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ing tTie autTior's original intention. But how feldom are critics 

 found to poiTcfs feeling, fc'ence, probity, and courage; quali- 

 ties without which no ont (hould fet up for a fovercign judi;e. 

 It is a iri'^lancholy trirth, that mullcal criticifm, which 

 ought to be ufeful to the ait, is in Germany a trade, com- 

 monly carried on by dry, malij^nant, and ft'.ipid writers. 

 He then declares that of all his works, thofe for the clavi- 

 chord or piano-forte are the chief in which he has induljrtd 

 his own feelings and ideas. His principal wiih has betu to 

 play and compofe in the moll vocal manner pcfiible, not- 

 \rithi^anding the ^reat defcA of all keyed inftruments, ex- 

 cept the organ, in not fuftaining their tone. But to make 

 a harpfichord or piano-forte fing, is not eauiy accompliihcd ; 

 as the ear muft not be tired by too thin a harmony, nor 

 flunned by too full an accompaniment. In his opinion, 

 malic ought to touch the heart, and he never found that 

 this could be efFefted by running, rattling, drumming, or 

 arpeggios. 



If Haydn ever looked up to any great mailer as a mo- 

 del, it feems to have been C. P. Em. Bach : the bold modu- 

 lation, refts, paules, and free ufe of femitonss, and unex- 

 pefted flights of Haydn, remind us frequently of Bach's 

 early works more than of any other compofer. But in 

 writing for violins, he has furpafTed his model in facility 

 and invention ; freaks, whim, and even buffoonery, appear 

 natural to Haydn, whicb in the works of his imitators 

 feem downright caprice and affeclation. Em. Bach uLd to 

 be cenfured for his extraneous raodulution, crudities, and 

 difficulties ; but, like the hard words of Dr. Johnfon, to 

 which the public by degrees became reconciled, every Ger- 

 man compofer takes the fame liberties now as Bacli, and 

 every Engiifli writer ufes Johnfo/i's language with impu- 

 nity. E nanuel Bach died at Hamburg, 1788, at near 

 eighty years of age. 



Bach, yohn Chrtjl'ian, arrived in England 1763, during 

 the opera re.rency of the admirable female finger and actrefs, 

 Coloniba Mattel, who had engiged him as c .mpofer of the 

 ferioMS opera. He was the youngcft fon of Sebaflian Bach, 

 and had been a confidcrabk time in Italy, wliere he added new 

 luflre to his name and family by his dramatic produftions, 

 and had been appointed by the cmprefs queen organift of 

 the Duomo at Slilan. 



On hi^ arrival here, he was extremely mortified to find 

 that he had no better fingers to write for than Ciardmi and 

 the Cremonini, two pertormers hardly worthy to be ranked 

 in the fecond clafs ; and for fome time he totally declined 

 compofing for our ftage, being unwilling, as a ilranger, to 

 trull his reputation to fuch performers-. But, at length, 

 having heard the l)e Amicis fing two or three ferious fongs in 

 private, it fuggtfted to him the idea of giving her the firfl 

 woman's part in liis ferious opera ; and having comm-uni- 

 ctted his defign to Mattti the imprefaria, matters were foon 

 arranged, and the De Amicis, who afterv.-ards held tJie firit 

 rank among female fingers in the ferious opens of Naples 

 aud other great cities of Italy, v.as now firfl taken from the 

 comic opera, and invelled with the chaiafter of principal 

 woman in the ferious. And during the reft of the fealon, 

 on Tuefday nights, file delighted the town as the rcprefen- 

 tative of Thalia, and on Saturdays as that of Melpo- 

 mene. 



John Chriftian Bach's firft opera in England, called OrU 

 one, ofia Diana vendicala, was honoured with the prefcnce 

 of their Majefties on the firfl: night, February the 19th, 

 1763, and extremely applauded by a very numerous audi- 

 ence. Evcrv judge of mufic perceived the emanations of 

 genius throughout the whole performance ; but were chiefly 

 ilruck with the richnefs of the harmony, the ingenious 



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texture of the parts, and above all with the new and happy 

 ufe he had made of wind-iuilniments ? this being the firlk 

 time that clarinets had ohta ncd adrriflion in our opera or- 

 cheflra. Their Majefties honoured the fecor.d reprcfenta- 

 tion likewife with their prefence, and no other ferious opera 

 was wanting for near three months. ZanciJti, however, a 

 f cond ferious opera by this compofei-, was brought out in 

 May, which ran more than a month, when the feafoa clofcd. 



The principal fongs of thefe two operas, though esc«l. 

 lent, being calculated to difplay the compafs of voice and 

 delicate and difficult exprefTion ard execution of De Axi- 

 cis, were not likely to b-come common or of inucl. ufe 

 out of the opera houfe. The reil of the airs were fo indif- 

 ferently fung, that they were more admired as i- ilrumei.tal 

 pieces, than compofitions for the voice. But this excellect 

 mailer foon convinced us that he poffcfTid every requifit* 

 for a great mufician, by the fongs he aflcrw?rdf ccnipofed 

 in every ftylc of good finging ; by his fymphonies, quartets, 

 and qoncertos for almoll evei7 fpecies cf iiillrL-ment, a« 

 well as by his exprefTive and maflerly p.iformance on the 

 piano-forte. It is with pleafure that we take this oppor- 

 tunity of doing juftice to the talents and abilities of a maa 

 who improved our tafte both in compofition aid perform- 

 ance. Having very early in life been deprived of the in- 

 flruftions of his father, the great Seballian Bach, he was for 

 fome time a fcholar of his elder brother, the celebrated 

 Charks Phil. Emanuel Bach, under whom he became a fir.e 

 performer on keyed-inftruments ; but op quilling him and 

 going to Italy, where his chief lhi<ly was th;. cotnpofition 

 of voe^il mufic, he aflurtd us, that during many years he 

 made little ufe of a harpficiiord or piano forte but to com^. 

 pnfc for or accompany a voice. When he arrived in Eng- 

 land, his llyle of playing was fo much admired, that he re- 

 covered many of the lofles his hand had fuibined by difufe* 

 and by being conllantly cramped and crippled wiih a pen ; 

 but lie never was able to reinllate it with force a id readinefs 

 fuffic:rnt for great difficulties; and in general his compoli- 

 tions for the piano-forte are fuch as ladies can execute with 

 little trouble ; and the allegros rather refemble bravura fongs 

 than initrumental pieces for the difplay of great execution. 

 On which account, they lofe much of their effeCl when 

 played without the accompaniments, which arc admirable, 

 and fo maileily and inttrclling to an audience, that want of 

 hand, or complication in tlie harpfichord part is never dif- 

 covered. 



There are many admirable airs in the operas he compofed 

 for our ilage that long remained in favour. The richnefs 

 of the accompaniments perhaps deferve more praife than 

 the originality of the melodies ; which, however, are always 

 natt'.ral, elegant, and in the befl tafte of Italy at the time 

 he came over. The Neapohtan fchool where he ftudied, is 

 maniftft in his cantilena, ard the fcitnce of his father and 

 broUier in his harmony. The operas of this mafter are the 

 lirft in which Da Capos difippenred, and whieh, about this 

 time, began to be generally difcontinucd :. the fecond part 

 being incorporated with the firft, to which, after aiodulit-. 

 ihg into the fitth of the key, the finger generally returns. 



Bach feems to have been the firft compofer who obfer\-ed 

 the law of ^6;;/;(7/?, as 3 priiicijilf^ Before his time, coritrall 

 there frequently was, in the works of others ; but it feems 

 to have been accidental. Bach in his fymphonies and other 

 inftru.-nental pieces, as well as his fongs, feldom failed, 

 after a rapid and noify paflage, to introduce one thit was 

 flow and foothing. His fymphonies ftem infinitely more 

 original than either his fongs or harpfichord pieces, of which 

 the harmony, mixture of wind-inftruments, and general 

 richuels and variety of accompaniment, 'are certainly the 



moiL 



