Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/224

212 now becoming very scarce. The full title, 'Esemplare, o sia saggio fondamentale pratico di contrappunto sopra il canto fermo,' etc., sufficiently explains the design of the work, in which the author endeavours to teach the Art of Counterpoint, rather by reference to the most perfect obtainable models, than by any code of written laws. The method adopted for this purpose is above all praise. The bulk of the volume consists of a series of examples, in the form of Motets, Madrigals, Movements from Masses, and other similar Compositions, selected from the works of the greatest Masters of the 16th and 17th centuries, beautifully printed, from moveable types, in lozenge-headed notes, resembling those found in Italian Part-Books of the best period, but, without the Ligatures which render those books so puzzling to the modern Musician. The Masters selected are, Agostini, Animuccia, Barbieri, Baroni, Benevoli, Bernabei, Caresana, Cifra, Clari, Corvo, Falconio, Foggia, Gabussi, Gesualdo, Lotti, Marcello, Marenzio, Minarti, Monteverde, Morales, Navarro di Siviglia, Nitrami, Olstani, Ortiz, Pacohioni, Palestrina, P. Pontio Parmigiano, Pasquale, Perti, Piocchi, Porta, Predieri, Riccieri, Rota, A. Scarlatti, Stradella, Turini, Vittoria, Willaert, Zarlino, and several Anonymi. The works are arranged in accordance with the characteristics of their respective Schools; and each Movement is illustrated by a copious series of annotations, explaining its general design, pointing out the various devices employed in its construction, and calling particular attention to its merits, and the lessons to be learned from it. The amount of sound scholarship, and able criticism, displayed in these annotations, renders the work extremely valuable for purposes of study; while the rarity of the original edition suggests the desirableness of a careful reprint. [ W. S. R. ]

SAINT ANNE'S TUNE. This well-known tune, in accordance with a practice of which there are several examples, was constructed by the addition of a new continuation to a fragment of an older melody. A seven-part motet of Palestrina's, published in May 1569, leads off in the first treble with this phrase

identical with the first phrase of St. Anne's; after which the resemblance ceases. The entire first strain of the tune is said to be traceable to a French chanson of the 16th century. It was adopted by J. S. Bach as the subject of an organ fugue, known in England as 'St. Anne's fugue' a misleading title, as, except in the identity of its subject with the first strain of St. Anne's, the fugue has no connection with the hymn-tune. As early as 1638 the same strain was employed by Henry Lawes as the commencement of the tunes set by him to the 9th and 136th Psalms in Sandys's 'Paraphrase upon the Psalmes of David.'

St. Anne's tune, under that name, is first found in 'A Supplement to the New Version of the Psalms,' sixth edition, much enlarged, 1708. Dr. Croft's name is not mentioned in the work, but he is believed to have been the musical editor of this edition of the Supplement; the name of the tune is probably derived from that of the parish, St. Anne's, Westminster, of which he was then organist, and the tune itself is directly ascribed to him by his contemporaries, viz. Philip Hart in 'Melodies proper to be sung to any of y$e$ Versions of y$e$ Psalms of David,' cir. 1716, and John Church in his 'Introduction to Psalmody,' 1723. The tune appears in the 'Supplement' in the following form:—

That this arrangement is by Croft cannot be doubted.

Of late years some doubt has been thrown on the authorship of the tune from its having been found in Abraham Barber's 'Book of Psalm Tunes,' a Yorkshire collection, of which the license bears date Feb. 14, 1687, when Croft was but ten years of age. Here the tune appears under the name of 'Leeds' and is ascribed to 'Mr. Denby,' whose name some editors of hymnals have too hastily substituted for that of Croft. The edition, however, of Barber's Psalms which contains the tune is the seventh, dated 1715, or seven years after the publication of the 'Supplement' already mentioned. This edition contains, besides tunes for Canticles, Psalms, etc., 28 hymn-tunes arranged in four parts, with the melody in the tenor. Of these tunes three only have a composer's name prefixed, and these three, which bear the names of northern towns ('Leverpool,' 'Hallifax,' and 'Leeds'), are all ascribed to 'Mr. Denby.' It may be observed that while the melody of 'Leeds' is identical with that of St. Anne's in the 'Supplement,' the modulation at the end of the 3rd strain is different.

