Musical Myths and Facts Volume II Part 2

_Mattheson._ "By this he was not out of pocket; it rather brought him credit, which is better than money."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 138). "In the year 1751 a gutta serena deprived him of his sight. This misfortune sunk him for a time into the deepest despondency. He could not rest until he had undergone some operations as fruitless as they were painful. Finding it no longer possible for him to manage alone, he sent to Mr. Smith to desire that he should play for him, and a.s.sist him in conducting the oratorios."

_Mattheson._ "He remained blind until his death,--a period of eight years. Nothing is said here of a so-called monumental column, and of an amazingly large property left by Handel, although it has been a subject of much gossip."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 141). "His incessant and intense application to the studies of his profession, rendered constant and large supplies of nourishment the more necessary to recruit his exhausted spirits."

_Mattheson._ "J. Sirach, chap. x.x.xviii., v. 34; Phil., chap. iii., v.

19."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 142). "The design of the foregoing sheets is only to give the reader those parts of his character as a Man, that any way tend to open and explain his character as an Artist."

_Mattheson._ "If this were done, the arts and the manners would exhibit not unfrequently striking contrasts."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 143). "The author has nothing to add but his sincere wishes that every artist who is truly deserving in his profession may meet with a person equally desirous of doing justice to his memory."

_Mattheson._ "This wish is as kind as it is reasonable. It proves the belief of the author that there must be other people, unknown to him, who, on account of their arts, deserve quite as much honour as Handel.

Alas! how much pains has the 'Great-Thorough-Ba.s.s School' taken to show this, not to mention the 'Triumphal Arch.'[17] ... Bach, f.u.x, Graun, Graupner, Grunewald, Heinichen, Keiser, etc., have died without experiencing it; perhaps the same will happen with Ha.s.se, and with several others."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 149). "A great quant.i.ty of music, not mentioned in the Catalogue, was made [by Handel] in Italy and Germany. How much of it is yet in being, is not known. Two chests-full were left at Hamburg, besides some at Hanover, and some at Halle."

_Mattheson._ "We Hamburgians have hitherto heard nothing of those two chests. In Wich's music-book of the year 1704 are two minuets and half an air, that is all."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 164). "The generality of mankind have not enough of delicacy to be much affected with minute instances of beauty, but yet are so formed as to be transported with every the least mark of grandeur and sublimity."

_Mattheson._ "That is true."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 165). "The taste in music, both of the Germans and Italians, is suited to the different characters of the two nations. That of the first is rough and martial; and their music consists of strong effects produced, without much delicacy, by the rattle of a number of instruments."

_Mattheson._ "Surely this is not phlegmatic, as before said."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 174). "However well some of the Italians may have succeeded in the management of the instrumental parts in their song-music, there is one point in which Handel stands alone, and in which he may possibly never be equalled; I mean in the instrumental parts of his choruses and full church-music."

_Mattheson._ "This is true enough; but it was all derived from Zachau and his organ-playing. Germany is the fatherland of all powerful harmony, elaborate compositions for the organ, fugues and chorales, used in Divine Service. Italy has melody for her daughter, with songstresses, singers, and very delicate solo-players on violin-instruments to touch the heart. France produces its magnificent choruses, instrumental pieces, dance-music, to cheer the heart; and to England we leave the honour of admiring and recompensing these rarities."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 179). "But how shall we excuse for those instances of coa.r.s.eness and indelicacy which occur so frequently in the airs of his oratorios? For, as the melody is a fundamental and essential part in vocal music, it should seem that nothing can atone for the neglect of it. The best painter would be blamed should he draw off the attention too much from the princ.i.p.al figure in his piece, however perfect, by the very high and exquisite finis.h.i.+ng of some inferior object; but, much more would he deserve to be blamed if he left that figure the least finished which all the rules of his art required to be the most so. Now, in music, though there may sometimes be occasion for giving the instruments the ascendancy over the voices, yet never should the song-parts be unmeaning or inexpressive, much less coa.r.s.e or ordinary."

_Mattheson._ "Golden words! All this, however, is owing to the circ.u.mstance that Handel was neither a singer nor an actor. During a period of five or six years, when we had daily intercourse with each other, I never heard a singing tone from his mouth. When Earl Granville (at that time Lord Carteret) was here in Hamburg, and heard me sing and also play, he said: 'Handel plays also thus, but he does not sing thus.'

In my opinion singing and acting are of great a.s.sistance to a composer of dramatic music. Ha.s.se knows this well, and has cultivated both earnestly, _me teste_. Keiser, likewise, sang very admirably. Both have, therefore, extraordinarily charming melodies."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 202). "In his fugues and overtures, Handel is quite original. The style of them is peculiar to himself, and in no way like that of any master before him. In the formation of these pieces, knowledge and invention seem to have contended for the mastery."

_Mattheson._ "A certain philosopher recently made himself conspicuous by maintaining that the Fine Arts ought not to be regarded as Sciences, because their systems are sensuous. Nevertheless, the old adage always stands firm: _Nihil esse in intellectu quod non prius fuerit in sensu._ Our biographer belongs perhaps to that sect, for he scarcely uses the word science, even when he refers to the science of music, as on the present occasion. He always uses only the word _knowledge_ or _skill_.

Perhaps this is unintentional. Thus much, however, is certain: musicians are in need of literary works, and he who can only write notes, his honour and reputation are only _vox, practeraque nihil_. On the second of March, this year [1761,] we had here, in Hamburg, a sale of a large number of scarce and valuable books on all sciences; but the science of music was not represented by a single work in the comprehensive catalogue. That is surely neglect of a science! If any one can show me that I am mistaken, I shall be happy."

_Mainwaring_ (P. 208). "Little, indeed, are the hopes of ever equalling, much less of excelling, so vast a proficient in his own way; however, as there are so many avenues to excellence still open, so many paths to glory still untrod, it is hoped that the example of this ill.u.s.trious foreigner will rather prove an incentive than a discouragement to the industry and genius of our own countrymen."

_Mattheson._ "Whoever intends to describe accurately the life of Handel, can hardly do it without a reference to the following books: 'Musica Critica,' Hamburg, 1722; 'The Musical Patriot,' Hamburg, 1728; 'Ehrenpforte,' Hamburg, 1740."

Mattheson now quotes an extract from a letter of Handel's, dated February 24th, 1719, which has already been given above;[18] and he remarks: "To promise, and to fulfil a promise, are two things." He quotes once more Handel's complimentary letter, also given above,[19]

which evidently afforded him great satisfaction; and he adds: "Even the most insignificant letters in some degree depict the writer, in reference to the time and place in which they were written. Horace is quite right: _Coelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt._"

Some writers have blamed Mattheson very much on account of his vanity and his jealousy of Handel. Still, it remains a debatable question whether the conceit of his detractors does not perhaps surpa.s.s his own.

It is a common practice with inferior musical authors to a.s.sume an air of superiority, and to endeavour to make themselves important by finding fault with others who have distinguished themselves in the same field in which they are labouring, and to whom they ought to be grateful.

Mattheson had not only a better scientific education than most musicians of his time, but his literary productions are also more readable than those of his modern commentators who censure him.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[1] Vol. I., p. 94.

[2] Hawkins's 'History of Music,' Vol. V., p. 253.

[3] Halle.

[4] Should be 1685.

[5] That Handel was born on the 23rd of February, 1685, and not on the 24th of February, 1684, is correctly stated in J. J. Walther's 'Musicalisches Lexicon,' Leipzig, 1732. To settle the uncertainty about the date, which appears to have arisen chiefly through Mainwaring's mis-statement, J. J. Eschenburg consulted the Baptismal Register of the Frauenkirche in Halle, where he found the year 1685 given. (_See_ 'Dr.

Karl Burney's Nachricht von Georg Friedrich Handel's Lebens umstanden, und der ihm zu London im May und Juny, 1784, angestellten Gedachtnissfeyer, aus den Englischen ubersetzt von J. J. Eschenburg; Berlin, 1785').--Forstemann ('Handel's Stammbaum,' Leipzig, 1844), and others, have subsequently convinced themselves that Eschenburg's date is correct. The year 1684, given on Handel's Monument in Westminster Abbey, therefore, requires rectifying.

[6] Chrysander ('G. F. Handel,' Leipzig, 1858, Vol. I., p. 52) surmises that Handel was not in Berlin in 1698, but in 1696, when he was eleven years old.

[7] This is a mis-statement. Handel, born in 1685, was 18 years old; and Mattheson, born in 1681, was 22 years old.

[8] Wych?

[9] Keiser.

[10] Mattheson.

[11] He was not quite twenty years old.

[12] See the note above, page 11.

[13] Mainwaring had probably obtained some of his information from Handel himself; but he may have forgotten the dates, or Handel may not have remembered them exactly.

[14] Handel was 74 years old when he died.

[15] Mattheson is mistaken here. It has been satisfactorily ascertained that Handel left Hamburg for Italy in the year 1706. (See G.

F. Handel, von F. Chrysander, Leipzig, 1858, Vol. I., p. 139.)

[16] The following well-authenticated data may serve to correct the "corrections" of Mattheson:--Handel was born in 1685; went to Hamburg in 1703; thence to Italy in 1706; from Italy to Hanover in 1710; thence to London in 1710; back to Hanover in 1711; returned to England in 1712, where he died in 1759.

[17] Two works by Mattheson.

[18] Page 4.

[19] Page 7.