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MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS:

RISE and PROGRESS of the FIRST COMMEMORATION of HANDEL.

[From Dr. BURNEY's Account of the Mufical Performances in Weftminster Abbey, and the Pantheon, in May and June, 1784.]

66

HOW

OW this great idea was generated, cherished, and matured, will probably be a matter of curiosity to the public, as well as the manner in which it was executed. And having had the honour of attending many of the meetings of the diretor and conductor, while the neceffary arrangements were under confideration, as well as opportunities of converfing with them fince, I fhall ftate the principal facts as accurately as poffible, from fuch authentic information as these favourable circumftances have furnished.

"In a converfation between lord viscount Fitzwilliam, fir Watkin Williams Wynn, and Joah Bates, cfq. commiffioner of the victualling-office, the beginning of laft year, 1783, at the houfe of the fatter, after remarking that the number of eminent mufical performers of all kinds, both vocal and'inftrumental, with which London abounded, was far greater than in any other city of Europe, it was lamented that there was no public periodical occafion for collecting and confolidating them into one band; by which means a perform ance might be exhibited on fo grand and magnificent a fcale as no other part of the world could equal. The

birth and death of Handel naturally occurred to three fuch enthufiaftic admirers of that great mafter, and it was immediately recollected, that the next (now the prefent) year, would be a proper time for the introduction of fuch a cuftom: as it formed a complete century fince his birth, and an exact quarter of a century fince his decease.

"The plan was foon after communicated to the governors of the Mufical Fund, who approved it, and promised their affistance. It was next fubmitted to the directors of the concert of Ancient Mufic, who, with an alacrity which does honour to their zeal for the memory of the great artist Handel, voluntarily undertook the trouble of managing and directing the celebrity. At length, the defign coming to the knowledge of the king, it was honoured with his majefty's fanétion and patronage. Weftminfter Abbey, where the bones of the great mufician were depofited, was thought the propereft place for the performance; and application having been made to the bishop of Rochefter for the use of it, his lordship, finding that the fcheme was honoured with the patronage of his majesty, readily confented;

only

mary,

only requesting, as the performance would interfere with the annual benefit for the Westminster Infirthat part of the profits might be appropriated to that charity, as an indemnification for the lofs it would fuftain. To this the projectors of the plan acceded; and it was afterwards fettled, that the profits of the first day's performance fhould be equally divided between the Mufical Fund and the Westminfter Infirmary; and thofe of the fubfequent days be folely applied to the ufe of that fund which Handel himself fo long helped to fuftain, and to which he not only bequeathed a thousand pounds, but which almost every musician in the capital annually contributes his money, his performance, or both, to fupport.

"Application was next made to Mr. James Wyatt, the architect, to furnish plans for the neceffary decorations of the abbey; drawings of which having been fhewn to his majefty, were approved. The general idea was to produce the effect of a royal musical chapel, with the orchestra terminating one end, and the accommodation for the royal family, the other.

"The arrangement of the performance of each day was next fettled, and I have authority to fay, that it was at his majcity's inftiga tion that the celebrity wes extend ed to three days inftead of two, which he thought would not be fufficient for the difplay of Handel's powers, or fulfilling the charitable purposes to which it was intended to devote the profits. It was originally intended to have celebrated this grand mufical feftival on the 20th, 22d, and 23d of April; and the 20th being the day of the funeral of Handel, part of the mufic was, in fome meature, fo felected as

to apply to that incident. But, in confequence of the fudden diffolution of parliament, it was thought proper to defer the festival to the 26th, 27th, and 29th of May, which feems to have been for its advantage: as many perfons of tender conftitutions, who ventured to go to Westminster Abbey in warm wea ther, would not have had the cou rage to go thither in cold.

"Impreffed with a reverence for the memory of Handel, no fooner was the project known, but most of the practical musicians in the kingdom eagerly manifefted their zeal for the enterprife; and many of the most eminent profeffors, waving all claims to precedence in the band, offered to perform in any fubordinate station, in which their talents could be moft ufeful.

"In order to render the band as powerful and complete as poffible, it was determined to employ every fpecies of inftrument that was capable of producing grand effects in a great orchestra and fpacious building. Among these the facbut, or double trumpet, was fought; but fo many years had elapfed fince it had been used in this kingdom, that neither the instrument, nor a performer upon it, could easily be found. It was, however, difcovered, after much useless enquiry, not only here, but by letter, on the continent, that in his majesty's military band there were fix musicians who played the three feveral species of facbut; tenor, bafe, and double bafe. The names of thefe performers will be found in the general lift of the band.

The double baffoon, which was fo confpicuous in the orchestra, and powerful in its effect, is likewife a tube of fixteen feet. It was made, with the approbation of Mr. Handel, by Stainfby, the flute-maker,

for

for the coronation of his late majefty, George the Second. The late ingenious Mr. Lampe, author of the justly admired mulic of The Dragon of Wantley, was the perfon intended to perform on it; but, for want of a proper reed, or for fome other caufe, at prefent un known, no use was made of it at that time; nor indeed, though it has been often attempted, was it ever introduced into any band in England till now, by the ingenuity and perfeverance of Mr. Afhly, of the Guards.

"The double-base kettle-drums were made from models of Mr. Afhbridge, of Drury-lane orchestra, in copper, it being impoffible to procure plates of brafs large enough. The tower-drums, which, by permiffion of his grace the duke of Richmond, were brought to the abbey on this occafion, are thofe which belong to the ordnance ftores, and were taken by the duke of Marlborough at the battle of Malplaquet, in 1709. Thefe are hemifpherical, or a circle divided; but thofe of Mr. Afhbridge are more cylindrical, being much longer, as well as more capacious, than the common kettle-drum; by which he accounts for the fuperiority of their tone to that of all other drums. These three fpecies of kettle-drums, which may be called tenor, bafe, and double-bafe, were an octave below each other.

"The excellent organ, erected at the west end of the abbey, for the commemoration performances only, is the workmanfhip of the ingenious Mr. Samuel Green, of Iflington. It was fabricated for the cathedral of Canterbury; but before its departure for the place of its destination, it was permitted to be opened in the capital on this memorable occafion. The keys of

communication with the harpfichord, at which Mr. Bates, the conductor, was feated, extended nineteen feet from the body of the organ, and twenty feet feven inches below the perpendicular of the fet of keys by which it is ufually played. Similar keys were first contrived in this country for Handel himself, at his oratorios; but to convey them to so great a distance from the inftrument, without rendering the touch impracticably heavy, required uncommon ingenuity and mechanical refources.

"In celebrating the difpofition, difcipline, and effects of this most numerous and excellent band, the merit of the admirable architect, who furnished the elegant defigns for the orchestra and galleries, muft not be forgotten; as, when filled, they conftituted one of the grandeft and moft magnificent spectacles which imagination can delineate. I am acquainted with few build ings, that have been conftructed from plans of Mr. Wyatt, in which he exercised his genius in Gothic; but all the preparations for receiving their majefties, and the first perfonages in the kingdom, at the eaft end; upwards of five hundred musicians at the weft; and the public in general, to the number of between three and four thousand perfons, in the area and galleries, fo wonderfully correfponded with the style of architecture of this venerable and beautiful structure, that there was nothing vifible, either for ufe or ornament, which did not harmonize with the principal tone of the building, and which may not metaphorically have been faid to be in perfect tune with it. But, befides the wonderful manner in which this construction exhibited the band to the fpectators, the orcheftra was fo judiciously contrived,

that

that almost every performer, both vocal and inftrumental, was in full view of the conductor and leader; which accounts, in fome measure, for the uncommon eafe with which the performers confefs they executed their parts.

"The whole preparations for thefe grand performances were comprifed within the western part of the building, or broad aile; and fome excellent judges declared, that, apart from their beauty, they never had feen fo wonderful a piece of carpentry as the orchestra and galleries, after Mr. Wyatt's models. Indeed, the goodness of the workmanship was demonftrated by the whole four days of commemoration in the abbey being exempted from every fpecies of accident, notwithstanding the great crouds, and conflicts for places, which each performance produced.

"At the east end of the aisle, just before the back of the choirorgan, fome of the pipes of which were visible below, a throne was erected in a beautiful Gothic ftyle, correfponding with that of the ab bey, and a center box, richly decorated and furnished with crimson farin, fringed with gold, for the reception of their majefties and the reyal family on the right hand of which was a box for the bishops, and, on the left, one for the dean and chapter of Westminster; immediately below thefe two boxes were two others; one, on the right, for the families and friends of the directors, and the other for thofe of the prebendaries of Westminfter. Immediately below the king's box was placed one for the directors themselves, who were all diftinguished by white wands tipped with gold, and gold medals, ftruck en the occafion, appending from white ribbands, Thefe their ma

jefties likewife condefcended to wear at each performance. Behind, and on each fide of the throne, there were feats for their majesty's suite, maids of honour, grooms of the bed-chamber, pages, &c.

"The orchestra was built at the oppofite extremity, afcending regularly from the height of feven feet from the floor to upwards of forty, from the base of the pillars; and extending from the centre to the top of the fide aisle. .." The intermediate fpace below was filled up with level benches, and appropriated to the early fubfcribers. The fide aitles were formed into long galleries, ranging with the orchestra, and afcending, fo as to contain twelve rows on each fide: the fronts of which projected before the pillars, and were ornamented with feltoons of crimson morine.

"At the top of the orchestra was placed the occafional organ, in a Gothic frame, mounting to, and mingling with, the faints and martyrs reprefented in the painted glafs on the weft window. On each fide of the organ, close to the window, were placed the kettle-drums defcribed above. The choral bands. were principally placed in view of Mr. Bates, on fteps, feemingly afcending into the clouds, in each of the fide aifles, as their termi nation was invifible to the audience. The principal fingers were ranged in the front of the orchestra, as at oratorios, accompanied by the choirs of St. Paul, the abbey, Windsor, and the chapel royal.

"The defign of appointing fubdirectors, was to diminish, as much as poffible, the trouble of the no. blemen and gentlemen who had projected the undertaking, as well as that of the conductor: and this was effected with great diligence

and

and zeal, not only in fuperintending the bufinefs at the doors of admiffion, and conducting the company to their feats, which fell to the fhare of Dr. Cook, Dr. Ayrton, and meffieurs Jones, Aylward, and Parfons, all profeffors of the firit clafs; but in arranging the performers, and conveying fignals to the feveral parts of that wide-ex-tended orchestra: departments which fell to the lot of Dr. Arnold and Mr. Dupuis, organists and compofers to his majesty, and Mr. Redmond Simpson, eminent and respectable profeffos, of great experience, who may be faid to have acted as adjutant-generals on the occafion; Dr. Arnold and Mr. Dupuis having been placed on different fides of the orchestra, over the vocal choir, and Mr. Simpfon, in the center over the fubordinate inftrumental performers. In felecting thefe delegates among the members of the Mufical Society, great care was taken not to enfeeble the orchestra, by employing fuch performers as were likely to augment its force; but fuch as had either ceafed to play in public, or whofe intruments being the organ and harpfichord, of which only one wanted, accepted of parts which were not the lefs useful for being filently performed.

was

"Of the care and intelligence with which preparations were made for these performances, fome judgment may be formed from the fingle circumftance of the muficbooks that were provided for cach day as two hundred and feventyfour were requifite for the first performance, in the abbey; a hundred and thirty-eight for the Pan theon; and two hundred and fixtyfeven for the Meffiah; amounting, in all, to feven hundred and feventy-nine; not one of which was 5

miffing, or miflaid, nor was an inftrument wanting during the whole commemoration: as the porters had strict orders to convey all the inftruments into the orchestra, at the abbey, by feven o'clock in the morning of each day, to prevent the company from being incommoded by the admiffion of fuch as were unwieldy.

"Few circumstances will perhaps more aftonish veteran muficians, than to be informed, that there was but one general rehearsal for each day's performance: an indifputable proof of the high flate of cultivation to which practical mufic is at prefent arrived in this country; for, if good performers had not been found, ready made, a dozen rehearsals would not have been fufficient to make them fo. Indeed, Mr. Bates, in examining the lift of performers, and enquiring into their feveral merits, fuggefted the idea of what he called a drilling rehearsal, at Tottenhamftreet Concert Room, a week before the performance; in order to hear fuch volunteers, particularly cho rus fingers, as were but little known to himfelf, or of whofe abilities his affiftant was unable to fpeak with certainty. At this rehearsal, though it confifted of a hundred and twenty performers, not more than two of that number were defired to attend no more.

"At the general rehearsal in the abbey, mentioned above, more than five hundred perfons found means to obtain admiffion, in fpite of every endeavour to fhut out all but the performers; for fear of interruption, and perhaps of failure in the first attempts at incorporating and confolidating fuch a numerous band: confifting not only of all the regulars, both native and foreign, which the capital could fur

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