Twelve Good Musicians Part 2

The next of our twelve musicians in chronological order of birth is Thomas Morley, born in 1557, when Byrd was a young man, though his course was run long before that veteran had finished with the affairs of this world. He was a pupil of Byrd, and was probably a chorister of St Paul's Cathedral. In 1588 he graduated B.Mus. at Oxford, and some three years later was appointed Organist of St Paul's. This position he did, however, not hold long, as in 1592, he was appointed a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. In 1598 he was granted the licence, which had previously been held by Tallis and Byrd, for the exclusive right of printing and selling Books of Music and Ruled Paper, and many of the musical works which were published at that time were issued by Este, Peter Short, William Barley, and others, as the a.s.signs of Thomas Morley. In 1602 he resigned his positions at the Chapel Royal, probably from ill-health, as one gathers {22} from the Introduction to his _Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practical Music_ that he was rather a confirmed invalid. Some have taken the year of his resignation as that of his death, but there is nothing to support this, and though Hawkins and Burney are at one in placing his death in 1604, the correct date is 1603.

Details of Morley's life are scanty, by his works we must know him.

His compositions are both vocal and instrumental, sacred and secular; and, in addition to his work in the various branches of composition, much of his fame rests upon his authors.h.i.+p of the first really satisfactory treatise on music, _The Plaine and Easie Introduction_ already referred to.

This work is full of interest, and has been a book of reference and of valuable information to musicians for the past three centuries.

Written in the form of a dialogue between Master and Pupil, it contains many quaint discourses, and it is in the early chapters of this work that the story is told of the unfortunate gentleman who could not read music at sight when asked to do so by his hostess, with the humiliating result that the company wondered "where he had been brought up."

Morley's book was translated into German by I. C. Frost, Organist of St Martin's, Halberstadt. {23} It is interesting to observe that more than one of his works was translated into German (e.g., the _Canzonets or Little Short Songs to Three Voyces_, published here first in 1593, was translated into German and issued at Ca.s.sel in 1612 and at Rostock in 1624; and the _Ballets for Five Voyces_ of 1595 was issued at Nuremberg in 1609).

This is a striking testimony to his merits, but the most celebrated of his publications was the great edition of Madrigals called _The Triumphs of Oriana_. This is said to have been compiled as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth, whose t.i.tle of "Gloriana" is well known. In this portly volume he includes no fewer than twenty-six Madrigals, contributed by many of the most famous living English composers. The work helped to make the practice of Madrigal-singing very popular in England, and to this day its influence is great and few programmes of Madrigal-music are ever issued without some specimen taken from this splendid collection.

And it is to Morley we owe a delightful contemporary setting of words by Shakespeare--the beautiful Lyric "It was a lover and his la.s.s" from _As You Like It_. This is one of the very few things which we possess--with the words by Shakespeare and the music by a contemporary {24} musician. Unfortunately, the charming song has been often sadly mutilated by editors, sometimes by the introduction of unwarranted "accidentals" and also by actual curtailment. I have, however, had the opportunity of referring to one of the few copies in existence of the original publication (formerly in the Halliwell-Phillip's collection), and have so been enabled to issue it in its correct form. Various attempts have been made to arrange it as a duet, on the ground that it was sung in the play by "two pages." The dialogue which precedes the song is very amusing and rather suggests that Shakespeare had some little experience of the peculiar weaknesses of singers, both amateur and professional. The following is the little episode in question:

_Enter Two Pages._

1st Page: Well met, honest gentleman.

Touchstone: By my troth, well met. Come sit, sit and a song.

2nd Page: We are for you: sit i' the middle.

1st Page: Shall we clap into't roundly, without hawking or spitting or saying we are hoa.r.s.e; which are the only prologues to a bad voice?

2nd Page: I'faith, i'faith; and both in a tune, like two gipsies on a horse.

_As You Like It_, Act V., scene 3.

The words "two gipsies on a horse" have been {25} taken to suggest that as the two gipsies must have ridden one behind the other, the two pages should sing, not in unison, but one after the other. Hence the effort to arrange the music in Canon, as it is termed. But there is no warrant for this; neither will the song admit of it.[1]

With respect to his Instrumental writing, in addition to many examples for the Virginals, he wrote for combined instruments, as will be seen later. Much of his Virginal-music is contained in the _Fitzwilliam Collection_, and in Will Forster's _Virginal Book_ in Buckingham Palace. For combined instruments may be mentioned the seven Fantasias, and there is also a collection called _First Book of Consort Lessons for Six Instruments, Lute, Pandora, Cittern, Ba.s.s Viol, Flute and Treble Viol_. Writing on this collection Dr Burney does not take a very high estimate of its musical value: "they seem to have been intended for Civic Feasts" (he says), "and Master Morley, supposing perhaps that {26} the harmony which was to be heard through the clattering of knives, forks, spoons, and plates, with the jingling of gla.s.ses and clamorous conversation of a City feast, need not be very accurate or refined, was not very nice in setting parts to these tunes, which are so far from correct that almost any one of the City Waits would have vamped as good an accompaniment on the spot."

I question if Dr Burney is justified in this scathing criticism. I do not suppose he ever heard them performed, for the good reason that there is no complete set of parts to be found, and there is no record of any such being in existence in his time. A few years ago I did my best to get these little "Band tunes" performed, but at first only the Viol and Flute parts could be found. Later on I was fortunate enough to discover a Cittern part in the Bodleian Library, and, later still, a part for the Pandora has been found in the Christ Church Library. We still want the parts for Lute and Ba.s.s Viol, but with these four we get a very good representation of the original, and at the Exhibition initiated by the Wors.h.i.+pful Company of Musicians we had one of these little tunes played by the six instruments, under the direction of the Rev. W. Galpin. We had to supply parts for Lute and Ba.s.s Viol, but as we had the original Harmony supplied {27} by the Flute (i.e. a small Recorder), which was an inner part, and by the Cittern and Pandora--both of which played Chords--we could not go far wrong. The effect was both interesting and charming, and altogether discounted Burney's unreliable criticism. It would be a great delight to all lovers of this early music if the two missing parts could be found, but I fear we shall hunt in vain.

His Sacred works include two Services and an Anthem, which was published in Barnard's collection, and a setting of the Burial Service, which appears in Boyce's collection. There are also examples, in MS.

amongst the Harleian MSS., in the Christ Church Library at Oxford, and the Fitzwilliam and Peterhouse Libraries at Cambridge. A curious thing, rather, in connection with his Sacred works is, that, unlike his secular compositions, none was published during his lifetime.

His style was not so broad as that of Tallis or so n.o.ble as that of Byrd, but he had a great influence upon the art. His own compositions include examples of his talent in many directions. As a theoretical writer he is really distinguished above his contemporaries, and contributed to the stores of Sacred, Secular, and Instrumental music, besides writing for the stage.

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Morley's early death was a real loss to English music, and he was mourned by all his contemporaries. One of the most touching testimonies is a beautiful _Lament for Six Voices_ by Thomas Weelkes, himself a distinguished composer, whom we shall consider later. The words are as follows:

A remembrance of my friend Mr. Thomas Morley.

Death hath deprived me of my dearest friend, My dearest friend is dead and laid in grave, In grave he rests until the world shall end, The world shall end, as end must all things have.

All things must have an end that nature wrought That nature wrought must unto dust be brought.

Another poetical testimony to Morley was written in his life-time, and may be given here. It is supposed to be by Michael Drayton:

Such was old Orpheus' cunning, That senseless things drew near him; And herds of beasts to hear him.

The stock, the stone, the ox, the a.s.s came running.

Morley! but this enchanting To thee, to be the music G.o.d, is wanting; And yet thou needst not fear him.

Draw thou the shepherds still, and bonny la.s.ses, And envy him not stocks, stones, oxen, a.s.ses.

[1] Mr Arkwright gives us an interesting bit of information in connection with Morley and Shakespeare. "Morley lived in St Peter's, Bishopsgate, between 1596 and 1601, and his name appears in two _Rolls of a.s.sessments for Subsidies_. In the earlier of these doc.u.ments is the name of William Shakespeare, his goods being valued at the same amount as Morley's. He and Shakespeare both appealed against the a.s.sessment, and it may be supposed some amount of personal intercourse existed between them."

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IV. THOMAS WEELKES

1575?--1623

In the previous Lecture I have mentioned Thomas Weelkes, and now turn for a short s.p.a.ce to this distinguished composer. As I have said before, I do not profess to include all the great English musicians of the 17th century in this short series of Lectures, and Weelkes is selected, not only as being greatly superior to many others, but because he has given us something original in the shape of combined Instrumental and Vocal work, in addition to his valuable contributions to the Madrigal School. Of this I must speak later. As a Madrigal-writer he is notable as one of the "glorious company" of contributors to _The Triumphs of Oriana_. Although little of his Church music is published, yet as Organist of Chichester Cathedral and, as a member of the Choir of the Chapel Royal, he was an experienced Church musician. He left many Anthems, which are preserved in MS. in various Libraries; and he contributed {30} two pieces to Leighton's _Teares and Lamentations of a Sorrowful Soul_. In his _Fancies for Strings_ he displays a very fertile imagination. I have had some of his _Fancies_ performed at my various Lectures, and have found them remarkable for melodic interest and very advanced as regards Harmony.

His instrumental writing is surprising; and, when one compares his Fancies with those by Orlando Gibbons, one is astonished at the novelty of his ideas. As will be seen later I shall have much to say in connection with Gibbons, Deering, and Purcell in regard to the Fancy.

But I may as well at once explain that this was the form which was supreme in the early days of the 17th century as a vehicle for Instrumental writing. An enormous number of these compositions exist, and it was not until Purcell's time that the Fancy disappeared--being supplanted by the Sonatas for three strings and a Ba.s.so Continuo. It was a form which helped on the progress of writing for Instruments in a wonderful way. "Apt for Voices and Viols" was the usual t.i.tle-page which composers loved. But, when the Fancy developed, the writing was far too elaborate to be "apt for voices," and so we get the independent instrumental Fancy. It was, as a rule, a work of some considerable length, and, while full of variety, it was lacking in {31} any real development. The composer indulged his "Fancy," and wandered from point to point at his own sweet will.

It was with the Fancy that Weelkes made an early experiment of adding a vocal part quite independent of the strings. And he took for his vocal part the popular series of "Cryes" which were then common to the streets of London. He did not, as has so often been wrongly stated, "set the Cryes of London to music," but he took the words and the music of these old and very interesting things and added the vocal part to what was a real Fancy for strings. It is said Morley did the same thing, but I have, so far, failed to find any example of it.

Ravenscroft took many of these same old Cryes and worked them up as Rounds, and Campion introduced _Cherry Ripe_ into a charming song "There is a Garden in her face" in 1617; but the _Humorous Fancy_ by Weelkes is, so far as I can see at present, the earliest of this kind of work. Later, in connection with Gibbons and Deering, I shall have much to say on this subject, as these composers also wrote _Humorous Fancies_, the vocal parts being the same old Cryes of London but treated in a more elaborate manner.

Weelkes' example is very charming, and although his string parts are somewhat stilted, {32} yet there is always life in them. He makes one point which shows he was not altogether able to forget his Madrigals and Ballets. Like the latter, the _Fancy_ at one point leaves its regular course, and for a few bars a delightful Dance tune is introduced, to the words--whatever they mean--"Twincledowne Tavye." It is as if the vendors of fish, fruit and vegetables met in the street and had a bit of a frolic together. The Fancy is resumed with the Cryes of the Chimney Sweep, Bellows-Mender etc., and later on a beautiful song for the seller of "Broome" is introduced. The words of this song date back before Weelkes, being found with slight variation in an old play called _Three Ladies of London_, 1584. They are sung by a character named "Conscience" who enters with brooms, and sings the song.

No doubt the tune given by Weelkes is the original one.

The conclusion of this Fancy is very charming and rather like an Anthem:

Then let us sing And so we will make an end With Alleluia.

There are two MSS. of this work in the British Museum. I have followed the shorter version, {33} as the longer is not only rather dull and prolonged but includes a little deviation into vulgarity, and so is hardly suitable for modern ears. The "Alleluia" occurs in the longer MS. and I have included it in my version.

It is fortunate that there are two sets of parts, as neither of them is complete. But having been so fortunate as to find these two sets I have been able to restore the missing part.

The discovery of this Fancy is the reason why I select Weelkes instead of Wilbye, one of his great contemporaries, and I think all lovers of Shakespeare will be glad to make acquaintance with the music of the _Cryes of London_ which saluted the Poet's ears in his daily walks.

Weelkes paid a loving tribute to "his dearest friend" Morley, on the latter's death. The date of Weelkes' death (1623) and other particulars have been brought to light by the investigations of the Rev. Dr. Fellowes, whose devotion to the madrigal school is so well known and appreciated. His paper on Weelkes (Musical a.s.sociation, May, 1916) is an eloquent testimony to the worth of this composer, to whose madrigal writing I have not s.p.a.ce quite to do justice. The _Humorous Fancy_, however, shows him in a new and interesting light.