Books › A biographical dictionary of musicians, 1900 › scan 621
Scan 621
A biographical dictionary of musicians, 1900
20 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 609. See the scan on archive.org.
1(1839); "Manuale cantorum" (1849); "Processionale" (1849); "Rituale Romanum" (1862); "De la musique religieuse" (1866; with Elewyck).
3Vuillaume, Jean-Baptiste, famous violin-maker; b. Mirecourt, Dept. of Vosges, France, Oct. 7, 1798; d. Paris, Mar. 19, 1879. He came of a family of violin-makers, and learned the trade from his father, Claude V. [d. 1834]. At 19 he went to Paris, and worked with Chanot till 1821, and from 1821-5 for Lété, with whom he then entered into partnership. After Lété's retirement in 1828, V. worked alone, and put his own name on several instr.s which he had constructed with the greatest care; but sales were slow, as the craze for old Italian violins had just set in. Unable to make headway against the prevailing fashion, he deftly turned it to account; after long and patient labor he placed a "Stradivarius" violin on the market for 300 francs, bearing the master's label, and possessing a full, sonorous tone! Thenceforward he could hardly keep pace with the orders for similar instr.s; he also built 'celli for 500 francs. The sight of a Duiffopruggar viola da gamba inspired him with the idea of further imitations; hence the hundreds of "Duiffopruggar" violins and 'celli with their quaint shape, carved scrolls, inlays, and the motto "viva fui in sylvis, etc." By dint of indefatigable researches and experiments, V. carried the construction of these various instr.s to the highest perfection. His own inventions were numerous:—in 1851 the huge "Octobasse," a double-bass 4 metres in length, 3-stringed (CC-GG-C), with a special lever-mechanism to aid the left hand (an "octobasse" is in the Museum of the Paris Cons.); in 1855 a viola of broader and higher model, the "contre-alto," with double strength of tone, but clumsy to play; in 1867 a kind of mute, the "pédale sourdine"; also a machine for manufacturing gut-strings of perfectly equal thickness. He likewise formulated the laws governing the tapering of the stick of the Tourte bow.
5Vul'pius, Melchior, b. Wasungen, about 1560; d. as cantor at Weimar, 1616.—Publ. 2 books of "Cantiones sacrae" (1602; 1604); "Kirchengesänge und geistliche Lieder Dr. Luthers, etc." a 4-5 (1604); "Canticum beatissimae Virginis Mariae" (1605); "Lateinische Hochzeitstücke" (1608); "Opusculum novum selectissimarum cantionum sacrarum" a 5-6 (1610); "Sontägliche evangelische Sprüche" a 4 (3 parts; 1619-21); and edited "Musicae compendium latino-germanicum M. Henrici Fabri . . ." (1610; with German translations and additions).
7W
9Wach, Karl Gottfried Wilhelm, b. Löbau, Sept. 16, 1755; d. Leipzig, Jan. 28, 1833, as double-bass player in the theatre and Gewandhaus since 1777.
11Wachs, Paul, pianist; b. Paris, Sept. 19, 1851. Pupil, at Paris Cons., of Massé, Marmontel, César Franck, and Duprato; won 1st prize for organ-playing in 1872. Has written a large number of salon-pieces f. pf., many of which enjoy popularity.
13Wachs'mann, Johann Jacob, mus. dir. at Magdeburg Cath.—Publ. a "Praktische Singschule," a "Gesangfibel für Elementarklassen" (1822), "Gesangfibel in Ziffern" (1827), "Vierstimmige Schulgesänge" (1840), "Elementarschule für Pianoforte," "Altargesänge," and "Choralmelodien zum Magdeburgischen Gesangbuch."
15Wach'tel, Theodor, famous stage-tenor; b. Hamburg, Mar. 10, 1823; d. Frankfort-on-Main, Nov. 14, 1893. According to W.'s own account, his father was a "Fuhrherr" (livery-stable keeper), not a "Droschkenkutscher" (cabman). He carried on the business from the age of 17, after his father's death. His voice was "discovered" by some customers of his, with whom he happened to join in quartet-singing; it was trained by Fräulein Grandjean of Hamburg, and his successful début followed in about 18 months. After singing heroic parts in the chief German cities, he went to Vienna for further study. In 1862, and often thereafter, he appeared in London. In 1865 he was eng. for the Berlin Royal Opera. In 1869 he sang in Paris; went to the United States in 1871, at first as a concert-singer, later for a season of opera at the Stadt Theatre, New York; and reappeared in America in 1875, singing in Italian and German opera. After this, having accumulated quite a fortune, he accepted no fixed engagement. His voice was a powerful and brilliant lyric tenor of delightful timbre, brought under good control by long routine; he was admirable in theatrical rôles like that of the Postillion in Adam's Postillon de Longjumeau, which he sang over 1,200 times, George Brown in La Dame blanche, Manrico in Trovatore, Lyonel in Martha, Arnold in Tell, Raoul in Les Huguenots, Stradella, and Eleazar; his sole attempt as a Wagner singer, in Lohengrin (Leipzig, 1876) was a dismal failure.
17Waelput, Hendrik, b. Ghent, Oct. 26, 1845; d. there July 8, 1885. Pupil of Brussels Cons., winning the Prix de Rome with the cantata Het Woud. In 1869, Director of Bruges Cons., also acting as cond. of the theatre and the Popular Concerts. Lived 1871-5 in Dijon; then became cond. at the Grand Théâtre, Ghent; and, finally, prof. of harmony at Antwerp Cons.—Works: 4 symphonies; the cantatas De zegen der wapens, La pacification de Gand, Memling; a festival march; songs; an opera (not perf.), Berken de diamantslyper; etc.
19Waelrant, Hubert, b. Tongerloo, Brabant, about 1517; d. Antwerp, Nov. 19, 1595. Pupil of Willaert at Venice; founded a music-school at Antwerp in 1547, and was Jean Laet's partner
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