Scan 378
Groves Dictionary Of Music And Musicians,vol.4, Ed.3, 1908
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1as well as a church organist. Similarly at Chichester during his first period he introduced many important works as conductor of the Chichester Musical Society. At that time he was also a teacher of harmony and counterpoint at the R.C.M.; he was an examiner for the Associated Board of the R.A.M. and R.C.M., and for the R.C.O. Among many compositions, mostly for church use, his madrigal 'Love wakes and weeps' deserves mention, since it won the prize of the MADRIGAL SOCIETY (q.v.). For an appreciation of Read by Sir Hugh P. Allen (formerly his pupil) see Mus. T., Mar. 1925.
3READE, CHARLES (b. June 8, 1814; d. Apr. 11, 1884), English dramatist and novelist, claims a notice in his capacity of expert connoisseur, and one of the earliest collectors of old violins. He devoted much time to the study of violin construction, and—as his sons put it—acquired 'as keen a scent for the habitat of a rare violin as the truffle dog for fungus beneath the roots of the trees.' He gathered much of this accurate knowledge from one Henri, a player and a maker to boot, resident in Soho, with whom he engaged in experiments in varnish, and in the business of importing fiddles from abroad for the English dealers. Frequent visits to Paris, in the latter connexion, resulted sometimes in profit and at other times in financial catastrophe; but they succeeded in bringing to England some of the finest specimens of Cremona instruments that are known to-day. They were in Paris buying a stock of thirty fiddles when the Revolution of 1848 broke out, and Henri threw aside fiddle-dealing and joined the revolutionists. He was shot before his friend's eyes at the first barricade, and Charles Reade escaped with difficulty, leaving the fiddles behind. These were found stored away in a cellar after the Revolution, and eventually reached Reade, who records that he sold one of them for more than he paid for the whole lot. At the time of the Special Loan Exhibition of Musical Instruments held at the South Kensington Museum in 1872, Reade wrote a series of letters on Cremona fiddles in the Pall Mall Gazette, in which he propounded the theory that the 'Lost Cremona Varnish' was a spirit varnish laid over an oil varnish. Coming as it did from so noted a connoisseur, there were many who accepted the theory as the solution of the question. These letters were privately reprinted by G. H. M. Muntz, under the title A Lost Art Revived: Cremona Violins and Varnish (Gloucester, 1873), and again in the volume entitled Readiana (Chatto & Windus, 1882). In later life Charles Reade abandoned fiddles and fiddle-trading, but we find traces of his infatuation in his writings. The adventurous career of John Frederick Lott, the violin-maker, is told by him, somewhat romantically, in his novel Jack of all Trades; whilst interesting matter concerning the violin comes into Christie Johnstone and his collection of tales entitled Cream.
5BIBL.—CHARLES L. and Rev. COMPTON READE, Charles Reade; JOHN COLEMAN, Charles Reade; SUTHERLAND-EDWARDS, Personal Recollections; G. HART, The Violin, D.N.B.
7READING, JOHN. There were three musicians of this name, all organists.
9(1) JOHN (d. 1692), appointed Junior Vicar-Choral of Lincoln Cathedral, Oct. 10, 1667, Poor Vicar, Nov. 28, 1667, and master of the choristers, June 7, 1670. He succeeded Randolph Jewett as organist of Winchester Cathedral in 1675, and retained the office until 1681, when he was appointed organist of Winchester College. He was the composer of the Latin Graces sung before and after meat at the annual College election times, and the well-known Winchester School song, 'Dulce Domum'; all printed in Dr. Philip Hayes's 'Harmonia Wiccamica.'
11(2) JOHN, organist of Chichester Cathedral, 1674–1720. Several songs included in collections published between 1681 and 1688 are probably by one or other of these two Readings.
13(3) JOHN (b. 1677; d. Sept. 2, 1764) was a chorister of the Chapel Royal under Dr. Blow. In 1696–98 he was organist of Dulwich College.1 He was appointed Junior Vicar and Poor Clerk of Lincoln Cathedral, Nov. 21, 1702, master of the choristers, Oct. 5, 1703, and instructor of the choristers in vocal music, Sept. 28, 1704. He appears to have resigned these posts in 1707, and to have returned to London, where he became organist of St. John, Hackney (in 1708), St. Dunstan in the West, St. Mary Woolchurchhaw, Lombard Street, and St. Mary Woolnoth. He published 'A Book of New Songs (after the Italian manner) with Symphonies and a Thorough Bass fitted to the Harpsichord, etc.,' and (about 1709) 'A Book of New Anthems.'
15There was another person named Reading who was a singer at Drury Lane in the latter part of the 17th century. In June 1695 he and Patc, another singer at the theatre, were removed from their places and fined 20 marks each for being engaged in a riot at the Dog Tavern, Drury Lane, but were soon after reinstated.
17A Rev. John Reading, D.D., Prebendary of Canterbury Cathedral, preached there a sermon in defence of church music, and published it in 1663.
19REAL FUGUE, see FUGUE.
21REAY, SAMUEL (b. Hexham, Mar. 17, 1822; d. Newark, July 21 or 22, 1905), was noted for his fine voice and careful singing as a chorister at Durham Cathedral. After leaving the choir he had organ lessons from Stimpson of Birmingham, and then became successively
231 Information from Dr. W. H. Cummings.
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