Scan 119
Grove's dictionary of music and musicians ed. by J. A. Fuller Maitland, 1907
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1beginning of the 19th century, born June 14, 1763, at Mendorf in Bavaria; early showed talent for music, which he first learned from his father the village schoolmaster and organist. When about ten he entered the Jesuit seminary at Ingolstadt, but did not neglect his music, either then, or when, after the banishment of the Jesuits, he studied law in Ingolstadt. Having made the acquaintance of a nobleman, Thomas de Bessus of the Grisons, he lived in the house as music master, and was afterwards sent by his patron to Bergamo, to study with Lenzi, maestro di cappella there. Mayr found, however, that his master knew little more than himself, and was on the point of returning to Germany, when Count Presenti, a canon of Bergamo, provided him with the means of going to F. Bertoni in Venice. Here again his expectations were deceived, but he picked up some practical hints and a few rules from Bertoni, and hard work and the study of good books did the rest. He had already published some songs in Ratisbon; and in Bergamo and Venice he composed masses and vespers. After the success of his oratorio 'Jacob a Labano fugiens,' composed in 1791 for the Conservatorio dei Mendicanti, and performed before a distinguished audience, he was commissioned to compose three more oratorios for Venice ('David,' 'Tobiae matrimonium' and 'Sisara'). For Forli he wrote 'Jephite' and a Passion. Thrown on his own resources by the sudden death of his patron, he was urged by Piccinni to try the stage, and his first opera 'Saffo, ossia i riti d'Apollo Leucadio' was so well received at the Fenice in Venice (1794) that he was immediately overwhelmed with commissions, and between that date and 1814 composed no less than seventy-seven operas. Indeed it was not till Rossini's success that his fame declined. Many of his melodies were sung about the streets, such as the pretty cavatina 'O quanto l'anima' from 'Lauso e Lidia.' In 1802 he became maestro di cappella of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, and was so much attached to his work there, that he declined not only invitations to London, Paris, Lisbon, and Dresden, but also the post of Censor to the Conservatorio of Milan, his appointment to which had been signed by the Viceroy of Italy in 1807. As professor of composition in the Musical Institute of Bergamo,—founded in 1805, reorganised in 1811—he exercised great and good influence; Donizetti was one of his pupils there. He was the founder of two institutions for decayed musicians and their widows, the 'Scuola caritatevole di Musica,' and the 'Pio Istituto di Bergamo.' [From 1816 onwards he wrote only church music, such as masses, psalms, motets, etc. See Quellen-Lexikon.] He had been blind for some years before his death, which took place on Dec. 2, 1845. The city of Bergamo erected a monument to him in 1852, and in 1875 his remains and those of Donizetti were removed with much ceremony to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The most celebrated of his operas are 'Lodoïska' (1800), 'Ginevra di Scozia' (1801), 'Medea' (1813), and 'Rosa bianca e Rosa rossa' (1814). [28 operas are mentioned in the Quellen-Lexikon as still extant.] He is said to have been the first to introduce the crescendo of the orchestra to which Rossini owes so much of his fame. He wrote a small book on Haydn (1809), a biography of Capuzzi the violinist, and poems on his death in 1818; also La Dottrina degli elementi musicali, still in MS. in Bergamo. [See the Zeitschr. of the Int. Mus. Ges. vii. 224, and Le Guide Musical, March 11, 1906.] F. G.
3MAYSEDER, JOSEPH, violinist and composer, son of a poor painter, born in Vienna, Oct. 26, 1789. Beginning at eight, he learnt the violin from Suche and Wranitzky. Schuppanzigh took a great interest in the lad, and entrusted him with the second violin in his quartet. In 1800 he gave his first concert in the Augarten with brilliant success. He rapidly made his way with the court and nobility, and among musicians. In 1816 he entered the court chapel, in 1820 became solo-violin at the court theatre, and in 1835 was appointed chamber-violinist to the Emperor. The municipality awarded him the large gold 'Salvator Medal' in 1811, and presented him with the freedom of the city in 1817. In 1862 the Emperor bestowed on him the order of Franz-Joseph. In 1815 he gave, with Hummel (afterwards replaced by Moscheles) and Giuliani, the so-called 'Dukaten-concerte.' He also gave concerts with Merk the violoncellist, but after 1837 he never appeared in public. He never played abroad; even on his visit to Paris in 1820, he would only play before a select circle of artists, including Kreutzer, Baudiot, Cherubini, Habeneck, Lafont, and Viotti. He took a great interest in the string-quartet party which met at Baron Zmeskall's house (where Beethoven was often present), and afterwards in that at Prince Constantine Czartoryski's (from 1843 to 1856). His many pupils spread his name far and wide. His tone was peculiarly fascinating, and his execution had great breadth and elevation of style. With the exception of a grand mass he composed only chamber music of a style similar to his playing. He published sixty-three works, including concertos, polonaises, variations, five quintets and eight quartets for strings, études and duets for violin, four trios, sonatas, etc. for PF., trio for violin, harp, and horn, etc. Mayseder died, universally respected, Nov. 21, 1863. C. F. P.
5MAZAS, JACQUES-FÉRÉOL, French violinist and composer, was born Sept. 23, 1782, at Beziers. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1802, and after having studied for three years under Baillot, obtained the first prize
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