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Scan 77
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
20 lines. Read by computer on 5 September 2026. Printed page 43. See the scan on archive.org.
1scending upon the strings. This is said to have been in 1826. In this action he worked the hammers from the front ends of the keys, and thus saved a foot in the length of the case, which he strengthened up to due resistance of the tension without iron barring. He lowered the sound-board, glueing the belly-bars to the upper instead of the under surface, and attached the belly-bridge by a series of sound-posts. His constant endeavour was to keep down the tension or drawing power of the strings, and to reduce the length and weight of the instrument; for, as he says (Notice de M. H. Pape, Benard, Paris, 1862), 'it is not progress in art to make little with much; the aim should be to make much with little.' Yet he extended compass to eight octaves, maintaining that the perception of the extremes was a question of ear-education only. He reduced the structure of his actions to the simplest mechanism possible, preferring for understriking grand pianos the simple crank escapement of Petzold, and for upright pianos that of Wornum, which he adopted in 1815, as stated in the Notice already referred to. His inventions of clothed key-mortices and of felt for hammers are the only important bequests makers have accepted from him, unless the cross or overstringing on different planes, devised by Pape for his table instruments, and already existing in some old clavichords, was first introduced into pianos by him. He claimed to have invented it, and in 1840 gave Tomkinson, a London maker, special permission to use it. (See PIANOFORTE.) He made a piano with springs instead of strings, thus doing away with tension altogether; added reed attachments, and invented a transposing piano, moving by his plan the whole instrument by means of a key while the clavier remained stationary. He also invented an ingenious saw for veneers of wood and ivory; in 1839 he veneered a piano for St. James's Palace, entirely with the latter substance. Pape received many distinctions in France, including the decoration of the Legion of Honour.
2A. J. H.
4PAPILLON DE LA FERTÉ, DENIS-PIERRE-JEAN (b. Châlons-sur-Marne, Feb. 18, 1727 1), became in 1777 by purchase Intendant des Menus Plaisirs to Louis XVI. and as such had the direction of the École Royale de Chant, founded by the Baron de Breteuil and of the Opéra (from 1780–90) after the Paris municipality had given up the administration of it. In 1790 he published a reply to a pamphlet by the artists of the opéra—'Mémoire justificatif des sujets de l'Académie royale de musique'—in which they demanded a reform of the administration. A learned man of high artistic disposition, he left anonymous works on mathematics, astronomy and architecture. He was guillotined in Paris, July 7, 1794.2 His son occupied the same post after the Restoration.
5M. C. C.; addns. M. L. P.
7BIBL.—A. JULLIEN, Un Potentat musical, Papillon de la Ferté: son règne à l'Opéra de 1780 à 1790 (Paris, 1876).
9PAPINI, GUIDO (b. Camagiore near Florence, Aug. 1, 1847; d. London, Oct. 3, 1912), a distinguished violinist, was a pupil of the Italian violin professor Giorgetti, and made his début at 13 years of age in Florence, in Spohr's third concerto. He was for some years leader of the Società del Quartetto in that city. In 1874 he appeared at the Musical Union, which was his principal locale during his annual visits to London, though he was also heard at the Crystal Palace, the Old and New Philharmonic Societies, etc. In 1876 he appeared in Paris with success at the Pasdeloup Concerts, also at the Bordeaux Philharmonic Concerts, which were then much in vogue. In 1893 he accepted the post of principal violin professor in Dublin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music: he instituted the Classical Concerts of the Royal Society of Music while in that city, but ill-health compelled him to resign his professorship in 1896. He returned to London, dividing his time between composition and occasional private tuition. His published compositions, besides arrangements, transcriptions, etc., comprise two concertos for violin and violoncello respectively; an excellent Violin School; 'Exercices de mécanisme pour le violon seul,' and smaller pieces, such as the 'Feuillets d'album,' Romances, Nocturnes, etc., for violin and violoncello. He published songs, trios for two violins and piano, quartet for three violins and piano, and edited the twenty-four 'Caprices de Paganini,' and other classical works.
11BIBL.—LEGGE, Celebrated Violinists, 'Strad' Library, No. IV.; T. L. PHIPSON, Guido Papini; Dict. of Fiddlers; CLARKE, Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians; MENDEL, Musik Lex.; BROWN, Biog. Dict. Mus.
12E. H.-A.
14PAQUE, (1) GUILLAUME (b. Brussels, July 24, 1825; d. Mar. 2, 1876), a well-known violoncellist. He entered the Conservatoire of his native city at an early age as De Munck's pupil, and at 15 gained the first prize. He then went to Paris and was solo violoncello at Musard's Concerts. Thence he went to Madrid as violoncellist to the Queen of Spain. In 1851 he was employed by Jullien for his English Concerts, and thenceforward London became his home. He played in the Royal Italian Opera orchestra, occasionally replaced Piatti at the Monday Popular Concerts, led the violoncellos at the new Philharmonic, and was a member of the Queen's Private Band. He played at the Philharmonic, June 18, 1860. He was buried in Brompton Cemetery. He left numerous works.
16His brother, (2) PHILIPPE J., was trumpeter to the Queen from 1864, and was a member of Her Majesty's Private Band.
181 Parish Register of Notre Dame, Châlons-sur-Mer.
192 Date verified from copy of death act.
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