542 
M A T 
MATT SEE', a town of the archbiffiopric of Salzburg. 
It was a fief of the bifhop of Pafiau : twelve miles north 
of Salzburg, and feven norfh-eaft of LaufFen. 
MAT'TA de BRASIL', a town of Brafil, in the 
government ot Fernambuco: twenty-five miles weft of 
Oiinda. 
MATTACUCK', a town of Long Ifland, New York, 
with a port-office. 
MATTADE'QUIN CREE'K, a river of Virginia, which 
runs into York- river in lat. 37. 40. N. Ion. 77. ao. W. 
MATTADO'RE. See Matadore, p.524. 
MATTANAH', [Hebrew'.] The name of a place. 
MATTANI'AH, [Hebrew.] The name of a man. 
MATTAPO'NY, a river of Virginia, which runs into 
York-river in lat, 37. 30. N. Ion. 76. 55. W. 
MATTAREL'LA, a town of Italy, in the duchy of 
Spoleto: eight miles north-eaft of Terni. 
MATTATHA', [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
M ATTATHI'AS, [Heb. the gift of God.] A Jewirti 
prielt, founder of the family of Maccabees, was defcended 
from the family of Joarib, one of the twenty-four ap¬ 
pointed by David to officiate in the temple; and was of 
the branch-named Afmoneans. For his exploits, and 
thofe of his fons, fee the article Jew, vol. x. and Jona¬ 
than and Judas, vol. xi. 
M ATTATHI'AS, fon of Simon Maccabaeus, and grand- 
fon of the above Mattathias. Fie was killed treacheroufiy, 
with his father and one of his brethren, by Ptolemy, fon- 
in-law of Simon, in the caftle of Docus. 1 Mac. xvi. 14, 
IS. i 6 - 
MATTAU', [Heb. a gift.] The name ofa man. 
MATTE'I (Saverio), a Neapolitan lyric poet, and mu- 
fical critic: an eminent Hebraill, and tranflator of the 
Pfalms into Italian verfe; calculated for the reception of 
mufic in every form of cantata, duet, trio, and chorus. 
He was in clofe friendffiip with Jomelli, whole famous 
Miferere, for two voices, was compofed to his verfion. 
He manifefted his regard for Jomelli, by affifting in the 
arrangement and execution ofa plan for his public fune¬ 
ral, in 1774; and has given an account of this funeral, 
and of the works of Jomelli, in his Saggio di Pocfu Latine 
cd Italian !, publifhed at Naples immediately after. 
MATTE'IS (Nicola), a Neapolitan performer on the 
violin, who arrived in England in the latter end of 
Charles II’s reign, and was one of the firrt great players 
upon that inlfrument who fettled in London. 
In manufcript Memoirs of Mufic, by the Hon. Roger 
North, brother of the lord keeper North, there is a cu¬ 
rious and charafteriftic account of this mufician ; in which 
we are told “ that the decay of French mufic, to which 
Charles was fo partial, in favour of the Italian, carhe on 
by degrees. Its beginning was accidental, and occafioned 
by tl’.e arrival of Nicola Matteis. He was an excellent 
mufician, and performed wonderfully on the violin. His 
manner was lingular; but he excelled, in one refpefl, all 
that had been heard in England before : his areata, or 
manner of bowing, his (hakes, divilions, and indeed his 
whole !;yle of performance, were furprifing, and every 
Itroke of his bow was a mouthful. All that he played 
was of his own compolition, which manifefted him to be 
a very exquifite harmonift, and ofa boundlefs fancy and 
invention. And by all that I have been able to cbferve 
of his abilities, or to hear concerning thofe of other per¬ 
formers on the violin, none but Corelli feems to have 
furpafled him. 
“ When he firrt came hither he was very poor, but not 
fo poor as proud ; which prevented his being heard, or 
making ufeful acquaintance, for a long time, except among 
a few merchants in the city, who patronized him ; and, 
letting a high value on his condefcenfion, he made them 
indemnify him for the want of more general favour. By 
degrees, however, he was more noticed, and was intro¬ 
duced to perform at court. But his demeanor did not 
pleafe, and he was thought capricious and troublefome; 
as he took offence if any one whifpered while he played, 
M A T 
which was a kind of attention that had not been much I® 
falhion in^our court. It is faid that the duke of Rich¬ 
mond would have fettled a penfion upon him, though he 
wifhed him to change his manner of playing, and would 
needs have one of his pages fhow him a better. Matteis, 
for the fake of the jert, condefcended to take lelfons of the- 
page, but learned fo fart, that be foon out-ran him in his 
own way. But he continued fo outrageous in his de¬ 
mands, particularly for his folos, that few would compljr 
with them ; and he remained in narrow circumftances and 
obfeurity a long while. Nor would his fuperior talents 
ever have contributed to better his fortune, bad it not 
been for the zeal and friendly offices of two or three di¬ 
lettanti, his admirers. Thefe were Dr. Walgrave, a pro¬ 
digy on the arch-lute ; fir Roger L’Eftrange, an expert 
violift; and Mr. Bridgman, the under-fecretary, who ac¬ 
companied well on the harplichord, Thefe, becoming ac¬ 
quainted with him, and courting him in his own way, had 
an opportunity of deferibing to him the temper of the 
Englilh, who, if humoured, would be liberal; but, if un¬ 
civilly treated, would be fulky, and defpife him and his 
talents; alluring him, that by a little complaifance lie 
would neither want employment nor money. By advice 
fo reafonable, they at length brought him into fuch good 
temper, that he became generally elteemed and fought af¬ 
ter; and, having many fcholars, though on moderate terms, 
his purfe filled apace, which confirmed his converlion. 
“ After this, he difeovered a way of acquiring money, 
which was then perfectly new in this country. For, ob- 
ferving how much his fcholars admired the lelfons he 
compofed for them, which were all duos, and that molt 
mulical gentlemen who heard them wifhed to have copies 
of them, he was at the expenfe of having them neatly en¬ 
graved on copper-plates, in oblong oftavo, which was the 
beginning of engraving mufic in England; and thefe he 
prefented, well bound, to lovers of the art and admirers 
of his talents, for which he often received three, four, and 
five, guineas. And fo great were his encouragement and 
profits in this fpecies of traffic, that he printed four fe- 
veral books of Ayres for the Violin , in the fame form and 
fize.” 
He printed lelfons likewife for the guitar, of which in- 
ftrument, as Dr. Burney informs us, he was a confummate 
mailer ; and had fo much force upon it, as to be able to 
contend with the harpfichord in concert. Another book 
of his writing was defigned to teach compofition, air, 
and thorough bafs. Of this work, though it was printed, 
but few copies are lublifting. His full pieces, concertos, 
arid folos, were never publifhed ; and are very-fcarce, if at 
all to be found. 
Mr. North obferves, that, while the lovers of mufic were 
becoming acquainted with his manner of playing from his 
own books, which often happened in large alfemblies, no 
one pretended to do the like ; for none could command 
that fullnefs, grace, and truth, of which he was malter. 
So that, in his own time, his compolitions were thought 
impracticable from their difficulty; and fince, as they 
were never thrown into the Ihops, they have been but 
little known. So that at prefent, now the inltrument is- 
fo much advanced, no one can have the leaft idea of 
thefe pieces having ever been difficult, who was not a 
witnefs of his own manner of playing them. Indeed, his 
books, well ftudied, are a fufficient rudiment of artful 
compofition. 
Another obfervation of this fpeculative dilettante is, 
that “ in a numerous alfembly, when Matteis alone was 
to entertain the company, having his friends Walgrave, 
L’Eltrange, and Bridgman, about him, and flaming with 
good-humour and enthufiafm, he has feized on the atten¬ 
tion of the whole audience with fuch force and variety, 
as to prevent even a whifper lor more than an hour toge¬ 
ther, however crowded the room.” 
After this, it is eafy to imagine that his reputation and 
abilities would enable him to accumulate wealth, or to 
live in fplendour: he chofe the latter, took agreatlioufe, 
4 and. 
