LIBRARY

To show that music was very dear to the English of Shakspere's
time, and that the latter himself was particularly devoted to it
-the popular love for music among the English much under-
estimated development of the feeling in America-people in
all ranks of society in the sixteenth century either sang or
played upon some instrument-Henry VIII's personal taste for
music-Queen Elizabeth's musical achievements and Shak-
spere's allusion to them" divisions"-evidence in The
Winter's Tale of musical knowledge among the lowest classes
- universality of part-song intimated also in Twelfth Night-
base viols kept in the drawing-room for amusement of waiting
visitors-barber-shops had virginals in one corner nature of
the virginals the cittern found in the same place—the latter
the most popular instrument of the time-important functions
of the barber-many musical similes in the poetry of the
period-Thomas Tusser's advice to choose tuneful servants.
distaste for music associated with dishonesty --music in the
education of young ladies-musical scenes from Taming of the
Shrew-several music-teachers to royalty who came to un-
timely ends-g
- great number of ballads-Chaucer's testimony as
to English love of music-Langland's Plowman reproaches.
the clergy for knowing no "mynstralcy"-interesting to
note that with all this love for music there has never been a great
English composer-
same conditions true of women—a hun-
dred and sixty-seven references to music in the plays, most of
which show Shakspere's passionate love for the art - instances
of his deep musical understanding in The Merchant of Venice
and Richard II- wonderful stories of the power of music in
ancient times- Saxo Grammaticus's tale of King Eric of Den-
mark and his harper-Rabbinical fable of Adam's soul-out-
line of next lecture.

CHAPTER XIV THE MUSIC OF SHAKSPERE'S TIME-II.

67,174

PAGE

3

-

-

The music that Shakspere knew—"discant" — Pope Gregory

the Great and his antiphonarium, or collection of the Gregorian

chants composers in Shakspere's time did not attempt to

originate new tunes, but treated old ones contrapuntally — great

age of many of the Gregorian chants - Bishop Ambrose of

Milan and his use of psalms and hymns as a means of consola-

tion - St. Augustine's pleasure in the Ambrosian chant-

these hymns referred to by Pliny in the second century — the

world in possession of a stock of tunes as far back as the begin-

ning of our era, as shown by the Gospels-hymn sung by the

disciples on the evening of the Last Supper possibly used in the

churches to-day - -some of our tunes probably much older than

the Christian era-definition of discant from the old play of

Damon and Pythias - Cuckoo Song the first English verse with

music attached - - discovered on a monk's commonplace-

book in Harleian Library-slow progress of music in those

times analysis of Cuckoo Song as a typical song of Shakspere's

day — this a “canon in the unison with a burden” — many

varieties, such as motett, fugue, round, etc.-"prolation

and "division' 66

discant"

extempore

and "prick-

song" origin of term "counterpoint "plain song" and

"plain chant" terms closely associated with this contrapuntal

music rage for part-songs in sixteenth century-story of Dr.

John Bull which illustrates this—religious objections to these

musical extravagances in the churches the words a mere "pre-

tence for singing," according to Dr. Burney-an old poem

upon the woes of a music pupil-impressment of children in

order to keep up the cathedral choirs - Marbeck publishes

the Book of Common Praier Notes -versification of Psalms by

Sternhold and Hopkins- Dr. Christopher Tye's versification

of the Acts- his retort to Queen Elizabeth-Clement Marot

and Theodore Beza versify the Psalms in French-Calvin has

the Psalms set to music-some forgotten composers who as-

sisted in this work—some of the psalm-tunes of secular origin

-

-

-

-

Clown's remark in Winter's Tale about the Puritan who

"sings psalms to hornpipes" mention of Green Sleeves

and the Hundredth Psalm in The Merry Wives of Windsor

the latter noble melody arranged by Claude Lejeune some

other composers of sacred music the most prominent forms

of secular music. derivations of the name and nature of the

madrigal its great popularity a typical madrigal by Thomas

Weelkes first English ones written by William Bird- The

Triumphs of Oriana and its composers -Sir Hugh Evans

and his comical use of Marlowe's Come live with me

catch and the round early forms

rimes in Shakspere's Taming of the

-

Deuteromelia-nonsensical words to

the

of the Mother Goose

Shrew. Pammelia and

many of the catches

-

musical declamation-different kinds of instrumental music-