G I A 



of tlie ifland of St. Chriftopher, a little to the eafl of Ragged 

 Foint. 



GIAR, a town of Perfia, in the province ofFarfiltan; 

 70 miles E. of Scliiras. 



GiAlt, yll. SeeD^iJAR. 



GlAn Almhar, in Botany, a name given by Avicenna, be- 

 rnpion, and the reft of the Arabian writers, to the potaino- 

 •reiton of thofe times. This is tranflatcd by fome tlic water- 

 riifh, but that is founded on an error : it is certain that the 

 plant thus called by the Arabians was very different from 

 the pofaniogeiton of our times. Avieenua tells us, it had 

 flowers refe^mbling thofe of the water-lily ; and it fecms 

 either to have been the fagitta aquatica or water arrow-head, 

 or clfe the butomus, or fome of the fmaller fpecics of 

 nymphsa. 



GIARAF, Cape, in Geography, a cape on the coalt ot 

 Tripoli. N. lat. 34^. E. long. ir. 



GIARDINI," Felice, in Biography, m many rcfpeas 

 the greateil performer on the violin during the lall century. 

 He was a native of Piedmont ; and when a boy vyas a choi- 

 rifter in the Duomo at Milan, under Pakdini, of whom he 

 learned fuiging, the harpfichord, and compofilion ; but 

 having previoufly manifefted a difpofition and partiality for 

 the \?olin, his father recalled him to Turin, in order to 

 receive inllruftions on that inllrument of the famous Somis. 

 But though his preference of the violin, upon which he foon 

 became the greateft performer in Europe, feems a lucky 

 circumilance, yet he had talents which would have made 

 him a fuperior harpfichord player, had he continued to 

 praftife that inllrument ; but he ufed to fay, that he was 

 perfectly cured of that vanity at Paris, by the performance 

 of Madame de S. Maur, a fcholar of Rameau, vv-ho played 

 in fuch a manner, as not only made him afhamed of his own 

 performance, but determined him never to touch tbe inllru- 

 ment again in ferious praftiee. He went to Rome early in 

 his life, and afterwards to Naples, where, having obtained a 

 pla:c among ripienos in the opera orchellra, he ufed to 

 flouriib and change pafiages much more frequently than he 

 ought to have done. " However," fays Giardini, of whom 

 we had this account, " I acquired great reputation among 

 the i<niorant for my impertinence ; yet one night, during the 

 onera, Jomelli, who had compofed it, came into the 

 oivhelba, and feating himfelf clofe by me, I determined to 

 give the maeftro di cappella a touch of my talle and execu- 

 tion ; and in the fymphony of the next fong, ■,\hich was in a 

 patlietic Hyle, I gave loofe to my lingers and fancy ; for 

 which I was rewarded by the compofer with a — violent flap 

 in the face ; which," adds Giardini, " was the beil lefTon I 

 eiiXr received from a great inafter in my life.'" Jomelli, after 

 this, was however very kind, in a different way, to this 

 young and wonderful m.ufician. 



Giardini came to England in the fpring of 1750. His 

 *r(l public performance in London, at which we were 

 prefent, was at a benefit concert for old Cuzzoni, wJ-.o fung 

 in it with a thin cracked voice, which almoll frightened out 

 of the little theatre in the Hay-market the fons of thofa 

 who had perliaps h.eard her at the great theatre in the faiwe 

 ■ftreet, with extacy. But when Giarthid played a folo and 

 concerto, though there was very little company, the applaufe 

 was fo loud, long, and furious, as nothing- hut that bellowed 

 ■on Garrick had ever equalled. We had met him the night 

 before at a private concert, wiih Givid^gni and Frafi, at the 

 houfe of Napthali Franks, efq. vv-ho was himfelf one of the 

 beil dilc:tanti jierformers on the viohn at that time ; and we 

 were all equally furpriied and delighted v.ith the various 

 powers of Giardini at fo early a period of liis hfe ; when, 

 befidis folos of hiSt own compofitioa of the moll brilliant 



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kind, he played fcveral of Tartini's, in manufcript, at figlif, 

 and at five or lix feet dillancc from the notes, as well as if 

 he had never prailifed any thing elle. His tone ; bow ; 

 execution ; graceful carriage of himfelf and his inllrument ; 

 perf<n-ming a M S. piece of a young compofer in the room, 

 he declared that Giardini had fo improved it as to make it 

 better than he intended, or iiad imagined it to be in the 

 warm momen's of conception ; and lauly, playing variations 

 extempore, during half an hour, upon a new but extra- 

 ordinary kind of birth-day minuet, which accidentally lay 

 on "the harpficiiord — all this threw into the utmoll allonifli- 

 ment the whole company, wlio had never been aecuflomed 

 to hear better performers than Felling, Pirown, and Collet ! 

 Of his academy, feholars, manner of leading at the opera 

 and oratorio, p;-rformance in private concerts, compofilion* 

 vocal and inllrumental, we flrall fay nothing here, left our 

 praife (liould be too much for others, and too little for 

 ourklves. 



He foon got pofTefTion of all the ports of honour in thi» 

 country. He was engaged and carefl'ed at moll of the 

 private concerts of the principal nobihty, gentry, and 

 foreign minillers ; at the CalHe and Iving's-Arms concert in 

 the city; and in 1754, he was placed at the head of the 

 opera band ; in which he introduced a nc\T difcipline, and a 

 new ftyle of playing, much fuperior in itfelf, and ir.ore con- 

 genial with the poetry and muhc of Italy, than the languid 

 manner of his predeceffor Felling ; who, except one or two 

 feafons, when Veraeini was at the head of the orchellra, had 

 ltd the opera band from the time that Caflrucci was dif- 

 niiiTcd, till the arrival of Mingotti. 



In 1756, on the failure and flight of the Imprefar'to or 

 tmdertaker of the opera, Vanefchi, the Mingotti, and 

 Giardini joined their intcrefls, and acquired for a while the 

 fovereignty of the opera kingdom, by which gratification of 

 their ambition, thefe two great performers were foon brought 

 to the brink of ruin, as others had been before them. 



But though great applaufe was acquired, and appearances 

 were favourable, yet the profits to the managers were fo 

 far from folid, that they found themfclvcs involved at the 

 end of the feaion in fuch difficulties, that they were glad to 

 refign tlieir Ihort-lived honours, and llirink into a private- 

 llation. 



Giardini, while in the opera management, befides arrang- 

 ing pafliccios, fct fevoral entire dramas ; but though lie had 

 fo great a hand on his inllrument, fo much fancy in hi« 

 cadences and folos, yet he had not fufficicnt force or variety 

 to fupply a whole evening's entertaiiiment at the Lyric 

 theatre. Yet after he had rengned his throne in the 

 creheilra, he frequently threw in a llngle air or rondeau into 

 the operas of otlier mailers, which was more applauded than 

 all the rell of the drama ; of this kind were th.e favourite 

 airs of " Voi amanti," and " Ah non fo pcrche tu fei, &c.'' 



In 1762, on Mattel quitting the management of the opera, 

 ill fpite of former mifcarriages, Giardini and Mingotti 

 again rcfumed the reins of opera government. But after 

 ftruggling two years again ll the ftream, during the decline of 

 Mingotti s favour, and after an inaufpicious feafon, at the 

 end of 1763, Giardini 'and his partner again abdicated their 

 thrones. From this period, Giardini, always hovering over 

 his former Lyric kingdom, v.itliout the power of invading 

 it, or bringing about a relloration, was forced to content 

 himfelf Avitli tcacliing ladies of rank and falliion to fing, and 

 the produce of a great annual benefit. He continued here, 

 unrivalled, as a leader, a folo player, and a compofer for his 

 inllrument, ftil! augmentirig the importance of his inllrument 

 and our national partiality for the taile of his country, till 

 the auj'nir.ibk' produftioiis a::d great performers of Germany 



began 



