Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/747

STRAKOSCH. 1876 Mme. Palmieri, Mlles. Belocca, Martinez; Sigs. Brignoli, Palmieri; Mr. Karl.

1877, Italian and English opera—Mme. Marie Rôze; Misses Kellogg, Cary; Messrs. Graff, Verdi, Gottschalk, Karl, Conly. S. Behrens, conductor.

1878—Misses Kellogg, Cary; Mlles. Litta, Marco; Messrs. Charles R. Adams, Conly; Sigs. Rosnati, Lazzarini, Pantaleoni, Gottschalk. Behrens and Sig. de Novellis, conductors.

1879—Mlles. Singer, Lablanche (real name Davenport, daughter of Mr. E. L. Davenport, a celebrated American actor), Litta, Belocca; Sigs. Petrovitch, Baldanza, Lazzarini, Storti, Gottschalk, Castlemary, Papini. Behrens and de Novfllis, conductors.

1880, English opera—Mme. Marie Rôze; Mlle. Torriani; Misses Anandale, Schirmer; Messrs. Byron, Perugini, Carleton, Conly. Behrens and de Novellis, conductors.

[App. p.797 "Add date of death of Maurice, Oct. 9, 1887."] [ F. H. J. ]

STRANIERA, LA (The Stranger). Italian opera in 2 acts; libretto by Romani, music by Bellini. Produced at the Scala, Milan, Feb. 14, 1829. In London, at the King's Theatre, June 23, 1832 (Tamburini's début). [ G. ]

STRATHSPEY, a Scotish dance, closely allied to the Reel, derives its name from the strath or valley of the Spey, in the North of Scotland, where it appears to have first been danced. The word does not appear in connection with music till late in the 18th century, but much earlier than that tunes are found suited for the style. Though slower in time than the Reel, the Strathspey calls for more exertion. The former is a gliding dance, while the Strathspey abounds in those jerky motions which call every muscle into play. Thus the music of the Reel is composed of a series of passages of equal quavers, while the Strathspey consists of dotted notes and semiquavers. The latter frequently precede the long note, and this peculiarity has received the name of the Scotish snap. That the two words were, a century ago, almost synonymous, is shown by a volume which is still of the highest authority, and of which the title-page runs thus—'A Collection of Strathspeys or Old Highland Reells, with a Bass for the Violincello, Harpsichord, or Pianoforte. By Angus Cumming, at Granton. Strathspey. 1780.' The word Strathspey is here printed in very large letters, while 'Old Highland Reells' are in the smallest. Moreover, throughout the volume, the word Strathspey is not once used, but always Reell So-and-so. No. 5, for example, though clearly a Strathspey, is entitled 'Acharnae Reell.' Reels, and the dance music of Scotland generally, have been already noticed in these pages [, pp. 91, 92]; and in the article (pp. 450, 451) Strathspeys are touched upon. Something, however, may be said in regard to Strathspeys specially. One point of difference between them and the Reel is in the tempi of the two; in the Reel = 126 Maelzel, in the Strathspey  = 94. Another is the smoothness of the notes in the Reel as compared with the broken notes of the Strathspey.

It will be seen that in the above all is written in smooth notes, while the Strathspey consists almost entirely of broken ones.

The remainder of the above Reel and Strathspey will be found in the article on, p. 451. Let us however add a Strathspey in its complete form, which is certainly one of the finest ever written, and to this day retains its great popularity.

With the Reels and Strathspeys of Scotland the name of Gow is indissolubly associated. Neil Gow, the founder of the family, and a man of real genius, was born at Inver, near Dunkeld, March 22, 1727, and died in 1807. He was a man of strong original genius—one of Nature's own musicians. Our obligation to him is twofold. We are indebted to him for many of our finest Reels and Strathspeys, and also for the pains which he took to collect and hand down