for an occasional visit; but they must settle their doubts, and choose their course, on a more earthly level. Now, the sort of treatise we have been recommending brings the affair more home to our businesses and our bosoms. Any one may safely reason, that, if Romanism be in truth such as it is here exhibited in genuine quotations from its own advocates, from their own words, their own declarations and requisitions, their own records of their deeds-if this be their portrait of what they conceive to be " pure and undefiled religion," then their vaunt of a per petual succession of miracles is no more than is needful to prove it. Nay, perhaps doubters may well stand excused, if a miracle to all and each be not vouchsafed to quiet the irrepressible reclamations of natural feeling against what too surely seems superstition, fraud, and tyranny. No such supernatural interference is, however, necessary; the incubus, which craft had conjured up for the oppression of the Christian world, was taken off at the Reformation; and they are timid dreamers indeed, who, after being so relieved, will allow it to cumber them again. MUSICAL LITERATURE. THERE are several kinds of literary works connected with music. Of one kind, are those which treat of the doctrine of musical sounds, as a branch of physical science; and of another, are those which treat of music as one of the arts. These two subjects are totally unconnected with each other. The theory of acoustics is of no value to the musician; nor will the most consummate skill in music be of any use to the student of acoustics. This circumstance has been too little attended to; and treatises on the art of music have frequently been encumbered with a mass of mathematical and physical dissertation, calculated merely to perplex the student, and divert his attention from the proper objects of study. We meet, accordingly, with many individuals, who, in consequence of studies of this sort, think themselves musicians; and, because they have investigated the mathematical doctrines of vibrations and ratios, talk learnedly of musical compositions, though they neither possess a spark of the feeling necessary to appreciate them, nor know a single rule employed in their production. We have not yet heard of any body assuming the character of a connoisseur in painting, in consequence of being acquainted with optics. only antiquaries. After reading volumes upon volumes on this subject, all we learn is, that we know nothing of the matter. We acquire, however, a great number of hard and highsounding words, which are too valuable to be thrown away; and, therefore, to turn our learning to account, we assume the character of musical conoscenti and critics; though, for any thing our studies may have taught us, we may as well pretend to be connoisseurs in the music of the spheres. The study of acoustics is valuable, as a branch of natural philosophy; and the study of ancient music may throw light on the researches of the antiquary; and these studies are, undoubtedly, worthy of the mɛn of science, the man of letters, and the gentleman who bestows his lejsure on intellectual pursuits. But no truly great musician ever gave them any share of his attention. There have been men, indeed, like Dr Pepusch, who, with their heads stuffed full of mathematical and antiquarian lore, professed also to be musical artists. But the total want of fancy and feeling, and of every thing that belongs to the poetry of music, the plodding mechanical disposition which led to the nature of their studies,-have always been found to disqualify them from the There is another kind of literature production of any beautiful work of connected with music, which consists art, and the music of Pepusch (the of dissertations on the music of the representative of a class,) is as arid ancients. Upon the strength of such as his studies. Who ever heard of studies, many persons, too, think the mathematical or antiquarian themselves musicians, while they are learning of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven? These "mighty magicians," it is well known, never troubled themselves about the divisions of the monochord, or the genera of the Greeks. They required no calculation of ratios, to tell them how an interval should be tuned, nor dreamed of looking for musical ideas among the jargon which some learn ed enquirers have rescued from oblivion, in the shape of hymns to Apollo, &c. To such minds, this solemn trifling would be a drudgery not to be borne. In speaking of musical literature, then, it is proper to exclude all those works,which entirely, or chiefly, treat of acoustics, or musical antiquities. Such works, indeed, are sometimes written by persons who have musical knowledge and feeling, and contain occasional indications of these qualities. Where this occurs, however, the passage is a mere digression, superfluous in a strictly scientific point of view, but agreeable to the musical student who strays into these regions, to whom it is as delightful as the green spot and cool fountain to the weary pilgrim of the desart. The musical lucubrations of the late celebrated Professor Robison, in the Encyclopædia Britannica, are as useless to the musician, as valuable to the natural philosopher, and yet they are worth the perusal even of the musician, were it only for the fine touches of sensibility and taste which they contain. In the same manner, it is difficult to imagine any thing more useless to a musician, than the disquisitions which occupy almost the whole of the first volume of Burney's History of Music; and yet that very agreeable writer has contrived to scatter flowers over the path of musical antiquities, which beguile the weariness of the journey, and make us sometimes forget its bootlessness. None of these flowers, however, are indigenous to so barren a soil; they are all exotics, and brought from the very distant regions of fancy and feeling. It is very common to speak of the science, and of the theory of music; but this language we cannot help thinking incorrect. Music, we conceive, is not a science, nor has it a theory. It is an art,-like poetry or painting, in the exercise of which, we are directed by a number of tech nical rules, which have no resem blance to the deductions from the theory of a science. It has, however, been the fashion for writers on music, to lay down a Theory of Harmony," and then to deduce from it the "practice of Composition." Such was the method of Rameau, whose system, as expounded and arranged by D'Alembert, acquired almost universal authority throughout Europe. In the celebrated Treatise of D'Alembert, an attempt is made to deduce all the laws of harmony from one or two principles of acoustics; and this is done with such an air of simplicity and apparent demonstration, that the work is captivating to the young student of music, who thinks he has found an unerring clue through all the labyrinths of counterpoint. In this respect he is soon undeceived: but even after he throws aside D'Alembert, he finds it difficult to break the fetters in which he has been bound. He retains, in spite of himself, the habit of referring every thing to the system to which he has been accustomed; and as, in the modern music especially, he meets every instant with combinations, which are irreconcileable to that system, he feels as if music were altogether capricious and lawless. To pursue his studies successfully, he must forget D'Alembert; and this (we speak from experience) is no easy task. Though the authority of this famous system is now at an end on the continent, and even in the country which gave it birth, yet our English treatises on composition still bear too many traces of its influences. Where music is judiciously taught, all attempts at scientific investigations are abandoned. It is taught, like grammar and rhetoric, by stating and exemplifying a series of rules, which are merely general expressions of the practice of the greatest masters. For the rules of musical grammar, no reason can be given, but that an observance of them has been found necessary, by experience, in order to please the ear; and for some of them, probably, all that can be said is, that such is the general practice of composers. The laws of harmony are far from being so fixed as those of the Medes and Persians; and the code of to-day differs enormously from that of a century ago. The works of Beethoven and Weber contain sounds that would have made every hair of Handel's wig stand upright with horror, and probably would have been the death of the gentle and sensitive Corelli. The harmony of Mozart is now felt, and universally admitted, to be exquisitely pure and delicate; and yet, when his Quartetts first appeared, a copy, sent by the publisher to Italy, was returned on his hands, as being full of mistakes of the engraver! The rules of musical rhetoric, however, are of a higher class. They are founded on the unchangeable principles of human nature, and are, therefore, permanent and universal in their application. If music is considered in reference to the inventive power, the imagination, judgment, and profundity displayed in its composition,-in regard to its power of awakening the fancy and touching the heart,-to the truth of its dramatic expression,-to the purity of its style, and the symmetry of its structure, a great variety of general considerations present themselves, from which canons of criticism may be deduced, according to which the merit of musical productions may be estimated, in every age and country, whatever differences there may be in the rules of musical grammar, and in the conventional forms of musical language. This is what we consider to be musical literature. Excluding, therefore, works on what is improperly called Musical Science, on Musical Antiquities, and Musical Grammar, it will be found that the extent of musical literature is as yet very narrow. As music, however, is every day acquiring additional importance in England, and the refined and elegant enjoyments which it affords are superseding the grosser pastimes of our ancestors, the principles of the art become a valuable object of enquiry; as it is only by a knowledge of them being generally diffused that the influence of bad taste, fashion, and caprice, can be counteracted. We propose, in this article, to mention a few of the works in musical literature, which are most accessible in this country. Musical criticism has been long, and, on the whole, successfully cultivated in France. The admirable and eloquent writings of Rousseau compelled his countrymen to open their eyes to the excellence of the Italian music, in spite of the powerful party that supported the French school, and the yet more powerful influence of national prejudice and vanity. Nothing, however, could withstand Rousseau's glowing eulogies on one hand, and his withering invectives on the other; and the publication of the "Lettre sur la Musique Française" may be taken as the era of a great reformation in the French school. Since that time, a splendid succession of Italian and German composers have exerted their talents in writing for the French opera; and the consequence is, (notwithstanding the ignorant sneers of some of our countrymen,) that the present French school of music is excellent. The works of Boieldieu, Berton, and Auber, are not only performed at Berlin and Vienna, but please the fastidious critics of Milan and Naples. Would we could say as much of the works of our English composers! Rousseau's "Dictionnaire de Musique" is, on the whole, a valuable work, and ought to be known to every musician. His articles on musical science, and the principles of harmony, are, for the reasons already mentioned, worse than useless; but his discussions on many subjects of taste and criticism are admirable. One of the most remarkable works which have appeared in France, is Gretry's "Essais sur la Musique.” The first volume of this work was published in 1789; and was afterwards republished, with two additional volumes, in 1797. It is little known in England. The author, though not a Frenchman (being a native of Liege) became the most popular of the French dramatic composers,- -so much so that many of his airs have become completely national. His popularity was well deserved, for his airs are delightfully sweet and graceful, and remarkable for truth of dramatic expression. His accompaniments are too thin and slight for the present taste; but his music altogether is of a kind which will long preserve its attraction. His book is a singular, and, in many respects, an excellent production. It contains an amusing auto-biography, an account of his studies and of his different works, and his reflections on the principles of musical composition (especially dramatic) derived from his own great experience. There is a good deal of vanity and prolixity in the book; and the author, from the desire of being profound and philosophical, à la Française, is frequent ly too abstract to be intelligible: but, with all this, the work is full of original and striking views, and worthy of the serious attention of every dramatic composer. Two or three short extracts from it, we think, will be found interesting. While a youth at Rome, pursuing his studies, and totally immersed in writing fugues and scholastic exercises, the author, who had been dying to see Piccini, is at last carried by a friend to visit him : "Piccini fit peu d'attention à moi; et c'est, à dire vrai, ce que je méritais. Je n'avais heureusement pas besoin d'émulation; mais que le moindre encouragement de sa part m'eût fait de plaisir! Je contemplais ses traits avec un sentiment de respect qui aurait dû le flatter, si ma timidité naturelle avait pu lui laisser voir ce qui se passait au fond de mon cœur. Q'une âme sensible est à plaindre elle fait faire toujours gauchement ce qu'on desire le plus; si vous ne lui donnez un lendemain vous ne la connaîtrez jamais. O grands hommes! ô hommes en réputation! accueillez, encouragez les jeunes gens qui cherchent à s'approcher de vous; un mot de votre bouche peut faire éclore dix ans plutôt un grand talent. Dites-leur que vous n'êtes que des hommes, à peine le croient-ils; dites-leur que vous avez erré longtems avant de decouvrir les secrets de votre art, et l'art de vous servir de vos idées; mais qu'en fin il vient un instant où le chaos se debrouille, et où l'on est tout étonné de se trouver homme. Piccini se remit ou travail qu'il avait quitté pour un instant pour nous recevoir. J'osai lui demander ce qu'il composait; il me repondit: Un oratorio. Nous demeurâmes une heure auprès de lui. Mon ami me fit signe, et nous partîmes sans être aperçus. Je rentrai sur-le-champ dans mon collège; et, après avoir fermé ma porte, je voulus faire tout ce que j'avais vu chez Piccini. La petite table à côté du clavecin, un cahier de papier rayé, un oratorio imprimé, lire les paroles, porter les mains sur le clavier, tirer des grandes barres de partition, écrire de suite sans rature, passer lestement d'une partie à l'autre; tout cela me paraissait charmant, et mon délire dura deux ou trois heures; jamais ne n'avais été plus heureux; je me croyais Piccini. Cependant mon air etait fait; je le mis sur le clavecin et l'executai-O douleur! Il etait détestable; je me mis à pleurer à chaudes larmes, et le lendemain je repris en soupirant mon cahier de fugues.” What a fine and natural picture of youthful enthusiasm! There is great truth and importance in the following remark on the value of studying the strict style of composition-a study too much neglected in England and, indeed, everywhere else, at present. "Je suis persuadé qu'on ne peut être simple, expressif, et sur tout correct, sans avoir épuisé les difficultés du contrepoint. C'est au milieu d'un magazin qu'on peut se choisir un cabinet. L'homme qui sait, se reconnait aisément; on entend dans ses compositions les plus legères, quelques notes de basse que l'on sent ne pouvoir appartenir à l'harmoniste superficiel.' How true this is! and yet it is sufficient to turn over the mass of musical productions which issue from the press in asingle month-the songs, pieces for the piano-forte, &c.-to be convinced how little it is attended to. In his popular Opera of Lucile, there is a charming piece-" Où peut on être mieux qu'au sein de sa famille ?"-of which the air is universally popular in France. Concerning this air, the author gives two anecdotes, the one very pretty, though quite French, and the other very ludicrous. They are both contained in the following passage: "Ce morceau de musique a servi, depuis qu'il est connu, pour consacrer les fêtes de famille. Je me trouvais moi-meme chez un homme qui s'était opposé infructueusement au mariage de son frère; la jeune épouse, belle comme Venus, se présente chez le frère de son mari; elle y est reçu très poliment, c'est à dire, froidement; cependant, comme j'aperçus que les caresses de la dame jettaient du trouble dans le cœur de son beaufrère, je les engageai à s'approcher du piano; je chantai le quatuor avec effusion de cœur, et j'eus le plaisir de voir, après quelques mésures, le frère et le sœur s'entrelacer de leurs bras en repandant das larmes si douces, celles de la réconciliation. S'il est permis de joindre l'épigramme à ce que le sentiment a de plus précieux, je rapporterai l'anecdote suivante: Des officiers de judicature, créés sous les auspices d'un ancien ministre dont les opérations n'avaient pas eu l'approbation publique, assistaient, dans leur loge, à un spectacle de province; on représentait la tragicomédie de Samson. Arlequin luttait sur la scène avec un dindon, qui, s'étant échappé, se réfugia dans la loge de ces officiers: aussitôt le parterre se mit à chanter en chœur: Où peut on être mieux qu'au sein de sa famille?" This beautiful air, we may add, contributed, on a memorable occasion, to fan the dying flame of French loyalty immediately before its extinction amidst the storms of the revolution. When the King paid his visit to the National Assembly, after the destruction of the Bastile, his address to that body was received with much applause, and he was accompanied to his palace by the members. On his arrival, he presented himself, with the Queen bearing her little son in her arms, to the assembled multitude. A band of music played the air," Où peut on être mieux qu'au sein se sa famille?" The effect was electrical, and nothing was heard among the immense crowd but shouts of enthusiasm and acclamations of joy-sincere and heartfelt at the moment, but fleeting as the breath that uttered them. During the Gluck and Piccini war in Paris, almost all the men of letters espoused one side or the other; and innumerable publications were the consequence, in which men of genius and eminence only exposed their own ignorance of the subject. Grimm's musical criticisms, however, in his celebrated" Correspondance," are excellent. Laborde's "Essai sur la Musique," a splendid work which appeared in 1780, contains, among a heap of rubbish, a great deal of very curious matter. Chabanon's work" De la Musique," published in 1788, is of value. The writings of Stendahl, (if that is his real name, for he seems to have se veral), are flippant and conceited, but acute and ingenious. Of his principal work, the Lives of Haydn and Mozart, we shall have something to say presently, as, from its having been translated, and published with annotations by an English writer of some pretensions, it may be considered as belonging to English literature. The French journals contain musical criticisms of a very superior cast; and one of them, devoted to music alone, (La Revue Musicale,) is conducted with great ability. It does not belong to the object of this article to enter into any details respecting the musical literature of Germany and Italy. It is, however, a subject well worthy of the attention of the able writer of the article "Mozart," in a late number of the Foreign Quarterly Review. England is not rich in musical literature. We have no works of much value anterior to the Histories of Music by Sir John Hawkins and Dr Burney. These are similar in subject and magnitude, but very unlike in respect to merit. In toiling through the five ponderous tomes of the worthy knight, one wonders what could possibly have induced him to make music the subject of his labours. Every page indicates a man of a coarse and vulgar mind; of great industry, but destitute of a single spark of feeling of the beauties of the art which he has chosen for his subject, or of judgment to guide him in the selection of his materials. His work is a collection of memoirs of a multitude of persons more or less connected with music; and it generally happens, that the degree of attention he pays to any musical name, or sub'ect, is in the inverse ratio of its importance. The divine Pergolese is disposed of in half a page, and even that brief notice is by no means accurate. The whole illustrious family of the Bachs occupy two pages, and the name of Emanuel Bach is never mentioned; nor do we find. even the names of some of the greatest Italian and German composers of the earlier part of the eighteenth century; while we are favoured with innumerable details respecting the birth, family, education, life, and death of a number of obscure English singers, fiddlers, or makers of trifling catches or ballads. It is amus |