little after. He was a most excellent Composer, superior in all Respects
to the foregoing, and endowed with distinguishing personal
Qualifications. It is reported, that his favourite Instrument was the
Harp, with which he sometimes accompanied his Voice, which was
agreeable. To hear such a Composer play on the Harp, must have been what
we can have no Notion of, by what we now hear. He ended his Life
fatally, for he was murthered. The Fact is thus related. Being at
_Genoa_, a Place where the Ladies are allowed to live with more Freedom
than in any other Part of _Italy_, _Stradella_ had the honour of being
admitted into a noble Family, the Lady whereof was a great Lover of
Musick. Her Brother, a wrong-headed Man, takes Umbrage at _Stradella's_
frequent Visits there, and forbids him going upon his Peril, which Order
_Stradella_ obeys. The Lady's Husband not having seen _Stradella_ at his
House for some Days, reproaches him with it. _Stradella_, for his
Excuse, tells him his Brother-in-Law's Order, which the Nobleman is
angry with, and charges him to continue his Visits as formerly; he had
been there scarce three or four Times, but one Evening going Home,
attended by a Servant and a Lanthorn, four Ruffians rushed out, the
Lady's Brother one among them, and with _Stiletts_ or Daggers stabb'd
him, and left him dead upon the Place. The people of _Genoa_ all in a
Rage fought for the Murtherer, who was forced to fly, his Quality not
being able to protect him. In another Account of him, this Particularity
is mentioned; that the Murderers pursued him to _Rome_, and on Enquiry
learned, that an _Oratorio_ of his Composition was to be performed that
Evening; they went with an Intent to execute their Design, but were so
moved with his Composition, that they rather chose to tell him his
Danger, advised him to depart, and be upon his Guard. But, being pursued
by others, he lost his Life. His Fate has been lamented by every Body,
especially by those who knew his Merit, and none have thought him
deserving so sad a Catastrophe.
[71] When _Tosi_ writ this, the Composers in Vogue were _Scarlatti_,
_Bononcini_, _Gasparini_, _Mancini_, &c. The last and modern Stile has
pretty well spread itself all over _Italy_, and begins to have a great
Tendency to the same beyond the _Alps_, as he calls it.
[72] The _Moods_, here spoken of, our Author has not well explained. The
Foundation he goes upon are the eight Church _Moods_. But his Meaning
and Complaint is, that commonly the Compositions are in _C_, or in _A_,
with their Transpositions, and that the others are not used or known.
But to particularise here what the _Moods_ are, and how to be used, is
impossible, for that Branch only would require a large Treatise by
itself.
[73] The _Airs_, sung in Unison with the Instruments, were invented in
the _Venetian_ Opera's, to please the _Barcaroles_, who are their
Watermen: and very often their Applause supports an Opera. The _Roman_
School always distinguished itself, and required Compositions of Study
and Care. How it is now at _Rome_ is doubtful; but we do not hear that
there are any _Corelli's_.
[74] _Maestro di Capella_, Master of the Chapel, the highest Title
belonging to a Master of Musick. Even now the Singers in _Italy_ give
the Composers of Opera's the Title of _Signior Maestro_ as a Mark of
their Submission.
[75] _Contrapunto_, Counterpoint, or Note against Note, the first
Rudiments of Composition.
[76] _Furlana_. A sort of Country Dance, or _Cheshire_-Round.
It is reported, that the Church-Musick in _Italy_, far from keeping that
Majesty it ought, is vastly abused the other way; and some Singers have
had the Impudence to have other Words put to favourite Opera _Airs_ and
sung them in Churches. This Abuse is not new, for St. _Augustine_
complains of it; and _Palestrina_ prevented in his Time Musick from
being banished the Churches.
[77] _Tono_, or _Mood_, and sometimes means the Key. Our Author in this
Section is fond of a Pun, which cannot well be translated. _Tono_ is
sometimes writ _Tuono_ and _Tuono_ signifies Thunder; therefore the
Ignorant answers, he knows no other _Tuono_ but that which is preceded
by Lightning.
[78] _Cadences_; or, principal Closes in _Airs_.
[79] For superior and inferior _Cadences_, see Pl. V. Numb. 3.
[80] Broken _Cadences_, see Example, Chap. V. Sec. 13, and its Note.
[81] _Cadences_ that fall a Fifth, with and without Words, Pl. V, Numb.
4 and 5.
[82] By the _Final Cadences_ here mentioned, the first is at the End of
the first Part of the _Air_; the Second at the End of the second Part:
and the Third at the end of the first Part when repeated again, or at
the _Da Capo_, as it is always expressed in _Italian_.
[83] For the resolved and unresolved _Cadences_, see Pl. V. Numb. 6 and
7.
[84] See for the Examples, Pl. V. Numb. 8.
[85] See Example, Pl. VI. Numb. 1.
[86] See Example, Pl. VI. Numb. 2.
_N.B._ An _Appoggiatura_ cannot be made on an unaccented Syllable.
[87] See for Examples, Pl. VI. Numb. 3.
[88] See for Examples, Pl. VI. Numb. 4.
[89] Some, after a tender and passionate _Air_, make a lively merry
_Cadence_; and, after a brisk _Air_, end it with one that is doleful.
[90] Though this Chapter regards Singers who make it their Profession,
and particularly those who sing on the Stage, yet there are many
excellent Precepts interspersed, that are of Use to Lovers of Musick.
[91] _Kyrie_, the first Word of the Mass-Musick in the Cathedral Stile,
is not so difficult to them as the _Cantata's_; and the _Latin_ in the
Service, being familiar to them, saves them the Trouble of attending to
the Words.
[92] _Thomas Morley_ (who lived above an hundred Years ago) in the third
Part of his Treatise, pag. 179, speaking of _Motetts_ or Anthems,
complains thus:--'But I see not what Passions or Motions it can stir up,
being as most Men doe commonlie Sing,--leaving out the Ditty--as it were
a Musick made onely for Instruments, which will indeed shew the Nature
of the Musick, but never carry the Spirit and (as it were) that lively
Soule which the Ditty giveth; but of this enough. And to return to the
expressing of the Ditty, the Matter is now come to that State, that
though a Song be never so wel made, and never so aptly applyed to the
Words, yet shall you hardly find Singers to expresse it as it ought to
be; for most of our Church-men, (so they crie louder in the Quire then
their Fellowes) care for no more; whereas, by the contrarie, they ought
to study how to vowel and sing clean expressing their Words with
Devotion and Passion, whereby to draw the Hearer as it were in Chaines
of Gold by the Eares to the Consideration of holy Things. But this, for
the most part, you shall find amongst them, that let them continue never
so long in the Church, yea though it were twentie Years, they will never
study to sing better than they did the first Day of their Preferment to
that Place; so that it seems, that having obtained the Living which they
sought for, they have little or no Care at all, either of their own
Credit, or well discharging of that Dutie whereby they have their
Maintenance.'
[93] In _Italy_, the Courts of _Palma_, _Modena_, _Turin_, &c. and in
_Germany_, the Courts of _Vienna_, _Bavaria_, _Hanover_, _Brandenbourg_,
_Palatine_, _Saxony_, &c.
[94] There have been such, who valued themselves for shaking a Room,
breaking the Windows, and stunning the Auditors with their Voice.
[95] The renowned Abbot _Steffani_, so famous for his _Duetto's_, would
never suffer such luxuriant Singers to perform any of them, unless they
kept themselves within Bounds.
[96] _Nicolini_, who came the first time into _England_ about the Year
1708, had both Qualities, more than any that have come since. He acted
to Perfection, and did not sing much inferior. His Variations in the
_Airs_ were excellent; but in his _Cadences_ he had a little of the
antiquated Tricks. _Valentini_, (who was here at the same Time) a
Scholar of _Pistochi_, though not so powerful in Voice or Action as
_Nicolini_, was more chaste in his Singing.
[97] The two Women, he points at, are _Cuzzoni_ and _Faustina_.
[98] The _Carnaval_ is a Festival in _Italy_, particularly celebrated at
_Venice_ from _Christmas_ to _Lent_, when all Sorts of Diversions are
permitted; and at that Time there are sometimes three different Theatres
for Opera's only.
[99] Our Author has often mentioned Time; the Regard to it, the
Strictness of it, and how much it is neglected and unobserv'd. In this
Place speaking of stealing the Time, it regards particularly the Vocal,
or the Performance on a single Instrument in the _Pathetick_ and
_Tender_; when the Bass goes an exactly regular Pace, the other Part
retards or anticipates in a singular Manner, for the Sake of Expression,
but after That returns to its Exactness, to be guided by the Bass.
Experience and Taste must teach it. A mechanical Method of going on with
the Bass will easily distinguish the Merit of the other Manner.
[100] A farther Animadversion against imitating Instruments with the
Voice.
[101] Many Graces may be very good and proper for a Violin, that would
be very improper for a Hautboy; and so with every Species of Instruments
that have something peculiar. It is a very great Error (too much in
Practice) for the Voice, (which should serve as a Standard to be
imitated by Instruments,) to copy all the Tricks practised on the
several Instruments, to its greatest Detriment.
[102] _Passo_ and _Passagio_. The Difference is, that a _Passo_ is a
sudden Grace or Flight, not uniform. See Pl. VI. Numb. 5. A _Passagio_
is a Division, a Continuation, or a Succession of Notes, ascending or
descending with Uniformity. See Pl. VI. Numb. 6.
[103] This alludes to the _French_ Manner of Singing, from whence that
Defect is copy'd.
[104] The Time he alludes to, is at present between thirty and forty
Years ago.
[105] Compare this Section with Section 41 in this Chapter and the Note.
[106] This is a Fault more than once heard of, in _Oratario's_ or
_Motetts_.
[107] See Example, Pl. VI. Numb. 7.
[108] _Faustina_ and _Cuzzoni_, they both having within these few Years
been in _England_, there needs no other Remark to be made on them, but
to inform Futurity, that the _English_ Audience distinguish'd them Both
and at the same time, according to their Merit, and as our Author has
describ'd them.
It may be worth remarking, that _Castilione_, who lived above two
hundred Years ago, in his _Cortegiano_, describes _Bidon_, and
_Marchetto Cara_, two famous Singers in his Time, with the same
distinguishing Qualifications.
[109] See Examples, Pl. VI. Numb. 8 and 9.