Irish dances-all for orchestra; Fantasia for NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD. two pianofortes and orchestra ; two Irish Rhapsodies for violin and orchestra; Pianoforte One of the most striking figures in English Quintet ; second Sonata for violin and pianoforte; history during the 14th century was William of The Tinker and the Fairy,' opera, in one act, Wykeham. A child of obscure parentage, he on an Irish subject, the libretto by Douglas was born in 1324 at Wickham, a village near Hyde, &c. He is now compiling and editing a Fareham (hence his patronymic), and attained to volume of clavier music by Italian writers of the a position of almost princely power in Church 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. He has also and State. He was a 'mighty pluralist' dug up from one of the Conservatoires in and one of the wealthiest ecclesiastics of his Italy some manuscripts, hitherto unpublished, time, his emoluments as Bishop of Winchester of several fine compositions by Alessandro amounting to £60,000 per annum according to Scarlatti Toccatas, &c., and some very fine the present value of money. But he made good variations, which, he says, have more unity use of this world's goods in founding two great running through them than anything down to educational institutions which have flourished Beethoven's Variations in C minor. The for upwards of five centuries. These centres of appearance of this volume will be awaited with learning, of twinlike birth and longevity, are interest. New College, Oxford, and Winchester College. A highly-commendable enterprise set in William of Wykeham was a generous and motion and skilfully engineered, so to speak, has religious man, and founded his colleges 'first for to be placed to the credit of Signor Esposito's the glory of God and the promotion of divine zeal in the cause of music in the city of his service, and secondarily for scholarship.' In the adoption. We refer to the Dublin Orchestral year 1369 he began to buy land in Oxford Society. Five years ago he thought the time whereupon to build his college for the religious had arrived when the Irish capital should have training of young men, many of whom,' as he home-made orchestral music. He thereupon said, were given up to idleness and frivolous founded a Society on the lines of the Milan vanities, betaking themselves to wandering and Orchestra, consisting of foundation and various insolences.' As part of the ground Er performing members. All the players in the acquired by the founder contained a portion of band are Dublin men, severally engaged in the city walls, it behoved him to keep these tuition, in the Royal Irish Constabulary band, walls in repair, and to allow the commonalty the regimental bands stationed in the city, the of the town the privilege of free access to theatres, and the music-halls-a local orchestra them in time of war! Looking at those old city absolutely. The performers, all professional walls (see the photographs on pp. 709 and 711) men, are paid at so much per rehearsal and to-day, when all is calm and peace, it is difficult concert. They do not regard their work only to realize that once upon a time their environfrom the pecuniary point of view, but as a real enjoyment combined with the educational advantages of studying classical works under an able and enthusiastic conductor. What a delightful change it must be for those who fiddle away night after night at the theatres and music halls! They live a new life in such an uplifting environment, and it is astonishing how well they play the Symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Tschaikovsky and others.

Signor Esposito spares no trouble in coaching his players-no fewer than thirty-four rehearsals were held for the first season of six concerts given four years ago. He takes infinite pains and finds a ready response in the efforts of his merry men. The concerts are given (in the afternoon, that they may not interfere with the evening engagements of the players) in the Great Hall of the Royal University of Ireland. Moreover, as we pointed out last month (p. 657), the concerts are subsidized to the amount of £50 per annum from the Corporation of Dublin, an interesting instance,' as we said, 'of the municipalization of

music.'

Finally, the subject of this sketch is not only the life and soul of the Dublin Orchestral Society above referred to, but his influence is for good in all that concerns the art of music in the city of his adoption.

ment was full of filth, dirt, and stinking carcases,' and that there used to congregate 'a concourse of malefactors, murderers, and thieves.' In order to carry out his plan Wykeham had to buy up several small halls, the names of some of which are somewhat peculiar-e.g., Chimney Hall, Little Hammer Hall, and Maiden Hall.

On November 26, 1379, from his town house in Southwark, Wykeham issued his charter for erecting a College for a Warden and seventy poor and indigent clerks,' to be called 'Seinte Marie College of Wynchestre in Oxenforde.' As however there was already a St. Mary's College in Oxford-which subsequently became Oriel College-the name of Wykeham's foundation was changed to New College, a name which belies its accuracy, as it is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford. The first stone of the buildings was laid on March 5, 1380, and six years later the Warden and scholars publicly took possession of their beautiful dwelling on the morning of Palm Sunday, singing in stately procession a solemn Litany.

One of the charms, and there are many, of New College is that the buildings retain their original form. With the exception of the third story, added in the 17th century, the quadrangle stands as it did five hundred years ago.

As

6

6

Dr. Rashdall and Mr. Rait, in their excellent The great tower-literally the outstanding History' of the College, state: The west side feature of the College-is without the city walls. was filled chiefly by the principal gateway and It serves as a receptacle for a clock and bells: the Warden's house, with its elegant staircase five of the latter were given by the founder and towers, the east and south sides by the chambers still form a portion of the chimes. The present of the scholars. On the north side, then as now, front gate and the one at the Slype-the slip of chapel and hall bore witness to the greatness of ground outside the city-wall-are the original the founder's aim and the grandeur of his design. gates of the College. Loggan's view (circa 1675), The cloisters completed the noble equipment for reproduced on p. 709, gives a very good bird's-eye the services of the Church, and offered a resting view of the College buildings-the great tower, place for the dead. The gardens, bounded the cloisters at the west end of the chapel, the by the city wall, increased the material comfort of the living, and the library, on the east side of the quadrangle, and extending towards the garden, served for the intellectual nourishment of Wykeham's scholars.'

chapel and the hall adjoining it on the north side of the quadrangle, the library on the east side, and the Warden's lodgings on the west, above the great gateway. Many of these features,' record Messrs. Rashdall and Rait, appear themselves for the first time. No previous college could boast of a tower gateway, a separate residence for the Head, a cloister cemetery, and a regular library.'

The chapel, notwithstanding that it has lost much of the splendour consonant with its gorgeous mediæval ritual, is one of the most fascinating in Oxford. Its most striking feature is The History' the reredos, as already quoted shown in the illuscontains several tration on p. 710. interesting refer It was the custom ences to the social of the late Sir life of the College. John Stainer when In 1418 the showing his friends 'Ambassadors of round Oxford to our Lord the Pope' bid them shut were entertained their eyes directly with spiced bread they entered the and beer.' The ante-chapel of New Puritan zeal of College. Leading William Forde, a them to the door Fellow in 1519, under the organ whose soul was screen, and turning vexed by the them in the direcgolden images of tion of the reredos, the College he would say: Chapel, is thus 'Now, open.' He would then wax enthusiastic recorded: One night Mr. Forde tyed a longe over the work of art which meets the beholder's coorde to the images, lynkinge them all in gaze, and thereafter call attention to the beauties one coorde, and being in his chamber after of the stained glass in the ante-chapel, of which midnight, he plucked the coorde, and at one pull the west window was designed by Sir Joshua all the golden gods came downe with heyho Reynolds, and the fine specimens of brasses Romhelo. It wakened all men with the rushe.' which still remain in the building. One brass For cleaning his hall and the passages leading to in the cloisters that to Richard Dyke (1604) has this characteristic 17th-century riddle

NEW COLLEGE IN THE 15TH CENTURY.

FROM WARDEN CHANDLER'S MS.

(Photo by the Oxford Camera Club. By permission of
Messrs. F. E. Robinson & Co.)

Exiit e vita cum Februus exiit, annum
Si cupis, et morbum scire, dabit MEDICVS.

it every day or every other day, Warden White (circa 1553) paid his charwoman a penny per week. The wearing of 'long, undecent hair' by the younger Fellows (in 1633) was an abuse for

For one duzon take a penny halfe penny white bread and grate it and put to that halfe a pound of beefe suett minced small half a pound of

which Robert Barkar was 'punished a fortnight's 'hability' to sing, and 'it was speedily ascertained commins for having long hayre down to his nose that, with the exception of three, they cd not. before; and he had once before been punished and had never been instructed to sing.' No and warned for the lyke a week's commins.' A wonder that the Bishop 'advised' that the symptom of temperance reform is recorded in choristers should spend most of the day in learn1788, when the powers-that-be ordered that 'the ing to sing as well plane song as composite.' Beer Butler shall not battle no more strong beer At the same time it was decreed that the 'metrical in the Buttery except that stock which shall now psalms are to be sung before and after sermons, be in the Cellar.' Some of our lady readers may and every member of the College is to bring a like to try the following ancient recipe for the psalm-book.' A curious old custom, which conmanufacture of a New College Pudding:- tinued till 1830, was the mode of summoning the members of the College to dinner. Two little choristers started from the College gateway, shouting in unison and in lengthened syllables: 'Tempus est vo-candi a-mann-ger, O Seig-neurs.' It was the business of these juvenile duettists to make this sentence (itself a remnant of older times) last t

curantes one nut

a

meg and salt and as much creame and eggs as will make it almost as stiffe as past then make you in the fashion of an egg, then lay them into the dish that you bake them in one by one with quarter of a pound of butter melted in the bottom, then set them over a cleare charcole fire and cover them, when they are browne turne them till they are browne all over, then dish them into a cleane dish, for yr sause take sack suger rose water and butter pour this over yr puddings and scrape over fine suger and serve them to the table.

The consideration of some musical aspects of New College may now claim attention.

our

THE EAST END OF THE CHAPEL.

(Photo by the Oxford Camera Club. By permission of

Messrs. F. E. Robinson & Co.)

till they reached, with their final note, the College kitchen. Among miscel laneous musical

matters asso ciated with the

College, the fol lowing may be mentioned. The Bursars' rolls of 1548 record a payment: Pro iv. Psalteriis Anglice.' In the year 1605, King James I. was entertained with a royal feast and incompar able musick'

seventy scholars, ten stipendiary priests or Unfortunately no programme exists of this chaplains, three stipendiary clerks and sixteen incomparable musick. New College supplied chorister boys.' Dual duties certainly devolved a distinguished member of the company that upon the choristers, as in addition to other assembled at the weekly music-meetings of domestic calls upon their time they had to Will. Ellis, held in Oxford, circa 1659. In a list 'make the beds.' At an early period a choir- of those music-makers, to the number of sixteen, school was built between the east cloister and Anthony-à-Wood gives: (14) Thom. Ken of the west wall of the chapel. The musical New coll. a junior. He would be sometimes education of the choristers seems to have been among them, and sing his part.' The said of the 'Squeers' type, for, at the Visitation of 1566, Thom. Ken' became the famous author of the the young gentlemen were examined as to their Morning and Evening Hymns. Another member