New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-14

fourishes on trumpet., too, and hunt
ing music on horns. though these do
not appear in the book. Trumpet calls
are TO prepare the audience to get
ready for the scenes, and these calls are
to be Bavreuthian in character, made
up, that is. Of motivi taken from the
songs and dances Of the play and also
from tunes which Shakespeare audi
ences would have recognized, but ours
are not likely to. All this seems highly
commendable and as much in the spirit
of to-day as in that of the poets.
Mr.. Sharp's Songs and Dances.
A little chapter might be written
around nearly every one of the nine
set numbers in Mr.. Sharp's book There
will be no overture, but in the second
scene OF the second act the fairies will
trip il to one of the most popular of
sixteenth century dance tunes. This
is the piece known as "Sellenger's
Round" also THE Beginning of the
World" 1t is supposed to have been
composed in 1880, and the modernness
OF its spirit so impressed Oscar Bic,
a German historian of pianoforte mu-
sic, that he described it as perhaps
the first perfect clavier piece on rec
crd which left its time far behind it.
He even speaks of it as a prototype
of Chopin's Ballade in F minor. Mir.
Sharp uses only the first portion of
the dance. and when his fairies begin
to sing You spotted snakes with dou-
bic tongue" ne makes use of an old
English carol tune modal, like nearly,
if not quite all, his tunes). In the
last scene Of the comedy the portion
Of "Sellenger's Round recurs. The
time in which the comedy plays is not
midsummer, as the title would seem to
indicate. but May morning, and
there would seem 10 be a double pro-
priety in Mr.. Sharp's choice of the
niece. since it certainly used 10 be
danced around the Maypole. and in one
of Oldham's satires directed against
the fairies, as see
Twas found a good and gsinfui art
And much it did our Church's POw'r
uphold
To feign Hobgoblins, Elves OF walk
ing sprites,
And Fairies dancing Salenger's o
nights.
Mr.. Sharp's orchestra is a small one,
consisting Of a few violins, harpsi-
chord, flutes and horns, but Bottoms
song, "The ousel cock" which will be
sung to folktune Of a type used for
MANY a purpose by the folksingers OF
England. will be supported, We believe,
oniv by a violin in lieu of the old re-
heck, which was the viol's ancestor. For
the "still music" OF Act 4, scene l,
where Mendelssohn gave US his exqui-
site nocturne, with its forest horn
slunlber song. Mr.. Sharp uses an old
tune called "The Sprig OF Thyme for
which we can find no association IN
Shakespearian music. When we reach
the Bergomask dance of the frs. scene
OF the next act he leads us upon ia
miliar ground. Here the tune is that
of "Greensleeves." twice mentioned in
THE Merry Wives of Windsor" When
Mrs. Ford contrasts Falstaf's conduct
with his professions she observes that
they do no more adhere and keep pace
together than the Hundredth Psalm to
the tune OF Green Sleeves: and when
the Fat knight himself makes his pro-
testation OF love in Act 8, scene o, he
goes into this transport: Let the SKY
rain potatoesl Let il thunder 70 the
tune of Green Sleeves, hail kissing
comfits and snow eringoes, let there
come a tempest Of provocation, | Will
shelter me here" A fine old tune Is
"Greensleeves," which was licensed as
carly as 1880, but probably had been
written before. II was, at any rate, so
popular that within twelve days OF its
entry for license il was "moralized to
the Scripture" that is, paraphrased for
religious purposes. The custom of util-
ling secular tunes for sacred purposes,
which few years ago seemed so shock
ing when done by the Salvation Army
people, was much more common IN
England. France and Germany in the
sixteenth century than it is now.
An English Tune Which Went TO Ger
many.
As we shall lose the overture,
scherzo, and nocturne, by Mendels-
sohn, we shall also lose. number
which will be even more generally
missed. Instead OF the wedding
March," of most amisble memory, we
shall hear a march, not between the
acts, but in the action, based on an
other famous old English tune. one
that may be found in the manuscript
volume which. till cruel criticism de-
stroyed the fiction few years ago, was
fondly believed to have belonged TO
Queen Elizabeth herself. Then it was
called queen Elizabeth's Virginia.
Book; now it is prosaically The Fitz-
william Manuscript" In that collcc-
ton IL was called "Rowland" hut later