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Music from the West. 231 |
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I revert to him for many reasons. He had the true poetical appreciation now in an ailing plight among our composers, who do not seem to heed whether they waste a melody on the pence-table or a scrap
of advertisement from the ' Times.'
Horsley set few, if any, save choice words, but these he set most choicely: writing beautifully as regards science, with a true national relish, which neither cared to be German, nor knew how to be French, nor disdained the sweetness of Italy—that fountain of great vocal writing. I will name his glees, ' See the chariot,' ' Nymphs of the forest,' ' By Celia's arbour,' as so many gems, showing a modest constructive persistence not too common among our glee writers, who, to give as an instance 'When winds breathe soft,' have seemed to fancy that every second line must have another movement. And I will name his canons, as having an ease, an elegance, and a mastery, which entitle them to be placed not far from the vocal canons of Cherubini, and the instrumental concealments of art by art which are so remarkable in the canons of Clementi.
There is yet another form of English music which I think no Scotch moss-trooper can intermeddle with—no Irish reaper can deprive us of—no |
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