Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/44

32 8-feet stops of open flue-pipes on the manuals, and to open 16-feet stops on the pedals, thus corresponding to our 'open diapasons.' But in this country the Principal is, with very few exceptions, the chief open metal stop of 4-feet pitch, and should more properly be termed an Octave or Principal octave, since it sounds an octave above the diapasons. [ J. S. ]

II. or. A term employed in many of Handel's scores for the third trumpet part. This is not usually in unison with the first and second trumpets, which are designated as Tromba 1$mo$ and 2$ndo$. It is often written for in the old soprano clef with C on the lowest line, and has a range somewhat lower than the trombe. The older works on instrumentation, such as those of Schilling, Koch, Schladebach and Lichtenthal, recognise the difference and draw a distinction between 'Principal-Stimme' and 'Clarin-Stimme.' It is obvious that whereas the tromba or clarino represented the old small-bored instrument now obsolete, for which the majority of Handel's and Bach's high and difficult solos were composed, the Principal, in tone and compass, more nearly resembled the modern large-bored military trumpet. The contrast can easily be recognised by an examination of the overture to the Occasional Oratorio Arnold's edition, or that of the Dettingen Te Deum as published by the German Handel Society. In the latter the old soprano, in the former the usual treble clef, is adopted.

III. Principals, in modern musical language, are the solo singers or players in a concert. [ W. H. S. ]

PRING,, Mus. Bac.;, Mus. Doc.; and, Mus. Bac., sons of James Pring, were all choristers of St. Paul's under Robert Hudson.

, born at Lewisham in 1771, was organist of St. Botolph, Aldgate. He graduated at Oxford in 1797, was the composer of several anthems, glees, and other vocal pieces, and one of the founders of the Concentores Sodales. He published a set of eight anthems. Seven glees and a catch by him are included in Warren's Collections. He died 1799.

, born at Kensington, Jan. 15, 1776, was on April 1, 1793 appointed organist of Bangor Cathedral on the resignation of Olive, but not formally elected until Sept. 28, 1810. In 1805 he published 'Twenty Anthems,' and on Jan. 27, 1808 accumulated the degrees of Mus. Bac. and Mus. Doc. at Oxford. In June 1813 he and three of the vicars-choral of Bangor Cathedral presented a petition to the Court of Chancery for the proper application of certain tithes which had, by an act of Parliament passed in 1685, been appropriated for the maintenance of the cathedral choir, but had been diverted by the capitular body to other purposes. The suit lasted until 1819, when Lord Chancellor Eldon, setting at naught the express provisions of the Act, sanctioned a scheme, which indeed gave to the organist and choir increased stipends, but yet kept them considerably below the amounts they would have received if the Act had been fully carried out. Dr. Pring, in 1819, printed copies of the proceedings in the suit, and other documents, with annotations, forming a history of the transactions, which has long been a scarce book. He died at Bangor, Feb. 13, 1842.

born at Kensington, 1777, became in 1794 assistant organist to Dr. Philip Hayes at Oxford, and on his death in 1797 succeeded him as organist of New College. He graduated at Oxford in March, 1799, and died of consumption Oct. 18, in the same year. [ W. H. H. ]

PROCH,, well-known composer of Lieder, Capellmeister, and teacher of singing, born July 22, 1809, in Vienna; was destined for the law, but studied the violin with enthusiasm, and in 1833–34 frequently played in public in Vienna. He became in 1837 Capellmeister of the Josephstadt theatre, Vienna, and in 1840 of the Court opera, retiring with a pension in 1870. On the foundation of the shortlived Comic Opera in 1874 he was appointed its Capellmeister. His popularity is mainly due to his Lieder, among the best-known of which we may cite 'Das Alpenhorn.' He trained a large number of celebrated singers—among others Dustmann, Csillag, and Tietjens. Several good German translations of Italian operas—the Trovatore for example—are from his pen. Proch died Dec. 18, 1878. His daughter is a singer and actress of some ability, with a powerful mezzo-soprano voice. [ F. G. ]

PRODIGAL SON, THE. An oratorio by Arthur Sullivan, composed for the Worcester Festival, 1869, and produced there Sept. 8. The subject has been treated by Gaveaux, Auber, and others, under the title of 'L'Enfant prodigue'; and by Ponchielli, whose 'Figliuol prodigo' was produced at the Scala, Milan, Dec. 26, 1880. [See vol. i. 488a.] [ G. ]

PROFESSOR. At Oxford, the Professorship of Music was founded by Dr. William Heather in 1626. The first Professors were college organists, not known outside the University. Crotch, who took the office in 1797, and held it till 1848 [App. p.751 "1847"], was the first musician of eminence. His successor was Bishop. The present Professor, Sir F. A. G. Ouseley, Bt., was appointed on Bishop's death in 1855. During a long period the office was a sinecure. In the reforms carried out about 25 years ago, it was attempted to restore reality to the School of Music at Oxford by requiring the Professor to lecture at least once in each term, and by instituting musical performances under the superintendence of the Choragus. [See .] The latter part of the scheme has totally failed; so that the Professor's lectures, about three a year, and the examinations for Musical degrees, are the only form in which the University advances the study of music. The terminal lectures, which are usually illustrated by an orchestra, bear rather the character of an interesting public entertainment than that of technical instruction. The more strictly academic work of the Professor consists in the examination for