Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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618 SONG-SCHOOL SONNLEITHNER
the art of musick and singing, quhilk is almaist
decayit and sail schortly decay without tymous
remeid be providit.' Comparatively little interest
seenas to have attended either the Edinburgh
or Glasgow schools, and ijom a minute of
the Town Council of the latter we gather that
the institution collapsed in 1588, 'the scuile
sumtyme callit the sang souile ' being sold to
defray the expenses incidental to the heavy visitation
of a plague. The Aberdeen school appears
to have been the one of chief celebrity, attracting
teachers of even Continental fame, and the Burgh
records contain references of a curious and amusing
description. The school existed so early as
the year 1370, its class of pupils being the same
as those attending the grammar school. Both
vocal and instrumental music were taught, as
we learn from the title of Forbes'a scarce
work, Cantus, Songs and '
Fancies both apt for
Voices and Viols as is taught in the Music
School of Aberdeen '
(1 662). About this period.
Mace, in his Mxmck's MonumentfdixeaieA. the
attention of his countrymen to the sang school of
Scotland as an institution well worthy of imitation
south of the Tweed. A few excerpts from the
Burgh records of Aberdeen and other places may
not be uninteresting, and we give the following
as a fair example of the attention paid by the
civic authorities of the day to the subject of
music. On Oct. 7, 1496, a contract was
entered into between the Town Council of
Aberdeen and Robert Huchosone, sangster,
'
who obliges himself by the faith of his body
all the days of his life to remain with the community
of the burgh, upholding matins, psalms,
hymns,' etc., the Council also giving him the
appointment of master of the Sang School. The
four following extracts are also from the Aberdeen
Burgh records, as faithfully transcribed by
the editors of the Spalding Club publications :
4fl> October, 1577.
The said day the counsell grantit tlie soume of four
poundis to the support of James Symsonne, doctoUT of
thair Saug Scuill, to help to buy him cloythis.
23 Nov., 1597.
The niaister of the sang schoole sail serve bayth the
Kirkis in uptacking of the psaliues theirin.
1694.
Item to the Maister of the sang scholle xiiij.
1609.
' The baimis and scoleris of the sang schoolis ' are
ordered to find caution for their good behaviour.
From Dundee Records, 1602.
Item to the master of the sang scule Ixxx lbs.
Prom Air Records, 1627.
Item to the Mr of musick scule for teaching of the
musick scule and tacking up the psalmes in the kirk x
bolls victuall and xiiij of silver.
From Irving Records,1633.
Our doctour and musiciaiier jcii.
The stipend of the master of the Edinburgh
sang school appears to have been the modest
allowance of ten pounds in sterling money.
SONGE D'UNE NUIT D'ETE, LE (A Midsummer
Night's Dream). An op^ra-coraique in
three acts, an absurd caricature of scenes in the
life of Queen Elizabeth and Shakespeare, with no
relation to his play. The words are by Rosier and
De Leuven, and the music by Ambroise Thomas,
and itwas produced at the Opera-Comique, Paris,
AprU 20, 1850. G.
SONGS WITHOUT WORDS. (See Lied
OHNB WORTE, Vol. ii. p. 727.) s.
SONNAMBULA, LA.
An Italian opera in
two acts ; libretto by Romani, music by Bellini
(written for Pasta and Rubini). Produced at
the Teatro Carcano, Milan, March 6, 1831 ; at
the King's Theatre, London, July 28, and at
Paris, Oct. 28 of the same year. AtDruryLane
(with Malibran) in English, under Italian title.
May 1, 1833. s.
SONNLEITHNER, a noted Viennese family
of musical amateurs. The first, Chmstoph,
born May 28, 1734, at Szegedin, came to Vienna
at two years old and learned music from his uncle
Leopold Sonnleithner, choir-master of a church
in the suburbs. He also studied law, became
an advocate of some eminence, was employed by
Prince Esterhazy, and thus came into contact
with Haydn. He composed several symphonies,
which his friend Von Kees (often mentioned
in Haydn's life) frequently played with his
orchestra ; and also thirty-six quartets, mostly
for the Emperor Joseph, who used to call him
his favourite composer. His church -compositions,
remarkable for purity of form and warmth
of feeling, have survived in the great ecclesiastical
institutions of Austria, and are still performed
at High Mass. Christoph Sonnleithner
died Dec. 25, 1786. His daughter, Anna, was
the mother of Grillparzer the poet. His son
Ignaz, Doctor of Laws and professor of commercial
science (ennobled 1828), was an energetic
member of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde,
and took part in their concerts as principal
bass-singer. At the musical evenings held at
his house, the so-called ' Gundelhof,' in 1815-24,
in which his son, Leopold, took part as chorussinger,
Schubert's ' Prometheus,' though only
with piano accompaniment, was first heard (July
24, 1816), as were also part-songs, 'Das Dorfchen'
(1819), Gesang ' der Geister iiber den Wassern
(1821), and the 23rd Psalm for female voices
(1822). Ignaz died in 1831. A second son,
Joseph, born 1766, devoted himself with success
to literature and the fine arts, and in 1799 was
sent abroad by the Emperor Franz to collect
portraits and biographies of savants and artists
for his private library. During this tour he
made the acquaintance of Gerber and Zelter.
In 1804 he succeeded Kotzebue as secretaiy of
the Court theatres, and as such had the entire
management of both houses till 1814, and also
of that 'an der Wien' till 1807. He directed
his endeavours principally to Gennan opera, and
himself wrote or translated several librettos.