BABBI, (Gregoeio) a celebrated tenor singer at the opera at Lisbon, in 1755.

BABBI, (C.) chamber-musician to the elector of Saxony, at Dresden, where he published some instrumental music about the year 1780. He was a pupil on the violin of Paul Alberghi.

BABBINI, (Matteo) a celebrated tenor singer of the Bolognese school: he performed at the opera in London, in 1785.

BABELL, (William) an organist in London. His first essay on composition was to make the favourite airs in the operas of “Pyrrhus and Demetrius,” “Hydaspes,” and some others, into lessons for the harpsichord. After that he did the same by Handel's opera of “Rinaldo,” arid succeeded so well in the attempt, as to make from it a book of lessons, which (by the way) few would play but himself, but which has long been deservedly celebrated. He also composed twelve solos for the violin, or hautboy, twelve solos for the German flute and hautboy, and some concertos for small flutes and violins, and some other works enumerated in Walsh's Catalogue. Babell died a young man, about the year 1722, having shortened his days by intemperance. It seems the fame of Babell's abilities had reached Hamburgh, for Mattheson says he was a pupil of Handel; but in this he is mistaken, for Handel disdained to teach his art to any but princes.

BABTICOCCHI published, in 1786, some sonatas in London.

BACCHIUS, Senior, a great musician, lived probably in the second century. He wrote an introduction to music, which was translated into Latin, and published at Amsterdam, in 1652.

BACCI (Pieteo Giacomo) was born at Perugia, a town in the Roman states, towards the middle of the seventeenth century.