244 THOUGHTS ON THE SUBLIME IN MUSIC. 



claim to rank above every living English composer. So that the 

 " true sublime" has every reason to be proud of its corner stone. 



After this enumeration — in which it is wished to be proved that 

 the English ecclesiastical composers of the present day are superior, 

 not only to their countrymen who preceded them, but even to Bach 

 and Beethoven, two of the greatest of the continental composers — 

 follows an explanation of their various merits, in which the words, 

 P pedantry," " learning," " expression," and so forth, are employed, 

 as they too often are, without any precise meaning. We have often 

 heard people complain of the music of the older church writers, as 

 wanting in " expression ;" little dreaming, the while, that there may 

 be expression which is beyond their comprehension. In such cases, 

 we have sometimes tried to come to a proper understanding of the 

 meaning annexed to this word by such persons, but have never ob- 

 tained a satisfactory answer : we conclude, however, that when it 

 has a meaning, it signifies those pleasant contrasts of soft and loud, 

 quick and slow, &c, which are so calculated (C ad captandum vulgus ;" 

 and which answer in music, to what in the sister art is called daub- 

 ing : only use an agreeable variety of colours, and lay them on 

 thick enough, you are sure to please the common herd. Every one 

 admires Martin, a few only can really appreciate Michael Angelo. 



We now come to his exposition of the principles of the " true sub- 

 lime," and here it is that we complain of unfair dealing. He says 



« 1st. That as music is divided into three styles — the sublime, 



the beautiful, and the ornamental or picturesque — and that as in all 

 cases where the order of the invention or adoption of the three 

 styles can be ascertained, the sublime will be found to be the earliest, 

 ergo, ancient music is the most sublime." Now, if ever a sentence 

 was nonsensical from the beginning to the end, we think this is 

 entitled to that appellation. What, we ask again, in the name of 

 common sense, has " the order of the invention or adoption of the 

 three styles" to do with the various merits of those styles ? Mr. G. 

 evidently misunderstands or wilfully misinterprets the principles he 

 pretends to explain, or he would not have talked either of " inven- 

 tion'' or " adoption." To any one who has even cursorily examined 

 the music of the three last centuries, the impropriety of these words 

 must be evident, implying as they do sudden and radical changes ; 

 whereas, as we have before stated, every thing during this time 

 has been going on gradually, though not imperceptibly. The term 

 " adoption," too, implies the use of one style to the exclusion of the 

 others, which neither Dr. Crotch nor any one else has ever stated 



