100 AN ANGLER AT LARGE 



to sing on the downs. I hope that I shall for the 

 future have a larger toleration for the musically 

 untutored. But I fear that I shall not. A present 

 desire for sleep will always prevail over the most 

 pleasurable memory of vocalisation. I shall almost 

 certainly blaspheme again. 



The catches which we sing are the following : 

 Scotland's (or London's) Burning; A Boat, A 

 Boat ! and Frere Jacques. The last is in French. 

 When we render it we feel exorbitantly clever, for 

 to sing at all, in harmony, places us among the 

 artists, but to do it in a foreign tongue this is 

 culture. 



To the musically untutored part-singing is an 

 unattainable mystery, bellowing with the aid of 

 a cornet in, as nearly as possible, unison being 

 the summit of their ambition in this direction. 

 But if they would only try a simple catch or two, 

 they would find themselves executing what is 

 admittedly one of man's most difficult feats I 

 mean harmonising their sounds with the sounds of 

 other people. And they would feel like gods and 

 never do anything else. But they know nothing 

 of catches. The popular numbers of last year's 

 pantomimes are all they can memorise. Now it 

 is surely as easy to learn Frere Jacques (I dwell 

 on this one with particular pride), which is unlike 

 any other tune whatever, as it is to learn Give my 



