Summary
This entry from *A Dictionary of Music and Musicians* (1900), edited by George Grove, provides a reference entry on George Frideric Handel’s *Music for the Royal Fireworks* as part of a larger encyclopedia of musical knowledge. The central argument is that the work is a significant composition within Handel’s oeuvre, though the passages primarily focus on broader musical topics such as the use of the “bass” formula in sonatas, the history of orchestral performance at the British court, and the theory of musical accent. The entry situates Handel’s piece within a context of musical analysis, discussing how composers like Handel employed repetitive bass patterns and how later figures like Prince Albert influenced the performance of great works in England. A reader takes away an understanding of how reference works of the era catalogued musical techniques and historical performances, emphasizing the interplay between compositional formulas and the institutional patronage of music.
Key concepts
- Binary form — A musical structure in two sections, often associated with contrast of subjects and keys, though the entry notes that claims of its invention by a specific composer are “ill-founded.”
- Grammatical or metrical accent — A class of accent inherent in music, determined by regular beat patterns, such as the strong and weak accents in a minuet or contredanse.
- Oratorical accent — The adaptation of notes to words in vocal music, where the sound is shaped to match the sense of the text.
- Atmospheric soundwaves — A concept in acoustics, first discussed by Sir Isaac Newton, mathematically treated in Sir George Airy’s work *On Sound and Atmospheric Vibrations* (1868).
- Répertoire — The collection of musical works performed by an orchestra, notably expanded and improved by Prince Albert’s reorganization of the Queen’s private band in 1840.
From the book
← Volume 1 A Dictionary of Music and Musicians edited by George Grove A to Air Airy to Andreoni → 1500747 A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — A to Air George Grove← Burden to Carafa A Dictionary of Music and Musicians edited by George Grove Cardarelli to Chapeau Chinois Chapelle to Claudine von Villabella → 1500897 A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — Cardarelli to Chapeau Chinois George Grove
← Cardarelli to Chapeau Chinois A Dictionary of Music and Musicians edited by George Grove Chapelle to Claudine von Villabella Clauss to Conforti → 1500899 A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — Chapelle to Claudine von Villabella George Grove
← Chapelle to Claudine von Villabella A Dictionary of Music and Musicians edited by George Grove Clauss to Conforti Conradi to Cox & Box → 1500900 A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — Clauss to Conforti George Grove
Popular questions readers ask
- How would you explain the concepts of "public domain" and the "rule of the shorter term" to someone with no legal background, illustrating their practical implications specifically for a historical work like "A Dictionary of Music and Musicians"?
- Based on the volume titles and their alphabetical ranges, what specific types of musical information and biographical entries would you *expect* to find within this 1900 dictionary, and what limitations might this structure impose on a modern researcher?
- Given its publication date of 1900, what are the inherent strengths and potential limitations of George Grove's dictionary as a source of information for a contemporary music student, and how might you approach using it critically today?
- Beyond simply being an editor, what can you infer about George Grove's probable role and contribution to the intellectual landscape of music scholarship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, based on the sheer scale and comprehensive nature of this dictionary?
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