a notable printer, who made many improvements in musical typography, and carried further Heptinstall's improvements. (See H e p t i n s t a l l . ) Several works of his are dated 1699, one being ' Twelve New Songs ' by Dr. Blow and Dr. Turner, as the title-page informs us, issued ' chiefly to encourage William Pearson's New London Character,' 1699, folio. In 1700 followed the important and excellently printed work, Blow's ' Amphion Anglicus.' Pearson's printing-office was a t first in Aldersgate Street, ' next the Haro and Feathers ' ; but in 1700 his imprint changes to Bed Cross Alley, Jewin Street. In 1724 it is ' over against Wright's Coffee House, in Aldersgate Street.' As these addresses are in close proximity, one may indicate Pearson's house and the other his printing-office. Shortly after the death of Henry Playford, c. 1706, he, with John Young, succeeded to the copyright (probably after Cullen) of such of the Playford publications as wero continued. These include ' The Dancing- Master,' and Playford's 1 Introduction to the Skill of Music,' Simpson's 'Compendium of Practicall Musick,' ' Orpheus Britannicus,' 'Harmonia sacra,' and Playford's ' Whole Book of Psalms,' ' The Divine Companion,' and others. He also published, in folio, Bassani's 1 Harmonia festiva,' op. 8 and op. 13, tho first English publication of the book, which Hawkins dates about 1726. Pearson was the principal printer and publisher of the many octavo psalm-books which were issued a t this time. So far as the present writer is aware no engraved work bears his imprint. In 1736 he was succeeded by A. Pearson, who may be presumed to be either his widow or his son. A. Pearson continued the business only for a short time, printing and publishing such works as : Tans'ur's ' Complete Melody or the Harmony of Sion,' 1736 ; ' Heaven upon the Earth,' 1738, by the same a u th o r ; Green's ' Book of Psalmody,' 1738, etc. The first Wesleyan tune book, ' A Collection of Tunes as they are commonly sung a t the Foundry,' 1742, also was printed by A. Pearson, and this is the latest date the present writer can find for his work. F. K.
Archive | P
PERFECT
used principally of I n t e r v a l s and Ca d e n c e s ; see those headings, also H a r m o n y and T e m p e r a m e n t .
PESSARD, EMILE LOUIS FORTUNE
(b. Paris, May 29, 1843 ; d. there, Feb. 10, 1917), was a student of the Conservatoire, where he won the first prize for harmony in 1862, and the Grand Prix de Rome in 1866. He filled the offices of harmony professor a t the Conservatoire, inspector of vocal teaching in the municipal schools of Paris, director of musical training at the establishment of the Legion d 'honneur a t Saint-Denis. His dramatic works are as follows : ' La Cruche cass^e ' (Op^ra-Comique, 1870); * Le Capitaine Fraoasse,' three acts (Th<re Lyrique, 187b) ; ' Le Char,' one a c t (Opera-Comique, 1878) ; ' Tabariu,' two acts (Op^ra, 1885) ; ' Ta rta rin "ur les Alpes ' (Gaiete, 1888) ; ' Les Folies-Amoureuses ' (Opera-Comique. 1891); ' Lne S u it
PHILLIPPS, ADELAIDE
(b. Stratford-on- Avon, 1833 ; d. Carlsbad, Oct. 3, 1882), a contralto singer who pursued her career chiefly in America. Her father was a chemist and druggist, and her mother, who was of Welsh birth, was a teacher of dancing. The family emigrated to America in 1840, going first to Canada, and then to Boston, Mass. Adelaide was early instructed in dancing by her mother, and on Jan. 12, 1842, made her first appearance i As to his conjectural influence on Frescobaldi, see Van der S trae ten 's Mu tic iin s nitrlandait "n Italia (1882), vol. vl. on the stage a t the Tremont Theatre, Boston, as an ' infant prodigy.' On Sept. 2 5 , 1843, she began an engagement a t the Boston Museum. Her vocal gifts soon attracted the attention of connoisseurs, and in 1 8 5 0 she was introduced ts Jenny Lind, who advised the young actress to give herself up to the study of music. A subscription list was started for the purpose of paying for her training, and she was sent to Manuel Garcia in London. On Dec. 17, 1854, she made a debut a t the Teatro Carcano, Milan, as Rosina. In Aug. 18 5 5 she returned to Boston, and in October appeared a t a concert in the Music Hall. She was then engaged for a series of operas of the English ballad school-' The Duenna,' ' Tho Devil's Bridge,' and ' The Cabinet '-a t tho Boston Theatre. Her American debut in Italian opera was a t the Academy of Music, New York, Mar. 17, 1856, as Azucena in ' II Trovatore.' Her success secured for her an engagement for five seasons. She went first to Havana, and subsequently to Paris (where she sang Azucena a t Les Italiens in Oct. 1861) , Madrid, Barcelona and through Hungary and Holland. Her repertory comprised all the contralto parts in the stock Italian operas. In 18 7 9 she became identified with the Boston Ideal Opera Company, devoted to the presentation of operettas. She appeared with this company for the last time in Boston, on the Museum stage, where her early triumphs had been won, on Nov. 3 0 , 1880. Her last appearance on anj' stage was a t Cincinnati in Dec. 1881. In Sept. 1882, the state of her health induced her to go to Carlsbad, where she died. Her remains were carried to Boston, and subsequently buried a t Marshfield, Massachusetts, where the family had long lived on a fine estate purchased by Adelaide. She left a sister, Mathilde, also a contralto of excellent reputation in America, and three brothers. F. H. j .
PICK-MANGIAGALLI, RICCARDO
(b. Strakonitz, Ju ly 10, 1882), composer, studied in Prague, Vienna and Milan. He has produced distinctive work, both in chamber music and opera. A number of compositions for the piano, a string quartet, and a violin sonata wore written between 1904 and 1910. His first stage work, ' Salice d ' Oro,' a musical fable, was produced a t La Scala, Milan, in 1913, and was followed by ' II carillon magico ' (1918). Other stage works are 4 Sumitra,' a monomimic legend (1917), and 4 Basi e Bote ' (1919- 1920), lyric comedy, the libretto by Boito (see Mus. T., May 1921).
PIRRO, ANDRE
(b. Saint-Dizier, Feb. 12, 1869), organist and writer on music. His father was organist of Saint-Dizier. He studied law and letters (Docteur es lettres) in 1907, and at the same time pursued a serious study of musical technique. He attended as auditeur the organ class of Cesar Franck a t the Conservatoire (1890), then th a t of Widor. When the Schola Cantorum was founded (Oct. 15, 1896) Pirro became a member of the Committee of directors and professor of history of music and organ, second to Guilmant. His musical teaching took a wider range after 1904, when he began his lectures a t the Keole des Hautes Etudes Sociales, which he continued for about 10 years. In 1912 he succeeded Romain Rolland as professor of history a t the Sorbonne. Since 1920, on his advice, this public course has been followed by a final course of practical musical study for students. This instruction shows the same characteristics of culture and learning which early assured favourable notice to his works. They are : L'Orgue de J . S. Bach, preface by Widor (1894 ; appeared in 1897), ' crowned ' by the Institut, English ed. by Goodrich (1902); L'esthetique de J . S. Bach and Descartes et la musique (1907) (the thesis for his doctorate); J . S. Bach (1906), German transl. by B. Engelke (1910); Dietrich Buxtehude (1913); Schiitz (1913), German transl. in preparation (1926) by W. G u r l i tt ; Les Clavecinistes (1925). Pirro has moreover contributed extensively to L'Encyclopedic de la musique (Delagrave, Paris) (vol. ii. Musique religieuse allemande, 1619 - 1750, Musique profane allemande, X V I I - X V I I I lim
PLEYEL&CO
This distinguished Parisian firm of pianoforte-makcrs is now styled ' Pleyel, Wolff et Cie.' I ts founder was Ignaz Pleyel, the composer, who established it in 1807. The Pleyel firm is remarkable for having always been directed by musicians, such as Camille Pleyel, who became his father's partner in 1821, and Kalkbrenner, who joined them three years later. At starting, the pianoforte - maker, Henry P a p e , lent valuable aid. The influence of Chopin, who made his debut in Paris a t Pleyel's rooms, in 1831, has remained a tradition in the facile touch and peculiar singing tone of their instruments. Camille Pleyel was succeeded in the control of the business by Auguste W olff (q.v.), who much improved tho Pleyel grand pianos in the direction of power, having made them adequate to the modem requirements of the concert-room, without loss of those refined qualities to which we have referred. The firm has had since 1876 agencies in London. A. J. H. Since Wolff's death (1887), the direction has passed to his son-in-law, Gustave Frantz Lyon (b. Paris, Nov. 19, 1857), formerly a pupil of the Ecole Polytechnique. Amongst his inventions is the ' harpe eolienne,' adaptable to concert pianos ; tho ' pedale harmonique,' allowing a struck chord to vibrate a t will; various devices for controlling the tone of the piano, etc. He has also made other instru- > September according to F
POMPOSO
pompously,' is used by Schumann in the Humoreske, op. 20, for pianoforte. Handel had employed the term a century before in the first movement of the overture to ' Samson.' M.
POSTILLONS
' Symfonie allegro Postilions ' is Handel's autograph inscription to the piece of orchestral music which precedes the entry of the Wise Men in ' Belshazzar,' and begins as follows: g i I t is written for the strings, with oboes in unison ; no horn is employed; some of the later passages resemble those which can be played on the ordinary p os thorn; but there is nothing to say whether this was the origin of the indication, or whether it refers to the haste in which the Wise Men may be supposed to have arrived, or contains some allusion now lost. Bach, in his Capriccio describing the departure of his brother, has introduced an ' Aria di postiglione ' and a ' Fuga all' imitazione delle cornetta di Postiglione.' G.
PRELLEUR, PETER
was of French extraction, and in early life a 'writing-master. About 1728 he was elected organist of St. Alban's, Wood Street, and shortly afterwards engaged to play the harpsichord a t Goodman's Fields Theatre, which he continued to do until the suppression of the theatre under the Licensing Act in 1737, composing also the dances and occasional music. In 1730 he published The Modern Musick Master, or the Universal Musician, containing an introduction to singing, instructions for playing the flute, German flute, hautboy, violin and harpsichord, with a brief History of Music and a Musical Dictionary. In 1735 he was elected the first organist of Christ Church, Spitalfields. After the closing of Goodman's Fields Theatre he was engaged a t a newly opened place of entertainment in Leman Street close by, called the New Wells, for which he composed some songs, and an interlude entitled ' Baucis and Philemon,' containing a good overture and some pleasing songs and duets, the score of which he published. Fifteen hymn tunes by him were included in a collection of twenty-four published by one Moze, an organist, in 1758, under the title of ' Divine Melody,' in which he is spoken of as dead. v. h . h .