126 
been exceeded in the mafterly contexture 
of many diftinét parts clofely fuftaining 
a fubject ; and Pe:lingi di Paleftrina, or 
Pranefte, who advanced the improvement 
of his art toa greater degree than any co- 
temporary chureh compvfers, by the 
fweetnefs of his melodies, and the free and 
natural motion of his parts. The Madri- 
gals of the above mafteis, and of Morley, 
Weelkes, M. Efe, G. Converfo, and 
above all, of Luca Marenzio, have never 
been equalled.. The excellence of a Ma- 
drigal covfifts in the fubjects being well 
fuftained, natural, varied, and relieved 
with epifodes and counter-fubjects, the 
parts being well employed and flowing, 
the melody chantant and vocal, the har- 
mony rich and clear, and the modulation 
natuyal and eafy. If the glees of this or 
any other age be compared with thole of 
the 16th century, they will be found in- 
ferior in each of thefe refpe€ts. Orlando 
Gibbons, who flourifhed in the feventeenth 
century, compoled in the flyle of the fix- 
teenth, and his full anthems and fervices 
will ferve as a model to long pofterity. 
Au new field of improvement was opened 
in the early part of the feventeenth cen- 
tury, by the great attention to expreffion, 
and by the inveution of recitative, of the 
cantata, of the oratio, and the opera. Ca- 
rifimi excelled in almoft every {pecies of 
compolition extant in his time, and his 
produdtions are in general as {uperior to 
thefe cf his numerovs Imitatois, as an 
eriginal poem is-to a tranflstions Purcell 
was likewife a moft original compofer, 
and excelled in a variety of fiyles. At 
the time in which thefe great malters lived, 
expreflion, efpecially of the pachetic kind, 
was carried to its greatelt degree of ex- 
cellence. If the mufic of the prefent day 
is more briliiast, chearful, and. animated, 
it is lefs pathetic, dignified, and folemn. 
If the cadences in reciiative are lefs for- 
mal, and beara fironger refemblance toa 
period of elocution, now, than former'y ; 
they are, however, Icis melodious and 
more vuigar, ‘The truly vocal melodies 
in the cantatas of Stradella, Al. Scarlatti 
and Cefti, were the fountains of ali fue- 
ceeding beautiful airs; and the facred 
motetti of Cariffime, and anthems of Pur- 
ceil, were the perfection of church mufic, 
which fince their time has been, I think, 
gradually onthe decline. The feventeenth 
century was the golden age of mufic, fer, 
ty the before-mentioned names, thofe of 
Keiler, Colonga, Durante, Allegri, Be- 
neveli, Sieffani, Marcello, Leo, Luigi 
Rofhi, and Covelli, may be added; all 
gicat compofers of various ftyles. The 
Remarks on the profent State of Mufie. 
(Sept. 3; 
only improvement which church mufic 
feems to have received in the eighteenth 
century, was from the organ and other 
fugues of Handel, which furpafs in the 
fubjeéts themfelves, as well as in the man- 
ner of treating them, thofe of Sebaftian 
Bach, Froberge:, and every other fuguit. 
Oratorio mufic, viz.choral mufic, with in- 
ftrumcntal accompaniments, was certainly 
brought to its greateft perfeétion in the 
eighteenth century, by Pergolefi, Baron 
D’Afturga, Leo, the two Grauns, Jo- 
melli, Heffe, and above all by Handel ; 
and the opera was rapidly advancing to 
perfection by the above-mentioned com= 
pofc:s, and alfo by Porpora, Caldara, 
Loti, Telemann, Vici, Jomelli, Gretry, 
Sscchini, Gluck, Piccini, and Sarti. 
And the names of Paifiello and Cimarofa 
refcue the prefent age from the imputa- 
tion of degeneracy. Infirumental mufic 
feems now nearer per'ection than at any 
former period. Handel and Geminiani 
compofed mufic which was far fuperior to 
that of Corelli. Tartini invented num- 
berlefs beauties, which have been the ad- 
miration and objets of imitations to molt 
of the early compofers of the modern ftyle. 
But the mcdern concert fymphonies of 
slaydn, Pleyel, and Kozeluch, furpafs 
them all in brillianey, invention, and in- 
trumental effet. Inftrumen:al chamber 
mufic too is certainly not on the decline, 
The quarteits of Haydn, Pleyel, and Mo- 
zart, are far better calculated for the 
chamber than the trios of Corelli or Han- 
del. And, if the modern piano-forte fo- 
natas have not the wildnels and originality 
of Dom. Scarlatti’s harpfichord mufic, 
they are more methodical, more melo- 
dious; and in fome adagios (particularly 
Kozeluch’s) the air is fo caztabile and ex- 
preflive, as to feem to be the perfection 
of that ftyle of mufic. Vocal chamber 
mutic is, perhaps, not in fo flourifhing a 
condition. In cantatas the accompani- 
ment fhould not be too precominant, 
which, itis to be feared, is the cafe in 
many. inftances ; and no modern vocal 
chamber mufic is to be compared with the 
cantatas of Cariffime, Stradella, Ceti, 
L. Roifi, Al. Scarlatti, Bonomiui, Letti, 
Halle, Durante, and Pergolefi. The 
{ungs of Purcell fhould not be forgotien, 
and the elegant cantatas of Sarti. Thus 
T have endeavoured to fhew that church, 
oratorio, and vocal chamber mufic are 
on the decline ; and that opera, concert, 
and initrumental chamber mufic are nearly 
in a fate cf perfection, I have much 
more to fay on this fubje&, fome of which 
I find anticipated” in the ingenious com- 
; parifon 
