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Scan 366
Dictionary of music and musicians, 1908
18 lines. Read by computer on 10 September 2026. Printed page 324. See the scan on archive.org.
1ing till his death, by his own hand, at his house in Hammersmith [on Nov. 27, 1810. (See the Morning Chronicle of Nov. 29, and other papers of the same time, as well as the Gentleman's Magazine for Dec. 1810.) The date of these publications makes it impossible to accept the statements in Riemann's Lexikon and the Quellen-Lexikon, that Bianchi died at Bologna on Sept. 24, 1811]. Bianchi composed about twenty operas and oratorios, besides instrumental music. He was also the author of a work on the theory of music, portions of which are printed in the Musical Quarterly Review (ii. 22). Enough has been said to show the estimation of Bianchi by his contemporaries. His chief value to us resides in the fact that he was the master of Sir Henry Bishop. Bianchi has been sometimes confounded with Bertoni, perhaps because of the connection of both with Pacchierotti.
3M. C. C.
5BIBER, HEINRICH JOHANN FRANZ VON, a celebrated German violin-player and composer, born at Wartenberg in Bohemia, August 12, 1644, and died May 3, 1704, at Salzburg, where he occupied the double post of high steward and conductor of music at the court of the Prince-Archbishop. His reputation as a performer and composer was very great, and the Emperor Leopold was so delighted with him that he not only presented him with a gold chain and a considerable sum of money, but also ennobled him by the prefix 'von' in 1681. We, who have to form our estimate of Biber's merits and of his place in the history of violin-playing from those of his compositions which have come down to us, may well contend that his is the first German violin music of any artistic worth at all. At that period the art of violin-playing and the style of composing for the instrument in Germany were entirely under the influence of Italy. Unfortunately the earliest German violinists appear to be more connected with Farina and his school than with Vitali, Torelli, and Veracini. Thus we find that the works of J. J. WALTHER (see that name), a contemporary of Biber, who enjoyed a great reputation in Germany, chiefly consist, like those of Farina, of unconnected phrases, equally void of musical ideas and form, apparently invented to show off the performer's skill in execution, and often only devoted to crude and childish imitation of natural sounds. Although Biber cannot be pronounced free from the faults of his German contemporaries—since his forms are often vague and his ideas somewhat aphoristic—still his sonatas contain some pieces which not only exhibit a well-defined form, but also contain fine and deeply-felt ideas, and a style which, though nearly related to that of the best Italians of his time, has something characteristically German in its grave and pathetic severity. Altogether Biber represents an immense progress in the art of violin-playing in Germany. That his powers of execution were very considerable we must conclude from his mode of writing for the violin, which presupposes great proficiency in the playing of double stops as well as dexterity in bowing. It is also worth notice that he appears to have been the first occasionally to modify the usual way of tuning the instrument (see SCORDATURA). In two of his sonatas the violin must be tuned thus:—
7, and thus:—
9The following compositions of his have been published: (1) 'Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes,' Salzburg, 1676. (2) Six sonatas for violin with figured bass; Salzburg, 1681. (The sixth of these was edited by F. David in his 'Hohe Schule des Violinspiels.') (3) 'Fidicinium sacro-profanum,' a set of twelve sonatas in four and five parts; Nürnberg, no date. (4) 'Harmonia artificiosa-ariosa,' a collection of seven partitas or suites for three instruments; Nürnberg, no date. (5) 'Vesperælongiores ac breviores' for 4 voices, 3 violins, 2 violas, and 3 trombones ad libitum; Salzburg, 1693. (6) 'Trattenimento musicale,' Salzburg, 1699. There is also a 'Dramma Musicale,' 'Chi la dura la vince,' of his in MS., and much church music at Salzburg. An engraved portrait of him at the age of thirty-six is extant.
11P. D.
13BIBL, ANDREAS, born at Vienna, April 8, 1797; and from 1818 organist at S. Stephen's. He came to the cathedral in Albrechtsberger's time as a singing boy, and learned organ-playing and composition from Josef Preindl. His style of playing was noble, and his compositions are clear and thoroughly church-like in character. He published preludes and fugues for the organ (Diabelli and Haslinger), and died in 1878. His son RUDOLPH, born Jan. 6, 1832, studied under Sechter, and became organist at the cathedral 1859, at the imperial chapel 1863 [and Hofkapellmeister in 1897]. His playing was that of a sound musician, and his compositions for organ, church, and chamber, many of them still in MS., show that he has succeeded in adapting himself to modern ideas.
15C. F. P.
17BICINIUM (Lat. bis and canere), described by Walther as 'a two-part song,' is an obsolete name formerly used in Germany for any short two-part composition. In the preface to Rhau's Secundus Tomus Biciniorum (1545), he uses as an equivalent the Greek δίφωνα: 'Nec video quomodo Tyrones canendo melius exerceri possint, quam si hæc δίφωνα illis proponantur, Sunt præterea ad omnia instrumenta valde accommoda.' The title-page of Lindner's Bicinia Sacra (1591) is in both Latin and German, the latter translating 'Bicinia' by 'Zweystimmige Gesänglein,' though the above extract from Rhau's preface proves sufficiently that the term was not confined to vocal music only. 'Tricinium,' which is more rarely found, is an obsolete
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