Books › The violin: some account of that leading instrument, and its most eminent professors, from its earliest date to the present time;, 1878 › scan 46
Scan 46
The violin: some account of that leading instrument, and its most eminent professors, from its earliest date to the present time;, 1878
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1without a penny of payment*.—"Most of his companions would afterwards glory in this; but he was ashamed, and could never endure to hear of it."
3His record goes on to inform us that, by 1656, "he had a genuine skill in musick, and frequented the weekly meetings of musicians in the house of Will. Ellis, organist of St John's Coll. situated on that place whereon the theatre was built."—Here he gives a list of the usual company, who met and performed their parts on lutes and viols: among these, eight were gentlemen. "The musick-masters were, Will. Ellis, Bachelor of Music and owner of the house, who always played his part either on the organ or virginal:—Dr. John Wilson, the public Professor, the best at the lute in all England; he sometimes played on the lute, but most presided (directed) the consort:—Curteys, a lutenist, lately ejected from some choir or cathedral church:—Thomas Jackson, a base-violist:—Ed. Low, the organist of Christ-church; he played only on the organ; so, when he played on that instrument, Mr. Ellis would take up the counter-tenor viol, if any person were wanting to perform that part: Gervace Littleton, a violist; he was afterwards a singing man of St. John's Coll.:—Will. Glexney, who had belonged to a choire before the war; he played well upon the base-viol, and sometimes sung his part:—
5* An adventure similar to this is related by Mr. G. F. Graham, of Edinburgh (who has made liberal comment on my little work, in "Tait's Magazine"), as having occurred to a deceased clergyman of the Church of Scotland, a keen fiddler, who, returning late one evening from a musical party, was met, on Leith Walk, by a number of tipsy sailors. They began to handle him rather roughly; but, hearing the twang of his fiddle (which he had under his coat), they insisted upon his playing to them; which he did, and kept them dancing for an hour. They parted from him in great good humour.
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