und. The
inventor could easily have known (for that he did not require any
special experience) that sicknesses act upon men in a manner not less
gentle. By the exercise of patience, pain can at length be conquered,
although the soul, so intimately combined with the body, must feel it
not a little. But when the soul is attacked by sickness, patience
always gives way; for bodily, cannot in any way be compared with
mental, suffering. Inner anguish shows itself in restless gestures.
Scripture takes us into a lazaretto of such afflicted persons. Among
others, we meet with a royal and singular patient. Saul is his name.
Of him we read: "The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and he was
vexed by an evil spirit from the Lord." Where God is absent, and the
Evil One present, there must dwell all manner of evil. The hateful
aspect of this man in his paroxysms of pain can readily be imagined.
His eyes turn the wrong way, and sparks of fire, so to speak, dart out
one after the other; his face is so disfigured, that human features
can scarce be recognised; his heart casts forth, as it were, a wild,
stormy sea of foam. Distrust, jealousy, envy, hatred, and fear burst
forth from him. Especially does the javelin, constantly flying from
his hand, show that his heart rages fiercely with anger. To sum up:
his soul-sickness is so great that the marks of hellish tortures can
be clearly traced. At lucid intervals (_lucidis intervallis_) or quiet
hours, the tortured king realises his indescribable evil; and he
therefore seeks after a man who can cure him. But under such
extraordinary circumstances can help be hoped for? From human arts,
Saul could not expect any salvation. But God sometimes works wonders
among men. So he sends to him a noble musician, the excellent David,
and puts uncommon power into his harp-playing. For when Saul, so to
speak, is sweating in the hot bath of sadness, and David plays only
one little piece, the king is at once refreshed, and brought into a
state of repose.

Thus the sonata represents--

1. Saul's sadness and madness.

2. David's refreshing harp-playing, and

3. Tranquillity restored to the king's mind.

CHAPTER III

BERNARDO PASQUINI: A CONTEMPORARY OF J. KUHNAU

In the year 1637 was born at Massa de Valnevola (Tuscany) Bernardo
Pasquini,[48] who is said to have been one of the most distinguished
performers on the organ and also the harpsichord. He studied under
Loreto Vittori and Antonio