PRINCE'S MUSICAL TASTE.

399

ary, 1846, Mr. Charles Kemble reading the text, and again on the 1st of January, 1848, when Mr. Bartley was the reader. It was by this time well known in this country, through its performance at Covent Garden, as well as in Dublin and Edinburgh. ́But it was left for the Queen and Prince to introduce the Edipus at Colonos' to England. A specially abridged version of this play was prepared for them by Mr. Bartholomew, the adapter of the 'Antigone,' and read by Mr. Bartley at Buckingham Palace on the 10th of February, 1848, and again on the 1st of January, 1852, with the accompaniment of Mendelssohn's choral and orchestral music. On the 1st of January, 1853, the same composer's 'Lobgesang,' with portions of his 'Christus' and 'Loreley,' were given at Windsor Castle. Others of his works formed important features of the Concerts at the Palace. Thus his Walpurgis Night' was given on the 10th of February, 1854, his Cantata Praise Jehovah' on the 10th of February, 1857, and a selection from his Midsummer Night's Dream' on the 10th of February, 1859. A selection from his St. Paul' was given on the 28th of June, 1861, memorable as being the last of the Concerts arranged by the Prince. On all these occasions no pains were spared to ensure the music being given with thorough completeness,-vocal, choral, and instrumental.

Besides these great choral works, among the records of the Concerts at the Palace are to be found performances of such works as Bach's 'Passions-Musik' (The Matthæus), Beethoven's 'Praise of Music,' and portions of his Mass in C, Méhul's 'Joseph,' Haydn's 'Passion,' Weber's Praise Jehovali,' portions of Mendelssohn's St. Paul,' Romberg's 'Song of the Bell,' and Sir Sterndale Bennett's Cantata, The May Queen.'

The late Mr. Robert Bowley, who by what he had himself done for choral music in England had earned the right to speak with authority on the subject, in writing (18th October, 1868) to Mr. W. G. Cusins, the Master of the Queen's Music (to whom we are indebted for many of the materials for this Memorandum), says:

'Looking through the list of Choral Concerts at the Palace, one cannot help being struck with the varied and excellent selections made from time to time by H.R.II. the Prince Consort. That these selections had a marked influence on the performances of Choral Music in England, I am thoroughly convinced; and it has always been a source of regret with me, that while in various notices of His Royal Highness much attention has been paid to his association with painting and sculpture and science generally, little or no notice has been taken of the interest he took, and the influence his example had, on the production in England of much that was of the highest class of musical art.

'If to what came under my notice at the Palace is added much more played by the Private Band, when no chorus was assembled, also various performances at The Antient Concerts, and the Philharmonic Society, and doubtless much heard in the quiet domestic circle, it will be seen that, apart from the knowledge and example of the Prince Consort as evinced by his own compositions, which now ought to be more generally known, he ought to be credited with effecting very great good to music:-in fact, I think, even more than by his judicious encouragement of the other Fine Arts. I am convinced, that the more this is looked into, the more it will be felt.'

To aid in the performance of Oratorios a new and larger organ was erected, under the Prince's instructions, in St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle, and another in the New Concert Room at Buckingham Palace.

The Prince also patronised the Leipzig Bach and Händel Societies for the publication of the works of those great masters in a complete and worthy form.

When State Performances were given at the Opera, the command was sure to include some work of the highest class, such as the 'Fidelio' of Beethoven, the Flauto Magico' of Mozart,-always a supreme favourite with the Prince-or Les Huguenots' or 'Le Prophète of Meyerbeer.

The Prince's life, after he came to England, was too crowded to admit of his indulging freely his love of musical composition. The Muses are exacting mistresses, and will not send their best inspiration to a merely casual worshipper. But he produced enough to entitle him to a very high rank among amateur composers. His compositions include a Choral Service, and an Anthem for the Church, many German Songs, some Chorales, which are now printed in all the new collections of Hymns, and a piece, entitled 'L'Invocazione all' Armonia,' which was performed with success at the Birmingham Festival of 1859, and has also been heard at the State Concerts in Buckingham Palace, and at the laying of the Foundation Stone of the Royal Albert Hall.

A complete list of the Prince's printed compositions is annexed. Many of his songs are full of charm-the charm of real feeling, and of graceful form,-and some-the Klage der Liebe, for examplewhile conspicuous for great delicacy and pathos in the melody, show no small originality as well as constructive skill in the treatment of the accompaniments. In these,' Her Majesty writes, 'the Queen constantly helped him in the final arrangement of the music. There was no occupation which gave her greater pleasure. But the cares of their large family, and still more the overwhelming amount of business, put a stop to this wholesome relaxation.'

List of the Printed Musical Works of H.R.H.
THE PRINCE CONSORT.

LIEDER UND ROMANZEN. I. Heft.

NOTE.-All the preceding pieces have been printed in Germany. Those which follow have been printed in England.

in A minor.

Responses to the Commandments

Anthem 'Out of the Deep.' Ps. cxxx. vv. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.

L' Invocazione all' Armonia.

(Coro con Soli.)

Christmas Hymn-' Hark the herald angels sing.'
Chorale-'In life's gay morn.'

(This is the tune known as Gotha.)

So important in the Prince's view was music as an instrument of education, that he often expressed a wish that tuition in it should be made universal in public schools, and he spared no pains to let his opinions on this subject be known. Public opinion is now rapidly maturing in the same direction. The love of music is nowhere stronger than in England. Systematic education in its theory and practice is alone wanting to guide and elevate the taste, and to make its gratification a necessary part of our everyday life. Bad teaching and low standards have hitherto, in music, as in the other arts, caused a pitiable waste of the popular instinct for what appeals to all that is best and deepest in our emotional nature.

It is impossible better to indicate how much the Prince knew about music of the highest class, and how earnestly he strove to raise the level of public taste in England, than by reproducing the Programmes which he drew up for The Antient Concerts, over which he presided as Director, together with a list of the works selected by him for performance at the Concerts of the Philharmonic Society. These selections, while they show the refinement and purity of his taste, indicate a wide range of knowledge, which would have been remarkable even in the case of an amateur with unlimited time at his command for the cultivation of musical study.

List of Music selected by H.R.H. THE PRINCE CONSORT for performance at THE ANTIENT CONCERTS, at which he presided as Director.

NOTE.-Every work in the following List, except in the case of the Concert of April 29th, 1840, was performed at The Antient Concerts for the first time on the dates given.

Recitative-Such, Jephthah, was'

Chorus-When his loud voice'.

Duetto-Cara sposa' (La Creazione del Mondo)

Recitative Sound then the last alarm' (Jephthah) Händel.

Aria-'O Cara immagine' (Die Zauberflöte)

Aria-Si tra i ceppi' (Berenice)

Quintetto (Double Choir)-Sanctus Dominus
Chorus-Osanna in excelsis'

Recitative-'Sposa! Euridice'
Aria-Che farò senza'
Recitative-But bright Cecilia'
Solo and Chorus-'As from the
Chorus-The dead shall live'

Mozart.
Händel.

Palestrina (1565).

(Orfeo).

(Dryden's Ode). Händel.

PROGRAMMES OF ANTIENT CONCERTS.

Overture-'Anacreon'

Opening of the 'Grand Te Deum'

Recitative-Ye twice ten hundred'
Air-By the croaking'

Mottetto O God, when thou appearest"
Song-Water parted from the sea' (Artaxerxes)
Song-Let the bright seraphim' (Samson).
Selection from The Mount of Olives'
Glee Here, in cool grot'

Chorus 'O sing praises' (Fugue)
Quartetto and Chorus- Nella tua man
Chorus-'L' uom' Dio mori'

Mozart.

Dr. Arne.
Händel.
Beethoven.

403

The Earl of Mornington.

Sebastian Bach.

Hagdn.

Selection from Eb Mass

Miserere (A.D. 1660)

Selection from Mass in D.

Overture' Coriolanus'

Quintett and Chorus 'Salvator Mundi' (1569)

Terzetto-Faniska'

Selection-Armida'

Selection from Cantata 'The Praise of Music'

Cherubini.

Glück.
Beethoven.