Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/63

KENT. , but rarely rising above mediocrity. His 'Hear my Prayer' was at one time a great favourite, but it is a poor composition. He borrowed freely from Italian composers, without acknowledgment, as is shown by a volume full of his notes in the possession of Sir F. A. G. Ouseley. [See .] [ W. H. H. ]

KENT BUGLE, or Royal Kent bugle, an improvement of the Key bugle, said to have been named in consequence of a performance upon it before H.R.H. the Duke of Kent by Halliday in Dublin, shortly after its invention. It had a complete chromatic scale from B&#x266d; below the treble stave to C above, but is now superseded by valve instruments. [ G. ]

KEOLANTHE,. Grand opera in 2 acts; words by Fitzball, music by Balfe. Produced at English Opera House March 9, 1841. [ G. ]

KEPER,, of Hart Hall, Oxford, who graduated as M.A. Feb. 11, 1569, produced in 1574 'Select Psalms in four parts.' [ W. H. H. ]

KERAULOPHON (from κεραύλης, a hornblower, and φωνὴ, a voice). An 8-feet Organ Manual Stop, of a reedy and pleasant quality of tone. It was invented by Messrs. Gray & Davison, and used by them for the first time in 1843 in the organ they made for St. Paul's Church, Wilton Place. An example was introduced by the French firm of Ducroquet into their organ at St. Eustache, Paris, erected in 1854. [ E. J. H. ]

KERL,, celebrated organist, born in 1628, as is to be concluded from the Mortuarium of the old Augustine church of Munich. Mattheson's 'Ehrenpforte' contains the only details known of his life. He came early to Vienna, and learnt the organ from Valentini, then organist, afterwards Capellmeister to the Court, on whose recommendation Ferdinand III. sent him to Rome to study under Carissimi. In all probability he also learnt from Frescobaldi, possibly at the same time as his countryman Froberger. Having returned to Germany he entered the service of the Bavarian Elector on Feb. 22, 1656, and in that capacity was present at the coronation of Leopold I. at Frankfurt (July 22, 1658), where he is said to have been presented by Schmelzer vice-Court-Capellmeister to the Emperor, and invited to improvise on a given theme in presence of the court. Some doubt is thrown on this by the fact that Schmelzer did not become vice-Capellmeister till the 1st of Jan. 1671; but he may well have been in attendance on the Emperor at Frankfort, and at any rate Kerl's reputation as an organist dates from the coronation. Kerl remained at Munich for 15 years. For the Italian singers there he composed a 'Missa nigra' entirely written in black notes, and a duet for two castrati 'O bone Jesu,' the only accompaniment of which is a ground bass passing through all the keys. Besides other church works, sonatas for 2 violins and viol di gamba, and a 'Modulatio organica super Magnificat' (Munich, 1686), Mattheson mentions toccatas, canzonas, ricercars, and batailles of his composition for the organ. In 1673 he threw up his post and went to Vienna, where he subsisted by giving lessons at what was then a high scale of remuneration. When he returned to Munich is not known, but he died there on the 13th of Feb. 1693. His tomb, showing this date, was formerly in the Augustine church, but that is now the custom-house, and the tomb is no longer discoverable. His style is remarkable for the frequent introduction of discords resolved in a new and unexpected manner, in which respect he is deservedly considered a predecessor of Sebastian Bach. He wrote the music of the operas 'Oronte,' 1657; 'Erinto,' 1661; and of the serenata in honour of the birthday of the wife of the Elector (Nov. 6, 1661), 'Il pretensione del Sole.' One of his canzonas has been preserved to the world in a singular but most efficient way—owing to its insertion by Handel in 'Israel in Egypt' to the words 'Egypt was glad when they departed.' The only change made is that of the key, from D minor to E minor. Hawkins gives the canzona in its original form in his History, chap. 124. A toccata in C is given in Pauer's 'Alte Clavier musik' vol. 3. [ F. G. ]

KETTLE-DRUMS are copper or brass basins, with a skin or head that can be tuned to a true musical note. Used by cavalry and in orchestras. [, 2, vol. i. p. 463b.] [ V. de P. ]

KEY. A word of manifold signification. It means the scale or system in which modern music is written; the front ends of the levers by which the piano, organ or harmonium are played; the levers which cover or uncover the holes in such instruments as the flute and oboe; lastly, an instruction book or 'Tutor.' English is the only language in which the one term has all these meanings.

I. The systems of music which preceded the modern system, and were developed by degrees into it, were characterised by scales which not only differed from one another in pitch but also in the order of succession of the various intervals of which they were composed. In modern music the number of notes from which a scale can commence is increased by the more minute subdivision of each octave; but each of these notes is capable of being taken as the starting point of the same scale, that is to say of either the major or minor mode, which are the only two distinct scales recognised in modern music. This forms a strong point of contrast between the ancient and modern styles. The old was a system of scales, which differed intrinsically, and thereby afforded facilities for varying qualities of melodic expression; the modern is essentially a system of keys, or relative transposition of identical scales, by which a totally distinct order of effects from the old style is obtained.

The standard scale called the major mode is a series in which semitones occur between the third and fourth and between the seventh and eighth degrees counting from the lowest note, all the other intervals being tones. It is obvious from<section end="Key" />