New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-11

|
y On your precious oyster-bed,
c Which spreads beneath your ocean cave
A By-tbe-by. hear they numbered
AS much as six shngs a hundred.
And.wth such wealth we'll ne'er be sundered,
But spend IN comfort all we have"
"Ah! get out of that" saws she;
Now see your tricks too well.
What a fool you'd maze of me.
My palavering ocean SWELL
YUn only want 20 plumber me.
And sell the he'd from under me-
c Get out now l-and it's a wonder she
Escaped the rogue so well.
The differences between Moore and Lover are
pointed out IN letter from the latter poet to Mr.
| Syming on. and in the main tie criticism conveyed
r | by 1t is undoubtedly just:
think there is of the " touch Of nature"-
that quality TO which Shakespeare attributes so
mnch-Iu my Writings than IN ms. thlnk also
there ~ more feetiRg and beyond all doubt am
so af the Tt ong t%E
is by his Irish Melodies 80 called that his name
viii live the longest. He sometimes sings therein
of an IRISH SAINT English Sinner c the Saxon and
GuiH,") and these are almost the only forms
inch his Irish feeling breaks ont but with the
modes If expression and phases OF thought and feel
ing OF the people OF Ireland unacquanted.
lie knew more about - the shady side OF Pail Mall "
than of the morning breeze that stIrs the heather
the hills of Ireland or the nightly blast that sweeps
the Atlantic and often sings deaf h-song over the
fisherman. The brOddcoth and satin of English
lords and ladies' were more familiar 10 him than the
rieZe and flannel of his nations peasantTy. Yet,
with all these drawbacks To the irish Hel0dics $50
called, what an exquisite collection of lyrics SITS
III that work Moore was keenly alive to the character
! OF "A melOd hence, from those of his land.
which so lovely, he selected judicOusv the AIR
suited the spirit OF his lay. Tnen as the verses
| lie wrote meant to he sung (not merely read)
| with what cOnsummate skill he has accommodated
every word 10 be capable of the linked sweetness
| long drawn OutF-ln this respect think Moore |
matchless.
d" But as You Justly say the first canon of criti
iul the good that is ia his writings rather than
condemn bin Tor what Is wantug,'-aud must |
| admit Il think that Moore had brilliant fancy
though mere aud there the brllllancy degenerates |
into Vliiter-great command of veTsIiicatOn-a fine |
ear that led HIM with ease INTO musical cadence |
paceuDesS OF expression seldom equalled, and wit |
that cOuld sparkle or wound the needed, |
and often got an additional edge from being
wheted on that irish pebble called fuR, for Moore
bad q keen sense OF the ridiculous.
The popularity of the songs was greatly enhanced
by Lovers care to make them "slngabe." He I'M
dersteod the requirements of the vocalist the differ
encc between good "singing words" and good
reading words" the Importance of open vowel
sounds and the characteristics of particular
rhythms. Ont Of his 263 published songs he COM
posed the musIc-both air and accompan ment-for
about 200, and he adapted most of the Others to
popular melodies. The partlality of friendship
somewhat exaggerates the merit of his music little
of whrch-though it has the Enthusiastically ma
tional favor-ls likely to live long but, making all
necessary allowances, the following remarks are
worth citing:
As musical composer Lover had the gift of mel
ody largely developed Tho airs which he composed
for his songs were simple, symmetrical and com
pact in structure, natural and expressive phrase
and sequence, and all OF them tender. sweet, and
singable.
These qualities were such as might be expected of
one in wnom the lyric faculty bird-hke-words
and melody yelling up together as the complement |
of each other On one occasion he told his daughter |
that he never wrote song in bis life except he |
couldn't help II, and he never attempted to pen the
words but the air came simultaneously, The
nm M oil m
and pleasing and they possessed a very valuable
quality, too often negIected-that Of giving full .
support to the voice. ,
Lovers own voice was slight but powerful in its
effect, from being very sweetly moduated clearly |
artlcuatcd expressive, and true.
When singing in the social circle he could send S
dellcOusly charming phrases made up OF humor and
tender sentiment stepped In genuine feeling, and I
music winged. directly home to the heart Such I
passages excited universal sympathy because they G
were the sincere emotional outcome of his pure v
and refined nature. I
We have heard him rendering many of his sonQs |
and on one occasion. IN his own house, be sang
" The Angels Whisper" the tears were fast trick C
ling down his cheeks. Genuine feeling, whether {
sad or glad, is ever the source of sympathy. Hence
eminent foreign yocasts were wont to cluster adj 8
round Lover as lie sang, looking, il not a
saving to each other. This is the real thug after Ii
ali p "'''' q
Mr.. symington has not preserved many of Lovers v
good sayings; but here is "A lady of great fl
beauty and attraction. who an ardent admrer :,
of Ireland, crowned her praises of it, at party by
i lrSnWOmau.' | Il
Cross the channel, madame Lover replied and "
millions will say you were meant for IrishmanI" "
But there are charmingy droll and witty remarks IL
on almost every page of his Irish tales. Barny G
VRerdon, for example denouncng steamers as dis Fl
to the turning good sailors into kitchen
maids, all as one" will not admit that navigation Ia
has gained any thing by the greater speed of steam
y Pooh sure Solomon queen o. Sheba, said there | o
gas time enough for all thingsp How comic and vet
how natural Is the manner in which Barny having 81
dropped an alluson to his rival navigator. Teddy .
Osulliyan. turns off the captains inquiry as to who
Teddy OSulvan is; " Oh he's scut iv chap -
that's not worth your axng for he's not worth your
honors notce-a braggin' poor craythur. Oh wait
ill / get home, and the devil more Dragging
they'll hear out of his jaw" In Mr.. Lovers note
book were found the following jottings: 1.-The -
parish clerk of the Roman Catholic Chapel at Kill
arney addressed the DeregatioD as follows: Let
ne have silence. The las put on his spectacles and
ead out Take notice, mat on tomorrow second II
Mass will be first Mass, and therel be no last W
Mass" sign board in the middle of a ford bore \
his warning: take Notice, that whenever this AZ
BOARD Is covered by the river this ford "a danger
,us" ma
Lovers first wife having died during his absence p
n the United States, he married an English lady a 1,
ew years afterward and the evening of his life -
vas, as he expressed it, just like an Indian Sum- -
ner.' He resumed his brush; he learned at the age
# fifty five, to paint in oils (Which he had not at 81
empted before ne continued his literary work | o.
nd for the last twelve years of his life he was in
he enjoyment OF pension from the crown. He
lied at st. Heliers, in the Island of Jersey in his
evenly second year. Religious themes are prom- i
ent IN bis later correspondence and the last thing eG
70 wrote was an account of dream in which he CT
holght he saw the Good Shepherd surrounded bv l.
10 sheep; and he drew from the vision An ASSN -
ance that the prayers he had offered that night sd