Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/30

18 Farrenc, in the first number of the 'Trésor des Pianistes') will repay attention on the part of the modern student. There is a freshness and piquancy about them which contrasts strangely with his operas, and give an idea of what the talent was that so impressed his contemporaries. Specimens of his violin music will be found in Choron's 'Principes,' David's 'Hoheschule,' and Alard's 'Maîtres classiques'; and 6 Latin duets on the Passion, and some Solfeggi, were edited by Nava and published by Breitkopfs.

Porpora was well educated, and conversant with Latin and Italian literature; he wrote verses with success, and spoke with ease the French, German, and English languages. In his youth he was bold, spirited, and gay, full of wit and vivacity, but in age his disposition and temper became soured by misfortune. He was celebrated for his power of repartee. The following anecdote, extracted from the 'Dictionary of Musicians,' has been told of other people since his time, but seems to be true of him:—'Passing one day through an abbey in Germany, the monks requested him to assist at their office, in order to hear their organist, whose talents they greatly extolled. The office finished, Well, what think you of our organist? said the prior. Why, replied Porpora, he is a clever man. And likewise, interrupted the prior, a good and charitable man, and his simplicity is really evangelical. Oh! as for his simplicity, replied Porpora, I perceived that; for his left hand knoweth not what his right hand doeth.'

In one department he has earned for himself an unique and lasting fame. He was the greatest singing-master that ever lived. No singers, before or since, have sung like his pupils. This is made certain by the universal contemporary testimony as to their powers, by the music which was written for them and which they performed, and by the fact that such relics of a grand pure style of vocalisation as remain to us now, have been handed down in direct succession from these artists. He has left us no written account of his manner of teaching, and such solfeggi of his as we possess differ only from those of his contemporaries by being perhaps more exclusively directed than others are towards the development of flexibility in the vocal organ. In musical interest they are inferior to those of Scarlatti and Leo, and to some of those of Hasse. There is little difference between them and his songs, which are for the most part only so many solfeggi. The probability is that he had no peculiar method of his own, but that he was one of those artists whose grand secret lies in their own personality. To a profound knowledge of the human voice in its every peculiarity, and an intuitive sympathy with singers, he must have united that innate capacity of imposing his own will on others which is a form of genius. Powerful indeed must have been the influence that could keep a singer (as he is said to have kept Caffarelli) for five years to one sheet of exercises. And if we are inclined to think that when Caffarelli was dismissed with the words 'You may go, you are the greatest singer in Europe,' there must still have been a good deal for him to learn which that sheet of exercises could not teach him, still, no mechanical difficulty then stood between him and the acquisition of these qualities; the instrument was perfect. And the best proof of this is that when Charles VI. expressed to Farinelli his regret that so consummate a vocalist should devote himself entirely to exhibitions of skill and bravura, and Farinelli, struck by the truth of the criticism, resolved to appeal more to emotion and less to mere admiration, the vocal instrument proved adequate to the new demand made upon it, and its possessor 'became the most pathetic, as he had been the most brilliant of singers.'

Porpora himself aspired to be remembered by his compositions rather than by the solid work which has immortalised his name. To be useful to others was a lot not brilliant enough to satisfy his restless ambition, and that in this usefulness lay his real genius was a truth he never could willingly accept.

Lists of his works are to be found in Villarosa's notice of his life, and in those by Farrenc (Trésor des Pianistes, i.) and Fétis. Probably the most complete is that given in Florimo's 'Cenno storico sulla Scula di Napoli,' 1869, pp. 376–80. [ F. A. M. ]

PORTA,, organist and church composer, born in Milan about 1590, as is conjectured from his having published in 1619 a collection of 'Villanelle a 1, 2, e 3 voci, accommodate per qualsivoglio stromento' (Rome, Robletti). This fact seems to confute Fétis and Mendel, who place his birth in the beginning of the 17th century. His master was Ripalta, organist of Monza, and he became organist and maestro di capella of more than one church in Milan, where he died in 1666. He published Salmi a capella, motets, ricercari, etc.; and was one of the first composers to make practical use of the basso continuo. [ F. G. ]

PORTAMENTO (Fr. Porte de vois). A gradual 'carrying of the sound or voice with extreme smoothness from one note to another' [see vol. i. p. 43, note], which can only be really executed by the voice or by a bowed instrument. It is of frequent occurrence as a musical direction in vocal music or in that for stringed instruments, and also appears in music for keyed instruments. In old music one of the (see article before referred to) was so called, though of course it was always a very poor representation of the proper effect. [ J. A. F. M. ]

PORTENSE. The is a vast collection of church music published by  in 1603 and 1621. He belonged to Schulpforta near Leipzig, and hence the name of his collection. For the list of its contents see vol. i. p. 253. [ G. ]

PORTER,, born at Norwich in 1733, was a pupil of Dr. Greene. In 1757 he was elected organist of Canterbury Cathedral. In 1803 he resigned in favour of Highmore Skeats, organist of Salisbury Cathedral. He died Dec. 11,