Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/632

620 peculiarity is, that in the case of the Chorale, the words were either written expressly for a chosen melody, or the melody was selected for its appropriateness to particular words. The melody of that just mentioned, 'O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden,' is undoubtedly secular, but what melody could better express a deep and poignant religious sorrow?

It is well known that some of the most famous folk-songs of different countries are founded on the same subject, whether it be a legendary or historical event, or an incident of ordinary life. The accessories of course vary, and impart a local colouring to each version of the song; but the central theme is in all the same. In like manner the same tunes are the property of different countries. Their identity may not, perhaps, be detected at first beneath the disguises in which it is enveloped by national varieties of scale and rhythm and harmony; but it cannot elude a closer examination, and it is probable that careful study would establish many identities hitherto unsuspected. A good example of these cosmopolitan songs is 'Ach Elslein liebes Elselein.' Its subject is the legend of the Swimmer, the classical story of Hero and Leander; and it has a local habitation in Holland, Sweden, Russia, etc., as well as in Germany. 'Der Bettler,' also, which is still sung in many parts of Germany and in Sweden, is identical with 'The Jolly Beggar' of Scotland.

During the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries the spirit and power of the Volkslieder were felt in every branch of music. Not only did great masters introduce them into their polyphonic works, both sacred and secular, but lutenists were supplied from the same source with tunes for their instruments, and organists with themes for their extemporary performances. The progress of polyphonic music in Germany had been checked by the discontinuance of the Mass after the Reformation, as has been shown in another part of this work [see ], but a new impetus was given to it by the contrapuntal treatment of secular songs by great composers. As examples of such treatment we may mention—'Allein dein g'stalt,' 'Ach herzigs herz,' by Heinrich Finck; 'Mir ist ein roth Goldfingerlein'; 'Ich soil und muss ein Bulen haben,' by Ludwig Senfl; 'Elend bringt Pein,' by Benedict Ducis; 'Es wollt ein alt Mann,' by Stephan Mahu; 'Der Gutzgauch auf dem Zaune sass,' by Lorenz Lemlin; 'Ich weiss mir ein hübschen grünen Wald,' by Sixt Dietrich; 'Es geht gen diesen Sommer,' by Arnold von Bruck; etc.

This brings us to the Kunstlied, which in its primary sense signified only the contrapuntal treatment of the Song by learned musicians. With the polyphonic Kunstlied we have here no concern, beyond what just suffices to point out the changes through which it successively passed. The composers who used the Volkslied in polyphonic works were masters of every contrapuntal form; sometimes they worked one melody with another, as Arnold von Bruck, who combined the song 'Es taget vor dem Walde' with 'Kein Adler in der Welt'; or if they did not treat the selected melody as a canon (as Eckel treated 'Ach Jungfrau, ihr seid wolgemuth,' ), they broke it up into fragments for imitation. When composing their own melodies, they always adhered to the church scales; and used the new system only when adopting a Volkslied. The contrapuntal treatment had, however, one great disadvantage—it constantly necessitated the severance of the melody into fragments, and thus the clear concise form of the Song, which the Volkslied had done so much to establish, was in danger of disappearance. But happily at this juncture (about 1600) Hans Leo Hassler came to its rescue. Having studied in Italy, he breathed into his songs the light secular spirit of Italian Villanelle and Fa-la-las, and gave more prominence to the melody than to the other voice-parts. His dance-songs also, with their short rhythmical phrases, did much to restore the concise form of the Song. Similar characteristics are noticeable in Melchior Franck's and Regnart's collections of songs. In the beginning of the 17th century solo songs were first heard in Germany; and there, as everywhere else, the introduction of the monodic system was due to the influence of Italy.

The revolution begun by Italy would seem to have first affected the church music rather than the secular music of Germany. Innovations of Italian origin are plainly discernible in the sacred works of Prätorius and Heinrich Schütz; but neither of these composers improved the secular monodic song. German poetry had now fallen to a debased condition. It produced nothing better than songs of vapid and artificial sentiment addressed to a conventional Phyllis or Amaryllis. And the language which it employed was a nondescript mixture of French, Latin, and stilted German. Since Luther's death the simple vernacular had ceased to be in repute. But on the 24th August, 1617, a meeting of German patriots was held, who set themselves to restore their native tongue to honour, and with that view to study the introduction of method and rule into its grammar and poetry. Other patriotic groups were soon formed with a like purpose, and by the year 1680 these associations numbered 890 members. Their labours quickly bore good fruit. The success of a group of Königsberg poets was specially remarkable, and was doubtless due in a great measure to the skill with which one of the best of them, Heinrich Albert