some sort of resemblance to a state of inspiration —
but the effort was fruitless. There can be no good
work without inspiration. We take this term, of
course, in a somewhat restricted sense — for we do
not mean to imply that it is necessary to be in a
trance, or a state of ecstasy, in order to create
beautiful music. It is only required that the com-
poser feel thoroughly in sympathy with his theme —
impressed by it to the extent of complete absorption
for the time being. Mr. Robert Buchanan's ' Ode "
has been alluded to in all our journals, so it is not
necessary for us to say more than that the author
seems to have felt very much the same as the com-
poser, but has done his utmost — that utmost being,
we are sorry to say, mediocrity.
The opening section of the work, which contains
the principal subject of the work, is the most effective
portion of the whole. This subject, which of course
stands for our city itself, is distinctly Norwegian in
character, the composer evidently going as far back
in Scotcli history as he could for his material, and, not
being able to find anything in the ay of national
music — by ' national ' we mean purely Scotcli
music — which could fittingly refer to the Clyde,
and give us a suggestion of the sea, he takes us to
the indefinite period of Norse invasion, in order to
give a somewhat less prosaic turn to his theme.
Tenors and Basses,
^^r^
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Eilig^^ilii Dark sea-born City, with thy throne set on the surge-vex'd shore. This primary subject, which is bold and effective, is delicately treated in the duet for sopranos and altos in page 3, and we are sorry when this portion is finished, for it is the only passage in ^vhich we can trace the composer's individuality. After a short instrumental interlude, we are introduced to the principal chorus, but, we are sorry to say, it is painfully dull in treatment througliout. There is none of that refined colour in the instrumental portion which we are accustomed to associate with the name of Dr. Mackenzie, and nothing in the choral writing to compensate for the omission. At the words " Lo ! raising now the palm and not the sword," there is a new subject, vastly inferior to the one at the beginning, and possessing very little meaning in a musical sense. t6=P5^f-f- ^EEgrl JEpte3ESEfe^: m. ~^m^ f — >«=1-F-
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r Ld ' I f 11 Lo ! raising now the palm, and not the sword. '/ chorus, and although not occurring more frequently than the 'working out' demands, these four notes soon begin to irritate the nerves — a pretty sure sign that the idea they suggest is not a happy one. We are glad to refer to a little bit of brightness which occurs on page 11. At the words, ' Symbols of plenty and of power,' an accessory theme used througliout the chorus appears in a sharj) key. It is beautifully defined, and in perfect sympathy with the idea of sunshine and shower. The prevalence of flat keys throughout the com- position may be noticed in passing as a not unim- portant cause of the heaviness of the entire work. There is a broad close for chorus in unison (see score, page 16), used for the words ' Praise ye the Lord.' When at a loss for a good finisli, it is always a great temptation to adopt unison for the voices, thereby obtaining a big effect with the least possible amount of trouble. In the ' Epode ' the composer introduces us to a Scotch subject for the first time. Scotch it is, because it contains a portion of the Scotcli scale, but this is the only national characteristic it con- tains. i^m^iii The latter bar is used as a figure throughout the Till all our kind are free To spread the gifts of peace with br.tve The passage ' This is our Covenant ' might have afforded an opportunity of introducing some really good national music, and we are considerably sur- prised that our representative composer should treat us to so feeble an attempt in the very direction where we should have expected to find him strong. There is, however, one extremely powerful piece of writing, where the artistic musician is shown to advantage ; and we feel a sense of satisfaction in find- ing that the work, if unsuccessful as a whole, still bears the hall-mark of true musical expression. The words, ' To share our substance, proving to our neighbours The gain is God's, not ours,' are magnificently treated. Nothing could possibly be more impressive than '•iX^&Jhrthsmio unison passage leading the sopranos up to high A — the only liigh A in the work — and the instantaneous pianissimo in full harmony following. Just before the ' Hun- dredth Psalm,' we find the last appearance of the Norwegian subject, but given in the major key, a change which causes it to lose all its Scandinavian character. After an effective modulation, the chorus in unison delivers the time-worn old hymn, but in the key of E flat ! The composer has sacrificed what might have been a grand choral effect, for the
