THE 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 

No. XXL] 


AUGUST, 1797. 


[Vox. IV. 

ES ASSET, CE EATS AO aT CO ITE ETI 
&> On the zoth of July was published the SuppLemENTARY Numser to the Third Volume 
of this Work, containing a variety of valuable original Articles, and the TirTLz, Pre-= 
FACE, and INBEX. Our regular Subfcribers are requefted to give their Orders for it te 
their re{peCtive Buokfellers. 

— — 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
To the Editer of the Monthly Magazine. 
sIR, 
TF a difpute fhould arife between A and 
B, it cannot be expeéted that O and 
P fhould interfere ; they are too far from 
the fcene of aétion—but it.is impoffible 
for C to be an unconcerned [{pedctator. 
As this principle is as good for the tail 
of the alphabet as the head, Z muft not 
be deemed impertinent, if he has a few 
words to fay in the muiical affair between: 
x and Y. 
«¢ Thofe who in quarrels interpofe, 
Mutt often wipe a bloody nofe.”’ 
J know it—I know it—but there is no 
rifque in this bufinefs: Linterpofe, not 
to foment a quarrel, but to fettle it—a 
few cool plain words are fufficient. . 
Previoufly to my entering on the fub- 
ject, permit me to clear the way, by a 
fhort anecdote:—A Turk, ufing that 
liberty of fpeech which is now encou-. 
raged, acknowledged the excellency of 
the Chriftian religion ;—* but how 
fhould it be otherwife than good (fays 
he) fince it was all taken from the Ko- 
ran?’ My good neighbour Y, you are 
a very Turk in your argument—the 
Mafjue of Comus was performed in public 
many years before the oratorio of ‘Fudas 
Maccabeus was compofed. The theatri- 
cal records, and Dr. Burney’s Hiftory of 
Mufic, will prove this ; if more be want- 
ed, there are people enough ftill living, 
who (with the writer) remember the 
fofi performance of Judas Maccabzus, 
in 17473; and who, years before the ex- 
iftence of that oratorio, repeatedly heard 
Comus applauded at the theatre—fo that, 
in this initance, Arne is no thief. 
_ This being proof pofitive, circumftan- 
tial proof is needlefs.—However, it 
would not be difficult to demonftrate, 
(moft ftrange, as Y may think it!) that 
there is not any refemblance (as X truly 
afferts) between the two airs from which 
Montuiy Mac. No. XXI. 
Y has taken the parallel paffages; and 
this I prefent to him as a paradox *. 
That the fongs in Comus, and other 
of Arne’s melodies, have been living 
fixty years. 
That they ftill exift ; and moft probas 
bly ¢notwithftanding their imperfeétions) 
they poffefs fomething which may ftill 
induce us to take them up again and 
again—this is mufical immortality.— 
While fuch compofitions as Y, with great 
good-nature recommends to our notice, 
with all their merit, when once they are. 
laid by, are no more remembered ‘ than 
laft year’s clouds,’’—and this I give as a 
word of comfort to poor X. 
Remembering the above couplet, 1 for- 
bear all new matter, nor will any reply 
induce Me to enter into a controverfy 
(hating people that are pertinacious); but 
fhall make an abrupt angzlor conciufion, 
as might be expected from fuch a zig-zag 
thing as 
Oxford. C. C. Coll. Fuly 24. 
ee 
* Requefting him (if he thinks it worth the 
folving) firft to clear his eyes from the dazzling 
of the Sun-beams, and his ears from the danger= 
ous fong of the Mermaids, and then fit down 
foberly to his piano-forte, play over both the 
airs; and he will find, although the firft ten 
notes.of each “land precifely on the fame lines 
and {paces, and that § is placed at the beginning, 
yet the movement and meafure are different—- 
Handel's fong being in 3 (having two bars in 
one, hot an unufual, though improper practice) 
while Arne’s is re //y in the meature as marked : 
befides, the character of the two airs, had 
every thing elfe coincided, is fo different, as to 
prevent almoft a poflibility of comparifon. He 
will alfo obferve, that the accent of Handel’s 
air is, as ufual, when the bar is wnegualiy divide 
ed; and that the bar of Arne’s is an equal mea- 
fure ; fo that neither the time nor accent js the 
fame. 
I fhould not have enlarged on this point, had 
it not been neceffary to clear Handel from: the 
imputation of plagiarifm, now Arne is honour- 
ably acquitted, es 
ON Zo 
