Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

'
444 SHIEKEPFS SHORT OCTAVE
favourite. On her return to England she married
Mr. J. Waloott, and retired into private life. Her
voice was fuU-toned, and powerful in the higher,
but somewhat weak in the lower notes ; her
intonation was perfect, and she was a much
better actress than the generality of singers.
Shediedat Kensington, Deo. 23, 1883. w. h. h.
SHIRREFFS, Andeew, an Aberdeen musician
and poet of the 18th century, born 1762. He
wrote a once popular pastoral musical comedy
'
Jamie and Bess, or the Laird in disguise ' in
five acts, modelled upon Allan Ramsay's Gentle
Shepherd. This was published in 1787 ; and the
musical part of it advertised as for sale in 1788.
He was composer of Forty Pieces of Original
'
Music,' published by Stewart & Co., Edinburgh.
Shirreffs was a M.A. of Marisohal College,
Aberdeen (1783), and edited the Aberdeen
Chronicleaai the Caledonian Magazine. He came
to London in 1798, and died about 1807. He
was originally a bookbinder, was lame, and his
portrait is prefixed to his volume of poems, 1790.
Burns mentions having met him, and refers to
him as a ' little decreped body, with some
abilities.' f. k.
SHOPHAR, or SHOFAR. The Jewish ram'shorn
trumpet, used in the synagogue worship.
The natural horn is flattened in section, and
a cup mouthpiece is formed at the small end.
The instrument, or an imitation of its eifect, is
introduced into the scores of Maofarren's John
'
the Baptist ' and Elgar's ' Apostles. ' D. j. B.
SHORE, Mathias, who in 1665 was one of
the trumpeters in ordinary to James II. was, a
few years afterwards, promoted to the post of
Sergeant Trumpeter, in which he distinguished
himself by the rigorous exaction of his fees of
office. [See Teumpeter.]
leaving three children :—
He died in 1700,
1. William, also one of the King's trumpeters
in ordinary, succeeded his father as Sergeant
Trumpeter, died in December 1707, and was
buried at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. He followed
his father's example in the severe exaction of fees.
2. Catherine, born about 1668, who was
a pupil of Henry Purcell for singing and the
harpsichord. In 1693 she became the wife of
Oolley Cibber, without consent of her father,
whose resentment was not, however, of very long
duration, as when he made his will, March 5,
1695-96, he bequeathed to her one-third of the
residue of his property. Shortly after her
marriage Mrs. Cibber appeared on the stage as
a singer, and, among other songs, sang the
second part of Purcell's air Genius ' of England
(' Don Quixote,' Part II.), to her brother John's
trumpet accompaniment. She is said to have
died about 1730.
3. John, the most celebrated trumpeter of
his time, in 1707 succeeded his brother William
as Sergeant Trumpeter. Purcell composed for
him obbligato parts to many songs, which may
be seen in the ' Orpheus Britannious,' and
which fully attest his skill. His playing is
highly commended in the Gentleman!s Journal
for January 1691-92, where in an account of the
celebration on St. Cecilia's day in the preceding
November, we read Whilst the company ' is at
table the hautboys and trumpets play successively.
Mr. Showers hath taught the latter, of
late years to sound with all the softness
imaginable ; they plaid us some flat tunesmade
by Mr. Finger with a general applause, it
being a thing formerly thought impossible upon
an instrument designed for a sharp key.' His
name appears in 1711 as one of the twenty-four
musicians to Queen Anne, and also as luteuist
to the Chapel Royal.' He is said to have been
the inventor of the tuning-fork, and also to
have split his lip in sounding the trumpet, thereby
incapacitating himself for performing. He
died Nov. 20, 1752, at the alleged age of ninety,
but it is very probable that his age was overstated,
and did not exceed eighty, w. h. h.
SHORT, Peter, an early London nmsicprinter
and publisher, who printed a number of
madrigal books and some early musical treatises.
He worked ' at the signe of the Starre ' on Bread
Street Hill, from about 1584, and his issues
include Morley's Plaine and Easie Introduction to
practical Musick, 1597 ; Holborne's Cittharn
'
Schoole, 1597 ; Seuen Sobs of a Sorrowfull Soiile
for Sin,' 1597 ; Dowland's First ' Booke of
Songes,' 1597; Morley's 'Canzonets,' 1597;
Farnaby's
'
Canzonets,' 1598 ; Cavendish's
'
Ayres,' 1599, and some other works. He was
succeeded in business, at the same address,
between 1603 and 1608, by Humfrey Lowndes,
who reissued Morley's Introduction. F. K.
SHORT OCTAVE. In the early days of
harmony, and indeed until the whole circle of
keys was made available in practical music, the
chromatic notes in the lowest octave of the
keyboard were not wanted, since they were not
required as basses. The evidence of pictorial
representations shows that as early as the 14th
century the expedient was adopted of omitting
some of the strings or organ pipes' belonging to
such keys, and letting their places be taken by
strings and pipes tuned to notes below the apparent
notes. Various systems of these eifecting a saving
of space in the organ will be found explained
under Organ, vol. iii. p. 5286. For similar
expedients in the Spinet see below, pp. 634-36.
The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book contains indirect
evidence that ' short octaves ' were in general
use early in the 17th century ; in one piece,
the player's left hand is required to strike this
chord St*
on a full keyboard ;
13, which is of course impossible
on one with a short octave
in which the low G sharp key is attached to
the string tuned to the low E, the chord does
1 In the Cheque Book nf the Chapel Royal lie is said to have been
appointed lutenist In 1716, but the entry was evidently not made
until some time later, and probably from memory only.