Westminster Pilgrim; Being a Record of Service in Church, Cathedral and Abbey, College University and Concert Room, with a Few Notes on Sport

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

117-8

text excerpt

A VERY interesting experience which came to me in my early years at the Abbey was the opportunity of meeting Lord Tennyson. As already mentioned, when living at Windsor I had made a musical setting of "Christmas Bells," a poem from "In Memoriam," and this being sung in the Abbey at Christmas-time had attracted the attention of a friend of Lord Tennyson, Mr. Baillie-Hamilton. He had also heard privately a performance of a setting of mine of Tennyson's humorous poem, "The Goose." Through Mr. Baillie-Hamilton's introduction, I got to know the Hon. Hallam Tennyson, and it was decided that the two settings should be performed at an evening party at the house of Lord Tennyson in Eaton Square. I took a portion of the Abbey choir with me, and we sang these two compositions before a large company. "The Goose," with its humorous words, and, I think, fairly humorous music, seemed to please the audience very much. Indeed, I know it gave satisfaction to the Poet in one point.There is a verse in the poem describing the old owner of the goose getting prosperous with the results of her poultry-keeping, and the lines run : And feeding high and living soft Grew plump and able-bodied, Until the grave churchwarden doffed, The parson smirked and nodded. This is set in a mock sentimental way, and it produced considerable merriment, the Poet saying in my hearing, evidently with some satisfaction, "That 's the poem the critics said showed I had no sense of humour." It seemed to me that he had for the first time been quite easy in his mind on this subject. Another observation which I must record also came from the Poet in connection with this song. Mr. Frederick Locker, who was one of the guests, and himself a poet of no mean order, congratulated me before Tennyson on the way in which I had set the words, saying: "I hope that your name will go down to posterity associated with the poem and its author." "In fact," added Tennyson, "the current of my poetry will be Bridged".

excerpt from 'Westminster Pilgrim; Being a Record of Service in Church, Cathedral and Abbey, College University and Concert Room, with a Few Notes on Sport' pp. 117-8 (349 words)

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