in fpite of native roughnefs, was very fond of mufic. Yet the first time Mrs. Cibber prevailed on HANDEL to fit down to the harpfichord, while he was prefent, on which occafion I remember the great mufician played the overture in Siroe, and delighted us all with the marvellous neatnefs with which he played the jig, at the end of it ;-Quin, after HANDEL was gone, being afked by Mrs. Cibber, whether he did not think Mr. HANDEL had a charming hand? replied," a band, Madam! you mistake, its a foot ;"-" poh! poh! fays fhe, has he not a fine finger?"-"Toes, by G- madam !"-Indeed, his hand was then fo fat, that the knuckles, which ufually appear convex, were like thofe of a child, dinted or dimpled in, so as to be rendered concave; however, his touch was fo fmooth, and the tone of the inftrument so much cherished, that his fingers feemed to grow to the keys. They were fo curved and compact, when he played, that no motion, and scarcely the fingers themselves, could be discovered.'

To the Sketch of Handel's Life, is added a a character of him as a compofer, the juftness of which, we think, will not be difputed by any, except, on the one hand, his idolatrous worshippers, who are to be fatisfied with nothing less than exclufive praise ;—and, on the other, perhaps, a few faftidious amateurs, whofe feeble and fickly delicacy feels no other effect from the fublimeft combinations of choral harmony than that of being stunned. We have, indeed, frequently heard it objected to the chorufes of HANDEL, that they are noify. Undoubtedly, when he was writing them, he did not conceive himself to be penning a whisper.' Had Mr. Bates refigned his office of conductor, which he fo ably discharged, to one of thefe tender-eared critics, (who always remind us of Ben Jonfon's Morofe,) every inftrument in the orchestra would," no doubt, have had its tone muffled by a fordine, and every finger his jaws imprisoned, like thofe of the ancient fluteplayers, by a muzzle."

In this part of his book, Dr. Burney has made fome very fenfible obfervations concerning originality, in anfwer to those who have endeavoured to depreciate the merit of Handel, on account of his not having been the inventor of the different Species of Mufic for which his name has been celebrated.

The character of Handel is followed by a chronological lift of his works,-Proposals for printing a complete edition of them,-And fome Addenda to the Preface and Life.

Through thefe Prolegomena we are led to that which is to be confidered as the principal and most interesting part of the work-the Account of the Mufical Performances in WestminsterAbbey, and the Pantheon, including, by way of introduction, a relation of the origin, progrefs, and completion of this great K 3 defign,

defign, and a defcription of the occafional decorations of the Abbey, the structure of the Throne, and accommodations for the Royal Family, the plan of the Galleries and Orchestrathe extraordinary and Colefal inftruments conftructed, or procured, for the occafion-and whatever elfe can be fuppofed to gratify the curiofity of those who were abfent, or of pofterity.

And here we shall felect, as a fpecimen, the following paffage, in which the author's obfervations on the practice of beating time, and his defcription of the effect refulting from the precision and unity of this admirable band, appear to us to be excellent.

Foreigners, particularly the French, must be much aftonifhed at fo numerous a band, moving in fuch exact measure, without the affiftance of a Coryphæus to beat the time, either with a roll of paper, or a noify baton, or truncheon. Rouffeau fays, that the more time is beaten the lefs it is kept ;" and it is certain, that when the measure is broken, the fury of the mufical-general, or director, increafing with the difobedience and confufion of his troops, he becomes more violent, and his ftrokes and gefticulations more ridiculous, in proportion to their diforder.

The celebrated Lulli, whofe favour in France, during the laft century, was equal to that of HANDEL in England, during the prefent, may be faid to have beat himself to death, by intemperate paffion in marking the meafure to an ill-difciplined band; for in regulating with his cane, the time of a Te Deum, which he had compofed for the recovery of his royal patron Louis XIV. from a dangerous fickness, in 1686, he wounded his foot by accidentally ftriking on that inftead of the floor, in fo violent a manner, that from the contufion occafioned by the blow, a mortification enfued, which cost him his life, at the age of fifty-four!

As this COMMEMORATION is not only the first inftance of a band of fuch magnitude being affembled together, but of any band, at all numerous, performing in a fimilar fituation, without the affiftance of a Manu-dutor, to regulate the measure, the performances in Weftminfter-abbey may be fafely pronounced no less remarkable for the multiplicity of voices and inftruments employed, than for accuracy and precifion. When all the wheels of that huge machine, the Orchestra, were in motion, the effect refembled clock-work in every thing, but want of feeling and expreffion.

And, as the power of gravity and attraction in bodies is proportioned to their mafs and denfity, fo it feems as if the magnitude of this band had commanded and impelled adhesion and obedience, beyond that of any other of inferior force. The pulfations in every limb, and ramifications of veins and arteries in an animal, could not be more reciprocal, ifochronous, and under

2

under the regulation of the heart, than the members of this body of Muficians under that of the Conductor and Leader, The totality of found feemed to proceed from one, voice, and one inftrument; and its powers produced, not only new and exquifite fenfations in judges and lovers of the art, but were felt by those who never received pleafure from Music before."

While we are on this fubject, we cannot refrain from giving another extract, from the Preface, which, we think, confirms what was afferted in the beginning of this article-that Dr. Burney has fucceeded in conveying not only facts, but impreffions, to his readers.

Indeed, the effects of this amazing band, not only overfet all the predictions of ignorance and farcafm, but the conjec tures of theory and experience. By fome it was predicted, that an orchestra fo numerous could never be in tune; but even tuning, to fo noble an organ, was, for once, grand, and productive of pleafing fenfations. By fome it was thought that, from their number and distance, they would never play in time; which, however, they did moft accurately, and without the measure being beat in the ufual clumfy manner. By others it was expected that the band would be fo loud, that whoever heard this performance, would never hear again; however, the found of thefe multiplied tones arrived as mild and benign at the ears of the audience, as if it had been produced by a few felect performers, in a common concert-room. And, laftly, that from the immenfe fize of the building, no fingle voice had the leaft chance of being heard by thofe who had places remote from the orcheftra; but, luckily, this was fo far from being true, that not a vocal breathing, however feeble by nature, or softened by art, was inaudible in any part of the immenfe fpace through which it diffufed itfelf in all directions,"

Thofe readers, of true mufical fenfibility, who were pre: fent, will feel the truth of this defcription. They will, we believe, thank Dr. Burney for thus bringing back to their ear fuch mufical founds as they had never heard before, and in all probability,-till they hear them in the fame place, will never hear again :-founds, which had all that diftant and floating fweetness peculiar to the reverberations of lofty space, without any degree of the confufion and indistinctness which generally attend them. The author has elsewhere remarkedthe happy conftruction of Westminster abbey for cherishing and preferving mufical tones, by a gentle augmentation, with out echo or repetition*.?

Dr. Burney's remarks on the performances of each day, we cannot more juftly characterife, than in the very words

Account of Commemoration, p. 80,

K

which

which he has made use of in his Preface, to announce his own defign.

Though I referve the critical examination of the entire works of HANDEL for the last volume of my Hiftory, yet, as indifcriminate praife is little better than cenfure, I fhall fpecify fuch beauties of compofition and effect as I felt moft forcibly in attending the performance of each day, and for which, by a careful perufal of the fcore, I have fince been enabled to affign reafons.

What the author here profeffes to do, we think he has done. His praife, is not the praife of fuperficial knowledge, or blind attachment. It is not of that indifcriminate and wholesale fort, which by saying every thing fays nothing; which it is in every man's power to give, and which no man who has any just regard for his own fame, would ever with to receive.Nor is it the cold práife of diftant recollection; but, evidently, the warm and genuine impreffion of the moment-produced by feeling, though revifed by judgment..

The Remarks may, indeed, be divided into three claffes learned or technical criticifms-criticifms of tafte-and defcriptions of effects. For inftances of the firft,-which, we doubt not, will be peculiarly acceptable to thofe readers who are verfed in the principles, of Harmony-We fhall content our felves with referring to his obfervations on the Chorus-Sing ye to the Lord, &c.-in Ifrael in Egypt, Note (b) p. 39. and Let all the Angels of Godin the Meffiah, p. 8z.On the fugues of the Overtures in Efther, and Tamerlane, and on the final Amen of the Meffiah.-As examples of the two other kinds of remarks, which, of courfe, are frequently blended, more or less, with each other, we hall, to do juftice to the author, and to gratify our readers, produce two paffages with which we were particularly pleased.

PART OF THE ANTHEM WHICH WAS PERFORMED IN WESTMINSTER-ABBEY AT THE FUNERAL OF HER SACRED MAJESTY QUEEN CAROLINE, 1737.

When the ear heard her, then it blessed her; and when the eye saw her, in gave witness of her, Job xxix. 11.

This elegant, mild, and forrowing ftrain, after all the riotous clangor of jubilation in the Te Deum, and powerful percuffion of drums, and tuneful blafts of trumpets and facbuts, in the Dead March, was foothing and comforting to the ear. Contraft is the great fource of our mufical pleasure; for however delighted we may be with quick, flow, loud, or foft, for a certain time, variety is fo neceffary to ftimulate attention, that the performance which is in want of the one, is never fure of the other. This charming movement is ftill fo new, that it would

do

do honour to the tafte, as well as knowledge in harmony, of any compofer now living. HANDEL had a verfatile genius; and if he had continued to write for the Opera, inftead of the Church, there was no elegance or refinement which Haffe, Vinci, Pergolefi, and their fucceffors, ever attained, that was out of his reach.

She delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless, and him that had none to help him, &c.

.

The trebles finging alone, and only accompanied in unison, by treble inftruments, at the words" kindness, meekness, and comfort were in her tongue," had an admirable effect, in point of contrast, with the full harmony of the rest of this charming chorus. Indeed, this Nania contains all the requifites of good Mufic, in plain counterpoint: as good harmony, melody, rhythm, accent, and expreffion. The beauties of this train are of every age and country; no change of fashion can efface them, or prevent their being felt by perfons of fenfibility.

Their bodies are buried in peace. Ecclef. xliv. 14.

This admirable fragment of folemn and forrowful harmony, in the Church ftyle, almoft wholly without inftruments, is an excellent introduction to the lefs plaintive strain which follows:

• But their name liveth for evermore.

Ibid.

Which is one of the moft fingular and agreeable Chorufes I know, and was performed with an accuracy, power, and fpirit, which neither that, nor, perhaps, any Mufic of the kind ever received before. Each of the three movements from the Funeral Anthem, feemed to excite fuch lively fenfations of grief, as reminded all present of the ravages which death had made among their particular families and friends, and moved many

even to tears.".

The uncommon effects of the mufic upon the audience could not, we think, have been more happily expreffed than in the following paffage, which clofes the account of the first day's performance.

In justice to the audience, it may be faid, that though the frequency of hearing good Mufic in this capital, of late years, has fo far blunted the edge of curiofity and appetite, that the belt Operas and Concerts are accompanied with a buz and murmur of converfation, equal to that of a tumultuous croud, or the din of high 'Change; yet now, fuch a ftillness reigned, as, perhaps, never happened before in fo large an affembly. The midnight hour was never founded in more perfect tranquillity, than every note of these compofitions. I have long been watching the operations of good Mufic on the fenfibility of mankind; but never remember, in any part of Europe, where I attended Mufical Exhibitions, in the Church, Theatre, or Chamber, to have obferved fo much curiofity excited, attention bestowed, or fatisfaction glow in the countenances of those

prefent,