SAC 
Thong'll profound in the theory of the art, he was slow and 
deliberate in his works, and he was accustomed to remark, 
that the fame of a painter depended more upon the quality 
than the quantity of his productions. To this we may attri¬ 
bute the paucity of his pictures, which are in general but 
slightly finished. His compositions are not often abundant 
in figures, but they are sufficiently numerous to give a just 
representation of his subjects. Mengs estimates his talents 
nearly on a level with those of Pietro da Cortona, which, 
whithout raising him to the elevation of the great luminaries 
ofthe art, assigns him an honourable station among its able 
professors. He died at Rome in 1661, aged 62. Bryan's 
Dictionary o f Painters. 
P. Sacchi died at Milan in 1789, aged 64. He wrote 
the life of Farinelli in Italian. 
SACCHINI (Antonio), born near Naples in 1727, and 
educated in the conservatorio of St. Onofrio, under Durante, 
at the same time as Piccini, Traelta, and Guglielmi. A 
gentle, tranquil, and affectionate disposition, perhaps, ren¬ 
dered him too susceptible ol la belle passion, which however 
impressed his slow movements with all that grace, tenderness 
and pathos, which have never been exceeded, if equalled, by 
any other vocal composer. 
All his operas are replete with elegant airs, beautiful ac¬ 
companied recitatives, and orchestral effects, without the 
appearance of labour or study. 
Sacchini was one of the few modern masters who kept his 
sacred and secular style of composition separate and distinct: 
in his theatrical compositions to look at a score, there seemed 
so much simplicity, that a mere contrapuntist would have 
imagined him to have been a feeble harmonist; it was, 
seemingly, by^mall means that he produced the greatest ef¬ 
fects. He interested the audience more by a happy, grace¬ 
ful, and touching melody, than by a laboured and extraneous 
modulation. His accompaniments, always brilliant and in¬ 
genious, without being loaded and confused, assist the ex¬ 
pression of the vocal part, and are often picturesque. Rut 
his ecclesiastical compositions are not only learned, solemn, 
and abounding with fine effects, but clothed in the richest 
and most pure harmony. He remained at Rome eight years, 
at Venice four, where he "was appointed master of the con¬ 
servatorio of the Ospidaletto : and after having composed for 
all the great theatres in Italy and Germany with increasing 
success, in 1772 he came to England, and here he not only 
supported the high reputation he had acquired on the conti¬ 
nent, but vanquished the natural enemies of his talents in 
England. His operas of the Cid and Tamerlano were equal, 
ifinot superior, to any musical dramas we have heard in any 
part of Europe. The airs of Milico, the first man, were 
wholly written in the delicate and pathetic style of that 
singer; as the first woman's part was in the spirited and ner¬ 
vous style of Girelli. And he cherished the talents of the 
inferior singers in so judicious a manner, that all their defects 
were constantly disguised or concealed. Savoi, notwithstand¬ 
ing his fine voice, had been worse than unnoticed before 
this period, for he was almost insulted ; yet so excellent was 
his music he had to execute in Sacchini’s operas, and so fa¬ 
vourably did it call him into notice, that instead of going off 
the stage in silence, he was applauded and even encored, 
nearly as much and as frequently as the first singer. The 
Carrara, too, a young singer, whose voice was naturally 
drowsy, childish, and insipid, from the beauty of her songs 
was well received. Indeed, each of these dramas was so 
entire, so masterly, yet so new and natural, that there was 
nothing left for criticism to censure, but innumerable 
beauties to point out and admire. It is evident that 
this composer had a taste soexquisite, and so totally free from 
pedantry, that he was frequently new without effort; never 
thinking of himself or his fame for any particular excellence, 
but totally occupied with the ideas of the poet, and the pro¬ 
priety, consistency, and effect of the whole drama. His ac¬ 
companiments, though always rich and ingenious, never call 
off attention from the voice, but by a constant transparency 
the principal melody is rendered distinguishable through all 
SAC 523 
the contrivance of imitative and picturesque design in the 
instrument. 
In the year 1770, when he saw Sacchini at Venice, he told 
us that he had composed near forty.serious, and ten comic 
operas, and in 1778, upon enquiring of him to what number 
his dramatic works then amounted, he said to seventy-eight, 
of which he had forgot even the names of two. Sacehini, 
while he remained at Venice in the character of maestro 
dell’ Ospidaletto conservatorio, by the number of masses and 
motets he had composed, manifested himself to be as able 
to write for the church as the stage. He remained too long 
in England for his fame and fortune. The first was in 
jured by cabals, and by what ought to have increased it, the 
number of his works; and the second by inactivity and want 
of economy. 
He refused several engagements which were offered him 
from Russia, Portugal, and even France, where it w’as much 
wished that he would exercise his talents long before his first 
visit thither, but his sedentary humour, and aversion to acti¬ 
vity, would not allow him to accept of the offers that were 
made to him, till he was tempted by the hopes of an esta¬ 
blishment at Paris for life. When he arrived in London, in 
] 772, his first opera was the “ Cid,” which was followed by 
“Tamerlano,” and “Lucio Vero,” a pasticcio, the same 
season. (In 1774 and 1775, “ Nitteti”and “Perseo;” in 1776 
“ L’lsola d’Amore ” in 1777, “ Creso;” in 1778, “ Eii- 
file;” in 1779, “ Enea e Lavinia,” and “La Contadina in 
Certe,” a comic opera; in 1780, “ Rinaldo,” and 
“ L’Amore Soldato,” another burletta; and lastly, in 1781, 
“ Mitridate.” 
It is manifest in the operas that he composed for Paris, 
that he worked for singers of mean abilities; which, be¬ 
sides the airs being set to French words, prevented their cir¬ 
culation in the rest of Europe, which his other vocal produc¬ 
tions in his own language had constantly done. 
In the summer of 1781, he went first to Paris, where he 
was almost adored; but after increasing his reputation there, 
by new productions, he returned the following year to Lon¬ 
don, where he only augmented his debts and embarrass¬ 
ments, so that, in 1784, he took a final leave of his country, 
and settled at Paris, where he not only obtained a pension from 
the queen of France, but the theatrical pension, in conse¬ 
quence of three successful pieces. This graceful, elegant, 
and judicious composer died at Paris, in September, 1786, 
where he was honoured with a public funeral, and every 
mark of respect and distinction which sensibility and gra¬ 
titude could bestow on an artist, though a foreigner, who 
had contributed so largely to their most elegant pleasures. 
SACCOPHORA, in Botany, from era/c/ro?, a bag, and 
pep<y, to bear, a name given by Palisot Beauvois to the Bux~ 
bav.mia. De Theis. 
SACCOPHOR1 [Saxxopopoj, formed ofa-auiax;, a sack, and 
jSepa, Ibeir], a sect of ancient heretics, thus called, because 
they always went clothed in sackcloth, and affected a great 
deal of austerity and penance. 
We know but little of their tenets: in all probability they 
were the same with the Massalians. 
The emperor Theodosius made a law against the Saccophori 
and Manichees. 
SAGE, a small town in the north-west of France, in Nor¬ 
mandy, department of La Manche. Population 1600; 13 
miles south-east of Avranches. 
SACER, in Ichthyology, a name given by Ga?a and some 
others to that species of the labrus, distinguished by An¬ 
ted! by the name of the red forked-tailed labrus, and called 
by the generality of other authors the anthias piscis. See 
Labrus. 
SACERD'QTAL, adj. [sacerdotal, Fr. Cotgrave; sacer - 
dotalis, Lat.] Priestly ; belonging to the priesthood.--He 
fell violently upon me, without respect to my sacerdotal 
orders. Dryden. 
SA'CHEL, s. [s aeculus, Lat. The Germ, seclcel, a 
little sack.] A small sack or bag.—Puckered together like a 
sachell. Junius. 
SACHSA, 
