playing upon pipes, whistles, and instruments, imitating the notes of all sorts of birds, and playing in excellent concert. "These were followed by an anti-masque of birds, consisting of an owl in an ivy bush, with many sorts of birds in a cluster gazing upon her. These were little boys put in covers in the shape of those birds, nicely fitted, sitting on small horses, with footmen going before them with torches in their hands, and others to look after them, to prevent their falling. "After this anti-masque came other musicians on horseback, playing upon bag-pipes and other kinds of northern music, to show that the following projectors were Scots; and these, like the rest, had many footmen with torches waiting on them. "First in this anti-masque rode a fellow upon a little horse with a great bit in his mouth, carrying upon his head a bit with a head-stall and reins; a projector who begged a patent, that none in the kingdom might ride their horses without such bits, which they should buy of him. "Then came another fellow with a capon upon his fist, and a bunch of carrots, representing a projector who begged a monopoly as the first inventor of the art of feeding capons upon carrots. "Several other projectors were personated in this antimasque, which pleased the spectators more because information was thus covertly given to the king of the unfitness and ridiculousness of these projects against the law. (Queen Elizabeth, although she granted many obnoxious patents of monopoly, used to call them 'harpies and horse-leeches.') "After this, and the rest of the anti-masques, came six of the chief musicians on horseback upon foot-cloths, and in the habits of heathen priests, footmen carrying torches by their sides. These were followed by a large, open chariot drawn by six fine horses, with large plumes of feathers on their heads and cruppers. In this chariot were about a dozen persons in the habits of gods and goddesses, many footmen walking on both sides with torches. "This chariot was followed by six more of the musicians on horseback, dressed and attended with torch-bearers, proceeding before another large, open chariot drawn by six horses, with feathers, liveries, and torches: within it were twelve musicians as variously dressed as the others, to represent, like them, pagan deities. These chariots were made for the occasion, and, preceding the grand masquers' chariots, played upon excellent music all the way. "After this chariot came six more musicians, dressed and attended like the former, followed by the first chariot of the grand masquers, which was not so large as those that pre ceded it, but curiously carved and painted. It was in the form of a Roman triumphal chariot, and richly painted, with crimson and silver all over, not excepting the wheels. It was drawn by four horses all abreast, covered to the heels with crimson and silver tissue, and with huge plumes of red and white feathers on their heads and cruppers. The coachman's cap and feathers, his long coat, his cushion, and his very whip were of the same stuff and colour. In this sat the four grand masquers of Gray's Inn, who were handsome young gentlemen. Their habits, doublets, trunk hose, and caps were of the richest tissue, covered as thick with spangles as they could be, conveniently; large white silk stockings extending up to their trunk hose, and very fine sprigs in their caps. "On each side of the chariot were four footmen, in liveries of the colour of the chariot, carrying huge flambeaux, which, with the torches, gave the greatest lustre to the paintings, spangles, and habits. "After this chariot came six more musicians in habits like the former, followed by the second chariot, which differed only from the former in its being painted blue, gilted with silver. The chariot and horses were covered with tissue of blue and silver, as the former was with crimson and silver. "In this second triumphal chariot were four grand masquers of the Middle Temple, in the same habits as the other masquers, and had the like attendance, with torches and flambeaux like the former. "After these followed the third and fourth triumphal chariots, with six musicians between each; both they and their horses dressed as before. The triumphal chariots were all of the same make, and alike carved and painted, only differing in their colours. In the third of these chariots rode the grand masquers of the Inner Temple, and in the fourth those of Lincoln's Inn, each taking the place assigned them by lot. "In this order they proceeded to Whitehall, where the king and queen, from a window of the banqueting house, beheld this procession, and were so delighted with it that the king sent to desire the marshal to take a turn round the tilt-yard, that he and his consort might have a second view of this pompous procession; which being accordingly performed, they entered the palace, and were conducted to several apartments prepared for their entertainment, where the ladies of honour, and even the queen herself, danced with the principal masquers. "With this fine cavalcade her majesty was so delighted that she desired to have it repeated, which being intimated to the lord mayor, he invited the king and queen, with the above masquers, to an entertainment in Merchant Taylors' Hall. They came in procession into the city in exactly the same order, and with equal splendour, as at Whitehall."* The masques were the preludes to operas. Pope says "The Siege of Rhodes" was the first opera sung in England, 1656, at Rutland House, got up by Sir. William Davenant. In 1692 there was an advertisement in the London Gazette announcing "an Italian lady that is come over, and is so famous a singer that she will sing at York Buildings on the 10th of January, and during the season." In 1702 a concert of Italian singers, in York Buildings, lately come from Rome. They progressed by slow degrees, in the form of intermezzi or Italian interludes, made up of singing and dancing. It next appeared in a mixed state-the music Italian, the text translated. In 1707 an entire opera, in which Urbani (a male soprano) and two foreign women sang in Italian, while the other parts were sung in English words. In 1710, all prejudices having evaporated, “ Almahide," wholly in Italian, and performed by foreign singers only, was successfully brought out at the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket. This success led afterward to the introduction of Handel. Spring Gardens, afterward Vauxhall, a place for singing English operas and dancing on summer evenings in the open air, was visited by Evelyn in 1661. Ranelagh, on the Westminster side of the Thames, for the high nobility, began about 1742 as a sort of rival to Vauxhall. The first regular series of concerts was under the academy of ancient music, in 1710. Sadler's Wells began at the close of the seventeenth century, by a person named Sadler: after him it was continued by Francis Foster. Scenic representations, with water, music, singing, and dancing, are exhibited there. It is commonly stated that the first English concert was began by Thomas Britton, who supported himself by keeping a coal cellar. He died in 1714. It was, I presume only a revival. There were music clubs, or private meetings for the practice of music, which were very fashionable with people of opulence. In "The Citizen turned Gentleman," a comedy by Edward Ravenscroft, 1675, the citizen is told that, in order to appear like a person of consequence, it was necessary he should "have a music club once a week at his own house." cedin mus: he first two persons of any musical education were Reinand Beard, in Handel's time, (reign of George I.) * Whitlock's Memoirs. APPENDIX. No. I.--SETTLEMENT OF THE STATES OF U. S. Those colonies which are now called British, began as follows: 1583 Newfoundland. 1623 Nova Scotia. 1630 New Brunswick. 1670 Hudson's Bay and North West Territory. 1758 Cape Breton. 1759 Upper and Lower Canada. No. II.-PAINTERS AND ENGRAVERS, FROM 1603 TO 1802.* Subjects. History, Miniature portraits, History and miniature portraits, Engraved portraits and various subjects, History and portraits, Engraved portraits. History, portraits, and landscapes, Engraved portraits. Engraved history and portraits, Birds and animals. Portraits, do and other subjects, Joseph Highmore, do do 1780 History and portraits, His Uncle. William Hogarth, do do 1764 History and humorous subjects. George Knapton, do do 1788 Thomas Hudson, Allan Ramsey, Edinboro', died 1784} do Painted and engrd. portraits and landscapes, Portraits, died 1765 History and portraits. * Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, 2 vols., 1816. |