The Schoole of Musicke, perfectly teaching
the true fingering of the Lute, Pandora, Orpharion,
and Violl de Gamba, Dialogue wise, betwixt a Knight, (who
hath children to be taught) and Timotheus,
that should teach them.
KNIGHT.
OV are harteleie welcome into the countrie, and the better welcome, for that you
come at the first sending for, for it is an old saying, that cunning men are
curious, especiallie Musitions.
TIMOTHEVS.
Sir, if I had thought I should not haue beene welcome, you might haue thought
me vnwise to haue taken all this paines : againe, it was my promise to instruct
your children, and am readie at your pleasure; but I pray you, why should
Musitions bee more curious then others.
Kni. In keeping your promise, you haue
done well, and so well as I can, I will answere your demaund : in mine opinion, I
think it impossible to be a good Musition except a man be seene in all the seauen
liberall Sciences, for I know many great clarkes in Diuinitie, Phisicke, Law,
Philosophie, &c. that haue small, or no knowledge at all in Musick; nay, some
that quite reiect it. Now sith it behoueth a good Musition to bee somewhat seene
in all Arts, I conclude, that this all (with the help of an od crotchet) is the
reason why Musitions are so curious.
Tim. Trulie sir, your concluding all, is
both short & sharp, how be it I must graunt you this, that it is behouefull a
Musition that would bee excellent, to be seene in all or the most part of the seauen
liberall Arts, and so neere as I can, I will shew you which, and how necessarie
those are, that a Musition ought not to be ignorant off. First hee must be a diuine,
that is, he must be diuinelie giuen, he must aboue all things serue God, that God
may blesse him, in all his good indeuoures; hee must read the scriptures, for it is
the fountaine of all knowledge, & it teacheth the diuine harmonie of the soule
of man : for Musicke is none other then a vnitie, from whence all other, (concords,
discords, consonancies, or others whatsoeuer) springeth, next his holie Trinitie;
his fift, (the most perfect consonance in all Musicke) representeth the perfect,
& most holie cords) representeth the perfection of that most perfect number of
fiue, which made the perfect atonement, betweene God, and man; His eight, (which as
it is, but as his vnison, as it were a new beginning; so it sheweth our returne from
whence we came, as it were, in notes of Musicke, in a long or short time, sweete or
sowre composition, and thus, (I hope, without offence to that most holie Alpha
and Omega) I conclude, the necessitie of diuinitie in a Musition. Now that a
Musition should bee a Phisition, I see no such necessitie, But that Musicke is
Phisical, it is plainelie seene by those maladies it cureth. As it cureth
melancholies; it much preuaileth against madnesse; If a man be in paines of the
gout, of any wound, or of the head, it much mittigateth the furie thereof: and it
is said, that Musicke hath a salue for euerie sore. But of necessitie, a Musition
must be a perfect Arethmatition, for that Musicke consisteth altogether of true
number, and proportion, and thus, at this so cheefe, and necessarie science of
Arithmaticke, I hould it best to stay the processe of Musicke, as touching the
necessitie of other than these, which I haue mentioned to bee fit in a good
Musition.
Kni. I like you wel, & loue your Musicke
the better, for your good discourse thereof, and my hope is (in a maner) alreadie
satisfied, but notwithstanding, there remaineth in mee, a little spark of feare of
an euell that may happen, after all your paines taken, and my cost bestowed.
Tim. Why sir, it may bee you feare least your
children should die, when you haue brought them vp well, and bestowed great cost
vpon them, or if they should proue vnkinde hereafter, or if they should set light
by that good qualitie, which cost them so little, and you so much.
Kni. You say well good Timotheus, all
this is to be doubted, but I feare none so much as the last, which is, that they
will be carelesse and forgetfull, of so excellent a qualitie as is playing vpon
the Lute; and my feare is the greater, for that it was mine owne fault, that in my
youth could haue played so well, as any in those daies, and now it is as cleane
forgotten, and which is more, I haue no willing mind in the world, either to
practise (to recouer that I lost,) or to learne a new: for the play that is now,
and the lessons (that are now a daies) are so curiouslie set, that we of the olde
mine, are smoakt vp like to sea-cole, and in this age, hath the golden ore, and
sparkling diamondes of diuine Musitions, that for mine owne part, I am content, to
giue place both to youth, and the time, onelie content to be an auditore, and
louer of the best,
This HTML version of The Schoole of Musicke was created
by
Jeff Lee
<godfrey@shipbrook.net>.