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Scan 80
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1918
14 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. Printed page 58. See the scan on archive.org.
1interest being thrown into one, generally the upper, part; the other parts being subordinate. These other parts were generally so contrived as to admit of being either sung or played. The first book of Ford's Musike of sundrie kinds (1607) is of this class. Subsequently to its invention, arias were for a considerable time commonly published with the accompaniment only of a 'figured bass.' The aria grande, great or more extended air, has taken a vast variety of forms. These, however, may be classed under two heads, the aria with 'da capo' and the aria without. The invention of the former and older form is now generally attributed to Francesco Cavalli, in whose opera 'Giasone' (1649) the line which divides air from recitative seems to have been marked more distinctly than in any preceding music. The so-called 'aria' of Monteverde and his contemporaries (c. 1600) is hardly distinguishable from their 'musica parlante,' a very slight advance on the 'plain-song' of the Middle Ages. The aria without 'da capo' is but a more extended and interesting form than that of its predecessor. In the earlier the first section or division is also the last; a section, always in another key and generally shorter, being interposed between the first and its repetition. In the later form the first section is repeated, often several times, the sections interposed being in different keys from one another as well as from the first, which, on its last repetition, is generally more or less developed into a 'coda.' The aria grande has assumed, under the hands of the great masters of the modern school, a scope and a splendour which raise it to all but symphonic dignity. As specimens of these qualities we may cite Beethoven's 'Ah, perfido,' and Mendelssohn's 'Infelice.' The limits of the human voice forbid, however, save in rare instances, to the aria, however extended, that repetition of the same strains in different though related keys, by which the symphonic 'form' is distinguished from every other. But compositions of this class, especially those interspersed with recitative, though nominally sometimes arie belong rather to the class 'scena.' [See also ARIA.] J. H.
3A'KEMPIS, NICHOLAS, organist of Ste. Gudule, at Brussels, about 1628; composed three books of symphonies (Antwerp, 1644, 1647, and 1649). A certain Jean Florent A'Kempis was organist of another church in Brussels from about 1657; he was certainly the author of a book of 'Cantiones' published at Antwerp in 1657, and possibly wrote the 'Missae et Motetta' and a requiem, the former of which, published at Antwerp in 1650, has been also ascribed to the other A'Kempis.
5AKEROYDE, SAMUEL, a native of Yorkshire, was a very popular and prolific composer of songs in the latter part of the 17th century. Many of his compositions are contained in the following collections of the period: 'D'Urfey's Third Collection of Songs' 1685; 'The Theatre of Musick,' 1685-87; 'Vinculum Societatis,' 1687; 'Comes Amoris,' 1687-94; 'The Banquet of Musick,' 1688; 'Thesaurus Musicus,' 1693-96; and in The Gentleman's Journal, 1692-94. He was also a contributor to the Third Part of D'Urfey's 'Don Quixote,' 1696. W. H. H.
7ALA, GIOVANNI BATTISTA, born at Monza about the end of the 16th century, died at the age of thirty-two; organist of the Church dei Servitori, in Milan, and composer of canzonets, madrigals, and operas (Milan, 1617, 1625), 'Concerti ecclesiastici' (Milan, 1618, 1621, 1628), and several motets in the 'Pratum musicum' (Antwerp, 1634), and in the 'Luscinia Sacra' (Antwerp, 1633).
9ALABIEV, ALEXANDER NICHOLAEVICH, a talented amateur of the pseudo-national school which preceded Glinka, born at Moscow, August 30, 1802. He entered the army, but being led by his fiery temper into some breach of discipline, was exiled to Tobolsk. On his return, he settled in Moscow, where he died in 1852. In collaboration with Verstovsky and others, he produced several vaudevilles which were popular in their day. Encouraged by the success of Catterino Cavos, he attempted a Russian fairy-opera: 'A Moonlight Night, or the Domovoi' (House Spirit). Probably the task was beyond his amateur resources, for the work proved a failure. Alabiev composed about a hundred songs, pleasing melodies in the popular style, but exceedingly elementary as regards form and accompaniment. One of these 'The Nightingale' became widely known from having been introduced into the 'Singing-lesson' in 'Il Barbiere' by Viardot, Patti, and Sembrich.
11R. N.
13ALARD, DELPHIN, eminent violinist. Born at Bayonne, March 8, 1815; showed at an early age remarkable musical talent, and in 1827 was sent to Paris for his education. At first he was not received as a regular pupil at the Conservatoire, but was merely allowed to attend Habeneck's classes as a listener. He soon, however, won the second, and a year later the first prize for violin-playing, and from 1831 began to make a great reputation as a performer. In 1843, on Baillot's death, he succeeded that great master as professor at the Conservatoire, which post he held until his death, Feb. 22, 1888. Alard was the foremost representative of the modern French school of violin-playing at Paris, with its characteristic merits and drawbacks. His style was eminently lively, pointed, full of élan. He published a number of concertos and operatic fantasias which, owing to their brilliancy, attained in France considerable popularity, without having much claim to artistic worth. On the other hand, his 'Violin School,' which has been translated into several languages, is a very comprehensive and meritorious work. He also edited a selec-
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