vecal compofitions of one of the greateft mafters and reformers of Italian mufic, the Prince of Venofa. To return to the Scottish forgs: It is not to be doubted, that, under such a genius or mufic and poetry as K. James I. the national mufic must have greatly improed. To his excellent talents, cultiva ted by education in England and France, during a long refidence of nineteen years, his country, at his return to it, in the year 1414, owes its cultivation, and emergence ma state of rudeness. By the laws which he enacted, the disorders of the preceding weak government were checked; politenefs of manners, together with atafe for the liberal arts and fciences, were introduced by him. One great ftep to the improvement of the fcience of muf, was the introduction by that prince according to our hiftorians) of organs into the cathedrals and abbeys of Scotd; and, of course, the establishment of a choral service of church-mufic. As Jimes is faid to have been a fine perform e on the lute and harp, on which he accompanied his own fongs, the playing onthefe inftruments muft, by the prince's example, have become fashionable; and, of course, a more refined and regular modulation of compofition in the Scott th fongs must have been introduced. The fple fcale of the pipe, by the introduong of the ftringed inftruments, became, *censequence, much enlarged, not onivya greater extent of notes, but by the Carifion of them into femitones. mufic, at that time, was in its harmony only, the fine flights, and pathetic expreffion, of our fongs, could borrow nothing from thence. This was likewife the era of chivalry: The feudal fyftem was then in its full vigour. The Scottish nobility, poffeffed of great eftates, with hereditary jurifdictions annexed to them, maintained, in their remote caftles, a ftate and splendour little inferior to the court of their king. Upon folemn occafions, tilts and tourna ments were often proclaimed, and held for many days with all the Gothic magnificence of chivalry, which drew numbers of knights and dames to these folemnities. James IV. and V. were both of them gallant and magnificent princes: they kept fplendid courts, and were great promoters of these public entertainments. In the family of every chief, or head of a clan, the bard, or poet, was a very confiderable perfon. His office was, upon folemn feafts, to rehearse, or fing, the fplendid actions of the heroes, anceltors of the family, which he accompa nied with the touch of the harp. At this time, too, there were itinerant, or strolling minstrels, performers upon the harp, who went about the country, from houfe to house, upon folemn occafions, reciting heroic ballads, and other popular epifodes. Thefe wandering harpers are mentioned by John Major: "In cithara, Hibernenfes aut filveftres Scoti qui in illa arte præcipui funt." To thefe fylvan minftrels, I imagine, we owe many fine The great æra, as well of poetry as of old fongs, which are more regular and fic, in Scotland, I imagine, then, to varied in their melody as they come nearave been from the beginning of the reign er to modern times, though ftill retain of James I. down to the end of that of ing their native wood-notes wild;" James V *. The old cathedrals and ab- fuch as, Bulk ye, busk ye,—Waly, waly,— eys, thefe venerable monuments of Go- Willie's fair; and a fill more refined moHic grandeur, with the choristers belong dulation may, I think, be traced downog to them, according to the fplendour wards, through the following fongs: Leof their ritual church-fervice, were fo ander on the bay, -Balw my boy,- Abfence many schools or feminaries for the culti ne'er hall alter me, - Cromlet's lilt, - The vation of mufic. It must be owned, how- Flowers of the foreft, -Gilderoy,―The Gaever, that although the fcience of har- berlunzie; and many others in the fame monic mufic was cultivated by the church- ftyle. Thefe, I imagine, might have been compofers; yet as the merit of the church- compofed within the æra of James IV. • Within this æra flourished Gavin Dou. James V. and Q. Mary; and may be reclas, Bithop of Dunkeld, (whofe excellent koned in the fecond clafs of Scottish fongs, anflation of Virgil's Encis may compare in point of antiquity. In them, befides ith Chaucer, his cotemporary), Bellenden, a more varied, regular, and refined meArchdeacon of Murray, Dunbar, Henryfon, lody, there is likewife an artful degree Scot, and many others, whofe fine poems of modulation used in the introduction of ve been preferved in Banatyn's excellent the feventh of the key; as in Waly, waly, IS collection, of which feveral were pu-The Flowers of the forest, The Bonny lished in Allan Ramfay's Ever Green. Erle of Murray, and many other well 46 known known old fongs. This ftrain is peculi.. arly characteristic of our old melodies, and has a fine and pathetic effect. From thefe, by an infenfible gradation, we are led to what I conjecture may be called the third epoch of our fongs; that is, from Q. Mary to the Refloration. Within that space may be claffed the following fongs: Pinky Houfe, Ettrick Banks, The Broom of Cowden-knows, Down the burn Davie,-An thou wert mine ain thing,Auld Rob Morris, — Where Helen lies,-Fy on the Warrs,-Muirland Willie, Katharine Ogie. And in the fourth and laft clafs, from the Restoration to the Union, may be claffed, The Bufb aboon Traquair,-The laft time I came o'er the moor,-The Boatman, ·Sae merry as we ha' been, My dearie, an thou die, She rofe and let me in,-AlJan water,- Love is the caufe of my mourn ing,-Mary Scot,- Lafs of Patie's mill, Yellow-hair'd ladie,-John Hay's bonny laffie,-Tweedfide, &c. - In thus claffing the fongs as above, it is obvious, that no fixed or certain rules can be prescribed. Some of thefe old fongs, it is true, afcertain of themfelves the precife æra to which they belong; fuch as, The Flowers of the foreft, compofed on the fatal battle of Flowden, where the gallant James IV. and the flower of the Scottish nobility and gentry fell; The Souters of Selkirk, compofed on the fame occafion; Gilderoy, made on the death of a famous outlaw hanged by James V.; The Bony Erle of Murray, flain by Huntlie in 1592. In general, however, in making thofe arrangements, befides the characters which I have mentioned, as I know of no other diftinguishing marks for a fixed ftandard, the best This ballad is founded on the following incident. Previous to the battle of Flowden, the town-clerk of Selkirk conducted a band of eightỵ fouters, or shoemakers, of that town, who joined the royal army; and the town-clerk, in reward of his loyalty, was created a Knight-Banneret by that prince. The example given on that fatal day by the Earl of Home, did not infect his vaffals, the fouters of Selkirk. They fought gallantly, and were moftly cut off. A few who efcaped, found, on their return, in the foreft of Lady-wood edge, the wife of one of their brethren lying dead, and her child fucking her breast. Thence the town of Selkirk ob tained for their arms, a woman fitting upon a farcophagus, holding a child in her arms; in the back ground a wood; and on the farcophagus the arms of Scotland. rule I could follow was to felect a fe After all, as fancy has a great share thofe arrangements, there is still a wide fi for the exertion of the powers of imag nation on a subject, where only analog probability, and conjecture, can fupp the defect of more folid proof. I have hinted that our Scottish fon owe nothing to the church-mufic of th cathedrals and abbeys before the Refor mation for although music made a co fiderable part of the ritual church-fervic yet from fome of their books, which ha efcaped the rage and havock of the R formers, we find their mufic to have co fifted of harmonic compofitions, of fou five, often of fix, feven, and eight part all in ftrict counterpoint. Such were pe fectly fuitable to the folemnity of re gious worship; and, when performed a full choir of voices, accompanied the organ, muft undoubtedly have had folemn and awful effect upon a mind di pofed to devotion. Church-mufic nothing to do with the paffions. T ftyle of fuch compofition is to calm t mind, and infpire devotion, suitable the majefty of that Being to whom it addreffed. Nothing, however, can more oppofite than fuch harmonic co pofitions to the genius of love-fon which confift in the fimple melody of c fingle part. It is a common tradition, that, in dicule of the cathedral-fervice, several their hymns were, by the wits amo the Reformed, burlefqued, and fung profane ballads. Of this there is for The well-know remaining evidence. tunes of John come kifs me now, and K Robin lo'es me, are faid to be of that nu ber. At the establishment of the Reform tion, one of the firft piqus works of t Reformed clergy was, to tranflate, in Scottish metre, the Pfalms of David, a to introduce them into the kirks, to fung to the old church-tunes. Knox's book of pfalms, called the c mon tunes, is ftill extant, and fung in Jo church hurches, and confifts of four parts; a eble, tenor, counter-alt, and bass. The armony of these tunes is learned and full, ad proves them to be the work of very ble mafters in the counterpoint. In order, however, to enlarge the pfalody, the clergy foon after were at pains tranflate into Scottish metre, several arts of fcripture, and fome old Latin ymns, and other pieces. At the fame ime, as they had no objections to the mufic, they made an effort to reclaim be of thofe tunes from the profane bals into which they had been burlesqued, dung by the vulgar. A collection of these pieces were printd at Edinburgh about the 1590, by Anto Hart, in old Saxon, or black letter, ender the title of, A compendious book of godly and spirituall fongs, collectit out of fandre parts of the fcripture, with fundrie of her ballats, changed out of prophains fag, for avoiding of finne and harlotrie, ¿5c. Amongst these ballads, John come kiss me makes his appearance; ftripped indeed of his prophane drefs, which had promoted finne and harlotrie; but, in exchange, trangely equipped in his penitential ha, as to make a more ludicrous figure than his brother Jack, in the Tale of a T. As a curiofity, I fhall give two or three of the stanzas of this new-converted gudly ballad. John come kiss me now, My prophets call, my preachers cry, And mak na mair adow *. If the other tunes preserved of the old hurch-mufic were in the fame ftyle of income kiss me now, our fine old melodies, think, could borrow nothing from them. I hall conclude this effay with a few bfervations on the Scottish fongs. The Scottish melodies contain ftrong preffion of the paflions, particularly of melancholy kind; in which the air en finely correfponds to the fubject of fong. In this, I conjecture, the exliency of the ancient Greek mufic coned, of which we are told fuch won* [Sse the wote on wext_column.] derful effects. The Greek muficians were alfo poets, who accompanied their own verfes on the harp. Such likewife was the Saxon Alfred; and in the fame light we may fee our James I. who both of them accompanied their own poems on the lute or harp. Terpander is faid to have compofed mufic for the Iliad of Homer; Timotheus played and fung his own lyrical poems; and the poet Simo. nides his own elegies: Quid meius lacrymis Simonidis!” exclaims, with rapture, Catullus; and, infpired with the genius of mufic, in this fine apostrophe, cries out our great poet ! And, Ó fad Virgin! could thy power, But raife Mufeus from his bower; Or bid the foul of Orpheus fing, Such notes as warbled on the ftring, Drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek, And made hell grant, what love did feek. In the year 1765, fome of the pieces contained in this book were printed in Edinburgh, with the title of, A Specimen of a Book, intitled, "A Compendious Book of Godly and Spiritual Songs," &c. But as the above, and many others in the fame style, are omitted, I fhall give a further fpecimen of this curious book of devotion in the following ftanzas. Till our Gude man, Of our Gude man, &c. Who is at my windo, who, who? Lord I am heir ane wretched mortal, That for thy mercy dois cry and call. Mercy to have thou art not worthie. Go from my windo, go, &c. "To laugh were want of godliness and grace, "And to be grave exceeds all power of face." POPE. What a ftrange medley of canting fur dity and nonfente! Such fhocking indecent familiarity, under the name of Devotion! This was the leven, which, fermenting into that wild fpirit of fanaticifm in the following age, involved the nation in blood, and overturned the state of the three kingdoms. Let Let us acknowledge the excellency of the Greek mufic; yet as the principles of harmony, or compofition in parts, feem not to have been known to them, at leaft as far as has yet been difcovered, this excellency of their mufic must have refulted from the natural melody of their airs, expreffive of the words to which they were adapted. In this light, therefore, we may run a parallel between the ancient Greek mufic and our Scottish melodies; and, in spite of the prejudiced fondness which we are apt to conceive in favour of the ancients, it is probable, that we do the best of their mufic no hurt in claffing it with our own. What person of taste can be infenfible to the fine airs of — I'll never leave thee,An thou wer't mine ain thing,-The Braes of Ballendine, &c. when fung with taste and feeling! Love, in its various fituations of hope, fuccefs, difappointment, and defpair, are finely expreffed in the natural melody of the Scottish fongs. How naturally does the air correfpond with the following defcription of the reflefs languor of a maid in love! Ay wa'king oh! Wa'king ay and wearie; For thinking o' my dearie. It were endless to run through the many fine airs expreffive of fentiment and paffion in the number of our Scottish fongs, which, when fung in the genuine natural manner, muft affect the heart of every perfon of feeling, whofe tafte is not vitiated and feduced by fashion and novelty. As the Scottish songs are the flights of genius, devoid of art, they bid defiance • Irie is a Scottish word that has no correfpondent term in English. It implies that fort of fear which is conceived by a perfon apprehenfive of apparitions. to artificial graces and affected cadences. A Scottish fong can only be fung in tafte by a Scottish voice. To a fweet, liquid, flowing voice, capable of fwelling a note from the fofteft to the fulleft tone, and what the Italians call a voce di petto, muft be joined fenfibility and feeling, and a perfect understanding of the fubject, and words of the fong, fo as to know the fig nificant word on which to fwell or fatten the tone, and lay the force of the note. From this want of knowledge of the language, it generally happens, that to most of the foreign mafters, our melodies, at firft, muft feem wild and uncouth; for which reafon, in their performance, they generally fall fhort of our expectation We fometimes, however, find a foreign mafter, who, with a genius for the pa thetic, and a knowledge of the fubied and words, has afforded very high pleas fure in a Scottish fong. Who could heat with infenfibility, or without being mo ved in the greatest degree, Tenducci fing, -I'll never leave thee,- or The Braes f Ballendine! It is a common defect in fome who pretend to fing, to affect to fmother the words, by not articulating them, fo a we fcarce can find out either the fubjed or language of their fong. This is always a fign of want of feeling, and a mark of a bad finger; particularly of Scottish fongs, where there is generally fo inti mate a correspondence between the air and fubject. Indeed there can be no good vocal mufic without it. The proper accompaniment of a Scot tifh fong, is a plain, thin, dropping bais on the harpsichord or guittar. The fine breathings, thofe heart-felt touches! which genius alone can exprefs, in our fongs, are lost in a noisy accompaniment of inftruments. The full chords of a thoroughbals should be used sparingly, and with judgement, not to overpower, but to fupport and raise the voice at proper pauses. Where, with a fine voice, is joined some skill and execution on either of those inftruments, the air, by way of fymphony, or introduction to the fong, fhould always be firft played over; and, at the clofe of every stanza, the laft part of the air fhould be repeated, as a relief for the voice, which it gracefully fets off. In this fymphonic part, the performer may fhew his tafte and fancy on the inftrument, by varying it ad libitum. A Scottish fong admits of no cadence ; I mean by this, no fanciful or capricious defcant upon the clofe of the tune. There is one embellishment, however, which a fine finger may eafily acquire, that is, an taly fake. This, while the organs are flexible in a young voice, may, with practice, be eafily attained. A Scottish fong thus performed, is among the highest entertainments to a mafal genius! But is this genius to be acquired either in the performer or hearer? cannot. Genius in mufic, as in poetry, the gift of Heaven. It is born with us; it is not to be learned. fterpieces of Leo, Durante, Jomelli, Pergolefe. If thine eyes are filled with tears, thy heart palpitates, thy whole frame is agitated, and the oppreffion of transport arifes almoft to fuffocation; take up Metaftafio, his genius will inflame thine own, and thou wilt compofe after his example. Thefe are the operations of genius, and the tears of others will recompenfe thee for those which thy masters have caufed thee to fhed. But if thou art calm and tranquil amidft the transports of that great art; if thou feeleft no dilirium, no ecftafy; if thou art only moved with pleasure, at what should transport thee with rapture, doft thou dare to afk what genius is? Profane not, vulgar man, that name fublime! What does it import thee to know what thou canft never feel *?" [39.169.] • Rouffeau, fous le mot genie. An artift on the violin may display the magic of his fingers, in running from the top to the bottom of the finger-board, in various intricate capricio's, which, at the moft, will only excite furprife; while a very middling performer, of taste and feeling, in a fubject that admits of the path, will touch the heart in its finest nations. The finest of the Italian compofers, and many of their fingers, poffefs this to an amazing degree. The opera-airs of these great mafters, Pergo-Have lived at Portsmouth upwards of fe, Fomelli, Galuppi, Perez, and many others of the prefent age, are aftonifhingly pathetic and moving. Genius, how ever, and feeling, are not confined to Country or climate. A maid, at her pinning-wheel, who knew not a note in mufic, with a fweet voice, and the force of a native genius, has oft drawn tears from my eyes. That gift of Heaven, in hort, is not to be defined; it can only be felt. [Mr Arnot was favoured with the preceding differtation (he says) by an ingenious friend.] Of the decay of the Navy of late years. I cannot better conclude this effay, than in the words of one who poffeffed it in the moft exalted degree. Addreffing imfelf to a young compofer, he fpeaks hus: "Seek not to know what is ge. If thou haft it, thy feelings will ell thee what it is. If thou haft it not, Thou never wilt know it. The genius of the mufician fubjects the univerfe to its power. It draws its pictures by founds. It expreffes ideas by feelings, and feelags by accents. We feel in our hearts the force of the paffions which it excites. Through the medium of genius, pleasure affumes additional charms, and the grief which it excites breaks forth into cries. But alas! to thofe who feel not in themfelves the spring of genius, its expreffions onvey no idea. Its prodigies are un known to those who cannot imitate them. Wouldst thou know if thou art animated with one fpark of that bright fire? run, By to Naples, and there liften to the maVOL. XLI. : fifty years, and have made inquiry of feveral old intelligent fhipwrights, why the fhips decayed fafter now than they did formerly; and they all declared, that it proceeded from the practice adopted of late years, of boiling the outfide planks inftead of burning them and they gave the following as an inftance of it. The Royal William was repaired a few years ago; and they obferved, that thofe planks which were placed on her about twelve years before were rotten, whereas others that were fixed thirty years were found and good: the first were boiled, and the laft burnt. Indeed this is agreeable to reafon for the boiling muft needs open the pores of the wood, and foften that glutinous matter which binds the folids together, and give room for the falt water to penetrate; whereas burning hardens and coagulates the fluids and folids together in one mafs, and refifts the fury of the water. Every carpenter knows, that if two pofts be placed in the ground, one burnt, and the other raw, the firft will continue found three times longer than the latter. I know the late practice of letting the infide timbers of the king's fhips and a long time to be hardened by the weather; which may be one good way, for aught I know; but the chief ar ticle muft needs be the fortifying the planking to keep the water out, and the infide will be fecure. [40.174.] e The |