Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/72

60 semiquaver or semichroma, the earliest form of which was, does not appear until later, while the demisemiquaver must have been a novelty as late as 1697, at least in this country, judging from the 13th edition of Playford's 'Introduction to the Skill of Musick,' in which, after describing it, the author goes on to say 'but the Printer having none of that character by him, I was obliged to omit it.'

When two or more quavers (or shorter notes) occur consecutively, they are usually grouped together by omitting the hooks and drawing a thick stroke across their stems, thus. The credit of having invented this great improvement in notation is due, according to Hawkins, to John Play ford, whose example in this matter was soon followed by the Dutch, and afterwards by the French and Germans. In Playford's 'Introduction etc.' the notes are described as 'Tyed together by a long stroke on the Top of their Tails,' and it is curious that in the example he gives (Ex. 2) the characteristic hook of the quaver or semiquaver is allowed to appear at the end of each group.

As late as the 13th edition, however (1697), the examples throughout Playford's book, with the single exception of the one just quoted, are printed with separate quavers and semiquavers, and it is not until the I5th edition (1703) which is announced as, 'Corrected, and done on the New Ty'd-Note,' that the notes are grouped as in modern music.

In vocal music, notes [App. p766 "quavers"] which have to be sung to separate syllables are written detached, while those which are sung to a single syllable are grouped; for example—

[App. p766. "Add as footnote, One quaver of historical importance deserves mention, that which Handel added in pencil to the quintet in 'Jephtha' in 1758, six years after he is supposed to have lost his sight, and which in Schoelcher's words shows that by 'looking very closely at a thing he was still able to see it a little.] [ F. T. ]  QUEISSER,, a great trombone player, was born of poor parents at Döben, near Leipzig, Jan. 11, 1800. His turn for music showed itself early, and he soon mastered all the ordinary orchestral instruments. He ultimately confined himself to the viola, and to the trombone, which he may really be said to have created, since, for instance, the solo in the Tuba mirum of Mozart's Requiem was before his time usually played on a Bassoon. In 1817 he was appointed to play violin and trombone in the town orchestra, and by 1830 had worked his way into the other orchestras of Leipzig, including that of the Gewandhaus. He played the viola in Matthäi's well-known quartet for many years; was one of the founders of the Leipzig 'Euterpe,' and led its orchestra for a long time; and in short was one of the most prominent musical figures in Leipzig during its very best period.

As a solo trombone-player he appeared frequently in the Gewandhaus Concerts, with concertos, concertinos, fantasias and variations, many of them composed expressly for him by C. G. Müller, F. David, Meyer, Kummer, and others; and the reports of these appearances rarely mention him without some term of pride or endearment. 'For fulness, purity and power of tone, lightness of lip, and extraordinary facility in passages,' says his biographer, 'he surpassed all the trombone-players of Germany.' There was a Leipzig story to the effect that at the first rehearsal of the Lobgesang, Queisser led off the Introduction as follows:—

to Mendelssohn's infinite amusement. Se non e vero, e ben trovato.

Queisser was well-known throughout Germany, but appears never to have left his native country. He died at Leipzig June 12, 1846. [ G. ]  QUICK-STEP (Fr. Pas redoublé; Ger. Geschwind Marsch) is the English name for the music of the Quick march in the army, a march in which 116 steps of 30 inches go to the minute. (See Boosé's Journal of Marches, Quicksteps, Dances, etc.) It may be well to mention that in the Slow march there are 75 steps of 30 inches, and in the 'Double' 165 of 33 inches. [See voL ii. p. 212.] [ G. ]  QUILISMA. An antient form of Neuma, representing a kind of Shake. [See p. 468a.] [ W. S. R. ]  QUINAULT, eminent French dramatist, born in Paris 1635, died Nov. 26, 1688, may be considered the creator of a new branch of the drama, the lyric tragedy. The numerous operas which he wrote for Lully long served as models to other French dramatic authors, and are still worthy of notice for their literary merit, and the smoothness and melody of the versification. [ G. C. ]  QUINTA FALSA (False Fifth). The forbidden Interval, between Mi, in the Hexachordon durum, and Fa, in the Hexachordon naturale the Diminished Fifth of modern Music. [See .] [ W. S. R. ]  QUINTET (Fr. Quintuor; Ital. Quintette). A composition for five instruments or voices with or without accompaniment.

I. Quintets for strings have been far less written than quartets, owing to the greater complexity demanded in the polyphony. Boccherini, however, published 125, of which 12 only were written for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 1 cello, the others having 2 cellos and 1 viola. The former is the more usual choice of instruments, probably because the lower parts are apt to be too heavy sounding with two cellos, owing to the greater body of