 
principal  action  was  embodied,  interspersing  these,  accord- 
ing to  English  use,  with  spoken  prose,  instead  of  the 
recitative  of  the  Italian  lyrical  drama.  In  its  amplified 
proportions  the  opera  is  called  '  El  Malechor,'  and  I  spent 
the  end  of  the  year  [1837]  and  much  of  1838  in  setting  it 
to  music.  His  suggestions  throughout  the  work  as  to  the 
laying  out  of  the  longer  numbers,  the  declamation,  and 
the  general  expression  of  the  words,  and  in  the  charac- 
terization of  the  persons,  were  a  priceless  schooling  in 
dramatic  composition.  At  the  close  of  the  two  winter 
theatres,  some  members  of  the  company  of  each  united  in 
a  kind  of  joint-stock  arrangement  to  open  the  English 
Opera  House  [now  the  Lyceum  Theatre]  for  the  summer, 
and  to  divide  the  receipts  pro  rata.  T.  Cooke  was  the 
musical  director,  and  Peake  was  the  acting  manager, 
treasurer,  and  literary  arbiter.  To  these  two  our  new 
opera  was  submitted,  who  respectively  approved  of  its 
music  and  libretto,  and  accepted  it  for  production.  I  know 
not  whether  my  joy  was  greater  that  this  my  third  attempt 
at  operatic  composition  was  to  come  to  a  hearing,  or  that 
my  father's  manifold  disappointments  were  now  to  be  re- 
versed. The  greater  a  joy,  the  severer  may  be  its  mis- 
carriage, as  was  proved  in  this  instance,  for  when  the 
company  came  to  be  practically  organized,  it  was  found  to 
comprise  no  baritone  singer  to  whom  the  principal  part 
could  be  allotted,  and  hence  our  card  palace  fell  to  the 
ground  with  all  the  picture  sides  downwards.  To  trace 
the  history  of  '  El  Malechor '  to  its  close,  let  me  say  here, 
that  Bunn  accepted  the  opera  for  production  at  Drury 
Lane,  in  1839,  but  his  management  collapsed  before  the 
work  was  put  in  rehearsal ;  in  1840,  when  John  Barnett 
and  his  non -relation  Morris  Barnett  opened  the  St.  James's 
as  an  opera  house,  they  accepted  our  piece,  but  their  reign 
ended  on  the  first  Saturday,  so  this  third  acceptance  was 
dishonoured ;  when  Balfe  opened  the  English  Opera  House 
at  Easter  in  the  same  year,  he  selected  our  piece  to  succeed 
his  own  '  Keolanthe,'  and  now  it  was  positively  put  in  re- 


"EL   MALECHOR."  45 

hearsal,  and  foretold  in  the  play-bills — nay,  Henry  Phillips, 
who  was  to  have  sung  the  principal  part,  which  is  that  of 
a  maniac,  made  an  appointment  to  visit  Bedlam  to  select 
a  subject  for  study  among  the  patients,  on  which  to  found 
his  personation  ;  but  now  the  season  came  to  an  untimely 
end — the  manager  became  bankrupt  and  went  abroad,  and 
the  opera  had  its  ante-natal  death,  verifying  too  truly  its 
title  of  the  '  Evil-Worker,'  thus  bringing  disappointment 
to  everyone  concerned  with  it.  Some  years  later,  Staudigl 
took  a  fancy  to  the  song  of  '  The  Wrecker's  Life,'  and  sang 
it  publicly,  which  is  the  only  fragment  of  the  opera  that 
has  ever  been  heard," 1 

1  Balfe,  as  his  biographer  informs  us,  "actually  assumed  the 
cares  of  management,  and  voluntarily  faced  the  multitudinous 
responsibilities  of  an  impresario,  who  undertakes  to  satisfy  the 
tickle  public,  and  a  list  of  fashionable  and  exacting  subscribers 
into  the  bargain.  This  piece  of  complicated  folly  Balfe  perpetrated 
in  the  year  1841,  when  as  lessee  of  the  English  Opera  House  he 
commenced,  amidst  a  multitude  of  favourable  auguries,  and  under 
the  most  august  patronage,  the  young  Queen  herself  having  en- 
gaged a  box  for  the  season,  the  essay  of  establishing  a  National 
Knglish  Opera.  The  prospectus  announced  a  new  romantic  opera 
by  Balfe  himself,  entitled  '  Keolanthe  ' ;  but  that  the  field  was  to 
be  open  freely  and  fearlessly  to  all  comers,  was  abundantly  apparent 
by  the  statement  that  George  [Alex.]  Macfarren,  John  Barnett, 
Edward  [James]  Loder,  and  others  were  engaged  in  the  preparation 
of  works  which  would  follow  in  due  succession.  .  .  .  For  the  space 
of  a  year  or  more  before  Balfe's  attempt  to  establish  something 
permanent  in  the  shape  of  a  National  English  Opera,  there  had 
been  no  inconsiderable  agitation  carried  on  through  the  press, 
among  the  musical  profession  and  a  certain  number  of  persons 
who  put  themselves  forward  under  various  signatures  as  patrons 
and  well-wishers  of  musical  art  in  this  country,  with  the  same 
object  in  view.  .  .  .  Letters  appeared  signed  by  some  of  the  lead- 
ing names  of  the  day  in  connection  with  the  subject,  supporting  or 
throwing  cold  water  on  the  scheme.  Among  the  latter  was  ranged 
the  even  then  high-standing  name  of  George  [A.]  Macfarren,  whose 
publicly  expressed  persuasion  was  that  English  musicians  would 
nave  no  chance  of  attracting  notice  and  patronage  in  their  own 
country,  unless  they  formed  a  colony  in  some  foreign  city,  and,  by 
publishing  and  performing  their  works  there,  obtained  that  stamp 
of  approval  from  European  criticism  and  success,  under  the  war- 
ranty of  which  alone  they  would  be  accepted  as  deserving  attention 
at  home.  This  sounded  at  the  time,  no  doubt,  as  a  very  harsh  and 
exaggerated  satire  on  England's  mistrust  of  her  native  talent,  but 
the  whole  history  of  the  movement  and  the  fate  of  our  leading 
musicians  have  proved,  what  all  who  knew  Macfarren  were  fully 


46  EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

The  opera  opens  with  a  spirited  Overture  in  D 
minor,  six-four  time.  The  introduction  to  the  first 
act  consists  firstly  of  a  chorus  and  dance  of  villagers 
celebrating  the  conclusion  of  the  vintage,  then  of 
various  vocal  pieces,  with  resumptions  of  the  dance, 
etc.  This  is  followed  by  a  duettino,  a  scene  and 
chorus,  a  duet  termed  an  "  Enigma,"  the  words 
commencing — 

"  0  say,  what's  that  which  shines  most  bright, 

Of  solid  worth,  yet  frail  and  light, 

Most  yielding,  soft,  yet  hard  to  be  controlled, 

Most  dearly  bought  when  most  pursued, 

Most  rarely  caught,  yet  even  then, 

Most  difficult  to  hold?" 

the  answer  to  which  is  "  quicksilver;"  and  the  second 
stanza  has  a  similar  multiform  inquiry,  with  the 
answer — "  a  donkey."  Then  comes  the  capital  song 
alluded  to  by  Macfarren,  "  The  Wrecker's  Life." 
A  "  Storm  Scene  "  follows,  and  then  the  finale  to  the 
first  act.  The  second  act  opens  with  a  round  and 
chorus,  to  which  succeed  a  series  of  vocal  pieces,  and 
a  not  very  long  finale, — eighteen  numbers  in  all.1 

We  now  arrive  at  an  important  event  in  our  com- 
poser's career, — one  which  seemed  as  though  it  would 

aware  of,  that  he  had  a  very  old  head  on  young  shoulders.  Un- 
gracious as  the  words  seemed  at  the  time,  they  have  been  fully 
borne  out  down  to  very  recent  times.  Nevertheless,  it  was  not 
then,  nor  is  it  now,  any  reason  for  not  trying  to  instill  a  deeper 
interest  and  a  stronger  faith  into  the  public  mind  and  feeling  in 
the  cause  of  an  English  school  of  music.  It  is  the  business  of  those 
concerned  to  go  on  trying  until  they  have  succeeded  in  making  a 
better  position  for  themselves  and  their  cause,  etc." — Kennev's 
Memoir  of  Balfe,  pp.  139,  143. 

1  "The  cut  of  an  English  opera  is  certainly  very  different  from 
a  German  one.  The  English  is  more  a  drama  with  songs,  etc." 
— Letter  of  Weber  to  J.  R.  Planche. 


"  THE  DEVIL'S    OPERA."  47 

prove  the  "tide  .  .  .  which,  taken  at  the  flood/' 
would  "  lead  on  to  fortune/'  This  was  the  actual 
production,  not,  as  has  been  seen,  of  "  El  Malechor," 
but  of  an  entirely  new  and  rapidly  produced  opera, 
bearing  the  infelicitous  title,  because  of  its  infelicitous 
subject,  "  The  Devil's  Opera/'  which  had  the  result  of 
bringing  Macfarren's  name  and  abilities  before  the 
public  more  prominently  and  favourably  than  any  pre- 
vious work.  The  circumstances  of  its  incubation  are  so 
graphically  described  by  himself,  that  the  account  is 
best  given  in  his  own  words,  following  on  the  account 
above  given  of  "  El  Malechor  "  : — 

"  I  will  now  return  to  1838.  Peake,  [acting  manager  of 
the  English  Opera  Company,]  knowing  of  my  father's  life- 
long dramatic  successes,  promised  that  if  he  would  submit 
a  plot  of  which  the  former  could  approve,  he  should  be 
trusted  to  put  it  into  diction  without  further  scrutiny,  and 
under  assurance  of  its  adoption,  provided  that  Cooke  gave 
a  favourable  verdict  of  the  music.  On  the  strength  of  the 
impracticable  '  Malechor,'  Cooke  gave  a  similar  guarantee 
to  me,  with  a  like  provision  as  to  Peake  and  the  plot. 
Cutting  to  pieces  had  no  more  effect  on  niy  father's 
vitality  than  on  that  of  an  eel,  so  he  accepted  the  con- 
ditions, and  undertook  the  construction  of  a  piece  with 
parts  for  the  persons  who  had  positively  embarked  in  the 
scheme — Miss  Eainforth,  Mrs.  Seguin,  and  Miss  Poole ; 
Fraser  and  Burnett,  tenors  ;  Seguin  and  S.  Jones,  basses ; 
and  most  particularly  Wieland,  the  pantomimist,  who  was 
notable  for  his  diabolical  and  zoological  impersonations. 
On  a  radiant  Sunday,  June  3,  my  father  and  I  walked  up 
and  down  Alfred  Place  for  several  hours,  conjecturing 
incidents,  and  welding  them  into  a  story,  in  all  of  which 
the  devil  was  necessarily  conspicuous.  Peake  thought 
liighly  of  the  program,1  and  the  librettist  set  hopefully 
to  work.  This  was  the  process  of  gestation :  he  wrote  at 

1  See  Chap.  VII. 


48  EARLY   DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

his  text  from  bed-time  till  daylight,  and  then  betook  him 
to  rest,  first  awakening  me,  who  pursued  my  cogitations  in 
those  early  summer  mornings.  When  life  was  astir  in  the 
streets,  I  went  on  my  ordinary  avocations,  and  three  or 
four  times  a  week  John  Hullah  came  to  our  lodgings  to 
try  over  the  music  that  had  been  written  since  his  last 
visit.  The  English  Opera  House  did  not  succeed.  The 
company  was  compounded  of  singers  and  actors,  each  of 
whom  regarded  the  unattractiveness  of  the  other  party  as 
the  cause  of  failure.  Money  was  not  fluent,  small  dividends 
were  paid,  and  general  anarchy  was  consequent.  The 
finished  libretto  of  '  The  Devil's  Opera '  was  delivered  while 
the  music  was  still  in  progress  ;  the  parts  were  copied  and 
handed  to  the  persons  for  whom  they  were  designed ;  and 
each  of  these,  ignorant  of  the  context,  took  no  interest  in 
the  detached  speeches  assigned  to  him,  especially  Wieland, 
who,  though  the  principal  personage,  was  to  be  mute 
throughout,  and  whose  whole  part,  therefore,  was  com- 
prised on  a  single  leaf,  came  up  to  us  one  morning  on  the 
stage,  protesting  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  in  the  piece, 
and  he  therefore  declined  to  do  it.  Ever  irresistibly  per- 
suasive, my  father  induced  him  to  come  and  hear  the 
music.  He  was  patiently  attentive  until  the  scene  of  his 
own  entrance,  and  this  interested  him  so  much,  that  he 
pushed  aside  the  table,  and  went  through  the  action 
experimentally,  in  which  he  succeeded  so  well  to  his  own 
satisfaction,  that  he  admitted  the  eloquence  of  this  part 
without  words.  He  had  to  act  a  monkey  in  the  after- 
piece, and  was  therefore  obliged  to  leave  us.  My  father 
and  John  presently  followed  him,  while  I  went  to  an 
Academy  ball.  When  I  returned  at  3  o'clock,  they 
started  up  to  greet  me ;  they  had  found  the  whole  com- 
munity of  the  theatre  in  a  state  of  fever  at  Wielaud's 
report,  and  it  was  decided  with  acclamations  that  the 
piece  should  be  read  on  the  morrow  (the  reading  of  a 
piece  to  the  actors  concerned  was  always  preliminary  to 
its  otherwise  preparation),  and  forthwith  put  in  rehearsal. 
Everybody  but  S.  Jones  was  pleased  with  his  or  her  own 
part,  and  this  worthy  had  a  conviction  as  deep  as  his  own 
voice  that  he^was  a  neglected  genius  who  was  maliciously 
frustrated  of  every  opportunity.  From  that  occasion  till 


"  THE    DEVIL'S    OPERA."  49 

the  closing  of  the  theatre,  I  attended  a  rehearsal  every 
day,  the  necessity  for  which  eternal  preparation  is  thus 
explainable.  Mapleson,  the  copyist  (father  of  the  Italian 
Opera  adventurer),  refused  to  continue  the  transcription 
of  the  music,  until  paid  for  writing  the  first  two  scenes — 
an  impracticable  event,  under  the  state  of  the  treasury. 
Practice  was  thus  delayed  till  arrangements  could  be 
made  with  Goodwin  that  he  should  copy  the  parts  on 
risk,  and  be  paid  a  nightly  guinea  for  their  use  throughout 
the  run  of  the  opera.  When  the  study  was  nearly  com- 
pleted, the  choristers,  discontented  with  their  quota,  de- 
manded payment  in  full,  which  being  impossible,  they 
deserted.  New  delay  was  until  a  new  chorus  could  be 
enticed  into  the  scheme,  with  whom  the  task  of  teaching 
had  to  begin  afresh.  At  length,  Monday,  August  13th, 
was  fixed  for  a  first  performance.  On  the  12th  the  over- 
ture was  finished,  and  given  over  to  the  mercies  of  the 
copyist  as  we  went  down  to  a  night  rehearsal,  which  was 
the  last,  in  order  that  the  singers  might  not  be  fatigued 
on  the  morning  before  the  evening  of  performance.  I 
depended  greatly  on  Cooke,  (my  father's  friend  of 
twelve  years,  and  my  own,  on  all  occasions  when  he  could 
serve  me,)  for  support  as  leader  of  the  band.  On  the 
morning  I  learned  of  his  serious  illness,  by  which  he  was 
confined  to  bed  for  many  weeks.  When  I  entered  the 
orchestra  to  conduct  the  opera,  the  subaltern  violinist  who 
was  emergently  promoted  to  leadership,  and  who  had 
primed  himself  with  stimulants  for  his  new  and  nervous 
position,  begged  me  to  let  the  overture  be  slow,  or  he 
would  not  be  able  to  see,  much  less  to  play  the  notes — 
which  prayer  so  moved  my  spleen,  that  I  took  the  pre- 
viously untried  music  at  fullest  speed,  and  the  consequent 
spirit  may  have  compensated  for  the  inaccuracy  of  the 
rendering.  On  the  next  morning  when  all  met  to  ex- 
change congratulations,  the  Seguins  announced  that  they 
had  signed  to  start  for  America  in  a  fortnight ;  so  others 
had  to  be  found  to  take  their  places.  George  Lejeune  (the 
son  of  our  Queen's  Theatre  friend)  and  Priscilla  Horton 
were  the  philosopher's  stones  of  the  occasion,  on  whose 
account  rehearsals  had  to  be  renewed.  Scarcely  were 
they  launched  in  their  parts,  than  Eainforth  took  a 


50          EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

country  engagement  for  certain  pay ;  so  Horton  was  pro- 
moted to  her  part,  and  Mrs.  Serle  was  her  successor  in 
that  of  Mrs.  Seguin.  Anon  Burnett  was  struck  hoarse,  so 
further  rehearsal  was  needed  with  his  substitute,  Mears 
by  name.  On  one  night  Wieland  met  with  a  violent  hurt 
that  disabled  him,  so  a  deputy  devil  had  to  be  practised  for 
the  following  evening ;  and  on  the  very  last  night  but  one  of 
the  season,  Eraser  had  a  quarrel  with  the  stage  manager, 
who  so  disfigured  him  by  a  blow  in  the  eye  that  he  could 
not  show  himself  for  a  week.  Should  then  the  theatre  be 
closed  at  once  ?  No !  Shrival,  a  tenor  still  unknown  to 
fame,  who  was  yearning  for  opportunity  to  woo  that  fickle 
mistress,  volunteered  to  fill  Eraser's  part,  if  I  would  teach 
him  the  notes.  We  went  home  accordingly  and  practised 
all  night,  and  so  on  till  noon,  when  we  met  the  baud  for 
the  latest,  last  rehearsal.  .  .  .  Notwithstanding  the  success 
of  '  The  Devil's  Opera,'  no  music-seller  would  undertake 
the  publication  of  the  music,  until  F.  Hill,  the  flutist  in 
the  band  of  the  theatre,  proposed  that  his  father,  a  double- 
bass  player,  who  had  a  long-established  music  shop  in 
Regent  Street,  should  print  the  most  applauded  numbers, 
and  pay  me  a  royalty  upon  them  ;  he,  the  son,  deploring 
that  what  was  well  received  in  performance  should  be 
inaccessible  in  print,  and  the  firm  having  no  funds  where- 
with to  pay  a  sum  for  the  copyright,  and  he  also  having 
the  friendly  feeling  of  a  fellow- student,  which  he  was 
willing  to  gratify  when  it  interfered  not  with  his  own 
interest.  ...  In  the  summer  of  1839,  another  joint-stock 
company,  of  which  Balfe  was  then  chairman,  had  posses- 
sion of  the  English  Opera  House.  Like  their  predecessors, 
they  failed  to  draw  large  audiences,  which  prompted  some 
of  the  wisest  among  them  to  propose  the  reproduction  of 
the  piece  which  had  brought  success  to  last  year's  under- 
taking, and  accordingly  '  The  Devil's  Opera '  was  given 
again,  with  as  much  applause  as  before,  and  played  for  twelve 
more  successive  nights.  The  good  effect  of  this  elicited  a 
proposal  from  the  management  for  another  work  from  the 
same  hands,  and  accordingly  '  Don  Quixote '  was  planned 
and  begun,  but  the  season  collapsed  while  the  composition 
of  the  first  finale  was  in  progress.  The  subject  was  chosen 
in  deference  to  Eraser's  constant  complaint  that  tenors  were 


"  THE   DEVIL'S    OPERA."  51 

always  doomed  to  maudlin  sentimentality,  and  supposition 
was  that  he  might  distinguish  himself  in  heroic  representa- 
tion as  the  Don.  Also  in  the  first  design  Balfe  was  to  be 
fitted  with  Basilius,  and  Miss  Eainforth  with  Quiteria. 

"  In  1840,  when,  as  already  said,  Balfe  managed  the 
theatre  on  his  own  account,  and  when  '  El  Malechor '  was 
in  preparation,  the  composition  of  '  Don  Quixote '  was 
resumed,  with  the  alteration  for  a  contralto  of  what  had 
been  written  for  a  soprano  part  to  suit  Miss  Edwards,  who, 
however,  came  not  then  forward,  but  appeared  some  years 
later  at  Her  Majesty's,  and  was  for  a  while  notable  as 
Mademoiselle  Favanti.  The  work  was  again  laid  aside 
till  1845,  when  it  was  once  more  resumed,  but  musically 
quite  reconstructed  to  fit  the  part  of  Basilius  for  Allen's 
high  tenor  voice,  and  that  of  Don  Quixote  for  Leffler's 
baritone ;  and  in  this  shape  it  was  offered  to  Maddox  for 
the  Princess's,  who  did  not  accept  it,  and  finally  it  was 
produced  under  Bunn  at  Drury  Lane,  February  3rd,  1846, 
with  Miss  Rainforth,  for  whom  the  original  music  was 
restored,  Allen  as  Basilius,  and  Weiss  as  Don  Quixote  ;  it 
being  the  first  dramatic  piece  by  my  father  which  was 
performed  since  his  death." 

This  extract  anticipates  the  production  of  "  Don 
Quixote/'  which  will  be  subsequently  referred  to ;  but 
it  has  been  thought  better  to  give  the  extract  entire, 
as  it  is  involved  with  the  account  of  "The  Devil's 
Opera." 

The  rapid  production  of  "  The  Devil's  Opera/' 
"  begun,  rehearsed,  and  finally  brought  out  within  a 
month/'  was  no  solitary  instance  of  extraordinary 
energy  on  the  part  of  the  composer,  nor  was  it  mani- 
fested under  favourable  circumstances  of  leisure,  but 
while  engaged  in  professional  toil  of  uncongenial 
kind.  An  incident  took  place  which  may  illustrate 
the  unflagging  industry  that  always  characterized 
him.  He  was  at  this  time  residing  in  North  Ores- 


52  EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

cent,  and  had  a  pupil  at  Wimbledon  Park.  There 
were  then  no  such  facilities  of  transit  as  those  which  we 
now  enjoy,  nor  were  fares  so  low  as  to  be  of  small 
consideration  to  a  struggling  young  professor,  whose 
terms  were  unavoidably  not  high.  The  coach  fare 
was  high,  and,  moreover,  the  coach  only  made  the 
journey  twice  a  day,  at  times  that  would  not  fit  the 
appointment.  On  one  of  the  days  fixed  for  a  rehearsal 
of  the  opera  at  noon,  the  conscientious  teacher  rose 
before  dawn,  walked  to  Wimbledon,  and,  his  lesson 
over,  started  on  foot  to  return  in  all  haste  to  town. 
The  heat  of  the  sun  was  overpowering ;  and,  as  he 
passed  over  Putney  Bridge,  he  hailed  a  man  in  a  cart 
which  had  just  overtaken  him,  and  asked  if  he  would 
kindly  give  him  "  a  lift."  The  reply  was  a  brutal 
volley  of  oaths,  and  the  carter  drove  on  :  the  musician 
walked.  "However,"  said  the  professor,  in  relating 
the  incident,  "  I  reached  the  Opera  House  in  time  for 
the  rehearsal  which  I  was  to  conduct."  The  fee  for 
the  lesson  was  seven  shillings  and  sixpence  ! 

At  the  production  of  "  The  Devil's  Opera,"  in  1838, 
the  resources  of  the  establishment,  both  orchestral  and 
choral,  being  very  limited,  several  of  Macfarren's  old 
fellow- students,  including  William  Dorrell,  the  (hap- 
pily) still  living  and  respected  professor  of  the  piano- 
forte, augmented  those  resources,  during  the  first 
week  of  its  run  of  fifty  or  sixty  nights,  by  playing  in 
the  band  gratuitously. 

It  was  during  the  run  of  this  successful  opera  that 
Macfarren's  acquaintance  commenced  with  Benedict, 
then  recently  settled  in  this  country,  who  came  behind 
the  scenes  to  compliment  the  composer. 

The  Overture  to  "The  Devil's  Opera "  is  in  per- 


"THE    DEVIL'S    OPERA."  53 

fectly  regular  form,  almost  Mozartean,  indeed,  with 
first  and  second  subjects,  and  the  usual  "  free  fantasia  " 
development,  recapitulation,  and  animated  coda.  Prior 
to  the  second  subject,  a  figure  is  introduced  indi- 
cating the  entry  of  the  malevolent  being  from  whom 
the  opera  takes  its  name,  and  so  used,  at  appropriate 
situations,  in  the  course  of  the  work.  (Would  that 
his  approach  were  always  thus  announced,  to  warn 
tempted  souls  of  their  danger  !)  The  introduction 
to  the  first  act  is  a  Fair  scene  at  St.  Mark's,  including 
a  chorus  of  traders,  a  monfrina  (national  dance  of  the 
Venetian  peasantry),  which  two,  in  two-four  and  six- 
eight  time  respectively,  are,  in  the  climax,  brought 
together,  etc.  The  trio  for  female  voices,  "  Good 
night ! "  opens  in  canonic  (or  round)  form,  after  the 
manner  of  the  opening  quartet  in  "  Fidelio,"  and  is 
full  of  alternate  tenderness  and  humour.  The  vocal 
solos,  etc.,  are  natural  and  graceful,  with  little  or  nothing 
to  call  for  any  criticism  on  the  ground  of  bizarrerie. 

"  To  recount  the  plot  of  the  piece,"  said  the  "  Musical 
World,"  August  16th,  1838,  "would  be  to  go  through  the 
juggleries  of  a  pantomime.  It  is  intended,  we  are  told,  to 
satirize  the  mania,  caught  from  mystic  Germany,  for  the 
improbable  and  supernatural.  But  the  satire  is  either 
very  covert,  or  so  transparent,  as  to  cheat  the  eyes.  The 
same  doubtful  character  pervades  the  music  of  the  opera. 
The  composer  seems  to  have  hesitated  as  to  whether  he 
should  incline  to  the  buffo  or  the  serio  style,  in  his  accom- 
paniments to  the  pranks  of  II  Diavoletto.  Hence  arise  want 
of  unity,  and  defective  keeping." 

Later  on,  the  same  periodical  wrote  :' — 

"  Mr.  Macfarren  appears  to  us  to  be  far  from  an  ordinary 
dramatic  composer.  He  is  well  versed  in  effects,  and  shows 


54          EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

a  fondness  for  surprising  chords,  which,  though  they  at 
first  appear  questionable,  generally  yield  to  examination." 
"  There  is  altogether  more  novelty  and  talent  in  '  The 
Devil's  Opera'  than  in  any  native  dramatic  work  that  has 
come  under  our  notice." 

"  The  Athenaeum "  of  August  18th,  after  severely 
and  contemptuously  condemning  the  libretto,  pro- 
ceeds : — 

"  It  is  useless  to  speak  further  of  the  book  : — the  music, 
which  is  by  Mr.  Gr.  A.  Macfarreu,  offering  us  something 
better  to  descant  on.  Though  evidently  requiring  the  cor- 
rector's pen,  here  to  prune,  there  to  work  out — it  gives  fair 
indications  of  a  sprightliness  and  vein  of  melody  which 
may  be  turned  to  account  in  future  comic  operas.  Mr. 
Macfarren  is  ambitious  of  success  on  the  grandest  possible 
scale ;  he  has  worked  throughout,  not  inerelv  as  if  he  were 
sure  of  finding  a  first-rate  orchestra  corps  and  chorus  to 
execute  his  compositions,  but  as  if  he  possessed  sufficient 
grasp  to  find  them  all  in  due  employment ;  —  hence, 
complicated  finales — wearisome  incantation  scenes — over- 
scored  airs,  &c.- — to  all  these  we  preferred  the  trio  for  the 
three  ladies,  in  which  Miss  Poole  deserved  the  highest 
praise  for  her  neat  and  intelligible  enunciation  of  English 
words,  set  nearly  as  rapidly  as  the  Italian  ones  in  Fiora- 
vanti's  '  Amor,  perche  mi  pizzichi?'  It  gives  us  pleasure 
also  to  praise  the  lively  drinking  duet  between  Mr.  Burnett 
and  Mr.  Seguin,  etc." 

Some  of  this  criticism  may  be  accepted  with  re- 
serve, when  it  is  remembered  that,  not  very  long  prior 
to  this  same  period,  in  a  prominent  musical  periodical, 
since  described  as  "  the  best  musical  periodical  ever 
published  in  England,"  "  The  Harmonicon,"  the  pro- 
nouncement was  given  that  Beethoven's  "  Pastoral 
Symphony" : — "  only  wants  abridgment,  particularly 
in  the  andante,  to  make  it  welcome  to  all  lovers 


EMBLEMATICAL    TRIBUTE.  55 

of  grand  orchestral  performances.  .  .  .  Why,  for  the 
purpose  of  rendering  it  popular,  it  should  not  be 
shortened,  we  cannot  divine."  And  again  : — "  The 
almost  interminable  Symphony  of  Beethoven  in  A  has 
one  redeeming  movement,  that  in  A  minor,  which 
cannot  be  too  highly  praised  ...  it  may  be  compared 
to  a  pleasant  member  of  a  disagreeable  family,  etc." 
"  The  first  movement  [of  Beethoven's  Symphony  in  F] 
is  exceedingly  bizarre  and  anything  but  agreeable  "  ! 

A  jubilee  performance  of  "The  Devil's  Opera"  was 
given  at  Taunton  by  the  Philharmonic  Association, 
under  the  zealous  direction  of  Mr.  T.  J.  Dudeney,  at 
the  Taunton  College  of  Music,  on  the  13th  of  August, 
1888.  The  performance  was  successful,  although  the 
libretto  was,  as  in  the  first  instance,  condemned,  and 
some  of  the  music  was,  by  provincial  critics,  esteemed 
out  of  date. 

Although  not  in  immediate  chronological  sequence 
with  that  which  has  just  been  related,  the  following 
account,  from  Macfarren's  pen,  of  one  of  his  rapidly- 
produced  compositions  for  the  theatre  may  be  appro- 
priately introduced  here : — 

"  The  Queen  was  to  be  married  on  February  10th,  1840. 
On  the  6th,  remarkably  proximate  to  the  coming  event,  my 
father  conceived  the  thought  of  celebrating  the  wedding, 
and  hastened  to  put  his  conception  into  being  by  calling  on 
Hammond,  the  manager  of  Drury  Lane,  with  a  proposal  to 
write  an  appropriate  Masque  for  performance  on  the  occa- 
sion. The  lessee  applauded  the  proposal,  but  declared  the 
impossibility  of  carrying  it  into  effect  within  the  limited 
time,  alleging  that  Plauche  and  Bishop  were  known  to  have 
been  occupied  for  several  weeks  on  a  similar  work  for 
Covent  Garden  which  was  not  yet  ready.  My  father  urged 
that  the  slow  motion  of  the  planets  controlled  not  the 


56  EARLY  DRAMATIC   COMPOSITIONS. 

velocity  of  a  comet ;  and  straightway  proved  the  practica- 
bility of  his  project  by  having  a  committee  called  of  Mar- 
shall, the  scene  painter,  with  the  maker  of  costumes,  the 
property  maker,  and  other  functionaries,  whose  activity 
would  be  needed  were  the  work  to  be  undertaken.  He  set 
forth  his  design  so  plausibly  and  persuasively  that  each 
person  believed  himself  capable  of  the  share  in  the  work 
proposed  for  him,  and  each  one  promised  accordingly. 
'  But  who  will  write  the  book  ? '  said  Hammond.  '  I  will,' 
said  the  proposer.  '  And  who  will  write  the  music  ? '  '  My 
son.'  Thereupon  the  idea  was  accepted,  and  at  10  on  that 
Thursday  night  my  father  came  to  tell  me  for  the  first 
time  of  the  design,  and  of  the  part  in  its  fulfilment  which 
he  had  insured  for  me.  Never  strongly  self-reliant,  my 
doubt  of  my  capability  was  made  certain  to  me  by  my 
necessity  to  leave  home  at  7  a.m.  on  the  morrow  for 
a  day's  teaching  in  the  country,  whence  I  should  not  return 
till  evening.  I  was  bound,  however,  to  go  to  him  on  my 
way  home,  and  this  I  did  with  conviction  confirmed  that 
the  task  was  wholly  beyond  me.  I  found  him  with  the 
libretto  of  'The  Emblematical  Tribute'  finished.  He  had 
been  to  the  theatre  in  the  early  morning  with  a  working 
plot  for  each  member  of  the  last  night's  committee,  accord- 
ing to  which  they  all  entered  on  their  duties.  I  went  home 
desperate,  and  very  soon  fell  asleep  over  the  perusal  of  the 
verses.  Saturday  morning  found  me  no  more  hopeful  of 
my  powers,  so  I  went  to  him,  insisting  that  I  should  be 
exempted  from  certain  miscarriage.  Deaf  to  my  protest,  he 
took  me  first  to  Hammond,  as  an  assurance  of  my  readiness 
and  willingness,  and  next  to  my  lodgings,  where  he  re- 
mained by  my  side  throughout  that  day  and  night,  and 
Sunday  and  its  night,  suggesting,  encouraging,  approving 
and  correcting,  until  8  a.m.  on  Monday,  when  the  last 
sheet  of  my  score  was  given  to  the  copyist,  who  had  come 
every  four  hours  in  the  interim  for  fresh  relays  of  manu- 
script. If  fast  mean  rapid,  we  both  must  have  slept  very 
fast  for  the  next  hour ;  we  were  wakened  to  a  hasty  break- 
fast, and  then  hurried  to  the  theatre  for  the  10  o'clock 
rehearsal.  The  public  were  to  be  admitted  freely  to  the 
evening's  performance,  as  provided  by  government  liberality, 
and  tickets  for  the  same  were  issued  at  the  box  office  in 


EMBLEMATICAL    TRIBUTE.  57 


the  morning.  Many  thousands  of  persons  more  than  the 
house  would  hold  applied  for  these,  and  the  adjacent  streets 
were  thronged  with  clamouring  crowds.  At  each  of  the 
approaches  an  emissary  was  appointed,  who  knew  the  looks 
of  those  who  were  connected  with  the  theatre,  one  of  whom 
met  us  and  directed  our  way  to  the  back  of  the  house,  where 
an  iron  railing  had  been  withdrawn  and  a  ladder  placed, 
which  reached  by  the  green-room  window,  and  through  the 
aperture,  and  up  the  ladder  everybody  concerned  made 
entrance.  A  roll-call  ensued,  to  which  we  all  answered, 
and  then,  the  ladder  being  removed,  Hammond  addressed 
us  thus :  '  You  cannot  jump  out  of  window,  the  front  of 
the  house  is  locked,  and  20,000  persons  are  storming  at  the 
stage-door,  so  to  leave  the  theatre  is  impossible,  and  you 
must  therefore  rehearse  the  piece  again  and  again  till  it 
goes.'  Under  this  compulsion  the  work  began,  and  was 
continued  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  when  my  father 
and  John  (who  had  been  at  work  in  the  painting  room) 
and  I  sallied  out,  I  did  indeed  feel  that  the  task  was  ended. 
'  Certainly  not,'  said  my  imperturbable  father ;  '  you  must 
now  go  and  sell  the  copyright,'  and  thrusting  me  into  a 
cab,  ordered  the  driver  to  proceed  to  Bond  Street.  All 
shops  were  closed  by  virtue  of  the  holiday,  and  I  was  driven 
from  one  to  another  without  finding  its  owner,  till  I  went 
to  that  of  Lavenu,  a  former  fellow-student,  a  violoncello 
player  and  composer,  who  exceptionally  dwelt  on  the  pre- 
mises, and  by  fortunate  accident  was  at  home.  He  agreed 
to  give  25  guineas  for  the  right  of  printing,  and  fulfilled 
his  agreement,  though  he  only  published  two  numbers, 
whereas  Hammond,  who  had  engaged  to  pay  50  for  the 
acting  right,  became  bankrupt,  and  paid  nothing.  The 
piece  occupied  45  minutes,  throughout  which  the  music  was 
uninterrupted,  and  it  was  played  for  a  fortnight.  The 
Covent  Garden  piece  did  not  appear  till  after  ours  was  laid 
to  rest,  and  then  it  had  no  longer  a  career  than  its  precursor 
had  enjoyed." 

The  Overture  to  "  Eomeo  and  Juliet/'  belongs  to 
this  period  of  Macfarren's  productive  activity,  having 
been  composed,  probably,  about  the  year  1836,  and 


58  EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

performed  at  a  Concert  of  the  Society  of  British 
Musicians,  either  at  the  close  of  that  year,  or  at  the 
commencement  of  1837.  It  seems  not  to  have  been 
so  successful  at  its  first  production  as  it  subsequently 
became ;  but  it  was  reproduced  by  the  same  Society 
in  1838,  and  pronounced  "highly  honourable  to  the 
British  School  of  instrumental  music."  In  1840,  it 
appeared  as  a  pianoforte  duet,  dedicated  to  Sterndale 
Bennett,  and  was  declared  to  be  an  "  exquisite  com- 
position, deserving  European  celebrity."  It  subse- 
quently became  the  acknowledged  precursor  of  the 
play,  when  put  upon  the  stage.  At  the  performances 
of  "Homeo  and  Juliet"  at  the  Haymarket  Theatre, 
about  forty  years  since,  when  the  Misses  Cushman 
impersonated  the  lovers,  this  Overture  was  so  used; 
and  those  ladies  took  it  to  America  and  elsewhere, 
for  a  like  purpose.  When  the  Overture  was  per- 
formed at  a  concert  at  the  Hanover  Square  Rooms, 
November  21st,  1842,  it  was  spoken  of,  by  a  critic  of 
the  time,  as  "  a  noble  piece  of  dramatic  art  ...  by 
...  an  Englishman,  and,  though  an  Englishman, 
one  of  the  most  accomplished  musicians  in  Europe." 
The  composer's  synopsis  of  the  intent  and  purpose  of 
the  work  is  as  follows  : — 

"  The  following  points  of  the  play  suggested  this  Over- 
ture:— The  Montagues  and  Capulets — the  Nurse  —  the 
Lovers  and  their  passion — Mercutio — the  Feud — the  In- 
terdiction— Mercutio  wounded — the  entombment  of  Juliet 
— Romeo  at  the  Grave — the  catastrophe." 

The  "Atlas"  of  November  27th,  thus  spoke  of  the 
same  performance : — 


OVERTURE    TO    "ROMEO   AND   JULIET."     59 


"  Mr.  Macfarren's  Overture  is  one  of  those  deep  in- 
spirations that  cannot  be  unexceptionally  sympathised 
with  on  a  first  or  even  a  second  hearing.  When  we  heard 
it  four  or  five  years  since,  we  confess  it  puzzled  us  to 
define  our  own  impressions  as  to  its  merits.  We 'had  a 
vague  feeling  of  grandeur,  mingled  with  floating  strains 
of  beautiful  melody,  indefinite  notions  of  startling  pro- 
gressions, fine  and  novel  harmonies,  and  noble  orchestral 
effects — but  altogether  it  was  a  semi-confusion  which 
disturbed  our  brain  with  a  sort  of  olla  podrida  of  pleasure 
and  pain,  that  for  the  life  of  us  we  could  not  make  in- 
telligible. At  each  successive  hearing,  however,  this 
mystic  indefinity  resolved  itself  more  and  more  clearly, 
and  last  Monday — whether  from  its  admirable  perfor- 
mance, united  to  the  co-enthusiasm  of  the  audience  and 
the  members  of  the  orchestra,  or  whether  our  dulness  has 
been  favoured  by  some  unseen  power  with  total  and 
unsophisticated  illumination — Mr.  Macfarren's  Overture 
emerged  from  its  quondam  obscurity,  and  fairly  dazzled 
our  senses  with  excess  of  light.  Our  present  notion 
(now  unalterable,  because  born  of  experience)  is,  that 
it  is  assuredly,  in  all  respects — as  a  picturesque  poem 
— as  a  philosophical  development  of  profound  passion 
— as  a  splendid  specimen  of  orchestral  writing — or  as 
a  simple  piece  of  music — one  of  the  most  remarkable 
productions  of  modern  art  in  any  country ;  and  we  fear- 
lessly predict  the  near  approach  of  the  time  when  no 
other  opinion  will  obtain  with  competent  musicians  in 
respect  of  it." 


This  verdict  was  so  far  fulfilled  that,  notwith- 
standing the  withdrawal  of  the  work  from  public 
performance  by  the  composer,  during  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  it  was  included  in  the  programme 
of  the  Philharmonic  Society's  Concert,  April  19th, 
1888. 

Mention  may  also  be  made  of  a  much  earlier 
Shakespearian  Overture,  "  The  Merchant  of  Venice/' 


60  EARLY  DRAMATIC    COMPOSITIONS. 

which  was  composed,  perhaps,  during  his  Academy 
Student  days,  and  performed  both  at  Academy 
and  British  Concerts.  A  duet  arrangement  of  it 
is  "  gratefully  dedicated  to  his  Master,  Cipriani 
Potter. " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PERSONAL  ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  MACFARREN.  SOME  OP 
HIS  EARLY  COMPOSITIONS.  His  OPINION  OP  DUSSEK. 
His  FIRST  CRITICAL  ARTICLE.  INTRODUCTION  TO 
MENDELSSOHN.  VIEWS  ON  RHYTHM.  1838 — 1842,  ETC. 

MY  own  earliest  recollections  of  the  subject  of 
this  memoir  extend  to  about  the  year  1838 
or  1839,  when  he  used  frequently  to  visit  my  father, 
doubtless  in  connection  with  the  progress  and  publi- 
cation of  some  compositions  for  the  violoncello  with 
pianoforte  which  my  father,  a  violoncellist  in  full 
practice,  had  commissioned  him  to  write.  My  father 
was  somewhat  discerning  in  the  matter  of  rising  talent, 
and  was  also  conscientiously  sensible  of  the  responsi- 
bility to  recognize  and  encourage  it,  so  far  as  in  him 
lay,  as  various  young  artists  would  have  testified,  most 
readily.  I  do  not  know  what  the  honorarium  was  for  the 
works  supplied  by  Macfarren;  not  large,  probably.  But, 
many  years  afterwards,  he  related  to  me,  when  speak- 
ing of  the  ti*ait  in  my  father's  character  to  which  I 
have  alluded,  how  proudly  he  went  home  with  the 
thought  that,  at  last,  he  had  a  commission  to  write 
something  for  publication  !  This,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  was  not  the  occasion  of  first  publication  of  any 
composition  of  his,  but,  he  told  me,  was  the  first 
commission  that  he  received  from  a  publisher,  my 
father,  however,  only  publishing  in  a  private  way, 


62       ACQUAINTANCE    WITH   MACFARREN. 

without  any  warehouse,  but  at  his  own  residence, 
works  adapted  for  use  in  his  own  particular  branch  of 
the  profession.  The  compositions  supplied  by  Mac- 
farren, were  Three  Rondos,  "  dedicated  to  his  friend 
H.  J.  Banister/'  and  Twelve  Ariettes,  with  Pianoforte 
accompaniment — charmingly  spontaneous  effusions,  as 
I  used  to  think  in  my  youth,  when  I  accompanied  my 
father  in  them.1  I  find  the  following  notice  of  the 
Ariettes  in  a  short-lived  periodical  of  a  much  later 
date  than  that  of  their  publication.  The  passage  that 
I  have  italicized  is  amusing  enough  as  implying  that 
unelaborated  purity  and  fresh  simplicity  are  not 
"  marks  of  the  musician":— 

"  Twelve  Ariettas  for  the  Violoncello,  with  an  accompani- 
ment for  the  Piano-forte,  by  Gr.  Alexander  Macfarren,  bear 
evidence  of  being  an  early  work,  though  replete  with  the 
prettiest  thoughts  conceivable.  These  twelve  ariettas  are 
all  very  short  and  simple  melodies — as  fresh  as  violets  just 
gathered,  and  as  unpretending  as  young  girls  before  they 
have  been  introduced  into  that  gallery  of  pictures — that 
receptacle  for  strange  noises — that  stronghold  of  hollow- 
ness  and  impudent  pretension — the  world.  They  are, 
indeed,  very  innocent,  and  very  charming  moreover; — -feu- 
marks  of  the  musician  characterize  their  progress,  but  thr 
feeling  of  the  poet  and  enthusiast  accompanies  them  through- 
out. For  an  evening's  quiet  amusement,  between  an 
amateur  of  the  violoncello  and  an  amateur  of  the  piano,  we 
could  recommend  nothing  more  fitting  than  these  unobtru- 
sive ariettas." — Musical  Examiner,  Nov.  11,  1843. 

Macfarren  himself,  in  his  turn,  was  always  ready  to 
help  on  young  aspirants.  Not  very  long  after  the  period 
just  referred  to,  he  kindly  offered  to  lend  me  some  of 
Dussek's  Sonatas,  as  being  good  material  for  reading 

1  These  early,  fresh  compositions  are  now  published  by  Me— i  -. 
Keith,  Prowse,  and  Co. 


ACQUAINTANCE    WITH  MACFARREN.        63 

at  sight,  as  well  as  for  regular  practice ;  and  I  well 
remember  calling  for  them,  when  he  lodged  in  Alfred 
Place,  Bedford  Square,  that  he  made  inquiries  about 
my  musical  studies,  and  appointed  a  day  for  me  to  go 
and  play  to  him,  which  I  nervously  did,  and  received 
valuable  suggestions  from  him.  It  is  with  pleasure 
and  pardonable  self-congratulation  that  I  also  think 
of  the  many  occasions  in  after  years  when  he  esteemed 
me  not  unworthy  to  be  his  fellow-worker,  in  examina- 
tions, and  in  other  departments ;  and  in  various  ways 
recognized  my  professional,  artistic,  and  literary  work. 
Thus,  for  instance,  when,  years  afterwards,  I  sent 
to  him  my  "  Lectures  on  Musical  Analysis,"  and, 
about  a  month  later  on,  my  "  Musical  Art  and  Study," 
both  published  in  the  summer  of  1887,  I  received 
from  him  this  very  friendly  letter  : — 


"  7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 

"  June  12th. 
"  MY  DEAR  BANISTER, 

"  I  waited  to  gain  some  insight  into  your  Lectures 
before  I  would  thank  you  for  the  gift  of  the  book  ;  and 
now  here  is  your  '  Art  and  Study,'  which  claims  also  my 
acknowledgment.  Of  the  first  I  can  say  that  it  meets 
what  you  know  I  consider  to  be  an  important  requirement, 
and  I  think  meets  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  it  clear 
to  everybody.  I  am  glad  that  you  allude  to  me  as  a 
fellow- worker  on  the  same  subject,  and  I  am  sure  that  the 
more  of  us  give  our  best  energies  to  its  exposition,  the 
more  will  it  gain  the  respect  it  deserves,  since  each  of  us 
helps  to  confirm  what  may  be  stated  by  his  friends.  I 
•doubt  not  that  the  second  book  has  a  like  claim  to  regard, 
Imt  I  cannot  just  yet  make  its  acquaintance. 

"  With  best  wishes  for  their  wide  circulation,  I  am 
"  Yours  faithfully, 

"G.  A.  MACFARREN." 
•"H.  C.  Banister,  Esq." 


64  HIS    OPINION    OF    DUSSEK. 

Though  out  of  chronological  order,  I  may  yet  be 
allowed  to  insert  here  another  letter,  bearing  upon  the 
same  subject,  which  the  Professor  wrote  to  me  soon 
after  my  reading,  at  the  Musical  Association,  a  paper 
on  "  Some  of  the  Underlying  Principles  of  Structure 
in  Musical  Composition/'  May  2nd,  1881  : — 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.  \V. 

"  dtfi  September. 
"MY  DEAR  BANISTER, 

"  The  volume  of  '  The  Musical  Association '  has  enabled 
me  to  hear  your  paper  from  print,  the  public  reading  of 
which  I  was  unable  to  attend.  It  pleases  me  very  greatly, 
and  I  wish  it  may  have  many  readers,  for  the  sake  of  the 
good  effect  it  is  capable  of  producing.  I  concur  fully  in 
your  views,  and  these  are  so  happily  expressed  as  to  make 
them  interesting  even  to  readers  who  have  small  knowledge 
on  the  subject.  Let  me  then  thank  you  for  casting  a  bright 
light  on  an  important  matter. 

"  Yours  with  friendly  regards, 

"  G.  A.  MACFARREN." 

Having  mentioned  his  recommendation,  and  loan 
to  me, — a  great  boon  I  found  it  !- — of  Dussek/s 
Sonatas,  I  may  here  quote  his  opinion  of  that  neg- 
lected composer,  whose  title  to  be  called  a  genius 
has  even  been  denied  by  a  recent  critic.  Macfarren's 
opinion  is  thus  expressed  in  the  "  Imperial  Dictionary 
of  Biography  " : — 

"  The  immense  amount  of  Dussek's  compositions  for  the 
pianoforte  have  by  no  means  equal  merit ;  many  of  them 
were  written  for  the  mere  object  of  sale,  still  more  for  the 
purpose  of  tuition,  and  some  with  the  design  of  executive 
display.  Of  those  which  were  produced,  however,  in  the 
true  spirit  of  art,  expressing  the  composer's  feelings  in  his 
own  unrestrained  ideas,  there  exist  quite  enough  to  stamp 
him  one  of  the  first  composers  for  his  instrument ;  and 


HIS    OPINION   OF  DUSSEK.  65 

while  these  are  indispensable  in  the  complete  library  of  the 
pianist,  they  are  above  value  to  the  student  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  mechanism  and  the  formation  of  his  style.  A 
strong  characteristic  of  the  composer  is  his  almost  redun- 
dant profusion  of  ideas  ;  but  his  rich  fecundity  of  invention 
is  greatly  counterbalanced  by  diffuseness  of  design,  result- 
ing from  the  want  of  that  power  of  condensation,  by  means 
of  which  greater  interest  is  often  given  to  less  beautiful 
matter.  Excess  of  modulation  is  no  equivalent  for  con- 
trapuntal fluency,  and  thus  the  works  of  this  master  would 
form  a  bad  model  for  one  who  possessed  not  his  exquisite 
sentiment  and  his  exhaustless  treasures  of  melody.  Some 
of  the  best  of  his  works  are  the  Concerto  in  G-  minor,  the 
Sonatas  dedicated  to  Haydn,  the  Quintet,  the  Quartet,  and, 
above  all,  the  Sonatas  entitled  '  The  Invocation,'  '  The 
Farewell,'  '  Plus  Ultra,'  and  •  The  Harmonic  Elegy.'  " 

In  an  analysis  of  the  above-mentioned  Quintet, 
written  for  the  programme  of  Mr.  Walter  Macfarren's 
third  concert,  June  llth,  1861,  the  Professor  remarks, 
respecting  Dussek's  settlement  in  this  country,  in 
1789  :— 

"  Here  his  remarkable  merits  found  prompt  apprecia- 
tion. Clementi  had  prepared  the  world  to  comprehend  a 
talent  of  the  highest  order,  exercised,  creatively  and  prac- 
tically, in  the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  then 
new  instrument,  the  pianoforte ;  and  Dussek's  genius 
enabled  him  to  surpass  the  utmost  effect  his  predecessor 
had  produced,  by  the  melodious  sweetness  of  his  phrase- 
ology, and  the  mellow  fulness  of  his  tone,  both  of  which 
qualities  of  composition,  and  performance,  he  superadded 
to  the  other  charms  of  dementi's  music,  and  playing.  .  .  . 
The  deep  feeling  that  characterizes  his  music,  expressed  in 
the  tender  passion  of  his  melody,  and  the  glowing  richness 
of  his  harmony,  entires  him  to  be  ranked  very  high  among 
the  composers  for  his  instrument ;  and  when  we  turn  to 
his  works  from  those  of  his  best  esteemed  successors,  we 
trace  in  them,  not  only  the  origin  of  many  of  the  most 
beautiful  effects  with  which  later  writers  have  been  accre- 


66  HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE. 

dited,  but  some  of  the  identical  ideas  by  which  these  very 
writers  have  made  their  way  into  popularity  ;  and  we  may 
thus  truly  consider  that  pianists,  as  well  as  the  pianoforte, 
are  deeply  indebted  for  much  of  the  esteem  they  enjoy,  to 
the  genius  of  Johann  Ludwig  Dussek." 

As  an  instance  of  the  identity  of  idea  here  alleged, 
Macfarren  compares  the  last  movement  of  this  Quintet 
with  the  "  beautifully  impressive  theme  upon  which  " 
Chopin's  15th  Nocturne  "is  entirely  constructed;" 
which  comparison  pianists  can  themselves  easily  in- 
stitute; unless,  indeed,  their  library  lacks  a  copy  of 
Dussek's  Quintet. 

Mendelssohn's  Symphony  in  A  minor  was  first 
performed  in  this  country  at  the  Philharmonic  Concert., 
June  13th,  1842  ;  and  in  the  "  Musical  World"  of  the 
16th  of  the  same  month  the  following  article  by  Mac- 
farren appeared  ;  probably  the  first  of  the  kind  from 
hia  pen,  and  therefore  of  special  interest : — 

"  There  is  a  sense  of  exultation  in  an  artist  who  witnesses 
the  glorification  of  his  art.  From  this  feeling  there  must 
have  been  many  a  one  proud  of  being  a  musician  who  was 
present  at  the  first  performance  of  Mendelssohn's  new 
symphony — a  work  to  raise  the  author  to  the  highest 
pinnacle  of  musical  repute — to  raise  the  art  which  it  adorns 
and  honours — and  to  raise  the  present  generation  in  the 
chronicles  of  intellectual  progress,  as  being  contemporary 
with  such  an  author,  coeval  with  such  a  work.  It  is  this 
pride  at  being,  how  unworthy  soever,  a  fellow- worshipper 
with  Mendelssohn  of  the  same  Goddess,  that  gives  me 
confidence  to  approach  him,  the  high  priest  in  her  temple, 
with  a  tribute  to  his  excellence  in  the  avowal  of  the  feelings 
which  his  work  has  given  me ;  and,  besides  the  pleasure 
that  there  is  in  being  the  voice  of  a  manifold  opinion,  I  feel 
a  satisfaction  in  thus  breaking  through  our  country's 
custom  of  anonymous  criticism,  from  supposing  that,  years 
hence,  when  the  present  occasion  shall  be  quite  forgotten, 


HIS  FIRST    CRITICAL   ARTICLE.  67 

when  this  new  star  in  the  firmament  of  genius  shall  be  no 
longer  contemplated  as  an  individual  shining^  but  massed 
in  men's  consideration  among  the  galaxy  of  splendour 
which  illuminates  the  world,  which  quickens  our  purest 
feelings,  and  which  gives  to  everyone  that  loves  his  art, 
or  hopes  to  be  an  artist,  the  moth-like  emulation  to  exalt 
himself  into  the  sphere  of  radiance,  and  nutter  in  the  light 
which  may  destroy  him — when  it  shall  be  that  this  work, 
then  no  more  a  new  one,  is,  and  cannot  be  remembered  to 
have  not  been ;  I  may  look  out  this  record  of  my  first 
impressions,  and  feel  gratified  in  secret  to  be  reminded  I 
was  one  of  those  who  could  and  did  at  first  appreciate  this 
wondrous  work  ;  who  saw  and  felt  the  light  when  new  and 
strange,  which  shall  be  then  familiar.  If  Mendelssohn — 
(1  cannot  call  a  being  whom  Genius  makes  impersonal,  and 
whom  superiority  to  all  cotemporary  association  raises 
above  society,  by  the  conventional  appellatives  which  living 
men  use  to  each  other) — if  Mendelssohn  should  see  this 
paper,  which  the  common  course  of  things  may  easily  bring 
before  him,  he  will,  I  hope,  forgive  this  ostentation  of  a 
capacity  to  feel  his  merit,  for  the  sake  of  the  sincerity 
which  induces  it. 

"  The  symphony  is,  as  usual,  in  four  movements,  with 
this  peculiarity,  the  author  means  that  each  should  join  the 
next,  without  a  stop  between  them,  an  arrangement  which, 
in  this  case,  has  a  grand  effect,  as  giving  a  continuance,  a 
oneness  to  the  train  of  thought  that  makes  us  feel  it  to  be 
more  a  whole  than  four  parts  disconnected ;  but  it  is  an 
arrangement  that  must  not  be  taken  as  a  precedent,  for  no 
music  of  less  interest  than  this,  and  this  is  of  the  utmost 
possible,  could  hold  unbroken  the  attention  for  so  long  a 
time ;  and  it  is  to  be  considered  as  an  instance  of  the 
confidence  of  genius,  which  has  an  innate  knowledge  of  its 
powers  like  the  secret  self-esteem  of  virtue,  that  Men- 
delssohn could  dare  to  write  a  composition  of  such  magni- 
tude with  the  intention  that  his  hearers  should  not  have  a 
breathing-place  of  silence  to  refresh  their  minds  in  the 
great  mental  task  of  listening  to  it.  The  movements  are 
described  as  follows  ;  and  I  shall  attempt,  in  speaking  of 
them,  to  give  a  short  analysis  of  their  beauties,  for  which 
I  claim  indulgence,  since,  besides  my  own  incompetence  to 


68  HIS  FIRST    CRITICAL  ARTICLE. 

do  such  beauties  justice,  I  have  the  difficulty  to  contend 
with  of  the  inadequacy  of  language  to  convey  musical 
ideas. 

"  INTRODXTZIONE  ED  ALLEGRO  APPASSIONATO. 

"  SCHEEZO. 

"ADAGIO  CANTABILE. 

"ALLEGRO    GrUERRIERO    E    FlNALE. 

"  The  introduction  (in  A  minor,  three-four  time)  is  unlike 
any  other  I  can  recollect  in  this  respect — that  it  opens  with 
a  clearly-defined,  distinct,  and  continuous  melody ;  whereas 
the  general  character  of  such  a  movement  is  vague,  abrupt, 
and  fragmentary.  This  melody,  which  is  intensely  pas- 
sionate, and  is,  to  me,  beyond  all  things  expressive  of  a 
sense  of  loneliness,  is  heightened  in  its  effect  by  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  harmony  and  the  peculiarity  of  the  instrumen- 
tation. The  combination  of  two  tenors  with  bassoons  and 
oboes  has  a  strange  and  new  effect,  which  is  extremely 
beautiful.  There  is  in  the  second  bar  a  chord  of  the  6th 
upon  Gr  natural,  which  always  recurs  with  the  recurrence 
of  the  phrase,  that,  though  it  offend  a  prejudice  of  mine 
that  the  7th  of  the  scale  in  diatonic  harmony  should  un- 
exceptionably  be  major,  I  cannot  but  feel  to  be  in  this  place 
unquestionably  beautiful ;  and,  further  on,  there  is  an 
unexpected  chord  of  C,  which  is  to  me  a  very  heaven  of 
tenderness.  This  melody  is  followed  by  a  streaming, 
breathing,  half  watery,  half  airy,  and  all  imaginative  pas- 
sage for  the  violins,  which  seems  so  excellently  charac- 
teristic of  the  instrument,  as  though  it  had  been  made 
alone  to  play  this  passage ;  and  this  undulates  through 
various  modulations,  accompanied  occasionally  by  a  frag- 
ment of  the  subject,  and  diversified  by  the  crescendo  and 
diminuendo  of  the  full  orchestra,  until  in  the  key  of  B  flat 
there  is  a  6th  on  D,  in  which  the  violins  and  flutes  remain 
alone  upon  the  F  above  the  lines,  where  they  seem  like 
a  lover  looking  lingeringly  into  nothing  for  the  eyes  which 
meet  him  not ;  and  the  violins  leave  this  F  in  an  arpeggio  of 
the  chord,  but  yet  the  flutes  remain,  as  though  the  one 
thought  would  endure,  however  the  mind  wished  to  wander 
from  it ;  and  then,  with  a  heartbroken  disappointment, 
the  original  melody,  in  the  original  key,  appears  to  say, 
in  its  sudden  recurrence,  '  Yes,  I  have  looked  in  vain ! ' 


HIS   FIRST   CRITICAL  ARTICLE.  69 

The  introduction  ends  with  a  half-close  on  E ;  and  the 
allegro  (in  A  minor,  six-eight  time)  begins  like  an  assu- 
rance bursting  on  expectancy.  The  subject  of  this  move- 
ment is  a  complete  and  satisfactory  song,  more  lengthened, 
more  entirely  a  song,  than  usually  the  subjects  of  first 
movements  have  been  made ;  and  there  is  no  second  sub- 
ject, but  only  various  modifications  of  this  one  ceaseless, 
burning,  continual,  and  continuous  idea — it  is  a  thought, 
or,  better  say,  a  consciousness  of  love,  for  ever  restless  and 
for  ever  passionate,  and,  with  its  simplicity  and  yet  its 
ardour,  it  takes  possession  of  the  centre  of  one's  heart,  like 
that  intensest  poetry  which  makes  one  feel  it  says  our 
feelings,  utters  our  own  thoughts,  and  can  create,  as  well 
as  speak,  those  thoughts  and  feelings.  This  melody  is 
given  to  the  violin  and  clarionet  in  octaves — a  combination 
of  a  most  singularly  new  and  beautiful  effect — and  here  I 
almost  use  a  mispression,  for  the  two  instruments  do  not 
join  to  make  one  sound,  as  in  some  combinations  of  wind 
instruments  upon  the  same  passage,  where  a  new  tone  is 
formed  of  both,  but  like  neither.  Here  is  distinctly  heard 
that  two  separate  things  express  the  same  idea,  as  though 
one  thought  were  sympathized  by  two  congenial  minds, 
but  modified  in  each  by  the  peculiar  temperament  of  either ; 
the  one,  perhaps,  more  fervent,  but  the  other  far  more 
delicate,  seeming  to  wish  it  were  the  other's  true  reflection 
— so  the  precise  acuteness  of  the  streaming  violins  is  mir- 
rored in  the  more  indefinite,  more  gentle,  and  more  tender 
breathing  of  the  clarionet.  In  this  melody  there  is  a  sus- 
pended 7th  upon  F,  which  skips  to  C,  and  then  returns 
to  D,  its  resolution,  that  has  an  effect  exquisitely  beautiful, 
which,  like  all  the  highest  things  in  art,  arises  from  its 
great  simplicity.  The  subject  is  followed  by  a  spirited 
t'.i.tti,  which  ends  abruptly  with  a  half -close  on  B,  and  is 
interrupted  by  a  reminiscence  of  the  subject  in  E  minor. 
There  then  comes  a  sort  of  ritornella,  growing  from,  or 
an  appendix  to,  the  first  idea,  and  this  finishes  the  first 
part,  which  is  repeated.  The  second  part  begins  with  a 
most  daring,  powerful,  and  unlooked-for  start  in  C  sharp 
minor ;  and  a  train  of  modulation  follows,  ending  in  C 
natural  minor,  that  is  one  of  the  most  striking  and  original 
passages,  as  to  the  harmony,  the  phraseology,  and  the 


70  HIS  FIRST    CRITICAL   ARTICLE. 

instrumentation,  that  I  ever  heard.  The  second  part  is 
full  of  the  most  masterly  treatment  of  the  subject;  and 
immediately  preceding  the  return  to  the  original  key,  there 
is  a  sort  of  episode  in  E  major,  still  growing  out  of  the 
first  thought,  and  built  upon  it,  that  forms  a  wonderful 
relief  to  the  prevalence  of  minor  keys  throughout.  At  the 
repetition  of  the  subject  there  is  a  new  effect,  and  a  new 
character  given  to  it,  by  the  addition  of  a  counterpoint,  or, 
rather,  counter-subject,  for  it  is  not  less  a  song  than  the 
original  theme  on  the  violoncello,  that  may  be  likened  to  a 
mutual  confidante  of  the  two  separated  minds  of  my  former 
analogy,  that  gives  an  extra  beauty  to  both  and  takes  its 
own,  although  it  robs  not  them,  from  either.  There  is  a 
coda,  beginning  something  like  the  second  part,  starting 
abruptly  in  F  sharp  minor,  as  that  does  in  C  sharp,  and 
then  having  something  like  the  same  treatment  of  the  same 
phrase ;  and  there  is  the  ritornella,  with  which  the  first 
part  ended,  and  there  is  a  passage  of  semitones,  that  is 
one  of  the  most  furious  bursts  of  passionate  excitement  in 
the  whole  scope  of  music.  Then  there  is  a  strange  passage 
of  wind  instruments,  partly  in  semitones,  which  has  a 
mystical  effect,  almost  unearthly ;  and  then  there  is  a  short 
return  to  the  slow  introduction,  that  seems  to  me  again  to 
say,  '  Ah,  yes !  I  am  alone  ! '  and  then,  with  a  few  broken 
chords,  that  seem  to  feel,  but  hardly  say  '  Alone ! '  this  won- 
drous movement  closes. 

"  The  Scherzo  (in  F,  two-four  time)  begins  upon  the 
previous  movement  like  the  inhalation,  after  a  long- breathed 
sigh — the  inflation  and  invigoration  of  the  lungs  with  the 
pure  joyous  breath  of  life,  after  they  have  exhaled  all  but 
vitality  itself.  This  movement  is  of  the  character  we  are 
used  to  call  Mendelssohnish,  because,  I  think,  Mendelssohn 
first  introduced  it  with  most  admirable  effect  in  many  of  his 
works ;  I  mean  that  character  of  restlessness  displayed  in 
the  almost  ceaseless  motion  of  semiquavers,  such  as  in  his 
'  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,'  the  Scherzo  in  his  Otetto, 
and  in  many  other  instances.  It  opens  with  a  chord  of  F, 
protracted  for  some  bars,  which,  from  its  relation  to  the  key 
of  A  minor,  in  which  the  previous  movement  closed,  has 
an  effect  of  vagueness  and  anxiety  that  is  dispelled  by  the 
determinate  chord  of  C,  which,  as  the  unequivocal  domi- 


HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE.  71 

nant  of  the  new  key,  defines  this  beautiful  uncertainty, 
and  the  movement  then  proceeds  like  regular  but  rapid 
breathing.  The  subject  is  very  marked  and  characteristic; 
it  is  first  given  concisely  by  the  clarionet,  and  is  afterwards 
prolonged  by  various  instruments  until  it  is  taken  up  with 
all  the  satisfaction  of  a  joyous  self-content  by  the  full 
orchestra.  A  second  subject  in  C  major  is  peculiarly 
quaint,  and  has  a  manner  of  effrontery  that  is  charming ; 
this  is  continued  through  various  relative  modulations,  in 
the  course  of  which  the  chattering  of  the  wind  instruments 
have  a  very  prominent  and  naive  effect.  The  first  part  ends 
in  C,  and  the  second  opens  with  a  portion  of  the  subject 
in  the  original  key,  which  comes  out  with  a  kingly  swagger 
on  the  violoncello  :  after  a  long  stop  upon  a  fundamental 
7th  on  F,  there  is  a  brilliant  burst  upon  a  chord  of  D, 
and  then  the  two  subjects  are  worked  and  interwoven  with 
the  utmost  skill  and  ingenuity,  and  with  no  less  character 
and  effect.  The  return  to  F  major,  which  is  with  the 
second  subject,  is  very  novel,  is  sudden  and  unlooked-for. 
The  Coda  introduces  a  new  phrase  of  irresistible  piquancy 
and  simplicity,  and  there  is  a  most  effective  example  of 
the  rising  of  a  fundamental  7th  on  the  tonic  to  a  major 
3rd  on  the  dominant,  which  proves,  by  the  very  frequen : 
repetition  of  the  passage,  how  Mendelssohn  must  like,  or 
rather  love,  this  beautiful  but  most  unusual  resolution 
of  this  chord.  This  movement  closes  quietly,  like  the 
natural  languishing  which  follows  preternatural  excite- 
ment. 

"  The  slow  movement  (in  A  major)  opens  abruptly,  but 
still  connectedly  with  what  has  just  concluded,  on  a  6th 
upon  F  natural,  which  sinks  into  a  chord  of  E,  and  sounds 
to  me  as  though  a  sudden  earthquake  rent  the  joyous  feeling 
which  had  filled  a  loving  bosom,  and  in  the  chasm  which  it 
made,  revealed  the  depths  of  fathomless  despair.  But  then 
we  find  this  momentary  anguish  is  no  other  than  the 
fear  that  it  must  cease,  which  is  the  tremulous  brink  of 
happiness,  the  incertitude  that  makes  delight  an  ecstasy, 
which  refines  mere  joy  to  transport ;  for,  after  what  may 
be  supposed  a  prelude,  or  what  in  a  song  we  should  call 
the  symphony,  there  comes  a  stream  of  broad,  grand 
flowing  melody,  so  full  of  lovely  tenderness,  so  replete  with 


72  HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE. 

passion,  and  so  fervent  in  the  heartfulness  of  its  expres- 
sion, that  it  seems  to  say  all  that  words,  or  looks,  or 
pressure  of  the  hand  could  ever  signify — almost  all  heart 
could  ever  feel.  This  is  another  instance  of  the  exquisite 
use  of  the  singing  powers  of  the  violins,  which  float  through 
the  pizzicato  accompaniment  '  like  the  voice  of  one  beloved 
singing  to  you  when  alone.'  There  is  one  point  in  this 
most  heavenly  melody  where  it  rises  from  A  in  a  chord 
of  the  diminished  7th  on  D  sharp  to  a  sforzando  on  G- 
sharp,  in  a  four-two  upon  D  natural,  which  is  to  me  the 
utmost  possible  of  passionate  expression.  There  is  then 
an  episode  in  A  minor  given  to  wind  instruments,  which 
is,  I  think,  the  least  striking  subject  in  the  symphony,  and 
which  comes  with  all  the  cold  reserve  of  prudence  inter- 
rupting the  pure  confidence  of  virgin  love.  But  this  is 
qualified  by  a  repetition  of  a  portion  of  the  first  subject  in 
E  major,  which  breaks  in  on  an  inversion  of  the  major 
9th  on  B  with  such  a  lovingness  as  quite  atones  for  all 
the  previous  seeming  of  indifference.  There  is  a  short 
second  part  which  leads  to  the  return  of  the  subject  in  A, 
which  now  assumes  a  greater  force,  a  deeper  intensity 
from  the  different  instrumentation,  the  melody  being 
given  to  the  most  passionate  of  instruments,  the  violon- 
cello, and  from  some  other  varieties  in  the  treatment. 
The  former  episode  recurs  now  in  D  minor ;  and  the 
portion  of  the  subject  is  repeated  as  before,  now  in  A 
major,  and  the  movement  finishes  with  all  the  calmness 
of  a  satisfied  desire,  but  such  an  intellectual  psychean 
appetite  which  '  grows  by  what  it  feeds  on,'  and  is  most 
contented  when  it  still  desires. 

"  The  last  movement  (in  A.  minor,  common  time)  bursts 
in  convulsively  on  this  repose,  as  though  the  self-reproach 
of  one  who  feels  himself  unworthily  beloved,  and  half 
despairs,  half  burns  with  the  ambition  to  become  one  day 
deserving.  There  is  a  striking  wildness  in  the  subject, 
another  character,  and  not  less  a  true  one  of  the  violins 
which  play  it,  and  there  is  a  feeling  of  a  resolution  in  the 
long  continued  accompaniment  of  crotchets,  which  seem 
like  the  united  fire  of  a  patriot  and  fervour  of  a  lover. 
The  second  subject  in  E  minor  is  more  simple,  and  yet 
not  less  ardent,  the  great  excitement  being  still  main- 


HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE.  73 

tained  by  the  reiteration  of  a  B,  which  forms  a  sort  of 
drone,  and  by  keeping  off  the  keynote  in  the  bass  until 
the  very  end  of  the  phrase,  creates  a  vagueness  powerfully 
exciting.  And  then  the  basses  have  to  play  a  G-  three 
times — and  then — O,  what  a  burst  of  powerful  and  grand 
determination ! — the  full  orchestra  has  to  play  the  six- 
four  on  that  note,  and  to  make  a  brief  and  infinitely 
brilliant  transition  into  C  major,  with  the  effect  of 
thunder.  This  is,  like  all  the  others,  a  movement  in  two 
parts,  the  first  part  ending  in  E  minor.  The  second  part 
perhaps,  for  those  who  are  not  carried  quite  beyond  them- 
selves by  the  strong  and  impulsive  feeling  that  pervades 
it,  may  want  relief,  if  not  repose ;  but  even  for  such,  if 
they  can  understand,  although  they  may  not  feel  the 
music,  there  is  a  masterly  musicianship  in  the  treatment 
of  the  subject,  which  must  be  interesting.  After  the 
return  to  the  original  key,  the  second  subject,  much  cur- 
tailed and  without  the  glorious  burst  into  the  major  key 
of  the  sixth  of  the  scale,  which  in  the  first  part  has  an 
effect  so  grand  and  so  majestic,  is  repeated  in  A  minor, 
and  is  followed  by  a  coda,  which  sinks  into  a  repose  like 
the  exhaustion  of  an  overwrought  imagination — a  heart 
that  has  been  stimulated  by  excess  of  passion,  seeming  to 
beat  its  few  last  broken  throbs  before  it  breaks  for  ever. 
But  then  a  new  light  bursts  upon  the  mind,  new  oil  is 
poured  upon  the  flame,  a  rock  is  shifted  from  its  base, 
and  a  world  of  waters  is  let  loose  upon  the  cataract.  A 
new  subject  with  a  quite  new  feeling  in  A  major,  and  in 
six-eight  time,  bursts  like  an  eye-beam  on  the  darkened 
heart,  and  says,  in  signs  unquestionable  and  irrevocable, 
'  Yes,  ever  yes,'  to  all  that  undefinable  craving  to  which 
the  wildest  brain  upon  the  pinnacle  of  its  enthusiasm  dare 
not,  cannot  give  utterance.  It  is  a  joyous  exultation,  far 
beyond  Hope's  uttermost  excitement — it  is  the  elation  of 
an  author  when  he  feels  he  has  achieved  a  work  that  will 
immortalize  him  in  its  immortality — it  is  the  pang  of 
pleasure  which  a  lover  feels  at  knowing  that  his  passion- 
dream  is  realized.  This  brief  epilogue  to  the  whole 
symphony  remains  throughout  in  the  same  key,  and  is 
mostly  to  be  remarked  upon  for  the  breadth,  clearness, 
energy,  and  passion  of  its  phrases,  and  the  expressive 


74  HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE. 

brilliancy  of  its  instrumentation,  which,  seeming  at  first 
most  forcible,  yet  gathers,  gathers,  gathers  force  until  the 
end.  A  long  passage  of  the  violins  in  octaves  is  almost 
overpowering,  and — but  I  scorn  to  dwell  on  technicalities 
in  speaking  of  what  is  so  great  in  its  effects  as  to  blind 
us  to  the  means  by  which  they  are  produced. 

"  And  this  is  the  Symphony  in  A  minor  of  Felix 
Mendelssohn  Bartholdy ;  at  least,  this  is  an  attempt  to 
tell  the  impression,  which,  after  three  times  hearing  it, — 
at  the  trial,  the  rehearsal,  and  the  concert, — it  has  left  on 
me.  I  am  aware  that  there  may  be  to  some  an  air  of 
ostentation,  even  of  bombast,  in  this  vociferation  of  my 
feelings  on  this  subject.  SOME,  perhaps,  may  understand 
them,  and  all  sJioidd  take  my  protestation  of  sincerity  for 
a  guarantee  of  what  I  mean.  To  me  the  symphony  is,  on 
the  whole,  the  most  pathetic  composition  of  the  kind,  and 
of  the  length,  I  ever  heard ;  and  by  pathetic,  I  must  not 
be  thought  to  mean  that  morbid  melancholy  quality  which 
some  critics,  but  few  poets,  would  set  up  as  the  essential 
of  sublimity:  by  pathetic,  let  be  understood  to  signify 
that  deep,  intense,  and  soulful  feeling  which  dives  down 
to  the  bottom  of  the  human  heart,  and  there  enthrones 
itself  the  emperor  of  passion.  And  these  are  words, 
how  vague  and  how  inadequate  to  tell  the  thoughts  which 
prompt  them.  But  when  the  time  shall  come,  which 
cannot  be  remote,  when  all  the  world  shall  own  this 
generation  has  added  one  to  the  great  Trinity  of  Genius 
that  has  stood  alone  in  instrumental  music,  I  shall  exult 
to  have  been  one  who  could  appreciate  the  merit,  and  has, 
however  worthless,  paid  his  tribute  of  acknowledgment  to 
the  original  identity  of  style,  the  grandeur  of  conception, 
and  the  powers  of  development  which  this  symphony 
displays,  and  which,  in  aftermen's  esteem,  shall  place  as 
equals,  Haydn,  Mozart,  Beethoven,  and  Mendelssohn. 

"  G.  A.  MACFABBEN." 
"  14,  North  Crescent,  Bedford  Square, 
"Uth  June,  1842." 

At  the  time  when  this  was  written  Macfarren  had 
not  arrived  at  that  estimate  of  Mendelssohn's  character 


HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE.  75 

which  he  long  afterwards  expressed  :  "  The  foible  of 
his  character  was  his  thirst  for  good  opinion,  which 
led  him  indiscriminately  to  conciliate  everyone  whose 
judgment  could  receive  attention ;  thus  his  testi- 
monials are  of  little  credit,  and  his  complimentary 
letters  are  not  always  utterances  of  his  true  opinion."  l 
Of  the  disinterested  sincerity  of  the  ardent  critic's 
enthusiastic  effusion  there  is  no  reason  whatever  to 
doubt.  The  diction  of  the  exordium  may  be  florid  or 
ornate — a  foreshadowing  of  the  metaphorical  style 
which  often  characterized  the  writer's  later  style  in 
his  literary  productions ;  but  there  is  nothing  fulsome 
in  the  adulation :  all  is  the  outcome  of  genuine  artistic 
perception  and  delight,  such  as  many  of  us  felt,  at  that 
period,  at  the  rising  of  the  "  new  star  in  the  firmament 
of  genius."  It  is  pleasant — now  that  Macfarren's 
prophetic  words  have  been  fulfilled,  and  that  star  is 
"  massed  in  the  galaxy  of  splendour/'  and  the  Sym- 
phony can  hardly  "  be  remembered  to  have  not  been  " 
— to  look  back  to  those  early  performances,  and  to  feel 
some  sympathetic  rekindling  of  that  early  enthusiasm 
and  delight ! 

The  love  of  analogies,  which  is  perceptible  in  this 
early  analysis,  is  a  prominent  feature  in  his  subsequent 
writings  :  "  like  a  lover  looking  lingeringly,  etc.," 
1 '  like  an  assurance  bursting  on  expectancy,"  "  a  con- 
sciousness of  love,  etc.,"  "  like  that  intensest  poetry, 
etc."  ;  these  and  other  comparisons  one  finds  matched 
or  paralleled  in  such  sentences  as  this,  on  a  passage  in 
Beethoven's  Seventh  Symphony  : — 

"  Can  you  picture  one  who  has  long  lain  in  a  hopeful 
1  "  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Universal  Biography." 


76  HIS   FIRST    CRITICAL   ARTICLE. 

dream,  who  yearns  for  happiness  he  has  never  known  and 
so  cannot  define,  awakening  to  learn  that  his  dreaming  is 
fulfilled,  and  to  find  the  fact  wholly  unlike,  yet  a  thousand- 
fold lovelier  than  his  expectation  ?  Such  a  picture  is 
realized  in  the  remarkable  passage  before  us ;  a  traveller 
who  dreams  of  the  home  he  is  approaching,  and  wakes  to 
find  caressing  friends  around  him  looking  the  welcome  of 
affection ;  an  artist  who  dreams  of  the  completion  of  his 
work,  and  wakes  to  witness  its  admiring  reception  by  an 
appreciating  public.  Fancies  such  as  these  are  quickly 
prompted  by  the  exquisite  passage  to  which  I  refer ;  but 
no  thought  of  tangible  form  can  represent  its  loveliness, 
no  verbal  language  can  translate  its  expression."  ' 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  this  early  analysis  of 
the  A  minor  Symphony  with  that  of  later  years, 
written  for  the  Philharmonic  Society's  programmes. 
After  quoting  Mendelssohn's  printed  direction  as  to 
the  "  separate  movements  following  one  another  imme- 
diately, and  not  being  divided  by  the  customary  inter- 
ruptions," and  commenting  on  similar  instances,  our 
annotator  proceeds : — 

"  From  very  early  in  his  career  it  seems  to  have  been  an 
aim  of  Mendelssohn  to  give  unity  to  the  several  portions 
of  a  large  instrumental  work,  sometimes  by  the  connection 
of  two  or  more  of  the  movements — as  in  the  case  under 
notice,  sometimes  by  the  allusion  in  a  later  movement  to 
themes  which  have  appeared  in  an  earlier — as  in  the 
Quartets  in  A  minor  and  E  flat,  and  in  the  Octet.  Opinions 
may  vary  as  to  how  this  purpose  may  best  be  fulfilled,  nay, 
as  to  its  desirability  in  any  form  ;  but  it  is  due  to  an  artist 
to  respect  his  own  purpose  in  the  presentation  of  his  works, 
and  thus  to  play  the  present  Symphony  as  he  intended. 
There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  grandeur  of  the  idea  of 
one  long  enchainment  of  thoughts  that  bear  all  upon  each 
other  and  combine  to  make  a  single,  though  widespread 
impression  upon  the  mind ;  in  the  work  of  an  indifferent 

1  "  Six  Lectures  on  Harmony,"  p.  148. 


HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE.  77 

composer  an  audience  may  welcome  the  customary  breaks 
as  a  relief,  but  in  the  music  before  us  the  effect  of  each 
successive  movement  is  enhanced  by  its  connection  with 
the  preceding,  and  the  impression  of  each  gathers  force 
from  the  context,  while  we,  the  audience,  grow  more  and 
more  susceptible  of  its  effect,  and  become  enabled  to 
regard  the  work  as  a  whole  rather  than  as  four  collected 
portions." 

Then  follow  some  historical  and  biographical  details, 
especially  bearing  upon  the  Scottish  origin  of  the  work, 
and  recording  its  first  performance  in  London,  above 
referred  to  ;  eliciting  from  Macfarren  the  exclamation, 
"  Happy  are  they  who  recollect  an  occasion  of  such 
infinite  interest  in  the  history  of  our  art ! "  He  then 
relates  how,  at  that  first  performance,  after  Beet- 
hoven's "  pre-eminently  beautiful "  Overture  to 
"  Coriolan  "  had  been  played  and  encored  : — 

"  Then  came  the  Scottish  Symphony,  and  this  was  re- 
ceived with  acclamations,  drowning  in  many  places  the 
music  itself,  the  hearty  delight  in  which  these  plaudits 
testified ;  the  Scherzo  was  especially  greeted  and  its  repe- 
tition insisted  upon,  in  spite  of  the  composer's  fidelity  to 
his  own  design,  who  had  proceeded  far  into  the  Adagio 
through  the  deafening  applause  of  the  audience,  and 
reluctantly  broke  off  the  unheard  flow  of  its  delicious 
strains  to  recommence  the  previous  movement." 

A  graphic  little  bit  of  musical  history,  by  an  ear- 
witness  !  The  analysis  proper  then  commences  : — 

"  The  Symphony  begins  with  a  far  more  clearly  defined 
melody  than  is  often  to  be  found  in  the  introductory  move- 
ment of  a  composition  of  the  proportions  of  the  present. 
It  is  succeeded  by  a  passage  of  rare  intensity  for  the 
violins  alone,  which  is  continued  through  a  repetition  of 
the  opening  melody. 


78  HIS  FIRST   CRITICAL   ARTICLE. 

"  The  chief  subject  of  the  Allegro,  to  which  the  fore- 
going leads,  derives  a  peculiar  effect  from  its  duplication 
by  the  clarionet  in  the  octave  below  the  notes  of  the  violin, 
which  seems  like  a  reflection  of  the  principal  or  substantial 
sounds  in  notes  of  more  delicate  or  ethereal  nature.  A 
very  gradual  drawing  together  of  the  time  prepares  the 
hearer  for  the  first  entry  of  the  entire  orchestra,  and  for 
the  '  assai  agitato '  which  marks  the  exciting  character  of 
what  ensues.  The  first  theme  is  ingeniously  appropriated 
as  a  counterpoint  to  the  second  subject,  and  binds  it  in 
particular  unity  with  the  general  expression.  This  is 
.analogous  to  Haydn's  frequent  wont  to  reproduce  a  first 
melody  with  modification  in  the  position  and  in  the  key 
usually  assigned  to  the  second  subject,  which  brings  into 
direct  comparison  the  musical  composition  with  a  literary 
essay,  wherein  one  theme  or  argument  is  the  always 
prevailing  matter  in  discussion." 

This  is  a  happier  exposition  of  the  case  than  the 
bald  statement  in  the  earlier  analysis  that  "  there  is 
no  second  subject."  In  place  of  the  earlier  account 
of  the  opening  of  the  second  part,  we  have  : — 

"  The  course  of  modulation  which  signalizes  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Second  Part  produces  a  most  remarkable  and 
individual  effect ;  here  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the 
theoretical  phenomena  which  might  account  for  this,  but 
attention  may  be  directed  to  it  and  to  the  total  revulsion 
of  feeling  wrought  by  it.  The  extraordinary  orchestration 
conduces  as  much  as  the  tonal  progressions  to  the  effect, 
strange  almost  to  terrible,  before  us.  The  continuance  of 
the  Second  Part  loses  all  appearance  of  scholarship  in  its 
most  imaginative  development  of  the  chief  ideas  already  set 
forth.  The  recurrence  of  the  first  subject  is  rendered  un- 
usually interesting  by  the  counter-melody,  assigned  to  the 
violoncello,  which  is  grafted  upon  it ;  a  most  happy  example 
of  a  happy  device,  which  was  first  applied  by  Mendelssohn 
to  the  enrichment  of  this  always  attractive  incident  iu  the 
design  of  a  movement.  A  corresponding  modulation  to 
that  which  opens  the  Second  Part  begins  the  Coda  ;  and 


HIS  FIRST  CRITICAL    ARTICLE.  79 

this  portion  of  the  Allegro  presents  an  unanticipated  idea 
in  the  fiercely  rushing  chromatic  passages  that  work  the 
whole  to  its  highest  point  of  excitement." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  reproduce  the  whole  of  this 
more  recent  analysis ;  the  above  extracts  sufficiently 
exhibiting  the  maturer  style,  if  not  the  riper  musician- 
ship of  the  writer,  as  compared  with  the  earlier.  In 
the  annotations  on  the  Scherzo,  instead  of  "  kingly 
swagger/'  we  find  :  "  the  rough,  burly  tone  given  to 
the  first  theme  when  a  portion  of  it  is  allotted  to  the 
violoncellos,  the  weird  sound  it  assumes  when  played 
on  the  low  notes  of  the  clarionet,"  etc.  The  subject 
of  the  Adagio  is  characterized  as  a  "  delicious  song 
which  once  to  have  heard  is  a  lasting  delight/'  And 
the  whole  article  terminates  with  the  record,  possibly, 
of  a  personally  received  testimony  : — 

"  Mendelssohn  said  that  he  felt  in  this  Coda  [to  the  last 
movement]  that  the  task  of  years  was  accomplished ;  and 
that  he  was  happy,  if  not  proud,  in  the  completion  of  his 
labour." 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  neither  of  these  articles 
is  there  any  attempt  to  indicate  any  connection  of  the 
ideas  of  the  Symphony  with  impressions  received 
by  the  composer  in  his  visit  to  Scotland.  At  the 
time  that  the  first  article  was  written  probably  the 
work  had  not  been  named  the  "  Scotch  Symphony," 
and  the  history  of  the  work,  in  its  origins  and  prompt- 
ings, was  known  to  few. 

The  first  of  these  articles  was  written  during  the 
period  when  Macfarren's  father  edited  the  "  Musical 
World,"  concerning  which  the  following  occurs  in  the 
"  Family  Recollections  "  : — 


80         INTRODUCTION   TO  MENDELSSOHN. 

"  It  was  about  this  period  [1840],  sooner  or  later,  that 
Frederick  Davison,  of  the  firm  of  Gray  and  Davison  [not 
related  to  J.  W.  Davison],  engaged  my  father  at  a  small 
weekly  stipend  to  succeed  Henry  Smart  as  editor  of  the 
'  Musical  World,'  the  journal  originated  in  1836  by  Novello 
and  Co.  Ever  in  earnest  in  what  he  undertook,  my  father 
threw  his  best  energies  into  the  fulfilment  of  his  new  office, 
and  did  all  that  a  generous  sympathy  with  struggling 
artists  could  suggest  to  make  the  paper  popular.  Some  of 
his  leading  articles  are  delightful  essays  on  musical  gene- 
ralities ;  his  personal  notices  are  always  tender,  and  con- 
stantly encouraging  ;  he  forbore  from  distinctly  technical 
criticism,  in  which  indispensable  department  he  engaged 
Alfred  Day,  until  he  could  no  longer  bear  with  the  laconical 
bitterness  of  this  reviewer  of  new  music,  and  he  then 
enlisted  the  services  of  J.  W.  Davison,  whose  reckless 
flippancy  as  little  satisfied  him." 

It  appears  to  have  been  just  after  the  appearance  of 
the  first  analytical  article  —  probably  as  its   result  — 
that  Macfarren  made  personal  acquaintance  with  Men- 
delssohn ;  the  only  record  of  his  first  interview  being 
a  hasty  note  to  his  family  :  — 


EVERYBODY, 

"  Mendelssohn  behaved  to  me  like  an  Angel.  G-.  A.  M. 
June  27th,  1842." 

The  great  man  was  ready  to  discern  a  kindred  spirit  ; 
and  would  not  fail  to  appreciate,  as  time  went  on,  the 
thoroughness  and  purity  of  Macfarren'  s  artistic  nature. 
Although  there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  the 
brotherly  intimacy  bet  ween  the  two  men  which  subsisted 
from  very  early  manhood  between  Sterndale-Bennett 
and  Mendelssohn,  yet  the  artistic  friendship  was 
entire,  as  several  letters  attest.  I  have  heard  Mac- 
farren say  that  no  pianoforte  playing  ever  gave  him 


INTRODUCTION   TO    MENDELSSOHN.          81 


so  much  pleasure  as  that  of  Mendelssohn.  There  was 
no  sympathy,  I  believe,  on  the  part  of  Mendelssohn, 
with  Macfarren's  theoretical  views  ;  perhaps  it  would 
be  more  just  to  say,  his  theorizing  habit  of  mind. 
The  whole  thing  was  distasteful  to  him.  When  I 
related  to  Macfarren  the  anecdote  of  Mendelssohn's 
reply  to  an  inquirer  as  to  the  root  of  the  first  chord  in 
the  "Wedding  March," — "I  don't  know,  and  don't 
care," — he  said :  "  I  never  heard  that  story,  but  I  can 
quite  believe  it,  for  Mendelssohn  had  such  a  dislike  to 
all  theorizing."  Macfarren's  theoretical  system — to 
be  hereafter  referred  to — may  have  led  him  to  write 
unusual  chords  and  progressions  ;  certainly  it  led  him 
to  use  unusual  notation.  Mendelssohn  did  not  argue 
these  matters  with  him,  it  may  well  be  believed  ;  but, 
when  playing  from  Macfarren's  manuscript,  would,  on 
Coming  to  such  cases,  cry  out,  in  that  quick  way 
which  is  not  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who  once  heard 
it:  "Mac,  Mac,  do  you  mean  this?"  On  an  affirma- 
tive answer  being  given,  he  would  simply  say,  "  Very 
well,  all  right,  go  on,"  to  the  rest  of  the  performers. 

Owing  to  circumstances  that  cannot  here  be  re- 
corded in  detail,  Mendelssohn's  Second  Symphony, 
known  as  No.  4,  in  A  major,  was  not  published  until 
some  time  after  the  composer's  death,  and  then,  in  the 
first  instance,  only  in  the  form  of  a  Pianoforte  Duet — 
the  arrangement  being  Mendelssohn's  own,  however. 
In  the  "Musical  World"  of  October  9th,  1852,  Mac- 
farren wrote  an  article  on  the  Symphony  as  presented 
in  this  arrangement.  It  may  be  interesting,  even  at 
this  period  of  our  narrative,  to  insert  some  extracts 
from  this  article,  still  further  rendering  comparison 
practicable  between  the  earlier  and  the  more  mature 

G 


82      MENDELSSOHN'S  SECOND    SYMPHONY. 

styles  of  the  critic.  After  much  preliminary  matter, 
suggested  by  the  late  publication  of  the  work,  and 
some  comparison  with  the  earlier  Symphony,  No.  l,in 
C  minor,  he  proceeds  : — 

"  However  equal  may  be  the  merits  of  the  two  Sym- 
phonies in  A  major  and  A  minor,  their  character  is  widely 
different  as  the  different  distribution  of  such  general  cha- 
racteristics as  establish  the  identity  of  the  composer's  style 
can  render  them.  Such  is  the  distinction  that  may  truly 
be  made  between  the  bright,  sunny,  laughing  freshness  of 
the  earlier  work  [in  A  major],  and  the  more  intense  and 
passionate  fervour  that  so  eminently  marks  the  later  com- 
position [in  A  minor],  and  these  varieties  of  character 
involve  a  very  important  difference  in  the  plan  upon  which 
the  several  movements  are  constructed.  .  .  .  As  to  the 
impressions  of  Italy  embodied  in  the  Symphony  in  A  major, 
speculation  may  be  more  or  less  presumptuous ;  but  as 
every  sensitive  hearer  will  speculate  upon  the  expression 
conveyed  in  music  of  so  exciting  a  character,  .  .  .  inter- 
preting the  intentions  of  the  composer  by  the  index  of  his 
own  emotions  while  hearing  the  performance,  it  cannot  be 
arrogant  to  offer  what  speculations  suggest  themselves,  as 
an  indication  rather  of  how  much  than  of  what  may  l>e 
found  of  secondary  interest  in  this  highly  poetical  work  of 
art  by  such  as  willingly  seek  it. 

"  To  speak  most  succinctly  of  general  impressions  rather 
than  of  particular  emotions,  let  us  suppose  that  the  first 
movement  realizes  the  influence  upon  an  ardent  mind  of 
the  clear,  translucent  air,  the  genial  climate,  the  deep,  deep 
blue  above,  the  endless  green  below,  in  which  the  golden 
gleam  of  the  exhilarant  sunshine  is  blent  with  the  intense 
hue  of  the  unfathomable  heaven,  the  spontaneity  of  life 
around,  and  the  restlessness  of  emotion  within  that  cha- 
racterize the  land  formed  by  nature  for  the  garden  of 
poetry,  whence  the  spoiled  child  has  strayed  in  weariness 
of  the  too  great  luxuriance  in  which  't  has  been  indulged, 
to  wander  back,  how  rarely,  from  the  distant  home  of  its 
adoption,  and  find  its  powers  and  its  perceptions  quickened 
by  its  native  associations. 


MENDELSSOHN'S  SECOND   SYMPHONY.      83 

"  Let  us  suppose  that  the  earnest  and  most  original 
Andante  portrays  the  feelings  awakened  by  the  mighty 
ruins  of  Roman  splendour,  the  statues,  the  palaces,  the 
temples,  and  the  colossal  Colosseum,  ghosts  of  a  greatness 
that  is  gone,  monuments  of  an  immortal  age,  enduring 
witnesses  in  their  mouldering  decay  of  the  lasting  influence 
upon  all  time  to  come  of  the 'eternal  power  of  mind 
through  which  at  first  they  were,  which  now  through  them 
is  perpetually  regenerated  in  all  who  see  in  them  and  feel, 
who  read  in  them  and  understand  the  sublime  lesson  for 
the  sempernatal  future  of  the  never-dying  past ;  and  that 
the  lovely  episodical  melody  embodies  the  perhaps  less 
awful  but  not  less  solemn  sentiment  that  must  be  awakened 
in  witnessing  the  new  life  springing  from  the  old  decay, 
the  perennial  flowers  and  verdure,  ever  young,  mocking 
while  they  decorate  the  falling  ruins  that  have  seen  them 
bloom,  and  seen  them  fade,  and  seen  them  bloom  and  fade 
again  through  a  long,  long  race  of  centuries,  typifying  the 
eternal  identity  of  the  spirit  of  good  and  beauty,  the  soul 
of  poetry,  amid  the  temporal  variations  of  its  manifesta- 
tion which,  while  they  seem  to  pass  away,  are  born  anew 
in  the  new  forms  they  suggest  by  the  new  powers  they 
stimulate  in  the  mind  of  man." 

This  poetic  interpretation  of  the  movement  in 
question  is  in  strong  contrast  to  the  popular  "  Pilgrim's 
March  "  view  ;  and,  I  must  aver,  more  sympathetically 
expresses  my  own  long-entertained  feeling,  which  has 
always  somewhat  revolted  from  the  generally  accepted 
notion.  The  other  movements  are  dealt  with  in 
similar  poetical  manner,  and  then  the  more  technical 
analysis  is  entered  upon.  In  the  analysis  of  the 
Andante  con  moto,  the  following  occurs,  which  will  be 
of  interest  to  those  who  have  studied  under  Mac- 
farren,  been  examined  by  him,  or  conversed  with  him 
on  rhythm  and  barring  : — 

"  Then   comes   the   most   lovely   episodical    melody   in 


84      MENDELSSOHN'S   SECOND    SYMPHONY. 

A  major,  in  which  is  to  be  noticed  a  curious  caprice  in  the 
rhythmical  arrangement — namely,  that  the  accent  of  the 
whole  is  against  the  measure  ;  in  explanation  of  this  may 
be  adduced  the  subsequent  repetition  of  the  same  melody 
in  the  key  of  D  major,  when  the  barring  is  according  to 
accepted  rule,  with  the  natural  rhythmical  division  of  the 
phrases." 

This  summary  of  the  last  movement  is  also  most 
interesting  : — 

"  The  final  Presto  is  certainly  the  most  entirely  indi- 
vidual portion  of  the  work,  albeit  not  one  of  the  movements 
has  a  prototype  in  the  writings  of  any  other  master.  It 
is  an  imitation  of  the  Saltarello,  a  national  dance  of  the 
south  of  Italy,  which  differs  from  its  twin  sister,  the  Taran- 
tella in  having  a  crotchet  at  the  beginning  of  each  bar  of 
six-eight  measure  (instead  of  six  quavers  in  the  bar,  as  in 
the  dance  more  familiar  in  this  country),  the  marked 
accent  of  which  accommodates  a  jumping  step  in  the  dance  , 
itself,  whence  it  derives  its  name.  The  ceaseless  continuity 
of  the  motion,  and  with  it  the  excitement  of  this  movement, 
is  beyond  praise.  The  plan  of  the  whole  is  somewhat 
singular,  and  admits  of  longer  discussion  than  our  present 
space  will  admit.  Suflice  it  to  state  briefly  that  the  first 
part  is  regular,  like  that  of  a  first  movement ;  that  at  the 
close  of  this  the  subject  re-commencing  in  the  original  key, 
after  the  manner  of  many  of  the  last  movements  of  Mozart 
and  Beethoven,  which  very  shortly  diverges  into  the  elabo- 
rations of  the  second  part ;  that  these  are  enriched,  as  in 
the  first  movement  of  the  present  work,  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  new  episodical  subject,  which  appears  first  in  the 
key  of  G  minor  ;  and  finally,  that  the  composer  is  so  carried 
away  by  the  development  of  this  idea,  in  conjunction  with 
the  chief  subject  of  the  movement,  that  he  foregoes  the 
formality  of  the  recapitulation  of  the  first  part,  and  makes 
no  recurrence  to  the  many  admirable  points  which,  in  the 
key  of  E  minor  constitute  the  second  subject,  but  instead, 
prolongs  the  working  of  the  second  part  into  a  most 
exciting  and  highly  wrought  Coda." 

It  may  here  be  stated  that  Macfarren  preferred  to 


REMARKS    ON   RHYTHM.  85 

consider  all  the  themes  appearing  in  one  key  as  con- 
stituting the  different  sections  of  one  subject — first  or 
second — rather  than  as  different,  or  tributary,  or  sub- 
ordinate subjects.  This  was  evidenced  in  various 
examination  questions,  prepared,  or  given  viva  voce, 
by  him. 

From  internal  evidence,  as  well  as  from  knowledge 
of  Macfarren's  views  on  the  subject,  I  judge  that  the 
following  remarks  upon  Rhythm,  occurring  in  a  review 
of  some  compositions  by  an  estimable  English  musi- 
cian, were  written  by  him,  and  will  help  to  illustrate 
the  remark,  in  the  above  article,  on  the  alleged 
rhythmical  "  caprice  "  in  Mendelssohn's  slow  move- 
ment : — 

"  A  rule  of  rhythm,  little  understood  by  some  musicians 
and  totally  ignored  by  others,  prompts  a  remark  .  .  .  which 
must  be  taken  as  it  is  meant — namely,  in  no  captious 
•spirit,  but  in  the  hope  to  elucidate,  it  may  be,  a  matter 
that  is  of  more  importance  than  many  writers  suppose.  A 
rhythmical  period  should  close  on  the  first  note  of  a  bar, 
unless  the  penultimate  harmony  be  superseded,  when  the 
final  note  is  delayed  till  the  second  of  the  bar.  There  are 
a  very  few  exceptions  from  this  otherwise  universal  law, 
and  they,  rightly  regarded,  all  tend  to  confirm,  nay,  to 
illustrate,  the  principle  involved.  The  works  of  ancient 
and  modern  German,  Italian,  French,  and  English  writers 
furnish  exemplifications  of  what  is  here  enunciated  ;  there 
also  are  many  instances,  it  must  be  admitted,  of  the  dis- 
regard of  the  rule  by  the  best  writers  ;  still,  the  short- 
comings of  a  saint  are  no  warrant  for  the  peccadilloes  of 
one  who  has  not  the  screen  of  boundless  charity  for  his 
sins,  and  a  great  man's  error  justifies  not  the  wilful  wan- 
dering of  a  writer  who  has  less  claim  to  critical  deference. 
Now,  as  the  close  of  a  phrase  is  required  by  rule  to  fall  on 
the  beginning  of  a  bar,  the  opening  of  the  same  phrase 
must  be  so  placed  as  to  accommodate  the  requirement,  and 
this  seems  to  compel  that  the  division  of  the  bars  through- 


86  REMARKS    ON   RHYTHM. 

out  the  phrase  be  counted  backwards  from  the  final  note, 
when  the  fragment  of  a  bar  which  remains  after  such  division 
must  initiate  the  melody.  .  .  .  The  rule  applies  throughout 
a  composition,  and  not  merely  to  the  concluding  cadence, 
and  the  extension  of  some  period  by  half  a  bar,  in  order 
to  bring  about  the  nominally  correct  termination,  is  the 
worst  evil  of  an  unclear  perception  of  the  law,  since  one 
cannot  hear  bar  lines,  nor  tell,  by  listening,  where  they  are 
drawn,  but  one  may  be  fully  aware  of  a  half -bar  too  much 
or  too  little  in  a  phrase.  The  subject  needs  a  far  longer 
disquisition  to  make  it  thoroughly  intelligible  than  is  here 
offered,  and  which  goes  as  far  as  would  here  be  seemly. 
It  is  one  of  sufficient  importance,  however,  to  deserve  the 
attention  of  critics  and  composers,  and  if  it  has  not  been 
often  advanced,  there  is  the  more  reason  for  touching  on 
it,  though  lightly,  at  present." 

I  have  heard  Macfarren  say  that  even  Schumann  is 
not  guiltless  of  the  device  of  "  the  extension  ...  to 
bring  about  the  nominally  correct  termination/'  above 
spoken  of.  At  the  same  time,  Macfarren  said — "  I 
have  undergone  a  good  deal  of  bullying  "  for  insisting 
on  this  principle.  He  once  remarked  to  ine  that, 
judged  by  this  law,  the  whole  slow  movement  of 
Mozart's  wonderful  C  minor  Sonata  is  wrongly 
barred. 

And  yet  the  final  Cadence,  as  well  as  others,  in 
Macfarren's  Song,  "True  Love/'  ends  at  the  half-bar, 
thus : — 


CHAPTER  V. 

SYMPHONY  IN  C  SHARP  MINOR.  MACFARREN  AND 
DAVISON'S  CONCERTS.  QUINTET  IN  G  MINOR.  TRIO 
IN  E  MINOR,  AND  OTHER  WORKS.  1842 — 1844. 

ABOUT  the  year  1842,  one  of  the  finest  of  the 
instrumental  works  of  Macfarren  was  completed  : 
the  Symphony  in  the  very  unusual  key,  for  the 
orchestra, — C  sharp  minor ;  which  was  published 
as  a  pianoforte  duet,  arranged  by  the  composer,  and 
dedicated  to  Mendelssohn.  Concerning  it,  Mendels- 
sohn wrote,  in  a  letter  to  Macfarren,  dated  "  Leipzig, 
2nd  April,  1843  "  :— 

.  ..."  I  tried  to  bring  out  the  Symphony  in  one  of  our 
last  \_Gewandhaus]  Concerts,  but  as  I  suspected  when  I 
first  wrote  to  you,  there  was  some  opposition  from  the 
Directors,  merely  because  there  had  been  four  new 
Symphonies  in  the  course  of  the  last  two  months,  and 
they  did  so  much  that  I  was  obliged  to  postpone  it  until 
the  beginning  of  the  next  season,  although  it  was  half 
copied  already.  I  am  sorry  you  feel  disappointed  by  the 
delay,  but  it  was  not  in  my  power  to  help  it.  Meanwhile 
I  must  repeat  what  I  said  in  my  first  letter — if  you  had 
an  Overture  I  am  sure  it  would  be  a  better  beginning  for 
this  public  and  these  Concerts,  than  a  Symphony.  Ask 
Bennett,  who  knows  the  place,  and  will  certainly  concur  in 
this  opinion.  And  if  you  could  accordingly  let  us  have  an 
Overture  before  the  Symphony,  I  am  sure  the  last  would 
be  much  better  understood  and  received  by  the  public,  even 


88  SYMPHONY  IN    C   SHARP  MINOR. 

if  there  had  not  been  such  a  quantity  of  new  native  Sym- 
phonies beforehand,  as  there  has  been  this  year." 

Then  follows  the  mistaken  request  for  an  Overture 
to  "Rob  Roy,"  which  Mendelssohn  thought  he  had 
seen,  but  which  was  that  to  "  Chevy  Chase."  And 
Mendelssohn  continues : — 

"  As  for  those  good  friends  of  yours  who  think,  as  you 
say,  that  English  music  is  a  thing  which  cannot  be  en- 
dured in  Germany,  and  that  a  work  of  yours  would  be 
here  like  an  apparition  of  two  moons, — pray  ask  them  to 
wait  a  few  months,  before  they  repeat  an  opinion  equally 
creditable  to  us  and  to  you,  or  pray  tell  them  in  my  iiamv 
that  they  are  sadly  mistaken,  and  that  the  event  will  soon 
prove  them  to  be  so." 

"  The  event "  of  the  performance  of  "  Chevy 
Chase "  Overture  may  have  partly  proved  this  mis- 
take ;  but  the  Symphony  seems  never  to  have  been 
performed  at  Leipzig.  Xor  was  it  acknowledged  in 
our  own  country  until  the  year  1845,  when,  on  the 
9th  of  June,  it  was  performed  at  a  Philharmonic 
Concert,  under  the  conductorship  of  Moscheles ;  when, 
however,  the  performance  was  discreditably  indifferent, 
and  the  reception,  by  the  more  conservative  portion  of 
the  (at  that  time)  very  conservative  audience,  worse 
than  apathetic  :  ill-mannered  and  hostile. 

In  the  "Musical  World"  of  March  17th,  1842, 
the  duet  arrangement  of  the  Symphony  was  thus 
noticed : — 

"  A  careful  perusal  of  this  work  has  brought  with  it 
the  conviction  that,  despite  its  occasional  inequalities  of 
style,  despite  the  few  reminiscences  of  the  works  of  the 

1  See  page  33. 


SYMPHONY  IN   C  SHARP  MINOli.  89 


great  masters  which  it  contains,  it  is  beyond  comparison 
the  most  complete  and  finished  composition  that  has  pro- 
ceeded from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Macfarren.  The  first  Allegro 
is  of  a  perverse,  gloomy,  and  desponding  character.  An 
abrupt  and  rugged  phrase,  or  fraction  of  a  phrase,  some- 
what after  the  manner  of  the  C  minor  Symphony  of  Beet- 
hoven, commences  and  gives  the  prevailing  feeling  to  the 
movement.  The  progress  of  this  portion  of  the  Symphony 
is  unimpeded  by  a  single  weakness.  Anything,  however, 
rather  than  an  emotion  of  happiness  is  engendered  by  its 
performance ;  a  thorough  sentiment  of  despair  pervades 
the  whole,  but  since  the  aid  of  mawkishness  is  never  once 
resorted  to,  the  judgment  is  unoffended,  although  the 
heart  is  made  to  weep.  It  seems  the  prevailing  custom 
among  the  best  modern  composers,  to  exert  the  wonders  of 
their  art  in  inciting  the  saddest  possible  current  of  ideas 
in  the  mind  of  the  hearer; — as  witness  the  symphonies 
and  overtures  of  Spohr,  Mendelssohn,  and  Sterndale 
Bennett,  after  hearing  any  one  of  which  we  feel  infinitely 
more  inclined  to  walk  straight  into  a  river  and  drown  our- 
selves than  to  exclaim,  with  an  ecstasy  of  delight,  '  How 
divine  an  art  is  music ! '  Mr.  Macfarren,  in  most  of  his 
works,  has  fallen  into  the  same  notion,  and  usually  regales 
us  with  a  dose  of  the  dreariest  melancholy.  .  .  .  There  are 
so  many  noble  points  in  this  first  Allegro  of  Mr.  Mac- 
farren's  symphony  that  we  find  it  impossible  to  enumerate 
them  in  detail,  and  must  therefore  content  ourselves  with 
referring  our  readers  to  the  text ;  doubtless  they  will  not 
less  vividly  appreciate  than  ourselves  the  striking  points  to 
which  we  have  thus  cursorily  alluded.  The  Andante  Can- 
tabile  in  E  major,  though  possessing  a  rich  vein  of  melody, 
and  abounding  in  fine  points,  is  less  to  our  taste  than  the 
preceding — being  materially  less  original,  and  containing 
constant  indications  of  the  peculiar  feeling  of  Mendelssohn 
and  Beethoven.  Of  the  minuet  and  trio  we  shall  decline  to 
give  an  opinion,  until  a  hearing  of  the  composer's  inten- 
tions, as  delivered  by  an  orchestra,  shall  make  us  enabled 
to  judge  of  them  with  fairness.  They  depend  evidently  so 
much  on  instrumental  aid  for  their  proper  effect,  that  such 
a  hearing  is  absolutely  requisite  for  their  right  compre- 
hension ; — but  when  that  is  to  be — Heaven  or  the  Philhar- 


90  SYMPHONY  IN   C   SHARP  MINOR. 

monic  can  alone  inform  us ;  let  us  hope  it  may  be  ere 
long.  Perhaps  the  triumph  of  the  entire  Symphony  is 
achieved  by  the  finale,  which  is  indubitably  a  noble  piece 
of  impetuous  daring.  The  subject,  however,  is  not  alto- 
gether original,  since  it  recalls  very  vividly  a  passage  in 
one  of  the  finales  of  "  Don  Juan  ;  "  but  the  management  of 
the  materials  is  masterly  in  the  extreme,  and  confirms  us 
in  an  opinion  which  the  first  movement  half  engendered, 
— viz.,  that  this  is  the  best  Symphony  we  have  seen  from 
the  hands  of  a  British  composer.  We  have  not  leisure  to 
individualize  beaiities,  or  we  could  fill  columns  of  our 
journal.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  as  one  concentrated  and 
single  effort  it  is  fully  entitled  to  a  place  amongst  the 
happiest  inspirations  of  the  acknowledged  great  masters  ; 
and  would  do  honour  to  any  existing  author." 

It  is  difficult  to  reconcile  the  appreciative  intelli- 
gence that  is  manifested  by  this  article  with  the 
strange  feeling  expressed  with  regard  to  the  sadden- 
ing effect  of  the  symphonies  of  Mendelssohn,  Spohr 
and  Bennett.  Moreover,  Mendelssohn's  symphonies 
were  hardly  before  the  world  at  that  time ;  and  only 
an  early  symphony  or  two  of  Bennett's  had  been 
produced.  It  is  not  improbable,  however,  that  a 
certain  influence  from  the  reading  of  Shelley  may 
have  tinged  Macfarren's  mind,  and  tended  to  give 
some  character  to  his  writings  such  as  that  which 
is  here  animadverted  on. 

In  the  "  Musical  Examiner,"  August  19th,  1843, 
appeared  this  extract  from  a  letter  from  H.  "VV.  Ernst, 
dated  Paris,  August  13th,  1843  : — 

"  Mon  cher [Davison  ?].    Voici  quelques  mots  pour 

vous  dire  que  je  suis  arrive  en  bonne  saute  et  qu'a  peiue 
un.  peu  repose  je  suis  alle  porter  si  Heller  les  melodies 
anglaises  que  voxis  m'avez  donnees.  Le  soir  il  a  joue  avec 
Halle  la  Symphonie  de  Macfarren  a  4  mains,  et  il  a  ete 


SYMPHONY  IN    C  SHARP  MINOR.  91 

emerveille,  et  veritablement  etonne  de  n'avoir  jamais 
entendu  parler  de  lui.  II  met  cette  symphonie  bien  au 
dessus  de  celle  de  Mendelssohn.  II  a  voulu  ajouter  lui 
meme  quelques  lignes  pour  exprimer  son  admiration. 
Halle  et  moi  nous  avons  eu  beaucoup  de  plaisir  encore  a 
1'entendre  une  seconde  fois  ;  .  .  .  Mille  choses  a  Macfarren 
et  remerciments  de  la  part  de  Heller,  de  Halle,  et  de  inoi, 
de  la  jouissance  qu'il  nous  a  cause  par  sa  symphonie. 
Heller,  sans  lui  en  faire  une  reproche,  a  regrette  que  le 
motif  du  premier  morceau  ressemble,  un  peu,  la  sym- 
phonie en  Ut  de  Beethoven." 

And  in  the   same   number  of  the    periodical   this 
notice  occurs : — 

"  The  Symphony  of  Mr.  Macfarren,  though  by  no  means 
free  from  fault,  is  decidedly  the  completest,  and  the  most 
striking,  as  well  as  the  most  ambitious  work  that  has 
proceeded  from  his  pen.  The  subject  of  the  first  move- 
ment reminds  us,  by  its  abrupt  and  unmelodic  character, 
of  Beethoven's  C  minor,  and  further  on,  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  first  regular  forte,  there  is  another  reminiscence 
(if  we  may  so  term  it)  of  the  Symphony  in  F  major  by  the 
same  composer.  The  movement  as  a  whole,  is,  never- 
theless, in  our  judgment,  exceedingly  fine,  and  there  are 
points  in  it  of  which  no  composer  need  be  ashamed ;  let 
us  instance  the  introduction  of  the  second  subject — the 
forte  immediately  succeeding — the  return  to  the  original 
motivo — the  happy  management  of  the  singing  phrase, 
re-introduced  in  the  minor  tonic — and  the  noble  diatonic 
passage  in  contrary  motion  towards  the  close.  The  slow 
movement,  in  E  major,  is  full  of  melody,  and  deliciously 
treated,  but  is  less  original,  reminding  us  here  of  Men- 
delssohn, there  of  Beethoven,  and  seldom  of  Macfarren 
himself— consequently  it  has  considerably  inferior  interest 
for  us.  The  minuet,  in  A  flat  major,  is  simple  and 
imposing,  and  the  trio  as  fanciful  and  fantastic  as  well 
may  be.  The  grand  feature  of  the  work,  however,  is  the 
finale,  the  merits  of  which  we  can  scarcely  exaggerate, 
when  we  place  it  by  the  side  of  that  of  Mendelssohn's 


92 


SYMPHONY  IN   C  SHARP   MINOR. 


Otetto.  The  subject,  nevertheless,  is  not  original,  but 
may  be  found  (or  something  very  nearly  resembling  it)  in 
the  first  finale  of  "  Don  Juan" — but  the  entire  course  of 
the  movement,  the  headlong  rushing  of  the  incessant 
stream  of  semiquavers,  the  unusual  key,  the  grand  effect 
after  grand  effect  coming  out  with  unabated  vigour — and 
the  overpowering  energy  of  the  coda,  beginning  with  a 


Allegro  con  brio. 


I 


=SB 


— ^^y — r"*= — :— »:T— » — i — *~ 


masterly  enharmonic  modulation  from  the  chord  of  the 
9th  on  G-  sharp,  to  that  of  the  four-two  on  A  flat,  and 
dashing  on  impetuously  to  the  conclusion — one  and  all 
of  them  leave  us  no  time  for  consideration ;  the  acknow- 
ledgment that  genius  is  at  work  is  wrung  from  us  whether 
we  will  or  not,  be  we  prejudiced  or  impartial ;  that  genius 
is  at  work  and  employing  all  its  strength,  is  mentally 
assented  to,  as  the  irresistible  torrent  of  the  musician's 
passionate  eloquence  is  poured  out,  effortless  and  unim- 
peded by  lack  of  power.  This  movement  alone  would 


LETTERS  FROM  MENDELSSOHN.  93 

prove  Mr.  Macfarren  to  be  a  composer  of  very  high 
pretensions,  and  we  care  not  who  knows  that  it  is  our 
opinion,  for  we  are  not  ashamed  of  it." 

The  Symphony  opens  as  above :  the  musical  reader 
can  therefrom  judge  for  himself  as  to  the  alleged 
suggestion  of  the  C  minor  Symphony  of  Beethoven. 

Facilities  for  the  production  of  large  works  by 
English  composers  were  not  then  as  numerous  as 
now  ;  or  this  work  could  hardly  have  been  "  shelved  " 
and  lain  unrecognized,  uncalled  for,  all  these  years. 

The  following  letter  from  Mendelssohn  to  Mac- 
farren bears  date  about  the  time  of  the  dedication  of 
this  Symphony,  though  not  referring  immediately  to 
it: — 

"London,  10th  July,  1842. 
"  MY  DEAR  SIR, 

"  I  hoped  to  come  to  you  and  I  hoped  to  see  you  once 
more  here  and  have  been  disappointed  in  both ;  to-morrow 
I  must  leave  England  again.  I  wanted  to  thank  you  in 
person  for  your  very,  very  kind  letter,  and  for  the  pleasure 
you  gave  me  by  sending  me  the  Album  in  which  I  could 
inscribe  myself  amongst  the  number  of  your  friends.  I 
send  it  back  to  you  with  these  lines  and  hope  my  little 
song  will  sometimes  remind  you  of  me  and  ask  you  not  to 
forget  one  who  will  always  be  with  the  greatest  esteem  and 
the  best  wishes 

"  Tours  very  truly, 

"FELIX  MENDELSSOHN  BARTHOLDY." 

And  the  following,  of  a  later  date,  does  refer  to  the 
ultimate  return  of  the  Symphony,  without  having 
been  performed  at  Leipzig  : — 

"1,  Hobart  Place,  Eaton  Square, 

"20th  May,  1844. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 
"  I  receive  just  now  your  very  kind  note  and  thank  you 


94  INTIMACY    WITH  D  AVISO  X. 

very  much  for  it,  and  hasten  to  tell  you  that  I  am  sure 
they  will  send  in  the  Leipzic  parcel  the  score  of  your 
Symphony  as  well  as  the  other  music.  They  asked  me 
when  I  was  there  last  whether  they  could  keep  some  of 
the  music  for  next  winter,  and  I  said  that  at  any  rate,  as 
they  had  had  it  now  so  long  they  were  to  send  everything 
back  to  you  at  present,  and  might  make  their  arrange- 
ments hereafter.  So  I  am  sure  you  will  receive  everything 
very  soon ;  of  all  the  rest  of  your  letter  I  hope  to  speak  to 
you  to-morrow  at  length." 

Mention  has  been  made  of  Macfarren's  intimacy 
with  James  William  Davison,  whose  name,  indeed, 
was  so  often  coupled  with  his  own,  in  ordinary 
parlance,  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  professional 
career.  Concerning  this  intimacy,  he  writes  : — 

"  As  to  Davison  ;  my  most  intimate  friendship  with  him 
began  ....  through  my  borrowing  from  one  to  whom 
he  had  lent  it,  a  copy  of  '  Queen  Mab.'  From  the  first. 
and  always,  my  father  distrusted  him,  and  though  circum- 
stances and  I  brought  them  much  together,  though  he 
perceived,  and  frankly  owned,  the  special  abilities  of  my 
loved  companion,  he  was  never  without  apprehension  that 
this  friend  was  an  evil  genius  to  me." 

How  far  the  paternal  solicitude  was  justified  may 
partly  be  determined  by  the  fact  that,  as  is  hinted 
above,  the  friendship  partly  originated  in  a  common 
admiration  of  Shelley  :  not,  it  is  believed,  merely  an 
admiration  of  his  poetic  genius,  but  a  fervent  sympathy 
with, — almost  worship  of — his  personality,  his  opinions 
on  religion,  and  his  daring,  defiant  independence  of 
life.  Probably  the  religious,  or  anti-religious,  utter- 
ances and  position  of  the  poet  did  not  so  much  alarm 
the  senior  Macfarren, — though  his  son  writes  that 
"  though  never  a  scoffer,  he  was  as  a  boy  not  ortho  - 


INTIMACY    WITH  DAY  IS  ON.  95 

dox: "  and  tbis  non-orthodoxy  probably  characterized 
also  his  manhood, — but  the  extravagances,  moral  and 
otherwise,  which  seemed  to  attach  to  the  school  of 
Shelley-devotees  may  well  have  occasioned  him  some 
concern.  G.  A.  Macfarren,  J.  W.  Davison,  and  some 
other  ardent  young  men,  seem  to  have  been  drawn 
together  by  their  common  tastes,  and  to  have  mani- 
fested a  certain  amiable  eccentricity,  such  as  the  for- 
swearing of  animal  food,  the  pursuit  of  universal 
knowledge,  and  so  on.  This  vegetarian  diet  probably 
injured  the  constitution  of  Macfarren,  who  was  never 
robust.  It  has  been  related  that  he  was  once  "  the 
embarrassed  recipient  of  a  salmon  which  no  one 
would  take  off  his  hands/'  What  young  man,  with 
any  aspiration,  any  romance,  any  inborn  energy,  has 
not  formed  resolutions,  conceived  more  or  less  wild 
plans,  of  individuality  in  living,  especially,  moreover, 
when  the  tender  passion  has  kindled  irrepressible 
emotional  longings,  which  the  stern  realities  of  life, 
the  sobering  influences  of  maturer  life,  and  the  reason- 
able gratification  of  natural  longings,  have  sufficed  to 
moderate ;  but  which  have  imparted  zest  and  interest 
to  the  period  of  early  struggle  ? 

Years  afterwards,  Macfarren  wrote  thus  concerning 
his  friend  Davison  (with  whom,  however,  he  was  by 
no  means  so  intimate,  latterly,  as  in  early  life)  ;  after 
speaking  of  his  Sonata  and  lighter  pieces  for  the 
pianoforte:  — 

"  His  esteem  as  a  composer  more  justly  rests  upon  his 
sougs,  many  of_  which — the  series  entitled  '  Vocal  Illustra- 
tions of  Shelley,"  especially — are  marked  by  an  originality 
of  thought,  a  command  of  technicalities,  and  a  depth  of 
feeling  which  attest  no  less  his  musicianship  than  his 


96  MACFARREN   ON  DAY  IS  ON. 

poetical  perception.  His  very  extensive  literary  attain- 
ments and  his  love  of  music  combined  to  induce  an  in- 
clination to  writing  on  this  art,  and  he  was  for  several 
years  an  occasional  contributor  to  various  journals  in 
London.  In  1842,  and  the  following  year,  he  published 
the  '  Musical  Examiner,'  a  weekly  periodical,  of  which  he 
was  the  sole  author.  In  1843,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Mae- 
farren  [the  father  of  Gr.  A.  M.],  he  became  the  proprietor 
of  the  '  Musical  World.'  ...  In  1846  he  was  appointed 
musical  critic  on  the  '  Times '  newspaper,  and  it  is  in  the 
fulfilment  of  this  office  that  his  best  claims  to  considera- 
tion are  founded.  .  .  .  With  a  large  amount  of  technical 
knowledge,  a  considerable  artistic  experience,  and  with  a 
genuine  love  for  the  theme,  Mr.  Davison  entered  upon  this 
task  in  a  spirit  that  had  never  before  been  brought  to  bear 
upon  it.  The  field  in  which  he  exercises  his  pre-eminent 
qualifications  is  so  extensive  as  to  give  him  an  almost 
unlimited  influence ;  his  eloquent  writing  has  not  only 
raised  the  standard  of  our  musical  literature  immeasurably 
above  its  previous  level,  but  has  formed  one,  by  no  means 
the  least  important,  of  the  many  powerful  means  which 
have  induced  the  prodigious  progress  of  music  in  this 
country.  There  are  certainly  men  who  mean  well  to 
music,  and  who  differ  from  the  opinions  he  expresses ;  but 
this  is  not  always  a  testimony  against  the  truth  of  his 
judgments,  and  never  against  their  sincerity.  There  never 
was  a  censor  who  was  infallible,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
specialities  of  art-judgment  that  it  depends  on  the  taste, 
no  less  than  the  erudition  of  the  critic.  It  is  by  the 
general  tendency  of  his  writings  and  by  their  effect,  and 
not  by  the  particular  discussion  of  accidental  works,  that 
their  high  value  is  to  be  appreciated ;  and  this  will  be  best 
proved  by  a  comparison  of  the  past  and  present  state  of 
music  in  England.  During  his  literary  avocations  he  has 
still  pursued  his  original  profession ;  and  in  his  teaching 
of  Miss  Arabella  Goddard  he  has  evinced  his  rare  ability 
as  a  master  of  the  pianoforte." — "  Imperial  Dictionary  of 
Universal  Biography." 

The  musical  public  are  sufficiently  acquainted  with 


CONCERTS    WITH  DAVIS  ON.  97 

the  subsequent  career  of  this  distinguished  critic,  to 
render  its  further  record  here  quite  unnecessary.  His 
association  with  Macfarren  in  concert-giving  will  be 
related  further  on. 

In  the  year  1843,  at  a  concert  by  the  Society  of 
British  Musicians,  a  String  Quartet  in  A,  by  Macfarren, 
was  performed  by  Messrs.  J.  H.  B.  Dando  (still  living, 
1890),  J.  W.  Thirlwall,  Willy,  and  my  father,  H.  J. 
Banister  ;  and  this  was  declared  to  be  "  one  of  the  best 
works  that  have  proceeded  from  his  pen.  The  first 
movement  is  sublime — the  scherzo  strikingly  fanciful 
and  original — the  andante  pretty  and  melodious — the 
finale  irresistibly  exciting.  The  style  is  perfectly  in- 
dividual— Macfarren  all  over — as  any  one  acquainted 
with  the  music  of  this  clever  composer  must  imme- 
diately admit."  It  was  again  performed  at  a  morning 
performance  by  the  same  Society,  to  which  Spohr  was 
invited,  July  20th  of  the  same  year. 

On  the  4th  of  the  same  month,  a  song  by  Mac- 
farren, ' '  I/ultime  parole  d'amour,"  was  sung  by  Signor 
Giubilei  at  a  matinee  given  in  the  Hanover  Square 
Rooms  by  the  precocious  and — alas  ! — short-lived 
young  pianist,  Charles  Filtsch. 

In  the  same  year,  Macfarren  joined  this  intimate 
friend,  J.  W.  Davison,  in  giving  a  series  of  three 
Chamber  Concerts,  at  Messrs.  ChappelFs  Rooms,  in 
Xew  Bond  Street,  during  the  months  of  March  and 
April;  the  first  taking  place  on  the  9th  of  March. 
The  programmes  both  of  this  series,  and  a  second 
series  in  1844,  were  largely  made  up  of  works  by  the 
two  concert-givers  ;  which,  unreasonably  enough, 
caused  some  animadversion,  whereas  justifiable  self- 

••  Musical  Examiner,"  Jan.  7th,  1843. 
H 


98  DEATH  OF  MACFARREN,  SENIOR. 

assertion,  and  publicity,  not  money-making,  -were,  not 
unavowedly,  the  very  objects  in  view.  Macfarren's 
Pianoforte  Sonatas  in  E  flat  and  A  major  were  per- 
formed by  W.  H.  Holmes;  and  his  highly  intellectual 
and  interesting  series  of  four  songs  to  words  from 
Lane's  translation  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights'  Enter- 
tainments "  were  also  first  sung,  by  Miss  Marshall 
and  Miss  Dolby.  Another  most  interesting  incident, 
however,  was  the  first  performance  in  this  country  of 
Mendelssohn's  Trio  in  D  minor,  by  Sterndale  Bennett, 
Henry  G.  Blagrove,  and  Charles  Lucas.  These  songs, 
from  the  "  Story  of  Alee  and  Shems  en  Nahar,"  are  en- 
titled respectively — "The  Transport  of  a  Bedaweeyeh," 
a  plaintive  song  in  A  minor ;  "  Many  a  one  laugheth 
at  my  tears,"  in  G  major,  full  of  gentle  pathos  ;  "  Se- 
paration," in  D  minor,  full  of  hushed  passion  ;  and 
"  Many  a  one  hath  invited  me  to  love,"  no  less 
interesting,  with  more  florid  accompaniment.  They 
were  termed  "exquisite  gushes  of  the  misery  and 
despondency  of  love," — "  nothing  superior  to  them  in 
the  whole  range  of  German  song-writing  :  "  "  Men- 
delssohn himself  would  not  have  treated  the  burning 
words  which  the  music  illustrates  with  more  intensity, 
pathos,  and  elegance." 

Just  after  the  last  of  these  concerts,  Macfarren 
sustained  the  severe  loss  of  his  father,  who  died  in 
Castle  Street,  Leicester  Square,  April  24th,  1843,  in 
his  fifty-fifth  year.  Besides  the  grief  at  the  severance, 
on  natural  grounds,  this  was  a  great  blow  to  our  com- 
poser, as  his  father  had  been  his  valued  literary  col- 
laboraieur  for  years,  and  Macfarren  had  now  to  seek 
literary  aid  elsewhere.  He  was  fortunate,  as  will  be 
1  "  Morning  HeraH. " 


SECOND    SERIES   OF   CONCERTS.  99 

seen,    in    securing    that     of    the    late   John    Oxen- 
ford. 

The  attendance  at  the  first  series  of  concerts  being 
very  encouraging,  a  second  series,  in  the  following 
year,  was  held  in  the  concert-room  in  the  rear  of  the 
Princess's  Theatre  ;  the  first  taking  place  on  the  26th 
of  April,  1844,  and  being  signalized  by  the  first  public 
performance  of  one  of  the  most  esteemed  of  Macfarren's 
Chamber  compositions,  the  fine  Quintet  in  G  minor  for 
pianoforte,  violin,  viola,  violoncello,  and  double-bass  ; 
the  performers  being  Messrs.  William  Dorrell,  Goffrie, 
Henry  Hill,  Lucas,  and  Charles  Severn.  The  Quartet 
in  A  was  also  performed  ;  and  H.  R.  Allen  sang  Mac- 
farren's aria,  "  Ah  !  non  lasciarmi  no."  The  Quintet 
was  written  expressly  on  commission  for  an  enthu- 
siastic amateur  contrabassist,  George  Perkins,  Esq., 
recently  [1889]  deceased.  "When  the  composer  took 
the  work  to  his  patron,  the  sum  agreed  upon  was 
cheerfully  paid;  but  the  remark  was  made  that  he 
doubted  whether  any  double-bass  player  could  execute 
the  difficult  part  assigned  to  the  instrument  in  the 
Quintet.  Respecting  the  origin  of  this  work,  Mr. 
F.  W.  Davenport  has  written  the  following  interesting 
particulars,  preceding  an  exhaustive  analysis  : — • 

"  Like  many  other  works  that  have  achieved  distinction 
or  popularity,  the  above  owes  its  origin  to  an  accident. 
During  the  rehearsal  of  another  work  by  our  composer,  a 
gentleman  was  introduced  to  the  company  by  a  mutual 
friend,  Mr.  Brinley  Richards,  who,  besides  being  an  enthu- 
siastic amateur,  had  acquired  some  skill  as  a  player  on  the 
double-bass.  The  immediate  business  of  the  moment  was 
thus  interrupted,  somewhat  to  the  annoyance  of  those  con- 
cerned in  it.  Shortly  after  taking  his  leave,  feeling  perhaps 
that  he  could  gracefully  make  amends,  and  pay  a  comph'- 


100  QUINTET  IN  G   MINOR. 

ment  into  the  bargain,  the  visitor  commissioned  Sir  George 
Macfarren  to  write  a  composition  for  the  chamber,  which 
should  include  among  the  instruments  in  the  score  that 
upon  which  he  himself  was  in  the  habit  of  performing. 
The  present  work  was  the  result,  and  was  written  in  the 
course  of  the  last  three  Sundays  of  December,  1843.  The 
kindly-disposed  patron  of  our  art  himself,  maybe  from  a 
feeling  of  modesty,  never  played  the  part  that  was  written 
for  him  ;  but  his  name  will  be  always  associated  with  the 
work,  through  his  kindly  instigation  of  it,  and  its  dedica- 
tion to  him  on  the  title-page.  The  first  performance  took 
place  early  in  the  following  year  (1844),  at  a  concert  given 
by  the  composer  and  Mr.  J.  W.  Davison,  in  London,  and 
since  that  date  it  has  been  frequently  included  in  metro- 
politan and  provincial  programmes.  On  one  occasion, 
Madame  Arabella  Goddard  and  Signer  Bottesini  played 
the  pianoforte  and  double  bass  parts,  and  on  another,  in 
the  rooms  of  the  composer  in  Berners  Street,  Mendelssohn, 
with  his  usual  insight  and  facility,  astonished  the  company 
by  his  marvellous  reading  of  it  from  the  MS.  score." 

At  the  second  concert  of  this  series,  May  17th, 
1844,  the  new  work  was  the  "  Romance  and  Allegro 
con  fuoco  "  in  E  minor,  for  pianoforte,  violin,  and 
violoncello,  composed  expressly  for  Madame  Dulcken, 
and  played  by  her,  E.  W.  Thomas  (known  as  "  Taffy 
Thomas"),  and  Lucas.  The  plan  of  the  work,  con- 
sisting of  only  two  movements,  was  suggested  by 
Madame  Dulcken  herself;  and  she  had,  indeed,  pre- 
viously played  it  at  a  Chamber  Concert  of  her  own, 
earlier  in  this  same  year.  It  was  published  in  the 
following  year. 

On  this  occasion  also,  the  (at  that  time)  somewhat 
bold  experiment  was  made  of  performing  Beethoven's 
C  sharp  minor  posthumous  Quartet,  the  first  violin 
part  being  taken  by  H.  W.  Ernst.  I  remember  the 
occasion  well,  having  sat  by  Dr.  Day,  and  been  some- 


TRIO    IN  E    MINOR.  101 

what  astonished  to  hear  him  express  his  non-relish  of 
the  Quartet. 

Mendelssohn  was  present ;  and  the  six  songs  just 
dedicated  by  him  to  Miss  Dolby  were  sung  by  her 
and  Miss  Marshall,  in  alternation ;  the  latter  evincing 
considerable  nervousness,  partly,  I  believe,  on  account 
of  some  physical  disability  for  the  particular  task 
assigned  to  her,  and  additionally  on  account  of  the 
presence  of  the  composer. 

The  Trio  referred  to  above  was  somewhat  strangely 
neglected  for  a  number  of  years — strangely,  not  only 
because  of  the  interest  of  the  music,  but  also  because, 
being  comparatively  short,  it  was  available  for  per- 
formance on  occasions  when  a  longer  work  was 
undesirable  —  which  was  Madame  Dulcken's  inten- 
tion. The  credit  of  reviving  the  work  belongs 
to  Mr.  Ernest  Kiver,  who  played  it  at  his  con- 
cert, April  27th,  1887,  in  presence  of  the  com- 
poser, who  sat  by  me  on  the  occasion.  Macfarren's 
account  of  the  work  is  given  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Kiver, 
March  25th  :— 

"The  plan  of  the  Trio  was  suggested  by  Madame 
Dulcken,  the  once  deservedly  popular  pianiste,  and  the 
work  was  first  played  by  her  at  one  of  her  chamber  con- 
certs in  the  spring  of  1844 ;  it  was  printed  in  1845." 

It  is  both  just  and  pleasurable  to  insert,  in  addition, 
the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Kiver,  furnishing,  moreover, 
an  instance  of  the  kind  appreciativeness  which  Mac- 
farren  was  so  ready  to  express  towards  rising  artists, 
and  his  sense  of  any  attention  or  honour  paid  to  him- 
self— an  appreciativeness  which  continued  to  the  end ; 
for  this  letter  was  among  the  latest  of  many  such  which 


102  LETTER   FROM  MENDELSSOHN. 

he  wrote,  bearing  date  less  than  six  months  before  his 
death : — 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 

"May  nth,  1887. 
"  MY  DEAR  KlVER, 

"  I  have  been  remiss  in  not  sooner  telling  you,  as  I  have 
all  along  wished  for  time  to  do,  that  I  was  greatly  pleased 
with  your  performance  at  your  concert,  and  I  now  thank 
you  for  the  pains  you  spent  upon  my  old  Trio,  and  for  the 
capital  result.  I  earnestly  wish  that  this  occasion  may 
help  with  others  in  which  your  merit  has  been  evinced  to 
establish  you  in  your  profession,  and  I  shall  be  very  glad 
if  you  will  ever  give  me  opportunity  to  further  your 
interests. 

"  You  must  not  forget  your  promise  to  lend  me  your 
copy  of  the  Trio,  for  the  sake  of  the  corrections,  but  this 
may  be  kept  at  any  time  most  convenient  to  you,  since  the 
faults  that  have  been  accepted  for  forty  years,  cannot  do 
much  more  mischief  in  a  week  or  two. 

"  Tours  with  kind  regards  and  best  wishes, 

"  G.  A.  MACFARREN." 

At  the  third  concert,  W.  H.  Holmes  was  to  have 
played  Macfarren's  Second  Solo  Sonata,  "  Ma  Cousine," 
in  A  major ;  but  illness  prevented  him  from  doing  so. 
Macfarren  requested  Mendelssohn  to  play  it,  as  he  was 
to  play  his  Trio  in  D  minor,  but  received  the  following 
letter  of  apology  : — 

"4,  Hobart  Place,  Eaton  Square. 

"  June  6th,  1844. 
"  MY  DEAR  SIR, 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  with  how  great  a  pleasure  I  would 
have  played  your  Sonata  to-morrow,  if  I  possibly  could — 
for  I  hope  you  know  this.  And  you  also  know  that  it  is 
with  true  and  sincere  regret  that  I  must  say  I  am  not 
able  to  undertake  the  task  which  you  propose  me.  During 
the  bustle  of  the  last  weeks  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
become  acquainted  with  your  Sonata ;  the  whole  of  this 


JOSEPH  JOACHIM.  103 

day  and  of  to-morrow  morning  is  taken  up  with  different 
musical  and  unmusical  engagements,  and  accordingly  I 
would  hardly  have  an  hour  till  to-morrow  night  to  play 
your  Sonata  over.  This  I  cannot  think  sufficient,  and  I 
would  not  be  able  to  do  it  justice  in  my  own  eyes.  Do  not 
misunderstand  me  and  take  this  for  false  modesty  ;  I  know 
very  well  that  I  should  be  able  to-morrow  to  play  it 
through  without  stopping,  and  perhaps  without  wrong 
notes  ;  but  I  attach  too  much  importance  to  any  public 
performance  to  believe  that  sufficient,  and  unless  I  am 
myself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  a  composition  of  such 
importance  and  compass,  I  would  never  venture  to  play  it 
iu  public.  Once  more  I  need  not  tell  you  how  much  I 
regret  it,  for  you  must  know  it  very  well. 

"Mr.  Davison  told  me  the  Concert  was  now  to  begin  with 
my  Trio  [in  D  minor :  Op.  49] :  I  shall  therefore  be  punctually 
with  you  to-morrow  evening  at  half-past  eight.  I  beg  you 
will  arrange  about  having  a  good  piano  of  Erard's  at  the 
room  ;  they  know  there  already  which  I  like  best. 
"Always  very  sincerely  yours, 

"FELIX  MENDELSSOHN  BARTHOLDY." 

Mendelssohn  was  joined,  at  this  performance,  by 
Joseph  Joachim  and  Hausmann.  During  this  year, 
Joachim,  then  a  lad,  received  composition  lessons  from 
Macfarren,  to  whom,  as  I  have  heard  him  say,  he  was 
indebted  for  his  first  instructions  in  the  art  of  writing 
for  an  orchestra.  His  visit  to  this  country,  in  that 
year,  created  a  great  sensation  ;  and  his  performances 
at  Macfarren  and  Davison's  concerts  formed  an  attrac- 
tive feature. 

At  this  third  concert,  Miss  Rainforth  sang  a 
"  Spinnelied  "  from  "Faust/'  by  Macfarren,  described 
as  of  "  tristful  quaintness,  a  melody  which  follows  with 
true  sentiment  the  varied  passion  of  the  poetry,  in  all 
respects  worthy  to  be  its  companion." 

Another   fine  song  of  Macfarren'g,   belonging   to 


104  "0    WORLD!    O   LIFE!    O    TIME!" 

this  period,  is  the  rhapsody,  "  0  world !  0  life  !  0 
time  !  "  which  the  ' '  Atlas "  newspaper  declared  to 
be— 

"  Altogether  one  of  the  most  remarkable  songs  we  have 
seen.  From  its  opening  amid  the  profoundest  despondency, 
through  all  its  vary  ing  shades  of  sentiment,  down  to  the  chill- 
ing and  hopeless  gloom  of  its  close,  it  is  filled  with  testimonies 
to  the  intellectuality  of  the  true  musician's  art.  Music  must 
needs  be  metaphysical  that  follows  up,  seizes  on,  and  incor- 
porates itself  with  the  thoughts  of  such  a  poet  as  Shelley ; 
yet  all  this  does  this  song  in  perfection.  But  few  things 
in  modern  song-writing  will  bear  comparison  with  the  ex- 
pression of  the  half-stifled  hope  in  the  line, '  When  will  return 
the  glory  of  your  prime  ? '  by  the  grand  and  unexpected 
modulation  to  D  major;  or  the  rendering  of  the  withering 
self -reply,  '  No  more!  no  more! '  increasing  in  fervour  with 
every  repetition,  until  the  climax  of  mental  suffering  seems 
attained  in  the  unisonous  passage  that  regains  the  tonic, 
and,  in  its  course,  involves  that  acutest  of  the  musician's 
expressions  of  pain,  the  ascent  of  the  diminished  fourth. 
An  enharmonic  transition  now  conducts  to  a  reposeful  and 
lovely  melody  in  D  flat  major,  to  the  words,  '  Out  of  the 
day  and  night  a  joy  has  taken  flight.'  This  is  interrupted 
by  a  recurrence  of  the  poet's  thoughts  to  their  gloomy 
outset,  and  the  musician,  faithful  to  every  turn  of  feeling 
he  essays  to  depict,  parallelizes  this  relinquishment  of 
fancied  happiness,  and  by  a  most  masterly  manoeuvre  of 
harmony  reverts  to  the  stern  severity  of  his  first  tonic, 
F  sharp  minor,  and  to  his  rendering  of  the  poet's  'No  more, 
O  never  more ! '  but,  in  this  case,  expanded  over  the  entire 
surface  of  his  last  page,  and  wrought  to  its  close  with  a 
chilling  power  of  effect,  of  which  we  scarcely  know  a  com- 
parable instance.  On  the  whole,  we  do  not  hesitate  to 
pronounce  this  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  songs  in  any 
language." 


CHAPTER    VI. 

MACFARREN'S  THEORETICAL  VIEWS  AND  WRITINGS. 
DR.  DAY'S  THEORY.      1838,  ETC. 

SOME  time  prior  to  the  year  1838,  Macfarren  first 
became  acquainted  with  Dr.  Alfred  Day,1  homoeo- 
pathic physician  [1810-1849]  :  an  acquaintanceship 
which  in  that  year  "  ripened  into  intimacy."  This 
intimacy  had  such  momentous  results  with  regard  to 
his  own  theoretical  views,  and,  by  consequence,  his 
attitude  towards  previous  and  contemporary  systems 
of  harmony,  as  well,  it  must  surely  be  said,  upon 
his  own  composition ;  and  moreover,  his  name  became 
so  identified  with  the  system  which  he,  against  his 
predilections,  was  compelled  to  adopt,  espouse,  and 
defend,  so  as  to  render  him  its  apostle  and  champion, 
that  it  becomes  necessary  to  treat  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject at  some  length.  It  has  been  customary  to  regard 
Macfarren  as  dogmatically  obstinate,  especially  be- 
cause of  tho  persistency  with  which  he  enunciated 
and  upheld  his  theoretical  opinions.  But  this  will 
ever  be  the  fate  of  men  who  think  out  a  subject 
thoroughly,  and,  having  thought  to  a  definite  con- 
clusion, enunciate  that  definite  conclusion  without 
hesitation,  reserve,  or  concession.  And  especially 

2  See  chapter  iii.  page  80. 


106  ALFRED  DAY. 


unyielding  will  such  a  man  be,  when  the  very  preci- 
sion and  persuadedness  of  his  views  result  from  his 
having  arrived  at  them  by  himself  yielding,  not- 
withstanding old-standing  prejudices.  There  is,  un- 
doubtedly, a  tone  of  finality,  as  of  "  one  having 
authority,"  about  Macfarren's  theoretical  writings; 
and  that  is  justly  to  be  characterized  as  dogmatic.  But 
Macfarren's  contention  would  have  been  that,  in  in- 
structing learners,  it  is  the  teacher's  function  to  lay 
down  the  law,  to  enunciate  the  truth,  and  that  with- 
out wavering.  Macfarren  himself  was  "fully  persuaded 
in  his  own  mind  "  :  it  is  not  fair  to  characterize  that 
persuasion  as  prejudice,  when  it  was  the  issue  of 
painstaking  consideration.  Prejudice  is  judgment  that 
precedes  evidence.  Conviction  is  judgment  after 
weighing  evidence. 

Macfarren  himself  writes,  concerning  Alfred  Day: — 

"His  early  predilection  for  music  was  opposed  by  his 
father,  who  devoted  him  to  the  profession  of  medicine. 
He  studied  in  the  schools  of  London  and  Paris,  obtained 
his  diploma  at  Heidelberg,  and  practised  in  London  as  a 
homoeopathist.  His  father's  hindrance  of  his  pursuit  of 
music  prevented  his  acquiring  any  practical  facility  in  the 
art,  but  could  not  check  his  interest  in  it,  and  he  indulged 
accordingly  in  theoretical  investigation.  His  only  instructor 
was  W.  H.  Kearns ;  but  his  familiar  intercourse  with 
several  of  the  most  talented  musicians  of  his  own  age  gave 
him  constant  opportunity  of  study.  He  conceived  a  theory 
of  harmony  that  justifies,  upon  fundamental  principles, 
many  of  the  beautiful  exceptions  from  conventional  rules 
that  adorn  the  works  of  the  great  composers.  He  spent 
several  years  in  maturing  his  system,  and  gave  it  to  the 
world  in  his  'Treatise  on  Harmony,'  in  1845.  The  lucid 
distinction  between  the  laws  of  the  ancient,  or  strict,  or  dia- 
tonic school,  and  those  of  the  modern,  or  free,  or  chromatic; 
the  regular  and  comprehensive  manner  in  which  these  are 


CONFERENCES    WITH   DP.   DAY.  107 

severally  defined ;  and  the  original  and  coherent  explanation 
of  the  specialities  of  chromatic  harmony — are  all  novelties 
in  this  very  remarkable  work,  which,  on  that  account,  have 
been  barriers  to  its  immediate  acceptation.  But  the  clear- 
ness with  which  this  system  unfolds  the  subject,  is  such  as 
to  give  at  once  greater  confidence  and  greater  scope  to  the 
student  than  any  theoretical  work  in  existence  ;  and  its 
value  is  acknowledged  by  those  who  have  carefully  and 
candidly  stxidied  its  principles.  The  peculiarity  of  mind 
which  led  him  to  reject  established  codes,  both  in  medicine 
and  in  music,  led  him  also  to  observe  every  other  object 
from  a  novel  aspect ;  and  his  singular  genius  amused  itself 
in  devising  improvements  in  many  mechanical  inventions, 
few  of  which,  however,  with  all  the  ingenuity  they  evince, 
have  come  into  use."  ("  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Universal 
Biography.") 

In  agreement  with  one  remark  in  the  above  extract 
was  an  observation  made  by  Macfarren  to  myself,  in 
conversation  about  the  theory:  "Think  how  much 
you  will  enlarge  your  power  and  freedom  in  your  own 
writing  by  remembering  that  these  various  resolutions 
are  within  your  scope  " — referring  to  the  chromatic 
resolutions  of  the  minor  9th,  etc. 

About  the  period  above  specified,  Macfarren 
used  to  go  over  to  Brixton  to  spend  as  many  even- 
ings as  he  could  spare  with  Dr.  Alfred  Day,  for  the 
discussion  of  his  views  on  Harmony.  The  history 
of  those  conferences  is  thus  briefly  related  by  Mac- 
farren himself: — "He  [Alfred  Day]  then  propounded 
to  me  his  theory  of  harmony,  which  I  combated  point 
by  point,  as  each  point  differed  from  views  I  had 
hitherto  learned,  and  every  opposing  argument  suc- 
cessively fell  under  the  convincing  weight  of  his  novel 
principles."  Thus,  Macfarren's  views  were  revolu- 
tionized; and  that,  as  has  been  already  hinted,  by 


108  DAY'S  TREATISE    ON  HARMONY. 

yielding  his  old  prejudices  or  views.  He  goes  on  to 
relate  how  he  persuaded  Day  to  commit  his  views  to 
paper,  which  was  reluctantly,  slowly,  and  with  great 
difficulty  accomplished  ;  the  amateur  author  reading 
the  chapters  to  his  professional  friend  as  the  work 
proceeded,  for  the  benefit  of  such  practical  advice  as 
one  actually  engaged  in  teaching  might  fairly  be  pre- 
sumed to  be  able  to  offer.  At  length,  in  1845,  Day's 
"  Treatise  on  Harmony  "  was  published ;  and  to  the 
preface  was  appended  a  letter  of  recommendation,  or 
rather  of  acquiescence,  from  Macfarren,  in  which  he 
makes  the  acknowledgment  : — 

"  I  am  happy  to  own  that  in  becoming  acquainted  with 
your  principles,  I  found  my  ideas  of  the  resources  of  Har- 
mony greatly  to  expand  ;  and  my  facility  and  confidence  in 
the  practical  application  of  them  is  now  much  greater  than 
I  believe  it  could  possibly  be,  had  I  not  the  advantage  of 
the  peculiar  view  of  the  subject  which  is  opened  by  your 
new  System; — above  all,  I  am  gratified  by  it,  insomuch  as 
I  find  in  it  an  explanation  of  and  a  rule  for  many  of  the 
greatest  beauties  of  the  best  masters,  which  formerly  ap- 
peared to  violate  all  the  rules  of  music,  and  which  were 
sanctioned  as  the  unaccountable  aberrations  of  genius,  but 
which  could  only  be  imitated  to  be  plagiarized.  In  the 
second  place,  since  I  have  become  familiar  with  your 
System,  feeling  as  I  have  done  that  it  was  true,  and  that 
as  Truth  is  single,  so  none  but  yours  could  be  true,  I  have 
taught  upon  it,  and  have  found  it  most  easily  compre- 
hended by  pupils  who  had  no  foreknowledge  of  the  subject; 
and  by  those  who  have  come  to  me  with  a  small  acquain- 
tance with  other  works,  it  has  been  admitted  to  explain 
many  points  of  Harmony,  which  had  been  to  them  before 
quite  unintelligible.  It  is  a  Theory,  in  my  opinion,  of 
peculiar  advantage  to  the  student,  as  comprising  the  laws 
of  counterpoint  with  all  those  of  the  chromatic  or  free 
style  ;  and,  for  the  first  time  to  my  knowledge,  distinguish- 
ing between  these  very  dissimilar  schools  of  harmony." 


MACFARREN  AND    THE   DAY   THEORY.     109 

The  letter  from  which  the  above  is  an  extract  is 
dated  "73,  Berners  Street,  July  12th,  1845,"  the  house 
being  at  the  corner  of  Oxford  Street.  Some  friends 
wondered  at  a  musician, — especially  a  composer, — 
choosing  to  reside  in  so  crowded  a  thoroughfare. 
Macfarren's  explanation  was  that  he  could  sooner 
accustom  himself  to  write  against  the  wholly  un- 
musical noise  of  cart-wheels,  than  against  that  of  the 
barrel-organs  and  brass  bands  which  infest  so-called 
"  quiet  streets."  I  was  a  frequent  visitor  to  that 
house  during  the  residence  of  the  Macfarren  family 
therein. 

With  reference  to  the  remark  in  this  letter  about 
"  the  peculiar  view  of  the  subject  which  is  opened  by 
your  new  System/'  it  is  curious  to  remember  how 
often  Macfarren  would,  so  to  speak,  ignore  the  fact 
of  any  peculiarity  or  novelty  about  the  "view"  or 
"  System "  which  he  advocated.  When  he  was 
examining  one  of  the  elementary  classes  at  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music,  the  Sub-Professor  who  had  charge 
of  the  class  interposed,  after  one  of  the  questions, — 
"  Will  you  mind  asking  according  to  the  more  usual 
view  and  terminology  ?  " — to  which  the  immediate 
rejoinder  came, — "You  are  the  first  that  ever  intimated 
that  there  was  anything  unusual  in  my  view  of  the 
subject ; "  although  the  phraseology  was  undeniably 
the  outcome  of  the  particular  theory  held  by  the 
questioner.  And,  on  another  occasion,  when  he  asked 
a  young  lady-student  the  notation  of  the  chromatic 
scale, — one  of  the  salient  points  in  which  the  Day 
theory  differs  from  ordinary  usage, — she  began  her 
reply,  less  warily  than  truly,  "Well,  there  are  two 
different  ways  in  which  it  is  noted," — and  then  began 


110  UNCOMPROMISING    VIEWS. 

by  giving  the  "Day"  notation;  upon  which  Macfarren 
abruptly  stopped  her,  saying, — "  I  know  of  no  other 
way,  and  advise  you  to  keep  to  that "  :  ignoring  the 
undeniable  fact  that,  right  or  wrong,  another  notation 
is  (to  put  it  mildly) ,  frequent  in  the  works  of  acknow- 
ledged composers,  as  well  as  in  books  of  instruction. 

In  saying  "  Truth  is  single,  so  none  but  [your 
system]  could  be  true,"  Macfarren  perhaps  hardly 
attached  sufficient  weight  to  the  axiom — "  Truth  is 
many-sided ; "  although  that  axiom  may  often  be  used 
to  cover  laxity,  neology,  or  latitudinarianism.  But  he 
held  by  that  principle,  commencing  the  preface  to  his 
"  Rudiments "  with  the  sentence,  "  This  book  pre- 
sents the  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  though 
not  the  whole  truth,  on  the  boundless  subject  of  which 
it  treats/'  And  again,  in  the  concluding  lecture  of 
his  "  Six  Lectures  on  Harmony,"  he  re-asseverates  : — 

"  Truth  is  single.  This  Spenser  has  pointedly  symbolized 
in  naming  his  heroine,  who  is  the  personification  of  verity. 
A  notable  evidence,  then,  of  the  truth  of  Alfred  Day's 
theory  of  harmony,  is  that  perfect  unity  prevails  through- 
out it ;  and  in  this  respect  it  differs  from  every  other  of 
the  many  I  have  studied." 

And,  in  the  introductory  lecture  : — 

"  I  am  indeed  so  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
Day's  theory,  and  I  have  derived  such  infinite  advantage 
from  its  knowledge  in  my  own  practical  musicianship,  that 
I  should  be  dishonest  to  myself  and  to  my  hearers  were  I 
to  pretend  to  teach  any  other." 

And  in  his  "Musical  History,"  page  136,  he 
states : — 

"  As  a  summary  of  all  the  precept  and  example  that  has 


RE-ITERATION   OF    VIEWS.  Ill 

been  cited  in  the  survey  of  the  centuries,  let  the  writer 
state  his  convictions  on  musical  theory,  which  are,  that  the 
"  Treatise  on  Harmony "  by  Alfred  Day  comprehends 
whatever  is  practically  available,  and  reconciles  the  pre- 
viously apparent  discrepancies  between  principle  and  use. 

The  author  now  cited  was  the  first  to  classify  the 

ancient,  strict,  uniform,  diatonic,  contrapuntal  style,  apart 
from  the  modern,  free,  exceptive,  chromatic,  massive  style, 
to  separate  the  principles  that  guide  the  one,  from  the  laws 
that  control  the  other,  and  to  place  a  subject  that  is  at 
once  sublime  and  beautiful  in  a  light  of  unfailing  clear- 
ness. He  showed  that  one  or  another  beautiful  chord  and 
the  progressions  thence  were  not  capricious  violations  of 
rule,  permissible  to  genius  though  unallowable  to  ordinary 
writers  ;  he  showed  that  such  things  were  acceptable,  not 
only  because  great  masters  had  written  them,  and  so  small 
writers  might  repeat  the  trespass ;  he  proved  this  by 
demonstrating  the  self-perfection  of  the  ancient  canon,  and 
the  also  perfect  modern  system  that  rests  on  a  basis  totally 
distinct  from  that  of  the  other." 

Yet  once  more,  Macfarren  concludes  the  Introduc- 
tion to  his  "  Eighty  Musical  Sentences  "  thus  : — 

"  The  author  is  happy  to  issue  this  publication  as  a  con- 
fession of  musical  faith,  avowing  implicit  belief  in  the 
harmonic  theory  on  which  it  is  based,  and  thorough  con- 
viction that  the  theory  accounts  for  everything  that  is 
beautiful,  and  guards  against  what  is  unsatisfactory  in 
musical  combination  and  progression." 

These  last  extracts,  moreover,  re-assert  and  em- 
phasize his  averment  in  the  above  letter  to  Day  con- 
cerning the  light  thrown  by  the  theory  on  the  practice 
of  the  best  masters  ;  always  a  strong  contention  in  its 
favour,  urged  by  its  upholders.  An  incident  may 
here  be  related,  however,  illustrating  Macfarren's 
"  singular  openness  to  conviction,"  so  justly  acknow- 
ledged by  the  pupil  who  furnishes  it,  and  in  whose 


112  OPENNESS  TO  CONVICTION. 


words  I  give  it.  <c  Owing  to  his  refusal  to  accept  as 
valid  the  explanation  I  offered  according  to  Day  of 
certain  chromatic  chords  which  I  contended  were  in 
the  key,  and  his  admission  of  a  chord  which  he  frankly 
admitted  he  could  not  account  for  by  Day's  theory, 
saying,  'Here  I  must  own  Day  breaks  down,'  I,  in  con- 
junction with  another,  prepared  an  extremely  revolu- 
tionary '  extension  '  of  Day's  theory,  which  I  took  an 
opportunity  of  submitting  to  him  privately.  He  heard 
me  with  the  utmost  patience,  and  refused  to  give  an 
.opinion  on  the  matter,  but,  reserving  judgment,  took 
more  than  a  week  to  consider  it ;  and  when  he  found 
himself  compelled  to  dissent,  did  so  with  the  utmost 
courtesy  and  consideration ;  and  that,  though  he  had 
been  wedded  to  a  theory  for  half  a  century/' 

It  must  have  been  soon  after  the  publication,  in 
1845,  of  Day's  "  Treatise,"  which  was  "  received 
worse  than  coldly  by  the  heads  of  the  musical  profes- 
sion " — ' '  was  denounced  by  the  chief  musicians  in 
London,  and  a  single  believer  [Macfarren  himself] 
for  some  time  alone  maintained  and  taught  its 
enlightened  views,"  —  that  the  attention  of  the 
"  authorities  "  at  the  Royal  Academy  was  inevitably 
directed  to  the  fact  that  Macfarren  was  teaching  his 
classes  "new-fangled  notions," — unorthodox  here- 
sies, and  using  a  new  book.  Quite  justifiably,  the 
matter  was  duly  inquired  into :  nothing  peremptory, 
inconsiderate,  or  disregardful  of  one  whose  musician- 
ship was  so  deservedly  recognised,  and  who  was  so 
highly  esteemed  personally,  was  to  be  looked  for  from 
such  men  as  the  then  Principal,  Cipriani  Potter ;  but 
Macfarren  was  invited  to  discuss  the  questions  in 
dispute,  with  the  other  harmony  professors  of  the  insti- 


RE SIGNS  ACADEMY  PROFESSORSHIP.       113 

tution.  A  meeting  was  held  —  a  "  round-table " 
conference — at  which,  besides  the  Principal,  Sterndale 
Bennett,  Sir  Henry  R.  Bishop,  John  Goss,  and 
Charles  Lucas  were  present;  and  a  lively  discussion 
ensued.  Macfarren  was  probably  better  equipped  for 
dialectics  than  his  opponents,  from  his  own  experi- 
ence in  his  original  antagonism  to  Day.  He  was 
outweighed,  outnumbered,  but  not,  as  he  believed, 
outwitted ;  and,  refusing  to  succumb  by  teaching 
contrary  to  his  convictions,  felt  bound  in  honesty  to 
resign  his  appointment — much  to  the  regret,  doubtless, 
of  his  colleagues.  But  he  never  wavered — was  no 
time-server,  but  bided  his  time,  which  came  later  on. 
Before  long,  better  counsels  prevailed;  not  the 
acceptance  of  Day's  theory,  but  the  wise  persuasion 
that  it  was  better  to  have  a  musician  of  unquestioned 
competence  and  power  to  teach  that  which  he  believed 
from  his  own  out- thinking,  than  that  any  old  traditions 
should  be  so  stereotyped  in  an  educational  system  or 
curriculum  as  to  bar  all  free  thought,  and  to  alienate 
from  the  institution  one  whose  worth  was  so  fully 
recognized.  In  1851  Macfarren  resumed  his  profes- 
sional work  at  the  Royal  Academy  at  the  instance  of 
Cipriani  Potter,  his  own  old  teacher,  who  said  to  him, 
"  Come  back  and  teach  anything  you  please." 

In  the  "  Musical  World,"  March  10th,  1849,  an 
article  on  Day's  theory,  expository  and  defensive, 
appeared,  signed  "M.,"  and  bearing  internal  evidence 
of  being  written  by  Macfarren. 

As  time  went  on  the  system  gained  adherents,  even 
amidst  the  strenuous  opposition  which  it  still  encoun- 
tered. One  of  its  most  determined  opponents  even 
said  to  me,  concerning  Day's  book,  "  If  you  read  it, 


114  "RUDIMENTS   OF  HARMONY." 

you  will  find  that  it  will  set  you  thinking  about  com- 
binations and  progressions  which  you  have  not  been 
accustomed  to  consider,  and  will  be  suggestive,  and 
enlarge  your  views,"  or  words  to  that  effect.  At  all 
events,  Macfarren  continued  to  gain  respect  for  his 
sturdy  independence ;  and  the  numerous  pupils  indoc- 
trinated by  him  were  an  attached  band  of  devotees. 
But  an  impression  prevailed,  I  think,  that  the  new 
doctrines  were  as  obscure  and  difficult  of  apprehen- 
sion as  they  were  doubtful ;  at  all  events,  Day's  own 
book  was  so  considered.  Accordingly,  Macfarren  was 
urged  to  embody  the  principles  that  he  was  teaching 
in  such  a  form  as  to  render  them  available  for  tuition. 
Day's  book  was  a  "treatise" — an  exposition, and  that, 
moreover,  in  apologetic  or  even  polemic  manner,  of 
an  unfamiliar  theory,  and,  not  including  any  exer- 
cises, was  wholly  unadapted  for  teaching  purposes. 
Therefore,  in  compliance  with  the  desire  so  expressed, 
Macfarren  prepared  his  "  Rudiments  of  Harmony/' 
which  was  published  in  1860.  His  aim  was  to  pro- 
vide l<  a  book  of  less  extent  and  smaller  price  than 
Day's  'Treatise/  wherein  rules  should  be  stated,  but  no 
arguments  given  for  their  support,  wherein  the  points 
of  least  frequent  application  should  be  omitted,  and 
wherein  a  series  of  illustrative  exercises  should  be 
included  for  practical  service  to  the  student."  This 
book,  therefore,  instead  of  being  a  treatise,  is  a  class- 
book  or  lesson-book.  And  this  should  in  fairness 
be  borne  in  mind  as  accounting  for  the  uncompro- 
misingly dogmatic  tone  of  the  book,  which  appears  in 
the  already- quoted  first  sentence  of  its  preface.  Mac- 
farren's  purpose  was  didactic,  not  polemic.  He  was, 
at  the  time  of  its  preparation,  reinstated  as  a  professor 


" RUDIMENTS    OF   HARMONY."  115 

at  the  Royal  Academy;  the  weight  of  his  opinions 
was  acknowledged,  even  though  those  opinions  were 
dissented  from ;  he  was  tacitly  regarded  as  one  who 
had  a  right  to  be  an  epoch-maker,  and  there  was  now 
no  doubt  that  his  book,  and  the  system  on  which  it 
was  founded,  had  to  be  reckoned  with  in  theoretical 
education. 

In  the  "  Rudiments,"  however,  Macfarren  departed 
from  the  new  method  introduced  by  Day  of  figuring 
basses,  "  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  a  possible,  if  only 
imaginary,  obstacle  to  the  acceptance  of "  his  theory 
of  harmony.  This  departure,  however,  was  not  to  be 
"  interpreted  as  an  admission  of  its  impracticability, 
but  as  a  concession  to  established  habit,  if  not  to  pre- 
judice." Macfarren  was  accustomed  to  designate  as 
"  misleading "  the  method  of  figuring  ordinarily 
adopted  in  "  Thorough-bass."  That  which  he  advo- 
cated was  the  figuring  from  the  root  of  the  chord, 
with  alphabetical  indications  as  to  which  position  or 
inversion  was  used. 

The  disciplinarian  character  of  his  mind  was  evinced 
in  this  book  by  the  framing  of  rules  and  exceptions  in 
abundance,  requiring  considerable  exercise  of  discern- 
ing memory  on  the  part  of  the  student,  little 
discretionary  latitude  being  allowed  him.  This  method 
of  teaching  was  characteristic  of  Macfarren,  I  think, 
all  along  his  professional  course.  Pupils  of  a  restive, 
erratic,  or  independent  temperament  chafed  somewhat 
under  the  almost  numberless  restrictions  which,  as  it 
seemed  to  them,  curbed  them  on  every  hand.  Some 
pupils,  indeed,  did  more  than  chafe;  or  rather, 
escaped  from  the  chafing  by  defiance,  not  disrespect- 
ful or  mutinous,  but  self-assertive;  they  struck  for 


116      LECTURES   AT  ROYAL   INSTITUTION. 

liberty.  This  was  especially  the  case  when  they  began 
to  compose,  or,  perhaps,  later  on  than  at  the  beginning, 
saying,  "I  like  this,  and  mean  to  have  it  so."  All 
teachers  are  familiar  with  this  class  of  ' '  free-lances ; " 
perhaps  Macfarren's  rigidity  was  somewhat  likely  to 
rouse  a  little  of  such  a  spirit  where  it  was  latent.  But 
it  is  impossible  not  to  admire  the  ingenuity  with 
which  Macfarren' s  rules,  and  even  more  his  exceptions, 
were  devised  and  framed  to  meet,  as  it  would  seem, 
every  case  likely  to  arise.  In  a  subsequent  edition  of 
the  "Rudiments,"  a  fresh  batch  of  exceptions  was 
added  in  the  form  of  an  appendix. 

A  further  opportunity  was  accorded  to  Macfarren 
of  enunciating  and  enforcing  his  theoretical  views  by 
the  invitation  given  him,  in  1867,  to  deliver  a  course 
of  "  Six  Lectures  on  Harmony  "  at  the  Royal  Institu- 
tion of  Great  Britain — an  invitation  which  was  mainly 
due  to  the  good  offices  of  his  "  early  friend/'  the 
esteemed  professor,  Mr.  G.  A.  Osborne. 

Macfarren  was  waiting  in  a  music- warehouse  in  Bond 
Street,  when  Mr.  Osborne  came  in  ;  and,  conversation 
turning  upon  these  theoretical  matters,  Macfarren  ex- 
pressed his  desire  to  lecture,  in  exposition  of  his  views, 
at  the  Royal  Institution.  He  was  unaware  that  his 
old  friend  had  any  influence  in  the  matter ;  but  such 
was  the  case,  and  Mr.  Osborne,  finding  that  Macfarren 
was  remaining  some  time  in  that  meeting-place,  asked 
him  not  to  leave  till  his  return,  and  hastened  to  the 
Royal  Institution  and  had  an  interview  with  Dr.  Bence 
Jones,  the  secretary.  Returning  to  Bond  Street,  he 
was  able  to  say,  "  Macfarren,  your  lectures  will  be 
welcome ;  terms  will  be  satisfactory,  and  there  will  be 
prospect  of  the  lectures  being  published."  Macfarren 


DAY  AND    MENDELSSOHN.  117 

told  me  that  he  would  never  again  go  through  the 
anxiety  of  bringing  lectures  within  exact  compass  of 
time,  to  be  indicated  relentlessly  by  a  clock-bell,  at  the 
sound  of  which  the  audience  were  all  to  rise  and 
depart,  regardless  of  the  finish  or  non-finish  of  the 
lecture. 

These  lectures  when  published  were  characterized 
by  a  writer  who  was  opposed  to  the  theory  therein 
expounded,  as  forming,  nevertheless,  "  one  of  the  most 
interesting  volumes  ever  written  on  musical  theory." 
In  them  Macfarren  was  not  the  rule-maker,  but  the 
expounder  and  the  illustrator,  and  was  apologetic  by 
means  of  exposition  and  illustration.  He  availed  him- 
self of  the  opportunity  to  justify  his  contention  that, 
all  along,  the  works  of  the  great  Masters  exemplified 
the  principles  of  which  he  had  been  the  unflinching 
advocate  ;  that  however  "  new  in  theory/'  as  Day  had 
observed,  these  principles  were  "  old  in  practice ; " 
that  by  them  "many  discrepancies  of  principle  and 
practice  were  reconciled  between  the  writings  of  pro- 
found teachers  and  the  works  of  the  great  Masters/' 

One  great  Master,  indeed,  Dr.  Day  sought  to  enlist 
as  an  adherent — Felix  Mendelssohn  Bartholdy.  He 
prevailed  on  Macfarren  to  arrange  a  meeting  with  the 
Master,  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
pounding the  theory,  and  indoctrinating  Mendelssohn 
therewith.  The  meeting  took  place  at  Macfarren's 
residence ;  but,  he  told  me,  before  Dr.  Day  had  pro- 
ceeded far  with  his  argumentative  exposition,  the  face 
of  Mendelssohn  assumed  an  expression  so  suggestive 
of  his  having  taken  a  dose  of  nauseous  medicine,  that, 
to  avoid  a  scene,  Macfarren  was  compelled  to  bring 
the  discussion  to  an  abrupt,  if  not  untimely,  end.  His 


118          MACFAEREN  EDITS    DAYS   BOOK. 

explanation  was  that  Mendelssohn  was  so  opposed  to 
theorizing  about  the  beautiful  art  which  he  so  en- 
riched by  his  productions,  not  that  he  rejected  Dr. 
Day's  theories  in  themselves.  Anyhow,  Day  had 
evidently  reckoned — not,  indeed,  without  his  host — 
but  without  calculating  the  temper  of  his  host's  dis- 
tinguished guest.  As  Macfarren  remarks,  in  his 
biographical  sketch  in  the  "Imperial  Dictionary  of 
Biography "  :  "  [Mendelssohn]  had  the  strongest 
aversion  to  pedantry,  and  detested  theoretical  discus- 
sions, as  being  the  cause,  if  not  the  result,  of  pedantic 
feeling/' 

In  1885,  Day's  original  "  Treatise  "  being  out  of 
print, — forty  years  after  its  publication  ! — it  was 
deemed  desirable  to  issue  a  new  edition.  Naturally, 
Macfarren  was  engaged  to  supervise  this  re-issue ; 
and  the  second  edition  was  published  with  an  interest- 
ing preface  by  the  editor,  giving  an  account  of  its 
original  production,  a  summary  of  the  theory  itself, 
some  reply  to  objections,  and  a  statement  as  to  wherein 
the  second  edition  was  different  from  the  first,  and  on 
what  authority  the  alterations  were  made.  With  one 
exception,  these  alterations  might  be  said  to  be  made 
on  Day's  own  authority,  inasmuch  as  he  had  given 
Macfarren  an  interleaved  copy  of  the  original  book, 
with  the  request  that  he  would  make  memoranda  of 
such  modifications,  in  phraseology  or  otherwise,  as 
"  daily  observation  of  the  working  of  the  system,"  in 
actual  teaching,  might  suggest  as  desirable.  This 
Macfarren  did,  and  discussed  all  his  suggestions  with 
Day,  with  the  result  that  they  were  all  accepted  fully 
by  him,  till  his  death  in  1849.  Such  modifications  as 
occurred  to  Macfarren  subsequently,  as  the  result  of, 


MACFARREN'S   EDITION    OF  DAY.  119 

or  during,  thirty-six  years'  experience,  were  given  in 
an  appendix  ;  those  approved  by  Day  were  incor- 
porated in  the  text.  The  one  exception  above  referred 
to  consisted  in  the  omission  of  an  intermediate  chapter 
between  the  first  and  second  parts  of  Day's  book,  on 
"  Diatonic  Free  Music/'  which  Macfarren  considered 
"  redundant  if  not  confusing."  While  he  fully  en- 
dorsed, and  considered  an  important  speciality,  as  one 
of  the  foundations  of  Day's  system — 

"  the  very  broad,  but  not  universally  recognized  distinc- 
tions between  the  ancient,  strict,  uniform,  diatonic,  arti- 
ficial, or  contrapuntal  style  of  harmony,  comprised  in  what 
may  be  called  archaic  art  in  music  ;  and  the  modern,  free, 
exceptive,  chromatic,  natural,  massive,  or  harmonic  style  of 
harmony,  comprised  in  the  living  art  of  our  own  times  ; " 
yet  he  acknowledged  that  "  the  twilight  between  the  pre- 
valence of  the  ancient  and  modern  styles  in  music  has  so 
many  examples  of  each,  the  strict  and  the  free  so  con- 
tinually overlap  each  other  in  the  music  produced  through- 
out what  may  be  assumed  as  the  transition  period,  that  to 
date  the  dawning  of  the  one  or  the  setting  of  the  other 
is  impossible." 

The  present  being  a  biographical,  not  a  theoretical 
or  polemical  work,  any  full  exposition  of,  or  argument 
concerning,  the  system  of  harmony  espoused  by  the 
subject  of  this  memoir,  and  so  staunchly  and  ably 
advocated  by  him,  so  that  his  name  has  become  inse- 
parably identified  with  it,  would  be  out  of  place.  The 
broad  distinction  between  the  diatonic  and  chromatic 
styles,  just  adverted  to,  lay  at  its  threshold;  and  with 
that  distinction,  a  separate  set  of  rules  for  each  style. 
In  connection  with  the  chromatic  style,  the  initial 
novelty  was  that  which  was  termed  by  Macfarren 
"  Alfred  Day's  beautiful  theory,  which  identifies  with 


120  POINTS   OF  DAY'S   THEORY. 

every  key  the  twelve  notes  of  its  chromatic  scale,  and 
proves  that,  as  concords  or  as  discords,  they  are  all 
essential  to  the  tonality."  And,  as  a  corollary  of  this 
theory,  the  notation  of  the  chromatic  scale  referred  to 
above,  founded  on  the  combined  major  and  minor 
scales  on  the  tonic.  And,  still  further,  in  connection 
•with  this  recognition  of  the  notes  of  the  chromatic 
scale  as  integral  to  the  key,  was  the  recognition  of 
fundamental  chromatic  chords — the  roots  assigned  for 
fundamental  discords  being  the  dominant,  the  tonic, 
and  the  supertonic.  Many  and  various  additional 
collateral  differences  of  view,  usage,  and  notation 
were  connected  with  and  resultant  from  these  essential 
points,  to  illustrate  which  would  require  much  music 
type  and  much  space  for  explanation.  Even  the 
summary  given,  without  music  type,  in  Macfarren's 
"Six  Lectures"  (p.  214  et  seq.) ,  occupies  a  few  pages; 
as  does  a  similar  summary  in  his  "  Musical  History  " 
(p.  136  et  seq.).  Another  summary,  with  music  type, 
is  given  in  my  "  Text-book  of  Music,"  Appendix  I. 
(later  editions) .  Some  of  the  salient  practical  issues, 
patent  to  observation,  either  in  progression  or  in  ex- 
pression, notational  or  verbal,  are  sketched  in  some 
remarks  which  I  made  when  addressing  the  students 
of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  in  November,  1887, 
shortly  after  they  had  been  bereaved  of  their  Principal, 
which  I  venture,  therefore,  to  insert  in  this  place,  as 
bearing  on  the  subject  in  hand. 

"I  think  it  only  right  and  fair,  both  for  your  own  sakes, 
and  for  his  memory's  sake,  to  try  briefly  to  summarize  the 
points  iu  theory,  and  theoretical  explanation  and  nomen- 
clature, for  which  you  are  indebted  to  him,  or  to  the  so- 
callecl  '  Day  theory,'  as  expounded  by  him  ;  in  other  words, 


ADDltJESS   TO   ACADEMY  STUDENTS.        121 

what  changes  or  differences,  in  the  way  of  looking  at 
matters  theoretical,  and  expressing  them,  have  been  brought 
about  by  the  diffusion  of,  and  insistence  on,  the  teaching 
in  question.  To  some  of  you,  probably  to  most  of  you,  it 
has  been  a  surprise,  an  astonishment,  to  hear  that  there 
ever  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  this,  our  valued  Academy, 
when  such  an  incident  could  occur  as  the  almost  compul- 
sory resignation  of  your  revered  theoretical  guide,  Professor 
— but  then  plain  Mr.  Maefarren — on  account  of  alleged 
errors  in  his  views  of  hamiony  and  methods  of  teaching. 
But  so  it  was  ;  in  Music,  as  in  other  things,  all  along  the 
line,  it  has  been  that  the  radicalism  of  yesterday  becomes 
the  conservatism  of  to-day,  the  heresy  of  the  past  the 
orthodoxy  of  the  present.  Only  so  recently  as  about  twenty 
years  ago,  when  Sterndale  Bennett  was  appointed  Principal 
of  this  Institution,  he,  talking  with  me  about  my  own 
teaching  here,  expressed  virtually  his  hope  that  I  should 
not  be  adopting  the  very  terminology  which  is  now  familiar 
to  you  as  household  words.  Had  you,  at  that  time,  and 
from  that  time  further  back,  studied  here,  you  would  have 
been  taught  that  the  inter-diatonic  notes  of  the  Chromatic 
Scale  were  simply  ornamental  inflexions  of  the  diatonic 
notes  ;  whereas  now,  with  a  different  notation,  you  learn 
to  regard  them  as  integers  of  the  key.  You  owe  that  to 
Macfarven,  or  to  Dr.  Day  through  him.  Therefore  to  him 
you  also  owe  it  that  you  include,  under  the  general  heading 
of  Chromatic  Chords,  all  those  chords  which,  while  having 
accidentals,  do  not  effect  modulation,  and  are  regarded, 
therefore,  as  appertaining  to  the  key ;  part  of  its  furniture, 
the  resources  which  it  furnishes.  You  owe  it,  therefore,  to 
him,  that  instead  of  regarding  these  chords  as  chromatic 
alterations  of  diatonic  chords — which  you  would  have  been 
taught  twenty  years  ago — you  refer  them  all  to  certain 
fundamentals,  as,  so  to  speak,  chords  in  their  own  right ; 
dissonant  chords  being  referred  either  to  the  Dominant, 
the  Tonic,  or  the  Supertonic,  as  the  root.  Even  in  the  case 
of  a  chord  of,  as  was  thought,  such  a  decidedly  chromatic- 
alteration  aspect  as  the  Augmented  6th,  in  either  of  its 
three  forms,  Italian,  French,  or  German,  instead  of  so  re- 
garding it,  as  would  have  been  taught  of  old,  you  owe  it  to 
Macfarren  that  you  account  for  it  as  proceeding  from  two 


122  MACFARREWS    TECHNICALITIES. 


roots :  the  supertonic  and  the  dominant,  if  occurring  on 
the  minor  6th  of  the  scale ;  the  dominant  and  tonic,  if  upon 
the  minor  2nd  of  the  scale.  You  owe  it  to  him  that  the 
chord  of  the  minor  6th  on  the  subdominant,  instead  of 
being  regarded  as  a  fancy  softening  of  the  diatonic  chord, 
with  the  fancy  name  of  the  Neapolitan  6th,  is  regarded  as 
the  inversion  of  the  legitimate  chord  on  the  minor  2nd  of 
the  chromatic  scale.  You  owe  it  to  him  that  the  chords 
of  the  llth  and  of  the  13th  are  to  be  regarded  as  fun- 
damental discords;  and  that  as  a  corollary,  for  example, 
the  chord  of  the  \  on  the  subdominant  is  not,  as  formerly, 
to  be  most  unsatisfactorily  accounted  for,  if  account  it  can 
be  called,  as  the  added  6th,  but  as  the  2nd  available  inver- 
sion of  the  chord  of  the  llth.  All  this,  and  much  more, 
is  entirely  the  outcome  of  his  teaching,  together  with  various 
terms  which  are  not  by  any  means  inseparable  from  the 
theories.  I  have  thought  it  instructive  for  you  thus  to 
know  the  extent  of  the  metamorphosis  which  has  been 
effected  in  this  department,  through  the  authoritative 
inculcation  by  our  late  Principal  of  those  theories  which 
alone,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  were  satisfactorily  consistent." 

To  this  enumeration  may  be  added  the  adoption  of 
the  terms,  "  1st  inversion,"  "  2nd  inversion/'  "  last 
inversion,"  respectively ;  of  the  suspended  9th,  or  of  the 
suspended  4th,  according  to  whether  the  3rd  or  5th  of 
the  chord,  or  the  suspension  itself,  be  in  the  bass; 
whereas  it  is  only  when  in  the  bass  that  the  suspen- 
sion is  inverted,  if  the  term  "  invert "  is  to  be  used  in 
its  proper  sense  of  change  of  position,  or  "  turning 
upside  down."  The  principle  involved  in  Macfarren's 
(or  Day's)  phraseology — namely,  that  the  suspension 
is  the  same  whichever  position  of  the  chord  be  taken — 
is  of  course  not  only  sound,  but  most  important  and 
simple,  and  no  exception  can  be  taken  to  his  remarks 
on  that  head  in  Appendix  M  to  Day's  "  Treatise."  But 
it  remains  true,  nevertheless,  that  the  suspension  itself 


MACFAEREN^S    TECHNICALITIES.  123 

is  not  inverted  when  it  remains  in  an  upper  part. 
Another  peculiarity  of  terminology  is  that  of  the 
application  of  the  term  "  Passing-note "  to  a  note 
which,  though  a  tone  or  a  semitone  below  or  above 
an  essential  note,  is  approached  by  skip — such  a  note 
as  is  usually  known  as  an  auxiliary  note,  or  appoggia- 
tura,  or  acciaccatura.  I  once  spoke  to  Macfarren 
about  this  point,  urging  that  "  Passing-note  "  meant  a 
note  taken  in  passing  from  one  note  to  another,  and, 
therefore,  was  an  inappropriate  term  for  a  note  taken  by 
skip.  His  reply  was,  "  You  are  quite  right,  logically  ; 
but  is  it  not  desirable,  as  much  as  possible,  to  avoid 
multiplication  of  technicalities,  and,  therefore,  to  bring 
all  these  unessential  notes  under  one  general  term  ? " 
In  the  same  conversation,  I  instanced  my  elucidation 
of  that  exceptional  treatment  of  Passing-notes  (known 
as  Clianging-notes)  by  skip  of  a  3rd,  in  my  "  Text- 
book of  Music"  (p.  108),  taken  from  Chopin's  Study 
in  C  sharp  minor,  to  wich  he  replied,  "  Yes,  that  is 
excellent/'  Indeed,  he  was  always  most  ready  to 
accord  praise,  and,  it  may  be  added,  to  acknowledge 
indebtedness.  Again  and  again  did  he  disclaim  all 
credit  for  the  theories  which  he  so  chivalrously 
defended.  "My  late  friend,  Alfred  Day,  communi- 
cated to  me  his  very  original  and  very  perspicuous 
theory  of  Harmony,  by  means  of  which  many  obscuri- 
ties in  the  subject  were  cleared  that  my  previous 
anxious  study  had  vainly  sought  to  penetrate/'  &c. 
("Six  Lectures,"  p.  2).  "Emphatically  I  disclaim 
any  merit  of  authorship,  but  I  trust  that  I  am  doing 
the  best  I  may  to  disseminate  a  system  which,  if  true, 
as  I  believe  it  to  be,  must  in  course  of  time  supersede 
all  other  theories  of  harmony "  (Preface  to  second 


124  "EIGHTY  MUSICAL   SENTENCES." 

edition  of  Day's  "  Treatise") .  In  telling  the  Academy 
students  that  they  owed  the  various  changes  enume- 
rated to  Macfarren,  I  by  no  means  lost  sight  of  the 
advocacy  by  Sir  F.  Gore  Ouseley  of  some  at  least  of 
the  same  theories — an  advocacy,  however,  subsequent 
to  that  maintained  by  Macfarren  in  the  face  of  so 
much  apposition.  Macfarren  once  said  to  me,  "  This 
double-root  theory  of  the  Augmented  6th  Ouseley  has 
obtained  so  much  credit  for,  he  got  it  all  from  Day." 
Yet  one  more  book  in  illustration  and  "  wider 
exemplification  of  the  views  in  "  the  "  Lectures  "  than 
they  could  contain,  did  Macfarren  prepare,  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Rev.  John  Curwen,  a  highly- 
esteemed  dissenting  minister,  who  was  honoured  as 
the  "founder"  of  the  "Tonic  Sol-fa"  system  of  teaching 
music,  but  who  "  professed  to  have  derived  it  from 
Sarah  Glover  of  Norwich,  whose  method  he  but  modi- 
fied and  expanded."  The  system  itself  Macfarren 
opposed,  as  will  be  subsequently  related  ;  although,  in 
his  preface  to  the  second  edition  of  Day's  "  Treatise," 
he  gives  credit  for  the  adoption,  though  incompletely, 
in  its  notation,  of  Day's  "  method  of  figuring  the  bass 
to  denote  the  chords  that  accompany  it."  But  he 
complied  with  Mr.  Curwen's  request,  and  in  1867  wrote 
(though  they  were  not  issued  till  1875),  "Eighty 
Musical  Sentences  to  illustrate  Chromatic  Chords," 
acknowledging  the  "happy  definition"  of  the  "  con- 
cise strains "  therein  contained  to  be  due  to  Mr. 
Curwen.  In  the  preface,  while  he  asserts  that  it 
would  have  been  easy  to  cite,  from  the  works  of  the 
great  Masters,  "  instances  of  every  chord  and  every 
progression  herein  exemplified,"  yet,  as  these  cita- 
1  Macfarren's  "Musical  History,"  p.  135. 


"EIGHTY  MUSICAL   SENTENCES."  125 

tions  would  have  been  "  so  surrounded  by  other 
matter  that  their  distinction  would  have  been  trouble- 
some for  a  learner,"  he  states  that  it  was  considered 
best  to  frame  "  these  original  Sentences,  which,  in 
systematic  order,  display  the  entire  subject." 

Apart  from  the  light  which  these  "  Sentences " 
ostensibly  throw  on  the  theory  advocated,  and  the 
confirmation  which  it  is  alleged  that  they  afford  to  it, 
they  are  in  themselves  interesting,  although  one 
critic  affirmed  that  some  of  them  "  will,  in  the  nota- 
tion he  has  employed,  present  the  theory  of  Alfred 
Day  in  its  most  repulsive  aspect  to  the  great  majority 
of  musical  theorists  and  musicians  in  this  country  and 
abroad."1  But  this  dictum  did  not  apply  to  the 
music,  but,  as  it  would  seem,  to  the  notation.  With 
regard  to  this  very  matter  of  notation,  however, 
Macfarren  did  make  concessions,  both  to  expediency 
— in  order  to  avoid  contradiction  of  accidentals — and 
to  popular  usage.  Even  this,  however,  not  being 
a  necessity  in  Tonic  Sol-fa  notation,  in  which,  as  well  as 
in  the  Staff  notation,  these  "  Sentences  "  were  printed, 
and  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  edition  having  the  Staff  notation 
on  the  opposite  page,  we  find  the  letter  to  Mr.  Curwen, 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract : — 

"Calais,  August  11,  1878. 
"  MY  DEAR  MR.  CURWEN, 

****** 

"  It  occurs  to  me  that,  in  the  Sol-fa  version  of  the 
'  Sentences '  (where  no  accidentals  are  used,  and  contra- 
diction signs  are  therefore  unneeded),  it  may  be  well  to 
write  the  true  names  of  the  supertonic  minor  9th  and  the 
dominant  minor  13th  (Mi  flat  in  both  cases),  rather  than 

1  "Musical  Standard,"  Jan.  1,  1876. 


126  EXPEDIENT  FALSE   NOTATION. 

disguise  them  in  the  false  notation  expediently  employed 
by  many  composers.  The  side  by  side  appearance  of  the 
two  notations  will  show  the  student  how  expediency  trifles 
with  truth,  and  I  think  prove  an  useful  lesson.  If  you 
approve  of  this,  I  will  insert  a  paragraph  on  the  subject  in 
the  preface. 

"  Yours,  with  kind  regards, 

"  Gr.  A.  MACFARREN." 

This  suggestion  was  acted  upon.  Indeed,  Mac- 
farren  acknowledged  the  expediency  —  mainly  with 
reference  to  economy  of  accidentals — of  occasional 
false  notation  in  some  cases,  and  the  fact  of  its  fre- 
quent use,  whether  from  expediency,  real  or  supposed, 
or  from  carelessness,  or  from  mistaken  theory,  in  the 
writings  of  acknowledged  composers.  But,  while 
enunciating  that  "the  chromatic  scale  of  any  major  or 
minor  key  consists  of  the  seven  notes  of  its  major 
diatonic  scale,  with  the  three  that  are  altered  from 
these  in  the  signature  of  the  minor  form  of  the  key, 
and  the  minor  2nd  between  the  tonic  and  supertonic, 
and  the  augmented  4th  between  the  subdominant  and 
dominant"  (Preface  to  "Eighty  Sentences"),  he 
also,  in  the  "  Rudiments,"  says,  "  Composers  of  all 
schools  agree  in  writing  the  augmented  4th  from  the 
key-note"  (not  the  diminished  5th),  and  the  minor 
7th  from  the  key-note  (not  the  augmented  6th) . 

I  once  pointed  out  to  him,  however,  that,  besides 
other  musicians,  two  whose  musicianship  lie  would 
not  dispute  did,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  rightly  or 
wrongly,  write  the  chromatic  scale,  in  ascending, 
with  the  chromatically  raised  6th,  and,  in  descending, 
with  the  lowered  5th — namely,  Sterndale  Bennett,  in 
his  "  Scales  and  Intervals  for  Pianoforte  Students," 
and  John  Goss,  in  his  "  Introduction  to  Harmony  and 


MACFARREN  AND    OPPONENTS.  127 

Thorough  Bass."  His  reply  was,  "  Well,  you  surprise 
me  !  It  only  shows  how  careful  one  must  be  in  making 
general  statements  of  that  kind/' 

The  following  short  letter  to  the  Rev.  John  Curwen 
concerning  the  system  of  figuring  basses,  may  fitly  be 

inserted  here  : — 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 

"  July  8th  [1868  ?]. 
"  MY  DEAR  SlE, 

"  Many  thanks  for  the  copy  of  your  journal  with  the 
kind  notice  of  my  '  Lectures.'  Should  you  again  write 
about  figured  basses,  you  may  perhaps  like  to  allude  to 
Day's  system,  which,  so  far  as  I  can  gather,  accords  with 
your  own  views,  and  which  I  found  practically  excellent, 
though  I  was  compelled  to  discontinue  its  use. 
"  I  am  yours  faithfully, 

"Gk  A.  MACFAEEEN." 

Macfarren  could  say  smart — not  to  call  them  severe 
— things  concerning  opponents  and  their  arguments  ; 
such,  for  instance,  as  this,  anent  the  chord  of  the 
13th:— 

"  Some  opponents  of  these  views  have  thought  to  over- 
turn them  by  humorously  defining  the  chord  of  the  13th 
as  a  combination  of  the  entire  seven  notes  of  the  scale — an 
incongruous  abomination  such  as  no  ear  could  tolerate. 
The  joke  is  well  sounding;  it  is  so  probably  because  of  its 
hollowness.  The  stringent  rule  against  the  simultaneous 
striking  of  a  dissonance  with  the  note  of  its  resolution 
precludes  ....  either  the  5th  or  7th  when  the  13th 
is  superadded.  .  .  .  For  all  that  may  be  said  by  scoffers, 
however,  there  are  instances  of  the  effective  employment  of 
the  chord  in  its  entirety."  ' 

More  in  the  way  of  banter,  to  avert  an  inopportune 
argument,  was  his  answer  to  Dr.  Gauntlett,  who,  meet- 

1  "Six  Lectures,"  p.  174. 


128        SPEECH   AT  MUSICAL   ASSOCIATION. 

ing  him  in  a  music- warehouse,  accosted  him  with — 
"  Ah  !  Macfarren,  I  have  read  your  book,  and  I  don't 
agree  with  you  at  all."  "  Indeed  !  "  was  the  reply  ; 
"  no  more  does  Christmas  pudding  !  " 

He  was  not  solicitous  of  controversy  ;  partly,  per- 
haps, from  estimating  some  of  his  antagonists  as  not 
wholly  "  worthy  of  his  steel,"  not  having  pondered 
the  whole  subject  as  he  had ;  partly  because  it  took 
him  some  little  time  to  formulate  his  rebutting  argu- 
ments. 

When,  however,  Mr.  Gerard  F.  Cobb,  at  the  Musical 
Association,  read,  June  2nd,  1884,  a  most  elaborately 
argued  paper  "  On  Certain  Principles  of  Musical  Ex- 
position," in  which,  among  other  matters,  he  opposed 
the  views  held  by  Macfarren,  the  chairman  (Major 
Crawford),  in  inviting  discussion,  said,  "  I  hope  Sir 
George  Macfarren  will  favour  us  with  his  views  ; " 
whereupon  the  Professor  commenced  by  saying  : — 

"Am  I  to  suppose,  by  this  invitation,  that  I  am  put 
upon  iny  trial,  and  that  I  am  to  be  confronted  in  disputa- 
tion with  a  lecturer  whose  eloquence,  whose  learning,  whose 
reading  of  all  the  writers  for  and  against  the  subject  he 
has  discussed  is  manifest,  and  who  has  shown  authority 
for  everything  he  has  said  ?  If  that  is  to  be  the  case,  I 
feel  myself  at  a  serious  disadvantage  in  having  no  imme- 
diate preparation,  either  to  receive  the  attack  or  rebut  it. 
I  most  thoroughly  respect  the  care  which  has  been  be- 
stowed, and  the  argument  which  has  been  brought  forward, 
but  yet  I  am  unable  to  accept  it." 

He  proceeded  to  deal,  unpreparedly  and  partially,  with 
some  of  the  arguments  advanced  by  Mr.  Cobb,  which 
it  would  be  necessary  to  reproduce  here,  in  order  to 
render  the  reply  appreciable.  One  or  two  sentences, 


SPEECH   AT  MUSICAL   ASSOCIATION.      129 

however,  are  worthy  of  being  quoted,  apart  from  their 
immediate  occasion  : — 

"  As  to  the  effect  of  beats  [in  nature],  and  whether  we 
listen  to  them  or  count  them,  I  believe  we  no  more  do '  so 
than  the  person  who  contemplates  a  picture  counts  the  rays 
that  combine  to  make  a  single  colour ;  but  that  the  more 
or  less  distinctness  of  beats  has  an  important  effect  on 
musical  sound  is  manifest  in  the  particular  force  that  is 
given  to  a  discordant  harmony  when  two  instruments  of 
the  same  quality,  such  as  two  horns,  two  clarinets,  or  two 
hautboys,  have  to  sound  the  interval  of  a  second.  The 
amount  of  tone  that  reaches  the  audience  in  that  case  is 
far  greater  than  when  one  horn  sounds  one  note,  and  one 
clarinet  sounds  the  other,  in  this  conjunct  relationship.1 
I  think  the  effect  of  this  great  discordance,  springing  from 
beats  or  otherwise,  is  important  to  the  composer  as.  direct- 
ing him  to  lay  out  the  position  of  the  notes  so  as  to  produce 
the  greatest  power.  .  .  . 

"  The  theory  which  my  late  friend  Alfred  Day  enunciated 
to  the  world  [is]  that  ....  the  tonic,  the  dominant,  and 
the  supertonic  yield  combinations  [in  harmonics]  which 
are  available  in  musical  composition  ;  and  that  accounts 
for  the  progressions  which  some  composers  had,  with  beau- 
tiful effect,  employed,  as  directed  by  their  own  intuition  of 
beauty,  before  theory  traced  a  line  by  which  they  might 
proceed.  I  think  Day's  view  is  so  far  satisfactory  that  it 
explains  many  passages  previously  inexplicable  by  the 
theories  at  that  time  in  credit,  and  includes  in  its  explana- 
tion everything  with  which  my  musical  reading  has  yet 
made  me  acquainted." 

The  argument  of  Mr.  Cobb's  paper  having  tended 
to  the  basis  of  music  being  psychical  rather  than 
physical,  the  Professor  immediately  proceeds  : — 

"  However,  the  discussion  is  not  as  to  the  merit  of  this 
one  theorist,  but  as  to  the  whole  principle  of  music  resting 

1  See  page  69. 
K 


130      SPEECH  AT  MUSICAL   ASSOCIATION. 

upon  any  theory,  of  its  springing  from  natural  laws,  or  of 
its  being  empirically  originated  at  the  caprice  of  human 
fancy.  We  are  to  refer  to  psychic  principles  rather  than 
to  physics  for  our  art;  that  is,  to  make  art  arbitrary, 
accidental,  and  wilful ;  and  the  artist  is  to  plunge  into  a 
vast  ocean  of  experiment,  with  no  chart  to  direct  his  course, 
and  nothing  to  aid  him  to  distinguish  between  the  proprie- 
ties or  the  improprieties  of  his  proceedings.  Surely,  upon 
these  grounds,  nothing  could  be  too  gross  for  acceptance  : 
nothing  could  justify  objection  if  we  were  to  be  guided  by 
impressions.  It  would  thus  depend  wholly  and  only  upon 
the  amount  of  cultivation  in  a  particular  state  of  society  as 
to  what  is  to  be  tolerated  and  admired,  and  what  is  to  be 
excluded.  I  believe  that  it  is  essential  to  musical  art,  as 
much  as  to  the  other  artistic  applications  of  natural  prin- 
ciples, that  we  should  work  upon  a  grammar,  that  we  should 
believe  in  propriety  and  impropriety.  The  fact  that  music 
has  differed  in  different  ages  and  in  different  nations  seems 
to  me  to  accord  with  ethnology  ;  that  the  whole  habits  of 
different  populations  and  different  times  vary  from  those 
of  other  times,  and  that  each  race  has  its  own  moral  code, 
as  much  as  it  has  its  own  art  code.  We  experiment  forward 
and  forward  until  we  find  the  explanation  of  the  principles 
upon  which  art  is  founded,  and  by  which  it  is  to  be  guided. 
I  think  it  would  be  dangerous  to  art  of  any  kind  to  trust 
it  wholly  to  impression  and  to  habit,  unless  the  habit  itself 
were  to  be  directed  by  some  ruling  principle." 

He  concluded  this  striking  example  of  his  powers 
of  rapid  formulating  and  unpremeditated  speaking  by 
saying : — 

"  I  believe,  had  I  been  able  to  take  notes  of  what  has 
been  said,  and  had  time  for  deliberation,  I  might  meet 
some  of  Mr.  Cobb's  eloquent  arguments.  If  I  say  so  little, 
you  must  not  attribute  it  to  the  want  of  material,  but  to 
the  impossibility  I  have  had  of  preparing  what  might  be 
to  say,  and  of  arranging  it  categorically  in  order  of  reply. 
I  must  offer  my  tribute  of  sincere  admiration  to  the  speaker 
for  the  paper  he  has  given  us,  and  for  the  grounds  he  lays 


AVERSION   TO    THEORETICAL    WRITING.    131 

open  ;  and  I  shall  most  certainly  in  private,  if  not  at  this 
meeting,  when  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  the 
arguments  in  the  printed  records,  discuss  more  fully  than 
I  have  now  the  points  in  question." 

The  promise  of  these  concluding  words,  however, 
was  never  fulfilled,  either  in  private  or  in  public.  In- 
deed, I  believe  that  this  was  the  last  public  utterance 
of  an  apologetic  or  polemical  kind  that  proceeded  from 
the  distinguished  theorist. 

Not  only  was  he  somewhat  averse  to  controversy — 
some  would  say,  because  of  dictatorial  dogmatism,  but 
not  those  who  knew  him  best — -he  was  averse  to 
theoretical  writing,  even  of  an  educational  kind.  This 
accounts  for  his  not  having  enriched  the  student's 
library  with  any  treatise  on  Fugue  or  on  Instrumenta- 
tion ;  on  both  of  which  subjects,  the  latter  especially, 
his  teaching,  in  permanent  and  accessible  form,  would 
have  been  invaluable.  He  was  repeatedly  urged  to 
write  such  treatises,  but  either  declined  or  postponed 
the  tasks  ;  and  musical  literature  is,  therefore,  the 
poorer. 

It  is  not  to  be  urged  that  Macfarren's  own  compo- 
sitions owed  their  originality,  style,  individuality,  or 
whatever  else  it  may  be  termed,  to  the  theoretical 
views  which  he  advocated  so  strongly  and  unwaver- 
ingly ;  but  it  is  at  once  interesting  to  trace,  and 
undeniable,  that  those  views  had  their  influence  in 
shaping  his  manner  of  thought  and  methods  of  har- 
monic procedure.  .  With  some  composers,  the  effort 
to  avoid  the  commonplace,  as  the  substitute  for  and 
semblance  of  being  original — the  result  generally  being 
eccentricity,  bizarrerie — is  very  observable.  In  Mac- 
farren  no  such  absurdity,  or  pettiness,  or  unnatural- 


132  THEORIES  AND    COMPOSITIONS. 

ness  can  be  traced;  far  too  really  thoughtful,  earnest, 
and  solid  was  he  to  have  recourse  to,  or  to  have  need 
of,  such  superficiality.  But  there  is  a  very  observable 
indication,  in  many — in  most,  perhaps — of  his  larger 
works,  of  a  consciousness  of  having  a  mission  to  de- 
monstratively and  practically  defend  and  illustrate,  by 
persistent  presentation,  combinations,  progressions, 
and,  it  may  be  added,  notations,  which,  as  it  seemed 
to  him,  he  had,  if  not  rescued  from  oblivion,  far  less 
invented,  yet  shown  in  their  right  light  as  normal 
rather  than  exceptional.  He  disclaimed  any  credit 
for  originality  in  the  views  that  he  propounded  with 
so  much  vigour,  assigning  all  such  credit  to  Dr.  Day. 
But  he  emphatically  contended  that  any  seeming 
novelty  was  not  in  the  musical  practice,  but  in  the 
theoretical  assignment  and  explanation  of  that  which 
seemed  new,  and  that  his  "  endeavour  [was]  to  .... 
remove  discrepancies  between  the  laws  of  early  theorists 
and  the  practice  of  modern  composers  "  (Preface  to 
"  Rudiments  ") .  Nevertheless,  as  has  just  been  ad- 
vanced, there  is  evident  in  his  compositions  a  tendency 
to  bring  to  the  front  that  which  had  been  in  the  back- 
ground, and  to  erect  the  exceptional  into  a  precedent. 
And  this,  moreover,  not  only  in  these  less  familiar 
combinations.  For  instance,  taking  as  his  precedent 
the  rare  progression  in  the  opening  of  Mozart's  "Jupi- 
ter" Symphony,  bars  7  and  8 — one  of  those  flashes 
of  genius  which  cannot  be  reproduced — Macfarren 
based  upon  it,  though  not  avowedly,  the  axiom  that 
two  £  chords  in  succession  are  of  good  effect,  when  the 
first  chord  is  the  second  inversion  of  the  dominant 
chord,  and  the  second  that  of  the  sub-dominant 
("  Rudiments,"  chap.  iv.  31). 


THEORIES  AND    RULES.  133 


And  it  was  surely  an  inverted  logic  by  which  Mac- 
farren  sometimes  sought  to  establish  a  theory:  the 
deducing  the  theory  from  a  rule,  instead  of  founding 
the  rule  upon  the  theory.  But  this  seemed  the  pro- 
cess by  which,  for  example,  he  accounted  the  chord  of 
the  7th  on  the  5th  of  the  scale,  when  followed  by  a 
common  chord  on  the  submediant,  as  a  first  inversion 
(without  the  root)  of  the  chord  of  the  9th  on  the 
mediant,  not  as  a  true  dominant  7th ;  because,  for- 
sooth, of  a  rule  previously  laid  down,  that  "  a  diatonic 
chord  of  the  7th  must  be  resolved  upon  a  chord  the 
root  of  which  is  a  4th  above  the  root  of  the  discord  ; " 
although  exceptions  were  allowed  even  to  this  rule — 
seemingly,  however,  as  afterthoughts.  (Compare 
"Rudiments  of  Harmony/'  sect.  2,  chap.  xi. ;  sect.  11, 
Appendix  M.) 

In  conversation  on  disputed  points,  I  have  more 
than  once  known  him  tell  some  funny  story,  ostensibly 
to  illustrate  the  point  that  he  was  seeking  to  enforce ; 
but  I  observed  on  these  occasions  that  the  argument 
was  by  no  means  the  strongest,  though  I  will  not 
insinuate  that  his  intention  knowingly  was  thus  to 
cover  a  vulnerable  point. 

But,  after  all  abatement  has  been  made,  it  remains 
impossible  to  exaggerate  the  important  service  ren- 
dered to  musical  studentship  by  the  persistence  of 
Macfarren  in  endeavouring  to  establish  a  definite  and 
a  founded  theory  of  harmony,  instead  of  leaving  the 
whole  matter  a  mere  collection  of  arbitrary  or 
empirical  rules.  Consideration  has  been  rendered 
compulsory  in  this  country,  and  the  very  diversity  of 
views  propounded  in  this,  which  some  consider  a  tran- 
sition era,  result  not  a  little  from  the  activity  of 


134  MACFARREN'S   INFLUENCE. 

thought  quickened  by  his  resolute  contention  for  that 
which  seemed  to  him  logical.  No  man  who  has 
helped  to  bring  this  about  must  be  considered  a 
pedant  or  an  obstructive;  whatever  difference  of 
opinion  may  prevail  with  regard  to  his  theories,  the 
student  world,  and  the  musical  community  generally, 
owe  much  to  his  labours  in  the  cause  of  consistency 
and  reason  in  the  region  of  musical  theory. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MACFARREN  AND  ENGLISH  Music.  COLLABORATION  WITH 
MR.  WILLIAM  CHAPPELL.  CORNHILL  ARTICLE.  LEC- 
TURES ON  OUR  NATIONAL  Music.  MUSICAL  ANTI- 
QUARIAN SOCIETY.  OPINIONS  ON  ORLANDO  GIBBONS, 
HENRY  PURCELL,  AND  OTHERS.  GLEES  AND  PART- 
SONGS.  1838,  1840,  1868,  ETC. 

IN  the  year  1838  the  late  Mr.  William  Chappell, 
F.S.A.,  published  the  first  part  of  a  work  which 
he  had  been  preparing,  entitled,  "  A  Collection  of 
National  English  Airs,  consisting  of  Ancient  Songs, 
Ballads,  and  Dance  Tunes,  interspersed  with  Remarks 
and  Anecdote,  and  preceded  by  an  Essay  on  English 
Minstrelsy.  The  Airs  harmonized  for  the  Pianoforte, 
by  W.  Crotch,  Mus.  Doc.,  G.  Alex.  Macfarren,  and  J. 
Augustine  Wade.  Edited  by  W.  Chappell."  The 
songs  in  this  collection  were  assigned  to  Macfarren. 
Of  the  other  arrangements,  those  of  Dr.  Crotch  were 
found  incongruously  scholastic,  and  those  of  Wade 
as  much  too  trivial  j  and  ultimately  the  whole  of  the 
musical  portion  of  the  succeeding  parts  of  the  work 
was  entrusted  to  Macfarren.  An  enlarged  edition  of 
this  work  was  published,  after  about  fourteen  years 
had  exhausted  the  first  issue,  under  the  title  of 
"  Popular  Music  of  the  Olden  Time,"  with  "  the  whole 
of  the  Airs  harmonized  by  G.  A.  Macfarren;"  and,  in 


136      MR.    WILLIAM    CHAPPELL'S  LABOURS. 

a  subsequent  edition,  the  title  was :  "  The  Ballad 
Literature  and  Popular  Music  of  the  Olden  .Time  ; " 
Mr.  Chappell,  in  referring  to  the  first  edition,  in  the 
Introduction,  recording  his  obligation  to  Macfarren 
"  for  having  volunteered  to  rearrange  the  airs  which 
were  to  be  taken  from  my  former  collection,  as  well  as 
to  harmonize  the  new  upon  a  simple  and  consistent 
plan  throughout.  In  my  former  work,  some  had  too 
much  harmony,  and  others  even  too  little,  or  such  as 
was  not  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  words. 
The  musician  will  best  understand  the  amount  of 
thought  required  to  find  characteristic  harmonies  to 
melodies  of  irregular  construction,  and  how  much  a 
simple  air  will  sometimes  gain  by  being  well  fitted/' 

Concerning  these  labours  of  Mr.  Chappell,  ]\Iac- 
farren  writes,  in  his  "  Family  Eecollections  " : — 

"  For  a  year  or  two  before  and  after  1840  William  Chap- 
pell  was  busy  in  collecting  and  publishing  his  first  edition 
of  '  Ancient  English  Ballads,'  and  directly  afterwards  the 
separate  collection  of  some  of  these  with  pianoforte  accom- 
paniment, and,  to  the  tunes  of  which  the  original  poems 
were  lost  or  unavailable,  new  verses  had  to  be  written,  the 
task  being  entrusted  to  my  father  at  the  remuneration  of 
a  guinea  apiece.  True  to  our  family  motto,  '  Libertas  et 
natute  solum,'  he  was  a  thorough  patriot,  and  this  charac- 
ter had  impelled  him  to  some  of  his  early  poems  during  the 
war  with  Bonaparte,  had  given  enthusiasm  to  his  writing 
of  '  Edward  the  Black  Prince '  and  '  Guy  Fawkes,'  and  had 
prompted  the  subject  of  the  never-acted  opera  of  '  Carac- 
tacus.'  Hence  he  took  particular  interest  in  this  nationalis- 
tic task,  which  he  accomplished  with  proportionate  felicity. 
Chappell's  researches  had  been  induced  by  the  taunts  of  a 
Scottish  shopman  of  his  father,  who,  exulting  in  the 
popularity  of  many  spurious  and  some  real  Scottish  melo- 
dies, asserted  that  England  possessed  no  tunes  of  her  own. 
This  taunt,  and  Chappell's  action  upon  it,  gave  a  bias  to 


MACFABREWS  ENGLISH  PROCLIVITIES.     137 


his  whole  career,  the  main  pleasure  of  his  life  having  been 
to  seek  for  vindication  of  the  tuneful  ability  of  our  southern 
compatriots." 

No  less  than  to  his  father  must  such  a  task  as  this 
have  been  eminently  consonant  with  G.  A.  Macfarren's 
English  proclivities.  All  through  his  life  he  mani- 
fested a  liking  for  English  subjects,  a  desire  to  uphold 
the  claims  of  English  music,  to  defend  it  from  asper- 
sion, and  rescue  it  from  neglect ;  not  only  writing, 
later  on  than  the  period  at  which  we  have  arrived,  on 
the  evil  effects  of  the  Italian  language,  but  also,  in  the 
"  Cornhill  Magazine,"  of  September,  1868,  on  the 
almost  proverbial  saying  among  English  people,  "  The 
English  are  not  a  musical  people."  Commencing 
with  the  remark — <e  One  of  our  humourists  has  said 
that  a  quotation  is  never  so  apt  as  when  it  is  misap- 
plied ;  so  I  trust  to  prove  the  perfect  aptitude  of  the 
quotation  from  common  prejudice  which  heads  these 
remarks,  by  showing  its  utter  misapplication  " — he 
proceeds  to  reprehend  the  pandering,  by  English 
musicians, — 

"  to  the  prevalent  folly,  by  assuming  foreign  names  or 
affecting  foreign  titles.  It  is  their  fashion,  indeed,  as  if 
they  would  wholly  expatriate  music  from  the  land,  to  give 
a  foreign  termination  to  words  used  in  connection  with 
music  ;  thus  the  list  of  pieces  to  be  performed  in  a  concert 
is  styled  by  them  a  programme ;  whereas  good  writers  of 
our  language,  who  apply  the  term  to  other  than  musical 
uses,  spell  it  as  they  spell  all  words  derived  from  the  same 
Greek  root." 

After  referring  to  the  analogous  words,  "  anagram," 
"  diagram/'  "  epigram,"  "  monogram,"  "  telegram," 
he  continues : — 


138     ARTICLE   IX   "  COKNHILL   MAGAZINE." 

"  I  am  told,  however,  that  we  have  taken  the  idea  of 
concert  bills,  and,  consequently,  the  word  which  defines 
them,  from  the  French  ;  and  that  is  why  we  spell  it  not,  as 
we  spell  all  like  derivatives,  program.  Granting,  for 
courtesy's  sake,  the  questionable  proposition,  I  cannot 
admit  the  consequence.  We  took  India,  or  a  large  part  of 
it,  from  the  French,  but  we  call  it  not  L'Inde.  The  same 
is  the  case  with  other  British  possessions,  territorial  and 
technical ;  but  it  is  rarely,  save  in  matters  musical,  that 
the  Gallican  orthography  marks  the  English  adoption. 
We  take,  indeed,  ennui  from  the  French,  liferally  and  con- 
stitutionally ;  but  it  will  be  well  if  in  print,  as  in  person, 
we  avail  ourselves  as  little  as  possible  of  this  French 
quality.  The  prejudice  against  which  English  musician- 
ship has  to  contend  spi-ings  from  domestic  mistrust,  more 
than  from  foreign  depreciation,  of  our  native  capacity  to 
love  and  practise  the  art.  It  dates,  at  earliest,  within  these 
last  hundred  and  fifty  years,  to  prove  which  I  will  adduce 
some  pertinent  facts  from  all  periods  of  English  history." 

In  some  MS.  fragments  labelled  "  Cuts  from  Corn- 
hill  "  there  are  some  additional  remarks  upon  the 
subject  of  English  terminology,  reference  being  made 
to — 

"  Men  of  letters,  whose  erudition,  if  not  their  nationalism, 
should  have  kept  them  aloof  from  such  popular  error, 
have  ignored  the  genuine  English  origin  of  some  of  our 
most  truly  English  words  in  connection  with  music, 
and  sought  to  trace  them  to  foreign  derivation.  For 
instance,  John  Wilson  Croker,  De  Quincey,  and  even  Dr. 
Trench,  whose  high  authority  gives  weight  to  the  fallacy, 
drew  the  name  of  our  old  English  Country  Dance  from  the 
French  Contredanse,  whereas  Framery,  in  the  '  Encyclo- 
pedic Methodique,'  reverses  the  etymology,  and  refers  the 
dance  as  well  as  its  name  to  English  origin.  Moreover, 
the  earliest  French  dictionaries  wherein  the  term  Contre- 
danse  occurs  are  of  centuries  later  date  than  the  practice  of 
the  dance,  among  gentle  and  simple,  in  this  country  ;  what 
is  now  called  Quadrille  being  our  old  Square  dance  for 


ARTICLE   IN  "CORNH1LL    MAGAZINE."     ]£9 

eight,  as  distinguished  from  a  round  dance,  and  that  (still 
in  favourite  use)  danced  long  ways  for  as  many  as  will,  and 
the  figure  defined  of  yore  as  dancing  the  hay." ' 

In  pursuance  of  his  contention,  he  gives  anecdotal 
quotation  from  an  old  chronicle  of  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, of  singing  "  in  harmony  of  three  parts/'  which 
latter — 

"  the  chronicle  especially  states,  was  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  race  that  then  peopled  our  eastern  counties. 
Here  .is  distinct  evidence,  which  might  easily  be  developed 
into  far  greater  amplitude,  that  harmony,  the  art  of 
musical  combination,  which  is  the  basis  of  all  musical 
construction,  was  known  and  practised  and  enjoyed  here 
some  hundreds  of  years  before  the  greatly  vaunted  Roman 
School  appropriated  the  art  of  descant  or  counterpoint, 
which  art  the  Church  indeed  derived  from  the  unschooled 
practice  of  our  Northern  Italy.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
twelfth  century,  this  practice  of  polyphony  was  certainly 
current  as  much  among  the  people  of  Wales  as  among 
those  of  the  north-east  of  our  island ;  and  there  is  good 
ground  to  assume  that  harmony  must  have  been  commonly 
familiar  in  England  when  those  stalwart  Danes,  the 
Vikings  of  the  sea  and  lords  of  the  shell,  masters  alike  of 
sword  and  song,  first  set  foot  upon,  our  shores." 

In  refutation  of  the  pretence  that  "  all  historical 
allusions  to  the  musical  proclivities  of  our  country- 
men refer  at  best  to  their  relish  for  simple  tunes  and 
their  preference  for  the  vulgarest,"  Macfarren  con- 
tends not  only  that  "  by  intuition  and  by  cultivation 
the  English  were  for  long  in  advance  of  Continental 
nations  in  the  province  of  harmony,"  but  also  that 
they  were  "  before  the  rest  of  the  world  in  contra- 
puntal elaborations  ;"  in  support  of  which  contention 
he  adduces — 

1  See  p.  9. 


140     ARTICLE   IN  "CORNHILL   MAGAZINE." 


"the  Six-men's  Song — '  Sumer  is  icumen  in' — as  a  testi- 
mony of  the  state  of  music  here  at  a  period  when  there  is 
no  sign  of  its  equal  advancement  in  any  other  land.  The 
date  of  the  MS.  of  this  remarkable  specimen  of  scholarship, 
and,  I  will  aver,  of  such  melodious  fluency  as  critics  call 
inspiration,  was  long  disputed ;  but  I  believe  that  the  best 
judges  now  agree  in  assigning  it,  from  internal  and  col- 
lateral evidence,  to  1250. l  Now,  to  speak  technically — and 
I  must  be  technical  to  be  true — this  piece  is  a  canon  for 
four  in  one  in  the  unison,  with  a  foot  or  burden,  also  of 
canonic  construction,  for  yet  two  more  voices  ;  and  as  such, 
while  some  grammatical  irregularities  cannot  be  denied  in 
it,  it  presents  an  amount  of  twofold  complication  Aat  is 
wonderful  for  its  age,  and  remarkable  for  any  age." 

Hazarding  the  conjecture  that,  as — 

"It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  in  those  remote  times, 
any  more  than  at  present,  six  singers  were  always  at  hand 
for  the  performance  of  a  piece  of  such  extensive  require- 
ments, ....  the  likelihood  of  the  case  would  furnish 
ample  evidence  of  this  canon  having  been  sung,  as  very  fre- 
quently were  the  catches  of  more  recent  days,  by  a  single 
voice,  either  with  or  without  instrumental  accompaniment ; 
and  thus  it  is  to  be  classed  among  our  national  melodies  ;"2 

Macfarren  proceeds — 

"Every  city  had,  of  old,  its  band  of  musicians.  We 
moderns  have  still  our  Waits,  whose  assumed  denomina- 
tion is  their  excuse  for  disturbing  our  sleep  on  winter 
nights,  and  appealing  for  Christmas-boxes  on  St.  Stephen's 
morning.  Their  braying  upon  cornets  and  ophicleides  of 
Italian  opera  airs  and  Christy  Minstrel  melodies  is  the 
melancholy  remnant — alas,  how  tattered  and  woebegone ! 
— of  the  ancient  city  custom  for  the  waites,  or  watch,  to 

1  This  is  a  somewhat  later  date  than  that  assigned  by  Sir  F. 
Madden  and  other  authorities. — H.  C.  B. 

2  In  Chappell's  "  Ballad  Literature  and  Popular  Music,"  etc., 
p.  24,  the  tune  is  printed,  with  accompaniment  for  pianoforte  by 
Macfarren. 


ARTICLE   IN  "CORNHILL   MAGAZINE."     141 


pass  on  their  rounds  with  harmonious  piping,  or  with  the 
sweet  sound  of  song  breathing  a  benison  on  the  sleepers. 
Not  only  in  the  royal  court,  but  in  the  house  of  every 
nobleman  and  gentleman,  there  was,  down  "to  the  Stuart 
times,  an  appointed  band  of  musicians,  whose  functions 
were  to  compose  and  to  perform  for  the  diversion  of  their 
lord  and  his  guests.  The  small  potentates,  of  Germany 
have  adopted  this  practice,  each  of  whom  maintains  his 
Kapellmeister  with  an  ample  artist  band ;  and  it  is  not  the 
only  practice  of  our  forefathers  for  the  honour  and  pro- 
motion of  music  which  has  been  adopted  in  the  Father- 
land from,  the  precedent  of  the  Mother- country.  Finan- 
cialists  represent  that  the  pecuniary  means  of  our  present 
nobility  surpass  those  of  their  ancestors,  and  exceed  those 
of  the  small  G-erman  potentates ;  thus  it  seems  that,  in 
respect  to  the  support  of  musical  art,  the  more  the  means 
the  less  the  meaning." 

He  draws  further  illustrations  and  evidences  of  the 
indigenous  love  and  early  practice  of  music  in  Eng- 
land from  the  part-music  in  the  Fairfax  MS. ;  the  pub- 
lication in  separate  vocal  parts  of  a  collection  of  con- 
certed pieces  by  various  composers  as  early  as  1560  ; 
the  dialogue  plan  of  Thomas  Morley's  "  Plain  and 
Easy  Introduction  to  Practical  Music/'  1597 ;  the 
record  of  Round  and  Catch  singing  among  "  the 
people/"- 

"  when  Sir  John  Norman,  in  1453,  first  broke  through  the 
primal  custom  of  a  land  procession  along  the  strand  of  the 
river  and  through  the  village  of  Charing  to  take  his  oaths 
at  Westminster  as  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  the  Thames 
watermen  [having]  their  roundel  to  celebrate  his  honouring 
their  element  with  his  civic  pageant, — '  Row  the  boat, 
Norman,'  [being]  sung  on  stream  and  on  shore  by  any 
three  men  of  the  water,  or  of  the  land,  who  met  in  good 
fellowship  from  that  time  forward;" — 

from    the    existence,    "  in   chivalric  times,"  of  "  the 


142     ARTICLE   IN  "  CORNHILL  MAGAZINE." 

order  of  minstrels,"  with  "its  Rex  Minstrallorum," 
the  "  institutions  for  the  care  and  culture  of  the  art  in 
England/'  the  recognition  in  England  only  of  "  the 
culture  of  music  in  its  universities  of  learning,  Alfred 
[having]  instituted  a  musical  professorship  in  his 
foundation  of  the  University  of  Oxford  in  866,"  and 
from  other  facts.  He  deals  with  the  false  allegation 
"  that  the  decadence  of  music  in  this  country  is  due 
to  the  Puritan  influence,"  urging  that  "  it  is  under 
the  Commonwealth  that  several  facts  have  date  \vhich 
bear  strongly  upon  the  development  at  least  of  the 
secular  branch  of  the  art;"  the  first  fact  that  he 
adduces  being  the  publication  by  Playford,  in  1651,  of — 

"  the  '  Dancing  Master,'  which  is  the  earliest  printed  col- 
lection of  our  dance  tunes,  with  descriptions  of  the  figures ; 
a  work  of  infinite  importance,  since  we  owe  to  it  the  pre- 
servation of  many  of  the  most  beautiful  airs  of  our  songs 
in  those  of  the  dances  that  are  named  after  them.  Hence 
it  is  clear  that. there  was  dancing  to  very  pretty  tunes  in 
the  days  of  the  Roundheads.'' 

He  also  mentions  the  issue  by  the  same  publisher, 
in  1652,  of 

" '  Select  Ayres  and  Dialogues,'  which  collection  of  vocal 
music,  by  various  composers,  comprises  the  first  two  pieces 
to  which  the  definition  '  Glee'  was  ever  applied." 

Another  fact  adduced  is  that  "  In  1656,  at  Rutland 
House,  in  Aldersgate  Street,  Sir  William  Davenant 
gave  the  first  public  performance  of  an  English  opera," 
it  being — 

"equally  remarkable,  since  quite  as  important,  that  the 
character  of  lanthe  in  this  opera  ['The  Siege  of  Rhodes'] 
was  sustained  by  Mrs.  Henry  Colman,  who  was  the  first 
female  that  ever  performed  in  public  in  this  country.  We 
owe,  then,  to  Puritan  time's" the  perpetuation  of  our  oldest 


ARTICLE    IN   "CORNHILL    MAGAZINE."     143 

national  melodies,  and  the   origination  of  our  glee,  our 
opera,    and  our   pleasurable  privilege   of  hearing  female 

singers." 

He  then  passes  in  rapid  review  the  musical  tenden- 
cies of  the  Protector  himself,  the  institution  by 
Charles  II.  of  "  four-and-twenty  fiddlers/'  the  emi- 
nent native  musicians  of  the  period,  such  as 

"  Henry  Lawes,  whose  exquisite  powers  of  musical  ex- 
pression and  declamation  are  eulogized  by  Milton  and 
Waller ; " . .  .  "  Matthew  Locke,  who,  though  the  music  be  lost 
which  he  composed  for  'Macbeth,'  and  though  the  music  in 
'•Macbeth'  be  not  his  which  is  commonly  accredited  to  him, 
wrote  the  opera  of  '  Psyche '  prior  to  Lully's  of  the  same 
name,  wrote  other  works  for  the  stage,  wrote  for  the 
Romanist  Church  as  organist  to  the  Queen,  wrote  vocal 
and  instrumental  music  for  the  Chamber,  and  wrote  glees 
for  the  people  ;"..."  Pelham  Humphreys,  whom  Pepys 
describes  as  '  keeping  time  to  the  music  '  (or,  in  modern 
phrase,  conducting)  at  Whitehall  in  the  year  when,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  wrote  the  music  for  Dryden's  spoliation 
of  the  '  Tempest,'  and  therein  proved  that  the  lyrical  art 
of  the  age  was  superior  to  the  poetical ;"..."  Henry 
Purcell,  who  was  the  greatest  musician  of  his  own  age, 
and  who,  in  his  wonderful  insight  into  the  latest  modern 
resources  of  harmony,  and  his  delicate  application  of  the 
powers  of  melodic  expression,  as  far  exceeded  the  past  as 
lie  anticipated  the  future  of  his  art."  ' 

1  "  Purcell  and  his  two  colossal  successors,  Handel  and  J.  S.  Bach, 
wrote  every  combination  of  musical  notes  that  down  to  our  latest 
times  has  ever  been  employed  with  good  effect ;  and  the  more  the 
works  of  these  masters  are  studied  the  more  they  are  found  to  fore- 
shadow the  supposed  novelties  in  harmony  employed  by  subsequent 
artists.  .  .  .  Purcell's  voluminous  and  superb  works  for  the  church, 
his  many  compositions  for  the  theatre,  his  countless  convivial  pieces, 
and  his  far  less  numerous  instrumental  writings  are  now  but  little 
known,  and  the  ignorance  of  the  age  is  its  loss.  They  have  a  wealth 
of  expression  that  cannot  be  too  highly  esteemed,  and  a  fluency  of 
melody  that  proves  the  perfect  ease  of  their  production.  The  idiom 
of  the  age  in  which  they  were  written  is  perhaps  a  partial  barrier  to 
their  present  acceptance,"  etc. — Macfarrea's  "Musical  History," 
pp.  73,  74. 


144     ARTICLE    IN  "  COEXHILL   MAGAZINE." 

And  then  Macfarren  proceeds  to  inveigh  against 
that  which  he  considered  to  be  the  "first  shock " 
which  "  the  musical  faith  of  England"  received — a 
faith  "  which  the  asperity  of  the  Protectorate  could 
not  crush,  and  the  frivolity  of  the  Restoration  could 
not  dissipate."  This  was  "in  Queen  Anne's  reign"  : — 

"It  was  during  her  sovereignty  that  the  first  experiment 
of  Italian  opera  was  made  in  this  country ;  and  it  is  to  its 
subsequent  establishment  as  one  of  the  institutions  of  the 
metropolis,  and  the  gross  affectation  which  this  bred  and 
nourished,  that  the  degradation  of  art  is  wholly  to  be 
ascribed." 

This  is  urged  and  illustrated  with  considerable  elabora- 
tion and  persuasive  eloquence.  The  founding  and  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Madrigal  Society,  the  Noblemen  and 
Gentlemen's  Catch  Club,  the  Glee  Club,  and  the  Concen- 
tores  Sodales,  are  chronicled;  animadversion  upon  the 
glee  is  incidentally  made  ;  musicians  "  whose  talent 
brightened  the  early  years  of  the  present  century  " — 
notably  Sir  H.  E.  Bishop — are  referred  to.  The 
Philharmonic  Society,  the  Society  of  British  Musicians, 
the  labours  of  John  Hullah,  and  the  Tonic  Sol- Fa 
Association,  receive  their  meed  of  acknowledgment, 
and  this  interesting  paper  concludes  with  the  expres- 
sion of  hope  that,  obstacles  being  removed, — 

"  the  people  will  become  regenerate,  when  the  love  and 
the  talent  natural  to  them  will  find  free  scope,  when  we 
shall  no  longer  allow,  and  foreigners  will  no  longer  acquiesce 
in,  the  prejudice  that  'the  English  are  not  a  musical 
people.'  " 

This  copious,  but  yet  insufficient,  summary  of  the 
article  in  which  Macfarren's  pronouncements  upon  the 
subject  are  so  emphatically  given,  makes  a  long  digres- 


LECTURES    ON   OUR   NATIONAL   MUSIC.    145 


sion;  but  it  has  its  fit  place  here,  as  affording  evidence 
of  his  power  of  marshalling  facts  and  arguments,  of 
his  incisive  mode  of  utterance,  and  of  the  deep  interest 
that  he  took  in  the  patriotic  aspects  of  his  art :  an 
interest,  doubtless,  intensified  by  the  researches  with 
which  he  became  acquainted,  and  in  which  he  engaged, 
during  his  collaboration  with  Mr.  William  Chappell. 
Much  of  the  lore  connected  with  that  work  may  have 
been  brought  to  the  surface  by  Mr.  Chappell ;  but  the 
musical  discrimination  evinced  in  the  above-sum- 
marized paper,  and  found  also,  together  with  much 
technical  information,  in  Mr.  ChappelFs  pages,  are 
doubtless  Macfarren's  own. 

In  connection  with  this  same  subject  of  our  national 
music,  Macfarren  delivered  a  course  of  four  lectures 
on  the  "  National  Music  of  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales, 
and  England,"  at  the  London  Institution,  in  January 
and  February,  1870.  The  Syllabus  of  this  course 
indicates  the  thoroughness  of  research,  thought,  and 
arrangement  with  which  the  lectures  were  prepared, 
and  is  therefore  here  inserted. 

"  LECTURE  I.— THURSDAY,  January  6th. 

"  IRELAND. 
"Illustrated  by 

"Miss  ANNIE  SINCLAIR  and  Miss  EMMA  FORBES, 
"  Mr.  WILBYE  COOPER  and  Mr.  J.  Gr.  PATEY. 

"NATIONAL  Music. — Its  more  permanent  nature  in  Northern 
than  in  Southern  countries.  Is  it  an  index  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  people  ?  Is  it  a  clue  to  their  ethnology?  The 
Scoti  invaded  Ireland  and  conquered  the  Hibernii  in  the 
third  century,  and  they  called  the  land  Scotia,  which  name 
it  retained  till  the  eleventh  century.  Migrating  from  the 
North  East,  they  probably  came  originally  through  Scythia 


146         LONDON   INSTITUTION  LECTURES 

from  the  south.  Sculpture  of  a  harp  constructed  like  those 
of  Egypt  and  Assyria,  on  a  monument  of  the  eighth  cen- 
tury, at  Ullard,  in  Kilkenny.  Importation  of  the  Irish 
harp  into  Italy  mentioned  by  Dante  in  the  thirteenth  and 
referred  to  by  Vincenzo  Galileo  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  so-called  '  Scotch  scale  '  of  five  notes  (the  pentatonic 
scale  of  C.  Engel),  probably  in  use  among  ancient,  and 
certainly  among  modern,  oriental  nations,  as  also  in  Mexico 
and  Peru  at  the  time  of  their  discovery.  Antiquity  and 
universality  cf  the  bagpipe ;  representation  of  one  found 
in  the  ruins  of  Tarsus,  dating  two  centuries  B.C.  The  scale 
of  this  instrument.  Appropriation  of  the  Gregorian  scales 
to  secular  melody.  The  English  practice  of  singing  songs 
with  a  foot,  undersong,  or  burden,  possibly  imported  into 
Northumberland  in  the  sixth  century  by  the  monks  of 
Bangor,  or  Benchor,  in  Down.  The  Hindoo  '  bardahi '  or 
'  bhat,'  perhaps  the  origin  of  the  title  and  function  of  the 
Bard.  Irish  bards.  Spenser's  account  of  their  character 
and  habits.  Their  race  continued  in  the  harpers  of  later 
date.  John  and  Harry  Scott,  famous  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Elizabeth.  Turlogh  O'Carolan,  famous  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Anne.  His  reception  by  Irish  gentry.  Endeavours  to  pre- 
serve the  use  of  the  Irish  harp.  Last  meeting  of  harpers, 
in  1792,  at  Belfast.  Preservation  of  the  Irish  melodies. 
Bunting's  publications  in  1796,  1809,  and  1840.  Moore's 
Poems— 1st  series,  from  1807  to  1815  ;  2nd  series,  1834. 
Irish  society  and  Dr.  Petrie.  The  Flaxsaraidh  or  Planxty. 
The  Clan  March  corrupted  into  the  Jig.  Appropriation  of 
English  dance  tunes  by  Irish  editors.  Appropriation  of 
English  tunes  to  Irish  party  songs." 


"LECTTJEE  II.— THURSDAY,  January 
"  SCOTLAND. 
"Illustrated  by 

"  Miss  ANNIE  SINCLAIR  and  Miss  JULIA  ELTON, 
"  Mr.  WILBTE  COOPER  and  Mr.  THEODORE  DISTIN. 

"DR.  JOHNSON'S  estimate  of  the  modern  Scotchmen.  Cairlar 
Riada  led  a  colony  of  Scots  from  Ireland  into  Argyleshire, 


OX    OUR   NATIONAL    MUSIC.  147 

which  was  named  Dalraida  after  him,  A.D.  503.  These 
were  called  the  '  Scots  in  Briton.'  They  imported  their 
music,  musical  instruments,. and  musical  officers, or  bards. 
Their  constant  warfare  with  the  northern  or  southern  Picts, 
or  Pechs,  until  their  amalgamation  with  this  people  under 
Kenneth  II.  in  843.  The  Saxon  race  first  settled  in  Scot- 
land under  Malcolm  Can  more,  1058.  Engagement  of 
English  pipers  and  other  musicians  to  play  at  the  Scotch 
court  in  the  fifteenth  century.  Evil  influence  of  the  Refor- 
mation upon  music  in  Scotland.  Magisterial  prohibitions. 
Scotch  music  not  known  in  England  until  the  time  of 
Charles  II.  The  Scotch  songs  in  Playford's  Choice  Ayres 
are  by  English  poets  and  composers.  Forbes'  Cantus 
Caledoniensis,  1662,  the  first  publication  of  secular  music 
in  Scotland,  consists  of  English  compositions.  Allan 
Ramsay's  Tea-Table  Miscellany,  1724,  W.  Thompson's 
Orpheus  Caledonius,  1725,  and  Oswald's  collection,  all 
printed  in  London,  contain  English  songs.  Burns  wrote 
poems  for  Johnson's  Museum,  1787,  and  G.  Thompson's 
collection,  1793.  Engagement  of  distinguished  German 
musicians  to  write  accompaniments  to  the  tunes  for  the 
latter  work.  Forgeries  of  Ossianic  poems  by  McPherson, 
and  of  Nithsdale  ballads  by  Cunningham.  Jacobite  relics. 
Great  fashion  for  Scotch  tunes  in  England.  Consequent 
imitation  of  their  style  by  James  Hook  and  other  com- 
posers. Appropriation  of  English  tunes,  and  alteration  of 
English  poems  into  the  Scotch  dialect.  The  so-called 
'  Scotch  snap,'  introduced  into  Scotland  by  Gipsy  fiddlers. 
The  reel  (hreol  or  reol)  of  Danish,  if  not  Anglo-Saxon 
origin.  The  strathspey." 


"  LECTURE  III.— THURSDAY,  January  27th. 

"WALES. 
"  Illustrated  by 

"Miss  ROBERTIXE  HENDERSON  and  Miss  EMMA  FORBES. 
"  Mr.  WILBYE  COOPER  and  Mr.  WINN. 

"  DUTIES,  privileges,  and  indemnifications  of   the  Welsh 
Bards.     Gryffydd   engaged   Irish   bards   to  improve  and 


148         LONDON  INSTITUTION  LECTURES 

regulate  the  music  in  Wales,  1078.  Ordinances  then  esta- 
blished, and  specimens  of  music  of  the  period,  are  preserved 
in  a  MS.  of  the  time  of  Charles  I.,  the  notation  in  which 
cannot  now  be  deciphered.  Institution  of  the  Eisteddfod, 
'  Allm-harach  '  (foreign  strain),  the  second  of  the  twenty- 
four  Welsh  musical  terms.  No  remnant  of  the  pentatonic 
scale,  the  scale  of  the  bagpipe,  the  Gregorian  scales,  the 
predominance  of  the  sixth  note  of  the  key,  the  minor  seventh 
of  the  key,  or  any  other  tonal  peculiarity  in  popular  tunes 
now  claimed  as  Welsh.  The  harp  and  bagpipe  were  common 
to  Wales  and  the  three  sister  nations ;  the  crwth  resembles 
in  name  the  Irish  word  '  cruit,'  for  a  harp,  and  the  instru- 
ment is  a  supposed  link  between  that  and  the  Anglo-Saxon 
fithl,  fiddle,  viol,  or  violin.  Skill  in  performance  upon  the 
harp,  and  the  possession  of  one,  essential  to  a  Welsh  gen- 
tleman. Tradition  an  uncertain  authority.  Tunes  of 
English  origin.  Honourable  pride  of  the  Welsh  in  the 
nationality  and  antiquity  of  their  music,  and  their  estimable 
endeavours  of  the  last  century  and  a-half  to  collect  and 
preserve  it.  '  Ancient  British  Music,'  collected  by  Parry 
and  Williams,  1742 ;  'British  Harmony,'  collected  by  Parry, 
of  Euabon,  1781;  'Welsh  Bards,'  collected  by  Jones,  1784; 
collections  by  John  Parry,  Miss  M.  J.  Williams,  and  John 
Thomas,  in  the  present  century.  Lady  Greenly's  pi-ize  for 
a  collection  of  Welsh  tunes,  1838.  Brinley  Richards'  efforts 
to  revive  the  use  of  the  triple  harp,  Lady  Llanover's  prize 
for  performance  upon  it,  1869." 


"  LECTURE  IV.— THURSDAY,  February  3rd. 

"  ENGLAND. 
"  Illustrated  by 

"  Miss  ANNIE  SINCLAIR  and  Madame  PATEY-WHYTOCK, 
"  Mr.  WILBYE  COOPER  and  Mr.  J.  G.  PATEY. 

"  ALL  the  national  elements  compounded  in  the  present 
Englishman,  save  perhaps  the  Norman,  have  been  musically 
notable.  Love  of  secular  music  by  the  early  clergy.  Aid- 
helm's  politic  use  of  it  in  the  seventh  century.  Edgar's 
law  against  priestly  indulgence  in  it,  A.D.  960.  Constant 


ON   OUR   NATIONAL    MUSIC.  149 

appropriation  of  secular  tunes  to  church  use,  from  the  days 
of  William  I.  to  our  own.  The  many  instruments  in  early 
use  in  England.  Caxton's  edition  of  Chaucer,  with  pic- 
ture of  the  miller  playing  on  a  bagpipe.  This  instrument 
common  to  many  countries.  The  recorder,  or  English 
flute.  The  'corno  inglese'  or  'cor  anglais'  of  present  use. 
The  '  chaine  anglaise,'  identical  with  the  '  hay,'  as  is  the 
'  contre  danse '  with  the  '  country  dance.'  Bounds,  horn- 
pipes, and  other  popular  dance  tunes.  Common  practice 
of  singing  catches.  Narrative  ballads  of  the  minstrels; 
the  extended  application  of  this  form  by  the  people.  Evil 
influence  of  Puritanism,  upon  music  counteracted  by  the 
steadfast  feeling  of  the  opposite  party.  Music  declined  in 
England  from  the  permanent  establishment  of  the  Italian 
Opera  under  George  I.  Indifference  of  the  modern  English 
to  their  own  music.  Popular  music  of  the  olden  time 
collected  by  Chappell.  '  God  save  the  Queen,'  originally 
English,  now  the  national  tune  of  many  countries ;  its 
contended  authorship." 

In  the  pages  of  the  "  Musical  Times  "  for  July  and 
following  months  of  the  same  year,  appeared  a  series 
of  articles  with  the  same  title  as  that  of  these  lectures, 
and  evidently  being  substantially  identical  with  them. 
Some  extracts  may  be  given  here. 

Commencing  with  the  ejaculation,  te  Alas  !  for  the 
cosmopolite,  whose  citizenship  is  so  universal,  that  he 
has  no  special  affection  for  the  soil  that  gave  him 
birth,"  Macfarren  proceeds  :  — 

"  The  term  '  national  music '  needs  definition,  and 
needs  this  all  the  more  because  it  has  been  often  and 
variously  defined.  It  is  not  here  to  increase  its  vagueness 
by  adding  to  its  limitation  ;  but  it  may  be  as  well  to  state 
what  it  is  here  meant  to  signify,  in  order  that  its  use  may 
be  here  understood.  A  melody  is  national  when  it  has 
been  commonly  sung  by  a  people  through  several  genera- 
tions, and  sung  because  it  naturally  expressed  the  people's 


150  NATIONAL   MUSIC. 

feelings,  not  because  of  its  artistic  merit.  Every  melody 
must  have  had  a  composer,  and  that  composer  must  have 
been  a  technically  trained  musician.  Let  me  not  take  from 
Mr.  Chappell  the  merit  of  first  putting  forward  this  view, 
but  do  what  I  may  to  confirm  the  view  and  support  its 

upholder Whether  this  musician  was  taught  in 

modern  schools,  whether  a  hai*per — of  the  race  now  dying 
out  in  Wales,  and  dead  for  seventy  years  at  least  in  Ire- 
land— whether  as  a  minstrel,  whether  as  a  bard,  matters 
not  or  matters  little ;  he  must  have  learned  the  rules  of 
art  according  to  some  principle,  or  he  can  never  have  pro- 
duced anything  original,  if  even  he  can  have  reconstructed 

into  good  shape  anything  familiar In  almost  all 

instances,  the  name  of  a  true  composer  of  a  national  tune 
is  forgotten ;  exceptionally  it  may  be  preserved,  if  not 
generally  remembered.  The  tune  is  not  divested  of  its 
characteristics,  loses  not  hold  upon  popular  feeling,  ceases 
not  to  be  national,  if  its  composer's  name  be  brought  to 
light  after  people,  from  mother  to  babe,  from  father  to 
son,  have  sung  or  whistled  it  by  the  life-long.  Thus 
Dibdin,  or  Gary,  or  Carolan,  or  Purcell,  or  John  or  Harry 
Scott,  or  who  you  will,  may  have  made  a  tune ;  it  is  the 
people  who,  by  finding  in  it  the  idiom  which  gives  truest 
utterance  to  their  own  emotions,  by  adopting  and  handing 

it  from  one  generation  to  another, have  made  it 

national." 

He  considers  that  "  musical  evidence,"  in  addition 
to  that  derived  from  other  sources,  points  to  the 
migration  of  the  Irish  "  from  very  far  in  the  south- 
east/' The  fact  that  the  pentatonic  scale — "the 
diatonic  scale  of  modern  music  with  its  4th  and  7th 
degrees  omitted — having,  that  is,  no  interval  of  a 
semitone,  but  that  of  a  minor  third  below  its  1st  and 
above  its  3rd  degree" — which  is  proved  "to  have 
been  the  scale  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  and  Assy- 
rians," and  "  is  now  in  theoretical  and  practical  use 
among  Eastern  nations,  especially  the  Chinese/' — 


IRISH   MUSIC.  151 


"  point  to  the  source  of  the  scale,  and  of  the  people 
who  brought  it  into  Ireland/'  and  indicate  that  "  the 
Irish  seem  to  be  the  eldest  in  musical  claims  to  consi- 
deration "  of  "  the  members  of  our  national  family." 
He  thinks  this  to  be  further  indicated  by  "  a  sculptured 
monument  at  Ullard,  in  Kilkenny,  which  cannot  have 
been  erected  later  than  the  eighth  century/'  and  which 
11  comprises  a  representation  of  a  man  playing  on  a 
harp,  identical  in  form  with  those  painted  in  the  temples 
of  Egyptian  Thebes,  and  differing  from  the  modern 
harp  in  having  no  fore-pillar."  Further  evidence  in 
the  same  direction,  "  feeble,  taken  alone/'  but  still 
worth  consideration,  is  the  use  by  the  Irish  of  the 
bagpipes,  which  are  of  proved  antiquity. 

After  alluding  to  the  importation  of  the  Gregorian 
scales  into  Ireland,  he  continues  '• — 

"It  is  probably  to  one  of  these  Church  modes,  the 
^Eolian,  that  we  may  refer  the  frequent  prominence  of  the 
6th  degree  of  the  scale,  and  sometimes  the  conclusion  on 
this  note,  in  one  class  of  Irish  tunes.  Possibly  the  bag- 
pipes may  have  been  constructed  with  regard  to  this  very 
mode ;  but  it  is  more  credible  that  their  peculiar  scale  origi- 
nated in  the  same  source  as  the  Gregorian  system  itself." 

This  source,  in  Macfarren's  opinion,  was  pagan.  He 
continues  : — 

"  Last  of  all,  when  the  principles  of  modern  music  took 
root  in  Ireland,  the  diatonic  scale  flourished  as  their 
natural  blossom.  It  seems  to  have  been  rather  as  a  settler 
than  as  a  native,  however ;  since,  for  very  long,  the  con- 
servative spirit,  and  the  desire  to  perpetuate  their  na- 
tionality, seem  to  have  prompted  musicians  to  adhere  to 
the  pentatonic,  the  bagpipe,  or  the  Gregorian  scales  in  the 
composition  of  their  melodies  ;  nay,  even  now,  when  a  writer 
wishes  to  be  characteristic  of  the  Irish — to  put,  as  it  were, 


152  IRISH  MELODIES. 

a  brogue  into  his  song — he  has  recourse  to  one  of  these 
scales,  and  his  music  has  of  consequence  the  true  national 
savour." 

After  reference  to  "  the  practice  in  Ireland,  as  well 
as  in  Wales,  and  in  the  North  and  East  of  England, 
of  accompanying  a  song  with  a  foot,  or  under-song,  or 
burden,  that  was  sustained  by  another  singer,"  and 
the  fact,  therefore,  vouched  for  by  Giraldus,  "  that 
harmony  was  an  essential  element  of  our  national 
music  seven  hundred  years  ago," — even  six  centuries 
earlier,  according  to  Bunting ; — the  practice  of  singing 
in  parts  by  monks,  at  the  place  "  named  after  the 
singers,  Benchor,  Anglice  White  Choir,  now  corrupted 
into  Bangor — and  other  interesting  facts,  "  the  Bardic 
institution"  is  treated  of;  and  then,  the  collection  and 
transcription  of  the  harpers*  melodies  by  "  Bunting,  a 
professional  musician  trained  on  modern  principles/' 

"At  three  wide  intervals  he  printed  the  result  of  his 
researches.  The  merit  of  Irish  melodies  as  a  class  was 
perceived,  and  fashion  adopted  what  then  came  forth  as  a 
discovery.  An  Irish  music-seller,  in  London,  projected  the 
publication  of  a  series  of  his  native  airs  with  new  English 
poetry.  He  hesitated  for  some  time  as  to  who  should 
share  the  responsibility  of  interpreting  in  verse  the  passion 
of  the  tunes:  and  he  determined  to  confide  it  solely  to 
Moore,  who  was  thus  associated  with  Irish  melodies,  and 
who  is  consequently  believed  by  many  uuinquiring  persons, 
who  are  misled  by  equivocal  title-pages,  to  be  the  com- 
poser of  the  tunes.  Moore's  collection  is  by  no  means 
exhaustive,  though  it  contains  several  airs,  some  avowedly 
and  some  not,  that  are  of  unquestionably  English  origin. 
Its  success,  however,  more  than  its  incompleteness,  has 
induced  other  writers  to  follow  in  his  steps,  and  the  name 
of  Irish  melody  has  become  an  almost  certain  passport  to 
popular  favour. 

"  A  vast  majority,  if  not  the  total  of  the  best-esteemed 


SCOTCH  MUSIC.  153 

tunes  can  be  fairly  proved  to  be  of  modern  origin  in  compari- 
son with  the  early  date  to  which  the  foregoing  remarks  might 
suggest  their  ascription.  It  may  be  more  than  doubted 
whether  any  true  favourites  can  be  older  than  a  couple  of 
hundred  years ;  and  it  cannot  be  denied  that,  in  many,  if 
not  all  cases,  what  sounds  old  and  Irish  in  them  is  due,  as 
has  already  been  hinted,  to  imitation." 

People  do  not  care  to  have  their  favourite  predilec- 
tions or  prejudices  disturbed;  and  it  is  probable  that 
the  belief  in  "  Irish  melodies "  will  continue  to  be 
cherished,  notwithstanding  these  ruthless  facts  and 
arguments. 

An  arrangement  by  Macfarren  of  "  Moore's  Irish 
Melodies  "  was  published  in  1859. 

Proceeding  to  the  consideration  of  Scotch  music, 
it  is  shown  that,  whereas — 

"  The  Scots  themselves  are  immigrants  in  the  laud  of 
their  pride,  having  migrated  from  the  north-east  early  in 
the  third  century,  '  invaded  Ireland,  conquered  the  early 
settlers,  made  themselves  masters  of  the  soil,  and  called 
the  land  Scotia  .  .  .  they  [subsequently]  carried  into  Bri- 
tain their  language,  their  pentatonic  scale,  their  harp,  and 
their  bagpipes ;  and  hence  the  difficult  distinction  between 
the  music  of  the  original  nation  and  that  of  her  offshoot. 
Herein  is  the  explanation  ...  of  how  the  scale  of  five 
notes  comes  to  be  called  the  '  Scotch  scale.'  " 

The  repressive  tendency  of  the  Reformation  in 
North  Britain,  as  most  pernicious  to  music,  is  dwelt 
upon. 

"  Art  withers  without  cultivation,  and  it  could  not  but 
be  that,  under  the  circumstances,  music  fell  soundly  to 
sleep,  if  not  died  out  in  the  North ;  and  by  natural  conse- 
quence, the  Scotch  appear  to  have  been  indifferent  to  their 
own  tuneful  wealth,  if  not  unaware  of  its  existence,  until 


154  ORIGIN    OF  SCOTCH  MELODIES. 

advised  of  it  from  England,  which  advice  was  of  ques- 
tionable authenticity." 

The  undoubted  English  origin  of  many  so-called 
Scotch  melodies  is  shown;  the  inexplicableness  of 
"  the  strong  Southern  predilection  for  the  name  (ob- 
serve it  is  but  the  name)  of  Scotch  music."  The  term 
"  Scottish"  was  in  the  time  of  Charles  II. — 

"  Substituted  for  Northern  as  a  definition  of  rustic 
ditties  :  the  Scots  in  Britain  afterwards  took  a  hint  from 
their  brethren  of  the  south,  and  accepted  the  term  when- 
ever it  was  offered  them ;  but  they  regarded  the  word  less 
as  the  distinction  of  a  particular  class  of  poetry  and  music 
than  SUB  an  assertion  of  nationality,  and  they  assumed 
every  piece  that  was  described  as  Scottish  to  have  been 
produced  in  the  Land  of  Cakes,  and  they  claimed  it  accord- 
ingly as  national  property." 

Macfarren  adduces  various  considerations  "  to  show 
that  the  broad  assertion  is  not  unauthorized  "  of  "  the 
Southern,  if  not  London  origin  of  many  of  the  so- 
called  Scotch  tunes  now  in  highest  favour." 

"  One  peculiarity  in  Scotch  music  had  no  origin  in  Ire- 
land, and  is  to  be  found  in  no  tunes  of  English  origin  save 
those  written  in  imitation  of  the  supposed  Scotch  character. 
This  is  what  we  call  the  snap,  the  lengthening  the  time  of  a 
second  note  at  the  cost  of  the  one  before  it,  the  placing  a 
semiquaver  before  a  dotted  quaver.  This  is,  to  say  the  best 
of  it,  a  vulgarism  in  vocal  music  which  leads  to  the  undue 
prolongation  of  unaccented  syllables ;  and  such  prolonga- 
tion would  warrant  the  assumption  that  English  is  a  bad 
language  for  singing,  if  the  language  were  at  fault  because 
it  was  mispronounced.  The  snap,  however,  gives  emphasis 
and  consequent  spirit  to  dance  tunes,  and  is  an  element  of 
good  effect  when  well  applied.  The  snap  appears  not  in 
any  tunes  that  make  any  pretension  to  antiquity." 


WELSH  MELODIES.  155 

After  some  remarks  upon  the  Clan  Marches  — 
' '  some  of  the  most  genuine  products  of  our  Northern 
soil/'  he  continues  : — 

"  Lastly,  it  is  to  speak  of  the  Reel.  Well,  this  owes 
nothing  to  Scotland  but  its  preservation.  When  folks 
here  used  to  dance  '  The  Hay,'  in  the  days  of  good  Queen 
Bess,  they  performed  the  identical  figure  of  the  Reel.  .  .  . 
An  earlier  form  of  the  word  is  Rhay,  which  brings  us  back 
to  Anglo-Saxon  days.  A  Danish  form  of  the  word — Hreol 
or  Reol — belongs  to  the  same  period.  ...  A  like  dance  is 
now  practised  by  the  peasantry  in  Denmark,  and  one 
favourite  Danish  tune  for  it — research  is  not  easy  on  the 
subject — is  all  but  identical  with  a  Scotch  tune  for  a  Scotch 
Reel." 

In  the  same  cogent  manner,  giving  evidence  of  no 
little  research  and  thought,  doubtless  in  connection 
with  his  work  in  association  with  Mr.  Chappell,  Mac- 
farren  discusses  Welsh  music,  asserting  that  athe 
assumed  Welsh  melodies  " — for  he  does  not  deny  their 
national  origin,  though  it  may  be  questionable — 

"  That  are  best  known  have  none  of  the  tonal  charac- 
teristics that  distinguish  those  of  other  districts.  The 
structure  of  some  shows  them  to  have  been  composed  for 

the  harp These  have  not  the  wild  and  fervid  passion 

of  the  best  of  those  of  Ireland,  nor  the  strongly-defined 
rhythm  and  accent  marked  almost  to  vulgarity  of  those 
given  to  Scotland  and  readily  enough  claimed  by  her, 
but  they  have  a  sweetly  tender  grace  that  is  undeniably 
charming,  and  evinces  a  beautiful  nmsical  feeling  in  those 
who  made  them,  whether  in  times  remote  from,  or  near  to 
our  own." 

Passing  to  the  general  subject  of  our  national  music, 
Macfarren  avers  that — 

"  It  is  now  manifest  that  the  Anglo-Saxons  cultivated 


156  SECULAR   MUSIC    OF  ENGLAND. 

music  to  a  very  high  degree ;  that  the  Anglo-Danes,  who 
commingled  with  them,  fed  their  stream  of  song  with 
kindred  waters ;  and  that  this  country  was  immensely  iu 
advance  of  the  South  of  Europe  in  the  popular  disposition 
for,  and  the  scholastic  development  of  the  art.  The 
Normans  set  their  foot  upon  everything  that  was  national 
when  they  took  possession  here;  but  though  they  trampled 
upon,  they  could  not  crush  the  love  of  music  that  was 
innate  in  the  race.  This  was  left  for  the  House  of  Hanover 
to  accomplish  with  the  Italian  Opera  for  its  Nasinyth 
Hammer;  but  though  this  destructive  engine  bruised,  and 
contused,  and  dislocated,  and  fractured,  and  mangled  in 
every  way  the  body,  the  spirit  is  immortal,  and  begins 
again  to  take  corporate  shape  among  us.  .  .  .  Indepen- 
dently of  those  [tunes]  which  may  have  been  wafted  hence 
into  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  Wales,  the  tunes  of  unequivocal 
Anglican  origin  are  more  numerous,  and  are  more  various 
in  character,  than  are  those  of  other  districts,  while  their 
merit  entitles  them  to  a  proud  place  beside  the  others. 
As  an  ufaited  nation,  we  subjects  of  British  rule  are  sin- 
gularly wealthy  in  native  melodies  ;  and  it  should  give 
confidence  to  artists  of  the  highest  aspirations,  that  they 
have  been  born  where  such  tunes  as  ours  have  been  pro- 
duced and  loved." 

Three  lectures  on  the  "  Secular  Music  of  England  " 
were  given  by  Macfarren  before  the  Literary  and  Philo- 
sophical Society,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  in  January, 
1871,  which  seem  to  have  embraced  similar  material 
to  that  just  recorded. 

In  the  article,  alluded  to  above,  in  the  "  Musical 
Times  "  of  March  1st,  1869,  on  "  The  Italian  Lan- 
guage :  its  evil  influence  upon  Music,"  Macfarren's 
contention  is  that  "  the  Italian  language  has  been, 
and  is,  a  most  baneful  influence  to  music,  affecting 
its  production,  its  performance,  and  its  effect."  This 
threefold  contention  he  seeks  to  sustain,  firstly, 
by— 


HANDEL'S   ITALIAN    OPERAS.  157 


"  The  notable  case  of  Handel's  operas.  These  are  cast  in 
a  form  that  limited  the  workings  of  the  mighty  genius  of 
the  master,  and  allowed  no  play  to  its  higher  attributes : 
.  .  .  being  without  choruses,  .  .  .  and,  therefore,  presenting 
...  no  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  boundless  contrapuntal 
resources  :  .  .  .  consisting  exclusively,  or  nearly  so,  of  airs 
that  embody  no  dramatic  action,  and  in  many  instances, 
constructed  with  the  object  rather  of  executive  display  than 
of  poetical  expression,  his  operas  gave  the  rarest  oppor- 
tunity for  that  wonderful  power  of  characterization,  and 
that  unsurpassable  felicity  of  verbal  declaration  which 
particularly  make  his  personages  and  the  words  they  utter 
to  live  before  the  hearers.  Based  upon  subjects  that  are 
entirely  unsympathetic  to  our  times,  and  constructed  upon 
principles  that  are  totally  uncongenial  to  our  stage,  his 
operas  will  never,  and  can  never,  be  performed  again  :  .  .  . 
and  a  large  mass  of  the  labours  of  one  of  the  greatest,  and, 
perhaps,  the  very  grandest  of  musicians,  wrought  at  a 
period  of  life  when  men's  abilities  are  at  the  strongest,  are 
obsolete  and  virtually  lost  to  the  world  for  ever.  .  .  .  Now, 
Handel  wrote  his  operas  in  subservience  to  a  fashion  which 
set  in  but  two  or  three  years  before  his  first  coming  to  this 
country :  a  fashion  for  affecting  to  believe  that  the  Italian 
langxiage  was  better  fitted  than  any  other  for  the  purposes 
of  music,  and  for  affecting  to  admire  performances  in  the 
Italian  tongue  above  any  in  the  vernacular  of  the  nation. 
This  fashion  was  founded,  as  many  fashions  are,  upon 
falsehood.  To  wit :  the  first  and  highest  element  in  vocal 
music  is  the  general  expression  and  minute  declamation 
of  the  words.  This  element  is  a  nullity  with  an  audience 
by  whom  the  words  to  which  music  is  set  are  not  familiarly 
and  habitually  spoken,  and  thus,  and  only  thus,  fully 
understood;  and  no  language  is,  therefore,  so  good  for  the 
most  important  of  all  musical  purposes  as  the  native  lan- 
guage of  the  people  before  whom  it  is  performed.  It  wag, 
then,  to  this  gross  falsehood  of  fashion,  this  lie  against  all 
sense  and  reason,  this  perfidy  against  pure  art  and  undis- 
torted  nature,  Handel  sacrificed  the  best  years  of  his 
manhood." 

After  noting  how   Handel,   at   the    solicitation  of 


158  EVIL   INFLUENCE    OX  MUSIC    OF 

Aaron  Hill,  whose  letter  is  given,  dated  December  oth, 
1 732,  "  first  produced  before  the  public  his  composi- 
tions to  English  words,  '  Esther  '  and  '  Acis  and 
Galatea/  "  Macfarren  concludes  this  portion  of  his 
argument  by  saying  : — 

"  The  practical  answer  to  this  letter  is  the  series  of 
English  oratorios  and  secular  cantatas  through  which  the 
name  and  the  genius  of  Handel  are  universally  known." 

The  next  instance  cited  is  that  of  Mozart,  as — 

"  Most  anxiously  desiring  to  set  music  to  his  own  German 
language.  .  .  .  Had  his  natural  wish  more  frequently  been 
gratified,  had  his  more  important  and  more  regularly 
formed  works  been  set  to  the  words  of  his  native  speech. 
they  perhaps  could  not  have  been  better — it  is  impossible 
to  suppose  that  the  music  of  Mozart  could  have  been  better 
than  it  is — but  they  certainly  would  have  been  better 
understood,  and  might,  doubtless,  have  been  produced  with 
greater  pleasure  to  their  author." 

After  instancing  Weber,  whose  "  best  efforts  were 
sorely  hindered,  if  they  could  not  be  frustrated,  by 
the  ever  poisonous  working''  of  the  Italian'  predilec- 
tions of  his  time,"  Macfarren  proceeds  to  consider 
"  the  influence  of  this  language  upon  the  performance 
of  works  which  have  been  written  in  spite  and  through 
the  midst  of  its  antagonism  " : — 

"  First,  then,  as  regards  the  singers.  The  majority  of 
those  who  now-a-days  present  themselves  at  the  Italian 
theatres  in  London  are  Germans,  or  Swedish,  or  French, 
or  American,  or  English,  or  in  some  other  way  foreign  to 
the  manner  born  of  the  text  they  have  to  enunciate.  .  .  . 
The  greater  number  of  the  vocalists,  and  nearly  all  of  the 
best  of  them,  who  sing  in  Italian  to  London  hearers,  have 
the  embarrassment,  and  make  the  consequent  shortcomings 


THE   ITALIAN  LANGUAGE.  159 

of  contending  with  an  acquired,  and  therefore  to  them  un- 
natural, language.  To  judge  from  the  practice  of  a  large 
number  of  these,  and  of  nearly  all  the  private  singers  who 
study  under  the  best  esteemed  Italian  teachers,  it  would 
be  fair  and  right  to  denounce  the  Italian  language  as 
eminently,  nay,  pre-eminently,  bad  for  music  ;  and  this 
because  it  appears  to  induce  a  habit  of  false  musical 
phrasing,  and  of  violating  one  of  the  most  obvious  and 
simple  laws  of  musical  expression.  Every  one  knows,  for 
instance,  that  the  note  following  an  appoggiatura  should 
be  unaccented,  and  that  the  whole  stress  of  the  phrase 
should  be  thrown  xipon  the  leading  [leaning  ?]  note  itself ; 
but  English  vocalists,  who  sing  Italian,  commonly  give 
emphasis  to  a  final,  instead  of  a  penultimate  note,  and 
strongly  accentuate  the  second  instead  of  the  first  syllable 
of  such  words  as  '  mio,'  '  padre,'  '  core  ; '  if,  in  cases  like 
the  last,  they  do  not  substitute  an  '  a  '  for  the  '  e,'  in  order, 
apparently,  to  give  extra  force  to  their  false  rendering  of 
the  musical  requirements." 

Macfarren  proceeds  with  "grounds  of  complaint,  in 
operatic  Italianization,  still  more  cogent  than  have  yet 
been  set  forth  ;  "  these  being  the  blunders  of  "  the 
wordmongers — higher  definition  may  not  be  applied  to 
them — to  whom  the  most  delicate  and  most  difficult 
task  of  translation  is  for  the  most  part  confided," 
e.g.  :— 

"  They  not  only  place  syllables  of  different  vowel  sounds 
to  emphatic  notes  from  those  to  which  these  notes  were 
set,  and  so  materially  affect  the  mechanism  of  vocal  pro- 
duction, but  they  vary  the  construction  of  their  sentences 
so  as  to  distort  either  the  verbal  sense  or  the  musical 
phrasing,  and  they  not  rarely  substitute  other  and  even 
contrary  meaning  for  those  to  which  music  of  pointed  sig- 
nificance and  careful  expression  has  been  written." 

Examples  of  such  perversities  are  given,  from 
Beethoven's  "  Fidelio."  And  the  paper  concludes 
with,  a — 


160  ITALIAN    OPERAS. 

"  Proposition  that  rising  vocalists  waste  not  their  best 
years  and  their  best  energies  in  the  study  of  music  and 
words  that  can  be  of  no  possible  avail  to  them  for  technical 
training  or  popular  advancement,  but  that  they  devote 
themselves  to  the  practice  of  works  in  the  language  which 
it  is  their  duty  to  ennoble,  by  freeing  it  from  the  vulgarisms 
of  mispronunciation,  and  which  they  will  find,  and  may 
prove  to  be,  better  susceptible  of  musical  expression  than 
any  which  is  not  next  to  intuitive  in  themselves  and  their 
hearers." 

In  agreement  with  the  opinions  so  trenchantly  enun- 
ciated, he  elsewhere  speaks  of  Italian  operas  composed 
for  England  as  "  that  apparent  hotbed  of  non-success," 
after  having  traced  the  succession  of  a  number  of  such 
works  which  have  failed  to  retain  any  hold  upon  public 
estimation,  notwithstanding  the  exceptionally  adven- 
titious circumstances  under  which  they  have  been  pro- 
duced. Macfarren  lived  to  witness  the  reaction  set  in 
which  he  probably  anticipated,  though  not  in  the  form 
which  he  would  have  expected  or  desired :  the  fashion 
— who  will  yet  say  whether  it  is  more  ? — of  acceptance 
of,  and  admiration  for,  the  newer  school  of  music- 
drama  brought  into  vogue,  so  far  as  modern  usage  is 
concerned,  by  Wagner.  Not — be  it  observed — opera 
in  our  vernacular ;  though  even  of  that  there  have 
been  notable  symptoms  of  revival,  both  in  production 
and  in  public  interest. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  insert  here  some 
observations  occurring  in  an  article  on  "  Choral  Sing- 
ing/' contributed  by  Macfarren  to  the  first  number  of 
the  "Part-Song  Magazine  "  (May,  1868),  in  which, 
after  enumerating  "  faults  most  common  to  untutored 
singers,  and  most  needful  to  be  overcome,"  he  con- 
cludes as  follows :  — 


ORLANDO    GIBBONS.  161 

"  It  is  needful  to  ignore  utterly  the  foolish  fallacy  that  the 
English  language  is  not  good  for  music.  This  is  disproved 
by  the  example  of  our  best  solo  singers,  who  show  our 
vernacular  to  be  as  apt  as  any  for  vocalization,  and  a 
better  medium  than  some  languages  for  expressive  decla- 
mation. English  is  only  unmusical  when  it  is  mispro- 
nounced. When  the  language  escapes  this  ill-treatment, 
every  unprejudiced  person  must  feel  that  we  need  not  to 
sing  in  a  tongue  which  is  unintelligible  to  our  hearers  in 
order  to  make  our  performance  interesting." 

In  conversation  with  myself,  Macfarren  animad- 
verted on  the  practice  of  accenting  the  final  syllable  in 
"  toward,"  even  when  separated  from  the  first  syllable, 
as  in  the  locution  "  to-us-ward." 

In  the  "  Cornhill "  article,  reference  is  made  to 
Orlando  Gibbons  and  Purcell.  It  may  be  interesting 
here  to  quote  his  remarks  on  the  former  of  these  from 
Chappell's  "  Popular  Music  of  the  Olden  Time  ":— 

"  The  fantasies  of  Orlando  Gibbons  are  most  admirable 
specimens  of  pure  part- writing  in  the  strict  contrapuntal 
style ;  the  announcement  of  the  several  points,  and  the  suc- 
cessive answers  and  close  elaboration  of  these,  the  freedom 
of  the  melody  of  each  part,  and  the  independence  of  each 
other,  are  the  manifest  result  of  great  scholastic  acquire- 
ment, and  consequent  technical  facility.  Their  form,  like 
that  of  the  madrigals  and  other  vocal  compositions  of  the 
period,  consists  of  the  successive  introduction  of  several 
points  or  subjects,  each  of  which  is  fully  developed  before 
the  entry  of  that  which  succeeds  it.  The  earlier  fantasies 
in  the  set  are  more  closely  and  extensively  elaborated, 
and  written  in  stricter  accordance  with  the  Gregorian 
modes  than  those  towards  the  close  of  the  collection,  which, 
from  their  comparatively  rhythmical  character  and  greater 
freedom  of  modulation,  may  even  be  supposed  to  have 
been  aimed  at  popular  effect.  They  would,  it  is  true,  be 
little  congenial  to  modern  ears,  but  this  is  because  of  the 
strangeness  to  us  of  the  crude  tonal  system  that  prevailed 

M 


162  HENRY  PUR  CELL. 

at  the  time,  and  upon  which  they  are  constructed.  The 
peculiarities  that  result  from  it  are  the  peculiarities  of  the 
age,  and  were  common  to  all  the  best  writers  of  the  school 
in  this  and  every  other  country.  Judged  by  the  only  true 
standard  of  criticism — judged  merely  as  what  they  were 
designed  to  be — they  must  be  pronounced  excellent  proofs 
of  the  musical  erudition,  the  ingenious  contrivance,  and 
the  fluent  invention  of  the  composer."1 

In  the  discussion  that  ensued  after  the  reading  of  an 
admirable  paper  on  "  Henry  Purcell  and  his  Family/' 
by  Mr.  "VV.  H.  Cumniings,  at  the  Musical  Association, 
December  4th,  1876,  Macfarren  said  that — 

"  he  considered  it  a  matter  of  very  great  consequence  that 
Purcell's  merits  should  be  known  and  acknowledged. 
English  music  had  long  been  under  a  stigma  from  which 
he  believed  the  present  time  was  freeing  it,  for  people 
were  now  beginning  to  admit  that  Englishmen  could  not 
only  admire  the  music  of  others,  but  that  there  had  been 
some  amongst  them  who  could  add  to  the  treasures  of 
musical  art.  If  one  could  suppose  a  person  to  be  born  at 
Christmas  at  the  North  Pole  who  never  saw  the  sun,  it 
would  be  to  him  a  vain  expectation  that  there  could  ever 
be  daylight,  and  if  we  were  born  in  this  country  with  the 
idea  that  there  never  had  been  good  English  musicians, 
it  would  be  almost  a  hopeless  aspiration  to  dream  of  be- 
coming so.  But  now  that  it  could  be  proved  that  before 
the  darkness  set  in  there  was  such  a  light  as  Purcell,  it 
might  perhaps  be  an  encouragement  to  aim  at  the  new 
dawning.  He  was  convinced  that  Purcell  was  a  very 
remarkable  genius,  and  the  more  remarkable  because  of 
the  hard  circumstances  by  which  he  was  surrounded.  Mr. 
Cummings  had  perhaps  done  one  little  injustice  to  English 
music,  at  and  before  Purcell's  time,  when  he  said  that  the 
faculty  of  melody  was  not  possessed  by  previous  musicians. 
He  could  not  but  think  of  the  beautiful  songs  of  Henry 
Lawes,  which  were  gems  of  melody,  and  of  those  of  his 

1  "Popular  Music  of  the  Olden  Time,"  p.  470. 


PURGE LL'S  MUSIC.  163 

brother  William.  Henry  Lawes  might  have  known 
Purcell,  but  he  was  his  elder ;  and  going  still  farther  back, 
there  were  part-songs  to  be  sung  by  a  solo  voice  when  the 
other  three  were  not  there,  some  of  which  were  more 
remarkable  for  the  melody  than  for  the  harmony.  One  in 
particular  was  scarcely  known  in  its  original  form,  namely, 
Ford's  '  Since  first  I  saw  your  face,'  which  was  tuneful 
enough  for  any  country.  Then,  again,  there  were  the 
songs  of  John  Dowland,  which  contain  most  acceptable 
melodies,  and  many  of  them  had  had  great  popularity,  as, 
for  instance,  '  Now,  oh,  now,  we  needs  must  part.'  Refe- 
rence might  also  be  made  to  the  long  string  of  national 
melodies,  which  in  number  and  variety  would  hold  their 
own  with  the  national  music  of  any  other  country ;  how- 
ever, the  great  merit  of  Purcell  was  not  in  being  the  first 
of  our  countrymen  to  write  tunes,  because  others  had  done 
that  before  him,  but  in  his  harmonies,  many  of  which  the 
speaker  considered  prodigious,  as  being  really  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  harmonic  progressions  of  modern  times,  and 
showed  him  to  have  had  a  complete  insight  into  the  beau- 
tiful, and  to  have  felt  the  principles  of  harmonic  construc- 
tion and  harmonic  derivation  in  a  manner  which  he  could 
only  have  done  by  possessing  the  most  keen  sensitiveness 
to  musical  propriety.  It  was  a  great  glory,  not  to  our 
country  only,  but  to  the  art  of  music,  that  at  this  early 
period,  preceding  the  works  of  Handel  and  Bach,  there 
was  a  man  writing  music  which  amazed  one  even  now  with 
its  beauty  and  its  likeness  to  modern  compositions.  Many 
instances  of  what  seemed  to  be  deep  research  into  the 
acoustical  derivation  of  chords  appear  in  Purcell,  and 
showed  him  to  be  a  most  original  thinker ;  and  although 
he  made  some  experiments  which  were  not  so  successful, 
there  was  a  character  of  beauty  in  his  music  which  justified 
the  highest  admiration.  There  was,  however,  one  quality 
in  Purcell  more  remarkable  than  his  beautiful  melodies  or 
his  wonderful  anticipation  of  modern  harmony,  and  that 
was  his  very  grand  power  of  musical  declamation  and 
strong  dramatic  feeling.  The  form  of  operas  in  his  days 
very  narrowly  restricted  his  dramatic  powers,  it  being  then 
the  habit  to  construct  dramas  for  speaking,  in  accordance 
with  the  prejudice  set  forth  by  Dry  den,  that  it  was  incom- 


164          MUSICAL  ANTIQUARIAN  SOCIETY. 

patible  with  dramatic  action  to  have  persons  sing  their 
words,  and  that  the  music  of  the  stage  should  for  the  most 
part  be  restricted  either  to  supernatural  beings  or  to 
madmen.  Purcell  had  such  strong  dramatic  feeling  as 
would  have  made  him  a  great  master  in  this  kind  of  music, 
had  dramas  then  been  constructed  to  give  him  such  an 
opportunity.  Nothing  could  be  more  picturesque  than 
the  frost  scene  in  'King  Arthur,'  and  nothing  could  be 
more  expressive  than  the  pathetic  music  in  several  of  his 
pieces.  For  instance,  in  the  two  great  scenes  in  his  opera 
of  'Don  Quixote,'  one  the  song  of  Cardenio  when  he  is 
mad,  and  thinks  of  Lucinda's  eyes  as  the  only  light  that 
can  warm  him  in  his  coldness,  and  the  other  the  soprano 
scene,  '  From  rosy  bowers.'  It  was  very  pleasing  to  think 
that  there  had  been  such  a  great,  pre-eminent  English 
musician,  and  they  could  not  be  too  grateful  to  Mr. 
Cummings  for  having  given  them  so  much  information 
about  him." 

In  the  year  1840,  the  Musical  Antiquarian  Society 
was  instituted,  with  the  laudable  object  of  rescuing 
from  oblivion  English  music  of  the  highest  character, 
either  existing  in  manuscript  only,  or  very  scarce,  and 
therefore  costly ;  by  printing  and  publishing  such 
works  under  competent  editorship.  At  that  time, 
Purcell's  "  King  Arthur/'  "  Dido  and  .^Eneas/'  "  The 
Libertine/'  "  Timon  of  Athens/'  and  several  of  his 
"  Odes  "  existed  only  in  manuscript.  Only  six  of  the 
"  Madrigals  "  by  Wilbye  were  purchasable.  Many 
other  valuable  works  were  out  of  all  ordinary  reach, 
such  as  many  by  Tallis,  Orlando  Gibbons,  Dowland, 
William  Byrde,  Weelkes,  Henry  Lawes,  etc.  The 
Council  of  the  Society,  on  its  formation,  consisted  of 
W.  Sterndale  Bennett,  Henry  R.  Bishop,  W.  Chappell, 
George  Hogarth,  E.  J.  Hopkins,  W.  Horsley,  G.  A. 
Macfarren,  T.  01iphant,E.  F.Rimbault  (Secretary),  Sir 
G.  Smart,  Professor  Edward  Taylor,  and  James  Turle. 


MACFAEREN  EDITS  "DIDO  AND  AENEAS."     165 

To  Macfarren  was  allotted  the  editorship  of  PurcelPs 
"Dido  and^Eneas,"  In  the  introduction  (or  preface) 
to  this  edition,  he  writes,  with  characteristic  evince- 
ment  of  his  interest  in  dramatic  performance  : — 

"  Considering  it  essential  to  the  full  appreciation  of  the 
dramatic  feeling  which  pervades  the  music  of  '  Dido  and 
^Eneas,'  that  the  reader  should  be  able  to  comprehend  at 
one  view  the  incidents  and  conduct  of  the  story,  I  have 
thought  it  desirable  to  prefix  the  drama.  Unable  to  meet 
with  any  copy  separate  from  the  music,  and  the  MS.  scores 
to  which  I  have  had  access  presenting  but  the  mere  words 
and  the  names  of  the  characters  who  sing  them,  I  have 
ventured  to  make  such  divisions  of  the  acts  as  were  sug- 
gested to  me  by  apparent  musical  climaxes  and  by  the 
progress  of  the  plot ;  also  to  introduce  the  descriptions  of 
the  scenes  and  other  stage  directions  which  seemed  to  be 
needful  for  the  right  understanding  of  the  whole." 

He  added  marks  of  expression,  of  which  there  were 
very  few  in  the  MS.  He  also  compressed  the  score 
for  the  pianoforte,  both  of  "  Dido  "  and  of  Purcell's 
"  Bonduca,"  filling  up  also  the  figured  bass.  It  is 
now  known,  however,  that  the  copy  of  "  Dido  and 
^Eneas "  which  he  used  was  imperfect :  additional 
pieces  have  since  been  discovered,  and  are  included  in 
Mr.  W.  H.  Cummings'  beautiful  edition  issued  by  the 
Purcell  Society.  Still,  Macfarren' s  edition  is  a  stand- 
ing evidence  of  his  industrious  research. 

The  Council  of  the  Musical  Antiquarian  Society 
decided  that  no  pianoforte  compression  should  accom- 
pany the  works  issued  by  them ;  but  the  publishers, 
Messrs.  Chappell  and  Co.,  determined  on  a  separate 
issue  of  such  compression,  the  preparation  of  which 
was  undertaken  by  Macfarren — the  works  so  arranged 
by  him  being  the  "  Fantasies  in  three  parts,  composed 


166  THE    GLEE. 


for  Viols  by  Orlando  Gibbons  "  (previously  alluded 
to)  ;  the  whole  Book  of  Psalms  with  their  wonted 
tunes  in  four  parts,  as  published  by  Thomas  Este, 
1592;  the  first  set  of  songs  by  John  Dowland;  "King 
Arthur"  and  "  Bonduca,"  by  Purcell,  etc. 

The  Musical  Antiquarian  Society  had,  unhappily,  a 
too  brief  career  of  only  seven  years. 

As  has  been  said,  Macfarren  in  his  "  Cornhill  " 
article  animadverted  upon  the  Glee,  saying  :— 

"  Upon  the  whole,  although  the  Glee  be  admitted  as  a 
class  of  composition  essentially  English,  it  is  a  class  in 
which  we  poor,  self-denying  English  have  not  great  occa- 
sion for  pride,  since,  as  a  class,  the  excellent  pieces  which 
form  the  minority  of  its  instances  are  too  exceptional  to 
give  it  specific  dignity." 

Similarly,  in  his  lecture  on  Cipriani  Potter,  before 
the  Musical  Association  l : — 

"  We  must,  in  order  to  judge  of  the  merit  of  Potter  as 
a  teacher  of  composition,  consider  what  was  the  state  of 
music  at  the  time  when  he  came  upon  the  world.  The 
music  in  England  then  of  the  highest  esteem  was  that 
which  has  the  merit  of  being  peculiarly  English — namely, 
the  Glee;  and  Webbe  and  Dr.  Callcott  were  the  most 
highly  honoured  classicists  of  this  school,  a  species  of  com- 
position in  which  there  is  no  development  at  all,  in  which 
an  idea  is  presented,  and  before  it  is  entirely  complete, 
there  is  some  change  of  tempo,  some  change  of  measure, 
and  a  new  idea  is  started.  The  grand  masterpiece,  as  it 
is  generally  considered,  of  Glee  writing — '  When  winds 
breathe  soft ' — is  cut  up  into  as  many  fragments  as  entitle 
it  to  be  called  a  musical  mosaic.  Continuity  seems  to 
have  been  outside  the  thoughts,  as  well  as  outside  the 
capability  of  the  writers  of  the  period." 

1  See  page  21. 


"  WHEN    WINDS    BREATHE    SOFT."          167 

This  animadversion  has,  in  its  turn,  been  animad- 
verted upon  by  an  intelligent  and  enthusiastic  writer, 
who  says  : — 

"  One  of  the  worthiest  native  musicians  of  the  present 
day  has  asserted  that  the  best  of  the  English  Glees  are 
only  'musical  mosaics,'  and  he  has  singled  this  work 
['  When  winds  breathe  soft ']  for  his  special  animadver- 
sion. He  quotes  it  as  an  example  to  prove  his  statement 
that  continuity  of  treatment  was  not  only  outside  the 
power,  but  was  also  outside  the  thought,  of  the  English 
musicians  of  the  last  century.  This  is  unfortunately  an 
ill-advised  statement,  which  must  have  been  made  in  an 
unhappy  mood.  The  whole  glee  is  constructed  upon  one 
continuous  idea,  and  is  no  more  a  piece  of '  musical  mosaic ' 
than  the  statue  of  the  Apollo  Belvidere  can  be  said  to  be 
the  true  effigy  of  Darwin's  progenitor  of  the  human  race. 
Mr.  David  Baptie  is  right  when  ...  he  calls  this  glee 
'the  noblest  production  of  its  composer,  a  truly  grand 
conception.'  " 

Then  follows  an  analysis  of  the  Glee,  terminating 
with  the  statement  that — 

"  the  unity  of  the  whole  design,  the  relation  each  part  or 
movement  bears  to  the  other,  is  a  most  striking  instance 
of  the  continuity  of  the  idea  entered  upon  in  the  opening 
phrase,  and  developed  to  the  greatest  possible  extent  in  a 
work  of  its  character.  It  therefore  offers  a  complete 
refutation  of  the  mistake  made  by  the  learned  musician 
alluded  to."  ' 

Whether  the  refutation  be  so  complete  as  this  writer 
alleges,  may  be  left  to  competent  judgment ;  but 
assuredly  Macfarren  did  not  "  mistake  "  by  overlook- 
ing the  points  of  design  indicated.  He  was  speaking 

1  English  Glees  and  Part- Songs.  A n  Inquiry  into  their  Historical 
Development.  W.  A.  Barrett.  London,  1886.  Pp.  226-228. 


168         MACFARREN'S    COX VI VIAL    GLEES. 

of  a  different  order  of  plan  :  that  of  one  movement,  with 
contrasted  subjects,  conjointly  or  otherwise  worked  ; 
and  he  did  not  recognize  this  element  of  continuity  in 
the  Glees  to  which  he  alluded.  Much  more  might 
now  be  advanced,  were  this  a  controversial  work. 
Enough  that  Macfarren' s  dicta  upon  this,  as  well  as 
upon  other  subjects,  did  not  pass  unchallenged ;  the 
very  formidableness  of  his  opposition  being  so  far 
recognized  as  to  arouse,  not  unfrequently,  something 
almost  approaching  to  rancour  in  the  contention  to 
which  it  gave  rise.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the 
characterization  is  intended  to  apply  to  the  very 
respectful  antagonism  above  cited. 

Notwithstanding  his  strictures  on  English  Glees,  or 
at  least  on  the  weak  style  and  structure  characterizing 
them,  Macfarren  himself  wrote  several  such  composi- 
tions. There  is  a  set  of  Six  Convivial  Glees,  illustra- 
tive of  the  history  of  England,  for  three  men's  voices, 
published  in  1842,  the  words  by  his  father,  viz. — 
"  King  Canute  "  (also  published  as  a  song) ,  "  William 
Rufus,"  "  Fair  Rosamond,"  "  Queen  Bess,"  "  Oliver 
Cromwell,"  "  Sir  Hugh  Middleton."  With  the  ex- 
ception of  "  William  Rufus,"  the  words  of  all  have 
some  reference  to  conviviality,  being  designed  for  the 
use  of  Glee  Clubs,  and  such  gatherings,  in  which  habit 
of  that  kind  was  associated  with  music.  Another 
Glee,  for  the  same  voices,  was  "  Hail  to  the  Chief!  " 
words  also  being  by  George  Macfarren,  sen.  All  of 
these  are  fresh,  and  with  defined  structure,  principally 
of  episodical  kind.  The  "  Musical  World  "  of  January 
6th,  1842,  reviewing  " Oliver  Cromwell,"  says: — 
"  Since  the  glees  of  Mr.  Bishop,  none  have  afforded 
us  so  much  pleasure  as  those  of  Mr.  Macfarren.  There 


MACFARREWS   "SHAKESPEARE   SONGS."     169 

is  a  humour  in  them  which  sorts  mightily  with  our 
temperament."  Concerning  these  Glees,  Macfarren 
thus  writes,  after  recording  the  publication  of  the 
"  Devil's  Opera  "  by  Hill 1  :— 

"  Thus  brought  into  close  connection  with  the  house,  I 
was  soon  asked  to  write  a  Glee  that  would  be  available  for 
singing  at  the  supper  houses  which  were  numerous  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  theatres  ;  and  for  this  my  father  furnished 
me  with  the  verses  of  '  King  Canute.'  I  was  lucky  in  my 
setting  of  them,  and  the  notes  with  the  words  were 
so  successful  as  well  to  have  reimbursed  the  publishers 
for  the  three  guineas  they  had  paid  for  the  twofold  copy- 
right. The  sale  of  this  Glee,  however,  led  to  our  engage- 
ment for  five  others  to  constitute  a  series,  on  the  same 
terms,  which,  as  times  went,  we  felt  to  be  a  miniature 
fortune.  They  are  all  humorous  relations  of  English  his- 
torical incidents,  and  the  verses  of  some  of  them  are  at 
least  as  full  of  point  as  are  those  of  the  first ;  but,  by  a 
caprice  of  luck  as  unaccountable  as  are  most  of  the  freaks 
of  that  wayward  deity,  no  one  but  '  King  Canute '  has  ever 
had  acceptance." 

Besides  these,  Macfarren  produced  "  Shakespeare 
Songs  for  four  voices"  (1860-64),  and  a  host  of 
similar  compositions,  both  for  mixed  and  for  equal 
voices,  which  are  for  the  most  part  sufficiently  well 
known  to  render  their  enumeration  here  unnecessary. 

1  See  page  50. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  HANDEL  SOCIETY.  MACFARREN'S  VISIT  TO  NEW 
YORK.  EDITIONS  OP  "  BELSHAZZAR,"  "  JUDAS  MAC- 
CABEUS," AND  "  JEPHTHA."  VIEWS  ON  EDITING. 
ARTICLES  ON  THE  "  MESSIAH."  MARRIAGE.  "  ANTI- 
GONE "  PERFORMANCES.  ARTICLES  ON  MENDELSSOHN'S 
"  GEDIPUS  IN  COLONOS"  Music.  1843—1855. 

PRIOR  to  the  death  of  George  Macfarren,  sen.,  in 
April,  1843,  he  had  made  a  suggestion  to  his  son 
which  was  willingly  acted  on  :  that  of  the  formation 
of  a  society  for  the  publication  of  a  complete  edition 
of  Handel's  works,  under  competent  editorship — a 
scheme  which  it  was  supposed  would  be  hailed  with 
acclamation  and  meet  with  abundant  support  in  the 
land  of  Handel's  adoption,  and  in  which  those  works 
were  held  in  such  high  esteem.  As  was  the  case 
with  the  Musical  Antiquarian  Society,  however,  the 
expectations  of  its  promoters  were  not  fully  realized  ; 
the  Handel  Society,  instituted  in  1843,  having  an 
existence  of  only  a  few  years.  Macfarren,  however, 
acted  upon  his  father's  suggestion — the  father,  indeed, 
being  present  at  the  first  meeting  convened  for  the 
formation  of  the  Society,  and  with  the  co-operation  of 
R.  Addison  (Treasurer),  W.  Sterndale  Bennett,  Sir 


HANDEL    SOCIETY.        VISITS  NEW   YOKE.     171 

H.  B.  Bishop,  Dr.  Crotch,  J.  W.  Davison,  E.  J. 
Hopkins,  I.  Moscheles,  T.  M.  Mudie,  G.  F.  Rimbault, 
Sir  George  Smart,  and  Henry  Smart,  G.  A.  Macfarren 
as  Secretary,  issued  the  Prospectus,  from  73,  Berners 
Street,  June  16,  1843.  Into  the  work  of  the  Society, 
which  commenced  with  1,000  members,  but  was  dis- 
solved in  January,  1848,  through  lack  of  support,  this 
is  not  the  place  to  enter,  beyond  recording  that  for  it 
Macfarren  edited  "  Belshazzar,"  "  Judas  Maccabeus," 
and  "  Jephtha."  With  his  sadly  imperfect  eyesight, 
such  work  must  have  been  exacting  and  laborious. 
He  had  very  conscientious  ideas  as  to  the  nature, 
responsibility,  and  duties  of  editorship,  and  it  was 
indicative  of  the  artistic  aims  which  always  animated 
him,  that  he  entered  with  painstaking  energy  into 
comparatively  unprofitable  work  of  this  or  any  other 
kind,  which  tended  towards  the  highest  advancement 
of  the  art  to  which  he  had  devoted  himself. 

His  sight  continuing  to  fail  increasingly,  he  was 
allured  by  the  accounts  which  he  received  of  the  skill 
and  success  of  an  oculist  in  New  York ;  and,  in  the 
fond  hope  of  obtaining  some  benefit  from  the  much- 
vaunted  treatment,  was  induced  in  1847  to  proceed 
to  that  city  and  place  himself  under  the  lauded  prac- 
titioner. The  hope  was  vain  :  although  the  oculist 
from  time  to  time  pronounced,  as  the  result  of  diag- 
nosis, that  there  was  improvement,  the  poor  patient 
had  to  reply, — "  I  only  know  that  I  can't  see  any 
better."  Even  at  this  time,  however,  Macfarren  was 
able  to  write,  with  the  help  of  a  powerful  magnifying 
glass,  the  use  of  which,  indeed,  he  did  not  relinquish 
until  about  twelve  years  later.  The  blindness  did 
not  become  total  till  about  1865.  It  is  hardly  to  be 


172  "KING    CHARLES  II." 

wondered  at  that,  under  the  depressing  circumstances 
of  his  visit  to  America,  the  period  of  eighteen  months' 
sojourn  there  was  not  remarkable  or  prolific  in  an 
artistic  way.  He  found  the  sea-voyages  insufferably 
tedious,  although  he  seems  not  to  have  been  wholly 
idle  even  with  his  pen  while  on  his  way  to  the  United 
States.  A  Vocal  Duet,  words  by  W.  A.  Hammond, 
bears  date  "British  Channel,  10  August,  47."  The 
stanzas  commence : — 

"  Let  us  haste  to  the  river,  whose  tremulous  breast 
Is  a  bed  where  the  calm  face  of  heaven  might  rest ; 
As  we  float  o'er  the  stream  in  its  mantle  of  blue, 
We  fancy  it  heaven  it  mirrors  so  true." 

At  the  end  of  the  manuscript,  Macfarren  writes  : — 

"  Dear  Mr.  Hammond,  had  you  had  half  so  much  of  the 
water  when  you  wrote  these  words  as  I  have  had  now,  you 
would  have  told  a  very  different  story.  However  poetical, 
they  are  strictly  romantic,  in  Dr.  Johnson's  full  meaning  of 
the  word. — Yours  very  truly,  G.  A.  Macfarren." 

During  his  stay  in  Xew  York,  however,  he  com- 
pleted another  opera, ' '  Charles  the  Second  "  (of  which 
more  anon),  forwarding  the  numbers  to  England,  sheet 
by  sheet.  He  corresponded  about  musical  matters 
with  his  intimate  friend,  the  late  Henry  Gattie, 
violinist,  a  man  of  great  intelligence  beyond  the 
domain  of  his  art,  with  whom  at  that  time  I  was  in 
very  frequent  intercourse,  and  from  whom  I  received 
intelligence  when  he  heard  from  Macfarren.  One 
matter  of  his  solicitude,  about  which  he  begged  intel- 
ligence from  Gattie,  was  the  progress,  artistically,  of 
his  youngest  brother,  Walter  Cecil,  now  so  well 


EDITION   OF  "  BELSHAZZAR."  173 


known,  but  then  in  the  early  days  of  his  professional 
career. 

Another  incident  of  his  sojourn  in  New  York  was  a 
performance,  at  a  concert  given  by  Henri  Herz  and 
Camillo  Sivori,  of  Macfarren's  "Chevy  Chase"  over- 
ture, the  composer  conducting,  Sivori  playing  first 
violin,  Bottesini  the  double-bass,  Herz  the  drums, 
and  J.  L.  Hatton  the  triangle !  All  this  was  so 
announced  ! 

This  digression  respecting  the  visit  to  New  York 
will  explain  the  dating  thence  of  the  preface  to  "  Bel- 
shazzar/'  to  Macfarren's  edition  of  which  we  now 
revert. 

In  that  preface  to  the  first  part  of  "  Belshazzar," 
dated  November  1,  1847 — after  giving  various  histo- 
rical particulars  concerning  the  Oratorio — he  states 
that  it  was  his 

"  object  to  follow  the  manuscript  of  Hande  as  closely  as 
possible ;"  upon  which  authority  he  was  "  enabled  to  make 
many  important  corrections  of  the  score,  as  it  has  appeared 
in  the  old  printed  copies,  sometimes  in  single  notes,  some- 
times in  the  accentuation  of  words,  and  sometimes  in  the 
restoration  of  passages,  which  have  hitherto  been  always 
omitted." 

He  further  states  that  the 

"  edition  contains  several  entire  pieces  which  have  never 
before  been  printed,  ....  and  several  resettings  of  pieces 
already  known ; " 

all  these  being  derived  from  Handel's  manuscript  in 
the  Library  of  Buckingham  Palace.  These  are  pointed 
out  in  detail;  and  it  is  also  stated  that,  in  certain 
places, — 


174        EDITION  OF  "JUDAS   MACCABEUS." 

"  there  are  [in  the  MS.]  several  erasures,  sometimes  of 
single  bars,  sometimes  of  two,  three,  or  four  bars  together, 
and  these  furnish  a  most  interesting  illustration  of  Handel's 
method  of  composition,  in  the  circumstance  of  the  voice 
and  the  bass-parts  being  written  continuously  throughout 
the  whole  movement,  and  the  violin  and  viola-parts  not 
being  filled  up  in  the  erased  bars,  thus  showing  that  it  was 
the  custom  of  the  composer  to  make  first  a  skeleton  of  his 
score,  which  he  corrected  and  completed  afterwards,  etc." 

And  Macfarren  goes  on  to  speak  of  one  place  in 
which  he  has  seen  it  fit  and  necessary,  for  the  sake  of 
performance,  to  fill  in  this  "  skeleton/'  as  he  believed 
Handel  would  have  done.  Various  minor  correc- 
tions, also,  he  specifies ;  and  then  speaks  of  the  organ 
part  which  he  supplied,  following  the  example  of 
Mendelssohn  in  his  edition  of  "  Israel  in  Egypt "  for 
the  same  society. 

These  few  particulars  give  some  indication  of  the 
painstaking  care  with  which  Macfarren  performed  his 
task ;  and  the  same  care  is  manifested  in  his  edition  of 
"  Judas  Maccabeus,"  in  the  preface  to  which,  dated 
London,  March,  1855,  occur  the  following  characteris- 
tic remarks : — 

"It  is  important  to  notice  that  in  all  Handel's  manu- 
scripts the  figuring  of  the  bass  is  extremely  incomplete. 
In  the  old  printed  copies  this  deficiency,  if  deficiency  it  be, 
is  most  profusely  made  up,  though  not  unexceptionably 
in  accordance  with  the  harmony.  The  very  unsatisfactory 
system  of  musical  shorthand,  that  goes  by  the  most  inex- 
pressive name  of  '  thorough  bass/  is  now  for  practical 
purposes  as  good  as  obsolete,  and  any  one  who  can  compre- 
hend a  figured  bass,  can  as  easily  read  the  notes  of  the 
score,  and  where  these  complete  not  the  harmony,  supply 
from  the  indication  they  afford  what  others  may  be  neces- 
sary." 


ORGAN  PART  IN    ORATORIOS.  175 

To  this  edition  of  "  Judas  Maccabeus  "  Macfarren 
did  not  supply  an  organ  part,  nor  to  "  Jephtha,"  pub- 
lished in  1858.  The  reason  of  this  is  not  stated ;  it 
was  probably  by  direction  of  the  council.  Macfarren, 
in  the  preface  to  "  Judas/'  deplores 

"the  custom  .  .  .  that  prevailed  in  Handel's  time,  of 
leaving  the  organ  part  to  the  discretion  of  the  performer, 
with  the  indefinite  guide  only  of  the  figured  bass.  It  is 
not  alone  that  the  effect  of  the  chords  greatly  depends 
upon  the  position  in  which  they  may  be  distributed ;  but 
in  the  solo  pieces,  not  merely  the  filling  up  of  the  harmony 
was  left  to  the  knowledge  and  invention  of  the  organist,  even 
the  form  or  figure  of  the  accompaniment,  in  fact,  the  con- 
struction of  an  independent  counterpoint,  rested  entirely 
upon  the  ability  of  this  most  responsible  interpreter  of  the 
composer's  meaning." 

In  the  preface  to  "  Jephtha,"  Macfarren  again 
refers  to  this  subject ;  as  also  to  "  the  extremely 
scarce,  and,  so  to  speak,  fitful  figuring  in  the  com- 
poser's score,"  as  "  characteristic  of  him,  and  of  his 
mode  of  writing." 

In  the  concluding  paper  of  a  series  on  the  "Messiah," 
in  the  "  Musical  World/'  March  and  April,  1849,  he 
also  remarks  on  the  same  subject : — 

"  It  is  always  a  matter  of  lament  that  it  was  Handel's 
custom,  as  that  of  his  age,  to  leave  the  organ  part,  which 
sustained  the  chief  accompaniment  of  his  solo  pieces,  to 
the  improvisation  of  the  performer,  giving  only  the  vague 
indication  of  a  figured  bass  to  direct  the  organist  as  to  the 
harmony — without  implying  in  any  manner  the  position  in 
which  the  chords  are  to  be  dispersed,  upon  which  very 
much,  if  not  the  whole  of  their  effect  depends,  nor,  what 
is  still  more  important,  suggesting  the  form  or  figure  of 
the  accompaniment.  The  traditional  mode  of  performing 
these  organ  accompaniments  having  been,  to  a  great  extent, 


176  MACFARREN    ON  EDITING. 

lost,  and  the  organists  of  our  day  having,  for  the  most 
part,  a  discreet  hesitation  to  venture  their  extemporaueities 
upon  such  everlasting  themes,  the  custom  generally  prevails 
now  of  omitting  the  organ  in  such  pieces  altogether ;  and 
hence  the  miserably  weak  and  meagre  effect  of  those  many 
songs,  of  which  we  hear  nothing  but  the  outline  in  the 
voice  and  the  bass  parts,  with  an  occasional  point  of  imita- 
tion, and  sometimes  a  symphony  for  the  violin.  In  the 
case  of  the  '  Messiah,'  the  great  composer  has  a  powerful 
advantage  in  the  effect  of  his  creation  on  a  modern  audience, 
from  the  labours  of  an  equally  great  commentator,  in  the 
additional  parts  Mozart  has  added  to  the  original  score, 
the  purport  of  which  is  to  fill  up  the  blank  places,  and  to 
supply  in  the  orchestra  such  effects  as  Handel  himself 
would  have  produced  in  accompanying  his  own  work  on 
the  organ.  Without  Mozart's  masterly  additions,  a  per- 
formance of  this  oratorio  must  then  always  be  regarded  as 
incomplete." 

I  remember  Macfarren  conversing  with  me  about 
the  admirable  way  in  which  Henry  Smart,  for  the 
Handel  Society,  edited  Handel's  "  Chamber  Duets," 
filling  up  the  figured  bass  part  for  the  pianoforte — 
"  counterpointing  "  the  accompaniment  ;  saying  how 
much  his  opinion  of  Smart's  musicianship  was  thereby 
raised. 

Macfarren' s  views  on  editing,  to  which  allusion  has 
been  made,  are  presented  in  an  article  by  him  of  much 
later  date,  in  which  he  specifies  "  three  orders  of 
editorship  "  : — 

"  One  takes  upon  himself  the  duty  of  purifying  the  text 
of  an  inaccessible  author.  .  .  .  An  editor  of  this  class  needs 
to  exercise  his  discretion,  when  there  is  the  choice  of  two 
authorities  of  nearly  equal  value  ;  for  instance,  there  may 
be  the  autograph  of  a  work  and  a  printed  copy  of  the  first 
edition  of  the  same.  In  many  cases  the  reliability  of  the 
former  is  indisputable  ;  but  in  others,  it  may  often  happen 


MACFARREN   ON  EDITING.  177 

that  a  composer  has  improved  upon  his  first  intentions, 
either  from  the  experience  of  performance,  from  a  recon- 
sideration of  a  phrase,  or  from  any  other  cause.  He  will 
then  naturally  alter  the  parts  from  which  his  piece  is  to  be 
played,  or  he  will  alter  the  proof  sheets  if  it  is  to  be 
printed ;  but  he  will  rarely  run  home  from  a  rehearsal  or 
a  printing-office  to  correct  his  original  MS.  When  this 
happens,  of  necessity  a  copy  of  the  first  edition  is  a  better 
guide  for  the  editor,  than  is  even  the  handwriting  of  the 
composer." 

Macfarren  cites  an  instance  from  " Israel  in  Egypt/' 
which  Mendelssohn  edited  for  the  Handel  Society : — 

"  Throughout  the  Chorus,  '  And  with  the  blast  of  thy 
nostrils,'  Handel  wrote  the  often  repeated  phrase,  '  the 
waters  were  gathered,'  with  the  word '  we-re'  in  two  syllables, 
having  four  separate  quavers  for  '  wa-ters  we-re  ; '  but 
printed  it,  as  we  all  know,  with  two  joined  quavers  for  the 
lirst  syllable,  and  one  quaver  each  for  the  other  two." 

The  Council  of  the  Society,  in  opposition  to  Men- 
delssohn, determined  to  adhere  to  the  printed  version . 

"  Another  order  of  editorship  engages  itself  with  ex- 
pounding, so  to  speak,  the  original,  and  by  the  substitution 
perhaps  of  one  word  or  note  for  another,  or  by  the  change 
of  punctuation,  to  make  clear  the  sense  of  phrases  which 
has  been  left  doubtful  by  the  author.  To  this  order  belong 
the  countless  array  of  Shakespearian  commentators.  .  ,  . 
The  punctuation  of  music  consists  in  the  slurs  to  indicate 
the  phrasing,  which  supply  the  place  of  the  commas,  semi- 
colons, and  the  like,  of  literature,  which  are  almost  as 
essential  to  the  sense  as  the  very  words  they  divide  and 
congregate.  It  is  in  this  matter  of  slurring  or  phrasing 
that  the  works  of  many  musicians,  even  among  the  most 
eminent,  are  sadly  defective.  .  .  .  Some  editors,  of  the 
order  in  present  consideration,  stretch  their  duty  to  its 
very  verge,  if  not  break  it  by  excess  of  tension  ;  which  are 
they  who  not  only  indicate  how  many  notes  are  to  be  given 

N 


178  MACFAEREN   OX   EDITING. 

in  one  breath,  or  in  one  bow,  or  without  raising  the  fingers 
from  the  key-board,  but  mark  what  notes  are  to  be  played 
loudly  and  what  softly,  what  are  to  be  detached  and  what 
conjoined,  and  thus  give  often  a  meaning  to  a  phrase 
which  is  apart  from  the  composer's  intention,  and  is  some- 
times opposed  to  the  natural  tendency  of  the  phrase  itself. 
This  kind  of  thing  is  admissible  in  performance,  where  the 
personality  of  the  player  may  give  interest  to  his  erratic 
construction  of  a  composer's  meaning ;  but  it  should  not 
be  perpetuated  in  print,  unless  accompanied  with  a  com- 
plete description  of  what  was  originally  written,  and  of 
what  has  been  altered  from,  and  what  added  to  the  author's 
text.  .  .  .  An  edition  of  the  pianoforte  works  of  Beethoven, 
now  in  the  course  of  issue  in  Germany,  carries  this  assumed 
prerogative  of  an  editor  to  an  extent  happily  extraordinary, 
and  extraordinary  let  us  hope  it  may  long  continue.  In 
this,  with  most  reckless  disregard  of  evidence,  the  editors, 
and  one  in  particular,  assume  to  have  a  kind  of  second 
sight  of  the  author's  meaning,  and  by  the  guidance  of  this 
preternatural  light,  they  take  upon  themselves  to  set  aside 
what  Beethoven  wrote  and  printed,  and  they  supersede 
this  in  many  passages  by  substitutions  of  their  own,  which 
materially  change  the  character  and  alter  the  effect  of  what 
commonplace  folks  blindly  believe  must  have  been  in- 
tended by  the  master — poor  commonplace  folks  !  who 
have  but  the  indisputable  notes  of  the  original,  the  general 
manner  of  the  author,  a  comprehension  of  the  theoretical 
and  practical  state  of  art  in  his  time,  and  a  reverence  for  a 
great  man's  meaning,  and  his  individual  way  of  expressing 
it,  to  guide  them.  .  .  .  The  German  edition  must  be  a 
curiosity  from  which  reason  and  feeling  will  revolt. 

***** 
"  Our  third  order  of  editorship  assumes  the  right  and 
presumes  the  capability  to  add  to  the  works  of  great 
musicians  in  order  to  fit  them  for  present  use.  In  letters 
the  same  was  done  by  John  Dryden,  by  Nahum  Tate,  and 
by  David  Garrick,  with  regard  to  the  plays  of  Shakespeare, 
and  a  pretty  business  they  made  of  their  changements. 
.  .  .  Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  evils  that  have  ever  been 
done  in  music,  is  the  reinstrumentation  by  Mozart  of 
Handel's  '  Messiah  : '  and  the  evil  lies  in  the  fact  that  the 


ARTICLES    ON   THE   "MESSIAH:'  179 

score  is  written  with  such  consummate  artistry  as  to  rival 
the  beauty  of  the  original  matter,  that  it  is  hence  inse- 
parable (save  in  those  pieces  in  which,  from  the  first, 
Mozart's  additions  have  been  unused)  from  Handel's 
groundwork,  in  public  performances.  Because  of  its  in- 
finite merit,  Mozart's  orchestration  is  now  indispensable ; 
and  because  of  its  indispensability,  any  one  now  regards  it 
as  a  precedent,  and  takes  licence  from  its  example,  to  invest 
other  works  of  Handel  with  '  additional  accompaniments.' 
Unhappily,  or  happily,  as  the  case  may  be,  everybody  who 
paints  Handel  with  the  vivid  colours  of  the  modern 
orchestra  is  not  Mozart.  If  he  were,  and  were  always  at 
his  best,  then  should  we  become  strangers  to  the  effects 
intended  by  the  mighty  one  of  Halle,  the  stern  grandeur 
and  the  special  sweetness  of  the  Saxon  giant  would  have 
no  existence,  and  the  delicious  haze  of  sunset  glories,  that 
hangs  as  a  kind  of  veil  between  the  ancient  style  of  music 
and  the  modern,  would  hide  from  view  the  most  salient 
features  of  the  master's  individuality." 

In  the  four  articles  on  Handel's  <e  Messiah/'  in  the 
"Musical  World/'  to  which  allusion  has  been  made, 
Macfarren  contends  that — 

"  Handel,  by  reason  of  his  greatness,  must  be  esteemed 
an  original  genius  ;  but  his  originality  is  to  be  regarded  in 
respect  to  the  excellence  of  his  works,  which  had  never 
previously  been  approached  and  can  never  be  surpassed, 
rather  than  with  reference  to  the  unlikeness  of  his  style  to 
that  of  his  predecessors,  and  more  especially  of  his  cotem- 
poraries." 

After  some  reasons  for  this  verdict,  he  continues 
that— 

"  The  originality,  the  true  dignity  of  Handel's  genius,  is 
to  be  seen  in  the  exquisite  beauty  of  many  of  his  melodies, 
....  that  beauty  which  proves  the  true  consanguinity  of 
genius  in  all  schools ;  that  beauty  which,  indeed,  is  not  of  an 
age,  but  for  all  time,  and  which  makes  it  seem  possible  that 
'  Love  in  her  eyes  sits  playing/  '  When  I  seek  from  Love's 


180  HANDEL'S   GENIUS. 

sickness  to  fly,'  '  Nel  cor  piu,'  '  My  mother  bids  me  bind 
my  hair,'  '  Voi  che  sapete,'  '  Kennst  du  das  Land,'  '  Rose 
softly  blooming,'  '  Assisa  a  pie  d'un  salice,'  and  many  of 
the  '  Songs  without  words '  for  the  pianoforte,  might  all 
have  been  thought  by  one  mind,  and  written  by  one  person. 
It  is  to  be  seen  in  the  wonderful  points  of  harmony  which 
he  somewhat  rarely,  but  never  inappropriately,  and  never 
without  prodigious  effect,  employs,  that  quite  transcend  his 
age,  and  but  for  their  perfect  fitness  to  the  situations 
where  he  introduces  them,  might  seem  to  be  taken  from 
the  most  ultra-modern  compositions  of  the  present  day ; 
such,  to  give  a  single  but  most  striking  example,  as  the 
great  point  on  the  words,  '  Still  as  a  stone,'  in  '  Israel  in 
Egypt,'  where  the  bass  descends  to  G-  sharp,  and  the  first 
inversion  of  the  chord  of  the  major  ninth  on  E  has  an 
effect  that  no  words  can  describe  ;  it  is  to  be  seen  in  the  truly 
beautiful,  because  beautifully  truthful,  and  therefore  also 
intensely  poetical  expression,  not  of  words,  but  of  senti- 
ments, feelings,  passions,  with  which  his  works  abound ; 
it  is  to  be  seen  in  his  wonderful  command  over  all  the 
resources  of  counterpoint,  his  complete  mastery  over  which 
intricate  art  makes  his  most  elaborate  and  complicated 
fugues  appear  to  have  been  written  with  as  much  ease  and 
fluency  as  they  are  grand  and  natural  in  their  effect ;  it  is 
to  be  seen  in  his  lofty,  noble,  almost  divine  conceptions  of  the 
greatest  and  grandest  subjects,  and  it  is  this  last,  perhaps, 
more  than  all  the  other  evidences  of  his  greatness,  but 
decidedly  in  conjunction  with  them  all,  that  marks  him 
unapproachable  in  what  is  his  own  peculiar  excellence,  and 
has  made,  in  the  minds  of  all  who  know  and  appreciate  his 
power,  the  word  Handelian  to  be  a  synonym  for  sublimity." 

With  characteristic  courage,  Macfarren,  •  in  the 
course  of  these  analytical  articles,  animadverts  most 
vehemently  upon  the  song  "  The  Trumpet  shall 
sound/'  one  of  the  most  "  popular "  in  the  Oratorio, 
on  account  of  those  very  qualities  about  it  which  he 
considers  incongruous  with  the  solemnity  of  the 
subject. 


"  THE    TRUMPET  SHALL    SOUND."  181 


"  The  recitative,  '  For  behold  I  tell  you  a  mystery,'  is  a 
broad  [piece  of  declamation ;  but  the  air  which  it  intro- 
duces we  cannot — with  all  the  reverence  with  which  the 
composer  everywhere,  and  especially  in  this  work,  im- 
presses us — we  cannot — after  the  most  careful  study  of  the 
piece  we  are  presuming  to  censure — we  cannot  but  consider 
to  be  a  complete  misconception.  '  The  Trumpet  shall 
sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised,'  appears  to  be  a 
passage  as  suggestive  as  any  in  the  oratorio,  and  one 
peculiarly  likely  to  have  called  out  the  noblest  powers  of 
Handel's  genius.  What  a  truly  sublime  image  does  it 
raise,  even  without  the  strong  aid  of  musical  enforcement, 
of  the  awful  sounding  of  an  overwhelming  tone  that  bursts 
the  bonds  of  death,  and  calls  together  from  the  widest 
range  of  space,  from  the  remotest  depths  of  time,  all  that 
have  lived  to  live  again! — tearing  the  till  then  impene- 
trable curtain  from  eternity,  it  discloses  the  everlasting 
Now,  the  vast  understanding  of  Divinity,  the  last  sense 
new  created,  and  merges  is.  and  was,  and  is  to  be,  in  the 
mighty  consciousness  of  the  infinite  and  the  true;  and 
how  particularly  does  it  strike  us,  first,  that  such  an  image, 
even  one  so  superhuman,  was  quite  within  the  province, 
and  possibly  within  the  power  of  the  composer  of  the 
'  Messiah '  to  embody ;  and  secondly,  that  it  was  for  him, 
and  for  none  other,  to  essay  the  human  expression  of  so 
divine  a  subject.  This  is  a  rude  presentation  of  the  rude  pre- 
sentiment we  feel  of  what  was  the  glorious  scope  open  to  the 
musician  who  should  exercise  his  art  and  his  genius  upon 
the  composition  of  this  passage ;  and  we  cannot  but  feel, 
and  feeling  cannot  but  regret,  that  the  trivial — for  so,  com- 
pared with  the  theme,  we  must  regard  it — the  trivial  song 
before  us,  and  the  trifling  conventionalities  of  the  common- 
place trumpet  accompaniment  must  wholly  disappoint  all 
those  who  know  the  powers  of  Handel,  and  appreciate  the 
unequalled  susceptibility  of  the  subject,  of  what  they  have 
a  right  to  expect  from  his  treatment  of  it.  The  tremendous 
summons  of  the  last  trumpet  is  reduced  to  the  display  of 
the  executive  excellence  of  a  tolerably  skilled  solo  player, 
and  the  thrilling  annunciation  of  the  destiny  of  all  mor- 
tality rendered  by  the  unmeaning  divisions  of  an  expres- 
sionless bravura.  Yes,  indeed, "this  song  must  be  felt  to 


182  MACFARREN' S   MARRIAGE. 

be  a  misconception,  and  it  is  the  more  conspicuous,  and  the 
more  to  be  regretted,  because,  as  such,  it  is  the  only  failure 
in  a  work  that  would  otherwise  defy  all  question  of  its 
propriety." 

On  September  27,  1844,  Macfarren  was  married  at 
Marylebone  Church  to  Clarina  Thalia  Andrae,  a  native 
of  Liibeck,  well  known  as  Natalia  Macfarren,  by  her 
translations  and  adaptations  of  opera  libretti,  words  of 
Mendelssohn's  songs,  etc.,  as  well  as  for  her  ability  as 
a  teacher  of  singing.  I  believe  it  is  an  open  secret 
that  certain  musical  souvenirs  known  as  "  Six  Ro- 
mances," were  written  for  her,  being  originally  super- 
scribed, "  To  Thalia/'  As  issue  of  this  marriage,  a 
daughter  survives  him,  now  Mrs.  F.  W.  .Davenport, 
for  whom,  I  believe  it  is  also  an  open  secret,  he 
wrote  the  quaint  little  instruction-book  for  the  piano- 
forte, entitled,  "  Little  Clarina's  Lesson  Book/'  which, 
though  published,  has  not,  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
obtained  general  acceptance. 

In  the  year  1845,  when  Laurent  was  manager  of 
Covent  Garden  Theatre,  he  determined  to  bring  out 
the  "  Antigone"  of  Sophocles,  with  Mendelssohn's 
music ;  and  Macfarren  having  been  engaged  as  musical 
director  to  the  theatre,  it  became  his  onerous,  respon- 
sible, and  difficult  duty  to  conduct  it ;  difficult,  be- 
cause of  the  structure  of  the  work,  consisting  not 
merely  of  choruses,  some  of  them  double  choruses, 
but  also  of  spoken  recitation  accompanied  by  the 
orchestra,  necessitating  on  Macfarren's  part  complete 
familiarity  with  the  words  as  well  as  the  music.  For, 
on  account  of  his  greatly  impaired  sight,  he  was  under 
the  necessity  of  committing  the  whole  to  memory,  and 
of  conducting  from  memory;  a  marvellous  feat,  but 


ANTIGONE"    PERFORMANCES.  183 


not  by  any  means  the  only  feat  of  memory  which  has 
to  be  recounted  concerning  him.  Mendelssohn  was 
much  gratified  on  hearing  of  the  arrangement,  and 
wrote  to  Macfarren  as  follows:  — 

"  Frankfurt,  8  December,  1844. 
"  MY  DEAR  SIB, 

"  Have  many  thanks  for  the  interest  you  take 

in  bringing  out  my  music  to  the  'Antigone'  choruses;  I 
am  very  glad  it  is  in  your  hands,  because  it  wants  a  musi- 
cian like  you  to  make  it  go  as  intended — quite  as  a  subor- 
dinate part  of  the  whole,  as  a  mere  link  in  the  chain  of  the 
poem,  and  yet  perfectly  clear  and  independent  in  itself." 

Then  follow  minute  directions  respecting  the  cho- 
ruses, especially  the  choral  recitatives,  the  action,  etc., 
followed  by,  "  Pray  excuse  this  long  analysis ;  but  you 
would  have  it ! " 

Yes,  Macfarren  "  would  have  it;"  he  always  would 
have  everything  accessible  that  tended  towards  the 
thoroughness  of  performance  of  any  task  undertaken 
by  him.  No  wonder  that  the  enterprise  was  perfectly 
successful,  and  the  piece  ran  thirty  nights,  only 
stopping  with  the  termination  of  the  season — as  is 
recorded  by  Karl  Mendelssohn  Bartholdy,  son  of  the 
great  composer,  who  speaks  of  Sterndale  Bennett  and 
Macfarren  as  "  English  artists  of  congenial  mind  with 
[his  father's]  own/' 

As  illustrating  Macfarren's  presence  of  mind  and 
promptitude,  an  incident  may  be  here  related  which 
he  told  to  a  pupil  years  afterwards.  At  one  of  the 
performances  of  the  "  Antigone,"  there  was  a  point 
where  the  chorus  were  to  walk  on  to  the  stage  singing. 
The  orchestra  were  playing  their  part  in  front,  and  the 
chorus  marched  in  from  the  back,  having  begun  their 


184  "ANTIGONE"   PERFORMANCES. 

song  out  of  time.  Macfarren  detected  what  was 
wrong — shouted  to  his  band  behind  him,  "  Cut  out 
half  a  bar ! "  and  thus  a  fiasco  was  averted,  without 
the  audience  being  aware  of  its  imminence. 

Inconnection  with  these  performances  of  "Antigone/' 
there  is  a  charming  little  letter  to  that  accomplished 
musician  Miss  Kate  Loder,  now  Lady  Thompson,  which, 
though  having  no  bearing  on  music,  is  so  charac- 
teristic at  once  of  Macfarren's  affectionate  feelings 
towards  his  artistic  associates,  and  of  his  graceful 
dexterity  in  delicate  expression,  that  it  may  be  given 
here  : — 

"  Wednesday. 
"MY  OWN  THALIA'S  DEAR  KITTY, 

"We  shall  get  a  box  to-morrow  night  for  'Antigone ' 
in  hopes  that  you  will  go  with  Thalia ;  and  we  shall  ask 
my  mother  to  take  care  of  you — please  be  here  AT  6. 

"  My  wife  sends  her  best  love ;  and  as  all  her  love  is 
mine,  you  may  conclude  if  you  please  that  in  hers  she 
sends  mine  also. 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  G.  A.  MACFAEREX." 

Lady  Thompson  retains  a  pleasant  memory  of  the 
occasion,  which  young  enthusiasm  for  Mendelssohn's 
music,  enjoyed  under  such  auspices,  rendered  specially 
delightful. 

In  a  series  of  articles  upon  Mendelssohn's  subse- 
quently composed  music  to  the  "  CEdipus  in  Colonos/' 
in  the  "  Musical  World,"  January  7th,  1854,  and 
following  numbers,  Macfarren  advances  the  opinion 
that  :— 

"  The  element  of  the  Chorus,  which,  in  spite  of  the 
advocacy  of  Schiller,  remains  to  the  present  appreciation 
an  incongruity  in  the  Greek  drama,  is  here  much  more 
essential  to  the  whole  than  in  the  tragedy  of  '  Antigone ; ' 


"ANTIGONE"    AND    ';  CEDIPUS."  185 

since,  besides  the  several  Odes  which  carry  on  the  progress 
of  the  action,  eulogizing  the  state,  and  moralizing  upon 
such  conditions  of  humanity  as  the  incidents  present,  this 
impersonal  personality  sustains  a  very  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  dialogue  with  the  principal  characters,  and 
thus  becomes  a  party  in  many  of  the  most  impassioned 
scenes  of  the  play." 

Concerning  these  two  works,  Macfarren  wrote,  in 
the  "  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Biography  "  : — 

"  Some  English  classical  scholars  l  have  violently  depre- 
ciated this  remarkable  composition  ['Antigone'], regarding 
it  from  a  totally  false  point  of  view  ;  it  outlives  their  un- 
discerning  censure,  and,  with  its  companion  work,  the 
'  (Edipus  in  Colonos,'  written  under  the  same  circumstances 
in  1845,  proves  the  poetical  vigour  of  Mendelssohn's  power 
of  conception  in  a  wholly  untrodden  field,  and  his  capability 
•of  appropriating  the  resources  of  his  art  to  a  previously 
untried  subject." 

Referring  to  the  fact  that  Mendelssohn  composed 
this  music,  as  well  as  that  for  "  Antigone,"  etc.,  at 
the  command  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  he  rejoices  both 
"in  the  genius  that  could  elicit  and  so  worthily  obey 
such  a  command/'  and  in  "  the  enlightened  liberality 
of  the  monarch.'" 

"  Prussia  proved  herself  worthy  of  a  great  artist  by  the 
confidence  reposed  in  Mendelssohn,  and  the  homage  paid 
to  his  talent.  Of  what  is  England  worthy  ?  .  .  .  Possibly 
we  have  no  Mendelssohn — certainly  we  have  no  King  of 
Prussia.  ...  So  long  as  it  is  the  policy  of  our  government, 
personally  and  officially,  to  furnish  themes  for  the  writers 
of  leading  articles  in  newspapers,  and  inflammatory  excite- 
ment to  their  readers,  while  it  neglects  that  most  important 
medium  of  moral  discipline,  intellectual  cultivation — so 
long  will  politics  be  the  amusement  of  the  people,  art  their 
handiwork,  their  furniture,  their  hard  livelihood  in  pursuit, 
and,  at  best,  their  paper-hanging  in  its  attainment.  So 

1  De  Quincey,  etc. 


186  "ANTIGONE"   AND  "QIDIPUS." 

long  as  the  beautiful  is  but  a  business,  and  the  stimulant 
of  genius  but  a  shop  account  of  loss  and  profit,  and  the 
inconsequent  example  of  the  great  works  that  have  been 
produced  under  other  auspices,  must  we  bear  the  stigma 
the  rest  of  the  world  has  placed  upon  us,  of  being  an  un- 
musical nation.  In  Prussia,  it  is  otherwise  ;  and  of  that 
state  of  things  Mendelssohn's  '  (Edipus '  is  among  the 
results  of  which  we  share  the  advantage." 

Macfarren  said  in  my  hearing —  "  I  cannot  under- 
stand politics."  Continuing  the  article,  he  says  : — 

"  The  form  of  the  Greek  drama  affords  a  novel  and  a 
very  wide  scope  for  the  exercise  of  the  musician's  art;  but, 
at  the  same  time,  the  details  of  its  construction  fetter  him 
with  uncommon  and  embarrassing  difficulties. 

"  It  was  not  new  in  the  revival  of  the  tragedies  of 
Sophocles  upon  the  German  stage,  to  blend  spoken  decla- 
mation with  instrumental  accompaniment.  The  biographers 
of  Mozart  describe,  as  one  of  his  first  important  dramatic 
successes,  his  music  to  '  Mithridates,'  which  consisted 
entirely  of  orchestral  accompaniments  to  the  dialogue,  in 
the  style  of  recitative ;  and  this,  it  seems,  was  a  form  of 
composition  much  esteemed  at  that  period.  The  choral 
responses  to  the  speeches  of  the  characters  constitute  a  new 
element,  in  the  treatment  of  which  '  Antigone  '  has  proved 
the  greatness  of  Mendelssohn's  power ;  and  the  present 
work,  as  it  contains  more  of  such  scenes,  and  of  a  more 
complicated  and  extensive  character,  has  more  severely 
tested  this  power,  and  thus  still  more  successfully  estab- 
lished it.  The  difficulty  of  execution  presented  by  the 
intermixture  of  speaking  and  singing,  and  by  the  reduc- 
tion of  spoken  declamation  to  the  restrictions  of  musical 
rhythm,  while  impeding  the  realization  of  the  composer's 
effects,  detracts  nothing  from  his  merit  in  producing  it ; 
and  the  feeling  of  every  one  who  has  witnessed  the  com- 
petent performance  of  '  Antigone '  is,  that  the  effect  thus 
attained  is  of  the  most  powerfully  exciting  character  that 
the  dramatic  musical  art  can  attain. 

"  The  first  difficulty,  I  may  say  danger,  of  this  class  of 
writing  exists  in  the  necessity  of  reaching  the  pinnacle 


"  CEDIPUSr  187 

which  lies  between  dulness  on  its  more  cautkms  and  gradual 
ascent,  and  absurdity  on  the  precipitous  and  sunny  side  of 
its  declivity,  and  thus  to  elevate  without  exaggerating 
the  dramatic  situation.  This  demands  the  profoundest 
artistry,  and  the  highest  natural  qualifications  in  the  com- 
poser. The  next  difficulty  or  danger  belongs  to  the  fasci- 
nation of  continuous  action,  which  impels  the  embodiment 
of  line  after  line,  phrase  after  phrase,  in  fresh  ideas ;  in 
which  uninterrupted  succession,  so  attractive  to  the  musi- 
cian, he  is  liable  to  abandon  that  unity  which  is  indispensable 
to  the  gratification  of  the  hearer. 

"It  is  especially  to  be  admired  in  the  work  under  con- 
sideration, that  in  these  declamatory  scenes,  while  the 
expression  of  the  general  sentiment  and  the  enunciation  of 
particular  words  form  the  chief  purport  of  the  musician, 
and  the  chief  medium  of  his  impression  upon  an  audience, 
the  principles  of  construction  are  so  ingeniously,  and  so 
successfully  brought  to  bear  upon  the  treatment,  even  of 
the  most  impetuous,  broken,  and  seemingly  irregular 
passages,  as  to  render  each  scene  a  model  of  symmetry. 
Thus  we  have  all  the  excitement  of  an  unpremeditated 
passionate  impulse,  refined  and  beautified  by  the  agency  of 
artistic  design.  Such  a  handling  of  the  subject  is  especially 
appropriate  in  a  composition  illustrative  of  a  work  of  Greek 
art,  the  elements  of  which  in  all  its  branches  of  manifesta- 
tion were  artificial,  refinement  being  the  necessity,  and 
nature  the  germ  from  which  her  inventions  had  to  be 
ripened.  It  is  eminently  to  the  purpose  that  the  unities 
of  our  own  art  should  be  scrupulously  maintained,  when  it 
is  brought  into  connection  with  another  in  which  the  laws 
of  unity  were  despotic. 

"We  must  now  consider  another  department  of  the  work, 
and  the  difficulties  that  beset  its  treatment — viz.,  the 
adaptation  of  music  to  the  Odes.  The  obvious  purpose  of 
this  important  feature  in  the  design  of  the  Greek  drama 
was  to  afford  intervals  of  repose  during  the  progress  of  the 
action,  which  would  else  have  been  too  violent  and  exciting 
to  come  within  the  rule  of  gradual  undulation,  which,  as 
the  principle  of  ideal  beauty,  was  imperative  in  ancient 
art.  .  .  .  Further ;  the  absence  of  metaphor  is  a  studied 
characteristic  of  the  dialogue  of  the  Greek  drama;  and  the 


188  » (EDIPUS:' 

employment  of  this  graceful  figure  of  rhetoric,  and  charm- 
ing poetical  medium,  was  confined  to  the  Odes,  which,  by 
contrast  no  less  than  by  sympathy,  were  made  to  soften 
while  they  heightened  the  effect,  and  promoted  the  de- 
velopment of  the  action.  As,  then,  the  musical  ti-eatment 
of  the  dialogue  is  intended  to  enforce  the  excitement  of  the 
dramatic  action,  so  the  musical  rendering  of  the  episodes 
is  designed  to  soften  the  reliefs  of  the  points  of  repose  with 
which  it  is  interspersed.  Again,  as  in  the  accompanied 
dialogue  there  is  little  or  no  scope  for  rhythmical  regu- 
larity, so  in  the  Odes  we  have  the  contrast  of  continuous 
movement  and  unbroken  melody,  which  is  the  metaphor 
of  music.  The  composer's  obstacle  in  treating  these  has 
been  the  enormous  number  of  words,  and  the  necessity  of 
comprising  them  within  such  limits  as  the  exigencies  of 
the  stage  and  the  impatience,  most  natural  to  their  situa- 
tion, of  a  theatrical  audience  impose.  Each  Ode  has  words 
enough  to  form  the  text  of  an  Oratorio ;  and  yet  the 
minutes,  the  seconds,  of  the  duration  of  each  must  be 
counted.  The  difficulty  of  constructing  rhythmical  melodies 
and  symmetrical  compositions,  without  repeating  words  and 
recurring  to  passages,  may  be  easily  conceived  ;  and  it  is 
obvious  that  such  repetitions  and  recurrences  would 
lengthen  the  music  far  beyond  all  practical  availability. 
This  difficulty  having  been  mastered  completely  and  suc- 
cessfully by  Mendelssohn  betokens  the  most  consummate 
judgment  and  the  greatest  fluency;  and  a  musical  interest 
is  produced  which  eminently  fulfils  the  requirements  of  the 
situation." 

The  thorough  comprehension  of  the  artistic  re- 
quirements— the  rationale — of  such  compositions,  here 
evinced,  amply  accounts  for  the  successful  accomplish- 
ment by  Macfarren  of  his  task  in  directing  the 
"  Antigone  "  performances,  although,  from  causes 
beyond  his  immediate  control,  there  were  casualties  at 
first  which  afforded  opportunity  for  cynical  criticism 
in  certain  quarters. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OPERAS,  CANTATAS,  ETC.  "DoN  QUIXOTE,"  1846;  "  KING 
CHARLES  II.,"  1849;  "THE  SLEEPER  AWAKENED/' 
1850;  "ALLAN  OF  ABERFELDY,"  1851 ;  " QUARTET  IN 
G MINOR/'  1852;  "LENORA,"  1853;  "HAMLET OVER- 
TURE," 1856  ;  "  MAY  DAY,"  1857  ;  "  CHRISTMAS," 
"  ROBIN  HOOD  ; "  ENTIRE  FAILURE  OP  SIGHT,  AND 
COMMENCEMENT  OP  DICTATION,  1860;  "FREYA'S  GIFT," 
"  JESSY  LEA,"  1863 ;  "  THE  SOLDIER'S  LEGACY,"  "  SHE 
STOOPS  TO  CONQUER,"  "HELVELLYN,"  1864  ;  "  SONGS 
IN  A  CORNFIELD,"  1868  ;  "  OUTWARD  BOUND,"  1872  ; 
"THE  LADY  OP  THE  LAKE/'  1877;  "  KENILWORTH," 
1880. 

1'HE  first  inception  of  Macfarren's  opera,  "  Don 
Quixote,"  the  resumption  of  its  composition,  its 
reconstruction,  and  its  subsequent  rejection  by  Maddox, 
have  been  recorded  in  Chapter  III.  With  respect  to 
the  resumption  of  the  composition,  with  a  view  to  its 
production  under  Balfe's  management,  it  was  related 
by  Macfarren's  intimate  friend,  Mr.  G.  A.  Osborne,  in 
an  entertaining  paper  of  "Musical  Coincidences  and 
Reminiscences,"  read  by  him  at  the  Musical  Associa- 
tion, April  2nd,  1883,  that : — 

"  Balfe  was  always  anxious  for  the  establishment  of  a 
permanent  English  Opera  in.  Lqndon,  and,  among  other 
composers,  he  invited  the  co-operation  of  Macfarren,  the 


190  BALFES   SCHEME. 

present  Principal  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music.  He 
was  anxious  to  show  that  British  musicians  deserved  some 
of  the  patronage  lavished  on  foreign  artists.  '  Don  Quixote,' 
by  Macfarren,  was  put  in  rehearsal ;  but  owing  to  the 
theatre  being  closed  for  want  of  funds,  it  was  not  produced 
till  five  years  later.  On.  this  subject  I  will  read  you  a 
letter  from  Macfarren  : — 

"'15,  Hanover  Cottages. 

"  '  MY  DEAR  OSBORNE, 

" '  Let  me  give  you  the  first  intelligence  that  the  attempt 
to  establish  the  National  Opera  Company  has  failed.     You 
will  in  a  few  days  receive  the  report  of  the  Committee. 
" '  Sincerely  yours, 

"  '  G-.  A.  MACFARREN.'  " 

One  of  Balfe' s  biographers,  more  at  length,  records 
that  in  1841,  engaging  the  English  Opera  House — 
now  the  Lyceum  Theatre — 

"Balfe  thought  to  create  a  national  opera  by  inviting  all 
the  known  English  opera  writers  to  compose  works,  and 
thus  to  show  the  public  that  there  were  as  good  musicians 
among  the  natives  of  the  country  worthy  of  support  as  the 
foreigner,  upon  whom  was  lavished  all  the  praise,  and  who 
also  obtained  the  greater  share  of  recognition.  Barnett, 
Rooke,  Lover,  and  Macfarren  were  invited  to  co-operate. 
Lover  had  written  a  comic  operetta  called  '  Paddy  Whack 
in  Italia,'  which  Balfe  produced.  Macfarren  had  been 
invited  by  Balfe  to  compose  an  opera  on  the  subject  of 
'  Don  Quixote.'  This  was  placed  in  rehearsal,  and  would  have 
been  brought  out  but  for  the  untimely  end  of  the  scheme," 

through  the  defection  of  certain  members  of  the 
company. 

"Five  years  later,  Balfe,  knowing  the  excellent  qualities 
of  the  work,  recommended  it  for  production  at  Drury  Lane, 
which  recommendation  was  accepted,  and  the  opera  was 
performed  successfully.  .  .  , 

"  Balfe  thought  when  he  started  his  ill-fated  venture 


"DON  QUIXOTE."  191 

that  he  had  the  help  of  enough  composers  to  enable  him 
to  continue  his  scheme.  The  only  one  who  had  foresight 
and  wisdom  enough  to  help  and  actively  to  encourage  it 
was  George  Alexander  Macfarren.  The  other  composers 
of  the  period  gave  only  a  half-hearted  assistance.  The 
time  for  the  recognition  of  English  art  as  an  actuality  was 
not  come."  * 

The  work  was  not,  however,  to  be  lost  to  the  musical 
world.  As  has  been  already  briefly  recorded  in  Mac- 
farren's  own  words  (p.  51),  the  opera  was  brought  out 
at  Drury  Lane,  under  Bunn's  management,  February 
3rd,  1846;  and  "  Balfe  .  .  .  was  present  at  the  first 
performance"  of  the  "fine  opera  .  .  .  the  theme  of 
which  he  had  suggested."  2  The  cast  was  as  follows, 
Edward  J.  Loder  conducting  : — 

Quiteria Miss  Eainforth. 

Camacho Mr.  D.  W.  King. 

Sancho Mr.  Stretton. 

Don  Quixote     .     .     .  Mr.  W.  H.  Weiss. 

Rovedos Mr.  S.  Jones. 

Basilius Mr.  Allen. 

The  libretto,  by  the  composer's  father,  was  founded 
on  the  same  ft  adventure,"  or  episode,  as  that  which 
furnished  the  text  of  Mendelssohn's  early  opera, "  The 
Marriage  of  Camacho."  Just  before  its  production, 
Mendelssohn  wrote  to  Macfarren,  in  1845: — "Many 
good  wishes  for  your  opera ;  may  it  succeed  and  give 
you  and  your  friends  many  happy  hours  in  '46,  '56,  and 
so  on."  Indeed,  it  is  stated  that  Mendelssohn,  when 
in  England,  once  said:  "Your  best  composer  is  un- 

I  "Balfe;    his  Life  and  "Work:    by  W.  A.   Barrett.     London. 
1882." 

II  Ibid.,  p.  17(1 


192  "DON   QUIXOTE." 

known — Macfarren  ; " — not  said,  however,  in  any  way 
to  imply  the  ignoring  of  Sterndale  Bennett. 

One  of  the  songs  in  "  Don  Quixote  "  was  more  or 
less  known  several  years  before  the  completion  and 
production  of  the  entire  opera,  viz.,  "  Ah,  why  do  we 
love  ?  "  which  has  for  long  been  a  favourite  in  our 
concert-rooms ;  and  concerning  which  the  "  Musical 
World  "  of  March  26th,  1840,  wrote  :— 

"It  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  songs  of  its  class  we  have 
ever  seen.  It  sparkles  all  over  with  freshness  and  beauty 
—  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  it  would  be  difficult 
to  point  out  a  bar  which  does  not  contain  some  racy 
piece  of  thought,  or  some  unlooked-for  turn  of  expres- 
sion." 

A  chorus  in  the  opera,  "  The  rights  of  hospitality," 
is  in  the  form  of  the  Spanish  dance,  the  Seguidilla. 

The  "  Atlas "  contained  the  following  summary  of 
the  work : — 

"From  Mr.  Macfai-ren's  known  independence  of  thought, 
and  inflexible  adhesion  to  his  own  standard  of  excellence, 
it  was  at  once  to  be  predicated  that  no  vision  of  popularity 
would  tempt  him  to  wilfully  indite  rubbish  for  encore's 
sake,  to  descend  to  a  maudlin  prettiness  at  the  expense  of 
dramatic  truth, — in  fine,  to  lend  his  pen  to  a  single  bar  not 
authorized  by  his  judgment.  If  the  public  was  to  have 
music  light,  airy,  and  captivating  at  first  sight,  it  must 
spring  naturally  from  the  situations  of  his  lihretto — where 
these  led  him,  thither  and  nowhere  else,  would  he  go. 
And  exactly  thus  has  it  proved  with  his  '  Don  Quixote.' 
It  has  been  the  experiment  of  a  thoroughly  right  thinker 
— novel  from  seven  years'  disuse — but,  we  rejoice  to  say,  it 
has  completely  succeeded.  The  public  not  only  listened 
attentively,  but  received  with  delight  the  volume  of  beau- 
tiful things  this  opera  contains,  and  the  result  must  have 
been  as  gratifying  to  the  composer,  as  it  undoubtedly  was 
to  every  musician  of  true  and  liberal  feeling  in  the  theatre. 


"DON   QUIXOTE."  193 

"  Never  was  success  more  thoroughly  deserved,  because 
never  has  it  been  more  honestly  and  artistically  achieved. 
To  speak  of  '  Don  Quixote '  as  a  '  fine  opera,'  conveys  no 
impression  of  its  peculiar  excellences,  nor  of  the  almost 
innumerable  points  of  musicianship  by  which  it  is  so  widely 
distinguished  from  the  merely,  and  designedly,  popular 
works  of  the  day.  The  exquisite  unity,  consistence,  and 
purity  of  its  style,  its  perfect  dramatic  expression,  its  great 
development  of  fresh  and  unworn  thought,  its  masterly 
instances  of  constructive  power — of  which  we  may  quote, 
by  way  of  example,  the  first  finale,  as  quite  equal  in  sym- 
metrical form  and  continuity  of  interest  to  any  similar 
achievement  of  modern  times — and  the  vigour  and  musician- 
like  certainty  with  which  all  its  materials  are  vitalized  in 
the  orchestra,  are  all  matters  that  substantiate  it  as  the 
work  of  a  greatly  accomplished  artist.  And  this  not  the 
less  that  it  makes  no  pretension  to  what  is  ordinarily  and 
vulgarly  deemed  '  grandeur.'  The  drama  demands  pre- 
cisely that  length  and  breadth  of  style  adopted  for  it,  and  no 
other ;  and  this  truthfulness  and  consistency  of  musical  ren- 
dering is  one  of  its  most  notable  charms.  Not  only  is  this 
life-like  integrity  of  manner  at  once  apparent  on  the  general 
aspect  of  the  work,  but  it  even  grows  brighter  and  more  vivid 
as  we  question  it  in  detail.  Take,  for  example,  the  quaint 
and  admirable  conception  of  Don  Quixote's  isolated  posture 
among  the  other  characters  of  the  drama — the  enthusiastic 
dreamer  of  bygone  ages  surrounded  by  the  bustling  denizens 
of  the  living  world  of  fact — how  simply  and  forcibly  ex- 
pressed by  assigning  to  the  pseudo-knight  a  style  of  music 
as  far  separated  by  its  antiquity  from  that  pervading  all 
the  other  portions  of  the  score,  as  were  the  chivalrous  pro- 
vocatives of  the  Don's  madness  from  the  age  in  which 
Cervantes  made  him  live !  In  this  general  estimation  of 
the  opera  we  may  seem  to  have  been  speaking  very  big 
words  about  what  may,  to  some,  appear  a  small  matter. 
Nevertheless  we  have  a  stout  faith  in  our  perfect  ability  to 
justify  them,  when  we  come  to  discuss  '  Don  Quixote '  in 
detail — which,  as  it  may  lead  us  into  considerable  length, 
we  must  defer  until  next  week.  Meanwhile  we  earnestly 
counsel  all  music-loving  people  who  have  not  heard  'Don 
Quixote '  to  hear  it ;  and  those  who  have  heard  it  we  as 

O 


194  W.   H.    WEISS. 


strenuously  advise  to  hear  it  again — it  will  improve  won- 
derfully with  acquaintance." 

In  a  touching  and  appreciative  obituary  notice  of 
W.  H.  Weiss,  who  died,  greatly  regretted,  in  1867, 
Macfarren,  after  recounting  various  operatic  parts  in 
which  Weiss  had  distinguished  himself,  in  operas  by 
Balfe,  Benedict,  etc.,  continues: — 

"  For  my  own  part,  I  shall  not  forget  the  thankful  plea- 
sure I  felt  in  witnessing  Weiss' s  chivalric  magniloquence 
in  Don  Quixote ;  his  seamanly  roughness,  authoritative 
loyalty,  and  burly  embarrassment  in  Captain  Copp ;  nor 
his  jovial  impersonation  of  a  thorough  old  English  gentle- 
man in  Squire  Hardcastle.  And  I  shall  ever  acknowledge 
that,  in  these  capital  assumptions,  he  gave  to  my  airy 
nothings  truly  a  local  habitation  and  a  name."  ' 

The  second  and  third  characters  referred  to  are  in 
subsequent  operas  of  Macfarren's.  It  is  pleasant  to 
insert  the  above,  as  illustrative  of  his  generous  and 
grateful  disposition. 

The  published  pianoforte  score  of  the  opera  is 
inscribed  : — 

To  the  memory  of 

MY  FATHER 

This  Opera  is  dedicated  as  a 
Tribute  of  Affection. 

In  the  year  1859 — thirteen  years  after  the  successful 
production  of  this  opera — the  "  New  York  Musical 
Review  and  Gazette "  amusingly  and  patronizingly 
said  :  "  Mr.  Macfarren,  an  excellent  English  musician, 
has  written  an  overture,  '  Don  Quixote/  We  should 

1  "  Choir,"  Nov.  30th,  1867. 


"KING    CHARLES   77."  195 

think  the  subject  rather  too  much  for  Mr.  Macfarren"  ! 
To  which  the  "  Musical  World  "  replied  : — 

"  Whether  the  subject  be  '  too  much '  or  too  little  for 
Mr.  Macfarren,  our  contemporary  may,  perhaps,  not  object 
to  be  informed  that  the  overture  in  question  is  the  prelude 
to  an  opera  of  the  same  name,  produced  at  Drury  Lane 
Theatre  in  1846,  and  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  best 
English  dramatic  compositions  extant." 

Although  Maddox  rejected  ' '  Don  Quixote "  in 
1845,  yet,  such  was  its  success,  that  Macfarren' s  next 
operatic  production,  "  King  Charles  II. /'  was  brought 
out  by  him  at  the  Princess's  Theatre,  October  27th, 
1849  ;  the  work  having  been  composed  during  Mac- 
farren's  disappointing  sojourn  in  New  York,  during 
the  years  1847  and  1848,  and  sent  over  to  this  country, 
in  portions,  as  it  progressed.  The  libretto  was  by 
Desmond  Ryan.  The  success  of  this  opera  was  un- 
equivocal :  it  had  a  run  of  the  greater  part  of  two 
seasons.  The  cast  included  Miss  Louisa  Pyne  (now 
Madame  Boddaj,  Madame  (now  Lady)  Macfarren, 
Madame  Weiss,  Messrs.  W.  Harrison,  Weiss,  and 
H.  Corri.  It  was  the  occasion  of  Madame  Macfarren's 
debut  on  the  stage,  she  taking  the  part  of  the  Page  ; 
and  her  modest  intelligence  was  the  subject  of  favour- 
able remark.  The  composer,  through  infirmity  of 
sight,  was  not  able  to  conduct  the  performances ;  but 
this  responsible  task  was  ably  accomplished  by  his 
sympathetic  brother-musician,  the  late  Edward  James 
Loder. 

Of  "King  Charles  II."  such  opinions  were  expressed 
as  that  it  was — 

"  the  best  that  Mr.  Macfarren  has  written.     The  melodies 


196  "THE   SLEEPER    AWAKENED." 

are  more  varied  and  plentiful,  the  design  of  the  concerted 
pieces  larger,  their  development  more  masterly,  and  the 
general  tone  of  the  work  more  dramatic  and  effective  than 
in  his  previous  essays.  There  is  also  (as  in  'Don  Quixote,' 
but  even  still  more  remarkably,)  a  fine  individuality  pre- 
served in  each  of  the  separate  characters,  amidst  an  evident 
unity  of  purpose.  The  style,  moreover,  is  so  decided,  that 
not  one  of  the  pieces,  long  or  short,  but  would,  by  anyone 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Macfarren's  manner  of  writing,  be  at 
once  laid  to  his  account."  "  In  all  there  were  nine  encores, 
more  than  half  the  pieces  in  the  opera."  "  It  is  the  finest 
and  most  complete  operatic  work  of  a  native  musician  ever 
produced  on  the  stage."  "  Mr.  Macfarren's  greatest,  and 
most  simple  and  unaffected  music  is  comprised  in  '  K. 
Charles  II.'  "  "  The  madrigal,  '  Maidens,  would  ye  'scape 
undoing,'  is  worthy  of  a  place  beside  the  finest  madrigals 
of  Wilbye  and  the  other  worthies  of  the  Elizabethan  age." 
"  As  regards  the  completeness  of  the  work,  we  do  not  re- 
collect anything  comparable  to  it  on  the  English  stage  for 
a  long  time;  there  is  in  it  no  crudeness  of  style  —  no 
vagueness  of  purpose.  You  perceive  in  every  passage  the 
mind  of  the  master  directing  itself  to  a  definite  point,  and 
achieving  its  object  with  the  greatest  possible  ease." 

The  first  of  a  notable  series  of  Cantatas  by  Mac- 
farren,  "  The  Sleeper  Awakened,"  termed  a  Sere- 
nata,  words  by  John  Oxenford,  was  performed  at 
the  National  Concerts,  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  in 
1850,  the  parts  being  sustained  by  Mr.  F.  Bodda 
(Haroon  Alraschid) ,  Mr.  Sims  Eeeves  (Abou  Hassan) , 
and  Madlle.  Angri  (Zuleika) .  It  contains,  among 
other  noteworthy  numbers,  a  Canon  for  three  voices, 
"Good  Night";  a  Vocal  Rondo  (Zuleika),  "Gone, 
he's  gone";  a  Ballet,  consisting  of  (a)  Arab  War- 
Dance,  (b)  Shawl  Dance,  (c)  Ballabile ;  a  Finale,  in- 
cluding a  March,  a  Vocal  Rondo  (Zuleika),  "  The 
cloud  that  o'er  our  peaceful  days."  Even  the  "Athe- 
naeum," at  that  time  not  too  favourably  inclined, 


QUARTET  IN   G   MINOR.  197 

declared  that  the  "  Stage  Music  "  was  "  very  cleverly 
constructed ;  "  and  that,  in  the  Turkish  March  and 
Chorus,  the  local  colour  "  so  happily  used  by  Weber 
in  '  Oberon  '  is  fairly  matched  in  its  pure  and  clear 
nationality  ":  adding,  however,  that  there  were  "some 
instances  of  discord  which  the  most  defying  disciple  of 
Dr.  Day's  system  could  hardly  defend  or  recommend, — 
with  such  intolerable  and  gratuitous  harshness  do 
they  strike  the  ear." 

The  published  vocal  score  is  dedicated  to  Mr. 
Walter  Broadwood. 

Amidst  the  labours  of  these  large  works,  more- 
over, Macfarren  found  time  and  energy  to  write,  in 
1852,  a  Quartet  in  G  minor  for  stringed  instruments, 
expressly  for  the  Quartet  Association,  at  whose  second 
concert,  in  May  of  that  year,  it  was  performed  by 
Messrs.  Sainton,  Cooper,  Hill,  and  Piatti,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  "  Times,"  exhibited  "  throughout  the  hand 
of  an  experienced  master/'  Notwithstanding  the 
number  of  such  works  in  the  department  of  Chamber 
Music  that  emanated  from  him,  however,  yet  when, 
years  afterwards,  I  asked  him,  on  behalf  of  the 
Musical  Artists'  Society,  to  allow  some  such  work  to 
be  performed  at  one  of  their  concerts,  he  at  first 
hesitated,  then  said  that  he  would  consider  which 
work  to  send,  and  ultimately  wrote  saying  that  he 
found  that  he  had  nothing  that  he  would  like  to  be 
played.  This  was  certainly  from  no  ill-will  to  the 
Society,  of  which  he  was  a  Vice-President,  and  in 
which  he  evinced  considerable  interest. 

In  1851,  when  Drury  Lane  Theatre  was  under  the 
management  of  Bunn,  Macfarren  wrote  for  produc- 
tion there  an  opera  to  a  libretto  by  John  Oxenford, 


198  "ALLAN   OF  ABERFELDY."    ll  KENILWORTH." 

which  was  intended  to  follow  Balfe's  "  Sicilian  Bride." 
The  title  was  "  Allan  of  Aberfeldy ;  "  and  there  were 
strong  parts  for  tenor,  soprano,  and  contralto,  which 
were  to  be  sung  respectively  by  Mr.  Sims  Reeves, 
Miss  Rainforth,  and  Miss  Priscilla  Horton  (now  Mrs. 
German  Reed).  The  opera  was  on  the  point  of  being 
put  in  rehearsal,  when,  from  causes  not  here  to  be 
entered  into,  Bunn  became  a  bankrupt,  and  the  season 
was  brought  to  an  abrupt  close.  tf  Allan  of  Aber- 
feldy "  never  saw  the  light. 

Another  opera  which  has  never  been  produced  is 
to  an  Italian  libretto,  on  the  subject  of  Kenilworth, 
composed  many  years  later,  probably  in  1880,  ex- 
pressly for  the  eminent  vocalist  Madame  Albani ;  but, 
from  some  unavoidable  circumstances,  it  was  not  pro- 
duced on  the  occasion  for  which  it  was  intended,  and 
never  performed,  with  the  exception  of  the  overture, 
which  was  played  at  a  concert  of  the  Philharmonic 
Society  in  1887,  and  supposed  by  some  to  be  an  early 
work,  or  else  the  prelude  to  an  unfinished  opera. 
"  Kenilworth  "  contained  a  ballet  of  four  contrasted 
dances,  instead  of  a  Scotch  masque,  originally  planned. 

Macfarren's  cantata  f<  Lenora,"  a  musical  setting 
of  Burger's  ballad,  the  English  version  by  John  Oxen- 
ford,  was  produced  at  the  sixth  concert  of  the  Har- 
monic Union,  Exeter  Hall,  April  25th,  1853,  only 
having  once  previously  been  publicly  performed  at  a 
concert  by  the  students  of  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Music  (which  I  remember),  not  very  well,  and,  there- 
fore, with  but  small  success.  Though  the  performance 
by  the  Harmonic  Union  appears  to  have  been  by  no 
means  efficient,  it  was  so  far  adequate  as  to  enable  a 
more  distinct  judgment  to  be  formed  of  it,  and  it 


"  LENORA."     "HAMLET"   OVERTURE.          199 

was  declared  to  indicate  "a  very  high  order  of 
dramatic  feeling/'  The  principal  solo  singers  were 
Miss  Louisa  Pyne,  Madame  Macfarren,  and  Herr 
Staudigl ;  the  conductor,  Mr.  Benedict.  The  work 
consists  of  an  orchestral  introduction,  leading  into  a 
contralto  recitative,  nine  other  vocal  numbers,  and  a 
Notturno. 

In  1856,  his  Overture  to  "  Hamlet  "  was  produced 
at  the  New  Philharmonic  Society's  Concert,  April 
23rd.  The  analysis,  presumably  by  the  composer 
himself,  in  the  programme  is  as  follows  : — 

"  This  Overture  was  suggested  by  the  following  points 
in  the  tragedy: — Hamlet's  melancholy — aggravated  by  the 
frivolities  of  the  court — yielding  to  his  love  of  Ophelia — 
his  foreboding  of  the  purpose  of  the  ghost's  visitation — the 
ghost's  appearance  to  him — he  addresses  it — the  spirit  of 
the  murdered  king  reveals  the  secret  of  his  death  and 
exhorts  his  son  to  avenge  him — he  adjures  his  companions 
not  to  relate  what  they  have  seen,  and  the  ghost,  invisible, 
calls  upon  them  to  swear — this  awful  scene  is  opposed  by 
the  revelry  of  the  court — in  the  midst  of  this,  the  ghost's 
revelation  is  ever  present  to  Hamlet — it  distracts  him  from 
his  love  of  Ophelia — the  scene  with  her  in  the  gallery — the 
play- scene,  where  his  melancholy  is  disguised  under  the 
pretence  of  riotous  gaiety — the  scene  with  the  queen  in  the 
closet,  where,  urged  by  the  same  intention  that  prepared 
him  for  the  ghost's  disclosure,  he  presses  upon  her  the 
subject  of  his  melancholy — the  frivolity  of  the  court  again 
obtrudes  itself  upon  him — he  leaves  for  England,  thinking 
of  Ophelia  and  of  the  ghost — he  returns,  remembering  her 
love,  to  learn  of  her  madness  and  her  death — this  excites 
him  for  the  present  time  to  action — in  the  midst  of  his 
phrensy  he  remembers  the  ghost's  exhortation — the  cause 
of  his  melancholy,  which  has  always  made  him  a  passive 
reflector,  is  now  his  motive  for  desperate  action — the  last 
scene,  where  he  dies,  knowing  the  ghost's  admonition  to  be 
fulfilled." 


200  "MAY   DAY."     "  CHRISTMAS." 

One  of  the  most  popular  of  Macfarren's  works,  the 
cantata  "  May  Day,"  was  brought  out  at  the  Bradford 
Festival,  1857,  under  the  conductorship  of  Costa, 
Madame  Lemmens-Sherrington  being  the  principal 
vocalist.  In  that  portion  of  it  termed  " The  Revels/' 
the  old  English  dance-tune,  the  "  Staines  Morris,"  is 
introduced,  for  the  Ottavino.  The  whole  work  is 
most  exhilarating,  and  is  one  of  the  few  works  of 
Macfarren's  of  which  the  full  score  is  published  (by 
Novello,  Ewer,  and  Co.). 

In  the  year  1860,  May  9th,  the  fine  cantata,  again 
on  a  characteristically  English  subject,  "  Christmas/' 
was  first  produced  by  the  Musical  Society  of  London, 
under  the  conductorship  of  Alfred  Mellon,  the  soloists 
being  Mesdames  Lemmens-Sherrington  and  Sainton- 
Dolby.  Having  been  present  on  the  occasion,  I  re- 
member that,  with  some  excellent  musicians,  the  work 
obtained  rather  a  succes  d'estime,  though  no  one  could 
resist  the  speaking  effect  of  the  beautiful  song  with 
chorus  concerning  King  Alfred,  or  the  pretty  duet, 
"  Little  Children  ;  "  and  there  has,  subsequently,  been 
no  backwardness  in  awarding  the  whole  cantata  high 
praise.  The  "  Musical  World,"  at  the  time,  declared 
that  "  on  the  whole  it  may  be  unhesitatingly  stated 
that  no  English  musician,  from  the  time  of  Purcell  to 
the  present  epoch,  has  written  anything  in  its  way 
more  genuine  and  masterly." 

"  Robin  Hood "  was  produced  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre,  when  under  the  management  of  E.  T.  Smith, 
October  llth,  1860;  the  cast  including  Madame 
Lemmens-Sherrington,  Madame  Lemaire,  Mr.  Sims 
Reeves,  Mr.  Santley,  Mr.  George  Honey,  Mr.  Bartle- 
man,  Mr.  J.  E.  Patey,  and  Mr.  Parkinson;  conduc- 


ROBIN  HOOD."  201 


tor,  Mr.  Charles  Halle.  The  overture  was  encored. 
It  was  declared  that  "  Mr.  Macfarren  has  done  his 
very  best  :  .  .  .  the  championship  of  the  English 
School,  until  a  better  opera  than  '  Robin  Hood'  is 
produced,  must  remain  in  possession  of  its  composer." 
It  was  pronounced  "  the  greatest  work  that  has  been 
produced  for  the  English  musical  stage  since  the  days 
of  Purcell." 

Mr.  Sims  Reeves,  in  his  life  of  himself,  says  : 
"  Macfarren  composed  the  principal  part  in  what  is 
now  generally  recognized  as  that  master's  best  opera 
for  myself."  The  " Musical  World"  recorded  that: — 

"  As  regards  Mr.  Macfarren' s  new  opera,  a  greater  and 
more  legitimate  success  than  that  achieved  by  the  work 
we  never  witnessed.  The  crowd  was  immense,  the  excite- 
ment unusual,  and  expectation  on  tiptoe.  .  .  .  The  cast  of 
the  parts  presented  an  unusual  attraction  in  itself.  Mr. 
Sims  Reeves  .  .  .  was  to  play  the  principal  character;  and 
Madame  Lemmens-Sherrington,  who  has  never  appeared 
on  the  stage  at  all,  was  to  make  her  debut.  Mr.  Santley, 
too,  and  Mr.  George  Honey,  from  the  Royal  English  Opera, 
were  both  included  in  the  cast." 

Among  the  popular  pieces  in  this  opera  were  the 
well-known  songs,  "  My  own,  my  guiding  star,"  and 
"  True  love."  The  delivery  by  Mr.  Sims  Reeves  of 
"  Thy  gentle  voice  would  lead  me  on,"  "  The  grasp- 
ing, rasping  Norman  race,"  and  the  patriotic  song, 
"Englishmen  by  birth  are  free,"  are  said  to  have  been 
"  the  talk  of  the  town."  "  The  first  Act  is  more  or 
less  introductory,  the  second  contains  the  greenwood 
revel  and  the  scene  at  Nottingham  fair,  and  the  third 
the  prison  scene  and  the  outlaw's  pardon."  The 
success  was  so  great  that  a  punster  said  "  it  was  less 


202  FAILURE    OF  SIGHT. 

Robin  Hood  than  robbin'  Harrison/'  who,  with  Miss 
Pyne,  was  then  performing  opera  at  Covent  Garden. 

During  the  composition  of  this  opera,  Macfarren's 
sight  so  completely  failed  that  he  was  compelled  finally 
to  relinquish  the  use  of  the  pen,  and,  thenceforth,  to 
depend  wholly  on  the  services  of  amanuenses,  to  whom 
he  dictated  every  note  :  a  very  simple  statement,  and 
as  pathetic  as  it  is  simple.  But  it  marks  almost  a  new 
era,  almost  a  turning-point,  as  some  would  think,  in 
his  career  of  mental  activity.  It  was  no  turning- 
point,  however,  with  him  :  he  still  went  right  on.  An 
obstacle,  a  difficulty,  was  not  a  stumbling-block  to 
him;  not  the  occasion  for  giving  up,  or  turning  aside  ; 
but  for  the  calling  into  exercise  renewed  determina- 
tion, energy,  contrivance.  Those  who  have  any  know- 
ledge of  the  process  of  musical  composition,  and  of  the 
complications  of  a  full- score,  for  orchestra  and  voices, 
will  best  appreciate  the  Herculean  achievements  of 
Macfarren  in  producing,  subsequently  to  this  period, 
such  a  succession  of  large,  elaborate  works ;  and 
those  who  know  the  lighter  effusions  of  his  imagina- 
tion may  well  wonder  that  such  freshness  should  cha- 
racterize compositions  dictated  under  conditions  that 
would  seem  so  depressing,  even  paralyzing,  to  the 
artistic  faculties.  But  Macfarren  seems  never,  from 
this  time,  to  have  abated  "one  jot  of  heart  or  hope,  but 
steered  right  onward."  Amongthosewho  loyallyand  in- 
telligently served  him  in  the  capacity  of  musical  amanu- 
enses, may  be  mentioned  the  now  well-known  professor, 
Miss  Clara  A.  Macirone; 1  that  highly  promising  young 

1  For  an  interesting  and  touching  sketch  of  Macfarren,  and  his 
method  of  working,  see  an  admirable  paper,  by  this  excellent 
musician,  in  the  '.'Argosy  "  for  January,  1888. 


AMANUENSES.     "FREYAS   GIFT."  203 

musician  (for  some  time  my  own  pupil),  Frederick 
Barnes,  whose  early  death  was  so  much  deplored  ;  Miss 
Oliveria  Prescott,  who  assisted  her  revered  professor 
with  an  affection  only  equalled  by  its  efficiency,  and 
Mr.  Windeyer  Clark,  who  was  acting  in  this  capacity, 
faithfully,  during  the  later  years  of  Macfarren's  life. 
When,  later  on,  Macfarren's  duties  were,  so  to  speak, 
threefold,  having  to  do  with  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  and  his  own 
productions  (or  private  correspondence),  the  papers 
concerning  these  were  separately  "  pigeon-holed," 
and,  colloquially  if  not  by  inscription,  playfully  labelled 
respectively,  "  Cam./'  "R.  A.  M.,"  and  "  G.  A.  M.;" 
and  he  would  say  to  young  Barnes,  on  his  entry, 
"  Well,  I  think  we  will  take  '  C.  A.  M/  (or  whichever 
budget  he  selected)  this  morning/'' 

"  Robin  Hood  "  was  reproduced  by  Pyne  and  Har- 
rison at  Covent  Garden  in  1861,  with  Madame 
Guerrabella,  Messrs.  Henry  Haigh,  Santley,  Patey, 
George  Honey,  in  the  cast,  and  Mellon  as  conductor. 
The  opera  was  revived  in  the  year  1889  at  the  Prin- 
cess's Theatre,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Turner. 

"  Freya's  Gift,  an  Allegorical  Masque,  in  honour  of 
the  marriage  of  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of 
Wales,"  was  composed  by  Macfarren,  and  performed 
at  the  Royal  English  Opera,  Covent  Garden,  March 
10th,  1863  ;  the  words  being  by  John  Oxenford. 
After  a  short  introduction,  a  Chorus  in  B  flat,  "  By  a 
heavy  mist  is  the  land  oppress'd,"  is  sung  behind  the 
scenes.  This  is  immediately  followed  by  an  entire 
change  of  key,  the  "  catch  phrase/'  if  it  may  be  so 
termed,  of  the  termination  of  the  chorus  forming  the 
opening  of  a  Scena  in  E  major,  "  Freya  the  harbinger 


204        "  SHE    STOOPS   TO    CONQUER,"  ETC. 

of  bliss  is  here."  After  a  ballad,  "  When  those  you 
love/'  Revels  follow :  chorus,  "  Arouse  thee,  inerrie 
England  "  ;  Hymn — (Danish  National  Tune)  "  With 
shouts  of  welcome  " — Freya  interpolating  our  national 
anthem,  and  the  two  melodies  being  afterwards 
brought  together. 

In  this  same  year,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  German  Reed  started 
a  series  of  performances  under  the  designation  of 
"  Opera  di  Camera ; "  and  for  these,  Macfarren,  being 
commissioned  to  write,  supplied  a  charming  little  work, 
"Jessy  Lea,"  which  was  produced  in  October,  and  in 
which  Miss  Edith  Wynne  made  her  first  appearance 
on  the  lyric  stage.  So  decided  was  the  success  of  this 
operetta  that  another  was  commissioned  for  the  follow- 
ing year ;  and  "  The  Soldier's  Legacy/'  libretto  by  John 
Oxenford,  was  the  result.  The  scheme  does  not  appear 
to  have  proved  a  success,  notwithstanding  the  merit 
and  favourable  reception  of  these,  and  works  by  other 
composers  written  for  the  purpose. 

In  the  year  1863,  during  the  management  of  the 
Royal  English  Opera  at  Covent  Garden  by  Pyne  and 
Harrison,  Macfarren  was  commissioned  by  them  to 
compose  an  opera ;  and  the  work  produced,  February 
llth,  1864,  was  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer,"  the  libretto 
being  furnished  by  Edward  Fitzball.  The  conductor 
was  Alfred  Mellon ;  the  cast  included  the  two  lessees, 
Weiss,  Corri,  and  George  Perren.  This  opera,  which 
contains,  according  to  competent  judgment,  some  of 
Macfarren' s  most  tuneful  music,  was  very  successful. 
As  Harrison's  vocal  powers  were,  by  that  time,  on  the 
wane,  but  his  acting  powers  had  greatly  improved,  the 
principal  singing  part  was  assigned  to  Perren  (as 
Hastings),  and  the  acting  part  to  Harrison  (as  Mar- 


"HELVELLYN."  "THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE."  205 

low),  with  little  sustained  music,  aud  that  rarely  going 
above  D ;  but  this  part  he  represented  admirably. 

Later,  in  1864,  when  Covent  Garden  Theatre  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  English  Opera  Company,  in  suc- 
cession to  Pyne  and  Harrison,  a  grand  opera  of  Mac- 
farren's,  in  four  acts,  "  Helvellyn/'  was  produced,  the 
libretto  being  by  his  almost  constant  collaborator,  John 
Oxenford.  The  cast  included  Mesdames  Lemmens- 
Sherrington  and  Parepa,  Messrs.  Henry  Haigh  and 
Alberto  Lawrence,  etc.  A  very  fine  orchestra  was  led 
by  Mr.  Carrodus,  and  conducted  by  Alfred  Mellon.  The 
introductory  prelude  was  termed  an  "  Illustrated  Over- 
ture," the  chorus  singing  behind  the  scenes,  during 
its  continuance,  a  maledictory  theme,  recurring  in  the 
opera,  "  Curse  on  the  head  that  the  evil  planned." 
An  important  feature  was  to  have  been  the  lime- 
lighted tableau  shown  in  the  course  of  this  overture, 
illustrating  the  progress  of  the  story.  This,  for 
reasons  of  economy  and  convenience,  was,  however, 
abandoned  for  a  drop-scene,  which  had  in  its  centre  a 
scenic  representation  of  the  murder  by  fire  referred 
to  in  the  malediction.  This  opera  ran  about  eighteen 
or  twenty  nights. 

The  next  work  of  the  series  that  we  are  now  con- 
sidering is  "The  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  concerning  which 
Macfarren  himself,  in  the  programme  of  the  Glasgow 
Choral  Union,  wrote  : — 

"  The  cantata  of  '  The  Lady  of  the  Lake '  was  composed, 
at  the  request  of  the  Glasgow  Musical  Festival  Executive 
Committee,  expressly  for  performance  at  the  opening  of 
the  New  Halls  in  Glasgow.  The  commission  was  proposed 
at  the  beginning  of  1874 ;  much  time  was  spent  in  the  selec- 
tion of  the  subject,  more  in  the  adaptation  of  the  poem  to 
lyrical  purposes,  and  the  composition  was  completed  in 


206  MACFARREN' S   INDUSTRY. 

January,  1876,  timely  for  the  proposed  Festival  of  that 
year. 

"  Oct.,  1877.  "  G.  A.  MACFARREN." 

The  adaptation  of  the  text  was  the  work  of  Natalia 
Macfarren ;  and  the  published  vocal  score  is  "  dedi- 
cated in  friendly  remembrance  to  Thomas  Logan 
Stillie,"  at  whose  suggestion  the  work  was  under- 
taken. 

On  the  production  of  this  cantata,  a  critic  wrote : — 

"  The  amount  of  work  which  Dr.  Macfarren  has  got 
through  lately  is  simply  amazing.  Three  oratorios  and  a 
cantata,  in  four  years,  would  not  have  been  thought  much 
of  in  Handel's  time,  when  the  old  Halle  master  could 
manufacture  a  grand  oratorio  in  less  than  a  month,  and 
never  seemed  so  happy  as  when  composing — inventing  or 
borrowing  his  materials  as  the  occasion  demanded.  But 
the  scores  of  Handel's  oratorios  are  in  a  very  skeleton  con- 
dition ;  and  even  if  we  were  to  accept  as  a  fact  that  in 
three  weeks  or  a  month  the  old  musician  could  have  filled 
in  the  score  completely,  we  have  to  confront  the  altered  state 
of  the  orchestra  since  then,  with  the  immense  importance 
that  now  attaches  to  instrumentation.  It  is  double  diffi- 
culty, as  well  as  double  labour,  when  every  single  note  has 
to  be  dictated — not  written  in  manu  proprid — it  will  be 
easily  seen  how  the  progress  of  composition  is  retarded. 
Hence  we  consider  that,  in  having  brought  out  three 
oratorios  and  a  cantata  in  four  years,  at  the  same  time 
attending  to  his  manifold  duties  in  Teiiterden  Street  and 
at  Cambridge  University,  Dr.  Macfarren  has  achieved  a 
notable  feat.  Another  thing  to  take  into  consideration,  if 
excusing  circumstances  are  needed,  is,  that  Dr.  Macfarren 
is  now  working  hard  at  an  age  when  most  men  consider 
themselves  entitled  to  retire  from  worldly  labours,  and 
enjoy  in  seclusion  the  short  span  which  mortality  permits 
them  upon  this  sublunary  sphere.  Your  true  artist,  how- 
ever, never  grows  old  and  never  wearies  of  his  task  ;  and 
never  was  there  truer  artist  than  George  Alexander  Mac- 
farren." 


"SONGS   IN   A    CORNFIELD,"  ETC.  207 

This  extract,  though  appropriately  introduced 
here,  anticipates  certain  events  to  be  subsequently 
chronicled. 

A  little  cantata  for  female  voices,  with  pianoforte 
accompaniment,  "  Songs  in  a  Cornfield,"  the  words 
by  Christina  Rossetti,  performed  for  the  first  time 
in  1868,  by  Mr.  Henry  Leslie's  Choir;  and  a  cantata, 
"  Outward  Bound,"  the  words  by  John  Oxenford, 
composed  for,  and  performed  at  the  Norwich  Festival, 
1872,  are,  with  one  addition  to  be  mentioned  later 
on,  the  only  works  remaining  to  complete  this  enume- 
ration of  Macfarren's  works  of  this  class  —  operas 
and  cantatas — besides  those  specified  in  a  previous 
chapter.  The  larger  cantatas  are  characterized,  as 
much  as  the  operas,  by  the  dramatic  element,  and 
the  local  colour  associated  therewith. 

It  is  worthy  of  record  that  Macfarren,  in  a  biogra- 
phical notice  of  John  Barnett,  gave  his  opinion  with 
characteristic  generosity  and  non-jealousy,  that  "  The 
Mountain  Sylph,"  by  that  composer,  "  opened  a  new 
era  for  music  in  this  country  " — doubtless  meaning, 
specially,  dramatic  music.  This  clever  musician  has 
died  while  these  pages  have  been  passing  through 
the  press. 


CHAPTER   X. 

MACFARREN'S  CRITICAL  OPINIONS.  ARTICLES  ON  MEN- 
DELSSOHN, MOZART,  BEETHOVEN'S  SYMPHONIES,  "  RUINS 
OP  ATHENS/'  "  FIDELIO,"  AND  "  MASS  IN  D."  RE- 
MARKS ON  PEDAL-POINTS.  OPINIONS  CONCERNING 
HAYDN,  CHOPIN,  CHERUBINI,  AUBER.  AIRS  WITH 
VARIATIONS.  1849 — 1854,  ETC. 

DURING  the  whole  of  the  long  period  of  his  pro- 
ductivity as  a  composer,  Macfarren  was  keenly 
observant,  and,  it  may  truly  be  added,  constantly 
studious  of  all  that  was  passing  in  the  domain  of  music, 
and  of  the  tendencies  of  thought  and  feeling  therein  ; 
staunchly  conservative  of  all  sound  principles  ;  eagerly 
receptive  of  all  that  was  new  and  good.  He  was 
"ever  learning;"  but,  unlike  those  who  were  re- 
proached for  their  lack  of  earnestness,  was  always 
"  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth," — more 
truth, — expanding  his  grasp  of  the  past  and  present 
of  the  beautiful  art  which  absorbed  his  attention; 
and  being  possessed  of  unquestionable  literary  ability — 
although  his  diction  was  sometimes  involved,  and,  as 
some  would  judge,  disfigured  by  certain  peculiarities 
of  form  and  expression — he  gave  forth  the  results  of 
his  thinking  and  learning,  from  time  to  time,  in 
lectures  and  papers,  of  great  interest,  on  music  and 


ARTICLES    ON  MENDELSSOHN.  209 

musical  matters  from  some  of  which  copious  extracts 
have  already  been  made.  Notwithstanding  the  in- 
volvement to  which  reference  has  been  made,  there 
was  such  unmistakable  decision  of  opinion,  the  out- 
come of  such  clearly  reasoned  thought  and  thorough- 
ness of  investigation,  that  even  those  who  were  not 
able  to  coincide  with  all  his  conclusions  and  pronounce- 
ments were  unable  to  entirely  evade  their  force.  He 
was  felt  to  be  a  power  in  our  midst,  doing  much  to- 
wards the  shaping  and  directing  of  critical  thought 
concerning  music,  especially  among  the  rising  genera- 
tion of  musical  students ;  this  thought  being,  as  may 
reasonably  be  concluded,  not  a  little  tinctured  by  his 
special  theoretical  views. 

In  January,  1849,  when  the  whole  musical  world 
were  still  mourning  the  irreparable  loss  they  had 
sustained  by  the  death  of  Mendelssohn  in  November, 
1847,  a  series  of  articles  on  that  great  composer,  from 
Macfarren's  pen,  appeared  in  the  "  Musical  World/' 
The  opening  sentence  of  the  first  article,  January  20th, 
somewhat  involved,  it  must  be  confessed,  or,  at  all 
events,  long-drawn,  may  be  given  entire  : — 

"  FELIX  MENDELSSOHN  BAETHOLDY  may  justly  be  re- 
garded as  one  of  those  very  few  among  mankind  whose 
genius  at  once  separates  them  from,  by  its  exalting  them 
above  the  world  around  them,  and  unites  them  to,  by  its 
sympathizing  with,  that  world  which  it  extends  from  the 
limited  circle  of  private  personal  knowledge  to  the  bound- 
less inclusion  of  all  educated  men,  in  all  places  and  in  all 
time ;  as  one  of  those  men,  whose  intellectual  superiority, 
while  it  distinguishes  them  from  the  narrow  sphere  of 
their  own  social  connections,  identifies  them  with  that 
broad  universe  of  all  human  intelligence  which  ever  and 
everywhere  acknowledges  the  impersonal  presence  of  a 
master  mind,  in  the  influence  it  produces." 

p 


210  MENDELSSOHN'S    ORIGINALITY. 

After  alluding  to  the  then  recent  death  of  the  great 
Master,  he  proceeds  : — 

"  We  own  in  him  the  true  associate  of  Bach,  Handel, 
Haydn,  Mozart,  and  Beethoven.  His  claims  to  this 
eminence  lie  in  the  purely  classical  character  of  all  his 
writing,  by  which  is  to  be  understood  not  merely  cold 
correctness,  but  irresistible  beauty  in  the  highest  style  of 
musical  expression ;  and  in  the  striking  originality  that  so 
obviously  manifests  itself  in  all  his  works  as  to  give  them 
an  individuality  which,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  music  of  any  of  the  great  composers  with 
whose  names  he  is  here  classed,  and  which,  devoid  of 
mannerism,  can  hardly  be  attributed  to  the  collected 
works  of  any  other  musician." 

This  dictum  is  somewhat  startling,  especially  in 
these  later  days  when  it  is  the  fashion  to  decry  Men- 
delssohn ;  and,  moreover,  considering  that  even  those 
who  entertain  the  highest  estimation  of  his  works 
hardly  care  to  deny  that  the  individuality  is  not 
wholly  unmarked  by  mannerism.  Macfarren  admits 
that — 

"this  assertion  is  so  strong,  and  includes  so  much  be- 
yond the  immediate  subject  of  the  present  remarks,  that 
it  may  require  some  explanation  to  justify  it ;  and  as  this 
individuality  forms  a  most  important  characteristic  of 
Mendelssohn's  genius,  it  may  not  be  superfluous  to  enter 
somewhat  at  length  into  its  discussion.  Let  it,  then,  be 
first  understood  what  is  here  meant  by  originality  in  music. 
This  will  be  best  proved  by  a  negative:  namely,  that  a 
composer  is  by  no  means  to  be  charged  with  a  want  of 
originality  who  may  have  written  a  phrase  that  is  more  or 
less  like,  or  even  identical  with,  some  phrase  that  has  been 
written  by  another.  Of  such  accidental  coincidences  ex- 
amples are  innumerable  in  the  works  of  the  most  esteemed 
masters." 


STYLE   AND    ORIGINALITY.  211 

Many  examples  are  adduced  from  various  com- 
posers. 

"  Style  may  be  said  to  consist  rather  in  general  charac- 
teristics than  in  particular  ideas ;  in  a  composer's  habits 
of  thought,  and  the  forms  of  construction  and  elaboration 
in  which  such  thought  is  developed,  than  in  any  peculiar, 
perhaps  exceptional,  passage.  It  is  the  unlikeness  of  the 
style  of  an  author  to  any  archetype  that  constitutes  his 
originality,  and  not  the  resemblance  of  any  one  or  more  of 
his  phrases,  however  originally  treated,  to  some  phrase 
previously  known,  that  constitutes  his  want  of  it.  There 
may  not  exist  a  parallel  passage  in  the  works  of  two 
authors ;  and  yet  what  is  seen  to  constitute  the  style  of 
both  may  be  so  similar  as  to  deprive  him  who  wrote  second 
of  a  claim  to  originality,  at  least  to  such  originality  as  will 
distinguish  his  music  from  all  that  preceded  it.  Thus  we 
find  the  colossal  masses  of  elaboration,  in  which  the  genius 
of  Bach  declares  itself  to  the  wondering  student  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  are  composed  in  the  form,  and  made  up  of  the 
passages  which  were  conventional  in  his  time.  The  same 
thing  is  noticeable  in  the  works  of  Handel.  ...  In  Haydn, 
again,  we  find  the  phraseology  of  his  age  ...  by  degrees 
he  modified  his  form,  until  in  his  later  quai'tets  and  sym- 
phonies he  produced  what  the  adoption  of  all  his  great 
successors,  and  the  opinion  of  all  the  world,  prove  to  be 
the  perfect  model  of  instrumental  composition,  which,  as 
there  will  always  be  the  example,  not  only  of  his  own 
orchestral  and  chamber  works,  but  also  of  those  no  less 
imperishable  of  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Spohr,  and  Men- 
delssohn, cannot  but  remain,  like  the  division  into  five  acts, 
and  the  other  accepted  rules  of  construction  in  dramatic 
poetry,  the  approved  form  and  classical  model  of  instru- 
mental music.  Mozart,  with  all  his  excelling  beauty, 
walked  but  in  the  footsteps  of  Haydn ;  he  may  indeed  be 
said  to  have  overtaken  his  illustrious  friend,  who  was  both 
his  predecessor  and  his  follower ;  for  though  Haydn 
founded  the  form  of  instrumental  composition  that  is  now 
universally  recognized  as  the  classical,  and  so  set  Mozart 
the  great  example,  he  himself  wrote  all  his  best  works 


212  ORIGINALITY  IN  MUSIC. 

after  Mozart  had  sliown  him  of  what  extreme  beauty  that 
form  was  capable.  .  .  .  Beethoven  ...  so  completely 
adopted  the  style  of  Mozart,  that  his  compositions  for  the 
first  third  of  his  career  may  be  mistaken  for  productions  of 
that  great  original.  ...  In  what  critics  designate  the 
second  and  third  periods  of  the  expansion  of  Beethoven's 
genius,  there  is  a  striking  breaking  away  from  this  style 
of  his  predecessors  and  of  his  early  self.  .  .  .  After  enlarg- 
ing so  much  upon  the  want  of  originality,  in  a  certain 
sense,  of  these  great  masters — a  proposition  offered,  how- 
ever, with  the  most  enthusiastic  admiration  for  the  genius 
of  each,  and  the  most  unqualified  delight  in  the  creations 
of  all — -it  is  necessary,  for  the  entire  explanation  of  what 
is  meant  by  the  rare  characteristic  here  attributed  to  Men- 
delssohn, to  adduce  some  instances  of  musical  composers 
that  have  also  possessed  it.  Before  all,  then,  must  be 
mentioned  Purcell,  who,  as  being  the  first  to  break  through 
the  purely  scholastic  trammels  of  the  ancient  diatonic 
school,  to  enter  upon  the  exhaustless  field  of  the  beautiful 
that  lies  open  to  the  modern  musician  in  the  inexhaustible 
resources  of  chromatic  harmony,  and  as  the  first  to  apply 
musical  sounds  to  the  poetical  expression  of  words,  and  to 
the  delineation  of  the  wildest  and  the  gentlest  of  the 
passions,  is  to  be  considered  the  most  truly  original  com- 
poser the  world  has  known.  It  must  be  granted,  indeed, 
that  his  speculations,  as  they  must  be  esteemed,  in  the 
previously  unattempted  combinations  of  chromatic  har- 
mony, are  occasionally  failures,  producing  effects  equally 
harsh,  unsatisfactory,  and  inexplicable ;  and  that  his  ex- 
pression sometimes  degenerates  into  word-painting;  but 
with  all  the  experience  that  has  intervened,  the  same  things 
are  to  be  remarked  in  the  most  approved  writers  that  have 
succeeded  him  ;  and  that  his  genius  was  not  always  at  its 
happiest,  detracts  not  from  the  infinite  honour  that  is  due 
to  him  for  the  many  exquisite  beauties  he  has  left  us,  and 
for  the  incalculable  services  he  rendered  to  his  art  by  the 
new  direction  he  gave  to  its  cultivation.  Let  us  next  in- 
stance Weber,  whose  peculiarity  of  phraseology,  singular 
application  of  certain  harmonies,  and  novel  conduct  of  his 
dramatic  pieces,  decidedly  constitute  a  style — one  that 
cannot  be  imitated  (since  all  who  have  attempted  its 


MENDELSSOHN'S    CHARACTERISTICS.      213 

adoption  have  fallen  into  the  most  vapid  musical  bathos), 
and  one  that  was  in  no  respect  anticipated.  Most  fasci- 
nating has  proved  this  Weberish  style,  no  less  to  the 
public  than  to  the  host  of  composers  who  have  failed  in 
the  attempt  to  write  in  it ;  but,  in  spite  of  its  irresistible 
charms,  an  investigation  of  all  its  peculiarities  could  lead 
only  to  the  conchision,  that  however  teeming  with  origi- 
nality, it  is  greatly  wanting  in  what  may  purely  be  termed 
ciassicality. 

"  This  long  digression  is  important  to  the  subject,  inso- 
much as  it  goes  to  explain  the  application  of  a  term  which 
is  meant  to  convey  the  chief  idea  of  Mendelssohn's  ex- 
cellence, and  as  it  may  serve  to  illustrate  the  position  that 
this  composer  takes  in  relation  to  those  who  have  pre- 
ceded him." 

The  interest  of  these  remarks  fully  condones  the 
length  of  the  "  digression."  But  the  writer  proceeds 
to  expatiate  upon  the  originality  of  Mendelssohn,  as 
evinced  (a)  in  his  phraseology  ;  (6)  his  "  frequent  in- 
troduction of  the  combinations,  or,  more  particularly, 
the  progressions,  of  Bach  and  his  era,  as  the  basis  and 
accompaniment  of  his  own  original  phraseology,  or  of 
less  individual  modern  passages" — which  characteristic 
might  by  some  be  thought  rather  to  resemble  the 
use  made  of  existing  idioms  attributed  to  other  writers 
in  the  earlier  part  of  the  paper ;  and  (c) — 

"  More  striking  in  itself,  and  far  more  important  to  the 
art,  is  his  resolution  of  certain  chromatic  discords  upon  a 
principle  occasionally  hinted  at  in  the  middle  and  later 
works  of  Beethoven,  but  never  carried  to  such  an  extent 
as  it  is  by  Mendelssohn  in  his  earlier  works ;  such,  for 
instance,  as  the  chord  of  the  minor  ninth  on  the  tonic  to 
the  chord  of  the  seventh  on  the  dominant,  with  the  pro- 
gressions of  the  intervals  of  the  seventh  and  ninth  of  the 
first  chord  to  the  third  and  fifth  of  the  second,  and  many 
others  which  it  would  be  here  tedious  to  describe.  There 


214      MENDELSSOHN'S    CHARACTERISTICS. 

is  the  more  merit  in  these  innovations — discoveries  they 
would  be  better  named — on  account  of  their  being  in 
direct  violation  of  all  pre-existing  rules  of  harmony ;  and 
they  evince  the  greatness  of  his  genius  as  a  philosopher 
no  less  than  as  a  musician,  by  showing  him  capable  of 
penetrating,  through  the  obscurity  and  prejudice  of  the 
schools,  to  the  truth  of  nature,  and  by  his  most  successful 
practice  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  theory,  which  in  intelli- 
gence, in  usefulness,  in  comprehension,  and  in  what  con- 
stitutes true  philosophy,  surpasses  all  that  had  ever  before 
been  advanced  in  musical  and  (so  far  as  connected  with 
music)  acoustical  science — a  theory  which  translates  the 
province  of  music  from  art  to  nature,  and  so  dignifies  its 
investigation,  in  the  scale  of  human  study  and  research, 
from  the  learning  by  rote  of  the  arbitrary  trammels  of  by- 
gone times  and  schools,  to  the  examination  and  compre- 
hension of  a  subject,  the  principles  of  which  are  as  deeply 
rooted  as  those  of  perspective  or  light  itself." 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  Macfarren  has  here 
seized  an  opportunity  to  vaunt  the  "  Day  theory/' 
Mendelssohn's  "  great  originality  of  construction  "  is 
the  next  characteristic  dealt  with,  which — 

"  while  he  preserves  the  general  outline,  or  certainly  its 
chief  features,  to  which  .  .  .  allusion  has  already  been 
made,  manifests  itself  in  the  novelty  of  detail,  with  which 
this  classical  outline  is  filled  up." 

The  originality  of  his  scherzi,  of  his  poetical  over- 
tures, of  his  oratorios,  "in  the  generally  more 
dramatic  character  they  possess  than  the  previous 
works  of  that  class/'  etc.,  are  then  enlarged  upon. 
Also,  the  condensation  of  the  conventional  form,  in  his 
Concertos.  And  the  "Midsummer  Night's  Dream" 
overture  is  characterized  as  "an  example  of  originality  " 
which  "  must  always  be  a  perfect  marvel  of  the  human 
mind." 


MENDELSSOHN'S   ORIGINALITY.  215 

"  A  careful  examination  of  all  its  features,  and  a  com- 
parison of  them  with  all  that  had  previously  existed  in  the 
writings  of  other  composers,  must  establish  the  conviction 
that  there  is  more  that  is  new  in  this  one  work  than  in 
any  other  one  that  has  ever  been  produced." 

This  is  dilated  upon,  with  reference  to — 

"  idea,  character,  phrase,  harmony,  construction,  instru- 
mentation, and  every  particular  of  outline  and  detail  for 
which  his  style  is  remarkable." 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  these  opinions  were 
formed  when  the  novelty  and  originality  were  truly 
fresh,  before  the  style  had  become  familiar,  and  before 
that  familiarity  had  induced  depreciation  by  shallow 
critics.  Mendelssohn's  works  are  afterwards  grouped 
and  characterized ;  and,  in  conclusion,  it  is  admitted 
that — 

"  his  melodies  are  often  more  fragmentary  than  con- 
tinuous— that  his  compositions  abound  more  in  detached, 
though  beautiful,  phrases,  than  in  streaming,  unbroken, 
and  unquestionable  tune ;  and  it  is  no  less  true  that  he  is 
generally  less  successful  in  the  composition  of  slow  move- 
ments than  in  those  of  a  more  exciting  and  animated 
character ;  but,  true  as  are  both  these  propositions,  there 
are  so  many  brilliant  exceptions  to  each  as  to  make  it  a 
matter  of  question  with  his  enthusiastic  admirers  whether 
the  peculiarities  referred  to,  were  not  points  of  design 
with  him,  rather  than  evidence  of  inabilitv  to  avoid 
them." 

I  remember  that  when  the  Purcell  Society  was 
formed,  for  the  purpose  of  issuing  a  complete  edition 
of  that  master's  works,  Macfarren  said  to  me,  "  You 
must  expect  to  find  in  them  many  things  quite  op- 
posed to  all  our  present  views  of  harmony." 

Macfarren  was  no  mere  impressionist :  the  verdicts 


216  ARTICLES    ON  MENDELSSOHN. 

that  he  pronounced  were  opinions  thought  out,  and 
the  result  of  conviction.  It  was  no  Mendelssohn 
"fever,"  such  as  was  epidemic  in  musical  circles 
during  the  few  years  succeeding  the  great  man's 
death,  that  prompted  him  to  write  as  he  did  in  this 
article,  and  in  others  later  on.  In  1851,  December 
6th,  he  wrote  an  interesting  review  of  Mendelssohn's 
pianoforte  duet,  "  Allegro  Brillante."  In  the 
"Musical  World/'  August  28th,  1852,  he  wrote  a 
highly  appreciative  article  on  the  then  just  published 
fragment  of  "  Lorely,"  Mendelssohn's  projected  opera. 
In  the  same  periodical,  October  23rd  of  the  same 
year,  he  also  wrote  on  the  fragments  from  "  Christus." 
His  analysis,  October  9th,  of  the  "  Italian  Symphony  " 
has  already  been  referred  to  (page  81).  In  January, 
1853,  appeared  in  the  same  periodical  an  earnest 
appeal,  signed  by  him,  to  the  trustees  of  Mendelssohn's 
unpublished  works,  urging  their  immediate  publica- 
tion. On  April  30th  appeared  an  analysis  of  Men- 
delssohn's posthumous  Quartet  in  F  minor :  enthu- 
siastic, but  reasoned  out.  In  that  same  periodical, 
in  January,  1854,  as  has  been  already  recorded  in 
Chapter  VIII.,  he  wrote  elaborately  on  the  music  to 
"  OBdipus  in  Colonos  "  ;  and,  again,  a  brief  review  of 
one  book  of  the  "  Songs  without  Words,"  December 
16th  of  the  same  year.  A  much  later  article  on  Men- 
delssohn's Prelude  and  Fugue  in  F  minor  will  be  noticed 
in  another  connection.  An  analysis  of  "  St.  Paul " 
proceeded  from  Macfarren's  pen,  and  appeared  in  the 
"  Musical  World/'  July  30th  and  following  numbers  ; 
and,  in  the  "Musical  Times,"  January,  1873,  an 
article  entitled  "  St.  Paul  at  St.  Paul's,"  to  which, 
also,  reference  will  be  made  later  on. 


MACFARREXTS    OPINIONS.  217 

The  effect  upon  many  of  the  glitter,  or  highly- 
wrought  effectiveness — shall  the  term  "  many-noted- 
ness  "  be  used  ? — and  the  more  varied  harmonies  and 
demonstrativeness  of  a  certain  kind — one  must  avoid 
the  term  "  sensationalism  " — of  modern  music,  espe- 
cially from  Mendelssohn  till  the  present  time,  ex- 
pressing as  it  does  that  indefinable  sentiment  which 
goes  by  the  name  of  "the  spirit  of  the  age/'  is  to 
cast  into  the  shade,  as  puerile,  effete,  "  periwiggish," 
the  works  of  the  older  masters,  such  as  Haydn  and 
Mozart.  There  was,  during  the  early  years  of  Mac- 
farren's  career,  a  Spohr  "  craze  "  among  the  younger 
musicians,  which,  in  its  turn,  made  way  for  a  Men- 
delssohn craze ;  which,  again,  gave  place  to  a  Schu- 
mann craze ;  and  so  on.  Young  musicians  cannot 
resist  the  fascinations  of  novelty ;  nor  need  they,  if 
they  will  only  separate  accidents  from  essentials,  and 
recognize  the  true  and  beautiful  in  its  old  as  well  as 
in  its  newer  garb.  But  this  requires  balance  of  mind, 
thoughtful  discrimination,  possessed  by  few  in  the 
student- stage  of  their  career.  Even  Macfarren,  while 
under  Cipriani  Potter's  care,  said  to  him,  "  Don't 
you  think,  Sir,  that  Mozart  is  sometimes  a  little 
puerile  ? "  But  then  he  had  that  discriminating 
balance  of  mind  which  soon  righted  him;  and,  as 
time  went  on,  his  practical  recantation  was  entire, 
and,  in  his  later  days  particularly,  he  never  tired  of 
expatiating  upon  Mozart's  greatness.  But  it  was  not 
only  in  his  later  days ;  in  the  very  same  year,  1849, 
in  which  the  enthusiastic  articles  upon  his  friend 
Mendelssohn  appeared,  he  also  wrote,  during  the 
month  of  February,  a  series  of  articles  upon  Mozart 
and  his  works.  It  may  be  opportune  and  interesting 


218  MOZART S    CONCEKTOS. 

to  quote  the   following   remarks   concerning  certain 
neglected  masterpieces  : — 

"  To  Mozart's  Concertos  for  the  pianoforte  too  high  praise 
cannot  be  awarded.  They  were  an  immense  advance  upon 
all  that  had  been  written  or  were  written  about  the  same 
period ;  and  the  best  of  them,  for  they  are  very  numerous, 
and  of  various  degrees  of  merit,  rank  with  the  noblest 
works  of  the  class  that  have  been  since  produced.  .  .  . 
The  Concerto  in  D  minor  of  Mozart,  and  that  in  C  major, 
have  never  been  surpassed  for  symmetry  of  design  and 
beauty  of  phraseology ;  they  abound  also  in  most  effective 
combinations  of  the  orchestra  with  the  principal  instru- 
ment ;  but  this  merit,  it  must  be  admitted,  has  been  greatly 
extended  in  some  more  recent  compositions  of  the  same 
class,  since  the  resources  of  the  orchestra,  from  the  increased 
excellence  of  the  performers,  have  been  more  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  composer ;  still,  though  less  frequent,  Mozart's 
mixture  of  the  pianoforte  with  the  orchestra  is,  in  many 
instances,  in  these  concertos,  not  less  beautiful  and  in- 
genious than  the  happiest  results  of  modern  research. 

"  The  pianist  must,  however,  bear  in  mind  one  curious,  it 
may  be  justly  said  unfortunate,  evidence  of  the  custom  of 
the  time  in  which  they  were  written ;  viz.,  that  the  piano- 
forte part,  as  handed  down  to  us,  presents  a  mere  skeleton 
of  the  composer's  intentions,  to  be  filled  up  throughout, 
according  to  the  discretion  and  ability  of  the  performer, 
leaving  to  him  the  opportunity  of  the  cadence  for  the 
greatest  display  of  his  inventive  ingenuity  and  executive 
agility.  Unhappily  for  the  worthy  rendering  of  these 
great  works  before  a  modern  audience,  some  excellent 
players  of  our  time  have  little  discretion,  and  some  less 
ability,  to  dilate  upon  and  embody  the  outline  which  such 
music  presents ;  it  must,  therefore,  be  always  matter  of 
regret  in  reference  to  these  works — as  to  the  songs  and 
choruses  of  Handel  and  his  contemporaries,  of  which  the 
organ  or  cembalo  part  was  always  left  to  the  improvisation 
of  the  accompanist — that  the  author  did  not  make  a  de- 
finite record  of  the  effects  and  passages  he  intended.  Cer- 
tainly, when  Mozart  himself  played  these  concertos,  it 


CONCERTO   FORM.     "IDOMENEO."         219 

must  have  been  a  matter  of  great  interest  to  compare  the 
different  readings  of  the  same  work  which  he  would  give 
at  different  performances." ' 

Macfarren  might  well  have  included  the  C  minor 
Concerto  of  Mozart  in  his  special  mention.  Would 
that,  by  any  means,  the  attention  of  pianists  might 
be  drawn  to  all  these  beautiful  works  ! 

He  remarked  to  me  once  how  much  he  disliked 
the  conventional  "cut"  of  a  concerto  on,  for  instance, 
the  plan  of  Hummel,  who  was  Mozart's  pupil;  in 
which,  at  certain  understood  places,  one  always  felt 
inclined  to  say,  "  Now  for  the  Solo  ! "  The  feeling 
is  one  which  all  who  have  listened  to  many  composi- 
tions of  that  class  and  period  will  readily  recognize. 
Those  who  have  watched  the  progress  of  matters  are 
aware  that  this  form  has  become  pretty  well  obsolete ; 
especially  since  Mendelssohn  compressed  the  concerto 
first-movement.  Concertos  of  the  old  type — three  solos 
in  the  first  movement,  with  introductory  and  inter- 
vening tuttis — are  not  now  written.  Weber,  however, 
seems  to  have  initiated  the  reform  by  his  "  Concert- 
Stuck." 

Of  "  Idomeneo,"  Macfarren  remarks  : — 

"  This  Opera  is  interesting  in  the  history  of  the  art  as 
being  the  earliest  example  of  what  may  be  esteemed  the 
modern  school  of  instrumentation,  distinguished  from  that 
which  preceded  it  by  the  general  difference  in  the  relative 
treatment  of  the  wind  and  stringed  instruments — employ- 
ing the  former,  not  merely  to  contrast  or  to  strengthen  the 
latter,  but  to  relieve,  and  colour,  and  qualify  their  effect, 
by  occasionally  sustaining  the  harmony  while  they  move 

1  Mozart  never  played  these  concertos  twice  alike.  This  fact  I 
had,  and  so  had  Macfarren,  from  our  teacher,  Cipriani  Potter,  on 
the  authority  of  Attwood,  who  was  Mozart's  pupil. — H.  C.  B. 


220  MOZART'S    OPERAS,   ETC. 

in  some  figure  or  passage,  and  to  produce  all  the  varieties 
which  they  who  are  accustomed  to  hear  and  analyze  or- 
chestral combinations  will  understand  better  from  their 
own  recollection  than  from  any  verbal  description,  and 
which  they  who  are  not  so  accustomed  will  not  be  likely 
to  understand  from  any  description  whatever. 

"  It  must  be  granted  that  similar  effects  of  orchestration 
are  to  be  occasionally  found  in  the  works  of  earlier  masters 
— as  in  the  chorus,  '  He  sent  a  thick  darkness,'  in  Han- 
del's '  Israel  in  Egypt ; '  in  the  second  part  of  the  song, 
'Revenge,  Timotheus  cries,' in  the  'Alexander's  Feast'  of 
the  same  composer ;  in  the  chorus  of  Furies  with  Orestes 
in  prison,  and  in  the  grand  declamatory  scene  in  which 
Orestes  adjures  Py lades  to  leave  him  to  the  sacrifice,  in 
the  '  Iphigenie  en  Tauride '  of  Grluck  ;  and  in  many  other 
isolated  instances  which  it  would  be  superfluous  here  to 
adduce.  Enough  has  been  cited  to  prove  that  Mozart  did 
not  originate  what  everyone  must  allow  he  systematized 
and  brought  to  a  perfection,  which,  however  it  may  be 
varied,  all  the  ingenuity  and  research  of  modern  times 
cannot  surpass." 

After  remarks  upon  "Die  Entfiihrung  aus  dem 
Serail  "  and  "  Le  Nozze  di  Figaro/'  there  follows  a 
lengthy  analysis  of  "  Don  Giovanni/'  "  the  opera  which 
is  received  by  all  the  world  as  the  greatest  production 
of  the  lyric  stage,  the  work  which  gives  the  brightest 
lustre  to  its  author's  crown  of  glory."  "  Cosi  fan 
Tutte/'  "La  Clemenza  di  Tito/'  and  "Die  Zauber- 
flote  "  are  passed  in  rapid  review ;  and  "  the  chief  cha- 
racteristics of  Mozart's  style  "  are  thus  enumerated  : — 

"  First,  his  frequent  peculiarity  of  rhythm,  a  trait  more 
observable  in  his  music  than  in  that  of  any  other  com- 
poser, and  which  makes  his  metre — often  unusual,  though 
always  quite  regular — unquestionably  his  own ; l  second, 
the  particular  form  of  his  melodic  phrases,  and  the  infinite 

1  See,  however,  the  closing  remarks  of  Chapter  IV. 


ENTHUSIASM  FOR   MOZART.  221 

continuousness  of  his  melodies ;  third,  his  familiar  fluency 
in  all  the  resources  of  contrapuntal  contrivance ;  fourth, 
his  wonderful  symmetry  and  perfection  of  construction, 
which,  cultivated  in  his  instrumental  works,  has  had  the 
most  valuable  and  manifest  influence  upon  his  vocal  com- 
positions, even  in  situations  where  the  dramatic  action 
would  have  seduced  other  composers  into  the  fantasia  style 
of  writing,  and  which  makes  every  movement  he  has 
written  a  model  for  the  musical  student;  and,  last,  the 
wonderful  truthfulness  of  his  dramatic  delineations." 

The  conclusion  which  Macfarren  thinks  justified  by 
the  summary  is  "  that  the  greatest  musician  who  has 
delighted  and  enriched  the  world  is  WOLFGANG 
AMADEUS  MOZAKT." 

Concerning  this  enthusiasm  for  Mozart,  one  of  his 
esteemed  amanuenses  writes  : — 

"  Mozart  was  his  idol  in  a  musical  way.  Some  friend 
sent  him  a' postcard,  begging  him  to  say  whether  of  the 
two,  Mozart  or  Beethoven,  he  thought  the  greater  com- 
poser. '  Mozart,'  he  wrote,  without  the  slightest  hesitation 
— saying  afterwards  to  me :  '  Beethoven  was  sometimes 
weak,  Mozart  never.'  You  know  how  chary  he  was  of 
admitting  a  doubtful  passage  to  be  good,  because  so  and  so 
wrote  it.  Bach,  Handel,  all  were  admitted  to  be  human 
and  liable  to  error — or,  perhaps  it  was  '  the  strong  feeling 
for  the  individual  parts,  in  the  older  writers,  made  them 
overlook  the  ill  effect  of  the  combination  ; '  perhaps  it  was 
'  we  love  his  music,  notwithstanding  the  ill  effect  of  some 
passages,  but  that  does  not  make  us  like  what  is  not  good.' 
'  Follow  his  good  example,  but  not  his  bad.'  But  when 
Mozart  was  in  question  it  was  another  thing.  I  remember 
a  pair  of  4ths  from  the  bass  in  a  symphony  coming  to 
notice.  '  I  have  always  bid  you  guard  against  the  ill  effect  of 
such,  but  when  I  come  across  it  here,  I  frankly  must  confess 
I  like  it — Mozart  must  have  known  how  to  introduce  it.' 
The  rugged  nature  would  bend  before  no  man  but  Mozart, 
and  to  him  he  gave  implicit  trust." 


222  MACFARREN    ON  BEETHOVEN. 

But  let  no  one  think  that  this  high  estimation  of 
Mozart  implied  any  depreciation  of  other  composers. 
Although  he  admitted  that  "  Beethoven  was  some- 
times weak  " — and  who  shall  gainsay  it  ? — although, 
perhaps,  it  will  not  be  so  general  to  add,  "  Mozart — 
never !  " — yet  no  one  could  hold  Beethoven  in  higher 
absolute  estimation  than  Macfarren,  though  the  com- 
parative estimate  might  be  questioned  ;  especially  by 
the  less  thoughtful,  who  do  not  consider  the  historical 
or  chronological  bearings  of  the  matter,  and  the  in- 
debtedness of  the  later  to  the  earlier  composer,  as 
affecting  the  question  of  originality.  In  the  analytical 
programme  of  the  Philharmonic  Society's  Concert, 
July  llth,  1870,  "in  honour  of"  the  centenary  of 
Beethoven's  birth,  Macfarren  wrote  : — 

"  Who  shall  say  how  much  of  the  vast  changes  in  the 
inward  constitution  and  outward  acceptance  of  .musical  art, 
which  have  been  wrought  within  this  period  [of  a  hundred 
years] ,  are  due  to  the  creations  and  influence  of  his  won- 
derful genius !  " 

And,  in  the  comments  upon  the  first  Symphony, 
with  which  the  concert  opened,  he  wrote  :— 

"  The  present  work  shows  the  composer  still  under  the 
influence  of  Mozart,  who  was  nine  years  dead,  and  of 
Haydn,  who  was  living  and  writing;  but  he  was  influenced 
as  a  plant  is  by  the  sunshine,  to  display  its  own  virtues 
rather  than  to  mirror  the  light  which  quickens  them.  His 
strength  was  his  own,  the  example  of  those  two  earlier 
maturities  was  its  nourishment.  The  style  is  masterly  in 
its  freedom  and  clearness,  in  breadth  of  thought  and  bold- 
ness of  statement ;  and  the  orchestration  proves  a  know- 
ledge of  the  capabilities  and  characters  of  instruments, 
and  a  judgment  in  their  combination,  that  could  only 
result  from  strong  intuition  directed  by  careful  observance, 


BEETHOVEN'S  FOURTH  SYMPHONY.       223 

in  one  who  had  Beethoven's  small  experience — two  Con- 
certos are  the  only  pieces  for  the  orchestra  he  had  then 
[1800]  written." 

In  the  same  year,  1849,  as  that  in  which  the  articles 
on  Mendelssohn  and  those  on  Mozart  appeared,  Mac- 
farren  also  commenced  a  series  on  Beethoven's  Sym- 
phonies. And  here  it  may  be  remarked  that,  so  far 
as  this  country  was  concerned,  he  was,  so  to  speak, 
first  in  the  field  in  this  analytical  work.  There  were 
no  models  on  which  to  construct  such  analyses,  nor 
did  he  need  any.  They  are  the  products  of  his  own 
thoughtful  and  cultured  appreciativeness,  informed 
by  ample  theoretical  knowledge,  and  expressed  with 
great  felicity  of  language,  and  often  aptness  of  me- 
taphor. As  an  illustration  of  his  discrimination  and 
courage  in  the  expression  of  his  critical  opinions, 
take  the  following  concerning  the  Adagio  of  the 
fourth  Symphony  : — 

"  This  Adagio  is  in  the  form  of  a  two-part  movement; 
but  instead  of  the  free  fantasia,  consisting  in  the  working 
of  the  principal  subjects,  such  as  usually  opens  the  Second 
Part  of  a  movement  thus  constructed,  we  have  an  imme- 
diate return  to  the  chief  subject  in  the  original  key  ;  and, 
after  this,  a  short  digression,  previous  to  the  recapitulation 
of  the  rest  of  the  First  Part." 

After  an  interesting  analysis  of  the  movement  up  to 
the  end  of  the  First  Part,  he  proceeds  : — 

"  The  dominant  7th  on  B  flat  brings  us  at  once  back 
to  the  original  key,  and  thus,  introduced  by  the  one  bar 
that  always  precedes  it,  we  have  an  immediate  return  to 
the  subject.  The  original  beautiful  melody  is  this  time 
no  less  beautifully  varied ;  and  here  is  one  of  the  very, 
very  rare  instances  in  all  music  where  the  variation  of  a 


224      BEETHOVEN'S   FOURTH  SYMPHONY. 

melody  is  indeed  an  embellishment ;  such  truly  is  this, 
every  excellence  of  the  original  being  now  excelled,  the 
colouring  of  the  whole  heightened,  intensified,  but  not 
exaggerated.  We  now  come  to  the  digression  to  which  I 
have  alluded,  as  forming  so  important  a  feature  in  the 
plan  of  the  movement.  Our  introductory  bar,  instead  of 
bringing  in  a  repetition  of  the  subject  with  varied  instru- 
mentation, introduces  a  portion  only  of  the  subject  for  the 
whole  orchestra,  in  the  key  of  E  flat  minor.  There  is  some- 
thing, to  me,  extremely  unsatisfactory  in  this  passage,  as 
our  great  author  has  given  it  to  us ;  the  alternate  tonic  and 
dominant  pedal  assigned  to  the  horns,  trumpets,  and  drums, 
identifies  the  whole  with  the  key  of  E  flat  minor,  while  the 
harmony  assigned  to  the  rest  of  the  orchestra  is,  after  the 
first  chord,  unquestionably  hi  the  key  of  Gr  flat  major,  and 
we  have  thus  an  effect  of  false  relation,  that,  to  my  sense, 
is  the  remotest  from  beautiful." 

TuUi. 


Gorni,  Trarribe  e  Timp. 

The  theoretical  student  will  perceive  that  the  objec- 
tion here  urged  lies  against  the  "  arbitrary  "  minor  scale 
over  the  two  pedal  notes.  Macfarren  follows  up  his 
particular  animadversion  by  the  enunciation  of  a 
general  principle  ;  respecting  which,  it  is  only  fair  to 
state  that  it  has  been  objected  to  by  some  musicians 
since  his  pronouncement : — 

"  There  is  one  law  with  respect  to  pedals  that  is  univer- 
sally received,  in  so  far  as  no  theorist  has  ever  disputed  it 
and  no  composer  of  recognized  merit  has  ever  disregarded 
it ;  this  is,  that  the  pedal  note  must  be  either  the  tonic  or 
the  dominant  of  whatever  key  may  prevail  at  the  time  such 
pedal  is  employed.  It  is  here  confidently  stated  that  no 
eminent  composer  has  ever  disregarded  this  law,  because, 


PEDALS  AND    CHROMATIC    CHORDS.      225 

although  there  may  perhaps  be  found  .  .  .  instances  of  its 
partial  violation,  in  all  such  cases,  .  .  .  though  there  may 
occur  harmonies  that  are  foreign  to  the  key,  and  therefore 
harsh  from  their  inaccordance  with  the  pedal  note,  such 
pedal  note  has  always  that  relationship  to  what  precedes 
or  follows  the  passage  as  must  make  it  either  the  tonic  or 
the  dominant  of  the  key  that  principally  prevails.  This 
may  well  be  coupled  with  another  important  rule  in  music, 
namely,  that  the  test  of  whether  a  chromatic  harmony 
belong  to  any  particular  key  is  the  possibility  of  its  being 
taken  upon  a  pedal  note  which  is  either  the  tonic  or  the 
dominant  of  such  key,  to  make  which  test  unequivocally 
satisfactory,  it  is  necessary  to  play  the  root  of  the  chromatic 
chord  below  the  pedal  note,  which  can  be  borne  with  any 
combination,  chromatic  or  diatonic,  that  is  proper  to  the 
key  of  the  said  pedal,  but  which  is  intolerable  with  any 
chord  that  is  not  deducible  from  and  assignable  to  such 
tonic.  I  know  of  but  one  exception  to  this  general  prin- 
ciple, which  is  that,  upon  a  dominant  pedal,  the  fundamental 
chromatic  harmonies  derivable  from  the  major  sixth  of  the 
key  can  be  employed,  provided  such  be  followed  by  the 
common  chord  of  the  second  of  the  scale :  .  .  .  the  grounds 
of  this  single  exception  are,  I  think,  wholly  satisfactory, 
and,  rather  than  otherwise,  corroborative  of  the  principle, 
if  not  of  the  law." 

Macfarren  "  would  often  quote  Beethoven's  habit  to 
write  what  came  into  his  mind,  and  then  cut  out  what 
was  not  wanted  "  :  a  process  of  excision  and  self- 
discipline  to  which  student-composers  are  often  sub- 
jected by  judicious  teachers ;  and  maturer  composers 
not  infrequently  determine  on  similar  "  cutting. " 
Macfarren  was  no  exception  with  himself  and  with  his 
pupils.  In  some  cases,  however,  he  was  more  con- 
demnatory still  :  banning  a  whole  work,  even  by  a 
great  man.  Thus,  in  the  "  Musical  World/'  Novem- 
ber 13th  and  20th,  1852,  appeared  two  articles  by  him 
on  Beethoven's  music  to  the  drama  or  masque,  "  The 

Q 


226  "RUINS    OF  ATHENS." 

Ruins  of  Athens,"  then  just  issued  with  an  English 
version  for  the  first  time.  He  pronounces  "  the  merit 
of  the  music  "  to  be  "  very  unequal." 

"  There  are  some  pieces  in  the  work  that  add  a  radiance 
to  the  brightest  glory  with  which  the  immortal  composer 
is  crowned  ;  there  are  others  that  bear  no  indication  of  the 
hand  of  Beethoven,  but  only  his  name  on  the  title  page. 
...  It  is  little  to  be  wondered  at  that  our  Philharmonic 
Society  [as  previously  related  in  the  article]  esteemed  the 
Overture  unworthy  the  name  of  Beethoven,  and  therefore 
unavailable  for  performance  at  their  concerts,  since  the 
most  impartial  examination  of  the  composition  must 
always  lead  to  a  confirmation  of  this  decision.  ...  It  is, 
on  the  other  hand,  matter  of  very  considerable  marvel  that 
Beethoven,  who  was  most  jealous  of  his  reputation,  should 
at  three  different  periods  have  submitted  so  weak  a  pro- 
duction to  the  public.  The  inequality  of  the  works  of  a 
great  master  is  the  fact  that  proves  him  to  be  such,  or  at 
least,  that  distinguishes  what,  for  want  of  another  term, 
must  still  be  called  by  the  conventional  name  of  divine 
inspiration  from  what  we  know  to  be  mere  mechanical 
facility.  The  satisfaction  of  an  author  with  his  work  at 
the  period  of  its  composition,  when  his  imagination  is  still 
glowing  with  the  ardour  of  intention,  which  is  at  the  time 
impossible  to  distinguish  from  the  fervour  of  the  creative 
power,  is  a  circumstance  so  natural  that  there  can  scarcely 
exist  one  who  has  written,  much  or  little,  but  must  have 
proved  it  in  his  proper  experience.  .  .  .  Hence  it  is  quite 
accountable  that  Beethoven  should  have  given  this  over- 
ture out  for  performance  on  the  occasion  for  which  it  was 
composed.  .  .  .  The  intoxication  of  mental  procreation  is, 
however,  but  an  ephemeral  rapture,  and  the  glow  of  our 
whole  being  that  illuminates  the  birth  of  a  new  idea,  is 
itself  extinguished  in  the  moment  of  our  giving  such  idea 
to  the  world,  then  enthusiasm,  the  butterfly,  that  has 
sprung  from  study,  the  chrysalis,  flies  into  the  flame  of 
which  her  bright  colours  and  her  flickering  wings  are  the 
incarnation,  the  mind  renews  itself,  and  judgment,  the 
worm,  rises  from  the  ashes  of  the  faded  fantasy  to  toil, 


"RUINS  OF  ATHENS:'  227 

and  travail,  and  foredo  the  futile  fabrications  whereof  its 
parent  was  the  vain  glory.  Hence,  we  must  always 
wonder  that  Beethoven,  whose  tempered  judgment  should 
have  been  profound  as  his  excited  genius  was  brilliant, 
should  on  reviewing  his  overture  after  the  lapse  of  years, 
have  so  little  seen  that  it  was  so  little  worth  as  to  have 
again  sent  it  forth  into  the  world,  and  again  hazarded  his 
reputation,  and  so  have  abrogated  his  self-respect,  upon  its 
merits.  Beethoven,  than  whom  no  one  can  have  been 
more  scrupulously  jealous  of  the  dignity  of  art,  and  of  his 
own  true  rank  as  an  artist." 

Proceeding  with  the  other  pieces,  Macfarren  says 
of  the  opening  "  very  beautiful  duet,"  that  it — 

"  Gives  scope  for  the  warmest,  the  sincerest  expressions 
of  unqualified  admiration.  .  .  .  Every  phrase  of  this  ex- 
quisite little  movement  calls  forth  an  exclamation  of 
delight." 

Of  the  Chorus  of  Dervishes  : — 

"  Music  presents  nothing  more  strikingly  characteristic 
than  the  uncouth  melody  that  marks  this  truly  extra- 
ordinary composition,  and  even  this  is  more  powerfully 
coloured  by  the  perfectly  original  and  quite  individual 
accompaniment  that  is  maintained  throughout." 

The  other  movements  are  then  commented  on  :  the 
Turkish  March,  "  vividly  picturesque  and  truly 
dramatic : " — 

"  A  technical  point  that  will  always  be  prominent  in  its 
effect  is  the  anticipation  of  the  key  of  B  flat,  with  the  full 
force  of  the  orchestra,  at  each  recurrence  to  the  subject 
after  the  momentary  digression  to  Gr  major ;  and  whoever 
hears  the  movement  with  attention,  or  examines  it  with 
care,  will  find  still  much  more  matter  to  repay  his  pains." 

The  Triumphal  March  and  Chorus,  "  Twine  ye  a 


228  "RUINS    OF  ATHENS."     HAYDN. 

Garland/'  "  becomes  mouthy,  inflated,  and  bathetic," 
because  :— 

"  Here  we  pass  from  the  true  poetry  of  life  to  the  bom- 
bast of  allegory.  .  .  .  The  Chorus,  '  Susceptible  Hearts,' 
is  a  most  lovely  stream  of  song.  .  .  .  The  remaining 
pieces  ....  carry  out  the  feeling,  or  if  you  will,  the  want 
of  it,  that  is  embodied  in  the  overture  and  the  opening 
chorus.  .  .  .  Such  is  the  '  Euins  of  Athens,'  a  work 
written  to  be  ephemeral,  but  presenting,  (besides  those 
four  pieces,  .  .  .  which  will  live  so  long  as  the  name  of 
Beethoven  is  known,)  this  lasting  moral  to  the  world, 
namely,  that  no  greatness  is  immaculate,  since  even  Beet- 
hoven, at  a  period  when  his  imagination  was  in  the  exercise 
of  its  utmost  vigour,  was  capable  of  the  production  of  such 
music,  as,  but  for  his  name,  would  now  be  utterly  un- 
worthy of  the  pains  that  may  be  spent  in  censuring  it." 

Macfarren  also  wrote  an  exhautive  series  of  articles 
on  "  Fidelio,"  in  the  "  Musical  World,"  May  24th, 
et  seq.,  1851,  which,  in  substance,  formed  the  Preface 
to  an  edition  of  that  Opera.  Also,  an  analysis  of 
Beethoven's  Mass  in  D,  for  the  Sacred  Harmonic 
Society,  in  1854. 

It  would  hardly  be  fair  to  say  that  Macfarren  de- 
preciated "Papa"  Haydn;  but  he  often  referred  to 
the  obligations  of  the  patriarch  to  Mozart,  whom  he 
both  preceded  and  outlived.  Perhaps  the  following 
extract  from  the  analytical  programme  of  the  Sixth 
Concert  of  the  Quartet  Association,  June  30th, 
1852,  will  exhibit  his  views  with  regard  to  the  old 
Master : — 

"  Somewhat  too  much  credit  is  given  to  Haydn  for 
having  founded  the  form  of  composition  which  universally 
prevails  in  the  classical  style  of  music,  and  until  the  inno- 
vations of  the  ultra-modern  school,  was  adopted  also  in  the 


HAYDN  AND    THE   SYMPHONY.  229 

lighter  class  of  writing.  The  form  to  which  I  allude,  con- 
sisting, namely,  of  a  first  part  that  comprises  a  leading 
idea  in  one  key,  and  a  secondary  idea  in  the  fifth  or  some 
other  close  relative  of  such  key,  and  a  second  part  that 
comprises  the  development  of  the  ideas  already  announced, 
and  the  recapitulation  of  the  first  part  with  the  second 
idea  now  in  the  original  key  of  the  movement.  This  form, 
I  say,  is  to  be  traced  in  many  of  the  instrumental  com- 
positions of  Bach,  and  of  Handel,  and  of  Scarlatti,  and 
other  writers  of  the  same  epoch,  and  it  is  therefore 
obviously  not  to  be  ascribed  to  Haydn  as  its  originator. 
The  chief  quality  of  this  great  master  that  entitles  him  to 
be  reverenced  as  the  Father  of  the  Symphony,  is  his 
employment  of  a  more  definite,  because  more  rhythmical, 
style  of  melody  to  fill  up  this  form,  than  appears  in  the 
works  of  earlier  writers,  and  giving  to  it  thus  an  interest 
and  indeed  an  expression  that  it  never  before  possessed. 
Among  the  first  Quartets  of  Haydn  there  are  several 
entire  compositions  in  which  this  form  does  not  appear, 
and  we  find  only  a  large  number  of  small  movements, 
Minuets,  and  other  dances,  and  the  like,  containing  some 
graceful  thoughts,  it  is  true,  but  written  in  the  most 
puerile  style  of  simplicity.  We  are  to  observe  from  this, 
that  our  composer  was  at  the  commencement  of  his  career, 
behind  the  age  in  which  he  wrote,  and  that  gradually,  as 
his  powers  developed  themselves,  and  as  probably,  the  ex- 
ecutants and  the  audience  for  whom  he  wrote,  advanced 
in  capacity  and  comprehension,  his  style  assumed  more 
dignity,  his  ideas  more  importance,  and  his  character  as  a 
musician,  that  stamp  which  no  change  of  fashion  can 
efface.  It  was  then  that  Haydn  reduced  the  Symphony  (I 
speak  of  the  class  of  composition  under  the  general  title  of 
the  most  important  work  that  belongs  to  it)  to  its  present 
generally  average  complement  of  four  movements,  from 
which  complement  there  are  very  many  exceptions,  in  a 
few  cases  to  increase,  and  more  frequently  to  diminish  it, 
but  which  is  established  as  affording  scope  to  the  com- 
poser for  the  necessary  and  sufficient  variety  of  ideas  and 
treatment.  It  appears  that  the  style  of  Haydn  was  greatly 
modified  by  the  stimulant,  if  not  the  genius  of  Mozart ; 
since  his  best  works,  and  most  especially  his  best  instru- 


230  MACFARREN'S  JUDGMENTS. 

mental  works,  were  produced  after  that  most  brilliant 
glory  had  dawned  and  even  set  upon  the  earth,  for  it  will 
be  remembered  that,  though  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
Haydn  as  a  composer,  Mozart  preceded  him  to  the  grave 
by  many  years,  having  in  the  course  of  his  brief  career 
produced  those  masterpieces  which,  as  they  have  never 
yet  been  equalled,  we  may  fairly  presume,  are  not  likely  to 
be  surpassed.  Hence,  then,  though  in  the  works  of  Haydn 
we  see  the  Symphony  in  all  its  various  stages  of  develop- 
ment (saving  only  some  especial  modifications  that  Beet- 
hoven and  later  writers  have  introduced)  he  neither  origi- 
nated it,  nor  perfected  it  to  that  degree  which  it  attained 
in  his  own  time ;  and  yet  the  lasting  thanks  of  the  world 
of  art  are  due  to  him,  for  having  produced  so  many  works 
of  real  interest  in  this  class,  as  to  make  it  the  true  standard 
of  classical  composition,  and  the  consequent  subject  of 
emulation  to  all  who  follow." 

These  remarks  may  supplement  those  above  quoted 
earlier  in  the  chapter,  p.  211. 

Macfarren,  like  some  other  musicians  who,  possess- 
ing sound  knowledge,  and  definite  theoretical  prin- 
ciples, rightly  bring  these  to  bear  upon  their  judg- 
ments concerning  music,  and  are  therefore  credited 
with  pedantic  prejudice,  and  dry  insensibility  to 
natural  charm  and  spontaneous  freshness,  if  it  bear 
not  the  test  of  grammatical  examination,  was  never- 
theless as  susceptible  of  impression  by  genuinely  in- 
spired, if  not  soundly  constructed  music,  as  those  who 
vaunt  their  unprejudiced  openness  to  such  influence. 
He  has,  indeed,  said  to  me,  that  it  were  well  if  much, 
if  not  all,  that  Chopin  wrote,  had  never  been  pro- 
duced. He  then  spoke  as  a  theorist,  with  due  solici- 
tude for  the  healthy  current  of  thought  and  feeling 
among  the  younger  generation  of  musicians.  But 
yet,  concerning  the  same  composer,  he  has  written : — 


CHOPIN,    CLEMEN  Tl,    CHERUB  INI.          231 

"  With  no  command  of  the  principles  of  construction,  he 
made  his  lengthened  pieces  incoherent,  and  even  his  lightest 
productions  give  occasion  to  question  the  soundness  of  his 
grammatical  knowledge.  The  singular  beauty,  and  the 
constant  individuality  of  his  ideas,  however ;  his  exquisite 
feeling  for  harmonic  combination  and  progression,  which 
led  to  his  habitual  employment  of  resources  most  rarely 
used  by  others ;  his  unreserved  application  of  exceptional 
forms  of  passing-notes,  and  his  perfect  and  peculiar  grace- 
fulness of  phraseology — give  a  charm  to  his  music  which 
is  irresistibly  fascinating.  His  mazurkas  are  unique  in  the 
range  of  musical  composition,  and  they  are  as  full  of  cha- 
racter, national  colouring,  sentiment,  humour,  and  technical 
peculiarity,  as  they  are  insusceptible  of  imitation." 

On  the  other  hand,  of  a  widely  different  composer, 
most  rigid  in  style,  he  wrote  : — 

"  dementi  was  a  master  of  all  the  resources  of  counter- 
point, with  a  complete  grasp  of  the  powers  of  modern 
harmony  ;  and,  besides  the  depth  of  character  resulting 
from  this  knowledge,  his  music  is  distinguished  by  energy, 
fire,  and  intense  passion  ;  tenderness  and  melodious  grace, 
however,  the  qualities  one  would  most  expect  in  the  writings 
for  his  instrument,  of  an  artist  whose  playing  was  especially 
signalized  by  these  points  of  style,  are  rarely  to  be  found 
in  his  compositions." 

Years  after  the  above  was  written,  Macfarren  said 
to  me  :  "  There  is  one  composer  I  cannot  stand — 
that  is  dementi :  queer  counterpoint,  awkward  modula- 
tion, etc.,"  making  exception  in  favour  of  the  Sonata  in 
B  minor,  however — which,  Gattie  once  (previously) 
told  me,  Macfarren  considered  one  of  the  finest  Sonatas 
ever  written.  Another  expression  of  his  opinion  con- 
cerning dementi  has  been  quoted,  p.  65. 

Of  Cherubim  he  wrote  in  laudatory  terms,  in  the 
"  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Biography  "  (from  which  the 


232  LES   DEUX  JOURNEES,     AUBER. 

last  two  extracts  are  taken)  ;  as,  for  instance,  in  the 
following  : — 

" '  Les  Deux  Journees ' : — though  forgotten  in  France, 
this  beautiful  opera  is  still,  like  several  others  of  its  author, 
a  standard  work  at  the  principal  German  theatres,  where, 
under  the  name  of  '  Der  Wassertrager,'  it  ranks  high  in 
popular  esteem  and  critical  approval.  In  England,  little 
is  known  of  it  besides  the  overture ;  but  this,  by  the  power 
of  its  ideas,  their  admirable  development,  the  peculiarity  of 
its  form  and  the  vigour  and  brilliancy  of  its  orchestration, 
gives  Cherubini  a  foremost  rank  among  musicians,  in  the 
estimation  of  all  who  set  the  highest  value  on  the  greatest 
order  of  artistic  productions." 

Macfarren's  breadth  of  appreciative  power  may  be 
illustrated  by  yet  another  critical  estimate  concerning 
a  composer  with  whom  it  might  have  been  supposed 
that  one  so  severe,  even  (as  some  thought)  to  pedantry, 
would  have  little  sympathy.  Speaking  of  Auber's 
"  La  Muette  de  Portici/'  which  Macfarren  charac- 
terizes as  "  his  unquestionable  masterpiece,"  which 
"  met  with  the  brilliant  success  it  eminently  merits," 
he  goes  on  to  say : — 

"  Critics  have  in  vain  sought  to  detract  from  the  credit 
of  this  success,  by  ascribing  it  to  the  dramatic  interest  of 
the  libretto,  and  to  the  sympathy  with  the  story  of  the 
political  feeling  of  the  time;  but  the  eminently  dramatic 
music,  which  certainly  could  only  have  been  written  to 
illustrate  powerful  dramatic  situations,  gives  vitality  to 
these  situations,  such  as  no  form  of  words  could  impart; 
and  the  revolutionary  spirit  of  the  time  could  neither  have 
made  a  bad  opera  successful,  nor  maintained  the  entire 
work  upon  the  stage  of  every  country,  and  its  countless 
melodies  in  universal  popularity  all  over  the  world,  for  all 
these  years  after  the  political  agitation  that  was  then 
ripening  had  come  to  its  crisis,  subsided,  and  been  followed 


AUBEE.      VARIATIONS.  233 

by  another,  still  more  violent,  which  also  now  belongs  to 
the  past" 

But,  later  on,  the  discriminating  critic  thus  pro- 
ceeds : — 

"Auber,  with  all  his  success  and  with  all  his  merit,  cannot 
be  classed  as  a  great  musician,  which  is  because  of  a  want  of 
profundity  in  all  his  works  that  must  result  from  his  tem- 
perament as  a  man,  not  from  his  defective  qualification  as 
an  artist.  His  genius  is  especially  dramatic,  and  it  is  in 
the  most  exciting  situations,  .  .  .  that  it  asserts  itself  to 
the  best  advantage ;  but  he  has  also  an  infinite  power  of 
vivacity,  as  is  amply  proved  in  '  Fra  Diavolo,'  '  Le  Domino 
Noir,'  and  many  other  of  his  comic  operas.  His  melodies, 
of  which  he  has  produced  more  than  perhaps  any  composer 
that  ever  existed,  are  irresistibly  striking,  essentially  indi- 
vidual, piquant,  pretty,  tender,  but  rarely,  if  ever,  pathetic, 
and  never  grand  ;  the  feeling  they  embody  is  intense,  but 
never  deep.  His  habit  of  making  repeated  rhythmical 
closes,  instead  of  giving  continuous  development  to  an 
idea,  imparts  an  air  of  triviality  to  his  longer  pieces,  that 
nothing  but  their  ceaseless  fluency  and  constant  animation 
could  counterbalance.  His  instrumentation,  the  colouring 
of  music,  is  perhaps  that  branch  of  the  art  in  which  he  is 
most  consummately  a  master ;  brilliant,  sparkling,  rich, 
and  clear  to  transparency ;  his  method  of  treating  the 
orchestra  alone  is  sufficient  to  make  him  a  valuable 
study." 

Macfarren  had  little  liking  for  "  Variations  "  on  a 
Theme.  He  was,  of  course,  quite  sensible  and  appre- 
ciative of  the  ingenuity,  contrapuntal  resource,  and 
fancy,  which  might  be,  and  often  are,  evinced  in  their 
construction ;  and  spoke  to  me  of  the  attractiveness  of 
Haydn's  "  Variations  "  in  F  minor,  and  Schubert's 
"  Impromptu  "  in  B  flat,  which,  as  musicians  know,  is 
simply  an  air  with  variations.  But  he  said  to  me  that, 


234  VARIATIONS. 


while  he  could  understand  the  interest  to  a  composer 
of  writing  variations,  and  to  a  performer  of  playing 
them,  it  was,  to  him,  so  tiresome  to  know  that,  all 
along,  the  same  progressions,  and  the  same  closes,  at 
the  same  places,  were  always  to  be  expected.  These 
remarks  were  made  to  me  during  performances  of  the 
two  pieces  above-mentioned.  I  venture  to  think  that 
the  attractiveness  of  that  by  Haydn  lies  in  the  naive 
beauty  of  the  Theme ;  and  that  the  "  Impromptu  "  by 
Schubert  would  hardly  have  been  selected  by  Mac- 
farren  as  a  specially  notable  specimen  of  variation 
writing,  though  he  seemed  to  rate  it  more  highly  than 
I  did.  Macfarren  himself  wrote  a  set  of  "Varia- 
tions "  on  a  Dutch  melody ;  being  the  number  entitled 
"  Holland,"  in  a  series  of  Pianoforte  pieces  bearing 
the  general  title  "  Le  Voyageur,"  which  were  pub- 
lished by  Duff  and  Hodgson.  But  this  set  of  varia- 
tions was  doubtless  written  to  order,  for  a  consideration ; 
not  from  artistic  promptings. 

This  series  of  quotations  will  help  to  give  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  Macfarren' s  principles  and  methods  of 
judgment,  and  susceptibility  of  impression,  which  are 
further  illustrated  in  other  contexts.  It  may  be  left 
to  the  reader  to  estimate  the  soundness  or  otherwise 
of  an  opinion  once  expressed  in  my  hearing  by  one 
who  knew  him  well : — "  Macfarren  is  an  uncommonly 
bad  judge  of  music  ! " 


CHAPTER   XI. 

MACPAREEN  AS  A  LECTURES.  LECTURES  ON  SONATA 
STRUCTURE,  THE  LYRICAL  DRAMA,  SACRED  AND  SECULAR 
ART,  AND  CHURCH  Music.  PAPERS  ON  RECITATIVE, 
CHURCH  OP  ENGLAND  Music,  GREGORIANISM,  ORATORIO 
IN  CHURCH,  ROSSINI'S  MASS,  MOZART'S  REQUIEM, 
WAGNER,  ORGAN,  PITCH.  COMPOSITIONS  :  OVERTURE 
TO  "  DON  CARLOS,"  FESTIVAL  OVERTURE,  SYMPHONIES 
IN  D  MAJOR  AND  E  MINOR,  FLUTE  CONCERTO,  VlOLIN 
CONCERTO,  ORGAN  WORKS,  CHURCH  Music,  SONATAS 
FOR  PIANOFORTE,  AND  PIANOFORTE  AND  VIOLIN,  CON- 
CERTINA, ETC.  1854 — 1879. 

MUCH  allusion  has  been  made  to  Macfarren's 
lectures.  He  became  prominent  as  a  lecturer 
and  public  speaker,  during  the  last  twenty-five  years 
of  his  life.  His  first  lecture,  or  one  of  the  first  given 
by  him,  was  delivered  to  the  students  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music,  about  the  year  1860,  during  the 
Principalship  of  Charles  Lucas,  who  invited  several 
professors  of  the  institution  to  lecture  on  subjects 
germane  to  the  branches  of  musical  study  which  they 
had  in  charge  :  one  on  the  Violin  being  delivered  by 
Mr.  H.  G.  Blagrove,  one  on  Singing  by  Mr.  F.  R. 
Cox,  another  on  Notation  by  Mr.  H.  C.  Lunn,  one  on 
Harmonics  by  Mr.  Lucas.  Macfarren's  was  on  the 
Structure  of  a  Sonata,  though  that  may  not  have 


236  MACFARREN  AS  A   LECTURER. 

been  its  precise  title.  The  substance  of  it  doubtless 
appears  in  the  little  brochure  on  that  subject  published 
by  Messrs.  Rudall,  Rose,  and  Carte ;  originally  as  an 
appendix  to  a  sonata  by  him  for  flute  and  pianoforte, 
in  No.  5  of  the  "  Journal  of  the  London  Society  of 
Amateur  Flute  Players." 

At  about  the  same  period,  when  Macfarren  was  on 
a  visit  at  Radley  College,  together  with  his  brother, 
Mr.  Walter  Macfarren,  the  suggestion  was  made  that 
it  would  be  very  interesting  if  he  would  address  the 
students ;  and  he  at  once  assented,  and  with  little  pre- 
meditation delivered  an  analytical  lecture  to  the 
assembled  students  and  teachers,  the  late  Sir  F.  A.  Gore- 
Ouseley  being  also  present,  upon  Beethoven's  Sonaia, 
Op.  22,  with  illustration  on  the  pianoforte  by  his 
brother. 

Shortly  afterwards,  he  delivered  a  similar  lecture  at 
Blackheath,  on  three  of  Beethoven's  Sonatas  for  Piano- 
forte and  Violin,  the  illustrations  being  performed  by 
Mr.  Walter  Macfarren  and  Monsieur  Sainton.  From 
that  time  to  the  close  of  his  career,  his  appearances  as 
a  lecturer  were  somewhat  frequent.  Not  only  did  he 
deliver  the  course  on  Harmony,  already  recorded,  at 
the  Royal  Institution,  and  later  on,  his  various  courses, 
in  his  Professorial  capacity,  in  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, and  as  Principal  of  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Music,  re-delivering  his  Cambridge  lectures  to  the 
students,  besides  addressing  the  students  and  pro- 
fessors at  the  commencement  of  each  academical  year  ; 
but  also  several  courses  at  the  London  Institution, 
and  the  College  of  Organists,  and  single  lectures  in 
various  localities,  metropolitan  and  provincial.  Some 
of  these  lectures  were  prepared  at  considerable  length, 


MACFAEREN  AS  A    LECTURER.  237 

and  with  verbal  detail,  by  dictation,  and  must  have  been 
more  or  less  fully  and  accurately  committed  to  memory 
— his  memory,  so  minute  and  so  comprehensive.  This 
may  partly  account  for  his  frequent  hesitancy,  as  though 
endeavouring  to  recall  an  expression  with  exactitude; 
although  it  may  also  be  surmised  that  the  inability,  at 
the  moment,  to  determine  upon  a  word — the  most 
fitting  for  the  purpose — might  equally  account  for 
this  hesitancy,  which  was  occasionally  somewhat  pain- 
ful. But  many  of  the  lectures — probably  most  of 
them  —  were  dictated  in  the  form  of  more  or  less 
copious  notes,  so  as  to  get  the  subject  in  order  before 
his  own  mind,  and  to  serve  for  reference  in  case  of  re- 
delivery.  When  it  is  remembered  that  it  was  a  blind 
man  lecturing, — not  haranguing,  but  setting  forth 
facts,  dates,  names  on  the  one  hand ;  or  theoretical 
principles,  analyses,  illustrated  by  examples,  on  the 
other, — it  is  all  the  more  to  wonder  that  his  fluency 
and  accuracy — this  latter,  indeed,  seldom  if  ever  fail- 
ing— were  such  as  they  were.  In  later  years,  at  all 
events,  it  was  his  custom  to  sit  while  lecturing ;  and 
he  would  rest  his  face  on  one  hand,  thus  sometimes 
slightly  intercepting  the  outflow  of  his  voice,  in  itself 
not  strong,  latterly ;  and,  forgetting  that  he  was 
speaking  in  a  comparatively  large  room,  would  "  chat " 
rather  than  "  orate  ; "  these  habits  interfering  much 
with  his  audibility.  But,  at  his  best,  it  was  interest- 
ing to  listen  to  him,  beyond  the  interest  of  the  matter 
itself,  because  of  the  emotional  sincerity  with  which 
he  delivered  himself  of  his  views  of  the  Art  that  he 
loved  so  well,  especially,  also,  when  he  was  addressing- 
sympathetic  and  reverential  students,  whom  he  also 
loved  so  well.  He  said  to  me  that  he  liked  address- 


238  THE   LYRICAL    DRAMA. 

ing  the  academicians  annually,  because  it  seemed  the 
one  way  open  to  him — that  of  sight  being  denied  to 
him — of  being  brought  into  personal  intercourse  with 
them  :  he  might  have  said  "  en  rapport ;  "  but  he  did 
not  use  a  French  term  when  one  in  English  was  avail- 
able :  he  believed  in  his  own  language,  like  a  true 
Englishman,  as  we  have  already  seen.  And  no  small 
command  of  it  had  he,  and  extensive  acquaintance 
with  its  resources :  sometimes  peculiarly  felicitous 
in  his  choice  of  terms ;  though  addicted  much  to 
rather  involved,  inverted,  not  to  say  long-winded, 
structure  of  his  sentences,  as  well  as  some  mannerisms, 
such  as  beginning  fresh  divisions  with — "  It  is  now 
to  speak  of/'  etc. 

In  the  year  1867,  in  which  the  six  lectures  on 
Harmony  were  delivered,  he  also  gave,  during  March, 
an  important  course  of  four  lectures  on  the  "  Origin 
and  Development  of  the  Lyrical  Drama,"  at  the 
London  Institution,  of  which  the  syllabus,  as  in  a 
former  instance,  will  give  the  best  account. 

"LECTURE  I. 

"  Illustrated  by 
"  Miss  ROBERTINE  HENDERSON  and  Mr  WILBYE  COOPER. 

"  The  Greek  Drama. — Chanted  declamation,  engrafted 
upon  the  Dithyrambic  and  other  Hymns,  was  essentially 
lyrical.  It  was  a  religious  institution,  and  therefore  opposed 
by  the  Christians.  The  mediaeval  drama  was  also  a  reli- 
gious institution,  being  a  form  of  instruction  in  morals  and 
in  sacred  history  employed  by  the  Church ;  and  the  drama 
of  the  first  Reformers,  especially  that  instituted  by  Calvin 
at  Geneva,  had  the  same  tendency.  The  songs  or  ballads 
of  the  people,  the  music  of  which  was  identical  with  that 
of  their  dances,  were  always  distinct  from  the  music  of  the 


THE   LYRICAL    DRAMA.  239 

Church,  although  they  were  only  appropriated,  as  a  basis 
of  contrapuntal  elaboration,  to  ecclesiastical  use.  The  first 
secular  dramas  were  interspersed  with  music  ;  '  Le  jeu  de 
Eobin  et  de  Marion,'  by  Adam  de  la  Hale,  1240 — 1287, 
and  '  Orfeo,'  by  Angelo  Poliziano,  1483.  The  foundation 
of  the  Oratorio  by  Animuccia,  1556,  analogous  to  that  of 
the  Greek  drama.  Many  of  the  plays  of  Shakespeare  and 
his  predecessors  and  contemporaries  include  songs  that 
were  popular  before  the  plays  were  written.  The  imme- 
diate effect  of  the  Renaissance  upon  music  was  the  inven- 
tion of  recitative,  to  emulate  the  declamation  of  the  Greeks. 
This  was  applied  to  dramatic  purposes  in  the  Oratorio  of 
Emilio  del  Cavaliere,  1600,  and  in  the  Operas  of  this  com- 
poser, Giulio  Caccini,  Jacopo  Peri,  and  Claudio  Monte- 
verde,  1590 — 1607.  These  were  the  first  dramas  set 
throughout  to  music.  Signification  of  the  term  '  Opera.'— 
The  court  masques  of  James  I.  and  Charles  I.  were  set  to 
recitative  by  Laniere  and  Ferabosco.  The  court  ballets  of 
Louis  the  XIV.  were  composed  in  the  same  style  by  Lully. 
Milton's  '  Comus,'  with  incidental  music  by  Henry  Lawes, 
1634 ;  Aria  parlante  or  arioso.  Lully  followed  Mailly  and 
Cambert  in  the  composition  of  French  Operas,  which  con- 
sisted of  recitative,  airs,  and  choruses,  and  always  included 
dancing;  'Psyche,'  1678;  couplets.  The  '  Siege  of  Rhodes,' 
the  first  English  Opera,  with  Mrs.  Colman,  the  first  female 
that  appeared  on  the  English  stage,  was  brought  out  under 
the  sanction  of  Cromwell,  1646.  Henry  Purcell's  first 
Opera,  '  Dido  and  .ZEneas,'  1680,  consisted  of  recitative, 
songs,  and  choruses ;  subsequently  he  wrote  incidental 
music  for  spoken  dramas.  Appropriation  of  scholastic 
forms  to  dramatic  use.  Cantata,  an  alternation  of  recita- 
tive and  air." 

"LECTURE  II. 

"  Illustrated  by 

"  Madame  LOUISA  VINNING,  Mr.  WILBTE  COOPEB,  and 
Mr.  J.  G.  PATEY. 

"  Advance  of  the  Opera  in  Italy. — It  was  imported  into 
Germany,  with  '  Daphne,'  by  Schultz,  1627  ;  but  scarcely 


240  THE   LYRICAL   DRAMA. 

adopted  there  until  the  time  of  Keiser,  1692.  —  Male 
Sopranos. — Formal  character  of  the  aria. — Accompanied 
recitative  first  written  by  Vinci. — Conventional  construc- 
tion of  the  Opera. — The  same  libretti  repeatedly  set  to 
music  by  different,  and  even  by  the  same  Composers. — The 
Italian  Operas  of  Handel,  consisting  of  recitative  and  airs, 
represent  the  smaller  forms  of  the  Lyrical  Drama  of  the 
day  ;  his  English  Oratorios  (except  those  set  to  Scriptural 
texts)  having  the  addition  of  choruses  to  the  other  two 
elements,  represent  the  grander  form. — Distinction  between 
the  Grand  Opera,  the  Opera  Comique,  and  the  Vaudeville. 
— 'The  Beggar's  Opera,'  and  the  many  pieces  produced  in 
consequence  of  its  popularity. — Arne's  English  imitation 
of  the  Italian  Operas  of  his  time,  1762. — Piccini  aban- 
doned the  prescribed  form  of  the  aria ;  success  of  '  La 
buona  Figliuola,'  1760. — Gluck's  design  to  reform  Dramatic 
Music  by  making  it  a  vehicle  for  declamation  instead  of 
for  vocal  display,  1764,  was  a  renewal  of  the  purpose  of 
the  inventors  of  recitative. — His  appropriation  of  dancing, 
that  was  indispensable  in  French  Grand  Operas. — Rivalry 
of  the  Italian  and  German  styles." 

"LECTURE  III. 

"  Illustrated  by 

"  Miss  BANKS,  Mdlle.  CHARLIER,  and  Miss  JULIA  ELTON, 

"  Mr.  WILBYE  COOPER,  Mr.  R.  WILKINSON,  and 

Mr.  J.  Gr.  PATEY. 

"  The  embodiment  of  dramatic  action  in  concerted  music 
originated  by  Logroscino,  1747;  advanced  by  Piccini;  per- 
fected by  Mozart  in  his  great  finales. — This  exalts  the 
Opera,  insomuch  as  music  is  an  expression  of  character 
and  sentiment,  above  every  other  form  of  vocal  composi- 
tion.— Melo-drama  or  accompanied  speaking. — Beethoven's 
'Fidelio'  the  completest  Opera. — Rossini's  innovations; 
his  influence  on  the  music  of  his  day ;  '  Otello '  the  first 
Italian  Opera  accompanied  throughout  by  the  orchestra. — 
Bishop's  Operas,  spoken  dramas  with  incidental  music ; 
English  dramatic  music  in  his  time;  the  glee. — The  appro- 


THE  LYRICAL   DRAMA.  241 

priation  of  national  character  to  dramatic  purposes  by- 
Mozart,  extended  by  Weber  in  '  Preciosa,' '  Der  Freischiitz,' 
and  'Oberon.' — He  first  incorporated  the  aria  in  the  action 
of  the  scene,  this  being  an  expansion  of  G-luck's  principle. 
— The  romantic  Opera. — The  Overture  originated  by  Lully ; 
perfected  by  Mozart;  idealised  by  Beethoven;  popularised 
by  Weber. — Spohr's  'Jessonda'  the  first  German  Opera  set 
throughout  to  music." 


"LECTURE  IV. 

"  Illustrated  by 

"  Miss  EDITH  WYNNE  and  Miss  JULIA  ELTON. 
"  Mr.  T.  WHIFFIN  and  Mr.  J.  G.  PATET. 

"  The  illustration  of  Pantomime  by  music,  first  essayea 
by  Mouret  for  the  '  nuits  blanches '  of  the  Duchesse  du 
Maine  in  '  Les  Horaces,'  in  1680,  was  incorporated  in  the 
Opera  by  Weber  in '  Sylvana,'  and  by  Auber  in  '  Masaniello.' 
This  work  was  the  first  of  the  class  of  historico-romantic 
Operas.- — Resumption  of  the  composition  of  Operas,  pro- 
perly so-called,  in  English,  1834 ;  E.  J.  Loder ;  John 
Barnett ;  Balfe  and  the  ballad ;  Benedict ;  Wallace. — 
Mendelssohn's  music  for  the  revived  tragedies  of  Sophocles 
no  restoration  of  the  character  of  Greek  music,  but  a  new 
form  of  composition  which  had  been  incompletely  antici- 
pated in  the  tragedies  of  Racine. — Paramount  importance 
of  a  good  dramatic  story  for  operatic  purposes. — All  the 
best  opera  books,  save  those  written  for  the  French  stage, 
have  been  adaptations  of  previously  successful  dramatic 
pieces. — Secondary,  but  yet  high  importance  of  the  poetry 
of  an  Opera. — Consideration  of  the  views  of  Richard 
Wagner. — Pernicious  influence  of  the  Italian  language  on 
the  development  of  dramatic  music ;  first  shaken  off  in 
France,  next  in  Germany,  and  now  in  Russia ;  but  England 
still  suffers  from  its  bane,  and  suffers  worse  than  any  other 
country  has  suffered,  since  the  fashion  for  hearing  Operas 
in  a  tongue  that  cannot  be  pronounced  by  the  majority  of 
the  singers,  nor  understood  by  the  majority  of  the  audience, 
not  only  impedes  the  progress  of  indigenous  productive 

R 


242        ACCOMPANIMENT   OF  RECITATIVE. 

and  executive  talent,  but  compels  the  distortion  of  the 
German  and  French  works  which  constitute  the  staple 
performances  of  our  lyrical  theatres." 

In  the  year  1880  Macfarren  gave  a  lecture  on  the 
same  subject  before  the  Musical  Association. 

On  one  subject  touched  on  in  the  first  of  these 
lectures,  he  wrote  at  length,  in  the  "  Musical  Times," 
of  December,  1872,  that  of  "  The  Accompaniment  of 
Recitative,"  advancing  the  statement  that : — 

"  The  broad  distinction  between  ancient  and  modern  in 
music  dates  from  the  invention  of  recitative  in  the  last 
decade  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Then,  an  association  of 
Florentine  nobles  and  gentlemen  undertook  the  interesting 
experiment  of  restoring  to  the  art  of  song  the  character- 
istics that  had  marked  it  in  the  Grecian  age,  as  opposed  to 
the  qualities  to  which  the  music  of  the  period  was  limited. 
These  qualities  were  rhythmical  tune,  exemplified  in  the 
songs  and  dances  of  the  people,  and  the  imitations  of  these 
by  schooled  artists ;  and  contrapuntal  elaboration,  exem- 
plified in  the  motets  or  moving  parts,  and  anthems  or 
counter-themes,  constructed  upon  ecclesiastical  or  secular 
melodies  for  church  use,  and  in  the  madrigals  of  the  musi- 
cians. In  neither  of  these  was  there  scope  for  free  decla- 
mation, nor  for  any  but  the  most  general  expression  of 
words,  which,  in  classic  times,  had  been  the  main  if  not  the 
sole  object  of  vocal  music.  The  idea  was  then  conceived  of 

recitative The  experiment  was  so  entirely  successful 

that  the  new  style  of  declamatory  music  not  only  took  a 
place  beside  the  rigidly  ruled  art  of  the  period,  biit  has,  to 
a  great  extent,  superseded  it,  and  importantly  modified  the 
materials  and  the  structure  of  subsequent  composition. 

"  To  secure  the  perfect  freedom  of  the  singer  in  his 
declamation,  to  hasten  or  retard  the  words  as  he  might  be 
impelled  by  the  passion  they  embodied,  it  was  essential  that 
the  accompaniment  should  be  of  such  a  nature  as  might 
in  no  respect  restrict  his  performance  in  the  matter  of  mea- 
sure, while  it  might  fully  guide  and  support  him  in  the 
matter  of  intonation.  Accordingly,  it  was  confined  usually 


ACCOMPANIMENT   OF  RECITATIVE.       243 


to  a  single  instrument,  in  most  cases  the  theorbo  or  large 
lute  ;  and  this,  in  the  earliest  instances,  was  played  by  the 
singer  himself,  whose  fingers  were  moved  by  the  same  im- 
pulse that  directed  his  vocal  utterance." 

After  tracing  the  custom  of  sustaining  the  harmony 
"  by  the  band  during  the  vocal  declamation  :  "  that  of 
accompanying  the  recitative  "  on  some  equivalent  to 
the  pianoforte,"  "  with  also  a  bowed  instrument  .  .  . 
to  support  the  bass  notes,  because  of  the  little  reso- 
nance of  the  keyed  string  instruments  of  the  time  ;"  he 
goes  on  to  record  that : — 

"  Near  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  Vinci  was  the 
first  to  write  what  in  England  is  called  '  Accompanied  Re- 
citative '  .  .  .  reserved  for  dramatic  passages,  while  he  re- 
tained for  ordinary  colloquy  and  narration  what  the  Italians 
name  '  Recitative  Parlante.'  The  distinction  is,  that  in  the 
latter  the  instruments  just  named  were  used,  and  in  the 
former  the  full  orchestra. 

"  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  practice  ever  was,  in 
colloquial  recitative,  to  sustain  the  chords  on  any  instru- 
ment from  semibreve  to  semibreve,  as  they  were  habitually 
written  .  .  .  ;  these  extensive  notes  imply  the  prevalence 
but  not  the  sustenance  of  the  same  harmony,  which  har- 
mony was  and  is  to  be  repeated  according  to  the  punctua- 
tion of  the  words,  whenever  their  sense  indicates  a  breath- 
ing place  for  the  singer." 

After  various  historical  details  concerning  the  growth 
of  recitative,  he  goes  on  to  trace  the  rise  and  preva- 
lence of  the  custom  of  accompanying  colloquial  recita- 
tive mainly  by  the  violoncello,  to  the  displacement  of 
the  pianoforte ;  animadverts  upon  the  undesirable- 
ness  of  that  method,  and  urges  that — 

"  According  to  the  size  and  uses  of  the  building,  and  the 
gaiety  or  gravity  of  the  subject,  the  pianoforte  or  the  organ 
ought  to  be  the  accompanying  instrument  in  colloquial  re- 


244        ACCOMPANIMENT    OF   RECITATIVE. 

citative.  Let  it  be  hoped  that  before  long  its  restitution 
may  be  universal,  when  the  richer  tone  and  the  fuller  re- 
sonance of  the  Pianoforte  than  of  the  ancient  Harpsi- 
chord, especially  in  the  lower  range  of  its  compass,  will 
render  the  bowed  basses  entirely  dispensable." 

He  instances  occasions,  then  recent,  of  the  experi- 
ment (if  such  it  may  be  termed)  being  successfully 
made  under  Herr  Otto  Goldschmidt,  Sir  Sterndale 
Bennett,  and  Mr.  Joseph  Barnby,  in  Handel's 
"  I/ Allegro  "  and  Bach's  "  Passion." 

It  will  not  be  inopportune  to  insert  here  some  re- 
marks on  this  same  subject  occurring  in  the  Preface  to 
Macfarren's  "Analysis  of  Haydn's  '  Creation,' "  written 
for  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society,  dated  February, 
1854:  — 

"  One  might  discuss  at  some  length  the  setting  of  most 
of  the  Scriptural  passages,  surely  the  most  important  por- 
tions of  the  text,  in  the  unimportant  form,  of  unaccom- 
panied Recitative  ;  but  that  the  present  purpose  is  to  con- 
sider how  the  subject  is,  not  how  it  might  have  been, 
treated.  As,  however,  there  is  so  much  of  this  form  of  Reci- 
tative without  orchestra  in  the  Oratorio,  it  is  desirable  to 
offer  some  remarks  upon  the  manner  in  which  it  is  in 
England,  and  on  that  in  which  it  should  be  accompanied. 
The  custom  was,  I  am  told,  introduced  by  Mr.  Lindley,  and 
confirmed  by  Signer  Dragonetti,  of  accompanying  this  style 
of  Recitative  with  the  solo  violoncello  and  double  bass ; 
and,  to  those  who  play  the  violoncello  and  double  bass,  this 
custom  may  be  sufficiently  amusing ;  to  those,  however,  who 
require  the  fulfilment  of  a  composer's  intention,  and  to 
those,  less  scrupulous,  who  look  for  musical  effect,  the  said 
custom  has  nothing  to  recommend,  nor  even  to  justify  it — 
it  is  peculiar  to  this  country,  and  it  is  a  peculiarity  upon . 
which  we  have  no  cause  to  plume  ourselves.  The  proper  way 
of  performing  this  style  of  Recitative — the  way  that  is  still 
practised  out  of  England — is  for  the  harmony  to  be  played 
upon  + he  organ  or  upon  the  pianoforte ;  in  witness  whereof, 


ACCOMPANIMENT    OF  RECITATIVE.       245 

let  me  recur  to  the  occasional  direction,  Senza  Cembalo, 
that  we  find  in  composers'  scores  (since  there  could  be  no 
occasion  to  direct  that  a  particular  passage  should  be  played 
without  the  pianoforte,  if  it  were  not  the  general  custom 
for  the  pianoforte  to  be  played)  ;  the  constant  announce- 
ment in  our  old  programmes  that  he,  who  is  now  called  the 
Conductor,  would  preside  '  at  the  organ  or  pianoforte  ; ' 
the  recollection  of  every  one  of  some  forty  or  fifty  years' 
familiarity  with  musical  performances ;  and  the  daily  ex- 
perience of  any  one  who  hears  the  execution  of  these  Reci- 
tatives in  Italy  or  Germany.  I  can  only  suggest  to  an 
a.udience,  that  they  imagine  the  effect  of  complete  and  sus- 
tained harmony  in  these  accompaniments,  and,  if  their 
imagination  be  lively,  they  may  form  some  idea  of  the  effect 
intended.' 

In  the  Preface  to  the  "  Performing  Edition  of  the 
Messiah/'  an  important  work  undertaken  by  Mac- 
farren,  he  remarks  : — 

"  Composers  of  this  class  of  music,  till  far  later  than 
Handel's  time,  meant  not  that  the  harmony  should  be  sus- 
tained as  semibreves  or  minims,  though  they  wrote  such 
notes  for  the  bass,  but  intended  that  a  chord  should  prevail 
for  the  length  of  the  written  notes,  and  be  repeated  or  not, 
according  to  the  punctuation  of  the  voice  part,  or  accord- 
ing to  the  singer's  need  of  support.  Neither  meant  they 
that  the  chord  should  be  struck  with  the  final  note  of  a 
phrase  whereon  the  harmony  changes,  as  is  often  the  habit 
of  inexperienced  accompanists  to  do,  by  which  the  enuncia- 
tion of  the  last  word  is  rendered  indistinct ;  the  chords 
should  be  played  after,  rather  than  with,  the  voice  at  the 
conclusion,  and  before  the  voice  at  the  commencement  of 
a  sentence." 

This  is  exemplified  in  the  notation  in  the  edition 
itself,  as  well  as  in  a  similar  edition  of  Haydn's  "  Crea- 
tion," in  the  Preface  to  which  he  remarks  to  the  same 
effect : — 

"  The  chords  were  to  be  played  after  the  vocal  closes,  ex- 


246  LODER,    WAGNER. 

cepting  only  if  the  harmony  changed  in  the  course  of  a 
phrase,  and  the  singer  was  to  recommence  after  the  chord 
had  been  sounded,  and  thus  the  edges  of  the  enunciation 
were  not  to  be  blunted  by  the  striking  of  the  instruments 
together  with  the  vocal  utterance." 

With  reference  to  one  item  in  the  syllabus  of  the 
Fourth  Lecture,  some  remarks  of  Macfarren's  may  be 
relevantly  quoted  from  the  programme  of  Mr.  Walter 
Macfarren's  Third  Concert  of  Pianoforte  Music,  June 
llth,  1861,  which  may  be  taken  in  connection  with 
those  on  John  Barnett,  at  the  close  of  Chapter  X. 

"  Mr.  Loder's  Opera  of  'Nourjahad,'  produced  in  1834, 
was  the  inaugural  work  of  the  institution  of  modern  English 
Opera  ;  and  is  therefore  remembered  with  gratification  by 
all  who  take  interest  in  the  progress  among  us  of  dramatic 
music.  His  'Francis  the  First'  was  brought  out  in  1838, 
and  his  '  Night  Dancers,'  the  most  successful,  and  there- 
fore the  best  known,  and  in  many  respects  the  best  of  his 
operas,  was  first  played  in  1846.  '  Puck  '  and  '  Raymond 
and  Agnes '  are  further  examples  of  his  labours  in  the  same 
branch  of  art." 

Macfarren's  non-acceptance  of  the  theories  of  Richard 
Wagner,  and  of  much  of  his  Music-Drama  composition, 
is  well-known ;  and  was,  at  times,  so  vehemently  as- 
serted as  to  lay  him  open  to  charges  of  prejudice,  non- 
progressiveness,  and  even  inability  to  comprehend  the 
advanced  thought  of  the  time.  He  remarked  to  me : — 
"  I  know  that  they  think  me  a  rabid  old  Tory."  But 
he  was  not  insensible  to  excellence  or  beauty  of  any 
kind,  and  discriminated  in  his  judgment  even  of  that 
which  he  could  not  wholly  accept.  Thus,  in  a  notice 
of  the  Prelude  to  "  Lohengrin,"  in  the  Programme  of 
the  British  Orchestral  Society's  second  Concert, 
December  19,  1872,  he  remarks: — 


SACRED   AND   SECULAR   ART.  247 

"It  may  be  regarded  rather  as  a  study  of  orchestral 
effect  than  as  a  composition.  Its  entire  plan  consists  of 
three  presentations  of  this  one  theme,  [quoted]  .... 
Every  recurrence  of  the  theme  introduces  it  with  some 
novelty  of  treatment,  consisting  not  merely  in  a  varied 
distribution  of  the  instruments,  but  in  the  engrafting  of 
new  passages  upon  the  original,  which  are  remarkable  for 
their  skilful  contrivance  as  much  as  for  their  good  effect. 
In  its  orchestration,  this  piece  commands  respect  for  the 
knowledge  of  the  capabilities  and  the  relative  qualities  of 
the  several  instruments,  and  for  the  careful  thoughts  in 
its  appliance,  that  are  evinced  in  every  combination ;  just 
as  a  painting  is  to  be  esteemed  for  its  colouring,  apart 
from  its  drawing  and  its  composition,  is  this  Prelude  to  be 
considered  for  its  instrumental  effect,  wherein  a  special 
but  unquestionable  quality  of  imagination  is  displayed." 

Macfarren  delivered  four  lectures  on  "  Sacred  and 
Secular  Art,  as  exemplified  in  Music,"  at  the  London 
Institution,  in  February  and  March,  1869.  "Taking 
his  stand  on  the  principle  that  all  the  fine  arts  have  a 
twofold  application  to  Sacred  and  Secular  subjects,  he 
proceeded  to  define  and  exemplify  these  distinctions 
under  the  several  heads  of  music  for  worship — music 
for  illustrating  characters  and  incidents  in  sacred 
story,  and  moral  and  religious  sentiments — music  for 
depicting  the  passions  and  personalities  of  men — and 
music  for  stimulating  our  emotions  and  developing 
our  faculties  in  the  circle  of  home."  In  the  first 
lecture,  on  Church  Music,  he  contended  that : — 

"  The  first  music  employed  in  our  Reformed  Church  was 
an  adaptation,  or  in  some  instances,  perhaps,  an  imitation 
of  the  Plain  Song  of  Roman  use  to  the  text  of  the  English 
Liturgy,  by  John  Merbeck.  The  people's  love  of  musical 
combination  prompted  the  construction  of  more  or  less 
florid  counterpoint  upon  these  ancient  Church  tunes,  and 
many  musicians  won  distinction  by  their  ingenious  efforts 


248  SACRED   AND   SECULAR   ART. 

in  this  class  of  composition,  whose  names  are  now  known 
only  to  the  antiquary,  because  the  style  in  which  they  wrote, 
with  the  themes  they  elaborated,  has  become  obsolete." 

Tallis,  Byrd,  and  others,  being  instanced,  who  :— 

"  Made  original  settings  of  the  Canticles,  Creed,  and 
other  invariable  portions  of  the  service,  which  have  the 
technical  peculiarities  of  their  age,  but  are  equally  remark- 
able for  the  solemn  simplicity  of  their  treatment  of  the 
text.  The  fugitives  from  Mary's  persecution  imported,  on 
their  return  from  Frankfort  and  Geneva  the  practice  of 
Hymn-singing,  which  spread  so  rapidly  among  their 
countrymen,  that  it  was  authoritatively  '  permitted '  in 
public  worship  by  Elizabeth's  Injunction  of  1559.  A 
collection  of  tunes,  fitted  to  the  entire  book  of  Psalms,  was 
consequently  printed  in  1563,  the  custom  having  been  at 
first  for  congregations  to  sing  these  without  harmony  ;  but 
in  the  next  year,  the  same  were  reprinted  in  harmony  of 
four  parts  by  several  composers.  In  this  and  all  elabora- 
tions of  Psalmody  for  congregational  use,  of  this  period, 
the  tune,  or  Plain  Song,  or  Church  Part,  is  set  for  the 
tenor  voice.  It  is  only  assigned  to  the  cantus,  or  highest 
part,  in  the  harmony,  in  arrangements  for  domestic  use. 
The  substitution  of  the  word  '  Anthem  '  for  '  Hymn,'  and 
its  definition  as  '  a  little  thing  in  metre,'  in  a  later  Prayer 
Book  of  Elizabeth,  imply  that  the  first  Anthems  were 
harmonized  Psalm-tunes,  and  the  earliest  original  com- 
positions described  as  Anthems  are  so  simple  in  form  as 
almost  to  belong  to  the  same  class.  .  .  .  Church  Music, 
after  the  Restoration,  gives  noble  signs  of  the  advance  of 
art,  and  of  the  illustrious  brightness  of  English  genius, 
[but]  all  branches  of  Church  music,  like  every  other 
department  of  the  art  in  England,  degenerated  under  the 
influence  of  our  German  rulers,  or  at  least,  from  the  date 
of  their  accession." 

The  second  lecture  was  on  "The  Opera;"  and  the 
Lecturer  contended  that : — 

"  In  the  boundless  range  it  affords  for  the  portrayal  of 
every  phase  of  character,  and  the  opportunity  for  bringing 


SACRED   AND    SECULAR   ART.  249 

these  into  contrast  and  combination,  the  Opera  may  be 
regarded  as  the  highest  class  of  composition." 

" II  Don  Giovanni"  was  selected  for  illustrative 
analysis. 

The  third  lecture  was  on  "  The  Oratorio."  After 
historical  allusion  to  its  origin,  he  advanced  that  "  the 
Oratorio  is  of  two  kinds — the  didactic  or  narrative, 
and  the  dramatic  ; "  the  former  being  exemplified  in 
the  periodical  recitation  of  the  story  of  the  Passion  in 
the  Roman  Church,  in  Bach's  setting  of  the  account 
by  Matthew  of  the  Passion — that  of  John  not  being 
alluded  to,  apparently  being  then  unknown  to  the 
lecturer — in  Handel's  "  Messiah,"  and  in  Men- 
delssohn's "  St.  Paul :  "  the  latter  (the  dramatic)  being 
exemplified  firstly  by  "  La  Rappresentazione  di  Anima 
e  di  Corpo,"  by  Cavalieri  (1600),  and,  subsequently, 
by  nearly  all  the  Oratorios  of  Handel  and  the  Italian 
composers  of  his  and  a  far  later  time.  Handel's 
"  Jephtha "  was  selected  as  an  instance  of  the 
dramatic  Oratorio  ;  and  Mendelssohn's  "  Lobgesang" 
of  the  didactic.  Macfarren  admits  that "  Mendelssohn, 
in  a  letter,  denies  the  classification  of  this  work  as  an 
Oratorio  because  it  is  not  dramatic;"  but  contends 
that  he  "  must  have  done  so  without  considering  the 
wide  use  of  the  term." 

The  concluding  lecture  was  on  Chamber  music ; 
the  Fugue,  the  Suite  de  Pieces,  the  Symphony  or 
Sonata :  conciser  forms  employed  in  instrumental 
music  of  the  present  day,  the  Song  without  words, 
being  discussed ;  compositions  exclusively  for  the 
Orchestra  being  described  by  analogy  with  their  cor- 
responding types  in  music  for  the  Chamber. 


250  CHURCH  MUSIC. 

He  prefaced  the  first  lecture  by  saying  that : — 

"  The  people  of  this  country  are  more  interested  in  the 
art  appliances  of  the  English  Church  than  in  those  of  any 
other  devotional  institution  ; "  and,  therefore,  the  lecture 
was  "  limited  to  the  classification  of  our  national  ecclesi- 
astical music,  and  a  brief  sketch  of  its  historical  develop- 
ment." 

In  pursuance  of  this  purpose,  he  took  much  the 
same  line  as  in  an  earlier  lecture,  on  "  the  Music  of 
the  Church  of  England,"  delivered  at  the  Royal 
Institution,  April  20th,  1866,  in  which  he  premised 
that  :— 

"  The  objects  of  Church  music  are :  1st,  passively  to 
stimulate  the  hearer  to  the  highest  emotions :  2nd,  actively 
to  engage  the  worshipper  in  the  most  powerful  expression 
of  such  emotions :  " 

and  then  proceeded : — 

"  A  secondary,  and  not  unworthy  object  of  Church 
music  has  been,  from  the  days  of  S.  Aldhelm,  Abbot  of 
Malmesbury,  A.D.,  700,  or  earlier,  to  the  present  time,  to 
form  an  attraction  for  the  laity  to  enter  the  sacred 
building,  etc." 

After  a  historical  glance  at  "the  importation  of 
music  into  the  Western  Church  by  St.  Ambrose/'  he 
contends  that  "  certainly  the  music  that  was  sung  was 
that  of  the  Greek  Theatre ;  "  the  proofs  being : — 

"  First,  that  the  musical  scale  was  divided,  by  the  ancient 
Jews,  and  the  nations  among  whom  they  sojourned,  into 
smaller  intervals  than  those  of  the  Greek  diatonic  genus, 
whereas  the  Ambrosian  Chant  exactly  accords  with  this 
genus ;  second,  that  the  four  modes  employed  bv  St. 


CHURCH  MUSIC.  251 

Ambrose — the  Dorian,  the  Phrygian,  the  Lydian,  and  the 
Mixo-Lydian — are  identical  with  the  Greek  modes  so  named, 
and  are  applied,  in  ecclesiastical  use,  each  to  the  expression 
of  the  same  sentiment  as  in  the  Greek  Theatre.  St. 
Ambrose  was  an  innovator  in  incorporating  music  in  the 
service  of  the  Church ;  and  he  appropriated  the  pagan 
music  which  was  accessible  to  his  congregation,  and  indeed 
familiar." 

Macfarren  incurred  some  obloquy  in  certain  circles 
for  his  outspoken  views  on  this  matter;  but  he  never 
flinched  from  the  position  here  taken  up. 

He  next  notices  the  labours  of  St.  Gregory  in 
"adding  four  additional  modes  of  the  Greeks  to  those 
of  Ambrose,  and  perpetuating  his  revised  and  extended 
system  by  inventing  a  method  of  notation ;  "  and  the 
introduction,  several  centuries  later,  of  harmony,  "in 
the  form  of  extempore  descant  upon  the  Gregorian 
Chant ;  and  long  after  this,  the  rules  of  written 
Counterpoint  were  instituted/' 

Following  upon  this  introductory  survey,  "the 
adoption  of  music  in  the  English  Church  at  the  Re- 
formation, in  the  first  instance,  direct  from  the  Church 
of  Rome,"  is  recorded,  the  labours  of  John  Merbeck, 
Tallis,  and  others,  being  referred  to ;  then  the  singing 
of  Hymns,  of  the  metrical  versions  of  the  Psalms, 
etc.  Of  the  various  derivations  of  the  word  : — 

"  '  Anthem,' — substituted  for  Hymn  in  the  later  Prayer 
Book  of  Elizabeth,  that  is  to  be  preferred  which  assigns  its 
origin  to  Antithema,  implying  that  it  first  denoted  free 
counterpoint  against  a  given  theme — the  harmony  to  the 
Psalm-tune — analogous  to  Motet,  the  Motettus  or  moving 
part  against  the  Cantw  Fermus  of  the  Roman  Church. 
Several  illustrations  of  this  definition  prove  the  concise 
character  originally  purposed  for  the  Anthem,  and  point 


252  ENGLISH  CHURCH  MUSIC. 

to  the   dereliction   from  this   in  the   lengthy  and  com- 
plicated compositions  of  later  times." 

This  latter  pronouncement  may  be  recommended  to 
all  whom  it  may  concern  :  as  may  also  that  which 
succeeds : — though  the  persons  herewith  concerned 
are  not  those  concerned  in  the  last. 

"  The  corruption  of  English  Church  Music  has  its  root 
in  the  retention  of  the  precentorship  as  a  priestly  office  at 
the  time  of  the  Reformation,  the  period  at  which  the  study 
of  Music,  like  all  other  civil  studies,  first  became  common 
among  the  laity.  The  effect  of  this  first  great  fundamen- 
tal evil  was  not  felt  till  much  later ;  but  there  can  be  now 
no  question  of  the  impropriety  of  committing  the  entire 
control  of  the  singers,  the  choice  of  the  music,  and  every 
arrangement  and  responsibility  of  this  highly  important 
element  of  the  Church  Service  to  an  officer  who  is  not  com- 
pulsorily  acquainted  with  music.  That  some  few  precen- 
tors have  a  knowledge  of  the  subject  which  it  is  their  duty 
to  direct  only  aggravates  the  ill-working  of  the  system, 
since  it  gives  countenance  to  the  very  many  more  who  are 
equally  ignorant,  and  either  indifferent  or  prejudiced. 
The  contributions  to  Psalmody  by  persons  of  little  musical 
education,  or  with  none,  began  early  in  the  last  century, 
and  have  tended  seriously  to  vulgarise  and  emasculate  this 
noble  branch  of  Church  Music.  The  misappropriation  of 
the  G-lee  style  of  writing  to  church  composition  has  done 
equally  much  to  deteriorate  the  music  special  to  the  cathe- 
dral. The  admission  of  Solo  Anthems  has  tended  to  make 
the  church  an  arena  for  the  display  of  the  singers,  and  for 
the  indulgence  of  the  audience,  who  have  attended  service 
more  for  the  amusement  of  criticism  than  for  the  edifica- 
tion of  prayer.  The  adaptation  of  irrelevant  words  to 
nuisic  from  the  florid  Masses  of  composers  of  later  times, 
from  Oratorios,  and  from  instrumental  works,  has  perverted 
the  composer's  designed  expression,  which  is  the  highest 
quality  in  music,  and  has  thus  degraded  the  Art  and  its 
influences.  The  introduction  of  compositions  by  clerical 
amateurs  or  their  friends,  whose  social  position  has  com- 


ENGLISH   CHURCH  MUSIC.      CHORAL.      253 

manded  attention  to  their  productions,  has  often  made  the 
church  a  medium  for  the  gratification  of  vanity,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  genuine  artistry.  The  attempt  to  revive  the  use 
in  the  church  of  the  Greek  system  of  music,  (which  Am- 
brose introduced,  and  Gregory  continued,  because  there 
was  then  none  other  accessible),  produces,  if  not  an  affec- 
tation of  sanctity,  at  least  a  pedantic  assumption  of  anti- 
quarianism  that  is  as  remote  from  devotion." 

This  distribution  of  censure  pretty  well  all  round 
derives  its  severity  from  its  justice ;  and  it  is  easier 
to  evade  its  hard  hits  by  asking  whether  Macfarren 
was  specially  qualified  to  pronounce  judgment  in  this 
matter,  seeing  that  he  was  not  an  habitual  church 
attendant, — or  by  some  other  tu  quoque  retorts, — than 
to  rebut  the  terse  sentences  by  denial  or  argument. 
Much  of  that  which  has  been  quoted  applies  equally 
to  Noncomformist  practices  in  the  matter  of  Psalmody 
and  congregational  anthem-singing.  But  the  criti- 
cisms and  principles  themselves  are  sound,  and  worthy 
of  consideration  by  very  many  concerned,  whether  in 
the  Established  Church  or  in  the  Free  Churches. 

In  a  review  which  bears  internal  evidence  of  being 
Macfarren's,  he  makes  some  observations  which  were 
very  timely  when  written,  and,  even  now,  are  not  un- 
timely in  their  reproduction  : — 

"A  choral  is,  to  the  best  of  our  belief,  a  hymn-tune  sung  by 
the  people  in  chorus  in  the  service  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Chorals  are  for  the  most  part,  old,  and  they  are  also,  for 
the  most  part,  each  associated  with  its  own  poem.  It  has 
been  common  for  the  musicians  of  North  Germany,  almost 
from  the  date  of  the  Reformation,  to  employ  the  choral 
tunes  as  themes  for  elaboration  in  their  vocal,  as  much  as 
instrumental  works.  Some  of  the  oldest  and  best  of  them 
are  thus  introduced  by  Mendelssohn  in  his  '  St.  Paul,'  and 
their  insertion  is  justified,  and  their  interest  induced  in 


254  CHORAL. 

the  situation  of  their  occurrence,  by  the  German  people's 
intimacy  with  them  in  connection  with  the  words  to  which 
they  have  habitually  sung  them,  every  man  from  childhood 
onwards.  When  this  oratorio  was  imported  into  England, 
folks  thought  it  necessary  to  preserve  the  definition  of  the 
Chorals,  since  they  were  unlike  in  character,  form,  and 
extent,  to  any  pieces  in  oratorios  with  which  the  English 
public  was  familiar ;  and  to  secure  the  German  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  word  with  the  accent  on  the  final  syllable,  an 
'  e '  was  added  at  the  end,  which  must  have  been  meant  to 
be  mute.  The  public,  however,  misunderstood  the  ortho- 
epic  intention  of  the  English  editors,  read  the  extended 
word,  Chorale,  as  a  tri-syllable,  and  took  to  pronouncing 
its  new  and  peculiarly  English  addition  as  they  do  in 
'  Charley.'  Since  Mendelssohn's  first  oratorio,  his  '  Hymn 
of  Praise '  and  his  Organ  Sonatas,  in  which  some  specimens 
of  the  old  Choral  appear  to  have  helped  to  make  their 
definition  in  its  English  three-syllable  form  familiar,  and 
this  familiarity  is  strongly  confirmed  by  the  knowledge, 
recently  becoming  general,  of  Bach's  'Music  of  the  Passion,1 
wherein  examples  abound  of  the  ancient  Lutheran  Choral 
tune.  Respect  for  these  works,  and  for  others  from  the 
same  source,  has,  we  may  suppose,  been  the  prompting  to 
some  of  our  best  English  composers  to  emulate  the  pre- 
cedent of  the  great  Germans ;  and  they  have  incorporated 
in  like  manner,  in  some  of  their  extensive  works,  pieces 
that  might  serve  for  hymn-tunes,  and  these  they  anoma- 
lously entitle  '  Chorale(y)s,'  unmindful  that  they  are  not 
venerable  tunes  of  Lutheran  use,  that  they  are  not  old 
hymn-tunes  at  all,  that  they  can  never  call  to  remembrance 
particular  poems,  since  they  have  never  been  associated 
with  any  words  whatever,  and  seeming  to  forget  that  the 
said  melodies  are  their  own,  the  said  composers'  original 
productions.  Now,  if  such  misuse  of  the  term  chorale (y) 
is  not  an  affectation,  it  is  surely  a  mistake ;  since  the  word 
so  applied  is  a  misnomer.  We  earnestly  suggest,  then,  to 
our  native  musicians  of  experience  and  credit  to  discontinue 
the  example  to  their  younger  brethren  of  a  misuse  which 
savours  so  strongly  of  affectation  as  to  imbue  those  who 
practise  it  with  its  odour.  Hymn-tune  is  a  good  enough 
term,  and  hymn,  without  tune,  is  a  better ;  moreover  they 


ORGAN  IN   CHURCH.      CHURCH  MODES.    255 

have  both  been  English  since  further  back  than  it  is  easy 
to  trace  their  use ;  and  we  urge  that  either  of  these  would 
be  appropriate  to  the  pieces  that  writers  of  latest  times 
have  taken  to  calling  Chorale(y)s." 

In  reply  to  an  inquiry,  the  nature  of  which  may  be 
surmised,  Macfarren  addressed  the  following  to  Mr. 
Gilbert  Scott,  in  the  year  1879  :— 

"  On  the  question  proposed  to  me,  I  think  that  if  the 
object  be  to  lead  congregational  singing,  or,  more  properly 
expressed,  to  drown  the  inaccuracies  of  unskilled  vocalists, 
a  large,  coarse-toned  organ  may  be  highly  desirable.  If 
the  object  be  to  produce  the  effect  of  musical  beauty,  by 
judicious  accompaniment  of  a  trained  choir,  then  an  organ 
of  moderate  power,  but  of  good  tone,  and  with  full  pedal 
compass,  is  very  greatly  to  be  preferred  to  a  larger  and 
louder  instrument,  which  no  player  with  a  real  feeling  for 
his  task  would  use  at  the  full  for  such  a  purpose.  If  a 
sum  of  money  be  contributed  for  musical  ends  in  any 
church,  I  believe  it  would  be  far  better  applied  in  some 
investment  that  would  yield  an  annual  fund  to  be  spent 
upon  choir- training  than  on  the  increase  of  an  organ,  inas- 
much as  it  would  lead  to  the  efficient  performance  of 
admirable  compositions,  and  the  taste  of  hearers  as  well  as 
executants  would  thereby  be  exalted.  This  opinion,  being 
framed  more  upon  general  principles  than  upon  experience 
in  church  music,  is  offered  with  diffidence,  but  I  believe  it 
would  have  the  concurrence  of  persons  better  versed  in  this 
particular  branch  of  the  subject  than  myself." 

Macfarren's  account  of,  and  views  about  the  Eccle- 
siastical Modes  are  succinctly  stated  in  his  analysis, 
written  in  the  programme  of  the  second  performance 
of  the  Quartet  Association,  May  12th,  1852,  of  the 
third  movement  of  Beethoven's  Quartet  in  A  minor, 
Op.  132 ;  the  movement  in  question  being  indicated 
by  Beethoven  as  e  in  modo  Lidico ' — in  the  Lydian 


256  ECCLESIASTICAL   MODES. 

Mode.  The  analyst  avails  himself  of  the  opportunity 
to  say  : — 

"It  is  now-a-days  no  novelty  to  speak  of  the  Gregorian 
Tones  and  the  Ecclesiastical  Modes.  Many,  however,  who 
may  have  been  in  the  very  midst  of  the  contest  that  has  for 
some  while  prevailed  upon  this  subject,  may  be  unaware  of 
the  musical  grounds  upon  which  all  persons  of  cultivated 
taste,  or  even  of  common  sense,  must,  when  they  become 
acquainted  with  the  principle,  denounce  the  restoration  of 
G-regorianism  as  an  act  of  the  most  absurd,  and  either 
wilful  or  ignorant  barbarity.  It  would,  of  course,  be  wholly 
out  of  place  to  enter  here  upon  any  lengthened  discussion 
of  this  curious  point  of  musical  antiquity.  But  it  is  indis- 
pensable to  the  understanding  of  the  present  Adagio,  that 
I  should  advance  a  few  of  the  principles  of  the  style  of 
music  which  it  emulates ;  and  this  I  shall  do  as  succinctly 
as  possible. 

St.  Gregory,  and  St.  Ambrose  before  him,  knew  nothing 
of  the  inflection  of  notes  by  sharps  and  flats.  They  had 
the  notes  of  our  present  scale  of  C  and  none  other.  They 
found,  however,  that  from  many  causes,  of  which,  probably, 
monotony  was  not  the  least  important,  it  was  impossible  to 
restrict  themselves  exclusively  to  the  key  of  C,  as  we  now 
understand  it,  and  therefore  employed  the  several  Modes  of 
the  more  ancient  Greek  diatonic  music,  rejecting  the  chro- 
matic and  the  enharmonic  systems  that  were  in  use  with 
the  heathen  musicians.  These  Modes,  bearing  still  the 
original  Greek  names,  are  on  the  six  first  notes  of  our  scale 
of  C,  each  being  treated  as  a  tonic  or  key-note,  in  so  far  as 
that  a  composition  begins  and  ends  upon  it ;  but  having, 
as  I  have  said,  no  sharps  and  flats — this  Lydian  Mode,  in 
which  this  movement  is  written — said  to  be  the  most  gentle 
and  plaintive  in  character,  whence  the  line  of  the  poet — 

"  Softly  sweet  in  Lydian  measure  "- 

answers  to  what  would  be  our  key  of  F  without  a  B  flat, 
the  unsatisfactory,  not  to  say  disagreeable,  effect  of  which 
savage  artifice  is,  at  least,  strange  and  uncouth,  and 
irreconcilable  to  ears  accustomed  to  the  modern  scale  of 
nature.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  that  the  fashionable 


ORATORIOS   IN   CHURCH.  257 

dilettanti,  and  the  astute  critics  of  the  Olympic  Games, 
thought  so  favourably  of  the  sweetness  of  the  Lydian  Mode, 
as  we  find  expressed  by  Milton,  who  in  this  is  the  representa- 
tive of  a  host  of  classic  authorities,  since,  whatever  be  the 
effect  of  this  upon  us,  who  have  very  different  associations 
to  direct  our  judgment,  it  is  the  very  perfection  of  propriety, 
when  compared  to  that  of  the  keys  of  D  and  A  and  E 
without  sharps,  which  were,  to  express  different  sentiments, 
equally  in  use,  not  only  among  the  Greeks,  but,  until  some 
two  or  three  centuries  ago,  in  the  Christian  Church,  from 
which  they  have  been  gradually  banished — as  from  secular 
music  also — by  the  gradual  advance  of  the  art,  and  indeed 
of  the  science  of  music." 

The  views  of  Macfarren  on  Church  Music,  as  thus 
enunciated,  were  by  no  means  unchallenged,  how- 
ever; but  were  the  occasion  of  a  correspondence, 
perhaps  not  wholly  free  from  acrimony,  in  the  "  Choir  " 
of  September  21st,  October  5th,  19th,  and  November 
2nd,  1867  ; — the  discussion  being  opened  by  Rev. 
S.  S.  Greatheed,  calling  forth  a  reply  from  Macfarren, 
a  rejoinder  from  Rev.  S.  S.  Greatheed,  with  an  article 
by  James  Finn  on  the  "  Origin  of  Gregorian  Music," 
and  a  final  reply  from  Macfarren. 

With  reference  to  the  introduction  of  Oratorios  in 
Church,  is  to  be  recorded  that  Macfarren  wrote  an 
article  in  the  "  Musical  Times "  for  March  1872 ; 
commencing : — 

"What  is  an  oratorio?  Originally,  a  musical  compo- 
sition to  be  performed  in  the  oratory. 

"  What  is  an  oratory  ?  A  place  set  apart  for  prayer  in  a 
private  dwelling;  a  portion  of  a  church  appropriated  to 
special  uses — such  as  that  of  the  meetings  instituted  in 
Rome  by  S.  Philippo  Neri,  where  oratorios  were  performed, 
which  took  their  defining  title  from  that  of  the  place 
wherein  they  were  heard. 

s 


258  ORATORIOS  IN   CHURCH. 

"  What  is  a  church  ?  '  The  Lord's  house ; '  a  building 
dedicated  to  public  worship  and  to  religious  edification. 

Since  some  churches  include  an  oratory,  and  since  the 
oratory  gave  rise  and  definition  to  the  oratorio,  it  is  at 
least  anomalous  that  certain  well-meaning  and  thoughtful 
persons  should  publicly  protest  against  the  performance  of 
oratorios  in  ecclesiastical  buildings.  The  history  of  the 
development  of  this  grand  class  of  musical  composition, 
and  of  its  influence,  furnishes  argument  against  the  pro- 
test ;  let  me  glance  at  the  history  and  hint  at  the  argument." 

The  historical  sketch  is  copious,  including  not  only 
the  origination  of  the  Oratorio,  and  its  two  forms,  but 
passing  in  review  its  secularizing  in  Italy,  till  it  be- 
came distinctly  an  Opera  upon  a  Biblical  subject :  its 
introduction  into  Germany  in  the  time  of  Luther, 
who 

"  Aimed  to  conserve  and  perpetuate  all  that  he  deemed 
good  and  pure  in  Roman  use ;  hence  many  choral  tunes  of 
Roman  origin  are  associated  with  his  name ;  hence,  too, 
the  recital  of  the  story  of  the  Passion  at  Eastertide,  with 
all  possible  earnestness,  solemnity,  and  vitality  of  effect : " 

The  music  for  these  recitals  by  Handel  "the  name 
dearest  to  us  all,"  and  by  other  composers :  "  the 
culmination  of  this  gradual  ascent  in  character  and  in 
importance  of  the  Oratorio  for  Holy  Week  ...  in 
Bach's  setting  of  two,  if  not  three,  of  the  Biblical 
versions  of  the  Passion/' — the  "  Matthew  Passion  " 
of  Bach  being  pronounced  "  the  Author's  master- 
piece "  :  the  introduction  of  the  Oratorio  into  England 
by  Handel,  in  1720,  by  the  performance  of  his 
"  Esther  " :  the  Lent  performances  in  Covent  Garden 
Theatre  :  the  performance  of  the  "  Messiah,"-  first 
in  Dublin,  then  in  London,  March  23rd,  1743 :  and  he 
continues : — 


THE  MESSIAH."  259 


"  This  oratorio  has  done  and  still  does  far  more  than 
any  other,  more  even  than  any  work  of  other  arts,  more  I 
believe  thau  any  literary  essays  or  spoken  discourses,  to 
popularise  throughout  England  the  Scripture  texts  which 
most  strongly  bear  upon  the  Christian  story ;  and  it  has 
thus  been  of  infinite  consequence  in  the  dissemination  of 
Christian  lore,  in  making  familiar  to  every  one,  of  every 
rank  and  station,  of  every  sect,  of  every  degree  of  educa- 
tion and  ignorance,  the  revered  words  whereon  is  based 
the  whole  of  the  Church's  teaching.  Aversion  was  so 
strong,  however,  from  the  supposed  profanation  of  this 
holiest  of  themes,  that  it  was  deemed  indecorous  to  an- 
nounce the  work  by  the  title  to  which  it  had  been  written, 
.  .  .  .  and  it  was  accordingly  advertised  as  'A  Sacred 
Oratorio,'  a  name  that  Handel  reserved  for  this  one  work 
alone.  In  spite  of  this  evasion,  the  repugnance  of  the 
London  world  was  so  strong  against  the  public  presenta- 
tion of  the  'Messiah,'  that  though  its  name  was  withheld, 
its  success  was  indifferent.  It  was  heard  but  thrice,  and 
that  coldly,  in  the  year  of  its  production,  and  once  in 
1745  ;  then  it  lay  by  for  four  years,  and  was  brought 
forward  again  as  the  '  Messiah,'  in  1 749,  but  with  no 
happier  result.  In  1750,  when  the  composer  opened  the 
organ  he  had  presented  to  the  chapel  of  the  Foundling 
Hospital,  the  '  Messiah '  was  reproduced  in  that  building, 
when,  for  the  first  time,  it  was  felt  to  be  in  its  natural  and 
legitimate  home.  All  prejudice  against  it  was  dispelled, 
crowds  thronged  to  witness  its  performance,  and  from 
that  notable  1st  of  May,  all  England  has  acknowledged  the 
equal  importance  to  Christianity  and  to  art  of  this  glorious 
monument  to  its  author's  genius.  Now,  when  we  hear  the 
'  Messiah '  texts,  as  they  occur  incidentally  in  the  Daily 
Service,  they  fall  upon  our  ear  as  quotations  from  the 
oratorio ;  for  all  that  is  most  significant  has  been  so 
happily  chosen,  and  has  been  so  effectively  brought  together 
in  this  work,  that  it  is  a  complete  epitome  of  the  subject, 
and  we  hear  the  sacred  words  in  association  with  notes  of 
Handel  so  frequently,  that  it  is  all  but  impossible  to  part 
either  from  other,  in  our  recollection,  or  in  the  impression 
they  make." 


260        FESTIVAL   OF  THE    THREE    CHOIRS. 

This  is  all  eloquently  stated,  as  is  much  more  in 
this  paper :  for  instance,  at  the  "  Festival  of  the 
three  Choirs  "-  —Worcester,  Hereford,  and  Gloucester, 
in  the  cathedrals  of  which  cities, — alternately, — 

"  Thousands  of  persons  are  yearly  brought  together  to 
witness  the  performance  of  the  noblest  works  in  sacred 
art,  on  a  grander  scale,  and  with  a  nearer  approach  to 
perfection,  than  is  elsewhere  to  be  heard,  save  under  ex- 
ceptional, and  somewhat  analogous  circumstances.  The 
grandeur  of  the  works  themselves,  and  of  their  presenta- 
tion is  enormously  enhanced  by  the  site  where  they  take 
place ;  the  gorgeous  effect  of  sound  within  those  superb 
buildings,  the  associations  wherewith  they  are  invested, 
and  the  scene  they  present,  all  swell  the  solemnity  of  the 
occasion  and  aid  in  the  impression  of  the  hour,  and  its 
lasting  influence.  People  receive  thus  the  highest  moral 
education  in  the  refinement  of  their  taste,  and  the  nurture 
of  their  intellect,  and  the  highest  religious  education  in  the 
implanting  in  their  hearts  of  the  Church's  principles  with 
such  healthful  adjuncts  that  they  may  not  easily  be  eradi- 
cated. I  have  met  with  devout  men  and  trivial,  learned 
and  uninstructed,  some  who  have  sought  edification  and 
some  mere  amusement,  who  have  all  concurred  in  the 
admission  that  they  hare  been  far  more  deeply  impressed 
by  oratorios  when  they  have  heard  them  in  these  holy 
piles  than  on  any  other  occasion,  and  a  deep  impression  is 
the  seed  of  an  ever-green  memory." 

The  beauty  of  this  last  axiomatic  clause  will  at 
once  strike  the  reader. 

After  alluding  to  the  Commemoration  of  Handel  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  and  the  Festival  in  the  same 
building  in  1834,  he  proceeds  to  the  then  recent  per- 
formance therein,  on  Maunday  Thursday,  of  Bach's 
Matthew  Passion- Music,  which  he  reverts  to  "with 
an  intense  feeling  of  gratitude." 

"  The  '  Passion '  of  Sebastian  Bach  has  no  element  of 


FUTURE    OF   ENGLISH   MUSIC  261 

popular  effect,  makes  no  appeal  to  vulgar  appreciation, 
but  aims  ever  at  the  most  exalted  expression  of  the  purest 
ideas,  and  aims  not  in  vain.  In  that  vast  area,  one  felt  by 
sympathy — and  sympathy's  language  is  the  universal  silent 
speech  that  can  never  be  misinterpreted — that  a  single 
emotion  conjoined  the  thousands  of  hearts  which  beat  there 
as  with  one  pulse,  and  that  all  were  for  the  time  translated 
out  of  their  ordinary  selves  into  a  nobler  state  of  being." 

There  is  much  more  to  the  same  purpose ;  and  the 
paper  concludes  with  an  earnest  peroration  :— 

"  I  believe  in  a  great  future  for  English  Music ;  I  think 
that  the  Church  may  be  its  field ;  and  I  know  that,  except 
the  opportunities  be  greatly  widened  for  oratorio  perfor- 
mances, there  can  be  no  use  for  the  grandest  class  of 
musical  works,  nor  fair  scope  for  the  exercise  of  musical 
genius  in  their  composition.  It  would  be  a  mighty  and  a 
glorious  task  for  those  who  are  to  come,  were  they  to  be 
called  upon  to  supplement  the  repertory  of  masterpieces  to 
which  allusion  has  been  made,  and  to  be  assured  that 
kindred  excellence  to  these  would  be  a  guarantee  for  the 
presentation  of  such  newly  created  works  on  the  occasions 
to  which  they  were  appropriate.  These  works  would  have 
a  preference  over  productions  of  elder  times  in  their  being 
written  in  the  technical  idiom  of  the  age  in  which  they 
were  produced,  and  in  the  expressing  the  feelings  of  that 
age,  and  of  the  generation  to  which  they  were  addressed. 
To  men  who  love  their  art,  to  men  who  love  their  religion, 
to  men  who  love  their  country,  this  should  not  be  a  trifling 
argument ;  let  me  hope  at  least  that  it  may  weigh  with 
others  which  have  been  adduced  in  the  consideration  of 
persons  who  examine  the  important  question  as  to  the 
propriety  of  the  presentation  of  Oratorios  in  Church." 

It  is  impossible,  or  at  all  events  would  be  out  of 
place  here  to  discuss  the  questions,  ecclesiastical, 
religious,  and  other,  which  are  involved  in  the  subject 
of  this  paper.  It  is  here  quoted  copiously  in  order  to 
supplement  the  views  advanced  by  Macfarren  in  his 


262  ROSSINI'S  MESSE   SOLENNELLE. 

Lecture  on  the  Music  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  and 
the  concluding  paragraph  may,  in  some  sense,  sup- 
plement his  views,  elsewhere  presented  in  this  volume, 
as  to  English  Music  generally,  and  its  prospects.  He 
again  urged  his  views  on  the  subject  of  Oratorios  in 
Church,  in  an  article  in  the  "  Musical  Times,"  January, 
1873,  forecasting  the  performance  of  Mendelssohn's 
"  St.  Paul,"  or  a  selection  therefrom,  in  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  on  the  25th  of  that  month. 

Mention  may  appropriately  be  made  here  of  an 
elaborate  criticism  which  Macfarren  wrote,  in  the 
"  Musical  Times,"  of  May  and  June,  1869,  of  Rossini's 
then  recently  published  "  Messe  Solennelle  : "  con- 
cerning which,  among  other  depreciatory  comments, 
he  says  : — 

"  Among  audiences,  they  who  make  the  boarding-school 
distinction  between  singing  and  music,  loving  sound  for 
its  physical  beauty,  rather  than  for  its  intellectual  influ- 
ence, for  its  effect  upon  the  senses  more  than  for  its 
embodiment  of  sense,  will  be  enraptured  with  this  com- 
position, which  is  from  end  to  end  a  course  of  vocalization — 
pure  singing  for  the  sake  of  vocal  display ;  devoid  entirely 
of  the  encumbrance  of  declamation  and  expression ;  inter- 
rupted only  with  such  demonstrations  of  supposed  learning 
as  will  afford  convenient  moments  of  repose  to  the  hearers 
who  may  talk,  during  which,  of  the  exquisite  performance 
of  the  last  solo  piece,  and  think  the  chorus  then  proceeding 
too  profound  for  their  comprehension." 

Reference  has  been  made  to  Macfarren's  incidental 
animadversion  upon  the  Glee, — a  specially  English 
form  of  composition.  More  general  assent  will  be 
given  to  his  animadversion  upon  the  importation  of 
the  Glee  style  into  the  music  of  the  Church.  Perhaps 
it  would  now  be  more  exact  to  characterize  such  im- 


MACFARREN' S    CHURCH  MUSIC,  ETC.     263 

portation  as  the  Part-song  style.  But,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  Macfarren  has  elsewhere  expressed  him- 
self strongly  upon  the  fragmentary  character  of  English 
Glees,  even  those  which  were  at  one  time  in  great 
vogue. 

Although  Macfarren  was  not  a  church-goer,  he 
himself  contributed  not  a  little  to  Church  Music ; 
Services,  Anthems,  Introits  (a  complete  series,  adapted 
to  the  Festivals  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  words 
selected  by  Dr.  E.  G.  Monk) ,  Psalm- tunes,  and  Chants. 
His  Oratorios  will  be  subsequently  spoken  of. 

Indeed,  in  conjunction  with  his  work  as  an  analyst 
and  critic,  his  work  as  a  producer  of  music  continued 
with  little  or  no  intermission.  During  the  period  of 
lecturing  and  article-writing,  dealt  with  in  this  and 
the  preceding  chapters,  Macfarren  produced  not  only, 
as  we  have  seen,  several  dramatic  works,  but  also  the 
Quartet  in  G  minor,  which  was  so  favourably  received 
at  its  first  performance,1  that  it  was  repeated  during 
the  same  season,  "  by  particular  desire."  The  slow 
movement  is  described  by  one  who  has  heard  it  as  "  a 
lovely  little  song."  The  programme  gives  the  subjects 
of  this  movement  as  follows : — 


SECOND  SUBJECT. 


CJAUUHU    DIUMBVT«  ^. 

/».,..! r  j  r  ji  r  t 

tr- 


1  See  p.  197. 


264  DON  CARLOS  AND  FESTIVAL   OVERTURES. 

The  programme  in  which  the  first  performance  forma 
an  item  contains  also  the  above-quoted  remarks  on 
the  Gregorian  modes. 

In  1856,  when  Sterndale  Bennett  was  appointed 
Conductor  of  the  Philharmonic  Society's  Concerts,  he 
expressed  a  wish  that,  at  the  first  performance  directed 
by  him,  a  work  by  his  old  fellow-student  should  be 
played ;  and  Macfarren  selected  an  overture  written 
by  him  some  years  previously,  that  to  Schiller's  "  Don 
Carlos ;  "  which,  indeed,  had  been  tried  by  the  Society 
of  British  Musicians,  under  the  conductorship  of  Mr. 
Walter  Macfarren,  during  the  composer's  absence  in 
America,  and  subsequently  performed  at  one  of  John 
Hullah's  concerts  at  St.  Martin's  Hall,  and  again  at  a 
New  Philharmonic  concert. 

A  "  Festival  Overture"  was  composed  for  and  per- 
formed at  the  Liverpool  Festival,  1874 ;  but,  accord- 
ing to  contemporary  account,  that  performance  was 
not  satisfactory,  the  audience  were  inattentive,  and 
success  consequently  not  great,  although  Macfarren's 
name  was  in  the  ascendant,  as  a  result  of  the  recent 
production  of  "  St.  John  the  Baptist."  The  "  Festival 
Overture  "  was,  however,  repeated,  with  better  success, 
at  one  of  the  Novello  Concerts  at  the  Royal  Albert 
Hall,  under  the  directorship  of  Mr.  Barnby ;  at  one  of 
Mr.  Henry  Leslie's  Concerts  ;  at  a  Royal  Academy 
Concert ;  and  at  a  Concert  by  the  British  Orchestral 
Society,  April  7th,  1875.  One  very  agreeable  subject 
is  as  follows : — 


SYMPHONIES   AND    CONCERTOS. 


265 


— t^r 


rfl- 


>*     i 


At  the  British  Orchestral  Society,  also,  in  1874, 
March  26th,  under  the  conductorship  of  Mr.  George 
Mount,  was  produced  Macfarren's  Symphony  in  E 
minor,  composed  for  the  occasion;  the  sixth  or  seventh 
of  his  Symphonies  ;  which  was  again  performed  by  the 
Philharmonic  Society  in  1879.  A  Symphony  in  D 
was  composed  at  an  earlier  period  for  the  Amateur 
Musical  Society,  conducted  by  Mr.  Henry  Leslie. 
Nor  must  a  Flute  Concerto,  composed  for  Mr.  Rad- 
cliffe,  and  a  Violin  Concerto,  in  G  minor,  composed 
for  Herr  Ludwig  Straus,  be  overlooked :  the  latter 
was  first  played  by  Herr  Straus,  at  a  Philharmonic 
Concert,  May  12th,  1873  ;  and  again,  May  28th,  1877. 

Concerning  the  E  minor  Symphony,  a  critic  wrote  : — 

"  Our  distingxuslied  musician  earns  his  greatest  triumphs 
at  a  period  in  life  when  mental  activity  might  be  considered 
to  be  on  the  wane.  .  .  .  Mr.  Macfarren's  Symphony  is 
ambitious  and  imposing;  it  possesses  undoubted  grandeur, 
both  in  the  original  conception  and  the  method  of  its 
treatment ;  it  is  elaborated,  as  only  a  master  hand  could 
have  worked  it  out,  and  it  possesses  those  abstract 
principles  which  bespeak  the  nature  of  its  ideas  as  not 


266  SYMPHONY   IN  E   MINOR. 

lying  merely  upon  the  surface,  but  penetrating  to  'stilly 
depths '  unfathomable  save  by  the  expert.  .  .  .  There 
is  something  in  the  conception  of  Mr.  Macfarren's  work 
which  is  almost  terrible  in  its  intensity ;  the  opening  phrase, 
like  the  curse  in  '  Bigoletto,'  interrupts  the  serenity  of  the 
lighter  portions,  and  interposes  a  direful  obstacle  which 
nothing  can  surmount.  Throughout  the  Symphony  this 
haunting  phrase  occurs,  like  the  ever-active  sword  of 
Damocles,  '  Swift  to  strike,  if  not  to  kill.'  Any  such 
element  as  '  prettiness '  in  such  a  work  as  this  would  be 
out  of  place  :  the  first  movement  is  restless,  agitated,  and 
mournful;  the  second  (serenade,  andante),  though  melo- 
dious in  character,  cannot  escape  the  influence  of  destiny 
as  embodied  in  the  phrase  to  which  we  have  alluded  ;  the 
third,  Gavotte  :  musette :  Gavotte  da  capo,  with  coda  (in 
place  of  the  usual  scherzo),  is  perhaps  the  lightest  section 
of  a  serious  work ;  but  the  final  allegro  is,  despite  the 
flowing  nature  of  its  themes,  as  sorrowful  and  as  agitated 
as  the  opening  movement.  Taken  all  in  all  the  Symphony 
in  E  minor  represents  the  nature  of  a  '  man  of  sorrow,  and 
acquainted  with  grief  more  than  anything  else;  its  episodes 
are  futile  to  contend  against  the  overwhelming  mournful- 
ness  of  the  subjects,  and  the  Symphony  runs  its  course  in 
an  atmosphere  of  sadness  and  regret.  The  quiet  and 
meditative  beauties  of  various  isolated  portions  we  cannot 
here  deal  with." 

The  Serenade  was  pronounced  by  another  critic  "  a 
charming  song  throughout." 

The  "  direful  obstacle "  theme  of  the  opening 
movement  is : — 


n«      J^'~^ 

/frV^-  t 

If  •     *• 

F==^=^==3 

""  .r 

i  —  i  1  —  1 

P^ 


Among    smaller   works,   of  which    Macfarren  was 
continually  issuing  examples,  may  be  mentioned  two 


ORGAN    COMPOSITIONS,    ETC.  267 

Romances,  not  published  together,  for  Concertina  and 
Pianoforte,  written  for  Mr.  Richard  Blagrove,  about 
1856  and  1859  respectively.  Also  two  songs  with 
Pianoforte  and  Clarinet  (or  Harmonium)  obbligato 
accompaniment.  That  admirable  artist,  Mr.  Henry 
Lazarus,  asked  him  to  write  a  song  with  accompani- 
ment for  his  instrument :  "  A  widow  bird,"  to  words 
by  Shelley,  was  the  result.  But  the  eminent  clari- 
nettist was  not  satisfied  without  a  more  gay  song  to 
follow ;  and  ' '  Pack  clouds  away,"  words  by  Thomas 
Heywood,  followed.  To  this  mention  of  some  of  the 
compositions  of  this  period  must  be  added  two  Sonatas 
for  Pianoforte  and  Violin,  in  A  and  C  respectively ;  one 
being  dedicated  to  his  brother  Walter.  And,  further,  he 
contributed  a  Sonata  for  the  Organ  to  the ' '  Organist's 
Quarterly  Journal  of  Original  Compositions  ;  "  con- 
cerning which  a  critic  wrote  : — 

"  Mr.  Macfarren's  Sonata  is  a  piece  of  some  pretension, 
and  by  no  means  easy  to  play.  We  must  say  that  we 
think  it  a  very  grand  and  striking  composition.  It  is 
surprising  that  the  composer,  who  is  no  performer  himself, 
should  have  so  completely  hit  off  the  character  and  capa- 
bilities of  the  instrument  for  which  he  was  writing.  But 
true  genius  can  accomplish  anything." 

Other  works  written  for  the  Organ  were  a  "  Re- 
ligious March  "  in  E  flat,  with  a  Trio  (or  Alternative) 
in  which  the  Old  Hundredth  is  treated  contrapuntally, 
the  Pedal  part  being  partly  in  Canon  with  the 
Melody  :  an  "  Andante  in  G  :  "  "  Secular  March  "  in 
A  :  and  "  Variations  on  the  tune  '  Windsor/ "  the 
last  variation  being  fugal. 

He  also  lent  his  name  as  editor, — doubtless  doing 
more  than  this,  however, — to  "  The  Mother's  Book 


268    MADRIGALS.     MOZART ]S  REQUIEM,  ETC. 

of  Song :  two-part  Songs  for  little  singers,  on  the 
Kindergarten  School  system.  Music  by  Lady 
Baker." 

Macfarren  himself  published  "  Three  Madrigals  " 
to  the  words  of  Nursery  Rhymes  : — <f  Sing  a  Song  of 
Sixpence  :  "  "  Girls  and  Boys  come  ont  to  play  :  " 
"The  Man  of  Edmonton:"  the  first  having  been 
written  for  Hullah's  "  Part- Music  : "  but  these  were  by 
no  means  for  "Kindergarten/'  or  even  for  juvenile  use. 

And,  ever  interested  in  all  musical  questions,  and 
especially  any  concerning  Mozart,  he  wrote  a  some- 
what detailed  letter  to  Dr.  Pole,  in  connection  with 
that  gentleman's  interesting  and  exhaustive  researches 
about  the  matter,  giving  emphatic  expression  of  his 
opinion  that  the  Requiem  was  entirely  the  composi- 
tion of  Mozart,  though  the  orchestration  indicates 
another  hand  in  some  places ;  giving  this  opinion  on 
intrinsic,  not  extrinsic  evidence. 

In  June,  1859,  the  Council  of  the  Society  of  Arts 
appointed  a  Committee  "  to  consider  the  present  state 
of  musical  pitch  in  England  :  "  the  musical  profession 
being  represented  by  Professor  W.  Sterndale  Bennett, 
Sir  George  Smart,  Benedict,  H.  G.  Blagrove,  Godfrey, 
Otto  Goldschmidt,  Goss,  J.  H.  Griesbach,  Halle, 
Harper,  W.  Hawes,  Hobbs,  E.  J.  Hopkins,  C.  E. 
Horsley,  Hullah,  H.  C.  Lunn,  G.  A.  Macfarren,  Alfred 
Mellon,  A.  Nicholson,  Cipriani  Potter,  J.  Turle,  J. 
R.  Tutton,  and  Waddell,  besides  many  scientific 
authorities,  and  others.  After  the  presentation  of  the 
report  of  this  Committee,  Macfarren  wrote  in  the 
"Choir,"  March  29th,  April  3rd,  and  April  17th, 
1869,  a  short  series  of  articles  on  the  subject,  com- 
mencing : — 


ARTICLES    ON  MUSICAL   PITCH.  269 

"Acuteness  is  brilliancy!  Altitude  is  brightness!! 
There  never  was  a  greater  fallacy  in  the  whole  history  of 
error.  The  heavens  have  forbidden  it  ever  since  the  crea- 
tion, and  have  made  their  protest  manifest  to  man  ever 
since  he  was  inspired  to  calculate  the  distances  and  to 
analyse  the  composition  of  the  stars.  Yet,  while  astro- 
nomers and  other  men  of  science  reverentially  profess  the 
opposite  conviction,  it  is  possible,  strangely  possible,  and 
not  only  possible,  but  true,  that  some  musicians  assert  the 
mistake  and  maintain  it  as  steadfastly  as  if  it  were  G-ospel. 
Unhappily,  some  of  them  stand  in  high  and  authoritative 
places,  and  have  thus  the  power  of  enforcing  their  false 
creed,  to  the  destruction  of  voices,  to  the  deterioration  of 
instruments,  and  to  the  injury  of  music.  Hence  the  pre- 
sent superioiity  of  the  musical  pitch  of  England  over  that 
of  all  other  countries — most  inferior  superiority,  when 
sound  is  higher  than  sense,  and  intonation  is  higher  than 
reason. 

"  The  analogy  is  perfect  between  sound  and  light  in 
respect  to  quality,  and  nothing  but  quality  being  the 
cause  of  its  more  or  less  brightness  of  character.  This 
same  quality  results  wholly  from  the  peculiar  constitution 
of  the  sound-giving  or  light-giving  body.  Thus  it  is  not 
the  proximity  or  remoteness  of  the  orbs  of  heaven,  not 
even  their  relative  magnitude,  that  induces  the  greater  or 
less  intensity  of  their  light,  which  is  entirely  a  consequence 
of  the  proportions  and  combinations  of  their  chemical  ele- 
ments. Thus  also,  it  is  not  the  acuteness  or  gravity  of  a 
musical  sound,  nor  even  its  loudness  or  softness,  that  in- 
duces the  greater  or  less  brilliancy  of  tone,  which  in  like 
manner  is  entirely  a  consequence  of  the  peculiar  structure 
of  the  natural  or  artificial  organ  by  which  it  is  produced. 
Every  one  knows  that  the  tone  of  a  Straduarius  violin  is 
more  brilliant  and  that  of  an  Amati  sweeter  than  the 
other ;  that  the  tone  of  an  oboe  is  more  piercing  than  that 
of  a  clarionet;  that  the  tone  of  a  trumpet,  when  played 
pianissimo,  is  brighter  than  that  of  a  flute  ;  etc." 

The  whole  matter  is  then  cogently  argued,  with 
regard  to  instruments  and  voices. 


270  GREEK   MELODIES. 

For  the  first  volume  of  the  late  Mr.  W.  Chappell's 
"  History  of  Music,"  Macfarren  harmonized  two 
Greek  melodies,  with  reference  to  which  the  "  Musical 
World/'  August  22nd,  1874,  remarked  :— 

"  To  the  question  whether  the  Greeks  were  acquainted 
with  harmony,  Mr.  Chappell  answers  positively  in  the 
affirmative ;  while  to  Dr.  Burney's  assertion  that  such 
Greek  melodies  as  have  come  down  to  us  cannot  be  har- 
monized, he  replies  by  handing  the  said  melodies  to  Mr. 
G.  A.  Macfarren,  who  forthwith  harmonizes  them." 

The  "  Musical  Times,"  October,  1874,  said : 

"  It  may,  however,  be   fairly   questioned   whether  the 

result   is   Greek  Music By   making  such  tunes 

form  part  of  a  modern  tissue  of  harmonies,  they  become 
an  essentially  modern  piece  of  music." 

Some  idea  may  be  formed,  even  from  the  record 
given  in  this  chapter,  of  the  intense,  unwearied  and 
diversified  activity  of  Macfarren' s  mind,  always  clear 
and  thorough,  whatever  the  subject  of  its  energies. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

MACPAEEEN  AND  THE  TONIC  SOL-FA  SYSTEM.  His 
OPENNESS  TO  CONVICTION.  His  UTTERANCES 
CONCERNING  BACH.  BIOGRAPHIES.  ADDITIONAL 
ACCOMPANIMENTS.  1857-1882. 

A  NOTE  WORTHY  chapter  in  Macfarren's  attitude, 
opinions  and  utterances,  is  that  concerning  the 
Tonic  Sol- Fa  method  of  teaching  music  (especially 
singing),  with  its  special  nomenclature  and  notation, 
together  with  the  theory  of  music  and  tonality  upon 
which  it  is  founded.  That  his  antagonism  thereto 
was  entirely  conscientious,  against  his  personal 
feelings,  but  in  the  interests  of  truth  as  he  conceived 
it,"  cannot  be  questioned;  inasmuch  as,  judging  by 
results, — surely  no  mean  test — he,  in  the  first  instance, 
gave  a  favourable  verdict  respecting  the  system ;  and, 
all  along,  he  was  on  most  friendly  terms  with  its  pro- 
moters, Rev.  John  Curwen  and  his  son,  Mr.  J.  Spen- 
cer Curwen,  the  latter  of  whom  studied  with  the  Pro- 
fessor at  the  Academy,  and  was,  most  deservedly, 
held  in  high  esteem  by  him.  That  Macfarren  should, 
like  many  professors,  oppose  any  system  which,  using 
new  terms  and  adopting  new  methods,  seemed  to  re- 
flect on  the  established  notation,  and  to  delay,  instead 
of  facilitating,  its  acquisition,  was  not  surprising. 
Such  opposition  has  been  encountered  by  all  reforms, 


272  TONIC   SOL-FA. 


alleged  or  fallacious,  when  first  advanced :  whether 
from  inertness  or  from  prejudice.  But  Macfarren's 
opposition  was  distinctly  theoretical,  which  was,  to 
some,  all  the  more  surprising,  as  it  seemed  to  many 
of  the  advocates  of  Tonic  Sol-Fa  that  it  had  a  theo- 
retical basis  very  much  in  agreement  with  the  views 
of  tonality  espoused  by  Macfarren  himself;  and  that 
he  might  rather  have  been  expected  to  give  it  his 
consistent  support.  But  I  have  heard  him  say — not, 
as  it  seemed  to  me,  with  his  usual  acuteness — "  Tonic 
Sol- Fa  is  a  singular  misnomer  for  the  system,  inasmuch 
as  the  Tonic  is  movable  :  and  instead  of  Sol  they  say 
Soh,  and  Fah  instead  of  Fa."  If  this  utterance  were 
to  be  taken  as  the  almost  epigrammatic  summing  up 
of  the  objections  to  the  system,  its  designation,  or 
its  nomenclature,  the  matter  might  well  be  left  un- 
noticed :  so  little  force  does  there  seem  in  such  a  pre- 
sentation of  the  case.  But  it  was  not  so  :  Macfarren 
objected  on  harmonic  grounds.  In  a  letter  to  the 
Rev.  John  Curwen,  dated  October  25th,  1868,  the 
following  remarks  occur  : — 

"I  earnestly  wish all  possible  success  to  any 

system  that  may  extend  the  practical  knowledge  of  music. 

"  I  wish  I  could  communicate  to  you  my  conviction  of 
the  identity  of  the  key  of  C  in  its  major  and  minor  forms; 
and  of  its  total  distinction  from  the  key  of  E  flat,  for 
which  I  will  offer  you  some  new  arguments  when  you 
come.  I  am  certain  that  this  modification  of  your  system 
would  immensely  augment  its  usefulness  by  facilitating 
the  perception  of  true  tone  relationship.  Remember  that 
F  flat,  G-  flat,  and  C  flat,  which  are  peculiar  to  the  key  of 
E  flat,  can  have  no  existence  in  the  key  of  C  ;  while  E,  F 
sharp,  and  B,  are  totally  foreign  to  the  key  of  E  flat.  Be- 
sides which,  the  temperament  is  different  of  every  chord  in 
the  two  keys." 


TONIC   SOL-FA.  273 


It  would  be  beyond  our  province  to  expound  the 
acoustical  principles  here  referred  to,  or  to  uphold  or 
combat  the  inferences  therefrom  deduced. 

His  first  acquaintance  with  the  practical  results  of 
the  system  appears  to  have  been  made  at  a  Concert  by 
the  Paris  Prize  Choir,  July  26th,  1867,  when  his  own 
Part- Song,  "  Harvest  Home,"  was  sung,  and,  by  its 
admirable  rendering,  aroused  such  enthusiastic  ap- 
plause that  Macfarren  was  compelled  to  address  the 
company,  and  delivered  the  following  characteristic 
speech,  which,  dealing  with  other  matters  than  the 
merits  of  the  system,  is  here  given  in  extenso  : — 

"  Pray  allow  me  to  thank  you  for  the  very  high  gratifica- 
tion you  have  given  me  in  this  most  flattering  performance 
of  one  of  my  songs.  Allow  me  to  offer  my  congratulations 
on  the  success  of  the  choir  on  another  ground.  It  has  long 
been  the  custom  to  ignore  abroad  and  at  home  the  musical 
capacities  of  the  English  people.  I  am  very  proud  to  find 
that  our  musicality  has  been  so  ably  vindicated,  and  that 
not  by  practised  artists  of  great  repute,  but  by  members  of 
the  community  at  large,  who  have  not  shown  mere  indi- 
vidual talent,  but  the  general  talent  of  the  English  people. 
I  feel  sure  that  the  singing  to-night  must  have  satisfied 
everybody  of  English  capability.  It  is,  of  course,  very  grati- 
fying to  me  that  one  of  the  pieces  selected  by  the  choir  in 
the  recent  competition  was  one  of  my  own ;  but  while  I  have 
a  personal  pride  in  this,  it  is  also  with  national  pride  that 
I  congratulate  them  upon  their  success.  I  feel  certain  that, 
whatever  the  merits  of  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  system — and  until 
to-night  I  have  had  no  opportunity  of  judging — a  system 
which  can  produce  such  good  results  must  be  a  good 
system." 

And  in  the  "  Cornhill  Magazine  "  for  September  of 
the  following  year,  1868,1  he  wrote  as  follows : — 

1  See  pp.  137-144. 

T 


274  TONIC   SOL-FA. 


"One  more  institution  demands  mention  because  it  begins 
to  command  a  very  wide  respect.  This  is  the  Tonic  Sol-fa 
Association,  which,  however  peculiar  its  instructional  means, 
has  manifestly  the  effect  of  disseminating  musical  know- 
ledge among  the  masses — an  effect  mainly  due  to  the  zealous 
activity  of  its  leaders.  Let  me  adduce,  with  thankful  plea- 
sure, a  fact  that  is  more  than  a  year  old  in  evidence  of  the 
useful  working  of  these  friends  of  art.  At  a  multitudinous 
assembly  of  the  disciples  of  this  singular  system,  a  piece  of 
music  which  had  been  composed  for  the  occasion,  and  had 
not  until  then  been  seen  by  any  human  eyes  save  those  of 
the  writer  and  the  printers,  was  handed  forth  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  chorus  there  present,  and  then,  before  an  audience 
furnished  at  the  same  time  with  copies  to  test  the  accuracy 
of  the  performance,  forty-five  hundred  singers  sang  it  at 
first  sight  in  a  manner  to  fulfil  the  highest  requirements  of 
the  severest  judges." 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  however,  and  the  fact  that 
an  Anthem  composed  by  Macfarren  himself  as  a  sight- 
test  was  sung  satisfactorily, — though  three  Anthems 
had  to  be  written  before  one  was  easy  enough  for  the 
immediate  purpose, — he  ultimately  assumed  an  atti- 
tude of  determined  hostility  to  the  system,  so  much  so 
that,  in  March,  1882,  he  addressed  the  following  letter 
to  the  Right  Hon.  A.  J.  Mundella,  M.P.,  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  Council,  with  reference  to  the  proposal  to 
recognize  the  system  : — 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  X.W. 
"  SIB, 

"  I  am  told  it  is  contemplated  by  the  Council  of  Educa- 
tion to  authorize  the  use  of  the  so-called  Tonic  Sol-fa  System 
of  musical  notation  in  elementary  schools  throughout  the 
country ;  and  as  I  think  strongly  on  this  subject,  I  trust 
you  will  allow  me  to  offer  my  carefully -formed  opinion  for 
your  consideration.  I  think  the  system  to  be  bad,  because 
it  hinders  the  acquisition  of  a  sense  of  pitch,  which  is  a 
most  valuable  quality  for  musicians ;  because  it  confounds 


TONIC   SOL-FA.  275 


the  characteristics  of  keys,  which  have  distinctly  different 
harmonic  derivation ;  and  because  many  of  its  signs  are  so 
vague  that  persons  familiar  with  the  system  often  mistake 
them.  I  think  it  to  be  inconvenient,  because  it  can  only 
apply  to  music  up  to  a  very  definite  limit;  because  persons 
who  have  learnt  from  this  system  have  greater  difficulty  to 
acquire  the  ordinary  technicalities  of  music  than  those  who 
begin  to  study  the  art  from  the  standard  notation ;  and  be- 
cause persons  who  read  only  from  this  system  are  unable 
to  participate  in  musical  performances  with  those  who  read 
from  the  usual  alphabet.  I  think  the  adoption  of  the 
system  unjust,  since  imposing  on  the  poor  an  expenditure 
of  time  and  money  which  they  can  never  turn  to  any  practical 
account,  and  placing  them  at  a  disadvantage  with  the  rich, 
who  are  able  to  read  musical  publications  of  all  countries, 
whereas  the  use  of  this  exceptional  notation  is  confined  to 
a  sect  in  England  and  some  of  its  colonies  alone. 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir, 

"  Faithfully  yours, 

"  Gr.  A.  MACFAEEEN." 

It  is  only  fair  to  record — and  Macfarren  would  have 
cheerfully  accorded  such  fairness — that  these  objections 
were  met  by  the  counterpleas  that,  not  only  would  "the 
vast  majority  of  those  who  have  been  reached  by  the 
Tonic  Sol-fa  System  have  had  no  instruction  at  all  but 
for  the  efforts  of  its  missionaries/'  but  that  "  the  ear- 
training,  which  is  so  distinctive  a  feature  of  Tonic  Sol- 
fa  teaching,  must  and  does  sharpen  the  perception  of 
absolute  pitch  when  attention  is  particularly  directed 
to  it ;  "  that  Macfarren  himself  had  testified  to  the  ad- 
mirable success  in  reading  and  singing  at  sight  by 
Tonic  Sol-faists  in  his  "  Cornhill  Magazine  "  article  ; 
that  such  authority  as  that  of  Mr.  Sedley  Taylor,  member 
of  the  Board  of  Musical  Studies  in  Cambridge  Univer- 
sity was  to  be  quoted  on  the  opposite  side,  and  so  on. 
This  is  not  the  place  to  pursue  the  controversy,  espe- 


276  TONIC  SOL-FA. 


eially  as  the  opposition  to  the  system  is  no  longer  so 
formidable.  Mr.  A.  J.  Ellis,  F.R.S.,  translator  of 
Helmholtz's  "  Sensations  of  Tone/'  wrote : — 

"  Professor  Macfarren  has  deserved  so  well  of  music 
that  everyone  must  regret  his  having  placed  himself  in 
such  pronounced  antagonism  to  a  method  of  teaching  which 
has  done  and  is  doing  so  much  to  diffuse  a  practical  know- 
ledge of  the  art  of  singing,  and  a  more  than  merely  ele- 
mentary scientific  knowledge  of  music  among  classes  who 

were  never  reached  by  any  other  method The  glory 

of  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  method  is  that  it  does  its  utmost  to 
give  the  sense  of  relative  pitch,  which,  with  due  deference 
to  Professor  Macfarren,  I  consider  a  much  more  "  valuable 
quality  for  musicians"  than  a  sense  of  absolute  pitch,  which 
can  only  exist  in  relation  to  a  tempered  scale,  etc.  ...  I 
submit  that  the  first  assertion  of  Professor  Macfarren  falls 
to  the  ground." 

And  by  the  same  writer,  and  others,  not  specially 
identified  with  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  movement,  the  other 
contentions  were  rebutted.  The  following  remarks 
appeared  in  the  "Tonic  Sol-fa  Reporter/'  January, 
1888,  and  are  interesting  in  other  ways  than  as  re- 
ferring to  the  controversy  : — 

"  What  was  the  reason  for  Macfarren's  hostility  to  the 
Tonic  Sol-fa  system  ?  In  his  harmonic  thought  he  was  a 
strong  Tonicist,  if  we  may  coin  a  word.  He  stood  alone 
among  harmony  teachers  in  requiring  pupils  to  mark  the 
roots  of  all  the  chords  they  wrote  in  two-part  harmony. 
His  system  of  chord  derivation  is  based  on  key ;  he  con- 
sidered the  whence  and  where  of  a  combination,  not  merely 
its  intervals.  We  have  heard  him  speak  of  figured  bass 
as  an  '  exploded  fallacy ' ;  he  was  constantly  falling  foul  of 
it  in  his  teaching,  because  of  its  tendency  to  mislead 
pupils.  Yet  he  never  adopted  any  other  system,  even 
though  his  friend  Day  had  left  a  tonic  nomenclature  of 


TONIC   SOL-FA.  277 


chords  ready  to  his  hand.  For  the  reform  of  that  bundle 
of  inconsistencies,  an  orchestral  score,  he  cared  not  at  all. 
We  have  heard  him  laugh  over  the  curious  usage  by  which 
the  horns,  when  they  pass  down  into  the  bass  clef,  are 
written  an  octave  lower  than  they  are  when  in  the  treble 
clef.  But,  he  added,  '  these  absurdities  are  for  us  to 
accept ;  we  cannot  mend  them.'  Thus  he  was,  in  music, 
an  ultra-conservative,  and  towards  our  notation  he  observed 
the  same  attitude.  Having  once  examined  some  Tonic 
Sol-fa  papers  in  which  the  candidates  had  in  their  hurry 
omitted  a  few  octave  marks,  he  formed  the  impression 
that  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  notation  was  inaccurate  and  uncer- 
tain, an  impression  that  he  repeated  in  speech  and  in  print 
ever  after.  One  would  fancy  that  a  sightless  man  would 
be  indifferent  to  notation.  On  the  contrary,  as  his  pupils 
so  well  know,  notation  was  Macfarren's  hobby.  Whenever, 
in  playing  over  an  exercise  or  composition,  they  came  to  a 
chromatic  note  that  was  susceptible  of  two  interpretations, 
he  would  stop  and  ask  how  they  had  written  it,  and  express 
great  satisfaction  if  the  notation  fitted  in  with  his  theory 
of  harmonics. 

The  reason  why  Macfarren  so  often  declared  his  opinions 
against  Tonic  Sol-fa,  was  that  he  was  so  strongly  con 
scientious.  Personally,  he  was  a  most  tender-hearted 
man ;  he  answered  everybody  who  wrote  to  him  ;  and  was 
the  most  graceful  maker  of  compliments  that  ever  existed. 
But  he  had  a  most  exalted  sense  of  duty,  and  could  not 
even  be  silent  about  what  he  considered  error.  With  all 
his  objections  to  Tonic  Sol-fa,  he  was  careful  to  be  just, 
and  he  wrote  in  1884  to  the  Burslem  Tonic  Sol-fa  Choir 
that  their  singing  was  the  best  of  any  heard  during  the 
Eisteddfod  week.  In  almost  every  letter  he  addressed  to 
the  present  writer  he  took  occasion,  when  the  immediate 
purpose  of  the  letter  was  fulfilled,  (1)  to  reiterate  his 
views  against  Tonic  Sol-fa,  and  (2)  to  add  that  these 
views  made  not  the  slightest  difference  to  the  regard 
and  esteem  which — etc.,  etc.  Such  a  man  was  naturally 
very  lovable,  and  the  world  is  richer  for  his  sterling 
worth." 

In  confirmation  of  the  allusions  at  the  close  of  the 


278  LETTERS  TO   MR.    CURWEN. 

above  article,  these  two  letters  to  Mr.  J.  S.  Curwen 
are  very  pleasant  to  read  : — 

"  7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 

"May  9th,  1882. 
"  MY  DEAE  CTTRWEN, 

"I  am  told  by  Mr.  Wrigley  of  your  forbearing  allusion, 
at  Manchester,  to  my  letter.  Regard  for  your  father  and 
yourself,  and  respect  for  the  zealous  work  of  your  colleagues, 
makes  me  regret  that  I  cannot  approve  your  system ;  but 
while  obliged  to  oppose  it,  I  must  feel  personal  esteem  for 
yourself,  and  I  am  indeed  gratified  to  find,  as  I  have 
always  believed,  that  you  entertain  like  sentiments  for  me. 
"  Yours  with  friendly  regards, 

"  Gr.  A.  MACFARREN." 

"  October,  1885. 

"  MY  DEAR  CURWEN, 

"  I  accept  with  pleasure  the  kind  offer  of  your  dedica- 
tion, because  the  offer  and  its  acceptance  will  testify  to 
the  world  that  though,  from  a  sense  of  duty,  I  must 
occasionally  appear  as  your  opponent,  I  entertain  a  high 
personal  regard  for  you  which  you  do  not  reject.  I  shall 
be  most  interested  in  your  new  book  when  it  appears." 

Of  "  gracefully  made  compliments "  may  be  in- 
stanced the  expression,  in  a  congratulatory  marriage 
letter,  written,  unavoidably,  after  the  "  honeymoon," 
of  the  wish  that  "though  the  moon  was  over,  the 
honey  might  remain  !  " 

On  another  subject,  of  vast  musical  interest,  Mac- 
farren  has  been  charged  with  a  change  of  opinion ;  no 
necessary  discredit  to  any  man.  It  has  been  sagaci- 
ously said  that  no  man  need  be  ashamed  to  own  that 
he  has  been  in  the  wrong ;  it  is  simply  to  say  that  he 
is  wiser  to-day  than  he  was  yesterday.  And  Mac- 
farren  had  no  stupid  reserve  in  this  matter ;  his  was 
a  constantly  growing  mind,  accumulating  knowledge, 


MACFAREEN  ON  BACH.  279 

enlarging  its  scope  and  comprehension.  And  the 
subject  now  referred  to,  and  his  progressive,  rather 
than  contradictory,  attitudes  towards  it,  furnish  a 
signal  instance  of  this  openness  to  conviction.  It  is 
the  music  of  Johann  Sebastian  Bach.  At  one  time 
Macfarren  seems  to  have  been  but  little  in  advance  of 
other  untravelled  English  Musicians  in  acquaintance 
with,  and  consequent  estimate  of,  the  music  of  the 
matchless  old  Cantor.  When  the  first  volume  of  the 
Leipsic  Bach  Society  reached  this  country,  in  1853, 
he  wrote  a  series  of  articles  concerning  it,  in  the 
"  Musical  World,"  commencing,  "  Bach  is  at  present 
a  mystery  in  England."  And  then,  after  alluding  to 
"  the  forty-eight  Preludes  and  Fugues,  the  '  Art  of 
Fugue/  and  a  few  of  the  Pedal  Fugues,"  as  "the 
emulation  of  organists  and  the  wonder  of  harmonists," 
and  referring  to  the  very  few  other  works  by  the 
Master  that  were  then  known  in  England,  he  con- 
tinues:— 

"  Beyond  this,  we  know  that  Mendelssohn  reverenced 
him  ;  that  all  the  world  acknowledges  his  excellence, — it  is 
not  so  certain  that  all  the  world  understands  what  all  the 
world  acknowledges; — that  he  is  said  to  have  written 
much  more  than  any  one  ever  heard ;  that  his  music  is 
remarkable  for  the  profoundity  of  its  contrapuntal  elabor- 
ation, for  the  ceaselessness  of  its  continuity,  for  the  strict- 
ness of  its  part-writing,  for  the  occasional  most  modern 
and  wonderfully  beautiful  application  of  some  of  the  ex- 
tremest  chromatic  harmonies,  for  the  intolerable  harshness 
of  some  of  its  progressions  of  passing  notes,  for  the 
frequency  of  its  false  relations,  for  the  absence  of  rhythm, 
and  for  the  abundant,  employment  of  the  ancient  Corales, 
or  hymn  tunes,  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  as  themes  for  the 
various  exercise  of  his  powers;  that  the  founder  of  his 
house  was  a  Hungarian  miller  and  baker ;  that  he  com- 


280  BACH'S   CHURCH   CANTATAS. 

menced  the  study  of  his  art  at  seven  years  of  age ;  that  he 
defeated  Marchand,  a  celebrated  organist,  in  a  trial  upon 
their  instruments ;  that  Frederic  the  Great  dismissed  a 
court  to  receive  the  first  visit  of  the  notable  contrapuntist 
at  Potsdam,  wrote  him  the  subject  for  a  Fugue,  which  he 
improvised ;  that  he  wrote  a  Fugue  upon  the  four  letters 
of  his  own  name ;  and  that  he  had  twenty  children,  sons 
and  daughters.  Knowing  all  this,  we  must  still  admit 
that  Bach  is  at  present  a  mystery  in  England — a  mystery 
which  the  publications  of  the  Bach  Society  in  Leipsic  will 
enable  us  to  solve,"  etc. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remind  the  reader  of  the 
date  at  which  the  above  remarks  were  written,  and 
of  the  vast  change  which  these  thirty- seven  years  have 
wrought,  by  the  progressive  "  solution"  of  the 
"  mystery."  The  first  volume  of  the  Society's  publi- 
cations contained  ten  Church  Cantatas.  After  re- 
marks upon  the  obsolete  instruments  comprised  in 
the  scores,  and  the  impracticability  of  much  that  is 
allotted  to  certain  instruments  and  voices,  as  well  as 
the  "  somewhat  extraordinary  arrangement  of  instru- 
ments " ;  Macfarren  proceeds  (speaking  of  the  first 
Cantata,  for  Annunciation  Day,  on  Corale  "  Wie 
schon  leuchtet  der  Morgenstern  ") : — 

"  It  is  a  conspicuous  characteristic  of  this  work,  in  com- 
mon with  much  of  the  music  for  full  orchestra  of  Handel, 
that,  both  as  regards  counterpoint  and  instrumentation, 
....  each  of  the  parts  appears  to  be  written  rather  with 
a  design  to  make  it  independently  and  individually  inter- 
esting, than  with  a  comprehensive  view  to  the  general 
effect ;  thus,  we  have  some  of  the  most  irregular  and  other- 
wise unaccountable  progressions  between  two  or  more  of 
the  parts,  ....  [instance  given]  ....  and  an  utter  dis- 
regard of  clearness,  which  modern  experience  regards  as 
the  highest  quality  in  orchestral  writing ;  but  we  have  not, 
in  common  with  Handel,  the  immensely  broad,  the  truly 


BACH'S    CHURCH  CANTATAS.  281 

colossal  ideas  which  manifest  themselves  through  all  the 
entanglement  of  pedantic  and  useless  elaboration,  and 
which  make  the  name  of  the  great  author  of  the  '  Messiah' 
a  synonym  for  sublimity ;  nor  those  occasional  extremely 
judicious  dispositions  of  the  parts  which  anticipate  the 
utmost  that  has  been  attained  in  modern  times.  One 
might  suppose  that  the  habit  in  composition  of  the  period 
when  this  music  was  produced,  must  have  been  to  form 
some  general  but  not  very  definite  purpose  as  to  a  pro- 
gression of  harmony,  and  then  to  write  all  the  several 
parts,  each  without  especial  reference  to  the  others,  the 
whole  process  being  more  or  less  analogous  to  the  system 
of  Gothic  architecture,  in  which  every  particular  detail  is 
the  subject  of  especial  design.  In  the  case  of  Handel,  the 
analogy  may  be  continued  to  the  massive  grandeur  of  the 
general  effect ;  in  the  case  of  Bach,  I  greatly  question  if 
this  would  be  realized. 

Throughout  the  present  work,  there  is  more  aim  at  ex- 
pression than  in  anything  else  of  the  author,  with  which 
I  have  been  previously  acquainted.  There  is  also  an 
obviously  recognizable  form  in  each  of  the  movements, 
although  this  is  for  the  most  part  somewhat  monotonous, 
and  there  is,  especially  in  the  Arias,  a  decided,  definite, 
rhythmical  phraseology.  The  art  of  imitation,  I  mean  the 
responsive  taking  up  of  some  particular  point  from  part  to 
part  of  the  score,  is  so  evidently  familiar,  so  obviously 
natural  to  the  composer,  that  he  plays  at  elaboration  like 
a  game,  and  treats  the  most  complicate  artifices  of  the 
musician's  repertory  as  toys  invented  but  to  be  trifled  with. 
The  power  of  continuity  also,  the  most  difficult  and  the 
most  estimable  attainment  of  the  practised  artist,  is  mani- 
fested throughout  with  the  most  effortless  and  natural 
fluency.  Upon  the  whole,  the  work  may  be  candidly  con- 
sidered as  a  model  to  the  student  of  what  to  avoid,  while 
the  accomplished  musician  may  learn  from  it  more  that 
will  enrich  his  utmost  acquirements,  and  enable  him  to 
embellish  his  best  ideas,  than  will  ten  times  repay  him  for 
the  careful  study  of  the  score, — I  say  careful  study,  be- 
cause I  am  certain  that  except  the  utmost  care  be 
exerted  to  discern  between  the  good  and  the  evil,  and 
some  considerable  knowledge  brought  to  bear,  to  direct 


282  BACH'S    CHURCH   CANTATAS. 

this  discernment,  the  result  of  a  perusal  of  such  a  com- 
position, influenced  by  such  a  reverence  for  the  author  as 
would  induce,  and  therefore  accompany  it,  the  result  of 
such  a  perusal  would  be  most  unquestionable." 

In  these  more  recent  days  of  a  certain  dilettante 
Bach-worship,  such  criticism  as  this,  coming  from 
Macfarren,  may  awaken  surprise.  Again,  let  it  be 
remembered  that  even  this  criticism  was  at  that  time 
in  advance  of  the  prevailing  appreciation  of  Bach  in 
this  country ;  and,  in  addition,  that  even  Macfarren 
himself  seems  to  have  extended  his  acceptance,  as  he 
enlarged  his  acquaintance  with  Bach's  works  of  the 
kind,  in  the  course  of  time ;  and,  to  some  extent,  to 
have  modified  his  impressions,  although  the  dis- 
crimination evinced  in  this  courageous  animadversion 
was  never  laid  aside.  In  further  remarks  upon  the 
first  movement  of  this  Cantata,  he  continues: — 

"  The  chief  objection  to  it, — I  feel  the  delicate  ground 
upon  which  I  tread,  in  stating  objections  to  the  work  of 
one  who  is  universally,  most  zealously  (it  may  be  in  some 
cases  blindly)  reverenced,  but  I  will  have  the  one  great 
merit  of  sincerity,  whatever  be  the  deficiency  of  these 
remarks,  and  I  can  have  no  such  veneration  for  the  re- 
verence of  others  as  to  make  me  disguise  my  true  opinion 
of  the  object  of  their  reverence, — the  chief  objection  to 
this  movement  is  the  intolerable  harshness  of  many  of  the 
progressions  produced  by  a  particular  system  of  passing 
notes,  which  Beethoven  has  adopted  in  some  of  his  last 
works  (for  example,  in  the  first  movement  of  the  grand 
Quartet  in  B  flat),  but  which  even  the  emulation,  the 
strongest  approval  of  such  a  master,  cannot  justify.  No, 
until  it  can  be  maintained  that  consecutive  fourths,  and 
consecutive  sevenths,  and  consecutive  seconds  in  the  same 
parts  are  euphonious  and  agreeable,  nor  Bach,  nor  Beetho- 
ven, nor  the  reverence  of  all  the  world,  shall  induce  me  to 
admit  that  they  are  allowable  in  harmony,  or  make  me 


BACH'S   CHURCH   CANTATAS.  283 

admire  the  passages  in  which  they  occur.  As  for  such 
obscurity  as  is  produced  by  one  instrument  playing  the 
scale  of  F  major,  while  another  plays  the  scale  of  D  minor,1 
or  such  confusion  as  is  created  by  passages  of  passing  notes 
being  accompanied  by  passages  in  arpeggio  in  the  same 
measure,  these  are  faults  that  have  come  down  to  the 
writers  of  our  own  day,  not,  I  believe,  because  they  are  not 
considered  to  be  faults,  but  because  of  the  occasional 
difficulty  of  avoiding  them ; — it  is  much,  very  much  to  be 
regretted,  that  those  who  judge  by  precedent  and  not  by 
principle,  should  have  such  a  precedent  as  Bach  for  such 
derelictions." 

The  series  of  articles  concludes  : — 

"  The  publications  of  the  Bach  Society  in  Leipsic  are  an 
interesting,  perhaps  a  valuable  study  for  the  accomplished 
musician,  but  a  most  dangerous  one  for  the  reverential 
student." 

After  his  animadversions  on  the  "  rules  broken/' 
"principles  violated/'  and  "intolerable  things  in- 
troduced "  in  the  volume,  it  is  curious  to  recall,  as  I 
do,  the  remark  once  made  to  me  by  a  musician,  that 
he  knew  of  no  composer  who  had  written  more  ugly 
music  than  Macfarren  himself;  and  it  was  not  un- 
frequently  referred  to  his  "principles"  in  harmony 
that  he  had  done  so.  See,  also,  the  remarks  quoted 
from  the  "  Athenaeum,"  p.  197. 

Shortly  before  the  appearance  of  these  articles, 
when  those  who  were  responsible  in  the  matter  of  the 
publication  of  the  posthumous  compositions  of  Men- 
delssohn were  generally  thought  to  be  too  reticent, 
Macfarren  wrote  a  strong  article  on  the  subject  in  the 
"  Musical  World/'  concluding  : — 

1  See  p.  224. 


284  BACH'S  PASSION-MUSIC. 

"  I  call  upon  the  parties,  be  they  whom  they  may,  that 
hold  this  trust,  in  the  name  of  the  musical  public  of 
England,  to  leave  the  music  of  Bach — which  will  not 
become  any  older  or  more  obsolete  for  remaining  a  few 
years  longer  in  obscurity, —  ....  and  to  give  us,  incon- 
tinent, all  that  they  possess  of  what  we  at  least  esteem 
treasure  above  price,"  etc. 

As  time  went  on,  however,  more  and  more  of  Bach's 
music  was  introduced  to  this  country  (even  as  much 
was  unearthed  in  Germany) ;  mainly  through  the 
labours  of  Sterndale  Bennett,  who  founded  the  Bach 
Society  here,  which  did  much  useful  work,  and  then 
was  dissolved.  The  Motets,  the  Matthew  "  Passion- 
Music,"  and  other  works,  were  performed  and  pub- 
lished :  it  became  the  fashion  to  accept  Bach's  Music. 
Macfarren  had  the  same  opportunities  as  others  of 
enlarging  his  acquaintance  with,  and  of  revising,  if 
not  recanting,  his  expressed  opinions.  Always  open 
to  conviction,  always  ready  to  learn,  and  eager  to 
become  acquainted  with  fine  music,  he,  in  no  dilettante 
spirit,  but  from  artistic  receptiveness,  made  himself 
intimate  with  these — so  to  speak — "  new  "  works,  as 
they  were  brought  forward,  and,  one  who  knew  him 
well  has  said  to  me, — "like  the  good,  honest  fellow  that 
he  was/'  was  not  tardy  in  rendering  all  homage,  as  he 
became,  with  increasing  intelligence,  acquainted  with 
the  discovered  treasures.  In  February,  1870,  in  the 
"  Musical  Times,"  he  wrote  a  series  of  articles  on  the 
Matthew  t(  Passion-Music,"  in  which  he  avows  : — 

"It  is  strange,  even  to  wonderful,  that  the  matchless 
productions  of  the  greatest  master  of  counterpoint  should 
have  remained  a  secret  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  and  the 
locality  of  his  activity,  for  as  long  again  as  the  whole  term 
of  his  life,  after  death  had  closed  his  labours It  is 


BACH'S  PASSION-MUSIC.  285 

less  remarkable  that  the  fame,  the  works,  nay,  the  name 
of  Bach,  reached  not  this  country.  So  little  did  English- 
men guess  at  the  radiance  which  would  beam  from  the 
countenance  of  the  then  '  veiled  prophet/  that  the  pon- 
derous Burney,  who  devoted  four  massive  volumes  to 
general  musical  history,  and  one  to  his  researches  in  Ger- 
many, Burney,  who  was  personally  familiar  with  Carl 
Phillip  Emanuel,  the  most  fortunate  son  of  Bach,  dismissed 
the  man,  the  musician,  the  master,  whose  now  acknow- 
ledged greatness  is  the  glory  of  art  and  of  mankind,  in  a 
single  paragraph  ;  and  this  may  be  regarded  as  evidence 
of  how  little  people  here  knew,  how  little  people  here  cared, 
about  Bach  and  his  works  at  the  close  of  the  last  century. 
....  Bach  was  assumed  to  be  a  profound  scholar,  and  his 
works  within  reach  were  regarded  as  scholastic  exercises, 
while  the  character,  the  variety,  and  above  all,  the  wondrous 
expression  that  specially  distinguish  them,  were  to  the 
generality,  scarcely  more  than  to  the  student,  impercep- 
tible. He  was  supposed,  and  commonly  said  to  be,  a 
writer  of  fugues,  but  of  nothing  else ;  and  this  brief  sum 
of  his  capabilities  included  no  acknowledgment  of  the 
interest,  far  beyond  the  elaboration,  that  he,  of  all  men, 
imparted  to  the  fugal  form.  To  this  very  day  the  preju- 
dicial influence  of  that  false  estimate  clogs  our  compre- 
hension of  the  genius  of  Bach,  and  the  merit  of  his  music ; 
and,  in  spite  of  growing  familiarity  with  the  beauties  of 
his  suites,  and  countless  other  lighter  writings,  the  habit 
here  is  to  fancy  that  Bach  is  fully  represented  in  his  fugues, 
to  regard  these  but  from  one  narrow  aspect,  and  to  expect 
fugalism  in  every  fresh  specimen  with  which  we  meet,  of 
his  innumerable  productions. 

"  Who  looks  for  this  characteristic  of  the  master  in  his 
music  of  the  '  Passion  '  will  look  vainly  ;  and  if  he  be  not 
disappointed  at  the  absence  of  the  fugal  element  through- 
out the  work,  he  will  be  surprised  at  the  poetical  beauty  of 
its  declamation,  the  continuity  of  its  melodies,  and  their 
truthfulness  to  the  subject  they  aim  to  express,  at  the 
choral  effects,  as  fine  as  they  are  unfamiliar,  and  at  the 
loving  tenderness  and  intense  religious  feeling  that  infuse 
the  whole.  The  work  is  indeed  a  contrapuntal  marvel, 
albeit  the  device  of  imitation  is  almost  totally  unemployed 


286  BACH'S  PASSION-MUSIC,    ETC. 

iu  it,  from  first  to  last.  The  appliance  of  the  art  of  counter- 
point to  the  multiplication  of  melodic  interest  is  shown  in 
the  complexity  of  the  writing,  and  this  evidences  an  un- 
paralleled freedom,  which  is  not  more  subject  for  astonish- 
ment than  for  admiration. 

***** 

"There  is,  perhaps,  no  musical  composition  extant  wherein 
is  embodied  so  thoroughly  as  in  the  present  the  implicit 
faith — at  once  childlike  and  mature  in  its  simplicity  and 
its  depth — of  a  devout  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 
This  is  said  with  a  full  knowledge  of  Handel's  '  Messiah,' 
of  the  sublime  conception  it  presents,  and  of  the  pre- 
eminent artistry  it  evinces.  The  two  works,  however,  are 
as  different  in  character  as  they  are  unlike  in  form,  and 
they  are  as  distinct  in  the  nature  and  means  of  their  ex- 
pression as  the  two  masters  who  wrote  them  were  in  the 
constitution  of  their  minds  and  the  habit  of  their  lives. 
It  is  not  here  to  compare  these  masterpieces  ;  and  allusion 
is  only  made  to  the  English  Oratorio  in  deference  to  the 
just  position  it  holds  as  an  illustration  of  religious  feeling 
in  this  country.  The  music  set  to  St.  Matthew's  history 
of  the  Passion  is  essentially  an  unveiling  of  the  personal 
f eelings  of  the  composer,  his  vivid  sense  of  the  truth  of  the 
incidents  it  depicts,  and  his  loving  devotion  to  the  divine 
sufferer,  whose  relation  to  himself  is  shown  to  be  regarded 
as  of  the  closest  intimacy.  It  relates  the  facts  with  the 
vivacity  of  an  eye-witness,  or  one,  at  least,  who  witnesses 
them  by  the  second  sight  of  firm  belief ;  and  it  comments 
upon  them  with  the  affection  of  a  participator  in  the  benefits 
which  have  resulted  from  them,  and  who  feels  that  his 
special  welfare  is  due  to  their  enactment." 

Later  on,  when  an  English  edition  of  Bach's 
Christmas  Oratorio  was  published,  Macfarren  prefaced 
an  analytical  account  of  it  in  the  "  Musical  Times/' 
January,  1874,  by  avowing  : — 

"  Glad  tidings  to  the  world  of  art  are  the  announcement 
of  this  great  work  in  an  English  garb.  The  successful 
production  of  the  Matthew  Passion  of  the  same  master 


BACH'S    CHRISTMAS   ORATORIO,   ETC.       287 

has  made  his  immortal  name  familiar  to  thousands,  who, 
if  they  had  previously  heard  it,  regarded  it  in  the  false 
light  of  misconception,  believing  Bach  to  be  the  writer  of 
scholastic  exercises  only,  which,  because  they  were  wontedly 
misrepresented  in  performance,  were  supposed  to  be  arid 
and  expressionless.  The  public  hearing  of  the  music  of 
the  Passion  ....  has  convinced,  not  only  those  musicians 
who  were  formerly  unbelievers,  but  the  great  mass  of  the 
English  people,  that  there  was  a  power  cotemporary  with 
the  all-accepted  Handel,  whose  influence,  though  it  dawn 
upon  us  far  later,  will  affect  us  as  deeply  and,  in  course  of 

time,  it  is  to  be  expected  as  universally,  as  his The 

world  must  be  the  better  and  the  wiser  for  familiarity  with 
this  noble  music." 

This  genuine  appreciation,  however, — more  enthu- 
siastic because  the  result  of  greater  familiarity,  more 
extended  knowledge,  than  he  possessed  at  first, — never 
interfered  with  his  discriminating  judgment.  Sixteen 
years  later  on,  at  the  Musical  Association,  in  an  address 
on  Handel  and  Bach  (when  it  was  my  privilege  to 
occupy  the  chair) }  he  said  : — 

"  With  Bach,  there  was  such  an  exuberance  of  elabora- 
tion, that,  save  in  a  few  instances,  one  cannot,  without  a 
large  amount  of  intimacy,  comprehend  the  full  meaning  of 
the  author.  Bach  had  especially  the  principles  of  counter- 
point at  heart  in  the  development  of  manifold  melodies  ; 
but  in  the  entanglement  of  his  melodies  there  cannot  be  a 
question  that  he  introduced  often  such  progressions  be- 
tween parts  as  are  acceptable  only  because  they  are  Bach's, 
but  would  be  condemned  in  the  writing  of  any  man  who 
placed  not  side  by  side  with  them  such  incidents  of  abso- 
lute brilliancy  as  dazzle  our  senses,  and  make  us  incapable 
of  perceiving  the  unbeautiful  passages.  From  time  to 
time,  since  musical  laws  were  first  inaugurated,  there  has 
been  forbidden  the  progression  of  two  parts  in  perfect 
intervals,  one  with  another,  from  fifth  to  fifth,  from  eighth 
to  eighth,  and  fourth  to  fourth.  From  eighth  to  eighth 


288          BACH'S  FAULTS  AND   BEAUTIES. 

one  will  not  find  in  Bach's  music,  but  fifths  and  fourths 
are  not  of  seldom  occurrence,  and  still  worse,  and  still 
more  often,  one  finds  that  his  parts  proceed  in  seconds  or 
in  sevenths,  progressions  so  hideous  that  the  early  law- 
givers never  deemed  necessary  to  prohibit  them,  believing, 
one  may  conjecture,  that  nobody  could  be  seduced  to  write 
what  would  be  repugnant  to  himself  and  to  everybody  else 
to  hear.  Will  you  think  from  this  that  I  disparage  the 
master?  Will  you  think  from  this  that  I  slight  the  genius 
of  the  man  who,  more  than  any  else,  proved  the  capabilities 
of  counterpoint,  proved  the  boundless  resources  of  funda- 
mental harmony  ?  Oh,  no  !  Let  me  not  so  misrepresent 
the  feeling  that  I  have  at  heart.  We  should  do  injustice 
to  even  this  great  master,  if  blindly  (or  may  I  say  deafly  r) 
we  accepted  everything  he  wrote  as  a  model  for  our  imita- 
tion. It  is  only  by  dissecting  the  music,  and  observing 
what  is  to  be  avoided,  that  we  may  learn  what  is  to  be 
imitated.  To  reproduce  his  beauties  is  beyond  our  power, 
to  avoid  his  faults  is  within  the  reach  of  everyone,  and  we 
pay  him  the  greatest  homage  when  we  distinguish  what  is 
excellent  from  what  is  evitable." 

To  the  same  effect  are  his  remarks  in  the  "  Dic- 
tionary of  Universal  Biography,"  many  years  pre- 
viously : — 

"  He  was,  perhaps,  the  most  severely  conscientious  artist 
that  ever  devoted  himself  to  music;  he  deemed  that  to 
compromise  his  art  would  be  to  compromise  himself,  and 
that  to  lend  himself  to  anything  which  did  not,  to  the  utmost 
of  his  power  tend  to  exalt  it,  was  in  the  last  degree  unworthy 
of  him  and  of  music.  He  was  the  greatest  contrapuntist 
that  has  been,  and  is  especially  remarkable  for  the  strict 
integrity  of  his  part- writing,  the  complexity  of  which,  we 
must  own,  often  prevents  the  broad  and  massive  effect  that 
greatly  distinguishes  the  music  of  Handel  from  his  ;  his 
very  extensive  employment  of  passing  notes  induces  many 
harshnesses  which  will  not  bear  analysis ;  and  his  principle 
of  making  each  part  in  his  score  an  independent  melody, 
is  often  carried  out  at  the  cost  of  euphony  and  the  clear- 


"CONSORTS"  OF  INSTRUMENTS.  289 

ness  of  the  whole.  These  peculiarities  were  the  result  of 
his  never-ending  study;  his  wonderful  power  of  expres- 
sion evinced  in  his  free  movements,  in  his  great  choral 
works,  particularly  in  his  famous  '  Passions-Musik,'  is 
the  manifestation  of  his  transcendent  genius.  As  he  de- 
spised popular  applause,  so  his  music  is  little  open  to 
popular  appreciation,  and  it  is,  and  always  will  be, 
much  more  interesting  and  much  more  satisfactory  to 
those  who  participate  in  its  performance,  than  to  any 
passive  listener ;  his  music  is,  beyond  that  of  any  other 
composer,  difficult  of  comprehension,  but  its  measureless 
beauties  will  ever  repay  the  pains  of  the  student  who 
unravels  them." 


Mr.  Prout  read  a  most  interesting  paper  on  the 
"Orchestras  of  Bach  and  Handel"  before  the  Musical 
Association,  December  7th,  1885 ;  after  which  Mac- 
farren  made  some  remarks,  the  following  being  instruc- 
tive and  felicitous : — 

"  Further,  to  speak  of  the  groups  of  instruments  which 
characterize  so  very  much  the  scoring  of  Bach,  one  may 
adduce  the  custom,  in  this  country,  in  earlier  times,  of 
assorting  the  viols  together,  hautboys  together,  and  shawms 
together,  and  a  collection  of  one  class  of  instruments  was 
called  a  '  consort.'  Thus,  there  might  be  a  consort  of  viols, 
or  a  consort  of  hautboys,  and  at  that  time  it  was  rare,  but 
not  entirely  unknown,  to  have  a  mixture  of  one  consort  with 
another  consort,  and  there  is  a  passage  of  Lord  Bacon's 
which  refers  to  the  mixture  of  one  consort  with  another 
consort,  and  then  it  had  the  name  of  '  broken  music.'  A 
pretty  application  of  this  term  occurs  in  the  play  of  '  Henry 
V.,'  when  the  king  is  courting  Princess  Katharine,  and  she 
makes  very  sad  havoc  of  the  English  pronunciation.  The 
king  says,  '  Sweet  Katharine,  your  speech  is  broken  music, 
for  your  voice  is  music,  but  your  English  is  broken.'  With 
reference  to  the  variety  of  instruments  employed  by  Bach, 
I  can  very  often  conjecture  that  some  persons  in  his  band 
must  have  had  the  ability  to  play  on  more  than  one  instru- 

u 


290  BIOGRAPHIES.     MACFARREN'S  MEMORY. 


merit,  and  occasionally  left  this  to  go  to  that.  It  seems  to 
me  extremely  probable  that  such  use  continued  far  beyond 
his  time.  For  example,  I  cannot  suppose  it  possible  that  three 
trombone  players  would  be  engaged  to  play  in  the  '  Messiah,' 
when  Mozart  wrote  his  orchestration,  and  have  parts  to 
play  only  in  the  introductory  movement  in  the  overture,  and 
in  the  two  small  quartets  in  the  last  act,  which  are  always 
sung  without  any  accompaniment.  There  must  have  been 
either  some  different  duty  for  them  in  other  portions  of 
the  work,  or  there  must  have  been  some  tradition  of 
these  instruments  to  duplicate  the  choral  voice  parts, 
and  I  think  it  is  a  very  possible  thing  that  in  Bach's 
time  his  horn  players  or  trumpet  players,  who  had  110 
parts  perhaps  in  but  a  single  number  in  a  long  work, 
would  play  violins  throughout  the  rest  of  the  perfor- 
mance." 

Quotations  have  been  made  from  the  "  Dictionary  of 
Universal  Biography,"  for  which  work,  in  1857  and 
following  years,  Macfarren  wrote  a  number  of  highly 
interesting  articles  concerning  musicians.  Moreover, 
at  the  time  of  the  first  Handel  Festival  at  the  Crystal 
Palace,  in  1859,  the  centenary  of  Handel's  death, 
Macfarren  was  engaged  by  the  publisher  of  the 
Dictionary  to  prepare  a  biography  of  Handel,  in 
pamphlet  form,  for  sale  at  the  festival.  The  MS. 
of  this  biography  miscarried  in  transit  by  post,  and, 
in  order  that  the  publication  should  be  ready  in 
time  for  the  festival,  Macfarren  dictated  it  from 
memory ;  and,  on  the  subsequent  recovery  of  the 
original  MS.,  it  was  found,  by  comparison,  that 
the  differences  between  the  two  versions  were  few 
and  slight — another  instance  of  his  marvellously 
accurate  memory  ! 

It  may  here  be  recorded  that  he  wrote,  on  a 
special  commission,  for  transmission  to  New  York, 


ADDITIONAL  ACCOMPANIMENTS.          291 

additional  accompaniments  and  an  organ  part  to 
"  Israel  in  Egypt; "  and  for  another  occasion,  parts 
for  four  horns  (Mozart  having  only  two)  for  the 
"  Messiah ;  "  also  an  organ  part  to  Bach's  "  Mag- 
nificat." 

Macfarren's  acquaintance  with  Shakespeare  was  very 
intimate,  enabling  him  to  make  apt  references  such  as 
the  one  above  quoted.  Indeed,  his  literary  knowledge 
generally  was  somewhat  extensive :  remarkable,  indeed, 
for  a  blind  man.  Of  Browning's  works,  he  said  to  a 
pupil,  a  young  man :  "  When  you  are  older,  and  able 
to  read  onwards  more  than  two  lines,  you  will  find 
more  interest  than  you  can  now  feel  in  his  writings." 
One  of  the  last  general  conversations  that  I  had  with 
Macfarren  was  about  Mr.  Swinburne's  poems,  which 
I  .told  him  about ;  he  agreeing  with  me  with  regard 
to  their  wonderful  word-power.  Writing  to  Mr.  T. 
J.  Dudeney,  acknowledging  a  double  gift, — a  copy 
of  Aytoun's  "  Lays  of  the  Scottish  Cavaliers "  and 
some  violets,  he  characteristically  remarks  : — 

"  The  noble  Cavaliers  of  Aytoun's  painting  set  grand, 
example  of  steadfastness  to  a  purpose :  the  bunch  of  sweet 
violets  verify  your  words  on  the  sweets  of  spring  time,  and 
attest  the  good  wishes  of  one  who  has  all  their  modesty." 

To  the  same,  acknowledging  a  copy  of  Tennyson's 
poems : — 

"  The  mind  that  studies  his  beautiful  writing  must  be 
enriched,  and  thus  I  shall  gain  strength  and  pleasure  from 
your  gift." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MACFARREN'S  ORATORIOS  :  ST.  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST,  1873 ; 
THE  RESURRECTION,  1875;  JOSEPH,  1877;  KING 
DAVID,  1883 ;  ST.  GEORGE'S  TE  DEUM,  1884.  METHOD 
OP  COMPOSING  AND  DICTATING.  PHILHARMONIC  ANA- 
LYTICAL PROGRAMMES,  1869-1880. 

IN  the  year  1870  Macfarren  renewed  his  youth  and 
made  a  new  departure  by  commencing  the  compo- 
sition of  the  first  of  the  series  of  works  by  which,  per- 
haps, apart  from  his  theoretical  and  critical  writings, 
he  is  best  known  to  the  general  public  and  the  pre- 
sent generation,  and  by  which  his  name  as  a  composer 
is  most  likely  to  go  down  to  posterity — namely,  his 
Oratorios.  Notwithstanding  the  masterly  critical 
and  historical  articles  that  had  proceeded  from  his 
comprehensively  ernbraceful  mind  on  the  Oratorios  of 
the  great  Masters,  as  well  as  on  Church  music  as  an 
allied  subject,  his  antecedents  as  a  composer  would 
probably  have  scarcely  prepared,  or  at  least  suggested 
this  as  the  line  in  which  his  unquestioned  powers 
would  find  their  ultimate  development  or  achieve 
their  most  enduring  triumphs.  Indeed,  he  himself,  as 
will  be  seen,  felt  this,  more  or  less.  But  he  was 
artistically  prepared  to  devote  himself  energetically, 
earnestly,  and  reverently,  to  any  lofty  subject  on  which 
his  thoughts  were  cast,  and  the  result  was  seen  in 


"  ST.  JOHN    THE   BAPTIST."  293 

the  unequivocal,  though  not  uniform,  success  of  the 
great  works  of  which  "  St.  John  the  Baptist "  was 
the  first. 

The  oratorio,  "  St.  John  the  Baptist,"  of  which  the 
"  book"  was  compiled  by  Dr.  E.  G.  Monk,  was  origi- 
nally intended  for  the  Festival  of  the  Three  Choirs  at 
Gloucester,  and  was  completed  in  time  for  performance 
thereat,  in  1872  ;  but,  from  causes  redounding  to  the 
composer's  honour,  it  was  not  then  produced.  Diffi- 
culty was  raised,  moreover,  at  Gloucester,  to  the  per- 
formance in  the  cathedral  of  the  florid  and  blatantly 
secular  song  of  the  daughter  of  Herodias,  "  I  rejoice 
in  my  youth."  The  honour  of  the  first  production 
of  this  oratorio  is  due  to  the  committee  of  the  Bristol 
Festival,  who  brought  it  out  in  October,  1873. 

The  choir  at  Bristol  was  trained,  with  great  credit- 
to  himself,  by  the  late  Alfred  Stone  (1841-78) .  The 
conductor  at  the  festival  was  Mr.  Charles  Halle, 
and  the  principal  singers  were  Mesdames  Lemmens- 
Sherrington  and  Patey,  and  Messrs.  Edward  Lloyd 
and  Santley.  The  success  was  immediate  and  incon- 
trovertible. At  the  outset,  the  dramatic  feeling  and 
masterful  construction  of  the  overture  were  apparent, 
with  its  trumpet  call  to  represent  the  ' '  Sohar  "  sum- 
mons, and  its  avoidance  of  a  perfect  cadence  till  the 
end,  indicating  the  long  expectancy  concerning  unful- 
filled prophecy,  until  the  "  voice  of  one  crying  in  the 
wilderness"  proclaimed  "The  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at  hand."  And  not  only  was  this  dramatic  feeling, 
together  with  local  colouring,  sustained  throughout, 
but  innumerable  details,  some  of  them  too  minute  to 
be  observable  by  the  superficial,  or  without  repeated 
hearings  or  close  examination  of  the  score,  but  never- 


294  "ST.    JOHN   THE    BAPTIST." 

theless  combinedly  maintaining  the  unity  of  the  work, 
evidenced  the  highest  order  of  cultivated  musicianship ; 
of  which,  however,  all  who  knew  Macfarren  were  fully 
aware,  even  without  this  newest  manifestation  of  his 
artistry.  The  oratorio  was  soon  performed  in  London 
and  elsewhere ;  and,  on  its  first  performance  in  Exeter 
Hall  by  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society,  in  March, 
1874,  it  was  declared  by  an  intelligent  critic  : — 

"  Never  was  success  more  promptly  or  more  universally 
acknowledged  than  that  which  has  bestowed  upon  Mr. 
Macfarren  the  priceless  laurel  leaf  of  a  great  composer. 
Not  a  voice  has  been  raised  to  dispute  it,  even  amid  the 
clashing  opinions  and  conflicting  tastes  pre-eminently  dis- 
tinctive of  the  musical  world.  Such  agreement  is  wonder- 
ful, and  more  convincingly  than  any  argument  or  analysis 
proves  that  in  '  St.  John  the  Baptist '  we  have  a  creation 
of  genius."  1 

And  the  same  critic,  probably,  wrote  in  the 
"  Musical  Times "  of  November  in  the  same  year, 
after  the  oratorio  had  been  performed  at  the  Leeds 
Festival : — 

"  It  is  a  really  great  thing,  this  English  oratorio  ;  one  of 
which  we  have  all  a  right  to  be  proud ;  one  that  will  be 
handed  down  among  the  heirlooms  of  the  nation.  Speak- 
ing thus  positively  of  the  future  is  not  rash,  because  con- 
noisseurs on  the  one  part,  and  the  general  public  on  the 
other,  unite  to  acclaim  '  St.  John  the  Baptist ; '  and  such 
unanimity  has  a  special  significance,  as  showing  that  Mr. 
Macfarren,  while  labouring  in  the  highest  sphere  of  music, 
lias  exerted  a  power  over  feelings  shared  by  all.  '  St.  John 
the  Baptist'  is  a  work  of  consummate  skill,  but  it  is  also 
an  epic,  to  the  numbers  of  which  every  heart  vibrates. 
Things  of  this  sort  do  not  easily  die." 

Immediately  after  the  performance  of  the  oratorio 
1  "Daily  Telegraph." 


ALLEGED   PLAGIARISM  FROM  WAGNER.   295 


at  Bristol,  so  great  was  the  sensation  produced,  that 
the  committee,  feeling  justly  proud  of  the  lustre  shed 
upon  the  festival  by  its  being  the  occasion  of  the 
introduction  of  so  fine  a  work,  held  an  impromptu 
meeting  in  an  ante- room,  and,  among  themselves, 
without  drawing  upon  the  festival  funds,  subscribed 
one  hundred  guineas,  which  sum  was  then  presented  to 
the  composer,  in  recognition  of  their  obligations. 

Shortly  afterwards  his  brother  professors  at  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Music,  "  all  proud  of  him,"  presented 
him  with  an  address  on  vellum,  with  their  signatures, 
the  speech  on  the  occasion  being  made  by  Sir  W. 
Sterndale  Bennett. 

With  regard  to  one  of  the  most  esteemed  numbers 
in  this  oratorio,  the  following  statement  by  Miss 
Prescott  will  be  read  with  interest : — 

"Another  memory  lies  upon  me  like  a  conscience.  About 
his  '  St.  John  the  Baptist '  there  had  been  some  repetition 
of  the  assertion  that  the  setting  of  the  words,  '  This  is  my 
beloved  Son,'  was  borrowed  from  the  passage  in  '  Lohen- 
grin,' at  the  descent  of  the  Grail.  I  asked  him  about  it, 
for  it  troubled  me,  as  I  dare  say  some  others  of  his  friends 
have  been  troubled.  He  said,  '  I  don't  know  why  Wagner 
should  have  the  monopoly  of  the  harmonies  of  the  violin 
— for  that  is  the  chief  resemblance.  But  as  to  my  borrow- 
ing from  him,  that  was  impossible :  my  first  possibility  of 
hearing  "Lohengrin"  was  when  it  was  first  done  in  London 
in  such  a  year  (I  forget  the  year),  and  by  that  time  "St. 
John "  was  completed,  rejected,  and  put  away  in  brown 
paper  on  the  shelf,  some  time  before  its  first  performance. 
That  number,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,"  was  the  first  one 
of  the  oratorio  that  I  wrote.'  I  think  he  added,  '  It  was 
the  suggestion  or  origin  of  the  whole  composition.'  I 
asked  him  if  I  might  put  this  account  in  a  little  book  I 
was  then  writing,  at  a  point  where  I  considered  it  might 
appropriately  come  in.  No ;  he  would  not  allow  it.  '  Not 


296  WAGNER  AND   LISZT. 

now ;  when  I  am  dead  and  gone,  you  may  say  as  much  as 
you  like.'  I  little  thought  that  in  a  year  or  two  more  he 
would  be  '  dead  and  gone,'  as  he  said,  and  I  free  to  say  as 
much  as  I  had  opportunity  for.  I  am  not  surprised  at  a 
resemblance  taking  hold  of  people  when  they  considered 
the  almost  horror  of  Wagner's  music  that  the  old  Professor 
had.  Then  the  strange  coincidence  of  poetic  idea :  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  one — of  the  Holy  Grail 
in  the  other.  But  I  can't  help  feeling  the  extraordinary 
difference  ;  the  complicated  harmonies  of  Wagner's,  and 
the  simple  diatonic  chords  of  the  Englishman's  music, 
coupled  with  the  pure  quality  of  the  chorus — all  women's 
voices." 

In  connection  with  this  Wagner  reference  may  be 
given  a  quotation  from  a  letter,  which  refers  to  a 
former  communication,  oral  or  verbal,  to  Mr.  T.  J. 
Dudeney  of  Taunton,  though  not  referring  to  the 
oratorio  : — 

"  Much  thinking  upon  your  Historical  Concerts  brings 
me  to  withdraw  the  advice  I  gave  you  that  pieces  by 
Wagner  and  Liszt  should  be  included  in  the  series.  These 
writers  are  working  a  great  evil  upon  music — the  first, 
most  anomalously,  by  reason  of  the  true  beauties  that  are 
entangled  in  his  vices.  To  bring  them  into  notice  is  to 
applaud  their  pretensions,  and  though  your  censure  or 
mine,  be  it  pronounced  in  blame  or  praise,  can  have  no 
force  against  the  torrent  voice  of  their  upholders,  our  duty 
is  indeed  not  to  swell  their  chorus  by  the  whisper  of 
implied  assent.  A  lecturer  once  expounded  at  length  and 
with  reason  what  was  bad  in  a  piece  of  music,  which  was 
then  performed  to  exemplify  his  remarks,  and  the  audience 
encored  it  with  rapture — nay,  even  spoke  with  particular 
pleasure  of  one  point  that  had  been  held  up  for  their 
detestation.  This  proves  the  futility  of  teaching  as  opposed 
to  the  power  of  appetite.  Were  you  to  preach  temperance 
at  a  gin-shop  door,  and  let  your  congregation  taste  the 
poison  sold  therein,  that  they  might  know  its  vileness, 
they  would  come  out  drunkards.  You  must  represent  the 


MACFARREN'S    GRATITUDE.  297 

art  of  now  by  music  of  Brahms,  perhaps  of  Bruch,  or  even 
of  Gounod,  but  not  by  the  good  pieces  of  men  whose  habit 
is  ill  and  whose  gleams  of  light  are  but  misleading." 

One  of  Macfarren's  pupils  wrote  a  critical  notice  of 
"  St.  John  the  Baptist  "  in  a  periodical,  and  this  drew 
from  him  the  following  letter  —  an  instance  of  his 
tender  friendship  and  humility,  as  addressed  to  a 
pupil  : — 


MY  DEAK 


"  I  have  always  avoided  acknowledging  newspaper 
notices  of  my  doings  in  public,  under  the  idea  that  the 
writers  fulfilled  a  public  duty  in  stating  their  good  or  ill 
opinions  of  what  was  offered  to  their  judgment,  and  that 
the  subject  of  their  remarks  had  no  right  to  comment  upon 
the  fulfilment  of  such  duty.  The  strong  personal  feeling 
which  peers  through  every  line  of  your  beautifully  written, 
most  nattering,  and  most  affectionate  article  on  '  St.  John 
the  Baptist,'  compels  me  to  break  my  rule,  and  to  assure 
you  that,  however  little  the  work  merits  the  opinions  you 
eloquently  express,  the  composer  of  the  work  will  treasure 
the  affectionate  regard  thus  expressed  as  one  of  the  richest 
earnings  of  his  professional  life.  I  know  not  how  much 
my  pleasant  intercourse  with  you  may  have  had  to  do  with 
the  formation  of  your  critical  power,  but,  so  far  as  myself 
have  not  influenced  it,  I  am  indeed  proud  of  your  review 
of  my  work,  and  am  impelled  by  it  to  try  again  to  accom- 
plish something  that  may  be  worthy  of  some  of  what  you 
say.  I  thank  you  most  heartily,  and  am  your  sincere 
friend,  "  Gr.  A.  MACFABREN." 

The  reception  given  to  "  St.  John  the  Baptist "  so 
re-awakened  and  extended  Macfarren's  reputation, 
that  he  was  recognized  yet  more  widely  than  hereto- 
fore as  the  foremost  representative  of  English  music ; 
and  he  was  commissioned  to  compose  an  oratorio  for 
the  Birmingham  Festival  of  1876.  The  work  pro- 


298  "THE    RESURRECTION." 


duced  was  "The  Resurrection."  This  was  reflective 
rather  than  dramatic,  with  a  large  preponderance  of 
recitative,  and  by  no  means  appealed  so  directly  to  a 
general  audience.  It  met  with,  at  best,  a  success  of 
respect,  rather  than  of  sympathetic  appreciation,  on 
the  part  of  the  press  no  less  than  that  of  the  public ; 
notwithstanding  the  advantageous  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  produced.  The  conductor  was  Mr. 
Walter  Macfarren,  to  whom  it  was  dedicated,  and  the 
principal  vocalists  were  Mesdames  Lemmens-Sherring- 
ton  and  Patey,  and  Messrs.  Lloyd  and  Santley.  One 
circumstance,  however,  militated  considerably  against 
its  effect,  namely,  that  by  some  strange  misunder- 
standing, not  necessary  to  explain  here,  the  pitch  of 
the  organ  had  been  lowered,  and  did  not  coincide 
with  that  of  the  orchestra  ;  and,  as  the  part  of  Mr. 
Santley  as  narrator,  when  speaking  for  the  Saviour, 
was  accompanied  by  the  organ  only,  the  effect  of  the 
changed  pitch  was  bewildering  and  depressing.  The 
composer's  own  epitome  of  the  oratorio  is  interest- 
ing:— 

"  The  book  shows  its  own  argument  and  the  method 
wherein  this  is  treated.  The  latter  differs  from  that  of  the 
early  Church,  preserved  by  Luther  and  exemplified  by 
Bach,  in  having  the  speeches  of  the  personages  sung  by 
him  who  also  narrates  the  action ;  in  having  the  texts  of 
the  reflective  passages  selected  from  Holy  Writ ;  and  in 
having  original  tunes  to  the  hymns.  This  last  is  necessi- 
tated by  the  old  practice  in  England  of  making  Psalm 
tunes  to  metres,  not  to  words,  and  thus  having  no  tune 
and  poem  identified  with  each  other.  One  of  the  rare 
exceptions  is  in  the  100th  Psalm,  and  this  tune  is  used  as 
the  finale  because  old  versions  disperse  the  sense  of  the 
first  prose  verse,  and  neglect  the  emphatic  accentuation  of 
a  primitive  and  much-liked  reading  of  the  tune,  a  new 


"THE   RESURRECTION."  299 

version  of  the  first  verse  of  the  Psalm  is  fitted  thereto. 
The  musician's  beautiful  resource,  which  dates  from  '  Cosi 
fan  tutte,'  in  the  opera  so  named,  and  '  Er  ist  verstummet ' 
in  '  Fidelio,'  at  least,  not  to  name  the  mad  scenes  in  a  host 
of  Italian  operas  (the  resource  of  alluding  in  an  after 
situation  to  a  phrase  which  illustrates  an  earlier,  and  so 
associating  the  two  as  in  one  thought,  or  showing  the 
bearing  of  each  upon  the  other)  is  freely  employed.  Thus 
when  '  the  disciples  went  away  again,'  the  phrase  '  Even 
our  faith,'  from  the  preceding  chorus,  is  meant  to  show  the 
bent  of  their  thoughts  on  the  road  to  their  own  homes. 
'  He  is  the  resurrection  '  is  quoted  in  subsequent  places  to 
which  it  is  supposed  to  be  pertinent.  So  are  '  They  have 
taken  away  the  Lord,'  '  Now  is  our  salvation  nearer,'  '  For 
fear  of  the  Jews,'  '  Peace  be  unto  you,'  Thomas's  '  Except 
I  shall  see,'  '  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,'  &c. 
The  overture  is  suggested  by,  but  pretends  not  to  depict, 
the  two  preceding  chapters  of  St.  John's  Gospel — at  least, 
this  portion  of  the  narrative  was  evidently  in  the  mind  of 
the  composer." 

Macfarren's  disappointment  at  the  non-success  of 
"  The  Resurrection  "  was  keen  and  abiding.  He  again 
and  again  spoke  of  "  my  failure  in  '  The  Resurrection/" 
Some  of  his  friends  say  that  he  loved  it  more  than 
others  of  his  works,  "  as  a  mother  loves  her  sickly 
child ;  "  others  think  that  "  he  loved  it  with  justice, 
as  a  beautiful  work,  cast  more  in  the  Bach  model." 
To  Mr.  T.  J.  Dudeney,  who  was  engaged,  in  1880,  in 
rehearsing  "  St.  John  the  Baptist "  with  a  zealous 
local  society,  he  wrote  : — 

"  You  undertake  a  troublesome  task  in  '  St.  John ' — diffi- 
cult, I  will  not  call  it  to  you,  for  you  know  not  the  word. 
Some  of  these  days  your  thoughts  perhaps  may  turn  to  my 
still-born  Easter  Oratorio,  which  will  then  indeed  have  a 
resurrection." 

Much  more  gratifying  is  it  to  record  the  success,  a 


300  "  JOSEPH:' 

year  later,  of  his  oratorio  "  Joseph,"  composed  for  the 
Leeds  Festival,  1877,  and  produced  thereat,  September 
21st,  1877,  under  the  conductorship  of  the  composer's 
brother,  Mr.  Walter  Macfarren,  that  production  being 
pronounced  "  a  memorable  event  in  the  history  of 
music."  A  contemporary  critic  wrote  : — 

"  Professor  Macfarren  is  not  a  Handel  or  a  Mendelssohn, 
nor  does  he  slavishly  imitate  them  or  confine  himself  to  any 
particular  school  of  writing.  He  is  simply  Macfarren,  a 
name  hereafter  to  be  honoured  in  musical  history,  and  to 
make  the  Professor's  chair  at  Cambridge  memorable  for 
the  two  great  musicians  who  have  held  it  in  succession.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  at  the  last  Festival  the  Professor 
had  a  place  with  '  St.  John  the  Baptist.'  This  work  de- 
lighted all  who  heard  it,  especially  those  who  appreciate 
learned  writing.  The  oratorio  yesterday  pei'haps  appeals 
to  wider  sympathies  with  its  beautiful  melodies  and  colour. 
At  any  rate,  whether  the  work  is  heard  many  a  time  again, 
or  is  forgotten  (a  very  unlikely  and  unreasonable  event), 
the  performance  yesterday  will  mark  the  present  Festival 
as  an  important  event  in  the  history  of  music.  .  .  .  The 
work  is  dedicated  thus  : — '  In  remembrance  of  happy  hours 
spent  in  its  inscription,  this  Oratorio  is  dedicated  to  my 
pupil,  friend,  and  amanuensis,  Oliveria  Louisa  Prescott.' 
The  work  is  great  in  design  and  execution,  and  seemed  to 
demand  from  the  audience  a  front  rank  in  the  greatest 
musical  compositions,  or  rejection  as  an  over-reaching  am- 
bition. The  challenge  was  accepted  by  the  audience,  and 
at  the  close  the  answer  might  have  been  heard  in  the  streets 
outside,  as  cheer  followed  upon  cheer.  .  .  .  Throughout 
the  oratorio,  Dr.  Macfarren  has  been  (with  one  or  two  ex- 
ceptions) above  all  things  original.  He  tells  the  beautiful 
stoiy  of  Joseph's  life  ...  in  the  most  dramatic  musical 
lauguage.  Every  phrase  must  have  been  the  result  of  in- 
tense care  and  study,  arising  from  a  fine  artistic  sense,  an 
appreciation  of  sacred  words  which  would  have  distin- 
guished the  Professor  as  a  theologian  of  matured  expe- 
rience. From  the  first  bar  to  the  last  the  work  is  a  sur- 


"JOSEPH."  301 


prise — a  wonder  to  those  who  thought  that  Music  had  said 
all  she  had  to  say,  and  that  no  resources  of  novelty  were 
left  open.  ...  It  was  a  great  work,  grandly  performed, 
and  listened  to  with  eager  interest  until  the  last  bar.  Then 
followed  a  scene  never  to  be  forgotten.  There  was  a  per- 
sistent roar  until  the  blind  Professor  was  led  into  the 
orchestra,  and  the  cheering  was  renewed  again  and  again. 
No  need,  Professor,  to  be  so  overcome  with  emotion !  This 
is  but  the  first  instalment  of  the  tribute  of  praise  which 
the  lovers  of  the  true  and  good  in  Art  shall  pay  you  in  the 
time  to  come  as  you  take  your  just  place  with  the  worthies 
whose  names  are  remembered  when  the  wearers  of  crowns 
are  forgotten  and  dynasties  have  crumbled  to  dust."  l 

Against  this  verdict,  which  has  not  been  in  any  im- 
portant way  contravened,  may  be  cited,  in  all  fairness, 
that  of  another  critic  : — 

" '  Joseph '  may  be  a  great  work,  but  it  is  distinctly  not 
a  pleasing  one  .  .  .  dry,  if  not  pedantic."  2 

On  the  other  hand,  again,  the  composer's  old  fellow- 
student  and  friend,  the  late  W.  H.  Holmes,  went  to 
Leeds  on  purpose  to  hear  the  work,  and  has  thus 
cheerily  recorded  his  impressions  in  his  "  Notes 
upon  Notes  "  : — 

"  I  was  in  the  country  in  a  moment,  among  the  shep- 
herds, &c.,  in  the  overture  to  '  Joseph.'  And  what  beau- 
tiful pictures  Professor  Macfarren  has  presented  us  with, 
in  his  (to  my  mind)  greatest  work, '  Joseph.'  The  glowing 
sun,  in  the  first  chorus,  so  bright  and  brilliant  and  glorious. 
How  one  felt  the  light !  What  '  music  painting  ! '  Then 
the  relation  of  the  dream,  with  its  lovely  soul-haunting 
melody,  when  one  does  feel  literally  to  be  among  the 

1  "  Yorkshire  Post  and  Leeds  Intelligencer. 
3  "  Monthly  Musical  Record,"  Oct.  1,  1877. 


302  "JOSEPH." 


sheaves.  Then  the  '  hatred  scene,'  so  full  of  'bad  passion.' 
Then  the  glorious  march  and  chorus  of  the  Ishmaelites, 
with  their  spices  and  myrrh,  so  original,  almost  taking  one 
into  another  country ;  this  chorus,  with  its  skilful  instru- 
mentation, must,  I  think,  become  very  popular.  .  .  .  And 
now,  in  the  really  serious  parts  of  the  oratorio,  how  our 
friend,  the  learned  Professor,  has  risen  with  his  work.  One 
of  the  greatest  contrapuntists,  and  such  a  complete  master 
of  instrumentation,  he  knows  when  to  use  his  great  powers 
— often,  I  believe,  rising  to  the  sublime,  and,  indeed,  be- 
coming an  eloquent  preacher  in  his  work.  Happy  com- 
poser !  To  illustrate  such  subjects  must  be  good  for  the 
composer,  and  to  those  who  intelligently  listen.  Such  music 
leads  us  to  think  of  the  far  better  world.  The  call  for  the 
composer  at  the  end  was  overpowering  to  all.  I  believe 
there  were  many  moist  eyes.  Outside  the  hall  a  big  York- 
shireman  (one  of  the  Ishmaelites)  said  to  me,  '  Heigh,  but 
he's  a  fine  fellow.'  I  then  said  I  had  known  Professor 
Macfarren  from  his  boyhood.  You  should  have  seen  the 
measurement  he  took  of  me  after  that ;  and  I  feel  sure  he 
regretted  not  having  any  Yorkshire  pudding  to  offer  me." 

In  1881  Macfarren  seems  to  have  been  cogitating 
concerning  another  oratorio,  though  then  occupied 
with  other  work — perhaps  with  the  "  Ajax  "  music,  to 
be  hereafter  mentioned.  He  said  one  day  to  his  in- 
defatigable friend,  Miss  Prescott,  "  It  is  an  inspiration 
to  find  a  subject  fit  for  musical  treatment,  of  any  kind." 
She  suggested  one,  and  hoped  to  find  words  for  him. 
He  himself  pencilled  a  letter  to  her  on  the  subject — 
an  occasional  feat,  to  intimate  friends,  when  no  amanu- 
ensis was  at  hand — as  follows  : — 

"  Bennett's  birthday,  1881. — My  dearest  Oliveria — 
I  believe  in  you  implicitly,  else  should  I  be  hopeless  of 
your  valued  proposal  to  find  an  oratorio  theme  in  the 
divine  St.  John,  and  even  in  your  hands  I  more  wish  for 
than  expect  success.  Your  intention  is  however  an  en- 


SUBJECT   FOR   A    NEW  ORATORIO.         303 

couragement.  With  this  earnest  of  good  will  to  begin,  I 
am  certain  to  plant  my  endeavours  in  a  very  hotbed  of  pro- 
pagation." 

After  the  suggestion  had  taken  somewhat  unwieldy 
shape,  he  again  wrote  :  — 

"  Good  Friday,  '81. — A  thousand  thanks  and  a  thank 
for  your  interesting  budget,  which  I  have  heard  with 
eagerness,  but  cannot  yet  digest.  I  will  hear  it  again  and 
again,  and  in  seeking  to  master  all  its  meaning,  hope  to  do 
justice  to  the  high  subject,  and  to  your  conception  of  its 
treatment." 

After  long  thinking,  he  judged  the  subject  impos- 
sible, and  gave  it  up  as  not  dramatic.  Then  Miss 
Prescott's  query,  or  remonstrance,  in  return,  was 
answered  by  this  highly  interesting  letter  : — 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace. 

"  nth  April. 
"MY  DEAR  OLIVEEIA, 

"  'Why  must  every  Oratorio  be  dramatic? '  My  failure 
in  '  The  Resurrection '  proves  that,  whatever  the  case  with 
other  writers,  my  possibility  of  success  is  in  a  dramatic 
form.  '  What  is  "  Israel "  and  the  "  Messiah  "  ? '  '  Israel ' 
is  a  narrative,  but  of  most  dramatic  character ;  as  it  has 
no  persons,  however,  the  story  is  all  told  by  chorus ;  and 
no  succession  of  choruses  to  such  extent,  save  only  this, 
can  ever  be  written  again,  or  would  ever  be  accepted — even 
this  succession  was  unreceived  for  a  hundred  years— the 
world  was  coaxed  to  hear  it  by  the  insertion  of  irrelevant 
songs,  and  the  perception  of  its  immensity  was  due  to  the 
imperative  power  of  Handel's  name.  '  Messiah '  is  dra- 
matic, for  though  its  personages  are  not  named,  all  its 
strongest  passages  are  personal ;  and  were  they  not  so,  the 
unique  importance  of  the  subject,  and  the  unique  mastery 
of  its  treatment  secure  it  attention  that  would  be  denied  to 
a  lesser  theme  or  a  small  writer.  '  The  Last  Judgment'  is, 


304  ORATORIO   SUBJECTS. 

save  one  scene,  not  dramatic,  and  it  has  succeeded,  but  this 
was  when  Spohr  was  new  here,  and  when  his  peculiarities 
made  an  almost  madness  among  musicians.1  '  Lazarus ' 
has  been  treated  by  Barnett,  and  it  would  be  most  grace- 
less to  tread  on  the  heels  of  a  friend. 

"  Palm  Sunday  is  in  '  The  Light  of  the  World,'  compari- 
son with  which  would  be  as  undesirable  as  with  the  work 
last  named. 

" '  The  Mount  of  Olives '  has  been  handled  by  Beet- 
hoven. 

"  The  trial  might  indeed  be  made  highly  effective,  as 
Mendelssohn  has  proved  in  '  Christus  ; '  but  this,  which 
furnishes  the  only  text  that  could  be  impressively  reii- 
dered,  you  would  dismiss  in  an  instrumental  movement 
that  could  represent  nothing,  and  would  interest  nobody. 

"  '  The  Crucifixion  '  has  been  used  by  Spohr  less  well 
than  his  other  theme,  and  when  his  great  esteem  had  set. 
The  confiding  of  the  Mother  to  St.  John's  care  is  the  only 
one  point  in  the  whole  plan  that  introduces  the  personality 
of  the  hero,  and  this  would  lose  all  its  point  through 
English  repugnance  to  the  impersonation  of  the  Saviour. 
To  narrate  the  incident  would  assimilate  it  to  those  in '  The 
Resurrection,'  and  though  Santley  sang  them  perfectly, 
professional  critics,  and  the  public  by  their  dictation,  have 
denounced  those  scenes  to  be  '  undramatic,'  as  if  this  were 
the  worst  stain  that  could  be  put  on  them.  This,  and  the 
trial  scene  are  given  by  Bach ;  if  they  are  to  be  treated  in 
his  wise,  nothing  so  good  as  his  can  be  done  ;  if  dramati- 
cally, the  chief  person  may  not  appear  ;  if  narratively,  all 
interest  will  drop  out  of  them. 

"  Your  2nd  Act  is  the  '  Last  Judgment ; '  the  condi- 
tions to  which  this  work  owes  its  success  cannot  extend  to 
another. 

"  The  objections  I  have  stated,  my  dear  Oliveria,  are  all 
as  nothing,  compared  with  the  enormous  one,  that  St.  John 
appears  but  once  in  the  whole.  He  wrote  the  history,  in- 
deed, he  commented  thereon,  and  he  dreamed  the  dream, 
but  these  facts  would  not  warrant  the  entitling  of  the  work 
with  his  name.  To  call  it  '  Oliveria  '  would  be  as  pertinent, 

1  See  p.  217. 


ORATORIO   BOOKS.  305 

though  not  so  attractive,  but  then  not  so  disappointing, 
since  not  prompting  false  expectancy. 

"  I  hate  saying  all  this  to  you  who  have  shown  so  much 
love  for  me  and  for  your  subject  in  the  task  you  undertook. 
You  write  diffidently  of  your  own  power  to  make  musical 
rendering  of  the  theme,  but  I  most  confidently  counsel  you 
not  to  contemplate  such  an  exercise  of  your  talent,  for  I  am 
certain,  firstly,  that  it  would  not  reveal  the  best  of  your 
powers  ;  secondly,  that  general  hearers  would  not  give  you 
credit  for  the  good  you  did.  I  thank  you  endlessly,  but 
must  seek  still  for  the  needful  matter. 

"  Now  let  me  wish  you  a  happy  Easter,  full  enjoyment  of 
this  most  beautiful  day,  and  a  more  worthy  receiver  of  your 
next  good  offices. 

"  Affectionately  yours, 

"G-.  A.  MACFARREN." 

This  letter  was  followed  by  yet  another  letter,  pro- 
bably in  reply  to  further  representation, — hardly  re- 
monstrances,— on  Miss  Prescott's  part : — 

' '  7,  Hamilton  Terrace, 
"Vtoth  April. 

"  More  thanks,  my  dear  Oliveria,  and  more  regrets. 
The  more  I  consider  your  subject,  the  more  I  find  it,  for 
me,  impracticable.  You  say  St.  John  may  be  left  out  of 
the  title ;  he  does  not  appear,  and  cannot,  in  the  whole 
book ;  thus  we  only  amuse  ourselves  by  associating  it  with 
him,  who,  if  influential  as  others  would  be  in  its  arrange- 
ment, would  be  all  impersonal  in  its  structure.  You  cite 
'  The  Woman  of  Samaria,'  which  is  to  my  appreciation 
completely  what  a  book  should  not  be  ;  its  wants  are  that 
all  interest  is  taken  out  of  the  person  of  our  Lord,  by  the 
vague  confusion  between  what  He  says,  and  what  is  said  of 
Him,  and  that  the  reflective  passages  so  interrupt  and  over- 
weight the  narrative,  as  to  annul  its  interest.  The  subter- 
fuge in  '  The  Light  of  the  World '  of  prefixing  '  solo '  to  all 
the  passages  for  the  centre  figure,  rather  acknowledges  the 
difficulty  than  meets  it.  Your  book  would  best  be  named 
also  '  The  Light  of  the  World,'  but  it  would  be  less  avail- 

x 


306  "KING  DAVID:' 


able  for  my  use  than  its  predecessor,  because  the  strongest 
points  of  the  action  are  not  in  it  appropriated,  and  because 
the  second  act  has  no  action  at  all.  If  I  am  ever  to  do 
anything  with  it,  it  must  be  after  manifold  discussion, 
careful  perusal,  and  long  pondering,  all  of  which  I  may  give 
to  it  after  the  fulfilment  of  the  present  commission, — give 
to  it  with  regard  to  a  post  future  work  to  which  I  shall  not 
be  committed,  but  may  construct  as  legacy  to  my  posthu- 
mous reputation.  Now  I  must  confess  that  I  have  lighted 
on  another  theme,  and,  since  my  last  letter,  have  made 
some  advance  in  its  distribution,  namely,  King  David,  be- 
ginning in  Ziklag,  and  selecting  from  the  subsequent 
history.  I  know  me  to  be  the  unfittest  person  to  treat  a 
scripture  subject  that  ever  undertook  the  task  ;  I  can  only 
justify  me  to  myself  by  the  absence  of  any  other  task ;  you 
despise  critics,  I  acknowledge  but  one,  namely,  myself, 
and  if  his  approval  be  wanting,  my  attempts  will  be  futile, 
and  my  presumption  in  treading  on  sanctified  ground  will 
be  many  times  magnified.  All  this  seems  ungrateful  for 
the  pains  you  have  spent,  but  only  seems,  for  I  assure  you, 
I  esteem  most  highly  the  interest  you  take  in  my  doing, 
and  the  help  you  give  to  its  accomplishment,  for  it  is  help 
that  you  have  proved  to  me  my  inability  to  work  on  the 
very  greatest  subject. 

"  Yours  with  endless  thanks, 

"  G-.  A.  MACFAKREN." 

The  narrative  of  King  David  above  alluded  to  was, 
a,s  is  well  known,  adopted  by  Macfarren,  and  was  the 
subject  of  his  fourth  and  last  Oratorio,  composed  for 
the  Leeds  Festival,  1883.  The  passages  forming  the 
dramatic  story  itself  were  selected  by  himself,  with 
Miss  Macfarren's  aid.  Those  interspersed  as  reflec- 
tive were  chosen  by  Miss  Prescott ;  "  that  is,"  she 
relates — 

"  He  would  tell  me,  '  I  want  words  for  a  chorus,  or  solo, 
at  this  point  in  the  narration,  something  to  this  effect,' 
and  he  would  give  some  expression  of  thought ;  I  would 
hunt  up  various  texts  or  combinations  with  something  of 


'KING   DAVID."  307 


the  meaning,  and  he  chose  that  which  seemed  most  to  his 
taste ;  sometimes,  may  be,  a  dozen  texts  were  rejected  in 
this  way,  from  his  severe,  almost  fastidious  feeling  of  what 
was  fitting,  both  to  the  place  in  the  song,  and  to  be  united 
to  music. 

"  I  remember  bringing  him  among  others  the  text,  'Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  is  fit  to  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  I  forget  the  point  it  was  in- 
tended for,  but  it  seemed  to  me  appropriate.  His  verdict 
at  once  was,  '  It  is  very  difficult  to  make  clear  any  quoted 
words,'  alluding  to  'Lord,  Lord.'  Again,  I  brought  the 
text,  '  There  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God,' 
etc.  He  objected,  '  This  has  been  set  by  Sir  Arthur 
Sullivan  in  a  prominent  place  in  his  oratorio — it  is  inviting 
comparison,  or  almost  stealing  his  thoughts.'  That  objec- 
tion was  removed  by  going  to  another  Gospel  for  the  same 
thought  in  different  words.  It  now  stands,  '  Joy  shall  be 
in  heaven,'  etc. 

"  Another  point  gave  me  a  good  deal  of  trouble, — the 
chorus  after  David's  fall.  The  beauty  of  the  accompanied 
recitative  which  relates  the  double  sin,  marks  the  beauty 
of  the  old  composer's  nature.  They  say  no  man  can  create 
an  artistic  work  that  is  greater  than  himself.  Macfarren 
disputed  this  assertion,  for  he  said  the  oratorio  '  Messiah' 
was  greater  than  Haudel  himself.  Surely  the  reserve,  the 
gentleness,  the  fire,  and  the  terrible  denunciation  in  this 
music,  tell  their  story,  the  story  of  a  good  man's  horror 
at  the  vile  deeds  of  his  hero ;  while  his  human  sympathy 
and  tenderness  could  feel  the  undercurrent,  'faithful  in 
unfaithfulness,'  which  gained  forgiveness  in  the  after  life 
of  David,  and  won  Solomon  his  position  as  king  and 
ancestor  of  the  Messiah.  I  brought  many  words  for  this 
after-chorus;  the  texts  I  could  find  were  not  personal 
enough :  he  wanted  something  that  should  draw  thoughts 
round  to  present  time.  His  feeling  was  that  in  an  oratorio, 
unlike  an  opera,  the  chorus  (and  some  of  the  solos,  as 
choragus)  take  the  place  of  Greek  chorus,  and  thus  some- 
times act  as  persons  in  the  drama, — sometimes  as  narrator, 
sometimes  as  leaders  of  the  audience's  thoughts.  In  this 
way  he  justified  the  use  of  a  prayer  from  a  modern  liturgy. 
It  is  not,  as  a  lecturer  said  at  the  Musical  Association, 


308  "KING  DAVIDS 


that  '  we  are  in  Judea,  and  straightway  transported  into 
an  English  church,'  but  rather,  we  are  in  England  at  this 
present  time,  and  witnessing  by  our  minds'  ears  the  drama 
of  past  times.  What  more  fit,  and  naturally  artistic,  than 
that  we  of  the  audience  should  feel  the  terror  of  the  evil 
deed,  and  that  we  are  human,  and  may  fall  into  the  same. 
'  Remember  not,  Lord,  our  offences,  but  help  us,  lest  we 
also  fall  like  this  man  David.' 

"  I  do  not  remember  whether  it  has  been  written  any- 
where, but  Macfarren's  feeling  as  to  the  course  of  the 
book  of  '  King  David '  was  strong  ;  in  this  way, — the  first 
part,  beginning  with  the  greatness,  works  up  to  the  Jewish 
idea — judgment.  The  second  part,  with  all  the  terrible 
consequences, — quarrels  and  sins  among  his  people  and  his 
sons, — works  up  to  the  Christian  idea — mercy.  Thus  the 
closing  words  of  the  first  part  are,  '  Vengeance  is  mine, 
saith  the  Lord,  I  will  repay.'  'The  Lord  shall  destroy 
them  in  His  displeasure ;  He  shall  consume  them.'  Then 
the  terrified  hush ;  as  he  said,  '  the  greatest  terror  is  silent, 
and  we  can  only  express  silence  in  music  by  hushed 
sounds.'  (A  critic  said,  without  the  least  appreciation  of 
this  idea,  '  What  nonsense  to  put  a  pianissimo  in  such  a 
place ! ')  The  closing  words  of  the  second  part,  on  the 
contrary,  are,  '  Joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth.' 

"  At  one  point  in  the  work,  he  said  he  was  at  a  loss  how 
to  set  about  composition.  It  was  the  parable  of  Nathan 
about  the  little  ewe  lamb,  'There  were  two  men  in  one 
city.'  I  went  home,  and  thought  how  to  help  him.  The 
words  took  root  in  my  own  mind  and  grew  up  into  a 
ballad-like  song,  founded  on  the  idea  of  the  old  minstrel 
or  bard  declamation  in  rhythm,  with  slight  orchestral 
accompaniment.  I  took  it  to  him ;  at  least  it  might  set 
his  thoughts  a-going,  I  thought.  No  doubt  it  did,  for, 
though  he  complained  to  me  after  hearing  it,  '  Now  I  have 
a  greater  difliculty  before  me ;  I  have  not  only  to  do  some- 
thing worthy  of  the  place,  but  something  that  shall  be 
different  to  yours,'  he  soon  produced  something.  Certainly, 
it  was  about  as  different  to  mine  as  could  be  imagined ; 
though  still  I  feel  he  had  the  idea  of  a  ballad-declairner  in 
his  mind." 


<KING  DAVIDS  309 


As  illustrative  of  Macfarren's  readiness  to  accept 
criticism,  Miss  Prescott  relates  : — 

"  I  was  present  at  the  rehearsal  of  '  King  David '  in 
London,  before  its  performance  at  Leeds ;  and  between  the 
morning  and  afternoon  work,  the  conductor,  passing  by  me 
as  I  sat,  remarked  '  I  wonder  where  the  old  man  gets  such 
beautiful  ideas.'  I  believe  I  answered,  '  Out  of  his  heart,' 
for  that  was  my  conviction  at  the  time.  However,  the  next 
remark  was,  '  That  chorus  is  too  long  ;  it  ought  to  be  cut ; 
it  spoils  the  oratorio.'  I  treasured  up  the  criticism,  for  I 
knew  Gf.  A.  M.  respected  the  opinion  and  valued  the  kind- 
ness of  his  conductor.  As  soon  as  I  could,  I  took  the  pair  of 
remarks  home,  both  sugar  and  salt,  to  its  proper  owner.  No 
doubt  he  smiled  at  the  sugar,  for  he  had  a  sweet  tooth,  not- 
withstanding all  the  bitter  he  had  had  in  his  time,  perhaps 
because  of  it ;  but  when  I  went  on  to  the  advice,  he  asked 
eagerly,  '  Where,  where  ? '  and  thought  over  it  deeply.  By 
the  next  rehearsal  the  cut  was  made. 

"  His  acceptance  of  criticism  sometimes  took  the  form  of 
humour.  When  'King  David'  had  been  performed,  a  critic 
remarked  it  was  very  daring  of  any  composer  to  set  the 
words,  'Woe,  woe,  woe,'  as  he  did  in  one  of  the  songs. 
When  G-.  A.  M.  heard  it,  he  only  smiled,  and  capped 
it :  'I  remember  when  "  Ajax "  was  done  at  one  of  the 
London  theatres,  it  was  remarked  by  some  wag  that  Ajax 
cried  out  "  Wo,  wo,  wo,"  till  there  wasn't  a  cab-horse  that 
would  budge  out  of  the  rank.' 

"  The  second  performance  of  that  oratorio  was  a  curious 
illustration  of  the  questionable  truth  of  some  criticisms  on 
his  work.  Some  one  had  said  what  nonsense  it  was  to  make 
the  chorus  repeat  the  word  '  Absolom,  Absoloin,  Absolom;' 
tossing  a  single  word  about  hither  and  thither  from  voice 
to  voice  was  '  foolish,  nonsensical  rubbish,'  etc.  After  the 
first  part  of  the  oratorio  was  done,  there  went  cries  from 
all  parts  of  the  hall,  '  Macfarren,  Macfarren ; '  hither  and 
thither  the  single  word  was  '  tossed  about '  among  the 
friendly  audience,  just  as  in  the  chorus  so  blamed.  It  is 
said,  also,  that  fugues  are  dull,  uninteresting  to  any  but 
dry,  learned  musicians,  and  incapable  of  any  poetic  expres- 


310  "KING  DAVIDS  "ST.  GEORGES  TE  DEUM." 

sion.  However,  the  fugue  '  Thy  Seed  shall  be  great,' 
worked  up  the  audience  and  chorus  to  a  great  pitch  of  ex- 
citement." 

The  Overture  to  "  King  David  "  was  written  before 
the  rest  of  the  Oratorio,  a  horn-passage  in  it,  which  may 
be  termed  the  "  shepherd-boy  theme/'  being  intro- 
duced in  the  course  of  the  work.  The  "  coronation 
theme,"  to  the  words  "  I  will  give  no  slumber/'  now 
in  the  Oratorio,  is  the  second  version  that  was  written. 
The  words,  "The  thing  which  David  had  done"  are 
set  to  an  old  Church  Tone.  The  Final  Chorus  is  the 
only  one  of  which  Macfarren  made  sketches  before 
completing  it,  so  far  as  his  amanuensis,  Mr.  Windeyer 
Clark,  remembers. 

At  the  first  performance  of  this  Oratorio,  Macfarren 
was  sitting  in  a  convenient,  unobserved  position, 
within  hearing  of  the  conductor.  When  the  audience 
interrupted  the  immediate  succession  of  the  numbers, 
especially  in  one  place,  by  applause,  Macfarren  became 
vexedly  excited,  and  in  audible  whisper  cried  out, 
"  Go  on,  go  on,"  preferring  the  continuity  to  the  ex- 
pressed approval.  The  conductor  on  this  occasion 
was  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan ;  the  soloists  were  Mesdames 
Albani,  Edith  Wynne,  and  Patey,  and  Messrs.  Lloyd, 
Santley,  and  Foli. 

The  remaining  work  of  this  class  to  be  here  men- 
tioned, though  not  an  Oratorio,  is  the  "  St.  George's 
Te  Deum,"  composed  for  the  opening  of  the  London 
International  and  Universal  Exhibition,  at  the  Crystal 
Palace,  1884,  and  performed,  on  the  Handel  Orchestra, 
April  23rd.  The  circumstances  of  the  occasion  neces- 
sitated, or  at  least  led  to,  a  remarkable  construction  : 
two  military  bands — the  Grenadier  Guards  and  Scots 


MACFARREN'S  METHOD    OF   WORK.        311 

Guards — being  employed,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary 
orchestral  band,  chorus,  and  solo  voices  ;  the  principal 
vocalists  being  Mesdames  Albani  and  Patey,  and  Mr. 
Santley.  The  first  number  was  a  Prelude,  termed 
"  The  Gathering  of  the  Nations/'  in  which  were  intro- 
duced the  Austrian  and  Russian  National  Hymns, 
Danish  National  Airs,  "  Die  Wacht  am  Rhein/'  the 
11  Marsellaise,"  "  Rule  Britannia,"  and  "  Universal 
Hymn."  In  the  last  chorus,  "God  Save  the  Queen" 
was  assigned  to  the  military  bands,  while  a  fugue  on 
a  totally  distinct  subject  was  performed  simultaneously 
by  the  voices  and  orchestral  band  :  altogether  a  marvel 
of  complication  to  be  dictated  by  a  blind  man  !  The 
work  was  treated  with  small  consideration  by  the 
musical  critics,  as  a  pompous  piece  d'occasion;  but  is 
worthy  of  more  respect  than  might  be  supposed,  espe- 
cially in  the  alternative  form  which  the  score  supplies, 
relieved  of  the  meretricious,  or,  at  least,  circumstantial 
accessories. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  give  some  account  of  Mac- 
farren's  method  of  procedure  in  the  composition  and 
dictation  of  his  large  works,  such  as  the  Oratorios 
which  have  been  enumerated  in  this  chapter ;  several 
of  which,  it  may  be  premised,  were  transcribed  from 
his  already  prepared  and  well-stocked  brain,  early  in 
the  mornings,  before  breakfast,  so  as  to  secure  non-in- 
terruption and  non-interference  with  the  professional 
business  which  pressed  heavily  upon  him. 

Assuming,  then,  that  he  himself  was,  in  the  main, 
prepared  with  his  ideas,  on  the  arrival  of  his  amanu- 
ensis he  would — for  instance,  in  the  case  of  a  chorus — 
dictate  the  voice  parts  first  of  all,  probably  of  one  page, 
each  part  separately,  not  bar  by  bar,  but  the  whole 


312  METHOD    OF    WORKING. 

page  ;  and  then  add  the  instrumental  parts,  most  usu- 
ally dictating  the  first  violin  part  before  the  other 
parts.  In  the  case  of  a  choral  fugue,  he  would  dic- 
tate the  subject  first  of  all,  and  then  say,  "  Now  let  us 
get  a  counterpoint  to  this,"  which,  it  need  not  be  said 
to  musical  adepts,  would  have  to  be  double — that  is, 
invertible,  adapted  to  accompany  the  subject  either 
above  or  below  it.  And  then,  the  subject,  answer, 
and  double- counterpoint  being  written,  the  remainder 
of  the  exposition  would  be  completed ;  this  term  being 
applied  to  the  first  series  of  entries  of  subject  and 
answer  in  all  the  parts.  In  this  exposition,  his 
favourite  method,  in  Oratorios,  was  to  accompany  the 
voices  with  the  organ  only ;  following  a  precedent  to 
which  he  referred  in  an  analysis  of  Handel's  "  Israel 
in  Egypt "  : — 

"  In  this  ['  Egypt  was  glad ']  and  several  subsequent 
movements  of  the  same  character,  the  voices  are  at  first 
accompanied  with  the  organ  only,  the  string  and  brass  in- 
struments being  introduced  considerably  later  to  enforce 
some  new  entry  of  the  subject,  which  has  an  admirable 
effect,  not  merely  of  giving  prominence  to  an  important 
point,  but  of  giving  colour  and  variety  to  the  tone  of  the 
whole  chorus." 

Did  all  inspiration  evaporate,  meanwhile,  and  the 
whole  work  become  one  of  mere  music-making,  with- 
out free  play  for  the  imagination  ?  It  might  seem  in- 
evitably so ;  many  think  that  it  was  so,  and  that  they 
can  detect  a  certain  "  angularity  "  in  the  larger  works 
produced  in  Macfarren's  later  years,  attributable  partly 
to  this  method  of  production,  partly  to  the  theoretical 
or  grammatical  habit  of  his  mind.  His  valued  aman- 


DICTATION  AND    INSPIRATION.  313 

uensis,  however,  previously  quoted,  says,  with  respect 
to  the  alleged  hindering  of  inspiration  : — 

"  I  think  not :  in  one  way  it  aided  it,  for  it  compelled 
him  to  concentration  of  thought ;  for  the  separate  move- 
ment, at  all  events,  if  not  more,  was  necessarily  complete 
before  a  note  was  written.  Thus,  one  of  his  most  beauti- 
ful songs,  '  Love  is  strong  as  death,'  in  '  Joseph,'  was 
written  in  this  manner.  When  I  went  to  him  one  morning 
to  write  what  might  be  ready,  he  said,  '  I  thought  of  this 
song  as  I  was  coming  home  in  the  cab  from  the  concert 
last  night,  and  finding  a  fire  waiting  for  me  at  home  to  sit 
out,  I  finished  it '  (all  in  his  mind,  you  must  remember). 
Some  one  has  said  that  hearing  music  is  not  conducive  to 
much  composition.  Battling  over  the  London  streets  in  a 
four-wheeled  cab  might  be  thought  not  apposite  for  com- 
position, and  very  different  to  the  cosy  studies  and  com- 
fortable chairs,  pink  satin  suits,  etc.,  of  some  writers.  But 
there  is  quiet  even  in  the  midst  of  noise,  and  to  him  the 
mere  cessation  of  business  was  the  signal  for  musical 
thought,  and  he  had  no  outside  visions  to  disturb  his  con- 
centration of  that  thought.  However,  thus  was  the  song 
ready  in  his  mind,  waiting  for  me  to  write  it  down.  He 
would  sit  at  the  little  old  square  piano  in  his  den,  I  by  his 
side,  so  that  I  could  aid  my  ears  by  a  glance  at  his  fingers, — 
paper  of  twenty -four  lines  and  a  favourite  ink-pot  on  the 
piano  corner.  In  this  song  there  are  four  horns.  'We 
will  write  them  first,  for  they  have  most  to  play,  and  will 
want  the  longest  bars.'  I  believe  he  dictated  them  in  C, 
the  key  in  which  they  were  to  be  written.  This,  and  other 
habits  he  had,  shows  that  he  had  the  score  before  his 
mind's  eye  as  it  ought  to  be  written.  The  four  horns 
written  for  one  page  only,  and  the  bar  lines  drawn  up  and 
down  the  rest  of  the  score ;  the  rest  of  the  instruments 
were  filled  in  for  the  page,  the  highest  first,  and  so  down- 
wards to  the  bass.  The  symphony  written  line  by  line, 
the  voice  part  (words  and  music)  was  indicated,  because 
that  would  take  the  most  space.  Then  the  accompaniment 
for  that  was  begun  at  the  top  line,  and  so  downwards,  line 
by  line.  When  I  turned  over  for  a  new  page,  '  Where  did 


314     MACFARREN'S  PATIENCE  AND  MEMORY. 

we  leave  off  ? '  would  be  the  question ;  but  before  I  could 
refer  back,  '  Oh,  I  remember,'  and  he  would  play  the  next 
bar.  Sometimes  the  voice  part  would  be  written  for  the 
whole,  or  a  large  part  of  the  song — specially  this  would  be 
the  case  in  choral  works, — or  in  a  choral  fugue,  where  the 
voice  parts  and  words  were  very  much  involved.  Once 
only  I  remember  making  a  pencil  '  sketch,'  as  he  called  it, 
of  a  composition  ;  that  was  the  overture  to  '  Joseph ' ;  but  I 
believe  it  was  as  much  out  of  consideration  for  my  inex- 
perience, as  for  any  wish  to  help  his  own  work  of  com- 
position ;  the  ostensible  reason  being  that  he  might  forget 
the  course  of  the  work  in  the  delay  of  writing  score.  I 
have  been  told  he  sometimes  forgot  a  composed  work  be- 
fore he  had  opportunity  to  get  it  written.  In  my  own 
work  with  him,  I  only  recollect  one  slight  f orgetfulness ; 
that  was  a  counterpoint  he  had  worked  out  for  a  bass  part 
to  some  chorus.  When  I  went  to  write,  he  had  forgotten 
it,  much  to  his  distress,  and  he  was  obliged  to  think  it  out 
again,  bar  by  bar,  as  I  sat  writing.  I  remember  now  the 
warm  thanks  he  gave  me  for  what  he  called  my  wonderful 
patience  in  writing  while  he  was  repairing  his  error,  and 
'  wasting  my  time,'  as  he  called  it.  As  a  fact,  the  error  was 
a  far  greater  pain  to  himself  than  to  me,  for  it  was  a  real 
trial  to  him.  I  have  been  told  he  was  impatient  with  his 
writers  ;  I  always  found  the  impatience  was  at  what  he 
considered  his  own  slowness,  not  mine,  though  I  was  slow 
enough. 

"Never  but  once  have  I  heard  a  word  of  complaint,  of 
fretfulness  from  him  at  his  blindness — that  was  only  two 
months  before  he  died,  when  he  must  have  been  suffering 
keenly  from  his  extreme  weak  state  and  effort  to  keep  up. 
He  wrote,  urging  me,  '  Write  music,  write ;  you  have  not 
the  necessity  of  waiting  for  other  hands  ;  you  need  scarcely 
even  memory  for  your  writing.' 

"  Illness  did  not  make  him  forget  his  composed  work. 
One  day  he  broke  off  in  the  midst  of  dictating  to  me, 
feeling  very  ill,  and  he  remained  ill  the  rest  of  the  day : 
before  I  left  the  house,  however,  an  arrangement  was 
made  that  I  was  to  come  the  next  day ;  then  the  move- 
ment was  finished  that  had  been  broken  off  the  day 
before." 


PHILHARMONIC  PROGRAMMES.  315 

During  all  this  productive  period  of  Macfarren's 
active  mind,  he  had  also  other  work,  of  most  exacting 
kind.  From  1869  to  1880  inclusive,  he  was  retained 
as  annotator  of  the  Philharmonic  Society,  the  analy- 
tical programmes  supplied  by  him  being  of  great  and 
permanent  interest.  One  analysis,  of  singularly 
sympathetic  appreciativeness,  may  be  specially  men- 
tioned in  this  chapter,  that  of  Brahms'  f<  German 
Requiem,"  in  the  programme  of  the  concert,  April  6th, 
1876.  This  interesting  analysis  has  been  published 
separately.  He  reproached  himself,  however,  for 
writing  analytical  programmes ;  but  for  what  reason, 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  stated  by  him. 

Other  labours  of  the  learned  musician  during  this 
period  have  yet  to  be  recorded. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PRINCIPALSHIP  OF  THE  ROYAL  ACADEMY  OP  Music. 
PROFESSORSHIP  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAMBRIDGE: 
LECTURES.  UNIVERSITY  DEGREES.  KNIGHTHOOD. 
" AJAX"  Music.  TERCENTENARY  ANTHEM.  MACFARREN 
AS  TEACHER  AND  EXAMINER.  1875 — 1887. 

ON  the  1st  of  February,  1875,  the  world  of  Music 
sustained  an  irreparable  loss  by  the  death,  after  a 
short  illness,  of  Sir  William  Sterndale  Bennett.  With 
characteristic  promptitude,  on  receiving  intimation  of 
the  deplored  event,  Macfarren,  as  one  of  the  committee 
of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  directed  that  a  meet- 
ing of  that  body  should  be  instantly  summoned,  so  that 
fitting  steps  might  be  taken  to  indicate  the  esteem  in 
which  their  deceased  chairman  and  principal  was  held, 
and  to  determine  on  the  course  to  be  taken  for  the 
future  management  of  the  institution.  Not  only  was 
the  Academy  largely  represented  at,  and  concerned 
with,  the  funeral  of  the  lamented  musician,  whose 
genius  had  shed  upon  it  such  lustre,  but,  without  hesi- 
tation, Macfarren  was  looked  to  as  his  proper  suc- 
cessor, by  reason  of  his  consummate  musicianship, 
long  and  intimate  association  with  the  institution  in 
all  its  vicissitudes,  and  sterling  mental  and  moral 


K.A.M.  PRINCIPALSHIP.    BENNETT  "IDYLL."  317 

qualifications ;  and,  with  the  expectant  assent  of  the 
entire  professoriate,  he  was  appointed  to  the  respon- 
sible and  onerous  office  of  principal,  which,  with  most 
important  and  salutary  results,  he  held  until  his 
death. 

Shortly  afterwards,  he  delivered  a  lecture  upon  the 
life  and  works  of  Sterndale  Bennett,  at  St.  John's 
Wood.  And,  in  the  same  year,  by  request  of  the 
Philharmonic  Society,  he  composed  an  "  Idyll "  in 
memory  of  Bennett,  which  was  performed  at  the  final 
Concert  of  the  63rd  season,  July  5th,  1875  ;  the  ana- 
lytical programme  by  himself  giving  this  account  of 
the  work  : — 


"  Allegro  tranquillo,  C. — Andante,  34,  '  God  is  a  Spirit.' — 
Maestoso,  C — (B  flat). 

"The  following  are  the  points  in  the  musician's  cha- 
racter and  career  that  have  been  foremost  in  the  recollec- 
tion of  his  friend.  His  inborn  genius ;  his  early  orphan- 
hood ;  the  expansion  of  his  powers  under  kindly  nurture ; 
his  entry  on  the  active  life  of  the  metropolis;  his  trans- 
plantation to  a  foreign  land,  where  the  musical  uses  and 
the  social  surroundings  were  a  new  soil  and  climate  for  the 
cultivation  of  his  artistry ;  the  ripening  of  his  strength 
under  these  influences ;  his  scholastic  offices  in  England, 
with  their  duties ;  the  resumed  exercise  of  his  productive 
ability ;  his  later  visit  to  Germany,  when  some  of  his 
artist  friends  were  no  more ;  his  gently  falling  into  the 
everlasting  sleep  ;  the  triumphant  homage  to  his  manes, 
when  the  heart  of  England  beat  with  pride  in  her  honoured 
son ;  the  feeling  of  the  mourners  that  himself  was  present 
among  them  when  his  own  strain  was  sung ;  and  the  glori- 
fication of  art,  in  men's  acknowledgment  of  her  represen- 
tative." 

Some  months  later,  in  writing  to  Mr.  T.  J.  Dudeney, 


318  LETTERS   TO    ME.  DUDENEY. 

he  again  makes  graceful  allusion  to  the  departed  musi- 
cian, in  a  letter  which  explains  itself : — 

"Nov.  30,  1875. 
"  MY  DEAR  SIR, 

"  The  White  and  the  wind  and  the  cold  to-day  remind 
me  of  your  pretty  setting  of  Miss  Ingelow's  poem,  and  of 
my  remissness  in  not  sooner  acknowledging  the  copy.  Let 
me  thank  you  for  it  now.  I  thank  you  too,  and  the  mem- 
bers of  your  Society,  as  a  friend  of  Sir  Sterndale  Bennett, 
for  the  Concert  you  have  given  in  his  memory.  Such  an 
artist  as  he  dies  but  to  his  friends  when  he  leaves  this 
life  ;  to  the  world  he  still  lives  in  his  works,  and  they  do 
themselves  as  much  honour  as  him  in  keeping  green  his 
memory  who  study  and  hear  these. 

"  I  am  very  truly  yours, 

"  Gr.  A.  MACFARREN." 

And  to  the  same  effect,  later  on,  he  wrote : — 

"  Exceat  Farm, 

"  Seaford,  Sussex, 

"  9th  August,  1880. 
"  MY  DEAR  MR.  DUDENEY, 

"  I  learn  with  pleasure  that  the  Washford  Musical 
Society  has  been  giving  concerts  of  Bennett's  music,  and 
I  congratulate  you,  as  the  director  and  representative 
of  that  admirable  institution,  on  the  success  of  these 
performances.  A  few  such  workers  with  such  material 
would  soon  Anglicize  our  musical  faith,  and,  in  teaching 
us  to  believe  in  one  another,  strengthen  our  reliance  on 
ourselves  and  trust  in  the  public." 

Shortly  before  the  date  of  this  last  letter,  the  Society 
referred  to  forwarded  the  following  resolution,  passed 
at  the  General  Meeting : — 

"  That  considering  the  pleasure  and  profit  the  members 
have  derived  irom  their  study  of  some  of  Dr.  Gr.  A.  Mac- 
farren's  music,  and  in  acknowledgment  of  the  kind  advice 


CAMBRIDGE   PROFESSORSHIP.  319 

he  has  given  respecting  the  formation  of  their  new  society, 
the  wannest  thanks  of  the  members  be  due  to  him,  and 
they  also  respectfully  wish  him  many  happy  returns  of 
this  his  birthday." 

It  is  pleasurable  in  a  high  degree  to  record  that, 
through  the  enthusiastic  appreciation  of  the  works  and 
character  of  Macfarren,  evinced  by  Mr.  Dudeney,  the 
Taunton  Philharmonic  Association  was  founded,  in  his 
honour,  March  2nd,  1875.  Macfarren  wrote  with  re- 
gard to  this  and  other  efforts : — 

"  It  is  one  thing  to  produce  music,  but  quite  another  to 
have  such  a  partisan  as  you,  who  not  only  gives  credit  for 
one's  intentions,  but  infuses  his  own  great  interest  in  the 
subject  into  a  large  circle  of  surrounders.  .  .  .  As  much  as 
on  my  own  account  I  thank  you  for  the  partisanship  of 
English  music,  nay,  of  music  altogether,  which  you  are 

fulfilling If  others  worked  as  you  do  in  musical 

promulgation,  they  would  effect  more  than  is  in  the  power 
of  princes  to  advance  the  study  and  love  of  art." 

Another  important  office  became  vacant  by  the  death 
of  Sterndale  Bennett, — that  of  Professor  of  Music  in 
the  University  of  Cambridge.  Immediately  after 
Bennett's  funeral,  an  informal  conference  was  held  be- 
tween a  few  influential  gentlemen  connected  with  the 
University,  to  which  Macfarren  was  invited  ;  and, 
from  that  moment,  he  consenting  to  stand  for  the 
appointment,  his  election  was  well-nigh  a  foregone 
conclusion.  Efforts  of  an  interested  kind  were  indeed 
made  to  depreciate  his  qualification  for  the  duties,  on 
account  of  his  blindness ;  but  this  allegation  of  unfit- 
ness  was  rebutted  by  a  letter  in  the  "Times,"  signed 
by  Heir  Joachim,  Costa,  and  other  influential  and 
competent  musicians,  in  which  facts  were  stated  re- 


320  CAMBRIDGE   PROFESSORSHIP. 

specting  his  marvellous  and  undaunted  vanquishment 
of  obstacles  which  would  have  unnerved  and  inca- 
pacitated most  men.  The  issue  could  hardly  be  un- 
certain ;  every  other  candidate  ultimately,  though  not 
all  promptly,  retired  ;  and  on  March  16th  Macfarren 
was  elected  in  this  instance  also  as  successor  to  his  old 
fellow- student,  in  the  arduous,  honourable,  and  re- 
sponsible duties  attached  to  the  Chair  of  Music  in  the 
University.  In  his  letter  of  application  he  said  : — 

"In  the  event  of  your  conferring  upon  me  the  great 
honour  of  appointing  me  your  Professor,  I  should  regard 
the  office  not  only  as  an  honour  but  as  a  trust,  and  would 
endeavour  to  the  best  of  my  power  to  advance  the  study  of 
Music  in  the  University.  I  should  hope  to  do  this  not 
only  by  fulfilling  the  office  of  Examiner  for  Musical  De- 
grees, but  by  delivering  Lectures  such  as  I  hope  might 
prove  useful  to  resident  musical  students." 

Prior  to  the  election,  it  had  been  determined  that, 
in  place  of  a  stipend  of  £100  to  the  Professor  of 
Music,  and  certain  fees  from  successful  candidates  for 
degrees,  as  heretofore,  the  stipend  should  in  future  be 
£200,  and  "that  the  Professor  be  not  authorized  to  re- 
ceive any  fees  from  persons  performing  exercises  or 
being  examined  for  degrees  in  Music."  This  change 
was  welcome  to  Macfarren,  relieving  him  from  all  sus- 
picion of  interested  motives  in  passing  candidates. 
And,  whereas  the  delivery  of  Lectures  on  Music  was 
not  previously  obligatory  on  the  Professor,  it  was 
enacted  "  that  the  Professor  be  required  to  give  a 
course  of  not  less  than  four  Lectures  in  Music  annu- 
ally in  the  University/'  etc. 

In  the  following  April,  the  Senate  passed  the 
"  Grace "  "  that  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music  be 


PRESENTATION  FOR  MUS.  DOC.  DEGREE.     321 

conferred  on  George  Alexander  Macfarren  "  ;  and  on 
the  occasion  of  his  being  presented  for  that  degree,  the 
Public  Orator,  Mr.  R.  C.  Jelf,  delivered  the  following 
speech : — 

"Musicae  apud  nos  regendae  claruin  praesse  virum 
Academiae  quantum  intersit,  neminem  vestrum  opinor 
ignorare.  Si  enirn  ilia  vetus  artium  coniunctio  et  societas 
quam  finxit  Natura,  usus  corroboravit  ac  fecit  strictiorem, 
nullo  tempore  nullo  loco  dissolvi  potest,  nos  certe,  qui 
litteris  studemus  G-raecis  et  Latinis,  qui  nihil  liberalis 
disciplinae  vel  apud  nos  peregrinari  credimus  vel  hinc 
patimur  exulare,  musicen  in  sede  haud  infima  debemus 
collocare.  Testimonio  sunt  veteres,  sive  philosophos,  sive 
poetas,  sive  eloquentiae  artifices  respecitis,  quae  videretur 
antiquitus  esse  musices  cum  ceteris  humanioris  scientiae 
partibus  necessitudo.  Summam  eruditionem  ut  auctor  est 
Tullius,  Graeci  sitam  censebant  in  nervorum  vocumque 
cantibus ;  quos,  ut  Epaminondas  excoluit,  ita  Themisto- 
cles  quod  declinaret  habitus  est  indoctior.  Quid  vero 
dicit  Marcus  Fabius  Quintilianus  V  Omnium  ait  in  litteris 
studiorum,  Timagene  docente,  antiquissimam  exstitisse 
musicen ;  qua  imbutus  Pythagoras  atque  eius  discipuli 
opinionem  vulgaverunt,  mundum  ipum  ea  ratione  esse 
compositum  quam  postea  sit  lyra  imitata.  Scimus  Pla- 
tonem,  quom  in  aliis  quibusdam  turn  praecipue  in  Timaeo, 
ne  intelligi  quidem  posse  nisi  ab  iio  qui  hanc  quoque 
partem  humanitatis  diligenter  perceperint :  neque  f rustra 
Plato  civili  viro,  quern  TTO\LTLKOV  vocat,  necessariam  musicen 
creditit.  Immo  Lycurgus,  duriosimarum  auctor  legum, 
musices  studiuni  probavit :  musicae  subjectam  esse  gram- 
maticen  putavit  et  Archytas  et  Aristoxenos ;  neque  cum 
Eupolis  Hyperbole  demagogo  irridere  voluit,  aliam  existi- 
mavit  graviorem  contumeliam  quam  ut  eum  innueret 
musicen  nescire. 

"  Nostis,  academici,  vetus  illud  in  Graecia  proverbium  : 
r»7c  \a.vdat>6vcrti<;  jj,ovGiKr}<;  ovltiaXoyos  :  quo  illi  quidem  sig- 
nificabant,  animi  dotes,  si  non  proferas,  perinde  esse 
quasi  non  habeas.  Quod  tamen  nobis  propriomagis  sensu 
accipere  licet,  musicen  rati  eo  magistruic  academiae  pro- 

T 


322  PUBLIC   ORATOR'S   SPEECH. 

futuram  quo  a  viro  doceatur  clariore.  Magna  desideria 
magnas  expetunt  consolationes :  ainisimus  insignem  vi- 
rum  ; l  insignem  in  eius  locum  esse  suffectum  nunc  merito 
nobis  gratulamur.  Cuius  tot  opera,  tot  laudes  percensere 
neque  nostra  facile  possit  oratio  neque  ipsius  verecundia 
patiatur :  immo  est  vir  eiusmodi  quern  qui  nominat  laudat. 
Duco  ad  vos  Musicae  Professorem,  G-eorgium  Alexandrum 
Macfarren." 

(Free  Translation.} 

"  You  are  none  of  you,  I  think,  ignorant  how  greatly  it 
concerns  the  University  that  a  distinguished  man  should 
preside  over  musical  matters  amongst  us.  For  if  that 
ancient  alliance  and  union  of  arts,  which  Nature  formed 
and  use  has  confirmed  and  made  more  strict,  cannot  at 
any  time  or  in  any  place  be  dissolved,  then  most  assuredly 
we  who  study  Greek  and  Latin  literature,  and  who  do  not 
consider  foreign  among  us,  or  allow  to  be  driven  hence,  any 
form  of  liberal  learning,  ought  to  place  music  in  by  no 
means  the  lowest  position.  For  whether  you  regard  philo- 
sophers, poets,  or  the  masters  of  eloquence,  the  ancients 
testify  how  close  a  connexion  there  was  held  to  be  of  old 
between  music  and  all  other  kinds  of  polite  learning.  The 
Greeks,  as  Cicero  tells  us,  considered  that  the  highest 
erudition  was  found  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music ; 
which  Epaminondas  cultivated,  but  Themistocles  refused, 
and  was  therefore  considered  the  more  ignorant.  What 
again  does  Marcus  Fabius  Quintilianus  say  ?  He  says 
that,  according  to  Timagenes,  music  is  the  most  ancient  of 
all  studies.  Fully  convinced  of  this,  Pythagoras  and  his 
disciples  spread  the  opinion  that  the  world  itself  was  made 
by  that  method  and  in  that  proportion  which  the  lyre 
afterwards  imitated.  Plato,  we  know,  in  various  works, 
but  especially  in  the  Timseus,  could  not  even  be  under- 
stood except  by  those  who  had  carefully  studied  this 
branch  of  learning.  Nor  is  it  for  nothing  that  Plato 
asserts  music  to  be  necessary  for  the  man  of  his  republic 
whom  he  calls  TTO\ITIKOV.  Nay  more,  Lycurgus,  who 
framed  laws  of  such  extraordinary  severity,  approved  of 

1  Sir  \V.  Sterndale  Bennett. 


MUS.    DOC.    OXON.    AND   DUBLIN.  323 

the  study  of  music.  Archytas  too,  and  Aristoxenus,  con- 
sidered that  grammar  was  subject  to  music ;  and  when 
Eupolis  used  to  deride  Hyperbolus  the  demagogue,  he 
thought  there  was  no  greater  insult  than  to  point  to  his 
ignorance  of  music. 

"  You  know  the  old  Greek  proverb  :  '  Hidden  music  is  of 
no  account ';  by  which  they  signified  that  mental  gifts, 
if  not  brought  forth,  were  as  though  non-existent.  We 
may  apply  this  to  ourselves  in  a  peculiarly  appropriate 
sense,  considering  that  the  more  eminent  the  man  who 
teaches,  the  more  beneficial  will  the  art  of  music  be  to 
the  University.  Great  losses  require  great  consolation ; 
we  have  lost  a  distinguished  man ;  we  now  congratulate 
ourselves  that  a  distinguished  man  has  been  appointed  to 
fill  his  place.  We  cannot  in  this  speech  enumerate  his 
many  works,  his  many  merits ;  nor  would  his  modesty 
suffer  us  to  do  so  ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  he  is  a  man  whom 
to  name  is  to  praise. 

"I  present  to  you  the  Professor  of  Music,  George 
Alexander  Macfarren." 

In  1876  the  University  of  Oxford  also  conferred 
upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music  ; 
and,  in  1887,  the  like  distinction  was  accorded  him  by 
the  University  of  Dublin. 

On  May  25th  Professor  Macfarren  was  granted  the 
use  of  the  Senate  House  for  his  Inaugural  Lecture, 
which  he  delivered  before  a  distinguished  audience, 
ladies  being  admitted ;  and  he  began  by  remarking 
that — 

"  He  wished  to  own  publicly  his  sense  of  the  importance 
of  the  office  which  gave  him  the  privilege  of  addressing 
that  audience  that  afternoon,  an  importance  which  was 
greatly  exalted  by  the  artistic  abilities  of  his  distinguished 
predecessor,  whose  genius  was  as  a  star  which  shines  upon 
the  art  he  cultivated,  the  country  he  honoured,  and  the 
offices  he  administered.  He  wished  to  offer  the  tribute  of 
respect  to  Sir  Sterndale  Bennett  of  one  who  was  his  school- 


324     INAUGURAL   LECTURE  AT   CAMBRIDGE. 

fellow  and  fellow-labourer,  however  humble,  in  the  work 
which  filled  and  glorified  his  life.  Bennett,  while  yet  a 
student,  working  the  exercises  set  him  by  his  teachers, 
attained  an  excellence  in  pianoforte  playing  peculiarly  his 
own,  and  produced  some  of  those  compositions  for  which 
he  would  always  be  best  esteemed.  The  University  of 
Cambridge  had  a  right  to  expect  very  much  from  all 
functionaries  attached  to  it,  but  he  feared  the  expectations 
would  be  especially  great  from  the  successor  of  this  great 
musician.  He  (Dr.  Macfarren)  was  not  unmindful  of 
Professor  Walmisley,  who  was  distinguished  for  scholastic 
abilities  as  well  as  his  musical  attainments ;  nor  of 
Maurice  Greene,  whose  contributions  to  ecclesiastical 
music  were  among  the  greatest  treasures  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  whose  instrumental  pieces,  though  less 
known,  were  of  a  very  high  order  as  works  of  art ;  Stag- 
gins,  Whitfield,  Hague,  or  Randall.  They  were  men  who 
did  good  honest  work,  and  he  would  be  fortunate  who 
could  walk  in  their  footsteps,  and  gather  flowers  by  the 
wayside.  In  the  dawn  of  time  truth  and  beauty  were 
inseparably  wedded,  '  Spirit  of  one  spirit,  and  flesh  of  one 
flesh,'  and  as  years  rolled  on,  they  had  three  daughters — 
music,  poetry,  and  painting.  These  were  the  arts.  The 
art  of  form  and  the  art  of  letters  had  many  able  expositors. 
The  art  of  tone  was  less  generally  comprehended,  but  he 
looked  forward  with  hope  to  the  time  when  he  might  be 
instrumental  in  some  degree  in  further  extending  it.  The 
classic  Greeks,  who  were  the  filter  through  which  the 
draughts  of  Egyptian  science  have  reached  our  lips,  taught 
that  music  purified  the  heart  by  refining  the  intellect,  and 
exalted  the  feelings  by  reflecting  them  in  ideal  forms. 
What  Plato  and  Aristotle  enunciated,  Cicero  endorsed.  In 
another  age,  Confucius  insisted  that  the  practice  of  music 
would  be  of  the  highest  moral  and  intellectual  advantage  ; 
and,  to  come  to  our  own  race,  Luther  held  that  the  study 
of  music  was  next  in  importance  after  theology.  These 
ancients,  however,  among  whom  he  included  Luther,  could 
have  had  but  a  prophetic  gleam  of  music,  as  we  know  it. 
To  them  it  was  an  exalted  declamation ;  to  us  it  is  an 
embodiment  of  feeling,  for  which  words  can  find  no 
utterance ;  means  of  expression  which  no  language  can 


INAUGUEAL  LECTURE.  325 

compass.  It  was  a  vulgar  fashion — all  fashions  are  vulgar 
which  step  aside  from  nature — that  decried  the  capacity  of 
English  people  for  music.  He  had  not  then  time  to  refute 
this  fallacy.  He  must  ask  them  to  accept  his  statement 
until  opportunity  for  proof  offered  itself.  In  early  days 
England  stood  well  forward  among  European  nations  in 
respect  to  her  musical  abilities.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century,  she  was  in  advance  of  the  whole  of  the 
south  of  Europe  ;  and  was  noted  by  foreigners,  who  them- 
selves boasted  a  love  of  music,  for  her  attainments  in  the 
art ;  and,  from  that  time  downwards,  many  of  the  greatest 
lights  that  shone  in  English  history  in  the  departments  of 
art  had  been  directed  to  the  illumination  of  the  subject  of 
music.  There  was  no  time  now  to  trace  the  course  of  the 
musical  history  of  this  country ;  but  he  felt  so  strongly 
that  the  future  would  come  out  of  what  had  been  in  the 
past,  that  he  believed  it  would  be  an  encouragement  to 
everybody  who  strove  for  the  advancement  of  musical  art 
to  know,  that  whatever  might  be  done  in  the  future  would 
be  but  a  revival,  a  restoration  of  the  old  state  of  things  in 
England." 

He  proceeded  with  historical  references  such  as 
have  appeared  in  lectures  and  papers  already  quoted, 
to  the  effect  of  the  Eeformation  on  Church  Music,  etc.; 
the  works  of  Tallis  and  Byrd  ;  Madrigals,  Italian  and 
English ;  the  choir  singing  Luca  Marenzio's  "  Lady, 
see  on  every  side/'  and  John  Benet's  "  Come,  Shep- 
herds, follow  me,"  the  lecturer  pointing  out  their 
rhythmical  peculiarities. 

"Up  to  Benet's  time  (1599)  bar  lines  had  not  been 
invented  to  divide  music  into  proper  measures.  Still,  it 
was  necessary  that  the  performers  should  know  whether 
they  were  to  sing  with  an  accentuation  of  two  or  three ; 
and  thus  the  accentuation  became  distinguished  by 
'  perfect  time,'  and  '  imperfect  time.'  '  Imperfect  time  ' 
was  when  the  long  notes  were  divided  into  two,  and 
'  perfect  time '  was  when  they  were  divided  into  three 


326  INAUGURAL   LECTURE. 

They  justified  the  term  '  perfect  time '  on  the  ground  that 
the  Trinity  was  three  and  perfect.  It  was  the  practice  in 
those  days  to  introduce  more  frequently  than  was  now 
done,  an  intermixture  of  '  perfect '  and  '  imperfect  time '; 
and  his  audience  would  notice  the  happy  effect  which 
Benet  produced  by  a  change  from  '  imperfect '  into  '  perfect 
time,'  which  gave  to  certain  words  the  particular  character 
they  seemed  to  express.  Beautiful  as  was  Marenzio's 
madrigal,  Benet's  would  bear  to  stand  before  it." 

After  referring  to  the  period  of  the  Commonwealth, 
he  proceeded  to  consider  the  life  of  Henry  Purcell, 
who  stood  pre-eminently  forward  in  the  history  of 
music. 

"  He  was  born  in  1658,  lived  from  the  time  of  the  Resto- 
ration, through  the  reign  of  James  II.,  up  to  William,  and 
died  in  1695.  There  was  a  prodigious  advance  in  the 
power  of  expression  of  his  music  from  the  time  of  Benet. 
Besides  the  aesthetic  beauty  of  his  music,  its  technical 
merit  was  very  important  in  the  history  of  art,  for  in  his 
music  were  anticipated  all  the  most  extreme  chromatic 
combinations  that  signalized  the  music  of  the  present 
time.  Many  of  the  contrapuntal  forms,  which  have  now 
gone  out  of  use,  were  practised  by  him  with  wonderful 
success.  One  anthem  of  his  composition  was  set  to  some 
words  of  the  Litany,  and  the  treatment  of  these  words 
gave  every  expression  its  fullest  meaning.  It  commenced 
with  a  most  humble  deprecation,  '  Remember  not,  Lord, 
our  offences '  ;  it  gathered  strength  when  it  said,  '  Nor 
the  offences  of  our  forefathers  ' ;  and  then,  as  if  in  despair, 
there  was  the  cry,  '  Neither  take  thou  vengeance  of  our 
sins.'  The  whole  was  tempered  with  the  seeming  hope  of 
mercy,  '  Spare  us,  good  Lord ' ;  then  with  most  touch- 
ing tenderness  we  have,  '  Spare  Thy  people,  whom  Thou 
hast  redeemed  with  Thy  most  precious  blood ' ;  and  again, 
'  Be  not  angry  with  us  for  ever.'  [The  choir  here  sang  the 
anthem  referred  to.]  It  was  a  remarkable  fact  that,  with 
the  accession  of  sovereigns  in  England  who  could  not  speak 
our  language,  and,  therefore,  could  not  take  an  interest  in 
its  expression,  music  went  into  disesteem,  and  painting 


INAUGURAL   LECTURE.  327 


rose  into  favour.     While  the  art  of  painting  could  show 
the  names  of  Hogarth,  Reynolds,  Gainsborough,  etc.,  there 
was  a  corresponding  blank  in  the  chronicles  of  the  sister 
art.     It  would  be  among  the  glories  of  the  times  of  Queen 
Victoria,  that,  under  her  administration,  the  old  musical 
feeling   of  former   centuries  had  been  revived.     It  was, 
indeed,  with  immense  interest  that  he  compared  the  pre- 
sent with  the  past  condition  of  music  in  this  country.     In 
the  Plantagenet  days  people  sang  canons  and  catches,  and 
delighted  one  another  by  such  efforts.     In  the  time  of 
Elizabeth,  the  competency  of  farm  labourers  and  artisans 
for  service  was  made  dependent  on  their  musical  qualifica- 
tion.    In  the  time  of  Charles  II.  domestic  servants  were 
refused  employment  because  they  could  not   sing  their 
parts  in  domestic  music.     In  these  days  it  was  not  domestic 
servants,  artisans,  labourers,  or  the  uncultivated  people, 
but  the  students  of  a  great  University  who  devoted  thought 
and  time  to  the  cultivation  of  music.     The  organ  recital 
which  he  had  heard  in  Trinity  Chapel,  and  the  concert  of 
last  week,  were  performances  such  as  few  artists,  even  in 
his  young  days,  could  have  accomplished.     It  was  quite 
evident  that  music  here  was  not  a  piece  of  school  work, 
but  a  work  of  love  among  the  persons  who  attained  to 
such  merit.     Their  merit  had  its  influence,  their  example 
had  its  force,  but  this  influence  and  example  would  not 
stay  in  Cambridge.     Every  one  who  learned  to  love  music 
in  Cambridge  would  carry  that  love  into  his  own  home, 
which  would  be  as  a  centre,  diffusing  its  warmth  and  light 
on  all  its  surroundings  ;  and  when  once  the  love  of  the 
art  which  in  former  days  prevailed  among  the  untutored 
common  people,  shone  down  upon  them  from  above,  with 
the  extra  radiation  which  must  spring  from  the  culture 
and  refinement  of  the  mind,  he  could  not  but  believe  that 
the  musical  character  of  England  would  be  greatly  exalted. 
He  looked  forward  with  fervent  hope  to  the  future   of 
music  in  this  country,  when  the  stigmas  which  we  our- 
selves had  taught  foreigners  to  cast  upon  us  for  our  lack 
of  musical  culture  would  be  wiped  out,  and  we  could  show 
them  we  could  do  something  more  for  music  than  paying 
for  its  performance.     He  particularly  wished  to  urge  upon 
those  who  had  the  musical  art  at  heart  to  carry  their  pur- 


328  LECTURES  AT   CAMBRIDGE. 

suit  of  it  into  its  technical  merits.  Music  was  of  count- 
less value,  but  it  was  of  still  greater  value  when  the  prin- 
ciples upon  which  it  was  constructed  were  apprehended. 
To  hear  or  practise  music,  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
principles  upon  which  it  was  formed,  was  very  much  like 
going  to  the  performance  of  a  play  in  an  unknown  lan- 
guage, when  one  could  admire  the  gesticulation  of  the 
actor,  but,  not  knowing  the  meaning  of  the  words,  could 
do  but  scant  justice  to  the  theme.  He  was  glad  that  the 
technical  principles  of  music  were  studied  here  ;  but  wished 
they  were  studied  more ;  and  he  was  even  vain  enough  to 
wish  that,  as  a  knowledge  of  music  was  advancing  among 
us,  the  authorities  of  the  University  might  in  time  con- 
sider it  to  be  desirable  to  make  it  one  of  the  subjects  of 
special  examination.  The  monuments  of  the  past  were  as 
a  beacon  to  the  future,  but  the  doings  of  the  present  would 
come  still  more  warmly  home  to  their  hearts,  by  showing 
the  position  of  the  art  as  practised  among  themselves,  and 
he  would,  therefore,  close  his  remarks  by  offering  an 
extract  from  the  Cantata  of  the  '  May  Queen,'  by  his  dear 
and  honoured  friend,  the  greatest  English  musician  of  the 
present  period,  Sir  William  Sterndale  Bennett,  a  cantata 
which,  produced  at  the  Leeds  Festival  in  1858,  was  cha- 
racteristic of  the  season,  the  country,  and  the  composer. 
May  his  memory  be  as  green  and  balmy  as  his  song ! " 

The  courses  of  lectures,  four  in  each  course,  delivered 
in  Cambridge  University  by  Macfarren  in  his  profes- 
sorial capacity,  were  as  follows  : — 1876,  on  "  Form  or 
Design  in  Musical  Composition "  ;  1877,  on  "  The 
Musical  Scales  of  different  ages  and  nations"  ;  1878, 
on  "  Counterpoint  "  ;  1879,  on  "  Beethoven's  '  Eroica ' 
Symphony  " ;  1880,  on  "The  Growth  of  the  Overture"; 
1881,  on  " Beethoven's  Choral  Symphony"  ;  1882,  on 
" Bach's  '  Well- tempered  Clavier' " ;  1883,  on  "  Bach's 
24  Preludes  and  Fugues  "  (the  sequel  to  the  "  Well- 
tempered  Clavier  ")  ;  1884,  on  "  Mozart's  early  Sym- 
phonies" ;  1885,  on  "  Mozart's  latest  Symphonies"  ; 


LECTURES   AT   CAMBRIDGE.  329 

1886,  a  first  course  on  "Beethoven's  Pianoforte 
Sonatas " ;  1887,  a  second  course  on  "  Beethoven's 
Pianoforte  Sonatas." 

Several  of  these  courses  were  re-delivered  at  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Music ;  those  on  "  Bach's  Preludes 
and  Fugues,"  to  the  College  of  Organists ;  that  on 
"  The  Growth  of  the  Overture/'  to  the  students  of  the 
Royal  Normal  College  and  Academy  of  Music  for  the 
Blind,  Upper  Norwood  ;  an  institution  in  which,  for 
obvious  reasons,  Macfarren  felt  special  interest. 

The  lectures  on  "  Form  or  Design "  were  partly 
historical,  tracing  the  development  of  tonality  from 
the  old  Modes,  the  origin  of  Fugue  in  connection  with 
the  Authentic  and  Plagal  Modes,  Descant,  Counter- 
point ;  the  Symphonic  or  Sonata  forms,  the  Rondo,  etc. 

The  lectures  on  "  Counterpoint "  were  embodied  in 
his  book  on  that  subject,  to  be  referred  to  later  on. 

Macfarren  objected  to  the  term  "  the  48 "  as 
applied  to  Bach's  Preludes  and  Fugues,  because  the 
first  24,  entitled  by  Bach  "  Das  Wohltemperirte 
Klavier,"  were  published  long  before  the  second  set  of 
24,  which  were  not  so  termed,  and  which  represent  the 
later  development  of  the  composer's  mind. 

To  give  an  epitome  of  any  of  these  courses  of  lec- 
tures is  quite  impracticable  in  these  pages,  requiring 
much  space  and  copious  musical  examples,  which 
were  played  on  the  pianoforte  by  various  students, 
principally  from  the  Royal  Academy,  when  the  lec- 
tures were  delivered. 

In  the  lectures  on  the  "Well-tempered  Clavier,"  he 
remarks  : — 

"  When  we  come  to  the  closest  study  of  this  very  great 
master,  I  must  caution  you  that  there  are  some  slight 


330        "THE    WELL-TEMPERED    CLAVIER." 

points  that  are  not  things  for  approbation,  still  less  for 
carrying  into  practice.  To  us  humble  persons  who  possess 
not  the  excellences  which  appear  in  Bach — when  we  see 
what  to  our  shallow  minds  appear  to  be  spots  in  his  great 
distant  splendour — let  it  teach  us  modesty  if  we  find  in 
one  of  the  greatest  men  who  worked  in  the  art  of  music 
that  there  are  some  things  we  cannot  account  for,  and  let 
us  know  that  we  also  are  liable  to  error.  Therefore  we 
must  still  be  the  more  cautious,  the  more  circumspect,  the 
more  careful,  to  avoid  committing  errors,  since  we  can  by 
no  means  natter  ourselves  that  we  shall  surround  our 
shortcomings  with  such  a  brilliant  display  of  beauty  as 
shall  atone  for  the  inaccuracies  we  may  have  com- 
mitted." l 

But  such  candid  discrimination  implies  no  depre- 
ciation, or  lack  of  appreciation,  of  the  great  master. 

In  commenting  upon  the  first  Prelude,  Macfarren 
does  not  neglect  an  opportunity  for  illustrating  the 
means  furnished  by  the  theory  of  harmony  held  by 
him  for  accounting  for  apparently  exceptional,  and  to 
some  unexplainable,  progressions.  Thus,  on  bars 
20-22  he  remarks  : — 

"Great  beauty  is  in  the  interrupted  resolution  of  the 
dominant  seventh  in  the  key  of  F,  where  the  E  (leading- 
note)  is  retained — fulfilling  thus  the  conditions  of  a  pre- 
pared discord,  in  becoming  the  seventh  of  F,  but  having 
exceptional  treatment  in  proceeding  to  E  flat,  accompanied 
by  F  sharp,  portions  of  the  chromatic  chord  of  the  super- 
tonic  minor  ninth,  and  so  giving  to  the  preceding  harmony, 
with  F  natural  in  the  bass,  a  claim  to  be  regarded  as  the 

13 

third  inversion  of  the  chord  of    Q  of  Gr,  whose  root,  third, 

7 
and  fifth,  are  omitted." 

1  See  p.  278,  et  seq. 


FALSE   RELATION. 


331 


Arpeggio. 


He  proceeds  : — 

"  In  the  next  incident  for  present  notice  is  an  infraction 
of  one  of  the  most  rigid  laws.  But  when  we  have  learned 
all  the  rules,  and  are  able  to  apply  them,  there  still  is  the 
fact  that  art  is  free ;  that  it  is  within  the  possibility  of 
great  minds  even  to  conceive,  and  accomplish,  beautiful 
effects  that  supersede  rules.  Do  not  suppose  from  this  that 
inexperienced  persons  are  to  abrogate  laws  and  take  prin- 
ciples into  their  own  hands.  Let  us  still  believe  that  our 
duty  is  to  learn  all  that  the  wisdom  of  our  predecessors  has 
taught ;  and,  when  we  have  attained  mastery  of  the  whole 
code  of  musical  precepts,  it  is  at  our  own  risk  we  sweep 
these  long-established  laws  on  one  side.  You  have  heard 
of  the  inflexible  rules  against  false  relation — namely,  the 
having  a  sharp  note  in  one  part  of  the  harmony,  together 
with  or  directly  after  a  natural  note  of  the  same  name  in 
another  part ;  notes  are  related  to  each  other  in  so  far  as 
they  belong  to  one  common  key,  and  this  discrepancy  of 
sharp  and  natural  implies  that  the  two  parts  are  in  diffe- 
rent keys,  and  therefore  stand  in  false  relation.  Detach 
from  the  rest  of  the  harmony  the  F  sharp  and  A  flat 
in  the  bass  of  the  following,  with  the  A  natural  and  F 
natural  of  the  upper  part,  and  observe  the  almost  un- 
bearable effect.  Play,  however,  the  two  chords  as  they 


Arpeggio. 


are  printed,  with  a  change  from  loud  to  soft  in  passin 


332  FUGUE   SUBJECT  AND   ANSWER. 

from  one  to  the  next,  and  I  think  that  in  the  breach  of 
this  rule  against  false  relation  is  the  means  of  beauty 
which  is  else  unattainable,  though  beauty  that  cannot  be 
reproduced  save  by  quoting  the  passage  before  us,  which 
is  but  a  delicate  definition  of  plagiarism."  1 

It  is  almost  to  be  wondered  at  that  Macfarren  did 
not,  here,  adduce  his  own  cherished  (though  by  others 
disputed)  theory  of  a  supertonic  root  for  fundamental 
discords  as  applying  to  the  first  of  these  chords,  which, 
being  followed  by  the  dominant  minor  ninth  in  the 
same  key,  relieves  the  succession  of  any  charge  of  imply- 
ing two  keys.  He  goes  on  to  relate,  with  reprobation, 
the  interpolation  of  a  second  inversion  of  the  chord 
of  C  minor  between  the  two  chords,  by  the  editor 
Schwenke ;  and  then  reprobates  the  <(  superadding  a 
cantilena  "  to  this  Prelude  by  "  a  distinguished  musi- 
cian," and  suggests  "  that  our  cotemporary  would 
have  exercised  his  genius  to  better  purpose  had  he 
written  a  piece  entirely  his  own,  than  in  embroidering 
a  new  fancy  upon  the  complete  imagining  of  another 
writer." 

In  proceeding  to  analyze  the  Fugue,  Macfarren 
once  for  all  defines  the  principle  governing  the  rela- 
tion of  subject  and  answer  : — 

"  We  must  refer  to  a  primitive  phase  of  music  for  one 
of  the  main  elements  of  the  fugue — relation  of  the  subject 
to  the  answer.  Greek  music  consisted  of  melody  alone,  of 
which  there  were  two  chief  forms :  the  authentic,  wherein 
the  dominant — or  rather  predominant — note  stood  at  the 
interval  of  a  fifth  above  the  final ;  and  the  plagal,  wherein 
the  dominant  stood  at  a  fourth  below  the  final.  If,  in  the 

1  See  Macfarren's  "Rudiments,"  p.  12. 


FUGUE   ANSWERS. 


333 


brief  melody  that  constitutes  the  subject  of  a  fugue,  the 
dominant  be  a  conspicuous  note,  the  subject  is  authentic 
or  plagal  according  to  whether  that  note  stand  above  or 
below  the  tonic  ;  and,  whichever  of  these  be  the  melodic 
form  of  the  subject,  the  answer  has  the  other  form,  re- 
versing the  interval  between  tonic  and  dominant :  the 
fugue  is  then  denned  as  tonal.  If,  however,  the  dominant 
be  not  a  conspicuous  note  in  the  subject,  then  the  answer 
is  the  precise  transposition  of  the  same  melody  into  the 
key  at  a  fifth  above  or  a  fourth  below  the  primary  key ;  the 
fugue  is  then  defined  as  real,  for  the  subject  is  then  repro- 
duced in  its  reality  instead  of  being  modified  to  meet  the 
changed  tonal  relationship  of  the  answer." 

In  connection  with  this  matter  of  Fugue  subject  and 
answer,  a  letter  to  a  pupil  (in  answer  to  inquiries)  may 
interest  students  ;  and  possibly  occasion  some  little 
surprise  or  discussion  with  regard  to  the  first  example. 

"  The  answer  I  propose  gives  always  tonic  for  dominant 
with  reference  to  implied  harmonies,  as  much  as  to 
melodv. 


-£:+. 

1-  r 


"  Mozart  answers  the  third  of  the  dominant  by  the  third 
of  the  tonic,  and  then  proceeds  to  the  subdominant  in  the 
new  key." 


,,       i 


334  BACH'S  FUGUE   No.   3. 

With  reference  to  the  Fugue  in  C  sharp  major, 
No.  3,  Macfarren  remarks : — 

"  Both  subject  and  answer  exemplify  the  ancient  use  of 
diatonic  passing-notes  as  opposed  to  the  modern  employ- 
ment of  the  chromatic  element  for  notes  that  are  foreign 
to  the  harmony.  Ears  habituated  only  to  the  latter  expect, 
and  are  scarcely  satisfied  without,  a  semitone  instead  of  a 
tone  below  the  G  sharp  in  the  first  group  of  semiquavers 
of  the  subject,  and  below  the  D  sharp  in  the  correspond- 


533 


ing  place  in  the  answer.  Whereas,  formerly,  long  after 
chromatic  harmonies  were  in  use,  only  the  notes  of  the 
diatonic  scale  were  written  as  passing-notes  ;  at  present, 
it  is  not  uncommon  to  write  a  semitone  below  any  harmony 
note  upon  which  such  passing-note  has  to  resolve,  and  it  is 
all  but  imperative  when  the  said  harmony  note  is  the  root 
or  fifth  of  the  prevailing  chord.  The  chord  of  C  sharp  is 
implied,  and  is  naturally  supposed  to  prevail  throughout 
the  first  bar  of  the  unaccompanied  melody,  and  even  to 
continue  for  a  crotchet's  length  into  the  ensuing  bar ; 
hence,  the  listener  regards  the  G  sharp  as  the  fifth  of  the 
implied  chord,  and  if  with  small  experience  out  of  the 
idiom  of  to-day,  craves  F  double  sharp  as  the  third  note  of 
the  turn.  There  may  be  more  grace,  and  more  seeming 
finish  in  the  use  of  this  minute  interval  in  our  phraseology, 
but  it  is  bought  at  the  price  of  simplicity,  and  of  dignity, 
too,  in  passages  to  which  such  expression  is  pertinent.  It 
is  not  here  to  discuss  the  more  or  less  merit  of  either 
idiom,  but  to  note  the  distinction,  and  to  be  assured  that  the 
chromatic  note  in  this  position  would  be  an  anachronism, 
and  quite  incompatible  with  the  melodic  principle  in  force 
when  the  theme  was  written." 

Soon  after  his  appointment  to  the  professorship,  he 
wrote  an  article  in  the  "  Musical  World,"  January  1st, 


SCHOLASTIC  HONOURS.  335 

1876,  on  "  Scholastic  Honours  " ;  urging  that  these 
were  not  to  be  understood  as  asserting  the  genius  of 
the  recipients. 

"  A  diploma  testifies  to  the  knowledge  of  its  holder ;  his 
power  to  apply  this  knowledge  challenges  a  broader  and 
far  different  judgment. 

"  Whatever  is  fully  known  is  always  at  command.  The 
value  of  acquirements  consists  in  their  instantaneous  ap- 
plicability. No  surrounding  circumstances  or  embarrassing 
witnesses  should  be  able  to  dislodge  from  the  mind  facts 
of  which  it  is  entirely  certain.  .  .  .  The  frequent  reply  of 
a  learner,  that  he  understands  such  or  such  a  thing  but 
cannot  explain  it,  comprises  in  the  latter  half  a  denial  of 
the  former,  since  whatever  is  clear  to  our  understanding 
must  be  ready  for  our  definition." 

Then  follow  remarks  on  the  "  requisite  proof  ...  of 
a  candidate's  desert."  The  article  concludes  : — 

"As  to  the  professor  with  whom  lies  the  approval  or 
the  veto,  let  it  be  hoped  that  he  may  have  a  full  sense  of 
his  grave  responsibility,  a  certainty  that  his  own  period 
for  self-improvement  is  of  life-long  extent,  a  ceaseless 
endeavour  to  advance  his  own  erudition,  and  an  inflexible 
will  to  render  justice  to  them  who  may  submit  to  the 
authority  which  is  confided  to  him." 

Many  years  before  his  entrance  upon  his  duties  at 
Cambridge,  Macfarren  had  written  strongly  on  the 
subject  of  University  Professors  of  Music,  in  the 
"  Musical  World/'  of  March  29th,  1856,  just  after  the 
election  of  Bennett  to  the  Cambridge  Chair  of  Music, 
on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other,  the  passing  of 
some  new  and  very  important  statutes  with  reference 
to  music  at  Oxford.  He  urged,  as  "part  of  the 
original  design  of  the  institution  of  the  Music  School 


336  CAMBRIDGE   PROFESSORSHIP. 

in  Oxford,"  by  King  Alfred,  "  the  inclusion  of  music 
in  the  educational  course  of  the  University " :  and 
commended  the  recent  statutes,  viz.,  "  the  establish- 
ment of  a  practical  school  of  music  in  the  University" : 
"that  any  candidate  for  a  degree  must  attest  the 
genuineness  of  his  exercise  by  words  and  signature ; 
that  he  must  pass  an  examination  before  a  board  of 
three  competent  judges,"  such  examination  including 
the  writing  of  canons,  fugues,  etc.,  in  the  presence  of 
the  examiners ;  and  that  "  the  incumbent  of  the 
musical  chair  must  give  public  lectures  in  the  course 
of  every  University  term " :  also,  the  raising  of  the 
professor's  stipend. 

When  he  himself  succeeded  his  friend  at  Cambridge, 
he  was  consistently  true  to  his  earlier  avowed  views. 
He  did  not,  indeed,  found  a  music  school  in  the 
University.  With  regard  to  the  stipend  of  the  pro- 
fessor, there  was  an  alteration  effected,  already  re- 
ferred to,  rendering  him,  most  desirably,  quite  inde- 
pendent of  the  fees  paid  by  candidates  for  degrees ; 
and  leaving  him  free  in  the  matter  of  examinations. 
A  "Board  of  Musical  Studies"  was  constituted  in 
1877;  and,  as  it  was  determined  that  a  literary  or 
arts  test  should  be  established,  to  which  candidates 
must  submit  in  order  to  pass  a  musical  examination, 
it  was  proposed  by  the  Syndicate  that  the  examinations 
should  be  conducted  "by  the  Professor,  assisted  by 
two  or  more  examiners  nominated  annually  by  the 
Board  ....  and  elected  by  the  Senate,  of  whom 
one  at  least  shall  be  a  member  of  the  Senate,  or  a 
Mus.  Doc.  of  the  University."  Against  this  proposal 
Macfarren  protested,  though  without  avail,  in  the 
following  letter  to  the  Vice-Chancellor  : — 


LETTER  TO   VICE-CHANCELLOR.  337 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace, 
"London,  N.W. 

"MY  DEAR  ME.  VICE-CHANCELLOR, 

"  Not  in  the  hope  of  changing  the  views  of  the  gentle- 
men I  have  met  on  the  Syndicate,  but  to  justify  my  dissent 
from  one  expression  in  the  report,  I  must  trouble  you  with 
my  reasons,  which  are  the  result  of  many  years'  reflection, 
and  of  frequent  consultation  with  musicians.  I  venture 
to  wish  for  the  omission  of  the  words  '  a  member  of  the 
Senate  or,'  because  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  it  is  more 
than  desirable — it  is  necessary  for  the  honour  of  the 
University  and  the  welfare  of  music — for  every  person 
who  officiates  in  the  musical  examinations  to  be  a  musician 
of  proved  competency.  The  words  against  which  I  offer  a 
protest,  open  the  possibility,  however  improbable,  of  the 
appointment,  as  examiner,  of  some  physicist,  or  other  man 
of  extraneous  learning,  to  be  subject  to  whose  inquisition 
would  be  painful  to  any  one  whose  life  and  best  energies 
had  been  devoted  to  the  widely  comprehensive'  study  of 
music.  The  distinction  between  non-professional  and  pro- 
fessional followers  of  an  art,  are  very  fine,  but  most 
obvious ;  no  book-learning,  but  the  constant  habit  of  pro- 
ducing, can  alone  make  an  artist,  and  the  constant  habit 
of  tuition  can  alone  make  a  teacher.  This  is  because  the 
daily  observing  of  faults  in  others  sharpens  perception  of 
right  and  wrong ;  and  the  daily  working  of  art  problems 
is  the  sole  experience  of  the  means  of  avoiding  error.  As 
little  would  I  trust  the  life  of  a  friend  to  a  physician 
whose  knowledge  was  acquired  wholly  outside  the  medical 
profession,  as  I  would  a  score  to  an  examiner  whose 
musicianship  was  not  his  all-absorbing  occupation.  The 
case  is  different,  certainly,  in  theology,  and  perhaps  in 
law,  where  the  subject  is  finite  and  changeless,  from  what 
it  is  in  those  studies  which  are  constantly  enriched  by 
additions  whose  truth  can  but  be  tested  by  the  continual 
habit  of  practical  application.  To  enlarge  upon  the  uses 
of  other  institutions  than  Cambridge  might  be  personal, 
and  would  thus  be  untimely,  and  far  from  my  purpose ; 
but  I  am  bound  to  state  the  deep-rooted  belief  that,  to 
make  the  Cambridge  musical  degrees  most  highly  respected, 
musicians  must  be  assured  against  the  participation  of 


338  MACFARREN  AS  EXAMINER. 

amateurs  in  the  investigating  of  their  professional  preten- 
sions. My  sincerity  may,  I  trust,  serve  as  apology,  if  need 
be,  for  any  warmth  of  expression  in  the  above,  which  I 
must  ask  you,  if  you  please,  to  submit  to  the  Council,  to- 
gether with  the  Syndicate's  report. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  Mr.  Vice-Chancellor, 
"  Faithfully  yqurs, 

"  Gr.  A.  MACFARREN. 
"  THE  REV.  THE  VICE-CHANCELLOR." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Senate,  May  19th,  1877,  this 
letter,  in  connection  with  the  report  of  the  Syndicate, 
was  discussed ;  and,  the  subject  of  Acoustics  having 
been  recommended,  in  addition  to  Harmony  and 
Counterpoint,  that  recommendation  was  supported, 
and,  together  with  that  support,  the  objections  of  the 
Professor  to  the  above-mentioned  clause  were  com- 
bated by  Mr.  Sedley  Taylor  and  Mr.  Gerard  F.  Cobb; 
and  the  report  was  adopted.  I  look  back  with 
pleasure  and  pride  to  the  opportunities  which  I 
enjoyed,  during  certain  years,  of  serving  with  Pro- 
fessor Macfarren  both  as  an  examiner  for  the  Mus. 
Bac.  degree,  and  on  the  Board  of  Musical  Studies. 

Although,  as  an  examiner,  it  has  been  supposed 
that  Macfarren  was  somewhat  pedantic,  requiring 
compliance  with  rules,  especially  of  his  own  framing, 
rather  than  manifestation  of  musical  aptitude,  on  the 
part  of  examinees,  yet  he  was,  in  reality,  very  clearly 
discriminative  as  to  the  nature  and  purport  of 
theoretical  examinations.  He  used  to  say,  "  I  have 
tried  both ;  I  have  been  a  candidate,  and  I  have  been 
an  examiner,  and  I  know  which  is  the  easier."  But 
there  is  no  record  of  his  being  a  "  candidate "  for 
such  examinations  as  those  which  he  conducted. 

He  determined   to  inaugurate  his  entrance  upon 


DOCTORS  "HONORIS  CAUSA."  339 

office  at  Cambridge  by  creating  several  eminent 
musicians  Doctors  of  Music,  honoris  causa;  and  he 
named  for  this  purpose  Johannes  Brahms,  Joseph 
Joachim,  and  Sir  John  Goss.  The  first  named,  how- 
ever, declined  or  was  prevented  from  coming  to  this 
country ;  and,  as  the  degree  could  not  be  conferred 
in  his  absence,  only  the  other  two  musicians  received 
the  distinction,  on  March  8th,  1877.  The  other  re- 
cipients of  the  degree,  honoris  causa,  during  Mac- 
farren's  term  of  office,  were  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan  and 
Mr.  Hubert  Parry. 

Speaking  of  his,  to  some  eyes,  unprepossessing 
appearance,  but,  to  those  knowing  him,  "his  grand 
forehead,"  one  pupil  writes : — 

"  It   was    in    the   Senate-house   at   Cambridge   that   I 
realized  this,  as  I  saw  him  standing  in  his  simple  black 
gown,  the  centre  of  a  crowd  of  men  and  gay  dresses,  in 
the  fine  old  hall  with  its  dark  oak  fittings.     The  light 
streamed  from  the  large  windows  upon  him,  and  singled 
out  from  among  them  all  his  veiled  eyes  and  large  brow. 
It  seemed  to  point  him  out — the  man  who  had  more  than 
most  men  of  pain  to  bear — and  yet  worked  harder,  and 
thought  deeper,  and  sympathized  more  keenly  than  most 
men.     We  who  loved  him  thought  him  almost  beautiful 
at  such  moments;   we  read  the  sympathy  in  his  heart, 
through  the  pity  of  our  own.     On  that  occasion  he  had  to 
go  through  the  ceremony  of  presenting  some  Bachelors  of 
Music  to  the  Vice-Chancellor,  to  receive  their   degrees. 
There  were  some  five  or  six  of  them  clustering  round  him; 
each  one  was  to  take  hold  of  his  hand — a  finger  for  each 
was  scarcely  enough.     But  he  himself  must  be  led,  as  he 
led  them  forward :  it  seemed  a  miniature  of  his  life — a 
leader   led,  as   he  was   all  his  life,  and  therein  was  his 
unique  influence." 

In  the  year  1878,  on  May  23rd,  the  University  of 


340        PRESENTATION  FOE  M.A.  DEGREE. 

Cambridge  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts ;  on  which  occasion  the  following 
speech  was  delivered  by  the  Public  Orator,  Dr.  J.  E. 
Sandys : — 

"Dignissime  domine,  domine  Procancellarie,  et  tota 
Academia : 

"  Quod  anni  proximi  illo  die  augurabamur,  quo  in  hac 
ipsa  domo  Orpheum  nostrum  reducem  sakitavinius,  illud 
hodie  optimis  auspiciis  ratum  esse  vehenienter  gaudemus. 
Studiis  musicis  in  nostra  Academia  melius  ordinandis 
novum  septemvirorum  collegium  constituistis  :  ad  summos 
in  musica  honores  aditum  nemini  nisi  per  scientiarum 
portam  patere  voluistis;  musicae  ipsi,  quae  antiquitus 
inter  septem  illas  liberales  artes  erat  numerata,  novani 
lauream  baccalaureatus  in  artibus  concessistis ;  denique 
hunc  virum,  tribus  abhinc  annis  non  Regiae  modo  Acade- 
miae  Musicae  praepositum  sed  in  nostra  quoque  Academia 
et  Professorem  et  Doctorem  in  musica  creaturn,  senatxii 
nostro  placuit  inagistratu  in  artibus  ornare,  senatorum 
nostrorum  in  numerum  asciscere. 

"  Tanti  viri  insignia  merita  in  legibus  illis  quae  musicain 
moderantur  explicandis  et  ad  certain  normam  revocandis, 
non  nostrae  laudis  indigent.  Audivistis  etiam  ipsi  carmiiia 
ilia  nostratium,  huius  viri  arte  concinentium  vocibus 
accommodata ;  quis  '  alaudae  cantum '  ilium  non  meminit? 
quis  '  Orphei  citharam '  non  recordatur  ?  quis  alia  carmina 
nostri  Shakesperii?  Cui  non,  inter  aetatis  nostrae,  nostrae 
Acaderniae  Musas  moranti,  redeunt  in  mentem  huius 
ingenio  musicis  modis  donati  lyrici  illi  versus  poetae 
laureati,  Aluredi  Tennyson,  necnon  viri  desideratissimi, 
Caroli  Kingsley  ?  procul  auribus  excipio,  nisi  fallor, 
bucinarum  longius  et  longius  resonantium  concentum ; 
videor  mihi  audire  trans  maris  frementis  aestum,  trans 
arenas  murmurantes,  planctum  puellae  nequiquam  vocaritis. 
Maias  Kalendas  (Floralia  ilia  nostra)  quas  iiuper  praeteri- 
vimus,  inter  huius  viri  laudes  (hoc  praesertirn  die  quo 
Floralia  aguntur)  nemo  praeteribit;  illud  certe  oarminis 
argumentum  (ne  maiora  commemorem)  commune  habet 
cum  illo  viro,  cuius  memoriam  colit,  cuius  exemplar  aemu- 


PUBLIC  ORATOR'S  SPEECH.  341 

latur,  decessore  suo,  Wilelmo  Sterndale  Bennett.  Neque 
vero  neglegenda  est  nobis  nympha  ilia  Caledonici  lacus, 
quae  cum  huius  Musa  consociata  ad  extremum  Britanniae 
terminum,  '  vel  occidentis  usque  ad  ultimum  sinum,' 
nuperrime  penetravit  ;  utque  postremo  argumenta  magis 
saci'a  attingamus,  non  ignota  est  vobis  huius  arte  celebrata 
'  vox  ilia  in  deserto  clamantis.' 

"  O  utinam  hodie  inter  hanc  audientium  frequentiam 
huius  consessus  dignitatem  pulchritudinemque  his  oculis 
contemplari  contingeret  :  atqui  donum  illud  commune  lucis 
ereptum  donis  rarioribus  Musa  ipsa  suo  vati  compensare 
est  conata,  cui  (velut  olim  Miltono  nostro)  sub  ipsa  quasi 
'  caelestium  alarum  umbra  '  tenebris  ex  ipsis  clarius  elucet 
ingeni  lumen.  Venit  rursus  in  memoriam  vates  ille  de 
quo  ipsius  Homeri  versus  inter  ultima  nostri  vatis 
praeconia  vestro  (si  placet)  praeconi  nunc  iterum  laudare 
liceat  :  — 


iyyvQtv  i]\(J£V  aywv  epirjpov  aoidov, 
TOV  TtF.pl  pova'  £0tXjj(TE,  diSov  ftayadov  re  KCIKOV  re 


"  Duco  ad  vos  Georgium  Alexandrum  Macfarren." 

(Free  Translation.) 

"  Most  worthy  Vice-Chancellor  and  all  this  University  : 
"  We  rejoice  to  see  fulfilled  to-day  under  the  happiest 
auspices  what  we  foretold  last  year  when  we  welcomed  our 
returning  Orpheus.  You  have  appointed  a  new  Board  of 
seven  members  for  the  better  arranging  of  musical  studies 
in  our  University  ;  you  have  determined  to  allow  no  ap- 
proach to  the  highest  musical  honours  except  through  the 
gate  of  science  ;  you  have  granted  to  Music  itself,  which 
was  of  old  reckoned  among  the  seven  liberal  arts,  the  new 
laurel  of  a  bachelorship  in  arts  ;  and  lastly,  it  has  pleased 
the  Senate  to  adorn  with  a  Mastership  in  Arts  and  to  admit 
into  the  ranks  of  our  Senators  him  who  three  years  ago 
was  appointed  Principal  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music, 
and  also  Doctor  and  Professor  of  ^Music  in  our  University. 
"  The  distingiiished  skill  of  so  great  a  man  in  explaining 
and  reducing  to  a  settled  rule  the  laws  which  regulate 


342  PUBLIC  ORATOR'S  SPEECH. 

music  do  not  need  our  praise.  You  have  yourselves  heard 
those  songs  of  our  land  which  have  been  set  to  vocal  har- 
mony by  his  art.  Who  does  not  remember  his  '  Song  of 
the  lark '  ?  Who  does  not  call  to  mind  '  Orpheus  with 
his  lute,'  and  the  other  songs  of  our  Shakespeare  ?  Who, 
thinking  of  the  Muses  of  our  own  age,  of  our  own  University, 
does  not  remember  the  lyrics  of  the  poet-laureate,  Alfred 
Tennyson,  and  of  the  greatly  regretted  Charles  Kingsley, 
that  have  been  graced  by  his  skill.  Far  away  too,  unless 
I  am  mistaken,  I  find  the  harmony  of  trumpets  sound 
more  and  more  distantly.  Across  the  roaring  sea,  over 
the  murmuring  sand,  I  seem  to  hear  the  complaint 
of  a  maiden  who  calls  in  vain.  Nor  can  we  omit  May 
Day,  which  we  have  but  lately  passed,  from  among  so 
much  deserving  praise,  especially  when  May  is  observed  ; 
a  title  too  (not  to  mention  greater  matters)  recalling  one 
whose  memory  he  cherishes,  and  whose  example  he  emu- 
lates, his  predecessor,  William  Sterndale  Bennett.  Nor, 
again,  must  we  neglect  that  Lady  of  the  Caledonian  lake, 
who,  in  union  with  his  Muse,  has  quite  recently  penetrated 
to  the  extremity  of  Britain,  '  even  to  the  farthest  western 
bay.'  And  lastly,  to  approach  more  sacred  matters,  it 
cannot  be  unknown  to  you  that  '  the  voice  of  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness '  has  also  been  celebrated  by  his  art. 
Oh !  would  that  among  this  crowded  audience  his  eyes 
could  see  the  worth  and  beauty  of  this  gathering :  but  the 
Muse  has  attempted  to  compensate  her  prophet  for  the 
loss  of  the  common  gift  of  light  by  gifts  far  rarer.  For  in 
him  (as  before  in  our  Milton),  under  the  very  '  shadow  of 
celestial  wings  '  as  it  were,  the  light  of  intellect  shines  out 
more  clearly  from  the  darkness.  Again  recurs  to  our  mind 
that  seer,  about  whom  your  herald  may  perhaps  be  allowed 
to  quote  Homer's  verses,  as  the  last  word  of  introduction 
for  our  seer : 

'  And  now  the  herald  came,  leading  with  care 
The  tuneful  bard  ;  dear  to  the  Muse  was  he, 
Who  yet  appointed  him  both  good  and  ill  ! 
Took  from  him  sight,  but  gave  him  strains  divine. ' " 

W.  COWPER. 

In  virtue  of  this  degree,  he  might  have  become  a 


MACFARREN  OFFERED  KNIGHTHOOD.      343 


member  of  the  Senate,  provided  he  kept  three  terms 
by  residence  in  Cambridge;  but  this  his  London 
duties  never  permitted  him  to  do. 

In  the  early  part  of  May,  1883,  Macfarren  received 
from  Mr.  Gladstone  a  communication  proposing,  on 
behalf  of  Her  Majesty,  that  he  ft  should  receive  the 
honour  of  knighthood,  in  recognition  of  [his]  distin- 
guished talents  as  a  composer  and  of  the  services  which 
[he  had]  rendered  to  the  promotion  of  the  art  of  Music 
generally  in  this  country. "  Macfarren  was  no  courtier, 
and  shrank  from  honours  and  publicity  which  were  not 
associated  with  that  esteem  of  his  professional  brethren 
which  he  did  really  value.  There  were  circumstantial 
reasons,  at  the  time,  moreover,  which  rendered  the  pro- 
posal exceedingly  distasteful  to  him.  His  answer  was : — 

"  In  reply  to  your  favour  of  the  3rd  inst,  let  me  declare 
my  full  sense  of  the  honour  you  propose  in  my  reception  of 
the  dignity  of  knighthood  from  Her  Majesty,  and  allow 
me  to  acknowledge  also  the  gratifying  terms  in  which  your 
proposal  is  made.  While  holding  the  profoundest  respect 
for  the  Queen,  I  still  feel  myself  unable  to  accept  the  pro- 
posed distinction ;  and  you  will  greatly  increase  my  obli- 
gation to  yourself  if  you  will  believe  that  I  say  this  in 
all  loyalty,  and  if  you  will  avert  the  supposition  that  I 
slight  a  gracious  intention." 

Through  misunderstandings,  announcements  and 
counter-announcements  respecting  the  alleged  accep- 
tance and  non-acceptance  of  the  distinction  were  pub- 
licly made;  and  Macfarren  felt  himself  awkwardly 
placed  and  embarrassed.  In  reply  to  a  letter  from 
him  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  he  was  assured,  without  any 
wish  to  fetter  his  discretion,  "  that  the  acceptance  of 
the  proposed  honour  would  be  generally  appreciated 


344  KNIGHTHOOD.     "  AJAX"  MUSIC. 

and  approved "  ;  and  that  his  declining  of  the  offer 
"  would  create  considerable  disappointment  in  many 
circles."  Various  friends  represented  to  Macfarren 
the  duty  that  he  owed  to  the  profession  in  the  matter  ; 
and  in  the  end  he  yielded ;  saying  in  a  final  letter  to 
Mr.  Gladstone : — 

"  I  own  that  after  your  kind  words  ....  I  cannot  still 
feel  myself  unable  to  accept  the  proffered  honour  from  Her 
Majesty.  My  expressed  inability  was  on  personal  grounds, 
with  which  I  need  not  trouble  you,  and  these  must  give 
way  to  the  wishes  of  others.  I  shall  therefore  be  obliged 
if  you  will  cancel  my  letter  of  the  4th  inst. ,  if  you  will 
forgive  the  delay  I  have  occasioned  you,  and  if  you  will 
please  to  receive  my  acceptance  of  the  intended  honour." 

A  well-known  musician  wrote  to  Macfarren,  prior 
to  the  announcement  of  this  changed  purpose,  con- 
gratulating him  on  his  decision,  saying,  <e  You  are  a 
trump/'  Macfarren  had  to  write  and  disillusionize 
him,  saying,  "  Your  trump  has  been  taken  by  the 
Queen." 

Macfarren  hardly  forgave  himself  for  his  changed 
decision ;  and  used  to  beg  his  friends  not  to  address 
him  by  his  "  titular  prefix  " ;  though  he  liked  to  be 
termed  "  Professor,"  as  indicating  an  artistically  won 
distinction. 

In  November  and  December,  1882,  four  perfor- 
mances of  Sophocles'  "  Ajax,"  in  the  original  language, 
were  given  in  St.  Andrew's  Hall,  Cambridge,  with 
music  by  Macfarren.  The  bills  supplied  the  follow- 
ing particulars : — 

"The  incidental  music,  written  by  Professor  MACFARREN, 
is  produced  under  the  direction  of  C.  V.  STANFORD,  M.A., 
Trinity  College.  The  scenery  and  proscenium  painted  by 


'AJAX"  MUSIC.  345 


Mr.  JOHN  O'CONNOR,  from  original  authorities.  The 
stage-management,  costumes,  and  properties,  have  been 
entrusted  to  CHARLES  WALDSTEIN,  M.A.,  King's  College. 
The  chorus  trained  by  E.  S.  THOMPSON,  M.A.,  Christ's 
College,  and  C.  V.  STANFORD,  M.A.,  Trinity  College.  The 
dresses,  armour,  etc.,  by  MM.  VINCENT  BARTHE  and 
LABHART,  of  London." 

The  difficulties  of  adapting  music  to  the  Greek 
drama  were  considerable;  there  were  restrictions  of 
compass  and  difficulty,  in  the  chorus  of  male  voices, 
and  difficulties  in  the  accentuation.  The  orchestra 
consisted  of  one  flute,  two  clarinets,  one  bassoon,  two 
horns,  trumpet,  drums,  and  harp,  besides  the  usual 
stringed  instruments. 

The  success  of  Macfarren  in  the  music  was  acknow- 
ledged ;  "  all  the  more  so,"  said  the"  Musical  Times," 

"  that  he  did  not  affect  the  archaic,  or  any  special  tone- 
colouring,  and  wisely  made  the  music  subordinate  to  the 
main  object — the  dramatic  representation  of  the  play  in 
the  original  language.  Under  those  circumstances,  the 
choruses  did  not  sound  differently — nor  was  there  any 
reason  that  they  should — from  any  chorus  in  unison  in 
English  Opera ;  except  that  in  many  respects  the  music 
was  more  carefully  and  intelligently  given  by  the  Cam- 
bridge undergraduates  than  it  would  be  by  a  common  stage 
chorus.  The  orchestration  was  simple  and  effective,  and 
all  the  more  pleasurable  that  it  did  not  remind  us  of 
Mendelssohn,  whose  setting  of  the  '  Antigone '  and  the 
'  (Edipus  at  Colonos '  might  have  invited  imitation.  Dr. 
Macfarren  seems  to  have  trusted  to  his  own  genius  and 
sympathies,  and  to  have  employed  a  vacation  in  writing 
the  music  to  'Ajax'  as  a  piece  de  cir Constance,  without 
intention  of  affecting  the  modern-antique,  or  of  making 
any  permanent  addition  to  the  musical  classics.  What  Dr. 
Macfarren  can  do  in  the  way  of  tone-colouring,  we  have 
heard  in  the  chorus  of  Ishmaelites  in  unison,  in  his  oratorio 
'  Joseph.'  Apart  from  the  Oriental  character  of  the  instru- 


346  R.  A.  M.  PRINCIPALSHIP. 

mental  accompaniment  to  that  chorus,  the  subject,  whether 
accidentally  or  no,  is  a  remarkable  example  of  the  Greek 
Phrygian  mode ;  and  from  its  commencing  in,  as  it  were, 
the  octave  mode  D,  and  ending  on  B  flat,  the  inversion  of 
the  final,  it  remains  an  historical  and  theoretical  curiosity. 
There  was  little  in  the  '  Ajax '  to  remind  us  of  anything 
so  interesting ;  but  the  mellowness  of  the  music  was  a 
pleasing  feature  in  these  days  of  tortuous  phrasing,  even 
if  the  '  melos '  were  more  redolent  of  the  London  foot- 
lights of  some  years  ago  than  of  the  Athenian  stage." 

Notwithstanding  this  account,  there  is,  in  the 
"  Ajax "  music,  one  chorus  (No.  3)  in  the  Phrygian 
mode. 

This  music  was  again  performed  at  a  concert  in 
Queen's  College,  Cambridge,  May  18th,  1883. 

In  1884,  for  the  celebration  of  the  tercentenary  of 
the  foundation  of  Imrnanuel  College,  June  19th, 
Macfarren  composed  an  anthem  for  male  voices,  "  We 
have  heard  with  our  ears." 

Though  not  connected  with  his  Cambridge  work, 
yet  to  this  period  belong  the  setting  of  the  songs  in 
Mr.  Lewis  Morris's  "  Gwen,"  a  set  of  six  being  pub- 
lished by  Messrs.  Stanley  Lucas,  Weber,  and  Co. 
Another  setting  than  that  published  of  the  "  Rose  " 
song  was  written. 

At  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  Macfarren's  prin- 
cipalship  was  signalized,  not  only  by  the  delivery  of 
an  annual  address  at  the  commencement  of  each  year's 
work,  as  already  recorded  (p.  236),  but  by  a  very 
large  amount  of  personal  attention  to  the  details  of 
the  work  of  the  institution,  the  interests  of  indi- 
vidual students,  the  wishes  of  the  professors,  etc. 
Moreover,  the  fortnightly  meetings  of  professors  and 
students  were  founded  by  him :  these  being,  in  fact, 


WORK  AT  E.A.M.  347 


though  not  in  title,  semi-public  chamber  concerts,  at 
which  the  students,  before  they  essayed  the  more 
public  appearance  at  the  concerts,  might  acquire  con- 
fidence by  performing  in  the  presence  of  academicians 
and  their  friends,  within  the  walls  of  the  institution. 
The  social  meetings  of  the  professors,  likewise,  were 
originated  during  Macfarren's  principalship ;  but  have, 
virtually,  been  merged  in  the  meetings  of  the  R.  A.  M. 
Club,  since  established.  To  the  examination  work  of 
the  Academy  Macfarren  devoted  special  attention  ; 
both  to  the  annual  examinations  of  the  students,  and 
to  the  local  and  metropolitan  examinations  for  those 
not  studying  in  the  institution,  both  these  classes  of 
examination  having  been  established  under  his  auspices. 
In  connection  with  all  these,  not  only  did  he  write  all 
the  papers  for  the  theoretical  examinations,  but  also 
prepared  "  Seventy  Questions  on  the  Elements  of 
Music/'  with  a  view  to  the  assistance  of  examiners 
and  the  uniformity  of  examinations.  Daring  the 
whole  period  of  his  principalship,  he  was  the  always 
accessible  friend  and  adviser  of  students  and  profes- 
sors alike  :  ready  of  resource  in  all  emergencies,  in  all 
difficulties  requiring  adjustment.  He  was  the  staunch 
upholder  of  the  independence  of  the  Academy  as 
against  all  schemes  for  amalgamation  with  recently 
established  schools,  such  as  would  destroy  its  prestige 
and  usefulness.  This  reference  must  here  be  made, 
without  any  reawakening  of  controversies  which  have 
slumbered  for  some  time.  The  testimony  of  Mac- 
farren's  successor  in  office  to  the  admirable  develop- 
ment of  the  educational  working  of  the  Academy  under 
his  management  was  as  unstinted  as  it  was  just. 

At  the  time  of  the  controversy  above  alluded  to, 


348  ARTICLE   ON  R.  A.M. 

Macfarren  contributed  an  article  on  the  Royal  Academy 
of  Music  to  the  "  Nineteenth  Century  "  for  August, 
1882,  tracing  the  history,  struggles,  and  desert  of 
public  confidence  and  State  support  of  the  institution, 
as  that  which  originally,  and,  according  to  its  means 
and  opportunities,  efficiently  and  successfully,  had 
fostered  native  talent,  and  promoted  sound  musical 
education  in  this  country.  A  long  letter  on  the  same 
subject  was  printed,  and  extensively  circulated,  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Wrigley,  of  Manchester,  formerly  a 
student  in  the  Academy.  To  another  provincial  pro- 
fessor who,  though  not  educated  in  the  Academy,  en- 
tertained good- will  towards  it,  and  towards  its  distin- 
guished principal,  and  who  therefore  hesitated  whether 
to  accept  an  invitation  and  appointment  to  act  as  Local 
Examiner  for  the  Royal  College  of  Music,  Macfarren 
wrote  : — 


"  You  are  one  of  several  persons  who  have  referred  to 
me  on  their  invitation  to  examine  for  the  proposed  Royal 
College,  and,  while  I  feel  the  great  courtesy  of  this  refer- 
ence, and  perceive  in  it  a  regard  for  the  true  interest  of 
music,  I  answer  you  as  them,  that  the  Royal  Academy  will 
not  allow  its  friends  to  make  sacrifices  on  its  account,  and 
as  it  might  compromise  your  professional  standing  were 
you  to  refuse  the  invitation  from  your  Municipality,  this 
would  be  a  sacrifice  that  could  not  be  accepted.  The  case 
is  otherwise  as  to  the  canvassing  for  subscriptions  in  sup- 
port of  a,  scheme  which,  being  founded  on  fallacy,  can  have 
no  good  result,  and  which  appears  to  be  aimed  directly 
against  the  Academy.  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  pro- 
posing you  as  Local  Examiner,  in  which  I  shall  be 
strengthened  if  you  will  tell  me  whether,  besides  your 
services  to  persons  wishing  to  enter  the  Academy,  you 
may  be  likely  to  obtain  12  candidates  for  the  Local 
Examination  of  the  Spring  of  1884." 


MACFARREN  AS  TEACHER.  349 

To  speak  of  Macfarren  as  a  teacher,  it  is  surely 
needless  to  say  anything  of  his  artistic  and  profes- 
sional equipment,  with  such  encyclopaedic  knowledge, 
and  abundant  experience.  But  of  the  hold  that  he 
possessed  on  his  pupils'  confidence  and  esteem,  and  of 
the  manifestation  of  his  personal  character  in  connec- 
tion with  his  intercourse  with  them,  a  little  may  be  re- 
corded. One  pupil  says :  "  I  never  knew  a  kinder 
or  more  sympathetic  man  than  the  late  Professor ;  he 
was  always  extremely  kind  to  all  his  pupils,  and  in  my 
own  particular  case  he  was  the  best  and  truest  friend  I 
ever  had."  There  would  be  no  lack  of  assent  to  this 
verdict,  and  self-appropriation  of  these  grateful  words, 
among  other  pupils.  To  this  particular  pupil  he  wrote, 
after  a  success  : — 

"  Go  on,  my  good  fellow,  as  you  have  sped  ever  since  I 
first  knew  you,  and  you  may  count  on  sooner  or  later  suc- 
cess, and  011  what  is  better,  self-content  at  having  done 
your  best  to  deserve  it,  and  you  will  cause  me  ever-grow- 
ing happiness  at  having  had  a  share  in  helping  your 
studies. — Yours  affectionately,  Gr.  A.  M." 

Such  genuine,  hearty  identification  of  himself  with 
his  pupils'  welfare  could  not  fail  to  enlist  trust  and 
love. 

Of  the  counsel  that  he  gave  to  students  under  his 
care,  these  extracts  from  letters  may  serve  as  sam- 
ples : — 

"You  must  not  deplore  as  you  do  the  burning  of  your 
music.  You  speak  of  having  lost  your  facility — surely 
this  is  a  slip  ;  the  value  of  an  exercise  is  in  its  working, 
which  accomplished,  the  consequent  facility  remains,  and 
the  paper  which  led  to  its  attainment  is  for  the  future  use- 


350  MACFAREEN  AS  TEACHER. 

less.  Better  men  and  musicians  than  you  or  I  have  volun- 
tarily burned  reams  of  exercises,  but  maintained  the  fluency 
gained  by  their  means.  Things  of  larger  extent  which,  while 
they  were  a-making,  the  writers  have  hoped  the  world  might 
regard  as  works,  have  proved  to  be  but  exercises  and  been 
destroyed  to  make  room  for  others  when  the  authors  have 
felt  they  could  shew  what  profit  to  their  powers  had  re- 
sulted from  the  composition.  Many  a  painter  has  painted 
out  a  picture  that  he  might  produce  another  on  the  same 
canvas,  and  has  rejoiced  more  in  his  improvement  than 
lamented  his  loss.  Is  there  such  a  great  difference  between 
what  is  done  with  the  will  and  what  is  done  against  it,  that 
we  should  bewail  the  one  and  effect  the  other  either  to 
clear  a  space  or  prevent  the  issue  of  posthumous  attempts 
that  our  own  judgment  would  not  sanction  ? 

"  I  cannot  suppose  the  time  you  have  spent  in  studies 
other  than  musical  will  be  fruitless  to  you  as  a  musician. 
I  should  be  proud  indeed  had  I  read  all  the  writers  you 
name,  and  I  am  sure  from  the  inkling  I  have  of  them  I 
might  then  be  able  to  think  deeper  and  express  me  more 
clearly  in  notes  or  in  words." 

"  I  think  you  have  not  considered  (because  its  use  occurs 
more  than  once  in  your  Canons)  the  bad  effect  of  the  aug- 
mented 4th  in  melody,  or  of  the  two  notes  of  this  interval 
in  consecutive  chords.  I  wish  you  would  consider  the 
matter.  Your  Canons  are  most  ingenious,  some  of  them 
must  have  cost  immense  pains,  but  this  will  be  repaid  by 
the  fluency  which  must  be  its  result.  Such  work  is  valu- 
able, not  for  the  effect  it  will  produce  on  the  hearer,  but 
for  that  upon  the  writer  which  is  its  natural  consequence. 

"  More  attractive  to  others  are  of  course  the  Anthem 
and  Organ  pieces.  Among  these  I  met  an  old  friend  in 
the  Air  with  Variations.  Let  me  counsel  you  to  exercise 
your  talent,  as  far  as  time  and  inclination  may  permit,  in 
this  class  of  writing.  Fancy  needs  practice  as  much  as 
Reason,  and  one  can  only  acquire  the  art  of  freely  express- 
ing one's  thoughts  by  frequently  experimenting  in  it.  We 
must  not  think  however  that  all  we  write  in  a  publishable 
form  is  available  for  printing,  and  that  either  for  our 
credit  or  money  profit  all  should  go  before  the  world,  or 


CLASS  WORK  AT  R.  A.  M.  351 

that  we  are  slighted  if  much  of  it  be  unaccepted.  Re- 
member that  Mendelssohn's  first  published  Symphony  was 
the  thirteenth  he  wrote,  and  believe  that  every  worker  in 
Art  produces  very  many  things  of  which  the  world  never 
has  knowledge.  An  occasional  bonus  for  a  copyright  is  a 
pleasant  enough  accident  in  a  composer's  career,  but  none 
of  us  may  count  on  music  writing  as  a  means  of  liveli- 
hood." 

" If  you   still  contemplate   an  University 

degree,  take  warmest  encouragement  as  to  your  likelihood 
of  musical  success,  but  forget  not  that  a  musician  is  an 
artist  and  not  a  schoolman  only,  and  that  a  work  of  art 
must  rather  shew  the  application  of  scholarship  than  the 
process  of  its  acquisition.  The  great  men  whose  works  we 
best  love  have  all  wrought  as  you  have  been  working,  but 
interchangeably  with  their  exercises,  strictly  so  called,  they 
have  constantly  produced  matter  of  lighter  character  which 
in  its  kind  has  also  been  valuable  exercise,  and  to  such  tasks, 
and  to  the  pleasure  they  certainly  bring  one,  I  heartily  com- 
mend you." 

A  class  scene  at  the  Royal  Academy  is  thus  des- 
cribed by  a  former  pupil,  in  the  "  Tonic  Sol-Fa 
Reporter  " : — 

"  The  six  or  eight  members  of  the  class  show  varying 
talent,  and  are  at  every  stage  of  theory  work.  While  one 
is  having  his  lesson,  the  others  stand  about  within  sight 
or  hearing ;  they  can  ask  questions  as  well  as  hear  the 
remarks  made  by  Sir  G-eorge  upon  their  companion's  work. 
Sometimes  he  calls  upon  them  to  point  out  the  mistakes 
in  it.  Thus  all  sorts  of  points  crop  up,  and  the  conversa- 
tion is  most  improving.  Sir  George  unfolds  his  wonderful 
storey  of  musical  erudition ;  his  detailed  acquaintance  with 
all  the  great  scores ;  the  boundless  scope  of  his  observa- 
tion of  classical  forms  ;  his  familiarity  with  the  capabilities 
and  proper  use  of  every  orchestral  instrument.  The  men 
who  enjoy  the  class  and  succeed  in  it  are  the  men  who 
work.  The  indolent  men — clever  players,  perhaps,  who  do 


352  CLASS  WORK  AT  R.  A.  M. 

not  like  theory,  and  are  seldom  in  the  mood  for  composi- 
tion— are  evidently  a  trouble  to  Sir  George.  He  talks  to 
them  with  the  patience  and  kindness  which  in  him.  are 
never  disturbed,  and  there  is  the  earnestness  of  affection 
in  his  words.  He  stimulates  them  by  telling  of  the  hard 
discipline  which  all  great  composers  have  undergone,  and 
of  the  absolute  necessity  of  study  to  the  musician.  Sir 
George  has,  however,  a  cure  for  idleness,  which  is,  perhaps, 
more  efficacious  than  even  these  tenderly  worded  remon- 
strances. All  readers  of  his  '  Lectures  on  Harmony  '  know 
the  fascination  which  the  manifold  enharmonic  resolutions 
of  the  chords  of  the  ninth  and  thirteenth  have  for  him. 
If  a  student  has  brought  no  work,  he  will  probably  ask 
him  to  play  a  set  of  these  resolutions  extempore,  or,  failing 
that,  he  will  ask  him  to  manufacture  sequences  at  the  key- 
board. Now  the  kind  of  student  who  scamps  his  exercises 
has  an  intense  dislike  to  this  sort  of  work,  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  fear  of  it  has  a  wholesomely  bracing  effect  upon 
several  members  of  the  class.  It  is  interesting  to  note,  as 
the  lessons  proceed,  that  Sir  George's  knowledge  of  abso- 
lute pitch  is  perfect.  Strike  a  note  at  any  part  of  the 
key-board,  and  he  knows  its  name  ;  strike  a  chord,  and  his 
ear  discriminates  its  constituent  notes.  Rarel}-,  indeed, 
does  a  consecutive  fifth  or  octave  escape  his  attentive  ears 
as  he  sits,  with  head  bent,  watching  with  clear  mind's  eye 
the  progression  of  the  parts.  In  the  case  of  six  or  eight 
part  writing,  he  will  sometimes  say,  '  I  must  ask  you  to 
play  that  slowly,  as  I  must  confess  it  needs  a  little  atten- 
tion,' but  that  is  all.  In  examining  an  orchestral  score,  he 
asks  a  few  questions  as  to  the  apportionment  of  the  tone 
among  the  various  instruments,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
'  sees  '  the  whole  thing  clearly,  and  begins  to  criticize." 

Another  pupil,  writing  of  these  class-meetings, 
exclaims : — 

"  Oh,  the  pathos  of  that  scene !  The  blind  man  sitting 
in  reach  of  the  key-board,  his  head  hanging  down  in  the 
manner  so  well  known,  and  his  face  illuminated  by  the 
look  of  attention,  patiently  listening  and  marvellously 
piecing  together  our  work,  often  so  poor  and  dull !  " 


PERSONAL    CHARACTERISTICS.  353 

Still  more  detailed  and  pathetically  interesting,  as 
portraying  his  character  in  some  touching  aspects,  is 
this,  from  another  pupil : — 

"  I  first  met  him  when  I  went  to  him  as  a  pupil  on  the 
19th  September,  1871.  That  day  week,  the  26th,  his 
mother  died.  I  remember  going  to  the  Academy  for  my 
expected  second  lesson,  finding  him  absent  without  the 
cause  being  known,  and  hearing  the  dictum  from  the 
governess — '  It  must  be  something  very  important  that 
keeps  him,  for  he  never  breaks  an  engagement.'  In  1878, 
when  I  had  become  intimate,  he  wrote  me,  dated  Sep- 
tember 26th,  '  This  day  seven  years  I  missed  your  second 
lesson.'  Thus  he  cherished  the  memory  of  those  who  had 
gone  before  him.  Seven  years  more,  and  when  the  day 
came  round,  I  reminded  him  of  'the  day  he  missed  my 
second  lesson.'  He  thanked  me,  saying,  '  How  often  it  is, 
when  one  friend  is  taken  away  from  our  lives,  another 
comes  in  to  fill  up  the  place,  or,  rather,  to  make  up  for  the 
loss.'  Then  he  remained  silently  thinking  for  some 
moments,  after  a  manner  he  had  when  deeply  touched ;  as 
on  the  two  occasions  in  his  addresses  to  the  Academy, 
when  referring  to  the  death  of  a  professor  or  student  in  the 
previous  vacation,  he  asked  for  silent  meditation  for  a  few 
moments.  (1878  and  1887.)  Days  of  that  kind  were  a 
sort  of  saint's  day  to  him,  and  he  kept  them  holy — not 
holidays,  with  a  little  i,  for  idleness,  but  holy — to  cherish 
the  memory  of  great  and  good  ones.  Part  of  this  senti- 
ment was  shown  in  his  habit  of  dating  letters  by  some 
favourite's  birthday :  often  have  I  had  a  letter  dated 
'  Mozart's  birthday,'  '  Shelley's  birthday,'  '  Bennett's 
birthday ' — just  as  some  people  will  date  their  letters  by  a 
saint's  day. 

"  That  first  meeting  struck  the  key-note  of  a  friendship 
that  lasted  ever  afterwards :  the  same  note  was  in  many 
friendships  with  him.  His  great  power  of  helping  us,  and 
his  great  need  of  help  himself,  was  the  link  between  us 
and  him.  There  was  the  half-hour's  work  with  him — 
playing  my  very  faulty  accompaniments  to  him — his  ear 
bent  towards  the  key-board  as  I  played,  and  explained 

A  A 


354  PERSONAL    CHARACTERISTICS. 

what  could  not  be  played :  then  his  dictum — '  Don't  alter 
these  ;  that  will  be  distressing  to  you,  as  they  are  finished ; 
but  begin  to  write  something  for  an  exercise ;  that  you 
will  not  mind  altering.'  Then  there  were  more  explana- 
tions as  to  the  beginning  of  the  Sonata  movement  which  I 
was  to  do :  so  he  showed  his  sympathy  with  my  composer's 
feelings,  inexperienced  though  I  was,  and  his  power  to 
help  me. 

"  Now  came  the  other  side.  After  other  pupils'  work  was 
examined,  and  lessons  were  over,  he  got  up  to  leave ;  shy, 
and  not  knowing  what  to  do,  we  watched  him ;  but  once 
was  enough — once  to  watch  him  seek  laboriously,  by  touch, 
for  the  thing  that  we  could  see — was  to  realize  the  painful 
darkness  of  his  life,  and  from  that  grew  the  mental  resolve 
never  to  let  him  grope  again,  if  we  were  there  to  guide : 
the  bond  of  mutual  help  and  sympathy  was  sealed  in  this 
way.  .  .  . 

"  Not  only  music  brought  out  the  sympathy.  Once  I 
spoke  of  a  friend  whose  struggle  for  subsistence  I  could 
then  only  help  by  kind  words.  He  encouraged  me,  saying, 
words  were  worth  a  great  deal:  he  remembered  a  time 
when  the  one  who  should  have  been  his  greatest  helper  had 
nothing  but  words  of  encouragement  in  his  power,  and 
they  were  of  great  help  to  him. 

"  He  would  always  encourage,  by  quoting  his  own 
struggles,  and  thus  draw  us  into  the  mystic  brotherhood — 
make  us  feel  we  were  of  the  same  kind  as  he,  and  worthy 
of  his  consideration  as  much  as  the  biggest :  if  he  could 
do  it,  of  course  we  could.  The  same  was  in  his  teaching. 
Many  times  when  he  has  advised  an  alteration,  he  would 
add :  '  When  I  was  told  to  put  something  in,  I  always 
tried  to  make  it  as  different  as  possible  to  what  I  was 
told';  and  what  he  had  done  before  us,  he  thought  we 
could  do  after  him.  There  lay  a  secret  of  his  teaching 
power.  I  don't  think  he  ever  forgot  his  own  past  diffi- 
culties, and  that  his  pupils  were  going  through  the  same 
struggles — whether  in  learning  or  in  life.  Some  teachers 
work  as  if  they  thought  their  pupils  knew  as  much  as  they 
did.  Gr.  A.  M.  would  say,  '  If  you  knew  as  much  as  I  do, 
you  would  not  come  to  me  to  teach  you.'  Generally  it 
was  when  we  had  said  we  did  not  know  how  to  do  such  and 


PERSONAL    CHARACTERISTICS.  355 

such  a  thing.     '  Of  course  not ;   if  you  knew  all  about 
music,  you  would  not  come  to  the  Academy  to  learn  it.' 

"  Another  secret  of  his  teaching  power  was  his  patience 
and  attention  to  the  smallest  things  and  people.  How  he 
would  go  over  and  over  the  difficult  point,  putting  it  now 
this  way,  now  that,  till  he  got  a  point  of  view  from  which 
we  could  perceive  it  and  assimilate  it.  I  can  see  him  now, 
stretching  across  from  his  seat  beside  one  at  the  piano  to 
demonstrate  some  idea  on  the  key-board.  Perhaps  it  would 
be  the  course  of  some  discord,  perhaps  a  suggestion  for 
carrying  out  some  passage  in  a  symphony  movement  of 
our  own,  perhaps  an  illustration  of  such  a  passage  by 
quotation  from  Beethoven  or  Mozart.  How  he  would  cry 
out  at  his  bad  playing — '  Can't  I  find  some  right  notes  ? 
Now,  this  is  the  way,  or  this,  how  does  it  go  on  ?  this  is 
it,'  all  the  time  he  was  playing." 


The  same  affectionate  pupil  records  : — 

"  He  used  to  say,  somewhat  bitterly,  it  was  a  mistake  to 
fancy  that  blind  people  were  quicker  in  their  other  senses. 
He  could  not  hear  better  than  other  people,  he  would  say. 
Certainly  he  was  something  deaf  in  the  latter  years,  and 
required  one  to  speak  clearly ;  but  of  quickness  of  hearing, 
intelligence  of  hearing,  he  had  no  lack.  His  power  of 
singling  out  one  voice  part  from  another,  of  analyzing 
chords  as  the  music  was  in  course,  of  recognizing  one 
voice  from  another  in  speech,  or  knowing  the  direction  of 
the  voice,  was  very  great.  Often  in  class  one  pupil  would 
change  position ;  the  next  remark  or  answer  made,  he  would 
turn  to  the  new  direction  :  '  Oh,  you  are  there,  are  you  ?  ' 
would  come  with  his  return  answer.  His  touch,  too,  was 
very  fine,  as  one  expects  from  a  sightless  man.  I  well 
remember  giving  him  a  snowdrop  one  day  to  feel.  He 
held  it  by  the  stem  with  one  hand,  while  with  the  tips  of 
the  fingers  of  the  other  hand  he  felt  the  blossom.  '  How 
lightly  it  hangs,'  he  said,  '  and  there  is  a  tender  fragrance 
in  it.'  It  was  a  quick  perception  which  could  notice  the 
scent  of  a  snowdrop." 


356  HUMOUR    IN    TEACHING. 

Another  devoted  student  refers  to  another  trait  in 
Macfarren's  teaching : — 

"His  lessons  were  often  tinged  with  a  kind  of  humorous 
or  racy  strain.  The — as  he  thought — intemperate  use  of 
extreme  discords  generally  called  forth  an  inquiry  if  all 
that  was  done  here,  what  was  going  to  happen  when  the 
hero  was  going  to  shoot  himself,  the  heroine  was  tearing 
her  hair,  and  all  the  tragic  horrors  were  heaped  up  at 
once?  If  a  pupil  said  some  harshness  to  which  he  objected 
was  'only  for  a  moment,'  he  rejoined,  'Oh,  you  don't  mind 
a  hansom,  cab  going  over  your  toes,  if  it  goes  quickly, 
then.'  He  had  an  odd  way  of  calling  a  passage  'licentious,' 
as  if  it  were  a  moral  obliquity.  Vague  tonality  he  thought 
'  an  excellent  representation  of  London  fog.'  A  succession 
of  diminished  sevenths  was  '  whining,'  and '  like  the  wind  in 
the  chimney.'  He  never  could  bear  '  the  hideous  interval ' 
of  the  diminished  third,  saying,  'Do  it  three  times  in  a  life- 
time, and  never  let  the  present  be  one.' " 

His  humour  was  not  confined  to  his  pupils,  however. 
About  his  own  appearance  in  his  robes  as  Doctor  of 
Music, — which  some  are  vain  of, — he  would  say  that 
he  was  made  to  look  ' '  like  first  cousin  to  the  Knave  of 
Hearts  "  !  And  he  made  the  slyly  sarcastic  remark 

"  that  Henry  VIII.  studied  music  was  essential  to  his 
youthful  preparation  for  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
It  was  then  essential  for  the  Primate,  as  for  all  Church 
ministers  under  him,  thoroughly  to  understand  music; 
whereas  it  now  suffices  that  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
confers  musical  degrees." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

" ENCYCLOPAEDIA  BRITANNICA"  ARTICLE  :  "MUSICAL  HIS- 
TORY." ADDRESSES  AND  ARTICLES  ON  "  CORRECT 
MUSICAL  TASTE/'  INSTRUMENTATION,  FORM,  ACOUS- 
TICAL DISCOVERY,  EISTEDDPODAU,  PART  -  SINGING, 
PITCH,  ETC.  1878 — 1885. 

DURING  the  period  of  his  holding  these  two 
honourable  offices,  at  Cambridge  and  at  the 
Academy,  involving  the  performance  of  multifarious 
duties,  not  only  did  Macfarren  produce  the  important 
works  enumerated  in  Chapter  XIII.,  but  also  prepared 
the  article  "  Music  "  for  the  9th  edition  of  the  "  En- 
cyclopaedia Britannica "  ;  afterwards  republished  as  a 
volume,  entitled  "  Musical  History  briefly  narrated 
and  technically  discussed,  with  a  Roll  of  the  Names 
of  Musicians  and  the  times  and  places  of  their  births 
and  deaths "  (Edinburgh,  1885) :  a  most  charmingly 
readable  book. 

And  he  acted  as  examiner,  or  adjudicator,  for 
various  schools  or  colleges,  and  in  various  competi- 
tions ;  and  in  these  capacities,  as  well  as  in  that  of 
president  or  vice-president  of  societies,  he  availed  him- 
self of  any  opportunities  that  presented  themselves 
to  address  those  concerned,  and  to  enunciate  sound 
and  useful  principles  concerning  Music  and  its  study. 


358       THE   ENGLISH  A   MUSICAL   PEOPLE. 

Thus,  on  distributing  the  prizes  to  successful  pupils  at 
the  Beckenham  School  of  Music,  March,  1886,  he 
took  the  opportunity  to  reiterate  his  oft-repeated 
contention  that  it  is 

"a  fallacy  to  suppose  that  the  English  nation  has  no 
aptitude  for  music ;  and  that  so  far  from  the  Puritans 
having  (as  has  been  alleged)  blotted  music  out  of  the 
national  disposition,  they  caused  a  counteraction  which 
brought  into  effect  several  of  the  most  important  incidents 
in  the  musical  history  of  this  country.  ...  It  was  in  the 
tune  of  the  Commonwealth  that  the  first  representation 
was  made  for  any  native  musical  competition :  .  .  .  that 
there  was  published  for  the  first  time  a  collection  of 
national  melodies  which  stamped  our  native  musical  feel- 
ing as  of  the  very  highest :  .  .  .  that  (by  the  express  licence 
of  Cromwell)  the  first  opera  was  performed  in  England, 
which  was  several  years  before  the  performance  of  an 
opera  in  Germany :  .  .  .  that  the  first  lady  ever  appeared 
in  a  public  peii ormance  in  this  country.  .  .  .  The  Puritans 
not  only  did  not  prevent  the  Cavaliers  from  exercising 
their  musicianship,  but  they  by  Cromwell's  own  act  gave 
them  public  encouragement.  The  great  interruption  to 
our  musical  character  was  due  to  the  Hanoverian  acces- 
sion. .  .  .  But  there  is  rising  now  a  strong  and  healthy 
counteraction.  The  people  themselves  are  now  asserting 
their  love  for  music,  and  the  evidences  [he]  had  heard 
there  that  night  showed  [him]  that  the  true  seed  of  music 
is  taking  root  in  the  public  heart,  and  the  fruit  of  this 
seed  will  not  only  do  honour  to  the  present  time,  but 
will  stinmlate  us  to  still  further  exertions  in  the  time  to 
come.  Music  has  a  power  of  expression  beyond  that  of 
the  other  arts.  For  example,  a  beautiful  picture  will 
convey  a  thought  or  the  impulse  of  a  moment ;  but  music 
affords  means  to  convey  the  development  of  a  change  of 
ideas,"  etc. 

On  a  similar  occasion,  addressing  the  students  of 
Aske's   School    for   Girls,  Hatcham,   Miss    Macirone 


LOVE:  DUTY:  MUSIC.  359 

being  the  head  music-mistress,   in  December,   1877, 
he  said  : — 

"Give  me  leave  to  say  a  few  words  to  you  on  the  subject 
of  the  beautiful  art  it  is  the  happiness  of  my  life  to  culti- 
vate. Let  one  of  these  words  be  Love,  and  another  Duty. 
Love  is  not  a  compelled  duty,  but  the  magnetism  of  the 
mind;  and  to  the  subject  we  love,  we  owe  the  duty  of 
advancing  it  to  the  utmost.  Love  will  give  heart  and  life, 
and  promote  the  work ;  and  Duty  will  shrink  from  no  toil, 
and  endure  no  imperfection.  I  have  been  shocked  to  hear 
music  called  an  amusement.  Music  in  olden  times  held  a 
prominent  place  in  England;  and,  if  since  then  it  has 
suffered  neglect,  it  has  of  late  years  resumed  its  position, 
and  has  won  the  consideration  of  the  greatest  educational 
institutions  of  this  country.  ...  It  has  been  the  habit  to 
call  England  an  unmusical  country  ;  and  yet  this  is  the 
only  country  in  which  University  degrees  are  given  to 
music.  We  have  here  Doctors  and  Bachelors  of  Music, 
and  this  country  is  the  only  one  which  acknowledges 
music  amongst  the  scholastic  faculties.  Let  this,  there- 
fore, bear  me  out  when  I  say  that  the  study  of  music  is 
not  an  amusement. 

"  Music  is  to  be  distinguished  by  the  fact  that  our 
musical  sounds  are  the  result  of  the  rhythmic  movements 
of  the  air,  and  in  the  largest  sense  the  old  theory  of  the 
'  music  of  the  spheres '  is  the  application  of  this  scientific 
fact  to  the  movements  of  the  planets  of  the  universe  ;  it  is 
a  product  of  the  grand  laws  of  rhythmic  motion,  which 
distinguish  musical  sounds  in  opposition  to  accidental 
ones,  and  attention  to  the  rhythmical  divisions  of  the  notes 
is  a  matter  of  great  importance,"  etc. 

He  examined,  annually,  the  music  pupils  at  the  St. 
John's  Wood  Blind  School. 

As  another  contribution  to  the  dissemination  of 
sound  views  of  music  among  non -professional  students, 
he  wrote  an  article  in  the  "  Girl's  Own  Magazine," 
on  "What  is  correct  Musical  Taste?"  in  which, 


360    MUSICAL  TASTE.     VALVE-INSTRUMENTS. 

enunciating  that  "  taste  is  the  power  to  perceive  the 
beautiful/'  he  asserts  that  "  the  unjust  use  of  the 
word  '  classical '  makes  the  word  a  scarecrow  to  many 
a  music  lover.  Whether  a  crow  or  a  linnet,  he  may 
be  frightened  by  it  from  fields  of  beauty  where  blos- 
soms flourish  whose  scent  and  colour  may  enrich  him 
who  perceives  them,  while  their  perception  im- 
poverishes not  the  flowers  " :  and  goes  on,  defining 
the  word  as  applied  to  things  "  classed  together "  by 
reason  of  their  enduring  beauty :  encouraging  a  "fami- 
liarity "  with  them  which  does  not  "  breed  contempt," 
giving  "fitness"  for  designed  purpose  as  one  standard 
for  taste :  decrying  misapplication,  exaggeration, 
affectation,  interest  in  mere  manipulative  agility,  etc. 
When  presiding  at  the  Musical  Association,  on 
occasion  of  the  reading  of  a  valuable  paper  by  Mr. 
Prout,  "  On  the  Growth  of  the  Modern  Orchestra 
during  the  past  Century,"  January  6th,  1879,  Mac- 
farren,  in  reply  to  a  question  as  to  the  use  of  valve- 
trumpets  in  the  orchestra,  said  : — 

"  No  doubt  this  was  an  important  subject.  In  the  first 
place,  he  believed  the  valve  itself  deteriorated  the  tone  of 
the  natural  instrument,  for  he  had  heard  the  same  player 
play  successively  on  a  hand-horn  and  a  valve-horn,  and  it 
appeared  to  him  that  the  tone  of  the  latter  was  far  inferior. 
That,  however,  was  of  secondary  importance ;  the  signi- 
ficant thing  was,  that  by.  the  use  of  these  valves  you 
obtained  the  entire  chromatic  scale,  and  by  this  enrich- 
ment impoverished  the  orchestra  in  a  lamentable  degree. 
The  orchestra  was  distinguished  from  the  pianoforte  by 
the  variety  of  tones  and  the  prodigious  power  of  colouring 
which  this  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  composer.  The  use 
of  early  times,  to  have  complete  bands  or  '  consorts  '  of 
one  kind  of  instrument,  had  now  given  way  to  the  blending 
of  many  qualities  of  tone  one  with  another.  Even  this 


VALVE-HORNS  AND    TRUMPETS.  361 

was  anticipated  in  early  times,  when  the  expression  '  broken 
music '  implied  the  mixing  of  several  '  consorts,'  such  as 
hautboys  and  viols,  and  viols  or  shawms.  There  were 
great  beauties  in  the  combination,  and  still  more  in  the 
contrast  of  these  several  qualities  of  tone.  In  the  scores 
of  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Weber,  and  Spohr,  it  would  be 
found  that  when  trumpets,  drums,  and  horns  were  used, 
they  gave  a  characteristic  mark  to  the  chords  and  keys  in 
which  they  appeared,  and  when  the  music  modulated  from 
those  keys,  you  either  lost  those  sounds  altogether,  or  else 
the  instruments  were  employed  on  peculiar  notes  of  peculiar 
chords,  and  thus  gave  a  totally  different  character  to  the 
extraneous  keys  to  that  of  the  normal  keys  in  which  the 
pieces  were  set ;  or  else  when,  as  in  the '  Dona  Nobis'  of  the 
Mass  in  D  of  Beethoven,  the  piece  being  in  D,  the  trumpets 
were  pitched  in  B  flat,  a  totally  exceptional  effect  was  pro- 
duced from  the  introduction  of  instruments  which  were  not 
employed  in  the  normal  key.  The  same  was  the  case  with 
the  horns  and  trumpets  in  the  slow  movement  in  the  C 
minor  Symphony.  The  movement  being  in  A  flat,  when  they 
came  in  C,  it  was  a  totally  new  sound,  and  produced  an  effect 
which  might  be  compared  with  that  of  the  present  gather- 
ing sitting  in  that  room  with  the  gaslight,  and  the  roof 
being  suddenly  thrown  open,  and  the  sun  streaming  in. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  these  instruments  were  employed 
which  gave  the  chromatic  scale,  the  composers  who  used 
them  were  tempted  to  apply  them  to  any  loud  chord  that 
was  wanted ;  when  they  were  not  used  in  the  degraded 
sense  in  which  waltz  writers  used  them  to  play  the  prin- 
cipal melodies,  in  order  to  force  out,  by  manifold  duplica- 
tion of  notes  through  the  foggy  mass  of  multitudinous 
instrumentation,  a  rampant  vulgar  tone  upon  the  other- 
wise imperceptive  organs  of  the  hearers.  This  vulgar  use, 
such  as  was  commonly  heard  in  entr'actes  in  theatres,  was 
a  thing  quite  apart  from  the  beautiful  delicacy,  from  the 
exquisite  feeling,  from  the  heavenly  perfection  of  sound, 
which  you  found  in  those  compositions  which  had  been  so 
well  described  and  so  warmly  eulogized  that  evening.  This 
employment  of  valve  instruments  tended  to  reduce  the 
orchestra  to  the  level  of  the  pianoforte,  which  had  the 
power  of  piano  and/orfe,  but  could  only  have  one  quality 


362  SLIDE-  TR  UMPETS. 


of  tone,  that  quality  being  only  variable  by  the  aid  of  a 
different  touch.  They  knew  that  one  player  would  pro- 
duce a  different  effect  from  another  on  the  same  pianoforte, 
but  it  would  sound  a  pianoforte  all  the  way  through  ;  and 
the  orchestra,  with  the  scarce  notes  of  the  incomplete  wind 
instruments,  was  a  far  richer  power  in  the  composer's 
hands,  than  when  there  was  the  terrible  temptation  of 
writing  for  cornets  like  violins,  or  for  horns  like  violon- 
cellos. There  was  another  instrument  besides,  which  was 
played  mostly  in  England,  for  which  he  believed  Mendel- 
ssohn intended  such  a  passage  as  that  at  the  end  of  the 
overture  to  'Ruy  Bias' — a  slide-trumpet.  A  slide  did 
not  deteriorate  the  effect  of  the  instrument  as  the  valve 
did,  just  in  the  same  way  as  a  valve-trombone  was  infe- 
rior to  a  slide-trombone.  He  would  earnestly  caution 
young  writers  to  confine  themselves  to  such  trumpets  as 
Beethoven  would  employ." 

A  pupil  records,  as  a  signal  instance  of  the  Pro- 
fessor's fair-mindedness,  an  incident  which  bears  on 
the  above  subject : — 

"  He  was  speaking  about  the  trumpet  to  one  of  the 
others,  and  I  struck  in  in  defence  of  the  slide-trumpet, 
and  we  had  quite  an  argument,  though  it  was  not  the  first 
on  the  subject.  ...  I  saying  that  a  temperate  writer  would 
have  sufficient  control  to  deny  himself  trumpets  in  chro- 
matic passages,  extraneous  modulation,  and  so  on,  in  order 
to  secure  the  freshness  of  special  effects  if  they  were  wanted ; 
whereas  in  other  styles  he  will  have  the  notes  for  use  if 
wanted;  that  he  could  get  all  the  effects  that  Mozart, 
Beethoven,  etc.,  got  with  them,  by  ignoring,  for  the  time, 
the  slide,  and  yet  get  many  more  when  he  wanted  them. 
That  was  the  drift :  however,  the  point  is  that  Macfarren 
at  last,  to  me,  a  pupil,  in  the  presence  of  a  class,  said, 
'  Well,  I  break  down  ! '  This,  of  course,  drew  forth  apolo- 
gies, and  he  went  on  to  modify  his  meaning ;  but  I  think 
few  men  would  have  had  the  strength  of  mind  to  say  such 
a  thing." 

The  same  pupil  says  : — 


MUSICAL   FORM.  363 

"  What  I  remember  chiefly  of  his  instrumentation  was 
his  dislike  of  what  he  thought  the  modern  vice  of  too  much 
sostenuto  bass,  his  constant  recommendation  of  plenty  of 
unison,  and  saving  a  typical  tone-colour  for  prominent  keys 
and  passages." 

He  wrote  an  Instruction  Book  for  the  Clarinet,  in 
the  popular  series  published  by  Messrs.  Chappell 
and  Co. 

After  the  reading  of  a  paper  by  Mr.  C.  E.  Stephens 
on  "  Form  in  Musical  Composition/'  at  the  Musical 
Association,  June  2nd,  1879,  Macfarren,  being  in  the 
chair,  made  the  following  remarks  : — 

"  The  growth  of  music  to  its  present  consistency  was  but 
recent,  and  compared  with  other  arts  was  entirely  new ; 
but  still  we  might  look  back  two  hundred  years,  and  see 
already  the  seed  from  which  modern  music  had  grown. 
The  natural  law  of  harmonics,  which  showed  in  succession 
the  natural  production  of  sounds,  was  the  basis  upon  which 
musical  form  rested.  The  most  important  harmonic  after 
the  generator  was  the  fifth,  and  thus  the  chord  of  the  fifth 
was  the  most  important  chord,  after  the  chord  of  the  key- 
note. The  key  of  the  dominant  in  like  manner  was  the 
most  important  after  the  primary  key,  and  their  relation- 
ships were  founded  upon  harmonic  necessity — a  necessity 
because  these  harmonic  sounds  were  natural  existences 
which,  when  brought  into  art  use,  were  only  more  strongly 
defined  than  they  are  in  the  slighter  and  slighter  vibra- 
tions that  are  induced  whenever  a  primary  note  is  sounded. 
When  compositions  were  more  concise  than  at  present,  this 
key  of  the  dominant  made  ample  contrast  to  the  primary 
key  of  the  piece ;  but  now  that  movements  were  more  pro- 
longed, another  equally  certain  harmonic  relationship, 
though  further  advanced  in  the  harmonic  series,  that  of 

the  third,  was  called  into  play The  thing  which 

most  obviously  struck  the  listener  was  the  recurrence  of 
phrases,  but  in  his  opinion  they  were  of  secondary  import 
compared  to  the  distribution  and  arrangement  of  keys. 


364     MUSICAL  FORM.     HARMONIC  DISCOVERY. 

Tonality  should  be  regarded  as  furnishing  the  real  sub- 
stance of  musical  structure ;  and  if  one  were  to  compare 
such  a  structure  with  an  architectural  edifice,  the  height, 
the  breadth,  and  the  material  of  the  building  were  repre- 
sented by  keys,  while  the  pillars,  the  carvings,  the  statuary, 
and  the  ornamentation,  which  more  quickly  struck  the  super- 
ficial observation,  were  the  themes.  The  course  which  had 
been  so  clearly  mapped  out  by  Mr.  Stephens  of  the  several 
portions  of  a  symphonic  movement,  constituted  a  form  as 
variable  as  was  the  human  countenance ;  and  when  the 
outcry  arose  that  musical  form  had  been  exhausted  by  the 
great  masters,  and  that  some  new  principles  must  be  sought, 
it  would  be  as  well  to  say  that  the  sculptor  must  seek  some 
other  form  than  the  human  face  and  the  human  figure. 
Every  man  who  looked  into  the  face  of  a  friend  knew  it 
from  every  other  face ;  and  coincidences  were  so  wonder- 
fully few  as  to  be  the  subject  of  comedy,  where  two  persons 
were  so  perfectly  alike  that  one  could  be  mistaken  for  the 
other.  With  inconceivable  smallness  of  difference  in  tech- 
nical detail,  complete  variety  of  effect,  of  difference  of  idea, 
might  be  expressed  in  music." 

At  the  Musical  Association,  Feb.  6,  1882,  after  a 
paper  by  Rev.  Sir  F.  A.  Gore  Ouseley  (President), 
"  On  Some  Italian  and  Spanish  Treatises  on  Music  of 
the  Seventeenth  Century/3  Macfarren  said  : — 

"  I  consider  it  a  high  privilege  to  have  the  opportunity 
of  joining  voice  with  so  eminent  an  authority  on  these 
highly  important  and  interesting  matters.  I  can,  I  think, 
fortunately  throw  a  gleam  of  light  on  the  most  interesting 
point  of  our  distinguished  President's  discourse,  which  I 
must  refer  to  the  lantern  from  which  I  received  it,  namely, 
Mr.  William  Chappell,  that  is,  the  discovery — for  one  can 
hardly  call  it  an  invention,  since  it  is  the  probing  of  one  of 
the  phenomena  of  nature,  and  that  phenomenon  of  all 
others  which  establishes  music  as  one  of  the  natural 
sciences,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  arts — the 
phenomenon  of  the  chord  of  the  dominant  seventh 


HARMONICS.    DOMINANT  SEVENTH.       365 

"  So  far  as  I  can  learn  in  the  history  of  science,  no  dis- 
covery has  ever  been  onefold ;  it  has  always  been  the  case 
that  several  explorers  in  about  the  same  period  have  divined 
the  same  fact,  and,  whether  simultaneously  or  in  immediate 
succession,  they  have  brought  it  to  light ;  and  their  almost 
contemporaneous  fortune  in  lighting  upon  such  wonders, 
serves  not  so  much  to  make  antagonism  between  them  as 
to  give  confirmation  in  the  works  of  one,  of  the  views  of  the 
former.  Another  thing  which  is  of  great  importance,  which 
belongs  also  to  the  seventeenth  century — I  think  the  date 
was  1676 — is  that  two  Oxford  scholars,  without  communi- 
cation with  each  other,  lighted  on  that  grand  fact  which 
explains  this  chord  of  the  dominant  seventh,  and  translates 
it  from  a  piece  of  empiricism  into  the  really  natural  fact 
and  wonderful  phenomenon  that  we  find  it.  One  was 
William  Noble,  of  Merton  College,  and  the  other  was 
Thomas  Pigot,  of  Wadham  College.  They  discovered 
that  one  sound  generated  others,  and  that  the  successively 
generated  sounds  built  up  the  very  chord  of  the  dominant 
seventh ;  and  the  fact  that  the  notes  of  this  chord  are  thus 
generated  is  the  solution  of  the  contradictory  effect  of  this 
to  the  rules  of  the  earlier  contrapuntists — that  no  discord 
could  be  tolerated  except  its  harshness  were  mollified  by 
preparation.  As  the  seventh  note  is  generated  harmoni- 
cally by  the  fundamental  sound,  it  is  truly  prepared  in 
nature,  and  our  articulating  this  note  in  performance  by 
voice  or  instrument  is  only  making  a  little  stronger  that 
sound  which  already  exists  where  the  generator  is  given  to 
produce  it.  Evidently  the  true  basis  of  the  harmonic 
theory  of  the  present  period  is  that  this  is  a  natural  and 
not  an  artificial  combination  of  sounds ;  and  I  think  it  is  a 
great  glory  to  our  country  that  that  discovery  was  made 
here,  and  was  made  all  but  simultaneously  by  two  persons 
who  were  resident  in  the  same  locality,  and  not  in  commu- 
nication with  each  other.  It  is  one  of  the  many  glories  of 
the  University  of  which  our  President  is  the  shining  orna- 
ment of  musical  light  at  the  present  moment,  that  the  dis- 
covery was  made  in  Oxford." 

On  various  occasions  Macfarren  acted  as  one  of 


366  THE   EISTEDDFOD. 

the  adjudicators  at  the  Eisteddfodau,  and  took  the 
opportunity  to  give  counsel  together  with  criticism. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  John  Thomas  (Pencerdd  Gwalia) , 
anent  the  Birkenhead  Eisteddfod,  1878,  Macfarren 
thus  expresses  himself  concerning 

"  the  real  merits  of  the  festival,  and  the  true  good  it  is 
likely  to  effect.  The  Eisteddfod  as  an  institution  is  a 
vast  moral  power,  inasmuch  as  morals  are  influenced  by 
intellect,  and  as  intellect  is  approachable  from  the  two 
sides  of  instruction  and  amusement.  It  is  an  incentive  to 
cultivate  the  whole  sisterhood  of  the  fine  arts, — music, 
letters,  and  painting  under  its  various  aspects  of  the  flat 
and  the  round.  Inquiry  into  natural  sciences,  and  appli- 
cation of  the  knowledge  so  obtained,  is  not  only  prompted 
but  induced.  The  investigation  of  history  is  stimulated, 
and  the  emulation  is  encouraged  of  the  honoured  deeds  of 
the  past  by  the  nurture  of  the  sense  of  patriotism.  Copious 
statistics,  which  I  have  had  opportunity  to  examine,  prove 
that  the  establishment  of  choral  societies  throughout  the 
country  has  always  been  coincident  with  the  diminution  of 
vice  in  the  district, — that  vice  which  is  the  greatest  stain 
upon  our  national  character,  the  vice  of  drunkenness.  The 
choral  class-room  supplants  the  tavern,  and  familiarity 
with  works  of  art,  which  brings  insight  into  the  principles 
of  their  construction,  refines  the  mind,  and  through  this 
channel  reaches  the  heart  of  men  whose  predecessors  gave 
way  to  the  most  sensual  excesses.  Not  alone  they  who 
sing  are  enriched  by  the  treasures  of  song;  they  who  listen 
participate  the  profit  of  this  spiritual  wealth,  and  the  feel- 
ing of  thankfulness  for  pleasure  received  is  in  itself  a  good 
that  is  quite  worth  the  pains  of  promoting.  It  is  not  for 
me  to  intrude  speculations  on  the  study  of  subjects  that 
are  beyond  my  own  province,  but  it  is  obvious  that  the 
many  means  of  education  on  the  one  hand  and  entertain- 
ment on  the  other,  if  more  limited  in  their  exercise,  since 
engaging  individuals  instead  of  multitudes,  must  operate 
in  the  same  direction  as  music,  so  widely  as  they  reach,  with 
a  like  effect.  .  .  .  The  value  of  the  language  of  the  district 


THE   EISTEDDFOD.  367 

was  largely  discussed  at  the  meetings,  and  has  been  much 
commented  upon,  and  greatly  disputed  in  reference  to  the 
late  occasion.  Together  with  this,  national  egotism  has 
been  a  lively  topic  for  censure.  This  word  censure  is  here 
used  in  its  restricted  or  slang  meaning  of  blame,  and  not  in 
its  full  or  true  meaning  of  judgment.  Pride  of  country  is 
the  noblest  of  self-esteem,  and  is  distinct  wholly  from  per- 
sonal vanity ;  the  one  prompts  actions  for  self-glorification, 
the  other  stimulates  endeavour  for  the  nation's  honour.  .  .  . 
Our  mother's  tongue  is  the  mother's  milk  of  feeling ;  he 
who  can  forget  the  words  in  which  he  has  first  heard  of 
love,  and  first  owned  its  force,  must  have  a  heart  to  let, 
within  which  love  will  not  occupy  the  unfurnished  apart- 
ments. Philologists  aver  that  knowledge  of  one  language 
is  strengthened  by  insight  into  another,  and  that  those 
tongues  speak  the  most  purely  which  have  acquired  the 
language  of  parlance  by  what  may  be  called  artificial 
rather  than  natural  means,  that  is,  in  the  schoolroom  and 
not  in  the  nursery.  The  exercise  of  the  intellect  in  any  of 
its  functions  gives  greater  power  to  them  all.  Let,  then, 
the  Cymri  keep  their  Cambrian  speech,  but  let  them  learn 
the  language  of  their  compatriot,  Shakspere :  his  burning 
thoughts  are  a  lamp,  a  sun,  to  illuminate  mankind ;  but 
these  thoughts  are  disguised  if  translated  into  other  sylla- 
bles, and  it  is  due  to  his  greatness,  it  is  due  to  our  own, 
that  every  native  of  the  land  which  bore  the  author  of 
"  Cymbeline  "  and  "  King  Lear  "  worships  this  greatest  of 
heroes  by  reading  and  speaking  and  understanding  the 
very  words  he  wrote." 

In  a  long  letter  which  Macfarren,  as  senior  adjudi- 
cator, at  the  Eisteddfod  at  Cardiff,  1883,  addressed 
to  the  choirs,  with  the  wish  that  his  opinion  "may 
serve  a  cause  which  commands  the  support  of  every 
musician/'  he  remarks  : — 

"  The  point  most  to  blame  in  some  of  the  performances 
was  a  tendency  to  force  the  voices,  especially  among  the 
boy  singers.  That  boys  may  sing  with  beautiful  effect  is 


368  FAULTS  IN  SINGING. 

proved  daily  in  our  cathedral  services,  but  this  effect  is 
produced  by  an  easy  emission  of  tone,  without  tightening 
of  the  throat.  The  breath  should  be  impelled  from  the 
diaphragm,  and  never  influenced  by  the  rising  of  the 
shoulders.  Disregard  of  these  principles,  by  female  and 
male  adults  as  much  as  by  boys,  induces  hardness  of  tone 
to  the  extent  of  harshness,  and  causes  the  rising  of  the 
pitch,  which,  in  some  instances  at  Cardiff,  proceeded  into 
strange  keys,  and  rendered  the  singing  impossible  to  in- 
strumental accompaniment.  Noise  is  not  power,  and  the 
best  quality  attained  is  with  the  least  physical  exertion. 
The  fault  I  have  named,  and  certainly  not  an  incorrect 
knowledge  of  the  music,  was  the  cause  of  the  singing  being 
out  of  tune  on  the  occasion.  By  musicianly  phrasing  I 
mean  the  taking  of  breath  at  the  natural  reading  places  in 
the  musical  sentences,  analogous  to  observing  the  punctua- 
tion of  words,  the  giving  more  or  less  emphasis  to  words 
according  to  their  significance  in  the  musical  sense.  By 
just  variety  of  power  I  mean  regard  to  the  directions  for 
loudness  and  softness,  and  the  gradations  between  the 
extremes,  avoiding  to  sink  in  pitch  with  the  diminution  of 
tone,  and  beginning  every  phrase  with  distinct  firmness, 
whether  it  be  soft  or  loud.  I  cannot  too  strongly  set 
forth  my  admiration  of  non-professional  musicians  such  as 
you,  for  the  ability  they  have  acquired  under  obvious 
disadvantage,  and  for  their  influence  upon  those  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  have  the  benefit  of  their  direction 
elsewhere,  as  well  as  in  Cardiff.  I  have  witnessed  such 
proofs  of  musical  aptitude  as  make  me  proud  of  my  fellow- 
countrymen,  for  so  I  must  and  will  consider  you  to  be, 
though  my  lot  be  cast  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains 
that  surround,  but  cannot  cut  off  the  Cymric  race,  and 
will  never  part  them  from  the  sympathy  of  music  lovers 
who  claim  Britain  as  their  native  land." 

Macfarren's  decision  of  character  was  illustrated  at 
this  Eisteddfod  by  his  admonishing  a  fussy  speaker, 
who  interrupted  the  proceedings  (a  choir  competition), 
to  desist ;  and,  the  admonition  taking  no  effect,  even 
after  "  Choir  No.  5  "  had  been  called  on,  he  shouted, 


ARTICLE    ON   CHORAL    SINGING.  369 

in  louder  voice,  "  Unless  the  competition  goes  on, 
the  adjudicators  will  retire  in  a  body." 

In  the  first  number  of  the  "  Part- Song  Magazine/' 
May,  1868,  an  article  by  Macfarren  on  "  Choral 
Singing  "  appeared,  in  which  he  enumerates  as 

"  faults  most  common  to  untutored  singers,  and  most 
needful  to  be  overcome : — 1.  Permitting  the  musical  sound 
to  fade  away  before  the  completion  of  a  phrase  where 
there  is  no  requirement  for  this  in  the  expression  of  the 
passage.  ...  2.  Prematurely  pronouncing  the  final  con- 
sonant of  a  syllable,  which  should  only  be  articulated  at 
the  expiration  of  a  note,  instead  of  continuing  the  vowel 
sound  throughout  the  full  value  of  the  time.  ...  3. 
Singing  upon  L,  M,  or  N,  as  final  letters.  ...  4.  Failing 
to  articulate  final  consonants.  ...  5.  Anticipating  the 
sound  of  the  second  vowel  in  a  diphthong,  as  in  '  ne-ar ' 
'  fe-ar '  de-ar,'  or  in  '  da-?/,'  '  sa-?/,' '  ma,-id,'  '  rema-m '  (mis- 
pronounced 'da-ee,'  etc.).  .  .  .  The  same  fault  is  made 
with  those  letters  which,  though  written  singly,  comprise 
two  vowel  sounds,  as  I  or  Y,  which  are  composed  of  the 
sounds  '  ah '  and  '  ee  ';  and  0,  which  is  often  incorrectly 
followed  by  the  sound  of  '  oo,'  as  in  '  home '  (mispronounced 
'  ho-oom').  6.  Substituting  B  for  M,  as  in  'home  '  (mis- 
pronounced '  hobe ') ;  and  changing  N"  into  D,  as  in  '  chain  ' 
(mispronounced  '  chaid ')  [surely  this  fault  must  be  sim- 
ply the  result  of  a  cold  in  the  head  !].  7.  Omitting  N  in 
words  ending  with  '  ing.'  ...  8.  Falsely  accentuating 
unaccented  final  syllables  as  in  '  lit-^e,'  '  pret-ty,'  etc.  9. 
Sliding  up  to  a  note  which  is  approached  by  leap,  instead 
of  attacking  it  without  any  preliminary  sound  to  the  same 
syllable.  10.  Disregarding  a  dot  after  a  note,  or  a  quaver 
when  tied  to  a  preceding  minim.  ...  11.  A  tendency  to 
retard  the  time.  .  .  ."  etc. 

In  July,  1885,  Macfarren  wrote  an  "interesting 
and  learned  paper  " — as  it  was  characterized — for  the 
Musical  Congress  at  Antwerp,  on  "  Musical  Pitch,"" 

B  B 


370    ANTWERP   ARTICLE    ON  MUSICAL   PITCH. 

which  was  read  in  September.  He  referred  to  its 
constant  rise  from  the  earliest  period  to  the  present 
time  :  the  influence  of  this  ft  on  musical  composition, 
vocal  performance,  instrumental  performance,  and 
instrumental  structure"  :  its  difference  in  different 
countries :  the  important  faculty,  "  almost  admitting  " 
of  being  termed  a  "  sixth  sense,"  of  "  associating  par- 
ticular sounds  with  particular  names  "  :  the  "  analogy 
between  sound  and  colour":  the  definition  of  the 
former  being  "  less  easily  but  not  less  accurately 
demonstrable  "  than  that  of  the  latter  :  the  changed 
effect  of  musical  compositions  through  change  of 
pitch :  with  regard  to  vocalists,  "  The  riddle  of 
(Edipus  may  be  thus  paraphrased  :  What  animal 
ranges  in  the  clouds  in  the  morning,  and  on  the 
earth  in  the  evening  ?  Solution :  a  singer  " :  reference 
being  made  to  the  early  and  later  years  of  "  this 
animal":  the  discrepancy  of  opinion  on  the  matter 
among  players  on  bowed  instruments,  some  averring 
"  that  the  tone  of  their  instruments  is  attenuated  by 
the  elevation  of  pitch  ;  others,  that  their  instruments 
gain  in  brilliancy  thereby  :  the  practical  identity  of  the 
B  flat  clarinet  of  1812  with  the  A  clarinet  of  the 
present  day,  and  the  consequent  difference  of  quality 
of  tone  from  that  intended  in  the  music  written  for 
the  instrument  of  that  period  :  the  importance  of  uni- 
formity :  the  appointment  of  a  committee  in  London 
to  take  steps  to  secure  that  result,  Macfarren  being 
chairman."  (See  page  269.) 

Almost  coincidently,  however,  with  the  delivery  of 
this  address,  a  communication  was  received  from  the 
Commander-in- Chief,  stating  that,  "  owing  to  financial 
and  other  difficulties  .  .  .  too  great  to  be  overcome, 


CHARACTER    OF   KEYS.  371 

his  Royal  Highness  was  unable  to  support  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Standard  Musical  Pitch " ;  and  as  its 
adoption  in  the  bands  of  the  army  was  essential  to  the 
scheme,  that  scheme  had  to  be  abandoned. 

Mr.  A.  J.  Ellis,  in  his  translation  of  Helmholtz's 
"  Sensations  of  Tone/'  p.  550,  thus  refers  to  some 
utterances  by  Macfarren  on  this  subject : — 

"  In  the  discussion  of  my  paper  '  On  the  measurement 
arid  settlement  of  Musical  Pitch '  ('  Journal  of  the  Society 
of  Arts,'  25  May,  1877,  p.  686),  Prof,  (now  Sir  George) 
Macfarren,  Principal  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music, 
spoke  of  '  the  difficulty  of  representing  the  compositions 
of  different  eras,  which  had  been  written  for  different 
standards  of  pitch,'  and  added, '  it  was  a  marvellous  fact, 
that,  while  the  pitch  was  felt  to  be  changed,  the  impres- 
sion of  the  character  of  the  keys  seemed  to  remain  with 
reference  to  the  nominal  key,  not  to  the  number  of  vibra- 
tions of  each  particular  note.  Thus  the  key  of  D  at  the 
present  day  represented  the  same  effect  as  was  produced 
by  the  same  key  according  to  one's  earliest  recollections ; 
it  did  not  sound  like  the  key  of  E  b  although  it  might  be 
of  the  same  pitch.  If  Mozart's  Symphony  in  C  were  to 
be  played  a  semitone  lower,  to  bring  it  to  the  original 
pitch,  it  would  not  sound  at  all  the  same.  How  far  this 
result  was  subjective — how  much  depended  on  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  hearer,  and  how  much  on  the  physical  facts— 
was  a  deep,  perhaps  an  insoluble  question ;  but  it  was  one 
which  really  ought  to  be  considered.' " 

These  extracts  must  be  accepted  as  specimens  of 
Macfarren' s  extensive  acquaintance  with,  and  readi- 
ness to  expatiate  with  more  or  less  premeditation  on, 
the  various  matters  connected  with  music  which  have 
at  times  claimed  the  attention  of  the  musical  com- 
munity. In  this  connection  also  may  be  mentioned 
papers  by  him  in  periodicals  on  "  Unity  in  Dis- 


372  VARIOUS    COMPOSITIONS,  ETC. 

crepancy/'  on  "  Musical  Criticism,"  on  Mendelssohn's 
"  Athalie,"  etc. ;  also  analyses  of  pianoforte  works, 
prefixed  to  a  series  edited  by  him  for  a  London  firm, 
entitled  "  Macfarren's  Universal  Library  of  Pianoforte 
Music." 

It  is  difficult  to  assign  the  dates  and  order  of  pub- 
lication of  many  of  his  compositions.  He  says,  in  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Dudeney,  "  There  was  no  Opus  No. 
fixed  to  anything  of  mine  but  the  three  or  four  works 
printed  in  Leipsic  by  Kistner  and  by  Breitkopf  and 
Hartel."  Among  works  not  hitherto  mentioned  there 
are  a  Trio  in  A  for  Flute,  Violoncello  and  Pianoforte  ; 
Three  Trifles  for  Flute  and  Pianoforte ;  Recitative  and 
Air  for  the  same  instruments ;  Andante  and  Allegro, 
also  for  the  same  ;  a  Concerto  for  the  Concertina;  and, 
for  the  Organ,  Larghetto  in  A  minor,  Andante  con 
moto  in  B  flat,  and  Larghetto  espressivo  in  G  minor ; 
also  the  following  Anthems :  "  A  day  in  Thy  courts," 
"  God  said,  Behold  I  have  given,"  "  Hear  me  when 
I  call,"  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David,"  "  0  Holy 
Ghost,  into  our  minds,"  "  The  Lord  is  King,"  "  The 
Lord  is  my  Shepherd/'  "We  give  Thee  thanks," 
"Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man,"  "Blessed  be  the 
poor,"  "  When  saw  we  Thee/'  "  Praised  be  the  Lord," 
"  Great  and  marvellous,"  "  Remember,  O  Lord," 
"  The  law  of  the  Lord,"  "  The  Lord  hath  been  mind- 
ful," "We  wait  for  Thy  lovingkindness,"  "When 
all  things  were  in  quiet  silence,"  "  This  day  is  born." 
Also,  several  Two-part  Anthems,  besides  a  "  Choral 
Service  in  E  flat,"  a  "Morning,  Communion,  and 
Evening  Service  in  G  (unison)/'  "  Cantate  Domino 
and  Deus  Misereatur  "  in  G,  and  a  similar  work  in  F. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MACFARREN'S  "  COUNTERPOINT."  UTTERANCES  ON  DIA- 
PHONY,  CONSECUTIVE  STHS,  MENDELSSOHN'S  FUGUE 
IN  F  MINOR,  ETC.  1879 — 1882. 

"lyTACFARREN'S  book,  "  Counterpoint :  a  Course 
-  of  Study"  (1879),  is  in  no  sense  a  theoretical 
manifesto ;  it  is  purely  educational  and  disciplinary, 
"  edited  for  the  Syndics  of  the  University  Press," 
and  designed  entirely  for  the  use  of  students,  having 
their  needs  always  in  view.  Therefore,  its  various 
rules,  directive  and  prohibitive,  must  be  understood 
as  indicating,  not  entirely  what  is  good  or  bad  in 
music,  but  what  is  desirable  or  undesirable  for  students 
to  do  in  their  course  of  training.  And  at  the  outset, 
therefore,  as  the  sure  foundation,  he  bases  all  upon 
Counterpoint  in  the  strict  style  ;  holding  strongly  to 
the  necessity  of  a  course  of  exercises  under  its  rigid 
restrictions,  prior  to  any  venture  in  the  region  of  Free 
Counterpoint  until  freedom  has  been  attained  within 
the  narrower  limits.  Moreover,  he  rightly  charac- 
terizes as  "  dissolute "  any  lazy,  trifling  evasions  of 
strict  rules,  any  availment  of  licenses,  until  every 
effort  has  been  made  to  comply  with  stern  rules. 

The  work  may  therefore  be  said  to  be  a  manifesto, 
though  not  theoretical,  but  educational :  a  timely 
warning  against  certain  tendencies  which  the  writer 


374  "COUNTERPOINT." 

discerned,  and  which  he  sought,  in  the  interests  of 
soundness  and  thoroughness,  to  check ;  for  which 
effort  he  was  by  some  regarded,  and  by  one  termed, 
"  an  obstructive." !  And  he  himself  says,  in  the 
Preface  to  "  Musical  History"  : — 

"He  [the  author]  claims  to  be  a  conservative,  in  the 
sense  in  which  the  first  music  schools  in  Italy  were,  and 
those  in  some  other  Continental  States  are  named,  as 
striving  to  conserve  the  pure  and  beautiful ;  he  claims 
to  be  a  radical,  since  seeking  the  root  of  truth  and  found- 
ing his  convictions  accordingly  ;  but  he  disclaims  to  be  an 
eclectic,  because,  believing  with  Rossini  that  there  are  only 
two  classes  of  music,  the  good  and  the  bad,  he  elects  the 
former  in  all  its  manifestations." 

The  distinguishing  severities  in  the  book  that  may 
be  noticed  are  :  (a)  the  avoidance  of  modulation,  except 
in  the  examples  of  Double  Counterpoint;  even  pro- 
gression, or  diversion,  to  the  so-called  relative  major 
or  minor,  being  tabooed  as  "  most  to  be  shunned  "  ; 
the  very  terms  being  "  denounced  as  misleading,  and 
consequently  dangerous  to  the  composer  "  :  (b]  the  use 
of  only  one  harmony  in  each  bar  of  contrapuntal  exer- 
cises. "  Contrary  to  the  method  of  some  teachers," 
Macfarren  recommends  students  "  to  work  each  Species 
of  Counterpoint  successively  in  two,  in  three,  in  four, 
and  perhaps  in  five  parts,  before  entering  on  the 
practice  of  a  next  Species."  This  plan  I  had  myself 
recommended  and  adopted  years  previous  to  the  pub- 
lication of  Macfarren's  "  Counterpoint."  It  is  pos- 
sible that  I  may  have  heard  of  Macfarren' s  practice  in 

1  See  p.  246. 

2  See  "Text-Book  of  Music,"  H.  C.  Banister.     Preface  to  1st 
edition,  1872.     See  also  my  "  Musical  Art  and  Study  "  :  paper  on 
"  Some  Methods  of  Musical  Study,"  p.  34. 


DIAPHONY.     PERFECT  INTERVALS.        375 

this  matter,  though  I  am  not  conscious  of  having 
borrowed  the  idea. 

In  the  introductory  chapter,  Macfarren  advances 
the  "  conjecture "  that  Diaphony,  instead  of  having 
been,  as  "  alleged  ....  the  singing  of  one  melody  by 
two  voices,  or  choirs  of  voices,  at  the  interval  of  a 
4th,  or  a  5th,  or  an  8th  .asunder,  ....  may  have 
meant  alternation  or  response,  and  that  the  parts  which, 
in  ancient  copies,  stand  one  over  another  at  the  in- 
terval of  a  5th,  a  4th,  or  an  8th,  were  sung  in  suc- 
cession and  not  together,  their  presentation  in  writing 
having  no  analogy  to  the  modern  idea  of  a  score." 
He  admits  that  "  this  is  but  a  conjecture,  whose  proof 
must  rest  with  the  antiquary,"  which,  "  if  .  .  .  .  ad- 
missible, ....  will  point  to  diaphony  as  the  germ  of 
the  fugue."  Consistently  with  this  conjecture,  he 
remarks,  in  his  "Musical  History"  (p.  27),  that  the 
term  "  diaphony  (through  the  sounds),"  is  "  at  least  as 
appropriate  to  the  successive  as  to  the  simultaneous 
singing  of  a  melody  at  the  interval  of  a  5th  above  or 
below." 

In  the  chapter  on  Intervals,  he  remarks,  in  a  foot- 
note, that — 

"  It  is  strangely  remarkable,  that,  though  men  of  science 
and  musicians  have  spent  elaborate  attention  upon  other 
philosophical  points,  which  may  or  may  not  link  acoustical 
science  to  musical  art,  not  one  has  openly  discussed  the 
phenomena  that  separate  the  1st  [Macfarren' s  term  for 
the  unison]  and  the  5th,  the  8th  and  the  4th,  in  character, 
effect,  and  treatment,  from  all  other  intervals.  This  is  not 
the  place  to  enlarge  upon  the  very  important  subject,  but 
the  present  opportunity  may  be  utilized  to  suggest  its 
scientific  consideration,  and  to  state  a  belief  that  any  facts 
bearing  upon  it,  which  may  be  brought  to  light,  will  be  of 
the  highest  possible  interest  and  commensurate  value." 


376  CONSECUTIVE   FIFTHS. 

It  is  carrying  out  the  spirit  of  this  remark  to  give 
additional  currency  to  the  suggestion  by  its  insertion 
in  these  pages. 

In  the  chapter  on  Scales,  Modes,  and  Keys,  there  is 
an  interesting  compendium  of  information  respecting 
the  growth  of  the  Scale,  the  Greek  Modes,  the 
Church  Modes,  etc. 

In  the  chapter  on  Progression  of  Parts,  after  giving 
the  rule  against  consecutive  5ths,  he  adds  this  foot- 
note : — 

"  The  reason  of  the  bad  effect  of  this  progression  has  not 
been  proved,  but  a  speculation  respecting  it  has  the  sanc- 
tion of  some  thoughtful  musicians.  It  rests  on  the  fact 
that  the  ear  adjusts  the  fallacy  of  temperament,  and 
receives  what  stand  for  musical  intervals  on  our  keyed 
instruments,  as  though  they  were  truthfully  tuned ;  and 
thus,  though  we  have  but  one  C  or  D,  etc.,  to  represent 
the  modification  of  the  note  so  named  in  all  the  keys  to 
which  it  belongs,  the  note  produces  a  separate  effect  upon 
the  hearer  in  each  key-relationship  in  which  it  may  be 
involved,  so  that  D  sounds  as  if  it  were  a  major  tone  from 
C  if  used  in  the  key  of  C,  but  sounds  as  a  minor  tone  from 
C  if  used  in  the  distinctly  different  key  of  A  minor,  while 
a  pianoforte  or  flute  gives  but  one  sound  each  for  C  and  D. 
A  perfect  5th,  more  than  any  other  single  interval,  suggests 
the  complete  idea  of  a  key ;  so,  to  proceed  from  one  per- 
fect 5th  (whose  intonation  should  be  peculiar  to  one  key) 
to  another  perfect  5th  (whose  intonation  should  be  peculiar 
to  another  key)  implies  precipitation  from  one  key  to 
another  without  passing  through  the  harmonic  channels 
that  naturally  connect  the  two.  The  5th  E,  for  instance, 
should  have  81  vibrations  against  27  in  the  key  of  A,  and 
but  80  against  27  in  the  key  of  C  ;  we  have  but  one  A  and 
one  E  on  keyed  instruments  to  serve  for  both  keys,  and 
yet  we  suppose  the  5th  to  be  perfect  whenever  we  hear  it ; 
and  so,  possibly,  our  shock  at  approaching  this  5th  from 
A,  after  a  5th  peculiar  to  the  key  of  C,  results  from  the 


CONSECUTIVE  7THS.     HIDDEN  5THS,  ETC.  377 

discrepancy  that  should  exist  between  the  two  presenta- 
tions of  the  chord  which  are  characteristic  of  the  two  keys. 
This  speculation  is  corroborated  by  the  good  effect  of  con- 
secutive 5ths  between  those  notes  of  the  key  of  which,  in 
truthful  intonation,  the  5ths  are  precisely  perfect — a  good, 
nay,  beautiful  effect,  however,  whose  application  is  limited 
to  the  modern,  free,  or  chromatic  style  of  music,  and  is 
wholly  unavailable  in  Diatonic  Contrapuntal  writing." 

In  a  review,  evidently  by  Macfarren,  of  a  certain 
Anthem,  he  writes : — 

"  We  protest  against  the  consecutive  7ths  .  .  .  .  ;  how 
strange  it  is  that  composers  who  would  shrink  with  horror 
from  writing  the  5ths  in  succession  in  the  same  two  parts, 
as  from  a  foulest  sin,  write  the  infinitely  worse  sounding 
progression  of  two  7ths  in  cold  blood,  as  if  it  were  quite  a 
matter  of  indifference,  and  nobody's  heels  would  suffer 
from  such  treading  on,  or  ears  from  such  torture." 

These  remarks  on  consecutive  perfect  intervals  are, 
at  all  events,  logically  plausible.  But,  in  reference  to 
the  closely  allied  rule,  which  he  enforces,  against  similar 
motion  to  a  perfect  interval  in  the  "  outside  parts  " 
(generally  called  the  extreme  parts) — such  joint  pro- 
gression often  being  termed  hidden  or  covered  con- 
secutives,  but,  by  him,  an  exposed  5th,  etc. — he  inserts 
the  remark,  which  seems  to  indicate  a  failure  to  under- 
stand the  sense  in  which,  rightly  or  wrongly,  the  term 
is  used, — in  fact,  altering  the  term :  "  By  strange 
contradiction,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  use  the  term 
'  hidden '  instead  [of  exposed],  as  '  hidden  5th/ 
'  hidden  8th/  etc. ;  but  a  note  can  only  be  hidden 
by  others  sounded  at  once  above  and  below  it."  Now, 
it  is  not  desired  here  to  advocate  the  use  of  the  term 
objected  to ;  but  Macfarren  misrepresents  it :  the 


378  MACFARREN' S   PROHIBITIONS. 

objectionable  progression  is  not  called,  in  any  book 
that  I  know,  nor  is  the  one  8th  or  5th  approached  in 
the  objectionable  manner,  a  hidden  8th  or  5th ;  but 
the  manner  of  progressing  to  it  being  considered  to 
cover  a  5th  or  8ve,  which  is  hidden  by  not  being 
sounded,  the  whole  effect  is  supposed  to  hide  that 
which,  if  sounded,  would  constitute  hidden  fifths  or 
octaves,  hidden  consecutives .  The  use  of  the  singular 
or  of  the  plural  term  makes  all  the  difference  in  the 
meaning  and  consistency  of  it.1  It  is  not  a  term 
worth  fighting  for ;  but  let  it  be  rightly  stated  ;  not 
mis-stated,  and  then  opposed.  But  I  have  heard 
Macfarren  say,  with  almost  angry  vehemence,  ' '  No  ! 
it  is  an  exposed  5th." 

So  far  as  I  am  aware,  Macfarren  is  the  only  writer 
who  forbids,  apart  from  the  false  relation  of  the  tritone, 
in  two-part  counterpoint,  all  expanding  from  a  3rd  to 
a  perfect  5th. 

Treating  of  successions  of  harmonies,  Macfarren 
forbids,  in  the  major  key,  the  following  of  the  common 
chord  of  the  supertonic  by  the  chord  of  the  key-note, 
"  unless  both  chords  be  in  the  first  inversion  "  ;  but 
adding  that  "  the  same  effect  is  not  produced  by  a 
progression  from  the  chord  of  the  submediant  to  that 
of  the  dominant — also  a  minor  and  a  major  chord  in 
consecution."  To  this  he  appends  a  foot-note :  "  A 
reason  for  the  difference  may  be  that,  from  the  super- 
tonic  to  the  key-note  is  the  interval  of  a  major  tone, 
but  from  the  submediant  to  the  dominant  is  the 
interval  of  a  minor  tone."  This  may  hardly  seem 
sufficient  justification  of  the  prohibition ;  but,  rather, 

1  See  "  Text-Book,"  H.  C.  B.,  pp.  50,  51. 


MAJOR  AND  MINOR  TONES,  ETC.     379 

an  explanation  that  requires  explaining.  There  is 
a  somewhat  more  ample  statement  on  the  subject  in 
his  "  Musical  History/'  where,  after  speaking  of  the 
conflict  between  the  followers  of  Pythagoras  and  those 
of  Aristoxenus,  the  latter  having  "  discovered  the 
difference  between  the  major  and  minor  tones,  the 
first  having  the  ratio  f ,  and  the  second  having  that 
of  ~"  Macfarren  continues  (p.  12) : — 

"  Subsequent  theorists  disputed  whether  the  major  or 
the  minor  tone  should  be  above  the  other,  and  it  was 
Claudius  Ptolemy  (c.  150  A.D.)  who  enunciated  that  the 
major  tone  should  be  below  the  minor,  which  is  the  prin- 
ciple that  directs  the  intonation  of  our  present  scale.  This 
intonation  may  account  for  the  difference  between  the 
effect  in  proceeding  from  the  minor  chord  of  the  super- 
tonic  to  the  major  chord  of  the  tonic,  and  the  effect  in 
proceeding  from  the  minor  chord  of  the  submediant  to  the 
major  chord  of  the  dominant,  of  which  the  latter,  at  the 
interval  of  a  minor  tone,  is  acceptable,  and  the  former,  at 
the  interval  of  a  major  tone,  is  repugnant  to  cultivated 
ears." 

It  may  be  said  here  that  Macfarren  has  deftly 
written  some  of  his  Canti  Fermi  in  such  wise  as  to  be 
quite  workable  according  to  his  strictest  rules,  and  to 
exemplify  their  application;  but  that  observance  of 
some  of  these  rules  is  well  nigh  impracticable,  in  some 
of  the  Species,  with  many  Canti  Fermi  not  written  for 
such  special  purpose.  Teachers  and  students  will  find 
this  out  by  experiment.  This  is  not  the  place  to 
enlarge  upon  or  exemplify  the  statement.  Nor  must 
the  consideration  of  disputed  points  be  here  entered 
on:  such  as  the  singularly  illogical  foot-note,  p.  29, 
which  does  not  touch  the  point  at  issue ;  the  prohibi- 
tion of  a  passing-note  occurring  simultaneously  with 


380  IMPORTANT  PRINCIPLES. 

the  striking  of  an  arpeggio  note  with  which  it  is  dis- 
sonant (§§  54,  243) — which,  however,  is  an  excellent 
disciplinary  restriction  for  students ;  some  of  the 
restrictions  as  to  cadences,  such  as  §  109,  etc.  More 
pleasant  is  it  to  notice  the  emphasizing  of  the  impor- 
tance of  right  treatment  of  passing-notes  (§  148)  ;  the 
detailed  painstaking  in  regulating  the  combination 
both  of  two  or  more  moving  Counterpoints  of  the 
same  species  (chaps,  x.,  xi.,  xii.,  xiii.),  and  of  com- 
bined species  (chap,  xiv.),  to  which  little  attention  is 
paid,  for  the  help  of  students,  in  other  books  on 
Counterpoint;  the  exposure  of  the  fallacious  preten- 
tiousness of  much  so-called  multi  part  writing  (§  275); 
the  suggestive  chapter  on  Counterpoint  in  the  Modern 
Free  Style,  and  other  matters  in  this  highly  useful 
work,  which  has  been  called  a  classic;  and,  un^ 
doubtedly,  is  the  book  which,  because  founded  on 
definite  principles,  and  not  empirical  or  arbitrary,  as 
so  many  works  on  the  subject  are,  takes  the  highest 
rank  among  English  treatises,  even  if  its  rules  and 
explanations  meet  not  with  entire  acceptance.  Like 
his  other  books,  it  is  a  practical  protest  against  "slip- 
shod" looseness  and  indefiniteness  in  study  and  in 
practice.  Whether  the  authority  be  recognized  or 
not,  there  is  no  mistaking  what  is  forbidden  and  what 
is  allowed,  what  is  rigorous  and  what  is  undesirable. 
The  modern  spirit  is  restive,  if  not  lawless,  but  the 
wise  student  will  not  "ignore,  or  forget,"  to  use 
Macfarren's  own  words, 

"  that  discipline  is  the  best  warrant  of  liberty,  that  he 
alone  can  successfully  evade  rules  who  is  fully  capable  of 
obeying  them,  and  that  the  ancient  principles  of  Counter- 
point apply — if  practically  enlarged  in  their  application — 


DIAPHONY  AND    CONSECUTIVE   FIFTHS.     381 

most  stringently  to  the  structure  of  music  in  the  idiom  of 
the  present  day." 

Mr.  Prout,  in  his  recently  published  work, 
"  Counterpoint,  Strict  and  Free,"  speaking  of  the 
necessity,  "if  Counterpoint  is  to  be  of  real  use  to  the 
student,  to  make  it  conform  strictly  to  the  require- 
ments of  modern  tonality,"  continues  : — 

"  To  the  late  Sir  GTeorge  Macfarren  is  due  the  credit  of 
being  the  first  to  recognize  this  important  fact;  unfor- 
tunately his  treatise  on  Counterpoint,  excellent  as  it  is  in 
this  respect,  contains  so  many  of  its  writer's  peculiar  ideas, 
and  prohibits  so  much  that  other  theorists  allow,  that  the 
beginner  who  studies  the  subject  under  its  guidance  is 
hampered  and  harassed  by  needless  restrictions,  until 
really  musical  writing  becomes  all  but  impossible,  and  his 
exercises  sink  to  the  level  of  mere  mathematical  problems. 
All  honour,  nevertheless,  to  Macfarren  for  first  enforcing 
the  principle  that  modern  tonality  should  be  the  basis  of 
strict  Counterpoint ! " 

A  most  remarkable  instance  of  recondite  extem- 
poraneous speaking  is  furnished  in  Macfarren's  re- 
marks after  an  ingenious  paper  had  been  read  by  Dr. 
Gladstone,  on  "  Consecutive  5ths,"  at  the  Musical 
Association,  March  6th,  1882  : — 

"  I  should  like  to  venture  a  speculation  on  the  subject 
of  diaphony.  I  thoroughly  agree  with  Mr.  Sedley  Taylor, 
and  anybody  else  who  has  in  any  shape  the  same  feeling, 
that  consecutive  fifths  are  particularly  ugly,  and  that  our 
dislike  to  them  is  not  merely  from  the  habit  of  artificially 
trained  ears,  but  from  something  in  the  natural  fact  itself 
which  makes  them  repugnant  to  nature.  It  is  repugnant 
to  us  at  the  present  time,  and  not  in  this  room  alone,  not 
in  this  country,  but  throughout  all  the  civilized  world 
wherever  music  is  studied,  arid  wherever  it  has  resolved 


382  ANTIPHONY. 


itself  into  a  language,  instead  of  the  barbarous  jargon  of 
savages ;  everybody  shrinks  from  the  sound  of  consecutive 
fifths.  I  cannot  suppose  that,  as  long  as  the  organs  of 
hearing  have  been  the  same,  persons  can  have  experienced 
pleasure  many  hundreds  of  years  ago,  in  progressions 
which  are  entirely  offensive  to  us  who  hear  them  now; 
that  the  same  acoustical  properties,  whatever  they  may  be, 
which  make  them  offensive  in  the  nineteenth  century  could 
have  been  absent  in  the  tenth  century ;  and  that  progres- 
sions which  through  these,  as  yet  undiscovered,  properties 
are  cacophonous  to  us,  can  have  been  acceptable  to  the 
persons  who  heard  them  :  and  I  think  it  is  at  least  worthy 
of  consideration,  whether  in  those  written  examples  which 
come  before  us,  and  are  quoted  now  and  then  in  print,  it 
may  not  have  been  intended  that  the  parts  should  be  sung 
alternately,  and  not  together.  The  Greek  term  '  antiphony ' 
means,  of  course,  the  sounding  of  notes  at  once,  and 
Aristotle  expressly  forbids,  as  far  as  I  can  understand  him 
from  a  good  translation,  antiphony  in  the  fourth  or  fifth, 
but  says  that  antiphony  in  the  eighth  is  permissible,  and 
produces  a  good  effect,  namely,  that  when  boys  and  men 
sing  the  same  tune,  one  is  obviously  an  octave  above  the 
other,  and  the  effect  is  satisfactory,  but  that  this  singing 
of  the  same  melody  is  not  allowed  in  the  interval  of  the 
fifth  or  the  fourth.  This  was  then  offensive  to  the  classic 
Greeks,  and  can  it  be  possible  that  in  the  dark  ages  a 
different  constitution  of  human  organs  can  have  prevailed, 
and  have  made  that  which  was  formerly,  and  is  now,  offen- 
sive, agreeable  to  the  listeners  ?  And  as  our  predecessor, 
whom  patriotically  we  must  honour,  John  of  Dun  stable, 
said,  they  were  too  beautiful ;  too  much  beauty  could  not 
be  permitted,  therefore  a  succession  of  these  delights  was 
overpowering  to  the  human  sense.  In  the  church,  on  the 
other  hand,  antiphony  does  not  mean  singing  in  combina- 
tion, but  singing  in  alternation,  and  in  that  sense  I  appre- 
hend the  diaphony  of  the  dark  ages  in  music  must  have 
been  intended,  and  that  as  the  parts  were  written  a  fifth 
asunder,  one  or  the  other  might  be  sung  by  a  body  of 
voices  in  one  key,  and  then  the  other  part  be  sung  in 
response  by  another  body  of  voices.  It  appears  to  me 
that  such  was  the  original  form  of  the  composition  of  a 


CONSECUTIVE  FIFTHS  AND    OCTAVES.     383 

fugue — that  one  side  of  the  choir  would  sing  a  passage, 
say,  in  the  key  of  F,  and  that  the  other  side  would  respond 
to  it,  say,  in  the  key  of  C ;  then  the  first  choir  would  con- 
tinue a  counterpoint  or  descant  during  the  performance  of 
the  second  choir,  and  the  second  choir  would  return  the 
compliment  when  the  canto  fermo  returned  to  the  original 
singers ;  and  so,  out  of  that  diaphony,  our  fugue  has  been 
developed.  Now  the  bad  effect  of  octaves  seems  to  me  to 
have  a  very  obvious  interpretation — namely,  that  by  making 
two  notes  particularly  prominent,  the  rest  of  the  score  is 
enfeebled,  and  that  thus  the  balance  of  harmony  is  entirely 
thwarted.  The  effect  is  excellent,  of  course,  for  an  entire 
phrase  of  melody  to  be  sung  or  played  in  octaves,  whether 
it  be  to  give  prominence  to  a  bass  or  higher  melody. 
Equivalent  to  that  same  effect  is  the  subordinating  of  an 
accompaniment  to  a  vocal  part.  The  voice  part  is  intended 
to  be  much  more  forcible  than  the  accompaniment. 
Whether  this  is  to  be  so  enforced  by  throwing  stronger 
power  into  the  vocal  delivery  of  the  phrase,  or  whether  by 
playing  the  passage  on  two  different  instruments  in 
octaves,  or  on  a  pianoforte  duplicating  the  passage 
throughout,  it  is  only  making  that  one  entire  phrase 
paramount  in  importance  over  the  accompaniment.  But 
when  a  passage  of  harmony  in  any  number  of  parts  has 
two  notes  made  so  very  much  more  prominent  than  the 
rest,  as  is  the  case  in  the  duplication  of  those  two  at  the 
expense  of  the  others,  the  other  portion  of  the  harmony  is 
enfeebled,  and  the  balance  is  destroyed.  I  think,  with 
reference  to  some  of  the  examples  we  have  heard,  that  from 
the  overture  of  Mozart,  and  the  sonata  of  Beethoven,  and 
those  two  from  the  oratorio  '  St.  Paul,'  they  must  be  over- 
sights of  the  composers.  I  cannot  suppose  for  an  instant 
that  the  authors  intended  to  write  any  one  of  the  examples. 
In  the  case  of  Beethoven's  sonata  and  Mozart's  overture, 
the  effect  is  so  transient  that  it  leaves  little  impression ; 
but  in  the  case  of  the  '  St.  Paul '  choruses,  I  must  own 
they  have  checked  the  pleasure  the  music  has  given  me. 
I  have  noted  them  in  public  performance  for  the  first  time, 
not  from  exploring  on  paper,  as  having  been  conspicuous — 
not  for  beauty.  There  are  several  things  which  distinguish 
perfect  fifths  from  major  and  minor  intervals,  and  it  is  of 


384     PERFECT  AND   IMPERFECT  INTERVALS. 

great  importance  to  teachers  and  to  learners  to  observe 
these  distinctions.  Perfect  intervals  have  two  notes  of  the 
same  quality,  whereas  a  major  interval  may  have  both 
natural,  or  natural  and  sharp,  or  flat  and  natural.  Perfect 
intervals,  when  inverted,  produce  again  perfect  intervals, 
whereas  if  we  invert  a  major,  we  produce  a  minor ;  if  you 
extend  a  perfect  interval  by  a  semitone,  you  change  it  from 
a  concord  to  a  discord,  whereas  if  you  extend  a  minor 
interval,  you  have  a  major,  and  if  it  is  a  discord  in  the 
first  instance,  so  it  is  in  the  second,  if  a  concord  in  the 
first  instance,  so  it  is  in  the  second.  Then  there  is  this 
matter  of  the  consecution  of  perfect  intervals  being  offen- 
sive, whether  to  cultivated  or  to  barbarous  ears,  whereas 
the  succession  of  sixths  and  of  thirds  is  accepted  as  agree- 
able and  euphonious  by  everybody.  Then,  again,  taking 
two  notes  in  the  fundamental  harmonies,  we  have,  in  the 
chord  of  the  dominant  seventh,  a  perfect  fifth  from  the 
root  to  its  fifth,  and  we  have  a  diminished  fifth  from  the 
third  to  the  seventh.  The  imperfect  interval  requires  that 
both  its  notes  shall  have  a  defined  progression  under  the 
term  'resolution,'  whereas  there  is  an  entire  freedom  in 
the  two  notes  of  the  perfect  interval.  We  do  not  stop 
there.  In  the  earliest  forms  of  melody,  before  harmony 
was  discovered,  much  more  before  it  was  regulated,  there 
seems  always  to  have  been  some  instinct  in  men's  minds 
to  characterize  these  intervals  of  the  fifth  and  fourth. 
The  authentic  and  plagal  modes  dependent  on  melodic 
forms  lying  within  the  interval  of  the  fifth  for  the  con- 
spicuous notes,  or  the  interval  of  the  fourth,  were  pre- 
scribed by  Greek  rule  for  melodic  arrangement ;  and  that 
which  prevailed  in  Greece  was  received  in  the  church,  and 
forms  one  of  the  particular  distinctions  in  the  regulation 
of  fugal  construction  as  to  the  subject  and  answer.  Often 
and  often  have  I  thought  it  would  require  the  entire  know- 
ledge of  a  physicist  to  be  able  to  probe  this  subject  to  its 
foundation ;  and  it  would  be,  I  think,  of  very  great  interest 
to  musicians,  and  possibly  of  value  to  the  art  of  music, 
if  this  subject  could  be  scientifically  investigated.  But 
the  nearest  approximation  to  a  solution  that  I  have  made 
is  the  fact,  first  of  all,  that  consecutive  fifths  imply  con- 
secutive keys,  and  a  very  ill  effect  is  produced  by  the  want 


TEMPERAMENT,  ROOTS,  RELATED  KEYS.     385 

of  some  intervening  harmony  -which  shall  lead  by  natural 
gradation  from  the  one  key  to  the  other.  That,  on  a 
tempered  pianoforte,  no  key  is  in  tune,  we  all  admit  in 
theory ;  but  I  am  certain  the  human  ear  exercises  a  power 
of  adjusting  the  sounds  which  are  produced,  and  of 
accepting  tempered  sounds  for  the  true  sounds  that  they 
are  intended  to  signify.  This  might  be  proved,  even  by 
examples  upon  a  tempered  pianoforte,  from  the  very  dif- 
ferent effect  that  the  same  notes  produce  when  played 
with  a  different  context.  So  I  believe  that  if  one  hears 
the  chord  of  C,  followed  by  the  chord  of  D,  although  both 
C  and  D  harmonies  are  imperfect  in  pianoforte  tuning,  we 
have  an  impression  of  those  two  keys  of  C  and  D,  and  we 
want  some  chord  which  shall  lead  by  natural  course  from 
the  first  to  the  second.  Now  certain  fifths  are  decidedly 
in  tune  in  the  same  key,  such  as  the  fifth  of  the  tonic  and 
the  fifth  of  the  dominant,  and  the  progression  of  one  of 
these  to  the  other  has  not  the  bad  effect  which  other  pro- 
gressions of  fifths  have.  Also  the  fifth  of  the  tonic  and 
the  subdominant  may  be  used,  as  in  the  Pastoral  Symphony 
of  Beethoven,  with  beautiful  effect.  By  an  extraordinary 
coincidence  the  same  notes  occur  in  the  first  chorus  of 
Weber's  'Oberon,'  and  I  think  with  the  same  happy 

effect I  think  the  subdominant  is  a  diatonic  root 

in  any  key,  but  its  influence  ceases  when,  passing  upward, 
the  tonic  is  reached,  and  then  a  new  derivation  of  the  notes 
is  to  be  considered.  That  tonic  stands  as  the  natural 
resting-place  between  the  subdominant  and  the  dominant, 
and  to  proceed  from  the  fifth  below  the  tonic  to  the  fifth 
above  the  tonic,  without  the  intervention  of  the  tonic  itself 
between,  I  think,  takes  us  by  the  boldest,  and  roughest, 
and  rudest  plunge  from  one  key  to  another.  Now,  whether 
we  are  to  follow  Helrnholtz's  theory,  and  derive  the  minor 
key  from  the  major  third  below  its  tonic,  and  suppose  that 
C  minor  is  derived  from  the  key  of  A  flat,  counting  C  as 
the  fifth  harmonic,  and,  to  pursue  that  theory  further,  to 
derive  the  beautiful  chromatic  chord,  the  minor  second  of 
the  key,  from  the  fifth  still  below  that  A  flat,  and  so  to 
bring  into  consideration  the  subdominant  with  reference 
to  the  key-note ;  or  whether  we  are  to  take  those  two  notes, 
D  flat  the  ninth  of  the  tonic,  and  A  flat  the  ninth  of  the 

C  c 


386      ALLOWABLE    CONSECUTIVE   FIFTHS. 

dominant ;  wherever  the  dominant  and  the  tonic  are  in 
tune,  their  respective  ninths  must  be  in  tune  also ;  and 
again,  wherever — referring  to  the  other  theory — the  third 
below  the  key-note  is  perfectly  in  tune,  the  perfect  fifth 
below  that  must  be  true  in  the  same  manner.  Thus,  I 
think,  is  to  be  accounted  for  the  fact  that  the  progression 
of  fifths  by  semitones  produces  the  good  effect  that  we 
sometimes  hear.  Thus,  in  the  Violoncello  Sonata  of  Beet- 
hoven in  F,  there  is  an  example  of  the  two  open  strings  of 
the  violoncello  sustained  for  some  time  (C  and  Or),  and 
then  a  progression  to  D  flat  and  A  flat.  With  regard  to 
what  Dr.  Gladstone  exemplified,  of  the  resolution  of  the 
chord  called  the  German  sixth,  I  think  it  is  from  diffidence 
rather  than  from  real  repugnance  to  the  effect,  that  persons 
have  shrunk  from  resolving  the  fifth  from  the  bass  A  flat 
to  the  fifth  from  the  bass  G,  while  there  is  F  sharp  pro- 
ceeding to  G  in  another  part.  I  think  many  ingenious 
devices  that  one  finds  in  melodic  progression  to  elude  those 
two  fifths,  are  rather  from  diffidence  to  avoid  breaking  an 
established  canon,  than  from  shrinking  from  the  bad  effect 
which  the  progression  involves.  I  think  that  is  not  a  case 
of  bad  effect  any  more  than  the  case  of  proceeding  from 
the  subdominant  to  the  tonic,  or  the  dominant  to  the  tonic 
by  consecutive  fifths,  or  the  instance  of  the  violoncello 
sonata  of  which  I  was  just  speaking.  These  are,  however, 
only  speculations,  but  they  are  not  accidental — they  are 
the  result  of  deliberation — and  if  persons  who  have  the 
means,  from  a  knowledge  of  physics,  [will]  pursue  the 
subject  further  home,  and  work  to  a  real  explanation  of 
what  are  these  mysterious  and  yet  beautiful  elements  at 
the  command  of  musicians,  it  will  be,  I  think,  of  very 
great  service." 

In  an  analytical  notice  of  Mendelssohn's  Prelude 
and  Fugue  in  F  minor,  Macfarren  remarks : — 

"  The  art  of  counterpoint — that  is,  of  combining  two  or 
more  independent  melodies,  while  maintaining  an  indi- 
vidual interest  in  each — is  especially  exemplified  in  the 
composition  of  the  Fugue,  throughout  which  one  subject  is 


FUGUE    WRITING.  387 

always  paramount,  its  variety  of  effect  being  entirely  de- 
pendent on  the  diversity  of  the  several  counter-melodies 
that,  at  different  periods,  accompany  this  one  principal 
theme.  No  one,  since  Mozart,  has  been  so  completely  suc- 
cessful as  Mendelssohn  in  fugal  composition  ;  and  the  work 
[under  notice]  contains  ample  justification  of  this  well- 
considered  remark.  ...  A  fugue  is  wont  to  be  considered 
as  a  certainly  dull,  perhaps  ingenious,  exercise  of  scholastic 
pedantry;  and  such,  truly  enough,  it  is  often  its  ill  fortune 
to  be  ;  but  a  fugue  is  also,  though  it  may  be  less  fre- 
quently, a  medium  of  the  manifestation  of  one  of  the 
greatest  qualities  of  genius — the  power,  namely,  of  making 
restrictions  conducive  to  the  best  effects ;  and  such  it  has 
eminently  proved  to  be  in  the  instance  before  us,  where  the 
wild  passionate  outbreak  from  the  pathetic  despondency  of 
the  prelude  which  it  embodies,  acquires  an  increased  inten- 
sity at  every  fresh  entry  of  the  subject,  and  at  each  reap- 
pearance of  the  several  fragments  of  this,  until  the  original 
expression  obtains  such  an  accumulation  of  power  as  it 
could  derive  from  no  other  process  of  development." 

Macfarren  could  be  playful,  even  about  such  a 
matter  as  fugue.  As  far  back  as  November  27th, 
1843,  at  a  meeting  held  at  3,  Keppel  Street  (Mr.  G.  F. 
Flowers',  Mus.  Bac.),  for  the  formation  of  a  "Con- 
trapuntists' Society/'  it  was  proposed  that  the  exer- 
cise, to  qualify  for  admittance,  should  be  "an  Alia 
Capella  Fugue,  in  not  less  than  four  parts — the  length 
of  which  shall  not  be  less  than  eighty  bars — the  sub- 
ject of  which  shall  consist  of  at  least  three,  and  at  most 
four  bars;  and,  moreover,  shall  be  always  heard,  in 
one  or  other  of  the  parts,  entire  and  umnutilated." 
It  was  arranged  "  that  a  meeting  of  candidates  take 
place  this  day  six  weeks  (Monday,  January  7th,  1844) " 
.  .  .  ;  and  the  fourth  resolution,  proposed  by  Mr.  J.  W. 
Davison,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  G.  A.  Macfarren,  was, 
"  That  any  professor  bringing  with  him,  at  that  meet- 


388  LIGHT   VOCAL    WORKS. 

ing,  a  fugue  of  his  own  composition,  written  according 
to  the  resolution  which  involves  the  test  of  admission, 
shall  be  a  member  of  the  Contrapuntists'  Society." 
Macfarren,  in  seconding  the  resolution,  said,  "  As  I 
understand  the  matter,  anyone  who  can  write  such  a 
fugue  is  to  pay  a  guinea  !  "  He  hated  mere  pedantry, 
though  often  considered  a  pedant.  He  delighted  in 
the  production  of  tuneful,  light  compositions,  scholarly 
in  their  finish,  though  unscholastic  in  their  structure, 
such  as  his  innumerable  Part-songs  ;  e.g.,  six  to 
Kingsley's  words,  "  The  Sands  of  Dee/'  etc. :  six  to 
Herrick's  words,  "  Bright  Tulips,"  etc. :  six  Open- 
air  Songs,  book  4  of  "Polyhymnia":  Shakespeare 
Songs :  several  for  Men's  Voices,  "  The  Arrow  and 
the  Song,"  "  Speed  the  Plough,"  "  A  Legend  of  the 
Avon,"  besides  the  Convivial  Glees  already  referred 
to  :  several  for  Female  Voices,  "  Ye  spotted  Snakes," 
"  The  Troubadour,"  etc.:  ''The  birdes  that  had  left 
their  nests  "  (Chaucer)  :  "  Ye  little  birds  that  sit  and 
sing  "  :  "  Colin  and  his  Phillida  "  (Madrigal) ,  and 
many  others :  also  about  twenty-five  two-part  songs, 
such  as  "  Two  Merry  Gipsies,"  "  The  Fairies'  Tryste," 
both  so  popular  at  one  time ;  and  single  songs  almost 
innumerable,  among  these  being  "  Lyrics,"  twelve 
or  more  in  number :  the  songs  included  in  "  The 
British  Vocal  Album" :  "  Songs  of  the  Night  Watches" 
(three)  :  "  Idylls  of  the  King  "  (four)  :  etc.,  etc. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PRESENTATION  AT  THE  ROYAL  ACADEMY.  VARIOUS 
COMPOSITIONS.  SPEECHES.  FAILING  HEALTH.  LAST 
DAYS,  AND  DEATH.  MEMORIAL  SERVICE.  TRIBUTES 
TO  MACFARREN'S  MEMORY.  MISCELLANEOUS  PERSONAL 
DETAILS.  ABIDING  INFLUENCE.  1883 — 1887. 

AS  Macfarren  advanced  in  years,  the  admiration  of 
his  life-long  consistency  and  persevering  courage, 
of  his  great  attainments  and  commanding  mental 
power,  no  less  than  of  his  unfailing  kindness,  and  esti- 
mable qualities,  which  was  felt  by  his  professional 
brethren,  sought  expression;  and  it  was  determined 
that  a  purse  substantially  filled  should  be  presented  to 
him  on,  or  as  near  as  possible  to,  his  seventieth  birth- 
day. Well  was  the  secret  kept  from  him,  the  matter 
not  being  made  the  subject  of  any  advertisement  or 
printed  document;  and  very  little,  if  any,  written  cor- 
respondence taking  place  in  connection  with  the  pro- 
ject. The  response  was  well-nigh  world- wide;  and 
the  Professor  was  invited,  on  a  day  well  remembered 
by  those  present,  in  March,  1883,  to  come  into  the 
concert-room  of  the  Royal  Academy,  to  receive  the 
congratulations  of  a  few  friends  ;  he  merely  expecting 
verbal  congratulations  on  his  reaching  that  which  is 
spoken  of  as  the  ' '  allotted  term  of  human  life."  But 


390         PRESENTATION  OF    TESTIMONIAL. 

the  attendance  was  overflowing  of  professors,  pupils, 
and  friends,  who  greeted  him,  when  led  in  by  Mr. 
Walter  Macfarren,  with  a  ringing  cheer  that  seemed 
to  stagger  him. 

His  surprise  may  be  imagined  when  Sir  Julius 
Benedict,  another  veteran,  after  an  appropriate  speech, 
presented  to  him,  in  the  name  of  those  present,  and 
many  unavoidably  absent,  a  cheque  for  800  guineas. 
The  surprise,  and  the  long-continued  applause  when 
Sir  George  rose  to  acknowledge  the  testimonial,  over- 
came him,  and  for  some  little  time  checked  his  power 
of  utterance.  Thanking,  first  of  all,  Sir  Julius  for  his 
share  in  the  proceedings,  he  proceeded  to  speak  of 
himself  and  his  age;  saying,  among  other  things, 
"  Having  travelled  the  natural  course  of  human  life,  I 
do  not  feel  old,  and  can  only  hope  that  when  I  have  no 
longer  strength  to  perform  the  duties  which  have  been 
to  me  a  loving  labour,  I  may  still  have  the  strength  to 
resign." 

Speeches  by  Canon  Duckworth,  Mr.  Randegger, 
Mr.  Eyers,  and  Mr.  Walter  Macfarren,  followed,  and 
this  historical  meeting  broke  up.  The  Misses  Maci- 
rone,  who  knew  him  well,  were  alone  with  him  in  his 
study  the  day  after,  when  the  sightless  eyes  shed  tears 
at  the  loved  remembrance  of  so  much  affection. 

But  he  went  on  working  just  as  ever :  composing, 
lecturing,  teaching,  directing. 

Among  his  later  compositions  mention  may  be  made 
of  an  Andante  and  Rondo  for  the  unusual  combination 
of  instruments,  organ  and  violin,  written  specially 
for  his  pupil  and  amanuensis,  Mr.  Windeyer  Clark, 
and  published  in  Dr.  Spark's  "  Quarterly  Journal," 
No.  76.  And,  in  the  "  Girls'  Own  Paper,"  for 


VIOLIN  ROMANCES  AND    SONATA.  391 

November,  1886,  appeared  a  "  Romance"  for  violin  and 
pianoforte,  afterwards  included  as  No.  1  in  a  set  of  five, 
which  were  written  for  Mdlle.  Gabrielle  Vaillant,  and 
were  engraved  and  prepared  for  publication  just  before 
the  composer's  death,  but  not  issued  till  after  that  la- 
mented event.  With  reference  to  these,  the  following 
letters  to  the  estimable  violinist  will  be  read  with 
interest : — 

"  7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 

"Dec.  24,  '86. 
"  MY  DEAR  GABRIELLE, 

"  In  the  summer  I  was  asked  to  make  a  violin  piece 
for  publication,  and  I  thought  of  you  over  the  making; 
and  I  found  the  thought  so  pleasant  that  I  continued  the 
current  through  the  holiday  weeks.  This  caused  me  a 
singing  in  the  head  until  I  could  exorcise  the  ghost  by  the 
process  of  transcription,  which  was  not  until  lately,  although 
prior  to  your  pretty  offer  to  come  and  write  the  new  Sonata. 
The  four  afterthoughts  are  then  yours  by  natural  right,  if 
you  will  accept  them,  because  they  are  all  about  you,  and 
Christmas  is  timely  for  offering  them.  If  you  will  accept 
them,  you  shall  have  No.  1  in  print  when  I  can  get  a  copy. 
We  shall  have  time  I  trust  for  the  Sonata  when  we  have 
laid  our  dissipations  to  sleep  ;  and  so  your  ears  and  fingers 
will  be  as  much  employed  on  your  next  visit  as  were  your 
eyes  and  lips  when  you  last  came. 

"  Affectionately  yours, 

"  G.  A.  MACFARREN." 

The  Sonata  above  referred  to  was  for  pianoforte  and 
violin,  inE  minor,  dated  June  27th,  1887,  and  exists 
only  in  MS. 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 
"  llth  February. 

[1887?] 
"  MY  DEAR  GABRIELLE, 

"  What  a  perfect  interval  are  you  that  keep  your  per- 
fection from  whichever  side  one  measures  you !  If  you 


392         LETTERS    TO   MADLLE.    VAILLANT 

play,  it  is  delightful,  so  if  you  send  lilies,  and  so  likewise 
if  you  say  pretty  things,  which  have  infinite  charm,  what- 
ever their  subject.  You  pretend  that  my  Quintet 1  gave 
your  friends  pleasure,  and  you  know  that  this  resulted 
from  the  merit  of  the  playing.  To  feel  oneself  in  the  com- 
pany of  that  brave  and  hale  and  most  musical  old  Sir 
Frederick  Halliday  was  indeed  a  treat,  and  to  find  age  and 
youth  blinding  to  give  unity  of  effect  to  what  they  ex- 
pressed, seemed  almost  preternatural  in  the  unity  of  spirit 
that  bound  you  all.  Whatever  joy  you  had  in  the  per- 
formance— and  to  do  a  kind  and  clever  thing  is  ever  joyous 
to  the  doer — I  had  five  times  the  pleasure  of  any  one  of 
you,  since  mine  was  drawn  from  the  efforts  of  you  all. 

•'  Your  lilies  bring  the  South  of  France  into  the  heart  of 
Maida  Vale. 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  naming  of  the  Romances,  and  if 
you  play  them  to  your  friends  as  you  did  to  me,  the  friends 
must  be  hard  of  hearing  not  to  be  charmed.  I  have  no 
present  notion  of  printing  other  of  the  pieces  than  the 
first,  but  if  occasion  arise,  will  borrow  the  rest  from  you 
and  have  them  copied. . 

"  Yours  affectionately, 

"  G-.  A.  MACFARREN." 

Yet  another  letter  to  the  same : — 

"12  July,  '87. 

"MY    DEAR    GrABRIELLE, 

"  I  was  indeed  sorry  to  miss  your  concert,  but  my  ex- 
amination ended  not  till  half-past  five,  when  of  course 
your  performance  must  have  been  over.  I  rejoice  to  have 
learned  that  the  music  went  well,  and  that  many  persons 
were  sensible  enough,  and  had  sufficient  mastery  of  their 
time,  to  go  and  hear  it.  I  thank  you  for  having  the  Quintet, 
for  the  pains  spent  on  it,  and  for  the  good  rendering  which 
was  the  result  of  it.  Further  thanks  I  would  send  for  the 
new  gift  of  roses  that  has  come  to-night.  You  are  indeed 
the  fairy  of  private  lif e,  dispensing  flowers  and  love  where- 

ever  you  pass 

"  Affectionately  yours, 

"G.  A.  M." 
1  See  p.  99. 


LATER    COMPOSITIONS.  398 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  moreover,  he 
composed  several  Sonatas,  both  for  pianoforte  alone, 
and  with  violin,  one  of  the  latter  being  dedicated  to 
his  brother  Walter.  He  also  wrote  a  second  Cantata 
for  Female  Voices,  "  Around  the  hearth,"  which  was 
performed  by  the  Academy  students  at  a  concert 
shortly  before  his  death.  He  delighted  to  "  make 
music"  as  his  great  resource,  during  his  vacation- 
time,  which  was  never  "vacant"  time  with  him.  One 
of  his  Sonatas  for  Pianoforte,  that  in  G-  minor,  being 
the  third  that  was  published,  was  written,  a  consider- 
able time  before  his  death,  for  his  pupil,  the  distin- 
guished pianist,  Miss  Agnes  Zimmerman.  His  very 
latest  compositions  were  a  setting  of  Shelley's  "  Lines 
on  a  faded  Violet "',  and  a  theme  in  F  minor  for 
Miss  Dora  Bright,  to  which  she  wrote  some  thoughtful 
Variations  for  Two  Pianofortes.  The  same  promising 
musician  performed  his  last  Pianoforte  Sonata  at  a 
private  gathering  on  the  composer's  birthday,  1887. 

At  the  distribution  of  certificates  to  successful  can- 
didates at  the  Local  Examinations  in  connection  with 
the  Eoyal  Academy,  in  Liverpool,  July  28th,  1884, 
after  some  remarks  of  a  temporary  character,  he  spoke 
on  the  subject  of  music  at  large  : — 

"  This  is  a  subject  which  particularly  offers  itself  to 
examination  by  persons  who  make  a  life  study  of  its 
principles.  I  may  refer  to  some  very  admirable  words  of 
the  Mayor  of  Manchester  bearing  on  this  head.  In  the 
other  subjects  of  study — mathematical,  classical  language, 
or  what  not — every  person  may  be  able,  with  careful 
inspection,  to  note  the  capabilities  of  students.  It  is  a 
very  natural,  perhaps  a  very  happy  fact — but  in  some 
respects  a  somewhat  unfortunate  one — that  friends  have 
peculiar  estimates  of  the  merits  of  their  own  connections  ; 


394  SPEECH  AT  LIVERPOOL. 

and  it  is  a  very  hard  thing  for  parents  and  guardians,  and 
sisters  and  cousins,  to  believe  that  she  or  he  who  plays  for 
their  entertainment  is  anything  but  a  mistress  of  the 
subject  in  which  she  presents  herself,  or  a  master,  as  the 
case  may  be.  But  as  a  knowledge  of  the  fine  arts  can 
only  be  attained  through  a  life  study — to  prove  the  real 
capacity  of  a  musician  or  painter,  the  examination  must 
be  made  by  a  specialist.  I  believe  it  does  not  need  a 
master  of  arts  to  be  able  to  prove  that  twice  two  makes 
four,  or  that  the  deduction  of  two  from  four  leaves  two 
behind.  In  this  respect,  as  I  have  said  before,  it  needs  a 
specialist  to  see  that  the  education  is  progressing  in  the 
right  direction  in  other  subjects,  but  in  the  fine  arts  it 
does,  I  assure  you,  need  the  test  of  a  professional  examina- 
tion to  satisfy  the  wishes  of  the  friends  of  musicians  that 
the  progress  of  persons  in  whom  they  are  interested  is 
such  as  deserves  the  success  it  has  met  with  on  this  occa- 
sion. Music  is  of  very  early  date  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  but  in  the  sense  in  which  we  know  and  enjoy  it,  it 
is  a  comparatively  very  recent  institution.  I  have  strong 
reasons  to  think  that  music  rests  on  scientific  bases,  that 
it  is  not  the  accidental  arrangement  of  sound  formed  by 
the  almost  capricious  exercise  even  of  the  most  powerful 
genius,  but  that  it  rests  upon  natural  principles  which  are 
subject  to  the  laws  of  the  universe  as  much  as  the  other 
sciences  which  daily  and  hourly  are  adding  to  the  vast 
amount  of  knowledge  of  mankind.  I  believe  that,  with 
this  consideration,  we  may  regard  music  in  other  than  the 
light  of  an  amusement.  Many  persons  talk  of  the 
pleasantry  of  a  musical  performance,  but  it  is  to  be  con- 
sidered that  to  produce  a  musical  performance  many  and 
many  scientific  facts  must  be  accumulated :  the  acoustical 
science,  which  gives  us  the  very  sounds  of  music ;  the 
science  of  harmony,  which  teaches  us  to  combine  them ; 
the  wonderful  science  which  has  been  from  time  to  time 
applied  to  the  fabrication  of  musical  instruments ;  and 
then  those  interesting  forms  of  art  which  are  developed  in 
gaining  the  mastery  of  those  instruments,  and  acquiring 
the  ability  to  draw  from  stretched  strings  and  open  tubes, 
and  from  that  highest  of  all  instruments,  the  human  voice, 
those  sounds  which  give  what  is  called  amusement,  and 


WESTMINSTER    ORCHESTRAL    SOCIETY.     395 

what  is  often  felt  as  delight.  When  we  consider  that  the 
principle  of  sound  itself — the  principle  which  distinguishes 
musical  sound  from  vague  noises — that  this  fact  of  periodic 
vibration  is  the  very  same  principle  that  keeps  the  planets 
in  their  orbits  and  enables  them  to  make  the  circuit  of  the 
universe,  and  is  also  that  which  induces  the  stirring  of 
the  wind,  which,  falling  upon  our  auditory  organs,  gives 
us  the  pleasure  of  hearing  continuous  sounds — we  shall 
see  that  in  this  respect  our  art  has  a  claim  to  the  highest 
regard  as  philosophical  fact.  When  we  look  still  further 
to  the  lately-proved  phenomena  that  the  forms  which  are 
made  by  aerial  vibration  are  identical  with  some  of  the 
primitive  forms  of  shells  and  plants,  and  we,  by  collation 
of  these  two  phenomena,  find  that  the  circumstances  which 
have  put  substantial  creation  into  the  forms  in  which 
we  behold  and  teach  the  facts  of  the  world  in  which  we 
stand,  are  the  same  influences  and  powers  which  produce 
musical  sounds,  we  must  feel  that  we  are  going  in  the 
footsteps  of  creation  by  turning  those  musical  sounds  to 
art  account." 

Macfarren  thus  showed  that  he  could  still  think  and 
speak  vigorously.  Certainly  not  less  interesting,  with 
its  antiquarian  lore,  and  personal  references,  was  his 
speech  at  the  banquet  celebrating  the  second  anni- 
versary of  the  Westminster  Orchestral  Society,  of 
which  he  was  a  Vice-President,  March  25th,  1887  : — 

"  It  is  a  peculiar  privilege  which  is  accorded  to  me  to 
speak  in  acknowledgment  of  the  toast  of  '  The  Westminster 
Orchestral  [Society.'  I  have  to  thank  the  Society,  firstly, 
for  the  good  it  has  been  sowing  in  promoting  the  welfare 
and  the  culture  of  music  in  Westminster,  and,  secondly,  I 
have  to  thank  the  Society,  personally,  for  having  conferred 
upon  me  what  I  feel  is  a  great  dignity — that  of  the  title  of 
Vice-President — the  first  function  in  connection  with  which 
post  being  the  present  responsive  speech.  I  feel  much  the 
value  of  such  an  institution  as  this.  Westminster  is  a 
city  and  liberty  of  very  old  standing,  and  its  musical 


396      .  MUSIC  IN    WESTMINSTER. 

importance  is  a  matter  of  peculiar  affection.  In  the  im- 
portant function  of  organist  of  Westminster  Abbey  some 
of  the  most  distinguished  musicians  have  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  displaying  their  prowess.  Christopher  Gibbons, 
a  son  of  the  greater  Orlando,  was  organist  of  Westminster 
Abbey,  and  Purcell,  the  brightest  of  them  all,  was  born  in 
Westminster,  was  bred  in  Westminster,  and,  as  organist 
at  the  Abbey,  had  the  opportunity  of  producing  some  of 
the  most  remarkable  and  admirable  of  his  great  works. 
(Cheers.)  Then  again,  there  was  Dr.  Croft,  who,  what- 
ever the  nature  of  his  larger  compositions,  is  well  known 
in  every  parish  and  town  in  this  country  as  the  composer 
of  the  famous  tune  to  the  104th  Psalm.  Later  than  that 
was  Dr.  Cooke,  whose  name  stands  very  high  in  musical 
annals,  and  who  owes  to  Westminster,  and  Westminster 
owes  to  him,  mutual  fame.  But  the  City  and  Liberty  of 
Westminster  is  not  confined  to  the  precincts  of  the  Abbey 
and  the  parish  church  of  St.  Margaret.  The  first  public 
performance  of  music  that  took  place  in  this  country  was 
a  performance  of  the  oratorio  of  "Esther"  in  a  public- 
house  now  called  the  Griffin,  in  the  locality  of  Villiers  Street 
(York  Buildings),  a  site  to  which  I  owe  my  nativity.  The 
success  of  that  performance  induced  Handel  to  reproduce 
his  work,  which  had  been  written  for  the  Duke  of  Chandos, 
at  what  was  then  the  King's  Theatre  in  the  Haymarket ; 
and  although- the  Italian  Opera  may  to  some  extent  have 
clouded  the  progress  of  English  music,  the  King's  Theatre 
was  really  the  nucleus  of  music  in  the  metropolis  for  150 
years,  and  that  is  within  range  of  this  City  of  Westminster. 
The  time  has  gone  by  when  Westminster  was  comprised 
in  the  Isle  of  Thornage — taking  its  name  from  the  thorny 
nature  of  the  ground,  and  its  insular  character ;  the  river 
Longditch,  which  bounded  it  on  one  side,  entering  the 
Thames  somewhere  about  the  locality  of  the  modern  Nor- 
thumberland Avenue,  having  to  turn  a  water-mill  at  what 
is  now  St.  Martin's  Lane.  As  was  the  case  in  all  great 
cities  of  England,  Westminster  was  provided  with  a  safe- 
guard in  the  city  waits,  or  watchmen,  who  used  to  parade 
the  streets,  playing  on  the  hautboy.  King  Charles  the 
First  granted  a  peculiar  charter  to  this  company  of  waits, 
which  remained  in  operation  as  late  as  the  year  1820.  It 


MUSIC  IN    WESTMINSTER.  397 

is  curious,  indeed,  that  the  king,  who  did  so  valuable  a 
service  as  to  assist  the  hautboy  players  in  Westminster, 
should,  in  that  very  locality,  have  been  considered  too 
tall,  and  have  been  shortened  to  the  dimensions  of  popular 
esteem  by  having  his  head  taken  off.  Such,  however,  was 
his  fate. 

"  Let  us  now  leave  the  great  men  of  Westminster,  and 
the  important  locality  which  has  given  birth  to  some  of 
them,  to  consider  the  musical  condition  of  the  community 
in  Westminster.  There  has  been  for  some  few,  but  only 
recent  years,  an  Abbey  Glee  Club,  which  in  the  depart- 
ment of  vocal  music  has  doubtless  exercised  very  good 
influence  among  its  members.  But  its  members  are 
limited.  This  new  Orchestral  Society,  which  has  reached 
the  second  year  of  its  existence,  aims  to  gather  into  its 
fold  any  and  every  Westminsterian  who  has  a  love  for 
music,  and  a  desire  to  indulge  his  love  therein.  The 
Westminster  Orchestral  Society  has  been  cradled  in  a  firm 
which  shall  be  nameless — but  which  all  here  well  know 
and  recognize.  Two  years  ago,  a  knot  of  about  a  dozen 
members  congregated  together  for  the  practice  of  orchestral 
music,  and  with  the  utmost  liberality  of  spirit — not  wishing 
to  confine  or  concentrate  whatever  good  they  might  be 
able  to  accomplish  within  their  own  special  circle — insti- 
tuted the  Westminster  Orchestral  Society,  and  it  is  a  great 
pleasure  to  me  to  know  that  many  students  of  the  Royal 
Academy  have  had  the  gratification  and  felt  the  advantage 
of  co-operating  with  the  original  circle  from  which  the 
Society  sprang.  These  have  been  joined  by  amateurs  of 
the  City  and  Liberty  of  Westminster,  and  it  is  fair  to 
believe  that  the  Society,  which  is  still  in  its  infancy,  will 
expand,  and  from  the  excellent  beginning  it  has  made, 
will  grow  into  an  institution  of  great  importance  in  the 
subsequent  history  of  our  art. 

"  Nothing  in  the  world  is  so  remarkable  for  its  power  of 
unification  as  is  the  phenomenon  of  music.  In  its  per- 
formance is  pleasure  which  no  listener  can  comprehend ; 
to  take  part  in  the  interpretation  of  musical  works  pro- 
duces a  peculiar  satisfaction  and  delight,  which  one  must 
experience  to  know  how  to  enjoy  and  appreciate.  It  is  an 
acknowledged  fact  in  science,  that  our  coal,  in  rendering  the 


398  MR.  MACPHERSON.   PHENOMENA  OF  MUSIC. 

heat  which  emanates  from  its  combustion,  but  gives  to  the 
world  again  the  warmth  which  it  drew  from  the  sunshine 
when  growing  as  ferns  upon  the  earth.  I  would  not  com- 
pare musicians  nominally  with  coal.  But  the  musical 
composer  draws  in  his  warmth,  and  gives  it  out  again  in 
the  performance  in  the  enthusiasm  which  it  generates. 

"I  must  not  close  my  remarks  upon  the  Westminster 
Orchestral  Society  without  an  allusion  to  its  Conductor. 
Mr.  Charles  Stewart  Macpherson  was  a  student  of  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Music.  He  entered  under  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  honour  in  gaining  a  scholarship  at  a 
very  arduous  competition.  In  the  course  of  his  student- 
ship he  gained  every  distinction  that  could  be  conferred 
on  a  student,  and  with  as  much  credit  to  the  Academy  as 
to  himself.  Many  of  the  performances  that  have  been 
brought  before  the  public  here  attest  to  his  efficiency  for 
the  post  which  has  been  entrusted  to  him,  and  the  fact 
that  he  and  the  members  of  the  Orchestral  Society  have 
mutual  confidence  in  each  other,  will  enable  them  to  do 
credit  to  each  other's  exertions. 

"  The  phenomena  of  music  have  often  been  described. 
They  are  eloquently  exemplified  in  the  colossal  perform- 
ances which  have  taken  place  at  the  Crystal  Palace.  One 
sees  the  beat  of  the  conductor  some  seconds  of  time 
previous  to  hearing  the  sound  of  the  voices,  and  four  or 
five  thousand  executants  with  one  accord  utter  the  same 
thought  of  the  same  great  composer.  Now,  in  no  other 
instance  than  music  is  that  possible.  I  have  stood  beside 
one  on  the  slope  of  a  hill  who  noticed  the  march  of  a  com- 
pany of  infantry,  and  observed  that  when  the  right  foot  of 
the  first  soldier  went  down,  the  left  foot  of  the  last  touched 
the  ground.  Therefore,  you  see  that  from  person  to  person, 
in  an  infinitesimal  period  of  time,  the  pace  has  been  slacker, 
until  there  was  this  difference  between  the  first  and  the 
last  man  who  marched.  But  musicians  instantaneously 
and  at  once  join  in  the  utterance  of  the  one  word  which 
joins  all  their  hearts  and  all  their  feelings.  May  there  be 
throughout  the  world  among  lovers  of  music  the  same 
unanimity  of  feeling,  not  only  in  the  Westminster  Orches- 
tral Society,  but  among  the  whole  community  of  musicians ; 
and  may  the  excellent  work  which  has  been  begun  by  this 


FAILING   HEALTH.  399 

Society  extend  its  influence  and  gather  votaries  from  all 
parts  of  Westminster,  and  even  from  all  quarters  of  the 
metropolis ! " 

He  accepted  the  Presidentship  of  the  Sunday 
Society,  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  all  the  determination 
to  work,  and  the  still  manifest  mental  vigour,  Macfar- 
ren's  friends  could  not  fail  to  observe  the  unmistakable 
signs  of  physical  decline,  as  evidenced  by  cough,  weak- 
ened voice,  less  upright  gait,  and  other  symptoms  of 
advanced  age.  At  the  dinner  of  the  Academy  Pro- 
fessors, in  July,  1887,  in  acknowledging  the  toast  of 
his  health,  he  begged  his  friends  that,  should  they 
observe  that  health  failing  so  as  to  render  his  perform- 
ance of  his  duties  inefficient,  they  would  intimate  the 
fact  to  him.  Inefficiency,  however,  was  not  that 
which  was  in  the  minds  of  those  present  with  regard 
to  the  indefatigable  worker  presiding  over  them. 
They  were  as  glad  to  see  him  back  among  them,  after 
the  Vacation,  as  he  was  to  welcome  them,  when,  on 
the  24th  of  September,  he  delivered  his  annual  inau- 
gural address ;  commencing  by  a  touching  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  Francis  Ralph,  a  violin  professor,  who 
had  passed  away,  amid  general  regret,  on  the  8th  of 
that  month.  A  most  thoughtful  address  followed, 
dealing  with  the  necessity  of  a  life's  devotion  to  art, 
the  career  of  a  student,  the  pursuit  of  truth,  and  other 
pertinent  matters;  ending: — 

"  In  this  large  Universe  we  have  the  songs  of  the  night- 
ingale and  the  songs  of  the  lark,  but  do  they  more  ascend 
to  the  skies  than  the  song  of  the  sparrow  ?  No.  Believe 
me,  that  in  working  with  the  idea  that  your  progress  is 
your  prize,  you  do  justice  to  yourselves,  you  may  do  credit 


400     THE  LAST  SPEECH.     THE  LAST  WALK. 

to  the  Academy,  you  may  do  honour  to  your  country,  and 
you  will  glorify  the  art  of  music.  I  wish  you  a  successful 
course  of  study  in  the  coming  year."  (Warm  applause.) 

The  last  warm  applause  from  his  beloved  academi- 
cians !  The  last  earnest  counsel  to  them  from  his 
revered  lips  ! 

A  month  later,  I  received  the  following  letter  from 
Lady  Macfarren  (with  an  invitation  card  for  "  at 
home  "  evenings) : — 

"  7,  Hamilton  Terrace. 

"  October  24th. 
"  DEAR  MR.  BANISTER, 

"  I  fear  that  the  Professor  may  not  be  able  to  go  out 
much  during  the  winter  months,  and  so  I  hope  his  friends 
will  kindly  call  on  him,  and  make  him  some  pleasant 
hours. 

"The  evenings  are  intended  to  be  entirely  informal, 
and  I  trust  we  may  have  sometimes  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you " 

Most  gladly  did  I  (as,  I  doubt  not,  many  others) 
accept  this  invitation,  and  look  forward  to  ' '  pleasant 
hours  "  for  myself,  in  conjunction  with  solace  to  the 
Nestor  among  musicians.  Alas  ! 

On  Sunday,  October  30th,  though  weak,  and  far 
from  well,  he  went  out  with  his  attendant  to  pay  a 
visit  to  his  brother  John.  Lady  Macfarren  urged 
upon  him  the  necessity  of  riding  the  greater  part,  at 
least,  of  the  distance,  to  which  admonition  he  seemed 
to  give  heedful  assent.  He  walked  some  distance, 
however,  though  compelled,  most  unusually,  to  slacken 
his  pace,  checking  his  companion,  and  saying  "  My 
dear  boy,  I  am  afraid  that  I  cannot  walk  quite  so 
fast."  The  lad  observed  that  the  Professor  leaned 
forward  considerably  ;  and,  at  last,  almost  doubling, 


STILL   HOPEFUL.  401 

fell.  A  cab  was  procured,  in  which  he  proceeded  to 
his  brother's  house,  Rochester  Square;  during  the 
ride,  however,  giving  evidence  of  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  the  fall.  After  resting  at  the  house,  he  was 
taken  home,  very  prostrate ;  though  he,  and  those 
around  him,  hoped  that  he  would  soon  rally.  On  the 
Monday,  however,  he  was  quite  unable  to  leave  home ; 
and,  indeed,  was  not  able  to  proceed  with  work  that 
he  had  planned  for  the  early  morning.  He  put  out, 
ready  for  completing,  papers  for  an  approaching 
Cambridge  University  Examination ;  and  sent  round 
to  his  amanuensis,  Mr.  Windeyer  Clark,  asking  him 
to  come  in  the  afternoon  to  finish  them,  not  doubting, 
apparently,  that  he  himself  would  be  well  enough  to 
attend  to  them.  He  dictated  the  following  letter  to 
his  valued  assistant  at  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music, 
Mr.  T.  B.  Knott  :— 

"Oct.  31,  1887. 

"  MY  DEAR  KNOTT, 

"  I  have  a  sprain  which  renders  walking  impossible, 
and  movement  of  any  kind  extremely  painful.  Hence  I 
cannot  be  with  you  to-day,  and  shall  be  glad  if  you  will 
tell  this  to  those  who  have  appointments  to  meet  me. 

"  Please  also  to  send  cards  to  [here  follow  several  names 
of  pupils],  saying  that  I  will  make  up  Wednesday's  lesson 
on  the  first  Saturday  when  I  am  well  enough.  ...  If  you 
pass  here  on  the  way  home  to-night,  I  shall  be  glad  of 
your  calling  to  tell  me  whether  there  be  any  news.  But 
you  must  not  do  this  at  an  inconvenience. 

"  Yours  with  best  regards, 

"  Gr.  A.  MA.CFABREN." 

Considerate  of  others  to  the  very  last !  as  the  con- 
cluding sentence  shows. 

DD 


402  DEATH. 

Alas !  there  were  to  be  no  more  invaluable  lessons ; 
no  Saturday  "  well  enough." 

Mr.  Gill,  the  then  Secretary  of  the  Academy,  had 
an  interview  with  him,  and  received  the  dictation, 
from  a  perfectly  clear  brain,  of  one  or  two  somewhat 
complicated  letters.  His  brother  Walter,  also,  con- 
versed with  him.  Neither  of  them  apprehended  an 
imminent  end.  But  as  Lady  Macfarren  and  a  faithful 
attendant  who  was  attached  to  her  master  were,  shortly 
afterwards,  applying  some  remedial  alleviative,  his 
head  sank  gently,  and,  at  about  three  o'clock,  he 
passed  away  ! 

Tributes  to  his  memory,  for  the  most  part  render- 
ing more  or  less  adequate  acknowledgment  of  his 
great  and  diverse  merits,  were  abundant.  A  requi- 
sition, signed  by  a  number  of  distinguished  musicians, 
by  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  and 
others,  was  presented  to  the  Very  Rev.  the  Dean  of 
Westminster,  representing  that  his  interment  in  the 
Abbey  "  would  be  a  fitting  tribute  to  this  gifted 
English  musician  ;  and  on  more  public  grounds  a  just 
recognition  of  the  art  of  which  he  was  so  distinguished 
a  member."  The  reply  of  the  Dean  was  that  "  such  a 
course  was  impossible,  frcm  the  fact  that  there  was  no 
available  space  in  Westminster  Abbey;  but,  as  he 
was  anxious  to  do  honour  to  the  art  of  music,  he  would 
be  pleased  to  hold  a  Memorial  Service  there  on  the 
day  of  the  funeral,  at  three  o'clock."  Accordingly, 
the  interment  took  place  at  Hampstead  Cemetery,  on 
November  5th.  Besides  the  family  of  the  deceased, 
the  Directors  and  Committee  of  Management  of  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Music,  the  staff  of  that  institution, 
deputations  from  the  College  of  Organists,  the  Phil- 


FUNERAL.     MEMORIAL    SERVICE.  403 

harmonic  Society,  the  Royal  Society  of  Musicians  of 
Great  Britain,  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society,  the  Royal 
College  of  Music,  the  Guildhall  School  of  Music,  the 
Musical  Artists'  Society,  the  National  Society  of  Pro- 
fessional Musicians,  the  Liverpool  Musical  Club,  the 
Liverpool  Sunday  Society,  the  Derby  School  of  Music, 
the  Westminster  Orchestral  Society,  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  private  carriages,  formed  the  procession.  The 
service  at  the  grave  was  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Canon 
Duckworth,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  W.  Sterndale  Steg- 
gall.  The  pall-bearers  were  Dr.  B.  G.  Monk,  Messrs. 
G.  T.  Rose,  P.  Sainton,  Gerard  F.  Cobb,  G.  A.  Osborne, 
W.  Dorrell,  J.  F.  H.  Read,  J.P.,  and  H.  R.  Eyers. 
The  inscription  on  the  coffin  was — 


" GEORGE  ALEXANDER  MACFARREN, 

BORN  2ND  MARCH,  1813, 
DIED  31ST  OCTOBER,  1887." 


A  wreath  of  violets  was  laid,  specially  prepared  by 
a  lady  who  had  been  tenderly  interested  in  him  latterly, 
which,  by  Lady  Macfarren's  special  desire,  was  desig- 
nated ' ' A  Crown  of  Humility  "  ;  appropriately  testify- 
ing to  his  character.  Many  other  floral  tokens  were 
sent  by  numerous  friends  and  societies. 

At  the  Memorial  Service  in  the  Abbey,  the  music 
performed  consisted  of  Sir  G.  A.  Macfarren's  Obse- 
quial March  ("Ajax"),  his  anthem,  "  The  Lord  is  my 
Shepherd,"  the  "  Nunc  Dimittis  "  from  his  Service  in 
B  flat,  Sir  John  Goss's  "  Brother,  thou  art  gone  before 
us,"  and  the  hymn,  "  Now  the  labourer's  task  is  o'er." 

Before  pronouncing  the  Benediction,  Dean  Bradley 
said  that 


404         DEAN  BRADLETS  ADDRESS,    ETC. 

"  they  had  arranged  the  service  that  day  in  order  to  show 
their  sympathy  for  those  who  met  there  in  sorrow,  and  to 
show  their  honour  for  him  whose  loss  they  all  deplored. 
There  were  some  present  who  had  only  just  left  the  grave- 
side of  one  who,  from  early  youth  to  old  age  of  a  long  and 
honoured  life,  had  devoted  all  his  talents  to  the  study  and 
to  the  furtherance  of  that  great  Art  whose  mysterious 
power  over  the  human  soul  was  so  great,  but  which  he  (the 
Dean)  need  not  dwell  on.  Their  departed  friend  had  achieved 
much,  as  they  well  knew,  and  he  had  followed  steadily  a 
high  ideal.  They  remembered  him  with  gratitude  at  an 
hour  like  that.  He  had  set  them  all  an  example,  not  only  of 
kindness  and  of  gentleness,  but  of  industry  and  perseverance 
in  the  use  which  he  had  made  of  the  great  talents  which 
God  had  lent  him,  and  in  the  heroic  manner  in  which  he 
met  one  of  the  very  worst  of  all  deprivations  and  trials. 
They  also  thought  of  him  as  a  leader  in  that  Art  to  which 
all  who  worshipped  in  that  edifice  were  so  deeply  indebted. 
They  reverenced  him  as  a  brother,  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word,  of  the  many  masters  of  music  who  lay  in  the 
Abbey." 

The  "  Dead  March  "  in  "  Saul  "  was  performed  by 
Dr.  Bridge  at  the  conclusion  of  the  service. 

At  a  Memorial  Service,  held  on  January  29th,  1888, 
at  the  Oratory,  Brompton,  the  musical  portion  being 
under  the  able  direction  of  Mr.  Thomas  Wingharn, 
Macfarren's  Trio  in  B, 1  Andante  and  Rondo,  violin 
and  organ, 2  and  several  vocal  pieces  from  "  St.  John 
the  Baptist"  and  "  Joseph,"  were  performed  by  Master 
Hawkins  and  Messrs.  Russon,  Pearson,  Musgrove 
Tufnail,  Kiver,  Szczepanowski,  D'Evry,  and  White- 
house. 

An  organ  piece  was  composed  in  his  memory  by 
Dr.  C.  W.  Pearce. 

At   the  rehearsal   of   the  Westminster   Orchestral 

1  See  p.  100.  2  See  p.  390. 


MR.    C.    S.    MACPHERSON'S  ADDRESS.      405 

Society,  November  2nd,  the  proceedings,  "  in  conse- 
quence of  the  death  of  Sir  G.  A.  Macfarren,"  were  of  a 
special  character.  The  Secretary  of  the  Council  an- 
nounced, so  soon  as  the  members  had  assembled,  that 
the  proceedings  would  be  as  follows : — 

Overture    .     .     "In  Memoriam "   .     .     Sullivan. 

Short  Address  by  the  Conductor. 
"Dead  March"  in  "Saul"      ....     Handel. 

Sir  Arthur  Sullivan's  overture  having  been  played, 
Mr.  Charles  Stewart  Macpherson  said  : — 

"We  meet  to-night  drawn  in  sympathy  one  towards 
another  by  the  consciousness  of  a  common  loss.  Since 
our  last  coming  together,  the  world  is  the  poorer  by  the 
-death  of  a  great  and  good  man,  Sir  George  Alexander  Mac- 
farren,  our  revered  vice-president,  who  breathed  his  last  at 
three  o'clock  on  Monday  afternoon.  He  had  won  the  re- 
spect and  admiration  of  all  by  his  marvellous  capacities  as 
a  musician  and  didactic  writer,  by  his  vast  knowledge,  and 
by  his  most  extraordinary  versatility.  Yet  more  than  this, 
he  had  endeared  himself  both  by  word  and  deed  to  an  im- 
mense circle  of  devoted  friends  and  disciples,  among  whom 
I  count  myself  as  one  of  the  most  attached.  No  one  who 
came  into  contact  with  the  deceased  gentleman  felt  other- 
wise than  impressed  by  his  charm  of  manner,  and  by  that 
indescribable  faculty,  peculiarly  his  own,  of  making  one 
immediately  regard  him  as  a  friend ;  but  it  was  reserved 
for  his  pupils  and  his  most  intimate  acquaintances  to  ex- 
perience to  the  full  that  large-hearted  kindness  and  un- 
selfish regard  for  the  welfare  of  others,  which  were  Sir 
George's  chief  characteristics.  Needless  is  it  to  say  that 
the  Westminster  Orchestral  Society  has  indeed  lost  a  true 
and  staunch  supporter,  and  more  than  one  of  its  members 
a  dear,  personal  friend.  Sad  is  it  to  think  that  the  beloved 
voice,  recently  heard  on  the  platform  of  the  Royal  Academy 
of  Music,  sympathizing  so  touchingly  with  the  sorrows  of 


406  H.    C.   BANISTERS  ADDRESS. 

another  bereaved  family,  should  now  be  silent  for  ever,  and 
that  those  lips  which  have  so  often  uttered  words  of  affec- 
tionate encouragement  to  many  a  youthful  and  aspiring 
musician,  should  now  be  cold  and  lifeless.  Such,  however, 
is  the  sad  fate  we  have  to  lament ;  and  I  now  beg  you  for 
a  moment's  silence  ere  we  proceed  to  the  remainder  of  our 
evening's  duties." 

After  a  short  pause,  the  "  Dead  March "  was  per- 
formed, and  the  members,  before  separating,  gazed  at 
the  handsome  wreath  to  be  sent  that  evening,  in  the 
name  of  the  Society,  to  the  house  of  the  departed 
Professor. 

Within  a  few  days  of  the  death  of  the  Professor,  I 
was  honoured  by  a  request  from  the  College  of  Organ- 
ists, of  which  he  had  only  recently  been  elected  Pre- 
sident for  the  year,  to  deliver  an  address  to  its  mem- 
bers on  his  life  and  work.  With  this  request  I  felt 
bound  to  comply,  and  in  the  following  month  read,  to 
a  large  and  sympathetic  gathering,  including  many 
who  did  not  belong  to  the  College,  a  paper,  which  was 
received  with  the  interest  inspired  by  the  subject.  With 
some  variations,  to  suit  changed  surroundings  and 
listeners,  I,  by  special  request,  re-read  this  paper,  sub- 
sequently, before  the  Streatham  Choral  Society,  the 
Musical  Association,  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,1 
and  the  Royal  Normal  College  and  Academy  of  Music 
for  the  Blind. 

At  the  Royal  College  of  Music  an  extra  concert  was 
given  in  his  memory,  November  10th,  when  his  String 
Quartet  in  G  (MS.,  1878),  Quintet  in  G  minor2  (piano 
and  strings),  and-  the  two  songs,  "A  widow  bird  "  and 
"Pack  clouds  away"3  (but  with  violin obbligato instead 

1  See  p.  120.  2  See  p.  99.  3  See  p.  267. 


MACFARREN'S    WIDE    INFLUENCE.         407 

of  clarinet),  were  performed,  as  well  as  Beethoven's 
Quartet  in  F  minor  (Op.  95). 

Little  remains  to  be  said  in  addition  to  the  detailed 
account  that  has  been  given  in  these  pages  of  the 
diversified  and  multifarious  labours  of  the  hard-work- 
ing, high-minded  musician  whose  career  has  been 
traced.  All  has  not  been  recorded,  indeed,  concern- 
ing his  works.  A  very  large  number  of  compositions, 
both  printed  and  in  manuscript,  of  all  kinds,  have  not 
been  mentioned.  It  is  not  pretended  that  these  were 
of  equal  interest.  Even  with  the  acknowledgment  of 
his  great  merits  which  was,  on  various  occasions, 
rendered,  and  which,  in  his  later  years,  few  indeed 
would  have  withheld,  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  Mac- 
farren  reaped  the  personal  reward  of  his  unweariedly 
staunch  advocacy  of  English  music.  The  day  of  its 
more  general  recognition  seems  to  have  dawned  just 
as  his  day  was  declining.  But  all  these  his  labours, 
and  his  earnestness  respecting  theoretical  study,  must 
continue  to  bear  fruit,  in  spite  of  all  cavils,  or  non- 
recognition  of  the  source  of  the  influences  which  are 
now  working.  A  vocalist  writes  :  "  I  do  not  believe 
the  dear  old  man's  influence  was,  or  ever  will  be, 
thoroughly  appreciated.  To  see  that  patient,  concen- 
trated face,  was  a  lesson  in  itself."  A  pupil  writes : 
"  Some  writer  in  a  newspaper  seems  to  hint  that  he 
was  too  much  addicted  to  the  love  of  fugue,  and  was 
too  learned,  to  have  done  much  to  raise  music  in 
England  !  "  A  strange  combination  of  superficiality 
and  misapprehension,  surely !  "  I  believe  nobody 
knows  the  vast  progress  made  in  music  in  England 
during  late  years,  simply  owing  to  his  steady,  quiet, 
and  earnest  influence." 


408  UNDAUNTEDNESS. 

Miscellaneous  incidents,  from  various  sources,  may 
be  mentioned  that  illustrate  different  points  in  his 
character. 

As  illustrating  his  undauntedness  :  he  would  not 
begin  a  work  that  he  did  not  feel  able  to  finish ;  and, 
having  begun  it,  he  would  complete  it,  whether  with 
prospect  of  performance  or  publication,  or  not.  This 
was  an  article  of  artistic  faith  with  him:  he  would 
say  to  his  pupils:  "The  French  say  it  is  the  first 
step  which  costs,  but  I  am  sure  it  is  the  last  step 
which  pays."  He  would  also  say  that,  although  it 
was  ill  waiting  for  a  posthumous  fame,  it  was  yet  a 
duty  to  one's  own  talents  to  leave  works  in  a  complete 
state.  So,  everything  of  his  was  completed,  not  re- 
linquished, though  with  no  immediate  prospect  but  to 
put  it  away.  This  was  the  case  with  "  Kenilworth/' 
even  when  he  knew  that  it  was  not  to  be  performed 
during  the  season  for  which  it  was  commissioned.1 
He  took  minute  pains  with  it.  He  availed  himself 
gladly  of  the  opportunity  of  an  interview  with  three 
ladies  who  were  familiar  with  Cumnor  Place,  the  form 
of  the  house,  the  lie  of  the  passages,  etc.,  that  being 
the  scene  of  a  good  deal  of  the  Opera;  and  he  was 
pleased  to  accept  a  model  of  part  of  the  house,  that  he 
might  feel  over  the  form  of  it.  Though  merely  a 
cardboard  box  or  two,  cut  up  and  sewn  together,  he 
treasured  it  in  his  little  study,  because  "  given  in 
kindness "  :  "  such  things  he  valued ;  they  must  be 
taken  care  of."  "  He  was  not  afraid  of  undertaking 
this  Opera  in  Italian,  for  he  always  thought  that  the 
best  language  for  singing,"  notwithstanding  all  that 
he  had  written  about  its  "  evil  influence  " :  "  English 
1  See  p.  198. 


MEMORY.     SENSITIVENESS.     AFFECTION,    409 


came  next, — very  close  behind  Italian;  German  and 
French,  a  long  way  behind." 

Although  the  "books"  of  his  Operas  and  Oratorios 
are,  rightly,  ascribed  to  John  Oxenford,  etc.,  yet  the 
construction  was  in  most  cases — probably  in  all, 
except  those  written  by  his  father — Macfarren's  own : 
the  lyrics,  etc.,  of  the  Operas,  and  the  selection  of  the 
illustrative  and  reflective  passages  in  the  Oratorios, 
being  the  work  of  those  whose  names  are  attached  to 
the  respective  libretti. 

His  memory  and  his  sense  of  locality  seem  to  have 
gone  hand  in  hand.  When  in  Swanage,  walking 
with  a  pupil,  he  knew,  notwithstanding  his  blindness, 
how  they  were  proceeding,  and  pointed  out  Corfe 
Castle,  at  one  place;  and,  at  another,  said,  "Now, 
look  on  your  left,  and  you  will  see  the  house  occupied 
by  John  Wesley." 

He  was  hurt  by  even  a  kindly  intentioned  advantage 
being  taken  of  his  blindness ;  as  when  a  gentleman 
called  on  him  to  inquire  various  particulars,  and  seek 
advice,  respecting  candidateship  for  a  Cambridge 
degree ;  and,  thinking  that  he  had  occupied  the  Pro- 
fessor's valuable  time,  left  a  fee  on  the  table.  When 
Macfarren  discovered  it,  he  was  sorely  offended. 

Family  affection  was  a  strong  trait  in  his  character, 
with  all  the  tenderness  therein  involved.  One  best 
qualified  to  attest  this  tells  how,  when  a  little  grand- 
daughter was  staying  in  his  house, 

"  he  used  to  arrange  special  times  for  her  to  read  her 
History  (a  baby  affair),  and  other  tasks,  to  him  ;  she  lying 
on  a  sofa  because  of  weakness,  he  sitting  by  her  side,  ex- 
plaining and  enlarging  on  the  text.  Nothing  ever  seemed 
small  or  unimportant  to  him :  he  had  the  happy  gift  of 


410  INTEREST  IN    THE  PEOPLE. 

raising  all  things  into  an  intellectual  atmosphere,  where 
the  appearances  of  life  range  themselves  in  unfading 
types." 

It  is  hoped  that  the  insertion  of  the  following  letter 
may  be  accepted  on  account  of  the  artistic  friendliness 
which  it  evinces,  rather  than  as  an  intrusion  of 
personal  vanity :  let  it  rather  be  charitably  called 
pardonable  pride.  The  letter  has  reference  to  the 
biographer's  "  Fantasia  tanto  patetica  quanto  appas- 
sionata,"  for  the  pianoforte,  dedicated  to  Professor 
Macfarren. 

"7,  Hamilton  Terrace,  N.W. 

"6th  Feb. 
"  MY  DEAR  BANISTER, 

"  I  could  not  fitly  thank  you  for  your  Fantasia  till  I  had 
heard  it,  and  I  could  not  hear  it  till  to-day.  The  publica- 
tion of  such  a  work  is  most  highly  to  your  credit,  express- 
ing, as  the  music  does,  the  best  aspirations  of  an  artist, 
and  taking  no  aim  at  pecuniary  profit,  or  popularity.  I 
feel  its  dedication  to  be  the  greatest  compliment  you  could 
pay  me,  and  I  can  but  wish  the  circulation  of  the  piece 
may  help  to  make  known  our  friendly  relationship. 
"  Yours  with  kind  regards, 

"  Gr.  A.  MACFARREN." 

He  was  interested  in  the  culture,  and  even  in  the 
amusement  of  a  less  exalted,  if  not  debasing,  kind,  of 
the  people  at  large.  He  related  to  a  highly  esteemed 
professor  how  a  wealthy  man  had  engaged  Drury 
Lane  Theatre,  on  two  occasions,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  free  entry  to  a  mass  of  poor  persons  of 
all  ages  to  witness  the  pantomime.  "  Oh !  that  I 
might  have  been  there  to  see/'  he  said,  with  great 
emotion. 

Some  poor  pupils  at  a  benevolent  institution,  to 


HUMILITY,   ETC.  411 

whom  he  had  shown  kindness,  desirous  of  expressing 
their  gratitude,  subscribed  to  present  him  with  a 
ticket  for  a  musical  performance  of  special  interest  to 
himself.  The  admission  was  to  an  upper  gallery, 
where  they  themselves  also  sat.  Though  persuaded 
to  go  to  the  higher  priced  seats,  where  he  might 
have  had  the  entree,  he  insisted  on  going  into  the 
same  place  as  the  humble,  well-meaning  friends  who 
had  testified  their  regard.  In  small  incidents  such 
as  these,  he  ever  exhibited  the  delicate  feeling  and 
true  humility  which  so  constantly  characterized  him. 

No  peroration  of  panegyric  seems  necessary  to  this 
memoir.  Macfarren's  position  as  a  composer,  time 
must  determine.  "The  old  order  changeth,"  and 
there  is  much  in  current  musical  thought  which  is 
transitional  if  not  revolutionary.  But  of  Macfarren's 
wide-reaching  influence,  by  his  earnest  thinking,  and 
persistent  teaching,  spoken  and  written,  there  can  be 
little  question  among  unprejudiced  observers.  While 
the  marvellous  attainments,  memory,  and  achieve- 
ments, under  such  depressing  circumstances,  and  in 
the  face  of  such  apparently  unconquerable  obstacles, 
must  surely  command  the  lasting  admiration  of  all 
who  can  appreciate  stedfast  energy  and  undaunted 
determination,  affording  an  example  such  as  may  well 
furnish  encouragement  and  stimulus  to  all  aspiring 
students,  who  can  hardly  be  weighted  as  he  was,  who, 
nevertheless,  so  succeeded  in  leaving  his  mark  upon 
Musical  Art. 

No  more  fitting  conclusion  to  this  record  can  be 
made  than  these  touching  words  by  his  intimate  and 
appreciative  friend  and  pupil,  who  has  already  been  so 
frequently  and  freely  referred  to  : — 


412  CONCLUSION. 


"  A  few  years  ago  we  used  to  hear  from  his  critics,  even 
among  his  friends, — '  a  master  of  musical  resources,' — '  the 
first  contrapuntist  in  Europe,' — '  his  strength  is  in  dramatic 
writing,'  etc.,  etc.  Now  that  he  is  gone,  we  hear  hushed 
whispers  of  the  tenderness  and  pathos  of  his  music.  One 
says,  '  Nothing  more  lovely  than  his  anthem,  "  The  Lord  is 
my  Shepherd  " ' ;  another  speaks  of  the  tender  beauty  of 
an  introit,  'When  all  things  were  in  quiet  silence ' ;  others 
mention  the  pathos  of  a  melody  written  for  a  pupil  to  set 
with  variations,  a  touching  song,  'I  arise  to  seek  the 
light.'  Not  till  his  death  comes  to  open  their  eyes  to  it, 
do  men  see  what  his  nearest  and  dearest  have  long  seen — 
that  his  finest  characteristic  was  the  tenderness  of  his 
heart,  the  depth  and  strength  of  his  feeling,  the  quickness 
and  sincerity  of  his  sympathy ;  for  all  of  this  comes  out  in 
his  music.  We  who  knew  him  closest  feel  how  much  his 
great  sorrow — those  fifty  years  of  first  twilight,  and  then 
total  darkness — made  his  character  what  it  was ;  that  he 
could  never  have  been  the  man  he  was,  the  friend  he  was, 
nor  the  artist  he  was,  without  it.  Doubtless  the  story  of 
that  half-century  of  effort  to  live  usefully  and  bravely 
under  what  would  have  been  to  most  men  a  crushing 
weight,  and  the  culminating  ten  months'  struggle  for  life 
and  duty,  has  shown  what  otherwise  men  could  not  know. 
All  now  can  realize  what  he  felt,  when  he  wrote  all  that  is 
touching  in  his  music,  and  the  verdict  comes  to  all  hearts, 
'  He  felt  this,  and  we  can  feel  with  him.'  " 


INDEX. 


Accenting,  161. 
Accompaniments,    additional, 

290. 

Address  to  Macfarren,  295. 
Advance   of   music  by   1837, 

41. 

"  Acis  and  Galatea,"  6,  35. 
^Eolian  mode,  151. 
Albani,  Madame,  310. 
Amanuenses,  Macfarren's,  202, 

203. 

Ambrosian  chant,  250. 
Analytical  programmes,  315. 
Angri,  Madlle.,  196. 
Anthem,  248,  251. 
Antient  Concerts,  2. 
"  Antigone,"  182. 
Antiphony,  382. 
"  Argosy,"  202  n. 
"Athenaeum,"  28,  29,  30,  54, 

196. 

"  Atlas,"  58,  104,  192. 
Auber,  232,  233. 
Authentic  and  Plagal  modes, 

384. 

Bach,  Christmas  Oratorio,  286; 
church  cantatas,  280;  in- 
strumentation, 289  ;  Mac- 
farren on,  211,  279  ;  Passion 
Music,  258,  260,  284  ;  pre- 
ludes and  fugues,  329,  et  seq. 

Bacon,  Lord,  289. 

Bagpipes,  151. 


Balfe,  44,  50,  51 ;  and  English 

opera,  189,  et  seq. 
Banister,  H.   C.,  address  by, 

120,   406;     Fantasia,   410; 

"  Musical    Analysis,"    63  ; 

"  Musical  Art  and  Study," 

63,  374,  378 n. ;  "Text-Book 

of  Music,"  120,  123,  374  n. ; 

"  Underlying  Principles   of 

Structure,"  64. 
Banister,  H.  J.,  61,  et  seq. 
Bar-lines,  325. 
Barnes,  F.  E.,  203. 
Barnett,  John,  207. 
Barrett,  W.  A.,  quoted,  167, 

191. 

Barring  (see  Bar-lines),  83, 85. 
Barrymore,  Mrs.,  5. 
Bartleman,  200. 
Beethoven,  advice  to  Potter, 

25  ;  "  Harmonicon  "  on,  55 ; 

Macfarren  on,  75,  212,  272  ; 

Mass  in  D,  228  ;   quartets, 

100, 255 ;  self-criticism,  225 ; 

symphonies,  222,  223,  385. 
Benedict,  52,  199,  390. 
Bennett,  W.   S.,   24,   25,  31, 

295, 316, 317,318,  328;  Idyll 

on,    by    G.    A.    M.,    317 ; 

"  Woman  of  Samaria,"  305. 
Biographies  by  Macfarren,  290. 
Blewitt,  17. 
Bodda,  F.,  196. 
Bottesini,  173. 


414 


INDEX. 


Brahms'  Requiem,  315. 
Bright,  Miss  Dora,  393. 
Browning,  Macfarren  on,  291. 
Bonn,  Alfred,  197. 
Bunting,  152. 

Cambridge,  Duke  of  (late),  27. 

Cambridge  University  Pro- 
fessorship, 319,  et  seq. 

Carrodus,  205. 

Catch  Club,  2. 

Cavaliers  (Aytoun's  "Lays  "), 
291. 

Cecilian  Society,  2. 

Changing-notes,  123. 

Chappell,  W.,  Macfarren's  col- 
laboration with,  135,  etc, ; 
"  History  of  Music,"  270 ;  re- 
ferred to  by  Macfarren,  364. 

Cherubini,  Macfarren  on,  231. 

Chopin,  Macfarren  on,  230, 
231 

Choral,  253. 

Choral  singing,  160,  367,  369. 

Chromatic  scale,  126. 

Church  modes,  151 ;  music, 
247,  250,  257,  261,  263,  372. 

Clarke,  Windeyer,  203,  390, 
401. 

Clemen ti,  2 ;  Macfarren  on, 
231. 

Cobb,  Gerard  P.,  128. 

Concerto  form,  Macfarren  on, 
219. 

Concerts,  Macfarren  and 
Davison,  97,  99. 

Consecutive  5ths,  376,  381,  et 
seq. ;  allowable,  385,  386  ; 
7ths,  377  ;  8ves,  383. 

Consecutives,  hidden,  377,  et 
seq. 

Consorts  of  instruments,  289. 

Contrapuntists'  Society,  387. 

Controversy,  Macfarren  and, 
128. 

Cooke,  Tom,  17,  39,  40,  44,  47. 

Cooper,  H.  C.,  197. 


"  Cornhill  Magazine  "  quoted, 

274, 

Corri,  H.  195,  204. 
Costa,  200. 
Counterpoint  at  E.  A.  M.,  24- 

26 ;  Macfarren  on,  373,  386, 

et  seq. 

Cramer,  J.  B.,  2. 
Crotch,  19,  25,  et  seq. 
Cummings,  W.  H.    (Purcell), 

162,  165. 
Curwen,  Rev.  J.,  124, 125, 127, 

272  ;  J.  S.,  278. 

i(  Daily  Telegraph "  quoted, 
294. 

Davison,  J.  W.,  3,  8,  40,  80, 
94,  et  seq. 

Day,  Dr.  Alfred,  80,  100,  105, 
et  seq. ;  theory  of  harmony, 
105,119,  etseg.;  Treatise,  2nd 
edition  (Macfarren),  118. 

Dean  of  Westminster,  me- 
morial to,  402  ;  address, 
404. 

Diaphony,  375,  381,  et  seq. 

"  Dictionary  of  Biography, 
Universal,"  288. 

Doctors  of  Music,  honoris  causa, 
339. 

Dolby,  Miss,  101. 

Dominant  7th,  365. 

"  Don  Giovanni,"  1,  220. 

Dorrell,  W.,  52. 

Dowland,  163,  166. 

Dudeney,  T.  J.,  55,  291,  296, 
299,  318,  319. 

Dulcken,  Madame,  100. 

Dussek,  2,  64,  et  seq. 

Ecclesiastical  modes,  255,  256. 

Editing,  176. 

',   Eisteddfodau,  277,  366,  et  seq. 
\   Ellis,  A.  J.,  quoted,  276,  371. 
!   Elliston,  5. 

"  Encyclop.  Britannica,"  357. 

English   language,   408,  409  ; 


INDEX. 


415 


music  and  people,  148,  155, 
261,  325,  327,  358;  Opera 
Company,  47  ;  Koyal,  Opera 
Company,  205. 

Ernst,  H.  W.,  90,  100. 

Este,  Thomas,  166. 

False  relation,  331. 

Festival,  Bradford,  200  ;  Nor- 
wich, 207 ;  of  Three  Choirs, 
260. 

"  Fidelio,"  228. 

"  Figaro,"  1. 

Figured  bass,  115,  127. 

Fitzball,  E.,  204. 

Foli,  310. 

Ford,  Thomas,  163. 

Form,  musical,  363,  et  seq. 

Fugue  expositions,  Macfar- 
ren's  312 ;  subject  and  an- 
swer, 332,  333;  writing, 
386,  et  seq. 

Gattie,  H.,  172. 
Gauntlett,  Dr.,  127. 
German  6th,  386. 
Gladstone,  Dr.,  on  consecutive 

5ths,  383,  386. 
Glasgow  Choral  Union,  205. 
Glee,  166,  262. 
Gibbons,  Orlando,  161,  165. 
Greek  drama,  Macfarren  on, 

186;  melodies,  270. 
Gregorian  chant,  251 ;  scales, 

151. 
Guerrabella,  Madame,  203. 

Haigh,  Henry,  203,  205. 

Halle,  Charles,  200. 

Handel,    "  Belshazzar,"    171, 

173 ;   chamber  duets,   176  ; 

"  Israel  in  Egypt/'  177,  303, 

312  ;      "  Jephtha,"      171  ; 

"  Judas   Maccabeus,"    174  ; 

Macfarren's    Life    of,   290 ; 

"Messiah,"    175,  179,  258, 

259 ;  method  of  composition, 


174,     175 ;     operas,     157 ; 

Society,  170 ;  syllabification, 

177. 
Hanoverian     accession,    156, 

358. 

"  Harmonicon,"  54. 
Harmonics,  363,  et  seq. 
Harmonic  Union,  198. 
Harrison,  W.,  195,  204. 
Hatton,  J.  L.,  173. 
Hay  (dance),  9,  155. 
Haydn,    24 ;     Macfarren    on, 

211,  228,  et  seq. 
Heller,  91. 
Helmholtz    on    minor    scale, 

363,  et  seq. 
Herz,  173. 
Hidden  5ths    and   8ves,   377, 

378. 

Hill,  Henry,  197. 
Holmes,  W.  H.,  24,  29. 
Honey,  George,  200,  203. 

"  Idomeneo,"  219. 
"  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Bio- 
graphy," 118. 
Instrumentation,  363. 
Intervals,  perfect,  375. 
Irish  music,  45,  150. 

Joachim,  103. 

Kean,  Edmund,  3. 
Kiver,  Ernest,  101. 

Lawes,  Henry,  162. 
Lawrence,  Alberto,  205. 
Lemaire,  Madame,  200. 
Lemmens  -  Sherrington,    200, 

205. 

Liszt,  Macfarren  on,  296. 
Lloyd,  Edward,  310. 
Loder,  E.  J.,  191,  195,  246. 
Loder,  Kate  (Lady  Thompson), 

184. 

"  Lohengrin,"  247, 
Lucas,  Charles,  15,  et  seq. 


416 


INDEX. 


Macfarren,  G.  A.,  birth,  2 ; 
early  studies,  15;  commences 
study  of  music,  15  ;  enters 
E.  A.  M.,  16 ;  first  attempt 
at  overture,  17 ;  study  of 
scores,  32  ;  sojourn  in  Isle  of 
Man,  37  ;  return  to  London 
and  appointment  as  Profes- 
sor R.  A.  M.,  38  ;  failure  of 
sight,  13,  171,  202  ;  resigns 
at  E.  A.  M.,  113  ;  reinstate- 
ment, 113;  visits  New  York, 
171 ;  marriage,  182 ;  ap- 
pointed Principal  E.  A.  M., 
317 ;  elected  Professor  in 
Cambridge  University,  320  ; 
Doctor  of  Music,  Cantab., 
320;  Oxon.,  323;  Dublin, 
323;  M.A.  Cantab.,  340; 
knighted,  343  -  4  ;  testi- 
monial presented,  389,  390 ; 
last  walk,  400  ;  death,  402  ; 
interment,  402  ;  memorial 
services,  etc.,  403,  404; 
characteristics  of  his  mind, 
etc.,  208,  353,  410;  compli- 
ment maker,  278 ;  conscien- 
tiousness, 277;  conservatism, 
277,374;  as  controversialist, 
128 ;  decision  and  deter- 
mination, 202,  316, 368,  408; 
dogmatism  (alleged),  105, 
111;  enthusiasm  for  Mozart, 
221;  examiner,  109, 338, 357; 
humility,  411 ;  humour,  356, 
387 ;  industry,  206,  390 ;  in- 
fluence, 407;  inspiration,  312; 
judgments,  230,  234  ;  lectu- 
rer, 237 ;  literary  knowledge, 
291 ;  locality  (sense  of),  409  ; 
memory,  314,  409  ;  method 
of  working,  311,  313;  non- 
pedantry,  388 ;  opinions, 
215,  278;  opponents,  127; 
personal  appearance,  339 ; 
plagiarism  from  Wagner 
(alleged),  295  ;  prolific,  407  ; 


rules,  378-9 ;  sensitiveness, 
409  ;  teacher,  115,  349,  354, 
355  ;  technical  terms,  122. 
Books :  Clarinet  Instruction 
Book,  363 ;  Counterpoint, 
373;  Eighty  Musical  Sen- 
tences, 111,  124 ;  Handel 
(Lifeof),290;  Little  Clarina's 
First  Lesson- book,  182;  Mu- 
sicalHistory,110,357;  Eudi- 
mentsof  Harmony,  110, 114; 
Six  Lectures  on  Harmony, 
116  ;  Structure  of  Sonata, 
236.  Articles,  Addresses, 
Lectures :  Analytical  Pro- 
grammes, 255,  315 ;  Athalie, 
371 ;  Bach's  Christmas  Ora- 
torio, 286;  Church  Cantatas, 
280;  Passion  Music,  258, 
284 ;  Preludes  and  Fugues, 
328,  etc.  ;  Beethoven's 
Sonata's,  329  ;  Mass  in  D, 
228 ;  Symphonies,  222,  328, 
385  ;  Bennett,  318  ;  Cham- 
ber Music,  249 ;  Church 
Music,  247;  Church  of  Eng- 
land Music,  250  ;  Consorts, 
289 ;  Counterpoint,  328 ; 
Day  Theory,  113  ;  "  Encyc. 
Brit.,"  357  ;  English  People 
("Cornhill"),  137;  Form, 
328,  363  ;  Growth  of  Over- 
ture, 328-9 ;  Harmonics,  363 ; 
Instrumentation,  289  ;  Ita- 
lian Language,  156  ;  Keys, 
371,  385;  Liverpool,  399; 
Lyrical  Drama,  328 ;  Men- 
delssohn, 209,  216;  "Mes- 
siah," 175,  179,  258-9;  Mo- 
zart, 217;  Concertos,  218  ; 
Mozart's  Symphonies,  328  ; 
Musical  Criticism,  372 ; 
Musical  Phenomena,  398 ; 
Musical  Study,'  359  ;  Musi- 
cal Taste,  359;  National 
Music,  145,  149;  CEdipus, 
184 ;  Opera,  248 ;  Oratorio, 


INDEX. 


417 


249, 257 ;  Oratorio  Subjects, 
302;  Paris  Choir,  273 ;  Pedal 
Basses,  224 ;  Perfect  and  Im- 
perfect Intervals,  383;  Pitch, 
268,  369;  Purcell,  162; 
Recitative  Accompaniment, 
242  ;  Boots  of  Chords,  385  ; 
Royal  Academy  of  Music, 
348 ;  Sacred  and  Secular  Art, 
247;  Scholastic  Honours, 
335  ;  Singing  (faults  in), 
158,  367 ;  Slide-trumpet, 
362 ;  Students  counselled, 
(last  address),  399 ;  Tem- 
perament, 385 ;  Unity  in 
Discrepancy,  372  ;  Univer- 
sity Professors,  355 ;  Valve 
Instruments,  360;  West- 
minster Orchestral  Society, 
395.  Compositions:  "Ah! 
non  lasciarmi  no,"  99;  "Ah! 
why  do  we  love?"  192  ;  Ajax, 
344;  Allan  of  Aberfeldy,  198; 
Anthems,  372 ;  Tercen- 
tenary Anthem,  346;  Ara- 
bian nights  songs,  98 ; 
Ariettes  for  Violoncello,  62. 
Cantatas :  Around  the 
Hearth,  393 ;  Christmas, 
200;  Freya's  Gift,  203; 
Lady  of  the  Lake,  205 ; 
Lenora,  198;  May-day,  200; 
Outward  Bound,  207;  Sleeper 
Awakened,  196  ;  Songs  in  a 
Cornfield,  207.  Concertos, 
29,  31,  265,  372 ;  Concertina 
Romances,  267 ;  Emblema- 
tical Tribute,  55;  Flute 
compositions,  236, 372;  Glees 
and  Part  Songs,  168,  388; 
Idyll  on  Bennett,  317  ;  later 
compositions,  393  ;  Love  is 
strong  as  death  (Joseph), 
313  ;  L'ultime  parole,  97  ; 
Madrigals  to  Nursery 
Rhymes,  268;  Maid  of 
Switzerland,  37.  Operas : 


Allan  of  Aberfeldy,  198; 
Caractacus,37;  Crasothefor- 
lorn  (see  El  Malechor) ; 
Devil's  Opera,  47,  et  seq. ; 
Jubilee  performance,  55 ; 
Don  Quixote,  6,  51,  189; 
El  Malechor,  44;  Evil 
worker  (see  El  Malechor) ; 
Helvellyn,  205 ;  Kenilworth, 
198,  408  ;  King  Charles  the 
Second,  172,  195 ;  Robin 
Hood,  200,  203  ;  She  stoops 
to  Conquer,  204  ;  Opera  di 
Camera,  Jessy  Lea,  Soldier's 
Legacy,  204  ;  "  O  World !  O 
Life!  0 Time! "104.  Orato- 
rios: 292  ;  King  David,  306  ; 
Joseph,  300,  302  ;  The 
Resurrection,  298,  299 ;  St. 
John  the  Baptist,  293.  Organ 
compositions,  267,  390. 
Overtures :  at  Paganini's  con- 
cert, 29 ;  Chevy  Chase,  39, 
88;  Don  Carlos,  264;  Festi- 
val, 264 ;  Hamlet,  199 ; 
Merchant  of  Venice,  29 ; 
Romeo  and  Juliet,  57.  Quar- 
tets, 97, 197,  263, 406  ;  Quin- 
tet in  G  minor,  99,  392, 406  ; 
Rondos  for  Violoncello,  62  ; 
Shakespeare  Songs,  169, 
388  ;  Sonatas,  98,  102,  267, 
391  ;  Songs  with  Clarinet, 
267;  Spinnelied,  103;  St. 
George's  Te  Deum,  310. 
Symphonies:  in  C,  27  ;  in  C 
sharp  minor,  87,  et  seq. ;  in 
D,  265;  in  D  minor,  28;  in 
E  minor,  265  ;  in  F  minor, 
28.  Trios,  Pianoforte,  etc., 
100,  372,  404;  Variations, 
234  ;  Violin  Romances  and 
Sonata,  391.  Editions ;  Bel- 
shazzar,  171, 173  ;  Creation, 
245  ;  Day's  Treatise,  118  ; 
Jephtha,  175 ;  Judas  Mac- 
cabeus, 174 ;  Moore's  Irish 


418 


INDEX. 


Melodies,  153 ;  Musical 
Antiquarian  Society's  pub- 
lications, 165 ;  Universal 
Library  of  Pianoforte  Music, 
372.  Letters :  to  H.  C.  B., 
21,  63,  64,  410;  Eev.  J. 
Curwen,  125,  127,  272 ;  J. 
S.  Curwen,  278;  Dudeney, 
T.  J.,  291,  296,  299,  318, 
319;  Gladstone,  343,  344; 
Kiver,  102 ;  Knott,  401  ; 
Loder,  Kate,  184 ;  Mac- 
farren,  G.,  14 ;  Macfarren, 
Mrs.,  11,  12 ;  Mundella, 
274;  Prescott,  Miss,  302, 
303 ;  VaiUant,  Mdlle.,  391, 
392 ;  Vice-chancellor,  337. 
Macfarren,  G.  (sen.),  2,  27,  31, 
34,  98,  170. 

Madame    (Lady),     195, 

199,  206. 

Walter  C.,  172,  298,  300. 

Macirone,  Miss,  202. 
Macpherson,  C.  S.,  398,  405. 
Maddox,  195. 
Madrigal  Society,  2. 
Mellon,  Alfred,  200,  203,  204, 

205. 
Moore's  Irish   Melodies,   152, 

153. 
Musical  Antiquarian  Society, 

164. 
Musical  Association,  128,  162, 

287,  289. 
Musical    Society   of  London, 

200. 

Mendelssohn  and  Dr.  Day, 
117;  letters  from,  41,  93, 
102,  183 ;  on  Macfarren, 
191 ;  Trio  in  D  minor,  98, 
102  ;  Symphony  in  A  major, 
81 ;  Symphony  in  A  minor, 
76. 

Mozart,  additional  accompani- 
ments to  "  Messiah,"  176, 
178  ;  characterized,  211, 
220;  instrumentation,  219  ; 


Operas,  158  ;  Requiem,  268. 
"  Musical  Examiner,"  96. 
"  Musical  Times  "  quoted,  149, 

284,  286,  294,  345. 
"  Musical  World,"  3,  53,79,88, 

96,  200,  201,  209,  217,  223, 

279,  283,  334,  335. 

National  Concerts,  196. 
•  Music,  145,  et  seq. 
Opera,  attempt  to  estab- 
lish, 45. 
Notation,  125,  126. 

Organ,  Macfarren  on  its  use, 

255. 
Originality,     Macfarren     on, 

210,  et  seq. 
Osborne,  G.  A.,  116. 
Ouseley,  124,  189,  364. 
Oxenford,  John,  196,  197,  198, 

200,  203,  204,  207. 

Parepa,  205. 
Parkinson,  200. 
Passing-notes,  123,  334. 
Patey,  Madame,  310. 

J.  E.,  200,  203. 

Pearce,  Dr.  C.  W.,  404. 
Perren,  George,  204. 
Philharmonic  Society,  1,  40. 

41,  et  seq.,  88. 
Piatti,  197. 
Pole,  Dr.,  268. 
Potter,  Cipriani,  6,  19,  et  seq., 

35,  112,  166. 
Prescott,   Miss   Oliveria,   203, 

306,     309  ;     reminiscences 

by,  295. 
Prout  on  Bach  and   Handel, 

289  ;  on  Macfarren's  "  Coun- 
terpoint," 381. 
Purcell,  162, 165, 166, 212, 215, 

326. 
Pyne,  Louisa,  195,  199. 


INDEX. 


419 


Pyne  and  Harrison,  202,  203, 
204. 

Quadrille,  9. 

Quartet  Association,  197. 

Queen's  Theatre,  34. 

Reel,  155. 

Beeves,  Sims,  196,  200,  201. 

Reformation,  influence  on 
music,  153. 

Rhythm,  83,  85,  86. 

Rossetti,  Christina,  207. 

Recitative,  242,  et  seq. 

Rossini,  2  ;  "  Messe  Solenn- 
elle,"  262. 

Royal  Academy  of  Music,  15, 
19,  24,  26,  38,  112,  120. 

Royal  College  of  Music  (Me- 
morial Concert),  406. 

Royal  English  Opera,  203, 204. 

"Ruins  of  Athens,"  226. 

Ryan,  Desmond,  195. 

Sainton,  P.,  197. 
Sainton-Dolby,  Madame,  200. 
Saltarello,  84. 
Santley,  200,  203,  310. 
Scotch  music,  146,  153. 
Shakespeare  quoted,  289. 
Shelley,  influence,  94. 
Singers'  faults,  158,  367. 
Sivori,  173. 
Slide-trumpet,  362. 
Smart,  Henry,  7,  176. 
Snap,  154. 
Society  of  British  Musicians, 

28,  29,  30. 
Spohr,  97 ;  "  Last  Judgment," 

303. 

Staudigl,  45,  199. 
Stillie,  T.  L.,  206. 
Style,  211. 

Subjects,  Macfarren  on,  85. 
Sullivan,  309,  310. 
Sunday  Society,  399. 
Suspensions,  122. 


Taunton  Philharmonic  Asso- 
ciation, 319. 
Taylor,  Sedley,  on  Tonic  Sol- 

Fa,  275. 

Temperament,  385. 
Tennyson,  291. 
Thirteenth,  chord  of,  127. 
Thompson,  Lady,  184. 
Thorough    bass  (see    Figured 

hass,  174. 
Time,  perfect  and   imperfect, 

325. 

"  Times  "  quoted,  197. 
Tones,  major  and  minor,  378, 

379. 
Tonic   Sol-Fa,  124,  125,   127, 

271;  "Reporter "quoted, 276, 

351. 
Trumpets,  slide,  362. 

Universal  Library  of  Piano- 
forte Music,  372. 

University  Professors,  Mac- 
farren on,  335. 

Vaillant,  Mademoiselle  Gabri- 

elle,  391,  392, 

Valve  instruments,  360,  et  seq. 
Variations,  Macfarren  on,  233. 

Wagner,  Macfarren  on,  160, 
246,  296. 

Washford  Musical  Society,  318. 

Webbe,  "  When  winds  breathe 
soft,"  166,  et  seq. 

Weber,  letter  from,  quoted, 
46  n. ;  Macfarren  on,  212  ; 
"  Oberon,"  385. 

Weiss,  194,  195,  204. 

Welsh  Music,  147,  155. 

Westminster  Orchestral  So- 
ciety, 395,  et  seq.,  404,  et  seq. 

Woelfl,  21. 

Wright,  Edward,  36. 

Wynne,  Edith,  204,  310. 

Zimmerman,  Agnes,  393. 


CHISWICK  PRESS:— c.  WHITTINGHAM  AND  co.,  TOOKS  COURT, 

CHANCERY   LANE. 


WORKS  BY  PROFESSOR  H.    C.    BANISTER. 

Professor  of  Harmony,  Counterpoint,  and  Composition  (and  of  the 
Pianoforte)  in  the  Royal  Normal  College  and  Academy  of  Music 
for  the  Blind,  in  the  Guildhall  School  of  Music,  and  in  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music. 

Fcap.  82/0,  cloth,  $s. 

TEXT  BOOK  OF  MUSIC.  Fourteenth  Edition. 
Thirty-fifth  Thousand.  This  Manual  contains  chapters  on  Notation, 
Harmony,  and  Counterpoint  ;  Modulation,  Rhythm,  Canon,  Fugue, 
Voices,  and  Instruments  ;  together  with  exercises  on  Harmony,  an 
Appendix  of  Examination  Papers,  and  a  copious  Index  and  Glossary 
of  Musical  Terms. 

''....  The  neat,  clear,  and  concise  language  in  which  it  is 
written  makes  it  a  refreshing  and  agreeable  study  for  musical 
students.  The  fact  that  an  eleventh  edition  has  been  called  for  is  a 
sufficient  witness  to  its  importance  and  widespread  popularity  among 
musicians." — From  the  Biographical  Dictionary  of  Musicians,  by 
JAMES  D.  BROWN,  Glasgow,  1886. 

Second  Edition,  revised.     Crown  8z>0,  7^.  6V/. 

LECTURES  ON  MUSICAL  ANALYSIS,  embrac- 
ing  Sonata-form,  Fugue,  &c.  Illustrated  by  the  Works  of  the 
Classical  Masters. 

"  It  is  beyond  comparison  the  best  work  on  the  subject  in  our 
language." — A  thenceum. 

"  The  excessive  care  with  which  extracts  have  been  made  from  the 
best  classical  models  in  illustration  of  the  plan  thus  explained,  is 
deserving  of  the  warmest  commendation  ;  and  we  are  certain  that 
any  pupil  who  attentively  reads  these  chapters  will  derive  a  very 
large  amount  both  of  pleasure  and  profit  from  the  study. " — Musical 
Times. 

Second  Edition  -with  an  additional  Paper.     Fcap.  8vo,  cloth,  vs. 
MUSICAL   ART   AND    STUDY  :   Papers   for   Musi- 
cians.   Printed  on  hand-made  paper. 

"  The  volume  contains  three  papers  ....  all  of  which  exhibit  a 
commendable  desire  to  elevate  the  art  in  public  estimation,  and  a 
keen  perception  as  to  the  best  method  of  effecting  this  object.  We 
cordially  commend  both  Mr.  Banister's  works  as  most  valuable  aids 
to  the  true  appreciation  of  the  imperishable  creations  of  musical 
art." — Musical  Times. 

"The  book  is  full  of  material  for -thought,  and  should  be  widely 
read." — Musical  Standard. 


LONDON  :  GEORGE  BELL  AND  SONS. 


MESSRS.   BELLS'   BOOKS. 

Sixth  and  Popular  Edition.     Crown  8vo,  2s.  6d. 

MEMORIALS  OF  THE  HON.  ION  KEITH-FALCONER, 

late  Lord  Almoner's  Professor  of  Arabic  in  the  University  of  Cambridge,  and 
Missionary  to  the  Mahommedans  of  Southern  Arabia.  By  the  Rev.  Robert 
Sinker,  D.D.,  Librarian  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  With  new  Portrait. 

"  We  can  warmly  recommend  the  book  as  a  faithful  record  of  a  really  remark- 
able career,  and  of  a  character  which  possessed  all  the  elements  of  nobility, 
strength,  devotion,  unselfishness,  faith." — Guardian. 

A  MEMOIR  OF  EDWARD  STEERE,  D.D.,  LL.D.  (Third 
Missionary  Bishop  in  Central  Africa).  By  the  RCT.  R.  M.  Heanley,  M.A.  Oxon. 
With  Portrait,  Four  Illustrations,  and  Map.  Second  Edition,  Revised.  Crown 
8vo,  y. 

"  Strong  sense,  clear  vision,  a  firm  grasp  of  truth,  a  wide  charity,  and  breadth 
of  view  which  recognized  true  work  under  any  outward  form,  as  well  as  unsparing 
devotion  and  lively  sympathy,  are  qualities  which  may  be  seen  in  every  page  of 
this  memoir." — -Guardian. 

SCHUMANN    (ROBERT):    His  Life  and  Works.    By  August 

Reissmann.     Translated  from  the  third  German  edition  by  A.  L.  Alger.     3.1.  6d. 

"  Herr  Reissman's  Life  of  Schumann  stands  very  high  among  the  biographies 

of  the  masters.     The  translator  has  done  his  work,  on  the  whole,  with  very  great 

skill."— Musical  World. 

"  As  a  concise  guide  to  Schumann's  musical  works,  we  do  not  know  a  more 
convenient  little  volume." — Saturday  Review. 

SCHUMANN'S  EARLY  LETTERS.  Originally  published  by 
his  Wife.  Translated  by  May  Herbert.  With  a  Preface  by  Sir  George  Grove, 
D.C.L.  3*.  6d. 

"A  fascinating  little  volume." — Athenaum. 

FURIOSO  :  or,  Passages  from  the  Life  of  Ludwig  van 
Beethoven.  From  the  German.  Crown  8vo,  6s. 

Two  volumes,  demy  8vo,  32.1. 
THE    EARLY   DIARY  OF   FRANCES  BURNEY.    1768- 

1778.  With  a  selection  from  her  Correspondence,  and  from  the  Journals  of  her 
sisters,  Susan  and  Charlotte  Burney.  Edited  by  Annie  Raine  Ellis,  Editor  of 
"  Evelina  "  and  of  "  Cecilia,"  by  Frances  Burney. 

"  Mrs.  Ellis  has  done  the  editing  admirably,  and  she  must  have  brought  infinite 
care  and  patience  to  an  extremely  laborious  task." — Times. 

"  We  have  not  for  a  long  time  come  across  such  a  land  of  pure  delight  in  the 
book  sense  as  the  volumes  which  Mrs.  Ellis  has  here  been  enabled  to  put  before 
the  public." — Saturday  Review. 
NORTH'S   LIVES  OF  THE  NORTHS.     Right  Hon.  Francis 

North,  Baron  Guilford,  the  Hon.  Sir  Dudley  North,  and  the  Hon.  and  Rev. 
Dr.  John  North.  Edited  by  A.  Jessopp,  D.D.  With  Three  Portraits.  3  vols., 
3^.  6d.  each. 

"  Dr.  Jessopp  has  added  a  reprint  of  the  autobiography  of  the  author,  which 
was  published  by  him  in  a  limited  and  now  scarce  edition  a  few  years  ago.  .  .  . 
Lovers  of  good  literature  will  rejoice  at  the  appearance  of  a  new,  handy,  and 
complete  edition  of  so  justly  a  famous  book,  and  will  congratulate  themselves 
that  it  has  found  so  competent  and  skilful  an  editor  as  Dr.  Jessopp." —  Times. 
COOPER'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY.  Containing 
concise  Notices  (upwards  of  15,000  of  Eminent  Persons  of  all  Ages  and  Countries, 
and  more  particularly  of  Distinguished  Natives  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland). 
By  Thompson  Cooper,  F.S.A.,  Editor  of  "  Men  of  the  Time."  With  a  Supple- 
ment, bringing  the  work  down  to  1883.  2  vols.,  5$.  each. 

"  The  mass  of  information  which  it  contains,  especially  as  regards  a  number  of 
authors,  more  or  less  obscure,  is  simply  astonishing." — Spectator. 


LONDON  :  GEORGE  BELL  AND  SONS. 


New  and  cheaper  re-issue  in  fortnightly  volumes 
2s.  6d.  each  (formerly  $s.). 

The  Aldine  Edition 

OF  THE 

British  Poets. 


THE  Editors  of  the  various  Authors  in  this  Series  have  in  all 
cases  endeavoured  to  make  the  collections  of  Poems  as  complete 
as  possible,  and  in  many  instances  copyright  Poems  are  to  be 
found  in  these  Editions  which  are  not  in  any  other.  The 
volumes  are  carefully  edited,  in  most  cases  with  Notes  and 
a  Memoir.  A  steel  Engraving  also  is  added  in  all  cases  where 
an  authentic  Portrait  is  accessible.  The  volumes  are  printed  on 
toned  paper  at  the  Chiswick  Press,  in  fcap.  8vo.  size,  and 
tastefully  bound  in  cloth  by  Messrs.  Burn  and  Co. 


The  -volumes  will  be  issued  in  the 
following  order: — 

1.  BLAKE.     With  a  Memoir  by  W.  M.  ROSSETTI, 

and  Portrait.  Sept.  i. 

2.  KEATS.     With   a   Memoir    by    the    late    Lord 

HOUGHTON,  and  Portrait.  Sept.  15. 

3.  CAMPBELL.      Edited   by   his  Son-in-law,    the 

Rev.  A.  W.  HILL.  With  Memoir  by  W.  ALLINGHAM, 
and  Portrait.  Oct.  I. 

4  and  5.  COLERIDGE.  With  Introduction  and 
Notes  by  T.  ASHE,  B.A.,  St.  John's  College,  Cam- 
bridge. With  Portrait  and  an  Engraving  of  Greta  Hall. 
2  vols.  Oct.  15,  and  Nov.  I. 

6  and  7.  CHATTERTON.  Edited  by  Rev.  W.  W. 
SKEAT,  M.A.  Including  the  acknowledged  Poems  and 
Satires,  the  Rowley  Poems,  with  an  Essay  proving 
their  authorship,  a  Memoir  of  the  Poet,  and  Selections 
from  his  Prose  Writings.  2  vols.  Nov.  15,  and  Dec.  I. 


8.  VAUGHAN.     Sacred  Poems  and  Pious  Ejacu- 

lations. With  Memoir  by  Rev.  H.  LYTE.         Dec.  15. 

9.  ROGERS.     With    Memoir   by   EDWARD   BELL, 

M.A.,  and  Portrait.  fan.  I. 

10.  RALEIGH  AND  WOTTON.      With   Selections 

from  the  Writings  of  other  COURTLY  POETS  from 
1540  to  1650.  Edited  by  Ven.  Archd.  HANNAH, 
D.C.L.  With  Portrait  of  Raleigh.  fan.  15. 

11.  HERBERT.     Edited,  with    Memoir,    by   Rev. 

A.  B.  GROSART,  and  Portrait.  Feb.  2. 

12.  GRAY.     With  Life,  additional  Notes,  and  Biblio- 

graphy by  J.  BRADSHAW,  M.A.,  LL.D.,  and  Portrait. 

Feb.  1 6. 

13.  GOLDSMITH.    With  Life,  additional  Notes,  and 

Bibliography  by  J.  BRADSHAW,  M.A.,  LL.D.,  and 
Portrait.  March  2. 


Other  volumes  will  be  announced  shortly. 

"This  excellent  edition  of  the  English  classics,  with  their 
complete  texts  and  scholarly  introductions,  are  something  very 
different  from  the  cheap  volumes  of  extracts  which  are  just  now 

so  much  too  common We  have  nothing  but  praise  for 

this  new  re-issue  of  the  Aldine  Poets,  on  the  whole,  as  regards 
form  and  outward  appearance,  to  say  nothing  of  intrinsic  attrac- 
tions."— St.  James's  Gazette. 

"An   excellent   series.        Small,    handy,   and   complete. "- 
Saturday  Review. 

"The  strong  and  handsome  binding  of  this  series  deserves  a 
word  of  commendation." — Gtiardian. 


LONDON  :     GEORGE    BELL   AND   SONS. 


February  1891. 

A  CLASSIFIED  LIST 

OF 

EDUCATIONAL    WORKS 

PUBLISHED    BY 

GEORGE  BELL  &  SONS. 


C'nnbridfie  Calendar.  Published  Annually  (August).  6s.  Qd. 
Sf  intent's  Guide  to  the  University  of  Cambridge. 
The  School  Calendar.  Published  Annually  (December),  1*. 


BIBLIOTHECA   CLASSICA. 

A  Seriet  of  Greek  and  Latin  Authors,  with  English  Notes,  edited  by 

eminent  Scholar*.    8»o. 

',*  The  Works  with  an  asterisk  (*)  prefixed  can  only  bs  had  in  the  Set*  of  2o  Volt. 
Aeschylus.    By  P.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    8*. 
Cicero's  Orations.    By  G.  Long,  M.A.    4  vols.    32s. 
Demosthenes.    By  R.  Winston,  M.A.    2  vols.    10.?. 
Euripides.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A. ,  LL.D.    3  vols.    24*.    (*Vol.I.) 
Homer.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    The  Iliad,  2  vols.  14*. 
Herodotus.    By  Rev.  J.  W.  Blakesley,  B.D.    2  vols.    12*. 
Hesiod.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    5s. 
Horace.    By  Rev.  A.  J.  Macleane,  M.A.    8*. 
Juvenal  and  Persius.    By  Rev.  A.  J.  Macleane,  M.A.    G«. 
Plato.    By  W.  H.  Thompson,  D.D.    2  vola.    5*.  each. 

Vol.  I.     Phaedrus. 

*Vol.  II.    Gorgias. 

Sophocles.    Vol.  I.     By  Rev.  F.  H.  Blaydes,  M.A.    8». 

Vol.  n.    F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.     6s. 

•Tacitus:  The  Annals.     By  the  Rev.  P.  Frost.    8*. 

•Terence.    By  E.  St.  J.  Parry,  M.A.    8*. 

Virgil.  By  J.  Conington,  M.A.    Revised  by  Professor  H.  Nettleship. 

3  Tols.    10s.  6d.  each. 

An  Atlas  of  Classical  Geography ;  24  Maps  with  colouied  Out- 
lines.    Imp.  Svo.    fe. 


George  Hell  and  Sons' 


GRAMMAR-SCHOOL  CLASSICS. 

A  Series  of  Greek  and  Latin  Authors,  with  English  Notes. 

Fcap.  Svo. 
De  Bello  Galileo.    By  George  Long,  M.A.    4». 

Books  I.-IIL  For  Junior  Classes.  By  G.  Long,  M.A.  1».  6d. 

Books  IV.  and  V.    1».  Qd.    Books  VI.  and  VII.,  1*.  Qd. 

Catullus,  Tibullus,  and  Propertius.  Selected  Poems.  With  Life. 
By  Rev.  A.  H.  Wratislaw.  2s.  64 

Cioero:  De  Senectute,  De  Amicitia,  and  Select  Epistles.  By 
George  Long,  M.A.  3s. 

Cornelius  Nepos.    By  Rev.  J.  F.  Macmichael.    2». 

Homer:  Iliad.  Books  I.-XH.  By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D. 
4s.  6d.  Also  in  2  parts,  2s.  6d.  each. 

Horace :     With  Life.    By  A.  J.  Macleans,  M.A.    3«.  Qd.     In 

2  parts,  2s.  each. 

Juvenal :  Sixteen  Satires.    By  H.  Prior,  M.A.    3*.  6d. 

Martial :  Select  Epigrams.  With  Life.  By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D. 

4s.  6d. 

Ovid:  the  Fasti.  By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.  3s.  Qd.  Books  I. 
and  II.,  Is.  6d.  Books  III.  and  IV.,  Is.  6d. 

Sallust :  Catilina  and  Jugnrtha.  With  Life.  By  G.  Long,  M.A. 
and  J.  G.  Frazer.  3s.  6d.,  or  separately,  2s.  each. 

Tacitus :  Germania  and  Agricola.    By  Bev.  P.  Frost.     2s.  Qd. 
Virgil:  Bucolics,  Georgics,  and  JEneid,  Books  I.-IV.     Abridged 

from  Professor  Conington's  Edition.  4s.  6d. — .3!neid,  Books  V.-XII.,  4s.  6d. 
Also  in  9  separate  Volumes,  as  follows,  Is.  6d.  each :—  Bucolics — Georgics, 
I.  and  II.— Georgics,  III.  and  IV. — ^Eueid,  I.  and  II. — .Shield,  III.  and 
IV.— ^Ineid,  V.  and  VI.— ^Sneid,  VII.  and  VIII.— ^neid,  IX.  and  X.— 
^Ineid,  XI,  and  XII. 

Xenophon:  The  Anabasis.  With  Life.  By  Eev.  J.  F.  Macmichael. 
3s.  6d.  Also  in  4  separate  Tolumes,  Is.  6rf.  each : — Book  I.  (with  Life, 
Introduction,  Itinerary,  and  Three  Maps)— Books  II.  and  III. — IV.  and  V. 
—VI.  and  VII. 

The  Cyropasdia.    By  G.  M.  Gorham,  M.A.    3».  6d.    Books 

I.  and  II.,  Is.  6«L— Books  V.  and  VI.,  Is.  6d. 

— —  Memorabilia.    By  Percival  Frost,  M.A.    3>. 


A  Grammar -School  Atlas  of  Classical  Geography,  containing 
Ten  selected  Maps.  Imperial  8\o.  3s. 

Uniform  with  the  Series. 

The  New  Testament,  in  Greek.  With  English  Notes,  <fro.  By 
Rev.  J.  F.  Macmichael.  4s.  6d.  In  5  parts,  The  I  our  Gospels  and  the  Acts. 
Sewed,  6d.  each. 


Educational  Works. 


CAMBRIDGE   GREEK  AND   LATIN   TEXTS. 

Aeschylus.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.     2«. 

Caesar :  De  Bello  Gallioo.    By  G.  Long,  M.A.    1«.  6d. 

Cioero :  De  Seneotute  et  De  Amioitia,  et  Epiatolaa  Selects. 

By  G.  Long,  M.A.    1*.  6d. 

Cloeronia  Orationes.     In  Verrem.    By  G.  Long,  M.A.    25.64. 

Euripides.     By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    3  vols.    2*.  each. 

Herodotus.    By  J.  G.  Blakesley,  B.D.    2  vols.    Bt. 

Homeri  nias.    I.-XII.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LLJX    1«.  6d. 

Horatius.    By  A.  J.  Macleane,  M.A.    1*.  6d. 

Juvenal  et  Persius.    By  A.  J.  Macleane,  M.A.    Is.  6d. 

Lucretius.    By  H.  A.  J.  Munro,  M.A.    2*. 

Sallusti  Crispi  Catilina  et  Jugurtha.    By  G.  Long,  M.A.  1$.  6d. 

Sophocles.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.     2s.  6d. 

Terenti  OomoediaB.    By  W.  Wagner,  Ph.D.    2«. 

Thucydldes.    By  J.  G.  Donaldson,  D.D.    2  vols.    4*. 

Virgilius.    By  J.  Conington,  M.A.    2*. 

Xenophoutis  Expeditio  Cyri.  By  J.  F.  Macmichael,  B.A.  It.  6d. 

Novum  Testamentum  Graece.  By  F.  H.  Scrivener,  M.A.,  D.G.L. 
4s.  6d.  An  edition  with  wide  margin  for  notes,  half  bound,  12s.  EDITIO 
MAJOR,  with  additional  Readings  and  References.  7s.  6d.  (See  page  14.) 


CAMBRIDGE  TEXTS  WITH  NOTES. 


of  the  most  usually  read  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Authors,  Annotated  for 
School*.  Edited  by  teell-fcnoicn  Classical  Scholars.  J"cap.  8w.  Is.  6d.  each, 
with  exceptions. 

'  Dr.  Paley's  vast  learning  and  keen  appreciation  of  the  difficulties  of 
beginners  make  his  school  editions  as  valuable  as  they  are  popular.  In 
many  respects  he  sets  a  brilliant  example  to  younger  scholars.'  —  Athenaeum. 

'  We  hold  in  high  value  these  handy  Cambridge  texts  with  Notes.'— 
Saturday  Review. 

Aeschylus.    Prometheus  Vinctus.  —  Septem  contra  Thebas.  —  Aga- 

memnon. —  Persae.  —  Enmenides.  —  Choephoroe.  By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.  A.,  LL.D. 

Euripides.  Alcestis.  —  Medea.  —  Hippolytus  —  Hecuba.  —  Bacohae. 

—  Ion.  2s.  —  Orestes.—  Phoenissae.—  Troades.  —  Hercules  Pnrens.  —  Andro- 
mache.— Iphigenia  in  Tanris.  —  Snpplices.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D. 

Homer.    Uiad.    Book  I.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.  A.,  LL.D.    1«. 
Sophocles.     Oedipus  Tyrannus.  —  Oedipus  Coloneus.  —  Antigone. 

—  Electnv—  Ajax.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D. 

Xenophon.    Anabasis.    In  6  vols.     By  J.  E.  Melhuish,  M.A., 
Assistant  Classical  Master  at  St.  Paul's  School. 

-  Hellenics,  Book  I.     By  L.  D.  Dowdall,  M.A.,  B.D.    2s. 

-  Hellenics,  Book  II.    By  L.  D.  Dowdall,  M.A.,  B.D.    2*. 
Cioero.    De  Seneetute,  De  Amioitia   and  Epistolte  Select®.     By 

G.  Long,  M.A. 

Ovid.    Fasti.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.    LL.D.    In  3  vols.,  2  booki 
in  each.    2s.  each  vol. 


George  Bell  and  Sons' 


Ovid.     Selections.     Amores,  Tristia,  Heroides,  Metamorphoses. 

By  A.  J.  Hacleane,  M.A. 
Terence.  Andria. — Hauton  Timorumenos. — Phormio. — Adelphoe 

By  Professor  Wagner,  Ph.D. 

Virgil.    Professor  Conington's  edition,  abridged  in  12  vols. 
'  The  handiest  as  well  as  the  soundest  of  modern  editions.' 

Saturday  Kevie-r. 

PUBLIC   SCHOOL  SERIES. 

A  Series  of  Classical  Texts,  annotated  by  well-known  Scholars.  Or.  8w>. 
Aristophanes.    The  Peace.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    4s.  6d. 

The  Acharnians.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    4s.  6d. 

The  Frogs.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    4s.  6d. 

Cicero.    The  Letters  to  Atticue.  Bk.  I.  By  A.Pretor,  M.A.  4s.  6d. 
Demosthenes  de  Falsa  Legations.    By  R.  Shilleto,  M.A.    6*. 

The  Law  of  Leptines.     By  B.  W.  Beatson,  M.A.    3s.  6d. 

Livy.    Book  XXI.    Edited,  with  Introduction,  Notes,  and  Maps, 

by  the  Kev.  L.  D.  Bowdall,  M.A.,  B.D.     3s.  6d. 

Book  XXII.     Edited,  &c.,  by  Rev.  L.  D.  Dowdall,  M.A.. 

B.D.    3s.6<I. 

Plato.    The  Apology  of  Socrates  and  Crito.    By  W.  Wagner,  Ph.D. 
llth  Edition.    3s.  6d.    Cheap  Edition,  limp  cloth,  2s.  6d. 

The  Phsedo.    9th  Edition.    By  W.  Wagner,  Ph.D.     65.  6d. 

The  Protagoras.   7th  Edition.   By  W.  Wayte,  M.A.   4*.  6<f. 

The  Euthyphro.    3rd  Edition.     By  G.  H.  Wells,  M.A.    3s. 

The  Euthydemus.    By  G.  H.  Wells,  M.A.     4s. 

The  Republic.   Books  I.  &  II.     By  G.  H.  Wells,  M.A.  3rd 

Edition.    5s.  6d. 

Plautus.  The  Aulularia.  By  W.  Wagner,  Ph.D.  3rd  Edition.  4s.  6d. 

The  Trinummus.  ByW.Wagner.Ph.D.  3rd  Edition.  4s.  6d. 

The  Menaechmei.  By  W.  Wagner,  Ph.D.  2nd  Edit.  4s.  6d. 

The  Mostellaria.  By  Prof.  E.  A.  Sonnenschein.     5s. 

Sophocles.    The  Trachiniae.     By  A.  Pretor,  M.A.     4s.  6d. 
Sophocles.    The  Oedipus  Tyrannus.    By  B.  H.  Kennedy,  D.D.    5s. 
Terence.    By  W.  Wagner,  Ph.D.    2nd  Edition.    It.  6<i. 
Theocritus.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.     2nd  Edition.    4s.  6rf. 
Thucydides.    Book  VI.    By  T.  W.  Dougan,  M.A.,  Fellow  of  St. 

John's  College,  Cambridge.     3s.  6d. 


CRITICAL  AND  ANNOTATED  EDITIONS 

Aristophanis  Comoediae.    By  H.  A.  Holden,  LL.D.    8vo.    2  vols. 

Xotes,  Illustrations,  and  Maps.    23«.  6d.    Plays  sold  separately. 
Csesar's  Seventh  Campaign  in  Gaul,  B.C.  52.    By  Rev.  W.  C. 

Compton,  M.A.,  Assistant  Master,  Uppingham  School.     Crown  STO.     t.<. 

Calpurnius  Siculus.    By  C.  H.  Eeene,  M.A.    Crown  8vo.     6s. 
Catullus.      A  New  Text,  with  Critical  Notes  and   Introduction 
by  Dr.  J.  P.  Postdate.    Foolscap  8vo.  3«. 


Educational  Works. 


Corpus  Poetarum  Latlnorum.  Edited  by  Walker.  1vol.  8vo.  18«. 
Livy.    The  first  five  Books.    By  J.  Prendeville.    12mo.  roan,  5«. 

Or  Books  I.-III.,  3».  6d.  IV.  and  V.,  3s.  6d.  Or  the  Sve  Books  in  separate 

vols.  Is.  6d.  each. 
Lucan.    The  Pharsalia.     By  C.  E.  Haskins,  M.A.,  and  W.  E. 

Heitland,  M.A.    Demy  8vo.     14s. 
Lucretius.    With  Commentary  by  H.  A.  J.  Munro.    4th  Edition. 

Vols.  I.  and  II.  Introduction,  Text,  and  Notes.    18s.    Vol.  III.  Trans- 

lation.    6s. 

Ovid.  P.  OvidiiNasonisHeroidesXIV.   By  A.  Palmer,  M.A.  8vo.6». 

-  P.  Ovidii  Nasonis  Ars  Amatoria  et  Amores.    By  the  Hev. 
H.  Williams,  M.A.    3s.  6d. 

Metamorphoses.   Book  XIII.  By  Chas.  Haines  Keene,  M.A. 

2s.  6d. 

-  Epistolarum  ex  Ponto  Liber  Primus.  ByC.H.Keene.M.A.  3*. 
Propertius.    Sex  Aurelii  Propertii  Carmina.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A., 

LL.D.    8vo.    Cloth,  5s. 

Sex  Propertii  Elegiarum.    Libri  IV.    Becensnit  A.  Palmer, 

Collegii  SacrosanoUe  et  Individual  Trinitatis   juxta  Dublinom  Socina. 
Fcap.  8vo.  3s.  6d. 

Sophocles.  The  Oedipus  Tyrannus.    By  B.  H.  Kennedy,  D.D. 

Crown  8vo.    8s. 

Thucydides.    The  History  of  the  Peloponnesian  War.    By  Richard 
Shilleto,  M.A.    Book  I.    8vo.    6s.  Qd.    Book  II.    8ro.    5s.  6d. 


LOWER    FORM    SERIES. 

With  Notes  and  Vocabularies. 

Eologee  Latinse ;  or,  First  Latin  Beading-Book,  with  English  Notes 
and  a  Dictionary.  By  the  late  Eev.  P.  Frost,  M.A.  New  Edition.  Fcap. 
8vo.  Is.  6d. 

Latin  Vocabularies  for  Repetition.    By  A.  M.  M.  Stedman,  M.A. 

2nd  Edition,  revised.    Fcap.  8vo.    Is.  6d. 

Easy  Latin  Passages  for  Unseen  Translation.    By  A.  M.  M. 

Stedman,  M.A.     Fcap.  8vo.    Is.  6d. 
Virgil's  ^ESneid.    Book  I.    Abridged  from  Conington's  Edition. 

With  Vocabulary  by  W.  F.  R.  Shilleto.    Is.  6d. 
Caesar  de  Bello  Gallico.    Books  I.,  II.,  and  ICL    With  Notes  by 

Goorge  Long,  M.A.,  and  Vocabulary  byW.  F.  B.  Shilleto.    Is.  6d.  each. 
Horace.     Book    I.     Macleane's    Edition,    with    Vocabulary    by 

A.  II.  Dennis.    Is.  6d. 

Tales  for  Latin  Prose  Composition.     With  Notes  and  Vocabu- 

lary.     By  G.  H.  Wells,  M.A.    2s. 

A  Latin  Verse-Book.    An  Introductory  Work  on  Hexameters  and 

Pentameters.    By  the  late  Kev.  P.  Frost,  M.A.    New  Edition.   Fcap.  STO. 

2s.    Key  (for  Tutors  only) ,  5s. 
Analecta  Graca  Minora,  with  Introductory  Sentences,  English 

Notes,  and  a  Dictionary.    By  the  late  B«v.  P.  Frost,  M.A.    New  Edition. 

Fcap.  8vo.    2s. 
Greek  Testament  Selections.    2nd  Edition,  enlarged,  with  Notes 

and  Vocabulary.    By  A..  M.  M.  Stedman,  M.A.    Fcap.  8vo.    2*.  64, 


George  Bell  and  Sons' 


LATIN  AND  GREEK  CLASS-BOOKS. 

(See  also  Lower  form  Series.) 
Faciliora.    An  Elementary  Latin  Book  on  a  new  principle.    By 

the  Rev.  J.  L.  Seager,  M.A.    2s.  6d. 
First  Latin  Lessons.    By  A.  M.  M.  Stedman.     Second  Edition, 

enlarged.     Is. 

First  Latin  Reader.    By  A.  M.  M.  Stedman,  M.A.     Is.  6</. 
Easy  Latin  Exercises.     By  A.  M.  M.  Stedman,  M.A.    Crown  Svo. 

2s.  6d. 
Notanda  Qusedam.    Miscellaneous  Latin  Exercises.    By  A.  M. 

M.  Stedman,  M.A.     Fcap.  8vo.    lg.  6d. 

A  Latin  Primer.    By  Rev.  A.  C.  Clapin,  M.A.     1*. 

Auxilia  Latina.     A  Series  of  Progressive  Latin  Exercises.     By 

M.  J.B.Baddeley,  M.A.    Fcap. Svo.    Part  I.,  Accidence.    5th  Edition.   2s. 

Part  II.    5th  Edition.    2s.    Key  to  Part  II.,  2s.  6d. 
Scala  Latina.     Elementary  Latin  Exercises.     By  Rev.   J.   W. 

Davis,  M.A.     New  Edition,  with  Vocabulary.     Fcap.  8vo.    2s.  6d. 

Passages  for  Translation  into  Latin  Prose.    By  Prof.  H.  Nettle- 
ship,  M.A.    3s.    Key  (for  Tutors  only),  4s.  6d. 

•The  introduction  ought  to  be  studied  by  every  teacher  of  Latin.' 

GuarJmil. 

Latin  Prose  Lessons.     By  Prof.  Church,  M.A.      9th  Edition. 

Fcap.  Svo.    28.  6J. 
Analytical  Latin  Exercises.    By  C.  P.  Mason,  B.A.     4th  Edit. 

Part  I.,  Is.  6d.    Part  II.,  2s.  6d. 
Latin  Elegiac  Verse,  Easy  Exercises  in.    By  the  Rev.  J.  Penrose. 

New  Edition.    2s.    (Key  3s.  6d.) 

A  Latin  Grammar.     By  Albert  Harkness.    Post  Svo.    6s. 
.  By  T.  H.  Key,  M.A.  6th  Thousand.  Post  Svo.    8s. 

A  Short  Latin  Grammar  for  Schools.     By  T.  H.  Key,  M.A. 

F.R.8.    16th  Edition.    Post  Svo.    3s.  6d. 

The  Theatre  of  the  Greeks.    By  J.  W.  Donaldson,  D.D.    10th 

Edition.    Post  Svo.    6«. 

Keightley's  Mythology  of  Greece  and  Italy.  4th  Edition.  5*. 
A  Guide  to  the  Choice  of  Classical  Books.  By  J.  B.  Mayor,  M.A. 

3rd  Edition,  Crown  Svo.     4s.  6d. 

A  History  of  Roman  Literature.      By  Prof.  Teuffel.     Revised 
by  Prof.  Dr.  Schwabe,  and  translated  by  Prof.  Warr,  of  Kind's  (:• 
2  vols. 

By  T.  COLLINS,  M.A.,  H.  M.  of  the  Latin  School,  Newport,  Salop. 
Latin  Exercises  and  Grammar  Papers.  6th  Edit.  Fcap.  Svo.  2*-.  6d. 
Unseen  Papers  in  Latin  Prose  and  Verse.  With  Examination 

Questions.    5th  Edition.    Fcap.  Svo.    2s.  6d. 
in  Greek  Prose  and  Verse.    With  Examination  Questions. 

3rd  Edition.     Fcap.  Svo.     3s. 

Easy  Translations  from  Nepos.  Caesar,  Cicero,  Livy,  &c.,  for 
Eetranslation  into  Latin.    With  Notes.    2s. 

By  A.  M.  M.  STEDMAN,  M.A.,  Wadham  College,  Oxford. 
Latin  Examination   Papers  in    Grammar   and  Idiom.     2nd 

Edition.  CrowiiSvo.  2s.6d.  Key  (for  Tutors  and  Private  Students  only),  6f, 

Greek  Examination  Papers  in  Grammar  and  Idiom.     2s.  6<i. 

.  KKT.  flti  the  prut. 


Educational  Works. 


By  the  late  REV.  P.  FBOST,  M.A. 
Materials  for  Latin  Prose  Composition.    New  edition.    Fcap. 

8vo.    2s.    Key  (for  Tutors  only),  4s. 

Materials  for  Greek  Prose  Composition.    New  Edit.    Fcap.  8vo. 

2s.  6d.    Key  (for  Tutors  only),  5s. 

Florilegium  Poetioum.  Elegiac  Extracts  from  Ovid  and  Tibullua, 
New  Edition.  With  Notes.  Fcap.  8vo.  2s. 

By  H.  A.  HOLDKH,  LL.D.,  formerly  Fellow  of  Trinity  Coll.,  Camb. 
Foliorum  Silvula.    Part  I.    Passages  for  Translation  into  Latin 

Elegiac  and  Heroic  Verse,    llth  Edition.    Post  8vp.    7s.  6d. 
Part  II.    Select  Passages  for  Translation  into  Latin  Lyrio 

and  Comic  Iambic  Verse.    3rd  Edition.    Poet  Svp.    5s. 
Folia  Silvulffl,  sive  Eclogae  Poetaium  Anglicorum  in  Latiunm  et 

GrtBcum  converses.    8vo.    Vol.  II.   4s.  6d. 
Foliorum  Centuries.    Select  Passages  for  Translation  into  Latin 

and  Greek  Prose.    10th  Edition.    Post  8vo.    8s. 

Soala  Grseca :  a  Series  of  Elementary  Greek  Exercises.  By  Rev.  J.  W. 

Davis,  M.A.,  and  R.  W.  Baddeley,  M.A.    3rd  Edition.    Fcap.  8vo.    2s.  6d. 
Greek  Verse  Composition.    By  G.  Preston,  M.A.    5th  Edition. 

Crown  8vo.    4s.  6d. 
Greek  Particles  and  their  Combinations  according  to  Attio  Usage. 

A  Short  Treatise.    By  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.    2s.  6d. 
Rudiments  of  Attio  Construction  and  Idiom.     By  the  Rev. 

W.  C.  Compton,  M.A.,  Assistant  Master  at  Uppingham  School.    3s. 
Anthologia  Grasca.  A  Selection  of  Choice  Greek  Poetry,  with  Notes. 

By  F.  St.  John  Thackeray.    4th  and  Cheaper  Edition.    16mo.    4s.  6U. 
Anthologia  Latina.     A  Selection  of  Choice  Latin  Poetry,  from 

Nwvius  to  BoSthius,  with  Notes.  By  Eev.  F.  St.  J.  Thackeray.  5th  Edition. 

16mo.    4s.  6d.  

CLASSICAL  TABLES. 

Latin  Aooldenoe.    By  the  Rev.  P.  Frost,  M.A.    It. 

Latin  Versification.    1*. 

Notabilia  Qusedam ;  or  the  Principal  Tenses  of  most  of  the 
Irregular  Greek  Verbs  and  Elementary  Greek,  Latin,  and  French  Con- 
struction. New  Edition.  Is. 

Richmond  Rules  for  the  Ovidian  Distich,  &o.  By  J.  Tate,  M.A.  Is. 

The  Principles  of  Lathi  Syntax.    Is. 

Greek  Verbs.    A  Catalogue  of  Verbs,  Irregular  and  Defective.    By 

J.  S.  Baird,  T.C.D.    8th  Edition.    2s.  6d. 

Greek  Accents  (Notes  on).    By  A.  Barry,  D.D.    New  Edition.  1». 
Homeric  Dialect.    Its  Leading  Forms  and  Peculiarities.    By  J.  S. 

Baird,  T.C.D.    New  Edition,  by  W.  G.  Rutherford,  LL.D.    Is. 
Greek  Accidence.    By  the  Rev.  P.  Frost,  M.A.    New  Edition.    1«. 


TRANSLATIONS,  SELECTIONS,  &c. 

*»*  Many  of  the  following  books  are  well  adapted  for  School  Prizes. 
Aeschylus.    Translated  into  English  Prose  by  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A., 

LL.D.    2nd  Edition.    8vo.    7s.  6d. 
Translated  into  English  Verse  by  Anna  Swanwick.     4th 

Edition.     Post  8vo.    5s. 

Calpurnius,  The  Eclogues  of.    Latin  Text  and  English  Verse 
Translation  by  E.  J.  L.  Scott,  M.A.    3s.  Cd. 


George  Bell  and  8ona* 


Euripides.    Translated  by  E.  P.  Coleridge,  B.  A.    2  vols.,  6s.  each. 
xioraoe.    The  Odes  and  Carmen  Sacolare.    In  English  Verse  by 
J.  Conington,  M.A.    10th  edition.    Fcap.  8vo.    5s.  6d. 

-  The  Satires  and  Epistles.    In  English  Verse  by  J.  Coning- 
ton. M.A.    7th  edition.    6s.  6d. 

Plato.   Gorgias.   Translated  by  E.  M.  Cope,  M.A.   8vo.  2nd  Ed.  7*. 

Philebus.   Trans,  by  F.  A.  Paley,  M.A.,  LL.D.  Sm.  8vo.  4*. 

Theaetetus.  Trans,  by  F.  A.  Paley,  M.  A.,  LL.D.  Sm.Svo.  4*. 

-  Analysis  andlmlex  of  tbe  Dialogues.  By  Dr.  Day.  PostSvo.  os. 
Prudentius,  Selections  from.     Text,  with  Verse  Translation,  In- 
troduction, &c.,  by  the  Rev.  F.  S.  J.  Thackeray.    Crown  Svo.  7s.  Cd. 

Sophocles.     Oedipus  Tyrannus.     By  Dr.  Kennedy.     Is. 

The  Dramas  of.     Rendered   into  English  Verse  by  Sir 

George  Young,  Bart.,  M.A.    Svo.     12s.  Gd. 

Theocritus.    In  English  Verse,  by  C.  S.  Calverley,   M.A.    New 

Edition,  revised.     Crown  Svo.    7s.  6d. 

Translations  into  English  and  Latin.    By  C.  S.  Calverley,  M.A. 

Post.  8vo.    7s.  6d. 
Translations intoEnglish, Latin,  and  Greek.  ByR.C.  Jebb, Litt.D., 

H.  Jackson,  Litt.D.,  and  W.  E.  Currey,  M.A.     Second  Edition.    8s. 
Extracts  for  Translation.    By  P..  C.  Jebb,  Litt.  D.,  H.  Jackson, 

Litt.D.,  and  W.  E.  Cnrrey,  M.A.    4s.  6d. 
Between  Whiles.     Translations   by  Bev.  B.  H.  Kennedy,  D.D. 

2nd  Edition,  revised.     Crown  Svo.    5s. 

Sabrinae    Corolla  in  Hortulis   Regiae    Scholae    Salopiensia 

Contexnerunt  Tres  Viri  Floribns  Lesrendis.     Fourth  Edition,  thoroughly 
Revised  and  Rearranged.    Lartje  post  MO.    10s.  6d» 


CAMBRIDGE    MATHEMATICAL    SERIES. 

Arithmetic  for  Schools.  By  C.  Pendlebury,  M.A.  4th  Edition, 
stereotyped,  with  or  without  answers,  4s.  6d.  Or  in  two  parts,  with  or 
without  answers,  2s.  6d.  each.  Part  -  contains  the  Commercial  Arithmetic. 

EXAMPLES  (nearly  8000),  without  answers,  in  a  separate  voL  3s. 
In  use  at  St.  Paul's,  Winchester,  Wellington,  Marlborousrh,  Charterhouse, 
Merchant  Taylors',  Christ's  Hospital,  Sherbome,  Shrewsbury,  &c.  &c. 

Algebra.    Choice  and  Chance.    By  W.  A.  Whitworth,  M.A.    4th 

Edition.    6s. 

Euclid.  Newly  translated  from  the  Greek  Text,  with  Supple- 
mentary Propositions,  Chapters  on  Modern  Geometry,  and  numerous 
Exercises.  By  Horace  Deighton.  M.A.,  Head  Master  of  Harrison  College, 
Barbados.  New  Edition,  Revised,  with  Symbols  aud  Abbreviations. 
Crown  Svo.  4s.  6d. 

Book  I Is.  I    Books  I.  to  III.      ...     2s.  6d. 

Books  I.  and  II.     ...    Is.  6d.    |    Books  III.  and  IV.      Is.  6d. 

Euclid.  Exercises  on  Euclid  and  in  Modern  Geometry.  By 
J.  McDowell,  M.A.  3rd  Edition.  6s. 

Trigonometry,  Elements  of.  By  J.  M.  Dyer,  M.A.,  and  Bev. 
R.  H.  Whitcombe,  M.A.,  Assistant  Masters,  Eton  College.  [Immediately. 

Trigonometry.  Plane.  By  Rev.  T.Vyvyan.M.A.  3rd  Edit.    3s.  6d. 
Geometrical  Conic  Sections.    By  H.  G.  Willis,  M.A.    5«. 
Conies.     The  Elementary  Geometry  of,     6th  Edition,  revised  and 

enlarged.    By  C.  Taylor,  D.D.    4s.  6d. 

Solid  Geometry.    By  W.  S.  Aldis,  M.A.     4th  Edit,  revised.     6*. 
Geometrical  Optics.     By  W.  S.  Aldis,  M.A.     3rd  Edition.    4*. 


Educational  Works.  9 

Rigid  Dynamics.    By  W.  S.  Aldis,  M.A.     4s. 

Elementary  Dynamics.  By  W.Garnett,  M.A..D.C.L.    5th  Ed.  6*. 

Dynamics.  A  Treatise  on.    By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc.,  F.B.S.  Is.  &d. 

Heat.  An  Elementary  Treatise.    By  W.  Garnett,  M.A.,  D.C.L.   5th 

Edition,  revised  and  enlarged.    4s.  6d. 

Elementary  Physics.    Examples  in.    By  W.  Gallatly,  M.A.     4s. 
Hydromechanics.    By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc.,  F.E.S.    5th  Edition. 

Part  I.     Hydrostatics.    5s. 
Mathematical  Examples.    By  J.  M.  Dyer,  M.A.,  Eton  College, 

and  R.  Prowde  Smith,  M.A.,  Cheltenham  College.    6s. 
Mechanics.    Problems  in  Elementary.    By  W.  Walton,  M.A.     6s. 
Notes  on  Roulettes  and  Glissettes.     By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc., 

F.R.S.,  Fellow  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.    2nd  Edition,  enlarged. 

Crown  8vo.  5s.  

CAMBRIDGE    SCHOOL   AND    COLLEGE 
TEXT-BOOKS. 

A  Series  of  Elementary  Treatises  for  the  use  of  Students. 
Arithmetic.     By  Rev.  C.  Elsee,  M.A.   Fcap.  8vo.   14th  Edit.   Bs.Gd. 
• By  A.  Wrigley,  M.A.     3s.  6d. 

—  A  Progressive  Course  of  Examples.    With   Answers.    By 
J.  Watson,  M.A.    7th  Edition,  revised.    By  W.  P.  Goudie,  B.A.    2s.  6d. 

Algebra.    By  the  Rev.  C.  Elsee,  M.A.     8th  Edit.    4s. 

—  Progressive     Course     of    Examples.       By    Rev.    W.    F. 
M'Michael,M.A.,and  R.  Prowde  Smith,  M.A.   4th  Edition.    3s.  6d.   With 
Answers.  4s.  6d. 

Plane   Astronomy,  An  Introduction  to.    By  P.  T.  Main,  M.A. 

6th  Edition,  revised.    4s. 
Conic  Sections  treated  Geometrically.    By  W.  H.  Besant,  Sc.D. 

8th  Edition.     4s.  6d.     Solution  to  the  Examples.    4s. 

—  Enunciations  and  Figures  Separately,     is.  6d. 
Statics,  Elementary.    By  Rev.  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.     2nd  Edit.    3s. 
Hydrostatics,  Elementary.  By  W.H.  Besant,  D.Sc.  14th  Edit.  4s. 

—  Solutions  to  the  Examples.  [A'cir  ready. 

Mensuration,  An  Elementary  Treatise  on.  By  B.T.Moore,  M.A.  3s.6d. 

Newton's  Prineipia,  The  First  Three  Sections  of,  with  an  Appen- 
dix; and  the  Ninth  and  Eleventh  Sections.  By  J.  H.  Evans,  M.A.  5th 
Edition,  by  P.  T.  Main,  M.A.  4s. 

Analytical  Geometry  for  Schools.  By  T.  G. Vyvyan.  5th  Edit.  4s.  6<Z. 

Greek  Testament,  Companion  to  the.    By  A.  C.  Barrett,  M.A. 

5th  Edition,  revised.    Fcap.  8vo.    5s. 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  An  Historical  and  Explanatory  Treatise 

on  the.    By  W.  G.  Humphry,  B.D.    6th  Edition.    Fcap.  8vo.    2s.  6<L 
Music,  Text-book  of.    By  Professor  H.  C.  Banister.     14th  Edition, 

revised.    5s. 

Concise    History    of.      By    Rev.  H.    G.    Bonavia    Punt, 

Mus.  Doc.  Dublin.    Ikth  Edition,  re\ased.    3s.  6d. 
A  2 


10  George  Bell  and  Sons' 

ARITH  M  ETI C.    (See  also  the  two  foregoing  Series.) 

Elementary  Arithmetic.  By  Charles  Pendlebury,  M.A.,  Senior 
Mathematical  Master,  St.  Paul's  School;  and  W.  S.  Beard,  F.R.G.S., 
Assistant  Master,  Christ's  Hospital.  With  2500  Examples,  Writicx  and 
Oral.  Crown  8vo.  Is.  6d.  With  or  without  Answers. 

Arithmetic,  Examination  Papers  in.  Consisting  of  140  papere, 
each  containing  7  questions.  357  more  difficult  problems  follow.  A  col- 
lection of  recent  Public  Examination  Papers  are  appended.  By  C. 
Pendlebury,  M.A.  2s.  6d.  Key,  for  Masters  only,  5s. 

Graduated  Exercises  in  Addition  (Simple  and  Compound).  By 
W.  S.  Beard,  C.  S.  Department  Rochester  Mathematical  School.  Is.  For 
Candidates  for  Commercial  Certificates  and  Civil  Service  Exams. 

BOOK-KEEPING. 

Book-keeping  Papers,  set  at  various  Public  Examinations. 
Collected  and  Written  by  J.  T.  Medhurst,  Lecturer  on  Book-keeping  in 
the  City  of  London  College.  2nd  Edition.  3s. 

GEOMETRY   AND    EUCLID. 

Euclid.  Books  I.-VI.  and  part  of  XI.  A  New  Translation.  By 
H.  Deighton.  (See  p.  8.) 

The  Definitions   of,   with    Explanations    and    Exercises, 

and  an  Appendix  of  Exercises  on  the  First  Book.    By  K.  Webb,  M.A. 
Crown  8vo.  Is.  6d. 

Book  I.     With  Notes  and  Exercises  for  the  use  of  Pre- 
paratory Schools,  &c.    By  Braithwaite  Arnett,  M.A.    8vo.  4s.  6d. 

The  First  Two  Books  explained  to  Beginners.    By  C.  P. 


Mason,  B.A.    2nd  Edition.    Fcap.  8vo.    2s.  6d. 

The  Enunciations  and  Figures  to  Euclid  s  Elements.    By  Rev. 

J.  Brasse,  D.D.    New  Edition.    Fcap.  8vo.    Is.    Without  the  Figures,  6d. 
Exercises  on  Euclid.    By  J.  McDowell,  M.A.     (See  p.  8.) 
Mensuration.    By  B.  T.  Moore,  M.A.     3s.  6rf.     (See  p.  9.) 
Geometrical  Conic  Sections.    By  H.  G.  Willis,  M.A.   (See  p.  8.) 
Geometrical  Conic  Sections.    By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc.   (See  p.  H.) 
Elementary  Geometry  of  Conies.    By  C.  Taylor,  D.D.    (See  p.  C.) 
An  Introduction  to  Ancient  and  Modern  Geometry  of  Conies. 

By  C.  Taylor,  D.D.,  Master  of  St.  John's  Coll.,  Camb.    8vo.    15s. 
An  Introduction  to  Analytical  Plane  Geometry.    By  W.  P. 

Turnbull,  M.A.    8vo.    12s. 

Problems  on  the  Principles  of  Plane  Co-ordinate  Geometry. 

By  W.  Walton,  M.A.    8vo.    16s. 

Trilinear  Co-ordinates,  and  Modern  Analytical  Geometry  of 

Two  Dimensions.    By  W.  A.  Whitworth,  M.A.    8vo.    16s. 
An  Elementary  Treatise  on  Solid  Geometry.    By  W.  S.  Aldis, 

M.A.    4th  Edition  revised.    Cr.  8vo.    6s. 

Elliptic  Functions.  Elementary  Treatise  on.  By  A.  Cayley,  D.Sc. 
Professor  of  Pure  Mathematics  at  Cambridge  University.  Demy  8vo.  15s. 

TRIGONOMETRY. 

Trigonometry.     By  Rev.  T.  G.  Vyvyan.    3s.  6d.    (See  p.  8.) 
Trigonometry,  Elements  of.    By  J.  M.  Dyer,  M.A.,  and  Rev.  R.  TL 

Whitcombe,  M.A.,  As.-t.  Masters,  Eton  College.  [Immediately. 

Trigonometry,  Examination  Papers  in.     By  G.  H.  Ward,  M.A., 

Assistant  Master  at  St.  Paul's  School.    Crown  8vo.    2s.  6d. 


Educational  Works.  11 


MECHANICS   &    NATURAL   PHILOSOPHY. 

Statics,   Elementary.    By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D.     Fcap.  8vo.     2nd 

Edition.    3s. 
Dynamics,  A  Treatise  on  Elementary.    By  W.  Qarnett,  M.A., 

D.C.L.    5th  Edition.    Crown  Svo.    6s. 
Dynamics.    Eigid.    By  W.  S.  Aldis,  M.A.     4*. 
Dynamics.    A  Treatise  on.    By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc.  .F.B.S.  7«.  6d. 
Elementary  Mechanics,  Problems  in.    By  \V.  Walton,  M.A.  New 

Edition.    Crown  Svo.    6s. 
Theoretical  Mechanics,  Problems  in.    By  W.  Walton,  M.A.     3rd 

Edition.     Demy  Svo.     16s. 

Structural  Mechanics.     By  B.  M.  Parkinson,  Assoc.  M.I.O.E. 

Crown  Svo.  4s.  6<2. 

Elementary  Mechanics.  Stage  I.  By  J.  C.  Horobin,  B.A.  Is.  6d. 
Hydrostatics.  PyW.H.  Besant,  D.Sc.  Fcap.  Svo.  14th  Edition.  4*. 
Hydromechanics,  A  Treatise  on.  By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc.,  F.B.S. 

Svo.    5th  Edition,  revised.    Part  I.    Hydrostatics.    5s. 
Hydrodynamics,  A  Treatise  on.   Vol.  L,  10s.  6d. ;  Vol.  II.,  12s.  Gd. 

A.  B.  Basset,  M.A.,  F.R.S. 
Hydrodynamics  and  Sound,  An  Elementary  Treatise  on.    By 

A.  B.  Basset,  M.A.,  F.R.S. 

Roulettes  and  Glissettes.    By  W.  H.  Besant,  D.Sc.,  F.R.S.    2nd 

Edition,  5s. 

Optics,  Geometrical.    B/  W.  S.  Aldis,  M.A.    Crown  Svo.    3rd 

Edition.    4s. 

Double  Refraction,  A  Chapter  on  Fresnel's  Theory  of.    By  W.  S. 

Aldis,  M.A.    Svo.    2s. 
Heat,  An  Elementary  Treatise  on.    By  W.  Garnett,  M.A.,  D.C.L. 

Crown  Svo.    5th  Edition.    4s.  6d. 

Elementary  Physics,  Examples  and  Examination  Papers  in.    By 

W.  Gallatly,  M.A.    4s. 

Newton's  Principia,  The  First  Three  Sections  of,  with  an  Appen- 
dix ;  and  the  Ninth  and  Eleventh  Sections.  By  J.  H.  Evans,  M.A.  5th 
Edition.  Edited  by  P.  T.  Main,  M.A.  4s. 

Astronomy,  An  Introduction  to  Plane.     By  P.  T.  Main,  M.A. 
Fcap.  Svo.  cloth.    6th  Edition.    4s. 
-  Practical  and  Spherical.    By  B.  Main,  M.A.    Svo.    14*. 

Mathematical  Examples.   Pure  and  Mixed.   By  J.  M.  Dyer,  M.A. , 

and  R.  Prowde  Smith,  M.A.    6s. 
Pure  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy,  A  Compendium  of 

Facts  and  Formula  in.    By  Q.   R.  Smalley.    2nd  Edition,  revised  by 

J.  McDowell,  M.A.    Fcap.  8vo.    2s. 
Elementary  Course   of  Mathematics.     By  H.  Goodwin,  D.D 

6th  Edition.    Svo.    16s. 

Problems  and  Examples,  adapted  to  the  '  Elementary  Course  of 

Mathematics.'    3rd  Edition.    Svo.    5s. 

Solutions  of  Goodwin  s  Collection  of  Problems  and  Examples. 

By  W.  W.  Hntt,  M.A.    3rd  Edition,  revised  and  enlarged.    Svo.    9s. 
A    Collection    of  Examples    and    Problems    in    Arithmetic, 

Algebra,  Geometry,  Logarithms,  Trigonometry,  Conic  Sections,  Mechanics, 
&c.,  with  Answers.  By  Rev.  A.  Wrigley.  20th  Thousand.  8s.  6d. 
Key.  10s.  6d. 


1 2  George  Bell  and  Sons' 


FOREIGN    CLASSICS. 

i  Seriet  for  tue  in  School*,  with  Englith  Notes,  grammatical  and 

explanatory,  and  rendering*  of  difficult  idiomatic  expressions. 

Fcap.  Svo. 

Schiller's  Wallensteln.    By  Dr.  A.  Bnchheim.   5th  Edit.    5s. 

Or  the  Lager  and  Piccolomini,  2s.  6d.    Wallenstein's  Tod,  2s.  6d. 

Maid  of  Orleans.    By  Dr.  W.  Wagner.    2nd  Edit.    1*.  6d. 

Maria  Stuart.    By  Y.  Kastner.    2nd  Edition.     1*.  6d. 

Goethe's    Hermann   and    Dorothea.      By  E.  Bell,  M.A.,  and 

B.  WolfeL    Is.  64. 
German  Ballads,  from  Uhland,  Goethe,  and  Schiller.    By  C.  L. 

Bielefeld.    4th  Edition.    Is.  6d. 

Charles  XII.,  par  Voltaire.    By  L.  Direy.    7th  Edition.    Is.  6d. 
A  ventures  de  Telemaque,  par  Fenelon.    By  C.  J.  Delille.    4th 

Edition.    2s.  6d. 

Select  Fables  of  La  Fontaine.  By  F.  E.  A.Gasc.  18th  Edit.  1*.  6d. 
Picciola,  by  X.B.  Saintine.  By  Dr.Dubuo.  16th  Thousand.  1«.  6d. 
Lamartine's  Le  Tailleur  de  Pierres  de  Saint-Point.  By 

J.  Boielle,  6th  Thousand.     Fcap.  Svo.    Is.  6d. 

Italian  Primer.    By  Bev.  A.  C.  Clapin,  M.A.    Fcap.  Svo.  1*. 


FRENCH    CLASS-BOOKS. 

French  Grammar  for  Public  Schools.   By  Key.  A.  C.  Clapin,  M.A. 

Fcap.  Svo.    12th  Edition,  revised.    2s.  6d. 

French  Primer.   By  Bev.  A.  C.  Clapin,  M.A.  Fcap.  Svo.  8th  Ed.  1*. 
Primer  of  French  Philology.    By  Bev.  A.  C.  Clapin.    Fcap.  Svo. 

4th  Edit.    Is. 
Le  Nouveau  Tr6sor;    or,  French  Student's    Companion.      By 

M.  E.  8.    19th  Edition.    Fcap.  Svo.    Is.  6d. 
French   Papers  for   the    Prelim.  Army  Exams.     Collected  by 

J.  F.  Davis,  B.Lit.  [I»i mediately. 

French  Examination  Papers   in   Miscellaneous  Grammar   and 

Idioms.    Compiled  by  A.  M.  M.  Stedman,  M.A.     4th  Edition.    Crown 

Svo.  2s.  6d.    Key.    5».     (For  Teachers  or  Private  Students  only.) 

Manual  of  French  Prosody.     By  Arthur  Gosset,  M.A.     Crown 

Svo.  3s. 

Lexicon  of  Conversational  French.      By  A.  Holloway.     3rd 
Edition.    Crown  Svo.    3s.  6d. 

PKOF.  A.  BARRERE'S  FRENCH  COURSE. 
Junior  Graduated  French  Course.     Crown  Svo.     Is.  &d. 
Elements   of   French    Grammar   and  First   Steps   in    Idiom. 

Crown  Svo.    2s. 

Precis  of  Comparative  French  Grammar.    2nd  Edition.    Crown 
Sro.   3«.  6d. 


Educational  Works.  18 


P.  E.  A.  GASC'S  FRENCH  COURSE. 
First  French  Book.    Fcap.  8vo.    106th  Thousand.    1». 
Second  French  Book.    52nd  Thousand.     Foap.  8vo.    1*.  6d. 
Key  to  First  and  Second  French  Books.  5th  Edit.  Fcp.  8vo.  3«.  6d. 

French  Fables  for  Beginners,  in  Prose,  with  Index.  16th  Thousand. 
12mo.  Is.  6d. 

Select  Fables  of  La  Fontaine.  18th  Thousand.  Fcap.Svo.  Is.&d. 

Eistoires  Amusantes  et  Instruotivea.  With  Notes.  17th  Thou- 
sand. Pcap.  8vo.  2s. 

Practical  Guide  to  Modem  French  Conversation.  18th  Thou- 
sand. Fcap.  8vo.  Is.  6d. 

French  Poetry  for  the  Young.  With  Notes.  5th  Ed.  Fcp.  8vo.  8s. 

Materials  for  French  Prose  Composition;  or,  Selections  from 
the  best  English  Prose  Writers.  19th  Thous.  Pcap.  8vo.  3s.  Key,  6s. 

Prosateurs  Contemporains.  With  Notes,  llth  Edition,  re- 
vised. 12mo.  3s.  6d. 

Le  Petit  Compagnon ;  a  French  Talk-Book  for  Little  Children. 

12th  Thousand.    16mo.    Is  6d. 

An  Improved  Modern  Pocket  Dictionary  oi  the  French  and 

English  Languages.  45th  Thousand.    16mo.    2s.  6d. 
Modern  French-English  and  English-French  Dictionary.    4th 
Edition,  revised,  with  new  supplements.    10s.  6d.    In  use  at  Harrow, 
Rugby,  Westminster,  Shrewsbury,  Radley,  &c. 

The  ABC  Tourist's  French  Interpreter  of  all  Immediate 

Wants.    By  F.  E.  A.  Gasc.    Is. 

MODERN  FRENCH  AUTHORS. 

Edited,  with  Introductions  and  Notes,  by  JAMES  BOIELLE,  Senior 
French  Master  at  Dulwich  College. 

Daudet's  La  Belle  Nivernaise.    2s.  6d.    For  Beginners. 
Hugo's  Bug  Jargal.    3s.    For  Advanced  Students. 
Balzac's  Ursule  Mirouet.     3s.    For  Advanced  Students, 


GOMBERT'S  FRENCH  DRAMA. 

Being  a  Selection  of  the  best  Tragedies  and  Comedies  of  Molidre, 
Racine,  Cornoillo,  and  Voltaire.  With  Arguments  and  Notes  by  A. 
Gombert.  New  Edition,  revised  by  F.  E.  A.  Gasc.  Fcap.  8vo.  Is.  each ; 
sewed,  6d.  CONTENTS. 

MOLIEKE  : — Le  Misanthrope.  L'Avare.  Le  Bourgeois  Gentilhomme.  Le 
Tartuffe.  Le  Malade  Imaginaire.  Les  Femmes  Savantes.  Les  Fourberiea 
de  Scapin.  Les  Prdcieuses  Ridicules.  L'Ecole  des  Femraes.  L'Ecole  del 
Maria.  Le  Medecin  malere  Lui. 

RACINE: — Phddre.     Esther.     Athalie.     Iphig^nie.     Les  Plaideurs.     La 
Thcbaide ;  ou,  Leg  Freres  Ennemis.   Andromaque.    Britannicus. 
P.  OOBNEiLtK:— LeCid.    Horace.    Cinna.    Polyeucte. 
VOITAIRK  i— Zaire. 


14  George  Bell  and  Sons' 


GERMAN  CLASS-BOOKS. 

Materials  for  German  Prose  Composition.    By  Dr.  Buchbeim. 

13th  Edition.  Fcap.  4*.6d.  Key,  Parts  I.  and  II.,  3s.  Parts  IIL  and  IV. ,4s. 
Goethe's  Faust.     Text,  Hay  ward's  Prose  Translation,  and  Notes. 

Edited  by  Dr.  Bnchheim.    5s.  [In  tl 

German.     The  Candidate's  Vade  Mecum.    Five  Hundred  Easy 

Sentences  and  Idioms.    By  an  Army  Tutor.    Cloth,  Is.    jfor  Army  Exams. 

Wortfolge,  or  Rules  and  Exercises  on  the  Order  of  Words  in 

German  Sentences.    By  Dr.  F.  Stock.    Is.  64. 
A  German  Grammar  for  Public  Schools.     By  the  Rev.  A.  0. 

ClapinandF.  Holl  Muller.    5th  Edition.    Fcap.    2s.  6d. 
A   German  Primer,  with  Exercises.     By  Rev.  A.  C.  Clapin. 

2nd  Edition.     1?. 

Kotzebue's  Der  Gefangene.  With  Notes  by  Dr.  W.  Stromberg.  Is. 

German  Examination  Papers  hi  Grammar  and  Idiom.  By 
R.  J.  Morich.  2nd  Edition.  2s.  6d.  Key  for  Tutors  only,  5s. 

By  FEZ.  LANGE,  Ph.D.,  Professor   R.M.A.,  Woolwich,  Examiner 

in  German  to  the  Coll.  of  Preceptors,  and  also  at  the 

Victoria  University,  Manchester. 

A  Concise  German  Grammar.  In  Three  Parts.  Part  I.,  Ele- 
mentary, 2s.  Part  II.,  Intermediate,  2s.  Part  III.,  Advanced,  3s.  6d. 

German  Examination  Course.  Elementary,  2s.  Intermediate,  2*. 
Advanced,  Is.  6d. 

German  Reader.    Elementary,  Is.  &d.    Advanced,  3s. 


MODERN  GERMAN  SCHOOL  CLASSICS. 
Small  Crown  8vo. 

Hey's  Fabeln  Fiir  Kinder.    Edited,  with  Vocabulary,  by  Prof. 
F.  Lange,  Ph.D.     Pointed  in  .Roman  characters.    Is.  6d. 

The  same  with  Phonetic  Transcription  of  Text,  &c.     2s. 

Benedix's  Dr.  Wespe.    Edited  by  F.  Lange,  Ph.D.    2s.  Sd. 
Hoffman's  Meister  Martin,  der  Kiifner.     By  Prof.  F.  Lange,  Ph.D. 

ls.6d, 

Heyse's  Hans  Lange.    By  A.  A.  Macdonell,  M.A.,  Ph.D.    2«. 
Auerbach's  Auf  Wache,  and  Roquette's  Der  Gefrorene  Kuss. 

By  A.  A.  Macdonell,  M.A.    2s. 
Moser's  Der  Bibliothekar.    By  Prof.  F.  Lange,  Ph.D.    3rd  Edi 

tion.    2«. 
Ebers'  Eine  Frage.     By  F.  Storr,  B.A.     2». 

Freytag's  Die  Journalisten.   By  Prof.  F.  Lange,  Ph.D.  2nd  Edi- 
tion, revised.    2s.  6d. 

Gutzkow's  Zopf  und  Schwert.     By  Prof.  F.  Lange,  Ph.D.     2s. 
German  Epic  Tales.    Edited  by  Karl  Neuhans,  Ph.D.     2s.  6d. 
Sheffel's  Ekkehard.     Edited  by  Dr.  H.  Eager.     3s. 


Educational  Works.  15 


DIVINITY,  MORAL  PHILOSOPHY,  &c. 

BY  THE  REV.  F.  H.  SCKIVENKB,  A.M.,  LL.D.,  D.C.L. 
Novum  Testamentum  Greece.  Editio  major.   Being  an  enlarged 

Edition,  containing  the  Readings  of  Bishop  Westcott  and  Dr.  Hort,  and 
those  adopted  by  the  Revisers,  &c.    7s.  6d.   (For  other  Editions  see  page  3.) 

A  Plain  Introduction  to  the  Criticism  of  the  New  Testament. 

With  Forty  Facsimiles  from  Ancient  Manuscripts.    3rd  Edition.   8vo.  13s. 

Six  Lectures  on  the  Text  of  the  New  Testament.    For  English 
Readers.    Crown  8vo.    6s. 

Codex  Bezffl  Cantabriglensis.    4to.    10s.  6<L 


The  New  Testament  for  English  Readers.  By  the  late  H.  Alford, 
D.D.  Vol.  I.  Part  I.  3rd  Edit.  12s.  Vol.  I.  Part  II.  2nd  Edit.  10s.  6d. 
Vol.  II.  Part  I.  2nd  Edit.  16s.  Vol.  II.  Part  II.  2nd  Edit.  16s. 

The  Greek  Testament.    By  the  late  H.  Alford,  D.D.     Vol.  I.  7th 

Edit.  II.  8s.    Vol.  II.  8th  Edit.  II.  4s.    Vol.  III.  10th  Edit.  18s.    Vol.  IV. 
Part  I.  5th  Edit.  18s.    Vol.  IV.  Part  II.  10th  Edit.  14s.    Vol.  IV.  11.  12s. 

Companion  to  the  Greek  Testament.  By  A.  C.  Barrett,  M.A. 
5th  Edition,  revised.  Fcap.  8vo.  5s. 

Guide  to  the  Textual  Criticism  of  the  New  Testament.  By 
Rev.  E.  Miller,  M.A.  Crown  8vo.  4s. 

The  Book  of  Psalms.  A  New  Translation,  with  Introductions,  <feo. 
By  the  Very  Rev.  J.  J.  Stewart  Perowne,  D.D.  8vo.  Vol.  I.  7th  Edition, 
18s.  Vol.  II.  6th  Edit.  16s. 

Abridged  for  Schools.    7th  Edition.    Crown  8vo.    10*.  6d. 

History  of  the  Articles  of  Religion.    By  C.  H.  Hardwick.    3rd 

Edition.    Post  8vo.    5s. 

History  of  the  Creeds.  By  Rev.  Professor  Lumby,  D.D.  3rd 
Edition.  Crown  8vo.  7s.  6d. 

Pearson  on  the  Creed.    Carefully  printed  from  an  early  edition. 

With  Analysis  and  Index  by  E.  Walford,  M.A.    Post  8vo.    5s. 

Liturgies  and  Offices  of  the  Church,  for  the  Use  of  English 
Readers,  in  Illustration  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  By  the  Rev. 
Edward  Burbidge,  M.A.  Crown  8vo.  9s. 

An  Historical  and  Explanatory   Treatise  on  the  Book  of 

Common  Prayer.    By  Rev.  W.  G.  Humphry,  B.D.    6th  Edition,  enlarged. 
Small  Post  8vo.  2s.  6d. ;  Cheap  Edition,  Is. 

A  Commentary  on  the  Gospels,  Epistles,  and  Acts  of  the 

Apostles.    By  Rev.  W.  Denton,  A.M.    New  Edition.   7  vols.  8vo.    9s.  each. 

Notes  on  the  Catechism.  By  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Barry.  9th  Edit. 
Fcap.  2s. 

The  Wlnton  Church  Cateohlst.  Questions  and  Answers  on  the 
Teaching  of  the  Church  Catechism.  By  the  late  Rev.  J.  S.  B.  Monsell, 
LL.D.  4th  Edition.  Cloth,  3s. ;  or  in  Four  Parts,  sewed. 

The  Church  Teacher's  Manual  of  Christian  Instruction.    By 

Rev.  M.  F.  Sadler.    43rd  Thousand.    2s.  64. 


16  George  Bell  and  Sons' 

TECHNOLOGICAL    HANDBOOKS. 

Edited  by  SIB  H.  TBUEMAN  WOOD,  Secretary  of  the  Society  of  Arts. 
Dyeing  and  Tissue  Printing.      By  W.  Crookes,  F.B.S.    5s. 

Glass  Manufacture.    By  Henry  Chance,  M.A.;  H.  J.  Powell,  B.A.; 
and  H.  G.  Harris.    &>.  6d. 

Cotton  Spinning.     By  Richard  Marsden,  of  Manchester.     3rd 
Edition,  revised.    6s.  6d. 

Chemistry  of  Coal-Tar  Colours.     By  Prof.  Benedikt,  and  Dr. 
Knecht  of  Bradford  Technical  College.    2nd  Edition,  enlarged.    6s.  6<i. 

Woollen    and  Worsted  Cloth   Manufacture.       By  Professor 
Roberts  Beaumont,  The  Yorkshire  College,  Leeds.    2nd  Edition.    7*.  6d. 

Cotton  Weaving.    By  B.  Marsden.  [In  the  press. 

Bookbinding.     By  J.  W.  Zaehnsdorf ,  with  eight  plates  and  many 
illustrations.    5s. 

Printing.    By  C.  T.  Jacobi,  Manager  of  the  Chiswick  Press.    5s. 


BELL'S  AGRICULTURAL   SERIES. 

The  Farm  and  the  Dairy.    By  Prof.  Sheldon.     2s.  6d. 
Soils  and  their  Properties.    By  Dr.  Fream.    2s.  Gd. 
The  Diseases  of  Crops.    By  Dr.  Griffiths.     2s.  Qd. 
Manures  and  their  Uses.    By  Dr.  Griffiths.     2s.  Ct/. 
Tillage  and  Implements.    By  W.  J.  Maiden.    2s.  Gd. 


HISTORY. 

Modern  Europe.    By  Dr.  T.  H.  Dyer.    2nd  Edition,  revised  and 
continued.    5  vols.  Demy  8vo.    21.  12s.  6<i. 

The  Decline  of  the  Roman  Republic.     By  G.  Long.     5  vols. 

Sro.    5«.  each. 

Historical  Maps  of  England.    By  C.  H.  Pearson.    Folio.    3rd 

Edition  revised.    31s.  6d. 

England    in    the    Fifteenth    Century.    By  the  late  Bev.  W. 
Deuton,  M.A.    Demy  8vo.    12.*. 

Feudalism :   Its  Bise,  Progress,  and  Consequences.     By  Judge 
Abdy.    7s.  6d. 

History  of  England.  1800-46.    By  Harriet  Martineau,  with  new 
and  copious  Index.    5  vols.  3s.  6d.  each. 

A  Practical  Synopsis  of  English  History.    By  A,  Bowea,    9th 

Edition,  revised.     8vo.  Is. 


Educational  Works.  17 


L1V38  of  the  Queens  of  England.  By  A.  Strickland.  Library 
Edition,  8  vols.  7s.  6d.  each.  Cheaper  Edition,  6  vols.  5s.  each.  Abridged 
Edition,  1  vol.  6s.  6d.  Mary  Queen  of  Soots,  2  vols.  5s.  each.  Tudor  and 
Stuart  Princesses,  5s. 

The  Elements  of  General  History.     By  Prof.  Tytler.     New 

Edition,  brought  down  to  1874.    Small  Post  8vo.    3s.  6d. 

History  and  Geography  Examination  Papers.  Compiled  by 
C.  H.  Spence,  M.A.,  Clifton  College.  Crown  8vo.  2s.  6d. 

The  Schoolmaster  and  the  Law.    By  Williams  and  Markwick. 

Is.  6d. 

For  other  Historical  Books,  see  Catalogue  of  Bohr.'s  Libraries,  sent  free  on 
application. 


DICTIONARIES. 

WEBSTER'S    INTERNATIONAL    DICTIONARY    of    the 

English  Language.  Including  Scientific,  Technical,  and  Biblical  Words 
and  Term?,  -with  their  Significations,  Pronunciations,  Etymologies, 
Alternative  Spellings,  Derivations,  Synonyms,  and  numerous  illustrative 
Quotations,  with  various  valuable  literary  Appendices  and  83  extra  pages 
of  Illustrations  grouped  and  classified,  rendering  the  work  a  COMPLETE 
LITERARY  AND  SCIENTIFIC  REFERENCE-BOOK.  New  Edition  (1890). 
Thoroughly  revised  and  enlarged  under  the  supervision  of  Noah  Porter, 
D.D.,  LL.D.  1  vol.  (2118  pages,  3500  woodcuts),  4to.  cloth,  31s.  6d. ; 
full  sheep,  21.  2s. ;  calf,  21.  8s. ;  half  russia,  21.  5s. ;  or  in  2  vols.  cloth, 
If.  14s. 

Prospectuses,  tctth  specimen  pages,  sent  free  on  application. 

Richardson's  Philological  Dictionary  of  the  English  Language. 

Combining  Explanation  with  Etymology,  and  copiously  illustrated  by 
(,'uotations  from  the  best  Authorities.  With  a  Supplement.  2  vols.  4to. 
If.  Its.  6d.  Supplement  separately.  4to.  12s. 

Kluge's  Etymological  Dictionary  of  the  German  Language. 
Translated  from  the  4th  German  edition  by  J.  F.  Davis,  D.Lit.,  M.A. 
(Lond.).  Crown  4to.  half  buckram,  18s. 

Dictionary  of  the  French  and  English  Languages,  with  more 

than  Fifteen  Thousand  New  Words,  Senses,  &c.  By  F.  E.  A.  Gasc.  With 
>"ou-  Supplements.  4th  Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged.  Demy  8vo. 
10s.  6d.  IN  USE  AT  HARROW,  RUGBT,  SHREWSBURY,  &c. 

Pocket  Dictionary  of  the  French   and  English  Languages. 

By  F.  E.  A.  Gasc.  Containing  more  than  Five  Thousand  Modern  and 
Current  Words,  Senses,  and  Idiomatic  Phrases  and  Renderings,  not  found 
in  any  other  dictionary  of  the  two  languages.  New  edition,  with  addi- 
tions and  corrections.  45th  Thousand.  16mo.  Cloth,  2s.  6d. 

Argot  and  Slang.  A  new  French  and  English  Dictionary  of  the 
Cant  Words,  Quaint  Expressions.  Slang  Terms,  and  Flash  Phrases  used 
in  the  hiah  and  low  life  of  old  and  new  Paris.  By  Albert  Barren:,  Ollicicr 
de  I'Instruction  Pnblique.  New  and  Revised  Edition,  large  post  3ro, 
10s.  Gd. 


18  George  Bell  and  8on»% 


ENGLISH    CLASS-BOOKS. 

Comparative  Grammar  and  Philology.    By  A.  C.  Price,  M.A., 

Assistant  Master  at  Leeds  Grammar  School.    2s.  64. 
The  Elements  of  the  English  Language.    By  E.  Adams,  Ph.D. 
24th    Edition.      Thoroughly    revised   by    J.    F.    Davis,    D.Lit.,    M.A. 
PostSvo.  4s.  6d. 

The    Rudiments   of   English  Grammar   and    Analysis.     By 

E.  Adams.  Ph.D.    17th  Thousand.    Fcap.  8vo.    Is. 
A  Concise  System  of  Parsing.    By  L.  E.  Adams,  B.A.     Is.  6<2. 
General    Knowledge     Examination    Papers.      Compiled    by 

A.  M.  M.  Stedman,  M.A.     2s.  6d. 

Examples  for  Grammatical  Analysis  (Verse  and  Prose).  Se- 
lected, &c.,  by  F.  Edward?.  New  edition.  Cloth,  Is. 

Notes  on  Shakespeare's  Plays.  By  T.  Duff  Barnett,  B.A. 
MIDSUMMER  NIGHT'S  DRKAM,  Is.;  JULIUS  CJESAR,  1*.;  HENRT  V.,  1«. ; 
TEMPEST,  Is. ;  MACBETH,  Is.;  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE,  Is.;  HAMI.KT.  Is. ; 
RICHARD  II.,  Is. ;  KING  JOHN,  Is.;  KING  LEAR,  Is.  J.CORIOLANUS,  Is. 

By  C.  P.  MASON,  Fellow  of  Univ.  Coll.  London. 

First  Notions  of  Grammar  for  Young  Learners.     Foap.  8vo. 

6"th  Thousand.    Revised  and  enlarged.    Cloth.    Is. 
First  Steps  in  English  Grammar  for  Junior  Classes.     Demy 

I8mo.    49th  Thousand.    Is. 
Outlines  of  English  Grammar  for  the  Use  of  Junior  Classes. 

77th  Thousand.    Crown  8vo.    2s. 
English    Grammar,  including    the    Principles  of    Grammatical 

Analysis.    32nd  Edition.    131st  to  136th  Thousand.    Crown  8vo,    3s.  6d. 

Practice  and  Help  in  the  Analysis  of  Sentences.    2s. 

A  Shorter  English   Grammar,  with  copious  Exercises.     39th 

to  43rd  Thousand.    Crown  8vo.    3s.  6d. 

English  Grammar  Practice,  being  the  Exercises  separately.     1«. 
Code  Standard  Grammars.   Parts  I.  and  II.,  2d.  each.    Parts  III., 

IV.,  and  V.,  3d.  each. 


Notes  of  Lessons,  their  Preparation,  &c.  By  Jos6  Bickard, 
Park  Lane  Board  School,  Leeds,  and  A.  H.  Taylor,  Roclley  Board 
School,  Leeds.  2nd  Edition.  Crown  8vo.  2s.  6d> 

A  Syllabic  System  of  Teaching  to  Read,  combining  the  advan- 
tages of  the  '  Phonic*  and  the  '  Look-and-Say '  Systems.  Crown  8vo.  Is. 

Practical  Hints  on  Teaching.   By  Bev.  J.  Menet,  M.A.   6th  Edit. 

revised.    Crown  8vo.  paper,  2s. 

Teat  Lessons  in  Dictation.    4th  Edition.    Paper  cover,  If.  6d. 
Elementary  Mechanics.     By  J.  C.  Horobin,  B.A.,  Principal  of 
Horuertoii  Training  College.     Stage  I.     Is.  6d. 

Picture  Sonool-Books.     In  Simple  Language,  with  numerous 

Illnsfrations.    Royal  16mo. 

The  Infant's  Primer.  3d.— School  Primer.  6d.— School  Reader.  By  J. 
Tilleard.  Is.— Poetry  Book  for  Schools.  Is.— The  Life  of  Joseph.  Is.— The 
re  Parables.  By  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Clarke.  Is.— The  Scripture  Miracles. 
By  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Clarke.  Is.— The  New  Testament  History.  By  the  Rev. 
J.  6.  Wood,  M.A.  Is.— The  Old  Testament  History.  By  the  Rev.  J.  Q. 
Wood,  M.A.  Is.— The  Life  of  Martin  Luther.  By  Sarah  Crompton.  U. 


Educational  Works.  19 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG   READERS. 

A  Series  of  Reading  Books  designed  to  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  the  power 

of  Reading  by  wry  young  Children.   In  11  vols.  limp  cloth,  6d.  each. 

Those  with  an  asterisk  have  a  Frontispiece  or  other  Illustrations. 

*The  Old  Boathouse.  Bell  and  Fan;  or,  A  Cold  Dip. 

*Tot  and  the  Cat.    A  Bit  of  Cake.    The  Jay.    The 

Black  Hen's  Nest.    Tom  and  Ned.    Mrs.  Bee.  I  Suitable 

*The  Cat  and  the  Hen.    Sam  and  his  Dog  Redleg.    /  ,  f°r. 

Bob  and  Tom  Lee.     A  Wreck. 

*The  New-born  Lamb.    The  Rosewood  Box.    Poor    ' 
Fan.    Sheep  Dog. 

•The  Two  Parrots.    A  Tale  of  the  Jubilee.     By  M.  B.  | 

Wintle.    9  Illustrations. 

*The  Story  of  Three  Monkeys. 

*  Story  of  a  Cat.    Told  by  Herself.  I 

The  Blind  Boy.    The  Mute  Girl.     A  New  Tale  of  )      I    ' 

Babes  in  a  Wood.  /  Standard* 

The  Dey  and  the  Knight.     The  New  Bank  Note:  \    L  *  H' 

The  Royal  Visit.    A  King's  Walk  on  a  Winter's  Day. 

*Queeu  Bee  and  Busy  Bee. 

*  Gull's  Crag. 

Syllabic  Spelling.    By  C.  Barton.     In  Two  Parts.     Infants,  3d. 

Standard  I.,  3d. 

Helps'  Course  of  Poetry,  for  Schools.    A  New  Selection  from 
the  English  Poets,  carefully  compiled  and  adapted  to  the  several  standards 
by  E.  A.  Helps,  one  of  H.M.  Inspectors  of  Schools. 
Book     I.    Infants  and  Standards  I.  and  II.    134  pp.  small  8vo.    9d. 
Book   II.    Standards  III.  and  IV.    224  pp.  crown  8vo.    Is.  6d. 
Book  III.    Standards  V.,  VI.,  and  VII.    352  pp.  post  8vo.    2s. 
Or  in  PARTS.     Infants,  2d. ;    Standard  I.,  2d. ;  Standard  II.,  2d. 
Standard  III.,  4d. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  SERIES.     By  M.  J.  BABBINGTON  WABD,  M.A. 
With  Illustrations. 

The  Map  and  the  Compass.    A  Beading-Book  of  Geography. 

For  Standard  I.    New  Edition,  revised.    8d.  cloth. 
The    Round    World.      A  Reading-Book  of  Geography.      For 

Standard  II.    New  Edition,  revised  and  enlarged.    lOd. 
About  England.     A  Reading-Book  of  Geography  for  Standard 

III.  [In  the  preen. 

The  Child's  Geography.    For  the  Use  of  Schools  and  for  Home 

Tuition.    6d. 

The  Child's  Geography  of  England.    With  Introductory  Exer- 
cises  on  the  British  Isles  and  Empire,  with  Questions.    2s.  6d.    Without 


Suitable 

for 

Standard* 
III.  t  IV. 


20       George  Sell  and  Sons'  Educational  Works. 
BELL'S   READING-BOOKS. 

FOB    SCHOOLS    AND    PAROCHIAL    LIBRARIES. 
Now  Ready.  Pott  8vo.  Strongly  bound  in  cloth,  Is.  each. 

*Life  of  Columbus. 

*  Jrimm's  German  Tales.    (Selected.) 

*  Andersen's  Danish  Tales.    Illustrated.    (Selected.) 
Great  "Englishmen.     Short  Lives  for  Young  Children. 
Q-reat  Englishwomen.    Short  Lives  of. 

Great  Scotsmen.    Short  Lives  of. 

Parables  from  Nature.    (Selected.)    By  Mrs.  Gatty. 

Edgeworth's  Tales.     (A  Selection.) 

*  Poor  Jack.    By  Capt.  Marryat,  B.N.    (Abridged.) 

*Scott's  Talisman.     (Abridged.) 
*Priends  in  Fur  and  Feathers.    By  Gwynfryn. 
*Poor  Jack.     By  Captain  Marryat,  E.N.     Abgd. 
*Mastenuan  Ready.  By  Capt.  Marryat.  Illus.  (Abgd.) 
Lamb's  Tales  from  Shakespeare.    (Selected.) 

*  Gulliver's  Travels.    (Abridged.) 
*Robinson  Crusoe.     Illustrated. 
•Arabian  Nights.    (A  Selection  Kewritten.) 

'Dickens's  Little  Nell.    Abridged  from  the  '  The  Old 
Curiosity  Shop.' 

*The  Vicar  of  Wakefield. 

•Settlors  in  Canada.    By  Capt.  Marryat.    (Abridged.) 
Poetry  for  Boys.    Selected  by  D.  Munro. 
•Southey's  Life  of  Nelson.    (Abridged.) 
*Life  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  with  Maps  and  Flans 
'Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  and  other  Essays  from  the 

Spectator. 

Tales  of  the  Coast.    By  J.  Runciman. 
*  Thete  Volumes  are  Illustrated. 


I  Standards 
IV.  A  V. 


Standard! 

V.,  VI., « 

VII. 


Uniform  with  the  Series,  in  limp  cloth,  6d.  each. 

Shakespeare's    Plays.     Kemble's  Beading  Edition.    With  Ex- 
planatory Notes  for  School  Use. 

JULIUS  C^SAR.      THE  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE.      KING  JOHN. 
HENRY  THE  FIFTH.        MACBETH.        AS  YOU  LIKE  IT. 


London :  GEORGE  BELL  &  SONS,  York  Street,  Covent  Garden. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


?c.  AFTER 


1  1971 


ries  9482 


JB  ••""••<!•  ill  I         Mill  III  ||  Id  ||  ID  |[  HI  |[  HI      ||