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W. Barclay Squire Source: the Musical Times, Vol A Lost Handel Manuscript Author(s): W. Barclay Squire Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 62, No. 944 (Oct. 1, 1921), pp. 690-692 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/908506 Accessed: 14-03-2016 05:13 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Musical Times Publications Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Musical Times. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 129.96.252.188 on Mon, 14 Mar 2016 05:13:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 690 THE MUSICAL TIMES-OcTOBERI I 1921 The only rent payable for Jones' tenement was 'the Handel Society's edition. The second setting, which service of a red rose, if it be asked.' is practically 'Acis and Galatea' as now known, At the historic Field of the Cloth of Gold, in June, dates from about 1720, and was written for perform- ance at Cannons at the end of Handel's career there. 1520, Robert Jones was one of the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, whose magnificent singing was much It owes hardly anything to the early Italian work, admired by French critics (Alusical Times, June, and was entirely composed to English words-mainly 1920). On his return to England he obtained by John Gay, but with interpolations from Dryden, another tenement, but the new owner of his Hughes, and Pope. former residence, Thomas Farthing,* did not long The Serenata does not seem to have been performed enjoy it, as his death occurred on December 12 of in London for some years, though songs from it were the same year (I520). published by Walsh at various intervals. Particulars The next glimpse we get of Robert Jones is in the of these will be found in the note on p. 263 of vol. ii. of official 'List of the Ministers of the King's Chapel,' Chrysander's 'G(. F. H~indel' (186o). In 1731, 'at in the Eltham Ordinances of I526, where his name the desire of several persons of quality,' 'Acis and figures as seventh in the roll of Gentlemen of the Galatea' was given at the Lincoln's Inn Fields King's Chapel. Very little else seems to be Theatre 'for the benefit of Mr. Rochetti,' who sang chronicled of him save that he contributed to the part of Acis, Galatea being Mrs. Wright, Wynkyn de Worde's Song Book of I530, as Polyphemus, the veteran Leveridge; Corydon, Legar? previously stated. In this unique collection, now and Damon, Salway. Corydon does not appear in housed in the British Museum, Jones is represented the original work, and Chrysander surmises that the by a song, 'Who shall have my fair lady,' set for part was introduced to fill up the blanks left by the three voices. omission of the choruses, which were probably not I can find no trace of Robert Jones after the year sung on this occasion. But this performance, which took place on March 26, remains something 1535, so it is safe to conclude that he died about that date. The appearance, however, of the name of a mystery; probably it was given without the R. Jones in a document of the year 1538 at one composer's authority. The Lincoln's Inn Fields time led me to imagine that, probably, this reference production, however, served its purpose in awakening was to the early Tudor composer, but an interest in the work, for in May, 1732, 'Acis and examination of the original record revealed the Galatea' was given as 'an English Pastoral opera' fact that the person therein named was in reality a at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket, then under the certain Richard Jones, who turned out to be 'Chief direction of Dr. Arne's father. In this performance Master of St. Paul's School '-quite a different- Mountier was Acis and Susanna Arne (afterwards personage. In any case, the position of Robert Mrs. Cibber) Galatea, while the part of Polyphemus Jones as Gentleman of the Chapel Royal was filled was taken by Waltz, Handel's cook, whom Burney up in 1536, certainly before the year 1537. says had 'a coarse figure and a still coarser voice,' As regards his compositions, we have previously but 'as an actor had a great deal of humour.' The alluded to his song in Wynkyn de Worde's book presence of Waltz in the cast, and the fact that the (I530), and to his fame as a composer on the Arne family was more or less in Handel's circle, testimony of Morley. However, there is more makes it probable that this performance took place tangible evidence of his powers in his Mass and with the composer's sanction. Its success evidently Magnificat, both of which are among the Peter- induced Handel to make some profit out of the-work, house MSS. The former, namely, his Mass for in the following June he announced that at the 'Spes Nostra,' will be found in MS. both at King's Theatre, Haymarket, would be performed: Peterhouse, Cambridge, and in Add. MS. 34191. It . a Serenata called Acis and Galatea, formerly may be noted that the tenor part is wanting. composed by Mr. Handel, and now revised by him, with Further, the name of the composer appears in the several additions, and to be performed by a great MS. as 'Robard Joonys.' The latter MS. displays number of the best Voices and Instruments. There will much invention, even from a cursory examination, be no action on the Stage, but the Scene will represent, and, together with the Mass, ought to be printed by in a picturesque manner, a Rural Prospect with rocks, the Carnegie Trust or the British Music Society. It groves, fountains, and grottoes, amongst which will be is a distinct advance on the technique of Cornish disposed a chorus of nymphs and shepherds ; the habits and every other decoration suited to the subject. and Crane, and shows a glimmering of the great polyphonic work afterwards achieved by Tallis and The libretto of this production, which has been Byrd, though, it must be added, not to be compared printed in the German Handel Society's edition, with Ludford, whose memoir will form the next shows that it was an extraordinary mixture of the number in the present series. early 'Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo' and the English 'Acis and Galatea.' The inartistic character of the performance has much exercised Handel's A LOST HANDEL MANUSCRIPT biographers, who have found considerable difficulty BY WNN. BARCLAY SQUIRE in defending it. But, clearly, the real reason for The story of the various shapes assumed by Handel's procedure is that things were going badly Handel's settings of the legend of 'Acis and Galatea' with the opera, and the success of Arne's production is one of considerable intricacy. Its earliest form is showed a chance of reimbursement for the season's the Serenata for three solo voices, 'Aci, Galatea, e losses at the King's Theatre. Handel's company Polifemo,' which was written at Naples in I708. there included Italian singers who could not sing Nothing is known as to its origin, but the incomplete English, and to make use of them he hit upon the autograph is preserved in the Royal Collection now plan of interlarding the English ' Acis and Galatea ' housed in the British Museum, and the work was with parts of his old Italian Serenata. The result printed by Dr. Chrysander in vol. liii. of the German was certainly inartistic, but it answered its purpose. The polyglot work was performed at Oxford in SFor an account of Thomas Farthing, see No. XIII. of these 1733, and was frequently repeated during the articles (3lJusical Times, December, 192o). This content downloaded from 129.96.252.188 on Mon, 14 Mar 2016 05:13:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES-OCTOBER 1 192I 691 following years until about 1740, when it was portions of the Smith copies Handel has also written replaced by 'Acis and Galatea' as we now know it. the words. This is the case on ff. 43-46 (' Ferito At the 1732 performance, Acis was sung by son d'Amore'-the Italian version of 'O ruddier than Senesino, Galatea by Strada, and Polifemo by the cherry'), ff. 47 and 48 ('Would you gain the Montagnana; the new characters introduced were tender creature'), and ff. 80 et seq. ('Delfin vivra Clori (Roberts), Eurilla (Davis), Filli (Bagnolli), sul monte '-the Italian of 'The flocks shall leave Dorinda (Bertolli), and Silvio (Pinacci); the name the mountains'). There are many blank pages, on of Damone occurs in the list of characters in the some of which the words of the missing numbers libretto, but nowhere else. The work was divided have been written in the same handwriting as the into three Acts, the second of which ends with the incorrect title-page. In the opening chorus of chorus, 'Smiling Venus, queen of love,' which was Act 3, 'Viver e non amar,' 'Francess' (i.e., written expressly for the production.
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