A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Macbeth Music

by William Chappell

MACBETH MUSIC. Three musicians, of varied eminence, have successively composed music for Sir William Davenant's additions to—rather than alterations of—Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth. Sir William designed to increase its attractions for the public by combining with it music, improved scenery, and stage-machinery. He died before he could bring his experiment into practice; but it was carried out by his widow and son, at the new theatre in Dorset Garden in 1672. Downes, who was then, and for many years after, the prompter of the theatre, took advantage of the information he acquired through his position, to write a book, called 'Roscius Anglicanus, or an Historical Review of the Stage' (12mo. 1708). In this he says: 'The tragedy of Macbeth, altered by Sir William Davenant, being dressed in all its finery, as new clothes, new scenes, machines, as flying for the witches, with all the singing and dancing in it, the first composed by Mr. Lock, the other by Mr. Channell and Mr. Priest, it being all excellently performed, being in the nature of an Opera, it recompensed double the expenses; it proves still a lasting play.'

Downes is the only contemporary authority who refers to the authorship; but the Hon. Roger North, an accomplished musician, remarks generally, 'in music, Matthew Lock had a robust vein,' a criticism peculiarly applicable to the music in 'Macbeth.' Immediately after 'Macbeth,' Matthew Lock composed the instrumental music for Shakespeare's 'Tempest,' produced in 1673; also the vocal music for Shadwell's 'Psyche' in Feb. 1673–4. These were published by him in 1675; but music for witches was not well suited for private use, and the Macbeth music remained in manuscript until after his death in 1677. These three are Lock's only known productions for the theatre, and they were all parodied by a contemporary, one Thomas Duffett. The parody upon 'Macbeth' is 'An Epilogue spoken by Heccate and the three witches, according to the famous Mode of Macbeth,' printed with a farce called 'The Empress of Morocco,' 4to. 1674. That upon 'The Tempest' is entitled 'The Mock Tempest,' 4to. 1675; and that upon 'Psyche' is called 'Psyche Debauch'd,' 4to. 1678. Stage parodies are only written and accepted upon works that have been successful, and although the music in 'Macbeth' was ill adapted for private use, owing to its subject, that of 'Psyche' had a long-continued and widely spread popularity. Two of the vocal pieces, 'The delights of the bottle' and 'All joy to fair Psyche,' were lengthened into penny ballads, to be sung in the streets, and several other ballads which were written to the tune of the first are still extant—such as 'The Prodigal Son,' 'The Wine Cooper's Delight,' etc. Matthew Lock's robust vein is equally characterised in these airs. (See 'Popular Music of the Olden Time,' ii. 498–501.)

The only reason that can be assigned why modern musicians should have doubted Matthew Lock's authorship of the music in 'Macbeth' is that a manuscript score of it exists in the handwriting of Henry Purcell. His autograph seems to have been tolerably well ascertained. First, Dr. Philip Hayes recorded his judgment by writing on the manuscript 'Purcell's score of y^e music in Macbeth, also the score from whence it was printed under Mat. Lock's name.' It may be conceded that the score is in Purcell's handwriting, and that it is the one from which Dr. Boyce had then printed the music for the first time, but assigned its composition to Mat. Lock. The present possessor of this MS. is Mr. W. H. Cummings, one of the most careful and reliable of antiquaries, as well as one intimately acquainted with Purcell's style, and with his numerous works. The means of judging equally well of Lock's music for the theatre, are not to be had, for want of examples, especially if 'Macbeth' is to be deducted from them. But there remains the inexorable logic of dates to prove that, although the manuscript be in Purcell's handwriting, he could not have been the composer of a work which was produced on the stage when he was only in his fourteenth year. Henry Purcell was born in 1658, and died in November 1695, aged 37. A sufficient reason for Purcell's having made a transcript of it is to be found in the fact that he was called upon to write music of a somewhat similar character to that in 'Macbeth,' for the sorceress in 'Dido and Æneas,' with 'choral responses and wild laughter of the infernal spirits'; and this was to be his own preliminary essay for the stage. There was a certain amount of conventionality, but not amounting to plagiarism, in the treatment of demoniacal music. This has been remarked in the music to Middleton's play of 'The Witch,' in Eccles's music to 'Macbeth,' and in Purcell's own music to 'Dido and Æneas.' Of the last, Mr. Hogarth says: 'The little duet in this scene, between two of the witches, "But ere we this perform," is remarkable for its ingenuity of contrivance, and easy flow of melody; and the full chorus which follows, and concludes the scene, has the broad simplicity of Matthew Lock.' ('Memoirs of the Musical Drama,' i. 151.) Sir John Hawkins states that Purcell wrote the music to 'Dido and Æneas' 'at the age of nineteen,' and that he composed it for the Mr. Josias Priest, who was concerned in the production of 'Macbeth' with Lock. But Sir John was mistaken as to Purcell's age, and as to 'Dido and Æneas' having been performed at Priest's house in Leicester Fields. In 1680 Priest removed from Leicester Fields (now Leicester Square), to Chelsea, and announced it in the London Gazette, No. 1567, dated Nov. 25, 1680: 'Josias Priest, Dancing Master, who kept a Boarding School of Gentlewomen in Leicester Fields, is removed to the Great School House at Chelsey, that was Mr. Portman's,' etc., and it was there 'Dido and Æneas' was produced. By happy chance, one of the books of words, distributed among the audience on that occasion, is preserved in the library of the Sacred Harmonic Society. It is of six folio pages, without title or imprint, and is headed: 'An Opera performed at Mr. Josias Priest's Boarding School at Chelsey, by young gentlewomen. The words made by Mr. Nat. Tate. The musick composed by Mr. Henry Purcell.' 'Nat' is probably a misprint for 'Nah.'—Nahum Tate. Other corroborative evidence of its production has been discovered by Mr. W. H. Cummings. This is promised in a new and more complete edition of the opera. All proves Purcell to have been at least in his 22nd year when he produced his first opera. The year then ended in March. The study of sacred and of chamber music had so predominated in Purcell's musical education, that with all his genius, when first writing for the stage, he would naturally desire a dramatic model to improve upon. This was easily to be obtained through Mr. Priest, whose connection with the theatre would enable him to borrow Lock's score to be copied. Mr. W. H. Cummings submitted the 'Macbeth' MS. to Mr. Netherclift, the well-known expert, 'who came to the conclusion that it had a certain boyish resemblance to facsimiles of Purcell's after-writings, but not sufficient of itself for him to form a decided judgment as to the identity of authorship.' This 'boyish resemblance' is precisely what might have been expected under the circumstances above detailed. Every young composer requires some model to start upon, just as the early works of Beethoven remind us of his model, Mozart.

Matthew Lock died in 1677, three years before Purcell made his preliminary essay for the stage, an essay which led to his being engaged to write the music for Nat Lee's 'Theodosius,' which appeared at the Duke's Theatre in 1680. This was the commencement of Purcell's dramatic career.^[1] Matthew Lock had been appointed to compose music for the public entry of Charles II. at the Restoration, and he was soon after appointed Composer in Ordinary to the King, and organist to the Queen. His abilities had often been called upon in a minor degree for the Duke's Theatre, as in composing the original music for Davenant's song, 'My lodging it is on the cold ^[2]ground,' sung by Mary Davies in 'The Rivals' (4to, 1668)—and 'I prithee, love, turn to me,' in 'Apollo's Banquet,' 1669—also for 'the antique round' to be danced by the witches in Act iv. sc. 2, of the original 'Macbeth,' before Davenant made his additions. This dance is included in 'Musick's Delight on the Cithren,' 1666. 'Witches' Dances' in manuscripts of that age are not necessarily by Matthew Lock. There are two such in Add. MSS. No. 10,444, in the British Museum, taken from some masque.

Eccles's music for 'Macbeth' is to be found in score in the British Museum (Add. MSS. No. 12,219). It was brought out at Drury Lane Theatre in 1696. As this was the year after Purcell's death, the date disposes of the myth of Purcell's having had any hand in after-improving it. As Eccles's music is not the music of 'Macbeth,' it must stand or fall upon its own merits. It was much admired by W. Linley, who edited 'Dramatic Songs' in, or for, Shakespeare's plays; but in the more trustworthy judgment of Mr. Cummings, 'it abounds in wearisome and uninteresting imitative phrases'; and again, Mr. Cummings says, 'Eccles could not have been the author of the music accredited to Lock; the former is so extremely laboured and diffuse, the latter so much more dramatic and effective in its conciseness and simplicity.' ('Concordia,' Nov. 27, 1875.)

'The music in Macbeth,' says Mr. Cummings, 'is not equal to Purcell at his best period: yet, if he composed it, as I believe, at the age of fourteen or sixteen, it adds another leaf to the laurel crown of England's greatest musical genius.' On the other hand, it may be said, that Purcell requires no borrowed plumes, and that the sole ground for attributing the music to him rests upon this manuscript. If we are to accept it as evidence that Purcell composed the music for 'Macbeth,' we must re-write the history of Purcell. It must henceforth be that, at the age of fourteen (sixteen is inadmissible) he appeared as a juvenile prodigy, having composed the music for 'Macbeth,' which met with an enthusiastic reception, but this meteor at once disappeared; Purcell preferred retirement for eight years, and during that period did nothing more than favour Mr. Priest with music for young ladies and gentlemen to perform, until he chose once more to shine upon the stage in 1680. The inferences drawn by Mr. Cummings in his able article show his enthusiasm for Purcell, and perhaps he had then in his mind the founding of the Purcell Society which he has since succeeded in establishing. No writer could have stated the evidence more fairly, whether the inferences to be drawn from it were for or against his opinion.

Of Richard Leveridge's claim, it is sufficient to say that he composed new music for the 2nd act of 'Macbeth' in or about 1708. It has since passed completely into oblivion, and there is no need to say anything more about it.

[ W. C. ]

1. In the Preface to Purcell's 'Dido and Æneas,' by the late Edward Taylor, Gresham Professor of Music, aud in the Introduction to Purcell's 'Bonduca,' by the late Dr. E. F. Bimbault, the date of the first production of 'Dido and Æneas' has been silently thrown back to '1675.' In antiquarian matters, Dr. Rimbault was at that time the guide of Professor Taylor, but when Dr. Rimbault wrote the preface to his own edition of 'Dido and Æneas,' he had discovered his early error. It is easy to see how he made the mistake. In his Introduction to 'Bonduca,' Dr. Rimbault gives a list of Purcell's compositions for the stage, with dates derived, not from Purcell or from any musical authority, but from the 'Biographia Dramatica,' as to when these works were first produced upon the stage. Therein he found three plays in 1676—Shadwell's 'Epsom Wells,' his 'The Libertine,' and Dryden's 'Aureng Zebe.' In 1677 he found Mrs. Behn's 'Abdelazor,' and in 1678 Shadwell's alteration of 'Timon of Athens.' Not one of these plays is attributed to Purcell in Downes's contemporary account, and it is in direct contravention to Downes's statement that in 1680 'Theodosius,' 'compos'd by the famous master, Mr. Henry Purcell (being the first he e'er compos'd for the stage) made it a living and gainful play to the Company.' He adds that 'The Court, especially the Ladies, by their daily charming presence, gave it great encouragement.' The very name of Dryden ought to have convinced Dr. Rimbault that his inference as to Purcell having written music for 'Aureng Zebe' in 1676, when Purcell was in his eighteenth year, was unsound; but possibly he relied upon Novello's Index to Hawkins's 'History of Music,' and did not see page 707, where the important notice of Dryden versus Purcell occurs. In it Monsieur Grabu is complimented at the expense of Purcell and other Englishmen in 1685. It was only some five years after Grabu had failed that Dryden gave his 'King Arthur' to Purcell to set. Again, it might be urged that Purcell did not compose the music for those five plays, but only for some parts of them—as in 'Timon of Athens' he rewrote the masque music in Act 2. Much more might be said were Purcell's music the subject, but here it is 'Macbeth Music.'
2. Not the present air, but one styled 'On the cold ground,' in 'The Dancing Master' of 1665.