CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY MUSIC ^«« .SSIH®" "n'verslty Library 3 1924 022 263 192 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022263192 The Music Story Series Edited by FREDERICK J. CROWEST. The Story of Organ Music Zbe /IBu0(c Storg Seriea. 3/6 net per Volume. Already puhlished in this Series. THE STORY OF ORATORIO. By Annie Patterson, B.A., Mus. Doc. With Illustrations. THE STORY OF NOTATION. By C. F. Abdy Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. THE STORY OF THE ORGAN. By C. F. Abdy Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. THE STORY OF CHAMBER MUSIC. By N. KiLBURN, Mus. Bac. (Cantab). With Illustrations. THE STORY OF THE VIOLIN. By Paul Stoeving. With Illustrations. THE STORY OF THE HARP. By W. H. Grattan Flood. With Illustrations. THE STORY OF ORGAN MUSIC. By C. F. Abdy Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations. This Series, in superior leather bindings, may be had on application to the Publishers. » [all rights reserved.] -C^ ^^^Zl.eyU-99^^ The Story of Organ Music C. F. Abdy Williams, M.A., Mus. Bac. London The Walter Scott Publishing Co., Ltd. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons Preface. Anything like a complete history of the rise and de- velopment of organ music would require a far larger book than this, and would probably extend to several volumes, to say nothing of a collection of examples of the various schools and epochs, which would be necessary. The reader must therefore expect to find nothing more than an outline of the subject, in which a few of the works of some of the leading representa- tives are briefly described. I have drawn considerably on Ritter's Geschichte des Orgelspiels, which deals with organ-playing from the fourteenth to the beginning of the eighteenth centuries, with special regard to that of Germany. It has a valuable collection of no less than one hundred and thirty-six pieces of early organ music of all nations as its second volume; and this, in conjunction with the collections of Commer and others, gives us a great deal of insight into the gradual growth of organ forms. My studies have led me to the conclusion that Story of Organ Music the history of organ music all revolves round one gigantic personality, J. S. Bach: for the earlier com- positions of Italy, Germany, and England seem almost to have only existed in order to make his possible, and since him no organ composer of any eminence has existed who has not been largely influenced by him. This, at any rate, is the view to which I have been led, but it is quite possible that others may arrive at different conclusions. Since it is not convenient to add a second volume of musical illustrations, as Ritter was able to do, I have had to content myself with a few quotations in an Appendix. I have given the whole of a Toccata by Pasquini, whose works were supposed until recently to have been lost to the world ; and the style of Elizabethan organ music is exemplified by a Choralvorspiel by Dr. John Bull, the most famous English organist of his day. I take this opportunity of acknowledging the courtesy of the Curators of the Schools of Oxford University in allowing me to reproduce their portrait of this great musician, which will be found facing page 192. C. F. A. W. Milford-on-Sea, October, igoj. Contents. CHAPTER I. GR.ECO-ROMAN ORGAN MUSIC PAGE Antiquity of the organ — The hydraulus and its music — Difierences between ancient and modern music — Rapidity of execution referred to by ancient writers — Ephemeral nature of instru- mental music in general — Three periods of modern organ music I CHAPTER II. FORM IN MUSIC. Necessity of form — Dance music — Early forms of organ music — Music and architecture compared — Harmony and counter- point — Rise of tonality — Rhythm and popular music . . 1 1 CHAPTER III. ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC. Landino — The several kinds of ancient organ — Organs at St. Mark's, Venice — Zucchetti — Organum magnum and organum parvitm — Organist and organ-builder — Sguarcialupo — Willaert— Buus— The music at St. Mark's— The earliest printed Italian organ music 21 vii Story of Organ Music CHAPTER IV. ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC (continued). PAGE Merulo—Palestrina—Gabrieli— Popular tunes in church— Diruta — // Transilvano — Toccatas — Use of the stops — Antegnati — Italian organs and organists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 33 CHAPTER V. ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC (continued). Frescobaldi — Directions for the proper performance of his music V- — Rossi — Fasolo — Other Italian organists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ^^ CHAPTER VI. GERMAN ORGAN MUSIC. The rise of organ music in Germany — Paumann — His Funda- mentitm Organizandi — Compass of German organs — Hofhaimer — Increase in the number of organs — The Koch family — Arnold Schlick — Spiegel der Orgelmacier^GeimsLii Tablatures — Kleber— Coloratura — Ammerbach — Popular tunes set to sacred words 70 CHAPTER VII. GERMAN ORGAN MUSIC (continued). The Schmids — Origin of tablatures — The fugue — Paix — Woltz — Luython — Luther's hymns — Rise of the Choralvorspiel — Scheldt — Sweelinck — Decay of German tablatures — The organ was not at first used to accompany the choir or con- gregation — Scheldt's directions for the management of the organ — His tonality — Forms of organ music settled in Germany .... .... 87 Contents CHAPTER Vin. GERMAN ORGAN MUSIC {continued). PAGE Scheidemann — Reinken — Buxtehude — Bruhns — The South German school — Hassler — Kindermann — Schlemmer — Pachelbel — Steigleder — Erbach — Speth — Froberger and the legends concerning him — Kerl — Muffat — The Bach family . 104 CHAPTER IX. ORGAN MUSIC IN GERMANY {continued). The organ works of J. S. Bach 124 CHAPTER X. FRENCH ORGAN MUSIC. The organ in France — First French publication — French tablature — Titelouze — Gigault — Raison — French preference for reed stops — Le Begue^French organs — D'Anglebert — Chambon- nieres — The Couperins — Marchand — Rameau — Bedos de Celles. . 143 CHAPTER XI. ORGAN MUSIC IN SPAIN AND THE NETHERLANDS. Authorities for Spanish musical history — Music in a Spanish cathedral — Spanish organs — Cabezon — Spanish tablature — Hernando de Cabezon — Diego de Castillo — Clavigo — Arraujo — Lorente — Nassarre — Equal Temperament first proposed in Spain — Change of style in organ music^Eslava — Portuguese music — Netherlands music — Bells and organs — Bull, Phillips, and other Englishmen in the Netherlands — Cornet — Van Gheyn — Sweelinck — Van Noordt 158 Story of Organ Music CHAPTER XII. ENGLISH ORGAN MUSIC. PAGE The organ in the English church— University degrees— English tablature— Henry Abington— Cathedral music— Day's' Cer- taine Notes — Congregational singing — Tallis — Tye — Byrd — Blitheman— Bull— The Gibbons family— Abolition of the Liturgy I79 CHAPTER XIII. ENGLISH ORGAN MUSIC {continued'). Re-erection of organs after the Restoration — The influence of the opera on church music — New use of the organ — Dr. Greene — John Robinson — Cornet pieces — Dr. Blow — Double and single organs — Croft — Purcell — His Toccata in A — His views of English music — Advent of Handel — Burney's views of English instrumental music — Handel's organ works— Mace and the organ in parish churches — Village church bands . 199 CHAPTER XIV. CONTINENTAL ORGAN MUSIC SINCE 1750. Italian organ music — Vallotti— Santucci — Capocci — Terrabugio — Bossi — German organ music — W. F. Bach — Pupils of J. S. Bach — Rinck — Albrechtsberger — Vogler — The Schneiders — Mendelssohn — Hesse — Schumann — The Fischers — Faisst — Thiele — Ritter — Merkel — Rheinberger — Fahrmann — Reger — French organ music — Benoist — Lambillotte — Nisard — Lefebure-Wely — Franck — Boellmann — Saint-Saens — Dubois — Guilmant — Widor — Dutch organists — Van Eijken — De Lange .... . ... 221 Contents CHAPTER XV. THE PROGRESS OF ORGAN MUSIC IN ENGLAND. PAGE Roseingrave — Arne — Stanley — Nares — Cooke — Dupuis — Beck- with— The Wesleys— Clarke- Whitfeld — Russell— Crotch— Novello — Adams — S. S. Wesley — Smart — Stirling — Spark — Ouseley — Best — The present English school . . . 240 APPENDIX A. Musical Illustrations .... . 263 APPENDIX B. A Chronological Synopsis of Organ Composers . . . 281 APPENDIX C. Bibliography and Collections of Organ Music . 286 Index 291 List of Illustrations. PAGE "Te Deum Laudamus," from the Painting by Henry Barraud Frontispiece Italian Tablature IN 1597, from"IlTransilvano" 37 Title-page OF "IL Transilvano" .... 43 Title-page of Antegnati's Tablature Book, showing Portrait of the Author ... 48 Antegnati's Tablature, 1608 52 Title-page of Frescobaldi's First Book of Recercari and Canzoni 58 Vignette of Frescobaldi 60 Organ Score from Frescobaldi's First Book of Recercari 63 German Tablature, 1571, from Ammerbach, with Translation 82 Organ Score from Froberger's Fantasia on the Hexachord. From Kircher's " Musurgia," 1650 . . 118 xiii Story of Organ Music PAGE Various Attempts to solve the Temperament Difficulty by dividing the Black Keys. From Kircher, 1650 172 Portrait of Dr. John Bull, in the Oxford Facing p. 192 Vignette of Dr. Blow ... • ■ 207 Vignette of Thomas Mace 219 Portrait of Samuel Wesley, from a Painting by John Jackson, R. A Facing p. 244 XIV The Story of Organ Music. CHAPTER I. GR^CO-ROMAN ORGAN MUSIC. Antiquity of the organ — The hydraulus and its music — Differences between ancient and modern music — Rapidity of execution referred to by ancient writers — Ephemeral nature of instrumental music in general — Three periods of modern organ music. While the history of the organ itself has been fre- quently written, the story of the music played on it has received less attention than the instrument itself, probably because all music, however great, being an expression of contemporary art-feeling, becomes anti- quated in course of time, and gradually loses its force for new generations, who require new modes of expression and a new art-language. With the exception of the trumpet, horn, and oboe, the organ is the most ancient wind instrument in use amongst cultivated musicians at present. But, by Story of Organ Music what may seem like a paradox, the organ is not only one of the most ancient, but is at the same time the most modern of instruments, for its capa- Antiqwty bjutjes and resources have so enormously Q * increased during the last century, that there is almost as much difference between an instrument of to-day and one of a hundred years ago as there is between the modern express train and the stage coach with its "lightning speed " of twelve miles an hour. And, just as remarkable travels and voyages were made in the days of coaches and sailing-ships, so remarkable compositions were written and performed by composers who were only acquainted with instru- ' ments that we should consider clumsy and unmanage- able in the extreme. The organ-builder's art has certainly lightened the work of the player, and ex- tended the resources of the composer; but it cannot in itself produce great composers or players. These will arise independently of the greater or less perfection of the instrument with which they have to deal, and all improvements in the organ are made with a view to- their requirements, rather than for the sake of the in- strument itself. The history of the organ begins with the hydraulus of the Roman Empire, whose powers were a source of greater astonishment to ancient audiences „ ^, , than the far finer and more highly-developed modern organ is to an audience of to-day ;i for we are so accustomed to wonderful feats of skill| and extraordinary perfection of mechanism, that we Modes of the Hydraulus take everything as a matter of course. Of the music that was played on the hydraulus not a vestige remains. Though the ancients had a complete system of notation, it is probable that music for a solo instrument was rarely written down, and that the hydraulus was played extempore. We know from sundry notices that the music must have been rhythmical, that it could be loud and soft, that modulations and changes of rhythm and tempo were frequent, that the execution was often exceedingly brilliant, and that six modes were used*: to „ to (o) (*) m to . . to (^) p=^^=^ (/) ^ t (The modern major scale. ) (a) the hyperlydian, {b) the hyperiastian, (c) the lydian, [d) the Phrygian, (e) the hypolydian, (/) the hypo- phrygian. Harmony, in its modern sense of simultaneous sounds, was not employed, though it is not improbable that one note may have been occasionally held as a " drone," an effect which seems to have obtained on the 1 Bellermann, Anonymi Scriptio de Musica, p. 36. The modes would be roughly represented (in their diatonic form) on the modern organ by octave scales of notes with the above signatures. 3 B Story of Organ Music diaulos, or double pipe. But more than this could not have been used, for not only has Mr. Galpin's reproduc- tion of the hydraulus shown that the wind arrangements were not adequate for the playing of chords, but there is abundant evidence that persons who have not been habituated to harmony from their earliest years, cannot tolerate it. Modern Europeans, of whatever Modern nationality, have the feeling for harmony so armony g^gr^ined in them, after its cultivation for over a thousand years, that they cannot imagine a satis- factory form of music without it ; but its place and name were taken in ancient music by variations of mode, of which there were seven. The seven "harmonies," or modes, could be transposed, and, under the ncien names of chromatic, enharmonic, high, low, etc., could suffer so many changes of pitch and tuning, that the supply of tone-material was practically inexhaustible ; and though these changes would have been very repulsive to modern European ears, they were most attractive to the ancients. Modern Byzantine music recognises between two and three hundred different kinds of scale, as opposed to our two forms of major and minor. The Rev. S. G. Differences Hatherly, in his Treatise on Byzantine Music, e ween specially warns his readers that they must and M de n "^"^ expect to obtain an exact reproduction Music "^ these scales on a pianoforte, and this warning may also be applied to ancient music. A fact that is generally lost sight of in con- nection with ancient and non-European systems is, 4 Skill of Ancient Organists that ears unaccustomed to the restraints imposed by modern harmony can delight in all manner of variations in the relative intervals of the seven sounds contained in the octave, and this accounts for much that is usually looked upon as evidence of a barbarous, or, at best, undeveloped musical system. In addition to the expression, or, as the ancients would say, "colouring," given by changes of mode, genus, and tuning, there is evidence that great rapidity of execution was used to ^ ... , ornament the melodic passages; probably Execution the art of the hydraulus passed through stages corresponding in some degree to those of the art of the modern organist, though it must not be forgotten that, at the time of its disappearance, the perfected hydraulus had reached a far higher age than its daughter, the church organ, has yet arrived at. Human nature does not change, and in all ages skilled musicians have naturally delighted in displaying their power for the admiration or astonishment of their audiences. That rapidity of execution was perfectly feasible on the hydraulus was proved when Mr. Galpin exhibited his model at the Musicians' Exhibition. ^ The keys were rather larger than ours, and, being all on one plane, without the landmarks provided by our black keys, were difficult to locate. But when once the " geography " of this ancient keyboard was mastered, rapid execution ^ An Exhibition of Musical Instruments, Manuscripts, and Printed Books, held in 1904 by the Worshipful Company of Musicians at Fishmongers' Hall. 5 Story of Organ Music was a matter of no difficulty, and the oft-quoted passages in ancient writers were confirmed by the new light shed on them. Thus Claudian: " Et qui magna levi detrudens murmura tactu, Innumeras voces segetis moderatus aenae, Intonet erranti digito, penitusque trabali, Vecte laborantes in carmina concitat undas." " Who, with a light touch, produces great sounds, calls forth with wandering finger the innumerable voices of the brazen crop,i and, through a beam-like lever within, rouses the labouring waters into song. " Here we have not only an allusion to the power and variety of the sound, but also to the "wandering finger." With regard to the word penitus (within), Grabner suggests that it is a corruption iox pedibus (with the feet), as to the blowing; but we prefer penitus, since, from the position of the blower, behind the instrument, the lever would appear to an outsider to be within it. In Julian's well-known epigram : 'A\Xo£?;y opdcij Soj^dKuv t^iaiv ' ijirov air' &W7js "KoKKeiTis tAx" fmWov ave^XdiTTrjirav ApoipTjs "Aypwi, oiS' ivijiounv ii iifieT^pois doviovrai, 'AXX' iTO ravpeirfs irpodop^v ffirijKvyyos d'^TTjs 'NipBev ivrpTyruv KoXd/Mav iirb pl^av oSeia Kal TLS dviip dyipwxos (x'^" ^°^ SdKTvXa x«p4s "I(XTaTai dij,(j>a(j>6b!v Kavbvas (rv/uppdSfjuii'as aiXiiy 01 S' aird\bv iTKipruivrcs, diroBM^ovffi.v doiStpi, ' I.e. of pipes, which are likened to standing corn, from their numbers. 6 Loud and Soft Effects a reference is made to rapidity of execution. " I see a species of reeds: perhaps they have sprung up wild on a strange brazen soil. Nor are they shaken by our winds, but a blast rushing forth from a cavern of buU's- hide travels through the root of the reeds : and a highly- gifted man, with nimble fingers, touching the con- cordant keys of the pipes, these, gently leaping, utter their song." Cassiodorus, who flourished in a.d. 514, in his com- mentary on the isoth Psalm, says: " Organum itaque est quasi turris quaedam diversis fistulis fabricata, quibus flatu follium vox copiosissima destinatur; et ut earn modulatio decora componat. Unguis quibusdam ab interiori parte construitur, quas discipliniter magis- trorum digiti reprimentis grandisonam efficiunt et suavissimam cantilenam." Here again are references to loud and soft effects, and to the "interior" — i.e. hidden from the audience — keyboard. "The organ is an instrument formed into a kind of tower by its various pipes, which are made to produce a most powerful sound by means of bellows: and in order to express agreeable melodies there are, on the interior side, certain movements of wood, which, when pressed by the trained fingers of masters, produce both a magnificent sound and the sweetest cantilena." But all this gives us no idea of the kind of music that called forth so much admiration ; and it is probable that if we could hear it we should consider it insipid and meaningless: while, on the other hand, if the ancient Greeks or Romans could be present at a 7 Story of Organ Music modern organ recital, they would find it monstrous and barbarous and offensive in the extreme;/ for a whole- some and happy provision of nature causes Instru- ^j^g^ ^y process of destruction, to prevent mental ^j^^ various periods of Art from becoming; a stumbling-block to generations who know cannot last ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ .^ impossible that the fleeting tor ever „ . . • language of mstrumental music can survive an immense period of time. The best instrumental compositions of any art-period continue to appeal to the cultivated classes for several generations after their first appreciators are dead; but even those works which we call classical are bound in course of time to become antiquated, and to find no response except for those few persons who, possessing a feeling of anti- quarianism, can project themselves mentally into a distant past. Great works of art in the domain of poetry are not so elusive as music, for they represent! thoughts, of which the actual words or language are' merely the vehicles, and if changes occur during the centuries in the pronunciation, or method of utterance, or even if translation from a dead to a livingj language is necessary, the intrinsic value of the poetry; is not affected. But music exists for itself alone; it is a "concord of sweet sounds," which to the unmusicaljj person, or to him who has not cultivated the particular style of music performed, has no significance. This holds good not only with regard to the music of the times of the hydraulus, but also of periods very much' nearer to our own. Hence we have no more right to 8 li'eriods of Organ Music summarily condemn a new composition because it does not follow old methods of expression than we have to say that ancient music must have been poor stuff because it no longer appeals to us. We are living in a period with regard to organ music which may be said to have commenced in the first half of the eighteenth century. Great works of art are still being produced, which will Periods of probably continue for some generations to _ delight mankind before they, in their turn. Music give way to some new development of which we cannot possibly foresee the nature. The period preceding ours produced many works of art which were famous in their day, but have been, for us, over- shadowed by those of the great composers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, so that they now only appeal to antiquarians. This period may be said to have begun about the middle of the sixteenth century. The preceding period is represented by very scanty remains of organ music, of a kind that is utterly without aesthetic meaning to us, and its only interest is that it shows the first gropings after the art which we are considering. It began with Italian organists, and previous to the first decades of the fourteenth century we have no records whatever of the kind of music that was played on organs. It will be our endeavour to trace, with as few tech- nicalities as possible, the progress of organ music, 9 Story of Organ Music by giving an account of the works of some of the more famous composers for that instrument. We cannot mention all, or nearly all the names of those who have been celebrated, nor is this necessary : what we have to do is to exemplify the various stages through which organ composition has passed. CHAPTER II. FORM IN MUSIC. Necessity of form — Dance music — Early forms of organ music — Music and architecture compared — Harmony and counterpoint — Rise of tonality — Rhythm and popular music. It was considered by some of the ancient Greek philo- sophers that a melody without words, played on an instrument, was meaningless, a mere succession of empty sounds, signifying nothing. Instruments, they thought, were mere mechanical contrivances, invented to sustain the voice of the singer, apart from which they were worthless. The strenuous efforts of musicians to make instru- mental music something more than mere empty sound have resulted in the gradual evolution of certain "forms," the outcome of innumerable ecessity .... J. J .of Form tn experiments, which give force and meaning t j. . to a composition, and without which all mental instrumental music will inevitably partake Music of the nature of that condemned by Greek philosophers. The earliest forms of organ music were undoubtedly those derived from rhythms connected with the dance ; Story of Organ Music for rhythm requires a less highly-developed intelligence than melody for its appreciation. But it was gradually found that dance rhythms were not entirely E*"?® suitable for the organ, partly because of its incapacity of marking accent, but chiefly because from its earliest days it was so much used in the church. Dance music, however, has never been excluded from the church for any length of time. It is used at the present day in England, France, and Italy under the name of the march, and in music of the nature of the gavotte, minuet, etc. At the time of the Council of Trent {1583) the church Efforts to •^as in great perturbation about organ play- suppress ;jjg._ The Council ordained that "the bishops __ , , must take care that the sound of the organ Music in . ... , . . Churches *® ^ lascivious and impure, . . . nor must worldly and frivolous music be used;'' Diruta, in his Transilvano, says that dance musicians are as a rule not very good on the organ, " and hence comes the prohibition of the Sacred Council of Trent, that church organs are not to be used for Passi e Mezzi and other dance music, nor for lascivious airs, because it is not convenient to mix sacred and profane things, and, moreover, the organ will not tolerate being played on by dance players. If it happens that they play on an organ, they play in a bad style; while organists, on the other hand, cannot properly play dance music. Hence it is best that neither tries to do the thing that he is not fitted for." Dance music, then, having been prohibited, or looked Early Forms upon with disfavour, the early organists, when they required to play lengthy pieces, had recourse to the most popular and well-known of the motets, madrigals, and other vocal compositions. Early At first they simply played the voice parts, j^^*" but afterwards they embellished the parts with all kinds of ornamental passages, and a vocal composition, when thus treated, was said to be " colorato"- — i.e., coloured. But there arose early in the fifteenth century a form of music called "Ricercar" (sought out), in which every kind of contrapuntal effect known to musicians of that day was introduced. Out '"'"'=**' of the Ricercar was afterwards developed the Fugue, and in the time of Praetorius the two terms were synonymous. Later on there was invented the "Canzona Francese," derived from the ^anzona form of the French Chanson : it was a contrapuntal piece, of less elaborate construction than the Ricercar, and its first three notes were nearly always in this rhythmical form : I j"j Another, and still later, form was the "Toccata," from toccare, to play : it was a brilliant prelude, in the form of an extempore performance, intended to exhibit the skill of the player, before he came to the serious work of the piece. " Toccate un poco" was formerly the Italian, and still is the Spanish equivalent for " Please play something." These were the chief of the early forms : of others we shall speak in due course. 13 Story of Organ Music Instrumental music appeals in three ways to the listener: to his astonishment or admiration through the agility of the performer, to his in- "^*'"r telligence through its scientific construc- Musjc *'""' ^"'^ *° *^'^ emotions through the sentiment that may be inherent in the com- position, or in the manner of its performance, and the best results are obtained by a happy combination of all three. If the first predominates or entirely excludes the others, the music descends to the level of a clever performance on a tightrope or any other gymnastic exercise which astonishes ; if the second only, the music is apt to be what is called dry, though this is not necessarily the case ; and if only the third feature is present, the music becomes mawkish and sickly. To be attractive, it stands to reason that both com- poser and performer must aim at beauty of melody and tone. Vocal music may, and often does, rely on its words for its due eff"ect, while instrumental music has to rely on itself alone. Beauty of tone, melodic worth, power of light and shade, exhibition pf skill on the part of the performer, are common to both. Architecture has been called "frozen music," for there is a certain amount of analogy be- Architec- tween the construction of a work of musical . art and a fine building. But architecture compared , to Music ^^^ several advantages over music : for m- stance, it is applied to buildings which have a definite purpose, apart from their claims to artistic 14 Architecture and Music design. A temple, a church, a theatre, or a house, could all exist and be useful without any necessity for beauty of form, or any appeal to the aesthetic sense. The architect must see that the foundations are well laid, that the walls are upright, the roof able to keep out the sun and rain : there must be means of entrance, lighting, and ventilating, etc. ; and only after all these features have been provided for in the scheme, is the designer able to apply the resources of his art to beautify the building and make it appeal in our sense of just proportion in its general form and in its orna- mentation. Again, when a work of architectural art is finished, it stands as a monument of the artist's skill, to be admired or criticised, or copied, until future genera- tions, having other requirements, destroy it, or leave it to neglect and consequent ruin, while they construct in its place other buildings which may, or may not, be of artistic design ; for art, as we have shown, is not a necessary part of a building, it is only an adjunct. Instrumental music, on the other hand, though constructed on the same principles in certain respects as artistic architecture, differs from it in that the appeal to the asthetic sense is its whole raison d'etre: it serves no useful purpose apart from this. Except the military march, which enables soldiers to keep step, and the dance tune, which performs the same function for dancers (both of which forms of music are unsuitable for the organ), instrumental music has no right to exist unless it can give a reason for its 15 Story of Organ Music existence by an appeal to some portion, however small, of mankind, through its aesthetic quahties. If it cannot do this, it becomes merely a nuisance. And since it can be of no use apart from any artistic qualities it possesses, it cannot be turned to other than its original purpose, as a building can, and in consequence it dis- appears when a new generation arises having other ideals of art. Another feature in which music differs from archi- tecture is, that the work of presenting a composition to an audience has to be undertaken by a performer, who may render it better or worse than the composer, but however conscientious and capable he may be, he cannot possibly eliminate his own personality, or give exactly the same rendering as the composer. Hence, compositions gradually become altered from their original conceptions, and, in addition to this, ancient examples become transfigured by the use of modern instruments; whereas architecture, "frozen music," standing unaltered for generations, entirely reflects the original ideas of its creator. Apart from the dance, the efforts of the earliest organ-composers were vague and formless, as was to be expected, and their style may be compared to the Archaic style of Greek sculpture, or the earliest eflforto of Christian pictorial art. The old church, modes, which were unsuitable for harmonic combinations, exercised their full sway over church composers, though the major scale had been recognised by lay musicians for centuries before the birth of the earliest l6 Harmony and Counterpoint of the existing' remains of church organ music. The unsatisfactory effect of the modes led to their alteration by means of Mustca Ficta, or the addition of unwritten sharps and flats during performance, a curious survival of which is the modern practice of inserting the necessary sharps or naturals in a minor key as accidentals, instead of at the signature; for our minor mode is nothing more than the old seventh church mode, adapted to the use of harmony by means of accidentals. Perhaps this will be a convenient place to describe, for the sake of the uninitiated, the difference between the modern art of Harmony and the more ancient art of Counterpoint. Harmony, in "a'liony its technical sense, is produced when a ^ melody is placed in the treble or tenor, or point any other part, and the remaining parts are subordinate, and form combinations of notes called Chords. The simplest forms of harmony are the ordinary chant, hymn-tune, and the accompaniment to a ballad. In the latter case, the harmony is usually "dispersed" by " breaking up " the chords. Counter- point is a combination of two or more melodies sung simultaneously; in former times composers were often more or less indifferent as to whether the melodies occasionally clashed and produced harsh combinations of sound as long as they themselves were effective, and many bold effects have been made by allowing the contrapuntal to override the harmonic element. ^ ' As, for example, in Bull's piece, Appendix A, ex. 9. 17 Story of Organ Music During the seventeenth century the desire for dramatic expression in music gave rise to a struggle between the old modes and the major scale, and between the old art of counterpoint, with its dry Defeat of ^^^ unnecessary rules, and the free modern *^^ 5''*"'^^ art of harmony with its dramatic possibili- ° ^^ ties. The struggle ended in the complete defeat of the Modes, and an alliance between Harmony and Counterpoint, each modifying the other, with results which are seen in the masterpieces of all the great composers from Bach to Sir Edward Elgar. Organ music, being mostly confined to the Church, and there- fore not coming under dramatic influences so much as so-called " secular " music, has retained its contrapuntal character more than other music, and in modern times composers occasionally use the ecclesiastical modes with great effect, which is all the more powerful from the contrast they make with the major mode. With the advent of harmony, and its alliance with counterpoint, there arose a feeling for what is now called Tonality, or Key, as a means of unity of composition. In the old Gregorian music this kind of unity was attained by making the reciting note the principal note of the key ; it was the "Mesa" of Greek music, and since the melody was ruled by it, it was called the Dominant in church music. But the art of harmony dethroned it from its place of chief importance, and made the Key-note or Tonic the chief note of a scale, while it relegated the dominant to a secondary place. The dominant of the modes stood i8 I'onality and Rhythm at various intervals in the scale; the note which took its name, but not its function, in the new order of things stands at an interval of five notes above the tonic. After the dominant comes the Subdominant in import- ance : this note stands at the interval of a fifth below the tonic, and any succession of common chords on these three important notes establishes what is called a "Key." In old days the ear was satisfied with a sing^le key, or at most two or three keys, in the course of a fairly long composition; but as music has ad- j • 1 •. J AT J Modulation vanced m complexity, more and more Modu- lations, or changes of key, have been introduced, though it is still one of the strictest rules of music that every composition shall end in the same key in which it began. 1 Modern composers do with complexity of key what the mediaeval composers did with complexity of rhythm. Rhythm, or the division of melody into short, easily recognisable portions, by means of accent, is the struc- tural element of the details of a composition : Form is the structural element on the whole, Rhythm and is produced by contrast of key, and by ^° °*'™ the grouping of the various melodies in certain definite sections, marked by "closes," which answer to the punctuation of written language. A cultivated audience requires that the "form" shall not be too obvious, or it becomes wearisome : while an uncultivated listener ' Change of Mode from major or minor, or vice versa, is not counted as change of key under this rule. 19 C Story of Organ Music prefers simple dance rhythms, and what old Morley, in his quaint way, calls "short-square-even and uniform ayres." This will help to explain why there has nearly always existed a "high" school of organ-playing", contemporaneously with a commonplace, popular, ad captandum style, against which musicians and church- men have inveighed in vain. The organ is heard by the majority of civilised man- kind once or twice a week through the whole year. No other instrument is heard so much by so Popular many, and it is only in accordance with "^'*^ human nature that organists should fre- quently yield to the temptation to please the uncultured majority rather than the cultivated minority, even if their natural taste is that of the minority, which is not always the case. Trivial and fashionable music has always existed and always will: it runs its course in a few years and then disappears, while music of a higher order is preserved. Our forefathers were not different from us in this respect, but we know them only by their best compositions, and are apt in consequence to look upon " the good old days " as a kind of golden age of music. There never has been a golden age in musical history; high -class and commonplace music have always co-existed, just as they do at present. 20 CHAPTER III. ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC. Landino — The several kinds of ancient organ — Organs at St. Mark's, Venice — Zucchetti — Organum magnum and organutii paruum — Organist and organ-builder — Sguarcialupo — Willaert — Buus — The music at St. Mark's — The earliest printed Italian organ music. Modern organ-playing began in Italy, and its first representative who became celebrated was Francesco Landino; he was born in a.d. 1325, and died in 1390, and was buried in the church of St. Lorenzo at Florence. A contemporary writer says of him: — "The whole assembly is excited by his organ- playing, the young dance and sing, the old hum with him: all are enchanted. He draws wonders from the little organ: the birds cease their song, and in their astonishment draw near to listen, especially a night- ingale, which sits on a twig over his head and above his organ. "1 In those days the church organ was a clumsy and intractable machine, without stops, and with keys six inches broad, which had to be played with the fist — such at least was the case in France, Germany, and England, and there is no reason to imagine that the Italian church organs were in advance of those of other ' See Sammelbiinde der Int. Mus. Geselhchaft, vol. iii, p. 614. Story of Organ Music nations. The organ was used to accompany the plain- song in unison, and to attract the congregation to church by its noise, just as bells are used now: artistic playing was not possible, nor was it required, for the unlettered congregation would not have appreciated it ; but there is no doubt that they liked noise, provided there was plenty of it. It was not, however, on the organa magna that Landino made his fame, and he does not appear to have ever held an appointment as a church organist. But in the castles and courts of the aristocracy there were two kinds of organ, each with a practicable keyboard, such as can be seen in many of the paintings of the old Italian artists. The first of these was called the Positive, since, though it could easily be moved from place to place, it had to be placed in position for play- ing. It was often circular and tower-shaped, like the old hydraulus in form, and had sometimes two or more rows of pipes. The other kind of organ was smaller, and was placed on the knees, or hung from the neck of the performer, who blew the bellows with his left hand, and played the keys, which were few in number, with his right. The name of this instrument was in Italian Ninfale, and in other languages Portative. Its pitch was very high, owing to the small dimensions of its pipes. It is shown in many sculptures and paintings as a regular member of the church band of those days, amongst whose instruments were also included bag- pipes, dulcimers, stringed instruments both plucked and Landino played with a bow, harps, various forms of wind instru- ments, and cymbals. A miniature in the Library of St. Lorenzo at Florence depicts Landino seated, playing on a Ninfale,. which rests on his knees, and this seems to have beerj the instrument by which he gained his reputation. At an early age he became blind through smallpox, and in his youth he sought for consolation in his affliction by sing- ing popular airs. Finding that he had great musical talent, he studied seriously, and was soon able to accompany himself on the Ninfale, besides which, he became expert on nearly all the other instruments in use at the time. He came of a noble family, and his father was a painter, for in those days the cultivation of art was considered a worthy profession for the aristocracy; hence Landino was surrounded from his earliest years with culture and refinement, and it need not surprise us therefore to find that, like other musicians of those times, he was a famous poet and philosopher. From his blindness he was called " II Cieco," and from his skill on the organ he was given the name of Francesco degli Organi. In the year 1364 there took place a great festival at Venice, lasting many days, to celebrate the re-occupa- tion of Candia by the Venetians. Among the guests were the King of Cyprus, the ^^^^y^^^ Archduke of Austria, Petrarch, and many exalted personages from far and near. Amongst those attracted to the festival was " II Cieco," whose fame was known throughout Italy, and an immense assem- 23 Story of Organ Music blage gathered in the chapel of St. Mark to hear a contest on the organs between Pesaro the organist and the blind man. What the issue was is unknown, but it is recorded that the Doge, Lorenzo Celsi, crowned Landino with laurel, either on account of his skill as a poet or as an organist. From this account it would seem that there were playable organs in St. Mark's at this time: doubtless there were positives and portatives as well as organa magna. None of Landino's organ music has come down to us: probably he always played extempore. Some of his vocal works are preserved in the Library of St. Lorenzo at Florence, in a collection made by Sguarcialupo, from which extracts have been published by Kiesewetter.^ F^tis found five Italian songs by him in the Royal Library at Paris. This collection was probably destroyed in 1870 by the Commune, but F^tis published one of the songs in modern notation in the Revue Musicale, 1827. He considers that these com- positions show a high standard of art, in advance of their time. There were, however, organists before Landino, but they seem not to have made any great mark as such: , the organ builder was of more importance than the player, and the two professions were usually combined — at any rate in connection with church music. Thus Mistro Zucchetti built an organ in the grand-ducal chapel of St. Mark at Venice in ' R. G. Kiesewetter, Schicksah und Besckaffenheit des weltlichen Gesanges, 1841. 24 Sguarcialupo 1 318, and was appointed organist thereof. Moreover, this was not the first organ there, for the registers of the church show that he was paid ten ducats for having furnished a new organ, in place of the old one which was worn out. From another notice it would appear that the organ he built was a Positive, for fifty years later an organum magnum was ordered to be con- structed opposite the existing organum, parvum. At this time the words "organaio" (organ-builder) and ' ' organista " (organist) were synonymous. Zucchetti's successor at St. Mark's was Francesco da Pesaro, who is claimed by Caifi^ to have beaten Landino in the contest mentioned above ; but we hear nothing more of Francesco da Pesaro, who probably was not known outside Venice. The next organist of repute was Antonio Sguarcialupo, who in 1435 was appointed to the newly-dedicated cathedral of Santa Maria at Florence. He, like Landino, was of noble family, and was ^. *'" distinguished for his general culture as well as his extraordinary playing of the organ, to hear which many persons flocked to Florence, even from distant countries. He held a post at the court of Lorenzo the Magnificent, but he lived with that prince more as a friend than a retainer; for, as we have seen, artists were held in high esteem in those days. It would seem that he held the posts of court and church organist at the same time ; and this was quite possible, ' Storia della Musica sacra nella gid Cappella ducah di San Marco in Venezia, 1854. - 25 Story of Organ Music for the church organ was now becoming sufficiently improved to be capable of artistic use. Sguarcialupo therefore would have a larger audience than Landino, as he could perform in the cathedral as well as at the court. So great was the respect in which he was held by his fellow-citizens that, in addition to his monument, they placed his bust in the church near the organ, "in memory of the excellence of the music he had produced on it." The inscription on his grave- stone, composed by the poet Angelo Poliziano, can still be read, and is quoted by Ambros;^ while Lorenzo himself wrote a sonnet, in which he makes Death say, ' ' I have taken him in order that Heaven may be made more joyful with his music." The organ, imperfect as it was, was evidently capable, in the hands of an artist, of moving cultivated persons to great admiration. Like Landino, Sguarcialupo left no compositions for the organ, and the earliest known printed organ music „,.. is a little book of organ tablature composed a d B ^y Marco Antonio di Bologna, dated 1523, and entitled Recerchari, Moteti, Canzoni. The first regular school of organ-playing in Italy was founded, not by an Italian, but by the Netherlanders, Adrian Willaert and Jachet Buus, who were respec- tively Maestro and Second Organist of St. Mark's at Venice. The musical arrangements at this church were so important and remarkable that it is necessary to describe them in some detail. Down to the year 1797 ' Geschichte der Musik. Edition of 1891, Bd. iii. p. 482. 26 St. Mark's, Venice Venice was a republic, governed by a Doge, or Duke, and a Council, chosen from among the nobility. This governing body early determined that the music in their grand-ducal chapel, now known as St. Mark's Cathe- dral, should be the best obtainable. The history of their music commences with the year 1318, when, as we have seen) they appointed Mistro Zucchetti to build and play on their organ. In addition to this, he had to train the choir, and to compose whatever music was required for special occasions. In 1389 a post of second organist was created in connection with the second organ, which, as we have seen, was erected about 1370. The duties and salary and official position of the newly-appointed organist were to be in all respects exactly similar to those of the first, and he was only called the second for convenience, since, like the consuls of ancient Rome, he was supposed to be equal in every respect with his colleague ; and when a first organist died or retired, it was customary to appoint the second to play on the first organ, and a new player for the second. The organists were chosen with the greatest care, every effort being made to obtain the best possible musicians for the posts. They were nominated by the Procurator!, or Magistrates, the persons next in importance to the Doge, and the following rules were drawn up for their examination : — " I. The book of the chapel is to be opened at random, and the commencement o| a Kyrie or Motet to be copied out. The candidate has to play a properly 27 Story of Organ Music constructed Fantasia on it, in which the parts must be kept clear, as if four singers were performing. " 2. The book of Plainsong is to be opened at random, and a Canto Fermo, or Introit, or something else, is to be copied out and sent to the candidate, who has to add three parts to it, placing the Canto Fermo in the bass, tenorj alto, and soprano, using fugal work, and not merely accompaniment. " 3. The singers must sing one verse of a little known composition, the style of which the organist must imitate in the same and other keys." The Procuratori, having heard the various candidates, proceeded to elect by vote. Having obtained their musician, it was not always easy to chain him to the monotonous work of daily mass, etc., and in 1564 they were obliged Regulations ^^ ^.^jj ^.j^^j^. Qj-ganists to account for the little Q . interest they took, often allowing young and inexperienced players to deputise for them at mass and vespers, while they themselves played elsewhere. A new regulation was made, imposing a fine of two ducats for every future dereliction of duty. The organists at this time were two famous men, Claudio Merulo and Annibale Padovano. But at the same meeting they passed a regulation to protect their organists in the exercise of their art, prescribing that no canon or priest is to interrupt the playing of the organ, but they must wait till the organist has finished his- piece before proceeding with their part of the service, and a fine of one ducat 28 Willaert is to be imposed on any priest who begins to sing before the organist has finished. In 1 49 1 a maestro di cappella was added to the two organists : he was a more important person than they, with a higher salary, and his duties were to ,, °^, • \ • J J . ., Maestro di compose the music, tram and conduct the ^ .. choir and band, and be generally responsible for the music, while the duties of the organists were now merely to play. Later on a second maestro was appointed, with equal rank and similar duties to the first. The organists, if competent, were sometimes appointed to a vacant place as maestro. The two organs, which had formerly stood in two recesses on each side of the high altar, were, before the time of Willaert, removed to two galleries above the choir, and two smaller instru- „ 'f*"^* . St Mark s ments, for occasional use with the band, were placed in the recesses. No regular player was appointed for them, but a player was engaged for each occasion at a small fee. In addition to the two maestri and the two organists, there was of course the staff of singers and priests. Such then was the constitution of the chapel, whose music became famous throughout Europe, and of which the most eminent musicians were from time to time m,aestri and organists. Adrian Willaert, or Adriano, as he was usually called, was born about 1490, probably at Bruges. ^.jj He was maestro at St. Mark's from 1527 to 1562, and became famous not only for his organ- 29 Story of Organ Music playing, but still more from his compositions and his use of double choruses, which were suggested to him by the arrangements of the chapel. He had a great reputation before his appointment, and had held several important posts in other countries. His salary was only seventy ducats'- a year; but on account of the excellence of his services to the chapel, the improve- ments he introduced, and the genius he showed, the Procuratori gradually raised it to two hundred, and this was continued to his successors. F^tis gives a long list of his compositions, which are all vocal, with the exception of a collection of Fantasie e Ricercari, published by Gardan,p at Venice in 1549. In 1547 there appeared from the press of Gardano, Ricerca]^ da cantare e sonare d'organo e altri strotnenti, ' , novamente posti in luce a quatro voct, by „„, ,„ Buus, organist of the second organ. There is a copy of this work in the State Library at Munich. The expression "da cantare" implies that it was not originally intended for the organ, but consisted of vocal works transcribed for the organ and other instru- ments. It was in score like many early organ works.. In 1549, the year of Willaert's publication, Gardano also published Intaholatura d'organo di ricercari di J M. Giacques Buus, organista dell' illmo. _, , . Signoria di Venetia in San Marco. Jachet Buus was elected to the second organ in 1 54 1, after an unusually severe contest, in which the Doge commanded all the singers to be present, and ' A ducat was worth about five shillings in modern money. 30 Earliest Organ Music to give their votes, since the Procurator! were so perplexed by the merits of a large number of candidates as to be unable to decide which to select. His salary was eighty ducats, but it is said that after some years he found this insufficient, and, making a pretext for obtaining four months' leave of absence, instead of returning, he took a post under the Emperor of Austria. So anxious were the authorities of St. Mark's to get him back that, contrary to their custom, they went to the length of ordering their ambassador at Vienna to treat with him. He agreed to return if they would make his salary two hundred ducats ; but this they could not do, so they proceeded to elect Jerome Parabosco in his place. Caffi, however, throws doubt on this story. The works mentioned above are the earliest collec- tions of organ music published in Italy. Willaert's work is very rare ; of Antonio's Recerchari and Buus's Intabolatura there are well-preserved copies in the British Museum Library. The first is printed on two staves of six lines each ; the second on staves of five lines for the right hand, and six for the left. They are regularly barred, and are so clear that they could, with a little practice, be played from by a modern organist. There is no part for the pedal, although this important feature had been introduced from Germany by Bernhard the German, one of the organists of St. Mark's in the previous century, and it must have been well known to the Flemish organists. Instrumental music was far behind vocal, and 31 Story of Organ Music Wasielewski^ is perfectly justified in saying of the early Ricercari: "The impression they produce is essentially wearisome, dry, and monotonous. They are Impression grenerally of great length, and they sound ° *' ^ like troubled, uneasy successions of notes, wanting in contrast of subjects and strength of ideas; the eye is more satisfied than the ear." They usually consist of two lengthy florid fugal movements, in even time, between which is sandwiched a middle movement in triple time, in simple chords. A pecu-? Uarity of the organ music of this period is the use of a certain ornament, in various forms, -&f -which this is one: PP^ It became known as the Grupetto in Italian, Brisde in French, Doppelschlag in German, and Turn in English. It usually marks a full close, and occurs so frequently as to become an irritating mannerism. Organ music was in its infancy : to us it sounds like the first efforts of a student who endeavours to string together little bits of counterpoint without the aid of a master; but that it did not appear thus to contemporary listeners is evident, from the admiration they expressed for the composers. Perhaps the composers were able to put more fire and verve into their extempore than into their written compositions. ' Geschichie der Instrumentalmusik, "p. 123. 32 CHAPTER IV. ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC {continued). Merulo — Palestrina — Gabrieli — Popular tunes in church — Diruta — // Transilvano — Toccatas — Use of the stops — Antegnati — Italian organs and organists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Compositions now began to flow rapidly from the pens of native Italian organists, especially those connected with St. Mark's. Claudio Merulo, whose real name was Merlotti, was born in 1533. He was a pupil of a French musician named Menon, and of Giralomo Donati, and became organist of Brescia Cathedral. At the age of twenty-four he was chosen out of ten competitors to fill the post of organist at the first organ at St. Mark's, in succession to Parabosco. In 1566 he established a music printing business at Venice, in which he published his own compositions and those of others, till 1571: he also built an organ, perhaps for recreation, of four stops, which was still in working order in 1867. His chief fame rests on his madrigals and motets. In 1579 he was selected from the many musicians then resident in Venice to compose music to a tragedy, on the occasion of a visit of Henry III, of France. In 1584 he took service under the 33 Story of Organ Music Duke of Parma, who treated him with every considera- tion and honour until his death in 1604, when he was buried in the Cathedral of Parma, with all possible dignity. His published organ works are : — 1. Toccate d'intavolatura d^organo di Claudia Merulo da Correggio, organista del sereniss. Signor Duca di Parma, etc. Rome, 1598. 2. Toccate d'intavolatura dorgano, etc. Venice, 1604. 3. Ricercari d'intdbolatura d'organo, etc. Venice, 1605. 4. Litaniae Beatae Mariae Virginis, octo vocum, cum parte organica. Venice, 1609. F6tis gives Merulo the credit of being the first to write original works for the organ, instead of merely transcribing vocal music, with the addition of eru o s ornamental passages. Ritter^ quotes a Toc- „ , cata ottavo tuono from the publication of 1604, and considers that Merulo shows an advance on its predecessors, in that, in place of long successions of equal notes, he varies the values, and makes his har- monic successions more artistic and less monotonous. The example he quotes in the eighth tone {i.e. in the key of G with the F sharp omitted) is of great length, and certainly exhibits a sort of feeling in the dark after something like modern harmonic progressions. As in all the instrumental music of that date, there are passages of imitation, which, after running through a few bars, seem to die of inanition, giving place to new ones which soon become exhausted in their turn. The ^ Oeschichte des Orgelspiels, by A. G. Ritter. 1884. 34 Ihe iiarly Toccatas varieties of note- values in the runs, which Ritter looks upon as an advance on the even runs of earlier works, seem to us to be far-fetched and forced, and only an enthusiast for ancient music could find the piece other than monotonous and helpless. ' These early composers, whose works are so unsatisfactory to us, accustomed as we are to the wealth of ^ *' ^ modern resources, were the pioneers and ' r were builders of the great art of which we, in the Pioneers twentieth century, are reaping the benefit. Without their labours modern instrumental music could never have existed, and we cannot be sufficiently thankful to them for their toil in breaking new ground on which their successors could build. They were still under the influence of the modes, and one sees clearly the conflict between tradition and the new art of Har- mony to which their instinct was leading them. Now and then one meets with a harmonic progression which looks ahead into the future, and then, as if afraid of what he has done, the composer brings us back with a sudden shock to his own time. Take, for example, the opening bars of Merulo's toccata on the eighth tone: in App. A, ex. i, the original is shown on the two lower staves, and the underlying harmonic basis on the two upper staves. If we strip these few bars of their meaningless runs, we get a progression that is in per- fectly satisfactory modern harmony down to the middle of the fifth bar, where we are pulled up with a jerk and brought back to the sixteenth century. The composer has ventured too far from his mode, and must get back 35 ° Story of Organ Music to it at all costs : the modern method of preparing the mind and ear for the return by suggestive passages, gently hinting at and playing round the coming key, is of later invention. In the fourth bar we see an instance of the conflict between mode and key. The Mode and ij^rmony is in the key of D major, but the runs are in the eighth mode, transposed a fifth upwards : hence the note C is natural in the right hand and sharp in the left. The composer, in fact, did not dare to venture too far in the direction in which his genius was leading him. The great composer Palestrina (1514 or 1524-1594) left in manuscript a volume of Ricercari in the eight . tones, a few of which have been published a es ma j^ modern collections. Some doubts have arisen as to their authenticity, but they show the hand of a master of the modes and of counterpoint. In that in the Lydian mode (the nearest approach to the modern major mode) there is modulation to the dominant and subdominant: Willaert and Buus had modulated to one or the other, but not to both in the same piece. This MS. is in the Liceo at Bologna. Amongst the foremost of those who strenuously endeavoured to advance the art of organ music were two remarkable men — Andrea Gabrieli and Andrea and Giovanni, his nephew. Both were famous Giovanni r . 1 ■ u tu J-, , , J. composers of every style m vogue; both were equally famous organists, and both held the coveted post of organist at St. Mark's. Andrea was hotn at Venice between 1512 and 1520, 36 ^!^^rrEE:;EEE:=^ 't^ I^^^Sil -r- i^ ggs :*- Ji^^ iMS^ii ITALIAN TABLATURE IN 1597, FROM " IL TKANSILVANO." (See p. 41.) 37 Story of Organ Music in the quarter called Canarreggio, or Canareo, his family, like those of so many famous musicians, being an ancient and noble one. He was a pupil of Willaert or Cipriano de Rore, or of both ; after having served as a singer in the Grand-ducal Chapel of St. Mark, he was chosen second organist in 1566, which appointment he held till his death in 1586. Being one of the most eminent musicians of his day, he was commissioned by the Doge, in combination with his nephew Giovanni and the famous Zarlino, at that time Maestro of St. Mark's, to compose music for the reception of Henry HI., who passed through Venice on his way from Poland to France. For the organ he composed: 1 . Ricercari, composti e tabulati per ogni sorte di stro- menti da tasti. 1585. The Italian Tablature for "all sorts of keyed instruments," was simply our modern notation, with a five-line stave for the right hand and a varying number of lines for the left. 2. II terso libra di Ricercari, Qtc. 1596. 3. Canzoni alia Francese, per sonar sopra istromenti da tasti. Venice, 1605. The last two collections were published after his death, and some of his compositions for keyed instru- ments are found in other collections. Giovanni Gabrieli, his nephew, was born at Venice in 1557, and was a pupil of his uncle. In 1584 he was , chosen for the first organ, in succession to P , . J. Merulo, who had gone to Parma. Nothing is known of his life, which seems to have been entirely devoted to his art and his pupils, many of 38 The Gabrielis whom became famous ; and he seems never to have left his native town. Having heard the effect of double choruses through Willaert's compositions, he went a step farther in this direction and composed for three choirs, the first consisting of basses, the second of tenors, and the third of sopranos. Other experiments, all of which were successful, have come down to us, and show that the praises bestowed on him by his contemporaries were fully justified. He died in 1612. Examples of his organ works are found in several collec- tions, and F^tis mentions in addition : Intonazioni^ d'organo. Venice, 1593. Ricercari per I'organo. Two books published at Venice in 1595. Besides these, Wasielewski^ mentions — Intonazioni d'organo, di Andrea Gdbrieli e Giovanni Gabrieli. Venice, 1583. Containing eight intonations and four toccatas by Andrea, and eleven intonations by Giovanni. The compositions of the two Gabrielis have an important place in the development of organ music ; modelled on the Ricercari of Willaert and Buus, they show an advance on these in their fugal construction. ' Intonations are short preludes designed to precede the performance of the larger organ pieces used in the functions of the Roman Church. They are from five to t\yenty bars in length, and have the character of free improvisations. The intonations in this collection seem to have been written as models for young organists. They generally begin virith a few chords, then break into toccata -like runs supported by simple harmonies. ■■' Gesch. der Inst, musik, p. 146. 39 Story of Organ Music A Recercar del primo tuono alia qiiarta alta (i.e. the so-called Dorian tone, transposed a fourth upwards) begins with a regular exposition of the subject in accordance with modern rules, but after this the subject never recurs in the inner parts. (See ex., App. A, No. 2.) In the middle there is a good ex- ample of "Augmentation" of the subject, a favourite device of fugue writers of all ages, with a new secondary subject playing round it. A Ricercare in the tenth tone by Giovanni is far more florid. (See App. A, ex. 3.) In the course of the work a bright new subject enters. (App. A, ex. 4.) This, after being worked up fugally for a time, is combined with the principal subject to the end. It was not unusual for church music of all kinds to be founded on popular melodies : whole Masses were composed with such tunes running through irn^A^ them, and were called after the tune, such , „, , as " Missa L'homme arme," " Missa in Church _ ,,,,,. Music Faysans regres ; and this was one of the abuses objected to by the Council of Trent. Organ music naturally was subject to the same influences. Ritter quotes a " Fantasia Allegra del duodecima toni," by Andrea Gabrieli, founded on a popular French chanson by Crequillon,' of which the ' Crequillon, one of the most prolific and popular composers of his day, was a Belgian ecclesiastic, chapel-master to Charles V., and a contemporary of Willaert. Amongst his compositions are several books of chansons for four voices. Solo songs were not recognised by learned musicians, and were only sung by the unlearned. 40 Diruta constantly recurring- subject is given in App. A, No. 5. This little tune frequently occurs in various shapes in other compositions, showing that it was very popular at the time. Andrea's Fantasia allegra on it, is in its first portion a regular fugue, and the latter part is overladen with semiquaver passages which, to the modern ear, sound as if they were introduced more for the purpose of running about the keyboard than for their musical value. The piece would be very difficult to play, and there is no doubt that players of keyed instruments were possessed of brilliant execution in their own style of music. Girolamo Diruta, born at Perugia about 1560, was organist of the cathedral of Gubbio, but, being dis- satisfied with the principles of fingering he had been taught in his youth, he gave up his appointment, and obtaining the post of organist at the cathedral at Chioggia, near Venice, he placed him- self under the instruction of Merulo. How satisfactory to both master and pupil this arrangement became we learn from Merulo's own words, written in 1598: "And it is to my infinite glory that Diruta was formed by me (sia stato mia creaturd), since he has done himself and me the greatest honour by his genius." It is not known when Diruta died. He was the author of — // Transilvano : Dialogo sopra il vero modo da sonar Organi e istromenti da penna, del R. P. Girolamo Diruta perugino, organista del ^^'^'t duomo di Chioggia, nel quale facilmente e presto s'impara di conoscere sopra la Tastatura il 41 Story of Organ Music luogo di ciascuna paret, e come nel Diminuire si deueno portar le mani, e il modo d'intendere la intavolatura ; provando la verith e necessita delle sue Regole con le Toccate di diversi eccellenti organisti paste nel fine del Libra. Opera nnovamente ritrovata, utilissima e necessaria a prafessori d'organo. (" li Transilvano : a dialogue on the true method of playing organs and quilled instruments {i.e. harpsichords, etc.), by the Reverend Father Girolamo Diruta of Perugia, organist of the Cathedral of Chioggia : in which work a knowledge of every- thing connected with the keyboard is easily and rapidly taught. Also how to use the hands in Diminution, and the method of understanding the Tablature, proving the truth and necessity of the rules given, by examples of Toccatas by divers excellent organists, which are placed at the end of the book. A work newly made, most useful and necessary to professors of the organ.") "Diminution" here means the ornamentation of a subject by rapid notes. The book is dedicated to Sigismond Batori, Prince of Transylvania, hence its name. Like all instruction books of the period, it is in the form of a dialogue, with a long opening speech, in which the author thanks the goodness of God that he has reached Venice, where he can hear the sweetest concerts and the most harmonious songs. After several pages in this strain, he comes to the point, explaining the musical alphabet, as applied to the Guidonian Hand (not, as we should expect, the Guidonian syllables, ut, re, mi, etc.). Then the clefs 42 TRAK\SlLVANOte^y D I A L O G O W^f^L >OPRA TI \i KCi \tnu>) D! SONAK&Wpi/Xi DEI R V or :CM \MO DiRVTA o K G A X I s I ^ 4>£i. n \ o M o jS ; 4 > ti. I , a .i V i-^Aidc-JtiU.niiuii sd^a B,K:,. ■^•»- a Vff '< rid Or ^4 10 lAL SEREMbilM" PREXCIPT C O u/tp>>^\ 11. &C.I o. ( TITLE-PAGE OF " IL TRANSILVANO. 43 Story of Organ Music and values of the notes are explained, and " Mutation" by means of accidentals. The keyboard is shown by means of a stave of fourteen lines to be from C to A, three octaves and a sixth. Then follow rules for play- ing the organ "with gravity and ease": the organist must sit before the middle of the keyboard, and must not make unnecessary movements, but must hold him- self upright, and in a graceful position, etc. The fingers must be placed equally above the keys, but somewhat bent, and the hand must not be stiff: the fingers must press and not strike the keys. To the rules for fingering he attaches great importance. The scale is to be played by the fingers alone, without the thumb, which is only to be used in a " salto cat- tivo " — i.e. a leap from an accented to an unaccented note. Scale passages with more than one or two black notes were never used in those times, and the prejudice against the thumb remained till J. S. Bach brought about a revolution in the whole method by making his pupils use the thumb equally with the other fingers. On page 15 he gives an interesting example of " Falso Bordone " — i.e. simple four-part harmony, written on two staves (of five and eight _ , lines respectively), the right hand playing the soprano and alto, the left the tenor and bass, as in the form now called " Short Score." On page 19 he gives the rules for fingering the "Tremolo," which is what we call the Shake ; and this is followed by a number of toccatas, by the various composers, including Diruta himself; the two Gabrielis; Luzzasco 44 " II Transilvano " Luzzaschi, org-anist of the Cathedral of Ferrara, praised by Merulo as the greatest organist of his day; Antonio Romanini, a pupil of Andrea Gabrieli, and an un- successful candidate In 1586 for the second organ at St. Mark's ; Paulo Quagliati, a distinguished Clave- cinist and composer of the Roman school ; Vincenzo Bellhaver, a native of Venice, who succeeded Andrea Gabrieli at the second organ in 1586; GioseflFo Guami, who was born at Lucca about 1545, was organist at the Chapel Royal at Munich, succeeded Bellhaver, who died in 1588, and is described by Zarlino as "Guami suonator d'organi suavissimo." All these toccatas have a family likeness. "^"^^ * They begin with a bar or two of simple chords and then proceed to runs in rapid notes, alternating between the two hands, and sustained by chords with the hand that does not happen to be occupied with the runs (P- 37)' The grupetto, or turn, is perpetually recurring. A toccata by Luzzaschi on the fourth tone has a certain dignity in its opening bars of harmonic progressions: after this it proceeds in runs of quavers and semi- quavers, like the rest. A second part was published to // Transilvano in 1609. It contains Ricercari and Canzone alia Francese by Diruta and Giovanni Gabrieli ; Antonio Mor- taro, a Franciscan, born at Brescia, organist Second of the cathedrals of Ossaro and Novara, then ra.t\. of of the convent of his order at Milan, and ,. '*"" finally at the Franciscan convent of his native town, where he died in 1619; Luzzaschi; 45 Story of Organ Music G^brieli Fattorini, a composer of Faenza ; Adriano Banchieri, a composer and theorist, born at Bologna in 1567, a pupil of Guami, organist of the Cathedral of Lucca, and afterwards of St, Mark's, a prolific writer, and composer in all the known styles. Finally, there is a number of short four-voice movements, for the hymns and the Magnificat. This book contains the following directions for registering, which we give in the English equivalents for convenience : — " For the First Tone, Directions ^jji^h requires full-sounding harmony,^ the , „ Double Open Diapason, the Open Dia- pason, and the Flute or Principal. To give expression to the melancholy feeling of the Second Tone, the Double Open Diapason and Tremulant are required. The mournfulness of the Third Tone can best be expressed by the Double Open Diapason and the Flute of eight feet. The Fourth Tone requires a gloomy and dejected harmony. The same registers are suitable as for the Second. The moderate gaiety of the Fifth Tone requires Open Diapason, Fifteenth, and Flute. The Sixth Tone, which excites devotion, should be used with Double Diapason, Open Diapason, and Flute. Bold and tender is the effect of the Open Diapason, Fifteenth, and Twenty-second ; this combination will therefore be chosen for the Seventh Tone. To express the free and agreeable effect of the Eighth, the Flute, ' The word harmony is used here, and in other contemporary writings, in the sense of quality of tone. 46 Antegnati or Flute and Open Diapason, or Flute and Principal, or Flute and Fifteenth are the most suitable combina- tions." These directions give a curious picture of Italian organs, and the tyranny of the ecclesiastical tones. Costanzo Antegnati, born at Brescia in 1557, was one of a family whose members had for many genera- tions been almost exclusively organ-builders . and organists. He was himself the builder of the organ, and organist of the cathedral of his native town. In 1619 he was struck with paralysis, and, being no longer able to exercise his profession, his fellow-citizens gave him a pension, on account of his services to their town. He published collections of Motets and Masses, Hymns in tablature for the organ, Ricercari, and an instruction book called L'Arte Organica; Brescia, 1608. It was also published in the same year at Venice, under the title of L'Antegnata Intavolatura. This work, after a preface, gives a list of one hundred and thirty-five organs built by the house of Antegnati. Then, in the usual dialogue, the father „ t r » teaches the son the excellence and utility ^ . „ of the art of playing the organ, and the care he must exercise to tune a strange organ before playing on it, and he gives directions for tuning which would hardly satisfy modern requirements. The rest of the work is occupied with instructions for the use of the stops, which are interesting if read in connection with those of Diruta, as they give a picture of the disposition 47 L'ANTEGNATA INTAVOLATVJIA DE RICERCARI D ORGANS, DI COSTANZO ANTF.GNATI . O R G A N I S T A » E £ D V O M O D ! « R r S f I » . No lia-nttvc C nwHNA J«i)oLtttt. Optra Ds: iiii^kfta. ^ ( IN V E N E T I A. AfPRE:;SO AMCf.LO ''iV'4f>AN-0 f. r [R ATELU, St O C V I 1 L TITl.E-l'AGK U1-- ANTEGNATI S TAIJLATURE liUOK, SHOWING I'OKTKAIT. 48 i\n Italian Urgan of Italian organs at the time. Antegnati describes his own organ at Brescia. It had twelve stops, with no reeds or mixtures. The " Principal " is of i6 feet, but there is a second Principal *»"*» of 32 feet, " spezzato '' — that is to say, "divided" between the manual and pedal in such a way that the lowest two octaves sounded with the pedal, and the manual acted on the same pipes, but began at the i6-feet instead of the 32-feet pitch. He says that in the organ at Milan there is a stop which he has not got at Brescia, called Fiffaro, or Vox Humana, evidently a reed stop.^ This, he says, on account of its soft harmony, must only be used in combination with the Principal of 16 feet; no other stop may be added, since it would make everything sound out of tune; moreover, it must be played more slowly and legato than the full organ. His Brescia organ consisted of : I. Principal (open diapason) 16 feet. 2. Principal spezzato (described above) 32 3. Ottava (open diapason) 8 4. Quinta decima 4 5. Decima nona 2,2/3 6. Vigesima seconda 2 7. Vigesima sesta I. 1/3 ' Reed stops, which were invented in Germany about a century before, and had become a regular feature of German organs, seem to have been still a rarity in Italy. They were very faulty and difficult to tune. 49 Story of Organ Music 8. Vigesima nona 9. Trigesima terza . 10. Vigesima seconda, No. 2 1 1. Flauto in quinta decima 12. Flauto in ottava . I 2/3 2 4 8 From this specification it will be seen that the Italian organ-builders did not seek variety of tone, or harmony, as they would call it, so much as a building up of diapason work from the 32-feet pitch through octaves and fifths, to the highest the ear is capable of receiving. The only change possible from diapason work was in the two flute stops, which were probably of wood, and if they were anything like some of the flute stops we have heard and played on in modern Italian organs, they would have a full, round tone of extreme beauty which commands attention whenever heard. For the use of the stops Antegnati gives the follow- ing suggestions: — "The Ripieno (full organ) is to consist of Nos. I, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; the other stops anage- ^^g j.^ j^g reserved for special eff^ects. Nos. Stoos 3' ^' ^°' ^'^'^ ^^ ^""^ *° "'^ used in combination, to imitate the Cornetto.^ No. 12 is 'to be used as a solo stop. Nos. 3 and 12 are to be used in combination for Diminution and for the performance of Canzoni Francesi. The same two stops, with the addition of the tremulant, can be used for Canzoni Francesi, but in this case there must be no Diminution — i.e. rapid passages. Nos. 12 and 2 can be used in a dialogue between manual and pedal. ' A kind of mixture stop, formerly very popular. (See note, p. 203.) SO ^iiaracter ot Italian Organ Music It is evident that the Italian organists made few, if any, changes of register during performance, and that they rather trusted to their rapidity of execution and command of counterpoint to produce these effects which were so admired by their contemporaries. The Italians have never encouraged the building of enor- mous organs, such as one finds in the more northern countries and in Spain. Refinement and delicacy of touch is more in keeping with Italian character than the rough vigour and delight in the power of sound which characterises much of the musical art of Ger- many and Holland, where the climatic conditions, by forcing a constant struggle with powers of nature unknown in a country surrounded by the Mediter- ranean, has its effects on the national character, and, through it, on the national art. Other Italian organists who attained to more or less celebrity in the sixteenth century were : — Antonio Valente, surnamed Cieco, since he was blind, a Neapolitan, who published at Naples, in 1580, Versi spirituali, sopra tutte Sizteenth- le note,^ con diversi Caprtcci, per sonar _ negli organi. Ottavio Bariola, organist of the Church of the Madonna di S. Celso in Milan, published Ricercate per suonar Forgano, 1585; Caprtcci, owero Canzoni a 4, 1594. His works are in the style of Merulo, and these two composers are said by Ritter^ to be the first to publish Capriccios. ' I.e. in all the tones. ^ Geschichte des Orgehpiels, p. 16. 51 . E -U 'i^-«-- #feg JiM i Sr^' =r=a±*3rf£:E2:3rl B^iSSs: 3Epsr:p iSSi' K-1^ 11 *r3s: sar:s :tj: Se m Efc2r:i ^gS^ ^^^fgiil ■|:t^ff*f»: r: ^ ;fe«:5E <~« pJ{im ^t3== ANTEGNAll's TAULATURE, 1 Co8, 52 JNoted Italian Organists Giovanni Matteo Asola, or Asolo, born at Verona, a priest and composer, of whose works F^tis gives a list. It is not known what musical post he held. F. Maschera, or Mascara, organist at Brescia, and a distinguished violist ; said to be one of the first to play Caneoni alia Francese on the organ. Sper' in Dio Bartoldi, or Bartoldo, organist of the Cathedral of Padua, a native of Modena, born 1530; composed Toccate, Rt'cercari, e Caneoni Francesi in tavolatura per I'organo, 1561. Giovanni Maria Trabacci, organist at the Chapel Royal of Naples ; published at that city Ricercari per I'organo — Libro I., 1603; Libro II., 1615. There is a copy of the second book in the British Museum ; it con- tains one hundred versi or short pieces on the eight ecclesiastical tones. The music is in score, of five lines to each stave, and is intended "for all kinds of instruments, but more especially for the cimbalo (harpsichord), because the cimbalo is the signor of all the instruments in the world." Giacomo Brignoli, born about 1550, examples of whose compositions are scattered through the collec- tions of the early decades of the seventeenth century. No details of him are known. Ritter quotes a Canzona Francese by him from Schmid's collection of 1607, which is in the key of C, with regular modulations to related keys, and a wonderful freedom from modal influences. Other organists there must have been in plenty, whose names are lost. The number of cathedrals and S3 Story of Organ Music the innumerable churches existing in every Italian town must have required a legion of organists to serve them, and it is scarcely likely that the majority of these organists abstained from attempting composition for their instrument. 54 CHAPTER V. ITALIAN ORGAN MUSIC {continued). Frescobaldi — Directions for the proper performance of his music — Rossi — Fasolo — Other Italian organists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At the beginning of the seventeenth century we meet with a genius whose organ music, breaking away from the bondage of the modes and from former traditions, soars to a region of its own in a Frescobaldi romantic idealism which seems almost to forestall the nineteenth century. Vocal music had, as early as the eighth and ninth centuries, been capable of expressing human emotions and aspirations; and though it lost this power during the constructive period of counterpoint, it had regained it with compound interest many generation's before the time we are speaking of. But the constructive period of instru- mental music was still in progress, and it was Giralomo Frescobaldi, a native of Ferrara, who first gave the power of expression to organ music. His contrapuntal subjects are vigorous and forcible; his harmonies, though sometimes crude and far-fetched, often have a romantic imagination that must have astonished the 55 Story of Organ Music hearers, and the whole of his work, even when it results in unsuccessful experiments, bears the stamp of masterful and conscious genius. He allowed himself to be hampered by none of the old rules: he was a freethinker in his art, and did not scruple to let it be known. "Whoever can understand me," he wrote over one of his pieces, "let him do so; I understand myself." Over another: "He who can play this Bergamasca will have learned not a little." The date of his birth is unknown: the years 1601, 1591, and 1580 have been given by various authors. Ritter considers that it must have been 1580, for his first book of madrigals, published in 1608, shows the hand of a master, not that of a boy or a youth of seventeen. His teacher was Francesco Milleville, a celebrated organist of French origin living at Ferrara; but doubtless his own genius taught him more than any master, for he seems to have followed his instincts, regardless of precedent. Baini relates that 30,000 listeners as- sembled in St. Peter's at Rome when he first played there, in 1614, so great was his fame. About this time he was appointed organist of St. Peter's, in succession to Ercole Pasquini, who was also a native of Ferrara, and a pupil of Milleville, thodgh senior to Frescobaldi. Very few details of his life are known, and even the date of his death is unrecorded. It is said to have been about 1644, since a collection of his Canzoni was printed by Vincenti on December isth, 1645, with the remark that they were published immediately after the death of the composer ; but this is contradicted by the 56 Frescobaldi jfact that Froberger became his pupil in 1650 or 1651. perhaps a solution of the difficulty may be found if we imagine that Vincenti's 1645 is a misprint for 1655. In his youth he was a fine singer, and it is said that musical amateurs used to follow him from town to town to hear him. He is also said to have sojourned several years in the Netherlands. His first work was published at Antwerp by Phalesio in 1608, and in the same year he must have gone to Milan, for // Primo Libro, Fantasie a due, tre, quattro is dated Milano, 1608. For keyed instruments he published: — Recercarie Cansoni Franzese, fatte sopra diversi oblighi in partitura. Roma, 1618. Organists and cembalists were frequently obliged to play from score {partitura), or to reduce the parts to tablature — i.e., notation on two staves. Toccate e Partite d'intavolatura di cembalo. Rome, 1615. The same music was generally intended in- diiferently for the organ or for any keyed instrument : of this we have seen instances before. This work was engraved on copperplates^ The right-hand stave has six lines, the left eight, and is therefore more difficult to read than earlier organ tablature, and, curiously enough, a many-lined tablature was continued in Italy till the end of the seventeenth century. Toccate d'intavolatura di cembalo ed organo, partite di diversi arie, correnti, balletti, ciacone, passacaglie. Rome, 1637. This is a reprint of the last work, with twenty- five additional pages of music. 57 Story of Organ Music RECERCARl. ET CANZO N 1 t-RANZESE \'J'TH .SiHT.A DiVEK.S'l OBLIGHJ 1 N I' A I'-.r ! T V H. A DA GIROLAMO I R I i *. O U \ i u I Org irultiinSinPiLtr ) si A. 11 TITLE-PAGE OF FKESCOBALDI S FIRST BOOK OF RECERCAKI AND CANZONI. 58 Frescobaldi // secondo libra di Toccate, Canzoni, Versi d'inni, Magnificat, Gagliarde, Correnti, ed altri Partite d'intavolatura di Cembalo ed Organo. Rome, 1616. From this Hawkins quotes a canzona in vol. iv., p. 176. // prima libra delle Canzoni a i, 2, 3, 4, voci, per sonare, per cantare can ogni sorte di stromenti. Rome, 1628. This was published in parts, but Grassi, a pupil of Frescobaldi, published it in score, without words. In Partitura, il secondo libra delle Canzoni, a i, 2, 3, 4, •voci. Per sonare can ogni sorte di stromenti. This is mentioned by Gerber, but was unknown to F^tis. Fieri musicali di Taccate, Kyrie, Canzoni, Capricci, e Ricercari, in partitura a quattra per sanatori. Roma, 1635- In several cases these works were reprinted in other towns, a strong evidence of their popularity. Examples of Frescobaldi's works are found in several modern collections of ancient music — for °^ *" ^ example, in Franz Commer's Sammlung der , .,., besten Meisterwerke des 1 7 und i SJahrunderts. Music Ritter, in his Geschichte des Orgelspiels, quotes two toccatas, two capriccios, and a canzona. Some of these have an independent pedal part, and in this, as in all other respects, they are in advance of the compositions of the Venetian school. Like his predecessors, Frescobaldi used popular tunes for some of his pieces. Ritter mentions fourteen Partite, or variations on a tune called "La Romanesca," eleven on "L'Aria di Monicha," ten on an air by Ruggiero, six on "La Follia," a subject which was 59 Story of Organ Music some sixty years later treated by Corelli for the violin. He also made a toccata arrangement of a madrigal, Ancidetemi pur, by Arcadelt; that is to say, the voice parts are passeggiato by florid work. One of the toccatas, in which the rhythmical compli- cations are excessive, has the superscription, " Non senza fatica hi giunge al fine," to which Ritter adds the remark that the player will agree with the composer as to the labour of arriving at the end of it. The Fiori Musicali of 1635 are printed in score, in order to be available for in- struments other than the organ, such as viols, etc. They are mostly for church use. A ricercare in this col- lection contains one of those inartistic tricks of which musicians were so fond in those days. It is in five parts, four of which are to be played, and the fifth sung or hummed by the player. Frescobaldi gave directions as to the execution of his toccatas, which were by no means to be played in strict time : he allowed himself every freedom with the tempo, as he did with the harmony. Words of expression were not yet used for keyed instruments, though they were being introduced into lute music, and the only means of indicating what was required was by rules 60 FRESCOBALDI. Directions for Perform- ance Frescobald 1 given in print, or by the instriictions of a competent master. Our composer wishes the tempo of his toccatas to be sometimes slower, sometimes faster. The open- ing bars are to be played slowly and arpeggtando, and the general tempo is to be taken at any point the player likes. The note at the end of a shake or a rapid passage is to be lengthened, in order to divide one phrase or one " passage'' from another. He is careful about the execution of a shake : if it is accompanied by a passage it is not to be played " note against note "; but the shake is to be played as quickly as possible, and the passage quietly and with expression. In such passages as this: — P ^ffl^ the second semiquaver is to be slightly dotted — that is to say, slightly retarded. In order to produce brilliancy in rapid passages for both hands together, a slight delay should be made on the last note before they begin, and they should then be played as quickly as possible. There should be a strong rallentando before the closes, and a still stronger one before the final close of the movement. Toccatas which contain no passages can be played in quicker time than others ; but in all these cases, as also in passacaglias and chaconnes, the 6i Story of Organ Music variations of time must rest on the good taste and refined judgment of the player. We see in all this an effort after what is called expression, as opposed to mere skill in complicated counterpoint and rapidity of finger-work. With Frescobaldi, Italian organ music may be considered to have reached its zenith, and it was soon to be over- shadowed by the great German school, whose repre- sentatives, after learning all they could from the Italians, enlarged the scope of their instrument, and continued the work so well begun in Italy. Michael Angelo Rossi, one of Frescobaldi's best pupils, published at Rome in 1657 Intabolatura d'Organo , e Cembalo, and there is a MS. collection of his toccatas in the British Museum (Add. MSS., 24,313). There is plenty of vivacity in his work, and a peculiar love of very close imitations. The MS. collection is interesting, as it contains a well-known toccata by Purcell, without the composer's name being given. Other Italian organists of the seventeenth century were: — Giovanni Battista Fasolo, ar Franciscan, born at Asti, who is only known by his Annuale che contiene tutto quello che deve far ten organista per risponder al coro tutto I'anno. Op. 8, Venezia, 1645. This was intended as a help to organists in the daily services throughout the year. It contains the Te Deum, hymns, Magnificats in the eight modes, ricercari, canzoni, and fugues, as concluding voluntaries. Being 62 fe ^^^ jg^^jM! Canton ?econj ^^ #^ -p * p » — p J< ^. 11 i :?=*=*: zi LJ • J . 12 fe ^:* 22 ^ -J- T?~ ■i3^U J J- J J I ^ ■SP- i -13 1 i |1* I : s r'-y^f ±^tL ■fS — ^ m Lj f=ic I — m ' riJ J. J ' I I m =?2I i -* rr- 15 rlg v 16 ^ g tt=t=?eJ!izgs:*= J- 4 -rt- r 84 Ammerbach 17 18 i ;»* ^ ■pz: ^ '-^•-*-•- •. f •^- I -J *„ -J- A -4 m ^ r'T r 19 20 #-^[-^ Jf.j r^r r j ^ # g^ 4 •? ■J- ^ a. Mk =^ ^F 7g~ It will be noticed that the barring is regular ; that there are evident misprints in bars i and 2 ; that the parts cross in the most confusing manner ; that the rules against consecutive fifths and octaves are frequently broken ; and that the coloratura consists of the insertion of certain conventional figures wherever they can be conveniently introduced. Ammerbach's tablature is less advanced than those of his predecessors, for instead of giving at least one part in staff notation, he employs no notes at all, but only letters, with time-signs attached : • for a Tempus, or Brevis, I for a Semibreve, f for a Minim, F for a Crotchet, F for a Fusa, or Quaver. This retrograde step reminds us of somewhat analogous proceedings in Italy, where the easily read notation of Buus gradually gave way to far more complicated methods. , No pedal is contemplated, but rules are given for the fingering, which are of interest as the fingers are num- 85 Story of Organ Music bered i, 2, 3, 4, apart from the thumb, which is shown by a circle. The system is therefore the same as that now used in England, except that we show the thumb by a cross, instead of a circle. The scales are to be played as in Italy — that is to say, by the three long fingers only, omitting the thumb and little finger. An entirely unpractical system of tuning is explained, such as an inexperienced amateur would be likely to adopt. The compositions are divided into Popular jjyg sections: i, chorales in four parts, with _ , the melody in the tenor; 2 and 3, dances; 4 Words ^'^'^ 5' "colorirte" pieces, both sacred and secular, but each intended for church use. The people only liked to hear in church what they were familiar with : it mattered not whether the tunes were sacred or secular, and it was a favourite practice to set sacred words to popular tunes. ^ There are nineteen "coloured" pieces: the coloratura consists of a moder- ate use of the turn, and it is not overdone. A second edition of the book appeared in 1592, in which a number of madrigals and Latin songs and of non- German compositions are added, and all coloratura is omitted; but the madrigals are so "improved" in other ways as to be almost unrecognisable. ' The words seem to have sometimes been a sort of parody on the original — e.g., Ein Magdiein sprach mir freundlich zu becomes Ach Herr Gott, sprick mir freundlich zu (A maiden kindly spoke to me : O Lord God, kindly speak to me); and Innspruck, ich mussdich lassen becomes Welt, ich muss dick lassen (Innspruck, I now must leave thee ; O World, I now must leave thee). The tune of the last, under the name " Innspruck," will be found in English hymn-books — e.g.. Hymns Ancient and Modem, current edition, Noi 86. 86 CHAPTER VII. GERMAN ORGAN MUSIC {continued). The Schmids — Origin of tablatures — The fugue — Paix — Woltz — Luython — Luther's hymns — Rise of the Choralvorspiel — Scheidt — Sweelinck — Decay of German tablatures — The organ was not at first used to accompany the choir or congregation — Scheidt's directions for the management of the organ — His tonality — Forms of organ music settled in Germany. Two famous organists of Strasburg in the sixteenth century were a father and son, who both bore the name of Bernard Schmid or Schmidt. ^ _, The father, who was born in 1522, was Schmids organist, first of the Church of St. Thomas, then of the Cathedral of Strasburg, both of which were at that time Protestant. He was also made a burgher of the city, as he is careful to inform us. In 1577 he published a work from whose lengthy title-page it is only necessary to quote an extract: Zwey bilcher einer neuen Kunstlichen Tabulatur auf Orgel und Instrument . . . auffs neue zusammen- ' By a curious coincidence, two other Bernard Schmidts, tjncle and nephew, came to England in the succeeding century as organ-builders, the elder of whom was the famous ' ' Father " Smith, some of whose work still remains in the organ of St. Paul's Cathedral and elsewhere. 87 Story of Organ Music gehracht, collorirt und iibersehen. Durch Bernhart Schmid, Burger und Organisten zu Strasburg . . . (Two books of a new artistic tablature for organ and instrument^ . . . lately collected, coloured, and revised. By Bernhard Schmid, citizen and organist of Strasburg.) In his preface he says, " I have decorated the motets and pieces with a little coloratura for the sake of young and inexperienced players only, and not with the inten- tion of binding competent organists to my coloratura: for I wish to leave each free to use his own improve- ments. Personally I would rather that the authority and art of the composer were respected" (i.e., that colour was omitted). The tablature consists of letters only, without a stave, like that of Ammerbach. The book contains a number of motets and songs, both sacred and secular, by Orlando Lassus, Crequillon, Claudin le jeune, Clemens non Papa, and others; besides Italian madrigals by Cyprian de Rore, Arkadelt, Ferrabosco, Berkhem, several of whom were contem- porary with our author. The sacred songs are Lutheran hymns, one of which, " Herzlich lieb hab' ich dich, O Herr," still sung in Germany, appears here for the first time. We give (in Appendix A, No. 7) the first half of the tune in its original form, and with Schmid's "little coloratura." Ritter, from whose Geschichte we quote the example, says that this is the best piece of coloratura in the whole collection. It will be noticed that it consists of ^ The word "instrument" was in Germany specially connected with keyed instruments other than the organ. 88 The Schmids the mechanical insertion of four-note figures wherever they can be fitted in, something after the manner of a beginner's counterpoint exercise. In the last bar but one the "colorist" is indifferent as to the observance of the rule against consecutive octaves and fifths; but the harmony is entirely free from the influence of the modes, which were still powerful in Italy. The spirit of progress which led to the break with an unprogres- sive hierarchy affected also the art of music, causing it to advance more rapidly under Protestant than Roman Catholic auspices. Schmid's son, who succeeded him both at the Church of St. Thomas and the cathedral, published in 1607 a tablature book, containing preludes, motets, madrigals, fugues, and dances " to be played acnimd on Organs and Instruments," " coloured and „ accommodated to the hand." Amongst the ninety pieces are toccatas by the two Gabrielis, Merulo, and Diruta. The tablature is the same as that of his father and the other German organists. It is curious to observe how slow the Germans were to accept the idea, even if it occurred to them, of a general notation which could be used equally in all countries and on all instruments. Here were Italian compositions, written in a notation whose principles must have been known to them, since they were the same as those of the vocal notation used throughout Europe, yet before the com- positions could be presented to German organists, they must be translated into a clumsy letter notation, the knowledge of which was confined to Germany. 89 Story of Organ Music The reason for this must be sought partly in the innate conservatism of human nature, but perhaps more on historical grounds. The Roman Church, Origin of (Juring- its supremacy, unconsciously did Tablatures • , , , , • . • ■• j- incalculable service to music by spreading the use of a uniform vocal notation throughout Western Europe. But instrumental music arose in- dependently of the Church, and, having begun with its own special notations, differing in the various countries, was shy of an alliance with the older church notation, which, moreover, could not entirely meet the new needs without certain modifications. It is remark- able, however, that Italy, which was less progressive in the more essential art of harmony, was ahead of Germany in the more mechanical matter of notation. We shall see later that England was in advance of both in notation. Schmid Junior uses the word "Fugue" as the German name for Canzona alia Francese. The amount of coloratura is very great, as in his father's book, but he shows certain improvements in design, making his figures imitate one another in the various parts, and introducing new figures, which he had learned from Italy. He writes nothing for the pedal, and much of his music is unsuited to the organ. Jacobus Paix, of Belgian origin, was born in 1550 at Augsburg, where his father and uncle were organists. ■r t p ' He himself obtained a post at Lauchingen, and was the author of a tablature book. Like his predecessors Paumann and Schlick, he was 90 Jacob Paix not only a remarkable organist, but was also a master of the lute. In 1583 he published his Ein schon nuts unnd gebrauchlich Orgeltabulatur . . . alle mit grossem fleiss koloriert . . . Instead of a "little" coloratura, everything here is, as he says, "coloured with great industry." In the preface he shows how to hold down one or more notes, and to colour with the unoccupied fingers of the same hand. He apologises for breaking the rule against consecutive fifths, making it his excuse that it was impossible to avoid it; moreover, others, he says, do not trouble themselves about the rule. What would be said to a candidate in a modern examination who made such an excuse ? The tablature is the same as usual, and the octaves still change at B instead of C. There are fifty-six pieces, of which about half are for church use, and the rest are German and French songs, Italian madrigals, and dances. With regard to his colora- tura, he shows, like the rest, mechanical additions to compositions by others; and the figures are the same, whatever may be the purport of the words to which they are applied. His favourite figure, repeated through whole motets, is ff !—r\' Amongst the pieces is one called the ^— j-j-J-Wiz "Battle of Marignano " by Janne- quin, who was famous for such compositions ; the playing of battle music on church organs was very popular, and was vainly inveighed against by the ecclesiastical authorities. Battle pieces were analogous to the "storms" which were, and perhaps still are, popular on modern organs. 91 Story of Organ Music The last of the colourists was Johann Woltz, for forty years organist, and afterwards parish adminis- trator, of Heilbronn. His Nova Musices Johann organicce Tabulatura, published in 1617, is intended entirely for church use ; hence all dances and " worldly " tunes are excluded. Not only is it the last of the colourist books, but by its preface we learn that Germans were beginning to get tired of their troublesome tablature, for he counsels those \yho are not familiar with the German tablature to transcribe the movements into the Italian, and after this date very few works were printed in the German tablature. Old- fashioned organists, however, continued to use it till the beginning of the eighteenth century. The chorales are arranged in such a way that "each player may add his own coloratura and mordents. "^ Fugues by Orlando Lassus and Hassler, toccatas by Merulo and the Gabrielis are printed in their original form, without coloratura, "in order the better to show the art of the composers." The first part of the work contains German compositions, with a few by foreign composers; the second, only German chorales. This nation, which had now assimilated the music of Italy and the Netherlands, was beginning to put forth a branch of its own, destined to bear the fruit we are all familiar with. The third part of the book contains original organ An ornament, written 'Q^ played :m_pzpzpz 92 Johann Woltz music, chiefly canzone francesi, by the great Italians, and a few Germans. An interesting feature is found in the index, in which the Modus oder Tonus of each move- ment is given "according to its final note" — i.e., the keynote: in other words, the modern feeling for tonality or key rather than mode was asserting itself, and the pieces were said to be in C, in D, etc., rather than in the ist, 2nd, etc., mode. Accidentals are frequently omitted, the player being expected to supply them by the rules of musica ficta, an old-fashioned practice which Praetorius proposes might with advantage be abolished ; all the necessary sharps and flats, he says, should be written, instead of being left to the mercy of any inexperienced player. The pedal is used only when the intervals are too wide for the fingers; but in one piece the player is at liberty to duplicate the bass at an octave lower by means of the pedal, if he wishes to do so. In the pieces that are coloured, Woltz is in advance of his predecessors in the variety of his figures, and the tiresome turn is entirely abolished, while , • Woltz s the coloratura is fairly evenly distributed _, ' ^ . Coloratura amongst the parts. As to his own un- coloured pieces, the thinness of the earlier works is now a thing of the past, and Woltz revels in full-sounding and beautiful harmonies, the part-writing being dis- tributed just where it will produce the best eff'ect in the chords: the general result of the whole is therefore suggestive and sweet-sounding. But the other com- posers in his collection have not yet done with the 93 Story of Organ Music modes, and in the key of E, for example, some of them still make the F and G natural, instead of sharp, to agree with the old third mode, while C and D are sharp to suit harmonic combinations. -A really fine composition in this collection is a canzona entitled Fuga suavissima, by Charles Luython, court organist and composer at Pfague from r^° , 1579 to 1620. (Ritter says that he was "^,'^ " an Englishman, brought up, and probably ^^'^H S , _,^ ^, \TT* "1 p born, m Belgium.) His canzona quite bears out its epithet suavissima. A short subject, of six notes only, is worked through the keys of C, G, D, A, and back to C. After the first exposition, a counter-subject enters, in double counterpoint, and con- tinues to accompany the subject during the rest of its course. Unfortunately, the smooth and beautiful flow of subject and counter-subject is later on disturbed by some entirely superfluous coloratura with which this portion of the fugue finishes. A new subject now appears, which after being worked through the same keys as before, is, in its turn, interrupted by coloratura, and comes to an end. It is followed by a third subject, treated in the same way, but the interest constantly in- creases by devices known to composers. The piece, which is very long, really consists of three separate and independent fugues, each of which, except for the few bars of uninteresting and rather difficult coloratura, would make an acceptable piece for a modern recital programme. Space forbids us to linger over this interesting collec- 94 The Chorale tion, and we must continue our survey of the progress made during the century. Coloratura, in its worst forms, now disappeared, and the Germans returned to the methods of their earlier composers — which, by the way, seem never to have been lost sight of by the more obscure musicians, who were not influenced by the fashionable craze for colour. The " sacred songs " composed by Luther and others for private and family use had become so popular and well known that they gradually found their way into the churches, where they were sung " *' ^ by the congregation under the name Choral, the German term for plainsong.^ About thirteen of these hymns have been attributed to Luther him- self, amongst them the powerful and well-known " Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" {Hymns Ancient and Modem, 378). Other chorale composers whose music is sung in English churches Other are Johann Criiger {Hymns Ancient and _ ^'°" Modem, 219, 379); Georg Josephi {Hymns Ancient and Modem, 20) ; Hans Leo Hassler {Hymns Ancient and Modem, iii); Johann Hermann Schein {Hymns Ancient and Modem, 452). So great a hold did these now familiar tunes take on the popular imagina- tion, that not only did the people like to sing them, but they loved to hear them played on the organ as well : hence arose the use of the Choralvorspiel, or prelude, an artistic rendering of the tune about to be sung, ' The German Choral has been introduced into English churches under the Anglicised form of the name, Chorale. 95 Story of Organ Music which the organist was expected to adorn with all the resources of his art. The rise of the Choralvorspiel gave the death-blow to coloratura : it hence- Rise of the forth formed the chief exercise for the talents "'* ~, of the organist, and had great influence on vorspiel , o , , „ the future development of organ music. The earliest treatment of the Choral as a pure organ piece, instead of a mere adaptation of the voice parts, is found in the Tabulatura Nova of Samuel Scheidt, organist of Halle. Scheidt was a pupil of S^r"!' *'^^ Dutchman Johann Peter Swelinck, Sweling, or Sweelinck, organist of the chief church of Amsterdam, who, from the number of famous organists he trained, obtained the sobriquet of "Organist-maker." Born about 1560, Sweelinck travelled to Venice at the age of twenty-seven, where he placed himself under Zarlino. On his return to Holland he had the reputation of being the greatest organist in the world, and the inhabitants of Amsterdam crowded to the church to hear him play. He is practi- cally the founder, through his pupils, of the great German school of organists which has lasted to the present day. Of his pupils the most famous was Scheidt, born at Halle in 1587, where he died in 1654. He was therefore a contemporary of Frescobaldi. After studying for several years under Sweelinck, he returned to his native town, and seems to have re- mained there for the rest of his life. His Tabulatura Nova was published at Hamburg in 1624. It is the first that is free from the parasite of coloratura that hjad 96 Samuel bcheidt threatened to destroy the life of German organ music. Not that there is no ornamentation, but what there is has reason and meaning in it, and sets off the music to the best advantage. His compositions are not written in letters, but in notes on staves of five lines, but there is a stave for each voice-part, and the music is in open score. This, though not so easy to read Decay of as under modern conditions, is an immense _ i^'*"*" advance on the preceding tablature books. The first part contains psalms, fantasias, cantilenas, passomezzi, and canons. The pedal is used, some- times even a double pedal, and there are various new effects, such as grouping the notes under legato strokes, as in violin music, after the manner of what we call phrasing; he calls this Imttatio violistica. He also invented a rapid iteration of a single note by a single finger of each hand alternately, which he calls tremolo. The second part contains fugues, psalms, echoes, and toccatas. The third part consists of the " Kyrie, Credo, Psalm of the Last Supper," hymns of the principal festivals, magnificats on the nine tones for the full organ: this part is "especially intended for those who delight in pure organ music, without coloratura." There are directions for the use of the stops and pedal, and the music is adapted entirely for church purposes. At this time it was the custom, both in the Roman and Lutheran churches, for the organ not to accom- pany the voices, but to play between the verses, or 97 Story of Organ Music even to take the place of the choir where there was none, and play what it would sing if it were present, taking up the plainsong or tune and treat- Organ not ing it polyphonieally. This was the reason at first fQj. j.jjg second part of the examination of useo to candidates for the organistship of St. c- . Mark's, described in the former chapter (p. 28). Scheidt gives in the third part of his work twelve short movements to be thus used in the Kyrie and Gloria. The "Psalm of the Last Supper" is an arrangement of the Communion hymn of John Huss, to be played instead of sung during the Com- munion. Finally, there are six pieces for the full organ, to be played at the conclusion of Vespers. The whole work is conceived in an earnest endeavour to bring the music of the organ to a higher level than before. Scheldt's directions for the management of the in- strument are important, for none of his predecessors, the colourists, had troubled about the matter. ,", The magnificat and hymns, he says, are to ment of the *" •' ' ■' ' Q be played on an organ or two manuals and pedal. The bass is always to be played on the pedal, except when the pedal has the chief melody. The discant, or soprano, is to be played on the upper manual (the Great organ), the inner parts on the lower (the Choir organ) ; but if the melody is in the tenor, it is to be played by the left hand on the lower manual, the alto and discant on the upper. But sometimes the pedal is to play both tenor and bass, while the other 98 Scheldt's Stop Combinations two parts are played on the two manuals. The usual compass of the pedals was at this time two octaves, from C, though it sometimes went to D, a note higher; and the finest effect, says our author, is when the melody is in the alto and is played on the pedal with a four-feet stop, while the other three parts are played on a single manual with eight-feet stops. Organists will recall the use of this device in some of the finest of J. S. Bach's Vorspiele. For stop combinations he gives : — On the Great, for accompanying, Gedact of 8 and 4 feet, or Open Diapason of 8 feet, alone, or with other stops. Scheldt's On the Choir, for the Cantus Firmus, /? ^. binations Quintadena, or Gedact, of 8 feet, and of 4 feet, or Principal of 4 feet, with Mixture, or Super- octave of 2 feet. On the Pedal, for Cantus Firmus, Sub-bass 16 feet, Posaune 16 or 8 feet, Dulcian, 16 or 8 feet, Schallmey, Trommete, Bauernflote, and Kornett, the last being a reed, not the cornet of English organs. The above rules are for general use, but he recom- mends frequent changes of register, and especially the occasional use of single stops. The organ in the principal church of Halle had in those days three manuals and pedal ; the Great organ had six stops, the open diapason being divided, on the Italian plan, between the „ j, manual and pedal; the Front Choir had six, the Back Choir twelve, and the Pedal seven stops. 99 " Story of Organ Music This was the "rusty and worm-eaten " organ on which some seventy years later Handel learned from Zachau. Amongst the chorales in the Tabulatura Nova are the Lord's Prayer and the Creed; Luther had put them into metre, and associated them with the tunes to which they are still sung in Germany. The melody of the Lord's Prayer was adapted from a secular tune, and is familiar to every English organist through the varia- tions on it in Mendelssohn's Sixth Organ Sonata. The melody of the Creed is an adaptation of a fifth-century plainsong. In the Creed, he opens with imitative passages suggestive of the coming melody, which enters in the discant at the fourth bar, and is accompanied by short imitative figures in the style now known in Germany as " Figurierte Choral." There are four "verses" — that is to say, the tune is played through four times, each repetition being differently treated ; the word "verse," when applied to the organ-chorale, means nothing more or less than Variation. The Lord's Prayer, of which Scheldt gives nine verses, opens in the same way, but the melody is inverted in the introductory three bars. The fantasias are Choralvorspiele, with the differ- ence that the melody is distributed between the various parts, instead of being confined to one part °'^. , for each verse. A "phantasia" on a mad- rigal "lo son ferito," by Palestrina, called a quadruple fugue, consists of four subjects, each of which is worked out as a separate fugue, and then all four are combined, with considerable use of chromatic loo The Organ used with Voices counter-subjects. The work is of great interest, but of enormous length. The Echoes, referred to in the title, consist of the repetition of a phrase played on one manual, by the soft stops of the second manual; this was also a favourite device in Holland and England. There is a certain indefiniteness of tonality in his work, a wavering between the old modes and the new scales, and in playing it one feels tempted to ^ y . . , add accidentals in order to get rid of this _, y feeling of uncertainty. The counterpoint has more solidity and force than that of. Frescobaldi : it is more carefully chosen, and the difference in national temperament is marked in the two composers. In the Tabulatmr-buch loo Geistlicfier Lteder, pub- lished in 1650, he treats the chorale in another way — not as an organ solo, but as an accompani- ment to voices. In the quarter of a century _ Organ that had elapsed since the publication of his "^B"*^ *°_"^ Tdbulatura Nova, the practice had arisen of ^, „. 1-4.1. ..u ■ • , the Singing makmg the organ accompany the smgmg of j ^j^ Con- the congregation, and the second work was gregation published at the desire of the magistrates and town council of Gorlitz, to meet the new require- ments. The singing had been formerly led by a more or less trained official choir, and the congregation had joined in as best they could in those hymns which had become more or less familiar from frequent repetition ; books were rare, and the power of reading them rarer. But as time went on, this arrangement was found Story of Organ Music more and more unsatisfactory, and it occurred to some one at Hamburg that the organ might play with the choir instead of only alone, and then "each Christian would be able with confidence to raise his bad lay voice as loudly as he liked, without the danger of becoming a fifth wheel in the musical coach. "^ The new idea soon spread through Germany, and choir, organ, and congregation performed the chorales together. We may consider that by the middle of the seventeenth century the present high school for organ music had taken firm root in Germany, the chorale, in i^orms ot jj.g hundredfold treatment, the prelude and _ fugue, the toccata, canzona, and fantasia. Music being the forms in which it was most frequently manifested. The Lutheran ser- vice gave more opportunities to organists than the Roman, of which they did not fail to take advantage; and this is perhaps one of the reasons why the Germans advanced more rapidly than the Italians, though the organ certainly lost some of its independence when it was employed to accompany the singing. Recent research has shown the ordinary view that the ' But the organ seems to have evicted the choir in Holland, if one may judge from the writer's experience some eighteen years ago in the chief churches of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The Vorspiel was in each case a most artistic and enjoyable performance; but there was no trained choir, and when the congregation joined in with their "bad lay voices," the cacophony was indescribable. The congregation sang its loudest, the organ played its loudest, and the difference of pitch be- tween the two gradually reached a semitone, while there was a slackening of speed till the congregation was a beat behind the organ. 1 02 Congregational Singing organ was first introduced into churches to accompany the singing of the congregation to be a mistake. Congregational singing was an outcome of the Re- formation: it was at first performed by the voices alone, and the support given to it by the organ was an afterthought. 103 CHAPTER VIII. GERMAN ORGAN MUSIC {continueo). Scheidemann — Reinken — Buxtehude — Bruhns — The South German school — Hassler — Kindermann — Schlemmer — Pachelbel — Steigle- der — Erbach-^Speth — Froberger and the legends concerning him — Kerl— Muffat— The Bach family. Amongst the organists formed by Sweelinck was Heinrich Scheidemann, son of the organist of St. Catherine's Church at Hamburg. He suc- " ceeded his father as organist at this ira- „ . , portant church, and when he died in 1663 he was succeeded by his pupil, Johann Adam Reinken, Reinke, Reincke, or Reinicke. Thus the style of Sweelinck was handed down from master to pupil, and from father to son ; and the reputation of Reinken was such that people came to Hamburg from a distance to hear him play. He had a large four-manual organ at his disposal, which he loved like a child, and was constantly talking about, according to Mattheson. He preserved his full powers till 1722, when he died at the extraordinary age of ninety-nine. Few of his composi- tions have survived. Ritter and Spitta mention two Choralvorspiele, in which the chorale is treated line by 104 Reinken line, each line being separately worked out as a motet, and between the lines there are short episodical passages to separate them. These two pieces are of enormous length, and Ritter seems to consider that they are disappointing, in view of Reinken's great reputation amongst his contemporaries. There also exists a Toccata in G major, beginning with brilliant passages, followed by a fugue, then an intermezzo, and another fugue. This is the threefold form of fugue which became orthodox in North Germany in those days: it differed from the Italian form, which consisted of three separate fugues connected by " passages." Bach made two journeys to Hamburg to hear Reinken, and so muclvdid he admire him, says Mizler, that he took some of his works as models, _ , ... . r u- i. • Bach and besides arranging some of his string music _ , , for the clavier. When he visited Hamburg for the second time, Reinken was ninety-seven years ;old, and Bach was no longer an eager student, anxious to learn, but a consummate artist, whose reputation was already gone abroad. He played for two hours on the organ at St. Catherine's Church, during half-an- hour of which he extemporised on the chorale "An Wasserfliissen Babylons " in Reinken's own style, as described above. This was one of the chorales which had been treated by Reinken, and it was evidently a favourite with him. So struck was he, however, by the younger artist's treatment of the same theme, that far from feeling any jealousy, he said to Bach, " I thought this art would die with me, but I perceive that it lives I OS Story of Organ Music in you." He then invited Bach to visit him, and treate