Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/707

STEFFANI. find Meister Ludwig Senfel 'in musica totius Germaniæ princeps'; here came Cipriano di Rore, Trajano, Venerolo, and above all, Orlando di Lasso, 'Fürst und Phönix der Musiker.' Jesuitenspiele (mysteries) were given here on a great scale; one in July 1597, where, besides the principal actors, we find 900 chorus singers, to say nothing of 300 devils, who with Lucifer were driven into the flames of Hell by St. Michael. Munich besides was one of the earliest cities where opera found a home in Germany, and where it was now perhaps best represented. Everything then made Munich a desirable residence for Steffani. The Elector had granted him 750 florins on account of his two operas and for a 'Badekur' in Italy in June 1686. In May 1688 gracious permission was given to him to go again to Italy (Welschland) in consideration of his 21 years' service; his salary was not only paid to the end of June, but from the beginning of July he was given three years' salary as a reward! Not only so, but his debts were paid by the Court Treasurer out of this, and the balance was sent to him in Venice, where he had gone. The main reason for his deserting Munich was no doubt that on the death of the elder Bernabei at the end of the year 1687 his son, who had come from Italy in 1677 to fill the post of Vice-Kapellmeister, was in the early part of 1688 made Kapellmeister, thus debarring Steffani from further promotion. Added to this, the Duke of Brunswick, Ernst August, who had been present at the festivities when 'Servio Tullio' was performed, was so delighted with Steffani's music and singing that he had already made him an offer to go to Hanover, and Steffani appears actually to have made use of the leave granted for the Badekur in Italy in 1686 to spend his time in Hanover instead of there. The appointment then of the younger Bernabei to the Munich Kapellmeistership must have decided him at once to leave Munich, and from Venice at the end of 1688 or early in 1689 he made his way to Hanover, there to remain and become Kapellmeister, and a good deal besides.

If Munich was a pleasant place for a musician of genius, Hanover was not far behind it. It might not have the same glorious musical history; but Steffani found there congenial society, and singers and players of great excellence. The Court of Hanover was renowned for its magnificence, politeness, and courtesy, which was however combined with a friendly simplicity (bürgerliche Einfacheit), and held to be the best in Germany. It was presided over by the celebrated Duchess (afterwards Electress) Sophia. One of its principal ornaments was the great philosopher Leibnitz, who had resided there since 1676, and who, with the Duchess Sophia, had raised the tone of the Court to a very high intellectual standard. There was also the court poet, Abbate Ortensio Mauro, at once Geheimer Secretar, Hofceremonielmeister, and political agent, who came to Hanover in 1679, and in whom the Duchess placed great confidence. Steffani became the friend of these men. Up to this time the operas at Hanover (chiefly imported from Venice) were given in the small French theatre, but that being deemed too small, a new opera-house was built, which was pronounced to be the most beautiful in all Germany. It created the reputation of its architect Thomas Giusti, and caused him to be called to Berlin and other towns for similar purposes. The new house was opened in 1689 with 'Henrico Leone,' by Mauro and Steffani. This opera, on a truly extravagant subject, was brought out with great splendour. The score in Buckingham Palace gives a list of the scenes, machinery, etc., which might astonish even a 19th-century reader.

It had a very great success, was given in German, in 1696 at Hamburgh and in 1697 at Brunswick, and acquired great celebrity. The opera shows marked progress on 'Marco Aurelio.' The character of the music is altogether of a higher kind, and has great variety. During the latter part of the overture a full chorus is heard behind the scenes before the rise of the curtain. In the 3rd act we find a fine march, and a pretty gavotte for orchestra in the 1st act. Among the songs, a charming rondeau, and an accompanied recitative of great power in the 2nd act, although Fétis again claims the invention for A. Scarlatti in 'Teodora.' A remarkable change is found in the instrumentation. There are flutes, hautboys, bassoons, 3 trumpets and drums, in addition to the strings, in 4 parts. There are delightful contrapuntal devices in the scoring, all the wind instruments have obbligato passages, one air a vigorous fagotto obbligato throughout. Chrysander states (Life of Handel) that the opera company in Hanover was divided into two camps, an instrumental (French) and a vocal (Italian), both however working harmoniously. The singers must have been of the best if they could execute these difficult arias; the band too must have been excellent. The leading violin in the orchestra was Farinelli (uncle of the famous singer), who had been much in France, and in Spain too, from whence he brought 'Les Folies d'Espagne,' known in England as 'Farinell's Ground,' and turned to good account in Corelli's celebrated opera quinta, dedicated by the way to the daughter of the Electress Sophia. Corelli was a great friend of Concertmeister Farinelli, and during his tour in Germany spent