A Fascinating Biography The Life and Letters of Sir George Grove, C. B., Hon. D. C. L. (Durham), Hon. LL. D. (Glasgow). Formerly Director of the by Charles L. Graves; George Grove The Musical Times, Vol. 44, No. 725 (Jul. 1, 1903), pp. 455-456 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/903856 . Accessed: 20/12/2014 07:56

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This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Sat, 20 Dec 2014 07:56:21 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-JuLY I, 1903. 455

A FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY.*: is fully brought out in the book under notice. His 'It could not have been better done' is the power of observation and fondness for comparisons is the impression one receives while reading this delightful exampled in following extract from a letter to a He ' Life' of ' G'-an impression that is deepened as correspondent. says: one page after another is perused, and confirmed Did you ever notice that at the first enumeration of the inhabitants when the book is regretfully put down, but to be of the world (Gen. iv. 20, 21, 22) they are divided into three taken up and read through again. Mr. Graves has great sections-herdsmen, not told the of Sir Grove with musicians, and engineers ? It struck me as very only life-story George interesting when I first observed it, consummate masterfulness, but in such a manner as to revivify that remarkable personality. Turning to the musical interests of Sir George What a wonderful career it was! Engineer-- Grove's varied career, it is perhaps not surprising to working in pattern and fitting shops at Glasgow as a learn that when he first heard Beethoven's Choral common mechanic, building lighthouses, and making Symphony (under Berlioz, in 1852) he' could make very railways; Secretary of the Society of Arts and the little of it.' Not until he began his official connection Crystal Palace; Biblical student, profound and with did the musical instincts enthusiastic; Founder of the Palestine Exploration within him began to blossom and bring forth fruit Fund; Programme-annotator; Editor of Macmillan's abundantly in the valuable analytical programmes so Magazine and frequent contributor to the periodical worthily associated with his name. The Beethoven press; first Director of the Royal College of Music; references in the book are very interesting. For and last, but no means Editor of the instance, at one time he thought of compiling a by least, ' 'Dictionary of Music and Musicians,' familiarly Beethoven Dictionary.' This from a letter : Every known as 'Grove.' To these varied pursuits must now and then I get terribly impatient to begin the be added the authorship of the volume ' Beethoven second edition of my article on Beethoven in the and his Nine Symphonies' and of a Geography Dictionary as a separate volume. I look forward Primer ; also his interest in Chinese porcelain, greatly to it. I will have all the portraits, views and other hobbies. Versatile to a degree, his life, of spots, houses, etc., facsimiles of writing and music. one long record of hard work and highly charged By degrees, perhaps, I may do the same with with industrious endeavour, was one worthy of all Mendelssohn and Schubert.' Yes! Beethoven, emulation. Mendelssohn, and Schubert were his triumvirate, We are not altogether surprised to learn that as a Schubert being the predominant partner; no wonder child he was lively and at times exceedingly mis- that he was amused and pleased at the fitness of chievous. An early instance of his ever-bubbling things when in walking along the streets of the City humour is recorded in an act of boyish mischief he espied the collocation ' Shoobert and Grove, wine whereby an alfresco lecture at school was completely bottlers.' ' What a horrible bore you must think me,' demoralized by Master George's ' stealthy application he wrote on one of his innumerable postcards,' but of a burning-glass to the trousers of a stooping Schubert is my c-xistence.' schoolmate '! Music soon entered into his life. The We get some pleasant reminiscences of musicians. periodical visits of the Grove family-who seventy Here are two of Costa. ' Costa's friend, Captain years ago resided where Wandsworth Road Railway Lyon-an old Queen's messenger who lived with Station now stands-to the concerts of the Sacred him-had broken his leg, and on one occasion I asked Harmonic Society furnish a pleasant picture of him if he was getting better. " Oh, yes," said Costa, youthful enjoyment. We quote from Mr. Graves's "he will walk on crotchets." 'At a rehearsal of narrative : " Lohengrin " Costa said: " Bring back the man with The house-key was hidden under the gate, and the goose."' From Costa to Brahms is a great step, supper left out for them on their return, which was but the stories concerning the latter are equally seldom before eleven, for they footed it both ways. entertaining. The first was told to Grove by To secure good places in the 3s. unreserved seats, Dr. Joachim:- they had to be there long before the doors were Brahms was at W- 's house at Coblentz. W-- opened, and then there was a regular hurdle-race is a great amateur of wine, and brought up some very over the benches to the front row. The interval special vintage and set it before Brahms, saying, before the performance began was spent in examining 'Now, Herr Brahms, this wine must be drunk with the score or the come the watching players' in--Perry great consideration. It is the same thing among leader, Lindley and old Drag.' (Dragonetti), the wines that you are among composers.' On which famous double-bass " player. Throughout the oratorio Brahms at once remarked: ' Do you happen to have G.' acted as expounder and commentator, never Bach in your cellar ? If so, bring him up at once.' failing to to signal attention his favourite passages. related Dr. Those were of Another, by Mandyczewski, is typically golden evenings halcyon days; they Brahmsian: used to sing nearly the whole way back to Clapham -a habit which led to the memorable comment of a A lady at Hanover wanted to make him play at an friendly policeman near the turnpike on the Wands- evening party, but he wouldn't. First he got her to stand in the curve of the worth Road. The Groves had fallen in with a noisy grand piano while he stood party from a neighbouring inn, and the at the keyboard, leaning across the lid so that it could policeman not be and hard to her all the who followed to keep them from being molested and opened, talking time. walked part of the way with them, thus delivered his And when at last she did get the lid opened, he at soul on the subject of music: ' Well, Sir, some likes once struck the low C with his left hand and a high the pihanny, and some likes the flute, and some likes C sharp with his right, and said, 'How can I play various sorts of instruments; but as for me, Sir, I on a piano that is so fearfully out of tune ? ' I like the wocal. Indeed, Sir, may say I'm a hog at The extracts relate the wocal !' following to his valued colleagues at the Royal College of Music :- His knowledge of the Bible was such as to draw Parry's ' Blest Pair '-a noblework, which improves from Dean Stanley the remark 'that Grove was the every time. best Old Testament theologian he knew.' All this I must leave off [writing a letter] for Parratt is looking over my shoulder with a horrid expression of * The Life and Letters of Sir George Grove, C.B., Hon. D.C.L. countenance (you know how fiendish he can look (Durham), Hon. LL.D. (Glasgow). Formerly Director of the Royal when he College of Music. By Charles L. Graves. London: Macmillan and chooses). Co., Ltd. 1903. The latter in fimn, of course. And this leads us to

This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Sat, 20 Dec 2014 07:56:21 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL 456 TIMES.-JuLY I, 1903. give some examples of Grove's humour. His stories, against novelty or blase with antiquity, but to keep a jokes, and the like were highly amusing, and how he boy's heart to the end of life. And what I wish for enjoyed telling them! 'Laughter holding both his myself I wish for you and for all my friends.' This sides' was a not inconsiderable quantity in his was eminently characteristic of the man. Moreover, personality. The ' Life' bristles with specimens his kindness knew no bounds. Many a worker in of ' the lighter side,' extracted from his numerous music or literature will reverently treasure to their note-books and recounted from personal recollection. dying day the memory of his kindheartedness, his At one time it appears he actually contemplated ungrudging sympathy, his practical help, no less than making a collection-for an article or book-of his breezy personality. jeux d'esprit. We learn that the abbreviation for the Mr. Graves modestly says that his ' Life' of Sir General Railway Station, (which, by-the-way, George Grove 'may serve to give some notion of the Grove helped to build), was 'G. S.,' but this a Chester man, his work, and his character to those who never tradesman took to mean 'Julius Caesar'! Sir Joseph met him, as it can hardly fail, with all its short- Paxton once remarked that something had made 'his comings, to refresh and reanimate the affection of blood broil'; and an agitator holding forth in Knowle those who came within his sphere of usefulness.' Park, Sevenoaks, referred to the 'pelebium blood' of The 'shortcomings ' we have been unable to discover; the owners. A Spurgeon anecdote tells of how the suffice it to say that the book is fascinating to a great preacher once sought the retirement of Sir degree, and we heartily commend it to our readers. George's private room at the Crystal Palace in order to 'have a smoke.' 'Then you do not mind an occasional cigar, Mr. Spurgeon,' said the genial secretary. 'Oh, yes I do, young man,' he replied, SIR ALEXANDER MACKENZIE ON HIS 'it is the regular cigar that I like.' We read of the CANADIAN TOUR. lady who, after a most impressive performance at a LETTER III.* Crystal Palace concert, said: ' You might have heard a mouse drop'; of the Englishman who, wishing To THE EDITOR OF THE MUSICAL TIMES. to the in to a say proper thing bidding good-bye S.S. IONIAN, May 16, 193. Frenchman, said: ' Au reservoir,' to which Monsieur DEAR horns of the dilemma in which replied: ' Tanks'!; of the captain of a steamer in the SIR,-The East who is said to have shouted :- the conclusion of my last letter left me were the only instruments at my command on the evening of Ease her, stop her, April 28, for the detention caused us to arrive ten Who's for Joppa? hours behind time for the rehearsal at Winnipeg. the with And then the Irish A man But I was at work right early in morning bull:' defending marriage Mr. Danz's Orchestra from Minneapolis (Concert- with a deceased wife's sister said, " I am not myself meister Herr Carl to an a man, but if I were, wife should Riedelsberger), preparatory marrying my expressly-called choral rehearsal in the afternoon. certainly be one of them"'; and finally the Here it be said that the tour 'Limerick': may throughout many of these choral rehearsals were held during the There was a musicianat Rio, luncheon-hour, when the singers could the more Who attemptedto play Hummel's Trio ; readily absent themselves from business, and music But his skill was so scanty, was (indeed) the food of love. In the evening we He played it Andante, the work a the Instead of con Brio. gave only by foreign composer during Allegro entire Cycle, and little did I think that I should a It must not however be assumed that frivolity have conducted the first performance of complete was the feature of Grove's life, much as oratorio in the wild and woolly West, and that work outstanding desires to hear this he enjoyed refined humour. No, not at all. Many 'Elijah'! Previously expressed notes are sounded in this autobio- masterpiece, with Mr. Watkin Mills (who is by no deeper largely the Director to graphic volume. ' Get all the education you can,' means unknown here), had induced said he in effect to some school children at include it in our scheme, and the great interest ' and then never miss a chance of evoked in the performance amply justified his Sydenham, helping attended others.' Says his friend the Rev. William Addis, acquiescence. Upwards of 2,000 people who records this: It was a lesson which if ever the concert, at which a large choir by singing with ' he, evidence of the a man did, faithfully practised throughout his long intention and vigour gave capital life'; and this is true. To a former training of Mr. Rhys Thomas. To my own little band perfectly Royal Miss College student who was feeling despondent about of solo vocalists was added Jeannie Rankin, her work he wrote: ' It's does it.' a former Royal College of Music student now literary dogged who the contralto In these four words he preached the lesson of resident in Montreal, sang part self-help which he had learned so well in fructifying with much acceptance. his own natural This from a letter written on Among the audience at the succeeding matinee gifts. were school a Sunday in August :- (April 30) I,ooo children-a pleasant sight those happy faces, and our efforts seemed to What a lovely day it has been to-day. I went to a meet their approbation. I can see at this moment a church where I had only been once before and heard couple of urchins nudging each other in great glee a Te Deum. Such fine music, and so well sung and whenever Miss Ethel Wood indulged in a flight into so devotional, that as it finished I said to myself, the upper register, and they became positively what more doesone want? What a noble hymn it is of -the tears were in my eyes more than once ; so they apoplectic with suppressed laughter at the skirl were during the Creed too. the bagpipes in 'The Little Minister' Overture. Passing from gay to grave, let me record that Again, in a letter to Sir Herbert Oakeley, written in Coleridge-Taylor's ' The Death of Minnehaha' was the spring, he said:-' Spring strikes me every year attentively listened to by 4,000 adults on the same with more force and more moral significance. So night, while Lincoln Bennett's (not the hatter's) may it be always! I long to keep my freshness and * my youth: to enjoy the beauties of Nature and Art Sir Alexander Mackenzie's previous letters (Nos. I and 2) appeared more and more every year, never to get stiffened in our issues of May and June, pp. 317 and 385.

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