Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/670

658 German in its inception must be accepted with considerable reservation. If we go back three centuries, that is to the zenith of the madrigalian era, we shall find examples perfect in every respect except in name; and it is to Italian composers that we must look for the earliest specimens of the genus. The best-known of Costanzo Festa's madrigals, 'Down in a flowery vale,' is to all intents and purposes a part-song, allowance being made for certain peculiarities of tonality and rhythm common to music of that period. Gastoldi, who flourished a few years later, has left similar examples in his 'Balletti da suonare,' two of which in their English versions—'Maidens fair of Mantua's city' and 'Soldiers, brave and gallant be' are popular to this day. Thomas Morley seems to have been the earliest among English composers to take advantage of this style of vocal writing. His canzonets and ballets, written in obvious imitation of those of Gastoldi, include perfect examples of the part-song as we understand it. 'My bonny lass she smileth' and 'Now is the month of Maying,' maintain their position in the repertory of choral societies by reason of their crisp, well-marked rhythm, and simple pleasing melody. John Douland (or Dowland), whose genius was more tender and lyrical than that of Morley, has left some exquisite specimens of the amatory part-song in his 'Awake, sweet love,' 'Come again, sweet love,' and 'Now, now I needs must part.' Compared with these the canzonets of Thomas Ford, who was contemporary with Douland, are greatly inferior in grace, subtlety of expression, and pure poetic feeling. Thomas Ravenscroft and Weelkes, among other composers of the madrigalian epoch, may be included among those who contributed to a form of art too generally accepted as the musical product of the 19th century. The blighting influence of the Puritans proved fatal to every description of musical work in England, and when secular part-music again occupied the attention of composers, it took the form of the glee rather than that of the madrigal or the part-song. In the works of many composers between 1650 and 1750, we may of course discover isolated pieces in which some of the characteristics of the partsong are present. This may be said of Purcell's 'Come if you dare' and 'Come unto these yellow sands,' and of Handel's 'See the conquering hero comes,' to quote some of the best-known instances. But practically the 18th century may be passed over entirely in the consideration of our present subject, and the impression generally prevalent that the part-song is of wholly modern growth is explained by the intervention of this long and barren epoch. Another impetus from abroad was required, and eventually it came, only not as before from Italy, but from Germany. The latter country, as rich in national and traditionary music as England is poor, had, in its Volkslieder of ancient origin, and in the almost equally representative songs of Arndt, Körner, and others, the foundation on which to build ready to hand. [See .] The works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven include very few compositions that may be rightly placed under the heading of part-songs; but that most distinctively German composer, Weber, has produced some spirited examples in his 'Bright sword of liberty,' 'Lutzow's wild hunt,' and the Hunting Chorus in 'Der Freischütz.' Schubert was more prolific in this branch of art. The catalogue of his compositions contains some 50 pieces of the kind, of which 22 are for unaccompanied male voices, and only two for mixed voices. Many of the former display his genius in a favourable light, and but for the fact that our choral societies are mostly of mixed voices, would doubtless be better known than they are in this country. The establishment of Liedertafeln and Gesangvereine, answering in some respects to our older glee clubs, went on rapidly about the period of which we are speaking, and of course led to the production of a large quantity of part-music, most of which it must be confessed had but little value, the verses being doggrel and the music infinitely inferior to that of the best English glee-writers. The exceptions noted above were not more than sufficient to prove the rule, until the advent of another great genius, whose works of every description were destined to exercise an almost overwhelming influence over musical thought and action in this country. We refer to Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. It is not too much to say that his 'songs for singing in the open air,' so redolent of blue sky and sunshine and nature's freshness, worked a revolution, or, to speak more accurately, inaugurated a revival, in the choral music of England, the influence of which is ever widening and extending. The appearance of these delightful works was coeval with the commencement of that movement which has since resulted in the establishment of choral societies and more modest singing classes in every district throughout the length and breadth of the land. The study of these fascinating little gems led to the search after similar treasures of home manufacture which had been half forgotten under the accumulated dust of centuries, and it also induced musicians without number to essay a style of composition in which success seemed to be a comparatively easy matter. For the space of a generation the part-song has occupied a position second only to the ballad as the expression of musical ideas in a form suited to the popular taste. Before proceeding to take note of those who have followed most successfully Mendelssohn's lead, it is necessary to revert for an instant to Germany. Robert Schumann wrote about a dozen Lieder for male voices, and nearly double that number for mixed voices, but the strange prejudice which so long existed against this composer has even to the present time proved fatal to the popularisation of these works, which deserve to be in the repertory of every tolerably