fol TI.) 
Stamitz is univerfally allowed to ‘be a 
great improvement. is evident from tlie 
fact of aimoft all his fuccsffors availing 
themieclves of it in their compofitions, 
vand jparticuiarly in the Italian opera. 
It has alfo been introduced; and with 
very great effect, in the laft movement 
but one of Handel’s fifth grand concerto, 
where, immediately after a full clofe, 
the violins and bafes fet off praniffiine, 
and gradually mereafe to the extreme 
jortifimo. The improvement of. this 
pafiage by thefe means is fo firiking and 
obvious, that there-can be no doubt bur 
Handel would himfelf have adopted it, 
had it occurred to him. 
Some of the fir mufical compofers 
that wrote in this new ftyle in England, 
were Bach and Abel, mof of whofe 
compefitions were fo generally admired. 
Ff thefe Authors, if the works of the 
former may be faid to abound with fire, 
tafte and brilliancy, thofe of the ‘latter, 
no lefs abound with exprefiion, with fine 
and pleafing (though fometimes abitrufe ) 
medulation, and with accuracy of com- 
pofition. ‘There is however in general 
fo great an uniformity in the fiyle and 
lan of their fymphonies, and fo great a 
Ba in them, that it has been faid 
of them, particularly of Bach’s (confi- 
deving them as Opera Overtures, or 
theatrical pieces) that the firft or prin- 
cipal movements feem to be calculated for 
the meridian of the pit, (where the Cri- 
tics gencrally affemble) rhe middle ftrain 
for that of the boxes, (where people of 
a more refined tafte ufually fit) and the 
daft drain for that of the galleries. 
_ What has been faid of the uniformity 
of the ftyle of Bach and Abel, will per- 
haps equally apply to the works of mot 
oftheir. contemporaries. Itfeems there- 
fore probable that on account of this 
famenefs, the modern ftyle (not having 
in. general that body of harmony, and 
faboured contrivance to fupport it that 
the ancient mufic had) would have 
degenerated and confiderably lof ground, 
had not the great Haydn appeared. The 
works of chis illuftrious compofer in 
én general abound with fo much eccen- 
tricity, ingenious modulation and con- 
“trivance, that it. is. impoffible to be pre- 
pared for what is to come next, though 
at the fame time he manages to keep to 
the fubjeét or theme, .as firiétly as any 
author either ancient er modern. Were 
the fymphonies of HayDNn and his dif- 
ciple PreveEL to be publithed in fcore, 
as the works of Corelli and Handel are, 
‘perhaps quite as much ingenuity would 
Conparifon of Ancient and Modern Lhufic. 
ciesthat had before efcaped it. 
Rs 
be evinced, though in: a ftyle totally 
different. Fe would appear that the firft - 
ten or twelve bars, generally contained 
the ground work er foundation, upon 
which by ineans of ingenious modulation, 
invertion of harmony, and the addition 
of fuch paffages as in the progrefs of the 
{train naturally arife, the whole of the 
remainder of the ‘train: (or fuperftruc- 
ture) is raifed.t: is true tha: canons, 
fuges zc. very rarely occur in their 
Works, but the reafen is evident; for 
fince the new effects produced by the 
modern ftyle cf mufic, they are ot. fo 
much attended teas they were, when 
alr was generally made fublervient to 
figurative counterpoint. Irisbv no means 
to be fuppofed thar Haydn, is incapable 
of iucceeding‘in fuges 8c. on the con- 
trary many of his maffes and choral com- 
politions,for the church, as well as fome 
of his later fetts of quartettos, contain 
as well contrived fuges, with fingle, dou- 
ble and quadruple fubje“ts, both plain 
and inverted, as are to be met with in 
the works of any other author. — 
it mu however be conieffed that finee 
thefetwa great maftershave beenin Eng- 
land, they have in their fymphonies and 
concertantes written expreisly for the 
concerts, at Hlanover-Square, in a great 
meafure departed trom that fimplicity 
which alone is capable of giving general 
pleafure. It is impoffibie for any car 
to receive and clearly ditinguifh the 
eflcét of many. parts together, unlels 
aifted by the eyesin looking over the 
{core, at toad net till after feyeral hear- 
ings*. For though fingle airs, folcs aad 
mufic of few parts are apt to lofe ther 
‘eficét and become infipid, from too fre- 
quent repetition, yet mufic of a compli- 
cated kind has guite the contrary effect, 
as is evinced by thote who are much in 
the habit of attending oratorios, becom- 
ing after a time, tired of the airs, whilft 
they continued to enjoy the choruffes, 
even more and more.—As therefore the 

* Such alfo doubtlefs is the reafon why 
the grand. choruflefs in Handei’s oratorios are 
apt to pleafe lefs at-firft than after a few hear- 
ings, and they conftantly improve in. their 
efte€ts on repetition, as the ear then fre- | 
quently-difeovers new beauties cr-excellen- 
i It as-there- 
fore probable that: the principal reafon why 
the chornffes.in the Mefliah are fo much more 
generally pleafing than thofe of his other 
oratorios arifes from the frequency of its per- 
formance, in confeguence of which its cho-. 
ruffles have become familiar to almofi every 
audience, ‘ 
complexity 
