Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

fashion in England and to have been soon
seized upon for publication in hymnals, having
words specially written to it to replace the
original ones. f. k.
SIDE-DRUM (Caisse roulante). See Drum
3 ; Military Sounds and Signals ; Roll.
SifiGE DE CORINTHE, LE. Lyric tragedy
in three acts ; words by Soumet and Balocehi,
music by Rossini. Produced at the Acadtoie,
1 For an account of tliese Sicilian eonge Bee 6. Pitid, Stti CarUi
PojMtari Siviliani, Falermo, 1868.
—
'
SICILIANA SIFACE 449
SICILIANA, SICILIANO, SICILIENNE, Oct. 9, 1826. It was an adaptation and extension
of Maoraetto Secondo,' produced in
'
a dance rhythm closely allied to the Pastorale.
The name is derived from a dance-song popular 1820. The Andante of the overture, entitled
in Sicily, analogous to the Tuscan Rispetti.'
'
Marche lugubre grecque,' is framed on a motif
Walther (Lexicon, 1732) classes these compositions
as canzonettas, dividing them into Nea-
21st Psalm, but with a ti'eatment by the side-
of eight bars, taken note for note from Marcello's
politan and Sicilian, the latter being like jigs, drum (Caisse roulanie), and other instraments,
written in rondo form, iu 12-8 or 6-8 time. of which Marcello can never have dreamt. G.
The Siciliana was sometimes used for the slow SIEGE OF ROCIJELLE, THE. A giand
movement of Suites and Sonatas (as in Bach's original opera, in three acts ; words by Fitzball,
Violin Sonata in G minor), but is of more frequent
occurrence iu vocal music, in whichHandel, Oct. 29, 1835. G.
music by Balfe. Produced at Drury Lane Theatre,
following the gi-eat Italian masters, made gieat SIEGFRIED. The third drama of Wagner's
use of it. Amongst later composers, Meyerbeer Nibelungen tetralogy. See Ring des Nibehas
applied the name to the movement LUNGEN.
'
fortune, h, ton caprice ' in the finale to Act I. SIFACE, Giovanni Francesco Grossi,
of 'Robert le Diable,' although it has little in detto. Too few details are known about the life
common with the older examples. The Siciliana of this artist, though all the accounts of him
is generally written in 6-8, but sometimes in agree in representing him as one of the very
12-8 time, and is usually in a minor key. In greatest singers of his time. He was born at
the bar of six quavers, the first note is usually Pescia in Tuscany, about the middle of the 1 7tli
a dotted quaver, and the fourth a crotchet, century, and is said to have been a pupil of
followed by two semiquavers. The Siciliana is Redi. If so, this must have been Tommaso
sometimes in one movement, but usually ends Redi, who became chapel -master at Ldretto
with a repetition of the first part. It should be towards the end of the 17th century, although,
played rather quickly, but not so fast as the as he was Sifaoe's contemporary, it seems improbable
that he should have been his instructor.
Pastorale, care being taken not to drag the time
and to avoid all strong accentuation, smoothness Siface was admitted into the Pope's chapel in
being an important characteristic of this species April 1675. This disproves the date (1666)
of composition. w. B. s. given by Fdtis and others for his birth, as no
SICILIAN BRIDE, THE. A grand opera boys sang then in the Sistine choir. He would
in four acts ;
words translated by Bunn from seem at that time to have been already known
St. Georges, music by Balfe. Produced at by the sobriqiwt which has always distinguished
Drury Lane Theatre, March 6, 1852. G. him, and which he owed to his famous impersonation
of Siface or Syphax in some opera,
SICILIAN MARINER'S HYMN. A hymntune
at one time very much in vogue, chiefly commonly said to be the 'Mitridate' of Scarlatti
in Nonconformist chapels. It appears to an unlikely supposition, for besides that Scarlatti's
have been first published in England about two operas of that name were not written till
1794. Mr. James T. Lightwood, in Hymn Tunes some forty years later, it is not easy to see what
and their Stories, mentions that it occurs in Syphax can have to do in a work on the subject
Rev. W. Tattersall's edition of Merrick's of Mithridates. (See Dent's Scarlatti, p. 37.)
'Psalms,' published in that year. Another Siface's voice, an artificial soprano, was full
copy of it, as 'The Prayer of the Sicilian and beautiful ; his style of singing broad, noble,
Mariner,' is found in the fourth volume of and very expressive. Mancini extols his choirsinging
as being remarkable for its excellence.
Corri's
'
Select Collection of the most admired
Songs, Duetts, eta.,' circa 1794-95. Later ones In 1679 he was at Venice for the Carnival,
are printed in Hyde's ' Collection,' 1798, and in acting with great success in the performances of
Dr. Miller's 'Dr. Watt's Psalms and Hymns,' Pallavicini's 'Nerone,' of which a description
1800. Most of the eai'ly copies are in three may be found in the Mercure galant of the
parts, set to a verse beginning
same year. After this he came to England, and
O .Sanctissiina, O Purissima.
Hawkins mentions him a.s pre-eminent among
It appears to have at once become much in all the foreign singers of that period. He was
for a time attached to James II. 's chapel,^ but
soon returned to Italy. In the second part of
Playford's collection,
' Mustek's Handmaid
(1689), there is an air by Purcell, entitled
' Sefauchi's farewell, ' which refers to Siface's
departure from this country.
This gi-eat singer was robbed and murdered
by his postilion, while travelling, some say from
Genoa to Turin, others, from Bologna to Ferrara.
2 Evelyn heard him there, Jan. 30. 1687. and on April 19 following
at Pepya's house. He speaks of him in highly commendatory tenu%
2q
;