Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 4.djvu/811

SONG. throughout. On p. 608a, among the English songs, Hatton's 'To Anthea' should be mentioned as one of the very best of its kind. Its omission was accidental. P. 608b, l. 34, for Gattie read Gatty. P. 611, add to list of collections of national songs.

P. 614a, line 3 from bottom, add Worthy of mention, likewise, are the songs of J. Brzowski, Ig. F. Dobrzynski, J. Elsner, E. Jenike, E. Kania, V. Kazynski, Ig. Komorowski, M. Madeyski, F. Mirec̨ki, J. Nowakowski, W. Prohazka, A. Sowinski, J. Stefani and K. Wysoc̨ki.

In 1818 the poet Niemcewicz published his great work Spiewny historyczne z muzykon (Historical songs with music), and at his invitation the most popular composers of the day wrote or adapted melodies to them. From these songs, cherished as household words by all classes of the people, Polish patriotism has drawn both inspiration on the battle-field and consolation under misfortune and oppression. The collection includes some of the oldest national hymns, arranged in modern notation; among them, for instance, St. Adalbert's hymn to the Virgin (Boga-Rodzic̨a), a hymn of the 10th century which is engraved in plain-chant on its writer's tomb in the Cathedral of Gnesa, and still sung there as well as at Dombrowa on the Warka every Sunday. The characteristics of the old Polish historic chants, such as the Hymn of the Virgin of Czenstochowska and the Hymn of St. Casimir, are their simplicity and dignity.

P. 614b, after last line in small print, add

P. 618a, l. 11, before second musical example, for lesser read looser. P. 620a, note 3, for Olt read Ott. [ A. H. W. ]

SONTAG,. Line 2 of article, correct date of birth to Jan. 3, 1806.

SOUNDS AND SIGNALS. P. 647b, l. 7, for such read much; and add at end of article, that Messrs. Potter & Co. have recently published a 'Drum, Flute, and Bugle Duty tutor.'

SPINET. After title add Fr. Epinette, Clavicorde; Ital. Spinetta, Clavicordo; Spanish Clavicordia. English Spinet, Virginal. P. 651a, footnote, add:—and the upright spinet from the Correr collection, belonging to Mr. George Donaldson, which had also plectra of brass. It is therefore possible that the use of the quill superseded that of brass. P. 651b, l. 36, Considerable light has been thrown upon the hitherto profoundly obscure invention of the keyboard instrument subsequently known as the Spinet, by that erudite search and scholar Mr. Edmond Vander Straeten, in 'La Musique aux Pays Bas,' vol. vii. (Les musiciens néerlandais en Espagne, 1$re$ partie), Brussels, 1885. He quotes, p. 246, from a testamentary inventory of musical instruments which had belonged to Queen Isabella, at the Alcazar of Segovia, dated 1503. 'Dos Clavicinbanos viejos' that is to say, two old clavecins (spinets). One of her chamberlains, Sancho de Paredes (p. 248) owned in 1500 'Dos Clabiorganos'—two claviorgans or organized clavecins. In a previous inventory, dated 1480 (and earlier), the same chamberlain appears to have possessed a manicorde or clavichord with tangents. But Mr. Vander Straeten is enabled to give a positive date, 1387 (p. 40, et seq.), when John the First, King of Aragon, had heard and desired to possess an instrument called 'exaquir,' which was certainly a keyboard stringed-instrument. He describes it later on as resembling an organ but sounding with strings. The name 'exaquir' may be identified with 'l'eschuaqueil d'Angleterre,' which occurs in a poem entitled 'La Prise d'Alexandrie,' written by Guillaume de Machault, in the I4th century. Mr. Vander Straeten enquires if this appellation can be resolved by 'échiquier' (chequers) from the black and white arrangement of the keys? The name echiquier occurs in the romance 'Chevalier du cygne' and in the 'Chanson sur la journée de Guinegate,' a 15th century poem, in which the poet asks to be sounded

The enquirer is referred to the continuance of Mr. Vander Straeten's notes on this interesting question, in the work above mentioned. It is here sufficient to be enabled to prove that a kind of organ sounding with strings was existing in 1387—and that clavecins were catalogued in 1503, that could be regarded as old; also that these dates synchronize with Ambros's earliest mention of the clavicymbalum, in a MS. of 1404. P. 652a, l. 8, add:—In the Bologna Exhibition, 1888, Historical Section, was shown a spinet bearing the inscription 'Alessandro Pasi Modenese,' and a date, 1490. It was exhibited by Count L. Manzoni. It is a true Italian spinet in a bad state of repair. The date, which has been verified, does not invalidate the evidence adduced from Scaliger and Banchieri concerning the introduction of the spinet, but it places it farther back and before Scaliger, who was born in 1484, could have observed it. This Bologna Loan Collection contained, as well as the earliest dated spinet, the latest dated harpsichord (1802, Clementi)