such violence as never happened before or since on à similar occasion. About the latter end of Charles II's reign, the master and benchers of the Temple, determining to have as complete an organ as possible in their church, received proposals from both these eminent artists, backed by the recommendations of so equal a number of powerful friends and skilful organists, that they were unable to determine which to employ: they therefore told the candidates, that if each would erect an istrument in the different parts of the church, they would retain that which by the greatest number of excellencies should be allowed to merit the preference-Smith and Harris agreeing to this proposal, in eight months, each, with the utmost exertion of his abilities, had completed an instrument for the trial. Dr. Tudway, an eminent musician, performed on Smith's organ; and, till the other was heard, every one believed that this must be chosen. Harris employed Lulli, organist to Catharine, to touch his organ, which brought it into favour; and thus they continued vying with each other for nearly a twelvemonth. At length, Harris challenged Smith to make additional reed-stops in a given time:these were the vox humana, Cremorne, and some others. The stops, which were newly invented, or at least new to English ears, afforded great delight; and the imitations were so exact on both sides, that it was difficult to determine who had best succeeded. At last the decision was left to lord chief justice Jeffries (afterwards king James's pliant chancellor), and he terminated the controversy in favour of Father Smith; so that Harris's organ was taken away without loss of reputation, having so long pleased and puzzled better judges than Jeffries,

The small stock of music with which the king's chapel began becoming in a few years less delightful by frequent repetition, and Charles perceiving a genius for composition in some of the young people of the chapel, he encouraged them to cultivate it; and many of the first set of choristers, even whilst children, composed services

which are still used in our cathedrals. Dr. Tudway, in assigning reasons for the change of style in the music of the chapel-royal, says, "His majesty, who was a brisk and airy prince, coming to the crown in the flower of his age, was soon tired with the grave and solemn way esta blished by Tallis, Bird, and others, and ordered the com+ posers to add symphonies, accompanied by violins, cor+ nets, and sackbuts, with other instruments, to all their an thems and ritornels. The old masters, Dr. Child, Dr. Gibs bons, and Mr. Low, organists to his majesty, hardly knew how to compose with these new-fangled ways, but proceeded in their old manner; and therefore there are only some services and full anthems to be found of theirs. In five years' time, some of the brightest children in the chapel, as Pelham, Humphrey, and John Blow, &c. began to be masters of composition, so that every month they produced something new; without which indeed they could not hope to please his majesty." As French music under this reign was much better known in England than Italian, there are in the melody of Humphrey, and that of Purcell, passages which remind us of Lulli, whom Charles pointed out to his musicians as a model. Humphrey was sent out by the king to Paris to study under him, and was the first of church composers who had the least idea of musical pathos.

Captain Henry Cook, master of the chapel, had been esteemed the first musician of his time till his scholar Humphrey came into notice, on whose celebrity Cook died of grief.

Humphrey was appointed to fill his place, which he did not long live to enjoy. He died much regretted at the age of twenty-seven.

John Blow was a scholar of Cook. His compositions for the church have immortalised his name amongst his countrymen. Many of his productions are not inferior

to those of Handel, in the grand style of choral music ; and though it has been objected to him, that he has frequently violated rule, and that there are crudities in his counterpoint, his uncommon harmonies are so well justified by effect, his subjects of fugue are so bold and masterly, and his pathetic expression so strikingly affecting, that the best critic in church music which England can boast has left a printed testimony in his favour, pointing out "Dr. Blow's talent of new modulation as his peculiar excellence."

Blow was master to our English Orpheus, Purcell ; and most of his pupils were eminent in their art. He died in the sixtieth year of his age; and though he did not arrive at great longevity, yet, by beginning his course and mounting to the summit of his profession early, he enjoyed a prosperous and eventful life.

Michael Wise, another of the three eminent church composers that were fostered in the chapel-royal immediately after the Restoration, was a scholar of Cook at the time of Humphrey and Blow; and each of this triumvirate not only surpassed their master in genius and abilities, but all the musicians of the seventeenth century, except Purcell. These, however, prepared the way for his bold and original genius to expand; and several of his wonderful melodies and happy licenses appear to have been first suggested by these fellow-students. Yet what they had slightly touched, Purcell treated with the force of a Michael Angelo, whose abilities. rendered the difficult easy, and gave to the art, what would have been in less powerful hands distortion, effect and grace.

Wise was a native of Salisbury; in which cathedral he was organist, and afterwards a gentleman of the chapelroyal. In 1686 he was preferred to the place of almoner,

The late Dr. Boyce.

and

and master of the boys at St. Paul's. He is said to have been in great favour with Charles, who assigned him, as king's organist for the time, the privilege of playing to his majesty on the organ at whatever church he was present.

The first set of chapel-boys having, matured into men so eminent masters as Humphrey, Wise, and Blow, excites a curiosity concerning their immediate successors; and this second class not only produced Dr. Tudway and Dr. Turner, who afterwards arrived at distinguished excellence, but HENRY PURCELL, who, during a short life, and in an age almost barbarous for every species of music but that of the church, manifested more original genius than any musician in similar circumstances in any part of Europe.

The fine arts depend so much on the encouragement of the great, that they have never flourished in any king

dom where its most illustrious inhabitants were indifferent to their charms; and the periods of our own history in which music has been most favoured by royalty, are those alone that entitle us to any kind of share in the honour of its cultivation. Queen Elizabeth was herself a performer, and prevented music from being driven out of our cathedrals by her injunctions. Charles I. patronised the little good music that subsisted during his turbulent and unhappy reign; and Charles II. by his smiles and attentions stimulated the natives of his land to make a considerable progress in the art, without the aid of Italy or Germany: indeed, the passion of this prince for every thing that was French changed the national taste; but Lulli being in fashion at Paris, we reaped some advantages from it.

Henry Purcell is as much the pride of the English in music, as Shakspeare in the drama, or Newton in philosophy. He was bred up in the king's chapel under Dr.

Blow,

1

Blow, and at eighteen was appointed maestro, di capello of Westminster abbey. The world is more partial to promising youth than to accomplished age; and at twenty-four he was advanced to one of the three places of organist at the royal chapel; where, as he was able to have his compositions better performed than any where else, his fame was soon extended to the remotest parts of the kingdom. From this time his anthems were eagerly procured, and heard with rapture wherever they could be performed. Nor was he suffered long to devote himself totally to the church: he was solicited to compose for the stage and the chamber, in both which undertakings he was so superior to all his predecessors, that his compositions seem to speak a new language: yet, however different from that to which the public had been long accustomed, it was universally understood; and his songs comprised whatever the ear could wish or the heart could feel.

The unlimited powers of his genius embraced every species of musical excellence with equal felicity. In the church-offices-whether he adhered to the elaborate style of his great predecessors, or, following his own imagination, adopted the pathetic and expressive, of which he was himself a principal inventor, accompanying the vocal parts with instruments-he manifested equal abilities. In compositions for the theatre, though the effects of an orchestra were little known, yet, as he employed themgiving to the voice a melody more interesting and impassioned than had been heard in this country, or perhaps in Italy itself he soon became the darling of the nation: and in chamber music, whether sonatas for instruments, songs, or catches, he so far surpassed whatever had been produced or imported before, that all other music seèmed instantly to be consigned to oblivion. Bigoted admirers of modern music may call Purcell's taste barbarous; yet, in spite of superior cultivation, in spite of all the vicissitudes of fashion-original genius, feeling, and passion,

are,