Mr Barclay Squire, in his contribution to the _Book of Homage to
Shakespeare_, 1916, entitled "Shakespearian Operas," says concerning
Julius Caesar: "There are innumerable operas, mostly of the eighteenth
century, on Julius Caesar, as to which Riemann and Clement and Larousse
may be consulted; but it is very doubtful whether any of them are
founded on Shakespeare." I myself went through Handel's opera on the
subject, but when I discovered that Cleopatra had an important part in
the work I put it on one side: I always funk trying to connect a Caesar
and Cleopatra opera with the Shakespeare play. Perhaps Handel was
merely anticipating Bernard Shaw's brilliant _Caesar and Cleopatra_,
but, any way, Handel was not dreaming of Shakespeare's work.
_A List of Songs and Passages in Shakespeare which have been set to
Music_, compiled by Greenhill, Harrison, and F. J. Furnivall, does not
give one line which has been treated musically.
Of incidental music very little remains; Schumann's overture I treat of
later, and von Buelow's I cannot find in the Museum library or anywhere
else; but +Raymond Roze's+ orchestral suite, _Julius Caesar_, based on
the music he composed for Sir Herbert Tree's revival at His Majesty's
on January 22, 1898, is published and easily obtainable.
The overture commences with Caesar's "March Motive," and here is shown
an absolute freedom from Wardour Street Roman music: it is quite as
modern as Mr Roze {48} could be. The next episode appears to be the
Conspirators' Music; it is _agitato_, but of a curious Mendelssohnian
simplicity, and leads to a naive Wagnerian theme, in which the
characteristic slow turn is used with great effect. This runs into the
Caesar march theme _pianissimo_, with harp effects, leading up to a
brilliant coda on the Caesar _motif_, with a moving bass and full
orchestral effects for the close. The prelude to Act ii. is a very
emotional piece of music, sometimes dramatic, often melodramatic, but
always exciting and comfortably away from any thought of the historic
period. The prelude to Act iii. opens with a fine broad theme for the
brass, much of which, curiously enough, might possibly have been played
on trumpets of Caesar's time. After this, Mr Roze naturally takes a
rest from his museum researches, and the rest of the prelude is quite
innocent of anything that would remind a Roman centurion, if he came to
life now, of his past existence: it is most modern in the 1898 manner,
and Professor Ebenezer Prout, had Mr Roze shown him the score, would
probably have told him to "run away and try to be a better boy."
Still, there are excellent points in this music, and I wish that more
of it were published.
+Robert Schumann's+ _Julius Caesar_ overture, Op. 128, is a fine example
of the composer's sonorous and sombre style. Any musician on hearing
it could guess the composer's name at first shot, but I defy anyone to
guess its title. There is no attempt at ancient Roman effects, the
style being much the same as that of his _Manfred_ overture, written
some years earlier.
It opens in the minor key with a strongly marked theme, rather in the
nature of a fanfare; this is followed by a very beautiful Schumannesque
syncopated passage. The second subject, for the horns, is again highly
characteristic of the composer; the whole work finishes very
brilliantly in the major.
I cannot see any connection between this work and Shakespeare's play,
the overture having quite a happy {49} ending; but perhaps it
represents an early phase in Caesar's life before he met too many "lean
and hungry" men. The whole piece is most effective on the orchestra,
in Schumann's own particular way, which I like, but most modern critics
heartily dislike. It is very seldom performed, but I should much like
to hear it in front of a production of the play.
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