to take their side. But we cannot deny that there is such a thing as chance,
And in this instance it is plainly visible.
The Germans were not alone in developing the resources of instrumentation. The same tendencies were manifest in France and Italy. The conservatoires of Venice were devoting themselves to instrumental music, with successful results; the Italian virtuosi were everywhere famous, and the symphony had its birth in Milan. But symphonic music harmonised but ill with the Italian genius, which was essentially methodical, lucid and definite, a thing of clear outlines. At all events, to transform this genius and adapt it to the novel conditions would have necessitated an effort of which Italian music, overworked, exhausted and indolent, was no longer capable. In Italy the change would have meant a revolution. In Germany it meant evolution. Consequently the development of the orchestra assured Germany of victory, while it contributed to the decadence of Italian music. Burney complains that the Italian operatic orchestras had become too numerous and that their noise forced the singers to bawl. "All the chiaroscuro of music is lost; the half-tints and the background disappear; one hears only the noisy parts, which were intended to provide a foil for the rest." Consequently the Italian voices are being spoiled, and Italy is losing her prerogative of il bel canto, of which she was justly so proud. A useless sacrifice; for while renouncing her own inimitable qualities she cannot acquire qualities and a style which are alien to her.[1]
- ↑ Hasse and Metastasio, the last representatives of the pure Italian tradition, had foreseen this danger. Metastasio, in his conversations with Burney, complained forcibly of the progress of instrumental music in opera.
