Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/102

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LANG.
LANIERE.

deeply her image had impressed itself on his susceptible heart. She has published several books of songs (up to op. 38), which from the reviews in the Allg. mus. Zeitung, appear to be full of imagination, and well worthy of the warm praise bestowed on them by Mendelssohn in the letters just mentioned. Hiller tells the story of her life at length in his Tonleben (ii. 116), and selects her songs, op. 12 and 14, as the best. [App. p.696 "She died, as Frau Köstlin, at Tübingen, in Dec. 1880."] Connected with the same family at an earlier date was Regina Lang, a singer whose name was originally Hitzelberg, born at Würzburg 1786, educated at Munich by Winter, Cannabich, and Vogel, and became chamber singer at the Bavarian Court. When Napoleon I. was at Munich in 1 806 she sang before him in Winter's 'Interrupted Sacrifice' and Mozart's 'Don Giovanni,' and so pleased him that he is said to have urged her to come to Paris (Mendel). She however remained in Munich, and married Theobald Lang, a violinist in the Court band. In 1812 or 13 she was at Vienna, and Beethoven wrote in her album a song 'An die Geliebte,' to Stoll's words, 'dass ich dir vom stille Auge,' which was published about 1840 in a collection called 'Das singende Deutschland.' It is his second version of the song—the former one being dated by himself December 1811, and having been published in 1814. See Nottebohm's Thematic Cat. of Beethoven, p. 183.

[ G. ]

LANGDON, Richard, Mus. Bac., son of Rev. Tobias Langdon, priest-vicar of Exeter Cathedral, graduated as Mus. Bac. at Oxford in 1761. About 1770 he received the appointments of organist and sub-chanter of Exeter Cathedral, but resigned them in 1777 upon being chosen organist of Bristol Cathedral. He quitted Bristol in 1782 to become organist of Armagh Cathedral, which he resigned in 1794. In 1774 he published 'Divine Harmony, a Collection, in score, of Psalms and Anthems.' His published compositions include 'Twelve Glees,' two books of songs, and some canzonets. Two glees and a catch by him are contained in Warren's 'Vocal Harmony.' He died Sept. 1803. Langdon in F is still a favourite double chant.

[ W. H. H. ]

LANGE, a family intimately connected with Mozart, inasmuch as his wife's sister, Aloysia Weber, in 1780 married the famous Joseph Lange, an actor, who held the same rank in Germany that Garrick did in England and Lekain in France. Mozart's marriage to her younger sister, Constanz, took place Aug. 4, 1782. Lange was born at Wurzburg, 1751, and died at Vienna in 1827. Aloysia was a very great singer; her voice wanted power, but was said to be 'the sweetest ever heard' (Jahn, ii. 18). Its compass was extraordinary, from B below the stave to A on the sixth space above it; as may be seen from the songs which Mozart wrote for her—the part of 'the Queen of Night' in the Zauberflöte, and several detached bravura airs [App. p.696 "refer to vol. iv. p.429b."]. She died in 1830. Mozart was for a time violently in love with her. [Weber.]

[ G. ]

LANGSAM, i.e. slow, the German equivalent for Adagio. 'Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll' is Beethoven's direction to the third movement of the Sonata op. 101, equivalent to Adagio con molto di sentimento. See also the opening song of the Liederkreis, op. 98. Schumann employs it habitually; see the first movement of his Symphony in E♭.

[ G. ]

LANGSHAW, John, was employed about 1761, under the direction of John Christopher Smith, in setting music upon the barrels of an organ, of much larger size than had been theretofore used for barrels, then being constructed for the Earl of Bute, which he did 'in so masterly a manner that the effect was equal to that produced by the most finished player.' In 1772 he became organist of the parish church of Lancaster, and died in 1798.

His son, John, was born in London in 1763, in 1779 became a pupil of Charles Wesley, and in 1798 succeeded his father as organist at Lancaster. He composed many hymns, chants, organ voluntaries, pianoforte concertos, songs and duets, and made numerous arrangements for the pianoforte.

[ W. H. H. ]

LANIERE, Nicholas, was the son of Jerome Laniere, an Italian musician, who, together with Nicholas Laniere, probably his brother, settled in England, and in 1571 were musicians to Queen Elizabeth. The date of his birth is not known, but it was probably about 1590. His name first appears as singer and composer in the masque performed at court on the marriage of Carr, Earl of Somerset, and Lady Frances Howard in 1614, the first song in which, 'Bring away the sacred tree' (reprinted in Smith's 'Musica Antiqua'), was composed by him. His skill as a singer is alluded to in some lines addressed by Herrick to Henry Lawes. He composed the music for Ben Jonson's masque presented at the house of Lord Hay for the entertainment of Baron de Tour, the French Ambassador, on Saturday, Feb. 22, 1617, 'in stylo recitativo,' being the first introduction of recitative into an English composition. He also sang in the piece and painted the scenery for it. He next composed the music for Jonson's masque, 'The Vision of Delight,' performed at court at Christmas, 1617. Laniere cultivated the arts of painting and engraving as well as that of music, and his judgment was so much esteemed, that he was sent by Charles I. to Italy to purchase pictures in 1625, and again in 1627 to negociate for the purchase of the Duke of Mantua's collection. One of those pictures was 'Mercury instructing Cupid,' by Correggio, now in the National Gallery. He was appointed 'Master of the King's Musick,' at an annual salary of £200, by patent dated July 11, 1626. In 1636 Charles I. granted to Laniere and others a charter, based upon one of Edward IV., incorporating them under the style of 'The Marshal, Wardens, and Cominality of the Arte and Science of Musick in Westminster,' and giving them power to control and regulate all matters connected with music, and of this body Laniere was appointed the first Marshal. At the fall of Charles, Laniere lost his court appointments, but was reinstated in them on