The Sun.
London, England, 1801-08-22 00:00:00

ACCOUNT OF- THE LIFE OF

THE, FAMOUS MUSICIAN.

• Ptcctst was btirn in the year 1728? at Bari, in
the kingLApm of, Naples. He was inteqed by .his
fa:her for the Church; but early and invincible
~tedilitacon devoted him to the profession of Music.
'e entered the Musical Conservatory; which was
:!16n under the direaion of .the famous Lto, and
luickly became LEO'S favourite pupil. Illtritiacre,
weer a tinie, succeeded LEO ; and he alio distill-
,;uished Pi CC trtt with peculiar kindness-.
Having for twelve years' studied under such
Mi6ters the ,art of Musical'Composition, Ptcc INI
then produced four pieces, the representation of
Which, on the Neapolitan
,Theatfes, laid the foun-
dation of his subsequent fame. In the year 175 g,
he was invited to Rome, where he composed the
Alessandro nell' India ; beside several airs worthy
of the greatest Masters : it contains a finer "overture
than was ever before heard. In the year 1760, he
produced his C-ecchina, or the Good Girl, the most
perfect of Coinic Operas, by which all Rome, was
enchanted to the highest .degree of admiration and
enthuSiasm. Next year his, serious Opera, .Dhe
Wympiad, was performed with success equally
flattering. For fifteen .years he reigned, without a
rival,' as- the first musical composer in Rome.. As-
Foss; was at last unfairly preferred, in competition
with him; and Pt cotxx, leaving Rome in disgust,
returned to Naples. .

From' Napies'he was invited to 'ranee. ln the
end of December, 1776, he arrived at Paris. He
- knew not a word of French ; but MXRMONTEL un-
dertook-to be his instructor.. 'He engaged to make,
on six Operas of QUINAULT, the-ehanges requisite,
that they might be set, to modern music. For some
time MARMONTEL passed every morning with him;
explaineda scene to him; taught him to repeat ir;.
marked by convenient signs the quantity of every
word And syllable ; and then left PtccrNr to work
by himself. Piccmt_ then set to music what'he
.had learned
,at that • lesson, and next morning sang
his composition to MARMONTEL, who judged of it
only sc- far as language and quantity were concern-
ed: If, what seldom happened, there Was, any in-
corredness in regard to these, on that they imme-
diately wrnt to-work together to perk& ft. They
continued to pursue this labour steadily for ahnOsi
whole year. •

'Chucx efrefted at this time 'a grand revolution
in French music. He introduced jute it the forms.
of recitgti-;:e and
,song front the Italian school, and
from the German school the grandeur and strength of
harmony. Before Picc rN I had finished his first
work in France, he found himself opposed to a rival
not less formidable than-the Author of the Aleestes
and the Orpheus ; and that musical war was excited,
which, for a time, divided and exasperated all Paris
almost as much as has any subsequent political
dispute. ' . .

While this war was at its height, BEarox, Di-
reftor of the Opera, made an attempt to put an end
to it, by. reconciling the two chiefs. He gave a
grand supper,' at which Pt c c IN' and Gt,vcrc, after
embracing, sat down together:' They conversed
with the greatest cordiality during the whole enter.

tainment: GLucic, art honest German, when some-

what warmed with wine, spoke out his sentiments
with the greatest frankness. " The French," said
he, " are excellent people; but truly 'they, make
'me laugh. They rwill
.have songs, yet cannot sing
a note. -You, tny teat friend,- are- fanious through.
out Europe. Your main ()Ned is to support your
reputation. You give them admirable Music ; what
the better are you ?—Believe me, the only thing
you and fhave to do here is to get all the money we
can." PlcCiNl politely replied, that GLUCK shewed
by his own example, that the care of reputation was
perfeetly reconcileable with that of fortune. They
parted good l;Tiends ; but the war still went on, as
before. It may be said, in' truth, that the two
leaders were precisely those who gave themselves
the least concern about it.

The Opera of Rol end, or Orlando, was the first
prodixed I.)s, Piccixi in France. It was follow.ed
by Atys, and. by /phiienia in Teruris, They were
received with general admiration.

In. the year 1787, his friend and rival SACCIIINI
-Came to Paris. An Opera was required from each
of these masters-for the entertainments of that year
at ifsontainbleau: PICCINI chose the story of Dirk);
SACCHINI that of Chimena. Skccutzlz was first
ready. His.pioce was put :in rehearsal without de,.
lay. • ',Every prejudice was 'in 'his favour.. The
Orchestra, the tutors, the Managers of the Opera,
with one accord, extolled him to the skies. Chimenc,
at its first rehearsals, passed fur a master_piece,• and
it was in faa such.

PICCIN/ was late in beginning his 'task. When
'the poetry sa‘f. lido was finished, he went to the
country residence of M. MmtmoNTEL, who wrote
it. During his stay there of seventeen days, he had
invented the whole music of the Piece, had it-all
in his head, ,though only the' -song part .and the
bass were then aCtually reduced to. notation. " I
passed," says M. GI NGtr EN " a most agreeable
Morning in going over- it with him. We both fre-
quently shed-tears." In that fine scene, particularly.
in the fifth A6l,.which is'followed by the chorus of
the
.Priests of Pluto, he Milted into tears, amidst
'which he said to . me, " Thus has icheen with me
for these fifteen days. Event when not composing,
I could not but weep: to think of Ditio—poor
woman !" Hence, rio. doitht, that power of Sell,
sibility which so predominates throughout -this
charming Piece. In six weeks the whole was ready
for performance. its success' was such as to eclipse
all rivalry. '

PfCCINI possessed an astonishing versatility of
genius.—While Dido, at the Oliera7House, oy'd.the
, sacred source of sympathetic tears, his preteUded
Lord and Sleeper awakened, gave birth to emo-
tions peffeetly opposite to those, at the Italian
Theatre.. • - -1 .

SACCH NI dled in 2785. Pi cctilz had the ge-
nerality ,to compose a fine eulogy on his deceased
friend and brother artist :---In honour of the me-