Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

176 ETJBATO EUBINI
'
when she sang at a concert given by one of her
pupils. A. 0.
KUBATO, lit. robbed ' or ' ' stolen,' referring
to the values of the notes, which are diminished
in one place and increased in another. The
word is used, chiefly in instrumental music, to
indicate a particular kind of licence allowed in
order to emphasise the expression. This consists
of a slight ad libitum slackening or
quickening of the time in any passage, in
accordance with the unchangeable rule that
in all such passages any bar in which this
licence is taken must be of exactly the same
length as the other bars in the movement, so
that if the first part of the bar be played slowly,
the other part must be taken quicker than the
ordinary time of the movement to make up for
it ; and vice versa, if the bar be hurried at the
beginning, there must be a rallentando at the
end. In a general way this most important
and effective means of expression is left entirely
to the discretion of the performer, who, it need
scarcely be said, should take great care to keep
it within due limits, or else the whole feeling
of time will be destroyed, and the emphasis so
desirable in one or two places will fail of its
effect if scattered over the whole composition.
Sometimes, however, it. is indicated by the
composer, as in the first Mazurka in Chopin's
op. 6 (bar 9), etc. This licence is allowable in
the works of all the modern ' romantic ' masters,
from Weber downwards, with the single exception
of Mendelssohn, who had the greatest
dislike to any modification of the time that he
had not specially marked. In the case of the
older masters, it is entirely and unconditionally
inadmissible, and it may be doubted whether
it should be introduced in Beethoven, although
many great interpreters of his music do not
hesitate to use it. [See Tempo.] m.
EUBINELLI, Giovanni Battista, celebrated
singer, bom at Brescia in 1753, made
his first appearance on the stage at the age of
eighteen, at Stuttgart, in Saoohini's ' Calliroe.
For some years he was attached to the Duke of
Wiirtemberg's chapel, but in 1774 he sang at
Modena in PaisielloV ' Alessandro nelle Indie '
and Anfossi's 'Demofoonte.' His success was
very great ; and during the next few years he
performed at all the principal theatres in Italy,
In 1 786 he came to London, after a journey from
Bome by no means propitious. The weather
was unusually severe, and, in going through
France, his travelling chaise was overturned
at Macon ; besides which, when approaching
Dover, the boat that landed him was upset, and
the unlucky singer remained for a time up to his
chin in the water. In spite of these perils he
made a successful d^but in a pasticcio called
'Virginia,' his own part in which was chiefly
composed by Tarchi. He next sang with Mara,
in ' Armida,' and in Handel's ' Giulio Oesare,'
revived for him, with several interpolations from
Handel's other works. These are said to have
been most admirably sung by Rubiuelli.
After his season in London he returned to
Italy, where he had enormous success at
Vicenza and Verona, in 1791 and 1792, in
'La Morte di Cleopatra' of Nasolini, and
'Agesilao' of Andreozzi. In 1800 he left the
stage, and settled at Brescia, where he died in
1829.
'
F,A.M.
EUBINI, Giovanni Battista, one of the
most celebrated tenor singers, was bom at
Eomano, near Bergamo, on April 7, 1795.
The son of a. professor of music, he learned the
rudiments of his art from his father, and at
eight years old could sing in church choirs and
play the violin in an orchestra.
He was then
placed as a pupil with one Don Santo, a priest,
organist at- Adro, who, however, soon sent him
home again, saying that he had no talent for
singing. In spite of this, the father persisted
in teaching his unpromising son, and allowed
him, at the age of twelve, to appear in public
at the Eomano theatre in a woman's part.
The boy was next engaged at Bergamo as
chorus-singer,, and to play violin solos in the
entr'actes. It happened while he was here
that in a new drama that was brought out, an
air by Lamberti, of considerable difficulty, had
to be introduced, for which it was not easy to
find a singer. The song was finally entrusted
to young Eubini, who acquitted himself with
much applause, and was rewarded by the
manager with* a present of five francs. His
elation at the time must have been sadly damped
just afterwards by the refusal of a Milan
manager to engage him as chorus-singer, because
of his insufBoient voice.
After belonging for a time to a stroUing company,
and making an unsuccessfid attempt at
a concert tour with a violinist called Madi, he
got a small engagement at Pavia, then another
at Brescia for the Carnival ; he next appeared
at the San MoisS theatre at Venice, and lastly
at Naples, where the director, Barbaja (according
to Esoudier), engaged him to sing with Pellegrini
and Nozzari, in two operas written for
him by Fioravanti. (The name of one of these
operas 'Adelson e Salvina,' is identical with
that of an early work of Bellini's, produced
about this time.) "With the public Eubini was
successful, but so little does Barbaja appear to
have foreseen his future greatness that he wished
to part with him at the end of the first year's
engagement, and only consented to retain his
services at a reduced salary. Eubini preferred
making some sacrifice to leaving Naples, where
he was taking lessons of Nozzari, and he acceded
to Barbaja's conditions, which very soon, however,
had to be rescinded, owing to Eubini's
brilliant successes at Eome (in 'La Gazza
ladra') and at Palermo. Some time in 1819
he married Mile. Chomel,. known at Naples
as La Cpmelli, a singer of some conitemporary