Twelve Good Musicians - Henry Lawes

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter eight of Twelve Good Musicians from John Bull to
Henry Purcell. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
are in the public domain. The more information or to volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Twelve Good Musicians from John
Bull to Henry Purcell by Frederick Bridge, Chapter eight, Henry Laws,

(00:27):
fifteen ninety five through sixteen sixty two. In Henry Laws,
we have a subject of particular interest. No musician of
the seventeenth or probably of any century, has been so
praised by the poets, and few musicians of reputation have
been so disdainfully treated by the old musical historians. I

(00:51):
think we shall find Henry Laws worthy of inclusion amongst
the twelve Good Musicians with whom I am dealing. His
life was a checkered He lived in troublous days and
in an era of great changes in the political and
musical worlds. Born in fifteen ninety five at Denton in Wiltshire,

(01:11):
he became a pupil of Giovanni Corperrario or John Cooper
to give him his English name, and I think this
had a considerable influence on the direction which his compositions
took in, about which I shall say more later. We
find him a gentleman of the Chapel Royal in sixteen
twenty five, and later on a gentleman of the private

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music to King Charles the First. On the breaking out
of the rebellion, he lost his posts and employed himself
principally in teaching singing. He lived a long life, long
enough to see the restoration and to compose the coronation
anthem for King Charles the Second, dying in sixteen sixty two.

(01:55):
Law's contributions to English music begin with the masque. The
earliest date seems to be sixteen thirty three or sixteen
thirty four, when he set the songs in a masque
written by Thomas Carew entitled Coelum Brittanicum. This was written
at the particular invitation of the King and was performed

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for the first time in Whitehall. The poem was published
in sixteen thirty four and was wrongly attributed to Sir
William Davenant. Another mask by James Shirley, The Triumph of Peace,
was produced in the same year. Laws and another well
known musician, Simon Ives, writing the music, for which they

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received the sum of one hundred pounds. The following year
saw the production of Comus, the greatest of mass. It
will be seen that Laws differed from most of our
English composers, and devoting himself at the outset of his career.
O mioss exclusively to the stage. Cannot help thinking. This
is to be explosed, I aim by the fact that

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he was not educated in a cathedral choir, but was
a pupil of Giovanni Copperrario. Now this musician had an
experience which few of his contemporaries enjoyed. He studied in Italy,
going there as Plain John Cooper, in returning to his
native country as Giovanni Copperrario. His sojourn in Italy was

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at a remarkable time, the time when the first opera
and the first oratorio were given. It is very interesting
to be told, and I have been told, on the
authority of my friend Reverend Spooner Lillingston, that among the
names given in a certain record of the performance of
the first opera was found that of the Englishman Giovanni Copperaio.

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This seems to me to be an important fact. Laws
would come under the influence of Copperrario, who with his
love for Italian music and experience of the beginning of
opera would know doubt helped Laws to take up the
music of the stage instead of the music of the church.
Our composer was not, however, long before he embarked on

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some church music by setting a paraphrase upon the Psalms
of David by George Sandy's and also contributing another volume
of tunes to church psalms, in which he was joined
by his clever brother William, who was later on killed
at the Siege of Chester. Among the commendatory poems prefixed

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to this volume was the well known sonnet by Milton
addressed to Laws. Beginning Harry, whose tuneful and well measured
song first taught our English music how to span words
with just note and accent. He was a prolific writer
of songs in masque music, but his greatest opportunity was

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in writing the music and producing Milton's Mask of Comus
at Ludlow in sixteen thirty four. Milton was a friend
and I think there is no doubt a pupil and
music of Laws. Milton's father had much music in the
house in Red Street, and no doubt Laws was among
the eminent musicians who gathered there. When Milton's father removed

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to Horton in Buckinghamshire. We are told that the young
Milton came up to London to receive instruction in music
as well as in other things. It was Laws who
apparently got Milton to write the mask which he desired
to produce at Ludlow Castle in September sixteen thirty four.

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The story of Comus and its origin is so well
known that I need not dwell upon it. The music
of the masque was not published in the composer's lifetime,
but curiously enough, it was Laws who edited Milton's poem
in sixteen thirty seven. This was published without the name
of the poet appearing, and was dedicated to Viscount Brackley,

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one of those who took part in the performance Levelow.
In the dedication, Law says, although not openly acknowledged by
the author, yet it is a legitimate offspring, so lovely
and so much to be desired, that the often copying
of it hath tired my pen to give my several
friends satisfaction, and brought me to the necessity of producing

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it to the public view. Unfortunately, we have only five
songs of the original music. There are a great number
of places in the mask for which Milton desires music
in many directions for instrumental movements. Particularly what these were,
we do not know. The merit of Law's music have

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been decried. But having edited the Komas music after careful
correction from Law's original manuscript, which I was fortunate enough
to be able to see, I'm confident that all who
hear it will find the songs full of beauty and expression,
and well worthy of the words to which they were
so admirably fitted. I must not dwell longer upon comus,

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for there is much to be said about Law's other work.
Playford was a great patron and admirer of Laws. He
published no fewer than three books of airs and dialogues,
which contained some charming settings of excellent poetry. The first
book of heirs was dedicated to his pupils, Lady Alice

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Edgerton and her sister daughters of Lord Bridgewater, and in
it he says, no sooner had I thought of making
his public than I resolved upon inscribing them to your ladyships,
most of them being composed when I was employed by
your ever honored parents to attend your ladyship's education and
music laws. Is often said to have introduced the Italian

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style of music into this kingdom, but this is hardly correct.
That he admired and understood the Italian style, as quite
certain his studies with Coperrario would have influenced him in
that direction. And he himself, in one of his numerous prefaces,
and he was a great writer of prefaces, speaks of

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the Italians as being great masters of music. But at
the same time he contends that our own nation has
produced as many able musicians as any in Europe. He
laughs at the partiality of the age for songs sung
in a foreign language. In one of the prefaces to
his book of Airs, he says, this present generation is

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so sated with what's native that nothing takes theories, but
what sung in a language which commonly they understand as
little as they do the music. And to make them
a little sensible of this ridiculous humor, I took a
table or index of old Italian songs for one, two
and three voices. And this index, which read together, made

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a strange metally of nonsense. I set to a varied
air and gave out that it came from Italy, whereby
it hath passed for a rare Italian song. This very
song I have since printed. This shows him a real humorist,
and it is, I should suppose, the first real comic song.
It is set quite in the style of an Italian song,

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with much declamation, with some charming melodious phrases. I have
often had it performed at my lectures, and when sung
in Italian it is listened to very stolidly. But when
the English translation is given it creates much pilarity. I
give the English translation whereby it will be seen. It
is indeed a strange medley of nonsense. The title is

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given in Law's book as Tabla i e. A table
or index tabala in that frozen heart, for one voice weep,
my lady, weep, And if your eyes for two voices
tis ever Thus, even when you see seemed to sivee me,
truly you scorn me, unhappy, unbelieving alas of splendor. Yet,

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but why, oh why, from the palette lips and saw
my life for three voices. There's no doubt Laws was
a well educated man, and it was certainly one of
those reasons why he set words with just note and accent,
and obtained the great praise of so many contemporary poets.
It is said he never set bad poetry, and he

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set songs to Italian, to Spanish, and even to Greek words.
An interesting fact in connection with his love for good
poetry is given in J. P. Collier's Catalog of Early
English Literature in the Bridgewater House Library eighteen thirty seven.
Amongst the book's catalog is a volume of poems by

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Francis Beaumont, which was presented to the Earl of Bridgewater
by Henry Laws. The following inscription is found fastened to
the cover for the Right Honorable John, Earl of Bridgewater,
my most honored Lord, from his Lordship's most humble servant,
Henry Laws. The Earl of Bridgewater is the nobleman for

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whom Comus was produced. Laws was a real champion of
English music and English musicians, and certainly understood what he
was writing about. Although somewhat lengthy, I really cannot refrain
from giving the preface to one of his books of airs,
which goes into this subject. It is both amusing and improving,

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and deserves to be read by all to all understanders
or lovers of music. In my former you saw what
temptations I had to publish my compositions, and now I
had not repeated that error, if it proved to be one,
but upon the same grounds, backed with a promise I
made to the world. Though the civil reception my last

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book found were sufficient invitation, for which I gladly hear
of from my thanks especially to those worthy and grateful strangers,
who are far more candid and equal in their censors
than some new judges of our own country, who, in
spite of their stars, will sit and pronounce upon things
they understand not. But this is the fate of all mankind,

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to be rendered less at home than abroad. For my part,
I can say in there are will believe me that
if any man have low thoughts of me, he is
of my opinion. Yet the way of composition I chiefly possess,
which is to shape notes to the words and sense,
is not hit by too many, And I have been

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often sad to observe some otherwise able musicians guilty of
such lapses and mistakes this way, and possibly this is
it makes many of us here so ill abroad, which
works a belief among ourselves that English words will not
run well in music. This I have said, and must
ever avow, is one of the errors of this generation.

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I confess. I could wish that some of our words
could spare a consonant which must not be slurred for
fear of removing those landmarks in spelling which tell their original.
But those are very few and seldom occur, and when
they do, are manageable enough by giving each syllable its
particular humor, provided the breath of the sense be observed,

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and I speak it freely once for all that if
English words which are fitted for song do not run
smooth enough, tis the fault either of the composer or singer.
Our English is so stored with plenty of monosyllables, which
like small stones, fill up the chinks, that it hath
great privilege over divers of its neighbors, and in some

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particulars with reverence. Be it spoken above the very Latin,
which language we find overcharged with the letter s, especially
in bus and such hissing terminations. But our new critics
lodge not the fault in our words. Only tis the
artist they tax as a man unspirited for foreign delights

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which vanity so spreads that those are productions they pleased
to like, must be borne beyond the Alps and fathered
upon strangers. This is so notorious that not long since
some young gentlemen, who were not untraveled, hearing some songs
I had set to Italian words publicly sung by excellent voices,

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concluded those songs were begotten in Italy, and said too
loud they would feign hear such songs to be bade
by an Englishman. Had they laid their seen a little
nearer home, there had been more color. For a short
air of mine, near twenty years old, was lately revived
in our neighbor nation and publicly sung to words of

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their own. As a new born peace, without alteration of
any one note, tis the heir to those words old poets, hypocrite,
admire etc. A sorry trifle of man would think to
be raised from the dead after eighteen year burial, but
to meet with this humor of lusting after novelties. A

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friend of mine told some of that company that a
rare new book was come from Italy, which taught the
reason why eighth was the sweetest of all notes in music,
Because said he Jubilee, who was founder of music, was
the eighth man from Atam, and this went down as
current as my songs came from Italy. I beg your
pardon for instancing such particulars. But there are knowing persons

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who have been long bred in those worthily admired parts
of Europe, who ascribe more to us than we to ourselves.
Enable musicians returning from travail. Do wonder to see us
so thirsty after foreigners, For they can tell us if
we knew it not, that music is the same in
England as in Italy. The concords and discords, the passions, spirits,

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majesty and humors are all the same they are in England.
Their manner of composing is sufficiently known us, their best
compositions being brought over hither by those who are able
enough to choose. But we must not here expect to
find music at the highest, when all arts and sciences
are at so low an ebb. As for myself, although

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I have lost my fortunes with my master of ever
blessed memory, I am not so low to bow for
a subsistence to the follies of this age and to
humor such as will seem to understand our art better
than we that have spent our lives in it. If
anything here brought you benefit or delight, I have my design.

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I have printed the Greek and a Roman character for
the ease of musicians of both sexes. Farewell, h l.
This is the second book of Airs and Dialogs, dedicated
to the Honorable the Lady Dearing, wife to Sir Edward
deuringm Baronet. During the Civil War he appears to have

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lived in London, composing in teaching. His compositions for the
church in the way of anthems were but few, as
we have seen. In his early days he preferred the stage,
and during the Commonwealth there was no inducement to write
cathedral music. But the words of several of his anthems
are to be found in Clifford's Divine Services and Anthems,

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published in sixteen sixty six. In sixteen fifty six he
joined Captain Cook and others in writing music for Davenant's
First Day's Entertainment at Rutland House e g. Declamation and Music.
A little later he is assisted in the production of
This Siege of Rhodes, which Roger North calls a semi opera.

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This was produced during the Commonwealth and is of particular
interest from the fact that Purcell's father, Henry Purcell the Elder,
took part in the performance. This is the first notice
we get of the personal family, about whom I hope
to say more in a later lecture. It is an
interesting fact that the composer of the music to the

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last important mask, Milton's Comus, should have helped also in
what was apparently the first English opera Laws at the restoration,
was reappointed to his chapel royal post and composed the
anthem Zdak the Priest for the coronation of Charles the Second.
He did not long survive the revival of his fortunes.

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He lived in the little almonary of Westminster, the block
of ancient buildings in which the Purcell family lived. He
probably knew the young Henry Purcell, then a child of
tender years, and one wonders if he detected the musical
genius of the little boy. We get a glimpse of
him in his last days from the diary of Samuel Peakes,

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who on December thirtieth, sixteen sixty makes the following entry,
mister child, and I spent some time at the loop
and so promising to pricked me some lessons to my thoroughbough.
He went away to see Henry Laws, who lies very sick.
I to the abbey and walk there, seeing the great
companies of people that come there to hear the Organs.

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The coronation was in April sixteen sixty one, so Laws
recovered from his illness, though he died the following year.
He was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey, though
unfortunately there is nothing to mark the spot of his interment.
I think it is probably in the little cloister, as
doctor Wilson, a brother musician, was interred there a few

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years later. In Henry and William Laws, we have two
noble brothers who deserve to be remembered with affectionate respect.
The portraits of both are preserved at Oxford. End of
Chapter eight