Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/612

600 is less of ornament in Portuguese than in Spanish music. And the dance-music of Portugal is somewhat monotonous, as compared with that of Spain.

The popular poetry of the two countries has also much in common. Most of the Portuguese epic-romances are of Spanish origin, and none are anterior to the 15th century. Even at the present day the Spanish and Portuguese romance-forms are identical, except where a slight divergence necessarily springs from differences of language and nationality. In the lyrics of both races the rhyme follows the assonance principle, and is a more important element of composition than the metre.

The dance-songs are always written in the binary rhythm; and these are the least interesting of Portuguese songs. Though much less used than in Spain, the guitar is always employed for the fado, a dance-song seldom heard outside towns, and properly belonging to the lowest classes of urban populations, though it has recently acquired some popularity among the higher classes. There are many varieties of fados or fadinhos, but they all have this same rhythm:—

Other kinds of dance-songs are the chula, for accompanying which the machínho [see, vol. i. p. 640b] or the viola chuleira is used; the malhão, the canninha verde, the landum, the fandango, and the vareira.

But Portugal (in this respect unlike Spain) also possesses a great quantity of genuine popular songs, which are not in any sense dance-music; and these are especially characteristic productions of the country. Though, as a rule, written in modern tonality, it is in them that the traces of oriental influence are most visible. There is about them a careless ease, tinged with melancholy, which is the secret of their charm. They are generally sung by one voice without any accompaniment, and to the ears of foreigners have the sound of recitatives, as the rhythmical idea is often wholly obscured by the singer. Scarcely more rhythmical are the festival-songs sung on certain days of the year; of which the principal ones are 'O São João,' sung on St. John the Baptist's day; 'As Janeiros,' sung at the New Year; and 'Os Reis,' sung at the Epiphany. 'São João' is a pretty little song, usually sung, as the Portuguese peasants love to sing, in thirds. The melody is—

—curiously recalling a portion of the Marseillaise.

Excepting the influence exercised upon the ecclesiastical music of Portugal during the 16th and 17th centuries by the Flemish school, Portuguese music may be said to have escaped all foreign influences, until it fell under the spell of the Italian opera,—a spell which has been strong upon it for a century or more. The modinha, the only kind of artistic song that Portugal has as yet produced, is its direct offspring. Though written by trained musicians, and sung by educated people, both in character and form it is purely exotic, a mixture of the French romance and the Italian aria. The modinhas were extremely popular in the first part of the present century; nor has there since been any great decline of their popularity. As artistic music, they cannot be said to hold a high rank, but the best of them are, at least, simple, fresh, and natural. Such are 'A Serandinha,' 'A Salvia,' 'As peneiras,' 'Mariquinhas meu amor.' The favourite composers of modinhas are Domingos Schioppetta; two monks, J. M. da Silva and José Marquis de Santa Rita; and Frondoni, an Italian long resident in Lisbon, and author of the popular hymn of the revolution of Maria da Fonte (1848).

Never within historic times has England been indifferent to the art of music. As France gave birth to the 'Trouvères,' and Germany to the 'Minnesingers,' BO did England in a remote age produce her own Bards, and afterwards her Scalds and Minstrels, her Gleemen and Harpers; all of whom were held in high repute by their countrymen. The earliest known piece of music in harmony is the part-song '../Sumer is icumen in/,' written about 1225 by John of Fornsete, a