Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/471

BALAAM. Balak builds altars and offers sacrifice, but each time Balaam blesses Israel. Balak chides him for this, but Balaam answers that he must obey the commands of God.

To these critical scholars the story is evidently compiled from several sources. They call at- tention to the repetitions in the narrative, and such contradictory statements as are implied in Num. xxii. 22. where God is said to be angry that Balaam went with the messengers of Balak, whereas, two verses previous, God gives the seer the order to go. According to one version, then, Balaam went at the express command of tlie Deity; according to the other, of his own initiative. The second version is introduced by the side of the first in order to bring in the episode of the talking ass. God manifests his displeasure at Balaam's consent to go to Balak by sending an adversary that is a hostile angel with drawn sword to block up Balaam's path. The ass sees the angel and tries to turn aside, but the adversary blocks the way both to the right and the left. The ass clings to the wall, and Balaam, not seeing the angel, thinks that the ass is obstinate, and beats him three times, whereupon the ass reproaches Balaam, to whose gaze now the sight of the angel is revealed. The angel addresses the seer, rebukes him likewise for maltreating the ass, and warns him not to speak anything but what God will command him. This episode places Balaam in a more un- favorable light than what has preceded, and thus by a continuation of the analysis of the texts we can pick out the several parts of the two (or more) versions from which the narra- tive has been pieced together. The poetical ut- terances in the narrative represent some of the finest specimens of Old Testament poetry.

BALAAM. The name under which the Earl of Huntingdon is satirized in Dryden's Abalom and Achitophel.

BAL'ACHONG (Malay bālachān). The name given by the Chinese to a condiment made of putrid shrimps or small fish pounded with salt and spices and then dried. It is eaten with rice.

BALAFRÉ, ba'la'fra', (Fr.. the scarred). (1) A name applied to Ludovic Lesly, uncle of Quentin, in Scott's Quentin Durward, because of his scarred cheek. (2) A characterization of two dukes of Guise for a similar reason.

BALAGUER, bii'la-gai-', (1824-1901). A Spanish poet, historian, and diplomat; born at Barcelona. He served his native town as archivist, and afterwards was professor of history in the university there. He was made minister of public works in 1872, vice-president of the Cortes in 1880, and minister to the colonies in 1886. He made a special study of the history and legends of Catalonia. Among his more important works are: Estudios historicos y politicos (1876), Historia de Cataluña (1878), Historia politica y literaria de los trovadores (1878-80), Tragedias (1879), Poesias completas (1884).

BALAHISSAR, biiTa-his-sar' (Turk. and Ar. bala, high + hissar, castle). A village of Asiatic Turkey, situated about 8 miles southwest of Sivrihissar, in the vilayet of Angora (Map: Turkey in Asia, D 3). Near by are ruins of the ancient Pessinus, a flourishing town of Galatia, famous for the worship of Cybele, to whom a fine temple was built by the kings of Pergamum. Most of the remains of the acropolis, theatre, and hippodrome of the ancient city have disappeared.

BA'LAK. A caricature of Dr. Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury, in Absalom and Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate. He appears in Part II.

BALAKIREFF, ba-la'ke-ryef, Mili Alexeyevich (1837—). A Russian composer and founder of the Young Russian School of Music. Ulyby- sheff (Oulibicheff) was his first teacher in music at his native city, Nizhni-Novgorod. Of excep- tional memory, he knew at the age of 18 nearly all the classics of music by heart. In 1855 he graduated from the mathematical department of the University of Kazan and went to Saint Pe- tersburg, where Glinka befriended him. He made a brilliant debut as a pianist, but gave up that career; nor could Ulybysheff's Mozart-worship make a classicist of him. Russia was reawaken- ing, after the Crimean war, from her enforced torpor during the reign of Nicholas I., and Balakireff gathered around him several youthful enthusiasts, Cui, Musorgski, and later Rimsky- Korsakoff and Borodin, all striving for nation- alism in music, with Glinka and Dargomyzhski as their models. The foundation of the Modern Russian School was now laid. Under the en- ergetic guidance of Balakireff, they studied all the masters of music from the earliest times. He possessed a striking power of analysis, as well as of imparting knowledge, and he taught them whatever he learned himself. "Truth and nationalism" was their battle-cry. At first in literary articles, then in musical compositions, they embodied their theories. Balakirefi's own contributions to this movement were ^ongs (1858-00) : three overtures (on Russian themes, 1858; on Czech themes, 1807; and the Millennial, 1802) ; incidental music (overture, march and four entr'actes) to Lear (1858-01) ; a collection of 40 National Songs (1806) ; and a piano fan- tasy, IsJamey (186!)). The songs have remained a classic in their national treatment of the added accompaniments, and the fantasy has been pronounced the most dificult piano com- position. It was a favorite of Liszt's, and one which all his pupils had to learn. Jointly with Lomakin, Balakireff founded, in 1861, the Free Music School. In its classes the 'new truths' were inculcated, at its concerts the works of the Young Russian School were performed, under Balakireff's passionate baton. In 1867, he gained a European reputation by his production and conducting of Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila in Prague. On his return, he was elected conductor of the Russian Musical Society, but resigned in 1869, on account of intrigues, and in 1872 with- drew from public life owing to ill-health. From 1883 till 1894 he was director of the Imperial Capella, which he has placed on a solid musical foundation by organizing classes in various branches of musical instruction. His fantasy for orchestra. Tamara (1867-82), and his sym- phony in C major (1898) are his greatest works. They are glowing, passionate, and full of rich orchestration. All his larger works are pro- gramme music of the Berlioz-Liszt School. Though not prolific, he occupies, in the history of Russian music, one of the most distinguished places. Consult: Cui, La musique en Russie (Paris, 1880); Pougin, Essai historique sur la musique en Russie (Turin, 1897).