"In my first journal I gave you a large account of the music feast on St. Cecilia's Day; so to avoid repetition, I shall only tell you that the last was in no ways inferior to the former. The following Ode was admirably set to music by Mr. Henry Purcell, and performed twice with universal applause, particularly the second stanza, which was sung with incredible graces by Mr. Purcell himself. Though I was enjoined not to name the author of the Ode, I find a great deal of reluctance to forbear letting you know whom you must thank for so beautiful a poem; and to use Ovid's words, 'Sequoque nunc, quàm vis est quiscere, Quinte Nominet invitum, vix mea, Musa tenet.'"
The author was the Rev. Nicholas Brady of the churches of St. Catherine Cree, and St. Michael, Wood Street, better known as the co-labourer with Tate in the versions of the Psalms published under their joint names.
The Gentleman's Journal, January, 1693, has an Epigram "by Mr. B—y, whose Ode for St. Cecilia's Day you liked so well." The words of the ode were printed in 1782[45] with Dr. Brady's name as author.
The air which Purcell "sang with incredible graces" we are able to identify by means of various separate publications of the song. The title of one copy printed in 1692 or 1693 reads thus, "'Tis Nature's Voice (Ode for St. Cecilia's day), a song set by Mr. H. Purcell, and sung by himself at St. Cecilia's Feast in 1692, the words by N. Brady."
The "incredible graces" are, of course, numerous division passages, commonly called runs. These graces were much in vogue in Purcell's day, and unfortunately he too often pandered to the vulgar taste of the multitude, and injured his music by writing many such, both in his sacred and secular works. The fashion was probably borrowed from the Italians. Bedford, in his Abuse of Musick, printed in 1711, says:—
"Among the varieties which have been brought into our musick, the divisions of many and short notes to a syllable is the most obvious to every hearer. These must be allowed to be some of the finest graces to our modern performances. They are design'd to strike upon the passions, and increase our rapture, and when they are well compos'd and well perform'd they set off the voice in a most excellent and extraordinary manner."
The following curious anecdote told by Tony Aston, in his Brief Supplement to Colley Cibber, further illustrates the custom of gracing music which descended to our own times:—
"As Mr. Verbruggen had nature for his directress in acting, so had a known singer, Jemmy Bowen, the same in music. He, when practising a song set by Mr. Purcell, some of the musick told him to grace and run a division in such a place. 'O let him alone,' said Mr. Purcel; 'he will grace it more naturally than you or I can teach him.'"
The "Cecilia Ode" of 1692 was frequently performed, and must have been an especial favourite, if we may judge by the numerous manuscript copies of the score still in existence. The work was published by "The Musical Antiquarian Society" a few years since.