The Blind Girl to her Harp, by Charles Jeffreys.

"Harp! my own beloved Harp! My fingers o'er thee stray, And wake the sounds that bear my thoughts to brightest realms away. In sorrow unto thee I turn, so touching is thy tone,

That list'ning to thy fitful woes makes me forget my own.

"I cannot see thee, but thy touch thrills through my ev'ry vein;
And feelings half forgotten, start back to life again!

I sing of skies both blue and bright, of flow'rs of varied hues,
Of sunny smiles, of beaming eyes, and diamond glist’ning dews :
"All meaningless would be my song, and were it not for thee;
But thou dost well interpret all their thousand charms to me.
My heart from sorrow passes to Glory's proudest theme,
And in thy martial music ten thousand warriors gleam.
"I hear their falchions clashing, I see their banners wave,
I join their shout of victory, and triumph with the brave.
But then a low dull moaning, falls from thy tuneful strings,
And sympathy awaketh her sad imaginings :

"I hear the vanquish'd flying, I see the wounded dying,

And pity learns to mourn, too late, the orphan's and the widow's fate.
Harp! my harp, Oh! never more awake thy stirring thunder;
Nor nerve the warrior's arm to tear our dearest ties asunder:

"But be it thine with gentlest tone o'er sorrow's bosom stealing,
To wake the ruthless heart to love, and kindle human feeling.
My Harp! my Harp! my own beloved Harp!

My Harp! my Harp! my own, my own beloved Harp."

Dr. Kitto remarks that, "Among the mural tablets of the ancient Egyptians there is one copied by Rosellini and Sir J. G. Wilkinson, which is among the very few exhibiting anything of character or sentiment, or is able to inspire any emotion. It is from the tombs at Alabastron, and represents a blind harper sitting cross-legged on the ground, attended by seven other blind men, similarly seated, who sing and beat time with their hands. They are evidently professional musicians." From this we learn that music was at a very early date a source of employment in Egypt for the blind, who in that country have always been frightfully numerous. That it was no less a source of enjoyment is indicated by the countenances of the men

which are lighted up with animation and intense interest, while the artist has contrived that not only the eyes, but every feature of the men's faces and the position of their heads should give unmistakable evidence of blindness.

Members of the musical profession are naturally divided into two classes, viz. compos ers and performers, and we fear it must be admitted that blind professors have far more frequently excelled in the latter than in the former department. Why this should be the case it is very hard to say, especially as the art of composition seems to depend entirely on the genius of the composer, and does not appear to' require in any degree the possession of sight. No doubt the difficulty found by the blind in transferring their conceptions to paper has something to do with the matter, but it does not by any means account for the paucity of really great productions by the blind.

From what has been said, it is not wished to convey the impression that no good compositions have emanated from persons without sight, but simply to express regret that no blind musician has succeeded in procuring a lasting reputation as a composer, and surely we may indulge the hope that the day may come when the name of such an one may be found side by side with those of Handel, Mendelssohn, Weber, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Purcell, etc. We know that for the last few years of his life Handel was without sight, but this has nothing to do with the question before us, as his great works were all written when he could see, and he is therefore not entitled in any way to be considered a blind composer.

Of the musical writers without sight, Dr. Stanley holds the chief place, and his biography will be found among the lives of other musicians, which we shall now proceed to lay before the reader.

Franciscus Salinas, Professor of Music at the University of Salamanca.

Franciscus Salinas, one of the most eminent musicians of the sixteenth century, was a native of Spain, being born at Salamanca in 1513. It is said that he was blind from birth, and began the study of music when quite a child. Nearly all his time during youth was spent in singing and playing on the organ, and when still a lad he acquired a knowledge of Latin from a young lady who, being about to take the veil, obtained from Salinas a knowledge of the organ in return. for instruction in languages. In due time young Franciscus was placed at the University of Salamanca, where he devoted himself with success to the mastery of Greek, philosophy, and the arts. Want of means, however, caused his premature removal, after which he was fortunate in obtaining the patronage of Petrus Sarmentus, Archbishop of Campostella, by whose influence the blind musician was lodged in the king's palace, and when the archbishop was made cardinal, Salinas accompanied him to Rome and devoted himself for thirty years to the study of the works of Boethius and the writings of the ancient Greek harmonicians. He subsequently returned to Spain with the intention, it would seem, of ending his days in his native land; but at the end of three years he was recalled to Italy, where he remained till an offer of the professorship of music at his own University of Salamanca, with a liberal salary, induced him to return to Spain. Such celebrity was acquired by this blind musician during his life that Pope Paul the Fourth created him Abbot of San Piaciato della Rocca Salegna.

Salinas died in February, 1590, at the age of seventy-seven years, leaving behind him a considerable reputation as a musical performer, various compositions for the organ and other instruments, and a great work

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entitled 'De Musica,' which was for a long time the chief authority in every country of Europe on all musical questions. This book contains a minute analysis of all the ancient Greek writers on music, and among other things describes an instrument invented by Salinas for demonstrating the ratios of the consonances and of the lesser intervals. Dr. Pepusch affirms that it is to Salinas we are indebted for the rediscovery of the true enharmonic, which for many ages was considered lost. Our blind author in his great work also treats of the temperaments of the organ and other instruments, and makes many valuable remarks on the nature and capabilities of the human voice.

It may be observed that one of the characteristics of the writings of this composer is the evidence they afford that he took nothing for granted, but adopted only those principles which he had actually proved. It is this quality that pre-eminently distinguishes Salinas from his contemporaries, and gives a value to his works which the lapse of three centuries has not altogether effaced.

Caspar Crumbhorn, Director of the Musical College at Lignitz.

This talented German was born in Silesia, about the latter half of the sixteenth century, and lost his sight when about three years old. Although every department of musical science was at that time making rapid progress, Crumbhorn's compositions obtained great applause; and he eventually acquired a considerable reputation as a performer on the organ, the violin, and the flute,-excellence in which three instruments has been seldom possessed by one man. The abilities of Crumbhorn obtained for him the patronage of Augustus, Elector of Saxony. But preferring his native province as a home, he returned to Silesia and was appointed organist of the Church of St. Peter and St.

Paul, at Lignitz, where he also became the chief director of the Musical College, both of which offices he held until his death, June 11, 1621, and it may at least be affirmed that Crumbhorn left a name as a musician of no ordinary stamp.

Carolan, the Irish Composer and Harpist.

Turlaugh, or Turlough O'Carolan, the greatest and nearly the last of the Irish bards, was born in 1670, at Nobber, Westmeath, and became blind from smallpox at so early an age that colour left no lasting impression on his mind. His father was one of those very small farmers who abound in the Emerald Isle, and he could do so little for his children that Turlough was quite unacquainted with the English language till very late in life. At the age of twelve years he received some lessons on the harp, but scorning the rules and the plodding of regular performers, he dashed off at once into the most brilliant and enchanting melodies. It seems, indeed, that Carolan was a born musician and poet, for he was ready at any instant to celebrate any person or thing in verse, and to compose thereto a suitable melody with an instrumental accompaniment. His first effusion seems to have been in honour of a young woman named Bridget Cruise, for whom he entertained an ardent, though unrequited affection; while speaking of this attachment, it may be as well to refer to an incident that occurred many years after, showing, as it does, the sensibility of Carolan's powers of touch. Having gone on pilgrimage to St. Patrick's Purgatory (a cave in the Island of Loughderg, Donegal), on returning to the shore he met several persons about to make the same journey. One of these took hold of Carolan's hand, which caused him to start and exclaim,-" This is the hand of Bridget Cruise." Carolan's sense of feeling had not deceived him; it was, indeed, the hand of her he had once loved so pas