Popular Music Of The Olden Time Vol 2

Ancient Songs, Ballads, & Dance Tunes, Sheet Music & Lyrics - online book

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	uyz;	ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
	volumes, and far exceed the limits that can be here devoted to it. Dismissing, therefore, many of the vague and unsupported assertions that have at various times been made, the enquiry will be confined to a few of the favourite theories which have obtained more or less credence as they have appeared to be supported by proof. 1.     In the Souvenirs de la Marquise de Orequi, " Grand Dieu, sauve le Roi " is said to have been sung by the nuns of St. Cyr to Louis XIV., the music to have been composed by Lully, and Lully's music to be the same as our " God save the King." This story has been recently revived in Raikes's Diary. In answer, it is only necessary to refer the reader to the June number of the Quarterly Review, for 1834, where he may satisfy himself, that the memoirs of Madame de Crequi are fictitious, and that the work is a modern novel. The music of Lully is a myth; and as to Handel's having procured a copy when in France, and palmed it on George I. and the English nation as his own composition, not one syllable can be found throughout his life or writings, of his having made such a claim. On the contrary, his musical amanuensis, John Christopher Smith, is the very person who ascribes the authorship to Henry Carey. 2.    Mr. Pinkerton, in his Recollections of Paris, ii. 4, says that "the supposed national air is a mere transcript of a Scottish anthem." Pinkerton's " Scottish anthem " is an English Christmas Carol, copied into a Scotch publication. See " Remember, 0 thou man," ante i. 373. 3.    A writer in The Gentleman's Magazine, for March, 1796, p. 208, says, " The original tune of God save the King, the tune at least which evidently fur­nished the subject of it, is to be found in a book of Harpsichord lessons, published by Purcell's widow, in Dean's Yard, Westminster." The work referred to is " A choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Spinnet, composed by the late Mr. Henry Purcell." Printed for Mrs. Frances Purcell, &c, 1696. The following is the lesson :—
	It resembles " God save the King," but is not more like it, than " Franklin is fled away" (ante i. 370), Dr. Bull's " Ayre," and several others. 4. In 1849, the Rev. W. H. Henslowe published new words of his own to " the royal anthem of England," and claimed the music for Anthony Young, organist of Allhallows, Barking, in the reign of James II. This was on the au­thority of Mrs. Henslowe, then living, who stated that she received " a legacy of £100, on the death of Mrs. Arne (6th October, 1789), being the accumulated