Twelve Good Musicians - Pelham Humfrey

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Episode Transcript

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

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forty seven to sixteen seventy four. We have all heard
of single speech Hamilton, a member of Parliament, who it
is said, made a single speech and by it achieved
lasting fame as matter of history. Hamilton made other speeches,
but it was by the first that he earned his

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well known kognoeman. And we have a somewhat similar example
in connection with a celebrated musician. John Jenkins born in
fifteen ninety two, lived until sixteen seventy eight, and wrote,
as North expresses it horse flows of music, who was
most prolific and most celebrated. And yet until a few

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years ago, when I revived many of his compositions dialogues,
fancy for strings and Latin motets, not a note of
his music was heard anywhere save one little piece. But
this was sung in every school where vocal music was taught.
It is the charming little round a boat, a boat
haste to the ferry. The subject of our present consideration

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is another example of the same fate. Pelham Humphrey, composer
of the Grand Chant. It's about all people know of him.
This so called Grand Chant is known and sung in
every Protestant church in the world. Humphrey is, however, a
worthy member of the band of musicians, whose work I
have following, and will see what else he did besides

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writing the Grand Chant. Born in sixteen forty seven, he
is said to have been a nephew of Colonel John Humphrey,
Bradshaw's sword bearer. From the arms which were on his
tomb we can learn a little of his family and forebears.
These arms I regret to say had long since been obliterated.

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In fact, they had gone and Sir John Hawkins time
together with the epitaph, and at the present time the
exact position of the grave can only be a matter
of conjecture. But what was on it has been preserved
to us in a valuable old work, Keep's monumenta West Monaster, Ancia,

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sixteen eighty two. In this work a description is given
of the armorial bearings, and by them we can trace
him to an old Northamptonshire stock. The family is mentioned
as being settled in the country in the visitation of
Northampton of fifteen sixty four, but had disappeared from it

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before the next visitation some years later. We know nothing
of Pelham Humphrey's life until sixteen sixty, the year of
the Restoration, when we find him, at the age of thirteen,
entered as one of the first set of children of
the reconstructed Chapel Royal Choir under Henry Cook, generally known

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as Captain Cook, who, having fought in the Civil War,
obtained his captain's commission as early in the Struggle of
sixteen forty two, and retained his military title for the
rest of his life. While at the Chapel Royal, Humphrey
displayed signs of that precocity which so often shows itself

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from the musical genius. He began composition while yet a boy,
and in sixteen sixty four we find the words of
no fewer than five of his anthems published in Clifford's
Divine Services and Anthems. A reference to one of these
anthems is in the Diary of Samuel Peeps, which can attains,
by the way, several interesting references to Humphrey's career under

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date November twenty second, sixteen sixty three. We find at chapel,
I had room in the Privy Seal QW with other gentlemen,
and there heard Doctor Liligrew preach The anthem was good
after sermon, being the fifty first psalm made for five
voices by one of Captain Cook's boys, pretty boy, And

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they say there are four or five of them that
can do as much. And here I first perceived that
the King is a little musical and kept good time
with his hand all along the anthem. Now that anthem
was written by a choir boy and the Royal Chapel,
But it is a remarkable fact, as Peep says that

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he was not the only boy composer in the same choir.
And at the same time, Captain Cook appears to have
been rarely fortunate in having in his newly formed choral
bot a set of phenomenally gifted boys, And doubtless no
small credit is due to the loyal and gallant musician
for the skill and care he must have devoted to

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their training. Captain Cook must have been a clever teacher
and a still cleverer selector of boys for his choir.
In this brilliant little school he gathered round him, including
such names as Humphrey, Blow and Pursal, shines out like
a beacon light in our musical world. A curious and
interesting fact bearing upon this came to my knowledge quite lately.

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A thesis for a doctor's degree in the University of
Paris in nineteen twelve was on the subject of Captain
Cook's choir boys, and it was a clever yet concise
account of the work done by these three pupils of Cook, Humphrey,
Blow and pursl. English music seems to be looking up
when we find a period of our musical history and

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three of our past great musicians taken as the subject
for a thesis and a foreign university the same year
that witnessed the production of this anthem was an all
important one, not only for Humphrey but also for English art.
On leaving the Royal Choir, Charles the second sent him
abroad to continue his musical studies. The cost of the

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trip was paid out of the Secret Service Fund and
was expended in the following way. Sixteen sixty four to
defray the charge of his journey into France and Italy
two hundred pounds. In the following two years also he
was granted one hundred pounds and one hundred and fifty pounds, respectively.

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Most of the time Humphrey spent abroad was passed in
Paris with J. B. Lully, an Italian by birth but
a Frenchman by adoption, the most celebrated dramatic musical composer
of his day, who wrote many operas in the most
varied styles, both grave and gay, was the composer of
a good deal of sacred music. Was also a reformer

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in opera writing. He introduced the accompany ricettitive in place
of the Italian ricettitive faco, making many changes in the ballets.
Of still more importance was his development of the overture,
by which service he cannot be too highly valued. It
is very probable that the instruction given by Lully to

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Humphrey was less by precinct than by example. The pupil
learned with eager ears to his master's music, and doubtless
often took part in the performance of it. Under this influence.
The influence of the greatest master of dramatic music of
his time. It is not surprising that the already precocious

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genius of the young Englishman quickened, and that he returned
to his native country with a different conception of his art.
Another world had been opened up to him, whose earliest
instruction had necessarily been chiefly confined to the ecclesiastical side
of it. Before his return to England, he had been

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appointed a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in the place
of one Thomas Hazard January sixteen sixty seven, and he
was duly sworn in the October. Following. A glance at
Peep's diary under dates November one in fifteenth sixteen sixty
seven gives us that shrewd observer's opinion of our hero

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as he appears fresh from his continental trip November one,
sixteen sixty seven to Chapel, and heard a fine anthem
made by Pelham, who has come over the entry. However,
of a fortnight later is of more interest, as apparently
being mister PEAPs first personal encounter with him since his

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return November fifteenth, sixteen sixty Sive home, and there I find,
as I expected, mister Caesar and little Pelham Humphrey lately
returned from France, and is an absolute monsieur, as full
of form and confidence and vanity, and disparites everything in
everybody's skill but his own. But to hear how he

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laughs at all the King's music here as Blagrave and others,
that they cannot keep time, nor tune, nor understand anything,
and that grievous the Frenchman, the King's master of the music,
how he understands nothing, nor can play on any instrument,
and so cannot compose, And that he will give him
a lift out of his place, and that he and

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the King are mighty great. I had a good dinner
for them of venison, pasty and some fowl, and after
dinner we did play. He on the theorable mister Caesar
on the French lute, and I on the vile but
made but mean music. Nor do I see that this
Frenchman do so much wonders on the orbal. But without

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question he is a good musician, but his vanity do
offend me. Grabois, or rather Graybou was the King's master
of the music. He displaced Banister, who was dismissed according
to the historians, because he championed English violinists, and said
he preferred them to Frenchmen. He may have said this,

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but the real cause of his dismissal was that he
kept back the money which he ought to have paid
to the private band. King Charles has often been blamed
for dismissing Banister on account of his patriotic sentiments and
defense of English players, but this charge is not true.
Returning to mister PEAPs for a record of his day's

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doings November sixteenth, sixteen sixty seven, we find a very
interesting reference to Humphrey and a somewhat scathing criticism from
the Diarist sixty seven November sixteenth to Whitehall, where there
is to be a performance of music of Pellems before
the King. The company not come, But I did go

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into the music room where Captain Cook and many others,
And here I did hear the best and the smallest
organ go that ever I saw my life in such
as one, as by the grace of God, I will
have the next year if I continue in this condition,
whatever it cost me. Mister Peeps then records a short
walk and talk with mister Gregory, returning to Whitehall, and

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there got into the theater room, and there heard both
the vocal and instrumental music where the little fellow Pelham
Humphrey stood keeping time. But for my part, I see
no great matter, but quite the contrary. In both sorts
of music. The composition I believe is very good, but
no more of delightfulness to the ear or understanding, but

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what is very ordinary. In addition to being a composer,
Humphrey was an accomplished lutenist, and in the State papers
for the year sixteen sixty eight under date January twentieth,
we find a promotion of his in the Royal Service.
The record runs as follows, January twentieth, sixteen sixty eight,

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warrant to pay Pelham Humphreys music and ordinary on the
lute in place of Nicholas Sawyer. Deceased forty pounds yearly
and sixteen pounds two shillings sixpence for livery. On May
twenty ninth of the same year. Mister Peas again refers
to him May twenty ninth, sixteen sixty eight. Home whither

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by agreement by and by comes Mercer and Gayhead, and
two gentlemen with them, mister Monteith and Pelham. The former
a swaggering, young, handsome gentleman, the latter a sober citizen merchant,
both sing and the latter with great skill. The their
no skill, but a good voice and a good bass,
but used to tavern tunes. And so I spent all

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this evening till eleven at night singing with him, till
I was tired of them because of the swaggering fellow,
though the girl mercer did mightily commend him before me
footnote I cannot help thinking Peeps meant Pelham as the swaggering,
young handsome gentleman and Monty as the sober citizen merchant,

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and a footnote later in the year July and other
references made in the Diary July eleventh, sixteen sixty eight.
So home, it being almost night, mister Peeps had been
at an espinett at Deptford, and they are fine in
the garden Pellin who had brought Tempest, Walington and Pelham

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to sing, and there had most excellent music late in
the dark, with great pleasure. Humphrey's sacred music is a
clear evidence of his French experience. He puts symphonies for
strings and is dramatic at times and often somewhat light.
An anthem of praise the Lord is a good example
of the latter tendency. There are two short bass solos,

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one to the words sing praises lustily, which is almost
like the song of a jovial sailor. It is in
triple time, and is the sort of thing King Charles
would certainly have beaten time to with his hand all
along the anthem in Peeps words. The bass solo in
the anthem he wrote when a boy and before his

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French training, is in a quite different style. It might
have been written by any of our good cathedral writers,
such as Lock, or Blow, or even Percell. In addition
to his sacred works, Humphrey wrote three odes and many songs.
These latter fall under the critical notice of doctor Burney,
who refers to them, I think rather unfairly and harshly.

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Speaking of a collection called Choice Songs and Airs, Bernie says,
among these songs, to the number of near fifty, there
is not one air that is either ingenious, graceful, cheerful
or solemn. An insipit languor or vulgar pertness pervades the
whole from Pelham Humphrey, whose church music is so excellent

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I own I expect it to find originality or merit
of some kind or other. But his songs are quite
on the level with the rest. Bernie's remarks are not
only spiteful but untrue. To mention only one song, Humphrey's
setting of Where the Beast Sucks, which he wrote for
Dryden in Definite's altered version of the Tempest, the oldest setting,

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but one which we possess, is charming, both as regards
melody and harmony. The first part is in the minor key,
for which Humphrey seems, like Purcell, to have a weakness.
There is an effective change to the tonic major it Merrily,
Merrily shall I Live Now? With a most striking and
delicious drop of a seven. I expect Bernie regarded this

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as a crudity. To me, the song seems one of
the best of the time. Humphrey went on adding to
his honors. On January twenty fourth, sixteen seventy two, he
was elected one of the wardens of the Corporation for
Regulating the Art and Science of Music, And in July
the same year his old master, Captain Cook, died, his

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death being accelerated, so Anthony Wood tells us by chagrin
at finding himself getting supplanted by his old pupil. This
I do not believe Cook would have had a soul
above such foibles, and had too many successful pupils to
be jealous of poor little Humphrey. However this may be.

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Humphrey succeeded him as Master of the Children of the
Chapel Royal, and later, jointly with Thomas Purcill, he was
appointed composer in ordinary for the Violence to his majesty.
It was in this year, sixteen seventy two, that he
wrote a charming little song called Wherever I Am and
Whatever I Do. It was written for Dryden's Conquest of Granada,

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produced in that year. Nothing of any importance is chronicled
of him for the last two years of his all
too short life. He died at Windsor on July thirteenth,
sixteen seventy four, and was buried in the cloisters of
Westminster Abbey, near the southeast door. His last will and testament,
witnessed by his old schoolfellow doctor Blow is interesting. April

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the twenty third, seventy four. Be it known to all
people whosoever may concern, that I leave my dear wife
my sole executress and mistress of all I have in
the world, after those few debts I owe are paid,
I only desire that three legacies may be given. That
is to say, to my cousin Betty Jelfrey, to mister Blow,

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and to Bessie Gill, each of them twenty shillings to
bother ring Pelham Humphrey. Thirty July sixteen seventy four, which
day appeared personally, John Blow of Westminster, made oath that
he was present when mister Pelham Humphrey wrote the above
written writing containing his last will and testament, and he

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the said mister Pelham Humphrey, being of perfect mind and
sound memory, published and declared the same for his last
will and testament. John Blow, thirty July seventy four, prove
thirty July sixteen seventy four by Catherine Humphrey, Relict and

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sole Executress. Humphrey's life, brief though it was, must be
regarded as a turning point in our arts history, not
alone by his own compositions, but by the infusion of
his influence into the greater Purcel. He was not only
Purcell's master at the Chapel Royal, but actually composed an

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anthem jointly with Purcell, called by the Waters of Babylon.
In Boyce's opinion, he was the first of our ecclesiastical
composers who had the least idea of musical pathos, an
expression of the words. But this is an exaggeration. This
great advance in our music was carried on by the

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immortal Purcell, who, as a choir boy under Humphrey, was
no doubt an eager listener to the new effects which
his master introduced. The pupil is so great, one is
in danger forgetting the master. At least here we have
endeavored to do some justice to the short lived genius
Pelham Humphrey. End of Chapter ten.