Ne 
i 

624 - Reply to Mr. Bufby 
as men of talents ; but no-implicit defer- 
ence to either; fuwim cuique. The flight 
hints about tranflations are meant as ge- 
neral refiections: I enter not into the me- 
rit of any particular performance ;-and 
Mis. Inchbaid and Mr. Sheridan have ob- 
tained fo juft a reputation by their original 
writings, as to require no apology for their 
further endeavours to pleafe the public, by 
affording them an opportunity of hearing 
fo excellent a drama as Pizarro on the 
Englith itage. | 
I remain, Sir, refpeétfully your's, 
G.-DYER. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SER, 
LTHOUGH T am a fubfcriber to 
your Magazine, it frequently hap- 
pens that I have net an opportunity of 
perufing it until fome months after its pub- 
lication. This has been the cale refpect- 
ing that of February lait, which has very 
lately faHenintomy hands. In this Num- 
ber, I fiada letter from Mr. Buiby, wherein 
he feems to charge the lovers of what is 
called ancient mufic, with a&ting ander the 
influence of prejudice. If the following 
remarks, fuggeited by the perufal of that 
Jetter, will merit a place in your wleful 
Magazine, their-infertion will gratify more 
than one of your readers. 
Tn the letter above alluded to, Mr. 
Bufby cenfures ** certain mufical amateurs” 
for'their partiality to the works of Purcel, 
Handel, Corelli, S¢c.; and complains that 
the names of thofe great meficians “are 
hung up i terrorem over the heads of 
Irving compofers.”’—-But furely Mr. B. 
Goes not ‘mean to apply this charge to all 
the admirers of Corelli’s or Purcel’s- 
mufic; nor can he be fe uncharitable as 
to iuppofe, that a// “the partifans of the 
old fehool,”’ as he is pleafed to term them, 
are partial to the azcient mufic, merely be- 
caufe it is old. Indeed it is neither impof- 
fible nor improbable but there may be fome 
pericns of this defcription, who affeét to 
call themfelves amateurs of the {cience; 
and if there really be any fuch, who judge 
of a compofition only by its date, they 
richiy deferve the fevereft cenfure that Mr. 
B. can peffibly pafs upon them. 
Tt wiil doubtlefs be allowed, and Mr. 
B. will hardly undertake tq deny, that 
there are perfons, in the prefent day, ca- 
pable of appreciating the rea/ merit of a 
mufical compofition ; 
rifon of the bef of the ancient mufic with 
the gexerality of the modern, that fuch 
perfons are induced to give a preference 
to the former. Perhaps there are fome 
admirers of the old iiulic, who do not duly 
and itis bya compa- — 
x 
[ Sept. 
< 
on Ancient Mufice 
confider, that the age of Corelli and Pur- 
cel did not produce all muficians of equal 
genius; many compofitions of that d 
are {carcely remembered ; and a ftill greater 
number are totally forgotten. On the 
other hand, it is probable that fome few 
of the modern compofitions may live in 
fucceeding ages, when the greater part of 
them will be buried in oblivion, never to 
obtain a refurre€tion. 2 
Tt is likewife to be underftood, that the 
admirers of Corelli’s,. Purcel’s or Handel’s 
mufic, at leaft fuch of them as are beft 
able to judge of thofe produfiions, do not 
confider them as perfect models. Abfo- 
lute perfection is unattainable by the 
greateft genius, and thofe who have ap- 
praximated the neareft to it, ftill afford us 
giound to pronounce them not infallible. 
Various inflances might be adduced in 
proof of this, from the works of the 
abovementioned great mafters.—Even Ce- 
relli has indulged himfelf in fome fantaftical 
conceits, for an example of which fee his 
Foilia, op. 5.—Purcel too has been guilty 
of many abfurd imitations. —And Handel 
is chargeable with numerous improprieties., 
_The incongruities which appear in_ his 
management of the accents, can fearcely 
be enumerated ; thefe, however, are very 
excufable in a perfon who did not write in 
his native language. 
in his works, other defeéts, among which 
may be noticed his want of difcrimination 
between the very different ftyles of facred 
and fecular mujiic ;- or, at leaft, a want of 
aitention in their application. An in- 
ftance of this, on the one hand, we find in 
the beginning of the chorus, ‘* Wretched 
lovers” (in Acis and Galatea), which 
is quite in the church ftyle. And, on 
the other hand, we have an inftance of 
the fecular ftyle in the chorus, ‘* All we 
like fheep”” (in Meffiab). “The condué 
of this chorus is really reprehenfible,—in- 
ftead of thole plaintive and - penitential 
firains which, trom the words, one is 
naturally led to expeét, we find an eccen- 
Bi sire compofition, calculated to excite no 
other idea than that of a flock of fheep, 
jué releated from the fold, {kipping and 
exulting in the liberty they have regained. 
But notwithftanding thefe defeéts, the 
merits of thofe compoters will always pre- 
dominate, and their works will remain as 
monuments of their exalted genius to the 
lateft ages. 
If we defcend to the prefent day, and 
take a view of the voluminous mafs of 
modern. mufic -with which the public is 
burthened, we fhall find littl te commend, 
and much to reprobate. If we compare 
the mufic of the prefent day with that of 
~ ns 4) 
But we alfo find, — 
ae 
