Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SEEES SEEMISY 419
lated equivalent of the other—they mean, In
musical language, two very different things.
The vocal Serenata may be considered as a
form of Cantata, which may be either dramatic
or imaginative, or even a simple Ode on any
subject not actually sacred. Handel applied
the term to his Italian Pastoral, ' Aci, Galatea,
e Polifemo,' written at Naples in 1709 ; to the
Ode composed for the Birthday of Anne of
Denmark in 1712 ; and to the English Pastoral
' Acis and Galatea, ' l
written at Cannon s in 1 7 2 .
We must not omit mention of a Serenata by
Stradella in which two lovers, each with his orchestra
in a coach, serenade a lady, a work which
is famous because Handel appropriated a great
deal of it in ' Israel. ' It was republished as No.
3 of Chrysander's Supplemente to the edition of
Handel. [See vol. i. p. 535, vol. ii. p. 514.]
The form of the Instrumental Serenata is
much more clearly defined, and comprised
within much narrower limits. It was very
popular during the latter half of the 18th
century ; and, for some considerable time,
occupied a position midway between those of
the Orchestral Suite which preceded, and the
Symphony which followed it. From the former
it borrowed the multiplicity, and from the
privilege for printing psalters, etc. He was
working in 1548, and was one of the early
members of the Stationers' Company, filling
the offices of Warden and Master. His shop
was ' at the signe of the Hedge Hogg. ' One of
his noteworthy works is Francis Seagar's 'Certayne
Psalms select out of the Psalter of David,
drawn into English metre with notes to every
Psalm in iiij parts to Synge,' 1653. ¥. K.
SERGEANT TRUMPETER. See Tkum-
associated with John Day and others, had a
PETER.
SERMISY, Claude be, one of the gi-oup of
French musicians connected with the Chapelle
du Roy early in the 16th century, was born
about 1490. The following information is based
on the researches of the learned M.Michel Brenet
(^Sammelidnde of the Int. Mus. Gesell. 1904).
Sermisy is first heard of in 1508, when he was
appointed 'clerc musicien' in the Sainte-ChapeUe
du Palais at Paris, his name appears in the
Sainte-ChapeUe registers as Claude de Cermisy.
He was there for a short period, as before 1515
he became a 'ohanteur' in the Chapelle de
musique du Roy, at that time Louis XII.
This post was equivalent to the English Gentleman
'
of the Chapel Royal,' and as a chanteur
'
latter the colouring, of the long series of his name occurs in a list of the musicians who
lightly developed movements of which it usually were present at the funeral of Louis XII. He
consisted. Neither the sequence nor the eventually succeeded Antoine de Longueval as
structure of these movements was subject to sous-maltre of the Chapelle. In the accounts
any very rigid law. Two forms, however, of payments to the various members of the
were considered so necessary that they may chapelle in 1533, recently published by M.
almost be described as indispensable— the Brenet, there are some entries concerning Claude
March and the Minuet. With the former de Sermisy. As sous-maitre he received the sum
almost every Serenata of any consequence of 400 livres tournois ( = 2400 francs), his wages
began or ended. The latter was almost always for the said year, and a sum of 1080 livres
interposed between two Allegros, or an AUegi'o tournois ( = 6480 francs) for the feedingand maintenance
of the Children of the Chapelle royale
and an Andante, or, indeed, between any two
movements of any other kind ; and used so for the year, and another sum of 240 l.t. (
= 1440
freely that it frequently made its appearance francs) for care of the books belonging to the
several times in the course of a composition of Chapelle and for the procuring of singing boys,
importance. The Gavotte and Bourree so 'pour envoyer querir des chantres. ' This shows
freely used in the older Suite were completely his position as sous-maltre to have been similar
banished from the Serenata. When wind to that of the English 'master of the Children
instruments alone were employed, the composition
of the Chapel Royal,' who also received like
payments, and fees for journeys made to press
'
was often called Harmoniemusik ' ; and
this
'
term was so generally received that music children for the service of the Chapel.
for wind instruments is popularly called Harmonie
' On Sept. 20, 1533, Sermisy was made a Canon
' in Germany to the present day. The of La Sainte-ChapeUe, which gave him a resi-
' term Cassation was also frequently applied to dence and a large salary, and only imposed the
works of this ^ind, whether written for the full obligation of oflSciating at certain ceremonies ;
orchestra or for wind instruments alone ; and he retained therefore his post of sous-maitre,
many pieces, not differing very much from although he and Louis H^rault are mentioned
these, were called Divertimenti. Sometimes as joint possessors of the ofBce in 1547, when
the number of Instruments employed was very Frangois I. died. They continued to hold it
small, for the Serenata was almost always under Henri II. As a member of the Chapelle
intended for private performance, and it was a du Roi, Sermisy was present on three historical
matter of necessity that it should accommodate occasions, first at the meeting of Francois I.
itself to the resources of the particular establishment
with Pope Leo X. at Bologna in 1515, when the
for which it was intended. w. s. k. French singers vied with the Papal Choir ; then
SERES, William, an early music-printer in 1520 when Frah9ois I. and Henry VIII. met
at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, and again