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Scan 470
Dictionary of music, 1896
22 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1latter, madrigals were of secular, for the most part erotic, contents. The M. is therefore the real representative of the chamber-music of the 16th century. The origin of the M. as an art-form extends further back than the 16th century; it is connected with the Provençal troubadours, and the word itself is derived from mandra (home) and gal (song). Probably that pointed, almost epigrammatic poetical form, which to-day is known by the name of M., bore that name long before Arcadelt (1538) created such a stir with the first book of his madrigals that within thirty years it passed through twelve editions; and afterwards, both the form and the name of these songs were adopted by hundreds of composers. Indirectly the M. was the starting-point of accompanied monody and of instrumental music, since favourite madrigals were arranged for lute (also for key-board instruments), so that one part (tenor or soprano) was sung, while the others, so far as was possible, were played upon instruments. Also the opera was preceded by a series of madrigals, some of which were sung in the manner indicated, with accompaniment of viols, lutes, theorbos, etc., while others were executed entirely by voices. The M. was thrown into the shade by genuine monody; in England, thanks to the London Madrigal Society (founded in 1741), the M. has held its ground down to the present day. Dr. Emil Vogel, in his "Bibliothek der gedruckten weltlichen Vokalmusik Italiens" (1892, two vols.), has written a comprehensive monograph on the literature of the M. and of allied forms in Italy.
3Maësta (Ital.), majesty; maëstoso, with majesty.
5Magadis, (1) a stringed instrument of the ancient Greeks, which had up to forty strings, and was similar to the harp. A passage in Aristotle's "Probl." XIX. shows that passages in octaves were played on the M.—(2). M. (also Magas) was the term employed by the theorists of the 16th century for the monochord.
7Maggiore (Ital.), major; harmonia di terza m., major chord. When M. is written over a section (Trio) in marches, dances, scherzos, or rondos, also over a variation, it indicates that that section is in the parallel major key, or the major key of the same tonic, as the principal minor key of the piece. Also, in the opposite sense, M. after a Trio marked Minore, indicates a return to the principal key, when this is a major one.
9Magini, Giovanni Paolo, celebrated violin-maker at Brescia, 1590–1640, whose instruments are distinguished for their soft tone, similar to that of the viola, and are highly prized.
11Magnificat is one of the three Cantica majora, the Evangelistic hymn of praise, the Canticum beatae Mariae Virginis, the song of praise of Mary in the house of Zacharias with which she answered the greeting of Elisabeth: "Magnificat anima mea dominum." In the Catholic Church the M. is sung at Vespers, and it is set to melodies in all the eight Church Modes (hence Magnificat octo tonorum). Church composers have arranged the M. for several voices a countless number of times.
13Magnus, Désiré (really Magnus Deutz), pianist, b. June 13, 1828, Brussels, d. the beginning of January, 1884, Paris, received his first musical instruction from Vollweiler at Heidelberg; he then attended the Brussels Conservatoire, where he received in 1843 the first prize. He made successful concert tours as a pianist through England, Russia, Spain, etc., and afterwards settled definitely in Paris, where he occupied an honourable position as pianoforte-player, teacher, composer, and musical critic. He played upon the Steinway concert-grand pianofortes at the Exhibition of 1867. He published chiefly pf. works, sonatas, études, fantasias, etc. His "Méthode élémentaire de piano," which appeared in 1879, became very well known.
15Mahillon, Victor, a meritorious writer on acoustics, b. March 10, 1841, Brussels; since 1877 he has been curator of the museum of instruments at the Brussels Conservatoire. He has published: "Tableau synoptique des voix et de tous les instruments de musique," etc., "Tableau synoptique de la science de l'harmonie," "Éléments d'Acoustique musicale et instrumentale" (1874, prize), "Étude sur le doigté de la flûte Boehm" (1885). M. also started the musical journal L'Echo Musical, and is manager of a large wind-instrument factory founded by his father.
17Mahmud Schirasi, Persian encyclopædist, d. 1315; his work, "Dürret et tadsch" ("Pearl of the Crown"), treats exhaustively of the old Arabic Messel theory (system of intervals). (Cf. MESSEL.)
19Mahu, Stephan, one of the most important of German contrapuntists during the first half of the 16th century; he was chapel-singer to the Emperor Ferdinand I. Some of his compositions are to be found in Joannelli's "Novus thesaurus musicæ" (1568, Lamentations), in J. Walther's "Gesangbuch" (1551, chorale melodies), Montan-Neuber's "Thesaurus musicus" (1564, a Da pacem à 8), in Petrejus' "Modulationes" (1538), and "Newen teutschen Liedlein" (1539), in Kriesstein's "Selectissimæ," etc. (1540), and in Rhaw's "Newen geistlichen Gesängen" (1544). Two Magnificats à 4 were found in the Munich Library and published by Commer ("Musica sacra," vol. 18).
21Maier, (1), Joseph Friedrich Bernhard Kaspar, cantor at Schwäbisch-Hall. He published "Hodegus musicus" (1718) and "Museum musicum theoretico-praticum, darinnen gelehrt wird, wie man sowohl die Vokal- als Instrumentalmusik gründlich erlernen kann" (1732; 2nd ed. as "Neu eröffneter theoretisch-
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