Scan 147
The American history and encyclopedia of music .., 1908
10 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Bach, Chopin and Thalberg are others who have fallen victim to its lively rhythm.
3Closely following it in popularity is the saltarello, from the Latin saltare, meaning to jump. It is in 3-4 and 6-8 time, and is danced by two persons, generally a man and a woman, the latter holding her apron and pirouetting gracefully. It originated in the Fifteenth or Sixteenth Centuries and was generally performed by gardeners or vintners. The saltarello is peculiar to Rome, and is lively enough to belie the statement that the Roman citizen is usually too listless and apathetic to dance unless stirred by strong emotion.
5The following description of the saltarello is given in the Penny Magazine of 1845: "In all these dances the dancers make their own music, or the best part of it, either by mandolin or voice, or by voice and castanets; the said music when heard near at hand, being rather loud and wild than soft and melodious, and the voices being stretched to a cracking scream. Sometimes the partners scream together, at other times they sing in alternate strophes or verses and occasionally the woman only plays the castanets, leaving the singing, and all the rest of the music, or the noise to the man. But very commonly the bystanders and spectators of the dance join in the music, forming a loud screaming orchestra and choir that must be heard to be understood. When all this is mingled or softened by distance, it is pleasant enough."
7It might be added that the music, often in minor, is played by the guitar as well as the mandolin with tambourine accompaniment. The finale to Mendelssohn's "Italian Symphony" contains two saltarellos and Valentine Alkan has one in an interesting suite for pianoforte.
9The siciliana, variously known as the siciliano or the sicilienne, is similar to the pastorale. It is, as its name indicates, indigenous to the island of Sicily, where the picturesque inhabitants esteem dancing a necessity almost worthy to be placed in the same category with food and drink. The siciliana is of an idyllic, tender, almost monotonous
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