New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-14

SHAKESPEARE. \
'r'ta ,hr Mls. - ho sixteenth and S''.nt',nih
Centuries By Eiwari " Nny",, " ~ "r,o w.,
H Hos .Y T lEo' IT, Na-m iii'' Co. 80
r. ,h, best ~ oar knowledge literature specifically
dc.o,cl - music s'll Lacks a book rc1irg 10 de-
tail Cd, the music 81 Shakespeare plays ana por''I
Tho sublcc, has long had fascination ior literary
,tDlenis but mus.c1. historians have been coH''h'
10 study the music - shakespcares time IN rs re-
ai.onshlp % the general subject ard TO go To the
,r.,t lramniis- only f,r an o.rlslonal Illustrative
reference How delightful oven these sporadic
gl.fnlscs have been everybody knows VINO mas
looked into Charp,Is "DI Eutish f'N".N
Music (Which Is row 20 be- had 10 superb No"
edition. with notes hy II Ellis W9oIlf4IGe', ana
ether collections ~ the popular songs and dances 90
the sixteenth anl seventeenth centuries NJ Naj-
lor's volume now l., fore us. belongs 90 th" Tempe
Shakespeare MAnuals ard makes no Ir'i'nc' to aii
10 Tho knowledge % shakespeare scholars AMI
musicians who have any acquaintance wiki the his
tory OF music, but It is yet ore of the handlesi
and most charming little books which have been
offered for years the lovers of the story o. the
gentle arts AMI manners. Much Of THIS charm
comes from the arrangcm"r, OF the materials In
stead Of taking W the poets musical illusions sora
tim and annDtat.ng them Ga plan which wCi!d nave
much to commend II SO the purpose were study
merely Mr.. Nayor FIRST gives Il general review or
musical culture a. England. temp Shakespeare. and
then treats successfully OF "rcchaical Terms ana
Instruments" Musical ElGcaton." Songs and
Singing" "Scronadc, AID Music " Dances ana
Dancing" "Pythago7'aniam - 'beirg a discussion
OF Shakcspear.s coAc,p tOn OF the spiritual, side OF
music) and Use Of Musical Stage Directions" AT
the last he adds an Illustrative appendix in which
are included practically all OF the relies Of Shakes
pearean music that have come down 10 us The
method adopted Is happy compromise between
the extremely dramatic on the one hand and the
COSBY one generally followed by the lecturer and
magazine essayst On the other and though II COM
pels considerable repetition It yet seems compact
and convincing
There Is very little that Is difficult OF compre-
| hension even by the lay mind IN Shakespeare :
| musical illusions. and such confusion has come
into the study has come from the want OF technical
| knowledge on the part OF the commentators or Il
dcporabic disposition go far ahelI In their spccu-
| latlons. Even Mr.. Naylor. generally guided by a
sweet sanity. s occasionally guilty OF this latter
| weakness as for instance when he would to
| wish us to believe that Shakespeare al ways uses
| the word Strain C'That strain again. II had a
| dying faIl') with conscious knowledge OF It's tech
| meal significance IN Elizabchan music as "A formal
| phrase In musical composition. Not n crtc
would wish 10 have his vocabulary weighed with
| technically: how much less "A poet.
Students OF the law. medicine. natural science
| morals and many other matters having set the y
ample In their departments. II IL not strange that
| Mr.. Nayor Is at pains to prove Shakespeare Il
familiarity not only with the popular music OF his
| time. but also with the science; and though the
scientific illusions are not many they serve the
| authors purpose. 1t IS plain that Shakespeare
gentlemen able TO sing from the printed page
C'prics- song') well to "descant." that TO- 10
| improvlsc countcrpont on a given melody; that
he was familiar with the construction and manpu-
| latlon OF the musical instruments commonly used
| In his day Though In his l2Sth sonnet he
does seem confound tho Jacks and keys OF tho
| virginaD and that he knew the characteristics OF
| the dances which In vogue. Touching the
| ganrd. indeed. tho poet seems to have taught Mr..
Naylor all that he knows about OF it's elements
| for he has failed to suggest anything about the
| grotesque leaps with which the dance was inter-
speraed except that Sir Toby Belch would have tho
foolish knight ornament his performance OF one
| with "capers."
| Sir Toby to connect a galliard with somo-
| what violent "capers." He remarks on the excel.
lent constitution OF Sir Andrews leg; II was formed
| under tao star Of q gaard." Sir Andrew compla-
| Gently replies AYE Ills strong"i upon which Sir
Toby proposes TO the foolish knight to give an ex'