W E L 



formers in this concert, finding the company attentive, 

 and in a difpontion to be pleafcd, were animated to tliat 

 true pitch cf cnthufiafm, with which, when muficians are 

 themfclvcs inflamed, thev have a power of communicating 

 to others their own order, and cf fetting all around in a 

 blaze ; fo that the contention between the performers and 

 hearers on this occafion was only who fhould pleafe, and 

 who applaud the moft. 



WEISS, Sylvius Leopold, a famous performer on 

 the lute, born in Silefia, travelled into Italy in 1708, in 

 the fuite of prince Alexander Sobiefky, who dying at 

 Rome, he was obliged to make his lute bear his expences 

 back into Germany, going firft to Bredau and afterwards 

 to Drcf'den, where he was engaged in the fervice of the 

 king of Poland, and became the moft celebrated lutenift at 

 that time in Europe. Germany has produced many emi- 

 nent muficians of the name of Weifs ; as John Adolphus 

 Fauftinus, fon of Sylvius Leopold, a lutenift likewife ; C. 

 Weifs, a performer' on the German flute, who vifited Lon- 

 don in 1783, an ingenious and curious man, who had 

 improved his inftrument, and had many curious peculiarities 

 in his performance. 



WELDON, JoHK, an eminent mufician, was born at 

 Chichcfter, learned the rudiments of mufic of Mr. John 

 Porter, organiil of Eton college, and afterwards received 

 inftruftions from Henry Purcell. He was for fome time 

 organift of New college, Oxon. But in 1 701 he was 

 appointed a gentlem.an extraordinary of the Chapel royal ; 

 and in 1708 fucceedcd Dr. Blow as one of his majefty's 

 organifts. In 1715, upon the eftablifhment of a fecond 

 compofer's place in the king's chapel, Weldon was the 

 firft who filled that ftation, of which he feemed confcien- 

 tioufly determined to fulfil all the duties ; for before he 

 had long been in pofTeftion of this office, he gave proofs of 

 his abilities and diligence in the compofition of the com- 

 munion fervice, as well as the feveral anthems required by 

 the conditions of his appointment. 



He was likewife organift of St. Bride's church in 

 Fleet -ftreet, and of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. 



Befides many favourite fongs and folo anthems of the 

 time, AVeldon compofed two full anthems, which are in- 

 ferted in Dr. Boyce's fecond volume ; the firft is rather too 

 familiar and common ; but the fecond, " Hear my crying, 

 O God," in fix parts, is a very pleafing and mafterly com- 

 pofition ; particularly the firft movement. In the fecond 

 movement, the words up upon are unfortunately exprcffed 

 by notes that fucceed each other too rapidly for their eafy 

 utterance. Tiie paffages of the third and fourth movements 

 feem much worn by forty or fifty years ufe ; however, 

 the paufes at the end of the laft ftrain liave a fine effeft. 



Six of his folo anthems were publiftied about the year i 730 ; 

 we fay about that period, as m.ufical chronology is become 

 a very difficult ftudy. The late Mr. Walfti, finding that 

 old mufic-books were like old almanacs, ceafed very early 

 iu this century to afcertain the time of their birth by dates, 

 whicii have ever fince been as carefully concealed as the 

 age of antiquated virgins. 



Weldon's powers of invention and of harmonical combi- 

 nation feem very much limited. His anthems had the 

 advantage of being fung in the Chapel royal by a cele- 

 brated finger, Mr. Richard Elford ; but now, let who 

 •will cxecuie them, they muft appear feeble and old-fafiiioned, 

 unlefs the embellifiiments of George I.'s time are changed 

 for thofe in prefent ufe. The truth is, that the fund of 

 onginal conception or fclence, which alone can render old 

 mufic valuable to the curious, long after the ftyle in which 

 It was wnitca is becom.e antiquated and forgotten, was never 



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very confiderable in Weldon's produftions. His firft 

 anthem, " O Lord rebuke me not," remained long in 

 favour, when well fung in our cathedrals, from its refem- 

 blance to the ftyle of Purcell ; and the natural and eafy 

 flow minuet air to " Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my 

 Soul," which has fo much of a fecular fong and rondeau in 

 it, that it is remembered with pleafure by the mufical part 

 of a congregation, who are more likely to bear it in mind 

 than more ferious parts of the fervice. 



The produdions of Weldon appear flimfy after thofe of 

 Crofts ; and Dr. Green's after Handel's : yet Green com- 

 pared with Weldon is a giant ; that is, a Handel. 



There is a vice of which compofers of fmall refource« 

 are often inadvertently guilty, for want of a fincere and 

 judicious friend to tell them of it ; and that is, eternal repe- 

 tition of the fame pafTage, a note higher or a note lower, 

 which the Italians call rofalia. This certainly originates in 

 the want of ideas, and yet it may be avoided by attention, 

 though the ftieet would not fill fo faft. Weldon has in- 

 dulged himfelf in thefe repetitions to a tirefome degree in 

 feveral of his anthems ; but in the ritornel to " Have 

 Mercy upon me, O God," he has iterated the fame poor 

 paftage a note lower feven times fucceffively ! 



His fong for two voices, " As I faw fair Clora walk 

 alone," was in great favour fome years ago ; and his 

 air in the Judgment of Paris, " Let Ambition fire thy 

 Mind," is a melody fo natural and pleafing, that, like an 

 ever-green in vegetation, it will always be frefti and in 

 feafon. And there is no air in greater favour than this at 

 prefent, in the Englifti opera of " Love in a Village," to the 

 words, " Hope the Nurfe of young Defirc." 



This compofer died in 1736, and was fucceeded in the 

 King's chapel by the late Dr. Boyce. 



WELLS, 1. I,r. L. and E. 



Wells, in Geography, a townftiip of Rutland county, \a 

 Vermont, having 1040 inhabitants. 



WELSH Music. If incredulity could be vanquiftied 

 with refpedt to the account which Giraldus Cambrenfis gives 

 of the ftate of mufic in Wales during the 12th century, 

 (fee GiRALDLS Cambrensis,) it would be by a Welfti 

 MS. formerly in the poflcffion of Richard Morris, efq. of 

 the Tower, which contains pieces for the liarp that are in 

 full harmony or counterpoint : they are written in a peculiar 

 notation, and fuppofed to be as old as the )'ear 11 00; at 

 leaft, fuch is the know-n antiquity of many of the fongs 

 mentioned in the colleAion. But whether the tunes and their 

 notation are coeval w-ith the words, cannot eafily be proved ; 

 nor is the counterpoint, tliough far from correft or elegant, 

 of fo rude a kind as to fortify fuch an opinion. 



Some part of " this MS.," according to a memorandum 

 which we found in it, " was tranfcribed in the time of 

 Charles I., by P..obert ap Huw, of Bodwigen, in the ifle 

 of Anglefea, from William Penllyn's Book." The name 

 of William Penllyn is recorded among the fuccefsful can- 

 didates on the harp, at the eifleddfod, or feffion of the bards 

 and minftrels, appointed in the ninth year of queen Ehza- 

 beth, at Caerwys in North Wales, where he was elefted 

 one of the " chief bards and teachers of inftrumental fong." 

 The title given to thefe pieces is " Mufica neu Beroriaeth ;" 

 and a note in Englifti informs us, that the manufcript con- 

 tains " the mufic of the Britons, as fettled by a congrefs^ 

 or meeting of mafters of mufic, by order of Gryifydd ap 

 Cynan, prince of Wales, about the year 1 100, with fome 

 of the moft ancient pieces of the Britons, fuppofed to have 

 been handed down to us from the Britifti bards." 



This mufic is written in a notation by letters of the 

 alphabet, fomewhat refembling the tablature for the lute ; 



but 



