Musical Times Publications Ltd.

Review Source: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Vol. 31, No. 574 (Dec. 1, 1890), p. 744 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3362064 Accessed: 23-10-2015 02:13 UTC

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This content downloaded from 130.113.111.210 on Fri, 23 Oct 2015 02:13:29 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TI1MES.-DECEMBER I, I890. 744 well as those writtenfor Garrick'srevival of Shakespeare'sand some are of extremebeauty. The quaint phrasesof plays, prove how sympatheticallyhe could think in the the Carolsfrom foreign sources recall the melodicpassages spirit of the poet. The music for Milton's Masque of of such of the songs of the Troubadoursas havebeen trans- " Comus,"his opera of "Artaxerxes,"two oratorios,and mittedto us. innumerabledetached songs attest his powers of writing The svordsare as noteworthyas the music. In one of the music in all styles; and, althoughseveral of his important Carolsfrom Bas Quercy,the soundsof thevoices of thebirds works have not survived,many of the gems containedin are imitatedin syllables:thus the cockchants coquctico, the them are still often sung. VolumeI in the collectionnow goldfinchchirps tir-li-chiu-chiu, and amongthe otherbirds beforeus, besidessome of his best settingsof Shakespeare'sthe larkssing withjoy ti-ro-li-rou,which is almostidentical words,includes several of the universallyfavourite songs to with the onomatopoeicexpression given by Shakespeareto the verses of other poets, such as " In infancy," "Thou the same bird, "The merry lark that tirra-lirrachants." soft flowing Avon," "The soldier tired"-once the test- The philologicalsuggestion or connectionof the words is piece of aspiringvocalists " When forcedfrom dear Hebe quite as interestingas the musical associations,and these to go," &c. will command a welcome as beautifuladditions to the The list of compositionsby Sir Henry RowleyBishop, in storeof Carolsavailable for the season of peace and good- orolume, formsan interestingrecord of workssvritten at a will. time when Englishmusical composition required the advent of such a genius to encouragebright hope in the future. Thc AIcthodistSundfly School Hymtl and Tuole Book. Not only the melodiouscharacter of the works,but the New Edition. science displayed,rendered them equally attractiveto the LWesleyanMethodist Sunday School Union.] musician and the generalpublic, and sve still linger over ONa formeroccasion we had the pleasureof directingthe many of theirbeauties with unalloyedpleasure. Amongst attentionof readersinterested in Hymnologyto thisexcellent the pieces containedin this volume, " Bid me discourse," andcosmopolitan collection of hymnsand tunes, compiled by " Home, ssveethome," "The Pilgrimof Love," 4; Tell me, the WesleyanMethodist Conference, and designedfor use my heart," "The bloom is on the rye," " My heart and in schools and families. The many bright and lively lute," " 'Tis when to sleep,"&c., will be warmlywelcomed melodiesof the patternknown as Americanwill be hailed as old friends;but thereare manyothers that are certainto with delightby school childrenand welcomedby teachers, be hailed as newly discoveredtreasures, and we envy those inasmuch as the sequences of their melodies are easily who light uponthem for the first time. impressedupon the mind,and the principlesintended to be Volume3 is devotedto the songs of CharlesDibdin, and inculcatedin the verses are thereforethe more likely to this, in additionto being editedby Wm. Alex. Barrett- as obtain the eSect desired. For the purposes of public are volumes I and 2-is also enriched by his carefully worshipthere is an amplesupply of those beautifulhymns written accompaniments,the composer having but little which have become inseparablyinterwoven into the life of scientific musical knowledge. No eulogy of the wordsor the people, whatevermay be the tenets of their religious music of these compositions-especiallyof the sea songs profession. The bookis enrichedwith a valuableseries of is here necessary,for most of themare not only well known indicesto the contents. There is an index to the hymns but constantlysung. Ie is said that Dibdinwrote the words pointingout the nature of the verses and their fitness for and composedthe music for more than a thousandsongs certainuses, such as for infants,or for teachers'meetings; supplyingalso wordsfor other composers. In this orolume;the texts prefixedto the hymns are also tabulated; the we find ' Tom Bowling," "Then farewell,my trim built subjectsof the hymns are also set forthin a mannerwhich wherry,"" While the lads of the village," " Poor Jack," forms one of the most valuableparts of the book- an $' Tom Tough," ;' The jolly young waterman,"and many alphabeticallist of the tunes and of the several metres othersequally well known, with a few not so familiar,but employed,shows how carefuihas been the design upon thoroughlyrepresentative of the characteristicsof the com- poser. The book is indeeda worthy memorialof a man which the compilationhas been based,and the book itself who has trulyand legitimatelywon the lastingsympathy of shows how successfullyit has been carried out. There is the Englishpeople. no doubtbut that this new and exceedinglyhandy edition The volume containingtwelve songs by Henry Purcell wilImeet with a heartyreception wherever it is known. has been most appropriatelyentrusted to the editorshipof William H. Cummings,to whose indefatigableexertions in Aphorisms on fhe AYt ofSong Accompaniment. By Carl promotinga knowledge of the works of this composer Reinecke. Translated from the German by Theodore musiciansare so largely indebted. A brief selection from Baker. LLeipzig:Gebruder Reinecke.] Purcell's songs can of coursegive but a faint idea of his THE authorof this admirablelittle tract, in setting forth genius, but the editor has wisely included such speci- his experienceas an accompanistfor the guidanceof others, mens as " The knottingsong, " " Nymphsand shepherds," insists upon earnestness as a necessary qualificationfor " I attempt from Love's sicliness to fly," " Full fathom success. He assumesa certainamount of musicaltraining five," " Come unto these yellow sands," " From rosy in the technicalities of the art, but in giving rules for bow'rs," &c., and we sincerelyhope that an acquaintancetransposition he includesa knowledgeof the C clef for alto with these will lead many to becomefamiliar with the more and tenorvoices, a matterwhich in the presentday is too importantcompositions which, although they haveshed such often neglected. His aphorismsare pearls of price which lustre upon his name, are too little known,even by intelli- may be studied with advantageby those who desire to gent amateursand earneststudents. We need scarcelysay become classed among the ranks of good accompanists. that the admirablepianoforte accompaniments of the editor Well studiedand taken to heart,the young player will acquire materiallyadd to the value of this interestingvolume. fromthem much that is valuable. Althoughgood accom- panists are born, not made,it is quite possiblethrough the Tzuelve 01d Carols, English v1ld Forvign. Adaptedand mediumof the counselhere given to increasethe numberof arrangedby Sir John Stainer. those who may be creditedwith intelligencein the matter. [Novello, Ewer and Co.] THIScollection of Carolsforms a most interestingsupple- The StscndardOtcrcr Glass. Containingthe detailed ment to the splendidtriple series of ChristmasCarols made plots of ninety-fivecelebrated operas, with criticalremarks, by the same hand in conJunctionwith the Rev. H. R dates,&c. By CharlesAnnesley. [Sampson,Low andCo.] Bramley,which formthe acceptedtext-book on the subject THISwould be one of the most useful booksof its kind In extendinginquiries into hitherto unexploredregions, a but for one or two small drawbacks. In the firstplace, it new pleasureis affordedto thosewho haveturned attention contains too much; in the second place, it contains too to the history and prevalence of Carol-singingamong little; and,in the thirdplace, it is contradictoryin character. Christianpeople. To furnishthe twelveexamples in the book It contains too much for English readers, for it gives much researchhas been expendedwith the happiestresult. accounts of operas that are never performed in this There are Carolsof Besancjon,the Tyrol, Poitou (by Lucas country; and, on the other hand, it contains too little be- le Moigne, I520), Arpaaon, Bas Quercy (Carols of the cause many of the operas most frequentlyrepresented are Birds and of the Flosvers), Gascony,Basse Normandie, not named. Thereis not a singleEnglish opera mentioned, Flanders,and England. All the melodies are attractive, and the names of Balfe, Wallace, Barnett, Mackenzie,

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