Macfarren also holds a high place, among his important works being
"Rudiments of Harmony" (1860), and six Lectures on Harmony (1867); also
Analyses of Oratorios for the Sacred Harmonic Society (1853-57), and of
orchestral works for the Philharmonic Society (1869-71), besides numerous
articles in the musical dictionaries.

St. John the Baptist.

The oratorio "St. John the Baptist" was first produced at the Bristol
Musical Festival in 1873. The libretto was written by Dr. E. G. Monk, and
is divided into two parts,--the first styled "The Desert," and the second
"Machaerus," to correspond with the localities where the action is
supposed to take place. The incidents described are John's preaching to
the people, the baptism of Christ, and the events which begin with
Herod's feast and close with the execution of the Prophet. One of the
best of the English critics, speaking of the libretto, says:--

"John is thus shown in his threefold capacity, as the herald of the
Kingdom of Heaven, as the uncompromising champion of righteousness, and
as the witness of truth even unto death. Nothing could be more simple
or more definite than this, and the discreetness it evinces is shown
also by the manner in which the characters are treated. John, of
course, is the central figure. He stands out clothed with all the noble
attributes accredited to him in the Bible,--'stern and inflexible in
his teaching, yet bowing before him whose message he had to
promulgate.' A halo of grandeur surrounds the ascetic of the desert as
he hurls anathemas upon the corruptors of Israel; or as, in the true
spirit of the ancient prophets of his race, he rebukes Herod under the
roof of that monarch's palace. No greater hero could a musician wish
for as a source of inspiration, or as a means of exciting interest.
Next to John stands the weak and voluptuous King,--a contrast as marked
in character as in outward circumstance. The impulsive temperament of
Herod is well brought out. One instant he resents John's boldness, and
significantly exclaims, 'If I command to kill, they kill;' the next he
trembles before his rebuker, and promises to amend his life. The
rashness of the fatal vow to Salome, and the bitter but unavailing
repentance to which it led, are also put well forward, while in matters
of detail extreme care is taken to make the contrast of Prophet and
King as great as circumstance