APPENDIX

Summary

“This is the piece which has been published separately a thousand times under the title of The Harmonious Blacksmith.”—See page 65.

Whilst this book was passing through the press, Mr. Robert Lonsdale has brought under my notice a document connected with the history of The Harmonious Blacksmith. In a volume entitled Echos du Temps passé, Recueil de Chansons, Noëls, etc., du 12^meau 18^meSiècle (4^to), published at Paris (N.D.) by Mr. Wekerlin, there is a song by Clement Marot, “Plus ne suis ce que j'ai été,” of which the air is, note for note, the melody of The Harmonious Blacksmith. “This piece,” says the publisher, “of which the music is certainly posterior to the poetry, is to be found in the Choix de Chansons à commencer de Thibaui de Champagne, by Moncrif.”

In compliance with my request, my old and excellent friend M. Casimir Gide has obtained in this matter the following explanation from Mr. Wekerlin himself:—“The collection of Moncrif (one volume in 12^mo, printed in 1757) is exceedingly rare. I only know two copies of it; one of which is at the library in the Rue Richelieu, and the other in a private collection. It is beyond a doubt that the theme of ‘ Plus ne suis’ is borrowed from the Pièces de Clavecin, by Handel, and that Moncrif committed a fault in not affixing the name of the author. Perhaps he was himself ignorant of it; for he was not very well acquainted with music.