125 



GLUCK, CHRISTOPH. 



GODFREY, THOMAS. 



126 



rouse the nation to a Spanish war. The latter is a fine effective ballad, 

 and possesses the best proof of merit it answered its end. It will 

 probably be read and remembered long after ' Leonidas ' is forgotten. 



Mr. Glover took an active part in city politics as an opponent of 

 Walpole. In 1760 he became JI.P. for Weymouth, and proved himself 

 a good speaker and a valuable man of business in commercial affairs. 

 He died in 1785. 



GLUCK, CHRISTOPH, was born of humble parents, in the Upper 

 Palatinate, on the borders of Bohemia, in 1714. When very young he 

 lost his father, and was totally neglected ; bat the genius for music, 

 so common in the natives of his country, was in him more than ordi- 

 narily vigorous ; and, self-taught, he contrived by his talents to work 

 his way to Vienna, where his industry furnished him with the means 

 of procuring not only subsistence but education. He there obtained 

 the patronage of a nobleman, who took him into Italy, and at Milan 

 he received some mcst valuable instructions from the celebrated theorist 

 Padre Martini. Having successfully given birth to two or three operas, 

 his reputation spread abroad, and Lord Middlesex, then dictator of 

 the King's Theatre, engaged him as his composer. But the rebellion 

 of 1745 had just broken out, and all foreigners were regarded with 

 suspicion, the theatre therefore was, by order, closed, and only re- 

 opened by the influence of the noble manager, who conciliated govern- 

 ment by a piece de circonttance, a demi-political drama, entitled ' La 

 Caduta dei Giganti ' (the Fall of the Giants), set by Gluck as his intro- 

 duction to a British public. It however excited little interest ; the 

 dancing of Madlle. Violetta (afterwards Mrs. Garrick) in this made 

 more impression than the music. In the following year he composed 

 another opera, 'Artamene,' and brought out a Pasticcio, but with no 

 marked success. He then returned to Italy, where he formed an 

 intimacy with Calzabigi, the poet, and the two concerted a reform of 

 the Italian opera, which was carried out in the instances of ' Orfeo ' 

 and ' Alceste,' both of which were produced at Vienna, ' Orfeo ' in 

 1764, ' Alceste ' in 1769. By these he acquired so high a reputation, 

 that he was invited to compose on opera for the French A cadfmie 

 Royale. For this he wrote his ' Iphigenie en Aulide,' which was 

 brought out at Paris, under his own direction, in 1776, and completely 

 triumphed over the national prejudices opposed to it; but not with- 

 out a violent struggle, in which the unfortunate Marie Antoinette, who 

 had been Gluck's pupil, took an active part in favour of the German 

 stranger. He was now hailed as the revivor of that music which had 

 wrought such miraculous effect* in ancient Greece, and the native 

 French composers were cast into the background : when the Italian 

 I/arty, aroused by the success of what they called the barbarous 

 Tedescan school, invited to Paris the idol of Naples, the justly- 

 celebrated PiccinL A furious musical war now broke out in the 

 cipital of Franc?, and was carried on with a violence never before or 

 since equalled, and which only could have been supported by a people 

 o alive to whatever relates to the arts immediately connected with 

 the theatre. The most eminent of the French literati engaged with 

 extraordinary zeal in the content, and were nearly equally divided. 

 To such a length was the dispute carried, that it has been said no two 

 persons met in society without inquiring to what party each belonged : 

 Eta TOM* Gluckiitc ou Piccinittel the reply determining whether 

 the conversation should have an amicable or a hostile bearing. 



Besides the above-mentioned operas, Gluck produced several others, 

 the best of which are ' Armide,' ' Iphigenie en Tauride,' and ' Echo et 

 Narcisse. 1 He '.(returned to Vienna in 1781, and shortly after was 

 attacked by paralysis, which terminated his life in 1787. As a com- 

 poser Gluck unquestionably possessed a powerful and original mind. 

 Nothing from his pen betrays the slightest attempt to imitate, or in 

 any way unduly profit by, the works of others. His melodies are 

 beautifully tender, and rarely, if ever, assume any appearance of 

 gaiety. Indeed, passion is the characteristic of his, as well as of most 

 German dramatic music. His choruses are marked by that simplicity 

 which, in his opinion, as well as in that of many able critics, is so 

 conducive to effect on the stage ; and his orchestral accompaniments 

 are as remarkable for their appropriateness as for their richness, the 

 period at which they were written being considered. Gluck was, in a 

 word, an intellectual composer, of which fact hi* works afford incon- 

 testable proofs ; M well as the originator of a new and superior stylo 

 of opera music. 



GMELIN, JOHN FREDERICK, woi born at Tubingen in 1748, 

 where he studied, and took a doctor's degree in 1769. He early 

 devoted himself to the study of natural history, and, after finishing 

 his education, and travelling through Holland and England, he 

 returned to Tubingen, where he principally occupied himself with 

 giving lectures on natural history and botany. He there acquired 

 sufficient reputation to be admitted among the members of 1'Acadomie 

 des Curieux de la Nature; and in 1775 he was appointed professor 

 extraordinary of medicine at Tubingen. He afterwards received the 

 Mine appointment at Guttiugen, which he held till his death, in 1804. 

 During the thirty years of his academical career he published numerous 

 works, which show the extent and variety of his knowledge and 

 learning, but do not fay much for bis talents or judgment. His most 

 imp riant works are bin historical compilations or dictionaries; but 

 he is beat known as the editor of the thirteenth edition of the ' Systema 

 Katurtc ' of Linnaeus, which was first published at Leipzig, in nine 

 part*, 8vo, between the years 1 788 and 1793. It is divided into three 



tomes, one to each kingdom, aud is furnished at the end with alpha- 

 betical and polyglot tables of the systematic and trivial names. Cuvier 

 very correctly describes it as being " executed without judgment : an 

 ignorant compilation, useless to the professor, aud more likely to mis- 

 lead the student that to enlighten or instruct him." 



This work however though badly arranged, devoid of criticism, and 

 showing the author's ignorance of the different species which he 

 describes, yet possesses some value as being the only book which 

 includes all the objects of natural history which had been described 

 up to the year 1790. Gmelin wrote numerous works aud papers on 

 botany and chemistry. A list of his writings is given in the ' Biogra- 

 phie Universelle,' and in the ' Biographie Meclicale ' of the ' Dictiou- 

 naire dea Sciences Mddicales,' whence this notice is principally taken. 



GMELIN, JOHN GEORGE, born at Tubingen in 1709, applied 

 himself to the study of natural history and chemistry, in which he 

 became distinguished. On going to St. Petersburg ha was made a 

 member of the Academy of Sciences of that capital. In 1733 he was 

 sent by the Empress Anna to explore Siberia, in company with G. 

 F. Miiller and other men of science. This very laborious aud inter- 

 esting expedition lasted nearly teu years. Gmelin examined those 

 vast and dreary regions as far as the banks of the Lena. His object 

 was to proceed to Kamtchatka, but the state of his health aud other 

 difficulties made him retrace his steps to St. Petersburg, where he 

 published his ' Flora Sibirica,' 4 vols. 4to, 1747- Having returned to 

 his native country, he was made professor of botany and chemistry at 

 Tubingen, where he died in 1755. His 'Travels' ('Reise durch 

 Sibirien') were published at Gottingen in 1751. Gmeliu was one of 

 the first explorers of the northern part of Asia. A genus of Asiatic 

 plants was named Gmelina by Liuiueus, in honour of J. G. Gmelin. 



GMELIN, SAMUEL GOTTLIEB, nephew of John George Gmelin, 

 was born at Tubingen in 1744, studied in that university, where he 

 applied himself chiefly to the natural sciences, aud took his degree of 

 M.D. In 1767 he went to St. Petersburg, aud in the following year 

 he was sent by the Empress Catherine on a scientific tour through 

 the southern provinces of Russia. He first visited the banks of the 

 Don, or Tanais, down to Tacherkask, the capital of the Don Cossacks. 

 whence he proceeded to Astrakhan in 1769, and examined the banks 

 of the Wolga aud the delta of that river. In 1770 he sailed on the 

 Caspian Sea, explored its western coast, visited Derbeud and Baku, 

 and the mouths of the Koor, and wintered at Euzelly. In the fol- 

 lowing year he continued his tour along the southern coast, visited 

 the Persian provinces of Ghilau and Mazau<leran, aud then returned 

 to Astrakhan, where he prepared the narrative of his journey for the 

 press. He next visited the colony of Sarepta, aud crossed the 

 Kooman steppes to Mosdok. In 1773 he again left Astrakhan, for his 

 second and last voyage ou the Caspian, and aft r exploring several 

 parts of the Persian coast, he left his ship at Euzelly, and proceeded, 

 in January 1774, by land, to Baku, and theucc to Derbend. Being 

 peremptorily ordered away by the khan, or governor of that place, he 

 endeavoured to reach by land Kisliar, the nearest Russian settlement 

 on that side, but was seized on the road by a party of the Kaitak 

 tribe, whose khan Usmey confined him in a prison at Achmetkent, in 

 the mountains of the Caucasus, where he died of ill-health and bad 

 treatment, in June 1774. The Empress Catherine provided for his 

 widow. His travels, 'Reise durch Russluud zur unterauchung der 

 drey Natur Ileiche,' in 4 parts, with numerous plates, were published 

 at St. Petersburg. The hist volume contains a biographical notice of 

 the author. Gmelin wrote also ' HUtoria Fucorum,' and made other 

 contributions to natural history. 



GOBELIN, GILLES ASD JEAN, brothers, who introduced from 

 Venice into France, in the reign of Frauds I., the art of dyeing 

 scarlet, aud established extensive workshops for the purpose upon 

 the small river Bievres, in the Faubourg St. Marcel of Paris, at 

 Gentilly. Here the brook takes the name Gobelins from the 

 manufactory. 



The project was considered at that time by the rival dyers of the 

 metropolis to be so hazardous, that it was called ' Folie Gobelin ; ' but 

 by the brilliancy and solidity of the colours produced, the Parisians 

 soon became astouiahed to such a decree that they said Gobeliu had 

 made a compact with the devil. 



In the year 1677 Colbert purchased the dye-houses from the 

 Gobeliu family, in virtue of an edict of Louis XIV., styled it the 

 ' Hotel Royal des Gobelins," and established on the ground a great 

 manufactory of tapestry, similar to that of Flanders. The celebrated 

 painter Lo Brun was appointed director-in-ohief of the weaving and 

 dyeing patterns. Under his administration were produced mauy 

 magnificent pieces of tapestry, which have ever since been the admira- 

 tion of the world ; such as Alexander's battles, the four seasons, the 

 four elements, and the history of the principal events in the reign of 

 Louis XIV. The works have ever since been carefully fostered by 

 the French government. 



GODEFROY. [GOTHOFREDCS.] 



GODEFROY OF BOUILLON. [BOUILLON.] 



GODFREY, THOMAS, was born in the city of Philadelphia, where 

 he carried on tho business of a glazier. His attention haviug been 

 accidentally directed to the study of mathematics, he seems to have 

 ilevoted himself to it with great ardour and perseverance ; and in 

 order that he might read the ' Principia ' and other mathematical 



