Art. 20. Remarks upon Church Mufick. To which are added Jeveral obfervations upon Jame of Mr. Handel's Oratorio's, and other parts of his works. By a Lover of Harmony. Worcefter printed. 8vo. 6d. Sold by Sandby in London. The defign of this pamphlet is not fo extenfive as the title intimates, the Author's criticifm being chiefly confined to the compofitions for the words of the Te Deum. The objects of his cenfure are Meff. Tallis, Bevin, Rogers, Patrick, Gibbons, Jackfon, and fome others, whofe compofitions, however just as to the laws of the fcience, yet their harmony, he fays, upon the whole, feems to have little connexion with the words. Take a fpecimen of our Author's tale in mufic, from his criticism on Mr. Purcel's Te Deum, which he admires upon the whole, and no doubt with great reafon. A compofer fays he, may be defective in one part and excel in another. This is the cafe not only with regard to Mr. Purcel, but many other compofers, who have adapted harmony to the words of the Te Deum. The general opening to Mr. Purcel's Te Deum (or what is commonly called the fymphony) is as fine a movement as ever was heard. It is a noble preparative. There is a vast deal of true grandeur and majelty in it, and the whole breathes the very spirit of church-mufick. In the following firain, the fenfe and meaning of the words (We praife thee, O God) are almost convey'd in the very found. To a difcerning and judicious ear at leaft, there is fuch an agreement of harmony and fentiment, which (one would imagine) was impoffible for the former to confer or the latter to receive. The very act of praife is not only convey'd in chearful founds, but in founds folemnly chearful. In this confits the great art and skill of a composer. In the verfe (To thee Cherubim, &c.) Mr. Purcel has given us the picture of nature. The harmony is extremely well adapted, and has a very pleafing effect upon the mind. But in the words (Thou didft open the Kingdom of Heaven,) what a ftrange falling off is there? instead of founds expreffive of the fenfe, he feems to lead one very gently down into a dark hole, or fomething like it. If it has that effect upon my ears only, it is not in my power to help it. In the verfe (Vouchsafe, O Lord, &c.) There Mr. Purcel's genius fhines forth again. This is the very picture of church mutick, The whole firain is truly petitionary and affecting, and is finely calculated to raise and animate our devotions, and to answer the end and defign of church mufick. It has been generally remarked of this verfe, that there is a great difficulty in the time of it. That it feems to move, and not to move, with many obfervations of the like kind. As for the time of it, I beg leave to fay, that there is no difficulty at all. The greateft part, if not the whole, feems to be nothing elfe, but what is generally called in mufick an ad Libitum, and if the vocal part will hearken to the inftrumental part, and fo vice verfâ, there is no fort of occafion for any exact time at all. If I may venture to give my opinion upon this veric, verfe, I have often thought, that if the whole of it was entirely confined to the voice without any inftrumental part at all, that fuch an expedient would have an admirable effect upon the generality of an audience. But whether fo great an alteration as this would be doing all proper juftice to the general defign of Mr Purcel, 1 muft leave to the more learned and judicious to determine. There are other parts of the Te Deum which Mr. Purcel has done all proper and reasonable juffice to; and notwithstanding he has failed' in many inftances, yet the whole of the harmony, when taken together, is finely calculated to raife and animate our devotions, and to anfwer the end and defign of church-mufick.' As for our Author's obfervations on Mr. Handel's Oratorios, they are extremely fuperficial, and rather mere general encomiums and expreffions of his admiration of them, than illuftrations of their particular excellencies, or attempts to fhew wherein their merit confifts. Thus he tells us, that most of the chorus's, in his Alexander's feast, are compofed with great energy,' and that the accompanied recitatives are the very portrait of a Handel. The mafk of Acis and Galatea, which was compofed in the more early part of his life, was a great proof of what the world might expect from that genius. The. airs have a great deal of nature in them, the chorus's are finely. imaged, and The forks shall the mountains, &c. is a trio, which muft always redound to his character.' What does all this amount to? The Author might as well have told us, in one word, though every body knows it already, that Mr. Handel is a very excellent compofer. D Art. 21. The Conduct and Treatment of John Crookshanks, Efq; late Commander of his Majesty's Ship the Lark; relating to his attempt to take the Gloriofo, a Spanish ship of war, in July' 1747. Containing the original orders, letters, and papers, that paffed in confequence of that affair, between Captain Crookfhanks, Admiral Knowles, the Secretaries of the Admiralty, and others. With a Plan, fhewing the pofitions of the ships. 8vo. 2s. Scott., The following fhort abstract of Capt. Crookshank's cafe, was drawn up by himself, in a petition, delivered in the year 1749. To the KING's Moft Excellent MAJESTY The humble Petition of Capt. John Crookshanks, late Commander of your Majefty's fhip the Lark; Sheweth, That your Petitioner, in the year 1747, being ordered to convoy a fleet of merchant-fhips to North-America, having your Majefty's, fhip the Warwick at that time alfo under his command, your petitioner difcovered, chaced, and, after forty hours, came up with a Spanish man of war, of feventy-four guns, which fince appears to have been, the Gloriofo. Your petitioner, in paffing her to leeward, engaged, her, and fired three rounds of all his guns; by which all the breechings of the lower-deck guns were broke. Befides the neceffity of quitting the lee-fide of the enemy, till this damage could be repaired, it was your petitioner's plan of operation, to ftand fo far a head of the enemy, as was neceffary to gain the wind of him, in order to engage him to more advantage upon the weather bow.mot That Capt. Erskine, in the faid fhip the Warwick of fixty guns, when your petitioner firft began to engage, tacked, and flood a-ftern of the enemy, and from your petitioner, his commanding officer. The enemy, availing himself of this mistake of Capt. Erskine, ran down before the wind upon him, and brought him to a feparate engagement, which Capt. Erfkine quitted. The Lark, which was of forty guns, was then nearly got up again with the Warwick, and preparing to attack in conjunction with the Warwick: but upon the enemy's ftanding to the north-weft, your petitioner followed him, with a refolution to have attacked again feparately at day-light; but was prevented by the Warwick's firing a gun as a fignal of diftrefs, which obliged the Lark to discontinue the chace, as it was done in obedience to an exprefs article of war. That your petitioner, upon the complaine of Capt. Erskine, was tried by a court martial, by the fentence of which (notwithstanding the court refolved unanimously to acquit your petitioner of the fu/pieion of cowardice, difaffection, or want of zeal) he had the misfortune to be cafhiered your Majefty's fervice, during your Majefty's pleasure. That your petitioner had then ferved twenty-four years in the royal navy, five of which he was captain; was conftantly employed during the late war, and always behaved himself to the entire approbation of his fuperior officers, and with the utmoft fidelity and zeal for your Majefty's fervice. Your petitioner most humbly prays, that your Majefty will be graciously pleafed to authorife the Lords Commiflioners of the Admiralty, to restore your petitioner to his rank in the royal navy. And your petitioner fhall ever pray, &c." This petition was referred, by his Majefty's order in council, to the then Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that they might duly confider, and report their opinions thereon: but as fuch report has not been made, Capt. Crookfhanks ftill continues labouring under the moft fevere fentence that could be pronounced on him.' Thus far the Captain's own account. We well remember the re ports current at the time when the news arrived of his behaviour with regard to the Gloriofo; which was generally related, both in the news papers, and in converfation, in a manner very much to the dif advantage of Mr. Crookfhanks's reputation. The court-martial caThiered him for not affifting Capt. Erskine, conformably to the 14th article of war: but we muff fay, he has here made it feemingly apparent, that he had hard measure dealt him by thofe who had the power of calling him to account for his conduct; and that it was his misfor tune tune to fall under the cognizance of fome who bore him no good will, and who were glad to embrace any opportunity for hurting him. However, it seems to be a laudable delicacy in the government, not to fhew any countenance to an officer who has incurred but the flightest imputation. The honour of the fervice, and the public safety, require that we fhould be as nice in this particular as was the celebrated Roman, who repudiated his wife only for being talked of; The wife of CESAR, faid he, must not be so much as SUSPECTED. Art. 22. A Letter to the Honourable Author of the new Farce, called the Rout, To which is fubjoined, An Epistle to Mr. Garrick, &c. &c. 8vo. 1 s. Thrush. In our last, p. 583, article 17. we freely expreffed our fentiments with refpect to the Rout; of which performance this Letter-writer fpeaks as bonourably as we have done: but he feems to make it pretty clear, that this Farce was not written by a person of honour, (as was averred in its title-page) it appearing to be the handy-work of Dr. ****. Art. 23. A Method of producing Double Flowers from Single, by a regular courfe of culture. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Baldwin. To fay, that this is one of the performances of Dr. Hill, will, perhaps, in the opinion of fome, be faying enough of it. However, juftice to the merits of a man, who certainly poffeffes uncommon talents, though he may not always make the moft laudable ufe of them, obliges us to obferve, that this is really an ingenious performance, abounding with curious obfervations, and illuftrated with a variety of pretty copper-plates, defigned and engraved by the Doctor himself. It is pity he does not confine his pen to subjects of which he is really a mafter. POETICA L. Art. 24. Vindicta Britannica. An Ode on the Royal Navy. Infcribed to the King. By the Rev. Mr. Newcomb. 4to. 6d. Scott. This is a profefied, and no very languid, panegyric on the naval ftrength of the great Prince, to whom the Author has aspired to infcribe it. Its good purpofe is fuperior to the manner in which it is executed. Indeed, Mr. Newcomb had modeftly acknowleged his inequality to the great talk, in his motto; and not piquing himself mach on being a very original poet, we obferve his firft line, Where'ef your fleets their op'ning canvas spread t to be a pretty literal tranfcript of Waller's addrefs to Cromwell, Where'er your navy fpreads its canvals wings. It were not difficult, perhaps, to refer to a few other instances of Our Author's great poetical reading and retention: yet when, as in ------ Cupidum, pater optime, vires Deficiunt, &c. the the prefent cafe, there is not the leaft attempt to difgdife the verfes an Author affumes or borrows, which might have cafily been done here, they should not be confidered as plagiarifms, but parodies; which Jat are so often, and fo delightfully interfperfed through that exquifite poem, the Dunciad. The ftanzas in the prefent Ode, though generally harmonious, and loftily panegyrical, in the manner of Waller, are not equally excellent. But what we think most uncharacteristical in our clerical bard, is a total filence of acknowlegement to the fole giver of all victory, who has fignally profpered the efforts of our great ally, and our own. He imagined this might be judged pedantic, perhaps, in a gentleman of his function; but the greatest Poets have fuppofed the favour of Heaven the moft fublime diftinction of a Monarch. We fhall give three fucceffive ftanzas, as a specimen of this fmall performance, the first being manifeftly inferior to the two last. Though fate has often told him dreadful news, For Britain's crowded prifons will hold no more; Thy mimic triumphs o'er a hundred foes; Who live and fight again in English profe; Still, ftill, a glorious victor at Verfailles, The British fquadrons fly, the Gaul purfues; Say, where these triumphs in the Paris news! K Art. 25. The Reduction of Louisbourgh, a Poem, wrote on board his Majefty's fhip Orford, in Louisbourgh harbour. By Valentine Nevill, Efq; of Greenwich, in Kent, Secretary to the Hon. Admiral Townfhend. Folio, 1 s. Owen. The glorious fubject of this performance, fo often joyfully reecho'd through every port and borough in England, certainly merited: a poem that could have been liftened to, at least, ten times repeatedly, with pleasure; one which, as Horace fays, decies repetita placeret. We are concerned, that, with our utmost partiality for the loyal Greenwich 'Squire, we cannot decently aver, this is like to be the prefent cafe, as he has left confiderable room for improvement, both in his expreffion and numbers on this happy occafion: though this is probably caufed, in fome meafure, by his difpatching his poem poft-hafte for the prefs (as a royal Author did his treatife on Witches) left any inglorious frefh |