V I c 



V 1 c 



monchlo, the Cerifon, and Tergola, all which run into thi 

 river Bacliiglione, and difcharge themfelvea afterwards into 

 till? Po. The territory of Vicenza belonged formerly to 

 ancient Venetia, and in the fequel raifed itfelf to the rank of 

 one of the thirty duchies of Lombardy, and was incorpo- 

 rated by Charlemagne with the Marca Trevlfana. In the 

 progrefs of time, the country of Vicenza afTumed again a 

 republican form; and in the 13th century, fell under the 

 dominion of the tyrant Ezzelin. After his death, it caine 

 under the government of Padua, from which it was taken by 

 the family of Scala, who were again difpoffelTed of it by 

 John Galeazzo Vilconti, duke of Milan. It did not, how- 

 ever, remain long in his hands ; for in the year 1404, it 

 refcued itfelf from the government of Milan, and fubmitted 

 voluntarily to the republic of Venice. In the year 1796, it 

 became part of the Auilrian monarchy, in virtue of the 

 peace of Campo Formio. This province comprehends one 

 city, 13 fmall towns and boroughs, and upwards of 300 vil- 

 lages. The whole population amounts, according to the 

 laft enumeration made by the French, to 286,000 fouls. 



VICENTINO, Don Nicolo, in Biography, publiHied 

 at Rome, 1555, a work in quarto, entitled " L'Antica 

 Mufica ridotta alia moderna Prattica," or " Ancient Mufic 

 reduced to modern Praftice," with precepts and examples 

 for the three genera and their fpecies ; to which is added, an 

 account of a new inilrument for the moll perfeft perform- 

 ance of mufic, together with many muCcal fecrets. 



During the 1 6th century, and a great part of the next, 

 many of the moft eminent mulical theorifts of Italy employed 

 tlieir time in fubtle divifions of the fcale, and vifionary pur- 

 fuits after the ancient Greek genera ; nor was this rage 

 wholly confined to theorifts, but extended itfelf to praftical 

 muficians, ambitious of aftonifhing the world by their deep 

 fcience and fuperior penetration, though ther might have 

 employed their time more profitably to themfelves, and the 

 art they profefled, in exploring the latent refources of har- 

 monic combinations and eifeCls in compofition, or in refining 

 the tone, heightening the expreffion, and extending the 

 powers of execution, upon fome particular inftrument. 

 Thefe vain inquiries certainly impeded the progrefs of mo- 

 dern mufic ; for hardly a fingle traCl or treatife was pre- 

 fented to the public, that was not crowded with circles, 

 tegments of circles, diagrams, div'fions, fubdivifions, com- 

 mas, modes, genera, fpecies, and technical terms, drawn 

 fiom Greek writers, and the now unintelligible and ufek-ls 

 jargon of Boethius. 



Vicentino, by the title of Don prefixed to his name, 

 feems to have been an ecclefiaftic of the Benediftine order. 

 He was a praftical mufician, and appears to have known his 

 bufinefs. In his treatife he has explained the difficulties in 

 the mufic of his time, with fuch clearnefs, as would have 

 been ufeful to the Undent, and honourable to himfelf, if he 

 had not fplit upon enharmonic rocks, and Aromatic quick- 

 lands. He gives a circumltantial account of a difpute be- 

 tween him and anoth.^r mufician at Rome, Vincentio Lufita- 

 nio, who maintained that modern mufic was entirely, diatonic ; 

 while Vicentino was of opinion, that the prefent mufic was 

 a mixture of all the three ancient genera, diatonic, chro- 

 matic, and enharmonic. This difpute having produced a 

 wager of two gold crowns, the fubjeft was difcuffed in the 

 pope's chapel, before judges appointed by the difputant;, 

 and determined againft Vicentino ; whether juftly or unjuftly, 

 depends upon the precife fenfe afligned to the term chromatic 

 by tlie fcvcral difputants. 



What nfe was made of the enharmonic genus in the mufic 

 of the i6Lh century, we know not; but whenever oth-jr 

 fouudb are ultd than t.hofe of the fcale, ftriftly diatonic, by 



introducing F, C, or G fharp, or ary flat, except that 

 of B, which the Greeks themfelves allowed in the lynem- 

 menon tetrachord, and the moft fcrupulous writers upon 

 canto-fermo, in the modes of the church, the diatonic is 

 mixed with the chromatic ; and to tliis licence the firft con- 

 trapuntifts were reduced, at a cadence in D and A minor, 

 as well as G major. 



Though Vicentino loft his wager by the decifion of the 

 judges againft him, he recovered his honour fome time after, 

 by his antagonift, Lufitanio, recanting, and coming over to 

 his opinion. According to Kircher, Vicentino was the firft 

 who imagined that the proportions or ratios of the ancient 

 diatonic genus were inadmiilible in our counterpoint ; and 

 tried in liis work to eftablifll the tetrachord to confift of a 

 major, femitone, and two tones, one major and one minor ; 

 which forms the diatonic fyntonas of Ptolemy, which Zar- 

 lino has propagated, and which is now in general ufe. 



VICENZA, in Geography, a city of Italy, and capital 

 of the Vicentin, fituated at the union of two fmall rivers, in 

 a plain, between two hills. The celebrated architect, Andrea 

 Palladio, was born and lived here. Among the buildings 

 are feen feveral regular rtately palaces, and other elegant 

 edifices, particularly the council-houfe, the grandeur of 

 which is heightened by two very lofty columns, with St. 

 Mark's winged lion on one of them, and on the other the 

 image of our Saviour. The Monte della Pieta is a llately 

 fabric, and has a very fine hbr.ary. Of the churches, which 

 are 57 in number, 14 are parochial, and 29 conventual, 

 with feveral good hofpitals. The cathedral ftrikes the eye 

 with nothing particular. The great altar of the Dominican 

 church is a moft auguft piece of Palladio's architedure, as 

 is alfo the beautiful convenient theatre in the building where 

 the Academia Olympicorum meets. The feats are difpofed 

 in the manner of the ancient amphitheatre, and the perfpec- 

 tive is furprifingly beautiful, chiefly by reafon of the many 

 ftatues of Roman emperors, and fome philofophers. This 

 academy is a fociety of men of learning, who meet at ftated 

 times, for the improvement of the Italian language. By 

 the fame fliilful architefl is hkewife the copy of the tri- 

 umphal arch of the Campo Martio, without the city, ereAed 

 for the embelliftiment of the public walk. The church 

 della Madonna di Monte, on a mountain, without the city, 

 is much frequented by pilgrims, and poffefles a fine frontif- 

 piece, with a convent built clofe by. The Scaligeri were 

 once for a confiderable time lords of this city ; afterwards it 

 paffed through feveral hands, and, in 1304, fubmitted to 

 the republic of Venice ; 35 miles W. of Venice. N. lat. 

 45" 31'. E. long. 11° 22'. 



VICES, a term ufed by the dealers in horfes to exprefs 

 certain faulty habits or cuftoms in that creature, which 

 render him troublefome to the rider, and are never to be 

 worn oft", but by attention to the regular methods. 



The following are the tricks generally underftood as vices 

 by dealers, and their methods of preventing, correfting, and 

 curing them. 



1. If a horfe carry his head or neck awry, ftrike him 

 twice or thrice with the fpur on the contrary fide ; but if he 

 be very ftiff-neckcd on the right fide, and very plying or 

 bending on the left, the rider is to hold the right rein (horter 

 than the other, and give him fudden checks every time he 

 inclines that way, havir.g a (harp wire faftened in the reins, 

 that ftriking in his neck, he may be compelled to hold it 

 ftraight ; but in this, care muft be always taken to check him 

 upwards, for otherwife he will get a habit of ducking his 

 head, which will prove very troublefome. 



2. If a horfe is apt to fhake his head and cars upon the 

 leall occafion, or move his cars when he is going to kick or 



bite, 



