Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/214

* MTTSIC. 178 MUSIC. bert, which can be accounted for by the fact that this Flemish musician spent some years in Spain. VI II. The German Polyphonic School (1500- 1025). — This school divides itself into two periods, the former showing Flemish, the latter Venetian, influences, but in the frequent and bold use of dissonances the German masters go beyond their predecessors. The chief composers showing Flemish inlluenccs are: Isaak. H. Finck, Senlll. ilermann Finck. Those showing Italian in- fluences (almost all pupils of G. Gabriel!) are: Uallus, Gumpeltzhainier, Hasler, Aichinger, Prii- torius. IX. The School of Protestant Church Music (1540-1G72). — (A) In Germany, the Reformation popularized church music by the introduction of congregational singing. For untrained voices simple music was needed, and tliis need gave rise to the chorale, which originatcil in the sing- ing of sacred words to popular folksongs. The musicians whose importance rests chiefly upon their chorales are: Luther, Walther, Eccard, Calvisius, Franck, Schein. (B) From the earliest times it had been customary in the Catholic Church to recite during Holy Week the Pas- sion of Our Lord according to the Gospels. Luther desired to preserve this custom for the Reformed Church. He translated the text and had various composers furnish the nuisic. Thus arose the "Passion," to the cultivation of which many German masters dev(]tcd their best energies. Along this line vocal ])olyplionic mu- sic steadily developed until, in the works of Schiitz, German music reached an originality that places it on a level with the famous Italian schools. The (Jernian School combines the beauty of the Roman School with the massiveness of the Venetian. In addition, there is a tenderness and a subjective, passionate element quite dis- tinct from the colorless solemnity of the early Italian music. The important masters are: Schiitz, J. C. Bach, .f. M. Bach. X. The School of German Organists (1020- 1722). — (A) While vocal music was steadily a<l- vancing, instrumental music, although of later date, was not neglected. Sweclinck had founded a great school in the Netherlands, which trained many (iermans, who carried the art into their native land. There the cities of llanilnirg and Liibeck became the centres of a new instrumental school whose basis was the chorale. The prin- cipal forms cultivated were the toccata, ciaeonna, fugue, and, toward the end of the period, the sonata. The great North German masters were: Scheldt, Scheidemann, Reinken, Buxtehude, Kuh- nan. (B) While the North German masters developed the style of .Sweelinek. a group of composers in the miildle and south of Germany worke<l along similar lines, but under the influ- enccH of Frescobaldi and the Roman School. The authority of the Italian sonata writers hail by this time e.xtemled to fiermany, and the form.s of the sonata da chicta and the sonata da ca- mera were cultivated. Nor was the fugue neg- lected. .AH the great composers used the Italian forms, hut infused their own individuality into them, anil thus prepared the way for .T. S. Bach, who wrested the leadership in musical affairs from Italy and transferred it to Germany. The German masters who aided in this great work are: Kerl. Frolierger. Pachclbel, Muffat, Biber. XI. The School of Florence (1594-1676).— While the earlier Italian composers cultivated almost exclusively the polyphonic style of vocal music, a school with idely diffei'ent tendencies sprang up in Florence. The revival of the learn- ing of Greece led to an attempt to reconstruct the ancient drama. Thus arose the monodio style, in which one voice sings while instruments furnish the accompaniment. In lo'.U Peri set an entire drama, Dafnc, to music in this man- ner. Crude as the attempt was, it found favor, and in less than half a century the new style had conquered all Kurope. Its development was not contined to Florence; in fact, its greatest exponent, Jlonteverde, was a native of Cremona, although he lived chiefly in JIantua and Venice. But as the style originated in Florence, it seems advisable to classify all composers identified with its development under the Florentine School. This school first dispensed with the preparation of dissonances, and greatly developed the or- chestra, establishing the strings as its founda- tion. The works of this school were first desig- nated by the title Dramma per musica. About 1050 we find Opera per musica, which soon after- wards became simply Opera. The principal names of this division are: Peri, Caccini, Monte- verde. Cavalli. See Opera. XII. The School of Saples (1675-1757).— As early as 1475 a Flemish master, Tinctor, settled in Naples, but not until two hundred years later did a distinct school arise. From Rome and Venice the Neapolitans adopted the polyphonic church style, from Rome the oratorio, and from Florence the musical drama. The new school paid more attention to the melodic outline of the highest voice, perfected the form of the aria (q.v. ), and introduced it into their dramatic works. Whereas the Florentine musical drama consisted of continuous recitative by a single voice, the Nca|)olitans introduced not only the aria, but also choru-^es. duets, trios, etc. The Florentines had emjihasized the dramatic, the Neapolitans emphasized the »i».sir(i? element. They also cultivated the form of the concert overture, (See OvERTrRE. ) Transferring the form of the sonata da chiesa to compositions for the clavi- chord, and introducing a secondary against a principal .subject, they prepared the way for the modern sonata. The principal masters are: Stra- dclla, A. Scarlatti, Durante, Logroscino, Leo, D. Scarlatti. XIII. The Early School of French Opera (104.5-1704).— After the Old French School had been sup|danted by that of the Netherlands, we have no more records of music in France until 1645, when a work of the Florentine monodie style was produced in Paris. The rise of the French drama through the works of Corncille, Racine, and Molifere turned the general atten- tion to the stage. Lully became the founder of a distinct school of French opera. The charac- teristics of this -ichool are better dramatic char- acterization and the raising of the chorus to an active participation in the dramatic develop- ment. The orchestra also is increased by the addition of kettledrums and trumpets, and the character of the wood-wind is recognized. The important names arc: Cambert, Lully, Marais, Rameau. XIV. The Later School of Venice (]r,r,M). — The German Protestant masters had intro- duced a subjective and emotional element into their church music. This became the kevnote