Music and Some Highly Musical People
by James M. Trotter · English · Gutenberg #28056 · 641,759 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Music and Some Highly Musical People
Author: James M. Trotter
Release date: February 12, 2009 [eBook #28056]
Language: English
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Produced by Suzanne Shell, Linda Cantoni, and the Online
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[Transcriber's Note:
About this book: James Monroe Trotter (1842-1892) was born into
slavery in Mississippi. His mother escaped with Trotter and his
brother via the Underground Railroad, and they settled in Cincinnati,
where Trotter became a teacher. He moved to Boston and fought in the
Civil War, becoming the first African-American to achieve the rank of
Second Lieutenant in the Union Army. He later became the first
African-American to be employed by the U.S. Post Office, but resigned
in protest when discrimination prevented his promotion. His _Music and
Some Highly Musical People,_ written in 1878, is said to be the first
comprehensive study of music written in the United States. In 1887,
President Cleveland appointed Trotter to the office of Recorder of
Deeds for the District of Columbia, succeeding the great
African-American statesman Frederick Douglass in what was then the
highest government position to be attained by an African-American.
(Source: Wikipedia.) This e-book was prepared from a 1968 reprint
published by the Johnson Reprint Corporation, New York.
Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Inconsistencies and errors
in the spelling of proper names and non-English words are noted with
[Transcriber's Note].
Several subheadings are rendered in the original in blackletter. In
this e-book, these are surrounded by equal signs.
Musical flat symbols are rendered in square brackets, e.g. [B-flat].]
MUSIC
AND SOME
HIGHLY MUSICAL PEOPLE:
CONTAINING BRIEF CHAPTERS ON
I. A DESCRIPTION OF MUSIC. II. THE MUSIC OF NATURE.
III. A GLANCE AT THE HISTORY OF MUSIC.
IV. THE POWER, BEAUTY, AND
USES OF MUSIC.
FOLLOWING WHICH ARE GIVEN SKETCHES OF THE LIVES OF
REMARKABLE MUSICIANS OF THE COLORED RACE.
=With Portraits,=
AND AN APPENDIX CONTAINING COPIES OF MUSIC COMPOSED BY COLORED MEN.
BY
JAMES M. TROTTER.
[Illustration]
"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and
see a fine picture, every day of his life, in order that
worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful
which God has implanted in the human soul."--GOETHE.
"'Tis thine to merit, mine to record."--HOMER.
FIFTH THOUSAND.
BOSTON:
LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS.
NEW YORK:
CHARLES T. DILLINGHAM.
1881.
COPYRIGHT, 1878,
BY JAMES M. TROTTER.
[Illustration: J.S. CONANT. BOSTON.
[signature] Jas. M. Trotter]
PREFACE.
The purposes of this volume will be so very apparent to even the most
casual observer, as to render an extended explanation here
unnecessary. The author will therefore only say, that he has
endeavored faithfully to perform what he was convinced was a
much-needed service, not so much, perhaps, to the cause of music
itself, as to some of its noblest devotees and the race to which the
latter belong.
The inseparable relationship existing between music and its worthy
exponents gives, it is believed, full showing of propriety to the
course hereinafter pursued,--that of mingling the praises of both.
But, in truth, there was little need to speak in praise of music. Its
tones of melody and harmony require only to be heard in order to
awaken in the breast emotions the most delightful. And yet who can
speak at all of an agency so charming in other than words of warmest
praise? Again: if music be a thing of such consummate beauty, what
else can be done but to tender an offering of praise, and even of
gratitude, to those, who, by the invention of most pleasing
combinations of tones, melodies, and harmonies, or by great skill in
vocal or instrumental performance, so signally help us to the fullest
understanding and enjoyment of it?
As will be seen by a reference to the introductory chapters, in which
the subject of music is separately considered, an attempt has been
made not only to form by them a proper setting for the personal
sketches that follow, but also to render the book entertaining to
lovers of the art in general.
While grouping, as has here been done, the musical celebrities of a
single race; while gathering from near and far these many fragments of
musical history, and recording them in one book,--the writer yet
earnestly disavows all motives of a distinctively clannish nature. But
the haze of complexional prejudice has so much obscured the vision of
many persons, that they cannot see (at least, there are many who
affect not to see) that musical faculties, and power for their
_artistic_ development, are not in the exclusive possession of the
fairer-skinned race, but are alike the beneficent gifts of the Creator
to all his children. Besides, there are some well-meaning persons who
have formed, for lack of the information which is here afforded,
erroneous and unfavorable estimates of the art-capabilities of the
colored race. In the hope, then, of contributing to the formation of a
more just opinion, of inducing a cheerful admission of its existence,
and of aiding to establish between both races relations of mutual
respect and good feeling; of inspiring the people most concerned (if
that be necessary) with a greater pride in their own achievements, and
confidence in their own resources, as a basis for other and even
greater acquirements, as a landmark, a partial guide, for a future and
better chronicler; and, finally, as a sincere tribute to the winning
power, the noble beauty, of music, a contemplation of whose own divine
harmony should ever serve to promote harmony between man and
man,--with these purposes in view, this humble volume is hopefully
issued.
THE AUTHOR.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
A DESCRIPTION OF MUSIC 7-11
THE MUSIC OF NATURE 12-21
A GLANCE AT THE HISTORY OF MUSIC 22-50
THE BEAUTY, POWER, AND USES OF MUSIC 51-65
ELIZABETH TAYLOR GREENFIELD (the "Black Swan") 66-87
THE LUCA FAMILY 88-105
HENRY F. WILLIAMS 106-113
JUSTIN HOLLAND 114-130
THOMAS J. BOWERS (the "American Mario") 131-137
JAMES GLOUCESTER DEMAREST 138-140
THOMAS GREENE BETHUNE ("Blind Tom") 141-159
THE HYERS SISTERS 160-179
FREDERICK ELLIOT LEWIS 180-191
NELLIE E. BROWN 192-208
SAMUEL W. JAMIESON 209-218
JOSEPH WHITE (preceded by a brief account of the
Violin, pp. 219-223) 224-240
THE COLORED AMERICAN OPERA COMPANY 241-252
THE JUBILEE SINGERS OF FISK UNIVERSITY 253-269
THE GEORGIA MINSTRELS 270-282
PART SECOND.
INTRODUCTION 285-288
RACHEL M. WASHINGTON 288-290
JAMES CASERAS 300
JOHN T. DOUGLASS 301
WALTER F. CRAIG 301
WILLIAM APPO 302
WILLIAM BRADY 302-303
PETER P. O'FAKE 304-306
FRANK JOHNSON, AND HIS FAMOUS MILITARY BAND AND ORCHESTRA 306-309
JOSEPH G. ANDERSON 308-309
MADAM BROWN 309
SARAH SEDGEWICK BOWERS 309-310
JOHN MOORE 310-311
SAMUEL LUCAS 312-313
WILLIAM H. STARR 314
G.H.W. STEWART 330
THE LAMBERT FAMILY 338-340
EDMUND DÉDÉ 340-341
BASILE BARÈS 341
SAMUEL SNAER 341-343
PROF. A.P. WILLIAMS 343
E.V. MACARTY 343-344
MAURICE J.B. DOUBLET 344-345
DENNIS AUGUSTE 345
THE DUPRÉ FAMILY 347-348
CHARLES MARTINEZ 348
THOMAS MARTIN 349
OTHER MUSICAL PEOPLE OF--
PORTLAND (ME.) 300
BOSTON 288-298
WORCESTER 300
NEW YORK 301-304
NEWARK 306
PHILADELPHIA 306-311
PITTSBURGH 311
CLEVELAND 311-312
WASHINGTON (O.) 312-313
CHILLICOTHE (O.) 313-316
CINCINNATI 316-321
CHICAGO 321-323
THE MUSIC OF THE SOUTH 324-329
BALTIMORE 329-330
LOUISVILLE 330
ST. LOUIS 330
HELENA 330
MEMPHIS 331
NASHVILLE 331
NEW ORLEANS 333-353
ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. ELIZABETH TAYLOR GREENFIELD.
2. THE LUCA FAMILY.
3. HENRY F. WILLIAMS.
4. JUSTIN HOLLAND.
5. THOMAS J. BOWERS.
6. THOMAS GREENE BETHUNE.
7. THE HYERS SISTERS.
8. FREDERICK ELLIOT LEWIS.
9. NELLIE E. BROWN.
10. SAMUEL W. JAMIESON.
11. JOSEPH WHITE.
12. FISK UNIVERSITY.
MUSIC AND SOME HIGHLY MUSICAL PEOPLE.
I.
A DESCRIPTION OF MUSIC.
"In the storm, in the smoke, in the fight, I come
To help thee, dear, with my fife and my drum.
My name is Music: and, when the bell
Rings for the dead men, I rule the knell;
And, whenever the mariner wrecked through the blast
Hears the fog-bell sound, it was I who passed.
The poet hath told you how I, a young maid,
Came fresh from the gods to the myrtle shade;
And thence, by a power divine, I stole
To where the waters of the Mincius roll;
Then down by Clitumnus and Arno's vale
I wandered, passionate and pale,
Until I found me at sacred Rome,
Where one of the Medici gave me a home.
Leo--great Leo!--he worshipped me,
And the Vatican stairs for my feet were free.
And, now I am come to your glorious land,
Give me good greeting with open hand.
Remember Beethoven,--I gave him his art,--
And Sebastian Bach, and superb Mozart:
Join _those_ in my worship; and, when you go
Wherever their mighty organs blow,
Hear in them heaven's trumpets to men below."
T.W. PARSONS.
What is music? Quite easy is it to answer after the manner of the
dictionaries, and say, "Music is (1) a number of sounds following each
other in a natural, pleasing manner; (2) the science of harmonious
sounds; and (3) the art of so combining them as to please the ear."
These are, however, only brief, cold, and arbitrary definitions: music
is far more than as thus defined. Indeed, to go no farther in the
description of this really sublime manifestation of the beautiful
would be to very inadequately express its manifold meanings, its
helpful, delightful uses. And yet the impressions made upon the mind
and the depth of feeling awakened in the heart by music are such as to
render only a partial (a far from satisfying one) description of the
same possible, even to those most skilful and eloquent in the use of
language; for, in fact, ordinary language, after exhausting all of its
many resources in portraying the mind's conceptions, in depicting the
heart's finer, deeper feelings, reveals, after all, its poverty, when
sought to describe effects so entrancing, and emotions so
deep-reaching, as those produced by music. No: the latter must be
heard, it must be felt, its sweetly thrilling symphonies must touch
the heart and fill the senses, in order that it may be, in its
fulness, appreciated; for then it is that music is expressed in a
language of most subtle power,--a language all its own, and universal,
bearing with it ever an exquisitely touching pathos and sweetness that
all mankind may feel.
And so I may not hope to bring here to the reader's mind more than a
slight conception of what music is. Nor does he stand in need of any
labored effort to teach him the nature and power, the beneficent
attributes, of this beautiful art. With his own soul attuned to all
the delightful sounds of melody and harmony that everywhere about him,
in nature and in art, he constantly hears, the reader requires no
great length of words in explanation of that which he so deeply feels,
and therefore already understands. Nevertheless, a due regard for the
laws of unity, as well as a sincere wish to make this volume, in all
its departments, speak the befitting words of tribute to the
love-inspiring art of which it aims to treat,--words which, although
they may not have the merit of affording great instruction, may at
least have that of furnishing to the reader some degree of
pleasure,--these are the motives that must serve as an excuse for the
little that follows.
I have sometimes thought that only the elevated and elegant language
of poetry should be employed in describing music: for music is poetry,
and poetry is music; that is, in many of their characteristics they
are one and the same. But, to put this idea in another form, let us
say that Music is the beautiful sister of Poetry, that other
soul-expressing medium; and who would create the latter must commune
with the former, and be able to bring to his uses the sweet and
finishing graces of her rhythmic forms. In early times, the qualities
of the poet and musician were generally actually united in the same
person. The poet usually set to music, and in most instances sang, his
effusions. Nor to this day have the
"Poets, who on earth have made us heirs
Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays,"
ceased to sing, in bewitching verse, the noble qualities of music.
I have said that music speaks a language all its own, and one that is
universal. Bring together a representation of all the nations of the
earth, in which body there shall be a very Babel of tongues. All will
be confusion until the all-penetrating, the all-thrilling voice of
music is heard. At once, silence reigns; each ear quickly catches and
recognizes the delicious sounds. The language of each one in the
concourse may be different: but with "music's golden tongue" all are
alike innately acquainted; each heart beats in sympathy with the
delightful, absorbing tones of melody; and all seem members of one
nation.
Again: music may be called that strangely peculiar form of the
beautiful, whose presence seems, indeed is, appropriate on occasions
the most diverse in character. Its aid is sought alike to add to the
joys of festive scenes, to soothe and elevate the heart on occasions
of mourning, and to enhance the solemnity, the excellence, of divine
worship.
The poet Collins, aptly associating music with the good and beautiful,
calls it the "heavenly maid."
Martin Luther, himself a musical composer and performer of merit,
paused in his great work of religious reform to declare, "I verily
think, and am not ashamed to say, that, next to divinity, no art is
comparable to music." And Disraeli utters this noble thought: "Were it
not for music, we might in these days say the beautiful is dead."
"Touching musical harmony, whether by instrument or by
voice, it being but of high and low in sounds a
proportionable disposition, such, notwithstanding, is the
force thereof, and so pleasing effects it hath in that part
of man which is most divine, that some have thereby been
induced to think that the soul itself is or hath in it
harmony: a thing which delighteth all ages, and beseemeth
all states; a thing as seasonable in grief as in joy; as
decent being added unto actions of greatest weight and
solemnity as being used when men most sequester themselves
from action. The reason hereof is an admirable facility
which music hath to express and represent to the mind, more
inwardly than any other sensible means, the very steps and
inflections of every way, the turns and varieties of all
passion whereunto the mind is subject."[1]
"I would fain know what music is. I seek it as a man seeks
eternal wisdom. Yesterday evening I walked, late in the
moonlight, in the beautiful avenue of lime-trees on the bank
of the Rhine; and I heard a tapping noise and soft singing.
At the door of a cottage, under the blooming lime-tree, sat
a mother and her twin-babies: the one lay at her breast, the
other in a cradle, which she rocked with her foot, keeping
time to her singing. In the very germ, then, when the first
trace of life begins to stir, music is the nurse of the
soul: it murmurs in the ear, and the child sleeps; the tones
are the companions of his dreams; they are the world in
which he lives. He has nothing; the babe, although cradled
in his mother's arms, is alone in the spirit: but tones find
entrance into the half-conscious soul, and nourish it as
earth nourishes the life of plants."[2]
[Footnote 1: Hooker.]
[Footnote 2: Bertini.]
II.
THE MUSIC OF NATURE.
"The lark sings loud, and the throstle's song
Is heard from the depths of the hawthorn dale;
And the rush of the streamlet the vales among
Doth blend with the sighs of the whispering gale."
MATIN AND EVENING SONGS.
To the inventive genius of man must, of course, be attributed the
present developments, and the beautiful, diversified forms, existing
in musical art. But, before man was, the great Author of harmony had
created what may be called the music of Nature.
Afterwards, the human ear, penetrated by sounds of melody issuing from
wind, wave, or bird, the rapt mind in strange and pleasing wonder
contemplating the new and charming harmonies,--then it was that man
received his first impressions, and took his first lessons in
delightful symphony.
Take from man all creative and performing power in music, leaving him
only the ear to catch and the mind to comprehend the sounds, and there
would still be left to him God's own music,--the music of Nature,
which, springing as it did from eternity, shall last throughout
eternity.
Passing what must appear to human comprehension as vague (an attempt
at the contemplation of which would be without profit in this
connection), and what has been called the "music of the spheres,"[3]
we may proceed to briefly touch upon those forms of natural music
which are ever within our hearing, and which constantly afford us
pleasure.
[Footnote 3: Reference is supposed to be made to this in the Book of
Job, in these words: "When the morning stars sang together, and all
the sons of God shouted for joy."]
First let us go forth into the summer woods. The eye takes in the
charming prospect,--the trees dressed in beautiful green; the "grassy
carpet," parted ever and anon by a gliding, gurgling brooklet; the
wild flower peeping up near the feet; a landscape of even surface, or
at times pleasingly undulated. The atmosphere is freighted with a
delightful fragrance; and from rustling bough, from warbling bird,
from rippling brook, and from the joyous hum of insects almost
innumerable,
"The air is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs,
That give delight, and hurt not."
All these, the beauties of animate and inanimate Nature, pleasantly
affect the senses. But the chief influence there--the crowning glory
of the groves--is the songs, the charming music of the birds, as they
warble from tree to tree, untrammelled by the forms of art, their
sweetest melodies. How often do their lightsome, inspiriting
carollings ring out upon the morning air, persuasively calling us from
our couches to listen in delight to Nature's minstrelsy! "After man,"
says a writer, "the birds occupy the highest rank in Nature's
concerts. They make the woods, the gardens, and the fields resound
with their merry warbles. Their warbled 'shake' has never been
equalled by human gifts of voice, nor by art."
Indeed, it has been found that many of the songs of birds are sung in
certain of the keys; while a learned musical writer has produced a
book in which are printed many samples of the music often sung by
birds. In very recent times it is stated, too, that birds have been
taught to sing some of the popular tunes of the day; this being
accomplished by placing a bird in a room for a while, allowing it to
hear no other bird, and only the tune to be learned. Professor Brown
of Aiken, S.C., has mocking-birds which he has taught to sing such
songs as "The Star-spangled Banner" and "Yankee Doodle." These birds
were to be taken to the Centennial Exhibition, to there exhibit their
marvellous skill.
A writer in "The Monthly Reader" thus speaks of that pretty singer the
bullfinch:--
"I heard a lady cry out to a little bird in a cage, 'Come,
Bully, Bully, sweet little Bully Bullfinch, please give us
just one more tune.'
"And then, to my surprise, the little bird whistled the tune
of 'Yankee Doodle' as well as I could have done it myself.
"The lady then told me about the bird. It was a bullfinch.
She had bought it in the little town of Fulda, in Germany,
where there are schools for teaching these birds to sing.
"When a bullfinch has learned to sing two or three tunes, he
is worth from forty to sixty dollars; for he will bring that
price in London or Boston or New York.
"To teach them, the birds are put in classes of about six
each, and kept for a time in a dark room. Here, when their
food is given them, they are made to hear music. And so,
when they have had their food, or when they want more food,
they will sing, and try to sing a tune like that they have
just heard; for perhaps they think it has something to do
with what they eat."
But as, in presenting these examples of the musical teachableness of
the "feathered songsters," I am entering the domain of music as an
art, I will not further digress. Certain it is, too, that these
delightful musicians of Nature do not require the aid of the skill of
man; nor is it desirable, for the sake of musical effect at least,
that their own wild, free, and glad-hearted warblings should be
changed. They are better as they are, affording as they do a pleasing
contrast, and adding freshness and variety to the many other forms of
music. Some one, dwelling upon the charming beauty of bird-music, has
expressed in words of very excusable rapture the following unique
wish:--
"Oh! had I but the power
To set the proper words
To all your glorious melodies,
My sweet-voiced birds,
When words and dainty music
Would each to each belong,
Together we might give the world
A _perfect_ song."
But I need not refer at greater length to these sweet harmonists of
Nature, since scarce an ear is so dull, and few hearts are so cold, as
not to be charmed and cheered by their unceasing, joyous melodies.
It might well be thought that flowers, those "fairy ministers of
grace," with their delicately tinted, variegated, perfect hues, that
emit, in their sweet, delicious perfumes, what may be called the
"breath of heaven," possess in these delightful qualities full enough
to instruct and charm mankind. But there is a flower, it seems, that,
inviting the aid of the evening zephyr, adds sweet music to its other
fascinating beauties. Let the poet Twombly sing of the music-giving--
BLUE HAREBELL.
Have ye ever heard in the twilight dim
A low, soft strain
That ye fancied a distant vesper-hymn,
Borne o'er the plain
By the zephyrs that rise on perfumed wing,
When the sun's last glances are glimmering?
Have ye heard that music, with cadence sweet
And merry peal,
Ring out like the echoes of fairy feet
O'er flowers that steal?
The source of that whispering strain I'll tell;
For I have listened oft
To the music faint of the blue harebell
In the gloaming soft:
'Tis the gay fairy-folk the peal who ring,
At even-time, for their banqueting.
And gayly the trembling bells peal out
With gentle tongue;
While elves and fairies career about
'Mid dance and song.
It would be tedious to enumerate and dwell upon all the very numerous
music-making agencies of the natural world; and I shall therefore
allude only to a few of those not already mentioned.
Many have heard the sounds of waterfalls, and know that from them
issues a kind of majestic music, which, to be appreciated, must be
heard. Musicians of finely-cultivated ears have studied the tones of
waterfalls; and two of them, Messrs. A. and E. Heim, say that a mass
of falling water gives
"The chord of C sharp, and also the non-accordant F. When C
and D sound louder than the middle note, F is heard very
fully, as a deep, dull, humming, far-resounding tone, with
a strength proportionate to the mass of the falling water.
It easily penetrates to a distance at which the other notes
are inaudible. The notes C, E, G, F, belong to all rushing
water, and in great falls are sometimes in different
octaves. Small falls give the same notes one or two octaves
higher. In the stronger falls, F is heard the most easily;
in the weak ones, C. At the first attempt, C is most readily
detected. Persons with musical cultivation, on attempting to
sing near rapidly-moving water, naturally use the key of C
sharp, or of F sharp if near a great fall."
Somewhat similar to waterfalls in the character of the tunes they
produce (being distinguished, however, generally, by a greater
softness and more gentle flow) are the waves, that, handsome in form,
roll majestically shoreward, greeting the ear with a strange,
dirge-like, yet, as it seems to the writer, pleasing harmony.
Here is given a duet between the waves and zephyrs:--
"We sit beneath the dreaming moon,
And gaze upon the sea:
Our hearts with Nature are in tune;
List to her minstrelsy.
The waves chant low and soft their song,
And kiss the rocks in glee;
While zephyrs their sweet lay prolong,--
Their love-song to the sea."
There is a pretty, delicate music made by the rippling, gurgling
brooklet, as its transparent waters glide over its pebbly bottom. And
there's the musical sea-shell. Place it to the ear, and you shall
catch, as if in the far distance, the reverberating roll of the
billowy ocean as it sings a mighty song. To this the poet Wordsworth
very gracefully refers in the following lines:--
"I have seen
A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract
Of inland ground, applying to his ear
The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell:
To which, in silence hushed, his very soul
Listened intensely, and his countenance soon
Brightened with joy; for from within were heard
Murmurings whereby the monitor expressed
Mysterious union with its native sea."
And an anonymous writer (it does not seem that he had good cause for
hiding his name) thus discourses on the music of the sea:--
"The gray, unresting sea,
Adown the bright and belting shore
Breaking in untold melody,
Makes music evermore.
Centuries of vanished time,
Since this glad earth's primeval morn,
Have heard the grand, unpausing chime,
Momently new born.
Like as in cloistered piles
Rich bursts of massive sounds upswell,
Ringing along dim-lighted aisles
With spirit-trancing spell;
So on the surf-white strand
Chants of deep peal the sea-waves raise,
Like voices from a viewless land
Hymning a hymn of praise.
By times, in thunder-notes,
The booming billows shoreward surge;
By times a silver laugh it floats;
By times a low, soft dirge.
Souls more ennobled grow
Listing the worldly anthem rise;
Discords are drowned in the great flow
Of Nature's harmonies.
Men change and 'cease to be,'
And empires rise and grow and fall;
But the weird music of the sea
Lives, and outlives them all.
The mystic song shall last
Till time itself no more shall be;
Till seas and shores have passed,
Lost in eternity."
But the wind is one of Nature's chief musicians. Sometimes singing his
own songs, or lending his aid in awaking to musical life the leaves
and boughs of the trees; whistling melodies among the reeds; entering
the recesses of a hollow column, and causing to issue from thence a
pleasing, flute-like sound; blowing his quiet, soothing lays in
zephyrs; or rushing around our dwellings, singing his tuneful yet
minor refrain,--in these, and in even other ways, does this mighty
element of the Creator contribute to the production of melody in the
world of nature. A writer in "The Youth's Companion" speaks very
entertainingly of "voices in trees." He says,--
"Trees, when played upon by the wind, yield forth a variety
of tones. Mrs. Hemans once asked Sir Walter Scott if he had
noticed that every tree gives out its peculiar sound. 'Yes,'
said he, 'I have; and I think something might be done by the
union of poetry and music to imitate those voices, giving a
different measure to the oak, the pine, the willow, &c.' The
same journal from which we take this anecdote mentions, that
in Henry Taylor's drama, 'Edwin the Fair,' there are some
pleasing lines, where the wind is feigned to feel the want
of a voice, and to woo the trees to give him one.
"He applied to several: but the wanderer rested with the
pine, because her voice was constant, soft, and lowly deep;
and he welcomed in her a wild memorial of the ocean-cave,
his birthplace. There is a fine description of a storm in
'Coningsby,' where a sylvan language is made to swell the
diapason of the tempest. 'The wind howled, the branches of
the forest stirred, and sent forth sounds like an
incantation. Soon might be distinguished the various voices
of the mighty trees, as they expressed their terror or their
agony. The oak roared, the beech shrieked, the elm sent
forth its long, deep groan; while ever and anon, amid a
momentary pause, the passion of the ash was heard in moans
of thrilling anguish.'"
I shall close this chapter on the music of Nature by appending a
beautiful reference to what has been called "the music of the
spheres." The lines form, as well, an elegant and elevated description
of and tribute to music in general. I regret that the author's name
cannot be given.
"The Father spake: in grand reverberations
Through space rolled on the mighty music-tide;
While to its low, majestic modulations
The clouds of chaos slowly swept aside.
The Father spake: a dream, that had been lying
Hushed from eternity in silence there,
Heard the pure melody, and, low replying,
Grew to that music in the wondering air,--
Grew to that music, slowly, grandly waking,
Till, bathed in beauty, it became a world;
Led by his voice, its spheric pathway taking,
While glorious clouds their wings around it furled.
Not yet has ceased that sound, his love revealing;
Though, in response, a universe moves by:
Throughout eternity its echo pealing,
World after world awakes in glad reply.
And wheresoever in his rich creation
Sweet music breathes,--in wave, in bird, or soul,--
'Tis but the faint and far reverberation
Of that great tune to which the planets roll."
III.
A GLANCE AT THE HISTORY OF MUSIC.
"Thespis, the first professor of our art,
At country wakes sang ballads from a cart."
DRYDEN.
Music is as old as the world itself. In some form or other, it has
always existed. Ere man learned to give vent to his emotions in
tuneful voice, Nature, animate and inanimate, under the hand of the
Great Master, sang his praises. Of this we learn in the sacred
writings; while all about us, in the songs of birds, the musical
sighing of the winds, the fall of waters, and the many forms of the
music of Nature, we have palpable evidence of its present existence,
and assurances of its most remote antiquity.
It would seem that not long after "God breathed into the nostrils of
man the breath of life, and he became a living soul," he learned to
express the joys and yearnings of his soul in song first, and then
with some sort of musical instrument. And to man it was given,
commencing with the early ages, to develop the simple ejaculations or
melodies of a praise-giving soul into a beautiful, a noble art,
replete at times with harmonic intricacies, and again with melodies
grand in their very simplicity; into a beneficent science, divine from
its inception, which has ever had as votaries many of earth's
greatest minds, and has become a fountain of delight to all mankind.
The history of the music of antiquity--that is, in an art-form--is
nearly, if indeed not quite, enveloped in mystery; and it were futile
to profess to give an historical presentation of an art from its
birth, when documentary evidence of the same is lost.
We may, however, very reasonably suppose of music generally, that it
must have been gradually developed, having had its infancy, childhood,
and youth; and that it grew slowly into present scientific form with
the advance of the centuries.
From all we can gather in regard to the early history of music as a
system, it would appear that it had its infancy in ancient Greece;
although it is supposed by some that the Grecian method was founded
upon that of the still more ancient one of the Egyptians. Dr. Burgh, a
learned musical writer states that, of "the time before Christ, music
was most cultivated and was most progressive in Greece." The verses of
the Greek poet Homer, who was himself a musician, abound in beautiful
allusions to and descriptions of this charming science; while in
mythology are recounted the wonderful musical achievements of the god
Orpheus, who is said to have been so skilled in music that the very
rocks and trees followed in his wake of harmony.
The first artificial music of which the Bible speaks was that which
was sung or played in praise of the Creator,--sacred music. In fact,
this noble quality of the soul was very rarely called into exercise,
save in the worship of the Deity, until many centuries had passed. Of
music before the Christian era, both vocal and instrumental, the books
of the Old Testament often speak. As to its exact character, we are
left to conjecture, being, as before intimated, without materials from
which to form a judgment; but, in some form or other, there was,
during that period, abundance of what was called music.
The first mention of music, either vocal or instrumental, in the
Scriptures, is made in Gen. iv. 21: "Jubal was the father of all such
as handle the harp and organ." Jubal was only seventh in descent from
Adam; and from this passage it is thought by some that he was the
inventor of instrumental music. In the year B.C. 1739, in Gen. xxxi.
27, Laban says to Jacob, "Wherefore didst thou flee away from me, and
didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth and
with songs, with tabret and with harp?" This is the first mention in
the Bible of vocal music. King David, who has been called "the sweet
singer of Israel," is said to have been a skilful performer on the
harp. By his magical touch upon its strings at a certain time, he
produced sounds so sweetly soothing as to drive away the "evil spirit"
from Saul.
The poet Byron pays an elevated, glowing tribute to this "monarch
minstrel" in the following lines:--
"The harp the monarch minstrel swept,
The king of men, the loved of Heaven,
Which Music hallowed while she wept
O'er tones her heart of hearts had given,--
Redoubled be her tears; its chords are riven.
It softened men of iron mould;
It gave them virtues not their own:
No ear so dull, no soul so cold,
That felt not, fired not, to the tone;
Till David's lyre grew mightier than his throne.
It told the triumphs of our King;
It wafted glory to our God;
It made our gladdened valleys ring,
The cedars bow, the mountains nod:
Its sound aspired to heaven, and there abode.
Since then, though heard on earth no more,
Devotion, and her daughter Love,
Still bid the bursting spirit soar
To sounds that seem as from above,
In dreams that day's broad light cannot remove."
And here I append from the First of Chronicles, xiii. 8, a description
of the music of the "house of Israel:" "And David and all Israel
played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with
harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and
with trumpets."
Josephus, the learned Jewish historian, states that the Egyptians had
two hundred thousand musicians playing at the dedication of the Temple
of Solomon. This structure was of most wonderfully immense dimensions:
and it may have been that this enormous body of performers played in
_detachments_ about the building; otherwise the statement would seem
apocryphal.
The Egyptian musical instruments, it appears, were mostly of very rude
construction: performance upon them would not now, probably, be
tolerated even in circles of the least musical culture.
Of these ancient instruments the Boston "Folio" thus speaks:--
"The Egyptian flute was only a cow's-horn, with three or
four holes in it; and their harp, or lyre, had only three
strings. The Grecian lyre had only seven strings, and was
very small, being held in one hand. The Jewish trumpets that
made the walls of Jericho fall down were only rams'-horns:
their flute was the same as the Egyptian. They had no other
instrumental music but by percussion, of which the greatest
boast was made of the psaltery,--a small triangular harp, or
lyre, with wire strings, and struck with an iron needle or
stick. Their sackbut was something like a bagpipe; the
timbrel was a tambourine; and the dulcimer, a horizontal
harp with wire strings, and struck with a stick like the
psaltery."
The following interesting and able summary of the history of ancient
Roman music is taken from a recent number of "The Vox Humana:"--
"Art love was not a distinguished characteristic of the
ancient Romans; and we are not astonished, therefore, to
find them borrowing music from Etruria, Greece, and Egypt;
originating nothing, and (although the study was pursued by
the emperors) never finding any thing higher in its practice
than a sensuous gratification.
"In the earliest days of Rome, the inhabitants were
exclusively farmers or warriors; and their first temples
were raised to Ceres or to Mars.
"The priests of Ceres came originally from Asia Minor, and
were called the Arval Brotherhood. Flute-playing was a
prominent feature in their rites, and they were all
proficient upon that instrument. Their number was limited to
twelve.
"The worship of Mars was conducted by the Salian priests,
whom Numa summoned to Rome from Etruria. These also used the
flute as an accessory to their sacrificial rites. In these
primitive days of Rome, much was borrowed from the Etruscans
in style and instruments of music.
"The earliest songs of Rome were in praise of Romulus, and
told the story of the twin-brothers and the divine origin of
the city. They were sung by choruses of boys. Similar songs
were sung during meals by the elders, with an accompaniment
of flutes; these latter songs being especially directed to
the young men, and inciting them to be worthy of the deeds
of their ancestors.
"Under the rule of the emperors, all these worthy
compositions went to decay, and were replaced by a much more
degrading school of music. At no time, however, was music
considered a necessary part of the education of Roman youth.
"There existed in the latter days of ancient Rome some
music-schools; but the study was far less universally
pursued than in Greece at the same epoch. The musical course
has been given by Quintilian as follows:--
"Theoretical: first, arithmetic, physics; second, harmony,
rhythm, metrics.
"Practical: composition, rhythm, melody, poetry.
"Execution: playing instruments, singing, dramatic action;
which makes a rather formidable array, even to modern eyes.
"Among the Roman musical instruments, the flute was the most
popular, and essentially national. We have already stated
that it was used in the worship of their two chief deities:
it was in secular use to a yet greater extent.
"This flute (_tibia_) was hooped with brass bands, and had
an immense resonance. It was used by both sexes; but, on
public and on most religious occasions, was played by men.
"The frequency with which it was used made the art of
playing it a most remunerative one; and the flute-players
soon formed themselves into a guild, or protective society.
This guild had many privileges accorded to it, and existed
for a period of some centuries. The 'Guild of Dionysian
Artists' was a society of later date, and was a musical
conservatory, academy, and agency, all in one. It flourished
greatly under the patronage of various Roman emperors, and
for a long time supplied singers and actors to the Roman
world.
"Valerius Maximus has given an anecdote which shows how
powerful and exacting the guild of flute-players could
afford to be.
"They were one day excluded from the Temple of Jupiter,
where they had been allowed, by ancient custom, to take
their meals; upon which the entire guild left Rome, and went
to the village of Tibur near by. This caused great
embarrassment: no religious services could be held, and
scarce any state ceremony properly conducted. The senate
thereupon sent an embassy to induce them to return,--in
vain: the angry musicians were inflexible. The wily
ambassadors then called the inhabitants of Tibur to their
aid, and these pretended to give a great feast to welcome
the flute-players. At this feast the musicians were all made
very drunk; and, while asleep from the effects of their
liquor, they were bundled into chariots, and driven back to
Rome, where all their old privileges were restored, and
newer and greater ones added.
"They received the right to give public representations and
spectacles in Rome; but at these they were all masked, the
reason being their shame at the manner of their inglorious
return to the city.
"Flutes were used at funerals; and it appears, at one time,
the luxury and pomp of Roman obsequies grew so excessive,
that a law was passed limiting the number of flute-players
on such occasions to ten.
"Only at one time did the flute disappear from any public
worship, and that was when the worship of Bacchus was
introduced into Rome. To this rite the kithara was used; but
this worship, which was somewhat refined, though jovial,
among the Greeks, became among the Romans so debauched and
uxorious, that it was soon prohibited by law.
"The flute was used in combination with other instruments at
times. Apuleius speaks of a concert of flutes, kitharas, and
chorus, and mentions its deliciously sweet effect. It was
also used as a pitch-pipe, to give orators a guide in
modulating their voices when addressing an assembly: thus
Caius Gracchus always on such occasions had a slave behind
him, whose duty it was to aid him to commence his orations
in a proper pitch, and when his voice sank too low, or
became too shrill, to call him to a better intonation by the
sounds of the flute.
"Although the flute was the favorite Roman instrument, it
was by no means the only one. Trumpets were used to a great
extent. A one-toned trumpet, of very loud voice, was used
for battle-signals. These were of very large size, usually
of brass; and their sound is described as 'terrible.' There
was also a smaller (shepherd's) trumpet of mellower tone.
"Another much-used instrument, of different character, was
the _sumphonium_, which did not differ materially from the
modern bagpipe.
"Instruments of percussion were few, and not indigenous to
the Romans: such as were used came from the East, and were
chiefly used in the worship of Eastern deities at Rome. When
the worship of Bacchus was prohibited, they passed away with
that licentious rite. The most complicated instrument of
the ancient world appeared in Rome during the first century
of our era. It was an _organ_, not, as in the scriptural
days, a mere syrinx, or Pan's pipes, but an undoubted organ,
somewhat similar in effect to our modern instrument.
"The instrument is said to have been invented by Ctesbius of
Alexandria in Egypt, who lived about 250 B.C. It did not
appear extensively in Rome, however, until nearly three
hundred years later. This organ has given rise to much
fruitless discussion. In the field of musical history
especially, 'a little' knowledge has proved 'a dangerous
thing;' for, where slight descriptions exist of instruments
of music, latitude is left for every writer to form his own
theory, to fight for it, and denunciate those who differ
from it.
"We have seen what a battle was fought over the three little
manuscripts of Greek music; what a host of differing
opinions were held about the scriptural word 'Selah:' and
now, about this hydraulic organ, each writer mounts his
hobby-horse, and careers over the field of conjecture.
Vitruvius has given a full description of the instrument
from personal inspection; but as his technical terms have
lost all significance to modern readers, and have been
translated in various ways, and as his work contained no
diagrams or illustrations of the various parts, it is
useless.
"Some writers imagine the organ to have had seven or eight
stops,--that is, so many different _kinds_ of tones,--which
would place them nearly on a par with our own. Others think
that they possessed seven or eight _keys_; that is, so many
_tones_ only. It has been a point of dispute as to what
function the water performed in working it. Vitruvius is
rather hazy on this point, saying only that it is
'suspended' in the instrument. The water, when the organ was
played, was in a state of agitation, as if boiling.
"There are medals still in existence which were awarded to
victors in organ contests, on which this instrument is
represented with two boys blowing or pumping; but the
representation is too small to clear up any doubtful
points."
But, without devoting further space to the music that was in vogue
prior to the Christian era, I proceed to notice that our first
reliable account of it, as a system, commences with the fourth
century; at which time St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, arranged the
sacred chants that bear his name, and which were to be sung in the
cathedrals.
In the year 600 St. Gregory improved upon these chants, inventing the
scale of eight notes. His system is the basis of our modern music.
From the close of the eleventh to the commencement of the fourteenth
century, minstrels, _jongleurs_, or troubadours, were the principal
devotees of music. They seem to have been its custodians, so to speak;
and to their guild many of the knights belonged. Some of the kings and
nobles of the time were also, in a sense, troubadours; such as, for
instance, Thibault of Navarre, and William the Ninth of Poitou.
These roving musicians, who generally united the qualities of the
poet, the musical composer, and performer, were treated with much
favor by princes and all the nobility, and were everywhere warmly
welcomed for a long period. It is, however, far from pleasant to have
to say that this for a long time noble class of musicians, to whom we
owe so much for the preservation unbroken for three hundred years of
the chain of musical life, as well indeed, also, as that of general
literature, spoiled perhaps by the excessive praises and indulgences
accorded them, became at last quite dissolute, and fell from their
high position. All royal favors were finally withdrawn from them, and
orders for their restriction were issued from the throne.
Mr. B.W. Ball (in that faithful exponent of art, "The Boston
Commonwealth") thus expressively sings the story of the ancient
troubadour, styling him--
"THE POET OF OLD."
Once the poet wandered,
With his lyre in hand,--
Wandered, singing, harping,
On from land to land.
Like a bird he hovered;
And, where'er he came,
Kindled he each bosom
With his song to flame.
Careless of the morrow,
Journeyed he along;
Opened every portal
To the sound of song.
_Suâ sponte_ heart's-ease
In his bosom grew:
Happiness as birthright,
Like the gods, he knew.
All life's haps and changes
On his chords he rung:
Every thought, emotion,
In him found a tongue.
Voiced he for the lover
Passion of his breast;
Feigned he, death to lighten,
Islands of the Blest.
Up in ether throned he
Gods, the world to sway,--
Gods to bend and listen
While their votaries pray.
Soul and sense, enchanted,
Drank his accents in:
E'en to marble bosoms
He his way could win.
From her casement Beauty
Leaned his song to hear:
E'en the haughty conqueror
Bent a willing ear;
For without the poet
And his epic lay
Passed his vast existence,
Whirlwind-like, away,--
Trace nor vestige leaving
Where his legions trod,
Which the year effaced not
From the vernal sod.
Thus the poet wandered
In a nobler time,--
Wandered, singing, harping,
Free of every clime.
During the fourteenth century, music was most cultivated by the people
of the Netherlands, who carried the art towards much perfection,
producing several fine composers, and furnishing the leading musical
instructors for the other parts of Europe. Among some of the ablest
musicians of the Netherlands may be mentioned Dufay, Jan of Okenheim,
and Josquin Desprès, the latter being the most celebrated of
contrapuntists. The Netherland musical supremacy lasted until 1563.
In the year 1400 the claims of music received the recognition of the
crown in England, a charter being granted to a regularly formed
musical society.
Commencing with the invention of movable type in 1502 (which invention
so vastly facilitated the publication and spreading of the thoughts of
the composer), and with the Reformation in the sixteenth century, the
noble art of music began a new, unimpeded, and brilliant career among
the civilized nations of the world. Dating from thence, the steps in
the progress of this delightful science can be plainly traced. Unvexed
and unfettered by the obscurities that attach to its antique history,
we can contemplate with pleasure and profit the wonderful creations
and achievements of its devotees.
This I need not attempt here, save in the briefest form; my purpose in
preparing this chapter being only to give, as indicated in the title,
a glance at the history of music.
To Palestrina, a learned Italian of the sixteenth century, and whose
musical genius and industry were most remarkable, is due the greatest
homage and gratitude of a music-loving world. Of him an eminent
musical writer says, "It is difficult to over-estimate his talent and
influence over the art of music in his day. He was regarded as the
great reformer of church music. His knowledge of counterpoint, and the
elevation and nobility of his style, made his masses and other
compositions, of which he wrote a great number, examples for all time
of what music should be."
In this century lived many notable composers, nearly all of whom
distinguished themselves in the production of madrigal music. To the
latter the English people were much devoted. Reading at sight was at
that day, even more than now, a common accomplishment among the
educated. The English queen Elizabeth was quite fond of music, and was
somewhat accomplished in the art, performing upon the lute, virginals,
and viol. She often charmed the _attachés_ of and visitors to her
court by her skilful performances. During her reign, and by her
encouragement, the cultivation of this noble art received a new and
strong impulse in England, and several composers and performers of
high merit lived.
In the year 1540 oratorio was first composed, followed by opera in
1594. During this period, instrumental music began to be used in the
churches; and the violin was brought by the celebrated Amati family to
a beauty of form, and sweetness of tone, not since excelled.
During the seventeenth century such great composers as Stradella,
Scarlatti, Caldara, and Claudio lived; and the different forms of
opera were developed in England, France, and Italy.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the art of music, in
its new, rich, and deep developments, as shown in the masterly,
wonderful creations of several of the great composers of those
periods, and in the scientific performances of many fine
instrumentalists, attained a height of surpassing grandeur. Many men
of brilliant musical genius and of remarkable industry and
perseverance were born; and, with new conceptions of the scope and
capabilities of the divine art, they penetrated its innermost depths,
and brought to the ears of the music-loving world new and enrapturing
forms of harmony. Among these great masters, leaving out those already
mentioned, were Handel, Henry Purcell, Bach, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart,
Beethoven, and Spontini.
But, before proceeding farther, the writer considers it proper to
remark, that to give a extended description of the progress of music
during the three last centuries, mentioning in detail the many
creations and achievements of those who have become great, nay, in
some instances he might say almost immortal, in its sacred domain,
would require a volume far beyond the pretensions and intended limits
of this one.
Besides, the author confesses that he pauses with feelings of
reverence while contemplating the mighty genius and divinely
approximating achievements of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Spohr, and
Mendelssohn, fearing that his unskilful pen might fail in an attempt
at description. Nor does he feel much less embarrassed when he
contemplates the accomplishments of those wonderful interpreters of
the works of the noble masters, who have, either through the
enchanting modulations of their voices or with skilful touch upon
instruments, evolved their magic strains. Let an abler pen than mine
portray the sublime triumphs of Hasse, Mario, Wachtel, Santley,
Whitney; of Albani, Malibran, Lind, Parepa Rosa, Nilsson; of Haupt,
Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Ole Bull, Rubinstein, Liszt, and Von Bulow.[4]
[Footnote 4: For an able criticism of the composers and some of the
performers mentioned, the reader is referred to Professor Ritter's
very valuable History of Music, in two volumes.]
The eighteenth century was a most remarkable period for achievements
in the composition of orchestral, oratorio, and operatic music,--the
same being finely interpreted by vocal and instrumental artists of
most wonderful skill.
In referring to some among that galaxy of bright stars, I use, in
regard to Mozart, the clear and beautiful language of another:[5] "The
great musical composer Mozart was a wonderful instance of precocity,
as well as of surpassing genius. He died at the early age of
thirty-five, after a career of unrivalled splendor, and the
production of a succession of works which have left him almost, if not
entirely, without an equal among either his predecessors or those who
have come after him. Mozart's devotion to his art, and the
indefatigable industry with which, notwithstanding his extraordinary
powers, he gave himself to its cultivation, may read an instructive
lesson, even to far inferior minds, in illustration of the true and
only method for the attainment of excellence. From his childhood to
the last moment of his life, Mozart was wholly a musician. Even in his
earliest years, no pastime had any interest for him in which music was
not introduced. His voluminous productions, to enumerate even the
titles of which would occupy no little space, are the best attestation
of the unceasing diligence of his maturer years. He used, indeed, to
compose with surprising rapidity: but he had none of the carelessness
of a rapid composer; for so delicate was his sense of the beautiful,
that he was never satisfied with any one of his productions until it
had received all the perfection he could give it by the most minute
and elaborate correction. Ever striving after higher and higher
degrees of excellence, and existing only for his art, he scarcely
suffered even the visible approach of death to withdraw him for a
moment from his beloved studies. During the last moments of his life,
though weak in body, he was 'full of the god;' and his application,
though indefatigable, could not keep pace with his invention. 'Il
Flauta [Transcriber's Note: Flauto] Magico,' 'La Clemenza di Tito,'
and a 'Requiem' which he had hardly time to finish, were among his
last efforts. The composition of the 'Requiem,' in the decline of his
bodily powers, and under great mental excitement, hastened his
dissolution. He was seized with repeated fainting-fits, brought on by
his extreme assiduity in writing, in one of which he expired. A few
hours before his death took place, he is reported to have said, 'Now I
begin to see what might be done in music.'"
[Footnote 5: In the Library of Entertaining Knowledge, vol. iii. p.
76.]
Mozart's compositions number over six hundred, and two hundred of them
had not until quite recently been printed. He composed fifty-three
works for the church, a hundred and eighteen for orchestra, twenty-six
operas and cantatas, a hundred and fifty-four songs, forty-nine
concertos, sixty-two piano-forte pieces, and seventeen pieces for the
organ.
Of Beethoven, Professor F.L. Ritter, in one of his excellent lectures
on music, says, "Beethoven's compositions appeal to the whole being of
the listener. They captivate the whole soul, and, for the time being,
subdue it to an intense, powerful, poetical influence, impressing it
with melancholy, sorrow, and sadness, elevating it heavenwards in
hopeful joy and inspired happiness."
The following description[6] of Beethoven's last hours on earth, as he
was nearing the time
"When all of genius which can perish dies,"
although replete with sadness, is yet a tribute so touchingly
beautiful and eloquent as to make it well worthy of insertion here.
[Footnote 6: Anonymously contributed to the Boston Folio for May,
1877.]
"THE LAST MOMENTS OF BEETHOVEN.
"He had but one happy moment in his life, and that moment
killed him.
"He lived in poverty, driven into solitude by the contempt
of the world, and by the natural bent of a disposition
rendered harsh, almost savage, by the injustice of his
contemporaries. But he wrote the sublimest music that ever
man or angel dreamed. He spoke to mankind in his divine
language, and they disdained to listen to him. He spoke to
them as Nature speaks in the celestial harmony of the winds,
the waves, the singing of the birds amid the woods.
Beethoven was a prophet, and his utterance was from God.
"And yet was his talent so disregarded, that he was destined
more than once to suffer the bitterest agony of the poet,
the artist, the musician. He doubted his own genius.
"Haydn himself could find for him no better praise than in
saying, 'He was a clever pianist.'
"Thus was it said of Géricault, 'He blends his colors well;'
and thus of Goethe, 'He has a tolerable style, and he
commits no faults in orthography.'
"Beethoven had but one friend, and that friend was Hummel.
But poverty and injustice had irritated him, and he was
sometimes unjust himself. He quarrelled with Hummel, and for
a long time they ceased to meet. To crown his misfortunes,
he became completely deaf.
"Then Beethoven retired to Baden, where he lived, isolated
and sad, in a small house that scarcely sufficed for his
necessities. There his only pleasure was in wandering amid
the green alleys of a beautiful forest in the neighborhood
of the town. Alone with the birds and the wild flowers, he
would then suffer himself to give scope to his genius, to
compose his marvellous symphonies, to approach the gates of
heaven with melodious accents, and to speak aloud to angels
that language which was too beautiful for human ears, and
which human ears had failed to comprehend.
"But in the midst of his solitary dreaming a letter arrived,
which brought him back, despite himself, to the affairs of
the world, where new griefs awaited him.
"A nephew whom he had brought up, and to whom he was
attached by the good offices which he had himself performed
for the youth, wrote to implore his uncle's presence at
Vienna. He had become implicated in some disastrous
business, from which his elder relative alone could release
him.
"Beethoven set off upon his journey, and, compelled by the
necessity of economy, accomplished part of the distance on
foot. One evening he stopped before the gate of a small,
mean-looking house, and solicited shelter. He had already
several leagues to traverse before reaching Vienna, and his
strength would not enable him to continue any longer on the
road.
"They received him with hospitality: he partook of their
supper, and then was installed in the master's chair by the
fireside.
"When the table was cleared, the father of the family arose,
and opened an old clavecin. The three sons took each a
violin, and the mother and daughter occupied themselves in
some domestic work.
"The father gave the key-note, and all four began playing
with that unity and precision, that innate genius, which is
peculiar only to the people of Germany. It seemed that they
were deeply interested in what they played; for their whole
souls were in the instruments. The two women desisted from
their occupation to listen, and their gentle countenances
expressed the emotions of their hearts.
"To observe all this was the only share that Beethoven could
take in what was passing; for he did not hear a single note.
He could only judge of their performance from the movements
of the executants, and the fire that animated their
features.
"When they had finished they shook each other's hands
warmly, as if to congratulate themselves on a community of
happiness; and the young girl threw herself weeping into her
mother's arms. Then they appeared to consult together: they
resumed their instruments; they commenced again. This time
their enthusiasm reached its height; their eyes were filled
with tears, and the color mounted to their cheeks.
"'My friends,' said Beethoven, 'I am very unhappy that I can
take no part in the delight which you experience; for I also
love music: but, as you see, I am so deaf that I cannot hear
any sound. Let me read this music which produces in you such
sweet and lively emotions.'
"He took the paper in his hand: his eyes grew dim, his
breath came short and fast; then he dropped the music, and
burst into tears.
"These peasants had been playing the allegretto of
Beethoven's Symphony in A.
"The whole family surrounded him with signs of curiosity and
surprise.
"For some moments his convulsive sobs impeded his utterance;
then he raised his head, and said, 'I am Beethoven.'
"And they uncovered their heads, and bent before him in
respectful silence. Beethoven extended his hands to them,
and they pressed them, kissed, wept over them; for they knew
that they had amongst them a man who was greater than a
king.
"Beethoven held out his arms, and embraced them all,--the
father, the mother, the young girl, and her three brothers.
"All at once he rose up, and, sitting down to the clavecin,
signed to the young men to take up their violins, and
himself performed the piano part of his _chef-d'oeuvre_.
The performers were alike inspired: never was music more
divine or better executed. Half the night passed away thus,
and the peasants listened. Those were the last accents of
the swan.
"The father compelled him to accept his own bed; but, during
the night, Beethoven was restless and fevered. He rose: he
needed air: he went forth with naked feet into the country.
All nature was exhaling a majestic harmony; the winds
sighing through the branches of the trees, and moaning along
the avenues and glades of the wood. He remained some hours
wandering thus amid the cool dews of the early morning; but,
when he returned to the house, he was seized with an icy
chill. They sent to Vienna for a physician. Dropsy on the
chest was found to have declared itself; and in two days,
despite every care and skill, the doctor said Beethoven must
die.
"And, in truth, life was every instant ebbing fast from him.
"As he lay upon his bed, pale and suffering, a man entered.
It was Hummel,--Hummel, his old and only friend. He had
heard of the illness of Beethoven, and he came to him with
succor and money. But it was too late: Beethoven was
speechless; and a grateful smile was all that he had to
bestow upon his friend.
"Hummel bent towards him, and, by the air of an acoustic
instrument, enabled Beethoven to hear a few words of his
compassion and regret.
"Beethoven seemed re-animated; his eyes shone: he struggled
for utterance, and gasped, 'Is it not true, Hummel, that I
have some talent, after all?'
"These were his last words. His eyes grew fixed, his mouth
fell open, and his spirit passed away.
"They buried him in the little cemetery of Dobling."
Among the most eminent composers of the present century may be
mentioned Auber, Schubert, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Mendelssohn, Weber,
Verdi, and Wagner.
In "The Contemporary Review" there lately appeared the following
beautifully worded tribute to the noble qualities of Mendelssohn:--
"Mendelssohn reigns forever in a sweet wayside temple of his
own, full of bright dreams and visions, incense, and ringing
songs, and partly is he so sweet, because, unburthened with
any sense of a message to utter, a mission to develop, he
sings like a child in the valleys of asphodel, weaving
bright chaplets of spring flowers for the whole world,
looking upon the mystery of grief and pain with wide eyes of
sympathy, and at last succumbing to it himself, but not
understanding it, with a song of tender surprise upon his
lips."
Since the times of the great writers of the eighteenth century, and of
the first half of the present one, no new developments or advancements
have been made in musical creations.[7] Indeed, it would seem that the
time has not yet come for attempts to be made to improve upon the
works of those great musical luminaries; for they have left too much
that is deep, classical, charmingly beautiful, and soul-satisfying.
The musical world has paused, not caring to go farther, to
conscientiously study their noble creations, so fruitful in the
delights, the soul-elevating influences, which they afford.
[Footnote 7: It would, perhaps, be better at present to except those
of Wagner, upon the _surpassing_ merits of which the best critics are
as yet divided.]
But, although no great genius has of late years appeared with newer
and greater creations to claim our attention from those of the past,
it is gratifying to know that great advancement is being made in a
more general musical culture among the people; while the number of
really great instrumentalists and vocalists is quite large, and is
constantly increasing. In these latter respects the present far
exceeds the past.[8] In fact, the study of the art of music has begun
to be considered a necessity; and ability in its comprehension and
performance is now far from being considered as merely an ornamental
accomplishment. All this springs from the very nature of this divine
art, the mission, so to speak, of which is, to constantly open new
fountains of pleasure in the human heart; to cheer, to soothe, and to
bless mankind throughout all time.
[Footnote 8: It should also be here remarked, that there has been,
too, a remarkable improvement made in the construction of most all
musical instruments; they having been brought to a nicety and beauty
of form and tone probably not dreamed of by the makers of the past.]
But, after all, we know not how soon another great musical genius may
startle us from our complacent studies of the masters of the past; for
we are even now somewhat threatened in this respect by Richard Wagner,
the eminent composer of Germany. He is not satisfied with the music of
the past nor the present, and points to his own present and
prospective creations as samples of what the "music of the future"
will be. Just now, musical critics, while generally conceding to him
much power as a composer, are divided in opinion as to whether his
ideas are to be accepted in their entirety.
Still, who can now tell what the "music of the future" _may_ be?
Before closing this chapter on the history of music, I think it highly
proper, as a matter of record and of appropriate interest, to refer
briefly to the almost wonderful achievements of that brilliant
impressario, P.S. Gilmore of Boston, who in the year 1869 conceived
the idea of having a grand musical festival, the noble objects of
which were to celebrate the restoration of peace in the United States,
and to quicken and increase the interest felt in music throughout this
country, and also the world, by bringing together in a single
performance a larger body of most skilful musicians than was ever
before attempted. An immense building called "The Coliseum" was
constructed for the purposes of the festival, which was to continue
five days. On the 15th of June, in the city of Boston, "The National
Jubilee and Great Musical Festival" was begun. The number of
instruments and performers composing the great orchestra was 1,011;
and an organ of immense proportions and power, built expressly for the
occasion, was employed. The grand chorus and solo vocalists numbered
1,040. Besides, one hundred anvils (used in the rendering of Verdi's
"Anvil Chorus") were played upon by a hundred of the city's firemen in
full uniform; while to all this was added a group of cannon, the same
being used in the performance of the "Star-spangled Banner." The vast
chorus, the orchestra, and all the leading performers (among the
latter were Ole Bull, Parepa, and Carl Rosa), were selected from the
finest musical people of the country, being accepted only after strict
testing by skilful judges. At this great gathering many of the works
of the great composers were performed, and only works of real merit
had a place on the programme. These were all performed by this vast
_ensemble_ with a precision and an excellence that were really grand
and wonderful. This achievement of Gilmore was considered the most
brilliant entertainment of modern times. Of it, it has been truly
said,--
"This great event, by the sublimity of its music, held the
nation spell-bound. The great volume of song swept through
the land like a flood of melody, filling every Christian
heart with 'glad tidings of great joy.' It came like a
sunburst upon a musical world, shedding light where had been
darkness before, and revealing a new sphere of harmony, a
fairy-land of promise, and triumphantly realizing greater
achievements in the divine art than were hitherto thought
possible. It will ever be a memorable epoch in the history
of music, a glorious event; and thousands upon thousands are
happier for that week of glorious music. The boom of the
cannon, the stroke of the bells,[9] the clang of the anvils,
the peal of the organ, the harmony of the thousand
instruments, the melody of the thousands of voices, the
inspiring works of the great masters, the song of the
'Star-spangled Banner,' the cheers of the multitude, the
splendor of the spectacle,--the memory of all this is the
rich possession of many, and will be ever recalled as the
happiest experiences of a lifetime."
[Footnote 9: The church-bells of the city were also employed in
rendering some of the music.]
The success of the "National Peace Jubilee" was so perfect, and had
produced a musical enthusiasm and revival so great, that, in the year
1872, Gilmore, still prolific in startling musical conceptions,
projected and carried into execution another festival of the same
general character as the first, only that it was far vaster and more
daring in its proportions. This one he styled "The World's Peace
Jubilee and International Festival." Several times during the week
that this great musical festival was held, not less than fifty
thousand people were present in the immense Coliseum building. This
time the orchestra consisted of two thousand instruments, and the
chorus numbered over seventeen hundred voices; while a mighty organ
and cannon and anvils were used as before. The great soloists engaged
were Mme. Leutner, Johann Strauss, Franz Abt, and Bendel. Foreign
governments being invited to send representatives from among their
best musicians, England sent the Band of the Grenadier Guards;
Germany, its great Prussian Band; France, the brilliant French
Republic Band. King William of Prussia sent also, as a special
compliment, his classical Court Cornet Quartet; and Ireland sent its
best band. To this galaxy of star military bands, perhaps the greatest
ever assembled, the United States added its own favorite Marine Band
of Washington. At this second great and vast assemblage of artists the
almost marvellous achievements of the first "Jubilee" were repeated to
the utmost delight of many thousands of people, and Gilmore became at
once the most brilliant and daring impressario genius of the world.
As before intimated, Wagner is not at all satisfied with pausing where
Mozart, Beethoven, and other great composers, left off. He believes
that their music can be improved upon. According to his theory, the
music of the opera, in the most highly-developed form of the latter,
is but an incidental element, the dramatic part being principal. He
lately composed a triology--three operas connected as one--with a
prologue, the subjects of the dramas being taken from mythology, and
forming beautiful fairy tales. To carry to the greatest perfection his
views and firmly-held ideas as to what music should be, and as to what
he stoutly avers it will be in the future, he selected from far and
near only the best artists for the performance of his opera (these
were subjected to long and careful rehearsals under his own
conductorship), and erected at Bayreuth, in Bavaria, a large and
beautiful theatre, which, in its minutest details even, was built
under his own supervision, and after his own peculiar ideas. It being
calculated to show to the highest advantage his conception, that, in
the expression of sentiment, music is only secondary, his orchestra of
one hundred and ten performers was placed out of sight of the audience
during the acting of the opera.
The great "Musical Festival," as it was called, continued three days,
the performance of each part of the triology occupying--exclusive of a
wait of one hour after each act--from four to five hours.
At these performances the nobility of Germany and other countries,
together with the Abbé Liszt, and many others in the higher walks of
music, were present. The audiences were immense, brilliant, and
exceedingly demonstrative in applause. At the close of the opera,
Wagner was called before the curtain, receiving quite an ovation: and
in his speech he said, "Now we see what can be done: at last we have a
German art."
It is perhaps too early, as yet, to decide that Richard Wagner's ideal
will be adopted by the musical world; nor should we be in too much
haste to conclude that it will not be. Certainly he has succeeded, at
least, in dividing the highest critics of the glorious art; and the
history of music shows, as does also that of all art, that what is
rejected to-day may be warmly and even rapturously accepted to-morrow.
Of the festival at Bayreuth, Mr. Hazard, musical critic of "The
New-York Tribune," writes, "The effect of the music was magnificent
beyond all description. It far surpassed all expectation; and the
general verdict is that it is a triumph of the new school of music,
final and complete."
Of the impression created by one of the parts of the opera,
"Rheingold" (Mr. F.A. Schwabe), of "The New-York Times," says,
"Musically considered, it is not significant. It is hopeless,
therefore, to look for popularity for the work; at present, at least."
"The agony is over; and the grandest of all operatic conceptions, the
musical drama over which Richard Wagner toiled and dreamed for twenty
years, has been given to the world in its complete form."[10]
[Footnote 10: From a writer in the New-York Herald.]
Very recently, Mr. Moncure D. Conway thus expresses his high
admiration for the work of Wagner:--
"I am satisfied that the English-speaking world is little
aware at present of the immensity and importance of the work
Wagner has done for art. Plato declared that the true
musician must have poetry and music harmonized in himself;
and the world has waited twenty-five hundred years for that
combination to appear. Having carefully read the poems all
written by himself which Wagner has set to music, or rather
which incarnated themselves in music, and costumed
themselves in scenery as he wrote them, I venture to affirm
that none can so read them without the conviction that their
author is a true poet. In the first place, the general
conception of his chief operas, taken together, is in the
largest sense poetic, and I might even say Homeric. This man
has transmitted an entire religion to poetry, and then set
it to music. And it is one of the greatest of
religions,--what Nature engraved on the heart of our own
Teutonic ancestors. It is all there,--its thousand
phantasmal years, from the first cowering cry of the Norse
savage before the chariot of his storm-god to the last
gentle hymn that rose to Freya under her new name of
Mary,--all. It is interpreted as a purely human expression;
and, I repeat, no man has done so vast and worthy an
artistic work in our time."
While America has perhaps produced as yet no _great_ composers, it has
several of very high merit, such as J.K. Paine, Dudley Buck, and
others. In the United States there are many remarkable vocal and
instrumental artists, a large number of classical musical clubs and
societies; while several of its great vocalists, male and female,
accept and decline engagements in Europe. Perhaps no finer orchestra
exists anywhere than that of Theodore Thomas of New York; while nearly
as high praise may be given to the Mendelssohn and Beethoven Quintette
Clubs of Boston, and to others in different parts of the country.
Music is quite generally cultivated in this country; and there are
many excellent critics, musical writers, and periodicals devoted to
this beautiful and elevating science.
A very startling late American musical invention is the "telephone," a
description of the working of which is given below:--
"MUSIC BY TELEGRAPH.
"A most interesting field for the musical student is the
progress that is being made in _telegraphing musical
sounds_.
"This is done by means of the telephone, which transmits
simultaneously several different tones through one wire by
means of steel forks made to vibrate at one end of the line,
the pulsations passing through the wire independently of
each other, and reappearing at the distant station on
vibrating reeds.
"Some very interesting tests were made in the Centennial
Main Building a few days ago in the presence of about fifty
invited guests, among whom were noticed the Emperor and
Empress of Brazil, Sir William Thompson, and quite a number
of eminent electricians.
"The experiments were of a very interesting and successful
character.
"The inventor, Mr. Gray of Chicago, asked his assistant, Mr.
Goodridge, to transmit musical sounds, which were received
very distinctly amid hearty applause from those present.
"It was the first time that many present had heard 'Home,
Sweet Home,' 'My Country, 'tis of Thee,' or 'Old Hundred,'
rendered so beautifully by telegraph; and they evidently
enjoyed the treat."
By this invention, music played upon a piano-forte or melodeon is
reproduced upon a violin attached to the receiving end of the wire at
a distance of twenty-four hundred miles.
Another important musical invention (English) is that of the "voice
harmonium." Of this Mr. Theo. T. Seward writes,--
"To all such the invention of which I speak is a matter of
deep interest, because in it is practically solved the
problem of perfect intonation. It is called the 'voice
harmonium,' because the securing of perfect intonation
brings the tones much nearer to the quality of the human
voice. The instrument has been invented and patented by Mr.
Colin Brown of Glasgow, Ewing lecturer on music. By the use
of additional reeds and a most ingenious keyboard, he has
succeeded in giving each key in _perfect_ tune. The 'wolf'
is banished altogether, without the privilege of a single
growl. I do not need to say that the effect upon the ear is
rich, and extremely satisfactory. After listening to it a
little while, the tones of a tempered organ sound coarse and
harsh. I wish very much that some of our ingenious American
instrument-makers could have the opportunity of examining
it. It has been publicly exhibited at the South-Kensington
Exhibition, before the recent meeting of the British
Association, and elsewhere. The highest scientific
authorities have pronounced most thoroughly in favor of its
'perfectness, beauty, and simplicity.' Whether the greater
complication of the keyboard will interfere seriously with
its popular use, remains to be seen."
Mr. Theodore Thomas recently gave an excellent performance of the
works of American composers. Among those rendered were compositions by
Dudley Buck, A.H. Pease, and William Mason. One of the gems of the
evening was a symphonic poem by William H. Foy, entitled "A Day in the
Country."
Mr. Thomas's orchestra, noted for placing upon its programmes only
works of the highest merit, has recently also presented with much
success a new symphony by the talented composer of oratorios, &c.,
J.K. Paine.
In alluding to the progress of music in the United States, "The Music
Trade Review" says, "If the centennial year could disclose all its
triumphs, music would shine among its garlands. A hundred years ago
was a voiceless void for us compared with the native voices and native
workers who now know a sonnet from a saraband."
IV.
THE BEAUTY, POWER, AND USES OF MUSIC.
"The soul lives its best hours when surrounded by melody,
and is drawn towards its home, Paradise, dreaming of its
hymning seraphs who adore with ecstasies that can find
utterance only in song."
"And how can happiness be better expressed than by song or
music? And, if the body and mind are both attuned to a true
enjoyment of their resources, how much more will the moral
nature be refined and educated!"
The cultivation of the art of music has ever followed closely the
progress of civilization; and those nations that have attained to the
highest state of the latter have most encouraged the growth, and have
been most skilled in the creation and performance, of music.
Montesquieu avers that "music is the only one of all the arts that
does not corrupt the mind." Confucius said, "Wouldst thou know if a
people be well governed, if its laws be good or bad? examine the music
it practises." Again: another has quite aptly said that
"Music is one of the greatest educators in the world; and
the study of it in its higher departments, such as
composition, harmony, and counterpoint, develops the mind as
much as the study of mathematics or the languages. It
teaches us love, kindness, charity, perseverance, patience,
diligence, promptness, and punctuality."
And a writer in "Chambers's Journal" remarks, that
"In society, where education requires a submission to rule
singing belongs to the domain of art; but, in a primitive
state, all nations have their songs. Musical rhythm drives
away weariness, lessens fatigue, detaches the mind from the
painful realities of life, and braces up the courage to meet
danger. Soldiers march to their war-songs; the laborer
rests, listening to a joyous carol; in the solitary chamber,
the needlewoman accompanies her work with some love-ditty;
and in divine worship the heart is raised above earthly
things by the solemn chant."
Happily for the world, this beautiful art is one, the delightful forms
of which nearly all may enjoy, the inspiring, soul-elevating
influences of which nearly all may feel. I say, nearly all; because it
is a sad truth that there are some persons who have no ear whatever
for music, and to whom the harsh, rattling noise of the cart on the
stony street affords just as much melody as do the sweetest tones that
may issue from a musical instrument. Again: there are those, who,
although possessing to some extent a faculty for musical discernment,
are yet so much governed by what is called a sense of the "practical"
in life as to avoid all opportunity for the enjoyment of melody,
considering such indulgence as a waste of precious time. It is,
however, pleasant to know that the number of all such persons--who
must, I think, be regarded as really unfortunate--is but a small one,
and that almost every one has a born capacity for musical appreciation
and enjoyment.
It is true that the mighty genius of Mozart and Beethoven soared far
above common musical minds. With a love for the noble art of music
almost sacred in its intensity, these great composers penetrated far,
far into its depths, finding their greatest enjoyment in so doing.
Starting with the simpler forms of the art left by their predecessors,
they deepened, they broadened and varied those forms; while, with
every intricacy created, they experienced the sweetest of pleasure.
And one of the most fitting tributes that can be paid to these and
others of the noble masters of harmony is beautifully embodied in the
lines of Rogers:--
"The _soul_ of music slumbers in the shell
Till waked and kindled by the master's spell."
But this far-reaching art, with all its difficult forms to awaken and
enchain the interest, and to inspire the love of the man of genius or
the ambitious student of æsthetics, has also those more simple ones
for the delight of the humbler mind. Even the babe that lies in its
mother's arms has within the yet narrow confines of its new-born soul
the germ of musical sympathy. Often, when it is in a state of
disquiet, its mother sings to it a simple, pretty song. Soon the
crying ceases; the little eyes brighten with a delighted interest; the
charm of music is working. The mother continues the touching
"lullaby," and anon finds that her tender charge, with the pleasing
sounds of melody gently ringing in its ears to the last, has been
soothed into dreamland. Indeed, the power of music to touch the heart,
to fill the soul, lies oftenest in those tones that are comprised in
its least difficult melodies. Nothing is truer than that music, so
beneficent in its influence, is _meant_ for the comprehension,
enjoyment, and improvement of _all_; and that it should never be
regarded as an all-mysterious art, the charming domain of which only
the gifted few are to enter. Whoever can distinguish musical sounds
from their reverse, is, in degree at least, a musician; and whether
such a one may enlarge his faculty for musical discernment and
enjoyment depends only upon the extent of his observations, or rather
upon the amount and kind of his study.
As elsewhere remarked, some time has elapsed since the music-loving
world has been called to the contemplation of any great, new
revelation in harmony. Meanwhile devotees of the divine art have
generally been so much employed in endeavors to properly interpret the
sublime works left for their study and enjoyment by the great
composers of the past, that they have had neither time nor desire to
seek for newer creations. For nearly all seem convinced that what is
most needed now is, not new music, but that the masses of the people
should possess an intelligent appreciation of, and warm love for, the
best of that which is already at hand; and as an intelligent,
heartfelt religious faith is needed to carry light and happiness alike
into the homes of the highly-favored and the lowly, so is the
beauty-shedding art of music--a close ally of that faith--needed to
cheer, to soothe their hearts, and to develop in the minds of all
God's children a love for that which may be fitly called the "true,
beautiful, and good." Associating music with the very highest form of
happiness, one of the older poets imagines this beautiful scene in
heaven:--
"Their golden harps they took,
Harps ever tuned, that glittering by their side
Like quivers hung, and with preamble sweet
Of charming symphony they introduce
Their sacred song, and waken raptures high
No voice exempt, no voice but well could join
Melodious part, such concord is in heaven."
But I shall now more particularly invite the reader to a consideration
of a few among the many forms in which the beauty, the power, and
good uses of music are exemplified, and of the advantages to be
derived from its conscientious study.
It may be noticed, that, in those towns and cities containing a
preponderance of cultivated people, theatres do not flourish to the
same extent as in neighborhoods where the reverse is true. The reason
is obvious: cultured people have attractive and generally musical
homes, and are thus made, to a great extent, independent of the
amusements afforded in public places. This I mention, not to decry the
theatre, which, I hold, has its appropriate, and, under proper
conditions, educational and refining uses. In fact, the theatre (in
which is performed the legitimate drama) would seem to be in certain
respects a necessity, affording as it does occasional change of scene,
and ministering to that desire for relaxation and amusement so
naturally, so invariably felt by those persons who have not, in a true
sense, homes. Nevertheless, our firesides should be made to compete
with, nay, to far surpass in attractiveness, all places of public
amusement; for it is very much better that the employments and
_entertainments_ of our homes should charm and retain their members,
than that these should be sought for outside their, in some respects,
sacred confines. The reasons for this are so apparent to the
thoughtful, that they need not be greatly enlarged upon. Briefly,
then, in the home is _safety_: over its members are extended the
protecting wings of guardian angels; while without are often snares
and danger, either in palpable forms, or in those hidden by the
glittering, the alluring disguises which are so often thrown over
vice. On this very subject with what truth and directness Cotton
speaks, when he says,--
"If solid happiness we prize,
Within our breasts this jewel lies;
And they are fools that roam.
The world has nothing to bestow:
From our own selves our joys must flow,
_And that dear hut, our home_!"
Nor need I dwell at great length upon the delights and benefits
afforded the members of families whose leisure is given to the study
and practice of an art so ennobling as music. How charming are those
homes in which it is, in its purest style, cultivated! what refinement
reigns therein! and what a gentle yet potent aid it is in parental
government! The allurements to outside and often harmful pleasures
lose their power over the children of that household in which music's
engaging, magic influence holds delightful, elevating sway. And then
at times, when instruments and voices mingle in a "concord of sweet
sounds," how delightful is the effect, how serenely beautiful is the
scene! Often have I, when passing in the evening a dwelling from which
floated out upon the air the notes of tuneful voices, accompanied by
the piano-forte or some other instrument, paused to listen, lingering
long, the ear so ravished by the sweet sounds as to cause me to stand
almost spell-bound, and to remain under music's magic influence even
after its charming sounds had died away.
"The music in my heart I bore
Long after it was heard no more."
To the great aid afforded them by music in government, the teachers in
our common schools can testify. Often a turbulent school, swayed by
youthful passions, or wearied by monotonous study into a state of
painful unrest, has been stilled, calmed, and refreshed by the
singing of a song,--an indulgence in the enjoyment of its melody
affording delightful relaxation, and also awaking to life that better,
that poetic sentiment that abides in every soul. The writer readily
recalls his own experience as a teacher in gently enforcing lessons in
polite deportment among his pupils by the aid of music. The exercises
of each session of his school were always begun and ended with song;
while sometimes, for reasons previously mentioned, books were laid
aside, and all joined in singing, even during a part of the time
usually devoted to study. By such procedure (the songs were of the
simplest kind, and without the adding charm of instrumental
accompaniment), even the most unruly pupils were generally induced to
yield to the softening influences of "magic numbers and persuasive
sound." In regard to the influence wielded over the mind and heart by
songs, an eminent writer thus speaks: "Songs have at all times, and in
all places, afforded amusement and consolation to mankind: every
passion in the human breast has been vented in song; and the most
savage as well as the most civilized inhabitants of the earth have
encouraged these effusions." The following description of the effects
of music at a reform-school is quite interesting in this connection.
It is clipped from a recent number of "The Boston Transcript."
"A reporter of 'The San Francisco Chronicle,' who recently
visited the industrial school, was very much impressed by
what he saw and learned there concerning not only the
taming, but the reforming and refining influence of a
'concord of sweet sounds.' Attached to the institution is a
music-teacher, who has at all times in active training a
number of boys, who perform on the various instruments that
make up a brass band. This teacher, who is an intelligent
German, and to all appearances an able instructor, testifies
to the wonderful efficacy of music in softening the rugged
nature of the boys, who are sent to school usually because
they are uncontrollable by their parents or guardians. He
says he has noticed the singular fact, that boys whose
aversion to learning was so great that they could not or
would not acquire even a knowledge of their 'a, b, abs,'
took hold with evident relish of the comparatively difficult
study of theoretical music, and in a very short space of
time mastered the notes sufficiently to be able to read a
tolerably hard score or piece of music. This seemed to him
like a phenomenal phase, and he can only account for it on
the ground that a love of music is inherent in the average
bad boy. He has usually in training a band of twenty pieces:
but he says that this number he could easily augment at any
time to two, three, or even four times as many; for he very
rarely finds a boy that has not a taste for some musical
instrument. The greatest trouble he has yet encountered in
the formation of his bands is the fact, that, as soon as his
pupils become really proficient, they are ready for a
discharge for good conduct, the music possessing such an
influence for good over them as to completely reform
dispositions that would otherwise be incorrigibly bad. Since
he has held the position of music-teacher at the
institution, several boys have been discharged for good and
promising conduct, who have turned their knowledge of music,
acquired within the walls of the industrial school, to
profitable account."
We know that music, either vocal or instrumental, and in many cases
the two combined, has for many centuries been considered necessary for
the proper worship of God. The harmony that issues in grand and
melting tones from the noble organ subdues the heart, and fills it
with solemnity, sweetness, and hope: the sacred chant, the prayer or
thanksgiving, uttered in melodious song by the choir or by all the
congregation,--these cause the sordid world with all its cares and
wild passions to be for the while forgotten, and the soul, charged
with the influences of divine harmony and most holy aspiration, is
lifted to heaven. And so music, with its gentle, its ever-winning
power, has constantly been used by the churches to secure the
attendance of those who without it had been indifferent. This has been
especially the practice of the Roman-Catholic Church for inducing the
attendance of Protestants, and is after the custom of olden times,
when the Gentiles were thus drawn into the Christian churches, coming
at first through motives of curiosity. They were, however, often so
captivated by the music as to submit to baptism before departing. In
most of our large cities, a considerable number of wealthy Protestants
are induced, by the superior musical attractions of Catholic churches,
to attend for a while, renting pews, and finally, in some cases, to
become members; and Protestant churches, to sustain the interest in
their services, and to insure the attendance of members and others,
have been obliged to recognize this love among the people for the
divine art.
The German race is remarkable for the intelligence, steadiness, and
industry of its members, and their love for and cultivation of the art
of music,--these latter characteristics prevailing to a most pleasing
degree among all classes of the race. Indeed, it is rare to find a
German not, in some sense at least, a musician. And in what beneficent
uses do they employ the art, especially in their social relations!
Their children are inducted into its charming beauties and helpful
uses from their very earliest years. Of a steady-going, rather
practical life, the Teutonic race yet seeks relief from care, and
finds delightful rest and recreation, in united song, or in some other
form of pleasing harmony; thus wisely uniting the practical with the
poetical in life. How in keeping is a musical love so warm, and a
musical proficiency so general, with a nation which has given to the
world a Mozart, a Haydn, and a Beethoven!
Most persons have remarked the superior affability, the polish of
manners, that distinguishes the people of France. It is also
observable that this nation is much devoted to music; that which is
produced by their own composers, and most in use by the people, being
usually of the graceful, brilliant style. An eminent French writer
states, that, for the possession of these pleasing characteristics,
this nation is indebted to that ancient order of musicians, the
troubadours, whose musical qualities, politeness, and other winning
graces, laid the foundation of the same.
It is said that the ancient Egyptians held music in such high esteem
that they employed it as a remedial agent, believing it a sure cure
for certain kinds of disease. While such a belief--that is, in its
entirety--may not be held in modern times, yet this notion of the
curative qualities of music does not seem so very fanciful or
mysterious after a little reflection. We know that nothing so
generally conduces to recovery from sickness as those influences that
inspire feelings of cheerfulness, and that serve to divert the mind of
the patient from a contemplation of his bodily sufferings,--it being
almost a proverb, that "a pain forgot is a pain cured,"--and that one
of the chief of such agencies is the soothing, inspiriting charm of
music. It is not meant by this, of course, that music is of itself and
specifically a cure, but that it may be often employed as a powerful
aid in effecting the same. We know, moreover, that this
delight-affording art may be profitably used to "minister to a mind
diseased," and that its aid is often invoked by those physicians who
are most skilful, if not in curing, at least in ameliorating the
condition of, persons afflicted with that terrible malady, insanity.
Perhaps Saul of olden times, who is said to have been once possessed
with an "evil spirit," was then simply insane; and, taking this view
of his condition,--which is, after all, the one that seems the more
correct,--the statement in the Bible, that David drove away this evil
spirit by his skilful playing upon the harp, becomes easy to
understand, since the occurrence is thus divested of its miraculous
character.
But I must not fail to notice here the remark sometimes made, that the
study and practice of music do not always give to those engaged in the
same the graces of a true refinement; that even persons highly skilled
in the art are sometimes unamiable in manners, and coarse in habits.
To this I reply, that no art nor human agency is capable of elevating
every character to perfection; and that the exceptions above mentioned
become very noticeable, and cause surprise, because of the known good
influence upon the heart and mind generally exerted by the study and
practice of good music. Besides, all great musical "_stars_" must not
be classed with the conscientious, loving student of the art. Some
among the former, gifted with phenomenal voices or with rare powers
for instrumental performance, having reached, perhaps, with a few easy
strides, their high positions, and caring but little for music save as
it ministers to their vanity, conceit, or cupidity,--these have missed
that gradually unfolding _culture_ of the mind and heart that belongs
to the progress of one who conscientiously seeks to know music's
manifold beauties, and who with real appreciation for the beautiful in
art, _loving music for music's sake_, feels and exhibits in his
deportment towards his fellow-men its delightful and elevating power.
And here I cannot forbear to remark, that the musical education of the
youth of our country is not being pushed towards that state of
_thoroughness_ so necessary to a real comprehension and enjoyment of
the art. Nearly all intelligent parents are frequent, and even
fulsome, in their praises of music; and, when they speak or write of
it, the laudatory exclamation is often brought into use. And yet they
seem to be satisfied, generally, when their children obtain, by a mere
skimming over its surface, but a peep into the realities and refining
beauties of the science; when the favorite daughter in the use of the
piano-forte, for instance, becomes only the most wearisome of
"thrummers."
"The London World" is none too severe on the "accomplished" young lady
of the period, when it says,--
"The ordinary young lady can only play set pieces on the
piano that she has learned at the price of Heaven knows how
many valuable hours' practising. She never remembers any
thing by heart; could not compose two notes to save her
life; and cannot repeat by ear the simplest melody out of an
opera, though she has heard it a hundred times. She is
perfectly ignorant of the history of music; hates classical
works; knows few of the masters' names save Verdi,
Donizetti, Offenbach, and Mozart, the latter only as the
composer of 'Don Giovanni.' Gregorian or Latin chants convey
no especial meaning to her mind: all she can tell you about
them is that they are used in church. As for orchestration,
scoring, and such like, they are only fit matters for
professionals. She will call Wagner horrid, Gounod lovely,
Mendelssohn dull, and Beethoven pretty, without knowing why
she likes or dislikes any thing. She yawns at an oratorio,
is bored at a concert, and only enjoys opera because she
knows everybody that sits in the boxes."
Besides, I think a mistake is made in compelling girls to learn to
play only the piano-forte. There are other instruments, for
performance upon which many of them have talents. Nor need such
performance detract from a graceful, ladylike appearance. I mention,
for example, the harp, the violin, and, indeed, all the stringed
instruments, and even others. But on this point another says,--
"A recent number of the London 'Queen' contains an article
recommending the violin as an instrument peculiarly
appropriate for the use of ladies. It protests against the
custom of teaching girls to play the piano-forte only,
arguing that they should have a larger field in music. There
is certainly no reason why girls may not gracefully handle
the bow; and it is stated in the article referred to, that
they 'can learn the violin in half the time that boys
can,'--a statement which indicates that a goodly number of
girls somewhere have had the opportunity of learning. In
this age of progress, girls may certainly have a choice of
instruments, and an opportunity to pursue the delightful art
of music in whatever way they choose. If taste or fancy
incline them to wind-instruments, why should they not try
them?"
Mr. Dwight, in his "Journal of Music," very justly and considerately
discourses of the utility of violin accomplishment, and the
adaptability of the instrument to womanly practice. He says,
"We have always wondered, that in a community where so much
attention is paid to music, and where almost every girl and
boy is taught to thrum the piano, so few acquire, or even
seek to acquire, the art of playing on the violin. The
piano, to be sure, is a more representative instrument,
enabling one pair of hands to grasp the whole harmony of a
composition, or a compendium thereof; but the violin, with
the other members of its family, viola, 'cello, &c., is the
more social instrument, bringing together groups of kindred
spirits who can play in parts, and read together the
quartets, &c., of the greatest masters, or play sonata duos,
trios, &c., with the piano-forte. And the string-instruments
are infinitely the most expressive: their tones lie nearer
to the soul, spring more directly from the human breast.
They are the heart of the whole orchestra, the most
essential part of music, next to the human voice. It is a
graceful, manly, healthy exercise, to play the violin. If it
be very difficult to play it like an artist, so much the
worthier of a manly aspiration. If it is often only vulgar
_fiddling_, it is, on the other hand, with those truly
schooled, the most gentlemanly of instruments. And we
maintain that it is equally the most womanly. We have many
times expressed our interest in female violinists. Who that
has seen and heard Camilla Urso, or Teresa Liebe, or Mr.
Eichberg's accomplished pupil, Persis Bell, could fail to
feel that the violin seemed peculiarly fitted to the female
constitution and capacity? How graceful the attitude and
motions of a young woman skilfully handling the bow! Her
finer sense of touch, her delicate tact, her instinctive
feeling-out of the pure truth of tone, give woman a great
advantage in this art; and the several examples we have had
from time to time in the concerts of the Boston Conservatory
of Music have shown that this was no mere dream."
But the limits of this book will not permit me to go much farther into
this alluring subject. I shall therefore close this chapter by a brief
reference to those who occupy the really noble positions of teachers
of the sublime art of music.
He whose own mind has been illumined and whose own soul has been
especially cheered and enlarged by the various contemplations, the
studies and conceptions, of art, will not, in fact can not, hide his
light for his own selfish enjoyment, but will seek to brighten the way
of such as wish to learn its beauty, power, and uses. And how
honorable, how enviable, is the mission of such a one as he who
imparts to his fellows a knowledge of the beautiful science of music,
leading them, through all the delighting, soul-filling forms of
melody, into the region of a very fairy-land!
And finally, as giving fitting expression to the estimation in which
the true musician is held by all intelligent people, I append this
elegant tribute by Dr. Burgh:--
"The physician who heals diseases, and alleviates the anguish of the
body, certainly merits a more conspicuous and honorable place; but the
musician who eminently soothes our sorrows, and innocently diverts the
mind in health, renders his memory deservedly dear to the grateful and
refined part of mankind in every civilized nation."
V.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR GREENFIELD,
THE FAMOUS SONGSTRESS;
OFTEN CALLED
THE "BLACK SWAN."
"A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid;
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora."
COLERIDGE.
"Hovering swans....
Carol sounds harmonious."
CALLIMACHUS' _Hymn to Apollo_.
In giving a brief sketch of the life of the celebrated cantatrice,
Miss Greenfield, the writer is somewhat embarrassed by the amount and
richness of the materials at his command. For it would require far too
much space to give all, or even a considerable portion, of the many
press notices, criticisms, incidents, and the various items of
interest, that are connected with her remarkable career; while to
judiciously select from among the same a few, so that, while justice
is done the subject, the interest of the reader may not be
lessened, is far from being an easy task, albeit it is a pleasant one.
I find, indeed, that the pages of the public journals fairly teemed
with praises of the great prima donna, as she was frequently called by
them. The musical world was startled, intensely delighted,
electrified, by her notes of sweetest melody. Her magnificent voice,
in its great range in both the upper and lower registers, was regarded
as nothing short of wonderful. Those who at first were incredulous
soon became convinced of this, and were fairly taken captive; while
the always friendly ones, especially those with whom Miss Greenfield
was most closely identified, felt the keenest pleasure and most
unbounded pride in her great triumphs.
[Illustration: ELIZABETH TAYLOR GREENFIELD.]
All this was chronicled by the press, and formed the theme of constant
conversation and correspondence. Many testimonials from persons in
this country skilled in music and of fine general culture, as well as
others from the Queen of England and several of the English nobility,
were among her rich possessions, and were so great in number and so
flattering in character as to have made hers almost, if indeed not
altogether, an exceptional case.
These strong evidences of approval did not, however, make Miss
Greenfield vain. The natural simplicity of her character remained
unchanged. All the many exhibitions of great public and private
admiration, and the praises that her performances constantly evoked,
while of course affording her much pleasure, served mainly as impulses
to newer and higher efforts in her chosen and beloved profession. Nor
was her disposition less tried by the many difficulties that often
formed in her pathway. Of these I need not speak here. But amidst
them all this noble lady and artist was ever brave, patient, hopeful,
ambitious in a certain sense, yet modest.
Fully aware of the magnificent quality of her voice, and of its
phenomenal character; singing a higher and a lower note than either of
her great contemporaries,--Parodi, Kate Hayes, and Jenny Lind,--she
yet did not rest content, as most persons under the same circumstances
would have done, with the enthusiastic plaudits elicited by her
performances, but diligently applied herself to a scientific
cultivation of a voice in natural power well-nigh marvellous, as well
as to acquiring a scholarly knowledge of the principles of general
music. In this commendable course she met with remarkable success,
considering the circumstances by which she was surrounded.
And now, quoting at times largely from her "Biography," I proceed to
give the following sketch of the career of this remarkable queen of
song.
Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, better known perhaps by her musical
sobriquet, the "Black Swan," was born in Natchez, Miss., in the year
1809. When but a year old she was brought to Philadelphia by an
exemplary Quaker lady, by whom she was carefully reared. Between these
two persons there ever existed the warm affection that is felt by
mother and daughter. In the year 1844 this good lady died. In her will
the subject of this sketch was remembered by a substantial legacy. The
will, however, formed the subject of a long legal contest; and I
believe Miss Greenfield never received the bequest.
Her family name was Taylor; but, in honor of her guardian, she took
the latter's name,--Greenfield.
"Previous to the death of this lady, Elizabeth had become
distinguished in the limited circle in which she was known
for her remarkable powers of voice. Its tender, thrilling
tones often lightened the weight of age in one who was by
her beloved as a mother.
"By indomitable perseverance she surmounted difficulties
almost invincible. At first she taught herself crude
accompaniments to her songs, and, intuitively perceiving the
agreement or disagreement of them, improvised and repeated,
until there was heard floating upon the air a very 'lovely
song of one that had a pleasant voice, and could play well
upon a guitar.'
"There dwelt in the neighborhood of Mrs. Greenfield a
physician, humane and courteous; capable, too, of
distinguishing and appreciating merit and genius, under
whatever prejudices and disadvantages they were presented.
His daughter, herself an amateur in the science of
harmonious sounds, heard of Elizabeth's peculiar structure
of mind. Miss Price invited her to her house. She listened
with delighted surprise to her songs. She offered to
accompany her upon the guitar. This was a concurrence of
circumstances which formed the era of her life. Her pulses
quickened as she stood and watched the fair Anglo-Saxon
fingers of her young patroness run over the keyboard of a
full-toned piano-forte, eliciting sweet, sad, sacred, solemn
sounds. Emotion well-nigh overcame her; but the gentle
encouragement of her fair young friend dissipated her fears,
and increased her confidence. She sang; and before she had
finished she was surrounded by the astonished inmates of the
house, who, attracted by the remarkable compass and
sweetness of her voice, stealthily entered the room, and now
unperceived stood gathered behind her. The applause which
followed the first trial before this small but intelligent
audience gratified as much as it embarrassed her, from the
unexpected and sudden surprise. She not only received an
invitation to repeat her visit, but Miss Price, for a
reasonable compensation, undertook her instruction in the
first rudiments of music. The progress of genius is not like
that of common minds. It is needless to say that her
improvement was very rapid."
But the lessons above mentioned were taken quite privately, and
without, at first, the knowledge of her guardian. Elizabeth was
rapidly acquiring an acquaintance with music, when some one
maliciously informed Mrs. Greenfield, with the expectation of seeing
an injunction laid upon the pupil's efforts. The old lady sent for
Elizabeth, who came tremblingly into her presence, expecting to be
reprimanded for her pursuit of an art forbidden by the Friends'
discipline. "Elizabeth," said she, "is it true that thee is learning
music, and can play upon the guitar?"--"It is true," was her reply.
"Go get thy guitar, and let me hear thee sing." Elizabeth did so; and,
when she had concluded her song, she was astonished to hear the kind
lady say, "Elizabeth, whatever thee wants thee shall have." From that
time her guardian was the patroness of her earnest efforts for skill
and knowledge in musical science.
She began to receive invitations to entertain private parties by the
exhibition of the gift which the God of nature had bestowed.
"Upon the death of her patroness, in consequence of the
contested will she found herself thrown upon her own
resources for a maintenance. Remembering some friends in the
western part of New York, she resolved to visit them. While
crossing Lake Seneca, _en route_ to Buffalo, there came
sweetly stealing upon the senses of the passengers of the
steamer her rich, full, round, clear voice, unmarred by any
flaw. The lady passengers, especially the noble Mrs. Gen.
P., feeling that the power and sweetness of her voice
deserved attention, urged her to sing again, and were not
satisfied until five or six more songs were given to them.
Before reaching their destined port she had made many
friends. The philanthropic Mrs. Gen. P. became her friend
and patroness. She at once invited Elizabeth to her splendid
mansion in Buffalo, and, learning her simple story, promptly
advised her to devote herself entirely to the science of
music. During her visit a private party was given by this
lady, to which all the _élite_ of the city were invited.
Elizabeth acquitted herself so admirably, that, two days
later, a card of invitation came to her through the public
press, signed by the prominent gentlemen of Buffalo,
requesting her to give a series of concerts.
"In October, 1851, she sang before the Buffalo Musical
Association; and her performances were received with marks
of approbation from the best musical talent in the city,
that established her reputation as a songstress. 'Give the
"Black Swan,"' said they, 'the cultivation and experience of
the fair Swede or Mlle. Parodi, and she will rank favorably
with those popular singers who have carried the nation into
captivity by their rare musical abilities. Her voice has a
full, round sound, and is of immense compass and depth. She
strikes every note in a clear and well-defined manner, and
reaches the highest capacity of the human voice with
wonderful ease, and apparently an entire want of exertion.
Beginning with G in the _bass clef_, she runs up the scale
to E in the _treble clef_, and gives each note its full
power and tone. She commences at the highest note, and runs
down the scale with the same ease that she strikes any other
lower note. The fact that she accomplishes this with no
apparent exertion is surprising, and fixes at once the
marvellous strength of her vocal organs. Her voice is wholly
natural, and, as might be expected, lacks the training and
exquisite cultivation that belong to the skilful Italian
singer. But the _voice_ is there; and, as a famous maestro
once said, "it takes a hundred things to make a complete
singer, of which a good voice is ninety-nine." If this be
so, Miss Greenfield is on the verge of excellence; and it
remains for the public to decide whether she shall have the
means to pursue her studies.'"
To several gentlemen in Buffalo belongs the credit of having first
brought out Miss Greenfield in the concert-room. The Buffalo papers
took the matter in hand, and assured the public they had much to
expect from a concert from this vocalist. The deep interest her first
public efforts elicited from them gave occasion to the following
certificate:--
BUFFALO, Oct. 30, 1851.
Mr. H.E. HOWARD.
_Dear Sir_,--At your suggestion, for the purpose of enabling
Miss Elizabeth T. Greenfield to show to her Philadelphia
friends the popularity she has acquired in this city, I
cheerfully certify as follows:--
The concert got up for her was unsolicited on her part, and
entirely the result of admiration of her vocal powers by a
number of our most respectable citizens, who had heard her
at the residence of Gen. Potter, with whose family she had
become somewhat familiar. The concert was attended by an
audience not second in point of numbers to any given here
before, except by Jenny Lind; and not second to any in point
of respectability and fashion. The performance of Miss
Greenfield was received with great applause; and the
expression since, among our citizens generally, is a strong
desire to hear her again.
Respectfully yours, &c.,
G. REED WILSON.
Rochester next extended an invitation for her to visit that city. We
copy the invitation:--
"The undersigned, having heard of the musical ability of
Miss Elizabeth T. Greenfield of the city of Buffalo, and
being desirous of having her sing in Rochester, request that
she will give a public concert in this city at an early day,
and feel confident that it will afford a satisfactory
entertainment to our citizens." (Signed by a large number of
the most respected citizens of Rochester.)
ROCHESTER, Dec. 6, 1851.
This evening, in Corinthian Hall, the anticipated
entertainment is to be presented to our music-loving
citizens. Curiosity will lead many to attend, to whom the
performance of a colored prima donna is a phenomenon at once
wonderful and rare. Miss Greenfield has received from all
who have heard her the name of being a vocalist of
extraordinary power.
Speaking of her concert in Buffalo, "The Express" says,--
"On Monday, Parodi in all her splendor, sustained by Patti
and Strakosch, sang at Corinthian Hall to half a house. Last
night Miss Greenfield sang at the same place to a crowded
house of the respectable, cultivated, and fashionable people
of the city. Jenny Lind has never drawn a better house, as
to character, than that which listened with evident
satisfaction to this unheralded and almost unknown African
nightingale. Curiosity did something for her, but not all.
She has merit, very great merit; and with cultivation
(instruction) she will rank among the very first vocalists
of the age. She has a voice of great sweetness and power,
with a wider range from the lowest to the highest notes than
we have ever listened to: flexibility is not wanting, and
her control of it is beyond example for a new and untaught
vocalist. Her performance was received with marked
approbation and applause from those who knew what to
applaud."
Another city paper says,--
"Much has been said and written of this personage since she
was introduced to the public as a musical prodigy. All sorts
of surmises and conjectures have been indulged in respecting
the claim put forth of her merit; and generally the
impression seemed to prevail, that the novelty of 'color'
and idle curiosity accounted more for the excitement raised
than her musical powers. Well, she has visited our place,
and given our citizens an opportunity of judging for
themselves. We are ignorant of music, and unqualified to
criticise. But a large audience was in attendance at
Ringueberg Hall last evening: among those present were our
musical amateurs; and we heard but one expression in regard
to the new vocalist, and that was wonder and astonishment at
the extraordinary power and compass of her voice; and the
ease with which she passed from the highest to the lowest
notes seemed without an effort. Her first notes of 'Where
are now the hopes?' startled the whole audience; and the
interchange of glances, succeeded by thunders of applause at
the end of the first verse, showed that her success was
complete. She was loudly encored, and in response sang the
baritone, 'When stars are in the quiet sky,' which took down
the whole house.
"We have neither time nor space to follow her through her
different pieces. Suffice it to say, that there never was a
concert given in this town which appeared to give more
general satisfaction; and every person we met on leaving
the hall expressed their entire approbation of her
performance. No higher compliment could be paid to the
'Swan' than the enthusiastic applause which successfully
greeted her appearance, and the encore which followed her
several pieces.
"There was a very general expression among the audience that
the sable vocalist should give another concert; and, at the
earnest solicitation of several of our citizens, Col. Wood,
her gentlemanly manager, has consented to give another
entertainment to-morrow evening, when the 'Black Swan' will
give a new programme, consisting of some of Jenny Lind's
most popular songs.
"The concert on Thursday evening was what in other cases
would have been called a triumph. The house was full, the
audience a fashionable one, the applause decided, and the
impression made by the singer highly favorable.
"We can safely say that Miss Greenfield possesses a voice of
remarkable qualities; singular for its power, softness, and
depth. She has applied herself with praiseworthy
perseverance and assiduity to the cultivation of her
extraordinary powers, and has attained great proficiency in
the art which is evidently the bent of her genius. By her
own energy, and unassisted, she has made herself mistress of
the harp, guitar, and piano. We are informed that the
proceeds of the entertainment this evening are to be wholly
appropriated to the completion of her musical education in
Paris under the world-famed Garcia. We predict for Miss
Greenfield a successful and brilliant future."
"The Rochester American" says,--
"Corinthian Hall contained a large and fashionable audience
on the occasion of the concert by this new candidate for
popular favor on Thursday evening. We have never seen an
audience more curiously expectant than this was for the
_début_ of this new vocalist. Hardly had her first note
fallen upon their ears, however, before their wonder and
astonishment were manifest in an interchange of glances and
words of approval; and the hearty applause that responded to
the first verse she sang was good evidence of the
satisfaction she afforded. The aria, 'O native scenes!' was
loudly encored; and in response she gave the pretty ballad,
'When stars are in the quiet sky.'"
The Buffalo "Commercial Advertiser" says,--
"Miss Greenfield is about twenty-five years of age, and has
received what musical education she has in the city of
Philadelphia: she is, however, eminently self-taught,
possessing fine taste and a nice appreciation, with a voice
of wonderful compass, clearness, and flexibility. She
renders the compositions of some of the best masters in a
style which would be perfectly satisfactory to the authors
themselves. Her low, or properly _bass_ notes, are
wonderful, especially for a female voice; and in these she
far excels any singing we have ever heard.
"We learn that this singer (soon to become celebrated, we
opine) will give a concert in this city on Thursday next.
There is no doubt that the novelty of hearing a colored
woman perform the most difficult music with extraordinary
ability will give _éclat_ to the concert. All
representations unite in ascribing to Miss Greenfield the
most extraordinary talents, and a power and sweetness of
vocalization that are really unsurpassed."
"The Daily State Register," Albany, Jan. 19, 1852, said,--
"THE 'BLACK SWAN'S' CONCERT.--Miss Greenfield made her
_début_ in this city on Saturday evening, before a large and
brilliant audience, in the lecture-room of the Young Men's
Association. The concert was a complete triumph for her;
won, too, from a discriminating auditory not likely to be
caught with chaff, and none too willing to suffer admiration
to get the better of prejudice. Her singing more than met
the expectations of her hearers, and elicited the heartiest
applause and frequent encores. She possesses a truly
wonderful voice; and, considering the poverty of her
advantages, she uses it with surprising taste and effect. In
sweetness, power, compass, and flexibility, it nearly equals
any of the foreign vocalists who have visited our country;
and it needs only the training and education theirs have
received to outstrip them all.
"The compass of her marvellous voice embraces twenty-seven
notes, reaching from the sonorous bass of a baritone to a
few notes above even Jenny Lind's highest. The defects which
the critic cannot fail to detect in her singing are not from
want of voice, or power of lung, but want of training
alone. If her present tour proves successful, as it now bids
fair to, she will put herself under the charge of the best
masters of singing in Europe; and with her enthusiasm and
perseverance, which belong to genius, she cannot fail to
ultimately triumph over all obstacles, and even conquer the
prejudice of color,--perhaps the most formidable one in her
path.
"She plays with ability upon the piano, harp, and guitar. In
her deportment she bears herself well, and, we are told,
converses with much intelligence. We noticed among the
audience Gov. Hunt and his family, both Houses of the
Legislature, State officers, and a large number of our
leading citizens. All came away astonished and delighted."
A New-York paper says,--
"MISS GREENFIELD'S SINGING.--We yesterday had the pleasure
of hearing the singer who is advertised in our columns as
the 'Black Swan.' She is a person of ladylike manners,
elegant form, and not unpleasing, though decidedly African
features. Of her marvellous powers, she owes none to any
tincture of European blood. Her voice is truly wonderful,
both in its compass and truth. A more correct intonation, so
far as our ear can decide, there could not be. She strikes
every note on the exact centre, with unhesitating
decision.... She is a nondescript, an original. We cannot
think any common destiny awaits her."
"The Evening Transcript," Boston, Feb. 4, 1852, said,--
"Miss Greenfield, the 'Black Swan,' made her _début_ before
a Boston audience last evening at the Melodeon. In
consequence of the price of the tickets being put at a
dollar, the house was not over two-thirds full. She was well
received, and most vociferously applauded and encored in
every piece. She sings with great ease, and apparently
without any effort. Her pronunciation is very correct, and
her intonation excellent. Her voice has a wonderful compass,
and in many notes is remarkably sweet in tone."
From "The Daily Capital City Fact," Columbus, O., March 3, 1852:--
"Last evening proved that the 'Black Swan' was all that the
journals say of her; and Miss Greenfield stands confessedly
before the Columbus world a swan of excellence. She is
indeed a remarkable swan. Although colored as dark as
Ethiopia, she utters notes as pure as if uttered in the
words of the Adriatic."
From "The Milwaukee Sentinel," April, 1852:--
"What shall we say? That we were delighted and surprised?
All who were present know that, from their own feelings. We
can only say, that we have never heard a voice like
hers,--one that with such ease, and with such absence of all
effort, could range from the highest to the lowest notes."
Said a Rochester (N.Y.) paper of May 6, 1852,--
... "The magnificent quality of her voice, its great power,
flexibility, and compass, her self-taught genius, energy,
and perseverance, combine to render Miss Greenfield an
object of uncommon interest to musicians.
"We have been spell-bound by the ravishing tones of Patti,
Sontag, Malibran, and Grisi; we have heard the wondrous
warblings of '_the Nightingale_;' and we have listened with
delight to the sweet melodies of the fair daughter of Erin:
but we hesitate not to assert, that, with one year's tuition
from the world-famed Emanuel Garcia, Miss Greenfield would
not only compare favorably with any of the distinguished
artists above named, but incomparably excel them all."
"The Globe," Toronto, May 12-15, 1852, said,--
"Any one who went to the concert of Miss Greenfield on
Thursday last, expecting to find that he had been deceived
by the puffs of the American newspapers, must have found
himself most agreeably disappointed....
"After he [the pianist] had retired, there was a general
hush of expectation to see the entrance of the vocalist of
the evening; and presently there appeared a lady of a
decidedly dark color, rather inclined to an _embonpoint_,
and with African formation of face. She advanced calmly to
the front of the platform, and courtesied very gracefully to
the audience. There was a moment of pause, and the assembly
anxiously listened for the first notes. They were quite
sufficient. The amazing power of the voice, the flexibility,
and the ease of execution, took the hearers by surprise; and
the singer was hardly allowed to finish the verse, ere she
was greeted with the most enthusiastic plaudits, which
continued for some time. The higher passages of the air were
given with clearness and fulness, indicating a soprano voice
of great power. The song was encored; and Miss Greenfield
came back, took her seat at the piano, and began, to the
astonishment of the audience, a different air in a deep and
very clear bass or baritone voice, which she maintained
throughout, without any very great appearance of effort, or
without any breaking. She can, in fact, go as low as
Lablache, and as high as Jenny Lind,--a power of voice
perfectly astonishing. It is said she can strike thirty-one
full, clear notes; and we could readily believe it."
From a Brattleborough (Vt.) paper, June 23, 1852:--
"The 'Black Swan,' or Miss Elizabeth Greenfield, sang in Mr.
Fisk's beautiful new hall on Wednesday evening last to a
large and intelligent audience.
"We had seen frequent notices in our exchanges, and were
already prepossessed in favor of the abilities and life
purposes of our sable sister; but, after all, we must say
that our expectations of her success are greater than before
we had heard her sing, and conversed with her in her own
private room. She is not pretty, but plain: ... still she is
gifted with a beauty of soul which makes her countenance
agreeable in conversation; and in singing, especially when
her social nature is called into activity, there is a grace
and beauty in her manner which soon make those unaccustomed
to her race forget all but the melody....
"Nature has done more for Miss Greenfield than any musical
prodigy we have met, and art has marred her execution less."
But the limits of this book are such as to preclude my giving all or
even a hundredth part of the testimonials and criticisms touching the
singing of this remarkable performer, that filled the public journals
during her career in the United States. I believe, however, that I
have given quite enough to show that her noble gifts of voice, and
beauty of execution, were of the rarest excellence, while in some
notable respects they had never been equalled. Let it suffice to say
also, in regard to the excerpts given, that they are but fair samples
and reflections of the opinions entertained and expressed by the
press, and by music-loving, cultured people, everywhere Miss
Greenfield appeared.
After singing in nearly all the free States, she resolved to carry out
her long-entertained purpose of visiting Europe, in order to perfect
herself in the _technique_ of her art. Learning of her intentions, the
citizens of Buffalo, N.Y., united in tendering her a grand testimonial
and benefit concert. The invitation was couched in terms most
flattering, and signed by many of the most distinguished residents.
The concert took place on March 7, 1853, and was in all respects a
grand success.
Leaving Buffalo, she went to New York, where, after singing before an
audience of four thousand persons, she received the following
complimentary note:--
NEW YORK, April 2, 1853.
MISS ELIZABETH T. GREENFIELD.
_Madam_,--By the suggestion of many enthusiastic admirers of
your talents, I have been induced to address you on the
subject of another and second concert, prior to your
departure for Europe.
Your advent musical in "Gotham" has not been idly heralded
among the true lovers of song, and admirers of exalted
genius, of which your unprecedented success on Wednesday
evening must have sufficiently convinced you; while all are
eloquent in the commendation of your superior powers and
engaging method.
Confiding, madam, in your reported magnanimity and
generosity to oblige, I will divest myself of tedious
circumlocution, and fervently exhort you to make a second
exhibition of your skill; which, there can be no doubt, will
be highly successful to you, and as interesting to your
admirers.
THE PUBLIC.
* * * * *
"Miss Greenfield embarked from New York in a British steamer
for England, April 6, 1853; and arrived in Liverpool the
16th of April, 1853; rested over the sabbath, and proceeded
Monday morning to London, in which metropolis she became
safely domiciled on the evening of the same day.
"But painful trials awaited her from a quarter the most
unexpected. The individual with whom she had drawn up the
contract for this musical tour was unfaithful to his
promises; and she found herself abandoned, without money and
without friends, in a strange country.
"She had been told Lord Shaftesbury was one of the great
good men of England; and she resolved to call upon him in
person, and entreat an interview. His lordship immediately
granted her request, listened patiently to her history, and
directly gave her a letter of introduction to his lawyer.
"It may perhaps be considered a providential concurrence
that Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was in London this same time
with Miss Greenfield. We notice in her 'Sunny Memories,'
under the date of May 6, the following remarks: 'A good many
calls this morning. Among others came Miss Greenfield, the
(so-called) "Black Swan." She appears to be a gentle,
amiable, and interesting young person. She has a most
astonishing voice. C. sat down to the piano, and played
while she sang. Her voice runs through a compass of three
octaves and a fourth. This is four notes more than
Malibran's. She sings a most magnificent tenor, with such a
breadth and volume of sound, that, with your back turned,
you could not imagine it to be a woman. While she was there,
Mrs. S.C. Hall, of the "Irish Sketches," was announced. I
told her of Miss Greenfield; and she took great interest in
her, and requested her to sing something for her. C. played
the accompaniment, and she sang "Old Folks at Home," first
in a soprano voice, and then in a tenor, or baritone. Mrs.
Hall was amazed and delighted, and entered at once into her
cause. She said she would call with me, and present her to
Sir George Smart, who is at the head of the Queen's musical
establishment, and, of course, the acknowledged leader of
London musical judgment.
"'In the course of the day I had a note from Mrs. Hall,
saying, that, as Sir George Smart was about leaving town,
she had not waited for me, but had taken Miss Greenfield to
him herself. She writes that he was really astonished and
charmed at the wonderful weight, compass, and power of her
voice. He was also as well pleased with the mind in her
singing, and her quickness in doing and catching all that he
told her. Should she have a public opportunity to perform,
he offered to hear her rehearse beforehand. Mrs. Hall says,
"This is a great deal for him, whose hours are all marked
with gold."'
"Again Mrs. Stowe says, 'To-day the Duchess of Sutherland
called with the Duchess of Argyle. Miss Greenfield happened
to be present; and I begged leave to present her, giving a
slight sketch of her history. I was pleased with the kind
and easy affability with which the Duchess of Sutherland
conversed with her, betraying by no inflection of voice, and
nothing in her air or manner, the great lady talking with
the poor girl. She asked all her questions with as much
delicacy, and made her request to hear her sing with as much
consideration and politeness, as if she had been addressing
any one in her own circle. She seemed much pleased with her
singing, and remarked that she should be happy to give her
an opportunity of performing in Stafford House, as soon as
she should be a little relieved of a heavy cold which seemed
to oppress her at present. This, of course, will be decisive
of her favor in London. The duchess is to let us know when
the arrangement is completed.
"'I never so fully realized,' continues Mrs. Stowe, 'that
there really is no natural prejudice against color in the
human mind. Miss Greenfield is a dark mulattress, of a
pleasing and gentle face, though by no means handsome. She
is short and thick-set, with a chest of great amplitude, as
one would think on hearing her tenor. I have never seen, in
any of the persons to whom I have presented her, the least
indications of suppressed surprise or disgust, any more than
we should exhibit on the reception of a dark-complexioned
Spaniard or Portuguese.
"'Miss Greenfield bears her success with much quietness and
good sense.'
"Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland afterward became her
ever-unfailing supporter and adviser.
"The piano-forte which previously had been furnished Miss
Greenfield to practise upon was taken from her. The Duchess
of Sutherland, upon learning the fact, immediately directed
her to select one from Broadwood's.
"We cannot refrain from quoting Mrs. Stowe's description of
the concert after dinner at the Stafford House:--
"'The concert-room was the brilliant and picturesque hall I
have before described to you. It looked more picture-like
and dreamy than ever. The piano was on the flat stairway
just below the broad central landing. It was a grand piano,
standing end outward, and perfectly banked up among
hot-house flowers, so that only its gilded top was visible.
Sir George Smart presided. The choicest of the _élite_ were
there,--ladies in demi-toilet and bonneted. Miss Greenfield
stood among the singers on the staircase, and excited a
pathetic murmur among the audience. She is not handsome, but
looked very well. She has a pleasing dark face, wore a black
velvet head-dress and white carnelian ear-rings, a black
moire-antique silk made high in the neck, with white lace
falling sleeves and white gloves. A certain gentleness of
manner and self-possession, the result of the universal
kindness shown her, sat well upon her. Chevalier Bunsen, the
Prussian ambassador, sat by me. He looked at her with much
interest. "Are the race often as good-looking?" he said. I
said, "She is not handsome compared with many, though I
confess she looks uncommonly well to-day." The singing was
beautiful. Six of the most cultivated glee-singers of London
sang, among other things, "Spring's Delights are now
returning," and "Where the Bee sucks, there lurk I." The
duchess said, "These glees are peculiarly English." Miss
Greenfield's turn for singing now came, and there was
profound attention. Her voice, with its keen, searching
fire, its penetrating vibrant quality, its _timbre_ as the
French have it, cut its way like a Damascus blade to the
heart. She sang the ballad, "Old Folks at Home," giving one
verse in the soprano, and another in the tenor voice. As she
stood partially concealed by the piano, Chevalier Bunsen
thought that the tenor part was performed by one of the
gentlemen. He was perfectly astonished when he discovered
that it was by her. This was rapturously encored. Between
the parts, Sir George took her to the piano, and tried her
voice by skips, striking notes here and there at random,
without connection, from D in alto to A first space in bass
clef. She followed with unerring precision, striking the
sound nearly at the same instant his finger touched the key.
This brought out a burst of applause.
"'Lord Shaftesbury was there. He came and spoke to us after
the concert. Speaking of Miss Greenfield, he said, "I
consider the use of these halls for the encouragement of an
outcast race a consecration. This is the true use of wealth
and splendor, when they are employed to raise up and
encourage the despised and forgotten."'
"TUESDAY, May 31, 1853.
"Miss Greenfield's first public morning concert took place
at the Queen's Concert Rooms, Hanover Square. She came out
under the immediate patronage of her Grace the Duchess of
Sutherland, her Grace the Duchess of Norfolk, and the Earl
and Countess of Shaftesbury. It commenced at three o'clock,
and terminated at five."
"The London Morning Post" says,--
"A large assemblage of fashionable and distinguished
personages assembled by invitation at Stafford House to hear
and decide upon the merits of a phenomenon in the musical
world,--Miss Elizabeth Greenfield, better known in America
as the 'Black Swan;' under which sobriquet she is also about
to be presented to the British public. This lady is said to
possess a voice embracing the extraordinary compass of
nearly three octaves; and her performances on this occasion
elicited the unmistakable evidence of gratification."
"The London Times" said,--
"Miss Greenfield sings 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' with
as much pathos, power, and effect as does the 'Swedish
Nightingale,' Jenny Lind."
Again: "The London Observer" remarks,--
"Her voice was at once declared to be one of extraordinary
compass. Both her high and low notes were heard with wonder
by the assembled amateurs, and her ear was pronounced to be
excellent."
"The London Advertiser" of June 16 contained the following comments:--
"A concert was given at Exeter Hall last evening by Miss
Greenfield, the American vocalist, better known in this
country under the sobriquet of the 'Black Swan.' Apart from
the natural gifts with which this lady is endowed, the great
musical skill which she has acquired, both as a singer and
an instrumentalist, is a convincing argument against the
assertion so often made, that the negro race is incapable of
intellectual culture of a high standard.... Her voice is a
contralto, of great clearness and mellow tone in the upper
register, and full, resonant, and powerful in the lower,
though slightly masculine in its _timbre_. It is peculiarly
effective in ballad-songs of the pathetic cast, several of
which Miss Greenfield sang last night in a very expressive
manner. She was encored in two,--'The Cradle-Song,' a simple
melody by Wallace, and 'Home, Sweet Home,' which she gave in
an exceedingly pleasing manner. The programme of the concert
was bountifully drawn up; for, in addition to the
attractions of the 'Black Swan,' there was a host of
first-rate artists. Herr Brandt, a German artist with a
remarkably sweet voice, sang Professor Longfellow's 'Slave's
Dream,' set to very beautiful music by Hatton, in a way that
elicited warm applause. Miss Rosina Bentley played a
fantasia by Lutz very brilliantly, and afterward, assisted
by Miss Kate Loder (who, however, must now be known as Mrs.
Henry Thompson), in a grand duet for two piano-fortes by
Osborne. M. Valadares executed a curious Indian air, 'Hilli
Milli Puniah,' on the violin; and Mr. Henry Distin a solo on
the sax tuba. The band was admirable, and performed a couple
of overtures in the best manner. Altogether, the concert,
which we understand was made under the distinguished
patronage of the Duchess of Sutherland, was highly
successful, and went off to the perfect gratification of a
numerous and fashionable audience."
* * * * *
"In July she gave two grand concerts in the Town Hall in
Brighton, under the patronage of her Grace the Duchess of
Sutherland, her Grace the Duchess of Norfolk, her Grace the
Duchess of Beaufort, her Grace the Duchess of Argyle, the
Most Noble the Marchioness of Ailesbury, the Most Noble the
Marchioness of Kildare, the Most Noble the Marquis of
Lansdowne, the Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury, the Earl of
Carlisle, the Countess of Jersey, the Countess of Granville,
the Countess of Wilton, the Viscountess Palmerston, the Lady
Constance Grosvenor, and Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
"_Vocalists._--Miss E.T. Greenfield (the 'Black Swan'),
Madame Taccani, Countess Tasca, Mr. Emanuel Roberts (Queen's
concerts).
"_Instrumentalists._--Piano-forte soloist, Miss Rosina
Bently [Transcriber's Note: Bentley elsewhere] (pupil of
Miss Kate Loder); violin, M. de Valadares (pupil of the
Conservatoire, Paris); accompanist, Mons. Edouard Henri;
conductor, Mr. F. Theseus Stevens.
"She gave a series of concerts at the Rotunda in Dublin,
Ireland."
* * * * *
"Extract from programme of Miss Greenfield's benefit
concert, Aug. 17, 1853:--
"_Vocalists._--Miss Louisa Pyne, Miss Pyne, and Mr. W.
Harrison; pianist, Miss Rosina Bently; violinist, M. de
Valadares from the East Indies; accompanist, Mr. R. Thomas."
* * * * *
"In October, 1853, we find her again at the Beaumont
Institution, Beaumont Square, Mile End, London, at Mr.
Cotton's concert, supported by Miss Poole, the Misses
M'Alpine, Miss Alleyne, Mr. Augustus Braham, Mr. Suchet
Champion, Mr. Charles Cotton, the German Glee Union, and the
East-Indian violinist M. de Valadares; conductor, Herr
Ganz."
* * * * *
"Nov. 3, 1853, at Albion Hall, Hammersmith, she made her
appearance under the patronage of her Grace the Duchess of
Sutherland, her Grace the Duchess of Norfolk, her Grace the
Duchess of Beaufort, her Grace the Duchess of Argyll, the
Most Noble the Marchioness of Aylesbury [Transcriber's Note:
Ailesbury], the Most Noble the Marchioness of Kildare, the
Most Noble the Marquis of Lansdowne, Earl and Countess of
Shaftesbury, Earl of Carlisle, Countess of Jersey, Countess
of Granville, Countess of Wilton, Viscountess Palmerston,
the Lady Constance Grosvenor, and Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stowe.
"_Artists._--Miss E.T. Greenfield, Miss J. Brougham, Miss E.
Brougham, Mr. Charles Cotton, Mr. Augustus Braham the
eminent tenor; piano-forte, Miss Eliza Ward."
* * * * *
"At the Theatre Royal, Lincoln, Dec. 23, 1853, under the
same distinguished patronage as at Hammersmith.
"_Artists._--Mrs. Alexander Newton (of her Majesty's Grand
National Concerts), Miss Ward, Miss E.T. Greenfield, Mr.
Augustus Braham, Mr. Charles Cotton (from Milan), Mr.
Distin."
* * * * *
"Again: to verify the fact of her having received the
attention of very distinguished personages, the following
certificates are laid before the reader:--
"'Sir George Smart has the pleasure to state that her
Majesty Queen Victoria commanded Miss Greenfield to attend
at Buckingham Palace on May the 10th, 1854, when she had the
honor of singing several songs, which he accompanied on the
piano-forte.
"'To Miss GREENFIELD, from Sir GEORGE SMART, Kt.,
"'Organist and Composer to her Majesty's Chapel Royal.
"'June 24, 1854. No. 91, GR. PORTLAND ST., LONDON.'
"'This is to certify that Miss Greenfield had the honor of
singing before her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
By her Majesty's command,
"'C.B. PHIPPS.
"'BUCKINGHAM PALACE, July 22, 1854, LONDON.'"
* * * * *
"In May, 1854, she received an invitation through the Rev.
Mr. Geary to sing at a concert, but declined, being advised
not to sing at public concerts until her return to the
United States. She therefore sang only at private parties
until July, 1854, when that same noble benefactress, the
Duchess of Sutherland, secured for her two places in 'The
Indiana' steam-packet for New York.
"With a warm invitation to revisit England at some future
period, she embarked at Southampton to return to America."
The trip to London and its attendant circumstances resulted in much
benefit to Miss Greenfield in an intrinsic, artistic sense, adding
decided _éclat_ to her professional reputation. "The New-York Herald,"
a journal which in those days was generally quite averse to bestowing
even well-merited praise upon persons of her race, was, however, so
much moved upon by her exhibition of an increased technical knowledge
of the lyric art as to speak of Miss Greenfield as follows: "'The
Swan' sings now in true artistic style, and the wonderful powers of
her voice have been developed by good training." This was but echoing
the general verdict.
During the years that intervened between Miss Greenfield's return from
England and her death,--the latter event occurring at Philadelphia in
the month of April, 1876,--she was engaged in singing occasionally at
concerts, and in giving lessons in vocal music.
Remembering her own hard contests as she ascended the hill of fame,
Miss Greenfield ever held out a helping hand to all whom she found
struggling to obtain a knowledge of the noble art of music.
Possessing, on account of her great vocal abilities, the high esteem
of the general public, from a rare amiability of disposition enjoying
the warm love of many friends in those private circles where she was
always an ornament and a blessing, this wonderfully gifted lady at the
age of sixty-eight years died, deeply mourned by all. Of her brilliant
career, of her life, which, in many important respects, was so grandly
useful, as well as of her peaceful death, nothing more need here be
added, further than to place her name in the honorable list of those
of whom Milton so eloquently says,--
"Nothing is here for tears; nothing to wail,
Or knock the breast; no weakness, no contempt,
Dispraise, or blame; _nothing but well and fair_,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble."
VI.
THE "LUCA FAMILY,"
VOCALISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS.
"God sent his singers upon earth
With songs of sadness and of mirth,
That they might touch the hearts of men,
And bring them back to heaven again....
But the great Master said, 'I see
No best in kind, but in degree:
I gave a various gift to each,--
To charm, to strengthen, and to teach.'"
_From_ LONGFELLOW'S _The Singers_.
While nearly all persons have to a greater or lesser degree musical
sympathy and capability, or, to speak generally, capacity for the
enjoyment or production, in one way or another, of harmony; and while,
too, a goodly number there are who possess what may be called musical
aptitude,--it is yet only once in a great while that we find those who
are thus endowed in a degree which may be considered extraordinary.
For the Muses, however often and earnestly invoked, are never lavish
in the bestowment of their favors. This is especially true as applied
to the goddess who presides over the art of music. Only here and there
is some one selected to whom is given great musical inspiration;
into whose keeping is placed the divine harp, which, when swept by his
hands, the people shall hear entranced.
[Illustration:
1. ALEXANDER C. LUCA, SEN.
2. CLEVELAND O. LUCA.
3. ALEXANDER C. LUCA, JUN.
4. JOHN W. LUCA.]
Occasionally we may observe in families one member who appears
particularly favored by nature in the possession of rich and varied
musical talents, the same being improved by careful cultivation. Such
a one readily attracts attention: his native endowments and his
extensive acquirements often form the theme of conversation, of
warmest praise; while everywhere he is a most welcome guest. But, if
in a family a single instance of this kind produces the effects just
described, the latter can but be greatly enhanced when is found a
family composed of a number of persons in no wise small, each one of
which is a highly-talented and finely-educated musician. It is,
however,--for the reasons already mentioned,--so rare a thing to see
the musical faculty thus possessed, and its advantages thus fully
embraced, by an entire household of nearest relatives, as to render
the circumstance a cause of much surprise; while a family so greatly
skilled in the most beautiful, the most charming, of all arts, easily
attains to high distinction, its members becoming objects of such
general private and public interest as to render their careers quite
worthy of the best efforts of those who would make the same a matter
of history.
The foregoing remarks, although made in a somewhat general way, may be
particularly applied to that excellent troupe of artists, the "Luca
family," a brief account of whose remarkable natural endowments,
superior acquirements, and interesting musical life, is here appended.
The family, as at first professionally organized, consisted of six
persons,--the father, mother, and four sons. Some changes that
occurred afterwards will appear as the narrative progresses.
Alexander C. Luca, the father, whose history shows most pointedly how
much may be accomplished by devoted study, deserves especial mention.
He was born in Milford, Conn., in the year 1805. He is, in the most
proper sense, a "self-made" man. Possessing but few opportunities for
acquiring an education, he yet made the most of those he had, and is
to-day a man of varied culture, an excellent example of the Christian
gentleman. At the age of twenty-one years he apprenticed himself to a
shoemaker, having previously spent his life upon a farm; and, while
thus engaged, he showed a decided taste for music. In the shop where
he worked were several boys who were learning the trade, and who were
also members of the village singing-school. Going occasionally into
their school, listening eagerly to all they sang and talked about both
there and in the shop, he soon learned their songs, and was induced by
the surprised teacher to join the school. In a short time, by the aid
of a naturally musical ear and a good voice, and by diligent study of
the rudiments, he became quite a proficient scholar; surpassing, in
fact, most of the other pupils of the school.
After learning his trade he removed to New Haven, Conn., where after a
while he was married to a lady of fine musical qualities (she being
especially remarked as a singer), and who was also of a musical
family. Soon after his arrival at New Haven, Mr. Luca, having acquired
by this time quite a fine knowledge of music, and being an excellent
vocalist, was chosen chorister of a Congregationalist church. In a
short time his choir was considered the equal of any in the city;
which was high but well-deserved praise. Some time previously to the
formation of what was called professionally the "Luca family," the
subject of this sketch organized a quartet consisting of Miss Dianah
Lewis,[11] a sister of his wife, his two older sons, and himself, and
gave in New Haven and vicinity a number of fine concerts. Mr. Luca
trained all his children in music at an early age, and taught them to
sing in his choir at the church.
[Footnote 11: She was a vocalist of rare powers, and was considered
the equal of the celebrated Miss Greenfield, or, as the latter was
frequently called, the "Black Swan."]
Mrs. Luca heartily sympathized with, and aided her husband in, the
musical and general culture of the family. One of the sons thus speaks
of her: "Our earlier taste for music was especially encouraged by our
mother, who thought that the study of it would claim us from the bad
influences which idle hours and mischievous associations engendered."
With such parents it is not strange that the Luca children became so
worthy and eminent as exponents of the art of music.
John W. Luca, the oldest son, when quite young, was remarkable,
mostly, as a comic singer. He sang frequently at school exhibitions,
and often created much sensation in singing a temperance song called
"The Old Toper."
Alexander C., jun., who in after-years became so noticeable as a
tenor-singer and violinist, was at first the dullest of the boys.
Simeon G. possessed a tenor voice of extraordinary compass, singing
high C with the greatest ease. He sang the choicest music from the
various operas to astonished and delighted audiences. He was also a
solo violinist of rare powers; often thrilling his audiences by the
smooth, sweet, and expressive strains evolved from his instrument.
Cleveland O. Luca, the justly celebrated, the wonderful pianist, began
to exhibit extraordinary talent at the early age of seven years. It
was not, however, the intention of his parents to have him begin to
study so early. Indeed, little did they think that the fire of musical
genius burned so brightly in the soul of their young boy. But
Cleveland, or "Cleve" as he was then called, was not to be restrained.
Going often into the room where his aunt was playing on the
piano-forte, he listened eagerly and delightedly, his little soul
stirred and filled by the sweet sounds of harmony; and, after she had
left the instrument, he would go and play the selections even better
than his aunt. Of course such striking evidences of genius filled the
breasts of his parents with delightful surprise; and it was soon
decided to place the gifted boy under the care of a competent
instructor. He rapidly developed those remarkable powers for ready
reading, facility and brilliancy in execution, that afterwards made
him so wonderful and so noted.
When but ten years old, he had become a performer of such excellence
as to attract the notice and to receive the unequivocal praise of such
good judges as Strakosch, Dodworth, W.V. Wallace, and other noted
musicians of New York.
When it was resolved to form as public performers the "Luca family,"
the decided musical powers possessed by young Cleveland made his
services indispensable, and he was of course taken as a member. As
the "wonderful boy pianist," he everywhere created quite a _furore_.
The ladies in the audiences were especially delighted with him; and
forgetting often, in their enthusiasm, that he was black, it seemed
that they would certainly carry him away.
Never satisfied to rest alone upon his fine natural endowments, our
young artist pushed his studies, entering the classical, the technical
domain of the great master-composers, and playing with easy, graceful,
magnetic touch, and delightfully winning expression, any of their
works. As a reader at sight of compositions the most difficult, it is
doubtful whether he had an equal in this country.
The prejudiced or incredulous, before having observed his rare powers
for reading and playing, often as a test, and sometimes with a hope to
embarrass him, placed before him some technical and very difficult
work. But the readiness with which he played the piece changed one who
had come to doubt or to scorn into a silent, deeply surprised, and
interested listener; and it was most always the case, too, that such a
one, yielding to the exquisite charm of the music, as well as to the
gentlemanly, graceful manners of the young virtuoso, became from that
time forth his warm admirer and friend.
But this brilliant artist did not confine himself to the
interpretation of the more difficult compositions for the piano. At
the time of which I am writing,--twenty years ago,--his success as a
performer before miscellaneous audiences could not have been so great,
had he not possessed, in a most pleasing degree, a versatility of
talent. His _repertoire_ was an extensive one, and decidedly "taking"
in the varied character of its excellent pieces. Many of the latter
were simple, yet always purely musical, and of course highly pleasing.
Before the public, Mr. Luca was, in the best sense, a successful
performer; while, in those smaller and finer artistic circles where
the more delicate and higher musical forms were appreciated, he
delighted and even instructed his listeners, receiving their warmest
praise.
_True_ art is ever noble and ennobling: in its domain its devotees are
known and valued, not by the color of their faces, but by the depth of
artistic love that they feel, and by the measure of success to which
they attain. And so the subject of this sketch, although of a
complexion quite dark, and often suffering from the coldness, if not
the insults, of those afflicted with "color-phobia," was yet ever
sought after and cordially received upon terms of equality by all the
_great_ musicians wherever he journeyed. Nor did the press of the
country, nor people of culture generally, fail to pass upon him the
highest encomiums. A few of these are elsewhere given.
Besides his ability as a pianist, Cleveland Luca was also a vocalist
of fair powers. No especial pains being taken, however, to develop
this faculty, he attracted, as a singer, no great attention.
On the 27th of March, 1872, in far-away Africa, whither he had nobly
gone to carry the bright, cheering, and refining light of his musical
genius, his frail constitution yielding to a fever, he died at the age
of forty-five.
It is hard to over-estimate the great good this remarkable artist
accomplished for his much-abused race in dissipating, by his wonderful
musical qualities, the unjust and cruel prejudice that so generally
prevailed against the former at the beginning of his career; for in
him was fully and splendidly illustrated the capacity of the dark-hued
race for reaching the highest positions in the walks of the art
melodious. The example, moreover, of his intelligent parents, who,
when they discovered his talents,--avoiding the mistake often made by
some, who, alas! but too frequently rest content merely with observing
the signs of genius in their children, allowing the at first bright
spark to go untended, to burn "with fitful glare," and to finally
become, from this neglect, extinguished,--devoted themselves at once
to their fullest and most artistic development,--this example, I say,
is one to be highly commended, and ever to be followed.
Having thus described the family individually, I now proceed to speak
of their combined efforts. Formed as a vocal quartet, the parts were
distributed in this wise: Simeon Luca sang first tenor, Alexander
second tenor, Cleveland soprano, and John sang bass (or baritone if
desired).
Instrumentally they performed as follows: Simeon on first violin,
Alexander second violin, John violoncello (or double bass if
required), and Cleveland on the piano-forte. The father fulfilled the
duties of musical director and business manager; and occasionally he
took part in the performances as a vocalist.
Thus excellently equipped musically, each member of the troupe
possessed of general intelligence, and being of genteel appearance,
they went forth on their mission of music into fields hitherto
untrodden by members of their race; and their fine performances
everywhere gave delight, refinement, and a new and high impulse, to
the many thousands who heard them.
Their services were at first called into requisition at anniversaries
and festivals, and they soon acquired an excellent local reputation.
The event that most prominently heralded their names before the public
was their first appearance at the May anniversary of the Antislavery
Society, held in the old Tabernacle on Broadway, New York, in 1853.
Over five thousand persons were present. The sensation produced by the
performances of this gifted family on this occasion is said to have
been indescribable. The wildest enthusiasm was manifested; and many
persons in the audience, overcome by the emotions awakened, shed
tears. This is, however, not so strange. Gathered as was this immense
concourse of people to advance the cause of human freedom, and
entertaining and asserting, as they did, a belief of man's equality,
we may well imagine the measure of their delight when in witnessing
the display of genius by the wonderful pianist, and listening to the
sweet strains of classical harmony formed by the tuneful voices and
skilfully-played instruments of this troupe of colored artists, they
found their claims for the race so fully sustained.
After the performances just mentioned, letters full of praise and
congratulation from many sources poured in upon the "Lucas," as they
were familiarly called; and Professor Allen, then editing a paper at
Troy, N.Y., induced the parents to intrust the children, now so
rapidly acquiring fame, to his charge, to make a musical trip through
the New-England States in the interest of his paper. This tour
resulted in adding to their fame, and confirming them in a belief of
their ultimate general success; but, owing to poor management on the
part of their business agent, the trip was not a financial success.
I should have mentioned ere this that John and Alexander Luca had been
taught by their father the shoemaking trade, and that for some time
they applied themselves to this kind of work; using their leisure
time, nevertheless, in pushing their musical studies. Occasionally
they would drop the awl and hammer, and make excursions into the
country towns of Connecticut; sometimes returning with a full
exchequer, and sometimes in debt even, but never without having added
to their reputations as musicians.
During these times, the family received many valuable testimonials
touching their musical abilities; but to none of these do they owe so
much as to a highly commendatory letter from the late Rev. Horace
Bushnell of Hartford, Conn. Such testimony from one so eminent, and of
critical abilities so great, could not fail to arrest public attention
in their behalf.
While travelling, the Luca family suffered greatly from the effects of
a cruel caste spirit then so much prevailing,--being often debarred
from hotels, and often denied decent accommodation in public
conveyances. But this barbarous treatment of those whose fine musical
qualities and genteel appearance and deportment--albeit they were of
dark complexions--gave them title to enter the very best places
aroused the sympathy and indignation of many persons. And so, amidst
all their disadvantages, the success and reputation of our artists
steadily increased, and the critics accorded them high rank as
musicians; Mason, Gottschalk, and others among the finest pianists of
the country, receiving Cleveland Luca, the pianist, as an equal.
In the year 1854 the family experienced a sad shock in the death of
Simeon G. Luca.
As before intimated, he was a vocalist and violinist of remarkable
powers; and professionally, as well as otherwise, his loss to the
troupe was a great one.
The vacancy occasioned by his death was filled by the engagement of
Miss Jennie Allen of New York. She proved to be a very valuable
acquisition to the troupe; for she possessed a rich contralto voice,
sang with excellent method, had a graceful, winning stage appearance,
and was well known in New York as a very fine pianist.
The quartet thus arranged then (in 1857) began to travel more
extensively, giving performances in the States of New York,
Pennsylvania, and Ohio, where their success artistically and
financially exceeded any thing before within their experience. Had
they so chosen, they might have visited all the free States with
assurance of good fortune. Wherever they went, the bitter
color-prejudice, the chilling doubtings, or the cold indifference,
displayed by those who had not heard these talented musicians, were
rapidly dispelled when on the stage they beheld their easy, graceful
appearance, and heard the delightful sounds of harmony that proceeded
from the voices and instruments of this accomplished quartet. The
writer well remembers the emotions of delight and pride that filled
his own breast when at this period, in Ohio, he witnessed for the
first time their performances. After their first concert, the town
became the scene of a most pleasant commotion. No such music had ever
before been heard there, and praises of the "Lucas" were on the lips
of all. The family were entertained at the residences of the first
citizens, who vied with each other in extending to them the most
complimentary attentions. In these homes of wealth and culture, where
the study and practice of choice music formed a portion of each day's
employment, these talented artists, surrounded by a selected company
of educated persons, shone even more brightly than when upon the
public stage; for here they could confine themselves to a rendition of
that higher class of music so suitable to their own tastes and powers,
as well as most welcome to their cultivated audience. But what befell
the Luca family in this town--the writer has mentioned somewhat
particularly this instance, because he happened to be a witness of the
same--is but a sample of the treatment they often received in other
places while travelling over the country.
As representing the estimate of the musical abilities of the Luca
family, held by the general press of the country during their concert
tours, and in order that it may be seen that my own praises of the
family are none too great, I give the following notice from a fair and
disinterested source; viz., "The Niagara Courier" of Lockport, N.Y.,
of Sept. 2, 1857:--
"THE LUCA FAMILY.
"This company of singers, consisting of four [three]
brothers and their mother, gave a concert at Ringueberg Hall
last (Monday) evening; and their performance was such as to
elicit the enthusiastic approval of all present. Coming
among us as strangers, their merits were not generally
understood; and we presume that the entire audience were
agreeably disappointed in the entertainment presented. We
hazard nothing in saying that we have not had in our place
for years a concert which combined all the elements that
please the musical ear, and satisfy the cultivated taste, as
did this. The introductory piece, 'Fantasia,' from Lucia,
evinced the highest order of musical culture, the most
excellent taste, with that superior power of execution which
long practice only gives. The two brothers John and
Alexander have superb voices, guided by a correct knowledge
of music, and enriched by cultivation. Madame Luca was
laboring under indisposition; but she sang well, and gave
abundant assurance of superior vocal powers. But the great
feature of the entertainment was the performance of C.O.
Luca on the piano. With the exception of the celebrated
Mason, we have never had his superior as a pianist in
Lockport; and even he could not execute the pieces presented
with greater effect. There is music in his playing which we
seldom hear from the piano. It is not simply the striking of
the keys in order, emitting a succession of musical sounds;
but it is one continual flow of melody without interruption.
From the moment he first strikes the keys, the harmonious
melody gushes forth, note melts into note imperceptibly,
wave after wave of melody goes forth and mingles into one as
do the waves of the sea; and there is no breaking of the
majesty of its harmony until the last note is touched.
"The family, as has been before announced, are colored, and
consequently labor under some disadvantages; but we predict
for them a successful future. Such superior musical powers
must win for them a reputation that will bring its
recompense. The pieces they sing are selected with good
taste, and evince a determination to deserve public favor.
And we may here say, that we believe the Luca family, in the
quiet and unostentatious display of their musical powers,
are doing more to secure position for the colored man than
all the theorists and speculators about the right of man
have yet accomplished in America. The possession of such
talent, and its cultivation, show genius and industry which
any man might emulate; and, when the colored men shall be
represented in all the arts and sciences by those who are
able to occupy front ranks, they will need no moralist to
assert their rights: they can then maintain their own
position. The human mind is so constituted, that it will
always pay homage to genius, let it be exhibited under a
white or black surface.
"A large number of the audience joined in a request that the
Luca family repeat their concert; and they have consented to
do so on Friday evening next, when we hope to see an
audience out worthy of their superior merits. In the mean
time we commend the Luca family to the press wherever they
shall go, as every way worthy of their aid and indorsement."
During their second tour of Ohio, in 1859, the "Lucas" met and joined
the famous Hutchinson family, giving many entertainments in
conjunction with them. The Hutchinsons thus proved the entire
sincerity of their professions that they loved their brother man "for
a' that." The press of the country was much excited over this novel
union, and the expressions emanating from the former were various.
Without, however, minding the pros or cons, these two troupes
travelled more than a month together, experiencing a pleasurable and
profitable season.
I append below two advertisements of concerts given by these troupes
at the time mentioned:--
(I.)
[Illustration:
THE HUTCHINSON FAMILY,
ASA B., LIZZIE C., and LITTLE FREDDY;
with the
LUCA BROTHERS,
JOHN AND ALEXANDER, AND CLEVELAND,
THE WONDERFUL PIANIST!
_HUMOR, SENTIMENT, AND OPERA!_
From the established reputation of both these companies, a
rare treat may be expected.]
(II.)
[Illustration:
By SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS,
THE HUTCHINSONS
will be assisted at their
_CONCERT_
in this place by the
LUCA FAMILY,
with their
Wonderful Pianist!]
As a reflection of the terrible, the foul spirit of caste, then so
largely prevailing, I regret that it is my duty to append the
following elegant (?) extract from a paper published at Fremont, O.,
Feb. 25, 1859:--
"The Hutchinsons,--Asa B., Lizzie C., and little
Freddy,--accompanied by the Luca family, gave a concert at
Birchard Hall on last Wednesday evening. The house was not
more than a paying one. When we went to the concert, we
anticipated a rare treat; but, alas! how wofully were we
disappointed!... We have, perhaps, a stronger feeling of
prejudice than we should have felt under other
circumstances, had their abolition proclivities been less
startling; but to see respectable white persons (we presume
they are such) travelling hand in hand with a party of
negroes, and eating at the same table with them, is rather
too strong a pill to be gulped down by a democratic
community."
No doubt the writer of the above, if now living, would be ashamed to
utter sentiments so uncharitable and so vile.
But as an evidence of honest criticism, and in pleasing contrast with
the foregoing, I give the following.
"The Norwalk (O.) Reflector," March 1, 1859, says,--
"The concert given in this place on Saturday night last by
the Hutchinsons and Lucas was among the best musical
entertainments ever given here. The audience was large, and
the artists sang with spirit.
"Where all sang so well, it is difficult to select the
best.... The Lucas are charming musicians, both instrumental
and vocal; and, when two such companies unite, there will be
superior concerts."
A Sandusky (O.) paper, March 1, 1859, says,--
"The Hutchinsons and Lucas sang to quite a full audience at
West's Hall last evening. The performance could not, coming
from troupes possessing talent varied and of the higher
order, be otherwise than good. These bands, when they
united, made a palpable hit. Their combined concerts are
almost invariably successes."
A Wooster (O.) paper, February, 1859, says,--
"The Hutchinsons and Lucas--these two celebrated
troupes--will give together one of their unrivalled
entertainments at Arcadame Hall on Saturday evening next.
They are spoken of in the highest terms by the press in
different directions. Both troupes have been in Wooster
before; so that it is unnecessary for us to speak of them
favorably. The hall will undoubtedly be filled."
A Cleveland (O.) paper, Feb. 28, 1859, says,--
"The well-known Luca family are now giving concerts in
connection with Asa B., Lizzie C., and little Freddy
Hutchinson, of the Hutchinson family; and their performances
are highly spoken of by Western exchanges. They perform in
Elyria on Tuesday evening; and will soon appear in this
city, we understand."
Shortly after the return of the Luca family from the tour with the
Hutchinsons, Cleveland the pianist, with a noble aim, resolved to go
to Africa. This circumstance caused the disbandment of the troupe.
Their father has resided for a long time at Zanesville, O., where,
although quite advanced in years, he is still esteemed as a vocalist,
singing in a church choir, and where he enjoys the respect of all for
his many good qualities of heart and mind.
His two sons, John and Alexander, are now, as ever, devoted to the art
of music; the former being a valuable member of the celebrated Hyer
sisters concert and dramatic troupe, while the latter is vocal
director of another company.
As a fitting close to this sketch, as a corroboration of my own
testimony, and as an evidence of the noble qualities possessed by that
rare musician and Christian gentleman, Asa B. Hutchinson, I add the
following beautiful tribute from his pen:--
GENEVA, O., Dec. 15, 1875.
In regard to our dear friends the Lucas, I am glad to state
that it was our pleasure to associate with them in public
concerts "in the cruel days of the prejudiced past;" and
this is our testimony: that, in all our concertizing for
thirty-five years, we never formed an alliance with any
musical people with whom we fraternized so pleasantly, and
loved so well, and who evinced so much real genuine talent
in their profession, and such courtesy and Christian culture
"in their daily walk and conversation." Our dear lamented
Cleveland was a thoroughly educated pianist, and won the
enthusiastic admiration of the scientific musicians in every
city and town we visited. He executed most rapidly, at
sight, any and all of the difficult and new compositions
that were presented to him by his friends, to their
astonishment and our mutual joy; and when the three
brothers, "Alex.," John, and Cleveland, united their
respective instruments and voices in one grand choral, the
effect was intensely thrilling and electrical. In some of
our concerted pieces, where they united with us, we carried
our reformatory sentiments and songs to a successful
termination; and, notwithstanding the then great and bitter
prejudice of our audiences against us all for daring thus
publicly to associate together, they cheered our combined
efforts with loud applause and frequent encores.
And now that each of our bands are broken by death, still
believing that the freed spirits of the departed loved ones
are re-united in "singing the songs of the redeemed" in that
realm of light, liberty, and love beyond, it is a great
satisfaction to me, a poor lingering pilgrim, to revert to
one of the sweetest experiences of our entire
concert-life,--the acquaintance and fellowship of the Luca
family.
ASA B. HUTCHINSON.
VII.
HENRY F. WILLIAMS,
COMPOSER, BAND-INSTRUCTOR, ETC.
"Thy purpose firm is equal to the deed."
"His lyre well tuned to rapturous sounds."
A writer in "The Progressive American" for July 17, 1872, said,--
"Having occasion to visit Boston, I attended one of the
unrivalled concerts at the Coliseum, where, to my great
astonishment, I saw undoubtedly the greatest assemblage of
human beings ever congregated under one roof, and heard a
chorus of nearly or quite twenty thousand voices,
accompanied by the powerful organ and an orchestra of two
thousand musicians. I was highly delighted. But what gave me
the most pleasure was to see among some of the most eminent
artists of the world two colored artists performing their
parts in common with the others; viz., Henry F. Williams and
F.E. Lewis. Each of these was competent to play his part, or
he could not have occupied a place in the orchestra. I was
informed by the superintendent of the orchestra that both
these man were subjected to a very rigid examination prior
to the commencement of the concerts."
[Illustration: HENRY F. WILLIAMS.]
The pleasure afforded this writer, by witnessing our subject's
appearance on the memorable occasion referred to, was shared by
many other persons who were able to distinguish him in that vast
concourse of fine musicians. It was not so easy to distinguish him
from the others by his complexion as it was by his dignified, graceful
appearance. Of this, as well as of Mr. Williams's musical skill, the
organizer of the great orchestra, Mr. Baldwin, has, since the event,
spoken to me in terms the most complimentary. He said it was not more
Mr. Williams's good playing, than his handsome, manly appearance in
the orchestra, that afforded him pleasure; and that in both of these
particulars Mr. Williams stood in favorable contrast with many other
members of the orchestra. This was high praise indeed, but no higher
than its recipient deserved, as all will testify who know him.
As stated in the extract just quoted, Mr. Williams, before being
accepted as a member of the Jubilee orchestra, was subjected to a
severe test; being required to execute on the double-bass the parts
written for that instrument in the celebrated overture from "William
Tell," and also in Wagner's difficult "Tannhäuser." In regard to this
test Mr. Baldwin has since said to the writer, "I myself had no doubts
as to Mr. Williams's ability as a musician. My object in arranging the
test performance was, that I might afterwards point to its successful
result, and thus silence many of the instrumentalists that came from
other parts of the country, in case they should object (I knew that
many of them would do so), on the weak ground of _color_, to playing
with Mr. Williams. Neither Mr. Gilmore nor myself knew any man by the
color of his face. What we wanted for the grand orchestra was _good
musicians_, and, when any one objected to our two colored performers,
we triumphantly referred to the exacting and satisfactory test they
had undergone as sufficient answer to the foolish clamors of all those
afflicted with 'color-phobia.' Seeing the managers of the Jubilee thus
resolved, and convinced that the two colored men were artistic
performers,--superior in ability to many with whom they were to be
associated,--no one declined to play; and all was harmony thereafter."
And here I may be permitted to record the thanks of all well-meaning
people for the noble action of Messrs. Gilmore and Baldwin. The two
artists mentioned were not the only members of their race who took a
part in the memorable Jubilee concerts. Several others in a vocal way
occupied even prominent positions at these concerts. Some sang as
artists on the stage, and several were members of that great chorus of
nearly twenty thousand voices. In all these places they did their
share in making the occasion a grand success, while they justified
fully the wisdom of those by whom they were invited to participate.
The action of the latter was no more than what was due and right, it
is true; but it is well to remember (for we must take things as we
find them) that Messrs. Gilmore and Baldwin were not obliged to engage
these persons. Had the former not been men of pure principles and
firmness, they might have yielded to the mean and by far too popular
prejudice entertained against colored people, and have refused to
allow them to take part in the performances. That they did not thus
yield is much to their credit as musicians and gentlemen; and they are
to be thanked, I say, for their manly action.
The little ripple of excitement caused by Mr. Williams's appearance
among the musicians of the Jubilee might well have provoked from that
gentleman a smile of contempt; for he was a far older and much more
skilful performer than many who at first objected to playing with him.
He had, indeed, more than thirty years of musical experience behind
him,--years which were full of manly, persevering struggle against
great odds, and years during which he had many times triumphed over
opposition far greater than that met by him at the Coliseum. Born in
Boston Aug. 13, 1813, beginning his studies when but seven years of
age, he had, mainly by his own efforts (he is in the truest sense a
"self-made man"), become a thorough musician; was a superior performer
on the violin, double-bass, and the cornet; a fair performer on the
viola, violoncello, baritone, trombone, tuba, and piano-forte; having
been besides for years an esteemed teacher of most of these
instruments. Nor did his musical powers stop here; for in addition to
being a skilful arranger of music for the instruments just mentioned,
and others, he was a composer, many of whose works bore the imprint of
several of the most eminent music publishers of the day. Learning
these facts, no wonder that those who at first opposed Mr. Williams's
entrance into the grand orchestra (these persons, by the way, were not
residents of Boston, but came from the West and South) afterwards were
ashamed of their foolish prejudices, and became his warm admirers.
Mr. Williams, as an instrumentalist, devotes himself especially to the
violin and the cornet. Upon these he executes in a superior manner the
finest music of the day. Possessing fine natural talents, of great
versatility, and of long study and experience, he is enabled to play
any kind of music; passing with the utmost ease from the "light
fantastic" of the dance to the grave and profound of the old masters:
in either kind he is always noticeable for the finish and tastefulness
of his performance. He has given much of his time to the formation and
instruction of military bands, frequently arranging and composing
music for them. In the former capacity--that of arranging music--he
has often been employed by P.S. Gilmore, director of the celebrated
Gilmore's Band, and projector of the two great Peace Jubilees. He was
at one time connected with the famous "Frank Johnson's band" of
Philadelphia, and of several others in the West, travelling
extensively, and giving instruction in music. A short while ago, the
manager of the Boston Cadet Band--successors of Gilmore's--showed me a
quickstep in manuscript, of the merits of which he spoke very highly,
composed by Mr. Williams for the first-mentioned band.
The following is only a partial list of the many songs (words as well
as the music his own) of which our subject is the author:--
"Lauriette," [Transcriber's Note: 'Lauriett' in the Appendix]
published by Firth & Pond, New York, 1840; "Come, Love, and list
awhile," published by Pond & Hall, New York, 1842; "It was by Chance
we met," published by O. Ditson & Co., Boston, 1866; "I would I'd
never met Thee," published by O. Ditson & Co., Boston, 1876.
Of the above, "Lauriette" had a large sale, the _publishers_ realizing
a considerable profit from the same. In 1854 O. Ditson & Co. published
his "Parisien [Transcriber's Note: 'Parisian' in the Appendix]
Waltzes." These are a set in five numbers, with a fine introduction,
and containing some very bright and sweetly-flowing melodies. These
waltzes had a good sale, and added much to the composer's reputation.
Besides the above, Mr. Williams has composed eight or ten
polka-redowas, and several mazurkas and quadrilles (some of these have
been published); and he is the author of several overtures.
Early in his career he composed an anthem which was much praised by
persons of musical judgment. At that time so greatly was the judgment
of people affected by color-prejudice, that many persons doubted the
ability of one of his race to create a work so meritorious as the one
just mentioned. They were, however, soon compelled to admit that Mr.
Williams was the talented author of it.
Lowell Mason, the eminent composer of sacred music, was one o
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