fort Buildings, which he opened under the name of Sans Souci, and where he remained for four years. He then built for himself a small theatre on the east side of Leicester Place, which he opened under the same name in 1796. Towards the close of the last century Dibdin published a 'History of the Stage,' in live volumes, and in 1803 his 'Professional Life,' in four volumes. In 1805 he sold his theatre and retired from public life. In 1802 government granted him a pension of £200 per annum, but this being withdrawn on a change of ministry he was led to open a music shop in the Strand as a means of subsistence. The speculation, however, failed, and he became bankrupt. A subscription for his relief was opened in 1810, with part of which an annuity of £30 was purchased for himself, his wife and daughter successively. Subsequently his pension was restored to him. Towards the end of the year 1813 Dibdin was attacked by paralysis, and on July 25, 1814, he died at his residence in Arlington Street, Camden Town. He was buried in the cemetery belonging to the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, in Pratt Street, Camden Town, where there is a monument to his memory. Dibdin's two sons, Charles and Thomas, were well-known dramatists.
The following is a list of Dibdin's operas and other dramatic pieces. Of those marked thus * he was author as well as composer:—
*'The Shepherd's Artifce,' 1763; Love in the City' (part of the music), 1767; 'Damon and Phillida,' 'Lionel and Clarissa' (part of the music), and 'The Padlock,' 1768; 'The Maid the Mistress,' 'The Recruiting Sergeant,' 'The Ephesian Matron,' 'The Jubilee,' 'Queen Mab,' and 'The Captive.' 1769; 'Pigmy Revels.' 1770; 'The Wedding King,' and 'The Institution of the Garter,' 1771; *'The Ladle,' *'The Mischance,' 'The Brickdust Man,' *'The Widow of Abingdon,' and 'The Palace of Mirth,' 1772; 'A Christmas Tale,' 'The Trip to Portsmouth,' 'The Deserter' (partly selected from Monsigny and Philidor), and *'The Grenadier,' 1773; *'The Waterman,' and 'The Cobler,' 1774; *'The Quaker,' and 'The Two Misers,' 1775; *'The Seraglio,' 'The Blackamoor,' *'The Metamorphoses,' *'The Razor Grinder,' *'Yo, Yea, or, The Friendly Tars,' *'The Old Woman of Eighty,' *'The Mad Doctor,' *'She is mad for a Husband.' *'England against Italy.' *'The Fortune Hunter,' and *'All's not Gold that Glitters,' 1776; *'Poor Vulcan,' *'Rose and Colin,' *'The Wives Revenged.' *'Annette and Lubin,' and *'The Milkmaid,' 1778; 'Plymouth In an Uproar,' *'The Chelsea Pensioner.' *'The Mirror,' and 'The Touchstone,' 1779; *'The Shepherdess of the Alps,' *'Harlequin Freemason,' and *' The Islanders,' 1780; *'Jupiter and Alcmena,' 1781; *'None so blind as those who won't see,' 1782; *'The Barrier of Parnassus.' *'The Graces,' *'The Saloon,' *'Mandarina, or, The Refusal of Harlequin,' *'The Land of Simplicity,' *'The Passions,' *'The Statue,' *'Clump and Cudden,' *'The Benevolent Tar,' *'The Regions of Accomplishment,' *'The Lancashire Witches,' *'The Cestus,' *'Pandora,' *'The Long Odds,' and 'Harlequin the Phantom of a Day' (all for the Royal Circus), 1783 and 1784 ; *'Liberty Hall,' 1785; 'Harvest Home,' 1787; *'A Loyal Effusion.' 1797; and 'Hannah Hewett,' 1798.
His table entertainments were—
'The Whim of the Moment,' and 'The Oddities,' 1789; 'The Wags,' 1790; 'Private Theatricals,' 1791; 'The Quizzes,' 1792; 'Castles in the Air,' 1793; 'Great News,' 1794; 'Will of the Wisp,' and 'Christmas Gambols,' 1795; 'The General Election,' 1796; 'The Sphinx,' and Valentine's Day,' 1797; 'King and Queen,' 1798; 'A Tour to the Land's End,' and 'Tom Wilkins,' 1799; 'The Cake House,' 1800; 'A Frisk,' 1801; 'Most Votes,' 1802; 'New Year's Gifts,' 'Britons, strike home.' 'Heads and Tails.' ' The Frolic,' 'Datchet Mead,' 'The Professional Volunteers,' 'Rent Day,' and 'Commodore Pennant,' between 1802 and 1806.
Besides these Dibdin was author of 'The Gipsies,' a comic opera for which Dr. Arnold composed the music, 'The Harmonic Preceptor,' a didactic poem, 1804, 'The Musical Mentor,' 'Music Epitomised,' and a few novels and miscellaneous works.
[ W. H. H. ]
DIBDIN, Henry Edward, the youngest son of Charles Dibdin the younger, was born in the 'Dibdins' house,' Sadler's Wells, Sept. 8, 1813. He acquired his first knowledge of music from his eldest sister, Mary Anne, afterwards Mrs. Tonna, an excellent harpist, pupil of Challoner and Bochsa. He subsequently studied the harp under Bochsa, and also became proficient on the organ and violin. Early in 1833 Dibdin went to Edinburgh, where he established himself as a teacher. He died May 6, 1866. Dibdin composed a few psalm tunes and some pieces for the organ and pianoforte, but he is best known as the compiler of 'The Standard Psalm Tune Book,' the largest and most authentic collection of psalm tunes ever published, the contents being mainly derived from ancient psalters. Besides his attainments as a musician Dibdin possessed considerable skill as a painter and illuminator.
[ W. H. H. ]
DICKONS, Mrs., daughter of a gentleman named Poole, was born in London about 1770. Her musical talent was early developed. She became a pupil of Rauzzini, and in 1787 appeared at Vauxhall Gardens as a singer. Her progress was rapid, and she became engaged at the Concert of Ancient Music and other concerts. On Oct. 9, 1793, she made her appearance at Covent Garden Theatre as Ophelia in 'Hamlet.' She next sang in several of the principal towns of England, Scotland, and Ireland with great success. She was subsequently engaged at the King's Theatre, where she performed the Countess in Mozart's 'Nozze di Figaro' to the Susanna of Mme. Catalani. She afterwards sang at Drury Lane Theatre. In 1816 she was engaged at the Italian Opera at Paris. From thence she went to Italy. On her return to England she was again engaged at Covent Garden, where she appeared Oct. 13, 1818 as Rosina in Bishop's adaptation of Rossini's 'Barber of Seville.' In 22 she was compelled by ill health to relinquish her profession. She died May 4, 1833.
[ W. H. H. ]
DICTIONARIES OF MUSIC. The oldest known work of the kind is that of the learned Flemish musician Jean Tinctor, entitled 'Tenninorum musicae Diffinitorium,' 15 sheets, 4to, undated, but in all probability printed with the type of Gérard de Flandre, and published in 1474 [App. p.613 "see Tinctoris, vol iv. p.128 a"]. The original is extremely rare, but Forkel has reprinted it in his 'Allgemeine Litteratur der Musik,' and thus placed it within the reach of students. The 'Glossarium' of Du Cange also includes many musical terms and explanations useful to historians of music. Musical archaeologists will further do well to consult Ménage—whose 'Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue Françoise' appeared in 1650—and the 'Dictionnaire Universel' (Rotterdam, 1690) of Furetière, afterwards remodelled by Basnage (the Hague, 1701). These works are often overlooked, and the credit of having written the two oldest dictionaries of music is generally assigned to Janowka and the Abbé Sébastien de Brossard. The Bohemian organist wrote in Latin, and his 'Clavis ad thesaurum magnae artis musicae' (Prague, 1701) was unknown to Brossard when he published his 'Dictionnaire de Musique' (Ballard, Paris 1703).
