Shakespeare and Music/Musical Education

by Edward Woodall Naylor

II

MUSICAL EDUCATION

The following passages give a lively picture of what a music-master might have to put up with from young ladies of quality.

Shrew. 2/1, 142. Re-enter Hortensio with his head broken.

Bap.	How now, my friend? why dost thou look so pale?

Hor.	For fear, I promise you, if I look pale?

Bap.	What, will my daughter [Kate] prove a good musician?

Hor.	I think, she'll sooner prove a soldier: Iron may hold her, but never lutes.

Bap.	Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?

Hor.

Why, no, for she hath broke the lute to me. I did but tell her she mistook her frets, And bow'd her hand to teach her fingering, When, with a most impatient, devilish spirit, "Frets call you these?" quoth she; "I'll fume with them;" And with that word she struck me on the head, And through the instrument my pate made way; And there I stood amazed for a while, As on a pillory, looking through the lute, While she did call me rascal fiddler, And, twangling Jack, with twenty such vile terms, As had she studied to misuse me so.

Shrew 2/1, 277.

Bap.	Why, how now, daughter Katherine? in your dumps?

Shrew. Act III. 1. Hortensio and Lucentio, the sham musical and classical tutors, give a lesson to Bianca. They quarrel which is to start first.

Lucentio.

Fiddler, forbear: you grow too forward, sir. •••••••

Hortensio.

But, wrangling pedant, this is The patroness of heavenly harmony; Then give me leave to have prerogative, And when in music we have spent an hour, Your lecture shall have leisure for as much.

Luc.	Preposterous ass, that never read so far To know the cause why music was ordained! Was it not to refresh the mind of man, After his studies, or his usual pain? Then give me leave to read philosophy, And while I pause, serve in your harmony.

Bianca settles the question, and orders Hortensio (l. 22).

Take you your instrument, play you the whiles; His lecture will be done, ere you have tun'd.

Hor.	You'll leave his lecture, when I am in tune?

Luc.	That will be never: tune your instrument.

Lucentio now goes on with his 'classics'; further on—

Hor.	[Returning]. Madam, my instrument's in tune.

Bianca.

Let's hear. [Hor. plays.] O fie! the treble jars.

Luc.	Spit in the hole, man, and tune again. •••••••

Hor.	Madam, 'tis now in tune.

Luc.	All but the base.

Hor.	The base is right; 'tis the base knave that jars.

Hortensio now takes his place, and addresses the classical Lucentio—

L. 58.

Hor.	You may go walk, and give me leave awhile: My lessons make no music in three parts. •••••••

L. 63.

Hor.	Madam, before you touch the instrument, To learn the order of my fingering, I must begin with rudiments of art; To teach you gamut in a briefer sort. •••••••

Bianca.

Why, I am past my gamut long ago.

Hor.	Yet read the gamut of Hortensio.

The first of these three passages will be quite clear to the reader in the light of the remarks on the lute already made. The second should be read in connection with the name of the doleful dance above mentioned, the Dump. [See Appendix.]

The third quotation contains interesting allusions to the peculiarities of the lute. Lines 22–25 are very naturally accounted for. The lute, having at least eleven strings, took a long time to get into tune. Even our modern violins, with only four strings, want constant attention in this respect; and the lute, therefore, especially in the hands of an amateur, might well get a name for being a troublesome instrument. The reference to the 'treble' and 'bass' strings (i.e., the 1st and 6th) has been explained before. 'Spit in the hole, man,' Lucentio's very rude advice to Hortensio, will direct our attention to the variously shaped 'holes' which were made in the belly of all stringed instruments to let out the sound. On the lute, this hole was commonly a circular opening, not clearly cut out, but fretted in a circle of small holes with a star in the middle. But this was not the only way. A lute in South Kensington Museum has three round holes, placed in an oblique line, nearly at the bottom of the instrument.^[1] The holes on the viol were generally in the form of crescents, and were put one on each side of the bridge. On the modern violins, as everybody has seen, they are in the shape of 𝆑  𝆑, and are known as 'f' holes.

Line 59, about 'lessons in three parts,' is of interest. Primarily, it is another form of 'Two's company, three is none'—but its musical meaning is very plainly present. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was very common to call the pieces of music in any volume for an instrument by the name 'Lessons.' The first meaning, of course, was that they were examples for the pupil in music, but the word was used quite freely with the purely general signification of 'Pieces' or 'Movements.'

One more word deserves remark—viz., 'to touch,' in line 63. This is used technically, and means strictly 'to play' on the instrument. The word comes both in meaning and form from Ital., toccare.

Toccata was a common word for a Prelude (often extempore), intended as a kind of introduction to two or three more formal movements. The Italian for a peal of bells is tocco di campana, and we have the word in English under the form tocsin, an alarm bell. The trumpet-call known as 'Tucket,' which occurs seven times in the stage directions of six Shakespeare plays, and is also found once in the text (Henry V. 4/2, 35), also is derived from toccare. Similarly with the German 'Tusch,' a flourish of trumpets and other brass instruments, which may be heard under that name to the present day.

The next passage confirms Morley's account of the high estimation in which music was held as a part of a liberal education. Baptista evidently considers 'good bringing up' to include 'music, instruments, and poetry.' Moreover, the visiting master was to be well paid,—'to cunning men I will be very kind.'

Shrew 1/1, 81.

Bianca.

Sir to your pleasure humbly I subscribe My books, and instruments, shall be my company, On them to look, and practise by myself. •••••••

Baptista

(To Hortensio and Gremio). Go in, Bianca. [Exit Bianca]. And for I know, she taketh most delight In music, instruments, and poetry, Schoolmasters will I keep within my house, Fit to instruct her youth.—If you, Hortensio, Or Signior Gremio, you, know any such, Refer them hither; for to cunning men I will be very kind, and liberal To mine own children in good bringing up.

We find further on, in the same play, that to bring one's lady-love a music master was thought a handsome compliment.

Shrew 1/2, 170.

Hortensio.

'Tis well: and I have met a gentleman, Hath promis'd me to help me to another, A fine musician to instruct our mistress.

Moreover, in Pericles 4/6, 185, we find that Marina, daughter of Prince Pericles, can 'sing, weave, sew, and dance.' Also see 5/1, 78, where Marina actually does sing, to rouse her father from his melancholy.

1. See Frontispiece.