Fortified by the authority of Giraldus, whom the late Sir Richard Colt Hoare, his biographer, has described as "one of the brightest luminaries of the twelfth century," we may say, without fear of contradiction, that, at this time, the Scots and Irish possessed a species of melody very different from the plain chant, to which most of the songs and carols throughout Europe were then sung. But if the question were put, whether, at this time, or for several centuries posterior to this, the English possessed a species of vocal melody of a characteristic or national kind, distinct from that of the church, we should be much disposed to answer it in the negative. The same author whom we have just now quoted furnishes us with some of the earliest information as to the practice of the English nation of singing in harmony, in which they seem to have been quite as eminent as the Scots and Irish were in music of an instrumental kind. And this very practice, while the Scots probably confined themselves more to single voice parts in their vocal pieces, would have naturally tended to round off their melody, to divest it of any abrupt and startling changes of key, and thus gradually to accommodate it to those improvements in the use of the scales and keys which were, from time to time, taking place, and which ultimately led to the formation of the modern system. They (the Welsh) sing not uniformly, as elsewhere, but in various ways, and in many keys and tones; so that in a crowd of singers, which is their custom, you hear as many parts and different voices as you see heads, all closing with exquisite softness, and blended together in one rich harmonious strain. In the northern parts, also, of Great Britain, beyond the Humber, and on the confines of Yorkshire, the English who inhabit those parts, in singing, adopt a similar symphoniac kind of harmony, but only in two different tones and voices,—the one murmuring the lower, and the other, in an equally soft and pleasing manner, warbling the higher part. Nor is it by art only, but by ancient use, and as if now converted into nature by constant habit, that the people of either of these countries have acquired this peculiar faculty; for, so far has it extended, and such deep root has it taken in each, that no melody is wont to be sung singly, but either in many parts, as among

a

a We suppose that by this Giraldus meant that they did not sing in the ecclesiastical tones.

song for

the former, or in, at least, two parts, as among the latter. And what is still more extraordinary,—the boys, and even those who are little more than infants, (when they first begin to break out from cries into songs,) adopt the same manner of singing."a We must admit, that so obvious an exaggeration as this last mentioned circumstance casts a shade of suspicion over the venerable author's testimony, and that, like many musical critics of our own day, his language is too often vague and inflated. But we see no reason to doubt the general truth of his statement as to the ancient superiority of the English in vocal harmony. This is evinced by many early specimens of their composition, the oldest of which is the six voices already referred to,b" Sumer is icumen," which shows that in the latter part of the reign of Henry III. (1270) they wrote vocal music according to the strict rules of counterpoint. J. Stafford Smith's Collection of Songs in Score, before the year 1500, furnish many other specimens, the general character of which leaves no doubt that these cantiones artificiales, as Hamboys calls them, had got into common use among the people, and that they preferred the pleasure of singing roundelays and canons in the unison, and of "rouzing the night-owl in a catch," to the charms of simple melody. Indeed, if we except dance tunes, one would suppose that such a thing as simple melody was scarcely known to form a part of the ancient music of England. Alluding to the " songs and ballads, with easy tunes adapted to them," Hawkins says, "hardly any of these, with the music of them, are at this day to be met with, and those few that are yet extant are only to be found in odd-part books," &c. Ritsond cannot conceive "what common popular tunes had to do in odd-part books;" but if he had been at all acquainted with music, of which he candidly confessed himself to be wholly ignorant, he would have seen that Hawkins here meant it to be implied that the common popular tunes of the English were all composed to be sung in parts; and in his own “ Ancient Songs," we see none which do not answer that description,-with one exception, and that consists of a class of songs without harmony,

■ Cambria Descriptio, c. 13.

b Supra, p. 153.

e Hist. vol. iii. p. 2.

d Ancient Songs, Introduction, p. 37.

and, we may add, at the same time, without grace, animation, accent, or rhythm. Such, for example, as the following:

dood

(1)

66

These we extract from the last mentioned work, as being about the oldest extant. The first, says Ritson, was taken from a MS. written, partly at least," in the times of Richard II. and Henry IV. (1377 to 1433.) The second and third are copied from a MS. of the reign of Henry VIII.,' and all of them, together with other ancient songs contained in Ritson's and other collections, are of the heavy, drawling char

a Ritson, ibid.

"Colle to me" is supposed to be the same with "Cou thou me," mentioned in the Complaynt of Scotland, supra, pp. 54, 55.

acter ascribed to the English music by Giraldus in the remarks above quoted, where he pointedly contrasts it with the more enlivening strainsthe "modulatio velox et præceps, suavis tamen et jucunda sonoritas" of the Irish and Scots. The dissimilarity between it, and what we know of the ancient Irish and Scotish music, will be at once acknowledged. The one seems to have been not only much more limited in compass, but dull, tame, and tedious, without variety or expression; the other-wild, irregular, and impassioned, varying in the length of the note according to the word, and in the time, measure, rhythm, and accent, according to the sentiment to be expressed. And yet, with all this dissimilarity, there can be no doubt that the plain chant was common to both; we have seen that, at this time, the music of all Europe was more or less regulated by the tonal laws. The difference, therefore, striking as it is, must have lain almost entirely in the particulars to which we have alluded,—the superior freedom and range of the melody, the time, measure, rhythm, and accent-elements to which we are to look, quite as much as to the particular scale or system of sounds, in discriminating the points of character by which different melodies are distinguished. With respect to any national peculiarities which might have attached to the music of South or North Britain prior to the introduction of that of the Roman Catholic Church, we have no historical evidence; but such as they were, or might have been, we believe them to have subsisted much longer in Scotland than in England, because, notwithstanding the innovations of modern improvers, as they would style themselves, many of our airs still retain their ancient form and tonality;-while those of England seem no longer to carry with them any traits of melody which can strictly be denominated either national or ancient; so that, at the present day, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to point out the peculiar characteristics in which they differ from the regular music of modern Europe.

The preservation of our national music may perhaps, in some degree, be attributed to the comparatively tardy progress of civilization in Scotland. The love of music and poetry is often the concomitant of barbarism. "Where" (says Sir Walter Scott") "the feelings are frequently stretched to the highest tone by the vicissitudes of a life of danger and

a Border Minstrelsy, vol. i. p. 91.

66

military adventure, the predisposition of a savage people to admire their own rude poetry and music is heightened, and its tone becomes peculiarly determined." And, again, in speaking of the Borderers, from whom, perhaps, the largest portion of our melodies has emanated, he saysa— "The tales of tradition, the song, with the pipe or harp of the minstrel, were probably the sole resources against ennui during the short intervals of repose from military adventure." The season when (to use the words of Shakspeare, for where can we find words so expressive ?) grim-visaged war has closed his wrinkled front," when "stern alarums are changed to merry meetings," and "dreadful marches to delighted measures," is not the least propitious for the full and perfect enjoyment of music and the dance; and it is probable that some of our best airs have been composed during the short intervals of repose of a hardy and warlike people, who were almost incessantly agitated by fierce and bitter contentions. Much of it also may have sprung from districts, where rumour "of unsuccessful or successful war" seldom, if ever, penetrated; indeed, so many of our fine national melodies carry with them the very echo of our mountains and waterfalls, our glens and our loanings, and the wild and artless notes of the shepherd's pipe are so often discernible in the sweet and plaintive succession of their sounds, as, of themselves, to demonstrate that much of our music must have been the produce of those extensive tracts of pastoral country which, even yet, cover so large an extent of Scotish ground. In the southern parts of Scotland, in particular, says Dr Beattie, in his Essay on Poetry and Music "Smooth and lofty hills covered with verdure; clear streams winding through long and beautiful valleys; trees produced without culture, here straggling or single, and there crowding into little groves and bowers; with other circumstances peculiar to the districts I allude to, render them fit for pasturage, and favourable to romantic leisure and tender passions. Several of the old Scotish songs take their names from

Border Minstrelsy, vol. i. p. 89.

b P. 173.