The history of "The Manzoni Requiem" is of more than ordinary interest.
Shortly after Rossini's death, in 1868, Verdi conceived the idea of a
requiem in his memory, to be written by many hands, which should be
performed in the cathedral of Bologna on each centenary of the composer's
death, but upon no other occasion and at no other place. The project met
with favor. The work was laid out in thirteen numbers and assigned to
thirteen Italian composers, Verdi taking the "Libera me," which was to be
the last number in the work. Each of the composers finished his task; but
when the parts were joined in a complete requiem they were found to be so
dissimilar in treatment, and the whole work so incoherent and lacking in
symmetry and unity, that the scheme went no further. M. Mazzucato, of
Milan, who had examined the work, was so impressed with the "Libera me"
that he wrote to Verdi urging him to compose the entire requiem.
About this time (1873) Alessandro Manzoni, the founder of the romantic
school in Italian literature, died, and was universally mourned by his
countrymen. The requiem which had been intended for Rossini was now
written by Verdi for his friend, the great Italian patriot and poet, the
immortal author of "I promessi Sposi," and the "Libera me" was
transferred to it. It was performed for the first time at Milan, May 22,
1874, the anniversary of Manzoni's death, with Teresa Stolz soprano,
Maria Waldmann alto, Giuseppe Capponi tenor, and Ormondo Maini bass, a
chorus of a hundred and twenty voices, and an orchestra of a hundred and
ten. It was next given in Paris, in the following month, under the
composer's direction and since that time has been frequently given in
Europe and in the United States.
The mass is divided into seven parts, with solos, choruses, and full
orchestra, as follows: No. 1. "Requiem" and "Kyrie" (quartet and chorus).
2. "Dies Irae;" thus divided: "Dies Irae" (chorus); "Tuba Mirum" (chorus);
"Liber scriptus" (chorus and fugue); "Quid sum miser" (trio for soprano,
alto, and tenor); "Rex tremendae" (quartet and chorus); "Recordare" (duo
for soprano and alto, and chorus); "Ingemisco" (solo for tenor);
"Confutatis" (solo for bass); "Lacrymosa" (quartet and chorus). 3.
"Domine Jesu," offertory, by quartet. 4. "Sanctus" (fugue with double
chorus). 5. "Agnus Dei" (duet for soprano and alto, and chorus). 6. "Lux
aeterna" (trio for alto, tenor, and bass). 7. "Libera me" (solo for
soprano, chorus, and final fugue).
The "Requiem" opens, after a few measures of prelude, with the chorus
chanting the appeal for rest sotto voce, the effect being carried as
pianissimo as possible until the basses, by an abrupt change of key, give
out the theme of a fugue ("Te decet hymnus"), written in pure religious
style. The introductory "Requiem" is repeated, and leads to the "Kyrie,"
the theme of which is stated by the tenor, and in turn taken up by the
other soloists, the chorus shortly joining, a double sextet interwoven
with it, and the whole closing pianissimo, as the "Requiem" opened.
The second part, the "Dies Irae," is in strong contrast with the first,
and is more broadly and dramatically worked up, and with freer
accompaniment. The opening chorus is one of startling power. The tenors
and basses open the number, immediately followed by the four parts
announcing the Day of Wrath in high, sustained notes, while the second
sopranos, altos, and tenors accompany them with immense sweeps of sound
that rise and fall like the waves. There are nine numbers in this part
which have been already specified, the most effective of them being the
adagio trio ("Quid sum miser") for soprano, alto, and tenor, upon which
Verdi has lavished his melodious inspiration. The trio is continually
interwoven with the chorus shouting fortissimo the "Rex tremendae
majestatis," until it takes another form in the prayer, "Recordare," a
duet for soprano and alto in Verdi's best operatic vein. A very effective
tenor solo, "Ingemisco," followed by a very solemn and majestic bass
solo, "Confutatis," lead to the stirring measures of the Day of Wrath
again, and close this part in an ensemble of immense power, both vocal
and dramatic.
The offertory ("Domine Jesu") is a quartet with three motives,--the first
andante, the second allegro, and the third adagio in Gregorian form, the
three themes being admirably worked up and accompanied. The "Sanctus"
(the fourth part of the mass) is a very impressive allegro double chorus,
followed by the "Agnus Dei," a duet for soprano and alto which is full of
melodious inspiration, illustrated with charming instrumental color; it
is the gem of the mass, and one of the happiest numbers Verdi has ever
scored. The sixth part is the "Lux aeterna," a trio for alto, tenor, and
bass which is very dramatic in setting; and this leads to the "Libera,"
the final division and the climax of the work. It is in its general
effect a soprano obligato with chorus. After a monotone recitative and
solo, the "Dies Irae" is repeated, likewise the "Requiem aeternam" (which
forms the introduction of the mass), and closes with a fugue of majestic
proportions that finally ends in the same pianissimo effect as
characterizes the opening of the work.
Thus much of the work in detail. It remains to look at this mass as a
whole. The first thought that will strike the listener is its utter
dissimilarity to any other of Verdi's works, except "Aida." Like that
opera, it is in his latest style,--an attempt to show the world that he
can write something besides melodies. Hence we find more decided
contrapuntal effects, the canon and fugue forms, and even the plain,
serious style of the early devotional music of the Church in the days of
Gregory and Palestrina. The second thought is that this mass, although it
has had Papal approval, is not so much a mass as it is a dramatic
threnody in memory of a loved friend. As compared with the masses of
Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, and the other early mass-writers, it has not
their conventional form, their regular sequence of setting, their
coherence of spirit and sentiment. There are wide divergences in it from
the old beaten track. But it may be said, on the other hand, that while
the traditions are violated, Verdi does not so far lose sight of the
devotional character of his work as to descend to the light, tripping,
and sometimes fantastic measures of Rossini in the "Stabat Mater." Von
Buelow very nearly hit the truth in saying that "The Manzoni Requiem" is
an opera in ecclesiastical costume. The dramatic element is its strong
feature, and the inexhaustible resources of the composer's invention
strike the hearer as one of the chief characteristics. The first six
parts seem to have included nearly all that can be done, and you wonder
if the last part, the "Libera me," will not fall tamely; when to your
surprise it proves to be the grand culmination of the work, and presents,
with its solo and chorus and imposing fugue, an ensemble of effect, a
richness of instrumentation, a severe and almost classical form of
composition, and a dramatic intensity and passion that sweep the whole
range of power, from a fortissimo tutte forza, down to the faintest
whisper of a pianissimo. It bursts upon you like the thunder, and dies
away in the still small voice that whispers the requiem of everlasting
rest.
SACRED MUSIC IN AMERICA.
The following sketch of the rise and progress of sacred music in America
may prove of interest to the reader as a supplement to the history of the
Oratorio and of the numerous illustrations of that class of compositions
contained in the body of the book. Ritter, Gould, Hood, and other
church-music historians have been freely consulted to make the sketch as
complete as possible.
The psalmody of the Protestant church was first arranged and brought into
use in the course of the sixteenth century, through the efforts of the
reformers in Germany and particularly of Martin Luther, who was extremely
fond of music, and wrote a quaint discourse on the art. In 1524 he
published a collection of hymns which also comprised a few versified
psalms. These were set to music in four parts, as he says "for no other
reason than because of my desire that the young, who ought to be educated
in music as well as in other good arts, might have something to take the
place of worldly and amorous songs, and so learn something useful and
practise something virtuous, as becometh the young. I would be glad to
see all arts, and especially music, employed in the service of Him who
created them." Zwingle, Cranmer, Calvin, and Knox were also zealous
advocates of psalm-singing; and during the same century Tye, Tallis,
Bird, and Gibbons did a great work for ecclesiastical music in England.
At the time of the Reformation in England the Puritans proved themselves
zealous musical reformers. They reduced singing to the severest
simplicity. They had no sympathy with elaborate arrangements. Organs,
choir-books, and choir-singers were objects of their special antipathy.
One of these iconoclasts says: "This singing and saying of mass, matins,
or even-song is but roryng, howling, whisteling, mummying, conjuring and
jogelyng and the playing of orgayns a foolish vanitie." Latimer in 1537
notified the convent at Worcester: "Whenever there shall be any preaching
in your monastery all manner of singing and other ceremonies shall be
utterly laid aside." In 1562 it was proposed that the psalms should be
sung by the whole congregation, and that organs should be no longer used.
In the Confession of the Puritans (1571) they say: "Concerning the
singing of the psalms, we allow of the people's joining with one voice in
a plain tune, but not in tossing the psalms from one side to the other,
with intermingling of organs." An appeal was made to Parliament against
the singing of the noble cathedral music by "chanting choristers
disguised, as are all the rest, in white surplices, some in corner caps
and silly copes, imitating the fashion and manner of Antichrist the Pope,
that man of sin and child of perdition, with his other rabble of
miscreants and shavelings."
Sternhold, who was groom of the robes to Henry VIII. and afterwards groom
of the bed-chamber to Edward VI., was one of the most zealous of these
reformers. In connection with Hopkins, a clergyman and schoolmaster, he
versified a large number of the psalms and published them. They were
printed at first without music, but in 1562 they appeared with the notes
of the plain melody under the following title: "The whole Book of Psalms,
collected into English metre by T. Sternhold and J. Hopkins and others,
conferred with the Ebrue, with apt notes to sing them withal. Imprinted
by John Day." In this work there was but one part, the air, and each note
was accompanied by its name; but a few years later the psalms appeared
set to music in four parts. They were the work of William Damon, and his
book bore the title: "The Psalms of David to English Metre, with notes of
Four Parts set unto them, by Wm. Damon, to the Use of the Godly
Christians, for recreating themselves, instead of fond and unseemly
ballads. 1579." In 1599 there appeared a very ambitious work in folio
form, so arranged that four persons might sing from it, and bearing the
title: "The Psalms of David in Metre, the Plain song being the common
Tune, to be sung and played upon the Lute, Orpharion, Citterne, or
Bass-viol, severally or together; the singing Part to be either Tenor or
Treble to the instrument, according to the Nature of the Voice, or for
Four Voices; with Ten Short Tunes in the end, to which, for the most
part, all Psalms may be usually sung; for the Use of such as are of mean
Skill, and whose Leisure least serveth to practice. By Richard Allison,
Gent., Practitioner in the Art of Music." Notwithstanding its formidable
title, the work was not highly esteemed at the time. In 1621, Thomas
Ravenscroft, Bachelor of Music, published an excellent collection of
psalm tunes, many of which are still in use. In his preface he says, by
way of advice: "1. That psalms of tribulation be sung with a low voice
and long measure; 2. That psalms of thanksgiving be sung with a voice
indifferent, neither too loud nor too soft, and neither too swift nor too
slow; 3. That psalms of rejoicing be sung with a loud voice and a swift
and jocund measure." His preface closes with the pious wish that all his
patrons after death may join in the "Quire of Angels in the Heavens."
The date of the Ravenscroft collection brings us to the time of the
Pilgrims. When they loaded the "Mayflower" with their homely household
furniture, spinning-wheels, and arms of defence, and set out upon their
long and uncertain voyage to find a friendly shore where they might
worship God in their own fashion, the psalm-book was not forgotten. They
brought with them a version made by Henry Ainsworth of Amsterdam, in
which the notes set above the words were of lozenge shape. For twenty
years it was in exclusive use, though the Salem Church did not abandon it
until 1667, and the Plymouth Church retained the old favorite until 1692.
The Sternhold and Hopkins collection had also found its way over, but it
was used only at Ipswich and in its vicinity. In 1640 appeared the Bay
Psalm Book, issued from the Cambridge press. It was prepared by an
association of New England divines, most prominent among whom were Thomas
Welde, Richard Mather of Dorchester, and John Eliot of Roxbury, the
famous Indian missionary. Being new, it was at once regarded as an
innovation. The churches were soon in a wrangle, not only over the
contents of the new collection, but as to the methods of singing. Some
were opposed to singing altogether, while others insisted that only
Christian voices should be heard. At no time were the colonists very
learned in music. In the edition of the Bay Psalm Book printed in 1698,
the following concise directions appear:--
"_First_, observe how many note-compass the tune is next the place of
your first note, and how many notes above and below that, so as you may
begin the tune of your first note, as the rest may be sung in the
compass of your and the people's voices, without Squeaking above or
Grumbling below. For the better understanding of which take note of the
following directions:
"Of the eight short Tunes used to four lines only, whose measure is to
eight syllables on the first line, and six on the next; and may be sung
to any Psalms of that measure.
Oxford Tune. }
Litchfield Tune. } To Psalms Consolatory.
Low Dutch Tune. }
York Tune. }
Winsor Tune. } To Psalms of Prayer, Confessions, and Funerals.
Cambridge Short Tune to peculiar Psalms, as 21, 24, 33, 70, 86, first
metre, 114, 132.
"Those six short tunes, in tuning the first notes, will bear a cheerful
high pitch; in regard to their whole compass from the lowest note, the
highest is not above five or six notes.
St. David's Tune. }
Martyrs Tune. } To Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving.
"These two tunes are eight notes compass above the first note, and
therefore begin the first note low.
"Of five long tunes following:
"Hackney Tune--119 Psalm Tune, second metre. These two tunes begin your
first note low, for the compass is nine notes, and eight above the
first note of the tune.
"100 Psalm Tune. This one tune begin your note indifferent high, in
regard you are to fall your note lower than your first pitch note.
"113 Psalm Tune, and 148 Psalm Tune.--These two tunes begin your first
note low, in regard the Tune ascends eight notes above it."
The turmoil in the churches was settled for a time by Rev. John Cotton,
who issued a tract entitled "Singing of Psalms a Gospel ordinance, or a
Treatise wherein are handled these four Particulars: I. Touching the duty
itself. II. Touching the matter to be sung. III. Touching the singers.
IV. Touching the manner of singing." In this tract the author says:--
"For the first Question we lay downe this conclusion for a Doctrine of
Truth: That singing of Psalms with a lively voyce, is an holy duty of
God's worship now in the day of the New Testament. When we say, singing
with lively voyce, we suppose none will so farre misconstrue us as to
thinke we exclude singing with the heart; for God is a Spirit, and to
worship him with the voyce without the spirit, were but lip-labour;
which (being rested in) is but lost labour, or at most profitted but
little. Concerning the second Question we hold and believe that not
only the Psalms of David, but any other spirituall song recorded in the
Scripture, may lawfully be sung in Christian Churches. 2d. We grant
also that any private Christian who hath a gifte to frame a spirituall
song, may both frame it and sing it privately for his own private
comfort, and remembrance of some special benefit or deliverance. Nor do
we forbid the private use of any instrument of Music therewithall, so
that attention to the instrument does not divert the heart from
attention of the matter of song.
"Whether women may sing as well as men: For in this point there be some
that deale with us as Pharaoh delt with the Israelites, who, though he
was at first utterly unwilling that any should go to sacrifice to the
Lord in the Wilderness, yet being at length convinced that they must
goe, then he was content that the men should goe, but not the women. So
here, some that were altogether against singing of Psalms at all with
lively voyce, yet being convinced that it is a morall worship of God
warranted in Scripture, then if there must be a Singing, one alone must
sing, not all (or if all) the men only, and not the women. And their
reason is: Because it is not permitted to a women to speake in the
Church, how then shall they sing? Much less is it permitted to them to
prophecy in the Church. And singing the Psalms is a kind of
Prophecying."
Peace, however, was of short duration. Fresh quarrels arose. The early
colonists were good fighters. They quarrelled over the question whether
one should sing or the whole congregation; whether women as well as men
should sing; whether pagans should be allowed to lift up their voices;
and whether the scanty stock of tunes should be enlarged. Learning a tune
by note, without having previously heard it, was almost a mortal offence,
and at last something like a compromise was effected in some of the
churches, where alternate singing by rote and rule satisfied both
parties. The ministers added to the general confusion with a flood of
circulars on the subject. Several of them issued a tract entitled "Cases
of Conscience about singing Psalms," in which they ask:--
"Whether you do believe that singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spirituall
Songs is an external part of Divine Worship, to be observed in and by
the assembly of God's people on the Lord's Days, as well as on other
occasional meetings of the Saints for the worshipping of God.
"Whether you do believe that singing in the worship of God ought to be
done skilfully?
"Whether you do believe that skilfulness in singing may ordinarily be
gained in the use of outward means by the blessing of God.
"Is it possible for Fathers of forty years old and upward to learn to
sing by rule; and ought they to attempt at this age to learn?
"Do you believe that it is Lawful and Laudable for us to change the
customary way of singing the psalms?
"Whether they who purposely sing a tune different from that which is
appointed by the pastor or elder to be sung are not guilty of acting
disorderly, and of taking God's name in vain also, by disturbing the
order of the sanctuary."
Rev. Thomas Symmes, of Bradford, Mass., also issued a tract in which he
contended for rule-singing. On this point he says:--
"The total neglect of singing psalms by many serious Christians for
want of skill in singing psalm-tunes. There are many who never employ
their tongues in singing God's praises, because they have no skill. It
is with great difficulty that this part of worship is performed, and
with great indecency in some congregations for want of skill; it is to
be feared singing must be wholly omitted in some places for want of
skill if this art is not revived. I was present in a congregation where
singing was for a whole Sabbath omitted for want of a man able to lead
the assembly in singing.
"The declining from and getting beside the rule was gradual and
insensible. Singing-schools and singing-books being laid aside, there
was no way to learn, but only by hearing of tunes sung or by taking the
run of the tunes, as it is phrased. The rules of singing not being
taught or learnt, every one sang as best pleased himself; and every
leading-singer would take the liberty to raise any note of the tune, or
lower it, as best pleased his ear, and add such notes and flourishes as
were grateful to him; and this was done so gradually as that but few if
any took notice of it. One Clerk or Chorister would alter the tunes a
little in his day, the next a little in his, and so one after another,
till in fifty or sixty years it caused a considerable alteration."
John Eliot, who was having famous success with the Indians, particularly
in teaching them psalm-singing,--for Dr. Mather says "their singing was
most ravishing,"--made a long contribution to the general discussion,
which contains the following "Lamentation:"--
"That musick, which in itself is concord, harmony, melody, sweetness,
charming even to irrational creatures, cheers the spirits of men, and
tends to raise them in devotion, and in the praises of God, and was
instituted by God as a means of divine worship, which is a terrour to
evil spirits, the delight of the holy Angels, and will be everlasting
imployment of those Seraphim and the glorified Saints, should be an
occasion of strife, debate, discord, contention, quarelling, and all
manner of disorder. That men, the only creatures in the lower creation
that are accomplished with reason and apt organs to praise God with,
should improve them so to dishonour him; and that instead of an
angelick temper in man, which they are capable of, and is required of
them, and especially in this matter, there should be rather a cynick
disposition and an improvement of such noble Organ to bark, snarl at,
and bite one another; that instead of one heart and one voice in the
praises of our Glorious Creator and most bountiful Benefactor, there
should be only jangle, discord, and sluring and reviling one another,
etc., this is, and shall be, for a lamentation."
The essay closes with the following exhortation:
"Whatever our thoughts are as to the mode or vocal part, whether the
_old_ or the _new way_ (as it is called) be most pleasing to us, it
would be our wisdom and a manifestation of our Christianity to deny
ourselves and our own obstinate wills, which are apparently the chief
cause of our contention in these things, and condescend (at least) so
far one to the other as to keep time, _i.e._ to begin and end the lines
all together, which if we did, there would not in most of the tunes
commonly sung be so wide a difference as is by some imagined, many of
the lines being near alike; if we all sincerely endeavour to exercise
grace in Singing, and to perform the vocal part in the best manner we
could, our service would be accepted of God. And I doubt not but
regular singing would have a better relish with the most of our people
and be comply'd with, and so our differences would end in a good and
lasting union, and our jars and discords in a sweet and delightful
concord and harmony. So let it be: Amen."
At last harmony was restored, and a serious effort was made to introduce
better singing, in which the college at Cambridge took a leading part. In
1712, Rev. John Tufts, of Newbury, issued a book of twenty-eight tunes,
so arranged by appending letters to the notes, as F for Fa, S for Sol,
etc., "that the learner may attain the skill of singing them with the
greatest ease and speed imaginable." These tunes were reprinted in three
parts from Playford's "Book of Psalms." In 1721, Rev. Thomas Walter, of
Roxbury, Mass., issued a new book, also compiled from Playford, which was
highly commended by the clergy. The English singing-books by Tansur and
Williams were reprinted by Thomas Bailey, at Newburyport, Mass., and had
a large circulation. In 1761, James Lyon, of Philadelphia, published a
very ambitious work, called "Urania, or a choice collection of Psalm
Tunes, Anthems, and Hymns," which was compiled from the English books.
The edition, however, was a small one, and was issued in such an
expensive manner that it ruined the unfortunate author. In 1764 appeared
another collection, made by Josiah Flagg, who was a composer himself as
well as band-master. Its title reads: "A Collection of the best Psalm
Tunes in two, three, and four parts, from the most approved authors,
fitted to all measures and approved by the best masters in Boston, New
England; the greater part of them never before printed in America.
Engraved by Paul Revere, printed and sold by him and Jos. Flagg." About
the same time Daniel Bailey, of Newburyport, Mass., published "A new and
complete Introduction to the Grounds and Rules of Music, in two Books;"
and in 1769, "the American Harmony," reprinted from English collections.
Up to this period, or, more strictly, to the year 1770, no American
composers had contributed to New England psalmody. Though numerous
singing-books had appeared, they were compiled from the English
collections and reprinted. The first composer of church music in America
was William Billings, born at Boston, Oct. 7, 1747. He was the son of
poor parents, and followed tanning for an occupation. Gould, in his
"History of Church Music," says of him:--
"Billings was somewhat deformed in person, blind in one eye, one leg
shorter than the other, one arm somewhat withered, with a mind as
eccentric as his person was deformed. To say nothing of the deformity
of his habits, suffice it, he had a propensity for taking snuff that
may seem almost incredible, when in these days those who use it are not
very much inclined to expose the article. He used to carry it in his
coat-pocket, which was made of leather; and every few minutes, instead
of taking it in the usual manner, with thumb and finger, would take out
a handful and snuff it from between his thumb and clenched hand. We
might infer from this circumstance that his voice could not have been
very pleasant and delicate."
This uncouth and eccentric tanner was the father of American church
music, and of American choirs, concerts, and singing-schools as well. He
wrote his first tunes on the boards of the tannery as he tended the
bark-mill. He was a zealous patriot; and as Governor Samuel Adams was not
only a still more zealous patriot, but devotedly attached to music, the
two became warm friends and at one time sang together in a choir,
evidently much to the distress of Adams, as his companion had a
stentorian voice. His association with Adams led him to the composition
of songs of a patriotic and religious character, one of which, set to the
tune known as "Chester," played an important part in rousing the martial
spirit of the colonists. It runs as follows:--
"Let tyrants shake their iron rod,
And slavery clank her galling chains;
We'll fear them not, we'll trust in God;
New England's God forever reigns.
"The foe comes on with haughty stride,
Our troops advance with martial noise;
Their veterans flee before our arms,
And generals yield to beardless boys."
That the tanner had a sly humor of his own is demonstrated by the
following instructions appended to one of his anthems which was performed
in a concert:--
"We've met for a concert of modern invention;
To tickle the ear is our present intention;
The audience seated, expect to be treated
With a piece of the best.
"And since we all agree
To set the key on E,
The author's darling key
He prefers to the rest,
The bass take the lead,
And firmly proceed;
Let the tenor succeed," etc.
In 1770 his first compositions appeared in a work of one hundred and
eight pages entitled "The New England Psalm Singer; or American
Chorister. Containing a number of Psalm Tunes, Anthems, and Canons. In
four and five parts. (Never before published.) Composed by William
Billings, a native of Boston, in New England. Matt. xii. 16, 'Out of the
mouth of Babes and Sucklings hast thou perfected Praise;' James v. 13,
'Is any merry, let him sing Psalms.'
'O, praise the Lord with one consent,
And in this grand design
Let Britain and the Colonies
Unanimously join.'
Boston: New England. Printed by Edes and Gill."
In the preface to this work he quaintly says:--
"_To all Musical Practitioners._
"Perhaps it may be expected by some, that I could say something
concerning rules for composition; to these I answer that _Nature is the
best Dictator_, for all the hard dry studied rules that ever were
prescribed will not enable any person to form an Air any more than the
four and twenty letters, and strict Grammatical rules will qualify a
scholar for composing a piece of Poetry, or properly adjusting a
Tragedy without a Genius. It must be Nature; Nature must lay the
Foundation, Nature must give the Thought. But perhaps some may think I
mean and intend to throw Art entirely out of Question. I answer by no
Means, for the more Art is displayed, the more Art is decorated. And in
some sorts of composition there is dry Study requir'd, and Art very
requisite. For instance, in a Fuge. But even there Art is subservient
to Genius, for Fancy goes first, and strikes out the Work roughly, and
Art comes after and polishes it over. But to return to my Text: I have
read several Authors' Rules on Composition, and find the strictest of
them make some Exceptions, as thus, they say that two 8vos or two 5ths
may not be taken together rising or falling, unless one be Major and
the other Minor; but rather than spoil the Air, they will allow that
Breach to be made, and this Allowance gives great Latitude to young
Composers, for they may always make that Plea, and say, if I am not
allowed to transgress the Rules of composition I shall certainly spoil
the Air, and cross the Strain that Fancy dictated. And indeed this is
without dispute, a very just Plea, for I am sure I have often and
sensibly felt the disagreeable and slavish Effect of such Restraint as
is here pointed out, and so I believe every Composer of Poetry as well
as Musick, for I presume there are strict Rules for Poetry, as for
Musick. But as I have often heard of a Poetical License I don't see why
with the same propriety there may not be a musical License, for Poetry
and Musick are in close Connection, and nearly allied besides they are
often assistants to each other, and like a true friend often hide each
other's feelings. For I have known a Piece of Poetry that hath neither
Rhime nor Reason in it, pass for tolerable good sense because it
happened to be set to an excellent Piece of Musick, and to get Respect
rather for its good Fortune in falling into such respectable company
than for any Merit in itself: so likewise I have known and heard a very
indifferent Tune often sung and much caress'd, only because it was set
to a fine Piece of Poetry, without this recommendation, perhaps it
would not be sung twice over by one Person, and would be deemed to be
dearly bought only at the expense of Breath requisite to perform it.
"For my own part, as I don't think myself confined to any Rules for
Composition laid down by any that went before me, neither should I
think (were I to pretend to lay down rules) that any who comes after me
were any ways obligated to adhere to them any further than they should
think proper; so in fact I think it is best for every composer to be
his own learner. Therefore upon this consideration, for me to dictate,
or pretend to prescribe Rules of this Nature for others, would not only
be very unnecessary but also a very great piece of Vanity."
His second work was the "Singing Master's Assistant," an abridgment and
revision of his first. His humor again crops out in the following extract
from its preface:--
"Kind reader, no doubt you remember that about ten years ago I
published a book entitled 'The New England Psalm-Singer;' and truly a
most masterly performance I then thought it to be. How lavish was I of
encomium on this my infant production! 'Welcome, thrice Welcome, thou
legitimate Offspring of my brain, go forth my little book, go forth and
immortalize the name of your Author: may your sale be rapid and may you
speedily run through ten thousand Editions,' said I, 'Thou art my
Reuben, my first born; the beginning of my Strength, the Excellency of
my Dignity, and the Excellency of my power.' But to my great
mortification I soon discovered it was Reuben in the sequel, and Reuben
all over; I have discovered that many pieces were never worth my
printing or your inspection.
"It is the duty of Christians to praise God publicly by singing of
psalms together in the congregation, and also privately in the family.
In singing of psalms the voice is to be audible and gravely ordered;
but the chief care must be to sing with understanding and with grace in
the heart, making melody unto the Lord. That the whole congregation may
join therein, every one that can read is to have a psalm-book, and all
others not disabled by age or otherwise are to be exhorted to learn to
read. But for the present, where many in the congregation cannot read,
it is convenient that the minister or some fit person to be appinted by
him and the other ruling officers, do read the psalms line by line,
before the singing thereof."
Billings's other publications were "Music in Miniature," "Psalm Singers'
Amusement," "Suffolk Harmony," and "Continental Harmony." Though the
crudest of musical works, for he was entirely unacquainted with harmony
and musical rules, they had an immense influence. He was the pioneer, and
the path he cleared was soon crowded with his successors. The most
prominent of these were Andrew Law, born at Cheshire, Conn., in 1748, who
published many books and taught in most of the New England States; Jacob
Kimball, born at Topsfield, Mass., in 1761, who published the "Rural
Harmony;" Oliver Holden, of Charlestown, Mass., who published the
"American Harmony," "Union Harmony," and "Worcester Collection," and
wrote the favorite tune "Coronation;" Samuel Holyoke, born at Boxford,
Mass., in 1771, author of the "Harmonia Americana" and "Columbian
Repository;" Daniel Reed, born at Rehoboth, Mass., in 1757, who published
the "American Singing-Book" and "Columbian Harmony;" Jacob French, born
at Stoughton, Mass., in 1754, who issued a work entitled "Harmony of
Harmony;" Timothy Swan, born at Suffield, Conn., in 1757, who published
"Federal Harmony" and "New England Harmony," and wrote the familiar tunes
"Poland" and "China;" John Hubbard, who wrote many anthems and treatises
on music; Dutton, of Hartford, Conn., who issued the "Hartford
Collection," and wrote the tune of "Woodstock;" Oliver Shaw, born at
Middleborough, Mass., in 1799, who was totally blind, but became a very
successful teacher and composer. Gould says that his compositions were
"truly original," and one of them, "There's Nothing True but Heaven," was
repeated night after night by the Boston Handel and Haydn Society.
The era of psalm composers was followed by that of the singing-school
teachers, who exerted a mighty influence upon sacred music and musical
taste. At the same time numerous societies were organized, among them the
Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, which was born April 20, 1815, and
still exists,--a vigorous growth from the little gathering which gave its
first concert on Christmas, Dec. 25, 1815, singing the first part of "The
Creation" and selections from Handel's works, and was pronounced by an
enthusiastic critic of that time "the wonder of the nation." The great
singing-teachers were Thomas Hastings of Washington, Conn., Lowell Mason
of Mansfield, Mass., Nathaniel D. Gould of Chelmsford, Mass. Still later
came George F. Root, Woodbury, Dyer, Bradbury, Ives, Johnson, and others,
whose labors, both as composers and teachers, are familiar to all lovers
of sacred music even at this day. The old-fashioned singing-school,
however, has disappeared. The musical convention still survives in rural
places. The great festivals, oratorio societies, the modern concert
stage, even the opera, have all had their effect upon sacred music. The
paid choir of professional musicians marks a long departure from the
robust Puritan psalm-singers; its music is equally remote from the
jingling tunes of Billings which "tickled the ears" of the colonists.
APPENDIX.
The following chronological list is intended to present to the reader a
statement of the more important sacred music which has been written
during the last two centuries, with its composers and dates, for the
purposes of reference.
Allegri
Miserere (1630).
Arne
Abel (1755);
Judith (1764).
Bach
St. John Passion (1720);
Magnificat in D (1723);
St. Matthew Passion (1729);
Christmas Oratorio (1734).
Barnby
Rebekah (1870).
Beethoven
Mount of Olives (1799-1801);
Mass in C (1807);
Mass in D (1822).
Benedict
St. Cecilia (1866);
St. Peter (1870).
Bennett
Woman of Samaria (1867).
Berlioz
Grande Messe des Morts (1837);
L'Enfance du Christ (1854).
Brahms
German Requiem (1868).
Costa
Eli (1855);
Naaman (1864).
Cusins
Gideon (1871).
Crotch
Palestine (1812);
Captivity of Judah (1834).
David
Moses on Sinai (1846).
Dvorak
Stabat Mater (1875).
Goldschmidt
Ruth (1867).
Gounod
Messe Solenelle (1850);
Tobie (1870);
Redemption (1883);
Mors et Vita (1885).
Graun
The Death of Jesus (1755);
Prague Te Deum (1756).
Handel
First Passion Oratorio (1704);
La Resurrezione (1708);
Il trionfo del Tempo (1708);
Utrecht Te Deum (1713);
Second Passion Oratorio (1716);
Esther (1720);
Deborah (1733);
Athalia (1733);
Saul (1738);
Israel in Egypt (1738);
Messiah (1741);
Samson (1742);
Joseph (1743);
Dettingen Te Deum (1743);
Belshazzar (1744);
Occasional Oratorio (1745);
Judas Maccabaeus (1746);
Alexander Balus (1747);
Joshua (1747);
Solomon (1748);
Susanna (1748);
Theodora (1749);
Jephtha (1751).
Haydn
Stabat Mater (1771);
Return of Tobias (1774);
Mariazeller Mass (1782);
Imperial Mass (1797);
The Creation (1796-98);
Te Deum (1800);
The Seasons (1800);
The Seven Words (1801).
Hiller
The Destruction of Jerusalem (1839).
Horsley
Gideon (1860).
Kiel
Requiem (1862);
Christus (1866).
Klein
Job (1820);
Jephthah (1828);
David (1830).
Lassus
Penitential Psalms (1565);
Vigiliae Mortuorum (1565).
Leslie
Immanuel (1853);
Judith (1858).
Liszt
Graner Mass (1854);
Hungarian Coronation Mass (1856);
Legend of Saint Elizabeth (1864);
Christus (1866).
Macfarren
John the Baptist (1873);
The Resurrection (1876);
Joseph (1877).
Mackenzie
Rose of Sharon (1884).
Marx
Moses (1850).
Massenet
Mary Magdalen (1873);
Eve (1875);
The Virgin (1879).
Mendelssohn
Psalm cxv (1830);
Psalm xcv (1835);
St. Paul (1836);
Hymn of Praise (1840);
Elijah (1838-46);
Christus (1844-47);
Lauda Sion (1846).
Meyerbeer
God and Nature (1811).
Mozart
Coronation Mass (1779);
Mass in C (1780);
Mass in G (1785);
Mass in B (1791);
Ave Verum (1791);
Requiem (1791).
Neukomm
Mount Sinai (1830);
David (1834).
Ouseley
St. Polycarp (1854);
Hagar (1873).
Paine
St. Peter (1873).
Palestrina
Papae Marcelli Mass (1563);
Stabat Mater (1589);
Requiem (1591).
Pergolesi
Stabat Mater (1736).
Pierson
Jerusalem (1852).
Randegger
Psalm cl (1872).
Reinthaler
Jephta (1856).
Rossini
Moses in Egypt (1818);
Stabat Mater (1832-41);
Messe Solenelle (1864).
Rubinstein
Tower of Babel (1870);
Paradise Lost (1876).
Schneider (Fr.)
The Judgement of the World (1819);
Paradise Lost (1824);
Pharaoh (1828);
Christ the Child (1829);
Gideon (1829);
Gethsemane and Golgotha (1838).
Schubert
Lazarus (1820).
Schumann
Paradise and the Peri (1843);
Advent Hymn (1848);
Mass and Requiem (1852).
Schutz
Passions' Music (1665).
Spohr
The Last Judgment (1812);
The Last Things (1826);
Calvary (1833);
Fall of Babylon (1840).
Stanford
The Three Holy Children (1885).
Sullivan
The Prodigal Son (1869);
Light of the World (1873);
Martyr of Antioch (1880).
Verdi
Manzoni Requiem (1874);
Pater Noster and Ave Maria (1880).
Vogler
Magnificat and Stabat Mater (1777).
Wagner
Das Liebesmahl der Apostel (1843).
Winter
Pilgrimage to Calvary (1792);
Stabat Mater (1805).
INDEX.
Ainsworth, Henry, 313.
Albrechtsberger, 239.
Allison, Richard, 312.
Appendix, 329.
Astorga, 253.
Athalia, 21.
Bach, 19-21, 24, 26, 30, 61, 65, 269, 275;
life of, 31.
Bailey, Daniel, 320.
Bailey, Thomas, 320.
Bay Psalm Book, 313, 314.
Beethoven, 23, 91, 161, 174, 218, 219, 235, 236, 282, 307;
life of, 51.
Belshazzar, 22.
Benedict, 205.
Bennett, Sterndale, 26, 200, 274, 290;
life of, 60.
Berlioz, 27, 30, 259;
life of, 68.
Billings, William, 321-326.
Blow, Dr., 30.
Bononcini, 17, 115.
Bradbury, 328.
Brahms, 27, 92, 272;
life of, 78.
Caldara, 17.
Carissimi, 15.
Cherubini, 27, 68, 71, 178.
Chopin, 258, 272.
Christmas Oratorio (Bach), 20, 33.
Christmas Oratorio (Saint-Saens), 269.
Christus (Liszt), 186.
Christus (Mendelssohn), 25, 229.
Cimarosa, 23.
Colonna, 17, 27.
Costa, 82.
Cotton, John, 314.
Creation, 136, 162.
Croft, Dr., 30.
Damon, William, 311.
Das juengste Gericht, 23, 283, 286.
Deborah, 21.
Der Tod Jesu, 20.
Des Heilands letzte Stunden, 24.
Dettingen Te Deum, 155.
Die Auferstehung Christi, 19.
Die Sieben Woerte Christi, 19.
Dutton, 327.
Dvorak, 253;
life of, 90.
Dyer, 328.
Eli, 84.
Elijah, 25, 218.
Eliot, John, 313, 318.
Emilio del Cavaliere, 14, 15.
Engedi, 58.
Esther, 21.
Fall of Babylon, 24.
Federici, 17.
Flagg, Josiah, 320.
French, Jacob, 327.
Fux, 22.
Gabrielli, 18.
German Requiem, 27, 80.
Gluck, 160.
Gould, Nathaniel D., 328.
Gounod, 15, 20, 26;
life of, 96.
Graun, 20, 30.
Gretry, 174.
Habeneck, 75, 76, 77.
Handel, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 30;
life of, 114.
Handel and Haydn Society, 327.
Hasse, 22.
Hastings, Thomas, 328.
Haydn, 19, 22, 23, 26, 28, 80, 136, 253, 307;
life of, 159.
Heine, 256, 257.
Hiller, 26, 70, 222, 256, 273.
Himmel, 23.
Holden, Oliver, 326.
Holyoke, Samuel, 326.
Hubbard, John, 327.
Hymn of Praise, 25, 213.
Israel in Egypt, 21, 23, 117.
Italian oratorio composers, 15
Ives, 328.
Joachim, 78, 92.
Johnson, 328.
Joseph, 22.
Joshua, 22, 154.
Judas Maccabaeus, 22, 149.
Keiser, Reinhard, 19, 20.
Kimball, Jacob, 326.
La Rappresentazione dell' Anima e del Corpo, 14.
Last Judgment, 23, 283.
Latimer, 310.
Law, Andrew, 326.
Legend of the Holy Elizabeth, 180.
Light of the World, 294.
Liszt, 78, 256, 258;
life of, 177.
Lyon, James, 320.
Macfarren, George A., 30;
life of, 199.
Mackenzie, 191.
Magnificat (Bach), 48.
Magnificats, 26, 30.
Martin Luther, 309.
Mason, Lowell, 328.
Massenet, 26.
Mattheson, 20.
Mazzocchi, 17.
Mendelssohn, 24, 25, 26, 30, 60, 256, 257;
life of, 206.
Messe des Morts, 27, 71.
Messiah, 21, 23, 25, 39, 140.
Meyerbeer, 83.
Mors et Vita, 26, 106.
Moscheles, 257, 271.
Mount of Olives, 23, 53.
Mozart, 30, 60, 282, 307;
life of, 234.
Mysteries and miracle-plays, 10, 11, 12.
Neukomm, 253.
Oratorio, its origin, 9;
in England, 21;
in Germany, 22;
oratorios of the present century, 23-26.
Paine, 26, 245.
Palestrina, 27, 28, 96, 253, 307.
Paradise and the Peri, 25, 273.
Paradise Lost, 26, 264.
Passion Music, 18, 19, 20.
Pistocchi, 17.
Playford's Psalms, 320.
Porpora, 22, 115, 160.
Prodigal Son, 292.
Protestant Psalmody, 309.
Psalmody in England, 310.
Puritan reforms, 310.
Ravenscroft Collection, 312.
Redemption, 26, 98.
Reed, Daniel, 327.
Remenyi, 78.
Requiem (Manzoni), 27, 303.
Requiem (Mozart), 236.
Requiems, 26, 27.
Rheinthaler, 26.
Richter, Jean Paul, 273.
Root, George F., 328.
Rose of Sharon, 192.
Rossini, 222, 303, 307;
life of, 251.
Rubinstein, 26;
life of, 258.
Sacred dramas, 13, 14.
Sacred Music in America, 309.
Saint-Saens, 26, 267.
Salieri, 23, 168, 177.
Samson, 22, 131.
Sarti, 30.
Saul, 21, 125.
Scarlatti, 16.
Schneider, 24.
Schubert, 23, 91, 273.
Schumann, 25, 60, 78, 79, 81;
life of, 271.
Schuetz, 18.
Seasons, 22, 170.
Sebastiani, 19.
Shaw, Oliver, 327.
Spohr, 23, 26, 52, 91;
life of, 280.
St. John Passion, 20.
St. John the Baptist, 201.
St. Matthew Passion, 20, 24, 39.
St. Paul, 25, 208.
St. Peter, 26, 246.
Stabat Mater (Dvorak), 28, 92.
Stabat Mater (Rossini), 28, 253.
Stabat Maters, 27.
Stephani, 18.
Sternhold and Hopkins, 311, 313.
Stradella, 16, 17.
Sullivan, 30, 290.
Swan, Timothy, 327.
Symmes, Thomas, 317.
Tansur and Williams, 320.
Te Deums, 28, 29.
Telemann, 20.
Thalberg, 258.
The Bleeding and Dying Jesus, 19.
Theile, 19.
Theodora, 22.
Thomas, Theodore, 80, 99, 192, 246, 269, 291.
Tower of Babel, 26, 260.
Tufts, John, 319.
Verdi, 256;
life of, 301.
Victor Hugo, 69, 178.
Vittoria, 27.
Von Buelow, 179, 307.
Wagner, 65, 83, 179, 186, 268, 282.
Walter, Thomas, 320.
Weber, 281.
Weniawski, 259.
Winter, 23.
Woman of Samaria, 26, 62.
Woodbury, 328.
Zingarelli, 23.
UPTON'S MUSICAL HANDBOOKS.
UNIFORM IN STYLE.
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II.
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III.
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IV.
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A Handbook. 12mo, yellow edges, $1.50; extra gilt, gilt edges, $2.00.
THE STANDARD OPERAS. Their Plots, their Music, and their Composers. By
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the present time. The scenery is new to most readers; the historical
period covered one of transcendent interest; the characters, the
incidents, the narrative style in each story are of the sort to carry
the reader straight through, from beginning to end, unwearied, and
ready, as each volume closes, to open the next in order."
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, post-paid, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
FAMILIAR TALKS ON ENGLISH LITERATURE. A Manual embracing the Great Epochs
of English Literature, from the English conquest of Britain, 449, to the
death of Walter Scott, 1832. By Abby Sage Richardson, Fourth edition,
revised. Price $1.50.
The Boston Transcript says:
"The work shows thorough study and excellent judgment, and we can
warmly recommend it to schools and private classes for reading as an
admirable text-book."
The New York Evening Mail says:
"What the author proposed to do was to convey to her readers a clear
idea of the variety, extent, and richness of English literature.... She
has done just what she intended to do, and done it well."
The New York Nation says:
"It is refreshing to find a book designed for young readers which seeks
to give only what will accomplish the real aim of the study; namely, to
excite an interest in English literature, cultivate a taste for what is
best in it, and thus lay a foundation on which they can build after
reading."
Prof. Moses Coit Tyler says:
"I have had real satisfaction in looking over the book. There are some
opinions with which I do not agree; but the main thing about the book
is a good thing; namely, its hearty, wholesome love of English
literature, and the honest, unpretending, but genial and
conversational, manner in which that love is uttered. It is a charming
book to read, and it will breed in its readers the appetite to read
English literature for themselves."
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, post-paid, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
TALES OF ANCIENT GREECE. By the Rev. Sir G. W. Cox, Bart., M.A., Trinity
College, Oxford.
12mo, cloth, price, $1.25.
"Written apparently for young readers, it yet possesses a charm of
manner which will recommend it to all."--_The Examiner, London._
"It is only when we take up such a book as this that we realize how
rich in interest is the mythology of Greece."--_Inquirer,
Philadelphia._
"Admirable in style, and level with a child's comprehension. These
versions might well find a place in every family."--_The Nation, New
York._
"The author invests these stories with a charm of narrative entirely
peculiar. The book is a rich one in every way."--_Standard, Chicago._
"In Mr. Cox will be found yet another name to be enrolled among those
English writers who have vindicated for this country an honorable rank
in the investigation of Greek history."--_Edinburgh Review._
"It is doubtful if these tales--antedating history in their origin, and
yet fresh with all the charms of youth to all who read them for the
first time--were ever before presented in so chaste and popular
form."--_Golden Rule, Boston._
"The grace with which these old tales of the mythology are re-told
makes them as enchanting to the young as familiar fairy tales or the
'Arabian Nights.'... We do not know of a Christmas book which promises
more lasting pleasures."--_Publishers' Weekly._
"Its exterior fits it to adorn the drawing-room table, while its
contents are adapted to the entertainment of the most cultivated
intelligence.... The book is a scholarly production, and a welcome
addition to a department of literature that is thus far quite too
scantily furnished."--_Tribune, Chicago._
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
SHORT HISTORY OF FRANCE, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. By Miss E. S. Kirkland, author
of "Six Little Cooks," "Dora's House-keeping," &c.
12mo, cloth, price, $1.25.
"A very ably written sketch of French history, from the earliest times
to the foundation of the existing Republic."--_Cincinnati Gazette._
"The narrative is not dry on a single page, and the little history may
be commended as the best of its kind that has yet
appeared."--_Bulletin, Philadelphia._
"A book both instructive and entertaining. It is not a dry compendium
of dates and facts, but a charmingly written history."--_Christian
Union, New York._
"After a careful examination of its contents, we are able to
conscientiously give it our heartiest commendation. We know no
elementary history of France that can at all be compared with
it."--_Living Church._
"A spirited and entertaining sketch of the French people and
nation,--one that will seize and hold the attention of all bright boys
and girls who have a chance to read it."--_Sunday Afternoon,
Springfield (Mass.)._
"We find its descriptions universally good, that it is admirably simple
and direct in style, without waste of words or timidity of opinion. The
book represents a great deal of patient labor and conscientious
study."--_Courant, Hartford (Conn.)._
"Miss Kirkland has composed her 'Short History of France' in the way in
which a history for young people ought to be written; that is, she has
aimed to present a consecutive and agreeable story, from which the
reader can not only learn the names of kings and the succession of
events, but can also receive a vivid and permanent impression as to the
characters, modes of life, and the spirit of different periods."--_The
Nation, New York._
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
LAUREL-CROWNED TALES.
Abdallah; or, The Four-Leaved Shamrock. By Edouard Laboulaye. Translated
by Mary L. Booth.
Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia. By Samuel Johnson.
Raphael; or, Pages of the Book of Life at Twenty. From the French of
Alphonse de Lamartine.
The Vicar of Wakefield. By Oliver Goldsmith.
The Epicurean. By Thomas Moore.
Picciola. By X. B. Saintine.
An Iceland Fisherman. By Pierre Loti.
_Other volumes in preparation._
Handsomely printed from new plates, on fine laid paper, 12mo, cloth,
with gilt tops, price per volume, $1.00.
In half calf or half morocco, $2.50.
In planning this series, the publishers have aimed at a form which
should combine an unpretentious elegance suited to the fastidious
book-lover with an inexpensiveness that must appeal to the most
moderate buyer.
It is the intent to admit to the series only such tales as have for
years or for generations commended themselves not only to the
fastidious and the critical, but also to the great multitude of the
refined reading public,--tales, in short, which combine purity and
classical beauty of style with perennial popularity.
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
THE BOOK-LOVER. A Guide to the Best Reading. By James Baldwin, Ph.D.
Sixth edition, 16mo, cloth, gilt top, 201 pages. Price, $1.00.
In half calf or half morocco, $2.75.
Of this book, on the best in English Literature, which has already been
declared of the highest value by the testimony of the best critics in
this country, an edition of one thousand copies has just been ordered
for London, the home of English Literature,--a compliment of which its
scholarly western author may justly be proud.
We know of no work of the kind which gives so much useful information
in so small a space.--_Evening Telegram, New York._
Sound in theory and in a practical point of view. The courses of
reading laid down are made of good books, and in general, of the
best.--_Independent, New York._
Mr. Baldwin has written in this monograph a delightful eulogium of
books and their manifold influence, and has gained therein two classes
of readers,--the scholarly class, to which he belongs, and the
receptive class, which he has benefited.--_Evening Mail and Express,
New York._
If a man needs that the love of books be cultivated within him, such a
gem of a book as Dr. Baldwin's ought to do the work. Perfect and
inviting in all that a book ought outwardly to be, its contents are
such as to instruct the mind at the same time that they answer the
taste, and the reader who goes carefully through its two hundred pages
ought not only to love books in general better than he ever did before,
but to love them more wisely, more intelligently, more
discriminatingly, and with more profit to his own soul.--_Literary
World, Boston._
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A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
WE TWO ALONE IN EUROPE. By Mary L. Ninde. Illustrated from Original
Designs.
12mo, 348 pages, price, $1.50.
The foreign travels which gave rise to this volume were of a novel and
perhaps unprecedented kind. Two young American girls started for "the
grand tour" with the father of one of them, and he being compelled to
return home from London they were courageous enough to continue their
journeyings alone. They spent two years in travel,--going as far north
as the North Cape and south to the Nile, and including in their
itinerary St. Petersburg and Moscow. Miss Ninde's narrative is written
in a fresh and sprightly but unsensational style, which, with the
unusual experiences portrayed, renders the work quite unlike the
ordinary books of travel.
It is a narrative told so naturally and so vividly that the two gentle
travellers do not seem to be "alone," but to have taken at least the
reader along with them.... It is filled with so many interesting
glimpses of sights and scenes in many lands as to render it thoroughly
entertaining.--_The Congregationalist, Boston._
As the work of a bright American girl, the book is sure to command wide
attention. The volume is handsomely bound and copiously illustrated
with views drawn, if we mistake not, by the author's own fair hands, so
well do they accord with the vivacious spirit of her
narrative.--_Times, Troy, New York._
In these days when letters and books about travels in Europe have
become generally monotonous, to say the least, it is absolutely
refreshing to get hold of a bright, original book like "We Two alone in
Europe."... The book is especially interesting for its fresh, bright
observations on manners, customs, and objects of interest as viewed
through these young girls' eyes, and the charming spice of adventure
running through it.--_Home Journal, Boston._
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
THE HUMBLER POETS. A Collection of Newspaper and Periodical Verse. 1870
to 1885. By Slason Thompson. Crown 8vo, 459 pages, cloth, gilt top.
Price, $2.00.
In half calf or half morocco, $4.00.
The publishers have done well in issuing this volume in a style of
literary and artistic excellence, such as is given to the works of the
poets of name and fame, because the contents richly entitle it to such
distinction.--_Home Journal, Boston._
The high poetic character of these poems, as a whole, is surprising. As
a unit, the collection makes an impression which even a genius of the
highest order would not be adequate to produce.... Measured by poetic
richness, variety, and merit of the selections contained, the
collection is a rarely good one flavored with the freshness and aroma
of the present time.--_Independent, New York._
Mr. Thompson winnowed out the chaff from the heap, and has given us the
golden grain in this volume. Many old newspaper favorites will be
recognized in this collection,--many of those song-waifs which have
been drifting up and down the newspaper world for years, and which
nobody owns but everybody loves. We are glad for ourselves that some
one has been kind and tender-hearted enough to take in these fugitive
children of the Muses and give them a safe and permanent home. The
selection has been made with rare taste and discrimination, and the
result is a delightful volume.--_Observer, New York._
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A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, By the Hon. Isaac N. Arnold. With Steel
Portrait. 8vo, cloth, 471 pages. Price, $1.50.
In half calf or half morocco, $3.50.
It is decidedly the best and most complete Life of Lincoln that has yet
appeared.--_Contemporary Review, London._
Mr. Arnold succeeded to a singular extent in assuming the broad view
and judicious voice of posterity and exhibiting the greatest figure of
our time in its true perspective.--_The Tribune, New York._
It is the only Life of Lincoln thus far published that is likely to
live,--the only one that has any serious pretensions to depict him with
adequate veracity, completeness, and dignity.--_The Sun, New York._
The author knew Mr. Lincoln long and intimately, and no one was better
fitted for the task of preparing his biography. He has written with
tenderness and fidelity, with keen discrimination, and with graphic
powers of description and analysis.--_The Interior, Chicago._
Mr. Arnold's "Life of President Lincoln" is excellent in almost every
respect.... The author has painted a graphic and life-like portrait of
the remarkable man who was called to decide on the destinies of his
country at the crisis of its fate.--_The Times, London._
The book is particularly rich in incidents connected with the early
career of Mr. Lincoln; and it is without exception the most
satisfactory record of his life that has yet been written. Readers will
also find that in its entirety it is a work of absorbing and enduring
interest that will enchain the attention more effectually than any
novel.--_Magazine of American History, New York._
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
THE AZTECS. Their History, Manners, and Customs. From the French of
Lucien Biart. Authorized translation by J. L. Garner.
Illustrated, 8vo, 340 pages, price, $2.00.
The author has travelled through the country of whose former glories
his book is a recital, and his studies and discoveries leaven the book
throughout. The volume is absorbingly interesting, and is as attractive
in style as it is in material.--_Saturday Evening Gazette, Boston._
Nowhere has this subject been more fully and intelligently treated than
in this volume, now placed within reach of American readers. The
mythology of the Aztecs receives special attention, and all that is
known of their lives, their hopes, their fears, and aspirations finds
record here.--_The Tribune, Chicago._
The man who can rise from the study of Lucien Biart's invaluable work,
"The Aztecs," without feelings of amazement and admiration for the
history and the government, and for the arts cultivated by these Romans
of the New World is not to be envied.--_The Advance, Chicago._
The twilight origin of the present race is graphically presented: those
strange people whose traces have almost vanished from off the face of
the earth again live before us. Their taxes and tributes, their
marriage ceremonies, their burial customs, laws, medicines, food,
poetry, and dances are described.... The book is a very interesting
one, and is brought out with copious illustrations.--_The Traveller,
Boston._
M. Biart is the most competent authority living on the subject of the
Aztecs. He spent many years in Mexico, studied his subject carefully
through all means of information, and wrote his book from the
view-point of a scientist. His style is very attractive, and it has
been very successfully translated. The general reader, as well as all
scholars, will be much taken with the work.--_Chronicle Telegraph,
Pittsburg._
_Sold by all booksellers, or mailed, on receipt of price, by_
A.C. McCLURG & CO., Publishers,
Cor. Wabash Ave. and Madison St., Chicago.
Transcriber's Notes to the Electronic Edition
In the name "Dvorak", the caron over the "R" and the diacrit over the
"V" have been omitted. On the other hand, an accent has been consistently
applied to the "a".
The publisher's catalog and ads were moved to the back of the book,
and assigned arbitrary page numbers. In the original, they were not
numbered.
The (few) footnotes were moved to chapter ends; in the original they
were in page footers.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Standard Oratorios, by George P. Upton