QUANTZ. 



country dances, though in itfelf fo jovial, pleafant, and feilal 

 an employment. 



He continued, however, to be the kunftpfeifer's dele- 

 gate in this city, till the death of Auguftiis II.'s motlier, 

 in 17 1 7, at which time, the general mourning profcribing 

 the ufe of every fpecies of convivial mufic, he again, in his 

 ufual mannei-, commenced traveller, and fiddled his way 

 through Silefia, Moravia, and Auftria, to Vienna ; and in 

 the month of Oftobcr, of the fame year, returned through 

 Prague to Drefden ; which journey, he thinks, contributed 

 more to his knowledge, in pradtical geography, than in any 

 other art. . 



The jubilee of the reformation, brought about by Dr. 

 Luther, happening to be celebrated foon after his return, 

 he was called upon, among others, to perform a part upon 

 the trumpet, at church, where the chapel-mafter Schmidt 

 having heard him, offered to prevail on the king to have him 

 regularly taught that inftrument, in order to qualify him 

 for the place of court trumpeter ; but Quantz, however 

 ardently he might have wiflied for an office at court, de- 

 clined the acceptance of this, well knowing that the good 

 tafte to which he afpired, was not to be learned upon that 

 initrument, at lead as it was then played in Drefden. 



In 1718, tlie Polirti or royal chapel was inftituted ; it was 

 to confift of twelve performers, eleven were already chofen, 

 and a hautbois player, only, was now wanting, to complete 

 the number. After undergoing the feveral trials, and giving 

 the requifite proofs of his abilities, he had the happinefs to 

 he jnvelled with that employnviyit, by the direAor, baron 

 Seyfcrtitz, with a falary of ijo dollars, and a lodging. 



This was an important period in his life, and in the exer- 

 cife of his profeflion. The violin, which had hitherto been 

 his principal inftrument, was now laid afide for the hautbois, 

 upon which, however, he was prevented from diftinguifliing 

 himfelf, by the feniority of his brethren. Mortified at this 

 circumftance, he applied himfelf ferioudy to the German 

 flute, upon which he liad formerly made fome progrefs with- 

 out a mailer ; but his motive now for refuming it, was the 

 certainty of his having no rival, in the king's band, as 

 M. Friefe, the firft flute, had no great paffion for mufic, 

 and readily relinquiflied to him his place. 



In order to work upon fure ground, Quantz took leflons 

 at this time of the famous Buffardin, with whom, however, 

 he only played quick movements, in which this celebrated 

 flute-player chiefly excelled. The fcarcity of pieces, com- 

 pofed exprefsly for the German flute, was fuch, at this 

 period, that the performers upon that inftrument were 

 obliged to adopt thofe of the hautbois, or violin, and by alter- 

 ing or tranfpofing, accommodate them to their purpofe, as 

 well as they could. 



This ftimulaled Quantz to compofe for himfelf ; he had 

 not as yet ever received any regular inftruftions in counter- 

 point, fo that, after he had committed his tlioughts to paper, 

 he was obliged to have recourfe to others to correcl them. 

 Schmidt, the chapel-mafter, had promifed to teach him 

 compofition, but delayed keeping his word from time to 

 time, and Quantz was afraid of applying to Heinichen, his 

 colleague, for fear of offending Schmidt, as thefe mafters 

 were upon bad terms together. In the mean time, for want 

 of other affiftance, he diligently ftudied the fcores of great 

 mafters, and without ftealing from them, endeavoured to 

 imitate their manner of putting parts together, in trios, and 

 concertos. 



About this time he had the good fortune to commence a 

 friendfliip with Pifendel, now appointed concert- mafter, in 

 the room of Volumier. Quantz is very warm in his praifes 

 of Pifendel, whom he calls a profound theorift, a great per- 



I 



former, and a truly honeft man. It was from this vrorthy 

 conccrt-mafter that he learned to perform an adagio, and to 

 compofe in many parts. Pifendel liad in his youth been 

 taught to fing by the famous Piftocciii, and had received 

 iuftruftions, on the violin, from Torelli ; however, having 

 travelled through France and Italy, where he had acquired 

 tlie peculiarities in the tafte of both countries, he fo blended 

 them together as to form a third genus, or mixed ityle of 

 writing and playing, which was half French and lialf Italian. 

 Influenced by his example, Quantz declares, that he always 

 preferred this compound ftyle, to that of Italy, France, or 

 tne national ftyle of his own country. 



At the marriage of the prince royal of Poland, in 1719, 

 feveral Italian operas were performed at Drefden. Lotti, 

 the famous Venetian maeftro di capella, together with the 

 moft celebrated fingers of Italy, male and female, were 

 called thither upon this occafion ; thefe were the firft Italian 

 operas which Quantz had heard, and he confeft'es, that the 

 performance of them gave him a very favourable idea of the 

 genuine and found Italian mufic, from which he thinks later 

 times have too much deviated. 



After defcribing the talents of the fingers who will have 

 their place in our alphabet, he informs us that this famous 

 opera at Drefden, was broken up by a quarrel between 

 Heinichen, the king of Poland's chapel-mafter, and Sene- 

 fino, wlio this fame year, 17 19, went to England for the 

 firft time. 



Nothing very interefting occurs in the life of Quantz 

 from this period, till 1723, when he took a journey with 

 Weifs, the famous lutenift, and Graun, the compofer, to 

 Prague. 



Quantz, not long after the coronation of Charles VI. at 

 Prague, went to Italy in the fuite of count Lagnafco, with 

 the coufent of his royal mafter, the king of Poland. He 

 left Drefden in May 1724, and, when he arrived at Rome, 

 he found that Vivoldi had juft introduced the Lombard ftyle 

 in that city, with which the citizens were fo captivated, that 

 they would hear no other. 



During his refidence at Rome, he took leffons in compo- 

 fition of the famous Gafparini, who was at that time feventy- 

 two years of age ; and after ftudying counterpoint with 

 him, which he calls mufic for the eye, he v/cnt to work for 

 the ear, and compofed folos, duets, trios, and concertos ; 

 however, he confefles, that counterpoint had its ufe in 

 writing pieces of many parts ; though he was obliged to 

 unlearn many things, in praftice, which theory had taught 

 him, ill order to avoid that dry, and ftiff ftyle, which too 

 clofe an adherence to rules is apt to produce ; upon this 

 occafion, he very judicioufly obferves, that invention is the 

 firft requifite in a compofer, and that it behoves him to pre- 

 ferve a friendfliip between harmony and melody. 



In 1725 he went to Naples, where he met with his 

 countryman Haffe, who then ftudied under Alef. Scarlatti. 

 Haffe had not, as yet, diftinguilhed himfelf by any com- 

 pofitions for the ftage ; however, it was at this tin-.e, that a 

 confiderable Neapolitan banker employed him to fet a fere- 

 iiata for two voices, which he did in the prefence of Quantz ; 

 the fingers who performed in it, were Farinelli and Tefi. 

 Haffe gained fo much reputation by this produftion, that 

 it paved the way to his future fuccefs, and he was foon after 

 appointed compofer of the great opera at the theatre roval. 

 Quantz intreated Haffe to introduce him to his mafter, 

 Scarlatti, to which he readily confented ; but upon men- 

 tioning him to the old compof.-r, he faid, " my fon, you 

 know I hate wind iaftruments, they are never in tune." 

 However, Haffe did not ceafe importuning him, till he ha"d 

 obtained the permiffion he required. 



In 



