their commercial towns placed the Dukes of Burgundy, their sovereigns, on a level with the greatest monarchs, and enabled their principal merchants to display such magnificence in their dress, their buildings, and their mode of living, as excited the envy of the noblest princes of Europe. In 1301, when Joanna of Navarre, the wife of Philip le Bel, the King of France, was at Bruges, she was so much struck with its grandeur and wealth, and particularly with the splendid appearance of the wives of the citizens, that she was moved, by female envy, to cry out with indignation, "I thought that I had been the only queen here, but I find that there are many hundreds more."

To this scene of magnificence and gaiety, the fugitive musicians of Italy repaired, and founded a school of music, which for half a century gave law to Europe. Their pre-eminence is noticed by Guiccardini, in his "Account of the Low Countries" Its style of music may be termed the florid counterpoint. It partook much of the ancient counterpoint; but was more scientific, more varied, and more extensive. Neither the notes of the different parts, nor the syllables, nor even the words, were, as in that music, kept in strict opposition to each other; divisions on a single syllable and occasional pauses were admitted, the contexture of the parts was more simple, there was more air, and the whole proceeded with more rapidity. At the head of the contrapuntists of this school was John de Muris. It may be added for the honour of the harmony of our island, that there is some reason to contend that he was of English birth. But, as a composer, he appears to have been excelled by Josquin de Prés.

Soon after the revival of letters, counterpoint found its way into Italy. Under the hands of the immortal Palestrina, it became grand, simple, and elegant. To this moment, there are no com positions for the church at once so fine and so proper. This style of music attained its perfections under Luca di Marenzio. One of the greatest pleasures which a person who has real taste for harmony, and is skilled in it, can receive, is to hear the madrigals of Marenzio and of some of his contemporaries well exe. cuted. Through the favour of the late Doctor Bever, of the College of Advocates, this felicity was enjoyed by the writer.

I come now to the Italian school of music. Beautiful as the florid counterpoint, under the hands of the great masters whom we have mentioned, most certainly was, still it constantly laboured under this great imperfection, that, in all such compositions, the melody was altogether overpowered by the harmony, so that it was calculated to satisfy the eye more than to please the ear.

From this state of thraldom melody was emancipated by Leo, Scarlatti, Durante, Steffani, Clari, and Marcello. Allowing to harmony its due measure of importance, they assigned to melody its just pre-eminence. With these composers began the golden age of music. Several duets and fuller pieces of Steffani have come in my way; the published madrigals of Clari, the psalms of Marcello, are familiar to me; but the duets of Durante -there are not in music more highly finished compositions. The late Miss Seward used to say, that if she wished to put a young man's taste for poetry to trial, she would place in his hands the Lycidas of Milton-(would not his Comus be a more proper work?)—and ask him his opinion of it. To put the taste of a young person for music to trial, he should hear the duets of Durante. If he be not pleased, or even if he do not feel something more than pleasure, when he hears them, he may make a respectable amateur; but it will be quite clear that he has no real soul for music. It has seldom happened to me to mention the name of Durante to an Italian professor of decided eminence, whose eyes have not glistened with admiration and delight at hearing it. Sacchini has been seen to kneel, and kiss with reverence the wonderful volume. To Durante, Steffani is second, but is not his rival. Queen Charlotte, while she cultivated music, was very partial to Steffani, and took great pains to procure his works. Her majesty was supposed to have the best collection of them in existence. It is much to be lamented that the compositions of Durante and Steffani are not more generally known.

The year 1597 is generally assigned for the commencement of the opera. The invention of recitative, or simple musical tones raised above speech, yet below singing, preceded it by a century. It is ascribed to Pulci; it is said, that, in this kind of simple melody, he sung, after the manner of the antient rhapsodists, his "Morgante Maggiore," in 1450, at the table of Lorenzo di Medici. About one hundred and fifty years after this time, some Florentine noblemen employed two of their countrymen to write and set to music, a drama of Orpheo, performed in 1597. It was a perfect opera, the dialogue being musically recited, the airs sung, the actors dressed in character-and accompanying both their recitatives and their airs with theatric action. But the instrumental accompaniment was not very considerable. We know, that, in another opera, composed about this time, the accompaniment consisted of a harpsichord, played behind the scenes, a large guitar, a large lute, and a viol de gamba. Dancing, which has now acquired so much importance in musical representations, JAN. 1830.

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obtained a place in the musical drama by slow degrees. It seems to have obtained a complete ascendancy in 1781, when, horresco referens, the house chatted while Paccherotti sung; and was perfectly silent when Vestris danced.

To obtain a general view of the music of Italy, it may be proper to follow its geographical division into its higher, central, and lower regions. The first includes the Venetian and Lombard schools; the second those of Rome and Bologna; the third includes the Neapolitan. The first is said to be distinguished by energy; the second by science, purity, and simple dignity; the third by vivacity and expression. Much of this may be thought imaginary. Generally speaking, the music of Italy may be said to have been first expanded into grandeur and copiousness by Vinci and Pergolesi, and to have reached its summit under Jomelli. Since that time, the Italian school has never been without most respectable composers; but they have been rather pleasing than imposing. For elegance and fancy they may be justly mentioned in the highest terms of eulogy, but the praise of sublimity or pathos they have seldom merited.

Till Haydn and Mozart appeared, Hasse was certainly the first of German composers. He chose Vinci and the other early Italian masters for his models. In elegance, simplicity, and grandeur he equalled them, and excelled them in grace and effect. But his character is better known in this country than his compositions. Considering his acknowledged reputation, and that the style of his music is particularly adapted to the taste of an English audience, it is surprising that we should know so little of his musical compositions.

Haydn, and, till lately, Mozart, were principally known to us by their instrumental music. The full pieces of the former were thought to be unequalled, till Beethoven attracted the public attention. On account of its greater simplicity, colloquial cast, good nature, and incessant epigram, the music of Haydn will always be more popular; but, in the opinion of some judges, Beethoven is more sublime. Some assert, at least plausibly, that the public ear is not yet sufficiently informed to appreciate his music; but that the time will come, when he will be thought at least equal to Haydn and Mozart. His oratorio of "Christ on the Mountain of Olives" is a work of extraordinary pathos, and abounds with terrible beauties.

It may be observed that both Haydn and Mozart wrote for instruments rather than the voice. The consequence is, that the melody seldom continues long in one part, but is distributed

through all the parts, so that it cannot be seized by unlearned hearers; or even by the learned, unless they are accustomed to the symphonious arrangement of melody. In the celebrated "Don Giovanni" of Mozart, this is very observable. It may, therefore, be thought to admit of doubt, whether there were not as much of fashion as feeling, in the loud and long-continued applause which was bestowed on that elegant, fanciful, sublime, but very scientific composition.

Most sincerely subscribing to the anathema which Rousseau has pronounced against French music, and to which all Europe, except France herself, has assented by acclamation, you will not be troubled with any account of it in these lines.

The venerable Bede informs us, that when St. Austin and the companions of his mission had their first audience of King Ethelbert in the isle of Thanet, they approached him in procession, singing litanies; and that afterwards, when they entered Canterbury, they sung a litany, and at the end of it, Allelujah; but he remarks that our ancestors had been previously instructed in the rites and ceremonies of the Gallican church by St. Germanus, and heard him sing Allelujah, many years before the arrival of St. Austin. He mentions two professors sent from Rome into England to teach music to our Saxon ancestors: he himself was an able musician. A treatise, "De Musica Theoretica, Practica et Mensurata," has been ascribed to him.

From this early time to the present, music always flourished in England; her contrapuntists resembled and rivalled those of the Flemish school. Henry VIII. was a judge of music, and is thought to have been a composer. His reign was illustrated by several contrapuntists of great eminence, particularly Tallis and Byrd. Both were Roman Catholics, but are supposed to have accommodated themselves to the changes which, in those times, successively took place in the national religion. They obtained from Queen Elizabeth a patent for the sole printing of music, and music paper.

Luther was favourable to music: his hymn against the Turks and pope, and the music to which he set it, are generally known. He composed several other hymns; his catechism, and even the confession of Augsburgh, were put into verse and set to music. Calvin was an enemy to music. Simple, unadorned psalmody, he allowed; but no musical instrument was suffered within the walls of Geneva for more than a hundred years after the reformation. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the choral music of the cathedral service was cultivated with great success. The names of

Dr. Bull, the first Gresham professor of music, and of Thomas Morley, his disciple, one of the gentlemen of the chapel of Queen Elizabeth, are still remembered with respect. The profound skill of the former in harmony was known on the continent. Whilst he was on his travels he met, at St. Omers, with a French musician, who had composed a piece of music in forty parts, and defied the whole world to correct or add to it. Dr. Bull, in two hours, added forty other parts to it. "The Frenchman," says Antony Wood, who relates this story, "burst into great ecstasy, and swore that he who added those forty parts must be the devil or Dr. Bull."

Music was proscribed by the Puritans. The organ and the surplice they held in equal horror. At the restoration music regained her honours. Orlando Gibbons belongs to the reign of Charles I.; Matthew Lock, to that of Charles II. He composed the music for the restoration; his music for the tragedy of “Macbeth,” is still heard with delight. He was organist to Catherine, the queen consort of Charles II.

The immortal Purcell is the glory of the English school of music. That "worth and skill," which, to use Milton's energetic phrase in his sonnet to Henry Lawes, "exempts the man of genius from the throng," few composers have possessed in a higher degree. Most Englishmen, though with some hesitation, will allow Purcell's inferiority to Handel; but few will acknowledge his inferiority to any other composer. On the other hand, few foreigners feel Purcell's merit. If he had lived half a century later, he would have become acquainted with the Italian compositions, of the school of Vinci, and witnessed the powers, and perceived the capabilities, of instrumental music. Had this happened, he would, in all probability, have been more elegant, more sublime, and more impassioned; but he would have been less English. This addition, therefore, to his glory, an Englishman can scarcely wish him to have possessed. Such as he was, his compositions show how far, without resorting to continental aid, the passion and the expression of English words, and English feelings, can be expressed by English music. For, with all their beauty, their contrivance, and their strength, Purcell's compositions have the true raciness of the English soil.

In this respect he has been without a successor. We must, however, observe, that two kinds of composition have, for nearly a century, been peculiar to this country: the anthem and the serious glee. The English anthem partakes of the nature of the motett of the Flemish school; but it is a considerable improve