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232 National Music of the World. |
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Welsh antiquary carry away into the fastnesses of the Principality : the catch. The odd farcical humour of this form of musical composition, in which words trip up words, and rhymes and phrases jostle, with as desperate a disregard of common sense as though Hood had wrought the web and sown it thick with puns—can hardly be appreciated by any one save he be an Englishman born.
It is noticeable that we have never produced a great instrumental composer, neither a towering player on any instrument. Plenty of hand work there has been, plenty of industry; but till now there has been too universal an exhibition of hands without head, or else of head without hands. Why this should be, others must decide.
As a people who can read at sight, we are without superiors or equals. Our voices are beautiful, and I think almost more equally distributed as respects the register than the voices of any other country. I will instance those of Mrs. Salmon, Mrs. Alfred Shaw, Braham, Bartleman—not, for obvious reasons, to speak of any singers still giving pleasure to the public—as almost unparagoned, and as in every case cultivated to a certain point of versatile accomplishment. I have had to point out, however, |
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