1580 (?)--1630
In considering the careers and works of the first five musicians on my
list of twelve, I have, it is true, been treating of men whose names
are to be found in all musical histories. But of the next name on my
list I am able to say I am on comparatively new ground. There is
nothing so surprising to me as the universal neglect--nay, I may even
use the word disdain--with which musical historians of many periods
have treated the name of Richard Deering. In common with most people
of my own age I knew very little about this composer, and certainly in
common with, I venture to say, all my contemporaries, I never heard a
note of his music until a few years ago.
The story of my awakening to the real merits of this admirable composer
is simple. Looking over the music in the Chapter Library at
Westminster, I found among many fine collections of Madrigals--original
copies, mostly published in the 16th and early part of the 17th
centuries--two sets of Latin Motets in 5 and 6 parts by {51} Richard
Deering. They were bound up in covers made out of an illuminated MS.
On looking at the bindings, our late Dean, Dr Armitage Robinson (always
interested in the Library, and also, I may add, in my musical
researches) found that they were part of the Wedding Service of the
fourteenth century. The binding was promptly taken off, the Deering
books rebound, and handed on to me. I proceeded to score some of the
first book--published in 1617--and had not done many bars before it was
plain I was indeed about to unearth a treasure. Full of beautiful
Harmony and Contrapuntal devices with examples of melodic progressions,
new and original, these works were speedily brought to a hearing at my
Gresham Lectures, and, with as little delay as possible, edited (with
English translations), published, and introduced into the Abbey
Services. Since then many Cathedrals and great Churches have used
them. The Bach Choir has performed some of them, and Deering's fame
has, I hope, been re-established!
I may say, before proceeding to give details of Deering's career, that
nearly a hundred years ago an effort was made by a musical amateur to
get these Motets scored. By a curious chance I have come into the
possession of letters which passed between the owner of copies of these
fine things {52} and Mr Sale of Westminster Abbey. The owner was the
Rev Thomas Streatfeild, Vicar of Chart Edge, a well-known Kentish
antiquary, and he came into possession--probably at a sale of some of
the old Deering books--of a set of parts of these Motets. He applied
to Mr Sale (a very prominent member of the musical profession, a
Lay-Vicar of Westminster Abbey and a principal singer at the "Ancient
Concerts") to get these Motets scored for him. A letter from Sale's
daughter apologizes for delay, and says "her father does not think it
will be worth while to go to any great expense, as he has tried some
parts of it (_i.e._ the music of the Motets) with some who are used to
and admire that ancient style of music and they do not form a very high
opinion of it!" Curiously enough, a few bars in score of one of the
most beautiful Motets was enclosed with a note from a copyist saying
that it would take much time and be very expensive. So Deering's
Motets were laid to rest again for nearly 100 years. I may add Mr Sale
was the music instructor to Queen Victoria when she was a child.
Mr Streatfeild's copies of the 1617 Motets (_uncut!_) were sold (at his
death) by auction, and fetched L4 16s. 0d.
The neglect of Deering is certainly extraordinary. He was, as usual,
absurdly criticized {53} by Dr Burney, who spoke of his music as "very
sober, innocent, psalmodic, dry, and uninteresting," and further he
"was never able to discern in any of his works a single stroke of
genius, either in his melody or modulation." And Sir Frederick Ouseley
actually writes of his style as "severe and correct, but very dry"!
These verdicts amaze me! They are absolutely untrue, at least as
regards Deering's great works, his Motets. I question if Burney or
Ouseley ever heard one of them. They may have founded their opinion
upon some of his less important works, published by Playford some 30 or
40 years after Deering's death, which Playford himself does not vouch
for as being certainly by Deering. And, as regards Deering's Fancies,
I can hardly believe either Burney or Ouseley had any real knowledge of
them, for one which I produced at a University Lecture in 1912 was of a
high order of merit.
That Deering was appreciated at his proper value by his contemporaries
is apparent from the way in which Peacham, in his _Compleat Gentleman_
(1622) couples his name with others "for depth of skill and quickness
of concept." Almost the only bit of information which historians tell
us is that "Cromwell was very fond of his music," and that John
Kingston, the {54} organist, with two of his boys, often sang Deering's
music to the Protector. The mention of "two boys" points to the
Two-part Motets as being the music performed--not, of course, to the
Motets for five or six voices. Mace in his _Musick's Monument_ (1676)
mentions Deering's _Gloria Patri_ and other of his Latin settings.