Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/490

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contrapuntal style. This latest period of his career reached to about 1830, only one important work coming later. He wrote in all the forms required by the Catholic service, including many shorter pieces, but his renown rests mainly upon his 11 masses and 2 Requiems. Of the former, those in F (1809, 3 voices), D minor (1811), C (1816), G (1819, coronation of Louis XVIII.) and A (1825, coronation of Charles X.) are counted the strongest. The Requiem in C minor (1816) is his most famous work, though that in D minor (1836) is fully as noble—the maturest expression of his genius. His ultimate style was so comprehensive that it cannot be classified with any school. He could write almost in the purest manner of the Palestrina period, but had also perfect command of the resources of modern vocalism and instrumentation. These he knew how to use with imagination and earnestness. He therefore illustrates a consummate blending of the old and the new.

Marco Santucci (d. 1843), another learned contrapuntist, was almost exactly Cherubini's contemporary. A pupil of Feneroli at Naples, from 1797 he was choirmaster at the Lateran in Rome, succeeding Anfossi, and from 1808 was connected with the cathedral of Lucca. Though somewhat productive, few of his works remain—a Requiem, 2 Magnificats, a Te Deum, some soprano cantatas, several psalms, many organ-versets and a set of suonate in fugued style for the piano. An early motet for 16 voices (1806) was curiously commended by a Neapolitan jury as 'new,' simply because they did not know the Palestrina style.

Giuseppe Baini (d. 1844), born at Rome in 1775 and trained by his uncle and by Jannaconi, entered the choir at St. Peter's in 1802 as a bass and in 1817 succeeded his teacher as choirmaster. He thus had over 40 years' intimate contact with music of the severe order and access to the papal archives. Though writing somewhat freely in the regular forms, he is chiefly known as a composer by his Miserere (1821). His lifelong enthusiasm for Palestrina was shown by a famous monograph (1828) and by a projected complete edition of Palestrina's works.

Giuseppe Pilotti (d. 1838) exemplifies a parallel development under the austere impress of Martini. Brought up in poverty as an organ-maker, he was finally enabled to study with Mattei (Martini's pupil), and at once showed unusual talent. After serving as choirmaster at Pistoia, in 1826 he followed Mattei at Bologna and from 1829 was also professor of counterpoint at the Lyceum. Excepting two operatic ventures (1810, '16), his works were all for the church.

Pietro Raimondi (d. 1853) presents the amazing anomaly of success at once in popular opera and in stupendous church counterpoint. Born at Rome in 1786, he had long training at Naples from Tritto, and, after some hardships, settled in Genoa, where his first opera was produced (1807). To this succeeded not less than 80 other operas and ballets for various stages (notably Il ventaglio, 1831, Naples), the vogue of which was often considerable, though checked by the rage for Rossini. From 1824 he was theatre-director at Naples, from 1832 professor of counterpoint at the conservatory of Palermo, and in 1852 for a few months choirmaster at St. Peter's in Rome. His operatic work continued till about 1845. But along with this ran a stream of