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THEHISTORY OF MUSIC LIBRARY |
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CHAPTER XIX. REVIVAL OF THE IRISH HARP
The Granard Festivals.
The Belfast Harp Meeting. Edward Bunting. Arthur O'Neill. The
Belfast Harp Society. The Dublin Harp Society. Revival of the
Belfast Harp Society. The Irish Harp as a fashion. The Drogheda
Harp Society. The modern Irish Harp. Method of tuning. Between the years 1750 and 1780 the Irish harp, owing to causes which it is unnecessary to mention, was becoming moribund. At length, through the generosity of an Irish exile at Copenhagen, James Dungan, a harp festival was organised at Granard, Co. Longford, in 1781. Seven harpers competed, including a lady, Rose Mooney. At the second Granard Festival, on March 2nd, 1782, nine candidates presented themselves—that is to say, the seven of the previous year, and two others, Catherine Martin and Edward McDermot Roe. Eleven harpers performed at the third meeting, in 1783, at which Dungan himself was present, and a similar number competed in 1784. The fifth and last Granard Festival came off in August, 1785, attended by upwards of a thousand persons. Premiums of seven, five, three, and two guineas were offered. Arthur O'Neill, in his account of these harp meetings, adds :—"In consequence of the harpers who obtained no premiums having been neglected on the former occasions, I hinted a subscription, which was well received and performed [sic]; and, indeed, on distributing the collection, their proportions exceeded our premiums." Six years later, the great Belfast Harp Meeting was held in the Old Exchange, on July 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, 1792. Ten harpers competed—namely, Denis Hampson, Arthur O'Neill, Charles Fanning, Daniel Black, Charles Byrne, Hugh Higgins, Patrick Quin, William Carr, Rose Mooney, and James Duncan. The first prize (ten guineas) was awarded to Charles Fanning, for his playing of Au Cuilfhionn (The Coolin); whilst Arthur O'Neill got second prize (eight guineas), for "The Green Woods of Truagh" and "Madame Crofton." In all, some forty tunes (thirty of which were the compositions of O'Carolan) were played by the ten harpers during the four days' festival, and Edward Bunting, assistant organist to William Ware, of St. Anne's Church, Belfast, was commissioned to noted down the airs. This was the origin of Bunting's first volume of ancient Irish music, published in 1796, towards the publication of which the Belfast Library (still flourishing) contributed a sum of £50. Arthur O'Neill deserves more than a passing notice as the last of the old school of Irish harp-players. Born near Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, in 1726, O'Neill was blind from the age of eight, and was, in 1742, placed under the tuition of Owen Keenan, and, subsequently, of Hugh O'Neill, with a view of becoming a professional harper. Early in 1750 he began his career as a wandering minstrel, and during ten years made a circuit of Ireland, visiting the chief families in each county. As an incident of his visit to the hospitable mansion of Mr. James Irwin, of Streams-town, in 1759, he thus writes in his Memoirs:— "This gentleman [Mr. Irwin] had an ample fortune, and was passionately fond of music. He had four sons and three daughters, who were all proficients; no instrument was unknown to them. There was at one lime a meeting in his house of forty-six musicians, who played in the following order:—The three Miss Irwins at the piano [harpsichord]; myself at harp; six gentlemen, flutes; two gentlemen, violoncellos; ten common pipers; twenty gentlemen, fiddlers; four gentlemen, clarionets."
O'Neill played on the "O'Brien"
harp in Limerick in 1760. He ceased his wanderings in 1778, and
became harp teacher to the family of Dr. James M'Donnell, in Belfast.
His ancestral home at Glenarb, near Caledon, was burned during
the troubles of '98, and he resumed his avocation of minstrel.
From 1808 to 1813 he was teacher of the harp to the Belfast Harp
Society, and he died at Maydown, Co. Armagh, on October 29th,
1816, aged ninety years. His harp is now in the museum of the
Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society. The accompanying illustration is a reproduction of that by Thomas Smyth of Belfast, similar to that which was specially drawn for Bunting's second volume (1809). On March 17th (St. Patrick's Day), 1808, the Belfast Harp Society was formally inaugurated at Linn's Hotel, Castle Street, the subscribers cherishing the idea that such an institution would perpetuate the old school of harpers so praised in the twelfth century by Cambrensis. The Society original subscribers numbered 191, and the total annual subscriptions amounted to £300. Arthur O'Neill was appointed first teacher, and the classes opened with eight boy-pupils and a girl. Harps were supplied by White, M'Clenaghan, and M'Cabe, of Belfast, at a cost of ten guineas each. All went well for three years, but in 1812 the society was in difficulties, and in 1813 it collapsed, having expended during the six years of its existence about £955. In Dublin, a revival of the Irish harp began in 1803, in which year John Egan started a harp factory. In 1805 Lady Morgan1 purchased an Irish harp, and this set the fashion in Dublin, which extended to Dublin Castle and Viceregal circles.In fact, from 1805 to 1845, the pianoforte was temporarily obscured by the Irish harp, and many of Eblana's fair daughters affected a weakness for Erin's national instrument. The Dublin Harp Society—due to the exertions of the unfortunate John Bernard Trotter, ex-secretary to Charles James Fox—was inaugurated on July 13th, 1809, and Patrick Quin, the famous blind harper of Portadown, was appointed teacher. The list of subscribers included "noblemen, gentlemen, and professors," and the names of Sir Walter Scott, Sir Henry Wilkinson, Tom Moore, Joseph Cooper Walker, and other literary personages appear as generous donors. Trotter himself subsidised the society to the extent of £200, and the Bishop of Kildare gave his house at Glasnevin for an academy. The only tangible work accomplished by this society was the giving of a Carolan Commemoration at the Private Theatre, Fishamble Street, on September 20th, 1809, which was repeated on the 27th of the same month. These performances realised £215, and Sir John Stevenson, Logier, Willman, Dr. Spray, Tom Cooke, Miss Cheese, and Dr. Weyman assisted, with harp solos by Patrick Quin. The Rules and Regulations of the Dublin Harp Society were printed in 1810, at which date Patrick Quin had four blind boys under instruction. Alas! the society became defunct in 1812, and poor Trotter died a pauper, in Cork, in 1818. The Belfast Harp Society was re-established in 1819, as the result of a meeting held to administer a fund of £1200, forwarded by some Irish exiles in India, "to revive the harp and ancient music of Ireland". Classes were again started, and a small number of harps was procured, the pupils being selected from "the blind and the helpless." This benevolent scheme lingered on for almost twenty years, regarding which Petrie writes as follows:— "The effort of the people of the North to perpetuate the existence of the harp in Ireland, by trying to give a harper's skill to a number of poor blind boys, was at once a benevolent and a patriotic one; but it was a delusion. The harp at the time was virtually dead, and such effort could give it for a while only a sort of galvanised vitality. The selection of blind boys, without any greater regard for their musical capacities than the possession of the organ of hearing, for a calling which doomed them to a wandering life, was not a well-considered benevolence, and should never have had any fair hope of success." In 1809 Irish harps were purchased by many titled dames in Ireland, and the fashion survived till 1835. John Egan's harps were in much request, as is evident from the following extract of a letter written by the Marchioness of Abercorn to Lady Morgan:—"Your harp is arrived, and, for the honour of Ireland, I must tell you, it is very much admired and quite beautiful. Lady Aberdeen played on it for an hour, and thought it very good, almost as good as a French harp. . . . Pray tell poor Egan I shall show it off to the best advantage, and I sincerely hope he will have many orders in consequence." In 1822 Charles Egan published a Harp Primer, which was reprinted in 1829; and he also issued, in 1827, the Royal Harp Director. So extensive was his trade in the matter of Irish harps that he had two shops in Dublin. However, after the year 1835, the "fad" went out, and Egan's Irish harp factory disappeared. A new Harp Society was established at Drogheda on January 15th, 1842, owing to the patriotic zeal of the Rev. T. V. Burke, a Dominican friar of that town. The first year's report showed a class of fifteen pupils, with Hugh Fraser as teacher. Twelve new harps were procured, Drogheda manufacture, at a cost of three guineas each. From the printed programme of the first public concert of the Drogheda Harp Society, on Monday, February 24th, 1844, it appears that Mr. Fraser had taught sixteen pupils. At this concert the harpers were assisted by Miss Flynn, Mr. Halpin, Mr. Dowdall, and Mr. M'Entaggart. The second concert was given in 1848, after which the society collapsed. Then came the famine, and the gradual disappearance of the old harpers. After this, the Irish harp was neglected till the Irish Ireland Movement, inaugurated by William Rooney and the United Irishman, and fostered by the Gaelic League, Celtic Literary Society, and kindred associations, again galvanised the national instrument into life. From 1897 the Oireachtas and Feis Ceoil have had harp competitions, but the feeling is irresistibly borne on the impartial observer that, save as a matter of sentiment, the Irish harp has been ousted in popular circles by the pianoforte and violin. All the same, there is something so essentially characteristic about the Irish harp that, as a national instrument, it must be kept alive. Perhaps the best proof of the demand for the Irish harp is that there are two harp factories in Belfast, and the instruments are really very fine, especially those made by Mr. James M'Fall. The
compass of the Irish harp is about four octaves, from
C to G in alt, and the strings are of catgut—the C's
being coloured red, and the F's blue. It
is tuned by fifths and octaves, and the < performers
can prove the tuning by other
CHAPTER XX. THE DOUBLE-ACTION HARP
Marie Antoinette harp.
Sebastian Erard. Improved single-action harp of 1792. Double-action
harp of 1810. Advantages of the double-action harp. Appreciation
by John Thomas. The ''Grecian" harp of 1815. The Gothic harp.
It has been seen that the Cousineaus, père et fils, had improved on Hochbrucker's invention in regard to the pedal, by the use of small metal plates (béquilles), enclosing the strings, and by the introduction of a slide for raising or lowering the bridge-pin, thus regulating the length of the string. But, above all, they doubled the pedals and the mechanism connected therewith, and just fell short of the honour of inventing the double-action harp—the work of that famous mechanician Sebastian Erard, a name identified not only with the harp, but with the pianoforte. Naderman's improvements have also been alluded to. The lovely harp which he made for Marie Antoinette in 1780 is now in the South Kensington Museum. To Sebastian Erard is undoubtedly due the deserved position which the harp holds today, whether in the orchestra or as a solo instrument. It was in 1786 that this remarkable man (born at Strasburg, on April 5th, 1752) commenced a series of patient investigations which resulted in the magnificent double-action harp of today. > In 1792 Erard took out a patent in London for an improved pedal-action harp, and returned to Paris in 1796, having started a successful piano and harp factory in the English metropolis. This improved harp was still only single-action, but with the immense advantage of the fork mechanism—that is to say, the disc containing the two studs, which, in its revolution by the action of the pedal, gripped the string without drawing it from the level of the other strings, as was previously the case. Some of these improved single-action harps, by Erard, are till to be seen, and their general style of decoration was marked by a ram's head carved at the top of the pillar. Between the years 1801 and 1805 Erard worked at models of a harp with a double movement, and in 1809 he patented his first idea of the double-action harp. His first effort in that direction was only partially double, as the double-movement only extended to the notes A and D. At length, in 1810, Erard's genius triumphed over all obstacles, and he was able to employ the double-action fully—the instrument being generally known as the "Grecian" harp. He took out a patent for the double-action harp in the same year. Erard employed seven pedals only, as in the single-action harp; but developed the cranks and levers acted on by the pillar-rods so as to operate on the discs. Instead of the cumbrous and numerous plates employed by Cousineau, Erard only used two brass ones, forming the comb, and he got rid of the antiquated plan of building up the sound-board with staves. As Erard's
double-action harp is tuned in C flat, by using the seven pedals
successively the performer can readily play in the keys of Gb,
Db, Ab, Eb, Bb,Fb, and Cb. A further action of the pedal
raises the pitch another semitone, thus effecting a change of
a whole tone, and makes the instrument capable of being played
on in the keys of G, D, A, E, B, F, and C. As a result,
Erard succeeded in doing away with all complications of
fingering for the various
scales and keys—a difficulty not unknown to learners
on the piano,—as by his remarkable invention, the
fingering on the double-action harp is the same in all
keys. John Thomas thus writes of Erard's invention: "The pedal-harp is an immense improvement, in a musical sense, upon any former invention, as it admits of the most rapid modulation into every key, and enables the performer to execute passages and combinations that would not have been dreamed of previously. In the double-action harp, as perfected by Erard, each note has its flat, natural, and sharp, which is not the case with any other stringed instrument; and this enables the modern harpist to produce those beautiful enharmonic effects which are peculiar to the instrument. Another remarkable advantage is the reduction in the number of strings to one row, which enables the performer not only to keep the instrument in better tune, but to use a thicker String, and thus attain a quality of tone, which, for mellowness and richness may be advantageously compared with that of any other instrument." Sebastian Erard, who took out a patent for his perfected repetition grand piano action, in London, in 1821, died at Paris, August 5th, 1831, and was succeeded by his nephew, Pierre Erard. From 1810 to 1835 the "Grecian" model held the field; but, in 1836, Pierre Erard patented the "Gothic" harp, which soon superseded the "Grecian." The Gothic Harp was not only a larger instrument, but one of a much more powerful tone. The action was practically unchanged, but Pierre Erard effected several improvements, notably such as were afforded by a greater space between the strings and a broader sounding board. He died at the Chiteau de la Muette, Passy, near Paris, on August 18th, 1855. The illustrations on the preceding page represent the latest forms of Gothic Harp made by the famous house of Erard.
CHAPTER XXI VIRTUOSI OF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY. Madame Spohr. Dizi.
Henry Horn. C. A. Baur. Neville Butler Challoner. Thomas Paul
Chipp. Bochsa. Parish Alvars. J. B. Chatterton—Eulenstein. A.
Prumier. Charles Oberthür. John Thomas. Aptommas. John Cheshire.
Among the virtuosi on the harp whose playing attracted considerable attention during the early years of the nineteenth century, Madame Spohr was conspicuous. She accompanied her husband in his tours, and performed many pieces for violin and harp, as well as some charming solos specially composed for her by Spohr. She appeared as a harpist for the last time in London at Spohr's farewell concert, in 1820, and her playing elicited the warmest plaudits. Two years later she retired, owing to ill-health, and died in 1834. Dizi was for many years resident in London, and displayed much ability in his fourfold capacity as harpist, teacher, composer, and inventor. In the season of 1820 he was the leader of the band of harps—twelve in number—employed by Sir Henry Bishop at Covent Garden oratorios. Among his harp compositions were sonatas, fantasias, and romances. As an inventor Dizi must be credited with a praiseworthy effort to improve the volume of tone of the harp. His "perpendicular harp" was built on the principle that the tension of the strings acting on a centre parallel to the centre of the column as well as to that of the sonorous body required strong metal plates; and the column supporting the mechanism took the pressure on the centre. The name "perpendicular" was given by Dizi to his improved harp, as the strings were placed vertically, making no angle. He also substituted a damper pedal (invented by William Southwell, of Dublin, in 1804) for the swell, by means of which the sous étouffées were produced, thus differing from the prevailing method—by the hand. Henry Horn (born in 1789) was a Parisian, who studied under Meyer and Elouis; and, in 1812, he settled in London, having the year previously introduced Erard's double-action harp at Bath. Both as a teacher and a player he was extensively patronised, and he published numerous pieces for his instrument, including an Instruction Book for the Single and Double-Movement Harp. After the year 1817 his fame as a performer was eclipsed by that of Bochsa. Another distinguished harpist who settled in London was Charles Alexis Baur. Born at Tours, in 1789, he inherited his musical talent from both his Charles father and mother, who were teachers of the Baur piano and harp. In 1805 he proceeded to Paris, where he perfected his knowledge of the harp under Naderman. Between the years 1820 and 1825 he had a large clientele in London, and composed a variety of pieces for the harp, as well as some arrangements for the harp and flute. Neville Butler Challoner, born in London, in 1784, was a violinist in his early days; but, in 1803, took up the study of the harp and became a brilliant player. He was appointed harpist at the Opera House in 1809, and continued in that position till 1829. He published a large quantity of music, including A Method of the Harp (1806), duos concertantes, romances, polaccas, fantasias, etc. Thomas Paul Chipp deserves notice as a remarkable English harpist. He first saw the light in London in 1793, and studied the harp when quite a child. In 1720 he was appointed harpist to Covent Garden Theatre, and published some pieces for his instrument. He is better remembered as the player of the "Tower drums," and as father of the late Dr. E. T. Chipp. His death occurred on June 19th, 1870, four years after his retirement. Incomparably greater than any of these was Robert Nicholas Charles Bochsa, the son of a flute and clarinet player, born at Montmedy in the department of the Meuse, on August 9th, 1789. Under his father's tuition he became very proficient, and at eleven years of age played a flute concerto of his own composition. In 1805 he composed an oratorio, followed by an opera, and in 1806 took seriously to the study of the harp. Having studied under Catel, Mehul, Naderman, and Marin, he laboured continually to produce new effects from his instrument, and in a short time raised the harp to a position in the orchestra hitherto undreamed of. Bochsa was appointed harpist to the Emperor Napoleon in 1813, and, on the restoration of Louis XVIII, in 1815, was commanded to compose an opera (Les Héritiers Mechaux), followed by his appointment as royal harpist in 1816. Unfortunately, owing to certain tampering with figures, he was obliged to seek a friendly haven in England in 1817, and, in his absence, was formally tried and condemned to undergo a heavy sentence, in addition to a fine of four thousand francs. It is a commonplace of musical history that Bochsa succeeded in giving a tremendous vogue to the study of the harp in London, reckoning amongst his pupils many subsequently famous harpists, like Parish Alvars and Chatterton. As an illustration of the harp craze at this epoch, it may be mentioned that at the Covent Garden "oratorios" of 1821, whilst Sir Henry Bishop employed twelve harps, headed by Dizi, Sir George Smart, at Drury Lane, had thirteen harps, with Bochsa as leader. In 1823 Bochsa was Professor of the Harp at the Royal Academy of Music, and leader of the Lenten oratorios; and in 1826 he replaced Costa as conductor at the King's Theatre— a position which he held till 1832. From 1817 to 1837 he gave annual concerts, the programmes of which invariably contained novelties by himself. Sad to relate, his irregularities were so notorious that he was dismissed from the Royal Academy of Music in 1827, and at the close of the year 1839 he eloped with the wife of Sir Henry Tour Bishop. For sixteen years he had successful concert tours in every quarter of the globe, save France. His reception in America was very cordial, whilst in Ireland he created a perfect furore. During dis visit to Dublin, in 1837, Bochsa carefully examined the "O'Brien" harp, and expressed his wonder at such a venerable instrument. At length, in Australia, he was stricken with a fatal attack of dropsy, to which he succumbed, at Sydney, on January 6th, 1856. Though regarded
as a charlatan by many writers, there is no gainsaying the fact
that Bochsa stands forth as one of the greatest virtuosi of
the nineteenth century. Had he been less prolific as a composer,
he would also rank among the foremost writers for the harp.
Several hundred compositions of all kinds appeared from his
fertile pen, but not half-a-dozen were of a perennial value.
His last composition was a Requiem, which was performed at his
own obsequies. His Harp Method is still used. Elias Parish Alvars was born of Jewish ancestry, at Teignmouth, on February 28th, 1808. Having studied the harp under Dizi, Labarre, and Bochsa, his fame as a harpist began to be recognised in 1824. Between the years 1831 and 1836 Alvars he was almost continuously on the Continent, giving harp performances in Germany, Italy, and Austria, with the utmost success. During the season 1836-37 he was back again in London; but from 1838 to 1841 he journeyed in the East, availing of the tour to collect Oriental tunes, especially those of Turkey and Asia Minor. Parish Alvars was at Leipzig in 1842, and at Berlin, Frankfort, Dresden, and Prague in the following year; subsequently appearing at Naples, where was much admired. During the year 1846 he foregathered with Mendelssohn at Leipzigand finally settled down at Vienna in 1847, having been appointed chamber harpist to the Emperor. His death occurred at Vienna, January 25th, 1849, aged 41. His playing was that of a true artist, and he continually aimed at securing fresh effects. His compositions number about a hundred,including four concertos for harp and orchestra, also fantasias, transcriptions, romances, and melodies for harp and piano, many of which are still in request. His collection of Eastern melodies was published as Voyage d'un Harpiste en Orient. John Balsir Chatterton, born at Portsmouth, in 1802, evinced a taste for the harp at an early age, and was placed for instruction under Bochsa and Labarre. His first public appearance was at a concert given by the boy-pianist, George Aspull, in London, in 1824. Three years later he was appointed Professor of the Harp at the Royal Academy of Music, in succession to Bochsa, and in 1842 was honoured by the appointment as harpist to Queen Victoria. Not alone was Chatterton a distinguished performer on the harp, but he was a composer of numerous transcriptions from the operas, and of songs with harp accompaniment. For the long period of almost forty-four years he taught at the Royal Academy of Music, and formed the style of hundreds of harpists. He died in London, April 9th, 1871. Although the Jews' harp cannot rightly be regarded as a serious instrument, yet, in the season of 1877-78, London went wildly enthusiastic over the performance of Charles Eulenstein, a native of Wurtemberg, on sixteen Jews harps. For years this extraordinary genius had applied himself to the best method of producing novel effects from this primitive instrument, and he succeeded admirably. In later years he became a teacher of the guitar at Bath, and in 1870 returned to Germany, ending his days in Styria, in 1890, aged 88. Antoine Prumier, an eminent Parisian harpist, was born July 28th, 1794, and, after a preliminary course of lessons from his mother, entered the Conservatoire in 1810, obtaining the second harmony prize in 1812. In 1818 he became harpist in the orchestra of the Italiens, and in 1835 took up a similar position at the Opera Comique. In November 1835, on the death of Naderman, Prumier was appointed Professor of the Harp at the Conservatoire, which post he held till 1867, when he resigned in favour of Theodore Labarre. Meantime, on his retirement, in 1840, from the Opera Comique, he was succeeded by his son Conrad, an eminent harpist, born in 1820. Prumier's greatest triumph
was in 1865, when he received the Legion of Honour. Of his numerous
concertos, fantasies, rondos, and airs varies, few have survived,
though many of them were very popular forty years ago. He died
suddenly on January 21st, 1868, leaving a son, Conrad, who inherited
to the full the ability of a true harp lover. Conrad Prumier
was so remarkable as a harpist that, on the death of Labarre
(April 1870), he was appointed professor of the instrument
at the Conservatoire. He died at Paris, in 1884. As an ardent exponent of the Welsh triple harp Ellis Roberts was famous even outside the Principality. Born at Dolgelly in 1819, he was appointed harpist to the Prince of Wales in 1866, and died in London, December 6th, 1873. He will be best remembered as author of the only Tutor published for the Welsh harp. Charles Oberthiür shone both as a virtuoso on the harp and as a composer. Born at Munich, on March 4th, 1819, he studied under Elise Brauchle and G. V. Roder, and in 1837 was engaged as harpist to the Zurich theatre. In 1840 we find him at Wiesbaden, and in 1842 he took a position at Mannheim. At length, attracted by the promises of influential English friends, he determined to visit London, the Mecca of most virtuosi. Oberthür settled in London in October 1844, and at once found favour both as a teacher and performer, but excelled as a popular composer. For a time he was harpist at the Italian Opera, but his other engagements prevented him from continuing in the position. In addition to his numerous solos, duos, trios, and concertinos for the harp, Oberthür composed an opera, Floris de Namur (produced at Wiesbaden), and a fine Mass in honour of St. Philip Neri, as also Overtures to Macbeth and Rübesahl. He died at London in 1895. John Thomas, better known in the Principality as "Pencerdd Gwalia", has had a world-wide fame both as a harpist and composer. He first saw the light at Bridgend (Glamorganshire), on St. David's Day (March 1st), 1826, and at the age of eleven performed at the Eisteddfod held at Abergavenny, winning a silver harp .Entering the Royal Academy of Music in 1840, he had the advantage of J. B. Chatterton's tuition on the harp; whilst he studied compositions under Charles Lucas and Cipriani Potter, and the piano under C. J. Read. For eight years he availed fully the teaching given at the Academy, and composed an opera entitled Alfred the Great, a symphony, some overtures, a harp concerto, quartets, etc. In 1850 he was appointed harpist in the orchestra of Her Majesty's Opera, and in 1851 he had a successful concert tour on the Continent, playing at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Concerts on October 3rd, 1852. From 1851 to 1861 he journeyed every winter to the big musical centres of Europe, and played to delighted audiences in France, Germany, Russia, Austria, and Italy, appearing for the second time at Leipzig in January 1861. At the Aberdare Eisteddfod of 1861, Mr. Thomas was conferred the title of "Pencerdd Gwalia," or "chief of the Welsh minstrels"; and on July 4th, 1862, he gave his first concert of Welsh music at St. James's Hall, London, employing a chorus of four hundred, and a band of twenty harps. This performance gave a tremendous fillip to harp-playing, and adequately proved the capabilities of the Erard double-action harp as an orchestral instrument. For thirty years Thomas gave an annual harp concert in London, which afforded an opportunity of bringing forward some of his own compositions. At the Swansea Eisteddfod of 1863 his dramatic cantata Llewelyn was performed; and he conducted his most ambitious work, The Bride of Neath Valley, at the Chester Eisteddfod of 1866, on which occasion he was given a presentation of five hundred guineas, in acknowledgment of his invaluable services in the cause of Welsh music. A fine harp concerto of his was performed at the Philharmonic (London) in 1852. However, he is better known by his harp transcriptions of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Schubert. On the death of Chatterton, in 1871, Thomas was appointed Professor of the Harp at the Royal Academy of Music, and harpist to Queen Victoria. In the same year he was conductor of the Scholarship Welsh Choral Union, a body which popularised Welsh music by its concerts, carried on for six years. So great was his enthusiasm in the development of music in Wales, that he collected a sum sufficient to endow a scholarship for natives of the Principality at the Royal Academy of Music in 1883, which scholarship bears his name. American readers need scarcely be reminded that Thomas acted as adjudicator at the Eisteddfod at Chicago Exposition, in 1893. On September 6th of that year his Llewelyn was produced with marked success, and on September 18th his harp concert was even a greater triumph. At the Cardiff (Wales) Conference of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, in January, 1897, Thomas read a researchful paper on the "Music of Wales," on which subject he was a prime authority. Of more permanent value is his collection of Welsh melodies for voice, with harp accompaniment, in four volumes. Thomas Thomas, a younger brother of the preceding harpist (better known as Aptommas), is an excellent performer and teacher, though his fame has been overshadowed by that of Jonn Thomas. Born at Bridgend, in 1829, he studied the harp from his early years, and gave many successful concerts both at home and on the Continent, between the years 1851-67. His History of the Harp, issued in 1859, contains much useful information, though not altogether trustworthy. Aptommas, on January 18th, 1872, performed at the Gewandhaus Concerts, Leipzig, and his playing was much admired. His success in America is too well known to be dwelt on, and as recently as January 16th, 1905, he gave a very fine concert at the Carnegie Hall, New York. As a teacher he is deservedly in high repute, and one of his best-known pupils is Owen Lloyd, the great Irish harpist. < Among the virtuosi of the last century John Cheshire claims a high place, and he also has distinguished himself as a composer. He was born at Birmingham on March 28th, 1839, and took to the harp when quite a child. His harp studies were made under the direction of Chatterton at the Royal Academy of Music from 1852 to 1855, and he completed his musical training under Macfarren. In 1855 he was appointed harpist in the orchestra of the Royal Italian Opera, and, ten years later, was given the post of principal harpist at Her Majesty's Theatre. His cantata, The King and the Maiden, was produced at St. James's Hall, London, on April 20th, 1865. > Cheshire's concert tours,
between the years 1858 and 1879, embraced South America (where
he produced his opera Diana), Norway, Sweden, and other
centres, and his harp playing was everywhere much admired. In
1880 he led a band of harps at the Belfast Musical Festival, organised by
the late Walter Newport. In 1886, his cantata, The Buccaneers,
was published, and he also issued numerous pieces for the harp,
including six romances. Like other harpists, Cheshire was tempted to cater for the growing taste in favour of the harp in America, and accordingly, in 1887, he settled in that country, becommg harpist to the National Opera Company in 1888. He secured a good teaching connection in Brooklyn, in 1890, where he resided for some years. Mr. Cheshire, it should be added, was harpist to H.R.H. the late Duke of Edinburgh. CHAPTER XXII THE HARP IN THE ORCHESTRA.
Louis Spohr. Giacomo
Meyerbeer. Hector Berlioz. The ideal orchestra. l'Enfance
du Christ. Franz Liszt. Michael William Balfe. Richard Wagner.
The Rheingold. Die Walkure. Charles Gounod. Franz Lachner.
Charles Oberthür. A strange combination. Dom Perosi. The future
of the harp. Louis Spohr (1784-1859), as before stated, scored very successfully for the harp, doubtless due to the fact that his accomplished wife—Dorette Scheidler—was an excellent harpist. In Messrs. Breitkopf and Hartel's catalogue of Spohr's works there are enumerated seven compositions for the harp—namely, Nos. 16, 35, 36, 113, 114, 115, and 118, of which his Sonate Concertante for Harp and Violin, and his Fantasia for Harp and Violin are well known. Meyerbeer
(1791-1864), a very Titan in his way, made Berlioz (1803-69), the
colossus of the orchestra, fully appreciated the advantage
of the harp in orchestral work, as may be evidenced from his
sketch of the ideal orchestra: 142 strings, four of which
are tuned an octave below the double basses; 30 grand pianofortes)
30 harps, etc. Even abstracting from the eccentric ideals marvellously gifted king of the orchestra, there is no doubt but that his employment of the harp in the orchestra, whether for opera, oratorio, cantata, or symphony, has rendered the instrument absolutely indispensable in the expression of certain effects. No other instrument—or combination of instruments—in the orchestra can give the desired tone-colour to certain passages, such as those illustrative of angelic choirs, etc. In his autobiography he says: "Shut me up in a room with one or two Erard harps, and I am perfectly happy." It is not generally known that it was to the inspiration of his Irish wife—Henrietta Smithson, of Ennis, Co. Clare—that Berlioz composed his Maude, an arrangement of nine Irish melodies as set by Tom Moore. One of the most charming pieces in his exquisite L'Enfance du Christ (originally written under the title of Fuite en Egypte)—his one oratorio, composed between the years 1850-54—is a trio for two flutes and a harp. Liszt (1811-86), even more
than Berlioz, utilised the harp for his orchestral settings. His
beautiful "Hymn de l'Enfant a son Reveil" is arranged for
female chorus, organ, and harp; whilst his "St. Cecilia" is scored
for mezzo-soprano, chorus, piano, harp, and harmonium. It
is interesting to add that, as a result of the scoring of
Meyerbeer, Berlioz, and Liszt, the orchestra of the Grand
Opera of Paris, in 1854, had twenty 1st violins, twenty 2nd
violins, four harps, etc. The Bayreuth orchestra of 1876
had six harps—a final triumph for the double-action harp.
It was only natural that
Balfe (1808-70) should utilise Erin's national instrument,
and, therefore, we are not surprised to find him employing
the harp in his operas. He uses a remarkable combination—viz.,
the cornet, harp, and corni, to accompany "The Light of Other
Days" in his Maid of Artois. Wagner (1813-83),
in the highest degree, has definitely fixed the place of
the harp in the modern orchestra, although
Berlioz had, in a sense, forestalled him; indeed, Wagner himself
admits that as early as 1840 he profited
greatly by a study of Berlioz's instrumentation. What can
be more beautiful than the exquisite music
EPILOGUE. There are many phases of the harp that the keen critic may perhaps feel surprised at no reference to—e.g. harp mechanism, harp ornamentation, harp legends, etc.; but these did not exactly come within the scope of the present volume. Nor did we enter into the construction of the instrument from a technical point of view, the aim of the series being to present in a popular way a connected story of the particular phase of musical art dealt with. We have also omitted any notices of twentieth-century composers or virtuosi, for the sufficient reason that an unbiassed judgment can scarcely be found of the musical happenings of the past five years. However, we have endeavoured to put before the reader, in simple language, the essential features of the history of the harp from prehistoric times to the close of the last century. Going back into the misty past, the harp has been associated with the most ancient peoples. Pretermitting the numerous allusions in the Bible, the discoveries of the past ten years have amply confirmed previous views as to early existence of harps among the Cretans, Babylonians, Egyptians, and other nations. Petrie, Evans, and Boscawen have unearthed vases, tablets, and seals with pictorial representations of harps, of a date at least three thousand years before Christ. Beautiful Apollo lyres, too, have recently been discovered in Greece, and the visitor of today may feast his eyes on the beautiful instruments depicted on marble in the National Museum at Athens. Mr. Boscawen is inclined to believe that one of the Chaldaean sculptures, dating from over four thousand years before Christ, depicts the harp and pipes as attributed to Jubal. It is truly marvellous that the harp, which seemed threatened with extinction at the close of the seventeenth century, should have received a new lease of life early in the succeeding century. Not alone was there a revival of the instrument, but, as we have seen, the harp began to take its place in the orchestra ere the close of the eighteenth century. The improvements of Hochbrucker, Cousineau, and Erard have elevated the minstrel's harp almost to the plane of the violin, and most of the great masters of the nineteenth century have recognised the value of the double-action harp. In ancient Ireland there are numerous legends in which the harp plays no unimportant part. Similarly, in England, Scotland, and Wales, there are innumerable legends of harps and harpers; but these belong to the regions of romance, and cannot hope for a place in a sober historical narrative. Notwithstanding the very advanced state of modern orchestration and its influence on the accompaniment of even simple ballads, it is a hopeful sign of the times to observe the rising enthusiasm in favour of old folk tunes and songs. Within the past eight years the once despised folk melodies of the olden time are become things to be desired, and whether in Germany, America, England, or Ireland, there is an undoubted tendency to ferret out and cultivate old folk tunes. And just as a love for the melodies of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has grown up, having been introduced into all our primary and secondary schools, so also a revival of the harp has taken place. In Ireland, the Feis Ceoil and Oireachtas; in Wales, the Eisteddfod; and in Scotland, the Mod—all contribute their quota towards the popularising of the harp. Thus, the harp lives on, ever and anon reminding the listener of days that are gone, conjuring up memories of old-time artists, whether in Babylonia, Persia, Greece, Ireland, Judaea, Britain, Egypt, and Chaldea; acquiring a new lease of life in the hands of Bochsa, Oberthiir, and Thornas; and finally taking its place in the orchestral scores of Wagner, Berlioz, Liszt, Gounod, Perosi. Who knows but that in some mysterious and as yet inscrutable way the harp may again become the instrument of fashion? One thing is certain, that the harp has a charm all its own, whilst it can point to traditions of the remotest antiquity.
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