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Title: Charles Dickens and Music

Author: James T. Lightwood

Release Date: August 25, 2005 [EBook #16595]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

TOM PINCH AT THE ORGAN.
_Frontispiece._

CHARLES DICKENS AND MUSIC

BY JAMES T. LIGHTWOOD

AUTHOR OF 'HYMN-TUNES AND THEIR STORY'

London
CHARLES H. KELLY
25-35 CITY ROAD, AND 26 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.

_First Edition, 1912_

IN PLEASANT MEMORY OF MANY HAPPY YEARS AT PEMBROKE HOUSE, LYTHAM

PREFACE

For many years I have been interested in the various musical
references in Dickens' works, and have had the impression that
a careful examination of his writings would reveal an aspect of
his character hitherto unknown, and, I may add, unsuspected.
The centenary of his birth hastened a work long contemplated,
and a first reading (after many years) brought to light an
amount of material far in excess of what I anticipated, while a
second examination convinced me that there is, perhaps, no great
writer who has made a more extensive use of music to illustrate
character and create incident than Charles Dickens. From an
historical point of view these references are of the utmost
importance, for they reflect to a nicety the general condition
of ordinary musical life in England during the middle of the
last century. We do not, of course, look to Dickens for a
history of classical music during the period--those who want
this will find it in the newspapers and magazines; but for the
story of music in the ordinary English home, for the popular
songs of the period, for the average musical attainments of
the middle and lower classes (music was not the correct thing
amongst the 'upper ten'), we must turn to the pages of Dickens'
novels. It is certainly strange that no one has hitherto thought
of tapping this source of information. In and a