Extract

200 years ago today, 5 April 1823, William Wordsworth attended a large musical party at the residence of Eliza and Charles Aders in Euston Square, London. Among the guests were fellow poet S. T. Coleridge and artist John Flaxman. According to Henry Crabb Robinson’s recount of the gathering, there was a ‘great diversity’ in the audience’s enjoyment of music: ‘Coleridge’s was very lively & openly expressed. Wordsw. sat retired & was silent, with his face covered. Some thought he was asleep. He might pass over to sleep after enjoyment. […] Flaxman, who was also there, confessed that he could not endure fine music long: it exhausted him. So it might be with Wordsworth.’

When I first came across this entry, I was quite amused to know that Wordsworth, a poet entirely unfamiliar with the world of musicians and composers, once attended a musical event in the company of his friends. Crabb Robinson’s rather sarcastic remark reminds me of Edward Quillinan’s observation that Wordsworth ‘had no ear for instrumental music’. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Wordsworth lacked the skills to either appreciate or play music. He did not receive any formal education in the subject, nor did he harbour any interest in setting his verse to music. So, you may wonder, in what sense can Wordsworth be considered musical? […]