of the public concert as an institution distinct from the church service, the theatric opera, or the private entertainments of a court or a wealthy patron. From early in the 18th century such public performances, with miscellaneous programs by singers and players specially secured for the occasion, became increasingly popular, prefiguring the universal modern custom.
Important early instances of concerts are the 'Abendmusiken' of Buxtehude
and his successors at Lübeck (from 1673 or earlier); those of the
Tonkunstlersocietät of Vienna (from 1672); those by Keiser at Hamburg
(from about 1700); those of the Musikverein of Leipsic (from 1743, following
the lines of an earlier club at the University), which later (from 1781)
became famous as the Gewandhaus Concerts; the 'Concerts spirituels'
on feast-days at Paris under the management of the Opéra (from 1725),
followed by several other similar enterprises; those of Banister at London
(from about 1675) and of the Academy of Ancient Music (from
1710), etc., with the festivals of the Three Choirs in West England (from
1724) and the oratorio performances of Handel (from 1739 and earlier)—the
prototypes of many others throughout England.
These are simply conspicuous instances of a public musical institution previously unknown, of which every variety was possible in many places under diverse auspices. This new institution joined with the opera to make music on a large scale a function of society in a way the historic significance of which cannot be overestimated.
The order in which the various kinds of instrumental virtuosi
appeared is approximately as follows: in the 16th century the
lutist and theorbist, in the 16th and 17th the organist, in the
17th the gambist and violinist, and in the 18th the 'cellist,
flutist and oboist. In the 17th, also, accomplished clavichordists
and harpsichordists or cembalists became notable, followed
in the later 18th by pianists.
In previous chapters some pioneers and leading representatives in the
earlier classes have been indicated. Such lists in the other classes cannot
be made exhaustive, but certain leading names demand mention.
Of the many violinists of the period the following were either the ablest or important as pioneers:—
Antonio Vivaldi (d. 1743), born at Venice, from about 1707 choirmaster to a German prince at Mantua, was from 1714 in the orchestra of St. Mark's, Venice, and director of one of the conservatories. He was a very fertile writer, producing about 80 concertos, many sonatas, cantatas and arias, besides over 35 operas (from 1713). He supplemented the influence of Corelli by accenting brilliancy of technique with the impulse of the true virtuoso, in addition to solidity of construction. He pushed the concerto toward orchestral dimensions. Bach arranged and expanded 16 of his concertos for clavier and organ
