George Alexander Macfarren : His Life, Works, And
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GlEOEGE ALEXANDEK MACFAEKEN HIS LIFE, WOEKS, AND INFLUENCE BT HENRY C. gANISTER PEOFESSOR OF HABMOlfT AHD COMPOSITION AT THB BOTAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC, THE aUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC, AHD THE BOYAL MOEMAL OOIiBGE AND ACADEMY OF MUSIC FOB THE BLIHD LONDON GEOEGE BELL AOT) SONS, TOEK STEEET COVENT GARDEN 1891 T CarSWIOK press :—C WHITTINaHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT, CHUrCERY LANE. PREFACE. " Wenn du willst in Frieden eingehn, Wenn du ledig -willst der Pein gehn, Spricht Ben Kab, So sei jeder Grossere dir era Vater, So sei jeder Mittlere dir ein Bruder, So sei jeder Kleinere dir ein Kind. Du verehre deinen Vater, Halt'in Ehren 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 beat, 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 — vi 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 Ufa, 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 maimer, 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 bafiSed 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. Dndeney : 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-ostmato ; 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 — 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 Eobson, 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,^ 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. 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 suflSciently 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 remiiiiscences, the verification of dates, and in various other ways, I tender my most sincere thanks to Lady Macfarren, Lady Thompson, Miss Macfarren, Miss Macirone, Sherring- Miss Oliveria . Prescott, Madame Lemmens- ton, Mademoiselle Gabrielle Yaillant, Mr. H. O. Anderton, Mr. Edwin Barnes, Mr. J. E. Sterndale- Bennett, Mr. G. J. Bennett, Mr. Windeyer Clark, Mr. Gerard F. Cobb, Mr. J. S. Ourwen, Mr. F. W. Davenport, Mr. T. J. Dudeney, Sir George Grove, Mr. Henry Holmes, Dr. B. J. Hopkins, Mr. Ernest Kiver, Mr. T. B. Knott, Mr. John Macfarren, Mr. Walter Macfarren, Mr. Charles Stewart Maopherson, Mr. Ridley Prentice, and the Rev. H. M. de St. Croix. That there are not more imperfections than I fear may 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. 0. B. London, November, 1890. CONTENTS. Chapter I. PAGE„_„ Early Life. 1813—1829 1 Chaptee 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 ChappeU. Cornhill Article. Lectures on our National Music. Musical Antiquarian Society. 0|>inions on Orlando Gibbons, Henry Purcell, and others.