Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/A/Ashe, Andrew

Ashe, Andrew, was born in the town of Lisburne, in the north of Ireland, about the year 1759. His parents sent him to a school near Woolwich, in England, before he was nine years of age. At this early period he showed a great disposition for music, and devoted a certain sum of his weekly allowance to the master of the artillery band, (who occasionally attended the academy,) to receive lessons on the violin. The young votary made such progress, that in a short time his school-fellows preferred dancing to his fiddle to their usual gymnastic exercises between school hours. He continued at this academy until he had attained his twelfth year ; at this period, a lawsuit, which had been pending for a number of years, between a neighboring noble-man and his grandfather, terminating to the great disadvantage of the latter, rendered it inconvenient to his parents to continue their son at so distant a seminary, and caused them to resolve on his return to Ireland. Previously to this proposed removal, Count Bentinck, a relation of the Portland family, and a colonel in the British service, happened to be riding by the academy at Woolwich, and perceiving young Ashe in tears, with his letter of recall in his hand, asked him what was the matter; he replied, sobbing that his family were ruined by a lawsuit, and that he was desired to return home to Ireland, as his friends could not afford to keep him any longer at Woolwich. The humane nobleman, struck with the boy's apparent grief; was induced to make further inquiry about him from the master of the academy ; and a correspondence between the count and the child's parents commenced in consequence, which terminated in young Ashe's removal to the house of the count, who shortly after took him to the Island of Minorca, where his regiment then was. There he procured for him instructions on the violin by an eminent Italian master, under whom he improved so much, that he was soon looked upon as a musical prodigy for his age. He next accompanied his protector in a considerable tour through Spain, Portugal, France, and Germany, and finally settled with him on his estates in Holland. Here young Ashe's education was paid particular attention to, the count wishing to prepare him to be a confidential servant on his estates; but the boy was too far advanced in music, and loved it too much, to permit him to pay the attention requisite to complete himself for the intended office of land steward. He had now acquired a pretty general knowledge of various wind instruments, having attended the regular practice of his patron's regimental band, with which, we have heard, he even used to do duty in Minorca. About this time he showed an evident disposition for the flute; but it was then so limited an instrument, that after considerable application he relinquished it, in con-sequence of its great imperfections. Shortly after this, the Sieur Vanhall (brother to the celebrated composer of that name) arrived at the Hague from London, and brought a flute with six keys. Vanhall announced a concert, in which he was to perform a concerto on this flute with six keys. It being the first of these improved instruments that had reached Holland, a general curiosity was excited to see where these keys could be placed on a flute, and no one was so actively curious in this respect as young Ashe, who lost no time in offering his services on the violin, and promising the count's patronage of the concert, which he accordingly procured for Vanhall. These additional keys on Vanhall's flute were in his hands only ornamental, as he had not acquired the use of them ; but when young Ashe tried them, and found that they produced all the half notes as full and round as the tones natural to the instrument in its unkeyed state, he made up his mind to have this flute, route qui coute ; which he accomplished at a considerable price, by the count's indulgence. This was about the latter end of 1774, when Ashe had not attained his sixteenth year. From that period he gave up the violin, and dedicated his entire attention to his newly-acquired purchase. After some months' application, the celebrated Wend-ling, successor to Quantz, the King of Prussia's master, came to the Hague, of whom young Ashe had some lessons; but on his second visit, Wendling told him his new flute was a bad one, that the long keys on the bottom joint spoiled the instrument, and that the small keys were of no use, particularly in quick passages. These observations of the master not corresponding with the high ideas and expectations the scholar entertained of its excellence, induced him to discontinue his lessons as soon as a proper respect for such a distinguished master would permit. Our young aspirant had then recourse to his own natural genius, and, after a few years incessant application, became the admiration of Holland, chiefly from the uncommon fulness of his tone in those more abstruse keys in music, which could not be produced from the flute then in general use, and which perfection was, erroneously in a great measure, ascribed to the performer, without allowing a participation in this honor to be due to the great improvement in the construction of his instrument. All this time Ashe continued under (we may call it) the paternal roof of his benefactor, the count ; but, as ingratitude is inherent, in a more or less degree, in some natures, we are sorry to have a particle of it to annex to the subject of our present article; but the truth is, that, flushed with the admiration he experienced, he was anxious to launch into the world from under the roof which had so long sheltered him ; and the count, who saw his thoughts by his demeanor, permitted him to go, on a handsome salary, as family musician to the late Lady Torrington, then an the point of removing from Holland to Brussels. He remained in Lord Torrington's family until that nobleman thought proper to reduce his establishment; and was next engaged by the late Lord Dillon, who also resided in Brussels. This nobleman was a great patron of the opera in that city, and wished his musician to have the situation of first flute in the opera orchestra, to which a demur was made by the Brabant nobility and Flemish subscribers in general. Parties ran high; but there being at this period, 1778 and 1779, a great number of English at Brussels, who were a material support to the opera, they demanded a public trial of skill between the resident flute of the opera and young Ashe, which accordingly took place at the first rehearsal of the season; and, although it was admitted that the Sieur Vanhall was by far the most experienced musician and flute player, yet Ashe gained the general approbation and situation by his superiority of tone, for which he had to thank the improvement of his additional keys, in all probability, more than any preference of embouchure. In this school of musical improvement our young flutist remained for a few years, when an Irish gentleman of the name of Whyte, a great amateur of music, expressed the intention of making a grand continental tour ; and as Ashe was by this time a general linguist, in addition to his flute playing, Mr. Whyte pro-posed to take Ashe with him, which was too congenial with our young traveller's disposition to be declined. After, however, relinquishing all his engagements, letters called Mr. Whyte back to Ireland, and Ashe, having long had a hankering after the land of his birth, from which he had been absent since his infancy, willingly accepted Mr. Whyte's offer of accompanying him to Dublin. Not long after his arrival in Ireland, he was engaged for the Rotunda concerts in Dublin, which were then brilliantly supported. Here Ashe remained a few years, and the great applause his performance always met with was a stimulus to his further improvement. His celebrity having for some time reached England, the late Mr. Salomon (who had, in 1791, brought over the immortal Haydn for his concerts in Hanover Square, and was anxious to have a suit?orchestra to execute this incomparable master's symphonies, which were composed expressly for these concerts) suspended the engagement of his principal flute until he had the opportunity of hearing Ashe ; which was afforded him the same summer, he being engaged to perform at the Rotunda concerts, with a celebrated violoncello player of the name of Sperat. Salomon was so highly pleased with Ashe's intonation and tone, that he gave him a very liberal engagement for Hanover Square; and accordingly, in 1792, he made his first public appearance in London, at Salomon's second concert, in a manuscript concerto of his own composition, which was replete with such novelty as to excite very considerable admiration. After this favorable debut, it is not to be wondered that he became and remained the reigning flute, both as an orchestra and concerto player, at all the established concerts in London. Upon the abdication of Monzani, Ashe was appointed principal flute at the Italian Opera, which situation he held for several years. He next, on the demise of Rauzzini, in 1810, was unanimously elected director of the Bath concerts, which he conducted with great ability for twelve years ; but, in con-sequence of the times being unpropitious for public undertakings, was induced to relinquish their management in the winter of 1821-2 ; having, as we understand, lost a considerable sum by the last four years of his direction. " In the year 1799," says the editor of the London Times, "Ashe married a pupil of Rauzzini, whose vocal excellence (as Mrs. Ashe) is too generally known to make any comment from us necessary. They have had a numerous family, nine or ten of whom are now living : the eldest daughter is a very finished performer on the harp, but is not in the profession, being married to a gentleman of property in the West Indies. We have frequently been delighted with the second Miss Ashe's accomplished style of singing, and very superior performance on the piano-forte, although from appearance she is not yet nineteen. We can only speak of Ashe as an author, from having heard many of his flute concertos performed by himself, which abounded with new passages fancifully dispersed, and the melodies highly pleasing. The reason we have heard assigned for their not being as yet given to the public, is a tenaciousness in the composer to reserve them for his own performance ; but we understand he purposes shortly to print them, when, we have no doubt, they will be eagerly sought after by both dilettanti and professors. We have dedicated rather more space to this article than we can conveniently afford, having been anxious to lay before our readers a somewhat detailed account of a gentleman so highly esteemed as Mr. Ashe, both in his public and private character. He continues in full possession of his powers, is in robust health, and we have heard him say he has been but a bad customer to both law and physic ; never having expended a shilling on the former, and only a single guinea fee to the latter."