Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/607

BIA Silvæ, Horace's Epistles, Catullus' works, Plautus' Comedies, and some of the minor poems attributed to Virgil, entitle Biacca to his country's gratitude.—A. C. M.  BIAGI,, an Italian archæologist, born at Cremona in 1740; died at Milan, 1804. He at first entered a religious order, but afterwards obtained his secularization. Author of several important archæological works, and translation of Beyer's Theological Dictionary.  BIAGI,, born at Roveredo in 1724; died in 1777. He was one of the original members of the society of the Agiati, in the archives of which are preserved several pieces of his verse, and specimens of his eloquence. He wrote a preface for an edition of Saint John Chrysostom: Roveredo, 1753.  BIAGIOLI,. This eminent grammarian was born at Vezgano, in the state of Genoa, in 1768. He completed his studies at Rome, and at the age of seventeen years was appointed to the professorship of classics in the university of Urbino. A liberal in his opinions, he joined the popular party, and assisted at the proclamation of the republic, under which he was intrusted with the government of a province. The French having been compelled to evacuate Italy in 1799, he fled to Paris, where he devoted his time to the teaching of the Italian language, and in making researches on Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. Although Monti wrote a terrible criticism on Biagioli's comments on Dante, blaming him, in very unmeasured words, for having undertaken a labour not equal to his strength; and although Gioberti lavishes on him the unenviable epithet of "pedant;" yet his comments on Petrarch and Boccaccio, illustrated by grammatical observations, have merited the praises of Maffei and Manso, both judges of high standing in literary matters. Biagioli is the author of a grammar and dictionary, which are still deservedly appreciated. He published also an edition of Davanzati's translation of Tacitus—the correspondence of Cardinal Bentivoglio—and has left many manuscripts, both in poetry and prose, which he was about publishing, when he died suddenly at Paris in 1830.—A. C. M.  BIALOBOCKI,, a Polish poet, lived in the seventeenth century; author of several poems connected with Polish history.  BIAMOMTI,, an Italian poet and philosopher, born 1730; died at Milan, 1824; professor of eloquence at the university of Bologna, and afterwards in that of Turin; author of a grammar of the Italian language; a translation in prose of some passages of Æschylus, all the works of Sophocles, Aristotle's Poetics, the Iliad of Homer, Odes of Pindar, &c., &c.—J. G.  BIANCHI,, an Italian poet, lived in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was a gondolier boy at Venice, and author of two epic poems, that, notwithstanding their incorrectness, manifest singular spirit and imaginative power. One of them is on the subject of David, king of Israel.  BIANCHI,, a Bolognese painter, born in 1614; died in 1679. He was a decorative historical upholstery painter to the dukes of Modena and Mantua, and was assisted by his daughter Lucretia.—W. T. <section end="607H" /> <section begin="607I" />BIANCHI,, lived in the middle of the seventeenth century. She wrote several comedies, and was known to the Parisian theatres under the name of Aurelia. <section end="607I" /> <section begin="607J" />BIANCHI,, surnamed , was born at Modena in 1447, and died in 1510. He was the master of that St. Francis of art, the seraphic Correggio. His style has traces, Kugler says, of Francia. His colour is fine, his attitudes graceful; but his compositions are dull and dry, and his figures badly drawn, especially in the eyes, which are too much of the narrowly oriental and Greek style.—W. T. <section end="607J" /> <section begin="607K" />BIANCHI,, a painter of Milan, who studied under Procaccini, a facile eclectic, and a rival of the Caracci about 1670. So precocious was he, that he executed three frescos for a monastery at the age of seventeen. The duke of Savoy gave him a gold chain and medal, and employed him largely.—W. T. <section end="607K" /> <section begin="607L" />BIANCHI,, a musician, is interesting to an English reader as having resided for some years, written some of his best works, and attained great popularity in this country,—as having married an Englishwoman, as having composed the first original opera for each of our famous songstresses, Storace and Billington, and as having been the teacher of Sir Henry Bishop. His French and German biographers make strange confusion as to the time and place of his birth and death; the former occurred at Cremona in 1752, and he committed suicide at Hammersmith, November 27, 1810. Another inaccuracy respecting Bianchi has arisen from confounding him with Ferdinando Bertoni, in stating that he was appointed organist at the cathedral in Venice in the year in which this composer succeeded Galuppi in that office. His first engagement appears to have been at Paris in 1775, as pianist at the Italian theatre under Piccini, where also he produced his first opera, "La Reduction de Paris." In 1780 he returned to Italy, and wrote "Castore e Polluce" for Florence, in which Storace appeared. This was followed by a great number of successful operas, produced with extraordinary rapidity, in some cases three, and even four, having been written in one year. In 1784 he was appointed vice maestro di capella at the church of St. Ambrogio in Milan, and, at the same time, to an important post at the Scala. Like Bertoni, with whom he has been confounded, he owed much of his success to the singing of Pacchierotti, who sustained the chief character in several of his operas. This artist personated the hero in his "Desertore Francesi," when it was brought out at Venice in 1785, and when the public thought the dignity of their great lyric theatre so compromised by the appearance on the stage of a hero in the costume of common life, that they would not suffer the opera to proceed to its conclusion: fortunately for Bianchi, the duchess of Courlande came to Venice at this time, and commanded a performance of the banished "Desertore," in deference to whom the audience now listened to the work, and the merit of the music triumphing over their conventional prejudice, the opera made a brilliant success. Some years later, the German emperor, having been charmed with one of Bianchi's compositions, had the composer presented to him, and offered him a valuable appointment at Vienna. This was gladly accepted: but the same post that brought Bianchi his official engagement, brought him also tidings of his patron's death, which rendered this invalid. According to the inscription upon his tombstone, Bianchi first came to London in 1793, to fulfil an engagement at the King's theatre, where he had the famous Banti for his prima donna. Haydn, in a diary of his residence in London during 1794, speaks approvingly of "Acige e Galatea," an opera of Bianchi, but complains that the orchestration in it overpowered the voices. Bianchi made one, if not more, occasional visits to Italy during the recess of the London season, and in August, 1794, wrote "Inez di Castro," at Naples, for Mrs. Billington's debut upon the Italian stage. His engagement at the King's theatre continued until 1800. In this year he married Miss Jackson, who, as Mad. Bianchi, and still more, after her second marriage, as Mad. Bianchi Lacy, was esteemed as a vocalist. Bianchi spent the remainder of his life in London and Hammersmith, chiefly occupied in teaching; he continued, however, to compose and produce many detached pieces with success, as, for instance, the duet for Mara and Billington, sung at the last appearance of the former in 1802. The monument in Kensington churchyard before quoted, imputes his "premature" death to grief for the loss of an infant daughter, who had died three and a half years prior to the demise of her father. Bianchi wrote a treatise on the theory of music, which, during the peace in 1802, he sent to Paris with a view to its publication, an arrangement that was frustrated by the renewal of the war: some selections from this work were furnished by his widow to Bacon's Musical Quarterly Review. He produced in all about fifty operas and two oratorios, besides some instrumental pieces, but only a few of his works were published entire. Now that his once popular music is no longer known, we may look at the result of his teaching, in the purity of Bishop's writings, as an indication of his musicianship.—G. A. M. <section end="607L" /> <section begin="607Zcontin" />BIANCHI,, an Italian physician and naturalist, better known as, under which name he published most of his works, was born at Rimini on the 3d January, 1693. In 1715 he was appointed secretary to the academy of the Lyncei, but towards the close of the year 1717, determining to take up the study of medicine, he went with that purpose to Bologna, and attended the lectures of Bazzani, afterwards president of the institute of that city. He also studied botany, natural history, mathematics, and philosophy, under the distinguished professors of those sciences at the university of Bologna. In 1741 he was appointed professor of anatomy at Sienna, but soon returned to his native place, where he resuscitated the academy of the Lyncei, and wrote a notice of the history of that society. The members, in acknowledgment of the trouble which he had taken with this object, struck <section end="607Zcontin" />