We already know that Mattheson disliked French singers, but he doesn’t spare the British either. Quoting chapter 9 in Der Vollkommene Capellmeister paragraph 13-14: ...Germans generally produce more basses and tenors but the Italians more altos and sopranos than all other regions: together with the more rugged climate and lifestyle also beer drinking contributes to this in the case of the Germans; but the Italians are the opposite in both respects, and in addition there is the frequent castration.

Thus it is also certain that for example in England there are not by a long shot as many well-trained voices, and in France everyone sings mroe out of the throat and not from the chest as in Italy, where the voices are more sonorous, clear, pure and expansive

Trying to research what areas of Greece the eight church modes came from I used Google Maps. But to my surprise, neither searching for geographic places nor getting details of Greek cities worked very well with Google Maps for Mac. I hope Google will aquire more detailed shots for cities outside the US and make searches available also for historic places such as for instance Troy, where according to Mattheson the Phrygians with their mode lived.