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Scan 288
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians;, 1907
15 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 253. See the scan on archive.org.
1Elisabeth Weston's poem,1 often referred to in biographies of Philippe, gives no information at all.
3De Monte published his first book of Masses at Antwerp in 1557,2 just at the end of Lassus's residence in that city, and we may safely credit the common tradition of a friendship existing between the two composers. It was probably on Orlando's recommendation that Philippe was called to Vienna, May 1, 1568, to become Maximilian's Chapelmaster. Rudolph II., the next emperor, moved his court to Prague, and thither Philippe followed him. Thus we find him dating from Vienna, April 15, 1569,3 and from Prague, Sept. 20, 1580,4 and Oct. 10, 1587.5
5Fétis gives interesting details of de Monte's appointment as treasurer and canon of the cathedral at Cambrai, a benefice which he apparently held without residence. He resigned these appointments early in 1603, and died on July 4 of the same year.6
7De Monte published over thirty books of madrigals—nineteen books a 5, eight a 6, and four a 4.7 Eight books of these in the British Museum contain 163 Nos., so we may assume that 630 madrigals were printed, not to speak of many others contributed to collections. His sacred publications (two books of masses, and seven of motets) seem comparatively few, but he would scarcely find at the imperial court the same encouragement to write, or assistance to publish such works, as fell to the lot of his contemporaries at Rome and Munich. [See the Quellen-Lexikon for list.] Of modern reprints, Hawkins contributes a madrigal a 4, Dehn and Commer a motet each, and Van Maldeghem some Nos. in his 'Trésor Musical.'
9MONTÉCLAIR, MICHEL PIGNOLET DE, born about 1666 at Chaumont in Bassigny, was a chorister in the cathedral of Langres, and subsequently sang in various other churches. He entered the service of the Prince de Vaudémont, as music-master, and went with him to Italy. In 1700 he went to live in Paris, and became a double-bass player in the opera orchestra in 1707, remaining there until 1737, when he retired with a pension. He died at St. Denis in September 1737. He was a distinguished teacher of the violin, and a composer of some importance, both for the stage and the chamber. His 'Festes de l'Été,' an 'opéra-ballet,' was produced on June 12, 1716, and his 'tragédie lyrique' 'Jephté,' in five acts and a prologue, on Feb. 28, 1732. In the prologue of this latter is a curious scene in which various mythological divinities are driven from the opera-house by Truth and the Virtues, and their places taken by the scriptural personages. Montéclair's Méthode pour apprendre la Musique had appeared in 1700, but in a revised edition (1736) a number of examples from 'Jephté' were given. It contains a valuable explanation of the more usual ornaments, and on the hints on the proper accentuation of words in music. (See The Oxford History of Music, vol. iv.; The Age of Bach and Handel, p. 301.) one of two readings
10MONTÉCLAIR, MICHEL PIGNOLET DE, born about 1666 at Chaumont in Bassigny, was a chorister in the cathedral of Langres, and subsequently sang in various other churches. He entered the service of the Prince de Vaudémont, as music-master, and went with him to Italy. In 1700 he went to live in Paris, and became a double-bass player in the opera orchestra in 1707, remaining there until 1787, when he retired with a pension. He died at St. Denis in September 1787. He was a distinguished teacher of the violin, and a composer of some importance, both for the stage and the chamber. His 'Festes de l'Été,' an 'opéra-ballet,' was produced on June 12, 1716, and his 'tragédie lyrique' 'Jephté,' in five acts and a prologue, on Feb. 28, 1732. In the prologue of this latter is a curious scene in which various mythological divinities are driven from the opera-house by Truth and the Virtues, and their places taken by the scriptural personages. Montéclair's Méthode pour apprendre la Musique had appeared in 1700, but in a revised edition (1736) a number of examples from 'Jephté' were given. It contains a valuable explanation of the more usual ornaments, and on the hints on the proper accentuation of words in music. (See The Oxford History of Music, vol. iv.; The Age of Bach and Handel, p. 301.) one of two readings
12MONTEVERDE, or MONTEVERDI, CLAUDIO, the originator of the Modern style of composition, was born at Cremona in May 1567 and, at a very early period, entered the service of the Duke of Mantua as a violist; showing from the first unmistakable signs of a talent which gave good promise of future excellence, and which before long met with cordial recognition, not only at the Ducal Court, but from end to end of Europe.
14The youthful violist was instructed in counterpoint by the Duke's Maestro di cappella, Marc Antonio Ingegneri, a learned musician and a composer of some eminence, who, if we may judge by the result of his teaching, does not seem to have been blessed in this instance with a very attentive pupil. It is, indeed, difficult to believe that Monteverde can ever have taken any real interest in the study of scholastic music. Contrapuntal excellence was not one of his strong points, and he never shines to advantage in music in which it is demanded. His first published work—a Book of 'Canzonette a tre voci,' printed at Venice in 1584—though clever enough for a youth of sixteen, abounds in irregularities which no teacher of that period could have conscientiously endorsed. And the earlier books of Madrigals by which the Canzonette were followed (in 1587, 1590, 1592, and 1603) show no progressive improvement in this respect, but rather the reverse. The beauty of some of these compositions is of a very high order; yet it is constantly marred by unpleasant progressions which can only have been the result of pure carelessness; for it would be absurd to suppose that such evil-sounding combinations could have been introduced deliberately, and equally absurd to assume that Ingegneri neglected to enforce the rules by the observance of which they might have been avoided. We must, however, draw a careful distinction between these faulty passages and others of a very different character, which, though they must have been thought startling enough at the time they were written, can only be regarded now as unlearned attempts to reach, per saltum, that new and as yet unheard-of style of beauty for which the young composer was incessantly longing, and to which alone he owes his undoubted
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