A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Lock, Matthew

by William H. Husk

LOCK, Matthew, born at Exeter, was a chorister of the cathedral there under Edward Gibbons, and afterwards studied under Wake. He and Christopher Gibbons composed the music for Shirley's masque, 'Cupid and Death,' 'represented at the Military Ground in Leicester Fields' before the Portuguese Ambassador, March 26, 1653. In 1656 he published his 'Little Consort of Three Parts' for viols or violins, composed, as he tells us, at the request of his old master and friend, William Wake, for his scholars. He composed the music, 'for y^e king's sagbutts and cornets,' performed during the progress of Charles II from the Tower through the city to Whitehall on April 22, 1661, the day before his coronation, for which he received the appointment of Composer in Ordinary to the King. [App. p. 705 "he married Alice, daughter of Edmund Smyth, Esq., of Armables, Herts, on March 8, 1663–4, and that he is stated in the register to be thirty years old at the time. The date of his birth is there approximately ascertained as 1632 or 3."] He composed several anthems for the Chapel Royal, and on April 1, 1666, produced there a Kyrie and Credo, in which he departed from the ordinary usage by composing different music to each response. This occasioned some opposition on the part of the choir, in consequence of which he published his composition, with an angry preface, on a folio sheet, under the title of 'Modern Church Music; Pre-Accused, Censur'd, and Obstructed in its Performance before His Majesty, April i, 1666, Vindicated by the Author, Matt. Lock, Composer in Ordinary to His Majesty.' (Of this publication, now excessively rare, there is a copy in the library of the Sacred Harmonic Society [App. p.705 "there is a copy of 'Modern Church Music,' etc., in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge. Some of Lock's autographs are in the library of King's College, Cambridge"]). To this period may probably be assigned the production of 13 anthems for 3 and 4 voices, all contained in the same autograph MS., which Roger North describes as ' Psalmes to musick in parts for the use of some vertuoso ladyes in the city.' Soon afterwards, having, it is supposed, become a convert to the Romish faith, he was appointed organist to the queen. He had in 1664 composed 'the instrumental, vocal, and recitative music' for Sir Robert Stapylton's tragicomedy, 'The Stepmother,' and in 1670 [App. p.705 "1667"] renewed his connection with the theatre by furnishing the instrumental music for Dryden and Davenant's alteration of 'The Tempest,' the vocal music being supplied by Humfrey and Banister. In 1672 Davenant's alteration of 'Macbeth,' with the songs and choruses from Middleton's 'Witch' introduced, was produced at the theatre in Dorset Garden; and Downes, the prompter, in his 'Roscius Anglicanus,' 1706 [App. p.705 "1708"], expressly states that the vocal music was composed by Lock. The very remarkable music then performed remained unpublished until about the middle of the last century, when it appeared under the editorial care of Dr. Boyce, with Lock's name as composer, and as his it was long undisputedly accepted. But Downes's proved inaccuracy in some other things at length occasioned doubts of the correctness of his statement as to the authorship of the Macbeth music, and eventually Lock's right to it was denied and its composition claimed by some for Purcell, by others for Eccles, and by others again for Leveridge. No positive proof however has been adduced in support of any one of these claims, and until such is forthcoming it would be premature to set aside the long standing traditional attribution of the music to Lock. [See Macbeth Music.] In 1673 Lock composed the music (with the exception of the act tunes, by Draghi) for Shadwell's 'Psyche,' which he published in 1675, under the title of 'The English Opera,' together with his 'Tempest' music, prefaced by some observations, written with his usual asperity, but curious as an exposition of his views of the proper form for opera. The work itself is constructed upon the model of Lully's operas. In 1672 an extraordinary controversy commenced between Lock and Thomas Salmon, who had published 'An Essay to the Advancement of Musick by casting away the perplexity of different cliffs and writing all sorts of musick in one universal character.' Lock attacked the work in 'Observations upon a late book entitled An Essay etc.,' written in a most acrimonious and abusive tone, to which Salmon replied in 'A Vindication' of his essay, bristling with scurrility, and Lock in 1673 retorted in 'The Present Practice of Music vindicated &c. To which is added Duellum Musician, by John Phillips [Milton's nephew]. Together with a Letter from John Playford to Mr. T. Salmon in confutation of his Essay,' which closed the dispute. Of its merits it is sufficient to observe that the old practice has continued in use to this day, whilst Salmon's proposed innovation was never accepted, and probably, but for the notice taken of it by Lock, would have long ago passed into oblivion. In 1673 Lock published a small treatise entitled 'Melothesia, or Certain General Rules for playing upon a Continued Bass, with a choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Organ of all sorts,' said to be the first of the kind published in England.^[1] His compositions were numerous and various. His anthem, 'Lord, let me know mine end,' was printed by Boyce, and several other anthems exist in MS. in the Tudway collection, the Fitzwilliam Museum, at Westminster Abbey, Ely, and elsewhere. Some anthems and Latin hymns are in 'Cantica Sacra, 2nd set,' 1674; some hymns in ' Harmonia Sacra,' 1688 and 1714; songs in 'The Treasury of Musick,' 1669; 'Choice Ayres, Songs and Dialogues,' 1676–84; and 'The Theater of Music,' 1687; and eight three-part vocal compositions by him (including 'Ne'er trouble thyself at the times or their turning,' reprinted in some modern collections) in 'The Musical Companion,' 1667. Instrumental compositions by him are printed in 'Courtly Masquing Ayres,' 1662; 'Musick's Delight on the Cithern,' 1666; 'Apollo's Banquet,' 1669; 'Musick's Handmaid,' 1678 (reprinted in J. S. Smith's 'Musica Antiqua'); and Greeting's 'Pleasant Companion,' 1680. In several of these is 'A Dance in the Play of Macbeth,' evidently written for an earlier version than Davenant's.^[2] The library of the Sacred Harmonic Society contains the autograph MS. of a 'Consort of ffoure Parts' for viols, containing six suites, each consisting of a fantazia, courante, ayre and saraband, which Roger North (1728) tells us was 'the last of the kind that hath been made.' Lock died in August 1677. He is said to have been buried in the Savoy, but the fact cannot be verified, the existing registers extending no further back than 1680. Purcell composed an elegy on his death, printed in 'Choice Ayres' etc., Book II, 1689. A portrait of him is in the Music School, Oxford.

[ W. H. H. ]

1. William Penny's 'Art of Composition, or, Directions to play a Thorow Bass' is mentioned in Clavel's 'Catalogue of Books printed la England since the Dreadful Fire,' 1670, and in a catalogue of Henry Playford's, but no copy has been found.
2. Pepys, who from Nov. 5, 1661. to Dec. 21, 1668. saw 'Macbeth' performed seven times, mentions (April 19, 1667; the 'variety of dancing and musick' in it.