A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Vogler, George

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3937156A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — Vogler, George


VOGLER, George Joseph, the Abbé, is one of the most curious and striking figures in the annals of music. He was born at Würzburg on June 15, 1749, and evinced from an early age a religious cast of mind and an aptitude for music. His attachment to the organ dated from his tenth year. Both his father and his step-father, one Wenceslaus Stautinger,[1] were violin-makers. While learning the organ his step-father let him have a pedalier attached to his harpsichord, and Vogler practised with such determination all night that no one would live on the floor below.

At the same time his independent turn of mind exhibited itself. He elaborated a new system of fingering,[2] and contrived to learn the violin and other instruments without a teacher; and even while a pupil at the Jesuits' College he played much in the churches, and made a name for himself in the contrapuntal preludes which were regarded as the test of an organist's skill.[3] How long this sort of life lasted is not very clear, but Vogler himself declares that he was at Würzburg as late as 1769.

His departure must have taken place very shortly after this. He proceeded in the first place to Bamberg to study law. In 1771 he went from Bamberg to Mannheim, then one of the chief musical centres of Germany, and obtained permission to compose a ballet for the Court Theatre, which produced such an impression that the Elector, Karl Theodor, was led to provide him with funds to go to Bologna and study counterpoint under Padre Martini. Starting about the beginning of 1773 Vogler travelled by way of Venice. He there met Hasse, and also a pupil of Padre Valotti, from whom he first heard of the system of harmony that he subsequently advocated with such vehemence.[4] The original object of his journey was not achieved, for, though kindly received by Martini, they speedily conceived a repugnance for each other. Vogler could not tolerate a slow and graduated course of counterpoint; and Martini complained that his pupil had neither perseverance nor aptitude. Vogler soon abandoned the trial, and repaired to Padua with a view of studying for orders, and learning composition from Valotti, who had been for nearly fifty years musical director of San Antonio. But the old organist's method of teaching was wholly distasteful to his disciple, and in five months Vogler went on to Rome, where he was ordained priest at the end of 1773.[5] In the Papal city he was made Apostolic Protonotary and Chamberlain to the Pope, knight of the Order of the Golden Spur, and member of the Academy of the Arcadians. He also found time to gain some instruction from, the Bohemian musician Mysliweczek, and armed with these ecclesiastical credentials and musical experience he returned in 1775 to Mannheim.[6] The Elector at once appointed him Court Chaplain, and he proceeded forthwith to compose a 'Miserere' with orchestral accompaniments, and was made second Kapellmeister, a result partly owing to the influence of some ladies of the court, if Mozart may be trusted.[7] The Mannheim orchestra was then the finest in Europe, and it was there that Vogler obtained his knowledge of orchestral effect. It was there also that he first put himself forward as a teacher, and established the first of his three schools. He maintained that most previous teachers had pursued erroneous methods, and promised to make his pupils composers by a more expeditious system. Into this task he threw himself with the greatest energy, publishing expositions of his theory (see list of works), and editing a monthly magazine which recorded the proceedings of the school. All this naturally provoked much opposition, but, to judge by its fruits, his school must have had some merits, for amongst those who were actually students or came directly under its influence were Winter, Ritter, Kraus, Danzi, and Knecht—an ardent disciple. At Mannheim Vogler made enemies as well as friends, and it is probable that when Mozart visited Mannheim in the winter of 1777 he fell into that section of the musical world there. On no other supposition can we fully explain the tone in which he speaks of Vogler in his letters, which will not concede to the Abbé a single redeeming feature. Vogler at any rate was studiously attentive to Mozart, and after having several times in vain invited Mozart to call on him, put his pride in his pocket, and went to call on the new-comer.[8] During Mozart's visit the Elector-Palatine became Elector of Bavaria, and in the same year (1778) removed the Court to Munich. Vogler's devotion to his school kept him at Mannheim, and he did not, in all probability, go to Munich till 1780. His five years at Mannheim are marked by other achievements than the Tonschule. At the end of 1777 we find him opening a new organ built after his design at Frankfort. The next year, in all likelihood, he was summoned to Darmstadt by the heir apparent—the Prince who provided him with a home in his last years—to compose the music for a melodrama called 'Lampedo' (or 'Lampredo').[9] Another work was the overture and entr'actes to 'Hamlet,' brought out at Mannheim in 1779. These were succeeded by an operetta, 'Der Kaufmann von Smirna,' written about 1780 for the theatre at Mayence.

The next twenty years of Vogler's life present great difficulties to his biographer. Although nominally settled at Stockholm from 1786 or 87 to 1799, he was really constantly travelling, and the records of his journeys are so fragmentary and contradictory, that it is impossible to construct a complete narrative. Thus, though he undoubtedly extended his travels to Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Africa, nay even to Armenia and Greenland,[10] the authorities are by no means agreed as to when he went. One writer[11] gives it in 1783–1786, another[12] in 1792, while the dates at which he appears in other distant spots make it difficult to understand how such an extensive tour could have been managed at all. We shall therefore only give some idea of his wanderings and proceedings by noting detached occurrences.

About 1780 Vogler followed the Electoral Court to Munich. He there employed himself in perfecting the education of the celebrated singer Madame Lange, in teaching composition to B. A. Weber, and in composing an opera in five acts entitled 'Albert III. von Baiern,' which was represented at the Court Theatre in 1781. It did not prove successful, and disgust at the want of appreciation that he found in Germany seems to have induced him to appeal to foreign musicians. With this view he submitted an exposition of his system to the Académie Royale des Sciences, probably in 1781, and to the Royal Society in 1783.[13] In 1782 he was in Paris[14] and the next year perhaps crossed the Channel to England.[15] Returning from England, if indeed he really visited it at this time, he again attempted to obtain success as an opera composer. But his comic opera 'La Kermesse,' produced at the Théâtre de la Comédie Italienne on Nov. 15, 1783, proved a dead failure, and could not even be finished. Another effort in Germany was crowned with success. 'Castor and Pollux,' produced at Munich in 1784, was not only received with applause but continued a favourite for years.[16] The close of 1784 and commencement of 1785 appear to have been occupied with the journey to Africa, Greece, and the East. At all events the next definite trace of him is on Nov. 22, 1785, at a great organ recital in Amsterdam, for which no fewer than 7000 tickets were sold.[17] In the next year he entered the service of the King of Sweden as Kapellmeister, resigning his posts at Munich, where he had become chief Kapellmeister on the death of Holzbauer in 1783[18] At Stockholm he established his second Tonschule, but neither that nor his official duties put much check on his roving propensities. He signalised his arrival with a French opera, 'Egle,' produced in 1787, but the next year he is at St. Petersburg,[19] and in November 1789 at Amsterdam. He arrived in London at the beginning of 1790, and was very successful. His performances were applauded and he was entrusted with the reconstruction of the organ in the Pantheon. According to Gerber[20] he introduced organ pedals into this country, and their introduction by the organ-builder England certainly belongs to the year of his visit.[21] His last performance at the Pantheon took place on May 31, and the proceeds of his visit amounted to £1000 or £1200. One of his most admired performances was 'The pastoral festival interrupted by a storm,' which seems to be the piece by Knecht which was the precursor of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. [See Knecht, vol. ii. p. 66a; and Programme Music, vol. iii. p. 39 a.] He went to the Handel Festival in Westminster Abbey,[22] but was not much impressed. He complains that the chorus was too loud, that the performers were too numerous for any music but Handel's, and that no light and shade could be obtained. But he admits that the effect was sometimes great, and he did homage to the memory of Handel in a characteristic manner, by composing a fugal piece for the organ on the themes of the Hallelujah chorus. The Festival ended on June 3, and he next appears at Warsaw, writing to invite the organ-builder Rackwitz of St. Petersburg to join him. Rackwitz complied, and the two proceeded to Rotterdam to place some free-reeds in an organ there. In the early part of September he was giving concerts at Coblenz, Mayence, and Frankfort. From thence he journeyed on, through Worms, Carlsruhe, Durlach, and Pforzheim, to Esslingen, where the enthusiastic inhabitants presented him with the 'wine of honour,' usually reserved for sovereigns.[23] Rackwitz remained at Frankfort, making a free-reed stop for the Carmelite church,[24] but Vogler probably rejoined him in time for the coronation of Leopold II. on Oct. 9. The Abbé now began to be held in honour in his own country. At Frankfort his 'Hallelujah' fugue fairly astonished both friends and enemies.[25] It was at this time he projected a return to London with the view of establishing a manufactory of free-reeds.[26] This intention was not carried out: he returned to Stockholm, and was followed by B. A. Weber, who gave up his position as conductor at Hanover to obtain further instruction from his old master. The early part of 1791 was employed in the composition of 'Athalie' and 'Gustav Adolf,' and in September he was giving organ recitals in Hamburg. The assassination of Gustavus Adolphus III., whom he liked and respected,[27] on March 16, 1792, only a few days after the production of his opera, started him off with Weber on another long tour through Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands.[28] In the next year[29] he undertook a course of lectures on Harmony, and in 1794 betook himself to Paris to hear the choruses accompanied by wind-instruments with which the new-born Republic solemnised its fêtes, and add the result of his observations to his 'Polymelos or characteristic music of divers nations.' At St. Sulpice he gave an organ performance for the poor, the receipts of which were 15,000 livres. On his return he gave a second course of lectures in 1795,[30] and in 1796[31] erected his orchestrion at Stockholm. About this time his ten years' engagement as Royal Music-director came to an end, and he proposed to leave Sweden. But his school was considered so successful[32] that the Regent prevailed on him to prolong his stay till the spring of 1799.[33] In that year he received from the Swedish Court an annual pension of 500 dollars, departed for Denmark, and made an unusually protracted stay in the Danish capital, during which he brought out an important work for the church, and another for the stage. The former was his 'Choral-System,' in which he reviewed Fux, Kirnberger, and Rameau, and professed to demonstrate that all the Protestant chorale-melodies were written in the Greek modes. Of this work the Danish government ordered 100 copies for distribution gratis to organists. The latter was the music to 'Hermann von Unna.' This, though originally written to a Swedish libretto by Spöldebrand, had not been performed in Sweden. It now proved a great success. Though the ticket office did not open till 4 in the afternoon, people began to assemble round it at 6 a.m. After these achievements Vogler proceeded, in the summer of 1800, to Berlin. There he gave 'Hermann' several times in German by way of attracting the general public, appealed to the savants by his 'Data zur Akustik,' and to the religious world by his proposals to reduce the cost of organ-building. He was entrusted with the reconstruction of the organ in St. Mary's,[34] and gave a performance on it on Nov. 28, 1800. The King of Prussia commissioned him to build an organ at Neu-Ruppin. But this did not keep him in Prussia. He set off to Leipzig, gave three organ recitals in the spring of 1801, and then went on about June to Prague. At Prague he was received with great honour, and made governor of a musical school. His introductory lecture treated the question 'What is an Academy of Music?' and the interest he excited was shown in the crowded audiences that attended his course on the theory of music. The orchestrion was again erected, and after eight months' delay, and two disappointments, was heard on Easter Sunday, 1802. The Bohemians do not seem to have thought much of it, and it may have been in consequence of this failure that he left Prague for Vienna, arriving about the end of 1802.[35] He was reported to be invited to Vienna to write an opera, and rumours of the forthcoming work were constant throughout 1803. 'Samori,' however, did not actually appear till May 17, 1804, at the Theatre an-der-Wien, after more than fifty rehearsals. It enjoyed a moderate success, but on the course of operatic history at Vienna it exercised no influence at all. Two other of Vogler's works were given there, 'Castor and Pollux' (with additions and alterations), in a concert-room on Dec. 22 and 23, 1803, and 'Athalie' at the Redoutensaal in Nov. 1804. Neither made much impression. While at Vienna, Vogler celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his ordination. An interesting circumstance connected with his stay there is his meeting with Beethoven, and their extemporising in turn on the piano. [See vol. i. 183a.] Another is that here Gansbacher and, through him, C. M. von Weber,[36] became his pupils. Weber made the PF. arrangement of 'Samori.' Vogler had now been more than two years in Vienna, and his wandering instincts revived. He spent the summer of 1805 at Salzburg, en route to Munich.[37] There he gave organ recitals, and at Christmas had his Pastoral Mass performed in the Court Chapel. When Napoleon, on his return from Austerlitz, paused at Munich to celebrate the marriage of Eugène Beauharnais with the Princess Augusta of Bavaria, the Abbé was the musical hero of the hour, and 'Castor and Pollux' was performed on the wedding day, Jan. 14, 1806.[38] He made some little stay in Munich, occupying himself as usual in simplifying organs and publishing theoretical works. In September 1807 he turns up at Frankfort, and shortly afterwards[39] received an invitation from the Grand Duke of Darmstadt, Louis I., for whom he had written 'Lampedo' nearly thirty years before, to settle in that town. The Duke gave him a salary of 3000 florins, a house, with dinner and supper every day from his own kitchen, four wax candles a day and firewood ad libitum, the titles of Kapellmeister, and Privy Councillor for Ecclesiastical Affairs, and the order of Merit of the first class. In return for these honours and emoluments he was not expected to perform any duties, or to take part in the opera unless at the performance of one of his own works. The Duke thought himself well repaid by the mere presence of such a celebrity.

Here then, at last, this musical Odysseus found a resting-place. Here he opened his last and most successful Tonschule; and in the remaining six and a half years of his life became very fond of the dull old town. It contained, in fact, everything necessary to make it a haven of rest. The accusations of charlatanism that he had so often combatted down to 1802,[40] at any rate did not penetrate to Darmstadt. The musicians of the place held him in honour; he was surrounded by admiring and brilliant pupils, and his vanity rejoiced in the sunshine of Court favour. When the old love of change returned on him he could vary his routine of teaching and composing by short trips in the neighbourhood. Munich and its organs were a favourite haunt,[41] especially in autumn. In 1810 he visited Frankfort, Mayence, Hanau, and Offenbach, with Weber, and made another visit to Frankfort for the production of his pupil's opera 'Sylvana' on Sept. 17. Two years later he journeyed through Munich to Vienna, where it was noticed that he 'preserved his long acknowledged mastery' of the organ. He employed himself in composing for stage, concert-room, and church, and his best work, the Requiem, was the occupation of his last days. On May 4, 1814, his friend Gottfried Weber visited him on passing through Darmstadt and remained till mid-day on the 5th. The Abbé was as lively and genial as ever. The two friends analysed music together, and talked of the principles of art and especially of music. Vogler expressed his hopes of being permitted to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. The following day (May 6), at half past four in the morning, the old musician died of apoplexy. He was buried on the evening of the 7th, quietly, amid tokens of respect and grief from those who knew him, from his old scholar, the Grand Duchess, downwards. Wherever one of his numerous pupils was to be found, the intelligence came like a heavy blow, for it announced the loss of a musician zealous for his art and of a man devoted to his friends.[42]

Vogler was short in stature, and latterly became corpulent. His arms were of great length, his hands enormous, and his general aspect has been described as that of a large fat ape. His singular character was strongly tinged with vanity, and not without a touch of arrogance. He delighted to array himself in his purple stockings and gold buckles, with his black silk ecclesiastical mantle and the grand cross of the Order of Merit given him by the Grand Duke of Hesse.[43] He would take his prayer-book with him into society, and often kept his visitors waiting while he finished his devotions.
From a portrait in the Hope Collection, Oxford.
Beneath his quaint exterior lay remarkable mental gifts, a great insight into character, and a powerful memory. Nor were his egotism and affectation without counterbalancing excellences. He was always anxious to avoid a quarrel, ready to acknowledge the merits of brother artists,[44] and to defend them, even if they had opposed him, provided their music was good. The civility which he showed to Mozart is in marked contrast to Mozart's behaviour towards him. Moreover, his vanity did not blind him to his own defects. He was well aware that harmony, not melody, was the department in which he excelled. 'Had I your flow of melody,' he said to Sterkel, 'and you my science, we should be both great men.'

An enthusiastic contemporary[45] calls him 'an epoch-making man.' The expression is too strong, but as a musical iconoclast Vogler certainly did excellent service. His incessant attacks on the pedantic methods of musical instruction and systems of harmony in vogue, and on the old methods of organ-building, were often extravagant and untrue, as, for example, the statement that Bach did not know what a chorale was. But all reformers are betrayed into exaggeration, and such utterances must not make us overlook the benefits that flowed from his demolition of musical fetishes. His attacks on rooted prejudices stimulated not only his pupils Weber and Meyerbeer, but acted indirectly on a wide circle.

As a composer it was his aim to retain the simple and severe beauty of the old church music and yet enrich it with the wealth of harmony at the command of modern music. He was thus most happy in his treatment of a canto fermo. He brought to this task a facility in vocal counter-point gained in the ecclesiastical schools of Italy, and an intimate acquaintance with the resources and effects of an orchestra acquired as Kapellmeister at Mannheim.[46] As a composer for the theatre he did not attain any great good fortune. Against the success of 'Castor and Pollux,' and 'Hermann von Unna,' must be set very many failures. 'Samori,' on which he spent the greatest pains, pleased for a while, in spite of its weak libretto and often laboured music; but Vogler's influence on opera at Vienna was in reality nil. The overture to 'Hamlet,' on the other hand, was the forerunner of the programme overture now almost too common. We are told[47] that in composing this work Vogler hit on an idea, then new, viz. he first studied the tragedy and then arranged his composition so as to express the principal scenes in music. His clavier music, though perhaps useful as exercises, is unimportant, and his organ music has not borne the test of time. [Programme Music, vol. iii., p. 39a.] His Symphony in C and his Requiem are his best works, and contain original and striking music. The former was played at the Gewandhaus under Mendelssohn in 1838 and 1839, and by the Euterpe in the season 1844–5. The overture to 'Samori,' whose insignificant themes and fine development make it a type of its composer, was performed later still, in 1847, and the characteristic Pastoral Mass was both popular and impressive. A striking success was achieved by the Psalm 'Ecce quam bonum' at Choron's first Sacred Concert at Paris in 1827, and though the programme included works by Scarlatti, Marcello, Handel, Haydn, and Mozart, we are told that the honours rested with Vogler.[48]

But it was as an organist and theorist that Vogler made most stir. It would be difficult to find an important town in Central Europe in which he had not performed on the organ. He could stretch two octaves with ease, and practice had turned this natural advantage to such good use that he was indisputably the first organist of his age. His quaint eccentricity shows itself here as elsewhere. He would travel about playing in the most ad captandum style such things as 'Cheu-Tew, a Chinese song,' 'a Hottentot melody in three notes,' 'The Fall of the walls of Jericho,' 'Thunder-storms,' and the like,[49] as if with the design of concealing his complete command of the highest ranges of organ-playing. His extempore playing never failed to create an impression, and in the elevated fugal style he easily distanced all rivals. 'One was amazed at his performance in the severe style,' says Rink; and his study of the construction of the organ gave him an unerring instinct in the selection of stops. The ill-natured criticism of Mozart in his letter to his father of Jan. 17, 1778, is by no means generally endorsed by other contemporary writers. They declare that in transposing and accompanying, Vogler had remarkable readiness and skill, and that as a reader at sight he ' was perhaps unsurpassed and unique.'[50]

In organ building,[51] his first practical efforts were made in 1784. Five years later he completed an instrument which he called the Orchestrion, and gave performances on it at various dates at Amsterdam, London, Stockholm, and Prague. It is described as being 9 feet square, 6 feet high on each side, and 9 in the centre. This box contained about 900 pipes, and had shutters for crescendos and diminuendos. The reed-stops were Free Reeds, and variety of power in their case was gained by three canvas screens in the windtrunk. As to the effect produced, opinions were much divided. At Amsterdam it was asserted to be the non plus ultra of organ-building, at Prague it was declared a failure. Vogler was also prepared to 'simplify' old organs. He claimed to work such a metamorphosis in an instrument in three weeks that its effect would be largely enhanced, though many of the old pipes were removed. The cost of an organ on his system was alleged to be a third of that of one built in the old way. Such pretensions were sure to provoke keen opposition. At Berlin he was charged with stealing the pipes removed in 'simplifying' the organ in St. Mary's Church. The falsity of the charge was demonstrated, but it shows the feeling against him.

His proposals were four- fold: viz. (1) To avoid the use of expensive large pipes; (2) To introduce Free Reeds; (3) To arrange the pipes in a different order on the windchest, and (4) To remove Mutation Stops.

(1) The means by which the cost of organs was diminished without depriving them of their resources lay in Tartini's theory that just as a note gives certain harmonics, so the harmonics of a note if combined give the fundamental note. The first harmonics of a pipe of 32 feet would be represented by pipes of 16 feet and of 10⅔ of feet. It was therefore possible by employing a pipe of 16 feet and a pipe of 10⅔ feet together to obtain a 32-feet sound without having to use a 32-feet pipe. Time appears, on the whole, to have decided in favour of Tartini and Vogler on this point. It is true that some organ-builders and organists still hold that the 'third sound' is but a poor apology for the real pipe-produced sound, and that every organ of any pretensions still contains large pipes. On the other hand, a Quint on the Pedal Organ is undoubtedly coming into great favour as an adjunct to or substitute for the 32-feet stop. The reader will find instances of the 'Trias Harmonica' either with or without a 32-feet stop at St. Michael's, Tenbury, Cutler's Hall, Sheffield (Cavaillé-Coll), Sheffield church (Brindley & Foster), the Bow and Bromley Institute, the Temple Church (Schulze), the Free Trade Hall, Manchester (Kirtland & Jardine), and York Minster.

(2) The free-reed was derived from a Chinese organ, and was applied about 1780 to organ reed-stops by a Copenhagen organ-builder named Kirsnick, who had settled at S. Petersburg. Vogler was so impressed with Kirsnick's experiment that he induced Rackwitz, Kirsnick's assistant, to follow him to Stockholm, and make several stops on this principle. When Vogler returned to Germany in 1799 he carried the invention with him wherever he went, and it was through his advocacy that people first realised its capabilities. To this initiative must be attributed not only the free-reed stops in organs, but also the Harmonium and its varieties.

(3) Vogler arranged the pipes of an organ in semitonal order—the large pipes at the left end of the soundboard, and the small pipes at the right end. Most organ-builders adhere to the old system; but Vogler's arrangement has found adherents, amongst whom may be noted the celebrated Schulze of Paulinzelle (who built his organ for the Exhibition of 1851 on this principle), Walcker of Ludwigsburg, and Messrs. Kirtland & Jardine and Forster & Brindley in England.

(4) On the fourth point Vogler has achieved an undoubted success. The Mixtures still found in organs, are not the overwhelming ones that he assailed, and further modifications in this respect are possibly still to come. Outside the particular questions raised by Vogler, his influence on organ-building was considerable, and much of the improvement therein in the last seventy years may be ascribed to his attacks.

As a theorist Vogler developed the tenets of Valotti. His system of harmony was founded on acoustics, and its fundamental principle was that not only the triad (common chord), but also the discords of the seventh, ninth, and eleventh could be introduced on any degree of the scale without involving modulation. He went even beyond this, and allowed chromatically altered forms of these chords and inversions of them. But his system never took much root. According to Knecht, its most ardent advocate, it was full of practical advantages, placed in a clear light the formation of the scales, simplified figuring and thorough-bass, and got rid of all sorts of meaningless and confusing terms, 'dominants that do not dominate, Vorschlags, Nachschlags, etc.' Two other writers have founded their systems on that of Vogler, F. J. C. Schneider and Jelensperger; but it has passed into oblivion.

It is as a teacher that Vogler has most claims on posterity, for no musician has ever had so many remarkable pupils. As a teacher of singing he was in great request, and the celebrated Madame Lange (Aloysia Weber) owed almost everything that was admirable in her singing to his instruction.[52] It was, however, to the teaching of composition that he directed his greatest efforts; and from his Schools at Mannheim, Stockholm, and Darmstadt came forth Winter,[53] Ritter, Kraus, Danzi, Kornacher, B. A. Weber, Baron von Poisel, Gänsbacher, C. M. von Weber, and Meyerbeer. Sterkel also received lessons from Vogler, and Knecht the organist and Gottfried Weber were very directly influenced by him. His pupils conceived the deepest regard for him. 'Mere association with him,' says Gänsbacher, 'was a kind of school.' Vogler was not only a most judicious and sagacious teacher,[54] he was also the kindest and most generous of friends, and he reaped the reward of his kindness by finding that his old pupils after passing into the world were ever ready to return to his side.[55] Few scenes of artistic life are more charming than the picture of the details of Vogler's last Tonschule at Darmstadt. After the Abbé had said Mass, at which one of his scholars played the organ, all met for a lesson in counterpoint. Then subjects for composition were given out, and finally each pupil brought up his piece to receive the criticism of his master and fellow-pupils.[56] Every day a work of some great composer was analysed. Sometimes the Abbé would propound a theme for improvisation. Not unfrequently he would play himself, as he never played except when alone with his 'three dear boys,' in the empty church. From the mind of one of these 'boys,' the impression of these performances was never effaced, for Weber always described them as a thing not to be forgotten. Anon we get glimpses of Weber at work on 'Abu Hassan' or on 'Papa's' biography, while the 'old gentleman' looks on, and advises or composes, consuming 'enormous quantities of snuff.' By way of varying the regular routine the master would take his scholars with him to organ recitals in neighbouring towns. The pupils, in their turn, would diversify the common round by writing an ode to celebrate 'Papa's' birthday.[57] A happier household can hardly be imagined. When the master died, his pupils felt as if they had lost a father. 'Reiner . . announced to me yesterday,' wrote Weber to Gänsbacher (May 13, 1814), 'that on the 6th our beloved master Vogler was suddenly snatched from us by death … He will ever live in our hearts.'

A list of Vogler's works in various departments is appended.

OPERATIC WORKS.
arranged as far as possible in chronological order, with the places where they were first performed.

Ino, cantata by Ramler. Darmstadt, 1779.
Lampedo (or Lampredo), a melodrama. Darmstadt, about 1779.
Hamlet, overture and entractes for the play of. At Mannheim, 1779.
Der Kaufmann von Smirna, operetta. At Mannheim, 1771.
Albert III von Baiern, opera in 5 acts. At Munich, 1780.
La Kermesse, opera. At the Comédie Italienne in Paris, Nov. 15, 1783.
Le Patriotlsme, opera. Versailles, 'on occasion of Siege of Gibraltar' 1783.
Castor and Pollux, opera in 3 acts. At the Italian Opera in Munich, during the Carnival of 1784.[58]
Egle, French opera. At Stockholm, 1787.
La Patriotisme, opera. Written for the Paris Academie in 1788, but rejected or, at all events, not performed.
Athalie, choruses in Racine's play of. At Stockholm, 1791.
Gustav Adolf, Swedish opera. At Stockholm, March, 1792.
Hermann von Unna, overture, choruses, dances, and one song. At Copenhagen, in the early part of 1800.
Die Hussiten vor Naumburg im Jahr 1432, Schluss-Chor' to Kotzebue's drama of. At Leipzig, September, 1802.
Samori, opera in 2 acts, words by F. X. Huber. At the Theatre an-der-Wien, Vienna, May 17, 1804.
Der Admiral, comic opera. Darmstadt, 1810.
Epimenides.—Erwin und Elmire.—Der gewonnene Prozess.—Les Rendezvous de Chasse.—Die Kreuzfahrer; overture.—Der Eremit auf Formentarra, ditto.—Prolog, Comödie.—Scena de Fulvia.—Jägerballet.—Schmied-ballet.


Also probably a number of similar works, particulars not now attainable. Certainly an overture for a play called 'Die Kreuzfahrer,' and either an opera called 'Agnes Bernauerin' or incidental music to a play of that name. A letter of Weber, Jan. 1811, says 'Papa is composing a little opera … it will be ready in a few days.'

CHURCH MUSIC.

1. MASSES.

No. 1. Missa solennis in D min. for 4 Voices, Orchestra, and Organ.
No. 2. Missa pastoricia in E, for 4 Voices, Orchestra, and Organ.
Missa de Quadragesima in F, for 4 Voices and Organ ad lib.
Missa pro Defunctis (Requiem) in E♭ for 4 Voices and Orchestra.[59]
Missa Agnus Dei.
German Mass for 4 Voices and Organ (about 1778.)
German Mass for 4 Voices and Orchestra.

2. PSALMS AND MOTETS.

Psalms. Psalmus Miserere decantandus a quatuor vocibus cum Organo et basis, S. D. Pio VI. Pontifici compositus (about 1777).
Miserere in E♭ for 4 Voices, Orchestra, and Organ.
Miserere, 'Ps. 4.'—In exitu, 'Ps. 5.'
Memento Domine, orch.—Psalm, 'Jehova's Maiestät.'
Davids Buss-Psalm, nach Moses Mendelssohn's Uebersetzung im Choral-Styl. For 4 real parts, one. the Tenor, ad lib. (about 1807).
Ecce quam bonum (133rd Psalm) for 4 Men's Voices with PF. ad lib.

Motets:—Suscepit Israel (composed for Concert Spirituel at Paris) apparently before 1780).
Rorate Cœli, for 4 Voices with PF (ed. by G. Weber, with German words; with English and Latin words in Vocal Anthology.)
Ave Regina, for 4 Voices with Org. or PF. (Latin and German words.)
Cantate Domino, for 4 Voices with Org. or PF. (Ditto.)
Laudate, for Soprano solo, chorus. Organ obbligato and Orchestra.
Postquam impieti (Sereniss. Puerperæ sacrum), 4 Voices and Orch.

3. HYMNS, etc.

Te Deum in D. for 4 Voices and Orchestra.
Kyrie, with Orch. (Oct. 1776).
Magnificat, with Orch. (1777).
Stabat Mater, with Orch. acc.
Ecce panis angelorum (about 1777).
Ave Maris Stella, and Crudelis Herodes for 2 Choirs with Org. or PF.[60]
Veni Sancte Spiritus, Graduale in B♭, for 4 Voices, Orchestra, and Organ.
Beatam me dicent, Orch.
Alma Redemptoris, Orch.
Jesu Redemptor, Orch.
Regina cœli and Laudate Dominum, Orch.
Ave Regina, Org.
Salve Regina in F. for 4 Voices with Org. or PF. ad lib.
Salve Regina, Ave Regina, and Alma Redemptoris, for 4 Voices with Org. or PF. ad lib.
Cantus processionals pro festo corporis Christi.
Vesperæ de Paschale (14 Apr. 1805).
Vesper chorales modulis musicis ornatæ, with Orch. acc. [These Vespers may be identical with the work next mentioned.]
Vesperæ chorales 4 Vocum cum Organo.
4 Latin Hymns, for 4 Voices with PF. ad lib.
6 Hymns for 4 Voices with Org. or PF. ad lib. (Latin and German words—ed. by Gottfr. Weber.)
12 Church Hymns for 3, 4, or 8 Voices unacc. (First Series).
 6{{{1}}}{{{1}}}{{{1}}} (Second Series).
 6{{{1}}}{{{1}}}{{{1}}} (Third Series).
 6{{{1}}}{{{1}}}{{{1}}} (Fourth Series).
 6{{{1}}}{{{1}}}{{{1}}} (Fifth Series).
3 Hymns, for 4 Voices with PF. ad lib:—Defectio tenuit (F min.); Deus caritas est (A); O Salutaris (C)
Hellig (1809).—Chorale (1813).—O God vi lofve dig, Orch.—Hessische Vater unser, Orch.

4. MISCELLANEOUS.

Die Auferstehung Jesu.
Paradigma modorum ecclesiasticorum (about 1777).
Fugues a 4, on themes of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater (about 1777).
S. Kilian's Lied (for 2 Choirs).[61]

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.

Op. 1. 6 Trios, PF. Violin, and Bass.—Duos for Flute and Violin.
Op. 2. 6 easy Sonatas, PF.
Op. 3. 6 easy Sonatas, PF. and Violin.
Op. 4. 6 Sonatas, in the form of Duets, Trios, and Quartets, PF. Violin, Viola, and Bass.
Op. 5. 6 Concertos. PF. (in two books, each containing 3 pieces).
Op. 6. 6 Trios, PF. Violin, and Bass.
Op. 7. 6 Trios, PF. Violin, and Bass.
Op. 8. 12 easy Divertissements of national character, PF. (two books, six in each).—Concerto, PF. (played before the Queen of France).
Op. 9. 112 easy Preludes for Organ or PF. (about 1804).
Concerto PF., printed with a Concerto by Kornacher, about 1784.—Nocturne, PF. and Strings.[62]—Quatuor Concertante, PF, Violin, Viola, and Bass.—6 Sonatas for 2 PF.s (1794).—Sonata. PF. (4 hands).—Sonata (Der eheliche Zwlet), PF. with Strings. C.—Pièces. PF.—Air de Marlborough, var. PF.—March with var. PF.—15 Var. (Lied aus dem Lügner) PF.—16 Var PF. F.—Pastorella, PF. (about 1807).—Canzonetta Veneziana varié (about 1807).—Var. (March and Swedish air) PF. (about 1812).[63]—Polonaise favourite, PF. D. (about 1812).—6 Var on March from Samori. PF. Viol., and Cello. F.—6 Var. on Duo (Was brauchen wir) in Samori, PF. Violin, and Cello. D.—6 Var. on Duo in Samori, PF. Viol, and Cello. G.—6 Var. on Trio (Sanfte Hoffnung) in Samori, PF., Violin and Cello. A.—7 Var. on Thema from the Overture to Samori. PF., Violin, and Cello. C.
Polymelos. or characteristic music of different nations, PF. and Strings. (1792?)—Polymelos, a characteristic organ-concert, arranged for PF. with Violin and Cello ad lib. (1806?)[64]
Var. PF., with Orch. acc.—Var. on 'Ah que dirai-je Maman,' PF. with Orch. acc.—Symphony in G (1779).—Do. in D min.—Do. in C.[65]—Baierische Nationalsymphonie.—L'Invocazione, for Guitar.[66]

THEORETICAL WORKS.

Tonwlssenschaft und Tonsetzkunst. Mannheim. 1776.
Stimmbildungs kunst. Mannheim, 1776.
Churpfälzische Tonschule. Mannheim, 1778.[67]
Mannheimer Tonschule. Offenbach.[68]
Betrachtungen der Mannheimer Tonschule. Spire.[69] (1778–80).
Essai de diriger le goût des amateurs de musique. Paris, 1782.
Introduction to the Theory of Harmony (Swedish). Stockholm, 1795.
Method of Clavier and Thorough Bass (Swedish). Stockholm, 1797.
Organ School (Swedish). Stockholm, 1797.
Choral System. Copenhagen, 1800.
Data zur Akustik. Offenbach, 1800.
Handbuch zur Harmonie Lehre, und General-Bass. Prague. 1802.[70]
Aeusserung über Hrn. Knecht's Harmonik. Prague, 1802.
Erklärung der Buchstaben die in Grundrtss der … neu zu erbauenden S. Peter's Orgel in München vorkommen. Munich, 1806.
Vergleichungsplan der vorigen mit der nun umgeschaffenen Orgel in Hofbethause zu München. Munich, 1807.
Ueber die harmonische Akustik. Munich, Offenbach, 1807.
Grundliche Anleitung zum Clavierstimmen. Stuttgart, Vienna, 1807.
Deutsche Kirchenmusik die vor 30 Jahren zu 4 Singstimmen und der Orgel herauskamen, und mit einer modernen Instrumentalbegleitung bereichert. Munich, 1807.
System fur den Fugenbau. Offenbach, 1811.[71]
Ueber Chorale und Kirchengesänge. Ein Beit rag rurGeschichteder Tonkunst in 19th Jahrhundert. Munich, 1814.

To this class of works the following may also be fitly assigned:

Verbesserung der Forkelschen Veränderungen (of 'God save the King'?), 1793.
32 Preludes for Organ in every key, with an analysis. Munich, 1806.
12 Chorales of J. S. Bach (arranged by Vogler and analysed by C. M. v. Weber). Leipzig, about 1810.


Amongst Vogler's contributions to current musical literature may he noticed, besides those which were reprinted separately, and have been already mentioned:—

Several short notices to the Wetzlarlschen Conzertanzeigen (1779–1780).
Von der Musik in Frankreich, in Kramer's Magazin der Musik.
Antwort auf verschiedene sein Sistem betreffende Fragen in Musik. Korrespondenz No. 2. 1790.
Bemerkungen über die der Musik vortheilhafteste Bauart eines Musikchor, in Journal von und für Deutschland, No. 2. 1792.

The following treatise not improbably belongs to this class:—

Aesthetisch-kritische Zergilederung des wesentlich vierstimmigen Singesatzes des vom Knecht in Musik gesetzen ersten Psalms.

Lichtenthal also ascribes to Vogler the article 'Ueber den Choralgesang der Böhmischen Kirche zu Johann Hussens Zeiten,' in the A.M.Z. for April 6, 1803.

MISCELLANEOUS WORKS.

Die Scala oder personificirte Stimmbildungs- und Slngkunst, for Soprano Solo, Chorus, and Orchestra.[72]
Der Rheinübergang der Alliirten am Neujahrstag, 1814. Cantata with accompaniment for full Orchestra.
Teutonia oder Kriegslied, 1814, with Orch. acc.
Trichordium und Trias Harmonica oder Lob der Harmonie.[73]
Frohe Empfindungen bei der Zurückkunft eines Vielgeliebten. Chorus, with Orch. acc.
Wielands Grab, gedichtet von Ch. Westphalen. Chorus for 4 voices.
Empfindungen en des Hessen an 14 Juni. Chorus for 4 voices.
Der Altarberg. For 4 voices, with PF. acc.
Sangstycke för d. 19 Augusti. Drottingholm, 1786.
Sangstücke.
L'Invocazione del Sole alla mezza notte in Laponia.[74] Friedenslied, (about 1807)—Der schone Morgen; Die volle Mondsnacht. Two songs with PF. accompaniment.
Hessischer Krlegertraum. Song with PF. accompaniment.[75] 'Declamatorium'—'Tuiskon ist erwacht.'[76]

As much of what is stated in this article is novel, it may be well to specify the sources from which it has been derived. Besides the ordinary biographical notices in various Dictionaries, which in this case seem to have been written with unusual independence, use has been made of the monograph on Vogler by Th. Nisard (the Abbé Normand), and of the Life of C. M. v. Weber by his son. The vast mass of information relating to Vogler and his views contained in the 'Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung' has been carefully sifted. Much has been gained from the articles in Nos. 15 and 16 of the 'Musikalische Correspondenz' for 1790 by Christmann and Schubart. By the kindness of Dr. Gänsbacher of Vienna the writer has been able to consult the MS. 'Biographie Gänsbacher' in his possession, from which, and from the letters of Vogler belonging to him, many interesting details have been gained. In one of Weber's letters to Gänsbacher he states that he was working hard at Vogler's biography, but the result of his work seems to have completely disappeared. Special thanks are due to Herr Becker, Librarian of the Ducal Library at Darmstadt; to Baron von Weber; to Herr Max Friedlander; to Prof. Schafhäutl of Munich [App. p.813 "add that Prof. Schafhäutl has recently published a monograph on 'Abt Georg Joseph Vogler' (Augsburg, 1888), which supersedes all other works on the subject."]; to Mr. Walter White, of the Royal Society, and, on the matter of 'the simplification-system' to the Rev. Sir F. A. G. Ouseley, Bart., to Messrs. Thorold & Smith (successors of Kirtland & Jardine), and to Messrs. Brindley & Foster; also to the organist of All Saints', Northampton, for a careful minute on the Schulze organ in that town.

Amongst the curiosities of Vogler literature must be placed Browning's poem on 'Abt Vogler,' and its Greek version in 'Translations into Greek and Latin Verse, by R. C. Jebb, M. A.'
  1. Of Vogler's family we only hear further that poor relatives were a drain on his purse. Christmann speaks of him as improverished by this circumstance in 1781–2, and Gänsbacher makes the same statement in 1808.
  2. Mozart describes this system as 'miserable.' Letter Jan. 17, 1778.
  3. See also the Graduale (De Profundis) of the Missa Pastoricia.
  4. The account in the text follows the statements usually made with reference to Vogler's proceedings at Bologna and Padua. But in the Musikalische Correspondenz of Spires for 1790, No 15, Professor Christmann asserts that the Elector Palatine himself directly recommended Vogler to Valotti.
  5. A. M. Z. vol. vi. p. 250.
  6. According to a statement in his 'Choral System' (p. 6) It was in this year that he learnt the basis for his system from Valotti.
  7. Letter, Nov. 13, 1777.
  8. Mozart's Letter of Jan. 17, 1778.
  9. For a detailed account see the A.M. Z. vol. i. nos. 23 and 24.
  10. A. M. Z. vol. iii. p. 268; vol. ix. p. 386.
  11. Fétis.
  12. A. M. Z. vol. xxiii. p. 257.
  13. Choral System pp. 1–5. The records of the Royal Society afford no trace of a communication from Vogler or anything else bearing on the question. The Journal des Scavans for 1782 has an anonymous article comparing the Tonometers of Pythagoras, the Greeks, and the Abbé Vogler, which states that his Instrument had been presented to the Académie Royale des Sciences together with the inventor's new musical system, which he proposed to publish shortly.
  14. So at least we may infer from the date of his 'Essai de diriger la goût,' etc. published in Paris.
  15. Choral System, p, 5.
  16. Fétis assumes that 'Castor and Pollux' was produced at Mannheim in 1791, but contradicts himself elsewhere (see his account of Mlle. Kreiner). For the date here given see A. M. Z. vol. viii. p. 318
  17. A. M. Z. vol. i. p. 675.
  18. Fétis speaks as if Vogler resigned bis Bavarian appointments in 1782. This is at variance with the title-page of Knecht's 'Portrait Musical' [for which see Programme-Music, vol. iii. p. 39a], published in 1784 [see Knecht, vol. ii. p. 66a]. Moreover Winter, who succeeded Vogler as Kapellmeister, obtained the post in 1788. (A. M. Z. vol. xxviii. p. 358).
  19. A. M. Z. vol. v. p. 152.
  20. Lexicon der Tonkünstler.
  21. See Organ, vol. ii. p. 698b.
  22. On Vogler's performances in London see 'The Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser' for May 8, 22, and 29, 1790.
  23. Christmann and Schubart in Musik. Correspondent for 1790, Nos. 15, 16.
  24. Compare with the authorities just quoted A. M. Z. vol. xxv. p. 153.
  25. Christmann and Schubart. l.c., give several instances.
  26. Christmann.
  27. Christmann.
  28. To this date some assign his travels in the East.
  29. Fétis says 1792.
  30. This is explicitly stated by himself. See 'Intelligens Blatt' attached to A. M. Z. of June 25, 1800.
  31. A. M. Z. vol. xxv. p. 163.
  32. B. A. Weber is the only musician of note who studied under Vogler at Stockholm. The school in 1796 consisted of 17 pupils, while the orchestra of the Academy consisted of twenty-eight Swedes. Four of these Swedes, whose total ages did not exceed 36 years executed one of Vogler's quartets in public, while mere children of the singing school performed several entire operas! Perhaps Vogler did more real service to Swedish music by giving excellent performances of Gluck's music. (A. M. Z. vol. xxili. p. 257.)
  33. He was at Stockholm April 28, 1799 (A. M. Z. i. p. 692). In July he was travelling between Copenhagen and Hamburg (see his attack on Müller in A. M. Z. vol. i. Intell. Blatt. xviil. p. 95), and was at Copenhagen on Nov. 1. 1799 (A. M. Z. vol. i. Intell. Blatt. vi.)
  34. The specification of this organ may be found in the Intelligenz-Blatt attached to the A. M. Z. for Feb. 4, 1801.
  35. This date is taken from A.M. Z. vol. v. p. 374. The Biographie Gänsbacher states that Vogler came to Vienna about the end of 1803.
  36. Life of C. M. v. Weber, by his son. Gänsbacher (Biographie) says that he first made acquaintance with Weber at Vogler's house.
  37. Fétis's statement that Vogler left Vienna in consequence of the war is refuted by dates.
  38. One of the pieces in 'Polymelos' is written in commemoration of this marriage.
  39. Vogler is found in Darmstadt in 1806. (A. M. Z. vol. xxv. p. 153.)
  40. See the preface to the 'Handbuch zur Harmonie Lehre.'
  41. He did not confine his attention to the organs however, as we find him buying kettledrums of an improved model in Munich. (A. M. Z. vol. xiv. Intell. Blatt. xv.)
  42. See the touching letters of Gottfried and C. M. v. Weber on receiving the news of Vogler's death. In the former, by the way, Vogler's age seems wrongly given. In 1845 the Historical Society of Wurzburg placed a tablet in the house in which Vogler was born, with the Inscription 'Geburtshaus des Tonkünstlers Georg Joseph Vogler, geboren den 15. Juni 1749, gestorben den 6. Mai 1814.'
  43. The analysis prefixed to 'Die Scala' has a sort of facsimile of Vogler's signature attached to it. The autograph is as eccentric as the man, being encircled with the most comical flourishes.
  44. See Christmann's report of a conversation with Vogler.
  45. Schubart, Aesthetik.
  46. Christmann mentions that in an orchestra arranged on Vogler's principles four double basses were used and tuned in four different ways, by which ingenious device an open string was obtained for every note. In 'Die Scala' two pairs of kettledrums are used to play a scale passage probably the first instance of the employment of four drums. [Cp. Drum, vol. i. p. 464a, Timbales, vol. iii. p. 116.]
  47. Schubart. Aesthetik.
  48. A. M. Z. vol. xxix. p. 658.
  49. Christmann mentions a performance intended to represent 'The Last Judgment according to Rubens,' Pictorial Music has perhaps never been pushed beyond this.
  50. Once, at least, Vogler met Beethoven, viz. at Sonnleithner's house in the winter of 1803–4. [See Beethoven, vol. i. p. 183a.] Gänsbacher. who then heard both extemporise for the first time, admired Beethoven, but was perfectly enchanted with the Adagio and Fugue thrown off by Vogler. So excited was he that he could not go to bed after it, and knocked up his friends at unseasonable hours to quiet his excitement by describing what he had heard. (Biographie.)
  51. 'Data zur Akustik.'
  52. Schubart, Aesthetik, p. 130.
  53. Winter afterwards objected to be called a pupil of Vogler, apparently without good reason. Compositions of his appear in the 'Mannheimer Tonschule.'
  54. As for instance when he made C. M. v. Weber go back to the study of the great old masters in 1803.
  55. E.g. Kraus in 1779, B. A. Weber in 1790, C. M. von Weber in 1809, Gänsbacher in 1810.
  56. Gänsbacher tells us that Moses Mendelssohn's Translation of the Psalms was a favourite text-book for the daily exercise at Darmstadt. 'At first,' he adds, 'we took the exercises in the afternoon, but the Abbé, who almost daily dined with the Grand Duke, used to go to sleep, pencil in hand We therefore agreed to take our exercises to him henceforward in the morning.'
  57. In 1810. Weber wrote the words, Gänsbacher two solos, Meyerbeer a terzet and chorus.
  58. This was one of Vogler's most successful works. The chorus of Furies was sufficiently popular in 1821 to lead an unscrupulous manager at Munich to introduce it into the finale of the second act of 'Don Giovanni'!
  59. The composition of this Requiem for himself occupied most of Vogler's later years. It was esteemed his finest work, and is a very striking composition. Besides the ordinary constituents of a requiem, it contains two Agnuses, a 'Liberâ me, Domine.' in 4 movements, and an 'Absolutio ad Tumbam.'
  60. In the library at Darmstadt is a 'Crudelis Herodes,' with orch., dated Jan. 1776, and also a 'Hymnus Ave Maris Stella, a 4 vocibus senza instromenti,' possibly identical with the works in the text.
  61. A. M. Z. 1820. Beylage V. June 21.
  62. Gänsbacher says that 'Vogler's Quintet was played at the soirée in Sonnlelthner's house at which Vogler and Beethoven met. [See [[../Beethoven, Ludwig van#vol. i. p. 183a].] This Nocturne is perhaps meant.
  63. The march is described as 'd. l'ordre d. Seraphins,' but this appears to be only a short way of putting 'marche des Chevaliers de l'ordre des Seraphins.' The Seraphin is the oldest Swedish Order.
  64. It is quite possible that the staple, at any rate, of the two works styled Polymelos is the same. The latter originated from, and is practically the substance of an organ recital given by Vogler at Munich on March 29 and 31, 1806. Its contents consist of sixteen numbers, viz. No. 1, Volkslied; No. 2, Swedish Air; No. 3, Bavarian Vater Unser; No. 4, Venetian Barcarolle; No. 5, Volkslied; No. 6, Swiss Ranz des Vaches; No. 7. An African Air; No. 8.–No. 9. Bavarian Volkslied; No. 10, Scotch Air; No. 11, Jan. 14—A Bridal Song; No. 12, A Cosack Air; No. 13, The Return of the Wounded Bavarian Knight; No 14, Moorish Air; No. 15, Greenland Air; No. 16, Chinese Air. Each of these appears to have had variations appended, and the variations on Nos 2 and 15 were published separately. The 'Greenland Air' is said to have been noted down by Vogler in that country, while the seven Bavarian Volkslieder were the Abbé's own composition; No. 11 is a piece commemorative of the marriage of Eugene Beauharnais with the Princess of Bavaria on Jan. 14, 1805. and No. 13 was published separately as in 'Ode.'
  65. The last movement in this Symphony is called 'the Scala.' The Symphony was not published till after Vogler's death. At Knyvett's concert in Willis's Rooms on Feb. 25, 1811, the Second Part opened with a 'New Symphonie for 2 clarinets. 2 oboes, 2 flutes, 2 horns, and trumpet (obbligati)'—'never performed in this country'—by Vogler, but what this was it seems impossible to ascertain.
  66. This may be the work of some musician of like name. Christmann also speaks of a Sonata for Harp, with accompaniment for Flutes and Celli. Rink, in his Autobiography, mentions Variations for Clavier on a Swedish March in E major.
  67. This embodies the last-named work.
  68. This embodies the three preceding works.
  69. A magazine recording the progress of the school 1776–1779?
  70. A translation from the Swedish.
  71. Fétis declares that this work was not published till after the author's death. The preface, however, is dated 'Darmstadt, 1811.' [For the Incident in which It originated see Meyerbeer, vol. ii. p. 321a.]
  72. The analysis prefixed to this work, after stating that it was finished at Darmstadt on August 25, 1810, declares that the author had in 1777 offered a prize of 100 Louis d'or for the discovery of a device by which 4 voices should each sing a scale up and down in only 16 chords, and that no one had been able to find out the secret. The solution given in 'Die Scala' is certainly ingenious.
  73. A cantata for Voices and Full Orchestra to words by Professor Meissner. Rousseau's air of three notes is used as the foundation of the whole composition, which extends to eleven numbers. Vogler made use of this air as the theme of a piece of considerable dimensions at a concert in Stockholm April 28, 1799, and published it in five real parts in the A. M. Z. for June 12 in the same year.
  74. A terzetto published in the A. M. Z. for June 12, 1799.
  75. The publisher's advertisement gives 'Treue' for 'Traum.'
  76. This piece, an orchestral accompaniment to a declaimed poem, was probably one of Vogler's last works, as it was brought out at Mannheim early in 1814. The poem was by Madame Bürger.