Prevalent in England in the 1800s was a group of artists known as the Pre-Raphaelites. The name and style of their artwork draws from Classical idioms, putting an emphasis on restoring art to how it was in Italy before Raphael’s time. Many of their artworks focus on Medieval and Classical themes, drawing prominently on early romance narratives as well as religious or mythological themes. Many of the paintings also feature references to musical idioms, with instruments featured heavily. Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a member of the second wave of Pre-Raphaelite artists, was especially inclined to emphasize music, as it was an important aspect of his artistic expression and a common feature throughout his artworks. Many of his paintings draw inspiration from Dante Gabriel Rossetti, an earlier Pre-Raphaelite artist. Rossetti used musical idioms in a few of his paintings, showing a strand of continuity between the first and second waves of the Pre-Raphaelites. Musical expression throughout time has been an important aspect of the lives of many people, proving to be useful and apt in a variety of different circumstances. Paintings from the Pre-Raphaelite and their prominent usage of musical instruments across various subject matters helps to support an idea that music is suitable for every aspect of life, used to amplify all sorts of emotion and experiences.
Love’s Greeting
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
1861
Oil on panel, 57 x 61 cm
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English artist of Italian descent who, alongside colleagues Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, helped to found the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Featured in this painting is a depiction reminiscent of the Courtly Love tradition prominent in art, poetry, and music of the Middle Ages, as made evident through the inscriptions on the top and bottom of the painting. Labels over the heads of each of the figures denote them as “Love,” “Beloved,” and “Lover” (from left to right). The personification of Love is depicted as an angel holding a plucked string instrument similar to a portitive harp, playing as the two lovers embrace each other in a kiss. Love’s playing of the harp is shown to be an accompaniment of the romantic encounter, using music to further emphasize a romance that has already bloomed. This depiction helps to draw links between love and music, with music being an underlying aspect of romance.
The Love Song
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1868–77
Oil on Canvas, 114.3 x 155.9 cm
The Met
Similarly to Love’s Greeting is Burne-Jones’ The Love Song, which depicts another romantic encounter, although in this case it appears to be one more of courtship rather than an intimate embrace. The title implies that the woman kneeling at the portative organ is playing a love song, with an embodiment of Love or Cupid seated working the bellows. With the organ and the song as the central character in this narrative, music is thus being used as a means of spurring and growing desire in the man. As the woman is seen as the primary music maker, merely aided by the person Love, she is given a sense of empowerment and capital as she is the agent that chooses to woo the man.
Hymenaeus
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1869
Oil Paint over Gold Leaf on Panel, 81.9 × 54.6 cm
Delaware Art Museum
As the title of this painting suggests, the figure on the left with the handheld harp is a depiction of Hymenaeus, the Greek god of marriage. As he plays his harp, he is seen giving a blessing onto the newly married couple on the right. Musical expression is commonly employed during nuptial ceremonies, with even the name “Hymenaus” being derived from words relating to Greek music and lyric poetry. Despite the seemingly joyful subject matter, the couple on the right are depicted with postures and facial expressions that denote a sense of contemplation and emptiness. This creates an interesting contrast to the celebration that is normally apparent following a marriage.
The Lament
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1866
Watercolor on Paper, 47.5 x 79.5 cm
William Morris Gallery
In contrast to the use of music in Pre-Raphaelite paintings as a means of depicting romance, artists also use music to amplify feelings of grief. This is evident in Burne-Jones’ The Lament, which features a man in a posture of lamentation being consoled by a woman with a plucked instrument similar to the one featured in Love’s Greeting. Interesting to note is the placement of the musicians hands, as she is not portrayed as actively playing the instrument. Rather this is a silent scene, but the inclusion of the instrument suggests a sense of vibrancy that should be present, a vibrancy further exemplified through the flowers and rich color palette. The weeping man instead demands the most attention, and the juxtaposition of him with the silent instrument that is not serving its primary function (that is, to be played) further adds gloom and depression into the scene.
Dorigen of Bretaigne Longing for the Safe Return of Her Husband
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1871
Watercolor on Paper, 26.7 x 37.4cm
Victoria and Albert Museum
Dorigen of Bretaigne, the subject of this painting, comes from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterburry Tales. As she stares at the waters, she is seen yearning for the return of her husband who has gone out to sea. On the right of the painting is an opened portative organ, with the inside panels depicting two figures. Scholars have speculated that the figures are reminiscent of the reunion that she attempts to have with her husband. This is another example of a Pre-Raphaelite painting that features a silent instrument, as the organ is not being played in the moment, rather Dorigen is subjected to listening to the sound of the waves that she fears might kill her husband. Moreover, her loneliness is exmplified further through her lack of ability to play the portitive organ, as by nature it requires two players.
The Music Lesson
Frederic Leighton
1877
Oil on Canvas, 93 x 95 cm
Guildhall Art Gallery
In addition to conveying grief, longing, and love, music and instruments were also used in depictions of everyday life. This painting reveals an intimate encounter between a young girl and her teacher as they both hold a singular lute. Music in this instance is the force that is drawing the woman and the child together, both metaphorically and physically. Without this lesson, presumably the two would not be in such a display and through teaching, the woman’s arms necessarily wrap around the child’s to show how it is to be played. The faces of the people and colors present in the painting suggest a sense of contentment and curiosity as the child engages with music.
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