The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-10
RENAISSANCE
N BRITISH MUSIC

~ IA SGAbcA@ Ia Sf''N@Ni
N ~ musical originality.
n time when most uroFean
x4oo were groping their *ay
GU8 muaical movements, " en-
4 fnetrumentai music was vet u
Y NfSncy. when Italy had not yet
the cleavage between eacrcd ara
~ music. and when Spain was
Stanw. England WAS giving proof
orfwinality and OF Il variety in
( vnfch was for two centuries
III - well AS tnstrum entaily, to
y DAnifest the richness Of her
I San this direction
4 - the beginning OF the EiEh-
century English music, which
1oar3sbed vocally. thanks To tAe
ming and delicate Inventions OF
Adrigalists. and fundamentally
n14 the genius % IL yirgans!siS,
1htch had Known the splendor and
x1yersity OF genius like purcell
!, Nrctc for the tbeater as VII as
- harpischord, gave further con-
"A TT proofs OF its quality IN the
n - u Richard Jones. Of Eeeles, Of
4Sal whose sonatae for the violin
.s4oloncella have been too long Tor
ok II length there appeared IN
S%1NmA i man whose genius is incnn-
10. but who. owing 10 his foreign
etton and cosmopolitan training,
fn mary ways not fitted 20 revive
B0uraue a really national musical
y Aion; this man was Handel tn-
ticnahiy his was the greatest mu-
domination that has ever been
Skafeaast, in the country in one
A IL may be said TO have been
fonnl calamity, since II obs red
Ash VIII
a3ky IT the t-paition handed down by
aarlier BRITISH composers. Handel
mt with him fuller coamopoli-
Sf0an which, aided by his massive
a1na. produced an oyerwh e}uiog ef-
His successors were chiefly oc-
IT'D in Initiating forms, such as the
1forfo. which he had established
Ipadon with wonderful success.
HIT this failure to carry forward
s1 excellence and variety Of the faG
~ tradition car not altogether "lrii
Handefs door. In human progress
erect OF the wave IS often foi-
- BY trough. and already before
Mdel came 90 England, the glories
the Purcell era had begun to de-
-. Moreover. political influence as
Anted with the HanoNerian success
r.. had its weight In giving a ron
fous caste TO the taste - the aris-
Hncy, and through T. - to the
saxht and expression Of the people.
period of l23 years the interests
Great Britain were linked with
wagn country through the retgning
,tofAign, and this connection was
'noo9Arfly less intimate with the ac-
H1on OF Queen Victoria, who. @n ac-
VT OF her sex. was q barred from
1ndinr the throne of Hanover.
MI II beyond AL question that dur
the FIRST haff Of the nineteenth
sN&fy German music had reached a
lar level than the must of any
~ nation and II was wise to draw
uction from II. Eat II was tn-
20 cease to consider other foreign
snNnts. The MAnti6ote. that Was to
sk1ound in theaFric theatcr Of France
s3s1fMiy. or IN the srectal fnffueuce ef
I 7 unrrnrnIr chez sssStssese=sts Chop
Ind Lirxf, who were working Er
8AcN. could make no Roadway in
1and.
r. vain did suct attractive person
! Hes ~ John Field or the anRlicized
1aDa. r'asassies and ClefbenH an-
~ In EngiarG. none Of those achieved
g1sNArmanent success. Moreover. and
w1s the wors feature Of all.
1and's great past rY&s forgotten and
musical public arrived at tn
~ Of not ever su~pectin.s The cy-
So Of composition which had he an
Ricry Of the kingdom during the
I OF Henry VIII or of Elizabeth
A che Stuarts.
10 recent examples Of spa n.
1ac4 and Russia bear witness To the
that only national conscious
III capable 81 bring ns about a
eAl school Of any worth in caun-
Rhosr artistic personality seems
lave disappearca after "a space OF
$s0f two centuries. This was m"
Nf French musical art WHOM. to-
1e71, after the France -fterr1au
reawakenins ~ The sectional
e3nusnese took plsce iu ~. "s
~ made her seek he~ *oee4e' me
o. expression and take ~ -"
Mems OF Lullyf Couperia and
6Au. Such was also the CASE w.th
( when. twenty Years aro. the
I lnras, urged Wy PedreN md Al
began to rcrrlernbey that their
Try had given birth 70 such great
0eers as vietnria and Cshszhn.
Il - reAscre Of the awakening OF
8n9lish musical national con-
Ganesn arc varied The movement
R4Mo study Of folklore ~ ENGLAND.
land. wales and Ireland, which,
Ill TOT we 1857 zen Feafs mas
20 pear soccesSfNI ana pIerte-
oiSs the conFiN'ion growing d9l'y
4esic was NOT German fponop-
~ the ex's,enoF ~ whole coll
80 Of foreign wor.e proved from
md OF Eurane - the other that
"a was beginning % 4re@ itself %
Amic hegemony: the casting away
certain ruritanisn which had
the art OF the earlier Fieiori an