In Mr. Proctor's "Life of Edmund Kean," the latter is said to have composed "Doubt thou, the stars are fire," but we are not informed whether the setting ever came into print, and indeed the presumption would be that it never did.

Amongst the glees of Sir John Stevenson is one for two sopranos and a bass, to the words of Hamlet's letter. The glee is unaccompanied, and Sir John closes his work with the verbal variation of "Sweet Ophelia, never doubt my love!"

There is a recitative and air, the composition of Mr. John Parry, the elder, in which Hamlet's letter forms a part. This recitative and air were written for Mr. Braham and to be sung in the operatised Merry Wives of Windsor." The recitative (of which it is intimated that it may be omitted in private parties) is taken from one of Biron's speeches in "Love's Labour Lost." Then ensues an air, andante, in time, set to the four lines of Hamlet's letter, which air is succeeded by an allegretto in time, set to other poetry. The whole composition is then closed by a repetition of Hamlet's letter in time, and with different notes to those used for the opening movement.

Act III. Scene 2. Enter KING, QUEEN, POLONIUS, OPHELIA, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and other Lords attendant, with his Guard, carrying torches.

These four lines for Hamlet have been composed by Mr. M. P.

King in the form of the unaccompanied glee for three voices.

ル

To miners is S. Valentines day

~ 14

Act IV. The music for Ophelia.

As to the snatches of Ophelia's songs, over and above those given by Mr. Charles Knight in his "Shakespeare," there are two in Mr. Caulfield's Collection. These are notes to the words

They bore him barefaced on the bier,

And on his grave rained many a tear."

(the "Hey nonny, nonny" being omitted), and also to the words "For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy."

Ophelia's song,

"And will he not come again," has been set as a glee for two sopranos and a bass, by Sir John Stevenson.

Act V. In Mr. Caulfield's Collection notes are given to the three stanzas sung by the gravedigger. There are the same notes to each. stanza. It may be observed that in the first stanza the vowel a is added to the words "sweet" and "meet;" in the second stanza, to the words "clutch" and "such;" and in the third to "sheet" a," meet a, ""clutch a,' "such a,"

and "meet."

"sheet a,'

Thus: "sweet a, 99 66 meet a."

KING HENRY THE FOURTH.

Part II. Act V. Scene 3. The Garden of SHALLOW'S House.

In Mr. Caulfield's Collection notes are given to this first one of the little song-snatches for Cousin Silence.

The burthen,

"Do nothing but eat, and make good cheer,

And praise Heaven for the merry year ;

When flesh is cheap, and females dear
And lusty lads roam here and there."

"So merrily

"And ever among so merrily,"

is omitted. We then have a chorus in three parts to these words—

"When flesh is cheap, and females dear,

Oh! then comes in the merry good year."

These notes are anonymous. The other little scraps of song for Silence are not noticed by Mr. Caulfield.

KING HENRY THE

EIGHTH.

Act III. Scene 1. London. Palace at Bridewell. A room in the QUEEN'S apartments. The QUEEN and some of her women at work.

"KATHARINE. Take thy lute, wench; my soul grows sad with troubles;

Sing, and disperse 'em, if thou canst; leave working."

SONG.

"Orpheus, with his lute, made trees
And the mountain-tops that freeze,
Bow their heads when he did sing:
To his music, plants and flowers
Ever sprung; as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.
Everything that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,

Hung their heads, and then lay by.

In sweet music is such art,

Killing care and grief of heart,

Fall asleep, or, hearing, die."

'Orpheus, with his Lute," has been set to music several times, and that both in the solo and concerted form. Respecting the poem, and his own particular setting of it, Mr. William Linley has thus written :

"The beautiful words, 'Orpheus, with his lute,' were set many years ago by the editor's late much-lamented father; but he grieves to add that the score and part of the song were destroyed when Drury Lane Theatre was burnt down, and he has not the slightest vestige of it remaining, and but a very imperfect recollection even of the subject. It was composed for the late Mrs. Crouch. As the poetry of the song in question is deserving of the highest efforts of a musical mind, the author is particularly disappointed that he has not been able to find a setting of them in any of the works of the old English masters. He has taken all the pains in his power with them, but is satisfied he has not done them the justice they deserve, and deeply regrets that his father's composition cannot so much more effectively fill the space in this volume."

With every respect for Mr. Linley, one cannot well help being a little surprised that he should not have been aware of the fact that three settings of the song in question were already in existence. One of these was by so considerable a man as Dr. Maurice Greene, whose performance will be found in a little collection by the Doctor, entitled A Cantata and Four English Songs," published in 1741 (?); a second was by Mr. Thomas Chilcot; and a third is contained in John

are,

Christopher Smith's opera of "The Fairies" (a Garrick per-version of "Midsummer Night's Dream"), which appeared in the year 1755. Dr. Rimbault has indeed told me that a setting exists by Matthew Locke, but considering how scarce many things of Locke's time Mr. Linley may well be excused for his unconsciousness of that particular one; still, as regards the other three compositions, we may wonder a little that they should have become so completely lost to any one in the position of Mr. Linley. In Mr. Caulfield's Collection there is also a setting (which is, I believe, the work of Dr. Arne) of "Orpheus and his Lute."

Mr. R. J. Stevens has set the poem as a glee for five voices, while Lord Mornington has done the same for it in the shape of a four-part madrigal, which composition is amongst the contents of a volume of his lordship's glees, edited by Sir Henry Bishop. Sir Henry himself has introduced the poem in the operatised "Twelfth Night," as a long and elegant duet, which was originally sung by Miss Greene (afterwards Mrs. Paul Bedford), and Miss M. Tree, in the characters of Olivia and Viola.

Four compositions of our own time have now to be recounted. One of these is a four-part song by Mr. George Macfarren, and another is a long and elaborate duet, for soprano and contralto, by Mr. John Hatton. This was composed for performance in a revival of " King Henry the Eighth," at the Princess's Theatre, in the year 1855. It is written in the key of E b, and requires of the first voice to ascend steadily to the upper B b.

Still more recently we have had a solo setting by Miss Virginia Gabriel, a lady known by several compositions, and as it is sometimes said, in the position of an amateur. This song is in the key of D, and requires a compass of voice extending from the lower B to the upper A. I am inclined to remark that Miss Gabriel is open to criticism for some of her reading. Thus the voice gives out the first line of the