The perusal of Chronological Tables illustrating the history of music
must appear to many readers a dry occupation. Still, it enables the
lover of music to obtain in a short time a comprehensive and clear view
of the gradual development of the art from the earliest period of its
cultivation recorded in history to the present day. Perhaps a coloured
chart contrived like the "Stream of Time," which at a glance shows the
great events in universal history, might answer the purpose even better.
There is no disconnection in the progress of an art, though certain
occurrences may appear to the superficial observer as being entirely
accidental. A musical "Stream of Time" might exhibit in various colours
the natural connection between the several branches of the art of music,
and their modifications conspicuous in its history.
Or, this might be achieved by the representation of a tree. As in the
genealogical tree which has been published of Johann Sebastian Bach the
proper relation of the numerous members of his family is at once brought
clearly before the eyes of the inquirer, so might the growth and spread
of the different branches of the art of music be indicated, exhibiting
distinctly their highest degree of culture, as well as their infancy and
decay.
Diagrams of this kind are, however, only suitable for a very condensed
historical survey. More detailed information is better conveyed by means
of chronological tables, such as Carl Czerny has compiled in his 'Umriss
der ganzen Musik-Geschichte' ('A Sketch of the whole History of
Music'), published at Mayence, in the year 1851. Carl Czerny, of Vienna,
was a very industrious man, who, although he gave pianoforte lessons
during the whole day, nevertheless found time to write above nine
hundred compositions, not to mention his innumerable arrangements of
operas, oratorios, symphonies, and overtures. That he could engage in
such laborious research as the preparation of his chronological tables
must have required is certainly surprising, especially as he was a very
practical man with regard to money-making, and there is probably no
musical occupation less likely to yield pecuniary advantage than is the
compiling of chronological tables. It used to be said of Czerny that he
was in the habit of composing while he was giving pianoforte lessons. If
this is no false rumour, it perhaps accounts for the enormous number of
his compositions, as well as for the slight merit of most of them. But,
chronological tables he may have compiled in this way without detriment
to them, since they do not require to be written with feeling, even less
with inspiration, but merely with careful discernment, and with
perseverance. Be this as it may, he certainly was an eminent pianoforte
teacher, as is proved by his having instructed Liszt, Doehler, and other
distinguished pianists. His finger-exercises, or pianoforte-studies,
have outlived his other compositions, and his chronological tables will
probably be used for reference long after his finger-exercises have been
supplanted by more modern ones.
As the object is to supply the lover of music with an historical survey,
similar to that of Czerny, but on a smaller scale,--it may be useful to
notice the plan adopted by Czerny.
He has divided his work into two Sections. The first Section records the
ancient traditions respecting the origin of music, and gives an account
of the music of the nations before the Christian era, of the music of
our forefathers during the Middle Ages, and of the rise of our modern
tone-art. This Section is arranged in eighteen Periods, thus:--
_First Period._--The primitive Music of the Greeks until the time of the
Trojan War (B.C. 2000-1200). Mythic and mythic-heroic Age. Beginning of
the public games and contests.
_Second Period._--From the Trojan War until Pythagoras (B.C. 1200-584).
Gradual development of singing associated with poetry. Invention and
improvement of different Stringed Instruments, Wind Instruments, and
Instruments of Percussion. Encouragement given to artists by the
bestowal of great honours.
_Third Period._--From Pythagoras until Aristoxenus of Tarentum (B.C.
584-340). Highest development of all the Arts in Greece. The Art of
Music founded on fixed rules.
_Fourth Period._--From Aristoxenus until the Birth of Christ (B.C.
340-A.D. 1). New Musical System. Decay of the Arts.
_Fifth Period._--From the Birth of Christ until Hucbald (A.D. 1-900).
Gradual decay of the Ancient Music. Origin of the Christian Church-song.
_Sixth Period._--From Hucbald until Franco of Cologne (A.D. 900-1200).
The first attempts in Polyphonic Harmony. Invention of Musical Notation
and Measure of Time.
_Seventh Period._--From Franco of Cologne until Dufay (A.D. 1200-1380).
Invention and development of Counterpoint.
_Eighth Period._--From Dufay until Ockeghem, or Ockenheim (A.D.
1380-1450). The elder Netherlandish School. Developed Regular
Counterpoint. Musical Notation fixed. Composers according to the new
system of Harmony.
_Ninth Period._--From Ockeghem until Josquin des Pres (A.D. 1450-1480).
The newer or second Netherlandish School. Artificial Counterpoint.
Beginning of the reputation of the Netherlandish masters. In Italy and
Germany executive artists on the Organ, Clavichord, and other
instruments, make their appearance.
_Tenth Period._--From Josquin des Pres until Willaert (A.D. 1480-1520).
Commencement of the flourishing, state of the Netherlandish masters,
and their influence upon all European countries. Masters in Counterpoint
arise in Germany. Meritorious teachers in Italy. French musicians attain
reputation in other countries besides in France.
_Eleventh Period._--From Willaert until Palestrina (A.D. 1520-1560). The
Netherlandish masters institute Schools in Italy and develop the art of
music with great success in that country. The Madrigal becomes the
favourite kind of composition of the Venetian School.
_Twelfth Period._--From Palestrina until Monteverde (A.D. 1560-1600).
Commencement of the flourishing state of the Italian musical artists.
Conclusion of the great Netherlandish epoch. Refinement of the stiff
Netherlandish style. Romish School. Church Music of a high degree of
perfection.
_Thirteenth Period._--From Monteverde until Carissimi (A.D. 1600-1640).
Commencement of Operatic Music. First attempts in the Recitative style,
in the melodious song for a single voice (Monody) and in the Concertante
style.
_Fourteenth Period._--From Carissimi until Alessandro Scarlatti (A.D.
1640-1680). Improvements in the Recitative and in the Dramatic Melody.
Origin of the Cantata and the Oratorio. Introduction of Concertante
Instruments to the song. Neapolitan School.
_Fifteenth Period._--From Alessandro Scarlatti until Leo and Durante
(A.D. 1680-1720). Essential improvement in the Recitative and in
Dramatic Music. Increase of the Orchestral Instruments. Development of
Instrumental Music. Rise of great Composers in Germany.
_Sixteenth Period._--From Durante until Gluck (A.D. 1720-1760).
Flourishing state of the Neapolitan School. Reform in Melody. The
highest art in Counterpoint in Germany. Oratorios. German Composers
study in Italy, and write Italian Operas.
_Seventeenth Period._--From Gluck until Haydn and Mozart (A.D.
1760-1780). Reform in the style of the Opera. Introduction of the
Ensemble pieces and the Finales. Rise of the French Opera. Development
of Instrumental Music.
_Eighteenth Period._--From Mozart until Beethoven and Rossini (A.D.
1780-1820). Great improvement of the Orchestra, and of Instrumental
Music in general. Development of the German Operatic Style. Tone-artists
of the Vienna School. Beginning of the popularity of the Pianoforte.
Beethoven brings Instrumental Music to the highest degree of perfection.
Flourishing state of the French Opera. With Rossini commences a new and
effective epoch in Italian Operatic Music. Numerous Virtuosos on
instruments. In the Opera, amalgamation of different styles. In the most
recent time, an undecided direction.
Thus much about the Eighteen Periods noticed in Section I. of Czerny's
work. Only the first seven periods are fully treated in this Section;
the others form the subject of Section II., which is divided into Three
Principal Epochs, thus:--
_First Principal Epoch._--From the establishment of our Theory of
Harmony until the commencement of the Opera (A.D. 1400-1600). Separation
of the four chief nations: 1, France (with the Netherlands); 2, Italy
(with Spain and Portugal); 3, England; 4, Germany (with Bohemia,
Hungary, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark).
_Second Principal Epoch._--From the commencement of the Opera until the
development of Instrumental Music and Chamber Music (A.D. 1600-1700).
Division of the Art of Music into Church Music and Operatic Music. First
appearance of some distinguished performers on instruments. 1, Italy
(with Spain and Portugal); 2, France (with the Netherlands); 3, England;
4, Germany (with Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark).
_Third Principal Epoch._--From the development of Instrumental Music
until the end of the Eighteenth Century (A.D. 1700-1800). Division of
Church Music, Operatic Music, and Instrumental Music. 1, Italy (with
Spain and Portugal); 2, France (with the Netherlands); 3, England; 4,
Germany (with Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark).
After these Divisions and Sub-divisions follows an
alphabetically-arranged Register of the names of the musicians who are
mentioned in the different Periods and Epochs. But also here we have
Divisions and Sub-divisions, so that the Register, in fact, consists of
six Indices, each containing the musicians of a certain epoch or a
certain country, from A to Z. The author says that the plan of the work
renders this arrangement necessary; but, as he does not prove his
assertion, students using the work for reference will probably arrive at
the conviction that one general Index, containing all the names in
alphabetical order, would be more convenient. Another disadvantage is
that the Indices are entirely restricted to the names of musicians, no
reference being made to important events relating to the history of
music. In fact, the chief aim of the work is to notice a great many
musicians. The number of composers, theorists, and performers entered
amounts to 1713, of whom 236 belong to the ancient Greeks and Romans,
132 to the Middle Ages, and 1345 to European nations from A.D. 1400 to
1800. Many of these musicians have left no mark upon the history of
their art, and their names have justly fallen into oblivion. These might
better have been omitted. Of what use, for instance, can it be to the
student to be supplied with the names of the musicians who played before
Alexander the Great on the occasion of his marriage with Roxanen, at
Samarkand, in the year B.C. 328? Especially among the 1345 composers who
distinguished themselves during the four centuries from A.D. 1400 to
1800 are many who might now as well have been left at rest. What
possible advantage can the student derive from a record of mediocre
pianoforte composers whose productions were not held in much esteem even
during their lifetime? On the other hand, it was prudent in the author
not to extend his list beyond the year 1800. The distinguished musicians
of the present century are known to readers who take an interest in the
history of the art, and who are most likely to use the book. Anyhow, it
would be a delicate task to admit the names of living musicians, some of
whom may still become more celebrated than they are, while others may
show that they really are not so clever as they at first appeared to be.
It is impossible to assign his proper place in the history of his art to
an artist before he is dead.
Czerny has had the happy thought of placing in a column before each
chronological table short memoranda of the events in general history of
the time when the composers lived. Nothing can be more advisable to a
professional musician than to make himself familiar with this column of
facts bearing directly upon his art. There can hardly be a doubt that
other artists,--especially painters and sculptors,--generally possess
more historical knowledge than musicians. Perhaps their occupation
suggests to them more forcibly the value of such information. Be this as
it may, the music of an intelligent musician is better than that of an
ignorant, narrow-minded one; even for this reason, musicians ought to
study universal history, were it not on account of the intimate
connection of the cultivation of the arts with the progress of
civilization.
Moreover, if we are exactly acquainted with the political and social
conditions of the time in which a distinguished artist lived, we are the
better able to appreciate his merits. Unfortunately, Czerny records the
musicians under the date of their birth. Thus, many are mentioned in the
century previous to that in which they flourished. Take for instance
Handel and Sebastian Bach: both were born in the year 1685, and produced
their great works during the first half of the eighteenth century. Now,
if the plan of recording the musicians under the date of their birth had
been throughout adhered to, the student might, as a general rule,
surmise the time of their activity to have been about half a century
later. But, of several celebrities the date of whose birth is unknown,
Czerny gives some year in which they are known to have distinguished
themselves, and this deviation from the plan leads to confusion in the
chronological arrangement. True, it is impossible to determine exactly
the year in which the musician in his lifetime exercised the greatest
influence upon his art; but, this can be done as nearly as possible by
adopting his fortieth or fiftieth year as that of his best period.
Those who did not attain that age might be noticed under a date
referring to the period when they most distinguished themselves, which
was generally the case during the last few years of their life.
Again, the mention of the musicians of each country separately has too
little advantage to justify the inconvenience thereby occasioned to the
student. Cherubini, like Bellini and Donizetti, is classed with the
Italian composers; he would, however, have been more properly placed
with the German composers. Rossini, when he wrote 'Guillaume Tell,' was
more German than some musicians born in Germany. Lulli, the founder of
the old French opera is certainly more properly mentioned with the
French musicians than with the Italian. Other examples could be pointed
out which evoke the question whether such a complicated classification
really serves a scientific purpose.
In the 'Chronology of the History of Music' offered in the following
pages, in which Czerny's tables have been of great assistance, the aim
has been to avoid the defects just noticed. It will be seen that only a
brief survey of the most important events in the history of music has
been attempted. When the student has ascertained these, he will probably
choose to refer to some treatise on the history of music instead of a
more extensive chronological table. But the latter may afterwards be of
use to him inasmuch as it will assist him in recalling to his memory in
proper order those facts with which he has become more minutely
acquainted by reading the treatise.
As some account of the mythological traditions respecting the origin of
music has already been given in the present work,[112] there is no
necessity to advert to them here.
The recorded dates of the Greek music with which the survey commences
must not be taken as authentic until we arrive at about the seventh
century before the Christian era.
[112] Vol. I., p. 74.
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