Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SAMMARTINI SANCTUS 219
suicide of a woman whose husband has deserted
her for a music-hall singer. The opera won a
certain measure of success owing to the clever
if somewhat brutal treatment of certain realistic
scenes, notably that of a cafe-concert, and still
more from the remarkably powerful performance
of Mme. Bellinoioni in the part of the heroine,
but the sheer musical value of La Martire
'
was very small. Samara's next two works, La
'
Furia Domata' (Milan, 1895), an operatic version
of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, and
'Storia d' Amore' (Milan, 1903) were completely
unsuccessful, but ' Mademoiselle de Belle
Isle' (Genoa, 1905) was more favourably received.
R. A. s.
SAMMARTINI. See San Martini.
SAMSON. Oratorio by Handel, words compiled
by Newburgh Hamilton from Milton's
'
Samson Agonistes, ' ' Hymn on the Nativity, ' and
' Lines on a Solemn Musick.' The autograph of
the work is in the Buckingham Palace Library,
and contains the' following dates :—End of first
part, 'Sept. 29, 1741' (N.B. 'Messiah' was
finished 14th of same month) ; end of second
part © ' (i.e. Sunday) Oct. 11, 1741 ' ; end of
chorus 'Glorious hero,' 'Fine dell' Oratorio,'
S.D.G., London, 6. F. Handel, t (i.e. Thursday)
Oct. 29, 1741'; then the words 'Fine
deir Oratorio ' have been struck out, and
'
Come, come,' Let ' the bright,' and Let ' their
celestial ' added, with a note at end, S.D.G.
'
G. F. Handel, Oct. 12, 1742.' It was produced
at Covent Garden, Lent 1743—the first after
Handel's return from Ireland.
Handel esteemed it as much as the ' Messiah,'
and after his blindness wept when he heard the
air ' Total eclipse. ' It was revived by the Sacred
Harmonic Society, Nov. 14, 1838, and has often
been performed since. The score was published
by Wright ; by Arnold in his edition ; by the
Handel Society (edited by Rimbault, 1852) ; and
by Breitkopf & Hartel (Chrysander, 1861). G.
SAMSON ET DALILA. Opera in three
acts, text by Ferdinand Lemaire, music by
CamilleSaint-Saens ;
produced at Weimar under
Liszt, Dec. 2, 1877, and in France at Eonen,
1890. Performed at Covent Garden in concert
form, Sept. 25, 1893.
SAN CARLO, the largest and most beautiful
theatre of Naples, has almost the same proportions
as La Scala of Milan, with which it
contends for the theatrical primacy in Italy. It
was built in 1737 by the architect Carasale, on
plans by Medrano, a General of the E.E., and
was completed in nine months. Some alterations
and improvements were made in it by
Fuga and Nicoolini towards the end of the 18th
century. It was completely burnt down in
1816, and rebuilt even more elegantly and
quickly than before, in six months, by the said
Antonio Niocolini. In 1844 -the San Carlo
underwent a thorough restoration and considerable
improvement.
The best days of the San Carlo were those in
which it was under the management of the great
impresario Domenico Barbaja irom 1810 to
1839. During that period the greatest singers
appeared on its stage, amongst whom we need
only name Colbran,
Sontag, Grisi, Tamburini,
Rubini, and Lablache. L. R.
SANCTUS. I. The angelic hymn based on
Isaiah vi. 3 and St. Matt. xxi. 9, sung in all
Liturgies at the beginning of the Anaphora or
central section of the service. In the Latin
rite it is introduced by the Preface (see vol.
iii. p. 809), sung by the celebrant, while the
hymn itself is sung by the clergy and congregation,
or by the choir, according to later usage
(see vol. ii. p. 235). The original setting was
in the simplest style of recitative like that of
the Preface. Later plain -song settings were
more elaborate ; see an example given in vol.
iii. p. 766.
Various specimens survive of the setting of
the Sanctus in prick-song. The first stage here,
as elsewhere, was the setting of an Organmn or
free voice part against the plain-song, as in the
following instance from the latter part of the
Sanctus :
d-^^^
u,^
g^^dgyj^^l^i^
The original may be seen in facsimile in Early
English Harmony (Plain-song Soc), pi. xl. It
belongs to the 14th century. This was biit a
step on the way to developed polyphony.
Another Sanctus in three parts written by John
Benet in the first half of the 15th century is
given at pp. 51, 52 of the same volume, and
this may be cited as marking an intermediate
stage on the way to the great masters of the
16th century. w. H. F.
II. These great masters have almost always
treated it in Real Fugue, of a peculiarly reverent
chaijacter, not unlike that of the ' Kyrie,' but
developed at greater length, with ireqnent repetitions
of the text, and three distinct subjects,