Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 4.djvu/643

ELLIS. Just or Practically Just Intonation' (Nov. 19, 1874); also several new theories, tables, etc. Mr. Ellis has since published, in the Proceedings of the Musical Association, 1876–7, pp. 1–32, a paper 'On the sensitiveness of the ear to pitch and change of pitch in Music,' being an exposition and re-arrangement of the interesting experiments of Professor Preyer of Jena; and some original works, 'The Basis of Music,' 1877; 'Pronunciation for Singers,' 1877; and 'Speech in Song,' 1878. Mr. Ellis's devotion to the scientific aspect of music has led him into searching enquiries concerning the history of Musical Pitch, the varieties and uncertainty of which are so productive in the present day of disturbance of the musical ear and vexation to musical instrument makers. The results of those enquiries have been read before the Society of Arts, May 23, 1877, and March 3, 1880, and printed in their journals May 25, 1877, March 5, 1880, with subsequent appendix and corrections (ibid. April 2, 1880; Jan. 7, 1881) also reprinted by the author for private issue. Silver medals were awarded by the Society of Arts for each paper: the second essay may be appropriately described as exhaustive. Mr. Ellis subsequently turned his attention to the determination of extra-European musical scales. His method was by means of a series of tuning-forks of accurately determined pitches, and with the assistance of the present writer, to determine the pitch of the actual notes produced on native instruments, and then to calculate the intervals between those notes in terms of hundredths of an equal semitone. The results are given in his paper on 'Tonometrical Observations on some existing non-harmonic scales' (Proceedings of Royal Society for Nov. 20, 1884), and more at length, in his paper 'On the Musical Scales of Various Nations,' read before the Society of Arts, Mar. 25, 1885, and printed with an Appendix in their Journals for Mar. 27 and Oct. 30, 1885. For this paper a silver medal was awarded. A full abstract of his History of Musical Pitch and Musical Scales is given in his Appendix to the 2nd enlarged and corrected ed. of his Translation of Helmholtz (1885), which also contains his latest views upon most of the subjects which form the scientific basis of Music. [.] [ A. J. H. ]

ELSNER,. Add that he was Chopin's master.

EMPEROR CONCERTO. Line 4 of article, for op. 75 read op. 73.

EMPEROR'S HYMN. Last line of article, for Venice read Vienna.

ENCORE. Line 5 of article for Italian read Latin. An anonymous ballad, circa 1740, entitled 'Encore,' and beginning 'When at my nymph's devoted feet,' shows the term to have been in use much earlier than is implied in the article.

ENFANT PRODIGUE, L'. Add that it was given in English as 'Azael the Prodigal' at Drury Lane, on Feb. 19, 1851. [See ../Prodigal Son.]

ENGEL,, an eminent writer on musical instruments, was born at Thiedenwiese, near Hanover, July 6, 1818. His attainments as a musician, his clear insight into books in many languages, his indefatigable perseverance in research, and the exercise of a rare power of judicious discrimination, made him one of the first authorities on his subject in Europe. When a student he received piano lessons from Hummel, and after adopting music as a profession, he for some time remained in the family of Herr von Schlaberndorf, a nobleman in Pomerania. About 1844–5 Engel came to England and resided at first at Manchester, where he gave lessons on the piano. He removed soon after to London, and settled in Kensington. He began by reading in the British Museum to prepare himself for those studies in musical history on which his reputation is founded, and became a collector when opportunities were more frequent than they are now for acquiring rare instruments and books. He thus formed a private museum and library that could hardly be rivalled except by a few public institutions. The change in the direction of his musical activity did not however divert him from pianoforte-playing; he became as familiar with the works of Schumann, Brahms, and other modern composers, as he was with those of the older masters. He wrote and published a Pianoforte Sonata (Wessel, 1852), the 'Pianist's Handbook' (Hope, 1853), and a 'Pianoforte School for Young Beginners' (Augener, 1855). He also wrote 'Reflections on Church Music' (Scheuermann, 1856). The first fruits of his archæological studies were shown in the publication of 'The Music of the Most Ancient Nations, particularly of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Hebrews' (Murray, 1864), which was followed by 'An Introduction to the Study of National Music' (Longmans, 1866). About this time his connection with the South Kensington Museum began, to which he gave valuable advice respecting the formation of the rich collection of rare musical instruments which is an important branch of that institution. His first public essay in connection with it was the compilation in 1869 of a folio volume entitled 'Musical Instruments of all countries,' illustrated by twenty photographs; a work now rarely to be met with. He compiled the catalogue of the Loan Collection of ancient musical instruments shown there in 1872; and followed it by a 'Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments in the South Kensington Museum,' published in 1874, a masterpiece of erudition and arrangement, and the model for the subsequently written catalogues of the Paris and Brussels Conservatoires, and of the Kraus Collection at Florence. He resolved to complete this important work by an account of the musical instruments of the whole world, and wrote a book which, in manuscript, fills four thick quarto volumes, and is illustrated by upwards of 800 drawings. It remains in the hands of his 