Chapter XIII The Music op Shakspehe's Time — 1

To ahow that music was very dear to the English of Shakspere's time, and that the latter himself was particularly devoted to it
— the popular love for music among the English much under- estimated — development of the feeling in America — people in all ranks of society in the sixteenth century either lang or played upon some instrument — Henry VIll's personal taste for music — Queen Elizabeth's musical achievements and Shak- spere's allusion to them — " divisions" — evidence in The Winter's Tale of musical knowledge among the lowest classes
— universality of part-song intimated also in Ttu e If th Night -•~~ base viols kept in the drawing-room for amusement of waiting visitors — barber-shops had virginals in one corner — nature of the virginals — -the cittern found in the same place — -the latter the most popular instrument of the time — important functions of the barber — many musical similes in the poetry of the period — Thomas Tusser's advice to choose tuneful servants — distaste for music associated with dishonesty — music in the education of young ladies — musical scenes from Taming of the Shrew — several music- teachers to royalty who came to un- timely ends — great number of ballads — Chaucer's testimony as to English love of music — Langland's Plowman reproaches the clergy for knowing no "mynstralcy" — interesting to note that with all this love for music there has never been a great English composer — same conditions true of;viJc^'eh-^'( hut-.-. dred and sixty-seven references to music in ihc playj, most;of _' which show Shakspere's passionate love for the ■.''Ir^isislances of his deep musical understanding in The Mere^anf ef'yinics and Richard H — wonderful stories of the pov/er.oT,iJvisrc"in' ancient times — Saio Grammaticus'a tale of King gii^*/ Dbn- .' mark and his harper — Rabbinical fable of Adam's Vdul -^ out- '- line of next lecture.
Chaptek XIV The Mumc of Shakspere's Time — II
vi CONTENTS
The music that Shakspere knew — **discant" — Pope Gregory the Great and his antiphonarium, or collection of the Gregorian chants — composers in Shakspere' s time did not attempt to originate new tunes, but treated old ones concrapuntally — great age of many of the Gregorian chants — Bishop Ambrose of Milan and his use of psalms and hymns as a means of consola- tion — St. Augustine's pleasure in the Ambrosian chant — these hymns referred to by Pliny in the second century — the world in possession of a stock of tunes as far back as the begin- ning of our era, as shown by the Gospels — hymn sung by the disciples on the evening of the Last Supper possibly used in the churches to-day — some of our tunes probably much older than the Christian era — definition of discant from the old play of Damon and Pythias — Cuckoo Song the first English verse with music attached — discovered on a monk's commonplace-