New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-19
] sing the British seaman praise
4 theme renowned In story.

cir the British SeamaT'S praise,
4 theme renowned In story
pooo,. rosoorctos uouId seem to Indicate that IT
was the popularity which It won in this version
that led to its adaptation to The Vicar OF Bray,
which, though written in tho reign OF George l.
treats Of a story known In the sixteenth century
The vicar is n notorious political ana reH5iouS
turncoat. as may be gathered from the refrain OF
the ballad the first verse OF which runs as ioo"s'
In good King Charess golden days
When loyalty no harm meant
A Jealous high-churchman was l.
And so ! got preferTent .
To teach my flock never mlssd'
Kings were by God appointed
And lost are those that dare resist
Or touch the Lords anointed
Chorus:
And this Is law that III maintain
Until my dying day. sir.
That whatsoe,e r , king s 81 LIRE reign sir
1t was long thought that the historical character
who gave rise to the song was Simon Aieyn'
Canon OF Windsor who vas Vicar OF Hray, III
Rerksh,re from 1910 TO 1888 The story about nm
ran: 'He was a Papist under the reign OF Henry
VIII and Protestant under Edward W. ne WIS d
Papist again under Mary. and once mere oe'"."o
a Protestant under Elizabeth. When this Sca""'.
70 the gown was reproached for his versatility OF
religious creeds and taxed with being turhcod'
and an nconstant changeng. as Fuher eH
presses IT, no replied, Not so. neither TOT "
I changed my religion. l am sure kep, ""o
TO my principle which is to live ana oie t'io
Vicar Of Bray" Chapel! made room lot u's
story in his Popular Music OF tho O!den Time
but put a note In the appendix TO that "ooN' ''y
ing that for reasons given the story cHhho. Apply
TO any vicar OF the time ltioned. This history
is interesting relating 10 the song "h''" mo-
longest preserved the melody OF Iho 'ou"iS '
den" the words Of which have been lost nv"
a breez,ress about the tune which fits 1t admlrapy
FOR a sea song and. We have seen II sa" "'"''
and successful service in that capacity peio'e "i'
Frost , hasa II for THE Mcrrimac's Men
II ought not to escape notice that MI. Frost mas
found a rhyme for Hohson. II may never ''"'"
the dignity OF a place in the Khyning D'c'on"'
but It will serve in ballad poetry, the spirit u
which seems native 10 our war poet. ms num-
IS likely to play Il significant par, moreover III
the literature OF tho future. Already ~ re Io'"0"
Daily Telegraph" tolls a story OF worry oo'"DA'
between a skipper Of diapidated Thames s''''",'
and a hargee whom he had nearly run Gown ]"
which n new verb appeared. The skipper gre"
profanc but tho bnrgee beloved back NJ NM
'.I3e,tor take that old tub out 10 sea ana loD5'h
jze herr "Hobsons Choice has served ~ ''''
theme for scores Of variations sincc the ops"p'
ton OF Santiago Bay. curious chapter III ''o
literature OF folk lore may add another 9lNty-oui
vears ago a fantastic genius named John bc.Ien''n
ter puhlf4hed a book in which he set forth that !
orr familiar English nursery rhymes AMI popular
nhrases were IN n manner moro translaiions OF /
songs and sayings N the Saxon tongue WIN |
which the people had scoureod tho monks tax
n-sosts 70 remove the sting from these lam
Moons took advantage OF tho growing corruption |
Of the dialect In which the poasAn"y IN" 'o''
posed them. and substituted for them uh'h"a'''"s
mcdleys OF similar sound and metre IN wv '"'
forms OF the altered dialect. I'M In time says
,rho,oas Wright I'm his Literature and Supertu- |
tions OF England IN tho Middle Ages. INC orlgi-
nal import was forgotten md It's venom ana Ia
miliar use replaced ny the rfsent nursery |
RHYMES" An illustration: Mr. Ker imaS'nes mat
protest against the vestres that ground then
moro and more with rates as follows;
Ggise suis' gao IN d ns.5. s..r
an stiyrs ssni,tn st9yis.
End IN msiyd Is sch-m hser
NE 'ast him ~ BY s. aI' DE- s" .. sn .rayr.
=, "a scarcely necessary 20 tell students ~ Mother
Cooses melodies into which OF those lyrics the In
renious monks OF long ago turned this song. the
original fervidity Of which Is mus EnBHsheu py MI
Ker:
He.r . heir .h,,l ioso y. I S Glance oT..
From church ridden s.vs'
There they ~ In the 'apro2m.
Nor think q compassion
We must pn ins IL ' M f noI
Let rs stop their long speeeAes
Their high Wanting words
an Ne " .han al i've Ike lords
After this explanation It Will scarcely surprise |
tho reader 10 learn that tho man VINO could dig
that significance out o. The 4cur's G po oe I
r,I ~ - lobsofs choice" I'm "Op SONS gheeiJsch.
wgG We in he INIT Of tho deed OF Santiago
such a definition Is more than amiabio. howcV'r |
ana 10 could almost wish that the story or Old !
Tob.as Uobson Of Cambridge. whom Milton |
wrote two clubbing epitaphs. ana VINO ,et our ms
horses In rotation, compelling each OF ms Gus !
TONERS TO take the one nearest the door had never
been told.
"The Criterion" a journal which came 10 New |
York from 81 Louis some months ago. and has |
said some bright things on subjects connected |
with music and the theatre, printed an article on |
Jure deporng the fact that tho people are no |
longer permitted to have musical cakes and ale"
aimee some OF the men who write about music in |
the newspapers have become what II styles doc
irinaires. and have written books in which they !
ask that the intellect be employed AS well as the |
sense Of hearing in the appreciation Of music.
what the writer OF the article means by cakes
and ale" can be gathered from the pathetic al
lusion which he makes 10 that blssfu time in
musical Arcadia when laurel-crowned prma don
mas did not hesitate to step out OF grand opera
TO the concert-room and sing. Angels, ever bright
and fair and Iasca chic pianga,' and even
Five o'clock in the morning." and when Willard
and Thomas and Perring. humble and fecund
roubadours" sang their own ditties to the people.
Now all this is changed. because. forsooth, Kreh-
blcl has written book on How to Listen TO
Music" and Henderson another What Is
Good Musc?' and the two together have erected
ian Intellectual standard by which music is to be
Appreciated and Judged only by the few" This
would be a pitable state OF affairs If II existed. |
but we feel certain that neither OF the gentlemen
mcnt toned intended to rob all but the few OF musi-
cal enjoyment. Moreover, we have read their
hooks and failed discover that Mr.. krehbel
speaks of the most eiicacious music OF the past
as puerile" or that Mr.. Henderson insists that
the man who begins with ballads instead OF with
beethoven will never arrive at musical maturity"
writer who could so utterly mlsconceive so
completely msstats the burden OF those books needs
instruction in other things-ncluding morals-more
a., a I'm inn
are liberal in spirit and both aim at helping the
lover Of music IN the higher forms to an apprccia-
ton OF the beauty and essence OF those forms.
They were addressed to what their authors con-
ceived TO be a need and properly enough left out