"Perhaps,
as I have been so particular in delivering my Sentiments concerning
the Hero of the Essay, you may expect me to give you a Detail
of the various Excellencies, which still remain unmentioned
in Handel ... Perhaps you may expect me to enter into Particulars
to defend and characterize this Man; - but the
first would be an endless Undertaking; - his Works being almost
out of Number; - The Second, a needless one, the Works themselves
being his best Defence; - And the third, I must acknowledge
is above my Capacity; and therefore once more refer you to his
Works, here only his true Character is to be found". These
are the words with which William Hayes defended George Frideric
Handel against his critics, and in particular his colleague
Charles Avison, in his book Remarks on Mr. Avison's Essay
on Musical Expression. Avison had the audacity to rank Geminiani,
Rameau and Marcello above Handel. Later the historian Charles
Burney judged that "Hayes produced a pamphlet ... written
with much more knowledge of the subject than temper; he felt
so indignant at Avison's treatment of Handel, that he not only
points out the false reasoning in his essay, but false composition
in his own works".
Hayes
was born in Gloucester in 1708 and entered the town's cathedral
choir. Its director, William Hine, probably gave him his first
organ lessons. In 1729 Hayes was appointed organist of St Mary's
in Shrewsbury. In 1731 he became organist of Worcester Cathedral.
In 1734 he moved to Oxford, where he took over the position
of organist and master of the choristers at Magdalen College.
In 1741 he was appointed organist at the university church.
Here in Oxford he played a central role in the music scene:
Hayes directed the weekly concerts in the Holywell Music Room,
which was opened in 1748. Hayes was also an academic: he received
his B.Mus. in 1735, was appointed professor in 1741 and in 1749
he received his D.Mus.
He
was an ardent supporter of Handel, whom he had met in London
in 1733, when he attended the first performance of the oratorio
Athalia. Hayes performed many of Handel's works outside London,
especially in Oxford, but also in other towns in the Midlands.
Very often he made use of soloists who had sung those works
under Handel's own direction in London. In 1749 the first performance
of Handel's Messiah in Oxford was directed by William
Hayes.
Hayes
was also active as a composer, and wrote a number of vocal
works, in particular Odes. His last work was the oratorio David,
but he was only able to compose the first two acts before he
died. His second son, Philip, completed the work. He was the
most successful of Hayes' three sons who all made a career in
music. Philip also inherited the large collection of music which
his father had brought together. It contained music as old as
the 16th century.
Very
few composers in Handel's time were able to avoid being influenced
by Handel. That was also the case with Hayes, but he obviously
didn't want to avoid Handel's influence: he was his hero and
remained so until the end of his life. This makes it impossible
to date his compositions - almost all of which were never published
- as there are no real stylistic differences between them. Hayes'
music reflects his willingness to speak the musical language
of his hero, but it would be a mistake to conclude from that
he was an epigone of Handel. Just one look at the structure
of the compositions on this disc shows that Hayes was his own
man. The Sinfonia in d minor, which opens the programme, contains
only one fast movement: andante, largo, allegro, andante. Closing
a piece with an andante is rather unusual; as is the inclusion
of a march as the third movement in the Organ Concerto in G.
That
is not the only feature of this Organ Concerto which reveals
Hayes' individuality. In the march movement the organ remains
silent; instead two bassoons are given solos. These also have
an obbligato part in the closing movement of the Sinfonia in
d minor. This reveals a feature of Hayes' orchestral works which
comes to the fore in almost every piece on this disc. In the
same Sinfonia the second movement contains a long solo for the
oboe. The Concerto in D has no less than six movements: in the
first two flutes play, with divided strings, but they return
only in the fourth movement. The second has concertante parts
for two cellos, whereas the third is for strings alone and is
dominated by a dialogue between concertino and ripieno. In the
last movement there is a short solo for violin. Variety in the
instrumentation also characterises the Overture to the Ode 'The
Passions'. The first and third movements are for strings with
an oboe playing 'colla parte'. The second movement begins with
a solo for the flute with basso continuo only; after which the
strings come in. And the last piece on this disc, the Concerto
in d minor, is an alternative version of the opening Sinfonia
in d minor. The second and fourth movement of the Concerto correspond
with the third and fourth movements of the Sinfonia. The instrumentation
differs in that the Concerto is for strings alone. The two slow
movements of the Concerto are newly composed, and the first
stands out as the viola is treated on equal terms with the violins.
In
the booklet Dominik Sackmann states that Hayes' music shows
how different the musical style in England was in comparison
to what happened on the continent. "However, that is not
to say that in the immediate post-Handel era England did not
produce altogether original and captivating music of lasting
worth". One can only agree with this judgement, as this
music by William Hayes proves. I have been listening with great
interest and growing enthusiasm to these works, which make one
ask for more. I would like to hear in particular his vocal works:
the overture to the Ode 'The Passions' is promising and makes
one eager to hear the whole work.
It
is great that this unknown repertoire is being brought to our
attention. One has to thank the ensemble and the record company
for that. What is even better is that the performances are so
good. Capriccio Basel is a first-rate ensemble, technically
assured and here playing with great flair and panache. The expression
in these works, for instance in the first movements of the Overture
and of the Concerto in d minor, is fully explored. The obbligato
parts are well realised by members of the ensemble. Marc Meisel
gives a splendid account of the solo part in the organ concerto,
and the ad libitum insertions in the slow movement really sound
like improvisations, even though Hayes - unlike Handel - has
written them out in full.
In
short, this is an outstanding release - historically important
and musically enthralling.
Johan van Veen