Handel was at this period in circumstances by no means flourishing, his
operatic enterprises having failed. Mattheson's request came therefore
at a very inopportune time, since it would have been only painful to
Handel to occupy his mind with recollections of events of his earlier
life, and with the record of expectations which he now found were not to
be realized.
It is singular that almost all Handel's letters to Germans which have
been preserved, including those to his brother-in-law in Halle, are
written in French. Besides, they are so extremely formal and
ceremonious, even those to his nearest relations! This may be in great
measure accounted for by the usages of his time, and by the circumstance
of his coming frequently into contact with persons of a higher position
in society than himself. But, however reserved he may appear in his
letters, evidences are not wanting testifying to his kindheartedness and
generosity.
When Mattheson found that it was useless to endeavour to elicit
information direct from Handel for his 'Ehrenpforte,' he compiled a
biography interspersed with recollections of their mutual experiences
during the years of their intercourse in Hamburg. The following extracts
from Mattheson's gossip are translated as literally as possible:--
"In the summer of the year 1703 he came to Hamburg, rich in abilities
and good intentions. I was almost the first acquaintance he made, and I
took him to the organs and choirs of the town, and to operas and
concerts. I also introduced him to a certain family where all were
extremely devoted to music."
In another place Mattheson records that he made Handel's acquaintance
accidentally at the organ of the church of St. Mary Magdalen, and that
he took him at once with him to his father's house, and paid him every
possible attention. Mattheson further relates:--
"At first he played the second violin in the orchestra of the opera, and
seemed as if he could not count above five; in fact, he was naturally
much inclined to dry humour. But, one day, when a harpsichord player was
wanted, he allowed himself to be persuaded to take his place, and showed
himself a man, when no one but I expected it. I am sure if he reads this
he will laugh in his sleeve, for outwardly he seldom laughs. Especially
will he laugh if he recollects the pigeon-dealer who once travelled post
with us to Luebeck; likewise, the son of the pastry-cook who had to blow
the bellows while we were playing the organ in the church of St. Mary
Magdalen of this place. This was on the thirtieth of July, 1703, after
our having been out on the water on the fifteenth."
"He composed at that time very long, long airs, and almost endless
cantatas, which, although the harmonious treatment was perfect,
nevertheless had not the requisite fitness; nor did they exhibit the
proper taste. However, the high school of the opera soon put him on the
right track."
"He was great upon the organ, greater than Kuhnau in fugues and
counterpoint, especially in extemporizing. However, he knew but very
little of melody before he had to do with the operas in Hamburg. On the
other hand, Kuhnau's pieces were all exceedingly melodious, and suited
for the voice, even those arranged for playing. In the preceding century
scarcely any one thought of melody; all aimed merely at harmony."
"At that time he dined almost daily by invitation with my father, and in
return opened to me some particular manoeuvres in counter point. On
the other hand, in dramatic style I have been of no little service to
him; so that one hand washed the other."
"On the seventeenth of August, in the year 1703, we travelled together
to Luebeck, and in the carriage composed many double-fugues, _da mente
non da penna_. I had been invited there by the President of the Privy
Council, Magnus von Wedderkopp, in order to choose a successor for the
excellent organist, Dieterich Buxtehude. I took Handel there with me. We
tried almost all the organs and harpsichords in Luebeck; and, with regard
to our playing, we arranged between ourselves that he should play
exclusively on the organ, and I on the harpsichord. We also heard with
due attention the above-mentioned artist in his St. Mary's Church. But
when we found that a certain marriage, for which neither of us had the
slightest inclination, was a stipulated condition with the appointment,
[the successful candidate had to marry the daughter of Buxtehude] we
departed thence, after having received much honour, and having enjoyed
many entertainments. Johann Christian Schieferdecker subsequently
accommodated himself to the requirements, conducted the bride home, and
obtained the fine appointment."
"In the year 1704, when I was in Holland, intending to proceed to
England, I received in Amsterdam, on the twenty-first of March, a letter
from Handel in Hamburg, so obliging and pressing, that it at once
induced me to return home. The letter, which is dated March 18th, 1704,
contains, among others, these expressions:--
'I much desire your highly agreeable conversation, the privation of
which will soon be repaired, as the time approaches in which it will be
impossible to undertake anything in the way of operas without your
presence. I therefore pray you obediently to inform me of your
departure, that I may have the opportunity of showing my obligation by
meeting you with Miss Sbuelens,' etc., etc."
These extracts from Mattheson's 'Ehrenpforte' are quoted here because
they throw light upon some occurrences alluded to in the remarks with
which Mattheson has interspersed his German translation of Mainwaring's
'Memoirs of the Life of the late George Frederick Handel; to which is
added a Catalogue of his works, and observations upon them; London,
1760.'
Mainwaring was a young clergyman, whose admiration of Handel induced him
to collect as much material for the compilation of a biography as he was
able to obtain. His work, published anonymously a year after Handel's
death, much as it has been disparaged on account of its chronological
inaccuracies and its want of musical erudition, is certainly valuable as
containing the fullest account of Handel's life in England written by a
contemporary of the great musician. Mattheson's German translation, with
annotations, is entitled _Georg Friderich Haendel's Lebensbeschreibung,
nebst einem Verzeichnisse seiner Ausuebungswerke und deren Beurtheilung;
uebersetzt, auch mit einigen Anmerkungen, absonderlich ueber den
hamburgischen Artikel, versehen von Legations-Rath Mattheson. Hamburg.
Auf Kosten des Uebersetzers_, 1761. ('George Frederick Handel's
Biography, with a list of his Compositions, and a critical examination
of them; translated, and annotated with some remarks, especially upon
the part relating to Hamburg, by Mattheson, Councillor of Legation.
Hamburg. Published at the expense of the translator, 1761.') The book is
now scarce. Victor Schoelcher, in his 'Life of Handel,' London, 1857,
notices it only with the remark: "My endeavours have hitherto been in
vain to obtain a copy of this in Germany, and it is not to be found in
the British Museum." At any rate, it is not likely to be known to many
English musicians. A translation of Mattheson's annotations is therefore
offered here.
As regards the Introduction with which Mattheson has prefaced his
translation, it is so diffuse, and contains so little about Handel, that
few musicians now would care to read it entirely. It is headed by a
quotation in English, from the _Tatler_ (No. 92):--"_Panegyricks are
frequently ridiculous, let them be addressed where they will._"
Mattheson aims more at impressing the reader with his own merits than
with those of Handel. He says, for instance: "In describing an artist's
life, it is not sufficient to represent the man only as an artist; the
artist must rather be considered also as a man; for thus only can his
merits be properly understood. However, no one is able to know or to do
everything in his vocation. Thus, in music, one performer excels on the
organ-pedals, while another surpasses him on the harpsichord. The first
may be called coarse; the second, delicate. The first may be only
appreciated by connoisseurs; the second, by everyone. A company of
artists--if any such exists--is like a bunch of different keys. No one
of these is to be extolled before the other but only in so far as it
opens an important lock which encloses a treasure. One musician is not
only a player, but also a singer; another never opens his mouth to
sing--nay, not even to laugh. The former, besides being able to compose,
to sing, to play, and to dance, acts a principal character on the stage;
the latter, with his quantity of musical scores, has taken care not to
appear upon the boards of the theatre. Indeed, he would have cut a funny
figure had he done so. Here, some one who occupies himself with music,
and also with various sciences, in a superior manner, works at the same
time for kings and princes; there some one employs his gifts principally
in the service and for the amusement of the subjects. From this it is
clear that each in his particular line may deserve honour and laudation;
not properly on account of his person, but on account of his
achievements.... No mere _Musicus practicus ecclesiastico-dramaticus_,
who took a high rank as a director of the orchestra, and a still higher
rank as an organist, but who was neither a singer nor an actor, and
least of all a mathematician--has ever, before Handel, attained to this,
that without his help a special book of a considerable size on his life
has been written, and supplied with instructive observations--still
more, that his biography has been translated into another language by a
brother-artist by no means of the common class. Competing successors do
not feel hurt by these stimulating spurs!"
In order to render the following annotations by Mattheson properly
intelligible, the statements of Mainwaring to which they refer are
inserted with them. The latter are copied exactly as they were
originally written; while Mattheson's annotations are translated from
the German.
_Mainwaring_ (P. 1). "George Frederick Handel was born at Hall,[3] a
city in the circle of Upper-Saxony, the 24th February, 1684,[4] by a
second wife of his father, who was an eminent surgeon and physician of
the same place, and above sixty when his son was born."
_Mattheson._ "The author is wrong in calling Halle a town of
Upper-Saxony. It lies in the Dukedom of Magdeburg, which belongs to
Lower-Saxony. Handel was, therefore, no Upper-Saxon, but rather a
Lower-Saxon."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 6). "It may not be unpleasant to the reader just now to
remind him of the minute and surprising resemblance between the early
periods of Handel's life and some which are recorded in that of the
celebrated M. Pascal, written by his sister. Nothing could equal the
bias of the one to Mathematics but the bias of the other to Music; both
in their very childhood out-did the efforts of maturer age; they pursued
their respective studies not only without any assistance, but against
the consent of their parents, and in spite of all the opposition they
contrived to give them."
_Mattheson._ "Almost the same was the case with Tycho Brahe, and with
the translator of this biography, each in his vocation."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 15). "Zackaw [Zachau] was proud of a pupil who already
began to attract the attention of all persons who lived near Hall
[Halle], or resorted thither from distant quarters. And he was glad of
an assistant who, by his uncommon talents, was capable of supplying his
place whenever he had an inclination to be absent, as he often was, from
his love of company and a cheerful glass."
_Mattheson._ "Could not the life of Handel have been written without
aspersing the brave tone-artist Zachau forty years after his death on
account of a glass of wine?"
_Mainwaring_ (P. 15). "It may seem strange to talk of an assistant of
seven years of age, for he could not be more, if indeed he was quite so
much, when first he was committed to the care of this person."
_Mattheson._ "The author appears to have not the least scruple in
committing the most palpable anachronism by making his hero the younger
the taller he grows. This will presently appear evident."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 16). "We have already hinted at some striking
coincidences of life and character which are found in him and the famous
Pascal. In this place we may just observe that the latter at the age of
twelve compos'd a treatise on the propagation of sounds, and at sixteen
another upon conic sections."
_Mattheson._ "But it must be remembered that afterwards he entirely gave
up mathematics. _See_ Bayle."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 18). "It was in the year 1698 that he went to Berlin.
The opera there was in a flourishing condition under the direction of
the King of Prussia (grandfather of the present), who, by the
encouragement which he gave to singers and composers, drew thither some
of the most eminent from Italy and other parts."
_Mattheson._ "Anno 1698 there was no King in Prussia; the first dated
from 1701. Handel has, therefore, seen no king in Berlin. That the
author is as bad a genealogist and politician as he is a chronologist,
is proved by his mistaking the grandfather of the present king for the
father, and by his always mentioning the then reigning Elector as the
King."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 20). "Attilio's fondness for Handel commenced at his
first coming to Berlin, and continued to the time of his leaving it. He
would often take him on his knee, and make him play on his harpsichord
for an hour together, equally pleased and surprised with the
extraordinary proficiency of so young a person; for at this time he
could not exceed thirteen, as may easily be seen by comparing dates."
_Mattheson._ "He was born anno 1684.[5] He arrived in Berlin anno 1698.
Even if the various occurrences with Buononcini and Attilio, with the
Elector and his court, took only a few hours--nay, even if they are not
taken into account at all, there are still at least fourteen years. One
should think that he was much above seven years when Ariosti (Attilio)
took him on his lap."[6]
_Mainwaring_ (P. 31). "Before we advance any farther in his history, it
is necessary some account should be given of the opera at Hamburg, as
well as some character of the composer and singers. The principal
singers were Conratini and Mathyson. The latter was secretary to Sir
Cyril Wych, who was resident for the English court, had Handel for his
music-master, and was himself a fine player on the harpsichord. Mathyson
was no great singer, for which reason he sung only occasionally; but he
was a good actor, a good composer of lessons, and a good player on the
harpsichord. He wrote and translated several treatises. One that he
wrote was on composition. He had thoughts of writing the life of Handel
many years before his death. Had he pursued this design, he would have
had advantages beyond what we can pretend to, _i. e._, ampler and
fresher materials; at least, for so much of the life as had then
elapsed. All that is here intended, is to give a plain, artless account
of such particulars as we have been able to learn, and such only as we
have reason to believe authentic."
_Mattheson._ "This whole story, with everything subsequently recorded
about the operas in Hamburg, is so full of errors that one can scarcely
rectify them. The Conradin (not Conratini) possessed almost perfect
beauty, and had withal an extraordinary splendid voice, which extended
in equal power from [Music: 'A' below the treble staff] to [Music: 'D'
above the treble staff]. This gave her claim to be the principal singer.
Mattheson (not Mathyson) instructed her for several years; _i. e._, he
sung everything to her daily until she could retain it in her memory. At
that time no gentleman was called a great singer unless he had a soprano
voice, and such a gentleman we did not possess. An inferior teacher
would certainly have been of no use to the Conradin. It is ridiculous to
say of Mattheson that he sang only occasionally, considering that he was
fifteen years at the theatre, that he acted almost always the principal
character, exciting his audience by means of his unaffected singing as
well as by his mimic art, which is of the utmost importance in opera,
sometimes fear and terror, sometimes tears, sometimes merriment and
delight. On the 9th of June, 1703, he made Handel's acquaintance at an
organ, when Handel was 19-1/4 years old, and Mattheson 21-3/4, so that
the difference in age amounted only to two years and a half.[7] On the
17th of August, in the same year, they travelled together to Luebeck, and
played in that town, as well as in Hamburg, on the organ and
harpsichord, so to say in emulation, in which Handel proved himself the
most successful on the former instrument, but acknowledged himself
obliged to yield the palm to his rival on the latter instrument; so that
they made a compact together never to encroach upon each other's ground.
This they have also faithfully kept during five or six years. On the
20th of October, Mattheson brought out his fifth, or sixth opera, called
Cleopatra, on which occasion Handel played the harpsichord under the
direction of the former. Soon afterwards, on the 7th of November in the
same year, Sir John Wich,[8] Knight, Royal Ambassador of Great Britain,
engaged Mattheson as teacher and tutor for his son Cyril Wich, nine
years old; and soon afterwards he made him his Secretary, with a salary
of three hundred Reichsthaler, and two hundred _ditto_ perquisites _per
annum_. This gave occasion for jealous looks, especially as he now bid
farewell to the theatre. Thus, after a secure foundation had been laid,
the progress was very perceptible. True, the young master Wich had
already had a few very unimportant lessons from Handel; they did not
give satisfaction; the tutor was therefore appealed to, and under his
guidance the young gentleman attained, in the course of time, a high
degree of perfection. He succeeded his father, after the death of the
latter, and obtained in 1729 the hereditary dignity of a Baronet.
Mattheson always remained in royal service, was twelve or thirteen times
'Charge des Affaires,' was employed on important missions, etc.,--as has
already been circumstantially recorded in the 'Ehrenpforte,' published
in 1740. At last, after the lapse of fifty years, the highly-meritorious
Baronet departed to a better world on the 18th of August, when he had
just returned from an embassy to Russia. If the author of the present
biography had consulted Mattheson's books, especially the
above-mentioned 'Ehrenpforte,' and the 'Critica Musica,' which are
_publici juris_, he would not have been devoid of authentic materials.
Under those favourable conditions the though not _great_ yet formerly
_principal_ singer and actor composed, notwithstanding all diplomatic
and pressing dispatches in the whole district of Lower-Saxony, not only
a great number of sacred pieces for the Church, but oratorios, operas,
and music for the harpsichord and other instruments, which cannot be
unknown in England. Besides he was occupied as Kapellmeister of the Duke
of Holstein, as Canonicus et Cantor Cathedralis Hamburgensis, and as
director of several grand concerts; he wrote not _one_, but _eighty-six_
books, most of which treat profoundly of the theory of music and the art
of singing. Furthermore, when the St. Michael's Church was burnt down,
he contributed some forty thousand marks for a new organ, paid the money
in advance, and intends to do more _per codicillum_ in different ways.
His life, led in the fear of God, extends now to the eightieth year, in
cheerfulness and useful works. For the sake of truth this is here
inserted."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 32). "Conratini excelled greatly, both as an actress
and as a singer. Keysar[9] did the same as a composer; but, being a man
of gaiety and expence, involved himself in debts, which forced him to
abscond. His operas for some time continued to be performed during his
absence. On his disappearing, the person who before had played the
second harpsichord demanded the first. This occasioned a dispute between
him and Handel, the particulars of which, partly for the sake of their
singularity, and partly on account of their importance, may deserve to
be mentioned. On what reasons Handel grounded his claim to the first
harpsichord I do not understand. He had played a violin in the
orchestra, he had a good command on this instrument, and was known to
have a better on the other. But the older candidate[10] was not unfit
for the office, and insisted on the right of succession. Handel seemed
to have no plea but that of natural superiority, of which he was
conscious, and from which he would not recede. This dispute occasioned
parties in the Opera-house. On the one side it was said, with great
appearance of reason, that to set such a boy as Handel over a person so
much his senior, was both unjust and unprecedented. On the other, it was
urged with some plausibility, that the opera was not to be ruined for
punctilios; that it was easy to foresee, from the difficulties Keysar
was under, that a composer would soon be wanted, but not so easy to find
a person capable of succeeding him, unless it were Handel. In short,
matters, they said, were now at that pass that the question, if fairly
stated, was not who should conduct the opera, but whether there should
be any opera at all. These arguments prevailed; and he to whom the first
place seemed of course to be due, was constrained to yield it to his
stripling competitor. But, how much he felt the indignity may be guessed
from the nature and degree of his resentment, more suited to the
glowing temper of an Italian, than to the phlegmatic constitution of a
German."
_Mattheson._ "He calls the Germans phlegmatic, and a _querelle
allemande_ does not occur to him."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 35). "For, determined to make Handel pay dear for his
priority, he stifled his rage for the present, only to wait an
opportunity to give it full vent. As they were coming out of the
orchestra, he made a push at him with a sword, which, being aimed full
at his heart, would for ever have removed him from the office he had
usurped, but for the friendly _Score_ which he accidentally carried in
his bosom; and through which to have forced it, would have demanded all
the might of Ajax himself. Had this happened in the early ages, not a
mortal but would have been persuaded that Apollo himself had interposed
to preserve him, in the form of a music-book. From the circumstances
which are related of this affair, it has more the appearance of an
assassination than of a rencounter; if the latter, one of Handel's years
might well be wanting the courage, or the skill, to defend himself; if
the former, supposing him capable of making a defence, he could not be
prepared for it. How many great men, in the very dawning of their glory
have been planted, like him, on the very verge of destruction! as if
Fortune, jealous of Nature, made a show of sacrificing her noblest
productions only to remind her of that supremacy to which she aspires.
Whatever might be the merits of the quarrel at first,"----
_Mattheson._ "Here I must again interrupt the subtle reasoner, in order
to show him his confusion, which is even greater and ruder than the
preceding one, since that contained only above a dozen falsehoods, while
we have here double the number. The cause of the quarrel was, indeed,
quite different from what is here related. It was already mentioned long
since, with all possible modesty, in the 'Ehrenpforte,' p. 94 and 193;
but there was then no occasion, as there is now, to remind the reader
that a cool box on the ear is no assassination, but rather a necessary
warning to prepare for defence. This settles the first statement. The
incorrectly-informed author relates a fable rather than a true event.
Never, so long as can be remembered, have two harpsichords been played
together in the orchestra of the opera in Hamburg at the same time; and
as there has always been but one, a dispute about it, as narrated, could
not possibly have occurred. Now, as to this dispute is attributed the
origin of the fight, the remainder of the invention falls with it to the
ground. There we have the second blunder. Subsequently erroneous
statements are so frequent that it is scarcely possible to count them.
Handel, in the beginning, played only the second violin in the
orchestra; and he was, as may easily be conceived, not a more
accomplished performer on that instrument than any other member of the
orchestra. There we have the third falsehood, which is besides a
boasting untruth. The fray occurred on the 5th of December, 1704.
Handel, whom the biographer insists, as much as is in his power, on
making younger the older he grows, was nearly twenty-one years of
age,[11] tall, strong, broad, and vigorous in body; he was,
consequently, man enough to defend himself, and to make use of the sword
which he had hanging at his side. That is the fourth point, and a strong
one too, which a writer very sensitive of his reputation should
especially bear in mind when he, instead of recording real facts,
indulges in high-flown laudations, and occasions the translator much
unnecessary trouble."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 37). "Whatever might be the merits of the quarrel at
first, Handel seemed now to have purchased his title to precedence by
the dangers he had incurred to support it. What he and his friends
expected, soon happened. From conducting the performance, he became
composer of the opera. Keiser, from his unhappy situation, could no
longer supply the manager, who therefore applied to Handel, and
furnished him with a drama to set. The name of it was Almira, and this
was the first opera which he made. The success of it was so great that
it ran for thirty nights without interruption. He was at this time not
much above fourteen; before he was fifteen he made a second, entitled
Florinda; and soon after, a third, called Nerone; which were heard with
the same applause."
_Mattheson._ "The fifth brag, as to a certain opera having been
performed in Hamburg, with every advantage and good result, thirty times
without intermission, is surely not worth mentioning. The sixth,
however, is even still finer. Let us just analyze it a little. 'Almira'
was performed the first time on the 8th of January, anno 1705. Now, our
chronologist counts from the 24th of February, 1684, when Handel was
born, until the 8th of January, 1705, as a little more than fourteen
years, while the period really is nearly twenty-one years.[12] But he is
not particular about seven years. A fine arithmetician, to be sure!
Mistake No. 7. 'Nero' was not the third of Handel's operas, as our
author erroneously states (mistake No. 8), but the second; and it was
performed for the first time on the 25th of February, in 1705. Thus,
there were only forty-eight days between the two performances; at the
utmost, seven weeks. In the seven weeks there were seven Sundays, seven
Saturdays, fourteen post-days, not to count the St. Mary-days and the
holydays. How is it then possible that the 'Almira' could have been
represented thirty times without interruption? Whoever believes only
half of what this historicus here writes, believes too much. That was
mistake No. 9. The tenth concerns the Florindo as a man, not the
Florinda as a female. Handel's opera called 'Florindo' was not his
second, but his third; and it was performed in 1708, three years after
'Nero.' Meanwhile, Keiser had not only composed a new 'Almira,' as well
as the operas 'Octavia,' 'Lucretia,' 'Fedelta coronata,' 'Masagnello
furioso,' 'Sueno,' 'Genio di Holsatia,' 'Carnival of Venice;' but also
Schieferdecker had brought out his 'Justin'; Gruenwald, his 'Germanicum;'
and Graupner his 'Dido.' In the year 1708, Handel produced another
opera, called 'Daphne,' which was the fourth of those he wrote for
Hamburg, and which appears to be unknown to his biographer, as he omits
it entirely. Has the man not had trustworthy sources for
information?[13] Howbeit, the dozen mistakes is complete, and we merely
remark in addition, that in 1708 Handel was not 15 years of age, but
quite 24. This _error calculi_ may be regarded as a master stroke. Did
we not know with certainty that George Frederick Handel died anno 1759,
on the fourteenth of April, at the age of 76,[14] and we had to rely
upon this blundering prosaic Homer for information respecting our
musical Achilles, he would have remained constantly fifteen years,
perhaps even _imberbis_ until he came to the grave, and our barber in
Hamburg, who every alternate day attended him, during five or six years,
would have gained his money wrongfully. If an Englishman thinks that he
can entertain us with his dreams in his mixture-language, he must be
prepared for an answer from us in our heroic language. We understand him
well, and have learnt his tongue; if he does not understand us, he may
still learn this too.... Having observed Handel during his sojourn in
Hamburg, we leave the celebrated man to the Italians and the English;
but we do not believe that the moon is made of green cheese."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 42). "Four or five years had elapsed from the time of
his coming to Hamburg to that of his leaving it."
_Mattheson._ "Should say five or six."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 42). "Instead of being chargeable to his mother he
began to be serviceable to her before he was well settled in his new
situation. Though he had continued to send her remittances from time to
time, yet, clear of his own expenses, he had made up a purse of 200
ducats. On the strength of this fund he resolved to set out for Italy."
_Mattheson._ "Anno 1709 he was still in Hamburg, but did nothing.[15]
Then there occurred the opportunity of his travelling with Herr von
Binitz to Italy, free of expense; and in 1710 he had his 'Agrippina'
performed at Venice."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 44). "The very first answer of the fugue in the
overture for 'Mucius Scaevola' [an opera by Handel] affords an instance
of this kind [viz., a musical licence]. Geminiani, the strictest
observer of rule, was so charmed with this direct transgression of it
that, on hearing its effect, he cried out _Quel semitono_ (meaning the
F-sharp) _vale un mondo_!"
_Mattheson._ "What does that prove? Nothing!"
_Mainwaring_ (P. 50). "At the age of eighteen he made [at Florence] the
opera of Rodrigo, for which he was presented with 100 sequins and a
service of plate."
_Mattheson._ "Actually an intentional miscalculation of eight years!"
_Mainwaring_ (P. 52). "In three weeks he finished [at Venice] his
'Agrippina,' which was performed twenty-seven nights successively."
_Mattheson._ "In the year 1709, at his departure from Hamburg, Handel
was 25 years old. He resided a year in Florence before he went to
Venice, where he had his 'Agrippina' performed at the theatre of St. Gio
Crisostomo, during the Carnival in 1710. Now, let him calculate who can,
and convince himself whether this makes, from February 24th, 1684,
eighteen years, as our biographer says, or whether it amounts to
twenty-six."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 74). "It was in the winter of the year 1710 when he
arrived at London."
_Mattheson._ "In this year he performed his 'Agrippina' at Venice, and
in 1709 he was still in Hamburg."[16]
_Mainwaring_ (P. 74). "During this period scarce a mail arrived from
Holland which did not bring some fresh accounts of victories or
advantages gained by the English hero [Marlborough] over the armies of a
monarch but lately the terror of Europe, though now the scorn of every
Dutch burgomaster."
_Mattheson._ "What a Frenchman may say to this is his own concern. In
Handel's biography it is lugged in; and such scurrilities reveal an
ignoble heart."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 88). "Our business is not to play the panegyrist but
the historian."
_Mattheson._ "If you know that, blessed are you if you act upon it."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 110). "Having one day some words with Cuzzoni on her
refusing to sing _Falsa imagine_ in 'Ottone': 'Oh! Madame,' Handel said,
'je scais bien que vous etes une veritable diablesse; mais je vous ferai
scavoir, moi, que je suis Beelzebub, le _chef_ des diables!' With this
he took her up by the waist, and swore that if she made any more words
he would fling her out of the window. It is to be noted that this was
formerly one of the methods of executing criminals in some parts of
Germany, a process not unlike that of the Tarpeian rock, and probably
derived from it."
_Mattheson._ "This heroic deed was undoubtedly accomplished unawares.
Who could face such a woman with her claws? The Quixotic story with its
ingenious reference to the Tarpeian rock, and to criminal processes,
testify to the author's extensive reading in law and history. Whoever
can read it without a smile is commendable, especially if he is a
German, better informed and phlegmatic."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 115). "The little taste he [Handel] had already had of
adversity lessened that self-confidence which success is apt to inspire.
He found that it was not the necessary consequence of great abilities,
and that without prudence the greatest may be almost annihilated in the
opinions of men."
_Mattheson._ "To this the British proverb applies: 'Give a man luck and
throw him into the Thames.'"
_Mainwaring_ (P. 116). "He now removed to Covent-garden, and entered
into partnership with Rich, the master of that house. Hasse and Porpora
were the composers at the Haymarket. When the former was invited over,
it is remarkable that the first question he asked was whether Handel was
dead. Being answered in the negative he refused to come, from a
persuasion that where his countryman was--for they were both Saxons by
birth--no other person of the same profession was likely to make any
figure."
_Mattheson._ "This agrees with a remark of mine before made. Hasse was
born in Bergedorf, a small town belonging to Hamburg and Luebeck in
common; he is, therefore, a Lower-Saxon of the highest type.... However,
the reason why these two Saxons did not wish to encroach upon each
other's precincts was a very different one from that indicated by our
biographer."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 132). "Dublin has always been famous for the gaiety and
splendour of its court, the opulence and spirit of its principal
inhabitants, the valour of its military, and the genius of its learned
men. Where such things were held in esteem he [Handel] rightly reckoned
that he could not better pave the way to his success than by setting out
with a striking instance and public act of generosity and benevolence.
The first step that he made was to perform his Messiah for the benefit
of the city-prison."
_Mattheson._ "On a beau etre genereux et liberal, quand il n'en coute
que des chansons, et que d'autres payent les violons; c'est en bon
allemand: _Mit der Wurst nach dem Schinken werfen_ ('To throw the
sausage at the ham')."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 135). "The Foundling Hospital [in London] originally
rested on the slender foundation of private benefactions. At a time when
this institution was yet in its infancy; when all men seemed to be
convinced of its utility; when nothing was at all problematical but the
possibility of supporting it;--Handel formed the noble resolution to
lend his assistance, and perform his Messiah annually for its benefit.
The sums raised by each performance were very considerable, and
certainly of great consequence in such a crisis of affairs. But, what
was of much greater, was the magic of his name and the universal
character of his sacred drama."
_Mattheson._ "Notes were his magic, or his black-art."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 137). "So that it may truly be affirmed that one of the
noblest and most extensive charities that ever was planned by the
wisdom, or projected by the piety of men, in some degree owes its
continuance as well as prosperity to the patronage of Handel."
_Mattheson._ "By this he was not out of pocket; it rather brought him
credit, which is better than money."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 138). "In the year 1751 a gutta serena deprived him of
his sight. This misfortune sunk him for a time into the deepest
despondency. He could not rest until he had undergone some operations as
fruitless as they were painful. Finding it no longer possible for him to
manage alone, he sent to Mr. Smith to desire that he should play for
him, and assist him in conducting the oratorios."
_Mattheson._ "He remained blind until his death,--a period of eight
years. Nothing is said here of a so-called monumental column, and of an
amazingly large property left by Handel, although it has been a subject
of much gossip."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 141). "His incessant and intense application to the
studies of his profession, rendered constant and large supplies of
nourishment the more necessary to recruit his exhausted spirits."
_Mattheson._ "J. Sirach, chap. xxxviii., v. 34; Phil., chap. iii., v.
19."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 142). "The design of the foregoing sheets is only to
give the reader those parts of his character as a Man, that any way tend
to open and explain his character as an Artist."
_Mattheson._ "If this were done, the arts and the manners would exhibit
not unfrequently striking contrasts."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 143). "The author has nothing to add but his sincere
wishes that every artist who is truly deserving in his profession may
meet with a person equally desirous of doing justice to his memory."
_Mattheson._ "This wish is as kind as it is reasonable. It proves the
belief of the author that there must be other people, unknown to him,
who, on account of their arts, deserve quite as much honour as Handel.
Alas! how much pains has the 'Great-Thorough-Bass School' taken to show
this, not to mention the 'Triumphal Arch.'[17] ... Bach, Fux, Graun,
Graupner, Gruenewald, Heinichen, Keiser, etc., have died without
experiencing it; perhaps the same will happen with Hasse, and with
several others."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 149). "A great quantity of music, not mentioned in the
Catalogue, was made [by Handel] in Italy and Germany. How much of it is
yet in being, is not known. Two chests-full were left at Hamburg,
besides some at Hanover, and some at Halle."
_Mattheson._ "We Hamburgians have hitherto heard nothing of those two
chests. In Wich's music-book of the year 1704 are two minuets and half
an air, that is all."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 164). "The generality of mankind have not enough of
delicacy to be much affected with minute instances of beauty, but yet
are so formed as to be transported with every the least mark of grandeur
and sublimity."
_Mattheson._ "That is true."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 165). "The taste in music, both of the Germans and
Italians, is suited to the different characters of the two nations. That
of the first is rough and martial; and their music consists of strong
effects produced, without much delicacy, by the rattle of a number of
instruments."
_Mattheson._ "Surely this is not phlegmatic, as before said."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 174). "However well some of the Italians may have
succeeded in the management of the instrumental parts in their
song-music, there is one point in which Handel stands alone, and in
which he may possibly never be equalled; I mean in the instrumental
parts of his choruses and full church-music."
_Mattheson._ "This is true enough; but it was all derived from Zachau
and his organ-playing. Germany is the fatherland of all powerful
harmony, elaborate compositions for the organ, fugues and chorales, used
in Divine Service. Italy has melody for her daughter, with songstresses,
singers, and very delicate solo-players on violin-instruments to touch
the heart. France produces its magnificent choruses, instrumental
pieces, dance-music, to cheer the heart; and to England we leave the
honour of admiring and recompensing these rarities."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 179). "But how shall we excuse for those instances of
coarseness and indelicacy which occur so frequently in the airs of his
oratorios? For, as the melody is a fundamental and essential part in
vocal music, it should seem that nothing can atone for the neglect of
it. The best painter would be blamed should he draw off the attention
too much from the principal figure in his piece, however perfect, by the
very high and exquisite finishing of some inferior object; but, much
more would he deserve to be blamed if he left that figure the least
finished which all the rules of his art required to be the most so. Now,
in music, though there may sometimes be occasion for giving the
instruments the ascendancy over the voices, yet never should the
song-parts be unmeaning or inexpressive, much less coarse or ordinary."
_Mattheson._ "Golden words! All this, however, is owing to the
circumstance that Handel was neither a singer nor an actor. During a
period of five or six years, when we had daily intercourse with each
other, I never heard a singing tone from his mouth. When Earl Granville
(at that time Lord Carteret) was here in Hamburg, and heard me sing and
also play, he said: 'Handel plays also thus, but he does not sing thus.'
In my opinion singing and acting are of great assistance to a composer
of dramatic music. Hasse knows this well, and has cultivated both
earnestly, _me teste_. Keiser, likewise, sang very admirably. Both have,
therefore, extraordinarily charming melodies."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 202). "In his fugues and overtures, Handel is quite
original. The style of them is peculiar to himself, and in no way like
that of any master before him. In the formation of these pieces,
knowledge and invention seem to have contended for the mastery."
_Mattheson._ "A certain philosopher recently made himself conspicuous by
maintaining that the Fine Arts ought not to be regarded as Sciences,
because their systems are sensuous. Nevertheless, the old adage always
stands firm: _Nihil esse in intellectu quod non prius fuerit in sensu._
Our biographer belongs perhaps to that sect, for he scarcely uses the
word science, even when he refers to the science of music, as on the
present occasion. He always uses only the word _knowledge_ or _skill_.
Perhaps this is unintentional. Thus much, however, is certain: musicians
are in need of literary works, and he who can only write notes, his
honour and reputation are only _vox, practeraque nihil_. On the second
of March, this year [1761,] we had here, in Hamburg, a sale of a large
number of scarce and valuable books on all sciences; but the science of
music was not represented by a single work in the comprehensive
catalogue. That is surely neglect of a science! If any one can show me
that I am mistaken, I shall be happy."
_Mainwaring_ (P. 208). "Little, indeed, are the hopes of ever equalling,
much less of excelling, so vast a proficient in his own way; however, as
there are so many avenues to excellence still open, so many paths to
glory still untrod, it is hoped that the example of this illustrious
foreigner will rather prove an incentive than a discouragement to the
industry and genius of our own countrymen."
_Mattheson._ "Whoever intends to describe accurately the life of Handel,
can hardly do it without a reference to the following books: 'Musica
Critica,' Hamburg, 1722; 'The Musical Patriot,' Hamburg, 1728;
'Ehrenpforte,' Hamburg, 1740."
Mattheson now quotes an extract from a letter of Handel's, dated
February 24th, 1719, which has already been given above;[18] and he
remarks: "To promise, and to fulfil a promise, are two things." He
quotes once more Handel's complimentary letter, also given above,[19]
which evidently afforded him great satisfaction; and he adds: "Even the
most insignificant letters in some degree depict the writer, in
reference to the time and place in which they were written. Horace is
quite right: _Coelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt._"
Some writers have blamed Mattheson very much on account of his vanity
and his jealousy of Handel. Still, it remains a debatable question
whether the conceit of his detractors does not perhaps surpass his own.
It is a common practice with inferior musical authors to assume an air
of superiority, and to endeavour to make themselves important by finding
fault with others who have distinguished themselves in the same field in
which they are labouring, and to whom they ought to be grateful.
Mattheson had not only a better scientific education than most musicians
of his time, but his literary productions are also more readable than
those of his modern commentators who censure him.
[Illustration]
[1] Vol. I., p. 94.
[2] Hawkins's 'History of Music,' Vol. V., p. 253.
[3] Halle.
[4] Should be 1685.
[5] That Handel was born on the 23rd of February, 1685, and not on the
24th of February, 1684, is correctly stated in J. J. Walther's
'Musicalisches Lexicon,' Leipzig, 1732. To settle the uncertainty about
the date, which appears to have arisen chiefly through Mainwaring's
mis-statement, J. J. Eschenburg consulted the Baptismal Register of the
Frauenkirche in Halle, where he found the year 1685 given. (_See_ 'Dr.
Karl Burney's Nachricht von Georg Friedrich Handel's Lebens umstaenden,
und der ihm zu London im May und Juny, 1784, angestellten
Gedaechtnissfeyer, aus den Englischen uebersetzt von J. J. Eschenburg;
Berlin, 1785').--Foerstemann ('Haendel's Stammbaum,' Leipzig, 1844), and
others, have subsequently convinced themselves that Eschenburg's date is
correct. The year 1684, given on Handel's Monument in Westminster Abbey,
therefore, requires rectifying.
[6] Chrysander ('G. F. Handel,' Leipzig, 1858, Vol. I., p. 52) surmises
that Handel was not in Berlin in 1698, but in 1696, when he was eleven
years old.
[7] This is a mis-statement. Handel, born in 1685, was 18 years old; and
Mattheson, born in 1681, was 22 years old.
[8] Wych?
[9] Keiser.
[10] Mattheson.
[11] He was not quite twenty years old.
[12] See the note above, page 11.
[13] Mainwaring had probably obtained some of his information
from Handel himself; but he may have forgotten the dates, or Handel may
not have remembered them exactly.
[14] Handel was 74 years old when he died.
[15] Mattheson is mistaken here. It has been satisfactorily
ascertained that Handel left Hamburg for Italy in the year 1706. (See G.
F. Haendel, von F. Chrysander, Leipzig, 1858, Vol. I., p. 139.)
[16] The following well-authenticated data may serve to correct
the "corrections" of Mattheson:--Handel was born in 1685; went to
Hamburg in 1703; thence to Italy in 1706; from Italy to Hanover in 1710;
thence to London in 1710; back to Hanover in 1711; returned to England
in 1712, where he died in 1759.
[17] Two works by Mattheson.
[18] Page 4.
[19] Page 7.
[Illustration]