DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

LAWES LAWES 655
father, tlie coiiservateur of the collection of
coins in tlie Bibliotheque Nationale), eminent
writer on music, was born in Paris, April 26,
1816, "was educated at the university of tlie
Sorbonne, where he took tlie degree of baclielier,
while studying harmony and counterpoint with
H. Cohen. His writings on musical history
are as follows : Les Ti-aducteurs de ShakcsjJcare
€'ti Diusique (1S69) ; La Musique dans la A'aturc
(1873) ; La Musiqne dans I'imagerie du rnoycnd'je
(1875) : Histoire de l' instrumentation (1878,
crowned by the Academy) : Les principes et
r histoire du chant (with Th. Lemaire) : La
Masique au si^cle de Saint-Louis ; Histoire de
la Musique ; Histoire de la Musiqne francaise ;
and many articles in magazines, etc. He was
appointed librarian of tlie Bibliotheque Rationale
in 1865, and died in Paris, Dec. 17, 1897. G. F.
LA^VES, Heniiy, son of Thomas Lawes [who
was probably identical with a vicar-choral of
Salisbury of that name] was horn at Dinton,
"Wiltsiiire, probably in Dec. 1695, as he was
baptized Jan. 1, 1595-96. He received his
musical education from Giovanni Coperario, On
Jan. 1, 1625-26, he was sworn in as epistler of
the Chapel Koyal, and on Nov. 3 following,
one of the gentlemen, and afterwards became
clerk of the cheque. In 1633 he furnished
music for Thomas Carew's masque, ' Coelum
Britannicum,' performed at Court, Feb. 18,
1633-34. In this masque the Earl of Bridgewater's
trwo sons took piart, and this circumstance
very probably led to his being employed as
music-teacher in the family, and so to tlie production
of Milton's masque, ' Comus,' produced
at Lndlow Castle on Michaelmas night, Lawes
performing the part of the Attendant Spirit.
Both Hawkins and Burney have printed ' Sweet
Echo,' one of the songs in ' Comus.' The whole
of the songs are in the British Museum, Add.
MS. 11,518, [and the music was published
entire by the Mermaid Society in 1904. In
Peck's New Memoirs, etc., p. 12, it is stated that
the choice of Milton to write the masque origi-
nated with Lawes.] In 1637 appeared 'A
Paraphrase vpou the Psalmes of David. By
G[eorge] S[andys]. Set to new Tunes i'or private
Devotion. And a thorow Base, for Voice or
Instrument. By Henry Law-es '
; and in 1648
' Choice Psalmes put into Musick for Three
by Henry and William
Composed Voices. . . .
Lawes, Brothers and Servants to His Majestic.
With divers Elegies set in Musick by several
friends, upon the death of William Lawes. And
at the end of the Thorough Base ^ are added
nine ^ Canons of Three and Four Voices made
by William Lawes.' A copper-plate p)ortrait of
Charles I. , believed to be the last publislied in
his lifetime, accompanies each part, and amongst
the commendatory verses prefi.xed to the work
is the sonnet, addressed by Milton to Henry
Lawes in Feb. 1645-46, beginning ' Harry, whcise
tuneful and well -measured song.' [As to the
difficulties connected with this date, and the
original title, see Notes and Queries, 2ud ser. vi.
337, 395, 492.] Lawes composed the Christmas
songs in Herrick's ' Hesperides,' and the songs
in the plays and poems of William Cartwright,
Comedies, anel tragi-Coniedies, with othrrpoevis by
Mr. William Carturight. . . . The Ayres and
Songs set by Mr. Henry Lawes . . . London,
1651. It contains no music, however. In
1652 some of his songs appeared in Playford's
' Select Musical Ayres,' and in 1653 Lawes pmblished
' Ayres and Dialogues lor One, Two and
Three Voyces, ' with his portrait, from w'hich
the above is taken, finely engraved by Faithorne
on the title. This was received with snch
favour as to induce him to issue two other books
with the same title in 1655 and 1668. In 1656
he was engaged with Capt. Henry Cooke, Dr.
Charles Colman, and George Hudson in providing
the music for Davenant's ' First Day's
Entertainment of Musick at Rutland House.'
On the Restoration in 1660, Lawes was reinstated
in his Court appointments. He composed
' the anthem Zadok the Priest, ' for the corona-
tion of Charles II. He died Oct. 21, 1662,
and was buried Oct. 25 in the cloisters of
Westminster Abbey. Many of his songs are to
be found in 'Select Musical Ayres and Dialogues,'
The Treasury of
1652, 1653, and 1659, and '
Musick,' 1669.
Henry Lawes was highly esteemed by his contemporaries,
both as a composer and performer.
Milton praises him in both capacities, and
Herrick in an epigram places him on a level
with some of the most renowned singers and
players of his time ; but later writers have
formed a lower estimate of his abilities as a
composer. Burney declares his productions to
be ' languid and insipid, and equally devoid of
'
learning and genius ; and Hawkins speaks of
his music as dehcient in melody and ' neitlier
recitative nor air, but in so pirecise a medium
between both that a name is wanting for it.'
I Tie work i8 in separate parts. 2 Really ten.