Dryden's Relation to Germany 75 



son, Pope, Congreve, and Handel's musical composition for Alex- 

 ander's Feast as classical masterpieces composed for her celebra- 

 tion.*^ At the conclusion of the chapter he adds a religious 

 rhapsody. Die Tonkunst.^^ 



To Herder the religious song, the hymn, was the highest and 

 most natural expression of music and reverence ; but he was not 

 an extremist in his romanticism for the religious hymn in the 

 sense of Klopstock, nor did his enthusiasm carry him to the ex- 

 tremes of a Novalis, for instance, for whom feeling was every- 

 thing. In the Adrastea he writes: " denn Andacht, diinkt mich, 

 ist die hochste Summe der Musik, heilige himmlische Harmonic, 

 Ergebung und Freude. Auf diesem Wege hat die Tonkunst die 

 schonsten Schatze erbauet, und ist zum Innersten der Kunst ge- 

 langet. . . . Die tiefste Grundlage der heiligen Musik ist wohl der 

 Lobgesang, Hymnus; ich mochte sagen, er sei dem Menschen 

 natiirlich."** He does not reckon Alexander's Feast among the 

 sacred odes, but says it is a worthy greeting to Saint Cecelia, 

 because it is a melody appealing to the heart [Herzensmelodie] , a 

 national melody expressed in simple tones. 



iln 1780 Herder translated Pope's Messiah^° for which Handel 

 had composed an oratorio. However in the biography of Handel 

 he ranked the composition for Alexander' s Feast the greatest and 

 most enduring of all his compositions. "Alexanders Fest, das 

 er nach seiner Riickkunft (von Aachen) gab, schaffte ihm nicht 

 nur die Gunst der Nation wieder, sondern wurde auch den Grund- 

 stein seines bleibenden Ruhmes ; denn seine Opern und Sonaten 

 sind verhallet. Sein Alexanders Fest dauert."*" 



Interwoven in the biography of Handel is a characterization 

 of the genuine ode and lyric which Herder links with music. Alex- 

 ander's Feast, called forth by the patron saint of music, in his opin- 

 ion complies with the requirements of a great ode and is superior 



*2 Zerstreute Blatter von J. G. Herder, V, 289-326, Gotha, 1793. 

 ^^ The first refrain runs : 



" Ewige Harmonie ! Kling' ein in meine Saiten. 

 Heilige Harmonie ! Kling ein in meine Seele." 

 ** Loco citato, p. 295. 



*s Gothaische gelehrte Zeitung, VH, 255. 1780. 

 ^'^ Adrastea, HI, 319-349. 



363 



