256 
since this modulation is not the inven- 
tion of art, but the pare, unsophisticated 
Voice of pature, the voice of agony, 
wretchedness, and supplication. — Let 
any persun,a complete stranger to music, 
hear the athe BAEYTON, or * Lord have 
mercy upon us,’ as chanted in eur cathe- 
dral-choirs, and presume to say, that it 
as not the expression of nature. It 
would be as absurd fo deny it, as to pre- 
tend to feel cheerful at the pathetic songs 
of Handel, “¢ Ye sons of Israel, now la- 
ment,’ «“ Total eclipse,” &c. &e. To 
produce these effects, 1s to feel the full 
force of every note ; for they are in fact 
the best evidence, that, 
“« Art is Nature to er: dress*d.”” 
When any imitative art, however, has 
r=) 
it is usual for its votaries to lose sight of 
the original prototype in the contempla- 
tion of illustrious copies. Nature, the 
great, best source, at length appears poor 
and exhansted, and her magazines all 
plundered. Under these seeming dis- 
advaniages, the only resource tor the 
candidate for fame, is thought to be in 
the study of former excellence; and to this 
must be attributed the degeneracy of. all 
arts, and particularly the extinction of 
all genius in music. 
Should it ‘Be asked, in what way can 
the sounds of nature bé rendered service- 
able to the musical composer ? J an- 
swer, by a careful attention to his own 
. feelings, upon which no melody or har- 
mony “will have a just effect, unless they 
are such as vature herself suggests. Of 
these simplicity isthe striking feature ; ;and 
wherever adopted, they will be sure to 
please. To these, then, let him pay 
articular attention, hieither ahxious to 
astonish by a display of the mysteries of 
his art, nor intent only upon rapidity and 
difficulty of execution, both of which, 
however useful in contrast, must, if cénti- 
nued excite suspicions of mere techni- 
cal artifice. No man seems to’ have 
made nature his principal study more 
than Haydn, in whom, perhaps, are uni- 
Jo all the excellencies of the art, and 
hose works are unpleasant, or at ‘least, 
in ain ferent to us, only wiete he is con- 
tented with quaintness, obscurity or con- 
-ceit, iustead of his ‘usual unlaboured 
simplicity. Indeed, if we take a survey 
of the respective merits of old, and mo- 
dern composers, we shall observe” them 
" popular, and in_ request, only in propo. 
tion te the stock of nature to be tound 
in them. 
attained tu a great degree ‘of perfection, 
faving then insisted thus far, that mu- 
On Musical Genius and Composition. 
, aes the character 
“<E. 
[April : A 
sical genius is distinguished by. a close 
attention to the effects of primary natu 
ral sounds, I cannot help -adverting to 
the music of the present day. The mo- 
dern taste in this art has, it is to be fear- 
ed, prevented many composers of consi- 
derable talents from perceiving, thatwhey 
fly from the great object of music, when 
they tire and distract the ear’ witlr Jong 
and rapid passages without meaning, 
cumbrous or irregular barmony, pe 
frequent chromatic cadences. This is 
perhaps no where to be iawented more, 
than in the treatment of little pathetic 
airs, which are often introduced into 
concertos, only to be crushed under a 
heap of chaotic rubbish, or to be w eigh= 
ed down by a superfluity of ornament. 
This is to dress a venerable matron in 
the foppery and tiusel of a courtezan; 
and all forsooth, that we may admire 
the science and execution of some popu=- 
laf performer. But why this saenfice 
of taste and judgment to the idol of 
fashion ; and» why this advance to a 
more than FEeyptian darkness? It is high 
time to bid adieu to such frivolities. it 
is high time to look back to the works 
of composers,which are still the admira= 
tien of men net callous to the beauties 
of a simple and nervous style; and if 
it be too irksonie to contemplate the na- 
tural dignity of many old pieces,. the 
works - oi men as Byrd, as Peter 
Philips, or Luca Marenzio; let us at 
least not halen bee lose sight of such 
authors as Handel and Corelli. 
if it should be.objected, that the above 
observations are confined to the earliest 
history of music, let it be remembered, 
that the samme natural principles exist, 
however obscured by subsequent refine- 
ments. It is only a more improved me- 
chanismn, which distinguishes the carnage 
of the moderns from the car of our an- 
cestors. The sanie laws of construction 
affect both ; and to these must recourse 
be had for future improvements. Music, 
which in its infancy was nothing more 
than a pleasing succession of melodies, 
musc have acquired almost ippercepti- 
bly the conjunctive passages, and idioms 
ofthe art, which it still possesses. It 
was gradually discovered, that the sim- 
plicity of the ancients would admit of a 
modern character by variation and peri- 
phrasis, and that there were scarcely 
‘any four successive notes, which could 
fot receive some embellishment that 
might heighten the beauty, while it pre- 
of “the expression. 
Besides these were inserted sentences of 
1 an 
