The great moralist, Owen Feltham, in his “Resolves,” 1631, also touches upon the subject. Under his remarks on music we read: “It is a kind of disparagement to bee a cunning fiddler. It argues his neglect of better employment and that he hath spent much time upon a thing unnecessarie. Hence it hath been counted ill for great ones to sing and play like an arted musician, Philip asked Alexander if hee was not ashamed that he ‘sang so artfully.’” In the “Westminster Magazine” for February, 1775, is an article entitled “Fiddling Defended,” as follows:
“Some people are unreasonably severe against Fiddlers, but surely there is no absurdity in attracting the eyes of the fair in displaying a white hand, a ring, a ruffle, or sleeve to advantage. Who can blame the performer who is successful enough to fiddle himself into a good fortune? Whatever the rigid and austere may think, the approbation of the ladies is no small spur to a proficiency in music as well as in many other sciences. It is highly probable that Achilles (though the blind bard is silent upon this head) would not have strummed his harp with so much glee if the ears of Deidamia and Brifeis had not been tickled by it.—A FIDDLER.”
Peacham, in his description of a “Compleat Gentleman,” published 1634, addresses his readers thus: “I desire no more in you than to sing your part sure and at first sight, and withall to play the same upon your violl or the exercise of the lute privately to yourselfe”—and in another place he observes: “King Henry the eighth could not onely sing his part sure but of himselfe compose a service of foure five and sixe parts”—and we are told that Queen Elizabeth was a tolerable performer on the virginals (the precursor of the pianoforte) and also the violin.
The next source from which any historic information concerning the fiddle is obtained is from the writings of one Anthony Wood, of Oxford, who, although not a professional player, was an enthusiastic amateur whose opinion was not to be despised.
This worthy in his life written by himself in the year 1654 gives an amusing account of a musical escapade which it may not be out of place here to repeat, as the work is rather scarce and difficult of access. It throws an interesting light on the state of music at that period. He says:
“Having by this time got some musical acquaintance, a frolick by all meanes must be taken by us; and what should it be, but to disguise ourselves in poore habits, and like contry fidlers scrape for our livings? Faringdon Fair this yeare was the place designed to go to: And all of us (five in number) lodging in a house in the Middle Rew in Magd. parish,—belonging to one Gregory a Chandler, wee sate out very early the next morning, and calling first on Mr. Th. Latton’s house at Kingston Baképuze, wee bid him good morrow by 2 or 3 tunes. He came in the hall among us, listened to our musick, gave us money, and ordered drink to (be) carried to us. After wee had done with him, wee retired to the In standing on the road going to Farringdon, dined there, and after dinner wee were entertain’d by some of the neighbours, who danc’d (as I remember) on the Green, gave us some money and victualls, and I think wee returned very late that evening to Oxon. The names of those in this exploit were, myself and Will Bull before mentioned, who played on the Violins, Edm. Gregorie, B.A., and gent. com. of Mert. Coll. who play’d on the bass viol, John Nap of Trinity on the citerne, and George Mason, of the said Coll. on another wyer instrument, but could do nothing. Soon after we took a voyage northward, called at Hampton Poyle, played at Mr. Wests’ house, had some money, but more drink. Afterwards we went (I think) to Kidlington, got something there, returned in the evening, and certain soldiers overtaking us, they by force, made us play in the open field, and then left us without giving a penny.
“Most of my companions would afterwards glory in this, but I was ashamed, and could never endure to hear of it.”
He goes on to relate that by 1656 he “had a genuine skill in musick, and frequented the weekly meetings of musitians in the house of Will Ellis, late Organist of St. Johns Coll., situated and being in a house, opposite to that place whereon the Theatre was built.” Here he gives a list of the company who met and performed their parts on lutes and viols. The music masters were: “Will Ellis, Batchelor of Musick, and owner of the house, who always played his part either on the organ or virginal:—Dr. John Wilson, the public professor, the best at the lute in all England. He sometimes play’d on the lute, but mostly presided (directed) the consort.—Curteys, a lutenist, lately ejected from some choire or cathedral church. Thomas Jackson, a bass violist.... Ed. Low, Organist lately of Christ Church. He play’d only on the organ; so when he played on that instrument Mr. Ellis would take up the counter-tenor viol, if any person were wanting to perform that part. Gervace Littleton ... a violist; he was afterwards a singing man of St. Johns Coll. Will Glexney, who had belonged to a choire before the warr ... he played well upon the bass-viol, and sometimes sung his part.... Proctor, a young man and a new comer. John Parker, one of the university musitians. But Mr. Low, a proud man, could not endure any common musitians to come to the meeting, much less to play among them. Of this kind I must rank John Haselwood, an apothecary, a starch’d formal clister-pipe, who usually played on the bass-viol, and sometimes on the counter-tenor. He was very conceited of his skill (though he had but little of it) and therefore would be ever and anon ready to take up a viol before his betters, which being observed by all, they usually called him ‘Handlewood.’ The rest were but beginners.
“Proctor died soon after this time, he had been bred up for Mr. John Jenkyns, the mirrour and wonder of his age for musick, was excellent for the lyra-viol, and division-viol, good at the treble-viol, and treble-violin, and all comprehended in a man of three or four and twenty years of age. He was much admired at the meetings, and exceedingly pitied by all the facultie for his loss.”
“A. W. was now advised to entertain one Will James, a dancing master, to instruct him on the violin, who by some was accounted excellent on that instrument, and the rather, because it was said that he had obtained his knowledge in dancing and musick in France. He spent, in all, half a yeare with him, and gained some improvement from him; yet at length he found him not a compleat master of his facultie, as Griffith and Parker were not; and, to say the truth, there was no complete master in Oxon for that instrument, because it had not hitherto been used in consort among gentlemen, only by common musitians, who played but two parts. The gentlemen in private meetings, which A. W. frequented, played three, four, and five parts with viols, as treble-viol, tenor, counter tenor, and bass, with an Organ, virginal or harpsicon joyn’d with them; and they esteemed a violin to be an instrument only belonging to a common fiddler, and could not endure that it should come among them, for feare of making their meetings to be vaine and fiddling. But before the restoration of King Charles II, and especially after, viols began to be out of fashion, and only violins used, as treble-violin, tenor, and bass violin; and the King, according to the French mode, would have 24 violins playing before him while he was at meales, as being more airie and brisk than viols.”