Books › Dictionary of music and musicians, 1908 › scan 45
Scan 45
Dictionary of music and musicians, 1908
14 lines. Read by computer on 5 September 2026. Printed page 25. See the scan on archive.org.
11637, and 1641, three books of 'Musiche varie a voce sola,' in which, according to Burney, the term 'Cantata' occurs for the first time, although the invention of this kind of piece was claimed by Barbara Strozzi twenty years later. F. G.
3FERRARI, DOMENICO, an eminent Italian violin player, born at Piacenza at the beginning of the 18th century. He was a pupil of Tartini, and lived for a number of years at Cremona. About the year 1749 he began to travel, and met with great success at Vienna, where he was considered the greatest living violin player. In 1753 he became a member of the band of the Duke of Württemberg at Stuttgart, of which Nardini was at that time leader. If Ferrari was a pupil of Tartini, he certainly, according to contemporary critics, did not retain the style of that great master in after life. He had an astonishing ability in the execution of octave-runs and harmonics, and appears altogether to have been more a player than a musician. He twice visited Paris, at first in 1754, and played there with great success. He died at Paris in 1780, according to report, by the hand of a murderer. Ferrari published sets of six Violin-Sonatas (Paris and London), and some for two violins and bass which, however, are now forgotten.
5FERRARI, GIACOMO GOTIFREDO, a cultivated and versatile musician, son of a merchant at Roveredo, born there 1759. He learned the pianoforte at Verona, and the flute, violin, oboe, and double-bass at Roveredo, and studied theory under Pater Marianus Stecher at the convent of Mariaberg near Chur. After his father's death he accompanied Prince Lichtenstein to Rome and Naples, and studied for two years and a half under Latilla on Paisiello's recommendation. Here also he made the acquaintance of M. Campan, Marie Antoinette's master of the household, and went with him to Paris, where he was appointed accompanist to the new Théâtre Feydeau. In 1793 the company was dispersed, and Ferrari shortly afterwards left France. Having travelled for some time he finally settled in London, where he composed a very large number of works, including four operas and two ballets. In 1804 he married Miss Henry, a well-known pianist. From 1809 to 1812 he suffered from loss of sight. In 1814 he went to Italy with Broadwood the pianoforte-maker, and visited Naples, Venice, etc., returning in 1816. He died in London, Dec. 1842. He was an active teacher of singing, and published a Treatise on Singing in 2 vols., of which a French translation appeared in 1827. His Studio di musica prattica e teorica (London) is a useful treatise. Two of his French songs, 'Qu'il faudrait de philosophie' and 'Quand l'amour nacquit à Cythère,' were extremely popular in their day. His acquaintance with almost every contemporary musician of importance gives a historical value to his book Aneddotti … occorsi nella vita di G. G. Ferrari, 2 vols. London, 1830. Besides the operas, ballets, and songs already named, Ferrari composed an extraordinary quantity of music for the voice, pianoforte, flute, and harp. [See Quellen-Lexikon.]
7FERREL, JEAN FRANÇOIS, musician in Paris about the middle of the 17th century, wrote a small pamphlet, A savoir que les maistres de dance, qui sont de vrais maistres larrons à l'endroit des violons de France, n'ont pas royale commission d'incorporrer ès leur compagnie les organistes et austres musiciens, comme aussy de leur faire paier redevance, démonstré par J. F. Ferrel, praticien de musique à Paris, natif de l'Anjou (Paris, 1659). This was the signal for a contest lasting for 100 years, between the French musicians and the dancing-masters, whose chief, the 'roi des ménétriers,' claimed jurisdiction over all musicians. Hard words were exchanged on both sides, and after several law-suits, a decree of the Paris Parliament in 1750 settled the question in favour of the musicians. Some of the pamphlets had curious titles; for example, La cloche felée, ou le bruit faict par un musicien qui ne veult être maistre de dance parce qu'il ne sait sur quel pied se tenir, and Discours pour prouver que la danse dans sa plus noble partie n'a pas besoin des instrumens de musique, et qu'elle est en toute indépendante du violon. [See Fétis.]
9FERRETTI, GIOVANNI, born at Venice about 1540 [lived in Ancona from 1569, where he was maestro di cappella at the cathedral from 1575 to 1585], composed five books of 'Canzoni' in five parts (Venice, 1567-91), two books in six parts (Venice, 1573-86), and another of five-part madrigals (Venice, 1588), all excellent examples of their kind. A madrigal of his, 'Siat' avertiti,' for five voices, is included in Webb's madrigals, and in vol. iii. of Novello's Glee Hive.
11FERRI, BALDASSARE, one of the most extraordinary singers who ever lived, was born at Perugia, Dec. 9, 1610. He owed to an accident in his boyhood the operation by which he became a sopranist. At the age of eleven he entered the service of the Bishop of Orvieto as a chorister, and remained there until 1625, when Prince Vladislas of Poland, then on a visit at Rome, carried him off to his father's Court. In 1665 he was transferred to Ferdinand III., Emperor of Germany, whose successor, Leopold I., loaded him with riches and honours. This prince had a portrait of Ferri, crowned with laurels, hanging in his bed-chamber, and inscribed, 'Baldassare Perugino, Re dei Musici.' At the age of sixty-five he received permission to retire to his native country, with a passport, the terms of which indicated sufficiently the consideration in which he was held. He reached Italy in 1675, and died at Perugia, Sept. 8, 1680.
13Ferri was made a knight of S. Mark of Venice in 1643; and, therefore, probably visited
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.