(1* 



DAVID, FELICIEN. 



DAVILA, HKNRICO CATERING. 



the Philistines, the A malt-kites, the Edomites, the Moabiton, the 

 Ammonite*, and Hadodezer. the king of Zobab, defeating the Syrians 

 of Daraancus with gnat slaughter who came to HadadeEer'a assistance, 

 HU kingdom then extended from the Euphrates westward to the 

 Mediterranean, and from Phoenicia southward to the Arabian Gulf. 

 He cultivated commerce, particularly through Tyre, and encouraged 

 the art*, especially that of building. His course for a considerable 

 time was a prosperous one ; but the rebellions of his sons Ab-alom 

 and Adonijah embittered his later yo.-irs. He died after a reign of 

 forty years, seven OV.T Judah and thirty-three over the united king- 

 dom, appointing Solomon as his successor. 



Independent of his character ns a warrior, a statesman, and a king, 

 David holds a yet higher rank as a poet the author of many of the 

 Psalms. By whom the book as it now stands was compiled is some- 

 what uncertain. The most probable opinion i, that David himself 

 formed a collection, for the sacred service of the priests, of the psalms 

 which l.i- I. ml himself composed, with others that were existing before 

 him or had ben written by his contemporaries, and that Ezra added 

 others which had been written subst quently. A large proportion were 

 certainly liy David, and are distinguished by his name ; but it is 

 doubtful whether the titles prefixed to most of the psalms arc not 

 later additions. They are however certainly of preit antiquity, 

 possibly earlier than the time of Ezra, and it is most probable that 

 those under David's name ore correctly ascribed to him. 



DAVID, FELICIEN, on eminent Freucli musical commoner, ws 

 born si Cadenet, in Vaucluse, on the 8th of March 1810. From his 

 father, who was a skilful amateur, young David received his first 

 instructions in music, and when little more than seven years old 

 entered the choir of Saint Sauveur at Aix, to wl)ich city hi* parents 

 had removed. Here he soon attracted notice, as much by the intel- 

 ligence with which he rendered the works of the great masters as by 

 the beauty of his voice ; and in hid fifteenth year, according to the 

 cu-tom when tho young choristers had obtained the approbation of 

 their superior::, he wag placed, for the completion of his general 

 education, in the establishment of the Jesuits at Aix. Ho here 

 successfully prosecuted bis musical studies, becoming especially skilful 

 as a player on the violin, lie left thin establishment at the ago of 

 eighteen ; soon after accepted an engagement in the orchestra of 

 the theatre at Aix ; and in 1S29 that of musical director at Saint- 

 Sauvenr. But he was now burning with anxiety to go to Paris, in order 

 to study his art under the eminent professors assembled there, and 

 having obtained of an uncle the promise of a small monthly allowance 

 he proceeded to the capital. One of his compositions for the service 

 at Saint-Sauveur, a ' Beatus vir," which he carried to Clierubini, then 

 director of the Conservatoire, procured for him immediate admission 

 to that fine institution. Here he studied harmony under M. Lesour, 

 counterpoint and fugue under M. Fetis, and finally the organ under 

 M. Benoit; but so anxious was he to advance as rapidly as possible, 

 that out of his very limited income he contrived to save nearly half in 

 order to obtain private lessons from M. Reber. His progress in the 

 art was remarkably rapid, and several sacred pieces which he composed 

 showed that he was obtaining a thorough mastery over the scientific 

 principles of music. But bit studies were suddenly interrupted by the 

 failure of the promised allowance, and he was obliged to betake himself 

 to giving lessons on the piano for a subsistence. And soon another 

 source of interruption occurred. The doctrines of St. Simon were 

 attracting g. neral attention in France, and many young men of ardent 

 dispositions eagerly adopted them. M. David became a convert, and 

 at the end of 1331 removed bis name from the Conservatoire to enter 

 it among the confraternity at their retreat in Menilmontont; and 

 they assigned to him the task of setting to music the hymns which 

 they ued there. When the association wai broken up, M. David 

 united himself with those members of it who made a pilgrimage to 

 the Bast There, in Egypt, in the Holy Land, and in the Desert, 

 M. David spent some three yearn, his mind acquiring a certain 

 orientalism of tone, but his religions aspirations becoming decidedly 

 weaned from St. Simonianiasm. He returned to Paris in the summer 

 of 1835, and set about preparing for publication some ' Melodies 

 Orin. tales,' which he had written during hi* travels. But the work 

 was coldly received, and M. David retired disconcerted to tho house 

 of a friend in the country. 



David did not appear again before the Parisian ptiblio until 1838, 

 when he prepared a symphony for the concert of Val Mitino, which 

 met with but equivocal success. His ' Nonetto ' for wind instrument*, 

 played in the following year at Musard's concert, was somewhat better 

 received. He also published some melodies, which served to k- p l.i- 

 naine before the public. He had however been during his retirement 

 labouring at a work of far higher pretenions bis ' Ode-Symplnmi.;, 

 ca troi parties' the 'Desert,' which was first played at the Con- 

 servatoire in December 1844. and subsequently brought out with great 

 rplendour at the Tlieatre-Italien, where it met with a brilliant success: 

 it was however somewhat lees successful when played at her Majesty's 

 Theatre, London, though it had a considerable vogue. The ' Desert' 

 was followed by ' llolse au Mont Sinai,' ntyl.-d by the composer an 

 oratorio in two parts. The Molw ' ws produced at the opera, Paris, 

 in March 1846; but was received very coldly, and has not we believe 

 bcvn repented e!eirlien>. David'n next work wss tho grand sympli"ny. 

 in four (arts, of ' Chrwtopho Culo.iib,' produced at th>- Con 



in March 1847, and which in Paris met with a success at the moment 

 only inferior to that of the ' Desert,' but its popularity was not lasting : 

 I" r thi.s work Louis Philippe bestowed on M. David tho cross of the 

 Legion of Honour. In 1848 'Eden, a Mystery, in two parts,' was 

 |>erformed at the opera ; but the times were little suited to the pro- 

 duction of musical mysteries, and it passed away unheeded. David's 

 next work for the theatre was an open in three acts, ' I A Perle du 

 Bresil,' played in November 1851 at the Opera-Nationale. Another 

 grand opera, or musical mystery, ' La Fin du Monde,' iu four acts, has 

 been for some time announced as ready for performance. Besides hit 

 greater works, M. David has produced some smaller pieces, as ' L'Ange 

 Kebelle,' ' Les Hirondelles,' kc. ; also a series of thirty glees for four 

 male voices, called 'La Ruche Hariuouieuse ;' a' Hymn a I L I'aix. 



(D. Denne- Baron, art. />/. David iu .Your. Stay. Oat. ; Sylvaiu 

 Etienne, Bwg. de Fclicien Darul . ) 



DAVID, JACQUES LOUIS, was born nt Paris in 1750. In 1774 

 he went to Rome to study ; he returned to Franca tea year?, 

 wards, and attained considerable reputation as an historic*! and pur- 

 trait painter. Upon the breaking out of the Revolution he threw 

 himself amongst the foremost ranks of the revolutionist!). He was the 

 intimate friend of Robespierre, and was ap|x>iuted manager of all the 

 spectacles and allegorical shows of the republic. He proposed to 

 construct a colossal figure of the people out of the ruins of the statues 

 of the kings, to be placed on the Pont-Neuf, but never proceeded 

 farther than n model, from which however the design for the r 

 of the republican coin was taken, which was used several year*. 

 Robespierre, anticipating his downfall, expressed himself r. a ly to die 

 the death of .Socrates, David, who was present, cxcUimed, " Rob s- 

 pierre, if you will drink the hemlock I will drink it also." In 1791 he 

 was denounced, and imprisoned, altogether about a year; but was 

 ultimately liberated, and appears thenceforward to have taken a Icaa 

 prominent port in political matters. He was appointed pr 

 painter to the National Institute. In 1815 he was banished from 

 France with those who had voted for the death of Louis XVI., and 

 took up his abode at Brussels, where he died Uecomi 

 Many anecdotes of his cruelty during the revolution are related by 

 his enemies, but they are not well auth-jiilieatcd ; others, in proof of 

 his patriotic magnanimity, are scarcely better established. He appears 

 in truth to have been a man of narrow capacity, and of a warm but 

 not malicious disposition. He is described as "being afllicted v. 

 tumour in his jaw, which disfigured his appearance aud so disturbed 

 his utterance that he could not speak ten words in the same tone. To 

 this imperfect speech he added a blustering manner. 



David is said to have expressed a wish, that if an Athenian were to 

 revisit tho earth, he might take him for n Greek pain ;.-, the 



key to his style, which is a servile imitation of the Greek sculptures ; 

 his figures are like statues coloured aud put in motion ; his drawing is 

 correct, aud his composition classical ; but his design is constrained 

 and artificial, with a bard outline aud harsh colour. The ' Rape of 

 the Sabines ' is considered one of the beat of his works, which are 

 chiefly at Paris. His portrait of Napoleon I. is well known. 



DA'VILA, HENRI'CO CATEKI'NO, born at Pieve di Sacco, near 

 Padua, was the son of Antonio Davila, who was great constable of 

 Cyprus \\hen that island was taken by the Turks from the Venetians 

 in 1571. Antonio emigrated to Spain, where he had relations and 

 afterwards to France, where he won the favour of Catherine du' 

 Medicis and of her son King Henri III. Lastly he went to reside in 

 the Venetian states, where n son was born to him in 1576, to whom 

 he gave the names of Henrico Caterino, in homage of his royal 

 French patrons. When Henrico was seven years old hi.s father took 

 him to France for his education. At the ago of eighteen he entered 

 the army of Henri IV., iu which he served four years, and was 

 severely wounded at the siege of Houfleur. In 1599 he was recalled 

 to Pievo di Sacco by his father, who soon after, in a fit of temporary 

 insanity, put an end to his life by throwing himself out of a \\ . 

 Davila now began to pay much attention to literature and to associate 

 with literary men. Being at Parma iu 1606, he attended the meeting* 

 of the academy of the " Inuominati," where his hasty temper involved 

 him in a dispute with Stigliani, nun of tho member*, which led to a 

 duel, in which both parties were wounded; and Stigliani, being 

 dangerously hurt, was obliged to quit Parma, and proceed to Venice. 

 Not long afterwards Henrico entered the military service of V 

 and was employed successively in ('audio, Friuli, Dalrnatio, and other 

 stations. In 1631 he was sent to take the command of the garrison 

 of Crema, with orders from the senate to tho postmasters on tho road 

 to nupply him with every conveyance required for tho service. On 

 as riving at the stage of S. Michele, near Verona, tho postmaster 

 refused to furnish the necessary accommodations. High words 

 cnp.ii.-d, and the postmaster fired a pistol, and shot Davila dead in 

 sight of bit wife aud children. One of Davila's sons attacked tin: 

 murderer, aud killed him on the spot; others were wounded in tho 

 affray, and the chaplain of Davila was also slain. The parties who 

 assisted the postmaster were arrested, seat to Verona, aad sent 

 to death. 



I i.ivila in known to the world through his History of the Civil Wars 

 in France, ' Storia delle Quern: Civili di Frmicia,' from the death of 

 Henri II. to the peace of Vervina ia 161M, a period of forty years 

 molt eventful iu the history of that country, lie tieils therefore 



