A Neglected Musical Benefactor

Extract

In studying the story of the progress of music, as narrated by the historians of the art, I have looked in vain for some account of the rise and development of accompaniment music; and yet I can hardly imagine a more interesting subject for investigation than the history of the gradual development of accompaniment music specially written for keyboard instruments, represented in days gone past by the organ, the virginals, the spinet, the harpsichord, and the clavichord. Let us carry our minds back a couple of centuries. What had the performer of that time to guide him in playing accompaniments to vocal music on either of the instruments I have named? If fortunate, the accompanist might possibly have put before him a manuscript score of the music he had to accompany, but generally he would be compelled to content himself with a meagre skeleton in the shape of a treble and bass, and in both these cases he would be without the aid of figures to represent the harmonies which ought to be superposed on the bass; and further, in both cases, supposing the vocal bass-part ceased for a beat, or for any number of bars, an instrumental bass would then not be written at all. A very skilful musician at the organ or clavichord might possibly contrive to produce a decent accompaniment from a score, and might fairly represent the mind of the composer; but in the other case, where there was only a melody and a bass, he would be compelled to invent his own harmony, which might or might not be like that intended by the author.