+John Liptrot Hatton+, born 1809 at Margate, wrote an overture and
incidental music for _Henry VIII._, dedicated to Mrs Charles Kean, and
performed at the Princess's. The overture begins with a slow
introduction of a sugary type, followed by a very obvious _allegro_.
The themes here are not of much value, and the development does not
invest them with any great interest. There is no attempt at character
drawing, and the only things standing out in the overture, except its
dullness, are a few scale passages for the bells. The first
_entr'acte_ is called "A Maske-dance," interrupted at intervals by
Henry's love-song to Anne Boleyn. The dance part has a strange
likeness to a number by Edward German, but the trio episodes
representing Henry's love-making are quite sad and sentimental. The
number ends with the dance music. The next section is headed
"Shakespeare's Favourite Tune" (Lightie Love Ladies), and old dances,
and opens with a bright country dance called "Wolsey's Wild," followed
by another six-eight country dance, "Sellinger's Round," very graceful,
with again a dash of Edward German. This is followed by a rather
contrapuntal arrangement of the well-known old morris-dance, and the
whole movement finishes with "Lightie Love Ladies," said by the
publishers and Hatton to be "Shakespeare's favourite tune." It is a
broad, simple melody, flowing in style, and, for all I know, may have
been Shakespeare's favourite tune; but I cannot trace it in any
Shakespeare reference book. The next _entr'acte_ is a prelude and air
with variations. The air {43} and variations, five in number, are made
after the fashion of Mendelssohn's works in the same form, though
simple. There is nothing outstanding about the whole movement. The
third and fourth _entr'actes_ are both marches: the first in the minor,
the second in the major key. Both are good working marches with the
regular trios, and call for no comment.
The setting of "Orpheus with his lute" is interesting. It is written
for soprano and contralto; it was first sung by the Misses Broughton,
two celebrated artists. The composer, in the phrasing of the first two
lines, actually makes sense of them--a very rare thing to happen to the
musician setting these words; but afterwards he falls from grace. With
only a fair number of repetitions he gets to the end of the second
verse, but then goes back to the first, and finishes at the end of it,
utterly failing to see how right Fletcher or Shakespeare was in
concluding with the perfect lines, "Killing care and grief of heart,
fall asleep or hearing die."
Sir Henry Irving showed good judgment in commissioning +Edward German+
to write the music for his great revival of _Henry VIII_. The composer
took full advantage of his opportunity, and the music for this play
contains certainly the most popular numbers that Mr German has ever
composed. I need hardly say that I mean the famous "Three Dances,"
well known and popular throughout the world. I once heard them in
Germany, under the extraordinary title of "Three German Dances from
Saint Saens's _Henry VIII._," but they were these three all the
same--the Morris Dance, the Shepherd's Dance, and the Torch Dance.
They are too familiar to call for any more attention from me, so I will
pass on to the rest of the music.
The overture is a strong and vigorous work, full of striking themes and
ideas. The first subject is just right for the King, bluff and
overbearing in style, but full of real strength. The second theme in
the relative minor {44} is very pathetic, and in strong contrast to the
first. Then comes a third subject, a very decided march tune, which is
used later on in the prelude to Act ii. These themes are all well and
skilfully developed, and the whole overture finishes brilliantly with a
coda on the "Henry VIII." _motif_, the music getting faster and faster
until the end. The prelude to the second act is called "Intermezzo
Funebre," and the opening is exactly in the manner of a funeral march,
while the trio has a very graceful subject. This is beautifully broken
in upon by the funeral theme, which finally wins a very unequal battle.
For the prelude to Act iii. Mr German writes a very pretty, graceful
movement, quite in his own style, full of melody and good musicianship.
The prelude to Act iv. is a march in the conventional form, brilliantly
scored and most effective from an orchestral point of view; but the
ideas do not seem so fresh as those in the remainder of the music, and
the whole gives rather a theatrical effect. Still, it is a very good
march.
The prelude to Act v. is a "Thanksgiving Hymn" for the birth of
Princess, afterwards Queen, Elizabeth, and is good, stirring patriotic
English music; the melodies broad and flowing and the harmonies
diatonic--a perfect "Thanksgiving Hymn," in fact. There is a very
delightful trio for three of the Queen's ladies (words actually from
the play): "Orpheus with his lute." This trio, which was dedicated to
Miss Ellen Terry, who was playing the Queen in this revival, is a
beautiful example of the composer's happy knack of fitting music to
exquisite words, and adding melody and real vocal part-writing. This
number again is very easy to sing, and deserves much greater publicity.
On the whole, Edward German's music to _Henry VIII._ is about the most
successful modern example of English incidental theatre music. There
is, with him, no question of writing down to a theatre audience
(generally very unmusical), but a deep knowledge of the play and a very
useful knowledge of the stage and how music can help it practically.
As performed at the Lyceum, {45} the music was never preponderating,
but was always there and always right at the proper moment; and, of
course, the "Three Dances" are rightly immortal.
+Sir Arthur Sullivan's+ "Incidental Music to _Henry VIII._" in its
published form is much slighter, but I have never heard it in its
entirety. Much of it is still, unfortunately, in manuscript, but those
portions published by Metzler are very interesting. The "Graceful
Dance" is still very popular (it seems strange that dances in this
piece are always winners), and is frequently played in theatres and
restaurants; and the King's song, "Youth will have dalliance," is one
of the composer's best songs. I really ought not to touch on it here,
as Shakespeare was not the author of the words, but the song is so much
associated with the play that I cannot help myself; and even though
Shakespeare did not write the words, Henry VIII. did, and, anyway, he
was in the period. That versatile king, poet, and theologian also
wrote music, and very beautiful music, to his own lyrics. The opening
music in my edition of the score consists of a long fanfare leading up
to a not very dignified march, rather recalling happy old Savoy days
than the Shakespeare or Shakespeare-Fletcher drama. The second theme
is also rather of the cheap variety, and the third is reminiscent of
Rossini; but I am certain that, judging from the high level of
excellence shown in the "Graceful Dance" and "King's Song," much very
beautiful music is hidden away in manuscript. Sullivan's setting of
"Orpheus with his lute" is one of the most beautiful songs in the
English language. It is a very early work of the composer, written
long before the rest of his _Henry VIII._ music. The accompaniment is
strangely reminiscent of Schubert's _Who is Sylvia?_
+Macfarren's+ part-song to the same words is also beautiful, and gives
the words their real meaning when properly sung and phrased. The lyric
is difficult to set, and when set difficult to sing. Most singers give
one the idea that {46} Orpheus made trees with his lute. It is not
always the singer's fault, as several composers give this effect. The
blame is also a little with Shakespeare or Fletcher for separating the
word "trees" so far from the word "bow." Since writing the above, I
hear, on the best authority, that of the late Dr F. J. Furnivall, that
Fletcher undoubtedly wrote the lyric: so to him is due the blame of
misleading simple composers.
{47}