The 6th chapter of Ariftotle's work treats diftin&tly of Tragedy and its parts. Comedy is referved for further enquiry, but that part of the work is unhappily loft. His definition of Tragedy is this:

Tragedy is an imitation of an important and complete action, poffeffing a certain degree of magnitude, in ornamented language, having its forms diftinct in their respective parts by the reprefentation of perfons acting, and not by narration, effecting through the means of pity and terror the purgation of fuch paffions., Ornamented language is accompanied by rhythm, harmony, and measure. The forms are diftin&t in their feveral parts, when fome attain their end by verfe only, and others with the affittance of mufic. The decorations of the theatre are alfo faid to be a part. And as Tragedy is an imitation of an action reprefented by agents, or perfons acting, manners and fentiment must be two natural caufes of our actions. Even the fable itself is the imitation of an action. By the fable is meant the combination of the incidents; by the manners, that which enables us to decide on the characters of those who act; and by the fentiment, that by which the intentions of the speaker may be difcovered. Tragedy, therefore, has fix parts; the decoration of the theatre, the mufic, the fable, the manners, the fentiment, and language. But the principal of thefe parts is the combination of the incidents. For Tragedy is not an imitation of particular perfons, but of actions in general, of human life, of good or ill fortune; for fortune depends upon action, and the end of tragedy in an action, not a quality; and though the manners of men are derived from their qualities, their happiness and mifery depend upon their actions. Tragedy, therefore, cannot exist without action. If a set of moral fentences fhould be put together, with the language and fentiment well executed, it would by no means produce the effect of Tragedy, which would be much rather obtained by a Tragedy, that poffeffing thefe in an inferior degree, has a fable, and combination of incidents. The foul of Tragedy is the fable, the manner holding but the fecond place, like the colouring of a picture; for the finest colours laid on promifcuoufly will not pleafe fo much as a figure only in light and fhade. Sentiment holds the third place, and its merit confifts in being confonant to the fable and the character. Manner may be defined a manifeftation of the intentions. Thofe pieces are deftitute of characteristic manners, in which it is not manifeft what the fpeaker would chufe, and what avoid. The fourth requifite is language. The mufic holds the fifth place, and is the chief of the ornamental parts. The decorations of the theatre, which are the fixth requifite, are the province rather of the manager of the theatre, than of the poet. But the power of Tragedy is independent of the performance of the actor.'

The variety of articles neceffary to be laid before the Public, will not allow us to purfue this fubject any further at prefent. We might, indeed, take a few more extracts from the tranflation before us, and offer a general opinion on the merit of the tranflator. But we deem it material to give fomewhat more of the fubftance of Ariftotle; and our readers will pleafe to observe that

Mr.

Mr. Pye is before them all the time, fince it is he who supplies us with language throughout our abridgment.

[To be concluded in our next.]

ART. VIII. Dr. Burney's General History of Mufic, Vols, III. and IV.

[Article continued. See our laft Review.]

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X7E are now arrived at the feventh chapter of the third volume of this work; a'chapter which cannot fail to afford a high degree of entertainment to the mufical reader, not merely as hilary, but, ftill more, on account of the many ingenious remarks, and original criticisms, which it contains; and the valuable fpecimens by which it is accompanied. Its fubject is, the progress of Aluft: in ENGLAND, from the death of Elizabeth to the end of the fevent enth century. Embarraffed as we are by the multitude of interefting objects which here attract our eyes on every fide, we must refolutely reftrain them from dwelling on any but fuch as are most prominent and ftriking.

Dr. B. obferves that the beft English compofer of the early part of the 17th century, was Orlando Gibbons. In his account of this excellent harmonift, Dr. B. appears to have done him ample justice; obferving, particularly, that his melody is more accented and flowing than he has found in any choral Mufic of equal antiquity.

The author next takes up the curious and amufing fubje& of MASQUES, which, as he obferves, were certainly the precurfors of Operas in England, and belong to the chain of dramas which completed the union of Poetry and Mufic on our ftage. They fo far, indeed, resembled Operas, that they were in dialogue; per formed on a ftage; ornamented with machinery, dances, and decorations, and had always Mufic, vocal and inftrumental. But this Mufic, in the earlier Mafques, was only incidental,-not continued throughout, as in the Italian Opera. It was the introduction of what was then called the fils recitative, that converted the Mafque into an English Opera.

As the incidental fongs in thefe dramas, and in our plass, with the overtures and act-tunes, included the whole of THEATRICAL MUSIC during the reigns of our firft James and Charles, Dr. B. has endeavoured to fave his reader the trouble of fecking indications of its ufe in the writings of our dramatic poets, by collecting and explaining fuch paffuges as immediately concern or allude to Mufic in the principal pieces of the times. The paffages which he has here felected for this purpose from our great dramatif, form, as far as they go, a fort of musical index to his works, which almost every reader will regret that the author had not time to complete: but Hiftory beckoned him away, and 1uffered

fuffered him not to advance any farther, regularly, in his hunt through the pleasant wilds of Shakspeare.'

The first attempt at an Opera, in the Italian manner, in England, appears to have been Ben Jonfon's Mafque, performed in 1617, at the house of Lord Hay*, for the entertainment of the French Ambaffador, which was fet to Mufic, filo recitativo, after the Italian manner, by NIC. LANIERE. We have here, the author obferves, all the characteristics of a genuine Opera, or mufical drama of modern times, complete: fplendid fcenes and machinery; poetry; mufical recitation; air; chorus; and dancing.

The next object of examination is the Vocal CHAMBER Mufic of this period- Madrigals, Canons, Rounds, and Cat.hes. Of the three laft fpecies of vocal and focial Mufic, fome excellent fpecimens are given from the first collection of the kind that was ever printed. This primitive Catch-book,' as Dr. B. calls it, was pub fhed in 1609, under the quaint title of "Pammelia, Mufick's Mifcellanie," &c.-Annexed to thefe fpecimens, we find a compofition of a very different kind, which were we to pass unnoticed, we should do Dr. R. great injuffice. It is a Vocal Chorus, in eight real parts, compofed by himself in 1769 as part of the exercife required, by the ftatutes of the University of Oxford, for the degree of Doctor in Mufic. It was not, however, performed; the chorufes of the Anthem with inftrumental accompaniments, which he had alfo prepared for the occafion, being regarded as a fufficient teftimonial of his abilities to write in many parts. And, indeed, this masterly fpecimen of his talents as a contrapuntift muft convince every one, who is competent to judge, not only that he has ftudied the old ecclefiaftical compofers, but that he has ftudied them without a fervile fpirit of imitation. It unites, in a very uncommon degree, clearness with fulness, fimplicity with complication, and apparent facility with real difficulty. The motion of each part, in spite of its embarraffing dependance on the reft, is always unforced and graceful; and if it does not poffefs, because it could not, Roufleau's unity of melody, yet it feems as if, well performed, with good voices and perfect intonation, it would produce a unity of barmonic effect, which approaches as nearly to unity of melody, as the nature of fuch a compofition will admit.

From the Vocal Chamber Mufic of this period, Dr. B. proceeds to the Inflrumental: and here we come to an event, that conftitutes an epoch of no fmall importance in mufical hiftorythe introduction of FANTASIAS; the hiftorian's account of which, and its confequences, we fhall give in his own words:

See Whalley's edit. of Jonfon's Works, vol. vi. p. 12.

About

About the beginning of the feventeenth century, madrigal which were almoft the only compofitions, in parts, for the Chamber then cultivated, feem to have been fuddenly fupplanted in the favour of lovers of Mufic by a paffion for FANTASIAS of three, four, five and fix parts, wholly compofed for viols and other inftruments, with out vocal affiftance. And this paffion feems to have arifen, from the calling in these inftruments to reinforce the voice-parts, with which they played in unifon, in the performance of motetti and madrigal thence termed concertati. At length, the inftrumental performen difcovered, that both the poetry and finging of the times might b fpared without any great lofs or injury to mufical effects; as the words, if good, were rendered unintelligible by fugue, imitation, and multiplicity of parts; and the finging, being often coarse and out of tune, could be better fupplied by their own performance. Thus vocal Mufic not only loft its independence, but was almoft totally driven out of fociety: as the ancient Britons, calling in the Saxons to affift them in their conflicts with the Picts, were themselves fabdued and forced from their poffeffions, by too powerful auxiliaries.'

Thefe Fantafias, however, according to Dr. B.'s account of them, feem to have been fo denominated, like lucus a non lucendo, from their having no fancy in them. But let us not haftily defpife them ;-from thefe humdrum and narcotic Fancies,-th's mufical grub, were produced, by fucceffive metamorphofis, firt the SONATA, and the CONCERTO, and, at laft, the modern SYMPHONY, like the butterfly, in all its fluttering brilliancy and variety of colouring.

During the early and tranquil part of the reign of CHARLESİ. Mafques appear to have been ftill more the favourite amufement of the Court, than in the preceding reign; and the Queen is faid to have frequently reprefented the principal character in the piece herfelf, A Mafque, written by Shirley, was acted at Whitehall, of which the whole expence, amounting, it feems, to above 31,000l. was defrayed by the gentlemen of the Four Inns of Court," as a teftimony of duty and loyalty, on his Ma jefty's return from Scotland, after terminating the difcontents in that kingdom." Of this fplendid exhibition-the manner in which it was planned and conducted-the public proceffion of the mafquers by torch-light from Ely-houfe to Whitehall, in triumphal cars conftructed for the occafion, and on horfes fumptuoufly caparifoned,-the dreffes, Mufic, &c. a very circumftantial account was left, in manufcript, by Lord Commiffioner Whitelocke, and is now in the poffeffion of Dr. Morton of the Briuh Museum. From these curious papers, Dr. B. has given a copious extract, which must amufe and intereft every reader, mufical or unmufical, by the authenticity of the information, the minute particularity of the defcription, and the earneft fim

Whitelocke's Labours remembered in the Annales of his Life, written for the Ufe of his Children. MS.

plicity

4

plicity of inoffenfive felf-importance with which it is delivered.

On the arrival of the proceffion at Whitehall, they found the fayre banquetting houfe, fo crowded with fayre ladyes, gliftering with their rich clothes, and richer jewells, and with lords and gentlemen of great quality, that there was scarfe roome for the King and Queen to enter in.-

"The horsemen of the mafque, and other gentlemen of the Innes of court, fate in the gallery referved for them, and thofe of the committee that were prefent were with them; only Hyde and Whitelocke were placed below among the grandees, and near the sceane, that they might be ready to give affillance, if there fhould be occafion, and as an extraordinary favour to them att that time, and in that prefence.

"The King and Queen and all their noble train being come in, the mafque began, and was incomparably performed, in the dauncing, fpeeches, Muficke, and fceanes; the daunces, figures, properties, the voices, inftruments, fongs, aiers, compofures, the words and actions were all of them exact, none fayled in their parts, and the sceanes were most curious and coftly.

"The Queen did the honour to fome of the mafquers to daunce with them herfelfe, and to judge them as good dauncers as ever fhe fawe, and the great ladyes were very free and civill in dauncing with all the mafquers as they were taken out by them.

"Thus they continued in their sports untill it was almost morning, and then the King and Queen retiring, the masquers and Innes of court gentlemen were brought to a ftately banquett, and after that was difperfed, every one departed to his own quarters."

But, alas, all this gay and fplendid fcene of courtly pleasure was foon reverfed. Even facred Mufic was, to the Puritans, profane. The King's 'patronage of poetry, painting, architecture, and mufic, was ranked among the deadly fins, and his paffion for the works of the best artifts in the nation, profane, pagan, popish, idolatrous, dark and damnable.' The reflections which the author has introduced in this part of the chapter, on the effects of the civil war on Mufic, are excellent:

The total fuppreffion of cathedral fervice, in 1643, gave a griev ous wound to facred Mufic; not only checking its cultivation, but annihilating as much as poffible the means of restoring it, by deftroying all the church-books, as entirely as thofe of the Romish communion had been at the time of the Reformation. Nothing now but fyllabic and unifonous pfalmody was authorised in the Church; organs were taken down, organifts and choirmen turned adrift, and the art of Mufic, and indeed all the arts but thofe of killing, canting, and hypocrify, were difcouraged. During fuch contentions, what leifure or difpofition could there be for the culture of arts which had no connexion with the reigning interefts and paffions of men? The fine arts have been very truly and emphatically called the Arts of Peace, and the celebrated periods in which they made the most confiderable ftrides towards perfection, were calm and tranquil.

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