Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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STAVE STEFFANI 611
definitely fixed ; while those written at greater
distances above or below the line, though less
certain in their signification, were at least more
intelligible than they had been under the
previous system.
A yellow line was soon afterwards added, at
a little distance above the red one. Neumes
written on this line represented the note C,
and the position of a whole septenary of signs
was thus fixed with tolerable clearness ; for
signs placed exactly half-way between the two
lines would naturally represent A, while the
positions of D and B above and below the
yellow line, and G and E above and below the
red one were open to very little doubt in
carefully-written MSS. When black lines were
used instead of coloured ones the letters F
and C were written at the beginning of their
respective ' rules '
; and because these afforded
a key to the Notation they were called Olaves,
or, as we now say, Clefs.
Early in the 11th century two more black
lines were added to the stave ;
one above the
yellow line, and the other between the yellow
and red ones. The upper black line then
represented E, and the lower one A ; and the
combined effect of the -whole was to produce
a four-lined stave ; and when convenience suggested
the practice of changing the position of
the clefs from one line to another, there remained
but little to distinguish tlie notation of the
12th and 13th century from that now invariably
used for plain-song.
[For examples of a stave in which the spaces
between the lines were only used, and one in
which the lines were used without the spaces,
see vol. iii. p. 397.] These collateral^ inventions
soon fell into disuse. The system of alternate
lines and spaces was adopted, to the exclusion
of all others, in every country in Europe.
Henceforth, the only difierence lay in the
number of lines employed. The natural tendency
at first was to multiply them. In early MSS.
we constantly find staves of six, eight, twelve,
fifteen, and even a still greater number of lines,
embracing a compass sufficient for the transcription
of an entire vocal score. After a
time the difficulty of reading so many lines at
once led to the adoption of a more commodious
form, consisting of two groups, with four black
lines in each, separated by a single red line, on
which no notes were written. Staves of this
kind are rare ; but an example may be seen at
fol. 201a of the Chaucer MS. in the British
Museum. 1 Finally, these variable forms were
relinquished in favour of a fixed standard,
which in the 15th and 16th centuries admitted
the use of four, five, or six lines only. The
stave of four lines was used exclusively for
plain-song, and is retained for that purpose to
the present day. That of six lines was used
for organ Music, and music for the virginals.
' Arundel MSS. 248.
[It is not impossible that the six -line stave
remained in vogue because paper ruled for lutemusic
could be employed.] That of five lines
was used for all vocal music except plain-song,
and, after the invention of printing, for music
of every kind. w. S. E.
STAVENHAGEN, Beenhakd, born Nov. 24,
1862, at Greiz (Reuss), studied with Kiel and
Rudorff, and became one of the most belovied if
not the favourite of Liszt's own pupils. He
received the Mendelssohn prize for pianoforteplaying
in 1880, and lived till 1885 in Berlin,
since when he settled in Weimar, where in 1890
he became Court pianist to the Grand Duke and
in 1895 Capellmeister. In 1898 he went to
Munich in the latter capacity, and was elected
director of the Eoyal Academy of Music there
in 1901, but gave up the post in 1904 and
returned to Weimar, where he still lives as
teacher, pianist, and conductor. He has composed
some piano pieces, of which a minuet is
well known.
In 1890 Stavenhagen married the
singer, Agnes Denis. H. v. H.
STGHERBATCHEV, Nicholas Vladimiko-
VIOH, pianist and composer, bom August 24,
1853. He spent part of his youth in Rome,
but on his return to Russia became closely
associated with the young Russian School.
His compositions, mostly published by Belaiev
in Leipzig, are as follows :
A. Orch^jitral.—' Serenade,' op. 33 ; two Idylls.
B. pianoforte. — 'Faeries et Pantomimee,' op. 8 (two books);
' '
MoaaicH,' op. 15; Scherzo • Caprice,' op. 17; 'Bchoea,' op. 18;
'Allegi-o Appassionato,' op. 22; three Idylls, op. 23 ; two pieces,
'
op. 28; Expromptu,' op. 29; 'Melancholia,' op. 31; 'The First
Snow,' op. 32; 'Barcarolle,' op. 35; 'two Expromptns.' op. 36:
'
Impromptu Vilanelle,' op. 38 : Valses.' op. 21 (3), op. 27 |2), op. 34
fValse entr'acte) ; Mazurkas, opp. 16. 40, 42 ; Preludes and Interludes,
opp. 20, 35, 37 ; Etudes, opp. 19, 26, 30.
C. Vocal.—Six. BongB to words by Count A. Tolstoi, op. 24 ; six
songs to words by Heine.
Andrew Vladimikovich, born Jan. 29,
1869, in the Government of Poltava.- Entered
the St. Petersburg Conservatoire in 1887, where
he studied under F. Blumenfeld, Liadov, and
Rimsky-Korsakov. The composer of a march for
orchestra, op. 5, a pianoforte sonata, op. 6, and
a considerable number of songs and piano
pieces. E. N.
STEFFANI, Agostino. This very remarkable
man was born July 25, 1653, at Castelfranco.
Of his parentage nothing is known. He appears
to have entered one of the Conservatories early,
and become a singing-boy at St. Mark's in
Venice, where in 1667 he was heard by a Count
von Tattenbach, probably an emissary of the
Court of Bavaria. The Count was so delighted
with his voice and intelligence, that he carried
him off to Munich. He was educated at the
expense of the Elector Ferdinand Maria, as
appears from a decree ^ of July 26, 1668, ordering
a payment of 150 florins to Count Tattenbach
for the board and lodging of the Welscher
'
Musikus Augustin Steffani ' during the previous
year. By another decree of July 9, 1668,
2 See Rndhardt'a GeuJiUMe der Oper am Bofe zu MUnchen. Nach
archiodliaclien l^ueUen bearbeUet. Enter TheH, £He ItaHdnitche
Oper, tSS4-i787.