Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/731

STOPS (ORGAN). communicating with the sliders, and at the same time we speak of 'an organ having 20 stops,' meaning 20 registers. The latter use of the word has caused the appearance of a new expression, namely, 'sounding stops' or stops acting on pipes, as opposed to couplers and other accessory movements governed also by a stop-handle. When the pipes governed by a stop do not go through the whole compass, it is said to be a 'short-stop,' 'incomplete stop,' or half-stop.' When a complete row of pipes is acted upon by means of two stops, treble and bass, it is called a 'divided stop.' [See § 3, vol. ii. p. 605.] [ J. S. ]

STORACE, (otherwise ), daughter of Stefano Storace, an eminent Italian contrabassist who had settled in England, was born in London in 1766. She was first instructed in music by her father, and when only 8 years old appeared as a singer at the Haymarket Theatre, in a concert given by Evans, the harper, April 15, 1774. She was afterwards a pupil of Rauzzini, and in 1777 sang in the oratorios at Covent Garden and at Hereford Festival. On April 27, 1778, she had a benefit concert at the Tottenham Street Rooms (now the Prince of Wales's Theatre), 'to enable her to pursue her studies, as she intends to go to Italy in the course of the ensuing summer.' She accordingly repaired to Venice, where she became a pupil of the Conservatorio del l'Ospedaletto, under Sacchini. In 1780 she appeared at La Pergola, Florence, with great success. In 1781 she sang at Parma, and in 1782 at La Scala, Milan. In 1784 she was engaged at the Imperial Theatre, Vienna, at a salary equal to £500 sterling for the season, a then unprecedented sum. During her stay in the Austrian capital two important events in her career happened, (1) her appearance on May 1, 1786, as the original performer of Susanna in Mozart's delightful opera, 'Le Nozze di Figaro,' and (2) her ill-starred marriage with Fisher the violinist. [See .] She returned to England in March 1787, and appeared at the King's Theatre, March 24, as Gelinda, in Paisiello's opera, 'Gli Schiavi per amore,' and afterwards in other comic operas, but she soon abandoned the Italian for the English stage, on which she made her first appearance at Drury Lane, Nov. 24, 1789, in her brother's opera, 'The Haunted Tower,' and for several years afterwards sustained, with the greatest success, a variety of characters in comic opera. In 1791 she sang at the Handel Festival in Westminster Abbey, and in 1792 at Hereford Festival. In 1801 she was engaged at Covent Garden, where she continued to perform until May 30, 1808, when she took her leave of the public in the opera of 'The Cabinet.' She resided in retirement at Herne Hill Cottage, Dulwich, until her death, Aug. 24, 1817, and was buried at St. Mary's, Lambeth. She accumulated a considerable fortune, and by her will, dated Aug. 1O, 1797 (20 years before her death), bequeathed upwards of £11,000 in pecuniary legacies alone, including two munificent gifts of £1000 each to the Old Musical Fund (Royal Society of Musicians), and New Musical Fund. This will was proved Oct. 11, 1817, the personalty being sworn under £50,000. It was said in 1820 that after payment of all the legacies, there remained but little short of £40,000 for her cousin, Miss Trusler, the residuary legatee. Her studious concealment, after her return to England, of her marriage, is evidenced by her having made her will in her maiden name and avoided any description in it of her quality or condition, and also by the fact that her executor, in proving the will, describes her as a spinster. [ W. H. H. ]

STORACE,, brother of the preceding, was born in London in 1763. His early taste for music was cultivated by his father, so that when ten years old he was able to perform the most difficult violin music of Tartini and Giardini—the Paganinis of the day—with correctness and steadiness. When 12 years old he was placed in the Conservatorio of St. Onofrio at Naples, where he studied the harpsichord, violin, and composition. On his sister's arrival in Italy, a few years later, he joined her and visited with her the principal cities of that country, and eventually went to Vienna, where he produced his two operas, 'Gli Sposi malcontenti' (June 1, 1785) and 'Gli Equivoci,' the subject taken from Shakspere's 'Comedy of Errors,' Dec. 27, 1786. He gained great advantage whilst there from his association with Mozart. In March 1787 he returned to England and was engaged to superintend the production of the opera in which his sister appeared at the King's Theatre, but soon became disgusted with the prevalent petty jealousies and intrigues, and retired for a time to Bath, where he devoted his attention to drawing, for which he had considerable talent. He returned to his musical pursuits in the ensuing year, and on Oct. 25, 1788, produced at Drury Lane the musical farce of 'The Doctor and the Apothecary' (the music of which he had previously used for a 'Singspiele' entitled 'Der Doctor und der Apotheker,' performed at Vienna, July 11, 1786), with great success. Besides his own music a few pieces by Dittersdorff were included in it. On Nov. 24, 1789, he brought out his opera 'The Haunted Tower,' the success of which was unbounded; it was performed 50 nights in the first season and kept its place upon the stage for nearly half a century. On April 16, 1790, he produced his charming little opera, 'No Song no Supper,' in which he introduced some of the music of 'Gli Equivoci.' Jan. 1, 1791, witnessed the production of the opera 'The Siege of Belgrade,' in which he introduced much of the music of Martini's 'La Cosa rara.' This also long continued an established favourite. On May 3 in the same year he produced the 'Cave of Trophonius,' an adaptation of Salieri's 'La Grotta di Trofonio,' with some additional music by himself, but with no success. He fared better when, on Nov. 20, 1792, he brought out 'The Pirates,' in which he incorporated several pieces from 'Gli Equivoci.' The finale to the first act is regarded as his masterpiece. In the same year he produced his opera, 'Dido, Queen of Carthage,'