SCOTT'S EAR FOR MUSIC

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 419, 30 January 1909, Page 9

SCOTT'S EAR FOR MUSIC

•.: In Sir: John Stirling Maxwell.'s address on; .Scott recently there''..were many,-things -fitly.: spoken, but;,'in!: attributing-.certain; , metrical-, deficiencies of -;.th?. poet,'to; lack of musical ■ ear he was violating- a-, rule -.'fainiliar!'■;Ho readers of \this"9plumn-- 1 -that;: l ; ;an;: ; ear:"-for' music'is: ; pne' ; thing/;and an';ear.' : for jangiiage; another." '.*; ■t—jj'i-'.v;,' , ; -v')-^-^- , ' 'Scott; himself -'is- an example?^..He ;l hSd.-i|io ear for' anxious that ■ her: ybiing..: family'. should be .able. to Scottish' , -: psalm .tunes' aright,; called, injftheteservice.si'ipf^a--Visiting teacher- of , music:*' "<Qnti : :pf !■ffie'vfirsf - neighbour, ,'LadyrvS.umniing-,wffjlo ..wroteyf.to beg the.'boys;.'might;.~npt'aU. be-.flogged';pre-cisely, at ,the;^am^hflur^:asj."tli6u^sh : eUiad |npj.doubt:lh.e'ip.unishnisiit.ivas!-.desiirved,'i-tlie noise -pi; the./,concprd ..was - : really.-. dreadful;" ■BJrom-.time-ito 1 time/throughout- Tjockharf!;a"rid it; the'.;"Jburial;' i .' ; .we':'find- : Scott-listening:-; to his singing' or-'.playing thq-.harp, but/it is clear from his .repeated avowal that what, he chiefly; valued-was\ndt .any quality intrinsic. in the .music, itself)\but'/rather the 'words,^ if \ they'.; were!;,.good; v;tev which! :ifcwas; set or the-historic,'associations pf.the.ysbng. •.Onthoother h.andy/his:'ear ; fpr.-.lan'guage'was sound; -That.is!'iridicate'd::by-his.attit-ude'i.to- . wards "Ghristabel.', , .-. One whd.iwishe.s'to.'see .what.': effect; that poein' ; prodiicfe'df upon- those who had-no I such-e'ar.hastbnlyc'.to-.turn'tb the >notice in- the'- "Monthly RevieV-'Awith which ;it was , ;;greeted.v on';, its'■■• appearance ' in: 1816.. I'here,some;,writer .whose ears .were riot-deli-cate' but only ' loiig .fell '■ foul of ■ the';VerSifica , - -tion. '..- Those ; versifyiisb' , .'-'are-guilty'of . neither mbre;;nor.less*, than bombastic'prbsoi. ,'and ..-not. -.even Cc conscious..,! of ■ bombas--' tic verse," and to prove his .'pojnfr he quotes the., Bplendid..;first ; - stanza,:, which; .begins— 'Tis the middle:of ■m'glit i by-thexastle , clock,.! And. the. owls;have.wakend'thiic'rdwmg I ,cock. i'Atiother- passage ;■ -'is '. "rudsj- '■' unf ashioned to>:be : tolerated;,;and/ It would' Eeem,:.''whoever, writes the nonsense in the quickest and newest way : is the'pppular.poet of the,day." Finally,he lays down' •a; volume full of,.'an'.CAe6lian-'nrasic unimagin-■'ably-weird arid magical with.a'ifeeling. of regret"-that "so much superior genius should becorrupted arid, debased by so much execrable'tasto;".'Scott's attitude was very.'different.:-He heard Sir John Stoddart readv' 'Christabel''!from' the .-manuscript, and it:was the versification that!charmed him. It haunted him.-."likeVa.passionj" ; and .ended by.becoming so iriuch"aVpart pf ; -himself that when he-'came to write the. "Layof the Last ;Minstrel"■ ho composed -the whole-first , canto, oh a metrical.. scheme .which is simply a series of brilliant variatibris upon Coleridge's theme. .But,Scott! s.utterance; can }, l be entrancingly sweet with a) melody: of its .own, and! one who: Teads so. simple a : pieco as the '.invocation; to' the; .White,: Maid in -, the! -"Monastery"'.! ari'dgives !due value .to ith'evow.els.upon.wHich.the.i accent'naturally falls .will find it full of: a' fine and wholly-appropriate music:—-■-.-- :,

!:::.:; Thriceto the" holly brake, - : ' ;. : V :■..' ' . •■•■ Thrice to-the , well—, - ...-■. ■- :.. : :.: I bid::thee •awake,-''' L : ! : '■'.■''."■'[' : ::( '-. - r .;!- ! .WhiteMaiilof Ayenel.!' i ; • .-..■ '.•'. ,; : Noon. gleams-on. the lake,. . ■:■'. ; ' ' !I- ■ ! 4 .No,on' : Elows'or':tlie fe11—'..,..' -V-. .'■'■■'.' ! : ' i ■:' : Wake.;tnee, : O-wake;! '.-'-': : -:.;'.:' - ; .-■-. J : of;Averiel.>.;v ■•!.:'■;;■'- If ; there! are : . metrical. deficiencies'' ; in! ■' the longer-poems-r-arid.Who '.will gainsay it—-they a'ro;:due not';:tolaclc-whether of musical;or •Verbal; oar, ! ; biit;'to the! facility, bf the iniprovisatore, ,who! is-little.careful, of minute\ef-iectslrT-iianchester;."Guardian,,':. -, ~ '-.■ '.'!' :