THE V I O LIN AND ITS MUSIC, GEORGE HART, "HE VIOLIN: ITS ...

THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC, 

BY 

GEORGE HART, 

Illustrated witiz several Steel Engravin/{s 0./ eminent 

Violinists. 

" The broad range of interest in the book which appears at the very 

beginning, and the evident appreciation of the romantic, as well as the 

practical side of the question, shows that the man is not merged in the 

specialist, and that outsiders, as well as experts, may look to find amusements 

as well as instruction therein. The range of the book is of the 

widest." -Saturday Review. 

" A sufficient account is given of the various schools of composers 

and virtuosi in the musical countries of Europe, from Corelli down to 

Vieuxtemps and Joachim. The author's judgment is in most cases 

fair and unbiased, and his diction agreeably free from the current 

jargon of lllusical criticism. The value of Mr. Hart's 

volume is increased by carefully engraved portraits of Corelli, Viotti, 

Paganini, and other masters." - Times. 

"HE VIOLIN: ITS FAMOUS MAKERS 

AND THEIR IMITATORS. 

BV 

GEORGE HART . 

, 

" The volume is valuable to the Violinist; it is instructive for the amateur; and 

iscellaneous matter may be found in it to fix the attention of the general reader." 

.4the1UT!uJn. 

H The book is as nearly exhaustive as possible, far exceeding any previous attempt 

f the kind. "-Academy. 

,: Mr. Hart is an authority on this subject who commands general respect, and the 

olume in which he has embodied the results of his experience and researches will 

)e gratefully received by all who takes an interest in what he justly calls the leading 

nstrument. " -Saturday Review. ,. 

"Mr. Hart possesses a rare knowledge of Italian Violins, and the practical 

rts of his book are for the most part interesting and original."Times. 

Mr. Hart's book is enjoyable not only to the professional but to the amateur, 

it i J,. most exhaustive account of an extensive subject." New York Herald.

A\ If{ C i%. Pi' fir Jl': Jf, (j) C i(j) n J Jf, lL if 0

QCgr iuliu auh 

its musir, 

BY 

GEORGE HART. 

WITH 

FRONTISPIECE ENGRAVED ON STEEL, AND SEVERAL 

MUSICAL AND OTHER ILL US TRA TlONS. 

"There is nothing in which the power of art is shown so much as in playing on 

Fiddle. In all other things we can do something at first: any man will forge a bar of j 

if you give him a hammer; not so well as a smith, but tolerably; and make a box, tho' 

a clumsy one: but give him a Fiddle and a Fiddle-stick, and he can do nothing." 

'-' 

nbli$lt£lI h!! 

Dr. JOHNSO' 

DITSON & CO., BOSTON, NEW YORK, AND PHILADELPHIJ 

I 

MDCCCLXXXIlI. 

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

I 

I 

PREFACE. 

T is now six years since my work on "THE 

i VIOLIN AND ITS FAMOUS MAKERS" was received 

wit , h so much indulgence by my friends and admirers 

of/the leading instrument. The signs of approval 

WI ich have from time to time been brought under my 

ne tice with regard to the publication of that book, 

plompted me to again occupy some portion of my 

leisure hours in the preparation of another volume,. 

treating of the remaining branch of the same 

subject, namely: "The Violin and its Music." I 

leed scarcely remark, that I am not unmindful of 

t,he distinctive character of the two undertakings, 

I 

I nd of the wholly different knowledge necessary to 

I be brought to bear upon each. 

In entering, however, upon a task so distinct 

from my former one, it is, I feel, unnecessary to

theme. Whether that knowledge has been f.lade 

use of in the preparation of the following pages in 

I 

a manner likely to instruct and amuse-and at the 

. I 

same time to manifest that judgment whichi is 

\ 

deferential without servility, and critical with\out 

impertinence-is for the reader to decide. 

14, PRINCES STREET, 

LEICESTER SQUARE, 

May, I88!.

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I.-Roger North's Early History of the Viol, the" Memoires 

of Music"-The Gothic Viol-germ in France, Italy and Spain 

SECTION I.-THE VIOL GOTHIC. 

CHAPTER H.-Influence of the Mastersingers on \Vestcrn Civilization; 

The Anglo-Saxons and their Music-The Spanish Violars; 

The Troubadours; The Minnesingers and !lIastersingers ... 

their home in Kuremberg ; Hans Sachs; Paul Hofhaimer; Albert 

Durer; Hans Frey; Fritz Gedes-The Germans earliest in 

practical Composition-Franco's Time Table, lIth century 

Luscinius' estimate of Hofhaimer-Heinrich Isaac-Emperor 

:'IIaximilian-Albert V. Duke of Bavaria, his Music Establishment 

Page 

in Munich-Montaigne on the use of Viols in Churches-Earliest 

Book on the Viol, by Carmine Angurelli, 149I-Earliest Instru 

/CIIAPTER 

mental l\Iusic in Parts-Hans Syngriner, 1523-The German 

Fretted Geige, the Basis of the Viol... 9 

Hr.-Bowed Instruments among the Anglo-Saxons in France, 

Spain, amI Italy at the fall of the Roman Empire-The Fithell, the 

I 

Rebec, and the Geige-The "vIoclern Violin, first traces of, by Brescian 

and Cremonese Makers, and its connection with Viols-Gaspard di 

Salo, Dardelli, and Andrew Amati--;-The Madrigal, its Cradle in 

the Netherlands-The Nebulous Period of the Musical Art 

Earliest Makers of the Viol in Italy ; Joan Kerlin; Dcliffoprugcar 

-Italy and Germany's early claims compared 

CHAPTER SECTION n.-THE VIOL IN THE NETHERLANDS. 

I.-Flemish Skill in the Fine Arts-Progress of the Arts in the 

Low Countries in the 15th century-The Van Eycks, Okeghem, 

and J osquin Despres-Jean de !II uris and Notation by Points 

Early Associations and Guilds of Rhetoric-A Musical Society at 

Louvain, 15th century-Okeghem and the New School of 

Flemish Music; his Canons, Masses, and Motetts .. . 27 

17

VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IT.-Comparative Progress of Vocal and Instrumental Music 

in the 16th cntury-The Early Contrapuntists mainly Vocal 

Earliest indication of Instrumental Music in Church Service 

Flemish Ecclesiastical Music, 16th century-Magnificence of 

Gothic Churches in the Netherlands prior to the Reformation 

Position of the Viol at this Period, ancI its relation to the Madrigal 

-Immigration of Flemish Musicians into Italy - -John Tinctor, 

and hi first Book on Music ever printed-Josquin at Rome and in 

Florence-Adrian "Willaert, the "Father of the Madrigal, " and 

the Pioneer of Domestic Music-Doni, and his "Dialogue on 

Music,"-The Viol in Venice ... 

SECTIO}l" IlL-THE VIOL .IN FRANCE. 

CHAPTER I.-Earliest indications of Bow Instruments in Spain 

Provence, the "Mother of Troubadours and l\1instrels "-High 

Civilisation of Provence in the 12th century- Connection of the 

Troubadours with the earliest French Musical History-The 

Troubadour, Trouvere, and Jongleur-The Rhymecl Romance of 

Charlemagne; connection of the Viol therewith 

CHAPTER II.-Romance Poetry of the Troubadours-The King of 

Navarre, the Lord of Conrey, the Count d'Anjou, and the Duke 

of Brabant -The Tale of "The Two Minstrels "-The Geige and 

the Rebec in France-The Minstrels' Royal Charter, 1321-The 

Charivari or Masquerade 

CHAPTER IlL-King Rene and the Troubadours-Louis XI., his 

grovelling disposition ; "no music in his soul" -Charles the Bold, 

Duke of Burgundy, composer of Songs and 1\1otetts-Francis I. 

the " King of Culture," and Cellini and Leonardo da Vinci-He 

founds the R.oyal College-His meeting with Leo X. at Bologna 

The King's Orchestra and Duiffoprugcar 

SECTION IV.-THE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER I.-The Viol in England's Baronial Halls-Visit of Henry V. 

to France; his Minstrels and Snyth Fydeler-Minstrels at the 

Battle of Agincourt ; earliest English Song in Gregorian Notation 

relating thereto-Visit of Henry V. to the City of London 

England's first Minstrels' Charter, 1469-England's 1\1 usicians in 

the time of Edward IV.; the King's Household Establishment; 

Page, 

I 

I 

I 

sci 

\

CONTENTS. Vll 

the l\Iinstrels' Duties ; the \Vaits- The "Master of Songe," and 

the Children of the Chapel-Instruments of the Minstrels, 15th 

century: Stllterie, Rebec, Rote, Vielle, Fyddyl, Viol, Violin, 

Rebelle, Ribible, Crwth, Crowd, Shalm, Sackbut-Early appear 

ance of the Bow in England-The " Beverley Minstrels " 

CHAPTER Ir.-Political relation of Edward IV. and Charles the Bold, 

its influence on Music in England- Commis3ion for a Commercial 

Treaty with the Duke of Burgundy, 'William Caxton's connection 

therewith--Introduction of Printing, and IVynkyn de 'Worde's first 

Musical Works, 1530-Reign of Henry· VII. and Musical 

Development-The " Stryng Minstrels " at IVestminster-Henry 

VIII. ancl his MLlsical Accomplishments-His State Bmd 

Invention of the Lute ascribed by Galileo to England: its earliest 

appearance-Earliest mention thereof by Chaucer-Isaak \Valton 

on the Lute and Enharmonic Symphony-The Lute and Viol 

in Barbers' Shops-Thomas Mace and his " Musick's Monument" 

-Cost of a Lute and its Maintenance 

CHAPTER IlL-Development of Instrumental Music in England-First 

Appearance of 'Viols in the Reign of Henry VII1.-Caxton's 

Mission to the Netherlands, 1464-Charles V.'s love of Music 

The Masque at Greenwich, 1512-Observations of Lord Bacon 

:\lusical Establishment of Henry V1.-Orlando Lassus and the 

Venetian Madrigal-Byrde's "Songs of Sadnes and Pie tie " 

Netherlanders in England under Queen Elizabeth-Sir Thomas 

Gresham's Music Professorship 

CHAPTER IV.-Nicholas Y onge, and Italian Madrigals-The Palace of 

Nonesuch at Greenwich-Dowland's "First Book of Songes or 

Ayres," 1597-Thomas Morley's Canzonets-Dowland's "Lacry 

mae "-Evidence of Drayton and Roger N orth-James 1. and his 

Court Masques-John Coperario's "Fancies " for the Viol da 

Gamba - Scipione Cerreto, " Della Pratticft Musica " -The 

"Musurgia" of Ottomarus Luscinius-Simpson's "Division Viol," 

Page 

and his Instructions for Playing lO5 

CHAPTER V.-Playford's "Introduction to the Skill of Music "-His 

Stringing of Viols-Mace's "Musick's Monument "-The "Chest 

of Viols," "An Howre's Recreation in Musicke, " by Richard 

Alison-Sir Roger L'Estrange and Oliver Cromwell--Sir Henry 

'Wotton and Isaak \Valton-Pepys a Violist... 120

V III COil/TENTS. 

SECTION V.--THE VIOL IN ITALY. 

CIL\PTER I.-Italy and the Renaissance--Observations of Sir vVilliam 

Temple, Hallam, Burckhardt, and Macaulay-- Petrarch and Doc 

caccio-Illustrations from early Italian Painters 

CIIAl'TER n.-Lorenzo de Medici and his School of Harmony-Heinrich 

Isaac and his " San Giovanni e Sail Paolo " -Michael Angelo and 

Poliziano in Lorenzo's Gardens at Florence-Leonardo cla Vinci 

The Court of Duke Hercules at Ferrara, and Josquin's Masses 

Instruments there used-The Court of Gonzaga at Mantua, ancI 

Jacques Berchem and Dardelli-Claude Monteverde at Cremona 

and Mantua-His Opera, " L' Olft,;" -·Presumed Italian origin of the 

modern Violin, 16th century-Cardinal Medici (Leo X.), his visit 

to the German Court of Maximilian--Music in the Venetian States, 

16th and 17th centuries 

CIL\PTER III.--Music in Venice (continued)-" Coriat's Crudities " 

Petrucci's Music- Printing, and Venetian Tablature-Development 

of Italian Viol Manufacture-The large Italian Double Bass-The 

Viol da Gamba-Silvestro Ganassi', "Art of Playing the Viol," 

1543-Anclrea and Giovanni Gabrielli 

CHAPTER IV.-The Sack of Rome, and the ReL:mmttion of Luther and 

Calvin-Luther's Love of ?I1usic-Gouclimel's School of Music at 

Rome - Palestro, Nanini, and Alessandro Romano-Tinctor's 

School of Music at Naples-The Prince of Venosa, and his Maclri 

gals-Salvator Rosa-Scipione Cerreto, "Della Prattica Musica" IllS 

SECTIO VI.-THE VIOLIN I ITALY. 

CH.\PTER I.-Paoli Quagliati, I7th cenlnry; first Solo for the Violin- 

Bagio Marini--Carlo Farilli-Giovanni B. Fontana-Gioyanni 

Legrenzi-Giovanni B. ViLtli and his Compositions-Tomasso 

Antonio Vitali-Gregorio -\Jkgri---Giuseppe Colombi and his 

Sonatas-Giovanni Nicolai-Bassini, his Sonate cia Camera-- 

Giuseppe Torelli-Anthony '-eracini ... I6S( 

CII.\l'TF:R II.-Corelli; sketch of his History and vVorle-His Sonata, - 

His Patrons, Cardinals Panfilio and Ottoboni-First appearance of 

Carelli's Solos-His Visit lo Naples-His Performances with 

ScarIatti--Sir John Hawkins, Dr. Burney, George Hogarth, and 

others, on Corelli and his Works-His Death and Burial-His 

Compositions; their Introduction into England by Henry NeedIer 177 

PO.' 

130,

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER HL-Alessandro Scarlatti and Corelli at Rome-Porpora and 

Haydn at Vienna-Pergolesi's Ecclesiastical Music-Vivaldi and his 

"CztckooSolo"-Vivaldi, Albinoni, J. M. Ruggeri, and other contem 

poraries of Corelli-Veracini ; his reception in England ; his alleged 

"Combat" with Pisendel-Tartini and his Compositions ; his 

"Devil's Trill "-Locatelli and his vVorks-Valentini-Castrucci 

Lorenzo Somis and Giardini-Pietro Nardini-Pugnani-Barbella 

-Antonio Lolli Mesh-ino -- Jarnowick - Bononcini, and his 

Rivalry with Handel-Fiorillo and his ,Vorks 199 

CHAPTER IV.-Boccherini and his Works ; Baillot, Spohr, and Mendels 

sohn's observations thereon--Brunetti-Cimarosa-Campagnoli; 

importance of his '.Vorks-Borghi, Bruni, and Rolla 

CHAPTER V.-The Modern School of Instrumental Music-Viotti ; his 

Performance and his Composition-His appearance in Paris before 

Louis XVI. at Versailles ; his appearance at Salomon's Concerts in 

London ; his Expulsion from England-His Return and Death in 

London-Cherubini and his ,Vork ; Kapoleon, MellUl, Baillot, and 

Spohr's estimates thereof 

CHAPTER VI.-Nicolo Paganini ; Sketch of his Career-The Phrenetical 

or Revolutionary School of Violin Playing-His Reception in 

Milan-His " -Witches' Dance "-Visit to Louis Spohr- His Con 

tinental Triumphs-Personal Appearance-His Performance in 

London-Extraordinary Prices-Contemporary Opinions on his 

Merits -List of his Compositions-Camillo Sivori-Bazzini- 

IX 

Page- 

Bottesini-Arditi-Rossini and Verdi .. - 257 

SECTION VII.-THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 

CHAPTER I.-The Subject resumed, time of Francis I.-Excerpt from 

Rabelais-Charles IX. and the Royal Chapel at Versailles-French 

Composers of the Period-Goudimel and his " Psalmes de David" 

-Baltazarini-Cordier-Henri IV. and his Violin Band-Louis 

XIV. and his Court-Jean Baptiste Lulli: his exquisite Skill and 

Taste ; his band of "Petite Violons"--Joseph Marchand-Franqois 

Duval-Jean Baptiste Senaille 274 

CHAPTER 11.-The" Concerts Spirituels," or Lenten Concerts-Philidor 

and Le Clair-Pierre Gavinies, "The French Tartini "-Pagin 

Barthelemon ; his vVork with Garrick-Franois Gossec and the 

"Concert des Amateurs ;" his versatility-La Houssaye-Blasius 

-Michael Woldemar; his " Labyrinth of Harmony "

x CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IlL-Formation of the " Conservatoire de Musique "-- Committee 

for formation of a Violin Instruction Book-Rodolphe 

Kreutzer; his " Forty Studies," and other important \Yorks 

Pierre Baillot; his " New Violin Method; " Spohr and Mendelssohn's 

diverse appreciation of his Abilities; his visit to England 

Pierre Rode; Solo Violinist to Napoleon, and to Emperor Alexan 

del'; Teacher of Spohr-Jean Baptiste Cartier; his " L'Art du 

Viol on "-Habeneck, Pupil of Baillot; his Socie[( des Concerts du 

Conservatoire "-Hector Berlioz; his Requiem, his Reverie, and 

Mendelssohn-George Onslow and his Chamber Music-Lafont 

Mazas-Massart -Sain ton-Deldevez-Alard -Dancla 

CHAPTER IV.-Belgium and its Violinists-Fran9ois Joseph Gossec 

Fran90is Cupis- Chartiani-Vander Planeken-Fran9ois Snel 

The Blnmenthals-Fran9ois Joseph Fetis; his "Biographie 

U niverselle des Musiciens "-Andre Robberechts-Lambert Joseph 

Meerts; his "Mecanisme du Violon, " &c.-Nicholas Lambert 

\Very-Theodore Hauman-Artot , "The Belgian Ernst "-Fran- 

90is Hubert Prume-Charles Auguste De Beriot; his "Ecole 

Transcendant du Viol on "-Henri Vieuxtemps; his Compositions; 

his "Etudes de Concert "-Hubert Leonard-The Great Nor 

Page 

wegian Musician, Ole Bull-Polish Violinists: Chopin, Lipinski, Wieniawski . .. 316 

SECTION VIII.-THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 

CHAPTER I.-Seventeenth Century-Thomas Baltzar; excerpt from 

Evelyn's Diary -Johann .T. Wal ther-Schlitz (" Sagittarius ") 

Johann Schopp-Krieger -Kicolaus Hasse - Gottfried Finger, 

J ames II.'s Chapel-master-Biber-The Emperor Leopold and 

Frederick the Great-The Brothers Benda-John Sebastian Bach 

at Frederick the Great's Court-J. S. Bach's \Yorks 

CHAPTER n.-Frederick the Great at Potsdam-Benda and Quantz 

Emanuel Bach-The Court of Maximilian Joseph III. of Bavaria 

-The Hanover Court of Elector George Louis (George I. of 

England)-George Frederick Handel and his Works; Jealonsyof 

Addison and S teele; Handel's " Harmonious Blacksmith; " his 

Performances in London-The "\Vater Music" of King George 

The "Concerto Grosso "-Hasse-Vanhall--Stamitz-Leopold 

Mozart and his" Violin School" ... 340 

293

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IlL- The Palace of Prince Esterhazy-Joseph Haydn and 

his 'Works; his Visit to London, and the Lord Mayor's Banquet; 

The Prince of Wales; "The Emperor's Hymn "-Ignatius Pleyel 

Xl 

Page 

-Johann Ludwig Dussek-Franz Krommer 358 

CHAPTER IV.-Wolfgang Mozart; his Patron, Count Colloredo, Arch 

bishop of Salzburg; Early Difficulties; Mozart and Haydn; List 

of his Works; His Death and Burial-Johann N. Hummel, Pupil 

of Mozart; Chapel-master to Prince Esterhazy; his Works 372 

CHAPTER V.-Ludwig van Beethoven; his mighty Genius; Residence 

in Vienna; Intercourse with Haydn; The London Philharmonic 

Society; his Sonatas, &c. ; the " Bridgetower Sonata"; his Deaf 

ness and Affliction; his Method of Conducting; List of Works; 

his Death and Funeral 389 

CHAPTER VL-Franz Schubert and his Works-Ferdinand Ries -Von 

Weber-Joseph Mayseder-Kalliwoda-Lollis Spohr and his 

Works; his Style of Playing; German Criticism-Bernhard 

Molique ... . .. 412 

CHAPTER VII.-Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy; his Precocity; Early 

Life; Visit to Goethe at Weimar; Visit to London and the Philhar 

monic Society; Judgments of Spohr, Moscheles, and of Prince 

Albert, as to his Powers; the "Elijah" at Exeter Hall-Herr 

David and Mendelssohn-Andreas Romberg-Joseph Boehm- 

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst- Hellmesberger-Joseph Joachim-Herr 

Lauterbach-Ferdinand Laub-Schumann-Johannes Brahms ... 424 

SECTION IX. - THE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER I.-A Cursory Glance at its History from the Stuart Period to 

the Present Time 

CHAPTER H. -John Jenkins-Playford's "Skill of Music"-The Puritan 

Iconoclastic Craze- Charles II. ' s Twenty-four Violins 

CHAPTER IlL-Henry Purcell, the Father of Modern Musical Art-John 

Bannister; his "Parley of Ir:struments" --Britton, the "Musical 

Small-coal Man"-William Corbett-HenryNee:ller-JolmImmyns, 

and the Academy of Ancient Music-John Young-Richard Clarke 

-The Madrigal Society in Bride Lane-The Concerts of Ancient 

Music 

442 

453

Illustrations. 

FRONTISPIECE-ARCANC;El.O CORELl.I. 

GIOVANNI BATTISTA VIOTTI 

NICOLO PAGANINI 

PIERRE BAIL LOT 

HENRI VIEUXTEMPS 

LOUIS SPOHR 

H. W. ERNST 

VIOL TABLATURE OF THE 15TH CENTl:RY 

TARTINI ' S DREAM 

PAGANIKI ' S " JOSEPH GUARERIUS" 

PAGANINI AT THE OPERA I-loUSE 

Page 

160 

256 

420 

214 

259 

268

THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

§cttion 3E.-CQrh£ 'iilinl ®othir. 

CHAPTER 1. 

,. N OTHING made so great a denovement in 

.... musick as the invention of. horse-hair, with 

rozin, and the gutts of animals twisted and drYed. 

I scarce think that the strings f the old Lyra used 

in either the Jewish or Greek times, which in latine 

are termed nerves, were such, becaus it was more 

,or less piacular to deal in that manner with the 

.entra of dead animalls. Nor is it any where, as I 

know, intimated of what materiall these strings were 

made, but I guess they were metalline, as most 

sonorous, or of twisted silk ; n()r is there any hint 

when the Violl kind came first in use. Had the 

Greeks known it, some deity, for certain, had bin 

the inventor, and more worthily than Apollo of the 

Harp, for it draws a continuing sound, exactly tune- 

,able to all occasions and compass, with small labour 

B

2 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

and no expense of breath. But as to the invention, 

which is so perfectly novel as not to have bin ever 

heard of before Augustulus, the last of the Roman 

Emperors, I cannot but esteem it perfectly Gothick, 

and entered with those barbarous nations setied in 

I taly, and from thence spread into all the neighbour 

nations round about, and now is in possession, and 

like to hold it, as a principall squadron in the 

instrumentall navy." 

These, then, were the opinions of King James 

the Second's Attorney General, the Hon. Roger 

North, relative to the early history of the Viol, and 

contained in a manuscript entitled, "The Memoires 

of Musick," a work Dr. Rimbault rightly describes 

as an exceedingly lucid and well-drawn sketch of 

the progress of the art, from the period of the 

ancient Greeks down to the .commencement of the 

eighteenth century. In ignoring Nero's fiddling 

and the bow of Orpheus, our author has given us 

evidence of his ability to separate fact from fiction 

in his pursuit of truth ; but let us follow him a little 

further, keeping intact his diction and orthography, 

the quaintness of which seems to be in harmony 

with its Gothic subject. 

" I doe suppose that at first it was like its native 

country, rude and gross, And that at the early 

importation it was of the lesser kind, which they 

called Viola da Bracchia, and since the Violin ; and 

no better then as a rushy Zampogna used to stirr up 

the vulgar to dancing, or perhaps to solemnize their

THE VIOL GOTHIC. 3 

idolatrous sacrifices. These people made no scruple 

of handling gutts and garbages, and were so free 

with humane bodys as to make drinking cupps of 

their sculls. And when the discovery of the vertue 

of the bow was made, and understood, the verlltost" 

went to work and modeI'd the use of it, and its 

subject the Viol, with great improvement, to all 

purposes of musick, and brought it to a parallel 

state with the Organ itself. And by adapting sizes 

to the severall diapasons as well above E la as the 

doubles below, severall person's take their parts, 

and consorts are performed with small trouble, and 

in all perfection. The invention needs no encomium 

to recomend it to posterity ; for altho' it hath bin in 

practise many hundred years, no considerable alterations 

of it in forme or application have bin made 

which any memoriall can account for. And now no 

improvement is thought of or desired, but in the 

choice of the materiall, and curiosity of the workmanship. 

I shall take leave of the Violl with a 

remembrance on ely of a merry discovery of Kircher's 

in one of his windy volumes,* which is a note 

added to the picture of a Lute and a Guittarre, 

that the old Hebrews used to sound them with the 

scratch of an horse tail bow." ! ! 

With this scornful allusion to Kircher's knowledge 

of the bow, we will close North's Memoires of 

Musick, staying but to call the reader's attention 

to what appears to be a singularly correct estimate 

B 2 

* Musurgia Universalis, 1650..


of ,early bowed instrument l1istory, and far-seeing 

views of the excellencies of the Viol as a mechanical 

contrivance. 

That the Goths possessed a bowed. instrument 

which in succeeding ages gave rise to the Viol is a 

supposition strengthened by evidence which has 

accrued since the publication of North's Memoires. 

Whether the original of the true Viol "entered 

with those barbarous nations settled in Italy, and 

ultimately passed to other states," is to my mind 

a doubtful question, since it is almost certain that 

the ,Viol in form and character nearest to that 

of the sixteenth century was chiefly developed 

where the Teutonic language predominated. Whatever 

the Viol-germ may have been which the 

Goths carried to Italy, that which they sowed 

in Germany and in Spain was productive of results 

far in advance of those of its Italian prototype, to the 

period when the musicians of the Low Countries 

immigrated thence. The value of this view of 

Viol-history may be tested by simply comparing the 

bowed ,instruments depicted in the paintings and on 

the architectural monuments of the German and 

Gallic nations, as far as the middle of the fifteenth 

century with those of Italy. 

Evidence of much weight bearing on the 

German development of the Viol is found in the 

Anglo-Saxon's love of music. The minstrel's 

art was cultivated by this people with extraordinary 

zeal,. and they played bowed instru-

.THE VIOL. GOTHIC. 5 

ments of various kinds ; among these was one of 

oval shape having four strings, which they called a 

Fithele. This love of minstrelsy and knowledge 

of rude Fiddles, surely belonged not to the Roman 

ized Britons, and if . not, the Anglo-Saxons must 

necessarily either have invented this minstrelsy and 

Fiddling, or brought these arts from their German 

homes. In taking the latter view we follow Thomas 

Percy, who asks in his celebrated Essay on the 

Ancient Minstrels, " For if these popular bards were 

confessedly revered and admired in those very 

countries which the Anglo-Saxons inhabited, before 

their removal into Britain, and if they were after 

wards common and numerous among the other 

descendants of the same Teutonic ancestors, can 

we do otherwise than conclude, that men of this 

order accompanied such tribes as migrated hither, 

that they afterwards subsisted here, though perhaps 

with less splendour than in the North ; and that 

there never was wanting a succession of them to 

hand down the art, though some particular conjunctures 

may have rendered it more respectable at one 

time than another ?" 

Though I have named the Goths as the 

possessors of a bowed instrument which gave rise 

to the Viol, I have done so for the sake of simplicity, 

rather than from conviction ; inasmuch as at this 

distance of time, it would be impossible > to decide 

which tribe of adventurers from the North first 

bowed a musical instrument. This, however, is of


small consequence, since they were but different 

tribes of the same common Teutonic stock, and 

spoke only different dialects of the same Gothic 

language. 

All bowed instruments down to the eleventh 

or twelfth centuries must have been of the rudest 

kind. I t was not until minstrelsy, which the 

N orthmen introduced, became greatly extended and 

varied in its character, that attention was bestowed 

upon bowed instruments. That the Spanish Violars 

and the Troubadours of Provence"" contributed in 

some measure towards the advancement of instrumental 

music is possible enough, but the chief work 

appears to have been accomplished in Germany, 

where Grimm tells us "Far back towards the 

thirteenth century, until which time nothing but the 

long-drawn strains of old heroic poems had been sung 

and heard, a wondrous throng of tones and melodies 

resounds at once, as if arising from the earth. From 

afar we fancy we hear the same key-note, but, if we 

come nearer, no tune is like another. One strives to 

* Macaulay has written of "The region where the beautiful 

language of the Oc was spoken, that country, singularly favoured by 

nature, was in the twelfth century, the most flourishing and civilised 

portion of Western Europe. It was in nowise a part of France. It 

had a distinct political existence, a distinct national character, distinct 

usages, and a distinct speech. The soil was fruitful and well-cultivated; 

and amidst the corn-fields and vineyards rose many rich cities, 

each of which contained a miniature of an imperial court. It was 

there that the spirit of chivalry first laid aside its terrors, first took a 

humane and graceful form, first appeared as the inseparable associate 

of art and literature." "Essays" Vol. III. p. 107.


rise above the rest, another to fall back and softly ' 

to modulate the strain ; what the one repeats the 

other but half expresses. If we think, too, of the 

accompanying music, we feel that this, on account of 

the multitude of voices, for which the instruments 

would not have been enough, must have been simple 

in the highest degree. These poets called themselves 

Nightingales, and certainly no comparison can 

express more strikingly than that of the song of 

birds, their rich and unattainable notes, in which, at 

every moment, the ancient warblings recur always 

with new modulations. In the fresh and youthful 

Minnepoesy, all art has acquired the appearance of 

nature, and is, too, in a certain sense, purely naturaL" 

Such were the Minnesingers, the predecessors of 

those mechanics in toil, and poets in repose, the 

1\1 astersingers. 

" As the weaver plied the shuttle, wove he too the mystic rhyme, 

And the smith his iron measures hammer'd, to the anvil's chime; 

Thanking God, whose boundless wisdom makes the flower of 

poesy bloom, 

In the forge's dust and cinders, in the tissues of the loom." 

Following the example of the Masons, who had 

formed themselves into a corporation,-the same 

which gave to Europe its sublime Gothic temples, 

-the artizans of all trades divided themselves into 

different societies. These incorporated mechanics 

met together, and, after the disposal of civic business. 

either read the chronicles of their country, or the 

ancient Nordic poems and erotic ballads. Such

lHE: VIOLIN AN.p ITS MVSIC. 

· meetings could hardly fail to suggest the idea. of 

· entertaining the company with some composition of 

their own, and thus was awakened the dormant spirit 

· of poetry in that unlettered age. The practical 

lovers of music and poetry belonging to these bodies, 

formed the poetic corporation of the fourteenth 

century, to which was given the name of the Mastersingers. 

The birth--place of this poetic phenomenon 

was Mentz, thence it passed into the other cities of 

Germany, particularly Augsburg and N uremburg.

T 

. 

cdion I.-CQrhc 79iaI


upon, by using moveable type : which system WaS 

imitated first in Germany, by Emard Oglin, of 

Augsburg, in the year 1507. Turning to the City of 

N uremburg in the heyday of the Mastersingers, we 

:find it was one of the most flourishing centres of 

THE VIOL GOTHIC. II 

not to be passed over in connection with Durer and 

our subject, in the fact that Hans Frey, the famous 

maker of Lutes and Viols at N uremburg, was his 

father-in-law. Hans Frey is said to have amassed 

considerable wealth from his manufactures, a circum 

stance which points to the extensive use of such 

instruments in those days ; and yet further shown by 

his not being alone in his trade; Fritz, Gerle, and 

others whose names and works have long since 

passed away, had also their Viol and Lute patrons. 

Turning to the cultivation of practical composition, 

we find the Germans among the earliest in the field. 

As far back as the eleventh century, they had their 

Magister Franco developing the principles of modern 

rhythm, and planning the time table. Until then no 

characters existed to distinguish or mark time, and 

written music in parts consisted of note against note, 

or sounds of equal duration. It is needless to follow 

in these pages the course of German musical history 

from Franco's time to that of Paul Hofhaimer, a 

period of some five hundred years ; it is sufficient to 

know that Hofhaimer was Germany's first great 

musical genius, and honoured as such, as the 

following estimate of his abilities from the pen of 

Luscinius shows :-" Nor is he more remarkable for 

skill in his profession, than for the extensiveness of 

his genius, and the greatness of his mind ; Rome 

owes not more to Romulus or Camillus, than the 

musical world does to Paulus Hofhaimer. His 

style is not only learned, but pleasant, florid, and

1-2 THE. VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

amazingly copious, and withal correct ; and this 

great "man, during thirty years, has suffered no one to 

exceed, or even equal him. In a word, what 

Quintilian says" of Cicero, I think is now come to 

pass, and a person may judge of his own proficiency, 

according as he approves of the compositions of 

Paul, and labours day and night to imitate them." *' 

Possessed of such transcendent abilities, Hofhaimer 

was indeed worthy of Durer's portrayal, and of 

being regarded as a corner-stone in the structure 

of early German music. 

Contemporary with Paul Hofhaimer was another 

great German contributor to the furtherance of the 

musical art, whose labours perhaps bore more 

directly on its progress than those of any musician 

of his time. It is to Heinrich Isaac I refer, since it 

was he who carried his German art among neighbouring 

nations, thus helping to develop the merits 

of each, by combination with the beauties of others. 

As evidence of the extent to which music was 

cultivated and patronized in Germany at this 

period, we have but to note the interest taken in the 

art by the Emperor Maximilian, and likewise by 

Albert the Fifth, Duke of Bavaria, the friend and 

patron of Orlando Lassus, the famous Netherland 

composer. The music establishment of the Bavarian 

Duke was evidently conducted on a grand scale, for it 

is recorded there were upwards of ninety musicians 

* Luscinius, "Musurgia seu Praxis Musicce, Strasbourg, 1536." 

-See Hawkins' History.

IHE'VIOL·COTHIC. 13 

enga'ged, many of them being men of much emi 

nence, arid so kindly were they treated by the Duke 

that it is written, "had- the heavenly choir been· 

sndden:ly dismissed, they would straightway have 

made for the court of Munich, there to find peace 

and retirement." ,This establishment furnishes us 

with some notion of the musical arrangements of 

the time. It would appear that for general ,pur 

poses the wind and brass instruments were separated 

from the strings ; the former accompanying 

the mass on Sundays and festivals. In the chamber 

all took part in turn. At a banquet the wind 

instruments were used during the earlier courses, 

and afterwards the stringed instruments were 

introduced. This description of the use to which 

the Viols were put would seem to accord with 

Montaigne's, in his journal, written in 1580, where 

he says he heard, at Kempster, in Bavaria, one of 

the ministers preach to a very thin congregation, 

and "when he - had done, a psalm was sung to a 

melody a little different from ours. At each stave 

the organ (which had been but lately erected) played 

admirably, making a kind of response to the 

singing." Further on Montaigne adds, "As a 

newly-married couple went out of church, the 

Violins (?)* and Tabors accompanied them." Though 

it would appear from these extracts that Viols were 

not used inside the German churches at this date, 

" D - r. Burney concludes from this passage that Violins were 

common in Germany.


it must not be forgotten that the Council of Trent 

had already been discussing the subject of Church 

reform in its relation to music, and had probably 

banished them from the service. Whether Viols 

took part in the music of Hofhaimer, Lassus, and 

other men of the time, I know not, but I am inclined 

to believe they helped the vocal. Be that as it 

may, it is certain that Viol tablature existed in 

Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and in 

England . \¥hether the Viols of these countries 

were identical is a question to be considered later. 

The earliest book on the Viol I have met with is 

that of Carmine Angurelli, published at Verona in 

1 491, now in the possession of Mr. Bernard Quaritch, 

which contains a woodcut of a seven-stringed Viol 

without middle bouts, and having a head with the 

peg arrangement similar to that of the Spanish 

Guitar, all of which points to a development inferior 

to that depicted by Albert Durer in the hands of 

the Mastersingers. There is no notation of any 

kind throughout this early I talian book. A few 

years later, however, we find Viol tablature issued 

from a Venetian press. In France as early as 1 502, 

Viol tablature existed, and also a book on the Viol, 

dated 1 547. Notwithstanding that no German Viol 

book is in existence dated so early as that of the 

Italian Angurelli, published at Verona in 1 49 I, or 

those published in France, I do not consider we 

should therefore credit the French and Italians with 

a greater knowledge of the instrument. The test of

THE VIOL GOTHIC. 

superiority turns wholly on shape and form, and 

there is no question but the Mastersingers' Viol of 

Durer's time was more highly developed than either 

that of I taly or France at the same period ; and 

being so we have every reason to assume that 

Germany possessed Viol writings earlier than 

those nations, but that accident has deprived. us 

of them. 

According to Hawkins, the earliest intimation of 

instrumental music in parts, is contained in a book 

written by a Spanish Dominican in I 5 70, named 

Thomas a Sancta Maria, the title of which is " Arte 

de tanner fantasia para tecla, viguela y tode instrumendo 

de tres 0 quatre ordenes." 

Later research has brought to light a German 

work dated half a century earlier. Schmid, in his 

work on Petrucci, describes this curious book as 

written by Hans J udenklinig, of Vienna, and published 

there in 152 3 by Hans Syngriner : the text is 

in German and Latin, the music consisting of little 

symphonies, songs, and dances. with tablature for 

Lute and Violin (Geygen) in separate parts. It has 

the following title :-" Ain schone K unstliche U nderweisung 

in diesem Bucchlein, leychtlich zu begreyffen, 

den rechten Grund zu lernen auff der 

Lautten und Geygen." 

I regard this book as a hy which opens the way 

to the birthplace of the instrument mainly concerned 

in these pages-the Violin. On its title-page we 

have probably the earliest mention of the Geygen

16 THE VJOLIN ,AND JTS MUSIC. 

or Gige which time has preserved to ' us. Now;. 

believing that the family of the German Geige 

played a far mote , prominent part , in the formation 

of the Violin; than .any of the Italian or German 

families of the Viol,. is the cause of the importance I 

attach to this book as a piece of weighty historica.1 

evidence in relation to the birthplace of the leading 

instrument. In giving this prominent position to 

these Fiddles, I do not claim for them a more 

honourable descent than that of the Viols, believing 

both families owe their existence to a common 

ancestor, which was none other than that barbarous 

bowed contrivance which Roger North informs us 

the rushy Zampogna used " to stir up the vulgar to 

dancing," and was played upon at idolatrous sacrifices. 

VJhether the descent was lineal or collateral is a 

question of Fiddle heraldry not easily decided ; but 

I am inclined to think the transmission was in a direct 

line, and that the " Chelys " or early German Double 

Bass of Ottomarus Luscinius, and drawn by Albert 

Durer, was a branch of the rushy Zampogna instrument's 

direct descendants formed by an alliance 

with the mono chords, a;·family which preserved its 

lineage down to the. Marine Trumpet. 

'k Mersennes says, "The instrument commonly called the Marine 

Trumpet, either because it was invented by seamen, or because they 

make use of it instead of a Trumpet, consists of three boards sjoined 

and glued together, that they are broad at the lower end and narrow 

at the neck, &c. &c. Of the six divisions marked on the neck of the 

instrument, the first makes a fifth with the open chord, the second an 

'Octave, and so on for the rest, corresponding with the intervals of the 

,Military Trumpet."-" Hawkins' History."


The fretted Geige serving well for the rendering 

of acute sounds, and giving them in quick succession, 

the extreme of these qualities would be next sought 

for rather than attempting to discover a contrivance 

fitted to produce intermediate sounds. To attain 

this object, it would appear only necessary to apply 

frets and extra strings to the monochord, and render 

its form suitable for carrying additional strings. 

Judging from the earlier drawings of the Chelys, it 

seems to have had a flat bridge, thus causing the 

bow to strike all the strings together. As the 

knowl,edge of bowed instruments increased, the 

disadvantage of this arrangement would naturally 

present itself, and the curvature of the bridge be 

introduced to correct it. The arching of the bridge 

brought about a radical change in the shape of the 

body of the instrument, which was the introduction 

of the centre curves or middle bouts, without which 

the bow could not have command of the outer 

strings. These centre curves which were introduced 

from necessity, gave rise to others in the earlier 

stages of re-formation, for the sake of ornament, and 

by these successive steps, the box-like bowed instruments 

of early days became the curved and graceful 

Viols of the sixteenth century. 

Though the primitive German Geige is here 

represented as having formed the basis of Viol 

development, it is not intended to convey the idea 

that its independence was sacrificed to the Viol. On 

the contrary, the Geige undoubtedly held its course 

c


through successive generations of wandering musicians 

with whom it was allied at the period of its 

own creation, until its strange destiny associated it 

with the greatest of all conversions in relation to 

bowed instruments, namely, its own transmutation 

into the Violin of four strings, tuned in fifths. 

That an apparently contemptible little instrument 

-the companion of the juggler, the fool, and the 

dance-should be looked upon as having paved the 

way to the absolute dominion which the Viol exercised 

over bowed instruments for centuries, and 

finally dethroning it, and becoming itself the king of 

instruments-the Violin-may seem but a flight of 

fancy, but evidence is not wanting in support of the 

assumption.

erthm 3E.-CQI:lte '48hrI ntlth:. 

CHAPTER II I. 

E 

N QUI R Y renders it clear that not far removed 

from the period of the fall of the Roman 

Empire, the chief European nations possessed a bowed 

instrument which, to avoid troubling the reader with 

a confused nomenclature, we will call a barbarous 

Fiddle. Among the Anglo-Saxons, in France, Spain, 

and Italy, such an instrument existed. I ts shape 

often varied with the different nations that fostered 

it, but its character and the purpose to which it was 

applied were identical. The Fithele of the Anglo 

Saxons, the Rebec of the French, though less savage 

than their progenitor, were but vulgar Fiddles, and 

lived in the same company, that of the dance and 

mirth. It is, however, not until we seek the corresponding 

Fiddle among the Germans that we discover 

it bearing a title which throws a direct light 

upon the history of its kind. The Teutonic name 

Geige apparently carries with it, the meaning of 

the instrument. In the early ages of mankind 

dancing or jigging must have been done to the 

sound of the voice, next to that of the pipe, and 

when the bow was discovered, to that of a stringed 

instrument which was named the Geige from its 

primary association with dancing ; and unless it 

C 2


can be shown that fiddling preceded jiggingwhich 

surely would be somewhat difficult-the instrument 

found its name in the dance, and not the 

dance in the instrument. 

The value of the title Geige as historical evidence 

of the instrument bearing that name having merged 

into the perfect Violin, has yet to be noticed. I 

have already remarked in effect, that the barba'rous 

Fiddle, whether the Geige, Fithele, or Rebec, was 

not sacrificed at the shrine of the Viol, but went on 

its way merrily, playing dance and jig, heedless of 

the grave and superior duties fulfilled by its own 

creature, the Viol. Long before the time when the 

Viol's vocation had passed away, the resources of 

the merry Fiddle were gradually but surely being 

developed. No longer was its music alone heard 

amid fools and jugglers, the halls of prince and 

potentate resounded with its strains. As the sound 

of the Viol died away, the voices of other instruments, 

the offspring of the merry Fiddle, were heard. 

It is here we have the chief evidence of Germany's 

part in the development of the foremost member of 

the stringed instrument family ; for it was the 

Germans who, in the early years of the sixteenth 

century, possessed the descant, tenor, and bass 

Geigen.* It is, however, the retention of the name 

Geige by the Germans which strikes us as remarkable, 

and as pointing to the connection of the old 

three-string Geige and the modern Violin. An 

* Martin Agricola mentions these in his work on Music, 1545.

THE VI OL GOTHIC. 2I 

instrument in a perfect state, having the same name 

and put to the same use, namely, the rendering of 

dance music, as a rude stringed instrument, centuries 

earlier, would seem to have had its origin in its rude 

namesake. 

Whether the modern Geige or Violin, having 

four strings tuned in fifths, originated with the 

Germans or the I talians, is a question not easily answered. 

The I talians have the advantage of existing 

evidence in Violins by the Brescian and Cremonese 

makers, whereas no such evidence existing or recorded 

can be used for the Germans. In written 

music for the instrument the ' Italians possess a 

similar advantage. Though these facts cannot be 

disputed, l' am disinclined to admit that Italy is 

entitled to claim the whole merit of perfecting the 

instrument. 

I t must not be forgotten that the earliest steps in 

all the arts are for the most part pre-historic. We 

know much of Corelli, a little of his immediate predecessors, 

and nothing of those beyond. I t is precisely 

the same with the makers of Violins. The 

names and works of Gaspard di Salo and Andreas 

Amati are familiar to us, but we are left in comparative 

ignorance of the founders of I tali an Viol making. 

We have nothing but indirect evidence to guide us 

to a knowledge of this manufacture ; such testimony, 

however, . in its bearings upon the question, is not 

wanting in interest, and is worthy of our attention. 

Starting with the direct evidence of the Italians,


we 'have Pietro DardeIli making Viols at the end of 

the fifteenth century"" at Mantua. That Dardelli was 

undoubtedly Italian his name sufficiently shows. 

At Brescia, a little later, Gaspard di Salo was 

making Viols. That he made a Violin in 1 566 is 

shown from an instrument sold at Milan in 1807 

bearing that date. Andreas Amati made also Violins 

at Cremona about the same period. Turning to the 

music of the Italians we have thf': fact that Gabrielli 

published at Venice, in 1587, Church madrigals, on 

the title-page of which the V iolin is mentioned. I 

do not think it is possible to cite earlier reliable 

evidence of Italian Viol and Violin making, or of 

I talian music adapted to the leading instrument, than 

that given above. The manufacture of bowed 

instruments of a superior kind clearly took root in 

I taly about the commencement of the sixteenth 

century. That this manufacture had its rise in the 

music of the Italians, I am unable to believe. In 

following the course of musical progress in Italy, the 

indirect evidence of German Violin creation becomes 

more valuable. If we seek for the chief cause of the 

early growth of the Italian Viol manufacture, we shall 

find it in the madrigal ; the question naturally 

follows, "Where was this species of composition 

nursed during its infancy ? " We answer-" In the 

Netherlands." 

Upon turning to the musical records of the Low 

.. The Italians made Viols much earlier, but Dardelli seems to have 

been the first maker of instruments worthy of the name.

THE VIOL GOTHIC. 23 ' 

Countries, we cannot fail to discover the connection 

between the Germans and the Lowlanders with 

regard to music, when the art was in what may be 

called a bulbous state. The progressiveness which 

manifested itself in Germany about the middle of the 

fifteenth century, had its counterpart in the N etherlands. 

There was a seeming interchange existing 

between these musicians, for we find famous Germans 

lived in the Netherlands, and greater Netherlanders 

in Germany. Towards the close of the century, 

however, Germany was left behind, and then it was 

that the development of the Viol took place, which 

the Netherlanders' madrigal gave rise to. Now it 

is worthy of note, that the people of the Low 

Countries were much addicted to playing the Viol. 

We ' see this in the names of Dutch and Belgic 

Violists in the lists of different orchestras, but I am 

unable to discover much evidence of Viol manufacture 

among them. The major part of the instruments 

we meet with date from N uremburg, Konigsburg, 

and Hamburg, which points to the Germans having 

had the lead of the trade in their hands. 

Turning to the earliest makers of Viols in Italy, 

we find among them names foreign to the language 

of the Italians. Joan Kerlin, who is said to have 

worked at Brescia, is one of these. This maker is 

credited with having made a species of Geige, 

having four strings, dated 1449.* If this could 

be authenticated by the production of the instru- 

* Fetis, Notice of Stradiuarius.


ment, and the maker's home traced to Germany, 

but little would remain to be done in order to 

render it clear that the four-string Violin originated 

in Germany. I n the absence of such evidence, 

it is necessary to search further for Germansounding 

names in the I talian Viol manufacture 

of the early part of the sixteenth century. In that 

of Duiffoprugcar we appear to find that which we 

seek. I n tracing this name to the German one of 

Tieffenbrucker, I cannot think M. Wasielewski* can 

be charged with going out of his way in order to 

connect this early maker with Germany. Though it 

has been said that we have proof of Duiffoprugcar 

having made Violins, in certain instruments bearing 

his name, dated 151 1, 151 7, and I5I9,t I am quite 

unable to believe in the genuineness of any reputed 

specimens brought under my notice ; and I have 

seen all worthy of attention. At the same time I 

consider we have good grounds for thinking that 

Duiffoprugcar played no unimportant part in the 

transformation of the old Geige into its new 

namesake. 

In following the manufacture to Cremona, we 

discover an item of evidence which, in my opinion, 

tends to strengthen Germany's part in the formation 

of the Violin. I refer to the circumstance of Andrew 

Amati having made a three-string Violin in the year 

1546. Here we appear to have conclusive proof of 

German influence, since this instrument must have 

* "Die Violine in XVII. Jahrhundert." Bonn, 1874.

THE VIOL GOTHIC. 

been but a modification of the Geige if not actually 

the instrument itself. This fact, taken together 

with the German-sounding names of the early Viol 

makers located in I taly, and the magnitude of Viol 

manufacture in N uremburg, Konigsburg, and Hamburgh, 

as compared with that of Italy, seems fully to 

justify the throwing of these side lights upon the 

question ; and thus giving to the Germans more 

credit than their direct evidence entitles them to 

receive in relation to the part they took in the 

formation of the leading instrument. 

I t is, however, needless to pursue this branch of 

our subject further, since, when all has been said, 

we must admit that whatever shape the Teutonic 

Fiddle assumed towards the middle of the sixteenth 

century, it must have been rude and gross when 

compared with that of the Italians a few years later ; 

for the art of making Viols and Violins, whether of 

three or four strings, followed in the march of Painting, 

Poetry, and all the Arts, to I taly, there to receive 

that artistic grace and completeness which no other 

nation but the I talian could bestow. 

The cursory view we have taken of the progress 

of Music in Germany, in the preceding pages, may 

help the reader to a better understanding of the 

earlier steps in that branch of the Art which mainly 

interests us ; and enable him to gauge its development 

generally among the Germans. Sufficient 

has been said to show that the progress which 

made itself felt in Germany with regard to Litera-


ture, at the close of the fifteenth century, was 

probably not greater than that of Music at the same 

period. The Schools and U niversitis, the formation 

of Public Libraries, the encouragement of intellectual 

and liberal Princes, all tended, however indirectly, 

to give an impulse to the Art, which seems to have 

been borne rapidly onwards ; when the wars broke 

forth which devastated the land and checked its 

course, leaving the Germans to seek advanced musical 

knowledge in the Schools of Italy, which, in the 

meantime, had made extraordinary strides under the 

original guidance of the Musicians of Germany and 

the Netherlands. 

I t is at this point; therefore, we must leave the 

Viol Gothic, and follow the course of Viol History 

among the Netherlanders and I talians, and next 

take up the German thread of our subject after the 

period of the Thirty Y ears' War.

£tthm II.-CQrhc ial in the :f}l£th.edanbz. 

CHAPTER I. 

" H OLLAND and Flanders, peopled by one race 

vie with each other in the pursuits of civilization. 

The Flemish skill in the mechanical and 

in the Fine Arts is unrivalled. Belgian Musicians 

delight and instruct other nations. Belgian pencils 

have for a century caused the canvas to glow 

with colours and combinations never seen before."* 

Such is the historian's account of the condition 

of the Arts in the Netherlands at the close of the 

fifteenth century. With whatever hesitation we 

may at first feel disposed to accept such an estimate . 

of Belgic progress, enquiry will banish all doubt as 

to its correctness. To be sceptical is at least pardonable 

when it is remembered how frequently we 

have been led to regard I taly as the sole cradle 

of the Arts. 

In lifting the veil which has hidden the inner 

life of the people of the Low Countries, about the 

period of the Renaissance, merit long denied them 

has been made theirs beyond all question. That 

this has been the case with regard to their Music 

* Motley's " Rise of the Dutch Republic."


more particularly, the patient enquiries of those 

interested in the early Flemish Composition sufficiently 

testify. 

In attempting to measure for ourselves the 

progress of the Arts in the Low Countries in the 

fifteenth century, we need not travel the bypaths 

of their history, nor does it matter which 

of the Arts-with the exception of poetry-we 

select for enquiry, since we can scarcely fail to find 

the Netherlanders in possession of them, if not in 

a higher state of development at least on a level 

with their condition among their neighbours, making 

due allowance for that difference of character which 

is as marked in the mechanical and Fine Arts of a 

people as their language. I f we take the Art of Painting, 

we discover that it was in the fifteenth century 

that those masters of the Flemish School, Hubert 

and John Van Eyck, were glorifying themselves and 

their country by giving to the world works painted 

in oil colours which were destined to revolutionise 

the principles of Painting throughout Europe. The 

wondrous colours they produced, together with the 

genius which guided them in their use, caused the 

name of Van Eyck to be echoed from end to end of 

the domain of Art. Their landscapes have been 

described as "not merely a fruit of the endeavour 

to reflect the real world in Art, but have, even if 

expressed conventionally, a certain poetical meaning, 

in short a soul." -if. 

" Burckhardt, "The Renaissance in Italy," Vol. 11., p. 28.

THE VIOL IN THE NE THERLANDS. 29 

If we examine into the condition of Music 

among the Netherlanders about the same period, 

we shall find that much of that which the Van 

Eycks achieved for their Art, Okeghem, and in 

a higher degree, J osquin Despres accomplished 

for theirs. Although Music had been cultivated for 

more than a century by the people of the Low 

Countries before the advent of these remarkable 

Musicians, to an extent which left other nations far 

behind, yet that which then passed for the Science 

of Music was in reality a system crippled and 

cramped with meaningless dogmas, bearing apparently 

about the same relation to Music as Alchemy 

to Chemistry. With the appearance of Okeghem 

and his pupil Josquin, the haze which had so long 

enveloped the Art was at length dispelled. What 

these Musicians accomplished amounted to little else 

than a re-creation. The Science and Poetry of the 

Art were joined. 

The fame bf the Musicians of the Netherlands was 

European, but particularly that of J osquin Despres. 

Louis XI I. of France, Lorenzo di Medici, and the 

Emperor of Germany, were among his princely 

patrons. Luther said of him, "other Musicians do 

what they can with notes, J osquin does what he 

likes with them ;" in short, some years before the 

close of the fifteenth century he was looked upon 

as the greatest Musician of any time or nation. 

That a people should have had such men as the 

brothers Van Eyck, Okeghem, and J osquin in


their midst, born Netherlanders dedicating their 

powers to the cause of Art, throwing light where all 

was darkness-the idols of other nations-sufficiently 

demonstrates that the account of the condition of the 

Arts in the Netherlands which heads this Chapter 

is in no way overdrawn. 

The growth of the Arts cannot . but be slow 

during infancy, no matter where they take root. It 

may therefore be inferred that it must have taken 

the best part of two centuries to have attained to 

that degree of excellence which the historian credits 

the Netherlanders with towards the close of the 

fifteenth century. It is perhaps not possible to go 

further back than to the twelfth century for the 

rudiments of what we term the Science of Music. 

That the Musicians of the Low Countries made 

use of these rudiments with greater success than 

their brethren of other nations, is now generally 

admitted. It was not, however, until the beginning 

of the fourteenth century that Counterpoint was 

introduced. To Jean de Muris, who is said to have 

flourished about 1330, seemingly belongs the credit 

of introducing the system of notation by points or 

pricks. The adding of one set of points to another 

signified the performance at the same time of various 

melodies agreeing in harmony-hence the term 

Counterpoint. The nationality of Jean de M uris 

appears to have been a vexed question. He has 

been claimed as an Englishman, but there is little 

doubt the claim had no foundation in truth. Apart

THE VIOL IN THE NETHERLANDS. 3 I 

from his patronymic, the state of music with us in 

the days of Edward the Black Prince was certainly 

not sufficiently advanced to admit of the reception of 

contrapuntal laws. The road opened up by De 

Muris was soon trodden by William Dufay (the 

earliest composer of masses written in counterpoint), 

by Binchois, and others, comprised under the 

designation of the Old Netherlands School of 

Music. 

The people of the Low Countries were at a very 

early date attached to pursuits of an elevating and 

humanizing character. They had in the fourteenth 

century their various trade associations and guilds 

of rhetoric ; the members of the latter belonging for 

the most part to the working section of the community; 

but sometimes they had enrolled among them 

men at the top of the social scale, as instanced by 

Philip the Fair having been a member of their body. 

They were essentially associations instituted for the 

very laudable purpose of occupying the leisure time 

of their members with useful and rational amusement, 

the drama and music receiving much attention. 

The passion for rhetorical display among the 

Netherlanders was fed mainly by these associations, 

and during two centuries their friends and foes were 

deluged with its showers, whenever an opportunity 

seemed to present itself. 

Tritely does Mr. Motley tell us "no unfavourable 

opinion can be formed as to the culture of a nation 

whose weavers, smiths, gardeners, and traders found


the favourite amusement of their holydays in composing 

and enacting tragedies or farces, reciting their 

own verses, or in personifying moral and

THE VI OL IN THE NE THERLANDS. 3 3 

boast of an orchestra-composed of a Harp, a Flute, 

a Vz"ol, and a Trumpet.'" Mention of these instruments 

at this early date is interesting, without staying 

to enquire whether their tones were ever heard in 

combination. That this refers to a branch of an 

Association of Rhetoric seems clear, and it is in 

these branches we are interested as bearing upon 

the progress of Music at this period, since to their 

influence is traceable the extended cultivation of the 

Art among the Netherlanders during the next century. 

From these Chambers emanated the multifarious 

arrangements for the conduct of the city 

processions and entertainments in the management 

of which the Netherlanders were unequalled, causing 

them to become the instructors of other nations in 

these matters. In their plays and pageants, instrumental 

music was introduced. At first it was doubtless 

of a rude description. Those instruments fitted 

, to make the most noise were selected, such as the 

Bagpipes, and other wind mediums of sound ; but in 

course of time, as their pageantry became artistic, 

these were supplemented or replaced by others, 

among which were bowed instruments of the kind 

common in Germany, which was a large Bass instrument 

suited for sustaining the fundamental harmonies. 

This Bass Viol I cannot but regard as the parent 

of those ushered into existence with the Motett 

and Madrigal. 

I t is unnecessary in these pages to trace the 

* Lavoix Fils, " Histoire de !'Instrumentation," Paris, 1878. 

D


course of musical progress further than is needed 

to render tolerably clear those parts of it which 

touch upon instrumental music, and more particularly 

that for stringed instruments. That Okeghem 

opened up what is called the new school of 

Flemish Music ; that he carried the art of writing 

Canons to a lofty height ; that his illustrious pupil 

Josquin (whom Burney names "The Father of 

Modern Harmony ") took up the standard of musical 

excellence borne by his master, and planted it at 

such an altitude as to gain for him the plaudits of 

the whole musical world, past and present, that he 

wrote Masses and Motetts of extraordinary excellence, 

form the chief historical facts which may be 

noticed without becoming tedious.

U 

££tion II.-'QIhe \'IivI in th.e :!fldherhmbs. 

CHAPTER II. 

PO N comparing the condition of Instrumental 

Music at the commencement of the sixteenth 

century with that of Vocal, it will be seen that they 

had not progressed in the same ratio. The genius 

of the early contrapuntists was wholly spent upon 

Vocal Music, and it was not until considerable strides 

had been taken towards perfecting this branch of the 

ar, that instruments received attention from composers. 

That it should have been so, is not difficult 

to understand when we reflect that the voice is 

Dame Nature's instrument, and in rendering it 

subject to rules and regulations then laid down, 

the old masters found therein sufficient occupation 

without burdening themselves with the Music of 

instruments, which in their then imperfect .state was 

but an indifferent copy of the original. Much remained 

to be accomplished in the manufacture of 

musical instruments to permit of their being brought 

under the civilising influence of the old contrapuntists 

; it was therefore necessary for Instrumental 

Music to follow in the wake of its vocal companion 

D 2


until such improvements had been effected as would 

fit it to pursue a distinct and independent course. 

The use to which instruments were put in the 

fifteenth century was that of accompanying the dance, 

making martial music in processions, and rendering a 

semi-barbarous accompaniment to the voice. The 

performers were left free to play upon them as fancy 

prompted ; in short, their accompaniments were 

rude improvisations, and their melodies and dances 

were but the popular ditties of the period rendered in 

a very free manner. 

That the Viol was used in the Music of the 

Church as an adjunct to the voice long before any 

written music existed for the instrument may be 

assumed from the variety of forms and sizes we see 

given to Viols in early prints, which variety evidences 

the aim of the masters of the fifteenth century 

to assimilate the Viol with the different registers 

of the human voice, as also the indefinite condition 

of the instrument in the days of old Flemish 

masters. 

Instruments of some kind or other had been 

. pressed into the mt:sical service of the Church from 

a very early period, for we are told that Saint 

Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century denounced 

the practice of employing them as "tending to stir 

up the mind to delight, than frame it to a religious 

disposition." N otwithstanding, however, this and 

other anathemas, the custom grew apace, culminating 

with the Reformation. It happened that the Refor-


mers were not alone in their denunciation of the then 

existing musical arrangements in connection with 

the Church. Their voices were joined by those of 

s)me high dignitaries of the orthodox faith ; since 

C3.rdinal Cajetan complained that " With the noise 

of organs, and the clamorous divisions and absurd 

repetitions of affected singers, which seem, as it 

were, devised on purpose to darken the sense, the 

auditors should be so confounded as that no one 

should be able to understand what was sung." 

Erasmus-a votary of Music in his youth-steered 

a course betwixt that which was deemed orthodox 

and that which was regarded as heretical, said 

"What notions have they of Christ who think He 

is pleased with such a noise ?" These, then, were 

the opinions that were rife in reference to Ecclesiastical 

Music about the period of the Reformation. 

When we take into account the character of the 

Flemish Ecclesiastical Music written during the 

fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, we are led to 

believe that the innovations which were so loudly 

complained of, had their rise in the Netherlands' 

and passed into I taly with the Flemish musicians. 

The extraordinary number and magnificence of the 

Gothic sacred buildings spread over the Low Countries 

prior to the Reformation, evidences the N etherlanders' 

influence in this direction ; and though it 

may not be wise to gauge the depth of a nation's 

piety by the number of edifices raised for religious 

purposes, we can measure the extent and depth of


artistic work necessarily attending such erections. 

The lavishness of architectural ornament, the marvellous 

display of the genius and skill of Flemish 

painters, was sought to be equalled by the grandeur 

of the Musical service. " All that opulent devotion 

could devise in wood, bronze, marble, gold, precious 

jewellery, or sacramental furniture had been profusely 

lavished." "The vast and beautifully painted windows 

glowed with Scriptural scenes, antique portraits, 

homely allegories, painted in those brilliant and 

forgotten colours which Art has not ceased to deplore. 

The daylight melting into gloom, or coloured with 

fantastic brilliancy, priests in effulgent robes chanting 

in unknown language the sublime breathing of choral 

music, the suffocating odours of myrrh and spikenard, 

suggestive of the Oriental scenery and 

imagery of Holy Writ, all combined to bewilder 

and exalt the senses." This vivid description of 

the interior of Antwerp Cathedral serves to convey 

some idea of the splendour of the sacred buildings 

in the Netherlands. Such were the churches at 

Tournay, Ghent, Utrecht-where the youthful voice 

of Erasmus had been heard in the chorale-and 

many others throughout the land. 

I t was in these sublime monuments of Gothic 

Art, raised by the combined efforts of a nation's 

,;killed artizans, prompted by strong religious 

feelings, that the music of these highly-gifted Belgic 

composers was heard. No effort was spared to 

enrich the harmonies, the organ was deemed in-


sufficient, the voices were supplemented by the 

nasal sounds of the Viol, secular melodies were 

introduced of a florid character, with their secular 

words sung by the chief voice, whilst the other 

voices were heard singing to the words of the mass. 

The words, sacred or secular, were not considered, 

notes alone were esteemed as tending to increase 

that display which had been gradually developed 

during two centuries ; but the time was at hand 

when this singularly free mode of conducting the 

service of the Church was to be abandoned. The 

school of Church music which arose and flourished 

in the N etherIands, crumbled and fell, and a portion 

of its ruins served Palestrina in the construction of 

his glorious work. if< 

I t is hardly possible to imagine that the music 

of the Church in the N etherIands could have been 

developed in the manner described without affecting 

that of the chamber ; indeed it is certain that the 

domestic music of the low countries received similar 

scientific treatment to that bestowed on sacred 

music, if such florid writings may be described as 

sacred. I t is also generally admitted that it was the 

first domestic music allied to musical learning, which 

* J. R. S. Bennett, in one of his admirable contributions to Grove's 

"Dictionary of Musici:ms," remarks, "The simplicity of Lassus, 

Church music as early as 1565, shows that the story of the causes 

of Palestrina's revolution must not be accepted too literally," 

and again, "the simple Church music did not indeed take the place 

of the older ann more elaborate forms of the J osquin period at a few 

strokes of Palestrina's pen."


renders it historically peculiarly interesting. What 

the position of the Viol was in relation to this music 

is uncertain ; that it was used in connection with it 

there is every reason to believe, though in a manner 

precluding its recognition by the learned composers. 

The character of the instrument at this important 

period in the history of chamber music was probably 

but little changed from that of the Viol of the 

Mastersingers, and accompanied the voice with 

the same degree of licence. I n this state it most 

likely remained for a considerable length of time, 

ultimately ; however, as the home music of the 

Netherlanders was advanced, certain changes were 

effected in the form and construction of Viols, 

rendering them capable of taking parts of more 

importance in such music. Whatever these variations 

in form and shape may have been, I am disposed 

to think that they were not of a trivial kind, even 

when thought of beside those effected in Italy after 

the musicians of the Netherlands had succeeded in 

making the Madrigal a great power in music. 

I have before remarked that the earliest steps in 

Art are for the most part pre-historic, and therefore 

do not think we should hastily conclude that it was in 

I taly where Viols were first made-in their relation 

to the Madrigal-to conform to the tones of the 

different voices, by dividing and sub-dividing the 

length of string, until each voice had its representative 

Viol. I t is certain such divisions were rendered 

complet(,! in Italy, and are traceable to the Italian

THE VIOL IN THE NE THERLANDS. ' 4 1 

Madrigal, when for the sake of variety the singers 

ceased singing their Madrigal parts, and performed 

them on their Viols. But this most interesting innovation 

on the part of the Viol of taking to itself 

the music of Nature's organ, must surely have been 

brought about by successive steps in the instrument's 

development, which are no longer visible ; and I see 

nothing unreasonable in believing that these early 

steps were taken in the Low Countries, long prior 

to the time when the Madrigal was taken to 

I taly. That a Viol-playing people like that of the 

Netherlands of the fifteenth century, the originators 

of scientific domestic music, the creators of the 

true Madrigal, should have carried their music and 

their Viols to Italy without having previously contributed 

in some measure to that knowledge which 

enabled the Italians to perfect the family of the 

Viol, is difficult to realise. 

Towards the close of the fifteenth century commenced 

that departure of Netherland musicians to 

I taly, the full effects of which was to fall upon 

the Musical Art in after ages. These men carried 

with them the accumulated work of two centuries, 

ripe for the reception of that adornment which was 

then being bestowed upon painting and other arts 

by born I talians, or aliens under the influence of 

Italy's climate, its people, and surroundings. Their 

art had been scientifically developed in the N etherlands 

to a degree to which no other nation could 

in any way lay claim. It had reached to its


full extent of growth in the soil upon which it fed, 

and needed transplanting to flower afresh ; and no 

country was better adapted to nurture it than the 

I taly of the first half of the sixteenth century, 

where Macaulay tells us "knowledge and public 

prosperity continued to advance together. Both 

attained their meridian in the age of Lorenzo 

the Magnificent." "Restored to supreme peace 

and tranquillity, cultivated no less in her most 

mountainous and sterile places than in her plains 

and more fertile regions, and subject to no other 

empire than her own, not only was she most abundant 

in inhabitants and wealth, but in the highest 

degree illustrious by the magnificence of many 

princes, by the splendour of many most noble and 

beautiful cities, ,and by the seat and majesty of 

religion-. she flourished with men pre-eminent in the 

administration of public affairs, and with genius 

skilled in all the sciences, and in every elegant and 

useful art."'" Such was the condition of Italy when 

the musicians of the Netherlands flocked thither, 

and to its many princes both they and the musicians 

of after ages owed a debt of lasting gratitude, for the 

lustre which their munificent patronage caused to be 

shed upon their art. I t was at the invitation of 

King Ferdinand that John Tinctor went to Naples 

in 1 476, and assisted in establishing the School 

of Music. It was in Naples that he wrote the first 

.. Essay on Machiavelli, Longfellow's translation of the passages 

of Thucydides.


book on music ever printed, which assumed the 

shape of a dictionary. At Rome, about the same 

period, Josquin was busy with his art at the Chapel of 

Pope Sixtus IV., and later we hear of him at the 

Court of Hercules the first Duke of Ferrara. At 

Florence, Lorenzo the Magnificent was giving every 

encouragement to promote the advancement of 

music ; he secured the services of Heinrich Isaac (a 

Netherlander by education if not by birth) to instruct 

his children, and thus did his son Giovanni begin to 

acquire that taste for music for which he was so 

famous as Pope Leo X. At Mantua Jaques Berchem 

was appointed to the post of chapel-master in the 

Duke's chapel. And lastly, at Venice, appeared 

Adrian Willaert to instruct its people in music, 

and share in that progress which the Venetians 

were beginning to make in the fields of art and 

learning. It would not be difficult to multiply these 

instances of princely patronage, and of the high 

positions awarded to the musicians of the Low 

Countries, but those already given amply suffice to 

mark the degree of esteem in which they were held 

by the I talian nation, and the artistic devotion of 

its many princes. If we desire further evidence of 

the influence of the musicians of the Low Countries 

at this period, we have but to turn to the printing 

press of Petrucci, at Venice, and we discover that 

nearly the whole of the works printed by it for 

several years, were those of Netherlanders. 

With the early years of the sixteenth century


opens up a period rife with interest relative to 

our subject. Then it was that the madrigal began 

to receive the serious attention of the Flemish 

composers. I t had existed among them in a more 

or less crude shape since about the middle of 

the fifteenth century, but the time had come when it 

was to play an important part in musical history, now 

that it was dressed in much of the learning belonging 

to the Flemish motett. With it the social element 

was entered, and the foundation laid of high-class 

chamber music. The term madrigal originally 

meant a pastoral song ; there were simple and 

accompanied madrigals ; the former were first introduced, 

and in their character partook greatly of the 

music composed for the Church. I t is not possible 

to say when or where the Flemish madrigal was 

first heard in Italy ; we are left to form an opinion 

from a loose collection of dates and the circumstances 

attending them. Taking into consideration the 

advanced state of culture at Ferrara, and the worldwide 

reputation that Court obtained for its art 

patronage, and that of music more particularly, it 

would seem highly probable that it was to that city 

the madrigal was taken from the Netherlands. That 

the madrigal was sung at Mantua early in the 

sixteenth century is evidenced by the presence there 

of Berchem, who composed a great number. 

I t is to the Netherlander Adrian Willaert we 

must now turn, since it was he who gave to the 

madrigal a form in which originality was so mani-

THE VI OL IN THE NETHERLANDS. 4S 

fested as to have earned for him the title of father of 

this species of composition. Willaert was born at 

Bruges in the year 1 490. At the age of twentyeight 

he followed the example of many of his 

countrymen, and removed to Rome, where he 

possibly hoped to find a larger field for the exercise 

of his abilities than his native city afforded him ; 

but at that period Rome must have sheltered quite 

an army of musicians, the chief part of which was 

mainly dependent on the patronage of Leo X. and 

his Cardinals, and it is possible that he discovered 

the Church and lts princes already sufficiently 

weighted with claimants to favour without casting 

in his lot with them, and thus resolved to quit 

the Papal city, and make that of the Venetian 

Republic the stage for his efforts in Music's cause. 

In Venice he worked and died, amid the din 

of its vast commerce, for then the Venetian capital 

was not only the first commercial city in Italy but of 

Europe. Its wealth, its churches, and its marble 

palaces formed a theme of admiration throughout 

the civilised world. In Venice at the height of its 

prosperity he found its citizens as eager to encourage 

and practise music as they were to aid and cherish 

other arts-furnishing another instance of art following 

close upon the heels of successful commerce. 

Doni, in his Dialogue on Music, published at 

Venice in 1544, supplies us with a description of the 

chamber music of WilIaert's time. In the Dialogue, 

compositions by most of the seventeen composers


then living at Venice are performed ; In the first 

conversation the interlocutors are Michele, Hoste, 

Bago, and Grullone, all performers, who sing 

madrigals and songs by Claudio Veggio and 

Vincenzo Russo. In the second conversation, 

instruments are joined to the voices, Antonio de 

Lucca first playing a voluntary on the Lute, then 

Buzzino il Violone,'" Bosso Battista, Doni, and others 

pIa;: on Viols ; Doni also refers to the superior state 

of music in his time, compared with that of any 

former period. "There are musicians now " he 

remarks, "who, if J osquin were to return to this 

world, would make him cross himself. In former 

times people used to dance with their hands in their 

pockets, and if one could give another a fall, he was 

thought a wit and a dexterous fellow ; Heinrich Isaac 

then set the songs, and was thought a master, at 

present he would hardly be thought a scholar." 

That great progress in music had been made admits 

of no doubt whatever, but that Doni was carried 

away by enthusiasm in making this reference to 

Isaac was evidently the opinion of Dr. Burney, who 

supplements it with a quotation. "Hannibal," says 

Captain Bluff, " was a very pretty fellow in those 

days it must be granted. But, alas, Sir ! were 

he alive now, he would be nothing ! nothing in the 

earth ! " 

The difference of conditions under which music 

* This instrument was a Double Bass having five or six strings, 

and had frets like the lute.


ficmrished in Rome and Venice accounts for the 

distinctive character of the work achieved by 

the musicians of these cities. In the city of 

the Church, patronage was almost wholly ecclesiastical, 

and the music composed there at that period 

belonged to the church chiefly. In Venice, Music 

was influenced by both the Church and the 

people, the effect of which soon manifested itself in 

an unmistakeable manner. Adrian Willaert could 

not have failed to observe the essentially different 

tone of thought and action belonging to the people 

of these States. He found the Venetians prepared 

to be led into an untrod den path, namely, that of 

Domestic Music, and it fell to him to be their 

pioneer. I n Rome he had witnessed the solid 

foundation upon which the Roman School of Music 

was raised, to which his countrymen had contributed 

so much, and he appears to have aimed at establishing 

in Venice a school equally solid at its base, 

but which should have a section, in which Domestic 

Music might partake of that high excellence 

which had hitherto belonged almost exclusively to 

the Church. 

That Adrian Willaert succeeded in accomplishing 

this, and that the madrigal was instrumental in 

the achievement, is made clear by reference to his 

fifty years' labour in this particular section of vocal 

music. We shall there discover that during this 

long period, scarcely a collection of motetts and 

madrigals was given to the public, to which he did

THE VIOL1N AND ITS MUS1C. 

not contribute, besides imparting that knowledge to 

others which for the most part originated with himself. 

To mention alone Francesco Viola and 

Gabrielli as his pupils, amply marks the extent of 

Willaert's influence over chamber music, when in its 

infancy, and yet further awakens our interest in the 

father of the madrigal, since it was his scholar 

Gabrielli who was one of the chief actors, if not the 

principal, who rendered that distinguished service 

to Viols and other instruments, of emancipating 

them from their long dependence upon vocal music. 

Henceforth instruments were no longer to follow 

in the wake of vocal music, they had been made ripe 

to claim their liberation under the skilful guidance 

of men whose names and merits are for the most 

part unrecorded ; when Gabrielli, or a contemporary 

musician came forth as their liberator and proclaimed 

them independent. One of their earliest charters-to 

continue the metaphor-is that composed and attested 

by this same Gabrielli, the pupil of Willaert, and 

entitled " Sonate a cinque per i stromenti," printed 

by Gardane, Venice, 1586 ;* the actual date of composition 

may be much earlier. The nephew and pupil 

of Gabrielli, Giovanni, followed in the steps of his 

uncle, and left us the earliest record of music for the 

I talian Violin we have any account of. Thus we find 

that it occupied more than a century from the period 

when bowed instruments were connected with the 

madrigal, to bring them to that state of perfection 

* Fetis, " Biographie Universelle des Musiciens."

\ written 


which admitted of their having music specially 

for them. 

Having brought the Netherlander and his madrigal 

to Venice, and lightly sketched their influence 

on chamber music, in relation to our subject, 

it is time to close this section, and follow the course 

of Viol history in France. 

E

§edion III.-CQrhe iliu! in ciJtntn£e. 

CHAPTER 1. 

HE German Viol and its offspring having alread y 

T occupied our attention, it now remains to seek information 

relative to the Viol· germ which the Goths 

carried to Spain, the fruitfulness of which was 

singularly great, as we shall presently discover. I 

am no better able to succeed in placing the reader in 

possession of indisputable evidence of the Viol 

having been common to the Goths in Spain, than I 

have before been with regard to Germany; indeed, I 

am not so well prepared to give proof of early 

Spanish cultivation of bowed instrument knowledge, 

for with the exception of mentioning the Western 

door-way of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella-which 

is said to belong to the eleventh century 

-upon which a number of instruments of the Viol 

kind are represented, * I have nothing to show that 

Spain was in possession of such instruments. 

It is in the evidence of the following century, 

namely, the twelfth, which is of importance in connecting 

our subject with Spain, although the infor- 

* See large cast in the South Kensington Museum.

THE VIOL IN FRANCE. 5I 

mation relates to another and distinct kingdom, viz., 

Provence, which Nostradamus, in his Lives of the 

Provenal Poets-published about the middle of the 

sixteenth century*-describes as the mother of 

Troubadours and lYIinstrels. In this now part of 

France undoubtedly existed from the tenth to the 

fourteenth centuries minstrelsy of a superior kind, 

which was deemed worthy of imitation in Germany, 

England, and Italy. In this sense Nostradamus 

correctly named Provence the parent of Minstrelsy. 

Ollr enquiries, however, extend beyond this parentage, 

and in pursuing them we must not lose the 

Gothic thread, slender though it be, upon reaching 

the tenth century, for it is all we have to connect the 

Viol of the Troubadours with the Viol-germ of 

Spain. 

The highly developed condition of the people of 

Provence in the twelfth century can scarcely be 

regarded as the outcome of an independent civilization, 

like that witnessed by the conquerors of 

Mexico : surrounding influences must have contributed 

something towards it, and if we admit that 

such was the case, we have to consider which of 

. thse predominated. F or our purpose it becomes a 

question, from which side the Viol found its way to 

Southern France: in short, whether it was the Viol 

of Italy or that of Spain. Geographically, Italy is 

nearer Provence than Spain; but there remains the 

fact that the Provenal language was more cultivated 

E 2 

* Burney, vol. 2, p. 230.


in Languedoc and the adjacent provinces than in 

that which gave the langl!age its name, and these 

provinces are nearer Spain, which was the last place 

where the Goths figured as a power in Western 

Europe. During the dominion of the Goths the 

Latin language lost much of its original character 

and degenerated to the Romance, three different 

dialects of which were spoken in Spain as early as 

the beginning of the eighth century. * Here, then, we 

appear to have a link to connect the Romance of Spain 

with that of Provence, which taken in conjunction with 

Voltaire's remark as to most of the music heard in 

France before the time of Louis the Fourteenth 

(Francis 1. ?) having been that of Spain,t strengthens 

greatly my belief that the Viol associated with the 

Troubadours of Provence came from the Viol-germ 

carried to Spain by the Goths. 

Whatever may have been the condition of music 

in France prior to the time of the Troubadours, to 

those minstrels rightly belongs the opening page in 

all notics of French musical progress. Nay, more, 

they are entitled to primary notice in the history of the 

music of Western Europe, since it was they-paradoxical 

though it may seem--who gave melody to 

music. The scraping of Viols, the jargon blowingS') 

of huntsmens' horns and shepherds' pipes, the crude ! 

twangings of minstrels' harps and primitive lutes, was 

hushed as the music of the Troubadours arose. 

* Longfellow's " Spanish Language and Poetry." 

t "Age of Louis XIV."

THE VIOL IN FRANCE. 53 

Henceforth, in the musical . language of Thackeray, 

" their melody overflows into the air richly, like the 

honey of H ybla ; it wafts down in lazy gusts like the 

scent of the thyme from that hill."* 

I have hitherto used the term Troubadour in its 

broadest sense in reference to the poet minstrels of 

Provence ; they were, however, divided into distinct 

orders, and named Troubadours, Trouveres, and 

Jongleurs : the first were the true Romance poets, the 

next were the poets of Northern France, and the last 

the wandering minstrels who sang at the courts and 

at the houses of the nobility, the heroic achievements 

of their ancestors, and accompanied themselves on 

instruments. These Jongleurs have been described 

by Crescimbeni,t as men of a merry nature, full of 

jests and arch sayings, and adopted a kind of fool's 

costume for the purpose of entertaining in a burlesque 

manner their patrons, for which reason they were 

called Jongleurs, quasi J oculatores. 

To the Jongleurs and Trouveres may be traced the 

old rhymed romances of Charlemagne and his twelve 

peers, and those of Arthur and the round table, and it is 

interesting to follow M. Paulin Paris in relation to 

these and other early romance poems. He tells us 

"After an attentive examination of our ancient 

literature, it is impossible to doubt for a moment 

that the old monorhyme romances were set to mUSIC 

* "An Essay without end." 

t Translation of Nostradamus' " Lives of the Proven«al Poets noticed 

by Hawkins.

54. THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

and accompanied by a viol or harp, and yet this 

seems hitherto to have escaped observation. 

" In the poem of ' Gerars de Nevers ' I find the 

following passage :- 

" Then Gerars donn'd a garment old, 

And round his neck a Viol hung, 

For cunningly he played and sung. 

'" * * * 

Steed he had none ; so he was fain, 

To trndge on foot o'er hill and plain, 

Till Nevers gate he stood before, 

There many burghers full a score, 

Staring, exclaimed in pleasant mood, 

, This minstrel cometh for little good. 

I wene, if he singeth all day long, 

No one will listen to his song.' 

Whilst at the door he thus did wait, 

A knight came through the court-yard gate, 

Who bade the minstrel enter straight 

And led him to the crowded hall, 

That he might play before them all." 

Dr. Burney supplies us with another description 

of this early minstrelsy, given by a French poet who 

flourished about 1230. 

" When the cloth was ta'en away, 

Minstrels strait began to play, 

And while harps and Viols join, 

Raptured bards in strains divine, 

Loud the trembling arches rung, 

With the noble deeds we sung." 

It. would be easy to multiply these instances of

THE ViOL iN FRANCE. 5 5 

the presence of the Viol in the minstrelsy of the 

twelfth and thirteenth centuries in France, bllt those 

already given render it sufficiently clear, that to 

itinerant musicians may be traced the earliest cultivation 

of secular music in France, as indeed it may 

be in all countries.

I 

CHAPTER II. 

T was in the twelfth century that the wandering 

musicians and their music began to receive that 

attention which gave to their art a new and 

important character. This was accomplished by the 

Troubadours and Trouveres or poets calling to their 

aid the Jongleurs or musicians to sing and accompany 

their lays with harp and viol. These instruments, 

which had hitherto been heard in conjunction with 

the chivalric ballads of the Jongleurs, now accompanied 

the Romance poetry of the Troubadours. 

This combination of tuneful poetry with melodious 

music was hailed with delight from court and 

castle, and so much had this minstrelsy grown in 

favour during the thirteenth century that kings and 

nobles aspired to become poets and minstrels. The 

King of Navarre, the Lord of Couey, the Comte 

d' Anjou, and the Duke of Brabant are mentioned as 

Court Trouveres. An illuminated manuscript of the 

poems of this King of Navarre and his contemporary 

poets supplies us with the figure of a Jongleur 

represented as playing before the King a three-

THE VIOL IN FRANCE. 5 7 

stringed instrument, which has the appearance of a 

Giege. That this instrument had found its way to 

France at this early period is evidenced by the tale 

of the Two Minstrels,*' though Dr. Burney, who 

gives the following interesting remarks upon this 

tale from the pen of a French author, tells us he had 

no knowledge of the instrument :- 

"Two companies of minstrels meeting at a castle, 

endeavour to amuse its lord by counterfeiting a 

quarrel. One of them quitting his companions, 

insults a minstrel of the other troop, calling him a 

ragged beggar, who never had done anything to 

deserve a better dress from his patrons ; and, in 

order to prove his own superiority, says with triumph, 

that he can tel! stories in verse, both in the Romance 

and Latin tongues ; can sing forty lays and heroic 

songs, as well as every other kind of songs which 

may be called for ; that he knew also stories of 

adventures, particularly those of the Rozmd Table ; 

and, in short, that he could sing innumerable 

romances, &c. He finishes the enumeration of his 

talents by facetiously informing the spectators that 

he did not choose his present employment for want 

of knowing others, as he was possessed of several 

secrets by which he could make a great fortune ; for 

he knew how to circle an egg, bleed cats, blow beff, 

and cover houses with omelets. He also knew the 

art of making goats' -caps, cows' bridles, dogs' gloves, 

* Dr. Burney states that a copy of this tale is in the Bodleian Library, 

MS. Digby, 86.


hares' armour, joint-stool cases, scabbards for 

hedging-bills ; and if he were furnished with a 

couple of harps, he would make such music as they 

never heard before." At length, after some 

additional abuse, he advises the minstrel whom he 

attacks to quit the castle without staying to be turned 

out ; "For I despise you too much," says he, "to 

disgrace myself and comrades by striking such a 

pitiful fellow." The other vilifies him in turn, and 

asks how he dares presume to call himself a minstrel 

" For my part," says he, "I am not one of your 

ignorant fellows who can only take off a cat, play the 

fool, the drunkard, or talk nonsense to my comrades ; 

but one of those true and genuine Troubadours who 

invent everything they say, 

" All the minstrel art I know ; 

I the Viol well can play, 

I the pipe and syri7t1C blow, 

Harp and C(fue obey." 

At length he concludes by advising his rival never 

to be seen in the same place as himself, "and you, 

my lord," says he, "If I have been more eloquent 

than he, I entreat you to turn him out of doors, to 

convince him that he's an ignorant blockhead ." 

The argument of the minstrel's tale, besides 

informing us as to the presence of the Giege 

among the Troubadours, contains much that is interesting 

and instructive relative to the minstrel's 

art. The character of Jongleur and Troubadour or 

Trouvere is well defined, and it informs us as to the

THE Vi OL iN FRANCE. 5 9 

poets being sometimes independent of the Jongleur's 

aid by being themselves instrumentalists ; our chief 

interest lies, however, in the mention of that 

Teutonic member of the Fiddle family, the Giege. 

This instrument having been familiar to "one of those 

true and genuine Troubadours who invent every 

thing they say," I cannot but think adds some 

weight to the opinion I have already expressed, as 

to the chief work in relation to the early development 

of bowed instruments having been accomplished 

in Germany, since it shows that the Germans 

had at least brought this instrument to a state which 

rendered it worthy of imitation. That the Germans 

were famous players upon it we gather from 

Adenes, the trouvere, who speaks with admiration 

of the "Gig eours of Germany." * The trouveres 

apparently were the minstrels who introduced the 

Giege in France. Apart from their mention of the 

instrument, they being the minstrel poets of Northern 

France, their knowledge of German instruments would 

be greater than that ofthe Troubadour, and they would 

be therefore more likely to adopt them. The true 

Romance poets were, no doubt, early in possession of 

the Rebec, which we may call an early French Fiddle; 

but the Giege, or early German Fiddle, would seem 

to have been unknown to them until their brother 

minstrels from the North used it. 

Taking this view of Fiddle history we have the 

meeting in a foreign country of the direct descen- 

* Paul Lacroix, " The Arts in the Middle Ages."

6u THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

dant of that "barbarous bowed contrivance," mentioned 

by Roger North in connection with the 

Goths, with a scion bearing a marked family likeness 

to its own remote ancestor through another 

line of Fiddle and Viol. If this view be correctly 

taken, we may assume that the coming together of 

Geige and Rebec amid the minstrelsy of France 

contributed something towards the perfection of the 

Violin, though we cannot possibly learn, at this 

distance of time, to what extent. 

Leaving these speculations, let us pass to the 

time when the Jongleurs formed themselves into a 

company, and obtained a charter, in the year 132 I. 

Under this charter they elected a chief, whom they 

styled the "King of the Minstrels," and laws were 

made which the members of their body corporate 

were to observe. They inhabited a building which 

gave the name to the street in Paris, St. Julien des 

Menestriers. At these head-quarters all applications 

for musicians were made and duly attended to. 

In the reign of Charles VI. the Jongleurs are 

said to have separated themselves entirely from 

the art of juggling, and attended only to the art of 

music, and it is in a charter of Charles, dated 1401, 

that we discover evidence of much importance 

relative to the progress of bowed instruments In 

F ranee. The charter runs :- 

"Charles, by the grace of God, &c., &c. It 

having been humbly represented unto us by the 

King of the Minstrels and other performers on high

THE VIOL IN FRANCE. 6r 

and low instruments that since the year 1 397,'" when 

they were formed and associated into a company for 

the free and lawful exercise of their profession of 

minstrelsy according to certain rules and ordinances 

by them formerly made and ratified, and by which 

all minstrels, as well players on high instruments as 

low, 'having agreed and bound themselves to appear 

before the aforesaid King of the Minstrels to take 

oath and swear to the performance of the covenants 

hereinafter declared, &c., &c." 

It is the reference to high and low instruments 

which I have italicized in the above charter that 

furnishes us with valuable information in relation to· 

early French bowed instruments. Dr. Burney rightly 

infers from it that it was about this time that treble 

and bass Rebecs or Viols with three strings began to 

be in use, either to play in octaves to each other; or, 

perhaps, in a coarse kind of counterpoint. I cannot 

agree, however, with the musical historian naming 

them Rebecs or Viols; it is this looseness of description 

which has made Viol history so confused. The 

three strings points to their having been Rebecs and 

not Viols, and if they were such, I am inclined to 

regard this development as springing from the 

meeting of Rebec and Giege already noticed. 

Though Martin Agricola's reference to the descant 

tenor and bass Giege belongs to the middle of the 

sixteenth century, the inclusion of tenor Giege 

indicates a higher development and does not preclude 

.. This date is apparently incorrectly copied.


the possibility of there having been treble and bass 

Gieges of a rude kind in the previous century, 

which gave rise to the variation of the Rebec. 

The separation of music from jugglery, and the 

granting of the minstrels' charter, were not the only 

interesting events in relation to music belonging to 

the reign of Charles VI.; there is yet another which, 

in its bearings upon the musical world of France, 

was of far more importance, and one in which the 

king played an unfortunate and more prominent 

part. In the year 1392 the king was struck with 

madness caused by a man starting from behind a 

tree in the forest of Le Mans clad in a white 

smock, his head and feet bare, crying "Go no 

farther ; thou art betrayed !" An appearance so 

strange arid unexpected affected the king's reason. 

The hopes that were entertained of its recovery 

were completely frustrated by an accident which 

occurred in the following year. Music had but 

recently been associated with a new entertainment 

called Charivari or Masquerade, and at one 

of these given at the Royal Palace of St. Paul in 

Paris, five young noblemen with the king appeared 

as savages linked together in a dress of linen to 

which fur was cemented by means of resin. The 

Duke of Orleans, either from levity or accident, ran 

a lighted torch against one of the party, which at 

once set his costume on fire ; the flame was quickly 

communicated to the others, but the maskers in the 

midst of their torments cried " Save the king ; Save

THE VIOL IN FRANCE. 

the king ;" which was happily done, but left his 

reason disordered beyond all chance of recovery. 

To the circumstance which gave rise to this 

melancholy event is in a great measure traceable 

the beginning of that light music which the pens of 

Lully, Rameau, and Phillidor-the father of Phillidor 

of Chess-gambit fame-a century and a half later 

brought to such perfection. Our interest in this 

description of music is heightened, when we re 

member that the Violin was first used in France in 

connection with it.

, P 

£dhm III.-CQI:hc 't1iol in dJftnnce. 

CHAPTER II 1. 

URSUING our course amid French Royalty in 

search of information pertinent to our subject, 

we find ourselves once more among the Troubadours 

of Provence, with that right kingly minstrel Rene of 

Angou, who was "endowed with every gift of mind 

and every noble virtue, the first French Prince on 

whom fell the inspiration of the Renaissance, poet, 

painter, musician, the practical man who developed 

the prosperity of his Proven


These words serve to convey to the reader some 

notion of good King Rene's love of art, the intensity 

of which led him beyond the bounds of prudence, and 

caused Shakspeare to write : 

" unto the poor King Reignier, whose large style, 

Agrees not with the leanness of his purse." 

"-- King of Naples 

Of both the Sicilies and Jerusalem,* 

Yet not so wealthy as an English yeoman." 

Kilt.!; Hm ry VI. 

King Rene's love of music was passionate in the 

extreme, and he joined to this devotion executive 

skill of no mean order as a Violist and composer. 

A sacred composition of his, written in honour of 

St. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, was often heard in 

the Churches down to the time of the Council of 

Trent, while the profane music which had been 

employed as subjects for the solo parts was still 

being played by the minstrels.t 

The despoiler of poor King Rene's dominions, 

Louis XL, has but little claim on our notice. His 

name figures in a minstrels' charter, but music in 

France was not advanced by the recognition it 

received from him. Louis' taste for the art seems to 

have been in complete harmony with his grovelling 

and cruel disposition. We have an instance of this 

in his having upon one occasion commanded the 

* King Rene, after the- seizure of Angou by Louis XI., continued to 

style himself King of Sicily and Jerusalem. 

F 

t Lacroix, "The Arts in the Middle Ages."


master of the Royal music, the Abbe de Baigne, to 

give him a concert of pigs, which entertainment was 

carried out in the following manner-Swine of 

mixed age and size were procured-apparently with 

a view to the production of as many dissonances as 

possible-and placed in a tent in front of which was 

a keyboard like that of an organ, every key was 

furnished with a sticker, though of a very different 

kind which that technical term implies when connected 

with a pianoforte. These stickers of torture 

were so arranged that the performer at the keyboard 

in executing his barbarous passages should 

stick the wretched inmates of the tent, causing them 

to squeak and grunt with both velocity and vivacity. 

I t has been remarked again and again, there is no 

accounting for taste, and in music we constantly 

meet with curious instances of its vagaries ; but 

Louis XL's must have been unique, and remains a 

curiosity among such curiosities. Let us, however, 

quit the ridiculous in music, and return to the sublime 

with Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, 

who, we are told, "was in the best sense of the 

word a gentleman, refined, courteous, polished ; was 

an excellent chess player, a good musician, a composer 

of songs and motetts." 

With the opening years of the sixteenth century, 

we reach the boundary which may be said to separate 

the new and the old in music among the French. 

The brilliant rays of light which beamed upon the 

art world over which Pope Leo X. reigned supreme,


illumined the court of Francis 1. The goodwill, 

which the "King of Culture " bore the arts and 

learning, secured for his people this inestimable 

benefaction. I t was Francis who obtained the 

services of I talian architects and artists to guide and 

instruct his subjects in the building of palaces and 

public buildings. It was he who filled them with 

some of the choicest works of the Art World. The 

cunning hand of Benvenuto Cellini wrought him 

treasures of priceless worth and wondrous design. 

The brothers Estienne, by the aid of his munificent 

patronage, sent forth from their printing press 

Hebrew, Greek, and Latin works, in type which the 

Bibliomaniac of to day venerates. I t was in his 

reign that Petrucci's system of printing music was 

introduced into France. Jean Mouton, the pupil of 

Adrian Willaert, was his Chapel-master, thus connecting 

France with the great musicians of the 

Netherlands; and, lastly, he gained over to his 

service that most accomplished of men, Leonardo 

da Vinci, who died in his arms. 

The interest Francis 1. took in music was evidently 

of no ordinary kind : the frequent mention of 

his name in connection with the musical life of his 

time points to a continued association with those 

engaged in the furtherance of the art. We are told 

that upon his founding the Royal College in 1 530, 

the third chair was one of music. 

In the year ISIS, when Francis went to Bologna 

to meet Leo X. for the purpose of signing the famous 

F 2


Concordat, he was accompanied by the choir which 

his predecessor Louis XIL left him, and which, it is 

said, had no equal in the world. Under the direction 

of Guillaume Guinand, formerly Chapel-master to 

Ludovic Sforza, the last Duke of Milan, the choir of 

the French King had the honour of singing in the 

mass which Pope Leo celebrated in the Cathedral 

of Bologna. A choir accompanying a King on 

such important business points to Sovereigns and 

Pontiffs going about their state affairs in moods 

less serious than those of later times ; in any case we 

have the satisfaction of citing this particular combination 

of business with pleasure as evidence of 

Francis L's love of music, and the importance of his 

choir. This visit of the French King to Bologna is 

associated with yet another event in relation to 

music, and one which concerns us far more than 

that already noticed. In Bologna at this time lived 

Gaspard Duiffoprugcar, and the attention of Francis 1. 

was directed to the Viol-maker's skill. With that 

intuitive power of detection of exceptional ability, 

which belonged to Francis, he resolved to secure the 

Viol-maker's services, and induce him to accompany 

him to Paris. These arrangements we are told were 

duly carried out, and thus it was that the French 

King's orchestra was enriched with the Viols of 

Duiffoprugcar. 

I t now remains to notice the early Viol music 

belonging to France. In the excellent work on the 

history of instrumentation by H. Lavoix fils we


find mentioned "Dix-huit basses dances garnies de 

recoupes et tordions avec dix-neuf branles, quatre 

sauterelles, quinze gaillardes et neuf pavanes; Paris 

Attaingant, 1538;" also the curious book on the Viol 

by Claude Gervaise, by the same publisher, 1547 to 

I555, which is in the Bibliotheque Nationale ; it is 

divided into seven books, written for Viols in four 

and five parts. In the work are galliardes, pavanes, 

and popular songs. These are the earliest printed 

compositions for bowed instruments. 

From the period of the death of Francis 1. to the 

total suppression of the League in the time of Henry 

IV., the political condition of France was completely 

opposed to that tranquility under which the arts can 

alone flourish. The bigotry and fanaticism which 

involved the nation in a forty years' civil war 

checked the further development of music, and 

makes it necessary to close this section of our 

:;ubject.

edhm 119.-cm:he 19iol in Qtnyhtnb. 

CHAPTER 1. 

T O seek for knowledge of the character and use of 

the Viol in times when England's baronial halls 

and castles were open to the way-worn minstrel, ever 

ready with his tales of heroic deeds, recounted to the 

sound of sweet music, is almost a profitless task, 

since "All-to use the words of Mr. Froudeis 

gone, like an unsubstantial pageant faded ; and 

between us and the old English there lies a gulf 

of mystery which the prose of the historian will 

never adequately bridge." 

To render an account of the Viol in England, at 

all approaching completeness, is not possible : its early 

history lies buried beneath a vast accumulation of 

extraneous matter, which even to partially separate 

is a task beset with difficulty. That it is necessary 

to delve deep enough into the history of music 

generally, that we may lay bare a portion of the root 

of our subject, is sufficiently evident ; but to know 

where and how far to dig, is certainly perplexing, 

apart from the confusedness of the material to be 

sifted . We cannot, perhaps, do better than follow in

THE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 

the line of our last Section, by commencing with 

Charles VI.'s son-in-law, our Henry V. 

When Henry V. went to France in 1 4 15, he was 

accompanied by fifteen minstrels, one of whom was 

named Snyth Fydeler, a name which readily awakens 

our interest. It is possible that Fydeler may have 

been his family name ; but in any case we may 

conclude its origin is traceable to Fiddling. These 

minstrels played at the King's head -q uarters, 

morning and evening, and it is said that on the eve 

of the battle of Agincourt, though the English were 

fatigued and hungry, and sorely troubled with visions 

of death on the morrow, yet they played on their 

trumpets throughout the night, and confessed their sins 

with tears, many of them taking the sacrament. With 

the famous battle is associated the earliest English 

sang of which the original music has been preserved. 

This curiosity, written on vellum in Gregorian 

notes, reposes in that wondrous collection of books 

and manuscripts which that early book collector 

Samuel Pepys brought together, and which is now in 

Magdalen College, Cambridge, in the same bookcases 

and in the same order as Pepys left them, one 

hundred and seventy-seven years since. 

Henry V. is said to have been a devoted admirer 

of sacred music and proficient in "organ playings." 

When he entered the city of London on the 23rd 

of November, 1 4 15, where the citizens had prepared 

pageantry of extraordinary splendour in honour of 

the King and his memorable victory, and verses were


sung celebrating the event, he commanded, by a 

formal edict, that in future no songs should be 

recited by harpers or others in com memoration of 

the battle. These orders were, however, given 

when the King was surfeited with the laudation of a 

people intoxicated with joy, and must not be attri 

buted to a dislike for music and poetry but to dis 

gust for slavish adulation. That he delighted in 

music is sh:)wn by his having, in the twenty-third 

year of his reign, l iberally rewarded some foreign 

minstrels. Five minstrels from the King of Sicily 

had £IO each, a very considerable amount when 

the value of money In the fifteenth century l; 

thought of. 

In passing to the time of Henry VI. we an: 

again reminded of good King Rene, Henry's father- 

In-,aw. . 1 He does not appear, however, to have 

imbibed any of h is relative's enthusiasm for music, 

fOf, beyond a few payments to minstrels and 

h eralds, there is nothing during his reign worthy of 

our attention. Leaving, therefore, the red rose of 

Lancaster, and with it the mendicant friars, the 

harpers, and the pipers of minstrelsy, in a dis 

organised state, we will follow the white rose in 

the Yorkist, King Edward IV., and commence with 

England's first minstrels' charter. 

Charters are instruments which have been both 

abused and misused in their relation to music, as well 

as to other arts ; yet they have a kind of recognised 

authority which begets reverence, and in quoting

THE VIOL .IN ENGLAND. 73 

them an alr of i mportance is at least gi ven to a 

subject. Though the granting of a charter implies 

some degree of development in relation to the art 

affected by it, we shall find in this instance that the art 

of music, as judged at th is distance of time, was in a 

very primiti ve state ; and in selecting this partic ular 

ci1arter, the early progress of instrumental music in 

connection with the Violin in England will be ren 

dered sufficiently clear. 

"In the year I469, Edward IV., by his letters 

patent under the great seal of his realm 111 

England, bearing date the twenty-fourth day 

of April, in the ninth year of his reign, did for 

him and his heirs give and grant licence unto 

iNalter Haliday, Marshall, and John Cliff, and others 

then minstrels of the said King, that they by them 

selves sho:.lld be in· deed and name, one body and 

cominality, perpetual and capable in the law, and 

should have perpetual succession ; and that as well 

the minstrels of the said King, which then were, as 

other mi nstrels of the said King, and his heires 

which should be afterwards, might at their pleasure 

name, choose, ordain and successively constitute from 

amongst themselves, one Marshall, able and fit to 

remain in that office during his life and also two 

v/a rdens every year to govern the said fraternity 

and guild." 

Among others Dr. Batman, an English writer of 

the latter part of the sixteenth century, has afforded 

us an opportunity of living for the nonce among the


musicians of King Edward's time. In his account 

of the king's household establishment we learn that 

his majesty had thirteen minstrels, one acting as 

director, whose duty it was on festival days to place 

each minstrel in such position that his "blowings and 

pypings " might be heard by the various attendants 

occupied in preparing the kings "meats and 

soupers." It thus appears these instrumentalists, 

armed with trumpets and pipes, were directed to 

execute divers fanfares or warnings, the meaning of 

which was perfectly intelligible to the gentlemen of 

the great kitchen as having reference to the taking 

or removal of certain dishes between their office and 

the banqueting chamber. That the state band of 

the period was put to such base uses appears curious, 

but nevertheless easily understood when it is remembered 

that feasting occupied a far more prominent 

place in the business of life than at a much later 

date. * \iVhen the vast extent of building 

comprised in our old castles is considered, the 

arrangement is yet easier to understand, for those 

were not the days of electric bells and telephones ; 

trumpets therefore performed the parts allotted to 

modern inventions. Although utility was doubtless 

an object of consideration, it was not that alone which 

* Mr. Froude states that the guests and servants upon some 

occasions numbered four thousand persons, and that one thousand 

sheep, one hundred peacocks, and three hundred quarters of wheat, 

were consumed, besides other food in proportion.

THE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 75 

prompted these musical arrangements ; ornament and 

effect were highly considered. 

" Illumining the vaulted roof 

A thousand torches flamed aloof 

From many cups with golden gleam 

Sparkled the red metheglin stream ; 

To grace the gorgeous festival 

Along the lofty window'd hall, 

The storied tapestry was hung ; 

With minstrelsy the rafters rung." 

The minstrels ushered in the banquet with their 

musical strains, they preceded the servants carrying 

the dishes, among them the famous dish of chivalry, 

the peacock with his tail displayed, and they 

remained in the hall to enliven the scene during the 

progress of the banquet. Sometimes one or more 

played upon his instrument beside the table, now the 

croudero, then the harper, making music whilst the 

juggler performed feats with the tools of his craft. 

The banquet ended, the King and his "nobley " 

(nobles) left the table, and adjourned to the great 

chamber for the dance. 

" Befoure him goth the loude minstralcie, 

Til he come to his chamber of parements,* 

There as they sounden divers instruments, 

That it is like an Heaven for to be here."t 

Sometimes the dance took place in the hall, when 

the signal from the master of the house was given, 

" A hall ! a hall ! " the boards and trestles were 

* Great Chamber. t The Squire's Tale.

76 THE VIOLIN AND ITS . .MUSIC. 

quickly removed, and fifteenth century dancing com 

menced to minstrels music.'" From this brief 

account of the minstrel's duties we gather that his 

occupation was one of some importance, and this 

view is borne out by a few interesting particulars 

contained In Dr. B atman's edition of Friar 

Bartholomceu's book, entitled "De Proprietatibus 

RanuTI,"-first printed in English by Caxton 

relative to the remuneration they received-in the 

household of Edward IV. 

A wait, who piped watch within the court of the 

castle four times on winter nigh ts and three times on 

summer nights, and made " Bon Gayte" (by playing on 

his i nstrument) at every chamber door and office as 

well, for fear of .( pyckeres and pillers " (thieves ?) was 

allowed to eat in the hall weith the minstrels, and had 

given hi m a loaf, a gallon of ale, two pitch candles, 

and a bushel of coals. H is salary was either three 

pence or fourpence at the discretion of the steward 

or treasurer. When he was ill he was allowed two 

loaves, two messes of " great meate," and one gallon 

of ale. I t would therefore appear that sickness, in 

these days, had the effect of increasing the appetite ; 

his bedding was carried by a groom waiter ; but if 

he chose to dispense with this attendant's services 

he received the groom's wages. This " Yeoman " 

wait, when attending at the making of Knights of 

the Bath, besides his fe e, received the knight's 

clothing. 

* Cutt's " Scenes, and Characters of the Middle Ages."

THE VIOL .IN ENGLAND. 7 7 

The chaplains and clerks of the chapel were 

elected by the dean, and were expected to have a 

good knowledge of descant, to be " clean voyced and 

well releshed " in pronunciation, eloquent in reading, 

and sufficient in " organ playings," modest 111 

their behaviour, and were to eat together at the 

dean's board, and lodge in one chamber. 

Dr. Rimbault remarks*-" Minstrels sometimes 

assisted at divine service, as appears from a record of 

the 9th of Edward IV. By part of this record it is 

recited to be their duty ' to pray (exorare, which it is 

presumed they did by assisting in the chant, and 

musical accompaniments, &c.) in the King's Chapel, 

and particularly for the departed souls of the King 

and Queen when they shall die, &c." 

The eight children of the chapel were instructed 

in singing by the " Master of Songe " appointed by 

the dean ; they also received tuition on the organs. 

They ate at the Chapel board next the Yeoman of 

the Vestry, and had divided amongst them two 

loaves, one "messe of great meate," two gallons 

of ale; they were allowed in the winter four pitch 

c'andles and litter for their pallets, and to have one 

servant to truss and bear " their harnesse and lyverey 

in court." When they reached the age of eighteen, 

and their voices changed, the king sent them to 

Oxford or Cambridge, there to be instructed until 

the king otherwise advanced them. These extracts 

serve to show that music and musicians in the reign 

* "North's Memories of Musick," p. 77.


of Edward IV. were not neglected ; and there is 

evidence of even earlier appreciation of the followers 

of the musical art in the curious, though profane fact 

that minstrels were better paid than the clergy, since 

we ·are told that at the annual feast of the fraternity 

of the Holy Cross at Abingdon, in 144I, eight priests 

were hired from Coventry to celebrate an obit in the 

Church of the neighbouring priory, and six minstrels 

belonging to the family of Lord Clinton were employed 

to " sing, harp, and play," in the hall of the 

monastery during the extraordinary reflection 

allowed to the mnks on that anniversary. Two 

shillings were given to the priests, and jour to the 

minstrels, and the latter are said to have supped in 

the painted chamber of the convent with the subprior, 

on which occasion the chamberlain furnished 

eight massive tapers of wax. 

The minstrels derived their knowledge from the 

schools belonging to the monasteries. They learnt 

something of the theoretical principles of music, the 

practical part of singing, and the elements of 

grammar ; including also, perhaps, as much knowledge 

of poetry as was sufficient for the composition 

of a song or ballad. Persons already acquainted with 

the principles of music, could find little difficulty in 

acquiring sufficient skill to play on the Viol or some 

such instrument, a simple melody ; together forming 

a sufficient body of theoretical science and practical 

skill, to enable them to compose and play a variety 

of simple tunes.


We will now glance at some of the instruments 

used by the minstrels of the fifteenth century. The 

harp being essentially the instrument of the minstrel, 

takes precedence of the rest I shall mention. The 

extraordinary popularity of this instrument in the 

middle ages is shown from the accounts we have of 

the vast number of harpers brought together upon 

occasions of festival. Mention is made of upwards 

of one hundred having been assembled. Continuing 

with the stringed instruments, the Sauterie 

(Psaltery), a description of lyre--of which there 

appears to have been a great variety-may be noticed. 

Although there is no mention of bowed instruments 

in connection with the minstrels of Edward IV., it 

may be assumed they were numbered with the rest ; 

but, in any case, we know they were in use in 

England. It is difficult to know how to describe 

this class of instrument, so varied are the names 

applied by different authorities-Rebec, Rote, Vielle, 

Fiddle, Viol, and Violin--that all these names applied 

indiscriminately could convey any notion at all 

approaching correctness of the bowed instruments 

of the fifteenth century is impossible. To describe 

the virginals of Queen Elizabeth's time as a grand 

pianoforte wo,uld give a very erroneous notion of 

that instrument, yet Violinists of the nineteenth 

century have been told over and over again that 

Violins were in Elizabeth's state band. Whatever 

bowed instrument it was, the difference between it 

and our Violin would be as marked as that of the


virginals and a Broadwood trichord grand. That 

there were instruments in very early times having much 

in common with the Violin is not to be doubted ; but 

I cannot but think it is necessary to keep them apart 

from the instrument known to us under that name, if 

confusion is to be in any way avoided. The attach 

ment of different names to one and the same instru 

ment arises chiefly from the uncertainty of the 

meaning of their nomenclature in English poetry 

and chronicles. The confusion of titles to bowed 

instruments which appears among the old writers, 

has been greatly intensified by the laudable endea 

vour of the musical historian to reconcile this nomeo 

clature with divers pieces of sculpture and monu 

mental brasses, upon which some rude-shaped bowed 

instrument has been depicted, without making suffi 

cient allowance fo r the looseness of description on 

the part of the poet, and the licence indulged in by 

the sculptor. There are no instruments in existence 

to my knowledge of fifteenth century work in 

England of the bowed kind, therefore all knowledge 

of them rests on this unstable foundation. 

That a bow was in use in England at a very early 

date is evident from Saxon Illuminated MSS. in the 

British Museum, in which musIcians are represented 

playing upon a pear-shaped instrument with sound 

holes, resembling a lute, the neck being only sufficiently 

large to admit of the hand. This instrument appears 

slightly in advance of one played without a bow, and 

possibly it was so constructed to be used with or


without, for no bridge is represented ; now between 

this instrument and one represented on a Flemish 

brass in St. Margaret's Church, Lynn, of the time of 

Edward I I I., there is no apparent difference excepting 

that the neck is longer; but some allowance must 

be made for the liberties the draughtsman may have 

taken with the original. This seeming length may 

have been but slight indeed, and. the surmise is 

strengthened when we turn to the bowed instrument 

the minstrel is playing in the group called the 

" Beverley Minstrels " in Beverley Minster, the date 

of which would be probably, very near the time of 

Edward IV. Here the sculptor has apparently the 

same instrument, but the neck shortened. There 

can be little doubt it was to this instrument and the 

Crwth the words Fidel, Fiddyll, and Crowd, met 

with in old English poetry, applied. Among the 

bowed instruments at this period was also the Rebec 

or Rebella ; here again it appears impossible to decide 

the shape this instrument toolc I t has been described 

as a bowed instrument of three strings, shaped like a 

box, of oblong form, and again we see it drawn with 

a long neck with four strings, somewhat resembling 

an old English guitar in shape. That the instrument 

was distinct from the Fiddyll of the old writers is 

shown from the following extract :- 

"Sir Piere called this yonge squier, and saide 

unto hym and axed hym ' where was his Fedylle or 

his ribible.'" 

These bowed instruments I have enumerated 

G

THE VIOL.IN AND ITS MUSIC. 

appear to be those only in use in England m the 

fifteenth century, and we are able to form a tolerably 

correct opinion of their capabilities from the slight 

and uncertain descriptions afforded us, when joined 

with historical facts relative to the extent of musical 

knowledge at the time they were in use. They were 

frequently bridgeless, and even when that all important 

appendage was added, it could have been of 

little use, the form of the bodies of the instruments 

making it impossible to use the outer strings singly, 

from the absence of middle bouts,'" therefore the 

strings must have been sounded together, with what 

effect the reader may easily imagine. I t must be 

remembered notation had not been applied to musinl 

instruments, and the performer was left to exercise his 

own judgment as to the form of accompaniment he 

used. I t would be a severe test of executive skill for 

C!. Violinist of the present age to have to invent an 

effective accompaniment with a bridge unarched. That 

the musicians of King Edward's day succeeded in 

doing so under the then existing state of music, 

would be difficult to realise. 

I t now only remains to briefly notice the wind 

instruments. There were trumpets of many kindsthe 

Shalm, a pipe with a reed ; the Sackbut-a 

primitive description of trombone-numbers of 

which were frequently used together, and other 

instruments of this class it is unnecessary to mention 

in these pages. That drums were not 

* Sides or curves in the middle of the instrument.


wanting need scarcely be said, both small and kettle. 

These, then, were the chief instruments belonging to 

this period; although music was in an infantile state, 

we cannot conceive it possible that the inhabitants of 

these islands in the fifteenth century could have 

derived any pleasure from listening to a combination 

of the instruments I have enumerated. The mode 

of use was probably to select sound mediums having 

something in common. For processions drums and 

sackbuts ; for the dance the bowed instruments or 

the pipes; for the minstrel's song or tale, the harp or 

psaltery ; but whatever may have been their method 

of selection the term they applied to a band, 

namely, a "noise,"* it must be confessed was not In·· 

appropriate from a modern point of view. 

;(. In the "History of Jack of Newbury " "a noise (i.e. band) of 

musicians in townie coats, who, putting off their caps, asked if they 

would have music." 

G 2

edhm 3Elt-CQrhe lIial in


I t was, however, too late to attempt to resuscitate 

the craft by giving it that exclusiveness which had 

in times past belonged to it. Those who had 

assumed the title of minstrel were too many and too 

strong to be extinguished; numbers had been received 

in the halls of the rich upon an equality with the 

licensed minstrel ; among others the " wayte," whose 

duty it was to " pipe watch ,, * at night in the courtyard 

of the castle, and at every chamber door at 

stated intervals. This familiar intercourse with the 

recognised members of minstrelsy not only bred contempt 

in the mind of the hitherto humble musician, 

but affected all equally, resulting in complete disregard 

of distinction between minstrels and itinerants. 

I shall have occasion to refer to the wandering 

members of minstrelsy, which calling seems 

to have originated with the men who " piped the 

watch, and were designated waytes." 

The political connection that existed between 

Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and Edward 

IV. and which led to the triumph of the white rose 

over the red, I am inclined to regard as having 

been productive of results of much consequence to 

music in England. It brought our people into closer 

relationship with the Lowlanders, among whom 

the arts had been more developed than elsewhere, 

and thus an impetus was given to them in England, 

particularly that of music-the full effects of which 

fell upon a later generation. Our minstrelsy from 

* The Wayte used a kind of Oboe.

S6 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

the time of the Conquest to the period when 

Edward IV. held the sceptre in security, must 

certainly have been more or less influenced by 

that of France, and doubtless with good results; but 

our fraternising with the Lowlanders engrafted a 

new and higher knowledge of music on the sturdy 

Saxon stem. 

Five years prior to the date of the minstrels' 

charter, King Edward sent into the Low Countries a 

commission to negotiate a commercial treaty with 

the Duke of Burgundy. One of the members of 

this commission was William Caxton : whether any 

treaty was ratified or not we need not stay to 

enquire. It is sufficient to know that the king in 

sending the city mercer on this errand secured to his 

people and their posterity advantages out-weighing 

all the good derived from the commercial treaties 

of . the whole world, since it was at Bruges 

where Caxton commenced printing, after having 

studied the art with great assiduity during his stay 

abroad. Upon his return to England he started his 

printing press in the Almonry at Westminster, and 

. printed the first book in England--" The Game and 

Playe of Chesse," in 1474. It was not long before 

Caxton had others following in his wake. Among 

these was Wynkyn de Worde, the earliest printer 

of musical characters in this country. In a work 

published by him at Westminster, one year after 

Caxton printed the book on the game of chess, are 

the characters alluded to.


In order to bring under the notice of the reader 

the first printer of music in England, I have, perhaps, 

journeyed away from my subject in re-stating wellworn 

facts relative to William Caxton. My excuse 

is simple. The name of Wynkyn de Worde is as 

familiar to the Bibliomaniac as that of Corelli to 

Violinists ; but to mention him alone in connection 

with the art of printing, I felt would leave him but 

barely clad in the minds of many musical readers : 

in associating him as a contemporary and follower of 

Caxton, he is readily invested with a warm covering 

of interest. When it is remembered that the early 

printers in England only printed such books 

as would be likely to appeal to the taste of the 

general reader, whose knowledge was of a very 

slender kind, it is unlikely the presses printed much 

music in type which must have alone found favour 

with the learned. No musical work is known to have 

been issued by Wynkyn de Worde until 1530, 

t;lOugh he possessed the requisite knowledge thirtyfive 

years previous to this date, as we have seen. It 

is a small volume of part-songs designed for social 

recreation, both sacred and secular,* and well marks 

the state of music at this period. 

'* Dr. Rimbault makes the following reference to this work in his 

" Musical Bibliography." 

"This extraordinary Musical Work has escaped the researches of 

Hawkins, Burney, Ames, Herbert, Dibdin, &c. It was first noticed by 

Douce. 'Illustrations of Shakspeare,' edit. r839, p. 262."


With the reign of Henry VII. we catch a glimpse 

of a higher development of music in England. Dr. 

Fayrfax, \Villiam of Newark, Cornyshe, and a few 

. 0thers composed music to popular poetry. Dr. Burney 

tells us these compositions were transcribed with 

much clearness, though the time of the musical 

characters, from the absence of . bars, and the use of 

ligatures with a mixture of red notes for diminution , 

is difficult to ascertain. Our author proceeds to 

inform us that the music of these ditties is somewhat 

uncouth, but it is superior to the poetry. I t is at 

this period that we read of "Stryng Minstrels at 

. Westminster " which must refer to players on Rebecs 

or Viols. There is also mention ' of the principal 

towns having each its own set of Waits. and the 

payments made to them for their services in 

making merry music as the king journeyed through 

the different townships. 

According to an old chronider, oK' Henry V I I I. 

exercised himself daily in shooting, dancing, wrestling, 

casting of the bar, playing the recorders (a kind of 

flageolet), flute, virginals, setting of songs, &c., &c. 

The four first-named diversions we will dismiss as 

void of interest to the reader, the remaining four on 

the contrary are worthy of our attention, showing, as 

they do, the better side of Bluff King Hal's disposi 

tion ; but let us hearken to Pasqualigo, an ambassador 

at Henry's Court, who says : "He speaks 

7;. See Chappell's " Popular Music of the Olden Time."

TIlE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 

French, English, and Latin, and a little Italian, plays 

well on the Lute and virginals, sings from book at 

sight, draws the bow " (archer's, not Fiddler's) "with 

greater strength than any man in England, and 

jousts marvellously; believe me he is in every respect 

a most accomplished prince ; and I who have now 

seen all the sovereigns in Christendom, and last of 

all these two of France and England, might well 

rest content;" * 

Opinions contemporary with the subject of 

them require to be received with caution, a necessity 

which is evidenced by the report of another 

ambassador, touching Henry VI I I., who, in writing 

to the Doge of Venice, said, " He (King Henry) 

plays almost every instrument and composes fairly, 

is prudent, and sage, and free from every vice. " After 

weighing, however, the several independent judgments 

upon the king's musical abilities, and remembering 

that we have positive proof of his creative 

musical talent in the existence of a number of his 

compositions, we may safely come to the conclusion 

that Henry VIII. both loved and practised music, 

and in the words of John Playford "did much 

advance music in the first part of his reign, 

when his mind was more intent upon the arts and 

sciences." t 

* Hall (Chron. An. 2 Henry VIII.) Dr. Rimbault's "North's 

Memories," p. 75. 

t Introduction to the " Skill of Music," 1655.


The state band of Henry VIII. in the year 1526, 

consisted of the following instruments :- 

3 Lutes. 

2 Viols. 

3 Rebecks. 

1 Harp. 

15 Trumpets. 

3 Tabarets. 

4 Drumslades. 

1 Fife. 

10 Sackbuts. 

I t is worthy of note that the performers on the 

Sackbuts obtained the highest pay, tending to show 

that noise continued to be chiefly valued. 

As the Lute and the Viol made their appearance 

in England about the same period,* and curiously 

enough departed in company towards the end of the 

sixteenth century, I am unwilling to pass over some interesting 

particu1ars relative to the first-named instrument, 

though it has little in common with its bowed 

companion. Galileo, the father of the illustrious 

Galileo, writing in 158 I ascribes the invention of the 

Lute to the English,t and refers to the great perfection 

we attained to in its manufacture. I am, 

however, inclined to think we obtained the instrument 

in the first instance from the Netherlands. 

The earliest mention of the instrument in the 

writings of our old authors is that in Chaucer's 

;(. The Lute is first mentioned in the List of Instruments belonging 

to the Earl of Northumberland, 1512. The Viol in the band of 

Henry VIII., 1526. 

t Galileo says the Trumpet was invented by the Netherlanders, we 

cannot, therefore, place much reliance on his statements as to the 

birth-place of instruments.

THE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 9 I 

." Pardoner's Tale," and there we find it associated 

with the Flemish people. 

" In Flanders whilom was a campagnie 

Of yonge folk, that hauteden folie, 

As hazard not stewes and tavernes ; 

Whereas with Harps, Lutes, and Giternes 

They dance and play." 

I t is somewhat curious that Galileo should have 

given us the credit of inventing the Lute, in the face 

of earlier evidence of the instrument's use among his 

own people than with the English. The famous 

painter Domenico was a Lutenist, and the fact is 

associated with his untimely death. I t is recorded 

in the life of Castagno that the skill and reputation 

of his brother artist Domenico excited his jealousy, 

Castagno resolved to waylay and murder him. It 

was the custom of Domenico after his painting hours 

to stroll along the country roads singing and accompanying 

himself with his Lute. Castagno, well 

knowing the habit of Domenico, follo",:ed and killed 

him, returning immediately afterwards to his own 

studio. He had not long arrived before he was 

told of the melancholy fate of Domenico, and 

returned to the spot where he laid and joined with 

the bystanders in their lamentations. The date of 

this occurrence is given as 1 462, and therefore half 

a century earlier than the date of Henry VII 1.'s list 

of instruments. There is, however, earlier evidence 

of the presence of the Lute in Italy than that above 

cited.


These references I believe to apply to a type of 

Lute preceding that in common use among the 

Germans and Lowlanders of the fifteenth century. 

I am unable to think otherwise than that the Lute 

was mainly developed in Germany, and that it passed 

into the Netherlands in its improved condition, from 

whence Italy and England obtained it as near as 

possible at the same period. That the English made 

Lutes of a superior kind afterwards seems certain, 

but that the I talians ultimately surpassed them may 

be assumed from the fact of Stradiuarius having 

given his attention to their manufacture. 

Izaak Walton, curiously though no ' t inaptly, cites 

the Lute as illustrative of that sympathy of thought 

and vision which in these days is known as spiritualism 

and second sight. After giving- an account of a 

vision that appeared to Dr. John Donne, he proceeds : 

" This is a relation that will beget some wonder ; 

and it well may, for most of our world are at present 

possessed of an opinion that visions and miracles are 

ceased. And though it is most certain that two Lutes 

being both strung and tuned to an equal pitch, and 

then one played upon, the other that is not touched 

being laid upon a table at a fit distance, will like an 

echo to a trumpet warble a faint audible harmony in 

answer to the same tune." 

The Lute was of several sizes, and of varied construction 

: originally it had eight strings. The small 

Lute was used frequently for instrumental music, the 

larger size for accompanying the voice. It occupied


as a popular instrument, a position similar to that of 

the pianoforte of our time. Its practice was culti 

vated by the rich and their dependents. Edward VI. 

played on the Lute, and reference is made thereto by 

Queen Catherine, in a letter to her daughter Mary, 

exhorting her to use her Lute. Again, in a com 

munication to Thomas Cromwell, afterwards Earl 

of Essex, from his son's tutor, referring to the 

course of instruction he is taking, he says, "The 

residue of the day he doth spend upon the Lute and 

virginals. "oJ", 

Both the Lute and the Viol were hung on the 

walls of the barbers' shops in England ; but the 

latter instrument did not form part of the hairdresser's 

furniture until long 'after the Lute had done so. Ben 

Jonson, in one of his plays, wishes the barber "may 

draw his own teeth and add them to the Lute-string." 

The barber's shop in past times was resorted to by 

persons of all ranks and for many purposes. Here 

was practised dentistry, surgery,t and " trimming," as 

hair-cutting and shaving were then denominated. 

The barber's patrons awaiting their turn, musical 

instruments were supplied them to wile away the 

time. Thomas Mace, the author of "Musick's 

Monument," was a passionate lover of the Lute, 

and in his most interesting book he gives a very 

long account of this his favourite instrument. He 

* Froude's "History of England." Vol. I, p. 49. 

t The barber's sign, the pole, represented the staff held by the 

patient whilst being bled.

94 THE VIOLI,'\T AND ITS MUSIC. 

speaks of the Lutes of Laux Maller as having 

been most highly valued in his time, "pitiful, old, 

battered, cracked things valued at one hundred 

pounds apiece." 

Whatever the first cost of a Lute might have been, 

it must have been insignificant to its maintenance in 

catgut, if we may rely upon the accounts handed 

down to us relative to Lute-strings. It has been said 

keeping a Lute must have been on a par with keeping 

a horse. That the demand for Lute-strings was 

large is shown from the circumstance of the public 

being invited in the year 1688, to take shares in a 

company for the supply of the article, and the projectors 

held out to the subscribers the hope of 

immense gains.* Whether the ever-confiding British 

public responded to the appeal I know not. 

Whilst on the subject of Lute-strings it may not 

be uninteresting to Violinists to know that the wellknown 

practice of testing the purity of a gut string 

by holding it between the fingers of each hand and 

setting it vibrating is mentioned in probably the 

earliest book on the Lute, that of Adrian Le Roy, 

published at Paris in 1570. 

Although it would be easy to recount much that 

is entertaining in relation to this bnce favourite 

instrument, it is necessary to remember that our 

subject is the Viol and not the Lute ; but let us stay 

but a moment more to listen to Thomas Mace 

* Macaulay's " History of England." Vol. :4, p. 320.

THE ViOL iN ENGLAND. 95 

talking to his favourite instrument towards the close 

of its career :- 

.1face-" What makes thee sit so sad, my noble friend, 

As if thou wert, with sorrows, near thy end ? 

\Vhat is the cause, my dear renowned lute, 

Thou art of late so silent, and so mute ? 

Thou seldom dost in public now appear ; 

Thou art too melancholy grown, I fear." 

Lute -" What need you ask these questions why 'tis so ? 

Since 'tis obvious for all men to know, 

The world is grown so slight, fu ll of new fangles ; 

And takes their chief delight in jingle-jangles ; 

With Fiddle-noises, pipes of Bartholomew, 

Like those which country wives buy, gay and new, 

To please their little children when they cry, 

This makes me sit and sigh thus mournfully."

I 

cdion l'll-CQrJte 11io1 in QEnglanb. 

CHAPTER III. 

T is the presence of Viols in the band of 

Henry VIII. that mainly concerns us. We have 

become familiar with the mention of rebecks, shalmes, 

and psalteries in connection with early English music ; 

but now for the first time we meet with Viols. The 

advent of these instruments needs more than a 

passing word or two. Whence they came, and 

their history in England during some one hundred 

and fifty years, are questions we should like to be 

informed upon. In vocal music we had already 

gained a proud position, considering the infantile 

state of music throughout Europe, and it now 

remained to develop the instrumental branch of the 

art. That the Viol came to us frem Italy I am unable 

to believe. The respective dates upon which 

we may, with any semblance of certainty, rely as 

having any bearing upon the instrument, both in 

I taly and England, point to its being as early in use 

with us as with the Italians. The latter, doubtless, 

became makers of the V iol at a much earlier date 

than ourselves ; but it is its introduction here, not its

7 HE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 97 

manufacture, we are now considering. In seeking 

the country whence the Viol came into England, 

it is necessary to inquire into the condition of the 

arts among the chief European nations at this period ; 

and next consider the extent of our intercourse with 

these nations. We need not undertake that exceedingly 

difficult task in its entirety, but content ourselves 

with the results of the labours of others. We 

are told, " Italy, long conspicuous for such musical 

science and skill as the middle ages possessed, had 

fallen in the first part of the sixteenth century very 

short of some other countries, and especially of the 

Netherlands, from which the courts of Europe, and 

even the I talian princes, borrowed their performers 

and their instructors."f Again, it is said, m 

reference to the Low Countries, "The standard of 

culture in those flourishing cities was elevated, compared 

with those observed in many parts of Europe. 

The children of the wealthier classes enjoyed great 

facilities for education in all the great capitals. The 

classics, music, and the modern languages, particularly 

the French, were universally cultivated."i" I can 

hardly over-estimate the value of this last extract in 

its relation to music, when the progress of the art 

among the different European nations is being 

gauged, since it refers to a period a century earlier than 

that under consideration ; but it yet remains to 

notice the early cultivation of amusements of a 

'* Motley's " Dutch Republic." 

t Hallam's " Literature of Europe." Vol. II., p. 252. 

H


rational nature among the Netherlanders, which led 

up to a pastime afterwards much practised by the 

English, namely, the masque, in which the Viol was 

not seldom used. As early as the year 1 425, the 

Netherlanders had their tragedies, their charades, 

and feats of poetic skill. "They dramatised tyranny 

for public execration." "They ridiculed with their 

farces and their satires the vices of the clergy." 

Music had a share in most of these entertainments. 

In England at the same period we had a rude kind 

of play-the mystery-which had formerly been performed 

at wakes and fairs, in barns, taverns, and 

tap-rooms, but was now under the control of 

particular guilds. 

And now as to our intercourse with the Low 

Countries. I have already referred to Caxton's 

auspicious mission, undertaken in the year 1 464, 

to bring about a commercial relationship between 

England and the Netherlands. Whatever may 

have been the result of that mission commercially, 

does not affect the fact that trade and intercourse 

between these nations had existed for a long 

period. Edward I I 1., struck with the flourishing 

condition of the United Provinces, rightly concluded it 

was the result of industry and skilfulness among the 

artisans, and exerted himself to induce many Flemish 

workers to settle in this country. 

In the reign of Henry VIII. evidence is not 

wanting to show that our connections with the 

people of the Low Countries, both political and

THE VIOL IN ENGIAND. 99 

commercial, assumed a more important character 

than had hitherto attached to them. The events 

which led to the visit of the Emperor Charles V. to 

England need no mention here. It is sufficient for 

our purpose to know that he was met at Dover by 

his confidant, Cardinal Wolsey, and that Henry VIII. 

welcomed him with all the honours due to his 

station. That a visit which lasted but a few days, 

served to enlighten the English people upon the 

ad vanced state of music in the N etherIands, is not 

to be supposed, or that the subject occupied greatly 

the thoughts of the Emperor, the King, or the 

Cardinal. We may, however, assume that it led 

indirectly to musical results beneficial to us, remembering 

the attachment to music shown by 

Henry V II 1., Wolsey, and the Emperor. 

If we accept but a tithe of all that has been said 

of Charles V.'s love of music, there yet remains 

enough to give value to his association with the art. 

Sandoval, in his life of the Emperor, tells us "he 

was a great friend to the science of music ;" "that 

he knew if any other singer intruded, and if any one 

made a mistake ;" and relates that "a composer 

from Seville presented the Emperor with a book of 

motets and masses, and when one of these compositions 

had been sung, he called his Chancellor, and 

said, ' See what a thief ! What a plagiarist ! Why 

this passage is taken from one composer and this 

from another,' naming each as he proceeded. This 

display of musical knowledge on the part of· the 

H 2

1 00 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Emperor reminds us of Napoleon's supposed feats 

of memory, when, inspecting his men after an 

engagement, he called them by their names, and 

praised them for their bravery, thus magnifying their 

deeds to themselves and their companions. It never 

occurred to their simple minds that their beloved 

general obtained a list of the soldiers who merited 

praise and distinction. The Emperor Charles V., 

like Bonaparte, was a skilful general both in and 

out of the field, and contrived probably to make 

a somewhat superficial knowledge pass current as 

profound. We read of him as the greatest general 

of his age ;· probably the greatest eater ; an all but 

canonized saint ; and, according to Sandoval, the 

foremost musical critic of his time. That his 

deeds entitle him to the two first distinctions, 

history abundantly shows. 

The pastime of the masque already referred to 

as having been popular in the Netherlands and 

France, was first introduced here at the Palace of 

Greenwich in 15 I 2. Eight years later, we read of 

another being given in the same place. Bearing in 

mind the presence of the Viol in Henry's Court 

band, it is possible they were used as accompaniments 

to the voice in these entertainments. Lord 

Bacon lightly touches upon the musical arrangements 

of a masque : he tells us, "These things are 

but toys to come amongst such serious observations. 

But yet, since princes will have such things, it is 

better they should be graced with elegancy than


daubed with cost. I understand it, that the song be 

in quire, placed aloft. and accompanied with some 

broken music,* and the ditty fitted to the device. 

Acting in song, especially in dialogues, hath an extreme 

good grace. I say acting, not dancing (for 

that is a mean and vulgar thing), and the voices of 

the dialogue should be strong and manly, a bass and 

a tenor ; no treble, and the ditty high and tragical, 

not nice or dainty. Several quires placed one over 

against another, and taking the voice by catches, 

anthem wise, give great ,pleasure."t 

Viols had evidently found their way into the 

houses of the wealthy, since Sir Thomas More, 

Wolsey's successor, an ardent lover of music, had 

the Viol used in his family, and, probably at an 

earlier date than the year of his succeeding to the 

Chancellorship in 1530. 

In the reign of Edward VI. we find the royal 

musical establishment had increased its Viols to 

eight, and reduced its sackbuts to six. This points 

to a reform in the right direction. Our interest in 

relation to this state band is awakened by the names 

of several of its members, such as Philip Van Welder, 

Peter Van Welder, Bernard de Ponte, John Seuernicke, 

Oliver Rampons, Pier Guye, Anthony de 

Chounte, pointing directly to the influence of the 

musicians of the Low Countries ; but there remains 

" "Broken music," Mr. Chappell, in his " Popular Music of the 

Olden Time," tells us, means " a string band." 

t Bacon's " Essays."


to notice a Netherlander, who visited our shores 

about this period, before whom a whole army of 

such as those mentioned in connection with Edward's 

musical establishment, sink into utter insignificance. 

It is to Orlando Lassus I refer. How long this 

great composer stayed with us, or what he did, is not 

known ; we may, however, assume that the visit of 

such a truly great musician as Lassus cOllld not 

have been otherwise than productive of important 

consequences to the furtherance of music in England. 

When it is remembered how much Orlando 

contributed to the school of Venetian Madrigal 

writings, it is scarcely possible he could have been 

in our midst without making us more or less familiar 

with this style of music, and mention of his name 

serves to bring under the reader's notice the progress 

of that delightful branch of musical composition in 

this country, forming, as it does, an important link 

in the history of the Viol. 

I have already referred to the first collection of 

compositions for social use, published in England by 

W ynkyn de W orde in 1 5 30. The next collection 

appears to have been published in 1 5 71, with the 

following curious title : " Songes of three, fower, 

and five voyces, composed and made by Thomas 

Why thorne, gent., the which songes be of sundry 

sortes, that is to say, some long, some short, some 

hard, some easie to be songe, and some between 

both ; also some solemne, and some pleasant or 

merry ; so that according to the skill of the


singers (not being musitians) and disposition or 

delite of the hearers, they may here finde songes 

for their contentation and liking. N ow newly 

published, Anno 1571." Both the words and 

music of this collection are described by Dr. 

Rimbault as truly barbarous. In 1588 was published 

Byrd's "Psalmes, Sonets, and Songes of 

Sadnes and Pietie." 

I t is convenient in this place to refer to the extraordinary 

number of Netherlanders who made 

England their home in 1566, unable longer to exist in 

their native land under the tyrannizing government 

of Philip. I t is said as many as thirty thousand 

Netherlanders established themselves at Sandwich, 

Norwich, and other places assigned to them by Queen 

Elizabeth ; and thus remarks one of their own historians, 

"Have the English built up their own 

fabrics." " Thus have they drawn over to their own 

country our skilful artisans to practice their industry." 

We thus appear to have received similar benefits to 

those which the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes 

afforded us with regard to the handicrafts of 

France more than one hundred years later. That 

this body of Netherlanders, coming from the home 

of domestic music, must have largely influenced its 

progress in England, hardly admits of doubt. 

As further evidence of our intercourse with the 

Low Countries, it may be mentioned that the 

merchant prince, Sir Thomas Gresham, both traded 

with them and spent much time there. When it


is remembered that Sir Thomas Gresham was a 

great patron of music-proved in his founding a 

Music Professorship-it can scarcely be doubted 

that he introduced much that was musically new to 

England from those parts. 

The information I have given in the foregoing 

pages relative to the Viol, from the time of its 

appearance in the ban.d of Henry VII !., points to 

its progress in England having been similar to 

that which it made in the Low Countries. The 

entertainments, long associated with the people of 

those parts, were numbered with the pastimes of 

the English. Musicians bearing Dutch-sounding 

names have been mentioned as having landed on 

our shores, which, taken together with the evidence 

of the existence of a political and commercial 

intercourse. strengthens me in the opinion I have 

formed, that from the Low Countries we obtained 

the Viol in ,the shape it took when connected 

with the madrigal.

cdion I.-cm:he 13icrl in Qhtgllin1:J. 

CHAPTER IV. 

OWARDS the close of the sixteenth century we 

T seem to have completely awoke to a sense of 

I talian musical art. Our progress towards it had 

probably been more rapid than that of either France 

or Germany, and had its recognition been longer 

delayed it would have appeared unaccountable at 

this distance of time. In 1588 was issued the first 

collection of Italian Madrigals translated into 

English, edited by Nicholas Y onge, * with the 

following preface, which throws some light upon the 

state of music in the latter part of the sixteenth 

century. 

"Since I first began to keep house in this city, 

it has been no small comfort to me, that a great 

number of gentlemen and merchants of good accompaniment 

(as well of this realm as of foreign nations), 

have taken in good part such entertainment of 

pleasure as poor ability was able to afford them, 

both by the exercise of Music daily used in my 

house, and by furnishing them with books of that 

'*" Burney describes Yonge as a city merchant.


kind yearly sent me out of Italy and other places ; 

which being for the most part Italian songs, are for 

sweetness of air very well liked of all ; but most 

in account with them that understand that language. 

As for the rest, they do either not sing them at all, 

or at the least with little delight. And albeit there 

be some English songs lately set forth by a great 

master of music, which for skill and sweetness 

may content the most curious ; yet because they are 

not many in number, men delighted with variety, 

have wished more of the same sort ; for which cause 

chiefly I have endeavoured to get into my hands all 

such English songs as were praiseworthy ; and 

amongst others I had the happiness to guide in the 

hands of some of my good friends certain Italian 

madrigals, translated, most of them, five years 

ago, by a gentleman for his private delight (as not 

long before certain N apolitans had been Englished 

by a very honourable personage, and now a Counsellor 

of State, whereof I have seen some, but 

never possessed any)," &c. 

We here get a glimpse of the private musical 

parties in the reign of Elizabeth. In order to obtain 

additional light we must turn to a foreign source. 

Doni published at Venice in 1544 his "Dialogue of 

Music," a work already referred to in the section on 

the Viol in the Netherlands. In the first part of 

the Dialogue the voices are unaccompanied. In 

the second conversation, instruments are jo£ned to 

the VOices. That the Viol was used by the


singers of madrigals in England in the latter part 

of the sixteenth century, may be assumed, and 

therefore Doni's description serves to inform us 

as to how they were utilised. Instrumental mUSIC 

for the chamber at this period did not exist. The 

Viol either accompanied the voice in unison, or 

the performer played the voice part alone. 

We have an instance of the use of the Viol at 

this period which is connected with an important 

political event, that of the signing of a famous 

treaty at the Palace of Nonesuch at Greenwich in 

1596. Three peers of the realm waited upon the 

French Ambassador, and escorted him and his suite 

in seventeen royal coaches to the Tower ; seven 

splendid barges then conveyed them along the 

Thames to Greenwich. "In the midsummer twilight 

the brilliantly decorated barges were again floating 

on the historic river, the gaily-coloured lanterns 

lighting the sweep of the oars, and the sound of the 

Lute and Viol floating merrily across the water."* 

I t was not until 1 597 that the titles to madrigals 

and songs had any reference upon them to the Viol 

da Gamba. In that year appeared "The First 

Booke of Songes or Ayres of foure parts, with 

Tablature for the Lute. So made that all the partes 

together, or either of them severally, may be song 

to the Lute, Orpherion, or Viol da Gamba. Composed 

by John Dowland, Lutenist and Batchelor of 

M usicke in both Universities. Also an invention 

" Motley's " The United Netherlands." Vol. III., p. 384.

108 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lJiUSIC. 

by the said Author for two to play ztpon one Lute. 

Printed by Peter Short, dwelling on Bread Street 

Hill at the signe of the Starre, 1597. 

The composer of this book of songs was a 

musician of considerable reputation. Anthony 

Wood went so far as to say "He was the rarest 

musician that his age did behold," in the utterance 

of which he over-stepped the bounds of truth by a 

long way. Dowland, however, lives not alone in 

the pages of gossiping vVood ; his name is found 

entwined in Shakspeare's verse : 

Dowland to thee is dear, whose heav'nly touch, 

Upon the Lute doth ravish human sense, 

Spenser to me, whose deep conceit is such, 

As passing all conceit needs no defence." 

In another book of songs composed by John 

Dowland, and printed in the year 1600, is included 

"An excellent lesson for the Lute and Bass Viol, 

called Dowland's Adew." To the same year belong 

Thomas Morley's Canzonets, or short songs to sing 

and play to the Lute with the Bass Viol. In 1599, 

Morley edited "Consort lessons made by divers 

exquisite authors for six different instruments to 

play together, viz., the treble Lute, pandore, cithern, 

Bass Viol, flute, and treble Violl." 

To this period belongs the earliest music for the 

Viol, published in England without voices, which is 

that of Anthony Holborne, dated 1599, consisting 

of pavans, allemands, &c. 

Between 1603 and 16°9, Dowland printed a work


in five parts for Lute and Viols, named " Lacrimae ; 

or, Seven T eares figured in seven passionate Pavans. 

with divers other Pavans, Galliards, and Almands." 

The works already mentioned sufficiently evidence 

the new condition of the Viol in England at this 

date, without lengthening the list. If the reader 

wishes to extend his knowledge of such works, he 

cannot do better than look into Dr. Rimbault's 

"Bibliotheca Madrigaliana," and Mr. Chappell's 

" Music of the Olden Time." 

The following lines of Drayton's, printed III 

1613, throw much light upon the instruments III 

use at the close of the sixteenth century :- 

" When now the I3ritish side scarce finished their song, 

But th' English, that repin'd to be delay'd so long, 

All quickly at the hint, as with one free consent, 

Struck up at once and sung, each to the instrument 

(Of sundry sorts that were, as the musician likes) 

On which the practic'd hand with perfect'st fing'ring strikes, 

Whereby their height of skill might liveliest be exprest, 

The trembling Lute some touch, some strain the Viol best, 

In sets that there were seen, the music wondrous choice 

Some, likewise, their affect the Gamba with the voice. 

To shew that England could variety afford, 

Some that delight to touch the sterner wiry chord, 

The Cithern, the Pandore, and the Theorbo strike 

The Gittern and the Kit the wand' ring Fiddlers like, 

So were there some again, in this their learned strife, 

Loud instruments that lov'd, the Cornet ann the Fife, 

The Hoboy, Sackbut deep, Recorder, and the Flute ; 

E'en from the shrillest Shawm into the Cornamute, 

Some blow the I3agpipe up, that plays the Country Round ; 

The Tabor and the Pipe some take delight to sound."

110 1 HE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Upon the accession of James 1. to the English 

throne, instrumental music was further developed 

by the frequent performance of court masques. 

Roger North tells us, "The music at these masques 

(as must be supposed) was of the airy kind, with as 

much variety and novelty as could be contrived 

to please the Court, and among other conceits there 

was a consort of twelve Lutes, which must needs be 

(in our dialect) very fine and pretty. The entertainments 

consisted of consorts, singing machines, 

short dramas, familiar dialogues, &c., wherein the 

younger qality had no small share, and taking the 

whole together, and excepting the advantage of a 

single voice or two, these diversions were not 

inferior to our operas." These entertainments at the 

Court of St. James's, as with the French, were the 

precursors of opera in England, and belong to the 

chain of dramas which completed the union of poetry 

and music on our stage. Whether James I. gave 

encouragement to music from any love he himself 

had for the art matters little ; we have the fact that 

his children were taught music, and that Prince 

Charles attained to a considerable degree of proficiency 

on the Viol da Gamba, under his master, 

John Coperario, an Englishman, who, 

. having 

resided in I taly some time, returned to his native 

land with his name Cooper I taIianised. I am 

inclined to think much of the . future development 

of playing the Viol da Gamba in England had its 

foundation in Coperario introducing a knowledge

THE VIOL IN ENGLAND. I I r 

of the instrument from abroad, superior to any we 

then possessed. He composed a set of Fancies for 

,his royal pupil, the original manuscript of which is 

said to be in existence. I t was doubtless to these 

Fancies that Playford alludes, when speaking of 

Charles I.'s skill in music : "He could play his part 

exactly well on the Bass-Viol, especially of those 

incomparable Fancies of Mr. Coperario to the 

organ." I t is interesting to · know, upon the 

authority of Dr. Rimbault, that this first great 

English professor of the Viol da Gamba composed 

the celebrated song, "Mad Tom," erroneously 

attributed to Purcell. To Coperario is attributed 

the adaptation of Lute tablature to the Viol, 

which system was known as "Lyra way," hence 

Lyra Viol. This is clearly an error, since the 

I talians used it a hundred years before Coperario's 

time. That he first applied it in England is 

possible and probable. 

To attempt to describe the construction and 

mode of playing instruments no longer in use, in 

a manner which shall at once be entertaining and 

instructive, would end as all such attempts have 

invariably done, in confusion, when technicalities 

have to be explained. History in rhyme is curious 

and, perhaps, entertaining, but terribly misleading, 

and so are sciences made easy ; nevertheless, to 

leave the reader without information as to the mode 

of playing Viols in England at this period, would 

leave him without any idea at all approach-

JI2 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

ing correctness as to their merits. I will, therefore, 

hasten to administer the medicinal information in as 

agreeable a manner as possible. 

I n an I talian work, entitled "Della Prattica 

M usica, vocale ct strumentale," by Scipione Cerreto, 

published in I601, mention is made of the Viola da 

Gamba as an instrument proper to accompany the 

voice in singing. The system of notation, common 

to the Italians, was by figures, which method had 

been in use among them certainly more than a 

century prior to the date of Cerreto's publication. 

In ' another place I have given an example of this 

tablature. The Spaniards also used figures, whilst 

the French notation was by letters of the alphabet. 

Galileo explains, in a book published at Venice in 

1583, the Italian tablature, which is identical with 

that of the French as set forth by Adrian Le Roy 

in his work on the Lute, published at Paris in 

1570. This work was translated and published in 

England in 1574, by John Kingston ; earlier 

information, however, relative to tablature, IS 

found in the M usurgia of Ottomarus Luscinius, 

published at Strasburgh in 1536. The system, 

whether by figures or letters, was briefly this ; each 

string had its stave line, therefore a seven-stringed 

Viol needed a stave of seven lines, lettered or 

figured, at the points of which the finger was made 

to stop the note, the instrument being, of course, 

tuned in accordance with such fingering. The mode 

of indicating the time in this notation was by

THE VIOL IN ENGLAND. I I3 

placing above each figure or letter characters 

answering to our quavers and crotchets, &c., but 

detached as in the early ordinary notation, for it was 

not until long after that crotchets and quavers were 

set forth in groups. Between the time that Coperario 

applied this notation to the Viol in England, and 

the date of publication of Simpson's Division Viol, 

published in 1665, there does not appear to have 

been issued any book treating at length of the Viol. 

Roger L'Estrange, the licenser of the period, an 

ardent lover of the Viol da Gamba-of whom we 

shall have more · to say later-addresses the reader 

in a second edition of Simpson's book, saying, " It 

bears for title, " The Division Viol ; or the Art of 

Playing Extempore upon a Ground ;" and it does 

certainly answer that pretence, both for matter and 

method, to the highest point of reasonable expectation. 

And yet I cannot so properly call it the Best, 

as (indeed) the only Treatise I find extant upon this 

argument." As regards actual shape and form 

there was no difference between a Lyra Viol, a 

Consort Viol, and a Division Viol, further than that 

they were increased or diminished in size as fancy 

dictated. These terms have reference to the musz"c 

adapted to the instrument : to play the Gamba Lyraway 

was simply to apply Lute tablature to the 

instrument, arranging the strings and frets accordingly. 

A Consort Viol was used with the ordinary 

notation. To apply the old custom of making 

divisions (variations on a theme or ground) to a 

I

114 THE VIOLIN AND ITS liEU SIC. 

Gamba was to play the Division Viol. F or half a 

century this taste for " Division" had been increasing 

in England among Violists, and Simpson undoubtedly 

did them good service in writing his 

book ; indeed, it reflects no little credit on their 

abilities that they should have done without it so 

long, for the demands of " Division " were not slight. 

The art of playing upon a ground needed both 

theoretical and executive skill. That Cavaliers and 

Roundheads should have met in all seriousness to 

perform extempore, that feat which Corelli in his 

Twelfth Solo, and Sebastian Bach in his Chaconne, 

performed pen in hand, is but again the verification 

of that time honoured line- 

" Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." 

An extract or two from Christopher Simpson's 

most interesting treatise will serve to show the 

technicalities of Division, and how much that is 

thought new is truly venerable. 

Of the instrumen, Simpson says, "A Viol for 

Division, should be of something a lesser size than 

a Consort Bass." "It must be accommodated with 

six strings and with seven frets, like those of a Lute, 

but something thicker." His instructions as to 

holding the Viol, and the motion of the bow arm, 

are both curious and apt, and in some cases have 

not been departed from in the works of Romberg 

and Dotzauer :- 

"Being conveniently seated, place your Viol


between your knees, so that the lower end of it may 

rest upon the calves of your legs, set the soles of 

your feet flat on the floor, your toes turned a little 

outward. When you are to set your fingers upon 

the strings, you must not grasp the neck of your 

Viol, but keep your thumb on the back of the neck, 

opposite to your forefinger, so that your hand may 

have liberty to remove up and down as occasion 

shall require. When you set any finger down, 

hold it on, and play the following notes with 

other fingers, until some occasion require the 

taking it off. This is done as well for better order 

of fingering, that the fingers may pass smoothly 

from note to note, without lifting them too far from 

the strings, as also to continue the sound of a note 

when the bow has left it." This rule Campagnoli 

made use of in his Violin instruction-book, nearly 

a century and a half later, and it holds good to the 

present day. Of the motion of the bow arm he 

says, " I told you before, you must stretch out your 

arm straight, in which posture (playing long notes) 

you will necessarily move your shoulder joint ; but 

if you stir that joint in quick notes, it will cause the 

whole body to shake, which by all means must be 

avoided, as also any other indecent gesture. Quick 

notes, therefore, must be expressed by moving 

some joint nearer the hand, which is generally 

agreed upon to be the wrist." Further on, he enters 

upon the matter of taste in playing the Viol da 

Gamba. " I t now remains, that in directing the 

12

116 THE VIOLl}>' AND ITS MUSIC. 

hand, I speak something concerning the gracing of 

notes, and tho' it depends much upon humour and 

imitation, yet I will try how far it may be delivered 

in words and examples : Gracing of notes is performed 

two ways, viz., by the Bow and by the 

fingers. By the Bow, as when we play loud or 

soft, according to our fancy, or the humour of the 

music. Again, this loud or soft is sometimes 

expressed in one and the same note, as when we 

make it soft at the beginning·, and then (as it were), 

swell or grow louder towards the middle or ending. 

Some also affect a Shake or Tremble with the Bow, 

like the shaking stop of an organ ; but the frequent 

use thereof is not (in my opinion) much commendable." 

Duport, Spohr, or Bailliot never to their 

pupils uttered words more to the purpose 10 

reference to light and shade and good taste, than 

Christopher Simpson wrote in his book on the 

Viol in 1665 ; but let us listen to Simpson on 

the Shake. 

" Shaked Graces we call those that are formed by 

a shake or tremble of a finger, of which there are 

two sorts, viz., close and open ; close-shake is that 

when we shake the finger as close and near the 

sounding note as possible may be, touching the 

string with the shaking finger so softly and nicely 

that it makes no variation of tone." " Open -shake 

is when a finger is shaked in that distance from 

whence it was removed, or where it is to be set 

down ; supposing the distance exceed not the wide-

THE VI OL IN ENGLAND. 1 I 7 

ness of two frets, for wider than that we never 

shake. Graces made with open shakes are thesea 

beat, a back/a ll, an elevation, a cadent, and a 

do uble rellish." It is enough for the reader to 

know that our author clearly explains his meaning of 

backfalls and ,double rellishes, together with beats 

and elevations, which were appoggiaturas of divers 

kinds. "Of these forementioned Graces," he proceeds 

to tell us, "some are more rough and masculine, 

as your Shaked Beats and Back/ails ; others 

more smooth and feminine, as your Close-shake 

and Plain Graces, which are more natural to the 

treble or upper parts. Yet when we would express 

love, courage, or cheerfulness upon the treble, we 

do frequently use both shaked beats and back/a ils, 

as ' 0t? the contrary, smooth and swelling notes 

when we would express sorrow, compassion, or the 

like." 

Part the Second of the "Division Viol " teaches 

the use of concords and discords. His " Reflections 

upon the Concords of Music " are curious and 

interesting : he remarks, "And here I cannot but 

wonder, even to amazement, that from no more 

than Three Concords (with some intervening discords), 

there should arise such an infinite variety, 

as all the music that ever has been or ever shall 

be composed. And my wonder is increased by 

a consideration of the seven gradual sounds or 

tones, from whose various positions and intermixtures 

those concords and discords do arise.

1I8 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lIfUSIC. 

The gradual sounds are distinguished in the scale 

of music by the same seven letters which in the 

calendar distinguish the seven days of the week ; 

to either of which, the adding of more is but a 

repetition of the former over again." " When . I 

further consider the three sounds placed by the 

interval of a third one above another, do constitute 

one entire Harmony, which governs and comprises 

all the sounds which by art or imagination 

can, at once, be joined together in musical concordance, 

this I cannot but think a significant 

emblem of that supreme and incomprehensible 

Th ree in One, governing, comprising, and disposing 

the whole machine of the world with all its 

included parts, in a most perfect and stupendous 

Harmony." This ingenious and beautiful comparison 

serves to display the inner man of the old Violist. 

To have been moved by such thoughts as these 

points to a reflective, moral, and religious character. 

Of Division, and the manner of performing it, 

Christopher Simpson says, " Diminution or Division 

to a Ground, is the breaking either of the Bass or 

of any higher part that is applicable thereto. A 

Ground, Subject, or Bass (call it which you please) is 

pricked (written) down in two several papers ; one 

for him who is to play the Ground upon an Organ, 

Harpsichord, or what other instrument may be apt 

for that purpose ; the other for him that plays upon 

the Viol, who, having the said Ground before his 

eyes, as his Th eme or Subject plays such variety of

:ritE VIOL IN ENGLAND. 119 

Descant or Division in concordance thereto, as his 

skill and present invention do then suggest unto 

him. In this manner of play, which is the perfection 

of the Viol, or any other instrument, if it be exactly 

prformed, a man may show the excellency both of 

his hand and invention, to the delight and admiration 

of those that hear him."

I 

Section Ill.-CQ[hr llinl in

THE VIOL IN ENGLA ND . 1 2 1 

the C clef, and the Bass-Viol, which is the largest, 

by the F clef." 

It will here be seen that the Treble-Viol was an 

octave higher than the Bass-Viol. There must have 

been, however, intermediate Viols in use at an 

earlier date, judging from the compositions of several 

parts adapted to them, for when the practice of 

singing madrigals declined, Coperario, Jenkins, and 

others composed fancies (fantasias), in six parts 

answering to the number of Viols in a chest. Hawkins 

quotes Dr. Tudway, who describes a chest of Viols 

as "a large hutch with several apartments and partitions 

in it ; each partition was lined with green 

baize to keep the instruments from being injured 

by the weather ; every instrument was sized in bigness 

according to the part played upon it." 

In turning to the pages of "Musick's Monument," 

by Thomas Mace, who was an enthusiastic lover of 

music, and one of the Clerks of Trinity College, 

Cambridge, we find many interesting particulars 

relative to Viols. He records that in the days of 

his youth, "we had for our grave musick fancies 

of three, four, five, and six parts to the organs, 

interposed now and then with some Pavins, 

Allmaines, solemn and sweet delightful ayres, all 

of which were so many pathetical stories, 

rhetorical and sublime discourses, subtle and acute 

argumentations, so suitable and agreeing to the 

inward, secret, and intellectual faculties of the soul 

and mind, that to set them forth according to their


true praise, there are no words sufficient in language ; 

yet what I can best speak of them, shall be only to 

say, that they have been to myself and many others, 

as divine raptures powerfully captivating all our 

unruly faculties and affections for the time, and disposing 

to solidity, gravity, and a good temper, 

making us capable of heavenly and divine influences. 

The authors of such like compositions have been 

divers E'nglishmen and Italians, some of which for 

their very great eminency and worth in that particular 

faculty I will name here, viz., Mr. Alfonso 

F erabosco, Mr. John Ward, Mr. Lupo, Mr. White, 

Mr. Richard Deering, Mr. William Lawes, Mr. 

John Jenkins, Mr. Christopher Simpson, Mr. 

Coperario, and one Monteverde, a famous Italian 

author." He then proceeds to tell us that these 

compositions were " performed upon so many equal 

and truly-sized Viols, and so exactly strung, tuned, 

and played upon as no one part was any impediment 

to the other." Our quaint old author 

later tenders his advice regarding the selecting 

of Viols. " Your best provision and most complete 

will be a good chest of Viols, six in 

number, viz., two Basses, two Tenors, and two 

Trebles, all truly and proportionably suited. Of such 

there are no better in the world than those of 

Aldred, Jay, Smith, yet the highest in esteem are 

Bolles and Ross ; one Bass of Bolles I have known 

valued at £ 100. These were old, but we have now 

very excellent workmen, who, no doubt, can work as


well as those, if they be so well paid for their work 

as they were. Yet we chiefly value old instruments 

before new ; for by experience they are found to be 

far the best." "If you cannot procure an entire 

chest of Viols, suitable, &c., endeavour to pick up, 

here or there, so many excellent good odd ones, as 

near suiting you as you can, every way, viz., both 

for shape, wood, colour, &c., but especially for size. 

And to be exact in that, take this certain rule, viz., 

let your Bass be large. Then your Trebles must be 

just as short again in the string, viz., from bridge 

to nut, as are your Basses, because they stand eight 

notes higher than the Basses, therefore as short 

again ; for the middle of every string is an eighth. 

The Tenors in the string just so long as from the 

bridge to F fret, because they stand a fourth higher 

than your Basses, therefore so long. Let this suffice 

to put you into complete order for Viols either way ; 

only note, that the best place for the bridge is to 

stand just in the three-quarter dividing of the open 

cuts (sound holes) below, though most, most erroneously, 

suffer them to stand too high, which is a 

fault." "And now to make your store more amply 

complete, add to these three full·sized Lyra Viols, 

there being most admirable things made, by our 

very best masters for that sort of musick, both consortwise 

and peculiarly for two or three Lyres. "Let 

them be lusty, smart-speaking Viols ; because that 

in consort they often retort against the Treble, 

imitating, and often standing instead of that part,

124 THE VI OLIN AND ITS fifUSIC. 

viz., second Treble. " They will serve likewise for 

Division-Viols very properly, and being thus stored, 

you have a ready entertainment for the greatest 

prince in the world." This curious account furnishes 

us with a theoretical knowledge of Viols, and shows 

our author to have been possessed of an enquiring 

mind, and fully alive to their merits. 

Although it would, perhaps, be easy to cite many 

other interesting references to the English Viol, 

space and the patience of the reader render it 

necessary to bring this section to a close with a 

brief notice of the Viol in social life. 

From the days of Elizabeth-when, according to 

Thomas Morley, it was the custom after supper to 

bring forth the madrigal parts, to fail to read which 

at sight was sufficient to excite amazement and 

wonder as to how such (madrigally) ignorant 

persons could have been " brought up "-to the time 

of the Restoration, social music continued to 

advance, excepting when puritanical principles exercised 

their tyrannising influence over the delights and 

recreations of the people ; and even then it flourished 

by stealth. When the decline of the madrigal in 

England began, the practice of the Viol among 

the gentry became very general. It was not, 

however, until it was recognised at the Palace 

of St. James's that we find so many notabilities 

deriving pleasure from Viol-playing. We get 

a glimpse of this amateur musical interest in more 

than one of the sets of compositions, written and

THE VI OL IN ENGLAND. 125 

published about this period. In 1606, one Richard 

Alison, who subscribed himself "gentleman and 

jractitiomr " in music, published a set with the 

following title : "An Howre's Recreation in Musicke, 

apt for instrumentes and voyces, framed for the 

delight of gentlemen and others which are weI 

affected to that qualitie ; all for the most part with 

two trebles, necessarie for such as teach in private 

families." Then follows an evident allusion to the 

Gunpowder Plot, "with a prayer for the long preservation 

of the King and his posteritie, and a 

thanksgiving for the deliverance of the whole estate 

from the late conspiracie." In r6r4 Sir William 

Leighton, "one of his Majesty's honourable band 

of gentlemen pensioners," published " Teares ; or, 

Lamentations of a Sorrow full Soule," set for divers 

instruments and voices. 

Among the principal amateur performers on 

the Viol da Gamba, Sir Roger L'Estrange stands 

out in bold relief. His character, painted by the 

historian "as ferocious and ignoble,"¥.< strangely 

contrasts with that we invariably find belonging to 

mUSICIans. Ferocity and music, musically speaking, 

is a false relation barbarously discordant. It is, 

however, Sir Roger's connection with the Viol with 

which we have to do, and not with his party spirit. 

Allusion has already been made to his "Address to 

the Reader," in Simpson's book on the Viol. This 

is not the only evidence of his interest in music, for 

* Macaulay.


we find him foremost among the admirers of that 

first of English concert givers, Thomas Britton ; and 

it is even said that to Sir Roger the musical club 

presided over by the small-coal-man owed its 

existence. He was also frequently at the music 

meetings held at the house of John Kingston, 

organist to Oliver Cromwell, where, upon one 

occasion, he earned for himself a title which 

caused him some amount of displeasure. I t is 

scarcely needed to remind the reader that party 

spirit was above proof at this period, and made even 

social music gatherings inflammable. This being so, 

we cannot wonder that a Royalist performing on his 

Viol de Gamba in the house of Cromwell's organist, 

should alarm his friends. It happened that while so 

engaged, Cromwell-who was a great lover of music 

-entered the room. Cromwell's presence not 

causing Sir Roger to instantly quit the chamber, the 

Cavaliers dubbed him Oliver's Fiddler. That he 

had not shaken off the name in 1683, is shown 

from a pamphlet printed In that year, entitled, 

"The Loyal Observator ; or, Historical Memoirs 

of the Life and Actions of Rs>ger the Fidler." 

In a pamphlet entitled, "Truth and Loyalty 

Vindicated," published in the year 1662, Sir Roger 

says :- 

"Mr. Edward Bagshaw will have it that I 

frequently solicited a private conference with Oliver, 

and that I often brought my Fiddle under my cloak 

to facilitate my entry. Surely this Edward Bagshaw

7 HE VIQL IN ENGLAND. 

has been pastor to a Gravesend boat ; he has a vein 

so right ; a Fiddle under my cloak ? Truly my 

Fiddle is a Bass Viol, and that's somewhat a troublesome 

instrument under a cloak. 'Twas a great 

oversight he did not tell my lord to what company 

(of Fiddlers) I belonged. Concerning the story of 

the Fiddle, this I suppose might be the use of it. 

Being in St. James's Park, I heard an organ touched 

in a little low room of one Mr. Hickson's. I went 

in and found a private company of some five or six 

persons. They desired me to take up a Viol, and 

bear a part. I did so, and that a part too, not much 

to advance the reputation of my coming. By-andbye, 

without the least colour of a design or expectation, 

in comes Cromwell. He found us playing, 

and as I remember, so he left us."* Thus we see 

Sir Roger, upon his own showing, did not allow his 

Royalism in any way to interfere with his music 

which, from a musical point of view, was very 

commendable. 

We also recognise his anxiousness to clear his 

character from the stain of being a votary of the 

Fiddle, for be it remembered that instrument of 

instruments was looked upon as essentially vulgar in 

Cromwellian times, as we shall presently discover. 

I have now but to add my last note in reference to 

Sir Roger L'Estrange, which is, according to Jesse's 

Memoirs of London, that he lies buried in St. Giles's 

* Chappell's " Music of the Olden Time."

128 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MU.SIC. 

Church, where, in the middle pillar on the north 

side of the column may be seen- 

" Sir Roger UEstrange, Knt., 

Born I7th December, I6I6, 

Died I Ith December, I704. 

Anno JEtatis Suae 89." 

That worthy notability, Sir Henry Wotton, was 

a Violist. In his life, by Izaak Walton, we have his 

will, wherein he says, "To the above-named Dr. 

Bargrave, Dean of Canterbury, I leave all my 

I talian books not disposed of in this will. I leave 

to him likewise my V£ol da Gamba, which hath been 

twice with me in Italy, in which country I first 

contracted with him an unremovable affection." 

Pepys seems to have played both the Fiddle 

and the Viol, from the references he makes to these 

instruments in his immortal Diary. On the 3rd of 

December, 1660, he "rose by candle-ligbt and spent 

his morning in Fiddling till it was time to go to the 

office," and on the 2 I st of November in the same 

year, he tells us, "At night to my Violl (the first 

time that I have played 011 it since I came to this 

house), in my dining-room, and afterwards to my 

Lute there, and I took much pleasure to have the 

neighbours come forth into the yard to hear me." 

Lord Keeper North, the author of the " Memoirs 

·of Musick," a book I have so frequently noticed, 

was in his youth a great Violist, besides possessing 

a theoretical knowledge of Music. 

Having mentioned a few of the Viol's votaries, I


cannot refrain from giving the reader the opinion of 

a most eminent hater of the instrument, Henry 

Purcell. An intimate friend of Purcell's, one 

Subdean Gosling, played on the Viol da Gamba, 

and, to vex the subdean, Purcell instructed a 

poetaster to write the following mock eulogium on 

his friend's favourite instrument, which he set in the 

form of a round for three voices :- 

" Of all the instruments that are, 

N one with the Viol can compare : 

Mark how the strings their order keep 

With a whet, whet, whet, and a sweep, sweep, sweep. 

But above all this still abounds 

·With zingle, zingle, zing, and a zit, zat, zounds." 

K

edinn 11.-CQI:ht llinl in ItalJ2. 

CHAPTER 1. 

" I T was in Italy that the essential qualities which 

distinguish the modern from the mediceval 

world was developed. Italy created that new 

spiritual atmosphere of culture and of intellectual 

freedom which has been the life-breath of European 

races ; as the Jews are called the chosen people of · 

Divine Revelation, so may the I talians be called the 

chosen and peculiar vessels of the prophecy of the 

Renaissance. In art, in scholarship, in science, in 

the mediation between antique culture and the 

modern intellect, they took the lead, handing to 

Germany, and France, and England the restored 

humanities complete."* 

I t would be difficult to find, throughout the 

many volumes which have appeared from time to 

time, relative to Italy's part among the arts and 

sciences, a more appropriate passage than the above 

to illustrate the extent and character of the work 

achieved by that nation in the art of music. The 

distinction between mediceval and modern culture is 

* Symonds' " Renaissance in Italy," 1875, p. 33.

THE VIOL .IN ITAL Y. 1 3 1 

well marked, and the exact position taken up by the 

I talians clearly defined. 

It has often been the endeavour of the musical 

historian to make I taly the one and sole point from 

whence all progress emanated, frequently perverting 

history to · give colour to cherished theories and 

prejudiced opinions : much of this has doubtless 

arisen from the fact of I taly having taken the lead 

in the restoration of polite letters. It does not 

follow, however, that because her people rescued the 

forgotten and abandoned manuscripts of the Greek . 

and Latin authors, they must necessarily have been 

alone instrumental in recovering the arts in general. 

As regards the art of music in particular, it must 

be remembered that, even though a very Poggio 

in music manuscripts had unearthed all the notes the 

Greeks and Romans ever penned, they could not 

possibly have charmed fifteenth century ears, neither 

was it practicable to assimilate the ancient and 

modern systems. This being so, there could not 

have been a Renaissance in music. The art as 

found in the fifteenth century was the outcome from 

a state of barbarism in distant ages, and not a recreation. 

Sir William Temple has said, "It is 

agreed by the learned that the science of music so 

admired of he ancients is wholly lost in the world, 

and that what we have now is made up out of 

certain notes that fell into the fancy or observation 

of a poor friar, in chanting his matins, so as that the 

divine excellencies of music and poetry are grown, 

K 2


in a manner, to be little more but the one Fiddling 

and the other rhyming ; and are indeed very worthy 

the ignorance of the friar, and the barbarousness of 

the Goths that introduced them among us."oK< It 

is undeniable that the art of music was greatly 

benefited by the effects and surroundings of the 

Renaissance in Italy, though prior to the advent of 

Palestrina it was the advantage of refinement rather 

than that of creation. 

The Italians were, perhaps, deeper in the pit of" 

ignorance at the beginning of the fourteenth century 

than their neighbours, and therefore less likely to 

concern themselves with the humanities. Hallam 

tells us, " the manners of the Italians were rude. A 

man and his wife ate off the same plate ; there were 

no wooden-handled knives, nor more than one or 

two drinking cups in a house. The pride of men 

was to be well provided with arms and horses ; that 

of the nobility to have lofty towers, of which all the 

cities of Italy were full." It must also not be forgotten 

that when the Italians manifested such extraordinary 

zeal in the cause of art, it sprung from 

the courts, and not from the people as in the 

Netherlands and Germany.t 

* Sir William Temple's " Essay on Ancient and Modern Learning." 

t Burckhardt, in his " Civilisation of the Period of the Renaissance 

in Italy " Vol. II., p. 1 54, remarks, " Out of Italy it was still hardly 

allowable for persons of consequence to be musicians ; at the Flemish 

Court of the young Charles V. a serious dispute took place on the 

subject. (See Hubert Leod. de Vita Frid. II. ,Palat. I., III.) Henry VIII. 

of England is an exception, and also the German Emperor Maximiliarl, 

who favoured music as well as as all other arts. John Cuspinian in his 

' Life of the Emperor ' calls him, 'Musices singulari amator.'"

THE VIOL IN ITAL Y. 1 3 3 

There were undoubtedly intances of intense art 

devotion among the princes of Italy, but on the 

other hand there was an extraordinary amount of 

display which fostered rivalry in the number of poets, 

painters, and musicians employed in connection with 

their courts, which renders it unsafe to conclude that 

the patronage bestowed upon the arts indicated 

exceptional knowledge on the part of all who 

encouraged them, or that exceptional skill by the 

nation at large is to be implied therefrom. 

Macaulay, writing of this period, says, "To 

collect books and antiques, to fo und professorships, 

to patronise men of learning, became almost uni 

versal .fashio1lS* amongst the great." " Indeed, it 

would be difficult to mention an I talian of eminence 

during the period of which we speak, who, whatever 

may have been his character, did not at least affect 

a love of letters and of the arts." t 

Abreast of this craving fo r culture by the Italian 

despots was crime of the blackest dye. In their 

palaces, into which had been gathered the choicest 

fruits of all that "vas refined and elevating in art, lived 

a host of men who made assassination a profession. 

When we compare this state of social existence with 

the serene and peaceful lives led by the burgher 

classes of Germany and the Netherlands, upon vv hich 

art-'-however crude-had shed its light for two 

centuries, we are better able to apportion the merit 

-if The liberty of italicising is mine. 

t " Essay on Machiavelli."

1 34 THE VIOLIN AND ITS JJ£USIC. 

belonging to each in the revival of art, and to 

distinguish antique culture from that "spiritual 

atmosphere of culture " created by the Italians. 

I t would hardly be possible to over-estimate the 

marvellous achievements of the I talians in the arts 

and sciences ; but those nations which contributed to 

them must not be deprived of their just share of the 

work. I n both music and painting the Italians 

acquired much from others, both at the dawn of the 

Renaissance and immediately afterwards. Their 

courts were teeming with foreign musicians, instructing 

them in the art they themselves were so soon to 

ornament. In painting, although not so much 

dependent on foreign aid as in music, yet there is 

nevertheless evidence of foreign influence. I t is 

recorded that the Duke of U rbino, one of their 

earliest art patrons, could not succeed in discovering 

among his countrymen a master worthy to execute 

his commissions, and that he sent to Flanders for 

one to paint the philosophers and poets of the time. 

This being so, it is well to remember though Italy 

had its Raphael, its Palestrina, and its Aldus, the 

Netherlanders had their Van Eycks, their Josquin, 

and the Germans their Gutenberg and Hofhaimer. 

I n seeking for knowledge of the part played by 

the Viol in I taly, we need not begin with the Chant 

of Saint Gregory, but may pass over in silence 

seven centuries, which brings us to the days of 

Petrarch and Boccaccio. That the former was both 

a poet and musician is attested by his having

THE VIOL IN ITAL Y. 135 

bequeathed his "good Lute to Master Thomas 

Bambasio of Ferrara, that he may play on it, not for 

the vanity of a fleeting life, but to the praise and 

glory of the eternal God." At the coronation of 

Petrarch, in 1341, in accordance with the custom of 

honouring great ability, it is related there were " two 

choirs of music, one vocal and the other instrumental, 

employed in the procession, which were constantly 

singing and playing in turns in sweet harmony."* 

This slight reference to harmony has been cited as 

implying progress in counterpoint and singing and 

playing in concertt A slight glance at the instruments 

in the hands of the Italians even a century 

later than the time of the poet's coronation, 

strengthens me in the opinion that there could not 

possibly have been " sweet harmony" extracted from 

such a discordant family, or that counterpoint of the 

most infantile description could have been applied to 

such mediums of sound. 

The paintings of Filippo Lippi, Cosimo Tura, 

and Fra Giovanni Angelica, all of which belong to 

the fifteenth century, furnish many instances of the 

character, use, and manner of combining the instruments 

of that period. Setting aside the technical 

and confused nomenclature belonging to these 

instruments among different peoples, and adopting 

popular names, we find there were Psalteries of 

* Dr. Burney's History, Vo!' 11., p. 337, quoting account published at 

Padua in 1549. 

t Dr. Burney.


vanous kinds, instruments which may be likened to 

a lyre, or a child's abacus without the balls. 

Tambourines in great variety, side drums, postillion's 

and huntsmen's horns, the pipes of Pan and other 

shepherds. Lutes, single, double and triple Flutes, 

and a rude corded instrument of varied form, played 

with a bow, from which a sustained droning sound 

was drawn. Upon comparing these sound-mediums 

with those in England in the reign of Edward IV., 

and bearing in mind that Burney has told us, 

" melody itself, the child of fancy, was still held in 

Gothic chains " in I taly, I am unable to discover 

that the Italians were musically less barbarous than 

ourselves at this period ; indeed it is not improbable 

that our minstrels from an artistic point of view may 

have claimed to rank first. 

The Decamerone of Boccaccio has long been 

regarded as a work in which the manners and 

customs of the Italy of his time have been faithfully 

delineated ; and doubtless this is mainly so ; but a 

loose description of a musical instrument is most 

misleading, and there is abundant evidence of the: 

greatest authors and painters having had very misty 

notions concerning them in general, and of Viols in 

particular. * 

)(. In the Bible the translators have called the Nebel-which was 

a Hebrew instrument of the Harp kind-a Viol. Dr. Burney has 

even named the " Lira Grande " a Viol da Gamba ; in fact, with few 

exceptions, the whole family of corded instruments have answered to 

the name of Viol at different times among authors.

THE VIOL IN ITALY. 137 

Boccaccio mentions in the Decamerone both the 

Lute and the Viol ; and Dr. Burney decides that the 

latter instrument was identical with that so much 

used in England two centuries later, relying evidently 

on the name alone. The bowed instruments of the 

I talians at this date were cleady very different to the 

Viol of the madrigal, whatever name it may have 

passed under. They were apparently mere boxes 

or sound chambers, shaped in endless variations of 

squares and triangles, and consequently deviated 

much from the curves a century and a half later.

ettion ll-cmJte 18io1 m Italy. 

CHAPTER II. 

MONG the Princes of Italy at the time of the 

A Renaissance, none equalled Lorenzo de Medici 

as an art patron ; his patronage was at once lavish, 

opportune, and judicious. Truly has it been said, 

"everything great and excellent in science and art 

revolved round Lorenzo de Medici."* Though it 

does not appear that he was himself a musician, 

there is ample evidence of his interest in the art. 

He made himself the centre of an association entitled 

a School of Harmony,t consisting of fifteen members, 

all of whom were men pledged to further music's 

cause. I t was to the songs of Lorenzo that 

Heinrich Isaac set his music, and thus first joined 

the arts of poetry and music in a new and loftier 

sphere. The same early and highly gifted composer 

wrote the music to his patron's religious drama, "San 

Giovanni e San Paolo " for performance within the 

family circle of the Medici, and it was he who was 

* Burckhardt, "Renaissance of Italy," Vol. II., p. 157. 

t Roscoe's preface to his " Life of Leo X."

THE VIOL IN ITAL Y. I 39 

chosen by Lorenzo as the instructor in music to his 

children. At the festivals and the processions at 

Florence, Lorenzo evinced much interest in their 

organization, exerting himself to make them that 

which they had never before been, mediums for 

the education of the populace in much that pertained 

to art, frequently commissioning Francesco Granacci, 

the fellow-student of Michael Angelo, to superintend 

their preparation. Rightly was this accomplished, 

gifted, and generous art patron named " Magnificent." 

The gardens of his villa he appropriated for 

the reception of the long-hidden treasures of past 

ages collected by his family, and yet further enriched 

. by himself. Here he instituted a School of Art, 

to which the greatest geniuses of the age flocked. 

I cannot withhold from the reader the following 

vivid and beautiful description of this spot and its 

.associations :- 

" In a villa overhanging the towers of Florence," 

writes the austere Hallam, moved to more than usual 

-eloquence by the spirit-stirring beauty of his theme, 

"on the steep slope of that lofty hill crowned by the 

mother city, the ancient Fiesole, in gardens which 

Tully might have envied, with Ficino, Landino, and 

Politian at his side, he delighted his hours of leisure 

with the beautiful visions of Platonic philosophy, for 

which the summer stillness of an I talian sky appears 

the most congenial accompaniment. As we climb the 

steep slope of Fiesole, or linger beneath the rosetrees 

that shed their petals from Careggi's garden

THE VIOL.IN AND ITS MUSIC. 

walls, once more in our i magi natio n 'the world's great 

age begins anew'; once more the blossoms of that 

marvellous spring unclose. While the sun goes down 

beneath the mountai:1 of Carrara, and the Apennines 

grow purple golden, and Florence sleeps beside the 

sil very Arno, and the large I t;:t1ian stars come forth 

above, we remember how those mighty master spirits 

watched the sphering of new planets in the spiritual 

skies. Savanarola in his cell below once more sits, 

brooding over the servility of Florence, the con-up 

tion of a godless Church. Michael Angelo, seated 

between Ficino and Poliziano, with the voices of the 

prophets vibrating in his memory, and with the 

music of Plato sounding in his ears, rests chin on 

hand, and elbow upon knee, like his own Jeremiah, lost 

in contemplation, whereof the after-fruit shall be the 

Sistine Chapel and the Medicean tombs. Then, 

when the strain of thought, 'unsphering Plato from his 

skies,' begins to weary, Pulci breaks the silence with 

a brand-new canto of Morgante, or a singing boy is 

bidden to tune his mandoline to Messer Angelo's last 

made ballata."* In this word-painting we have before 

us the world-famed gardens of Lorenzo de Medici, 

towards the close of the fifteenth century, with a few 

of the illustrious men who studied, and created, and 

spent there their leisure hours, feasting on refine 

ment. It was the art-laden atmosphere of these 

gardens that Lorenzo's son Giovanni inhaled, and 

which he breathed anew as Leo X. upon his Roman 

* Symonds, " Revival of Learning."

THE VIOL IN ITAL Y. 

court-" a society to which the history of the world 

offers no parallel."f 

Before quitting Florence and the associations of 

the Medici, I must ask the reader to return once more 

to the descriptive scene of the gardens of Lorenzo, 

where Poliziano is seen seated beside Michael Angelo, 

for it was he who wrote the Or/eo in two days, and 

which forms the subject of the earliest represented 

drama, not of a religious character, in a modern 

language, and which has been called the first example 

of the Italian opera.t 

There yet remains to notice, in connection with 

the city of Florence, one of the most accomplished 

and gifted men of the age-painter, author, scientist, 

and musician--Leonardo da Vinci, whose extraordinary 

skill in every branch of art excited the 

admiration of all Italy. That Da Vinci was much 

interested in music admits of no doubt whatever, 

and he is said to have possessed great ability as 

an improvisatore. As at this period improvisation 

fulfilled all the requirements in connection with 

instrumental music, it is possible he was as musically 

learned as any I tali an dilettante of his time. 

We will now turn to Ferrara, and the court of 

Hercules its Duke. Ferrara has been described as 

•. Burckhardt. 

t Hallam, with his usual exactness, remarks, "Roscoe has -called it 

the first example of the Musical Drama or Italian Opera ; but though 

he speaks of this as by general consent, it is certain that the Or/ed was 

not designed for musical accompaniment, except probably in the songs 

and chorus."-" Literature of Europe," Vol. 1., p. 214.

I42 THE VIOLIN AND ITS .MUSIC, 

the first really modern city in Europe where by the 

concentration of the official classes and promotion of 

commerce was formed for the first time a true capital, 

where wealthy fugitives from all parts of Italy, 

Florentines especially, settled and built their palaces.'x< 

In such a city music could not but be practised 

and advanced. Borso, Duke of Ferrara, was one of 

the most distinguished princes of his age : he was a. 

great patron of the arts ; and they progressed rapidly 

during his rule ; his people being contented 

politically, they were free to give to them that 

attention and encouragement which was not always 

easy where the violence of parties and opinions was 

strongly felt as in other parts of I taly. It is, 

however, Hercules 1., the successor of Borso, that 

awakens our interest. Like his predecessor, he 

was fond of the arts, but the circumstance of music 

receiving more of his attention gives his name a 

foremost place in the m'Jsical records of his country. 

It was the court of Duke Hercules that the great 

J osquin honoured with his presence, and to that 

famous musician probably was owing much of its 

musical fame. A mass of Josquin's bears the title 

" Hercules dux Ferrarice," in which composition the 

tenor singer has the subject, Re ut re ut re fa mi re, 

the vowels in these syllables corresponding with 

those in the words " Hercules dux F errarice." 

The apartments devoted to music in the Ducal 

Palace are described as having been singularly 

" Burckhardt.


beautiful, and particularly the large hall where 

the concert was given. The arrangements were 

evidently of an admirable description; nothing seems 

to have been wanting to render the music as perfect 

as its then infantile state (instrumentally) would 

permit. The Duke had in his service a great 

number of musicians, many of whom were foreign, 

an extensive musical library for that period, and 

special servants to attend to the music and the 

instruments. It is in connection with this court that 

we have probably the earliest instance of a collection 

of musical instruments being formed, for we are told 

the Duke had a museum in which was collected the 

musical contrivantes of past ages. Whenever a 

concert was to take place, letters were despatched 

to the several performers selected by the Duke 

himself, to attend a rehearsal, which was repeated 

again and again until the music was executed to 

the satisfaction of the Duke and his directo.r 

Ippolito Fiorino.o)« 

Glancing at the instruments used at this court, 

among them we find Flutes, Trumpets, Viols, Rebecs, 

Lutes, Harps, Cornets, Trombones, Cithares, Dulcimers, 

&c., &c. The V iols here mentioned I cannot 

but think were among the first intsruments 

of their kind used in Italy, and that they were no 

other than the type of instrument made by Duiffo 

prugcar, Dardelli, and others, and were of an 

altogether different form to those which have passed 

;(. Artusi's Account.


as Viols among the I taIians at an earlier date. 

These are what I have called madrigal Viols. Now, 

although Duke Hercules had these instruments 

mentioned among others, we are not to conclude that 

they were all played at the same time. No cO,mposer 

or musical director was bold enough to arrange his 

music for such a medley of instruments in the 

fifteenth century, nor has such a daring feat been 

attempted since. There can be no doubt they were 

used as before described ; each class of instrument 

had its particular province of accompaniment, and if 

they ever were used together it could only have 

been in processions, where noise was needed rather 

than music. 

Leaving the court of Hercules, we will pass to 

that of Gonzaga, at Mantua, where the arts were 

much cultivated and encouraged. It was here that 

Jacques Berchem, the Netherlander, passed thirty 

years of his life writing masses, motetts, and 

madrigals. I t was here that DardelIi, the Violmaker, 

italianised the Viol of the Mastersingers, and 

at Mantua the first sounds of these instruments 

were heard · in the madrigals of Berchem and a few 

others. There yet remains to notice the crowning 

event in the musical history of old Mantua. At 

Cremona was born Claude Monteverde, in the year 

1568, a period when Andrea Amati and his sons 

Antonius and Hieronymus were busy there with 

the art of Viol and Violin making. The Viol was 

the instrument that Monteverde delighted in, and


he early became famous as one of the greatest 

players. The fame of Monteverde reaching the 

ears of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, led to 

the engagement of the Violist by the Duke. This 

Duke Vincenzo, noted as a lover of music and the 

arts, is perhaps best remembered as having murdered 

his tutor, the Admirable Crichton, in 

the streets of Mantua in 1582 ; mention of which 

serves to remind us of that strange blending of 

crime and culture, common to the age of the Italian 

despots. 

Claude Monteverde appears to have entered the 

duke's service shortly after Vincenzo succeeded 

to the dukedom, and he remained until the year 

1612, the date of the duke's death. He was 

instructed in composition by Ingegneri, the Court 

Chapel-master, who discovered in his pupil remarkable 

abilities, which he exerted himself to 

develope. He succeeded to the position of his 

master at the Mantua!J- Court in 1603, when he 

seems to have fixed his attention upon opening 

up new ground in relation to composition, which 

contributed much to the complete transformation of 

the art. His opera L' Oifeo was the first of its 

order ever printed with music, and contains the 

earliest known reference to the Violin as an orchestral 

instrument. The structure of this infantlle Musical 

Drama, so unlike that of the modern Opera, is well 

worthy of our attention. Accompaniment, in the 

sense in which we understand that term, there was 

L


none. The airs sung by the different singers were 

sustained by the following instruments : - 

PERSONAGGI : 

La M usica Prologo 

Orfeo 

Eurydice 

Choro di Ninfe e Pastori 

Speranza 

Caronte 

Chori di Spiriti infernali 

Proserpina 

Plutone 

Apollo 

STROMENTI : 

Duoi Granicembani 

Duoi Contrabassi de Viola 

Dieci Viole da brazzo 

Un Arpa doppia 

Duoi Violini piccoli alla Francese 

Duoi Chitaroni 

Duoi Organi di legno 

Tre Bassi da Gamba 

Quattro Tromboni 

Un Regale 

The overture consists of eight bars for a trumpet 

and other instruments. In these eight bars-but 

they are long ones-are two movements. After the 

close of this introductory music, the cloth or 

curtain is drawn aside, and the opera begins. La 

Musica Prologo, personage number one, who is 

none other than the Genius of Music, stands forth 

and makes five speeches in recitative, during the 

deliverance of which he is accompanied by two primitive 

harpsichords. These speeches, like the movements 

of the overture, are remarkable for their brevity. 

In them is comprised the arguments and sundryexhort:1tions 

to order, not only addressed to the audience, 

but to the birds of the air. Then follows a shepherd's 

speech in recitative, succeeded by a chorus of five 

parts, sung to the sound of all the instruments. 

There are Ritornellos, Trios, and Duets, the whole 

concluding with an instrumental composition in five

THE VIOL IN ITALY. I47 

parts, termed a Moresca, a kind of Moorish dance. 

In the list of accompanying instruments we have 

Contrabassi di Viola, the Viola de brazzo, and Duoi 

Violinipiccoli alIa Francese. 

To Monteverde we owe the introduction of 

pizzicato in its relation to bowed instruments, and also 

rapid staccato bowing. He informs us that the novel 

and formidable appearance of the latter passages in 

his music so alarmed the members of his orchestra, 

that they at first declined to attempt to render them. 

I t will readily be seen that this staccato, apportioned 

between four Violists, was singularly juvenile in 

comparison with De Beriot's tremolo variations on 

the Thema in Beethoven's Septuor ! But when we 

think of a space of upwards of two centuries 

between the examples, ' we are well able to understand 

the feeling of alarm the sight of such a 

passage would create in the minds of Monteverde's 

Violists. 

The mention of the two Violins in this opera, 

with a reference to France, has served to cqnvert 

them into a bone of contention among Fiddle 

historians. M. F etis apparently gathers from it that 

L 2

I48 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

the Violin originated in France. A slight enquiry 

will, in my opinion, be sufficient to show that this 

belief has nothing to support it. In a work 

of Lanfranco's, printed at Brescia in I533, the 

name Violino is seen; whether it refers to a fourstringed 

instrument tuned in fifths cannot be 

affirmed. Leaving this an open question we will pass 

to the makers. Here we have Gaspard di Salo at 

work during the last half of the sixteenth century; in 

Brescia also was Matteo Bente, Budiani, and 

Maggini, all working before its close. Turning to 

Cremona we find Andrea Amati making Rebecs 

and Viols prior to IS 50, and that he made Violins 

shortly after that date is evidenced by those made 

for the court of Charles I X., whose reign dated from 

156o to 1574. Returning again to printed matter 

relative to the instrument, we see the compass of it 

given in a work of Zacconi's, printed at Venice in 

1596, namely, from open G to B in the first position. 

What have we to put beside this evidence of use 

and manufacture in Italy on the part of France ? 

In manufacture, nothing whatever. As regards use 

of the instrument there is no lack of evidence. We 

find it at the courts of Charles I X., Henry I I I., and 

Henry IV. ; at the latter the king's band of twentyfour 

Violins being used for dancing. At a fete at 

> Bayonne 

in I56 5 , dances were introduced with 

appropriate instruments, among them the Violin; and 

again in I 5 79 at the marriage of the Duke de J oyeuse 

Violins were introduced to play the dances which

THE VIOL IN ITAL Y. 1 49 

were arranged by an I tali an, the famous Baltzar. 

The family connection of these kings of France with 

the Medici, together with the · intercourse between 

the Courts of Italy and that of France, throws some 

light upon the passing of the Violin into France. 

Returning once more to Monteverde's Opera 

played at Mantua in 1607, and the Duoi Violi1Zi 

piccoli alla Francese, I am inclined to think the 

reference to France therein meant nothing more than 

that Violins were to be used in the fashion of the 

F rench, but, in place of accompanying a dance as at 

Bayonne, the Character indicated in the opera 

was accompanied by two Violins in a particular part 

of its music. 

I t is now necessary to refer again to the family 

of the Medici. The encouragement given to music 

by Lorenzo's son Giovanni, both as Cardinal de 

Medici and Pope Leo X., developed the art rapidly. 

Pietro Aaron, a Florentine musician and writer 

of Leo's time, says, "though he had acquired 

knowledge in most arts and sciences, he seemed to 

love, encourage, and exalt music more than any 

other." We recognise this desire to encourage music 

and musicians in his having conferred the title 

of Count on a Violist named Giovan Maria Sansecondo. 

As Cardinal de Medici he had his house filled 

with singers and musicians. In the year 1 499 he 

determined to leave Italyand pass some time in travelling 

through the chief European kingdoms. This 

resolve it is said was taken chiefly on account of the

I SO THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

unsuccessful efforts which had been made to effect 

the restoration of his family to their native city ; but 

whatever may have been the cause of this journey 

among foreign nations, the effects of it were 

certainly felt at Rome, when Giovanni de Medici 

became, as Leo X., the central and ruling figure in 

the famous art circle which had formed about him. 

The Cardinal informed his cousin Giulio of his 

intention, and it was arranged to form a party of 

twelve friends for the journey. Throwing aside the 

insignia of their rank, they passed through the States 

of Venice, and visited most of the German cities. 

On their arrival at DIm their appearance excited 

the suspicions of the authorities there, and led to 

their detention ; but when their quality and purpose 

was made known, they were immediately sent under 

a guard to the Emperor Maximilian, who received 

the Cardinal with the attention to which the celebrity 

of his ancestors and is high position in the Church 

entitled him. The Emperor furnished him with a 

passport through the German States, and also with 

letters to his son Philip, then governor of the Low 

Countries. In Flanders they were received by 

Philip with much hospitality and magnificence. 

The Cardinal and his friends afterwards passed into 

France, visiting every place deserving of notice, and 

examining whatever was remarkable. 

The knowledge he obtained of the manners and 

customs of the different nations on this journey, from 

personal observation, could not have been otherwise


than most valuable to him. In passing through the 

States of Venice it is more than probable he saw 

much that was worthy of imitation in relation to art, 

for it was then the Venetians were proving themselves 

able to encourage and appreciate all that the 

Renaissance had brought with it ; their hitherto 

apparent indifference to its teachings was then being 

atoned for in their eagerness to accept them in all 

their fulness. In music this was singularly so, and 

Cardinal Medici at Venice doubtless listened often to 

finished combinations, resulting from those elements 

with which he was familiar in boyhood, when Isaac, 

J osquin, and Obrecht visited Florence. The part 

played by the Venetians in relation to the Viol will 

be noticed later. I t is only necessary to remark 

here that it was of a character sufficient to strike 

an observer as superior to anything with regard to 

it outside the Venetian States. 

In visiting Germany and the Court of the 

Emperor Maximilian, the Cardinal was made 

familiar with the depth and extent of German 

musical progressiveness : whether it was brought 

about more by the influence of the musicians of the 

Netherlands than of Germany, we need not stay to 

enqUlre. I t is sufficient to know that all that was 

great in music was more or less associated with the 

Viennese Court at this period. I have seen it somewhere 

said that the presence at the University of 

Vienna of the young Duke Francesco Sforza of 

Milan contributed to the cultivation of music at that


seat of learning.* I am inclined to believe, however, 

that the young Duke received there more 

valuable musical knowledge than he himself introduced 

among the Viennese. In taking this view of 

the condition of German music as compared with 

that of Italy at this period, the assumption necessarily 

follows that the Cardinal de Medici at Maximilian's 

Court increased his acquaintance with the 

art. In Flanders again the Cardinal could not have 

failed to observe the high cultivation of the art, the 

grouping and use of instruments, its social ana 

ecclesiastical music. In his round of courtly visits 

it is highly probable he presented himself at the 

Court of Rene, the second Duke of Lorraine, where 

Music would seem to have ruled continuously. 

That his acquaintance with the condition of 

music throughout the different European Courts 

must have been greatly increased on this journey, 

scarcely admits of doubt, and it is reasonable to 

suppose that he, as an admirer of the art, would take 

particular note of anything in connection with it he 

may have deemed worthy of imitation. Upon his 

return, and immediately after his elevation to the 

* The Milanese Court, at this period, over which Francesco's 

father, Ludovico, ruled, is said to have been the most brilliant in 

Europe since that of Burgundy had ceased to exist. The presence 

there of scholars, poets, artists, and musicians, has served perhaps, to 

give colour to the assumption that Duke Francesco carried to Vienna 

much of this culture ; but whatever may have been the condition of 

the arts in general at Vienna, I do not think: music was less 

cultivated there than at Milan.

THE VIOL IN ITAL Y. 1 5 3 

Papal chair, there seems to have been a great 

addition made to the body of foreign musicians in 

I taly, and a general stir in musical life there. U nfortunately 

the records of the Pontifical Chapel were 

destroyed at the burning of the city by the army of 

Charles V. ; we are thus deprived of much valuable 

information which these documents would have 

supplied relative to music of the time of Leo X. ; 

nevertheless, the information we have-disjointed, 

and often but slightly bearing upon the art-points 

to a development in which Leo too< nb unimportant 

part, and also to his journey amid Courts where 

music flourished having influenced such development. 

Leaving the subject of the Papal Court and its 

music, with the intention of returning to it later, we 

will travel to Venice, which the historian Sansovina, 

writing about the middle of the sixteenth century, has 

rightly described as one of the most musical cities of 

Italy. Throughout the Venetian States generally 

at this period music was much cultivated. At 

V icenza, some forty miles from Venice, in 1565 there 

existed a Philharmonic Society, which was later incorporated 

with another at Verona, where a sumptuous 

edifice was raised specially for the meetings of the 

Society, which were attended by the nobility and 

gentry of the city. 

Upon setting foot in the city ?f the Doges, our 

first enquiry, like that of most visitors, is for the 

famous Piazza of St. Mark : there is, however, an

1 54 JRE VIOL 1N AND ITS MUSIC. 

essential difference of motive between the enqmry 

of a non-musical and a musical visitor ; the one 

regards the Square as a centre of sights, the other 

as having on its east side a pile of buildings teeming 

with historic music-lore, round and about which have 

moved men whose memories will never die whilst 

music lives. The palace of the Duke and the 

Doge, the granite columns of St. Mark and St. 

Theodore, are all as nothing to him who seeks the 

basilica of St. Mark, there to muse over the 

musical worthies who trod the pavement of the 

sacred edifice, and shed such lustre upon their art. 

Here it was that Adrian Willaert ruled as Chapelmaster, 

and made his choir envied throughout Italy. 

I t was here that Willaert's pupil Zarlino succeeded 

to the Chapel-mastership in 1565; and the same 

post was held by Monteverde in r613. In and 

around the edifice must have often wandered 

Stradella, Lotti, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and many more 

whose names it would be easy to recall were it not at 

the risk of fatiguing the reader : there is, however, 

one other which must not be omitted, namely, 

Domenico Dragonetti, who played in the Chapel 

orchestra, and where at this hour is the Gaspard 

di Salo Contra-bass, the tones of which men now 

living remember to have heard frequently sounded 

by Dragonetti in the sonatas of Corelli, in conjunction 

with our Robert Lindley. Having quaffed somewhat 

deeply of the cup of sentimentality supplied by 

the memories of those associated with the interior of

THE VIOL iN iTAL Y. I SS 

the building, it is full time to continue our course of 

enquiry outside, in relation to the musical past of 

Venice. Upon reaching the square of St. Mark, 

and turning again to look upon the sacred pile, its 

architectural beauties momentarily deaden our 

musical ardour, and reminds us of Ruskin's verbal 

harmonies in which the wondrous building is likened 

unto a vision rising out of the earth, "and all the 

great square seems to have opened from it in a kind 

of awe, that we may see it far away-a multitude of 

pillars and white domes, clustered into a long, low 

pyramid of coloured light ; a treasure heap, it seems, 

partly of gold, and partly of opal and mother-o' -pearl, 

hollowed beneath into five great vaulted porches 

ceiled with fair mosaic, and beset with sculpture 

of alabaster, clear as amber and delicate as ivory."* 

* " Stones of Venice. "

ettilln 1I.-CQrhe lIiaI in Ihtll1. 

CHAPTER III. 

I 

N Coriat's Crudities we have an interesting 

account of music the author heard at Venice in 

1 608, and therefore five years prior to Monteverde 

becoming master of the Chapel of St. Mark. At 

St. Mark's Church, he tells us, he heard " the music 

of a Treble Viol, so excellent that no man could 

surpass it." He also relates that he was present at 

a musical performance in Venice, given in honour of 

St. Roche, which so delighted him that he would 

have gone a hundred miles to hear it : he quaintly 

proceeds to inform us that "This feast consisted 

prindpally of music which was both vocal and 

instrumental, so good, so delectable, so rare, so 

admirable, so super-excellent, that it did even ravish 

and stupefy all those strangers that never heard the 

like. But how others were affected with it I know 

not ; for my own part I can . say this, that I was for 

the time even rapt up with St. Paul into the third 

heaven. Sometimes there sung sixteen or twenty 

men together, having their master or moderator to 

keep them in order ; and when they sung, the


instrumental musicians played also. Sometimes sixteen 

played together upon their instruments, ten 

sackbuts, four cornets, and Viols da Gamba of a 

extraordinary greatness ;* sometimes ten, six sackbuts 

and four cornets ; sometimes two, a cornet and 

a Treble Viol. Of these Treble Viols I heard three 

several there, whereof each was so good, especially 

one that I observed above the rest, that I never 

heard the like before. Those that played upon the 

Treble Viols sung and played together, and sometimes 

two singular fellows played together upon 

Theorboes (a lute with two necks), to which they 

sung also, who yielded admirable sweet music, but 

so still that they could scarce be heard but by those 

that were very near them. These two Theorboists 

concluded that night's music, which continued three 

whole hours at the least, for they began about five 

of the clock, and ended not before eight. Also it 

continued as long in the morning ; at every time 

that every several music played, the organs, whereof 

there are seven fair pair in that room, standing all 

in a row together, played with them." 

It was at Venice that the Aldo of music, Petrucci, 

set up his press for printing from moveable 

type, about the year I495 : the beauty of the work 

executed by this first of music printers is seen in the 

masses of J osquin, Obrecht, Isaac, and others, which 

are preserved in the chief European national 

libraries. The music bibliographer idolises the 

* He refers, no doubt, to the full-sized Italian DOUble-bass.


editions of Petrucci in the same degree as the 

bibliographer does those of his contemporary Aldo 

Manuzio. I t is, however, the great impetus this press 

gave to music which mainly concerns us. The same 

complaint must have been uttered by the lovers of 

music as that of te lover of books, before the invention 

of printing, as to the great cost and inconvenience 

of manuscript copies. By the aid of Petrucci composers 

reached the ' multitude, and thus caused 

a new life to be given to the social branch of the 

-art. 

The publication of social vocal music, from the 

pens of eminent composers whose abilities had 

hitherto been devoted to ecclesiastical works, at once 

extended the cultivation of this home music. These 

publications were soon followed by others in connection 

with instruments. I n 1507 and 1508 the 

Venetian press printed four books in tablature on 

the Lute, and in 1509 vocal music with tablature for 

Tenors and Double Bass, a fac-simile of which IS 

given in this volume. 

This tablature appears to me to be of some 

historical value, since it is the earliest of the kind I 

have found any account of. The Tenors referred to 

may be Tenor Viols of the Viol da Gamba form, but 

I am inclined to believe the instruments indicated were 

.the large tenors with deep sides resembling diminutive 

Violoncellos/X: I am not aware that any of these 

* In Monteverde's Opera, EOljeo, mention is made of Contrabasse 

de Viola, and may refer to these instruments.

:-,perz'7J1ell if Tablature 

Prill ted by Petrucci" I 509.

La pl imavolta nfa tu.tte duele pau.Ce poitl fo rirrolo B T lIT 

.c 'l'tH, t tiftb1l Q I ,H1IUtH loot' 

S rn 

Lavoce del l' 

fopr8:rt ale1 I 

,'" [pkli mi,i ro" ",on lenli Cholu,lli ,hliemell berra vi [ollie r 

I" _ I 

" 

. 

' f'r" r 

I 

f' I" i" I" 

l' I I I I f' r f' tt' l" . 

ni!! ! 10 I () iii I 0 () Ht I U () I 0 1 11 II () o' 

q pp 

• , J • 

• • \ J. 

i I § I¢' II

M. Fetis, in his Notice of Petrucci, says :" Dans I'annee 1509, on 

ne trouve qu'un seul ouvrage sorti des presses de Petrucci ; il a pour 

titre : 'Tenon' e contrabassi intabulati col sopran' in canto Ji,gurato 

per cantar e sonar col lauto Libro Primo. Francisci Bossinensis 

Opus J " Ce qui signifie que Ia partie de soprano est ecrite en notation 

ordinaire pour etre chantee par Ia voix, tandis que Ie tenor et la basse, 

ecrits en caracteres de tablature sont joues sur Ie luth ; enfin, que 

l'ouvrage a ete compose par un certain Franfois ne dans Ie Bosnie, 

et dont Ie nom de famille n'est pas indique." 

I am unable to understand the term " Contrabassi " being applied 

to the voice, and cannot but think the reference is to instruments 

collectively of the type of the Violono and the Accordo. The tablature 

is interesting as evidence of its application to instruments earlier 

than noticed in the work of Ganassi, 1543 ; which is nineteen years 

earlier than Wolf Heckel's book on the Lute, published at Strasburg 

in 1562 ; which again is eight years earlier than that of Adrian 

Le Roy.


instruments have come down to us in their original 

state. Many have been destroyed for the purpose 

of repairing old Italian Violins, and others have 

been converted into Violas by reducing their sides 

and removing their heads, which were made to carry 

five or even more pegs, but beyond this the headpiece 

was, in Fiddle physiology, pre-Adamite, and 

therefore wholly unsuited to pass current with others 

of a higher development. Returning to the subject 

of the tablature, the reference on the title-page to the 

Double Bass is perfectly clear, and I am inclined to 

believe relates to an instrument larger than the 

Violone, which name has long been associated with 

the Double Bass of the Italians. We have ocular 

proof. of the existence at an early period in I taly of 

Double Basses of two sizes in the instruments themselves, 

the smaller of which I regard as the Violone 

of the sixteenth century. 

I t is here that our enquiries lead us into a field 

of Italian Viol history, from which we get more than 

a glimpse of I talian Viol development. With the 

opening of the sixteenth century appears to be 

associated that which, for the want of a better name, 

I will call the I tali an Reformation of bowed instruments. 

The rapid spread of this reformation speedily 

caused the crop of incongruities which sprung from 

the Gothic Viol germ to run to seed in museums 

like that of Hercules, Duke of Ferrara. That this 

bowed instrument reformation had its rise in the 

coming to the States of Venice of t . he N etherlaJ;lder

160 THE VIOLIN AND ITS )vIUSIC. 

and his Madrigal, is the opinion I have formed after 

tracing the course taken by both instruments and 

music at this date. Very shortly after the madrigal 

appeared in Italy, the Viol manufacture-which had 

been chiefly carried on at Mantua, and consisted in 

reproducing Viols of the class common among 

Germans and Lowlanders-gave way to the Viols 

wholly of Italian design. The original of this 

type of instrument appears to have been the large 

Italian Double Bass, in which we see clearly the 

curves afterwards common to the Violin family of 

instruments. In the upper, lower, and middle bouts,:J« 

we observe the lines which have been retained for 

nearly four centuries. I t is rare to see an Italian 

Double Bass with the upper sides shaped as here 

indicated, but they were all made so unquestionably, 

and were altered to the shape we now see them 

when frets were dispensed with, and the higher 

positions of the instrument began to be used. In 

the sound-hole again we discover evidence of new 

ideas. No longer is its back turned to the bridgeas 

seen in the Viol da Gamba to the end of its daysbut 

it faces that important member of the body with 

an air of grace and ease. N either is it cut like that 

of the Viol da Gamba, simply as a hole for the 

emission of sound, regardless of the shape and 

manner of setting having considerable influence on 

the quality of tone. It was shaped with a singular 

power of elegance, utility, and design : a combination 

* Sides.

E Sneii.Sc


of greatnesses solely belonging to the Italians at 

the period, of the Renaissance. 

The next creation appears to have been the 

Tenor for the knee, of two or more sizes, with deep 

sides and backs, frequently modelled. The largest 

of these instruments were reduced to Violas in many 

ways. Next came the averaged-sized Italian Tenor, 

followed very shortly after by the Violin in its 

Italian form. The Viol da Gamba seems to have 

been the only instrument belonging to what I term 

the Gothic branch in I taly, not laid aside, since ; 

it is evident the Viol da Gamba was made in 

Italy until towards the end of the seventeenth 

century. This at last gave way to the Violoncello, 

which was not introduced until long after the smaller · 

Italian Tenors had been in use. I t seems to be clear 

that these were the instruments used by the Italians 

in their Churches and in their homes, and that they 

made but little use of the Gothic type of Viol, 

with the exception of the Viol da Gamba, which was 

common to the end of the seventeenth century in 

England, and probably later in France, Germany, 

and the Low Countries. 

In seeking for music published in Italy, early in 

the sixteenth century, relative to Viols, we have 

mention of a most interesting work, which serves 

to enlighten us upon the condition and character 

of these instruments. The book I refer to is that of 

Silvestro Ganassi on the art of playing the Viol, 

published at Venice in 1543. It is divided into two 

M


parts ; the first treats of the fretted Viola, which at 

once proves that Violas, like Lutes and Guitars, had 

frets at this date. The second part teaches how to 

play the fretted Double Bass, which shows that the 

notes on these instruments were also mechanically 

divided ; but on the title of this curious work we 

have yet further interesting information, for it states 

the book treats of the effect of the fa lse, just, and 

middle strinf[,* which I take to mean the back, 

natural, and first position on the finger-board. 

Here we have a distinct indication of progress in 

the knowledge of positions. It further states that 

the work teaches how to place the frets in different 

ways, which points to different methods of tuning the 

open strings,t but the last few words on the title are 

even more interesting : these are, that the book is 

suitable also to those who play the Viola without 

frets. Here we have a distinct reference to Violas 

Fiddle-fashion, and therefore an indication of the 

coming of the Fiddle to the Viol. In the early pages 

of my book I have remarked in effect that it may 

seem but a flight of the imagination to regard the 

juggler's Fiddle as having been instrumental to the 

domination of the Viol, and likewise as having 

dethroned it, and becoming itself the king of 

instruments ; but it is here that we appear to 

have evidence bearing on this change of fortune. 

* The words used are corda falsa, giosta, et media. 

t In England we appear to have had, a century later, a repetition 

of this variety of tuning, in Viols tuned ... Lyra way 

. 

" and for 

" consort. "


The book of Ganassi has reference mainly to 

fretted Viols, but notices Viols without frets in a 

manner indicative of their having been but recently 

used. Now, although the book is dated I543, we 

may conclude the ad()ption of Viols without frets 

probably took place about the beginning of the 

century. In taking this view, much weight is given 

to th opinion that the Italian Violin made its 

appearance early in the sixteenth century, since the 

Viol without frets was but the introducer of the 

wandering Fiddle-from whom it borrowed its 

finger-board-to the refined society of the Viols. 

To render association possible, however, it was 

necessary to re-habilitate the wandering Fiddle, and 

this was accomplished by giving it the garb of the 

Italian Viola, and henceforth it took its place beside 

it as its diminutive, The Violin. 

In continuing our enquiry relative to early 

I talian music, the writings of the famous Contrapuntists, 

Andrea and Giovanni Gabrielli, next claim 

our attention. These composers occupy a prominent 

place in the annals of their art. Andrea was the 

p upil of \iVillaert, and became organist of St. Mark's. 

Giovanni, the nephew and pupil of Andrea, also held 

the same post. To them appears to belong the 

honour of having been the earliest Italian composers 

who gave back to Germany and the Low Countries 

their music polished with the musial art of Italy, 

or through themselves and their pupils, Heinrich 

Schutz, Michael Prcetorius, and others. 

1\1 2

1; 64 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Andrea Gabrielli published at Venice, in 1565, a 

collection of sacred songs or motetts for five voices 

and £nstruments. This appears to be one of the 

earliest sets of compositions of this character specially 

adapted to instruments ; but long prior to this date 

the madrigals of his master, Adrian Willaert, were 

used instrumentally in connection with the reformed 

Viol of the Venetians, though specially written for 

voices. The same composer published, in 1586, a 

Sonata for five instruments, and, in conjunction with 

Giovanni Gabrielli, a collection of nine books for 

several instruments ; but our interest is chiefly 

awakened in a composition consisting of Church ' 

madrigals of Giovanni Gabrielli's, in which we have 

men!ion Df the Violin. This collection was pub. 

Iished at Venice in 1587. and it has already been 

noticed in Section I; we thus appear to have 

an earlier reference to the Violin than is furnished 

in Monteverde's L'OJfeo. Besides the works 

mentioned in connection with instruments, there 

were others by Marini,· Gaptoldi, Rovigo, Trussio, 

and others.

dinn ll-CQChr, ilinl in 3Ehtll1. 

CHAPTER IV. 

W E must now return to Rome, over which a 

" sea of troubles " had swept since we left it 

with Giovanni de Medici in the Papal Chair. The 

Vatican no longer resounded with song and music, 

the echoes of which were heard through the 

city as a call to joy and gladness. Its doors 

were no longer open to all the poets, scholars, 

singers, and buffoons of Rome. Raphael was no 

longer immortalizing his munificent patron and his 

Cardinals by painting their portraits on its walls. 

Pomp and pagentry had given place to woe and 

desolation. Amid the worldliness of Leo's Court 

insufficient heed was taken of the storm-laden clouds 

which had been gathering in Germany and Switzerland. 

Leo's successor, however, the ship carpenter's 

son of Utrecht, who ascended the throne as Adrian· 

XL, failed not to observe that they were fast rolling 

towards the Eternal City, and hoped to avert the 

threatened danger by reversing the course of his 

predecessor. Painters, poets, and musicians, together 

with the vast retinue of servants belonging to the


Vatican, were with a stroke of Adrian's pen dismissed. 

The art galleries of Rome were closed and barred, 

and thus it was sought to re-kindle that spiritual life 

of which few embers remained, and silence the roar 

of Luther's thunder.* Such sweeping reforms, however, 

were not in conformity with the taste and 

feelings of the Roman citizens, and when another 

Medici succeeded Adrian as Clement VII., they 

looked forward to a return to a court like that of his 

relative. Meanwhile the storm had been lashed into 

a tempest, and burst over Rome in the year 1527, 

when, for more than nine long months the city was 

abandoned to some thirty thousand brigands 

bearing arms in the name of the Emperor Charles V. 

The Pope, a prisoner in the Castle of St. Angelo, 

from the windows of which he could see the flames 

shooting high into the air, from some of the grandest 

monuments of European art. Benvenuto Celliniartist 

and mUSlClan-a soldier, defending the city 

walls and killing the Duke of Bourbon in his 

-if. Carlyle, in speaking of this period of Italian history, was not 

likely to do so without saying something indicative of his want 

of sympathy for the arts. "Italy put up silently with practical lies 

of all kinds ; and, shrugging its shoulders, preferred going into Dilettantism 

and the Fine Arts. The Italians, instead of the sacred service of 

Fact and Performance, did music, painting, and the like :-till even 

that has become impossible for them ; and no noble nation sunk from 

virtue to virtu, ever offered such a spectacle before. He that will 

prefer Dilettantism in this world for his outfit, shall have it ; but all 

the gods will depart from him ; and manful veracity, earnestness of 

purpose, devout depth of soul, shall no more be his."-" History of 

Frederick the Great."

7HE VIOL IN ITALY. 

attempt to scale them. Raphael, who had lived, 

loved, and laboured amid the city churches and 

palaces, and who fed on the hope of seeing Rome 

raised again to all its pristine splendour, was happily 

spared the sight or knowledge of this terrible 

scene. 

The Sack of Rome precipitated the counter 

Reformation, in the heat of which the art of music 

passed through one of the most critical periods of 

its history : hence the interest which belongs to this 

exciting page of history from a musical point of 

view. The reaction had the effect of shaking the art 

to its very foundation. The desire of the counter 

reformers to appease the wrath levelled at their 

Church by Z wing-Ii, Luther, and Calvin, seemed 

likely to lead them to extremes in the matter of the 

reform of their musical service. What might have 

been the action of the counter reformers at Rome 

had the German protestant leader been of the same 

mind as those of Switzerland with regard to music, 

is not difficult to perceive. With Calvin's model of 

Church government alone before them, with neither 

organ nor choral service, they would in all probability 

have brought about in Rome a return to the barbarousness 

of the music which, as before said, " fell into 

the fancy or observations of a poor friar, in chanting 

his matins." Happily Luther regarded music as 

" one of the fairest and most glorious gifts of God," 

and near allied to divinity, " and was not ashamed 

to say that, except theology, no art is comparable to


music," and he adhered to the use of the organ and 

other instruments in the service ; which not only 

effectually checked the retrograde steps at Rome in 

relation to music, but largely influenced the opening 

up of a new school of Italian musical art. 

As before remarked, the records of the Pontifical 

Chapel were lost at the burning of the city ; leaving 

us therefore in ignorance of much concerning the 

music of the Papal States at this period. Certain 

it is, however, that Goudimel, in opening the music 

school at Rome, about the middle of the sixteenth 

century, was making ready the cradle for the reception 

of the wreck of Ecclesiastical Music, launched 

and manned by N etherIanders in a past age. Right 

well did he perform his task ! When the wreck was 

cradled, it fell to the genius of the immortal 

Palestrina to modify its original design in accordance 

with the spirit of the times. 

About the period of the Venetian transformation 

of the Fiddle into the Violin, Palestrina was 

pursuing his studies in the school of Goudimel, and 

teaching the choir boys of St. Peter's. Among the 

fellow-students of Palestrina were N anini, and 

Alessandro Romano, surnamed Alessandro della 

Viola from his great skill upon that instrument. 

Later he became a member of a monastic order, 

choosing the martial name of Julius Cesar-surely 

that of Nero would have been a better selection, 

since he was both martial and musical, and it is even 

said played the Fiddle, a statement I am unable to

THE VIOL IN ITALY. 

reconcile with the condition of Roman mUSIC in the 

early years of the Christian Era. 

Our journey through the cities of Italy in search 

of information relative to our subject must end at 

Naples, a city rich in music-lore, but of a character 

far less interesting to us than that of those we have 

already visited. It was here that the Netherlander 

Tinctor came, at the call of King Ferdinand, in 

1 487, and founded the School of Music. The 

outcome of this event in the musical history 

of Naples, during the next hundred years, we 

need not enter upon, but pass on to the Prince of 

Venosa, who, though an amateur, was one of the 

earliest of Neapolita n composers. His madrigals 

were not only popular in Naples, but throughout 

I taJy. He was skilled in the use of several instruments, 

but more particularly of the Lute. In his 

palace he founded an academy, and in many ways 

contributed to the progressiveness of the art he 

loved. I t was in the neighbourhood of Naples that 

the painter, poet, satirist, and musician, Salvator 

Rosa, was born. That this extraordinary man 

exercised his musical abilities to some purpose is 

gathered from the popularity of his music, which 

the "spinners and knitters in the sun did use to 

chant." This serves to remind us of the reference 

Evelyn makes to the Neapolitan's love of music. 

He says, "The country people are so jovial and 

addicted to music that the very husbandmen almost 

universally play on the guitar."

I 7° THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

For information relative to the progress of 

instrumental music at Naples, the work of Scipione 

Cerreto, entitled "Della Prattica M usica, V ocale e 

Strumentale," published in 160I, contains much 

that is interesting. This work was issued but six 

years prior to the production of Monteverde's opera 

L' Orfio, in which, as already noticed, the Violin is 

used ; and earlier instances of its use have also been 

gIven. Yet Cerreto makes no reference to the 

instrument, from which it would seem that it had no 

place in the music of Naples, unless it was in that 

of street minstrelsy, and therefore beneath the 

writer's notice.

H 

e£thm 113E.-CQI:Jte llinlin in Itltlll. 

CHAPTER 1. 

ITHERTO our references to the music of the 

Violin have been but tentative. It is not until 

we reach the early years of the seventeenth century 

that we are able to gather information of the Violin 

taking a part in any way worthy of the title Solo. It 

is now that its great future begins to be foreshadowed 

in the works of men whose names are for the most 

part unfamiliar to us. How few Violinists have 

heard the name of Paolo Quagliati ! Yet to him is 

traceable probably the first solo for the instrument, 

which he called a Toccata, having an accompaniment 

for a large Lute. To describe this Toccata as a Violin 

solo is, perhaps, not unlike calling the Marquis of 

Worcester's infantile engine a locomotive, since the 

disparity is as marked between Quagliati's Violin 

composition and the solos of Corelli, as between the 

machine of the Marquis of Worcester and that of 

George Stephenson ; yet, withal, the Toccata is the 

earliest known example of the Violin solo. 

__ Biagio Marini, a native of Brescia, appears to have 

written specially for the Violin, and to have aided the


development of its music greatly. j It is, however, 

Carlo Farina, of Mantua, born about I S80, to whomwe 

seem to owe the earliest instance of solo-writing from 

pen of a Violinist. Farina held the position of solo 

Violinist at the Court of Saxony, and in 1627 published 

at Dresden a collection of Galliards, Courants, 

&c., * the best portion of which is appropriately 

named " Capriccio Stravagante," wherein the Violin 

is made to imitate the braying of an ass and other 

sounds peculiar to the animal kingdom, · as 

well as the fife of the soldier and the twanging 

of guitars. This, it must be confessed, is not 

high art, and points to a disposition on the part 

of the Violin to return to its old companions of the 

Fiddle. Perhaps we ought not to expect to find at 

this stage of its independence that punctiliousness 

associated with its behaviour when in the company 

of the Viols, and we must also bear in mind that 

Corelli had not yet taught it to be dignified even 

though engaged in playing a jig. 

Giovanni Battista Fontana supplies us with the 

earliest indication of the removal of the V iolin as a 

solo instrument to a higher sphere of composition. 

In 1641 was published at Venice eighteen sonatas 

with accompaniment for two or three Violins with 

Bass. This work is noticed by Wasielewski in "Die 

Violine," Bonn, 1873, as also many others I shall have 

occasion to refer to. Mauritio Cazzati, a native of 

Mantua, is mentioned by Roger North as the com- 

* Copy in the Dresden Library.

THE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 

poser whose writings were imported into England in 

Charles I I.' s time by "divers societies of a politer 

sort, inquisitive after foreign consorts." The following 

work with others is mentioned by Dr. Rimbault 

as preserved at Oxford : "n secondo libre delle 

Sonate a tre, due Violini e Violone, con i1 sue Basso 

continuo, Bologna, 1648." 

Giovanni Legrenzi, born at Bergamo, about 

162 5, Chapel-master of St. Mark's, Venice, composed 

several sonatas in connection with the Violin. 

I t was Legrenzi who remodelled the Chapel 

orchestra of St. Mark's about 1670, in which he 

introduced eight Violins, eleven small Violas or 

V£olettes for the second and third parts, two ordinary 

Tenors, three Viols da Gamba, and Double Bass. 

-Passing to Giovanni Battista Vitali, born at 

Cremona about 1644, we have several compositions 

for stringed instruments from his pen, fourteen of which 

are published, and others left in manuscript ; these 

are chiefly interesting from their early dates and 

titles. Op. I, published in 1666, BaIletti, Correntegighe, 

Allemando, which is an early mention of 

such movements. Op. 3 we have besides Balletti 

Correnti alIa francese ; and again, Op. 10, Varie 

Sonate alIa francese ed all' I tagl iana. These 

references to French music point to the style being 

popular out of France, and evidence an appreciation 

of that Eght kind of music which Lulli 

introduced in his operas to gratify the taste of 

Louis XIV. Vitali is another of the Italian com-

174 THE VIOLIN AND ITS JliIUSIC. 

posers whose writings were introduced here in the 

reign of Charles I I. 

Tomasso Antonio Vitali, born at Bergamo about 

1650, was the famous Violinist, and must not be 

confounded with Giovanni. I t was Tomasso who 

wrote the chaconne which Joachim first played at 

the Monday Popular Concerts in 1870. 

It is Gregorio Allegri, the pupil of Nanini, who 

next claims our notice. N anini was the pupil of 

Goudimel, and fellow-student with Palestrina, mention 

of which serves to heighten our interest in 

Allegri. the comp6ser of the earliest string quartett. 

This composition, Dr. Burney remarks, "does not 

manifest any great progress which the Violin tribe 

had made towards perfection. The celebrity and 

importance which this family has acquired, since it 

may be said to have got up in the world and made 

so much noise everywhere, may excite curiosity in 

its admirers about its manner of g·oing on and passing 

its time." On this account alone the quartett is 

valuable. Mr. Hullah, in his published lectures,* has 

given the Andante in modern notation. 

Giuseppe Colombi, of Modena, published Sonatas 

for two Violins and a Bassetto in 1676, besides other 

compositions in which the Violin is concerned. This 

Bassetto I am inclined to regard as the small- Violoncello, 

which most of the great I tali an makers made 

together with large ones. It was Clombi who 

succeeded Bonondni, the father of Bononcini the 

*" "Transition period of Music."

7 HE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. I7 5 

opponent of Handel, as Chapel-master to the Duke 

of Modena. Another composer for the Violin, who 

held the same office at Modena, was Marco 

U ccellini, to whom is given the credit of having 

developed the powers of the bow in a manner before 

unknown. Giovanni Nicolai, an r tali an musician, 

connected with the court of the Duke of Wurtemburg, 

published at Augsburg, in I675, twenty-four 

caprices for four Violins with thorough-bass, besides 

other Violin works. I Bassani, born at Padua about 

I 657, was the conductor of the Cathedral music at 

Bologna for some time, and also at Ferrara. His 

ompositions consist chiefly of operatic and sacred 

music. Among those for the Violin are " Sonate da 

Camera, cioe balletti, correnti, gighe e sarabande, a 

Violino a beneplacito, opera prima, Bologne dodici 

Sonata a due Violini e Basso op. 5." Giuseppe Torelli, 

born at Verona, introduced the Concerto da Camera, 

the form of composition in which Corelli and Handel 

",!"ere so successful. He also published chamber 

caprices for Violin, Tenor and Lute, and his brother 

published a year after Torelli's death the famous 

" Concerti grossi con una pastorale per il Santissimo 

natale." Anthony V eracini, the uncle of Francesco 

Veracini, composed a set of sonatas for two Violins, 

Bass, Organ, or Lute, and others of a similar kind, 

published about 1662 ; with the mention of which 

we are brought to the end of our list of patriarchal 

Violin music. 

r am aware of the absence, in the preceding pages,


of many names and particulars not without interest, yet 

had I noticed them the sections would have been 

drawn out to an inordinate length, besides sinking my 

simulated narrative in a dictionary of musical events, 

to avoid which has been my earnest wish from the 

commencement of my undertaking. I have endeavoured 

to follow to the best of my ability the advice 

of him who reminds us of "the proverb of old 

Hesiod, that half is often more than the whole. 

The policy of the Dutch, who cut down most of 

the precious trees in the Spice Islands, in order to 

ra ise the value of what remained was a policy 

which poets would do well to imitate." This is, I 

imagine, equally applicable to prose writings of all 

kinds. If I have followed too closely the example 

of the Dutch it has not been done with a desire to 

sacrifice instruction at the shrine of entertainment, 

but from a wish to combine the advantages of 

both. Having unbosomed myself of these remarks 

touching the shortcomings gone before, I have only 

to add that I wish them to apply to those which 

follow.

S 

edion 'tllE.-CQClu t1ialin in Itu1ll. 

CHAPTER II. 

IDNEY SMITH was certainly right in saying, 

"That man is not the discoverer who first 

says the thing, but he who says it so long, and 

so loud, and so clearly, that he compels mankind 

to hear him." 

I t was Corelli who spoke so long, so loud, and 

so clearly with regard to the Music of the Violin ; it 

was Galileo who did so for experimental science ; and 

it was Bacon who did likewise for experimental philosophy. 

Indeed, their utterances were so peculiarly 

distinct as, if not to drown the voices of their predecessors, 

to at least render them all but inaudible. 

That this should have been so may seem remarkable 

when we reflect that the clearing of the ground 

upon which true genius was to exert itself was the 

task these all but forgotten men set themselves to 

perform. Material was at hand ; but the ability to 

utilize it in forming a foundation upon which their 

followers might depend, was wanting. It was this 

skilful work which these master-minds undertook, 

and succeeded in accomplishing ; and thus it comes 

N

THE VI OLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

that, although we are unable to say, to Galileo, to 

Bacon, and to Corelli we are indebted for all that 

belongs to the early stages of knowledge in science, 

philosophy, and music, yet we can and do delight 

in naming them fathers to their respective studies. 

I t happens that the labour needed to make ready 

for the reception of the impress of genius is not 

of a character to give distinctive fame to those 

engaged in the work. Collective efforts are merged 

into those made by the possessors of minds capable 

of transforming incongruous atoms into a symmetrical 

whole, and when this transformation is accomplished, 

the art, be it useful or ornamental, is rapidly developed-so 

much so indeed as to often deprive 

those whose work mainly conduced to this result, of 

that merit which is rightly theirs. 

Imitators and followers tread closely on the heels 

of originators, adapting their chief ideas, and adding 

to them as fancy dictates, whilst keeping abreast of 

the period. The productions of originators become 

antiq uated ; their merit is oftentimes miscalculated in 

being tested by a false standard, which is that of 

drawing a comparison between their works and those 

resulting from them, instead of subjecting them to 

their own particular gauge ; the result of which is 

to press them into a state bordering on oblivion, to 

be now and again sought out by the sage and the 

antiquary. In listening even to the music of Corelli, 

how often is astonishment expressed that such 

primitive writing could give pleasure, forgetting that

THE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 1 79 

its very primitiveness is its charm ; that in short, it is 

nature in notes, forming the foundation upon which 

the imposing superstructure of modern instrumental 

music has been raised. When Roger North said, 

" if music can be immortal, Corelli's will be so," the 

oldest note Corelli had penned could scarcely have 

reached its thirtieth year, but the immortal life foreshadowed 

by King James's Attorney-General when 

the gigs and sarabands of Corelli wore all the 

freshness of novelty, runs peacefully on, unaffected 

by the deafening trumpetings proclaiming theories 

of higher development in the art of music. 

Happy in the possession of exceptional executive 

skill, together with creative abilities, Corelli possessed 

an advantage over his contemporaries and predecessors 

of great importance. As a player, he clearly 

recognised the possibility of using stringed instruments 

in concert with better results than had hitherto 

been attained, and successfully accomplished his 

task of reforming the music of the Violin, and 

placing the instrument at the head of its race. 

According to Adami,o)« Corelli received his early 

instructions in composition froni Matteo Simonelli, 

the pupil of Allegri. Laurenti of Bologna is also 

said to have instructed him-a statement resting on a 

tradition curreht at Rome many years after Corelli's 

death. Bassani has likewise been mentioned as a 

master of the famous Violinist. Whether Corelli was 

'*" "Osservationi per ben regolare il cora dei Cantori della Capella 

pontificia, &c., Rome, 1711." 

N 2


Bassani's pupil or not is a question impossible to 

decide ; if so, the pupil was the master's senior ; 

though an unusual circumstance, it does not prove 

anything. It is, however, the date of their respective 

compositions which throws some light upon the 

matter, and particularly that of Corelli taking Bassani 

as his model. The date of the first edition of Bassani's 

sonatas does not appear to be known, and there is no 

evidence to prove they were issued before Corelli's ; 

but it is said Corelli took for a model of his graver 

sonatas the first and third set of those of Bassani ;' 

and again, that the first and third sonatas of Corelli 

are apparently formed after the model of Bassani's 

Op. 5.t That this could not have been so is seen 

from the date of Corelli's Op. I, 1683, and Bassani's 

Op. 5 , 1700. 

The information we have of Corelli's life is both 

meagre and unsatisfactory. As regards the anecdotal 

portion, I am inclined to regard it as mainly 

apocryphal ; but of that later. The earliest recorded 

event of any interest is Corelli's visit to Germany, 

about the year 1680, where he is said to have 

remained two years, during which time he was 

patronised by the Duke of Bavaria and other 

German princes. Subsequently we find him 

settled at Rome, where he published, in 1683, his 

first twelve sonatas before-mentioned. In 1685 

appeared the second set, which gave rise to a 

controversy between the composer and Giov. Paolo 

'" Burney. t Hawkins.

THE VI OLIN IN ITAL Y. 181 

Colonna, Chapel-master at Bologna, touching the 

vexed question of consecutive fifths-Corelli having 

committed the then unpardonable sin in his third 

sonata. According to the learned in the science of 

music the greatest luminaries in the art have been 

guilty of this dire offence with wondrous results. 

Whether the father of Violin-music contrived to 

extract good from evil I must leave the learned 

to decide ; but I think it highly probable that 

Colonna is better remembered from his association 

with Corelli in relation to consecutive fifths, 

than from any musical work he himself left behind 

him. 

In the year r686, we have it from Guidi, an 

I tali an poet, that Corelli led the music of an 

allegorical opera gi ven at Rome, in honour of the 

Earl of Castel maine, the ambassador of King 

J ames 11., the music of which was composed by 

Bernardo Pasquino, a celebrated organist, and the 

words by the poet above-named. Its allegorical 

nature is seen from its characters : London-Thames 

and Fame brought under the influence of the 

inevitable good and evil geniuses. The orchestra 

which Carelli led is said to have numbered one 

hundred and fifty bowed instruments ; it must be 

confessed an extraordinary number, considering the 

character of the entertainment, and sufficient to 

throw doubt upon the correctness of the record. 

John Evelyn describes a similar operatic performance 

in France in 165 I , where there were "29 Violins


vested a l'antique,"* one fifth the number over which 

Corelli is said to have been placed in Guidi's opera, 

but the same as he led at the Church of St. Lorenzo. 

Anyhow, it would be interesting to know what was 

the character of the music allotted to this army of 

Fiddles and Viols. This entertainment took place 

at the Palace of Christina, the daughter of the great 

Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, who, Macaulay 

says, "had finally taken up her abode in Rome, 

where she busied herself with astrological calculations 

and with the intrigues of the conclave, and 

amused herself with pictures, gems, manuscripts, 

and medals. A splendid assembly met in her palace ; 

her verses, set to music, were sung with universal 

applause." 

Returning again to the music of Corelli, we find 

that the second set of sonatas, called BaIletti da 

Camera, published in the year 168 S, were dedicated 

to Cardinal Panfilio or Pamphili, from which we 

infer the composer received some attention from his 

Eminence, who was a great lover of music and the 

arts. I t was Cardinal Panfilio who became one of 

"if "To the Palais Cardinal, where ye master of ceremonies plac'd 

me to see ye royal masque or opera. The first sceane represented a 

chariot of singers composed of the rarest voices that could be procur'd, 

representing Cornaro and Temperance ; this was overthrown by 

Bacchus and his Revellers ; the rest consisted of several entries and 

pageants of excesse by all the Elements. The conclusion was an 

Heaven whither all ascended. But the glory of the Masque was the 

greate persons performing in it, the French King (Louis XIV., age 13), 

his brother the Duke of Anjou, and others."


the foremost admirers of Handel, and who wrote 

the poem on the power of time, which the immortal 

composer of the " Messiah" set to music. Among the 

patrons of Corelli, however, none equalled Cardinal 

Ottoboni ; it was he who raised the father of 

Violinists to the high position he so long held at 

Rome. The connection of the Cardinal and the 

Violinist was above that of simple patronage, it was 

one of sincere friendship. Corelli conducted the 

music given every Monday evening at Ottoboni's 

palace, besides being retained at the Cardinal's 

expense in connection with the music at the Church 

of St. Lorenzo. In the pages of Pepys is a letter 

written in 1699, from the author's nephew, in which 

both Corelli and Cardinal Ottoboni are mentioned. 

The letter also contains a description of the ceremonies 

relative to the Christmas season. "In the 

meantime, others of the Cardinals, &c. in cavalcade 

went to the Campidoglio, and there divided, to 

go to the other churches, to open each of the 

Holy Gates also ; but of this I saw nothing. 

The chief English here were my Lord Exeter 

and Lady, Lord Mountheimer, Mr. Cecil, 

Mr. Bruce, &c. I afterwards saw),pe Cardinal's 

supper in the Vatican Palace, which both for form 

and substance was very singular ; and from hence 

went to the midnight devotions at St. Lorenzo, 

where I heard most ravishing music suited to the 

occasion ; Paluccio, an admired young performer, 

singing, and Corelli, the famous Violin, playing in


concert with above thirty more, all at the charge of 

Cardinal Ottoboni, who assisted." 

Some account of the position, tastes, and habits 

of Corelli's friend and patron, Cardinal Ottoboni, can 

hardly fail to interest the reader ; I therefore extract 

the following from the "Gentleman's Magazine," 

March, 1740 : "Cardinal Otto boni died on February 

1 7th, aged 72. He was advanced to the purple at 

the age of 22. He died possessed of nine abbeys 

in Ecclesiastical States, five in that of Venice, and 

three in that of France He was Dean of the 

Sacred College, and in that quality Bishop of 

Velletri and Ostia, Protector of France, Archpriest of 

St. John de Lateran, and Secretary of the office of 

the Inquisition. He had a particular inclination, 

when young, to music, poetry, and classical learning, 

composing airs, operas, and oratorios.* He made 

the greatest figure of any of the Cardinals, or 

indeed, of any other person in Rome, for he had 

the soul of an emperor, nor was there any princely 

nation but what he endeavoured to imitate, entertaining 

the people with comedies, operas, puppet 

shows, oratorios, academies, &c. He was magnificent 

in his alms, presents, and entertainments at festivals. 

In the ecclesiastical functions he likewise shewed 

great piety and generosity, and his palace was the 

refuge of the poor, as well as the resort of the 

virtuosi. In his own parish he entertained a 

* It is doubtful whether his musical knowledge went this length. 

I have failed to find any account of these compositions.

THE Vi OLIN IN ITAL Y. 

physician, surgeon, and apothecary for the use of all 

that wanted their assistance." 

I t was not until the year 1700 that Corelli's 

famous solos appeared, the work above all others 

which has influenced the art of Violin playing. 

They were dedicated to Sophia Charlotte, Electress 

of Bradcnburg, the grandmother of Frederick the 

Great, and were probably composed during Corelli's 

stay in Germany, but their publication deferred until 

he had gained renown. That he played them himself 

publicly on special occasions is known, and that he 

regarded them with feelings of satisfaction seems 

clear from his having taken three years to revise 

and correct them. Giardini expressed himself to 

Dr. Burney in the following words, relative to these 

solos : "That of any two pupils of equal age and o 

disposition, if the one was to begin his studies by 

Corelli, and the other by Geminiani or any other 

eminent master whatever, I am sure that the first 

would become the best performer." That Giardini 

was correct in his judgment on this point there is 

not a shadow of doubt. 

'vVe now reach the period of Corelli's visit to 

Naples, about the year 1708 ; it was here that he 

met Scarlatti. Dr. Burney, upon the authority of a 

nameless friend, in whose judgment and probity he 

tells us he had the most perfect reliance, gives an 

account of Corelli at Naples, which is said to have 

been furnished to the Doctor's anonymous acquaintance 

by Geminiani five or six years before that


famous Violinist's death. This conversation, together 

with the whole of the anecdotal portion of Dr. 

Burney's account of Corelli, has been, faithfully 

copied into all notices of the master down to the 

present time, casting a shade over his artistic reputation, 

which, if not wholly removable, may at least be 

made less sombre. Mr. Carlyle might well exclaim, 

" Alas ! go where you will, especially in these 

irreverent ages, the note-worthy dead is sure to be 

found lying under infinite dung, no end of calumnies 

and stupidities accumulated upon him." 

First noticing the Neapolitan anecdote : it seems 

the great Violinist was entreated by Scarlatti to play 

some of his concertos before the King ; this he for 

some time declined ; at length, however, he consented, 

' and in great fear performed the first of them, 

Afterwards he was desired to lead in the performance 

of a masque composed by Scarlatti ; this he 

undertook ; but from Scarlatti's little knowledge of 

the Violin, the part was somewhat awkward and 

difficult ; in one place it went up to F, and when 

they came to that passage, Corelli failed, and was 

unable to execute it. A song succeeded this in 

C minor, which Corelli led off in C major. "Let us 

commence once more" said Scarlatti, good-naturedly. 

Still Corelli led off in C major, till Scarlatti was 

obliged to call out to him and set him right. So 

mortified was poor Corelli with this disgrace, and the 

general bad figure he imagined he had made at 

Naples, that he stole back to Rome in silence. It


was soon after this that a oboe player, whose name 

Geminiani could not recollect, acquired such applause 

at Rome, that Corelli, disgusted. would never play 

again in public. All these mortifications, joined to the 

success of Valentini, whose concertos and performances, 

though infinitely inferior to those of Corelli, 

were become fashionable, threw him into such a 

state of melancholy and chag}in as was thought, said 

Geminiani, to have hastened his death. Further 

we are told that Corelli " availed himself much of 

the compositions of other masters, particularly of the 

Masses in which he played at Rome ; that he acquired 

much from Lulli, particularly in the method of 

modulating in the legatura ; and from Bononcini's 

Camilla." I cannot but think anecdotal matter of 

this flimsy character is out of place in an important 

"History of Music." In justice to Corelli's pupil 

Geminiani-who is made the narrator- Dr. Burney's 

authority should not have been nameless. 

Turning to the History of Sir John Hawkins, 

a personal friend of Geminiani's ; we find a more 

extended and interesting account than Burney 

gives us, but not a word of these anecdotes, which 

is at least remarkable, since it may be inferred that 

Geminiani knew his friend was engaged in writing a 

history of music, and that he would value any 

information relative to Corelli coming from a pupil ; 

but setting aside this as inexplicable, the anecdotes 

in themselves have not the genuine ring. That 

Corelli should perform a concerto £71- great .fear ; that


he failed to execute a passage because it extended 

to F, one note higher than he had been playing 

in his own solos ; that he was unable to distinguish 

between C major and C minor, would alone seem 

sufficient to stamp their character ; but when we see 

Burney's own estimate of Corelli's executive powers, 

we can hardly be longer in doubt : he tells us Corelli 

"was gifted with no uncommon powers of execution. 

He condescended to aim at difficulty, and manfully 

did all he could in rapidity of finger and bow in the 

long unmeaning allegros of his first, third, and sixth 

solos ; where, for two whole pages together, common 

chords are broken into common divisions, all of one 

kind and colour, which nothing but the playing with 

great velocity and neatness could ever render tolerable 

"'>f 

" What ?" says a writer on plagiarism,t "the 

great, the original, the elegant Corelli pilfering much 

from the compositions of other masters, much from 

Lulli, Jlf, uch from Bononcini ? And his scholar to 

stand up with a grave face, and with the most 

unblushing effrontery to make such a statement ! 

A way, then, "''lith the eulogiums of his learned 

advocate Burney : well may he say ' the concertos of 

Corelli seem to have withstood all the attacks of 

time and fashion with more firmness than any of his 

other works. The harmony is so pure, so rich, and 

so graceful ; the parts are so clearly, judiciously, and 

;(. Burney's " History," VoL IlL, p. 558. 

-f "Quarterly Musical Review," r822.


ingeniously disposed ; and the effect of the whole 

from a large band so majestic, solemn, and sublime, 

that they preclude all criticism, and make us fo rget 

that there IS aJty other music of the same kind 

existing.' " 

Before leaving the subject of Corelli and his 

detractors, I cannot withhold from the reader the 

opinion of a musical critic, who, in his time, commanded 

universal respect for sound judgment. I 

refer to George Hogarth, the father-in-law of the 

author of " Pickwick." He says, " Dr. Burney, in his 

estimate of Corelli's character as a musician, hardly 

does him justice. His praise is somewhat too cold 

and faint." At the time of Corelli's greatest reputation, 

Geminiani asked Scarlatti what he thought of 

him ; he answered that, "he found nothing greatly to 

admire in his composition, but was extremely struck 

with the manner in which he played his concertos, 

and his nice management of his band, the uncommon 

accuracy of whose performance gave his concertos 

an amazing effect even to the eye as well as the ear." 

For, continued Geminiani, "Corelli regarded it 

essential to the eJtsemble of a band, that their bows 

should all move exactly together, all up or all down ; 

so that, at his rehearsals, which constantly preceded 

every public performance of his concertos, he would 

immediately stop the band if he discovered one 

irregular bow." I t has been well remarked that, 

"this opinion shows Scarlatti to have been a prejudiced 

judge, a trifling critic." N one but such a


critic could have found nothing in Corelli's music or 

performance worth notice, except his making his 

band draw their bows in one way. As to Geminiani's 

opinion, some feeling of jealousy must have warped 

the judgment of one so well qualified to form a 

sound one. He hardly allows Corelli to possess 

fancy or invention ; but ascribes the delightful effect 

of his music to a nice ear and delicate taste, which 

led him to select the most pleasing melodies and 

harmonies. From whence did he select them ? 

From the stores of melody and harmony contained 

in the contemporary composers ? To some extent 

he certainly did so : but no more than other great 

and most original composers ; not more than Purcell 

from Carissimi, Haydn · from Emanuel Bach, or 

Mozart from Gluck, and the Italian dramatic composers. 

The best proof of the force and originality 

of Corelli's genius is, that the appearance of his 

works forms one of the most remarkable eras in 

music. All other compositions for the Violin, produced 

either before or during his time, are either totally 

forgotten, or remembered as matters of history ; 

while his simple and natural strains still live, and 

are still heard with delight. 

Leaving the reader to judge whether these 

statements attributed to Geminiani were worthy of 

Dr. Burney's notice, I will pass to the close of 

Corelli's life. Corelli died at Rome on the 18th of 

January, 17 I 3, possessed of about six thousand 

pounds, a sum of money about equal to twenty

THE VIOLIN IN ITALY. 191 

thousand in England at the present time, besides 

leaving a collection of pictures, many of which were 

presented to him by artists of celebrity with whom 

he was upon terms of friendship. He made his 

great friend and patron, Cardinal Ottoboni, his sole 

legatee, who generously distributed the legacy among 

the testator's relatives, with the exception of the 

pictures, which he retained. He was buried in the 

Church of Santa Maria della Rotunda, (the ancient 

Pantheon) in the first chapel on the left hand of the 

entrance ; over the place of burial is a marble bust, 

erected at the expense of Philip WilIiam Count 

Palatine of the Rhine, near that of Raphael. The 

bust represents him with a roll of music in his hand, 

on which is engraven a few notes of what appears to 

be the famous jig in the fifth sonata :- 

There is also the following inscription 

D. o. M. 

Archangellio Corellio a Fusignano 

Philippi Willelmi Comitis Palatini Rheni 

S.R. I. Principis ac Electoris, 

Beneficentiil, 

Marchionis de Ladensburg, 

Quod eximiis animi dotibus, 

Et incomparabili in musicis modulis peritiil, 

Summis Pontificibus apprime carus, 

Italice atque exteris nationibus admirationi fuerit. 

Indulgente Clemente XI. P. O. M.


Petrus Cardinalis Ottobonus S.R.E. Vic. Can., 

Et Galliarum Protector, 

Lyrist::e celeberrimo. 

Inter familiares sous jam diu adscito, 

Ejus nomen immortalitati commendaturus, 

M. P. C. 

Vixit annos LIX. Mens X. Dies XX. 

Obiit IV. Id. Januarii Anno Sal. MDCCXIII. 

For many years a musical performance was held in 

the Pantheon, on the anniversary of his death, upon 

which occasion his concertos were performed by a 

numerous band. 

Sir John Hawkins mentions a portrait of Corelli, 

painted by Mr. Hugh Howard for Lord Edgcumbe, 

who is said to have been a pupil of his. The picture 

was painted between 1687 and 1700, according to 

Horace Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting. The 

engraving by Smith is from this picture. 

Having marshalled all the information likely to 

interest the reader relative to Corelli, it is time to 

turn to his published works ; but stay, I have yet to 

notice a piece of intelligence of interest to the lovers 

of I tali an Violins, contained in the pages of Roger 

North, an author you will think I am never tired of 

quoting ; but I have, at least, good authority for 

depending upon his authorship, in one opposed to 

him politically, since it is Macaulay who says, he was 

"a most intolerant Tory, a most affected and pedantic 

writer, but a vigilant observer of all those minute 

circumstances which throw light on the dispositions 

of men." It is from the pen of this vigilant observer

THE VIOLIN IN ITALY. 1 93 

that we learn that "most of the young nobility and 

gentry that have travelled into Italy affected to learn 

of Corelli, and brought home with them such favour 

for the I talian music, as hath given it possession of 

our Parnassus. And the best utensil of Apollo, the 

Violin, is so universally courted, and sought after, to 

be had of the best sort, that some say England hath 

dispeopled Italy of Violins. And no wonder, after the 

great master made that instrument speak as it were 

a human voice, saying to his scholars, "Non udite 10 

parlare." We therefore appear to have carried off 

the Fiddles of the Amatis in the life-time of the 

makers. Whether we did so to a like extent with the 

Strads, Josephs, and Bergonzis, matters but little ; 

certain it is, the majority is with us, and it is as true 

now as in the days of Roger North, that, "England 

hath dispeopled Italy of Violins." 

CORELLI ' S COMPOSITIONS. 

Op. I, XII Suonate a tre, due Violini e Violoncello, 

col Basso per l'Organo. Rome, 168$. 

Of these sonatas it may be remarked that the first 

and third operas consist of fugues and slow movements, 

without any intermixture of airs ; these are 

termed Suonate da Chiesa, in contradistinction to 

those in the second and fourth operas, which are 

styled da Camera. The former, we are told by 

Mattheson, were usually played in the churches 

abroad, after divine service, and the whole four 

operas for many years furnished the second music 

o


before the play at both theatres in London.t Mr. 

Chappell, in his "Popular Music of the Olden Time," 

explains the meaning of second music. " Down to 

the time of the 'Beggar's Opera ' it had been the 

custom to perform three movements of instrumental 

music, termed ' first, second, and third music,' before 

the commencement of each play. A story is told of 

Rich, the manager, who, when the customary music 

was called for by the audience at the first performance 

of the ' Beggar's Opera,' came forward and said, 

'Ladies and gentlemen, there is no music to an 

opera (setting the house in a roar of laughter) ; I 

mean, ladies and gentlemen, an opera is all music.' " 

Op. 2, XI I Suonate da Camera a tre, due Violini, 

Violoncello, e Violone 0 Cembalo. Rome, 1685. 

There were two editions of this work published 

in Amsterdam, the last under the title of " BaIletti da 

Camera." 

Op. 3, XI I Suonate a tre, due Violini e Archelluto, 

col Basso per l'Organo. Bologna, 1690. 

A second edition of this work was engraved at 

Antwerp, and a third at Amsterdam. The Arch 

Lute was an instrument used in common with the 

Double Bass. 

Op. 4, XI I Suonate da Camera a tre, due 'Wlini 

e Violone 0 Cembalo. Bologna, 1694. 

The following curious advertisement relative 

to these sonatas, is from the London Gazette, 

t Drury Lane, and the one in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

THE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 195 

1695. "Twelve sonatas (newly come over from 

Rome), in three parts, composed by Signeur Archangelo 

Corelli, and dedicated to his Highness the 

Elector of Bavaria, this present year, 1 694, are to 

be had, fairly prick'd (copied) from the true original, 

at Mr. Ralph Agutter's, musical instrument maker, 

over against York Buildings, in the Strand, London." 

The above clearly evidences the interest taken 

by the English musical public in good music at this 

period, for the enterprising Mr. Ralph Agutter to 

have copied the work within twelve months of its 

being published in Bologna. I am not aware that it is 

possible to give an earlier instance of the circulation 

of Corelli's music than this. The earliest mention of 

Corelli's works in an English catalogue is that of 

Walsh, 1705. In the catalogue of Britton's sale we 

see mentioned the MSS. of Corelli's works in 

I talian writing, and since his concerts were held 

between 1678 and 1714, ' it is likely he had them 

direct from Italy ; at any rate, I think it may be said 

that at the Small-Coal-Man's music meetings the 

music of Corelli was first heard in England. 

Op. 5, XI I Suonate a Violino e Violone 0 Cembalo, 

parte prima, parte secunda, preludi, allemande, 

correnti, gighe, sarabande, gavotte, e 

. 

follia. Rome, 1700. 

The ninth sonata of this set is the general 

favourite, and the one so often played by Dragonetti 

and Lindley. The twelfth is the " Follia," being 

divisions on a ground .or air by Farinelli, a musician 

o 2


of the Hanoverian Court, and a friend of Corelli's. 

M. Alard and Herr Helmsberger have published 

editions of the first sonata with pianoforte accompaniment, 

and the twelve sonatas were arranged as 

trios by George Piggot. 

The following remarks from Mr. Chorley's pen are 

singularly apt in reference to these solos.* "Rococo, 

this music sounds, no doubt, to ears that prefer the 

free forms of modern art, yet its proportion and 

stately beauty are no less remarkable than the 

variety of the ideas, if they be stripped of their old 

Italian clothing ; such a melody, for instance, as the 

Sarabande in NO. 7, would be fresh in any age of 

the world's music-must have been little short of 

daring when it was written." 

'f--Op. 6, Concerti Grossi, con due Violini e Violoncello 

di Concertino obbligati, e due altri Violini, 

Viola, e Basso di Concerto grosso ad arbitrio, 

che si potranno radoppiare. Rome, December, 

1712• 

In the list of Tom Britton's collection of music 

no mention is made of Op. 6, pointing to the correctness 

of the statement that they were first heard in 

England at Needler's music meetings. 

This was the last work of Corelli's, and written 

some years before publication. The pastorale from 

its eighth concerto, written for Christmas Eve, 

entitled "Fatto per Ia Notte di Natale," is considered 

one of the finest of his compositions. "Nothing 

*" "Athena;um," No. 1607, 1858.

THE VIOLIN IN iTAL Y. 1 97 

can exceed in dignity and majesty the opening of 

the first concerto, nor, for its plaintive sweetness, 

the whole of the third ; and he must have no 

ears, nor feeling of the power of harmony, or the 

effects of modulation, who can listen to the eighth 

without rapture."* These concertos were frequently 

performed at the Concerts of Ancient Music as symphonies 

for a large orchestra, and the effect was very 

great. Recently, a revival has set in, in favour of 

bringing forth the treasures of the old masters. 

Corelli's music has not been forgotten in this movement, 

and it is not impossible we may yet hear a 

modern orchestra perform these grand old compositions, 

and thus carry us back to the days of the 

Ancient Concerts. It is, however, doubtful whether 

the performance on a large scale of Corelli's 

concertos is within their meaning. 

The introduction into England of these concertos 

is curious and interesting ; Mr. Henry Needler, an 

amateur Violinist, a pupil of Purcell for composition, 

and of John Bannister for his instrument, was in 

the habit of attending the weekly private music 

parties held at the houses of the Earls of Burlington 

and Essex, and others ; upon these occasions he 

often played the music of Corelli, in the rendering 

of which he was regarded as superior to any Violinist 

of his time. It happened that Needler was acquainted 

with a bookseller in the Strand, who frequently 

received consignmets of books from Amsterdam . 

oj!. Hawkins' "History of Music."


Upon one occasion Corelli's concertos were included 

in a parcel of books ; well knowing Mr. Needler's 

interest in music, the bookseller immediately started 

in search of him, discovering him at the house of a 

musical friend, engaged in the performance of 

chamber music. The sight of the bookseller's 

newly imported treasure threw Needler into an 

ecstacy of delight, the parts were at once allotted to 

the different performers, and not until the whole 

twelve concertos had been played did they rise from 

their seats. Admirable enthusiasm !!

edi.on tllE.-tQrhe ioIin in Ita[Q. 

CHAPTER III. 

S I X years prior to the performance of the 

Allegorical Opera, at the Palace of the Queen 

of Sweden, at Rome, upon which occasion, as before 

mentioned, Corelli led the orchestra ; Alessandro 

Scarlatti was superintending the representation of 

one of his earliest operas in the same palace, and 

appears to have remained in the service of the 

Queen as musical director and composer, until the 

year 1688, when he became master of the Royal 

Chapel at N apIes. I t will thus be seen that Corelli 

and Alessandro Scarlatti, the foremost Italian 

musicians of their time, and to whom is distinctly 

traceable that development of instrumental music 

which gave to it a new and higher life, were often 

in each other's society. It is said that in the opera 

of " Laodicea e Berenice," played in 1701, Scarlatti 

composed an obbligato Violin accompaniment to a 

charming air allotted to the tenor voice, which he did 

specially for Corelli. I t is clear that Scarlatti was 

resolved to develope the Violin in his field of work, 

as Corelli had done in his. He gave to the instru-

200 THE VIOLIN AN.D ITS MUSIC. 

ment a distinct part to perform as an accompaniment 

to the voice. His orchestra was composed of 

Violins, Tenors, Violoncellos, Double Basses, two 

Hautboys, and two Horns, a combination before 

unknown. It is unnecessary to make here other 

than passing reference to the changes effected by 

Scarlatti in operatic compositions ; they were of 

a character and solidity sufficient to make the 

School of Naples the foremost in I tal y, and served 

in a great measure to give to the works of the 

immortal Handel that melodious richness which 

is at once bold and pathetic. 

Leaving Scarlatti, we will notice his famous 

pupil, Porpora : although like his master, a prolific 

composer of operas, he is associated with the history 

of the music of the Violin. Had he alone written 

the Sonata selected by David, in "Die Hohe 

Schule," he would have achieved lasting fame among 

Violinists ; he left, however, other compositions of 

the kind, interesting, if not so good. I t was Porpora 

who came to England in the year 1733, to conduct 

the opera in opposition to that of Handel, and 

remained here some few years. Frederick, Prince 

of Wales, for some time was in this opposition 

camp ; and thus we find Porpora's six Sinfonia da 

Camera, for two Violins and a Bass, dedicated to his 

Royal Highness in 1736. These trios, Burney 

says, "like the instrumental music of vocal composers--except 

that of Handel and J. C. Bach-are 

fanciless, and no more fit for one instrument than

THE VI OLIN IN ITAL Y. 201 

another." Fetis follows in the same tone of criticism. 

To mention Rorpora and omit the traditional 

anecdote relative to Haydn's menial performances 

about the person of the Neapolitan singing-master, 

is like sending a dish to table without the customary 

sauce. A Venetian nobleman was at Vienna, as 

Ambassador for the Venetian Republic; Porpora was 

staying at the Embassy, when Haydn resolved to 

attach himself to the Ambassador's suite, in order 

to gather musical knowledge from the Maestro. 

Haydn, indifferent to everybody but Porpora, 

employed every means to make a favourable impression 

upon him, and thus gain his patronage. He 

rose betimes, brushed Porpora's boots, and arranged, 

to the best of his ability, the musician's wig. 

Porpora, frequently in ill humour, acknowledged 

these little attentions on the part of Haydn by 

calling him a fool. At length, however, the perseverance 

of his young attendant overcame the 

seeming insurmountable obstacles, and Haydn not 

only received the instruction he sought, but a pension 

of three pounds per month. Haydn, now independent, 

purchased a black coat and attached himself 

to the service of the Church of the Fathers of 

Mercy, as one of the Violinists, and filled up his 

spare time in the study of composition. 

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, though chiefly 

known as a composer of music for the Church, wrote 

thirty trios for two Violins and a Bass, two-thirds of 

which were printed in London and Amsterdam. I


have not met with any critical remarks in reference to 

these trios, neither am I able to give any clue to the 

whereabouts of any copies. Judging from the 

character of Pergolesi's ecclesiastical music, they 

are doubtless graced with melody in its tenderest 

mood. Pergolesi gained lasting fame when he 

composed his " Stabat Mater," and secured for himself 

a place among the curiosities of musical literature 

when he sold it for a trifle less than half the pittance 

Milton received for his "Paradise Lost," some 

thirty-five shillings ! ! 

Again it is necessary to turn to Venice. The 

reader is already acquainted with much of the great 

work accomplished by the musicians of the Venetian 

States . Each step we take in our enquiries, 

Venetian excellence in composition, executive ability, 

and instrument manufacture, becomes more manifest. 

In scanning the list of I tali an musicians, and glancing 

at the accounts furnished of their careers, Venice 

and the Chapel of St. Mark, Brescia, Bergamo, and 

Mantua recur again and again. Baptista Vivaldi, the 

father of Antonio Vivaldi, Corelli's famous contemporary, 

was a Violinist at St. Mark's ; Antonio 

Vivaldi, after passing some time in the service of 

Philip, Elector of Hesse Darmstadt, returned to 

Venice in 1713, and obtained the appointment of 

director of the Musical Academy, which he held to 

the end of his life in 1743. He is said to have 

been an excellent Violinist ; the name of Vivaldi is 

yet green in the memories of our country cousins as

THE VIOLiN IN ITALY. 203 

the composer of the Cuckoo solo-often given the 

still higher title of Cuckoo concerto-a composition 

which owes its popularity, like many a book, to its 

title. I am disposed to think the association of 

Vivaldi's name with this ornithological composition, 

has deprived him of the credit which he is entitled 

to, his abilities having been gauged by this solo, and 

found wanting ; his meritorious writings are passed 

over in consequence. To remove all doubt as to 

Vivaldi's talents, I need only mention that Sebastian 

Bach admired them sufficiently to arrange two 

concertos from Vivaldi's third work as a quintet. 

Besides instrumental music, Vivaldi was the composer 

of twenty-eight operas, all published at 

Venice. 

I n Venice the Violinist and dramatic composer, 

Tomasso Albinoni, was born, and passed his life. 

Like Vivaldi, he was a prolific operatic composer ; 

but his chamber music is best appreciated. In his 

sonatas for the Violin there is much that is historically 

interesting ; the date of their publication is 1700. 

Sebastian Bach selected some of the themes of this 

composer for his learned treatment. 

Carlo Antonio Marini, born at Bergamo, Violinist 

and composer for his instrument. The dates of his 

compositions were all prior to the close of the 

seventeenth century. 

Francesco Mancini, a Neapolitan composer, born 

in 1674, is known chiefly from his operatic works. 

There is, however, a set of twelve solos for a Violin

:204 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

and Bass, dedicated to the English Consul at Naples, 

{Hon. J. Fleetwood), revised by Geminiani, which 

were published in London by Walsh. Among 

these solos were several of no little merit, and not 

unworthy of being issued in a modern edition. 

Count Albergati, a distinguished amateur of 

Bologna, composed works for stringed instruments, 

consisting of sonatas for Violins and Basses, published 

in Bologna in 1682, 1683, 1685 and 1687. 

Francesco Montanari, pupil of Corelli, born at 

Padua. In 1717 he was solo Violinist at St. Peter's. 

He published at Bologna twelve sonatas for his 

instrument, which were reprinted at Amsterdam. 

At Naples there flourished about 1700, Pedrillo, 

said to have held high rank as a Violinist. There 

also was born Michele Mascitti, who, after travelling 

through Italy, Holland, and Germany, settled in 

Paris, where' he died about 1750. There were 

English editions of some of Mascitti's compositions. 

Another Venetian composer for the Violin, was 

J. M. Ruggeri ; nearly all his instrumental compositions 

were published before the close of the 

seventeenth century. 

Scherzi geniali ridotti a regolo armonica in dieci 

Sonate da Camera a tre, cioe due Violini e 

Violone 0 Cembalo, Op. 2, 1690. 

Sonate da Chiesa, a due Violini e Violone 0 Tiorbo, 

con il suo Basso continuo per l'Organo, 1693, 

Op. 3. Do., do., Op. 4, 1697. 

12 Cantate con e soure Violini, Op. 5, 1706.


Tonini was born at Verona about I668. His 

Violin compositions were published at Amsterdam 

and Venice, 

Bitti, a Violinist at the Court of the Grand Duke 

of Tuscany, published twelve sonatas for two Violins 

and a Bass. 

When Corelli had reached the topmost stave of 

Fame's ladder, and in the year when his solos were 

engraved, Francesco Maria Veracini, a Violinist of 

extraordinary genius, was nearing his twentieth 

birthday, and presumably pursuing his musical 

studies at Florence, the place of his birth, under the 

guidance of his uncle Antonio Veracini, whom I 

have already noticed as a Violinist and composer of 

sonatas. It will therefore be seen that Francesco 

Veracini was not under the direct influence of the 

writings or playing of Corelli during his early life, 

however much he may have been at a later period. 

It was Veracini whom Tartini heard at Venice in 

the year I7I4, and with whose abilities he was so 

impressed. He readily detected the introduction of 

novel and interesting effects in the writings of 

Veracini, which convinced him that a new path in 

Violin music had been taken. 

In looking over the sonatas of Veracini it is not. 

difficult to discover the effects which pleased Tartini ; 

that in E minor, which David makes use of in "Die 

Hohe Schule," teems with novel passages. The 

minuet and gavotte-which, by the way, belongs to a 

distinct work-cannot fail to leave an impression on

.206 THE VIOLIN AND ITS .MUSIC. 

the listener, of its being wholly original. Again, in 

the jig of the first sonata, we have the galop and the 

whip of the postilion admirably portrayed in notes : 

none but a master of his art could make use of such 

trivial effects without vulgarity, but with Veracini 

they are neither vulgar or common-place. In a later 

sonata he introduces an echo with the same results. 

Effects like these may seem unworthy of a great 

musician's notice ; we have, however, to bear in mind 

the infantile 'condition of Violin music at the time : in 

so doing we are better able to appreciate such 

-efforts at giving additional strength, and particularly 

when accompanied with contrapuntal excellence. In 

whatever light we view these writings of Francesco 

Veracini, we can scarcely fail to see in them the 

heralds of those of Tartini and his Devil's Trille 

most notably. 

The year 1714, besides being associated with the 

coming of the first of our four Georges to England, 

figures in musical history as the period of Veracini's 

appearance before an English audience, which took 

place at the Opera House, when Veracini played 

between the acts of the opera, as was then and long 

after the custom for soloists to do. His reception was 

marked with singular cordiality. The same year 

Geminiani came to London, but whether he preceded 

Veracini I know not, but am inclined to think the 

visit of Geminiani was owing to the flattering reception 

accorded to his brother musician and countryman. 

In 1720 Veracini was at Dresden, where he was


appointed as solo Violinist to Augustus. at once 

Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, famous as 

a great patron of the arts ; indeed, a very German 

Louis XIV. To this German Prince and Polish 

King the charming sonatas of Veracini were 

inscribed. 

Veracini, like the rest of original-minded men, did 

not succeed in escaping the attacks of those Mr. 

Carlyle describes as "flunkies doing saturnalia below 

stairs." Ostentation, jealousy, and vanity were 

the sins placed to his account ; all instanced by 

anecdotes of the average twaddling description. The 

essence of one only I intend to notice. Pisendel, a 

native of Carls burg, magnified for the occasion into 

the greatest Violinist of his age, is said to have 

resolved upon lowering Veracini's conceit of his own 

abilities. In true Quixotic fashion, Pisendel challenges 

his brother musician to combat, happily not mortal, 

but to play a concerto which Pisendel had composed. 

Veracini, like a true knight, picked up the glove, or 

rather the bow, and somewhat disconcerted his 

antagonist by executing the concerto, with, if not as 

much precision as William Tell with his bow brought 

to bear on the apple, yet with much skill, considering 

he did it at first sight. Pisendel, contrary to the 

laws of chivalrous Fiddling, had previously given the 

concerto to a mere scraper to conquer by sheer hard 

labour for days and, nights ; Veracini, having fought 

his battle as described, the scraper was led into the 

arena to re-attack the already executed concerto,

208 THE VI OLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

which, in accordance with the spirit of the anecdote, 

was done in such a masterly manner that Veracini 

was humbled, and Pisendel of course victorious. 

Veracini, after this dire event, is represented to have 

quitted Dresden-the scene of the combat-and was 

attacked with fever ; the result of the exciting events 

already noticed. In a fit of delirium he opened 

his window, from which he leaped and broke his leg. 

How such musical book-making material as this 

could be used over and over again, during a century 

and a half, I am at a loss to understand. That 

Veracini broke his leg by leaping from a window 

in an unconscious condition, is easily understood ; 

but that Pisendel and his concerto was the primary 

cause of the disaster, seems, to say the least, absurd. 

Veracini was a composer of several operas ; his 

" Adriano " was performed in London by command 

of the king in 1 735. Dr. Burney tells us he heard 

V eracini play in 1 745 at H ickford' s Concert Room, 

in Brewer Street-the Hanover Square Rooms of 

the early part of the eighteenth century-Veracini 

would then be about sixty years of age. According 

to Dr. Burney he led the band in a bold and 

masterly manner, such as he had never heard before. 

Shortly after this, the famous Violinist was shipwrecked, 

and lost his two precious Stainer Violins, 

which he named St. Peter and St. Paul, from which 

we see that the Continental and British ideas of 

profanity with regard to Fiddle nomenclature are 

not quite the same. In 1747 Veracini retired to

7HE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 209 

Pisa, where he died in 1750. There are two sets of 

sonatas by Veracini, Op. I and Op. 2. The first 

set was engraved by Roger, of Amsterdam, and 

re-published by Walsh. The second set was 

published in Dresden. 

The achievements of Giuseppe Tartini in relation 

to the Violin and its music next claims our 

attention, regarding him as a follower in the footsteps 

of Francesco Veracini. The position of Tartini in 

the annals of the king of instruments is indeed a 

proud one ; not only was he a remarkable Violinist 

and composer for his instrument, but an accomplished 

and highly cultured man, possessed of that modesty 

which is rarely absent where exceptional genius 

reigns. Tartini was born at Pirano on the twelfth 

of April, 1692. His parents wishing him to follow 

a monastic life, his early years were passed in a 

monastery. In his eighteenth year, however, he 

appears to have been occupied in the study of 

Italian jurisprudence ; but, like his great German 

contemporary, George Frederick Handel, he probably 

discovered the science of the law to be one unresolvable 

discord, and therefore unsuited to a musically 

harmonious temperament. We scarcely require the 

musical historian to tell us this, since it is written in 

the "suites " of the German, and the sonatas of the 

I taIian. 

That Tartini had found his true vocation before 

the year 1721, is seen from his appointment as 'solo 

Violinist and conductor to the church of St. Anthony 

p


at Padua. In 1728 we find him at the head of a 

Violin school in Padua, where Bini, Nardini, Ferrari 

Pagin, and other eminent Violinists received instruction, 

through whom was carried onward the art of 

Violin playing which Veracini introduced, and Tartini 

enriched with musical learning and much executive 

development. Although frequently importuned to 

leave his Paduan home and visit the chief European 

capitals, Tartini could not be induced to exchange 

the peaceful life he led there, acquiring and imparting 

knowledge of his art, for one. of everlasting contention 

with the famous Violinists of his time. The 

spirit of rivalry had no place in his amiable and 

gentle disposition ; to be a successful public performer 

and avoid contention in some shape or other is 

difficult, and when it presents itself it needs the 

quality of combativeness to wrestle with it. 

Tartini died at Padua in the month of February, 

177°, deeply mourned by the citizens among whom 

he lived nearly half a century. He was buried in 

the Church of St. Catherine ; a requiem, composed 

by Valotti, was performed at the Church of St. 

Anthony. 

The melody and harmony of Tartini's music 

reminds us of the words of Campbell on the poetry 

of Spenser : "beautiful, in its antiquity, and, like 

the moss and ivy on some majestic building, covers 

the fabric of his ' music ' with romantic and venerable 

associations." In Mainwaring's Memoirs of the Life 

of Handel, published in 176o, eighteen years before

THE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 2II 

I Burney wrote of Tartini, we read of him that " all 

his melody is so truly vocal in its style and character, 

that those parts of it which do not exceed the 

compass and powers of a voice, one would almost 

imagine were intended to be sung : the most difficult 

passages bear the same character, which was very 

apparent when they were executed by himself ; and 

all the Italians were so strongly sensible of this, that 

in speaking of his manner of playing, they often 

made use of the following expression : 'non suona, 

canta /u 'l Violino.' The reason why the compositions 

of this great master are admired by so few 

people in England, is that the performers of them 

neither enter into the true character of the music, 

nor play it according to the intention of its author. 

The more any piece of music is delicate and 

expressive, the more insipid and disagreeable must 

it appear under a coarse and unmeaning execution : 

just as the most delicate strokes of humour in . 

comedy, and the most affecting turns of passion in 

tragedy, will suffer infinitely more from being 

improperly read than a common paragraph in a 

newspaper." 

I t is interesting to find Dr. Burney writing in 

1788, "The productions of Boccherini, Haydn, 

Pleyel, Vanhall, and others, have occasioned such a 

revolution in Violin music and playing, by the fertility 

and boldness of their invention, that compositions 

which were generally thought full of spirit and fire, 

appear now totally tame and insipid." From these 

p 2

2I2 THE VIOLIN AND ITS .MUSIC. 

remarks it would seem that the music of Tartini was \ 

gradually collecting on the topmost shelves of second- . 

hand book and music sellers. With what amazement 

would Dr. Burney and his contemporaries view this 

"tame and insipid " music lying on Chippendale 

desks and tables in our modern houses of a type of 

architecture common in England when Tartini gave 

his works to the world ! How surprised they would 

be to learn that the original writings of Corelli, 

Handel, Tartini and others had caused the demand 

to so far exceed the supply that sarabands, jigs, and 

bounes were made to order of Brummagem texture ! 

Their astonishment would be still further heightened 

when they beheld on the same Chippendale desks 

and tables the compositions of Brahms, Raff, and 

Rubinstein ; the boldness, if not the fertility of 

Vanhall and Pleyel would be probably less striking, 

though better understood. 

The compositions of Tartini comprise : Op. I, 

Twelve Concertos, in two books, published by Roger, 

Amsterdam, in I734, with accompaniment for two 

Violins, Tenor, and Violoncello, and Thorough-bass 

for the Clavecin. Fetis remarks, that "of these 

Concertos three were published long after in Paris." 

Op. 2, A set of Six Sonatas for Violin, with Bass, 

engraved at Rome, I745. Op. 3, Twelve Sonatas 

for Violin with Bass. The first six of this set, F etis 

remarks, are identical with Op. 2. Op. 4, Six 

Concertos with accompaniments. Op. 5, Six Sonatas 

for Violin and Bass, dedicated to Pagin. Op. 6,

THE VIOL.IN IN ITAL Y. 2I3 

ditto. Op. 7, ditto. Op. 8, ditto. "The Art of 

Bowing," consisting of fifty variations on Corelli's 

Gavotte :- 

Ferdinand David has edited these Variations 

with accompaniment for the Pianoforte ; and 

Leonard has selected Nine Variations, to which 

he has added a Pianoforte accompaniment. 

He left, in manuscript, forty-eight Sonatas for 

Violin and Bass, a Trio for two Violins and Bass, and 

other works ; among which appears to have been the 

famous ,. Sonata du Diable," which we are told was 

published about 1805. Be that as it may, Michael 

Kelly relates that he heard Nardini pIa y the 

" Devil's Sonata " at Florence at the house of Lord 

Cowper, in I 779 ; it must have, therefore, been 

circulated in manuscript. 

It was upon this occasion that Mr. Jackson, an 

English gentleman, asked Nardini whether the 

anecdote relative to this Sonata, which M. de la 

Lande had assuryd Burney that Tartini had related 

to him, was true ? Nardini replied that he had often 

heard his master mention the circumstance : " He 

said that one night he dreamed that he entered into 

a contract with the devil, in fulfilment of which his 

Satanic Majesty was bound to perform all his 

behests ; he placed his Violin in his hands and


asked him to play, and the devil played a Sonata 

so exquisite, that in the delirium of applause which 

he was bestowing, he awoke, and flew to the 

instrument to retain some of the passages, but 

in vain ! They had fled ! Yet the Sonata haunted 

his imagination day and night, and he endeavoured 

to compose one in imitation which he called 'The 

Devil' s Trill.' " 

The truth of the anecdote is engraven in the 

Sonata itself, and needs no confirmation. From 

beginning to end it evidences the desire of a powerful 

musical genius to record the remembrances of 

sounds heard in a gnomish dream. The wondrous 

force and spirit which pervades the whole compo-


sition is indicative of its being the reflexion, in 

notes, of a mind deeply impressed with ghostly 

musical recollections : the charming larghetto, 

with its dreamy, measured, spectre-like utterances, 

gently whispering, as it were, to the sleeper to 

hearken unto a demon's music :- 

Larg/z etto a./ftttuoso. 

,... .., 

!""' 

 

dolce. \I" 1 \I" 

I 

r= :J=-- -II- _:;;iI;:;;- 

- . fJ "". 

*GJ4 E;J .. ==- J 

- 

==- 

The exquisite melancholy character of this introductory 

music is momentarily interrupted with a 

a demoniacal Ha ! or laugh, in the form of tenths, 

seemingly uttered to remind the dreamer of the 

. Satanic character of his visitor :- 

1 i\ 

1='NI4" 

=J- --- = 

I ., ., .,--- 

.f I \,.I I 

These are shortly followed by other unexpected 

fiendish cachinnations, in thirds, of grating shrillness 

:- 

j1I· ''" 

-'. 

1 

d' 

- _ I. _ -+ ' 

,M 

.. ---- 

l .f I .- ,I

216 THE VIOLIN AII'D ITS MUSIC. 

With the termination of this graceful movement 

the demon is apparently satisfied with the spell he 

has wrought, and gives full vent to his hilarity in a 

change of movement :- 

The repetition of his fiendish Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! 

a third higher, well marks his delight, and he at 

once enters upon his spirit-stirring theme, "The 

Devil's Trill." 

Again he laughs ! 

and trills again and again ! 

Suddenly, as though fearful of having overexcited 

the dreamer, in an under-tone and in slow

THE VI OLIN IN ITAL Y. 2I7 

measured notes, he gives utterance to music at once 

melancholy, soothing, and melodious :- 

His hiliariousness, however, speedily returns, the 

change of movement being suggestive of the 

performer marching to the sound of his V iolin, in 

front of the sleeper :- 

And now trill follows upon trill with wondrous 

speed, until its duration seems interminable ; but 

again-he marches, with quickened stepto 

the same subject, a fifth higher than before. 

Allegro.. .fL 

,,- • 

• • • • 

- 

• 

• ' ' . I 

+ - -.--- . 

'--'--. -j±tttttt9f 

P 

I I I ' 

, . . 

cresco 

The trill is yet once more intensified, but the end is 

near. All is husbed as the sounds of the trill die 

away, when the sleeper half awakens, and, with 

vacant eyes, he looks in vain for his talisman ; he 

listens! and hears receding sounds of soft muted music,

218 THE VIOLIN AND iTS MUSIC. 

and fancies he sees him, enveloped in vapour, retreating, 

and vanish with the last long-drawn chord, 

echoing his bewildered thoughts, gone ! gone ! 

,;- 

Adagio . :"1 I I ' I -." 

---1-__ tr- 

-:::"'WS= 11= - - t-"- .. 

_ --11-11-11-11 11--11-+ _- ±.... .- 

- - 

P I U I :l cres. 

 

 

fl .. 

. 

1±t-§i 

FINE. 

qftn= 

• #= -II- 

We have seen that Francesco Veracini and 

Geminiani were rivals in London in the year 171 4. 

According to the accounts furnished by musical 

historians the fame of Veracini soon evaporated in 

its contact with the genius of Geminiani. This is a 

phenomenon traceable alone to that fickle element, 

fashion, since it may be said that Geminiani was the 

spirit of Corelli much diluted, whilst Veracini was 

the essence of the great master fortified with l'eau 

de vie. In music, as in most things, faction and 

fashion often render dim, genius and ability ; but the 

scythe of Time, as it truly and surely mows its crop 

of celebrities, destroys all artificial barriers ; and 

therefore to time we turn for independent judgment. 

Musicians' works, like books, are often superseded, 

but withal the valuable live-though sometimes 

quiescent-the indifferent linger, the bad die almost 

as soon as born. Remembering all the pages which 

have been filled with the fame of Geminiani, 

it may seem bold criticism to class his writings with


the indifferent, and therefore of a lingering reputation ; 

but such, I believe, is their true position. N otwithstanding 

that they figure in new editions of the 

works of the old masters, there does not appear to 

be any eagerness shown to perform them, which is a 

a sure sign of their failure to satisfy, beside the 

compositions of Veracini and Tartini. It would 

seem to be the anomalous place they hold in the 

music of the instrument that renders them mainly 

unpopular, coming as they do midway between the 

old and the new. The Violin compositions of 

Geminiani consist of solos, sonatas, and concertos, 

an instruction book, and a treatise on good taste in 

the art of music. 

Another and greater pupil of Corelli was Pietro 

Locatelli, born at Bergamo about the year 1693. 

From Rome he went to Amsterdam, where he 

seems to have passed his life, dying there in the 

year 1764. His abilities were greatly valued by 

those around him ; but our Burney evidently failed 

to appreciate them, since he tells us he was "a 

voluminous composer of music that excites more 

surprise than pleasure." This opinion was penned 

long before Locatelli's peculiarly original style of 

composition had become a power in the art of Violin 

playing. Louis Spohr had not made the ear familiar 

with intricate chromatic passages ; the genius of 

Paganini had not been dedicated to the development 

of the extraordinary, the embryo of which lay in the 

studies and sonatas of his famous countryman. In


remembering these things the criticism of Burney is 

better understood. 

I t is in the works of Locatelli we find instances 

of raising the pitch of the first string ; but this 

innovation is traceable to another Violinist named 

Pritsk, the composer of three sonatas, in which the 

first string is raised. * This practice was very 

properly discountenanced by Pugnani and Viotti, but 

adopted by Lolli and Paganini. The first work of 

Locatelli's was published at Amsterdam in I 72 I, 

consisting of Twelve Concertos in the style of those 

of Corelli. Op. 3 forms the "L' Arte del Vio1ino," 

comprising Concertos and Caprices for two Violins, 

Tenor, and Violoncello. The next work consists of 

Six Concertos, followed shortly after by the Six 

Sonatas for two Violins and a Bass. Op. 6 forms 

the Twelve Sonatas for Violin alone. Op. 7, Six 

Concertos. Op. 9, L'Arte di Nuova Modu1azione, 

known to Violinists as Caprices or Studies, the 

twenty-third of which is the famous "Le Labyrinthe 

de l'Harmonie." 

Giuseppe Valentini, a native of Florence, born 

about I 690, was a Violinist of considerable renown, 

and a composer of much stringed instrument music : 

which Dr. Burney tells us has been "long since 

consigned to oblivion, without any loss to the public 

or injustice to the author." The greatest Violoncellist 

of the present age-Signor Piatti-is evidently not 

of the same opinion, since he recently adapted 

"* Lavoix fils, " Histoire de l'Instrumentation," p. 50.

THE VI OLIN IN ITALY. 221 

one of Valentini's sonatas for his instrument, and 

has played it publicly on several occasions. Among 

his works we find Trios for two Violins and Violoncello, 

called sinfonies and fantasias, concertos and 

sonatas. 

Alberti of Bologna, born in 1685, pupil of Manzolini, 

wrote and published concertos ; also Twelve 

Sonatas for Violin with an accompaniment for a 

Bass ; and, lastly, Twelve Symphonies for String 

Quartett with Organ. 

We have now to refer to another pupil of Corelli, 

Pietro Castrucci, born at Rome about the year 1690. 

In I 7 I 5 Castrucci ' "appears to have entered the 

service of that great music patron the Earl of 

Burlington, whose concerts were often directed by 

Handel, and attended by Pope, Gay, and Arbuthnot, 

and other celebrities. It was Gay who wrote, in 

passing the Earl's house in Piccadilly, 

"There Handel strikes the strings, the melting strain 

Transports the soul, and thrills through every vein ; 

There oft I enter." 

And it was Pope, who, after listening to Handel's 

exquisite harpsichord playing, declared he had 

given him no pleasure, that his ears were of that 

untoward mak and reprobate cast to receive his 

music with as much indifference as a common 

ballad. But let us leave the poet without an 

ear for music, and return to the musician. Castrucci 

was long thought to be ,the original of Hogarth's


"Enraged Musician," but the idea has no foundation 

in fact, since the portrait is traced to Michael 

Festing, the immortal friend of British indigent · 

mUSiCians. The " Da£ly Post " of February the 

2 2nd, 1 732, contains a curious announcement with 

regard to Castrucci, namely that he would play 

a solo, "in which he engages himself to execute 

twenty-four notes in one bow." This piece of 

charlatanism, so misplaced in a truly able musician, 

was excellently capped on the following day by a 

fameless Fiddler advertising his intention to play 

twenty-jive notes in one bow. 

The sonatas of Castrucci, Ops. 1 and 2, published 

by Walsh, are rich in pathos and originality. 

Sonatas 5 and 8, Op. 2, are written in imitation of 

the sounds of a Viol d'Amour, and are particularly 

interesting and effective. I t was Castrucci who 

played publicly on an instrument which he named 

the V£ola Mar£na. The sonatas referred to point 

to an admiration for the sounds of the Viol 

d' Amour, and in all probability the Viola Marina 

was but another name for the same instrument. 

Dr. Busby,* speaking in praise of these smatas, 

remarks "from their stamina Handel and Corelli 

deigned to cull many a blossom," but fails to inform 

us how they accomplished the botanical musical 

feat of culling the biossom before it was in bloom, 

for Corelli's compositions were published long before 

Castrucci's. 

* Busby's " History of Music," Vol. 2, p. 508.


The King of Sardinia's chapel-master, Lorenzo 

Somis, held a high position among the Violinists of 

his time. He was born at Piedmont towards the 

end of the seventeenth century, and was the instructor 

of his nephew Charbran, and Pugnani, also of 

Giardini, to whom we will now refer. This famous 

player was born at Turin in the year 1716. He 

studied music at Milan, where he was a chorister at 

the Cathedral. Ultimately selecting the Violin as 

his instrument, he studied the solos of Corelli, under 

his master, Somis. I n the year J 750 Giardini 

arrived in London, and played at a benefit concert 

at the " Little Theatre in the Haymarket," a solo by 

San-Martini ; of this performance Dr. Burney 

remarks, that "the applause was so long and 

loud, that I never remember to have heard such 

hearty and unequivocal marks of approbation at 

any other musical performance whatever." Received 

by the British musical public with such warmth, 

Giardini decided to pursue his art among his ardent 

admirers. Four years after his arrival he secured 

the post of leader of the opera orchestra, and 

. shortly after shared the management of the whole 

undertaking. After remaining in England thirtyfour 

years, Giardini went to Naples, under the 

patronage of Sir William Hamilton, but returned to 

this country a few years after, to fin:d the field 

occupied by others. In ill health, and rendered 

weaker by disappointment, he was no longer able 

to compete with talented artists fresh from their 

studies and full of ambition.

224 THE VIOL.IN AND ITS 111 USIC. 

I t was at this period, when Haydn was in 

London, monopolising the attention of the musical 

world, that Giardini is said to have evinced a 

particular spite against the great German master ; 

when urged to visit Haydn, he remarked, within 

hearing of the composer, " I don't want to see the 

German hog ;" Haydn writing afterwards in his 

diary that " Giardini played like a pig." In turning 

to the translation of the diary extracts from Greissinger's 

"Life of Haydn," we find simply, "On the 

21st of May, 1791, Giardini had a concert at 

Ranelagh," the simplicity of which harmonises with 

the character of Haydn, better than the comparison 

of the playing of an eminent brother artist to a pig. 

In 1793, he left St. Petersburg, and later visited 

Moscow, dying there in his eightieth year. 

Bartolozzi, the famous engraver, executed a 

portrait of Giardini, a copy of which is seen on the 

title-page of his Twelve Solos, dedicated to the Duke 

of Brunswick. His Violin music consists of : Twelve 

Quartetts, Op. 20 and 29 ; Six Quintetts, Op. I I ; 

Violin Solos, Op, I, 7, 8, 16, 19 ; Six Violin Duetts ; 

Six Sonatas for Piano and Violin, Op. 3 ; Twelve 

Violin Concertos, Op. 4, 5, 15 ; Trios for Stringed 

Instruments, Op. 6, 1 4, 20. 

It is Tartini's greatest scholar, Pietro Nardini, 

whom we must now notice. Nardini was born at 

the village of Fabiana; in Tuscany, in 1722, and 

received his earliest instructions in music at Leghorn, 

where his parents went to reside shortly after his


birth, ultimately completing his studies with Tartini, 

at Padua. He entered the service of the Duke of 

Wurtemburg at Stuttgard ; his patron was an 

excellent musician, and had in his orchestra three 

of the foremost Violinists m Europe, Ferrari, 

Nardini, and Lolli, with J omelli to conduct. 

Nardini afterwards returned to Leghorn, which 

he again left to occupy the post of Solo-Violinist 

to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, where he died in 

179 3. Leopold Mozart says, in a letter written in 

1793, the year of Nardini's death : "I have heard 

a Violin player, named Nardini, who, in beauty, 

equality, and purity of tone, and in a certain singing 

taste, is not to be surpassed : he, however, plays no 

difficulties."* The compositions of Nardini consist, 

according to F etis, of Six Concertos, Op. I ; Six 

Sonatas, Violin and Bass, Op. 2; Six Trios 

for Flute ; Six V iolin Solos, Op. 5 ; Six Quartetts, 

published at Florence ; and Six Duos for two 

Violins. In David's "Die Hohe Schule des 

Violinspiels " we have a rare specimen of Nardini's 

powers as a composer for his instrument. The 

opening movement is an adagio in D major, 

full of pathos. This is followed by an allegro in 

the same key, of great brilliancy, and of a character 

much in advance of the Violin music of the period. 

The larghetto movement here made use of, belongs 

to a distinct sonata. The editor has, perhaps, 

given to it a meaning, which, though it must be 

Q 

* "Mozart's Life," p. 24.


admitted 1S extremely beautiful, appears somewhat 

beyond the intention of the composer. The 

masterly manner in which Ferdinand David has 

transformed the original Basses of the old Violin 

composers into delightful Pianoforte parts is beyond 

all praise, but I cannot but think he has over-edited, 

in some instances, the solo parts, rendering it 

difficult to discover where the old master ended 

and the editor began. Chaucer, in the language 

of the nineteenth century, might be both readable 

and instructive, but it is open to doubt whether 

Master Geoffrey would either know or be pleased 

with himself in a modern verbal dress. 

We have now to mention another pupil of 

Lorenzo Somis-Gaetano Pugnani-who, besides 

distinguishing himself as a great executant, founded 

a school for Violinists at Turin. He was born in that 

city in the year 1727, according to the account 

furnished by F etis. After visiting the chief continental 

cities, Pugnani came to England, and 

remained for a long period. I t was in the year 

1770 that he returned to Turin and became the 

leader of the orchestra at the chief theatre, and 

shortly afterwards opened the school which Viotti 

entered as one of its earliest scholars, and proved 

himself the greatest. Many of Pugnani's compositions 

are yet in manuscript. He died in 1803. His 

published works for the Violin consist of : Sonatas, 

Ops. I, 3, 6, I I ; Duetts, Ops. 2 , 13 ; String Trios, 

three books ; String Quartetts, Op. 7; six Sym-


phonies for strings and wind, and six Quintetts with 

two Flutes. 

Emanuele Barbella was a Violinist of the school 

of Tartini. He commenced the study of his instrument 

in his seventh year" under the guidance of his 

father, Francesco Barbella, afterwards becoming a 

pupil of Bini. He was a friend and correspondent 

of Dr. Burney's, and supplied the musical historian 

with much interesting information relative to Italian 

music and musicians. In one of his communications 

to Burney he gave a short account of his musical 

life, after naming the eminent masters under whom 

he had studied he ends with singular modesty, 

saying, "Yet, notwithstanding these advantages, 

Barbella is a mere ass, who knows nothing." I 

have before remarked, genius is rarely unaccompanied 

with modesty, and Barbella is an instance of 

its truth. The exquisite "Lullaby," or Cradle Song, 

an extract from which I have here inserted, helps us 

to gauge the depth of his musical soul and learningo 

The French Violinist, Deldevez-he who first directed 

the attention of Violinists to the forgotten treasures 

Q 2


of the old masters-has used this Lullaby in his 

collection of early and famous Violin writings, transforming 

the Bass into an accompaniment for the 

Pianoforte. The Violin compositions of Barbella 

comprise Six Duetts for two Violins, Op. I, 3; and 

Six Sonatas, an example of which is contained 

in M. Alard's "Les Maitres Classiques." 

At Bergamo was born in the year I 728, the 

clever though eccentric Violinist, Antonio Lolli, the 

master of J arnowick and Waldemar. In 1762 Lolli 

entered the service of the Duke of Wurtemburg at 

Stuttgard, where he remained about nine years. His 

appearance at the court of the Duke has been made 

to serve the purpose of associating him with one of 

those seemingly inevitable romantic Fiddle contests 

which occupy so much of the historical notices 

of Violinists, that often after subjecting the whole 

to a gentle sifting, all else but the name and date 

have escaped through the "interstices between the 

intersections " of my sieve. This particular contest 

appears to have had its origin in Lolli's meeting with 

Nardini, whom the eccentric Violinist discovered to 

be an antagonist of no slight parts. With commendable 

judgment he came to the conclusion that he was 

not in form to do battle, and requested leave of 

absence from his patron the Duke. This conceded, 

he retires to a secluded village-a step in perfect 

harmony with that in vogue with the professors of the 

noble art of self-defence-and undergoes a course of 

training. This concluded, Lolli returns to his post at


Stuttgard, and challenges Nardini. I t is needless 

to add, that according to his biographers, he defeats 

him. Poor Nardini, thus stripped of the honours of 

a life-time, quits the service of his estimable patron, 

and retires to Italy. That any Violinist, acquainted 

with the compositions of Nardini, and accepting the 

judgment of his contemporaries with regard to his 

executive abilities, could realize his discomfiture 

as above related, IS, In my humble judgment, 

impossible. 

Continuing the notice of Lolli, we are told he 

visited St. Petersburg, Paris, and Madrid, and came 

to London in the year 1785, where, Burney says, 

" by a caprice in his conduct equal to his performance, 

he was seldom heard, and then, so eccentric was his 

style of composition and execution, that he was 

regarded as a madman by most of his hearers ; yet 

I am convinced that in his lucid intervals he was, in 

a serious style, a very great, expressive, and 

admirable performer. In his freaks, nothing can be 

imagined so wild, difficult, grotesque, and even 

ridiculous as his compositions and performance." 

The compositions of Mestrino and Locatelli 

have been cited as having furnished Paganini with 

effects which that extraordinary Violinist developed 

so wondrously : undoubtedly this was the case, but 

the compositions of Lolli should be associated with 

them as having suggested much in the same direction; 

indeed, it may be said that with Lolli began the 

virtuosi of the type of which Paganini became the


chief. In the sixth Sonata of Lolli's, Op. 9, we 

cannot fail to recognise the curious blending of 

absurdity and sentiment which touches our hearts 

and excites our risible faculties almost at the same 

moment, reminding us greatly of the achievements 

of Paganini of the same character. 

The compositions of this Vi " olinist are mentioned 

by Fetis as Six Sonatas, Ops. I, 3, 9, and IO ; Two 

Concertos, Op. 2, with Orchestra ; Concertos 3, 4, 5, 

6, 7, 8, Ops. 4, 5, and 6 ; Violin School with accompaniment 

for Tenor and Violoncello. 

Mestrino, born at Milan, in I 750, composed 

some Caprices for the Violin, which are rightly 

regarded by those artists who have the good 

fortune to possess them (for they are very rare), as 

exceptionally clever compositions. He also wrote 

Twelve Concertos with Orchestra, Op. I ; Sonatas, . 

with Bass, Op. 5 ; Duetts for two Violins, Op. 2, 3 . 

It was Mestrino who held the post of first Violin, 

about 1767, at Esterhaz, when Haydn was director 

of the Orchestra. Mestrino and Dragonetti were 

great friends in their youth, and practised together 

music outside the province of their instruments, in 

order that passages of extraordinary difficulty might 

be encountered. The marvellous executive skill of 

Dragonetti, and the singularly difficult formation of 

Mestrino's passages, point to a training of the kind. 

In the Violin instruction book of Leopold Mozart 

we have a clever arpeggio movement, from the 

pen of Mestrino, unpublished by the composer.

THE VI OLIN IN ITALY. 

From Carlo Tessarini, of Rome, born about 

1690, we appear to have had a work on the art of 

modulating in the form of Concertos, with accompaniments, 

Op. 6, and "A Musical Grammar," 

dedicated to the Marquis Gabrielli, of Rome, which 

is a high-sounding title for a small Violin instruction 

book. 

Raimondi, a pupil of Barbella, published at 

Amsterdam three Concertos, six String Quartetts, 

and three String Trios. 

Giornovichi, better known as J arnowick, pupil 

of Lolli, was a Violinist of much renown, and, prior 

to Viotti's appearance in Paris, he was the principal 

artist there ; the superior style of the former, 

however, caused him to leave the French capital, 

and accept a position in the Royal Orchestra at 

Potsdam ; he was at a later period in England for 

some time. He published in Paris a few Sonatas, 

Duetts, Concertos, and Quartetts. 

Lucchesi, a pupil of Nardini, published some 

Duetts for two Violins, Op. I, which passed through 

two editions. Another set comprises Op. 2 and 

Op. 4, Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano. 

Andrea Lucchesi, the composer of several large 

works, also wrote six Sonatas for Piano and Violin, 

and also a Trio with Piano. 

Traversa, a pupil of Pugnani, published six 

String Quartetts ; six Sonatas for Violin and Bass, 

Op. 2; and a Concerto, Op. 5 . 

The highly sentimental player Joseph Puppo,

2 3 2 THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

born In 1749, published two Concertos, with 

Orchestra ; eight Fantasias, or Studies ; and three 

Duetts for Two Violins. 

Johannes Baptista N ofieri, of whom but little 

appears to be known, published several Violin 

compositions in Amsterdam, Berlin, and London. 

Deldevez gives an extract from the Seventh Sonata, 

published in 1763 . 

Tomasini, a Violinist in the Orchestra of Prince 

Esterhazy, published three Violin Duetts, and 

Variations for Violin alone, and left in manuscript 

several other compositions. 

Anthony and Bernardo Lorenziti published several 

Sonatas, D uetts , Trios, and Quartetts. Anthony 

was a pupil of Locatelli. 

Tomaso Giordani, of Naples, published Quintetts, 

Quartetts, and Trios in London and in Offenbach. 

Joseph Mosel, of Florence, born in 1754, 

belonged to the school of Tartini, published at 

Paris and Venice, Violin Duetts, and String Quartetts. 

Polledro, born in 1776, was a pupil of Pugnani. 

His works consist of three Violin Concertos, Airs, 

and Variations, Op. 3, 5, 8; String Trios, Op. 2, 

4, 9 ; Violin Studies and Duetts, for two Violins, 

Op. II. 

Francesco Vaccari, ' of Modena, pupil of Nardini, 

composed Duetts for two Violins, Op. I and 2, Paris ; 

"God Save the King," with variations and Piano 

accompaniment, and other pieces of a similar 

character.

THE Vi OLIN IN ITAL Y. 2 3 3 

Radicati, of Bologna, pupil of Pugnani, published 

several Quintetts, Quartetts, Trios, etc. 

Giovanni Bononcini, born at Modena, in 1672, 

was admitted as a Violoncello player in the Emperor 

Leopold's band at Vienna at the age of 2 3. The 

fame of Bononcini, as an operatic composer, spread 

far and wie, after the production of his opera 

Camilla ; the Duke of Marlborough and his party, 

at the Royal Academy of Music,* invited him -to 

England, when began the rivalry which gave rise to 

the epigram attributed to Dean Swift :- 

" Some say that Signor Bononcini, 

Compared to Handel, is a ninny ; 

Whilst other say, that to him, Handel 

Is hardly fit to hold a candle ; 

Strange that such difference should be, 

'Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee." 

As the Dean of St. Patrick's had no ear for music 

his opinion musically is valueless ; we must therefore 

turn to the musical historian for an estimate of the 

difference noted by the Dean. Sir John Hawkins 

says : "the merits of Bononcini were very great, 

and it must be thought no diminution of his 

character to say that he had no superior but Handel, 

though, as the talen.ts which each possessed were 

very different in kind, it is almost a question whether 

* In 1710 a plan was formed for patronising and supporting Italian 

Operas in England ; a fund of £50,000 was raised, to which King 

George I. subscribed £1,000. This establishment was named the 

Royal Academy of Music.


any comparison can justly be made between them. 

Handel's excellence consisted in the grandeur and 

sublimity of his conceptions ;" "Bononcini' s genius 

was adapted to the expression of tender and 

pathetic sentiments." Dr. Burney,* in noticing his 

" Divertimenti di Camera," remarks : "The Adagios 

are the best move ' ments in them, and have notes of 

taste, and passages of expression, which must have 

been new to English ears. Bononcini, however, 

like other composers of his time, is very sparing of 

his passages, and indulges idleness and want of 

invention by frequent Rosalias,t which Handel 

seems always to avoid, more than any other composer 

of this period." Bononcini retired upon a 

pension of five hundred pounds, granted him by the 

Marlborough family. 

His compositions in connection with the Violin 

include : Twelve Sonatas or Chamber Airs for 

two Violins and a Bass, London, 1732 ; " Divertimenti 

di Camera," dedicated to the Duke of Rutland, 

London, 1722 ; and four Symphonies, published at 

Bologna, between 1685, and 1687 ; and Duetti da 

Camera, Op. 9, 1691. 

With the notice of Fiorillo, the composer of the 

famous Violin Studies or Caprices, we reach the last 

representative of the Old Italian School. Though 

born at Brunswick, Fiorillo's parentage was Italian, 

and his style of composition distinctly so. His father 

" Vol. IV., p, 322. 

-r Repetition of a phrase or passage with the pitch raised each repeat.

THE VI OLIN IN ITALY. 2 35 

was a Neapolitan musician of some celebrity, and 

became chapel-master at Cassel in 1762. His son 

Frederick, the subject of this notice was born in 

1753. After visiting Poland, he went to Paris in 

1785, and played with much success at the Concert 

Spirituel. Three years later he came to England, 

and remained here many years. He played upon the 

Tenor very frequently, both in Salomon's quartett 

party and at the Ancient Concerts ; at the latter he 

performed a Tenor concerto in 1794. He composed 

Six Trios for two Violins and Violoncello, Op. I, 

published at Berlin and Paris ; Eighteen Duetts for 

two Violins ; Twelve String Quartetts ; Four Violin 

Concertos ; Nine Sonatas for Piano and Violin ; the 

Thirty-Six Caprices or Studies ; and many other 

works.

£dhm 'tHE.-CQl:he iolin in Itu:LJ2. 

CHAPTER IV. 

A BO UT the middle of the eighteenth century we 

are brought to the threshold of the School of 

Instrumental Music, which is named Modern, in 

contradistinction to that of Corelli and his immediate 

followers. 

Joseph H aydn, the musician destined to take the 

lead in this new departure, had but just come into 

the world. Luigi Boccherini, who played no unimportant 

part in the work, was a boy of ten years, 

learning the Violoncello and his musical alphabet at 

Lucca. Domenico Cimarosa-Italy's Mozart in 

Opera-was in his cradle, and Viotti followed three 

years later. 

In music as with all the arts and SCIences there 

is a period of transition which is often so gradual as 

to render it impossible to draw a separating line 

between that which is regarded as ancient, and that 

which is accepted as modern. The one merges into 

the other like a dissolving view. We can, however, 

without difficulty, recognise the foremost men of the 

time, and among them one whose style is certain to

THE VI OLIN IN ITALY. 2 3 7 

be in advance of the rest. In Italian instrumental 

music it is San Martini whose style is indicative of 

advancement. The style of San Martini has been 

called the father of that of Haydn, and Boccherini 

has been named the wife of Haydn ; if we accept 

this musical relationship, Martini must necessarily 

have been Boccherini's father-in-law in music, and 

therefore it is the Violoncellist we will next notice. 

This truly original composer of chamber music 

studied at Rome both composition and the Violoncello, 

and secured there much renown. In 1 768 he 

journeyed in company with Nardini's pupil Manfredi 

to France, and played at the Concert Spirituel. It 

was at this period that the Spanish Ambassador 

induced Boccherini to visit Madrid, promising him 

high patronage in the Spanish capital, a promise 

which was not altogether redeemed. After spending 

some seventeen years there, his patron, the Infanta 

Don Luigi, died, when he obtained th post of 

chamber composer to Frederick William II. of 

Prussia, which he held until the death of Frederick 

in 1797. Troubles now came thickly upon poor 

Boccherini ; in those days, when a composer's 

existence was dependent on having a distinguished 

patron, he found himself without one, in ill health, 

and straitened circumstances. At this critical 

juncture of his career, Lucien Buonaparte, the 

French Ambassador at Madrid, paid the unfortunate 

musician some attention, in acknowledgment of which 

Boccherini dedicated six Pianoforte Quintetts to the


French Republic ! which is probably unique In the 

annals of music as an instance of wide-range 

inscribing. 

Whether Boccherini, like Beethoven, was an 

admirer of the First Consul, matters little ; perhaps 

his inability to retain that monarchical patronage, 

which his great ability rendered him entitled 

to, drove him into the arms of Republicans. 

I t would seem, however, that the Ambassadors of 

France at this disturbed period were exerting 

themselves to obtain for their government music 

title-page immortality. It was but the year before this 

particular dedication of Boccherini's, that Bernadotte 

at Vienna suggested to Beethoven the propriety of 

writing a Bonaparte Symphony. The suggestion 

met with the illustrious composer's approval, and six 

years later a manuscript lay on Beethoven's writing 

table, on the first page of which were the words 

"Napoleon Buonaparte." On the I8th of May, 

18°4, Napoleon exchanged the simple title of First 

Consul for that of Emperor. When the fact was 

made known to Beethoven, he tore away the title of 

his glorious manuscript, accompanying the action 

with a torrent of execration against the "N ew 

Tyrant," and re-named his imperishable work " Sinfonia 

Eroica." 

To return to our subject, after this dedicatory 

digression, the influence Boccherini exercised over 

his art was of an important kind. His Trios and 

Quintetts, though lacking the variety which distin-

THE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 2 3 9 

guishes the chamber music of his German contemporaries, 

mark an era in the History of Music 

Bailliot, as remarked by Louis Spohr, 'was an 

admirer of the Quintetts of Boccherini, which 

evidently astonished the great German Violinist, 

since he writes : "I was desirous of hearing Bailliot 

in these Quintetts, with about a dozen of which I 

am acquainted, in order to see whether he could 

make one forget the poverty of the compositions." 

That Bailliot's judgment differs from Spohr's is 

perfectly clear, for he says : "There is a species 

of composition which seems to have been created 

for the Violoncello ; it is the Quintetto, such as 

conceived by Boccherini. In the happy idea of 

making this instrument perform a two-fold part, 

both as an accompaniment, and as giving the leading 

melody, he has known how to impart to it a double 

charm ; herein he has displayed a creative genius, 

similar to that of Haydn for the Symphony, and 

Viotti for the Concerto. In point of style, abounding 

as his does with originality, grace, freshness, and 

purity, and marked by an expression peculiarly its 

own, this composer may be cited as a model for those 

who study the Violoncello, and who are desirous of 

making it speak its true language." After describing 

the qualities of the quick movements of Boccherini, 

Bailliot next refers to an Adagio in language rich 

in expression if excessive in praise : "N othing can 

surpass the charm which accompanies this movement, 

in the music of the great master of whom


we speak. When he allows it to be heard alone, 

it breathes a sensibility so profound, a simplicity so 

noble, that all ideas of art and imitation vanish ; 

and, penetrated with a religious feeling, we imagine 

some celestial voice is whispering to our bosoms : 

so far is its expression removed from everything 

that wounds the heart ; nay, on the contrary, so 

intimately is it allied to everything that is gentle and 

soothing to the spirit. When he bids all the five 

instruments discourse together, it is with a harmony 

so full, so august and effectual, that our senses 

are lulled with contemplation and repose, and our 

imagination is wrapped in a sweet reverie." 

Mendelssohn, describing a Quartett evening at 

Bailliot's, says : "They commenced with a Quintett 

by Boccherini-an old fashioned perruque, but a 

very amiable old gentleman underneath it." 

Boccherini was a singularly prolific composer, 

his works reaching the astonishing number of three 

hundred and sixty-six, of which seventy-four are 

unpublished. As a Violoncellist, he must have been 

in possession of exceptional executive power and 

knowledge of the finger-board, judging from the 

character of his writings. Six of his Sonatas have 

been edited by Signor Piatti, each of which is a 

monument to the ability of the composer. He died 

at Madrid, in which city he passed fifty years of his 

life, May 2 8th, 1 805, aged 65. The list of his published 

works is as follows : Six Sonatas for Piano and 

Violin ; Six Sonatas for Violin and Bass ; Six Duetts


for two Violins ; Forty-two Trios for two Violins 

and Cello ; Twelve Trios for Violin, Viola, and 

Cello ; Ninety-one String Quartetts ; Eighteen 

Quintetts for Flute or Oboe, Two Violins, Viola and 

Cello ; Twelve Quintetts for Piano, two Violins, 

Viola, and Cello ; One Hundred and Thirteen 

Quintetts for two Violins, Viola and Cello ; Twelve 

Quintetts for two Violins, two Violas and Cello ; 

Sixteen Sextetts, for various instruments ; Two 

Octetts, etc. 

Whilst Boccherini was at Madrid, there lived 

there a pupil of Nardini's, named Gaetano Brunetti, 

.of whom M. Picquot,'J{

THE V.l OL.lN AND ITS MUS.lC. 

left behind ; if I find no other opportunity of sending 

them, I shall give them with some country dances, 

and the Adagio and Rondos composed by Brunetti 

to the messenger, &c." But again Brunetti's name 

is indissolubly connected with that astonishing feat 

of Mozart's of writing for himself and the Violinist, 

a sonata in sixty minutes. 

Though Cimarosa cannot be said to have been a 

prominent contributor to instrumental progress, yet 

he certainly had a share in it ; his charming melody 

alone entitles him to some notice here. The 

Emperor Napoleon enquired of the witty and 

brilliant Gntry, what was the difference between 

Mozart and Cimarosa. " Sire," said Gntry, " Cimarosa 

places the statue on the stage, and the pedestal 

in the orchestra ; whilst Mozart puts the statue 

in the orchestra, and the pedestal on the stage ;" so 

much of this is true as regards Cimarosa, but 

no further. Notwithstanding the slightness of 

Cimarosa's orchestral accompaniments, they surpass 

those of his I talian predecessors and contemporaries 

in variety of effects. 

Bartolomeo Campagnoli was born at Cento, near 

Bologna, September 10th, 175 1. He went to 

Modena in 1763 in order to receive instruction 

from a professor there, who had studied in the 

school of Tartini. He benefited greatly from the 

teaching he received, and thus laid the foundation 

upon which he reared the stately pile of instructive 

works for his instrument. Remaining in Modena

7HE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 2 4 3 

about three years, he returned to Cento and accepted 

an engagement to play in the orchestra of the 

theatre there. After visiting Padua, Venice, and 

Rome, he decided upon journeying to Florence, that 

he might hear the great Nardini, who was then at 

the zenith of his fame. He remained in Florence 

some years, and became intimately associated with 

the great master, receiving, if not actual lessons 

from him, remarks and advice sufficient to influence 

greatly his executive skill and compositions. 

We have, here two instances of direct influence 

brought to bear on the musical education of 

Campagnoli, namely, that of his earliest instructor. 

who was a follower in the school of Tartini, and 

the advice he received from Nardini ; but there 

remains to mention another valued musician, whose 

influence was scarcely less than that of those 

referred to, viz., Cherubini, whose friendship he 

enjoyed. Between 1775 and 1787 he travelled much, 

visiting the chief Continental cities. From 1788 to 

the time of his death, his time was chiefly spent 

in Dresden and Leipsic conducting secular and 

sacred music. He died November 6th, 1827, aged 

seventy-six. 

The amount of good the writings of this master 

have done it would be difficult to over-estimate. As 

compositions, the chief objection is, doubtless, a 

mannerism which pervades them, not found in the 

works of the highest genius ; but it is from an 

educational point of view they deserve consideration, 

R 2


and mention of a few of these compositions will be 

sufficient to call to the minds of those familiar with 

them their singular merit. First, the Studies on the 

Positions ; in these the display of ingenuity coupled 

with effects of modulation, are unsurpassed by any 

work having a similar aim. The student is at once 

interested with the numerous devices the composer 

adopts in order to develop a knowledge of each 

position, and charmed with the graceful modulation. 

In the work on the " Art of Improvising Fantasias 

and Cadences," Op. 17, we find the knowledge of 

the positions brought into use without restriction 

to any particular one, but the student is carried 

through all with great skill. The Thirty Preludes 

in all the keys, Op. 12, a work designed for making 

the playe ' r correct in intonation, is another valuable 

addition to music of the educational class. The 

Studies for the Viola, Op. 22, is a work of importance 

in the meagre catalogue of Viola music. 

The collection of lOI Easy Pieces for two Violins, 

Op. 20, contains much that is valuable for teaching ; 

and lastly the Instruction Book. Passing to the 

compositions of Campagnoli of another character, Six 

Fugues ; Concerto with Orchestra ; Sonatas for 

Violin and Bass, Ops. I and 6, may be mentioned. 

Luigi Borghi, a pupil of Pugnani, was long in 

London. We find him mentioned as leader of the 

Second Violins at the Handel Commemoration, in 

1784, at Westminster Abbey. The Duetts and 

Sonatas of Borghi were long popular among


English amateurs. His compositions consist of 

Six Sonatas for Violin and Bass, Op. I ; Three 

Concertos, with accompaniment, Op. 2 ; Six Solos, 

Op. 3 ; Twelve Duetts, Op. 4, 5 ; Six Duetts, Violin 

and Viola, Op. 6; Six Duetts for Violin and Violoncello, 

Op. 7 ; Six Concertos for Violin Solo. 

I n Bruni, Pugnani had another famous scholar. 

He was born in Piedmont, in 1759. He passed his 

life chiefly at Paris, where he became conductor of 

the Opera Comique, himself composing several light 

operas. He is known to Violinists chiefly as the 

composer of many agreeably-written string Trios 

and Duetts, and as the author of an Instruction 

Book for the Tenor. 

Alessandro Rolla composed much interesting 

and valuable music for the Violin at this period. 

He made the Viola a special study, and was famous 

as a soloist on that instrument. He composed 

Three Violin Concertos with orchestra, and Four 

Tenor Concertos, also with orchestra ; Several 

Quartetts, Quintetts, and Trios, besides some Duetts 

for Violin and Tenor and two Violins.

£dhm l1I.-CQIhe l1ioHn in ItnIn. 

CHAPTER V. 

IT H Giovanni Battista Viotti begins the 

W Modern school of the Violin. He was born 

in Piedmont on the 2 3rd of May, 1753 ; his father 

was a horn player, and from him he received his 

early musical knowledge. He ultimately became a 

pupil of Pugnani at Turin, and entered the orchestra 

of the Royal Chapel there as a Violinist. In 1780 

he left Turin, visiting Germany, Russia, Poland, and 

this country.* Here he was importuned to remain ; 

he, however, went to Paris, where he made his debut 

at the CO:lcert Spirituel in 1782. He played one 

of his own concertos, the striking originality of 

which, combined with the composer's splendid tone 

and elegant style, made an extraordinary impression 

upon his audience. In most biographies of Viotti, 

the account of this performance is followed by one 

of those anecdotes in which the artist figures as 

vanquished, vain, or contemptible ; in this instance 

* M. Fetis states that Viotti accompanied Pugnani on his tour, 

but this must be an error, as Pugnani left London in I770 for Turin, 

where he remained afterwards.

THE VI OLIN IN ITAL Y. 

it is the offence of contemptuousness with which 

the artist is associated : "Commanded to play a 

concerto at the Court of Louis XVI. at Versailles, 

the virtuoso appeared there in obedience to the 

summons, and had proceeded about half-way through 

the composition, when the attention of his distinguished 

audience was suddenly taken from the 

performer and the concerto, to an illustrious fresh 

arrival. N ois(t and confusion ruled where silence 

and attention before reigned. Viotti, indignant, 

removed the music from the desk and departed, 

leaving the concert and their Majesties to the 

reproaches of the audience." That some slight 

interruption may have caused Viotti to cease 

playing during its continuance is both probable 

and reasonable, but that the admitted possessor of 

a highly cultivated and refined mind should behave 

as above related, is, to say the least, unlikely ; and 

more so, when the same biographer tells us that in 

his intercourse with those high in social position, he 

never forgot the dignity of his own character, or of 

their rank. After spending a short time in Italy, 

Viotti returned to Paris in 1784, when he became 

one of the distinguished members of the chief 

musical circle of the French capital. 

Viotti seems chiefly to have passed his time in 

Paris as Tartini did at Padua, ignoring public 

performances, and benefiting the art of music by 

conveying to others musical knowledge of inestimable 

worth. In 1788 Viotti was induced to accept


the onerous post of director of an Italian opera 

company. In a few months he had completed the 

necessary arrangements, and in 1789 the company 

made its first appearance at the Tuilleries, achieving 

great success. I t was in connection with this 

operatic scheme that we first hear of Cherubini in 

Paris, and his association with Viotti. All went well 

until 1792, when the Reign of Terror began ; the 

members of the company wisely disbanded and 

escaped from the tumultuous scene. Poor Viotti 

quitted France for England pecuniarily ruined. In 

London he appeared at Salomon's Concerts, playing 

his concertos with marked success. He subsequently 

became the leader of the I tali an Opera, and was 

apparently steadily recovering from his recent upheavings, 

when he was suddenly ordered by the 

British Government to leave our shores. The 

anti-Gallic spirit was at this period in a very inflammable 

condition, and Viotti came to be regarded as an 

agent of the revolutionists, sent here to propagate 

their tenets under cover of his Violin. I t was 

certainly a wild conclusion to come to on the part of 

our officials, but the darkened state of the European 

atmosphere cast a shade over all foreigners, formerly 

resident in the French capital, from their point of 

view. The sensitive nature of Viotti must have 

made him feel deeply this expulsion from England. 

He went to Holland, and lived in a retired place 

near Hamburgh, occupying himself with composition. 

I t was here that many of his best works were

THE VI OLIN IN ITALY. 249 

written. In 1801 Viotti returned to London, it 

having been clearly proved that he ought never to 

have been subjected to the treatment he received 

from our Government. 

He ultimately embarked his capital in the 

purchase of wine in bond, a transaction in his case 

about on a par with that of Goldsmith's Moses and 

the gross of green spectacles. That poor Viotti's 

trading capacity was of a very different character to 

that of his Violin playing, is not difficult to imagine : 

to buy wine was one thing, to sell it another. His 

next step was to rent an office in the neighbourhood 

. of Pall-Mall, which he attended daily for the purpose 

of submitting his wine samples to the public. His 

patrons, unfortunately, seem to have been all tasters 

and no buyers, since he finally closed his ledger all 

on one side, and that the wrong one. After this 

commercial calamity, he again went to Paris and 

received from Louis XVII 1 . the appointment of 

manager to the Grand Opera ; from this position he 

retired with a pension. Again he returned to 

London, but his failing health prevented his taking 

any active part in our mnsical world. He took 

much interest in the formation of the Philharmonic 

Society, founded in the year 18 I 3, and during the 

opening season shared its leadership with Salomon, 

Spagnoletti, Yaniewicz, F ran

250 THE VIOLIN AND lTS 1I1USIC. 

Magazz'ne, Vol. xciv. p. 2 80. The " Nouvelle Biogra 

'phie U niverselle," states he died at Brighton, and 

has often been quoted in the notices of Viotti. I 

have, however, made every possible enquiry at 

Brighton as to his burial there without succeeding 

in learning anything with regard to it. We may 

therefore conclude the father of the modern school 

of Violin-playing was interred in some London 

churchyard, and if discoverable, a tablet would add 

lustre to the edifice, even though it were the Abbey 

of Westminster. 

Of his moral qualities it is written, "There never 

was a man who attached such great value to the 

simplest gifts of nature ; there never was a child 

who more ardently enjoyed them. A violet found 

under the grass would transport him with joy ; or 

the gathering of fresh fruit render him the happiest 

of mortals ; he found in the one a perfume ever 

new, in the other a flavour always more and more 

delicious. His organs thus delicate and sensitive, 

seemed to have preserved the impressibility of early 

youth, whilst stretched on the grass he would pass 

hours in admiring the colour or inhaling the odour 

of a rose. Everything that belonged to the country 

was, for this extraordinary man, a new object of 

amusement, interest, and enjoyment ; all his senses 

were excited by the slightest impressions; everything 

around him affected his imagination ; all nature 

spoke to his heart, which overflowed with sentiment."

THE VIOL.IN IN ITALY. 

The style of Viotti's Violin-playing was, in 

the estimation of Pierre Bailliot, perfection ; and 

accordingly he made it a model from which to form 

his own. The impression it made upon him when 

only twelve years of age, was such as time could 

never efface. Twenty years later he wrote, after 

again hearing Viotti, " J e Ie croyais Achille ; mais 

c 'est A gamemnon. " 

The Violin writings of Viotti include : Twentynine 

Concertos ; Three Quartetts, Books I and. 2 ; 

Three Quartetts, Op. 22 ; ·Quartetts in the form of 

Airs with Variations ; String Trios ; Violin Duetts ; 

and also Sonatas for Violin and Bass. The popularity 

of Viotti's music at the time of its publication 

and since, is evidenced by the arrangements of some 

of the Concertos for the Piano, and by Dussek and 

Cherubini's arrangements of the Trios as Sonatas 

for Pianoforte and Violin. 

Although Cherubini's contributions to the music 

of the Violin had no marked influence on its progress, 

the high character of his writings generally renders 

the little he did in the field of Violin music 

interesting. Reference has already been made to 

the meeting of Cherubini and Viotti in Paris. The 

friendship that existed between these artists was of 

the strongest kind ; Viotti took the greatest interest 

in the welfare of his friend, and the many services 

Cherubini received at his hands were gratefully 

remembered to the end of his life. Cherubini was 

born at Florence in 1760. He became a pupil of

2 5 2 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lIfUSIC. 

Giuseppe Sarti at Bologna, with the aid of the 

Grand Duke of Tuscany, who volunteered to pay 

the cost of his tuition, so much did he admire the 

youthful composer's abilities. His first opera, " II 

Quinto Fabia, " was played at Alessandria in 1780. 

In 1784 he assisted at the Handel Commemoration 

in Westminster Abbey. He remained in England 

two years, during which time he was often in 

the society of the Prince of Wales, afterwards 

George IV., who was delighted with his abilities. 

Cherubini, however, failed to please the British 

public with his opera, " Giulio Sabino," which much 

vexed him, and ultimately led to his taking up his 

residence in Paris. In the year 1795 the Conservatoire 

was founded, and Cherubini was appointed one 

of the " Inspecteurs des Etudes," and professor of 

Counterpoint ; amongst his pupils was Bailliot. 

Passing over references to the production of Cherubini's 

important operatic works, we will notice the 

marked coolness manifested by Napoleon Buonaparte 

towards him, an instance of which is furnished by 

his having declined to appoint him as his Chapelmaster. 

Mehul, to whom the post was offered by 

Napoleon, generously suggested the propriety of its 

being filled by his friend Cherubini ; "Do not speak 

to me about that man, said Napoleon, I want a 

maestro who will make nlusic, not noise," from 

which remark it would seem that the First Consul's 

idea of what constituted noise differed from that of 

musical men. Certain it is, however, Cherubini's


noise is both musical and learned, and it IS regretable 

that he did not make more. In 1805 he 

went to Vienna, where he made the acquaintance 

of Beethoven and Haydn, but returned, after a 

short stay, to France. 

Spohr, in one of his letters dated from Paris,} 

writes, "From the frequent opportunities .I had of 

playing before Cherubini at private parties, I 

conceived a very ardent desire to have all my 

quartetts and quintetts heard by that master, so 

highly esteemed by me ; but in this I succeeded with 

very few only ; for when Cherubini had heard the 

first quartett (N o. I, Op. 45), and I was on the point 

of producing a second, he protested against, it and 

said, 'Your music, and indeed the form and style of 

this kind of music, is as yet foreign to me, that I 

cannot find myself immediately at home with it. 

I would, therefore, prefer that you repeated the 

quartett just played.' '' Spohr tells us this remark 

surprised him, but that he afterwards discovered 

that Cherubini was ignorant of the works of 

Mozart and Beethoven, and that he had heard a 

Haydn quartett but once. This information seems 

startling, remembering that Cherubini was often in 

the company of Viotti and Bailliot, the latter a 

famous quartett player, and giver of quartett 

concerts, and that he made the personal acquaintance 

of Haydn and Beethoven sixteen years before Spohr 

wrote in his diary of Cherubini's ignorance of German 

mUSIC. That he had written a quartett at least

254 THE VI01JN AND ITS MUSIC. 

two years before Spohr visited Paris, is certain, the 

Quartett in E flat having been composed in 1819. 

If this work was composed without any knowledge 

of those of Haydn or Mozart, we must agree with 

Mr. Bellasis,* who says in effect that our estimation 

of it is increased thereby. 

The chamber compositions of Cherubini consist 

of the Quartett in E flat ; NO. 2, in C, from a Symphony 

with a new adagio ; NO. 3, in D, composed 

in 1834 ; NO. 4, in E ; NO. 5, in F ; No. 6inA 

minor ; and a Quintett for Strings in E minor. 

The Quartett in E flat is referred to by 

Schumann who speaks of the "Scherzo," with its 

fanciful Spanish subject, 

and, lastly, the finale, sparkling like a. diamond wher 

you shake it. 

Allegro assai. 

:=::: :j -8-. .2jk1J-"1 -=g-=r=Flgl 

- -- -=t=t=- . _ . . 

-V- 

The reception of the Quartett in E flat (writter 

in the year 1819, though not performed u .. 

'if "Memorials of Cherubini," 1874.

THE VIOLIN IN ITALY. 25 5 

.:uced Cherubini to his Symphony in D, which he 

anged as a quartett with a new adagio. Of this 

rk Schumann says, ,i A few dry bars, the work 

the intellect alone, there are, as in most of 

.erubini's works ; but even in these there is always 

nething interesting in the passage, some ingenious 

.•. ltrivance or imitation, something to think about. 

· ·lere is most spirit in the Scherzo and last move 

nt, which are both full of wonderful life. The 

19io has a striking individual A minor character, 

nething romantic and Provenc;alish. After hearing 

several times its charms grow, and it closes in 

" :::h a manner as to make you begin listening again, 

'Jugh knowing the end is near." These two 

., . 

. 

. artetts, together with the third in D minor, were 

. blished and dedicated to Bailliot in I 835. There 

' 11 remain three unpublished. 

Bailliot wrote a letter to his brother-in-law, 

. Guynemer, dated April 9th, J842, in which 

: . says, "I was well assured that you would share 

our sorrow on the occasion of the loss we 

lve sustained in the venerable Cherubini. I can 

. .y nothing in addition to what you already think 

'ld feel on this subject ; the loss to the musical 

orld is immense ; but it falls yet heavier on those 

"iho had the opportunity of knowing, under the 

. )mewhat 

rough exterior, the genuine intrinsic worth 

•. " him who was also perhaps the ' last and noblest 

; .oman ' in the purely classical style." 

. I t has been said handwriting reflects the disposi-


tion of the writer. That an orderly man would l1'a' 

no blots, cross his t's, and dot his i's may be granU 

but little beyond. Music, however, is a far superi 

reflector of the character of its composer, al ,' 

Cherubini is an instance of its delineating POWI 

Mendelssohn, referring to Cherubini, once 1 

marked to his friend, Ferdinand Hiller, "Wh 

an extraordinary creature he is ! You wou 

fancy that a man could not be a great compos · 

without · sentiment, heart, ' feeling, or whatever el 

you call it ; but I declare I believe that 1 

makes everything out of his head alone." Tl 

disposition and manner of Cherubini we fie 

described as stern, reserved, scrupulously observal 

of duty, every act was performed by rule. If l, 

made a blot he cut round it with his knife, and neat] 

fitted a new bit of paper in" its place. His score ' 

resembled engraving rather than penmanship. 

Haydn was particularly methodical, and wouL 

not even attempt to compose without having donne· 

his wig, and habited himself in full dress, all c 

which niceties ar reflected in his writings ; but i) 

place of the quality of sternness and reserve marke( 

in the Qearing of Cherubini, "looking like a dr 

screwed-up little man, with heavy eyebrows," w( 

have the dark grey eyes of Haydn, beaming wid 

benevolence, and his own estimate of himself, " An) 

one can see by the look of me I am a good-naturec 

sort of fellow." That the world recognises thi 

portrait in almost every page of his music admits of 

no doubt.

cdhm 13I.-CQf:\t£ l1inlin in IhtlJ2. 

CHAPTER VI. 

T HE. g . reat ad esse . ntially legi . tim . ate school . of 

VIOlm playmg raIsed by VIOttI, had for Its 

foundation the solid musical masonry of Corelli and 

his predecessors, and, like all honest work, best 

:withstands the wear and tear of time. Very different 

are the results when schools rest upon unstable 

material from designs originating in frenzied fantasy. 

It was Pietro Locatelli who helped to develope the 

phrenetical School of Violin-playing ; it was Lolli 

who made the ridiculous a prominent feature, and it 

was left to the prince of virtuosi, Nicolo Paganini, 

to crown the work of both. 

s 

" So play'd of late to every passing thought 

With finest change (might I but half as well 

So write !) the pale magician of the bow, 

Who brought from Italy the tales, made true, 

Of Grecian lyres ; and on his sphery hand, 

Loading the air with dumb expectancy, 

Suspended, ere it fell, a nation's breath ; 

" Of witches' dance, ghastly with whinings thin, 

And palsied nods-mirth, wicked, sad, and weak ; 

And then with show of skill mechanical, 

Marvellous as witchcraft he would overthrow 

That vision with a show'r of notes like hail :


" Flashing the sharp tones now, 

In downward leaps like swords ; now rising fine 

Into some utmost tip of minute sound, 

From whence he stepp'd into a higher and higher 

On viewless points, till laugh took leave of him. 

" Then from one chord of his amazing shell 

Would he fetch out the voice of quires, and weight 

Of the built organ ; or some twofold strain 

Moving before him in sweet-going yoke, 

Ride like an Eastern conqueror, round whose state 

Some light Morisco leaps with his guitar ; 

And ever and anon o'er these he'd throw 

Jets of small notes like pearl." 

LEIGH HUNT. 

Paganini was born at Genoa on February 18th, 

1784. His father traded on a small scale, and 

amused himself in playing on the Mandoline ; his 

knowledge of music was sufficient to make his boy 

acquainted with its elements, and he knew enough of 

the Violin to teach him its rudiments. After receiving 

tuition from Costa, a Violoncello player, at Genoa, 

his father was advised to place him under Alessandro 

Rolla. Paganini is said to have received from Rolla 

several months' tuition ; this, however, Paganini in 

after years would not acknowledge, and the contradiction 

is illustrated with one of those extraordinary 

anecdotes so frequently met with in his detached 

Autobiography. The substance of this particular 

one is, that Paganini, whilst waiting for an interview 

with Rolla relative to taking lessons, took up a 

Violin and played the professor's last concerto at 

sight, which so astonished Rolla in the adjoining


room, that he confessed he had nothing to teach 

him. 

Paganini, after suffering much from the harsh 

and cruel treatment of his father, succeeded in 

releasing himself from his bondage. At this time 

he was about fifteen years of age, maintaining 

himself by his public performances. Left to his 

own resources, with no lack of money, but half 

educated, with neither parent nor guardian to advise 

him, he soon fell a prey to gamblers. It was at 

Leghorn that he sacrificed his Violin to his passion 

for gaming ; the loss, however, resulted in ultimate 

gain, since a French merchant, M. Livron, presented 

him with the Joseph Guarnerius made in 1743, 

which he publicly used to the end of his career. 

This world-renowned Violin is now in the Municipal 

Palace at Genoa, in accordance with Paganini's 

testamentary directions. In the year 1875, through 

the kindness of my friend Signor Sacchi, I succeeded 

in obtaining permission to photograph the instru 

ment, which enables me to place before my readers 

the accompanying impression. Upon one occasion 

s z

260 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lIfUSIC. 

even this splendid instrument was all but sacrificed. 

Paganini being deeply in want of money to pay his 

debts of honour, and remembering a certain Prince 

had long wished to possess his Guarnerius, he was 

on the point of gratifying his desire, when he 

received an invitation to a card party at a friend's 

house ; hastening thence with but thirty francs at his 

disposal, he risked his all ; resolving, if fortune 

proved fickle,- to sell to the Prince his Violin and 

travel to St. Petersburg to begin anew. His 

venture, however, yielded him some few pounds, 

and his Guarnerius was saved to him. From that 

moment he renounced gambling. 

About this period Paganini is said to have 

composed his first studies, included in the twentyfour 

published as Op. I, the character of which is 

similar to those of Locatelli in his " Arte di N uova 

Modulazione," but far surpassing them in point of 

difficulty. These studies were taken to Paris by 

Andreozzi long before the extraordinary skill of the 

composer was known to French Violinists. Their 

appearance there created a deep impression ; the 

difficulties they presented were so problematical, 

and under forms so peculiar, that many doubted 

the possibility of their execution, and looked upon 

the publication as a work of mystification. The 

famous French Violinist, Habeneck, endeavoured 

to solve these musical enigmas, but at length 

abandoned them, failing to discover their application 

to the pure music of the great composers ;

TEE VIOLIN IN ITAL Y. 

all OpInIOn, I am inclined to think, few legitimate 

Violinists will disagree with. Blangini, on his return 

from Italy, spoke of the author with enthusiasm , 

and attested that his art bore no affinity to the 

manner of playing the Violin that all great masters 

had propagated until his day ; that all was the inven.., 

tion of his talent, and that he was destined to 

revolutionize the art of Violin playing. Paganini 

and revolutionary Violin-playing was for years a 

subject much dwelt upon ; it was the bogey of the 

principal Violinists of the day. Mendelssohn, 

writing to his sister, said, " I don't at all approve of 

your hearing Lafont, to speak of the revolution in 

the Violin since Paganini, for I don't admit that 

any such thing exists in art, but only in people 

themselves ; and I think that very same style would 

have displeased you in Lafont if you had heard him 

bifore Paganini's appearance." Mendelssohn, in 

another letter, reverts to the subject : "Reformation 

is that which I desire to see in all things, in life and in 

art, in politics and in street pavement. Reformation 

is entirely negative against abuses, and only removes 

what obstructs the path ; but a revolution, by means 

of which all that was formerly good is no longer to 

continue, is to me the most intolerable of all things, 

and is in fact only a fashion. Therefore, I would 

not for a moment hear that Lafont's playing could 

inspire no further interest since ' the revolution 

effected by Paganini ; for if his playing ever had 

the power to interest me it would still do so, even if


in the meantime I had heard the angel Gabriel on 

the Violin." 

In 1805 Paganini again performed in several 

I tali an cities, after a rest of about four years. It was 

at this period that he perverted his extraordinary 

abilities to uses which gave his detractors good 

ground for naming him a charlatan. He has recorded 

that he was induced to extend his discoveries of novel 

effects upon the Violin. One of these pretended 

discoveries was to remove the second and third 

strings and simulate a dialogue between the first and 

fourth. Paganini was not slow to recognise the 

sensational advantages this new departure in Violinplaying 

afforded him. If the retention of but two 

strings be regarded with such wonder, how much 

greater the marvel will be if but one is used ; such 

appears to have been the sum of Paganini's calculations. 

The excitement produced by Paganini on one 

string is scarcely hushed in 188 I . I t was well said 

at the time, "To effect so much on a single string is 

truly wonderful ; nevertheless, any good player can 

extract more from two than one. If Paganini really 

produces so much effect on his single string, he 

would certainly obtain more from two. Then why 

not, therefore, employ them ? We answer, because 

he is waxing exceedingly wealthy by playing on 

one. " 

At Milan he met with extraordinary enthusiasm. 

In 1813 he gave thirty-seven concerts in that city. 

It was there that he heard some ballet music of the

THE VIOLIN IN ITALY. 

composer SUssmayer, from which he took the theme 

for his famous "Witches' Dance." 

In 1814 he became acquainted with Rossini at 

Bologna. It was Rossini who, upon being asked 

how he liked the new Violinist, replied, "I have 

wept but three times in my life ; first, on the failure 

of my earliest opera ; the second time, when in a 

boat with some friends, a turkey stuffed with truffles 

provided for our dinner fell overboard ; and thirdly, 

on hearing Paganini for the first time." 

At Milan, in 1816, Lafont imprudently ventured 

to give a concert in conjunction with Paganini, at 

the great Theatre La Scala. The suggestion, 

according to Paganini, met with his disapproval, he 

remarking " that the public invariably looked upon 

such matters as duels, in which there was always a 

victim, and that it would be so in this case." Lafont 

arranged the programme, which included the " Symphonie 

Concertante " of Kreutzer in F, and a solo 

for each, of their own composition. F or several 

days they rehearsed the duett together with the 

greatest care, and it was performed on the day of 

the concert as it had been rehearsed. Paganini said, 

"Lafont probably surpassed me in tone, but the 

applause which followed my efforts convinced me I 

did not suffer by comparison." That Paganini was 

regarded as infinitely superior to Lafont is easily 

understood. Each artist, no doubt, received his 

share of applause ; however, fourteen years after the 

event, a pamphlet appeared, purporting to be an


account of the celebrated Violinst Paganini, written 

by M. J. Imbert de Laphaleque, on every page of 

which the musical ignorance of the author is visible. 

Herein the author took upon himself to refer to the 

concert at Milan, given by Paganini and Lafont, 

and mentioned that all the passages performed by 

Lafont in tenths were repeated by Paganini in 

fourteenths and sixteenths ! Lafont wrote to a 

journalist, pointing out the erroneous statements, 

remarking, " I was not beaten by Paganini, nor was 

he by me." 

Louis Spohr relates that Paganini paid him 

a visit when in Venice, in I816. He says : "I 

have at length made the personal acquaintance 

of this wonderful man, of whom, since I have 

been in Italy, I have heard some story or other 

every day. No instrumentalist ever charmed the 

Italians so much as he." The next day Spohr 

writes : "Paganini called to compliment me upon 

my concert ; I urgently solicited him to play something, 

but he bluntly refused." Several years after 

this, Spohr had an opportunity of hearing Paganini. 

He writes : "In June, 1830, Paganini came to 

Cassel and gave two concerts, which I heard with 

great interest. His left hand and his constantly pure 

i ntonation were, to me, astonishing ; but in his 

compositions and his execution I found a strange 

mixture of the highly genial and childishly tasteless, 

by which one felt alternately charmed and disappointed." 

.


After an uninterrupted series of triumphs in 

Austria, Prussia, and elsewhere, Paganini reached 

Paris, and gave his first concert, March 9th, 1831, 

at the opera. The enthusiasm he created was 

extraordinary. After spending two months there 

. he came to London. Very shortly after his arrival 

he called upon Moscheles, having received marked 

attention from Mr. Emden (Mrs. Moscheles' father), 

some time before his visit to England, and to whom 

he was indebted for securing an engagement of 

importance. " On his first visit to us "-Moscheles 

writes-" his gratitude found vent in such exaggerated 

expressions as are known only to an Italian 

vocabulary : we were the children of his 'onoratissimo, 

etc.', and he took down from the mantelpiece 

a miniature portrait of his benefactor, covered 

it with kisses, and addressed it with the most high 

:flown epithets. Meantime we had leisure to study 

those olive-tinted, sharply-defined features, the 

glowing eyes, the scanty but long black hair, and 

the thin, gaunt figure, upon which the clothes hung 

loosely ; the deep-sunken cheeks, and those long 

bony fingers." We read later on : "My assistance 

is of use to him here, and I am paid as many 

honeyed epithets as my father-in-law received. 

This face of mine is as much kissed as my fatherin-law's 

painted one. We receive him well, although 

I suspect he is rather too sweet to be genuine." 

The following is an interesting account of the 

great artist written at the time : "The sensation


which the Violinist has caused among all classes 

in London is so universal that we really feel 

embarrassed in taking up the pen on the present 

occaSlOn. The daily and weekly journals have 

been full of Paganini this fortnight and more. 

Paganini has been the all-absorbing topic of conversation 

in every circle, from the salon to the 

tap-room, and the speculations upon Reform in 

the national representation yielded for a time to 

the universal clamour for reform in the prices of 

admission at which the most opulent city of the 

universe was to enjoy the magic of a solitary Fiddle." 

The prices of admission demanded certainly appear 

extortionate, amounting to nearly £4,000 in the 

event of all the seats in the opera-house having been 

taken. This, however, was the manager's affair, 

and not Paganini's, since he came to England at the 

invitation of Laporte, fettered by a contract which 

ensured to the said manager a large proportion of 

the profits of his performances. Peace was ultimately 

made with the British public, and Paganini 

was heard at a reduced rate of charges. 

" His first concert took place on the 3rd of June, 

1831. After a symphony by Beethoven had been 

played, and ' Largo al Factotum ' sung by Lablache, 

a tall haggard figure, with long black hair strangely 

falling down to his shoulders, slid forward like a 

spectral apparition. There was something awful, 

unearthly, in that countenance ; but his play ! our 

pen seems involuntarily to evade the difficult task

THE VIOLIN IN ITALY. 

of giving utterance to sensations which are beyond 

the reach of language. If we were to affirm that 

we have heard many celebrated Violinists of various 

. 

countries, and that Paganini did everything which 

their performance had taught us to consider possible 

on the instrument, we should fall greatly short of 

the impression we could wish to convey. If we 

were to declare, as some of our colleagues have 

maintained, that Paganini has advanced a century 

beyond the present standard of virtuosity, the 

assertion would be equally incorrect, for we believe 

that all the centuries in the womb of time will not 

produce a master spirit, a musical phenomenon, 

organised like Paganini. But what, we have been 

asked, in the midst of our ecstacies, what are these 

excellencies, these wonders, so unattainable by the 

rest of his competitors ? 

" These excellencies we reply, consist, in the combination 

of absolute mechanical perfection of every 

imaginable kind, perfection hitherto unknown and 

unthought of, with the higher attributes of the 

human mind, inseparable from eminence in the fine 

. arts ; intellectual superiority, sensibility, deep feeling 

poesy-genius ! " * 

It was upon the occasion of Paganini's memorable 

performance on the 3rd of June, 183 1, that 

John Cramer, of pianoforte-study renown, who is 

represented sitting in front of the Pianoforte in the 

accompanying woodcut, exclaimed, after hearing the 

;(. "New Monthly Magazine," July, I83!.


extraordinary performance of the virtuoso, " Thank 

Heaven I am not a Violin player !" and Mori held 

up his Violin and jocularly offered it to the musicians 

of the orchestra for eighteenpence. 

ROBERT LINDLEY. MORI. FRAN\,OlS CRAMER. 

JOH:-l CRAMER. PAGA:":INI. 

DRAGONETTI. 

Macready, the tragedian, in his diary, tenders 

.a somewhat different opinion : "July I 7th, 1833- 

Went to Drury Lane to see Paganini. His power


over his instrument is surprising : the tones he draws 

from it might be thought those of the sweetest 

flageolet and hautboy, and sometimes of the human 

voice ; the expression he gives to a common air is 

quite charming. His playing of 'Patrick's Day,' 

was the sweetest piece of instrumental music I ever 

heard-BuT HE IS A QUACK." 

The poet, Thomas Moore, remarked that 

Paganini "abuses his powers. He could play 

divinely. and does so sometimes for a minute or two, 

but then comes his tricks and surprises, his bow in 

convulsions, and his enharmonics like the mewlings 

of an expiring cat." 

Macready and Moore doubtless refer to one of 

those performances which George Hogarth, the 

musical critic, described as : "running up and down 

a single string, from the nut to the bridge, for ten 

minutes together, or playing with the bow and the 

fingers of his right hand, mingling pizzicato and 

arcato notes with the dexterity of an Indian juggler." 

" It was not, however," Hogarth continues, "by 

these tricks, but in spite of them, that he gained 

the suffrages of those who were charmed by his 

truly great qualities-his ' soul of fire,' his boundless 

fancy, his energy, tenderness, and passion : these 

are the qualities which give him a claim to a place 

among the greatest masters of the art." 

Paganini appeared for the last time in England 

in 1833, returning to the Continent, in possession of 

considerable wealth, which he invested in landed


property. He died at Nice, May 27th, 1840, 

aged 56. 

F etis gives the following list of his compositions : 

-Op. I, Ventiquattro Capricci per Violino solo, 

dedicati agli artisti ; Op. 2, Sei Sonati per Violino 

e Chitarra ; Op. 3, Sei Sonati per Violino e Chitarra ; 

Op. 4 and 5, Tre gran Quartetti a Violino, Viola, 

Chitarra, e Violoncello. 

The above are the compositions published in his 

lifetime. 

Op. 6, Concerto in E flat ; Op. 7, Concerto in B 

minor ; Op. 8, Le Streghe (Witches' Dance) ; Op. 9, 

Variations on "God save the King " ; Op. ra, Le 

Carnival de Venise ; Op. I I, Moto Perpetuo ; Op. 

I2, Variations, "Non Piu Mesta"; Op. 1 3, Variations, 

"Di Tanti Palpiti "; Op. 14, Sixty Variations in all 

the keys, on the air, "Barucaba." 

M. Fetis remarks, " Paganini was aware that the 

interest which his concerts created would diminish 

materially if he published the compositions he 

performed." He only travelled with the orchestral 

accompaniments, and no one ever saw the solo 

parts. 

It may not be generally known to Violinists that 

a few of the studies of Paganini were adapted to 

the Pianoforte by Schumann and Liszt, and that the 

former has left on record remarks relative to the 

composer and the adaptors. He tells us " Paganini 

is said to have rated his merit as a composer more 

highly than his talent as a virtuoso. If general

THE VI OLIN IN ITAL Y. 

opinion has not, until now, agreed with him, it must 

at least be allowed that his compositions contain 

many pure and precious qualities, worthy of being 

firmly fixed in the richer setting required by the 

Pianoforte. This is especially true of his Violin 

Caprices, which are imagined and carried out with 

rare freshness and lightness." 

Of the arrangement by Liszt, Schumann remarks, 

"This collection consists of five numbers from the 

Caprices . Here there is, of course, no question of 

any pedantic innovation, or a bare harmonic filling 

out of the Violin part ; the Pianoforte is effective 

through other means than those of the Violin. It 

must be highly interesting to find the composi 

tions of the greatest Violin virtuoso of our century 

in regard to bold bravura-Paganini-illustrated by 

the boldest of modern Pianoforte virtuosi-Liszt. 

This collection is probably the most difficult ever 

written for the Pianoforte, as its original is the most 

difficult work that exists for the Violin. Paganini 

knew this well, and expressed it in his short dedication, 

'Agli Artisti,' that is to say-I am only 

accessible to artists." 

Camillo Sivori, we are told, was a pupil of 

Paganini. He was born at Genoa in 1815. His 

first lessons were received from a Violinist named 

Costa. I t is needless to relate in these pages the 

achievements of this world-renowned Violinist. As 

a soloist, quartett-player, and composer for his 

instrument he has been long held in the highest


esteem. Mention is made of Paganini composing 

six sonatas for Sivori, with accompaniment for 

Guitar, Tenor, and Violoncello ; and that Paganini 

played the Guitar part upon several occasions at 

musical parties, whilst that of the Violin was played 

by the boy Sivori. Sivori has composed a Tarantelle 

; Two Concertante Duetts for Piano and Violin ; 

several Fantasias ; and a Duett for Violin and 

Double Bass, in conjunction with Bottesini. 

Another famous Italian Violinist and composer 

is Antonio Bazzini, born at Brescia in 1818., His 

compositions are of a marked and effective character. 

The " Danse des Gnomes ;" Five Concertos, the 

favourite of which is the " Concerto Militaire," are 

among his chief works ; he has also written much 

Violin music of an elegiac kind of great merit. 

Giovanni Bottesini, one of the most gifted of 

living musicians, was born in Lombardy in 1823. 

Though known chiefly to the public as the greatest 

player on the Double Bass the world has seen since 

the days of Domenico Dragonetti, he is rightly 

regarded by musicians as a composer of extraordinary 

ability. In his boyhood the Violin was 

his instrument, but he relinquished the study of 

it upon his entering the Milan Conservatoire. His 

compositions for the Double Bass are numerous, and 

of exceptional difficulty. His Instruction Book 

for that instrument is a large work of an exhaustive 

character. The only published composition 

associated with his name in connection with the


Violin-with the exception of two String Quintettsappears 

to be the "Grand Duo," for Violin and 

Double Bass,> which was publicly performed by 

Wieniawski and the composer. 

Luigi Arditi, native of Crescentino, in Piedmont, 

born July 16th, 1825 , made the Violin his chief 

study early in life ; he began to wield the baton 

in 1843. He has written a Sestett in the bravura 

style for two Violins, two Tenors, Violoncello, and 

Double Bass ; Fantasias for the Violin, &c. 

Both Rossini and Verdi have composed chamber 

music, though not of a kind likely to live beside the 

works of the great German masters. It must be 

admitted that the quartett of Verdi's introduced at 

the Monday Popular Concerts, (season 1879,) is by 

no means an unimportant work, but when thought 

of beside those of Cherubini the truth and force of 

BailIiot's words are felt, and serve as an apt tailpiece 

to this I talian section of my work, namely, that 

Cherubini, in the purely classical school, was the 

" Last and noblest Roman." 

* The inclusion of a Duett for these instruments, among the 

compositions of Sivori, was an inadvertence. 

T

c£tion 'JiIII.-CQIhe 'JiIiolin in Jjtltntc. 

CHAPTER I. 

AKING up the thread of stringed instru- 

T ment progress in France, where we left it 

in the age of Francis 1 ., we cannot do better 

than begin this new Section with the mention of 

the most original and most eminent author of the 

same period, Fran

THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 

jouer des gryphes, comme si feussent Violons demanches." 

There is also given a list of instruments, 

among which is the Rebec, la Vielle, and la Guiterne. 

It is, however, the mention of Violins which interests 

us. The reference may only be to the Rebec, 

and not to the Italian Violin ; however this may be, 

it is certain that twenty years later than the publication 

of Rabelais' book, Charles IX. purchased from 

Cremona, Violins, since in the "Archives Curieuses 

de l'H istoire de France " is the following :-" 2 7 

Octobre, 1572 , A. Nicolas Delinet, jouer de Fluste 

et Violon dudict Sieur, la somme de 50 livres to urn, 

pour luy donner moyen d'achepter ung Violon de 

Cremonne pour Ie service dudict Sieur." But Charles' 

Violin buying did not end here, for he ordered from 

Andrew Amati the famous twenty-four Violins of two 

sizes, six Violas, and eight Basses, which, it is said, 

were kept in the Royal Chapel at Versailles until 

October r 790, when they were dispersed with many 

other treasures. It is interesting to note that at this 

period (1570) Charles issued letters patent for a new 

Academy of Music, the precursor of which was 

doubtless that held at the house of Jean Antoine de 

Baif, to which the King resorted and assisted in his 

own person. * There was, evidently, a great musical 

movement occurring at this date, since 15 7I is the 

year given when the King invited Lassus to his 

Court. Adrian Ie Roy, the author of the book on 

the Lute already noticed, appears to have entertained 

T 2 

;(. Hawkins, p. 833.


Lassus, and remarks in a dedication to Charles IX., 

"When Orlando di Lassus lately entered your 

presence to kiss your hand, and modestly and 

deferentially greet your Majesty, I saw plainly as 

eyes can see the honour you were conferring on 

music and musicians." * The influence of Lassus 

undoubtedly contributed greatly to the development 

of music in France, and Charles showing his 

appreciation of the composer's abilities lastingly 

benefited his people. That the Netherlanders were 

the leaders in this onward movement, is gathered 

from the circumstance of Rabelais mentioning sixty 

musicians whom he had heard perform, mostly 

Netherlanders. 

The French composers at this period appear to 

have been chiefly occupied with songs and dances. 

The earliest known music printed in France for 

stringed instruments, namely Viols, is a collection of 

such pieces composed by Claude Gervaise.t 

D'Etree, an Oboe player in the service of Charles 

IX., published four books of dances, writing down 

the common lively tunes which had previously been 

learned by the ear. The date of this book is given 

as 1564. 

Claude Le J eunne, Goudimel, and Bourgeois 

were composers of music set to the psalms of the 

Calvinists ; some of these were used for voices or 

Viols. The title of the book of Bourgeois is, 

* J. R. Sterndale Bennett's Notice of Lassus. 

t See " Histoire de l'Instrumentation," par H. Lavoix fils, p. 171.

7 HE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 

"Quatres-vingt-trois Psalmes de David en musique 

(fort convenable aux instruments) a quarte, cinq et 

six parties," dated 1561. 

The earliest Violinist in France appears to have 

been Baltazarini, an I talian from Piedmont. He 

was sent to Henry I I 1 . by the Marshal de Brissac, 

and pleased the Court, not only by his Violin performances, 

but in inventing dances, music shows, 

and representations. There is every reason to 

believe that the Violin, when introduced, was only 

used in connection with dancing in France. Henry 

IV. had his band of twenty-four Violins, which in 

all probability only played dance music. Several 

instruments by Antonius and Hieronymus Amati 

were made expressly for the band of Henry IV., on 

the backs of which are the arms of France and 

Navarre. 

Jacques Cordier, sometimes called Bocan, distinguished 

himself as a performer on the Violin and 

Rebec, and as a professor of dancing. He lived in 

the reign of Louis XII 1 ., and came to England, 

when Charles 1 . often heard him play with pleasure. 

Mersenne mentions Cordier in terms of praise. It 

was, perhaps, this early player who caused Mersenne 

to prefer the Violin to all other instruments. The 

preference he gave to it must have appeared curious 

to many of his readers, the instrument being chiefly 

in the hands of the vulgar. 

Remembering how bright appeared the prospect 

of music in France in the time of Francis 1 ., it is


disappointing to discover the little progress that was 

made by the French nation during the wide space of 

a century. The cause is not difficult to seek ; it is 

not found in any paucity of musical genius or ability 

to continue a work so well commenced ; it is 

discovered amid the ruins occasioned by religious 

warfare, the worst enemy music has had. Churches 

and monasteries, in which the art was practised 

with skill, and where was reverentially kept the 

rich stores of written and printed music, were 

made the scenes of destruction and profanation. 

Musicians were murdered in the open street ;* 

musicians, deprived of their peaceful avocation, 

sunk under their load of anxiety, or sought refuge 

in foreign lands. Remembering these things, we 

have no cause to wonder that at the threshold of 

the reign of Louis XIV. we fail to recognise a 

representative of French music. 

If Louis XIV. and his Court succeeded to 

a barren musical heritage, the deficiency was 

more than counterbalanced by the succession to a 

nation's intellectual riches, the equivalent of which 

has rarely fallen to a king and people. To mention 

Racine and Moliere, Boileau and Fenelon, La 

Fontaine and Pascal, at once stamps the character 

of the mental wealth that surrounded him whom 

Bolingbroke said, was, "If not the greatest king, 

the best actor of maj esty at least, that ever filled a 

" Claude Goudimel was killed at Lyons, in the massacre on St. 

Bartholomew's Day, August 24th, 1572.


throne." Le Brun was his painter , Perrault and 

Mansard made his palaces, the Louvre and Versailles; 

and, with excellent judgment, he chose an I tali an 

] ean Baptiste Lulli-to make his music. 

Voltaire remarks,* "Lulli astonished the world 

by his exquisite taste and skill. He was the first in 

France who regulated music. His compositions, 

which at present appear so simple and easy, could 

not be executed at first without some difficulty. 

There are a thousand persons in France now, who 

understand music, for one that understood it in the 

time of Louis XII 1. ; and the art, by degrees, has 

been brought to perfection. There is not a considerable 

city in the kingdom without its public 

concerts ; whereas, even Paris itself had none at 

that time. Four-and-twenty Violins belonging to 

the King was all the music we then had in France." 

Lulli is frequently associated with the Violin in a 

manner altogether disproportionate to the part he 

actually played in connection with its progress. The 

name of Lulli, in consequence, is often supposed 

to have belonged to an extraordinary Violinist, and 

originator of a school of Violin playing ; this was 

certainly not the case. Jean Baptiste Lulli was a 

musician of great ability, and, as M. Chouquet 

remarks, "II ecrivit d'inspiration." He acted well 

and danced admirably, to do which was in no way 

derogatory in a composer, since "La danse alors 

occupait une place essentielle dans l'education d'un 

if. " Siecle de Louis XIV,"


gentilhomme ; "* and lastly, he in all probability 

played the Violin after the manner of a dancingmaster, 

though, be it understood, with superior 

judgment. Style, in its relation to the Violin, is 

formed in early youth, and a cook's kitchen is the 

most unlikely place to engender a good one. 

When Lulli was at the head of his band, called 

" Les petits Violons," to distiguish it from the chief 

band of twenty-four Violins, he appears not to have 

been competent to render any of its members 

capable of playing music they had not learned by 

heart. That this incompetency lasted a considerable 

time, is shown from it being found impossible to 

gratify the wish of the Regent Duke of Orleans 

to hear the sonatas of Corelli. t 

In justice to Lulli, however, it must not be 

forgotten that he was compelled to fashion his 

musicians and his music in accordance with the 

taste of his royal master, which appears to have 

been utterly opposed to the music of Corelli, since 

it IS said that Baptiste Anet,t-probably the 

first good French Violinist--upon his return from 

Rome was commanded to play to the King, 

and performed a sonata of Corelli, which Louis 

listened to without showing any signs of pleasure. 

* "Histoire de la Musique Dramatique en France," Gustave 

Chouquet, 1873. This admirable work contains much new and 

interesting matter relative to Lulli. 

t Michael Corette, Preface to his " Methode d'Accompaniment." 

::: Anet published three sets of Sonatas with Thorough-Bass in 1724.

THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 28 I 

The sonata ended, Louis sent for a Violinist of his 

own band, and desired him to play an air from 

Lulli's opera of "Cadmus et Hermione," which 

was complied with, from memory : "Que voulezvous, 

messieurs," said the King, "voila mon gout, a 

moi, voila mon gout." 

I t will therefore be seen that Lulli cannot be 

looked upon as having contributed much to the 

progress of the Violin. The celebrity acquired by 

his band in connection with light French music, and 

its popularity with Louis XIV., surrounded the 

then vulgar instrument out of Italy with an amount 

of interest and attention far exceeding that which 

arose from the knowledge Lulli brought to bear 

upon it. 

Mersennus' description of the band of twentyfour 

Violins is interesting : he says, "\;Vhoever 

hears the twenty-four Fidicinists of the King, with six 

Barbitons to each part, namely, the Bass, Tenor, 

Contra-Tenor, and Treble, perform all kinds of 

cantilenas and tunes for dancing, must readily 

confess that there can be nothing sweeter and 

pleasanter. If you have a mind to hear the upper 

part only, what can be more elegant than the playmg 

of Constantius ? what more vehement than 

the enthusiasm of Bocanus* ? what more subtle 

and delicate than the little percusseans or touches 

of Laxarinus and F oucardus ? If the Bass of 

Legerus be joined to the acute sounds of 

* Noticed previously as Cordier or Bocan.

282 T.HE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Constantius, all the harmonical members will be 

completed."* 

Among early French Violinists must be mentioned 

Joseph Marchand and Fran

ediott lHI.-CQrhe l1icrlin itt JTrlmre. 

CHAPTER II. 

W IH th establis hment of the Let:n Concerts 

. 

In Pans, to whIch the name Sp zrztuel Concert 

was given, music in France entered upon a new and 

wider field. The abilities of musicians had hitherto 

been exercised in connection with the Court, where 

oftentimes they failed to receive that recognition 

they merited, in consequence of the influence of 

officials and others having possession of the royal 

ear. The Spirituel Concert enabled the musician 

to appeal to the suffrages of a musical public, which 

was at once beneficial to him and to his art. I t was 

Anne Danican Philidor, the son of the famous 

Musician and Chess player, who obtained permission, 

in r 72 5, to give these concerts during Lent. 

The first programme, dated March r8th, r 72 5, 

contains Corelli's Eighth Cortcerto, which admirably 

marks the earnestness of PhiIidor's purpose in leading 

the public taste in the right direction. The 

concerts were given in the Salle des Suisses of the 

Tuileries. In the year r 733, the Italian Violinist,

284 THE VI0 1JN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Giambatista Somis, the pupil of Corelli, played at 

the Concert Spirituel, and met with great success. 

Le Clair, born at Lyons, in 1697, and who 

contributed greatly to the development of the 

study of his instrument in France, had some 

years previous to the appearance of Somis at 

the Concert Spirituel received lessons from that 

master when in Turin. Le Clair returned to 

Paris in 1728. In 1731 he received an appointment 

in the Court band : this position he ultimately 

gave up, and appears to have henceforth centred 

all his attention upon composition and giving 

lessons. Although Le Clair studied under an 

I talian master, he did not abandon the characteristics 

belonging to the early French school of Violin 

playing, or the style of music Lulli had made 

familiar to French ears ; in short, Le Clair proved 

himself again and again a composer richly endowed 

with originality and sentiment. The roll 

of famous French Violinists is a long and glorious 

one, and the name of Le Clair should head it in 

letters of gold. 

His works for the Violin are Op. I, First Book 

of Sonatas, with Bass. Op. 2, Second Book of 

Sonatas, with Bass. 0p. 3, Six Sonatas for two 

Violins. Op. 4, Six Sonatas for two Violins and 

Bass. Op. 5, Third . Book of Sonatas for Violin, 

with Bass. Op. 6, Easy pieces for two Violins and 

Bass. Op. 7, Concertos for three Violins, Tenor, 

Bass, Organ, and Violoncello. Op. 8, Second


set of Easy Pieces, for two Violins and Bass. 

Op. 9, Fourth Book of Sonatas for Violin, with 

Bass. Op. IO, Six Concertos for three Violins, 

Tenor, Bass, Organ, and Violoncello. Op. 12, 

Second Book of Sonatas for two Violins, without 

Bass. Op. 13, Overtures and Sonatas for two 

Violins with Bass. Op. 1 4, Posthumous Sonata, 

second edition, engraved by Cousineau, Paris. 

Pierre Gavinies is the next Violinist of the old 

French school to be noticed. His knowledge 

of the fingerboard was greater than that of Le 

Clair, but his predecessor surpassed him in breadth 

of style -judging from the compositIOns of 

each master, without reference to their own particular 

manner of playing. All the Violin writings 

of Gavinies are eminently French in style ; they teem 

with piquant phrases, which, when rendered with 

the short and light bowing belonging to Gavinies' 

time, are remarkably pleasing and striking. In 

playing these early French Violin compositions, as 

indeed the works of all periods and nationalities,. 

the mind of the performer must ever be centred in 

the peculiar style of the period to which the work 

belongs. To apply the vigour and breadth of style 

which was developed by Viotti, and still more so by 

his followers, to the sonatas of Le Clair or Gavinies, 

affords but a very faint idea of the invention of the 

composer. Gavinies' bow was a puny, much rounded 

contrivance, containing about half as many hairs as. 

are found in a modern one, and consequently the tone:

7HE VIOLIN AND I7S MUSIC. 

drawn from the instrument must have been so much 

less. It is, of course, no more possible to convert a 

modern Violin player into one of Gavinies' age, in 

order to play his music, than it is to convert a grand 

Pianoforte into a Clavecin, that we may play the 

sonatas of Bach and the suites of Handel ; but, 

notwithstanding delicacy of touch on both, the 

Violin and Pianforte will take us back a consider 

able distance. 

The naming of Gavinies, the French Tartini, 

by Viotti, admirably conveys an idea of much that 

he accomplished in the field of French Violin playing, 

and the comparison was equally well chosen as it 

unintentionally happened with regard to his wellinformed 

mind, for, like Tartini, Gavinies was 

literary as well as musical, and enjoyed the friendship 

of Jean Jacques Rousseau. The chief work of 

Gavinies is undoubtedly the Twenty-four Studies in 

all the keys, a plan which Rode followed in his 

Twenty-four Caprices. The studies of Gavinies are 

full of ingeniously-constructed passages, needing 

considerable executive skill to render them ; many 

forms of passages are given which are never likely 

to be required, yet the study attending the unravelling 

of them is highly beneficial to the student. 

The direction of the Concert Spirituel was shared 

in 1773 by Gavinies and Gossec, and in 1795, upon 

the formation of the Conservatoire de Musique by 

the French Government, Gavinies was appointed 

Violin professor to the institution, a position he held

THE VI OLIN IN FRANCE. 

until his death in 1800. Among his published 

Violin works are Six Concertos ; Six Sonatas for 

Violin, with Bass ; Six ditto, Op. 3 ; and the 

Twenty-four Studies. There is also a posthumous 

set of Three Sonatas, published by N aderman in 

I80I. 

Andre Noel Pagin, born in Paris 1721, was a 

Violinist of some celebrity. He was a pupil of 

Tartini's, and was, no doubt, imbued with the style 

of his great master. That he delighted in Tartini's 

music is evident from his determination to publicly 

perform it upon every occasion ; this gave his 

brother musicians in Paris great offence, and caused 

them to degrade themselves and their art by hissing 

Pagin at the next concert at which he appeared. 

This conduct naturally wounded the feelings of 

Pagin, and led to his retirement from public playing. 

I find in Mozart's Violin School, revised by Woldemar, 

an Air with Variations by Pagin, the character 

of which is in advance of the French music of his 

time. 

Among early French Violinists Fran

288 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lIIUSIC. 

in his " Musical Memoirs " says, "Barthelemon was 

recommended to David Garrick to compose music 

to a piece of his. At their first interview Garrick 

sat down to write out one of the songs for him to 

compose by the next day. Barthelemon, looking 

over Garrick's shoulder whilst he was writing, set 

the music to it. When Garrick had finished he 

turned to Barthelemon, saying, . There, sir, is my 

song.' 'And there, sir,' said Barthelemon, 'is my 

music to it,' Dr. Burney, in a summary of the 

talents of musicians known to him, speaks of 

the powerful hand and truly vocal adagio of this 

Violinist. Among his published Violin works 

is a Concerto ; Six Violin Duetts ; Six String 

Quartetts. 

I t is now necessary to notice another institution 

which helped greatly to develop a sound musical 

taste in France : I refer to the Concert des Amateurs. 

This institution was founded by the Belgian, 

F ran


Chevalier de Saint Georges was born in 1745. He 

was possessed of abilities of a varied and diverse 

kind ; indeed, he might be described as a Crichton 

among Violinists. As a fencer he gained the title 

of L'inimitable ! In athletics he was an Achilles ! 

In horsemanship he was perfection ! As a dancer, 

a model ! In bearing- and manners , a D'Orsay ! 

In politics, an intriguer ! And last, a fine Violinist 

and worthy pupil of Le Clair. Surely no Violinist, 

before or since, ever cut such a figure ! But 

stay !-in athletics Ole Bull might have entered the 

arena with many a Cumberland or vVestmoreland 

hero ; his muscular power was, to use Dominie 

Sampson's well-worn exclamation-prodigious !-and 

he knew how to use it scientifically. I remember, 

upon one occasion, after his having spent several 

hours in my workshop fitting bridges and soundposts 

to his Violins-an occupation he pursued 

daily, with but few exceptions, during his visits to 

London-his turning to me and expressing himself 

somewhat wearied with his task, and that he would 

continue it later. Returning a few hours afterwards, 

he remarked that he was in excellent " form," 

having had some exercise with the proprietor of 

the gymnastic establishment 111 Soho Square. 

Taking up his Violin, and playing with the utmost 

finish, executing legions of notes without giving the 

least indication of changing the stroke of his bow, I 

felt astonished at the command he had over his 

muscular power, remembering the direction in which 

u


it had but recently been exerted ; I was, however, 

more convinced than before that great Violin-playing 

is inseparable from muscular development, and 

the greatest artists are those who best succeed in 

rendering it subject to their will ; but let us return 

to our subject, Ie Chevalier de Saint Georges, whose 

athletic propensities led us away from it. He 

frequently played solos in public with great success, 

and mention is made of his performance of his own 

concertos. He published the following compositions 

:- -Sonatas for Violin and Bass, Op. I; Four 

Concertos for Violin with accompaniments ; Sonatas 

for two Violins and Bass, Op. 5 ; Two Concertante 

Symphonies for two Violins and Orchestra, 

Op. 6; Concerto Violin and Orchestra, Op. 6 ; 

and a few other works mentioned by Fetis. 

Pierre La Houssaye, born in 1735, was a pupil 

of Pagin, and at a later period received instruction 

from Tartini. He long occupied a foremost place 

among the Violinists in Paris. In 1769 he appeared 

in London, where he remained three years. On his 

return to Paris he became the leader of the Opera 

Orchestra, and connected with the Conservatoire. 

He published a set of Sonatas, and left several compositions 

in manuscript. 

Mathieu Frederic Blasius, born in 1 758, was 

another distinguished Violinist, and published many 

of his compositions, which include Three Concertos 

; several String Quartetts and Trios. 

Amongst French Violinists of celebrity pnor


to the opening of the Conservatoire, Michael 

W oldemar held a high position. He was born at 

Orleans, in 1 7 50, and became a pupil of Lolli, and 

imbibed from his master his love for the eccentric 

in Violin-playing ; indeed, he appears to have taken 

greater liberties with his instrument than Lolli ever 

contemplated doing, since we are told he added a 

fifth string to enable the performer to descend 

five notes lower, and composed a Concerto for his 

questionably improved Violin. This idea was 

resuscitated by Chretien U rhan some years later, 

who played solos upon an instrument he named the 

Violon-alto at the concerts of the Conservatoire. 

In passing, it may be mentioned that U rhan was a 

skilful performer on the Viol d'Amour, and it was 

for him that M eyerbeer wrote the solo for that 

instrument in the First Act of Th e Huguenots. 

I t was Woldemar who edited the Violin Method 

of Leopold Mozart, published by Pleyel, at the end 

of which are several rare and ingenious Violin 

compositions introduced by the editor. Among 

these is a Scale Fugue by Woldemar, and also a 

Caprice from the same pen. Here also is found the 

enigmatic study of Locatelli, known as the Labyrinth 

of Harmony, with an explanatory guide in notes to 

instruct the player how to extricate himself from 

the musical maze, which, if I remember rightly, is the 

earliest known key to the mystery. Mention 

of a few of Woldemar's compositions will serve to 

display his eccentricity in that direction : Op. 8 is 

U 2


entitled "Sonates fa ntomagique," containing four 

pieces named "The Ghosts of Lolli, Pugnani, 

Tartini, and Mestrino." I have not seen a copy of 

this visionary work, but it is doubtless far less . 

repulsive than its title implies. Another work is 

entitled "Le Nouveau Labyrinthe Harmonique "; 

besides these he wrote a Violin Method, and also 

one for the Tenor, three Violin Concertos. and 

other compositions.

T 

CHAPTER III. 

HE formation of the Conservatoire de Musique 

in 1795, has already been passingly referred 

to ; it now remains to notice the Institution at 

greater length. The Conservatoire from the beginning 

became the centre of all that was great in 

French music and musicians. It attracted the 

musical ability of France in every department, and 

no section surpassed that of the Violin. When its 

doors were opened, Gavinies, Guenin, Kreutzer, 

and La Houssaye became its Violin professors. 

Some five years later, Bailliot and Rode added 

their names to its roll of masters. Mention of 

these half-dozen names is all-sufficient to mark the 

character of the generalship which was brought to 

bear upon the Violin classes of the Institution, without 

enumerating the players who acted in subordinate 

capacities. No such leaders in a body, 

before or since, have been attached to a Violin 

School, and the beneficial results of their leadership 

are recognised either directly or indirectly in the 

performances of the foremost Violinists of the


present time, be they French, German, or Italian. 

I t must, however, be borne in mind that the merit 

of this teaching belongs not wholly to its French 

exponents. It had its origin in a fortunate set of 

circumstances, like most good things, the chief of 

which was undoubtedly the presence of Viotti in Paris. 

In Viotti were centred all the important results 

which had accrued from the teachings of the 

Legitimate School of Italian Violin-playing, and in 

him was found its last notable native exponent.* 

Although several French Violinists have already 

been mentioned, whose style was undoubtedly 

influenced by Italian tuition, yet none of them 

succeeded in completely engrafting the salient 

features of the Italian School on to that of the Old 

French. This was left to be accomplished by the 

example Viotti set before Bailliot, Kreutzer, and 

Cartier, and the direct tuition Rode received from 

the I talian Violinist. 

Another circumstance which lent to Viotti's 

influence such weight, was the wondrous galaxy of 

French artists ripe to emulate his finished style and 

manner of playing. Neither Germany nor Italy 

could have put forward such a trio of Violinists as 

Rode, Bailliot, and Kreutzer, to imbibe and develop 

the teachings of the great and legitimate artist, 

Giovanni Battista Viotti. 

In 1801 a committee was formed to decide upon 

* Fiorillo, though born in Brunswick, was Italian in parentage and 

style, and worthily represented the school of Tartini.

THE Vi OLIN IN FRANCE. 295 

the best means of introducing an entirely new 

method in the form of a Violin I nstruction Book. 

On this notable committee sat Cherubini, Kr'eutzer, 

Bailliot, Rode, Blasius, and others. To Bailliot 

was given the direction and superintendence of the 

undertaking. The following year brought the now 

well-known work to which is attached the names of 

Rode, Bailliot, and Kreutzer ; very shortly after its 

publication, it was translated into German, English, 

and I talian, the latter being the work of Rolla, the 

master of Paganini. The accompaniments to the 

exercises are the work of Cherubini. 

Rodolphe Kreutzer was born at Versailles, in 

1766. He was a pupil of Anton Stamitz, a 

Violinist in the Chapel Orchestra at Versailles. 

H is progress had been so rapid, that when but 

sixteen years of age he was appointed one of the 

first Violins in the King's Chapel. It was at this 

period that he often heard Viotti, whose style of 

playing he wisely made the model to form his own. 

In the twenty-fourth year of his age he produced his 

first opera, which was quickly followed by others 

of more or less merit. Shortly after the opening of 

the Paris Conservatoire, Kreutzer visited Italy, 

Germany, and Holland, and gave concerts with 

much success. In 1798 he was at Vienna, in the 

service of the French Ambassador, Bernadotte, 

when it is supposed he made the acquaintance of 

Beethoven, which led to his being honoured with 

the dedication of the famous Sonata, Op. 47, a

THE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC . 

. few years later. Upon his return to Paris, he took 

the post of leader at the Italian Opera, succeeding 

Rode, who had gone to Russia. During this period, 

namely, 1801 to 1 82 5, Kreutzer was occupied in Paris 

composing Operas, Violin Concertos, and the fa mous 

Forty Studies, besides attending his class at the 

Conservatoire, and leading the Opera Orchestra. 

In 182 5 he ceased playing publicly, iIi consequence 

of an accident which deprived him of the 

use of his arm ; he died at Geneva in 1831. His 

greatest work in connection with the Violin is 

beyond all question the Forty Studies. No work of 

the kind has passed through so many editions. 

Though its age is more than three-score years and ten, 

it is as fresh and vigorou s as when it came into the 

Fiddling world. \iVhat Cramer's Studies have been 

and are likely to be to the Pianist, Kreutzer's 

Studies have been and will be to Violinists. There 

hardly appears more chance of a Violin student 

dispensing with his Kreutzer, than his mathematical 

brother shelving his Euclid. These are the only 

notable Violin Studies, with the exception of 

Paganini's, to which a Pianoforte accompaniment has 

been added.* 

Another important work is found in the Concertante 

Symphonies for two Violins : it was one of 

.. Kreutzer's Studies with accompaniment, published by Hofmeister, 

Leipzig. Paganini's Studies with accompaniment for Piano, by J. L. 

Hatton, published by Hart & Son; London ; and the David edition 

published by Breitkopf and Hartel.

THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 297 

these which Paganini and Lafont played, as already 

noticed. We have · also nineteen Violin Concertos 

from his pen ; that in E minor, No. 1 9, is regarded 

as the best. The Concertos of Kreutzer teem with 

passages of an instructive character, but fail to 

excite interest in the listener in consequence of a 

poverty of subject-matter. Fifteen Trios for two 

Violins and Violoncello ; a Concertante Symphony 

for the same instruments ; Fifteen String Quartetts, 

and a few Airs with variations, complete the list of 

Kreutzer's Violin music. 

In allotting to Pierre Bailliot the chief work 

attending the arrangement and composition of the 

New Violin Method, the committee expressly 

organised in reference to it performed an admirable 

service to all Violinists and at once secured complete 

success to the undertaking. Bailliot possessed, to 

a degree far beyond his fellow-workers, the requisites 

needed for such a task ; for, besides being a competent 

Violinist and musician, he was a man of 

superior education, and attached to literary pursuits, 

thus enabling him to give expression to his thoughts 

through his pen, in a manner which neither Rode 

nor Kreutzer could have succeeded in doing ; 

nor indeed has any Violinist, engaged on a similar 

work equalled him in this department down to the 

present time. 

Pierre Bailliot was born at Passy, near Paris, 

in 177 I. His father at one time practised as a lawyer, 

but at the period of Pierre's birth, he opened a


school ; a few years later he held a Government 

appointment, dying shortly after entering upon 

it. A friend undertook the education of Pierre, 

sending him to Rome. It was in that city he first 

received lessons on the Violin worthy of the name. 

His master was a pupil of Nardini's. Though the 

tuition was of short duration, yet it could not have 

been otherwise than valuable to him, connected as 

it was with the great Italian School of Violinplaying. 

In 179 I Bailliot returned to Paris, when 

Viotti, ever ready to aid a brother artist, procured 

him a place in the orchestra at the opera. This 

position, however, he soon retired from in order to 

enter the office of the "Ministere des Finances." 

F or several years he retained this position, occupying 

much of his leisure time with the practice of music 

and the Violin. In the year 1795, his passion for 

the Violin led him to enter the musical profession. 

About this period he received lessons in composition 

from Cherubini. In 1802 he entered the private 

band of Napoleon Buonaparte. 

In 18 I 4 he carried out his long-cherished desire to 

establish a series of concerts for the performance 

of the chamber compositions of the great masters. 

His coadjutors were Guynemer, Tariot, St. Laurent, 

de Lamare, N orblin (the famous Violoncellist) ; 

and at a later period Vidal, Sauzay, U rhan, and 

Vaslin. Spohr, writing from Paris in 182 I, mentions 

Bailliot in that tone which he invariably adopted 

in reference to the ability of a brother artist, be-

7 HE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 299 

ginning by gently touching the notes of praise, and 

ending by drowning them in censure. He says : 

" Bailliot is, in the technical scope of his play, almost 

as perfect as Lafont, and his diversity of manner 

shows that he is so, without resorting to the same 

desperate means. Besides his own compositions, 

he plays almost all those of ancient and modern 

times. On one occasion he gave us a Quintett of 

Boccherini, a Quartett of Haydn, and three of his 

own composItIOns. He played all with the most 

perfect purity and with the expression which is 

peculiar to his manner. His expression nevertheless 

seemed to me more artificial than natural, and indeed 

his whole execution has the appearance of manner 

Ism. His bow-stroke is skilful, and rich in shades 

of expression, but not so free as Lafont's, and therefore 

his tone is not so beautiful, and the mechanical 

process of the up and down stroke is too audible. 

His compositions are distinguished above all those 

of any Parisian Violinist by their correctness, but 

being somewhat artificial-mannered, and out of 

date in style, the hearer remains cold and without 

sense of emotion." It is refreshing to turn to 

Mendelssohn's enthusiastic admiration, expressed in 

one of his letters written in 183 2, after wading 

through Spohr's windy critical estimate of the 

eminent French artist's abilities. "After the rehearsal," 

remarks Mendelssohn, " Bailliot played my 

Octett in his class, and if any man in the world can 

play it, he is the man. His performance was finer


than I ever heard it." In another letter he remarks 

of Bailliot, " He played beautifully. It was the 

greatest possible delight to me to hear my Quartett 

in E flat major performed in Paris by Bailliot's 

quartett, and they executed it with fire and spirit. 

The company then asked for a Sonata of Bach's ; 

we selected the one in A major. We urged each 

other on, the affair became animated, and so 

thoroughly amused both us and our audience that 

we immediately commenced the one in E major, and 

next time we mean to introduce the four others." 

The Sonatas referred to are the Six Grand Sonatas 

with Violin obbligato, composed between the years 

1718 and 1722, but not published in Bach's lifetime. 

Besides visiting Holland and Belgium, in 1815 

and 18r6, Bailliot came to England and performed 

at the Philharmonic Concerts, acting sometimes as 

leader of the Orchestra. At the first concert of the 

season 18r6, he introduced a Concertante of his 

own, and played in a Quartett of Mozart. His 

quartett playing was regarded at this period, and

THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 30r 

long after, as a model of classical purity, not only 

in France, but in Germany and England. On 

Bailliot's return to France he held the post of leader 

of the Royal Orchestra, and also at the Opera. He 

died in 184. His Violin works as given by Fetis, 

comprise Twenty-Four Preludes ; a number of Airs 

with Variations ; Nine Concertos ; Three String 

Quartetts ; Sonata for Piano and Violin ; Twelve 

Violin Studies ; Six Duetts for two Violins ; and 

Fifteen String Trios. 

Pierre Rode was a native of Bordeaux, where he 

was born in 1774. He early became a pupil of 

Viotti. Although Rode was attached to the 

Conservatoire, his influence over the Violin playing 

of his time was effected more by the example he 

set in his public performances than by direct 

tuiti.on. His professional engagements caused him 

to be long and frequently away from Paris, 

giving concerts in all the chief European Cities. 

Teaching under these circumstances was not likely 

to benefit either master or pupil. His own soloplaying 

was, however, a most valuable lesson to 

advanced Violinists, and through them it has left an 

imperishable impression upon their art. The most 

notable instance of this is found in Louis Spohr. 

From Rode th great German Violinist obtained his 

earliest and best ideas of phrasing and polished 

playing generally. Remembering this fact, and the 

development that attended the School of Violin 

playing which Spohr may be said to have inaugu-


rated in Germany, the merit belonging to Rode in 

the · work is better understood. 

The feelings of admiration manifested for each 

other's abilities by Rode and Bailliot was worthy of 

the two artists who, by their labours and example, 

contributed more to the advancement of classical 

Violin playing than has been accomplished by any 

Violinist during the present century. Whether 

their work lay in the Conservatoire, in the " Violin 

Method," or in the performance of chamber music, it 

was entered upon with no other desire than the 

furtherance of their art. Rivairy was unknown to 

both. Merits denied to one were possessed by the 

other, and the favourable conditions under which 

their respective qualities were thus developed, gave 

to their teaching and example a force which would not 

otherwise have existed. 

In 1800 Rode was appointed solo Violinist to 

Napoleon ; three years later he went to Russia. It 

was upon the occasion of this journey that Spohr 

heard him in Brunswick, and we read in his autobiography 

: "The more I heard him play the more 

was I captivated. Yes ! I had no hesitation to 

place Rode's style (then still reflecting all the 

brilliancy of that of his great master, Viotti) above 

that of my instructor Eck, and to apply myself 

sedulously to acquire it as much as possible by a 

. careful practice of Rode's compositions." At St. 

Petersburg Rode was appointed solo Violinist to the 

Emperor Alexander, a post he held for five years,


when he returned to Paris. In 1811 he again went 

to Germany, and shortly afterwards returned to his 

native Bordeaux. Rode died in 1830. M. F etis 

remarks, "There are few living who have heard the 

talent of Rode in all its beauty, but the artists who 

have enjoyed that pleasure will never forget the 

perfection attending it." His compositions include 

Ten Concertos, the most admired of which is the 

seventh in A minor, so frequently played by Spohr, 

and introduced into his V ioIin School ; Duetts for 

two Violins, two books, Op. 18 ; Cavatine and 

Rondeau, Op. 28 ; Fantasia, Op. 29 ; several Airs 

with variations, among them the famous one in G, 

-which Spohr called his hobby-horse-and the variations 

to the "Harmonious Blacksmith," which are 

admirable ; a few solo Quartetts ; and the famous 

Caprices. Rode was a great composer for his 

instrument, but was deficient in theoretical knowledge, 

which caused him to be assisted by Boccherini 

and others in the orchestral accompaniments. 

Jean Baptiste Cartier, born at Avignon in 1 765, 

was an excellent Violinist. Early tutored in the 

the great Italian School of Violin-playing, he 

manifested the utmost love and admiration for the 

compositions associated with it, which prompted him 

to issue new editions of the more important writings 

of Corelli, Tartini, Nardini, and others, thus placing 

before his countrymen models of the highest 

excellence in relation to his art. He is best known 

by his ,admirable work, " L'Art du Violin," published

7HE VIOLIN AND ns iJlUSIC. 

in 1798 and 1801, wherein he gives examples of 

famous Violin compositions from the pens of Italian, 

French, and German masters. His own compositions 

include Airs with variations, Studies, &c. 

He died in 185 1. 

It is now necessary to notice the famous pupil of 

Bailliot, Franois Antoine Habeneck, upon whom 

devolved the duty of maintaining the high character 

belonging to the Violin classes of the Conservatoire, 

which his great master and his coadjutors succeeded 

in giving to them. 

Habeneck was born in 1781. His first lessons 

on the Violin were received from his father, a 

musician in a military band. He entered Bailliot's 

class in 1801, and obtained the first Violin prize in 

1804. Shortly afterwards he was appointed to a 

sub-professorship, He succeeded Kreutzer as leader 

of the opera orchestra upon that Violinist's appointment 

to the conductorship, becoming himself conductor 

in 182 I. In 1828 Habeneck established the 

Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire," which he 

conducted for twenty years. Prior to the formation 

of this society, Habeneck had been conducting an 

orchestra formed of the best pupils of the Institution. 

It was here that he introduced the Symphonies 

of Beethoven to the French musical public, a 

most honourable distinction, and one which, had he 

achieved nothing more in relation to his art, would 

have secured him a notable place in the musical 

annals of his country.


Reverting to the foundation of the Societe des 

Concerts du Conservatoire, it appears Habeneck 

invited his musical friends to dinner on St. Cecilia's 

day ; the Eroica Symphony was played, but not 

appreciated. It was subsequently performed upon 

several occasions, when at length its wondrous 

beauties dawned upon the executants, and Habeneck's 

cherished wish to awaken enthusiasm in France for 

the orchestral masterpieces of Beethoven was on 

the point of being gratified. The news of Habeneck's 

proselytizing success reached the ears of 

Cherubini, who consented to the Concerts in future 

taking place at the Conservatoire. A government 

grant was at length obtained of £80 per 

annum towards the expenses of the Society. 

Cherubini became the President, and Habeneck 

Vice-President and conductor . . That the founder's 

main object was not lost sight of, namely, the 

familiarizing the orchestra and audience with the 

works of Beethoven, is seen from the number of 

times they were performed. 

I cannot withhold from the reader the substance 

of an anecdote related by Berlioz, in his Memoirs, 

relative to Habeneck, though it necessitates stepping 

from the sublime to the ridiculous. "At a public 

performance of the Requiem of Berlioz, the 

composer had arranged with Habeneck to conduct 

the music, Berlioz taking his seat close behind 

the conductor. The work was commenced, and 

had been proceeded with some little time, when 

v


Habeneck (presumably taking advantage of 

what appeared to him a favourable moment) 

placed his baton on the desk and took out his snuffbox 

and · calmly took a pinch. Berlioz, aware 

of breakers ahead, rushed to the helm and saved 

the wreck of his work by beating time with his 

arm. Habeneck, when the danger was passed, said 

'what a cold perspiration I was in ! Without you 

we should have assuredly been lost.' Yes, said the 

composer, I know it well," accompanying his words 

with a facial expression betokening suspicion of 

Habeneck's honesty of purpose. The Violinist 

little dreamed that his weakness for snuff-taking 

would be construed in the pages of Berlioz's 

Memoires into having been indulged in from base 

motives. 

The mention of Berlioz serves to remind me of 

his claim to be noticed as the composer of a 

Reverie and Caprice for Violin and Orchestra, 

which composition partakes largely of that remarkable 

character belonging to all his works. An 

anecdote in connection with this Reverie is perhaps 

worth relating. Some forty years since, Berlioz 

was in Leipzig, when, at Mendelssohn's suggestion, 

a concert was given in his honour in the Gewandhaus. 

Among the works given was the Reverie 

and Caprice, which was entrusted to one of the 

greatest German Violinists. After the piece was 

ended, amid the most enthusiastic applause, the 

Violinist turned to Mendelssohn and whispered, " I

7 HE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 

am ·glad enough I have got through it, for I never 

had such a task in my life ; I have not the remotest 

idea what I have been playing, or what the piece 

can be about." Scarcely were the words out of the 

bewildered Fiddler's mouth, when Berlioz exclaimed 

to Mendelssohn, "Never have I heard my composition 

so divinely rendered ! Never have I heard an 

artist who has so completely caught my meaning, 

and so wonderfully interpreted it !" N ow that the 

music of Hector Berlioz is in the ascendant, the 

relation of this anecdote may serve to draw the 

attention of Violinists to his forgotten Reverie. 

Probably no chamber compositions · after those 

of Boccherini afforded the French musical public 

greater pleasure than those of George Onslow, at a 

period when the earliest Quartetts of Beethoven 

were just beginning to be appreciated by musicians 

possessing superior judgment. They apparently 

served the purpose of supplying the lovers of 

chamber music with singularly clever and interesting 

novelties of a type as different from the 

pure classic writings of Haydn and Mozart as 

they were from the later and more majestic works 

of Beethoven. 

Although it cannot be said that Onslow's creative 

power belonged to that high order which interests 

posterity as much as and often more than it does 

its immediate admirers, yet it was undoubtedly 

far above that of the average composers of chamber 

mUSIC. 

V 2

'THE VIOLIN AND .ITS MUSIC. 

Onslow was born at Clermont (Puy-de-Dome) 

July 27th, 1784. He was a grandson of the first 

Lord Onslow, and descended maternally from the 

family of Brantome. It is at least remarkable, if 

not wholly exceptional, to find that Onslow in 

childhood showed no particular love for music, 

and yet should have manifested such remarkable 

enthusiasm with regard to it in after life, and composed 

so many meritorious works. In his boyhood 

he studied the Pianoforte under Dussek and Cramer, 

and also received lessons on the Violoncello ; but all 

this was done as part of his education, and not 

because he desired it. His passion for music was 

awakened upon hearing an overture of Mehul's ; 

henceforth he devoted his life to the study and 

production of music. Having returned to his native 

Auvergne, he gathered about him a few amateurs 

of chamber music, and began the long series of 

Quartetts and Quintetts, works that were · played 

WIth infinite delight by himself and friends ; Onslow 

playing the Violoncello, an instrument he was 

tolerably well acquainted with, judging from the 

character of the parts he allotted to it. H is earlier 

Quintetts were written for two Violoncellos. The 

substitution of a Double Bass for the second Violon- 

,cello arose somewhat curiously. Onslow being in 

England at; the time of the performance of one of 

. his Quintet;ts, upon which occasion the. second Bass 

player failed to put in an appearance, Dragonetti 

very kindly volunteered to play the part .on his


Double ' Bass. Onslow positively refused to listen ' 

to the proposal, remarking that the effect would be 

dreadful ; evidently proving that Onslow had either 

not heard the extraordinary Contrabassist play the 

Violoncello part of Corelli's Sonatas; or that if he 

had done so he completely failed to appreciate the 

grand effect of the performance. However, Onslow 

at length consented, and his Quintett was played as 

proposed, and delighted the composer, causing him 

to arrange all former Quintetts with Violoncello and 

Double Bass. 

The following estimate of Onslow's works, is 

from the pen of Henry F. Chorley, written in 185 3, 

the year of Onslow's death. "The large mass of 

chamber music furnished by Onslow well merits the 

epithet of remarkable. I t is thoroughly original 

without being extraordinarily striking-delicate and 

interesting, without sickliness, or the absence of 

occasional vigour-suave in phrases, ingenious ini 

structure-not always, it may be, sufficiently varied 

by happy strokes of episode, but always thoroughly 

well reasoned out, and interesting to the players, 

from the closeness of attention, and readiness in 

dialogue, reply, and imitation which it demands. ' 

During later year-as frequently happens with those 

whose first thoughts are more pleasing than powerful 

-Onslow, in straining after novelty and contrast, 

became only affected and fragmentary. This may 

have done its part in abating the zeal and sympathy 

of his admirers ; but enough remains from his pen,

3 10 THE VIOLIN AND iTS MllSIC. 

to be referred to, to be returned upon, to be performed 

and partaken of with pleasure, so long as 

music is bound by its present laws, and as those 

who enjoy it retain their present canons of judgment. 

It would be superfluous to single out any 

of the well-known Quintetts which have won for 

Onslow an European celebrity, or to do more than 

mention his Pianoforte Sextuor ; his Pianoforte 

Duetts in F minor and E minor ; his Pianoforte 

Trio in G major (a singularly sweet and gracious 

specimen of his style) ; his Pianoforte Sonatas with 

Violin in G minor and E major, and with Violoncello 

in F major and G minor. The above are all 

classical works, having a beauty, an intricacy, and 

an expressiveness totally their own, appealing to the 

thoughtful, as opposed to the sensuous musician, 

happily conceived, and carefully finished." 

In looking at the large number of published 

works for the chamber by Onslow, it has probably 

crossed the mind of many persons that the composer 

took the risk of publication on his own shoulders, 

which his independent social position easily permitted 

; that, however, was probably not the case, 

judging from a letter of Mendelssohn's, dated Paris, 

February, 1832, wherein he says, speaking of 

French publishers, "They have made advances to 

me here, and proposed to take my music, which they 

seldom do ; as all the others, even Onslow has 

been obliged to ojfer his compositions." These 

words point to the high position he held in the

THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 3 11 

French musical world, and as being sought for rather 

than himself seeking. Mendelssohn seems to have 

felt interested in his compositions, for we find in 

another letter, dated November, 1837, addressed 

to Moscheles, "Has Onslow written anything 

new ? " 

The following is given as a list of Onslow's 

chamber compositions :-Thirty-Four Quintetts for 

two Violins, Tenor, Violoncello, and Double Bass ; 

Thirty-Six String Quartetts ; Trios for Pianoforte, 

Violin, and Violoncello, Op. 3 , 14, 20, 24, 26, 2 7; 

SefCtett with Pianoforte, Op. 30 ; Duetts for Piano 

and Violin, Op. I I, 15, 2 I, 29, 3 I ; Sonatas for 

Violoncello and Piano, Op. 16 : these are also 

adapted for Viola. 

Although the fame acquired by Lafont as a 

Violinist is remembered only by a few venerable 

musicians, it was of a character sufficiently remarkable 

to call for notice in these pages. He was born in 

178 I, and received tuition from Rode and Kreutzer. 

He, however, departed from the path of his instructors, 

and entered to some extent upon that 

which his contemporary Paganini pursued to its end. 

I am not aware that Lafont went the length of 

raising the pitch of his strings, or indulged in the 

freaks which many of Paganini's imitators did ; yet 

with Lafont there came a new departure In the 

great French School of Violin playing, to be 

regretted in some respects, and praised in others. 

Solidity gave way to lightness and frivolity ;

3 I2 THE VIOL IN AND ITS MUSIC. 

cherished melodies were racked to death on 

tortuous variations, manufactured m pIZZIcato, 

staccato, tremolando, and single and double harmonics, 

all of which is traceable to . the influence 

Paganini exercised over Parisian Violinists. There 

was, however, much that was novel, graceful, and 

effective in Lafont's style of playing and composition, 

which, combined with the influence of the 

brilliant German School of Mayseder, Maurer, 

and Kalliwoda, had the effect of opening up a large 

and important field of composition for the Violin, 

wherein the greatest French, Belgian, and Polish 

artists have successfully laboured. 

Jacques Fenol Mazas was a pupil of Bailliot. 

As a Violinist and composer for his instrument he 

proved himself a worthy pupil of his great 

master. He was born in I782, and died in I849. 

His compositions include many of a highly instructive 

kind, and are valued as such at the present 

time ; among these may be noticed his Violin 

School, followed by a treatise on harmonics ; also a 

Method for the Tenor. German translations of 

both these works have been made. He published a 

Violin Concerto ; a Fantasia on the Fourth String ; 

"La Babillarde," a clever piece in the style of 

Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo ;" and several Duetts 

and brilliant Quartetts. 

Lambert Joseph Massart was another eminent 

professor at the Conservatoire. He was born m 

I8or. From his master, Rodolphe . Kreutzer, in


whose family he lived for a long period, he acquired 

that sound knowledge of Violin playing which 

admirably fitted him to take a leading position as 

a teacher. From Massart the famous Violinist 

Wieniawski obtained that knowledge of his art 

which helped greatly to make him one of the fore 

most artists of his time. 

The eminent Violinist, Prosper Sainton, was 

born at Boulogne in I8I4. His love of music and 

the Violin in particular manifested itself-as it rarely 

fails to do where exceptional ability exists-at an 

early period : notwithstanding, however, this indication 

of the bent of his genius, he was sent to the 

College of Toulouse, to prepare for the study of the 

law. In the meantime occurred the commercial 

crisis of r830, causing the loss of his father's 

fortune, which was embarked in extensive commercial 

transactions. His legal studies were relinquished, 

and his passion for music was given full scope to by 

sending him to pursue his musical studies at the 

Conservatoire, where he was at once placed in 

M. Habeneck's famous class. His progress was 

singularly rapid, obtaining the second prize in 1833, 

and the highest in the following year. He then 

visited the chief Continental cities. In I844 M. 

Sainton appeared at the concerts of the Philharmonic 

Society. This was indeed a remarkable season in 

the annals of the famous Society. H err Ernst, 

Signor Piatti, Joseph Joachim (then a boy of thirteen 

years), all appeared for th first time during this


eventful . season. M. Sainton became shortly afterwards 

leader under Costa, a position he holds, with 

undiminished vigour, at this date. The post of 

chief professor of the Violin, at the Royal Academy 

of Music, has been held by him for more than thirty 

years. The number of Violinists he has instructed 

during this long period form quite a little army. 

throughout which he is held in that esteem which 

accompanies great talent, sound teaching, and 

affability of manner. Myself an old pupil, I feel 

proud to speak thus of a valued master. 

M. Sainton has composed, among other works, 

Two Concertos ; Solo de Concert; Three Romances ; 

and an effective Tarantelle. 

Ernest Deldevez, was another famous pupil of 

Habeneck's, and obtained the first prize at the 

Conservatoire in 183 3, the year before M. Sainton 

secured the same reward. Deldevez was born 

in Paris in 1817. Besides distinguishing himself 

as a Violinist, he has proved himself a sound 

theoretical musician. I have had occasion several 

times to refer to his admirable "CEuvres des Compositions 

des Violonistes Celebres," the parent of 

"Les Miitres Classiques," and " Die Hohe Schule des 

Violinspiels." It would be impossible to bestow too 

much praise on the skill and judgment M. Deldevez 

has shown in his treatment of the compositions of 

the old masters in relation to the Violin. He has 

approached them with evident feelings of sanctity, 

and all Violinists disliking restorations of the work!'!


of their beloved old composers, leading inevitably to 

heterogeneity, have reason to be grateful to him. 

Mr. Chorley reviewed the work in the A thent2Um, 

at the time of its publication, in terms of the highest 

praise. 

We have now to notice another eminent pupil of 

Habeneck's, in M. Alard, born at, Bayonne in 1815. 

As a soloist, quartett player, and composer, he has 

long occupied a distinguished position. Many of 

his pupils at the Conservatoire have become famous, 

Sarasate being the greatest. The works of M. 

Alard in connection with the Violin are many and 

varied. His " Ecole du Violon " is a valuable work 

and many of his original compositions are much 

esteemed. 

Charles Dancla, born in 1818, has contributed 

many works to the list of Violin music ; Solos, 

Studies, Duetts, &c., numbering upwards .of one 

hundred and forty distinct compositions. His 

brother Leopold has also written Three Quartetts, 

Studies, &c.

edion lIII.-CCllJtc lIiolin in JTnmrc. 

CHAPTER IV. 

B E LG I U M and its Violinists next claim our 

notice. The important character of the part 

played by the people of Flanders in relation to 

music has been lightly touched in the second 

Section of my book, and its vast consequences to the 

development of the art in Italy, Germany, France, 

and England, referred to whilst following the 

history of our subject in those several countries. 

To draw a separating line between the Violinists 

of France and those of Belgium may appear needless. 

I am not, however, unmindful of the existence 

of similar ideas and pursuits among the two peoples 

at this period, which have necessarily resulted from 

contiguity and past and present political connection, 

but I am unable to believe this intercourse has 

wholly deprived a people small in number, compared 

with their great and powerful neighbour, of that 

diffl2rence of character, which I have before said, is 

as marked in the Fine Arts of a nation as its 

language. That the Belgians have been tutored 

in Violin-playing by means different from the

THE VIOLIN IN ,FRANCE. 

French, is not to be supposed ; both found their first 

great master in Italy, and each have been equally 

influenced by the example of Rode, Bailliot, and 

Kreutzer ; but, withal, there remains that distinc 

tive tone of thought and action which follows 

upon difference of origin, and which is not without 

its effects upon the art of Violin-playing and 

composition. 

In entering upon this branch of our subject, we 

cannot do better than begin with F ranois Joseph 

Gossec, he who is so prominent amid the little 

group of musicians whose labours served to open up 

the path of modern instrumental music. The part 

Gossec played in this important work was both 

curious and unfortunate ; as far as regards the credit 

it brought him, inasmuch as he found himself in 

the position of an author who, after dedicating his 

genius to the composition of a book, and fixing 

upon its title, discovered that a literary brother 

had been engaged upon the same undertaking .. 

The reader will recognise the truth of the illustration 

when he is informed that Gossec, in the 

middle of the last century, held the post of 

conductor to the private band of the Fermiergeneral 

La Popeliniere in Paris, and clearly recognising 

the slight character of French instrument

.;318 THE VI OLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

some of his quartetts were published in 1 759, and were 

received with much delight by the then small section 

-of chamber music lovers in France. 

The subject of this notice is associated with an 

-orchestral effect of an ingenious kind. At St. Roch, 

in 176o, at the performance of one of his masses, 

he employed two orchestras for a particular portion 

of his work, dividing them into wind and strings, 

concealing the former outside the church, whilst the 

latter accompanied sotto voce within. I have not 

dived into the history of invisible orchestras, but the 

idea of Gossec's evidently has precedence over that 

-carried out at the Bayreuth Festival. It is needless 

here to follow Gossec through his important musical 

career ; it is enough to know that he founded the 

Concert des Amateurs in 1770, that he gave new 

life to the Concert Spirituel three years later, and 

that he was associated with Cherubini in the foundation 

of the Paris Conservatoire in 1795. Gossec 

was born in 1 733, at a village in Belgian Hainault, 

where his countrymen have raised a monument to 

his memory in the shape of a fountain, whereon is 

placed his bust ; this worthy act was accomplished 

in 187 7. He died in 1829, at Passy, at the age of 

ninety-six. At his funeral M. Fetis delivered an 

oration. The music of Gossec includes Twenty 

Nine Symphonies, several Quartetts, Trios, and 

Violin Duetts. 

Among the early Belgian Violinists Franois 

Cupis is not unworthy of mention. He was born at


Brussels in 1 7 I 9, and published a few Quartetts and 

Sonatas. Henri Jacques Croes, a native of Brussels, 

was both a Violinist and composer of chamber 

music. Mention is made of Six Symphonies for 

two Violins, Tenor, Bass, and two Oboes ; Six Trios 

for two Violins and Bass. Chartiani, a Violinist 

and composer, was born at Liege, and published 

String Quartetts, Ops. I, 4, 5, 8; Three Violin 

Concertos ; Symphonies in eight parts ; Six Duetts 

for Violin and Tenor ; and a few Trios. All these 

works were published in Paris. Eugene Godecharle, 

born at Brussels ii1 1 742, was admitted at an early 

age to the Royal Chapel as a singer in the choir. 

Sent to Paris to receive lessons on the Violin, he 

returned to Brussels, and ultimately held important 

posts as leader and conductor. He published 

Sonatas for Violin and Bass, Symphonies in several 

parts, and other works. His chief pupil appears to 

have been Vander Plancken. 

With the Violinist Vander Planck en we approach 

the period when the style and teaching of Viotti 

began to be emulated by the Belgian artists. Viotti 

appears to have had a high opinion of the talent of 

Vander Plancken. That it was of a superior order 

may be inferred from the important positions he 

held at Brussels. Among his pupils was Joseph 

Fran


after being tutored by Vande - r Plancken, he was 

admitted into the class of Pierre Bailliot, at the 

Paris Conservatoire. As a Violinist and composer 

he achieved much renown, and was equally celebrated 

as a teacher, numbering among his pupils 

Artot and Haumann. For the former he specially 

composed a Violin Concerto. His compositions are 

many and varied, among them several in connection 

with the Violin. 

Contemporary with Snel we have mention of 

the family of Blumenthal, consisting of three brothers, 

Joseph, Casimer, and Leopold, all composers of more 

or less ability in the field of Violin music. 

The prolific and learned musical litterateur, 

Frant;ois Joseph Fetis, born 1784, must be mentioned 

as a contributor to the music of the leading instrument, 

although it cannot be said his compositior:s 

reach that standard of excellence which serves to 

render them ever-green in our memories. If he did 

not succeed in · immortalizing himself in musical 

composition, he has certainly done so as a writer 

on music. His musical library,* and his "Biographie 

U niverselle des Musiciens," have alone 

secured him lasting fame, notwithstanding the 

shortcomings and errors of the last-named great 

work, cf which M. Chouquet has well said, it is 

" easy to find fault, but impossible to do without." 

*" Purchased by the Belgian Government. An admirable work 

has been published (1877), which forms a catalogue to this remarkable 

library.

THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 3 21 

His published and unpublished works in relation to 

our subject consist of Sextetts, Quintetts, Trios, &c. 

Andre Robberechts was a pupil of Vander 

Planck en, and later of Baillot* and Viotti. He was 

born at Brussels in 1 797. He distinguished himself 

both as an executant and as a sound teacher. The 

names of his eminent tutors at once point to his 

legitimate training, and his artistic career proved his 

ability to carry onwards the principles his masters 

had introduced and developed. He published 

several Violin Solos, Two Concertante Duetts for 

Violin and Piano, and other works. His compositions 

furnish us with early Belgian examples of 

those after the style of Lafont, and may be regarded 

as heralding those of De Beriot. I t is said De 

Beriot received a few lessons from Robberechts. 

\Ve must now turn to the important work 

accomplished by Lambert Joseph Meerts in relation 

to Violin music. This accomplished artist was 

a pupil of Lafont, and doubtless acquired from him 

that elegance of style for which Lafont was so 

distinguished. Meerts, however, had been made 

acquainted with the compositions of the Italian 

Violinists in hi early youth, which, together with 

his studies of the principles of teaching laid down 

by Baillot and Habeneck, served to give him 

advantages which he did not fail to make admirable 

use of, as evidenced in his "Mecanisme du 

Viol on," "Le Mecanisme de l' Archet," and his Studies 

W 

* Baillot has previously been mis-spelt Bailliot.


on Rhythm in its application to the styles of the great 

masters. M. Meerts has clearly made the student 

aware of the important fact that no little study is 

needed to properly interpret a composer's crescendo, 

and diminuendo, his fo rtes and pianos ; in short, that 

light and shade, to be successfully accomplished, is a 

work of the utmost delicacy, and impossible without 

sound judgment and exceptional executive skill. 

Nicholas Lambert Wery, born in 1781, was 

another famous Belgian professdr, and, like Meerts, 

held the post of Violin-master at the Brussels 

Conservatoire. He has published much Violin 

music, among which are Three Concertos, Fifty 

Variations on the Scales, and Violin Studies. M. 

Singelee, the well-known and prolific composer of 

Fantasias, was a pupil of M. Wery. 

It is now necessary to refer to representative 

Belgian Violinists whose style seems to have had 

its origin in the teaching of F ran


know that I could better describe this artist than by 

nammg him the Belgian Ernst. Passion and 

sentiment he possessed to a degree surpassing that 

attained by any Violinist of his time in his own 

school. The instruction he received from Fran


tive passages. Whilst a few of his compositions 

have been thought not unworthy of being publicly 

played by great artists, the larger number have 

furnished amateurs possessing but a moderate amount 

of executive ability with a store of graceful and 

pleasing music, well within their compass. De 

Beriot has published Ten Concertos ; Twelve Airs 

with Variations, Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 having long 

been the most popular. His Tremolo Variations, 

Op. 30, is equally famous. He has also published 

an important Violin School, in three parts, and 

many excellent Studies, among the latter the collection 

entitled, "Ecole Transcendante du Violon," Op. 

123, containing many well-written exerciss; wherein 

novel forms of passages are :introduced. De Beriot 

died' at Louvain in April, 1870. 

With M. Henri Vieuxtemps we enter that select 

circle of Violinists which numbers within it the 

greatest of modern times in relation to our subject. 

Not only does he there hold the proud position 

of being the most eminent representative of the 

Belgian School of Violinists, but is esteemed as 

possessing the qualities necessary for composing for 

the Violin as a solo instrument, equal to his 

executive abilities. Since the time when Louis Spohr 

manifested this rare double gift, I am not aware 

that any artist has achieved so much as Henri 

Vieuxtemps in the same direction. His compositions 

are very numerous, and of great variety. His 

Concertos take high rank as wo rks admirably

HlENlfH V[JEl[]XTlEMJP>§ 0

· THE VIOLIN IN FRANCE. 

displaying . the beauties and effects peculiar to the 

instrument, and the accompaniments bear the Impress 

of the musician. His Fantasie-Caprice, the 

Ballad and Polonaise, and other works of a similar 

character, are valued by eminent artists as compositions 

of singular merit. His shorter pieces, consisting 

of Romances, Chansons, &c., form a valuable 

addition to the catalogue of high-class solo Violin 

mUSIC. The Six " Etudes de Concert," with Pianoforte 

accompaniment, is another esteemed set of 

compositions. 

Unfortunately, a few years since, the musical 

world was deprived of the pleasure 9f hearing this 

famous Violinist, in consequence of his health 

having become enfeebled. He has for some time 

been living in Algiers, where, happily, he enjoys in 

retirement his love of composition and the sounds 

of his Violin. 

Hubert Leonard is another distinguished Violinist 

and composer for his instrument, belonging to 

Belgium. He was born in 1819, and long held a 

professorship at the Brussels Conservatoire. He is 

now residing in Paris. His compositions and 

arrangements are numerous and valuable, consisting 

of Concertos ; Studies ; a Violin School ; the famous 

Fantasia, " Souvenir de Haydn ;" several light and 

effective pieces ; and " L'Ancienne Ecole Italienne," 

consisting of selections from the works of Corelli, 

Tartini, and others. 

I t is convenient here to refer to the Norwegian


Violinist, M. Ole Bull, born at Bergen in 1810. 

Probably no Violinist since Paganini has succeeded 

in gaining so much celebrity as a virtuoso as M. 

Ole Bull. Many romantic and curious anecdotes 

are recorded of this artist ; the substance of 

which may be seen in a well-written notice 

entitled, a "Norwegian Musician."* Purity of 

tone, great execution, faultless bowing, and a 

splendid position, were the attributes belonging 

to this artist. He was an excellent linguist, 

the greatest traveller among Violinists, and a 

passionate admirer of Cremonese Violins, of which 

he was a thorough connoisseur. Mention of the 

whereabouts of a rare "Strad" or " ]-oseph," was 

sufficient to cause Ole Bull to make a journey 

expressly to see the instrument. When in England, 

in I 862, I remember how interested he became 

upon hearing for the first time of the collection 

of Mr. ] oseph Gillott. Without staying to enquire 

as to the possibility of seeing the instruments, he 

journeyed to Birmingham. Arrived there, he found 

the family of Fiddles reposing at the Steel Pen Works, 

and that their owner was not willing to remove them 

from the cases in which they had slumbered so 

long. After doing all possible to gain the 

object of his mission, he was at length compelled to 

abandon the idea and return to London. Ole Bull 

died at Bergen in 1880. He composed several 

Violin solos, some of which have been published. 

" "Cornhill Magazine," Vol. VI.

THE VIOLIN IN .FRANCE. 

With the mention of a few Polish compositions 

in relation to our subject we are brought to the close 

of this Section of my book. From the pen of 

Chopin we have a Trio for Pianoforte, Violin, and 

Violoncello, in G minor, Op. 8 ; and two Duetts for 

Violoncello and Pianoforte. 

Karl Joseph Lipinski, born at Radzyn, in 

Poland, in 1790, was an eminent Violinist, and 

composed much music for his instrument, including 

Concertos, Fantasias, &c. He was for a long 

period at Dresden as Concert-master, and obtained 

there much renown as a teacher and promoter of 

sound musical taste and principles. Lipinski was an 

excellent quartett player, and a lover of the works 

of Bach and Beethoven. 

Henri Wieniawski, the Prince of Polish Violinists. 

has left a few pieces for the Violin of great 

merit and wide popularity, the chief of which are 

the two Polonaises, and the " Legende." He died 

at Moscow in April, 188o.

ettion 'BIII.-CQl:he io1in in crmn!1. 

CHAPTER 1. 

"WHEREVER German Art, in those forms 

of it which need no interpreter, has 

addressed us immediately, our recognition of it 

has been prompt and hearty--from DUrer to 

Mengs, from Handel to Weber and Beethoven . 

. We have welcomed the painters and musicians of 

Germany, not only to our praise, but to our 

affection and beneficence." "The horrors of the 

Thirty Years' War, followed by the conquests and 

conflagrations of Louis XIV., had desolated the 

country ; Frech influence, extending from the 

courts of princes to the closets of the learned, 

lay like a doleful incubus over the mind of 

Germany ; and all true nationality vanished from 

its literature, or was heard only in faint tones, 

which lived in the hearts of the people, but could 

not reach, with any effect, to the ears of foreigners:' 

" Not that the Germans were idle. or altogether 

engaged, as we too loosely suppose, in the work of 

commentary and lexicography ; on the contrary, 

they rhymed and romanced with due vigour as to

THE Vi OLIN IN GERMANY. 

quantity, only the quality was bad." Much of 

what Mr. Carlyle has here said with regard to the 

state of German literature at the close of the Thirty 

Years' War, is applicable to German music at the 

same period. The work of Orlando Lassus at the 

Bavarian Court of Albert V., of Heinrich Isaac at the 

court of Maximilian, and the labours of other skilled 

musicians in the chief German cities, prior to that 

eventful struggle, were rendered all but abortive. In 

music, as in literature, the Germans were not idle, 

but the quality of their work was bad. 

There appears to have been, however, one musical 

genius, the character of which serves to render it an 

exception, and at the same time to take us back to 

our subject. I refer to Thomas Baltzar, born 

at Lubeck, in 1632. The information we have 

relative to him is wholly connected with England. 

John Evelyn says : *" I was invited by Mr. Roger 

L'Estrange to hear the incomparable 'Lubicer,' 

on the Violin. His variety on a few notes and 

plain ground, with that wonderful dexterity, was 

admirable. Though a young man, yet so perfect 

and skilful, that there was nothing, however cross 

and perplexed, brought to him by our artists, which 

he did not play off at sight with ravishing sweetness 

and improvements, to the astonishment of our best 

masters. In su he played on a single instrument 

a full concert, so as the rest flung down their instruments, 

acknowledging the victory. As to my own 

• Diary, Vol. 1., p. 298.


particular, I stand to this hour amazed that God 

should give so great perfection to so young a person. 

There were at that time as excellent in their 

profession as any were thought to be in Europe, 

Paul Wheeler, Mr. Mell and others, till this prodigie 

appeared." 

Johann J. "Walther was in the service of the 

Elector of Saxony at the period when Corelli was 

in Germany, and it is probable the Violinists were 

personally acquainted with each other. The titles 

of Walther's compositions'X' point to their having 

been curious, and quite opposed to those of his 

great Italian contemporary. 

The departure from Hesse Cassel of Henri 

Schutz (Sagittarius) for Venice, about the period 

of the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, marks 

the beginning of a new era in the history of German 

instrumental music. At Venice. Schutz became the 

pupil of Giovanni Gabrielli, a circumstance of much 

interest to us, Gabrielli having been the earliest 

Italian composer connected with the Violin, according 

to our present knowledge. After an absence 

of three years Schutz returned to his native country 

with a systm of instrumentation so entirely new 

to Germany, that his contemporaries named him the 

father of German instrumental music. When it 

* "Serenata a un coro di Violini, organo tremolante, chitarrino 

pi va, due trombe e timpani, lira tedesca, e arpa smorzata, per un 

Violino solo. Scherzi di Violino solo, con il basso continuo per l'organo 

o cembalo ; accompagnabile anche con una Viola liuto."

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 33I 

IS remembered that he was conversant with the 

musical tactics of such men as Gabrielli, Caccini, 

and above all Monteverde, it is easy to understand 

how capable he was to engraft a new school of 

music on the old German stem. 

Though the Violin, in the form we now have it, 

was probably used in Germany at the end of the 

fifteenth century, and certainly a few years after its 

close, * it was not until after the return from Italy of 

Schutz, that the instrument appears to have made 

way. 

Johann Schopp, or Schoope, a native of Hamburg, 

where he was living in I642, figures as one of 

the earliest German Violinists and composers for 

his instrument. In I6S8, Matthias Kelz published 

little Sonatas, Ballets, Allemandes, Galliards, etc., 

and also, in 1669, music for Violin and Viol da 

Gamba. 

Chapel-master Johann P. Krieger, born at 

Nuremberg, in I649, published Twelve Sonatas for 

two Violins, Tenor, and Bass, in I68 7, and others 

for the same instruments in I 693. I t is well to note 

that Ked, Kelz, and Krieger studied in Italy, and 

that the latter was personally acquainted with the 

most eminent Italian musicians of his time. 

Nicolaus Hasse, organist of Rostock, published 

about I 65°, "Delicice M usicce Allemanden, Couranten 

und Sarabanden, auf 2 roder Drei Violinen, 

" Pr


Violone, Clavycimbel oder Teorbe zu Musiciren," 

and other works of a similar character in 1658. 

Conrad Steneken, of Bremen, an amateur, published, 

in 1662, a collection of short pieces for two 

Violins, Tenor, and Bass. 

About the year 1657, when the Emperor 

Leopold was driving the Turks from Moravia, 

Gottfried Finger came into the world at Olmlitz 

in that country. He came to England in 1685, 

and became King James IL's Chapel-master, better 

known to us as Mr. Godfrey Finger, the composer of 

twelve Sonatce "pro diversis Instrumentis, Opus 

Primum, 1688 ;" Six Sonatas, three for Violin and 

three for Flute, 1690 ; Sonatas, Ayres, etc., for 

Violins, in conjunction with John Banister 1 69 I ; 

and other compositions. 

After spending about seventeen years here, 

Mr. Finger quitted our shores, displeased III 

having been awarded the fourth prize for a composition 

in which Weldon, Eccles, and Purcell preceded 

him. We next hear of Finger in the service of 

Queen Sophie Charlotte at Berlin, our First 

George's sister. 

Though- 

" The surly drums beat terrible afar, 

With all the dreadful music of the war," 

the Emperor Leopold's love of Music's harmony was 

in no way cooled. Early in his reign he interested 

himself with the art, and, it is said, set to music his 

own poetry. He retained the services of Draghi,

THE VIOLIN IN GERlIlANY. 333 

the I taIian dramatic composer, and Minato, the 

I tali an lyric poet. The famous Violinist, Biber, a 

Bohemian, born about I638, was another of Leopold's 

proteges. Biber, like his contemporary 

Walther, and the few German Violinists of that 

period, followed almost entirely a section of the 

I taIian School of playing, and of composition 

anterior to Corelli. Biber's writings for his instrument 

display no small amount of ingenuity ; double 

stops are greatly used, and a dexterous right hand 

is needed to execute the bowings. * 

Soon after the restoration of peace, the Emperor 

Leopold again turned his attention to the humanising 

arts, and more particularly that of music. 

Fully alive to the superiority of Italian music at 

this date, to I taly he looked for that aid which he 

felt was needed to develope the art among his 

people. 

Leaving Leopold, the lover of Italian music, 

we will turn to its eminent hater, Prince Frederick 

(afterwards Frederick the Great), in whose time 

Violin playing in Germany was started on its true 

national path. Music was regarded by Prince 

Frederick's father as a most unnecessary appendage 

.- Biber supplies us with an early instance of departure from the 

usual system of tuning the Violin. In one of his Sonatas the G and 

D strings are raised to A and E, with the E string lowered to D. His 

published Violin music comprises, Six Sonatas with Bass, dated 1681 ;, 

a set of Sonatas, 1676 ; "Fidicinium sacro-prafanum," being twelve 

Sonatas in parts ; "Vesper

3 34 

7HE VIOLIN AND ITS Jl1 USIC. 

to general education, and he opposed in every way 

his son becoming a musician. The Prince, however, 

aided by his mother the Queen, contrived to obtain a 

considerable knowledge of music, and to have much 

of it about him by stealth. In 1728 he was learning 

the Flute from Quantz, the greatest flautist of his 

time, who expressly journeyed from Dresden every 

year to instruct him. Upon the death of Quantz's 

patron the King of Poland, he entered the service 

of Prince Frederick, in which he passed some 

thirty-two years. 

At Rheinsberg Prince Frederick passed perhaps 

the happiest hours of his eventful life. Of his 

music there, Mr. Carlyle tells us, "Daily, at a fixed 

hour of the afternoon, there is a concert held." "If 

the artists entertained here for that function were 

enumerated (high names not yet forgotten in the 

Musical world), it would still more astonish readers. 

I count them to the number of Twenty or Nineteen, 

and mention only that the two brothers Graun and 

the two brothers Benda were of the lot, suppressing 

four other Fiddlers of eminence and a Pianist who 

is known to everybody. The Prince has a fine 

sensibility to Music, does himself, with thrilling 

adagios on the Flute, join in these harmonious acts ; 

and no doubt, jf rightly vigilant against the N onsenses, 

gets profit now and henceforth, from this 

part of his resources." 

I t is with one of these brothers Benda, whom 

Mr. Carlyle associates with four nameless " Fiddlers,"

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 3 35 

that we now have to do. The term Fiddler is, I 

imagine, a good unvarnished word of Saxon origin ; 

but it is one which nineteenth century instrumentalists 

connect with a very different type of man to Franz 

Benda, the founder of a special school of undoubted 

V iolin -playing. 

Franz Benda was born in 1709, and received 

musical instruction from both Graun and Quantz. 

He became Concert-master to Frederick the Great 

upon the death of the first-named master. In 1723 

he was a chorus singer at Prague. The Concertos 

of Vivaldi were the compositions he studied, and, 

like Bach, he learned much from them. Burney 

remarks, " His style is not that of Tartini, Somis, 

Veracini, nor that of the head of any one school or 

musical sect : it is his own." This is high praise, 

and goes far to prove his title to the foundership of 

the German School of the Violin. 

Franz Benda was the instructor of F. W. RUst, 

born in 1739. RUst was famous as a Violinist, a 

player on the Harpsichord, and gifted composer. 

His Violin Sonata in D minor, familiar to many of 

my readers, together with other Violin compositions, 

were left in manuscript. 

Upon the death of Frederick William, in 1740, 

his son's happy days at Rheinsberg ended. With a 

powerful army at his command, desirous of military 

glory, he entered upon that brilliant career which 

changed the face of Europe, and earned for him the 

title of Frederick the Great. The thunders of war


however, did not render him deaf to the concord of 

sweet sounds, for six years after his accession, and 

a year after the termination of his second war, Carl 

Philipp Emanuel Bach, John Sebastian's third son, 

was appointed cemballist and director of the Court 

chamber-music, and special acccompanist to the 

Great Frederick and his Flute. But of Emanuel 

Bach later ; it is his father who first claims our 

notice. I n 174 7, the year following Emanuel's 

appointment, Frederick the Great sent John 

Sebastian Bach an invitation to his court. On the 

7th of April, Bach, then in his sixty-second year, 

reached the palace just as Frederick was about to play 

a Flute Concerto with his Orchestra. When Bach's 

arrival was made known to him, putting his Flute 

aside, he turned to the assembled musicians and 

said, " Gentleman, Old Bach has come." Bach, who 

had gone to his son's chambers, was summoned to 

the music room. Not having had time to exchange 

his travelling costume, he appeared before his Royal 

Highness in a condition, to say the least, uncourtly, 

which gave rise to some slight titterings on the part 

ofthe gentlemen of the orchestra, which were speedily 

silenced by a reproachful look from Frederick. The 

coming of Bach put an end to the Flute Concert for 

that evening. The King, anxious to hear the great 

musician, asked him to play a fugue ; Bach complied 

by extemporising on a theme chosen by the King. 

Frederick, amazed at Bach's masterly performance, 

exclaimed, "Only one Bach ! only one Bach ! "

THE VIOLIN IN GERflfANY. 3 37 

In availing myself of the opportunity afforded 

by the presence of Sebastian Bach at Frederick's 

Court, to bring under the notice of the reader the 

information regarding him which bears upon our 

subject, I have over-stepped the bounds of chronological 

narration, by referring to an event at the close 

of the great composer's life before mentioning the 

facts belonging to his earlier years : I must therefore 

hasten to remark that John Sebastian Bach was 

born at Eisenach in the year 1685 . He entered 

upon his musical education by learning from his 

father the Violin. Becoming an orphan in his tenth 

year, he lived with his brother the organist at 

Ohrdruff, and began under his guidance the study 

of the Clavier. In his fifteenth year Bach entered the 

" Michaelis " School at Ltineburg, where he greatly 

extended his knowledge of vocal music by singing 

the soprano part in the Church. At a later period 

he gave much time to the study of the Organ, 

gaining renown both as a performer and composer 

for the instrument. ,In 1714, when Bach was 

twenty-nine years of age, he was appointed Sub 

Concert-master at Weimar. In 1717 he became 

Chapel-master to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen, 

who was a passionate lover of music. 

About this period he composed many of his 

instrumental works. Six years later he received 

his appointment at the famous Thomas-Schule at 

Leipsic, which he held to the end of his life, July 

1750. Bach's character may be summarized as 

x


modest, kind, and sympathetic, free from pretentiousness, 

vanity, and ambition. Had he possessed 

the last quality in some slight degree, perhaps the 

world might be richer in musical master-pieces. 

Pursuing his profession contentedly at small German 

Courts, where he had not the advantage of an 

orcestra, he had not the means of giving full play to 

his mighty genius : could he have commanded one, 

his Cantatas and large works might have been quadrupled 

in number. The Clavichord at home, and the 

Organ at the Church, were the instruments to which 

he almost exclusively devoted his genius. Happily, 

his early knowledge of the Violin led him to 

enrich the music of the king of stringed instruments. 

His writings for the Violin consist of Six Clavier 

Sonatas with an obbligato Violin accompaniment, 

before mentioned in connection with the notice 

of Baillot ; several Concertos for Clavier with 

stringed instruments ; Six Sonatas for Violin alone, 

including the Chaconne which was first introduced 

by Ferdinand David at Leipsic in 1839, at one of 

his Quartett Evenings, when Mendelssohn improvised 

an accompaniment-to which circumstance 

we . owe · the masterly arrangement published by 

Mendelssohn at a later period. These Sonatas will 

long be remembered, apart from their own imperishable 

nature, as having been among the last works 

upon which Schumann was engaged, namely, that 

of adding a Pianoforte part in 1853. F etis mentions 

Five Violin Duetts published by Haslinger, Vienna ;

7 HE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 339 

whether these are original or adaptations I am 

unable to state. He also names a Concerto for 

Violin, Flute, Hautboy, and Trumpet, with accompaniments 

for two Violins, Violoncello, and Double 

Bass. A Concerto for three Violins, three Tenors, 

and three Violoncellos, with Clavecin Concerto for 

Violin and two Flutes, with stringed accompaniments. 

Concerto in A, for Violin with stringed 

instruments. A Symphony Concertante for two 

Violins with accompaniments, in MS. ; and other 

works. The German Bach Society, published 

several important Violin works in 1859. It is said 

that on the autograph manuscript of the Three 

Violin Sonatas in F, A minor, and C, now in the 

Berlin Library, is the following note :-" This 

admirable work, in J. S. Bach's own hand-writing, 

I found among old papers, intended to be sent to the 

butter-shop, in the leavings of the Pianist PoIchau, 

at St. Petersburg, I8I4.-GEORGE POLCHAU." 

When it is remembered that the MS. of the 

Fo.rty-eight Preludes and Fugues was sold by auction 

in I 824 for half-a-guinea, and that a score of a Mass 

is said to have been given to a gardener to bind 

round grafted fruit-trees, we have every reason to feel 

grateful that the MS. of the Three Violin Sonatas 

reposes in the Library at Berlin, far removed from 

the hands of buttermen and the liners of trunks. 

X 2

£ttion lB3E3E3L-CQrhe lBiolin in £tnnmJ2. 

CHAPTER II. 

W E must now return to Frederick the Great at 

his Potsdam Palace. Around and within that 

royal residence we shall find much that is historically 

interesting in relation to music and musicians. 

Here are apartments appropriated to the use of 

almost every branch of the Royal Family in suites, 

in each of which a room is dedicated to music, well 

supplied with books, desks, and instruments. But 

let us take a peep at the Great Frederick's concert 

room. Here are mirrors of immense proportions ; 

sculpture by Martin of Paris ; Clavier by Silbermann, 

beautifully embellished ; a tortoise-shell music 

desk, richly inlaid with si.1ver, used by the King 

himself for his Flute performances. On the table is 

a catalogue of Concertos, and a book of manuscript 

Solfeggi, or Preludes, which Frederick adapted to 

his favourite instrument. These implements of 

music make us curious to learn something of the 

Royal performances : fortunately we have an eminent 

informant in Dr. Burney, ready to enlighten 

us. He says, "Visiting the Potsdam Palace to hear


the Royal music, I was carried to one of the 

interior apartments, in which the gentlemen of the 

King's band were waiting for his commands. This 

apartment is contiguous to the Concert room, where I 

could distinctly hear his Majesty practising Solfeggi 

on the Flute, and exercising himself in difficult 

passages previous to his calling in the band. Here 

I met with M. Benda, who was so obliging as to 

introduce me to M. Quantz. The figure of this 

veteran musican is of an uncommon size : 

The son of Hercules he justly seems, 

By his broad shoulders and gigantic limbs, 

and he appears to enjoy an uncommon portion of 

health and vigour for a person arrived at his seventysixth 

year. He told me that both his Majesty 

and scholar played no other Concertos than those 

which he had expressly composed for his use, which 

amounted to three hundred, and these he performed 

in rotation. Whilst I was conversing with M. 

Quantz we were interrupted by the arrival of a 

messenger from the King, commanding the gentlemen 

of the band to attend him in the next room. 

"The Concert began by a German Flute 

Concerto, in which his Majesty executed the solo 

parts with great precision : his embouchure was 

clear, and even his finger brilliant, and his taste 

pure and simple. M. Quantz bore no other part in 

the performance of the Concertos of to-night, than 

to give the time with the motion of his hand at the

342 l' HE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

beginning of each movement, except now and then 

to cry out 'bravo !' to his Royal scholar, which seems 

to be a privilege allowed to no other musician of 

the band." 

Leaving Frederick and his Flute, we will next 

notice his musical director. 

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born at Vienna 

in I 7 I 4 ; his appointment at the Court of Frederick 

was held by him until 1767. when he went to 

Hamburg, where he lived until his death, in 1788. 

Emanuel Bach, as a composer, stands between 

his father, John Sebastian Bach, and Joseph Haydn. 

Though the latter is regarded as . the parent 

of modern instrumental music, Emanuel Bach 

first gave the Symphony and the Sonata a modern 

dress, and that an artistic one, which Haydn 

acknowledged he studied with great profit. Mozart 

said of him " He is the father, we are his children." 

Had Emanuel Bach manifested more vigour and 

earnestness in his work, it would be impossible to 

withhold from him the title of father of modern 

instrumental music, as applied to Haydn. The list 

of his compositions is of remarkable length, and 

the Violin is much associated with it. 

Whilst the brothers Benda and the brothers 

Graun were about the Court of Frederick, several 

remarkable Italian mUSICIans were I talianising 

German music at the Court of the Duke of 

Wurtemburg, at Stuttgard. The Duke, like the 

Emperor Leopold, was a lover of the music of the

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 343 

I talians, and filled his Court with I talian musicians 

of great renown. At his Summer Palace he 

established a school for the education of 200 poor 

children, many of whom received musical instruction. 

This, together with other musical expenses, much 

deranged the exchequer of the Duchy of Wurtemburg, 

and led to the Court musicians being placed on 

half-pay. Here was Ferrari, Nardini, and the 

eccentric Lolli, with the great J omelli, to compose, 

and a host of others of less renown. Royal music on 

such a scale could not but be financially a failure, and 

loud were the Wurtemburgers' denunciations as to 

the Duke's lavishness on music ; but viewed at this 

distance of time we are better able to appraise its 

artistic worth, and look upon the Duke's investment 

as having been a sound one for German posterity. 

I talian influence was doing its work at this 

period at the Court of Maximilian Joseph II I., 

Elector of Bavaria. The Elector was himself an 

excellent Violinist, besides possessing some executive 

skill on the Violoncello and Viol da Gamba. 

Since German musical genius was fed mainly 

upon German Court patronage, it is necessary to still 

further continue our course among these centres of 

the art. Outside the Palaces and Chapels of 

Teutonic Grand Dukes and Electors, the musicians 

of Germany could hope to draw but little nourishment. 

That which they obtained within was of 

the slenderest kind, and raised them but little above 

the domestic. The menial chains of servitude, by

344 THE V.IOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

which these at once high, mighty, and petty 

potentates held the foremost musical men of their 

or any age, were far stronger than those by which 

Temple, Chesterfield, and Walpole held our men 

of letters, but withal there is a striking similarity. 

If we think of Haydn at Esterhaz and of Swift at 

Moor Park, we have at once an illustration of 

this. The man who was destined to "stir the 

laughter and rage of millions," by giving to the 

world the "Travels of Gulliver," attended Sir 

William Temple as an amanuensis, for board and 

£20 a year, and dined at the second table. He 

who possessed the power of leading musicians into 

new fields of their art, waited on Prince Esterhazy 

for a pittance little better than that received by 

Swift, and laboured for his master ten times harder, 

solacing himself with the satisfaction that he was 

ut off from the world, and had no one to confuse 

him, and thus was obliged to be original. 

I t is worthy of note that these patronage 

manacles in music and book learning were loosened 

by two remarkable men, possessing strong independent 

spirits-Handel and Dr. Johnson. When 

Handel quitted the service of Elector George at 

Hanover, that his talents might be exercised 

with greater freedom, he demonstrated the practicability 

of a highly-gifted musician living on a 

community in the place of a great patron. When 

the lexiographer proved to the literary world that a 

work of merit could live without the approval of


a Chesterfield, he perforrried a like service to his 

brother authors. It must not, however, be forgotten 

that the service rendered to music and literature 

by the wealthy was of inestimable value, coming as 

it did at a time when neither the one nor the other 

had spread among the people. 

At the Hanoverian Court of Elector George 

Louis we are told there was plenty of music, profane 

and pious ; a round dozen Trumpeters, four French 

Fiddlers, an Organist, and a Bugler are mentioned 

as having been in the pay of the Court. This is 

truly a combination of instrumentalists we might 

expect in the palace of him who, when he became 

our First George, confessed he had no admiration 

for " Boets and Bainters" ; nevertheless I am inclined 

to think the above list does not give all the instrumental 

power of Hanover's Court music : if so, we 

need not wonder that his Organist accepted the 

post conditionally, namely, that he might have much 

leave of absence. That George Frederick Handel 

-it was none other-could have remained satisfied 

with the sound of four Fiddles, twelve Trumpets, 

and a Bugle, was hardly to be expected. 

Although the compositions of Handel, in 

relation to our subject, are less important than those 

of his great contemporary Sebastian Bach, to fail 

to notice them in any account of the Violin and 

its Music would be an unpardonable omission. 

" Remember Handel ! who that was not born 

Deaf as the dead to harmony, forgets, 

Or can, the more than Homer of his age ? "

7HE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

I t is at least remarkable that Bach and Handel, 

of equal fame, and of whom it may be said, to 

mention one is to think of the other, should have 

come into the world in the same year, and within a 

month of each other. Handel was born at Halle, 

Lower Saxony, February 23rd, 1685. Though 

inferior as a prodigy to Mozart, Handel nevertheless 

was a musical phenomenon, and, like Mozart, 

was an exception to prodigies in general, where 

youthful genius burns with such vitality, that, when 

manhood is reached, nothing remains for the flame 

to feed upon. His powers of improvisation on the 

Organ were extraordinary ; the difj.iculties of the 

Harpsichord, the Hautboy, and the Violin, were, to a 

great extent, overcome in his teens. On the death 

of Handel's father, the youthful musician suddenly 

found himself dependent on his own exertions for 

his maintenance. He decided to quit Halle for 

Hamburg, where he hoped to obtain some employment 

in his profession, that would enable him to 

spend some time among the musicians of Italy. At 

Hamburg he entered the orchestra of the theatre 

as a Violinist ; three years later he found himself 

in possession of means to carry out his longwished-for 

visit to Italy. Though importuned long 

before this by Prince Gaston de Medici, brother of 

the Grand Duke of Tuscany, to accompany him to 

,Florence, Handel, with that spirit of independence 

which manifested itself throughout his career, 

declined, preferring to be neither under restraint


nor obligation. After spending a short time at 

Florence, he visited Venice, which he reached at 

Carnival time. On the evening of his arrival he 

attended a masked fete, at which he played the 

Harpsichord, with his visor on, astonishing his 

listeners with his bold and majestic style, at once 

so impressive and new to them. Among his 

audience was the greatest performer on the Harpsichord 

the world had seen-Domenico Scarlatti 

-who exclaimed, ,. 'Tis the Devil, or the Saxon 

of whom every one is talking." The acquaintance 

of these remarkable men, thus formed, early 

became of a rapturous kind. Mention of Scarlatti 

brought from Handel expressions of unqualified 

admiration for the genius of the Italian, and 

Scarlatti crossed himself when the name of the 

Saxon was uttered. 

Upon quitting Venice, Handel visited Rome, 

where his fame had preceded him. The musical 

life of the city was then in the (eighteenth century) 

hey-day of its glory. Virtuosi and dilettanti were 

giving that aid which love of the art alone could 

furnish. Here was the Marquis de Ruspoli, at 

whose palace Handel spent some time ; Cardinal 

Ottoboni, the friend of Corelli ; Cardinal Pamphili, 

who wrote poetry to which Handel set his notes' 

Among the virtuosi, immortal names are found : 

including Alessandro Scarlatti, the father of 

Domenico, the composer of more than a hundred 

Operas, of two hundred Masses, and some ten


Oratorios ; a musician whose influence on his art 

was rife with important results. It was at Rome 

that Handel composed, in 1708, his Oratorio, "II 

Resurreczione," in"which he made use of the following 

instruments : Violins, Violas, two Flutes, two 

German Flutes, two Bassoons, two Trumpets, and 

a Harpsichord, together with a Viola da Gamba, 

a Theorba (an Arch- Lute), two Violoncellos, and 

two Double Basses. This list marks the progress 

of instrumentation. 

In I 709 Handel returned to Germany, and 

accepted the post of Chapel-master to the Elector 

George of Brunswick, at a salary of £300 per 

annum, conditionally that he should be allowed to 

visit England. At the close of 1710 he arrived 

in London, where Opera, after the manner of the 

I talians, was becoming the fashion for the fashionable. 

Only three years prior to Handel's coming to 

England, the British musical public was content to 

be led into the operatic line by one Clayton, a 

Violinist and an obscure member of William and 

Mary's state band, who having passed a short time 

in I taly, persuaded his countrymen that he was able 

to perform the astonishing feat of converting rustic 

English music into finished Italian Opera. Furnished 

with the means to make the attempt, 

Clayton simply distorted and mangled some Italian 

melodies almost beyond recognition, and adapted 

them to the words of an English Drama. 

Addison, who . was associated with Clayton's

THE VI OLIN IN GERMANY. 349 

venture, tells us it was the first Opera that gave 

the English a taste for Italian music. This was 

probably the case, for having tasted of Clayton's 

rank I talian decoction, his audience craved for the 

real article, and its appetite was satisfied by the 

production of Bononcini's Opera "Camilla," the 

success of which caused the introduction of its 

composer's airs into every Opera, down to the 

coming of Handel, in 1710. It will thus be seen 

that the time was in every way opportune for 

Handel to display his abilities in dramatic music. 

The musical training he had received in his native 

country was . supplemented with a knowledge of 

I talian operatic art acquired at Venice, Rome, 

and Naples. Commissioned to compose an Opera 

for the new Haymarket Theatre,* Handel, with 

that wondrous fertility which remained to the 

end of his days, produced, in two short weeks, 

"Rinaldo," the first representation of which took 

place February 24th, 171 I. Its success was complete. 

Addison, smarting under the failure of his Opera, 

produced, in 1707, the music of which was the 

work of the pretentious Clayton, handed to the 

"Spectator," (then but five days old,) the first 

poisoned arrow to be directed at " Rinaldo " : "How 

would the wits of King Charles' time have laughed 

to have seen Nicolini exposed to a tempest in robes 

of ermine, and sailing in an open boat upon a sea 

of pasteboard ! What a field of raillery would they 

* On the site of the present Opera House.


have been led into, had they been entertained with 

painted dragons spitting wildfire ; enchanted chariots 

drawn by Flanders mares, and real cascades in 

artificial landscapes !" 

Ten days later, Richard Steele, with his friend 

Addison's approval, wrote : "I observe that Mr. 

Powell and the undertakers of the Opera had . 

both the same thought, of introducing animals on 

their several stages, though indeed with very different 

success. The sparrows and chaffinches at the 

Haymarket fly, as yet, very irregularly over the 

stage, and instead of perching on the trees, and 

performing their parts, those young actors get into 

the galleries, or put out the candles !" As to the 

mechanism and scenery : "I was not a little 

astonished to see a well-dressed young fellow in a 

full-bottomed wig appear in the midst of the sea, 

and without any visible concern taking snuff." 

The success of "R£naldo " was, however, complete, 

for it had a run of fifteen nights, about equal 

to one hundred in these times. It was played in 

Hamburg, Naples, and elsewhere. Our Life 

Guards played the March every day upon parade 

for forty years, and long after the same March 

figured as the " Robber's Chorus " in the " Beggar's 

Op era " of Pepusch. Walsh, the publisher, realised 

a little fortune from the sale of the Opera, causing 

Handel to suggest that Walsh should compose the 

next Opera, and he be its publisher. 

I t is needless to refer in these pages to Handel's

7 HE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 35 1 

subsequent career in England. I t forms the subject 

of much interesting matter, printed again and again, 

and is accessible to every musical reader ; we will 

therefore hasten to notice the music of Handel for 

the Violin. It is interesting to find that the first 

work from his pen is that known as " Sonates pour 

un Traversiere,* un Violon, ou Hautbois." Schcelcher, 

in his "Life of Handel," says, "These Violin 

Sonatas were published in 1 73 2, and not in 1 724."t 

He appears, however, to have mistaken Walsh's 

edition for the original. I have in my possession 

a copy published by Roger, Amsterdam, which is 

undoubtedly the first edition. Over Roger's name 

was pasted the label of Walsh, and it would therefore 

seem that he, without any reference to Handel, 

reprinted the work from Roger's edition. 

In all probability Handel published these Sonatas 

when at Hamburg between 1705 and 1708. The 

statement that they were composed for the Prince 

of Wales is therefore as void of truth as that which 

associates the charming Air in the " Suites de Pieces 

pour Ie Clavecin " with the anvil of an Edgware 

blacksmith,t mention of which reminds me of an 

if Flute. Bach used the same term to distinguish it from a Flute 

played with a mouthpiece. 

t Schcelcher gives the ,. Suites de Pieces pour Ie Clavecin " as 

Op. I, but these Violin Sonatas preceded them. 

::: It is related that Handel, on his way to Cannons, was overtaken 

by a shower of rain, and sheltered in the shed of Powell the black 

smith ; and that Handel received his idea of the Air from hearing the 

measured sounds of the anvil.


incident perhaps worth recording. In 1879 the 

veritable anvil from Edgware was sent for sale by 

auction, together with a large collection of Handelian 

curios. On the morning of sale I strolled into 

Sir Joshua Reynolds's old picture gallery in Leicester 

Square, wherein the reminiscences of the mighty 

composer were on view. Observing a group of 

people, evidently much interested in a particular 

object, my curiosity led me to elbow my way 

among the bystanders to catch a glimpse of it. 

Whilst thus engaged, a ringing sound, common to a 

farrier's shop, made me aware that I was in the 

neighbourhood of the anvil of anvils. Orations, 

whisperings, and confidential communications seemed 

to be in full swing, when the blows became measured, 

and a voice was heard humming : 

The performance was interrupted now and again 

with such observations as, " How like ! How suggestive 

! " 

" Since knowledge is but sorrow's spy, 

It is not safe to know," 

thought I, and left the group, fortified with another 

illustration of how 

" Great floods have flown from simple sources." 

To have interrupted the palpable pleasure of the 

little party by venturing to explain that the Air


known as the " Harmonious Blacksmith " had no 

connection whatever with Powell's anvil, a shower 

of rain, or any extraordinary harmonic phenomenawould 

have been cruel, and more so from the 

facts surrounding the origin of the title being 

singularly unromantic. To pull down the idol in 

Powell, the Edgware blacksmith, and attempt to 

set up a Bath music publisher in Mr. Lintott, whose 

father was a blacksmith, and happened to delight in 

the Air in question, causing his son to publish 

it years after Handel died as the "Harmonious 

Blacksmith," in memory of his parent, would, 111 

all probability, have been received with signs of 

disapprobation."k 

Returning to the subject of Handel's mUSlC in 

relation to the Violin, we have Six Sonatas for 

two Violins, two Hautboys, or two Flutes, published 

in I 73 2, Op. 2. A set of Six Sonatas appears 

to have been lost. A set of Seven Sonata Trios 

was published in 1739. In the same year the 

Twelve Grand Concertos were composed. In the 

LOJzd01Z Daily Post, October 29th, 1739, is the 

following notice :-"This day are published, proposals 

for printing by subscription, with his Majesty's 

royal license and protection, Twelve Grand Con- 

certos, in seven parts, for four Violins, 

a Violoncello, with a Thorough-Bass 

Harpsichord, composed by Mr. Handel. 

a Tenor, 

for the 

Price to 

-if. I believe we are indebted to Dr. Rimbault for the correction 

of this popular musical error. 

y

354 . 


subscribers, two guineas. Subscriptions are taken 

by the author, at his house in Brook Street, Hanover 

Square, and by Walsh." Other notices in April, 

1 740, inform the public of the publication of the 

Concertos, and that they were performed at the 

Theatre Royal, Lincoln's Inn Fields, and " played 

in most public places with the greatest applause." 

Besides the above-mentioned works must be 

noticed, a Sonata for Hautboy, Violin, and Tenor ; 

Sonata for two Violins. The famous "Water Music " 

was expressly composed for the occasion of a fete 

given by King George on the Thames. The music 

consists of twenty-five pieces for the following 

instruments : four Violins, one Tenor, one Violoncello, 

two Hautboys, two Bassoons, two French 

Horns (first time these instruments were used), two 

Flageolets, one Flute, and a Trumpet. Turning to 

another series of elemental music composed for the 

occasion of the Royal fireworks in 1749, H andel, in 

place of adding fuel to fire, calls on lEolus to aid 

him with wind. In the Overture he uses twenty-four 

Hautboys (a favourite instrument of his), twelve 

Bassoons, nine Trumpets, nine Horns, a Serpent, 

three pairs of Kettle Drums, and one Double Bass. 

What became of this solitary Contra-Bassist or his 

instrument, wrapt in a cloud of sulphur during a 

raging tempest, It IS impossible to learn ; had he 

been of the dimensions of Daniel Lambert, and his 

Double Bass in proportion, he could scarcely have 

escaped annihilation.


Handel, in using this powerful wind force, kept 

steadily in view the character of the entertaifl:ment, 

and that his music-room had no roof or walls but 

those provided by nature ; but what must have been 

the effect produced by the performance of a Concerto 

Grosso, the work of a contemporary of Handel's at 

the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, in 1744, in which 

were 24 Bassoons, accompanied by Signor Caporale 

on the Violoncello, with Duetts by four Double 

Bassoons accompanied by a German Flute ? If it 

was common to use wind instruments with such little 

judgment, well might Scarlatti say to his pupil 

Hasse, who was desirous of introducing Quantz 

Frederick the Great's Flautist-to him, "My son, 

you know I hate wind instruments, they are never 

in tune." 

Mention of Hasse serves to remind me of his 

not only having been a popular composer of Operas, 

but also of much chamber music for wind and 

stringed instruments. His music is remarkably 

melodious, but wants what may be called that 

bone and sinew without which it cannot live. Dr. 

Burney appears to have had a somewhat high 

opinion of his abilities, since he says, ' " Hasse may 

be regarded as the Raphael, and Gluck the Michael 

Angelo of living composers. If the affected French 

expression of Ie grand simple can ever mean anything, 

it must be when applied to the productions of 

such a composer as Hasse, who succeeds better, 

perhaps, in expressing with clearness and propriety 

Y 2

AND ITS THE VIOLIN MUSIC. 

whatever is graceful, elegant, and tender, than what 

is boisterous and violent ; whereas, Gluck's genius 

seems more calculated for exciting terror in painting 

difficult situations, occasioned by complicated misery 

and the tempestuous fury of unbridled passions."* 

Another composer of chamber music living at 

Vienna at the period when Hasse resided there, was 

V anhall. The Symphonies of Vanhall for two 

Violins, Tenor, Bass, two Hautboys, and two 

Horns, served to make Burney say that he " should 

not hesitate to rank them among the most complete 

and perfect compositions, for many instruments, of 

which the art of music can boast." Posterity has 

not been in harmony with the opinion of the 

musical Doctor, the compositions of Vanhall having 

been long out of sight, and almost out of mind. 

Johannes Carl Stamitz, born in 17 I 9, both as a 

composer and Violinist held high rank among the 

musicians of his time. His Violin studies, though 

all but forgotten, testify to his knowledge of the 

instrument. His Sonatas for Violin and Bass are 

good, though not great. Stamitz left in manuscript, 

Twenty-one Concertos for Violin with accompaniments 

; Ten Symphonies-these works were not 

Concertos or Symphonies in the sense we now 

use those terms, but as applied to such writings 

prior to the time of Haydn. Stamitz also left Nine 

Violin Solos in manuscript. 

I have now to notice Leopold Mozart, the father 

*" "Present State of Music," Vol. r., p. 353.

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 3 5 7 

of him who made the name imperishable. Leopold 

was the son of a bookbinder at Augsburg, born 

December 1 4th, 17I9. As a composer he is known 

chiefly by his Violin School, which was a great 

improvement on that of Geminiani, and for upwards 

of half a century was the great text-book on Violin 

playing. It was published at Augsburg in 1756, 

the year his son Wolfgang was born, and contains a 

portrait of the author. A second edition was published 

in 1770, much enlarged, and other editions 

were published at Vienna and Paris. Wolfgang 

Mozart writing to his father from Paris in 1778, 

says, " I must not forget to tell you that I had the 

satisfaction or ' seeing your 'School for the Violin ' 

translated into French ; I believe it is about eight 

years since the translation appeared."* 

"* "Mozart's Letters, " Vol. 1., p. 209, Longman & Co., 1865.

e£thm 191H.-CQIhe Halin in £rman12. 

CHAPTER I I I. 

F AR back in the fifteenth century the Hungarians 

were famous for the encouragement 

they gave to the arts. Painters, goldsmiths, and 

others flocked to them in great numbers, chiefly 

from Italy, and luxury of every kind was paramount. 

Such was the splendour of the King's table that the 

Pope's nuncio declared it would take no less than 

fifty carriages to contain the plate of massive gold 

adorned with precious stones. 

A century later we meet with the name of 

Esterhazy, familiar alike to the lovers of diamonds 

and music. The position of the Esterhazy family 

in the annals of H ung-ary, in point of magnificence, 

may be likened to that of the Medici at Florence. 

The first musical Esterhazy worthy of note was 

Prince Paul, who was rewarded by the Emperor 

Leopold with the consficated estates of his countrymen, 

for the support he gave to the Emperor's 

cause. With such wealth, we are not surprised that 

its inheritor, Prince Nicolaus, could build a palace 

which has been described as second only in magnificence 

to Versailles.

THE VI OLiN IN GERMANY. 3 59 

This famed palace of Esterhazy was erected in 

the centre of a marsh, far removed from the paths of 

humanity. Canals and dykes were necessarily made 

to render the place habitable. The dense wood 

behind the castle was transformed into a deer park, 

Hower gardens, summer-houses, grottos, hermitages, 

and temples. Near the castle was erected a spacious 

and elegant theatre. The orchestra was formed 

from the band of the Prince's Chapel. Travelling 

virtuosi frequently played with the regular members. 

Special days were set apart for the performance of 

chamber music, and for orchestral works, and in the 

intervals the musicians and singers assembled at the 

Cafe, and made one harmonious family. Here, at 

Esterhaz, the recognised father of modern instrumental 

music, Joseph Haydn, passed thirty years of 

his life as Chapel-master. Here Haydn composed 

nearly all his operas, Thirty Symphonies, Six String 

Trios, a few of the Piano Trios, the first of which 

tells its tale of associations in the last movement, 

known as the Hungarian Rondo :- 

The possession of an orchestra composed of 

talented musicians, ever ready to follow the instructions 

of their much-loved conductor, was an advantage 

Haydn appreciated, and failed not to use for 

the benefit of his art.


Before making reference to Haydn's labours in 

the field of stringed instrument music; a word or two 

must be said of his early life. When Handel was 

in his forty-seventh year, Haydn was in his first : 

like Handel he playeq the Violin in his boyhood. 

Of Haydn's connection with Porpora, the reader 

has already been informed. His early acquaintance 

with Herr von FUrnberg, a rich and enthusiastic 

amateur, was productive of results of much musical 

importance, since it was at the instigation of FUrnberg 

that he composed, in 1755, his first quartett, 

which was followed by seventeen others within 

twelve months. 

In 1 759 Haydn became Count Morzin's music 

director at Lukavec, near Pilsen, at the modest 

salary of £20 per annum with board and lodging. 

At Lukavec he composed his first Symphony, a 

work of three movements for two Violins, Tenor, 

Bass, two Oboes, and two Horns. After remaining 

in the Count's service nine years, Haydn entered 

that of Esterhazy in 176 I. It was for Prince 

Nicolaus Esterhazy that he composed so much 

music for the Baritone-a bowed instrument of a 

complicated character, and much used in Germany 

in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Haydn 

appears to have admired the qualities of this instrument, 

for he practised it with great assiduity , but 

finding his patron desirous of being left to shine 

alone, he relinquished altogether all i0ea of playing it. 

In 178 I Haydn, with the assistance of General

THE VIOLIN IN GERilfANY. 

J erningham, entered into an arrangement with 

\iVilliam Forster, the Violin-maker : then living in 

Duke's Court, St. l'vIartin's Lane, contracting to 

send him certain Sonatas, Trios, and Symphonies 

for the sum of seventy pounds. It is interesting to 

find that a well-known English maker of Violins 

was among the earliest publishers of Haydn's works, 

and thus helped to spread the fame of the illustrious 

composer in Great Britain. 

There was, however, one man who conferred 

greater benefits on Haydn and the ·whole musical 

world, than Forster, Artaria, and all Haydn's publishers 

combined : I refer to Johann Peter Salomon, 

the Violinist, born at Bonn in 1745. Shortly after 

his arrival in London he found himself the chief of 

an influential circle of amateurs and musicians, and 

resolved to use his position to the advancement of 

the musical art in England by instituting concerts 

for the performance of high-class music. The 

project, boldly conceived, was carried out with 

proportionate vigour. In December 1790, Salomon 

went to Vienna, and engaged Haydn to compose 

and conduct Six Symphonies for his forthcoming 

concerts. It happened that Haydn's patron, Prince 

Nicolaus Esterhazy, died a few weeks previous to 

Sa}omon's visit to Vienna : the composer was thus 

free to act as he liked. Haydn, prior to this, had 

received a pressing invitation to London from 

\V. Cramer, offering to engage him at any cost. 

Salomon decided upon trying what a special


messenger might do, and sent Bland, the mUSiC 

publisher, to Vienna in 1787- When admitted 

to the presence of Haydn, the great master 

was in the act of shaving, and exclaimed, "I 

would give my best quartett for a good razor ;" 

Bland at once went to his lodging and fetched his 

own, which he presented to Haydn, and received in 

exchange the quartett often called the "Rasiemesser."* 

The genius of Haydn, in place of being mainly 

exercised for the benefit of German Courts, was 

now about to be at the disposal of the whole 

musical world, and the composer rendered independent 

of his mercenary and niggardly publishers. 

By the aid of Salomon's enterprise, and 

the commercial estimate set upon the composer's 

abilities, Haydn was about to obtain, in three 

years, a greater reward than he received from his 

patron Prince, and his publishers, during a service 

of thirty years. 

In a letter of Haydn's, written from London, 

we read, "I had a kind Prince, but was obliged at 

times to be dependent on base souls. I often 

sighed for release, and now I have it in some 

measure. The consciousness of being no longer a 

bond-servant sweetens all my toils ; but, dear as 

liberty is to me, I do hope on my return to enter 

the service of Prince Esterhazy (this refers to 

Prince Anton) solely for the sake of my poor 

-if Herr C. F. Pohl's " Notice of Haydn."

THE VIOLIN IN GERfofANY. 

family. I doubt much whether I shall find this 

desire realised, for in his letter my Prince complains 

of my long absence, and exacts my speedy return in 

the most absolute terms, which, however, I cannot 

comply with." 

On the day of Haydn's departure for London 

with Salomon, Mozart dined with the travellers, and 

saw them seated in the lumbering old German 

coach that conveyed them on the road to Calais. 

A similar engagement was made between Salomon 

and Mozart to that which had now commenced with 

Haydn. Twelve months after bidding his master 

farewell, poor Mozart died, and thus the English 

nation was deprived of the honour of being 

associated with the Symphonies of another of 

Germany's greatest musicians. 

In the letters of Haydn we read of his stormy 

passage from Calais to Dover ; of the excitement 

his arrival in London created throughout the musical 

world ; of his lodgings in Great Pulteney Street, 

Golden Square. In his diary he writes of his 

visit to Dr. Herschel, the great astronomer, but 

originally a professor of music. Of his presence at 

the Lord Mayor's banquet on the 9th of N ovemberhis 

description of which strangely contrasts with 

that all-important city dinner of to-day, on the 

morrow of which Europe is, in stirring times, on the 

tip-toe of curiosity to hearken to a British Cabinet's 

revelations-he writes, " After dinner there was 

dancing in three rooms. In that set apart for the


nobility, minuets only were danced. I could 

scarcely remain here a quarter of an hour, partly 

on account of the heat, and partly on account of 

the bad music, for the orchestra consisted of but two 

Violins and a Violoncello, and the minuets were more 

like Polish than German or Italian. In another 

room, which resembled a subterraneous cavern, 

the music was rather better, owing to the addition 

of a drum, which drowned the scraping of the 

wretched Fiddlers. In the great hall the band was 

more numerous and rather better ; here the gentlemen 

were sitting at the dinner-table, drinking. One 

part of the company danced without hearing a note 

of the music, while the songs were roared out, and 

healths drank with the greatest clamour, flourishing 

of glasses, and cries of Hurrah ! hurrah ! hurrah !" 

On the 24th of November 179 I, he tells us he was 

invited by the Duke of York to his seat at Oatlands, 

where he met the Prince of Wales, who loaded him 

with civilities, and expressed a wish to have his 

portrait.* In a letter reference is made to this particular 

visit. He says, "N 0 compositions were played 

but Haydn's," and that he directed the Symphonies 

at the Pianoforte. The Prince of Wales sat on his 

right hand, and accompanied him " pretty tolerably " 

on the Violoncello. He appears to have grown 

warm over the fourth George's personal appearance, 

and his musical taste, writing that " The Prince of 

'*" Haydn sat to Hoppner, who produced an excellent portait, which 

is at Hampton Court.

THE VIOLIN IN GERMAN} 

Wales is the handsomest man on God's earth ; he 

has an extraordinary love of music and a great 

deal of feeling, but very little money," taking the 

precaution to add, in reference to the last piece 

of information, "l-lota bene, this is entre nozls." 

He visited the Prince of Wales at Carlton 

House a great number of times without receiving 

any immediate remuneration. Upon his return to 

Vienna poor Haydn sent in his modest bill of one 

hundred guineas, which sum divided by the number 

of his attendances upon his Royal Highness, would 

be about five pounds each. This, however, was 

at least a monetary return for musical services, and 

one which Beethoven wholly failed to obtain from 

the same Royal Patron, when, in 18 I 3, he dedicated 

to him his Symphony commemorating Wellington's 

achievements at Vittoria, an honour which did not 

even bring an acknowledgment of any kind. 

During Haydn's stay in London, the Quartetts, 

Op. 73 and 74, were partly written. The Austrian 

National Air, the " Emperor's Hymn," which'he introduced 

in his seventy-seventh Quartett, had its 

origin in Haydn's admiration for our National Air, 

deciding him to compose one for his own people to 

sing the praises of their ruler. Dr. Burney, in a letter 

to Haydn, dated Chelsea College, Aug. 19th, 1 799, 

says, " I had the great pleasure of hearing your new 

Quartetts, Op. 76, well performed before I went 

out of town, and never received more pleasure from 

instrumental music ; they are full of invention, fire,.

7IIE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

good taste, and new effects, and seem the productions, 

not of a sublime genius who has written so 

much and so well already, but of one of highly 

cultivated talents who had expended none of his 

fire before. The Divine Hymn, written for your 

Imperial master, in imitation of our loyal song 

'God save the King,' and set so admirably to 

music by yourself, I have translated and adapted 

to your melody, which is simple, grave, supplicating, 

and pleasing." Burney's admiration for the compositions 

of Haydn was of the highest kind. 

He remarks "the admirable and matchless Haydn, 

from whose productions I have received more 

pleasure late in my life, when tired of most other 

music, than I ever received in the most ignorant 

and rapturous part of my youth, when everything 

was new, and the disposition to be pleased 

undiminished by criticism or satiety." Another 

musical authority has said that after listening 

to the works of Haydn, he always had the 

pleasurable feeling of wishing to perform a 

good act. These extracts serve to shew how 

greatly Haydn's writings were esteemed in his 

lifetime. That he had his detractors need hardly 

be said. It is curious to read at this moment when 

the music-loving public is being invited to ascend 

higher and higher developments in music, that 

Papa Haydn's ideas were -considered so new and 

so varied, as to cause the German critics to regard 

with fear and trembling the serious consequences

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 

to the maintenance of the art within the bounds 

of reason. One said, "the genius, fine ideas, and 

fancy of Haydn were praised, but, his mixture of 

serious and comic was disliked, and as for rules, he 

knew but little of them." Others said he was 

«hasty, trivial, and extravagant." 

I t is, however, questionable whether Haydn's 

detractors honestly believed what they wrote, since 

Haydn was neither a revolutionist nor a prophet 

in his art ; his marvellous achievements rested 

on the foundation of that rule and reason which 

had taken ages to develope : whilst he steadfastly 

declined to bind art in theoretical chains, he 

made it subject to the voice and opinion of those 

with educated ears; in short, his language in notes, 

like the language of a people, was regulated by the 

taste and feelings of the educated. 

Herr C. F. Pohl, the musical litterateur and 

biographer of Haydn, tells us that he, "like many 

creative artists, disliked ;;estheticism, and all mere talk 

about art," and that "he was no pedant with regard 

to rules, and would acknowledge no restriction on 

genius." Haydn's own opinion of his works he gives 

in these words-" Some of my children are well-bred, 

some ill-bred, and here and there there is a changeling 

among them." He was perfectly aware of how 

much he had done for the progress of art ; " I know" 

he said, "that God has bestowed a talent upon me, 

and I thank Him for it ; I think I have done my 

duty, and been of use in my generation by my


works ; let others do the same." Haydn died 

May 3 1st, 1809. 

Among his compositions in relation to the Violin 

may be mentioned One Sextett, "Echo," for four 

Violins and two Violoncellos ; Nine Violin Concertos 

; Two Trios for Lute, Violin, and Violoncello; 

Six Duetts for Violin and Tenor ; Twenty Trios for 

two Violins and Bass; One Trio for Violin, principal 

Tenor, and Bass ; Two Trios for Flute, Violin, and 

Bass ; Trio for a huntsman's Horn, Violin, and 

Violoncello ; the collection of Quartetts for two 

Violins, Tenor, and Violoncello ; Thirty-eight 

Piano Trios, seven of which are unpublished ; and 

a few Sonatas for Violin and Pianoforte. 

Joseph Haydn's brother, Johann Michael, contributed 

a Concerto, three Quartetts, and a Sextett 

to the music of the Violin. He was in the service 

of Mozart's tormentor-Archbishop Hieronymus of 

Salzburg. Upon one occasion, Haydn was suffering 

from a severe attack of illness, which rendered him 

unable to attend to his professional duties ; his Prince 

Archbishop however commanded him to compose 

some Duetts for Violin and Tenor in a given time, 

and was threatened with dismissal in case of failure. 

Mozart, who visited Michael daily, became aware 

of this, and the amiable soul set to work and composed 

the two well-known Duetts for Violin and 

T enol', on the title-page of which appeared the 

name of Michael Haydn, and thus silenced the 

Archbishop. These Duetts, which originated in


an act of humanity and friendship, were long 

unclaimed by Mozart. 

Joseph Haydn's pupil, Ignatius Pleyel, composed 

much interesting music for stringed instruments, 

though now rarely heard. Mozart appears 

to have admired Pleyel's writings ; he says, in a 

letter written in 1784 :-" Some Quartetts have just 

come out by a certain Pleyel, a pupil of Joseph 

Haydn's. If you do not yet know them, you ought 

to try and get them, for they are worth the trouble, 

being very well composed and pleasing ; you will 

at once recognise his master by the style of the 

muslC. It will be a good and happy thing if Pleyel 

in his day is able to supply Haydn's , place for us." 

Master and pupil came into collision in London in 

1792, and the British musical public rightly decided 

that Pleyel was no match for Haydn. In a letter 

of Haydn's, dated London, 1792, he says, "At 

present I am working for Salomon's concerts, and 

feel bound to take all possible trouble, for our rivals 

of the Professional Society* have sent for my pupil 

Pls;yel from Strasburg, to direct their concerts. So 

a bloody harmonious war will now commence 

between master and scholar. All the newspapers 

have begun to discuss the subject, but I think an 

alliance will soon ensue, my reputation here being 

so firmJy established. Pleyel, on his arrival, displayed 

so much modesty towards me, that he gained 

., A series of Concerts called " The Professional," were given at 

the Hanover Square Rooms in opposition to those of Salomon. 

Z


my goodwill afresh. We are often together, which 

is much to his credit, and he knows how to appreciate 

his ' father.' We will share our laurels fairly, 

and each go home satisfied." This harmonious war 

was brought to a termination-not by an alliance, 

but by the burning of the Pantheon, where the 

Professional Concerts were held. 

Ignatius Pleyel was born in the year 1 757, 

at Ruppersthal, in Lower Austria. He resided with 

Haydn for about five years. In 1776, when Pleyel 

had nearly completed his musical studies, Gluck 

returned to Vienna. He paid a visit to Haydn, 

who played to him his Quartett in F minor, then 

newly composed, with which Gluck was charmed. 

Haydn then introduced to his notice a composition 

of his favourite pupil Pleyel. This also was praised 

by Gluck, who remarked, "My young friend, you 

understand very well how to put notes on paperyou 

have now only to learn how and when to blot 

them ou t again." 

Johann Ludwig Dussek contributed several compositions 

to the music of the Violin. His Sonatas 

and Sonatines for Pianoforte and Violin are his best 

known compositions in relation to our subject. The 

Sonata in B flat major, Op. 69, with the charming

THE Vi OLIN IN GERMANY. 37I 

Adagio entitled, "Les Soupirs," IS the general 

favourite. 

con anima. 

1· @r- 

Franz Krommer, born in I759, in Moravia, was 

a prolific composer of chamber music. Although 

his works are comparatively forgotten-like many 

others containing much that is good-they at one 

period were widely popular. Himself a Violinist, 

he wrote for stringed instruments with full knowledge 

of their powers and effects. He published 

F our Violin Concertos ; Eighteen String Quintetts ; 

Sixty-nine Quartetts ; Grand String Trio ; and 

several Violin Duetts. 

Z 2

e£tian 'tJIH.-CQI'he 'tJialin in ermltn!2. 

CHAPTER IV. 

O UR wanderings among the German Courts of the 

eighteenth century have made us more or less 

familiar with the position and surroundings of Court 

mUSICIans. We have seen the Bachs and Haydns 

leading lives of artistic serfdom, yet withal content 

with their lot. Their patrons, though often painfully 

exacting and mean, were sincere in their 

admiration for music and musicians ; and thus a 

reciprocity of feeling existed between master and 

servant which undoubtedly served to counterbalance 

the musicians' weight of humiliation. In Count 

Colloredo, Archbishop of Salzburg we have an 

instance of a patron without a particle of musical 

taste or knowledge of the art, with a disposition 

haughty and sullen. Unfortunately the tyranny and 

wretchedness which such an anomalous state of 

things created, fell upon the greatest musical genius 

the world had seen. "Mozart ! Immortal Mozart ! 

how many and what countless images of a brighter 

and better world hast thou stamped on our souls ! " 

wrote Franz Schubert in his diary ; to which we


might add,-how many more beautiful images he 

might have given to the world had the character 

of Hieronymus Archbishop of Salzburg been in 

harmony with that of his unfortunate youthful 

dependent ! When we reflect upon the cruel and 

heartless conduct of this Salzburg governor towards 

a boy fired with the burnings of a mighty genius, 

we cannot but marvel that its ardour was not 

irreparably damped, and his abilities wholly extinguished. 

Happily, young Mozart knew his own 

strength, and that knowledge alone saved him. 

At the age of nineteen, Mozart was receiving 

from his Prince Archbishop a sum equivalent to 

about five pounds per annum, in return for which 

he composed for the Church and for the chamber, 

played the Organ, the Violin, and the Clavier ; 

forfeited his liberty ; and for a time meekly bore 

the cruel insults of his master, who not only persistently 

refused to be convinced of the wondrous 

talent of the boy musician, but never lost an opportunity 

of wounding his pride by telling him that 

he knew nothing of music. It seems almost incredible 

that the primary cause of this fiendish 

conduct on the part of the Archbishop originated 

in a wish to prevent Mozart from believing that 

he was entitled to better remuneration-but such 

was the case. Poor Mozart made herculean efforts 

to soften the heart of his patron, by producing in 

rapid succession, Masses, six Violin Concertos, 

Clavier Concertos, and other important composi-


tions, but all to no purpose. In the year 1 781, the 

link connecting him with the Archbishop's household 

was severed. Summoned to Vienna by his 

tormentor, insult followed injury too rapidly for his 

highly sensitive nature to patiently bear. He was 

consigned to the society of his employer's valets, 

. confectioners, and cooks. At the table below stairs 

his social position was defined as coming midway 

between the cooks and valets, since he was placed 

above the former and below the latter at the 

domestics' board. 

In the month of May, 178 I , he writes to his 

father : " I am still filled with the gall of bitterness ; 

and I feel sure that you, my good, kind father, will 

sympathise with me ; my patience has been so long 

tried that at last it has given away. Three times 

already has this-I know not what to call himsaid 

the most insulting and impertinent things to my 

face, and I only refrained from taking my revenge 

on the spot because I always had you, my dear 

father, before my eyes. He called me a knave and a 

dissolute fellow, and told me to take myself off; and 

I endured it all." A few days later he appears to 

have gone to the Archbishop ' to inform him of 

his intended departure, when he again abused him, 

saying, "'Well ! when are you going, young fellow ? ' 

I replied, I intended leaving to-night. Then came 

all in a breath that I was the most dissipated fellow ; 

no man had served him so badly. At last my blood 

began to boil, and I said, 'Your Grace does not

THE VI OLIN IN GERMANY. 3 75 

appear satisfied with me.' 'How ! do you dare to 

threaten me, you rascal ? There is the door, I will 

have nothing more to do with such a low fellow !' 

And I said, ' Nor I with you.' He ansvvered, ' Begone 

! ' " This resolute action decided his future 

career ; freed from the depressing influence of the 

tyrant Archbishop, his powerful genius breathed anew. 

Before noticing the results of this new life, the 

achievements of Mozart's childhood in connection 

with the leading instrument claims our attention. 

In the year 1762 Mozart had reached his sixth year. 

A bout this period his father was visited by \iV enzl, a 

Violinist, for the purpose of trying some new Trios ; 

little Wolfgang begged that he might be allowed to 

play the second Violin part ; his father, at first, 

declined to gratify his wish, remarking upon the 

seeming impossibility of the part being rendered by 

one who had not received instruction. After again 

and again endeavouring to persuade his parent to 

allow him to make the attempt, without success, 

the poor boy cried bitterly, and placing his tiny 

Fiddle under his arm he turned to leave the room, 

when Herr Schachtner-who held the post in the 

Trio the boy musician craved for-pleaded that he 

and the child might be aIIowed to play together. 

" WeII then," said Leopold to his son, "you may play 

with Herr Schachtner, but remember, so softly that 

nobody can hear you, or I must immediately send 

you away. " Herr Schachtner tells us, " We played, 

and the little Mozart with me, but I soon remarked,

THE VIOLIN AND ITS .MUSIC. 

to my astonishment, that I was completely superfluous. 

I silently laid my Violin aside and looked 

at the father, who could not suppress his tears. 

Wolfgang played the whole of the six Trios through 

with precision and neatness, and our applause at the 

end so emboldened him that he fancied he could 

play the first Violin. For amusement we encouraged 

him to try, and laughed heartily at his manner of 

getting over the difficulties of the part, with 

incorrect and ludicrous fingering indeed, but still, in 

such a manner that he never stuck fast." 

It is interesting to note that little Mozart had a 

predilection for a particular Violin, even at this early 

period of his life. To manifest discrimination in 

relation to tone so early, is almost as extraordinary as 

the executive and creative talent he displayed. His 

favourite Violin was that belonging to his kind 

friend Schachtner, which, from its smooth and soft 

quality of tone, the child named "The Butter 

Fiddle." This Butter Fiddle served to exemplify 

the wondrous correctness of ear with which the boy 

was endowed. Mozart was one day working away 

on his own little Fiddle, when Schachtner presented 

himself. "What have you done with your Butter 

Fiddle," asked Mozart, and went on playing ; 

suddenly he stopped and added, " If you have not 

altered the tuning of your Violin since I last played 

upon it, it is a quarter of a tone flatter than mine 

here." Upon the instrument being examined, it 

was found to be as the child had stated. To give


place to all that is recorded relative to Mozart's 

marvellous precocity, would increase the length of 

this notice far beyond its due limits. In saying that 

in his eighth year he played publicly the Clavier, the 

Organ, and the Violin ; that he sang, played, and 

composed extempore, transposed at sight, accompanied 

from the score, and improvised on a given 

bass, the reader is able to judge of his musical 

powers without going into the details of the 

events in connection with these manifestations. 

I t is pleasing to find that the first published 

works of 1Vlozart had a part assigned to the leading 

instrument, viz., the Two sets of Sonatas for the 

Clavier with Violin accompaniment, published in 

Paris in 1764, Ops. I, 2 ; Six Sonatas with accompaniment, 

Op. 3, were published in London by 

Bremner, in the Strand, the following year, and 

another Six, Op. 4, at the Hague in 1766. The 

works of Mozart besides those already mentioned 

between his seventh and twelfth year, wherein the 

Violin figures, are as follows :-a Quodlibet entitled, 

"Glimathias Musicum," for two Violins, Tenor, 

Bass, and wind instruments. 

About the year 1773, Leopold accompanied his 

son to Vienna, and remained two months. I t was 

at this period that he composed the first six 

Quartetts, for two Violins, Tenor, and Cello ; in 

the same year was written his first String Quintett 

at Salzburg. I n 1775 he produced many 

compositions of a new kind for Church purposes,

THE VIOLIN AND ITS lYfUSIC. 

which he named " Epistle Sonatas," Violins being 

associated with the Organ without other instruments 

in some cases ; in others, the Violoncello and 

Double Bass together with wind instruments being 

added. At this date Mozart appears to have 

studied the Violin with much assiduity to please his 

father, his own inclination tending rather to its discontinuance. 

The Viola became a favourite instrument 

with him.* The charming parts given to the 

Viola in more than one Quintett of Mozart's, 

evidence his admiration for the instrument. 

The year 178 I was truly an auspicious one for 

mUSIC. No longer the slave of Hieronymus, but 

now breathing the air of freedom, the composer 

busied himself with the beauties of his art, untrammeled 

with the whims and fancies of his late 

master. His conception of instrumental composition, 

hitherto manifested in a fragmentary manner, 

became more and more defined. This is exemplified 

in the successive steps which led up to that labour 

of love, the six Quartetts with which he was 

occupied in 1782 and 1783, They were completed 

in January, 1785. The following dedication evidences 

the artistic character of his task, although 

its tone is pitched somewhat high :- 

"To my dear friend Haydn. A father, having 

* Moscheles mentions in his Diary, "On the 27th of January, 

1846, the centenary of Mozart's birth was celebrated at the Gewandhaus.' , 

"Concerto for Violin and Viola, composed in 1778, played by Herr 

Dreyshock and David." (Doubtless he refers to one of the Violin and 

Viola Duetts.)


resolved to send forth his children into the wide 

world, is anxious to confide them to the protection 

and guidance of a man who enjoys much celebrity 

there, and who, fortunately, is moreover his best 

friend. Here, then, are the children I entrust to a 

man s6 renowned, and so dear to me as a friend. 

These are, it is true, the fruits of a long and laborious 

study ; but · my hopes, grounded on experience, 

lead me to anticipate that my labours may, at least 

in some degree, be compensated ! and they will, I 

flatter myself, one day prove a source of consolation 

to me. During your last stay in this capital, you 

yourself, my dearest friend, expressed your satisfac-. 

tion with regard to them, This suffrage from you 

above all inspires me with the wish to offer them to 

you ; and leads me to hope that they will not seem 

to you wholly unworthy of your favour. Be pleased, 

then, to receive them kindly, and be to them a 

father, a guide, a friend, F rom this moment, I 

transfer to you all my rights over them ; but I 

entreat you to look with indulgence on those defects 

which may have escaped the too partial eye of a 

father, and, in spite of these, to continue your 

generous friendship towards one who so highly 

appreciates it ; and, in the meantime, I am from my 

heart, your sincere friend, MOZART. 

" Vienna, Sept. 1St, 1 785." 

The reference made above to Haydn having 

already expressed his high opinion with regard to 

the Quartetts, relates to the circumstance of Haydn

THE VIOLIN AND iTS MUSIC. 

meeting Leopold Mozart at a quartett party, Feb. 

12, 1 785, when three of the Quartetts were played, 

and Haydn said to him, "I must tell you, before 

God, and as an honest man, that I think your son 

the greatest composer I ever heard of ; besides his 

taste, he has a profound knowledge of composition." 

The names of the performers on this occasion are 

not mentioned, but it is conjectured that Haydn, 

Leopold Mozart, and the composer took parts. 

We have, however, evidence of Haydn and Mozart 

playing together in a quartett, at the house 

of Storace the year before (1784), when Michael 

Kelly heard them, and refers to the occasion in 

terms certainly not too enthusiastic. "Storace gave 

a quartett party to his friends, The players were 

tolerable ; not · one of them excelled on the instrument 

he played, but there was a little science among 

them, which I dare say will be acknowledged when 

I name them :-First Violin, Haydn ; Second, 

Baron Dittersdorf ; Violoncello, Vanhall ; Tenor, 

Mozart.* 

In the year 1784 Mozart composed the Sonata 

for Pianoforte and Violin, in B fiat. I t was written 

specially for performance at a concert which took 

place the day following that of its composition. The 

composer played the Pianoforte part from memory, 

not having had time to write it. The Emperor 

" Mr. Holmes rightly doubts the correctness of Kelly's record, as 

regards the first Violin and Tenor, thinking it more probable that the _ 

positions of Haydn and Mozart were reversed.

THE VIOLIN IN GERlJ{ANY. 

was present, and observing Mozart had no notes 

before him, sent to him for the score. His surprise 

was great upon seeing the lines of the bars only on 

the paper. "What ! have you ventured that again ? " 

said the Emperor. " May it please your Majesty," 

returned Mozart, "there was not a single note lost." 

The following year (1785), was composed the 

Pianoforte Quintett in G minor. Mozart had 

arranged with Hofmeister, the music publisher, for 

a set of this, then new form of chamber music, but 

the reception of the first was so cold that the 

contract was not carried out. In 1787 appeared the 

two Quintetts in C major and G minor, wherein 

the Violist has given him every opportunity of 

reflecting his tenderest emotions in the rendering 

. 

of his part. 

Poor Mozart, notwithstanding the greatness of 

his musical successes about this period, failed 

to recelve that substantial encouragement he 

so richly deserved. " You lucky man " he said to 

a young musician, about visiting Italy, "and I am 

still obliged to give lessons to earn a trifle." That 

he complained not without reason, is evidenced in 

the fact of his court salary being but £80 per 

annum ; in reference to which we need not wonder 

that he wrote, "It is too much for what I produce ; 

too little for what I could produce." In 1788 

Mozart arrived at Potsdam, where Frederick 

William II. (an excellent performer on the 

Violoncello,) was expecting him. Operatic and


concert performances were given, resulting in the 

realization of the King's most favourable anticipations 

of Mozart's abilities, causing his Majesty to 

offer the post of Chapel-master to the young 

composer, with a salary of £600 ; after a moment's 

hesitation, Mozart replied, "how could I leave my 

good Emperor ?" Later, Mozart was at the Berlin 

Theatre, when his "Die Entftihrung " was being 

performed. Seating himself near the orchestra, he 

made various remarks in an undertone : when, 

however, the second Violins played D sharp instead 

-of D natural, he no longer attempted to commune 

with himself, but called out "Confound it ! do take 

D ! " Everybody stared, but none more than the 

musicians, who immediately recognised the composer. 

"Mozart is in the house," was heard again, 

and again. The singers were agitated, and confusion 

reigned. 

A few months after Mozart bade adieu to Haydn, 

upon the occasion of his master's departure for 

London, Mozart was engaged upon the " Requiem," 

which he had been commissioned to compose. In 

failing health, he remarked to his wife, with tears 

in his eyes, that he felt that he was writing it for 

himself. By the advice of his physician the score 

was taken from him. A fortnight after, he entreated 

to have it returned to him. His wish was gratified, 

though he remained in bed. He essayed to 

sing the alto part, his brother-in-law taking the 

tenor, and Schack and Gerl the soprano and bass.


After singing a few bars of the Lacrimosa, he was 

seized with the idea that he should never complete 

his glorious work, and wept like a child. ':f' At one 

o'clock in the morning of the following day he died, 

of malignant typhus fever. His body was removed 

to St. Stephen's. "The service was held in the open 

air, as was the custom with the poorest class of 

funeral, and Van Swieten, SUssmayer,t Salieri,t 

Roser, and Orsler stood round the bier. They 

followed as far as the city gates. and then turned 

back, as a violent storm was raging, and the hearse 

went its . way unaccompanied to the churchyard of 

St. Mark. Thus, without a note of music, forsaken 

by all he held dear, the remains of this Prince of 

Harmony was committed to the earth-not even in 

a grave of his own, but in that of a pauper."§ I 

cannot but regard this as the saddest page in the 

history of music. Mozart ! the giver of pleasure 

to countless thousands, the worth of which is 

beyond the power of all human calculation ; for 

who would be bold enough to appraise the work 

of him who lifts our thoughts away from the cares 

and turmoil of our earthly existence, and carries 

them to the heavens ? Mozart, on his deathbed, 

solicited to compose and earn his reward, causing 

him to respond amid tears and lamentations, " Now 

.. Holmes's " Life of Mozart." 

t Referred to in the notice of Paganini. 

::: To whom Beethoven dedicated his Violin and Pianoforte 

Sonatas, Op. 12. 

§ Herr Pohl's account.

3 84 THE VIOIJN AND ITS MUSIC. 

must I go, just as I should be able to live in peace, 

now leave my art when no longer the slave of 

fashion or the tool of speculators ; I must leave my 

family-my poor children, when I should have been 

able to provide for them." Mozart ! allowed to 

die unrewarded and buried in the grave of a 

pauper, is surely irony as cruel and bitter as can 

well be conceived. We grieve over the fate of the 

boy poet, Thomas Chatterton, because he promised 

well. The musician Mozart performed, and was 

borne to his grave neglected in life, and all but forgotten 

in death ! 

The compositions of Mozart, published and in 

manuscript, for Stringed Instruments, include : Symphonie 

Concertante for Violin and Tenor ; Seven 

Quintetts for two Violins, two Tenors, and Violoncello 

; a Quintett for Violin, two Tenors, Horn, and 

Violoncello (or two Violoncellos in place of Horn) ; 

a Quintett for Violins, Clarionets, &c. ; Twenty-six 

String Quartetts ; Adagio and Fugue for Strings ; 

Quartett with Oboe and Strings ; Two Duetts for 

Violin and Tenor ; One Duett for two Violins ; a 

Trio for Violin, Tenor, and Violoncello ; Two Pianoforte 

Quartetts ; Seven Pianoforte Trios ; a Trio 

Clarionet, Piano, and Tenor ; Forty-two Sonatas, 

Piano and Violin ; Sonatas for Organ, with accompaniments 

for Strings ; Six Violin Concertos, two of 

which are published. * The Concerto, Op. 76, is 

*' The new Leipsic edition of Mozart's works will include ill2.ny 

hitherto unpublished.

i Snell,SI; 

IL O lJIT§ §lPOJHlirL

7HE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 

from beginning to end a charming piece of Solo 

Violin music ; the Adagio is one of the most 

poetic compositions for the king of instruments 

ever penned, and admirably displays its rich and 

deep tones. The accompanying short extract will 

serve to remind the reader of one of its many 

beauties. 

--;;;titF 

4 e corde. - - _ - _ _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . - - ...... -.. . ... . . - - - . - ..... . .. ..... . _ 

=-::wh:±=iI! -II G hiti=f 

';-b F=R ,- -- 

... .-/ -..: :: :: ::. .- ---- -- .. _ -... tI- 

p:: _iI -J,. ..., .. 

4 cord. -.... ---------.---------.-----.. ------------..... --.... -.... - ...... -------... -. . - - ----- - ---------.. --- - --.. -... - 

- 

-- 

_...=-;-_ ::fuiI! "=!=P=,, --1 - -T _ == __ 

'--' 

" '-tl r 

Johann N. Hummel was born at Presburg in 

1778. His musical abilities were of an exceptional 

kind in childhood. Before he reached his seventh 

year, he had shown such talent as to have attracted 

the notice of many eminent musicians at Vienna ; 

among these was Mozart. To teach was most 

distasteful to Mozart ; he was, however, so pleased 

with the boy Hummel as to offer to instruct 

him, provided he could have him in his house. 

The proposal was accepted, and in two years 

he made such progress as to delight everyone with 

his performances. 

Whilst in the house of Mozart, Hummel made 

the acquaintance of Haydn, who greatly .admired 

him. They again met in London in 1791, when 

Haydn wrote a Sonata in A flat, which Master 

A A


H ummel played at the Hanover Square Rooms in 

the presence of the composer. H ummel used often 

to refer to his boyish delight at having received 

from Haydn OP this occasion, his thanks, accompanied 

by a guinea.* Mr. Holmes supplies us 

with the following interesting account of Hummel 

in the family of Mozart : "The adoption of this 

child into his family afforded fresh scope for the 

kindly workings of the musidan's nature ; his own 

childhood, and the anxious solicitude of his good 

father, must have recurred to his memory. His 

lessons we can imagine to have been rather desultory 

; but, upon a mind disposed to learn, and 

capable in some degree of appreciating the greatness 

of the teacher, the fleeting observations of 

Mozart made permanent impressions. 

" The master kept an eye on his pupil's progress, 

by deputing him to play any new music which he 

was desirous to hear, and which he would else have 

played himself. The following relation, derived 

from one of the members of the family, may give 

a view of the interior of the composer's abode, 

and at the same time show the manner in which 

Hummel profited. 

"At a late hour Mozart and his wife return home 

from a party. On entering their apartment, the 

boy is discovered stretched on chairs, fast asleep. 

Some new pianoforte music has just arrived, which 

they are both anxious to hear ; Mozart, however, 

'* Holmes's " Life of Mozart." 

.


will not play it himself, but tells his wife to wake 

up Hans, give him a glass of wine, and let him 

play. This is no sooner said than done ; and now, 

should anything go wrong, there is an opportunity 

for suggestions. I t is in fact a lesson, though given 

at the rather unusual hour of midnight." 

H ummel held for some time the post of Chapelmaster 

to Prince Esterhazy ; at a later date he was 

at Weimar in connection with the Court. Chorley* 

in 1840 writes, "I allude to Hummel, who had been 

Chapel-master at Weimar, during the period which 

makes so brilliant a figure in the annals of 

Germany. He, too, seems to have been somewhat 

neglected ; honest, rough, and kind-hearted." "He 

was totally unable to analyze art in general, or 

to maintain his own special part in it with that 

minuteness of observation or rhetorical grace of 

utterance in which the accomplished circle of 

Weimar connoisseurs loved to indulge. It is on 

record that his compositions merely ranged with 

himself as being ' difficult ' or ' not difficult.' Many 

men have produced great works of art, who have 

never cultivated ;:esthetic conversation ; nay, more 

who have shrunk with a secretly-entertained dislike 

from those indefatigable persons whose fancy it is 

'to peep and botanize.' '' 

That Hummel gave to the world works of art 

is beyond all question ; his Septett in D minor, for 

Pianoforte, wind, and stringed instruments, alone 

A A 2 

* "Modern German Music."


proves his ability as a composer. His Pianoforte 

Trios are works of merit and effectively written. 

He also composed Three String Quartetts, Op. 30, 

and a Grand Quintett, with Piano, Op. 87. 

Hummel died in 1837, at Weimar.

editllt '193E3BE.-CQrhe 'tlialilt tn ermltlt12. 

CHAPTER V. 

T HE annals of Violin music down to this period 

make us familiar with many great and neverto-be-forgotten 

names connected with instrumental 

music ; but the greatest of all has yet to be noticed 

-Ludwig van Beethoven-whose mighty genius 

attracted to itself the quintessence of the masterminds 

gone before, and enriched the whole with 

the wealth of its own originality. That the highest 

degree of excellence in instrumental composition 

was attained by Beethoven, is now all but universally 

admitted. The time has been, however, when 

practical musicians regarded him as a madman, with 

occasional lucid intervals, so great was the stride by 

which he out-distanced his predecessors and contemporaries, 

leaving between a field of unexplored 

ground in instrumental art, the meaning of which 

was then incomprehensible to the average musician. 

Beethoven was born at Bonn in 1770. He, 

commenced the study of music in his fourth year, 

and the Violin in his tenth. At the age of fifteen 

he received lessons on the leading instrument from

390 THE VIOLIN AND ITS flIUSIC. 

Franz Ries, the father of Ferdinand, with whom he 

was so much associated at a later period. In this, 

his fifteenth year, he composed the three Pianoforte 

Quartetts in E fiat, D, and C. 

In 1787 Beethoven visited Vienna for the first 

time, where he made the acquaintance of Mozart, 

who was greatly impressed with his abilities, and 

predicted a great future for him. The E fiat Trio, 

No. I, Op. I, 

was written in this year, and published with the 

second in G and third in C minor in 1795, by 

subscription, and dedicated to his friend and patron, 

Prince Lichnowsky, in whose house he lived, and 

from whom he received the quartett of instruments 

now in the library at Berlin. In 1 788 Beethoven 

frequently played the second Tenor in the Orchestra 

of the Elector of Cologne ; there also was Andrew 

and Bernard Romberg, and Franz Ries his Violinmaster. 

Passing to the years 179 I and 1792, we 

find among his compositions connected with the 

Violin, the first String Trio ; the set of Fourteen 

Variations for Pianoforte, Violin, and Violoncello, in 

the same key, known as Op. 44 ; and Twelve

THE VI OLIN IN GERMANY. 391 

Variations on " Se vuol ballare," for Pianoforte and 

Violin, published in 1793. 

The greatness of Beethoven's abilities appears 

to have been fully recognised at this period. The 

Elector was made aware of the desirability of 

sending him to Vienna, that he might receive 

instruction from Haydn. The proposition meeting 

with his approval, at the close of the year 1792 

we find Beethoven in the capital of music, lodged 

in a garret over a printer's shop. From this 

humble apartment he used to set out for Haydn's 

house with his composition exercises, which that 

great master duly corrected for the modest sum 

of tenpence, according to Beethoven's own notebook. 

Upon Haydn's departure for England at 

the beginning of the year 1 794, Beethoven sought 

the assistance of Albrechtsberger, from whom he 

received lessons in counterpoint At this period 

Beethoven was wholly dependent upon his own 

efforts for his maintenance, the Elector being no 

longer able to aid him ; Napoleon and the war 

having left Beethoven and his music no place in the 

exchequer of his patron. Happily Vienna was rich 

in ardent and wealthy amateurs, ready to help the 

young composer ; among these was Prince Lichnowsky. 

It is interesting to know that it was at one of 

the musical parties given by this Prince every Friday, 

that Beethoven's attention was directed to Quartett 

writing. The suggestion came from Count Apponyi, 

who expressed his desire that a Quartett should be


composed, and that the terms should be Beethoven's. 

and not his own. Thus was commenced the noblest 

of all contributions to chamber music-the Seventeen 

Quartetts of Beethoven. The publication of 

the first six was effected early in the present 

century. That they were being played about this 

period is attested by Spohr, who tells us he heard 

them for the first time in Brunswick, and that he 

" raved " about them no less than he had done over 

those of Haydn and Mozart. Their reception by 

the British public some thirty-five years later 

was the reverse of hearty. At the Concert of 

the Philharmonic Society, May I r th, 1835, upon 

which occasion Eliason, Watts, Moralt, and Robert 

Lindley introduced the Quartett in F, the majority 

of the audience wished that its production had been 

further delayed, the musical critics condemning it 

as consisting chiefly of "musical perversities and 

unproductive labour." It must not be forgotten, 

however, that in Germany these Quartetts were not 

at first universally applauded ; on the contrary, those 

of Fesca and Rode were often preferred. The want 

of good judgment on our part was therefore not 

greater than that shown in Germany but a few 

years earlier, and our sense of shame materially 

lessens in consequence. The first six Quartetts 

Op. 18, were published early in 1802, according to 

the following reference to them in a letter of the 

composer's, dated April 8th in that year :- 

" Herr -- haq lately published my Quartetts,

THE VIOLIN IN GERilfANY. 393 

full of faults and errata, both large and small, which 

swarm in them like fish in the sea-that is, they 

are innumerable." "In truth, my skin is a mass 

of punctures and scratches from this fine edition of 

my Quartetts !" 

Beethoven's intercourse with Haydn appears to 

have been void of that mutual regard which it might 

be supposed would naturally accompany the contiguity 

of such minds. It is clear, however, there 

was no reciprocity of feeling between them from the 

first. Beethoven was disappointed in the interest his 

instructor manifested in his exercises ; and probably 

Haydn was dissatisfied with the independent spirit 

shown by his pupil. Haydn naming him contemptuously 

the "Great Mogul," points to a 

rifeness of displeasure at this period. The circumstance 

of Haydn tendering his advice to Beethoven 

not to rush into print with his third Trio in C minor 

but added fuel to fire, for the composer was aware 

of its merits over the other two. In the year 1796, 

a subsidence of hostilities apparently took place, 

since Beethoven played at a concert at which 

Haydn appeared. In the same year Beethoven 

went to Berlin, where he probably composed the 

Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violoncello in F and 

G minor. Among other compositions of 1796 are 

the String Quintett Op. 4, arranged from an 

Octett for wind instruments written at a much 

earlier date. The variations on Handel's "See the 

Conquering Hero Comes " for Pianoforte and

394 THE VIOLIN AND ITS ,MUSIC. 

Violoncello ; the Three String Trios Op. 9-,-the 

Rondo of which belongs to the Pathetic Sonata, 

was originally intended for the last of these 

Trios ; and, finally, the charming Serenade Trio, 

Op. 8. 

The three String Trios Op. 9 were published in 

I798, and dedicated to Count Browne. To the 

same year belongs the Trio for Pianoforte, Clarionet, 

or Violin and Violoncello in B, Op. I1. This 

Trio gave rise to the following incident :-Steibelt 

affected to regard Beethoven's abilities as mediocre, 

and upon the occasion of the first performance of the 

above-mentioned Trio at the house of Count Fries, 

Steibelt conducted himself towards Beethoven with 

marked rudeness. The following week they again 

met, when Steibelt mounted to the very pinnacle of 

impertinence by extemporizing on the subject of the 

last movement of Beethoven's Trio, played a few 

days before. I t happened that a new Quintett of 

Steibelt's had been played during the evening, 

Beethoven seized his opportunity to pay Steibelt for 

his affront with interest. Taking one of the parts 

of the new Quintett, and placing it upside down 

on his desk, he manipulated it with such skill and 

effect as to leave his enemy no choice but to 

beat a hasty retreat from the company or confess 

his humiliation. 

We now approach the time when the three 

Violin and Pianoforte Sonatas, Op. 12, were probably 

written-the close of the year 1798. These

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 395" 

were published in January 1799, and dedicated 

to Salieri. These Sonatas occupy in point of 

character much the same place in relation to those 

AlgrOCO§n bII_ _ 

:140 

NO. 1. 

-6

THE VIOL lN AND ITS MUSIC. 

would be a good thing if you would arrange the 

Septett you are about to publish as a Quintett, with 

a Flute part, for instance ; this would be an advantage · 

to amateurs of the Flute, who have already importuned 

me on the subject, and who would swarm 

round it like insects, and banquet on it." 

I n 18o I , the Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin 

in A minor, 

were written. 

Two years later, the charming Romance for 

Violin and Orchestra in G, Op. 40, 

was composed. The second one in F belongs to 

the year 1805. Rode's name has been erroneously 

associated with this Romance ; it having gone 

forth that Beethoven composed it expressly for him 

during the famous Violinist's sojourn at Vienna ; but 

as Rode did not arrive there until January, 1813, 

the mistake is evident enough. That Beethoven did


compose something for Rode is seen from a letter 

written by the composer to the Archduke Rudolph, 

in January, I8I3. He says : "As I am in the meantime 

writing several other works, I did not hurry 

myself much with this last movement, merely for 

the sake of punctuality, especially as I must write 

this more deliberately, with a view to Rode's playing." 

The Sonata Op. 96 is given as the composition 

referred to in this letter. I t was certainly 

first played by Beethoven and Rode, at the house 

of Prince Lobkowitz, early in I 8 1 3. 

N ow let us turn to another and more important 

offspring of Beethoven's mighty genius, belonging to 

the year 1803 : Op. 47, known as the "Kreutzer 

Sonata." A comparatively unknown name to the 

present musical world was within an ace of the 

splendid immortality secured to that of Kreutzer 

on the title-page of this Sonata. But for a slight 

disagreement we should know this work as the 

"Bridgetower Sonata." Many of my readers may 

possibly ask, Who was Bridgetower ? 

George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower was, 

a notability in his palmy days. He was called 

"The Abyssinian Prince," not that he had blue 

blood in his veins of the quality of an African 

Prince, but on account of the colour of his skin. 

Son of an African father and an European mother,. 

he was a mulatto. Though born in Poland, 

he was English by name and semi-acceptation, 

and has been described as " a curiou&

THE VIOLIN AND ITS lIU/SIC. 

bombastic half-caste English Violinist." He made 

himself publicly known as a knight of the bow 

at Drury Lane Theatre in the year 1790. He 

went to Dresden in 1802, and to Vienna the 

following year, where he made the acquaintance of 

Beethoven, an i:1duced him to compose a Sonata 

for their joint performance. The openlllg movement 

was completed in good time. Air and Varia- 

tion finished as far as Bridgetower's part was concerned 

; the composer leaving himself with a 

sketchy Pianoforte copy. The last movement in 

A was composed some months before, having 

belonged to the Sonata in A major, Op. 30, dedicated 

to the Emperor Alexander, but being too 

brilliant for that work, another was substituted. 

On the 17th of May 1803, Beethoven and Bridgetower 

publicly played the Sonata destined to be 

known in after time as the "Kreutzer," to whom 

it was dedicated. 

Bridgetower used to relate that he suggested to 

Beethoven the alteration of a particular passage in 

the Sonata, which so delighted the composer, that 

he jumped from his seat and embraced him, saying, 

" Once more, my dear fellow." Though possible, it 

is scarcely probable, bearing in mind Beethoven's 

sensitive nature on such points. If anything would

THE VIOLIN IN GERlI1ANY. 399 

offend the com poser, Beethoven improved by 

Bridgetower would do so ; and the hidden cause 

of their rupture may possibly lie in this little 

incident. 

The publication of . the Kreutzer Sonata apparently 

belongs to the year I804, for we find 

mention of it in his letters to Ries at that period. 

This Sonata was played by Liszt and Ole Bull, in 

I840, at the Philharmonic Society. 

I n the winter of I 805 Beethoven wrote the 

String Quartetts in E and C, Op. 59. The exquisite 

Adagio of the Quartett in E was composed, 

it is said, "when one night he contemplated the 

stormy heavens, and thought of the harmonies of 

the spheres." 

The Quartett in F, Op. 59, was written at a 

later date. 

It was in I835 that the first of the Rasoumoffsky 

set was heard publicly in London, and it is interesting 

to find that it was upon the occasion of the 

opening concert of the " Concerti da Camera " in 

London, a series of concerts given in imitation of 

those instituted in Paris by Baillot. The executants 

were Henry Blagrove, Piggott, Sherrington, 

and Lucas. I t was then said, "These most 

elaborate compositions have at length won the

400 THE VIOLIN AND ITS .k[USIC. 

good opinion of all the best judges, though it is 

more than probable that they will continue ' caviare 

to the general.' " It therefore appears that we had 

made considerable progress in our knowledge and 

appreciation of Beethoven's chamber music within 

a few months : the first Quartett, Op. I 8, having 

been coldly received at the Philharmonic Society, 

in May of the same year. 

The Violin Concerto, Op. 6 I, was played for the 

first time in England, by Eliason, at the Philharmonic 

Concerts, April 9th, I83 2. A musical critic then 

recorded his opinion-which may be taken as echoing 

that of the public at the time-that " Beethoven has 

put forth no strength in his Violin Concerto ; it is a 

fiddling affair, and might have been written by any 

third or fourth-rate ·composer." Seventy-four years 

have passed away since this "fiddling " affair was 

composed, and more than a hundred Concertos have 

been given to the world, but no composer has succeeded 

in accomplishing another such triumph of 

fiddling Concerto music. The proper appreciation 

of this splendid work was reserved to a succeeding 

generation. The Concerto was first performed at 

Vienna, December 2 3rd, I806, by Franz Clement, 

Solo-Violinist to the Emperor of Austria ; and for 

Clement it was specially written, as seen on the


original manuscript,* in the composer's handwriting : 

" Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement primo Violino 

e Direttore al Theatro a Vienne dal L. v. Bthvn .. 

1806." It was published in 1809, by Breitkopf and 

Hartel, the Leipsic publishers, and was the second 

work of the composer's published by that house. 

The Concerto was dedicated to the friend of his 

youth, Stephan von Breuning. The published 

cadences to the Beethoven Concerto are those of 

Ferdinand David, ] oachim, and Vieuxtemps. 

To the year 1806 belongs the publication of the 

Trio for Two Violins and Tenor, arranged from the 

Trio for Two Oboes and Horn, Op. 87 ; and also 

the Pianoforte Trio, No. 12, arranged from the 

Symphony in D, Op. 36. Passing to the year 

1808 we have the composition for the Pianoforte and 

Violoncello Sonata in A, dedicated to Baron von 

Gleichenstein ; and the Pianoforte Trios, Op: 70, 

in D and E flat. These were published by Breitkopf 

and Hartel, in 1809, to which year the composition 

of the E flat Quartett, Op. 74, is assigned ; 

and the next Quartett, in F minor, Op. 95, was 

written in 1810, published six years later, and 

dedicated to Zmeskall. 

The composer's connection with Zmeskall was 

one of dose and familiar friendship. In Beethoven's 

letters to him we find references to the mending of 

quill pens, queries as to the cost of servant's livery. 

and the fair price for fr:onting a pair of boots ; 

B B 

i(- In the Library at Vienna.


making together a curious mixture of mUSIC and 

domestic economy. 

Early in 18ro the B flat Pianoforte Trio was 

completed. Apart from the sterling worth of this 

Trio as a composition, much interest is attached to 

it from the circumstance of its having been the last 

chamber work he played publicly ; the occasion 

being at a concert in May, 1814. In the previous 

April he played the same work at the benefit concert 

of Herr Schuppanzigh, the Violinist, famous as the 

greatest exponent of Beethoven's chamber music 

then living. Moscheles, in his diary, writes, April 

11th, 1814 :- 

"At a Matinee in the . Romischen Kaiser,' I 

heard a new Trio by Beethoven ; no less than the 

one in B flat, and Beethoven himself played the 

Pianoforte part. In how many compositions do we 

find the little word 'new ' wrongly placed ;, but 

never in Beethoven's ; least of all in this work, 

which is full of originality." Mendelssohn, writing 

-ida1Zte Ca1tt61bt,"le semjtict. 

=±=l==1- --'ilTl 

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/1 t 

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I I I I 

to his sister, from Milan, in 1831, mentions having 

played this Trio at the house of General Ertmann,


filling in the parts as best he could with his 

voice, when he reached the deeply pathetic close of 

the slow movement, every note of which appeals 

to the heart with an eloquence beyond the power of 

words to describe ; Mendelssohn acknowledged the 

truth of a remark made at the moment, "that 

the amount of expression here is beyond all 

playing." The B flat Trio was published in 1816, 

and dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph, the 

Emperor's brother, a great lover of music, and a 

pupil of Beethoven's. The one-movement Trio in 

B flat was composed in 1812. The following 

year Louis Spohr arrived in Vienna, and made 

Beethoven's acquaintance. Spohr tells us he was 

"a little blunt, not to say uncouth, but a truthful 

eye beamed from under his bushy eyebrows." 

Beethoven's deafness at this period was distressing, 

and alone sufficient to ruffle his temper ; but 

in addition he had to bear pecuniary troubles of 

no slight weight. Ten years before Spohr met 

him, he referred to his sad affliction in words which 

reflect his character autobiographically, "0 ye 

who consider or declare me to be hostile, obstinate, 

or misanthropic, what injustice ye do me !" 

" Consider, for the last six years I have been attacked 

by an incurable complaint." "Born with a lively, 

ardent disposition, susceptible to the diversions of 

society, I was forced to renounce them and pass my 

life in seclusion. If I strove to set myself above all 

this, 0 how cruelly was I driven back ; it was not 

B B 2


possible for me to say to people-' speak louder ; 

bawl-for I am deaf !' Oh, how could I proclaim 

the defect of a sense that I once possessed in the 

highest perfection ? Forgive me, then, if you see me 

draw back when I would gladly mingle among you." 

" Almost alone in the world," "I am obliged to live 

as an exile." "0 God ! thou lookest down upon my 

misery ! thou knowest that it is accompanied with 

love of my fellow creatures, and a disposition to 

do good ! 0 men ! when ye shall read this, think 

that ye have wronged me ; and let the child of 

affliction take comfort on finding one like himself, 

who, in spite of all impediments of nature, yet 

did all that lay in his power to obtain admittance 

into the rank of worthy artists and men." 

On the 29th of N ovem ber, 18 I 4, the first of the 

two benefit concerts set on foot by his friends in 

Vienna took place, the gigantic nature of which, 

both artistically and numerically, was in keeping 

with the mighty genius of the recipient. Never 

before or since has its equal been witnessed in 

connection with benefit concerts In point of 

magnitude and high importance. That the greatest 

musician the world has seen, should have been 

honoured in a manner at once unique, is indeed 

gratifying. The hall of the Redouten-Saal was 

filled with an audience numbering six thousand, and 

all who could fiddle, blow, or sing, were invited to 

assist, and not one of the most celebrated artists 

in Vienna failed to appear. Among them was


Louis Spohr, Salieri, Mayseder, Schuppanzigh, and 

H ummel. Spohr relates that this was the first time 

he had seen Beethoven conduct, and although he had 

heard much of his power in that direction, he was 

surprised in a high degree. Beethoven had accus 

tomed himself to give the signs of expression by 

extraordinary motions of his body ; thus, when a 

sforzando occurred, he tore his arms-which he had 

previously crossed on his breast-with great vehem 

ence asunder ; at a piano he bent down lower and 

lower according to the degree of softness needed ; 

with a cresceildo he raised himself again ; and with 

a fo rte sprang bolt upright. 

Passing to the year I8IS, we have the two 

Pianoforte and Violoncello Sonatas, Op. 102. It 

was at this period that Charles Neate, one of the 

committee of the London Philharmonic Society, 

which had then been instituted but two years, 

journeyed to Vienna expressly to become personally 

acquainted with Beethoven, and receive his advice 

in composltlOn. This led to the interesting correspondence 

which passed between them upon Neate's 

return to London in the month of September, I 8 I 5, 

relative to the purchase of the Overtures, "The 

Ruins of Athens," " King Stephen," and another, by 

the Philharmonic Society, for the sum of seventyfive 

guineas, all of which were coldly received at 

the Society's concerts. Two years later, however, a 

higher taste prevailed, if we are to judge from 

the correspondence which took place between


Beethoven and the committee, from which we 

gather that an offer of three hundred guineas was 

made to the illustrious composer, to write two 

Symphonies, conditional on his coming to England 

and superintending their production. A difference 

of one hundred guineas between the committee 

and the composer, deprived us, in all probability, of 

two works of art, and the honour of having 

had Ludwig van Beethoven in our midst. 

The arrangement of the C minor Trio, Op. I, as 

a string Quintett, published as Op. 1 04, was probably 

made in I8IS. About this period poor Beethoven 

seems to have been immersed in troubles, legal, 

domestic, and valetudinarian. * The two last are 

sufficiently calamitous, but when joined to that of 

the law, but little less than the temperament of Job 

is needed to bear such a weight of woe. That 

Beethoven's patience bore any affinity to that of 

the great Patriarch is sufficiently negatived in the 

character of much of his music. The spirit of 

endurance in perfection, or at all approaching it, 

had no place in the mind of him who introduced 

Beethovenish music, and the world is richer in 

consequence. That these vexations increased the 

quality is possible, but that they diminished the 

quantity is certain, and necessitate our passing 

* Beethoven having obtained the legal guardianship over his 

nephew, to whom he was devotedly attached, an appeal deprived him 

of his authority, and thus the composer became entangled in the 

meshes of the law.


to the year 1 824, when Beethoven received a 

message from Prince Galitzin, a Russian nobleman, 

to compose three String Quartetts. This commission 

does not appear to have been accompanied 

with any remuneration, since the composer disposed 

of the completed works to the publishers. 

The first in E flat, 

Maestoso. 

EEgg1%f¥tt 

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sf sJ --- 

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7:T T if 

was partly written at Baden, towards the end of 

1824. 

The second Quartett, published as 0p. 1 3 2, was 

sold to Peters for thirty pounds. In a letter to the 

publisher, Beethoven mentioned it "as a grand one, 

too," but drew his pen across the words, as though 

his love for his own work had caused him to say too 

much in its praise ! "A work," Moscheles writes, 

"in which Beethoven storms heaven itself, ,and yet 

again what child-like simplicity and passionate 

grief!" Here we have the composer's "Song of 

thanksgiving to God for convalescence," which has 

been well described as "the full force of the spirit of 

poetry entering the very marrow of his soul." 

The third, in B flat, Op. 1 30, was finished in

408 . 


1825, and performed in its original form the following 

year ;-.-the last movement being the fugue, published 

Adagio ma non troppo. cresco 

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p 

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as Op. 1 33-it was coldly received, and the composer 

acknowledges the fact in a letter to his nephew, 

remarking that Schuppanzigh, "on account of his 

corpulence, requires more time than formerly to 

decipher a piece at a glance," and continues, "their 

quartett playing is not what it was when all four 

were in the habit of "frequently playing together." 

The present last movement was composed by the 

wish of Artaria, and forms the last completed work 

of Beethoven. He was informed of the Quartett 

not being liked during his last illness, and remarked, 

" It will please them some day." The C sharp 

minor Quartett, Op. 1 3 I , was written in 1826, and 

the last, in F, belongs to the same period. 

On the 22nd February. 1827, Beethoven wrote 

to his friend, Moscheles : -" Some years ago the 

Philharmonic Society in London made me the 

handsome offer of arranging a concert for my benefit. 

At that time, thank God, I was not in such a posi-

THE VIOLIN iN CERlIfANY. 

tion as to be obliged to make use of their generous 

offer. Now, however, I am in a different positIOn ; 

for nearly three months I have been laid low by a 

wearisome illness. " As for my writing music, I 

have long ceased to think of it." "Unfortunately, 

therefore, I may be so placed as to be obliged to 

suffer want." "I beg you to use your influence to 

induce the Philharmonic Society to resuscitate their 

generous resolution, and carry it out speedily."* 

With this letter was enclosed another, penned by 

the author's friend Schindler, in which we read. 

" On the occasion of your last visit here, I described 

to you Beethoven's position with regard to money 

matters ; never suspecting that the moment was so 

near when we should see this great man drawing 

near his end, under circumstances so peculiarly 

painful." The writer, after describing the painful 

sufferings of the composer, continues. "Now, my 

friend, remembering his impatience, and more than 

all, his quick temper, picture to yourself Beethoven 

in such a fearful illness. Think of him, too, 

brought to this sad state by that wretched creature, 

his nephew, and partly, too, by his own brother. 

Should you, my dear Moscheles, succeed, jointly 

with Sir George Smart, in inducing the Philharmonic 

Society to comply with Beethoven's wishes, 

you would certainly be doing an act of the 

greatest kindness." Further on, the good and kind 

Schindler says, "It pains him (Beethoven) to find 

"*" "Life of Moscheles," Vol. 1., 146.

410 'iHE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

that not a soul here takes any notice of him, and 

certainly this lack of sympathy is most surprising. 

In former times,. if he was slightly indisposed, 

people used to drive up to his door and enquire for 

him. Now he is completely forgotten, as though he 

had never lived in Vienna."* " Just now he speaks 

about a journey to London, after his recovery, and 

is calculating on the cheapest way we can live during 

our absence from home. Merciful heaven ! I fear 

his journey will be a further one than to England." 

"Sick-in necessity-abandoned-a Beethoven I" 

Moscheles exclaimed, after reading the above 

correspondence : words rich in pathos and meaning, 

and such as pages of commentary would weaken 

rather than strengthen. A few days later Hummel 

was at the bedside of the forgotten and suffering 

Beethoven, who turned and said, " My dear Hummel, 

here is a picture of the house where Haydn 

was born ; it was made a present to me to-day. 

I take a childish pleasure in it, to think of so great 

a man being born in so wretched a hovel." 

Turning from the sick chamber at Vienna to 

the special general meeting of the committee of the 

Philharmonic Society in London, which was immediately 

called upon receipt of Beethoven's appeal for 

aid, we have that glorious Resolution, glistening like 

a jewel in the records of the time-honoured society, 

;r. Beethoven's deafness had gradually brought about his hermitlike 

existence ; we must not therefore read this too literally. Help 

may have been at hand, had his condition been made known.


"That the sum of one hundred pounds be sent, 

through the hands of Mr. Moscheles, to some 

confidential friend of Beethoven, to be applied to 

his comforts and necessities during his illness." 

About the 17th of March, the friend to whom 

Moscheles sent the money was driving post haste 

to the house· of Beethoven to make known to him 

the glad tidings, and tells us, "It was heart-breaking 

to see him clasp his hands and shed tears of joy 

and gratitude." A few days later-March 26th, 

1827-Beethoven was no more. 

His funeral was truly that of a great man : 

some thirty thousand persons lined the streets 

through which passed the bier of the · greatest of 

music's creators. Eight Chapel-masters acted as 

pall-bearers, and thirty-six eminent musical men 

carried torches. The Requiem of Mozart . was 

performed in the church of Saint Augustine, and 

Lablache sang the bass part.

£tthm 1813BE.-CQI'h£ 'lainlin in £rmltnJ1. 

CHAPTER VI. 

A ROUND the grave of Beethoven stood many 

famous men in the world of music. There 

mourned Franz Schubert, then best known as the 

composer of "The Erl King," "The Wanderer," and 

an "Ave Maria," but now familiar to us as a composer 

of chamber and orchestral music of exceptional 

excellence. Schubert, in returning from the funeral, 

was accompanied by Franz Lachner and another 

mUSiCian. Schubert filled two glasses with wine : 

the first he emptied to the memory of Beethoven, and 

the second to him of the assembled trio who should 

be the first to follow the illustrious man whose mortal 

remains they had consigned to the earth. Strange 

indeed that Franz Schubert should have been that 

one, and within a few months. 

Schubert's admiration of the genius of Beethoven 

was of the loftiest character, and he frequently hoped 

that his body might be placed beside that of the 

greatest of musicians, a wish that was remembered 

and followed. A friend, who was extolling the excellence 

of Schubert's works to the composer himself,


received answer, " But who can ever do anything 

after Beethoven ?" Schumann said, " If fertility be 

a distinguishing mark of genius, then Franz Schubert 

is a genius of the highest order." The quantity of 

music penned by Schubert is indeed amazing, and yet 

more so when we think of its having been accomplished 

in less than twenty years, for its composer 

died before his thirty-first birthday. That genius 

of the highest order is recognised throughout this 

mass of music cannot be said, but that it is manifested 

in much of it. is certain. Mr. Chorley has remarked, 

"Setting aside the beautiful and peculiar 

songs of Schubert, there is little music extant so 

provoking, at once so rich in fancy, so meritorious 

in respect of constructive ingenuity, yet so unavailable, 

so incomplete, and so likely to remain till 

doomsday under the cloud of neglect and misunderstanding. 

There is not one instrumental piece by 

Schubert, whether it be his Symphony in C major, 

his Stringed Quartett in D minor, his Pianoforte 

Trios, his Rondo for Pianoforte and Violin, which 

does not contain first thoughts, phrases, and 

melodies, on which Beethoven might have consented 

to work-having, moreover, a wild spirit 

and sweetness totally unborrowed-but all may be 

charged with a-want of success, which cannot but 

be felt by the discriminating connoisseur. This is 

a sad result, when, in addition to the amount of 

genius flawed, lost, buried, the amount of wasted 

time, energy, and labour is considered. With

414 THE VIOLIN AND iTS lVi USIC. 

Schubert may be almost said to have ' gone out ' the 

light of creative genius in Vienna. The temples 

are still open-the old gods are still in some degree 

worshipped-but the old priests are gone, and there 

are no new ones to fill their places."* 

Ferdinand Ries, the pupil of Beethoven, was an 

imitator of the style of his master. Since Beethoven, 

like Stradiuarius and Paganini, successfully 

set imitators at defiance, the labours of Ries have 

become almost forgotten. He, however, composed 

some chamber music of a pleasing kind, which is 

worthy of a better fate than being left on the 

shelves of second-hand music sellers. 

Carl Maria von Weber must here be mentioned 

as a contributor to our subject in the Quartett for 

Pianoforte, Violin, Tenor, and Violoncello ; a 

Pianoforte Trio, Op. IO ; a Quintett with Clarionet 

and Strings, and Six Easy Sonatas for Pianoforte 

and Violin. 

Joseph Mayseder was Schuppanzigh's famous 

pupil. He was born in Vienna, in 1789, and took 

part at his master's quartett meetings. His great 

talent early brought him under the notice of 

eminent musicians, and secured him several important 

appointments, culminating with that of 

Chamber-Violinist to the Emperor in 1835. He 

published a vast number of Violin compositions, 

including Airs with Variations, Duetts, Concertos, 

five Quintetts, eight Quartetts, Studies, &c. Among 

* Chorley's " Modern German Music."


his brilliant Violin compositions may be specially 

mentioned the Air and Variations, Op. 40, dedicated 

to Paganini, which was frequently played by Ernst. 

Weber, writing from Vienna in 1813, mentions 

having heard Mayseder's Fourth Concerto, pronouncing 

it excellent, "but it left one cold." His 

works are all of a more or less brilliant character, 

and would undoubtedly be better appreciated had 

they been of a warmer nature. He died in 1863. 

The Violinist and composer, KaIliwoda, born at 

Prague, in 1800, was a prolific writer of brilliant 

Violin music. Although most of his Solos are now 

rarely played, they are well written, and abound in 

passages needing more than ordinary executive skill 

to render them with due effect. He has composed 

many Violin Duetts, conceived in a dramatic style, 

which are played much among amateurs. Kalliwoda 

died in 1866. 

The progress of the leading instrument in 

Germany was hardly less influenced by the genius 

of Louis Spohr, than its progress in Italy a century 

earlier was influenced by the teachings of Corelli. 

These results, though of nearly equal importance, 

were secured by wholly different means. The 

school of the German master was a new departure, 

originating in the labours of a long line of Violinists, 

from Corelli to Rode. The benefits of this blending 

of Italian, French, and German art, in relation to 

the Violin, are better understood to-day than when 

Spohr may be said to have effected the union. The

4 I6 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lIfUSIC. 

style of composition which Spohr brought to bear 

upon the Violin as a solo instrument necessitated a 

special education on the part of the executant. 

With whatever excellence a player may have rendered 

a concerto of Viotti, Rode, or Kreutzer, he 

must have early discovered the necessity of applying 

a different mode of rendering to the music of Louis 

Spohr ; hence, during its infancy, its creator was its 

only fit exponent. In course of time pupils and 

followers gave it that special study which its requirements 

demanded ; and thus may be said to 

have began the serious study of phrasing and light 

and shade in relation to classical German Violin 

mUS1C. With Spohr himself, with his pupil David; 

and many of his followers, this important branch of 

the Violinist's art has perhaps been carried to excess, 

resulting oftentimes in the composer's individuality 

being sunk in the executant's mannerism. Be that 

as it may, it is now well understood that something 

more is needed than correct time-keeping and 

perfect mechanism ; in short, that the painter must 

ally himself with the poet, and not only cover his 

canvas with truthful lines, but tone his colours that 

they may harmonize with the thoughts and fancies 

of the creator of the subject. 

Louis Spohr was born in 1784. \Vhen but five 

years of age, he was happy in the possession of 

a Violin, and he has related with what delight he 

hastened to his mother, to play to her the chord 

of G, which he succeeded in performing as an

7 HE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 

arpeggio, repeating it again and again, until its 

monotony led to his summary ejectment from the 

chamber. Passing over some seven years, we 

find him at Hamburg, seeking his fortune as a 

Violinist. He however soon awoke from his dream 

of maintaining himself in that busy commercial 

city, and set out for Brunswick. On his way he 

resolved to petition the Duke-who was himself 

a Violinist-praying that he might receive an 

appointment in the Ducal Orchestra, which he 

secured at a salary of fifteen pounds per annum. 

Thus was Spohr's first essay in self-help crowned 

with success. Later it was proposed by his patron 

to send his protege to Viotti, for instruction. The 

famous master had at the time retired from 

the profession, and declined to receive pupils. 

Eck was next applied to, who received Spohr as his 

scholar. Shortly afterwards they set out on a tour 

in Russia. On their way, they stayed at Hamburg, 

where Spohr became acquainted with Dussek. Here 

the young Violinist commenced his first Concerto, 

Op. I, in A major. A little later he composed 

the first three Violin Duetts, Op. 3; and he tells 

us it was in playing these Duetts with his master 

Eck, that he observed the restrictive character- of 

the French School of Violin-playing, remarking, 

"how little Eck entered into the spirit of the 

works of others."* At St. Petersburg, Spohr met 

" Eck was not brought up in the French School, though he may 

have, like his pupil, done his best to profit by its teachings. 

C C

7 HE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Clementi and Field, the composers of well-known 

Nocturnes. I n his diary we find many critical 

remarks on Violin-playing, worthy of notice, inasmuch, 

as they are indicative of that seriousness so 

manifest in Spohr's style of playing. Of Franzl 

the Violinist, whom he met at St. Petersburg, he 

says, "he holds the Violin still in the old manner, 

on the right side of the tail-piece, and must therefore 

play with his head bent ;* to this must be 

added, he raises the right arm very high, and has 

the bad habit of elevating his eyebrows at the 

expressive passages ; his playing is pure and 

clear. In the adagio parts he executes runs and 

shakes with a rare delicacy ; as soon, however, 

as he plays loud, his tone is rough and unpleasant, 

because he draws his bow too slowly and too near 

the bridge, and leans it too much on one side ; he 

executes the passages with the middle of the bow, 

and consequently without distinction of piano and 

.forte." Of the playing of Barwold, he tells us he 

heard him in Viotti's Concerto in A, and although 

executed with much ability, the passages were 

"flat and drawn out." Of the Violinist Fodor, he 

says his playing lacked warmth, and his taste and 

frequent use of staccato was unbearable. 

Hitherto Spohr had derived his chief knowledge 

of the French School of Violin-playing from his 

*" Spohr's method of holding the Violin : points to the chin rest 

ing on the tail-piece, without inclining the head, a system no longer 

pursued.


master, Franz Eck. That this early acquaintance 

had already affected his natural style is certain, but 

it was left to Rode to create a stronger desire on 

the part of Spohr to extend his studies in that 

direction. It happened upon Spohr's return to 

Brunswick in 1803, that Pierre Rode was staying 

there, giving concerts. These Spohr attended with 

pleasure and profit. He tells us, "the more he 

heard him play, the greater was his admiration and 

desire to acquire the same style." This he resolved 

to accomplish by careful practice of Rode's composltlOns. 

By the time he had formed a style of 

playing peculiar to himself, he had become in his 

own estimation the most faithful imitator of Rode 

among the young Violinists of that day, succeeding 

best in Rode's famous Air and Variations in G, the 

Concerto in E minor, and his three first Quartetts . 

Early in 1804 Spohr applied himself diligently to 

composition, which resulted in the production of the 

Concerto in D minor, published as Op. 2, and a 

Concerto in A major which remains in manuscript. 

In these he informs us Rode's style predominates, 

remarking also, that at a later period his own style 

and mode of execution was developed from that of 

the great French artist. In the spring of 1804 

Spohr visited the chief German cities. His stock 

of music was now considerably enlarged. To Rode 

was given the place of honour, but others were well 

represented : among them were Haydn, Mozart, and, 

above all, Beethoven. The first six Quartetts of 

C C 2

420 THE VIOLIN AND iTS MUSIC. 

the great master were then barely dry from the 

press, and it is interesting to record that these were 

the works Spohr was playing at this period, and 

making known for the first time outside the Rasoumoffsky 

Quartett party and its audience. Their 

reception was often the reverse of cordial. Spohr 

tells us that on one occasion they were not even 

listened to, which necessitated his bringing the performance 

to an abrupt ending, and substituting one 

of Rode's, which was heard with breathless attention. 

We need not wonder at this condition of 

musical taste on the part of unprofessional musicians, 

when we are told that Romberg expressed his 

astonishment that Spohr could bring himself to 

play "such stuff," and that Spohr should be as 

much at sea with the later and better compositions 

of Beethoven, and even expressed himself as 

finding him "wanting in a::sthetical feeling and 

in a sense of the beautiful :" thus it would seem 

that the judgment of musicians, like that of artists 

on canvas, is often strangely erroneous. 

Returning to Spohr's Violin compositions, the 

Concertos numbered 3, 4, and 5 were written between 

the years 1803 and 1806, together with a 

Concertante Duett for Harp and Violin, Two Potpourris, 

Ops. 22 and 23, for Violin and Orchestra 

and the Concertante Duett for two Violins, Op. 48. 

To the year 1808 belong the two Violin Duetts, 

Op. 9, and the famous Duett for Violin and 

Tenor. About this time Quartett writing occupied

THE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 42I 

Spohr's attention more than it had hitherto done, 

and the Qp. 15 was published. 

The Sixth Concerto, Op. 28, in G minor, was 

completed in 1808-9, the last movement of which 

is a Rondo founded on Spanish melodies. To 

the same time belongs the Second Sonata, for 

Violin and Harp, Op. I IS. At the close of the 

year 18 I 2, Spohr visited Vienna, which was 

regarded as the capital of the musical world. A 

city where Haydn and Mozart had lived, composed, 

and breathed new life into their art ; and 

where Beethoven was still giving to the world his 

master-pieces, was rightly looked upon as the seat 

of musical government in its relation to taste and 

refinement. The Quartett, Op. 30, and the first 

Octett were written in 18 I 3. The idea of composing 

a Double Quartett originated in a suggestion 

of Andrew Romberg's, but Spohr did not carry it 

out until some years afterwards. 

In r820, Spohr came to England, and played 

his Dramatic Concerto at the Philharmonic Society, 

Viotti being present. At this period the orchestra 

was controlled by the first Violin, a system Spohr 

did not approve of. At one of the concerts of the 

season, the conductorship was given to Spohr, who 

used a separate desk and a baton. Our present 

mode of conducting an orchestra appears therefore 

to date no further back than sixty-one years. 

At Leipsic, in 1846, a concert was given under 

the conductorship of Mendelssohn, in honour of

7HE VIOLIN AND ITS MUSIC. 

Spohr, the programme consisting entirely of his 

composItIOns. Upon this occasion, Herr Joachim, 

then in his fifteenth year, played the Concerto in E 

minor, No. I I, Op. 70. 

Spohr often complained of the press reviews of 

his compositions, and curiously enough gives in his 

autobiography the substance of one, with which 

he naturally disagreed, but which well describes 

the character of his writing. The contemporary 

German critic remarks, "The composer seems to 

have considered his auditors in the light of stupid 

servants." " The eternal rechewing of the theme in 

every voice and key, is as though one had given an 

order to an attendant that he is unable to understand, 

necessitating the repetition of it over and over 

again in every possible form of expression." In 

another place Spohr himself tells us, with singular 

modesty, " I had carried out a subject in the style of 

Mozart, now in one key and then in another, and in 

my delight at this scientific interweaving, had not 

remarked that it at length became monotonous." 

He adds, " that Reichardt disparaged it, and went 

so far as to say ' you could not rest until you had 

worried your motivo to death !' " If we take the 

above remarks together with Mr. Chorley's, we 

have a fair estimate of Spohr's style of compOSItIOn. 

He says, "There is more than a ' set 

smile ' in Dr. Spohr's music. It has its times and 

places of vitality, individual intelligence, as well 

as that genial air of swooning, over-luxurious,

7 HE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 

elaborate grace, which conceals its poverty in significance 

and variety so well and so long-with some, 

for ever. The excepted section of Dr. Spohr's 

compositions is-all that he has produced for the · 

Violin as a Solo instrument, which establishes him 

among the great German composers, and claims 

for him high and grateful honour." Whether 

the whole of Spohr's Violin music is free from 

reiteration is questionable. 

Bernhard Molique was born at N uremburg, in 

1803. Like Spohr, he combined the skill of an 

eminent Violinist with that knowledge of composition 

which belongs to the thorough musician and 

composer of works belonging to the highest order 

of composition. If the "Abraham " of Molique 

is not so famous as the "Fall of Babylon," it 

is perhaps hardly less meritorious. That the Concertos 

and Violin music of each are of equal merit, 

cannot be said. Spohr in this branch of the art 

cannot but live on ; whether Molique will do so 

is doubtful. He had many pupils-among them 

our principal English Violinist, John Carrodus. 

Molique died at Stuttgard, in 1869.

I 

rdinlt '433EII.-CQIJtr 19inUn in /JrrnmnJ]. 

CHAPTER VII. 

N following the history of the Violin and its music 

our course may be likened unto a country, 

oftentimes flat and uninteresting, at others varied 

and undulating, with now and again heights of vast 

altitude reaching to the very openings of heaven. 

With Bach and Handel, with Haydn, Mozart, and 

Schubert, we ascended these cloud-touching heights ; 

with Beethoven we mounted their loftiest pinnacle, 

and 'tis now with Mendelssohn we ascend again, if 

not so high, to where 

" --fields of light and liquid ether flow, 

Purg'd from the pond'rous dregs of earth below." 

DRYDEN. 

" Where should this music be ? i' th' air or th' earth ?- 

It sounds no more :-and sure it waits upon some god 0' th' 

island." 

" This is no mortal business, nor no sound, 

That the earth owns :-1 hear it now above me." 

" Tempest," Act I., Scme 2. 

Half a century has elapsed since Mendelssohn 

spoke of that section of the German musical world 

which has since enlarged into the Philosophico-


musical public of to-day, as " Miserable shams with 

their sentimentality and devotion to art." This 

extended community has long since decided that 

the music of Mendelssohn is of little or no value, 

beyond serving as a warning to the musicians of the 

future, not to pursue the art worn down with the 

age of centuries, and in the last throes of its existence. 

Well might Ferdinand Hiller tell us, "I 

come forward all the more boldly with these 

pages,* so full of admirable traits of the departed, 

because he, one of the brightest and most beautiful 

stars in the firmament of German art, is experiencing, 

in his own country, the attacks of envy, 

of want of comprehension and judgment, which 

can only bring dishonour on those from whom they 

proceed, for they will never succeed in detracting 

from the glory which surrounds his name." 

I t is pleasing to believe that the music of 

Mendelssohn, even though its detractors succeeded 

in shelving it, will not lose the power of its ethereal 

voice in banishment, but, like the compositions of 

Corelli, Tartini, and other original-minded men, 

come forth again and again to utter its own peculiar 

musical language of the heart. 

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy 

Hamburg, February the 3rd, 1809. 

was born at 

At the age of 

seven years he was receiving instructions on the 

Pianoforte, in Harmony, and on the Violin. In his 

twelfth year he appears to have begun to seriously 

* "Mendelssohn's Letters and Recollections."

426 THE VIOLIN AND ITS l1I[JSIC. 

compose. Mention is made of several incomplete 

works connected with the Violin belonging to this 

year (1820). It was not, however, until 1822, when 

. in Switzerland, that he began the C minor Pianoforte 

Quartett, completing it at Berlin three months 

later. 

Sir ] uIius Benedict has recorded some interesting 

circumstances in connection with this Quartett. 

In 1821 he and his master Weber were walking in 

the streets of Berlin, when a youth " with clear eyes 

and the smile of innocence and candour on his lips," 

came running towards them ; "'Tis Felix Mendelssohn," 

said Weber, at once introducing his pupil to 

his little friend. Mendelssohn insisted upon taking 

them at once to his father's house. " Here is a 

pupil of Weber's who knows a great deal of the 

new opera," he exclaims to his mother-referring to 

" Der Freischzdz "-" pray ask him to play it for us." 

With all irresistible impetuosity he led Benedict to 

the Pianoforte, where he made him remain until he 

had exhausted his recollections of the opera. When 

Benedict next visited the Mendelssohn family, he 

found Felix seated on a footstool busily writing 

some mUSIC. On being asked what he was writing, 

he replied, " I am finishing my new Quartett for 

Piano and stringed instruments." The narrator 

says he could not resist his own boyish curiosity to 

examine the composition, and looking over his 

shoulder, saw as beautiful a score as ever was 

written by the most skilful copyist. It was the


Quartett in C minor, Op. r. Moscheles, wntmg 

in 1824, says, " Felix, a boy of fifteen, is a phenomenon. 

What are all prodigies compared with 

him ?" Frequently importuned to give lessons to 

the wondrous youth, he at length consented, though 

failing to see the necessity ; and writes in his diary : 

"This afternoon, from two to three o'clock, gave 

Felix Mendelssohn his first lesson, without losing 

sight of the fact that I was sitting next to a master, 

not a pupil. 

In a letter of Mendelssohn's dated from Leipsic, 

October 29th, r837, addressed to his brother, he 

writes, "Yesterday evening my C minor Quartett 

was played in public by David, and had great 

success. They were made to play the Scherzo 

twice, and the Adagio pleased the audience best 

of all, which caused me very great astonishment. 

In a few days I mean to begin a new Quartett, 

which may please me better. I also intend soon 

to compose a Sonata for Violoncello and Piano for 

you-by my beard, I will !" a promise he redeemed 

in the following year. 

His second Pianoforte Quartett was composed 

in r 823, and dedicated to his master Zelter--he 

who accomplished in Germany what Samuel Wesley 

did in England, namely, the furtherance of the 

study of Saint Sebastian, as Wesley delighted in 

naming Bach. ZeIter's admiration for the works 

of the Great Master was early implanted in the 

mind of Mendelssohn, and the world's music has


been enriched with its fruits. To the same year 

(I823), belongs the Sonata for Violin and Pianoforte, 

which he dedicated to his Violin-master Rietz, 

to whom he was much attached. 

In 182 4 was composed the Pianoforte Quartett 

in B minor. At this period Mendelssohn was in 

Paris with his father, and Baillot played in the new 

work. In the spring of the following year, the 

Mendelssohns left Paris for Berlin. On their way, 

they visited Goethe at Weimar, and thus arose the 

dedication of the new Quartett to the poet. Goethe 

had long previously interested himself in the 

youthful musician. vVhen Felix was in his thirteenth 

year, he wrote, "Every afternoon Goethe 

would open the Streicher piano, saying, 'I have 

not heard you at all to-day, so you must make a 

little noise for me.' Then he sits down by me, and 

when I have finished (generally improvising), I beg 

for a kiss, or else I take one." His look, his 

language, his name, they are imposing. His voice 

has an enormous sound in it, and he can shout like 

a thousand fighting men." It was Goethe who 

said to him, pointing to his unused pianoforte, 

"Come and awaken for me all the winged spirits 

which have so long been slumbering here ;" and 

again, " You are my David, and if I am ever ill and 

sad, you must banish my bad dreams by your 

playing ; I shall never throw my spear at you as 

Saul did." 

Felix, writing from Paris in March, I832, says,

7RE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 

"I am indeed delighted, dear father, that my 

Quartett in B minor pleases you ; it is a favourite 

of mine, and I like to play it, although the Adagio 

is much too cloying ; still, the Scherzo that follows 

has all the more effect." The work was played, 

probably the first time in England, at the Quartett 

Concerts instituted by Henry Blagrove, Charles 

Lucas, and others, April I6th, I836 ; the executants 

were W. Sterndale Bennett, Blagrove, Dando and 

Lucas. 

The Sextett for Pianoforte, Violin, two Tenors, 

and Double Bass, published as Op. I IO, was written 

in I824. Within a few months of his seventeenth 

birthday, was given to the world the splendid Octett 

Op. 20, first played in this country in I83 5, by 

Henry Blagrove, Lucas, Griesbach, and others. In 

a letter dated from Paris, March 3 Ist, I832, Mendelssohn 

says, "My Octett in church, on Monday last, 

exceeded in absurdity anything the world ever saw 

or heard of. While the priest was officiating at the 

altar during the Scherzo, it really sounded like 

, Fliegen-schnauz und MUckennas, verfluchte Dilettan 

ten.' The people, however, considered it very 

fine sacred music." 

I t was at this period that his friend Hiller 

speaks of his hearing him play at Baillot's house, 

the Sonatas of Bach and Beethoven, and Mozart's . 

Concertos with Quartett accompaniment, remarking, 

that everything was listened to at the house of· the 

famous Violinist "with a sort of religious devotion."


Hiller, speaking of Felix's marvellous musical 

memory, says, "when we were together, a small 

party of musical people, and the conversation 

flagged, he would sit down to the Piano, play some 

out-of-the-way piece, and make us guess the composer. 

On one occasion he played an air from 

Haydn's "Seasons," 

"The trav'ller stands perplexed, 

Uncertain, and forlorn- 

in which, not a note of the elaborate Violin accompaniment 

was wanting. It sounded like a regular 

Pianoforte piece, and we stood there a long time 

as 'perplexed ' as the traveller himself. " 

In 1826, the String Quintett in A was composed. 

The following year, he composed the song "1st es 

wohr ? " which he used in the String Quartett in 

A minor : the Quartett was completed at Berlin, 

in October of tge same year. In a letter, long 

afterwards, addressed to his father, he says, "I 

can see that you seem rather inclined to deride my 

A minor Quartett, when you say there is a piece 

of instrumental music which has made you rack 

your brains to discover the composer's thoughts ; 

when in fact he probably had no thoughts at all, 

I must defend the work, for I love it ; but it 

certainly depends very much on the way in 'which 

it is executed." This reference to thoughts whilst 

composing, points once more to Mendelssohn's 

dislike, if not disbelief, in word-painting music.

THE VI OLiN IN GERMANY. 431 

Mendelssohn truly said, "if the composer can only 

move the imaginative power of his hearers, and call 

forth some one image, some one thought-it matters 

not what-he has attained his object." 

In 1829 Mendelssohn came to London. Moscheles 

secured apartments for his friend in Great 

Portland Street, and the famous Pianist tells us, 

"As a friend, he is of untold value." " How 

delightful it is when he brings some of his new 

compositions, and waits with childlike modesty for 

an expression of my opinion." He showed me the 

manuscript of his sacred Cantata on a Chorale in A 

minor, and a stringed Quartett in A minor (that 

already noticed). 

At the seventh Concert of the Philharmonic 

Society, May 25th, 1829, "the most remarkable 

feature," it was said at the time, "was the Symphony 

of Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. This gentleman, 

grandson of the distinguished Jewish philosopher, · is 

a native of Berlin, the son of a banker of independent 

fortune, and enthusiastically attached to 

music, for which nature seems to have designed him. 

He has already produced several works of magnitude, 

which, if at all to be compared with the 

present, ought, without such additional claim, to 

rank him among the first composers of the age. 

The author conducted it in person, and it was 

received with acclamations. The work was dedicated 

to the Society, and the composer elected an 

honorary member.

432 THE VIOLIN AND ITS .MUSIC. 

The String Quartett in E flat belongs to this 

period. Passing over other references to chamber 

music, we have the Violin Concerto commenced in 

1839. Moscheles in 1844 refers to it : "Yesterday 

I had a quiet evening with Ferdinand David, 

who playd me the new Violin Concerto which 

Felix has expressly written for him. It is most 

beautiful, the last movement thoroughly Mendelssohnian." 

In the same year (1839), Mendelssohn 

completed his D minor Trio, which was first played 

in public by the composer, David, and Wittmann. 

The second Pianoforte Trio in C minor, dedicated 

to Spohr, was also first publicly performed by the 

same artists . Mention of Spohr serves to remind 

me of his words to Hauptmann upon hearing of the 

sudden death of the composer in November, 1847. 

"What might Mendelssohn, in the full maturity of 

his genius. not have written ! His loss to art is 

much to be lamented, for he was the most gifted 

of living composers, and his efforts in art were of 

the noblest." 

F rom the tribute of Spohr, let us tunJ to that 

of the Prince-himself a musician-whose love of 

music was passionate, and whose critical judgment 

was of the soundest and best. Some days after the 

performance of the " EliJah," at Exeter Hall, on the 

16th of April, 1847, Prince Albert sent to Mendelssohn 

the printed score which he had used at the 

performance, on the first page of which was written, 

"To the noblest artist, who, surrounded by the

, 


Baal-worship of corrupted art, has been able, by his 

genius and science, to preserve faithfully, like 

another Elijah, the worship of true art, and once 

more to accustom our ear, lost in the whirl of an 

empty play of sounds, to the pure notes of expressive 

composition and legitimate harmony, to the 

great master, wllo makes us conscious of the unity 

of his conception, through the whole maze of his 

creation, from the soft whispering to the mighty 

raging of the elements ! Written in -token of grateful 

remembrance by 

" ALBERT. 

"Buckingham Palace, April 24th, 1847." 

We must next refer to- Mendelssohn's friend, Ferdinand 

David, born at Hamburg, in 1810. David 

became a pupil of Spohr's about his fourteenth 

year. Moscheles, writing in 1838, says, "this 

worthy pupil of Spohr played his master's music 

in grand and noble style," "his Quartett playing " 

" delighted everyone with any gnuine artistic taste." 

This refers to the period when David visited 

England. In 1836, he became leader of the 

Gewandhaus Concerts at Leipsic, which appointment 

he retained to the end of his days. Mr. 

Chorley has recorded, "I had never met then-I 

have never met since-with any executive head of 

an orchestra, to compare with Herr David : spirit, 

delicacy, and consummate intelligence, are combined 

in him in no ordinary measure, and with the crownmg 

charm of that good-will and sympathy which 

D D

434 THE VIOLIN AND ITS J,fUSIC. 

only await citizens as worthy in head and heart 

as he." Mendelssohn's estimate of David's abilities 

may be gathered from a letter he addressed 

to him in 1838, when he says, "there are not many . 

musicians, who like yourself, pursue steadily the 

broad straight road in art." Further on Mendelssohn 

refers to his intention of writing a Violin Concerto 

for him, remarking, "one in E minor runs in my 

head, the beginning of which gives me no peace." 

I t is scarcely necessary to mention that this is the 

Concerto referred to in the notice of Mendelssohn. 

David died in July, 1873, and was buried at Leipsic, 

where his name has recently been perpetuated 

in the street nomenclature of the city-a worthy 

tribute to the memory of a great artist. His 

original compositions for the Violin include many 

highly valued works. Five Concertos, Violin School, 

Salonsttick, Kammersttick, and others. 

Andreas Romberg (cousin of the famous Violoncellist, 

Bernard Romberg,) was born in 176 7; 

he appeared at the Concert Spirituel, in Paris, in 

1 784. At Hamburg, in 18II, Spohr became acquainted 

with Andreas Romberg, and appears to 

have valued his abilities and judgment. He relates 

that upon bringing under Romberg's notice two 

of his Quartetts, he said, "your Quartetts will not 

do yet ; they are far behind your orchestral pieces ! " 

Spohr ingenuously confesses that he quite agreed 

with him, but that he nevertheless, was wounded 

to hear anybody else express the opinion. Romberg


died In r821. His compositions include four 

Concertos, and several Quartetts and Duetts, &c. ; 

the latter are still admired. 

The sectional treatment of our subject having 

been mainly developed-musically speaking-·-in 

semi-chronologic progressions, abrupt topographic 

transitions, have necessarily been largely used 

in the modulation. Thus it is we have again 

to return to Vienna, the city above all others 

wherein the greatest achievements in modern music 

have been accomplished. Here. the famous Hungarian, 

Joseph Boehm, passed fifty years ; he whose 

name among Violinists is familiar, as the most 

successful teacher of the Violin of recent times. 

When it is remembered that he was the master of 

Ernst, Hellmesberger, and Joachim, his title to the 

first place among teachers can hardly be questioned. 

I have already referred to the influence of Rode, 

through Spohr, on German Violin playing. Spohr 

did his best to imitate the French artist ; Boehm 

had a great advantage over Spohr, inasmuch as 

he received direct tuition from Rode, and, manifest- 

ing so much ability, caused his 

unusual interest in the lessons. 

1876, in his seventy-eighth year. 

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was 

master to take 

Boehm died 111 

born in r 8 1 4, 111 

Moravia-that part of Europe already noticedwhere 

James II.'s famous Chapel-master, M r. 

Godfrey Finger, first saw the light ; he who published 

in r690, six Violin Solos. From Finger to 

D D 2


Ernst covers a wide space periodically, but if we 

compare the six Solos with the Concerto in F sharp 

minor, Op. 23, we shall readily discover a wider 

one musically. Were we to follow the mode 

H ummel had of defining the executive character of 

his music, we should name Finger's Solos simplicity 

itself. and the Concerto of Ernst, difficulty unsurpassed. 

Leaving these extremities, and turning 

to the subject of our notice, it may be truly said 

Ernst possessed the quality of sentiment in relation 

to Violin-playing to a higher degree than any of 

Germany's long line of Violinists. Nay, more, he 

possessed it, artistically considered, beyond all the 

Violinists of modern times in all countries. When 

\ve add to this that his executive skill was altogether 

exceptional, and that he was not less distinguished 

as a composer for his instrument, the extent of his 

powers may be imagined. As a man he was most 

amiable and kind-hearted, beloved alike by his 

friends and brother artists. 

Ferdinand Hiller relates that the winter of r839 

at Leipsic "was remarkable for the appearance of 

some of the most brilliant players. First of all 

Ernst, then at the summit of his talent, and 

enchanting the whole world. Mendelssohn was 

very fond of him. Ernst told me one day, almost 

with emotion, how, at the time of his concerts in the 

Konigstadter Theatre at Berlin, he was very much 

pressed one morning in Mendelssohn's presence to 

put down hi " Elegie " in the programme agalO,


though he had already played it I don't know how 

many times, when Mendelssohn also began urging 

him to do it ; Ernst answered, in fun, 'If you will 

accompany me I will,' and Mendelssohn made his 

appearance on the Konigstadter stage, accompanied 

the ' Elegie,' and vanished." Further on we read 

of the friendship of Ernst and David :-" It was not 

only their beloved Violins which united David and 

Ernst, but also the game of whist. I certainly 

believe that neither of them ever played the Violin 

so late into the night as they did whist." In a letter 

from Mendelssohn to his brother, dated Leipsic, 

February, r840, we have :-" On Sunday evening 

Ernst played four Quartetts at Hiller's, one of them 

was the E minor of Beethoven, and mine in E flat 

major." "Early on Monday the rehearsal took 

place, and in the evening the Concert, where I 

accompanied him in his ' Elegie.' " 

I t is needless in these pages to follow Ernst 

throughout his artistic career : passing therefore to 

the period of his illness in r 863, it may be 

mentioned, that he was then under hydropathic 

treatment, and for some time was the guest of 

Lord Lytton, at Knebsworth. It was then that 

his host dedicated to him, the reprint of the series 

of essays, entitled "Caxtoniana." The following 

letter, full of tenderness and artistic respect, was 

penned by Joachim, on the occasion of his playing 

the MS. Quartett, which took place May 28th, 

1864, at the Monday Popular Concerts :-


" Dear and honoured friend,- 

"However sorry I am, that, after you were 

beginning to get better, your patience should 

be again subjected to so hard a trial, the confidence 

expressed by your physician affords me 

consolation. I certainly had hoped, from the 

account my brother has from time to time given 

me of you, that, on the occasion of our meeting 

again this spring, I should once more have enjoyed 

the pleasure of hearing the magnificent tones of 

your Violin. Providence decrees otherwise. I am 

not destined, dear master, to hear you ; and thus to 

me, thanks to your confidence, is entrusted the noble 

task of making the musical world of London acquainted 

with your newest creatioN. I need scarcely 

say with what deep love I shall devote myself to the 

service of your muse. Command me as you will, 

and let me soon know on what day your concert 

is to take place. I am exceedingly anxious to see 

your E tudes. Your devoted friend, 

" JOSEPH JOACHIM ." 

The Studies referred to in the above letter are 

those which the composer dedicated to his brother 

artists ;- 

No. 1. F major, to Laub. 

2. A » » Sainton. 

3· E » " Joachim. 

4· C " » Vieuxtemps. 

5 · Ef, » " H ellmesberger. 

6. G » » Bazzini.

THE VI OLfN IN GERMANY. 439 

Among the best known compositions of Ernst, are, 

"Hungarian Airs, Op. 22 ; "O!ello Fantasia ;" 

"Rondo Papageno ;" "Ehgie," to which Spohr 

wrote an introduction; " Pensees Fugitives," in conjunction 

with Stephen Heller, among which are 

charming pieces, notably a Romance, Lied, Agitato, 

Reverie, and " Inquietude "; two Quartetts (the first 

of which is published) ; Concerto, Op. 2 3. Herr 

Ernst died at Nice in 1865. 

Boehm's pupil, George Hellmesberger, was born 

in 1800, and became, like his master, an eminent 

teacher at Vienna. His son Joseph, born in 1828, 

to whom Ernst dedicated the study in E flat, is 

rightly regarded as an artist of the first rank, and 

to whom the highest praise is due for the sound 

artistic judgment he has manifested in relation to 

Quartett-playing in connection with his concerts at 

Vienna. 

I t now remains to notice the most eminent of 

living Violinists, Joseph Joachim, born at Kittsee, in 

Hungary, June 28th, 1831. After receiving lessons 

for some years of Boehm, at Vienna, he went to 

Leipsic, and became intimately associated with 

Mendelssohn and Ferdinand David, studying with 

the eminent Violin master the music of Bach and 

others. 

In 1844 he appeared at the fifth Concert of the 

Philharmonic Society, and performed the Concerto 

of Beethoven in a manner, Mr. Hogarth relates, 

"which astonished and delighted the audience, and

440 THE VIOLIN AND ITS lVI USIC. 

justified the splendid reputation which, even at that 

early age (13), he had achieved throughout Europe." 

In 1847, Moscheles, writing of the musical parties 

held at Mendelssohn's, says, "On the last occasion 

our favourite Joachim was there ; Felix accompanied 

him in his Violin Concerto, and both played the 

music by heart." Joachim was then in his sixteenth 

year. A week or so later we read of him taking 

part in a charade on the word "Gewandhaus," 

on the occasion of Mendelssohn's last birthday. 

" Joachim, adorned with a fantastic wig a la Paganini, 

played a hare-brained impromptu on the 

fourth string." The whole word "Gewandhaus " 

was illustrated by an orchestra, Mendelssohn and 

the children of Moscheles playing on little drums 

and trumpets, Joachim leading with a toy Violin. 

But let us return to the serious, with the Monday 

Popular Concerts, from the opening season of which 

in 1859, Herr Joachim has been the chief Violinist. 

In 187 7, the subject of our notice received the 

honorary degree of Doctor of Music at Cambridge, 

writing for the occasion an Overture. His compositions 

include the Hungarian Concerto, a work 

needing executive skill of the highest order to 

render with any effect ; a Concerto in G minor 

Op, 3; Hebrew Melodies for the Tenor ; Orchestral 

works, &c. 

Herr Lauterbach the Violinist was born in 

Bavaria, in 1832. In 1861 he succeeded Lipinski 

at Dresden. Three years later Lauterbach came

7 HE VIOLIN IN GERMANY. 441 

to England, and appeared at the Philharmonic 

Concerts. The Quartett Concerts given at Dresden 

by Lauterbach, in conjunction with GrUtzmacher, 

have a wide reputation . 

. Ferdinand Laub was born at Prague in 1832. 

H is fame among Violinists was of the highest 

character. He possessed all the qualities necessary 

to make a great artist ; passion, finished execution, 

broad style, and large tone. He died in 1875. 

I t would be easy to lengthen my section with 

references to both musicians and music. relative 

to our subject, but the number of my page serves 

to remind me of that Dutch policy in the Spice 

Islands previously noticed, and, am, therefore, somewhat 

reluctantly obliged to end my section Tempo 

.frettoloso, rather than Tempo comodo. 

The music of Schumann, in many instances, it 

is almost needless to remark, belongs to the highest 

order of musical art ; mention alone of the Quintett 

in E flat establishes the truth of this. From 

Schumann we have two Pianoforte Trios, String 

Quartetts, &c. The contributions of Johannes 

Brahms to the music of the Violin, include works 

of a more or less important kind, including the 

Sextett in G, Pianoforte Quartetts, String Quartetts, 

&c., &c. vVith the mention of Raff, Rubinstein, 

and Max-Bruch, as eminent contemporary composers 

of music associated with the leading instrument, 

my remarks upon the progress of the music of the 

Violin in Germany must end.

cdion IJ.-'Ql:Jte 'it'ltolin in

THE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 443 

essentially vulgar. that for them to proclaim their 

opinions would, in all probability, have endangered 

their professional status. -M uch courage was therefore 

needed to overcome the seeming anomaly of 

the polite world emulating the mobility in associating 

itself with a vulgar Fiddle. We have already 

noticed Sir Roger L'Estrange's sarcastic remarks, 

" A Fiddle under my cloak ! 'Twas an oversight he 

did not te11 my lord to what company of Fiddlers I 

belonged ! "-observations conclusively pointing to 

the instrument's degradation. With these feelings 

rife, it is easy to understand the emulation of the 

common Fiddler was all but avoided, and not until 

the French Court had its Violin band was the way 

paved for the introduction of the instrument into the 

higher circles of English society. 

Since we have seen that the itinerant Fiddler was 

in possession of the leading instrument before his 

betters, he is at least deserving of primary notice. 

That he adopted it from an intuitive knowledge of 

its surpassing excellencies cannot be said. Its 

portability was doubtless its chief attraction. Dr. 

Earle, afterwards Bishop of Worcester, describes a 

Fiddler of the Stuart times'i:< as ; , a man and Fiddle 

out of case (his cloak bag was its case), and he in 

worse case than his Fiddle ; one that rubs two sticks 

together (as the Indians strike fire), and rubs a poor 

living out of it ; partly from this, and partly from 

your charity, which is more in the hearing than 

7(. "Microcosmography, or a Piece of the World."

444 THE VIOLIN AND lTS hIUSIC. 

glvmg him, for he sells nothing dearer than to be 

gone. He is just so many strings above a beggar, 

though he have but two, and yet he begs too ; only 

not in the downright for ' God's sake,' but with a 

shrugging ' God bless you,' and his face is more pin'd 

than the blind man's. Hunger is the greatest pain 

he takes, except a broken head sometimes, and the 

labouring John Dory."* 

Butler refers to a Fiddler in his usual vein of 

wit and humour. His " Crowdero," was the portrait 

of one Jackson, who lost his leg in the service 

of the Roundheads, after which misfortune he relinquished 

his millinery business in the Strand and 

became a professional Fiddler. Sir Roger L'Estrange 

who was intimate with the poet, and not unfamiliar 

with the Fiddler, made known this fact-- 

" A squeaking engine he apply'd 

Unto his neck, on north east side, 

Just where the hangman does dispose, 

To special friends, the knot or noose ; 

For 'tis great grace, when statesmen straight 

Dispatch a friend, let others wait." 

" His grisly beard vvas long and thick, 

With which he strung his fiddle-stick ; 

For he to horse-tail scorn'd to owe, 

For what on his own chin did grow." 

"Hudibras," Part I., Canto 2. 

When Oliver Cromwell's authority was at its 

greatest height, and nearing its end, the poor 

Fiddler was deemed of sufficient importance for a 

"* John Dory is the title of a fam ous song, which Dryden refers to 

as one of the most hackneyed of his time.


clause in an enactment to be specially allotted to him. 

I t was a legal instrument of unmistakable character, 

and if not sufficient to annihilate the itinerant 

scrapers, or those (, goin'-a-buskin,"* it was enough 

to stop their growth. 

I t now remains to notice the music of these 

merry men, which consisted of Hornpipes, Jigs, 

North Country Fisks, Rounds, and Morrises. The 

Hornpipe derived its name from a little instrument 

in the form of a pipe with a mouthpiece, used in 

Eng-!and as late as the time of Charles I I. The 

genuine Old English Hornpipe was written in triple 

time, simple or compound. All those in common 

time are not earlier than the latter part of the last 

century. 

The name Jig, as applied to a lively dance, I 

have already referred to in the Section on the 

Gothic Viol, and also its connection with the German 

Geige or Fiddle. Rounds and North Country 

Fisks, we call country dances ; Morrises were 

dances connected with pageants and processions. 

The Wait who piped watch within the Court of 

the Castle in the time of Edward IV. has been 

noticed. I t now remains to speak of the Waits of 

London and Westminster, who were expert musicians 

retained by the municipal authorities to attend 

* Goin'-a-buskin was an expression used in the time of Edward 

I V., and presumably gave rise to the term "buskers," as still 

applied to those musicians who perform outside public houses, by the 

members of their section of the profession

7 HE VIOLIN AND ITS jJ1USIC. 

at "feasts and solemn meetings." They also 

played in the streets at night during the winter, 

and not, as became the custom afterwards, specially 

at the Christmas season. Their performances were 

generally in unison, their instruments numbering 

sometimes six Violins with an equal number of 

Hautboys. Among their favourite tunes were those 

entitled, "Green Sleeves," " Yellow Stockings," 

" Old Simon the King," and " Hedge Lane." This 

last-nlentioned tune was composed by John Bannister, 

son of one of the Waits of the parish of Saint 

Giles. The topographical history of the title of this 

tune is peculiarly interesting to me personally, and 

is perhaps sufficiently curious to interest the reader. 

I t is rare to be able to point to the name of a once 

popular melody as indicative of one's birth-place. 

Hedge Lane, however, enables me to do so, since 

tm00 - 

HEDGE LANE. 

';:J. IT=t==3=-lm 

-- PI-.-.-'--;t --·.--·::+----.-r==. . ..-.· ---- 

-- -,J- 

. 

-.- . . 

# 

j ( re 

.. -.- 

*%WJ .... "" r EJ 

__ .-+ ---. •• ---=1= :+ 

--- : -.- T 

'-' -"'i£·-'-,· -· --- - 

the Hedge Lane of Charles 1.'s time has become 

the Princes Street of to-day ; and it is at least 

remarkable that the tune was written by the son of 

one of England's earliest Fiddlers, and that the 

Hedge Lane of that period should be now the place 

where Fiddle-makers mostly do congregate.

THE VIOLlN IN ENGLAND. -447 

The long residence of King Charles 1. and his 

Court at Oxford during the time of the Civil War 

brought there a great number of musical men by 

profession and dilettanti, it being seemingly the only 

place in the kingdom where they could ply their 

art with safety, either for subsistence or amusemer'lt. 

Whether Oxford music meetings thus originated 

with the assembly of musicians, we have no opportunity 

of discovering, but we learn from their 

chronicler, Anthony Wood, that about this period 

they were in full force, and that at the house of 

vV illiam Ellis, the Organist of St. John's College, 

music meetings were regularly held. Among those 

who took part in these entertainments is said to 

have been the best performer on the Lute in 

England, and servant in ordinary in the faculty of 

music to the King. 

I n the " Life of Anthony \;V ood," we are informed 

that " The Violin had not hitherto (in the year 165 3) 

been used in consort among gentlemen, only by 

common musicians, who played but two parts. The 

gentlemen in private meetings, (which Anthony 

Wood frequented) played three, four, and five parts, 

with Viols as Treble Viol, Tenor, Counter-Tenor, 

and Bass, with an Organ, Virginal or Harpsican 

joined with them, and they esteemed a Violin only 

belonging to a common Fiddler, and could not 

endure that it should come among them, for fear of 

making their meetings to be vain and Fiddling." 

This account at once clearly establishes the true

THE VIOLIN AND ITS lI1USIC. 

position of the Violin in the middle of the seventeenth 

century in England. 

In the year 1657 Matthew Lock published music 

for the Violin, with the title, " Little Consort of three 

parts, containing Pavons, Corants, and Sarabands 

for Viols or Violins." Four years prior to this, 

however, we have mention of a work which, if 

correctly described, would be the earliest String 

Quartett from the pen of an Englishman. I refer 

to the " Set of Ayres," for two Violins, Tenor and 

Bass, mentioned by Anthony Wood as having been 

composed by Dr. Benjamin Rogers, and sent as a 

rarity to the Archduke Leopold. * 

Anthony Wood, speaking of Rogers, relates, 

" His compositions for instrumental music, whether 

in two, three, or four parts, have been highly valued, 

and were always, thirty years ago or more, first 

called for, taken out and played, as well in the 

public music school as in the private chambers ; and 

Dr. vVilson, the professor, the greatest and most 

curious judge of music that ever was, usually wept 

when he heard them well performed, as being wrapt 

up in an extasy, or if you will, melted down, while 

others smiled or had their hands and eyes lifted up 

at the excellency of them." This description is 

indeed a vivid one of an appreciative audience 

during the sombre days of the Puritans. Dr. Rogers 

wrote also, in connection with others, "Court Ayres, 

* Dr. Burney says, " It does not appear that these pieces were 

ever printed."

THE VI OLIN IN ENGLAND. 449 

conslst1l1g of Pavans, Allemandes, and Sarabands, 

of two parts, published by Playford in I655. He 

composed in I662 some Court-Masquing Airs, 

which were sent into Holland and played before the 

States General at the conclusion of the treaty of 

peace, when Lord Hollis was Ambassador there 

whom it is said, "with others at the playing thereof 

did drink wine to Minehere Rogers of England." 

Notwithstanding the Continental reputation enjoyed 

by Rogers and other English musicians at 

this date, we became deaf to the goodness of our 

native music, and looked abroad for much of that 

we had at home. Matthew Lock, in the preface to 

his compositions for Viols or Violins, remarks, "For 

those mountebanks of wit who think it necessary to 

dispara.ge all they meet with of their own countrymen, 

because there have been, and are, some excellent 

things done by strangers, I shall make bold 

to tell them that I never yet saw any foreign 

instrumental composition (a few French Corants 

excepted,) worthy of an Englishman's transcribing." 

This reference to the excellence of our instrumental 

compositions appear to have been generally admitted. 

Roger North says, "The Italian masters, 

who always did or ought to lead the van in music, 

printed pieces they called Fantazias, wherein was 

air and variety enough : and afterwards these were 

imitated by the English, who, working more elaborately, 

improved upon their pattern, which gave 

occasion to an observation, ' that in Vocal the 

E E

4 5 0 THE VIOLhV AND ITS MUSIC. 

I talians, and in the Instrumental the English excelled.' 

'' Unquestionably native musical ability in 

England was of a very high order down to the 

period of the Restoration, and probably would have 

been all-sufficient to have made us as great a nation 

of music creators, as we are and have been of music 

lovers ; but, unfortunately, the pith and marrow of 

our musical greatness were lost to us at a critical 

time by fanatical persecution and the fooleries 

which followed. It was then that we began to 

lose confidence in our musical abilities, and it must 

be confessed have never succeeded in completely 

regaining them. 

De Quincey has written, * "John Bull, who 

piques himself so much and so justly on the useful 

and the respectable, on British industry, British faith, 

I3ritish hardware," "and generally speaking upon 

British arts-provided only they are the useful and 

mechanical arts-this same John Bull has the most 

sheepish distrust of himself in every accomplishment 

that professes a purpose of ornament and mere 

beauty. Here he has a universal superstition in 

favour of names in ano and ilZO." " Strange that the 

nation whose poetry and drama discover by degrees 

so infinitely the most passion, should in their music 

discover the least !" Since De Quincey gave expression 

to these opinions, we have made great 

progre5s in artistic matters ; and let us hope that 

our advancement in creative and executive musical 

.. Essay on Dr. Parr and his Contemporaries.

THE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 45 I 

ability will ere long be in proportion to our passionate 

love of the art. We have long since got beyond 

patronising artists whose names terminate in anD 

and ino, for mere fashion's sake, even if we ever did 

so, to the extent often supposed. We are an 

essentially practical and commercial people, and our 

views in relation to Art are in no way different to 

those we take of things in general. Our admiration 

and patronage of British ingenuity and mechanical 

skill exists because both are excellent, and not 

obtainable elsewhere. 

Mendelssohn clearly recognised our views with 

regard to music. Writing to his friend Devrient 

from England in I829, he said. "Here music is 

treated as a business , it is calculated, paid for, and 

bargained over." We were not slow to discern the 

originality of thought and execution in our two 

greatest musicians, Henry Purcell and Sterndale 

Bennett (regrettably far removed in time from each 

other). Neither have we failed to appreciate the 

merits of the Glees of Bishop and the admirable 

Part-Songs of Hatton ; nor shall we their equals 

in the future. Genius and ability .in music, whether 

of foreign or home growth, is not likely to be 

underrated by a people whose sound judgment is 

ineffaceably recorded in the annals of the Art from 

the time of Handel to the coming of Haydn and 

Mendelssohn, taken together with our commissions 

to Mozart and Beethoven. 

In the letter of Mendelssohn containing the 

E E 2


reference just noticed, he remarks, "I have no 

intention to sing the praises of English musicians, 

but when they eat an apple-pie, at all events they 

do not talk about the abstract nature of a pie, and 

of the affinities of its constituent crust and apple ; 

but they heartily eat it down." I am aware we 

have made considerable progress (?) in the analyzation 

of musical thought and feeling since Mendelssohn 

paid us this compliment. Fashion has 

its votaries in music as well as in everything else ; 

but withal, there remains a large section of the 

music-loving public deaf to its teachings, and 

content to be twitted as antiquated and' conservative, 

if it be musical conservatism to admire alone 

those masters who developed their art untrammeled 

by visionary emotional formulas. In retaining 

these old-fashioned tastes, we shall be no less able 

to welcome and appreciate the equivalent of the 

masterpieces of Beethoven from the pen of a newlyborn 

composer, than the lovers of literature the 

equals of the works of Shakspeare or Milton from 

a nineteenth-century playwright and poet.

J OHN 

edhm IJ.-CQIhe iHnlin in


Though written, Dr. Burney says, "professedly 

III the Italian style," he could hardly have been 

familiar with the few early Italian compositions of 

the same order, and though he had been, he would 

not be deprived of praise on the score of originality, 

his musical knowledge being quite equal, if not 

superior, to the composers for the Violin at hat 

time in Italy." Corelli, it must be remembered, was 

but seven years old when Jenkins's Sonatas were · 

engraved ; he had not, therefore, that great master 

to take as his model. \Ve are indebted for the 

principal items of information we possess concerning 

] ohn Jenkins, to Roger North, who tells us he 

enjoyed both his acquaintance and friendship, and 

was therefore well-informed concerning him :- 

" Jenkins was born at Maidstone, in Kent, in 

the year 1592. He lived in King James's time and 

flourished in King Charles 1.'s. His talents lay in 

the use of the Lute and Bass, or rather Lyra-Viol. 

He was one of the Court musicians, and once was 

brought to play upon the Lyra-Viol before King 

Charles 1. as one that performed somewhat extraordinary." 

Anthony vVood speaks of him as, " the 

mirror and wonder of his age for music," and Dr. 

John Wilson, chamber-musician to King Charles, 

said he was not only admired in England but beyond 

the seas. From these contemporary opinions we 

are able to judge of the character and extent of 

John j ' enkins's abilities. I t is at least regretable 

that so eminent a musician entered upon his career

THE Vi OLIN iN ENGLAND. 455 

at a period of our history peculiarly unfortunate for 

the advancement of the musical 'art. The nation 

was then drifting into civil war. The King, a true . 

lover and patron of the art, was too much occupied 

with personal government to give that attention and 

encouragement which he had not withheld in quieter 

times from those less gifted than John ] enkins. 

But for these events the man who proved himself 

. capable of giving a new life to an instrument then 

held in contempt, would, in all probability, have 

brought forward the Violin and its music at a much 

earlier date, and led to the association of eminent 

English musicians with the instrument's progress to 

a degree hardly thought of, for it must not be forgotten 

we were well to the front in music when the 

King and people made war on each other. The 

total suppression of the Cathedral service in 1643, 

at once deprived the leading musicians of their 

chief source of income ; this, together with the 

followers of music as a profession having taken 

the King's side, forced them to seek shelter under 

the roofs of a few votaries of the art in different 

parts of the country, there ' to play and compose 

with fear 'and trembling. North tells us, "There 

was a Society of Gentlemen of good esteem, whom 

I shall not name, .lor some 0.1 them as I hear are still 

living, that used to meet often for consort," which 

clearly shows how dangerous it was to be associated 

with, or taken in the act of playing the Fiddle. 

Others retired to Oxford, where they remained


until the Restoration, when they were called to take 

their places in the Cathedral cities, to re-kindle the 

few embers of music remaining to the inhabitants. 

John Jenkins was fortunate in his retirement, 

inasmuch as he gained the friendship and esteem of 

men high in position and ability, in whose homes, 

he was ever a welcome guest. In more than one 

of these, a chamber was specially appropriated to 

his use, and named "Jenkins' Room." He chiefly 

resided at H unstanton Hall, Norfolk, the seat of 

Sir Hamon L'Estrange, the father of Sir Roger 

L'Estrange, of Royalist fame. Here he composed 

I nstrumental and Vocal music, both serious and 

humourous, the greater part of which was done 

without any thought of its being printed, and 

doubtless, regarded as compositions written to-day 

and forgotten to-morrow ; many of these were copied 

and circulated. As an instance of his productiveness 

and forgetfulness of his own writings, it is 

related : "a Spanish Don sent some papers to Sir 

Peter Lely, the state painter to King Charles 11., 

containing a single part of a concerted piece of 

music, expressing a wish that Sir Peter should 

procure the remaining parts. Upon shewing them 

to Roger North, he suggested Jenkins being consulted 

; this was accordingly done, who, immediately 

claimed the composition as his own, but was quite 

unable to say, when, or where he wrote it. Jenkins 

died at Kimberley, in Norfolk, (probably at the 

house of his patron, Sir P. Wodehouse), and was

7HE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 457 

buried there October 29th, 1678. The following 

curious epitaph is said to have been on his gravestone 

:- 

" Under this stone rare J enkyns lye 

The master of the Musick Art, 

Whom from the Earth, the God on high, 

Called up to Him, to bear his part. 

Aged 86, October 27, 

In Anno '78, he went to Heaven." 

The earliest Violin instruction work published in 

England, appears to have been the "Introduction 

to the playing on the Treble-Violin, in Playford's 

" Skill of Musick," 1655, in which he tells us "the 

Treble Violin is a cheerful and sprightly instrument, 

much played of late, some by book, and some 

without." We have here given us, the manner of 

holding the Violin in times past, in the following 

words, "First the Violin is usually play'd above 

hand, the neck thereof being held by the left hand ; 

the lower part must be rsted on the left breast, a little 

below the shoulder ; the bow between the ends of 

the thumb and the three fingers, the thumb being 

stayed upon the hair at the nut, and the three 

fingers resting upon the wood." The next book 

of the kind, "vas, probably that of John Lenton, 

a member of William and Mary's state band, the 

title of which runs, "The Gentleman's Diversion, 

or the Violin explained." A second edition was 

issued in I 702, under the title of "The Useful 

Instructor on the Violin ;" in which the learner is 

cautioned against holding his Fiddle under the chin,


as against a most unaccountable practice, namely, 

the holding it so low as the girdle, which he states, 

"some do in imitation of the Italians." Lenton, 

therefore, considered the instrument should rest on 

the breast as recommended in Playford's book. 

That the Violin was not held "as low as the girdle," 

in Italy, by any but street minstrels, need hardly 

be said. The mode of holding the instrument 

among good Italian players, differed only from the " 

present manner in placing the chin on the reverse 

side of the tail-piece. 

\Vith the middle of the seventeenth century, 

we reach the period when the Puritans had accomplished 

their savage work of destruction among 

the arts and amusements of the people. Poetry, 

the Drama, and Music had been attacked with such 

virulence as to render their very existence doubtful 

in the future. The players were flogged, their plays 

and interludes suppressed as having been "condemned 

by ancient heathen, and by no means to 

be tolerated among professors of the Christian 

religion." Of ecclesiastical music it was said, " One 

single groan in the spirit is worth the diapason of 

all the Church music in the world." At Chichester, 

in I 64 2, the rebels broke down the organs, and 

dashing the pipes with their pole-axes scoffingly 

said, 'Hark ! how the organs go.' " At Peterborough 

they destroyed the pair of organs, carrying 

the wreck to the market-place habited in capes and 

surplices, using the organ bellows to blow the coals


of a bonfire to burn them. Perhaps it was best 

the fanatical rage of the Puritans should have been 

thus manifested, had it been less violent the ' people 

in all probability would have longer been submis 

sive to their tyranny, until the arts had passed 

to a condition of torpor past re-arousing. We 

are told that, "Under sober clothing, and under 

visages composed to the expression of austerity, lay 

hid during several years the intense desire of license 

of revenge." At length that desire was gratified. 

The Restoration emancipated thousands of minds 

from a yoke which had become insupportable. 

Though Charles IL's music was anything but 

refined, disliking all that he could not " stamp the 

time to," yet it appears to us, viewed at this distance, 

that even this vulgar and imperfect knowledge 

helped greatly to re-kindle the art among his people. 

To the fact of his appreciating vulg-ar music is 

traceable in no slight degree, the practice and study 

of the Violin in England. During his days of exile 

and penury he wrote from Bruges to his friend Henry 

Bennet, afterwards Earl of Arlington, to obtain him 

as many new Corants, Sarabands, and other dances 

as possible, for he had a' " small Fiddler," who did 

not play ill on the Fiddle. A year later (r656) he 

again wrote to Bennet to procure him a second 

Fiddler to bear him company. We therefore see 

that the King was particularly interested in the 

leading instrument, which, it must not be forgotten, 

was then regarded by Englishmen of culture as


only fit to be he heard in tap-rooms. John Evelyn 

recorded in his diary in I662, "One of his Majesty's 

chaplains preached, after which, instead of the 

ancient, grave, and solemn wind music accompanying 

the organ, was introduced a Concert of twenty-four 

Violins, after the French fantastical light way, better 

suiting a tavern or play-house than a church." 

Charles I 1 . possibly became an admirer of the 

Violin upon the occasion of his second visit to Paris, 

about 165 I . It was then that he heard the band 

of twenty-fo ur belonging to the Court of Louis XIV. 

The music was tuneful and trivial, which served to 

cover the defective execution of it ; for it must not 

be forgotten that Lully did not take the band under 

his guidance until r655, a year after Charles II. had 

quitted the French capital. 

In the same year that King Charles was interesting 

himself in the Violin at Bruges, there were 

signs at home of the breaking of the cloud which 

had so long enveloped Music and the Drama, 

inasmuch as permission was given to Sir William 

Davenant the poet to open a theatre for the 

performance of operas in a room at the back of 

Rutland House, in Aldersgate Street. The " Siege 

of Rhodes " was produced, the vocal music of which 

was composed by Lawes, Cook, and Matthew Lock. 

The instrumental portion by Dr. Coleman and George 

Hudson performed by Webb, Christopher Gibbons 

son of Orlando Gibbons-Madge, and Baltzar.'" 

* See Page 329.

I 

£ttion IJ.-ccrrhe 'l1iolin in QtngLnn:tl. 

CHAPTER III. 

N the year 1683, a set of Sonatas was issued 

for two Violins and a Bass, which may be 

said to mark an era in music in England. In the 

preface, the author says he has faithfully endeavoured 

a just imitation of the most famed 

I talian masters, principally to bring the seriousness 

and gravity of that sort of music into vogue and 

reputation among our countrymen, whose humour 

'tis time now should begin to loathe the levity and 

balladry of our neighbours. The attempt he 

confesses to be bold and daring ; there being 

pens, and artists of more eminent abilities, much 

better qualified for the employment than his or 

himself, which he well hopes these his weak 

endeavours will in due time provoke and enftame 

to a more accurate undertaking ; he is not ashamed 

to own his unskilfulness in the I tali an language, 

but that is the unhappiness of his education ; which 

cannot be justly counted his fault ; however, he 

thinks he may warrantably affirm that he is not 

mistaken in the power of the I talian notes, or 

elegancy of their compositions."


This musical reformer was Henry Purcell, 

English by birth and parentage, spoken of in 

the same breath with the greatest luminaries of the 

musical art. Accustomed as we are by frequent 

reiteration to regard ourselves as a non-composing 

musical people, the bare mention of the name 

Purcell at once brings us to a sense of our dignity. 

Of him we can speak as an I talian of Palestrina, 

or a German of Bach or Handel ; for although it 

cannot be said, the English musician left us the 

imperishable works of a Bach or Handel, yet, when 

the flimsiness of the material he had to compose 

with, together with his short career, is thought of, 

we marvel that he obtained such good results, and 

are led to think that he even surpassed in genius 

his great followers. That Purcell was deeply 

impressed with the beauties of the Italian school of 

music, and strenuous in his endeavours to reform 

our own, is evidenced in the dedication of his 

" Diocletian " to the Duke of Somerset, wherein 

he says, "Poetry and painting have arrived to their 

perfection in our country ; music is yet but in its 

nonage, a forward child, which gives hope of what 

it may be hereafter in England, when the masters 

shall find more encouragement. 'Tis now learning 

Italian, which is its best master, and studying a 

little of the French air, to give it somewhat more 

of gaiety and fashion. Thus being farther from the 

sun ; we are of later growth than our neighbouring 

countries, and must be content to shake off our

THE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 

barbarity by degrees." We thus see that Purcell 

occupies a similar position in music to that of 

Chaucer in poetry : they were fathers to their 

respective arts. The poet, sensible of the rudeness 

of his speech- 

" Learned at Padua of a worthy clerk, 

Francis Petrarch, the laureat poet ; 

Hight, this clerk, whose rhetoric sweet, 

Enlumined all Italy of poetry." 

" Canterbury Tales." 

The mUSICIan equally sensible 

character of our then national 

of the jerking 

mUSIC, turned to 

I taly to soften its cadences. 

The poet cast aside the romance poetry of 

France. The musician, the "balladry " of our 

neighbours. Both poet and musician raised the 

standard of excellence in their respective arts, and 

bid their countrymen rally around it. The father of 

English poetry had an army in his wake ; the 

father of English music but a few stragglers. That 

this should have been so is curious, seeing that both 

music and poetry were influenced in a manner 

precisely similar. Dr. Burney acutely remarks, 

"But it has never appeared in the course of my 

enquiries that poetry and music have advanced with 

equal pace towards perfection, in any country. 

Almost every nation. of Europe has produced good 

poetry before it could boast of such an arrangement 

of musical sounds as constitutes good melody. " 

Dr. Burney, speaking of Purcell's compositions


for the Violin, remarks he has never seen a 

becoming passage for that instrument in any one 

of his works ; but if we turn to the compositions 

written for the Violin by the Italian composers 

down to the time of Purcell, the same 

criticism would almost apply. Until Corelli wrote for 

the instrument, none had dreamt of its capabilities ; 

and Arcangelo Corelli himself had but a very faint 

idea of its unlimited powers as developed even 

by Tartini. But in another place Dr. Burney's 

praise compensates for the sweeping character of his 

former criticism, when he says, "Though his Sonatas 

discover no great knowledge of the bow, or genius 

of the instrument, they are infinitely superior in 

fancy, modulation, design, and contrivance to all the 

music of that kind anterior to the works of Corelli." 

That these Sonatas were written in imitation of the 

Italian masters, the composer acknowledges, but 

whether he refers to the style of Italian music 

generally, or in imitation of the compositions of 

Bassani, we are left to decide for ourselves. I t is 

most probable that he was influenced by his study 

of the works of Palestrina and others, without reference 

to Italian Violin compositions. 

The success attending the production of his first 

Sonatas induced him to write ten others in four 

parts, which were not published in his life-time, but 

printed in the year 1697, two years after his decease ; 

among these is the Golden Sonata, the ninth of the 

set, the reputation of which was greater than any ;

7HE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 

hence the distinctive name it bears. Dr. Tudway, 

the intimate friend and schoolfellow of Purcell, and 

an excellent musician, regarded this Sonata as equal, 

if not superior to any of Corelli's ; but it must be 

confessed the Doctor's judgment in this instance 

Was blinded by his enthusiasm. 

I t is hardly necessary to remind the reader it is 

in the ecclesiastical and dramatic styles of music 

that Purcell is chiefly known to fame. To mention 

here all his great works in these departments of the 

art would be foreign to our purpose, but a few of 

the events of this truly great man's life must not be 

omitted. Purcell ·was born in the year r658. In 

his eighteenth year he became organist of Westminster 

Abbey, an appointment which conclusively 

shows the early development of his musical abilities, 

standing alone, as it does, in the annals of our 

Ancient Metropolitan Basilica. At the age of 

nineteen he turned his attention to dramatic 

music, which led to his composing the music in 

the " Tempest," "King Arthur," and other works. 

Among his Anthems was one composed as a thanksgiving 

for the escape of King Charles I 1. and his 

brother the Duke of York from shipwreck. The 

incident is curious : the King had built a yacht 

named " The Fubbs," and resolved to test its sailing 

capabilities in a trial trip down the river and round 

the Kentish shore. It being contrary to his nature 

to omit anything or anybody conducing to joyousness, 

he shipped on board Mr. Gostling (a public 

F F

466 THE VI OLIN AND ITS ll/USIC. 

singer of renown) . U pon nearing the North Fore 

land, a violent storm arose, when the King and his 

brother were obliged to sink their dignity and work 

like co mmon seamen in order to preserv e their craft. 

The horror of the scene made such an imp ression on 

the King that upon his return to London he selected 

the words from the I07th Psalm, "They that go 

down to the sea in sh ips, that do business in great 

waters, these men see the works of the Lord, and 

his wonders in the deep," giving instructions to 

Purcell to comp ose the music, which he did to 

suit the compass of Mr. Gostling's deep Bass 

VOIce. The King, however, di d not live to hear 

him si ng it.. Thus to the providential escape of 

the Royal yacht, "The Fubbs," we owe the 

sublime anthem, "They th at go down to the sea 

in ships." 

" Sometimes a hero in an age appears, 

But scarce a Purcell in a thousand years." 

To turn from England's greatest composer to 

one of Charles IL's Fiddlers, is like stepping from 

tragedy to low comedy ; the periodic form of our 

,liscourse, however, rend ers it necessary. John 

Bannister succeeded the famous Baltzar as leader 

of the King's band of Violins in 1663. He had 

been prepared for this musical service by King 

Charles s endi ng him to France, probably to learn 

the Violin from one of Lou is ' Fiddlers. 

That he 

heard the renowned band of the French King is


clear, since he displeased his Royal master in giving 

expression to his opinion that our English players 

were superior to the French. Although we had 

passed through most trying times as regards the 

preservation of good music, yet, at the Restoration. 

there were not wanting musicians who possessed the 

sound and sterling qualities common to the educa 

ted musicians of the time of J ames and Charles. 

The band of Charles I I. contains more than one 

notable name ; men who were well able to execute, 

without practice, the light and flimsy music which 

alone gave pleasure to the King. That Louis' 

band was inferior in this respect, has been recorded 

oftentimes. 

John Bannister was one of the earliest concert 

givers in this country. An entertainment was 

advertised in the London Gazette, December 30th, 

1672, as follows : "These are to give notice that 

at Mr. John Bannister's house (now called the 

musick school), over against the " George Tavern," 

in Whyte Fryres, this present Monday, will be 

performed music by excellent masters, beginning 

precisely at four of the clock in the afternoon, and 

every afternoon for the future precisely at the 

same hour." 

Roger North, after noticing the first public 

consort meeting, held in a lane behind St. Paul's, 

where there was a chamber Organ, and some shop 

keepers and others went to sing, and " enjoy ale and 

tobacco," remarks :- 

F F 2


"The next essay was of the elder Bannister. 

who had a good theatrical vein, and in composition 

had a lively style peculiar to himself. He 

procured a large room in Whitefriars, near the 

Temple back gate, and made a large raised box for 

the musicians, whose modesty required curtains. 

The room was rounded with seats and small tables, 

alehouse fashion. One shilling was the price, and 

call for what you pleased ; there was very good 

musick, for Bannister found means to procure the 

best hands in town, and some voices to come and 

perform there, and there wanted no variety of 

humour, for Bannister himself (inter alia) did 

wonders upon a Flageolet to a thro' Bass, and the 

several masters had their solos. This continued 

full one winter, and more I remember not." This 

clearly refers to the meetings advertised in the 

LOl1don Gazette. 

In 1676 we read of another entertainment : 

., On Thursday next, at the Academy in Little 

Lincoln's Inn Fields, will begin the first part of the 

Parley of Imtruments, composed by Mr. John 

Bannister, &c., &c." 

Bannister died in 1 G 79, and, like King Charles's 

former leader, Baltzar, was interred in Westminster 

Abbey. 

At the period when John Bannister was holding 

his " Parley of Instruments," in Little Lincoln's Inn 

Fields, that greatest of coal-vendors, Thomas 

Britton, "the lover of learning, a performer of


music, and companion for gentlemen," was going his 

rounds, crying- 

=- itn e---- 

-1 

-- -------- 

-----------0--_. 

Small Coal ! 

"Tho' doom'd to small coal, yet to arts ally'd, 

Rich without wealth, and famous without pride ; 

Music's best patron, judge of books and men, 

Beloved and honour'd by Apollo's train." 

At the corner of the passage leading by the Old 

Jerusalem Tavern under the gateway of the Priory 

of St. John, Clerkenwell, Britton had his coal-shed, 

over which was the musical club-room, into which 

Tom Britton had gathered a wondrous collection of 

music, rare books, &c., and where, in r678, was 

given the first series of high-class concerts or 

meetings. The Violin as well as the Viol had its 

part in these performances. Here was often heard 

Bannister, Needler, John Hughes, and Obadiah 

Shuttleworth, and other well-known amateurs and 

professional Violinists. A few years after the estab 

lishment of Britton's club (about r680), the chief 

professors of music appear to have combined to 

disconnect their public music meetings with public 

house associations, since we read of their taking a 

room in Villiers Street, York Buildings, for concert 

meetings. There are several curious advertisements 

in the London Gazette relative to concerts there 

held. We read that in r 703, "Signor Gasparini

470 TIfE VIOLIN AND 17S MUSIC. 

and Signor Petto performed together at the Consort 

in York buildings," and Signor Saggione, "lately 

arrived from Italy," composes. This was the concert-room 

which Sir Richard Steele leased, and 

reconstructed in I 7 I 0, when Addison and he were 

interesting themselves in British Opera, reference 

to which has already been made. There is an 

amusing anecdote, that when the necessary alterations 

had been made in the building, Steele was 

anxious to try its acoustical properties. Accordingly 

he placed himself in the most remote part of the 

gallery, and begged the chief carpenter to speak up 

from the stage. The man at first said he was unaccustomed 

to public speaking, and did not know what 

to say to his honour ; but Steele called out to him 

to say whatever was uppermost, when the carpenter 

at once began : " Sir Richard Steele, for three months 

past, me and my men has been a working in this 

theatre, and we've never seen the colour of your 

honour's money ; we will be very much obliged if 

you'll pay it directly, for until you do, we won't drive 

in another nail." Sir Richard said that his friend's 

elocution was perfect, but that he didn't like his 

subject much. 

The earliest mention of Violin Solo-playing in 

England appears to be that in the Daily Courant. 

" On the 26th of November, 1702, a concert will be 

given by Signor Saggione, of Venice, at Hickford's 

Dancing-school, in which the famous Signor Gasparini, 

lately arrived from Rome, will play ' singly '

THE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 4 7 1 

on the Yiolin." This, doubtless, refers to Gasparini 

whose compositions both for the chamber and the 

opera have been highly praised. 

William Corbett was one of the King's band, and 

leader of the first opera at the Haymarket. When 

the I talian Opera proper! y so called was established 

in 1710, and Rinaldo was p erformed, Corbett was 

permitted to go abroad. He resided in Rome many 

years, during which time he fo rmed a valuable col 

lection of music and musical instruments. By his 

will he bequeathed his "gallery of Cremonys and 

Stainers " to Gresham College, but this was not 

carried out, since they were sold at Mercers' Hall. 

I t is interesting to note his evident appreciation 

of "Cremonys and Stainers ;" in leaving them to 

Gresham College, and bequeathing £ 10 per annum 

to be given to an attendant for the purpose of showing 

the instruments. I have no doubt their dispersion 

has given greater pleasure to the ear than would 

have been afforded to the eye as seen in a glass-case 

at the College, but I must confess their presence 

there at this moment would render a journey to 

view them a very pleasurable one. When Corbett 

secured these treasures they were not prized as 

inimitable, and doubtless fell into the hands of those 

unable to appreciate their worth ; indeed, we are told 

of the sale at Mercers' Hall, that, "Many curious 

Violins were sold at prices far beneath their value." 

Corbett had a very high opinion of his own merits 

as a composer for the Violin, but, judging alone

472 THE VIOLIN AND ITS 1I1USIC. 

from their titles, I am inclined to think they were 

below the average of English merit. Here is one : 

"Concertos, or Universal Bizarres, composed on 

all the new Gustos during many years residence in 

Italy, in three books, containing thirty-five Concertos 

in which the styles of the various kingdoms of 

Europe are imitated, &c., &c." The sweeping 

character of this work renders it unlikely that anything 

good came from his pen. 

An excellent English Violinist of this period 

was Henry Needler, some account of whom I have 

already given in connection with the introduction of 

Corelli's Concertos into England. Needler was a 

prominent promoter of the Academy of Ancient 

Music, an institution set on foot in the year 1710 

for the purpose of furthering the practice of vocal 

and instrumental music. The meetings were held 

at the " Crown and Anchor Tavern," then opposite 

St. Clement's Church, in the Strand. Needler led 

the orchestra, one of the members of which was the 

Earl of Abercorn ; Dr. Pepusch being the director 

of the Institution-he who held the post of Organist 

to the Duke of Chandos prior to Handel accepting 

the appointmfint. Pepusch's admiration for the 

compositions of Corelli was of the highest kind. 

Believing that they contained the perfection of 

melody and harmony, he formed a series of rules 

based on the works of the great Violinist, which he 

made use of in teaching his pupils. He also published, 

in score, the Sonatas of Corelli, a work

THE VI OLIN IN ENGLAND. 473 

admirably engraved, which contains a portrait of his 

favourite composer. 

The Academy of Ancient Music further developed 

the work so admirably begun by Thomas 

Britton in conjunction with Sir Roger L'Estrange. 

An institution in correspondence with the most 

eminent musicians abroad, and to which flocked all 

the greatest resident professors, could not but result 

in the furtherance of music in this country. Here 

Bononcini often played the Violoncello, and Geminiani 

performed and introduced his compositions. In 

the words of Sir John Hawkins, "The advantages 

that resulted to music from the exercises of the 

Academy were evident, in that they tended to the 

establishment of a true and jl st notion of the 

science ; they checked the wanderings of fancy, and 

restrained the love of novelty within due bounds ; 

they enabled the students and performers to contemplate 

and compare styles ; to form an idea of 

classical purity and elegance ; and, in short, to fix 

the standard of a judicious and rational taste." 

The subject of the following Catch carries us a 

step further in our narrative :- 

" You scrapers that want a good fiddle, well strung, 

You must go to the man that is old while he's Young ; 

But if this same Fiddle, you fain would play bold, 

You must go to his son, who'll be Young when he's old. 

There's old Young and young Young, both men of renown, 

Old sells and Young plays the best Fiddle in town, 

Young and old live together, and may they live long, 

Young to play an old Fiddle ; old to sell a new song."


John Yo ung was a Violin-maker, whose establishment 

was in St. Paul's Churchyard, where his 

son, "Young Young " organized a series of music 

m eetings . Tbe success that attended these performance;; 

made it necessary to give them in larger 

premises than the house of the Fiddle-maker. The 

. , Queen's Head Tavern , " in Paternoster Row, was 

selected as a suitable place. A fe w years later, in 

1724, they were held at the " Castle, ' in the same 

locality, hence the name of "Castle Concerts." 

Woolaston the painter, he who painted Tom Britton 

in his blu e frock. coal-measure in hand,* now painted 

Young's portrait, which long hung on the walls of 

the "Castle Inn." These concerts continued to 

increase in popularity and excellence, and were 

ultimately held at the Haberdashers' Hall, where 

performances of Oratorios were given. Another 

society was formed upon the plan of the Castle 

Concerts, at the " Swan Tavern." Among the subscribers 

were many merchants and wealthy citizens. 

Here the Violinist, Obadiah Shuttleworth, led the 

orchestra. After an existence of about twelve 

years, a fire occurred, in I 748, which destroyed the 

music and instruments, ending the society's career. 

I t was at these concerts that the greatest philan- 

* The circumstances attending the painting of this picture are 

curious. It is related that Tom Britton was plying his small coal 

trade in Warwick Lane, where vVoolaston lived, who, upon hearing 

his cry, "small coal," opened the window and beckoned him in, 

making known his desire to paint his portrait.

THE VI OLIN IN El\CLAl\D. 475 

thropist among Violinists-Michael Christian F esting-the 

chief promoter and honorary secretary of 

the Royal Society of Musicians, played first Violin. 

Festing was a pupil of Geminiani. He is said to 

have been a man of superior attainments, and was 

courted and patronized by the highest in the social 

scale. Festing's compositions were Concert Solos, 

Sonatas, Concertos, ahd Symphonies for stringed 

and other instruments. 

Richard Clarke, a Violinist in the orchestra of 

Drury Lane Theatre, is worthy of notice in these 

pages as the originator of "Medley Overtures," 

namely, introductory music made up of pasages 

from popular airs. This class of writing has been 

mainly developed in the music of the pantomime 

down to the present time. This same Richard 

Clarke was the son-in-law of Colley Cibber. 

An offshoot of the Academy of Ancient Music 

was the Madrigal Society , which owed its existence 

to a musical enthusiast in the person of John 

Immyns, a lawyer by profession. The society's 

meetings were held at an old ale-house in Bride 

Lane, Fleet Street. The subscription was five 

shiIIings and sixpence per quarter, which entitled 

the members to beer and tobacco. Many of the 

subscribers were mechanics and Spitalfields weavers. 

Here, amid the curling whiffs of the fragrant weed, 

Immyns often led his little club through the madrigals 

of Orlando Lassus, Russo, and those of the 

Prince of Venosa, and read aloud a chapter of

4 76 THE VIOLIN AND ITS ilfUSIC. 

Zarlino. His passion for these early and fa mous 

madrigal-writers blinded him to the merits of H an del 

and Bononcini, both of whom he regarded curiously 

enough as corruptors of the art. A prominent 

member of this same club was one Samuel J eacocke, 

an amateur perform er on the Tenor, and who 

furnishes us with the earliest instance of Fiddle 

baking I have met with. \Vhenever his Fiddles 

were out of sorts, his plan was to bake them fo r a 

week or more in sawd ust ! If ] eacocke's curative 

measures gave rise to the wholesale Fiddle-bakings 

of the nineteenth century both here and abroad, the 

players of the coming generation will have no cause 

to hold in reverence the name of J eacocke. 

The exploits of John Clegg, Matthew Dubourg, 

and others in connection with the Violin need no 

mention in these pages, their abilities having been 

of an executive rather than creative character. vVe 

will therefore pass on to the establishment of the 

Concert of Ancient Music, or King's Concert, in 

1776. The band was led by 1'1'11'. Hay, and the 

famous Crossdil was principal Violoncello. The 

oncerts were held in Tottenham Street, on th e site 

of the present theatre. In 1795 the concerts were 

given in the large room of the King's Theatre, and 

in 1804 at the H anover Square Rooms. The Con 

cert of Ancient 1\1 usic, Burn ey tells us, was " origin 

ally suggested by the Earl of Sandwich, in favour 

of such solid and valuable productions of old masters 

as an intemperate rage fo r novelty had too soon

THE VIOLIN IN ENGLAND. 47 7 

laid aside as superannuated, and was supported with 

spirit and dignity by the concurrent zeal and 

activity of other noblemen and gentlemen who 

united with his lordship in the undertaking till 1785, 

when it was honoured with the presence of His 

Majesty (George IlL), whose constant attendance 

gave to the institution an elevation and splendour 

which no establishment of the kind enjoyed before." 

I t is worthy of remark, that Lord Darnley, the 

director in 1824, ventured on the da ring z'nnovatzon 

of introducing Mozart's music for the first time at 

these concerts. Henceforth his name figured in 

most of the programmes down to the termination of 

the society in 1837. The Duke of Wellington was 

a frequent visitor, and it is related that a friend once 

observed to him, " Duke, I cannot understand how 

you can attend so regularly the Ancient .Concerts ? " 

"Oh," replied his Grace, " there is the best reason 

for that-there is no place where I can enjoy a 

sounder nap." The Iron Duke had evidently not 

inherited the musical taste of his father, the Earl of 

Mornington, of whom it is said that Geminiani, 

upon being requested to instruct him, confessed his 

inability to add to the knowledge he had already 

acquired. 

Since we parted company with Purcell, John 

Jenkins, and Bannister, I must confess my search 

for veritable Englishmen worthy of mention in 

connection with the Violin and its music, has been 

scmewhat unsatisfactory. Dr. Pepusch, F esting,

4 7 8 7JJE VIOLli\, AND ITS NDIC. 

Abel, Bach, Cramer, and a host of others passed 

their li"ves l1ere, but their linea2'e bclonYs not to 

"--' o:.. 

Brita.in. Vvith the Earl of owing-ton I felt I had 

at length alighted on a true-born Englishman-but 

cnq,liry made it clear that his lordship hailed from 

the Emerald I a discovery not altogether in 

oppClrtune, inasmuch it permits me to halt and make 

my tail-piece with the 'Ivords Dc Foe :- 

" A true-born Englishl"n;lnS a contradiction, 

In speech an irony, in {act a fiction ; 

A banter made to be a test to fo ols, 

\Vhich those that use it justly l-i dicules. 

A meti1phor invented to express 

A man a-kill to all the L: niverse.·' 

THE EXD.

A 

"Abyssinian Prince, The"(Bridge- 

IN D EX . 

Page 

tower) 397 

Academy of Ancient Music, The 475 

Addison and Steele's criticism of 

!-Iandel 's " Rinaldo " 349 

Aginconrt, Engliob Minstrels at 

Battle of 

Alard , M . . 

Albcrgati, Count . . . 

Alberti of Bologna 

Albert V. Duke of Bavaria, bis 

musical establishment 

Albin,)ni, Tomasso 

Ah_OI\ticard, 

nd 1 usic 

. . 

Alleg >l ical Opera at Rome, 1686 

Amati Andrew, his thl ee-string 

. 

i 

71 

315 

204 

220 

12 

202 

124 

1 74 

181 

Alleg i, Gregorio . .,. . . . 

a{cl mir; strelsy, 4, 5; possessed 

b( wed mstruments ... ... 

Angm elli, Calmine, his book on 

1 9 

th e Viol ... 

Aquin IS, Thomas, 

l'> usic . . . . , 

Arditit Luigi .. 

Ardit/' , Luigi . . . 

. , . ... 

on Church 

. . . . .. 

... . . . 

. .. . . . 

14 

Artot ... . . . . . . . . . 

V'olin (1546) ... ... 24 

Angel I, Michael, at Florence ... 139 

AngJo Saxons, their love of music 

13 

Bachl, John Sebastian 336-341 

Bachl' Carl Philipp Emanuel 3 36, 342 

Baco n, Lord, and the l'>1asques ... 101 

Bailk,t's J uclgment of Boccherini's 

'j vork ... 

Baille ,t, Pierre 

Bal ta,' zarini 

Baltz ar, Thomas 

Banrister, John 

Barbe1 . la, Emanuele . . . . . . 

Barth 'lemon, Fran"oi, Hippolite 

Bass Viol the parent of the 

1 fad rigal and Motet! . . . 33 

Bass ni, his Sonate da Camera ... 1 7 , 

Bazzini, Antonio ... 

Beethoven , Ludwig van ... 

Benda , Fmnz '" 

Benedict, Sir J ulins, and young 

M endelssohn . . . 

Berchem, Jacques, at the Court 

of Mantua 

Berlioz, B ector 

" Beverley Minstrels, " temp. 

Edward IV. '" 

Biber 

Bitti 

Blasius, l\l athieu F"ideric 

Blumenthal, Joseph, Casimer, and 

Leopold 

Bocan 

Page 

272 

489-4 II 3 35 

Boc..::accio, his "I)ecamerone " . . . 

13occherini . .. 

Boehm, J oseph 

Bononcin i ... 

Borghi, Luigi 

Bottesini, Giovanni ... 

Bourgeois, his Calvinistic ' 'Psalmes 

de David " 

Bow, The, used by Anglo- Saxons 

Brahms, Johannes 

Bridgetower, G. A. Polgreen, 

and Beethoven 

Britton , Thomas '" 

Brunetti, Gaetano 

Bruni 

Bull, Ole ... 

" Butter Fiddle, " Mozart's 

288, 

Byrde, his " Songs of Sadnes 

and Pietie n 

C 

144 

306 

81 

333 

205 

290 

320 

277 

1 39 

238 

4 35 

233 

244 

272 

276 

80 

441 

!O3 

Caj etan, Cardinal, on Church 

Music.. 

Campagnoli, Bartolomeo 

37 

242 

C arlier, Jean Baptiste 303 

Castrucci, Pietro . . . 22u 

Caxton, his visit to lhe Duke of 

Burgundy ; his Printing Press 

at \Vestminster . . . 86 

Cerreto, Sci , ione, "Della Prattica 

Muslca ... 170 

Chambers of Rhetoric, at Louvain 32

Chari vari, or Masq uerade, in Paris, 

un(ler Charles VI. '" 

Charlemagne, Rhymed Romances 

of 

Charles the Bold, his Songs and 

Motctts ; his patronage of 

the Arts 

Charles II. of England, Music in 

Page 

INDEX. 

62 

53 

66, 67 

time of 

442-468 

Chartiani .. 3 19 

Chaucer, his mention of Musical 

Instruments ,,' 9 1 

Chdys, or early German Double 

Bass .. ' 

16-18 

Cherubini .. , 

251-256 

Chopin ' " 327 

Church Madrigals, (1587) 22 

Church Maclrigals, origin III the 

Netherlands 

Cimarosa .. , 

Clarke, Richard 

Colombi, Giuseppe 

Colloredo, Count, Archbishop of 

Salzburg, as a "Patron " of 

22 

242 

475 

174 

fozrrrt 372, 3 74 

COlleert des A ma{eurs 

Concerts of Ancient Music, The 

288 

476 

Conservatoire le Musique, of 

Paris ... 

293 

Coperario, John, and the Viol , 

110; his , Fancies " 

Corbett, William .. , 

Cordier, J acgues '" 

Corelli and his Works, Sketch of 

" Corint's Crudities " 

Counterpoint, its introduction .. , 

Counterpoint, earliest Masses in 

Court Trouveres in France 

Croes, Henri Jacques 

ern'nwell, Oliver, and Sir Roger 

L'Estrange 

Culturc and Crime, under the 

Italian Despotisms 

Cupis, Fran

, Page 

GaniSSi, Silvestro, 

his "Art of 

Playing the Viol " ... ... 161 

Gas ard di Salo ... ... ... 22 

Ga vi nies, Pierre ... .. . .. . 285 

. 

Geig,e, the Fretted .. . ... 1 7 

Geig/e, its transmutation to the 

:Violin 

Geigle, its etymology 

19 

Geiglen, descant, tenor, and bass 20 

Gemiiniani ... 

German earliest work with instru- 

218 

:mental part music ... IS 

GeY15n, or Geige, earliest men- 

. 'tlOn ... ... ... IS, 17 

INDEX. 

1 7 

G iaridini 223 

Giege, The, in France, among 

,the Troubadours ... 59 

, 

Gie£e, Tenor and Bass, in 16th 

: century 61 

Gio,:dani, Tomaso 

232 

Giornovichi 

231 

Godecharle, Eugene 

319 

Goethe and 

: Weimar 

Mendelssohn at 

428 

Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua 144 

Gos,;ec, Fran

Page 

Lorenziti, Anthony and Bernardo 232 

Lorenzo the Magnificent, Italian 

prosperity under 42 

Lorenzo de Medici, his " School 

of Art, " and his Gardens at 

Florence ; Michael Angelo, 

Ficino, and Poliziano 139, 149 

"L' Orfto," Monteverde's 14 5 

Louis XI., his grovelling Tastes 65 

Louis XIV 278 

Lucchesi .. . 231 

LulJi, Jean Baptiste 279 

Luscinius, Ottomarus, his Double 

. Bass 16 

Lute, The ; of various sizes and 

constructions ; Expense of 

maintenance 92-95 

Luther's Love of Music . .. 167 

Lytton, Lord, and Herr Ernst 437 

Mace, Thomas, his "Musick's 

Monun1ent" ... 

Mancini, Francesco 

Marine Trumpet, The 

Marini, Carlo Antonio 

Mascitti, Michele ... 

Mastersingers of Germany 

"Master of Songe," and his 

Duties, under Edward IV .... 

Massart; Lambert Joseph 

Mayseder, Joseph 

Mazas, Jacques Fereol 

Medici, Lorenzo de (see Lorenzo) 

Meerts, Lambert Joseph ... 

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix ... 

Mersennus, on Louis XIV.'s Band 

Mestrino ... 

Minnesingers and Minnepoesy ... 

Minstrels' Charter, The, in France 

Minstrels' Charter, English, under 

Edward IV . ... 

Moliqne, Bernhard 

Montanari, Francesco 

Monteverde, Claude 

More, Sir Thomas, and the Viol 

:Morley, Thomas, his Canzonets, 

and "Consort Lessons " 

Morley, Thomas, and the Madrigal 

Mosel, Joseph 

Mozart, Leopold ... 

Mozart, Wolfgang 

" Musical Society, " at 

in 15th century 

INDEX. 

IZI 

203 

16 

z03 

z04 

7, 9 

77 

3IZ 

414 

312 

3Z1 

424 

Z81 

z30 

7 

61 

73 

423 

z04 

144 

101 

ra8 

124 

232 

356 

372-385 

Louvain, 

32 

Musical Parties, Private, in Queen 

Elizabeth's Reign 

'Musical Small-coal Man," The 

106 

469 

"Musick's l\fonument, "by Thomas 

page 

Mace ... ... 93, '1 2 1 -124 

" Musurgia" ofOttomarus Luscinius, 

his System of Notation ... II2 

N 

Nardini, Pietro 224 

Needler, Henry ... 472 

Netherland Musicians, Immigration 

of into Italy ... 41 

N ofieri, Johannes Baptista 232 

Nonesuch, Music and the Masque 

at 100, 107 

Nostradamus, his Lives of . the 

Proven9al Poets 5 Notation by points or pricks , 30 

o 

I 

I 

Okeghem, Van Eyck, and J osquin, I 

their influence on Flemish ' 

Music 29 

Okegheim, the "Father of Modern i 

Harmony I 34 

Onslow, George ... ... . .. "1307 

Ottoboni, Cardinal, and Corelli 183 

Ottomarus Luscinius, his "Musurgia'f I 12 

I 

I 

P I 

I 

Paganini, his Character and \Vork 

257-i 27 1 

Pagin, Andre Noel . .. '1.87 

Panfilio, Cardinal, and Corelli '" I 182 

" Parley of Instruments " \ 468 

Pedrillo : 204 

Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista 1)201 

Petrarch and Boccaccio ... 

1157 

134 

Petrucci, first used moveable 

153 

Music type . . . 9 

Petrucci's Music Printing ... 

Philharmonic Society at Vicenza 

Philharmonic Society of London, 

and Beethoven 405, 409, 4II 

Plancken Vander ... .. . 1319 

Playford, John, his "Skill of 

Mnsic " ... 120, 457 

Pleyel, Ignatius 369 

Pro 2 

Porpora, and his Works 200 ; and 

Joseph Haydn 20I 

Prince Albert of England and I 

Mendelssohn... \423 

Proven"al Poets, Nostradamus' 

Lives of 51

Provence, the " l\fother of Trou 

badours and Minstrels 

Provence, flourishing condition of 

in 12th century 

Prume, Franyois Hubert ... 

Pugnani, Gaetano 

Pnppo, Joseph ... . .. 

Purcell, a Bater of the Viol 

Purcell, Henry 

Q 

Quagliata, Paolo ... 

Quantz, M., at Potsdam ... 

R 

Rabelais, Fr'tnyois, on the Music 

and Musicians of his time ... 

Radicati 

Raimondi ... 

Rebec, of the French 

Reuecs, Treble and Bass, or Viols 

with three strings 

Renaissance, the Italian . .. 

Rene, the "Minstrel King, " in 

Provence 

Ries, Ferdinand ... 

Robberechts, Andre 

Rode, Pierre 

Rolla, Alessandro 

Romance Dialects, degeneration 

from the Latin Tongue 

Romberg, Andreas 

Rome, the Sack of, and the Refo 

rmation 

Royalists and Roundheads, and 

the Viol 

Ruggeri, J. M. 

Sach, Hans, his Mastersongs 

" Sagittarius," (Schlitz) ... 

S"inton, Prosper ... 

Salomon, Peter Johann ... 

Santiago de ComposteHo, Cathedral 

of, evidence of the Viol 

in, l!th century 

Sauterie (or Psaltery) 

Scarlatti, Alessandro, and his 

Works 

Schopp, Johann 

Schubert, Franz 

Schumann . . . 

S 

Page 

INDEX. 

51 

51 

3 23 

226 

231 

129 

462 

171 

341 

274 

233 

231 

1 9 

61 

130 

64 

4 14 

321 

301 

245 

52 

434 

10 

330 

313 

361 

50 

79 

199 

331 

412 

441 

Page 

Schuppanzigh, Herr, and Beethoven 

402, 407, 408 

Schlitz, Henri (" Sagittarius") ... 330 

Scipione Cerreto, "Della Prattica 

Musica " 

SenaiIIe, Jean Baptiste . .. 

Seven-stringed Viol 

Simpson's "Division Viol " and 

his Instructions for Playing 

Sivori, Canlillo 

"Skill of Music, Introdnction 

to the, " by John Playford ... 

Snel, Franc;ois 

Spohr, Louis 

Somis, Lorenzo 

Stamitz 

St. James's Palace, The Viol in ... 

Steneken, Conrad 

Stradiuarius a maker of Lutes 

Stryng Minstrels at vVestminster, 

under Henry VII. 

T 

lIZ 

282 

II3-II9 

271 

120· 

3 

41 

223 

356 

124 

332 

92 

88 

Tartini, Giuseppe, Sketch of his 

Work and Life 209-2 18 

Tessarini, CarIo ... 23 1 

Time·table, The, IIth Century ... II 

Tinctor's School of Music at Naples 169 

Tomasini . . . 232 

Toniui 205 

Torelli, Giuseppe, his Concertos 175 

Traversa ... 231 

Troubadours of Provence 

Troubadours and Minstrels, Pro- 

6 

vence the Mother of... 5 [ 

Troubadours, The Pioneers of 

Musical Progress in France 

and in vVestern Europe 52 

Troubadours, Trouveres, and 

Jongleurs 53 

" Tweedledum and Tweedledee " 233. 

" Two Minstrels, " The, in France 57 

U 

UcceHini, Marco ... 1 7 5 

V 

Vaccari, Francesco 232 

Valentini, Giuseppe 220· 

Van Eyck ... 29 

Vanhall 356 

Venetian Music Tablature 158 

Venice and St. Mark's Piazza 1 53

Venice, Flemish Violists 

Church Music in, 15th 

and 

and 

16th centuries 

Venosa, Prince of, a Musical 

Composer 

Veracini, Anthony 

Veracini, Francesco Maria 

Vieuxtemps, Henri .. 

Viol Tablature, in 16th Century 

Viol, earliest book on the, 1491 . .. 

Viol, The, earliest use in Church 

Music . . . 

Viol, The, in England . . . 

Viols in the Band of Henry VIII. 

Violin, earliest indications of, in 

Page 

INDEX. 

4 5 

169 

1 7 5 

205 

324 

Germany and Italy ... 

20 

Violin Bridges, U narched 

82 

Viotti, Giovanni Battista . .. 246-251 

Vitali, Giovanni .. . 

1 7 3 

Vitali, Tomasso .. . 

Vivaldi, Antonio .. . 

Voltaire, on the Music of Louis 

XIV's time . .. 279 

14 

14 

1 74 

202 

W 

Page 

Walther, Johann J. 3 30 

Weber, Carl Maria von ... 4 14 

Wery, Nicholas Lambert 322 

\Vhythorne, Thomas, his " Songes " 102 

Wieniawski, Henri ... ... . 327 

Willaert, Adrian, at Venice, 43 ; 

his influence on Madrigal 

Compositions 44 

Wind Instruments, the Sackbut 

and Shalme ... 82 

Woldemar, Michael 290 

Wood, Anthony, on Dowland's 

Music... 108 

Wynkyn de Worde, first Printer 

of Music 87 

Y 

Y onge, Nicholas, and Italian 

Madrigals 105 

Young, John 474 

G. WHITE, STEAM PRINTER, 396, KING'S ROAD, 5.W. '

THE V I O LIN AND ITS MUSIC, GEORGE HART, "HE VIOLIN: ITS ...

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