style="font-size:15px;"> 1836. Porphyria, Johannes Agricola, The King, and the lines “Still ailing wind” in James Lee published by Mr. W. J. Fox in his magazine The Monthly Repository.
1837. Strafford published.
1840. Sordello published.
1841-6. Bells and Pomegranates appeared.
1841. Pippa Passes published.
1842. King Victor and King Charles published. Dramatic Lyrics published.
1843. The Return of the Druses published. A Blot in the ’Scutcheon published.
1844. Colombe’s Birthday published.
1845. The Tomb at St. Praxed’s published in Hood’s Magazine, March. The Flight of the Duchess published. Dramatic Romances and Lyrics published.
1846. Lucia published. A Soul’s Tragedy published. Robert Browning married (34), Sept. 12th, at St. Mary-le-bone parish church our greatest poetess, Elizabeth Barrett, aged 37 (Dr. Furnivall).
1847. The Brownings resident in Florence.
1849. March 9th, Robert Wiedemann Barrett Browning born. Browning’s Poems published in two vols.
1850. Christmas-Eve and Easter-Day published.
1852. Browning writes the Introductory Essay to the Shelley (spurious) Letters.
1855. Men and Women published. The Brownings travel to Normandy.
1861. June 28th, Mrs. Browning died at Casa Guidi.
1863. The Poetical Works of Robert Browning published in three vols.
1864. Dramatis Personæ published.
1868. The Poetical Works published in six vols.
1868-9. The Ring and the Book published.
1871. Hervé Riel published in the Cornhill Magazine. Balaustion’s Adventure published. Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau published.
1872. Fifine at the Fair published.
1873. Red Cotton Night-Cap Country published.
1875. Aristophanes’ Apology published. The Inn Album published.
1876. Pacchiarotto published.
1877. The Agamemnon of Æschylus published.
1878. La Saisiaz published. The Two Poets of Croisic published.
1879. Dramatic Idyls published.
1880. Dramatic Idyls (Second Series) published.
1881. The Browning Society inaugurated, Oct. 28th.
1883. Jocoseria published.
1884. Ferishtah’s Fancies published.
1887. Parleyings with Certain People of Importance in their Day published.
1889. Asolando: Fancies and Facts, published. Robert Browning died in Venice, December 12th; buried in Westminster Abbey, December 31st.
BROWNING CYCLOPÆDIA
Abano, a town of Northern Italy, 6 miles S.W. of Padua, the birthplace of Pietro d’Abano (q. v.).
Abate, Paolo (or Paul), brother of Count Guido Franceschini. He was a priest residing in Rome. (Ring and the Book.)
Abbas I., surnamed The Great. See Shah Abbas.
Abd-el-Kader, a celebrated Algerian warrior, born in 1807, who in 1831 led the combined tribes in their attempt to resist the progress of the French in Algeria. He surrendered to the French in 1847, and was set at liberty by Louis Napoleon in 1852. (Through the Metidja to Abd-el-Kader.)
Abt Vogler. [The Man.] (Dramatis Personæ, 1864.) George Joseph Vogler, usually known as Abbé Vogler, or, as Mr. Browning has called him, Abt Vogler, was an organist and composer, and was born at Würzburg, June 15th, 1749. He was educated for the Church from his very early years, as is the custom with Catholics; but every opportunity was taken to develop his musical talents, which were so marked that at ten years old he could play the organ and the violin well. In 1769 he studied at Bamberg, removing thence in 1771 to Mannheim. In 1773 he was ordained priest in Rome, and was admitted to the famous Academy of Arcadia, was made a Knight of the Golden Spur, and was appointed protonotary and chamberlain to the Pope. He returned to Mannheim in 1775, and opened a School of Music. He published several works on music, composition, and the art of forming the voice. He was made chaplain and Kapellmeister at Mannheim, and about this time composed a Miserere. In 1779 Vogler went to Munich. In 1780 he composed an opera, The Merchant of Smyrna, a ballet, and a melodrama. In 1781 his opera Albert III. was produced at the Court Theatre of Munich. As it was not very favourably received, he resigned his posts of chaplain and choirmaster. He was severely criticised by German musical critics, and Mozart spoke of him with much bitterness. Having thus failed in his own country, he went to Paris, and in 1783 brought out his comic opera, La Kermesse. It was so great a failure that it was not possible to conclude the performance. He then travelled in Spain, Greece, and the East. In 1786 he returned to Europe, and went to Sweden, and was appointed Kapellmeister to the King. At Stockholm he founded his second School of Music, and became famous by his performances on an instrument which he had invented, called the “Orchestrion.” This is described by Mr. G. Grove as a very compact organ, in which four keyboards of five octaves each, and a pedal board of thirty-six keys, with swell complete, were packed into a cube of nine feet. In 1789 Vogler performed without success at Amsterdam. He then went with his organ to London, and gave a series of concerts at the Pantheon in January 1790. These proved eminently successful: Vogler realised over £1200, and made a name as an organist. He seems to have excelled in pedal playing, but it is not true that pedals were unknown in England until the Abbé introduced them. “His most popular pieces,” says the Encyclopædia Britannica, “were a fugue on themes from the ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’ composed after a visit to the Handel festival at Westminster Abbey, and on ‘A Musical Picture for the Organ,’ by Knecht, containing the imitation of a storm. In 1790 Vogler returned to Germany, and met with the most brilliant receptions at Coblentz and Frankfort, and at Esslingen was presented with the ‘wine of honour’ reserved usually for royal personages. At Mannheim, in 1791, his opera Castor and Pollux was performed, and became very popular. We find him henceforward travelling all over Europe. At Berlin he performed in 1800, at Vienna in 1804, and at Munich in 1806. Next year we find him at Darmstadt, accepting by the invitation of the Grand Duke Louis I. the post of Kapellmeister. He opened his third school of music at Darmstadt, one of his pupils being Weber, another Meyerbeer, a third Gänsbacher. The affection of these three young students for their master was ‘unbounded.’ He was indefatigable in the pursuit of his art to the last, genial, kind and pleasant to all; he lived for music, and died in harness, of apoplexy, at Darmstadt, May 6th, 1814.”
[The Poem.] The musician has been extemporising on his organ, and as the performance in its beauty and completeness impresses his mind with wonderful and mysterious imagery, he wishes it could be permanent.
