Charles Dickens and Music

GUITAR (AND

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d who, in response to his mother's invitation to 'have a blow at it' while David Copperfield was having his breakfast, made, said David, 'the most dismal sounds I have eve

Feeder, B.A., was, or rather he was going to be. When little Paul Dombey visited his tutor's room he saw 'a flute wh

gs to be accomplished on some future occasion, in fact he has unlimited confidence in the power

like music when you are paying your addresses to

chard Swiveller took to when he heard th

only in unison with his own sad thoughts, but calculated

and a small oblong music-book to the best ad

bed, with the further disadvantage of being performed by a gentleman but imperfectly acquainted with the

it was only after he 'had nearly maddened the people of the house, and at both the next doors, and over the way,' that he shut up the book and went to sleep. Th

onsolation in this instrument, spending his wet S

by going on strike, and that is in the sketch entitled Private Theatres (S.B.S. 13), where the amat

rs proposed to honour the Miss Pecksniffs. The performance was both vocal

y the most fastidious taste.... The youngest gentleman blew his melancholy

f the singing we have

y Mrs. Todgers and the young ladies that, overcome by his feelings, he had retired in tears, he unexpectedly turned up again at the very top of the tune, gasping for breath. He was a

ung gentleman (C.P.) who holds skeins of

st from the youngest Miss Gray, and plays divers

ce vile except a man who had been taken up for playing the flute, and who was bew

eferred to, and it only remains to mention Mr. Evans, who 'had such lovely whiskers'

mm

d Son in the person of Harriet Carker's visitor

, seemed to denote the musician; and the extraordinary satisfaction he derived from humming somethin

former was Sampson

ppeared to have reference to the union between Church and State, inasmu

histler is the 'humming-top,' from his habit of describing semi-circles on the piano stool, and 'humming most melodiously.' There are a number of characters who indulge in the humming habit either to cover their confusion, or as a sign of light-heartedness and contentment. Prominent amongst these are Pecksniff, who, like Morfin, hums melodiously, and Micawber, who can both sing and hum. Nor must we omit to mention Miss Petowker, who 'hummed a tune' as her contribution to the enter

rbling a rustic stave, put on his garden hat, seized a spade, and opened the street door; calmly appearing

tle bit of Adam still.' He certainly h

rio

strument at the theatre where his elder niece was a dancer, and where Little Dorrit soug

d never been observed to raise his eyes above his music-book.... T

se had been the resort of singers and players. When the fortunes of the family changed his clarionet was taken away fro

ric in dress, as he had on 'a white Roman shirt and a bishop's mitre covered with leopard skin.' We are told nothing about him, except that he refused to know his old friends. In h

the performance of two waltzes, tw

ss

at resembling his instrument. The ex-artilleryman kept a little

n's pipes and a tambourine, and a triang

of conversation it turns out that Master Bagnet (otherwise 'Woolwich') 'plays the fife beautiful,' and he performs some popular airs fo

gp

ld, where the novelist refers to his own early experiences as a shorthan

iamentary bagpipes for the last time, and I have never heard it

Charley Hexam's fellow pupi

e, as if they were performing, out of ti

a lot of children in a school is ce

om

ood Doctor knew as much about playing cards as he did about 'playing the trombone.' In 'Our School' (R.P.) w

n old trombone; but a bit of it was lost, and it made the most ext

ich Dickens once saw in a broker's shop. It was '

putting away the vocal parts of a certain funeral anthem. After search

ied in peace.' T

r

calls 'a gentleman who derives his patent of gentility direct from God Almighty,' first claims our attention. He used to play the organ at the village church 'for nothing.' It was a sim

way to the turnpike (tollman included) but would ha

il himself of the opportunity to play the orga

ed, to Tom, to find an echo in the depth of every ancient

'but for a very earthy verger,' who insisted o

Mary that led to the former being dismissed from the architect's office, so he had to leave his beloved organ, and mightily did the poor fellow miss it when he went

s nights poring over the 'jingling anatomy of that inscrutable old harpsichord in the back parlo

t the sale of the original drawings executed by 'Phiz' for Martin Chuzzlewit this frontispie

Christmas S

s Jo

d the

at the concert at the Eagle (S.B.C. 4) accompan

red it had cost 'four hundred pound,' which M

t consisting of gardens with an orchestra, and the 'Grecian Saloon,' which was furnished with an organ and a 'self-acting piano.' Here concerts were given ever

ation through its being intro

own the

out the

way the m

es the

uently modified (for

nd of tupp

ound of

way the m

es the

s a tailor's flat-iron which used to be pawned (or 'popped') to procure the needful for admission to the tave

yer, and is directed to the house where he lived. 'There were so many lodgers in this house that the door-post seemed to be as ful

told that it was the organ that Mr

death that I would learn the organ of which I am extremely f

ption of the tones of an

ing more and more, it rose up, up; up, up; higher, higher, higher up; awakening agitated hearts within the burly piles of oak, the hollow

lent old lady we read of in Our Parish. She subscribed ￡20 towards a new instrument for the parish c

rches, and probably the description of one of them given i

had got the colic, for want of a congr

el-O

und its ceaseless strains very trying when he was busy writing, and who had as much

usual, of a humorous character. A barrel-organ formed a part of the procession to celebrate the election of Mr. Tulr

sily known as 'Chops,' the dwarf, 'spirited but not proud,' who was desirous of 'Going

rough him a little time he would screech out, 'Toby, I feel my property coming-grind away! I'm counting my guineas by thousands, Toby-grind away! Toby, I sha

they were-no itinerant musicians or showmen of any kind. He could only remember hearing one barrel-organ

the Blind School at Boston he heard a voluntary played on the organ by one of the pupils, while at S

had lost a halfpenny during the day, and consequently had to go without his supper. In fact, his master made the puni

piece of fat, he accompanied the music with a short howl; but he immediately checked it on

r, B.A., to this instrument. He was Doctor Blimber's assistan

ontinually working, over and over again, without any variation. He might have been fitted up with a

irgil stop on, and at other times his Herodotus stop. In trying to keep up the comparison, however, Dickens makes a curious mistake. In the

h difficulty in getting his master's rents from the tenants, makes up his mind to leave him; and before doing so he tells the whole truth about Casby to the inhab

it

abled the three Miss Briggses, each of them performers, to eclipse the glory of the Miss Tauntons, who could only manage a harp. On t

accompanied by two immense portfolios of music, which it w

gave 'a new Spanish composition, for three voices and three guitars,' and secured an encore, thus completely overwhelming their rivals. In the account

iard, named Antonio. In response to a general invitation 'the swarthy youth' takes up his cracked guitar and

nch language and accompanying herself 'on a glorified instrument, resembling a

pes, that each leg was a three-stringed lute.' This appears to be the only reference to this instrum

it up and m

Life of Mr. Tu