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23
THE LIFE
OF
GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL
BY
W. S. ROCKSTRO,
AUTHOR or 'A HISTORY OF MUSIC FOR YOUNG STUDINTS,' 'PRACTICAL HARMONY,
THE RULES OF COUNTERPOINT,' ITC, ETC.
WITH AN INTRODUCTORY NOTICE BY
GEORGE GROVE, D.C.L.
LONDON :
MACMILLAN AND CO.
1883.
MALESIC
MW
410
1H13
R68
[S: CLLFELD]
SiciLFELD
NOTICE.
CONSIDERING the position which Handel holds in
England, and the manner in which certain of his
compositions have penetrated the existence of a
large portion of the English people, it is remark-
able that so long an interval should have elapsed
without a satisfactory memoir of him being
attempted in English. It is probably accurate to
say that his name is as widely known in this
country as Shakespeare's; at any rate it may be
taken as certain that no play of that great poet's
has been performed as often as the Messiah has.
And yet until recently Mainwaring's Memoir was
the only attempt at a biography of this popular
and influential writer; and that book-an octavo
of two hundred pages-is not only an inadequate
compilation, but has proved its inadequacy by
never having demanded a reprint, and by becoming
so rare that many persons well informed on such
vi
NOTICE.
subjects have never even seen it. The other books
dealing with Handel's life, by Mattheson, Burney,
Coxe, Hawkins, &c., are mere collections of anec-
dotes and desultory memoranda, equally inacces-
sible and unknown to the general reader with
Mainwaring's work. Still they are the work of
Handel's contemporaries, and therefore show that
the absence of an adequate Biography is not due,
as it is in Shakespeare's case, to the want of sound
materials.
Within the last few years two attempts have
been made to fill the blank, but neither of them
with success. Dr. Chrysander's 'G. F. Händel,'
though a model for pains and enthusiasm, is not
only in German, and old German type, but shares
with many other German biographies the defect
of excessive length, and of stating every fact
regarding its subject in equal proportions, mixing
up the sources of information and the conclusions of
the writer in one dense and difficult mass, without
divisions into paragraphs, head-lines, marginal
notes, or any other aid to a decipherment of the
impenetrable page. Moreover-probably owing
to Dr. Chrysander's absorption in the magnificent
edition of Handel's works to which he has devoted
See page 377, &c.
Cover
NOTICE.
his money, his knowledge, and his time during a
quarter of a century-his Biography has, since
1867, remained a fragment of two volumes and a
half, reaching down only to the year 174.0, and
hardly likely now ever to be completed.
The curious book of M. Schoelcher (The
Life of Handel,' 1857), though in English, and
satisfactory as to size, is deformed by such rampant
partiality, by such a want of method and technical
knowledge, and by so unfortunate a style, as to be
equally inadequate for its purpose with Chrysander's
work, though on different grounds.
Mr. Rockstro's Biography has at least the
advantage of avoiding some of the errors of its
predecessors. Whatever else the book is, it is
readable and well-proportioned. We are carried
along through Handel's life, with his commanding
figure always well in front; while the back and
sides of the picture are filled with landscapes,
buildings, persons, all characteristically drawn, and
all helping on the course of the story. On this
point nothing farther need be said. But the book
is much more than this. It is the work of one
who is not only a practised writer, but an able
technical musician. Its readableness and pic-
turesqueness are based on ample materials, skilfully
22
viii
NOTICE.
and cautiously used, often for the first time. A
prominent instance of this is the admirable way
in which the original manuscripts of Handel's
music in the Queen's Library at Buckingham
Palace, the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam
Library at Cambridge, and other places—a strong
contrast, if the parallel may be again permitted,
to the total want in Shakespeare's case-have
been utilised. Mr. Rockstro has himself pointed
out the vast importance of such autographs in the
case of a man whose letters are as few as Handel's
are. Among the rich material yielded by these
precious documents, not the least valuable are the
minute memoranda of date, which Handel in the
latter part of his life was so careful to make
throughout his scores. In Mr. Rockstro's Bio-
graphy we have, for the first time, a complete
reproduction of these interesting and important
statements (pages 167, 213, &c. &c.), which may
all be traced by means of the very copious Index.
We have here also for the first time a completo
Cataloguel of the whole of the Composer's works,
in every department; in itself a truly prodigious
picture of a long life spent in untiring industry.
All that can be done to connect the works them--
i See pages 432-439.
NOTICE.
ix
selves with the active, frivolous, intriguing society,
in the midst of which they were created, and to:
bring out the gigantic personality, and the indo-
mitable and versatile character, of the great artist-
manager who produced them so rapidly, and under
such unfavourable conditions, is given with all pos-
sible vivacity and force. The book will, I think,
be found to solve satisfactorily the difficult problem
of writing the life of an artist so that it shall be
welcome and interesting at once to the scientific
and the general reader.
One subject alone seems to demand more notice
than it has here received; I allude to the singular
question of Handel's borrowings and adaptations
from his own works and those of other composers.
On this Mr. Rockstro has touched more than once
(pages 221, 275, &c.). But since to do it justice
would require very full investigation and long
quotations, quite out of place in a popular 'Life'
like the present, he is no doubt wise to have
refrained from going farther into it here. It is,
however, a subject which continually calls more and
more earnestly for examination, and I trust that
either Mr. Rockstro, or some equally competent
writer, will before long treat the whole matter
from its foundation, with the care and knowledge,
NOTICE.
and freedom from partiality, that so very difficult
a question emphatically demands.
With these few remarks I leave Mr. Rockstro's
excellent Biography to the appreciation of its
readers.
GEORGE GROVE.
LOVER SYDENIAMI,
May 25, 1883.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
The purpose of the following Memoir will be found
so fully explained in the course of the work itself,
that it only remains for the Author to express his
obligation to the kind friends who have assisted
him in its preparation.
And first, in fulfilment of this pleasant duty,
he begs to offer his best thanks to Mr. W. G.
Cusins, for the courtesy with which, by Her
Majesty's gracious permission, he afforded him
every possible facility for subjecting the magnificent
collection of Autographs in the Royal Library to
a minute and exhaustive examination, of inde-
scribable value for critical purposes.
To the kindness of the Rev. Sir Frederick
Ouseley he is indebted for permission to describe
the famous Dublin MS.' of the Messiah ; and for
valuable information, and assistance of various
kinds, he begs to offer his sincere acknowledg-
ments to the Lady Llanover, the Earl of Aylesford,
Mr. Otto Goldschmidt, Dr. John Hullah, Mr. W. H.
Husk, Mr. W. Barclay Squire, Mr. H. Barrett
Lennard, Mr. W. H. Longhurst, Dr. F. Hoggan,
xii
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
Mrs. Lyttleton, Mr. W. S. Wintle (Secretary to
the Foundling Hospital), the Rev. J. R. Lunn, and
other friends, whose help has tended greatly to
increase the value of his work.
If, assisted by these kind coadjutors, he has
been able to throw any new light upon the Art-life
of the Composer to whose transcendent genius the
English School of the eighteenth century is in-
debted for its brightest triumphs, he will be more
than satisfied.
W. S. R.
ELM COURT, BABBICOMBE, TORQUAY,
1883.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHIAP.
I.-THE HANDEL FAMILY
·
II.-GEORG FRIEDRICH'S CHILDH001)
·
III.-THE JOURNEY TO BERLIN
12
·
IV.--THE STUDENT-ORGANIST
.
.
·
V.—THE JOURNEY TO EAMBURG
24
·
VI.-'ALMIRA'
.
.
.
.
.
.
VII.-THE JOURNEY TO ITALY
·
VIII.- THE FIRST ITALIAN OPERA
·
IX. THE FIRST VISIT TO LONDON
56
X.-IN LONDON AND HANOVER
·
XI.—THE UTRECHT TE DEUM
.
.
.
·
XII.-—AT BURLINGTON HOUSE . . .
XIII.--CONCERNING THE WATER MUSICK'.
.
.
XIV.--THE SECOND PASSION ORATORIO
XV.---CONCERNING THE DUKE OF CHANDOS
103
XVI.-CONCERNING TIE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC . . 122
XVII.---CONCERNING TIL SUCCESS OF TIIL ROYAL ACADEMY
OF MUSIC . . . . . . . . 134
XVIII.-CUZZONI AND FAUSTINA . . . . . . 144
xiv
CONTENTS.
СНАР.
PAGE
XIX.--CONCERNING THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROYAL
ACADEMY OF DIUSIC . . . . . . 151
XX.--HANDEL AS MANAGER . . . . . 159
XXI.-CONCERNING THE REVIVAL OF 'ESTIER,' AND 'ACIS
AND GALATEA'
. . . . . . 169
XXII.-THE TIIREATENING STORM
XXIII.-THE RIVAL OPERAS
189
XXIV.-PERFORMANCES WITHOUT DRAMATIC ACTION
199
XXV.-TIE LAST ITALIAN OPERAS
.
.
208
XXVI. — SAUL.' 'ISRAEL IN EGYPT'.
.
XXVII. —THE DISPUTED MAGNIFICAT
215
221
227
· 243
XXVIII.—THE MESSIAL'
XXIX.-THE TICINICAL IISTORY OF THE MESSIAH'.
XXX.—THE RETURN TO LONDON
.
.
264
.
XXXI.—TIE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN.
.
271
.
XXXII.-TIE SECOND BANKRUPTCY..
.
XXXIII.-BRIGITER PROSPECTS
.
XXXIV, -NATIONAL REJOICINGS
.
292
IXXV. --THE LAST ORATORIO
.
305
XXXVI.--ENGLISII DRAMATIC WORKS .
.
.
. 313
XXXVII.-PASTICCIOS
.
.
.
.
322
.
XXXVIII. - INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
.
326
XX.XIX.—EVENTIDE
.
350
. 359
XL.-TIE CLOSING SCENE
.
.
.
XLI.—THE WILL
.
XLII.—THE MAN
·
·
·
·
·
.
·
XLIII.-THE GENIUS .
.
XLIV.
DE RELIQUIIS
.
CONTENTS.
XY
PAGI
CATALOGUE OF WORKS.
432
·
FAC-SIMILE OF HANDWRITING.
440
·
APPENDIX
62
APPENDIX . .
GENEALOGICAL TREE
INDEX . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. . 442
. facing 447
. . 447
·
THE LIFE OF HANDEL.
CHAPTER I.
THE HÄNDEL FAMILY.
On the banks of the River Saale, in Lower Saxony,
some fifty miles from Magdeburg, and somewhat less
than half that distance to the north of Leipzig, and north-
west of Weissenfels, stands the once picturesque but now
comparatively uninteresting town of Halle.
Two centuries ago, this favoured seat of modern learn-
ing presented a very different appearance from that which
not prompts the jaded tourist to pass it by unnoticed.
Originally held in feoff by the Electors of Saxony, as an
appanage of the Bishopric of Magdeburg, it was ceded,
after the close of the Thirty Years' War, to the
Electorate of Brandenburg. The actual transfer of the
executive power did not, however, take place until after
the death of the Herzog Augustus of Saxony, who
ruled it for many years, under the modest title of
Administrator, fixing his residence at the Moritzburg, and
surrounding himself with a Court, less splendid in its
appointments than those of Dresden or Vienna, yet far
more interesting for the glimpses it afforded into the
THE HÄNDEL FAMILY.
[CITAT. I.
domestic life of one of the noblest houses in Germany.
Under this form of government, the town continued
to prosper, and its inhabitants to dwell together in
laudable contentment, until the year 1680, when the
death of the Administrator wrought a notable change
in its prospects. In 1681, the supreme power was
formally claimed by the Elector of Brandenburg, who,
after duly receiving the homage of his new subjects,
left their beloved Vaterstadt to subside into the dulness
naturally to be expected in a princely residence suddenly
abandoned to the unbroken routine of sober burgher life.
Henceforth, the courtly phase of its existence lived only
in the memory of the past. Its famous University had
not yet sprung into existence. The presence of no grave
body of professors vouched either for its classical dignity
or for the respectability of its mundane status. No troops
of cloth-capped students paraded its suburbs by day, or
made night hideous over their Lager Bier while grave
professors slept. Yet, even then, it was not without its
objects of interest.' Its brave old Moritzburg, no longer
tenanted by reigning Princes, but consecrated still by a
thousand chivalrous traditions of stirring times not yet
wholly forgotten, and golden memories of men and deeds
to be forgotten never. Its dim Liebfrauenkirche, sur-
passing in wealth of ornament, and fitness of proportion,
the stately charms of many a proud Cathedral. Its giant
Roland, and mysterious Rothe Thurm, suggestive of secrets
unknown to living antiquary. Its dark well-trodden
streets. Its quaint old medieval Rathhaus, scarcely less
picturesque than that of Leipzig. Its busy Marktplatz,
hemmed in by an aërial rampart of tall, steep, red-tiled
roofs, each pierced with tiers of countless dormer-windows,
like portholes in the sides of a bold three-decker, and
1609–1655.]
HALLE.
dominated by an interminable phalanx of dusky chimney-
stacks, which, hospitable as those of Basle and Strassburg at
the present day, crowned the habitations of the indus-
trious bourgeoisie with a dwelling for the stork.' All
these remained, after the last feeble ray of princely sun-
shine had glided from Halle to Berlin; and to these must
now be added a later attraction, which speaks, not to the
world ; for it was in this old town that the Composer of
Messiah' was born.
Two hundred years ago, the neighbourhood of Halle
was celebrated, as now, for a chain of salt springs, rich
enough to represent the wealth of an entire province.
Endowed with these natural treasures, the working of
which involved a vast amount of capital and labour, the
town could not but have been a prosperous one, in its
commercial relations, from very early times. At any rate
it was prosperous enough, during the opening years of the
seventeenth century, to attract the serious attention of a
certain worthy burgher of Breslau, Valentin Händell by
name, who, forsaking his birthplace, in the year 1609,
settled in Halle as a master coppersmith, and, having
the remainder of his days within its walls, in the enjoy-
1 The family name is known to have been spelled in a variety of
ways, which do honour to the uncertain orthography of the seven.
teenth century. The following forms were common : Händel,
Haendel, Hendel, Hendall, Hendell, Handel, Handell, Fondel,
Handle, Händeler, Hendeler, Händtler, Hendtler, Händler, Han-
delin. In the following pages we have adhered to the threo
forms used by Handel himself-Händel, Hendel, and Handel,
-confining the employment of each to the period at which lic
himself adopted it.
2 Das Bürgerrecht.
B 2
MEISTER GÖRGE.
[CHAP. I.
ment of a comfortable competency, earned by honest labour
and characteristic German thrift.
Before taking this decisive step, the worthy Breslauer
had prudently endeavoured to strengthen his domestic
relations by one still more importanta matrimonial
connection with Anna, daughter of Samuel Beichling, a
brother coppersmith of Eisleben. The marriage took
place in 1608, and, in process of time, was blessed with
five sons and a daughter. Two of the former—Valentin
the younger, and Christoph — followed the family
calling. Samuel and Gottfried died young. The fifth
son, Georg, was ambitious. Born in September, 1622,
and deprived of his father's protecting care before he
had completed his fourteenth year, he soon found
himself quite capable of making his own way in the
world. With laudable determination to succeed, he began
life by studying the rude surgery of the period, under the
auspices of Christoph Oettinger, the town barber. This
functionary died on the 15th of April, 1639; leaving
behind him a thrifty widow, Frau Anna Oettinger, who
afterwards carried on her late husband's business by proxy.
On the 20th of February, 1643, Georg Händel married
the prosperous relict; and, by this masterstroke of policy,
became entitled both to the freedom of the town and the
style of 'Meister Görge,' some months before he attained
the ripe age of twenty-one.
Though twelve years older than her second husband,
Frau Anna Händel 1 gave birth in due time to six
children, of whom two only—Dorothea Elizabeth, and
Karl-lived to perpetuate the race. Meanwhile, Meister
Görge worked diligently at his profession, and with
i This lady's identity must be carefully distinguished from that
of her mother-in-law, of the same name.
1609–1685.]
DOROTHEA TAUST.
such success, that, in 1652, he was appointed town
surgeon? of Giebichenstein, a suburb of some importance,
now almost continuous with the town of Halle. This was
much for a young man of thirty, and doubtless formed a
stepping-stone to better things; for, not very long after-
wards, he received the additional appointments of Surgeon
in Ordinary, and Valet-de-chambre,2 to Prince Augustus
of Saxony. The exact date of this last preferment has
not yet been ascertained; but it is certain that Georg
Händel enjoyed it for some considerable time before the
Prince's death, and that he afterwards held the same
confidential position in the household of the Elector of
Brandenburg.
Frau Anna Händel died on the 9th of October, 1682,
at the venerable age of seventy-two; and, on the 23rd of
April, 1683, Meister Görge contracted a second marriage,
with Dorothea, daughter of Pastor Georg Taust, of
Giebichenstein, a lady then just thirty-two years of age, and
equally respected for the gentleness of her demeanour, her
loving submission to parental and conjugal authority, her
earnest piety, and her reverence for and intimate acquaint-
ance with the text and teaching of the Holy Scriptures;
qualities which were all faithfully reproduced in the
character of her children.
The first fruit of this second marriage was a son, who,
born in 1684, died within an hour after his entrance into
the world. The second—the subject of the present
memoir—first saw the light in the February of the fol-
lowing year. Two daughters completed the family:
Dorothea Sophia, born on the 6th of October, 1687,
and afterwards married to Michael Dietrich Michaelsen,
I Amts Chirurgus.
? Leib Chirurgus and Geheimer Kammerdiener.
THE HOUSE OF HÄNDEL.
[CUAP. I.
Doctor of Jurisprudence; and Johanna Christiana, who
was born June 10th, 1690, and died, unmarried, in 1709.
In Meister Görge's second family, our interest in the
genealogical tree of the House of Händel reaches its cul-
minating point. Except for the purpose of identifying
certain legatees, to be hereafter mentioned, we need pursue
its ramifications no farther ; nor need we encumber our
pages with a network of biographical details, concerning
even the founders of the race. For, in tracing out
the history of these worthy burghers, whose only claim
upon our notice lies in their invincible respectability,
we find no mention, anywhere, of a predilection for
that delightful Art among the votaries of which the name
of Handel has so long been "familiar as a household
word.' The Bach family transmitted its precious heritage
of talent, from father to son, through six generations,
at least, of earnest students. The name of Domenico
Scarlatti is scarcely less illustrious than that of his
father, Alessandro. Mozart and Beethoven learned the
language of Music in their cradles. But the House of
Händel was not an artistic one. Ready enough to
direct its energies to the attainment of an honourable
position in the world, it was utterly dead to all loftier
aspirations. The clever surgeon himself seems to have
practised medicine with no higher air than the accumu-
lation of the most profitable Court appointments he
could compass. To his son alone was it given to glorify
the family history with the fire of heaven-born genius.
And the lustre thus imparted to its annals died out with
its first possessor, who neither inherited it from a past
generation, nor bequeathed it to a future one.)
? See the genealogical tree of the Händel family.
CHAPTER II.
GEORG FRIEDRICH'S CHILDHOOD.
It is difficult, after the lapse of nearly two hundred
years, to identify the site of Meister Görge's residence
in Halle with absolute certainty. There is, however,
strong evidence in favour of the general belief that he
occupied the house known as “Grosser Schlamm Nro. 4,'
now the property of Herr F. W. Ruprecht, and the
object of many a pious pilgrimage. Notwithstanding
its unattractive name, this dwelling was, in reality,
a very pleasant one, situated in a busy part of the
town, within a few minutes' walk of the Market-place,
in one direction, and of the Moritzburg, in the other
—a position which the Surgeon in Ordinary must have
found exceedingly convenient, and which certainly does
not tend to weaken the authority of the tradition which
points to the premises as having once been his property.
It was here, then, in all probability, that the second
and only surviving son of Géorg and Dorothea Händel
drew his first breath on the 23rd of February, 1685.2
It was from this house that he was taken, on the following
I Am Schlamme means, literally, 'on the mud.'
2 See Appendix A.
8 GEORG FRIEDRICH'S CHILDHOODS
. [CHAP. II.
day, to be baptized, in the Liebfrauenkirche, by the name
of Georg Friedrich; his Sponsors, on that solemn occasion,
being Herr Philipp Fehrsdorff, Court Administratori at
Langendorff; Herr Zacharias Kleinhempel, town barber of
Halle, residing in the Näumarckt; and Jungfer Anna Taust,
his mother's sister. And, in this same house, within hearing
of the great Church Bell, he spent his happy childhood-
the darling of his father's old age, and the fondest hope of
a mother, to whose tender solicitude he owed the training,
which, through all the trials and vicissitudes of a long
and more than ordinarily eventful life, kept him honest,
and just, and true, and secured him the respect of Princes,
and the affection of all who were not blinded by jealousy
to the splendour of his genius and the depth of his moral
worth.
Georg Friedrich was a born Musician; and scarcely
waited for his emancipation from the nursery to begin
the practice of his Art. His earliest delight was a mimic
Orchestra of toy Drums and Trumpets, Horns, and Flutes,
and Jews’-harps. For a time, the kind old surgeon bore
patiently with this childish fancy; but, finding that
it was rapidly developing itself into a passion, he
grew more anxious with regard to its probable effect
upon the future of the young enthusiast, whom he had
determined to educate for the legal profession, and
sternly forbade the practice of any kind of Music what-
ever. He would have no more of such jingling,' he
said : “henceforth, all houses in which Music was
practised must be avoided. This was a sore trouble to
the child. In all other matters he was docile and
obedient; but, without his beloved Music he could not
live, and against this cruel prohibition he rebelled. By
i Hochfl. Sächs. Verwalter.
1685–1690.] THE STORY OF THE CLAVICHORD.
9
means of some friendly help, the nature of which has
not transpired, he managed to obtain possession of an
old Clarichord.1 This he smuggled into an unoccupied
garret, constructed in the roof of the house; and here,
beneath the storks' nests, he practised, at night, while
the rest of the family slept. And he was able to hear
good Music, too, sometimes. On certain evenings in the
week, it was (and still is) the custom to sing or play a
Choral on the tower of the Liebfrauenkirche. To this
performance the little virtuoso listened with rapture; no
doubt endeavouring to reproduce the sweet strains of
Nlnit unher alle päälder, üdło Gott der Herr nicht bei
wns Itält, Vater unser im Himmelrcich, and other pious
Hymns, on his darling Clavichord; and, as subsequent
events sufficiently proved, making extraordinary progress
both in executive power and artistic expression, though
unable to obtain any instruction whatever, save that
afforded by his own true natural instinct. It was a happy
time; and the stolen practisings did good service as a
preparation for greater things.
Of all this the unsuspecting father remained profoundly
ignorant, until his attention was drawn to the subject by
an event as singular as it was unexpected. It happened,
1 The Clavichord was a keyed instrument, the wires of
which were so muffled by a general damper of cloth that the
tones they produced were scarcely audible. On this account, the
instrument was much used in the cells of Monasteries, when
studious Monks or Nuns wished to practise, without disturbing
the Community. Small Clavichords were sometimes made without
legs, and placed, for ase, upon a table. Some were even small
enough to be carried under the arm; and it was, no doubt, an
instrument of this description which Handel succeeded in con.
veying to the garret. (See the article, CLAVICHORD, in the
Dictionary of Music and Musicians.)
10
[CITAP. II.
SÄCHSE-WEISSENFELS.
about this time, that he was summoned to the Court of
Sächse-Weissenfels, where his grandson, Georg Christian
Händel, held the appointment of valet-de-chambre in the
household of the reigning Duke, a prince of high intel-
lectual culture, and a liberal patron of Art.2 The child, who
had, no doubt, heard the music at Weissenfels deservedly
praised, was most anxious to participate in the delights of
so tempting a journey; and, finding that he could by no
amount of persuasion obtain permission to accompany
his father, conceived the bold idea of running after his
carriage, which he followed successfully until it reached
a convenient halting-place. Though extremely angry at
this act of disobedience, Meister Görge had not the heart
to offer any farther resistance to the entreaties of his little
one, whom he permitted, when the first outburst of his wrath
was over, to occupy the much-coveted vacant seat in his
coach. The tired little feet found rest at last; but the
kind-hearted surgeon's change of purpose proved fatal to
the success of his long-meditated scheme. Georg Friedrich
was not born to be a lawyer.
On arriving at the Castle, the child made immediate friends
with some members of the Duke's Kapelle, who admitted
him to their rehearsals, and took him, on Sunday, into
the Organ-loft, where, after the conclusion of the Service,
i Mainwaring describes this journey to Weissenfels as having
taken place when Georg Friedrich was seven years old. Chry-
sander relegates it to a somewhat later period, but without any
certain evidence to support his case.
? Georg Christian was the second son of Karl Händel (the
fifth child of Meister Görge's first family) and Justine Margarethe,
rzée Frankenberger. He was born on the 6th of July, 1675, and
was, therefore, ten years older than his little half-uncle, Georg
Friedrich. Schoelcher (misled, no doubt, by Mainwaring),
erroneously describes him as Meister Görge's son. Christian
Gottlieb Bändel, of Kopenhagen, was his youngest child.
1685–1690.] SÄCHSE-WEISSENFELS.
11
the Organist lifted him upon the stool, and permitted him
to play upon the finest instrument he had as yet had the
happiness of touching. The Duke listened attentively to
the performance; and, struck with its style, enquired the
name of the player. It is the little Händel, from Halle,
my grandfather's youngest son,' said Georg Christian, to
whom the question was addressed. Thereupon, the Duke
summoned both father and son into his presence, filled
the pockets of the latter with money, and discoursed so
eloquently to the former upon the duty of encouraging the
natural bias of his son's extraordinary genius, that the
good Chirurgus yielded at last to the power of princely
persuasion, and, without actually giving up his original
intention of educating his child for the law, promised that
he would, at least, offer no farther opposition to the free
exercise of his natural gifts.
It would have been unfair to expect more than this;
nor did the Duke desire more. And, in granting this
much, the father ran but little risk with regard to the
general education of his son, who worked as industriously
at his books as he did at his Music, and made such rapid
progress in every branch of learning, that we are fully
justified in believing him to have possessed one of those
master minds which never fail to distinguish themselves,
whatever position in life their owners may be fated to
occupy. Had he been, by nature, a Musician only, he
would never have filled the place he now holds in the
history of Art.
CHAPTER III.
THE JOURNEY TO BERLIN.
MEISTER GÖRGE proved himself as good as his word. On
his return to Halle, he placed Georg Friedrich under the
then Organist of the Liebfrauenkirche, l Friedrich Wilhelm
Zachau-an enthusiastic young Musician, of more than
average talent, who soon won the child's affection; taught
him to play upon the Organ, the Harpsichord, the Violin,
the Hautboy, and almost every other instrument in common
use in the Orchestras of the period ; instructed him in the
arts of Counterpoint and Fugue ; and did the best he could
for him in every way, to the best of his own ability.2
How time was found for the prosecution of a course of
technical study so comprehensive as this, side by side with
1 The Oberpfarrkirche zu Unser Lieben Frauen zu Halle'
forms the chief attraction of the Market-place, which it bounds
on the north side. The main body of the Church was built in
1530-54; but the towers--two of them connected by a bridge
are of much earlier date. It is called, indiscriminately, the
Liebfrauenkirche, the Marienkirche, the Hauptkirche, and the
Kirche am Marktplatz.
Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau was born, in Leipzig, on the 19th
of November, 1663. He was elected Organist of the Liebfrauen-
kirche at Halle, in 1684, and retained the appointment until his
death, which took place on the 14th of August, 1721. A con-
siderable number of his compositions, chiefly Church Cantatas
1690–1696.] EARLY COMPOSITIONS.
13
the classical education indispensable to a student of juris-
prudence, it is not very easy to understand ; but we
know that the child made equal progress in both. While
the father was more than satisfied with his advancement
in Latin, the rapidity with which he overcame the most
formidable difficulties connected with the theory and
practice of Music was almost incredible. His command
over the Organ and Harpsichord astonished all who heard
him ; and his zeal for composition was so untiring, that,
by the time he was eight or nine years old, he was able
to produce something new, either in the form of an
exercise upon a Canto fermo, a Sonata, a composition
for the Organ, or a Church Cantata for voices and
instruments, at the end of every week.
· A volume containing six Sonatas, composed at this early
period, for two Hautboys and Bass, was discovered, years
afterwards, in Germany, by Lord Polwarth, 1 who brought
it to England, and presented it, as a great curiosity, to the
celebrated flute-player, Weidenann, from whom he was
then taking lessons. Weidemann showed the MS. to its
then famous author, who instantly recognised it as one of
his own youthful essays in instrumental composition,
and laughingly said: 'I used to write like a devil in
those days, and chiefly for the Hautbois, which was
my favourite instrument.'? Burney afterwards saw
this volume in the Royal Collection; but we have
and pieces for the Organ, are preserved in the Berlin Library;
and fragmentary examples of some of them have been printed by
Von Winterfeld and Chrysander. They are written in true
musician-like, style, but are unbrightened by a trace of real
genius.
1 Afterwards Earl of Marchmont.
- Burney, Commemoration of Handel, p. 3.
14
[CHAP. III.
THE JOURNEY TO BERLIN.
sought for it in vain among the MSS. at Buckingham
Palace.
Another relique, scarcely less valuable as an indication
of the peculiar course of study prescribed by Zachau,
passed, after the Composer's death, into the hands of his
amanuensis, John Christopher Smith. This was a volume,
dated 1698, signed 'G. F. H.,' and filled with transcripts
of Airs, Fugues, Choruses, and other works, by Frohberger,
Zachau, Krieger, Kerl, Heinrich Albert, Ebner, Adam
Strunck, and other German writers of the seventeenth
century, collected together as examples of their several
styles. After Smith's death this volume became the
property of Lady Rivers, in whose possession it is known
to have remained as late as the year 1799;1 but all
trace of it has since disappeared.
Beyond these now vanished treasures, no written records
of this most interesting period seem to have been even
temporarily preserved. Yet the weekly productions cannot
have been worthless; for—as Zachau himself confessed-
three years of study enabled the pupil'to acquire all that
the master could teach him. Assuming Mainwaring's
chronology to be correct, with regard to the date of the
journey to Weissenfels, this brings us to the year 1695 ;
and there is strong reason for believing that it was about
this time, or, quite certainly, very little later, that the
Child-Musician, longing for a more extended field of
observation than that which was open to him in Halle,
persuaded his father to send him to Berlin.2
The residence of the Elector of Brandenburg was, at this
period, one of the most important Art-centres in Germany.
i Anecdotes of Handel, by Rev. W. Coxe, p. 6.
2 Mainwaring places this event in 1698; but, as we shall
afterwards show, his chronology, in this case, is impossible.
15
1690–1696.] THE ELECTRESS SOPHIA.
The Elector Friedrich—afterwards King Friedrich I. of
Prussia—was a man of cultivated mind, liberal to artists,
and ready to encourage talent wherever he found it.
His consort, the Electress Sophia Charlotte-afterwards
called the 'Philosophic Queen,' in allusion to her intimacy
with Leibnitz-was a pupil of the Abbate Steffani, and
was generally regarded as one of the most accomplished
Musicians in Europe. It was little to be wondered at,
that, under such exalted patronage, the Concerts and Operas
of Berlin flourished as they had never flourished before.
The Electress herself delighted in directing the perform-
ances, in which Princes and Princesses sang, played, and
danced, while grave Musicians, themselves accustomed to
assume the lead at inferior Courts, humbly took their places
in the Orchestra. Italian Maestri, especially, were wel-
comed with open arms; and Music became so much the
fashion at the Electoral Palace, that artists flocked thither
from every part of Europe.
Here, then, our little Georg Friedrich was sent, in all
probability in the year 1696, in charge of a friend of the
having been duly presented to the Elector and Electress,
whom he delighted by the beauty of his performances,
he made acquaintance with more than one Musician of
European reputation—notably with Attilio Ariostil and
1 Attilio Ariosti was born at Bologna in 1660, and at an early
age became a Dominican Monk. Ele appears to have afterwards
obtained a dispensation; for, in 1696, we find him producing his
first Opera, Dafne, at Venice. The date of his appointment as
Kapellmeister to the Electress, at Berlin, is involved in some
obscurity. In 1720 he visited London, and is said to have
composed an Act of Muzio Scevola, in conjunction with Handel.
After this he appears to have returned to Italy. The date of his
16
BUONONCINI'S JEALOUSY. [CHAP. III.
Giovanni Battista Buononcini,1 two rival Composers whom
he was destined to meet again, in later life, under very
remarkable circumstances.
Ariosti treated the child, from the first, with sincere and
undisguised affection, holding him upon his knee, by the
hour together, at the Harpsichord, while, astonished at
the cleverness of his performance, he imparted to him many
valuable hints for his future guidance. Buononcini was more
reserved. Without troubling himself either to verify or
refute the opinions expressed by his colleagues, he avoided
the 'infant prodigy' as a creature beneath his contempt,
until it became impossible any longer to turn a deaf ear
to the universal verdict in the little stranger's favour.
He then changed his tactics ; composed a Cantata, with
a Thorough-bass for the Harpsichord, filled with chro-
matic progressions of extreme difficulty; and requested
Georg Friedrich to accompany it at sight. The child
performed the task, not only correctly, but with such
perfect mastery over its difficulties, such faultless taste
and refined musician-like feeling, that the jealous Maestro
could no longer affect to conceal his real opinion. Hence-
forth he felt constrained to treat his youthful antagonist,
not indeed with cordiality, but with a cold politeness,
i The family of Buononcini produced several famous Musicians.
The founder of the race was Giovanni Maria, who was boru in
1640, and died in 1678. His eldest son, Marc Antonio, born in 1658,
was the Composer of numerous Operas, the most successful of
which was Camilla. He died in 1726. Giovanni Maria's youngest
son, Giovanni Battista, born in 1672, was a pupil of Colonna.
The date of his arrival at Berlin is doubtful; but it is certain
that he was invited to London, in 1720, as the acknowledged
rival of Handel; and, as we shall meet him again in due time, in
that unenviable capacity, we need say no more of him here.
Chrysander is of opinion that both Giovanni Battista and Marc.
Antonio yere in Berlin at tho time of Handel's visit.
17
1690–1696.] THE RETURN TO HALLE.
which, though little less offensive to the warm-hearted
child than his former contempt, passed muster well enough
at Court for a better feeling. And thus began a rivalry,
which, sufficiently disastrous to either side, fell not far
short of involving the two contending parties in a common
ruin.
Meanwhile, the Elector, foreseeing the éclat which must
necessarily attend upon the full development of so extra-
ordinary a genius, proposed to take the child at once into
his service; to send him, free of all expense, to Italy, for
the completion of his education; and to place him, on his
return, in a position worthy of his transcendent ability.
This flattering offer was announced, in due form, to
Meister Görge, whose shrewd good sense, fortified by his
natural unwillingness to part with the darling of his
declining years, prompted him to refuse it without a
moment's hesitation. Expressing his deep gratitude to
the Elector for so signal a mark of favour, he so feelingly
represented the facts of the case, that it was impossible to
doubt the sincerity of his protest. The scheme was con-
sequently abandoned without farther parley. But the
old Chirurgus was too clever a man of the world to risk
the caprice of a Prince whose will was law. He therefore
summoned Georg Friedrich back to Halle immediately;
and, though he did not live long enough to test the value
of his own cautious policy, subsequent events proved that
in this, as in all other matters in which mere worldly
wisdom was concerned, he was entirely in the right. For,
King Friedrich I. died in the year 1713, and one of the
first acts of his successor, King Friedrich Wilhelm I., was
to disperse the entire Kapelle, and scatter the once
favoured Court Musicians to the ends of the earth.
CHAPTER IV,
THE STUDENT-ORGANIST.
MEISTER GÖRGE survived his son's return from Berlin
but a very few months. Respected by all who knew
him, he died, in his house, am Schlamme, on the 11th of
February, 1697, at the ripe age of seventy-five; leaving
behind him three young children-Georg Friedrich,
Dorothea Sophia, and Johanna Christiana—aged respec-
tively twelve, ten, and seven years; twenty-eight grand-
children; and two great-grandchildren.
Happy was it for the youthful members of the second
family that they had so good a mother as Frau Dorothea
to superintend their education, and prepare them for their
conflict with the world. Under her watchful guidance,
Georg Friedrich prosecuted his studies with a steadiness
which could scarcely have been exceeded had he been.
really preparing for the Law. After a more than credit-
able career at school, where he distanced all competitors
as a Latin scholar, he was admitted, on the 10th of
February, 1702, as a student at the newly-founded
University of Halle, then under the direction of Prorector
Buddeus. It is needless to say that this change of cir-
i The 'Friedrichs-Universität'--so called in memory of the
Elector Friedrich of Brandenburg, by whom it was first founded
1697-1703.] THE FRIEDRICHS-UNIVERSITÄT.
19
cumstances tended in no wise to diminish the fervour
of his love for Art. On the contrary, we possess sufficient
contemporary evidence to prove, not only that he con-
tinued to practise Music with increasing diligence; but,
also, that his fellow-townsmen were wise enough to
appreciate his talent at its true value. Georg Philipp
Telemann, who passed through Halle on his way to Leipzig,
in 1701, speaks admiringly, in an autobiographical sketch
communicated to Mattheson, of the already famous
Georg Friedrich Händel,'1 with whom he was continually
engaged in the working-out of melodious compositions,
both personally, during the course of frequent visits on
both sides, and by letter.' Mattheson himself tells us,
in an earlier work, that his young friend added to his
rare musical knowledge many other polite studies.'3 And
this last testimony, corroborated, on the one hand, by the
records of the University, and, on the other, by some
curious documents preserved among the archives of the
Cathedral, is the more valuable, as emanating from an
author less prone to exaggerate the merits of others than
to dwell complacently upon his own.
From a communication addressed by the “reformed
subjects' of Halle to King Friedrich I. of Prussia—the
quonclam Elector Friedrich, who attained the dignity of
in the year 1694—had not, at the period of Händel's matricula-
tion, attained the celebrity which afterwards distinguished it as
one of the most important Protestant Colleges in Germany. Its
latest glories date no farther back than the year 1815, when the
University of Wittenberg was transferred to, and incorporated
with, the original foundation. The present buildings were
designed in 1836. The most eminent name associated with its
literary history is that of the great Hebrew scholar, Gesenius.
1 Mattheson's Ehren-Pforte (Hamburg, 1740). ? Ib. p. 359.
3 Critica Musica (Hamburg, 1722–25), vol. ii. p. 212.
EARLY PREFERMENT. [CHAP. IV.
Royalty in 1701—we learn that a certain Johann Christoph
Leporin, after serving, for four years, as Organist of the
Cathedral attached to the Moritzburg, 1 neglected his duty
so grossly, and abandoned himself to so dissolute a life,
that, in 1702, it became necessary to visit him with
summary dismissal. Though Georg Friedrich was then
no more than seventeen years of age, the governing body
showed its just discernment by placing the vacant appoint-
ment at his disposal, with a fixed salary of 'fifty thalers
per annum, payable quarterly,' and an official residence
on the Moritzburg, 'over against the gate,' underlet, at a
rental of sixteen thalers, to Amtshauptmann von Brandt.
This honourable preferment, second only in importance
to that connected with the Liebfrauenkirche, was made
dependent upon a term of twelve months' probation; not,
as might fairly have been expected, on account of the
presentee's minority, but because the Calvinists of the
Domkirche would naturally have preferred an Organist
of their own persuasion to the scion of so staunch a
Lutheran family as that of Händel. As events turned
out, the arrangement proved a very convenient one ; but,
by a cruel perversion of the truth, Leporin's disgrace
afterwards led to an utterly groundless attack upon the
otherwise untainted character of Zachau, to whom his
delinquencies have been falsely attributed by more than
one incautious biographer, though no reasonable doubt
really exists, either as to the innocence of the calumniated
victim, or the identity of the actual offender.2
i Tho Königliche Schloss-und-Domkirche zur Moritzburg formed
the headquarters of the reformod' or Calvinistic body at
Halle, whilo tho more important Liebfrauenkirche was retained
by the more numerous members of the 'Evangelical Lutheran'
persuasion.
2. The first to give publicity to this injurious accusatiou was
21
1697–1703.] ONEROUS DUTIES. . .
The duties of the newly-elected Organist were no light
ones; nor would his responsibilities have been considered
trifling, had they been entrusted to a well-tried veteran,
instead of to a youth of seventeen.
The Organ in the Schloss-und-Domkirche was a re-
markably fine one, built in 1667, at the expense of the
Herzog Augustus. Dreyhaupt tells us that it was sixty-
two feet high by twenty broad, richly decorated externally,
and more than ordinarily complete for the period in its
internal arrangements, with twenty-eight stops, com-
prising fifteen hundred pipes, distributed between two
manuals of boxwood, and fed by three pairs of bellows,
capacious enough to supply wind for the performance of
the entire Creed, or of a hundred and eighty bars of
Measured-Music, without refilling. I
Not only was the Organist expected to do full justice
to this grand instrument by his playing, but it was also
his duty to see that it was kept in proper repair and
perfect working order. Moreover, the terms of his engage.
ment demanded that he should set to Music the Psalms
and Church Cantatas proper for all Sundays and
Festivals, ordinary and extraordinary, throughout the
year, and take whatever measures might be necessary
Mainwaring (Memoirs of Handel, p. 15). Mattheson made a
feeble protest against the cruelty of resuscitating so grave a
scandal forty years after its victim's death, but did not trouble
himself to disprovo or dony the pretendod facts upon which it
was based (G. F. Handel's Lebensbeschreibung, p. 10); Schoelcher,
legs scrupulous than the German historian, reproduced the
calumny, with a sneer of undisguised satisfaction (Life of Handel,
p. 6); while to Dr. Chrysander was left the nobler task of vindi-
cating Zachau's fair fame, and demonstrating the falseness of a
story which reflects less discredit upon its innocent object than
upon its inconsiderate narrators (G. 7. Händel, vol. i. p. 61).
? Beschreibung des Saal-Kreises, p. 1097.
22
[CHAP. IV.
DOUBTFUL COMPOSITIONS.
to ensure their correct and efficient performance in
beautiful harmony.'
An older man than Georg Friedrich might not un-
naturally have hesitated to undertake this vast amount of
labour, in addition to that demanded by the classical
Curriculum of the University. But, so far was he from
being appalled by the prospect before him, that he supple-
mented his official duties by a purely supererogatory one;
forming his old schoolfellows into a voluntary Choir, and
assembling them together, on Wednesday and Saturday
afternoons—then, as now, the orthodox weekly half-
holidays—for the practice, under his own direction, of
the higher kinds of vocal and instrumental Church Music;
and so successful were his efforts in this direction, that,
after his retirement from office, the continuance of the
Choir was enforced upon his successors as a compulsory
duty.1
Of the compositions referable to this period no trust-
worthy record remains to us. Von Winterfeld accepts as
genuine an oratorio, entitled Die Erlösung des Volks Gottes
aus Egypteir; a less ambitious sacred drama, called Ber
ungeratheire Soltı; and a Church Cantata, founded on the
Choral, Ach Herr, mich warmen Sünder.2 Chrysander rejects
the two Oratorios, but seems inclined to accept the Cantata
as a genuine production of this early period. There is,
however, strong reason to doubt the authenticity of the
entire series; and even to receive with caution Chrysander's
Chrysander, G. F. Händel, vol. i. p. 62.
2 Evangelische Kirchengesang, vol. i. pp. 159-64. Extracts
from the Cantata are also given among the Musikbeilage at the
end of the volume Nro 51.
3 G. F. Händel, vol. i. pp. 64–70. The passage is illustrated by
copious extracts from the longer Oratorio.
1697–1703.] LOST MANUSCRIPTS.
23
surely exaggerated affirmation that 'many hundred' other
Church Cantatas have been lost, through the carelessness
of the town librarians of Halle. For, Georg Friedrich did
not care to.prolong his term of service at the Cathedral.
No sooner had the year of his probation expired, than he
threw up the appointment, and started off, like the Prince
in a Faerie Tale, to seek his fortune in the great world of
which he had hitherto seen so little, and in bitter conflict
with which he was destined to pass so many of the most
exciting years of his long and eventful life.
And here we must take leave of the glowing youth,
whose early history furnishes us with so pleasant a picture
of the simple burgher life which prevailed, during the later
years of the seventeenth century, in a quiet German town,
removed, alike, from the dangers of Court intrigue and
the excitement of Latter-Day progress. We shall hear no
more of divided duties, of bold determination to unite
the conflicting claims of Art and Literature, of Law and
Latin, studied side by side with Counterpoint and Compo-
sition. Our little Georg Friedrich has grown into a man.
We have scarcely had time to forget the child in the
student, before the student bids farewell to college life
and quits his native town for ever. And we must quit it
with him, and cast no lingering look behind; for it is
already time that we should meet him again, with a man's
strong heart in his bosom, fighting his daily battle for the
cause with which he hasnowidentified himself beyond recall,
and finally winning his way to the highest honours that
the outer world can bestow on those whose true nobility
consists in their lifelong devotion to all that is noblest
and most beautiful in Art herself.
CHAPTER V.
THE JOURNEY TO HAMBURG.
We have spoken of Berlin as one of the most flourishing
centres of artistic life in Germany during the closing
years of the seventeenth century, and truly its fame at
that period was neither doubtful nor undeserved. But,
even in its brightest days, when the Electress Sophia
Charlotte was its heart and soul, and Buononcini and
Ariosti her devoted slaves, the City of the Churfürst was
fated to contend, in musical matters, against a very
formidable rival, in the chief town of the Hanseatic
League; and, after the death of the Philosophic Queen,'
its prestige rapidly declined, to rise no more until new
life was infused into it by the genius of Graun, under
the somewhat tyrannical patronage of King Frederick
the Great. Meanwhile, dull, prosy, merchant-haunted
Hamburg, with no Italian Macstri to lead its fashions,
no Princes to play in its Orchestra, and no obedient
Courtiers to greet its performances, whether good, bad, or
indifferent, with indiscriminate applause, was making
such rapid advances in Art, that, before long, its Opera-
house attained a higher and more widely-extended re-
putation than any other lyric theatre north of the Alps,
while the Music composed for, and constantly performed
.
1703–1704.] THE JOURNEY TO HAMBURG. 25
in, its Churches, surpassed in grandeur and solemnity the
Sacred Music produced in any other part of Germany.
Its fame, as the nursery of German Dramatic Music,
may be said to date from the year 1678, when Johann
Theile inaugurated a new and brilliant epoch in the
annals of Teutonic Art, by the production of his Adam
und Evu, the first true Singspiel ever performed through-
out in the German language. In 1692, a notable impulse
was given to the progress of the Lyric Drama by the
foundation of the famous Theatre in the Goosenarket.
Two years later, Reinhard Keiser's first opera, Basilius,
which had already been well received in Wolfenbüttel in
1693, was greeted with a warmth of feeling which proved
that the Hamburgers were not only capable of appre-
ciating good Music when they heard it, but were both
able and willing to give all possible encouragement to
Composers talented enough to produce it; and, from that
time forward, the rising Teutonic School continued to
flourish, in its northern home, through little less than
half a century of satisfactory progress and almost
unexampled popularity.
Handel made his first appearance in Hamburg, in the
summer of the year 1703, with no reasonable prospect of
advancement in life beyond that guaranteed by his own
indoinitable perseverance, no powerful friends to back
lim, and, it is much to be feared, with no very rich
pecuniary resources to fall back upon in case of failure;
for, there is reason to believe that good Frau Dorothea
stood too much in need of help herself to be able to
make her son a very liberal allowance after his engage-
ment at the Cathedral was at an end. Still, it is difficult
to imagine that he can have settled in Hamburg without
some form of friendly introduction, for we find him
26
JOIANN MATTHESON. [CHAP. F.
admitted at once into the Opera Orchestra, in the
capacity of ripieno second Violin; and, humble as this
position was, it could scarcely have been bestowed upon
a youth of eighteen, absolutely unknown in musical
circles, and with no local magnates to bear testimony in
his favour. However, be that as it may, it is certain that
he was not long in making friends; and the first Musician
to whom he seriously attached himself was Johann
Mattheson,the principal Tenor Singer at the Opera, and
author of the Ehren-Pforte. It is necessary to receive
the statements of this interesting, but intensely egoïstic
writer, with extreme caution. While we cannot afford to
lose a single word that he has to tell us, we must re-
member that he rarely presents his facts with the calm
impartiality without which history is worse than valueless.
That he loved his young friend as much as it was
possible for a man so selfish and conceited to love his
fellow, we have no reason to doubt. He was Händel's
senior by four years—no trifling difference of age between
two young men of kindred tastes, on the threshold of a
busy life. Yet, he does not appear, at the outset, to have
1 Johann Mattheson was born in Hamburg, on September 28th,
1681. He first sang on the Stage with his unbroken Treble Voice;
was appointed principal Tenor at the Hamburg Theatre in 1699,
and in the same year produced his first Opcra, Die Pleiaden ;
retained his appointment until 1705; and then abandoned the
profession of Music on receiving the appointment of secretary to
the English Resident. His literary productions—all printed in
Hamburg—are more valuable than his compositions. The most
important of the former are—Das neu eröffnete Orchester (1713),
Das beschützte Orchester (1717), Das forschende Orchester (1721),
Critica D[usica (1722–25), Der volkonimene Kapellmeister (1739),
Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte (1740), and Georg Friedrich Händels
Lebensbeschreibung -- a translation of Mainyaring's Memoirs
(1761).
1703–1704.]
YOUTHFUL FRIENDSHIPS.
27
made this circumstance an excuse, either for overbearing
tyranny, or offensive patronage. On the contrary, so long
· as he discourses of his friend as a familiar companion, his
language is invariably genial and pleasant.
Händel came to Hamburg,' he tells us, 'in the
summer of the year 1703, rich in ability and good will.
He formed almost his first intimacy with me; and we
visited, together, Organs and Choirs, Operas and Concerts,
and more especially a certain house, to which I introduced
him, and in which Music was practised with the utmost
devotion. At first, he played the second Violin in the
Opera Orchestra, and behaved as if he did not know how
to count five; for he was, by nature, full of dry humour.
But once, when the Harpsichord-player was absent, he
yielded to persuasion, and supplied his place, acquitting
himself like a man, though no one but myself supposed
him capable of doing so.
'I well know how he will laugh in his sleeve, when
he reads this, though outwardly he laughs but little:
particularly, if he should by chance remember the poulterer
who travelled with us by the boat to Lübeck, and Becker,
the pastrycook's son, who blew the bellows for us at the
Church of S. Mary Magdalene. That was on the 30th of
July, 1703. On the 15th we had been out on the water.
And a hundred similar circumstances return to my
memory.
At this time he used to set to Music long, very long
Airs, and almost interminable Cantatas, neither with very
remarkable dexterity, nor in good taste, which, however,
he soon afterwards acquired, through the influence of the
higher Operatic School. · He was great upon the Organ;
greater than Kuhnau in Fugue and Counterpoint, especially
extempore, though he knew but little of Melody until he
28
ADVENTURES AT LÜBECK. [CHAP. V.
frequented the Hamburg Opera. On the other hand,
Kuhnau's pieces were always melodious and chantants,
even those intended only to be played. In former times
scarcely anyone bestowed a thought upon Melody ; bare
Harmony was the aim and end of everything.
He constantly came to dine with my late father, and
took that opportunity of giving me much valuable help
in Counterpoint, while I in turn did him no small service
with regard to the dramatic style, and thus one hand
washed the other.
On the 17th of August, in that same year, 1703, we
travelled together to Lübeck, and made Double Fugues in
the coach, da mente, not da penna. I had been invited
thither by the Geheimer Rathspräsident, Magnus von
Wedderkopp, as successor to the excellent Organist,
Dieterich Buxtehude, and I took Händel with me. We
played on almost every Organ and Harpsichord in the
place; and, with regard to our performances, agreed
between ourselves that he should only play upon the Organ,
and I upon the Harpsichord. We listened also to the
1 In the preface to his translation of Mainwaring's Memoirs,
Mattheson says, 'No one can excel in everything. And, to speak
of musical matters only, it happened that one [i.e. Händel] sur-
passed the other upon the Pedal, while the other [i.e. Mattheson]
excelled the first upon the Harpsichord.' The word 'Pedal' is
here extremely significant. Judging from his published Organ
Music, one might have supposed that Händel was not a great
pedalist. But, the volume of autograph Concertos in the Royal
Collection contains one, in B flat, much of the Organ-Part of
which is written, on three staves, for Pedal obbligato, with
brilliant passages of semiquavers, some of which can only be
played by alternate use of the toe and heel, and a long Pedal.
Shake--all assigned, in Arnold's edition, to the left hand! It is
clear, therefore, that Händel adapted his playing to the instru.
ments at his command.
1703-1704.].
REJECTED ADDRESSES.
29
veteran performer, in the Marienkirche, with deep atten-
tion. But, because the question of succession involved
also that of a marriage contract, into which we neither of
us had the slightest desire to enter, we left the place, after
receiving many compliments, unusual honours, and very
pleasant entertainment. Johann Christian Schieferdecker
afterwards brought the affair to a more satisfactory con-
clusion ; accepted the bride, after the death of her
father, Buxtehude, in 1707; and obtained the coveted
appointment.'1
All this reads pleasantly enough. Until the two merry
companions were placed in direct rivalry to each other, we
find no trace of the cloven foot. But Mattheson's jealous
disposition was not long in declaring itself.
The 'certain house' mentioned in the foregoing narra-
tive was that of Mr., afterwards Sir Cyril Wich, the
English Representative, with whose amiable family
Händel soon became intimate, and to whose little son
he gave lessons on the Harpsichord, until nearly the
close of the following year, when, to his great annoy-
ance, Mattheson, on receiving the appointment of
governor to the child, and Secretary to the Legation,
took this duty upon himself, forgetting, in his determina-
tion to appropriate even the smallest good things that
chanced to fall in his way, that the very nature of his new
appointment involved the virtual renunciation of the
profession of Music for that of Diplomacy.2
During the spring and summer months, the Opera-house
1 Ehren-Pforte, p. 93, et seq. Lebensbeschreibung, pp. 22, 29, etc.
? Ib. p. 193. Mattheson speaks of the British Representative
as Herr Johann von Wich, and calls him the Ambassador. Burney
calls hin, Sir Cyril Wych. Through the courtesy of Earl Granville,
we are enabled to give the name as it stands in the records of the
Foreign Office.
S
30
[CHAP. V.
THE FIRST PASSION ORATORIO.
at Hamburg usually remained closed, for some considerable
time, in consequence of the difficulty of bringing together
a sufficiently numerous audience at this particular season.
In the year 1704, Mattheson took advantage of this recess,
for the purpose of visiting Holland, where, he tells us,
he met with an extraordinarily flattering reception. After
playing on all the most famous Organs in the country,
listening to all the best local performers, and giving
Concerts in Amsterdam, he was offered the appointment of
Organist at Haarlem, with an annual salary of fifteen
hundred Dutch gulden, equal to about a hundred and
fifty pounds sterling. This, however, he refused, from
unwillingness to disappoint the managers of the Opera at
Hamburg; and, for the same reason, he abandoned a
project, which he had once entertained, of coming over to
England : his resolution, in both cases, being strengthened
by a letter he received from Händel, from which he gives
us the following extract, dated March 18th, 1704:
'I often long to enjoy your very agreeable conversa-
tion, and hope very soon to do so, since the time
approaches, when, without your presence, nothing can be
attempted at the Opera. I therefore humbly beg you to
give me notice of your returning, that I may take this
opportunity of fulfilling my obligation, by coming to meet
you, etc. etc.'
Meanwhile Händel was busily engaged upon a work,
of which Mattheson takes no notice here, though he
criticises it sharply enough in another place.
It had long been the custom, in Protestant Germany, to
sing the History of the Passion of our Lord, during Holy
Week, not as it has been sung from time immemorial in
the Sistine Chapel, but in a manner peculiarly German,
and especially grateful to members of the Lutheran per-
1703–1704.] THE FIRST PASSION ORATORIO. 31
suasion. This peculiar form of 'Passion Music' was
attempted, at Wittenberg, at least as early as the year
1573. In 1588, Bartholomäus Gese set the words of the
Gospel Narrative to Music, for two, three, four, and five
voices, with singular quaintness of arrangement. In four
settings of the Passion, produced in 1666, Heinrich
Schütz made a direct appeal to the hearts of the German
people, by alternating, with the words of the four Evan-
gelists, a series of Choruses founded upon the Melodies of
the innumerable Chorales which were at that period more
popular in Lutheran countries than any other kind of
Sacred Music. In 1672, Johann Sebastiani produced, at
Königsberg, a 'Passion, containing original Recitatives
of sterling merit. Johann Theile's Deutsche Pussion was
received with marked approbation, at Lübeck, in 1673.
And, from that time forward, the 'Passion Oratorio' was
accepted as a genuine creation of the Teutonic School; its
numerous Chorales being sung with a curiously charac-
teristic combination of national and religious fervour, by
huge congregations, every member of which knew them
all by heart; and its success depending in great measure
upon the liberal use made of this peculiar element in its
construction.
Regardless of the lesson taught by the early history of
this new form of Oratorio, Reinhardt Keiser thought
himself strong enough, in 1704, to dispense with the
melody of the all-powerful Choral. With the assistance
of the then popular and highly-accomplished Poet, Hunold
Menantes, he prepared, for the Monday and Wednesday
in the Holy Week of that year, a 'Passion Oratorio,
entitled Der Blutige und Sterbende Jesus,1 arranged
upon an entirely new plan, and introducing neither the
"The bleeding and dying Jesus.'
32 THE FIRST PASSION ORATORIO. [CHAP. Y.
national form of metrical hymnology, nor the words of
Holy Scripture. Against this bold innovation the
Lutheran clergy raised an indignant protest. The real
merits of the work were forgotten, in the astonishment
created by its unwonted form; and, so violent was the
feeling against it, that Pastor Busing openly denounced
both Poet and Composer from the pulpit.
On Good Friday, in that same Holy Week,1 Händel
also produced a 'Passion Oratorio,' founded on a Poem
prepared for him by Christian Postel. From this work,
as from that we have just described, the Choral was rigidly
excluded. The Scripture Narrative, however, was intro-
duced verbatim, in alternation with the Poet's verses; and
it was probably for this reason that the Passion rracir
dem 19 Capital des Evang. Johannes did not share the
sweeping condemnation fulminated by Pastor Busing
against the joint production of Keiser and Menantes. It
did not, however, escape its fair share of abuse in later
years. Though Mattheson makes no mention of it in his
Ehren-Pforte, he devotes no less than fifty-two large
quarto pages of another less celebrated work to the con-
genial task of demonstrating its utter worthlessness.?
Marpurg praises this diatribe as a model of technical
analysis; but surely the selection of a vicious example,
in illustration of a great Art-form, cannot be pronounced
consistent with the principles of good criticism, however
severely the shortcomings (real or supposed) of the corpus
vile may be castigated by the demonstrator. In this
case, every feature of the composition is condemned, either
1 We give the date positively, because Chrysander's careful
researches leave no reasonable doubt as to its accuracy.
· Critica Musica, vol. ii. pp. 1-29, 33-56. (Hamburg, 1725.)
1703–1704.] THE FIRST PASSION ORATORIO. 33
for its questionable taste, for the poverty of its effect,
or for its want of adaptation to the circumstances
under which it is introduced. Where the Composer has
written his Choruses in plain Counterpoint, he ought to
have availed himself of the resources of Double Fugue;
where he has contented himself with a Violin accompani-
ment, he should have used Flutes and a Viola da gamba;
where he has adapted the verses to a Duet, he should have
given them as a Chorus; hiş Ritornelli interrupt the plain
sense of the words ; his repetitions obscure it. In short,
he has so obstinately persisted in doing everything that
he ought not to have done, and leaving undone everything
that he ought to have done, that one can only wonder
why Mattheson-so much better instructed in every way
-did not substitute for this miserable failure some worthier
production of his own.
For considerably more than a century, this venomous
criticism was rendered innocuous by the supposed disap-
pearance of the work to which it referred. Happily,
the complete Score, in Handel's own handwriting, has
been discovered among the Pölchau MSS. in the Berlin
Library ; the identity of the autograph has been esta-
blished, beyond all possibility of doubt; and, in 1860,
the work was published, entire, by the German Handel
Society. We are now, therefore, able to test the justice
of Mattheson's strictures by our own experience; and we
have no fear in asserting, that, whatever may have been its
weak points, the “First Passion Oratorio 'was certainly
not founded upon a false conception, as Mattheson repre-
sented it to be; nor was it by any means the miserable
performance that his one-sided critique would lead us to
suppose.
CHAPTER VI.
“ALMIRA.'
It seems almost certain that Mattheson was absent from
Hamburg, when Handel's 'Passion Music' was performed
as part of the ceremonial appertaining to the Lutheran
Holy Week. He returned, however, in good time for
the forthcoming winter season, for the opening of which
he had prepared an opera, entitled Cleopatra—his third
complete dramatic work-founded upon a libretto written
for him by Friedrich Christian Feustking, a theological
student, whose attempts at dramatic poetry were so con-
temptible that one can only wonder how he ever came to
be engaged at the theatre at all. The work was produced,
for the first time, on the 20th of October, 1704; the
Composer himself performing the part of Antonius—the
principal Tenor—while Handel presided at the Harpsi-
chord. Unfortunately, the death of Antonius, some
considerable time before the conclusion of the piece, left
Mattheson unemployed during great part of the evening.
His insufferable egoïsm prompted him to fill up this
leisure time by supplanting Handel in the Orchestra.
Handel, however, refused to vacate his post. Mattheson
was furious at his resistance; and, in passing out of the
theatre, gave him a violent box on the ear. The natural
and no doubt anticipated result of this insult was, an
35
1704–1706.]
THE DUEL.
impromptu duel, fought, then and there, before a crowd of
spectators, in front of the Opera-house—which, it will be
remembered, was appropriately situated upon the Goose-
market. Providentially, Mattheson broke his sword
against a broad metal button on his opponent's coat, and
to this circumstance Handel in all probability was in-
debted for his life. As the encounter did not take
place, according to Mattheson's account, until the 5th of
December, it is clear, that, at the first performance of
Cleopatra, either the Composer did not demand, or the
Conductor did not refuse to give up, the disputed seat at
the Harpsichord. Handel had, quite certainly, made a
like concession to Mattheson's vanity on former occasions,
and would probably have done so again, had no deeper
sense of provocation existed; but, a comparison of
collateral dates shows that, at this particular moment, he
was excessively annoyed at Mattheson's interference with
his position at the house of the English Resident-a
circumstance to which we have already made allusion in
the preceding chapter. The whole history of this inter-
ference is characterised by an exhibition of bad taste,
which would be almost incredible, but for the effrontery
with which Mattheson, blinded by his ineffable self-
importance, gibbets himself for the instruction of an
admiring posterity. We cannot wonder that Handel
was offended. However, he was too good a Christian to
bear malice; and the author of the Ehren-Pforte himself
tells us, that, through the kind offices of' a distinguished
municipal councillor, and a director of the theatre,' the
quarrel was speedily reconciled. Handel dined with
Mattheson on the 30th of December. In the evening,
1 Ehren-Pforte, pp. 94, 95.
2 Ib. p. 193.
3 Keiser, and a boon companion named Drüsicke.
D 2
36
THE RECONCILIATION. [CHAP. VI.
the pacified combatants assisted together at the rehearsal
of his first dramatic work, Almirci. And, from that time
forward, the rival Composers became better friends than
ever. 1
It is only just to add, that Mattheson himself has
been rather cruelly maligned, in this matter, by more than
one careless commentator. Mainwaring, misled by his
own faulty chronology, which contradicts itself at every
turn, characterises the duel as having presented more
the appearance of an assassination than of a rencounter;'
which would have been true enough, had Handel been, as
he would have us believe, no more than fourteen years
old at the time of its occurrence. But we have positive
evidence to prove that he was very nearly twenty;
and, from what we know of his iron constitution, and
general personal appearance, we may readily believe his
opponent's assertion, that at the time of the quarrel he
was tall, strong, broad-shouldered, muscular, and quite
capable of taking, care of himself;'3 though we can
scarcely endorse the unworthy suspicion which accuses
Mainwaring of deliberately falsifying dates, for the pur-
pose of making Handel appear younger than he really
was. This suspicion, emanating from such a source, is a
singularly suggestive one ; but, except for this, there is
really no reason to doubt the veracity of Mattheson's
account, which we may the more readily receive, since he
is evidently quite blind to the fact that he shows himself
to have been in the wrong from beginning to end.
Within little more than a week after the termination of
this miserable quarrel—that is to say, on the Sth of
1 Ehren-Pforte, pp. 94, 95.
2 Menoirs of Handel, pp. 32-36.
8 Lebensbeschreibung, pp. 29, 30.
1701–1706.] THE ORIGIN OF ITALIAN OPERA. 37
January, 1705—Handel presented to the world his own
first opera, Almira,the libretto of which was written
by Feustking, and the rôle of the principal Tenor
performed by Mattheson.
This event marked an important æra in the life of the
young Composer: but he found himself quite equal to the
occasion. Notwithstanding his brief experience of the
Stage, he seized upon its capabilities with the firm grasp
which true genius alone can give; holding Dramatic Music,
in the then stage of its development, as completely under
command as he could possibly have done had he been
accustomed to it from his childhood.
The German Opera of this period, though based, in the
first instance, upon an Italian model, had already shown
signs of a certain individuality, which ended in the creation
of a purely Teutonic Ideal.
Italian Opera—true child of the Renaissance-owed its
origin to a series of periodical réunions, instituted by a
body of enthusiastic cognoscenti, who, towards the close of
the sixteenth century, were accustomed to meet, at Florence,
in the house of Giovanni Bardi, Count of Vernio, for the
discussion of matters connected with the Music and
Literature of antient Greece and Rome. The dream of
these wild visionaries was, the revival of the method of
Recitative peculiar to classical Hellenic Tragedy. This
they never succeeded in discovering. The Art was as com-
pletely lost as the science upon which it had been based.
But, just as the search after the philosopher's stone led to
some of the most extraordinary discoveries known to
chemistry, so did this pursuit of a vanished phantom
i The full title of the work was Der iſt Eroliten Erlangte
Glücks - Wechsel, Oder: ALMIRA, Königin von Castilien. The
Vicissitudes of Royalty; or, Almira, Queen of Castile.'
38
THE ORIGIN OF GERMAN OPERA. [CKAP. VI.
lead to the invention of modern Recitative. This step
attained, the future development of the Dramma per la
musica became a mere matter of detail. Jacopo Peri com-
posed the first true Opera, Euridice, for the marriage of
Henri IV. of France with Maria de' Medici, at Florence,
in the year 1600. Claudio Monteverde produced the
second, Ariannai, at Mantua, in 1607, and the third, Orfeo,
in 1608. The Music of these early works was entirely
declamatory; and, making due allowance for the limited
resources of the period, represented the Lyric Drama in
the exact form to which it has once more been restored,
of late years, by Richard Wagner, with resources prac-
tically unlimited. Cavalli, Cesti, and above all, Alessandro
Scarlatti, relieved the monotony of the eternal Recitative
with regularly-constructed Airs, which agreeably fulfilled
the office entrusted in Tragedy and Comedy to the Mono-
logue. Later Composers introduced Concerted Pieces of
various kinds; and, when these were crowned by the grand
Concerted Finale, the true Opera attained, in the works
of Cimarosa and Mozart, the most perfect Ideal it has yet
been permitted to reach.
German Composers first imported Dramatic Music from
Italy, and then produced it for themselves. But there
was a difficulty in the way. The Composers of the
seventeenth century did not attain the power of writing
good Recitative in the German language. Those of the
eighteenth solved the problem by retaining the Airs,
Concerted Pieces, and grand Finales of the later Italians,
while, for the greater part of the simple Recitative, they
substituted plain-spoken dialogue. And thus arose the
true German Singspiel, which reached its acme of per-
fection in the works of Mozart, Beethoven, and Weber.
The full fruits of this process of development were not
1701–1706.]
ALMIRA.
39
presented to the world until a period long subsequent to
When Handel produced Almira, the Lyric Drama was,
everywhere, in a transitional condition. So doubtful
was its position in Germany, that Operas were performed,
at the Hamburg Theatre, in a mixture of the German and
Italian languages; and it says much for the darkness of
the period, that this monstrous anomaly was not only
tolerated, but was even passed on to England, and to
France. Almira itself was a work of this class. Its
libretto contained fifteen Italian Airs, and forty-four
German Songs, translated by Feustking from an Italian
original. The story is of the poorest description, and
utterly devoid of interest. Handel, however, was com-
pelled to be content with it; and to some of its scenes he
has wedded strains which are still reckoned among the
masterstrokes of his genius. Many of these have been
used again in later works: notably, a Sarabande in F,
played in the Third Act, during the progress of a pageant.
Six years after its first performance, this beautiful inspi-
ration reappeared in London in the guise of the delicious
Aria, Lascia ch'io pianga, sung by Signora Isabella
in the most successful Opera of the age, Rinaldo; and, in
1737, Handel made use of it, for the third time, in a
revised version of the Italian Oratorio, Il Trionfo del
Tempo, e della Verità. Nearly half the Music of the
success enough to prove the infinite value of concep-
tions glowing with the first freshness of youthful
genius.
The Score of Almira was long supposed to have been
lost; but a MS. copy, in the handwriting of Mattheson,
with Handel's autograph corrections, and wanting only
40
[CHAP. VI.
NERO.
two of the Italian Arias, is now safely housed in the
Berlin Museum, where its identity has been established
beyond all doubt. On the authority of this MS., the
work was printed by the German Handel Society, in a
complete form, in 1873; it is now therefore within the
reach of all who care to know what Handel was before
his greatness was recognised in England. The success of
the Opera was so great, that even Mattheson could not
afford to pass it over in silence. It had an uninterrupted
run from the 8th of January, 1705, until the 25th of
February, and its performance was only discontinued then,
in order to make room for its composer's second German
opera, Kero.1
The libretto of Nero was also put together by Feust-
king; but, this time, entirely in German. It contained
no less than seventy-five Airs, the Music of all of which
appears to have hopelessly perished, unless indeed the
Score should some day be discovered, like that of the
earlier work, by some happy chance the nature of which
it is not easy to predict.
Two more Operas, Florindo, and Dapline--the one
a continuation of the otherấwere also produced by
Handel during the period of his residence in Hamburg;
but, unhappily, the Scores of these also seem to have dis-
appeared beyond all hope of recovery. They were written,
in all probability, in the year 1706.2
Meanwhile, the young Composer employed his leisure
time in giving instruction on the Harpsichord to a
numerous clientèle, writing Sonatas, and Lessons of various
1 The full title of this was Die durch Dlut nnd Mord Erlangte
Liebe, Oder: NERO. 'Love obtained through Blood and Murder;
or, Nero.'
? See Appendix B.
1704–1706.]
THE PRINCE OF TUSCANY.
41
kinds, for his favourite pupils; and deriving, from these
and other sources, an income sufficiently large to enable
him to repay the several remittances formerly advanced to
him by his mother, with a welcome addition to the
gross amount; and also to lay by a considerable sum of
money on his own account, for a. purpose which he had
for some time very seriously contemplated.
The theatre at Hamburg was constantly visited, at this
period, by foreign Princes of exalted rank, and, among
others, by the Prince of Tuscany, brother to the Grand Duke
Giovanni Gaston de' Medici, who was so much struck with
the beauty of Almira, that he proposed to take the Com-
poser to Italy, free of all expense, in order that he might
fortify his experience by studying the works of the greatest
Italian Masters of the day. Though touched by the
generosity of this liberal offer, Handel declined to accept
the obligation; but determined to visit Italy, nevertheless,
at his own expense, as soon as he could raise money
enough to defray the cost of the journey. Accordingly,
in the summer of the year 1706-as nearly as can be
ascertained—he bade farewell to his friends in Hamburg;
and, leaving behind him two large chests full of Sonatas,
Cantatas, and other compositions, both vocal and instru-
mental, of which no trace can now be discovered,1 set off
on his journey to the opposite side of the Alps, with two
hundred ducats in his pocket, and a firm determination
to learn all that Italy could teach him.
Of the route he followed, no record has been preserved;
but it is certain that he made Florence his first resting-
place. And thither we must now prepare to follow him.
Mainwaring's Memoirs, p. 149. Mattheson denies the exist.
ence of the chests (Lebensbeschriebung, p. 112).
CHAPTER VII.
THE JOURNEY TO ITALY.
We have already spoken of Florence as the centre of a
wave of aesthetic progress, which, set in motion by the
great stream of the Renaissance, resulted, towards the
close of the sixteenth century, in the invention of modern
Recitative, and, in the year 1600, gave birth to the Lyric
Drama.
The worthy accomplishment of this splendid mission
would alone have sufficed to crown the Queen of the Arno
with an imperishable diadem. Had the famous réunions
at the Palace of the Conte di Vernio won nothing more
than this for the cause of Art, they would still have occu-
pied a prominent place among the ineffaceable landmarks
of its history. But their influence upon the future ex-
tended to depths little dreamed of by the originators of the
movement. Themselves, groping in the dark; led astray
by an ignis fatuus, which their archaic pedantry mistook
for a re-enkindled sun; they nevertheless struck out the
path which led, through many a treacherous quicksand, to
triumphs far exceeding anything which the most far-
sighted of their contemporaries could ever by any possi-
bility have conceived. Jacopo Peri, Giulio Caccini,
Emilio del Cavalieri, Vincenzo Galilei—the father of the
great astronomer—the poet Rinuccini, and even Giovanni
1706–1707.] THE MONODIC SCHOOL.
43
Bardi himself, though men of true poetical temperament,
pure classical taste, and considerable learning, were very
poor Musicians. They hated Counterpoint; but, not because
they knew anything about it. Monteverde, the most
accomplished of them all, has left us incontestable proofs
of his inability to overcome even its preliminary difficulties.
The others openly laughed it to scorn. Why should they,
who looked upon Guido himself as an ephemeral commen-
tator upon things too hard for him, trouble themselves to
study the principles of an Art which was wholly unknown
to Pythagoras and Ptolemy, and the best Musicians of the
age of Pericles ? In their ineffable contempt for a science
uncultivated in antient Greece, they trod beneath their
feet the great Polyphonic School, which, under Palestrina
and his disciples, had raised the glories of Ecclesiastical
Music to a height destined never afterwards to be sur-
passed. In place of Fugue and Canon, they introduced
the artless Cantilena of the Monodic School, supported
by a simple figured bass. For the Motet and the Vilanella
they substituted the Canzonet and the Recitative. More
important still—for in this lay the true secret of their
success—they replaced the devotional sublimity of the
Mass, and the quaint loveliness of the Madrigal, with
the warmth of passionate expression, and the irresistible
energy of dramatic power. Having accomplished this,
they rested from their labours, and left a race of greater
Musicians than themselves to reap the full benefit of their
splendid discovery.
Up to a certain point, the Teutonic Schools were
content to accept the teaching of these new apostles ;
but, with their insane hatred for Counterpoint they
manifested no sort of sympathy. Caring nothing for
the revival of Hellenic Tragedy, or even for the claims
4.4
GERMAN MONODIA.. [CHAP. VII.
of classical antiquity itself, German Composers failed,
one and all, to appreciate the charms of the Monodic
School, save only when its Melodies were supported by a
solid framework of modern Part-writing, systematically
evolved from the strict Counterpoint which they had
thankfully received, in earlier days, from Flemish and
Italian sources. Herein then, lay, and still lies, the charac-
teristic difference between the Italian and the German
Schools; and we must bear this distinction very carefully
in mind, if we would really penetrate to the inner life of
the history we are narrating.
Handel was a Contrapuntist from his childhood.1 Even
Mattheson, though he assures us that his young friend
knew nothing of Melody until he learned it at the
Hamburg Opera-house, does not attempt to disguise the
fact that in 'Fugue and Counterpoint, especially extempore,
he was greater even than Kuhnau,'2 the most famous
Master of the period; while, by a singular coincidence,
Telemann, who had actually studied under Kuhnau, tells
us that he and the young student at Halle were con-
tinually engaged in the joint development of melodious
composition.'3 The truth is, Handel was equally re-
markable for the depth of his 'contrapuntal learning and
the inexhaustible wealth of Melody bestowed upon him
by nature; and he owed no small part of his success in
later life to the happy reaction of the acquired gift upon
the natural one. The construction of his Melodies is
always admirable, and his Part-writing is the most
melodious that was ever conceived. He quitted Ham-
burg with fullest mastery—as the Score of his first
? We make no change in the orthography of the name, though the
2 See ante, chap. v.
3 Ehren-Pforte, p. 359.
1706–1707.] ITALIAN CANTATAS.
45
Opera alone suffices to prove-over the distinguishing
characteristics not only of the School he was leaving,
but of that also with the mysteries of which he desired
to form a closer acquaintance ; & perfect Musician in
every point save one, the art of managing the Voice.
In his ignorance of that art—the importance of which
seems to have been first impressed upon his mind in
the course of friendly conversation with the Prince of
Tuscany-lay his only weakness. And for that weak-
ness he was now about to seek a natural and infallible
remedy, in the only country in which, at that epoch, such
a remedy was to be found.
Dr. Chrysander, whose chronology of the journey to
Italy is the most consistent that has hitherto been given
to the world, is of opinion that Handel spent the
Christmas of the year 1706 with his mother at Halle ;
proceeding thence, in January, 1707, to Florence, where
he first introduced himself to the Italian public by the
production of the delightful Cantata, O Numi Eterni,
now known as La Lucrezia, and printed in Part 179 of
Arnold's great edition. More Cantatas followed ; among
them Sarai contenta undi and Clori degi occhi miei ; with
others, the dates of which are less clearly established. To
this period belongs also a rearrangement of the Overture
to Almira, prolonged by a series of highly characteristic
Dance Movements, and entitled, Overture di G. F. Hendel;
a work to which we shall have occasion to refer on more
than one future occasion.
Unless Chrysander assumes too much, in supposing
Handel to have spent the Christmas of 1706 in Halle, this
first visit to Florence must have been but a brief one; for
i See Appendix C.
46
LATIN CHURCH MUSIC. [CHAP. VII.
it is certain that, on the 4th of April, 1707, the composer
was in Rome, where he produced .some Church Music, of
.considerable importance, with Latin words.
The first in order of the Roman compositions is a Dixit
Dominus, for five voices, with orchestral accompaniments,
signed and dated, 'S. D. G.1 | G. F. Hendel | 1707 |
4 d'Aprile | Romce.' Another Psalm, Nisi Dominus, also
set for five voices, with instrumental accompaniments,
is undated, but clearly belongs to the same period.
Finer, by far, than either of these, is a Laudate pueri,
in D, for five voices, with numerous Solos and rich
orchestral accompaniments, signed and dated, 'S. D. G.)
G. F. F. | 1:707 | 8 Julij | Roma. This work con-
tains some striking reminiscences of an apparently earlier
setting of the same Psalm, in F, and the value set upon
it by Handel himself may be inferred from the fact that,
as late as the year 1747, he readapted the first Chorus
of the Gloria Patri, to the words 'Glory to Godt,' in his
Oratorio, Joshua.
The original autographs of all these works, including
both settings of the 'Laudate pueri,' are preserved in
the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace; and all were
published by the German Handel Society, in 1872.
Schoelcher also refers to this period a Magnificat for eight
voices, the authenticity of which has given rise to much
animated discussion, of which we propose to give a detailed
account in a future chapter.
Soli Deo Gloria. "Glory to God alone. The date at the end
of this MS. is very indistinctly written. Fétis and Schoelcher
read the 4th of April. Chrysander reads the 11th. After long and
careful examination, we ourselves can only believe the figure 1.
to be a 4. The bars indicate the division of this, and other"
inscriptions. into separate lines.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE FIRST ITALIAN OPERA.
1
Though the last page of the Score of Rodrigo, which
would, in all probability, have furnished us with the
exact date of its completion, is missing, we can no longer
entertain any reasonable doubt that Handel produced
this, his first Italian Opera, at Florence, soon after his
return thither, from Rome, in July, 1707.
The autograph, in the Royal Collection, is deplorably
incomplete ; at least, in so far as the First and Third Acts
are concerned. The Second Act, however, is perfect; and,
by carefully piecing together the fragmentary portions,
the German Handel Society were able, in 1873, to re-
produce the work, in a tolerably complete and extremely
interesting form.
We have already spoken of a rearrangement of the
Overture to Almira, enriched by a suite of Dance Tunes
of peculiar beauty. The work was thus remodelled, in
order that it might serve as the Overture to Rodrigo, and
one can easily imagine the effect it must have produced,
when presented, for the first time, to a Florentine audience.
Handel was always strangely happy in his unpretending
Airs de ballet, the freshness of which is imperishable.
Glowing with richest warmth of honest enjoyment, he
bids them tell their tale of youthful pleasure in strains
48
RODRIGO
[CHAP. VIII.
too pure to inspire a thought of the corruption in presence
of which youth itself ceases to be beautiful. In less
worthy hands these movements would have shrunk into
trifles. But the trifles of a really great Musician, like the
sketches of Raffaelle, or the bons mots of Diogenes, are
priceless. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and even Beethoven,
have left us trifles like these ; but Handel's trifles are the
greatest of all, and will probably last the longest.
We already find, in Rodrigo, indications of a growing
mastery over the mysterious capabilities of the human
voice. No Opera, marred by the absence of such
mastery, would have lived through its first representation,
in any part of Italy. That the Florentines had no fault
to find with the new production, in this respect, is
evident, from the marked approbation with which they
received it. From first to last, it was an immense success. I
The Grand Duke rewarded his visitor with a hundred
sequins, and presented him with a service of silver plate;
and Vittoria Tesi, the favourite Court singer, to whom had
been committed the role of the hero of the piece, is
said to have been so much enchanted, with the Music,
that, after the conclusion of the season, she demanded
leave of absence, and followed the Composer to Venice,
in order that she might be able to take part in the
performance of his next great work.
We may consider it as almost certainly proved, that
Handel arrived in Venice, early in January, 1708; re-
mained there three months; and, during that time,
produced his second Italian Opera, Agrippina.
He is said to have been first recognised, at a masquerade,
by Domenico Scarlatti, who, hearing him run his fingers
across the keyboard of a Harpsichord, exclaimed : “That
1 Mainwaring, pp. 50, et seq.
1708-1709.]
AGRIPPINA,
49
must either be the famous Saxon or the Devil himself.'1
The Italians, indeed, regarded his extraordinary executive
powers with almost superstitious reverence, attributing
them to the effect of magic. No doubt his reputation
had preceded him from Florence, for he was immediately
solicited to write an Opera : and, after some hesitation,
he agreed to furnish one for the Teatro di S. Giovanni
Grisostomo, which was destined to be the scene of his
most brilliant Italian triumph.
The author of the libretto of Agrippina is unknown.
The story is a weak one; but, far superior to that of the
best of the Hamburg Operas: and Handel certainly made
the best of it. The Music is more truly vocal than
even that in Rodrigo, and very much more dramatic,
A Scene in the Second Act, in which Ottone, accused
of treason, and deserted by all his friends one after
the other, bursts into the impassioned Accompanied
Recitative, Otton, Otton, qual portentoso fulmine e questo,
is above all praise in this respect; as is also the short
but very remarkable Quartet, Il tuo figlio, la tua prole.
Many of the Airs have been used a second, and even a
third time : among others, two very striking ones, written
in unison throughout; the first of which, Ho un non so
che nel cor, soon afterwards reappeared, at Rome, in La
Resurrezione ; while the second, Bel piacer, was destined to
create a profound sensation, three years later, in Rinaldo.
The success of Agrippina far exceeded that of any of
the Composer's previous works. So excited were the
audience, says Mainwaring, that a stranger would have
mistaken them for a company of madmen. At every little
pause in the performance, the theatre resounded with shouts
1 Mainwaring, pp. 51, 52.
2 Dreyhaupt, Beschr. des Saal-Kreises, vol. ii. p. 625.
50
THE ROMAN "ARCADIA. [CHAP. VIII.
of " Viva il caro Sassone,' 'Long live the dear Sason.'1
The Airs soon became extremely popular, and the Opera
had a run of twenty-seven nights without interruption.?
Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, who rented a perma-
nent box in the theatre, was much struck with it; and it has
been conjectured that his approval, and that of an unusual
number of English noblemen who were staying in Venice at
the time of its production, had much to do with the brilliancy.
of Handel's reception in England two years afterwards.
From a dramatic chronicle, printed at Venice in 1730,
we learn that Agrippina retained its place upon the Stage
of the Teatro di S. Giovanni Grisostomo for more than
twenty years. In 1718 it was produced in Hamburg, and
criticised with characteristic jealousy by Mattheson, who
claimed its best ideas as his own. A complete edition of the
Score was first printed by Dr. Arnold on the authority
of a MS. copy in his own possession; and, in 1874, the
entire work was reprinted by the German Handel Society.
The original autograph-sadly incomplete, and without an
Overture--forms part of the Royal Collection at Bucking-
ham Palace. .
Handel returned to Rome, in March, 1708, and, on the
occasion of this, his second visit, became the guest of
Francesco Maria Capizucchi, Marchese di Ruspoli, a noble-
man of the highest rank, well known as a leader of the .
famous Roman Academy, then celebrated throughout all
Europe under its poetical name of · Arcadia.' This bril-
liant association, founded, in 1690, for the cultivation of
the Literature, the Poetry, and the Art of Italy, in their
purest and most exalted forms, numbered among its
members representatives of nearly all the noblest families.
of Rome, Florence, and other Italian states, together with
1 Mainwaring, p. 51-53.
2 Ib.
1708–1709.] THE 'ARCADIANS.'
51
Cardinals, Prelates, Poets, Painters, Musicians, and men
of genius and learning from every country in the world.
Every “Arcadian' was known among his brethren by a
poetical cognomen. The Marchese di Ruspoli was Olinto;
his wife, Isabella Cesi di Ruspoli, was Almiride; Alessandro
Scarlatti was Terpandro; Benedetto Marcello was Driante.?
Handel could not be enrolled as an associate of the guild,
no one under the age of twenty-four being admissible to
its privileges. But he was invited to meet its members,
who received him with all possible courtesy and honour.
Co-existent with this association was another Academy,
founded by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, at whose Palace
its members met, every Monday evening, for the dis-
cussion of literary and artistic matters, and the enjoy-
ment of the best Music that could be had in Rome,
led by the famous Violinist, Arcangelo Corelli.2 At
these meetings, also, Handel was always a welcome
guest. The Cardinal and the Marchese vied with
each other in their desire to do him honour, and he
enjoyed in an equal degree the esteem and the friendship
of both. It was, in all probability, at the Cardinal's
instigation that he produced his first Italian Oratorio, La
Resurrezione ; yet, we know that he wrote it in the Palace
of the Marchese, since the original autograph in the Royal
Collection bears on its last page the inscription, 'Roma la
Festa di Pasque dal Marche Ruspoli | 11 d’Aprile | 1708.'3
The birth of Italian Oratorio was exactly synchronous
i Vide Crescembini. Istoria della volgar Poesia, vol. vi. pp.
310–36.
? Ib., vol. i. p. 221. See also an interesting memoir of the
famous Cardinal, in the obituary of The Gentleman's Magazine,
for March, 1740.
3 Schoelcher says, the 4th of April; but, in this date, at least,
he is certainly wrong.
E 2
52
LA RESURREZIONEUU
. [CHAP. VIII.
with that of the Lyric Drama. The self-same year (1600),
which witnessed the production of Peri's Euridice, at
Florence, witnessed also the first performance of Emilio
del Cavalieri's Oratorio, La Rappresentazione dell' anima, e
del corpo, in Rome. Moreover, both works were con-
structed upon one and the same principle; and the later
sæcular forms, led to results so nearly identical, that the
Italian Oratorio of the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries can scarcely be regarded in any other light than
that of an Opera founded upon a sacred subject.
Such a composition was La Resurrezione. The action
of the anonymous libretto is dramatic, and only differs
from that of an ordinary Opera in that the simplicity of
its awful subject demands a comparatively small amount
of Recitative. Several Airs from Agrippina reappear in
the Oratorio, with scarcely any alteration ; but the new
Music is certainly written in a more earnest spirit,
and with an infinitely greater amount of dramatic power.
The Air for Lucifer, 0 voi dell' Erebo potenze orribili,
and the Recitative which precedes it, surpass in this
respect the most successful of the Composer's earlier in-
spirations, and throw those of the best Italian writers of
the period completely into the shade. The weird effect
produced by the long gliding scale-passages allotted to the
stringed instruments was reproduced, five years later, in
Tesco, in connection with the incantations of Medea; and,
if introduced into the famous Scene in Der Freischütz, would
sound neither out of place nor wanting in romanticism.
The instrumentation throughout the whole work is un-
usually rich and varied for the period. Flutes, Oboes,
and Trumpets are freely employed. The part for the
first Violin was evidently written for Corelli, and that for
1708–1709.] “IL TRIONFO DEL TEMPO.'
the Viola da gamba for a virtuoso of the highest rank.
There is no Overture, but each of the two parts into which
the work is divided concludes with a Chorus, written in
the simple form peculiar to the Operatic Choruses of the
period; the last being, in fact, a genuine Gavotte. There
is every reason to believe that the work was written for,
and first performed in the palace of Cardinal Ottoboni,
and that the Violins were led by Corelli in person. The
Score was printed for the first time by Arnold, in 1797;
and for the second, by the German Handel Society, in 1878.
This interesting work was soon followed by another,
Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, the libretto of
which was written by Cardinal Panfili, a man of highly
cultivated mind, whose name in Arcadia' was Fenizio.
As we shall have occasion to speak of this important
composition at some length in a future chapter, we need
not stay to discuss its merits now. Suffice it to say that
it was performed in the palace of Cardinal Ottoboni, and
that Corelli was so overwhelmed with the difficulties of
the Overture, that Handel substituted for it a Zinfonia
in the prevalent Italian style. Corelli, indeed, found
Handel's Violin passages exceedingly difficult; and
when, on one occasion, the fiery German snatched the
instrument from his hand, in order to show how he
wished a certain idea to be interpreted, the gentle Maestro
said, with the imperturbable courtesy for which he was so
justly loved, 'Ma, caro Sassone, questa musica è nel stile
Francese, di ch' io non m'intendo 2-in allusion, probably,
to the overtures of Lulli, which certainly contained the
germ of Handel's grander creations.
1 Mainwaring, pp. 55-57.
2 ‘But, dear Saxon, this Music is in the French style, which I
do not understand.'
54
‘ÁCI, GALATEA, E POLIFEMO. [CHAP. VIII.
Handel's sojourn in Rome must have been a delightful
one. His close intimacy with the Marchese di Ruspoli,
and the Cardinals Ottoboni and Panfili, gained for him the
love and respect of all the other Arcadians' then present
in the Eternal City. Here, too, he made the acquaintance
of Alessandro Scarlatti, the greatest Italian Musician then
living, and cemented more closely than ever his friend-
ship with the veteran's talented son, Domenico. At the
wish of Cardinal Ottoboni, Domenico Scarlatti and Handel
entered into a friendly contest for the purpose of deciding
their respective merits on the Organ and Harpsichord. It
was the unanimous verdict of all who heard the two per-
formers together, that, so far as the Harpsichord was
concerned, it was a drawn battle between them, but that,
on the Organ, Handel had a very decided advantage.
The effect of this contest was to bind them in a closer
friendship than ever. Handel always afterwards spoke
in the most eulogistic terms of Scarlatti's talent; and,
whenever Scarlatti was praised for his Organ-playing, he
was accustomed to say, devoutly crossing himself: “But
you should hear Hendel !!1
In the beginning of July, 1708, Handel quitted Rome
for Naples ; 2 where he produced a Serenata, entitled Aci,
Galatea, e Polifemo, founded on the same general plan as
the work he afterwards wrote for the Duke of Chandos,
but differing from it entirely in musical treatment. Until
attention was drawn to this most interesting work, by
Dr. Chrysander, in 1858, its existence was known to the
musical world only by the report of Sir Sterndale Bennett,
1 Mainwaring, p. 61.
2 The Trio, Se tu non lasci amore, in the possession of Lady
Hall, is signed and dated, 'G. F. Hendell | di 12 di Luglio (1708,
Napoli.
1707–1709.]
"SILETE VENTI.
55
and a few conscientious critics who had taken the trouble
to examine the original MS. in the Royal Collection.
Now that it is better known, the superior attractions of
the English Serenata will probably prevent it from ever
becoming a popular favourite ; more especially, since the
rôle of Polifemo needs a bass singer with a voice of the
extraordinary compass of two octaves and a half. Yet,
the Composer himself thought much of the Music worthy
of temporary reproduction, in 1732, in connection with
the English Acis and Galatea.
Besides the great works we have mentioned, Handel
wrote, during his residence in Italy, a Latin Motet, Silete
venti—one of the movements of which, Dulcis amor, Jesu
care, afterwards appeared in an English dress, as 'Hope,
Duets, and Trios; and a set of seven French Chansons.
The Motet is printed in the thirty-eighth volume of the
German Handel Society's collection. The French Songs
remain unpublished. The MSS. of the whole are
preserved in the Royal Collection.
Handel was treated with no less honour in Naples than
in Rome. How long he remained there it is difficult to
say. But it is almost certain that he spent the Christmas
of 1709 in Rome, where he heard the wonderful 'Pifa,'
the Messiah; and that he then paid a farewell visit to
his friends in Florence. The following Carnival seems
to have been spent in Venice, where the 'caro Sassone'
resumed his old friendship with Antonio Lotti, the Abbate
Steffani, Baron Kielmannsegge, and many warm admirers
who had been attached to him on the occasion of his first
visit to the Bride of the Adriatic; and here he passed the
last happy days of his triumphant visit to Italv.
CHAPTER IX.
THE FIRST VISIT TO LONDON.
It is impossible to give the exact date of Handel's
departure from Italy; but, it is certain that he left
Venice, some time during the summer of the year 1710,
in company with the Abbate Steſſani, and Baron
Kielmannsegge; and, that his first thought, on return-
ing to Germany, was, to visit his mother, at Halle,
where, notwithstanding the fortunate marriage of his
eldest sister, Dorothea Sophia, to Michæl Dieterich
Michalsen, a Doctor of Jurisprudence, of high repute,
and substantial means, he found the whole family
plunged in grief-for, the early death of Johanna
Christiana, the youngest inember of the little circle,
had only taken place during the previous year.
The wanderer's next visit was to the Electoral Court,
at Hanover: and here, through Steffani’s' kind intervention,
1 Agostino Steffani was born, at Castelfranco, in 1655; and in
his boyhood sang, as a Chorister, at the Cathedral of S. Mark, in
Venice. He afterwards studied, under Ercole Bernabei, at
Munich; and, in process of time, was appointed Kammermusikus
to the Elector of Bavaria. The date of bis entering into Holy
Orders is unknown; but he was, in all probability, ordained sovie
time before 1685, when he is known to have held the office of
Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. Very few of his works
1710-
RAMATIC
NONI
1710-1711.] DRAMATIC MUSIC IN ENGLAND. 57
he was fortunate enough to obtain the appointment of
Kapellmeister, with free leave of absence, for the purpose
of completing his travels.
From Hanover, he proceeded to Dusseldorf, in
acceptance of a long-standing invitation from the Pfalz-
Graf, with whom he had made acquaintance, during his
sojourn in Italy.) This generous patron of Art had
already formed a high opinion of his talent, and would
gladly have retained him in his service; but, finding
this impossible, could do no more than prove the sincerity
of his friendship by entertaining him, with all due
honour, and presenting him, on his departure, with a
service of plate.
Finally, as the winter advanced, Handel made the
best of his way through Holland, to London ; and all
authorities agree in stating that, towards the close of
November, or certainly not later than the beginning of
December, 1710, he first made acquaintance with the
people among whom he afterwards decided upon casting
in his lot for life.
The prospects of Dramatic Music, in England, at the open-
ing of the eighteenth century, were not promising. When
Handel first became one of us, Henry Purcell, the greatest
of our native Composers, had been dead just fifteen years.
have been published; but a rich collection of MS. Operas, and
other Compositions, produced during the time of his residence at
the Court of Hanover, was brought to Logland by the Elector,
and now rests beside the Handel MSS. in the Royal Library at
Buckingham Palace. Some of these are written under the
assumed name of Gregorio Piva.
1 Johann Wilhelm, the then Elector Palatine, was a Prince
of refined artistic taste, and the intimate friend of Corelli, whom
he created Marquess of Ladensburg.
58
ITALIAN OPERA IN ENGLAND. [CHAP. IX.
Had this accomplished Musician left behind him a line
of successors, capable of worthily carrying on the work he
so nobly began, those fifteen years could scarcely have
failed to witness the gradual development of an English
School, strong enough to have held its own, in the face of
the best of its Continental sisters. But there was no one
either bold enough, or talented enough, to assume the
vacant command. In the absence of a competent leader,
the National Musical Drama soon sank to lower depths
than those from which Purcell had raised it; while the
sede it by the introduction of Operas, perform'd after
the Italian manner,' were of the rudest possible descrip-
tion, and led to the first presentation of the Dramma per
la musica upon the English Stage in a guise of which it
might well have been ashamed.
Marc Antonio Buononcini's Camilla, after having been
several times presented at the Theatre in Drury Lanel
in the form of a garbled English translation, was sung, at
the same House, in December, 1707, in mixed languages,
like the heterogeneous monstrosities then 50 popular at
Hamburg: Signora Margarita de l'Epine, a mysterious Can-
tatrice called “the Baroness,' and Signor Valentini Urbani
(an artificial Soprano), performing their rôles in Italian,
while Mrs. Tofts, Mrs. Lindsey, Mrs. Turner, Richard
Leveridge, and Lewis Ramondon, sang theirs in English.
i Drury Lane Theatre—the oldest 'house' now existing in
London—was originally built in 1663; pulled down, in 1791;
rebuilt, by Holland, and opened, on the 12th of March, 1794, with
a grand performance of Sacred Music, selected from the works of
Handel; burned down, on the 24th of February, 1809; and finally
replaced by the present building, copied by Benjamin Wyatt
from a Theatre at Bordeaux, and opened on the 12th of October,
1812.
59
- 1710–1711.] CONFUSION OF TONGUES.
In January, 1708, the Drury Lane Company migrated
to the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, when Camilla
was again performed, alternately with a Pasticcio,2 called
Thomyris, in the same languages, and by very nearly
the same singers. Later in the year, the Company was
strengthened by the Cavaliere Nicolino Grimaldi-gene-
rally known as Nicolini-an artificial Soprano, of
extraordinary talent, who is described, by contemporary
writers, as by far the most accomplished Singer and Actor
then living. This great Artist made his first appearance
in Alessandro Scarlatti's Pirro e Demetrio, singing his
part in Italian, as did Valentini, Margarita de l'Epine,
and the Baroness,' while Mrs. Tofts, and Messrs.
Ramondon and Cook, sang in English as before. These
three mixed Operas, Thomyris, Camilla, and Pirro e
:
1 The Great Theatre in the Haymarket,' afterwards known
as 'The Opera House,' was built, by Sir John Vanbrugh, on the
site now occupied by Her Majesty's Theatre, in 1705; and
opened, on the 9th of April, in that year, under the designation
of "The Queen's Theatre. After the change of Dynasty, in
1714, it was called 'The King's Theatre,' which title it retained
until the death of King William IV., in 1837. After the
destruction of the original building by fire, in 1789, a new
one was erected in its place by Michael Novosielski, in whose
splendid Theatre, opened September 22nd, 1791, Catalani, Pasta,
Sontag, Malibran, Rubini, Tamburini, Lablache, Persiani, Grisi,
Mario, and Jenny Lind, achieved their greatest triumphs.
This building, which received the name of Her Majesty's
Theatre on the Accession of Queen Victoria, in July, 1837,
was burned down on December 6th, 1867; and the present
Theatre, erected on its site, was opened on the 27th of April,
1877.
2 The term, Pasticcio-literally signifying a Pie—was applied,
in the eighteenth century, to a composite form of Opera, the
Music of which was selected from different works, often by
several different Composers.
ALMAHIDE.'
[CHAP. IX.
Demetrio, relieved only by a few unimportant works
representations, retained possession of the Stage till 1709,
when a fourth incongruity, called Clotilda-probably,
another Pasticcio—was added to the list. It was not
until January, 1710, when the Company was again rein-
forced by Signora Isabella Girardeau, Signora Elisabetta
Pilotti Schiavonetti, Signor Cassani, and Signor Boschi
(a famous Basso), that Almahide, a work of considerable
merit, by an unknown Composer, was presented, for tho
first time, entirely in Italian. This was succeeded by
Francesco Mancini's L’Idaspe fidele, in the same
language. And, in the following year, Marc Antonio
Buononcini's Etearco was sung without any admixture of
English.
The one hopeful circumstance, in the midst of this
barbarous confusion of tongues,' was, the readiness of
the English audience to receive and appreciate good
Music, wherever it was to be heard. Purcell had done
his best to raise the popular taste; and England had not
forgotten his lessons. Everyone knew that Handel would
bring good Music with him. He was received, therefore,
with open arms; and no time was lost in engaging him to
compose an Opera for the Queen's Theatre. The subject
selected was Rinaldo. The libretto, founded upon an
episode in Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata, was sketched out,
in English, by Aaron Hill, the Director of the Theatre,
and rendered into Italian verse by Giacomo Rossi, who
complained that he could not write his Poetry fast
setting it to Music. Handel had never before been
fortunate enough to meet with so powerful a Drama.
The Action of the Poem is romantic to the last degree.
1710-1711.] THE NEW LIBRETTO.
61
The Scene is laid in the Holy Land, during the progress
of the First Crusade. Rinaldo, the hero of the story
(Soprano), is betrothed to Almirena (Soprano), daughter
of Godefroi de Bouillon-here called Goffredo (Contralto).
Argante, the Paynim King of Jerusalem (Basso), is the
accepted lover of the Sorceress Armida (Soprano), who,
for purposes of revenge, secures the person of Almirena,
and conceals her in a spell-encircled garden, where
Argante sees and falls in love with her. Rinaldo is
conveyed to this mysterious retreat in a magic boat,
and endeavours to rescue his promised bride; but
Armida herself is captivated by his heroic beauty, and
in the vain hope of gaining his affection, deceives him
by alternately appearing in her own proper form and
in that of Almirena. Meanwhile Goffredo and his
brother-in-arms, Eustazio (Contralto), are informed of
the true state of the case by a Christian Astrologer (Con-
tralto), and fly to the succour of their friend. Argante
and Armida are besieged and conquered ; and the story
ends with their conversion to Christianity.
After having subjected the entire series of Handel's
Italian Operas to a careful and most minute analysis, we
feel no hesitation in saying that, taken as a whole,
Rinaldo is entitled to the first place on the list of its
author's dramatic masterpieces. Finer Movements may
possibly be found in some of his later productions; hut,
in none is the interest more unflaggingly maintained,
from beginning to end. The boldness of so original a con-
ception must have caused no small surprise to the audience
who witnessed its first perforniance ; for, during the earlier
half of the eighteenth century, the construction of Italian
Opera was hemmed in by formal restrictions, which,
pressing no less severely on the Composer than on the
62
THE LAWS OF ITALIAN OPERA. [CDAP. IX.
Author of the libretto, proved a serious hindrance to the
development of a natural and consistent Art-form. The
Poet was not even permitted to use his own judgment
with regard to the members of his Dramatis personce ; nor
could the Composer distribute his Voices in accordance
with any other scheme than that laid down by law. The
strict rule demanded the employment of six principal
characters only—three Women and three Men. A fourth
Man was indeed admissible in cases of necessity; and
a Woman was sometimes permitted to take a Man's
partmespecially if she had a deep-toned voice, of mascu-
frequently claimed. The First Woman (Prima Donna)
was always a high Soprano ; the Second, or Third, a
Contralto. The First Man (Primo uomo) was an artificial
Soprano ; and it was indispensable that he should appear
as the hero of the piece, though the rôle assigned to him
might be that of Ajax or Julius Cæsar. The Second
Man, if not a Soprano, like the First, was an artificial
Contralto. The Third was either another Contralto, or,
more rarely, a Tenor. When a Fourth Man was needed,
the additional Part (Ultima Parte) was most frequently
assigned, either to a Tenor, or a Bass. But it was
by no means an unusual thing to employ artificial
Sopranos and Contraltos only, for the Male Characters, ,
without the support of either Bass, Tenor, or Baritone,
as in Handel's Teseo, and many other Operas of the
period.
Each of the principal Characters of the Drama claimed
the right to sing one Air, at least, in each of the three
Acts into which the piece was divided. The Airs them-
selves—though all consisting of a First, and Second Part,
and concluding with the indispensable Da Capo-were
1710-1711.] THE LAWS OF ITALIAN OPERA. 63
separated into five grand classes, each distinguished by
some strongly-marked and unvarying characteristic.
Thus, the Aria cantabile was restricted to a flowing
melody, supported by a very slight accompaniment, but
affording frequent opportunity for the introduction of ex-
tempore embellishment. The Aria di portamento, equally
melodious in character, depended chiefly, for its effect,
upon the substitution of long swelling notes for the lighter
forms of ornament, and therefore demanded no slight
amount of sustaining power, on the part of the Singer.
The Aria di mezzo carattere, more fully developed, and,
generally, more richly accompanied than either of the
preceding forms, was susceptible of very much greater
variety, in the matter of dramatic treatment. The Aria
parlante was devoted to the expression of still deeper
feeling, and more violent emotion; and, taking its action
from that of the words to which it was adapted, appeared,
sometimes, as an Aria di nota e parola, sometimes, as an
Arici agitatai, and sometimes, as an Aria di strepito, or
even an Aria infuriata. Finally, the Aria di bravura, or
l'agilità, was universally recognised as a natural and
legitimate vehicle for displaying the power of the Singer
to the greatest possible advantage ; and filled, accordingly,
with difficulties which few popular favourites, at the
present day, would think it prudent to attack.
Directly referable to these five primary types, were
certain subsidiary forms, in less frequent use. For
instance, the Cavatina was simply an Aria cantabile, or
an Aria di portamento, distinguished by the absence of a
second part; the Aria d'imitazione was an Arice di mezzo
carattere, or di bravura, coloured by some striking allusion
to external phenomena, such as the warbling of birds, a
natural echo, the sound of a waterfall, or the din of war.
64
THE LAWS OF ITALIAN OPERA. [CHAP. IX,
or the chase. The Aria concertata was nothing more than an
Air of similar character, with an unusually elaborate Accom-
paniment. The Aria all' unisono, as its name implies,
was accompanied in unison throughout, and was neither
an uncommon nor an ineffective variety of the Aria di
m2720 carattere. Much rarer was the Arici senzce accom-
instrumental support whatever, except in the Ritornelii.
Indeed, this form was only practicable when allotted to a
Singer of quite exceptional talent.
An Air, belonging to one or other of the classes we
have described, was introduced at the close of every Scene;
unless, indeed, its place could be advantageously supplied
by a harmonised exclamation, in which all the characters
present upon the Stage were made to join, at the close of
a Recitative.
But, two Airs of the same class were never permitted
to succeed each other; nor was any Singer suffered to claim
two Airs of any kind in succession. The most important
Airs were placed at the end of the First and Second Acts.
In the Second and Third Acts, it was the privilege of the
hero, and heroine, to execute a grand Scenci, consisting of
an Aria di bravuri, preceded by an Accompanied Recita-
tive. The same Characters also sang together, in at least
one grand Duet : but Trios, Quartetts, and other Concerted
Movements, were altogether contrary to rule, though the
Third Act always terminated with a Chorus, in which all
the principal Singers took part.
Handel raised no objection whatever to the tyranny
of these pedantic laws, so long as it suited his purpose to
obey them; but, the moment they interfered with his
supreme will and pleasure, he cast them to the winds.
Almost all of them were broken, at some time or other,
1710–1711.]
‘RINALDO."
during the course of his long connection with the Stage ;1
and not a few, even in Rinaldo.
The real strength of this famous Opera lies, neither in
the originality of its Music alone, nor the dramatic power
exhibited in its every scene, but, in the combination of
these two great qualities with an amount of psychological
truth which stamps it, throughout, as the work of an
intellect of the highest order.
The Overture, with its majestic Introduction, and stately
Fugue, carries us back, at once, to the age of Chivalry;
and, after preparing us, by its rich harmonies, and bold
motivi, for the nobler Scenes of the coming Drama, gives
us a foretaste, in its sparkling Gigue, of the voluptuous
enchantments of Armida's garden. Even Mattheson does
not venture to depreciate this fine Composition ; but holds
it up as a model of what the Orchestral Prelude to a
Musical Drama ought to be.
The first Air, “Sovra balze scoscesi,' is allotted to
Goffredo, whose rôle is characterised by an earnestness of
purpose which adapts itself, with equal facility, to the
claims of devoted friendship, and the warlike spirit indis-
pensable to the Leader of the great Crusade. From first
to last, the future King of Jerusalem stands before us as
the complete impersonation of the Christian Knight.
1 For more minute information concerning the laws by which
the structure of the Italian Opera was governed, during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, consult:
Lettre sur le Mécanisme de l'Opéra Italien. (Napoli, 1756).
Steffano Arteaga's Le Rivoluzione del Teatro Musicale Italiano.
(Bologna, 1783–1788.)
J. Brown. Letters upon the Poetry and Music of the Italian
Opera. (Edinburgh, 1789.)
Vincenzo Manfredini's Regole Armoniche. (Venezia, 1797.)
Goldoni. Mem. i. p. 102.
66
[CHIAP. IX,
(RINALDO:
Eustazio, his brother-in-arms, is equally loyal, and
equally in earnest; but, as a faithful follower, only.
His style never rises to the boldness of command.
The character of Argante, the Pagan tyrant, is admir-
ably drawn. He first presents himself in 'Sibillar gli
angui d'Aletto, a raging Aria d'agilità, replete with
furious determination, and desperate hate. But, later on,
when his heart is touched by love, he shows himself alive
to better things. There is a tenderness in Vieni o card'
which no mere brutal despot could ever have exhibited.
Having heard him sing this, we never cease to think of
him with respect, and are not at all surprised to find that
he ends by becoming a Christian.
Armida, his beloved, is worthy of him. Her hatred
is no light passion. Her first Air, Furie terribili,' is
horribly vindictive. But, when the sight of Rinaldo has
inspired her with a passion, which, for the time being,
makes her faithless to Argante, she shows herself a true
woman-and, not altogether a heartless one. Rinaldo's
loyalty to his first and only love reduces her to despair;
but not to utter wickedness. No more touching tale of
hopeless suffering was ever expressed in Music, than that
embodied in the matchless phrases of ‘Al crudel, il pianto
mio.' The Sorceress lays bare her wounded heart, in
every phrase of it. It is true, when she finds herself
finally rejected, she once more stands forth as the enemy
of the hero she has learned to love ; but the bitterness of
her hate has vanished: the call to armis is a bold, but no
longer a savage one. The dæmon has given place to the
honourable foe.
Almirena and Rinaldo are a well-matched pair. Ener-
vated by love, the warrior turns so deaf an ear to the
1710–1711.]
RINALDO:
calls of duty, that even the Ladye of his choice fails to
rouse him from the apathy of sensuous indulgence into
which he is fast sinking. It is only when his beloved is
torn from his arms by the power of Armida's spells, when
the Dæmons she summons mock his despair and turn his
misery into ridicule, that he shows himself in his true
colours. Stunned at first, by the suddenness of the blow,
he takes but a moment to recover himself; puts on the
hero; and never afterwards forgets his real character.
The style of his Music now undergoes a most remarkable
change. Without losing a particle of its individuality, it
rises from weaker beauty, to an earnestness which carries
all before it. It is the same strain with a new fire en-
kindled in it. Had Shakespeare painted the character of
Rinaldo, he would assuredly have made him express, in
words, every changing shade of passion which Handel
has here expressed in Music. And Almirena, too, is
changed. She is but a woman; and, as a woman, yields,
herself, in the first instance, to the enervating influence of
a passionate love. When Armida takes her captive, she
expresses her grief in the unapproachably beautiful Air,
'Lascia ch'io pianga, which breathes the very essence
of a hopeless despair. But, afterwards, she forgets her
own private grief, and shows herself well worthy of a
Crusader's devotion-a veritable 'Queen of Beauty.
And all these delicate shades of character and feeling
are expressed—be it clearly understood—by the Music
alone. Rossi's verses, from first to last, are utterly inane.
The situations of the Drama are admirably arranged.
Probably Handel himself suggested not a few of them.
But the Poetry, divorced from its musical setting, ex-
presses absolutely nothing. The situations simply furnish
F 2
‘RINALDO:
[CHAP. IS.
a material body, into which Handel's Music breathes a
living soul-just as Shakespeare's Poetry breathed a soul
into the unpromisingi spectrum of Othello.
The first representations of Rinaldo were followed
by certain manifestations of popular feeling which
must not be passed over in silence. Augelletti che
cantate, the beautiful Aria d'imitazione, sung by Almirena
in the First Act, was aided by the loveliest imaginable
Accompaniment for two Flutes and a · Flageolett,' 2
during the performance of which living birds were let
loose upon the Stage, in great numbers. Addison, after
fulminating a host of invectives against the construction of
the Italian Opera as a whole, bitterly derided this silly
proceeding, in The Spectator ; but, only on the score of its
puerility. No voice seems to have been raised against the
horrible cruelty of exposing the poor little songsters to the
danger of cremation among the footlights. Let us try to
forget this--if we can-in our admiration of the Heroine's
later Song, in the Third Act, Bel piacer, in which, in the
MS. Score, at Buckingham Palace, a Violin accompanies
the Voice, in unison, throughout, though, in the copy
printed by Walsh, by the author's express permission, the
Voice is left entirely unsupported, from beginning to end,
thus furnishing us with a delicious example of the extremely
rare Aria senza accompagnamento in its purest form.
Handel himself considered Rinaldo's Air, Cara sposa, the
best he ever wrote. Il tricerbero umiliato—a magni-
ficent Arici all unisono allotted to the same Character-
produced an immense effect, when sung by Nicolini, and
1.Haply, for I am black.'
2 We quote from the autograph copy in the Royal Collection
at Buckingham Palace. The German Handel Society gives two
Flutes and a Piccolo.
69
1710–1711.]
'RINALDO:
was long afterwards popular, in the form of the well-known
Drinking-Song, Let the waiter bring clean glasses. The
Hero's grand Arici d'agilità-01 la trombamis accom-
panied by the full Orchestra, reinforced by four
Trumpets and a 'Kettel'!1 and like Venti turbini,
in the First Act, contains some of the most brilliant
and difficult passages ever written for the human voice.
The fine Aria for Armida, which closes the Second Act,
Vo far guerra—was invested with unusual interest by the
introduction of an elaborate Harpsichord Accompaniment,
which Handel was accustomed to play himself with never-
failing effect. In Smith's copy of the Conducting Score,
in the Royal Collection, the Staves for this Accompaniment
are left vacant. No doubt the great Maestro always played
it extempore; but Walsh, in the later copies of his printed
edition, gives it in extenso, under the title of “The Harpsi-
chord Peice (sic) perform’d by Mr. Hendel.' We cannot
doubt the genuineness of this invaluable record, the style
of which reminds us of more than one of the Organ Con-
certos, and still more forcibly of some passages in a
1 We quote again from the autograph copy at Buckingham Palace
(in the volume entitled “Songs and Sketches,' vol. ii.). The
Composer, of course, wrote for' Kettle-Drums' (Tynpani).
? Dr. Chrysander wrote the first volume of his biography, and
edited Rinaldo for the German Handel Society, under the impres-
sion that this Harpsichord Accompaniment had passed away with
the performer. Happily, though wanting in the Conducting
Score,' and in Walsh's printed copy (with the English title-page) at
Buckingham Palace, it is not yet lost. There is a copy of the later
issue in the Library of the British Museum; and the author him.
self is fortunate enough to possess a very fine one. In this very
rare reprint the English title has been erased, and an Italian one
inserted in its place; and Rinaldo's famous Air is given with the
English words, Let the waiter bring clear glasses, inserted under.
neath the original Italian ones, Il Tricerbero umiliato.
70
[CHAP. IX.
‘RINALDO.
Capriccio, contained in the Princess Amelia's Lesson
Book, and printed in Rimbault's ‘History of the Piano-
forte. It would be too much to suppose that the Com-
poser ever confined himself to the printed notes. In fact
it is quite certain that he always played such passages
extempore. But we may be sure that Walsh's version-
the only one we possess—fairly represents the general
style of his performance.
The March, in the Third Act of Rinaldo, with its fiery
passages for four Trumpets, was popular, for many years,
under the title of 'The Royal Guards' March ;' and, in
1728, was introduced, by Dr. Pepusch, into “The Beggar's
Opera, in the form of a Chorus adapted to the words,
'Let us take the road. Hark, I hear the sound of coaches.'
The only Chorus written for the Drama by Handel him-
self was the spirited Gavotte, Vinto e soll della virtrì, 1 with
which it concludes : a worthy pendant to the Gigue which
forms the climax of the Overture.
During the season of 1811, the part of Rinaldo was
sung by Nicolini, and that of Eustazio, by Valentini.
Signora Boschi impersonated Goffredo. Boschi, himself,
took the part of . Argante; and Cassani, that of the
Magician. The parts of Armida, and Almirena, were
assigned to Signora Pilotti Schiavonetti, and Isabella
; Girardeau. The Opera was received with a degree of
enthusiasm quite unprecedented in England. Between
the 24th of February—the day on which the first
1 This movement has lately been erroneously described as a
Bourrée, a species of Dance Tune to which it bears no sort of re-
semblance. The Bourrée is in Common Time, with four Crotchet-
beats in a bar, each phrase beginning at the fourth beat. The
Gavotte is in Alla breve Time, with two Minim-beats in the bar,
each phrase beginning and ending, as in the case in point, at the
half-bar.
1710–1711.]
‘RINALDO
representation took place and the 21st of June, it
enjoyed a run of fifteen nights in succession. In 1812,
it had a second run, of nine nights. It was played again,
in 1715, in 1717, and even as late as 1731. In 1715 it
was also successfully performed in Hamburg; and, in 1717,
it met with an equally enthusiastic reception at Naples.
The original MS. no longer exists in a connected form,
though large portions of it grace the Royal Collection
at Buckingham Palace. The second volume of the so-
called "Songs and Sketches contains. eighty pages
of the finished Score, belonging, chiefly, to the
First and Third Acts; while the third volume supplies
some valuable fragments of the missing portions, which
were unfortunately misplaced, when the books were bound.
Another volume, labelled 'Sonatas,' contains the original
autograph of the Overture. A complete copy of the
"Conducting Score' in C. Smith's handwriting, with
numerous pencil annotations by Handel himself, is pre-
served in the same Collection; and many interesting
fragments, in Handel's own handwriting, have been
discovered in the Fitzwilliam Library at Cambridge.
Walsh’s valuable, but lamentably incomplete edition,
omitting all the Recitatives, and many of the Instru-
mental Parts, was first printed, in 1711, and afterwards
re-issued, with some very interesting additions. Walsh
is reported to have made fifteen hundred pounds by
this speculation, a circumstance which tempted Handel
to say that the wily music-seller should compose the next
Opera, and he would publish it. The most perfect copy
yet given to the world was printed by the “German
Handel Society' in 1874 ; but, there is still room for a
more complete edition, illustrated by the rich store of
documents we have described.
* RINALDO:
[CHAP. IX.
Great astonishment has been expressed at Rossi's
statement that the Opera was composed in a fortnight;
but, the circumstance is less extraordinary than it appears,
at first sight. Handel's fertile genius supplied him with
ideas enough to meet any possible emergency. His technical
knowledge, and masterful command over the constructive
resources of his Art, enabled him to write down his thoughts,
currente calamo-as fast as his pen could travel. It only
remained for him to identify himself with the character
he intended to depict; and the thing was done. The
swiftness of his touch, like the truth of his colouring,
arose from the fact that it was not the result of mere out-
ward observation. He expressed, not what he saw, but,
what he felt. Disdaining to accept the puppets provided
for him by the Poet, he created each Character in the
Drama for himself; endowed it with the richest gifts
his Imagination could supply; and then, seizing his
Promethean child by the heart, painted from the inside.
The greatest Art-critic now living tells us that all true
geniuses are accustomed to do this.) Assuredly, Shakes-
peare did it. Though perfectly content with the traditional
history of the Montagues and the Capulets, as it came to
him from Italy, he created his owl Romeo and his own
Juliet. Beaumarchais did the same, as he himself tells
us, when, persuading himself that he was Chérubin, he
wrote down the exact words the little Page would have
spoken, had he existed in the flesh. And Handel identified
himself, in like manner, with every character he imagined.
What wonder that a man who wrote thus should find
his pen too slow for the expression of his thoughts !
I See 'Modern Painters.'
CHAPTER X.
IN LONDON AND HANOVER.
HANDEL made many friends, during the course of his
first short sojourn in London; but met with no one more
truly worthy of his respect than Thomas Britton, the
famous “Small-coal Man.'
Poor, low-born, and entirely self-educated, this humble
amateur was one of Nature's truest Gentlemen. He
earned his living by selling small-coal, in the streets, from
a sack which he carried on his shoulder. When his day's
work was done, he retired to his meanly-furnished
dwelling, removed all trace of the morning's occupation
from his person, and spent the evening, either in practising
on the Viola da gamba, or in studying the books and
MSS. of which, during his long life, he contrived to
amass a very valuable collection. His house was situated
in Aylesbury Street, à narrow thoroughfare extending
from Clerkenwell Green to S. John's Street; and stood
at the corner of a passage, leading, by the old Jerusalem
Tavern, under the gateway of the Priory, into S. John's
Square. It had originally been a stable ; but he divided
it, by means of a wooden flooring, into two storeys, of
which the lower one served as a cellar for the small-coal,
while the upper portion formed a long narrow room, so
low that a tall man could scarcely stand upright in it, and
74
THOMAS BRITTON.
[CHAP. X.
so difficult of access, that it could only be reached by a
flight of steps, more like a ladder than a staircase, built on
the outside of the house. In this rude Concert-Room he
was accustomed, every Thursday evening, to entertain his
friends with intellectual conversation, and the best Chamber
Music that London could produce. Among his guests were
John Hughes, the Poet, and Sir Roger l'Estrange, an amateur
Violoncellist of considerable renown. John Bannister,
the Violinist, and Henry Needler, were constant visitors;
as were also Dr. Pepusch, Obadiah Shuttleworth, Abiell
Whichello, and Woolaston, the Painter, who transmitted
his friend's features to posterity, in two interesting portraits,
both of which were afterwards engraved in mezzotint, and
much sought after, by collectors, when impressions began
to grow scarce. Matthew Dubourg, one of the best
Violinists of the age, made his first appearance, as a child,
at one of these meetings, standing upon a joint-stool to
play his Solo. The Duchess of Queensberry was rarely
absent from the weekly gatherings. And here Handel
loved to entertain the company, by playing to them upon
the Harpsichord, and upon a small Chamber-Organ with five
Stops; taking the general direction of the performances,
and delighting all who heard him. Britton's friends were
numberless. In spite of his obscure position, he was
always known as Mr. Britton; and it was noticed that all
who spoke with him addressed him, in the courteous
fashion of the time, as “Sir.' He died, in 1714, from a
fright, caused by an ill-advised practical joke of a ventrilo-
quist; and is honourably mentioned by Walpole, Hearne,
and many other writers of the time : notably, by Hawkins,
who has reproduced one of Woolaston's portraits, in the
fifth volume of his . History of Music.'1
1 Hawkins. Hist. of Mus.' vol. v. pp. 70-88.
1711-1712.] ITALIAN CHAMBER MUSIC. . 75
Handel also made acquaintance with Lord Burlington,
Mr. Andrews, William Babell, the Harpsichord Player-
who gained extraordinary credit by writing a set of
Lessons on Airs from Rinaldo—and many other men of note
and talent whose friendship was well worth having. In
their society the time passed pleasantly away; and, soon
after the close of the Opera Season on the 2nd of June,
he brought his happy visit to an end, and returned to
Hanover, to resume his duties as Kapellmeister at the
Electoral Court, in conjunction with his kind old friend,
the Abbate Steffani.1
To this Hanoverian period must be referred the Com-
position of a large collection of Italian Chamber Music-
including, in the opinion of some authorities, the Thirteen
Duetts printed by Arnold, and many of the Cantatas
which follow them-and nine German Lieder. Chry-
sander adds to them—we think, somewhat rashly—the six
Hautboy Concertos generally supposed to have been written
at Cannons. The vocal pieces were composed for the
Princess Caroline, the Consort of Prince George, the
Elector's son; and adapted, for the most part, to Poems
written by the Abbate Mauro. The Concertos may possibly
have been played by the Court Orchestra, which was then
one of the best in Germany.
In the autumn of this year, Handel once more visited
his family, at Halle. On the 23rd of November, we find
him standing sponsor to his sister's child, Johanna Friderica
Michaelsen-the ‘Johanna Friderica Floerchen, of Gotha,
in Saxony,' who, in the Will of 1750, is nominated as the
Composer's residuary legatee. The records of this period
leave much to conjecture : but it seems certain that the
restless Kapellmeister remained but a year, at most, in
* Mainwaring, p. 85.
76
'IL PASTOR FIDO. [CHAP. X.
Hanover; and then, once more obtaining leave of absence,
on condition that he resumed his duties within a reasonable
time, 1 returned post-haste to London, where, on the 26th
of November, 1712, he reappeared before the audience
at the Queen's Theatre, with a new Opera, Il Pastor
Fido.
The libretto of 'The Faithful Shepherd'-—as it is called
in the printed book of words-was again prepared by
Giacomo Rossi, whose verses, in this case, are in no wise
superior to those in his earlier production, while the situa-
tions of the Drama are infinitely less striking. The Music,
on the other hand, is full of beauties, and abounds with
subtle delineations of character and expression, which,
vedded to happier poetry, could scarcely have failed to
render it immortal. More than half the original MS. has
unhappily been lost. Of the fragments which remain,
seventy pages---comprising portions of the Second and
Third Acts, and including the final Chorus, dated ' Fine
cell Atto terzo. G. F. H. Londres, ce 24 d'Octobr. v. st.
1712 '2—will be found in the second volume of the
Songs and Sketches,' now preserved in the Royal
Collection, together with a small 4to Conducting Score,
complete, with the exception of the Overture, and enriched
with autograph annotations, in pencil. The principal Airs
—many of which reappear in later Operas—were printed
in two Books, by Walsh, whose edition is now extremely
rare. The complete Opera remained unpublished till 1876,
when it was printed by the German Handel Society, with
| Mainyaring, p. 85.
2 The letters'y.st. indicate the Old Style,' which remained
in use in England until the year 1752, when, by Act of Parlia.
ment, September 3rd, Old Style, became September 14th, New
Style ; the year beginning thenceforward on the 1st of January,
instead of the 25th of March.
1712–1713.]
"TESEO.
77
a restoration of the Overture from the separate Orchestral
Parts.
The rôle of Mirtillo, the hero of the piece, was originally
entrusted to the Cavaliere Valeriano Pellegrini, an artificial
Soprano then on his first visit to England; that of the
second male character, Silvio, to Valentini; and that
of the third, Tiresio, to Richard Leveridge, the popular
Bass, who had, by this time, learned to sing in Italian.
The parts of Amarilli, Eurilla, and Dorinda, were
assigned to Signora Pilotti Schiavonetti, Signora Mar-
garita de l'Epine, and Mrs. Barbier, a deep Contralto.
Notwithstanding its great beauty, the Opera failed to
attract full houses, and was repeated during the winter
season no more than six times, though it was several
times revived at a later period.
Early in the ensuing year, Il Pastor Fido gave place to
Teseo, a work of greater importance, and planned on a
much grander scale.
The libretto of the new Opera was written by Nicola
Haym, an author of considerable literary attainments
and a Composer of some merit. Contrary to esta-
blished custom the Drama is divided into five Acts.
The Scene is laid in Athens, and the plot turns almost
entirely upon the jealousy of Medea (Soprano), who
is wildly enamoured of Teseo (Soprano), and determines
to destroy her rival, Agilea (Soprano), by the power
of sorcery. In the Third Act, she endeavours to put
this design into effect by means of the most terrible
incantations she can command. In the Fourth, she
deceives the lovers by a pretended reconciliation. In
the Fifth, she changes her plans, turns her wrath
upon the hero himself, and endeavours to persuade his
father, Egeo (Contralto), to poison him. Egeo yields to
78
[CHAP. X.
"TESEO:
the temptation, but recognises his son, by the sword lie
carries, just in time to avoid the parricide. The Drama
ends with the union of Teseo and Agilea, and of another
pair of lovers, Arcane (Contralto) and Clizia (Soprano),
who have but little connection with the real action of the
piece.
The Music of Teseo is, in some respects, finer than even
that of Rinaldo; and the Composer's power of creating
his own Dramatis persona is no less clearly apparent,
here, than in the earlier Opera. The characters of Medea,
Agilea, and Teseo, have been compared with those of
Armida, Almirena, and Rinaldo; but there is really no more
resemblance between them, than between those of Macbeth
and Richard III., or Sylvia and Miranda. A strong and
unmistakable individuality pervades them all. Teseo has
none of the weakness of Rinaldo, and needs no one to
rouse his sleeping energies. Agilea's affection differs, toto
cælo, from Almirena's, both in its nature, and in the mode
of its expression. Medea, though everywhere a Princess,
is a tigress in her love, and a fiend in her enchantments,
which the Violins and Basses accompany in snaky coils
like those allotted to Lucifero in the 'Resurrezione.' From
first, to last, there is nothing of the woman about her.
She could no more sing Armida’s ‘Ah ! crudel! il pianto
mio,' than Goneril could sing Desdemona's Song of the
Willow. Alexandre Dumas, in his unfinished novel,
Isaac Lacquedem, draws a wonderful picture, in which,
centuries after her death, Medea expresses her regret that
her knowledge of magic did not suffice to restore her
murdered children to life. Handel's Medea would never
have shown even so much human feeling as that.
It is in these subtle delineations of the inner life of his
subjects that the Composer gives us, in these early works,
1712–1713.]
"TESEO:
a foretaste of the power which culminated, years after-
wards, in the ineffable expression of Deeper and deeper
still' and 'He was despised. The later creations betray
the presence of no new faculty. The Master's command
over the feelings of his audience is essentially the same,
in all his works; only, as the man grows older, he shows
a more comprehensive experience of life. His own long
fights with care enable him to discourse to others with
a more persuasive eloquence than he was able to use
when all was bright and joyous in the present, and glow-
ing with hope for the future. The forms of espression
upon which Rinaldo and Teseo depend for the depth of
their effect are as real as those which all the world
admires in Samson and Judas Maccabeus. The only
difference is, that in the one case they are attempered
by a more matured acquaintance with human nature than
in the other. In both, they are perfectly true, and per-
fectly natural.
The autograph copy of Teseo is far less complete than
even that of Rinaldo: but, the second volume of Songs
and Sketches' already alluded to contains thirty-eight
pages of the original Score, including a considerable
portion of the Fourth Act, and, fortunately, the con-
cluding Chorus of the Fifth, duly signed, and dated,
‘T'ine del Drama. G. F. H. à Londres, ce 19 de Decembr.
1712. The Royal Library also contains two complete
Conducting Scores ; besides a large copy, complete with
the exception of the Recitatives, and labelled, by the
bookbinder, Original Score,' though it is certainly not
in Handel's handwriting. The entire Opera, including
the Recitatives, was one of the earliest works printed in
Arnold's valuable, though cruelly maligned collection.
No other edition was published in the eighteenth century;
(TESEO.
[CHAP. X.
nor did any reprint appear, until the whole was edited, by
Dr. Chrysander, for the German Handel Society, in 1874.
From the dedication prefixed to the printed libretto, by
N. Haym, we are led to infer that the Music was com-
posed at Burlington House. On the occasion of its first
performance, on the 10th of January, 1713, the Cavaliere
Valeriano appeared as Teseo; Valentini, as Egeo ; Mrs.
Barbier, as Arcane; Sigra Pilotti Schiavonetti, as Medea;
Sigra Margarita de l'Epine, as Agilea; and Sigra Vittoria
Albergatti, as Clizia. The Opera was performed twelve
times, in succession, to crowded houses; and mainly sup-
ported the establishment, during the entire season. On
the 15th of May, a special performance took place, 'for
Mr. Handel, with an entertainment for the Harpsichord ;'
and on the 30th of the same month, the season came to
an end.
CHAPTER XI.
THE UTRECET TE DEUM.
On the 6th of February, 1713, G. F. Handel (as he
thenceforth almost invariably signed himself) made
his first appearance before a London audience, with a
Composition adapted to English words.
This circumstance is invested with a far deeper
significance than we should, at first sight, be led to
suppose : for, in the so-called 'Birthday Ode, composed
for Queen Anne, and sung, most probably at S. James's,
on the forty-ninth anniversary of her entrance into the
world, we first find clear indications of the grandeur of
style which distinguishes the Composer of Messiah,
and Israel in Ægypt,' from all other Masters, of his own,
or any other age.
We have been told, that our best English Music was
made for us, by a foreigner. But, those who utter this
taunt forget that an appreciative audience is as necessary to
the development of a new Style as the Master who creates
it: that, in the absence of sympathising listeners, the per-
petuation of a School is impossible. Handel conceived
his last and greatest Style of Composition to ineet the
taste of his English auditors; used it only when setting
English words to Music; and found himself, through its
influence, placed so closely en rapport with the musical
THE UTRECHT TE DEUM.
[CHAP. XI.
public, that, attracted by a sympathy more powerful than
that of patriotism, he at once made common cause with
his new friends, forsook his Fatherland, and dwelt among
us, as a naturalised English subject, for the remainder of
his life. Except in England, this new Style has nowhere
been thoroughly appreciated. In France and Italy,
it is, and always has been, utterly unknown. To the
great mass of the German people it has absolutely nothing
to say. Where sympathy with the genius of Bach has
produced its richest fruit, reverence for that of Handel
has invariably failed to take firm root. So true is this,
that even the monumental publication of the Germàn
Handel Society' can only be regarded as the expression
of an individual admiration for this great Composer's
works. It is given to us by the self-denial of a single
devoted worshipper—all honour to him for his labour
of love! To his ardent zeal, and untiring patience, it
bears the noblest testimony: but, it is far from repre-
senting the united voice of German musical predilection.
Handel is ours; and we alone know how to value him.
As Willaert founded the Venetian School; as Lulli
dowered France with a School of Dramatic Music; so
Handel has given us a School of English Oratorio, which
owes its existence to the peculiar bias of our national
taste, as truly as does the Literature of the Elizabethan
ära, or the Pointed Arch of 'Early English' Architecture.
The works which grace that School are as purely English
as the landscapes of Gainsborough, or the satires of
Hogarth ; the sweet verses of Gray, or the humbler
rhymes of Cowper. And the School is for all time. It
will live, as long as our present tonal system shall con-
tinue to existi As long as Englishmen are Englishmen,
it will speak to their Religious Faith, and artistic sense of
1712–1713.] THE UTRECHT TE DEUM.
beauty, as no other music has spoken, since the days of
Tallis, and Byrd, and Farrant, and Orlando Gibbons-
for, it is as truly English as the Cathedral Music of the
sixteenth century.
We do not say that the 'Birthday Ode? exhibits
this grand style in the fulness of the sublimity which
forms its most prominent characteristic. It does nothing
of the kind. But, it shows traces of it. In his next
great work; the Master rose to a higher level. Finding
his hearers responsive to the invitation of his genius,
Temple of Art, to the sacred recesses of those Adyta
penetralic into which no human thought; had: as yet
presumed to intrude.
In the year. 1694, Henry Purcell composed, for the
Festival of S. Cæcilia, the first English Te Deum that was
ever enriched by full Orchestral Accompaniments. So
well was this great work adapted to the prevailing taste
of the period, that; for eighteen years consecutively, it
was regularly performed, in S. Paul's Cathedral, for the
benefit of “The Sons of the Clergy. No doubt, Handel
heard it: there ; for, his affection for Father Smith's
beautiful Organ attracted him to the Cathedral constantly:
and, if so, he must have listened to Purcell's harmonious
progressions with more than ordinary interest, since they
represented the English School of Church Music, in the
highest phase of development it had as yet attained in
combination with instrumental support. And it was
precisely at this point that he cast in his lot with the
English School; and led it onwards towards a greatness,
the full glories of which it was scarcely possible that
he himself could then have distinctly foreseen. In the
Birthday Ode-or Serenata, as it is sometimes called-he
G 2
84
THE UTRECHT TE DEUM. [CHAP. XI.
contents himself with the introduction of short Fugal Points,
little more fully developed than those of Purcell. In
the Utrecht Te Deum, composed to celebrate the Peace
of 1713, and first performed, on the 7th of July in that
year, in all probability at S. Paul's Cathedral, he launches
forth, at the very outset, into a magnificent Double
Subject, which gives us no mean foretaste of the power after-
wards brought to perfection in Israel in Ægypt, and ends
by building, upon an apparently simple fragment of the old
Ecclesiastical Canto fermo, one of those huge conceptions
in which he distances all competition, and stands abso-
lutely alone. It has been said of the Theseus of the
Parthenon, that it looks as large, in the reduced model
published by the Arundel Society, as it does in the
original; and as large, in the original, as if it had been
hewn out of the entire side of Mount Pentelicus. And so
it is with these immense Choruses. They sound as grand,
when reverently interpreted by an ordinary Cathedral
Choir, as they do--or, alas ! once didmat Exeter Hall;
and as grand, at Exeter Hall, as at the Crystal Palace.
The Te Deum is followed, like that of Purcell, by a
Jubilate, which forms a worthy pendant to the first divi-
sion of the work. Here again, after a jubilant intro-
ductory Chorus, the Composer presents us with a gigantic
Double Fugue, founded, like that at the close of the
Te Deum, upon a fragment of Ecclesiastical Plain Chaunt.
And here, again, he concludes his work with a cunningly-
devised network of contrapuntal design, the involutions of
which are managed with such consummate skill, that all
thought of their learning and ingenuity is lost in the
breadth of their effect.
Though, as we have already said, the Utrecht Te Deum
was not publicly performed until the 7th of July, 1713, the
Jubite me Deum is for Hall, as at the
85
1712–1713.] THE UTRECHT TE DEUM.
date appended to the original MS., in the Royal Library-
S. D. G. | G. F. H. | Londres ce 14 de Janv. v. st. 1
1712–proves it to have been completed—no doubt, in
anticipation of the approaching Festival—some weeks
before the Birthday Ode. We may therefore fairly
regard it as Handel's first great English work : and we
shall probably be not far wrong, if we assume that the
Composer used the 'Ode' as a means of testing the amount
of sympathy upon which he could depend, on the part of
his audiences; and that, finding them ready to go with
him as far as he was prepared to take them, he never
afterwards wavered in his determination to pursue his
new Ideal to its legitimate end.
The Te Deum and Jubilate are both included in
Arnold's printed collection. A very incorrect edition of
the Jubilate was published, many years ago, by Messrs.
Breitkopf and Härtel, at Leipzig: and, in 1869, both
divisions of the work were published by the German
Handel Society.
Both at Court, and by the general public, the Composi-
tion was hailed, with delight, as a welcome addition to
the already rich répertoire of English Cathedral Music.
Queen Anne, though too ill to be present at its first per-
formance in S. Paul's Cathedral, heard it afterwards, in
the Chapel Royal, at S. James's, and rewarded the Com-
poser with a pension of two hundred pounds per annum,
for life. During the next thirty years, it was performed,
i The substitution of 1712 for 1713 is accounted for by the
peculiarity of the Old Style, described in Appendix A. The
date at the end of the Jubilate has been partly cut away by the
bookbinder; but, the figures 1713 are distinctly visible. The
autograph Score of the Birthday Ode, in the same Collection, is
undated.
86
THE UTRECHT TE DEUDEUM.
:M. [CHAP. XI.
at S. Paul's, alternately with Purcell's Te Deum, for the
benefit of The Sons of the Clergy.' This honour it
enjoyed, till 1743, when the Dettingen Te Deum caused
all other works of the kind to be laid aside; and, for this
reason alone, it is now almost forgotten, even in the land
of its birth.
CHAPTER XII.
AT BURLINGTON HOUSE.
The intimacy of the rapport thus firmly established, once
and for ever, between the musical taste of the English
public and the peculiar bent of Handel's genius, tempted
the truant Kapellmeister to prolong his absence from
Hanover far beyond the reasonable time' prescribed by
the Elector. Nearly a year was occupied with a visit to
Mr. Andrews, a distinguished amateur, with whom the
Composer spent some time in London, and many months
at Barn Elms, in Surrey, a pleasant country-house, in
which the Muses were worshipped with unaffected devo-
tion.) The next three years were passed at Burlington
House, in Piccadilly, where, as the honoured guest of
Richard, Third Earl of Burlington, Fourth Earl of Cork
and Orrery, and Second Baron Clifford of Lanesborough,
Handel spent his mornings in study, and his evenings in
conversation with the choicest spirits of the age. Lord
Burlington was a noble patron of Art; and, though he de-
lighted in collecting together the greatest Statesmen, Poets,
Painters, Musicians, Men of Letters, Philosophers, Men
of Science, and other celebrities of the time, took so much
delight in solitude and meditation, that when the Elector
asked him why he had built his house in the middle of the
1 Hawkins, v. 270.
88
[CHAP, XII.
AT BURLINGTON HOUSE
fields,' he replied that he had chosen the spot because no
one else could build there beside him. For, though within
half a mile of S. James's Palace, Piccadilly was in those
days so far from the madding crowd,' that it was not con-
sidered safe to visit it at night without a posse of link-
men and armed retainers strong enough to defend the ad-
venturous traveller against any number of highwaymen he
might chance to encounter. Here, thankful to escape from
the excitement of town life to the quiet peace of a lonely
suburb, Pope, Gay, and the true-hearted Dr. Arbuthnot
listened, on the site now occupied by the Royal Academy
of Painting, to Handel's matchless performances upon the
Harpsichord; the first, with ill-disguised impatience; the
second, with uninstructed though genuine and healthy
pleasure; and the last, with the cultivated intelligence of a
true lover of Art for its own dear sake. And here Handel
passed a time of comparative inaction, so far as public per-
formances were concerned; though he constantly directed
the Music at his host's receptions; played on the Organ,
to delighted Congregations, at S. Paul's Cathedral; and,
when not otherwise engaged, spent many pleasant evenings
at the Queen's Arms Tavern, in S. Paul's Church Yard,
whither he was accustomed to adjourn with the Choir,
after Service, for the purpose of playing to his friends
upon the Harpsichord.
Meanwhile, the long-delayed return to Hanover was
finally prevented, by an event which had been long
foreseen, though few were quite prepared for the sudden-
ness of its occurrence. On the 1st of August, 1714,
Queen Anne, whose health had, for some time past, been
considered very precarious, died, somewhat unexpectedly.
On the afternoon of the same day, the Elector of Hanover
was proclaimed, with the formalities customary on the
same day, the Elder unexpectedly.
proclaimed, with
1713-1714.]
"SILLA.
Accession of an English Sovereign. On the 18th of
September, he landed at Greenwich; on the 20th, he
arrived at S. James's Palace; and, on the 20th of
October, the Ceremony of his Coronation was performed
in Westminster Abbey.
Handel now began to see that he had tempted the
forbearance of his patron too far. He dared not present
himself at S. James's; but he was not without firm
friends at Court, and he was philosopher enough to bide
his opportunity with patience.
It must have been about this time, as nearly as
can be conjectured, that he composed an Opera, which
Schoelcher, with no reasonable evidence whereon to
base his theory, refers to the Roman period.
Concerning the authorship of the libretto of Silla
no one has ever ventured to hazard so much as a guess.
The work is planned on a very small scale, compared
with that of Teseo, or even of Il Pastor Fido; and is,
moreover, so short, that Chrysander's suggestion that it may
have been intended for private performance at Burlington
House furnishes us with the only reasonable hypothesis
upon the subject that has ever yet been offered. It
is certain that it was never performed in public; and,
bearing in mind the prevailing taste for spectacle, one
can scarcely believe it possible that it would have been
favourably received at the Opera-house. The Royal
Collection contains (in the second volume of 'Songs
and Sketches') sixty-two pages of the Score in the
Composer's handwriting; as well as a Conducting
Score of the complete Opera, containing the whole of
the Recitatives, but without an Overture. Another
complete copy, once the property of Sir John Hawkins,
and labelled, 'Sylla. An Operci by Gio. Bononcino,' is
90
[CHAP. XII.
AMADIGI.
now in the British Museum.) But, with the exception
of Songs transferred to other Operas, no portion of it was
ever printed, until the year 1875, when the complete work
was published by the German Handel Society.
Silla was soon followed by a more important Opera,
founded upon the old French Romaunt, Amadis de Gaul,
and produced, at the King's Theatre-as the Opera-
house was thenceforth called—under the title of Amadigi.
The libretto for this gorgeous Drama was ostensibly
prepared by the new manager of the Theatre, Count'
Heidegger, a Swiss adventurer, afterwards castigated in the
· Dunciad,' and so dead to every feeling of self-respect,
that he not only submitted to, but actually encouraged,
the perpetration of practical jokes, of the coarsest possible
description, levelled at his own remarkable personal ugli-
ness. Whether he really wrote the Poem, or not, it is
difficult to say: but, he dedicated it to Lord Burlington,
alleging as his reason for doing so, the fact that the Music
had been composed in the Earl's own family. The story
turns upon the enchantments of the Sorceress, Melissa,
(Soprano), whose character differs as strongly from Medea's
as Medea's does from that of Armida. Like these, she
falls desperately in love with the hero of the piece, Amadigi
(Soprano); but, in one respect, she is more subject to
human weakness than either. When warned, by a
messenger from the Other World, that her machinations
have failed, and that the happiness of her rival, Oriana,
(Soprano), has been inevitably decreed by a Higher Power,
she falls a victim to despair, and kills herself, taking leave
of the hero she has really loved, in tones of such ineffable
tenderness, that even her rival is moved to compassion.
i Add. MSS. 5334.
1714–1715.]
"AMADIGI.
91
Amadigi is a true knight, and a faithful lover; and
Oriana's character is more captivating, in many respects,
than that of either Almirena or Agilea. The love-passages,
in the First Act, are charming, on both sides. Amadigi's
rival, Dardanus, Prince of Thrace (Contralto), plays a rôle
of considerable importance in the earlier portions of the
Opera; but when, after death, he reappears, as a Ghost,
his character is pervaded by a new and thrilling interest.
The solemn Aria parlante, in which he forewarns Melissa
of her fate—'Han' penetrato i detti tuoi'-embodies one of
a picture, no less awful, in its shadowy mystery, than that
which Shakespeare has given us, in the utterances of the
Royal Ghost in Hamlet.
A considerable portion of the Music of Silla reappears,
with more or less alteration, in Amadigi ; but, without in
the least degree diminishing the unity of purpose which
pervades the whole. This, indeed, forms one of the
strangest peculiarities of Handel's method of procedure.
He constantly uses ideas, themes, phrases, and even Songs
Operas, or Oratorios : but they always adapt themselves
so perfectly to the situations in which he places them, that
we find it impossible to believe they could ever have been
intended to fill any other place than that in which they
appear at the moment. By some special form of Alchemy,
unknown to other Composers, he turns all he touches, not
only into gold, but into gold cast into the exact form
in which he proposes to use it.
This Opera was first produced on the 25th of May,
1715, on which occasion the Characters of Amadigi, Dar-
danus, Melissa, and Oriana--the only four included in the
92
[CHAP. XII.
MRS. ANASTASIA ROBINSON.
Dramatis personce—were assigned respectively to Nicolini,
Signora Diana Vico, Signora Pilotti Schiavonetti, and Mrs.
Robinson.
The last-named lady played so important a part in
the dramatic history of the period that it is impossible
to pass over her first appearance in an Opera by Handel
without some notice of her artistic qualifications, or even
to mention her name without alluding to the strange
events which, in spite of her spotless character and
retiring disposition, made it for a time so unenviably
famous.
Anastasia Robinson was the daughter of a Painter,
who, struck by the extraordinary talent she manifested
for Music, when in her childhood, caused her to be care-
fully instructed by Dr. Croft, Sandoni, and 'The Baroness.'
He seems to have done this, in the first instance, rather
with the idea of cultivating her natural gifts than that of
introducing her to the public. But, being visited late in
life with total blindness, and thus prevented from follow-
ing his profession, he became entirely dependent upon his
daughter for his own maintenance and that of the family
circle. Anastasia behaved nobly. Conquering her natural
timidity, she first sang at private concerts, and then
accepted an engagement at the Opera-house, where she
made her first appearance on the 27th of January, 1714,
in a Pasticcio, called Creso, with marked success, which
continued unabated until her final retirement from the
Stage in 1724. Though her intonation is said to have been
beauty and accomplishments attracted a large circle of
admirers. One of the most ardent of these was the Ear]
of Peterborough, whose long-continued devotion induced
her to accept his offer of marriage, though he selfishly
1714-1715.] MRS. ANASTASIA ROBINSON.
93
insisted upon keeping the union secret until a convenient
opportunity' for its public acknowledgment should present
itself. The wedding was accordingly celebrated in strict
privacy, but in the presence of the Countess of Oxford,
who was one of Anastasia's most intimate friends, and
therefore a fitting witness of the ceremony. This event
took place in the year 1724, and though Mrs. Robinson
then retired from the Stage, she still retained her maiden
name, and refused to dwell beneath the same roof as her
husband, so long as he held her right to share his name
and title in abeyance. At length, however, being seized
with a dangerous illness, he entreated her to come and
nurse him, at his country-seat, Mount Bevis, near South-
ampton. She consented to do so, on condition that he
would at least allow her to wear her wedding-ring. To this
compromise he agreed; and she nursed him so tenderly,
and so nearly lost her own life in so doing, that, after his
recovery, his heart was melted. Requesting her to meet
him, one day, in the room over the gateway of the clock-
tower at S. James's Palace--a large apartment then
occupied by his niece's husband, Mr. Pointz, tutor to
Prince William, afterwards Duke of Cumberland-he
assembled together all the principal members of his
family, and, in their presence, publicly acknowledged her
as Countess of Peterborough, and paid so feeling a tribute
to her affection that she fainted at the unexpected ayowal.
From this time forward she resided with him, until his
death, which took place, at Lisbon, in 1735. As Countess
Dowager, she retained possession of the family estates, and
lived in great retirement, at Mount Bevis, for fifteen years,
dying there, in 1750, respected and beloved by all who
knew her. These circumstances were communicated to
94
MRS. ANASTASIA ROBINSON. [CITAP. XII.
friend, Mrs. Delaney, a lady of whom we shall have more
to say at a later period.1
Mrs. Robinson's voice was, originally, a high Soprano;
but, after a severe illness, it sank to the compass of a
Contralto, and never afterwards recovered its upper
register. She was still singing Soprano, when Handel
entrusted her with the role of Oriana, in which she achieved
a great success. The Opera, indeed, soon became an esta-
blished favourite : though it did not, like Rinaldo and
Teseo, start with an uninterrupted run. Nicolini was
always magnificent. The Pilotti Schiavonetti was de-
servedly admired; Diana Vico, the successor to Mrs.
Barbier, was a thoroughly efficient Contralto. The
costumes, scenery, and furniture were superb. Much
attention was attracted by a fountain of real water : and
tho machinery employed for the various changes was so
complicated, that the custom of permitting subscribers
free access to the Stage was discontinued. That the
Decorations were travestied, and the Shade of Dardanus
represented by the Ghost of an unborn Child,' in a
Tragicomic Pastoral Farce' written, by Gay, for Drury
Lane, and in another Parody produced, at the Theatre in
Lincoln's Inn Fields, was only a proof of the popularity
of the original work, which remained the chief attraction,
i Burney. “Hist. of Music,'iv. 244–249.
? The Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields—called, also, 'The Duke's
Theatre'- yas first established, on the site of an old tennis court,
by Sir William Davenant, in 1662. In 1695, it was refitted ; and,
some eighteen years later, it was entirely rebuilt, by a lawyer,
named Christopher Rich, whose son, John Rich, the celebrated
Harlequin and Manager, reopened it, in 1714, with great success.
At a later period it was used as an Opera-house, and turned to
serious account in the quarrel between Handel and his powerful
rivals. All traces of it have long since disappeared.
1714-1715.] MRS. ANASTASIA ROBINSON.
95
until the close of the season, on the 9th of July, and was
again presented on the reopening of the House, in 1716.
The original Score appears to be hopelessly lost. The
Royal Collection contains a complete Conducting Score,
and a large folio copy, without the Recitatives, labelled
"Original Score' by the bookbinder, but quite certainly
not in Handel's handwriting. The only printed edition
is that issued by the German Handel Society, in 1874.
CHAPTER XIII.
CONCERNING THE WATER MUSICK.'
NOTWITHSTANDING his extraordinary popularity in London,
Handel was still an exile from S. James's; though Prince
George, and his Consort, the Princess Caroline, were
present at more than one performance of Amadigi, and
proved, by their frequent visits to the Theatre, that they
were not indifferent to the merits of the entertainment
presented to them.
For the true explanation of this difficulty, we
must look a little beneath the surface. The head and
front of Handel's offending lay less in his prolonged
absence from his post than in the share he had taken in
the Festivities consequent upon the Peace of Utrecht-an
event which was regarded by the House of Hanover with
extreme disfavour. But for this, a reconciliation would
have been easy enough. It was the Utrecht Te Deum
which stood in the Kapellmeister's way. Kind friends
were, however, at work for him; and their good offices
were soon followed by very happy results.
. On the 22nd of August, 1715, the Royal Family,
accompanied by a numerous suite, proceeded, by water,
from Whitehall to Limehouse. When they returned, in
the evening, both sides of the river were illuminated;
cannons were fired; and an immense number of boats,
1714-1715.] THE WATER MUSICK.
97
filled with well-dressed spectators, followed the pro-
cession. While the preparations for this brilliant water-
party were in progress, Handel's old and faithful friend,
Baron Kielmannsegge, concocted, with the aid of Lord
Burlington, an ingenious plan, for the purpose of bringing
the Composer once more into favour. By advice of these
two prudent counsellors, he wrote a series of Instrumental
Movements, for two Solo Violins, Flute, Piccolo, two Haut-
boys, one Bassoon, two Horns, and two Trumpets, supported
by the full Stringed Band; engaged an efficient Orchestra,
for the performance of his Music; and caused it to be played,
under his own direction, upon a boat, in which he followed
the Royal Barge closely enough to allow his delightful enter-
tainment to be heard distinctly by all on board. King
George was an enthusiastic lover of Music. The beauty
of the performance at once attracted his attention; and,
after listening to it with delight, he inquired the name of
the Composer. The Baron, who was present, waited only
for this opportunity of improving the occasion. Making
the best excuse he could for his friend's delinquency,
he pleaded his cause so eloquently, that the quondam
Elector's resentment was appeased, upon the spot; and
all that was needed, in order to effect a formal recon-
ciliation, was, a plausible excuse for the introduction of
the truant, at Court. The opportunity for this was
soon provided. Geminiani-another faithful friend-
having been invited to play some nevy Concertos at the
Palace, declared that Handel's Harpsichord Accompani-
ment was indispensable to their satisfactory effect. Per-
mission was accordingly given for Handel to present
himself; he offered the necessary apology for his long
absence from Hanover; his excuses were graciously
received ; and he was dismissed from the presence with a
98
THE 'WATER MUSICK. [CHAP. XIII.
pension of two hundred pounds a year, in addition to
that which had already been granted to him by Anne
of Denmark. Not long after this, his resources were
augmented by a third pension, of equal amount, disbursed
from the privy purse of the Princess Caroline, in con-
nection with the appointment of Musical Preceptor to
the young Princesses, her daughters : and this aggregate
sum of £600 a year he continued to enjoy until his
death.1
The movements of the Water Musick bear a close
analogy to the Suite of Dance Tunes already described
as having been added to the Overture to Almira, in
order to transmute it into a fitting Prelude to Rodrigo.
In one respect, however, they differ entirely from those
delightful Airs de Ballet. The style of their Instru-
mentation unquestionably owes its origin to the peculiar
circumstances under which it was intended that they
should be performed. The Parts for the Wind Instru-
ments—more especially those for the Horns--are so
arranged as to produce the loveliest possible effect, when
heard across the water. When effects like these were
new, they must have delighted their hearers beyond all
measure : and we believe we only do ourselves justice,
when we say, that, old as they now are, they would
delight even our jaded ears, could we only get a chance
of listening to them, instead of to the fashionable trivi-
alities which too often render the boredom of our open-air
performances intolerable. The Sarabandes, Gavottes,
and Bourrées, of the eighteenth century, are among
the choicest of its musical treasures ; and it would be
difficult to find more perfect examples of the style than
these. The Fugue which introduces them, with its clear
1 Dainwaring, pp. 90-92.
1714-1715.]
THE WATER MUSICK.
99
jubilant Subject, like the clanging changes of a peal of
bells, is one of the most brilliant inspirations of its class
that the Composer has left us. Yet, no less telling, in
a different way, are the Hornpipe, the Airs, the Minuet,
and other shorter divisions of the work, the quaint
dignity of which presents as healthy a contrast to the
seductions of a modern set of Waltzes as does a group
of rich Blue China, bearing the cachet of the purest
Dynasties, to the latest monstrosities from a tenth-rate
Staffordshire factory.
The evidence which refers the first performance of
the Water Musick to the Royal boating-party of 1715,
under the circumstances we have narrated, is too positive
to admit the possibility of doubt. But there is strong
reason to believe that it was played a second time, on the
17th of July, 1717, by a Band of fifty Performers, who,
seated in an open barge, accompanied the Royal Family
to a supper-party, given by Lady Catherine Jones, at the
house of the late Lord Ranelagh, at Chelsea ; on which
occasion Baron Kielmannsegge again arranged the details
of the entertainment, and Handel again “directed the
Orchestra, with such success that King George commanded
the entire Composition to be thrice repeated.
The greater part of the original MS. seems to be
irretrievably lost; but autograph copies of two of the
Movements, differing considerably from the printed
edition, are preserved in the Library of the British
Museum. The earliest printed edition is that issued by
Walsh, in 1740. Some forty years afterwards, it was
reprinted by Dr. Arnold; and many later editions have
appeared, from time to time, though none of equal
authority with the two earlier ones.
1 Add. MSS., 30, 310.
I 2
CHAPTER XIV.
THE SECOND PASSION ORATORIO.
On the 9th of July, 1716, the King returned, for a time
to Hanover, taking Handel with him.
It will be readily understood that the Kapellmeister's
pen found comparatively little employment in the Elec-
toral Palace, whence the Court had been absent for nearly
two years, and in which it was never again likely to
reside continuously. But Hamburg was still a living
centre of production; and, for its principal Church,
Handel planned, and executed, a second Passion Oratorio,
on a far grander scale than that of 1704. Barthold
Heinrich Brockes, a Poet who enjoyed a high reputa-
tion in Hamburg, had written, in 1712, a Sacred Poem,
entitled 'Der für die Sünden der Welt gemartete und
sterbende Jesus '—'Jesus, tortured and dying for the sins
of the world.' Reinhard Keiser at once set this to Music:
and his Composition was first performed, in 1712, in
Brockes's house; and, again, during Holy Week, in 1712,
and 1713, in one of the Churches in Hamburg. Telemann
set the same Poem to Music, for the Holy Week of 1716 ;
and, in the autumn of that year, Handel also gave his
though still extant in MS., was known only by very
vague report, until the year 1863, when the complete
1715–1716.] THE SECOND PASSION ORATORIO. 101
Score was published, for the first time, by the German
Handel Society. Since then, Messrs. Novello and Co.
have published an English edition, with Organ Accom-
paniment; the work is now, therefore, within the reach
of all. Of its reception in Hamburg we have no certain
record; but Mattheson, who set the Poem to Music, on
his own account, in 1718, tells us, with characteristic
modesty, that his version was preferred both to Handel's
and Telemann's.
Handel's Second German Passion, as it is now generally
called, differs entirely from the earlier Passion according
to S. John, and bears no analogy at all to the Passion
Music of Sebastian Bach. The Choruses are expressive,
or vigorous, in accordance with the nature of the words;
but none exhibit any very striking form of contra-
puntal development: nor do they ever rise to the grandeur
of the Utrecht Te Deum or Jubilate. It would almost
seem as if the Composer, having once set English words
to Music, could nevermore identify himself with the
School he had forsaken, or do his best in connection with
German Poetry. He never attempted the task again;
and we, at least, have no reason to complain of his change
of tastes and feelings.
During this short visit to Germany, Handel renewed,
at Anspach, his acquaintance with an old college friend,
John Christopher Schmidt, who afterwards accompanied
him to England, and regulated the expenses of his
public performances, and filled the office of treasurer,
with great exactness and fidelity.'1 This gentleman's
little son, John Christopher Smith, was a great favourite
with Handel, who removed him from school when he
was thirteen years of age, instructed him in Music,
Coxe's 'Anecdotes,' p. 37.
102 THE SECOND PASSION ORATORIO. [CHAP. XIV.
and afterwards employed him for many years as his
amanuensis, while treating him with the affection of a
confidential friend. 1
The exact duration of the Composer's sojourn in Ger-
many is not mentioned by any of his biographers. All
we know is, that George I. quitted Hanover on his return
journey to England on the 5th of January, 1717, and it
seems highly improbable that he would have left his
Kapellmeister behind, even had Handel's presence not
been absolutely necessary in London. In point of fact, his
presence had become very necessary indeed; for on that
very 5th of January, Rinaldo was revived at the King's
Theatre, with Nicolini, and a stronger cast than ever;
and, though it was then six years old, it was received
with all possible favour, and enjoyed another splendid
run; as did also Amadigi, which was revived in the
February of the same year.
1 Cose's 'Anecdotes,' p. 38.
CHAPTER XV.
CONCE RNING THE DUKE OF CHANDOS.
THE Opera Season of 1717 closed, on the 29th of June;
after which date no Lyric Dramas were performed at the
King's Theatre, until the inauguration of the Royal Academy
of Music, in 1720. This circumstance naturally exerted
a retarding influence upon Handel's creative Power; and
probably rendered him the more willing to accept an
engagement in the household of a more splendid patron of
James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, after having served
as Paymaster of the British Forces, under the command of
the Duke of Marlborough, retired from active duty with
an enormous fortune, which he spent with the liberality of
a monarch. In 1712, he built himself a palace, rather than
a house, at Cannons, near Edgware, in Middlesex, the
designs for which were furnished by the then most popular
architects of the period, Gibbs, James, and Sheppard, at
an estimated cost of £230,000. The pillars of the hall
were of marble. The grand staircase-now in Chesterfield
House, Mayfair—was also constructed of blocks of marble,
each twenty-two feet long; and all the other details of the
building were arranged upon an equally magnificent scale.
In this splendid retreat, the 'Grand Duke,' as he was
104
CANNONS.
[CHAP. XV.
popularly called, lived in little less than regal state ;
protected by a guard of veterans, selected from among the
pensioners at Chelsea Hospital, who attended him even to
Church ; and surrounded by every luxury that wealth
could purchase, or boundless liberality suggest. For the
Services in his private Chapel he maintained not only a
numerous Choir, but a Band of Instrumental Performers
also, on a scale as grand as that of the Kapelle of a German
Potentate. This Chapel—now the Parish Church of
Whitchurch, Middlesex—is the only building on the
estate which has escaped destruction. In the vault beneath
it, the Duke's effigy is still preserved, between those of
his two first wives. The history of the third wife is as
romantic as that of the fairy palace of which she became
the mistress. She was originally a poor servant-girl,
married to a groom, who beat her cruelly. To save her
from the wretch's violence, the Duke bought lier, and sent
her to school, to be carefully educated. After the death of
the second Duchess, he married her; and she is said to
have presided at his table with all the dignity of a well-
bred lady. 1
The Duke's first Musical Director was Dr. Pepusch, who,
in 1718, either resigned, or was displaced, in favour of
Handel. Hawkins speaks of a large collection of Services
and Anthems, composed by Dr. Pepusch for the Chapel at
Cannons, and afterwards found in the Library of the
• Academy of Antient Music.' The Services probably
remained in use after the Doctor's retirement; but the
Anthems soon gave place to a series of Compositions
which may be fairly reckoned among Handel's master-
1 See Pope's Essay. On Taste;' Miss Spence's clever Romance,
How to be rid of a wife' (Lond. 1823); 'A Journey through England,
etc. etc.
1717-1720.] THE CHANDOS ANTIEMS.
105
pieces, though they are now more completely forgotten
than even his Operatic treasures.
The original MSS. of most of these are now in the
Royal Library. Arnold published twelve of them, in
1789; and, in 1871-1872, the German Handel Society
printed three volumes of these, and other similar works.
Hawkins found MSS. copies of eleven, in the Library of
the Academy of Antient Music; but, one of these seems
to have belonged to a later period. Those given by
Arnold are-
I. I will magnifie Thee.
II. Let God arise. (in A.)
III. Let God arise. (in Bb.)
IV. Have mercy upon me, o
God.
V. O come, let us sing unto
the Lord.
VI. O sing unto the Lord a
new Song.
VII. My song shall be alway.
| VIII. As pants the hart.
IX. The Lord is my light.
X. In the Lord put I my
trust.
XI. O praise the Lord with
one consent.
XII. O praise the Lord, ye
Angels.
The text of these compositions, with two exceptions
only–Nos. VIII. and XI.-is taken entirely from the
words of Holy Scripture ; and subdivided, in each par-
ticular case, into a series of Airs, and Choruses, clearly
intended for performance by a Band, Choir, and staff
of Solo Singers, exceptionally strong, both in point of
numbers, and organisation. Though called Anthems, from
their office and position in the Service of the Chapel, they
are, in reality, Choral Cantatas; the grandest of their
class that ever were composed, and differing from Oratorios,
only in the absence of the narrative element—not at all in
the loftiness of their conception, or the completeness of
their structural proportion. Each one, except the second,
is preceded by a regular Overture; and the Movements
106 THE FIRST ENGLISH ORATORIO. [CHAP. XV.
which follow are arranged in so natural a sequence, and
contrasted together with such clear appreciation of the
meaning of the sacred text, that each Anthem may be
accepted as a reverent Commentary upon the Psalm it
illustrates. Handel never set a Verse of the Bible to
Music, without preaching a Sermon upon it.
Besides these beautiful Anthems, the new Director
enriched the répertoire of the Chapel at Cannons with
two new settings of the Te Deum; one, in Bb, for five
Voices—Soprano, three Tenors, and Bass; the other, in
A, for Soprano, two Altos, Tenor, and three Basses-
combinations which can only have been selected in order
to accommodate certain peculiar conditions of the Choir,
at the moment of their production.
The shorter Te Deum, in A, contains an Alto Solo-
"Vouchsafe, O Lord'-with Oboe and Bassoon obbligati,
of almost unexampled beauty.
But, Handel's residence at Cannons was not signalised
only by his contributions to the Duke's rich store of
Church Music, properly so called. It was here that
he produced his first English Oratorio; the precursor
of the splendid works, which, more than any others,
have helped to render his name immortal.
The libretto of Esther is believed to have been written
by Pope; who, at least, never denied its authorship.
The plan of the work differs, entircly, from that of the
Italian, and the German Oratorio The former was
simply an Opera, based upon a Sacred libretto. The
latter—as exemplified in the Passion Poems of Hugo
Menantes, and Brockes-contained some very curious
anomalies. The epic element was weakened by the custom
of confiding the narrative to the Tenor Recitatives of the
Evangelist. The dramatic action was weakened by the
1719-1720.] THE NEW IDEAL.
107
interruptions offered by these Recitatives to its continuity.
The contemplative element, sustained by the constant
introduction of the popular Chorale, still farther retarded
the development of the Sacred Story, and diminished its
interest, except as a devotional exercise. Handel, having
tried both forms, and found both wanting, struck out a
higher Ideal than either. The strength of this lay in its
intimate combination of dramatic truth with epic force-
in its power of heightening the peculiar form of expres-
sion to which the presence of the Actor is necessary, by
means of that which appeals to the Imagination of the
hearer alone. We say, in the intimate combination of
these two forms of objective, and subjective Tone-painting,
because, even in places where they seem, at first sight, to
be used separately, they really do work together in such
close connection, such subtle correlation of apparently
antagonistic elements, that it is not always easy to trace
the emotions they produce to their true source. The
two finest Oratorios we possess are constructed on a purely
epic basis; yet, in both, the local colouring is, in many
of overwhelming epic force abound in other works based
constructed Dramas. Holding both methods equally
under command, the Master chooses, in every case, that
which best suits his purpose at the moment. As a general
rule, dramatic treatment of the Recitatives and Airs being
unavoidable, he uses the Choruses-- like those of a Greek
Tragedy—as commentaries upon the action of the story,
throwing into them just so much descriptive power as is.
needful for the purpose of enforcing the full meaning of
the words. And, in carrying out this bold idea, he avails
himself, by anticipation, of the two great vehicles of
108
[CHAP. XV.
THE NEW IDEAL.
expression, which, a century later, became the governing
our modern system. In the first, he presents us with a
definite picture : calling upon us to feel the 'thick dark-
ness;' to watch the course of the fire that "ran along
upon the ground;' to measure the strides of the Monster
Atheist,' and shudder as we do so. In the second, he
actually depicts nothing. No longer appealing to the
senses, he addresses himself directly to the higher faculties
of our being : speaks to the inmost soul, in tones to which
it cannot choose but listen : bids us rise to the contempla-
tion of the most awful mysteries connected with the
eternal scheme of man's Redemption, and discourses of
them, with resistless eloquence, though the only word he
sings be no more than a reiterated 'Amen.'
And this consideration introduces us to a third charac-
teristic of the great Ideal we are describing—the never.
failing presence of the religious element. A commentary
on the Holy Scriptures is worse than useless if it bring
not out the hidden meaning of the text: and Handel
always makes that meaning the turning-point of the
whole, most frequently availing himself of the epic form
for its enunciation. Upon the intimate union of this im-
portant feature in its construction with the two of which
we have already treated, the scheme depends for its perfec-
tion. Deficiency of power, in either mode of expression,
would have ruined the threefold plan. But Handel
manifests no such weakness. Reaching, at will, depths of
pathos which need neither Stage, nor Scenery, nor Action,
to enforce their reality, he gives utterance to the grief of a
mourning nation, with the profoundest touches that Epic
Poetry can compass, or portrays the approach of a Funeral
Procession with the fidelity of a Flemish Painter. Bringing
1710-1720.] THE NEW IDEAL.
109
our religious feelings into equal subjection to his subtle
power, he lifts our souls, at one moment, to the contempla-
tion of Heavenly Mercy, and, at another, bids us tremble
at the thought of the avenging sword: excites us to join
in Hymns of Praise, or humble ourselves in the sackcloth
and ashes of sincerest penitence : compelling us always-
and herein lies the strangest feature of his mysterious
power—compelling us to accept his interpretation of the
Sacred Text, whether it may happen to coincide with our
own or not. Happily, his interpretation is always a devout
one; and therefore it is that we cannot come away from
the performance of any one of his Oratorios with any other
impression than that of deepest reverence. The atheist
may refuse to believe a single word of the Bible; but he
cannot scoff at it when Handel reads it to him.
The technical machinery by means of which these
strange results are attained is very simple. The Aria
Cantabile, the Aria di portamento, the Aria di mezzo
carattere, the Aria parlante, and the Arice di bravura, with
their natural derivations, the Cavatina, the Aric d'imita-
zione, the Aria all' Unisono, and the Aria concertatai,
are all employed, in the Oratorio, exactly under the same
restrictions as in the Opera. In the Choruses, every re-
source of Counterpoint is turned to account, for the purpose
of investing the work with the greater dignity; but, always,
with a subjugation of learning to expression, which pre-
vents the possibility of a harsh collision, and makes us
wonder, even while listening to the most complicated
involutions of the pliant Subjects, why the passage sounds
so simple. This rare power of using Art as a means for
the concealment of Art, has never been exhibited, in so
marked a degree, by any other Composer, of any age, or
country, save Palestrina alone. What Palestrina was to
110
[CHAP. XV.
(ESTHER
the Polyphonic Schools of the sixteenth century, Handel
is to the Instrumental Schools of the modern epoch.
Other great writers may fairly claim the title of Primus
inter pares, but to these two only can that of Princeps
Musicce be accorded, in its fullest significance.
Turning, from the general features of this grand Ideal
Form, to the particular example before us, we find, in the
Oratorio of Esther, the germ of all that most delights us
in the Composer's later works; and the full development
of more than one important feature. The Overture is one
of the best that Handel ever wrote; and has always been
one of the most popular. The dramatic Scenes again
present us with the keen distinctions of individual cha-
racter to which we have more than once directed the
reader's attention. The Choruses are superb. 'Ye sons
of Israel mour'n' is one of those infinitely pathetic Move-
ments, in Twelve-Quaver Time, and in the Minor Mode,
which Handel alone knew how to write, and of which he
has left us so many beautiful examples. Very different is
the treatment of “He comes,' in which the Holy One of
Israel—the awful ADONAI—is described as hastening to
deliver His chosen people from their chains. We have
here, an impetuous Movement, in Triple Time, with a swing
not unlike that of 'He gave them hailstones’; a fiery
inspiration, leading on, from strength to strengtb, with-
out suffering the interest to flag, for one moment, from
beginning to end. Still finer, in some respects, is the
last Chorus of all: a chain of nine long Movements, con-
nected together by a stately Canto fermo, which serves as
a bond of union to the whole : a masterly summing up
of the entire subject, supported by the full weight of the
Orchestra, and enlivened with spirited Divisions for the
Violins, working onward, without interruption, to a
1719-1720.]
ESTHER.
111
peroration well worthy to form the crowning point of
a conception as bold, and well sustained, in its mechanical
treatment, as it is dignified and noble, in its relation to
the subject-matter of the Poem it brings to so splendid a
conclusion.
The first performance of Esther took place, at Cannons,
on the 20th of August, 1720; on which occasion the
Duke presented Handel with £1000. In the original
MS. Score, now in the Royal Collection, the Overture is
wanting; as are, also, some few of the Songs, and—a still
greater misfortune—the last page of the Grand Chorus,
with, presumably, the usual signature, and date. The
Royal Library also contains two complete Conducting
Scores, in Smith's Handwriting, differing, in some few minor
details, from a similar transcript in the Hamburg Collec-
tion. Walsh's Score, printed after the revival of the
Oratorio at the King's Theatre, in 1733, is miserably
incorrect, and practically worthless. Wright's is complete,
and very valuable. Arnold's was issued in 1794; and
that of the English Handel Society, in 1851. Until within
the last few years, Esther has not been often heard in
England, since the dissolution of the Cæcilian Society ;
but it has lately been revived by the Guildhall School
of Music. Many years ago, Wilhelm Cramer arranged
the Overture for Clarinets, and other Wind Instruments,
for performance, at the Pavilion at Brighton, by the
private Band of the Prince of Wales-afterwards King
George IV.: and for many years it was regularly played
at St. Paul's Cathedral, at the Festival of the Sons of
the Clergy. Of its performance by the Children of the
Chapel Royal, under the direction of Barnard Gates, and
its subsequent revival, at the King's Theatre, we shall
have to speak at a later period.
112
[CHAP. XV.
ACIS AND GALATEA.
As Esther represented Handel's first attempt to show
the world what, in his opinion, an English Oratorio ought
to be, so did Acis and Galatea embody his idea of an
English Pastoral, in the perfection of its typical form.
The Poem which serves as the basis of this delightful
work was furnished by Gay, with some trifling additions
by Pope, and Hughes. The Scenes are admirably planned,
and the Verses possess considerable merit; but, it is to
the Music that we must look, for the perfection of a
picture, the delicate refinement of which has rarely, if
ever, been exceeded. The Overture, consisting of a single
Movement only, sparkles with a flashing grace which
paints the bright source of the mythical Sicilian rivulet to
the life. It is as if Handel had said, 'In this Stream
dwells the Soul of Acis. You shall now hear his his-
tory. The opening Chorus, the pleasures of the
plains,' is constructed, in great measure, upon an Organ
Point, the sensuous softness of which brings us at once
en rapport with the dolce far niente of Shepherd-Life in
Sicily, as we must suppose it to have existed in the
Classic age of Nymphs, and Fauns, and Demigods. The
characters of Acis and Galatea, are exquisitely painted.
The one, gentle by nature, almost to the verge of effemi-
nacy; yet bold as a lion, and ready to sacrifice life itself
without a murmur, for the sake of his passionate love.
The other, Nymph-like and ethereal; more Faerie than
Shepherdess in form and manner, yet wholly woman in
heart, and in affection, and attached to her lover with a
faithful devotion which no terror can shake, or threatened
vengeance weaken. The two salient and most strongly
contrasted features of Acis's character find their perfect
expression in 'Love in her eyes sits playing,' and 'Love
sounds the alarmn': those of Galatea's, in ‘Hush, ye pretty
1719-1720.]
ACIS AND GALATEA.'
113
the one Song forms the psychical complement of the
other; while the delights of antient pastoral life, in
an age in which such life was possible, are summed
up in the bright Duet and Chorus, 'Happy we.'
Not less masterly are the tones in which the dark side
of the picture is painted. Handel never forgot the in-
fluence of his University education. No man with a
spark of intellect worth the trouble of cultivation ever
does. Remembering his Homer, he paints, not Gay's Poly-
phemus, but the Cyclops of the Odyssey : in outward form,
a huge misshapen monster; in natural instinct, a dæmon
of cruelty, an eater of human flesh, yet none the less an
idiotic clown, stupid enough to let Ulysses dupe him,
years afterwards, as he might have duped a baby.
Remembering his Ovid, he tells the story as Ovid told it
before him; not tearing all the Poetry out of it, as we
are taught to do now, by substituting the brute forces of
Nature for living actors, but endowing the Actors them-
selves with living hearts. He treats Polyphemus as a grim
reality, throughout; first introducing him to us with irre-
sistible epic force, through the medium of the Shepherds,
who describe him so graphically in the Chorus 'Wretched
lovers,' that we feel the mountain tremble beneath his
tread, as they assure us that it really does. When we
have sufficiently shuddered at the recital, and not before,
the Giant is presented to us, in his own proper person,
raging with hideous passion the passion of a mad bull.
We are next introduced to the clownish side of the
character. The Ogre plays upon the Shepherd's pipe ;
tries to gambol like a kid; and “roars you an' t'were
any nightingale.' In Cease to beauty to be suing,' he
relapses, once more, into the lowest stage of brutal
I
114
[CHAP. XV.
• ACIS AND GALATEA.
degradation; but in the last Scene of all he betrays a
devilish cunning. He does not roar' now: he mutters.
Mutters so warily upon the mountain top, that the
lovers seated below do not hear him. It is only at the
last dread moment that he bellows forth his rage ; caring
nothing whether the miserable pair hear him, or not,
when his vengeance is certain. And, in all this, there is
no coarseness, no vulgarity, no forgetfulness, anywhere, of
the reverence due to Art. The picture is a horrible, but
never a revolting one. Handel's refined taste could not
endure to represent material ugliness by ugliness of
sound. The only place where he takes the least unusual
Licence is in the last bar but one of the Recitative, 'I
rage, I melt, I burn,' where, after the third Inversion of
the Dominant Seventh, he makes the Bass descend a
Fourth, and causes the Voice to resolve a Discord which it
has not previously sounded. But, this Progression, though
unusual, and highly unsafe in the hands of a novice, holds
a recognised place in the catalogue of 'Licences ;' and, as
a 'Licence,' is perfectly defensible. How it is that Part-
writing so smooth, and Progressions so harmonious, are:
made to produce so deep a horror, we cannot tell. We
only know that this was Handel's strongest point. Ho
could call up any images he pleased ; whether of beauty,
of terror, or of reverential awe; but, he could not writo
'Rough Music.
The original MS. Score of Acis and Galatea, now in
the Royal Collection, contains a supplementary Chorus,
of great beauty, Smiling Venus, Queen of love,' which
neither Walsh, Randall, nor Arnold, included in their
several editions of the work. It is clear that this must
have been added after the first performance at Cannons;
since the Score contains parts for the Viola, and two:
sition of then, in Handast two, with
1719–1720.] ACIS AND GALATEA.'
115
Corni in F, in addition to the Orchestra used for the rest
of the work. Moreover, nine Characters are mentioned-
Galatea, Clori, and Eurilla, sang the Soprano Part; Acis,
Filli, Dorinda, and Damon, the Alto; Silvio, the Tenor;
and Polifemo, the Bass; the last two, with the Chorus.
Directions are given, in Handel's handwriting, for the
transposition of the entire part of Damon from the Tenor
to the Soprano Clef, 'for the Boy': and the copy con-
tains innumerable annotations, in ink, and pencil, which
we shall describe more particularly, when we treat of the
revival of the work, at the King's Theatre, in 1732,
when many new pieces were composed for it, and many
more transferred to it from the Italian Serenata of 1708.
Among the Fitzwilliam MSS., at Cambridge, there is a later
version of the Chorus, 'Happy we,' containing seventeen
bars more than the generally-accepted version. The last
few pages of the final Chorus, 'Galatea, dry thy tears,'
are missing, in the autograph copy; and, with them, the
signature and date. The complete Serenatamas it is called
-was first printed, by Walsh, in 1730, in a far more
complete form than he usually attempted, under the title
of "A Mask’; and the original plates of this edition-
the best that has ever yet been published are now in
the possession of Messrs. Novello and Co., who still keep
the Score in print. Arnold reprinted the work in 1785;
the English Handel Society, in 1843; and the German
Society, in 1859. The first performance, at Cannons,
is believed to have taken place in 1720, though some
authorities refer it to 1721. In 1842, it was produced, at
Drury Lane, under the direction of T. Cooke, with Scenery,
Dresses, and Action: and, under the able direction of
Dr. Hullah, it once furnished a never-failing source of
attraction, at Exeter Hall, with Mr. and Mrs. Sims Reeves
I 2
116 LESSONS FOR THE HARPSICHORD. [CHAP. XV.
as interpreters of the principal parts. In Germany, it is
almost unknown, though, in 1788, Mozart strengthened
the Score with “Additional Accompaniments,' for Baron
van Swieten, at whose performances in the Hofbibliothek
at Vienna there was no Organ to supply the harmonies
indicated beneath the Continuo.
Handel was still resident at Cannons when he brought
out his First Set of Lessons for the Harpsichord, published
by Cluer, under the title of Suites de Pièces pour le
Clavecin. The work was advertised in the 'Daily Courants
as ready to appear on the 14th November, 1720,at the
price of one guinea ;' and Handel himself tells us that he
was induced to publish the pieces in consequence of the
number of 'surreptitious and incorrect copies 'which had
already 'got abroad' without his authority. The volume,
containing eight Suites, was reprinted, by Walsh, in 1733,
together with a Second Set of Nine Lessons, planned for
the most part, on a less elaborate scale, though containing
the famous Chaconne with sixty-two Variations. To these
Walsh afterwards added the Six 'Fugues or Voluntarys
for the Organ or Harpsichord. Troisième Ovarage;' and
a 'Fourth Book' of Lessons, consisting of Short
Movements arranged for the Harpsichord by some
unauthorised person. The two first sets were again
reprinted by Arnold, in 1793, with the addition of
a Third Series, differing entirely from Walsh's “Fourth
Book,' and followed by the Six Fugues. Other editions
were published, in Germany, Holland, France, and even
in Switzerland ; and, so great was the popularity of the
Lessons, that, during the greater part of the eighteenth
century, they held a position similar to that accorded in the
nineteenth to Beethoven's Sonatas. Their beauty is, indeed
so great, that they can never grow old. Franz Liszt, on
1719–1720.] THE HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH. 117
the occasion of one of his visits to London, began a Recital
with the Fourth Lesson, in E Minor, which opens with a
splendid Fugue without Prelude or Introduction of any
kind : and those who then heard the great Virtuoso for
the first time, declare that the effect of the three Crotchet
Bs which lead off the subject was little short of miracu-
lous. The fifth Lesson, in E Major, terminates with the
most famous Composition for the Clavecin that ever was
written—the so-called 'Harmonious Blacksmith.' In no
early edition is this delicious Movement designated by
any other title than that of 'Air et Doubles ;' and no
amount of enquiry has sufficed to trace the name by which
it is popularly known to a satisfactory origin. Tradition
asserts, that, while walking to Cannons through the village
of Edgeware, Handel was overtaken by a shower of rain; that
he took refuge in a roadside smithy; heard the Blacksmith
singing at his work, and beating time to the performance
upon the anvil at which he was hammering; and then
went home, and wrote a set of Variations upon the Tune
the Blacksmith sang. The name of this humble songster
is said to have been Powell; and attempts have been
made to prove his family connection with two Harpists
of that name, father and son, mentioned by Sir John
Hawkins.2 In the year 1835, Mr. Richard Clark, a Gentle-
man of the Chapel Royal, made a pilgrimage to Edgeware
for the purpose of investigating the grounds upon which
1 A volume, in the Royal Collection, labelled 'Sonatas,' con.
tains a Sketch for this Fugue, in Handel's handwriting, consisting
of two pages only, and written in Alla breve time, with Minims, in
place of the opening Crotchets, followed by Quavers, instead of
Semiquavers. A few more fragments of the Suites are to be
found in other volumes; but no complete copy of the work oan
be discovered.
2 Hist. vol. v. bk. iv. chap. 6.
S
118 THE HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH. [CHAP. XV.
this tradition rested; and, in the following year, he pub-
lished the result of his enquiries, in a brochure which has,
more than once, been very severely criticised. According
to this account, the Blacksmith, William Powell-
brother to the elder Harpist, and uncle to the younger
one-acted, for many years, as Parish Clerk of Whit-
church, where his son, also named William, held the
office of Organist. He died in 1780, aged about
78'; and his burial, on the 27th of February, in that
year, is duly recorded, in the Parish Register. His stock-
in-trade, including the traditional Anvil and Hammer,
was bought by a wheelwright of Edgeware named Dormer.
Dormer's son-in-law, George Hone (another Parish Clerk)
inherited the tools, and bequeathed them to his son, whose
widow sold them to George Jordan (another wheelwright),
by whom the Anvil and Hammer were generously presented
to the author of the 'Reminiscences,' together with a
block of oak, cut from a tree in Cannons Park, and made
to serve as a pedestal for the Anvil. In order to preserve
these Reliques from future desecration, Richard Clark gave
them to Master Henry Wylde,2 the exceedingly promising
young Organist' of Whitchurch, then thirteen years old,
whose deep sense of the honour he enjoyed in playing
upon Handel's Organ pointed him out as the proper
person to possess them.'3
We next hear of the Anvil as the property of Mr.
William Snoxell, of Charterhouse Square, whose collection
was sold, by Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, on the 9th,
10th, 11th, and 12th of June, 1879, when the Anvil and
Hammer-Lot 485 of the third day's sale were knocked
1 Reminiscences of Handel, by Richard Clark. (London; 1836.)
2 Since, Gresham Professor.
3 Reminiscences, pp. 10, 11.
1719–1720.] THE HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH. 119
down,' for £14, to Mr. Maskelyne, of the Egyptian Hall,
Piccadilly, who, in the August of the same year, contributed
an account of them to “The Leisure Hour,' and in whose
possession they still remain.
Richard Clark lays much stress on the really very
significant fact that the Anvil which is marked with a
capital P-when struck with the Hammer, first gives the
note B, but, immediately afterwards, sounds E. In point
of fact, these notes correspond very nearly with the Bb and
Eb of our present Concert Pitch, and therefore coincide
very closely with the E# and B:# of Handel's time. If we
may trust the chronology of the Reminiscences,' Powell
must have been about' eighteen years old, when Handel
took refuge in the smithy. Chrysander, strangely mis-
taking the date, says that he must have been a child;'
and considers this fact alone sufficiently significant to
throw discredit upon the whole story. His error, on this
point, is transparent: but, apart from this, Clark
gratuitously assumes so many wild improbabilities, that
the value of his book is sadly disproportioned to the
zealous devotion which led to its publication. In the first
place, he deliberately tells us, that Handel himself, “in
gratitude to Powell, his Clerk, for the shelter and accomo-
dation afforded him during the storm of rain,' called
the piece by the name it is now known by,'2_which
is untrue. Neither Cluer, Walsh, Randall, Wright, nor
even Arnold, ever called it by that, or any other special
name. Again, he describes the well-known Theme as 'a
favourite Air by Wagenseil,' upon no better authority than
that of a vague recollection of Dr. Crotch, who said that
when he was at Cambridge, at Dr. Hague's, some years
since, he saw a book with the same Melody, and which
1 G. F. Händel, 1, 488. 2 Reminiscences, p. 8.
120
THE HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH. [CHAP. XV.
melody had the name of Wagenseil to it as Composer.'1 But,
Richard Clark, and Dr. Crotch, are not the only writers
who have obscured the subject, in their endeavours to
make it clear.
An exceedingly rare book,2 entitled 'Choix de Chansons
à commencer de Thibaut de Champagne, par Moncrif.
12mo. Paris, 1757, contains an Air, adapted to some
Verses by Clement Marot, beginning "Plus ne suis ce que
j'ai été, the Melody of which is, note for note, that of
the Air in question. But, it is quite certain that the
words, in this case, were simply set to Handel's Music.
In 'Echos du Temps passé, Recueil de Chansons, Noëls,
etc., du 12me cu 18me Siècle.' 4to. Paris (N.D.), Clement
Marot's Verses were reprinted, with the same Music.
But the publisher of this volume, Mons. Wekerlin,
has since stated his full conviction that the Theme was
borrowed from the Pièces de Clavecin by Handel,' and
regretted that he did not discover this fact in time to
explain it in the book itself. It is, indeed, impossible to
say what is not borrowed' in collections of this kind.
A friend who has given much consideration to the sub-
ject, lately drew our attention to a striking resemblance
between the middle phrases of the 'Harmonious Black-
smith' and those of a melody published ten years ago in
“The Sacristy,' under the title of a 'Flemish Carol;' but
the date of this · Flemish Carol' cannot be proved. It
may have been borrowed from the Choix de Chansons'
--why not?
Lastly, the evidence which professes to bring us
i Reminiscences, p. 11.
2 Two copies only are known to be in existence : one, in the
Library in the Rue Richelieu ; the other, in a private collection,
3 Schoelcher, p. 401.
1719–1720.] THE HARMONIOUS BLACKSMITH.
121
nearer to the fountain-head than any other, embodies
the vaguest guess-work of all. The late Dr. Rimbault
is said to have said, that he had read, somewhere, but
could not remember where, that the Movement was first
published, under the title of "The Harmonious Black-
smith,' by Lintott, of Bath, who, on being asked why he
had so named it, replied, “My father was a blacksmith,
and this was one of his favourite airs.' 1
In the face of so great a mass of conflicting testimony,
we can only trust that our readers will be indulgent
enough to forgive us if we refrain from recording any
decisive judgment on the facts, or fictions, we have laid
before them; though we do not hesitate to express our
own personal belief that the authenticity of the Legend is
in no wise disproved by the destruction of the embroidery
with which impolitic defenders have surrounded it.
i Schoelcher, p. 402.
CHAPTER XVI.
CONCERNING THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
HANDEL continued to direct the Music, at Cannons, with
more or less regularity, until the year 1720, when he was
tempted, by a combination of promising circumstances,
to return to the more exciting arena of public life. It
has been suggested, that this change of purpose may
possibly have been influenced by the changing fortunes
of the Duke of Chandos; but we think it may be
sufficiently accounted for by a not unnatural compliance
with the prevailing spirit of the age. The period was
not only an eventful, but, in some respects, an altogether
exceptional one. All classes of society were infected by
& mania for speculation, such as has scarcely ever been
equalled in later times. Long before the collapse of the
"Great South Sea Bubble' brought matters to a crisis,
the credit of many a millionaire had already been
annihilated. To a certain extent, the effects of the
impending crash were felt, even at Cannons. But, the
Duke was no ordinary calculator. Though threatened
with liabilities which might well have reduced a less
prudent man to ruin, he continued, to the last, to live
more like a Royal Prince than the wearer of a newly-
granted Coronet. Whatever may have been the actual
amount of his losses, the retrenchments in his establish-
1719–1720.] RETIREMENT FROM CANNONS. 123
ment, at this time, at least, seem to have been comparatively
trifling. It is, therefore, not unreasonable to attribute
Handel's retirement from office solely to his connection
with a scheme formed for the purpose of encouraging
performances of Italian Opera at the King's Theatre ; and
we cannot believe that he would have associated himself
with the promoters of that scheme, had he not known
them to be zealous worshippers at the Shrine of Art.
The new Company was called, by special permission,
- The Royal Academy of Music.' Attempts were made,
by some of the leading newspapers of the day, to class it
among the reckless speculations which had already
reduced so many miserable gamblers to ruin: but there
is reason to believe that the opposition thus raised
against it was not altogether disinterested. It was
undoubtedly supported by very influential patronage.
'The King took it under his openly-avowed protection;
subscribed £1,000 towards its funds; and nominated the
Lord Chamberlain its chief governing officer. Its capital
amounted to £50,000, disposed in five hundred shares,
of £100 each. The purchaser of each of these shares was
entitled to a seat, at every performance : and, as the
Theatre was constructed for the comfortable accommodation
of at least a thousand spectators, this arrangement left
1 The establishment at Cannons was maintained, with very little
diminution of its pristine splendour, until the Duke's death, on
the 9th of August, 1744. In 1747, the mansion was sold, for
£11,000, to a speculator, who demolished it, for the sake of the
materials. The marble staircase was then bought by the Earl of
Chesterfield, for Chesterfield House, Mayfair, where it still
remains. The marble columns of the hall were used for the
portico of Wanstead House. And the equestrian statue of
George I. was removed to the enclosure in the centre of Leicester
Square.
124
DIRECTORS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. [CHAP. XVI.
five hundred or more places open to the general public,
on such terms as the directors were pleased to dictate.
The price of single tickets was fixed at ten shillings
for the Boxes and Pit together, and five shillings for the
Gallery. At a later period, season tickets were issued,
at twenty guineas each ; ten guineas payable on delivery
of the ticket, and the remainder in two instalments of
five guineas each. The performances were advertised to
take place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays; and
fifty performances were guaranteed to the season-ticket
holders, with a proportionate allowance, in case the full
number should not be presented. To these terms no
objection seems to have been made, on the part of the
public; though then, as now, the larger proportion of
the tickets were bought up, by private speculators, and
sold, on attractive nights, for more than double their
nominal value.1
The affairs of the Academy were arranged by a Governor
—the Lord Chamberlain for the time being—a Deputy
Governor, and twenty Directors, elected, annually, by the
shareholders. The first Governor was the Duke of New-
castle; the first Deputy-Governor, Lord Bingley. The first
Directors were : the Dukes of Portland, and Queensborough,
1 Before the establishment of the Royal Academy of Music,
tickets for the Boxes were usually sold at eight shillings; those
for the Pit, at five shillings; and those for the Gallery, at two
shillings and sixpence. At the first performance of Teseo, half.
a-guinea was charged for admission to the Boxes and Pit together;
and, more than once, the price of tickets for the Stage Boxes was
raised to fifteen shillings. Originally, the holders of these tickets
claimed the right of standing upon the stage itself; but, on the
production of Amadigi, this privilege was withdrawn, in con.
sequence of the hindrance it offered to the successful working
of the machinery connected with the stage-decorations.
1719–1720] DIRECTORS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. 125
the Earls of Burlington, Stair, and Waldegrave; Lords
Chetwynd, and Stanhope ; Generals Dormer, Wade, and
Hunter; Colonels Blathwayt, and O'Hara; Sir John
Vanbrugh; and Messrs. James Bruce, Thomas Cole, Conyers
D'Arcy, Bryan Fairfax, George Harrison, William Pulteney,
aud Francis Whitworth. The names of many of these
gentlemen were sufficiently well known, in connection
with Art, to guarantee the bona fides of the association, in
spite of all attempts made by the press to throw discredit
upon it. Of Lord Burlington we have already spoken.
Lord Bingley was very much in earnest. Colonel Blathwayt
—a pupil of Alessandro Scarlatti-was one of the most
distinguished amateurs of the period, and created so great
a sensation, in early youth, by his performance upon the
Harpsichord, that his portrait, painted, when he was twelve
years old, by Sir Godfrey Kneller, was thought worthy
of a place in the Music School at Oxford, where it still
remains.
No less satisfactory were the names of the Musical
Directors. The supreme responsibility was entrusted to
Handel, with whom were associated, as Composers,
Giovanni Battista Buononcini, and Attilio Ariosti. Paolo
Rolli, and Nicola Haym, were appointed Poets, with the
title of Italian Secretaries. Heidegger, the Swiss
Count,' acted as Stage Manager; and successful efforts
were made to secure the services of the most celebrated
Singers in Europe.
No doubt, the Composer of Rinaldo was already suffi-
ciently well known, on the Continent, to command the
full confidence of an Italian company. Even Mattheson,
by this time, felt the necessity of providing a place for
him in the 'Ehren-Pforte'; and wrote to ask him for some
particulars concerning his past career, with the view of
126 .
LETTER TO MATTHESON. [CHAP. XVI.
inserting them in the then unfinished work. With
courteous modesty, Handel declined to furnish the desired
information ; but softened the refusal by taking Matthe-
son's side in a dispute in which he was engaged with an
Organist named Buttstedt.1 The plain good sense of his
remarks on this subject is so obvious, that one can only
wonder how the points could ever have been contested ;
but the controversy was bitter enough to tempt Mattheson
to print the letter, of which we subjoin a translation, in full.
London, Feb. 24, 1719.
Honoured Sir,
From the letter which I have just received from you,
dated the 21st instant, I find myself so politely pressed to satisfy
you more particularly than I have hitherto done on the two points
in question, that I cannot refrain from telling you how closely
my opinion coincides with your own, in relation to the facts which
you have so well deduced and proved, in your book on Solmisa-
tion, and the Greek Modes. The question seems to me to reduce
itself to this : Is it not natural to prefer an easy and very perfect
method, to one burthened with great difficulties, calculated not
only to weary the student of Music, but also to cost him much
precious time, which he could better employ in grounding himself
in his Art, and cultivatirg his talent? I do not mean to imply
that Solmisation is of no utility wbatever ; but, since one can
acquire the same amount of knowledge in so much less time, by
the method now used with so great snccess, I cannot see why one
should not choose the way which leads most easily, and in the
shortest time, to the end proposed. As to the Greek Modes, Sir,
I find that you have said all that can be said upon the subject.
It is no doubt necessary that those who wish to practise and
execute Music composed in those Modes should study them : buta
since we have escaped from the narrow bounds of antient Music,
I cannot see in what way the Greek Modes can be useful in con-
nection with the Music of modern times. This, Sir, is my
opinion: and you will oblige me by letting me know whether it
corresponds with that which you desire of me.'
1 Vide Ehren-Pforte, p. 97.
1719–1720.] LETTER TO DR. MICHAELSEN.
127
With regard to the second point, you can judge for yourself
that it demands more time for consideration than I am able to
spare from the pressing occupations with which I am surrounded.
When I find myself a little more at leisure, I will think over the
principal events which have befallen me in the exercise of my
profession, in order to show you the particular esteem and
consideration with which I have the honour to be,
'Sir,
"Your very humble and obedient servant,
'G. F. HANDEL.'
Mattheson would never have troubled himself to publish
this letter, had not Handel been held in very high repute
on the opposite side of the Channel. No doubt his name
was well known, both in Germany and Italy; and it was not
without good reason that the Directors of the Royal Academy
burthened him with the entire responsibility of travelling
in search of Singers for the new Theatre. Accordingly,
as early as the end of February, 1719, he paid a visit
to the Continent for the purpose of bringing together
the best company that English liberality could tempt to
cross the seas. On the 20th of the month, he gave
notice of his intended journey to his brother-in-law, Dr.
Michaelsen, for whom he entertained a sincere and life-long
affection. Dr. Michaelsen was, at that time, in mourning
for the loss of his wife, Handel's eldest sister, Dorothea
Sophia, who died of consumption, after a long period of
intense suffering, on the 8th of August, 1718; and it is
evident, from the letter of which we subjoin a translation,
that Handel deeply regretted the impossibility of visiting
him sooner.
‘London, February 20, 1719.
"Sir,
"My most honoured Brother,
'Do not, I entreat you, judge of my desire to see you
by the delay connected with my departure; for, to my great
128
[CHAP. XVI.
LETTER TO DR. MICHAELSEN.
regret, I find myself detained here by indispensable business, on
which it is not too much to say that my whole fortune depends,
and which lasts much longer than I expected. If you knew the
sorrow I feel at not being able to put that which I so ardently
desire into execution, you would be indulgent to me; but I hope
I shall be able to come to you in a month from this time, and you
may be sure that I shall make no delay, but shall continue my
journey without interruption. I entreat you, my dear brother,
to assure my mother of my obedience, and let me know once
more how you are, and my mother also, and your dear family, to
lesson the anxiety and impatience I feel. You know well, my
dear brother, that I should be inconsolable, had I not the hope of
soon repaying myself for this delay by staying the longer with you.
I am astonished that the merchant at Magdeburg has not yet
honoured the bill of exchange; but I beg you to keep it, and it
shall be settled on my arrival. I have received notice that the
pewter will soon be on its way to you. I am ashamed of the
delay; and also that I could not sooner acquit myself of my
promise. I beg you to excuse me, and to believe that I found it
impossible to succeed, in spite of all my efforts. You yourself
will agree with me when I have the honour to explain the cir-
cumstances to you by word of mouth. Do not suppose that I am
not hastening my journey. I long to see you more than you can
imagine. I thank you most kindly for the greetings you sent me
on the occasion of the New Year. For my part, I trust that the
Almighty may grant you and your dear family every sort of pros-
perity, and alleviate with His most precious blessings the deep
affliction with which He has seen fit to visit you, and to grieve
me also in an equal degree. You may be sure that I shall ever
entertain a lively remembrance of your goodness to my late sister,
and that my gratitude will last as long as my life. Be so good
as to give my compliments to Mons. Rotth, and all my good
friend. I embrace you, with all your dear family, and am, with
life-long affection,
"Sir,
And most Honoured Brother,
"Your very humble and obedient Servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
Handel must have started on his journey almost im-
mediately after the despatch of this affectionate letter;
1719_1720.] ENGAGEMENT OF SINGERS.
129
though it was naturally impossible for him to proceed to
Halle, until he had accomplished the primary object of his
mission. In this he was everywhere successful. Italian
Singers were willing, and even eager, to enter into en-
gagements with him. At Düsseldorf he secured the assist-
ance of Benedetto Baldassarri ; at Dresden he engaged the
famous artificial Soprano, Francesco Bernardi; another
Singer, with a similar artificial voice, named Matteo
Berselli; Signora Margherita Durastanti; Signora Madelena
Salvai; and the popular Basso, Signor Boschi. The last-
named Artist was already well known at the King's Theatre;
and Signora Durastanti's qualifications fully justified her
engagement as Prima Donna. But it was upon the attrac-
tions of Bernardi-generally called from his birthplace,
Il Senesino--that the most sanguine hopes of the Directors
were based. The voice of this talented artist was a
Mezzo-Soprano, somewhat limited in compass, but of
exquisite sweetness; and its cultivation was perfect. It
was impossible that the owner of so fine a natural organ,
trained with so great an amount of artistic skill, could
fail to succeed; and, had Senesino's loyalty, as a coadjutor,
equalled his accomplishment as a Singer, Handel would
never have had cause to regret his engagement. But, as
we shall hereafter see, his subsequent defection fell not
far short of accomplishing the Composer's ruin.
Handel's fame as a performer on the Harpsichord had
preceded him, to Dresden, to such good purpose, that, for
playing before Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of
Poland, and the Crown Prince, he received an honorarium
of a hundred ducats. Moreover, it attracted the attention
of another virtuoso of the highest rank, Sebastian Bach,
who, at that time, held the appointment of Kapellmeister
to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, and whose desire to
130 OPENING OF THE KING'S THEATRE. [CHAP. XVI.
make the acquaintance of his brother Composer was so
great, that, hearing of his temporary sojourn with his
mother at Halle, he travelled thither for the sole pur-
pose of seeing him. Unhappily, he did not reach his
destination until the day after Handel's departure for
England : and so it happened that the two great Masters,
though flourishing contemporaneously for sixty-five years,
passed through life without ever once seeing each other.1
Handel returned to England in time to make all
necessary preparations for the approaching campaign, the
affairs of which attracted'so much general attention that
the success of the now firmly established 'Royal Academy
of Music,' was looked upon as certain. The Opera selected
for the inauguration of the undertaking was Giovanni
Porta's Numitor, with which the Theatre opened on
Saturday, the 2nd of April, 1720. Though this fine work
commanded a run of seven nights, with very general
approval, it was well understood to be no more than a
judicious prelude to the real attraction of the season—a
new Opera by Handel himself, entitled Radamisto, and
adapted to a libretto founded by Nicola Haym upon an
episode in the Annals of Tacitus, Lib. xii., Cap. 51. The
first performance of the long-expected Drama, originally
announced for Tuesday, the 26th of April, was postponed,
" by command, to the 27th, on which evening the whole
of the Royal Family honoured the Theatre with their
presence. Mainwaring, on the authority of spectators
who were still living when he wrote his volume of
"Memoirs,' describes the enthusiasm of the audience as
having exceeded even that with which the Caro Sassone
was greeted, on his first appearance at Venice, in 1708.
1 Forkel, “Ueber Bach's Leben, Kunst, und Kunstwerke.”
Cap. viii. (Leipzig, 1802).
, 1720.]
RADAMISTO:
131
So great was the demand for places, that, when the Boxes
and Pit were full, forty shillings were offered, and refused,
for tickets for the Gallery. Many persons who had paid
for tickets were unable to find places, and had their money
returned to them.Dresses were torn to shreds, in the
struggle for admission; and many ladies of rank were
carried out of the crowd in a fainting condition. And it
is evident that the Composer alone was the object of this
extraordinary ovation; for, neither Senesino nor Signora
Durastanti having as yet arrived in England, there is
strong reason for believing that the part of Zenobia
was originally entrusted to Mrs. Robinson-whose voice
had not yet sunk to its Contralto register—and that of
Radamisto to a male Soprano, whose name has not
transpired. On the part of the Singers, therefore, no
novelty whatever was offered to the public.
The original Score of Racamisto, unsigned, and un-
dated, but written in a hand exactly similar to that
observable in Acis and. Galatea, and on exactly similar
paper, forms part of the Collection at Buckingham Palace.3
1 Daily Courant, April 29, 1720.
2 Memoirs,' pp. 98–99.
3 Dr. Chrysander distinguishes six different styles in Handel's
handwriting, exclusive of that which was affected by bis
approaching blindness. After long and patient study of the
MSS. in the Royal Collection, we think it possible to trace a
still greater number of distinct variations, which we propose to
class as follows.
1. An early boyish hand, exquisitely neat and regular, with
beautifully-formed Semiquavers, joined together by lines which
could scarcely have been more carefully executed had they been
drawn by rule. Examples of this kind are exceedingly rare :
but a very beautiful one may be seen in the Laudate Pueri, in F,
contained in the volume labelled 'Sketches.'
2. A large hand, very different from that we have just
K
2
132
[CHAP. XVI.
"RADAMISTO:
On the 15th of December, 1720, Handel himself published
it, with a formal dedication to King George I., at the
warehouses of Richd Meares, in S. Paul's Churchyard,
and Christopher Smith, 'at ye Hand & Musick-book
in · Coventry Street.' When the Opera was reproduced,
with a different cast, in the following season, eleven new
Songs were written for it; and these printed upon a
fine Dutch paper, and engraven by the same hand,' were
issued on the 18th of March, 1721, under the title of
· Arie aggiunte, &c.,' and presented, gratis, to the sub-
described, characterised by huge black-headed Crotchets, with
thin tails, and called, by Chrysander, the German style.
3. A hand, clearly derived from the foregoing, but neater,
and more regular; with smaller-headed Crotchets and more
carefully-grouped Semiqnavers. This band is observable in Aci,
Galatea, e Polifemo, and most of the Music composed in Italy.
4. The First English Hand, more cursive, and business-like,
as exhibited in the Utrecht Te Deum, the Chandos Anthems, Acis
and Galatea, and Rudamisto.
5. The Second English Hand, showing signs of greater
rapidity of execution, as in the later Operas written for the
Royal Academy of Music, and other works of the same period.
6. The Third English Hand, more cursive still; as in
Deborah, Athaliah, and the works produced at Covent Garden
Theatre, after the troubles in the Haymarket.
7. The Fourth English Hand, affected by the paralytic attack
of 1737, with traces of unsteadiness observable to some slight
extent even in the Score of the 'Messiah,' written as late as
1741, and sometimes—as in that particular casedistinguished
by the use of the Astrological Signs for the days of the week,
which are not to be found in any MSS. of earlier date than the
visit to Aix-la-Chapelle.
8. The Fifth English Hand, betokening complete recovery;
continued, with very little variation, throughout the later works;
and almost always accompanied by the Astrological Signs.
9. The last style of all, evidently affected by increasing.
dimness of sight, as exhibited in tho Scoro of Jephtha.
1720.]
. 'RADAMISTO.'
133
scribers. Yet it is worthy of remark, that this edition,
though the plates were all corrected by the author him-
self, is not a whit more complete than the Scores pub-
lished by Walsh, and Cluer. The only other edition is
that printed by the German Handel Society in 1875.
Radamnisto formed the chief attraction at the King's
Theatre, until the 30th of May, when it gave place to
Domenico Scarlatti's Narciso, conducted by Thomas
Roseingrave, and performed but five times. This was
followed by one more performance of Radamisto, and
one of Nunitor, with which the first season closed success-
fully, on Saturday, the 25th of June.
CHAPTER XVII.
CONCERNING THE SUCCESS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
AFTER a recess of nearly five months' duration, the
King's Theatre reopened, on the 19th of November, with
Giovanni Battista Buononcini's Astarto. This work, which
had already achieved a fair success, in Rome, at the
Theatre called the Sala de' Signori Capranica, was now
revived, under the Composer's direction, with the addition
of a considerable quantity of new Music. The cast was a
strong one, including Senesino, and Signora Durastanti-
neither of whom had previously sung in England-
Signori Boschi, Beranstadt, and Galerati, Signora Salvai,
and the artificial Soprano, Berselli. Thus supported, the
Opera ran ten nights, before Christmas, and was performed
at least twenty times more, during the course of the two
following seasons, in alternation with other works. On
the 28th of December, it was temporarily set aside, for
the revival of Radamisto, with the principal Songs re-
written for Durastanti and Senesino; and, on the 1st of
February, this, in its turn, gave place to a new Pasticcio,
called Arsace. Meanwhile, the announcement that a
novelty was in preparation gave rise to renewed excite-
ment on the part of the subscribers. We have already
mentioned the engagement of three Composers for the
1721.]
MUZIO SCEVOLA.'
135
service of the Royal Academy. The Directors were now
so ill-advised as to entertain the idea of employing them
all, simultaneously, upon one and the same great work.
Accordingly, the libretto of a new Opera, called Muzio
Scevola, having been prepared by Paolo Rolli; Attilio
Ariosti was commissioned to compose the First Act;
Buononcini, the Second; and Handel, the Third. In
order that the work of each composer might, as far as
possible, be complete in itself, each Act was to be pre-
ceded by an Overture, and to terminate with a Chorus.
The Songs were so distributed as to bring each of the
three collaborateurs into equal prominence; and we may
be sure that each did his best to produce a favourable im-
pression upon the public, though, since unity of design
was manifestly incompatible with the primary conditions
of the scheme, the attainment of dramatic truth was
simply impossible. The first Overture was the weakest
of the three; and the Songs in the First Act were
by far the least attractive : circumstances not at all sur-
prising if we are right in attributing this division of the
work to Ariosti. In so doing, we do but follow the
generally-accepted tradition, as recorded by Mainwaring, 2
and corroborated by the consentient authority of Hawkins,
and Burney. But, in a MS. Score forming part of the
Dragonetti Collection in the British Museum, the First Act
is ascribed to 'Il Signor Pipo -a sobriquet well known
to have been applied to Filippo Mattei, a Violoncellist in
the then Opera Orchestra : and, on the strength of this,
Mattei's claim has been sometimes regarded as not wholly
destitute of foundation. Mattheson, with his usual dis-
regard of facts, has done his best to involve the subject
in uncertainty by telling us that Buononcini composed
1 Memoirs.
136
[CHAP. XVII.
"MUZIO SCEVOLA.'
the First Act, and Mattei the Second.1 This assertion wo
know to be incorrect: and we cannot help thinking that
Mainwaring's account carries with it more show of feasi-
bility than any other. At any rate, the Second Act
was certainly composed by Buononcini, of whose pen it
was by no means unworthy. He did not, however,
venture to produce a new Overture, but contented himself
with remodelling one which had already been successfully
received, in 1707, in connection with the Pasticcio called
Thomyris. We need scarcely say that the Music of the
Third Act is incomparably finer than that of the First, or
the Second Handel's treatment of the subject is
especially remarkable for its impassioned phrases of
Accompanied Recitative. His Overture, too, is a remark-
ably fine one. In reply to a critic of the period, who
complained, that, in the Answer to its Fugal Subject, a
certain Semitone was unlawfully made to do duty for a
Minor Third, Geminiani exclaimed, 'E varo. Ma quel
semitono vale un mondo.' ('True! but that Semitone is
worth a world.') 2
Though its cast included the names of all the best
Singers of the company, the success of Muzio Scevola was
scarcely commensurate with the excitement to which its
preparation had given rise. On the other hand, its effect
upon the future of the Royal Academy, and upon the
private fortunes of Handel and Buononcini, was most
disastrous. It set before the world, in the position of
acknowledged rivals, two Composers so unequally matched,
that, but for the bitterness of party feeling, the weaker
Maestro could not have held his own for a single moment.
The gentle Ariosti neither lost nor gained hy the ill-judged
i Critica Musica, vol. i. p. 256 (Hamburg, 1723-1724).
2 Mainwaring, p. 44.
1721-1722.]
FLORIDANTE.
137
proceeding; but Buonon cini's jealousy turned it into a
lasting source of evil, of which it marked, not, as some
would have us believe, the culminating point, but the first
insidious beginning. Of this, we shall have more to tell
hereafter. Suffice it, now, to say that the work created
sufficient interest to lead to its successful performance in
Hamburg, in 1723. The autograph Score, at Buckingham
Palace, contains the Third Act only, dated Fine G. F. H.
London. March 23. 1721. The transcript at the British
Museum 1 is complete, as is also another, in the Royal
Collection—in which no composers' names are mentioned
--and a third, in the Royal Library at Berlin. Walsh
printed a selection of Songs from each of the three
Acts, preceded by Buononcini's Overture, in 1721;.
and the Third Act was printed by the German Handel
Society, in 1874 ; but the First and Second Acts have
never been published in a complete form. The first per-
formance took place on the 15th of April, 1721. On the
20th of May, Ariosti supplemented it by a new Opera,
called Ciro, which was performed eight times : and, on
the 5th of July, the season came to an end.
The Theatre reopened, for its third campaign, on the
1st of November, 1721; when, for more than a month,
Arsace, Astarto, and Radamisto, were performed alter-
nately. On the 9th of December, these gave place to a
new Opera, by Handel, called Floridante, adapted to a
libretto by Paolo Rolli, and entrusted, for performance,
to Senesino, Baldassarri, Boschi, Mrs. Robinson (who was
now singing Contralto), and Signora Salvai. This was
followed by Buononcini's Crispo, and Griselda, with the
last of which the season terminated, on the 16th of
June, 1722,
i Add. MSS. 16,108.
138
[CHAP. XVII.
OTTONE.'
The fourth season opened, on the 7th November, 1722;
but no new work was brought out, until the 12th of January,
1723, when Francesca Cuzzoni made her first appearance
before an English audience in Handel's Ottone, which
contains a greater number of strikingly beautiful Songs
than almost any other Opera of the period, not excepting
even Rinaldo. The success of the new Prima donna
was almost unprecedented ; and, from the description of
her personal appearance transmitted to us by contemporary
writers, it is clear that the judgment of the public was
influenced by her artistic powers alone. She was short,
and squat,' says Horace Walpole, with a cross face, but
fine complexion ; was not a good actress; dressed ill;
and was silly, and fantastical.' Before she had been
many days in London, events proved that the cross
face' betokened but too truly the possession of a
stubborn temper. At the first rehearsal of Ottone, she
ilatly refused to sing the lovely Aria, 'Falsa immagine,
which Handel had written expressly for her. Said
Handel, 'I know, Madam, that you are a very Devil; but
I will let you see that I am Beelzebub, the Prince of the
Devils."? And with that he seized her in his arms,
and threatened to throw her out of the window; where-
upon she yielded in terror to his superior will, sang the
Song in exact accordance with his directions, and achieved
in it one of her most brilliant triumphs.
In fact, under Handel's guidance, she carried the musical
world by storm ; received a salary of £2000 per annum;
and, until the appearance of Faustina, in 1726, was with-
out a rival. She sang in Ottone, with Signora Durastanti,
l'Oh, Madame, je sçais bien que vous êtes une véritable
Diablesse : mais je vous ferai sçavoir, moi, que je suis Beelzebub, le
Chef des Diables. Mainwaring, p. 110.
1723-1724.]
FLAVIO
GIULIO CESARE.'
139
Mrs. Robinson, Senesino, Berenstadt, and Boschi: and,
with this powerful cast, the Opera made so deep an im-
pression upon the audience, that, on the second night of
its performance, places were sold for five guineas each.
It started with an uninterrupted run of eleven nights;
after which it was succeeded by Ariosti's Coriolano,
and Buononcini's Erminid. On the 14th of May, these
gave way to Handel's Flavio ; a work which rivalled even
Ottone in the beauty of its melodies. Senesino, Cuzzoni,
Durastanti, and Mrs. Robinson, all distinguished them-
selves greatly in the new Opera ; and, with the eighth
representation of this the season closed, on the 15th of
June, 1723.
The next great event in connection with the history
of the Royal Academy of Music, was the production, on
the 20th of February, 1724, of Handel's Giulio Cesare, in
which Senesino created a profound sensation by his magni-
ficent delivery of the Accompanied Recitative, “ Almcı del
gran Pompeo. An interesting connecting link between this
opera and Ottone, was first pointed out by Dr. Burney.
In the original autograph of the last-named work, the
Overture consists of four movements :—a stately Intro-
duction; a brilliant Fugue; the famous Gavotte, (which,
as Burney naïvely tells us, was played throughout
the length and breadth of the land on every possible
Instrument, from the Organ to the Salt-box); and a
second Fugue, as brilliant as the first. Handel afterwards
shortened this somewhat extended programme; substituted
the second Fugue for the first; and ended with the
Gavotto; in which form the Overture was printed by
Walsh, in 1723. But, feeling that the eliminated Fugue
was too good to be wasted, Handel transposed it a semi-
tone lower, and used it for the second movement of the
140
"TAMERLANO: “RODELINDA. (GIIAP. XVII.
Overture to Giulio Cesaremfacts which are fully borne
out by the autograph Scores of the two Operas.
IIandel's next Opera was Tamerlano; prodaced on the
31st of October, 1724, and remarkable for the dramatic
power exhibited in its closing Scene, where the tyrant,
Bajazet, who has taken poison, is tended by his daughter,
with such devoted affection, that even Tamerland is moved
to pity. The tragic force of this powerful situation is
irresistible. Its chief strength lies in the skill with which
the Composer leads up to the touching climax: and so
artistically is this accomplished, that it would be difficult
to find a similar catastrophe more effectively treated, in
any period of the history of Art.
Tamerlano was succeeded, on the 13th of February,
1725, by Rodclinda. Cuzzoni created so extraordinary
a furore in this charming Opera, that the brown silk
gown, trimmed with silver, in which she performed the
part of the heroine, led the fashion of the season.
Senesino also won great and well-deserved applausc by
liis interpretation of the Accompanied Recitative, “ Pompe
vanc di morte,' and the following air, ‘Dove sei, amato
bene?—so well known to English Vocalists, as 'Holy!
Holy !1
The Opera closed this year on the 19th of May. Handel
was anxious, during the recess, to visit his mother, at
Halle ; but, finding that the responsibility of his position
rendered it impossible for him to leave London, he
addressed to his brother-in-law, Dr. Michaelsen, a letter
which exhibits his character in a very different light from
that in which it has usually been painted. Hawkins tells
1 Schoolcher justly remarks that, had Handel adapted this text
himself, he would certainly have repeated the word ' Foly' three
times.
1725.]
LETTER TO DR. MICHAELSEN.
141
us, in so many words, that ‘His social affections were not
very strong.' Yet, in the few reliques we possess of his
correspondence with this beloved brother-in-law, the
expression of these social affections' is strong enough to
exclude all reference to the artist-life of which we should
so gladly hail a record couched in his own terse phrases,
Filial piety was one of the most prominent traits in his
character. It is true, Frau Dorothea Handel was a mother
whose devoted love few sons could have been ungrateful
enough to treat with indifference: but sons do forget
their duties sometimes, and it is refreshing to find a man
of genius, famous, and busy, who has been universally
described as before all things an astute citizen of the
world, disguising, under the courteous formality of the
period, a child-like simplicity such as could scarcely have
been exceeded had his whole life been spent within the
influence of the loving little home-circle at Halle.
London, June íi, 1725.
Sír
and most Honoured Brother.
'Again I find myself very much to blame for not
having performed my duty towards you, with regard to my
letters, for so long a time; nevertheless, I do not despair of
obtaining your generous pardon, when I assure you that my
silence does not proceed from forgetfulness, and that my esteem
and friendship for you are inviolable, as you must alroady have
remarked, my honoured Brother, from the letters I havo written
to my mother.
My silence, indeod, has proceeded rather from my fear lest I
should weary you with a corrospondence which you might find
troublesome. But that which leads me to disregard these reflec-
tions in worrying you with my present letter is, that I cannot be
so ungrateful as to pass ovor in silence the goodness you have
shown to my mother in her advanced age, for which I offer you
my very humblo thanks. You know how deeply I am interested
142
[CHAP. XVII. :
'SCIPIONE.
in all that concerns her, and can therefore judge the depth of the
obligation under which you have placed me.
'I should esteem myself happy, my very dear Brother, if I
could engage you to send me some news, from time to time; and
you may depend upon my sincerity and good faith in reply. I
had hoped to be able to renew my friendship by word of mouth,
and to visit your neighbourhood, on the occasion of the King's
visit to Hanover; but I cannot yet put my wishes into effect.
However, though the position of my affairs deprives me, for the
present, of the pleasure I have so long coveted, I do not despair
of enjoying this happiness some day: and in the meantime, it
would be a great consolation to me if I could flatter myself that
you would think of me sometimes, and still honour me with your
friendship, since I shall never cease to be, with devoted affection
and attachment,
"Sir,
Cand most Honoured Brother,
"Your very humble and obedient Servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
'I send my very humble respects to Madame, your wife, 1 and
I embrace tenderly my dear God-daughter, and the rest of your
dear family. My compliments, if you please, to all my friends.'
We can well understand that Handel had but little
time at his own disposal; for the whole responsibility of
the management devolved upon him. Upon his judgment
the public depended for the selection of every novelty
that was presented at the Theatre; though, after delight-
ing the subscribers with Rodelinda, in 1725, he himself
produced no new Opera until the 12th of March, 1726,
when Scipione started with an unbroken run of thirteen
nights. So popular was the Triumphal March which
opens the First Act of this delightful Opera, that,
1 Dr. Michaelsen married twice after the death of Handel's
sister. His second and third wives were two sisters, named
Dreissig.
2 Johanna Friderica. Seo ante, chap. x.
1726.]
MARCH IN SCIPIO.'
143
like the Gavotte in Otho, it was to be found upon
the desk of every Harpsichord in the Kingdom. For
forty years, the Band of the Grenadier Guards played
it constantly, when on Parade; and under the name
of the Royal Guards March,' the same Band plays
it still, and still claims it as its own peculiar property, 1
Gay also introduced it, in 1729, into the English
Opera, Polly, in the form of a Chorus, adapted to the
words, “ Brave Boys, prepare.' Fortunately, not even
Polly could vulgarise a Composition so full of stately
dignity and massive grandeur.
i The tradition of the Regiment is, that the famous Movement
was 'specially composed by Handel as a Parade Slow March for
the Grenadier Guards, before it was introduced into Scipio.'
No doubt on this point is entertained by the Officers, who are
naturally very proud of their grand old March.
CHAPTER XVIII.
CUZZONI AND FAUSTINA.
Law, for his Natures is dated, table oath
EXACTLY twelve months, to a day, after the first per-
formance of Rodelinda, Handel became an Englishman, by
Law, as well as by his own hearty predilection. The
Act for his Naturalisation (in company with Louis
Sechehaye, and others) is dated, Feb. 13th, 1726. On
the 14th, he took the then indispensable oath of allegiance,
in the House of Lords. And, on the 20th, the Act
received the Royal assent. He was now one of us,' in
the eyes of the world, as well as in his own, and in those
of all England. As a bond of moral union between
himself and his adopted countrymen, the legal process was
wholly supererogatory. But it opened his way to the
Office of Composer of Musick to the Chapel Royal,'
which could only be held by a British Subject; and the
King also took this opportunity of nominating him
Composer to the Court.'
But no amount of Royal favour could stille the
jealousy enkindled by the ill-starred subdivision of
Muzio Scevola. Though Buononcini had, as yet, found
no reasonable pretext for declaration of open war against
his illustrious antagonist, there could be no doubt that he
was only waiting for a fitting opportunity : and, in the
meantime, the King's Theatre became the scene of an
Y
1726.]
CUZZONI.
145
exhibition of artistic rivalry, which exercised a very baneful
influence upon its future prospects.
In order to add as much as possible to the attractions
of the season, the Directors of the Royal Academy secured,
early in the year 1726, the services of Signora Faustina
Bordoni, a Singer of extraordinary ability, who afterwards
became the wife of Hasse, but who at this period was
unmarried, and in the enjoyment of a reputation which
extended from one end of Europe to the other. It will
be readily understood, that the engagement of this popular
favourite was distasteful, in the last degree, to Cuzzoni,
whose chagrin must have been increased a thousandfold
by her rival's irresistible charms of person, manners, and
disposition; for Faustina was as beautiful and attractive,
as Cuzzoni was the reverse. As women, they had scarcely a
trait in common. As Artists, it seemed impossible to choose
between them. They are said to have been both born in
the year 1700; and therefore twenty-six years of age, at the
time of their joint engagement. The range of their
voices, too, seems to have been very nearly equal; for a
careful study of Handel's Scores shows that the best notes
of both lay between the I below the Treble Stave, and
the G above it. Faustina, indeed, was very rarely per-
mitted to exceed this compass; though Cuzzoni not un-
frequently sang A, and was now and then allowed to
touch B flat. Burney tells us that ‘Cuzzoni's voice was
equally clear, sweet, and flexible. It was difficult for the
hearer to determine whether she most excelled in slow
or rapid airs. A native warble enabled her to execute
divisions with such facility as to conceal every appearance
of difficulty; and so graceful and touching was the natural
1 Another account, however, represents Faustina as Cuzzoni's
senior, by nearly seven years.
146
FAUSTINA.
[CHAP. XVIII.
tone of her voice, that she rendered pathetic whatever she
sang, in which she had leisure to unfold its whole volume.
In a Cantabile Air, though the notes she added were
few, she never lost an opportunity of enriching the Canti-
lena with all the refinements and embellishments of the
time. Her shake was perfect. · Her high notes were
unrivalled in clearness and sweetness; and her intona-
tions were so just and fixed, that it seemed as if it were
not in her power to sing out of tune.' Of Faustina, he
says, "She in a manner invented a new kind of sing-
ing, by running divisions with a neatness and velocity
which entranced all who heard her. She had the art
of sustaining a note longer, in , the opinion of the
public, than any other Singer, by taking her breath
imperceptibly. Her beats and trills were strong and
rapid ; her intonation perfect; and her professional
perfections were enhanced by a beautiful face, a symmetric
figure, though of small stature, and a countenance and
gesture on the Stage, which indicated an entire intelligence
and possession of the several parts she had to represent.?1
The two rivals had sung together, at Venice, in 1719,
in Gasparini's Lamano; but they were then débutantes.
The difficulty of bringing them together, in 1726, was so
great, that few less energetic men than Handel would
have undertaken the task. But, nothing ever daunted
him. They were engaged to sing a parte eguale;2 and he
1 Hist. of Music,' vol. iv. pp. 306-308.
2 The general belief was, that they each received £2000 per
annum; but one account says that Faustina received £2500.
Hawkins tells us that Cuzzoni had taken a solemn oath never to
sing for a less sum than Faustina; and that the Directors, wish.
ing, after a time, to dismiss her, offered her 2000 guineas, and
Faustina 2001, whereupon she retired from her engagement.
But the story is scarcely consistent with known facts.
1726.]
'ALESSANDRO:
147
so arranged their parts, in Alessandro, the Opera he pre-
pared for their joint appearance at the King's Theatre, that
discontent on either side was impossible. They sang
Song for Song throughout the entire Opera. In the Third
Act, they each sang a Duet with Senesino, and in Placa
l'alma, the Duet they sang together, towards the close of
the First Act, the voice parts were so nicely balanced, and
crossed each other so frequently, for the purpose of giving
each Singer the upper part by turns, that it was quite
impossible to say which was singing First, and which
Second. All that the Master could do to keep the peace
between them, he did; and, possibly, they might have
done very well together, after all, but for pretended
friends, who encouraged them to quarrel, as polite savages
encourage dumb animals to destroy each other, for the
pleasure of looking on at the strife.
The success of Alessandro exceeded even that of Otho.
It ran on, without interruption, from the night of its first
representation—the 5th of May, 1726_till the season
closed, on the 7th of June. But, except in its artistic
aspect, the policy of the Directors was suicidal. Their
expenses had never, from the first, been covered by their
receipts; and while speculators were selling the tickets
they had forestalled at eight times their nominal value,
it was evident that it needed but a few more such
splendid successes to reduce the Royal Academy to ruin.
On the 5th of December, the Duke of Richmond was
elected Deputy Governor for the ensuing year; and a
new Court of Directors was appointed, numbering among
its members, the Duke of Manchester, the Marquis
of Caernarvon, the Earls of Chesterfield, Burlington,
Albemarle, and Monteith, Viscount Limerick, the Lord
Mayor, and thirteen other gentlemen. A month later, a
I 2
148
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE RIVAL FAVOURITES.
sixteenth call of five per cent. was made upon the sub-
scribers; and it was generally understood that a rapid
absorption of capital was in progress.
On the part of the audience, however, no sign of
diminished interest was perceptible from first to last, but
rather the reverse. The dissensions of the rival Prime
Donne were regarded as by no means the least attractive
feature in the programme. Ladies of rank had the bad
taste to exacerbate the feud by publicly espousing the
cause of one of the combatants, while doing their utmost
to depreciate the merits of the other. Anonymous squibs
found their way into the newspapers. Vulgar caricatures
were exposed for sale in the windows of the print-shops;
and the whole town rang with the minutest details of the
cabal. Cuzzoni was supported by the Countess of
Pembroke, Sir Wilfred Lawson, Sir William Gage, and
Mr. Simon Smith; Faustina, by the Countess of
Burlington, Lady Delawar, Lady Cowper, and Sir
Robert Walpole. When the leaders of one party ap-
plauded, those of the other hissed; and, with the.excep-
tion of Lady Walpole, whose behaviour, throughout, was
that of a true gentlewoman, all strove so hard to widen
the unseemly breach, that, if report may be believed, the
belligerents had recourse, at last, to blows. Horace
Walpole tells an amusing story of his mother's difficulty
in keeping the peace between them. On Sundays, when Sir
Robert was absent, she used to invite them both to dinner;
and, by careful diplomacy, obtained sufficient concessioni
from either side to ensure a pleasant meeting. But, one
evening, when all the rank and fashion of London were
present at one of her receptions, she found it so difficult
1 See Harl. MSS. No. 7316, pp. 319, 394.
1726.),
THE RIVAL FAVOURITES.
149
to settle the question of precedence between the rival
claimants, neither of whom could be prevailed upon to
relinquish the pas, that she had almost given up all hope
of hearing them sing, when, by a lucky inspiration, she
tempted Faustina to a distant room, under pretence of
showing her some curious china. Cuzzoni, supposing that
her opponent had quitted the field, now consented to sing
to the company: and, when her Songs were finished,
Lady Walpole spirited her away, upon a similar pretext,
while her guests listened to the performance of Faustina.
But, at the Opera, where no such expedients were practic-
able, the battle was fought, à outrance, and the audience
expressed its opinion without reserve.
But, notwithstanding their implacable jealousy~
perhaps, to some extent, in consequence of it-the
Prime Donne worked nobly for the cause of Art. So
far as the highest branches of style and expression were
concerned, Handel was the most accomplished Maestro di
Canto then living. Though Nature had endowed him
with a voice too poor to attract attention, for its own sake,
even in private, the pathos of his style was so irresistible,
that, one evening, when he had been prevailed upon to
sing a slow Aria, at the house of Lady Rich, Farinelli
could with difficulty be persuaded to sing after him.
Under his careful superintendence, Cuzzoni and Faustina
learned many things which they could scarcely have dis-
covered for themselves; and we may be sure that each
did her best to prevent the other from excelling her, in
the delivery of the finest Dramatic Music then in existence.
After the termination of their engagement, they perpetuated
the traditions of this brilliant period in other countries.
Nicolini, Senesino, Durastanti, and other famous Singers
150
THE RIVAL FAVOURITES. [CHAP. XVIII,
whose higher education Handel had completed, for his
own great purposes, did the same. And so it came to pass
that certain decades of the 18th century were richer in
Opera Singers of the highest class than any similar
periods we can cite, either in the 17th, or the 19th.
CHAPTER XIX.
CONCERNING THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROYAL
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
On the 7th of January, 1727, the King's Theatre re-
opened, after an unusually long recess, with Ariosti's
Lucio Vero; and, on the 31st of the same month, Handel
directed the first performance of his Ammeto, which
started with a brilliant run of nineteen nights, and is said
to have attracted larger audiences than any other Opera.
We can scarcely wonder at this; for, in every new work
that he produced, at this prolific period, Handel astonished
his hearers by some new manifestation of creative power :
and it would have been difficult to find a more congenial
subject for the exercise of his rich Imagination than a
libretto founded upon the ’Alkņotis of Euripides. The
first Scene represented Admetus, languishing upon the bed
of sickness from which he was destined to be raised by
the self-sacrifice of his wife Alcestis, and tormented in
his sleep, by a troop of Spectres. Senesino excelled
himself, in his delivery of the impassioned Recitative
and Air connected with this exciting situation. Boschi
was a magnificent Hercules ; and his performance was
greeted with well-deserved applause. The Music allotted
to Alcestis, overflowing with the tender pathos befitting
a character so touchingly beautiful, was admirably inter-
152
AMMETO:
[CHAP. XIX.
preted by Faustina. Cuzzoni's part—that of the heroine
of a counter-plot-though of necessity less interesting, as
a dramatic creation, than the rôle assigned to Faustina,
afforded numberless opportunities for the display of her
talent as a vocalist, and earned for her a trenchant com-
pliment which has been often recorded. One evening,
while she was singing 'Sen vola' some one in the gallery
cried out “Damn her! she has a nest of nightingales in
her bosom ;' and, in a copy of the libretto, once in the
possession of Dr. Burney, Lady Cowper, as if to balance
this, wrote, against the name of Faustina, "She is the
Devil of a Singer.'
Ammeto was succeeded, on the 6th of May, by Astyanat,
the last Opera composed by Buononcini for the Royal
Academy. The work was moderately successful; but, on
the occasion of its ninth performance, on the 6th of June
-the last night of the Season—the Theatre was disgraced
by a disturbance which not even the presence of the
Princess Amelia could quell.1 From hisses and yells,
the infuriated partisans of Faustina and Cuzzoni proceeded
to cat-calls; and the voices of the Singers were drowned in
the hubbub caused by the leaders of the best society'
in London.
Before the reopening of the Theatre, it was England's
fate to pass through a political crisis which made many a
loyal heart beat high with mingled hope and terror. On
the 11th of June (O.S.), King George I. died suddenly at
Osnaburgh. The news of his decease arrived in England
on the 14th. On the 15th, George II. was proclaimed
at Whitehall with the customary formalities; and, before
long, preparations were made for his Coronation in October.
1 Burney says, the Princess Caroline : but, a letter written by
the Countess of Pembroke settles the question, beyond dispute.
1727.]
ACCESSION OF KING GEORGE II.
153
and, in addition to the two pensions conferred upon him by
Queen Anne, and King George I., confirmed his title to a
third, of equal amount, in connection with the Office of
Musick-Master to the young Princesses—an appointment
upon the duties of which he had entered some time
previously. He had now, therefore, a fixed income of
£600 per annum, secured to him for life; an honourable
position in the Royal Household; and, apart from these,
the official dignity derived from the appointments of
Composer to the Court, and to the Chapel Royal, from
which, however, he appears to have derived no regular
emolument. There is, indeed, some little difficulty in
understanding the exact conditions attached to the grant
least, seem to have been merely titular. The first, created
expressly to do him honour, was probably connected with
the King's Private Band, the constitution of which has
suffered no material change since it was first instituted by
King Charles II. : and, if so, it must have been for this
Band that he wrote the Minuets performed at the Court
Ball, on the King's Birthday—the 30th of October, 1727
-and afterwards published by Walsh. The salary
pertaining to the second is known to have been received
by Dr. Greene : yet, Handel is distinctly named as the
holder of the Office;1 and there can be no reasonable
doubt that it was in virtue of it that he composed the
Music which has since made the Coronation of King
George II. a landmark in the History of Art.
1. Composer of Musick for the Chapel Royal; Mr. George
Handel. Chamberlayne, "Magna Britannic-Notitia ; or The
present state of Great Britain, etc.,' p. 59. (Lond. 1727-1728.)
154 "THE CORONATION ANTHEM. [CHAP XIX.
is arranged in four divisions, all intimately connected with
each other, though not actually continuous. The order in
which they stand in the original Score is as follows:
1. Zadok the Priest. (1 Kings, i. 38–40.)
2. Let thy deeds be glorious.1 (Ps. lxxxix, 14, 15.)
3. The King shall rejoice. (Ps. xxi. 1.)
4. My heart is inciting. (Ps. xlv. 1.)
The MS., at Buckingham Palace, is undated; but we
know that the Music was rehearsed, at Westminster
Abbey, on the 6th September, 1727, in the presence of
the young Princesses ;and that, on the day of the
Coronation itself—October 11th—The King shall rejoice,3
preceded by a Flourish of Trumpets, was sung after the
Act of Homage ; Zadoli the Priest, after the King had
taken the Coronation Oath ; and My heart is inditing,
at the close of the Ceremony. The place of Let thy
deeds be glorious is not so easily ascertained. But,
notwithstanding the argument brought forward by Dr.
Crotch, in his preface to the edition published by the
English Handel Society, it is certain that the Composition
was performed entire.
If the four divisions of this gorgeous Hymn of
Triumph cannot, as a whole, be compared with the whole
of the Dettingen Te Deum, or of Deborah, they contain
passages the grandeur of which even Handel himself has
never exceeded. The introductory Symphony of Zadolc
the Priest paints the approach of the whole world to
the splendid Festival, in a Procession stretching back
i These are the words in the original Score. The Anthem is
moro generally known as, 'Let thy hand be strengthened.'
? British Journal, Sept. 7, 1727.
3 This must not be confounded with the Dettingen Anthen, of
the same name, for an account of which seo Chapter xxxi.
1727.]
RICCARDO PRIMO."
155
from the door of the Abbey to the uttermost parts of the
earth. The festal joy of Kings shall be thy nursing fathers,
carries all before it; and the first and last Movements of
The King shall rejoice will alone suffice to prove, that,
though so much occupied at this period in the production
of Italian Operas, Handel was already, beyond all com-
parison, the greatest Choral Composer in the world.
The Coronation Anthem was published, in a complete
form, by Walsh; and has been reprinted by Arnold, and
the English and German Handel Societies; but, with the
exception of Zadok the Priest, it is scarcely ever now
performed in public.
The excitement of the Coronation had scarcely had
time to subside, before the King's Theatre reopened, on
the 3rd of October, with a repetition of Ammeto, which
Handel replaced, on the 11th of November, with Riccardo
Primo, Re d' Inghilterra. The Songs for Cuzzoni and
Faustina were again so arranged as to balance their
opportunities for display exactly; and Senesino's part
was one of the finest that had ever been written for him,
containing divisions of extraordinary difficulty, filled with
reiterated Semiquavers which few Singers of the present
day would venture to attack, and fewer still could hope to
execute with the agility necessary to ensure even the most
moderate success.
Riccardo Primo began with a run of eleven nights; but
the number of subscribers fell off rapidly. The exhibition
of party feeling which had led, at the close of the
preceding season, to such disgraceful results, was beginning
to bring forth its natural fruit. People of good taste
were driven away from the Theatre; and, as the rioters
did not think it necessary to make good the losses caused
by their scandalous behaviour, it soon became evident
156
[CHAP. XIX.
"SIROE.
TOLOMEO.
that serious misfortunes were impending. All that un-
flagging zeal directed by true genius could do, Handel
did, to save the Academy. On the 17th of February,
1728, he produced his Siroe, which started with nineteen
representations; and, on the 30th of April, he supple-
mented this by Tolomeo, in which an immense sensation
was produced by the celebrated 'Echo Song,' Dite che fà?
the melodious phrases of which were sung, on the Stage,
by Cuzzoni, and repeated, behind the Scenes, by Senesino.
With a fair field before them, these two fine Operas could
scarcely have failed to support the Directors in their
endeavours to save the speculation from ruin. But, the
Fates were against them. On the 29th of January, 1727,
The Beggar's Opera, written by Gay, and filled with Songs
adapted to a selection of popular English Melodies by
Dr. Pepusch, had been produced, under the management of
Rich, at the Little Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Its
success continued unabated. It ran for sixty-three nights,
during its first season; attracting crowded houses every
evening. The vulgarity of its subject proved irresistible
to those who, by their own vulgarity, had done their best
to ruin the Academy; and the undeniable beauty of the
Airs arranged by Dr. Pepusch outweighed the offensive
character of the plot in the opinion of many whose taste
was less depraved. The success of this captivating
Pasticcio—for it really is captivating, in spite of its
odious faults—acted fatally upon the already falling
fortunes of the Italian Opera. Tolomeo was represented
no more than seven times. On the 1st of June,
the season came to an end.1 Meetings were afterwards
Including Muzio Scevola, Handel wrote fourteen Operas for
the Royal Academy. Tho following dates are appended to the
original MSS. in the Royal Collection :
1728.] COLLAPSE OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. 157
convened by the Directors for the purpose of discussing
the possibility of reopening the Theatre. But it was
found that the £50,000 originally subscribed had been
entirely swallowed up in the enormous expenses incurred
(1.) Radamisto. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. MS. unsigned and
undated. (Producod, April 27, 1720.)
(2.) Muzio Scavola. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. MS. of Act III. only;
signed-Tine G. F. H. | London. March 23. 1721. (Produced,
April 15, 1721.)
(3.) Floridante. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. Last Chorus and date
wanting in original MS. (Produced, Dec. 9, 1721.)
(4.) Ottone. Libretto by Nicola Haym. MS. signed— Fine |
, 21 n.
à Londres August 10 2 st | 172
1
of 1722. (Produced, Jan. 12, 1723.)
(5.) Flavio. Libretto by Nicola Haym. MS. dated— Fine dell
Opera. London. May 7. | 1723. (Produced, May 14, 1723.)
(6.) Giulio Cesare. Libretto by Nicola Haym. Dated in pencil
-Anno 1723. (Produced, Feb. 20, 1724.)
(7.) Tanierlano. Libretto by Nicola Haym. MS. dated—Fine
dell Opera. Comincia li 3 di Luglio e firita li 23 anno 1724.
(Produced, Oct. 31, 1724.)
(8.) Rodelinda. Libretto by Nicola Haym. MS. dated—Fine
dell Opera | li 20 di Genaro 1725. (Produced, Feb. 13, 1725.)
(9.) Scipione. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. MS. dated—Fine dell
Opera | G. F. H. March 2 | 1726. (Produced, March 12, 1726.)
(10.) Alessandro. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. MS. dated—Fine dell
Opera | li 11 d'Aprile 1726. (Produced, May 5, 1726.)
(11.) Animeto. Librettist unknown. Only a few undated
fragments of the MS. can be found in Vol. iii. of 'Songs and
Sketches.' (Produced, Jan. 31, 1727.)
(12.) Riccardo Imo. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. MS. signed
Fine dell Opera | G. F. H. | May 16, 1727. (Produced, Nov. 11,
1727.)
(13.) Siroe. Libretto by Metastasio. MS. signed—Fine dell
Opera | G. F. Handel | London. February 5, 1728. (Produced,
Feb. 17, 1728.)
(14.) Tolomeo. Libretto by Nicola Haym. MS. signed-
Fine | dell Opera | G. F. Handel | April 19, 1728. (Produced,
April 30, 1728.)
158
COLLAPSE OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. [CHAP. XIX.
by the management; and, as no more money could be
raised, the scheme was declared to be at an end. The
company then dispersed. Faustina and Senesino accepted
engagements at one Theatre in Venice; while Cuzzoni
and Boschi sang, with Nicolini and Farinelli at another.
And, after a career of less than nine years' duration, the
effect of which had been to raise Dramatic Music to a
higher level than it had ever before attained in any
country in Europe, the Royal Academy of Music became
a thing of the past.
CHAPTER XX.
HANDEL AS MANAGER,
EXCEPT, perhaps, to the luckless Directors of the
ruined Company, the crash which terminated its
existence was a matter of very small importance, com-
pared with the success of the Theatre in Lincoln's Inn
Fields. Miss Fenton, the first representative of Polly
Peachum, sealed her triumph by becoming Duchess of
Bolton-a dénouement which probably caused greater
astonishment to herself than to the public. Gay thought
to increase his good fortune by continuing the story of
The Beggar's Opera in a second piece, called Polly, which
was announced for performance in the year 1728, but
forbidden by the Lord Chamberlain.. He therefore
determined to publish it, under the patronage of his friend,
the Duchess of Queensberry, who compelled every living
soul she met to subscribe a guinea for a copy, and urged
the matter so strongly, in the presence of the King, that
he forbade her appearance at Court. In vain did Hogarth
wield his pencil, and Dr. Arbuthnot his pen, in scorn of
this degradation of the beautiful to the service of the
coarsest satire-for, be it understood, once for all, that
the Music of both The Beggar's Opera and Polly, is
intensely beautiful, and that the satire of both, rude as
it is, is directed against evils crying as loudly for redress
160
[CHAP. XX.
"THE BEGGAR'S OPERA.
as any that were ever castigated by Juvenal, or Persius.
In vain did Henry Carey cover the pieces with ridicule as
scathing as their own. Thousands, unable to appreciate
the real beauty of the Music, were attracted by its sim-
plicity. Thousands more, to whom evil was good, took
pleasure in the coarseness with which it was exposed.
And so it fell out that The Beggar's Opera was the only
piece that could obtain a hearing. Yet, such was
Handel's faith in his Art, and in himself, that he secured
possession of the King's Theatre, on his own account, in
partnership with Heidegger, and set off for Italy, for the
purpose of bringing together a new company of Singers.
He was accompanied, on his journey, by his old friend,
the Abbate Steffani; and was everywhere received with
honour. In Venice, Rome, Milan, and other great
Italian cities, he heard the newest works of Porpora,
Vinci, Hasse, and the most popular Composers of the day,
and made acquaintance with a multitude of Singers.
From among these, he selected Antonio Bernacchi, an
artificial Soprano who had already been heard in England,
in 1717, and, since then, had earned, in Italy, the title of
The King of Vocalists;' Annibale Pio Fabri, the most
accomplished Tenor Singer of the age; Signora Strada,
an excellent Prima donncı; Signore Merighi, and Bertolli,
who sang Contralto; and Signora Fabri, the wife of the
Tenor. To these, he added, in Hamburg, Herr Johann
Gottfried Riemschneider, a Barytone, intended to take the
place of Boschi.
In accordance with his invariable custom, Handel looked
forward to the pleasure of visiting his aged mother, at
Halle, while on his way home from Italy. On his
arrival, at Venice, he forwarded the following letter to
Dr. Michaelsen:
1729.]
ILLNESS OF FRAU DOROTHEA.
161
"Venice, March 11, 1729.
Sir :
"and most Honoured Brother,
“You will find, from the letter which I herewith send
to my mother, that I am honoured with the receipt of yours,
dated the 18th of last month.
'Permit me, in these few lines, to offer you my best thanks,
and to beg you kindly to send me your welcome news, from time
to time, while I am travelling in this country, since you cannot
be ignorant of the interest and satisfaction it affords me. You
have only to address your letters to Mr. Joseph Smith, Banker,
at Venice (as I have already explained), and he will forward them
to me, in whatever part of Italy I may be staying. You may
well imagine, my most honoured Brother, the satisfaction with
which I learn that you and your dear family are in good health;
and I trust, with all my heart, that you may continue so. You
will do me the justice to believe that the thought of so soon
embracing you gives me real gratification. I assure you that this
was one of the chief motives which led me to undertake this
journey with so much pleasure. I hope my wishes may be accom-
plished towards the month of July next. In the meantime I wish
you every prosperity; and, making my best compliments to
Madame, your wife, and embracing your dear family, I am, with
devoted affection (passion inviolable),
Sir,
"and most Honoured Brother,
• Your very humble and obedient Servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
To this letter, Handel received a very alarming
reply, informing him that good Frau Dorothea had been
seized with a paralytic attack, from which very serious
consequences were apprehended. Hurrying home, as fast
it's possible, in consequence of this sad intelligence, he
was thankful, on reaching Halle, in the month of
June, to find her so far recovered as to be able to
walk from one room to another, with the help of a.
stick: but her sight was entirely gone. The meeting
M
162
DEATH OF FRAU DOROTHEA. [CHAP. XX.
was a painful one; its, sorrow lightened only by the
humble piety of the venerable parent, and the devotion of
the loving son whom she could only recognise by the
pressure of his hand. He never saw her again : but she
lingered for more than a year after this sad interview ;
dying, on the 27th of December, 1730, a few weeks only
before her eightieth birthday, beloved by all who knew
her, and never forgotten by the son who owed so much
to her pious instruction, and so well understood the
immensity of the debt. On the 2nd of January, 1731,
she was laid beside her husband, Meister Görge, in the
family vault; and, in a Funeral Oration spoken over her
grave, Herr Consistorialrath Johann Georg Francke dwelt:
touchingly upon the mutual affection which had so
materially affected the lives of both mother and son.
Two letters addressed by the latter to his brother-in-law,
with reference to this sad event, are now in the collection
of his great-great-niece, Frau Prof. Senff: and, though
their dates somewhat anticipate the course of our narra-
tive, we think it better to insert them here, than to refer
to the subject again. The first is written in German :
the second, in French.
"London, February is 1731.
Sir
and most Honoured Brother.
“I have duly received your honoured letter of the 6th of
January, and learned from it the care you have taken to commit
the remains of my late mother to the earth, conformably to her
will. I cannot yet restrain my tears. But it has pleased the
Most High to enable me to submit, with Christian calmness, to
His holy will. Your thoughtfulness will never pass from my
remembrance, until, after this life, we are once more united,
which may the All-good God in His mercy grant us.
The innumerable obligations under which my honoured brother
has laid me, by the continual solicitude and care with which he
has always tended.my late dear mother cannot be acknowledged
with words alone, but with dutiful recognition.
1729–1731.]
CORRESPONDENCE.
163
'I hope my honoured brother received my last letter, written in
answer to his own of the 28th of December, with the enclosure
for Herr Consistorial-Rath Franck, and my cousin, Deacon
Taust. I also expect with impatience his honoured answer,
including notice of expenses incurred, and also the printed
Funeral Oration, and Verses. I am greatly obliged for the Poem
last sent to me, and shall guard it as a treasured memorial.
'Let me also, in the last place, condole most heartily with my
honoured brother, and his wife, on the loss they have sustained in
the death of their brother-in-law. Their Christian calmness
strengthens me much. May the Most High grant to all of us our
faithful desires. To His Almighty keeping I recommend my
honoured brother, and all his amiable family, and remain, with
earnest devotion, my honoured brother's most humble and obedient
Servant,
"GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
The second letter is dated six months later.
‘London, 10, fulgust 1731.
• Sir
"and most Honoured Brother.
"I see, by the letter you did me the honour to write to
me, on the 12th of July (N.s.), in response to my former commu-
nication, and by the specification enclosed therein, how careful
were your arrangements on the occasion of the interment of my
clearest mother.
"I am also deeply obliged to you for the copies of the Funeral
Oration which you have sent me, and to which you were pleased
to join one made for my late father.
A portion of the autograph letter has here been cut away.
The remainder proceeds as follows:
I shall understand, later, how to acquit myself of part of the
obligation I owe you. Meanwhile, I entrust you to pay my
respects and compliments to Madame, your dear wife, to my dear
God-daughter, and the rest of your dear family, and to believe.
with regard to yourself, that I am, with devoted affection, Sir,
and most honoured brother, yours
MI 2
164
[CHAP. XX.
'LOTARIO.' 'PARTENOPE.
The signature has unfortunately been cut away, for
presentation to the 'Hendel Schutz.'
While staying in Halle, Handel received an invitation
to Leipzig, from Johann Sebastian Bach, who was, that
year, too ill to leave 'home: but, it will be readily under-
stood that he was unwilling to deprive Frau Dorothea of
a single moment of the leisure time at his disposal ; and
so it happened, that, as we have already said, the two
great Composers never met.
The new company arrived in London in the autumn
of the year 1729 ; and first appeared in Handel's net
Opera, Lotario, with which the Theatre opened, on the
2nd of December. The piece was founded upon a
libretto by Matteo Noris. The Score, finished little more
than a fortnight before the first performance, and dated
Fine dell'Opera G. F. Handel, November 16, 1729,
contains some new and striking effects, and brings the new
Tenor, Fabri, into unwonted prominence for the period's
for, in the 18th century, the part of the hero was always
given to a Soprano, and the Tenor usually played a very
unimportant role indeed. The same peculiarity is obsery-
able in Partenope, to a libretto by Silvio Stampiglia, pro-
duced on February 24th, 1730. The First Act of this
is dated Fine dell Atto primo | Jan. 14; and the Third,
Fine dell'Operci | G. F. Handel | à Londres | ce 12 do
Fevrier 1730 | v.s. Handel was, therefore, occupied
rather a longer time than usual in the preparation of the
last two Acts, which were probably interrupted by other
duties connected with the management of the Theatre.
He must, indeed, have been overwhelmed with anxieties ;
though the first season, which terminated on the 13th of
June, gave prospect of fair success.
During the recess, Handel concluded an engagement
1730.]
J.ETTER TO MR. COLMAN.
165
with Senesino to whom he agreed to give 1400 guineas
for the ensuing season. The terms on which the arrange-
ments were concluded are explained in the following
communication addressed to the British Envoy Extra-
ordinary at the Court of Tuscany. The original letters
'London, June }, 1730.
"Sir,
Since I had the honour to write to you, we have succeeded
in renewing our engagement with Sigra Merighi; and, as she
has a Contralto Voice, it is now desirable that the woman engaged
in Italy should be a Soprano. I have therefore furnished Mr.
Svinny with directions to this effect; recommending, at the same
time, that the lady whom he introduoes to your notice should be
able to perform a man's part, as well as that of a woman. There
seems reason to believe that you have not yet made any engage-
ment with a female Contralto; but should you have done so, we
must abide by it.
'I take the liberty to beg you, once more, to make no mention
in the contracts, of first, second, or third parts, since that might
hinder us in the choice of a Drama, and is besides a source of
great inconvenience. We hope also to procure, through your
assistance, a man and woman, for the next season, which will
begin in the month of October of the current year, and finish in
July, 1731; and we await your news with impatience, for the
information of the Court.
'It remains only for me to repeat my assurance of the deep obli.
gation under which you have placed me by your kindness in this
matter. I have the honour to be, with respectful affection,
'Sir, your very humble and obedient Servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.
"To Mr. Colman, Envoy Extraordinary of
His Britannic Majesty to His Royal
Highness the Duke of Tuscany, at
Florence.'1
1. Posthumous Letters, fronų various celebrated men, addressed
to Francis Colman and George Colmar the Elder,' pp. 19-20
(London, 1820).
166
LETTER TO MR. COLMAN. [chap. XX.
Swinny afterwards wrote to the Envoy, suggesting the
· expediency of securing either Senesino or Carestini. The
result of the negotiation appears in Handel's second letter.
London, it October, 1730.
Sir,
'I have just had the honour of receiving your letter of tho
22nd of last month (N.s.), by which I learn the reasons that have
determined you to engage Sr Sinesino for the sum of fourteen
hundred guineas, to which we agree; and I return you my very
humble thanks for the trouble you have been so good as to take
in the matter. The aforesaid sr Sinesino arrived here twelve
days ago, and I did not fail, on the presentation of your letter, to
pay him, on account of his salary, the hundred guineas you
promised him.
"As for Sigra Pisani, we have not heard her; and, as the season
is now far advanced, and the Operas will soon begin, we will
dispense, this year, with another woman from Italy, having
already arranged the Operas for the company we have now at
command.
'I am devertheless very much obliged to you for thinking of
Sigra Madalena Pieri, in case we should be absolutely in need
of another woman able to act a man's part; but we must content
ourselves with the five persons, having found means of supplying
the rest.
"To your generous assistance the Court and Nobility in great
part owe the satisfaction of having now a company to their taste;
it only remains, therefore, for me to express to you my deep
feeling of gratitude, and to assure you of the very respectful
attachment with which I have the honour to be,
Sir,
"Your very humble and obedient Seryant,
'George FRIDERIC HANDEL.
To Mr. Colman, Envoy Extraordinary,' etc. etc.?
i Posthumous Letters, etc. etc., pp. 28-29. The original auto.
graph of this second letter is in the Library of the Sacred
Harmonic Society, No. 2014.
1731–1732.] ‘PORO: "EZIO:
167
. It is clear, from the high terms paid to Senesino,
that his reputation had not declined since his last visit
to England. The popular favourite made his reappearance
at the King's Theatre, on the 3rd of November, in a revival
of Scipio; and continued to sing with Strada, and the
iest of the company, in that, and other Operas, until the
2nd of February, 1731, when he played the part of the
hero in Poro, founded upon Metastasio's well-known.
Drama, 'Alessandro.' The Score of this charming Opera
is dated, with unusual precision, Fine cell Atto primo
Mercredi li 23 di Decembro 1730; Fine dell Atto 2ndo
G. F. Handel. Decemba 30 año 1730; and, Fine dell'
. Operu Poro, a Londra gli 16 di Gennaro 1731. The
Second Act, therefore, was written in a week. Yet
it certainly shows no sign of haste; but, as is
.almost always the case with the works which Handel
wrote most rapidly, is pervaded by a delightful
freshness, which was not without its effect upon the
audience, who received it with special favour, resigning
it only in favour of revivals of Rinaldo, and Rodelinda,
with the last of which the second season closed, on the
29th of May.
Handel produced no new Opera, during the remainder
of this year; but, on the 15th of January, 1732, he
brought out a very fine one, adapted to Metastasio's Ezio.
The Score of this, though undated,1 furnishes us with
some curious information. The first page is headed,
Ouverture pour l'Opera Titus l'Empereur ;' and the
first Scene represents Titus, on his throne, in the Piazza
Imperiale. This Scene, which begins with a Chorus, is
followed by the first Scene of Ezio, which begins with a
March; and Ezio is then continued, without interruption.
i Through the loss of the last page.
168
"SOSARME.'
[CHAP. XX.
It is clear, therefore, that Handel once had in contemplation
an Opera of which we know nothing.
On the 19th of February, 1732, Ezio was succeeded
by Sosarme, written by Matteo Noris, and dated, Fine
dell Opera. G. F. Handel li 4 Febraro | Venerdi | 1732.
The Score of this again gives evidence of a change of
libretto. It was originally entitled, Alfonso Primo;
but, after completing the Music, Handel altered the
names of the entire Dramatis personce. It contains,
among other fine Songs, the well-known Rend' il sereno al
ciglio, written for Signora Strada, and afterwards so long
popular as “Lord, remember David.'
The success of these Operas, and of the Theatre
generally, was all that could be desired in its relation
to Art, though possibly less satisfactory in its financial
aspect. The Beggar's Opera was, by this time, a thing of
the past. Polly had been prohibited. The Village Opera,
The Beggar's Wedding, and the thousand imitations which
appeared continually, were comparative failures. Yet,
such serious attractions were opposed, at the Concert-
Room in Villar's-Street, and the Little Theatre in the
Haymarket, to the performances at the King's Theatre,
that it became necessary for Handel to take decided
measures, in order, that he might be able to hold his own
ground.
CHAPTER XXI.
CONCERNING THE REVIVAL OF ' ESTHER, AND 'ACIS AND
GALATEA.'
On Handel's forty-seventh birthday, the 23rd of February,
1732, the Children of the Chapel Royal gave a private
performance of the first English Oratorio, Esther, with
scenery, dresses, and action, at the house of their master,
Mr. Bernard Gates, in James Street, Westminster.
The representation of dramatic pieces by the Royal
Choristers was no new thing. During the reigns of
Queen Elizabeth and King James I., Masques were played
at Court, with the richest dresses and most splendid
pageantry that the taste of the age could produce; and,
on these occasions, the principal parts were constantly
enacted by the little Choir-Boys, on one of whom, known
only by his initials, S. P., Ben Jonson wrote the lovely
of his works :
Weep with me, all you that read
This little story;
And know, for whom a tear you shed
Death's self is sorry.
In grace and feature
As Heav'n and Nature seemed to strive
Which own'd the creature.
170
CHILDREN OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL. [CHAP. XXI.
Yeares be number'd scarce thirteen
When Tates turn'd cruel,
Yet three filled zodiackes had he been
The stage's jewel.
And did act, what now we moane
Old men so duly,
As sooth the Parcæ thought him one,
He played so truely.
So by error to his fate
They all consented;
But viewing him since, alas ! too late,
They have repented,
And have sought to give new birth
In baths to steep him ;
But, being so much too good for earthy
Heay'n vows to keep him.
In 1634, Milton wrote Comus for two little actors,
of equally tender years—Lord Brackley, and his brother
The Hon. Thomas Egerton. It was strange that a zealous
Puritan should have encouraged the stage at the
moment when Prynne's Histrio-Mastix was attracting so
much unenviable attention from men of all parties.
Within ten years after the production of Comus at
Ludlow, both actors and singers were effectually
silenced by the self-elected rulers of the country. But,
during the reign of King Charles II., the Children of the
Chapel Royal came once more to the front, and the extra-
ordinary revival of English Art known as The School of
the Restoration owed its most brilliant triumphs, both in
the domain of Church Music, and that of the Drama, to
the talent which was fostered under the protection of the
Merrie Monarch, in the Choir at Whitehall. From that
time forward there was no period at which one or more
Choristers of talent and ability were not to be found
among the little band of Royal protégés. Bernard Gates
educated a great many, who, if not distinguished like
1
1732.]
ESTHER' WITH DRAMATIC ACTION.
171
Humfrey, and Purcell, by transcendent genius, became
known, in due time, as thorough Musicians, accomplished
Singers, and at least respectable Composers. Among
these were two—John Randall, and Samuel Howard—
who afterwards became Doctors of Music; and a third-
John Beard—who speedily developed into the greatest
Tenor Singer of the age. These all took part in the first
private performance of Esther, the cast of which was thus
arranged :
Esther. . John Randall. | Harbonah . Price Clevely.
Assuerus, and
Persian Officer, )
First Israelite so
{ James Butler. and James Allen.
Second Israelite )
Mordecai, and )
ļ John Brown. | Israelites / Samuel Howard.
Israelite Boy jºu
and Thomas Barrow.
Israelitish Priest John Board. Officers (Robert Denham.
The performance, on this occasion, consisted of two
Acts only; beginning, as it had begun at Cannons, with
the Recitative, 'Tis greater far. The Chorus, placed, like
that of an antient Greek Tragedy, between the Orchestra and
the Stage, consisted chiefly of the Choristers and Gentle-
men of the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey. The
Instrumental Accompaniments were played by members
of the Philharmonick Society. And the performance
gave such pleasure to the invited guests, that, by general
request, it was repeated, with the same Singers, at the
• Crown and Anchor' Tavern in the Strand, on two of
the subscription nights of the Academy of Antient
Musick.'1 On one of these occasions, Handel himself was
i Burney, Commemoration of Handel' pp. 22-23, (London,
'1785). Burney describes the first of these performances as
having taken place in the year 1731. This date, which Chrysander
treats as a chronological error, is explained by the difference
between the Old and New Styles. (Seo Appendix A.)
172
[CHAP. XXI.
* ESTHER' WITHOUT ACTION.
present, and took so much pleasure in the performance,
that he afterwards described it to the Princess Royal,
who wished to see the Oratorio performed, by the same
young Singers, at the Opera House. This however, was
forbidden, by the then Bishop of London, Dr. Gibson,
who refused to allow it to be sung in costume, cven on
condition that the Children should hold books in their
lands. Of course, the prohibition did not extend to
performances without dramatic action ; and this excep-
tion exercised a most unforeseen effect upon Handel's
subsequent career and fortunes. Though the first per-
formances were strictly private, they attracted sufficient
attention to excite the cupidity of a greedy speculator,
who, some weeks later, inserted an advertisement in
the “Daily Journal,' to the effect that Esther as it
was composed for The Most Noble James Duke of
Chandos, by George Frederick Handel,' would be per-
formed, on the 20th of April, 1732, at, “the Great Room in
Villar's-Street, York Buildings. Each ticket five shillings.'
Handel's natural indignation at this act of piracy resulted in
a counter-advertisement from himself, announcing that, 'By
His Majesty's command,' Esther would be performed at
the King's Theatre in the Haymarket, on the 2nd of May,
1732, ‘by a great number of Voices and Instruments.'
The conclusion of this advertisement is so important, as an
indication of the manner in which the first English Oratorio
was first publicly performed in London, that we give it in
Handel's own words. 'N.B. There will be no acting on
the Stage, but the house will be fitted up in a decent
manner, for the audience. The Musick to be disposed
after the manner of the Coronation Service. Tickets to
be delivered at the usual prices.'
In order to make the Oratorio as attractive as possible,
1732.]
173
several new pieces were introduced into it; and, on the
appointed evening, the entire company took part in the
performance, all singing in English. The whole of the
Royal Family were present; and the house was so crowded
that room could not be found for all who had purchased
tickets. A second advertisement was therefore put forth,
offering either to return the prices of the tickets to those
who were unable to obtain admission, or to supply all
such persons with tickets for another evening. Colman
tells us, in fact, that the Oratorio was performed six times,
and always to crowded houses.
The success of Esther tempted another unprincipled
speculator to make an equally dishonest use of the
published Score of Acis and Galatea. This unblushing
pirate was none other than the virtual lessee of the Little
Theatre in the Haymarket, Mr. Arne, the father of Dr.
Arne, the Composer ? . As early as 1722, the songs in
Acis and Galatea had already been published, though in a
very incomplete form, by Walsh ; who, in 1730, made
1 The advertisement distinctly states that the Oratorio will be
sung in English; but, vol. ii of ' Additional Songs,' in the Royal
Collection, the greater part of which is in Smith's handwriting,
contains the following pieces in connection with Esther. (1.) Tua
bellezza, tua dolcezza. S. solo. (2.) Watchful angels.' S. solo.
(3.) 'Angelico splendor.' S. solo. (4.) 'Cor fedele. S. solo.
(5.) 'Breathe soft, ye gales.' S. solo. (6.) 'Blessings around.
Duet. (7.) 'Heaven, On! lend me.' S. solo. (7.) Oh great King
of kings. S. solo. (8.) 'Alleluja. S. solo. It is possible tbat
some of these pieces may have been sung on the occasion of later
revivals.
2 The Little Theatre in the Haymarket-called, also, The
New Theatre'-was first opened as an English Opera-house, on
the 29th of December, 1720. The original building, designed by
“Haymarket Theatre,' which was built by Nash, in 1820.
174
[CHAP. XXI.
PIRACY,
good his former omissions by issuing a complete edition
of the entire work, as originally performed at Cannons.
Taking advantage of this circumstance, Rich, the manager
of the Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, had, on the 26th
of March, 1731, given a garbled performance of the
Serenata, for the benefit of a member of his company,
named Rochetti. 1 This interference with Handel's
just rights was not followed up. But the trium-
phant reception of Esther set Arne upon his mettle
and tempted him to advertise for the 17th of May, 1732,
a performance of the complete Serenata, “as composed
for His Grace of Chandos,' with all the original Choruses
and an unusual attraction of Singing, Machinery, and
Decorations. The part of Galatea was assigned to Miss
Arne—afterwards Mrs. Cibber—the Composer's sister ;
that of Acis, to Mr. Mountier, a young Tenor of excellent
promise; that of Damon, to Mrs. Mason; and that of
Polyphemus, to. Waltz, Handel's quondam cook : and this,
at a house situated within a few paces of, and almost
immediately opposite to, the Theatre of which Handel
himself was, at that very moment, lessee. The dishonesty
of the proceeding was almost forgotten in its insolence;
and Handel's wrath found expression in the announcement
of a more than ordinarily attractive performance of the
piece, at the King's Theatre, on the 10th of June, 1732.
In this, he determined to embody a considerable portion
i The Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields—not that called The
Duke's Theatre'-was built, for Sir William Dayenant, in the
year 1662, on the site of an old Tennis Court. In 1695, it was
refitted, and otherwise greatly improved. Some seventeen or
eighteen years later, it was entirely rebuilt, by a lawyer, named
Christopher Rich, whose son, John Rich, the celebrated Harlequin
and Manager, reopened it, with great success, in the year 1714.
All trace of it has long since disappeared.
2
1732.] “ACIS' IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN. 175
of his earlier Italian Serenata, Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo,
composed at. Naples, in 1708. The policy of disturbing
English Pastoral was more than questionable. That of
mingling Italian and English words was indefensible.
for bare existence, against a band of sharpers, whose only
care was, how to fill their pockets most easily at his
expense. The event proved, that, in matters of worldly
policy, he was considerably more than a match for his
unscrupulous antagonists : while, as an Artist, he provided
an entertainment, which would have left nothing to be
desired, could it have been sung, throughout, in the
same language. That, under the circumstances, this was
impossible, was rather his misfortune than his fault:
and, before we pass sentence of condemnation upon the
proceeding, we shall do well to remember, that, under
pressure of a similar difficulty, a similar confusion of
tongues was repeated, in London, only a very short time
ago, at a performance of the highest class. In that case,
as in this, the absence of dramatic action placed the
performance on an altogether different level from the
hybrid Operas formerly represented at Hamburg; and in
London ; and the worst that can be said is, that some
parts of the Concert were necessarily sung in one language,
and some in another. I
1 At a performance of Beethoven's Choral Symphony which
took place, not long ago, at the Crystal Palace, one of the Solo
parts was sung in German, and the rest, with the Chorus, in
English. This mixture of languages was the result of a com-
bination of circumstances which involved an unforeseen, and
absolutely unavoidable difficulty. It is not, however, the only
instance of a polyglott performance which has occurred within
the writer's memory. In the year 1848, the last scene in
176
ACIS' IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN. [CHAP. XXI.
The advertisement left the public in no doubt as to the
nature of the promised entertainment. There will be
no action on the Stage,' it said, but the Scene will
represent, in a picturesque manner, a rural prospect, with
rocks, groves, fountains, and grottos, among which will be
disposed a Chorus of Nymphs and Shepherds, the habits
and every other decoration suited to the subject.' In the
Italian Serenata, the part of Acis had been sung by a
Soprano; and that of Galatea, by a Contralto. At
Cannons, Acis was a Tenor, and Galatea a Soprano. On
this occasion, Acis was sung by Senesino, a Mezzo-
Soprano ; and Galatea, by Signora Strada, a Soprano.
A similar change was also made in the part of Damon.
At Cannons, this had been sung by a Tenor. It was
afterwards transposed to the Soprano Clef, throughout,
for one of the Choristers of the Chapel Royal, or West-
minster Abbey--probably, Master Goodwill—as we learn
from a series of memoranda, written by Handel himself,
in pencil, on the original score, 'in treble, for the Boy,'
here, for the Boy,' etc. etc. The part of Polyphemus,
always, naturally enough, allotted to a Bass, was sung
in 1732, by Montagnana; though Handel has pencilled
Reinhold's name against it for some other occasion,
with Francesina's at the beginning of the Songs for
Galatea, and Mr. Beard's against those for Acis. 1
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor was sung, at.Drury Lane, in an
unavoidable mixture of Italian and English ; Edgardo singing in
the former language, and the Chorus in the latter. Again, in
1880-1881, Madame Albani sang, and acted, at Brussels, in
Italian, while the rest of the company sang in French. Of
course, these cases are ästhetically indefensible. But, the
public would scarcely have forgiven the suspension of the
performance on purely æsthetic grounds.
1 In another MS. the names of Mr. Powel, Jones, and Aedwin,
are mentioned.
3732.] ACIS' IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN. 177
Besides these four original parts, Handel now added five
more; those, namely, of Clori, and Eurilla, (Soprani); Filli,
and Dorinda, (Contralti); and Silvio, (Tenor). The Songs
for Eurilla were sung by Mrs. Davis; those for Clori, by
Miss. Robinson-probably, Lady Peterborough's sister,
Margaret, who is believed to have made her first appear-
ance some three years previously, at Drury Lane. So many
changes of Singers took place on this and other occasions,
and so many new Songs were temporarily introduced and
afterwards omitted, that it is difficult to ascertain the
exact condition in which the Serenata was reproduced
on any particular evening; but, by careful study of
the original autographs in Her Majesty's Collection, we
hope to have thrown some little light upon the subject.
The sources we have consulted for this purpose are, (1)
the original Scores of both the Italian and the English
Serenata ; (2)Vols i. and iii. of the collection of autographic
fragments entitled Songs and Sketches ; ' (3) Vols. i. and
iii. of the “Additional Songs,' in the handwriting of
Christopher Smith; and (4) some scattered fragments, in
the Fitzwilliam Library at Cambridge. By comparing
the contents of these volumes with the printed Editions
issued by Walsh, and other similar records, we have
arrived at the conclusion that Acis and Galatea was
represented, at the King's Theatre, on the 10th of June,
1732, at the Theatre in Oxford, in July, 1733, and, in
London and Dublin on some later occasions, with the
well-known Airs and Choruses of the English Serenata
interspersed among the Italian pieces enumerated in the
following scheme. There is abundant evidence to prove
that fresh changes were introduced, as often as a new
Singer took part in the performance; but the general
plan seems to have remained unaltered; and in the rough
sketch of it with which we here present our readers, we
nu
L
.178
ACIS' IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN. [CHAP. XXI.
or other of the newer revivals, by marking them with an
asterisk.
PART I.
The Overturė, Introductory Chorus, etc., as performed
at Cannons.
Duet. Sorge il di. (In Italian.)
*Seven Italian Airs and Recitatives.
English Airs; comprising the greater portion of the First
Part of the English Serenata, intermixed with the
above.
*A Chorus, added to the Duet, 'Happy we.'1 (In English.)
*Concerted Piece. Contento sol permesso amor.' (In Italn.)
*Coro Finale. Lieto esulti il cor.'
(do.)
PART II.
*Coro, e Solo (Galatea), "Voi veder.' (In Italian.)
Aria. "De l'aquila l'artigli.?
(do.) .
Five Airs, etc., and a Ritornello, from the Italian Serenata.
Air. "Woulil you woo the tender creature. (In English.)
*Chorus. "Smiling Venus, Queen of love."3 (do.)
1 The original autograph of this Chorus, in the Fitzwilliamı
Library at Cambridge, contains seventeen bars more than the
version printed by Walsh, and Randall, upon which so many later
editions have been based; and includes, among the Accompani-
ments, a part for the Carillon, written on two Staves. There is reason
to believe that this Chorus was not introduced until the restoration
of the pure English version, in 1739.
? Printed in one of Walsh's later editions.
3 The original autograph of this Chorus is bound up at the end
of the Score of the English Serenata; but is written on different
paper, and with different ink. It was inserted, by Sir Sterndale
Bennett, in the edition printed for the English Handel Society;
but is not to be found in any other published copy of the Serenata..
1732.] ACIS' IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN. 179
* Air. 'Love ever vanquishing hearts.' (In English.)
* Chorus. “Smiling Venus,' Da Capo. (do.)
PART III.
* Coro. Vivere e non amar.'1 (In Italian.)
*Five new Italian Airs, etc.; and four taken from the
Italian Serenata.
*Scena. "Mi palpito il cor.'? (In Italian.)
English Airs; comprising the greater portion of the
Second Part of the English Serenata, and alternating
with the above-mentioned Italian pieces.
*Recit. Cease, Galatea, cease to grieve.'3 (In English,
'For the Boy.')
Final Chorus. "Galatea, dry thy tears.' (In English.)
We give this scheme as an approximation only to the
truth; and, as representing the general arrangement of
the later revivals, rather than the exact order observed on
any particular evening. On the occasion of its first
presentation, the Serenata was repeated four times, with
Senesino and Signora Strada, in the principal parts.
Several times afterwards it was sung with equal success:
and, on the 13th of September, 1739, Handel once more
returned to the pure English version, as it had originally
been performed at Cannons; but divided, as now, into
two Acts, the first of which ended with the Chorus added
to 'Happy we.'
1 The original autograph of this fine Chorus, containing
passages for the principal Singers, in eight Real Parts, and
embodying a portion of Wretched lovers,' is contained in
vol. iii. of 'Songs and Sketches.'
2 The original autograph of this magnificent Scena for Poli-
femo is contained in vol. i. of 'Songs and Sketches.'
3 Written by Handel, in pencil, on eight vacant Staves of the
Chorus, Galatea, dry thy tears.'
N 2
CHAPTER XXII.
THE THREATENING STORM.
The performance of Esther, and Acis and Galatea, was
received with demonstrations of pleasure which left no
doubt in Handel's mind as to the readiness of the public
to listen to his great choral works, without the extraneous
attractions of costume, and dramatic action. He did not,
however, take immediate advantage of the experience he
had gained; but reopened the Theatre, on the 4th of
November, after a recess of four months, with a Pasticcio
founded on Leonardo Leo's Catone ; and, on the 23rd of
January, 1733, produced his own Orlando, the Score of
which, adapted to an old libretto by Braccioli, is dated,
Fine dell Atto 2do | Nov. 10, and Fine dell'Opera.
G. F. Handel | Novembro 20, 1732.
Apart from its artistic merits, this Opera is remarkable,
first, as having afforded the brothers Castrucci an oppor-
tunity of exhibiting their skill upon the Instrument
called the Violetta Marinal: and, secondly, as containing
the last Songs written by Handel for Senesino.
We have before spoken of Senesino as a man whose
moral worth was scarcely upon a level with his artistic
i Burney describes this Instrument as 'a kind of Viol d'amour
with sympathetic strings.' Senesino's air, Gia l'ebro mio ciglio,
in the Third Act, is accompanied by two Violette Marine,'
1732.] DEFECTION OF SENESINO.
181
skill. Quantz tells us, that, in 1719—the year in which
Handel secured his engagement for the Royal Academy
he caused the utter dissolution of the Dresden company,
by his quarrels with Heinechen, the then Kapellmeister.1
Horace Walpole relates a more trenchant anecdote, to the
effect, that, for his insolent behaviour to Mrs. Robinson,
during the course of a rehearsal, "Lord Peterborough
publicly and violently caned him, behind the scenes.'
That he should have remained so long in Handel's service
is easily intelligible. In the first place, he was receiving
an enormous salary. Under the great Master's direction,
he was gaining an invaluable fund of experience. And,
knowing what we do of Handel's powerful will, we can
well imagine that a man capable of taking a caning for
his misbehaviour would scarcely venture to rebel against
him. But, the most timid schemer can sometimes manage
to pluck up a certain amount of courage, under shelter
of a congenial colleague ; and such a colleague Senesino
found, in Handel's old rival, Giovanni Battista Buononcini.
During the time that he remained in the service of
the Academy, Buononcini lost no opportunity of in-
gratiating himself with persons of distinction. His most
enthusiastic patroness, at this period, was the Lady
Henrietta Churchill, daughter of John, first Duke of
Marlborough, and wife of Francis, second Earl Godolphin.
On the Duke's death, without male issue, on the 16th of
June, 1722, Lady Godolphin became, by the terms of the
Patent, Duchess of Marlborough; and, her admiration for
Buononcini continuing unabated, she soon afterwards
took him to live in her house in the Stable-yard at
S. James's; gave Concerts, twice a week, at which no
other Music than his was performed; and allowed
. l 'Autobiogr.' ii. p. 176.
182 JEALOUSY OF BUONONCINI. [CIAP. XXII.
him a pension of £500 per annum-equal to nearly
double that amount at the present day. Not content
with this, she pushed his interests, in opposition to those
of Handel, in every possible direction, and gained him so
many influential patrons, that, when he published his two
volumes of 'Cantate e Duetti' in 1722, many persons
subscribed for five or more copies at two guineas each, the
Duke of Queensberry (Gay's enthusiastic patron) taking as
many as twenty-five, the duchess the same number, Lord
Carleton thirty, and the Countess of Sunderland fifty.
After the revival of Acis and Galatea, Buononcini
announced a rival Serenata, which was duly performed,
at the King's Theatre—whether with or without Handel's
consent, does not appear-on the 24th of June, 1732.
Possibly, Heidegger may have had the power of granting
the use of the house to anyone willing to pay for it; but,
be that as it may, it is certain that Signora Strada refused
to sing for Buononcini's benefit; and, that the new
Serenata was expressly put forward in rivalry to that
of Handel. It was this foolish jealousy that provoked
the celebrated epigram, often attributed to Swift, but,
really, the work of John Byrom, the inventor of a
system of shorthand :
Somo say, compar'd to Buononcini,
That Mynheer Handel's but a ninny;
Others aver, that he to Handel
Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.
Strange all this differenco should be
'Twixt tweodlcdum and tweedledce.'
But, the strife did not end with epigrams. When
Senesino revolted from his allegiance, a large proportion
of Buononcini's late patrons ranged themselves under his
banner, and set on foot a scheme which surrounded
1733.]
DEBORAH.'
183
Handel, and Heidegger, with difficulties little less disastrous
than those that had ruined the Academy in 1728. This
was nothing less than the establishment of a rival Opera,
at the Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, supported by a
Company which included Senesino, Montagnana, and all
Handel's best Singers, except Signora Strada, who alone
remained faithful to her engagement. Cuzzoni was also
invited to take part in the speculation, and actually did so
in 1734. Porpora was engaged as Conductor. And, on
the 15th of June, 1733, a preliminary meeting was held,
at Hickford's great room in Panton Street, for the purpose
of discussing the plan of the approaching campaign.
Meanwhile, Handel had prepared for the Lent of this
year, his second English Oratorio, Deborah. The Poem
for this was written by Samuel Humphreys. The Score
written on Imperial folio paper, eighteen inches high-
is dated S.D.G., G. F. Handel | London. Feb 21. v. st.
1733 : and the first performance, at which the King, the
Queen, the Prince, and the three eldest Princesses were
present, took place on Saturday, the 17th of March. On
this occasion, the prices were raised to one guinea for the
Boxes, and half-a-guinea for the Gallery; a circumstance
which gave serious offence to the public, and led to
terrible reprisals. In consequence of this, the work was
by no means warmly received, though it contains some of
Handel's finest Sacred Music. The Overture is one of
the best he ever wrote. The grand Double Chorus which
follows it~ Immortal Lord of Earth and Skies'--
embodies a conception as gigantic as any of those with
which the composer afterwards astonished his hearers in
Israel in Egypt: and the rest of the work fully justifies
the anticipations raised by this magnificent exordium.
But the last thing the supporters of the new scheme
184 LETTER FROM PAOLO ROLLI. [CHAP. XXII.
desired was good Music from Handel's fertile pen.
Unhappily, the raised prices gained them the sympathy
of a certain section of the public. On the 7th of April,
a vulgar revolutionary paper, called “The Craftsman,'
published the following letter from Paolo Rolli, who, it
will be remembered, was one of the Poets originally
attached to the Academy,
SIR,
I am always rejoiced, when I see a spirit of Liberty exert
itself, among any set, or denomination of my countrymen. I
please myself with the hope that it will grow more diffusive;
some time or other become fashionable; and at last useful to
the publick. As I know your zeal for Liberty, I thought I could
not address better than to you the following account of the
noble stand, lately made by the polite part of the world, in
defence of their Liberties and Properties, against the open attacks
of Mr. H- l against both. I shall singly relate the fact, and
leave you, who are better able than I am, to make what inferences,
or applications may be proper.
The rise and progress of Mr. H- l's power and fortunes are
too well known for me now to relate. Let it suffice to say, that
he has grown so insolent upon the sudden and undeserved
increase of both, that he thought nothing ought to oppose his
imperious will. He had, for some time, govern'd the Opera, and
modell’d the Orchestre without the least controul. No Voices, 110
Instruments, were admitted, but such as flatter'd his ears, though
they shock'd those of the audience. Wretched scrapers were put
above the best Hands in the Orchestre. No Musick but his own
was to be allow'd, though every body was weary of it: and He
had the impudence to assert, that there was no Composer in
England but Hinself.
Even Kings and Queens were to be content with whatever
character He was pleased to assign them, as it was evident in
the case of Seignor Montagnana; who, though a King, is always
obliged to act (except an angry, rumbling song or two) the
most insignificant part of the whole Drama. This excuse and
abuse of power soon disgusted the Town; his Government grew
odious; and his Opera grew empty. However, this degree of
1733.]
LETTER FROM PAOLO ROLLI.
185
unpopularity and general hatred, instead of bumbling him, only
made him more furious and desperate. He resolved to make one
last effort to establish his power and fortunes by force, since ho
found it now impossible to hope for it from the good will of man-
kind. In order to do this, he form’d a Plan, without consulting
any of his Friends, (if he has any), and declared that at a proper
season he would communicate it to the publick; assuring us, at
the same time, that it would be very much for the advantage
of the public in general, and his Operas in particular. Some
people supposed that he had settled it privately with Signora
Strada del Pò, who is much in his favour; but all, that I can
advise with certainty, is, that he had concerted it with a Brother
of his own, in whom he places a most undeserved confidence.
In this Brother of his, Heat and Dullness are miraculously united.
The former prompts him to anything new and violent; while the
latter binders him from seeing any of the inconveniences of it.
As Mr. H- l's Brother, he thought it was necessary he should
be a Musician too, but all he could arrive at, after a very laborious
application for many years, was a moderate performance upon
the Jew's Trump. He had, for some time, play'd a Parte Buffa
abroad, and had entangled his Brother in several troublesome
and dangerous engagements, in the commissions he had given him
to contract with Foreign Performers; and from wbich (by the
way) Mr. H-_ did not disengage himself with much honour.
Notwithstanding all these and many more objections, Mr. H ,
by and with the advice of his Brother, at last produces his
Project; resolves to cram it down the throats of the Town; mis-
uses great and aweful Names, as the patrons of it; and even does
not scruple to insinuate that they are to be sharers of the profit.
His Scheme set forth in substance, that the late decay of Operas
was owing to their cheapness, and to the great frauds committed
by Door-Keepers ; that the annual Subscribers were a parcel of
Rogues, and made an ill use of their Tickets, by often running
two into the Gallery ; that to obviate these abuses be had con-
trived a thing, that was better than an Opera, call'd an Oratorio;
to which none shall be admitted but by printed Permits, or
Tickets of one Guinea each, which should be distributed out of
Warehouses of his own, and by Officers of his own naming; which
Officers would not so reasonably be supposed to cheat in the col-
lection of Guineas, as the Door-Keepers in the collection of half
Guineas; and lastly, that as the very being of Operas depended
186
[CITAP. XXII.
LETTER FROM PAOLO ROLLI.
upon hin singly, it was just that the profit arising from hence
should be for his own benefit. He added, that if any person
should think himself aggrieved, and that the Oratorio was not
worth the price of the Permit, he should be at liberty to appeal
to three judges of Musick, who should be obliged, within the space
of seven years at farthest, finally to determine the same ; provided
always that the said judges should be of his nomination, and
known to like no other Musick but his.
The absurdity, extravagancy, and opposition of this Scheme
disgusted the whole Town. Many of the most constant attenders
of the Operas resolo'd absolutely to renounce them, rather than
go to them under such extortion and vexation. They exclaim'd
against the insolent and rapacious Projector of this plan. The
King's old and known servants of the two Theatres of Drury-
Lane and Covent-Garden reap'd the benefit of this general dis-
content, and were resorted to in crowds, by way of opposition to
the Oratorio. Even the fairest breasts were fired with indignation
against this new imposition. Assemblies, Cards, Tea, Coffee, and
all other female batteries Tere vigorously employ'd to defeat
the Project and destroy the Projector. These joint endeavours of
all ranks and sexes succeeded so well, that the Projector had the
mortification to see a very thin audience at his Oratorio ; and of
about two hundred and sixty odd, that it consisted of, it was
notorious that not ten paid for their Permits, but, on the contrary,
had them given them, and money into the bargain, for coming to
keep him in countenance.
This accident, they say, has thrown him into a deep Dielancholy,
interrupted sometimes by raving Tits, in which he fancies ho
sees ten thousand Opera Devils coming to tear him to pieces ;
then he breaks out into frantick incoherent speeches; muttering
sturdy Beggars, assassination, etc. In these delirious moments, he
discovers a particular aversion to the City. He calls them all a
parcel of Rogues, and asserts that the honestest Trader among their
deserves to be hung'd. It is much to be questioned whether he
will recover; at least, if he does, it is not to be doubted but he
will seek for a retreat in his own Country from the general
resentment of the Town.
I am, SIR,
Your very humble Servant,
P- lo R li.
1733.]
EPIGRAM.
187
P.8. Having seen a little epigram, lately handed about Town,
which seems to allude to the same subjeot, I believe it will not
be unwelcome to your readers.
EPIGRAM.
Quoth W- e to H— 1, shall We Two agree,
And excise the whole Nation ?
H. Si, Caro, si.
Of what use are Sheep if the Shepherd can't shear them
At the Hay-Marlet I, you at Westminster.
W. Hear him.
Call’d to order, their Seconds appear in their place;
One fam'd for his Morals, and one for his Face.
In half they succeeded, in half they were crost:
The EXCISE was obtained, but poor DEBORAH lost.
It has been suggested that this coarse tissue of false-
hoods was, in reality, nothing more than a political squib,
directed against Sir Robert Walpole's famous 'Excise
Bill;' and, that Handel's nanie was used for no other
purpose than that of shielding the writer from a Govern-
ment prosecution. The low character of the paper in
which it appeared gives the supposition a certain amount
of colour, which is heightened by the evident drift of the
postscript. But, we must remember that Paolo Rolli was,
at this time, in the pay of the rival speculators, or, to use
the expression he himself employed, in the libretti he
zyrote for them, of la nobiltà Britannica; and it is
difficult to believe that the letter could have been written
with any other object than that of injuring Handel in the
eyes of those who had the bad taste to subscribe to The
Craftsman.' Moreover, this was not the only attack that
was made upon the character of the great Composer.
Those who had determined to compass his destruction
were not scrupulous as to the language they used. Goupy,
188
[CHAP. XII.
"HARMONY IN AN UPROAR.
the Scene-painter, insulted him in an odious caricature,
afterwards reproduced with the title of “The charming
brute,' and now invaluable, in consequence of its rarity.
Dr. Arbuthnot, on the other hand, loyal to the heart's
core, satirised his opponents, with bitter irony, in his
'Harmony in an Uproar, written under the pseudonym of
· Hurlothrumbo Johnson, Esq.'1
The Duchess of Marlborough died on the 24th of
October, 1733, while the dispute was at its height; and
in the same year, her favourite Buononcini, disgraced, in
the eyes of his warmest supporters, by his appropria-
tion of a Madrigal by Lotti, quitted the Kingdom,
to return to it no more. But the strife continued, with
undiminished bitterness, till Handel was little less than
ruined, and Senesino eclipsed for good and all, by a rival
belonging to his own party, of whose exploits we shall
treat in our next chapter.
1. Harmony in an Uproar': A Letter to F–d–k H-d-1,
Esq., etc. etc. 4to (London. 1733.)
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE RIVAL OPERAS.
THE 'Opera of the Nobility, as it was somewhat pre-
tentiously called, began its first season, at the Theatre in
Lincoln's Inn Fields, on the 29th of December, 1733,
with a new Opera entitled Ariadne, written by Paolo
Rolli, and composed by Niccolo Porpora, who directed the
performance in person.
Handel began his winter season, at the King's Theatre,
on the 30th of October; but was able to offer the public
no very great attraction, until the 4th of December, when
he introduced a new Singer, whom he had engaged to
take the place of Senesino. This splendid acquisition
was Giovanni Carestini, an artificial Contralto, whose
Voice was universally admitted to be the deepest and
richest in Europe, and whose method was faultless.
Carestini made his first appearance in a Pasticcio; but
achieved his first real triumph in Handel's Arianna, the
Score of which is dated, Fine dell Opera | London 5 Octob?
G F Handel | 1733, though the Opera was not produced
until the 26th of January, 1734. The libretto, by
Francis Colman, though not remarkable as a specimen
of Italian Poetry, contains some striking dramatic situa-
tions; notably, one in the first Scene, where Minos,
sitting upon his throne, receives the tribute of Athenian
190
THE MINUET IN ARIADNE. [CHAP. XXIII.
Youths and Virgins destined to be sacrificed to the
Minotaur. The Minuet which accompanies this ceremony
did not, as has been generally supposed, form part of the
Overture, but was played after the rising of the curtain ;
and so enchanted the audience, that, like the Gavotte in
Otho, and the March in Scipio, it soon found a home on
the desk of every Harpsichord in the Kingdom. It is,
indeed, a masterpiece of poetic talent, uniting the volup-
tuous beauty suggested by the old Greek Myth with the
natural expression of deepest human sadness; and it is
worthy of remark, that here, as in the Deact. March'in
Saul, Handel speaks to us of the utmost sorrow a mourn-
ing nation can feel, by means of a few simple chords in
the Major Mode. The whole Scene produced a profound
impression upon the public; as did also Carestini's mag-
nificent interpretation of the part of Theseus, which
abounds with such unwonted difficulties that we may well
doubt whether any Singer of the present generation could
do it justice.
But, Ariadne could not save Handel's fortunes. His
contract with Heidegger expired on the 6th of July, 1734.
His rivals took advantage of this; and, by securing the
King's Theatre for themselves, took the first trick in the
fatal game. On the 5th of October, Handel reappeared
with Ariadne, at the far smaller and, less convenient
Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. On the 29th, his rivals
opened the season at the King's Theatre with Hasse's
Artcser'se, the cast of which, in addition to Senesino,
Montagnana, and Cuzzoni, included the most renowned
artificial Soprano in Europe, Carlo Broschi, better known
by his assumed name, Farinelli. The engagement of this
accomplished Artist secured the second trick for the
Nobiltà Britannica. How Handel, who is said to have
1734.]
FARINELLI.
191
once had the option of engaging him in place of Carestini,
suffered such a chance to escape him, it is difficult to
understand. On the other hand, though Farinelli's
reception in England was flattering enough to show a full
appreciation of his artistic status, it lacked the over-
whelming furore with which he was everywhere greeted
on the Continent. His success, though brilliant enough
to ruin Handel, did not suffice to save the fortunes of
those by whom he was engaged.
On the 18th of December, Handel removed to Covent
Garden Theatre, then newly built, and in every way
better suited to his purpose than the smaller house. I
Here, besides reviving many of his earlier pieces, and
using many favourite old Songs, in Orestes, and other
Pasticcios, he produced, within the space of less than
three years, six new Operas--Ariodante, Alcina, Atalantai,
Arminio, Giustino, and Berenice, varying the performance,
during Lent, by the substitution of other works, concern-
ing which we shall speak more particularly elsewhere.?
1 Covent Garden Theatre was built, on the site of the venerable
Convent (Couvent) Garden from which it takes its name, by
Shepherd, the architect of a once popular Theatre in Goodman's
Fields. The old house, first opened to the public by John Rich,
the clever Harlequin and Manager, on tho 7th of December,
1732, and immortalised by Hogarth, in his celebrated Engraving
known as 'Rich's Glory,' was leased, two years later, by Handel;
destroyed, by fire, in 1808; and rebuilt, in 1809, by Sir Robert
Smirke. The now building was enlarged, for the use of the
Royal Italian Opera Company, in 1847; burned down, in its turn,
in 1856; and, in 1858, replaced by the present Theatre, built
from a design by Mr. E. M. Barry. The loss occasioned by the
destruction of the MS. Parts of Handel's Operas and Oratorios, in
the fire of 1808, is irreparable.
2 The following are the dates appended to the Operas com.
posed by Handel for Covent Garden Theatre, betireen the years
1734–1737.
192
"ARIODANTE.' 'ALCINA. [CHAP. XXIII.
In Ariodante, and Alcina, the principal man's part was
sung by Carestini, whom Handel moulded to his will as
carefully as he had previously moulded Cuzzoni, Senesino,
and Montagnana. So undaunted was he by the defection
of those three great Singers, that, when Carestini refused
to sing 'Verdi prati,' which had been expressly prepared
to show off the beauty of his Voice, in the Second Act of
Alcina, he cried, “You dog! Don't I know better as
yourself what is good for you to sing ? If you will not
sing all the Songs what I give you, I will not pay you
1. Ariodante. Libretto by Antonio Salvi. MS. dated, at the
beginning, August 12, 1734. , angefangen. At the end of Act 1,
Agost 28, 1734. Later on, Fine dell' Atto 2do li 9 di Settembre
1734; and, Fine dell Opera Octobr 24, 1734. (Produced, Jan. 8,
1735.)
2. Alcina. Libretto by Antonio Marchi. MS. dated, Fine
dell'Opera | G. F. Handel | April 8 / 1735. (Produced, April 16,
1735.)
3. Atalanta. Librettist uncertain. MS. dated, Fine dell'
Atto 1 ) April 9, 1736- Fine dell' Atto 2d0 | April 14, 1736-
Fine dell'Opera | G. F. H. April 22, 1736. (Produced, in honour
of the Prince of Wales's Marriage, May 12, 1736.)
4. Arminio. Librettist uncertain. MS. dated, Angefangen
Sept. 15 | Mittwoch ( 1736--Fine dell' Atto primo | Sept. 19,
1736—Tine dell' Atto 2do | Sept. 26 | 1736-Iine dell'Opera |
G. F. Handel Octobi: 3 anno 1736 1 den 14 dieses vollendet | alles
ausgefüllet. (Produced, Jan. 12, 1737.)
5. Giustino. Libretto by Count Beregoni. MS. dated, at the
beginning, Agost 14 | 1736; and, later on, fine dell Atto 1 Agost
29 1736-Fine dell' Atto 2 Sept 3 1736--Tine dell'Opera. G. I.
Handel. London 7 Septembre 1736–. von den 15 Oct bis den i
20, 1736 ausgefüllet. (Produced, Feb. 16, 1737.)
6. Berenice. Librettist unknown. MS. dated, at beginning,
angefangen Decembı 18, 1736; and, later on, Fine dell Atto Primo
Decembr 27 ! 1736-Fine dell' Atto 2do Jan. 7, 1736 (sic) | G.I'.
Handel | -- Fine dell'Opera Berenice | G. F. Handel January 18,
1737 | ausgefüllet geendiget den 27 January 1737. (Produced,
May 18, 1737.)
1734.] REVIVAL OF "IL PASTOR FIDO: 193.
ein stiver.'1 And, as had happened before with Cúzzoni,
that particular Song was the one in which Carestini
produced his greatest effect, and for which he obtained
the warmest applause, commanding a certain encore every
time he sang it.
In Atalanta, Arminio, Giustino, and Berenice, the part.
of the hero was sung by Gioachino Conti, more generally
known by his assumed name, Gizziello; a young Singer
of great genius, with a high artificial Soprano Voice which
presented the strongest possible contrast to the deep
Contralto of Carestini, and was valued as an agreeable
change. The part of the Prima Donna was sustained, in.
all the six Operas, by Signora Strada, who kept faith with
Handel to the last, and, under his tutelage, became a.
Singer of the first order.
Among the revivals presented during this busy period
was one, advertised for the 9th of November, 1734, in
the following terms-
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, By His Majesty's command,
on Saturday next, will be perform'd Pastor Tido, an Opera with
several additions, intermixed with Choruses, which will be pre-
ceded by a new Dramatick Entertainment in Musiok, called
Terpsicore.
In the printed book of words, this entertainment is
simply called 'Prologo.' It was, in truth, a Ballet with
Songs ; and was written chiefly to display the talent of
the celebrated French Danseuse, Mademoiselle Sallé.
The original score cannot now be found; but the Royal
Collection contains a copy, in Smith's handwriting, in
1 Burney, 'Commemoration,' p. [*24] Note. We suppress,
here, and everywhere, the painful orthography with which
contemporary writers endeavour to express Handel's foreign
pronunciation.
194
[CHAP. XXIII.
LETTER TO MATTHESON.
Vol. i. of 'Additional Songs. It was produced, at
Covent Garden, on the 13th of November, 1734; and, in
1795–6, Dr. Arnold published it, under the title of
• A Masque.'
It is sad to find that Il Pastor Fido needed a pre-
liminary Ballet to enforce its attractions; and strange to
see its composer reduced to the necessity of so far ac-
commodating himself to the taste of his fickle audiences,
when his reputation was so high, that, only a few months
later, Mattheson made another attempt to enrich the
Ehrenpforte with an original sketch of his life. One
cannot help regretting the modesty which denied to the
conceited Hamburger the information he coveted; but
the following letter shows how very slight was the
importance attached by Handel to the request.?
London, July 29, 1735.
"Sir,
'It is some time since I have received one of your
obliging letters; but I have just been favoured with your last,
together with your work.
"I thank you, Sir, and I assure you that I feel all possible
esteem for your merit, and only wish that my circumstances
were favourable enough to enable me to give you better proofs
of my inclination to serve you. The work is well worthy of
the attention of connoisseurs, and as for myself, I render you
full justice.
'For the rest, it would be impossible for me to recal the events
of my past life, since continual application to the service of this
Court and Nobility prevents me from giving my attention to any
other matters.
'I am, with the most perfect consideration, Sir, your obedient
humble Servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
Ehrenpforte, p. 97.
1735.]
AN UNKNOWN ORATORIO.
195
It would have been easy to predict Mattheson's inability
to understand the modesty which prompted his old
friend thus persistently to decline the task of furnishing
him with the desired autobiography. His remarks on
the subject are painfully offensive, even for him. 'I
believe,' he says, "that he thought I expected some
present from him. But this was far from being the case.'
And, having relieved his ill humour by the utterance of
this unworthy suspicion, he passes on to the enumeration
of all his acts of kindness to Handel, from the weakness
of his early youth, to the time of his celebrity, dwelling,
with revolting insistence, upon the generosity, real or
imaginary, in return for which the ungrateful Saxon
refused to give him so much as an account of his pro-
the narrative is, that Mattheson " reiterated the request,
on many occasions, but always in vain.' It is evident,
therefore, that Handel's pertinacious refusal sprang from
a stronger motive than the mere wish to avoid the trouble
of writing.
Another letter written by Handel, about this time, is
remarkable, for its allusion to an Oratorio which it has
hitherto been impossible to identify. The communica-
tion is addressed to Mr. Charles Jennens, of Gopsall Hall,
a literary amateur, of some poetical talent, who afterwards
added 1 Moderato to Milton's L'Allegro, compiled the
words of the Messiah, and wrote the poem for Belshazzar.
Whether Mr. Jennens was, at this moment, experimenting
on a work which never reached completion, or whether-
as has been suggested—the allusion refers to Saul, the
authorship of which has never been satisfactorily ascer-
? Ehrenpforte, pp. 97-99.
02
196
[CHAP. XXIII.
LETTER TO MR. JENNENS.
tained, it is impossible, now, to say.
in English, runs as follows
The letter, written
TO CHARLES JENNENS, ESQ., JUNR.
‘London, July 28, 1735.
"Sir,
'I received your very agreeable letter, with the
enclosed Oratorio. I am just going to Tunbridge; yet what I
could read of it in haste gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I
shall have more leisure time there to read it with all the atten.
tion it deserves. There is no certainty of any scheme for next
season, but it is probable that something or other may be done,
of which I shall take the liberty to give you notice, being ex-
tremely obliged to you for the generous concern you show on
this account. The Opera of Alcina is a writing out, and shall
be sent according to your direction. It is always a great
pleasure to me if I have an opportunity to show you the sincere
respect with which I have the honour to be, Sir,
"Your obedient humble servant,
. 'G. F. HANDEL.
1 Mr. Charles Jennens lived in such princely state, at Gopsall,
in Leicestershire, that he was called, by his neighbours, Soliman
the Magnificent. His town house was in Great Ormond Street,
Bloomsbury, on the borders of Lamb's Conduit Fields; and
he is said to have constantly driven thence to the house of
his printer, in Red Lion Passage, not five minutes' walk from
the place, with four horses, and attended by four lackeys, one
of whom used to remove stray oyster-shells and other rubbish
from the pavement, when he descended from his coach to cross
over to the printing-office. His friendship for Handel was most
sincere ; and met with an equally sincere return. He defendeck
the Composer against the attacks of his enemies, and faithfully
supported him, during his most bitter trials. He wrote much,
and well. His most important work was an edition of Shakespeare,
which led him into violent controversy with George Steevens,
and Dr. Johnson, to whose views he was strongly opposed. He
died, at the age of 75, on the 20th of November, 1773, bequeathing
his splendid library, and a large collection of Works of Art, to
1736-1737.]
BROKEN FORTUNES.
197
The Operas performed, during this period, by the
Company of the Nobility,' were chiefly written by Porpora
and Hasse ; and, therefore, of greatly inferior merit to
those produced by Handel. They were, in fact, sustained
by the power of Farinelli alone; and, on his secession, on
the 11th of June, 1737, the speculation broke down with
a dead loss of £12,000, to revive no more.
Handel continued his season a fortnight longer;
closing on the 25th of June, 1737. After the failure
of the Nobility,' he had no longer a rival in the field;
but, his opponents had ruined him, without profiting
themselves. The savings of his life, amounting to
£10,000, proving insufficient to meet his terrible losses,
he made up the remainder by bills, which all his creditors,
except Signora Strada's husband, Signor del Pd, accepted
without hesitation, and which were all, in due time,
paid up, to the uttermost farthing. But, this was not
the worst. Under pressure of his daily-increasing anxiety,
the Maestro's · health broke down so completely, that,
for a time, he was compelled to retire entirely from
public life. We first find his illness mentioned in the
* London Daily Post' for the 30th of April, 1737, where
his relatives, William Pend Assheton Curzon (an ancestor of
Earl Howe) and the Earl of Aylesford. The former inherited
the well-kuown portrait of Handel, by Hudson, still preserved
at Gopsall. To the share of the latter fell the whole of his
Music, including some autographs of Handel, and many complete
Scores, transcribed by Smith, all removed to Packington, together
with an organ on which Handel was accustomed to play when
visiting at Gopsall. Handel, at his death, bequeathed to his
kind friend two valuable pictures, by Denner, which were in.
cluded in Earl Howe's share of the property, and are now at
Gopsall, with Hudson's portrait.
i Burney, Commemoration,' p. 25.
198
BROKEN HEALTH. [CHAP. XXIII.
we are told, that "Mr. Handel, who has been some time
indisposed with the rheumatism, is in so fair a way of
recovery, that it is hoped he will be able to accompany
the Opera of Justin, on Wednesday next, the 4th of
May. But, the “indisposition' was something very much
worse than rheumatism. It was, in fact, an attack of
paralysis, accompanied by an amount of nervous prostration,
which demanded, not rest alone, but temporary abstention
from every kind of intellectual labour.For this terrible
infirmity, he was recommended to try the sulphur waters
of Aix-la-Chapelle; and, so satisfactory was their effect,
that, on the 7th of November, the same newspaper
announces his return, partly recovered in health. He
did, in time, recover perfectly. But, for several years,
the effect of this serious illness was perceptible, in his
changed handwriting; and, in the Score of Berenice, he,
who was generally so methodical in his dates, has made
a mistake of a whole year—a circumstance, which, though
hitherto unnoticed by any of his biographers, is extremely,
and sadly suggestive, when considered in connection with
the reputed effect of his paralytic attack.2
1 Mainwaring, ‘Memoirs,' p. 120.
? See the inscription, in extenso, in foot-note, p. 192.
CHAPTER XXIV.
PERFORMANCES WITHOUT DRAMATIC ACTION.
In our preceding Chapter, we made a passing allusion to
Handel's Lenten Performances. We purpose, now, to
describe them more particularly ; and, in order that we
may do so with the greater clearness, it will be necessary
that we should, for the moment, retrace our steps, and
return once more to the year 1733.
The success of Esther and Acis and Galatea encouraged
the repetition of similar performances, without dramatic
action, at Covent Garden Theatre, and elsewhere, during
many successive seasons.
We have spoken of Deborah as having failed to draw
full houses, on its first production, not from any want of
excellence in the work itself, but simply from unwilling-
ness on the part of the public to pay the increased prices
charged for admission to the Theatre. The removal of
this objection at once placed the new Oratorio on a level
with its predecessors; and when, in the year 1733,
Handel was invited, by Vice-Chancellor Holmes, to give
some performances in the Theatre of the University of
Oxford, on the occasion of the 'Publick Act,' he began
the series with Esther, Deborah, and Acis and Galatea,
by way of preparation for an entirely new Oratorio,
founded on the history of Athaliah.
200
[CHAP. XXIII.
"ATHALIAH.
This unwonted departure from the recognised customs
of the University produced a new series of lampoons,
little less objectionable than those that had already
appeared in London; and Hearne, in recording the
event in his diary, not only expressed his disapproval of
the line taken by the new Vice-Chancellor in very coarse
terms, but also insulted the performers with an epithet
with which we decline to soil our pages. Handel's wrath
was clearly aroused by this uncourteous greeting; for,
when offered a Doctor's Degree, the fees for which would
have amounted to £100, he exclaimed, in his usual patois,
“What the Devil I throw my money away for that the
blockhead wish. I no want.'
Nevertheless, the Oratorios were received with enthusiasm
by the better part of the community. At the first
performance of Athaliah, 3700 persons were present; and
the greatest satisfaction was expressed at the beauty of
the Music, which, though necessarily moulded on a less
gigantic scale than much of that contained in Deborah,
exceeds it greatly, both in variety of expression and
dramatic force. The sensuous beauty of the Chorus,
Chear her, O Baal,' presents us with a picture of the
Heathen Queen, steeped to the lips in worldliness and
luxury; but, no sooner does the youthful Joash appear
upon the Scene, in company with the Priests of the Most
High, than the whole character of the Music changes, and the
voluptuous strains of the Baal-worshippers are replaced
by massive Choruses for eight Voices, less fully developed,
it is true, than those in Deborah, yet none the less worthy
of the sacred subject.
The text was arranged, in imitation of Racine's Drama,
by Samuel Humphreys. The Score—a large Imperial
folio volume, eighteen inches high-is dated, Fine dell'
1733-1735.] 'PARNASSO IN FESTA.'
201
Oratorio | S. D. G. G. F. Handel | London June ye 71
1733. The first performance took place, at Oxford, on
the 10th of July. On the 1st of April, 1735, the Oratorio
was repeated at Covent Garden, with no less success than
that which attended its representation at the University;
Miss Young taking the part of Athaliah, Signora Strada
that of Josabeth, and Carestini that of Joad. The part of
Abner, originally intended for Montagnana, was confided
to Waltz, who, after faithfully serving Handel as his
chef de cuisine, became, upon Montagnana's defection, his
Primo Basso. The young King, Joash, was impersonated
by The Boy,' who, in this case, is believed to have been
the Master Goodwill already mentioned as having taken
part in the performance of Acis and Galatea.
On the 13th of March, 1734, an Italian Serenata, called
• Parnasso in Festa,' was produced, at the King's Theatre, 1
in honour of the Marriage of the Princess Royal with the
Prince of Orange. This work was very little more than
a rearrangement of the Music of Athaliah—which had
not, at that time, been heard in London-in connection
with an Italian libretto, wherein the approaching Nuptials
'were symbolised by those of Peleus and Thetis. We
have before had occasion to notice the wonderful skill
with which Handel so frequently made the same Music
serve several different purposes. His power of doing
this was never more strikingly exemplified than on the
occasion in question. Judging from internal evidence
only, it would be impossible to tell whether the vocal
phrases had been originally adapted to the Italian or the
English words. The MS. Conducting Score of the
Serenata, now in the Public Library at Hamburg, throws
1 It will be remembered that Handel did not quit the King's
Theatre until the 6th of July.
202 THE FIRST WEDDING ANTHEM. [CHAP. XXIV.
is and comes in Festas, bet Library Music,
some light on the means by which this happy result was
obtained. The Music, throughout, is in the handwriting
of Christopher Smith; the Italian words are in the
Composer's own handwriting: but, in by far the greater
number of pieces, Handel has entirely rewritten the vocal
parts, in order to adapt them the more perfectly to their
changed purpose, and the care with which he has done
this shows the importance he attached to the process.
The whole of the Royal Family were present at the
first performance of Parnasso in Festa, which was
highly successful, and many times repeated. The Wed-
ding took place on the following day, the 14th of
March ; and, at the close of the Ceremony, the Choir sang
an Anthem, with fuil Orchestral Accompaniments—This
is the day—arranged for the occasion by Handel himself,
and consisting of Movements selected from Athaliah,
Parnasso in Festa, and the Seventh Chanclos Anthem, set
to suitable words, but containing no new Music what-
ever. The Hamburg Library possesses the Conducting
Score of this work also; the Music, in the handwriting
of Christopher Smith, and the text, in that of Handel.
The departure of the Princess of Orange deprived
Handel of a true friend, and the Opera of an enthusiastic
supporter. The Prince of Wales patronised the rival
company; but the Princess Anna never missed an oppor-
tunity of attending the performances at Handel's
Theatre, and remained faithful to her beloved preceptor,
through all his changing fortunes. He could ill afford
to lose a friend, at this critical period of his life; but,
his courage was indomitable; and he wisely followed up
the success of his great English works by producing new
ones, which sometimes made good the losses he sustained
through the failure of his Italian Operas.
1736.]
ALEXANDER'S FEAST.'
203
His next great venture in this direction was a peculiarly
happy one. As early as the year 1711, an attempt had been
made, by Thomas Clayton, to harmonise Dryden's famous
Ode on The Power of Music.' The experiment had failed
through Clayton's utter incapacity for the task he had too
rashly undertaken. But, early in the year 1736, Newburgh
Hamilton rearranged the Poem for Handel, who treated
it in his grandest style, and, on the 19th of February,
presented it, at Covent Garden, under the title of
Alexander's Feast, to one of the most crowded houses it
had ever been his good fortune to attract. The Score is
dated, Fine della parte prima | January ye 5, 1736; and,
in its later stages, 12 Jan. 1736; and Fine | 17 January
1736. The principal Singers were, Signora Strada, Miss
Young-who, during that same year, became the wife
of Dr. Arne ; Beard, the Tenor; and a Basso, named Erard.
But, the true strength of the work lay in its magnificent
Choruses. Such inspirations as “Break his bands of sleep
asunder,' 'Let old Timotheus yield the prize,' and,
“The many rend the skies,' would surely have been
sufficient to secure full houses, in the face of any
amount of intended rivalry. The last of these merits
special attention, as an example of a kind of writing
which very few Composers have succeeded in rendering
interesting. it is written, throughout, upon a Ground
Bass -Basso ostinato-consisting of five bars, which
are repeated, without alteration of any kind, fourteen
times in succession. Yet, the idea of monotony is the
very last that would be likely to suggest itself, either to a
learned, or an unlearned listener. English Composers,
generally, have very much favoured this species of
writing. Purcell was very great in it. But Handel is
the only Composer, either English or foreign, who has ever.
204
THE SECOND WEDDING ANTHEM. [CHAP. XXIV.
succeeded in investing it with a perfectly untrammelled
appearance. In his hands, it is as free and varied as if
the Bass were changed in every bar; and, in the case in
point, the amount of variety produced is little less than
miraculous.
For the Marriage of Frederick, Prince of Wales, with
the Princess Augusta of Saxe Gotha, Handel wrote a second
Wedding Anthem, 'Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the
earth,' adapted, this time, to entirely new Music of a light
and festive character, and duly performed during the
course of the Service in the Chapel Royal, on the 27th of
April, 1736. Though the Prince himself was by no
means well disposed towards Handel, the Royal Family
visited Covent Garden, in state, on the 12th of May, to
witness the first performance of Atalanta, which formed an
important part of the nuptial festival, and was placed upon
the Stage with great splendour, and with marked allusion
to this auspicious event. The rival company presented,
at the same time, a poor imitation of Parnasso in Festa,
called La Festa d' Imeneo, written by Rolli, and composed
by Porpora, which, in spite of the attractions of Farinelli,
survived but one or two representations.
It was about this time that Handel first began to
diversify the performance of his Oratorios by introducing
a feature until then entirely unknown-the Organ Con-
certo. We find the first definite notice of this in a
description of two performances of Esther, which took
place at Covent Garden on the 7th and 14th of April,
1736, and in each of which Handel played two Concertos.
One of these was the well-known Concerto in B flat—tho
Second in Arnold's collection--the Minuet in which was
commonly known as the “Minuet in Esther,' from the
frequency with which Handel played it between the parts
1737.7 REVIVAL OF "IL TRIONFO DEL TEMPO.
205
of the Oratorio. The volume in the Royal Collection
which contains this, contains nine other Concertos ; four,
written in 1740, 1743, 1750, and 1751, respectively; the
rest undated. Several others, more or less complete, are
bound up in other volumes; and four are to be found in
the British Museum. Walsh published six, by Handel's
permission, in 1738, under the title of Op. 4a;' and
afterwards printed twelve others. Arnold published
fourteen ; including one from which he has completely
eliminated the difficult passages for Pedal Obbligato in
the original autograph. There is no doubt that Handel
added many extempore passages, when he played these
Concertos himself; though the autograph copies are in-
valuable, as having furnished the basis of his original
conception.
During the spring of the year 1737, the regular per-
formances of the Italian Opera were varied by a revival of
the Italian Serenata, 'Il Trionfo del Tempo, e della Verità,'.
composed at Rome in 1708.1 Of the original Score of this
work, sixty-four pages only are found in vol. i. of ‘Songs.
and Sketches ;' but the Conducting Score contains many
autograph pieces, presumably composed for this revival, and .
many valuable annotations—among others, Segue il Con-
certo / per l'Organo | & poi l'Alleluja | Fine dell' Oratorio
G. F. Handel | London March 14 | 1737. The Concerto
and Chorus here alluded to are not in the Royal Collec-
tion, but will be found in the British Museum, dated
S.D.G. | G.F.H. ) March 25 | 1735 : the Chorus-corre-
sponding with the last in the English Oratorio—being
based on the Subject of the Fugue with which the Concerto
concludes.
We have classed these great Choral Compositions in a
i See p. 53. ? George III. MSS., 317.
206
THE FUNERAL ANTHEM. [CHAP. XXIV.
separate category, thinking their essential character of
more importance than the chronological order of their
appearance in alternation with the Italian Operas described
apply to the next great work, the production of which it
is our duty to chronicle.
The death of Queen Caroline, on the 20th of November,
1737, deprived Handel of one of the best and kindest
friends he had ever had. Respected by the greatest philo-
sophers of the age, for her high intellectual culture, and by
Swift and Pope, for her literary attainments, this amiable
Sovereign so endeared herself by her private virtues to
all by whom she was surrounded, that many whose loyal
devotion attached them to another Dynasty wept sincerely
for her loss; and with reason, for the influence of her
gentle temper upon the harder nature of King George II.
is too well known to need more than a passing allusion
of 'The ways of Zion do mourn' the Anthem he
wrote for her Funeral bears witness to the fact. The
Score of this touchingly beautiful Composition is headed
The Anthem for the Queens Carolines Funeral; and dated,
S.D.G. | G. F. Handel. London. Decernba 12, 1737. The
words were probably selected by the Composer himself.
The first Chorus is based upon the German Choral, 'Herr
Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut;' better known in Handel's
native Saxony in the form of the Funeral Hymn, 'Celenn
mein Stündlein vorhander ist.'? The grave solemnity of
this Chorus is indescribable; and still more sadly touching
are the later movements, 'When the ear heard her,' She
1 Mozart has also used this fine Canto fermo as the Subject of
the opening Movement of his Requien.
· 1737.]
THE FUNERAL ANTHEM.
207
delivered the poor,' and 'Their bodies are buried in peace,'
the beauty of which, as Burney justly observes, 'no
change of fashion can efface.' We believe it was M.
Schoelcher who first called attention to a supposed resem-
blance between the Subject of When the ear heard her,'
and the Bourrée which concludes the Overture to Il Pastor
Fido. It is true that the actual notes correspond, so far
as their places on the Stave are concerned; but the
phrasing and expression of the two passages are so utterly
opposed to each other, that one might as well call atten-
tion to the affinity existing between the French word
chat' and the English word 'chat.'
CHAPTER XXV.
THE LAST ITALIAN OPERAS.
AFTER the retirement of Handel's rivals from the King's
Theatre, Heidegger once more obtained possession of
the house, and endeavoured to start again upon the ruins
of the two speculations which had so fatally reacted upon
each other. On the 29th of October, 1737, he began his
season with a Pasticcio entitled Arsace. After the 20th
of November, the house was closed for some considerable
time, in consequence of the death of Queen Caroline; and
though several new pieces were performed from time to time,
there seems to have been some difficulty in the way of
making a new beginning. But, on the 7th of January,
1738, all hindrances were removed, and Handel once
more appeared at the King's Theatre with a new Opera,
called Faramondo, in which the principal man's part was
assigned to the famous artificial Soprano, Gaetano Majorano,
better known to the world as Caffarelli, and that of the
principal woman, to Madame Elizabeth Duparc, called
La Francesina.
On the 25th of February, Handel brought out a
Pasticcio, Alessandro Severo, consisting entirely of his
own old Music: and on the 15th of April, he produced.
another new Opera, Serse, written for the same
Singers, but differing from his other Italian Dramas.
1738.] PECUNIARY DIFFICULTIES. 209
in that it contained a considerable number of broadly
comic scenes. This peculiarity led Handel into a path he
had never previously tried : and, sad to say, stern
necessity compelled him to try it, at a time when he was
overwhelmed with care, and anxiety. He had not yet
fully recovered from the effects of his late illness. He
was still bowed down by the loss of his Royal patroness.
And, harder than all, his debts were not yet paid--a terrible
trial to a man of his strict probity, and one which was
rendered still more painful by the meanness of Signor
del Po, the husband of Signora Strada. Del Pd was the
only one of Handel's creditors who refused to trust to
his promise to discharge every debt he had contracted, in
full: and, now that the Maestro was once more before the
public, he insisted upon immediate payment, enforcing
his demand by the threat of a debtor's prison. This was
gall and wormwood to Handel, who was as proud as he
was honest: and he who had never asked a favour from
anyone, was now constrained to agree to the suggestion of
his friends that he should accept a 'benefit.' The dose
was a bitter one ; but, it cured the disease. On the 28th of
March, 1738, a Concert was organised, at the King's
Theatre, with such brilliant success, that, not only was
the house full to overflowing, but, when the curtain rose,
five hundred persons of rank and fashion were discovered
on the Stage. Burney reckons the profits of the per-
formance at £800; Mainwaring, at £1500.1 At any
rate, they were sufficient to stifle the threats of the
rapacious Italian; and Handel was once more able to
pursue his noble avocation, without fear of the unutterable
misery which, in those days, awaited unfortunate debtors
1 Burney, Hist. iv. 426, Sketch, in Comm. 24. Mainwaring,
“Memoirs,' pp. 125–126.
210
[CHAP. XXV.-
THE VAUXHALL STATUE.
committed to "Whitecross Street,' "The King's Bench,' or,
most horrible of all, “The Fleet.'
Not only did the loyalty of the public save him from
this terrible and altogether undeserved degradation ; but,
only a month later, his talent and probity were rewarded
by an ovation such as few men are thought worthy to
receive, during their life-time. This was nothing less
than the inauguration of a statue in his honour. The
idea originated with Mr. Jonathan Tyers, who, on the
7th of June, 1732, had opened Vauxhall Gardens as a
place of fashionable amusement, and had since caused
Handel's Music to be constantly performed there, to large
and select audiences, consisting of the highest personages
in the land, who gladly paid a guinea each for their
tickets of admission. The responsibility of designing the
figure was committed to Roubiliac then a young man of
great promise, rapidly rising into notice. After many
private sittings, during the course of which he struck out
a portrait of Handel the life-like truthfulness of which was
universally recognised, the Sculptor decided upon represent-
ing his brother Artist in a sitting posture, playing upon
a Lyre, with a Boy, at his feet, taking down the notes.
The statue, for which Roubiliac received an honorarium
of £300, gave universal satisfaction, and, as Horace
Walpole tells us, 'fixed his fame.' It remained at Vaux-
hall, until the property was sold, in 1818, when it was
removed to the house of the Rev. Jonathan Tyers Barrett.
In 1830, it was offered for sale ; but bought in for £210.
In 1833, Mr. Brown, a distinguished connoisseur, obtained
possession of it, for £215 5s. ; and, wishing to obtain for
it a permament and honourable resting place, generously
sold it to the Sacred Harmonic Society, for a nominal fee
of one hundred guineas, in June, 1854. The dissolution of
1739.] THE 'ODE FOR S. CECILIA'S DAY: 211
that admirable association has once more (1882) thrown
the Statue into private hands.1 Long may it remain
intact, since it embodies a likeness of Handel's features
which we know, on indisputable authority, to be more
than ordinarily striking.2
It was now poor Heidegger's turn to suffer. Finding
it impossible to obtain sufficient subscriptions to justify
him in engaging in this speculation on his own account,
he was compelled to retire from the combat, and to give
up at the close of the season. After a long period of
inaction, a new Opera by Handel, called Jupiter in Argos,
was advertised for performance, at the King's Theatre, on
the 1st of May, 1739. It does not appear that this was
ever produced ; but on the 22nd of November, Dryden's
shorter Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day3 was given, for
the first time, with Alexander's Feast, two Concertos for
1 It is now (1883) in the possession of Mr. Henry Littleton,
the honoured representative of the firma of Novello & Co.
? For contemporary information concerning the Statue, and
the position it occupied at Vauxhall, consult-Horace Walpole's
Anecdotes of Painting, etc.' vol. iv. p. 99, Art. Roubiliac (Strapia
berry Hill, 1772, 4to). Northcote's 'Life of Sir J. Reynolds,' 8vo,
vol. i. p. 49. Smith's 'Life of Nollekens,' vol. ii. p. 231. Manning
and Bray's 'Hist. of Surrey,' vol. iii. p. 491, note. Hawkins'
'Hist. of Music.' Lockman's Sketch of the Spring Gardens,
Vauxhall.' (8v0, 1762). 'A Description of Vauxhall Gardens,
12mo (Lond. 1762). "The Ambulator,' p. 188 (1774). Acker-
man's "Microcosm of London,' p. 205 (4to. 1808). “Remarks on
Roubiliac's Statue of Handel,' by J. F. Puttick, Esq. (Privately
printed for Sacr. Harm. Soc. 1855), etc. etc. etc.
3 In the Autograph Score of this work, in the Royal Collection,
we find Handel, for the first time, indicating the days of the
week by the old Astrological Signs; a custom which he
afterwards continued, to the end of his life. The signs are-
Sun. Mon. Tu. Wed. Thur. Fri. Sat.
0 h ñ ¢ 4
| ħ
P 2
212
[CHAP. XXV.
'L'ALLEGRO.'
several Instruments, and one for the Organ, at the Theatre
in Lincoln's Inn Fields, where similar performances were
continued until the end of the year.
Short as it is, the Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day is one of
the very finest works that Handel ever wrote, and contains
some of his most striking Choruses, of which three-The
Trumpets loud clangour, As from the power of sacred lays,
and The dead shall live-though in very different styles,
are of a grandeur quite unapproachable. The Ode was
given six times during the season, which was interrupted
for some time by the famous frost of 1740, though not to
a sufficient extent to prevent Handel from retaining
possession of the little Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields,
for which he wrote more than one work of importance
before taking his final leave of the Stage.
It was at this Theatre, that, on the 27th of February,
1740, he produced his delightful setting of L'Allegro,
Il Penseroso, ed Il Moderato, the Score of which is
remarkable as the first in which we find a distinct
part for the Basson grosso, or Double Bassoon ;1 and
more particularly so, for some very delicious, as well
as some very powerful Music. The lovely Curfew Song,
Oft on a plat of rising ground; the melodious Air, Sweet
bird, with its brilliant Flute Accompaniment; the massive
Chorus, Here let the pealing Organ blow, with its pauses
for the Composer's extempore performance on his favourite
instrument; these, and many other pieces of equal beauty,
made their mark with the public, at once : and Michael
Kelly's amusing account of his success with the Laughing
i The Contra Fagotto, or Double Bassoon, was first made in
England-most probably at Handel's suggestion-by a manu-
facturer of Musical Instruments named Stanesby; and first
introduced to the public, at Marylebone Gardens, in August, 1739.
1740–1741.]
‘IMENEO:
DEIDAMIA.'
213
Air, and Chorus, Haste thee, Nymph, shows that the
merits of the piece were thoroughly appreciated by
audiences of a later date. The verses were arranged
for Music by the Mr. Charles Jennens already mentioned
as the author of an Oratorio not yet identified. He and
Handel seem to have been quite of one mind as to the
propriety of amalgamating the two divisions of Milton's
Poem in alternate Strophes, and Antistrophes, and supple-
menting the combined result by a Third Part called Il
Moderato, designed to reconcile the conflicting tastes of
L' Allegro, and Il Penseroso. The thought was a happy
one; and the truly poetical feeling displayed in its enun-
tiation has ensured its lasting popularity. We say lasting,
with good reason; for it was a source of perennial delight
at the semi-private performances of the Cæcilian Society,
long after the outer world had ceased to remember it; and,
when Mr. Otto Goldschmidt revived it, in 1863, it was
received with universal pleasure.
On the 22nd of November, 1740, L' Allegro was followed
by a new Operetta, by Handel, in two Acts, called
Imeneo; and, on the 10th of January, 1741, this gave
place in turn to his last Italian Opera, Deidamia. With
this beautiful work—by no means the weakest of his
i Reminiscences. Vol. I. pp. 305, 306. (London, 1826.)
2 The works produced by Handel, between his retirement from
Covent Garden, and his final renunciation of the Stage, were
dated as follows:
(1.) Faramondo. Libretto by Apostolo Zeno. MS. dated
angefangen den 15 Novembr 1737 | Dienstag | Fine dell Atto 1
Montag den 28 Novembr 1737-Fine dell Atto 2do den 4 Decembro
1737 | Sontag-Fine dell'Opera G. F. Handel London Decembro 24
1737. (Produced Jan. 7, 1738.)
(2.) Serse. Librettist unknown. MS. dated, angefangen den
Decembr 1737 / Saritate oder Montag den 2 Xtag—Fine dell
214
RETIREMENT FROM THE THEATRE. (CIAP. XXV.
dramatic productions—he took his last farewell of the
Stage, on the 10th of February, 1741; after having
given to the world, since the 8th of January, 1705,
four Operas in the German language, and thirty-
eight in Italian, without including Pasticcios, Serenatas,
or works of any kind performed without dramatic action.
Henceforth, his time and talents were chiefly devoted to
the composition of Sacred Music, with English words—a
branch of Art in which he has never had a rival: and it
is to his English works that we must, from this time
forward, devote our exclusive attention.
Atto Primo Janr 9 | 1738-Iine dell Atto 2do Jan 25, 1738-
Fine dell Opera | G. F. Handel | London Februar 6 1738 | geendiget
ausgefüllet den 14 dieses Febr 17(38). (Produced, April 15, 1738.)
. (3.) Jupiter in Argos. A MS. fragment, (X.3.31.), in the
Fitzwilliam Library at Cambridge, containing the final Chorus,
is dated—Fine dell Opera | Jupiter in Aryos | April 24 | 1739.
(4.) The Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day. Poem by Dryden.
MS. dated-Ouverture le Song From St Cecilia's Day other by
Mr. Dryden 1687—begun Sept 15 17391h-Tine G. F. Handel
Septembr 24 1739 I (Produced, Nov. 22, 1739.)
(5.) L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, ed n Moderato. The words
adapted from Milton by Mr. Charles Jennens. MS. dated Part I.
Jan. 19 1740 -I'ine della parte prima | Jan 25 1740 1 -
Fine della parte 2da | l'evrier 2 1740–8. D. G. G. . Handel
Fevrier 4 1740 1 1h 9 dito. It will be seen that, in this case,
there is an error in the Astrological Signs. (Produced, Feb. 27,
1740.) My
(6.) Imeneo. Librettist unknown. MS: dated mine flotlatte
1920-den 14 Sept 1738 - Hino dell-atto-Schen den 17 Septembr|
ette-primas madal -Fine dell Opera den 20 Septemba | 1738—
Tine | Oct 10 1740. (Produced, Nov. 22. 1740.)
(7.) Deidamia. Libretto by Paolo Rolli. MS. dated—ange.
fangen Octobr 27 1740—Fine dell Atto 1 | G. F. Handel h
Nov. 1. 1740-Fine dell Atto 2do | G. F. Handel Novemba 7, 1740
1$ Atto 3 Scena 1 | angefangen. & 14 Oct 1740—Fine dell Opera |
G. F. Handel. London Novembr 20 2 | 1740. (Produced, Jan. 10,
1741.)
CHAPTER XXVI.
SAUL
ISRAEL IN EGYPT.
NEITHER in Esther, in Deborah, nor in Athaliah, did
Handel fully realise the perfection of his great ideal. It is
true that there are points in each, the grandeur of which
still remains unsurpassed: points, which, had we no other
Oratorios than these whereon to form our judgment, we
should willingly accept as examples of the nearest approach
to sublimity that it lies within the power of Music to
attain. But Handel himself was not yet satisfied. He
felt that there were loftier heights to scale than any that
he had hitherto attempted ; and, by sheer force of genius,
he surmounted them, with so little apparent effort, that,
while lost in admiration of the results, we quite forget to
wonder at the means used for their accomplishment.
The first great Oratorio in which he himself seems to
was Saul. There is reason to believe that the Poem on
which this is founded was prepared by Mr. Charles
Jennens, of Gopsall, though some have attributed it to
Newburgh Hamilton—we think, on insufficient grounds.
The Score, written in a thick 4to volume, on paper quite
different from that used for the Operas, is dated, at the
beginning of the first Chorus, July 23, 1738. The next
216
[CHAP. XXVI.
'SAUL.
28 ausgefüllet : the last, at the end of. O fatal clay,' is,
den 27 Septembr 1738. The entire work, therefore, was
composed in two months and four days. The Overture
is headed Symfonie ;' and, at the end of its second
Movement stands the direction, Organo ad libitum. Both
here, and in later Movements, Handel made his own
effective Organ - playing a prominent feature in the
Instrumentation of the Oratorio ; but, many of the
brilliant passages assigned to the Organ in Arnold's
printed Score are given, in the autograph, to the Hautboy
Solo, with Bass for the Violoncello ed Organo piano.
This fine Orchestral Prelude forms a fitting preparation
for the first great Scene in the sacred Drama—the Song
of Triumph in which the Israelites celebrate the defeat of
their giant foe, Goliath. The Music here presents us
with a picture the truthfulness of which no possible per-
fection of stage machinery could heighten. Every detail
of the long Procession is set before us with unerring.
fidelity. We need no stage-direction to tell us that the
Maidens are strewing flowers to the joyous strains of
Welcome, welcome, mighty King;' or, that the Youths
are throwing their caps into the air, while the gay Carillon
peals out 'David his ten thousand slew. We see the
"Monster Atheist's' gory head quite as plainly as we care
to see so ghastly a trophy, while all the events which
have just taken place upon the battle-field are described
portant detail not mentioned in the words. This was not
Handel's first attempt to describe a giant. But, Polyphemus
was an Ogre. Goliath was a warrior. There was nothing
revolting about the monstrous Philistine. He was simply
terrible--that was all; and it is thus that Handel has
described him. His stride makes us tremble; but it does
1738–1739.]
"SAUL:
217
not make us shudder. Can Painting, or Sculpture, enter
into nicer distinction than this?
The Second Part deals chiefly with human passions.
The envy of Saul, the love of Michal, the gentleness of
David, the constancy of Jonathan, are all depicted with
life-like truthfulness, while the Chorus, like that of a
Greek Drama, enforces the meaning of the whole. Later
on, we are brought face to face with the Supernatural;
and the Scene with the Witch of Endor unquestionably
does make us shudder, though, for its instrumental effects,
it uses no more than two Hautboys, and two Bassoons, in
addition to the ordinary Stringed Band. Would any other
Composer, with Trombones present in the Orchestra, have
felt that he did not need them here?
Then comes the last Scene of all: the mourning nation:
the overwhelming grief of David. And, as we have
said before, for the expression of profoundest sorrow,
Handel always uses the Major Mode. When passion is
intermixed with grief-as in Armida's great Aria, in
Rinaldo he uses the Minor Third; but never, when the
sadness to be depicted springs from the calm affliction of
a well-regulated mind. And yet, the simple Chords of the
Dead March speak of sorrow infinitely deeper than that
felt by the Paynim Sorceress : and David, in the tender
strains of 'In sweetest harmony,' can scarcely sing for
sobbing. Handel originally intended to combine the
several Movements of the Funeral Anthem with this
portion of the Oratorio, and lias actually written the
words of it, between some fragments of Recitative, in the
autograph Score. But, it is far better as it is: and when,
in 'Gird on thy sword,' the Chorus call upon David to
play the man, we feel that all that can be said upon the
subject has been said.
218
[CIIAP. XXVI.
DESCRIPTIVE CHORUSES.
The first performance of Saul took place at the King's
Theatre, on the 16th of January, 1739. The next great
Oratorio, Israel in Egypt, was constructed upon a
different plan, the words being selected entirely from
Holy Scripture, and arranged upon the plan of an
Epic Poem. The entire absence of the personal element
led Handel to illustrate this striking subject in a series
of gigantic Double Choruses, built on a more colossal
scale than any he had hitherto produced. But, this
mode of enforcing the meaning of the sacred text by
no means excluded the descriptive element. Many of the
huge cight-part Choruses depict the Scenes to which they
refer with irresistible power; and even the Solo passages
are highly picturesque, in the noblest sense of the word.
The wail of the Children of Israel beneath the oppressor's
rod; the once bright Nile, now rolling downwards in waves
of loathsome gore; the clammy reptiles, forcing their
repulsive presence into tho King's chambers; the myriad
swarms of flies, heralding the still more destructive
approach of the devouring locusts; the crashing hail-stones,
and the fire that ran along upon the ground, not in a harm-
less flicker, but in burning streams represented by the
long dragging passages of quavers, each of which helps to
dig a blazing furrow as it passes along; the shadow of the
thick darkness into which the terrified Egyptians stretch
forth their hands to convince themselves that it is not a
solid wall; the resistless power of the Destroying Angel
when He smote all the first-born of Egypt, the chief of
all their strength; all these things are brought before us
with a vivid pencil which describes them to the most
apathetic listener in language which he cannot chooso but
understand. And then, the calm beauty of the Chorus
which describes the departure of the Chosen People from
1738-1739.]
'EXODUS.'
219
the House of Bondage, and the glorious strains of Miriam's
Hymn of Praise, complete the picture with a stately
dignity which leaves nothing more to be imagined or
desired.
Yet, Israel in Egypt was not, at first, successful. It
soared too far above the heads of the audience to make
an immediate impression; and some curious changes wero
made, at the second performance. The probability is, that
Handel selected the words himself. He wrote the present
Second Part first; but the Score, written on Imp. folio
paper, eighteen inches high, has been arranged by the
bookbinder, in accordance with the order now observed in
performance, without reference to the original dates. The
Recitative, “Now there ar'osc,' without the Music, is
headed Act yje 2 | 15 Octob? 1738. The first six pages,
partly crossed out, contain part of the Chorus, 'And the
Children of Israel sighed,' in 3-2 Time. At page 7, the
words of the Recitative are repeated, with the Music, and
the Chorus begins again, in 6-4 Time, headed, “ Part 2 of
Exodus.' At the end of 'His servant Moses,' the Score is
dated, Tine della parte 2da d Exodus | Octoba 20, 1738
Ontolii noi The present Second Part is headed, Moses
Song, Exodus, Chap 15 | angefangen Octob" 1, 17381
Introitus ; and dated, at the end, Fine Octob" 11
1738 | den 1 Novembi völlig geendet. From which it
days; and the Second, in eleven; twelve more days
being occupied in the completion of the whole. The first
performance took place at the King's Theatre, with
several new Concertos on the Organ,' on the 4th of April,
i Partly cut away by the bookbinder, and so nearly illegible
that we cannot vouch for the correctness of the figures.
220
ADDITIONAL SONGS. [CHAP. XXVI.
1739. On the 11th, it was shortened, and intermixed
with Songs.' From certain notes, written upon the Score,
with Handel's vigorous pencil, we learn that these Songs
were 'Through the land,' 'Angelico splendor,' 'Cor fedele,
and 'Lu Speranza ;' introduced after ‘But, as for His
people,'. But the waters,' 'Thy Right Hand, O Lord, and
'Thou in Thy mercy;' and all sung by La Francesina.
But, besides this, the printed book of words shows that,
at both performances, the Oratorio was preceded by the
entire Funeral Anthem, sung in the form of the 'Lamen-
tations of the Israelites for the death of Joseph ;' an
arrangement which introduces the Recitative, ‘Now there
arose,' with perfect consistency, and accounts, also, for
the absence of an Overture. A return to this original
disposition of the Music would greatly increase the beauty
and interest of the Oratorio, in future performances.
The general consensus of artistic criticism points to
Israel in Egypt as the most sublime and masterly, if not
the most generally attractive Oratorio that ever was
written. Yet, strange to say, a rumour is now prevalent,
to the effect that it is largely indebted to other composers;
and those who put forth this view support it by proofs
which they consider irrefragable.
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE DISPUTED MAGNIFICAT.
We have frequently had occasion to mention a volume,
in the Royal Collection, labelled · Sketches,' and contain-
ing, among other treasures, a Latin Magnificat, of which
the last three Movements are wanting. No one has ever
doubted the genuineness of the autograph ; but the MS.
has not always been correctly described.
M. Schoelcher assigns this Composition to the same
epoch as the Dixit Dominus'—i.e. to the year 1707. He
says, that it is written upon very thick paper, like all
his MSS. that were made in Italy.'1 But, the MS. was
not made in Italy.' It is really written in Handel's
Fourth English Hand ;2 and, on English 4to paper, 12 x 92
inches in size, having, for its water-mark, an escutcheon
bearing a "bend sinister,' with a large fleur-de-lys in the
place of the crest, and, underneath, the letters L. V. G.
This water-mark is very important; for it is found in the
paper used by Handel for many works the dates of which
are known; and, taking into consideration the concurrent
evidence afforded by the device itself, the form and size
of the paper, and the character of the handwriting, we
1 Life of Handel,' pp. 24, 423, 424.
2 See foot-note, p. 132.
222
"MAGNIFICAT.'
[CHAP. XXVII.
shall not be far wrong if we assign to the Magnificat a
date between the years 1737 and 1740.
The Magnificat was never presented to an English
audience in its complete form; and, though it has long
been known that several Choruses in Israel in Egypt
were based upon it, it attracted no extraordinary degree of
attention, until the year 1857, when it was noticed that a
very incorrect MS. copy, in the Library of the Sacred
Harmonic Society (No. 1619) was headed “Magnificat del
Ra Sig“ Erba. The obvious meaning of this inscription
is, that the volume in which it is written once belonged to
a Priest, named Erba. Had the Magnificat been composed
by Signor Erba, the word used would have been 'dal,'
not del. But the critics of the period decided that Erba
was the Composer of the work; and, that Handel had
dishonestly claimed the greater part of it as his own.
Two Composers named Erba are mentioned by Musical
Biographers. Giorgio Erba, who published some Sonatas
for the Violin, in 1736 : and a certain Don Dionigi Erba,
who is said, by Quadrio, to have composed the Recitatives
in the Second Act of an Opera called L'Arione, in 1694,
and is described, by Gerber, as a celebrated Maestro and
Composer, of Milan, who lived about the year 1690.'I
Up to the present moment, we possess no particle of
evidence tending to connect the Magnificat with either
of these composers. It has nevertheless been assigned
perhaps rather too confidently-to Dionigi Erba ; and we
are asked to believe that Handel took the trouble to
transcribe it, himself, from a set of separate parts which
have never been seen, at a time when he was overwhelmed
1 G. L. Gerber, Lexikon der Tonlcünstler, i. 383 (Leipzig, 1790).
La Borde, Essai sur la Musique, iii. lib. 5, cap. 4 (Paris, 1780).
Quadrio, Storia e Ragione d'ogni Poesia, iii. 516, 517.
1737-1740.]
*MAGNIFICAT.
223
with business connected with the management of his
Theatre, was composing new Music every day, and kept
an amanuensis constantly employed in the transcription of
his own works, even to the extent of copying out Music to
which he himself could only find time to append the words. I
We have, however, quite enough evidence to prove that
the Magnificat was extensively used in the preparation of
Israel in Egypt. The Duet, The Lord is my strength,'
is adapted from · Et exultavit spiritus meus ;' the
Chorus, ' He is my God, from, “Magnificat anima mea ;'
portions of The Lord is a man of war," from Quic fecit
mihi magna;' The depths huve covered them,' from 'Quico
respexit;' the leading idea of Thy Right Hand, O Lord,
from 'Ecce enim, ex hoc;' Thou sentest forth Thy wrath,
from « Fecit potentiam ;' And with the blast,' from
* Deposuit potentes ;' "The earth swallowed them,' from
"Sicut erat in principio ;' and the Duet, Thou in Thy
mercy,' from ' Esurientes implevit bonis.' There is no doubt
whatever about the correspondence of these Movements,
some of which are all but identical throughout. If
Dionigi Erba wrote the Magnificat, he is entitled to the
credit of having suggested some of the finest Music in
Israel in Egypt. Did he write the Magnificat? Is it
possible, that a Composer, of whose works not one single
note has been preserved in any other form than this-mof
whose very name our best critics were ignorant until this
strange discussion brought it to the surface—of whom
Burney and Hawkins knew nothing—can have so far
anticipated his age as to have taken this extraordinary
share in the production of an Oratorio universally regarded
as the nearest approach to the sublime that has ever yet
been reached in Music?
. 1 See p. 202.
224
[CHAP. XXVII,
MAGNIFICAT.'
The proposition is of so staggering a nature, and makes
so great a demand upon our credulity, that it behoves us
to ascertain, beyond all doubt, whether the evidence upon
which it is based be genuine, or not. Of the authenticity
of Handel's MS. there has never been any question. As far
as the words ' dimisit inanes,' the Score is complete ; but,
here, the bookbinder has misplaced the leaves, inserting
Suscepit Israel,' and 'Sicut locutus est'—the last, an
unfinished sketch-on a separate sheet at the end of the
volume. The next three leaves are vacant; and the
remaining Movements have not been found. The 'Erba
MS.' is also incomplete ; but, only as to the details of the
scoring. The Movements are all set forth, in full, and on
English paper, by an ignorant copyist, who, in ' Quia fecit,'
has written nearly the whole of the Bass a bar in advance of
the Violins and Voices—a circumstance which renders it
extremely probable that he compiled his Score from a set
of separate parts. It has been suggested that Handel did
the same. Where are these parts ? Until they are found,
the question can never be set at rest : and, it is worth
while to seek for them with all possible diligence ; for,
the point at issue goes far beyond the establishment of
Handel's honesty, or dishonesty. If Erba can be proved
to have composed the Magnificat, we must rewrite our
whole history of the progress of Art, and describe the last
ten years of the 17th century as a period the brightness
of which has never yet been fully understood.
But, the mystery does not end here. MS. copies exist
of a Serenuta, attributed to Alessandro Stradella. We
have not yet had an opportunity of discovering or
examining the autograph of this curious work, and
can therefore only repeat what has been said of it
by others--viz. that it contains Movements so like the
1737-1740.]
THE DOUBTFUL SERENATA.
225
Hailstone Chorus, and the Plague of Flies, that the coinci-
dence cànnot possibly have been accidental. The case,
then, rests upon still narrower grounds than those we have
already discussed in connection with the Magnificat; and
restricts itself to the question—is it possible to identify
this MS. as a genuine autograph of Stradella ? If so, we
must push the Golden Age some few years farther back
than the time of Erba—for Stradella was assassinated in
1679. If not—and we believe we are right in assert-
ing, that, on this point, no information whatever has as
yet been vouchsafed to the public—the document,
regarded as a piece of evidence, is absolutely worthless. I
Those only whose studies bring them into perpetual
contact with doubtful documents know how difficult it
is to establish the authenticity of an autograph. Even
among the Handel MSS. in the Royal Library at
Buckingham Palace, there are, at this moment, three
volumes, the genuineness of which remained unquestioned
during the greater part of a century, though not a single
note in either of the three was written by Handel: while
another volume, formerly supposed to have no connection
with the series, is undoubtedly an autograph. The
· Pölchau Collection,' in the Berlin Library, contains
more than one MS. of very doubtful authenticity. The
peculiarities of Mozart's handwriting are well known to
many intelligent critics; yet, when the controversy con-
cerning the Requiem was at its height, it was thought
necessary to submit the entire series of documents con-
cerned in it to the scrutiny of a committee consisting
of the most eminent Musicians in Vienna who were
i See an article in the ‘Monthly Musical Review' for Dec. 1, 1871.
? Anong others, a whole Oratorio falsely attributed to Handel.
See ante, pp. 22–23.
226
THE DOUBTFUL SERENATA. [CHAP. XXVII.
known to be familiar with the Composer's hand. And,
until the doubtful Serenata has been subjected to an
equally rigorous process of examination, it can only be
accepted in evidence by those who have already deter-
mined to accept a foregone conclusion. A case like this
cannot be decided by the uncorroborated dictum of a
single critic, however great his experience may be.
Sebastian Bach's second wife wrote a musical hand so
much like her husband's, that only an expert could
distinguish the one from the other. Joachim's hand-
writing bore, at one time, an equally striking resemblance
to Mendelssohn's. We have at this moment in our
possession the first sketch of an unpublished Concerto for
the Violin, composed by him in 1845, and played on
the 4th of December, in that year, at the Gewandhaus,
which exemplifies the likeness so strongly that many of
its passages might very easily be supposed to have been
written by Mendelssohn himself. Cases like these are of
frequent occurrence, and ought to make us very careful,
when a point of historical importance depends upon
the identification of unpublished documents. And even
printed evidence needs no less searching investigation.
We have already shown, that the Air in Handel's fifth
Harpsichord Lesson, was once mistaken for a Song of the
time of Clement Marot; and, that the publisher of the
book in which it was found afterwards explained that the
error arose through the adaptation of Clement Marot's
verses to Handel's printed Melody.? Who knows that
the disputed Serenata may not have been adapted,' in like
manner, a hundred years ago, from the printed copy of
Israel in Egypt ?
+ See chapter xv.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE MESSIAH.'
AFTER the delivery of his great discourse upon the Song
of Moses, it still remained for Handel to win another
triumph more brilliant and enduring than any that had
preceded it. And this he accomplished, not by writing
grander Double Choruses than those he had already pro-
duced—for that would have been impossible : but by
selecting a Subject which spoke more directly to the great
heart of humanity than any that he had hitherto treated ;
a Theme replete with imperishable interest, and exercising
an equally powerful influence on the Composer and his
audience.
In all probability, the idea of writing an Oratorio on
the subject of the Messiah' was first entertained by
Handel himself : but for the selection of passages from
Holy Scripture whereon the groundwork of the composition
is based, he was indebted to his friend, Mr. Charles
Jennens, with whom he was, by this time, on terms of the
closest intimacy. He began the work, just nine months
after the completion of his last Italian Opera, Deidamia,
as one learns from the first page of the Score, TFhich is
inscribed, Messiah. An Oratorio | Part the first I ñ
angefangen den 22 August 1741. At the end of the First
Part, the MS. is dated, August 28 4 1 1741: at the end
Q2
228
THE VISIT TO DUBLIN. [CHAP. XXVIII.
of the Second Part, o Septemb" 6 1741: and on the last
page of all, S. D. G. | Fine dell Oratorio G. F. Handel
☆ Septemba 12 | 1741 | ausgefüllet den 14 dieses. The
composition of the entire work, therefore, including the
two days spent in "filling up,' occupied twenty-four clays.
Unlike the Scores of Deborah, Athaliah, and Israel in
Egypt, which all form large Imperial folio volumes, this
MS. is written on oblong folio paper, 92 12 inches, like
that used for the Italian Operas; and, of this, it fills 275
pages. Much discussion has arisen concerning the date
of the first performance of the work, and the locality
in which it took place: but, as this part of the subject has
long since been cleared of the doubts by which it was
once surrounded, we shall spare our readers the arguments
in favour of London on the one side, and Dublin on
the other, and state the simple, facts exactly as they
occurred. 1
In the year 1741, Handel received an invitation to
Dublin from the Duke of Devonshire, then Lord-Lieutenant
of Ireland; and, having met with such doubtful success at
his last performances in London, he was not unwilling
to try the effect of his Music in a city where the popular
taste was, at that period, both refined and intelligent. His
friend, Matthew Dubourg, the Violinist, who had long
resided in the Irish Capital, no doubt prepared the public
for his reception; and there is abundant evidence to prove
that, before starting on his journey, he had entered into
correspondence with the Governors of three great Charitable
i Those who wish to pursue the subject farther may consult
an extremely interesting Account of Handel's Visit to Dublin,
by Horatio Townsend, Esq. (Dublin, 1852); Burney, Hist. iv.
661, 662. "Sketch'in Comm. pp. 25-29. Hawkins, Hist. pol. V.
lib. 4, cap. 7. Schoelcher, Life of Handel, chap, viii. ete.
1741–1742.] THE VISIT TO DUBLIN.
229
Institutions, to the funds of which he promised to con-
tribute a portion of the profits resulting from this new
venture. He had always been good to the poor, even when
poor himself. As late as the year 1740, when he was very
nearly at his worst, he had given a performance of Acis anci,
Galates for the benefit of 'The Musical Fund'; and he was
now about to prove himself more generous still.
The exact date of his departure from London is not
recorded ; but it cannot have taken place much later
than the 4th or 5th of November, 1741. Burney, then
a boy of fifteen, saw him as he passed through Chester,
and has left an amusing account of the occurrence, which
has been often quoted, and is valuable as affording proof
that the separate parts of the “ Messiah' had not, as yet,
been tried.
When Handel went through Chester,' he tells us, on his way
to Ireland, this year, 1741, I was at the Public School in that city,
and very well-remember seeing him smoke a pipe, over a dish of
coffee, at the Exchange Coffee-house; for, being extremely anxious
to see so extraordinary a man, I watched him narrowly as long
as he remained in Chester; which, on account of the wind being
unfavourable for his embarking at Parkgate, was several days.
During this time, he applied to Mr. Baker, the Organist, my
first music-master, to know whether there were any Choirmen
in the Cathedral who could sing at sight; as he wished to prove
some books that had been hastily transcribed, by trying the
Choruses which he intended to perform in Ireland. Mr. Baker
mentioned some of the most likely singers then in Chester,
and, among the rest, a printer of the name of Janson, who had
a good base voice, and was one of the best musicians in the
Choir. At this time, Harry Alcock, a good player, was the
first Violin at Chester, which was then a very musical place ;
for, besides public performances, Mr. Prebendary Prescott had
a weekly concert, at which he was able to muster eighteen or
twenty performers, gentlemen and professors. A time was
fixed for the private rehearsal at the Golden Falcon, where
HANDEL was quartered; but alas ! on trial of the Chorus in the
230
[CITAP. LXVIII.
THE VISIT TO DUBLIN.
Messiah,' 'And with His stripes we are healed,'-poor Janson,
after repeated attempts, failed so egregiously, that HANDEL let
loose his great bear upon him; and, after swearing in four or
five different languages, cried out, in broken English : “You
scoundrel! did not you tell me that you could sing at sight?"
“Yes, Sir," says the printer, "and so I can; but not at first
sight."1
The departure of the usual sailing-vessels was delayed,
for several days, by contrary winds, and it was not until
the 18th of November, that, as we learn from ‘Faulkner's
Journal,''the celebrated Dr. Handel arrived here (i.e. at
Dublin) in the Packet-boat from Holyhead. The arrival
of Signora Avolio was announced on the 24th. Mrs.
Cibber (née Arne) and the rest of the party soon followed,
and on the Sth of December the following advertisement
appeared in 'Faulkner's Journal':
Ou Donday next, being the 14th of December (and every
Day following) Attendance will be given, at Mr. Handel's house,
in Abbey-street near Lyffey-street, from 9 o'clock in the Morning
till 2 in the Afternoon, in order to receive the Subscription Money
for his Six Musical Entertainments in the New Musick Hall in
Fisbamble-street, at which Time each Subscriber will have a
Ticket delivered to him, which entitles him to three Tickets each
night, either for Ladies or Gentlemen.'
1 Sketch,' in Comm. p. 26, Note.
2 Though now one of the poorest streets in Dublin, Fishamble
Street was once both worshipful and select. The 'New Musick
Hall’tas built in 1741, for a 'Charitable Musical Society,' and
afterwards used by a 'Musical Academy,' of which the Earl of
Mornington—the Duke of Wellington's father—was president.
It was first opened to the public on the 2nd of October, in the
above-mentioned year, and therefore quite now when Handel
arrived in Dublin. Many years aftertards it was converted into
& Theatre, and, its audiences being very select, an advertisement
announced that no one would be admitted to the Boxes, or Pit,
without shoes and stockings,' indicating, of course, that gentle.
1741-1742.] THE DUBLIN CONCERTS.
231
The amount of the subscription is not mentioned, but
there is reason to believe that, though no single tickets
were sold, the price of each place was half a guinea.
The first performance, consisting of L'Allegro, with two
Concertos for several Instruments, and an Organ Concerto,
took place on the 23rd of December, and the same pieces
were repeated on the 13th of January, 1742. On the
20th the programme was changed for Acis and Galatea,
and the Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, with Concertos as before ;
and these pieces were repeated on the 27th, to be again
changed, on the 3rd and 10th of February, for Esther, with
similar Concertos.
The success of these performances was so gratifying,
that, long before their completion, Handel was requested
to give a second series. Accordingly, on the 17th of
February, and the 2nd of March, he performed Alexander's
Feast, with additions ; on the 17th of March, L'Allegro;
on the 29th, and 31st of March, Hymen—the Imeneo of
1740, converted into a Serenata ; and, on the 7th of
April, Esther'; with Concertos, as before, at every per-
formance.
From notices that appeared in 'Faulkner's Journal,' and
other Irish newspapers, we learn that the room was
filled to overflowing, on each occasion, with a more
numerous and polite audience than ever was seen upon
the like occasion. But the best account of the per-
formances we possess is contained in a letter, written by
men were expected to wear the usual evening dress of the period,
though certain Hibernian wits chose to give the passage a dif-
ferent signification. Thirty years ago, all that remained of the
theatre was a neglected old building with a wooden porch, into
which it is probable that few persons wearing shoes and
stockings' were accustomed to enter.
232
LETTER TO MR. JENNENS. [CHAP. XXVIII.
Handel himself, to Mr. Charles Jennens, and first printed
by Mr. Townsend from the original, in the possession of
Lord Howe.
'DUBLIN Decembr 29, 1741.
Sr
. "It was with the greatest Pleasure I saw the Continuation
of your kindness by the Lines You was pleased to send mo, in
order to be prefix'd to your Oratorio Messiah, which I set to
Musick before I left England. I am emboldoned, Sir, by the
generous Concern you please to take in relation to my affairs,
to give you an account of the Success I have met here. The
Nobility did me the honour to make amongst themselves a
Subscription for 6 Nights, which did fill a Room of 600 Persons,
so that I needed not sell one single ticket at the Door, and
without Vanity the Performance was received with a general
Approbation. Sigra Avolio, which I brought with me from
London, pleases extraordinary. I have form’d another Tenor
Voice which gives great Satisfaction, the Basses and Counter
Tenors are very good, and the rest of the Chorus Singers (by my
Diriction) do exceedingly well, as for the Instruments they are
really excellent, Mr. Dubourgh being at the Head of them, and
the Musick sounds delightfully in this charming Room, which
puts me in good Spirits (and my Health being so good) that I
exert myself on my Organ with more then usual success.
'I open'd with the Allegro Penseroso and Moderato, and I
assure you that the words of the Moderato are vastly admired.
The Audience being composed (besides the Fiower of Ladies of
Distinction and other People of the greatest Quality) of so many
Bishops, Deans, Heads of the Colledge, the most eminent People
in the Law as the Chancellor, Auditor General, &c &c. all which
are very much taken with the Poetry so that I am desired to
perform it again the next time. I cannot sufficiently express the
kind treatment I receive here, but the Politeness of this generous
Nation cannot be unknown to you, so I let you judge of the satis.
faction I enjoy, passing my time with Hounour, profit, and pleasure.
They propose already to have some more Performances, when the
6 Nights of the Subscription are over, and My Lord Duke the
Lord Lieutenant (who is allways present with all his Family on
those Nights) will easily obtain a longer Permission for me by His
Majesty, so that I shall be obliged to stay here longer than I
174.2.]
LETTER TO MR. JENNENS.
233
intimate my most devoted Respects to My Lord and My Lady
Shaftesbury, you know how much their kind Protection is
precious to me. Sir William Knatchbull will find here my
respectfull Compliments. You will cncrease my Obligations if
by occasion you will present my humble services to somo other
Patrons and friends of mine. I expect with impatience the
Favour of your News, concerning your Health and Wellfare, of
which I take a real share. As for the news of your Opera's I need
not trouble you, for all the Town is full of their ill success by a
number of Letters from your quarters to the People of Quality
here, and I can't help saying it furnishes great Diversion and
laughter. The first Opera ? I heard myself before I left London,
and it made me very merry all along my journey, and of the
second Opera, callid Penelope, 3 a certain nobleman writes very
jocosely, il faut que je dise arec Harlequin, nôtre Penelope
n'est qu'une Sallòpe, but I think I have trespassed too much on
your Patience.
'I beg you to be persuaded of the sincere veneration and
Estcom with which I have the Founour to be,
Sr
"Your
most obliged and most humble servant
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL.'.
It is delightful to hear Handel's own account of the
turn affairs were taking. But, the great attraction of the
Dublin season had not yet been presented; and it was
not to be included in the Subscription.
On the 23rd of March, a fortnight before the com-
pletion of the second series of Concerts, the following
advertisement appeared in "Faulkner's Journal' and the
Dublin News-Letter'-.
1 After Handel's retirement, the management of the King's
Theatre fell into the hands of Lord Middlesex, who lost heavily
by the speculation.
? A Pasticcio, called Alessandro in Persia.
3 By Galuppi.
234 FIRST PERFORMANCE OF 'MESSIAH. [CIIAP. XXVIII.
'For the Relief of the Prisoners in the several Gaols, and for
the Support of Mercer's Hospital, in Stephen's-street, and of the
Charitable Infirmary on the Inn's Quay, on Monday the 12th of
April, will be performed at the Musick Hall in Fishamble-street,
Dir. Handel's new Grand Oratorio, called the MESSIAH, in which the
Gentlemen of the Choirs of both Cathedrals will assist, with some
Concertos on the Organ, by Mr. Handell.'
This was the first time that the Oratorio had ever been
mentioned in print; and the public received the announce-
ment so warmly, that, when a later advertisement was
issued, begging that ladies would be pleased to come
without hoops, and gentlemen without their swords, all
purchasers of tickets, by courteously acceding to the
request, enabled the Stewards to seat seven hundred
persons in the room, instead of six.
On Thursday, the Sth of April, the new Oratorio was
rehearsed, in the presence of all who had bought tickets
for the ensuing performance a most Grand, Polite, and
Crowded Audience.' 'Faulkner's Journal'informed its
readers that “it was allowed by the greatest judges to
be the finest composition of Musick that was ever heard;'
and no doubt this was the general opinion, for the 'Dublin
News-Letter’expressed it in even stronger language.
Not only do these two contemporary journals furnish
us with a full account of the preliminary rehearsal of
the Oratorio, but they distinctly state that the first public
performance of the Messiah took place in the New Music
Hall, in Fishamble Street, Dublin, on Tuesday, the 13th of
April, 1742, and this account of the occurrence is corrobo-
rated by so much collateral evidence, that it is impossible
to doubt its correctness. The idea that an unsuccessful
performance had taken place, at Covent Garden, in 1741,
is proved to have been a groundless myth, traceable to
1742.] FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "MESSIAH 235
a careless mis-statement in Mainwaring's Memoirs.' The
Oratorio was never heard in London until it was given at
Covent Garden, on the 23rd of March, 1743. It is quite
certain that it was first produced in Dublin; and that, not
for the Composer's benefit, but for that of the poor, the sick,
and, more especially, the miserable prisoners for debt, whose
sufferings, during the earlier half of the eighteenth century,
were incomparably greater than when John Howard visited
Dublin in 1775. Only two years before Handel's arrival,
two prisoners were suffered to die, in the “Four Courts
Marshalsea,' from actual starvation; and it says some-
thing for the humanising influence of Art, that, moved
by the sufferings of these poor creatures, the great Com-
poser dedicated the choicest production of his genius to
their relief, realising by the performance the sum of £400,
which was divided, in equal shares, between the three
Charities mentioned in the first advertisement. No Book
of the Words' used on this occasion can now be dis-
covered, though it was advertised to be sold "for a British
Sixpence;' but we know that the principal parts were
entrusted to Signora Avolio, Mrs. Cibber, and Messrs.
Church and Ralph Roseingrave. Mrs. Cibber's delivery
of 'He was clespisecl' is said to have been indescribably
touching, and, from this time forward, Handel wrote most
of his Contralto parts expressly for her. The band was
led by Dubourg. The newspapers piled epithet upon
epithet in their columns to do justice to the performance,
which gave so great satisfaction, that, after a highly suc-
cessful performance of Saul, on the 25th of May, a general
wish was expressed that the Messiah should be repeated.
It was accordingly given again, “By Particular Desire of
several of the Nobility and Gentry,' on the 3rd of June,
with Concertos on the Organ;' and the success of the
236 ANALYSIS OF THE “MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXVIII.
second performance was no less gratifying than that of
the first.
Yet, strange to say, Handel's Music did not satisfy the
Poet to whom he was indebted for the selection of the
words. In a letter now in the possession of Earl Howe,
Mr. Charles Jennens writes to some unknown friend :
'I shall show you a collection I gave Handel, call'd Messiah,
which I value highly. He has made a fine entertainment of it,
though not near so good as he might and ought to have done. I
have with great difficulty made him correct some of the grossest
faults in the composition, but be retained his Overture obstinately,
in which there are some passages far unworthy of Handel, but
much more unworthy of tho Messiah.'
It is clear, from this, that the writer wished for an effect
at this point; and equally clear that Handel contemplated
nothing of the kind. Without pausing to enquire whether
the Instrumental Prelude was worthy or unworthy of his
pen, he simply strove to bring the mind of his audience
into the exact condition necessary for the consideration of
the solemn Story that was to follow. The effect came
later, when the wailing Minor of the “Sinfony' gave
place to the reiterated Major Chords of the opening
Recitative—a contrast than which nothing more beautiful
was ever conceived in Music. The whole of this Recita-
tive is of unapproachable loveliness; and the Air which
follows is one of the finest Compositions of the purely
epic class we possess. No picture was ever more clearly,
or more poetically painted, than the long long course of
the straightened highway, as symbolised by the reiterated
Quavers in the introductory Ritornello, the sixth and ninth
bars of which are unhappily omitted in Arnold's Score, and
all later editions based upon it, to the great detriment of
the Composer's striking idea. Throughout the whole
1742.]
ANALYSIS OF THE “MESSIAH.
237
of this portion of the Oratorio, the epic element prevails
over every other; yet, not without vividly descriptive
passages, such as the rolling Semiquavers in ‘Thus saith
the Lord, and the sombre Unisons in “The people that
walked in darkness '-—though the poetical imagery of the
last-named Air, as we now always hear it, is very much
weakened by Mozart's delicious Clarinet passages, which
substitute, for the darkness' described by Isaiah, a
dreamy golden light, as softly delicate as that in Claude's
S. Ursula, and not one whit less beautiful, though utterly
subversive of the Prophet's meaning. Then follows
the tremendous climax, at the words, Wonderful !
Counsellor !' And, here, the prophetic exordium of the
Oratorio comes to an end, after having worthily prepared
the hearer for the narrative portion which immediately
succeeds it. The Story of the Nativity is described in a
series of pictures, as delicately painted as the Notte of
Correggio; and, of course, designed to induce precisely
similar emotions. The vigil of the Shepherds is repre-
sented by the tranquil Pifa, founded upon a Calabrian
Melody possibly of great antiquity. Handel had trea-
sured this up in his memory, ever since he first heard
it, thirty-two years previously, in Rome; and he now
used it to such excellent purpose, that we are made to
see the 'Shepherds, abiding in the field,' long before they
are introduced to us in the words of the Evangelist. This
wonderful scene finds its climax in the Chorus, ' Glory to
God in the Trighest'; in which the silvery tones of the
old Slide-Trumpets, are heard for the first time, da
lontano, to represent the Music of the Heavenly Host, as
the Shepherds heard it, at Bethlehem, on that Night of
Nights, swelling nearer and nearer, at the words 'Good-
will towards men, and finally dying away, with the
238 ANALYSIS OF THE MESSIAH. [CHAP. LXVIII.
gradual departure of the Angelic Choir, in the gentlest
pianissimo attainable by Art.I Then follows the flashing
Aria i agilità, ' Rejoice greatly'--a cry of prophetic joy,
inspired by the recollection of the Celestial Concert; after
which the First Part concludes with a second promise of
comfort, in 'He shall feed His flock, -another Pastoral
Melody, the touching beauty of which has endeared it to
every generation of hearers, from the night of its first
performance, to the present time—and the succeeding
Chorus, ' His yoke is easy.'
The Second Part relates the sad Story of the Passion :
first calling upon us to 'Behold the Lamb of God'; and
then describing, with ineffable pathos, the sufferings of
the "Man of Sorrows, despised and rejected of men,'
"bearing our griefs,' and 'wounded for our transgressions,
heart-broken with the 'rebuke' of the Almighty Father,
yet finding none 'to comfort Him,' even among those for
whose iniquities 'He was cut off, out of the land of the
living.' No attempt is made to separate the harrowing
details of the Gospel Narrative: but the Subject is treated,
in the words of antient Prophecy, as one long sorrowful
whole; and brought before us with a tenderness of expres-
sion to which no words can do adequate justice. It
has been said, that, in the Chorus, ‘All we like sheep,'
Handel has given too realistic an interpretation of the
words, and described the wanderings of a scattered flock,
instead of the backslidings of human sinners : but, as we
have elsewhere had occasion to observe, Handel has gone
more deeply into the matter than the critics who find fault
with him. There is folly as well as wickedness in
rebellion against the Law of God. Some men sin through
mere thoughtlessness: the disobedience of others is
1 See Burney, Comm. of Handel, p. 77.
239
deliberate and intentional. Handel has something to say
to us about both classes of evil-doers. In the first part of
the Chorus, he shows how thoughtless sinners take pleasure
in their vain conceits. In the second, he describes the
fatal consequences of their rebellion, and the price which
must be paid, by the Messiah, not only for man's wilful
disobedience, but even for his foolishness. But there is
another side to the picture ; and it is painted for us in
glowing colours. After the prophetic foreshadowing of the
Resurrection, in “But Thou diclst not leave His soul in hell,
comes the triumphant Chorus, 'Lift up your heads'; and, from
this point we are led on, step by step, to the grandest
climax of the whole, the glorious 'Hallelujah,' which so
affected the audience, when it was first sung at Covent
Garden, on the 23rd of March, 1743, that the whole
assembly, with King George II. at its head, rose up, as one
man, and remained standing until the end of the Chorus
-a reverent custom which has been continued, from that
day to this, whenever the Oratorio is performed in any
part of England. We have no record of any such
certain that Handel himself felt very deeply on the
subject; for Miss Hawkins tells us, on the authority of Dr.
Allott, Dean of Raphoe, that, when questioned as to the
impression under the influence of which he composed it,
he replied, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me,
and the great GOD Himself.'?
It needed a very great genius to carry on the interest
of the work beyond this point. Many very great geniuses
would have thought that enough had already been done :
but Handel knew that there was more to be said; and
1 See Forbes's Life of Beattie, vol. ii. pp. 79, 80, Letter 146.
? Anecdotes of Music, etc.
240
ANALYSIS OF THE MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXVIII.
felt himself capable of saying it, without fear of the
depressing influence of an anti-climax. It remained to
connect this Heavenly Hallelujah with man's hope of his
own joyful resurrection; and the connection is effected
by the lovely Aria di portamento, 'I know that my
Redeemer• liveth,' artfully supported by the simplest possible
Accompaniment, for the obvious reason that any attempt
at massive grandeur must necessarily have produced a.
weak effect, after the excitement of the previous Music.
After this, we are again led on, through a series of
transcendently beautiful movements, including the
thrilling Air, 'The Trumpet shall sound, to the only
other Chorus in the world that will bear comparison with
the 'Hallelujah'~Worthy is the Lamb,' with its magnifi-
cent peroration, 'Amen. If anything can increase the
delight we feel in listening to this great choral master-
piece, it is the knowledge that its apparent simplicity veils
an amount of learning so great that it needs a very earnest
Musician indeed to appreciate it. The effect produced is
that of huge massive grandeur-colossal proportion,
majestic breadth hewn out of the solid mass without
machinery by which this effect is attained is, in reality,
far more complicated than that employed for the most
elaborate Choruses in Israel in Egypt; and results, when
with the utmost severity, yet so studiously concealed, that
the last thing one thinks about, in listening to it, is, the
labour it must have cost to invent it.
How far Mr. Charles Jennens appreciated the depth
of Handel's interpretation of the Messich, it would be
difficult to say. Bút it would be manifestly unjust to
criticise his somewhat unfortunate expressions au pied de
1742-1883.] POPULARITY OF THE “MESSIAH. 241
la lettre. Indeed, we may be sure, that, in speaking of
(a fine Entertainment,' he does not mean to convey the
idea that we should attach to the words at the present
day. Still, it is much to be feared that his objections
were shared by other critics ; for, notwithstanding its
triumphant reception in Dublin, the Oratorio did not
succeed so rapidly, in England, as might have been ex-
pected; though, in time, it attained a higher and more
lasting popularity than has been awarded to any other
composition in the world. Handel generally performed it
some few times every year; and, from 1750 to 1758, gave
it annually-_and sometimes twice a year—in the Chapel
of the Foundling Hospital, for the benefit of the Charity,
to which he bequeathed a copy of the Score and Parts.
He also performed it, at Covent Garden, on the 6th of
April, 1759, eight days only before his death; and, had
he lived, would have presided at another performance, at
the Foundling Hospital, on the 3rd of May. On the
29th of May, and the 5th of June, 1784, the Messiah was
performed at the great 'Handel Commemoration,' in
Westminster Abbey ; on which occasion, King George III.,
by a wave of his hand, commanded a repetition of
the Hallelujah and Amer Choruses, during the last of
which it is now the custom to make a general rush for the
door. From 1791 to 1861, it was annually given, on
Christmas Eve, by the Cæcilian Society. The Sacred
Harmonic Society first performed it, in the great room, at
Exeter Hall, on the 20th of December, 1836. On the
20th of June, 1859, it was given at the Handel Centenary
Festival, at the Crystal Palace, where it has been repeated
triennially. And, at our provincial Musical Festivals, it
always occupies the place of honour.
The Messiah was the last Oratorio at which Handel
R
242
[CHAP. XXVIII.
THE FOREST MUSICK.'
presided during his stay in Dublin. He returned to
England on Friday, the 13th of August, 1742, after a
residence of nearly nine months in the Irish Capital,
carrying away with him many pleasant memories, and
leaving behind him a crowd of warm-hearted admirers.
Among these was a certain amateur, for whom he wrote a
Lesson for the Harpsichord, called ' Forest Musick.' The
original MS. of this has been lost; but Mr. Townsend
obtained a copy from an old lady to whom it had been
given by the original possessor of the Autograph ; and
another copy was once in the possession of Dr. Petrie. It
is from these that the printed copies now in circula-
tion have been more or less correctly reproduced. The
piece is chiefly interesting as being the only one which
Handel is known to have composed during his stay in
Ireland: but his real connecting link with that country
is his greatest Oratorio. Had he never written anything
but that, we should still have recognised him as the
greatest Composer in the world.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE TECHNICAL HISTORY OF THE 'MESSIAH.'
To accommodate the capabilities of his Singers, Handel
made almost as many changes in the Messiah, at different
times, as he had previously made in Acis and Galatea,
though the additions were less extensive, and no words
were ever introduced except those taken from Holy
Scripture.
Unhappily, other people made changes, also. At the
second performance in Westminster Abbey, Trombones
were introduced into the Hallelujah Chorus, and Worthy
is the Lamb. In 1789, Mozart wrote his famous ' Addi-
tional Accompaniments'; which Hauptmann naïvely com-
pares to stucco ornaments on a marble temple.'l Later
Directors have added the full weight of a military
1 Mit der Mozartschen Instrumentation des "Messias' kommt
mir's auch wie Ihnen. Es hat mir immer wie zierliche Stucca-
turarbeit an einem alten Marmor-Tempel geschienen, die sich
auch wieder abröckeln könnte und leicht verwittern.'—Briefe an
Tranz Hauser, vol. ii. p. 140. Hauptmann's playful simile expresses
the exact truth. Nevertheless, the primary intention of these
Accompaniments has been very generally misunderstood. The
Baron van Swieten wished to perform some Oratorios by Handel
in the great Hall of the Hofbibliothek, at Vienna, in which there
was no Organ to support the harmonies indicated by the Figured
Bass. It was absolutely indispensable that some substitute
R
2
244 TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXIX.
band to the additions of Mozart. And the musical
text has, through the carelessness of early editors,
been more extensively corrupted than most students are
aware. Not long ago, we were discussing this subject
with one of the greatest Singers of the present century
-a lady who won some of her brightest triumphs in
the Messiah, and always strove to give the purest possible
rendering of everything she sang. Said our friend, ‘Before
you can make the world understand what a beautiful thing
the Score of the Messiah is, you must wash it clean.'
From that moment, we determined to do the best we
could to wash it clean': and, by way of making a
beginning, we propose to devote our present Chapter to
the consideration of a few of the more important differences
of reading' to which our attention has been directed,
during careful and reiterated examination of the valuable
records to which we have been fortunate enough to obtain
access. At the same time, we shall gratefully avail our-
"selves of the labours of other Commentators in the same
direction ; for we are not the first to whom the idea of
purification has suggested itself, and all we can hope to
do is, to add a little to the mass of valuable criticism
which has already appeared in print.
The most important authorities for the pure musical
text of the Messiah are:
(1) The Autograph Score, in the Royal Library.
(2) Some detached pieces, in Handel's handwriting,
contained in the volume labelled 'Sketches,' in the same
Collection:
would have been too weak for the purpose : and the Baron
suggested to Mozart the employment of Wind Instruments,
which were accordingly added to Acis and Gulatec, in 1788, to
the DIessiah, in 1789, and to Alexander's Feast, and the Ode for
S. Cecilia's Day, in 1790.
1742.7
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIAH!
245
(3) A magnificent folio Conducting Score, 194 inches
high, in Smith's handwriting, in the same Collection.
(4) A smaller Conducting Score, in two oblong 4to
volumes, in the Collection of the Rev. Sir Frederick
Ouseley, chiefly in Smith's bandwriting, but containing
innumerable autograph annotations, and many pages of
Music written entirely by Handel himself. As this most
interesting MS., second only in historical importance to
the original Autograph, is known to have been used on
the occasion of the first performance of the Oratorio, at
Dublin, it is now generally described as the Dublin MS.
Its connection with the Irish Capital is, indeed, a very
intimate one; for, after enriching it with memoranda of
the utmost importance, and using it at many public
performances, Handel himself presented it, either to the
City of Dublin, or to the Musical Society established
there. Some twenty-five years later, it was sold, by
its fortunate possessors, to Mr. Ottley. This gentleman
bequeathed it to his nephew, the late Captain Ottley,
And finally, it was given, by Captain Ottley, to its
present proprietor, to whose kindness we are indebted
for permission to lay before our readers some of the
most important information it contains.
(5) The Conducting Score, in Smith's handwriting,
bequeathed, by Handel, to the Foundling Hospital.
(6) Another Conducting Score, also in Smith's hand-
writing, in the Schoelcher Collection at Hamburg.
(7) A similar Score, transcribed by the same hand, in
the Collection of Henry Barrett Lennard, Esq., at Hamp-
stead.
(8) The early printed editions by Walsh,1 Wright,
1 Walsh himself only printed the Airs in the Messiah. His
successors, Wright, and Randall and Abell, embodied these in a
246
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF "MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXIX.
Randall and Abell, Harrison,1 and (if received with
caution) Arnold.
The Overture (called by Handel, Sinfony) is incomplete,
both in the Autograph, and the Dublin MS. In the
former, the last 61 bars of the Fugue are missing : in the
latter, the Grave, and the first 43 bars of the Fugue.
The Fugue was first marked Allegro giusto, afterwards
Allegro moderato. Tradition asserts that Handel wrote
a Minuet, in E Major, to form the conclusion of the
Overture, when played apart from the Oratorio. A MS.
believed to be the Autograph of this was, for many years,
in the possession of the Rev. William Gostling, Minor
Canon of Canterbury, and son of the Rev. John Gostling,
Sub-Dean of S. Paul's, the celebrated Bass Singer.
Comfort ye My people. In the Tenor Clef. The first
13. bars are missing, in the Autograph; which differs
from all the early printed Scores, in that the Chords, at
* The voice of him that crieth,' are marked forte. In the
Dublin MS. the names of 'Mr. Beard," "Mr. Lowe,' and
Sigra Avolio,' are inserted in pencil; plainly indicating
that Handel himself permitted this Movement to be sung,
either by a Tenor or a Soprano Voice.
Every valley. In the Tenor Clef. In the Autograph,
the Dublin MS., and the printed editions of Walsh,
Randall and Abell, and Harrison, the introductory and
complete edition of the Score—the earliest ever published. The
original plates of this invaluable edition, together with those of
Judas Maccabceus, Acis and Galatea, Zadoli the Priest, and the
Dettingen Te Deum, are now in the possession of Messrs.
Novello & Co., who still keep the works in print.
1 Harrison's edition is the first that was ever published with a
Harpsichord Accompaniment only. It is now exceedingly rare.
· The earlier printed Scores give all the Airs, except those
written for the Bass Voice, in the Treble Clef.
gives 9 only; and all later editors have followed him.
The bars omitted by Arnold are, the sixth, and ninth ;
which, in the original, are filled with a twofold reiteration
of the first group of Quavers in the seventh, and tenth
bars, respectively. In the Dublin MS. these two bars
were once pasted over-certainly, not by Handel, who,
had he wished to eliminate them, would assuredly have
done so by a couple of strokes of his bold lead-pencil.
The Dublin MS. contains a long Cadenza, at the end of
the Air, in Smith's handwriting. The only name men-
tioned in the Autograph, is that of Mr. Beard.'l In the
Dublin MS. the three names prefixed to Comfort ye apply
to this also.
And the Glory of the Lord. In this, and subsequent
Choruses, the Dublin MS. indicates, with great precision,
the places in which the Ripieni are to be introduced, by
means of the directions, Con Rip, Con Rip forte, Con Rip
piano, Senza Rip, etc., etc., all written, in ink, by Handel
himself.
Thus saith the Lord. Autograph, M. Reinhold.
Dublin MS., “Mr. Reinhold,' 'M2. Savage,' 'Mr.
Masson.'
But who may abide? This Air was originally written
for a Bass Voice, as in the Autograph, in Smith's hand-
writing in the Dublin MS., in Randall's Score (p. 21)
and Arnold's (p. 20). But in the Autograph, Handel has
pencilled, above the original Bass version, the words,
• Un tono più alto ex E for Mi. Low in Tenor Cliff In
the Dublin MS., he has written over it, ' For Guadagni';
1 The names pencilled by Handel on the Autograph do not
appear in the photolithographic reproduction issued by the Sacred.
Harmonic Society, in 1868.
248 TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIA H.' [CHAP. XXIX.
and then re-written the whole, in the Alto Clef, in the
form in which it is now usually sung-1.e. with the two
Prestissimi, as given by Randall and Abell, (Appendix,
p. 1) and Arnold, (p. 22)—repeating the words ' For
Guadagni,' over the newer version. He has also written,
in the Dublin MS., 'A note higher. Eb.' 'Calori Gobi,
“Miss Young,' 'Miss Brent,' 'Sig. Ricciarelli, Miss
Frederick.' The Foundling Hospital and Hamburg MSS.
both contain the Alto version ; to which the former adds
a transposed copy, in A Minor, and the latter, one in
G Minor, both for a Soprano Voice.1
And He shall purify. The Dublin MS. has Senza Rip,
until bar 15, where it indicates a remarkable filling in of
the Harmony, during the latter half of the bar.
Recit. Behold, a Virgin, and Air with Chorus, 0 thou
that tellest. Alto Clef. In Autograph, 'Mrs. Cibber.'
In Dublin MS., 'Guadagni," Mrs. Cibber,'Sigra Galli,
Miss Young. The words, GOD WITH US, are written,
in the Autograph, in very large letters.
Recit. For behold. Air, “The people that walked. In
Autograph, 'M1. Reinhold. In Dublin MS., 'M'. Rein-
hold,'Mr. Masson.' At bar 23 of the Air, both MSS.
divide the words as in Walsh's original edition, and
Randall and Abell's Score. Both Arnold and Harrison
divide them incorrectly; and most modern editors have
followed their example.
For unto us a child is born. The pianos and fortes
usually observed in singing this Chorus are distinctly
indicated in the Autograph, though omitted by Randall
i The true history of this remarkable Air was first elucidated
by Mr. W. G. Cusins; to whose valuable litlile brochure, entitled,
Handel's Messiah (Augener & Co., 1874) we are indebted for
much of the information contained in this chapter.
1742.] TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIAH.. 249
and Abell, and Harrison. In the Dublin MS. the in-
tention is still more strongly enforced by the words
Senza Rip, and Con Rip. Arnold's direction, Oboe
1° e 2° col Soprano, is not in the Autograph.
The Pifa (commonly known as the Pastoral Symphony).
is scored, in the Autograph, the Dublin MS., and the
Hamburg Conducting Score, for three Violins, Viola, and
Bass; but, in all the printed editions, without exception,
the part for the Third Violin -- which should play,
throughout, an octave below the first-has been omitted. I
In the Second Violin Part of bar 1, Mozart has substi-
tuted a Quaver, B, for the dot of the first Crotchet (C).
In bar 9, the fourth note of the Melody is always printed
C, in place of the E written by Handel.2
Originally, this Movement ended at the eleventh bar. The
Second Part is added, in the Autograph, on a little slip of
paper, bound up with the rest. On the back of this slip
is another Second Part, crossed out by Handel, and not
included in the Sacred Harmonic Society's photolitho-
graphic reproduction. The Dublin MS. gives the first Second
Part, though it has been pasted over. The Hamburg MS.
gives the First Part only. In the Dublin MS. the whole
is marked Senza Rip, in Handel's handwriting. The
word Pifa, at the beginning, refers to the old Chaunt of
the Piferari, on which the melody is founded. In the
copy of the Score published by the English Handel
Society, Dr. Rimbault has given the Chaunt in extenso,
1 Mr. Cusins was the first to call attention to the fact that
the part for the Third Violin is systematically omitted, in per-
formance. His little book contains the only copy existing in
print of the rejected Second Part of the Movement.
? Mr. Cusins was also the first to call attention to this very
serious misprint.
250 TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIA:H.' [CHAP. XXIX.
on the authority of a MS. copy supposed to be consider-
ably anterior to the time of Handel.
There were Shepherds : And lo! the Angel : And the
Angel said : And suddenly. Soprano Clef. Assigned, in
the Autograph, to “Mrs. Clive'; in the Dublin MS. to
“Mrs. Clive," "The Boy; Frasi, “Mr. Norris,' and
Sigra. Francesina.' 'In the Autograph, and the Dublin
and Hamburg MSS., the second Recit., 'And lo! the
Angel,' is marked Andante e piano; while the fourth,
And suddenly,' is marked Allegro. This last and most
important direction is omitted, by common consent, in
all printed copies. The Air, ‘But lo! the Angel, assigned
to 'Mrs. Clive,' was an afterthought; and is written, in
the Autograph, on a loose sheet, which was interpolated,
after the completion of the Score.
Glory to God. Written for Stringed Instruments and
Trumpets, without Drums. Mozart has added Horns and
Drums, and makes the Trumpets begin where Handel makes
them leave off. Handel, in the Autograph, first marked
the Trumpet parts, In disparte (i.c. aside); but afterwards
crossed out the words, substituting for them, Da lontano
omitted ; but provision is made for a striking effect, by the
use of the words, Con Ripieni per tutto at the beginning,
and, at bar 43, where the diminuendo begins, Senza Ripicni.
Rejoice greatly. Soprano Clef.' In the Autograph, the
Bass of this is written in Common Time, and the other
parts in }, as at page 60 of Randall and Abell's Score, and
page 64 of Arnold's. In the Dublin MS. the Bass stands,
as in the Autograph, but in a strange handwriting; and.
Handel has written the Voice and Violin parts above it,
with the well-known Semiquaver passages, in Common
Time, as in Randall and Abell (Appendix, p. 8); and
1742.]
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF 'MESSIAE.
251
Arnold, p. 68. The Dublin MS. mentions the names of
The Boy,''Frasi,' and 'Mr. Beardl.'
He shall feed His flock, and Come unto Him. In the
Autograph, these form two verses of a single Air, in B flat,
and in the Soprano Clef. The same version occurs in
the Dublin MS., for Sigra Francesina," "Mrs. Cibber,
‘Miss Frederick,' 'Miss Young,' and 'Robinson’; but
here it is followed by another version, on two inserted
leaves, in Smith's handwriting, in which the first part is
in F, and the second in B flat. Smith’s Conducting
Scores, at Buckingham Palace, and in Hamburg, give
only this second version in the two keys; and the
preceding Recitative, Then shall the cyes, is also transposed,
to correspond.
· His yoke is easy. All printed copies, without exception,
give the Subject of this Chorus inaccurately. Handel wrote
the second group of Semiquavers, in the second bar, with
a dot to the first note only; and continued this form at
every re-appearance of the Subject, to the end of the
Chorus. In the published editions, the first and third Semi-
quavers in this group are both dotted, at each return of
the Subject, though Randall gives the passage correctly,
towards the close of the movement. The whole swing of the
Subject is changed, and half the dignity of its expression
lost, by this mis-reading, which, so far as we have been
able to ascertain, has never yet been noticed, either by
Critics or Conductors.
Behold the Lamb of God. The text of this is given
correctly, in most printed editions.
He was despised. Alto Clef. This was first sung by
Mrs. Cibber; and a Contralto Voice seems indispensable
for its true expression : but, in the Dublin MS., it is
assigned to Francesind,' 'Mi. Norris,' and Calori,
252
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF 'MESSIAH. (CIAP. ISIX.
COP
with directions that it is to be transposed ' a note highier.?
to 'F. Most Singers seriously injure the effect of this
Air, by throwing the chief stress on the word vas,
instead of 'He.' In cases like this, the rhythmic accent
of the bar ought not to be allowed to interfere with the
rhetorical expression of the text; though it needs a great
elocutionist to draw the necessary distinction.
Surely, He hath borne our griefs. Always printed
correctly.
And with His stripes. We are again indebted to Mr.
Cusins for pointing out an almost universal misprint, in the
opening of this Chorus. The words, 'we are,' ought to
be sung to two Minims; not to a dotted Minim, and a
Crotchet. Handel twice changed his mind, while writing
the Autograph ; but finally decided upon the two Minims,
and continued the passage, in this form, throughout the
rest of the Chorus.
All we like sheep. The staccato dashes given by
Arnold are indicated, by vigorous pen-strokes, in the
Autograph.
All they that see Hin. Tenor Clef. Autograph, 'Mr.
Beard. Dublin MS., 'Mr. Beard,' M1. Low,' 'Sigia
Avolio.'
He trusted in God. Always correctly printed.
Thy Rebuke. Tenor Clef. Autograph, 'Signra Avolio.'
Dublin MS., 'Mr. Beard, Mr. Low," "Sigra Frasi," "Sgice
Avolio.
Behold and see. Tenor Clef. No name in Autograph.
Dublin MS., 'Mr. Beard,' 'Mr. Low,''Siga Frasi," "Sigra
Francesina.' The names of Sigra Francesina, and Mr. Low,
are indistinct, and very doubtful.
1 Madame Sainton-Dolby never failed to do so; and we may be
sure that Mrs. Cibber expressed the passage faithfully.
1742.]
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF 'MESSIAH.
253
He was cut off. In Tenor Clef, in the Autograph, and
Dublin MS.; but Soprano, in Smith's large Conducting
Score at Buckingham Palace. Autograph, 'All Mr. Low.'
Dublin MS., 'Mr. Low," "The Boy,''Sigra Frasi.
But Thou didst not leave. In Tenor Clef, in the Auto-
graph, and Dublin MS.; but Soprano, in Smith's large
Conducting Score. The Dublin MS. has “The Boy;'
Mr. Lowe,' and 'Mr. Beard.'
Lift up your Heads. In all the MSS. the words stand,
Who is this king of glory?' Schoelcher makes an extra-
ordinary mistake in assigning to this Chorus the Instru-
mentation of an unpublished Double Concerto with which
it has no sort of connection.1
Unto which of the Angels. In Tenor Clef. Autograph,
“Mr. Beard.? Dublin MS., “Mr. Beard,” Mr. Low," "Sigru
Avolio.'
Let all the Angels of God. Always correctly printed.
Thou art gone up on high. For a Bass Voice,2 in Auto-
graph, and Dublin MS. ; but, in the latter, the Bass
version is crossed out, and Handel has re-composed it, in
the Alto Clef,3 for Guadagni.' This is the version given
in both Smith's Conducting Scores. In the Foundling
Hospital MS., the Air is transposed to G Minor. The
Dublin MS. mentions the names of Guadagni,' “Miss
Young,' and 'Sig. Riccialdi, and also gives the third
version, in Smith's handwriting, in G Minor.
The Lord gave the word. In Randall and Abell,
1 Life of Handel, p. 239. We shall have occasion to speak of
this Double Concerto again, in chapter xxxviii.
. ? As in Randall and Abell (p. 14, Appendix); and Arnold,
p. 134.
3 As in Randall and Abell, p. 121; and Arnold, p. 132. No
MS. authority can be found for the other Alto version, given
by Randall and Abell, at p. 12, Appendix, and Arnold, p. 129.
254 TECHNICAL HISTORY OF 'MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXIX.
Arnold, and most modern reprints, the first five notes of
the Tenor, in bar 3, are printed a Third too high.
How beautiful. Soprano. Clef. The original version,
in G Minor, has a Second Part, to the words "Their sound
is gone out, with a Da Capo, given both in the Auto-
graph, and the Dublin MS., and printed both by Randall
and Abell, and Arnold. The Dublin MS. has The Boy,'
· Frasi, and for 'Guadagni ex c': and Guadagni's
version, in C Minor, is given by Randall and Abell, at
p. 31, Appendix; and by Arnold, at p. 150.
· There are three other versions, of which only one has
been published.
The first is a Duet, for two Altos, in D Minor,
leading into a Chorus for five Voices, "Break forth into
joy. The principal Melody of this is the same as
that of the Air in G Minor, and the whole Composition
is of rare beauty. The original MS. is bound up at the
end of the Autograph ; and Handel has written upon it,
in pencil, 'Sgra Avolio,' 'Mrs. Clive,' 'Mr. Low," "Mr.
Beard,' and other names, now all but obliterated, besides
pencilling-in the whole of the Second Alto Part, and
a few bars of the First, an Octave higher, to suit the
Soprano Voices. The piece is printed both by Randall
and Abell, and Arnold.
The next version, the original MS. of which is contained
in the volume labelled 'Sketches,' is also a Duet for two
Altos, in the same key, adapted to the same words,
founded on the same Melody, and developing into the
same Chorus à 5. But, this piece begins with a long
Instrumental Ritornello, which bears no resemblance to
the other version, until the 25th bar; after which the
two pieces correspond tolerably closely, for some distance,
though with considerable difference in the Violin passages,
1742.]
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF "MESSIAH.'
255
and other details of importance. The Solo parts of this
are marked, “Mr. Bayly,' and 'Mr. Menz.'
The last version, also contained in the volume of
Sketches,' is a Soprano Solo, in D Major, founded on
quite a different Melody, and followed by a Chorus
Break forth into joy,' in which the words, 'How beautiful'
afterwards reappear, adapted to the Melody of the Solo.
Neither of these last two versions has ever been printed;
nor has another piece, in the same volume, which may or
may not have been intended for insertion into the Messiah,
at one of the later performances. This is an Air for
Soprano and Chorus, in E Major, marked for the Boy,'
and adapted to the words, 'The Lord hath given strength
unto His people. The pages of these MSS. have been so
cruelly misplaced by the bookbinder, that the three pieces
we have mentioned are constantly running into one
another; but no part of any of the Movements is missing.
Their sound is gone out. The Chorus, in E flat, is
bound up at the end of the Autograph; as is also an Air,
in F, set to the same words, in Smith's handwriting,
marked "Mr. Beard. In the Dublin MS. this Chorus,
in an unknown handwriting, but containing autographic
annotations as to the introduction of the Ripieni, has
been interpolated between the pages of the Air.
Why do the nations ? The Dublin and Hamburg MSS,
break into a Recitative, at the 39th bar. Arnold has
printed both this, and the original version. The Dublin
MS. is marked, “Mr. Reinhold.
Let us break their bonds. Marked, in the Autograph,
and Dublin MS., Allegro e staccato. Arnold, and most
other editors, give Larghetto e staccato.
Recit. He that clwell.eth in Heaven, and Air, Thou shalt
break them. Tenor Clef. The Dublin MS. has, ‘Mr.
256 TECHNICAL HISTORY OF 'MESSIAH.” [CHAP. XXIX.
Beard, 'Mr. Low. Mr. Cusins, whose minute investiga-
tions have left but little to be discovered by later explorers,
points out, that, in all our published editions, the four
Semiquavers, and the last Quaver but one, in the First
Violin part of bar 38, are printed a note too high. The
Dublin MS. has a Recitative, in Smith's handwriting, as a
_substitute for the Song.
Hallelujah. The piano usually observed at the words,
The kingdom of this world,' is not in the original MS.
The Subjects adapted to these words, and to · And He
shall reign for ever and ever,' correspond very closely with
the seventh and twelfth lines of the Choral Wachet auf,
xuft uns die Stimme. That sung to the words 'For the
Lord God Omnipotent reigneth,' is a fragment of very
antient Plain Chaunt, used by Handel in several other
Choruses, and by Byrd in 'Non nobis Domine.'
I know that my Redeemer liveth. Soprano Clef. As-
signed, in the Dublin MS., to 'Sigra Frasi,'' Sigru. Avolio,'
Sigra Francesina,'' Edwards,' and 'The Boy.'
Since by man came cleath: By man came also : For as ir
Adlam: Even so in Christ. The first and third of these
short Choruses were intended, by Handel, to be sung with-
out any Accompaniment whatever. The Organ Part given
by Arnold is an impertinent addition to the Score. Handel
has given, in each case, a single Crotchet, at the beginning,
to start the Voices—and that is all. Mozart has added
a Trombone Accompaniment.
Behold, I tell you a Mystery, and The Trumpet shall
sound, are assigned, in the Dublin MS., to ‘M1. Masson,
and “Mr. Reinhold.'
Then shall be brought to pass. Alto Clef. Dublin MS.,
Sigra Galli, Guadagni," "Mrs. Cibber,' and ‘Miss Young.'
O Death, where is thy sting? The Dublin MS. assigns
17"
1742.] TECHNICAL HISTORY OF 'MESSIAH. 257
the Alto parts to 'Sigra Galli,' and 'Guadagni': and
the Tenor to “Mr. Beard,' and 'Mr. Low'; but Signora
Francesina also sang this part, an Octave higher. In
addition to these names, the Dublin MS. mentions that of
‘Miss Young. Arnold's second version of this Duet, at
page 195, is only the first, shortened.
But thanks be to God. The printed copies of this are
correct.
If God be for us. The Dublin MS. has, - Sigra Galli,
"The Boy,''Miss Brent,'"Cuzzoni,' and 'for Guadagni
ex C. It is often said, that dotted rests were not used
in the time of Handel; but this Air abounds with
examples of them.
Worthy is the Lamb, and Amen. These two grand
Choruses abound with afterthoughts, which make the
perusal of the Autograph Score exceedingly instructive.
The Dublin MS. contains a cut, fusing the two into one,
in such sort that the word, 'Amen,' is brought in, at the
end of the first Movement, and the second Movement
omitted altogether. Three intensely interesting Studies
for the Stretto of the final Fugue are preserved in the
Fitzwilliam Museum, at Cambridge. These are written
in Alla breve Time, in the key of G—though without
the necessary F sharp at the Signature—and were
evidently made for the purpose of testing the capabilities
of the Subject for Canonic Imitation. The substance of
all the three appears in the finished Chorus, with very
little change beyond the necessary transposition.]
Slight as is the sketch we have here presented to our
1 The Sketches will be found at page 63 of the volume of
Autographs labelled X. 3. 29. They have lately been printed,
for the first time, in the Dictionary of Music and Musicians,
vol. iii., p. 527.
258 TECHNICAL HISTORY: OF "MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXIX.
readers, we have, we hope, said enough to show that no
small amount of care is needed, on the part of Conductors
who would give the musical text of the Messiah in its
primitive purity. Fortunately, we have ample facilities,
both for the collation of doubtful readings, and for the
interpretation of Handel's own ideas with regard to his
great masterpiece. The Dublin MS. teaches us how much
he depended, for his effects, upon the judicious use of the
Ripieni. The consentient evidence afforded by the most
important MS. Scores proves that he was not at all
particular as to the keys in which his Airs were sung.
Neither did he think it necessary to allot them always
to the same voices. Thus, we find 'Comfort ye, My
people, "Every valley,' 'Rejoice greatly,' and the Airs
relating to the “The Passion,' assigned to a Soprano or
a Tenor indiscriminately. It is interesting, too—though
not from a technical point of view to find him, on an
occasion concerning which we possess no other record,
entrusting a share in the performance to his old rebellious
subject, Cuzzoni.? These records of Handel's own
management justify an almost unlimited exercise of
discretion, on the part of the Director, with regard to
his choice of Singers. Great consideration is also
necessary, with regard to the constitution of the Orchestra
employed. Mozart's Accompaniments have long been
popularly regarded as integral parts of the work; though
i This can only have been during her last visit to England, in
1748, when the charm of her voice had entirely disappeared.
After this she sank lower and lower in the social scale; lost
her artistic status; and, for a long time, maintained herself by
making buttons, in Bologna, where she died in 1770, in a state
of the most abject poverty, attributable catirely to her violent
temper, and improvident habits.
1742.]
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIAH.
259
they were written, as we have already explained, to
supply a need which no longer exists, and were intended
for use under altogether exceptional circumstances. On
the other hand, it would be a great mistake to
omit Wind Instruments in the performance of the
Messiah. The only additions to the Stringed Band, in
the Autograph Score, are the Trumpets and Drums.
But the archives of the Foundling Hospital show,
that, in 1759, the year of Handel's death, the
Orchestra employed consisted of twelve Violins, three
“Tenners,' three Violoncelli, two Contra-Bassi, four Haut-
boys, four Bassoons, two Horns, two Trumpets, Kettle-
Drums, and Organ. It is much to be hoped that the
Horn parts may some day be brought to light. With
regard to the rest, we know all that we need to know. In
Handel's time, it was always understood, that, in the tutti
passages the Violins were to be reinforced by Hautboys, and
the Violoncellos by Bassoons, in much stronger propor-
tion than that to which we are now accustomed, whether
the names of those Instruments were mentioned in the
Score or not. We have positive proof that the usual
proportion was that of one Hautboy to three Violins;
with one Bassoon to each Violoncello, and another, to
each Double Bass : and until we have given these propor-
tions a fair trial, and doubled, or even tripled our number
of Trumpets, at large Festival Performances, it is mani-
festly illogical to say that the Messiah would produce no
effect, if played as Handel wrote it. No man now living
has heard it, as Handel wrote it. The author has heard
it given, very nearly in its original form, by the Cæcilian
Society; but the number of Violins was then so small,
that two Hautboys sufficed to balance them : the per-
formance, therefore, was on too limited a scale to give the
$ 2
260
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF "MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXIX.
effect a fair trial. Yet, even then, the Harnionies filled in
on the little Organ at Albion Hall produced a delicious
richness which we are far from realising at many grander
performances.
For Handel entrusted the Organ with a very much
more important rôle than that assigned to it under our
present system. It sounds grand enough, as all the world
knows, at Birmingham or Liverpool, when some huge
32-feet Pedal-Stop thunders out the long-drawn notes
of a Canto fermo with a depth of tone such as no possible
number of Double-Basses could hope to rival. But, except
in certain parts of Saul, where no choice is left to the
Conductor, we are never permitted to hear it as a distinct
feature in the Instrumentation. Yet Handel made it a
very distinct feature indeed. He knew the extent of his
resources, to the minutest fraction, and wasted none of
them. In addition to the Stringed Band, strengthened
by Hautboys and Bassoons in the manner we have de-
scribed, he used Flutes, and occasionally Piccolos, for
Solo Instruments, with Drums and Trumpets in the
grander Choruses, and Horns, and even thrce Trombones,
when the character of the Music rendered their aid neces-
sary. That is to say, he knew, and used, every instrument
employed in the modern Classical Orchestra, except the
Clarinet, which, though said to have been invented as
early as the year 1690, was not brought into notice by
Classical Composers until many years after his death.
But he rarely, if ever, used all these instruments together.
Restricting his Score to the few demanded for the ful-
filment of his immediate intentions, he reserved the rest
until they were really needed; and, by this rigid system
of economy, enriched his chiaroscuro with an infinite
variety of delicate gradations, and extended the limits
1742.]
TECHNICAL HISTORY OF "MESSIAH.
261
of his scale of effects almost indefinitely. In short, he
applierl to the ear the system which Turner afterwards
applied to the eye-increasing the number of his middle-
tints by every means within his power, and using them
for the purpose of adding force to the extremes of the
scale in moments of supreme interest only. With this
end in view he constantly accompanied the Arici cantabile
with nothing but a simple Thoroughbass, leaving the
voice entirely untrammelled, and throwing the whole
responsibility of the colouring upon the Organist. We
can well imagine what that colouring was, when he him-
self presided at the keyboard. When Joah Bates played
the Organ at the Handel Commemoration in West-
minster Abbey, in 1784, the late Sir George Smart, then
a Chorister of the Chapel Royal, turned over the leaves
for him. Joah Bates was an experienced Organist; and,
well knowing how Handel had been accustomed to act
on similar occasions, enriched the Organ part with
whatever harmonies he considered necessary to give it
its full effect. The little Chorister was astonished at
the extent of his interpolations. Said the Conductor,
You seem curious to discover my authority for the
chords I have just been playing, my little fellow. Yes,
Sir,' said the child ; 'for I do not see them in the Score.'
Very true,' said Mr. Bates; 'but Handel himself used
constantly to supply the harmonies, precisely in the way
I have just been doing, as I have myself frequently
witnessed.' There is indeed no limit to the interest
which a really talented Organist may throw into an Air
accompanied in this way. But still, this light Accom-
paniment represented the lowest level in the graduated
scale. The next step above it was occupied by the
Aria di portamento, in which the Ritornelli were played
262 TECHNICAL HISTORY OF MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXIX.
by a single Violin, the demand upon the Organist's
invention being scarcely less severe than in the former
case. In the Aria di mezzo carattere, Handel generally
used a fuller Instrumentation, leaving the Organist to
enrich the harmony only, by a few judiciously placed
chords. But, in many of his most elaborate Choruses,
such as For unto us a child is born, and the great
Amen, he loved to leave long passages accompanied
by the Organ and Basses alone, in order that the
Violins might come in with the greater effect at certain
appointed places. Using these and a hundred other
varying shades of expression, in his intermediate gra-
dations, he brought in the Drums and Trumpets, at
the opposite end of the scale, with irresistible power;
increasing their effect a thousand-fold by the judicious
reticence which suffered them to be heard only at the
exact moment when they were most needed-a circum-
stance to which Mendelssohn makes a very interesting
reference, in one of his letters.1 And, in this perfect
balance of proportion lay the real strength of the
system. Each several member played its appointed
part in the gradation of the whole. Is it not clear,
then, that the balance of the whole must necessarily
be destroyed by interference with the separate parts? If
we add Flutes, Clarinets, and Bassoons, supported by the
full Stringed Band, to an Air written for a Thoroughbass
only, what more can we add to the next fully accom-
panied Air, in order to preserve a just balance between
the two ? Mozart would never have added these things
1'Among other things, I am particularly pleased with the
mode in which Handel, towards the close, rushes in with his
Kettledrums and Trumpets, as if he himself were belabouring:
them.'—Letter, February 7, 1834.
1742.] TECHNICAL HISTORY OF "MESSIAH. 263
had there been an Organ in the room in which the Messiah
was performed at Vienna. We, who have Organs at
command, and Organists well able to do anything required
of them, add to Mozart's additions, until they count for
nothing in comparison with our own. We pride ourselves
immensely, nowadays, on our æsthetic purity. Will no
one risk an attempt to restore the Messiah to the pure
form in which Handel himself designed it ? Surely it
would be no unworthy tribute to his memory, if the
Governors of the Foundling Hospital were to present it
to us in such a form, in the Chapel in which he so often
directed it for the benefit of the Institution whose welfare
he had so deeply at heart.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE RETURN TO LONDON.
It was not until some considerable time after his return
from Ireland, that Handel was able to decide on any
definite plan for the future. On the 9th of September,
1742, he wrote to Mr. Jennens :
DEAR SE
'It was indeed your humble Servant which intended you a
Visit in my way from Ireland to London, for I certainly would
have given you a better account by word of mouth as by writing,
how well your Messiah was received in that Country, yet as a
Noble Lord, and not less than the Bishop of Elphin (a Nobleman
very learned in Musick) has given his Observations in writing
on this Oratorio, I send you here annexed the contents of it in
his own words. I shall send the printed Book of the Messiah to
Mr. J. Steel for you.
As for my success in general in that generous and polite
Nation, I reserve the account of it till I have the Honour to sce
you in London. The report that the Direction of the Opera next
winter is committed to my Care is groundless. The Gentlemen
who have undertaken to meddle with Harmony cannot agree, and
are quite in a confusion.1
Whether I shall do something in the Oratorio way (as several of
my friends desire) I cannot determine as yet. Certain it is, that
this time 12-month I shall continue my Oratorios in Ireland, where
they are going to make a large subscription already for that
Purpose.
i The King's Theatre was still in the hands of Lord Middlesex.
1741–1742.]
'SAMSON.
265
"If I had known that My Lord Guernsey was so near when I
passed Coventry, you may easily imagine, Sir, that I should not
have neglected of paying my Respects to him, since you know
the particular Esteem I have for his Lordship. I think it a very
long time to the Month of November nest, when I can have
some hopes of seeing you in Town. Pray let me hear meanwhile
of your Health and Wellfare, of which I take a real share, being
with an uncommon Sincerity and Respect
Sr
*Your
most obliged humble servant
"GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'1
From the expressions here used, it secms probable that,
had the Opera been in a more healthy condition, Handel
would not have been unwilling to accept the responsibility
of directing it, on favourable terms. But, judging from
Horace Walpole's amusing description of the taste of the
mobility, and the retention of several eminent lawyers
from the Bear Gardens to plead their defence,' it is clear
that it no longer afforded a fair field for the exercise of his
talents. His hesitation as to doing something in the
Oratorio way' can only be accounted for on the supposition
that he doubted the possibility of meeting the preliminary
expenses—for he was already prepared with a new work
of more than ordinarily attractive character, the Score of
which he had completed, a full week before he started for
Ireland.
This new Oratorio was Samson--a Sacred Drama, the
Scenes of which were based, by Mr. Newburgh Hamilton,
on Milton's Samson Agonistes.' Handel must have
begun to compose the Music immediately after the com-
pletion of the Messiah ; for we have seen that the last
1 This letter was first printed by Mr. Townsend, from the
original in the possession of Earl Howe.
266
*SAMSON
[CHAP. XXX.
date in that work is September 14, 1741; and we
have evidence, under the Composer's own sign manual,
that the First Part of Samson was completed only a
fortnight later. The Score, written on Oblong paper,
uniform with that used for the Italian Operas, bears the
following inscriptions: Encl of the first Act | Sept. 29.
1741.-End of the Second Act-o Octob” 11, 1741–
Fancastell-Ort9110- | S. D. G. | London G. F. Handel
4 Octob” 29. 1741.--S. D. G. G. F. Handel. octol 12.
1742. The last date but one is at the end of the Chorus,
Glorious hero'; the last of all is at the end of 'Let the
bright Seraphim,' and 'Let their celestial concerts,' which
pieces were clearly added to the Score, a year later.
After Israel in Egypt and the Messiah, Handel wrote
no more Oratorios on the purely epic plan. His later
works do, indeed, contain long epic passages of resistless
power; and many of them depend upon these passages
for their most striking effects : but the actual form of all
these works is, in the strictest sense of the word, dramatic
-as truly dramatic as if the Music had been intended for
the Stage, with its three indispensable accessories, Scenery,
Dress, and Action. For the machinery of the pieces is
personal throughout. Each character speaks for himself;
and it is only when the Chorus steps in, and comments on
the Action of the story, after the manner of the Choruses
of Æschylus, and Sophocles, that the dramatic form is
suspended, and the epic element takes its place, for the
time being, in such sort as to add to the power of the
picture, and bring out the meaning of the history with a
have attained.
Such a Drama is Samson. Each character in it is
drawn with minutest care. The Hero himself, the pious
1741–1742.]
SAMSON.
267
Manoah, the hypocritical Delilah, are presented to us in a
series of living pictures which impress themselves so
clearly upon the mind that one cannot choose but recog-
nise the individual by the notes he sings. We have once
before called attention to three different Sorceresses, whose
characters were drawn, by Handel, in three different
lights. It also fell to his lot to portray four different Giants
- Polyphemus, the hideous Ogre; Hercules, the Hero and
Demigod, whom we have already met, in Ammeto, and
shall meet again, in other works to be hereafter mentioned;
Goliath, at whose name we tremble, though he does not
horrify us, as the revolting Cyclops did; and, finally,
Harapha, the blustering coward, mean enough to triumph
over his humbled foe, yet afraid to approach him too
nearly, lest, giant as he is, he should be crushed to death
after all. The part of Harapha is a miracle of Art. In
ordinary hands, it must inevitably have been either vulgar
or weak: in Handel's, it is neither. The boaster is too
much in earnest to be coarse. His meanness is so
marvellously true to nature, that it brings out the true
greatness of Samson's character with tenfold force.
Meanwhile, the Epic portion of the Oratorio tells its tale
with a clearness which cannot be mistaken. The wor-
shippers of Dagon are described to us as anything but a
frivolous people. The Minuet with which they celebrate
their great religious festival is stately enough to show that
their belief in their false god is as real as that of the
Israelites in the Most High; and the great Chorus,
'I'ixed in His everlasting seat, places their earnestness in
a still stronger light. It is only when they become in-
toxicated with their triumph that they show themselves
no better than Harapha. But the Oratorio touches upon
higher themes than this. In 'O first created beam' we
268 FIRST PERFORMANCE OF SAMSON. [CHAP. XXY.
see Handel taking the sublime view of the Creation of
Light, which Haydn afterwards turned to such telling
account in his greatest Oratorio. The Funeral March'-
again in the Major Mode, like all Handel's most touching
expressions of sorrow untinged by passion—would have
passed for one of the strongest parts in the Oratorio, had
it been possible to forget the still greater · Dead March?
in Saul, which, after the first two representations, was
substituted for it; and the happy afterthought of following
up the Dirge by the glorious Trumpet Air, ' Let the bright
Seraphim,' and its companion Chorus, 'Let their celestial
concerts,' brings the Drama to a conclusion well worthy of
its earlier sections.
Knowing, as we now do, that this great work was com-
plete, with the exception of the two supplementary pieces,
when Handel wrote to Mr. Jennens, on the 9th of
September, 1742, we cannot doubt that the uncertainty
under which he then laboured arose from the difficulty of
deciding whether the new Oratorio would stand a better
chance of success in London, or in Dublin. After a time,
he abandoned the idea of revisiting the latter city; and,
on the 17th of February, 1743, he inserted the following
notice in the 'Daily Advertiser':
"By Subscription. At the Theatre Royal, in Covent Garden,
to-morrow, the 18th inst., will be performed a new Oratorio,
called Samson. Tickets will be delivered to subscribers (on
paying their subscription money) at Mr. Handel's house, 1 in
Brook-street, near Hanover Square. Attendance will be given
from nine o'clock in the morning till three in the afternoon. Pit
i Now No. 25, Brook Street, Grosvenor Square. Handel is
known to have inhabited this house from the year 1725, until
his death in 1759. For some years past it has been distinguished
by a tablet.
1743.]
FIRST PERFORMANCE OF 'SAMSON
269
and boxes to be put together, and no person to be admitted with.
out tickets, which will be delivered that day at the office in
Covent Garden Theatre, at half-a-guinea each ; first gallery, 5s. ;
upper gallery, 3s. 6d. Nota. Each subscriber is to pay six
guineas upon taking out his subscription ticket, which entitles
him to three box tickets every night of Mr. Handel's first six
performances in Lent. And if Mr. Handel should have any
more performances after the first six nights, each subscriber
may continue on the same conditions.'
In accordance with the terms of this advertisement,
Samson was first sung at Covent Garden, on the 18th of
February, 1743; the part of Samson being assigned to
Mr. Beard, that of Manoah, to Mr. Savage, that of Micah,
to Mrs. Cibber, and that of Delilah, to Mrs. Clive. Let
the bright Seraphim' was sung by Signora Avolio, for
whom, as we learn from a memorandum on the Autograph,
it was originally composed; and there is little doubt that
the Trumpet obbligato was written for, and played by,
Valentine Snow, the most accomplished performer of the age.
The scheme for the subscription was extended, this
year, from six nights to twelve; of which eight were
devoted to the new work; three, to the Messiah—then,
and for some years afterwards, simply announced as 'A
Sacred Oratorio'; and one, to L'Allegro and the Ode for
S. Cecilia's Day. Samson, therefore, seems to have been a
favourite with the public, from the first. Yet, in a letter
dated 'Arlington Street, 24th February, 1743,' Horace
Walpole writes :
Handel has set up an Oratorio against the Opera, and
succeeds. He has hired all the goddesses from the farces, and
the singers of roast-beef from between the acts at both theatres,
with a man with one note in his voice, and a girl without ever
an one, and so they sing and make brave hallelujahs, and the
good company encore the recitative, if it happens to have any
cadence like what they call a tune.'
FIRST
PERFORMANCE O
MSO
P. XXX.
270 FIRST PERFORMANCE OF 'SAMSON. [CHAP. XXX.
This can only refer to Samson, which had been produced
six days previously. The man with one note in his
voice' must have been Beard ;I and the girl without ever
an one,' Signora Avolio, or Mrs. Cibber. Yet these were
the most accomplished Singers of the period; and Handel
himself is reported to have said that he could not decide
whether he liked the Messiah better than Samson, or the
reverse.
1 John Beard, a quondami Chorister of the Chapel Royal, under
Bernard Gates, and afterwards the greatest English Tenor Singer
of his day, achieved one of his brightest triumphs in the part
of Samson. His history was romantic. In 1732, he married the
Lady Henrietta, daughter of James, Earl of Waldegrave, and
widow of Lord Edward Herbert, second son of the Marquess of
Powis. In 1759, he took, as his second wife, Charlotte, daughter
of John Rich, the Harlequin.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN.
On the 27th of June, 1743, an unexpected engagement
took place, at the little village of Dettingen, near the
banks of the River Main, between the British Army,
under the command of King George II. in person, and
that of King Louis XV. of France, under the joint
conduct of the Maréchal de Noailles and the Duc de
Grammont. The position of the English troops was, for
the moment, a very perilous one; but the victory they
gained was so decisive, that all England concurred in the
desire to do honour to the heroes of the fight. The
national rejoicings were of the most enthusiastic descrip-
tion. On the King's return, a solemn Day of Public
Thanksgiving was appointed ; and Handel, in his capacity
of Composer of Musick to the Chapel Royal,' was
commissioned to prepare a Te Deum and Anthem for
the occasion.
The original Score of the Dettingen "Te Deum,' a large
folio volume, 151 inches high, in the Royal Collection, is
headed O angefangen July 17 | 1743, butundated at the end.
The Autograph of the Dettingen Anthem, a similar folio,
in the Library of the British Museum, is inscribed, at the
beginning, h hangefangen den 30 July 1743; and, at the end,
272 THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN. [CHAP. XXXI.
S. D. G. | G. F. Handel | London Agost 3 § 1743 / völlig
geendiget.
These dates lead to the inference that the Te Deuin must
have been completed between the 17th and the 30th of
the month, at the farthest, since it was on the 30th that
the Anthem was begun. Both were evidently written
under the influence of the same feeling of exultant thank-
fulness—for Handel had now been, for some considerable
time, an Englishman, and it was his own country that had
gained the victory. It is interesting, too, to notice the
difference in treatment between the opening Chorus of the
Dettingen Anthem— The King shall rejoice'-and that of
the third Coronation Anthem, adapted to the same words.
It would be impossible to say which composition exceeded
the other, in its perfect adaptation to the spirit of a
national festival; but the later setting of the words is
invested, by the more marked use of the Trumpets, with
a martial character which fits it admirably for the purpose
for which it was intended.
The Dettingen "Te Deum' is, indisputably, one of the
very greatest of Handel's later masterpieces. It needs no
great stretch of the imagination to picture every Drum and
Trumpet in the realm taking part in the gorgeous fanfure
of its opening Chorus, while the whole Army, with the
King at its head, joins the assembled Nation in a shout
of praise for the escape which was so unexpectedly changed
into a memorable Victory. If it be expedient, under any
circumstances, to admit the Orchestra into the Church-
a question which some consider open to discussion-it
must surely be when it is used as Handel has used it here.
It is always interesting to know the estimation in which
a great work was held, by honest and intelligent critics-
the élite of their race-before it fell under the notice of
1743.] THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN. 273
less discerning spirits. In place, therefore, of describing
the Te Deum in our own words, we shall substitute those
of one of the wisest and most trustworthy of Musical
Historians, written at a time when the work was just a
year or two more modern' than Mendelssohn's Lobgesang
is at the present moment. Dr. Burney states that— .
"As it was composed for a military triumph, the fourteen
Trumpets, two pairs of common Kettle-Drums, two pairs of
Double Drums from the Tower, and a pair of Double-base
Drums, made expressly for this Commemoration,? were intro-
duced with great propriety; indeed, these last Drums, except
the destruction, had all the effect of the most powerful artillery.
There is some reason to suspect that HANDEL, in setting his
grand Te Deum for the Peace of Utrecht, as well as in this,
confined the meaning of the word cry to a sorrowful sense : as
both the Movements to the words 'To Thee all Angels cry aloud,
are not only in a Minor Key, but slow, and plaintive. It con-
trasts well, however, with the preceding and subsequent
Movements. Indeed, the latter glows with all the fire and
vehemence of HANDEL's genius for polyphonic combinations and
contrivances. The grave and solemn praise of the Apostles,
Prophets, and Martyrs, measured by the constant majestic motion
of the base, is well symbolized. “Thou sittest at the Right Hand
of God,' etc., is expressed in a strain that is remarkably
pleasing, and which, in spite of forty years, still retains all the
bloom and freshness of novelty: and 'Te therefore pray Thee,
help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious
Blood,' is admirable, in Fugue, Modulation, and Counterpoint
à Capella ; as is the next Movement, to the three verses : Make
then to be numbered,'-O Lord, save Thy people' and 'Govern
them, and lift them up for ever,' with the additional merit of a
happy verbal expression. 'Day by day we magnify Thee' is
good, and well accented, though some of the Trumpet passages
are a little viellés. The art of Fugue, both in that, and the next
verse : And we worship Thy Name ever world without end, is
i That is to say, the great Handel Commemoration, held at
Westminster Abbey in the months of May and June, 1784.
274
THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN. [CHAP. XXXI.
treated with HANDEL's usual cleverness and felicity. As he was
sure of a great and varied band when he composed this Te Deum,
he has made as judicious a use of the scveral Instruments of his
Orchestra as a painter could do of the colours on his palette ;
now exhibiting them in their full lustro, singly; then augment-
ing or diminishing their force, by light and shade, and often by
combination with others, making them subservient to different
purposes of expression and effect. 'Touchsafe, O Lord, to keep us
this day without sin'is set to an exquisite strain, in which the
Modulation is no less surprising, learned, and curious, than
pathetic, and pleasing. The last Movement:'0 Lord, in Thee
have I trusted,' etc., is what the Italians would call ber tirato.
Indeed, it is an excellent display of FANDEL'S resources in dis-
covering and availing himself of the most laient advantages
which every simple as well as artificial subject aſſords him. The
Symphony of this Chorus, which is chicfly constructed upon a
Ground-base, beginning by tiyo Trumpets, that are afterwards
joined by the other instrumcuts, is stately and interesting, though
in the manner of a common Minuct. The long Solo part, after
the Symphony, for a Contralto Voice, with soft and sparing
Accompaniments, renders the subscqucnt sudden burst of all the
voices and instruments the more striking. And the latter part, in
Fugue, with an alternate uso of the Ground-base, seems to work
up this magnificent production by
Untwisting all the chains that tie
The hidden soul of harmony.??
This, then, was the opinion entertained, a hundred years
ago, by one of the most learned and dispassionate critics
whose writings have ever adorned the analytical depart-
ment of Musical Literature. The reviewer of the present
day thinks it necessary to begin his notice by saying, “The
greater part of this Composition is taken from a Te Deum
by Urio.' Burney did not, and could not, say this; because
neither he, nor Sir John Hawkins, though living in the
1 i.e. Well worked out.
? Account of the Musical Performances in Westminster Abbey,
by Charles Burney, Mus. Doc., F.R.S., pp. 28-31. (London 1785.)
(1743.]
THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN.
275
century in which Urio flourished, was acquainted even
with his name. Dr. Crotch seems to have been better
informed; for we find the works of Urio mentioned freely
in his arrangement of Handel's Choruses for the Organ-
a collection of adaptations, which, by providing a claimant
for every Subject, has greatly facilitated the task of later
critics. The editors of the 'Biographical Dictionary of
Musicians' (1827) mention a certain Francesco Antonio
Urio, who published some Psalms, at Bologna, in 1697.
Fétis mentions him, and enumerates some of his works ;
but says nothing about a Te Deum. Bernsdorff, though
generally remarkable for his minute information con-
cerning composers otherwise unknown, does not mention
him. But, some ten or twelve years ago, considerable
attention was excited by the publication of the disputed
Te Deum, in full Score. Unfortunately, the volume
is unaccompanied by Preface, or Introduction, of any
kind ; and gives not one single word of information
as to whether the work is printed on the authority of
an autograph, a transcription, or a set of separate parts.
The fly-leaf is inscribed - Te Deum | auctore | Francesco
Antonio Urio (circa 1700); and there our information
ends. But, this is not enough. Fancy the principal
witness in a disputed will-case, swearing that he saw a
certain document signed somewhere about the year 1860.
Is there a Judge in England who would not laugh him to
scorn? Turning from the fly-leaf to the Te Deum itself,
we are met, at the very outset, by a singular anomaly.
Fétis tells us that Dom. F. A. Urio was a Priest. Would
any Italian Ecclesiastic have ventured to tamper with the
text of the Ambrosian Hymn ? Yet, this setting begins
with a sentence which does not form any part of it—'Lau-
damus te.' It may be said that Urio intended the first
1
2
276
THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN. [CHAP. XXXI.
verse to be intoned by the Officiating Priest : but, in that
case, he would have begun the Chorus with “ Te Dominum
confitemur.' The error may easily be accounted for, on
the supposition that a careless copyist has omitted the two
first words, together with the notes belonging to them.
Only, if the authority on which the work is published be
not an undoubted Autograph, it is absolutely valueless as
evidence. Passing on from the text to the Music, we
find the first movement beginning with a phrase of
'Welcome, welcome, mighty king,' and wandering from that
into a phrase of the Dettingen "Te Deum,' by aid of an
attempted Codetta, the clumsiness of which is almost
incredible. The fifth bar is literally dragged in by the
hair; and, after the two members, thus inaptly joined
together, have been twice rehearsed, in the same unnatural
succession, we hear no more of either of them. The
second Movement is equally inconsequent. It begins
with the Ritornello belonging to the second movement of
the Dettingen Te Deum'; but after this has been once
played through, no farther use is made of it. Now, these,
and similar instances, would have been very easily intelli-
gible, had the fly-leaf of the “Urio Te Deum' borne the
words, circa 1750. We should then have understood
that some inexperienced admirer of Handel had con-
cocted a Te Deum out of fragments of his works, joining
them together as best he could. If we may venture to
allow this amount of latitude to the somewhat vague
expression, circa,' there remains no more to be said. If
not, we are surely justified in asking for more detailed
information. No critic who blindly espouses one side of
a disputed question is worth listening to, for a moment.
We would gladly give the arguments on both sides, in
the present case, were we provided with the de quoi-
277
1743.] THE VICTORY OF DETTINGEN.
but we are not. It is easy enough to bring the Autograph
of the Dettingen "Te Deum' into open Court. We are
quite ready to enter the witness-box in the character of
expert, and to explain the grounds of our belief in its
authenticity. But, we have never seen the handwriting
of Urio. We do not even know where to look for an
authenticated example of it. We are, therefore, entirely
dependent upon the testimony of others for our arguments
in favour of the genuineness of the “Urio Te Deum': and
the editor of that work does not say one single word, on
one side or the other. I
1 See a very interesting article on this subject, illustrated by
musical examples, in the 'Monthly Musical Record' for Nov. 1,
1871.
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE SECOND BANKRUPTCY.
THE Dettingen · Te Deum,' and Anthem, were publicly
rehearsed, at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, on the 18th
and 25th of November, 1743 ; and, on the 27th, they
formed part of the solemn Thanksgiving celebrated, in
the Chapel Royal at S. James's, in the presence of the
King and Royal Family. In this case, there seems to
have been no disposition, on the part of the public, to
underrate their merit, for a contemporary journal speaks
of them as 'so truly masterly and sublime, as well as new
in their kind, that they prove this great genius to be not
only inexhaustible, but likewise still rising to a higher
degree of perfection.'
Handel brought out no more new works, this year; but,
for the Lent of 1744, he arranged another series of twelve
subscription performances, at Covent Garden Theatre, the
chief attraction of which was, a new Oratorio, called
Joseph and his Brethren.
The Poem on which this work is founded was written
by the Rev. James Miller, who dedicated it to the Duke
of Montague. The Score is dated at the end of the First
Part, London G. F. Handel | $ Agost 26, 1743 | völlig
geendiget : at the end of the Second, Fine della parte 2da|
5 Septemba 12, 1743 / völlig. The conclusion, and last
1743–1744.] "JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.'
279
date, are wanting. The first performance took place on the
2nd of March, 1744. Four performances of the Oratorio
were given, during that season, alternately with two of
Samson, two of Saul, and four of Semelea mythological
piece, the description of which we shall defer until we speak
of Handel's English Dramatic Works. Except at the private
performances of the Cæcilian Society, the Music of Joseph
has scarcely ever been heard in London, since the Com-
poser's death, though it contains some of his finest in-
spirations, both in the form of Airs, and Choruses. Among
the former, are the two great Arie d'agilità for Pharaoh
and Asenath, Since the race of time,' and 'Prophetic
raptures,' and the Duets, o pity,' and 'What's sweeter
than the new-blown rose?' among the latter, “ Iminortal
pleasures, Swift our numbers," · Blest be the man,' and
the truly majestic Movements, "O God, who, in Thy
Heavenly Hand, and · Eternal Monarch of the sky.'
Between the 9th of June, and the 2nd of October,
on the subject of an Oratorio which that gentleman was
writing for him, under the title of 'Belteshazzar,' which
name was changed, on the day of performance, to
Belshazzar, the title by which the work has ever since
been known. No name is mentioned in the corre-
spondence; but the dates of the letters--which are
written in English-leave no doubt as to the identity
of the Oratorio to which reference is made.
'London, June 9, 1744.
Dear Sir,
'Now I should be extremely glad to receive the first act,
or what is ready, of the new oratorio with which you intend to
1 In the possession of Earl Howe.
280 CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. JENNENS. [CHAP. XXXII.
favour me, that I might employ all my attention and time, in
order to answer in some measure, the great obligation I lay under.
This new favour will greatly increase my obligations.
'I remain, with all possible gratitude and respect,
Sir,
Your most obliged and most humble servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
London, July 19, 1744.
Dear Sir,
At my arrival in London, which was yesterday, I imme-
diately perused the act of the oratorio with which you favoured
me, and the little time only I had it, gives me great pleasure.
Your reasons for the length of the first act are entirely satis-
factory to me, and it is likewise my opinion to have the following
acts short. I shall be very glad and much obliged to you, if you
will soon favour me with the remaining acts. Be pleased to
point out these passages in The Messiah which you think require
altering. I desire my humble respects and thanks to my Lord
Guernsey ? for his many civility's to me, and believe me to be,
ST, your most obliged and most humble servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
* London, Agost 21, 1744.
Dear Sir,
'The second act of the oratorio I have received safe,
and own myself highly obliged to you for it. I am greatly
pleased with it, and shall use my best endeavours to do it justice.
I can only say that I impatiently wait for the third act, and
desire you to believe me to be, Sir, your most obliged and most
humble servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
* London, September 13, 1744.
Dear Sir,
Your most excellent oratorio has given me great delight
in setting it to Musick, and still engages me warmly. It is
indeed a noble piece, very grand and uncommon; it has furnished
? See page 236.
? Afterwards Earl of Aylesford.
1744.] CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. JENNENS.
281
me with expressions, and has given me opportunity to some very
particular ideas, besides so many great chorus's. I entreat you
heartily to favour me soon with the last act, which I expect
with anxiety, that I may regulate myself the better as to the
length of it. I profess myself highly obliged to you for so
generous a present, and desire you to believe me to be, with
great esteem and respect, Sir,
*Your most obliged humble servant,
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
‘London, October 2, 1744.
Dear Sir,
'I received the 31 act with a great deal of pleasure, as
you can imagine, and you may believe that I think it a very
fine and sublime oratorio, only it is really too long; if I should
extend the musick it would last 4 hours and more. I retrenched
already a great deal of musick, that I might preserve the poetry
as much as I could; yet still it may be shorten'd. The anthems
come in very proprely; but would not the words, Tell it out
among the heathens that the Lord is King,' be sufficient for one
chorus ? The anthem, "The Lord preserveth all them that love
Him, but scattereth abroad all the ungodly.' (Vers, and chorus),
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh
give thanks unto His holy name, for ever and ever, Amen,'
concludes well the oratorio. I remain, with all possible gratitude
and respect, Sir, your most obliged and most humble servant,
"GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
The passages which Handel considered too long were
not set to music, but were printed in the hand-book, with
the following notice :
‘N.B. The oratorio being thought too long, several things are
marked with a black line drawn down the margin, as omitted in
the performance.
The Score is dated, at the bottom of the first page,
angefangen den 23 Agost 1744 4: at the end of the First
Part, Fine della parte prima | Septemba 3 1744 | den
282
[CHAP. XXXIJ.
BELSHAZZAR.'
5 Septembi völlig: and, at the end of the Second Part,
Fine della parte 2da .) Septembr 10 1744. The con-
clusion of the Oratorio, and last date, are missing.
Lord Middlesex's management having miserably failed,
the King's Theatre was, by this time, once more un-
occupied. Handel therefore engaged it, for twenty-four
subscription performances, during the winter of 1744-
1745; and it was at one of these that Belshazzal was first
produced, on the 27th of March, 1745. Handel was very
fond of this Oratorio, which is undoubtedly one of his best.
The four great Choruses, “ All empires upon God cepend,
Sing, O Ye Heavens,'' By slow degrees,' and 'See, from his
post Euphrates flies,' are among the finest of their kind.
The arrival of the Wise Men is announced in a spirited
burst of Instrumental Music, marked, 'Symphonie Allegro
Postillons.' The orgies of Belshazzar, and the Monarch's
horror, when he sees the mysterious ' Handwriting on the
Wall,' are described with intensest dramatic power; and
respect is the Oratorio more remarkable than in the
number and excellence of its Accompanied Recitatives,
among which that expressing the terror of Belshazzar holds
a very prominent place. Yet, the work has not often been
performed in our own time; though its revival, by the
Sacred Harmonic Society, on the 19th of March, 1847,
was a memorable event in the annals of the association.
In spite of the merits of the new Oratorio, and of
another dramatic piece, called Hercules, of which we
shall speak hereafter, the season was so unsuccessful that
the performances did not pay their own expenses, and
were of necessity relinquished, after the sixteenth night,
on the 23rd of April. Though both Buononcini 1 and
1 See Appendix D.
1746.]
OPPOSITION.
283
Senesino had long since vanished into infinite space, the
dregs of their party still hated Handel with a bitterness
which was in no wise lessened by his final retirement
from the Stage. To keep their friends away from his
performances, they gave routs and card-parties on
Oratorio nights, even during Lent; and that, with such
success, that his Theatre was frequently all but empty.
This miserable desertion resulted in a second failure, little
less disastrous than the first. The profits of the Irish
expedition were swallowed up in the losses at the King's
Theatre, and Handel once more became bankrupt. But
our readers will have understood his character well
enough, by this time, to feel assured that the last idea
likely to occur to him, under such circumstances, would
have been that of giving up the struggle. Instead of
doing this, he hired Covent Garden for the Lent of 1746,
and gave, during that season, three performances, for
which the subscribers who had been disappointed of their
full number of Concerts at the King's Theatre were each
provided with nine tickets, gratis. The great attraction
for this season was 'A New Occasional Oratorio, prepared
expressly for the occasion, and in all probability deriving
its name—as Mr. Schoelcher suggests from the circum-
stances under which it was presented. The author of the
Poem is unknown. It is not a masterpiece; though
much of the Music to which it is wedded is of the
highest order of merit. The only date on the Score is
that included in the heading, Ouverture the Occasional
Oratorio Anno 1745 (or 1746—the last figure is very in-
distinct). This Overture is one of the grandest and most
spirited that Handel ever wrote; and its popularity has
never diminished. Besides this, the Oratorio contains
the celebrated Air, O liberty, afterwards transferred
284
THE OCCASIONAL ORATORIO. [CHAP. XXXII.
to Judas Maccabæus ; the Chorus, Millions unborn ; a
splendid Hallelujah; and many other pieces of great
beauty; in addition to some of the most popular Choruses
in Israel in Egypt and the Coronation Anthem, intro-
duced into the Third Part.
The Occasional Oratorio was performed, on the 14th,
19th, and 26th of February, 1746, chiefly for the re-
imbursement of the disappointed subscribers of the
previous year, and evidently with no great profit to the
management, since, with the third performance, the season
came to an end. Still, Handel was so little discouraged,
that he again engaged Covent Garden Theatre for twelve
nights, during the Lent of 1747: and this time, he was
more fortunate.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
BRIGHTER PROSPECTS.
ng
For his next Oratorio, Handel secured the co-operation of
the learned Greek Scholar and Antiquarian, the Rev.
Thomas Morell, D.D., who furnished him with one of the
best Sacred Dramas he had yet treated—Jucas Maccabæus.
If none of the later Oratorios attained the full sublimity
of the Messiah, the fault must be attributed rather to the
inferior grandeur of their subjects, than to inferiority of
treatment on the part of the Master. The history of the
Jewish leader was an exciting one : but it could not be
compared, for intensity of interest, with the Story of the
Nativity, the Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension.
Still, it attracted a class of admirers, whose support was as
opportune as it was unexpected.
The position of the Chosen People, in England, during
the eighteenth century, was very different from that which
they occupied on the Continent. In Germany, especially,
they were subjected both to hardships and indignities,
which, to us, seem almost incredible. In Prussia, they
were compelled, during the reign of Friedrich Wilhelm I.,
to buy the wild boars killed at the Royal hunting parties.
Even as late as 1763, the great Moses Mendelssohn, a
scholar of whom all Europe ought to have been proud,
was forced, before he could obtain permission to marry,
286.
JUDAS MACCABÆUS. [CHAP. XXXIII.
to buy a quantity of china, at the Royal Factory in
Berlin, selected by the manager of the works, who,
having on hand twenty life-sized china apes which were
thought quite unsaleable, forced them upon the author of
the · Litteraturbriefe,' well knowing that, unless he con-
sented to pay for them, he would never obtain his marriage
licence. That the apes—still preserved in the family-
are not worth their weight in silver, was a contingency
which the manager could not possibly have foreseen, and
the foreknowledge of which would in no wise have
mitigated the insult. 1
Though our own behaviour was not faultless, we did
not subject our Israelitish brethren to indignities like
these. They were free to live their own lives, under the
protection of our laws; and to occupy, or amuse them-
selves, in their own way. Vauxhall, Marybone, Renelagh,2
and the Theatres, were open to them, as often as they
chose to pay for their tickets of admission; and the new
Oratorio offered an attraction which they could not resist.
Handel had painted the Hero of their later history in
colours as brilliant as his deeds of might; and they
thronged the Theatre, night after night, to their own
entertainment, and the Composer's substantial profit. We
can well understand the delight with which they must
have listened to the magnificent Chorus, "We worship
God, and God alone'-not only a masterpiece of contra-
puntal skill, and melodious invention, but one of the
grandest Confessions of Faith that ever was expressed in
Music. Anything more striking than the contrast drawn
between idolatrous reverence to the rude stock, and
1 The Mendelssohn Tamily, vol. i.
- We copy the orthography adopted by contemporary journals
to express the fashionable pronunciation of the period.
1747–1748.] "ALEXANDER BALUS.'
287
sculptured stone,' and the true worship of the One True
God, it would be impossible to imagine; and, in enforcing
the point, in his own resistless language, Handel preached
a sermon to which neither Jew nor Christian could
listen unmoved.
The Score of Judas Maccabceus is very clearly dated. The
first page is headed Ouverture 'Oratorio Judas Maccabceus
| angenfangen | den 9 July ở 1746 | oder den 81
dieses. Later on, we find, Fine cell Alto primo G. F. H.
| July 21 : 1746 | 22 ở völlig ;-Fine dell Atto 2do 1
G. F. E. ħ Agost 2, 1746 | völlig; and Fine dell
Oratorio | G. F. H. Agost 11 ) 1746, völlig geendiget. It
was produced, at Covent Garden, on the First of April,
1747, and performed six times during the season, alter-
nately with three performances of the Occasional Oratorio,
and three of Joseph.
For the ensuing year, Handel prepared two Oratorios,
both written for him by Dr. Morell, though not quite
so happily as before. The first of these was Alexander
Balus, the Score of which is dated, at the beginning
of the first Chorus, angefangen den 1 June 1747. There
is no date at the end of the First Part; but the
Second is dated, Fine della parte 2da | völlig geendigt
☆ Juin 24 1747; and the Third, G. F. Handel London
ye 30 Juin ở 1747 | völl 4 July ņ 1747.
There is little doubt that the subject of the new
Oratorio was chosen as a compliment to the Jewish
amateurs who had so well appreciated the attractions of
Jucas Maccabaus : but, the figure of the Hero is less
striking, and the events of the Drama far less exciting,
than in the former case. Still, there were opportunities
for the introduction of much fine Music; and Handel
has not neglected them. The Choruses, O Calumny!'
VIII
288
[CHAP. XXXIII.
'JOSHUA.
Sun, Moon, and Stars,' and many others, bear the stamp
of genius in every bar.
The second work prepared for this season was Joshuci,
the First Part of which is dated, 30 July, 1747 ; the
Second, Fine della parte 2da Agost 8 T 1747; and the
Third, S. D. G. G. F. Handel London Agost 18 ở 1747
Agost 19 $ 1747 | völlig geendiget.
Dr. Morell shows to rather more advantage in Joshuci,
than in Alexander Balus; and Handel, we may be sure,
has risen to the occasion. Haydn, who well knew the
value of his works, thought very highly of this. After
hearing the Chorus, "The nations tremble'-the Middle
Movement of Gloryj'to God'-at the Concert of Antient
Musick,' he told Shield that He had long been acquainted
with Music, but never knew half its powers before he
heard it, as he was perfectly certain that only one
inspired author ever did, or ever would, pen so sublime a
Composition.'1
Another very celebrated Movement-See the conquering
hero comes '-was transferred, after the first season, from
Joshua to Judas Maccabceus, in which it has ever since
been performed as if by prescriptive right.
Miss Hawkins? tells an 'interesting story concerning
Handel's own opinion of this most picturesque of Choruses.
Soon after it was completed, he played it to a friend,
who, in answer to the direct question, 'How do you like
it ?' answered, Not so well as some things I have heard
of yours.' 'Nor I, either,' said Handel ; 'but you will
live to see it a greater favourite with the people than my
other finer things. Of course, it would be absurd to
compare so simple a Melody with Choruses like “The
1 See the Appendix to Shield's Introduction to Harmony.
? Anecdotes of Music.
21
1748–1749.]
"SOLOMON
289
Lord shall reign,' or 'Immortal Lord of earth and skies.'
But, in its place, it is perfect. It is as true to Nature
as the most priceless picture that was ever painted, either
in the Italian Schools, or those of the Low Countries.
If it needed no great amount of learning to produce it, it
exhibits an infinity of knowledge-knowledge of men,
and things, and circumstances, and feelings, which it
paints so clearly that a child may read its story: and this,
we contend, would prove it to be a great work, were it a
million times more simple than it really is.
Alexander Balus was produced, at Covent Garden, on
the 9th of March, 1748; and Joshua, on the 23rd. The
first-named Oratorio was performed three times, during the
course of the season; the second, four times; and Judas
Maccabceus six times. We doubt whether Alexander Balus
has ever been performed, since the Composer's death,
except by the Cæcilian Society; but Joshua was revived,
with success, by the Sacred Harmonic Society, on the 19th
of June, 1839.
No sooner was the season of 1748 at an end, than
Handel began his preparations for 1749, for which he
wrote two more Oratorios, on a very extensive scale.
The first of these was Solomon, the Score of which
a huge 'Imperial folio,' eighteen inches high-is headed,
angefangen den 5 May 4 1748; and afterwards inscribed,
50 minutes | Fine della Parte prima | May 23 . 1748
völlig 26 May 4 1748. The last inscription is, 40 minutes
G. F. Handel Juin 13 ) 1748 cetatis 63 völlig geendiget.
A portion of this has been cut away by the bookbinder ;
but there is no doubt about the figures, which are valuable
as confirming the date of Handel's birth.1
The second Oratorio was Susanna, written on the
. See Appendix A.
290
L'SOLOMON, "SUSANNA [CHAP. XXXIII.
ordinary oblong paper, and inscribed, at the beginning,
Ouverture Susanna Oratorio angefangen 11 July - 17
(the rest is cut away). The three divisions of the work
are afterwards dated, Tine della parte prima geendiget
July 21 4 1748-Fine della parte 2da | völlig Agost 21–
and Fine dell Atto 320 S. D. G. G. F. Handel Agost 9
21748 ætatis 63 völlig geendiget | Agost 24 $ 1748.
Solomon was produced on the 17th of March, 1749,
and Susanna during the same season; the former being
performed three times, and the latter four, alternately
with four performances of Sanson, four of the Sacred
Oratorio,' and two of Hercules. Susanna contains some
magnificent Music. The Cavatina, 'Ask if yon damask rose
be sweet' is delicious. The Trio, ‘Away, away,' is written
with intense dramatic power ; and the grand Air, “If guilt-
less blood be your intent' paints the insulted matron's
character with true Shakesperean power ; bringing into
alternate prominence her outraged dignity, her conscious
innocence, and her calm faith in the God of her
fathers. The Choruses, too, are very fine. It is not too
much to say that “Tremble guilt' is as fine as · Envy,
eldest born of Hell. But, as a whole, the Oratorio cannot
be compared with Solomon. This is one of Handel's
very finest works. The dramatic truth of the Scene
which represents the world-famed "Judgment' is irre-
proachable. The grandeur of the Double Choruses in the
First Part is unsurpassed, even in Israel in Egypt. In
• From the censer curling rise' we have another of those
shouts of festive joy which have already delighted us in
the Coronation Anthems, and the Dettingen 'Te Deum.'
And the voluptuous sweetness of “May no rash intruder'
-the so-called ‘Nightingale Chorus'-exceeds even that of
Chear her, 0 Baal.' When Solomon was revived, in 1845,
1748-1749.] SOLOMON, SUSANNA.'
291
by the Sacred Harmonic Society, its auditors were quite
unprepared for the beauty of these splendid Choruses,
some of which have, more recently, been repeated with
triumphant success at the Handel Festivals at the Crystal
Palace.
U 2
CHAPTER XXXIV.
NATIONAL REJOICINGS.
Though the Victory of Dettingen was brilliant enouglı to
excite the admiration of every military officer in Europe,
it had so little effect upon the causes of general dissension,
that it was not until five years later that friendly relations
were finally established between the contending Powers.
The war had been a tedious, an expensive, and in many
respects a very vexatious one. The cessation of hostilities
was therefore regarded, in England, as a great boon to
the Nation, notwithstanding the humiliating conditions
with which it was accompanied ; and when, on the 7th of
October, 1748, the Peace of Aix la Chapelle was formally
ratified, its inglorious terms and unstable promises for the
future passed unnoticed by the great mass of the people,
and the public rejoicings were both general and enthusi-
astic. In these rejoicings Handel was once more summoned
to take part: not, this time, in the capacity of Composer
to the Chapel Royal, but in that of Composer to the
Court. And he proved himself as capable of providing
appropriate music for an Entertainment al fresco, as for
a Religious Service.
The public festivities were postponed until Thursday,
the 27th of April, 1749; and the chief attraction of the
fête was a grand display of Fireworks, preceded by an
1749.]
THE FIREWORK MUSICK.
293
Overture, and illustrated by appropriate Music played by
a large open-air Orchestra. Handel's Score of this Music
is headed, “ Concerto’; but bears neither date nor signature.
We know, however, that it was ready in very good time;
for, the "General Advertiser' for Saturday, April 22,
reports that,
“Yesterday, there was the brightest and most numerous
assembly ever known, at the Spring Gardens, Vauxhall, on
occasion of the rehearsal of Mr. Handel's Music for the Royal
Fireworks.
And the Gentleman's Magazine' for the same month
tells us, that,
'Friday, 21, was performed, at Vauxhall Gardens, the rehearsal
of the Music for the Fireworks, by a band of 100 Musicians, to
an audience of 12,000 persons (Tickets 98. 6d). So great a
resort occasioned such a stoppage, on London Bridge, that no
carriage could pass for three hours. The footmen were so
numerous as to obstruct the passage, so that a scuffle ensued, in
which some gentlemen were wounded.'
But, it was not at Vauxhall that the actual performance
took place. Preparations had been made for this, in
front of the Palace, where a long ornamental building
was erected for the occasion. The same number of the
“Gentleman's Magazine'informs us that
The machine was situated in the Green Park, 500 feet from
His Majesty's Library, and represented a magnificent Doric
Temple, from which extended two wings, terminated by pavilions,
114 feet in height, to the top of His Majesty's arms; 410 feet
long. Invented and designed by the Chevalier Servandoni.
Disposition of the Fireworks. After a grand Overture of wind
Instruments, composed by Mr. Handel, a signal was given for
the commencement of the Fireworks, which opened by a Royal
Salute of 101 brass ordnance, viz., 71 six-pounders, 20 twelve.
pounders, and 10 twenty-four-pounders,' etc., etc.
294
THE FIREWORK MUSICK. [CHAP. XXXIV.
Unhappily, the performance was interrupted by a
serious accident. The Temple caught fire; and the
Royal Library was with difficulty saved from the flames.
But, Handel's Music proved a great success; and was
afterwards many times performed in public. The most
important section of it is the Overture; it consists of a
spirited introductory Movement; an Allegro, in Triple
Time, developed at considerable length; an Intermezzo;
and a Bourrée. This section of the work is followed by
a Largo alla Siciliana, an Allegro, and two Minuets.
The Largo is labelled, in the original MS., “La Paix’;
and the Allegro, “La Rejouissance'; we are, therefore,
left in no doubt as to the connection of the Movements
with the changing scenery of the pyrotechnic display.
The Score, like that of the Water-Music, is admirably
arranged for open-air purposes; and in addition to the
usual Stringed Band, strengthened by Hautboys and
Basses, includes independent parts for three Horns, three
Trumpets, and Drums, all of which were tripled on the
occasion of the festivity. The original Score also included
a Serpent, which was afterwards expunged. This is the
first, and only time that the name of this Instrument
appears in Handel's Scores. Though it is said to have
been invented, in France, as early as the year 1590, it is
clear that he did not become acquainted with it until
long after his settlement in England. A story was once
current, to the effect, that, when he first heard it, he
asked, "What the Devil be that ?' 'It is a new Instru-
ment, called, the Serpent,' said his interlocutor. "Oh!
the Serpent,' he replied ; 'aye, but it not be the Serpent
what seduced Eve.' Probably, he heard a badly-made
Instrument, badly played ; for, though much used in
1749.] THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 295
France, the Serpent was quite unknown, at that period,
in England, and scarcely less so in Germany.1
On the Thursday following the festivities, Handel laid
before the Governors of the Foundling Hospital a pro-
posal for giving a second performance of the Music for
the benefit of the Charity, in the prosperity of which
he was warmly interested, and for the interests of which
he was never weary of labouring.
The Foundling Hospital was then a new foundation.
Captain Thomas Coram, the benevolent seaman to whom
it owed its origin and endowment, opened his first building
for the reception of the poor little outcasts in whose fate
he took so kindly an interest, on the 25th of March,
1741—the year, it will be remembered, in which the
'Messiah' was composed. This building, situated in
Hatton Garden, was capable of accommodating a con-
siderable number of children, who were maintained, at
the Founder's expense, on the proceeds of the fortune he
had earned as master of a trading vessel; and, from the
first, the Charity was entirely free. Any person bringing
a child,' says Timbs, 2 (rang the bell at the inner door,
and waited to hear if the infant was returned, from
disease, or at once received, no questions whatever being
asked, as to whom the child belonged, or whence it was
brought; and when the full number of children had been
taken in, a notice of 'The House is full,' was affixed over
1 It is not much better known, in either country, at the present
moment; chiefly on account of the difficulty of playing it in tune :
yet that difficulty can be overcome by a good performer; and,
in the hands of such a virtuoso, the soft richness of its tone
renders it infinitely more valuable, in the Orchestra, than the
coarser Brass Instruments which are now substituted for it.
2 Curiosities of London, p. 311.
296
THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. [CHAP. XXXIV.
the door. Often, there were 100 children offered, when
only twenty could be admitted ; riots ensued, and thence-
forth the women balloted for admission by drawing balls
out of a bag. After a time, the Institution outgrew its
temporary home; and donations were accepted, to meet
the enormous increase of its expense. The present
commodious buildings, erected on a spot then known as
Lamb's Conduit Fields, but now chiefly occupied by
Guilford Street, Lamb's Conduit Street, and Lamb's
Conduit Place, were completed in 1750, and opened in
that year, on the 19th of January; and taking into
consideration the scale on which they were designed,
and the number of children they were destined to receive,
we can well understand that Handel's generous help was
not unwelcome, as an adjunct to Captain Coram's large-
hearted liberality.
Concerning the performance for the benefit of the Charity
in 1749, Brownlow gives us the following information :1
On the 4th of May, 1749, Handel attended the Committee at
the Hospital, and offered a performance of Vocal and Instru-
mental Music; the money arising therefrom to be applied towards
the finishing of the Chapel. For this act of benevolence he was
immediately enrolled as one of the Governors and Guardians of
the Hospital.'
The performance took place on the 27th of May; and
was arranged on a large scale, for the period, the Band
and Chorus consisting of more than a hundred performers.
The 'Gentleman's Magazine' gives the following account
of the circumstances :
‘Saturday 27th.—The Prince and Princess of Wales, with a
great number of persons of quality and distinction, were at the
1 Memoranda ; or Chronicles of the Foundling Hospital, by
John Brownlow, 1847.
1749.]
THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.
297
Chapel of the Foundling Hospital, to hear several pieces of
Vocal and Instrumental Musick, composed by George Frederick
Handel, Esq., for the benefit of the foundation.
1º. The Musick for the late Fireworks, and the Anthem for
the Peace.
20. Select pieces from the Oratorio of Solomon, relating to
the dedication of the Temple.
30. Several pieces, composed for the occasion, the words
taken from Scripture, and applicable to the Charity,
and its benefactors.
There was no collection, but the tickets were at half-a-guinea,
and the audience above a thousand, besides a gift of £2000 from
His Majesty, and £50 from an unknown.'
The third division of the performance was the piece
now known as The Foundling Hospital Anthem'-
"Blessed are they that consider the poor.' A copy of
this, in Smith's handwriting, but with seventeen pages
in the Composer's autograph, was given, by Handel, to
the Institution. The second volume of Songs and
Sketches,' in the Royal Collection, contains the original
autographs of the following Movements,
Chorus, 'The people will tell of their wisdom.'
Chorus, 'Their reward also is with the Lord.'
Air (Alto; "for Sigr Guadagni'), 'Oh God, who fron
the suckling's mouth.'
Fragment (for Bass Voice), 'None, none to save him.'
Chorus, 'Oh God, who from the suckling's mouth.
(Introducing the Choral, “Aus tiefer. Noth schrei
ich zu dir,' in the form of a Canto fermo.)
Choruses, Comfort then, O Lord ;' Keep them
alive;' Soon every sorrow shall be redressed.'
Directions; including, Segue Chorus e Messiah,
Act 2, 'Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent
l'eigneth.'
ULU
298
THE NEW ORGAN. [CHAP. XXXIV.
But, Handel did not withdraw his hand, after this
performance. In May, 1750, the following advertise-
ment appeared in the 'General Advertiser':
'Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Deserted Young
Children, in Lamb's Conduit Fields, April 18, 1750.
George Frederick Handel, Esq., having presented this
Hospital with a very fine Organ for the Chapel thereof, and
repeated his offer of assistance to promote this Charity, on
Tuesday, the first day of May, 1750, at twelve o'clock at noon,
Mr. Handel will open the said Organ, and the Sacred Oratorio
called Messiah will be performed under his direction. Tickets
for this performance are ready to be delivered by the Steward
at the Hospital; at Batson's Coffee House, in Cornhill,7 and
White's Chocolate House,” in S. James's Street, at half a guinea
each. N.B. There will be no collection. By order of the
General Committee.
* HARMAN VERELST, Secretary.'
Before the erection of the present galleries, it was.
calculated that the Chapel would hold about a thousand
people, the ladies laying aside their hoops, and the
gentlemen their swords. Yet, so great was the crush,
on this occasion, that, on the 4th of May, the General
Advertiser' contained the following supplementary notice:
'A computation was made of what number of persons the
Chapel of this Hospital would conveniently hold, and no greater
1 The first Coffee House on record was opened, in S. Michael's
Alley, Cornhill, over against the Church, by one Bowman
(coachman to Mr. Hodges, a Turkey Merchant, who putt him
upon it), in or about the year 1652. (Aubrey, MSS. Bodl. Lib.).
Batson's Coffee House stood very near the same spot.
2 White's Chocolate House—now White's Club—was established
in S. James's Street, in the year 1698. Fifty years later it de.
veloped into a private club, celebrated for high play, and extra-
vagant betting. (Timbs, Curiosities of London.)
1750.]
THE NEW ORGAN.
299
number of tickets were delivered to hear the performance there
on the first instant. But, so many persons of distinction arriving
unprovided with tickets, and pressing to pay for tickets, caused
a greater number to be admitted than was expected; and some
that had tickets, not finding room, went away. To prevent any
disappointment to such persons, and for the further promotion
of this Charity, this is to give notice that George Frederick
Handel, Esq., has generously offered that the Sacred Oratorio
called Messiuh shall be performed again under his direction, in
the Chapel of this Hospital, on Tuesday, the 15th instant, at
twelve of the clock at noon; and the tickets delivered out, and
not brought on the first instant, will then be received. The
tickets will be delivered from Monday the 7th to the 14th, and
not after.'
The Organ built by Parkes for presentation, at Handel's
expense, to the Chapel of the Foundling Hospital, was
remarkable, both for the quality of its tone, and the
completeness of its mechanism, which included provision
for four enharmonic intervals, furnishing distinct sounds
for G Sharp, A Flat, A Sharp, B Flat, C Sharp, D Flat,
D Sharp, and E Flat. It had three Manuals, two of
which extended from GG to E in Alt, and the third,
from Violin G to E; the keys for the natural notes being
of ebony, and those for the sharp notes, of ivory : and
it contained, in all, 1623 Pipes, distributed between
twenty-one Stops, disposed in the following order :
GREAT ORGAN.
1. Double Stopped-Diapason. 7. Flute.
2. Open Diapason.
8. Twelfth.
3. Open Diapason (Dup.). 9. Fifteenth.
4. Stopped Diapason. 10. Block Flute.
5. Principal.
11. Sesquialtera. 3 ranks.
6. Principal (Duplicate). 12. Trumpet.
300
CHAP. XXXIV.
THE NEW ORGAN.
hana.
CEOIR ORGAN.
13. Dulciana.
1 16. Fifteenth.
14. Stopped Diapason. | 17. Vox humana.
15. Principal.
SWELL ORGAN.
18. Open Diapason. 20. Trumpet.
19. Stopped Diapason. 21. Cremona.
This interesting and beautiful instrument has been
several times enlarged, and even rebuilt; but it still
retains its sweet old mellow tone, with the additional
advantage of the delicate mechanism of the present day.
It plays, too, a very important part in the Sunday
Services of the Chapel, which are performed in a quiet
old-fashioned way, with an Anthem, Morning and
Evening, selected from a book comprising many of
Handel's masterpieces, intermixed with other works of
the good old English School, and sung by a small but
highly efficient body of voices engaged for the purpose.
Living, in our childhood, not far from the Hospital, we
were sometimes taken, as a great treat, to the Sunday
Services; and well remember, one Easter Day, being greatly
affected by an unusually beautiful Anthem, then wholly
unknown to us, which, on enquiry, turned out to be 'I
Inow that my Redeemer liveth,' sung by Miss Rainforth.
After presenting the Chapel with this beautiful Organ,
Handel continued to give one or more performances of
the 'Messiah,' annually, for the benefit of the Hospital,
until the year of his death. On the 18th of April, 1751,
tickets were sold, to the amount of £600; and the
success of the performance was so great, that, at the
request of several persons of distinction,' Handel con-
sented to repeat it, on the 16th of May, on which
1750–1759.] PERFORMANCES OF THE MESSIAH.
301
occasion there were above five hundred coaches, besides
chairs, and the tickets amounted to above seven hundred
guineas. On Thursday, the 9th of April, 1752, the
number of tickets taken, at half-a-guinea each, was
1200. On the 1st of May, 1753, there were above
800 coaches and chairs, and the tickets amounted to
925 guineas. Between this year and 1758, Handel
conducted five more performances of his great Oratorio in
the same Chapel—making, in all, eleven presentations of
the “Messiah,' which, without reckoning the previous
presentation of the Foundling Hospital Anthem, added
£6935 to the funds of the Charity. In the year 1759,
another performance—the twelfth-was advertised for
the 3rd of May. Before that day arrived, Handel was
no more; but, the performance took place, under the
direction of John Christopher Smith, whose signature
is attached to a list of the performers, still preserved
among the archives of the Charity. From this list,
we learn that there were present, twelve Violins, three
Tenners,' two Violoncelli, two Contra-Bassi, four Haut-
bois, four Bassoons, two Trumpets, two Horns, and
a pair of Drums; with Sigra Frasi, Sigr Ricciarelli,
Mrs. Scott, Mr. Beard, Mr. Champness, and six Boys, as
principal Singers; twelve supplementary Chorus Singers,
among whom we find the names of Reinhold and Walz;
and two Organists—J. C. Smith and Howard. The
expenses of the Singers amounted to £28 178. 6d.; those
of the Orchestra, to £17 158. Mr. Smith’s honorarium was
£5 5s. ; which, with a farther sum of £5 5s. expended in
fees and servants, brought the outlay to £56 12s.
In the following year, 1760, Mr. J. C. Smith under-
took the duty of managing the entire performance, and
continued to preside at it, annually, until 1768, during
302 PERFORMANCES OF THE “MESSIAH. [CHAP. XXXIV.
which time he gained for the Hospital, £1332. Between
1769 and 1777, John Stanley, the blind Organist, con-
tinued the same pious work, realising £2032 ; which
several sums, added to the £6935 produced during the
Composer's lifetime, brought the amount accruing to the
Institution from performances of the “Messiah' alone, to
£10,299.1
Handel also caused a fair copy of the Messiah to be
transcribed by Smith for the exclusive use of the
Foundling Hospital; and this, with a complete set of
parts, was duly delivered to the Governors, in 1759,
and is still preserved among the archives of the Insti-
tution. He had previously accorded a similar favour to
the governing body of the Charitable Musical Society,'
in Dublin; but, with a less satisfactory result. So long
as this Society existed, the Score was nobly used; and
the 'Messiah' was several times performed for the
benefit and enlargement of prisoners confined for debt.'
But, as time progressed, the enthusiasm of the Irish
public cooled. On the dissolution of the Society, the
Score was delivered into the possession of the Governors
of Mercer's Hospital—which, undoubtedly, had the best
right to it. But, on making inquiry for this precious
MS., not very many years ago, Mr. Townsend discovered
that one of the physicians of the Hospital, who was
devoted to Music, had taken it home with him; and
had, very soon afterwards, died suddenly. In the con-
fusion consequent upon this event, the document was
lost; and, though strenuous efforts have since been made
to recover it, they have hitherto proved fruitless.2
i Burney, Comm. of Handel, “Sketch,' p. 28.
: These circumstances were communicated to Mr. Schoelcher by
Dir. Townsend himself. (See Schoelcher's Life of Handel, p. 271.)
1750–1759.]
APPEAL TO PARLIAMENT.
303
After all that we have recorded concerning Handel's
good will towards the Foundling Hospital, it might have
been supposed that his relations with the Governors of
the Charity were of too friendly a nature to be disturbed
by any possible misunderstanding; yet they were once
in danger of being interrupted by a serious difference of
opinion. In order to understand the full significance
of this, we must remember, that, during Handel's lifetime,
the complete Score of the “Messiah' remained un-
published. The gift of a copy of this Score, therefore,
involved privileges of performance, which, notwith-
standing the vexatious state of the Law, were in those
days practically strong enough to set at defiance the
dishonesty of a pirate like the elder Arne, who had
brought out 'Acis and Galatea' without any authority
whatever. In promising the Charity a complete copy of the
Oratorio, and assuring the Governors of his willingness
to conduct its performance, annually, as long as he lived,
Handel had, at any rate, done as much for the interests of
the “Exposed and Deserted Young Children, in Lamb's .
Conduit Fields,' as it was possible for him to do with
regard to his own. But, the Trustees hoped for more
than this. In order to obtain for their rights a legal
recognition, they proposed to submit the matter to
Parliament; and, with this end in view, drew up a
petition which concluded in the following terms:
"That, in order to raise a farther sum for the said Charity,
George Frederick Handel, Esq., hath been charitably pleased to
give to this Corporation a Composition of Musick, called "The
Oratorio of The Messiah,' composed by him; the said George
Frederick Handel reserving to himself only the liberty of per-
forming the same for his own benefit during his life. And
whereas, the said benefaction cannot be secured to the sole use
of your petitioners except by the authority of Parliament, your
304
[CHAP. XXXIV.
APPEAL TO PARLIAMENT.
petitioners therefore humbly pray that leare may be given to
bring in a bill for the purposes expressed,' etc., etc.
When the petition was shown to Handel, he was
furious. He had pledged his word, in all good faith.
But though, if the elder Arne could have obtained an
authentic copy of the Score, the law would not have
prevented him from using it to his own advantage, the
idea of obtaining guarantees against such an act of piracy
was abhorrent to a man who had always been guided by
the very soul of honour. Handel's phrases were not
delicately measured, when he was in a rage. "The
Devil !' he cried, “for what shall the Foundlings put
mine Oratorio in the Parliament! The Devil ! mine
Musick shall not go to the Parliament!' And it did not;
though, angry as he was, he was too good a Christian to
suffer the outrage to his personal feelings to affect the
continuance of his large-hearted charity.
We may remark, in passing, that Handel was not the
only great genius of the age who consecrated his Art
to the services of this excellent Charity. Hogarth painted
an admirable portrait of Captain Coram ; and also gave
the Institution some other pictures, of great value, which
are now regarded as precious heirlooms, and shown, as
such, to privileged visitors, after the Sunday Morning
Service in the Chapel.
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE LAST ORATORIO.
THOUGH The Musick for the Royal Fireworks was per-
formed with such brilliant success, at Vauxhall Gardens,
in the Green Park, and at the Chapel of the Foundling
Hospital, the composer was not equally fortunate with his
more serious works, at Covent Garden.
We have seen that the first performance of the Found-
ling Hospital Anthem took place on the 27th of May,
1749. A month later, Handel began the composition of
Theodora, the score of which bears the following dates.
On the first page—angefangen den 28 June 4 174 (the 9
cut away). At the end of the First Part-geendiget
July 5 8 1749. At the end of the Second Part
geendiget 11 July 1749. And, at the end of the
Oratorio-S.D.G. G. F. Handel | London den 17 Julii :)
1749 | den 31 July - völlig geendiget.
This beautiful Oratorio has been less artistically criti-
cised, and less fairly appreciated, than almost any of its
author's later works. Beyond some three or four deathless
movements, such as 'Lord to Thee each night and day,
Angels ever bright and fair,'' He saw the lovely youth,
and 'Venus laughing from the skies,' which have not been
forgotten, simply because it was impossible to forget them,
no one knows anything about it, or has known anything
306
[CHAP. XXXV.
“THEODORA,
about it, for the last hundred years. The perfect delinea-
tion of the heroine's character has been overlooked
entirely. We all know her first great Air; but who has
heard the wonderful Scena she sings in her place of
captivity, or her two Duets with Didymus? Who has
studied the contrast between the orgies in the Temple of
Venus, and the devotional Hymns of the Christians ? or
the change wrought in the character of Septimius, who
first appears as a good-humoured young officer, ready to
carry out the Emperor's wishes, without wasting a thought
upon their injustice, and afterwards shows himself a loyal
gentleman prepared to brave the wrath of Valens himself,
for virtue's sake, and to touch for the soldiers under his
command that they shall do the same? This artistic
development of the good innate in the character of a true-
hearted man is one of the finest things in the Oratorio.
It is the same Septimius throughout; only circumstances
show him to us in two different lights. And the music
assigned to him is made to express this so clearly, that it
is impossible to misunderstand his character.
Theodora was first produced, at Covent Garden, 'with
a new Concerto on the Organ,' on the 16th of March,
1750; and was performed four times during the course of
the season, to very poor houses. Burney, who appears
to have mistaken the date of its composition for that of
its performance, tells us that 'in 1749, Theodorce was so
very unfortunately abandoned, that he was glad if any
professor, who did not perform, would accept of tickets,
or orders for admission. Two gentlemen of that descrip-
tion, now living, having applied to Handel, after the
disgrace of Theodora, for an order to hear the Messiah, he
cried out, “Oh, your servant, mine Herren! you are
damnable dainty ! you would not go to Theodorc—there.
1750.]
ALARMING ACCIDENT.
307
was room enough to dance there, when that was perform.'
This must have annoyed him bitterly; for he prized
the Oratorio very highly, and thought ' He saw the lovely
youth' finer than even the 'Hallelujah Chorus.' Yet
he bore it like a true philosopher. On the night of the
second performance, he said to one of his guests, “Will
you be here next Friday night? I will play it to you.'
And, on another occasion, Burney heard him say, in
answer to a remark that the house was very empty,
'Never mind; the music will sound the better.'1 The
King, however, was regular in his attendance; scarcely
ever missing an Oratorio night, whether the public
frequented the theatre, or not. Horace Walpole is said
to have met Lord Chesterfield, leaving the house at
a very early hour. What, my Lord !' said he, Sare
you dismissed ? Is there no Oratorio this evening?'
“Yes,' said Lord Chesterfield, they are still performing ;
but I thought it best to retire, lest I should disturb the
King in his privacy.'
The season closed, this year, on the 11th of April; and
during the summer, Handel paid a visit to the Continent,
where he met with an alarming accident, for on Tuesday,
the 21st of August, the 'General Advertiser'informed its
readers that
Mr. Handel, who went to Germany to visit his friends some
time since, and, between the Hague and Haarlem, had the mis.
fortune to be overturned, by which he was terribly hurt, is now
out of danger.'
Forkel places this journey in 1752, or 1753, but is
clearly mistaken as to the date ;2 though the chronological
error in no wise affects the main point of his narrative,
i Burney, Conn. of Handel, 'Sketch,' p. 29.
2 Ueber J. S. Bach's Leben, 21..w. p. 47. (Leipzig, 1802.)
x 2
308
DEATH OF JOHN SEBASTIAN BACH. [CHAP. XXXV.
which derives its sole interest from the fact that Sebastian
Bach, who died on the 28th of July, 1750, had passed
away before his great confrère visited Halle for the last
time—a circumstance which is quite consistent with the
account given in the 'General Advertiser.'
The date of Handel's return to England is not recorded;
but it must have been before the close of the year, for,
early in 1751, we find him engaged upon the composition
of his last great work, Jephtha, the score of which bears,
among other memoranda, the following inscriptions and
dates. Heading, on the first page— Ouverture ziteacta dell
Oratorio Jeptha. Heading of the last movement of the
Overture-Menuet Oratorio Jeptha angefangen Jan" 21
1751 | o. At the end of the First Part-geendiget den
2 Felix ✓ 1751 | völlig Ò Agost 13, 1751. At the
end of the Second Part-London clen 13 ¢ Fel175
and, on the next page—ilen 23 12 ilieses. . . At the end
of the Oratorio~G. F. Handel (ctatis 66 | Finis &
Agost 30, 1751. The MS. is exceptionally rich in annota-
tions of this kind; some of which are very lengthy, while
others show the Third Part to have been in various stages
of completion, between the 18th of June, and the 17th
of July.
The concurrent testimony of these various dates is very
clear. The work of composition proceeded regularly and
rapidly, to the end of Part II., which was finished, in a
rough way, on the 13th of February, and, more completely,
on the 23rd. The work was then interrupted—to be
renewed in the month of June following. In June, and
July, the Third Part was roughly finished. In August,
the still imperfect First Part was completely filled in.
And before the close of the month the whole was
brought to perfection.
1751.]
* JEPHTHA:
309
The cause of the first interruption, at the end of
February, is only too painfully apparent. Ever since his
serious illness, in 1737, Handel had been more or less
subject to a return of the symptoms which then caused
his friends such well-founded alarm. Hawkins, who
knew him well, tells us that “In the succeeding year
(i.e. 1743—the year after the production of the Messiah)
he had a slight return of the disorder which had driven
him to seek relief from the baths of Aix-la-Chapelle : '1
and it was probably for the same symptoms that he was
induced, in 1751, to try the effect of some then celebrated
mineral waters in England. We do not know when he
left town for that purpose ; but, the 'General Advertiser'
for the 15th June announces that On Thursday last
(i.e. June 13) Mr. Handel arrived in town from Cheltenham
Wells, where he had been to make use of the waters.'
Five days afterwards, we find him at work on the Third
Part of his half-finished Oratorio; but he did not, in
accordance with his usual custom, finish this off, in ten
days, or a fortnight. There may have been two reasons
for this. It is quite possible that his health may have
needed time to re-establish itself, after the effect of the
waters had passed away. But, the general idea is, that it
was at this period that the composer's sight first began to
fail; and this opinion is certainly strengthened by the
appearance of the score, the latter portion of which is
written in a wavering hand, such as might easily have been
induced by the necessity for applying the eye very closely
to the staves ruled on a sheet of music-paper. Probably,
the progress of the work was influenced by both causes.
Handel was now advancing in years. His constitution
1 Hist. of Music, vol. V., bk. 4, chap. 6.
? See pages 131-132, Note.
7
310
[CHAP. XXXV.
"JEPHTHA
had been much shaken by the first attack of paralysis;
and Hawkins tells us, that, when the symptoms of
incipient blindness could no longer be mistaken, 'his
spirits forsook him, and that fortitude which had sup-
ported him under afflictions of another kind deserted
him.'1 All these causes may have retarded, and no
doubt did retard, the progress of the work, towards the
close of which we meet with signs of hesitation, and
afterthought, such as are nowhere perceptible in its
earlier pages. For instance, 'Deeper, and deeper still,' in
the Second Part, completed in February, bears all the
appearance of having been written under the effect of
continuous inspiration : whereas, Waft her, Angels,' in
the Third Part, written after the composer's return from
Cheltenham, contains long passages which have been
crossed out, and re-composed, after more than one change
of intention induced by evident dissatisfaction with the
original idea.
Yet, in many respects, Jephtha is one of the most
perfect Oratorios that Handel ever produced. The subject
is admirably adapted to form the groundwork of a Grand
Drama Dr. Morell, the author of the Poem, found no
lack of powerful situations ready to his hand; and, in
translating into the language of music the varied emotions
suggested by the course of the Scripture narrative, Handel
presents them to our ears in tones which neither time,
nor fashion, can ever enervate. Each character is a
picture in itself. Jephtha's powerful despair is a far
deeper feeling than Storge's indignant horror. Long
before the dénoûment approaches, we can see that Hamor
will have more to give up than Iphis, and will remember
the sacrifice very much longer. Among the nine Choruses
1 Hist. of Music, vol. V., bk. 4, chap. 10.
1751–1752.]
(JEPHTHA.
311
interspersed throughout the work, there is not a single
weak one ; while some of them are the finest of their
order.
In every way, therefore, Jephtha stands forth as a work
of the highest class. And it has maintained its ground,
even to our own day; affording to the three greatest
tenor singers that England ever produced-John Beard,
John Braham; and Mr. Sims Reeves—a field in which
they have won some of their most memorable triumphs;
and delighting thousands of amateurs who know no more
of it than they can hear occasionally during the course of
a Miscellaneous Concert.'
Jephtha was first performed, at Covent Garden, on the
26th of February, 1752; the parts of Iphis and Storge
being sung by Sigre Frasi, and Galli; those of Jephtha,
and Hamor, by Messrs. Beard, and Brent; that of Zebul,
by Mr. Wass; and that of the Angel, by 'The Boy.' It
was performed altogether seven times, during the Com-
poser's lifetime; and appears to have been much more
warmly received than its immediate predecessor, Theodora;
of which Handel declared that “the Jews would not come
to it, as they did to Judas Maccabæus, because it was a
Christian story; and the ladies would not come to it,
because it was a virtuous one. The first of these objec-
tions, at any rate, could not be urged against Jephtha ;
but we may hope that it was for better reasons that, from
this time forward, the Oratorio seasons were no longer so
unsuccessful as they had formerly been. The hatred of
the leaders of fashion against the genius of the man who
had done so much for them, and for Art, had, by this
time, died out; as such unworthy passions always do,
when mercenary interests no longer continue to fire them
into life. Buononcini had long been utterly forgotten.
312
[CHAP. XXXV.
JEPHTHA.'
The partisans of Cuzzoni and Faustina no longer had
anything to fight for. Men, like Horace Walpole, who
sneer at everything, live on, in every age; but, after a
while, their bon-mots become too wearisome for repetition.
And so it came to pass, that, during the later years of his
life, Handel was able so far to retrieve his lost fortune,
that he was at least spared the misery of adding the
fear of impending insolvency to the grief caused by the
threatened loss of the sense which is dearest to us all.
His enemies had much to be ashamed of: but they did
not carry their enmity so far as to reduce the blind man
to beggary.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
ENGLISII DRAMATIC WORKS.
Ul
AFTER producing Jephtha, Handel composed no more
great works; but confined his attention to the repro-
duction of those he had already presented to the public,
enriching them with new pieces of various kinds, or
subjecting them to such changes as became necessary,
from time to time, in order to adapt them to the special
circumstances under which they were produced. In
most cases, these alterations were limited to the substi-
tution of an Air for a Chorus; the transposition of a
part, to suit the Voice of some professional Singer; or,
at most, the interpolation of a few additional Songs. In
one instance only was an already well-known work
entirely remodelled. But, before we speak of that, we
shall find it convenient to depart, for a time, from the
strict chronological arrangenient of our narrative, for the
purpose of noticing some works, which, though produced
in alternation with Italian Operas and English Oratorios
already described, cannot fairly be classed with either,
and therefore demand a chapter to themselves.
English audiences of the 18th century invested the
term, Oratorio, with a meaning very different from that
now commonly attached to it. When a Musical Drama
was produced without the aid of scenery, dress, or action,
314
[CHAP. XXXVI.
SEMELE.
it was said to be perfòrm'd after the manner of an
Oratorio,' whether its subject was a sacred one, or not.
Many of Handel's secular works were so performed, at
Covent Garden, and elsewhere; and, for no better reason
than this, were popularly known as Oratorios, and actually
printed under the name, even when the most prominent
members of their dramatis personce were the heroes and
demi-gods of mythological fable. That there were excep-
tions to the rule seems to have been merely the effect of
accidental coincidence. Acis and Galatea, though per-
formed without action, was aided by the attractions of
scenery, and dresses, and did not therefore fall within
the category. Alexandler's Feast, and its companion enter-
tainment for S. Cecilia's Day, were called Odes, by
Pope, and naturally retained the title he gave them. No
distinctive title whatever was prefixed to L'Allegro, either
in the original Score or that printed by Arnold. But
Semele, though called, in Arnold's edition, ‘A Dramatick
Performance,' was first announced for presentation, “after
the manner of an Oratorio'; and is described, by Main-
waring, as 'an English Opera, but called an Oratorio, and
performed as such at Covent Garden.' We may therefore
accept it as a typical work of the class we are describing ;
and we could scarcely wish for a clearer example.
The original Score of Semele is headed — Ouverture.
4 angefangen den 3 June 1743. The three Acts ter-
minate, respectively, with the dates, Junij 13 1743;
Fine dell Atto 2do | D 20 June 1743 ; and Fine |
G. F. Handel London July 4 1743 völlig geendiget.
The work was produced, at Covent Garden, on the
10th of February, 1744; and was performed, with very
fair success, four times, during its first season. The Poem,
as 'altered from Congreve,' though moulded in regular
1743–1744..]
'SEMELE.
315
dramatic form, could never, by any possibility, have been
tolerated upon the English Stage. But it frequently
happens that Dramatic Poems very ill adapted for the
display of histrionic talent abound with situations of deep
emotional interest. We delight in reading such pieces.
Sometimes we think we should like to see them acted.
But, this is a mistake. When some incautious manager
ventures to mount them, they fail to satisfy our pre-
conceived ideal, either from insufficiency of what is
technically called 'stage-business,' or, because they contain
scenes which we can bear to read, but could not endure
in the form of a living impersonation. Handel clearly
recognised these characteristics in Semele; and treated it
accordingly: enriching it with Choruses far too elaborate
for operatic purposes, and illustrating its passionate Scenes
with music well calculated to bring them into strong and
effective relief. · The weakness of Semele, the jealousy of
Juno, the calculating meanness of Jupiter, are painted in
colours which the Classical Poets of a bygone age have
rendered familiar to us all; the Chorus is employed with
true classical consistency, to heighten the effect of the
whole. The voluptuous softness of Now Love, that Ever-
lasting Boy' equals that of the ' Nightingale Chorus' in
Solomon ; and ‘ Bless the glad earth' is one of those bold
effusions, which at the conclusion of an Act, seem to
embody the dignity of the whole. But 'Avert these
omens' rises higher than this, and sets forth a great
truth in the noblest poetical language. A freezing terror
is implied in the masterly introduction of the Drums into
the Stringed Band : but, it is only the terror of super-
stition. The temple grows dark. It looks very awful, in
its pictorial gloom. Yet we feel that the priests who
serve in it are as false as the gods whose rites are inter-
316
[CHAP. XXXVI.
" HERCULES.
rupted. How different the horror of the great DARKNESS
in Israel in Egypt! There is no suspicion of falsehood
in that!
Like most of Handel's later works, Semele is rich
in Accompanied Recitatives of the highest excellence.
Somnus, wake,' in which Juno enters the cave of the
drowsy god, and endeavours to rouse him by her flattering
promises, is extraordinarily effective, both in its instru-
mentation, and its declamatory phrases ; and there are
many others, quite equal to it. Jupiter's Air, “Where'er
you walk;' is too well known to need allusion ; yet it
forms one only of a charming series of Melodies the rest
of which were utterly forgotten, until the piece was
revived by the Cambridge University Musical Society, on
the 27th of November, 1878.
The reception of Semele was sufficiently promising to
justify the production, during the following season, of
another English Dramatic Piece, of similar construction,
entitled Hercules. The Poem for this was written by
the Reverend Thomas Broughton; who, passing over
the earlier events in the history of the demi-god,
deals with that portion only of his mortal career which
was influenced by the suspicious jealousy of Dejanira,
and her unhappy ignorance of the true nature of the
poisoned tunic. The number of incidents presented to
the auditor is therefore very small; though the amount
of passionate fervour needed for the evolution of the
catastrophe is almost unlimited. Dejanira's jealousy is
very real, and very much in earnest; a less unworthy
form of madness, by far, than that of Juno, in Semele,
though no attempt is made by the Composer to disguise
the hateful character of the passion itself. The contrast
between this perverted feeling, and the gentle confidence
1744–1745.]
HERCULES:
317
of Iole, is so artfully drawn, and yet depicted with such
intensity of natural truthfulness, that it invests the
earlier Scenes of the Drama with a never-wearying charm.
But, the Third Act depends for its effect upon the intro-
duction of much more powerful emotions. The rage of
the poisoned hero, the despair of Dejanira, the over-
whelming grief of Hyllus and Lichas, are employed by
turns as means for the preparation of a climax of
overwhelming power. For some reason not very easy to
comprehend, the Poet has omitted all mention of the
tragic detail, so forcibly narrated by Ovid, in which the
dying giant hurls Lichas into the sea. But Handel could
very well afford to dispense with this deed of gratuitous
violence, which, after all, would only have lowered the
tone of his hero's character. The whole scene on the
summit of Mount Eta is painted with a wild excitement
which needed no murder of an innocent messenger to add
to its vivid energy. It would indeed be difficult to find
its parallel, in the Dramatic Music of any age or country.
And here it is that Hercules shines to so much greater
advantage than its predecessor, Semele. There is an
earnestness in the work that could not possibly have been
communicated to the unworthy passion of Jupiter, or the
blind rage of the 'ox-eyed' partner of his throne. Had
Handel attempted to paint the rulers of Olympus in
nobler colours than Poets painted them two thousand
years ago, he would have created a new Mythology of
his own, instead of illustrating that consecrated by the
whole consentient cycle of Hellenic verse. But the cha-
racter of Alcides was always described in the noblest imagery
that even that sonorous measure could command : and
the Composer followed the Poet's example ; and, having
shown us the cloud-compelling son of Saturn as a con-
318
"THE ALCHYMIST. [CHAP. XXXVI.
temptible libertine, invested Hercules with all the
grandest attributes of a deified hero. In place of the
voluptuous grace of 'Where'er you wall,' he gives us
the warm passion of 'The god of battle quits the bloody
field. For the luscious sweetness of “Now Love, that
everlasting Boy," he substitutes the most stirring of
Marches, and the splendid Chorus, Crown with festal
pomp the day. And, in “Jealousy, infernal pest,' and
'Tyrants now 120 more shall clread, he reminds us of some
of the grandest conceptions in Saul and Samson. And
therefore it is, that, without being by any means a truer
work of Art than Semele, the piece we are considering
aims at a loftier ideal, and addresses itself to intellectual
faculties of a higher order.
The Score of Hercules is dated at the beginning,
angefangen July 19 4 1741'; and at the termination
of the three Acts- geendiget dieses 1 Akt July 30 :)
1744; Fine dell Atto 2do | Agost 11 1744 : and Fine
London Agost 17 f 1744. The work was first announced
as ' a Musical Drama'; produced, at the King's Theatre,
on the 5th of January, 1745, after the manner of an
Oratorio'; and printed, by Arnold, in 1785-6, as an
Oratorio, pur et simple. In our time, it has been twice
revived, with excellent effect; first, at the Lower Rhine
Festival, held at Düsseldorf, on the 17th of May, 1875,
under the direction of Herr Joachim; and afterwards, in
London, on the Sth of June, 1877, under that of Mr.
Henry Leslie.
But Handel's English Dramatic Music is not always
intended to be sung without action. When John Rich
first opened his newly-built Theatre in Covent Garden, in
1732, Ben Jonson's Play, The Alchymist, was successfully
revived, with some very attractive Ballet Scenes, to
1750.]
'ALCESTE.
319
which the versatile Composer adapted the delightful
Dance Tunes written in 1707, for Rodrigo, in combina-
tion with some other Music printed in 1788 by Arnold.
Again, in the year 1750, he composed the Music for
a dramatic piece, founded by Smollett upon the Alnotis
of Euripides. The complete score of the work no longer
exists; but an autograph volume, 1 in the Library of the
British Museum, contains nearly all that is known of the
Fourth Act, dated, at the end of the last Chorus, Fine
G. F. Handel | völlig geencliget den 8 January :) 1750,
together with an Air for Miss Young— Thetis bids me
hither rise'—which may, or may not, have been intended
for insertion in one of the preceding Acts. The names
of Miss Young, Mrs. Arne, Mr. Low, and Mr. Waltz, are
mentioned in the MS.; and Arnold also mentions
Mrs. Faulkner as having been engaged to sing in it.
Hawkins tells us that the piece was written for Rich, in
liquidation of a debt too heavy for Handel to pay in
money, after the ruinous losses of his later seasons.3
Arnold's account is not inconsistent with this story. He
says, that, “in order to bring it forward with every
possible degree of elegance, Mr. Rich, the Manager,
engaged the famous Servandoni to paint the Scenery;
the Opera, however, from some accident, was never
performed.' When Covent Garden Theatre passed into
the hands of Mr. Colman, Arnold obtained a copy of
the Score, in a condition manifestly very incomplete; and
on the authority of this he published it, in 1790, under
i Add. MSS. 30, 310.
? But for the language in which the verses are written, we
should have taken it for granted that this was intended for
insertion in Parnasso in Festa.
3 Hist. of Music, vol. Y., lib. 4, chap. 4.
320
THE CHOICE OF HERCULES. [CHAP. XXXVI.
the title of Alcides. Hawkins calls it Alceste ;i but it is
quite possible that Arnold's copy may have been trans-
cribed without a title, and, since it included none of
the Music designed for the heroine of the piece, that he
may have named it after another of its characters,
instead. Schoelcher describes it under the impossible
title of Alcestes. Fortunately, all doubt as to the true
title of the piece is removed, by the word struck through
with the pen in the original score of Jephtha, which seems
to have been begun on a sheet of paper previously headed
Alceste.?
Handel evidently understood from the first that the
rejection of Alceste was final; for, five months only after
the completion of the Score, he began to compose the
• Musical Interlude' called The Choice of Hercules, which
embodies nearly all the Music of the earlier piece, adapted
to different words. The Score of this is dated, at the
bottom of the first page, angefangen den 28 June $
1750; and, at the end, G. F. Handel. völlig geendiget
July 5 4 1750.3 The story, founded on an episode in
the history of the demi-god related by Xenophon, is com-
skill with which the Music of the one piece is adapted to
the words of the other is extraordinary. The delicious
Chorus, Still caressing and caresscil,' appears, in its new
dress, as 'Turn thee, Youth, to joy, and love'; and it is
impossible to say which version most perfectly accords
with the expression of the Melody—a ravishing strain,
so plainly indigenous in its character, that, under no
imaginable circumstances could we believe it to have
i Hist. of Music, vol. V., lib. 4, chap. 4.
? See chapter xxxy.
3 Arnold erroneously states that it was composed in 1745.
1750–1751.]
THE CHOICE OF HERCULES.'
321
been conceived in any other country than our own. And
the same peculiarity pervades the rest of the adaptations
so strongly, that, except for the dates in Handel's own
handwriting, we should have been entirely without a
guide as to the priority of either Composition. It is,
however, quite clear that Alceste really was written first;
that it was laid aside, without performance; and that the
Music, adapted to the new piece, was produced, at Covent
Garden, on the 1st of March, 1751, and performed four
times, during the course of the season, in conjunction
with Alexander's Feast.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
PASTICCIOS.
So great was the popularity of the musical pieces called
Pasticcios, during the greater part of the 18th century,
that, unable to combat the general feeling in their
favour, Handel found himself obliged, to some extent,
to yield to it.
On the 31st of March, 1730, he produced, at the
King's Theatre, a Pasticcio called Ormisda. On the
23rd of May, 1732, he brought out another, called
Lucio Papirio, which was followed, in the same year,
by a third, Il Catone.
Soon after bis migration to Covent Garden, he per-
formed four more: Semiramis, produced on the 30th
of October, 1733 ; Cajo Tabriccio, in which Carestini
made his first appearance on the 4th of December, in
the same year; Arbace—an adaptation of Metastasio's
Artaiserse--first performed on the 5th of January, 1734 ;
and Orestes, consisting entirely of selections from his
own works, produced on the 18th of December, in that
year, not long after the revival of Pastor Fido.
The Scores of all these Operas are preserved in the
Schoelcher Collection, in the Stadt-Bibliothek, at Ham-
burg. That of Orestes is entirely in Handel's hand-
writing. In the others, the Airs are mostly in Smith's
1738.]
'ALESSANDRO SEVERO:
323
handwriting, and the Recitatives only in that of the
Master himself.
On the 25th of February, 1738, a very successful
Pasticcio, called Alessandro Severo, was produced, at
Covent Garden, with a special Overture, which after-
wards became very popular. Copies of this, in Smith's
handwriting, are preserved both in the Lennard and
Schoelcher Collections.
Mainwaringi and Hawkins? both concur in asserting
that Lord Middlesex paid Handel £1,000 for the Scores
of Alessandro Severo' and Faramonlo; but the accuracy
of the statement seems more than doubtful: for it is
certain that Faramondo was produced at Covent Garden,
in 1737, and Alessandro Severo, in 1738; and equally
so, that Lord Middlesex did not assume the management
of the King's Theatre until 1741-the year of Handel's
journey to Ireland. It is just possible (though not at
all likely) that the work alluded to by Mainwaring may
have been the famous Alessandro composed, in 1728, for
Cuzzoni, and Faustina ; and that Hawkins may have
copied Mainwaring's mistake. At any rate, this last-
named Opera was reproduced, at the King's Theatre,
in 1743, by Lord Middlesex, either with or without
Handel's permission, under the title of Roxana, or
Alexander in India ; and, in the same year, Walsh
published a folio copy of the Score, with the original
Songs transcribed from Cluer's 4to edition, notatim et
verbatim, including even the names of the Singers of
the original cast, who were not then in England. We
do not say that there is any direct evidence to
support the suggestion that this may have been the
Opera for which Handel was so liberally paid; but, it
1 Memoirs, p. 124. ? Hist. of Music, vol. v. lib. 4, chap. 6.
Y 2
324
'LUCIO VERO. [CHAP. XXXVII.
is certain that it was revived; and, as the story told
by the one historian, and copied by the other, is abso-
lutely incredible, the phonetic similarity between the
names of the two Operas furnishes the only probable
clue to the origin of the mistake.
It is, indeed, quite clear that Lord Middlesex enter-
tained a fitting respect for the great Composer's name,
notwithstanding the ruinous losses with which it hac
been so unfortunately associated : for, before his manage-
ment drew to a close, another Pasticcio, called Lucio
Vero,I was announced, in the 'General Advertiser' for
Nov. 13, 1747, as in active preparation at the King's
Theatre.
'Yesterday was rehearsed, at the King's Theatre in the Hay.
market, the Opera of Lucius Verus. This Drama consists of
Airs borrowed entirely from Mr. Handel's favourite Operas, and
so may (probably) be justly styled the most exquisite compo-
sition of harmony ever offered to the publick, Those lovers of
Musick among us whose ears have been charmed with Faustina,
Faranello, Senesini, Cuzzoni, and other great performers, will
now have an opportunity of reviving their former delight;
which, if not so transporting as then, may yet form a pery
high entertainment. Mr. Handel is acknowledged (universally)
so great a master of the lyre, that nothing urged in favour of
his performances can reasonably be considered as a puff.'
The 'Favourite Songs' in this piece were also published
by Walsh ; but the volume—now very rare—is almost
entirely reprinted from old plates belonging to earlier
Operas, with the additional title of Lucius Verus. In
all probability, the performance, and the publication,
were alike unauthorised by the only person who had
the right to a voice in the matter.
i It will be remembered that Attilio Ariosti contributed an
Opera, of this name, to the répertoire of the Royal Academy of
Music. See Note, chapter six.
1747.]
'HONORIUS:
325
Among the MSS. in the Fitzwilliam Library at Cam-
bridge are some fragments, in Handel's handwriting,
from Honorius. This may possibly have been another
Pasticcio, of which no farther record has been found.
Or, it may have been an unfinished Opera, like Tito, 1
Alfonso Primo,2 or Flavio Olibrio. There seems, at
present, no chance of obtaining any further information
on the subject.
i See chapter xx.
? Ib.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.
We have hitherto said but little on the subject of
Handel's Instrumental Compositions; not because they
are either few in number, or unimportant as indications
of the peculiar tendency of the Composer's genius; but,
because they are so numerous, and throw so clear a light
upon the taste and character of their author, and upon
the style of his performances upon the Organ and
Harpsichord, that, to study them with profit, we must
analyse them as individual crcations, apart from the
great Choral works which have hitherto occupied so
much of our attention. Intimate as is the correlation
existing between the two phases of creative power
manifested in these two distinct provinces of the great
realm of Art, each Art-form, if we would understand its
full bearing upon its fellow, must first be studied sepa-
rately.
We have seen how Handel threw himself into the
inmost heart of the Opera, and the Oratorio. We have,
next, to show how he expressed the thoughts of his
own heart, through the medium of the Organ, the Harpsi-
chord, and the full Orchestra. In a future chapter, we
shall hope to show the reaction of his Instrumental
Music, upon that which he wrote for the Voice.
1608.]
MONTEVERDE.
327
The pieces in question comprise between seventy and
eighty Overtures, and Orchestral Preludes of various
kinds, to the Operas, Oratorios, and other great sacred
and secular works already described : a large collection
of Orchestral Concertos : an equally important series of
Concertos for the Organ, or Harpsichord: the Water
Musick :' the Music for the Royal Fireworks : a volume
of Sonatas : two sets of Trios : three sets of Lessons for
the Harpsichord : a set of Fugues : and innumerable
shorter Compositions. It would manifestly be impossible
to notice all these pieces separately, in a work like the
present; we must, therefore, content ourselves with a
general description of the several classes into which they
naturally divide themselves, and present our readers with
a typical rather than an individual analysis of the whole.
The invention of the Overture, or rather, its first reduc-
tion to regular and symmetrical form, is generally ascribed
to Lulli. The Instrumental Prelude to Monteverde’s
Orfeo, produced, at Mantua, in 1608, is a mere flourish
on the chord of C. This is the earliest example of an
Overture of which we possess any authentic record : and,
when we remember that two Italian Operas only had
been given to the world before Orfeo saw the light,
we can hardly wonder at its rudimentary character.
Monteverde's immediate successors did little to improve
upon it. Italian audiences were always impatient for
the rising of the curtain ; but, in France, the case was
different, and Lulli, sure of attentive listeners, preluded
his dramatic pieces, for the most part, with a dignified
Largo, followed by a lively Movement in the fugato
style, full of clever imitations, though not aspiring to
the rank of a regularly-constructed Fugue—an Art-form
which was clearly beyond his powers. Sometimes, he
328
OVERTURE TO 'ALMIRA. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
added a Minuet, or other Dance-Tunc ; but, rather as an
appendix to the Overture, than as an integral part of it.
The form was quite complete without it.
Lulli's Overtures soon became celebrated, even in Italy;
and one Composer only, among his contemporaries, proved
himself capable of producing better ones. This great
genius was Alessandro Scarlatti, who, though he rarely
prefaced his Operas with Orchestral Preludes, departed
from his rule, occasionally, with marked success, striking
out for himself a new line quite different from that
followed by Lulli, and producing works well worthy of
his brilliant reputation.1
Handel's first Overture was that to Almirc; composed,
at Hamburg, in 1705 ; remodelled, in Italy; and prefixed,
in 1707, to Rodrigo. It would convey but a very faint
idea of the truth to describe this as, in any degree, an
advance upon the Overtures of Lulli, or Alessandro
Scarlatti. It simply left them nowhere. The inventivo
faculty is one of the highest attributes of true genius;
and Lulli certainly exhibited it, in no restricted measure,
when he first wrote a fugued Overture, preceded by a
stately Introduction. His new idea forms a landmark,
in the history of Dramatic Music; and the honour of the
invention will for crer rest with him. But his know-
ledge of Counterpoint was small indeed, compared with
that of Alessandro Scarlatti, and could never have
enabled him to rival the Sinfonia prefixed to Il Flavio
Cuniberto; nor, with the science of ten thousand Scarlattis
to aid him, could he have approached the level of Almira.
It has been said that andel adopted his model, and
? Seo the MS. Score of Il Flavio Cuniberto, in the Library of
Christchurch, Oxford; and that of Il Prigioniero fortunato, among
the Dragonetti MSS. in the British Museum.
1746.]
THE 'OCCASIONAL OVERTURE.'
329
produced a more highly-developed work upon the lines
he had previously laid down. In a certain mechanical
sense, this is true. A large proportion of Handel's
Overtures—some of his very finest-consist of a Largo,
followed by a Fugue. But, in grandeur of conception,
in imaginative power, in dignity of treatment, in all the
higher qualities which distinguish the soul of Art from
its material body, the Overture to Almira so far transcends
the most perfect of its predecessors, that it may justly be
described as the founder of its race. Unconsciously
availing himself of the mechanical resources of Art, as
the Poet observes the forms of grammar, Handel threw
his Overture into the outward form most commonly
followed at the period; and, so far, he may be said to
have treated it conventionally: but, there was nothing
conventional in the spirit he breathed into it. He used
it, always, as a means of preparing the mind of his
hearers for that which was to follow. It was always
in strictest unity of conception with the work it pre-
luded : bearing no physical resemblance to its external
features, like the Romantic Overtures of Mozart, and
Weber, which tell us, before the curtain rises, all that
we are to expect in the coming Drama; but shadowing
forth its inner life, in tones addressed to the feelings,
rather than to the senses.
Apart from their merit as works of Art, their fugal
ingenuity, their symmetry of form, and beauty of con-
ception, Handel's Overtures induce the exact frame of
mind needful for the occasion on which they are heard.
Because Israel in Egypt has no Overture of its own-
for reasons explained elsewhere—it was once the custom
to preface it with that intended for the Occasional
Oratorio. No Prelude could possibly have been more
330
THE 'HOBOY CONCERTOS.” [CHAP. XXXVIII. ·
inappropriate. For a time, the gorgeous colouring of
the well-known Movements reconciled the public to the
incongruity of their false position ; but the absurdity
was too glaring to bear the trial of serious criticism. The
last time it was so played at the Crystal Palace, the
Programme for the day announced that a pause of ten
minutes would take place, between the Overture and the
Oratorio-in other words, that time would be allowed
for the audience to forget what they had heard, and
direct their thoughts into a channel altogether different
from that which the wrong Overture had induced. No
higher compliment than this could have been paid to the
aesthetic truth of Handel's invariable method : nor could
a better answer have been given to those who say—as
critics have said—that the Overtures to his Operas would
serve equally well for his Oratorios.
Next in importance to the Overtures, are the Concertos
for several Instruments, so frequently advertised for per-
formance at the Lenten Oratorios—the Concerti grossi of
the Autograph Scores, usually printed under the name of
the Grand Concertos. Fifteen of these are preserved
among the MSS. at Buckingham Palace, besides frag-
ments, more or less incomplete, of several others. Of
the earliest set, commonly known as 'The Hoboy Concertos,'
the original Autograph has, unhappily, been lost.
The Hautboy Concertos are six in number; the two
first, in the key of Bb; the third, in G; the fourth, in
F; the fifth, in D minor; and the sixth, in D major.
Most of these were written for a small Band of Principal
Instruments technically called the Concertino-consisting
of two Solo Violins, a Solo Violoncello, two Hautboys,
and two Bassoons, assisted by a full Stringed Band—or
Concerto grosso—with Continuo. In addition to these,
1739.] THE "GRAND CONCERTOS.
331
the First Concerto contains parts for two Solo Flutes ;
and the sixth, an obbligato part for the Harpsichord,
or Organ. Three editions of the entire Set were
published, by Walsh, under the title of Op. 3, between
the years 1729 (?) and 1734. Arnold also printed them,
in Score, in 1797; and the German Handel Society, in
1865. Arnold describes them as Chiefly composed at
Cannons, in the year 1720. Hawkins refers them to the
occasion of the marriage of the Princess Royal, in 1733.
Chrysander imagines some of them, at least, to have been
composed at Hanover, in 1711-1712.
On a grander scale than these is the once popular
Concertone, in C-called, by Arnold, the Concertante-
for two Solo Violins, Violoncello, two Hautboys, and
the full Stringed Band. The original MS. of this, in
the Royal Collection, is dated January 25, 1736.
In the same volume are contained the Twelve Grand
Concertos, for two Solo Violins and Violoncello, accom-
Author, by Walsh, in separate Orchestral Parts, in 1740,
under the title of Op. 6; by Arnold, in Score, in 1788;
and by the German Handel Society, in 1869.1
1 The original MSS. are disposed, and dated, in the following
order :
Concertone. January 25 1736 (In C).
Concerto grosso No. 1 | Fine | G. F. Handel | Sept 29 ( 1739 |
(In G).
Concerto grosso No. 2 | Fine | G. I. Handel | Oct 4 1739 / 27
(In F).
Concerto grosso No. 3 | Fine | G. F. Handel | Oct 6, 1739 m
(In E Minor).
Concerto grosso No. 4 | I'inel G. F. Handel | Octobr 8 1739 )
(In A Minor).
Part of Concerto grosso No. 5. Undated. Beginning and end
wanting. (In D.)
332
THE GRAND CONCERTOS.' [CHAP. XXXVIII.
Intermixed with these are some fragments of a Concerto,
in G Minor, of which the beginning and the end are
wanting; an Ouverture, in Ġ, dated clen 9 Sept. 1738|
Sonnabanil, the Fugue of which, marked ex T un tono
più basso, forms, when so transposed, the fourth Move-
ment of the ninth Concerto grosso; and a Minuet, in
G Major, the whole of which is crossed out, re-composed
in G Minor, and inserted in the printed copy of the
Ninth Concerto, transposed to F Minor. The voluine
labelled 'Sonatas' also contains an entire Concerto, in D,
undated. Besides these, Walsh published, in 1741, a
collection of works, called 'Select Harmony,' the fourth
volume of which contained three Grand Concertos, by
Handel—the Concertone, in C, and two others in Bb.
All these, with one or two more of less importance,
were printed, by the German Handel Society, in 1865.
The style of these compositions is very remarkable ;
and so constant in its more prominent characteristics,
that the description of one will serve for all. The
Concertino, or Band of Solo Instruments, and the full
Concerto grosso No. 6 | Tine | G. F. Handel | Octobi 15 1739 1 )
(In G Minor).
Concerto grosso No. 7 | Tine G. F. Handel | Oct 12 | 1739 17
(In Bb).
Concerto grosso No. 8 | Tine | G. F. Handel | Oct 18 | 1739 / 4
(In C Minor).
Concerto grosso No. 9. Undated. (In F.)
Concerto grosso No. 101 C. I'. Handel | Octobi 22 0 1 1739.
(In D Minor).
Concerto grosso No. 11 | G. F. Handel | Octob” 30 1 ó 1 1739
(In A).
Concerto grosso No. 12 | Tine | G. F. Handel | Octobr 2011
1739 (In B Minor).
The Royal Collection also contains a complete transcript of
the entire set, in Smith's handwriting.
333
1737–1740 ?] DOUBLE CONCERTO.
Stringed Band which assists them, are employed, like
the two Choirs in an antiphonal piece of Church Music,
in alternate passages, which, while conjointly discussing
the Subjects proposed, and taking an equal share in their
development, produce the most charming effects by the
contrast of their tone, and delight the ear with an endless
variety of expression. Handel availed himself of this
effect, sometimes, in his Overtures—in that to Acis and
Galatea, for instance, and many others : but, in these
cases, with Wind Instruments only. The Solo Violins,
and Violoncellos, are peculiar to the Concertos. The full
employment of the effect has long since fallen into disuse;
though a great Composer of the present century has turned
it to splendid account. Spohr's 'Double Symphony,'
Iritisches und Göttliches, notwithstanding its difference
of style and feeling, is modelled upon a principle exactly
analogous to that of Handel's Concerti grossi ; and the
delicious effects which pervade that beautiful work, from
beginning to end, do but present us with the thesis of
the older Master, worked out to its logical conclusion, by
aid of the full resources of the modern Classical
Orchestra, and made to subserve the illustration of an
original and highly poetical idea.
But · Handel did not stop here. He anticipated
Spohr, even to the extent of producing a Double Concerto
grosso.
The volume, in the Royal Collection, labelled
'Sketches,' which contains the disputed Magnificat, and
the two unpublished versions of How beautiful, contains,
also, a long and extremely elaborate Composition, which
has never yet been brought before the public. M. Scheel-
cher was evidently aware of the existence of the MS. ;
for, at page 139 of his 'Life of Handel,' he quotes it as
:334
DOUBLE CONCERTO. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
a proof that certain portions of the Messiah were much
more fully accompanied than the world has generally
supposed. "If the examination of Handel's MSS. had
not been deferred until now,' he says, “this passage would
certainly have lightened the labours of Mozart !' But
the piece of instrumentation, which, he tells us,
evidently applies to the chorus, Lift up your gates,' really
belongs to a Double Orchestral Concerto, in F, written for
two Concertini, each consisting of two Horns in F, two
Hautboys, and a Bassoon, assisted by a Concerto grosso
comprising the usual Full Stringed Band supported by a
Continuo. The scheme of the Score, as quoted by
M. Schoelcher, is perfectly correct; except that he takes
no notice of the fact that the two Concertini are labelled,
in the margin, Chorus I. and Chorus II. The mistake he
makes is in imagining that, because the Subject of the
third Movement begins like that of · Lift up your heads"
— the word, gates,' being, of course, a misprint-
Handel intended to add parts for four Horns, four Haut-
boys, and two Bassoons, obbligati, to the Score of the
Messicih.
The MS., filling eighty-four pages of paper, exactly
similar in size, texture, and water-mark, to that used for
the Magnificat, resembles that work so closely, in the
character of its handwriting, that there can be no doubt
that it was produced at very nearly the same period—
that is to say, between the years 1737 and 1740. It
consists of nine distinct Movements, developed at con-
siderable length, and of exceeding beauty. The first is
a stately Pomposo. The second introduces the descending
passage of Semiquavers which forms so prominent a
feature in the Hailstone Chorus. The Subject of the
third, as we have already said, begins like that of 'Lift up
1737-1740?] DOUBLE CONCERTO.
335
your heads." The ninth breaks off at the end of the
second bar, and the remaining pages are missing: but the
loss is less deplorable than might have been supposed; for
the seventh, eighth, and ninth Movements are reproduced
in a complete, though modified form, in an Organ Con-
certo published by Arnold in 1797. Dr. Chrysander, who
makes a passing allusion to the MS. in his third volume,
notices the fact, but doubts the originality of Arnold's
version, and tells us that no authority has been found for
it in Handel's handwriting. But this is a mistake.
Neither he, nor M. Schoelcher seem to have been aware
of the existence of an extremely interesting volume, once
(1800) the property of Mr. W. Mosely, of Glashampton,
but now safely lodged in the British Museum. Among
four movements of the Concerto printed by Arnold
which ends with the March in Judas Maccabeus : and, of
these four, two correspond with the MS. at Buckingham
Palace. The connection of these varying forms is
exceedingly interesting ; and so far helps to fill up the
gaps in the original MS., that a student well versed in
the Composer's style would find no difficulty whatever in
fitting the whole together, with reasonable certainty of
producing a correct restoration. It is much to be hoped
that such a restoration will some day be given to the
world: for we can scarcely doubt that the work would
produce a deep impression, if played by the Philharmonic
Society, or at the Crystal Palace Concerts.
The original Scores of the Organ Concertos are much
less complete than those we have described. A volume
in the Royal Collection contains nine; two of which are
1.G. F. Händel,' tom. iii. p. 163.
2. Add. MSS. 30, 310.
336
ORGAN CONCERTOS. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
incomplete. A few fragments are also intermixed with.
MSS. of various kinds, in, other volumes. Three com-
plete Concertos, bound together in one volume, form part
of the “ King's Library' in the British Museum;2 and
two more will be found among the 'Additional MSS.'3
1 The volume contains the following pieces :
(1) Concerto per l'Organo ed altri Stromenti. Undatod. (In F.)
(2) Concerto per la Harpa. Undated. (In Bb.) No. 6, Set I.
(Walsh, and Arnold.]
(3) Concerto. Incomplete, and undated. (In F.)
(4) Concerto. Undated. (In A.) Adapted from the Grand
Concerto, No. XI. No. 2, Set II. [Walsh.]
(5) Concerto. Dated, Tine | G. F. Handel | F'euro 17 1740 10
(In Bb.) No. 1, Set III. rWalsh. 7
(6) Concerto. Dated, Fine London Febr 5 h 1743. (In A.)
No. 2, Set III. [Walsh.]
(7) Concerto per l' Organo eit altri Stromenti. Dated, at the
beginning, angefangen January 1 1751 o ; at the end, Tinel
G. F. Handel January 4 1751 geendiget; and inscribed, in another
place, Mr. Barry for the Charity play. (In BD.) No. 3, Set III.
[Walsh.]
(8) Concerto per la Harpa. Incomplete, and undated. (In D.)
(9) Concerto. Dated, Fine | Jan 31 1750. (In G Minor.)
No. 5, Set III. [Walsh.]
(10) Sinfonia, for 3 Violins, Viola, and Bass. Undated.
2 King George III. MSS. 317. The volume contains :
(1) Concerto. Composed in 1735. (In Bb.) No. 2, Set I.
[Walsh.]
(2) Concerto. Composed in 1735. (In G Minor.) No. 3,
Set I. [Walsh.]
(3) Concerto. March 25, 1735. (In F.) No. 4, Set I.
[Walsh.]
(4) Chorus. Allelujah. From Time and Truth. Founded on
the Subject of the Fugue with which the preceding Concerto
terminates. (See p. 205.)
3 Add. MSS. 30, 310. The following pieces will be found near
the end of the volume :
(a) Ouverture. (Inserted, in a strange bandwriting, Concerto
made from Choruses.) The Subjects employed are those of
1735–1751.] ORGAN CONCERTOS.
337
The Fitzwilliam Museum, at Cambridge, contains a great
number of separate Movements, and fragments of more
or less importance, in Handel's own handwriting; and
two complete Concertos—one for two Organs, and two
Orchestras—in that of Christopher Smith. It is probable
that more may exist, in other collections; and many more
have been printed, either with or without the Composer's
permission.
The First Set, issued, by Walsh, on the 4th of October,
1738, and distinguished as Op. 4, comprised Six Con-
certos, some of which had been previously pirated, and
printed so incorrectly, that Handel thought it necessary
to accompany the edition by the following protesta
::: These Six Concertos were Published by Mr. Walsh,
I have given my Right therein. George Frideric Handel.
The Second Set, issued by the same publisher, in
November, 1740, also contained Six Concertos, adapted
from the Grand Concertos, Op. 6. The Third, containing
six original works, appeared on the 19th of August, 1760
-the year following that of Handel's decease. 1
See, from his post Euphrates flies [Belshazzar]; and, and the
glory of the Lord [Messiah]. (In Bb.)
(6) Concerto Organo. (In F.) Adapted from the Double
Concerto, in the volume of 'Sketches. See ante, page 333.
These two Concertos are printed in Arnold's Third Set (1797).
1 The following are the contents of Walsh's three sets :
Set I. 1 Set II.
Set III.
No. 1. In G Minor. | No. 1. In F.
No. 1. In Bb.
No. 2. In Bb. No. 2. In A.
No. 2. In A.
No. 3. In G Minor. No. 3. In D Minor. No. 3. In Bb.
No. 4. In F.
No. 4. In G.
No. 4. In D Minor.
No. 5. In F.
No. 5. In D.
No. 5. In G Minor.
No. 6. In Bb. | No. 6. In G Minor. No. 6. In G Minor.
12
.
338
[CHAP. XXXVIII.
ORGAN CONCERTOS.
All these editions were printed in separate parts, of
which that for the Organ, was, of course, the most im-
portant. Arnold published three Sets, in Score. The
first, issued in 1793, corresponded with Walsh's First
Set, Op. 4. The Second series printed in the same
year, corresponded very nearly with Walsh's third. The
Third Set, issued in 1797, contained no more than two
Concertos for the Organ, with one for the Orchestra.I
English and German Organs bore so little resemblance
to each other, during the greater part of the 18th century,
that we cannot wonder at the difference between the style
of Handel's Organ Music and that of Sebastian Bach.
Though Bach's powers of improvisation were unlimited,
it was not his custom to leave anything to the discretion
of the performer, in his written works, which were
chiefly composed for the Organ alone. Handel delighted
in blending the Orchestra and the Organ together. The
Orchestral portion of his Concertos he necessarily com-
pleted : but the Solo passages are more frequently
sketched, than written in full; and opportunities are con-
stantly afforded for the introduction of long extempore
effusions. His own improvisations are said to have been
marvellously beautiful. In all probability, he used the
written text as the orator uses his MS. notes—that is to
say, as a synoptical memorandum, to be enlarged upon,
+ Arnold's three Sets contained the following Concertos :
Set I.
Set II.
Set III.
No. 1. In G Minor. No. 1. In Bb. No. 1. In D Minor.
No. 2. In Bb.
No. 2. In A.
No. 2. In Bb.
No. 3. In G Minor. | No. 3. In BD.
(Orch. Concerto.)
No. 4. In F.
No. 4. In D Minor. No. 3. In T.
No. 5. In F. No. 5. In G Minor. See Foot-note, p. 336,
No, 6. In Bb. | No. 6. In B 1.
337.
1735–1751.]
ENGLISH PEDAL ORGANS.
339
filled in, and beautified, at will : and hence it is, that, in
Walsh's printed edition, the same text is made to serve
either for the Organ, or the Harpsichord. It would be
absurd to suppose that, because one version only was
committed to paper, the Composer treated both instru-
ments in the same way. Mattheson, who entertained no
mean opinion of his own performances, admits that
Handel surpassed him 'upon the Pedal';and we have
positive proof that he was an accomplished Pedal-player,
not only when he visited Lübeck, in early youth,
but to the end of his career. Our histories of Organ-
building leave us in considerable doubt as to the epochi
at which the Pedal-board was first used in England.
Though it is believed to have been invented, at Venice,
by Bernardo di Steffanino Murer, as early as the year
1470; to have been well known, in Germany, in the 16th
century; and to have been quite certainly in common
use there in the 17th; there is no documentary record of
its introduction into our own country, before the year
1790, when an Organ with 'Pedals to play by the feet'
Clerkenwell. But, this cannot possibly have been the
first English Pedal Organ ; for, the Concerto in B flat,
dated Feb. 17, 1740, contains obbligato passages for
the feet, embracing stretches of an octave and a half.
Handel must have played these somewhere in England,
though it is probable that no one else could do so;
for which reason they appear in the autograph only.
We have seen that the 6th Concerto in the First Set was
written for the Harp, on which instrument it was played by the
younger Powell, of whom we have already spoken, in connection
with The Farmonious Blacksmith.'
2. See Foot-note, page 28.
z 2
340
ENGLISH PEDAL ORGANS. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
Could they have been intended for the Organ at St. Paul's
Cathedral ?
Burney, writing in 1784, tells us that:
'On HANDEL's first arrival in England, from Greene's great
admiration of this master's manner of playing, he had sometimes
literally condescended to become his bellows-blower, when he went
to S. Paul's to play on that Organ, for the exercise it afforded him
in the use of the Pedals. HANDEL, after the three o'clock
Prayers, used frequently to get himself and young Greeno
locked up in the Church, together; and, in summer, often stript
unto his shirt, and played till eight or nine o'clock at night.'l
Burney here mentions the Pedals in a matter-of-fact
way which clearly shows that they were no novelty to
him, in 1785. But he is not the only witness. We
know, on other authority, that Handel delighted in playing
on the Organ at S. Paul's; that the compass of this
beautiful instrument extended downwards to the 16-feet
C; and that, in the year 1720, it was enlarged.
In 'Applebee's Weekly Journal' for Oct. 22, 1720,
we are told, that:
The new stops and addition of notes to the Organ at S. Paul's
is now finish’d, and, by the best judges, thought to be the finest
in Europe.'
And, on the 29th of August, 1724, the same journal
reports one of Handel's performances :
Last Monday their Royal Highnesses, the Princess Anne and
Princess Caroline, came to S. Paul's Cathedral, and heard the
famous Mr. Handel (their Musick-Master) perform upon the
Organ; the Reverend Dr. Hare, Dean of Worcester, attending
on their Royal Highnesses during their stay there.'
Sketch, in Comm., p. 33, note. When Handel first arrived in
England, in 1710, Dr. Maurice Greene was fourteen years old.
1735-1751.]
HANDEL'S ORGAN-PLAYING.
341
Whether the above-mentioned addition of notes' in-
cluded a Pedal-board, or not, it is quite certain that there
must have been one, in London, sixteen years later ; and,
that Handel well knew how to use it. Yet, strange to
say, the fact has neither been noticed by Burney, by
Hawkins, nor even by Dr. Chrysander ; nor does either
of the three make the slightest allusion to the remarkable
passages which place Handel's Organ-playing before us
in a light so singularly different from that in which it
has been hitherto regarded. Sir John Hawkins, without
entering into technicalities with which he was probably
not very familiar, describes it in the language of one
wlio had often felt the power of its ineffable charm.
To some of our younger readers, his praises may perhaps
sound hyperbolical: but those who remember Mendels-
sohn's Organ-playing will be quite ready to believe every
word of the following description, and even to admit
that it might well have been written a century later,
with reference to the style of the more modern Master.
"As to his performance on the Organ, the powers of speech are
80 limited, that it is almost in vain to attempt to describe it
otherwise than by its effects. Afirmi and delicate touch, a
volant finger, and a ready delivery of passages the most difficult,
are the praise of inferior artists: they were not noticed in
Handel, whose excellencies were of a far superior kind; and his
amazing command of the instrument, the fulness of his harmony,
the grandeur and dignity of his style, the fertility of his inven.
tion, were qualities that absorbed every inferior attainment.
When he gave a Concerto, his method in general was, to intro-
duce it with a voluntary movement on the Diapasons, which stole
on the ear in a slow and solemn progression ; the harmony close
wrought, and as full as could possibly be expressed ; the passages
constructed with stupendous art; the whole, at the same time,
being perfectly intelligible, and having the appearance of great
simplicity. This kind of prelude was succeeded by the Con-
certo itself, which he executed with a degree of spirit and firm.
342
HANDEL'S ORGAN-PLAYING. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
ness that no one even pretended to equal. Such, in general,
was the manner of his performauce : but who shall describe
its effects on his enraptured auditory? Silence, the truest
applause, succeeded, the instant that he addressed himself to the
instrument; and that so profound, that it checked respiration,
and seemed to controul the functions of nature, while the magic
of his touch kept the attention of his hearers awake only to
those enchanting sounds to which it gave utterance.''
This is strong language; but, by no means the
strongest that was used by contemporary writers. An
anonymous Poet, who signs himself 'A Philharmonick,
contributed to a periodical of the time some verses 'On
Mr. Handel's performance on the Organ,' not a whit less
enthusiastic than Hawkins' glowing prose.
Gently, ye winds, your pinions move
On the soft bosom of the air;
Be all serene and calm above,
Let uot ev'n zephyrs whisper there.
And oh! ye active springs of life,
Whose cheerful course the blood courers,
Compose awhile your wonted strife,
Attend—'tis matchless HANDEL plays.
Hushed by such strains, the soft delight
Recalls each absent wish and thought;
Our senses from their airy flight
Are all to this sweet period brought.
And here they fix, and here they rest,
As if 'twas now consistent grown,
To sacrifice the pleasing taste
Of every blessing to this one..
And who would not with transport seek
All other objects to remove;
And when au Angel deigos to speak,
By silence admiration prove ??
1. History of Music, vol. v. bk. 4, chap. 10.
2.Grub-street Journal,' No. 280, May 8, 1735.
1720-1735.]
CHAMBER MUSIC.
343
Verses, equally complimentary, appeared in other
periodicals; 1 and, so great and lasting was the impression
made upon the musical world in general, that, as Burney
tells us, “ Public players on keyed instruments, as well as
private, totally subsisted on these Concertos, for near
thirty years.' 2
The delightful series of Movements known as the
Water Musick'. having already been described in
Chapter XIII., and the 'Musick for the Royal Fireworks,
in Chapter XXXIV., we pass on to the consideration of a
class of Compositions, in no vise less important, in its
artistic relations, than that to which our attention has
lately been directed, though designed on a less extensive
scale--the various collections of Instrumental Chamber
Music.
The original MSS. of the Sonatas, Trios, and Solos
for the Harpsichord, which form the great bulk of the
collections to which we allude, have been less completely
preserved than even those of the Organ Concertos. A
volume in the Royal Library, labelled 'Sonatas,' contains
some few complete Compositions of this class, intermixed
with numerous fragmentary Sketches, and some very
valuable Orchestral MSS.; and the Fitzwilliam Library,
at Cambridge, contains countless pieces, more or less
complete, many of which are adaptations of other works.
But, until these are identified, and reduced to systematic
order--a work which, it is to be hoped, may not be
much longer delayed—we scarcely know the extent of
our treasures in this particular department.
The earliest printed collection of Chamber Music for
1 See The Old Whig,' Jan. 4, 1738. The 'Gentleman's Magazine,
Dlay, 1740, etc. etc.
? History of Music, vol. iv. p. 429, Note.
344
CHAMBER MUSIC. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
Solo Instruments, with Continuo, is the Set of Twelve
Sonatas or Solos for a Violin or a German Flute with co
Thorough Bass for the Harpsichord, published, as Op. 1,
by Walsh, in 1732.1 This volume—undoubtedly pub-
lished with Handel's sanction—was followed, in 1733, by
another, known as Op. 2, and entitled, TI Sonates, cà deux
Violons, deux Hautbois, ou deux Flútes traversières d. Basse
Continue. Composées Par G. F. Handel. Second Ouvrage.?
These charming Trios, as we should now call them, soon
became extremely popular; and were followed, in 1739,
by another set, called Op. 5, containing seven pieces,
designed on rather a larger scale, comprising a regular
series of Dance Tunes, after the manner of the Instru-
1 The volume contains :
No. l. Sonata è Traversa e Basso. (In E Minor.)
No. 2. Sonata. Flauto Solo. (In G Minor.)
No. 3. Sonata. Violino Solo. (In A.)
No. 4. Sonata d Plauto e Cembalo. (In A Minor.)
No. 5. Sonata. Traversa Sola. (In G.)
No. 6. Sonata. Hautboy Solo. (Iu G Minor.)
No. 7. Sonata. Tlauto Solo. (In C.)
No. 8. Sonata. Hautboy Solo. (In C Minor.)
No. 9. Sonata, Traversa Sola. (In B Minor.)
No. 10. Sonata. Violino Solo. (In A.)
No. 11. Sonata. Flauto Solo. (In F.)
No. 12. Sonata. Violino Solo. (In E.)
2. This volume (which was also printed, at Amsterdam, by
Mitvogel) contains :
No. 1. Sonata. (In B Minor.) | No. 4. Sonata. (In F.)
No. 2. Sonata. (In G Minor.) | No. 5. Sonata. (In G Minor.)
No. 3. Sonata. (In Bb.) | No. 6. Sonata. (In G Minor.)
The Royal Library contains a copy of these Sonatas, in Smith's
handwriting; and another beautifully executed transcript of the
Score and Parts.
1720-1735.] CHAMBER MUSIC.
345
mental Suite. The three Sets of Sonatas were all after-
wards included in Arnold's great edition; and some few
of the pieces have been revived, with success, in our own
day.?
In addition to these genuine works, Walsh published,
after Handel's death, a collection of 'Sonatas, or Chamber
Aires, for a German Flute, Violin, or Harpsichord,
etc. etc.' in seven volumes, which are merely adaptations
of Airs selected from the Operas, and Oratorios, con-
taining nothing more than the Melody (without the
words), and a Continuo.
Concerning the Solo Compositions for the Harpsi-
chord, we have already had so much to say, in a former
chapter, that it only remains to notice the collections as
a whole. The original MSS. of these are even more
fragmentary than those of the Organ Concertos. The
volume labelled "Sonatas,' in the Royal Collection,
contains two pages of a sketch for the opening Fugue
of the Fourth Suite, in E Minor, written in Alla brev
1 The volume contains :
No. 1. Sonata. (In A.)
No. 5. Sonata. (In G Minor.)
No. 2. Sonata (Iu D.)
No. 6. Sonata. (In F.)
No. 3. Sonata. (In E Minor.) | No. 7. Sonata. (In Bb.)
No. 4. Soncta. (In G.)
2 The publications of the German Handel Society include
a volume of Chamber Music, without preface, or date of
issue, which contains (a) Fifteen Solo Sonatas, with Continuo;
(0) Six Sonatas, or Trios, for two Hautboys, and Bass, referred
to the year 1696, and called Op. 1; (c) Violin Sonatas, or Trios,
called Op. 2; (a) Seven Sonatas, or Trios, called Op. 5. In the
absence of prefatorial information, the presumption is, that the
Trios referred to 1696 are those mentioned by Burney, but no
longer to be found in the Royal Collection, and therefore supposed
to have hopelessly disappeared. (See ante ; p. 13.)
346
CHAMBER MUSIC. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
time, in notes twice as long as those in the printed copy :
but, as Handel himself superintended the publication of
the first eight Suites, the change in the notation is clearly
his own. The same volume contains a Sonata for the
Harpsichord, in C, on which the elder Smith has written,
By Mr. Handel | The originall and His own Handwriting.'
A sketch of parts of this will be found in the Fitzwilliam
Museum,? which contains twenty-two pages of Allemandes,
Courantes, etc., from different Suites, besides a consider-
able number of other fragments. Among these Move-
ments are portions of the first two Suites of Arnold's
Third Set; complete copies of which, in Smith’s hand-
writing, and headed “Lessons compos'd for the Princess
Louisa,' may be seen in the second volume of Additional
Songs,' at Buckingham Palace. It is fortunate that this
dearth of perfect autographs is partly compensated for by
copies printed during Handel's lifetime, and with his
sanction.
· The first Set of Compositions for the Harpsichord
was printed by Cluer, in oblong folio, on the 14th of
November, 1720, under the title of Suite de Pièces pour
le Clavecin, with the caution 'I have been obliged to
publish some of the following lessons, because Surreptitious
and incorrect Copies of them had got abroad. I have
added several new ones to make the work more useful,
which if it meets with a favourable reception, I will still
proceed to publish more, reckoning it my duty, with my
small talent, to serve ci ration from which I have receivect
so generous a protection.
'G. F. HANDEL.
The work was advertised to be sold,' at Mr. Christopher
Smith's, the Sign of the Hand and Musick-book, in
1 Vol. x. 3, 29, pp. 88–109.
1720-1735.]
CHAMBER MUSIC.
347
Coventry Street, and at Mr. Rich. Meare's. Price one
guinea.'1 Its success was all that could possibly be
desired; nevertheless, the promise of more was not
fulfilled until 1733, when a Second Set of Suites de
Pièces was published by Walsh, who followed up his
venture by an immediate reproduction, on his own
account, of the original First Set.?
The Second Set was followed, in 1735, by a Set of
'Six Fugues or Voluntarys for the Organ or Harpsichord.
(Troisieme Ovarage),' which are among the very finest of
Handel's productions for keyed instruments. 3
Finally, Walsh published, after Handel's death, a
hybrid work, called, "A Collection of Lessons for the
Harpsichord, by Mr. Handel. 4th Book,' containing Ga-
vottes, Minuets, a “Tambourine,' and other Movements,
very ineffectively arranged, for the Harpsichord, and
evidently spurious.
1 It contained eight Suites: the fifth of which was that con-
taining the ‘Harmonious Blacksmith.'
Suite I. (In A.)
Suite V. (In E.)
Suite II. (In F.)
Suite VI. (In F# Minor.)
Suite III. (In D Minor.) Suite VII. (In G Minor.)
Suite IV. (In E Minor.) 1 Suite VIII. (In F.)
2 The Second Set contained :
No. 1. Suite. (In Bb.)
No. 6. Suite. (In G Minor.)
No. 2. Chaconne. 18 Var. (In G.) | No. 7. Suite. (In B b.)
No. 3. Suite. (In D Minor.) 1 No. S. Suite. (In G.)
No. 4. Suite. (In D Minor. I No. 9. Chaconne. 62 Par. (In G.)
No. 5. Suite. (In E Minor.)
3 The volume, bearing the same Opus-mark as the Hautboy
Concertos, contains :
Fugal. (In G Minor.) Tuga 4. (In B Minor.)
Fuga 2. (In G.)
I'uga 5. (In A Minor.)
Fuga 3. (In B b.)
Fuga 6. (In C Minor.)
348 HANDEL'S HARPSICHORD-PLAYING. [CHAP. XXXVIII.
In 1793, Arnold reprinted Walsh's First and Second
Sets, under the English title of Lessons for the Harpsichord;
adding to them a Third Set, containing the Suites already
mentioned as having been composed for the Princess
Louisa ; and, completing the series with a fourth volume
containing the 'Sit Fugues 09 Voluntarys.'1
The German Handel Society reproduced all these, in
1859, with some additional pieces; and Dr. Rimbault
has printed, in his ' History of the Pianoforte,' a delightful
Capriccio, on the authority of the 'Princess Amelia's
Lesson Book.'
The careful study of these pieces gives us a very clear
insight into the style of Handel's Harpsichord-playing,
which is said, by contemporary writers, to have been
characterised by a smoothness of touch, and neatness of
execution almost incredible. Burney tells an amusing
story of one of his performances.
Besides seeing HANDEL, myself, at his own house, in Brook
Street, and at Carlton House, where he had rehearsals of his
Oratorios, by meeting him at Mrs. Cibber's, and at Frasi's, who
was then my pupil, I acquired considerable knowledge of his pri-
vate character, and turn for humour. He was very fond of Mrs.
Cibber, whose voice and manners had softened his severity for
her want of musical knowledge. At her house, of a Sunday
evening, he used to meet Quin, who, in spite of native roughness,
was very fond of Music. Yet the first time Mrs. Cibber prevailed
on HANDEL to sit down to the Harpsichord, while he was present,
1 The contents of Arnold's Third Set are :
No. 1. Suite. (In D Minor.) Composed for the Princess Louisa.
No. 2. Suite. (In G Minor.) Composed for the Princess Louisa.
No. 3. Lesson. (In A Minor.)
No. 4. Capriccio. (In G Minor.)
No. 5. Fantasia. (In C.)
No. 6. Chaconne, etc. (Iu F.)
1720-1735.] HANDEL'S HARPSICHORD-PLAYING.
349
on which occasion I remember the great Musician played the
Overture in Siroe, and delighted us all with the marvellous
neatness with which he played the Jig at the end of it.—Quin,
after HANDEL was gone, being asked by Mrs. Cibber, whether he
did not think Handel had a charming hand ? replied—'a hand,
Madam! you mistake ; it's a foot.' 'Poh! poh !' says she; 'has
he not a fine finger?' Toes, by - Madam.' Indeed his
hand was then so fat, that the knuckles, which usually appear
convex, were like those of a child, dinted or dimpled in, so as to
be rendered concave; however, his touch was so smooth, and the
tone of the instrument so much cherished, that his fingers seemed
to grow to the keys. They were so curved and compact, when be
played, that no motion, and scarcely the fingers themselves could
be discovered.'1
In explanation of this, it must be remembered that
the touch of the Harpsichord was very different from
that of the Pianoforte. The elasticity of wrist, so dili-
gently cultivated by the Pianist, was useless, or nearly
so, to the Harpsichord-player, who, caring nothing for the
sharp spring necessary for modern staccato passages, was
perfectly contented, provided his wrists were loose, and
his fingers under independent control. The keys, instead
of being struck like those of the Pianoforte, were quietly
pressed down, like those of the Organ, to the touch of
which instrument that of the Harpsichord very closely
corresponded.
S
i Sletch, in Comm., p. 35.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
EVENTIDE.
RESUMING once more the chronological order of our
narrative, temporarily disturbed for purposes of analytical
of the year 1751, during the course of which Handel
completed his last great Oratorio, Jephtha.
We have seen that the preparation of this important
work occupied a longer time, and was subject to more
serious interruptions, than that of any other that we have
had occasion to describe; and there can be little doubt that
this circumstance is to be in great measure attributed to
the rapid failure of the Composer's eyesight. He had, for
some time previously, suffered from the premonitory
symptoms of a terrible disease ; and the evil grew, at last,
so serious, that, before the close of the year, he found it
necessary to place himself under the care of Mr. Samuel
Sharp, the Surgeon at Guy's Hospital, whose diagnosis
was to the last degree unfavourable.
There was, in fact, no doubt that the symptoms from
which he suffered were those of incipient gutta serena.
'From the moment when this opinion of his case was
communicated to him,' says Hawkins, “his spirits forsook
him; and that fortitude which had supported him under
afflictions of another kind deserted him, upon being told
1751.] APPROACHING BLINDNESS.
351
that a freedom from pain in the visual organs was all that
he had to hope, for the remainder of his days.'l But he
wisely availed himself of all the aid that medical science
could give. The “Theatrical Register,' for the 4th of
May, 1752, announces that-
Yesterday, George Frederick Handel, Esq. was couch'd by
Wm. Bramfield, Esq., Surgeon to Her Royal Highness the Princess
of Wales, when it was thought there was all imaginable hopes of
success by the operation, which must give the greatest pleasure
to all lovers of Music.
These hopes, however, were cruelly delusive. On the
27th of January, 1753, another journal informed its
readers, that-
Mr. Handel has at length, unhappily, quite lost his sight.
Upon his being couch'd some time since, he saw so well, that his
friends flattered themselves his sight was restored for a continu-
ance ; but a few days have entirely put an end to their hopes.
Mainwaring, - Hawkins, and Burney,+ lead us to believe,
that, from this time, to the end of his life, Handel was
totally blind. M. Schoelcher, who has gone very carefully
into the question, was led to form a different conclusion,
on grounds which he has stated, with great clearness and
impartiality, in his well-known volume. In the Con-
ducting Score of Jephtha, transcribed by Smith, and now
in the Public Library at Hamburg, he discovered a Quaver,
pencilled, undoubtedly in Handel's handwriting, in the
year 1758. The date of the pencilled correction is
certain ; for it occurs in the Quintet, “All that is in
Hamor mine,' which was not introduced into the Oratorio,
until that year: and the trembling character of the
i Hist. of Music, vol. v. lib. 4, cap. 10.
2 Menzoirs, p. 138. 3 Hist. of Mus., vol. v. lib. 4, cap. 10.
4 Sketch, in Conim. p. 4. 5 Life of Handel, pp. 324, 325.
352
APPROACHING BLINDNESS. [CHAP. XXXIX.
note, which is rather higher than the line upon which
the corrector wished to place it,' demonstrates, says
M. Schoelcher, that Handel 'had recovered his sight, to a
certain degree, and that, by looking very closely at a thing,
it was not impossible for him to see a little.' M. Schoelcher
strengthens this conclusion, by referring to the signatures
on the three codicils to Handel's Will, dated, Aug. 6, 1756,
March 22, 1757, and April 11, 1759.1 In all probability
no evidence more definite than this will ever be produced,
on either side ; unless, indeed, we should some day discover
the exact nature of the operation, or operations, per-
formed on him by Mr. Sharp-supposing him to have
operated in the first instance--and Mr. Bramfield. If both
eyes were couched unsuccessfully, Handel must for ever
afterwards have remained totally and hopelessly blind.
If one only was couched, it is quite possible, and not in
the least improbable, that he may have been able to see
with the other, clearly enough to enable him to add the
Quaver to the Score of Jephtha.
However this may have been, so profound was the
mental depression produced by Mr. Sharp's first cheerless
prognosis, that, fearing he would nevermore be able to
conduct his Oratorios in person, he sent to John Christo-
pher Smith, the son of his old college friend, begging him
to come to his assistance, without delay. Smith was, at
that time, travelling on the Continent, with a young man
of large fortune, from whose friendship and patronage he
expected great things. But his devotion to his old pre-
ceptor overcame all thought of self-interest. He answered
the summons, immediately; and, with his aid, the first
season proceeded, at Covent Garden, without interruption
1 Facsimiles of these signatures were given in the handbook for
one of the Handel Festivals at the Crystal Palace.
1751–1759.) EXTEMPORE CONCERTOS.
353
of any kind. After this, Handel found that he could
manage very well. He played his Concertos, as usual ; but,
of course, always from memory—a very unusual proceeding
in those days: and when the exertion became fatiguing,
he fell into the habit of playing entirely extempore.
He continued,' says Burney, 'to play Concertos and Volun.
taries between the parts of his Oratorios, to the last, with the
same vigour of thought and touch for which he was ever so
justly renowned. To see him, however, led to the Organ, after
this calamity, at upwards of seventy years of age, and then con.
ducted towards the audience to make his accustomed obeisance,
was a sight so truly affecting' and deplorable, to persons of
seusibility, as greatly diminished their pleasure in hearing his
performance. During the Oratorio season, I have been told that
he practised incessantly; and, indeed that must have been the
case, or his memory uncommonly retentive; for, after his blind.
ness, he played several of his old Organ Concertos, which must
have been previously impressed upon his memory by practice.
At last, however, he rather chose to trust to his inventive powers,
than those of reminiscence : for, giving the band only the
skeleton, or ritornels of each movement, he played all the solo
parts extempore, while the other parts left him, ad libitum,
waitiog for the signal of a shake, before they played such
fragments of symphony as they found in their books.?
From another source we learn that:
“When Smith played the Organ at the Theatre, during the first
year of Handel's blindness, Samson was performed, and Beard
sang, with great feeling,
Total eclipse—90 sun, 12.0 2001,
All dark, amid the blaze of noon.
The recollection that Handel had set this air to Music, with
the view of the blind Composer then sitting by the Organ,
affected the audience so forcibly, that many persons present were
moved even to tears."?
1 Sketch, in Comm. pp. 29, 30.
2 Coxe's 'Anecdotes of Handel and Smith,' p. 45.
2
A
354
[CHAP. XXXIX.
THE BLIND CONDUCTOR.
Whether it was Handel's usual custom to conduct from
the Harpsichord, or to beat time with the bâton, cannot
now be determined with certainty. Popular opinion leans
towards the former method : but there is evidence on the
other side. He took with him, to Ireland, an Organist,
instrument while the Composer was otherwise engaged.
It is true, Handel sat at the Harpsichord, for the purpose
of enriching the Recitatives and Airs with the harmonies
indicated by the Continuo : but if he did not "conduct'
the Choruses, how are we to understand Pope's well-known
lines ?
Strong in new arms, lo! giant Handel stands
Like bold Briareus, with his hundred hands.
Surely this metaphor cannot be applied to an Organist,
seated at his keyboard.
The employment of the búton, for the purpose of
beating time, dates from a much earlier epoch than is
commonly supposed. It has been in use in the Sistine
Chapel, under the familiar Italian name of the solfa, from
time immemorial: certainly since the age of Palestrina, and,
in all probability, since that of Dufay. This, of course,
was for Vocal Music only. But the popular idea that its
use with the Instrumental Band dates only from the
present century, is utterly fallacious. A beautiful old
Harpsichord, made by Rückers, in 1651, and now in the
Kensington Museum, bears on its sound-board the picture
of a Concert, performed by Monkeys, one of whom beats
time with a bâton, exactly as Conductors beat it, at the
present day. And there is strong reason to believe that
this Harpsichord, concerning which we shall have occasion
to speak again, once belonged to Handel himself. These
instances do not decide the question, either one way or
1757.]
"TIME. AND TRUTH.'
355
the other : but, until farther evidence shall be forth-
coming, we may fairly assume that Handel used both
methods. At any rate, he continued, to the last, to
conduct his Oratorios in person; and, though he composed
no new ones, he added new Music, written by Smith, at
his dictation, to several of the old favourites, including
Judas Maccabceus, and Jephtha, and entirely remodelled
one very important work.
We have spoken of the first performance of n Trionfo
del Tempo e cel Disinganno, at the Palace of Cardinal
Ottoboni, in 1708 ;1 and of its revival-in Italian-at
Covent Garden, in 1737.2 We have, now, to speak of
its reproduction, at the same Theatre, in 1757, 'altered
from the Italian, with several new additions.' The English
version, by an unknown author, is a fair translation of
Cardinal Panfili's poem : but much of the Recitative has
been re-set; and the vernacular arrangement contains nine
entirely new pieces, besides eight adapted from other
works. In some respects, The Triumph of Time anil Truth,
as this new English version is called, is the most remark-
able of all Handel's Oratorios. Remembering that the
pieces composed expressly for its last revival are inter-
mingled with others of twenty, and yet others of even fifty
years old, we should naturally expect to find it disfigured
by differences of style such as could only be excused on
the ground that the Composer's intellect was weakened,
in his blind old age. Yet, so far is this from being the
case, that we do not believe a hearer unacquainted with
the history of the work would, for a moment, suspect
that it had been composed at different times. The
i See page 58.
See page 205.
3 Fortunately, this history is clearly elucidated by the MSS.
we possess. Sixty-four pages of the original Italian version of
2 A 2
356
[CHAP. XXXIX.
TIME AND TRUTH.
grander Choruses, though belonging to the period of
Handel's matured Oratorio-style, alternate, with equal
æsthetic congruity, with Airs composed at the three
different epochs of production by which the piece is
characterised. The last Air—'Quel del ciel ministro eletto,
in the Italian version, and 'Guardian Angels, o protect
me,' in the English translation—is not only the most
beautiful of all, but fulfils also the most important office,
with respect to the inner meaning of the work—the
summing up of the whole ; and it is more advanced in
conception, more modern' in the character of its instru-
mentation, than any other movement in either of the three
versions of the Oratorio. Its style—that of an obbligato
dialogue carried on between a Soprano Voice, and a Solo
Hautboy, accompanied by the Stringed Instruments in
throbbing chords which maintain an unvarying pulsation
from beginning to end—would have been welcomed as a
novelty, had it appeared in Le Nozze di Figaro or Les
1708–11 Trionfo del Teinpo e del Disinganno—are contained in
Vol. I. of Songs and Sketches,' in the Royal Library, in Handel's
handwriting, though without signature or date. The same
collection contains a complete Conducting Score, written in a
contemporary Italian hand, with five additional pieces, in
Handel's own handwriting, viz. : a Sonata, at the beginning of
Part II.; three Airs, Quel del ciel ninistro eletto,''Fido specchio,
'Fosco genio'; and a Recitative, 'Ed io che il Tenpo'; together
with directions concerning a Concerto and a Coro, which are given
in full in our account of the revival of 1737, at page 205. This
copy is labelled, Il triompho del tempo. There is also a second
Conducting Score in Smith's handwriting, labelled Il Trionfo del
Tempo e della Verità, which differs in several particulars from
the last: and a third, of the English Oratorio, entitled The
Triumph of Time and Truth, also transcribed by Smith, and con-
taining the latest additions and alterations. It is by careful
examination of these MSS. that we have arrived at the concla.
sions laid before our readers in the text.
1757.]
"TIME AND TRUTH.'
357
clcux Journées. Yet, this delicious morceau first appeared
in the Roman version of 1708 ; was revived, in that of
1737; and, finally, formed the most striking charm in
that of 1757. So true it is, that the inspirations of
true genius are 'not for an age, but for all time.'
The dictation of the additional pieces for this most
interesting Oratorio must have been weary work for one
who had, for more than sixty years, been accustomed to
write down his thoughts as fast as his pen could travel.
No doubt, Smith did his best to lighten the uncongenial
labour; but, we can imagine that the task was a bitter
one, and tried the hasty temper not a little. Yet even
this did not represent the last bright flash of the still
unclouded intellect. After the Oratorio had been per-
formed four times, in 1757–1758, it was given twice more
with several new additions. It will be remembered
also, that this was the year in which “All that is in
Hamor mine' was written for Jephtha, and corrected
with the pencilled Quaver. Other Oratorios were per-
formed, in alternation with these ; and several more were
given, in 1759, including Solomon and Susanna—both
with new additions, and alterations. Indeed, scarcely
anything was performed, in those last years, without some
change, of more or less extent, introduced, either with
the intention of making the piece more perfect as a Work
of Art, or for the purpose of adapting it more perfectly
to the capabilities of the Singers to whom it was entrusted.
And so the work of amplification, of adaptation to
change of circumstance, of careful endeavour to turn
peculiarities of voice, and style, and delivery, and expres-
sion, to the best possible account, was carried on, un-
ceasingly and unwearyingly, to the end. The busy spirit
could not rest. The faculty of invention could not be
358
[CHAP. XXXIX.
(TIME AND TRUTH.
restrained. Notwithstanding all the hindrances caused
by failing strength and darkened eyeballs, and the depres-
sion induced by ailments as unwonted as they were
terrible, the power of genius asserted itself, to the very
last. But the last was very near at hand. The shades of
evening were growing deeper and deeper. The grasshopper
was becoming a burthen. The golden bowl was very soon
to be broken ; the silver cord was loosed; and the time
was very near when he who said he thought he saw all
Heaven open before him, and the Great God Himself,
was to witness the reality of his glorious Vision.
CHAPTER XL.
THE CLOSING SCENE.
On Thursday, April 5, 1759, the following notice appeared
in The Public Advertiser.'
"At tho Theatre Royal, in Covent Garden, to-morrow, Friday,
the 6th of April, will bo presented a sacred Oratorio called The
Messiah, being the last time of performing it this season. To
begin half an hour after six.'
This was the tenth night of the Oratorio Season, which
began, that year, on the 2nd of March. Handel had
already directed nine performances, and it does not appear
that the public noticed any difference in his apparent
health : but he was sinking fast, as he himself knew full
well. “He was very sensible of the approach of death,'
says Mainwaring; "and refused to be flattered by any
hopes of a recovery.' Hawkins tells us that towards
the beginning of the year 1758 he began to find himself
decline apace.' Like many other men, distinguished for
more than ordinary strength of intellect, he was a great
cater.1 Some months before his death, his appetite
1 It is a great mistako, to supposo that great thinkers, who are
also great caters, are necossarily by nature sensual. The fact
that excessive brain-work cannot be maintained without a large
supply of physical nutriment is notorious. The family of one of
tho greatest Statesmen of modern times, noticed that his appe-
360 THE LAST ORATORIO SEASON. [CHAP. XL.
suddenly and entirely failed. It had never done so
before: and he at once accepted the symptom as indicative
quite understood his case to be hopeless; but he did not,
on that account, neglect his duty either to Art, or to the
public. He played his Concertos as usual; directed the
Orchestra ; and even attended to the financial details of
his performances, which, during this last season, were
more prosperous than they had ever been before. A friend,
who was accustomed to visit him in the treasury of the
Theatre, after the Concerts were over, told Dr. Burney
that 'the money he used to take to his carriage of a night,
though in gold and silver, was as likely to weigh him
down, and throw him into a fever, as the copper money
of the painter, Correggio, if he had had as far to carry
it. This account is, perhaps, exaggerated. But it shows
that the iron will which had supported its owner through
so many years of changing fortunes, did not fail him at
his last extremity. It was naturally to be expected that
he would die in harness. And he did. On Thursday,
the 6th of April, he directed the performance of The
Messiah in accordance with the terms of the advertise-
ment: nothing has been said which could lead us to
suppose that he did so with less than his accustomed
vigour. But, after the performance was over, he was
seized with a deadly faintness, the nature of which he
well understood, and made no attempt to disguise, either
from himself, or his friends. On returning home, he was
placed in the bed from which he was destined no more to
tite—always abnormally large—was to a great extent regulated
by the importance of the measures he was bringing forward in
Parliament. Yet, he was neither a gourmand nor a gourmet. He
ate to think; as Diogenes ate to live. And so did Handel.
1759.]
MORS JANUA VITÆ.
361
arise; and the few remaining days of his earthly existence
were spent in pious preparation for the great change
which was now so rapidly approaching. There was
abundant proof that he was not afraid of death. He was
a devout believer in the truth of Holy Scripture; and
frequently told Sir John Hawkins how much the contem-
plation of the many sublime passages he had set to Music
had contributed to his edification. For the last two or
three years of his life,' says that affectionate biographer,
"he used to attend Divine Service in his own Parish
Church of St. George, Hanover Square, where, during the
Prayers, the eyes that at this instant are employed in a
faint portrait of his excellencies, have seen him on his
knees, expressing, by his looks and gesticulations, the
utmost fervour of devotion. Other writers have con-
firmed the truth of these remarks: and we may well
believe that the last hours of the stormy life we have
attempted to describe were not unworthy of the teaching
instilled by good Frau Dorothea Haendel into the heart
of her little child at Halle.
On the morning following this last fatal seizure, the
Public Advertiser' announced that the usual annual per-
formance of the Messiah for the benefit of the Foundling
Hospital, would take place on the 3rd of May, at twelve
o'clock, under the direction of G. F. Handel, Esq.'
On Wednesday, the 11th of April, Handel added a fourth
codicil to his will, and signed it himself. On Friday,
the 13th, the advertisement of the performance at the
Foundling Hospital was repeated, in the 'Public Adver-
tiser'; and the same paper contained the announcement,
that, “YESTERDAY MORNING, DIED G. F. HANDEL, Esq.'
And here we are met by an error as puzzling as that
concerning the great Composer's birthday.
362
[CHAP. XL.
DISPUTED DATES.
Handel did not die on the 12th of April, 1759.
Mainwaring tells us that he expired on Saturday, the
14th. Hawkins gives the same date. Burney says, that
'he expired on Friday, the 13th of April, 1759, and
not on Saturday, the 14th, as was at first erroneously
engraved on his Monument and recorded in his Life. I
have indisputable authority for the contrary, as Dr. Warren,
who attended Handel in his last sickness, not only re-
members his dying before midnight, on the 13th, but, that
he was sensible of his approaching dissolution; and having
been always impressed with a profound reverence for the
doctrines and duties of the Christian Religion, that he
had most seriously and devoutly wished, for several days.
before his death, that he might breathe his last on Good
Friday, “in hopes,” he said, " of meeting his good God,
his sweet Lord and Saviour, on the Day of His Resurrec-
tion,” meaning the third day, or Easter Sunday following.'
The 'Public Advertiser' for April the 16th says, “ Last
Saturday, and not before, died, at his house in Brook-
i The expression, 'at first erroneously engraved on his Monu.
ment,' needs some explanation. The date to which the historian
objected, still remains on the Monument, and bears no trace of
ever having been changed. In the engraving given in Burney's
Commemoration of Handel,' the words, ‘died on Good Friday,
April xiii. MDCCLIX,' have been substituted for the original
sentence, 'died April xiv. MDCCLIX. On the ground of this
alteration, Burney has been accused of falsifying the inscription.
But Burney was a thorough gentleman, and therefore incapable
of falsifying anything. Moreover, the falsification of an existing
inscription, openly exposed to the public, would be absurd. Is
there, then, any difficulty in accepting the theory, that be reconi-
mended the Dean and Chapter to correct the date which he
supposed to bave been 'at first erroneously engraved' on the
Monument; and published his engraving in the expectation that
it would be altered accordingly? (See 'Sketch, in Commemora..
tion of Handel,' page 31.)
1759.]
DISPUTED DATES.
363
Street, Grosvenor Square, that eminent master of Music,
George Frederick Handel, Esq. Which of these con-
flicting accounts are we to believe? Our first impulse is
to accept Dr. Warren's evidence as conclusive. But,
within the last twenty-one years, some very important
testimony has been brought forward, on the other side.
Handel had a very dear friend, Bernard Granville by
name, of Calwich, in Derbyshire, who, being away from
London, in April, 1759, requested Mr. James Smyth, of
New Bond Street, to send him an account of the Composer's
decease. Thereupon, Mr. Smyth, who was also on terms of
intimate friendship with Handel, wrote a very important
letter, happily still in existence, to the following effect :
DEAR SIR,
According to your request to me, when you left London,
that I would let you know when our good friend departed this
life-on Saturday last, at eight o'clock in the morn, died the
great and good Mr. Handel. He was sensible to the last
moment; made a codicil to his will on Tuesday; ordered to be
buried privately in Westminster Abbey, and a monument not to
exceed £600 for him. I had the pleasure to reconcile him to
his old friends : he saw them and forgave them, and let all their
legacies stand! In the codicil he left many legacies to his
friends; and among the rest he left me £600, and has left to
you the two pictures you formerly gave him. He took leave
of all his friends on Friday morning, and desired to see nobody
but the doctor, and apothecary, and myself. At seven o'clock
in the evening he took leave of me, and told me we should
meet again. As soon as I was gone, he told his servant not
to let me come to him any more, for that he had now done
with the world. He died as he lived, a good Christian, with
a true sense of his duty to God and man, and in perfect
charity with all the world. If there is anything that I can be
of farther service to you, please let me know. I was to have
set out for Bath to-morrow, but must attend the funeral, and
shall then go next week.
364
[CHAP. XL.
THE FUNERAL.
After lying hidden from the world for more than a
century, this letter was published, in The Autobiography
and Correspondence of Mary Granville, afterwards Mary
Delany, edited, in six volumes, by Lady Llanover, in
1861–1862. It is now generally held to remove all doubt
upon the subject. The day and hour are mentioned in
no uncertain terms, and without the least sign of hesita-
tion. On the other hand we must not forget that Dr.
Warren was present when Handel breathed his last, and
that Mr. Smyth was not. The Funeral took place at West-
minster Abbey, on Friday night, the 20th of April, 1759,
at about eight o'clock.'1 The last resting-place chosen
for the Composer's remains was in the well-known spot
called Poet's Corner, in the South Transept, near the foot
of the Duke of Argyle's Monument. Though the cere-
mony was nominally private, it was really performed in
the presence of 'a vast concourse of persons of all ranks,
not fewer than 3000 in number :'3 for all London,
knowing the hour fixed for the interment, was anxious to
pay its last tribute of respect to the great Genius, who,
despite his troublous career, was really very dear indeed
to the heart of every true lover of Music in England.
The Dean, the Prebendaries, and the whole Choir, took
part in the Ceremony of the Music sung we have not,
unfortunately, succeeded in finding any record. One
cannot help hoping that the Funeral Anthem formed part
of it; that the fresh young Treble Voice of the Boy'
1 Universal Chronicle, April 24, 1759.
? The 'London Chronicle' for April 14 had previously men.
tioned a report to the effect that Handel's remains were to be
laid, near those of Captain Coram, in the Burial-ground of the
Foundling Hospital.
33 Gentleman's Magazine.
365
1759.]
THE FUNERAL.
moved the congregation with the heavenly strains of I
know that my Redeemer liveth ; and, that the Dead March
was played at the end. The Funeral-Sermon was preached
by the Dean, Dr. Zachary Pearce, Bishop of Rochester. I
The history of Music records few instances indeed of
such Funerals as this. Mozart was carried to the grave
under circumstances which were a disgrace to his friends,
to the people of Vienna, to the Court, to Art herself.
Schubert's noble brother starved himself, that he might
scrape together the insignificant sum necessary to buy the
little piece of ground in which one of the greatest and
most cruelly-treated musical Geniuses the world has ever
seen had expressed a wish to be laid. But, when Handel
was committed to the tomh, there was no question of
fraternal piety; no difficulty in finding a fitting sepulchre;
no shame to hurl in the faces of pseudo-dilettanti un-
worthy of the genius they could not comprehend. Three
thousand men and women thronged, uninvited, to the
Abbey, to pay their willing homage to the power that had
enchained their souls. Any number of spectators may
attend a public funeral. Such spectacles present an
attraction which certain natures cannot resist, and to
which they yield so readily, that the density of the
crowd can by no means be accepted as a guarantee of its
earnestness. With these three thousand mourners the
case was very different. Of their own accord, they
sought admittance to a funeral which was strictly private.
Yet, they represented the united voice of the entire
country. For England loved her great Composer very
dearly indeed. She had neglected him—as is her wont-
and had well-nigh worn his heart out with her paltry
persecutions—as is her wont also. But it so happened
1 Coxo’s Anecdotes of Handel, p. 26.
366
THE MONUMENT. . [CHAP. XL.
that the heart she tormented was a large one ; large
enough to forgive a great deal. And her own heart
was as large then as it is now: so large that it did not
disdain to admit itself in the wrong, when it was in the
wrong--and that is saying a great deal. So all England,
represented by these three thousand self-chosen delegates,
came to say, 'We understand each other, now; do we
not ?' And you may take our word for it, dear Reader,
there was not a representative of the once inimical
Nobility there present, who would not have plucked a
strawberry-leaf from his coronet, if, by so doing, he could
have brought back Buononcini's tough-skinned adversary,
had it been only for a year.
On the 10th of July, 1762, the Monument which now
graces the South Transept of Westminster Abbey was
first exhibited to the public in its present position,
against the western wall.] The execution of the work
was entrusted to Roubiliac; who, aided by a cast which
he took of the features after his friend's decease, and
afterwards retouched with sufficient emphasis to give the
plaster a fairly life-like appearance, produced a portrait
said by contemporary writers to be the best in existence.
The Composer is here represented in a standing posture,
looking upwards, as if in earnest thought, leaning against
a table, whereon are placed a Horn and other Musical
Instruments, and holding a pen in his right hand. This
right hand rests lightly on an unfinished Score of the
Messiah, upon which the Composer is supposed to be at
work, and wherein the opening phrases of I know that
my Redeemer liveth are distinctly legible. The back-
1 Annual Register, 1762.
2 Engraved in The Mirror for July 19, 1834; and the Dictionary
of Music and Musicians, vol. i. p. 656, a.
1759.]
THE GRAVE-STONE.
367
ground of the composition is occupied by an Organ; and,
in the upper part of the arch it occupies is placed an
Angel, playing upon a Harp, to the sound of which
Handel appears to be listening. The inscription beneath
is becomingly simple.1
GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL, ESQ.,
born February XXIII, MDCLXXXIV.
died April XIV, MDCCLIX.
The grave itself is covered with a stone, bearing the
inscription :
GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL,
Born 1 23 FEBRUARY 1684.
DIED Ï 14 or APRIL 1759.
This record is accompanied by an escutcheon,2 bearing
the arms of the Haendel family: a demi-youth, couped,
holding in his right hand a vase. The crest represents
the same figure, between a pair of horns, and borne on
the helmet of an esquire—i.e. turned, in profile towards
the dexter side, and with the vizor closed. Handel's
? We have seen that Burney altered this inscription, in his
engraving. M. Schoelcher, though usually punctilious in his
regard to facts, gives the false inscription, in terms which lead
the reader to believe that it is copied from the marble. (See his
Life of Handel, p. 348.)
The escutcheon is engraved in the handbook of the Handel
Festival held at the Crystal Palace, in 1862; and also on the
title-page of the photolithographic reproduction of the Auto-
graph Seore of the Messiah. It will be seen that the name
FREDERIC is here spelled without a k, which, however, is present
on the Monument. Handel always spelled it FRIDERIC.
368
THE GRAVE-STONE. [CHAP. XL.
letter to Mr. Colman, in the Library of the Sacred
Harmonic Society, is fastened with a seal bearing the
same device.
Beneath this time-worn stone, the Composer of the
Messiah sleeps well; while, on many a Sunday and
Holyday, the vaulted roof above him rings with strains
which have made his name immortal. Here let us leave
him, to his last long rest, while we return to the old
house in Brook Street, where much remains to claim our
attention.
SIT ILLI TERRA LAVIS.
CHAPTER XLI.
THE WILL.
The original draft of Handel's Will, the body of which
is entirely in his own handwriting, is preserved in the
Registry of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, at
Doctors' Commons. A duplicate, also in his own hand-
writing, passed from the family of his executor, Mr.
George Amyand, into the hands of the late Mr. Snoxell,
of Charterhouse Square. There are four codicils, one of
which was signed on the Wednesday before his death.1
We subjoin a copy of the entire document, which was first
printed in Clarke's Reminiscences of Handel.
IN THE NAME OF GOD. AMEN. I, George Frideric
Handel, considering the uncertainty of human life, do
make this my Will, in manner following, viz. I give and
bequeath unto my servant, Peter le Blond, my Clothes and
Linen, and three hundred pounds sterling, and to my other
servants a year's wages. I give and bequeath to Mr.
Christopher Smith, my large Harpsichord, my little house
Organ, my Music Books, and five hundred pounds sterling.
Item, I give and bequeath to my cousin, Christian Gottlieb
? Mr. Smyth says, the Tuesday. But the date is indisputable.
• See chapter xiv.
2 B
370
THE CODICILS.
[CHAP. XLI.
Handel, of Copenhagen, 1 one hundred pounds sterling.
Item, I give and bequeath to my cousin, Magister Christian
August Roth, of Halle, in Saxony,one hundred pounds
sterling. Item, I give and bequeath to my cousin, the
widow of George Taust,3 Pastor of Giebichenstein, near
Halle, in Saxony, three hundred pounds sterling, and to her
six children, each two hundred pounds sterling. All the
next and residue of my Estate in Bank Annuities, 1746,
sst. sub. or whatsoever kind or nature, I give and be-
queath unto my dear niece, Johanna Friderica Floerchen,4
of Gotha, in Saxony, born Michaelsen, in Halle, whom I
make my sole Executor of this my last Will. In witness
whereof I have hereto set my hand, this first day of
June, 1750.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.
· I, GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL, make this Codicil to
my Will. I give unto my servant, Peter le Blond, two
hundred pounds additional to the legacy already given
him in my Will. I give to Mr. Christopher Smith
fifteen hundred pounds additional to the legacy already
given him in my Will. I give to my cousin, Christian
Gottlieb Handel, of Copenhagen, two hundred pounds
additional to the legacy already given him in my Will.
My cousin, Magister Christian August Roth, being dead,
I give to his widow, two hundred pounds, and if she
shall die before me, I give the said two hundred pounds
to his children. The widow of George Taust and one of
her children being dead, I give to her five remaining
i See the Genealogical Tree of the Händel family.
2 Diakonus of the Moritzkirche, at Halle. Handel's kinship
with this gentleman cannot be traced.
3 See the Genealogical Tree of the Händel family. 4 Ib.
1759.]
THE CODICILS.
371
children three hundred pounds apiece, instead of the
legacy given to them by my Will. I give to Dr. Morell,
of Turnham Green, two hundred pounds. I give to
Mr. Newburgh Hamilton,- of Old Bond Street, who has
assisted me in adjusting words for some of my compo-
sitions, one hundred pounds. I make George Amyand,
Esquire, of Laurence Pountney Hill, London, Merchant,
Co-executor with my niece, mentioned in my Will, and
give him two hundred pounds, which I desire him to
accept for the care and trouble he shall take in my affairs.
In virtue whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this sixth day of August, one thousand seven hundred
and fifty-six.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.
On the day and year above written, this Codicil was
read over to the said George Frideric Handel, and was by
him signed and published in our presence.
THO. HARRIS,
JOHN HETHERINGTON.
I, GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL, do make this further
Codicil to my will. My old servant, Peter le Blond,
being dead, I give to his nephew, John Duburk, the sum
of five hundred pounds. I give to my servant, Thomas
Bramwell, thirty pounds in case he shall be living with me
at the time of my death, and not otherways. In virtue
whereof I have hereunto set my hand, the twenty-second
day of March, one thousand seven hundred and fifty-
seven.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.
? See chapter xxxiii.
? See chapters xxiv., XXX.
2 B 2
372
THE CODICILS.
[CITAP. XLI.
On the day and year above written, this Codicil was
read over to the said George Frideric Handel, and was
by him signed and published in our presence.
THO. HARRIS.
JOHN HETHERINGTON.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL, do make this further
Codicil to my Will. My cousin, Christian Gottlieb
Handel, being dead, I give to his sister, Christiana
Susanna Handelin, at Goslar, three hundred pounds, and
to his sister, living at Pless,near Teschen, in Silesia,
three hundred pounds. I give to John Rich, Esquire, 3
my great Organ, that stands at the Theatre Royal, in
Covent Garden. I give to Charles Jennens, Esquire,' two
pictures, the Old Man's Head, and the Old Woman's Head,
done by Denner. I give to —– Granville, Esquire," of
Holles Street, the landskip, a View of the Rhine, done
by Rembrandt, and another by the same hand, which he
made me a present of some time ago. I give a fair Copy
of the score and all the parts of my Oratorio, called the
Messiah, to the Foundling Hospital.6 In witness whereof
I have hereunto put my hand, this fourth day of August,
one thousand seven hundred and fifty-seven.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.
On the day and year above written this Codicil was
read over to the said George Frideric Handel, and uras
by him signed and published in our presence.
THO. HARRIS.
JOHN MAXWELL,
1 See the Genealogical Tree of the Händel family. . Ib.
3 See page 191, Note. 4 See page 196, and Notc.
5 See chapter xl.
See chapter xxxiv.
1759.)
THE CODICILS.
373
I, GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL, make this further Codicil.
I give to the Governors and Trustees of the Society for the
Support of Decayed Musicians and their families, one thou-
sand pounds, to be disposed of in the most beneficial manner
for the objects of that Charity. I give to George Amyand,
Esquire, one of my Executors, two hundred pounds ad-
ditional to what I have before given him. I give to
Thomas Harris, Esquire, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, three
hundred pounds. I give to Mr. John Hetherington, of the
First Fruits Offices, in the Middle Temple, one hundred
pounds. I give to Mr. James Smyth,1 of Bond Street,
Perfumer, five hundred pounds. I give to Mr. Matthew
Dubourg,2 Musician, one hundred pounds.. I give to my
servant, Thomas Bramwell, seventy pounds additional to
what I have before given bin. I give to Benjamin
Martyn, Esquire, of New Bond Street, fifty guineas. I
give to Mr. John Belcher, of Sun Court, Threadneedle
Street, Surgeon, fifty guineas. I give all my wearing ap-
parel to my servant, John de Bourk. I give to Mr. John
Cowland, of New Bond Street, Apothecary, fifty pounds.
I hope I have the permission of the Dean and Chapter
of Westminster to be buried in Westminster Abbey,
in a private manner, at the discretion of my Executor,
Mr. Amyand, and I desire that my said Executor may
have leave to erect a monument for me there, and that
any sum not exceeding six hundred pounds be expended
for that purpose, at the discretion of my said Executor. I
give to Mrs. Palmer, of Chelsea, widow of Mr. Palmer,
of Chelsea, formerly of Chappel Street, one hundred
pounds. I give to my two maid-servants each one year's
wages, over and above what shall be due to them at the
date of my death. I give to Mrs. Mayne, of Kensington,
See chapter xl.
? See chapter xxviii.
374
[CHAP. XLI.
THE CODICILS.
widow, sister of the late Mr. Batt, fifty guineas. I give
to Mrs. Downalan, of Charles Street, Berkeley Square,
fifty guineas. I give to Mr. Reiche, Secretary for the affairs
of Hanover, two hundred pounds. In witness whereof I
have hereunto set my hand and seal,i this eleventh day
of April, 1759.
G. F. HANDEL.
This Codicil was read over to the said George Frideric
Handel, and by him signed, and sealed, in the presence,
on the day and year above-written, of us,
A. S. RUDD,
J. CHRISTOPHER SMITH.
The Will, with its four Codicils, was proved, on the 26th
of April, 1759; and, on the 27th of the following August,
the furniture, at the house in Brook Street, was sold to
John de Bourke, for forty-eight pounds, in accordance
with the terms of an inventory, the original copy of which
passed into the hands of the late Mr. Snoxell, at the same
time as the duplicate of the Will. From the meagreness
of the catalogue, one is led to surmise that Handel must
have sold his best furniture, when he found so much diffi-
culty in meeting his liabilities, and neglected to replace it
afterwards. The 'Fore-parlour,' in all probability Handel's
study, contained no more than “A square stove, poker,
shovel, fender, bellows, and brush ; a wainscott oval
table; a square block table; 6 old matted chairs; a
sconce in a gilt frame; a chimney glass in ditto ; an old
i The seal affixed to the fourth codicil is not impressed with
the family arms, but with a bearded head.
· Tormerly, No. 57; now, No. 25. On the south side, a few
doors from New Bond Street.
1759.]
THE FURNITURE.
375
walld desk; 5 coulrd china coffee cups, and 6 saucers ;
a blue and white spoon-boat.' In the 'Dineing Room,
on the first floor, were, 'An iron hearth, with dogs, brass-
mounted tongs and shovell; 2 walld round card-tables ;
7 walld matted chairs, and leather stool; 2 sconces in
gilt frames, a chimney-glass in ditto and broke.' In the
best bedroom, most probably Handel's own, were, 'A
bedstead, with white teaster, crimson haritten furniture,
a feather-bed, bolster, and 2 pillows, a white mattress,
3 blankets, and a quilt; 3 pair of window curtains and
rods; a stove, tongues, and poker, 6 old matted chairs, a
wicker fire-screen, a glass in walld frame.' And, with
the exception of the kitchen, these were by far the best
and most completely fitted rooms in the house. John de
Bourke's object in securing the furniture is not mentioned.
He may possibly have taken the house for the purpose of
underletting it; but, of the ultimate fate of the scanty
movables no record has been preserved.
On the day before the funeral, the approaching per-
formance at the Foundling Hospital was again advertised
for the 3rd of May; but, this time, 'under the direction of
Mr. Smith.' It took place, as announced ; and, on the
24th of May, another performance of Sacred Music' was
given, in the Chapel, “in grateful memory of George
Frederick Handel, Esq.' From that time, until the year
1768, the annual performance of the Messiah, for the
benefit of the charity, was given under Smith's direction.
From 1769 to 1777 it was directed by John Stanley, the
blind organist. So well did these two devoted followers
carry on the good work he had begun, that not even
death itself put an end to the intimate association he had
established between the Messiah and Captain Coram's
charitable foundation ; and it was not until nearly twenty
576
THE ORATORIOS.
[CHAP. XLI.
years had passed away that the annual performances were
discontinued.
The Messiah was sung thirty-nine times, in all, during
Handel's lifetime, including the two performances at
Dublin and eleven in the Chapel of the Hospital; Judas
Maccabeus was performed thirty-four times ; Samson,
twenty-nine; Joseph, eleven; Joshua, eight; The Choice
of Hercules, eight; Belshazzan, seven; Jephtha, seven ;
Time and Truth, six; Semnele, six; Susannd, five;
Theodora, five; Alexander Balus, five; Hercules, four ;
Solomon, three ; and the Occasional Oratorio, three.
Of the performance of works produced before the visit
to Ireland, we have not been able to discover so complete
a record; but it is certain that Esther was performed,
under Handel's direction, at least twenty-two times; Acis
and Galatea, at least nineteen; Alezcander's Feast, seven-
teen; Saul, sixteen; L'Allegro, fifteen; the Odle for St.
Cecilia's Day, thirteen ; Deborah, twelve ; Israel, eight;
and Athaliah, eight. And it is quite possible that, in the
case of Esther and some other early works, these numbers
a der Handel at least 1719 Allegro,
CHAPTER XLII.
THE MAN.
Our most accurate knowledge of the character of great
men is almost always derived from their correspondence.
Did we know nothing of Mozart or Mendelssohn save
that which we gather from their letters, we should still
be able to construct a not unsatisfactory biography of
either. But Handel's correspondence is deplorably meagre.
Either he wrote but little ; or the friends with whom he
corresponded were not careful to preserve the treasures
committed to their care. Probably he was too busy to
write. At any rate, the few letters we have reproduced
in the foregoing pages are almost all the world now pos-
sesses; and despite the value of these, as indicative of his
filial piety, his respectful affection for Dr. Michaelsen-
the magnate of the family—and his warm friendship for
Charles Jennens, they do not tell us the hundredth part
of what we long to know. For farther information we
must turn to the Rev. John Mainwaring's Memoirs, the
most valuable record we possess, though compiled from
materials collected entirely at second-hand; 1 to the 'Sketch'
prefixed to Dr. Burney's Account of the Musical Perform-
ances in Westminster Abbey, which furnishes us with many
1 Memoirs of the Life of the late George Frederic Handel, 8vo.
London, 1760.
378
ANECDOTES.
[CHAP. XLII.
interesting particulars;1 to the fifth volume of the History
of Music, by Sir John Hawkins, an author who, writing
always as a scholar and a gentleman, speaks of Handel
with the tenderness of a personal friend ;2 to the Rev. W.
Cose's Anecdotes of Handel and Smith, published anony-
mously in 1799 ;3 to the Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte and
Georg Friedrich Händels Lebensbeschreibung of Mattheson,
whose writings, with the exception of an erratic date or
two, may be implicitly trusted by the initiated, since the
crust of conceit and selfishness with which his facts are
obscured is of such uniform density that one always
knows exactly how much allowance to make for it ;4 to
the Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Delany
—née Granville—the daughter of the gentleman to whom
Handel bequeathed his Rembrandts ;5 and to many another
work, of less interest than these, though still to be welcomed
as contributing some pleasant item to the general store.
Sir John Hawkins describes Handel as a tall portly
man, with finely-marked features, and a placid countenance,
bespeaking dignity attempered with benevolence, and
1 An Account of the Performances in Westminster Abbey and
the Pantheon, in Commemoration of Handel. By Charles Burney.
4to. London, 1785.
? A General History of the Science and Practice of Music. By
John Hawkins. 4to, 5 vols. London, 1776.
3 Anecdotes of George Fredericii Handel and John Christopher
Smith. London, 1799.
4 Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte, etc. Von Mattheson. 4to.
Hamburg, 1740. Georg Friedrich Händels Lebensbeschreibung, etc.
Von Mattheson. 8vo. Hamburg, 1761. This last work is a
translation of Mainwaring's Demoirs, with an original preface
and annotations.
5 The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville,
afterwards Mary Delany. Edited by Lady Llanover. 8vo, 6 vols.
London, 1861–1862.
1710-1759.]
ANECDOTES.
379
every quality of the heart that has a tendency to beget
confidence and ensure esteem. And this account is cor-
roborated both by contemporary writers, and the numerous
portraits still extant. Dr. Burney, who played in his
Orchestra, and therefore saw him frequently under trying
circumstances, says, “His countenance, which I remember
as perfectly as that of any man I saw but yesterday, was
full of fire, and dignity, and such as impressed ideas of
superiority, and genius. His general look was somewhat
heavy, and sour; but, when he did smile, it was his sire
the sun bursting out of a black cloud. There was a
sudden flash of intelligence, wit, and good humour,
beaming in his countenance, which I hardly ever saw in
any other.' He wore an enormous white wig, and, when
things went well at the Oratorio, it had a certain nod, or
vibration, which manifested his pleasure and satisfaction.
Without it, nice observers were certain that he was out
of humour. His portraits represent him handsomely
dressed, in the fashion of the period, with gold-laced coat,
and costly ruffles, cocked hat, and sword. Hawkins tells
us that his gait, which was ever sauntering, was rather
ungraceful, as it had in it somewhat of that rocking
motion which distinguishes those whose legs are bowed;
but his bearing is described as uniformly dignified and
courteous. He had been accustomed to associate with
Princes, from his childhood ; and thoroughly understood
the art of asserting his own dignity, while rendering all
possible deference to that of the noble personages with
whom he was brought into contact-a circumstance which
rendered his social position both an honourable and an
enviable one.
Thanks to Meister Görge's determination that he should
enter the legal profession, his education had been liberal,
380
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
and complete. He was an excellent Latin scholar; was
well acquainted with both the Italian and the French
languages; and was able thoroughly to appreciate the
beauties of our best English Poets—a fact which is suffi-
ciently proved by his readings of the verses he set to
Music. His conversation was carried on in a mixture of all
languages. Dr. Quin, of Dublin, writing to Dr. Burney, in
1788, says, “Mrs. Vernon was particularly intimate with
him; and at her house I had the pleasure of seeing and con-
versing with Mr. Handel, who, with his other excellencies,
was possessed of a great stock of wit and humour. No
man ever told a story with more effect. But it was
at least four languages-English, French, Italian, and
German-for in his narratives he made use of them all.'
Dr. Burney himself writes, ‘His natural propensity to wit
and humour, and happy manner of relating common
occurrences in an uncommon way, enabled him to throw
persons and things into very ridiculous attitudes. Had
he been as great a master of the English language as
Swift, his bon mots would have been as frequent, and
somewhat of the same quality. Hawkins's testimony is
much to the same effect. “The style of his discourse was
very singular,' he says. "He pronounced the English as
the Germans do, but his phrase was exotic, and partook
of the idiom of the different countries in which he had
resided, a circumstance that rendered his conversation
exceedingly entertaining. It is unfortunate, that, in
transmitting his bons mots and good stories to posterity,
very poor imitation of his foreign pronunciation, by means
of a system of orthography, as irritating to the reader,
as it is inefficient for its pretended purpose. There is
1710–1759.]
ANECDOTES.
381
nothing vulgar in the imperfect pronunciation of a
foreigner ; but there is infinite vulgarity, and certainly
no wit, in the attempt of a native to imitate it. Sir
John Hawkins alone had the good taste to abstain from
ridiculing the accent of a man whose friendship he prized,
and whose character he thoroughly respected.
It has been supposed, that, because he was never
married, he was by nature a cold-hearted mån. This
is a cruel accusation to bring against the typical old
bachelor : and we have seen, that, in Handel's case, it
was utterly untrue. Moreover, he is said to have been
more than once engaged to be married. First, during
his residence in Italy, to Vittoria Tesi, who, by an
astounding mistake, is described, by Fétis, as 'la Grande
Duchesse Vittoria.'l Afterwards, to an English lady,
whose mother objected to the engagement so rudely,
that the bridegroom in prospectu retired in disgust.2
And, finally, to another English lady, of large property,
who insisted that he should relinquish the practice of
his Art-à condition with which he refused to comply.3
He was a man of deeply religious temperament, and
delighted, especially towards the close of his life, to con-
verse on religious subjects, in a tone entirely free from
sectarian bigotry. Objection has been raised to this, on
the ground that he was a profane swearer. Of course he
was. Every gentleman in the eighteenth century swore
like a trooper. But, thankful as we all must be that, in
the nineteenth, the habit of using an oath at every other
sentence is condemned, for its coarseness, by those who
do not object to its profanity, it is not fair for us to forget
that many of the expletives used in the time of Uncle
i Compare with Mainwaring's Diemoirs, pp. 50-51.
? Coxe's Anecdotes, p. 28.
3 Ibid.
382
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
Toby were as meaningless and as innocent as the Mon
Dieu of a French school-girl at the present day.
In his mode of life Handel was regular and methodical;
avoiding parsimony in the management of his establish-
ment, on the one side, and profusion on the other. By
the time his great financial troubles came upon him he
had saved £10,000, the whole of which he sold out to
meet his liabilities, maintaining himself on the £600 per
annum derived from his three pensions, which, through
the kind offices of Sir Edmund Walpole, were paid to him
regularly.1 Feeling that his income was at all times
precarious, he steadily refused to keep a carriage ; though,
after his sight failed him, he was obliged to hire a chariot
and horses.? His last Oratorio seasons were so prosperous
that, as his career drew near its close, he was accustomed
to lay by £2000 a year; and at the time of his death
these savings amounted to £20,000.3 Yet, though his
works became at last so popular, and productive of so
much nobly-earned profit to himself, there never was, a
period at which he was wholly safe from ridicule. In
April, 1753, a paragraph appeared in the daily papers
stating that he was preparing his own Funeral Anthem, to
be sung in the Chapel of the Foundling Hospital. The
Governors were indignant, and wrote to him to express
their earnest hope for the long life of one who had done
so much for the charity. Charity, indeed, was one of the
brightest ornaments of his character. Even when he was
upon the brink of insolvency, he gave performances for
the “Musical Fund,' and other charitable institutions, as
well as for the Hospital; and there was not a charitable
1 Hawkins's Hist. of Music, vol. V., lib. 4, cap. 10.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
1710-1750.]
ANECDOTES.
383
performance in England at which his music was not per-
formed, even when he himself could not assist in person.
This pious custom, originated by himself, was not for-
gotten after he had passed away. Burney, after men-
tioning the first performance of the Messiah in London,
continues : 'from that time to the present, this great
work has been heard in all parts of the kingdom with
increasing reverence and delight; it has fed the hungry,
clothed the naked, fostered the orphan, and enriched
succeeding managers of Oratorios more than any single-
musical production, in this or any other country. Indeed,
Handel's Church Music has been kept alive, and sup-
ported life in thousands, by its performance for charitable
purposes.'1 So truly do a good man's deeds live after
him, that these words, written in 1785, may with equal
truth be repeated at the present moment. The example
set by the composer himself, at Dublin, is still followed at
all our great charitable festivals; and the Messiah feeds
the hungry, clothes the naked, and fosters the orphan now,
as truly as it did a hundred years ago. But it was not
only by the exercise of his talent that the warm-hearted
musician fed the hungry during his lifetime. He gave
them his money also. “The widow of his master, Zackau,"
says one of his biographers, ' being old and poor, received
from him frequent remittances; and her son would have
enjoyed the benefits of his liberality but for his profligacy
and incurable drunkenness." His kindness to his pupil,
John Christopher Smith, was planned on a still more
extensive scale. When the elder Smith-or Schmidt, as
he was then called-came to England with Handel, in
1716, he left his wife and family in Anspach; four
1. Commemoration of Handel.' Preface p. vi., and Sketch, p. 27.
2 Coxe's 'Anecdotes,' p. 29.
384
[CHAP. IIII.
ANECDOTES.
years later they joined him in London; and the young
John Christopher, then eight years old, was sent to
Mr. Clare's Academy, in Soho Square, where his passion
for music became so clearly apparent, that, in 1725,
Handel removed him from school, and undertook the entire
management of his musical education, thoroughly ground-
ing him in the rudiments of the science, though after-
wards permitting him to continue his studies under
Dr. Pepusch and Thomas Roseingrave. From that time
forward the great Composer never lost sight of his
clever protégé, who returned his fatherly affection with
the gratitude of a dutiful son. When Handel became
blind, his first thought was to send for Smith ; and
the readiness with which his now prosperous pupil
responded to his call showed that his confidence had not
been misplaced. The elder Smith had, for very many
years, acted as Handel's amanuensis, and produced finely-
written copies of all his great works. The son now ful-
filled this important duty; and wrote, continually, from
his master's dictation, remaining with him to the last.
The history of the warm friendship which had so long
existed between the young Musician and his venerable
patron is equally honourable to both. But Handel's kind
intentions were not always so gratefully remembered.
He had, after much persuasion,' says Dr. Burney;
received under his roof and protection a boy who had.
been represented, not only as having an uncommon dis-
position for Music, but for sobriety and diligence : this
boy, however, turned out ill, and ran away, no one, for a
considerable time, knew whither. During this period,
Handel, walking in the Park, as he thought, alone, was
heard to commune with himself, in the following manner :
Der Teufel ! the father was deceived; the mother was
1710–1759.]
ANECDOTES.
385
deceived ; but I was not deceived. He is ein damned
scoundrel, and good for nothing.'
Handel was a great admirer of painting; and, until
his sight began to fail, one of his favourite amusements
was, to inspect collections of pictures, especially those
exhibited for sale. We have seen that he bequeathed to
Bernard Granville some Rembrandts which that gentleman
had previously presented to him. Goupy, the scene-
painter, who insulted him so cruelly in his infamous
caricature, once pretended a great friendship for him.
he delighted in going into society, and was everywhere
received with open arms; but, as his old friends died off,
or dispersed, he did not care to surround himself with new
ones, but spent much of his time in solitude, and was
rarely visible, except at Court, or Leicester House, at
Church, or the Opera, or the Oratorios. These solitary
habits led him, by degrees, into the singular custom of
talking to himself, which we have already seen so
amusingly exemplified in the case of the ungrateful
runaway. But he was also a keen listener. He once
told Lady Luxborough that the Melodies of some of his
best songs were suggested by the street cries he heard
around him :1 and the fact is substantiated by a fragment
in the Fitzwilliam Museum, in which he has written
some sing-song notes against the words, 'B'oy any
matches, my matches buoy,' with the memorandum, "John
Shaw, near a brandy shop St Giles in Tyburn Road sells
matches about.' It is only fair to bear this in mind,
1 Letters written by the late Lady Luxborough to William
Shenstone, Esq. (London, 1775).
2 X. 3. 32. John Shay's cry is in the Fourth Ecclesiastical
Mode.
20
386
ANECDOTES.
[CHAP. XLII.
while weighing the evidence for and against the legend of
"The Harmonious Blacksmith.'
Handel's temper was choleric; but he was the last
man in the world to bear malice : witness his kindness in
permitting Cuzzoni to sing in the Messiah, when her worn
voice had driven away all her admirers, after her dis-
loyalty to him in the days of her prosperity. A still
more touching story is related of an unfortunate mis-
understanding which once threatened to put an end to
his long friendship with the elder Smith. “Handel still
continued to employ Smith senior as his treasurer,' says
the Rev. Mr. Coxe, and their friendly intercourse was
uninterrupted till they both went to Tunbridge, about
four years before Handel's death. But as long friend-
ships are sometimes dissolved by the most trivial circum-
stances, they quarrelled there, and Smith senior left
Handel in an abrupt manner, which so enraged him, that
he declared he would never see him again; and, though
friends interfered to promote a reconciliation, their inter-
ference was, for a long time, without effect. After this
quarrel, Handel took Smith junior one day by the hand,
and said he was determined to put his name in the place
of his father, in his will. Smith declared, if he persisted
in that resolution, he would instantly quit him, and never
more assist in the Oratorios : Sfor," added he, "what will
the world think, if you set aside my father, and leave his
legacy to me? They will suppose I tried, and succeeded
in undermining him for my own advantage.” Handel
yielded to these just remonstrances. About three weeks
before his death, he desired Smith junior to receive the
Sacrament with him. Smith asked him how he could
communicate, when he was not at peace with all the
world, and especially when he was at enmity with a
1710-1759.]
ANECDOTES.
387
former friend, who, though he had offended him once,
had been faithful and affectionate to him for thirty years.
Handel was so much affected by this representation, that
he was immediately reconciled ; and, dying soon after, (in
the year 1759), left Smith senior two thousand four
hundred pounds, having before given him one thousand
pounds.'1 It is probably to this circumstance that Mr.
Smyth, of New Bond Street, refers, in his letter to
Mr. Bernard Granville.?
Dr. Burney, who attended Handel's rehearsals, both
in Brook Street and at Carlton House, says, He was a
blunt and peremptory disciplinarian on these occasions,
but had a humour and wit in delivering his instructions,
and even in chiding and finding fault, that were peculiar
to himself and extremely diverting to all but those on
whom his lash was laid." He had no great opinion of
contemporary organists. He used to say : “When I first
came hither I found among the English many good players,
but no composers; but now they are all composers and no
players.'4 "When the late Reverend Mr. Felton found
that his first Organ Concertos were well received, he opened
a subscription for a second set, and begged of Mr. Brown
(the leader of His Majesty's band) to solicit Mr. Handel's
permission to insert his name in the list. Brown, who
had been in great favour with Handel the winter before,
when he led his Oratorios, remembering how civilly he
had been attended by him to the door, and had been carefully
cautioned, after being heated by a crowded room and hard
labour at the rehearsals in Brook Street, not to stir with-
o
I Coxe's Anecdotes of Handel and Smith,' p. 48–49.
? See chapter xl.
3 History of Music,' vol. iv. p. 667.
4 Sketch in Commemoration,' p. 33, Note.
2 0 2
388
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
out a chair, had no doubt of success; but, upon mention-
ing to him Felton's request, as delicately as possible, one
morning, when he was shaving, by telling him that he
was a Clergyman, who, being about to publish some
Concertos by subscription, was extremely ambitious of the
honour of his name and acceptance of a book, merely to
grace his list, without involving him in any kind of
expense. Handel, putting the barber's hand aside, got
up in a fury, and, with his face still in a lather, cried out,
with great vehemence : 'Damn yourself, and go to der
Teufel! A parson make concertos. Why he no make
sermons ?' 1
Mr. Belchier once proposed to him, at Pope's request,
that he should set that poet's Eurydice to Music. But,
remembering that it had already been set by Dr. Greenc,
who was then a determined supporter of Buononcini, Handel
said: 'It is the very thing what my bellows-blower has
already set for a Doctor's degree at Cambridge.'? It will be
remembered, in explanation of this, that Greene had once
blown the bellows for Handel at S. Paul's. Greene was
a good Musician, and had been educated in a good old
English School, though his style was insignificant and
wanting in the dignity indispensable for good Church
Music. Dr. Cheselden once told Hogarth that John Freke,
the Surgeon, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, had said that
Greene was as eminent in Composition as Handel. That
fellow Freke,' cried Hogarth, 'is always shooting his bolts
absurdly, one way or another. Handel is a giant in Music,
Greene only a light Florimel kind of Composer.' 'Aye,
said the other, “but Freke said you were as good a portrait-
painter as Vandyck. There he was in the right,' quoth
Hogarth, and so I am, give me but my time and a good
1 Sketch, in Conmemoration,' p. 32, Note. . Ib. p. 32.
1710-1759.)
ANECDOTES.
389
subject.'1 When the ‘Academy of Antient Musick'insti-
tuted enquiries into the genuineness of the Madrigal pre-
sented to them by Buononcini as his own, Dr. Greene,
though one of its most active members, seceded in disgust,
and set up rival Concerts at the Devil Tavern,' near
Temple Bar; whereupon Handel said: 'Poor Dr. Greene
has gone to the Devil.'
At the time of the Coronation he was very angry with
the Bishops for sending him the words for his anthems,
and said: 'I have read my Bible very well, and shall chuse
for myself.' 2
"At Frasi's,' says Burney, “I remember, in the year
1748, he brought in his pocket, the Duet of Judas
Maccabeus, “ From these dread scenes,” in which she had
not sung when that Oratorio was first performed in 1746.
At the time lie sat down to the Harpsichord, and gave
her and me the time of it; while he sang her part I
hummed, at sight, the second over his shoulder, in
which he encouraged me by desiring that I would sing
out. But, unfortunately, something went wrong, and
Handel, with his usual impetuosity, grew violent: a
circumstance very terrific to a young Musician. At
length, however, recovering from my fright, I ventured
to say that I fancied there was a mistake in the writing,
which, upon examining, Handel discovered to be the case;
and then instantly, with the greatest good humour and
humility said: 'I beg your pardon. I am a very odd
dog. Master Schmidt is to blame.' 3
"When Frasi told him that she was going to learn
Thorough-Bass, in order to accompany herself, Handel
1 History and Objects of the Foundling Hospital.
? Sketch, in 'Commemoration,' p. 34.
33 Ib.pp. 35, 36.
390
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
who well knew her want of diligence, said: 'Oh! what
may we not expect !!!
"At the close of an air, the voice with which he
used to cry out, Chorus ! was very formidable indeed ;
and, at the rehearsals of his Oratorios, at Carlton House,
if the Prince and Princess of Wales were not exact in
coming to the Music-room he used to be very violent;
yet, such was the reverence with which His Royal High-
ness treated him, that, admitting Handel to have had
cause of complaint, he has been heard to say, 'Indeed, it
it is cruel to have kept these poor people,' meaning the
performers, so long from their scholars and other con-
cerns.' But, if the maids of honour, or any other female
attendant, talked, during the performance, I fear that our
modern Timotheus, not only swore, but called names ;
yet, at such times, the Princess of Wales, with her accus-
tomed mildness and benignity, used to say, 'Hush !
hush ! Handel is in a passion." 2
Dr. Morell having complained, one day, that the
Music of one of his Airs did not suit the words, Handel
flew into a violent passion, crying out, “What! you teach
me Music ? The Music, sir, is good Music. It is your
words is bad. Hear the passage again. There ! go you,
make words to that Music."
The objection raised by Dr. Morell must have been a
very stupid one, or Handel would certainly have listened
to it; for he was not generally offended at intelligent
criticism, however adverse it might be. He was, at one
time, on terms of friendly intimacy with the Rev. J.
Fountayne, an enthusiastic amateur, whose grandsong.
some fifty years ago, related the following anecdote.
i Sketch, in Commemoration,' p. 36.
? Ib. p 36. Boot-note.
1710-1759.]
ANECDOTES.
391
“My grandfather, as I have been told, was an enthusiast
in music, and cultivated most of all the friendship of
musical men, especially of Handel, who visited him often,
and had a great predilection for his society. This leads
me to relate an anecdote, which I have on the best
authority. While Marylebone Gardens were flourishing,
the enchanting music of Handel, and probably of Arne,
was often heard from the orchestra there. One evening,
as my grandfather and Handel were walking together, a
new piece was struck up by the band. Come, Mr.
Fountayne,' said Handel, 'let us sit down and listen to
this piece ; I want to know your opinion of it.' Down
they sat; and, after some time, the old Parson, turning to
his companion, said, “It is not worth listening to~it is
very poor stuff.' 'You are right, Mr. Fountayne,' said
Handel, 'it is very poor stuff. I thought so, myself,
when I had finished it.' The old gentleman, being taken
by surprise, was beginning to apologise; but Handel
assured him there was no necessity ; that the music was
really bad, having been composed hastily, and his time
for its production having been limited; and, that the
opinion given was as correct as it was honest."1 We
have been told, on other authority, that this gentleman
took a number of little high-born pupils into his house ;
and that the sight of their fresh young faces, as they
walked to Church in procession, dressed, after the fashion
of the period, in gold-laced coats, of red, blue, green, or
peach-blossom velvet, with point-lace tuckers, three-cor-
nered cocked hats trimmed with gold or silver, silk
stockings, and buckled shoes, was one of the prettiest
things in London. One can fancy the little fellows
wandering two by two about the Gardens, while the two
1 Smith's " History of the Parish of Marylebone," (London, 1833).
392
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
old gentlemen sat down, by themselves, to discuss the
quality of the music: the critical amateur laying down
the law with the assurance of a man who understands
what he is talking about; and the great bear's' eye
twinkling with enjoyment at the prospect of the coming
fun.1
Handel's nerves were too irritable to endure the sound
of tuning; the Musicians who performed in his Orchestra,
therefore, tuned their instruments before his arrival. One
evening, when the Prince of Wales was expected to be
present, some foolish persons untuned them all, for fun.
‘As soon as the Prince arrived,' says Dr. Busby, 'Handel
gave the signal to begin, con spirito, but such was the
horrible discord, that the enraged Musician started up
from his seat, and, having overturned a Double-Bass
which stood in his way, seized a Kettle-drum, which he
threw with such force at the leader of the band that he
lost his full-bottomed wig in the effort. Without waiting
to replace it, he advanced, bare-headed, to the front of
the Orchestra, breathing vengeance, but so choked with
passion that utterance was denied him. In this ridiculous
attitude he stood, staring and stamping, for some moments,
amidst the general convulsion of laughter; nor could he
be prevailed upon to resume his seat, until the Prince
went in person, and with much difficulty appeased his
wrath.' 2
Like many another hopeless old bachelor, Handel pos-
sessed, in a remarkable degree, the happy art of gaining
the affections of the young, whose opinion he was far
from treating with the supercilious contempt affected by
too many learned pedants. The Princess Royal, after-
wards Princess of Orange, was warmly attached to him ;
i See Appendix E. ?"The Concert-Room,' vol. ii.
1710–1759.]
ANECDOTES.
393
while he, on his side, was justly proud of so talented a
pupil. Though Frederick, Prince of Wales, patronised
the rival Opera Company, the Princess remained faithful,
to the last, to her revered preceptor; and one of her last
thoughts, on leaving England, after her marriage, was,
to recommend him to Lord Hervey, in the hope that that
powerful Nobleman would stånd his friend, when she was
no longer present to take part against his implacable
opponents. Even the Prince of Wales changed sides, at
last; and the young Prince George, afterwards King
George III., was one of his most devoted admirers.
Southey tells us that Handel asked the king, then a
young child, and listening very earnestly while he played
if he liked the Music, and the Prince warmly expressed
his pleasure. "A good boy, a good boy,' he cried ; "You
shall protect my fame when I am dead.'l Burney tells
the same story in different words; and accompanies it
with substantial proof of the truth of the prophecy
inasmuch as he, the most learned musical critic of his
day, confesses himself indebted, in certain instances, to
the acuteness of the King's critical remarks upon the
peculiar genius of Handel's Music.
Burney tells innumerable anecdotes relating to the
humorous side of Handel's character; and many others,
of similar import, are related by the Rev. Mr. Coxe, and
other writers. Most of them have been retailed, over
and over again, with a persistency worthy of the jokes of
Joe Miller : but our readers would scarcely forgive us,
did we neglect to reproduce them.
An English Singer, named Gordon, once found fault
with his method of accompanying. High words ensued ;
1. Commonplace Book.' Southey has the good taste to relato
the anecdote in plain English.
394
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
and Gordon finished by saying, that, if Handel persisted
in accompanying him in that manner, he would jump
upon his Harpsichord and smash it to pieces. "Oh!'
replied Handel, let me know when you will do that,
and I will advertise it ; for I am sure more people will
come to see you jump, than to hear you sing.'
This story is perfectly consistent with the account which
Burney gives, in several different places, of his caustic wit.
We have already quoted one passage to this effect. In
another place, the same Historian says :—He was im-
petuous, rough, and peremptory in his manners and con-
versation, but totally devoid of ill-nature or malevolence;
indeed, there was an original humour and pleasantry in
his most lively sallies of anger and impatience, which,
with his broken English, were extremely risible.'1
'One night, when Handel was in Dublin, Dubourg
(a well known violin player of that time), having a solo
part in a song, and a close to make ac libitum, he
wandered about, in different keys, a good while, and
seemed indeed a little bewildered, and uncertain of his
original key; but, at length, coming to the shake which
was to terminate this long close, Handel, to the great
delight of the audience, cried out, loud enough to be
heard in the most remote parts of the Theatre, 'You are
welcome home, Mr. Dubourg.' ?
The best proof that these little sallies were not ill-
natured lies in the fact that they sometimes turned
against himself. Not even in the midst of his deepest
affliction could he resist his natural propensity to joke.
Mr. Coxe tells us that, “His surgeon, Mr. Sharp, having
asked him if he was able to continue playing the Organ
in public, for the performance of the Oratorios, Handel
i Sketch, in Commemoration,' p. 31. ? Ib. p. 27.
1710–1759.]
ANECDOTES.
395
replied in the negative. Sharp recommended Stanley
(also a blind man), as a person whose memory never
failed; upon which Handel burst into a loud laugh, and
said, "Mr. Sharp, have you never read the Scriptures ?
Do you not remember, if the blind lead the blind, they
fall into the ditch ?'1
In corroboration of Burney's account, Mr. Coxe tells us
that, “In temper, he was irascible, impatient of contra-
diction, but not vindictive ; jealous of his musical pre-
eminence, and tenacious in all points which regarded his
professional honour.' ?
When Gluck came first into England, in 1745, he
was neither so great a Composer, nor so high in repu-
tation as he afterwards mounted; and I remember when
Mrs. Cibber, in my hearing, asked Handel what sort of
Composer he was ; his answer, prefixed by an oath, was,
'he knows no more of Contrapunto as mein cook, Waltz.'
This sounds illiberal, yet there is little doubt that it is
substantially true. Gluck had been educated in Italy,
where Counterpoint was then very imperfectly cultivated ;
and it is not at all unreasonable to believe that many a
good singer had managed to pick up as good a knowledge
of it as he. When Handel met him, he had not even
recognised the necessity for the great reform which has
made every later Dramatic Composer his debtor. Had he
been a great Contrapuntist, it is more than probable
that that reform would never have been projected; for he
would have known how to enrich his productions with a
musical interest which would have tended to lull him into
forgetfulness of their dramatic shortcomings. Later on,
his Counterpoint underwent as complete a change as his
1 Anecdotes, p. 44.
2 Ib.
3 Sketch, in Commenzoration,' p. 33.
396
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
mode of dramatic treatment; and, in process of time, he
became one of the greatest Composers on record : but his
own compositions prove that, at this early period, his
future greatness was but very faintly foreshadowed. Had
he followed the path he at first selected, he could scarcely
have hoped to rise higher than Hasse. We may well
believe, therefore, that Handel was just, if not generous,
in his criticism.
One of Burney's best-known and most frequently-
repeated anecdotes is an unpleasant one, relating to
Handel's proverbial attachment to the pleasures of the
table. Burney, who gives it at second-hand only, relates
it in the following words :
“The late Mr. Brown, leader of His Majesty's band,
used to tell me several good stories of Handel's love of
good cheer, liquid and solid, as well as of his impatience.
Of the former he gave an instance, which was accidentally
discovered at his own house in Brook Street, where Brown,
in the Oratorio Season, among other principal performers,
was at dinner. During the repast Handel often cried out:
Oh! I have the thought;' when the company, unwilling
that, out of civility to them, the public should be robbed
of anything so valuable as his musical ideas, begged he
would retire and write them down; with which request,
however, he so frequently complied that, at last, one of
the most suspicious had the ill-bred curiosity to peep
through the keylole into the adjoining room, when he
perceived that these thoughts' were only bestowed on a
fresh hamper of. Burgundy, which, as was afterwards dis-
covered, he had received in a present from his friend the
late Lord Radnor, while his company was regaled with
more generous and spirited port.'1
i Sketch, in 'Commemoration,' p. 32, Note.
1710-1759.]
ANECDOTES.
397
Tradition asserts that, on another occasion, finding it
convenient to dine at a tavern, he ordered dinner for
three. The repast was so long in preparation that he
grew impatient and sent for the host. "Why do you
keep me so long waiting?' he asked, with the impetuosity
of a hungry man. We are waiting till the company
arrives,' said the innkeeper. “Then bring up the dinner,
prestissiino,' said Handel, 'I am the company.
It is certain that Handel had a great appetite; though
exaggerated.
In touching contrast to these absurd stories, Shield
tells us that when Handel's servant used to bring him his
chocolate in the morning, 'he often stood silent with
astonishment to see his master's tears mixing with the ink
as he penned his divine compositions.'l And Burgh
relates that a friend, calling upon the great Musician
when in the act of setting those pathetic words, “He was
despised and rejected of men, found him absolutely
sobbing.' 2
Dr. Beattie tells us that, 'Some days after the first
exhibition of the divine Oratorio, The Messiah, (at
London), Handel came to pay his respects to Lord
Kinnoul, with whom he was particularly acquainted.
His lordship, as was natural, paid him some compliments
on the noble entertainment which he had lately given the
town. “My lord,' said Handel, “I should be sorry if I
only entertained them. I wish to make them better.' 3
In strict conformity with the more serious side of his
character, exhibited in the two last anecdotes, is the in-
1 Introduction to Harmony. ? Anecdotes of Music.
3 Beattie's 'Letters,' vol. ii. p. 77. The anecdote was told to
Dr. Beattie by Lord Kinnoul himself.
398
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
variable courtesy observable in his correspondence; a
politeness no less strongly marked in the letters he wrote
to his beloved brother-in-law, than in those addressed to
the British Envoy, or Mr. Jennens. When pencilling the
most rapid annotations in his Scores he scarcely ever
neglected to apply the title "Mr.' or 'Sigra.' to the singers
to whom his airs were assigned, even when the same
names occurred seven or eight times in the same work.
The dedication of Radamisto to King George I. attains an
admirable mean between the humility of a subject address-
ing his Sovereign, and the pride of an artist conscious of
the dignity of his work.
Sir,
"The protection which your Majesty has been graciously
pleased to allow both to the art of musick in general, and to one
of the lowest, though not the least dutiful of your Majesty's
servants, has emboldened me to present to your Majesty, with
all due humility and respect, this iny first essay to that design.
I have been still the more encouraged to do this, by the particular
approbation your Majesty has been pleased to give to the musick
of this Drama, whicb, may I be permitted to say, I value not so
much as it is the judgment of a great monarch as of one of the
most refined taste of the art. My endeavours to improve which
is the only merit that can be pretended by me, except that of
being, with the utmost humility, Sir, your Majesty's most devoted,
most obedient, and most faithful subject
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL.'
How favourably does this dignified address, with its
well-turned compliment to the King's good taste, contrast
with the vapid conventionality of Aaron Hill's dedication
of Rinaldo to Queen Anne !
- Madan,
'Among the numerous arts and sciences which now dis-
tinguish the best of nations, ander the best of Queens, Music, the
1710-1759.]
ANECDOTES.
399
most engaging of the train, appears in charms we never saw her
wear till lately; when the universal glory of your Majesty's
illustrious name drew hither the most celebrated masters from
every part of Europe.'
But Handel's behaviour to other Sovereigns than his
own was sometimes characterised by an independence of
spirit not very easily justifiable; witness his conduct
towards a certain foreign Potentate, at Aix-la-Chapelle.
· Being informed, at the Spa,' says the Rev. Mr. Coxe,
that the King of Prussia was expected, and proposed to
be witness of his musical powers, to the great disappoint-
ment of the monarch, he quitted the place some days
before his arrival; unwilling to expose himself to solicita-
tions he had determined not to comply with, or to
commands which he could not resist.'1
The first volume of the Somerset House Gazette,'
published in 1823, feigns to repeat a curious conversation
with Handel, which has sometimes been mistaken for an
authentic record. The supposed discussion is reported, by
its fictitious narrator, - Mr. Ephraim Hardcastle,' as having
taken place at the house of his great-uncle, “Mr. Zachary
Hardcastle, an old gentleman of refined taste and extensive
acquaintance with artists and literary men, residing in
Paper Buildings. Colley Cibber and Dr. Pepusch are
represented as sitting down to breakfast with the venerable
dilettante, intending to go with him afterwards, to hear some
distinguished candidates compete for the appointment of
Organist at the Temple Church. Dr. Arne is expected ;
but, before his arrival, Handel walks in, and thus
begins the conversation : 2
i Anecdotes, p. 27.
2 We give the history without curtailment, but in modern
English, the original orthography being almost unintelligible in
400
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
-“What! mine dear friend, Hardcastle—what! You
are merry by times. What! Mr. Colley Cibber, too !
Ay, and Dr. Pepusch as well! Well, that is comical !
Well, my friends, and how wags the world with you,
mine dears ? Pray, pray, do let me sit down a moment."
'Pepusch took the great man's hat, Colley Cibber took
his stick, and my great-uncle wheeled round his reading-
chair, which was somewhat about the dimensions of that
in which our Kings and Queens are crowned; and then
the great man sat him down.
(“Well, I thank you, gentlemen; now I am at mine
ease once more. Upon mine word, that is a picture of a
ham. It is very bold of me to come to breakfast with
you uninvited ; and I have brought with me a notable
fine bracer of the stomach ?”
6" You do me great honour, Mr. Handel," said my
great-uncle, “I take this early visit as a great kindness.”
66 A delightful morning for the water,” said Colley
Cibber.
""Pray, did you come with oars or scullers, Mr. Handel?'
said Pepusch.
you, who are a Musician, and a man of science, Dr. Pepusch.
What can it concern you, whether I have one watermans,
or two watermans—whether I pull out mine purse for to
certain passages, without a glossary. An exact reprint-in which
such words as 'Dems,' 'togders,' 'py dimes,' 'gondest,' 'pote,'
pute,''Chorge,''vodtermans,' 'pracer,' 'facd,' 'pode,' 'gomical,
and the like, appear in every line, as the equivalents of 'Thames,'
'doctors,' 'by times,' contest,' put,' put,' 'George,' water-
man,"bracer,' 'fact,''but,''comical,' etc. etc. will be found at
page 326 of M. Schoelcher's 'Life of Handel ;' but copies of the
original Gazette' are now rather scarce.
1710-1759.]
ANECDOTES.
401
pay one shilling, or two. Diavolo ! I cannot go here, or
I cannot go there, but some one shall send it to some
newspaper, as how Mr. George Frideric Handel did go
sometimes last week in a waterman's wherry, to break his
fast with Mr. Zac Hardcastle; but it shall be all the fault
with mineself, if it shall be put in print, whether I was
rowed by one watermans, or by two watermans. So,
Dr. Pepusch, you will please excuse me from that.”'
Nothing made Handel so peevish, in his latter days, as
being questioned about trivial matters. He used to say,
"If a mian cannot think but as a fool, let him keep his
fool's tongue in his own fool's mouth.” But Handel, for
all these little impatient humours, was a kind and good-
hearted man.
Poor Dr. Pepusch was, for a moment, disconcerted, but
it was forgotten in the first dish of coffee.
s“Well, gentlemen," said my great-uncle Zachary, look-
ing at his Tompion, “it is ten minutes past nine, shall we
wait more for Dr. Arne?"
- Let us give him another five-minutes' chance, Master
Hardcastle,” said Colley Cibber ; “ he is too great a genius
to keep time.”
“Let us put it to the vote,” said Dr. Pepusch, smiling.
“Who holds up hands ? "
-« I will second your motion, with all my heart," said
Handel. “I will hold up my feeble hands for mine old
friend 'Gustus, for I know not who I would await for,
over and above mine old rival, Master Tom. Only, by
your permission, I will take a snack of your ham, and a
slice of French roll, or a modicum of chicken ; for, to tell
i Meaning Dr. Arne; whose name, however, was not Augustus,
but Augustine.
2 Dr. Pepusch, whose name was Thomas.
2D
402
[CHAP. XLII.
ANECDOTES.
down on mine pillow in bed, the last night, without mine
supper, at the instance of mine physician; for which I
am not altogether inclined to extend mine fast no longer.”'
Then, laughing, “But, perhaps, Mr. Colley Cibber, you
may like to put that to the vote? But I shall not second
the motion, nor shall I hold up mine hand, as I will, by
permission, employ it some time in a better office. So,
if you please, do me the kindness to cut me a small slice
of ham." . .
At this instant, a hasty step was heard on the stairs,
accompanied by the humming of an air, all as gay as the
morning, which was beautiful and bright. It was the
month of May.
of you pleas employ i
Arne); “fifteen minutes of time is pretty well, for an
ad libitun."
6« Mr. Arne," said my great-uncle's man.
'A chair was placed, and the social party began their
déjeuner.
6“Well, and how do you find yourself, my dear sir ?”
enquired Arne, with friendly warmth.
G"Why, by the mercy of Heaven, and the waters of
Aix-la-Chapelle, and the attentions of mine doctors and
physicians and oculist, of late years under Providence, I
am surprisingly better, thank you kindly, Mr. 'Gustus.
And you have been also doing well of late, as I am pleased
to hear. You see, sir, pointing to his plate, “you see, sir,
that I am in the way for to recruit mine flesh with the
good viands of Mr. Zachary Hardcastle."
corso, sir, I presume you are come to witness the trial
of skill at the old Round Church ? I understand the
amateurs expect a pretty sharp contest ?” said Arne.
1710–1759.]
ANECDOTES.
403
"« Contest,” echoed Handel, laying down his knife and
contest. Not what it was in our remembrance. Hey,
mine friend? Ha, ha, ha!”
6“ No, sir; I am happy to say those days of envy and
bickering and party feeling are gone and past. To be
sure, we had enough of such disgraceful weapons. It
lasted too long."
66 Why, yes, it did last too long. It bereft me of
mine poor limbs; it did bereave me of that what is the
most blessed gift of Him what made us, and not we our-
selves. And for what? Why, for nothing in the world
but the pleasure and pastime of those who, having no wit,
wits, to worry and destroy one and another, as wild beasts
in the Colosseum, in the time of the Romans.”
"Poor Dr. Pepusch, during the time of this conversation,
as my great-uncle observed, was sitting on thorns; he was
in the confederacy professionally only.
(“I hope, sir,” observed the Doctor, “ you do not
include me among those who did injustice to your
talents ?"
“Not at all, not at all; God forbid ! I am a great
admirer of the Airs of the Beggar's Operci, and every
professional gentleman must do his best for to live."
This mild return, couched under an apparent compli-
ment, was well received ; but Handel, who had a talent
for sarcastic drollery, added :
66 But why play the beggar yourself, Doctor, and
adapt old ballad humdrum, when, as a man of science, you
could compose original Airs of your own? Here is mine
friend 'Gustus Arne, who has made a road for himself
for to drive along his own genius to the Temple of Fame."
2 D 2
404
ANECDOTES.
[CHAP. XLII.
“Then, turning to our illustrious Are, he continued :
<« Mine good 'Gustus, you and I must meet together
some time before it is long, and hold a tête-à-tête of old
days what is gone ; ha, lia! Oh! it is comical, now it is
all gone by. 'Gustus, do not you remember, as it was
almost only of yesterday, that she-devil Cuzzoni and that
other precious daughter of iniquity, Beelzebub's spoiled
child, the pretty-faced Faustina ? Oh! the mad rage what
I have to answer for, what with one and the other of
these fine ladies' airs and graces. Again, do you not
remember that upstart puppy, Senesino, and the coxcomb,
Farinelli? Next again, mine sometimes notable rival,
Buononcini, and old Porpora ? Ha, ha, ha! All at
war with me, and all at war with themselves. Such
a confusion of rivalships, and double-facedness, and
hypocrisy, and malice, what would make a comical subject
for a Poem in rhymes, or a piece for the Stage, as I hopes
to be saved.”
This quaint recital reads so like the truth, that two
well-known writers have gone so far as to speak of its
authenticity as not altogether beyond the bounds of pos-
sibility. It is known, however, to have been contributed
to the 'Somerset House Gazette' by Mr. W. H. Pyne,
the once popular author of 'Wine and Walnuts,' and of
numerous clever sketches, written, some sixty years ago,
under the nom de plume of 'Ephraim Hardcastle.' Still,
it forms so pleasant a picture, and accords so closely with
known facts, that it leaves but little more to be said con-
cerning the manners and personal characteristics of the
great Composer.
II
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE GENIUS.
Ir it be true, that a great man's character is most easily
inner life of a great Artist is most clearly depicted in the
autographic records of his works. And, in Handel's case,
we are as rich in these precious memorials as we are poor
in the reliques of his correspondence. The original auto-
graphs of almost all his works are still in existence; and
very few of them are seriously incomplete. We propose,
in our next chapter, to enumerate them, and mention the
various collections in which they are to be found. For
the present, it is enough to say that nearly all are preserved
in the Royal Library, at Buckingham Palace.
While collecting together the materials for our present
work, we enjoyed, by Her Majesty's gracious permission,
the privilege of subjecting these priceless MSS. to a careful
and minute analysis, the result of which has increased, in
no small degree, the amount of information we have been
enabled to lay before our readers in the foregoing pages.
The opportunity thus afforded us of communing with the
great Musician through the medium of the lines traced by
his own cunning right hand impressed us, more forcibly
than we had ever been impressed before, with the depth
of the intimacy which reverent study may establish with
406 CHARACTER OF HANDEL'S MSS. [CHAP. XLIII.
departed genius. A world of information is conveyed by
the firmness with which one passage is written, as com-
pared with the hesitating touch which characterises another.
Every change of intention teaches a lesson. Every note
crossed out indicates a process of mental induction, which
careful observation may enable the sympathetic student
to interpret, with such certainty of arriving at the truth,
that he learns, at last, not only to recognise the particular
phase of feeling under which the original note was written,
but to understand why the Composer was dissatisfied with
it, and to predicate the note that will certainly be written
in its stead. And so there grows up, between the student
and the Master, a community of artistic intelligence which
the life-long study of printed books could never by any
possibility establish. One learns to think of the writer
as a personal friend; and to ask him questions to which
no living critic, unacquainted with the MSS. themselves,
could give a really satisfactory reply. Many and many a
time, when we have been puzzled by some enigmatical
erasure, or half illegible annotation, a few minutes' close
observation of the caligraphic peculiarities of the passage
has solved our doubts as completely as they could have
been solved, had Handel himself walked into the room in
which the MSS. are kept, to tell us what he meant.
Let not our readers think we are romancing; we are
describing the most matter-of-fact process in the world.
The style of the handwriting in which Handel's change
of intention is indicated, in the Subject of the Amen
Chorus, describes his motive for that change with a
clearness which no one who has only seen the printed
copy can ever thoroughly understand. Surely, it is only
reasonable that this should be so. When our friend's
handwriting grows unsteady from infirmity, or haste, we
44
1707–1759.] DREAMS OF ROMANCE,
407
do not think it romantic, either to notice change, or to
attribute it to its true cause. Yet, in Handel's case, a
little tinge of veritable Romance would not be altogether
out of place. We have, all of us, been too much in-
clined to think of him as a man of unprecedented talent,
gifted with a clear-sightedness which enabled him to seize
upon fortune at the flood, in such wise as to command
success, even under the most adverse circumstances; to
retrieve his losses, when ruin seemed inevitable; to fight,
single-handed, against a force strong enough to have
crushed any ordinary mortal at a blow; to strike out a
new style, when the old one failed, and, by this expedient,
to build for himself, in his old age, a higher and more
extended reputation than he had enjoyed in his youth.
His biographers, one and all, have fostered this idea.
They have presented him to us as an accomplished man
of the world, gifted, it is true, by the most extraordinary
talent for Music that ever was implanted by Nature in a
mind capable of cultivating it, but still, wide awake to
his own interests. And all this is perfectly true, as far
as it goes. But there is something more behind. Talent
is not genius. The one produces, for the world : the
other creates, for the realisation of its own dream. We
may rest assured, that, unless the Poet, the Painter, or
the Musician, be a dreamer also, he mistakes the cultiva-
tion of natural aptitude for the Divine Fire which can
only cultivate itself. But,' says the man of the world,
all this is mere visionary transcendentalism, for Handel
was the most unimaginative being that ever lived: a
busy speculator; a bon vivant ; a proud ambitious spirit,
determined to climb to the top of the tree, let who would
try to pull him down. If Handel dreamed at all, it was
of wealth, and greatness, of full houses, and rounds of
408
[CHAP. XLIII.
DREAMS OF ROMANCE.
loud applause; not of the dim shadows of Romance ?
Was it so? We have, of set purpose, dwelt long and
lovingly upon the history of his early years, in order to
prove the exact contrary. Was the child who hid his
darling Clavichord in the loft beneath the stork's nests
no dreamer ? Was it possible that he could have listened
to its silvery Mouse-Music-as the Germans call it—and
striven to reproduce upon it the Hymns that floated down
towards him from the bridge between the towers of the
Liebfrauenkirche, without surrounding himself with a
very atmosphere of Romance, powerful enough to tinge
every thought, and prompt every action, of his happy
childhood ? Quiet old Halle, as it existed, then, was a
Faerieland for him. When he ran after the coach, on its
journey to Weissenfels, could anything short of the fulfil-
ment of his beloved dream have enabled him to bear the
fatigue of the race ? All dreamers look for fulfilment, at
some time or other : and we may be sure that he expected
his. When he sat on Ariosti's knee, did nothing but
the technique of the Harpsichord occupy the thoughts
of the two kindred spirits ? Was there no dreaming
among the “ Arcadians '-inveterate dreamers, every one of
them? Why, Handel was the most incorrigible dreamer,
the most irrepressible romancist, that ever lived : and every
note he wrote proves it. But, beneath his dreams, there
was a fund of practical good sense, without which he
would never have completed the work which has immor-
talised him. We read, in certain old-world stories, of
dreams which work their own fulfilment. His dreams
were of that order. He never neglected the means.
Because kind Nature had endowed him with genius, he
did not throw himself with the less ardour into the study
of Counterpoint. He learned all that Art could teach
1707-1759.]
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE.
4:09
him : and, armed with such an amount of technical know-
ledge as few other Musicians have acquired, he found no
difficulty in expressing his inmost thoughts in intelligible
language. Fugue, and Canon, had been brought to a high
degree of perfection, ages before he was born. He mastered
the most complicated intricacies of their Gordian involu-
tions. The Opera, and the Oratorio, were invented when
old Valentine Haendel, his grandfather, was a youth of
eighteen. He studied them, until their construction was
as familiar to him as the alphabet. He studied the
capabilities of the human voice, until his command over
it, not only with regard to its mechanical possibilities, but
with still more subtle reference to its power of expressing the
minutest shades of passion and feeling, became practically
unlimited. Having once acquired this magic sovereignty
over the resources at his command, he for ever after used
the material organs of his performers as so many media
of communication between himself and his auditors. The
voices in his Chorus, and the instruments in his Orchestra,
interpreted, to the outer world, the dreams of his inmost
soul. Through Senesino's sweet tones, he tells us how he
himself believed that even Julius Cæsar had some sort of
a heart, underneath the hard crust of relentless ambition
which alone presents itself to the world in the immortal
Commentaries. Through Boschi’s mighty Bass, he ex
plained that even a Paynim Sorcerer need not necessarily
be an irredeemably bad man. Through Beard's delicious
Tenor, he expressed the utmost depths of tenderness, on
the one side, and the grandest fervour of patriotic heroism
on the other. Always making the voice enunciate the
feeling, and painting the circumstances under which it
was expressed by means of the Accompaniment. This
distinction is very important, because some very great
410
INSTRUMENTATION. [CHAP. XLIII.
Masters—Beethoven, and Weber, among others—have
sometimes adopted the opposite course, giving the accom-
paniment a share in the emotional exposition of their
ideas, and even suffering it to take the lead in that
direction. Handel very seldom did this. Even in his
most elaborately-accompanied Airs, the instruments em-
ployed are rarely, if ever, used as exponents of human
passion. As a general rule, the office he assigns to them
is that of filling in the background of the picture, while
the voice claims a position analogous to that accorded,
in Painting, to the principal figure in a well-ordered
design. And, into such high relief is that principal
figure thrown, that, in many impassioned passages, the
instrumental background takes no greater share in the
development of the leading idea, than does the dark
curtain so artfully used to enhance the effect of a grand
Venetian portrait. Yet, the peculiar vein of Handel's
instrumental ideas reacted, in a very remarkable manner,
upon the Accompaniments to some of his most striking
Airs, and Choruses. The treatment of his Orchestral
· Concertos, as compared with much of his Vocal Music,
exemplifies this very clearly. In the former, the Instru-
mentation, as we have before explained, is persistently
antiphonal. The Stringed and Wind Instruments, artfully
grouped together in the Concertino and Concerto Grosso,
relieve each other, in masses, like two alternate Choirs.
The same carefully-balanced contrast may be observed in
some of the Overtures ; notably, in those to Saul, and
Acis and Galatea. And an exactly analogous form is
employed in many richly-accompanied vocal pieces; as,
for instance, in The Lord is a man of war, and Or la
tromba, and a hundred other cases known to everyone. In
none of these instances is the interest of the vocal part
1707–1750.]
HANDEL AND BACH.
411
made subservient to that of the accompanying instruments;
not even in Let the bright Seraphim, or, The Trumpet shall
sound. But it enhances it, very materially. And surely
this is the true aim and end of all Instrumentation : the
end, at least, which all our greatest masters of the Art
have done their best to reach. And the method we speak
of—that of dividing the Orchestra into separate groups,
distinguished from each other by marked dissimilarity of
tone, like the contrasted Claviers of an Organ, and using
these groups in antiphonal alternations—this method, we
say, embodies the very essence of all our best modern
Orchestration. It was used, with marked effect, by
Haydn; more successfully still by Mozart; more so still,
if possible, by Beethoven-witness the Fifth Symphony;
and by every one of their most renowned successors.
And our best living Composers are daily carrying out the
principle; subdividing the Orchestra into more numerous
and completely-organised groups than ever, with ever
increasing success. From the time of Handel, to to-day,
the truth of the principle from which he produced such
great results has never been disputed.
Bach's method was diametrically opposed to this. He
cared less to use his instruments for purposes of contrast,
than for those of enrichment. When he used Flutes and
Hautboys, he delighted in giving them real parts, in
common with those allotted to the voice and the Violins.
The employment of this device tended to produce great
fulness of harmony, but very little of what we are
accustomed to call effect. It would have been altogether
out of place in Dramatic Music; and we may be quite
sure that Bach would never have introduced it into an Opera.
It certainly detracts very much indeed from the interest
of the vocal part. For, in good Counterpoint-and surely
412
[CHAP. XLIII.
HANDEL AND BACH.
we need not waste our time in reminding our readers of
the excellence of Bach's—the interest of all the parts is
exactly equal; the voice, therefore, is here placed precisely
on a level with the instruments by which it is accom-
panied. It is true, the resulting effect is exquisitely
beautiful; but, apart from its undramatic character, it
taxes the attention of the hearer too severely to allow of
its frequent employment, and this is probably one of the
reasons why it has fallen entirely into disuse.
The nature of Handel's Counterpoint is also very dif-
ferent from that of Bach's, and bears indeed a much closer
relation to that of the older Polyphonic Schools, from
which it differs very little in its aesthetic character, though,
of course, the modern use of chromatic progressions and
unprepared discords, place an impassable gulf between
the two. Bach's Fugal Subjects are remarkable for
a ductility which transcends all comprehension. They
go where he wills them to go. They twine around each
other, in augmentation and diminution ; twist upside-
down into Stretto after Stretto, as if there were no end
to their capabilities—which, in his hands, there is not :
and never lose their interest in the longest movements.
Their motion is suppleness personified: their conduct, the
embodiment of Art. Handel's Subjects are altogether
different, both in conception and treatment. Though
their subjection to the recognised laws of Art is so great,
that they avoid many collisions which Bach treated as
lawful and therefore, by his authority, made lawful-
the last thing one thinks about is their artistic perfection.
They savour, not of the Studio, but of Nature. They seem
to have come of themselves; and, having come, to con-
duct themselves after their own fancy. While Bach's
amazing Fugues remind us of the glorious masterpieces of
1707-1759.) HANDEL AND BACH.
413
Cellini or Quentin Matsys, the perfection of chiselled
'foliage or twisted scroll-work, Handel's point lovingly to
the growing tendrils from which Cellini and Quentin
Matsys drew their inspirations. They intertwine-like
ivy on the tomb of Sophocles-not because he bends
them, but because they are alive and budding, replete
with growing vigour, redolent of all the graces inseparable
from things pervaded by the great principle of inward
life. It is only when we bring the microscope to bear upon
them, that we find out that they really are Works of Art
after all, governed by laws whose strictness, were it visible,
would seem to verge almost upon pedantry. That it is
not visible is no proof of its non-observance. Like the
great forces of Nature, it works in the dark, making
its presence known only by its effects. So artfully is it
concealed, that some, unconscious of its existence, have
imagined Handel to be a less learned Contrapuntist than
Bach. This is a very great mistake. The one showed
how much he knew, the other did not: that is all.
Where Bach has enriched his vast conceptions with the
most exquisite adornments his learned invention could
produce, Handel has simply babbled o' green fields,
bowing down before the shrine of Nature, not from want
of due initiation into the mysteries of Art, but from pure
love of its beauty. So delicate was his sense of euphony,
that he would go whole leagues out of his way to avoid
the Second Inversion of the Dominant Seventh, which,
treated as a chord of simple percussion, he utterly abhorred,
though Bach sometimes used it with marked effect. In
this he followed the tradition of the Polyphonic Masters
of the sixteenth century. And the number of other points
1 As in the Choral which terminates the First Part of the
Weihnachts Oratorium.
414
HANDEL AND BACH. [CHAP. XLIII.
in which he assimilated his style to theirs is so great, that,
in the matter of Counterpoint, he may be said to occupy
a position midway between those held by Bach and
Palestrina ; tempering the freedom of the later School
with the purity of the earlier one, and thus taking ad-
vantage of the most precious characteristics of both.
But, great Contrapuntists are not always Composers of
the highest order; though it would not be difficult to dis-
prove the converse of the proposition. Counterpoint is, to
Music, what scholarship is to Literature. Valuable, nay,
indispensable as it is, as a branch of artistic education, it
will no more make a great Tone-Poet than purity of diction
will make a great dramatist. The secret of Handel's true
greatness is revealed in the dignity of his conceptions, the
colossal scale of his grand choral structures, the unfailing
accuracy of his delineations of character, of feeling, of
passion, of expression of every kind; high qualities which
constitute the inmost soul of Music: not in the excellence
of his Part-writing, which represents no more than its
material body. It is because these higher qualities pervade
the graceful form, the massive structure, the faultless pro-
portions of every member of the corporeal design, that the
resulting work is made to live. It is because they are
associated with so bright an array of technical perfection,
that it lives as a Work of Art. The laws of Counterpoint
are the dry bones into which Genius breathes a living
spirit. If the dry bones be imperfectly articulated, the
spirit will be condemned to dwell for ever in a deformed
body. If the spirit be wanting, let the body be never so
well proportioned, it will be but a wretched automaton,
which the performer will need to wind up with a spring.
And it is precisely because Handel infused the spirit of
his genius into works so perfectly constructed ; because
1707-1759.] SWIFTNESS OF COMPOSITION.
415
his learning was so great, and his feeling so intense ;
because he dreamed. such glorious dreams, and knew so.
well how to translate them into the purest language of
Art; that his Music, after the lapse of a century and a
half, strikes us as less 'old-fashioned' than many a com-
position written no more than twenty years ago.
The celerity with which Handel produced some of his
greatest works-sufficiently proved by the dates recorded
in his own handwriting—has led to the inference that he
wrote, as Schubert almost invariably did, under the
immediate influence of inspiration. No doubt he did
so, very frequently; and it is difficult to examine his
MSS. carefully, without arriving at the conclusion that
the pieces in which frequent corrections are observed
were generally, if not always, so composed. But we do
not believe this to have been his invariable, or even his
ordinary habit. On the contrary, there is much to lead
to the supposition that he sometimes wrote, like Mozart,
after long-continued thought; perfecting the Composi-
tion in his mind before he committed it to paper. On
this presumption alone can we account for the long
periods of apparent inactivity so frequently interposed
between his moments of rapid and successful produc-
tion. Such a mind as his could not have remained so
long unemployed. When he was not writing, he was
mentally preparing that which he intended to write. The
Score of Deidamia was completed on the 20th of Novem-
ber, 1740; that of the Messiah was begun on the 22nd of
August, 1741. Is it not easier to believe that the Com-
poser was occupied, during the nine intervening months
of apparent idleness, in thinking over his next great work,
than that he was doing nothing? Many important pieces
in the Messiah show no sign of afterthought. For unto
4:16
DATED MANUSCRIPTS. [CHAP. XLIII.
us a Child is born scarcely contains a correction of any
kind. Surely, when Handėl began to write this, he
knew every note of it by heart, as Mozart would have
done under similar circumstances. The well-known dates
do not militate against this view in the least, since they
clearly refer to the transcription of the idea ; not to the
moment of its conception. It is by no means an un-
common thing to find Composers dating their pieces at the
beginning as well as at the end. Schubert, between whose
genius and that of Handel some striking analogies may be
very distinctly traced, was exceedingly methodical in his
inscriptions. When he sat down to write, he headed his
sheet of music-paper with the title of the piece, recording
the date in the right-hand corner and accompanying this
with his signature, 'Frz. Schubert,' and a neat little
parafe, embodying the letters Mpia—an abbreviated form
of Manu propria. In early life he frequently supplied the
date of completion also, either at the end of each particular
movement, or the conclusion of the whole, even when the
Composition was begun and finished on the same day.
In his later works, these annotations became less precise.
Handel, on the contrary, grew more methodical as he grew
older. The dates of many of his youthful Compositions
are lost; but we soon find him heading the first page of
his Operas with the title of the work, and recording the
date of completion accompanied by his signature, or
initials, at the end of the last Act. On the last page of
Tamerlano, composed in 1724, he wrote Commincia li 3 di
Luglio e finita li 23—' begun on the 3rd July and finished
on the 23rd ;' but this was an exceptional case. With
Partenope, written in 1730, he began the custom of dating
each Act separately. The word angefangen (i.e. begun)
first appears in Ariodante, composed in 1734; after which
1707-1759.)
DATED MANUSCRIPTS.
417
year it occurs constantly. In Arminio, written in 1736,
we first find the date of completion followed by a later
one, in which the final revision of the Score is indicated
by the words, vollendet alles ausgefüllet ("completely filled
up;') and this, or some analogous form of expression-
such as völlij, or völlig geendiget, (* completely finished'),
etc.—is very rarely omitted in important works of later
date. Finally, in 1739, he began the custom of indicating
the days of the week by means of the astrological signs, as
first observed in the Ode for St. Cecilia's Day.
Now, these varying forms of annotation, each of whiclı
has its own little tale to tell, are not without great interest
to the critic. The word ausgefüllet is especially suggestive,
and leads to the almost irresistible inference that an idea,
fully matured in the Composer's mind, was first roughly
sketched out upon the paper-probably with the voice-
parts and continuo alone written down in full—and that
the outline thus secured was afterwards filled in at leisure.
And it is worthy of remark, that this suggestive word first
makes its appearance at a period of Handel's Art-life
characterised by conceptions which could scarcely have
been perfectly developed without much careful considera-
tion. This mental process once completed, the operation
of mapping out the general features of the design might
easily have been a rapid one; and, when the rough outline
of a whole Act was thus distinctly laid down, a few days
sufficed for the insertion of its more minute details.
Schubert is known to have written down his Symphony
in E Major in this way; sketching out the entire work,
bar by bar, from beginning to end; but, except in the
first few pages, indicating the more prominent features of
the Score only, in his eagerness to commit his thoughts
to writing, and leaving the 'filling up to a more con-
2 E
418
CHARGES OF PLAGIARISM. [CHAP. XLIII.
venient season, which, in this case, unhappily never
arrived. It is impossible to doubt, that, when he signed
and dated the first page of this outlined Score, he knew
the whole Symphony by heart : and we have every reason
to believe that Handel did the same, in The Messiah, and
other works in which the word ausgefüllet occurs.
There remains yet another point of view from which
it is necessary that we should contemplate the peculiar
nature of Handel's genius : a point of view which, not-
withstanding the silence, of all his earlier biographers, no
modern critic can possibly ignore. We have all read, over
and over again, how the dying Beethoven, pointing to the
copy of Arnold's edition presented to him by Mr. Stumpff,
exclaimed, “Das ist das Wahre'--that is the true thing;'
how Mozart said, 'Handel understands effect better than
any of us—when he chooses, he strikes like a thunder-
bolt’: how Haydn declared his belief that Only one
inspired author ever did, or ever would, pen so sublime a
Composition as “The nations tremble.' Enquirers who
have heard these opinions quoted a hundred times will
naturally seek for some means of reconciling them
with such expressions as, 'Handel came hither when
there was a great dearth of good Musick, and here
he remained, establishing a reputation wholly consti-
tuted upon the spoils of the Continent:'1 'Handel has
filched from all manner of Authors whence he could
filch anything like a Thought worth embodying ; > 2
'Handel picked up a pebble and changed it to a diamond
-one can only regret that he had not the candour to own
from whom he borrowed the pebble :'3 'Handel did not
i Salomon, quoted by S. Wesley, in ‘Letters of Samuel Wesley
to Mr. Jacob.' (London, 1875), p. 9. ? Ib.
3. V. Novello, in Preface to 'Purcell's Sacred Dusic,'
1707–1759.] CHARGES OF PLAGIARISM.
419
borrow pebbles, but polished diamonds :'1 "Handel, for so
great a master, has as little just claim to the merit of
original genius as the most servile of his imitators."
Students, we say, who care anything at all for the prin-
ciples upon which true Art is founded, will never rest
satisfied until they can solve the question raised by these
conflicting opinions. By what mysterious qualities did an
inveterate plagiarist, with no “just claim to original genius,'
succeed in attracting the admiration of such men as Haydn,
and Mozart, and Beethoven? All genius is of necessity
original. An imitator may possess any amount of talent,
of aptitude, of constructive power; but, certainly, not of
genius. And these three men were not likely to mistake
the one gift for the other. How came they to be
deceived ? In the present state of our knowledge this
question cannot be answered.
We believe we are right in saying that Dr. Crotch was
the first critic who accused Handel of deliberate plagiarism.
At any rate, he was one of the first : and, since his day,
his example has been so extensively imitated, that there
is scarcely an Oratorio in which long passages are not now
pointed out as borrowed' from some Composer of the
seventeenth or eighteenth century, whose very name, but
The "borrowed' passages are not all of one kind. Some
are, clearly, no more than the simplest accidental co-
incidences. Some are the Subjects of Fugues, or the
Themes of Airs, or of Choruses ; some, on the other hand,
are whole Movements, appropriated, it is said, from other
works, with scarcely the alteration of a single note; such
as Choruses adapted from the disputed Magnificat and
1 Sir George Smart, in Preface to 'Dettingen Te Deum.'
2 S. Wesley, 'Letters to Mr. Jacob,' p. 10.
2 E 2
420
CHARGES OF PLAGIARISM. [CHAP. XLIII.
the Urio Te Deum; and, notably, a Canzona, attributed
to Johann Kerl, and reproduced, note for note, in 'Egypt
was glad. Did Handel really commit these flagrant
robberies? If so, the character of his artistic power
differs from that of any other known composer, antient
or modern. The perfect amalgamation of original and
borrowed ideas in his most stupendous Oratorio, is
nothing short of miraculous. Twenty-five original and
fourteen borrowed' movements are so artfully pieced
together, that, until the “plagiarisms' were discovered, no
sign of weakness or inconsequence was ever suspected
in any part of the work. It is true that discrepancies are
noticed 120w ; but, until the discovery of the Magnificat,
they eluded the observation of the most fastidious critics.
When Mendelssohn edited Israel for the English Handel
Society, he certainly noticed no difference of style; and
he was not easily deceived in such matters. In truth, the
whole mass of internal evidence is opposed to the theory
of plagiarisim ; and the amount of external evidence brought
forward in support of it is so vague, and needs so much
corroboration, that our safest plan is to abstain from form-
ing any hypothesis at all in relation to it, until more satis-
factory testimony can be obtained on one side or the
other. Should the 'plagiarisms' ever be clearly proved,
Handel will stand forth, not only as the greatest con-
structor of Music that ever lived, but also as so skilful an
adapter of other men's ideas to purposes of his own, that,
in his hands ‘filched' thoughts were as great as original
ones, and pebbles' as brilliant as diamonds.' It will
be time enough to account for these phenomena when
the facts are established; but, for the present, we shall
1 See Chapters xxvii. and xxxi.
S
1707–1759.]
CHARGES OF PLAGIARISM.
421
do well to be thankful for the treasures he has left us,
and, judging these by their intrinsic merit, to believe that
Beethoven may perhaps have made no very grave mistake
when he called them THE TRUE THING.
CHAPTER XLIV.
DE RELIQUIIS.
Or authentic portraits of Handel we possess a rich and
varied store; though, as might naturally have been
expected, some are very poor ones.
One of the most interesting is the Vauxhall Statue,.
now in the possession of Mr. Henry Littleton, and fully
described in Chapter xxv. Besides this, Roubiliac executed
three busts. One of these, presented by. Christopher Smith
the younger to King George III., now adorns the gallery
of Her Majesty's private apartments at Windsor Castlc..
The second was presented by Mr. Pollock to the Foundling
Hospital. The third is in the Collection of Mr. Alfred
Morrison. It was probably from this that W. Bull took
one guinea each, at the White Horse, on Ludgate Hill,
in 1758; but we are unable to ascertain whether any of
these casts are still in existence.
The Monument in Westminster Abbey, pronounced by
Hawkins to be the most faithful portrait that was ever
taken, has already been described in: Chapter XL.
A portrait, by Denner, inherited from Christopher
Smith by Lady Rivers, and by her presented to the
Sacred Harmonic Society, is executed in the Master's
usual microscopic style,, and may be trusted for furnishing.
1730–59.]
PORTRAITS OF HANDEL.
423
an exact transcript of the features at the time it was
taken, though, it is to be feared, accompanied by very
little of their true expression. It was engraved, by
E. Harding, in 1799, for the Rev. W. Coxe's Anecilotes
of G. F. Handlel, and J. C. Smith.
Hudson painted many portraits. Two of these, half-
lengths, and one a replica of the other, are in the possession
of the Royal Society of Musicians. One of them was
engraved by W. Bromley for Dr. Arnold's edition of
Handel's works. Another is said, by Förstemann, to be
still (1844) in existence, at Halle, in the Collection of
Mademoiselle Collas du Bignon, and Frau Professor Senff,
two granddaughters of Handel's niece, Johanna Friderica
Floerchen, who also inherited from their grandmother
several rings, watches, and other memorials, formerly
belonging to their great-great-uncle. A third, in full
length, was painted at the request of Mr. Charles Jennens,
in 1756, and is still preserved at Gopall. A replica of
this, with some slight differences, is in Her Majesty's
Collection, at Buckingham Palace. Another replica, in
half-length only, belonging to Mr. Lonsdale, was formerly
in the possession of Dr. Arnold, and was engraved, in
mezzotint, for his edition of Handel's works.
A portrait, painted by G. A. Wolffgang, was formerly in
the possession of the late Mr. Snoxell, of Charterhouse
Square, and, with an engraved copy, by J. G. Wolfgang,
of Berlin, was sold by Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, when
Mr. Snoxell's Collection was dispersed in 1879. A
miniature portrait' was also “knocked down,' at the
same sale, for £2 5s. A charming little portrait, by
Grafoni, was presented, by the Rev. E. Ward, to the
Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge. Two portraits were
painted by Sir James Thornhill. One is in the Fitzwilliam
4:24
[CHAP. XLIV.
PORTRAITS OF HANDEL.
Museum ; the other, an extremely interesting picture,
representing Handel sitting at the organ, and said to
have been painted in 1720, for the Duke of Chandos,
was in the possession of the late Mr. Ellerton. A very
fine portrait, though of small size, was painted in 1742,
by F. Kyte, and is now in the Collection of Mr. Julian
Marshall. In some respects this is the most valuable
portrait of all. Hawkins seems to have thought so; but
says “the features are too prominent.' It was finely en-
graved by Houbraken, for Wright and Randall's edition
of Handel's works; and reproduced for Sir John Hawkins'
History. It has also been lately engraved by F. C. Lewis.
Another small, but very interesting portrait, is in the pos-
session of Mr. Barrett Lennard, of Hampstead. 1
Besides the engravings already mentioned, J. Faber
executed a very fine one, in mezzotint, of the picture
belonging to the Royal Society of Musicians, in 1748, and
another in 1749. The first is now very rare. Bartolozzi
engraved the Vauxhall Statue, for Dr. Arnold's edition;
and Chambers copied the bust for Mainwaring's 'Memoirs.'
Delattre engraved the Monument in Westminster Abbey
for Burney's Account of the Commemorution. Heath
engraved an 'Apotheosis of Handel,' for Dr. Arnold's
edition, taking the bust from his half-length replica of
the Gopsall portrait. The Gopsall portrait was also
engraved by Thompson and others. A medallion portrait,
i Since the completion of this chapter, Mr. Littleton, the
present proprictor of the Vauxhall Statue, bas added to his
Collection the above-mentioned portrait, by Denner; together
with a portrait of Joah Bates, and his wife, by Cotes; and a very
fine portrait of Dr. Arne, by Zoffany. All these pictures were
formerly the property of the late Sacred Harmonic Society,
on behalf of which they were sold, by Messrs. Christie and
Manson, March 3, 1883.
1730-1759. ] PITCH-PIPE. TUNING-FORK. 425
without the wig, taken from one of Roubiliac's busts, was
given in the handbooks for the Commemoration of 1784;
and two other engravings are in existence, said to be from
rate the engravings of minor interest. Mr. Schoelcher col-
ilected fifty-three; and probably his répertoire represented
but a very small fraction of those produced even during
the last century.
and the Portrait, belonging to the late Mr. Snoxell. When
that gentleman's Collection was sold, by Messrs. Puttick
and Simpson, in 1879, Handel's watch, with a receipt for
repairs by the maker, dated 1745, was bought in by the
executors; and the Anvil and Hammer were sold, as
already stated, to Mr. Maskelyne.
The Organ on which Handel played, at Gopsall, is now
in the Parish Church at Packington.
A Pitch-pipe which he constantly carried about with
him, was lately in the possession of the Sacred Harinonic
Society, on the dissolution of which it was sold to one of
the members of the Committee, George Mence Smith, Esq.
A silver plate attached to it bears this inscription, “This
Pipe originally belonged to G. F. Handel, and was hy
him given to Dr. Burney, whose Son presented it to
Mr. Sansom (his Cousin), by whom it was given, in 1842,
to Mr. Harker, who presented it to the Sacred Harmonic
Society. Exeter Hall, London, 28 March, 1842. We
have not had an opportunity of testing the exact pitch of
this pipe; but a friend, on whose accuracy we can
depend, compared it, in 1880, with the Organ at Gloucester
Cathedral, the pitch of which is just too low for the wind
instruments to tune to, and found it'a mere shade below
that.'
4.26
[CHAP. XLIV.
HANDEL'S MANUSCRIPTS.
w
His. Tuning-fork is now the property of the Rev. G.
T. Driffield, Rector of Bow, and is enclosed in a box, in-
scribed, 'This Pitchfork was the property of the Immortal
Handel, and left by him at the Foundling Hospital when
the Messiah was performed in 1751. Ancient Concert
whole tone higher ; Abbey half tone higher; Temple and
S. Paul's Organs exactly with this pitch. Presented to
Rd Clarke, by I. Brownlow, the D. Sec: 1835. Invented
by M. Shore, Serj. Trumpeter, time of H. Purcell. The
exact pitch of this Tuning-fork is, ā 422:5; that is to say,
4·16 (nearly) flatter than the pitch proposed, some years
ago, as a standard, by Dr. Hullah, and adopted in his
classes. 1
The interest attached to these memorials is very great ;
and, in some cases—such as those of the Tuning-fork,
and Pitch-pipe-of great practical value. But the most.
precious reliques we possess are the MSS.
Some years before his death, Handel promised his
music-books to the younger Smith : but, changing his
mind, after a time, he proposed to ensure their pre-
servation by bequeathing them to the University of
Oxford, offering to leave his young friend £3000,
by way of compensation. But, as Smith could not
be persuaded to assent to this arrangement, Handel,
always a man of his word, made no change in his Will.
The King of Prussia afterwards offered Smith £2000 for
the treasures for which he had already refused the larger
sum. But the fortunate legatee was ready to give what
i This pitch, generally known as, 7 512, gives, for "just" ā
426:6 (nearly). Handel's 'just' © would be exactly 507; coin.
ciding with the standard ē now adopted by the Tonic-Sol-Fa
Association, but flatter, by five vibrations, than that proposed to
the Society of Arts, by Dr. Hullah, in 1859.
1707-1759.]
HANDEL'S HARPSICHORD.
427
he would not sell. He was in receipt of a pension of
£200 a year from the Princess Dowager of Wales, the
mother of King George III. ; and, at her death, the King
continued this, with such gracious expressions of good-
will, that, soon afterwards, Smith begged permission to
present to His Majesty the entire collection of MSS., the
bust by Roubiliac, and Handel's Harpsichord.1 The MSS.
are now at Buckingham Palace. The bust is at Windsor.
The Harpsichord cannot be found in any of the Royal
Collections. Did it ever really pass into His Majesty's
possession ? There is no proof of its having been seen
either at Windsor or St. James's; and no record of its
reception at either of the Royal residences; though we
are told it was offered to the King. Can it have been
left behind when the bust was sent to Windsor? We
have never heard this theory put forward; but there
is strong circumstantial evidence in favour of it. A
Harpsichord, bearing all the necessary marks of identifi.
cation, save one, was inherited from Smith, by his daughter-
in-law, the Dowager Lady Rivers, together with a large col-
lection of MSS. After Lady Rivers' death, this instrument
was sold to a certain Mr. Wickham, who parted with it to
the Rev. Mr. Hawtry, Prebendary of Winchester. After
Mr. Hawtry's death it was bought by Dr. Chard, the
Organist of Winchester Cathedral. After Dr. Chard's
death it was bought by Mr. Hooper, of Winchester, who
sold it to Messrs. Broadwood and Sons, by whom it was
lodged in its present resting-place, the South Kensington
Museum. Of the pedigree of this beautiful instrument
Messrs. Broadwood and Sons possess full documentary
proof. It certainly belonged to Christopher Smith; and
every stage of its history, subsequent to his decease, can
i Coxe, p. 55.
428
HANDEL'S HARPSICHORD. [CHAP. XLIV.
be distinctly traced. There remains only the question of
its identity with the large Harpsichord,' bequeathed to
him in Handel's Will.I Hawkins says that ‘Handel liad
a fine Rucker Harpsichord, the keys whereof, by incessant
practice, were hollowed like the bowl of a spoon.'? Now,
the instrument preserved at the Kensington Museum is a
very fine Double-Harpsichord—that is to say, one with
two rows of keys-inscribed in front, Andreas Rucker's
me fecit Antverpice, 1651; on the under surface of the lid,
Sic transit gloria mundi; on the under side of the front
part of the lid, Musica Donum Dei. On the sound-
board is painted the Concert of Monkeys, described in
Chapter XXXIX. The rose, or trademark, inserted in the
sound-hole, bears an Angel playing on a Harp, with the
initials, A. R. But the keys are not 'hollowed like the
bowl of a spoon.' Mr. Schoelcher thinks this a proof that
the instrument was not that used by Handel; for, he says,
‘it is not credible that any man ever existed who was
barbarous enough to repair the traces of such sublime wear
and tear.' The sentiment of this objection is admirable;
but Mr. Hipkins, the greatest living authority on the sub-
ject, and the most experienced, disposes of it, once and for
ever, by positively asserting that the keyboards are not
original. There is, therefore, nothing that can be urged
against the identity of the instrument beyond the current
report that Smith presented Handel's Harpsichord to King
George III., as opposed to the certainty that he retained
possession of this one until the day of his death.
But, we must not suffer the consideration of the Harpsi-
chord to divert our attention from the MSS., contained in
eighty-seven folio volumes, all uniformly bound, and most
i See Chapter xli.
Vol. V., lib. iv., cap. x.
1707–1759.] COLLECTION OF MSS.
429
carefully preserved, in the Royal Library, together with
a goodly number of Smith's transcriptions, and a large
collection of early printed editions.
Next in importance to this unique collection is that in
the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, which chiefly
consists of isolated fragments, though the separate items
are of great interest and value.
There are only a very few undoubted Autographs in
the British Museum ; but these few are of the highest
importance.
The MSS. formerly belonging to Handel's friend,
Mr. Bernard Granville, and preserved at Calwich, in
Derbyshire, passed afterwards into the hands of Lady
Llanover.
Those once possessed by Mr. Jennens are in the Collection
of the Earl of Aylesford, at Packington.
There are also in existence two very valuable collections
of Smith's transcripts, besides those at Buckingham Palace.
One of these, formerly in Smith's own possession, was
acquired, many years ago, by Dr. Ireland, Dean of West-
minster, who gave the volumes to the late Mr. Brownsmith,
from whose hands they passed into those of Mr. H. Barrett
Lennard, of Hampstead, their present possessor. The
collection consists of eighty-five volumes, sixty-four of
which are uniformly bound, in tooled calf, and contained
in the oaken bookcase originally made for their reception.
The other collection of Smith's transcripts was sold,
after Lady Rivers's death, to a bookseller at Bristol,
named Kerslake, who parted with it, for a fabulously
small sum, to Mr. Schoelcher. The Sacred Harmonic
Society, hearing of its exposure for sale, sent down an
agent to make arrangements for its purchase, but, un-
happily, too late : and Mr. Schoelcher lost it to England,
430
LCHAP. XLIV.
CONCLUSION.
by selling it, for a sum far below its real value, to the
Public Library at Hamburg.
In the works represented by these great Collections,
Handel lives among us still. Through them, we may con-
verse if we will, with his inmost soul. In them, he lays
bare to us the precious secrets of his long Art-life : the
dreams of his childhood and hot-blooded youth; the visions
of his middle age; the ripe thoughts of his declining years.
If we would know what he was; what he thought, hoped,
loved and faithfully believed; it is here that we must
look for it. No biographer can tell the tales these volumes
tell. Every really great man writes the history of his own
life; builds his own Temple of Fame; sounds his own
trumpet all over the world. Stephenson’s life-story is
written on a Steam-engine : John Hunter's on a Skeleton.
Handel wrote his in his Scores—wrote it so well that the
most conscientious historian, the keenest critic, can by no
possibility improve upon or even add anything to the
account he has given of HIMSELF. The task he has be-
queathed to later commentators is that of explaining the
mysteries of his inner life by aid of its external surround-
ings. Many great men have done this for themselves in
their letters. He never condescended to explain. He
gave the world his secrets, written on the staves of a
sheet of music paper; and left it to read them as best it
could. All that we have attempted in the foregoing
pages has been attempted in the hope of leading our
readers to study these accounts more diligently than they
great works in which they are set forth ; and to under-
stand those works the better, through knowing more of the
circumstances under which they were produced. If we
have done anything at all towards the realisation of this
1707–1759.]
CONCLUSION.
431
object; if we have led our readers to care in the least
degree more for Handel than they did before ; to take
more interest in his grand creations; to love him or them
the more truly; we shall feel that our labour of many
years has not been in vain, and that we have at least done
something for the Greatest Composer our country has ever
known.
L'ENVOI.
On May 26, 27, 29, and June 3, 5, 1784, the centenary
of Handel's birth was commemorated by a series of per-
formances in Westminster Abbey, and the Pantheon. The
date was erroneous; but the act of homage was nobly
supported. The Orchestra numbered 95 Violins, 26 Violas,
21 Violoncellos, 15 Double-Basses, 6 Flutes, 26 Hautboys,
26 Bassoons, 1 Double-Bassoon, 12 Trumpets, 12 Horns,
6 Trombones, and 3 pairs of Drums, with a Choir of
275 Voices, conducted by Mr. Joah Bates.
On June 20, 22, 24, 1859, the centenary of the Com-
poser's death was commemorated at the Crystal Palace
on a still grander scale; the Orchestra numbering 460,
and the Choir 2,700 performers, conducted by Sir Michael
Costa.
It has been proposed that the bi-centenary of Handel's
birth should be commemorated by a similar Festival, in
1885; and it is earnestly to be hoped, that, on this
occasion, at least, the works selected for performance may
be given with the original Instrumentation, and a justly
proportioned Orchestra.
432
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.
ABBREVIATIONS.
| F. Hosp.--Foundling Hospital.
K.'s Th.-King's Theatre.
| L.-Collection of W. Barrett Lennard, Esq.
L.-Collection of Lady Llanover,
0.-Collection of Rev. Sir F. Ouseley.
Q.'s Th.-Queen's Theatre.
R.-Royal Collection at Buckingham Palac?.
Th. L. I. F.-Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-
Fields.
SECTION I.-SACRED MUSIC.
ORATORIOS.
Locale
Locale of
First
contemporary I printed br
Transcriptious.
oL
See
Chapter
Autograph.
Berlin
Ġ
Arnold
caret
R.
caret
caret
R.
G.
R.
A.-Collection of the Earl of Aylesford.
B. British Museum.
caret-Not to be found.
Chap. Roy.-Chapel Royal, St. James's.
Cov. Gar, --Covent Garden Theatre.
F.-Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
fr. - Fragments only.
G.–German Handel Society.
H.-Hamburg.
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Date
Date of
of
first Per-
Composition. formance.
Where srst
performed.
1704
1708
1708
1717
1st Passion Oratorio...
La Resurrezione ...
Il Trionfo del Tempo
2nd Passion Oratorio
• Esther
Deborah ...
Athaliah ...
Saul ....
Israel in Egypt
Messiah
...
Sanson
Joseph
1704
1708
1708
1716
1720
1733
1733
1738
1738
1741
1741-2
1743
1720
1733
1733
1739
1739
1742
1743
1744
Hamburg
Rome
Rome
Hamburg
Cannons
K.’s Th.
Oxford
K.’s Th.
K.’s Th.
Dublin
Cor. Gar.
Cor. Gar.
R. L. H.
R.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
| R. O. L. H.
R. L. H.
1 R. L. H.
Ride Of
v.
VIII.
YIII.
XIV.
XV.
XXII.
XXIV.
XXVI.
XXVI.
XXVIII-IX.
XXX.
XXXII,
G.
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Randall
Walsh
Walsh
I Walsh
fr.
.

1744
Occasional Oratorio... 17745
Judus Maccabous
1746
Alexander Balus
1747
Joshua
1747
Solomon ...
1748
Susanna
1748
Theodora ..
1749
Jepitha
1751
Triumph of Time ... | 1708–1757
::::::
1745
1746.
1747
1748
1748
1749
1749
1750
1752
1757
Ki's Th.
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar,
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
specie
R. L. H.
R. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. H.
I Walslı
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
I Walsh
XXXII.
XXXII.
XXXIII.
XXXIII.
ΧΧΧΙΙΙ.
XXXIII.
XXXIII.
XXXV.
XXXV.
XXXIX.
R.
caret
I
ANTHEMS, HYMNS, AND OTHER SACRED WORKS.
Belshazzar
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
of
Date Date of
first Per.
Composition. formance.
Where first
performed.
Locale
of
Autograph.
Locale of
First
contemporary
Transcriptions. !
printed by
See
Chapter
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.
XI.
XI,
XV.
XV.
XV.
Utrecht Te Deum
Utrecht Jubilate
...
12 Chandos Anthems
1st Chandos Te Deum
2nd Chandos Te Deum
Short Te Deun ...
4 Coronation Antheins
1st Wedding Anthem
2nd Wedding Anthem
Q. Caroline's Te Deum
Funeral Anthem ...
Dettingen Te Deum...
s Dettingen Anthem
Foundling Anthen ...
3 English Hymns ... !
1713
1713
1718-20
1718-20
1718-20
1718-20
1727
1734
1736
1737
1737
1743
1743
1749
(?)
1713
1718–20
| 1718-20
| 1718-20
| 1718-20
1727
1734
1736
1737
1737
1743
1743
1749
S. Paul's
R.
R. L. Wright
S. Paul's
R.
R. L. Wright
Cannons
R. B.
R. L. Wright
Cannons
coret
L. Arnold
Cannons
R.
L.
Arnold
Cannops
caret
L.A. Arnold
West. Abbey R. R. L. H. Walsh
Chap. Roy.
caret
H. Unpub.
Chap. Roy.
caret
Arnold
Chap. Roy.
R.
R. L. A. Arnola
Hy. VII. Chap. R.
L.
Walsh
Chap. Roy.
R. L. Wright
Chap. Roy.
H.
Arnold
F. Hosp. | R. F. Hosp. | R. F. Hosp. G.
caret | Unpub.
XIX.
XXIV.
XXIV.
caret
R.
b
XXIV.
XXXI.
XXXI.
XXXIV.
B.
-
IT.
433

434
.
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.


SACRED MUSIC, WITH LATIN WORDS,
Locale
of
Date Date of
first Per-
Composition, formance,
bere first
performed.
of
Locale of
First
| contemporary published by
| Transcriptions.
See
Chapter
Autograph.
1702
ಆ ಆ ಆ ಆ
C.
Llalle
Rome
Rome (?)
Rome
Rome
Laudate pueri, in F...
Dixit Donrinus
1707
Nisi Dominus
Undated
Laudate pueri, in D... 1707
Silete venti ... ...
1708
Kyrie (Disputed) ...
Gloria (Disputed) ... 1
Magnificat (Disputed) (1727-1740
caiet
R.
R.
caret
caret
R.
caret
caret
caret
caret
caret
VII.
VII.
VII.
VII.
VIII.
(P)
BABA
Unpub.
Unpub.
Unpub.
XXVII.
SECTION II.-SÆCULAR MUSIC.
OPERAS.
Date
Date of
of
first Per.
Composition, formance,
Where first
performed.
Locale
of
Autograph.
Locale of
First
contemporary published by!
Transcriptions.
See
Chapter
Unpub.
Unpub.
Unpub.
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Almira
Nero ...
Daphne
Florindo
Rodrigo
Agrippina
Rinaldo
Il Pastor Fido
Teseo ...
1704
1705
1706
1706
1707
1708
1711
1712
1712
1705
1705
1706
1706
1707
1708
1711
1712
1713
caret
caret
caret
caret
R.
R.
R. fr.
R. fr.
Hamburg
Hamburg
Hamburg
Hamburg
Florence
Venice
Q’s Th.
Q.’s Th.
ẽs Th,
Berlin
caret
caret
caret
L.
caret
R. L. H.
R. L. E.
R. L.
Ĝ.
VI.
VI.
VI.
VI.
VIII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
Arnold
Walsh
Walsh, fr.
Arnold
I
Silla ....
1715
R. fr.
Collet
...
Vos os ar
::::::
Anadigi di Gaula
Radamisto ...
Muzio Scevola.
Floridante ...
Ottone
Fίαιίο
Giulio Cesare
Tamerlano
Rodelinda
Scipione
Alessandro ...
Anmeto
Riccardo Imo...
Siroe ...
Tolonieo
Lotario
Partenope
Poro ...
Ezio ...
Sosarme
Orlando
Arianna
Ariodante
Alcina
Atalanta
Arminio
Giustino
Berenice
Faramondo
Serise ...
Jupiter ir Argos
Imeneo
Deidamia
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1714 (3) 1714 (?)
· 1715
K.’s Th.
1720
1720
Ki's Th.
1721 1721 K’s Th.
1721 1721 Ki's Th.
1722 1723
K.’s Th.
1723 1723
K.’s Th.
1723
1724
Ki's Th.
1724 1724
Ki's Th.
1725
1725
K.’s Th.
1726 1726
Ki's Th.
1726 1726
K.’s Th.
1726 (?) 1727 Ki's Th.
1727 1727 K.’s Th.
1728 1728
K’s Th.
1728 1728 K.’s Th.
1729 1729 K.’s Th.
1730 1730
K’s Th.
1730-1 1731 K’s Th.
1731 1732
K’s Th.
1732 1732
1732
1732
Ki's Th.
1733 1734
K.’s Th.
1734 1735 Coy. Gar.
1735 1735 Cov. Gar.
1736 1736 Cov. Gar.
1736 1737 Coy. Gar.
1736 1737 Cov. Gar.
17367 1737 Cov. Gar.
1737 1738
K.’s Th.
1738
Ki's Th.
1739 None
1738-40 1740 Th. L. I. F.
1740 L 1741 | Th. L. I. F.
As pessoas se species
R. L. B. 1 G.
R. L. H.
G.
L. H. Meares
R. B. L. H. / Walsh, fr.
R. L. H. Walsh
L, H. Walsh
L. . Walsh
R. L. H. Cluer
L. H. Cluer
L. H.
Cluer
L. H. Cluer
R. L. H. Cluer
R. L. Cluer
L. H.
Cluer
· L. H. Cluer
L. H. Cluer
L. H. Cluer
L. H.
Walsh
L. H. Walsh
L.H. Walsh
L. E. Walsh
R. L. H. Walsh
L. H. Walsh
R. L. H. Walsh, fr,
R. L. H. Walsh
L. E. Walsh
L. H. Walsh
L. H. Walsh
L. H. Walsh
L. H. Walsh
L. H. Walsh
R. fr. Unpub.
Walsh, fr.
| Walsh
XII.
XII.
XVI.
XVII.
XVII.
XVII.
XVII.
XVII.
XVII.
XVII.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XIX.
ΧΙΣ.
XIX.
XX.
XX.
XX.
XX.
XX.
XXII.
XXIII.
XXIII.
XXIII.
XXIII.
XXIII.
XXIII.
XXIII.
XXV.
XXV.
XXV.
XXV.
XXV.
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.
K.’s Th.
Tu
R.
R.
1738
F. fr.
435
436
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.


FRAGMENTS OF INCOMPLETE OPERAS.
Date of
first Per-
formance.
Where first
performed.
Locale of
Autograph.
Locale of
contemporary
Transcriptions.
Tirst
published by
See
Chapter
XX.
None
SRCE
I !!!
caret
caret
caret
caret
Unpub.
Unpub.
Unpub.
Unpub.
XX.
XXXVII.
XXXVII.
PASTICCIOS.
Date of
first Per.
formance.
Where first
performed.
Locale of
Autograph.
Locale of
First
contemporary published by
Transcriptions. !
See
Chapter
caret
H.
H.
caret
I.
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Date of
Composition.
1732
1732
Tito ... ...
Alfonso Primo
Flavio Olibrio
Honorirls .
None
None
None
None
(?)
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Date of
Composition.
Ormisda
Lucio Pupirio
Il Catone
Semiramide ...
Cajo Fabriccio
Arbace . ...
Orestes
Alessandro Severo
Roxana
Lucio Vero
Ernelinda
1730
1732
1732
1733
1733
1734
1734
1738
1726
1747
1730
1732
1732
1733
1733
1734
1734
1738
1743
1747
K.’s Th.
K.’s Th.
K.'s Tb.
Ki's Th.
K.’s Th.
K.’s Th.
Cop. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
K.’s Th.
K.’s Th.
caret
caret
caret
caret
caret
caret
H.
caret
caret
caret
caret
I.
Unpub.
XXXVII.
Unpub. XXXVII.
Unpub. XXXVII.
Unpub. XXXVII.
Unpub. XXXVII.
Unpub. XXXTII.
Unpub. XXXVII.
Unpub. XXXVII.
Walsh XXXVII.
Walsh, fr. / XXXVII.
Unpub.
L.
I. L. fr.
coret
caret
F.:
SERENATAS AND ODES.
Locale of
Autograph.
Locale of
First
contemporary
published by
Transcriptions."
See
Chapter
R.
R.
R. fr.
R. fr.
R.
L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
R. L. H.
Unpub.
Arnold
Walsh
G.
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
VIII.
XI.
XV.
XXIV.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXY.
R.
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.
MISCELLANEOUS VOCAL MUSIC.
Locale of
contemporary
Transcriptions.
First
published by
See
Chapter
1707 etc.
1708 (?)–1745
Italian Canlatas...
Italian Duets
Italian Trios
7 French Songs
9 German Songs
R. B. F.
R. F.
R. Ll.
R. L.
R. L. H.
R.
calret
caret
Arnold
Arnold
Arnold
Unpub.
Unpub.
VII.-VIII.
VII.-VIII.
VII-VIII.
VIII.
Undated
Undated
R.
R.
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Date of
Composition.
Date of
first Per.
formance.
Where first
performed.
...
Aci, Galatca, e Polifemo
Birthday Ode
Acis and Gulatea ...
Purnasso in Festa ...
Alecander's Feast ...
Ode for S. Cecilia's Day
L'Allegro, etc.
1708
1713
1720
1734
1736
1739
1740
1708
1713
1720
1734
1736
1739
Naples
S. James's
Cannons
Ki's Th.
Cov. Gar.
Th. L. I. F.
Th. L. I. F.
1740
Class of Work.
Date of
Composition.
Locale of
Autograph.
Innumerable detached pieces, and fragments, of Vocal Music, both Sacred and Sæcular, in the Royal Library, ,
the Fitzwilliam Museum, and other Collections.
Sena


438
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.


DRAMATIC PIECES.
Date of
Names of Works
chronologically
arranged.
Dates of
first Per-
Where first
performed.
Locale of
Autograph.
Locale of
contemporary
Transcriptions.
First
printed by
See
Chapter
Composition
formances.
caret
:::
The Alchymist
Terpsicore
Semele
Hercules
Alceste
The Choice of Hercules
caret
R.
1732
1734
1743
1744
1750
1750
1732
1734
1744
1745
None
1751
Cov. Gar.
Cor. Gar.
Cov. Gar.
K’s. Th.
caret
R. H. L.
R.
R.
caret
R.
Arnold
Arnold
Walsh
Walsh
Arnold
Walsh
XXXVI.
XXIII.
XXXVI.
XXXVI.
XXXVI.
XXXVI.
Cov. Gar.
Brit. Mus. fr. /
R.
INTA
1 LVL
SECTION III.-INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.
Date of
Names of Works.
Dates of
first Per.
Where first
performed.
Locale of
Autograph.
Locale of
First
See
Transcriptions.ph
| contemporary published by: Chapter.
Composition. formances.
Brit. Mus. fr.
Il
The Water Di[usiclo
The Firework Musick
The Forest Musick ...
1715
1749
1742
1715
1749
R. Thames
S. James's
Dublin
R.
Walsh
Walsh
| Lonsdale
XIII.
XXXIV.
XXVIII.
caret
caret
Class of Work,
Date of
Publication.
Locale of
Autograph.
Locale of
contemporary
Transcriptions.
First
published by
See
Chapter
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
R. fr.
fr.
R. fr.
R. fr.
R. fr.
R. fr.
caret
caret
caret
caret
caret,
F. fr.
F. fr.
F. fr.
F. fr:
F: fr.
F. fr.
XXXVIII.
1720
1733
1793
1735
1732
1733
1729
1738
1740
1760
1739
1740
L.
Suites de Pièces
Ditto, 2nd Set ...
Ditto, 3rd Set (Posthumous)
6 Fugues. Op. 3, bis
12 Sonatas, or Solos. Op. 1
6 Sonatas, or Trios. 02. 2
6 Hautboy Concertos. Op. 3
6 Organ Concertos. Op.4
Ditto, 2nd Set ...
Ditto, 3rd Set (Posthumous)
7 Trios. ... ... Op. 5
12 Grandi Concertos. Op: 6
Concertone ... ...
3 Concertos (Posthumous)
Concerto for Trumpets and
Horens ... .. ...
Concerto for Horns and Side:
Drums ... ... ...
R: B. F.
R. fr. F. fr.
R. fr. F. fr.
R. fr. F. fr.
L.
R. L.
caret
caret
caret
caret
L.
caret
Cluer
Walsh
Arnold
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
Arnold
XXXVIII:
XXXVIII.
XXXVII.
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
XXXVIII.
CATALOGUE OF HANDEL'S WORKS.
1741
1797
caret
Birchall
caret
Unpub.
Innumerable detached pieces, and fragments, of Instrumental Music, in the Royal Library, Fitzwilliam Museum, etc.
The best printed collections in Score are, the contemporary editions of Walsh, Cluer, and Meares, all now
Fery scarce; the posthumous collections of Wright, Randall and Abell, and Arnold; and the volumes issued by the
English and German Handel Societies--tbe latter series now not far from complete. The best Pianoforte-Scores
are those of Harrison and Dr. Clarke; the folio and 8vo arrangements by Vincent Novello (Messrs. Novello,
Ewer, & Co.); and the folio and 8vo arrangements by John Bishop (Messrs. Cocks & Co.).
439

440
FACSIMILE OF



P
.
-
441
(2)

This fac-simile of a portion of the original Score of
the Messiah affords an interesting example of the style
of Handel's handwriting at the period of its transition
from the Fourth to the Fifth English hand. In the
original it forms one complete line, though here neces-
sarily broken into three. The signature, placed beneath
Hudson's portrait at the beginning of the volume, is copied
from that at the end of the Messiah, and still exhibits,
in the name and the sign for Saturday, slight traces of
the indecision which, soon afterwards, entirely passed
away. The S. D. G. (Soli Deo Gloria) of the original
is omitted for want of room.
1 See footnote, page 132.
442
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX A. (See page 7.)
February 23, 1635, is the date mentioned by Walther (Musik-
alisches Lexicon, Leipzig, 1732, p. 309); repeated by Drey-
haupt (Beschreibung des Saal-Kreises, vol. ii. p. 625); and
corroborated by the baptismal register of the Liebfrauen-
kirche; and it is undoubtedly the correct one. Mattheson
(Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte, Hamburg, 1740, vol. iv. p. 93),
first mistook the year, which he described as 1684. Main-
waring (Demoirs of the late George Frederick Handel, London,
1760, p. 1) copied Mattheson's error, and added another of
his own, representing the day of the month to have been
February 24. Mattheson, in his translation of Mainwaring's
work (G. F. Händel's Lebensbeschreibung, Hamburg, 1761,
p. 1), repeats both these errors. Schoelcher (Life of Handel,
London, 1857, p. 2) asserts that both are also reproduced
on Handel's tomb in Westminster Abbey. This last statement,
however, is as incorrect as the rest. The words on the monument
by Roubiliac are, ‘Born February XXIII., MDCLXXXIV.' Those on
the stone which covers the grave are, ‘Born ye 23 February,
1684.' We now possess evidence strong enough to set the
question at rest for ever. Both errors are satisfactorily corrected
by the above-mentioned register, which records the Baptism as
having taken place at the Liebfrauenkirche, on the 24th February,
1685; and that with regard to the year is again corrected
by memoranda in the Composer's own handwriting. As it
was the invariable custom, in Protestant Germany, during
the seventeenth century, to baptize all infants on the day
following that of their birth, the date of the Baptism is con-
clusive; and Handel corroborates that part of it which regards
the year, by writing, at the end of his Score of Solonion, com-
pleted in 1748, the words “Ætatis 63;” and, at the end of
Susanna, completed in 1751, "Ætatis 66.” The mistake
with regard to the year may possibly have arisen from a con-
fusion between Old and New Styles. Under the Old Style, the
25th of March was supposed to represent New Year's Day; in
accordance with which form of computation, the entire month of
February, 1685, would have been reckoned as part of the year
1681. The error in the day of the month, if not the result of
carelessness, may have arisen from mistaking the baptismal
register for a register of births.
APPENDIX.
443
APPENDIX B. (See page 40.).
The date given by Mattheson is 1708. But, since his account
was not written until 1740, it is more than possible that his
memory may have betrayed him into a mistake with regard to
the year; and we are now approaching a period, the chronology
of which is involved in such extraordinary difficulty, through
the strangely inconsistent statements furnished by conflicting
authorities, that we cannot afford to trust to the unaided recol-
lection of anyone, least of all to that of a man so long and
so completely preoccupied with the contemplation of his own
According to Mattheson's statement, Händel came to Ham.
burg in the summer of the year 1703 ; produced Almira and
Nero in 1705; wrote Florindo and Daphne in 1708 ; produced
nothing at all in 1709; attained great popularity as a teacher
of the Harpsichord, and continued to give lessons in Hamburg
According to Mainwaring, be was born in 1684; visited
Weissenfels in 1691, and Berlin in 1698; settled, in 1698, at
Hamburg, fighting the duel with Mattheson at the age of
fourteen, and producing his first Opera immediately afterwards,
quitted Hamburg for Italy in 1702; remained there for six
years ; visited Hanover in 1709; and made his first appearance
in London in 1710.
According to Hawkins, he produced his first opera at Ham-
burg in 1698, when he was fourteen years old ; remained thero
till 1701; visited Hanover, on his return from Italy, before he was
twenty years old-i.e. in 1703; and arrived in London in 1710.
According to Burney, he visited Hamburg in 1703 ; Florence
in 1708 ; Venice, Naples, and Rome in 1709; Hanover, for a
short time, on his return from Italy; and London in 1710.
According to Fétis, he left Hamburg for Rome after the pro-
duction of Alnira and Nero in 1707 ; returned thither, for the
purpose of bringing out Florindo and Daphne, in 1708; returned
to Italy in 1709, producing Rodrigo at Florence, Agrippina at
Venice, and Il Trionfo del Tempo at Rome; wrote Aci, Galatea,
e Polifeno at Naples in 1710, and in the same year accepted
an engagement as Kapellmeister at Hanover, visited his mother
at Halle, passed through Holland, by way of Düsseldorf, and
arrived, in the month of December, in London.
444
APPENDIX.
The first biographer who ever took the trouble to arrange the
joints of this monstrous anachronistic nightmaro in anything
like symmetrical order was M. Schoelcher, who in a foot-note
apponded to pages 14-17 of his Life of Handel, has shown the
absolute impossibility of many of the foregoing dates, and thrown
much valuable light upon a very difficult subject.
Händel was quite certainly born in 1685. The exact date of
his visit to Weissenfels cannot now be ascertained ; but it is
impossible tbat ho can have visited Berlin later than the year
1696, because his father, who died on the 11th of February,
1697, was alive when he returned to Halle. Mattheson's state-
monts that he arrived in Hamburg in 1703, and produced his
first opera in 1705, are corroborated by irrefragable evidence.
(It is true that threo several editions of the printed libretto of
Almira are dated 1704; but this circumstance may be accounted
for by the fact that the copies wero all sold off before the work
was produced upon the Stage; so great was the excitement with
which the Opera-goers of the period looked forward to the
promised performance). Florindo and Daphne must have been
produced, at the very latest, in 1706; and it is quite impossible
that Hündel can have left Hamburg later than the year 1706,
for Italy; for, among the autographs in the Royal Collection at
Buckingham Palace there is a Dixit Dominus, signed 'S. D. G.
G. 7. Hendel | 1707 | 4 d'Aprile | Ronce;' a Laudate pueri, signed
•S. D. G. I G. 1". H. | 1707 | 8 Julij | Roma;' and an Italian
oratorio, La Resurrezione, dated 'Roma | 11 D'Aprile | 1708.'
Lady Llanover also possessed a MS. T'erzetto da camera, beginning
Se tu non lasci amore, signed 'G. F. Hendel | di 12 di Luglio !
1708 | Napoli. Finally, it is certain that Handel visited Hanover
after he left Italy, and before he came to England ; and equally
so, that he first arrived in London just before the close of the
year 1710.
APPENDIX C. (See page 45.)
According to M. Schoelcher's theory, Handel arrived at
Florence in the month of July, 1706; remained there six months,
during which time he produced his first Italian Opera; proceeded
to Venice in January, 1707, and thero produced a second Italian
Opera, during the course of a visit which lasted only three
months; arrived in Rome on the 4th of April, 1707 ; remained
APPENDIX.
445
there until July, 1708, when he paid a visit to Naples, produced
an Italian Serenata, and returned soon afterwards-probably
in the year 1709—to Germany. In justice to M. Schoelcher,
we must admit that this chronological system agrees no less
exactly with the few well-authenticated dates we possess than
Dr. Chrysander's.
APPENDIX D. (See pago 188.)
In the year 1730, a dispute arose, between Giovanni Battista
Buonopcini, and the Academy of Antient Musick,' as to the
authorship of a Madrigal, entitled 'La vita caduca,' and begin-
ning with the words, ' In una siepe ombrosa,' which he bad given
to the Society as his own, but which was afterwards dis-
covered in a volume of printed pieces by Antonio Lotti.
Buononcini asserted his claim to the music in such positive
terms, that the Academy entered into correspondence with Lotti
on the subject, and received from him a number of statements
made on oath by gentlemen who knew him to have composed
and published the Madrigal in 1705. The entire correspondence
was afterwards printed, by the Academy, in a pamphlet, now of
extreme rarity, entitled “Letters from the Academy of Antient
Musiclo at London, to Sigo Antonio Lotti of Venice, with his
Ansivers and Testimonies (London, 1732); and, on the appear-
ance of this, Buononcini suddenly left the country, to roturn to
it no more.
APPENDIX E. (Notes on pp. 211 and 391.)
Open-air entertainments were given, in London, during the
18th century, at three celebrated Gardens : Vauxball, Ranelagh,
and Marylebone.
Vauxhall originally belonged to Sir Samuel Moreland ; who,
says Aubrey, 'built a fine room, anno 1667, the inside all of
looking-glass, and fountains very pleasant to behold. In
1730, the place was bought by Mr. Jonathan Tyers, who
planted it with trees, and opened it to the public under the
name of the Spring Gardens. It afterwards became famous for
its entertainments of music, dancing, and fireworks; which
446
APPENDIX.
were carried on, with more or less interruption, until the ground
was sold, for building purposes, about the middle of the present
century.
Ranelagh Gardens-originally pronounced Renelagh-were
opened to the public in a similar way, by a company, who, after
Lord Ranelagh's death, bought his house and grounds, at Chelsea,
adding to them a Rotunda, of enormous dimensions, around the
inside circumference of which the audience promenaded, while
the band played in the centre.
Marylebone or Mary bone Gardens were opened for similar
entertainments; but their reputation was less brilliant, and of
shorter duration.
The principal Theatres were, The King's Theatre, called, also,
The Great Theatre in the Haymarket, and The Opera House ;
The Little Theatre in the Haymarket; The Theatre in Lincoln's
Inn Fields; Covent Garden Theatre--then pronounced 'Couvent
Garden,' from the Convent on the site of which it was built;
and Drury Lane. The Theatre in Goodman's Fields was sup.
pressed, about the time that Covent Garden was built: and a
second House in Lincoln's Inn Fields, called The Duke's Theatre,
had also ceased to be used for dramatic purposes.
THE GENEALOGICAL TREE OF THE HAENDEL FAMILY.
ABBREVIATIONS.
Married.
Died.
S. p. sine prole (without issue).
VALENTIN HAENDEL = ANNA BEICHLING.
Nat. 1582. † Aug. 20, 1636.
Nat. 1586. † 1670.

N.B.- Dorothea Taust bad a brother named Georg, who,
some years after the death of his father, Georg
Taust the elder, became pastor of Giebichenstein.
Handel mentions the widow and children of Georg
Taust the younger in his Will; and the children
in the first Codicils.
Second Wife,
DOROTHEA TAUST
CARISTOPH = MARTIA
(Vide A.) BURCKHARDT
VALENTINEN.N
JOHANN = BARBARA
SCHWEISSKER (Vide B.)
SAMUEL
ts. p.
10
.
First Husband,
Second Husband,
MICHAEL = DOROTHES = ZACHARIAS GOTTFRIED
BEYER ELISABETH KLEINHEMPIL
MARTH
ANNA BARBARA
=MATT, BINJ. METZEL
CHRISTOPH
+ $. p.
A Son GEORG FRIEDRICH MICHAEL = Dorotuba
t s. p.
Nat. Feb. 23, 1685
DIETRICH SOPHIE
MICHARLSEN
ts. p. April 14, 1759
JOHANNE
CHRISTIANE
† 8. p.
ts. p.
9
11
an de
10
| 3
ELISABETH
t s. p.
ZACHARIAS
+ s. p.
AUGUSTADAD
DANIEL GOTTLIEB
+ s. p. t s. p.
SOPHIA ANNA JOHANN MARIA
t s. p. MAGDELEN: SADEURL ELISABETH
t s. p.
s. p. s. p.
JOHANNE
SOPHIE
t s. p.
DOROTEA
=CHR.
LUSTACH
MÜLLER
fs. p.
JOHANN
ZACHARIAS
† 8. p.
CHRISTIANE
FELICITAS
JOHANNA
FRIDERICA
JOHANN
ERNST
FLOIRCHEN
EMANUIL
KARL
KARL FRIEDRICH
AUGUSTAUGUST
7 8. D.
ts. p.
s. p.
fs. p.
CHRISTIANA
SUSANN..,
of Goslar
JOHANN
GBORG
RAHIL
SOPHIA,
of Pless
JOHANN
CASPAR
CHRISTIAN
GOTTLIEB,
of Kopenhagen
JOHANNE SIIGALUND JOHANN
JULIANI AVGUST KARL
HARTMANN
MOUTON – JOHANNE MAMERT = JOHANNA
DE LA
JEAN | FRIDERICA
CHAVANNE
COLLIS
DU BIGNON
A.
:
C
B.
JEANETTE FRIEDERIKE KARL = HENRIETTE
s.p. LOUISE FRIEDR. JOANNE
MAMERTINE SENFT WILHELMINE
**
CAROLINE
EMILIE
† s. p.
HINRICH = CAROLINE
HEINRICH = U
EDUARD WILILELJINE
Foss
CAROLINE
PAULINE
t s. p.
A Daughter
†s. p.
CAROLINE
SOPHIE
ts. p.
ਜੇ ਮੈ ਮੈਜ .
First Wife,
ANNA OITTINGER = GBORG =
nee KATHE | Meister Görge'
GOTTTRIED
+ 8. p.
KARL
= JUSTINE
I MARGARITTE
FRANKENBERGER
SOPHIE
ROSINE
- PHILIP
PIIRSTORFF
+ s. p.
N.N. JOHANN KARL
LUDWIG GOTTLIEB
ts. p. s. p.
GOTTLIEB GEORG =
s.p. CHRISTIAN
of
Weissenfels.
JOIANN = ERNESTINEDOROTHEA FRIEDRICH
CHRISTOPH FRILUERIKE LOUISE · CHRISTIAN
WXSTION
FLORENTIN
HANS
FRITZ
Issue of CHRISTOPI BÄNDIL
ancl MARTH. BURCKHARDT.
Issue of BARBARA HÄNDBL
and JOHANN SCHWEISSKER.
Issue of ERNESTINE FRIDERICA
FLOURCHEN and Fn. WILI. STREIT.
FRIEDRICI =
WILALLA
STRIIT
ERNISTINE
TRIEDERIKE
(Vide C.)
1. Anna ELISABETH
=Jon. Gio. FRIEDIL.
2. VERONICA
=CHR. KÜHNL n
ullo ſ
1. CHRISTOPH FRIED. Will. (5 chil.)
2. JOHANNE FRIED. HENR.
3. ERNESTINE FR. AUG. 1 5 chil.
=J0H. CHR. EELD. 114 gr. chil. )
4. KARL AUG. WILH. (9 chil.)
7. JOHANN AUG. WILI. (6 chil.)
6. EINST FR. Wilh.5 chil. ?
7. Gustav Hein. WILI. (1 son).
JOHANNE KARL = PAULINE KIRL SIDONIE
EMILIL FRIEDRICIL | BRÜLLOW GUSTAV I STRUIT
ts. p.
(Daughter of
CHR. FR. W.
W. STRBIT).
(Viile C.)
3. BARBARA
=CONRAD RÜDES.
1. ELISABBTA
6 chil.!
=CYRIACUS BERGER
2. VALENTIN † s. p.
3. CINISTOPH + s. p.
st. GEORG
rochil. ?
=Anna E. CAESAR 13 gr. chil. ſ
5. GOTTFRIED [ 4 chil. 2
=MARIA HERBST ( 4 gr. chil. )
6. A Daughter, N.N., † s. p.
7. Tuomas s. p.
8. CHRISTIAN †s, p.
6. ERNST FR. WILE. 8 gr. chil. 1
GUSTAV
HERMANN
ERNST
BERNHARD
KARL CAROLINI CHARLOTTE KARL
HEINRICH WILHELIINI WILHELMINI FRILDRICH
PAUL
HELENE
OLARA GUIDO
EMIL
N.B.-The names of Handel's legatees are marked thus *; thos
of the later inheritors of his heirlooms, thus **
INDEX.
Academy of Music, The Royal, 123,
147, 157
Academy, Operas Composed by
Handel for the Royal, 157, note
Accident to Handel in 1730, 307
Accompaniments, Mozart's Addi.
tional, 116, 243, note
Aci, Galatea, c Polifeno (1708], 54, 175
Acis and Galatca (1720), 112, 173
Additional Accompaniments, MO-
zart's, 116, 243, nole
Agrippina (1708), 47
Aix-la-Chapello, Handel's Visit to,
198
Aix-la-Chapelle, Peace of, 292
Alceste (1750), 319
Alchymist, The [1732), 318
Alcides, falsely so named, 320
Alcina (1735), 192
Alessandro (1726), 147
Alessandro Severo (1738), 208, 323
Alexander Balus [1747), 287
Alexander's Feast (1736), 203
Alfonso Primo [1732], 103, 325
Allegro, L' [1740], 212
Almanide (1710), 60
Almirce (1705), 37
Amadigi di Gaula 1
Ammeto (1727), 151
Anne, Death of Queer. ,88
Antheins, The Chanilos (1718-1720),
105
Anthems, The Coronation (17271, 153
Anthein, The Dettingen (1743), 271
, The Foundling Hospital
[1749), 297
Anthem, The Funeral [1743), 271
The First Medeling [1731]
Anthem, The Second Wedding (1736),

Ariodante (1737), 192
Ariosti, Attilio, 15, 125, 135
Arminio (1737), 193
Arms, Handel's Coat of, 307
Astrologic+l Signs, 132, note, 211, note:
Astyanax (1727], 152
Atalanta 117361, 193
Athaliah [1733], 200
Augustus, King of Poland, 129
Autographs, Handel's, 405
Avolio, Signora, 230, 232, 246
204
Anvil and Hammer, Powell's, 119
Arbace (17341), 322
Arbuthnot, Dr., 58, 158
" Arcadiads, Tho," 50
Arianrıcı (1734), 189
Bach, John Sebastian, 129, 161, 308
3 Style of, 411-414
Paldassarri, Benedetto, 129
Bankruptcy, Handel's First, 197
.. . Second, 278
Barbier, Mrs., 77
Bardi, Giovanni, 42
· Baroness, The, 57
Bates, Mr. Joah, 261
Beard, Mr. John, 270, note
Beggar's Opera, The (1728], 70, 156, 150
Belshazzal (1745), 279
Berenice (1737), 193
Berlin, Musical Performances at, 15
Bernacchi, Antonio, 160.
Bernardi, Tr. (Senesino), 129, 166,
180, 183
Birthday Oce, The (1712], 81
Blaclcsniill, The Harmonious (1720),
117
Blathwayt, Colonel, 125
Blindness, Handel's, 350
Bolton, The Duchess of, 159
Boschi, Signor, 60, 129
Brandenburgh, The Elector of, 14
Britton, Thomas, 73
Brockes, Heinrich, 100
Buononcini, Giov. Batt., 16, 125, 135,
181, 188, Appendix D
Buononcini, Giov. Maria, 16
Marc Antonio, 16
Burlington, Richard, Earl of, 87, 97
Buxtehude, 28
202
448
INDEX.
Denner's Portrait of Handel, 422,
424, note
Dettingen Anthem, The (1743), 271
, Te Deum (1743), 271
Deutsche Lieder [1712?), 75
Dixit Dominus (1707), 11
Domkirche at Halle, Tho, 21
Dorothoa Taust, 5
Double Bassoon, The 212, izoto
Drury Lane Theatre, 59, rente
Dublin, Handel's Visit to, 228-242
Dubourg, Mattbew, 74, 228, 394
Duel between Handel' and Matthe-
son, 35
Duke's Theatre, The, Appendix E
Dulcis Amor, Jesu care (1708?], 55
Durastanti, Signora, 129
106
E
Caccini, Giulio, 42
Cajo Fubriccio (1733), 322
Camilla, M. A. Buononcini's (1707), 58
Cannons, 102, 123
Cantatas, Handel's Italian, 10
Carostini, Giov., 189, 322
Catone, Il (1732], 322
Cavalieri, Emilio del, 42
Chamber Music, Handel's, 3-13
Chandos anthens, The (1718-1720), 105
Chandos, The Duke of, 102, 122
* Chandos Te Deum,' The (1718-1720),
Chansons Françaises [1707 ?], 55
Chapel Royal, The Children of thc,
169
Ohester, Handel's Visit to, 220
Choice of Hercules, The (1751), 320
Choral, The German, 9, 31
C boristers, The Royal, 109
Cibber, Mrs., 174, 235, 318, 232
Clark, Dr. Richard, 117, 420
Clavichord, Description of, 9, No10
Cleopatra, Matthieson's [170-1), 3:6
Cluer (Publisher), 116
Concert for Handel's Benefit. 209
Concerto, The Double (1737-17:10?]
Concertos, The Hautboy (1729-1734),
330
Concertos, The Organ (1735-1751), 335
, The Troelve Graindl (1740), 331.
Concertone (or Concertante) Thc (1736),
331
Conducting, Handel's More of, 3.5.1
Conti, Gioacchino (Gizziello), 193
Contra Fagotto, The, 212, 2010
Corn:11, Captain Thomas, 295
Corelli, Arcangelo, 51, 53, 57, nolo.
Coronation Arthems, The (1727), 153
Counterpoint, Handel's, 112

Gluck's, 305
Covent Garden Theatre, Operas
composed by Handel Tor, 191-
192, nolc
Crotch, Dr., 119
Cuzzoni, Signora, 138, 145, 119, 1.52,
183, 257, 258, 10. nóle
D
Ehren-Pforlc, Mattheson's, 20, 125
Elector Palatine, The, 57
l'pigrams, 182, 187
Erba, Dionigi, 222
Giorgio, 222
Esther (1720), 100, 160, 171
Ezio (1732), 107
Fabri, Annibale Pin, 100
Faithful Shepherd, The (1712], 70
Farcimondo (1738), 208
Farinelli, Carlo Broschi, 190
Faustina, Signorn, 145, 148, 152
Tenton, Miss, 159
Firework: Music, The Royal (1719), 293
Fisbamble Street, Dublin, The
Theatre in, 230, note
Flavio (1723), 139
Flavio Olibrio, 325
Florence a Centre of Art, 43
Floriclante, 137
Florindo (1700), 40
Forest Musick, The, 117-12), 242
Touniling alirchem, The (1749), 207
Foundling Hospital, Tho, 205
Francesina, La (Mlle. Duparc), 208
Brasi, Signor'a, 252, 389
Bireich Songs (1707?) 55
Friedrich i., King, 15
Friedrichs-Universität, 18
Friedrich Wilhelm I., Kirg, 17
Fugues or Voluntarys, Six (1735), 116
3:17
Funeral Anthem, l'he (1737), 206
Funeral ot Handel, 364
Furniture, Handel's, 374
Daphne (1700), 40
Dates of Handel's Operas, 157, nole,
role
Debord. [1738], 183
Deeper and deeper still, 310
Dridanice (1741), 213
Delany, Mrs., 301
Galilei, Vincenzo, 42
Gardens, Marylebono, 391, App. E
INDEX.
449.
110
HI
I
Gardens, Ranelagh, 99, App. E
Händol, Valentin, 4
Vauxhall, 210, 293, App. E Handwriting, Different forms of
Gay, John, 88, 102
Handel's, 131, 132, note, 406
Geuniniani, 97, 136
Handwriting, Facsimile of Handel's,
Genealogy of Inndel's Family,
facing 447
Harmonious Blacksmith, The (1720],
Georgo I., Accession of King, 152
117
German Songs (1712?), 75
Harmony in an Uproar, 188
Geso, Bartholomius, 31
Harpsichord, Handel's, 427, 428
Girardeau, Signora Isabella, 60
'Lessons for the (1720,
Giulio Cesare (1724), 139
17337, 116, 346
Giustino (1737), 193
Harpsichord-playing, Handel's, 348
Gluck, The Chevalier, 395
Haulboy Concertos, The (1729-1731),
Godolphin, The Lady, 181
330
Goodinan's Tiolds, The Theatre Haym, Nicola, 77, 125
in, App. E
Haymarket, The Great Theatre in
Goodwill, Master, 176
the, 59, note
Goupy's Caricatuu'o, 188
Haymarket, The Little Theatre in
Granville, Mr. Bernard, 363
the, 178, rote
Mary (Mrs. Delany), 364 Hoidegger, Count, 91, 160, 208, 211
Gravestono, Handel's, 367
Hercules (1745), 318
Ground Bass, Handel's Trcatmentof, Hercules, The Choice of (1751), 320
203
He saw the lovely Youth, 307
Hill, Aaron, 00
Holy, Holy, 140
Honorius, 325
Halle, Description of, 1
H020 Brautiful, Differont Versions
Hallelujah Chorus, 238, 256
of, 254
Hamburg, The Theatro at, 25-35 Hudson's Portraits of Handel, 433
Hamilton, Mr. Newburgh, 203
Hammer and Anvil, Powell's, 118
Handel, Arms of, 367
Baptism of, 8
Beethoven's Opinion of, 418 Illness, Handel's First, 197
at Berlin, 15
Last, 350
Imerco (1740), 213
Birth of, 7
Blindness of, 350
Instrumentation, Handel's, 410
Busts of, 432
Bach's, 411
Oharacter of, 379, 407
Israel in Egypt [1739], 218
Childhood of, 8-11
Italian Cantatas, 15
as a Conductor, 354
Duets, 55
Death of, 301
Opera, The Laws of, 62
Tuneral of, 364
, The Origin of, 37
Genealogy of,
Oratorios, The Origin of, 51
Grave of, 367
Trios, 55
at Hamburg, 24
Italy, Handel's journey to, 42
Handwriting of, 131, 132,
note, 106
Haydn's Opinion of, 418
First Illness of, 197
Jennens, Mr. Charles, 196, izole
Last Illooss of, 359
: Jephtha (1752), 308
at Lübeck, 28
Joseph and his Brethren (1744), 278
MSS. of, 105, 416
Joshue06 (1748), 288
Memoirs of, 377
Jubilate, The Utrecht (1713), 84
Monument of, 366
Juclus Maccabaus (1717], 285
Mozart's Opinion of, 418
Jupiler in Argos (1739), 211
Organist at Halle, 20
Portraits of, 432
Watch belonging to, 125
Will of, 309
Hüvilel, Frau Dorothea, 5, 18, 141, Kielmansegge, Baron, 65, 37
161
Keiser, Reinhardt, 25, 31
Hündel, Georg, 4
King's Theatre, The, 59, noto
Hündol, Georg Christian, 10
Kulwan, Johann, 27, 46

2 G
450
INDEX.
Monkeys, Concert of, 354, 428
MSS., see Manuscripts
Monodic School, Tho, 43
Montagnana, Signor, 183
Monteverde, Claudin, 13, 327
Monument, Handel's, by Roubiliac,
366
Morell, Dr. Thomas, 285
Mountier, Mr., 174
Mozart's Additional Accompani-
ments, 116, 243, role
Opinion of Handel, 418
Muzio Sccvola (1721), 135
Lascia ch'io pianga, 67
Laudatc pueri in )) (1702), 48
F11707), 40
Lenten Performances, 108
Leporin, J. C., 20
Lessons for the Harpsichord, Handel's
[1720-1733), 116, 346
Letters, Handel's, 126, 127, 141, 161,
162, 163, 185, 186, 194, 196, 232,
204, 279-281
Lotter by Horace v
Mr. O. Jennens, 236
Paolo Rolli, 184
Mr. Smyth, 363
Let the bright Seraphim, 268
Leveridge, Richard, 58
Liebfrauenkirche at Halle, ?
Lincoln's Inn Fields, Tho Theatre
in, 174, note, App. E
Lord, remember David, 108
Lotario (1729), 104
Lotti, Antonio, 54, 188, App. D
Lucio Papirio (1732), 322
Lucio Vero, Ariosti's (1727), 151
, 'Handel's (1747), 324
Lulli, Baptiste, 327
N
Naturalisation, Act for Handel's, 144
Nero (1705), 40
Now Style, App. A
Nicolini, Grimaldi, The Cavaliere, 59
Nisi Dominus (1707?), 46
.'Nobility, The Opera of tho,' 183,
189, 197
Numitor, Porta's (1720), 130
Magnificat, The disputed, 221
Manuscripts, Handel's Manner of
Dating, 416
Manuscripts, Schubert's Manner of
Dating, 416
Manuscripts, Collections of Handel's,
405, 126, 128
March in Rinaldo (The Royal Guards'
March), 70
March in Scipio (The Grenadier
Guards' March), 143
Margarita de l'Epine, Signora, 58
Mariborough, The Duchess of, 181
Marylebone Gardens, 391, App. E
Mattoi, Filippo, 135
Mattheson, Johann, 26 et seq., 126,
19.
Mearos, Richard (Publisher), 132
Modici, Gaston do'. 41
Meister Görge, 4, 18
Menantes, Hunola, 31
Morigli, Signora, 100
Messiah, Tho 11741), 227 See
Annlysis of, 236
First Performance of (1742),
234
MSS. copies of, 224-225
Technical History of, 246-
258
Michaelson, Dr., 50, 127, 161-163
Middlesex, Management of Lord,
233, 323
Minuci in driadnc (173.1), 100
Occasional Oratorio, The (1740), 283
Odle for S. Cecilia's Day (1730), 211
Old Style, App. A
Opera Companies, The Rival, 189
, German, 38
» House, The, 59, note
, Italian, 37, 02
Handel's Last, 213, 214, note
Oratorio, German, 106
Handel's Ideal of the, 107
Italian, 52, 106
Performances of, during
Handel's Lifetime, 376
Performances after the
manner of' an, 313
Orestes (1734), 322
Orchestra used by Handel, 259
Orfeo, Monteverde's (1608), 327
Organ Concertos, The (1735-1701], 204,
335
Organ, The Foundling Hospital, 209
i Handel's, 309, 372, 425
Organ-Playing, Handel's, 341
Orlando (1733), 180
Ormisda (1730), 322
Olho, The Gavolle in, 139
Ottoboni, Cardinal, 51
Ollone (1723), 138, 119
Overtures, 348
Oxford, Handel's visit to, 109

P
Panfili, Cardinal, 53
Parnasso in Festa (1731) 201
INDEX.
451
Parthenope (1730), 164
Passion Oratorio, First (1704), 32
, Second [17171, 101
Pasticcios, 60, note, 323 et seq.
Pastor Frdo, Il [1712), 76
Pedal Organs in England, 339
Pepusch, Dr., 10-4, 156
Peri, Jacopo, 42
Peterborough, The Countess of, 92
Philosophic Queen, The, 15
Pifa, The, 55
Pipó, Il Signor, 135
Pitch of Handel's Orchestra, 425-
426
Pitchpipe, Handel's, 425
Piva, Gregorio (Ab. Stoffani), 57
Plagiarism, Charges of, 220, 222,
225, 274, 275, 418
Polly (1729), 1-13, 159
Polyglott Performances, 175, 16, nole
Popo, Alosander, 98, 102
Poro (1731), 167
Porpora, Niccolo, 183
Po, Signor Strada dol, 197
Portrait, by Denner, Handol's, 422,
424, notes
by Grafoni, Handel's, 423
by Houbraken, Handel's,
424
by Hudson, Handel's, 5
and frontispiece
by Kyte, Handel's, 424
by Wolffgang, Handel's,
423
Powell, William, 118
Prices at the Opora, 124
Purcell, Henry, 57, 53
Sall6, Malle., 193
Samson (1743], 265
Saul (1739) 215
Scarlatti, Alessandro, 54, 328
Domenico, 48, 54
Schiavonetti, Signora Pilotti, 60
Schmidt, Senr., J. C., 101
Schubert, 410
Schütz, Heinrich, 31
Scipio, The March in (1726), 142
Scipione (1726], 142
Sebastiani, Johann, 31
See the Conquering IIero Comes, 288
Semele (17-4-1), 314
Semiramis (1733), 322
Sonesino, 129, 166, 180, 183
Serenata, The Doubtful, 225
Serse (1738) 208
Signs, Astrological, 132, role, 211,
note
Silete venti (1708?), 55
Silla (1714), 89
Siroe (1728), 156
Solomon (1749), 287 28
Smith, J. C., Junr., 101,
Sonata's with continuio (1732], 344
Sonatas or Trios (1697, 1733, 17391,
13, 344
Sophia Charlotte, The Electress, 15
Sosarne (1732), 169
South Sea Bubble, The, 122
Stanley, John, 302, 375, 395
Statuo, Handel's, by Roubiliac, 210,
424, note
Steffani, The Abbate, 55, 56, 57
Strada, Signora, 160, 183
Stradella, Alessandro, 224
Styles, Tho Old and Now, App. A
Styles, Difforent, of Handel's Hand.
writing, 131, 132, note
Suites, First and Second Set of
[1720-1733], 118, 3:16
Susannect (1749), 259


Queen Caroline, Death of, 206
, The Philosophic, 15
Radamisto (1720), 130
Ramondon, Mr. Lewis, 58
Reliquos of Handel, 132
Restoration, School of the, 170
Resury'czione, La (1708), 51
Riccarilo Primo [1727], 155
Riomschneider, John Gottfried, 160
Rinaldo (1711), 60 ct seq.
Robinson, M18., 92
Rodelinda (1725) 1.10
Rodrigo (1707], 47
Rolli, Paolo, 125, 18%
Rossi, Giacomo, 60, 70
Roubiliac, 210, 366
Roxana (1713), 323
Ruspoli, Marchese di, 50
T
Tamerlano (1724), 1-10
Taust, Dorothea, 5
DC Deum, The Chandos (1718-201, 106
I'lc Dettinger (1743), 271
The Utrecht (1713), 84
The Disputed, 27
Purcell's (1691), 83
Tolomann, George Philipp, 19
Terpsicore (173-11, 103
Tesco (1713), 77
Tesi, Vittoria, 48
Theatro, Covont Garden, 191, note
Drury Lano, 68, role
Her Majesty's, 69, note
The King's, 50, note
The Quccn's, 59, note
452
INDEX.
در میان این ج (
چ
ی
س
لیے

nog
Theatre, The Duke's, App. E
in Goodman's Fields, App. E
in Lincoln's Inn Field
note, App. E
The Great, in the Hay-
market, 59, note
The Little, 'in the Hay-
market, 178, note
The Nations Tremble, 288
Theile, Johann, 25, 31
Thcodorce (1750], 305
Time and Truth, The Triumph of
(1757), 53, 205, 355, 357
Titus l'Empereur, 167, 325
Tofts, Mrs., 58.
Tolomeo (1728), 156
Trionfo del Tempo, IL [1708], 53
Revival of
(1737), 205
Second Revival.
Tuning-Fork, Handel's, 426..
Valentini Urbani, Signor, '58
Vauxhall Gardens, 210, 293, App. E
, Statue, 210
Venice, a Centre of Art, 43
Verdi prati, 192
Violetta Marina, 180
W
Taft her, angels, 310
Wagenseil, 119
Walpole, Horace, 148, 269
Sir Ddward, 382
,,: "Sir Robert, 148.
Watch, Handel's, 425
Walsh, John (Publisher), 71
Waltz, Mr., 174, 395 ::
Wątery Musick, The (1715
iVedding Anthen the first (1734), 202.
» » The Seconocl '5173613
204, RS
Weissenfels, "The Duke of, 11,
Will, Handel's, 369

o
Lady, 148
E, podle
Of (1767), 357
Z
University of Halle, 18, IO. notc
Unio, Francesco Antonio, 275
Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate (1713), S4
Zachau, Friedrich Wilhelm, 12
Zadok the Priest (1727], 154
CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PARSE.
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