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which are poured forth from an enthusiastic people, which really give utterance to popular emotion, are its first origin, and give it an indelible stamp. This enthusiastic outpouring of song generally happens only in the infancy and rudeness of nations, while superstition blinds and mystifies, while the passions are vehement and uncontrolled, and the poetry of life is untamed. The same causes which make a rude age poetical, would also give birth to music. The progress of the national music is afterwards analogous to that of the language. It is softened, improved, polished; but it remains essentially the same. The features which were derived from the deep sources of national character are never changed. The early airs are repeated from age to age, and others are fashioned from them, bearing the same distinctive character. Thus it has been with Scotland, with Ireland, and with Wales.

The first race with which England was peopled retired before the invader, and a new people, with another language, other customs, and other characteristics, took possession of the soil. These too undoubtedly had their music, as well as their language and their poetry. And, had the Saxons continued to be the people of England, their music might perhaps at this day have been prominent in the fine arts.

But the Saxons were invaded and conquered; and where did a conquered people ever preserve their song?"They sat down by the rivers of Babylon and wept;" they hung their harps upon the willows, and their sound was heard no more.

The Norman came with his romances and his minstrels. But the song of the minstrel was of earlier times, and of heroes long gone by. The language he spoke was soon modified, varied, and finally changed; and the two nations, the conqueror and the vanquished, became blended like their languages, till the original characteristics of both were confused and almost lost. With the growth of the English language, came an age of reality. The poetry of life was fast fading away. The time when national music is born had gone by in England, and the song of earlier days was lost.

Thus England was deprived of her traditionary music. Other circumstances, adverse to the growth of music as a creation of art, may be traced in her history. We speak of music as a creation of art, in contradistinction to the music which is handed down from a rude age, and whose origin is lost in antiquity. Among a highly endowed and enlightened

people, music, as an art, may spring up at any time. Wherever there is a strong taste for it generally diffused throughout a community, composers will be sure to appear. Wherever a nation is peculiarly excited by powerful sentiment, this feeling is likely to burst forth in song. Thus, for instance, the Marseilles Hymn may be considered a genuine offspring of

national enthusiasm.

Let us briefly compare the musical history of England with that of Italy. In the former, as we have seen, the traditionary music was lost. In the latter it was in some degree, at least, preserved; and was inherited, perhaps, from the remotest antiquity. For many centuries music in Italy was only preserved by the Christian church, having been solemnly proscribed at Rome after the death of the Emperor Nero. The airs of ancient Rome, inherited perhaps from the Etrurians, the Oscans, or the Greeks, were chanted by the early Christians at their secret devotions, and were preserved by their enthusiasm and piety, when they could no longer be heard in the stately abodes of the senators. And this ancient music, it is believed, has never been lost, the Gregorian chant being nothing more nor less than the classical music of Rome. Thus, although music was almost extinct for a long period, it never perished; and when, after almost disappearing from even the church, it was revived by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, and improved by Pope Gregory during the fifth century, Italy then was in possession of her traditionary

music.

But the art owes its perfection in Italy to the efforts of the church. An institution which depends so much upon affecting the senses of its devotees, would not of course omit to use so powerful a means as music. And accordingly we find, that both the oratorio and the opera owe their existence to the efforts of churchmen to promote a spirit of devotion in their followers. The earliest form of the spiritual drama was presented by the Christian Pilgrims, who, on their return from the Holy Land, used to accompany their dramatic representations of the life and sufferings of our Saviour and of the Apostles, with songs and choruses descriptive of the About the middle of the sixteenth century, Philip of Neri established regular oratorios in Florence, with the declared object of calling the public attention to religious subjects. The sacred opera had already assumed a more com

same.

plete form than the representation of the Pilgrims. A religious drama had been performed at Padua in the thirteenth century; and it appears, that the "Annunciation" was enacted every year at the city of Treves.

From sacred to profane subjects the step was easy. Politian produced a musical drama on the story of Orpheus, in the latter part of the fifteenth century, and thus the opera was established.

It was the good fortune of Italy, that a refined state of living, wealth, luxury, and elegance, and with them elevated and refined tastes, were acquired before the enthusiasm and devotion, which mark a ruder condition of society, had departed. The church still continued to direct the taste, and to influence the heart, long after the rough features of barbarism had disappeared from Italy; and the church, as we have seen, took music under its peculiar patronage. Music, like the other fine arts in Italy, was the offspring of enthusiasm and a romantic spirit, united with civilization, refinement, and wealth.

The case was entirely different in England. We have seen, that the revived music of Italy was founded on the traditionary airs of the country. Had these been lost, the music might now have been of a very different character. In England there was no such foundation to build upon. In Italy the growth of music was owing to the efforts of the church. But all such influences were almost lost in England. The Romish church never exerted the influence on the arts in that country that it did in Italy, because its power was lost before England became refined enough to take pleasure in the fine arts. While Giotto was painting the walls of the Campo Santo at Pisa, and Lorenzo Ghiberti was casting his gates of Paradise for the old Lombard church in Florence, the English were industriously occupied in cutting their own throats and the throats of their neighbours. The Reformation came; and with it a severe spirit, which looked with aversion upon outward forms and ceremonies, and all the magnificent paraphernalia of the Church of Rome. Many of the decorations. were removed from the churches, many of the forms were interdicted, and the splendor of worship was much diminished. Little or no encouragement was given to the arts by the Church of England down to the time of Charles the First, Then the spirit of Puritanism began to breathe its sternness

over the land, and its effects were to retard the growth of the fine arts in England more than a century. In the midst of all these changes, that enthusiastic spirit which gives birth to art was lost. The fervor of the Puritans, had their doctrines allowed it, might have originated a new and impressive music, which succeeding refinement would, perhaps, have improved to rival the music of Germany or Italy. But, unfortunately, all such accomplishments and exercises were denounced, and the barbarous twanging hymns of the Puritans had no other effect, than to destroy even the little taste for the art previously existing in England.

The writer of a very interesting article on the piano-forte, in a late number of the "Westminster Review," would make it appear, that music continued to flourish during the Commonwealth in England. In proof of this, he quotes the celebrated passage from Milton's "Tractate on Education," written while the author was Latin Secretary to Cromwell, in which he recommends the learning of music as a part of the regular training of young men. We can go further than this. Whitlocke informs us, that an opera was actually published in 1658, by Sir John Davenant. But we do not think either of these circumstances proves, that music was in a flourishing condition at the time. Milton was remarkably distinguished from the Puritans of his day. He excelled in courtly and chivalrous accomplishments; his learning was profound, and his spirit was deeply imbued with romance. We might as well quote Milton to prove, that all elegant arts and acquirements were cultivated and respected, as that music was preserved. It is well known, that, in the preliminaries to the treaty of Uxbridge, it was positively insisted upon, that all play-houses should be utterly interdicted for ever. Here was, of course, a death-blow to the opera. Davenant published his opera, notwithstanding this law; but it appears to have been a dangerous experiment. We find, at any rate, that he had fallen into such odium with the government, that his life was only saved through the intercession of Milton.

At all events, the writer of the article just quoted agrees with us, that music almost disappeared from England after the time of James the Second. He says,

"The mass of our diaries, correspondences, and periodicals, of the eighteenth century, if consulted, will serve to show,

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that while fashion still condescended to take music under the shadow of her goose-wings, and the middle classes, therefore, must needs ape the ecstasies of aristocrats, until the very grange of the farmer was polluted by the modish presence of the spinet' of Miss Betty or Miss Molly; the old spirit, which made our Bacons not deem the secrets of the art unworthy of honorable allusion, our Brownes include it among the objects of subtile speculation, our Evelyns condescend to read from the musician's pages, in turn with those of the poet and philosopher, had as utterly passed away as the delicious and racy language of the ancient drama, or the sweet superstition of the Fairies."

We have endeavoured to give a few of the more obvious reasons for the non-existence of English music, because we like to account for this want from external causes, rather than from a deficiency in the national capacities. We do believe, that, but for unfortunate influences, there might have been a musical literature peculiarly English; but, at the same time, we are forced to the conviction, that there is not in England so keen and delicate a perception of art, generally speaking, as in many other countries.

For many centuries the romance of life has been but little known in England. Even in the brilliant reign of Elizabeth, it was confined to a comparatively insignificant number. True, the accomplished Surrey went abroad proclaiming the charms of his fair Geraldine with spear and sword; Sidney realized in his own person the ideal virtue and courage of the heroes of the round table; Raleigh, and Essex, and Hatton, and many a noble knight beside, preserved the golden age of chivalry round the throne of their mistress. But, beyond the magic circle of the court, the romance of life ceased. It found no home among the people. There was nothing of that wild and poetical existence, which, for a hundred and fifty years afterwards, was found in the Highlands of Scotland.

But it may be said, there was as much of the romance of life in England as in Italy, from the time of the Medici downwards. This may be true, and yet nothing can offer a greater contrast than life in these two countries. We do not refer merely to the style of living, the manners and customs, the degree of comfort, and the amount of external conveniences; but to the spirit of society, the objects of life, the callings of men, the most important and absorbing interests. In England, life No. 106.

VOL. L.

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