Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

'
728 STRING STRONG
Concert Grands, as well as the tension of each
separate note. The first of the two is 34,670
lb. (15 tons 9 ewt. etc.) ; the other, a longer
scale, 37,160 lb. (16 tons 11 owt. etc.). In
later years tension was much increased, but not
sufficiently so to account for the much higher
totals or for the breaking - weights of wire
recorded in Mendel's Lexikmi. [See the
writer's History of the Pianoforte, pp. 39, 83,
86.] A. J. H.
STRING. The terms Strings,' ' ' Stringed instruments,"
'String-quartet,' ' String-trio,' have
come to be applied in England to instruments
of the violin tribe only, the terms answering to
the German Streichquartatt, Streichinstrmnente.
The term is understood to exclude strings that
are not bowed, such as the harp and piano.
Thus a quartet for four stringed instruments,
usually two violins, viola, and violoncello, is
called a String-quartet, to distinguish it from
a pianoforte quartet—that is, for piano and three
other instruments ; or for any other combination
of four, such as a quartet for four horns, four
flutes, etc. G. .
STRIN6END0, 'forcing, compelling' ;
pressing
or hastening the time. This word conveys,
besides the idea of simple acceleration of pace,
that of growing excitement, working up to some
climax. M.
STRING-PLATE (Fr. Sommierenfer ; Ital.
Cordiera ; Germ. Anhangeplatte, Metallner Saitenhalter).
The iron plate on the hitch-pin block
of pianofortes to which the further ends of the
strings are now attached. It forms with the
tension bars the metal framing of the instniment
; the wooden framing being a bracing
more or less complete of wooden beams, in connection
with the wrest-plank, which is also of
wood, and sometimes covered with metal. [See
Wkest- Plank and History of the Pianoforte, pp.
13, 15, 16.] The service of the string-plate is
one of weight ; it hears an important share in
resisting the continual draught of the strings.
It was invented, rather with the idea of compensation
than resistance, by "William Allen,
a tuner in Stodart's employ, and was patented
by James Thom and Allen in January 1820. A
rigid string-plate was introduced by James and
Thomas Broadwood in the following year ; it
was the invention of one of their workmen,
Samuel Herve. The single casting for stringplate
and general resist&nce was the idea of
Alpheus Babcook, of Boston, U.S., 1825 ; and
was meritoriously improved and rendered practicable
by Conrad Meyer of Philadelphia, U. S. , in
1833. The important systems of construction
that have arisen from the use of iron in
string-plates and bars are described under
Pianoforte. a. j. h.
STROGERS, Nicholas, an organist in the
reign of James I., composer of a Morning and
Evening Service printed by Barnard. Two
anthems by him, Domine non '
'
est exaltatum
and God be merciful,' are in the Library of
'
Peterhouse, Cambridge. An organ part of the
latter is in the library of Ely Cathedral. In
Christchurch, Oxford, are two entire Services
(A minor, D minor), two Motets, and Fancies.
[A Fantasia for viiginal is in the Fitzwilliam
Virginal Book (i. 357), and a piece in Benjamin
Coayn's book is possibly the same. A piece for
lute is in Brit. Mus. Eg. MS. 2046.] w. H. H.
STROHMEYER, Carl, a bass singer, a
Kammersanger at Weimar, who sang in a festival
at Frankenhausen in June 1810, and is
mentioned by Spohr for the extraordinary compass
of his voice from D to / (see Spohr's Selbstbiographie,
i. 142). He was born in the
StoUberg district in 1780, and was employed
successively at Gotha and at Weimar, at which
for members (i.e. non-performing members) and
latter place he died, Nov. 11, 1845. 6.
STROLLING PLAYERS' AMATEUR OR-
CHESTRAL SOCIETY, The, was founded in
1882 by Mr. Norfolk Megone, who gave U[) his
position as conductor of the School of Mines
Orchestra to fulfil the duties of honorary conductor.
He remained at the head of the Society's
operations for a space of twenty years, being
succeeded in 1902 by Mr. William Shakespeare,
who conducted the concert till 1905, when
Mr. Joseph Ivimey was appointed. The first
concert was given Dec. 13, 1882, at the School
of Dramatic Art, Argyll Street, London. Soon
afterwards St. James's Hall was used for the
'Ladies' Concerts,' the smoking concerts being
held in St. Andrew's Hall, Newman Street.
Now the concerts of both kinds are given in
the Queen's Hall. The President is H.R.H.
the Duke of Connaught, and the Hon. Secretary
is Mr. W. E. Garstin. The annual subscription
for orchestral members alike is two guineas. M.
STRONG, George Tbmplbton, an American
composer whose career has been made chiefly
in Europe, was born in New York City, May 26,
1856. Both of his parents were musical. His
mother was a good pianist and sang agi'eeably,
and his father, G. T. Strong, a lawyer associated
with the corporation of Trinity Church and a
trustee of Columbia College, was an amateur
organist, and for four years was president of the
Philharmonic Society of New York (see Symphony
CoNOBETS of the U.S.). Naturally
the classics were the lad's daily artistic food.
He began the study of the pianoforte and violin
at an early age, and made essays in composition
when he was thirteen years old. A strong
predilection for the oboe led him to abandon
pianoforte and violin for that instrument, on
which he became a professional performer, when
a disagreement between himself and his father
on the choice of a career cost him the protection
of the parental roof. In 1879 he went to Leipzig,
where he entei-ed the Censervatorium, abandoned
the oboe in favour of the viola, studied
harmony with Richard Hofmann, counterpoint