The Harmonicon. Part the First

by Various

LIVERPOOL AMATEUR SOCIETY.

To the EDITOR of the HARMONICON.

Liverpool, July, 1833.

SIR,

As I observe that you take an interest in whatever relates to the cultivation of music, in the country as well as in London, I beg to offer you an account of a Society which has lately been formed, on a small scale, in this town, leaving it to your judgment to accept or reject it as you may deem expedient. I have ventured to send it, because I think the Harmonicon is a valuable record of musical proceedings, and ought to be supported by amateurs, not only for their own sakes, but to assist in the promotion of the science; I shall, therefore, be rejoiced if I can, in the smallest degree, contribute to so desirable an object.

The society which I wish to introduce to your notice is called the Apollo Vocal Concert, and consists of a soprano and contralto, (ladies,) a tenor and two bases, with the able and esteemed conductor of the Liverpool Festival Choral Society as conductor and pianist. Their object in associating is for the purpose of practising the higher kinds of music, with a view to their mutual improvement; for which purpose they meet regularly once a fortnight all the year round; and to ensure a punctual attendance they have bound themselves, by heavy fines, to observe the rules laid down for the government of the society. So far its existence would not have been a subject of public interest, and unworthy of your notice; but the parties concerned, urged by several amateurs, and desirous of laying the foundation, if possible, of some sort of permanent musical institution in the town, determined on giving a set of four public vocal concerts; and the first of these took place on Thursday, June 27th. In order to defray the unavoidable expenses, and to secure the respectability of the meeting, none were admitted but subscribers for the set—each subscriber having a transferable ticket besides his own—the subscription being one guinea for the four concerts. The number of subscribers is limited to one hundred, which number is nearly filled, and includes the names of some of our leading gentry.

You will be surprised, Mr. Editor, to learn, that Liverpool, the second town in the empire, and distinguished, in other respects, by its liberality and splendor, cannot boast a single musical establishment of any description!—a most unaccountable, and, I had almost said, disgraceful, fact—only to be explained, even by those well acquainted with the place, on the supposition that no one likes to commit himself by being one of the first to give his name to a project which may not become fashionable.

It is hoped, however—seeing that most important undertakings have had small beginnings—that some musical institution, creditable to so opulent and important a town, may arise from the Apollo Vocal Concert. Unpretending though it be in itself,—it will at least show that a pleasant and unobjectionable recreation may be obtained at a very trifling individual expense. But a good band might be collected in the town, which by regular practice together would soon become efficient; and there is every encouragement to take such a step, from the example of Manchester, where the best orchestra in this country, out of London, is found at the Gentlemen’s Concert in that town.

I subjoin the programme of the public concert on the 27th of June already mentioned. The company, consisting of nearly two hundred persons, appeared to be not only satisfied, but extremely pleased with the performance; indeed, the execution of some of the pieces would have done no discredit to performers of much longer standing; and the members of the society have expressed themselves highly flattered by the manner in which their endeavours were received.

I fear I have taken up an unreasonable portion of your space: if so, you must either curtail this letter, or excuse

Your obedient servant,
UN ALTRO DILETTANTE.

PART I.

Symphony (in E flat) Mr. G. Holden and Mr. W. Comber	MOZART.
Trio, “Tremate! Empi, tremate,” Miss Johnson, Mr. Caird, and Mr. Pemberton	BEETHOVEN.
Cavatina, “Una voce poco fà,” Miss Potts	ROSSINI.
Duo Buffo, “Mentre Francesco,” Mr. Pemberton and Mr. Aubrey	COCCIA.
Scena, “Cœur de Lion,” Mr. Caird	G. HARGREAVES[75].
Glee, “Blest pair of Sirens,” Miss Johnson, Miss Potts, Mr. Entwistle, Mr. Caird, Mr. Pemberton, and Mr. Aubrey (encored)	J. S. SMITH.
Aria, “Miei rampolli femminini,” Mr. Aubrey	ROSSINI.
Finale, “Venite pur avanti,” (Don Giovanni.) Miss Johnson, Miss Potts, Mr. Entwistle, Mr. Caird, Mr. Pemberton, and Mr. Aubrey	MOZART.

PART I.

Overture. (Zaira.) Mr. G. Holden and Mr. W. Comber	WINTER.
Duetto, “D’ un bell’ uso di Turchia,” Mr. Caird and Mr. Aubrey	ROSSINI.
Song, “Batti, batti,” Miss Johnson	MOZART.
Terzetto, “Dolce tranquillita,” Miss Johnson, Miss Potts, and Mr. Caird (encored)	PUCITTA.
Scena, “The battle of Hohenlinden,” Mr. Pemberton	C. SMITH[76].
Glee, “Hark the curfew,” Miss Johnson, Miss Potts, and Mr. Aubrey	ATTWOOD.
Terzetto, “Pappataci!” Mr. Caird, Mr. Pemberton, and Mr. Aubrey (encored)	ROSSINI.
Finale. (Guy Mannering.) “The Fox jump’d over the Parson’s gate,” Miss Johnson, Miss Potts, Mr. Caird, Mr. Pemberton, and Mr. Aubrey (encored)	H. R. BISHOP.

[We wish all possible success to the Apollo Concert, and to every society of the kind, but cannot congratulate the founders of it on their choice of a name.]

HISTORICAL NOTICES RELATIVE TO THE VIOLIN. BY G. E. ANDERS, of Paris.

(From the German CÆCILIA.)

WHOEVER may hereafter wish to write a history of the violin, a desideratum in musical literature, will scarcely seek for historical notices in a book which, according to its title, treats only of old edifices, monuments, tombs, and the like. I allude to Millin’s Antiquités Nationales, ou Recueil de Monumens pour servir à l’Histoire de l’Empire François. In the fourth volume of that work, the author describes, among other churches, abbeys, castles, &c., the chapel of Saint-Julien-des-Ménestriers, in Paris; and a statue in the porch of this edifice, representing a man with a violin, affords to the author an opportunity of inquiring into the age of this instrument. It may be sufficient to observe, that this chapel was founded in 1330, by two members of the company, or guild, of musicians, which in the fourteenth century was very numerous. It received the name of St. Julian because adjoining an hospital which was so called, and existed up to the time of the French revolution, when, together with other churches and monuments, it was demolished. Millin’s work, therefore, is of additional value, because it preserves from total oblivion buildings of which there is no vestige left. The following are the author’s own words:—

The front of the chapel of St. Julian was very picturesque. The porch, executed in a neat Gothic style, consisted of a great arch with four niches. The frieze was decorated with little angels, delicately carved in stone, playing on various instruments, such as the organ, a triangular harp, with perpendicular (not horizontal) strings, the violin, (a three-string rebeck,) the lyre, mandoline psalterium, bagpipes, horn, oboe, flutes, kettle-drums, lutes, and dulcimer. In the niche to the left of the porch stood the image of St. Julian, and in the right-hand niche was placed, as is stated, that of Colin Moset; but it is more natural to suppose this to be the statue of St. Genest, the patron of musicians, and of their church.

The statue of St. Julian has a singular head-dress, is decorated with a wide mantle, and in the hand holds a violin. It has frequently been appealed to by antiquaries. The violin has four strings, and is quite similar to that of the present day. Unfortunately the statue is mutilated, and the right arm, with the bow, broken off. The antiquity of the violin has been the subject of much inquiry. Laborde, in his investigation, refers to the paintings of Philostratus, and maintains, that on a fountain represented in one of these a violin is introduced, which, with the exception of its shorter finger-board, resembles our present violin. He would not have committed so great a mistake, had he considered that we have only the descriptions of these paintings, not the realities. He further maintains that the fountain, with the violin represented by Philostratus, occurs again on the medals of Scribonius Libo; but these pretended violins are lyres, decorating a kind of altar, which the ancients called puteal, an appellation which Laborde very improperly translates by the word fountain. Terrasson has written a dissertation on the lyre (vielle), wherein he endeavours to prove that this instrument is of greater antiquity than the violin. He has found some passages in which the word occurs, and makes them subservient to his theory. But the words vielle and viole manifestly signify the same thing as violon; and vieller, violonner, the same as jouer du violon. The word archet and arçon (bow) which is always mentioned in conjunction with the lyre (vielle), leaves no doubt on this matter.

J’allai à li et praclet,

O la vielle et l’archet.[77]

But the defenders of the lyre (vielle) maintain, against all reason, that the words archet and arçon signify the winch or the keys of the instrument.

Maffei’s reference to a painting, representing Orpheus playing upon a violin, is as little to the purpose: every thing bespeaks its later origin.

It is indeed certain that the violin is an instrument of great antiquity, and may be traced to the earliest periods of the French monarchy. This fact is incontestably proved by the evidence of monuments, the most important of which is the statue of a French king, on the lower and right-hand side of the porch of the church of Notre-Dame in Paris.

Montfaucon, who has also given an engraving of this figure—though by no means a correct one—conceives it to be a representation of King Chilperic, because that monarch was the author of some hymns, and of two books of songs for the church service. La Ravallière has furnished a better delineation of this statue. Without stopping to inquire whether, according to the highly probable opinion of Montfaucon, that statue be a representation of King Chilperic, it is evident that the crown and the royal mantle are intended to represent royalty. The violin in the left hand has four openings or sounding-holes, the bow in the left is broken. La Ravallière has instanced another remarkable monument, a small basin, which the Abbé Le Bœuf; who transmitted it to him, conceived to be a production of the earliest times of the French monarchy. This was found where a royal palace is supposed to have stood formerly. It is gilt, and embellished with enamelled embossed work, and in all probability was used for washing the hands in. The design of the embossed work is divided into several compartments. In that of the centre is a harp-player sitting on a chair; on his right is a singer, judging by the roll of paper in his hand; and on his left is a violin player. In one of the lateral compartments we observe a violin with a double bridge.

The vignette of a manuscript of the beginning of the fourteenth century, which was in the possession of Gayon de Sardiere, exhibits the figure of a jongleur sitting on a high bench and playing the violin. As the manuscript contains the songs of the King of Navarre, the intention of the artist was to represent the jongleur in the act of singing the songs of the king, who is present with his consort, the queen. Both are sitting, and seem to be listening to the performer. The courtiers appear to pay him no less attention. These various monuments prove that the violin had been long in use among the jongleurs. The most celebrated people of this calling were the best violin players of their time; and the lyre was at all times but a very subordinate instrument.

The Antiquities of Struth contain many interesting figures. One represents an English fiddler, whose violin has only two strings, while others have four. One has but three. This was during a long period the usual number, and the instrument was called a rebec. It is not exactly known when the fourth string was permanently added. Laborde thinks in the sixteenth century, and rests his opinion on the fact, that the best violins which we possess are still those which Charles IX. of France caused to be constructed by the celebrated Amati of Cremona. These are also the best models. But there is a drawing of the instrument by Matthew Paris, which proves its antiquity to be great. Perhaps it was only in the sixteenth century that its use became general, about which time the form of the violin, as well as the art of playing on it, reached a high degree of perfection. The violin of St. Genestus is no rebec; it has four strings, and is formed like ours.

It remains for us to speak of a singular dignity or office, which owed its origin to this instrument. Every company, or guild, had formerly a head or leader, who bore the title of king. The grocers, surveyors, barbers, &c., nay, even the poets, had their king: but the usurpations and arbitrary sway of these singular monarchs brought about their dethronement, and nothing remained of such royalty except the king at arms and the king of the fiddlers.

The history of the first kings of the fiddlers is not known, and it would be impossible to enumerate them in the order of their succession. The earliest on record is Jean Charmillon, who, under Philip le Bel, was chosen king of the jongleurs in the city of Troyes, A.D. 1295. Constantine, a celebrated violin player at the court of Lewis XIII., obtained the dignity of king of the fiddlers and master of the musicians (roi des violons et maître des ménestriers). He died in 1657, and was succeeded by Dumanoir, known by the name of William I. After the death of the latter, the crown descended to his son, William II., who abdicated, and thereby caused a state of anarchy. Lewis XIV. looked with indifference on the extinction of a royalty of this kind, and declared that he had no inclination to revive it.

The musical kingdom had long been troubled by internal and external feuds: the dancing-masters, supported by their leader, had for more than half a century carried on a warfare against their rivals, the common fiddlers, who, to the disgrace of their art, used to play in the taverns and beer-houses. They prosecuted the town-dancers, until, in 1666, they obtained a formal decree. No company was so rich in strife and turmoil; their contests produced a number of judicial sentences. The momentous object of these contests was the suppression of one string in the fiddles of their adversaries, whom they wished to bring back and limit to the ancient and legitimate form of their instrument, the rebec.

This interregnum lasted from 1685 to 1741, when Gaignon, a celebrated violin player, aspired to the rank of fidicinal royalty, and was honoured with it, by Lewis XV., on the 15th of June of the latter year.

But Gaignon’s government was too arbitrary; he wished to revive a number of obsolete privileges; and many musicians, especially the organists, successfully opposed his attempts, and Gaignon in disgust resigned his royal dignity, which was finally abolished in 1773.

The second bridge, above mentioned, is a matter of some surprise; for it is difficult to conceive what could have been the use of the finger-board, or indeed of the neck altogether, if the sounds of the strings were fixed between the two bridges. I have myself met elsewhere with drawings of this kind, the execution of which, however, is so bad and indistinct, that it is not easy to guess the purport of the little cross-stroke which Millin takes for a second bridge. Might it not be possible to explain the matter in a more obvious manner?—The sounding-holes in violins (our present f holes) have in former times often changed their figure and place, until the shape of an f was universally adopted. Sometimes they were in the form of a crescent; sometimes they were contrived in the sides of the instrument, either above or below. In short, their shape and place depended entirely on the fancy of the constructor: I therefore think it probable that the little cross-stroke may have been meant to represent, not a second bridge, but a sounding-hole.