The organs made by him, though in respect of workmanship they are far short of those of Harris, and even of Dalian’s, are justly admired; and, for the fineness of their tone, have never yet been equalled.
Harris’s organ was afterwards purchased for the cathedral of Christ Church, at Dublin, and set up there; but, some years back, Mr. Byfield was sent for, from England, to repair it, which he objected to, and prevailed on the Chapter to have a new one, made by himself, he allowing for the old one in exchange. When he had got it, he would have treated with the parishioners of Lynn, in Norfolk, for the sale of it; but they, disdaining the offer of a second-hand instrument, refused to purchase it, and employed Snetzlor to build them a new one, for which they paid him seven hundred pounds. Byfield dying, his widow sold Harris’s organ to the parish of Wolverhampton for five hundred pounds, and there it remains at this day (i. e. 1778.) One of two eminent masters, then living, were requested by the churchwardens of Wolverhampton to give their opinions of this instrument, who declared it to be the best modern organ he had ever touched.
Sir John Hawkins’s Memoirs.
QUEEN MARY AND MR. PURCELL.
The famous old ballad, “Cold and raw,” was greatly admired by Queen Mary, consort of King William; and she once affronted Mr. Purcell, by requesting to have it sung to her, he being present. The story is as follows: The Queen, having a mind, one afternoon, to be entertained with music, sent to Mr. Gostling, then one of the Chapel, and afterwards subdean of St. Paul’s; to Mr. Henry Purcell, and Mrs. Arabella Hunt, who had a very fine voice, and an admirable hand on the lute, with a request to attend her. Mr. Gostling and Mrs. Hunt sung several compositions of Purcell, who accompanied them on the harpsichord. At length the queen, beginning to grow tired, asked Mrs. Hunt, if she could not sing the old Scotch ballad, “Cold and raw?” Mrs. Hunt answered yes, and sung it to her lute. Purcell was all the while sitting at the harpsichord unemployed, and not a little nettled at the queen’s preference of a vulgar ballad to his music; but, seeing her majesty delighted with this tune, he determined that she should hear it upon another occasion, and accordingly, in the next birth-day song, viz. that for the year 1692, he composed an air to the words, “May her bright example chace vice in troops out of the land,” the bass whereof is the tune to Cold and Raw. It is printed in the Orpheus Britannicus, and is note for note the same with the Scotch tune.
THE HIGHLAND CHARGING TUNE.
In one of the late battles in Calabria, a bagpiper of the 78th regiment, when the light infantry charged the French, posted himself on their right, and remained in his solitary situation during the whole of the battle, encouraging the men with a famous Highland charging tune; and actually, upon the retreat and complete rout of the French, changed it to another, equally celebrated in Scotland upon the retreat of and victory over an enemy. His next hand neighbour guarded him so well, that he escaped unhurt. This was the spirit of the “Last Minstrel,” who infused courage among his countrymen, by possessing it in so animated a degree, and in so venerable a character.
Curiosities of Literature.
EFFECTS OF FOREIGN MUSIC ON DIFFERENT ANIMALS.
Sir William Jones, in his curious Dissertation on the musical Modes of the Hindus, relates the following story.