Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

'
when
230 SAVONAROLA SAX
included in ' Select Musioall Ayrea and Dialogues,'
1653, is now only known by 'Here's a
health unto his Majesty,' and his four -part
song, The ' Waits,' printed in Playford's ' Musical
Companion, 'which, by long-standing custom,
is the last piece sung at the meetings of the
Madrigal Society and similar bodies, w. H. h.
SAVONAROLA. Grand opera in a prologue
and three acts ; words by Gilbert k
Beckett, music by C. Villiers Stanford. Produced
at the Stadt-Theater, Hamburg (words
translated by Ernst Frank),- April 18, 1884,
and at Covent Garden (German Opera, under
Riohter), July 9 of the same year. M.
SAVOY. [See Old Hundebdth, The.]
SAVOY CHAPEL ROYAL, THE, has a
constitution differing widely from the chapel
of St. James. While that is maintained out of
the Civil List, the Savoy Chapel derives its
sustenance from the sovereign's privy purse, are now in unexpected places ; one is in a sewer
and thus in one respect has even gi'eater claim on the Embankment, and others are on the
to the appellation of Royal. The salient points stage of the Lyceum Theatre, at the rear of
in the history of the Savoy may be given in Child's Bank in Fleet Street, and beneath a
few words, which may tend to remove much stone on the lawn in the Temple. There is
prevailing misconception on the subject. In evidence to show that the Court has been held
1246 Henry III. made a grant of land on the since the accession of Henry IV. There is no
banks of the Thames to his wife's uncle. Count special endowment fund for the choir, but boys
Peter of Savoy, and a palatial residence was who have the good fortune to be elected receive
erected on the site. After Peter's death the a free education at the school in connection
estate came into the possession of Queen with the Chapel, of which Mr. H. Kingston is
Eleanor, who bestowed it upon her son Edmund the present master. The services are choral,
of Lancaster, and it remained in the possession but almost entirely sung in unison. The chants
of the Lancastrian branch of the royal family and tunes are collected from various sources, and
until 1381, when, owing to the unpopularity comprise a remarkable collection of old and new
of John of Gaunt, the palace was wrecked by melodies. A peculiarity of the building is its
the insui-gents under Wat Tyler. Under the sensitiveness to the note F, reverberations being
provisions of the will of Henry VII. , a hospital felt, even in the vestry, . the low F is
was founded there, but though richly endowed, sounded on the pedal organ. In consequence
it did not flourish, and the foulest abuses prevailed
until 1702, when the institution was manual organ, built by Messrs. Willis, has
of this the responses are sung in F. The two-
dissolved. The Chapel had been used from recently been completed.
1564 until 1717 by the parishioners of St. The names of the chaplains of the Savoy
Mary's, but in 1773 George III. issued a patent from 1773 are—William Willmot ; Samuel
constituting it a Chapel Royal, and its title is Ayscough, 1778 ; James Hodgsons, 1795 ; Dr.
therefore beyond dispute. From time to time John Banks Jenkinson, 1805, afterwards Bishop
the reigning sovereigns contributed towards its of St. David's ; Andrew Brandram, 1825; John
maintenance, but the place attracted little Foster, 1838, afterwards Rector of Stambourne ;
general notice until 1864, when it was partially Henry "White, 1859, Chaplain-in-Ordinary to
destroyed by fire. Restored from designs by H.M. Queen Victoria, Chaplain to the Speaker
Sir Sidney Smirke, at a cost to Queen Victoria of the House of Commons ; George Herbert
of about £7000, the Chapel was reopened for
Divine Service on Dec. 3, 1865. The appointment
is in the gift of the Duchy of Lancaster.
H. F. p.
In the middle of the 18th century the Chapel
acquired a dubious celebrity for ' easy marriages.
Tlie inducements are set forth in the following
advertisement which appeared in the Fiiblic
Advertiser for June 2, 1754 By authority,
:—'
marriages performed with the utmost privacy,
decency, aiid regularity, at the Ancient Royal
Chapel of St. John the Baptist in the Savoy,
where regular and authentic registers have been
kept from the time of the Reformation (being
two hundred years and upwards) to this day.
The expense not more than one guinea, the five
shilling stamp included. There are five private
ways by land to this chapel, and two by water.'
A quaint old custom connected with the Chapel
survives in the Court Leet of the Manor Liberty
of the Savoy. The Court is held annually at
Easter in the vestry hall of St. Clement Danes,
to which sixteen good men and true ' ' are
summoned to appear and do ' their Suit and
Service to His Majesty the King,' under penalty
of £2. The Court consists of the High Steward,
High Bailiff, four burgesses, four assistant
burgesses and their beadle. The duty of this
company is to report to the Court that the old
boundary marks have not been removed and
are in good order. In consequence of various
improvements some of these boundary marks
Curteis, 1890, Canon Residentiary of Lichfield ;
Paul William Wyatt, 1894, Assistant Chaplain
of the Savoy 1885-94, Chaplain of the Order
of St. John of Jerusalem in England. Further
information will be found in The Story of the
Savoy, by the Rev. William John Loftie, B.A.,
F.S.A., and in The History of the Savoy Chapel,
by John E. Locking. F. G. w.
SAX, Chajiles Joseph, a Belgian musicalinstrument
maker of the first rank, born at
Dinant in Belgium, Feb. 1, 1791 ; died in Paris,
April 26, 1865. He was first a cabinet-maker,
then a mechanic in a spinning-machine factory.