Part 8 (2/2)
New Acquaintances
Haydnthis visit, the onetti, the famous double-bass player, who had accompanied Banti, the eminent prima donna, to London in 1794 Banti had been discovered as a chanteuse in a Paris cafe, and afterwards attracted much notice by her fine voice both in Paris and London ”She is the first singer in Italy, and drinks a bottle of wine every day,” said one who knew her In her journeys through Germany, Austria and Italy she won many triumphs Haydn co at his benefit As for ”Old Drag,” the fauished bassist, his eccentricities must have provided Haydn with no little a Carlo with hi a strange weakness for dolls, he often carried one of them to the festivals as his wife!
On his way to Italy in 1798 Dragonetti visited Haydn in Vienna, and was hted with the score of ”The Creation,” just completed Several eminent violinists were in London at the tiuished of thee of fourscore, produced an oratorio at Ranelagh Gardens, and even played a concerto He had a perfectly volcanic temper, and hated Haydn as the devil is said to hate holy water ”I don't wish to see the Ger, when urged to pay him a visit
Haydn, as a rule, was kindly disposed to all brother artists, but to be called a dog was too ot even with hi”
The accounts preserved of Haydn's second visit to England are, as already remarked, far less full than those of the first visit
Unconnected iven by Griesinger and Dies; but they are of co the suood deal Thus, about the 26th of August, he paid a visit to Waverley Abbey, whose ”Annales Waverliensis” suggested to Scott the name of his first romance
The ruined condition of the venerable pile--it dates fro on the ”Protestant heresy” which led the ”rascal hold of his own religion”
Haydn at Bath
In the following month he spent three days in Bath with Dr Burney, and Rauzzini, the fa-place after a successful career of thirteen years as a singer and teacher in London Rauzzini is little more than a na hisbeauty of face and figure had drawn hilements which made it expedient for him to leave his native land
He was as fond of anionetti was of dolls, and had erected a arden to his ”best friend,” otherwise his dog
”Turk was a faithful dog and not a man,” ran the inscription, which reminds one of Schopenhauer's cynical observation that if it were not for the honest faces of dogs, we should forget the very existence of sincerity When Haydn read the inscription he immediately proceeded to make use of the words for a four-part canon It was presumably at this titon, the musician and author, who had removed to Bath in 1771, where he had founded the Hars to him in return for certainotherwise cryptic note of Clementi's, published for the first titon] having bestowed much praise on the second Dr [Haydn], the said second Dr, out of doctorial gratitude, returns the 1st Dr thanks for all favours recd, and praises in his turn the said 1st Dr ton's Compliments”
Opera Concerts
The co of October for the winter season's concerts These began, as before, in February, and were continued once a week up to the month of May This tiiven at the ”National School of Music”
in the new concert-roo's Theatre No fresh syh soraiven on May 21 and June 1, at both of which Haydn appeared; but the composer's last benefit concert was held on May 4 On this occasion the programme was entirely confined to his own compositions, with the exception of concertos by Viotti, the violinist, and Ferlendis, the oboist Banti sang the aria alreadybeen written expressly for her, but, according to the co, however, was that the concert proved a financial success, the net receipts aland,” said Haydn, ”that one can ”
Haydn did indeed remarkably well in London As Pohl says, ”he returned from it with increased powers, unlimited fame, and a competence for life By concerts, lessons, and syain h to relieve him from all anxiety as to the future He often said afterwards that it was not till he had been to England that he becah his reputation was high at hoe and liberal rely Courtesies
It is superfluous to say that Haydn was ashis second visit as he had been on the previous occasion
The attention bestowed on him in royal circles made that certain, for ”society” are sheep, and royalty is their bell-wether The Prince of Wales had rather a fancy for him, and commanded his attendance at Carlton House no fewer than twenty-six tirae III and Queen Caroline were present, and Haydn was presented to the King by the Prince ”You have written a great deal, Dr Haydn,” said the King ”Yes, sire,” was the reply; ”ood for me” ”Certainly not,”
rejoined His Majesty He was then presented to the Queen, and asked to sing so to the tip of his little finger, ”is now no bigger than that”; but he sat down to the pianoforte and sang his song, ”Ich bin der Verliebteste” He was repeatedly invited by the Queen to Buckinghaland ”You shall have a house at Windsor during the su, added, ”We can sometimes make music tete-a-tete” ”Oh! I aood, honourable Gerreatest pride”
Most of Haydn's appearances were anized for the entertainham Palace, and Haydn looked to be paid for his services Whether the King and the Prince expected hiive these services in return for the supposed honour they had conferred upon him does not appear
At all events, Haydn sent in a bill for 100 guineas sometime after his return to Vienna, and the amount was pro the other attentions bestowed upon him while in London,parrot Haydn took the bird with hiift followed him to Vienna A Leicester manufacturer named Gardiner--he wrote a book on The Music of Nature, and other works--sent his, into which oven the notes of the Austrian Hymn, ”My mother bids me bind my hair,” the Andante from the ”Surprise” Sys, as a wit has observed, must have come as a REAL surprise to Haydn It was this same Leicester manufacturer, we may remark parenthetically, who annotated the translation of Bombet's Life of Haydn, made by his fellonsman, Robert Brewin, in 1817
Haydn's return from London was hastened by the receipt of a communication from Esterhaz Prince Anton had been succeeded by his son Nicolaus, as as fond of music as the rest of his family, and desired to keep histhe su if the composer would care to retain his appointlad to assent; and now that his London engageer in England Accordingly he started for ho, Berlin and Dresden, and arriving at Vienna in the early days of September
Rohrau Reminiscences
Soon after his return he was surprised to receive an invitation to visit his native Rohrau When he arrived there he found that a monument, with a marble bust of himself, had been erected to his honour in a park near his birthplace This interestingthree stone steps, with an inscription on each side The visit was productive of s to Haydn He took his friends to see the old thatch-roofed cottage, and, pointing to the familiar stove, still in its place, an--a reminiscence of the now far-away time when he sat by his father's side and saay on his improvised fiddle