Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/285

SCHOOLS OF COMPOSITION. it!—by an Anthem for 5 Voices, 'Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle?' printed in the third volume of Burney's History, and a few pieces preserved by Barnard; though no less than 35 of his Compositions, comprising 4 Anthems, 25 Motets, and 6 Lamentations, lie in MS. in the Library of Christ Church, Oxford, without hope of publication. These works are models of the best English style, at its best period. Not merely remarkable for their technical perfection, but full of expression and beauty. Yet these fine Compositions have been left to accumulate the dust, while the inspirations of Kent and Jackson have been heard in every Church in England, to say nothing of later Compositions, which would be very much the better for a little infusion of Kent's spontaneity and freshness. In order to give some idea of the tenderness of Whyte's general style, we subjoin an extract from an Anthem—'The Lorde blesse us, and keepe us'—included in Barnard's collection, but neither mentioned in the Christ Church Catalogue, nor noticed by Burney, though it is contained in the valuable and beautifully-transcribed set of Part-Books which furnished him with the text of the only Composition by Whyte that has until now been printed in modern form. The pathetic character of the Hypoæolian Mode was probably never more strongly exhibited than in this beautiful passage.

But, neither Tye nor Whyte reached to the height attained by Tallis; who is, perhaps, better known, and more fairly judged, than any other English Composer of the time, though his most popular works are not in all cases his best. To speak to English Organists of his Responses, his Litany, or his Service in the Dorian Mode, would be superfluous. But, how many are equally well acquainted with his Motet, 'Salvator mundi,' or his fearfully intricate Canon, 'Miserere nostri'? How many know that the original of 'I call and cry' is an 'O sacrum convivium' worthy of any Church Composer in the world short of Palestrina himself? How many have looked into the 'Cantiones Sacræ,' which he wrote in conjunction with his pupil Byrd, and the MS. treasures scored in Burney's 'Extracts,' or the 'Matthias Collection'? Yet it is here that we must look for Tallis, if we wish to form any idea of his true greatness. The world has not seen many more accomplished Contrapuntists than he; nor has he ever been excelled in the exquisite 'surprises' of his Harmony. We have said that Palestrina so interwove his phrases together as to give birth to some wonderful Chord at every