Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

458 BINDING SINGAKADEMIE
great popularity by his performance of Apollo
in Midaa. ' ' In April 1 8 1 9 he visited Paris and
studied under Pellegrini, and thence proceeded
to Milan and placed himself under Banderali.
In May 1821 he went to Naples, where he received
advice and instruction from Rossini. In
1822 he sang, mostly in Rossini's operas, at Pisa
and Bologna. In 1823 he was engaged at \'enice,
where Rossini wrote for him the part of Idreno
in Semiramide. ' ' After singing at Genoa he returned
to England, and reappeared at Covent
Garden, Nov. 19, 1823, as Prince Orlando
in 'The Cabinet,' his voice and style having
greatly improved. He continued at the theatre
for a season or two ; in 1828 and 1829 was engaged
at the Adelphi, and in 1829-30 at Drury
Lane. He then visited America ; on his return
retired from public life, and died at Margate,
Sept. 23, 1857. w. H. H.
SINDING, Christian, born Jan. 11, 1856,
at Kongberg in Norway ; became a student at
Leipzig, and at Munich, and at Berlin. A very
talented pianist, he has written much for
his own instrument as well as for stringed
instruments. His highest opus number is now
(1907) 51. His principal works are the Rondo
infinite for Orchestra, op. 42 ; "Violin Concerto
in A, op. 45 ; Piano Concerto in D flat, op. 6
;
Quintet in E minor, op. 5 ; Trio in D major,
op. 23 ; Variations for two pianos, op. 2 ; Suite,
op. 3 ; Studies, op. 7 ; Sonatas for Violin and
Piano ; Suite for Violin and Piano, op. 14 ;
Caprices, op. 44 ; Burlesques, op. 48 ; Six
pieces, op. 49 ; besides many songs, and many
arrangements of Folk-songs. Binding's music is
characterised by great facility in construction,
tunefulness, variety, and elegance. He is
always intelligent, and even if not deep is a
very pleasing writer, who secures the interest
of his auditor. D. H.
SINFONIA. See Symphony.
SINFONIA SACRA (Saoeisd Symphony).
A term used to describe certain short cantatas,
in which an unusual closeness of musical connection
is to be suggested, such as Parry's
'The love that casteth out fear,' and 'The
Soul's Ransom,' Walford Davies's 'Lift up your
Hearts, ' and Stanford's ' Stabat Mater. ' M.
SINFONIE-CANTATE. The title of Mendelssohn's
Lobgesang or Hymn of Praise (op. 52).
The term— properly Symphonie-Cantate ' '—is
due to Klingemann, according to Mendelssohn's
own statement in his published letter of Nov. 1 8,
1840. Mendelssohn was so much in love with
it as to propose to bestow it also on the ' "Walpurgisnight
' (see the same letter and that to his
mother of Nov. 28, 1842). That intention was
not, however, carried out. G.
SINGAKADEMIE, The, Beklin, one of the
most important art -institutions in Germany.
Its founder was Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch,
born 1736 and appointed in 1756 cembalist to
Frederick the Great of Prussia, after whose death
he led a quiet and retired life in Berlin as musicteacher
and composer. The Singakademie
originated with some attempts made by Fasch
and a few of his pupils and musical friends to
perform his own sacred compositions for mixed
voices. The actual Akademie was founded on
Thursday, May 24, 1791, and up to the present
time the weekly practices are still held on a
Thursday. The original members were twentyseven,
thus distributed:— seven soprani, five
alti, seven tenors, and eight basses. The Society
was at first entirely private, the meetings taking
place at the house of Frau Voitus (Unter den
Linden, No. 59, afterwards Charlottenstrasse
No. 61). This character it retained after the
practices were held in a room at the Royal
Academy of Arts, whence the name of the
Society was suggested, and the use of which was
granted to the Singakademie, Nov. 5, 1793.
The first of the regular public performances took
place at Easter, 1801. The proceeds were at
first devoted to charitable objects, but after the
Akademie had, in 1827, erected its own buildings,
where the meetings are still held, and
which contain a fine concert-room, it became
necessary to have performances for the benefit
of the institution, and these are still carried
on. The object of the founder was to promote
the practice of sacred music both accompanied
and unaccompanied, but especially the latter.
The Society at first confined itself to Fasch's
compositions, singing, amongst others, his
16 -part Mass a cappella, but in a short time
pieces by Durante, Graun, Leo, Lotti, etc. , were
added. The first oratorio of Handel's put in rehearsal
was 'Judas Maccabseus' (1795). The first
performance of Bach's Matthew-Passion in 1829
is well known, and indeed marks an epoch, but
the chief credit is due, not to the Singakademie,
but to the conductor of the performance, Mendelssohn.
The Berlin Singakademie has served as a
model for most of the vocal unions of Germany.
Its structure is exceedingly simple, the governing
body consisting of a director, who has charge
of all musical matters, and a committee of
members (ladies as well as gentlemen) who
manage the business. All of these are elected
at general meetings. Since 1815 the director
has had a fixed salary out of the funds of the
Society. New members are admitted by tlie
director and the committee. There is a special
practice on Wednesdays for less advanced
members, who must attain a certain amount of
proficiency at this, before being allowed to join
the main body. The numbers rose in 1788 to
114, in 1813 to 301, in 1827 to 436, and in
1841 to 618.
Fasch died in 1800, and was succeeded in the
directorship by his pupil Carl Friedrich Zelter.
An attempt to bring in Mendelssohn having
failed, Zelter was succeeded by Carl Friedrich
Rungenhagen (1832 to 1851) and he by Eduard