'Ri.ivn'! \'i ,:m ' 
 
MUSIC LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University Library 
 ML 410.M89A9 
 
 Recent music and musicians ;as described 
 
 3 1924 022 202 992 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022202992 
 
Recent Music and Musicians 
 
 As Described in the Diaries and Correspondence 
 
 OF 
 
 ignXtz moscheles 
 
 EDITED BY HIS WIFE 
 AND ADAPTED FROM THE ORIGINAL GERMAN BY 
 
 ^. D" COLERIDGE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 
 
 1873 
 
THIS VOLUME 
 
 (adapted from the GERMAN) 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
 
 TO 
 
 SIR JOHN DUKE COLERIDGE, 
 
 ATTORNEY-GENERAD OF ENGLAND, 
 
 HIMSELF A LOVER OF MUSIC, 
 
 AND ON MANY OCCASIONS 
 ITS ELOQUENT ADVOCATE AND SUPPORTER. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE reader will find in the following pages a truthful 
 record of the life and works of Moscheles, as also 
 a chronicle of the musical history of his time ; for from 
 the year 1814 up to the date of his death, he rarely omit- 
 ted to enter in his diary reflections, more or less minute, 
 on events that interested him. These entries, supple- 
 mented by letters from Moscheles and his wife to relatives 
 and friends, are the groundwork of this Biography. Mos- 
 cheles frequently expressed a wish that his art experi- 
 ences, ranging over a period of nearly sixty years, as well 
 as his relations to his musical contemporaries, should be 
 published after his death. During his lifetime he entrust 
 ed to his wife the task of remodelling these notes, making 
 many additions with his own hand. 
 
 It was his habit to communicate and explain to hei 
 his opinions and views on all subjects, so that she has 
 been able to retain in her memory much that was not 
 committed to writing. He hoped, in case she should sur- 
 vive him, by these means to have prepared her for carry- 
 ing out his favorite object. The wish of a dear one taken 
 from us is sacred, far above all personal feelings and petty 
 considerations ; the editor therefore, although not with- 
 
vi PREFACE. .. 
 
 out diffidence, undertakes the arduous task as a duty be- 
 queathed to her. Others might perhaps have done the 
 work better, none with such reverential love. 
 
 May this book faithfully and impartially represent to 
 the art-world Moscheles as an artist, and may it recall to 
 his friends the picture of a friend. 
 
 Charlotte Moscheles. 
 
N^ O T B. 
 
 My best thanks are due to Felix Moscheles, Esq., not 
 only for the advice and generous assistance he has given 
 me in the revision of the following pages, but for much 
 specific information gathered from his father's manuscripts 
 and valuable collection of autographs, both musical and 
 literary. Among these are such miscellaneous treasures 
 as sketch-books of Beethoven, manuscript music of Sebas- 
 tian Bach, Mozart, Weber, and Mendelssohn, and a cor- 
 respondence, as yet unpublished, between Moscheles and 
 Mendelssohn. 
 
 For the versions of the two poems by Heine and Cas- 
 telli, I am indebted to my friend, that distinguished schol- 
 ar and humorist, Charles Steuart Calverly, Esq. 
 
 A. D. Coleridge. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 1794—1814. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Early Recollections — Musical Instinct — Too Quiclc for his Music- 
 master — Indiscreet Friends — Beethoven Fever — A Pupil of 
 Dionys Weber — A Candid Opinion — On the Wrong Road — 
 Tomaschek — First Visit to the Opera House — Death of Mos- 
 cheles' Father — -First Appearance in Public — Vienna — The 
 Baroness Eskeles — Curious Attestatupi — Beethoven — Salieri. i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 1814— 1816. 
 
 Moscheles' Diary — Meyerbeer — Beethoven — Celebration of the 
 Liberation of Germany — Compositions — Sonata Melanchol- 
 ique — Pupils — Habits of Study — Artistic Circle — Connection 
 vifith Beethoven — Congress of Verona — Imperial Festivities — 
 Musical Entertainments — The Countess Hardegg — Alexander 
 Variations — Amusing Incident — Visit to Prague — The Lud- 
 lamshShle — Moscheles and Hummel — Karlsbad — Schumann. 8 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 1816— 1821. 
 
 Impressions of I^eipzig — Conversation with Beethoven — Schicht 
 — Professor Schulze — Gewandhaus Concerts — Classig's 
 Coffee-House — Moscheles' Concert — Concert at Altenburg — 
 Dresden— Spontini's " Vestalin" at the Opera — Introduction 
 to the Artistic World— Goethe and Music— Anecdote of 
 Haydn — Performance before the Court — Intrigues of Polledro 
 — Munich — Excursion to Holland — Musical Life in Brussels 
 — Paris — Spohr ... . . 18 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 1821. 
 
 PACE 
 
 Baron Poifer6 de CSre — Spohr — Gall the Phrenologist — Diary of 
 a Day — Concert at the Theatre Favart — Soirees with Lafont 
 — Concerts Spirituels — A Curious Bet — An Evening at Ciceri's 
 — The Theatres of Paris — Christening of the Duke of Bor- 
 dea'ux — Mistaken for a Courier — London — A Learned 
 Waiter — Musical Celebrities — Her Majesty's Theatre — 
 Braham — Soirees and Concerts — ^Visit to Kalkbrenner — The 
 Erards — August Leo 26 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 1822. 
 
 Malzel's Metronome — New Work by Beethoven — Mile. Mock 
 (Madame Pleyel) — Concert at Rouen — London — Cramer's 
 Concert — A New Work of Moscheles — Broadwood's Pianos — 
 F. Cramer — London Rehearsals — Bochsa the Harp-player — 
 Monster Programme — Fashionable Soirees — Concert for the 
 Poor Irish — Excursion to Brighton — At Home in England . 41 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 1823. 
 
 Visit to Bath — Lady Pupils — Quid pro Quo — Oratorio Concerts — 
 Unflagging Industry — Musical Engraving — Conductors and 
 Leaders — Artistic Jealousies — English Amateurs — The 
 Charity Children at St. Paul's — Musical Prodigies — F. Hiller, 
 Schaiiroth, Malibran — Sir George Smart — Visit to Germany 
 — An ■ Adventure — Nights in the Birnbeck-Kneipe — Re- 
 hearsals of Weber's "Euryanthe" at Vienna — ^Visit to 
 Beethoven — Saleri in the Hospital - . . 48 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1824. 
 
 Prague — Inauguration of the Redoutensaal — Reception by the 
 
 Emperor — Series of Concerts — Respect for his Old Master 
 
 Dresden — Artistic Society — Tieck — C. M. von Weber Pei^ 
 
 formance before the Court — Leipzig — Distinguished Critics 
 and Artists — Berlin — Relations to the Mendelssohn Family 
 — Frau Varnhagen von Ense (Rahel) — Felix Mendelssohn — 
 Zelter — Potsdam — Magdeburg 61 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 1825. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Hanover — The Duke of Cambridge — Hamburg — Marriage to 
 Charlotte Embden — Paris — Intercourse with Distinguished 
 Men — Reception in London — Mori's Monster Concerts — 
 Sebastian Erard's Invention — Advantage of Numbering Con- 
 cert Tickets — Habits of Study— Sir Michael Costa— Sundays 
 with the Clementis— The CoUards— Holiday Excursions and 
 Concerts — A Liverpool Rehearsal — The Christmas Waits , . 69 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1826. 
 
 Stormy Voyage to Ireland — Impressions of Dublin — Reception at 
 the Castle — Return to London — Musical Activity— C. M. von 
 Weber — " Der Freyschutz" at Covent Garden — Improvisa- 
 tion — Rehearsal of " Oberon" — Braham's Benefit — Caprice 
 of the " Gods"— Weber's Concert— Death of Weber- Thal- 
 berg — ^Visit to Germany — Sontag — Felix Mendelssohn — ^Art 
 and Artists in Berlin . . , 76 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 1827. 
 
 Tour in Germany — Spohr — Elector of Hesse-Cassel — ^Musical 
 Pupils — Tyrolese Singers — Escape from a Difficulty — Liszt — 
 Letters from Beethoven — His Melancholy Condition — Cor- 
 respondence with Schindler and Rau — Beethoven's Relatives 
 — Carl van Beethoven — Generous Assistance of the London 
 Philharmonic Society — Death of Beethoven — Stars in London 
 — Dinner to Clementi — Heine the Poet 91 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1828. 
 
 Edinburgh — Curious Architecture — Sir Walter Scott — A Delight- 
 ful Visit — Highlanders and the Bagpipes — Scott's Apprecia- 
 tion of German Literature — Contribution to Moscheles' 
 Album — Scotch Church Service — Visits to the Lions of 
 Edinburgh — Spurzheim the Phrenologist — Life of a Musician 
 in London — Mademoiselle Sontag— Peter Pixis — Fete at 
 Vauxhall — Scott and the Prima Donna— Mademoiselle Mar? 134 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 1829. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Moscheles' Productions — Fugitive Pieces — Expense of Private 
 Concerts — Domestic Sorrows — Visit of Felix Mendelssohn- 
 Bartholdy — The Clievalier Neukomm — A Cinque-Cento of 
 Vocalists — De Beriot — " Troubadours" and " Bohemian 
 Brothers" — Artists' Concerts — Power of the Italian Opera — 
 Laporte — Handel's " Acis and Galatea"— Visit to Hamburg 
 — Reminiscences of a Tour in Denmark and Sweden . . . 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1830--1831. 
 
 An Accident — Hummel — Madame Malibran — Music in England 
 — Failure of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony — Erard's Pianos 
 — Henry Litolft — Neukomm — Philharmonic Concerts — First 
 Railway Journey — Operatic Celebrities — Field's Return to 
 London — Paganini — Prodigies from the Continent — Visits of 
 Intimate Friends — The Reform Agitation — A Musical 
 Festival — Celebration of Christmas 161 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1832. 
 
 Moscheles as an Orchestral Writer — Death of Clementi — German 
 Opera in London — The Italian Opera — " Robert le Diable" — 
 Centenary of Haydn's Birth — The Elder Mathews — Pianists 
 and Prime Donne— :-Literary and Artistic Friends — Mendels- 
 sohn's " Lieder ohne Worte" — Art-Congress — Anecdote of 
 Schr6der — Moscheles' Birthday — Paganini — Visit to Berlin — 
 Intercourse with the Mendelssohns — Leipzig and Weimar — 
 Souvenir of Goethe — At the Pavilion, Brighton — Beethoven's 
 " Messe Solennelle" . . 174 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 1833- 
 
 Concerts in the North of England — Birth of a Son — Congratula- 
 tory Letter from Felix Mendelssohn — John Parry— Herz — 
 Handel's " Messiah" — Pasta — .Madame Malibran — Chopin's 
 " Studies" — Mendelssohn in London — Illness of Mendels- 
 sohn's Father — Coleridge — Moore— Lockhart — ^Seaside Music 
 — Lessons given during the Year 187 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 '1834. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Stars of the Italian Opera — Grisi, Rubini, and Tamburini— De 
 Vrugt— Vieuxtemps— Lady Violin-players— Festival in West- 
 minster Abbey— Distribution of the Chorus— Comparison of 
 the two Festivals in 17S4-1834— Solo-singers— Tenors and 
 Sopranos— " Israel in Egypt"— The "Messiah" — Demeanor 
 of the Audience — Festival at Birmingham — Overture to "Joan 
 of Arc" — Byron's " Manfred" at Covent Garden 201 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 1835. 
 
 " Trial Night" of the Philharmonic Society — An Unmannerly 
 Nobleman— LitolfPs Compositions — Berlioz' " Symphonie 
 Fantastique" — Musical Pains and Pleasures — Julius Bene- 
 dict — Cramer's Retirement— Visit to Germany — Leipzig — In- 
 tercourse with Musical Artists — Felix Mendelssohn — Letters 
 to Madame Moscheles — Concert — Berlin — A Family Fete — 
 Musical Absurdities — A Painful Affair — Death of Mendels- 
 sohn's Father — Holland and Belgium 208 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 1836. 
 
 Letters from Members of the Mendelssohn Family — Braham at 
 St. James's Theatre — Malibran — Thalberg — De Beriot — John 
 Parry — The Duke of Brunswick's Bouquet — Death of Mali- 
 bran — Ole Bull — Holiday Occupations — Felix Mendelssohn's 
 Betrothal — The Oratorio of " St. Paul" at Liverpool — Thal- 
 berg's Compositions — Schumann — Account with Cramer and 
 Co. — Twelve Characteristic Studies 222 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 1837- 
 
 Recitals for Pianoforte Music — Production of Beethoven's Ninth 
 Symphony — An old Harpsichord — Revival of Old Masters — 
 British Concerts— Popularity of Italian Music and Musicians 
 — Thalberg's Second. Season in London — Foreign Guests — 
 Assaut de' Pianos — Chopin — Remarks on Pianoforte Makers 
 — Schroder-Devrient — Operatic Affairs — The Antient Con- 
 certs — The Beethoven Monument in Bonn — Holidays in 
 Hamburg — Return to London ... . 236 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 1838. ■ 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Historical Concerts — The Trial Nights at the Philhannonic Con- 
 certs — Musical Pupils and Publishers — Influx of Foreign Art- 
 ists — Johann Strauss's Music — Alfred de Vigny — Lady Mor- 
 gan — Great Event of the Season — A Month at Hastings — 
 Beethoven — Chamber Music — Flattering offer from Weimar 245 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 1839. 
 
 Ferdinand David — Successful Concert — Composers and Publish- 
 ers — -Bernhard Romberg — -Musical Novelties — Prince Louis 
 Napoleon — A New School of Playing — Paris — Chopin — Mu- 
 sical Entertainments — Impressions of Artists — Aime Martin 
 — Cremieux — Rachel — Plays, Operas, Actors, and Singers — 
 Performance before the Court of St. Cloud — Chamber Music 
 — Musical Education — Mendelssohn — Adams the Organist . 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 1840. 
 
 Letter to a Friend — Sir Gardner Wilkinson — Appointed Pianist 
 to Prince Albert — Literary and Artistic Acquaintanpes — Liszt 
 — Political Questions — Mendelssohn at Birmingham — Visit 
 to Germany — Correspondence — Intercourse vfith Artists at 
 Leipzig — Chorley — Prague — Moscheles' Mother — Reception 
 at Concerts — Dionys Weber — ^Auf Wiedersehen — A Hit at 
 Thiers — Works on Music — Letter from Mendelssohn . . . 263 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 1841. 
 
 The Philharmonic Society — Moscheles as Conductor — Gener- 
 osity of Liszt — The Kemble Family — Madame Viardot — Ger- 
 man and Italian Artists — Mendelssohn's "Lieder ohne Worte" 
 — Mendelssohn and Spohr — Rachel — Thorough Bass — Piano- 
 forte Practice — Some Weeks in Boulogne — Musical Publica- 
 tions 280 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 1842. 
 
 The Bunsen, Family — Performance before the King of Prussia — A 
 
CONTENTS. XV 
 
 Trying Time — Correspondence with Madame Moscheles — 
 Rossini's " Stabat Mater" — Conversation with Neukomra — 
 Family Trials — Rehearsal of Spohr's Symphony — Anton 
 Rubinstein — Dedication of a Work to Prince Albert — Presen- 
 tation to the Prince — Great Fire at Hamburg — -Concert in aid 
 of the Sufiferers — ^Jullien's Concerts 286 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 1843- 
 
 Operatic Arrangements — ^John Parry — Mrs. Shaw and Clara No- 
 vello at Exeter Hall — Halle the Pianist — Inauguration of the 
 Leipzig Conservatoire — ^Alexander Dreyschock — Sivori and 
 Ernst — Spohr in London — Concert by HuUah's Pupils — ■ 
 Anecdote of Fontenelle — Music aiid Drawing — Heinrich 
 Lehmann — Playing to the Blind in Paris— Visit to Halevy in 
 Prison . 293 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 1844. 
 
 New Year in Austria and England — Joachim — Teaching the 
 Theory of Music — Mendelssohn in London — Golden Hours 
 — Moscheles Visited by Nesselrode — Visit to Germany — Con- 
 cert at Frankfort — Chairs for the Concert — Auerbach — Kaul- 
 bach — The Artis?s Studio — King Louis — Musical Life and 
 Doings in Vienna — Ernst Pauer — An Imposing Scene in Vi- 
 enna — Court Concert^Leipzig 299 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 1845- 
 
 Dresden — Intercourse with Musical Artists — The Leipzig Con- 
 servatoire — Proposed Appointment — Berlin — The Opera 
 House — ^Jenny Lind — Article in a German Paper, and Reply 
 — Bach's " Concertos" — Foreign Artists in London — Beet- 
 hoven as a Conductor — Bonn — Musical Festival — Meyerbeer, 
 Liszt, Chorley, Spohr — Inauguration of Beethoven's Statue — 
 Tumultuous Banquet at the " Stern" — Paris 309 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. " 
 
 1846. 
 
 Leipzig Negotiations — The Appointment Accepted — Benedict's 
 " Crusaders" — Farewell Concert — Marriage of Moscheles' eld- 
 
xvi CONTENTS. 
 
 FAGS 
 
 est Daughter — Birmingham Musical Festival — Mendelssohn's 
 " Elijah" — Remarkable Episode — Farewell to London — 
 Reception in Leipzig — Professors of the Conservatoire — 
 Congratulatory Dinner — Attraction at Leipzig — Evening 
 v^^ith the Mendelssohns — Examination of Candidates for 
 the Conservatoire 321 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 1847. 
 
 Life and Society in Leipzig — Mendelssohn's Birthday — A For- 
 getful Artist — Chopin's Mu?ic — Visit to London — Musical 
 Notes — Jenny Lind — Meeting of Artists — ^Julius Rietz — 
 Walks with Mendelssohn — Mendelssohn and Queen Victoria 
 — Madame Frege — Illness and Death of Mendelssohn — Ex- 
 citement in Leipzig — Funeral Ceremony in Leipzig and in 
 Berlin — Mendelssohn's Correspondence . 331 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 1848— 1849. 
 
 Commemorations of Mendelssohn — Concert in Aid of a Pension 
 Fund — Performance of the " Elijah" — Political Agitation — 
 Prague and Vienna — Nestroy the Actor in Leipzig — Change 
 in Musical Taste — The Volunteer Guards — Anniversary of 
 Mendelssohn's Death — A Mendelssohn Foundation — Mark 
 of Royal Favor — Schumann — Mendelssohn's "Athalie" — Mad- 
 ame Dulcker. — Lindley — Liszt's Playing — ^Visit to Prague — 
 Musical Events . . ... 347 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 1850 — 1851. 
 
 Moscheles and his Pupils — Schumann's " Genoveva" — Performance 
 of some of Mendelssohn's -Works — Visit to Berlin — The Sil- 
 ver Wedding — Paul David — Brendel — A Musical Quarrel — 
 Bach Society — Joachim — Political Agitation in Germany 
 — Occasional Criticisms — Pianoforte Players — Beethoven's 
 " Mount of Olives" — Lohengrin — Summer Excursion — Re- 
 ception in Weimar — David — Ferdinand Killer 358 
 
 ' CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 1852. 
 
 Madame Sontag — The Bach Society — St. Matthew's Passion — 
 
CONTENTS. xvii 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Otto Goldschmidt — Complaints, about the Conservatoire — 
 Mosclieles and his Pupils — Silencing a Troublesome Neigh- 
 bor — The Tannhauser — Berlioz's Music — Moschelesas Play- 
 er and Lecturer — Modern Pianist — A Magnificent Gift — ^Vaca- 
 tion in Saxon Switzerland 368 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 1853. 
 
 The New Erard — The Bach Society — Franz Von Holstein — Visit 
 to Italy — ^Scene in a Church of the Tyrol — Zither and Vocal 
 Concert — Residence at Venice — A Musical Adventure — Carl 
 Werner — Serenade per Canale — Festa di San Rocco — Milan 
 — The Musical Conservatoire — Fumagalli — The Teatro Rad- 
 egonda — Lake of Como — Visit to Pasta — Zurich — A Musical 
 Treasure — Liszt — Dr. Reclam — Braham's Compositions . . 374 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 1854— 1855. 
 
 Madame Lind-Goldschmidt — Fritz Gernsheim — Musical Critics 
 — Abortive Works — Asiatic Music — David — ^Music of the Fu- 
 ture — Schindler and P'erdinand Hiller — Summer Holidays — 
 Munich — The Theatre — Fraulein Seebach — Evening at the 
 Schaffrath — Ranch — Pianos in the Exhibition — Egern — Ru- 
 binstein — Arabella Goddard — Public Appearances — Mendels- 
 sohn's " Reformation Symphony" 383 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 1856— 1860. 
 
 Centenary of Mozart's Birth — Programme of the Concert — Julius 
 Stockhausen — Ernst Pauer — Birds of Passage — Behr's Bene- 
 fit — Louis Brassin — A Charming Present — Max Bruch — Ar- 
 thur Sullivan — Jubilee of the Prague Conservatoire — Visit to 
 Antwerp — Concours de Chant at Brussels — Schiller Festival — 
 Intercourse with Liszt — Visit to Paris — Rossini 391 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 1861— 1870. 
 
 Ovation to Concertmeister David — Sebastian Bach's Preludes — 
 Visit to London — Mazzini — The Goldschmidts — Modern Mu- 
 sic — Gounod's "Faust" — A Musical Treasure — K6rner — An- 
 
xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 niversary of the Battle of Leipzig — War Between Austria and 
 ■ Prussia — Handel Festival in London — Wagner's " Meister- 
 Sanger" — Visit to Belgrade — Illness — Strange Dream — Death 
 of Moscheles . 407 
 
 A Complete Catalogue of Compositions by I. Moscheles . 421 
 Index of Names mentioned throughout the Work .... 429 
 
RECENT 
 
 Music and Musicians. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 1794— 1814. 
 
 Early Recollections — Musical Instinct — Too Quick for his Music- 
 Master — Indiscreet Friends — Beethoven Fever — A Pupil of Dionys 
 Weber — A Candid Opinion — On the Wrong Road — Tomaschek — 
 First Visit to the Opera-House — Death of Moscheles' Fathei — 
 First Appearance in Public — Vienna— The Baroness Eskeles — 
 Curious Attestatum — Beethoven — Salieri. 
 
 THE time of life preceding the period when Moscheles 
 began to keep a diary (1814) has been described by 
 him in the following memoranda, which are here given 
 verbatim : 
 
 " I was bom at Prague on the 30th of May, 1794, so 
 that my memory carries me back as far as the beginning of 
 the century. In those days I heard the great French Rev- 
 olution and all its horrors constantly discussed. Military 
 instincts were uppermost, even in the minds of boys, and 
 there was no end to the playing at soldiers. When the 
 military band performed parade music in front of the guard- 
 house, I was seldom absent. The bandsmen got little boys 
 to hold their music for them, and I was always at hand to 
 undertake the duty. Coming home all 'Ttithusiasm from 
 these street concerts, I used to say, ' I too will be a mu- 
 sician' (Spielmann). My mother was kindness, love, and 
 affection itself ; she was constantly attentive to the wants 
 of her husband and her five children. The marriage was a 
 happy one. My father, a cloth-merchant by trade, found 
 
2 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 leisure, with all his business, to keep up his music, which 
 he loved devotedly. He played the guitar, and sang as 
 well. I owe to him my first impulses towards a musical 
 career, for he used constantly to say, ' One of my children 
 must become a thoroughbred musician ' — words which 
 made me desire that I might be that one child. My father, 
 however, began with my eldest sister. During her piano- 
 forte lessons, I used to stand, mouth and ears wide open, 
 by the upper C (the extreme limit of the little instrument), 
 watching how my sister worked her way through the little 
 pieces, which she never thoroughly mastered. When by 
 myself I had tried to spell out these same pieces, it seemed 
 to me anything but a difficult matter. My sister's clumsy 
 playing was trying to my temper, and on one occasion I 
 forgot myself so far as to call out, ' Dear me, how stupid ! 
 I could do it better myself.' Zadrakha, the old master, 
 chuckled incredulously, but allowed me nevertheless to 
 jump up on the music-stool and play instead of my sister. 
 His report to my father must have been a favorable one, 
 for a few days afterwards I was suddenly informed that a 
 trial should be made with me instead of my sister. 
 
 "Who in the world could be happier than I? The 
 pianoforte lessons were started at once, and I made rapid 
 progress — too rapid perhaps for the old music-master, to 
 whose dreary, monotonous exercises I was not disposed to 
 submit. I subscribed out of my own pocket-money to a 
 circulating music-library, and took away as many as half a 
 dozen pieces at a time — pieces by Kozeluch, Eberl, Pleyel, 
 and others, which I scampered through. Whether my 
 master took umbrage at this proceeding, or was dismissed 
 by ray father, I know not ; anyhow he left off teaching me. 
 
 " Our friends thought they were doing my father and 
 myself a service by taking me occasionally with them to 
 the houses of neighbors and acquaintance, where my per- 
 formances, miserable as they must have been, caused me 
 to be petted and 'admired as an infant prodigy. Naturally, 
 I enjoyed all the compliments, kisses, and all kinds of 
 endearments heaped on me by the ladies. My father, 
 however, soon put a stop to this mischief, by reprimanding 
 my indiscreet friends. He argued rightly that such prac- 
 tices were not calculated to advance me. The more the 
 
MUSICAL INSTINCT. , 
 
 musical instinct stirred within me, the more gentle and 
 tender was his treatment ; but many a time did I get into 
 trouble when I presumed to slink away from the piano and 
 the odious finger-exercises, to make scabbards, helmets, 
 and other pasteboard armor, to distribute among my troop. 
 After all, I had my duties as a Captain, and felt myself 
 bound to furnish my men with new equipments. 
 
 "Meanwhile I had advanced, under my new musical, 
 teacher Horzelsky, to the study of more important pieces, 
 which did not however prevent my regularly attending 
 school. Although but seven years old, I actually ventured 
 upon Beethoven's Sonate Pathetique. Imagine if you can 
 how I played it ; imagine also the Beethoven fever, to 
 which I fell a victim in those days — a fever which goaded 
 me on to mangle the other great works of the immortal 
 - author. 
 
 " My father put a check to this mischief by taking me 
 one day to Dionys Weber. 'I come,' he said, 'to you, as 
 our first musician, for sincere truth instead of empty flattery. 
 I want to find out if my boy has such genuine talent that 
 you can make a really good musician of him.' Naturally, 
 I was called on to play, and I was bungler enough to do 
 it with some conceit. My^ mother having decked me out 
 in my Sunday best, I played my best piece, Beethoven's 
 Sonate Pathetique. But what was my astonishment on 
 finding that I was neither interrupted by bravos nor over- 
 whelmed with praise ; and what were my feelings when 
 Dionys Weber finally delivered himself thus: 'Candidly 
 speaking, the boy is on the wrong road, for he makes a 
 hash of great works, which he does not understand, and to 
 which he is utterly unequal. But he has talent, and I 
 could make something of him if you would hand him over 
 to me for three years, and follow out my plan to the letter. 
 The first year he must play nothing but Mozart, the second 
 dementi, and the third Bach ; but only that — not a note as 
 yet of Beethoven, and if he persists in using the circulating 
 libraries, I have done with him for ever.' 
 
 " My father agreed to all these terms, and on my way 
 home I received many a golden precept on the subject of 
 my studies, which were now to be begun in sobei earnest. 
 I was told that if I went through them conscientiously and 
 
4 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 thoroughl)', I should bring credit to myself, my father, and 
 all the family. Gladly would I have resigned this remote 
 prospect for ray beloved Beethoven, and the constant varied 
 enjoyments of my circulating library. But as it was, I had 
 been expelled from Paradise, and must begin to toil in the 
 sweat of my brow. My father, who generally came himself 
 to fetch me home after lessons, questioned Weber very 
 •closely on the subject of my progress, and if the report was 
 thoroughly satisfactory, I was invariably rewarded with a 
 visit to the confectioner's. 
 
 "Weber and his contemporary Tomaschek were op- 
 posed to one another — the former representing the Ger- 
 man, and the latter the Italian school. ' Who on earth is 
 there, excepting Mozart, Clementi, and Bach ? ' said Weber. 
 ' A pack of crazy, hare-brained fools, who turn the heads 
 of our young people. Beethoven, clever as he is, writes a' 
 lot of hare-brained stuff, and leads pupils astray.' He 
 would dwell however with enthusiasm on the beauties of 
 Mozart, rejoice in the original intricacies and combinations 
 of Bach, and interpret them by dint of his vast theoretical 
 knowledge. His own compositions were not successful. 
 Not a publisher could be found for them ; they were litho- 
 graphed at his own expense, and lay piled up in his study. 
 When he began to take delight in my progress, he made 
 me play his music in his presence at the houses of Count 
 Clam-Gallas and Schlick, but without much success. Then, 
 as in later years at Vienna, my efforts failed to make his 
 works popular. Tomaschek held a very different art creed. 
 His compositions however equally failed to make their way. 
 
 " One day when Weber had given my father repeated 
 assurances that I should do something in the world, I was 
 rewarded by being taken for the first time to the theatre. 
 The opera was that of ' Achilles,' by Paer ; it was a new 
 work, and I was particularly delighted with the funeral 
 march. When I came home, I played it correctly from 
 beginning to end, and drew tears from my dear father's 
 eyes. A visit to the Opera House, which was now and 
 then allowed to me, was a source of tie greatest enjoyment. 
 Would to God I could have kept for years my excellent and 
 judicious father! He was taken from us suddenly by typhus 
 fever, and, as a boy of fourteen years of age, I stood weeping 
 
DEA TH OF MOSCHELES' FA THER. 5 
 
 by the side of the coffin. Time has soothed my sorrow, but 
 never chilled my gratitude and love. His wish, repeated 
 over and over again during his illness, to hear my first com- 
 position, was destined never to be fiilfilled ; but his death, 
 and the not too affluent circumstances in which he left his 
 family, were the reasons of my first public appearance in 
 Prague. Dionys Weber's opinion being that I ought to 
 rely solely on myself, and was quite able to do so, he allow- 
 ed me to finish the concerto which I had been working at, 
 and then to give a musical soiree, where I was much ap- 
 plauded and earned something for my pains. My mother 
 was greatly comforted by this event, but an old uncle 
 declared I was on the road to ruin, and would end by 
 playing at dancing parties ; that if I bad taken to business 
 I might have had the good fortune to find my way to the 
 wealthy city of Hamburg, and who could say I might not 
 have married the daughter of some great merchant ! Well, 
 I did not become a ' beer-fiddler,' as the good old man used 
 to call me, and 1 never got a place in a merchant's office. 
 The second half of his wish, however, was realized in after- 
 years : I went to Hamburg, and married a Hamburg lady. 
 
 " A short time after the death of my father, my mother 
 sent her young musician to Vienna. It cost her a struggle, 
 but she yielded to the advice of her friends. At Vienna I 
 was to continue my studies, and earn my own bread and 
 independence. I remember with gratitude the hearty wel- 
 come and kind attentions I received in the family circles of 
 Lewinger and Eskeles, and in the house of the Italian Ar- 
 taria, who afterwards published my first compositions. A 
 relation of the Baroness Eskeles gave large musical parties, 
 in which I was allowed to take a part. The daughter of the 
 house was a pupil of Streicher, and a warm supporter of 
 his school. Both master and pupil fancied they alone were 
 genuine and correct pianoforte players. The lady advised 
 me to listen frequently to her daughter's playing, and at 
 the same time to take lessons of Streicher. The first half 
 of this advice seemed to me arrogant on her part, and to 
 follow the latter would have been ungrateful. I owed so 
 much to ray old friend Dionys Weber. Should I now, as a 
 deserter, serve under another flag ? No, I determined to 
 build for the future only on the groundwork he had con- 
 
6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 structed with such infinite pains. I would hear and exam- 
 ine everything, and appropriate all that was good according 
 to my best ability, but I would remain his grateful pupil to 
 the last." 
 
 Moscheles did not fail to keep up his connection with 
 Streicher, and gladly acknowledged himself indebted to him 
 for many hints, although he would not bind himself down 
 to copy his style of playing. He was a constant attendant 
 at the musical evenings given by the best connoisseurs, 
 with whom the society at Vienna in those days abounded. 
 Many of the Viennese ladies had been admirably taught, 
 and the youthful Moscheles modestly admitted their superi- 
 ority in delicacy of touch and expression, and soon learned 
 to appropriate these qualities. At the same time he became 
 a laborious student of the theory of music under the Dom- 
 Kapellmeister Albrechtsberger, who on parting gave him 
 the following curiously worded testimonial : — 
 
 " Attestatum. 
 " The undersigned testifies that Ignatz Moscheles has 
 for some months acquired under me such a good knowledge 
 of thorough Bass and Counterpoint that he is capable (as 
 he plays in a masterly way on the pianoforte and organ as 
 well) of earning his bread anywhere with both these arts. 
 And as he now wishes to set out on his travels, I think it 
 only fair to warmly recommend him in all places he may 
 choose to visit. 
 
 " Vienna, 28th September, 1808. 
 " Georgius Albrechtsberger, 
 (Seal) " Kapellmeister in der 
 
 " Domkirche zu St. Stephan." 
 
 " As a matter of course," Moscheles continues, " the 
 great Beethoven was the object of my deepest veneration. 
 Having so exalted an opinion of him, I could not under- 
 stand how the Viennese ladies just mentioned had the 
 courage to invite him to listen to their musical perform- 
 ances, and play his compositions in his presence. He 
 must have liked it, however, for at that period he was fre- 
 quently to be met with at these evening ente~tainments. 
 His unfortunate deafness might have made him leluctant to 
 
SALIERI. 7 
 
 perform on fhe piano, so that he entrusted these ladies with 
 the first playing of his new compositions. But how aston- 
 ished I was one day when calling upon Hofkapellmeister 
 Salieri, who was not at home, to see on his table a sheet of 
 paper on which was written, in large, bold characters, ' The 
 pupil Beethoven has been here.' That set me thinking. 
 What ! a Beethoven acknowledges he has yet to learn of a 
 Salieri ! How much more then do I stand in need of his 
 teaching ! Salieri had been the pupil and most fervent ad- 
 mirer of Gluck, but it was well known that he would not ac- 
 knowledge Mozart's works. Notwithstanding this, I went 
 to him, became his pupil, was his deputy Kapellmeister at 
 the Opera for three years, and received as such a free pass 
 to all the theatres. Those were happy and busy days in 
 dear old Vienna ! " 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 1814— 1816. 
 
 Moscheles' Diary — Meyerbeer — Beethoven— Celebration of the Liber- 
 ation of Germany — Compositions — Senate Melancoliqiie — Pupils 
 — Habits of study — Artistic circle — Connection with Beethoven — 
 Congress of Verona — Imperial Festivities — Musical Entertain- 
 ments — The Countess Hardegg — Alexander Variations — Amusing 
 Incident — Visit to Prague — The Ludlamshohle — Moscheles and 
 Hummel— Karlsbad — Schumann. 
 
 THE diary, which begins on the ist of April, 1814, opens 
 to us a life full of cheerful activity. The youth, just 
 turned twenty, is dependent entirely on his own exertions, 
 and earns at artistic reunions, or at public performances his 
 first laurels as an executant as well as a composer. 
 
 On the 8th of April he hears for the first time Meyerbeer, 
 who plays a rondo of his own composition. We quote from 
 the diary : — " Thoroughly convinced of his masterly playing, 
 I was still curious to see what effect it would have on a 
 mixed audience, and remarked that even those passages 
 which possibly were not understood, caused great astonish- 
 ment — chiefly on account of the mastery shown in overcom- 
 ing great difficulties." 
 
 On the loth of April Moscheles' diary mentions the 
 great enthusiasm which the intelligence of the taking of 
 Paris produced at Vienna ; how the populace, in great ex- 
 citement, marched through the streets, singing national 
 songs. 
 
 "April II. — At a matinee in the ' Romischen Kaiser,' I 
 heard a new trio by Beethoven. It was no less than the 
 Trio in B flat, and Beethoven himself played the pianoforte 
 part. In how many compositions do we find the little word 
 'new' wrongly placed ! But never in Beethoven's composi- 
 tions ; least of all in this work, which is full of originality. 
 His playing, apart from the spirit prevailing in it, satisfied 
 me less, for it lacks clearness and precision ; still I observed 
 
COMPOSITIONS. Q 
 
 several traces of the grand style of playing which I had long 
 since recognized in his compositions." 
 
 The great event, the liberation of Germany, was vibra- 
 ting in the hearts of even the light-minded Viennese, and 
 not only their poets, but their musicians also, vied with each 
 other in celebrating the event. Spohr wrote his " Befreites 
 Deutschland ; " Hummel celebrated the return of the 
 Kaiser ; Moscheles wrote the "Entry into Paris," and after- 
 wards a sonata entitled " The Return of the Kaiser." The 
 Jewish congregation at Vienna, to which he at that time be- 
 longed, commissioned him to write for the occasion a can- 
 tata, which was performed very impressively and then re-ar- 
 ranged for the pupils of the famous Guntz Institute, who 
 played it before the foreign princes. He also wrote six 
 Scherzos, " Variations on a Theme by Handel ; " his Rondo 
 for Four Hands in A ; minuets and trios ; Austrian Landler, 
 for Artaria's Collection of National Dances ; the Polonaise 
 in E flat ; a Sonata for Pianoforte and Violin ; another for 
 Piano and Bassoon, and lastly, the subject of the " Sonate 
 Melancolique" — thought by himself and competent judges 
 to be one of his best works. The diary proves that this 
 subject, which occurred to him while giving a lesson, was 
 worked out with particular pleasure. Pupils, and those of 
 the highest rank, had become so numerous that he was 
 obliged to refuse any addition to their number. The diary 
 shows that invitations never interfered with his studies, since 
 he tried to make up for lost time by composing during the 
 small hours of the night. In spite of this, by 7 a. m. the 
 day's work was begun with the study of English and both 
 pianoforte and violin exercises. That he judged himself 
 severely is shown by such notes as these : — 
 
 "To-day I was much applauded, especially by Count 
 P., who was quite enthusiastic ; but I was not satisfied with 
 myself" And again, "The company was enchanted; but 
 I was not. I must do much better than that." And once 
 again, " I was not to be talked over into playing, for I 
 should not have done anything worth hearing to-day, and 
 always see cause to repent, when I have been inveigled to 
 the piano against my inclination." 
 
 The unceremonious artistic circle of the family of L., 
 at Dornbach, near Vienna, where Salieri, Meyerbeer, Hum- 
 
lO RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 mel, and others were to be met with, is described by Mos- 
 cheles as particularly congenial to his tastes. " On delight- 
 ful summer evenings walks were taken, tableaux arranged, 
 all sorts of musical trifles composed and performed on the 
 spot." 
 
 At this period he came into closer connection with 
 Beethoven. " The proposal is made to me," he writes, '" to 
 arrange the great master-piece, 'Fidelio,' for the piano. 
 What can be more delightful.''" 
 
 We now come across constant short notices in the 
 diary ; for instance, he tells how he has taken two numbers 
 at one time to Beethoven, then again two others; next 
 come occasional notes — such as, "he altered little," or "he 
 altered nothing," " he simplified " such and such a passage, 
 or " he strengthened it." 
 
 Again : " When I came early in the morning to Beet- 
 hoven, he was still lying in bed ; he happened to be in 
 remarkably good spirits, jumped up immediately, and placed 
 himself, just as he was, at the window looking out on the 
 Schottenbastei, with the view of examining the ' Fidelio' 
 numbers which I had arranged. Naturally, a crowd of 
 street boys collected under the window, when he roared 
 out, 'Now what do these confounded boys want.'' I 
 laughed, and pointed to his own figure. 'Yes, yes ; you are 
 quite right,' he said, and hastily put on a dressing-gown. 
 
 "When we came to the last grand duet, ' Namenlose 
 Freude,' and I had written the words of the text — ' Ret- 
 terin des Gat-ten,' he struck them out and altered them to 
 'Rett-erin des Gatt-en;' 'for no one,' said he, can sing 
 upon t' Under the last number I had written ' Fine mit 
 Gottes Hillfe' (the end with the help of God). He was not 
 at home when I brought it him ; and on returning my 
 manuscript, the words were added, ' O, Mensch, hilf dir 
 selber' (Oh, man, help thyself)." 
 
 We read on the agth November: "at Beethoven's con- 
 cert at noon, in the large Redoutensaal. He gave his 
 glorious Symphony in A major, the Cantata ' Der glorreiche 
 Augenblick,' and the ' Battle of Vittoria.' Everything was 
 worthy of him." 
 
 In winter Moscheles is commissioned to write the 
 Carrousel music, to be performed in the presence of the 
 
IMPERIAL FESTIVITIES. 1 1 
 
 foreign princes. He writes : " The Riding School was 
 brilliantly illuminated, and mediaeval decorations had trans- 
 formed it into a kind of arena. Twenty-four knights in 
 armor did their part admirably, and their ladies were in 
 splendid costume. I never saw such a fine pageant." 
 Whenever he visits the classical quartet performances of 
 the Schuppanzig party, he praises the admirable execution, 
 especially of Beethoven's quartets ; observing on one of 
 these occasions, " How could Spohr speak against Beet- 
 hoven and his imitators ?" 
 
 During the great Congress at Vienna we find Moscheles 
 and his young friends eagerly joining the enthusiastic crowd 
 which surrounds the royal family of Austria, to welcome 
 the Kings' of Wiirtemberg, Denmark, Prussia, and lastly, 
 the Emperor of Russia. The Hiller regiment plays a 
 march composed by Moscheles. The Burgplatz, the 
 Imperial family at the window, the foreign princes below, 
 everybody and everything en fete, the theatre in the evening, 
 and the brilliant illuminations excite his admiration. 
 
 A few days later he describes a grand Court Ball in 
 the Riding School, "changed into a garden, and the illumi- 
 nations brilliant as daylight. Our own Emperor personally 
 superintended the arrangements for the comfort of his dis- 
 tinguished visitors. I saw everything and everybody, and 
 remained there until three o'clock in the morning." 
 
 Again : " St. Stephen's tower in a blaze of fire-works at 
 the people's f Jte in the Augarten was most beautiful ; the 
 artistic rainbow, the imitations of the Brandenburg Gate, 
 and the column constructed of French cannon left in 
 Russia, well worth seeing. The 'Vestalin,' by Spontini ; 
 Rossini's ' Mose,' and 'Jean de Paris,' as well as Handel's 
 oratorio of ' Samson ' were performed before the Princes." 
 " Handel's ' Samson ! ' " exclaims Moscheles, with youthful 
 enthusiasm, " which always strengthens and elevates my 
 soul ! The first time I heard it, I was in ecstasies of 
 delight ; since then I have heard every rehearsal and per- 
 formance of this masterpiece, and always found myself 
 refreshed anew." 
 
 Many youthful pranks were played, and many practical 
 jokes devised with his artistic colleagues Merck and 
 Giuliani, the poets Castelli and Campani, and other jovial 
 
12 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 fellows. The intercourse with Meyerbeer materially bene- 
 fited the artistic development of Moscheles, who constantly 
 played to and with him and never tired of admiring him. 
 He repeatedly says, " His bravura playing is unparalleled — 
 it cannot be surpassed. I admire his own original manner 
 of treating the instrument." 
 
 For hours together they sat extemporizing and impro- 
 vising on one piano ; hence arose the " Invitation to a 
 Bowl of Punch," and other duets. It was a hard matter 
 for Moscheles to part from his friend, when the latter pre- 
 pared to leave Vienna. Meyerbeer was at that time in his 
 transition period. He began to apply himself to dramatic 
 music, wrote an operetta for Berlin, and soon afterwards 
 went to Paris, where he steadily pursued his career as a 
 great dramatic composer. 
 
 The new year opens as busily as its predecessor had 
 closed. The most important event in this new year, and 
 the most momentous in its consequences, was Moscheles' 
 visit to the Countess Hardegg. 
 
 " She sent for me," he says, " to ask me if I was willing 
 to play at a concert on Ash Wednesday for the charitable 
 institutions of Vienna. I was not very eager in the matter, 
 because I had no new compositions, but she was not to be 
 denied. ' Write something, Moscheles, as quickly as you 
 can, and let it be brilliant,' she said. 'Yes, but what?' I 
 replied. After much deliberation it was settled that I was 
 to write variations upon the march played by the regiment 
 bearing the name of the Emperor Alexander of Russia." 
 
 He began writing the variations on the 29th of January, 
 and finished them on the 5th of February. These are the 
 famous Alexander Variations, of which it was said for many 
 years that Moscheles alone could play them, and which 
 won for him, both at Vienna and elsewhere on his artistic 
 tours, his high reputation as a bravura player. There were 
 certain parts in this composition which (twenty years later) 
 sent a thrill of enthusiasni through the audience ; nay, 
 when he would have been glad "to lock them away in some 
 dark corner " — so that his " youthful effort," as he called 
 it, might be entirely forgotten — they were still rapturously 
 called for, and those who had heard him play them in his 
 youth would have him repeal them in his more mature age. 
 
ALEXANDER VARIATIONS. 13 
 
 _ In the diary of the 8th of February we read : — " To-day 
 being Ash Wednesday, I had a rehearsal of my Alexander 
 variations at the Kiirtnerthor Theatre ; they went very well 
 with the orchestra, and were much applauded. In the 
 evening I played them at the concert given by the committee 
 01 noble ladies for the benefit of charitable institutions ; all 
 the Allied Princes were present. The variations were un- 
 expectedly well received — they seemed to be the piece best 
 appreciated during the evening." 
 
 A concert given jointly with Hummel follows ; the art- 
 loving Grand-Duchess of Weimar, who is present, cordially 
 invites him to come to Weimar. " 1 am most proud," he 
 *rites, " at Salieri's attending the concert and being satis- 
 fied with my performance." .Another note speaks of Mos- 
 cheles' devotion to this master. " My beloved master, 
 Salieri, is in great danger; he is suffering from inflamma- 
 tion on the lungs. God grant that his illness may take a 
 favorable turn ! " After several days of anxiety he is allowed 
 to see him, but not to speak to him, and then follow ex- 
 pressions of joy at his recovery. 
 
 An amusing incident occurs on the 7th of May. The 
 friends had taken a walk to Modling (near Vienna), Mos- 
 cheles had off-hand arranged the picnic music, and says, " To 
 set every one going, I took the sticks out of the drummer's 
 hands and thundered and flourished, while the violins twit- 
 tered, the clarionets doodled, the trumpets clanged, and the 
 bassoon growled. It was a wonderful ensemble." 
 
 His cheerful mood does not always predominate. Mos- 
 cheles confides to his diary that, " not being up to the mark, I 
 preferred leaving the company." Again we meet with this 
 remark, " Played and pleased others, not myself" Then he 
 works all the more industriously, and is cheered by the con- 
 sciousness of uninterrupted progress and an almost in 
 variably unclouded intercourse with his friends. 
 
 He is busy composing his Polonaise in E flat major, 
 which became afterwards the last movement of the concert 
 in the same key ; but at the rehearsal he complains of the 
 three discordant drums (in E flat, B flat, and C flat,), and 
 this complaint is repeated at nearly every performance, even 
 in later years ; so that at last, in the year 1832, when Mendels- 
 sohn makes a humorous illustrated sketch of Moscheles' works, 
 
14 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 he writes underneath, " Respect, sie sind eingestimmt ! " 
 (" All honor to them. They are in tune ! ") Scarcely is 
 the Polonaise finished, when he begins his Sestet. In after 
 years he used to tell of his great anxiety at that time to 
 write something in the style of Hummel's Septet. But he 
 always winds up with the admission, " My ambition resulted 
 in a light youthful effort, not to be compared with Hummel's 
 work." 
 
 On one occasion at Dornbach a pelting storm drives a 
 whole party, Moscheles included, to seek shelter in the 
 house, and he is asked to play to the company, to compensate 
 them for the loss of the walk. " I improvised," he said, 
 " but in conjunction with the elements ; for with every flash 
 of lightning I brought my playing to a pause, which allowed 
 the thunder to make itself lieard independently." During the 
 autumn his mother spends a fortnight with him ; he devotes 
 himself to her entirely, and after she leaves, we find him 
 resuming his studies and his frequent attendance at the 
 theatres. He also looks for incentives in the sister arts. 
 Speaking, in the diary, of Oehlenschlager's " Correggio," he 
 says : " I find so many beautiful things in it with reference 
 to painters and painting, that I applied it all to my own art, 
 to impress it indelibly on my mind." There are interest- 
 ing notices interweaved in his diary at this period with ref- 
 erence to serenades (" Nacht-musiken ") practiced at this 
 time. Count Palffy gave six of them this winter in the 
 Botanical Gardens. The performers, besides Moscheles, 
 were Mayseder, Merck, Giuliani, and Hummel. At the first 
 series, the Empress Marie Louise, the Archdukes Rainer 
 and Rudolf, etc. etc., were present, and the programme con- 
 tains an arrangement of the overture to " Fidelio " (the chief 
 parts by Moscheles and Mayseder) ; Sonata for piano and 
 horn by Beethoven (Moscheles and Radezki) ; Polonaise by 
 Mayseder ; Rondo by Hummel, with quartet accompani- 
 ment played by Moscheles. In the intervals there were 
 jovial " Jodler," echoing merrily through the gardens, and a 
 .still fnore jovial supper. The other five Serenades, as well 
 as one for the Empress Marie Louise, and half a dozen for 
 the name-days of private people, were not less interesting. 
 
 The first incident worthy of record in this new year 
 (1816) is a journey to his native town, Prague, where he 
 
MOSCHELES AND HUMMEL. 
 
 15 
 
 gave a concert for the poor, the proceeds of which amounted 
 to 2400 florins. At Pesth he met with his usual success. 
 Old friends and new gathered around him, the Batthyany 
 and other noble families invited him to their country seats, 
 and he was never weary of praising the artistic taste and 
 hospitality of this circle. Scarcely had he returned to Vien- 
 na when he resumed his former pursuits. In those days he 
 was a constant guest at the Ludlamshohle, an artists' tavern, 
 where poets, painters, musicians, and actors used to meet 
 to spend an hour in unrestrained conviviality, and wit and 
 wine were the order of the evening. Every member had his 
 nickname ; and these Moscheles took as the words of a 
 chorus composed for his jovial comrades. Often in after- 
 years he fondly recalled the happy hours spent in this cir- 
 cle. 
 
 Meanwhile Moscheles had, by dint of study and obser- 
 vation of the strong points of others, steadily improved in 
 finish and execution, so that two camps were formed — the 
 one preferring Hummel, the other Moscheles. Trustworthy 
 contemporaries are of opinion that Hummel's legato play- 
 ing had not at that time been attained to by Moscheles ; 
 Hummel's touch, they said, was soft as velvet, his running 
 passages perfect as a string of peaHs ; whereas Moscheles, 
 with his dashing bravura and youthful enthusiasm, carried 
 away his hearers with irresistible force. There was no kind 
 of personal rivalry between the two artists themselves. We 
 have seen how Moscheles preferred Hummel's Septet to his 
 own composition of the same kind. In return Hummel 
 gave Moscheles tokens of the most sincere acknowledgment, 
 such as entrusting him with a favorite pupil when obliged 
 himself to be absent from Vienna. Moscheles mentions 
 his intercourse with several other artists, among them 
 Reichardt and Czerny, of whom he says : " No one under- 
 stood better how to strengthen the weakest- fingers, or to 
 lighten study by practical exercises, without neglecting to 
 form the taste." While recognizing the merits of others, he 
 cannot forbear saying, " We musicians, whatever we may be, 
 are mere satellites of the great Beethoven, the dazzling lu- 
 minary." 
 
 Moscheles produced about this time his grand Sonata in 
 E flat, for two performers, dedicated to the Archduke Rudolf 
 
l6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS^ 
 
 of Austria, who played it in musician-like style at first sight 
 with him. One concert follows another. Moscheles' repu- 
 tation is rising, but, in spite of the homage paid him, he 
 never relaxes, but energetically devotes himself to his regu- 
 lar studies. His friends urge him to try his fortune in the 
 wide world ; he at first opposes their views. No wonder ! 
 He felt so perfectly happy in his beloved Vienna, as a fa- 
 vorite of the public and the centre of a large circle of friends. 
 His influential patrons and patronesses however prevail 
 upon him to set out on longer artistic travels, and remove 
 all obstacles attending such a plan. We next find him at 
 Prague, and read, " How delightful it is once more to be 
 with mother and sisters ! What pleasure it gives me to play 
 before them ; no one listens as they do." And again, 
 " To-day my sisters and I had some of our old childish fun — 
 a regular game of romps ; I think mother liked it." He 
 had to play to his truly respected teacher, Dionys Weber, to 
 artists and friends, one and all of whom were surprised and 
 delighted with his progress. Every family which had 
 known him as a boy, and set hopeful store on his future, 
 gave him a hearty reception. Success followed success ; 
 merry adventures and pleasant excursions are recorded, and 
 Moscheles accepts an invitation of Count Wallis to pass the 
 summer with him and his family at Karlsbad. This cele- 
 brated watering-place was just then the resort of princes 
 and. nobles, famous statesmen and artists. Besides King 
 William iii. of Prussia, there were Hardenberg and Gneis- 
 enau, Wittgenstein, Rostopschin, and others. The Prus- 
 sian, Austrian, and Russian nobility vied with each other 
 in the magnificence of their entertainments, and a happy- 
 fusion of .the various ranks proved that the great folk were 
 glad to associate with the artists and make music with them. 
 The Russian Baroness Lunin sang extremely well, and 
 Prince Galitzin, who had devoted himself to composition, 
 wrote for her romances which Moscheles revised and ac- 
 companied. Moscheles created quite a furore with his Al- 
 exander variations and fantasias ; such attentions were lav- 
 ished on him that years afterwards he would eulogize the 
 favors shown him in that artistic circle, and contrast them 
 with the coolness and indifference of " now-a-days." 
 
 It was in Karlsbad that the young Robert Schumann 
 
SCHUMANN. 
 
 17 
 
 heard Moscheles for the first time, and lasting were the im- 
 pressions there produced. Many years later, when Mos- 
 cheles dedicated to Schumann the Sonata (op. 121) for 
 pianoforte and violoncello, he received from him the follow- 
 ing letter : — "I am honored and delighted by the dedication 
 of your Sonata, and I regard it as an encouragement to my 
 own aspirations, in which you took a friendly interest from 
 early days. When I, completely unknown to you, kept for 
 more than twenty years at Karlsbad, as a relic, a concert 
 programme which had been yours, how little I dreamt of 
 being honored in this way by so illustrious a master ! Ac- 
 cept my sincerest thanks for your kindness." 
 
 An excursion was made from Karlsbad to Eger. Mos- 
 cheles saw the house in which Wallenstein was murdered, 
 the old fortress with its massive pillars, and lastly the 
 Mordgasschen, " Murderer's Lane," where, in the days of 
 darkness, all the Jews, except the family of Seligsberg, 
 whose descendants still inhabited the same spot, were 
 cruelly put to death. A visit to Franzensbrunn and Maria- 
 kulm, and another short stay at Karlsbad, concluded this 
 successful tour. 
 
 Meanwhile the Countess Hardegg and other influential 
 admirers had prepared his grand tour for hira on his return 
 to Vienna, by providing hira with letters of recommendation 
 to every Court he might visit, to every diplomatic or art- 
 loving celebrity, as well as to the " haute finance." These 
 letters were something more than ordinary introductions : 
 the young man was warmly and earnestly recommended, 
 his talents and general bearing placed in the most favorable 
 light, and his successes described as accomplished facts. 
 In those days letters of recommendation had their real 
 value, and this partly explains the social as well as artistic 
 success that almost invariably attended Moscheles. In the 
 first instance confidence inspired by those who had recom- 
 mended him, was followed by pleasure in his artistic per- 
 formances. To this must be added the charm of modest, 
 unassuming manners, which made the stranger a welcome 
 guest, then a friend— not for months, or even years, but for 
 life itself. Let us now follow him upon his wanderings, 
 which were the means of carrying his name far and wide, 
 and investing it with a European celebrity. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 1816— 1821. 
 
 Impressions of Leipzig — Conversation with Beethoven — Schicht — Pro- 
 fessor Schulze — Gewandhaus Concerts — Classig's Coffee-house— 
 Moscheles' Concert — Concert at Altenburg — Dresden — Spontini's 
 " Ves'talin" at the Opera — Introduction to the Artistic World — 
 Goethe and Music — Anecdote of Haydn — Performance before the 
 Court — Intrigues of Polledro — Munich — Excursion to Holland — 
 Musical Life in Brussels — Paris — Spohr. 
 
 IN the autumn of 1816 Moscheles bid a sorrowful adieu 
 to the beautiful Imperial city, and went to Leipzig by 
 way of Prague. He travelled in a so-called " Hauderer," 
 a most tedious and cumbersome vehicle, and many ejacula- 
 tions of impatience did it draw from him, which neither 
 books, nor the dumb row of keys he carried with him, in 
 order to keep his fingers exercised, at least technically, 
 availed to moderate. At last he reaches Leipzig. - He 
 says : — ■" Anxious to see the place, I hastened to the prome- 
 nades, the ancient market-place, and thence went to the 
 theatre. The students, with their unseemly noise, their 
 furious thumping on the ground with sticks when impatiently 
 calling for the piece to proceed,, astonished me, the orderly 
 Austrian. I was destined to be further annoyed. The per- 
 formance was a parody upon Ktinstler's ' Erdenwallen,' in 
 which the author, Julius Voss, in biting satire, speaks of all 
 those who had come to the Leipzig fair with some show or 
 other to .make money. Was that a hit at me? I quickly 
 laughed away the notion, and thoroughly enjoyed my sup- 
 per in the ' Joachimsthal.' " Some pages further on we 
 find frequent notices of the crowds in the streets, the 
 foreign costumes, the Polish Jews in the Briihl, and the 
 overcrowded public places. He says afterwards : — " The 
 first concert I heard in Leipzig was given by Mile. Sessi ; 
 the overture was played very steadily. I must make special 
 note of the contrabasso-player Wach, because, with his 
 
PSOFESSOJi SCHULZE. 
 
 19 
 
 force and energy, he seemed to keep the whole orchestra 
 together." And "again a few days afterwards we read: — 
 " To-day I was with Schicht, the Cantor of the Thomas 
 Schule. We had a long conversation about art and artists, 
 and he gave me the full benefit of his opinions on Beet- 
 hoven.- Among other things he affirmed that 'the Mount 
 of Olives' was not written in the oratorio style, and told the 
 story that when Beethoven had sent the work to the 
 publisher, the latter had thought it right to omit the chorus, 
 'Welchen Weg fliehen wir ? " (' Ah, whither shall we fly ? ') 
 Beethoven was very indignant, condemned such conduct as 
 arbitrary, and wrote a very strong letter to the publishers. 
 Schicht seemed to think this curious, whereupon I clearly 
 set before him the proper point of view. 
 
 " At the house of Schulze, Professor of Music, I heard 
 several choruses and motets without accompaniment, ad- 
 mirably executed by his pupils, and these performances 
 were in the presence of Zelter, the severe critic, who hap- 
 pened to be at Leipzig at the time. I heard also in the 
 Thomas Church eight part motets and fugues sung with 
 much force and precision by pupils under the directorship 
 of my friend Cantor Schicht." 
 
 On the 6th of October the Gewandhaus concerts began. 
 Moscheles attended of course. Some interest may attach 
 to a programme of those days ; we therefore copy it from 
 the diary : — 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Symphony . . . Mozart. 
 
 Aria .... Madame Sessi. 
 
 Pianoforte Concerto, written and played by Zeuner of St. 
 
 Petersburg. 
 
 Duet . . Madame Sessi and Herr Bergmann. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Overture . . Andrew Romberg. 
 
 Aria . . . Wild. 
 
 Cavatina, with Guitar. 
 
 Lied, " Vergissmeinnicht." 
 
 Swiss Rondo ... By Zenner. 
 
 Finale. A chorus from Winter's " Power of Music." 
 
20 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Moscheles finds life in Leipzig extremely pleasant. 
 At Classig's coffee-house he falls in " daily with the most 
 delightful company," hears "arrangements of the best sym- 
 phonies, overtures, and operas, with an almost complete 
 orchestra, that plays admirably." But the mediaeval cus- 
 tom of closing the city gates at dusk (Thorsperre), now 
 abolished, and being admitted only on payment of some 
 few groschen, frequently troubles him when he is returning 
 from visiting the Wiecks (the parents of the famous Clara 
 Schumann). 
 
 His own concert was to be given on the 8th of October. 
 " I was in great excitement," he says. " My pressing busi- 
 ness began as early as seven o'clock in the morning. In 
 accordance with the local custom, I paid the cashier before- 
 hand a bill receipted by the committee, charging sixty-six 
 thalers, twelve neugroschen, for the room and lights. The 
 rehearsal began at nine a. m. My overture to the ballet, 
 ' Die Portraits,' was admirably performed at the first lead- 
 ing, but the orchestra wished to rehearse it again, and then 
 it exceeded my expectations. I cannot sufficiently praise 
 the horns and trombones, but beyond all the admirable 
 violin of Matthai, the leader. The small audience collected 
 in the room was unanimous in applauding me, and the Al- 
 exander variations allured many of the orchestral players 
 away from their desks towards the piano, where they could 
 watch the execution of the difficult passages. In spite of 
 this success, my nervousness was so overpowering, in ex- 
 pectation of the evening, that I could not swallow a morsel. 
 In the afternoon I found my instrument in the concert- 
 room, well tuned and in good order, when I felt its pulse ; 
 my own was anything but quiet. At five o'clock the room 
 was opened and lighted. Everything looked grand and 
 impressive, and half an hour afterwards some ladies ele- 
 gantly dressed arrived, so as to secure good places. It is 
 not easy to imagine a handsomer room, or one better fitted 
 for its |3urpose. I also found the seats arranged in a very 
 practical manner, and one which was quite new to me. At 
 half-past six, after I had swallowed a cup of tea with a drop 
 of rum in it, I gave the signal for the concert to begin, and 
 was received with applause on ray appearance — a distinction 
 not given to every one in this place. My overture, owing 
 
CONCER T AT AL TENB URG. 2 1 
 
 to the hearty co-operation of every one, surpassea tny ex- 
 pectations. The public was so enthusiastic and unanimous 
 in its applause, that I look back to this evening as one of 
 the brightest and happiest of my life. A chorus by Schicht 
 followed. My Polonaise, which was shown to the best 
 advantage by the delicate accompaniment of three drums, 
 all admirably tuned, will probably never be more effective- 
 ly performed than here, or secure me more genuine ap- 
 plause. Between the parts the directors warmly congratu- 
 lated me. 
 
 In the second part we had Romberg's Capriccio for 
 Violin, played by Matthai ; the Alexander Variations, re- 
 peated with the same enthusiastic applause ; a Hymn by 
 Mozart ; then a pause of a few moments, after which I began 
 my Improvisation. The public, feeling more and more 
 interested, came nearer to me, and ended by regularly hem- 
 ming me in, so that I became the centre of a great and 
 admiring circle." 
 
 Such a success, on such difBcult ground, was as surprising 
 as it was encouraging to Moscheles. 
 
 It was the universal wish that a second concert should 
 §oon follow, and the 14th of October was the day fixed on. 
 " I had intended to-day," says the diary, " to introduce no 
 extraneous subject into my Improvisation, when coming to a 
 pause, the melody, " Das klinget so herrlich " (Zauberflute) 
 involuntarily forced itself upon me. Two rounds of applause 
 rewarded my treatment of this subject." 
 
 Next morning Moscheles gave a dfejefiner to artists and 
 amateurs ; there were plenty of oysters and good wines, sup- 
 plemented by a musical entertainment. In the following 
 days he strolled about among the booths at the fair, and at- 
 tended some interesting theatrical performances ; he also 
 examined the battle-field, the gardens, streets and villages 
 through which the torrent of war had rolled. Councillor L., 
 of Altenburg, arranged a concert for him at Altenburg, " in 
 which the enthusiasm of the good Leipzig people was loyally 
 repeated." Some new songs, as well as the Sestet, were 
 published by Hofmeister. 
 
 Delighted beyond measure with his artistic successes in 
 the musical city of Leipzig he prepared to go on to Dresden. 
 On his arrival there, after a tedious journey, and consider- 
 
22 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 able bodily suffering, in consequence of an affection of the 
 throat, he sought for some relief and forgetfulness of pain 
 by listening to Spontini's " Vestalin " given by an Itahan 
 company. "The director is called Polledro, the singers 
 Madame Sandrini, Benelli, etc., etc. Their genuine Italian 
 method and extraordinary power of spontaneous vocalization 
 delighted me extremely, but I was so irritated with their con- 
 stant ritardando at the finish of each melodious phrase, and 
 the halts and draggings of the band, that I was obliged to 
 brood over my bodily ills, and only got through the three 
 acts by great effort. Myself and ray pains I should com- 
 pletely have forgotten had I been present at a classical 
 opera, classically performed. The orchestra, of which 1 had 
 formed such great expectations, left much to be desired, 
 notably the first horn-player. One passage in the andante 
 of the overture could not be recognized." Moscheles about 
 this time was confined to his room for a month, by order of 
 his medical advisers, and beguiled this somewhat irksome 
 time by arranging his four heroic marches for an orchestra, 
 writing the Andante of the Sonata in E major, which he dedi- 
 cated to Beethoven, and arranging some other pieces be- 
 sides reading several of Goethe's works, Mendelssohn's 
 " Phiidon," etc. 
 
 At last he was restored to health, and utilized the early 
 days of his newly acquired freedom by introducing himself 
 to the artist world of Dresden. In the choir of the Catholic 
 church, during the performance of the mass, he made the 
 acquaintance of Morlacchi, Polledro, Dotzauer, Benelli, and 
 other artists. " I find the effect of the Mass grand " (we 
 read in the diary) ; " twenty violins, six violas, four basses 
 and violoncellos, with but one only of each of the wind in- 
 struments, with the exception of the four bassoons, the lead- 
 ing solos sung by Sassaroli." Further on we read : " I found 
 in August Klengel an interesting acquaintance. He plays 
 in the Cleraenti style, his toccatas, fugues, and gigues are as 
 solid as they are artistic and thorough. Klengel and Zen- 
 ner often come to visit me, and play to me alternately." 
 
 At the next grand concert, he speaks of " the room as 
 inferior in many respects to that at Leipzig, the programme 
 itself meagre, and the performance rather consumptive." 
 
 The diary of this period contains several notes on mis- 
 
ANECDOTE OF HA YDN. 
 
 23 
 
 cellaneous subjects. We give some few extracts. "Goethe 
 writes in the ' Neuen Melusine ' (a periodical), ' I must 
 confess that I have never been able to make much out of 
 music' A thing I naturally cannot understand," MoscheJes 
 added. Further on : " I must note a proof of Haydn's love 
 of justice. Haydn heard that Beethoven had spoken in a 
 tone of depreciation of his oratorio the ' Creation.' ' That is 
 wrong of him,' said Haydn ; ' what has he v/ritten then ? 
 His Septet ? Certainly that is beautiful, nay, splendid ! ' he 
 added, in tones of earnest admiration, completely forgetting 
 the bitterness of the censure directed against himself" But 
 to revert to Dresden. Here Moscheles met with many ob- 
 stacles in the way of professional success ; first his own ill- 
 ness, then the intrigues of Polledro, who wanted himself to 
 give concerts, and finally the aggravating Court etiquette. 
 " At last," says Moscheles, " I got my foot firmly in, or 
 rather my hand, for I played, and with approval, first at the 
 house of the Austrian Ambassador, Count Bombelles, then 
 before Oberhofmeister Count Piatti, and Ober Stallmeister 
 Count Vitzthum, ending finally on the 20th of December by 
 a successful performance before the Court itself The Court 
 actually dined (this barbarous custom still prevails), and the 
 Royal household listened in the galleries, while 1 and the 
 Court band made music to them, and barbarous it really 
 was, but in regard to truth, I must add that Royalty, and 
 also the lackeys, kept as quiet as possible, and the former 
 actually so far condescended as to admit me to friendly con- 
 versation." His success secured for him what he had 
 hitherto in vain striven to acquire, the permission to have 
 the aid of the Royal band at his intended concert ; this per- 
 mission, invariably refused to all others, was granted to Mos- 
 cheles in recognition of his special merits. The musicians, 
 too, began to like him better ; Morlacchi and Schubert frus- 
 trated the intrigues of Polledro, who wished to give him the 
 weakest players in the orchestra. Count Piatti negotiated 
 with the ungracious landlord of the Hotel de Pologne for 
 the hire of the room, and the day of the concert was fixed 
 for the 28th of December. " In accordance with local usage," 
 he says, " I gave tickets to each of the members of the or- 
 chestra. We rehearsed, and in the evening the concert 
 came off before a brilliant public, profuse in manifestations 
 
24 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 of applause." Moscheles, in comparing the performance of 
 some pieces given at Leipzig and Dresden, gives the palm 
 10 the Leipzig orchestra. 
 
 The next place visited was Munich, where Moscheles, 
 after taking part in some grand performances, gave two con- 
 certs on his own account. He had letters of introduction 
 to Prince Eugene of Leuchtenberg and the Court; the old 
 King Max was very kind and amiably disposed towards 
 him, and after hearing him play before the royal circle, pre- 
 sented him with a diamond ring. A pin with the letter E, 
 set in diamonds on an enamelled ground (a present from 
 Prince von Leuchtenberg), is still kept as a precious sou- 
 venir. 
 
 After playing at Augsburg before the ex-Queen Hortense, 
 Moscheles made an excursion to Holland, giving four con- 
 certs at Amsterdam, and one at the Hague. There he saw 
 for the first time the glorious sea, and he records the power-, 
 ful impression made upon him. It was at Amsterdam that 
 he began his concerto in G minor, which he finished on the 
 4th of August, 1817. He says, " Since I daily heard the 
 chimes of the melancholy church bells, it was natural that I 
 should choose a minor key, and mark the first movement as 
 'malinconico.'" A first rehearsal of this concerto in the 
 " Liebhaber Gesellschaft " was a great success, but certainly 
 neither the listeners nor the author himself could have fore- 
 seen the long life in store for this favorite composition. 
 
 He next visited the Rhine and Belguim, and writes, 
 " Brussels is the preparation for Paris, both as regards lan- 
 guage and customs." The musical life in that city was one 
 of great activity, and Moscheles' performances were eagerly 
 welcomed. 
 
 On the 29th of December he reached Paris, and put up 
 af the Hotel de Bretagne. He writes thus : " The impres- 
 sion as I drove through the crowded streets, and watched 
 the briUiant shops filled with purchasers, will never be 
 effaced from my memory. Going out for a morning walk on 
 the 30th, whom should I meet but my friend Spohr — a good 
 omen ! Our joy on meeting was mutual, we were a long 
 time together, and sauntered on the Boulevard des Italiens. 
 Later in the day I accompanied him to the Palais Royal, 
 and in the evening we heard ' Don Juan ' at the Italian Op 
 
SPOHR. 
 
 25 
 
 era, given, to my surprise, in its integrity ; Fodor was a 
 charming Zerlina, and all the others good. We had, how- 
 ever, great trouble in getting into the theatre. The crowd 
 was so dense, that we were obliged to engage a man to take 
 tickets for us." 
 3 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 182 1. 
 
 Baron Poifere de Cere — Spohr — Gall the Phrenologist — Diary of a 
 Day — Concert at the Theatre Favart — Soirees with Lafont — Con- 
 certs Spirituels — ^A Curious Bet — An Evening at Ciceri's — The 
 Theatres of Paris — Christening of the Duke of Bordeaux — Mis- 
 taken for a Courier — London — A Learned Waiter — Musical Celeb- 
 rities — Her Majesty's Theatre — Braham — Soirees and Concerts 
 — ^Visit to Kalkbrenner — The Erards — August Leo. 
 
 DURING the first week of his stay in Paris, Moscheles 
 throughly explored the city in every direction, and his 
 delight in the novelty and sights is duly recorded in the 
 diary. Besides this, special mention is made of Spohr, who 
 frequently met Moscheles at the house of Baron Poifcro de 
 Cere. The baron gave morning parties every Sunday, 
 where the aristocracy of artists, as well as the great world 
 of Paris, were numerously represented. 
 
 Spohr had entrusted Moscheles at one of his matinees 
 with the pianoforte part of his quintet in E flat (with wind 
 instruments), which was greatly applauded by the audience. 
 In addition to this, Moscheles was called on to improvise, 
 and was particularly happy to find Reicha and Kreutzer for 
 the first time among his audience. Moscheles and Spohr 
 attended the quintet and quartet parties given by Reicha 
 and Sina, and the two Germans delighted in finding our 
 great masters, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, admirably 
 played and admired in the capital of France. The follow- 
 ing passage from the diary proves how anxious Moscheles 
 was to see those of his colleagues whom he himself revered, 
 in the enjoyment of full recognition by a French as well as 
 German public. 
 
 " Why does Spohr fail to awaken general enthusiasm 
 here ? Will the French, from a feeling of national pride, 
 acknowledge none but their own violin school ? Or is Spohr 
 too little communicative, too retiring for the Paris fashion- 
 
SPOHR. 
 
 27 
 
 able world ? Enough that to-day he has been obliged to 
 give up his intended evening concert from want of public 
 interest; this really pains me. Yesterday, at a soiree at 
 the' Valentins, he played in his E flat quartet, which passed 
 without the applause it well deserved — a man like Spohr ! " 
 Again we read : " At Baillot's, who had got up for Spohr 
 and m)'self a genuine soiree of artists, he was greeted with 
 real enthusiasm. I also played and improvised. He play- 
 ed, I played, and we each shared in a brotherly way the 
 applause of this select audience." 
 
 Applause in this instance means no ordinary recogni- 
 tion, for we read in the diary the following names — Che- 
 rubini, Auber, Herold, Adam, Lesueur, Pacini, Paer, Mazas, 
 Habeneck, Plantade, Blangini, Lafont, Pleyel, Ivan Muller, 
 Strunz, Viotti, Ponchard, Pellegrini, the brothers Bohrer, 
 the famous singers Nadermann, Garcia, and others. Nor 
 were the leading journalists, such as Martinville, Mangin, 
 Bertin, wanting on these occasions. There were also pre- 
 sent Schlesinger, Boieldieu, Lemoine, the publishers, and 
 Pape, Petzold, Erard, and Freudenthaler, the pianoforte 
 makers, whose rivalries were a constant source of trouble 
 to ^loscheles. At that time he preferred Pape's instru- 
 ments ; the Viennese pianos, with their lightness of touch, 
 had rather spoilt him for the slow and heavy action of the 
 Erards of that time. 
 
 The leading families in Paris became more and more 
 attracted towards Moscheles, partly to secure him as a 
 teacher, partly from the hope of hearing him at their own 
 musical parties, but here, as in Vienna, he steadily devoted 
 his morning hours to pianoforte practice and composition. 
 " This work done," he says, " I plunge cheerfully into the 
 joys and delights of this great capital." He was loade^ 
 with invitations to dinners, balls, and all sorts of fetes. 
 
 The houses most notable for music were those of the 
 Princess Vaudemont, the Marquise de Montgerault (a good 
 pianist herself, and the authoress of a very able work on 
 pianoforte playing), the Princess Ouwaroff, Madame Bon- 
 nemaison, who sang prettily, and Monsieur Mesny, to 
 whose daughter Moscheles dedicated his variations on the 
 theme, " Au clair de la lune." Music and dinner parties 
 were frequently given by the Prussian and other ambassa- 
 
28 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 dors, and the " haute finance," represented by Lafitte, 
 Rothschild, Fould, and others, vied with each other in 
 hospitable and luxutious entertainments. There were bril- 
 liant assemblies also at the d'Hervillys', Matthias', and 
 'Valentins'. '■ There is less grandeur at the Valentins'," 
 says Moscheles, " but for that very reason I feel more at 
 home with them." The first publisher of Goethe in the 
 French language. Monsieur Pankouke and his wife, re- 
 ceived Moscheles with the greatest cordiality. " They were 
 so delighted to see me that, when I joined their large party, 
 I was greeted with clapping of hands." 
 
 At that time he was brought into contact with Gajl, the 
 famous phrenologist. " He did not know me, but, at the 
 suggestion of some friends, examined my skull, and found, 
 in addition lo my decided organization for music, the bump 
 of mathematics, a passion for travelling, and a memory for 
 persons and things I " 
 
 We extract from the diary the description of a single day 
 (28th January), which may, with its varied occupations, be 
 taken as a correct type of many others during Moscheles' 
 stay in Paris. " This morning, Herr Strunz brought Rigel, 
 the pianoforte player, to my house, to hear me play. At 
 eleven a. m. I rehearsed at Paer's with Baillot for this 
 evening ; then I went, or rather ran, with him at full speed 
 to the Court Chapel in the Tuileries, where we heard a 
 glorious mass by Cherubini, admirably performed, as might 
 be expected with the co-operation of such men as Kreutzer, 
 Baillot, Habeneck. Plantade directed, and Cherubini, who 
 talked to me, was among the audience. After this Spohr 
 and I went to the rehearsal of Lafont's concert in the 
 Theatre Favart, and on our return home, we had long and 
 animated discussions on musical matters. Schlesinger 
 and 1 dined at the famous but expensive Restaurant the 
 Fr^res Provenjaux (I am not always so luxurious). Then 
 I drove with Paer, Levasseur, Rigaud-Pallard and his wife, 
 to the large evening party given by the Duchess of Orleans. 
 There was a large Court circle assembled. Besides the 
 vocal pieces, I played with Baillot my Potpourri, and was 
 obliged to improvise twice. I was received with favor and 
 kindness." 
 
 Moscheles, iri giving public performances in Paris, had 
 
CONCERT AT THE THEATRE FAVART. 29 
 
 many difficulties to contend with, and there were constant 
 negotiations with the Marquis Lauriston and M. de la 
 Ferte, before he managed to fix on the 25th of February for 
 his concert in the Theatre Favart. We have the following 
 notice of the concert and matters incidental to it : "I was 
 still busy in the forenoon in adding trombone parts to ray 
 concerto, distributing boxes and free tickets ; in the after- 
 noon I went to the Theatre Favart to try my piano, one 
 of Pape's. Ever since the rehearsal it had been specially 
 guarded by one of his men, to prevent any trick being 
 played. The concert passed off successfully. The attend- 
 ance and receipts were all in keeping with the artistic hon- 
 ors showered upon me ; but woe to the artist if ever in 
 public he violates the forms of etiquette and politeriess. 
 The singer Bordogni was hissed, because, from forgetful- 
 ness or intention, he did not offer to conduct Mademoiselle 
 Cinti back to her seat after finishing their duet." 
 
 Besides this concert, Moscheles gave another with 
 Lafont, and four soirees with the same artist : the fourth and 
 last was given on the 21st of May, for the benefit of a poor 
 family. The two artists played on this, and on other occa- 
 sions, a Potpourri on subjects by Gluck, Mozart, and Rossini. 
 It was their joint composition, and, blending as it did the 
 thoughts of three such different schools of art, proved highly 
 interesting. Both artists were so much patronized by the 
 fashionable world of Paris that Count Senzillon had arranged 
 a concert for them at Versailles also. They arrived with 
 their piano and violin, had a rehearsal, walked about the cas- 
 tle and park, played to a very enthusiastic audience, and re- 
 turned well satisfied. Moscheles remarks upon Lafont: 
 " He was a sentimental artist, not only as a violin player, 
 but also as a vocalist, and knew how to draw many a tear 
 from the eyes of the fair ones by singing the Romanza ' La 
 Larme.' His wife also sang romances. She was as pretty 
 as she was voiceless, and this called for the following pointed 
 remark in a newspaper : ' Madame Lafont a chante, elle a 
 de beaux yeux.' " Moscheles often entertained parties of 
 jovial artists at his lodgings ; music, punch, and supper 
 were going on up to three in the morning. Whoever could 
 play or sing was present, and good music alternated, with 
 amusing tricks played upon the respective instruments. 
 
30 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " Altogether," he writes, " it is a happy, merry time ! Cer- 
 tainly, at the last state dinner of the Rothschilds, inthe pres- 
 ence of such notabilities as Canning or Narischkin, \ was 
 obliged to keep rather in the background. The invitation 
 to a large, brilliant, but ceremonious ball appears a very 
 questionable way of showing me attention. The drive up, 
 the endless queue of carriages, wearied me, and at last I 
 got out and walked. There, too, I found little pleasure." 
 On the other hand, he praises the performance of Gluck's 
 opera, at the house of the Erards. The ' concerts spirituels' 
 delight him. "Who would not," he says, "envy me this 
 enjoyment ? These concerts justly enjoy a world-wide celeb- 
 rity. There I listen with the most solemn earnestness." 
 On the other hand, there are cheerful episodes, and jovial 
 dinners with Carl Blum and Schlesinger, at the Restaurant 
 Lemelle. " Yesterday," he writes, "Schlesinger quizzed me 
 about my slowness in eating, and went so far as to make the 
 stupid bet with me, that he would demolish three dozen oys- 
 ters while I ate one dozen, and he was quite right. On per- 
 ceiving, however, that he was on the point of winning, I 
 took to making faces, made him laugh so heartil)', that he 
 couldn't go on eating ; thus I won my bet." We find the 
 following notice on the 20th of March : " I spent the even- 
 ing at Ciceri's, son-in-law of Isabey, the famous painter, 
 where I was introduced to one of the most interesting cir- 
 cles of artists. In the first room were assembled the most 
 famous painters, engaged in drawing several things for their 
 own amusement. In the midst of these was Cherubini, also 
 drawing. I had the honor, like every one newly introduced, 
 of having my portrait taken in caricature. Begasse took me 
 in hand, and succeeded well. In an adjoining room were 
 musicians and actors, among them Ponchard, Levasseur, 
 Dugazon, Panseron, Mile, de Munck, and Mad. Livere, of 
 the Theatre Franpais. The most interesting of their per- 
 formances, which I attended merely as a listener, was a 
 vocal quartet by Cherubini, performed under his direction. 
 Later in the evening, the whole party armed itself with 
 larger or smaller ' Mirlitons ' (reed pipe whistles), and on 
 these small monotonous instruments, sometimes made of 
 sugar, they played, after the fashion of Russian horn music, 
 ■ the overture to Demophon, two frying-pans representing the 
 
SOIREES WITH LAFONT. 
 
 31 
 
 drums." On the 27th of March this "Mirliton" concert 
 was repeated at Ciceri's, and on this occasion Cherubini 
 took an active part. Moscheles relates- of that evening : 
 " Horace Vernet entertained us with his ventriloquizing 
 powers, M. Sahnon with his imitation of a horn, and Dugazon 
 actually with a Mirliton solo. Lafont and I represented the 
 classical music, v/hrch, after all, held its own." 
 
 We find many an interesting notice of the theatres, 
 nearly all of which Moscheles visited in succession. In 
 Franconi's Cirque Olympique, in the Faubourg du Temple, 
 he saw the harrowing story of Ugolino, a falling tower, and 
 other startling effects, produced by machinery. At the 
 Porte St. Martin, the burlesque of " Les Petites Danaides " 
 and Potier's exquisite comic acting created a furore. Peo- 
 ple laughed in the " Varietes " at Scribe's pieces, written in 
 his earliest best time, such as " L'Ours et le Pacha," " La 
 Champenoise," " Les Voitures Versees," etc. At the 
 Gymnase he was enchanted with the appearance and play- 
 ing of the lovely actress Esther. Perlet's comedy made 
 him "die of laughing; and," says he, "words cannot be 
 found " to describe Talma's " Mithridates." The " Jeune 
 Femme Colere " of Mademoiselle Mars draws from him the 
 observation ; " The acting of this great artiste must live for 
 ever in the memory of any fortunate enough to have seen 
 her." He was greatly interested by a pilgrimage to the 
 graves of Rousseau and Voltaire, and enjoyed with the en- 
 thusiasm of youth and a keen susceptible nature the art- 
 treasures of Paris, and the charm of its environs. These 
 delights, however, are only briefly hinted at in the diary. 
 A thorough musician, Moscheles records again and again 
 his musical impressions. Thus, for example : " I drove 
 early with Lafont to the Hotel de Ville, where Cherubini's 
 new Cantata, and the Intermede by Boieldieu and Berton, 
 written for the christening of the Duke of Bordeaux, were re- 
 hearsed. The first of these works was under the direction 
 of the great master himself His squeaky, sharp little 
 voice was sometimes heard in the midst of his conducting, 
 and interrupted my state of ecstasy, caused by his presence 
 and composition. The whole of the magnificent and far- 
 famed Court band was in attendance. The Prefect, Count 
 Chabrol, and his wife, whom I met at this rehearsal, offered 
 
32 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 me, in the most friendly manner, a ticket for the grand ball 
 to be given in honor of the christening. In the evening I 
 attended the general rehearsal of an opera which Cherubini, 
 Paer, Berton, Boieldieu, and Kreutzer had jointly composed 
 in honor of this same christening. The final chorus by 
 Cherubini made an indelible impression on my mind. Each 
 master conducted his own pieces, and Cherubini was loudly 
 cheered. 
 
 "On the morning of 30th of April, present at another 
 rehearsal of the IntermJde at the Hotel de Ville, under the 
 direction of the composers, Boieldieu and Berton. Rigaud- 
 Pallard and Boulanger, M.M. Pouchard and Huet, sang. 
 Immense crowds of people and a host of carriages are 
 moving about. To-day is evidently the beginning of the 
 grand festivities." 
 
 " May I. — Christening of the little Duke of Bordeaux. 
 The whole of Paris turned out ; the streets were crowded. 
 I could not stay much within doors. I saw the procession 
 on its way to tiie Church of Notre Dame, then went to the 
 Tuileries, where the Duchess, standing on the balcony, 
 showed her infant to the enthusiastic crowd. In the even- 
 ing I joined a party of friends to see the illuminations. 
 Those in the Tuileries gardens made the scene one of 
 fairy-land. 
 
 " May 2. — The Intermede given in a brilliant manner 
 in the Salle du St. Esprit in the Hotel de Ville. 
 
 " May 9. — To-day I played in the Hotel de Ville, where 
 the City of Paris gave a grand banquet to the Provincial 
 Deputies ; Cherubini, Boieldieu, and Berton directed the 
 music. The Intermede was repeated. Lafont also played. 
 
 " May 13. — I went with friends to the Villette, to witness 
 the inauguration of the Canal St. Denis. The Court party 
 were rowed about in gayly decked gondolas or yachts ; the 
 crowd was enthusiastic." 
 
 A few days later he writes : " The festivities, and my 
 stay at Paris, are drawing to a close, and I have every 
 reason to feel grateful. As an artist I have had great suc- 
 cess, and in a material point of view I can announce to my 
 mother that I have been doing extremely well. She shall 
 enjoy my good fortune with me." 
 
 We have already mentioned that, after the early death 
 
MISTAKEN FOR A COURIER. 33 
 
 of Moscheles' father, the widow and her five young children 
 were left completely unprovided for — it is delightful to 
 record that the constant and beneficent care bestowed by 
 Moscheles on his mother and sisters dates from this success 
 in the French capital. His brother, too, whose weakly 
 health never allowed him fo enjoy complete independence, 
 was an object of his tenderest solicitude, and so cheerfully 
 did he render this assistance, that it was a source of happi- 
 ness to both giver and receiver, it lightened the sense of 
 obligation. 
 
 His most intimate Parisian friends having vied with 
 each other in showing him kindness and hospitality, Mos- 
 cheles gave them in return a dinner at the Frfires Proven- 
 9aux, and finally left Paris on the 23d of May. The 
 coach, owing to unfavorable weather, did not reach Calais 
 until the evening of the 24th. The wind was contrary, no 
 sailing vessel could leave the harbor until the 26th. " A 
 day never to be forgotten by me ! " he says. "We spent 
 fully fourteen hours on the stormy sea. I was tormented 
 with all the sufferings of sea-sickness. At last, at midnight, 
 when we were getting near Dover, and the steward asked 
 me for my passage fare, I only had strength to point to my 
 well-filled pocket. ' For shame ! ' exclaimed the fellow, ' a 
 courier, and so sea-sick ! ' And whence did I get this title 
 of a courier? At the Austrian Embassy they had stamped 
 the large -packet of my music with the Imperial seal, and 
 inscribed it ' Despatches,' so that I might travel free of tax 
 and delay, and the steward of course supposed I was the 
 bearer of dispatches, crossing and recrossing the Channel 
 frequently. 
 
 " On arrival at Dover I soon recovered, and the follow- 
 ing morning started in the mail-coach, which in twelve 
 hours brought me to London. Little did I think that there 
 I was to find my second home." 
 
 " Yesterday evening" (we quote from the diary of the 
 28th of May), " I arrived at the Golden Cross Hotel, in 
 Charing Cross. Early this morning, when I told the waiter 
 how I admired the ' Platz,' he explained, with a scholar-like 
 air, that the very spot on which we stood had been one of 
 the halting-places at the time when the body of Queen 
 Eleanor was carried to Westminster Abbey for interment, 
 
34 KECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 that crosses had then been erected at all the halting-places 
 of the funeral procession, and that this present Charing- 
 Cross took its name from the then village of Charing, which 
 in those' da3's formed the site of the present ' Platz' and its 
 surroundings. All this was new to me with my hazy ideas of 
 England's history and London geography. Little did I think 
 that this strange London was to become my second home." 
 
 Launched into the metropolis of the British Empire, 
 Moscheles plunged, full of youthful fire and energy, into the 
 musical and fashionable world, as he had done before at 
 Paris. He wished above all things to hear music and be 
 listened to, and just as many opportunities presented 
 themselves in London as in Paris. Players on his own 
 instrument, such as J. B. Cramer, F. Ries, Kalkbrenner, 
 entered the lists with him, and men like Clementi were the 
 judges. (Moscheles at that time played by 'preference on 
 Clementi's pianos.) 
 
 Moscheles writes of his colleague Cramer : " His inter- 
 pretation of Mozart, and his own Mozart-like compositions, 
 are like breathings ' from the sweet south,' but nevertheless 
 he shows no hostility to me and my bravura style ; on the 
 contrary, in public and private he pays me the sincerest 
 homage, which I requite with heartfelt admiration. Cra- 
 mer is exceedingly intellectual and entertaining ; he has a 
 sharp satirical vein, and spares neither his own nor his 
 neighbor's foibles. He prefers to converse in French, and 
 shows by his manners that he has spent much of his early 
 life in France. 
 
 " He is one of the most inveterate snuff-takers. Good 
 housekeepers maintain that after every visit of the great 
 master, the floor must be cleansed of the snuff he has spilt, 
 while I, as a pianoforte player, cannot forgive him for dis- 
 figuring his aristocratic, long, thin fingers, with their beauti- 
 fully-shaped nails, by the use of it, and often clogging the 
 action of the keys. Those thin, well shaped fingers are 
 best suited for legato playing ; they glide along impercepti- 
 bly from one key to the other, and whenever possible, 
 avoid octave as well as staccato passages. Cramer sings 
 on the piano in such a manner that he almost transforms a 
 Mozart andante into a vocal piece, but I must resent the 
 liberty he takes in introducing his own and frequently triv- 
 
MUSICAL CELEBRITIES. 
 
 35 
 
 ial embellishments." Further on we read : " His newly 
 composed Sonata in D minor gives me great delight, and our 
 friendly relationship is all the warmer from the sincere 
 admiration I bestow on that work. 
 
 " With Ferdinand Ries, too, I pass very happy musical 
 hours, for I eagerly embrace the opportunity of becoming 
 acquainted with a man whose admirable Concerto (in C 
 sharp minor) I had performed in public at Vienna." Each 
 performer wished to hear the earliest and latest compositions 
 of the other, and they tested each other's powers in pieces 
 written for four hands. Kindred sympathies were fostered, 
 and a lasting friendship promoted by their profound venera- 
 tion for Beethoven, the master of Ries. At that time Ries 
 had ceased to appear in public as a pianoforte player, and 
 lived entirely as a professional teacher and composer ; 
 his lessons and writings were both sources of honor and 
 income, so that as early as the year 1824 he retired to 
 Godesberg, in the neighborhood of Bonn, and lived there 
 with his amiable wife and family, a well-to-do and esteemed 
 artist. There he continued to compose rnusic ; his piano- 
 forte pieces, and particularly his violin Sonatas, were great- 
 ly esteemed in Vienna, as well as other German musical 
 cities. As to his orchestral works, they met with no 
 greater success than those of Clementi. Overtures and 
 symphonies by both of them were performed at the Phil- 
 harmonic Concerts, but soon disappeared from the pro- 
 grammes in England, as well as in other countries. Mos- 
 cheles spent the greatest part of his leisure hours with 
 Kalkbrenner, Dizi, the harp-player, and Latour. "Dizi," he 
 says, "has the most charming house at Crabtree, in the 
 neighborhood of London ; a pretty drive by the side of the 
 Thames brings me to the place, and as the heavy London 
 atmosphere oppresses me and gives me bad headaches, 
 which I never knew formerly, Dizi and his wife wish me 
 to visit them frequently, and kindly place a bed at my dis- 
 posal." 
 
 Kalkbrenner and Latour being, like Moscheles, regular 
 visitors at the house, music was the order of the day. Kalk- 
 brenner was known in the musical world as a brilliant piano- 
 forte-player. Moscheles admired the power and elasticity 
 of his iingers, enjoyed reading pieces for two performers 
 
36 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 with him, but condemned his octave passages played with a 
 loose wrist. " It is a bad method," he writes in the diary, 
 "and not a sound one. He took me to hear the young 
 people who study with Logier, but . I could not share his 
 admiration of this newly invented system, although I think 
 Logier and his wife a clever and artistic couple. Would I 
 have any one follow this system ? I hardly think so. The 
 mind should work more intensely than the fingers, and how 
 can there be a question of mind when two pupils play the 
 same piece at the same time ? " 
 
 Dizi was an excellent artist on his own instrument; 
 Latour also was a painstaking pianoforte teacher and able 
 composer of light pieces, which he published himself. At 
 that time, as now, there was a great influx and variety of 
 artistic celebrities in London. There was Kiesewetter, the 
 admirable violin-player, the superlatively great Mara and 
 still greater Catalani, besides Dragonetti, who for many 
 years together held successfully the foremost place as double- 
 bass player. Dragonetti was an otuginal of the purest water. 
 Moscheles says of him : " In his ' salon' in Leicester Square, 
 he has collected a large number of various kinds of dolls ; 
 among them a negress. When visitors are announced, he 
 politely receives them, and says that this or that young lady 
 will make room for them ; he also asks his inlimate acquaint- 
 ances whether his favorite dolls look better or worse since 
 their last visit, and similar absurdities. He is a terrible 
 snuff-taker, helping himself out of a gigantic box, and he has 
 an immense and varied collection of snuff-boxes. The most 
 curious part of him is his language — a regular jargon, in 
 which there is a mixture of his native Bergaraese, bad 
 French, and still worse English." 
 
 In the earliest days of his stay in London, Moscheles 
 visited His Majesty's Theatre (Haymarket), and was not a 
 little astonished that, in conformity with a troublesome cus- 
 tom, people had to appear in evening dress. " It was a 
 fortunate thing for me," he says, " to have to listen to the 
 ' Turco in Italia,' with its light, shallow music, for I could 
 give myself up to entire enjoyment in the excellent singing 
 of a Camporese, an Ambrogetti, and feast my eyes, as I sat 
 in the pit, on the brilliant company in the boxes. This 
 galaxy of charming and beautiful women, with their elegant 
 
SOIREES AND CONCERTS. 
 
 37 
 
 toilettes and jewels, and the house brilliantly illuminated, 
 formed a splendid scene." The English operas at Drury 
 Lane interested him very much, and he was delighted with 
 Eraham, whose wonderfully beautiful tenor voice had been 
 most effectively trained by his friend Madame Caraporese. 
 He also found the other singers admirably taught, Miss 
 Wilson, the prima donna, less attractive than the others, and 
 the audience at Drury Lane less elegant and fashionable 
 than the habitues of the Italian Opera. 
 
 Descending in the theatrical scale, he visited the Surrey 
 Theatre, where he saw a sensational melodrama, which gave 
 him no kind of pleasure. On the other hand, he was greatly 
 amused with a small French company performing in the 
 Argyle Rooms. This troupe was supported by the nobility 
 for its own entertainment, and at its own expense. Astley's 
 Theatre rivalled that of Franconi in its splendid performance 
 of " Gil Bias." Moscheles says of Hyde Park in those 
 days : " I admire the splendid horses and carriages, their 
 fair occupants, reclining lazily on soft cushions, and the 
 Amazons on their spirited horses. The Park itself is quite 
 bare, without tree or shrub. I have hardly ever seen any- 
 thing like it, and I couldn't help thinking of Byron's words : 
 
 " Those vegetable puncheons called parks 
 With neither fruit nor flower to satisfy 
 Even a bee's slight munchings." 
 
 In later years he was able to enjoy the Parks decked out 
 with flowers, and so endlessly beautified and improved. In 
 London, as in Paris, the diary refers, generally speaking, to 
 matters essentially musical. 
 
 " May 28th. — Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony was very 
 fairly executed under Kiesewetter's direction at the Phil- 
 harmonic Society's Concert, the drums too noisy. There 
 was some fine singing by Mrs. Salmon and others, and all 
 the concerted pieces went with remarkable precision." 
 
 " May 30th. — Heard the famous flute-player Tulon at 
 his own concert in the Argyle Rooms, A medley of vocal 
 pieces sung by Goodall, Vastris, Caraporese, Salmon, Signor 
 Ambrogetti, and others. Mademoiselle Buchwald, a very 
 clever pupil of Kalkbrenner, played in his Septet." 
 
 "June ist. — Met Clementi by agreement at his piano. 
 
38 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 forte warehouse, and played some things to him, with which 
 he declared himself extremely pleased. Afterwards called 
 on Prince Esterhazy, Prince Leopold, Lords Lowther and 
 Castlereagh. In the evening, at a concert given by Vau- 
 ghan the singer, I heard Cramer again play with rare delicacy 
 a concerto of Mozart's. The grand choruses and vocal 
 selections from Handel's Oratorios, with the organ accom- 
 paniment, impressed me as being given with unusual pre::_ 
 cision and effect." 
 
 " June 6th. — At the ancient concert (in the Hanover 
 Square Rooms), Handel's ' Messiah ' was given in all its 
 grandeur and simple majesty. The organ accompaniments 
 were supplemented in the full passages by wind instruments. 
 The chief soloists were Mrs. Salmon, Miss Stephens, and 
 Mr. Vaughan. It seemed strange to me that, instead of 
 boys, elderly men sang the contralto part with the head 
 voice. The famous Hallelujah Chorus was given in very slow 
 time. The obligato trumpet parts attracted my attention." 
 
 "June 9th. — In the evening went with Cramer to the 
 dinner of the Royal Society of Musicians." 
 
 "June nth. — Important day. My first appearance at 
 the last Philharmonic Concert. I had great success in my 
 E flat concerto, and the Alexander variations. This piece 
 had been named in England the ' Fall of Paris' (a circum- 
 stance which exposed me in after-years to some unpleasant 
 remarks in the French papers)." 
 
 " J-uly 4th. — At last my concert, which cost me such 
 trouble to arrange, came off to-day in the Argyle Rooms. 
 The Concerto and the ' Clair de Lune Variations' went well, 
 and were very favorably received ; but what pleased most 
 was my extempore playing on the air, ' My lodging is on the 
 cold ground.' Cramei accompanied the vocal pieces on 
 the piano. Mrs. Salmon, Camporese, the Ashes, Corri, 
 Begrez, and Braham were the singers. I was also assisted 
 by the violinist Kori." 
 
 "July nth.— A grand evening musical party at the 
 Rothschilds', at their country house on Stamford Hill, 
 given to the foreign Ministers present in- England on 
 account of the approaching coronation of George IV. I 
 was introduced to most of the Ministers, who, with the old 
 Prince Esterhazy, expressed themselves greatly pleased with 
 
VISIT TO KALKBRENNER. 3p 
 
 my playing. In the intervals vocal solos and quartets were 
 given by English singers. Not at home till four o'clock in . 
 the morning." 
 
 " July 19th. — To-day being the coronation-day, I went 
 early to the vicinity of the Abbey. Saw the brilliant pro- 
 cession, and the banquet in Westminster Hall." 
 
 Moscheles, before leaving London, wrote his rondo for 
 piano and horn, arranged the choruses from ' Timotheus" 
 for the piano, heard the 7Zi?ze/ Cavatina of "di tanti palpiti," 
 from Rossini's " Tancredi," sung by Catalani, and in the 
 evening was invited to her house. At last the farewell 
 visits were paid, and when it came to Prince Esterhazy's 
 turn, the Prince handed over to him a new passport, with 
 the title of " Kammervirtuos." He took an unwilling leave 
 of the London art-world, but was delighted to get away 
 from the London atmosphere ; " the heavy air," he calls it 
 in his diary, " which so often gives me headaches, that \ am 
 glad to leave it." Then he made his way back to France, 
 taking Boulogne on his road, and visiting Kalkbrenner, at 
 the Chateau Pralin. There, until the following October, 
 he led a cheerful, quiet country life, devoting much time to 
 music. Madame Kalkbrenner, a highly intellectual woman, 
 was a most amiable hostess, and he wrote for her, in grati- 
 tude for the hospitality he received, his rondo " La Ten- 
 erezza." In this rural retreat he composed three " Allegri 
 di Bravura," which he dedicated to Cramer, and a brilliant 
 Polonaise in E flat. Constant pianoforte playing, reading 
 of musical scores, and French studies, filled up the rest of 
 his time. 
 
 He had only just returned to Paris when Lafont per- 
 suaded him to make a tour with him to Normandy, and 
 give concerts jointly. These were brilliantly successful. 
 In Paris, Moscheles was in constant requisition. Among 
 'the soirees at which he assisted, special mention is made 
 of one at the Duchesse de Berry's, which Paer conducted, 
 and where Garcia, Galli, Bordogni, and the lovely Fodor 
 sang. Further on we read : '"Young Erard took me to-day 
 to his pianoforte factory, to try the new invention of his 
 uncle Sebastian. This quicker action of the hammer 
 seems to me so important that I prophesy a new era in the 
 manufacture of pianofortes. I still complain of some 
 
40 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 heaviness in the touch, and therefore prefer to play upon 
 Pape's and Petzold's instruments ; I admired the Erards, 
 but am not thoroughly satisfied, and urged him to make 
 new improvements." The last evening of the year Mos- 
 cheles spent with a small circle of friends at the house of 
 August Leo.* 
 
 * August Leo, a well-known German amateur at Paris, related to 
 Mrs. Moscheles. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Malzel's Metronome — New Work by Beethoven — Mile. Mock, 
 (Madame Pleyel)— Concert at Rouen — London — Cramer's Con- 
 cert — A New Work of Moscheles — Broadwcod's Pianos — F. 
 Cramer — London Rehearsals — Bochsa, the Harp-player — Monster 
 Programme- —Fashionable Soirees — Concert for the Poor Irish-^ "' 
 Excursion to Brighton — At Home in England. 
 
 IN the beginning of this year Malzel came before the 
 public with his Metronome, on the invention of which 
 he had worked for years. Finding, however, endless diffi- 
 culties in introducing it, he was obliged to provide himself 
 with the bare necessaries of subsistence by the exhibition 
 of his trumpeter automaton, and his dolls squeaking out 
 " papa and mamma." The appearance of a new work by 
 Beethoven was always an event for Moscheles, and the 
 beginning of this year was made memorable by the publica- 
 tion of the two new sonatas (op. 109 and no). Moscheles 
 studied them with the greatest zeal, was quite absorbed in 
 their beauties, and played them before his art brethren, and 
 in particular to his friend August Leo, whom he credits 
 with a genuine understanding of music, and a graceful turn 
 for composition. Around Leo was collected a circle of 
 Germans whose musical centre was Moscheles, and who 
 were unanimous in their reverential homage of Beethoven. 
 
 "A second event was the appearance of Weber's " Frey- 
 schiltz." This work, too, was welcomed by that circle with 
 enthusiasm, its beauties enjoyed in the pianoforte arrange- 
 ment, and the new era which seemed to have dawned on 
 dramatic art in Germany was discussed often and thor- 
 oughly. 
 
 Moscheles himself wished to introduce as a novelty, at 
 the grand concert which he intended giving with Lafont, 
 Beethoven's Choral Fantasia, but this was no easy matter. 
 
42 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 A German musician, of the name of Lecerf, gladly prom- 
 ised the co-operation of a choral body under his direc- 
 tion. The music was rehearsed again and again ; but the 
 ejaculations in the diary at the amount of labor required in 
 the prepai-ation of this particular work seem endless. The 
 next translated by Theolon was revised and altered^ by 
 Moscheles himself, at the sacrifice of many a midnight 
 hour. In spite of this, the audience which filled the salon 
 of the opera-house to overflowing had not the faintest con- 
 ception of the composer's meaning. Moscheles com- 
 plains ; " I know not whether the piece was too long for 
 the Parisian public, or whether false intonation of the cho- 
 ruses injured the effect — enough, the performance was 
 almost a failure. Everything that Lafont and I played as 
 solos and duets was received enthusiastically, so also were 
 Cinti and Nourrit, the vocalists, and Ivan Miiller with his 
 clarinet. Receipts, 8000 francs." 
 
 An unforeseen annoyance followed. An ignorant critic, 
 contributing to the " Miroir," fell foul of Moscheles, re- 
 proaching him with having himself added the choru.ses, and 
 making thereby the Fantasia dull and wearisomely long. 
 Moscheles was therefore obliged to justify himself publicly 
 in the papers. 
 
 On the Dimanche Gras and Shrove Tuesday we find 
 Moscheles in the whirl and tumult of the Carnival. The 
 endless number of carriages, the picturesque confusion and 
 drollery of the processions and masks, the mad .crowd fol- 
 lowing the Boeuf Gras — all these things delighted and 
 amused him. In spite of all these distractions he found 
 time on the Shrove Tuesday to continue and finish the 
 Adagio of his E flat concerto. 
 
 Of his lady pupils at this period, the most interesting 
 was Mademoiselle Mock (afterwards Madame Pleyel), 
 whose great talent he took a true pleasure in cultivating. 
 It was also flattering to him that the immortal Catalani, 
 who this winter gave four crowded concerts at short inter- 
 vals, entrusted him with the teaching of her niece. 
 
 In March Moscheles spent a fortnight at Rouen, several 
 influential families inviting him there. They were active 
 and zealous in showing him the interesting city and its 
 environs, as well as everything memorable connected with 
 
CONCERT AT RO UEN. 
 
 43 
 
 the . history of Jeanne d'Arc. Pape himself brought the 
 best of his pianofortes from Paris, and the tickets for the 
 impending concerts were soon disposed of. He writes : 
 " Without drudgery and running about, nothing is ever 
 done ; those confounded theatrical directors take care of 
 that. The local manager here is called Van Ofen, and 
 refuses his singers. Of course the influential friends inter- 
 posed in my favor, and finally succeeded in bringing round 
 the troublesome manager. The concert was a great suc- 
 cess, and a second one asked for and granted." 
 
 In fulfilment of a former prornise Moscheles returned to 
 Paris, to conduct a performance of Mozart's Requiem at 
 Leo's, who had admirably rehearsed the choruses. 
 
 On Easter Sunday he played by request, at the "Con- 
 cert Spirituel," his Potpourri with Lafont, but took as the 
 theme of his improvisation a church choral, which seemed 
 to him to be suited to the day. 
 
 X 
 
 -f^ 
 
 et 
 
 se, 
 
 i 
 
 'isz 
 
 Jl^ 
 
 3fc 
 
 ■^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 coe - les tia rex glo 
 
 mor - te sur- 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 t=F 
 
 rex - it 
 
 ho - di 
 
 al le 
 
 lu 
 
 ja- 
 
 " Again I succeeded on this occasion," we read in the 
 diary, " in communicating to the public my own inspiration." 
 
 The Paris season ended, Moscheles joyfully accepted 
 the invitation of his friends to return to London. " There," 
 he says, " I found J. B. Cramer on the point of giving his 
 yearly, concert. He showed me two movements of a Son- 
 ata which he wished to play with me, and expressed a 
 desire that I should compose a third movement as a finale ; 
 only I was not to put any of my octave passages into his 
 part, which he pretended he could not play. I can refuse 
 
44 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 him nothing. I shall therefore be obliged to strive and 
 write so*ething analogous for him, the disciple of Mozart 
 and Handel. He played to me a part of his new pianoforte 
 quintet, dedicated to me — a genuine Cramer composition. 
 He urged me to play to him the three all'egri di bravura, ' la 
 force, la legerete, et le caprice,' which I dedicated to him. 
 
 The piece which Moscheles wrote in haste for this 
 concert of Cramer's, as a finale to his friend's sonata, is the 
 Allegro of the well known and constantly played " Hom- 
 mage a Handel," which he afterwards converted into an 
 independent piece, by composing an introduction to it, and 
 publishing it in this form for two pianos. This novelty, on 
 the occasion of the first performance at Cramer's concert 
 on the 9th of May, created a furore. To hear Moscheles, 
 of whom the newspapers said "that his execution is most 
 wonderful, and more wonderful because he always makes 
 the right use of his genius," playing together with "glorious 
 John," and in addition to that, in a composition on which 
 both had worked, was " an unrivalled treat, an unprece- 
 dented attraction." Each of them had chosen a Broad- 
 wood instrument, Cramer as usual, Moscheles only on this 
 occasion. " The strong metal plates," observes Moscheles, 
 " used by Broadwood in building his instruments, give a 
 heaviness to the touch, but a fullness and vocal resonance 
 to the tone, which are well adapted to Cramer's legato, and 
 those fingers softly gliding from key to key ; I, however,, 
 use dementi's more supple mechanism for my repeating 
 notes, skips, and full chords." Cramer's D minor concerto, 
 and the new quintet led by his brother Fran9ois, in which 
 Lindley, the favorite violoncello player, besides Dragon- 
 etti and Moralt, took part, pleased exceedingly. F. Cramer 
 was a good musician, a great admirer of his' brother, but 
 himself merely a clever practical artist, without any genius 
 for composition. He was well known as a teacher and 
 leader at the Ancient and Philharmonic Concerts, as well 
 as at the provincial musical festivals. Moscheles played 
 his G minor concerto, which he had lately reconstructed, 
 first at the Philharmonic, and afterwards at his own concert, 
 with much applause. On the last occasion he was sup- 
 ported by the charming Cinti, Kiesewetter, and Dizi, the 
 excellent harp-player. Everything went well and effect- 
 
BOCHSA, THE HARP-PLA YER. 
 
 45 
 
 ively together. " We have, however," he writes, " rehearsed 
 here quite in a different manner from what people usually 
 do, for, generally speaking, there is no rehearsal at all, 
 often one-half of the band runs once through the music. 
 And what do the singers do ? They sing incessantly the 
 few things which the orchestra know, and which the public 
 is never weary of hearing." 
 
 A few days later we read : " What are all concerts 
 compared with that given by that charlatan Bochsa, the 
 harp-player ? I have heard only one short sample of it, 
 but copy out for myself the programme, although even this 
 in itself is a gigantic work. Indeed, the incredible length 
 of the concert deserves to be marked and catalogued as 
 a curiosity. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 1. Overture to the oratorio, the "Redemption," by 
 
 Handel. 
 
 2. Air, sung by Bellamy. 
 
 3. Air from " Joshua." Miss Goodall. 
 
 4. Duet. " Israel in Egypt." 
 
 5. Chorus. 
 
 6. Air from " Judas Maccabseus." 
 
 7. Air from ■' Semele." 
 
 8. Air from " Theodora." 
 
 9. Chorus from " Saul." 
 
 10. March from " Judas Maccabaeus." 
 II Air frorn the "Redemption." 
 
 12. Chorus from "Israel in Egypt." 
 
 13. Duet from " Figaro." 
 
 14. Alexander Variations (played by myself). 
 
 PART II. 
 
 IS-' 
 
 16. 
 
 17. I Six pieces from " Bajazet," a musical drama by 
 
 x8. ( Lord Berghersh. 
 
 19-1 
 
 20. J 
 
 21. Violin concerto by Viotti, played by Mori. 
 
 22. Recitative and chorus from the " Mose." Rossini. 
 
46 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 23. Quintet. 
 
 24. Duet from " Figaro," sung by Camporese and Car- 
 
 ton i. 
 
 25. Air from "Jephthah." 
 
 26. Duet from "Tancredi," by Rossini, sung by Ma- 
 
 dame Vestris and Begrez. 
 
 27. Eecitative and air from the " Creation," sung by 
 
 ZOCHELLI. 
 
 28. Recitative and air from Handel's-" Penseroso," sung 
 
 by Miss Stephens. 
 
 29. Final chorus from Beethoven's " Mount of Olives." 
 
 Moscheles remarks : " This monster programme puts 
 even Astley's Theatre in the shade, where .in one evening 
 the public is treated to a Scotch Hercules, several tight-rope- 
 dancers, two Laplanders, two dogs and a bear ! " 
 
 The grand soirees to which Moscheles was invited, to 
 play before persons of exalted rank, were not at all after 
 his taste. " How different," he exclaims, " is music-making 
 in these hot, overcrowded rooms, compared with our quiet 
 reunions among musicians ! Heaven be thanked, I did 
 not fare as badly as poor Lafont, who in the middle of a 
 
 piece was tapped on the shoulder by the Duke of , with 
 
 ' C'est assez, mon cher." I am applauded when I tickle 
 their ears." 
 
 The bright side of the matter was the substantial profit 
 and the consciousness of professional success. " There is 
 something interesting, too, in being invited to the house of 
 a Chateaubriand, and meeting frequently princes, statesmen, 
 and men of science. I was particularly pleased to make 
 the acquaintance of Mrs. Siddons, and the distinguished 
 actor Charles Young, in whom I recognize a highly culti- 
 vated and amiable man." The ball given for the poor Irish 
 is mentioned as a very splendid fete. King George IV., 
 who was present, had ordered the Grand Opera House to 
 be magnificently decorated. The receipts were enormous, 
 for 3000 tickets were disposed of; as much as fifteen guin- 
 eas was given for a single ticket, the original cost being 
 two. Towards the end of this season, we find Moscheles 
 busy with a thorough revision of several of his works, espe- 
 cially the Alexander Variations. For the latter he wrote a 
 
A r HOME IN ENGLAND. 47 
 
 new introduction, Boosey and Schuiz preparing the new 
 edition. Fresh editions, too, of the other works were made. 
 The Rondo " Charmes de Paris " was published, Moscheles' 
 pianoforte edition of Mehul's opera, " Valentine de Milan," 
 engraved, and last of all the publication started of the 
 "Bonbonniere Musicale," the iirst number of which Mos- 
 cheles dedicated to the young daughter of Horace Vernet, 
 who drew a charming vignette for the title-page. 
 
 Accompanied by his friends, J. B. Cramer, Sir George 
 Smart, and Kiesewetter, Moscheles made a short excursion 
 to Brighton. Music there was represented by the Director 
 of the Royal Band, Kramer (not to be confounded with the 
 brothers Cramer already mentioned). This gentleman 
 entertained his friends with orchestral performances of the 
 best compositions of Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven, given 
 by the band in a superior style. Moscheles employed the 
 Brighton evenings usefully in writing some musical canons, 
 which he sent to Vienna. He had half promised Kiesewet- 
 ter to make a tour with him in Scotland in the autumn, but 
 abandoned the idea. He had but little sympathy with Kiese- 
 wetter's eccentric views and modfe of life, so ill adapted 
 to his weak constitution. On the other hand, Moscheles 
 gladly joined Lafont (whom he shortly afterwards met at 
 Boulogne), in giving three brilliant concerts, and afterwards 
 went to Paris, in order during the quiet time in autumn to 
 devote all his leisure hours and strength to study and com- 
 position. In winter these labors were continued, and many 
 concerts given. 
 
 Towards the end of the year, when the London Acade- 
 my of Music sent him his diploma as honorary member of 
 the Society, he inserted the following note in his diary : 
 " I feel more and more at home in England, for people 
 there evidently wish to show me respect and friendship ; I 
 feel deeply grateful for this." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 1823. 
 
 Visit to Bath — Lady Pupils — Quid pro quo — Oratorio Concerts — Un- 
 flagging Industry — Musical Engraving — Conductors and Leaders — • 
 Artistic Jealousies — English Amateurs — The Charity Children at 
 St. Paul's — Musical Prodigies — F. Hiller, Schauroth, Malibran — 
 Sir George Smart — ^Visit to Germany — An Adventure — Nights in 
 the Birnbeck-Kneipe — Rehearsals of Weber's Curyanthe at Vien- 
 na — Visit to Beethoven — Salieri in the Hospital. 
 
 MOSCHELES went to England in the middle of 
 January, and as in the preceding year, he had 
 moved about between Paris and Versailles Kouen, and 
 other French towns, so now he changed from London to 
 Bath, Bristol, etc., for he was in request in the great me- 
 tropolis as well as in the provinces. Young ladies wished 
 in a few lessons to acquire some of the qualities which' they 
 admired in Moscheles' playing; of course they could not 
 learn to imjirovise in a few finishing lessons, for this pre- 
 supposed vast musical erudition, besides his inborn talent 
 of treating a musical subject brilliantly and elaborately. 
 At all events they thought they might learn the art of his 
 repeating notes, and the evenness of his running passages. 
 
 Anxious to detain him in Bath as long as possible, his 
 pupils and friends prepared soirees for him in the leading 
 houses, in addition to the engagements undertaken by man- 
 agers of concerts. In Bath, he praised specially the hos- 
 pitality of the Barlow family. " I am treated as a son in 
 their hospitable home ; my room is always ready, and 
 besides this, Miss Barlow is perhaps the cleverest pupil I 
 have got." Further on we find remarks on a concerto in 
 E major, which he began in this house, and worked out 
 with the greatest diligence. 
 
 We also find some comical paragraphs ; among others 
 he has chronicled a funny "quid pro quo " which occurred 
 to him as a novice in the English language, at the table of 
 
ORATORIO CONCERTS. 
 
 49 
 
 the Barlows. " To-day I was asked at dessert which fruit 
 of those on the table I would prefer. ' Some sneers,' I 
 replied, ingenuously. The company first of all were sur- 
 prised, and then burst into laughter, when they guessed the 
 process by which I had arrived at the expression. I who 
 at that time had to construct my English laboriously out of 
 dialogue books and dictionaries, had found that ' Not to 
 care a fig,' meant ' To sneer at a person,' so when I wanted 
 to ask for figs, fig and sneer I thought were synon- 
 ymous." 
 
 Moscheles delights in the view of the Bristol Channel, 
 and adds.: " What can be finer than the first view of the 
 Welsh mountains from Clifton ? an enchanting panorama ! 
 The very place to write an adagio ; the blue mountain 
 chain forms such a grand background to this bright Chan- 
 nel ! " He further remarks : " The public Assembly rooms 
 are the places of rendezvous for the fashionable world, and 
 the weak and ailing, who use the warm spring for bathing 
 and drinking, find that comfort which we do not know of 
 in German watering-places ; the idlers soon meet, and while 
 away their time pleasantly together. I am assured, too, 
 that speculative mammas, with their superabundance of 
 daughters, prefer this place to all others." Afterwards we 
 find Moscheles back again in London. He tells us: "I 
 was at a so-called Oratorio Concert ; one part consisted of 
 sacred, another of secular music. The public may have 
 found the former part rather longer than they liked, for the 
 people stormed and .stamped because certain pieces of the 
 'Donna del L'ago,' which had been promised in the pro- 
 gramme, were left out." He was engaged for three of 
 these concerts, and was satisfied with his success. " The 
 public," he adds, " may on this occasion have been in good 
 humor, for not only had the recently omitted numbers from 
 the ' Donna del Lago ' been dished up, but the entire opera 
 was given." Again he writes : " To-day there was an Ora- 
 torio Concert where, among other things, besides a deal of 
 secular music, we had the whole of Crotch's Oratorio, ' Pal- 
 estine.' How, I ask, must nerves be organized which can 
 endure so much heterogeneous music ? " When Moscheles 
 afterwards heard the ' Donna del Lago' at the Italian Opera, 
 he found that the music contained many beauties, but be- 
 
50 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 yoiid all question what he admired most was "the charming 
 Ronzi de Begnis and her exquisite singing." 
 
 Moscheles' industry never flagged, in spite of a rather 
 serious indisposition which he brought with hira from Bath 
 to London. He was one of those to whom continuous em- 
 ployment was a necessity and delight ; when at last the in- 
 evitable hours of exhaustion came, he was able to meet 
 them by the most natural means, that of sleep, and after- 
 wards resumed active work again with renewed powers. 
 
 During this time his chief employment was the composi- 
 tion of the E major concerto ; in addition to this the Scotch 
 fantasia, the altered concerto in F major, and the Sonata 
 for four hands were prepared for publication. He says : 
 " I wrote a Gigue as a contribution for the musical periodi- 
 cal ' The Harmonicon,' published by Mr. Welsh, owner of 
 the Argyle Rooms. He asks me to send him anything I 
 like, and pays five guineas for such a trifle. I have twenty 
 guineas for ' Les Charmes de Paris,' and as much for the 
 first number of the ' Bonbonnifere Musicale ; ' but in spite of 
 this I have a quantity of manuscript unpublished, the mere 
 pecuniary advantages fail to satisfy me. I want to see real 
 progress, and nothing positively objectionable in my nev/ 
 productions, otherwise I will not publish them." 
 
 In leisure hours he made a new arrangement of the Eg- 
 mont Overture, and used to call such a task his recreation 
 (" Handarbeit "). 
 
 Every one intimately acquainted with Moscheles knew 
 the accuracy with which he managed the engraving of his 
 own productions. His engravers received the most precise 
 instructions, even as to the turning over of the pages ; the 
 head of every single note had to be exactly in its right 
 place, every rest made perfectly clear and intelligible to the 
 reader. " All this," he was accustomed to say, " adds to 
 precision in playing, and consequently also to the right 
 understanding of the piece ; if any one affects the great 
 genius by writing so indistinctly that no engraver can read 
 it, and if his music is published full of mistakes, that fact 
 does not make him a Beethoven ; he may do anything, and 
 then he has his special engraver, who understands how to 
 read him. Let them all, however, first compose like Beet- 
 hoven, and then they may write as they please." 
 
CONDUCTORS AND LEADERS. 
 
 51 
 
 In revising for the press, Moscheles' correctness and 
 conscientiousness were probably unique in their way, and 
 these qualities were not less conspicuous in his lessons. 
 No wonder he was ill at ease with his pupil Miss H — , who 
 had lived some sixty summers, and was, like her elder 
 brother, unmarried. " Both are dressed strictly in the 
 fashion of the days of their youth," he writes, " which gives 
 to this short-set couple a comical appearance. Her high 
 head-dress, his nankeen trousers, blue dress-coat and brass 
 buttons are enough to convulse one with laughter. As for 
 the old lady, she does not intend to learn anything, for how 
 often during the forty-five or fifty minutes which I devote to 
 her do I urge her on to play, and can scarcely get her to 
 do it. The good lady is talkative, but at the same time 
 hospitable ; I am obliged to lunch with her each time, and 
 while I eat, she talks, until at last I compel her to hazard 
 her gouty little fingers on a piece of modern music. 
 When, however, we have not worked actively together, my 
 conscience does not allow me to pocket the guinea which 
 she hands me every time, neatly wrapped up in paper." 
 
 Moscheles was very much astonished at the English 
 custom of placing a famous musician at orchestral concerts 
 in front of the band, at the piano, and on the occasion of a 
 Philharmonic Concert we find him asking the question, 
 '• What do they mean by the term ' Conductor,' Mr. 
 Clement! ? He sits there and turns over the leaves of the 
 score, but after all he cannot, without his marshal's staff, 
 the baton, lead on his musical army. The leader does this, 
 and the conductor remains a nullity. And now for the pro- 
 gramme. The C minor symphony of Beethoven, for the 
 first time here ; and immediately after this sublime work, 
 this food for the gods, a variation for the flute, a violin 
 concerto, and several airs. Besides this Mozart's G minor 
 symphony, and to conclude, an overture by Romberg — a 
 programme which I write down now, that I may never for- 
 get it." Altogether there were strange doings in the Phil- 
 harmonic Society. Kiesewetter wished -no longer to play 
 at their concerts, as he thought 5/. for a performance too 
 little. Moscheles and Kalkbrenner were asked to play 
 gratuitously. The former refused from press of business. 
 Kalkbrenner, who was glad when he could appear at 3 
 
52 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Philharmonic Concert, accepted the invitation of the society, 
 played his D minor concerto in a very finished style, and 
 received well-merited applause. " I cannot recognize their 
 claims to my gratuitous services, while my art-brethren, on 
 the contrary, find me always ready to support them." In 
 turning over the pages of his diary, so as to verify this say- 
 ing, we find that Moscheles played during this season not 
 only for his friend T. B. Cramer, and for the harp-player 
 Dizi, but also for the singers Torri and Sapio, Caradori and 
 Borgondio, and other less well-known artists. 
 
 Altogether the artists seem to have fraternized very 
 satisfactorily, in spite of petty jealousies and professional 
 rivalry. However, some painful scenes did occur ; thus, at 
 a soir6e given by Miss B., a pupil of Moscheles, he says: 
 " It was an awkward business ! After we had all been 
 repeatedly heard, Kiesewetter and I played Mayseder's 
 long sonata. Cramer's exclamation, ' Cela m'ennuie,' 
 worked like a thunderclap on the easily excited Kiesewet- 
 ter ; he sprang indignantly from his chair, and we subse- 
 quently had a deal of trouble and worry to reconcile the 
 two." 
 
 There were large numbers of English amateurs who 
 counted it a special honor to associate with artists, and to 
 play by their side at their private soirees. Thus, Sir W. 
 Curtis on the violoncello, Mrs. Oom and Mrs. Fleming on 
 the piano. Prince Leopold, and Princess Sophia, sister to 
 King George IV., were always attentive listeners to the 
 performers. Still Moscheles complains, " I am obliged to 
 perform and endure too much trivial music." 
 
 He describes the annual festivity of the meeting of the 
 6000 charity children for divine service at St. Paul's Cathe- 
 dral as remarkable and edifying. "The moment when the 
 whole host of them stand up together is an imposing one. 
 But," he adds, " how could they all, with the powerful organ 
 accompaniment to the Psalms, and while singing in unison, 
 contrive to fall the fourth of a tone, and that also in 
 unison ! " 
 
 Moscheles had abundant opportunities of forming a 
 judgment of youthful talent, for fathers and mothers brought 
 him their budding musical prodigies, the most of whom have 
 vanished and are long forgotten. Still he often thought in 
 
MUSICAL PRODIGIES. 53 
 
 later years, with great delight, of the moment when the boy 
 Ferdinand Hiller first played to him, and he prophesied to 
 the father the brilliant musical future of his son ; this was 
 for a long time a delightful recollection to both. Delphine 
 Schauroth too, when only ten years of age, astonished him, 
 even in those days, by her brilliant execution and musical 
 aptitude. But more than all other wonders in the way of 
 musical children, he was charmed with the youthful, almost 
 childish actress, Maria Garcia, afterwards Malibran, whom 
 he saw on an amateur stage in the house of a M. Hullman- 
 del. . He writes : " The charming girl, almost a child, acted 
 enchantingly in the ' Chauvin de Rheims,' ' Le Coin de 
 Rue,' and ' L'Ours et le Pacha.' " At the same time he was 
 delighted with the dramatic singing of her father, who was 
 one of the greatest tenors of his day. 
 
 Moscheles, during his stay in Vienna, had laid the 
 foundation of an accurate knowledge of the Italian lan- 
 guage, for which he always had a predilection. In London 
 he had perfected himself still more, and never failed to 
 attend the Pistrucci evenings, where he listened with great 
 delight to the " Improvisatore," as he enlarged, in well- 
 sounding harmonious verses, on a chance theme suggested 
 by the public. " It gives me food for thought in my own 
 improvisations," he adds. "I must constantly make com- 
 parisons between the sister arts : they are all closely allied." 
 
 The London of 1823 had nothing in the shape of con- 
 veyances but two-horse hack carriages, and these were as 
 costly as they were clumsy. Moscheles' delight, when for 
 the first time he could use a one-horse cab, of lighter build, 
 is recorded in the diary : " The happy change occurred 
 exactly in one of my busiest weeks. While preparing for a 
 concert on the 27th of June, I was forced to cross and 
 recross London. My dear friend, Sir George Smart, has 
 relieved me of a part of these preparations ; he is always 
 ready to accompany, to give rehearsals to singers and so- 
 loists; in a word, to spare his friend all sorts of trouble. 
 That excellent man conducts nearly all the important 
 musical festivals in I/Ondon as well as the provinces, with 
 the greatest care and precision. He is one of those rare 
 beings who, in spite of all sorts of business, find time to 
 answer their letters every day they receive them. He is 
 
54 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 always ready, too, to serve his friends, and many a foreign 
 singer is indebted to him for a correct pronunciation in 
 the oratorios of Haydn and Handel, and for such sugges- 
 tions as enable her to carry out successfully the old tra- 
 ditions." 
 
 Moscheles' stay in England, so prosperous in every 
 way, finished with the end of the London season. In 
 August we find him already on his journey home, starting 
 first of all for France. The first day in Paris is more 
 pleasant than the second. " I have left at Schlesinger's a 
 box full of valuables, which have been stolen, every one of 
 them — namely, the snuff-box given me by the Duchess de 
 Berry, a silver coffee-service, twelve spoons, an antique 
 ring, a Venetian chain, and other articles of. value given 
 to me as souvenirs. We suspect a young friend of Schles- 
 inger, who saw me pack the things, and often remained 
 alone in the room where the' box stood. We are obliged 
 to act with great delicacy in this matter." The suspicion 
 was confirmed, but the penitent letter which Moscheles re- 
 inceived from the young man induced him patiently to wait 
 hopes of a restitution of his lost property. Later on we shall 
 meet with a further development of this disagreeable affair. 
 
 He staid but ten days in Paris, previous to going to 
 Spa, where a concert was arranged without any trouble to 
 himself. The pianoforte question, however, was a difficult 
 matter. Moscheles did not succeed in obtaining the very 
 excellent piano belonging to Lady Portland, whose acquaint- 
 ance he had made at a ball. " She disappoints me ex- 
 tremely,'' he writes, "declaring that I should damage her 
 instrument. I, who am so averse to all thumping. She 
 actually told a friend of hers present at the ball that 1 
 played with my feet ! " 
 
 Some confusion may have arisen in the lady's mind 
 from her having heard of one of Moscheles' favorite jokes 
 — he would play with his fists, improvise pieces, introduc- 
 ing passages for thirds in which he would contrive to strike 
 the under note with the closed thumb, retaining all the 
 while the softness of his touch. Lady Portland's piano not 
 forthcoming, a Mrs. Bayham lent him a Broadwood, which, 
 although it had seen its best days, did not prejudice his 
 success. 
 
VISIT TO GERMANY. 
 
 55 
 
 We next find him at Aix-la-Chapelle. Here J. A. 
 Mayer, the publisher, formerly a mere acquaintance of his, 
 was of great assistance. This gentleman, as well as the 
 entire family, became his life-long friends, and thus the 
 lightly knit tie of a passing acquaintance became a lasting 
 link in the chain of Moscheles' friendship. 
 
 Moscheles had a peculiar and very marked propensity, 
 which he retained to his latest years, for attending courts 
 of law, and watching the progress of trials. Thus we find 
 him, even at Aix, in the midst of a cheerful artistic life, 
 rushing off to the court, and diligently listening to the 
 criminal proceedings in the case of the murderers Joseph 
 Pakhard and Josephine Herzoginrath. " His indifference 
 shocked me,'* he writes. " Her sobs were heart-rending." 
 We often come across similar notes on public trials. 
 
 At the beginning of September Moscheles returned to 
 ■Germany. At first we find him in Frankfort, from whence 
 he hurries off" to Hofrath Andre, in Offenbach, in order to 
 revel in Mozart manuscripts. He says, " I immediately 
 took a note for myself of the two bars, which Mozairt 
 struck out of his overture to the ' Zauberflote' as super- 
 fluous. 
 
 |te^a£fe i^i^ 
 
 -?-^ 
 
 ^^m 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 -fi— b B 1 5 hn 
 
 rH H-H—f— T = •lt_-*i- 
 
 
 y u 1. r d- r (,J 
 
 "i '~T~^~k^~~'-r' 
 
 "f=^-f-p5r^ 
 
 
 frY V H* 
 
 7 ' 'BW • 
 
 
 
 y-y ' « >• i» "t? 
 
 4 *i 
 
 
 J i' V r T 
 
 r 
 
 What could I, who worship every note of Mozart's, who 
 consider him the greatest musical genius, say, when Hof- 
 rath Andre maintained that Mozart did not thoroughly 
 understand declamation, since words which bear the con- 
 trary sense to that of his opera texts, might just as well be 
 placed under his music, and be as suitable as the original 
 words. This accusation seemed to me not worthy of 
 
56 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 defence. I remained silent. I was intensely interested 
 in a sight of the half-finished scene of the opera ' L'Oca 
 del Cairo.' The last numbers of this buried treasure 
 are unfortunately only noted for the voice and bass ! 
 Who would like to end where Mozart has begun ? I saw, 
 too, an outburst of his waggish humor in a Concerto which 
 he had written for the horn-player Leitgeb, with the fol- 
 lowing inscription, ' W. A. Mozart has taken pity on the 
 poor Leitgeb, the ass, the ox, etc., and written for him a 
 horn-concerto. ' " 
 
 At that time Moscheles heard a new arrangement of 
 the libretto to the opera, " Cosi fan tutte," which was 
 given with Mozart's music unaltered, under the name of the 
 "Fairy Mirror." This music delighted him. He heard 
 Mozart's Requiem given by the Cacilien-Verein, in the Ca- 
 thedral, under Schelble's able direction. Here, too, he rev- 
 elled in the choicest fragments of Handelian music. It 
 gave Moscheles great delight to meet the esteemed contra- 
 puntist, Vollweiler, as well as Aloys Schmitt, and to become 
 acquainted with Wilhelm Speier, so well known for his 
 Rheinlied. " That stamp of amateur I like," he said, " as 
 well as an artist." 
 
 Deeply engrossed in all kinds of professional pursuits, 
 Moscheles was still mindful of the welfare of his brother 
 artists. Bohm aud Pixis were making a tour, and had just 
 arrived in Frankfort. " Friend Mayer," said Moscheles, 
 " shall get up a good concert for them in Aix." So he wrote 
 to him, and urgently recommended them. 
 
 After his concert in Frankfort was over, Spontini's 
 " Olympia " was just announced in Darmstadt ; Moscheles, 
 Pixis, and Bohm drove over to hear it, and they met with a 
 strange adventure. " The wheel of our carriage was three 
 times lost, and as there was nothing else to drive but a com- 
 mon cart, and we would not miss the opera at any price, we 
 mounted this elegant vehicle, and made our solemn entry 
 into Darmstadt at the same time with many princely and 
 other carriages, with the inmates of which we were well ac- 
 quainted. At this first hearing of ' Olympia ' I found much 
 that was grand and indicative of genius, without concealing 
 from myself the weakness of many passages. Zelter, who 
 delighted in opposing every modern 'eccentricity,' as 
 
BIRNBECK KNEIPE. 
 
 57 
 
 he called most of the innovations, declared that he could 
 hear plenty of such noisy music outside the opera-house 
 without going into it." 
 
 In Munich Moscheles was kjndly received by the Kaula 
 family, and delighted in meeting his brother artists in the 
 " Birnbeck Kneipe," for beer and musical discussion. There 
 was Winter, the composer of " Das Unterbrochene Opferfest," 
 Molique, Andreas Romberg, Bohrer, Krebs, and others. 
 
 In consequence of the arrival of the Prince of Prussia, 
 who was recently betrothed to a Bavarian princess, Mos- 
 cheles was summoned to Nymphenburg to play before the 
 royal party, and thoroughly enjoyed the kind reception given 
 him by the "good King Max." He asked him, "How old 
 raeyou?" "Thirty, your Majesty." "Double that num- 
 ber, and add seven to it, and you will have my age," said 
 the king quickly. The Crown-Prince of Prussia, who joined 
 in the conversation, invited Moscheles to Berlin, and the 
 king made him promise to play again before the Court on 
 the 4th of October. He did play on that evening, and had 
 the satisfaction of seeing the royal party at his own concert 
 on the loth. 
 
 The vintage fetes, which were celebrated in the presence 
 of the Court, were a delightful recreation to Moscheles. 
 There is, however, a complaining tone observable in some 
 of his descriptions of the scenes he witnessed ; he felt ill 
 and unable to thoroughly enjoy that which was so delight- 
 ful to thousands on the meadows and hills around. After 
 attending a performance of his music to the ballet " Die 
 Portraits," which the ballet-master Horschelt ordered to be 
 given in his honor, he then became worse, and hurried back 
 to dear old Vienna, in search of proper medical treatment. 
 Vivanot, Malfatti, and Smethana did everything that friend- 
 ship and their art could do. His brother came from Prague 
 to nurse him, but in spite of their combined care, three 
 gloomy weeks passed-before he was out of danger. Then 
 followed a period of prostration, which cramped his vital 
 energy and spirits almost more than the illness itself. For 
 a long time he was much depressed ; he found some conso- 
 lation in his Shakespeare, but seldom touched the piano ; 
 even the visits of sympathizing friends failed to rouse him 
 from his apathy. The offer made him by Barbaja, the les- 
 
58 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 see of the Kiirntnerthor Theatre, to give as many concerts 
 as he liked and share half the profits, remained unheeded. 
 At this period, C. M. von Weber came to Vienna, for the 
 purpose of bringing out his "Euryanthe ;" already after the 
 rehearsals the most dissentient voices of the German and 
 Italian factions were heard, warning notes were given of a 
 serious battle at the first performance — nay, some ill-dis- 
 posed persons had presumed to rechristen " Euryanthe " 
 by the name of " Ennuyante." Moscheles would not on 
 any account miss the first performance, in order to raise his 
 voice for the German master, and against " the shallow 
 Italian jingle," as he called it. Thus his melancholy was 
 overcome. " The opera is not suited for uninitiated ears," 
 said he, after he had heard it : " it is too bold in rhythm 
 and harmony ; the text so terribly far-fetched that the rau.sic 
 must to some extent, be of the same kind ; it has, however, 
 very many beauties, and the airs 'Glocklein im Thale ' and 
 ' Unter BUlhenden Mandelbaiimen,' but before all, the 
 finale of the first act, must insure the success of the opera, 
 even with tTie pit and galleries."' The cast was faultless. 
 The charming, youthful Sontag, the excellent tenor singer 
 Haitzinger, the admirable Madame Granbaum, and the 
 equally good Forti, represented the leading characters. 
 At the subsequent representations, when the house would 
 no longer fill, the Italian faction begun to triumph. Mos- 
 cheles writes : " Ludlam (the healthy art-fraternity whose 
 acquaintance we have already made) succeeded in infusing 
 the orthodox German spirit into the press." Besides this, 
 the society was anxious to honor Weber, and gave him a 
 festive evening after the first representation of " Euryan- 
 the." Among those present were Castelli, Jeitteles, Gyro- 
 wetz, Biiuerle, Benedict, Grillparzer, and many others. 
 Poems, written for the occasion, extolling Weber's genius, 
 were recited, and the most jovial Ludlamslieder sung. 
 
 The success of the first concert which Moscheles gaye 
 after his return to Vienna raised his spirits once more to 
 the old level, although he was not free from ijodily suffer- 
 ing. Having to return, some visits, he began with Beet- 
 hoven, accompanied by his brother, who was burning with 
 anxiety to see the great man. " Arrived at the house- 
 door," says Moscheles, " I had some misgivings, knowing 
 
SALIERI IN THE HOSPITAL. 5^ 
 
 Beethoven's dislike to strangers, and asked my brother to 
 wait below while I felt m}' way. After short greetings, I 
 asked Beethoven, ' May I be allowed to introduce my 
 brother to you ? ' He replied, hurriedly, ' Where is he then V ' 
 ' Below,' was the answer. ' What ! below ? ' said he, with 
 some vehemence ; then rushed down stairs, seized my 
 astonished brother by his arm, and dragged him up into 
 the middle of his room, exclaiming, 'Am I so barbarously 
 rude and unapproachable ? ' He then showed great kind- 
 ness to the stranger. Unfortunately, on account of his 
 deafness, we could only converse by writing." 
 
 Moscheles wished also to visit poor Salieri, who, weak, 
 old, and nigh to death, was lying in the common hospital. 
 For this purpose he obtained the necessary permission of 
 his unmarried daughter and the regular authorities, as 
 hardly any one could be admitted to see him ; he was not 
 fond of visits, and made only a few special exceptions. 
 " Our meeting," writes Moscheles, " was a sorrowful one ; 
 for already his appearance shocked me, and he spoke to me 
 in broken sentences of his nearly impending death. At 
 last he said, ' I can assure you as a man of honor that there 
 is no truth in the absurd report; of course you know — 
 Mozart — I am said to have poisoned him ; but no — malice, 
 sheer malice ; tell the world, dear Moscheles, old Salieri, 
 who is on his death-bed, has told this to you.' I was deep- 
 ly moved, and when the old man in tears repeated his 
 thanks for my visit (having already overwhelmed me with 
 gratitude on my arrival), it was time for me to rush out of 
 the room before I was entirely overcome with 'emotion. 
 With regard to the report hinted at by the dying man, it 
 certainly had been circulated, without my ever giving it 
 the slightest belief. Morally speaking he had no doubt 
 by his intrigues poisoned many an hour of Mozart's exist- 
 ence." 
 
 After Moscheles had made a round of visits to the artists, 
 he went off to the pianoforte-makers, whose progress he al- 
 ways diligently watched, and found that Graf and Leschin 
 had considerably improved the quality of their instruments. 
 
 In November and December, Moscheles gave a second 
 and third concert in the Karntnerthor Theatre, and for the 
 last occasion Beethoven lent him with the greatest readiness 
 
6o RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 his Broadwood piano. Moscheles wished, by using alter- 
 nately at one and the same concert a Graf and an English 
 piano, to bring out the good qualities of both. Beethoven 
 was not exactly the player to treat a piano carefully ; his 
 unfortunate deafness was the cause of his pitiless thumping 
 on the instrument, so that Graf — foreseeing the favorable 
 issue of this contest to himself — generously labored to put 
 the damaged English instrument into better condition for 
 this occasion. " I tried," says Moscheles, " in my Fantasia 
 to show the value of the broad, full, although somewhat 
 muffled tone of the Broadwood piano ; but in vain. My 
 Vienna public remained loyal to their countryman — the 
 clear, ringing tones of the Graf were more jpleasing to their 
 ears. Before I left the room I was obliged to yield to the 
 urgent request of several of my hearers, in promising to re- 
 peat the whole concert the day after to-morrow." This 
 promise was fulfilled. 
 
 He persistently refused the pressing invitations he re- 
 ceived to give a concert in the Theatre an der Wien ; he 
 was still suffering pain, and wanted to get away from Vienna. 
 However, he took part in a concert for the benefit of the 
 poor, and supported his friend Ma3'seder on the evening of 
 his benefit, when he played the E flat concerto. 
 
 In gratitude for the merry evenings which he had spent 
 among the Ludlamites, Moscheles composed for them, in 
 the midst of his preparations for departure, a jovial chorus ; 
 the society upon this elevated him to the rank of Ludlam's 
 "Kapellmeister." At the same time the smaller but very 
 vigorous " Schlaraffen-Verein " (Idler's Club) conferred 
 on him honorary membership. " Thus," he says, " the 
 close of the year found me in high spirits, but invested with 
 the night-cap, and all the other insignia of idleness. Better 
 thus to end the year than to begin the new one." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 1824. 
 
 Prague — Inauguration of the Redoutensaal — Reception by the Emperor 
 — Series of Concerts — Respect for his Old Master — Dresden — 
 Artistic Society — Tieck — C. M. von Weber — Performance before 
 the Court — Leipzig — Distinguished Critics and Artists — Berlin — 
 Relations to the Mendelssohn Family — Frau Varnhagen von Ense 
 (Rahel) — Felix Mendelssohn — Zelter — Potsdam — Magdeburg. 
 
 ON the ist of January, Moscheles writes in his diary : " I 
 could not express to my dear friends and patrons, at 
 my parting visits, my sense of obligation to them for all their 
 kindness; but I am very sensible of all that they have done 
 for me. Ludlam, with its jokes, was hardly in tune with my 
 present state of feeling, but I was of course obliged to ap- 
 pear at the parting banquet which they gave me." No 
 sooner had he arrived at Prague than he became danger- 
 ously ill, and was laid up for four months in his mother's 
 house. He was therefore obliged to forfeit his engagements 
 in England for the winter and spring. The newspapers 
 actually announced his death, but severe as the crisis was 
 through which he passed, he was mercifully spared to his 
 family and friends. On this occasion, too, it is music which 
 completes his cure. Prom January to April he had diverted 
 himself solely with reading (chiefly the works of Goethe), 
 and very seldom touched the piano. In the month of May 
 he was asked whether he would inaugurate with his consert 
 the Redoutensaal, in the presence of their Majesties, who had 
 just arrived at Prague. " So I am about," he says, " to cel- 
 ebrate my recovery, not only with heartfelt gratitude to God 
 and my friends, but also by a brilliant concert." The Oberst- 
 burggraf, the Stadthauptmann, and the members of the mu- 
 sical committee arranged everything ; a new royal box was 
 erected, the house was brilliantly illuminated, chorus and 
 band strengthened. 
 
 On the 29th of May,Moscheles writes in his diary: " My 
 
62 RECENT MUSIC AMD MUSICIANS. 
 
 mother's joy at my success yesterday compensates for all the 
 sadness of the winter." On the 2d of June he was received 
 at a private audience by the Emperor, and greeted with 
 these words : "You pleased me when you were merely a boy, 
 and since that time it always gives me pleasure to hear you." 
 In addition to his kind patronage, an unusually handsome 
 present from the Emperor had greatly contributed to the pe- 
 cuniary success of the concert, which was followed by another 
 at the " Standischen Theatre," and afterwards he had the 
 pleasure of being present at the signing of his sister Fanny's 
 marriage contract, and was able to provide handsomely for 
 her. 
 
 On the I ith of June his brother travelled with him to 
 Carlsbad, where he was to take the waters, but the public 
 insisted on hearing him ; he was obliged to give a concert, and 
 at the special wish of the Duke of Cumberland, repeated it 
 a few evenings later. Similar successes were awaiting him 
 at Marienbad, Franzensbad, and Teplitz, and at all these 
 places he gave concerts for the poor and assisted his artistic 
 friends in their own undertakings. Of course, in each of 
 the watering-places there was a concourse of artists, and 
 Moscheles was specially delighted at his meeting with Carl 
 Maria von Weber. He rejoices that in going to Dresden 
 he can spare a fortnight for Prague, where he again plays to 
 old master Dionys Weber, and listens with affectionate rev- 
 erence to his remarks on his own compositions. He always 
 maintained before him the character of a pupil, however 
 much Dionys Weber wished to honor the master in him. 
 "One thing strikes me as remarkable," he says, "how the 
 good man, who first of all regarded Beethoven as half mad 
 and warned me against him, is obliged by degrees to change 
 his mind ; but he does this cautiously, for there are still many 
 things which he will not approve of, and I am forced to 
 moderate my enthusiasm considerably in order not to annoy 
 him." These words show a sense of reverence and honor 
 that needs no comment. 
 
 We now follow Moscheles to Dresden, where he found 
 Carl Maria von Weber and Morlacchi, acting as Hofkapell- 
 meisters, RoUa first violin in the admirable Court band, 
 Herr v. Liittichau " Intendant " of the Royal Theatre. We 
 read of Moscheles enjoying the beautiful music in the Cath. 
 
DRESDEN. 63 
 
 olic Church, the brilliant singers Sassaroli, Tibaldi, etc. 
 He speaks of Tieck, who delighted him with his reading 
 of " Clavigo," of August Klengel, whose canon studies 
 Moscheles prized as masterpieces, and with whom he spent 
 many an enjoyable evening. Weber and his amiable wife 
 invited him to their house at Hosterwitz (near Dresden). 
 There, too, was Friedrich Kind, librettist of the " Frey- 
 schiitz," and Weber's intention of accepting an invitation 
 to England was earnestly discussed. " Of course," says 
 Moscheles, " I can give him information and practical hints 
 on measures necessary for his scheme. But I am sorry to 
 see him in a state of debility and suffering, and dread the 
 exertions which London will cost him." Unfortunately, 
 these fears were destined to be realized, as we shall after- 
 wards see in the year 1826. 
 
 Moscheles had to play again in Pilnitz before the Royal 
 family, and again his performance was to be during the din- 
 ner hour. The redeeming feature was a jovial dinner 
 among the artists after the performance was over, and they 
 were much amused at receiving, in accordance with ancient 
 custom, a thaler each for gloves, besides such valuables as 
 the gold snuff-box with which Moscheles was presented. 
 " The thaler," he writes, " goes well with the Vandalism of 
 playing to royal folk at their dinner." 
 
 On the 8th of October, Moscheles and his brother went 
 to Leipzig. Here let us briefly anticipate that important 
 period of Moscheles' life which was spent in that city. 
 Many years were to elapse before Moscheles, at the instiga- 
 tion of his friend Mendelssohn, was induced to migrate to 
 Leipzig, where he was destined to remain and labor in the 
 cause of art to the end of his days. It was in 1846 that 
 Mendelssohn founded the Conservatorio of Music in Leipzig, 
 and wished the pupils of that Institute to enjoy the benefit 
 of his friend's experience. Alas ! their joint efforts were to 
 last but one short year. After Mendelssohn's death, Mos- 
 cheles accepted as a sacred trust the duty of further devel- 
 oping that great Institute that owed its foundation to his 
 departed friend. 
 
 But to return to the year 1824, and to the influence that 
 Leipzig at that time exercised on his artistic creed. While 
 retaining his bravura style of playing, he aspired with ever- 
 
64 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 increasing earnestness to the highest aims of musicianship, 
 and sought to appear with the calm and self-possession of 
 thorough mastery before judges whose criticisms he re- 
 spected, and an audience whom he considered well versed 
 in art matters. 
 
 Referring to the diary of those days, we find Moscheles 
 at the "Birnbaum " (now called the Hotel de Pologne), and 
 visiting the whole musical fraternity. Kapellmeister Wein- 
 lich, Schulz, the violin-player, Matthai, Mademoiselle Vel- 
 theim, the singer — all these are favorably mentioned, and 
 he delights in accompanying Madame Weitte, an excellent 
 artiste. The following is an interesting notice added in 
 after-years : " I must have seen the little Clara, afterwards 
 the famous Clara Schumann at her father's, Mr. Wieck, and 
 little did I think then what intense pleasure she would give 
 me in after-years, and how her execution of my own G minor 
 concerto in the Gewandhaus would delight me. No better 
 reading and execution of the work can be heard ; I could 
 not myself play it more to my own satisfaction. It is just 
 as if she had composed it herself." Later on we read in 
 the diary : " I have done business in that famous commer- 
 cial city of Leipzig. Probst bought my Op. 62 and 63 for 
 35 ducats, and I had 40 from Mechetti for my G minor con- 
 certo. Others, too, meet me in a very friendly way, and 
 help me in making my concert arrangements. They intro- 
 duced me to the Liedertafel, whose performances are excel- 
 lent. There I met the famous critic Rochlitz, the admirable 
 actors Devrient and Genast, etc. Bernhard Romberg, who 
 had just come to Leipzig, agreed with me in saying that it 
 is delightful to play before such judges." Moscheles took 
 delight in the theatre, then under the direction of Hofrath 
 Kiistner, where he saw works by Shakespeare and Schiller 
 acted to perfection. With regard to his own concert, he 
 says : " It is remarkable that I gave it on the i8th of Oc- 
 tober. It appears that I, too, have won my battle ; for even 
 in the room the directors pressed me to give a second con- 
 cert. I have not, however, made up my mind to this." He 
 did so the next morning, when urged by the local paper to 
 grant the directors' request. The times in which artists 
 were pressed to give concerts are among the things of the 
 past. Friedrich Schneider, the composer of an oratorio, 
 
RELATIONS TO THE MENDELSSOHN FAMILY. 65 
 
 " Paradise Lost," showed him this new work when he visited 
 Dessau to perform before the Court. 
 
 On the 31st of October, Moscheles and his brother 
 arrived at Berlin. His notes on his stay here are more 
 cursory than usual. He seems to consider all else unim- 
 portant as compared with his relations to the family of 
 Mendelssohn. It is incidentally mentioned that he gave 
 three brilliant concerts for the sufferers from inundation, 
 for the blind, and for other charitable institutions, also that 
 he played for some personal friends. We read, too, that 
 the haute finance, the poets, the statesmen, were glad to 
 welcome him. Spontini's operas, with their brilliant 
 scenery~and pageantry, the admirable singers Bader, Blum, 
 Frau Milder-Hauptmann, and Frau Seidler-Wranitzky, even 
 the charming actress Fraulein Bauer, are merely alluded to, 
 and the great political event, the marriage of the King with 
 the Princess Liegnitz is referred to in a few passing words. 
 He writes, however, whole pages about Felix Mendelssohn's 
 home and his family. We quote his impressions after a 
 first visit : " This is a family the like of which I have never 
 known. Felix, a boy of fifteen, is a phenomenon. What 
 are all prodigies as compared with him 1 Gifted children, 
 but nothing else. This Felix Mendelssohn is already a 
 mature artist, and yet but fifteen years old ! We at once 
 settled down together for several hours, for I was obliged to 
 play a great deal, when really I wanted to hear him and see 
 his compositions, for Felix had to show me a Concerto in C 
 minor, a double Concerto, and several motets ; and all so 
 full of genius, and at the same time so correct and thor- 
 ough ! His elder sister Fanny, also extraordinarily gifted, 
 played by heart, and with admirable precision, Fugues and 
 Passacailles by Bach. I think one may well call her a 
 thorough 'Mus. Doc' (guter Musiker). Both parents 
 give one the impression of being people of the highest 
 refinement. They are far from overrating their children's 
 talents ; in fact, they are anxious about Felix's future, and 
 to know whether his gift will prove sufficient to lead to a 
 noble and truly great career. Will he not, like so many 
 other brilliant children, suddenly collapse ? I asserted my 
 conscientious conviction that Felix would ultimately become 
 a great master, that I had not the slightest doubt of his 
 
66 . RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 genius ; but again and again I had to insist on my opinion 
 before they believed me. These two are not specimens of 
 the genus prodigy-parents (Wunderkinds-Eltern), such as I 
 must frequently endure." 
 
 The pleasure, however, was mutual, and the oftener 
 Moscheles came to dine and spend the evening at their 
 house, the heartier was the reception he met with. The 
 Mendelssohns had frequently begged him to give Felix 
 some lessons, but these requests he had with characteristic 
 modesty always answered evasively. He writes in the 
 diary : " Felix has no need of lessons ; if he wishes to take 
 a hint as to anything that is new to him, from hearing me 
 play, he can easily do so." Madame Mendelssohn wrote 
 to him on the i8th of November, 1824 : " Have you kindly 
 thought over our request about the lessons ? You would 
 extrertiely oblige us by consenting, if such a thing can be 
 done without disturbing your plans during your stay in this 
 place. Don't set down these repeated inquiries as inoppor- 
 tune, but attribute them entirely to the wish that my child 
 should be enabled to profit by the presence of the prince 
 of pianists." Even after this, Moscheles-seems not to have 
 made up his mind to say " Yes," but merely to have spoken 
 of "playing occasionally," for on the 22d of November, we 
 find again the following note : " If I may be allowed, dear 
 Mr. Moscheles, to renew my request that you will give 
 lessons to my two eldest children, be good enough to let 
 me know your terms. I should like them to begin at once, 
 that they may profit as far as possible during the time of 
 your stay here." This note Moscheles must have answered 
 in the affirmative, for on the 2 2d of November, he writes in 
 his diary : " This afternoon, from two to three o'clock, I 
 gave Felix Mendelssohn his first lesson, without losing 
 sight for a single moment of the fact that I was sitting next 
 to a master, not a pupil. I feel proud that after so short 
 an acquaintance with me his distinguished parents entrust 
 me with their son, and congratulate myself on being per- 
 mitted to give him some hints, which he seizes on and 
 works out with that genius peculiar to himself." Six days 
 later he says : " Felix Mendelssohn's lessons are repeated 
 every second day ; to me they are subjects of ever -increas- 
 ing interest j he has already played with me my Allegri di 
 
FELIX MENDELSSOHN. 
 
 67 
 
 Bravura, my concertos, and other things, and how played ! 
 The slightest hint from me, and he guesses at my concep- 
 tion." 
 
 From this time dates Moscheles' close intimacy with the 
 family. He delighted in the intellectual atmosphere of the 
 house ; and would listen with interest to the conversation 
 of Felix's father, " with his sound views on art-subjects ; " 
 he attended many of their morning or evening musical 
 entertainments, and scrupulously catalogued the pro- 
 grammes. "On the 23d November," he writes, "I heard 
 a Psalm by Naumann, at the Singakademie, afterwards went 
 to the Mendelssohns'. The brother and sister played Bach." 
 
 '• Nov. 25th. — With the family of Mendelssohn-Bar- 
 tholdy at the brother's house." 
 
 " Nov. 28th (Sunday). — Music in the morning at the 
 Mendelssohns'. C minor quartet by Felix. D major 
 Symphony, concerto by Bach, duet in D minor for two 
 pianos by Arnold. 
 
 " Nov. 30th. — At Frau Varnhagen's with Felix. Ex- 
 ceedingly interesting." 
 
 Frau Varnhagen was the famous Rahel, of whose ami- 
 ability and masculine understanding so much has been said 
 and written. Her receptions were the rallying point for 
 artists, scholars, and statesmen, for every one of whom she 
 had a suitable word or a willing ear, and all this was done 
 with perfect simplicity, while her good nature always 
 prompted her to draw out the least gifted of her acquaint- 
 ance. She loved music, so that a genius like Felix Men- 
 delssohn was a heartfelt delight to her, and she invariably 
 showed her warm appreciation of Moscheles. 
 
 "Dec. 3d, 12 o'clock. — Music at Zelter's. Fanny Men- 
 delssohn played the D minor Concerto by S. Bach, which I 
 saw in the original manuscript. A mass in five parts by S. 
 Bach was performed. 
 
 " Dec. 5th. — At Geheimrath Crelle's Felix accompanied 
 Mozart's Requiem, in commemoration of the day of his 
 death : Zelter and others were present. 
 
 "Dec. nth. — A birthday festival at Mendelssohns' at 
 ■which we were treated to some charming private theatricals. 
 Felix distinguished himself as an actor quite as much as 
 Edward Devrient. 
 
68 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " Dec. i2th (Sunday).— Music at Metidelssohns'. Felix 
 F minor Quartet. I played with him my duet in G for two 
 pianofortes. Young Schilling played Hummel's Trio in 
 G." 
 
 Zelter, the well-known teacher of Felix and his sister, 
 never failed to attend these morning performances. Al- 
 though in his outward manner rather harsh and forbidding, 
 he was not a little proud of his pupils. He invited Mos- 
 cheles to a friendly supper, upon which his guest observes : 
 " My musical conversations with Zelter were extremely in- 
 teresting to me. He is the man who corresponded so much 
 with Goethe on Teltower Rubchen and other better 
 things." 
 
 " December 13th. — Returned to Felix his album, in 
 which I yesterday wrote the Impromptu op. 77. He played 
 it admirably at- sight." 
 
 
 
 fe^^^^^^S^^ 
 
 On the 15th of December Moscheles reluctantly departed 
 from Berlin, and the Mendelssohn family, to which he had 
 become so closely attached. He and his brother travelled 
 with Fraulein Bauer and her mother to Potsdam, where he 
 played, according to promise, at Blum's evening concert in 
 presence of the Court. 
 
 17th of December was a melancholy day. Moscheles 
 and his brother had to separate. The latter was bound for 
 Prague ; Moscheles went by coach to Magdeburg. " That 
 kind brother of mine," he exclaims, " he has spoiled me by 
 his devotion." 
 
 By desire of the Governor, General Haack, the concert 
 in Magdeburg, on the 20th of December had to be repeat- 
 ed on the 23d of the same month. After paying a flying 
 visit to Brunswick, Moscheles spent the last day of the 
 year at Hanover, in quiet retirement. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 1825. 
 
 Hanover — The Duke of Cambridge— Hamburg — Marriage to Charlotte 
 Embden — Paris — Intercourse with Distinguished Men — Reception 
 in London — Mori's Monster Concerts — Sebastian Erard's Inven- 
 tion — Advantage of numbering Concert Tickets — Habits of 
 Study^-Sir Michael Costa — Sundays with the Clementis — The 
 CoUards — Holiday Excursions and Concerts — A Liverpool Re- 
 hearsal — The Christmas Waits. 
 
 THE Duke of Cambri>lge, a great lover of music, was 
 at this time Regent of Hanover, and his name, with 
 those of the Platens, Kielmansegges, and others, appeared 
 in the list of patrons to Moscheles' two successful concerts. 
 
 Moscheles next played at Celle, and on the i6th of Janu- 
 ary reached Hamburg. The diary records the names of 
 Clasing, Grund, Lindenau, Rudersdorf, Lehmann, and the 
 little Louise David (afterwards Madame Dulcken), who, in 
 spite of her tender years, played the ' Alexander Variations ' 
 admirably. 
 
 Among the great crowd" of listeners in the ApoUosaal at 
 Hamburg was Charlotte Embden, Moscheles' future wife. 
 A fair pianist herself, she was enchanted with Moscheles' 
 wonderful playing ; a short acquaintance led to an engage- 
 ment, and on the first of March they were married. The 
 day is thus marked in the husband's diary : " My ' Ehren- . 
 tag ' (day of honor). With the fullest sense of happiness, 
 with purity of heart and intention, and full of gratitude to 
 the Almighty, I entered this holy state, and pray God to 
 bless me." We omit all the glowing passages confided to 
 the diary by the happy bridegroom during the honeymoon. 
 Sufiice it to say that they bear witness to the love and 
 esteem which were to lay the foundation of long years of 
 happiness. 
 
 Moscheles gave concerts at Hamburg, Liineburg, and 
 Altona, for his own benefit, or for his friends, and on behalf 
 
^o 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 of charitable institutions. The young couple went to Bre- 
 men and Aix la-Chapelle, on their way to Paris, and there, 
 at the houses of their relatives, met the painter GJrard, 
 Benjamin Constant, Alexander Humboldt, Meyerbeer, and 
 his brother Michael, Hummel, F. Mendelssohn and his 
 father, and other men of note. 
 
 Moscheles writes to his father-in-law: " Charlotte has 
 given me to-day an album, in which all the artists here 
 assembled have written their autographs." * 
 
 On the 28tli of March, Moscheles completed a contract 
 with the Academic Roy ale de Musique, by which he engaged 
 to play at the last " Concert Spirituel," in return for which 
 he was promised the use of the Salle des Italiens, when he 
 should next visit Paris. On the present occasion he found 
 no time for availing himself of this privilege, but travelled 
 rapidly to London, where he had been long expected. 
 
 On the 2d of May, 1825, Moscheles and his wife ar' 
 rived in London, where he was immediately offered engage- 
 ments, as also at Bath, Bristol, and other places. His 
 pupils, too, rally round him. " My wife," he writes, " re- 
 ceived a most cordial welcome, and friends vie with each 
 other in showing her kindness. Can this be the insular 
 formality which makes foreigners cry down the English as 
 unsociable ? " 
 
 In May the Philharmonic Society and the Royal Acade- 
 my had their first meetings, and at the end of the month 
 Mori gave one of his famous " monster concerts," in which 
 Moscheles had to take a part. Mori, a clever violin-play- 
 er, as well as a pubhsher of music, was frequently leader at 
 the great provincial festivals, and also the originator of the 
 " monster concerts." These were notoriously overcrowded. 
 Angry remarks appeared in the newspapers, but inasmuch 
 as the leading artists were always engaged by Mori, such 
 complaints had little effect. 
 
 On the ist of June we find this interesting note : "Pierre 
 Erard showed and explained to me on a dumb keyboard 
 his uncle Sebastian's now completed invention, for which 
 
 * This album was, for the space of forty-five years, enriched at 
 every opportunity by contributions from the numerous celebrities, musi- 
 C1I, literary, and otherwise, with whom Moscheles was brought in con- 
 tact. It is now in the possession of his son Felix. 
 
NUMBERING CONCERT TICKETS. 
 
 71 
 
 the firm has just taken out a patent. I saw the earliest 
 experiment of this invention in Paris. It consists in the 
 key, when only sunk half way, again rising and repeating 
 the note. I was the first to play upon one of the newly 
 completed instruments, and found it of priceless value for 
 the repetition of notes. In the matter of fullness and soft- 
 ness of tone, there is something yet to be desired, and I 
 had a long conversation on the subject with Erard." 
 
 His appearance at the Philharmonic, and his own benefit, 
 are described in glowing colors by Mrs. Moscheles in her 
 letters to her friends. From these we select one, which 
 represents her as a novice in the mysteries of concert 
 arrangements. " It is my business to see that the tickets are 
 numbered. At first this seemed to me rather gratuitous 
 trouble, but I was soon enlightened on the point. A hand- 
 somely dressed lady who came to me, asked for three 
 tickets at half a guinea each, and pocketed them. Instead 
 of paying, however, she said her husband was a doctor, and 
 presented his card there and then, adding that he never 
 knew beforehand whether he should be able to go to the 
 concert or not. On the day after she would send - back 
 either the tickets or the money. I, as a novice, agreed to 
 it ; but my husband, when he came home, laughed, and 
 declared I had allowed myself to be taken in. He went to 
 the doctor in question. The doctor laughed also. ' It is 
 certainly my card,' said he, ' but any one of my numerous 
 .patients may have taken it away from my table here, nor 
 am I so fortunate as to possess a wife ! ' Thus Moscheles 
 was right. I had been taken in. Then he wrote down in 
 large figures the respective numbers, and gave them to the 
 ticket-collector. Sure enough three ladies arrived who 
 asked admittance, and showed the tickets in question. 
 They were stopped, and told that they must pay or they 
 would not be admitted. They protested they had no 
 money with them — they would pay next morning. The 
 ticket collector called to Moscheles, and the ladies de- 
 camped. Moral — it is a useful plan to put numbers on the 
 eqncert tickets." 
 
 The season drawing to a close, Moscheles began to 
 breathe freely, and as his pupils were leaving London, he 
 had more time for the composition of his " Studies," which 
 
72 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 in spite of all his professional avocations were constantly 
 uppermost in his mind. On his walk from the house of 
 one pupil to another, he used to dot down the subjects on 
 any letter or other scrap of paper he happened to have in 
 his pocket. In the evening these subjects were worked 
 out, and all fatigue and sense of ennui forgotten. His 
 wife would try over certain passages, and practice them on 
 the next day during his absence from home. His latest 
 hours of an evening were devoted to rising artists, among 
 whom was the youthful and now famous Sir Michael Costa, 
 \Vho showed him his Canzonettes. In those days Mos- 
 cheles already practiced in a small way that hospitality 
 which, carried on more extensively in later years, was of 
 such comfort to many a homeless German in London. 
 
 The Moscheles' passed their Sundays with the de- 
 mentis, at Elstree, near London. " dementi," says Mos- 
 cheles, " is one of the most vigorous old fellows of seventy 
 that I ever saw. In the early morning we watch him from 
 our window running about the garden bareheaded, reckless 
 of the morning dew. He is too lively ever to think of 
 rest. At table he laughs and talks incessantly. He has a 
 sharp temper, too, which we set down to the hot blood of 
 his Italian nature. He plays on the piano now but rarely, 
 and gives out that he has a stiff hand, the result of falling 
 out of a sledge when he was in Russia, but there is a sus- 
 picion that his unwillingness is caused by his inability to 
 follow the great progress the Bravura style has made since 
 his time. His wife, an amiable Englishwoman, is a great 
 contrast to him." dementi at that time was joint owner 
 with the Collard brothers of a flourishing pianoforte firm. 
 Moscheles, contrasting their pianos of those days with 
 those of Broadwood, praised their lightness of touch, and 
 consequently used them by preference when he played in 
 public. Their tone, too, he found clearer, while the Broad- 
 wood, with a somewhat muffled tone and heavy acion, 
 produced a fuller sound. Moscheles called William Col- 
 lard, th,e younger brother, "one of the most intelligent 
 men he ever came across," and he soon became the most 
 intimate friend and adviser of the young couple. Collard 
 was a regular visitor . at Elstree, and when the friends met, 
 Clementi would say, " Moscheles, play me something ! " 
 
HO LID A Y EXCURSIONS AND CONCERTS. 
 
 73 
 
 and the latter would choose one of his host's Sonatas, while 
 Cletnenti, listening with a complacent smile, his hands 
 behind his back, his short, thick-set figure swinging to and 
 fro, would call out at intervals, "Bravo." When the last 
 note was over, he would tap Moscheles in a friendly way 
 upon the shoulder, and warmly congratulate him on his 
 performance. 
 
 At last, after the season had been struggled through, 
 the Moscheles could get away from London for a quiet holi- 
 day, and accepted an invitation from Mr. Fleming, of 
 Stoneham Park, Southampton. The lady of the house was 
 a pupil of Moscheles, and both she and her husband were 
 for many years his and his wife's intimate friends. 
 
 " The house is full of company, including Lord Palmer- 
 ston and some of his relatives. It is of course interesting 
 to meet such men, and follow the Parliamentary discussion 
 carried on at table. The principles they advocate are 
 those of purest Toryism. It is fortunate that the art I 
 represent stands upon neutral ground. At midnight, when 
 we are in the drawing-room, my art is again in the ascend- 
 ant ; then we have music until one or two o'clock. No 
 wonder that the first beams of morning find us sleeping." 
 
 In the next month the Moscheles went to Cheltenham 
 for the waters. " Here," he says, " we enjoy our tiite-a-tt'te 
 to our heart's content ; the chateau was beautiful, but the 
 retired life, the first since our marriage, is far more to our 
 taste." And again : "I not only give my wife pianoforte 
 lessons, but I teach her how to copy music ; and while she 
 is practicing that art, I compose an Impromptu, for which 
 I have a commission from the Harmonic In.stitution. It is 
 to be on the march from 'Tarare,' or ' Axur,' by Salieri, 
 which opera, concocted for the English market, is now 
 greatly applauded in London. This march has been met- 
 amorphosed by Mr. W. Hawes into a war-song, and awak- 
 ens the greatest enthusiasm when sung by Braham. He 
 makes a great point with the passage — 
 
 " ' Revenge ! ' he cries. 
 And the traitor dies." 
 
 At Cheltenham, Moscheles wrote to order three Rondos 
 4 
 
74 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 on " Die Wiener in Berlin," besides "La Petite Babiilarde," 
 for Cramer, his B minor " Study," etc. etc. 
 
 From Cheltenham they made some pleasant excursions 
 to Oxford and elsewhere, and then settled down at No. 77, 
 Norton Street, London. They always regarded as the most 
 valuable addition to their household gods a splendid piano, 
 presented to them by Clementi, and on which was inscribed 
 with his own hand, in front of the keyboard, the dedication : 
 " Muzio Clementi e Socj all' ingegnosissimo J. Moscheles, 
 ed alia sua amabilissima consorte." 
 
 The quiet domestic happiness was soon interrupted by 
 professional business. Moscheles was invited to give con- 
 certs in Liverpool and Dublin. These offers he would have 
 declined, as he disliked travelling alone, but at last his 
 wife's argument prevailed, and he writes on the 4th of No- 
 vember, " To-day I had to endure the hard trial of parting 
 from my wife." On reaching Liverpool, and being taken 
 by his friends to see the Town Hall, and Nelson's Monu- 
 ment, by Westmacott, he exclaims: "I was struck by the 
 grandeur of-the statue ; may be I was still more surprised 
 at being repeatedly asked to give lessons during the three 
 days of my stay in Liverpool. I visited Roscoe, and found 
 the old man very amiable and gracious. He took the 
 trouble to show me his new work upon West Indian plants, 
 and to give me most interesting explanations on the subject. 
 On the 8th of November, at noon, we had the rehearsal in 
 the Concert Room ; but what a rehearsal ! Wretched is 
 too tame an expression for it. Mori, the London artist, did 
 all that possibly could be done, but what was to be made 
 out of a band consisting of a double quartet and four halting 
 wind-instruments. The director of the theatre played the 
 entrepreneur of the concert, Mr. Wilson, the trick of keep- 
 ing away the orchestral performers, so that I was obliged to 
 play the first movement of the E flat concerto and the Alex- 
 ander Variations with a bare quartet accompaniment. The 
 brilliant and numerous audience was much pleased with my 
 Fantasia on ' Rule Britannia,' and an Irish air ; and I was 
 enchanted with my Clementi piano. Every evening I write 
 to my wife, and the news I get from her cheers and invigor- 
 ates me for my performance. On the 9th of November 1 
 was very successful with my first concert at Chester : Phillips 
 
THE CHRISTMAS WAITS. 
 
 75 
 
 and I explored the interesting old city and its environs ; and 
 the next day we went on to Manchester. The better com- 
 position of the orchestra, directed by Mr. Cadmore, the gen- 
 eral management of the concert directors, Baker and 
 Fletcher, and the co-operation of several clever German 
 amateurs, gave a new zest to my performance, and I was 
 rapturously applauded. I could not, however, enjoy this 
 fully, as I was anxious to get home." The first notice, after 
 his return, tells us of the birth of his first-born, and then 
 follow many expressions of anxiety, owing to the state of his 
 wife and child. Towards the end' of the year, he writes : 
 " My mind is at ease. I can go back again to my work. I 
 was at Erard's to-day, and saw his excellent pianos, which 
 are built upon the new principle ; but I decidedly refused 
 his proposal to bind myself down to play solely on them, 
 in spite of the profitable conditions he offered me. I intend 
 for the future to be as perfectly free in this respect as heire- 
 tofore." Later on he writes : " An odd incident made us 
 laugh heartily. At Christmas time, a band of wind-instru- 
 ments (the waits) plays here generally late in the evening, 
 and they mustered in force at my door j I knew this custom 
 of old, and as I remembered all the tortues I had endured 
 from their falsely harmonized chorales, I ordered the servant • 
 ta tell them they would certainly get no Christmas-box 
 from me, unless -they promised never to return again. 
 Trombone, much wounded, sent back to say, 'Tell your 
 master, if he does not like music, he will not go to 
 heaven.' " 
 
 Moscheles, after having finished a Fantasia for Collard, 
 remarks : " The twenty-five guineas I get for my work is 
 the best part about it ; it belongs to that class of ephemeral 
 productions which I do not treat to the distinction of a num- 
 ber in the catalogue of my compositions." 
 
 On the 31st we read: " We end the year with feelings 
 of special gratitude to God's Providence, which has permit- 
 ted us to tide over great perils." 
 
CHAPTER IX, 
 1826. 
 
 Stormy Voyage to Ireland^I mpressions of Dublin — Reception at the 
 Castle — Return to London — Musical Activity — C. M. von Weber 
 — Der Freyschutz at Covent Garden — Improvisation — Rehearsal 
 of " Oberon" — Braham's Benefit — Caprice of the" Gods" — 
 Weber's Concert — Death of Weber — -Thalberg — Visit to Germany 
 — Sontag — Felix Mendelssohn — Ait and Artists in Berlin. 
 
 ON the first of January, Moscheles begins his diary 
 thus : " To-day I can call my happiness my own j by 
 tomorrow I shall have left it. But, courage! it must be 
 so ! I am in honor bound to fulfil my engagements." He 
 went first to Bath, thence to Liverpool, and thus describes 
 with much minuteness the dangers and difficulties in those 
 days inseparable from a long journey, and of which we, in 
 our age of rail and steamer, can scarcely fortn an idea. 
 " On the 4th of January, at seven a. m., I started from 
 Liverpool, and arrived at Birmingham at eight in the even- 
 ing. On the sth I travelled without stopping day or night. 
 At two A. M., I had a grievous contretemps. We were close 
 to Bangor, and I, the only passenger, was turned out of the 
 warm coach into the cold, raw night, and made to cross the 
 rushing river in an open boat. It gave me the shivers, but 
 I stood my ground, muttering my watchword, ' Courage and 
 patience ! ' On the opposite shore a forlorn and solitary 
 passenger got inside the mail-coach, which was standing in 
 readiness. Thus we jogged on for the rest of the night — 
 wind blowing, snow falling — until at last, at five a. m., we 
 arrived at Holyhead." 
 
 " January 6th. — Eventful day ! Severe trial ! God's 
 saving hand !' In the hotel I found a respectable set of 
 fellow-travellers, consisting of two gentlemen and one lady, 
 ready to embark for Dublin. They were still waiting for 
 the Chester mail, which arrived at seven o'clock. We were 
 
STORMY VOYAGE TO IRELAND. 
 
 77 
 
 told that there was no steamboat to take us across the 
 Channel ; that the violent winds of the last few days had 
 kept all the steamers on the Irish side, but that a sailing 
 vessel would start immediately, and carry the mails across 
 in from six to seven hours. Would we passengers cross in 
 that vessel ? We agreed, and embarked shortly after seven 
 o'clock. It rained in torrents, and the sea was so high that 
 we soon betook ourselves to our berths. I suffered so 
 violently that after a few hours I was completely prostrate. 
 The gale meanwhile increased. I counted the passing 
 hours. It grew dark, but we did not land. The steward, 
 on being asked when we should be released, whispered, 
 ' Who knows ? we are doing badly ! ' — Words too clearly 
 verified by the lurching of the boat. Although I lay 
 smothered in blankets and clothes, my feet were perished 
 with cold. It cost me no slight effort to shake off my 
 drowsiness, and groping about, to discover that the sea- 
 water had got into my berth ; the ship had become leaky. 
 There was no longer any mystery about that, for the water 
 came hissing into the cabin. The storm howled fiercely ; 
 it was pitch-dark. The captain could offer no other comfort 
 than the assurance that we were not far from shore. Of 
 course, not near enough to land. We were surrounded by 
 rocks and sandbanks, and yet not near enough for a distress 
 signal to be perceptible from the coast. At last, after a 
 long battle and the most fearful shocks from the waves, 
 which knocked our vessel about like a plaything, we were 
 able to throw out anchors, and there we poor victims lay 
 fill daybteak. In this sad plight, however, I had not lost 
 heart ; faith in an Almighty Providence sustained me. I 
 could think with calmness of my wife and child. They 
 sleep peacefully, thank God, without sharing my hard fate. 
 They will either see me again and rejoice, or bear my loss, 
 with the help of God. I thought with painful composure 
 of my other friends and relations. It seemed but a little 
 step from this world to the next. At last, in the afternoon, 
 the welcome tidings came, ' We are all right, a boat has 
 reached our ship, and will take us up.' Whereupon, after 
 getting together our goods and chattels, we were thrown, so 
 to speak, with them into the reeling boat, and, after a short 
 fight with the foaming surf, landed in Howth harbor. 
 
78 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Tliere I hired a postchaise, which carried me (a seven-mile 
 journey) to the city. The dreary, sandy plain, the country 
 dotted over with ruins, the sorry aspect of the people, did 
 not, I am bound to confess, impress me very favorably. 
 At last I arrived in Dublin, drove over the beautiful Carlisle- 
 bridge, and the Liffey, to Westmoreland Street, where I 
 rested for a few hours in a lodging which Pigott, the music- 
 seller, had hired for me." 
 
 On the 8th of January, Mr. Pigott took him to Christ- 
 church, where he heard an old-fashioned anthem by Dr. 
 Spray. He then made a round of visits, and became 
 personally acquainted with Sir Charles and Lady Morgan. 
 '•I had often admired her as a writer," he observes, "and 
 now find her an exceedingly amiable and sociable hostess." 
 
 "January 9th. — To-day I received, through Colonel 
 Shaw, adjutant , to the Lord-Lieutenant the Marquis of 
 Wellesley, the intelligence that his Excellency would attend 
 my concert, and that it would be under his special patron- 
 age. To-day he desired me to play before the Court. I .. 
 drove to the Palace in a smart carriage sent for me, and 
 found numbers of the Irish nobility assembled there, this 
 being the first soiree given by the Marchioness of Wellesley 
 since her recent marriage. Some good pieces, as well as 
 a terzetto for two guitars and Physharmonica (by Schulz 
 and his sons), were performed in dumb show, the great folk 
 talking loudly the whole time. The Lord-Lieutenant, 
 addressing me in French, alluded to the very flattering 
 recommendation I had brought him from Prince Esterhazy, 
 and then asked me to play, and their Excellencies, as well 
 as the whole party, were in raptures with my Fantasia on 
 Irish melodies. 
 
 "January nth. — Introduced to the Anacreontic Society, 
 consisting of amateurs who perform admirably the best or- 
 chestral works. The usual supper followed. After pro- 
 pitiating me with a trio from 'Cosi fan tutte,' they drew me 
 to the piano, but I did not trust the old worn-out instrument, 
 and only played the overture to ' Figaro.' My health was 
 proposed at supper, and I had to return thanks. 
 
 " January 13th. — -First concert at Dublin, in the Rotunda. 
 I suffered martyrdom at the rehearsal, chiefly from the wind 
 instruments. Nor did my troubles end there, for the di- 
 
RETURN TO LONDON. 
 
 79 
 
 rector of the theatre, Mr. Abbot, forbade the attendance of 
 my singers, Messrs. Kean and Latham. It was not before 
 four o'clock, and after the rehearsal, that I succeeded in 
 bringing him to reason. Mrs. and Miss Ashe sang. The 
 E flat concerto and Alexander Variations were enthusias- 
 tically received, but my Fantasia on Irish themes was the 
 feature of the evening." 
 
 Moscheles dined with the Hibernian Catch Club, and 
 writes : " Several glees were sung, and as a finale I impro- 
 vised, whereupon the society unanimously elected me to an 
 honorary membership." 
 
 Further on we read : " M. Allan, son-in-law of Logier, 
 gave a public performance, where his pupils played. Pieces 
 of my own were made to suffer. I repeat the word ' suffer? 
 I feel more and more that this Logier system may produce 
 good timeists, but what becomes of the right understanding 
 and grasp of the composition ? What of its poetry, when 
 eight pianos are drilled into playing together with unerring 
 precision .? On the whole, I am struck by the musical taste 
 and enthusiasm of the Irish nation." Good news from home, 
 and a hearty reception in Ireland, amply explain the cheer- 
 ful tone observable in the diary of these days. 
 
 His wife writes : " Here is a business matter for you which 
 will make you laugh. Only think ; old Nilgeli, of Zurich, 
 asks you to compose a Sonata for his periodical, but you are 
 to avoid all repeating notes, all tenths, and all the usual 
 signs used to indicate the expression. To conclude, he 
 overwhelms you with compliments." 
 
 Towards the end of January Moscheles felt so exhausted 
 with playing in public and private, incessant lesson-giving, 
 and attention to his many and various duties, that he made 
 short work of his preparations, and set out for London and 
 his happy home. Here he found his wife's father, who had 
 arrived on a visit. The debates in both Houses of Parlia- 
 ment, Kemble's acting, Pasta's singing, and many other 
 attractions of the winter season — all these were delightful 
 novelties for the new-comer — but above all, Moscheles 
 could show with honest pride a home, the comforts and hap- 
 piness of which had resulted from his own unwearied activity 
 and the honorable position he had achieved. Although his 
 numerous pupils necessarily occupied much of his time, he 
 
8o RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 composed in the course ofthis season the E minor, B minor, 
 and D minor Studies, op. 70, his "Recollections of Ireland," 
 besides revising and correcting numbers of proof sheets, not 
 only for himself, but also for such of his friends as were 
 pubhshing compositions in England. These " Recollections 
 of Ireland," heard for the first time in London, were warmly 
 received at his concert. We read : " Kiesewetter played 
 beautifully, it is true, but he, a friend, claimed a fee of ten 
 guineas ; of course I agreed, but our friendly relations must 
 be henceforth interrupted ; friends ought to assist each other 
 gratis, that is my maxim. The great pressure of the public 
 at the concert necessitated the use of the Royal box, and 
 many of my patrons were obliged to leave the room for want 
 of seats." In those days people had not become acquainted 
 with the convenient institution of reserved seats. 
 
 The appearance of Carl Maria von Weber, who conduct- 
 ed the overture to " Euryanthe," and an air from the same 
 opera, sung by Caradori, may have been the principal cause 
 of the crowded room. The illustrious man had been stay- 
 ing for the last two weeks with his friend Sir George Smart, 
 and there Moscheles often saw him, although Weber's 
 health obliged him to keep aloof from the generality of visit- 
 ors. Unfortunately, he needed that repose which he could 
 not find in a London season. Moscheles says: "What 
 emotion he must have felt on his first appearance yesterday, 
 before the English public, in Covent Garden Theatre! The 
 thundering applause with which he was greeted affected us 
 deeply, how much more himself, the honored object of all 
 this enthusiasm ! The performance consisted of a selection 
 from the ' Freyschatz,' conducted by himself; the overture 
 was encored with acclamation. Braham, Miss Paton, and 
 Phillips sang the chief numbers of the opera ; they seemed 
 inspired by Weber's presence. During the peals of ap- 
 plause, Weber shook hands with the singers, to express his 
 pleasure and satisfaction ; at the end of the performance the 
 whole pit stood up on the benches, waving hats and hand- 
 kerchiefs, and cheering the composer. I saw him later on in 
 the evening, sitting in the green-room, and completely ex- 
 hausted ; he was too ill fully to enjoy this signal triumph in 
 a land of strangers, but we, I mean the poet Kind, the flute- 
 player F'lrstenau, the good old harp-player Stumpff, the 
 
IMPR VISA TION. g i 
 
 publisher Schuiz, nnd myself, as being his fellow-country- 
 men, felt honored in our friend's reception." 
 
 On the i2th of March Moscheles, on hearing Weber 
 improvise in Braham's house, writes : " Although it was not 
 a remarkable exhibition of his powers, he made his perform- 
 ance deeply interesting by introducing some subjects from 
 ' Freyschiltz.' Unfortunately his physical weakness makes 
 any great exertion dangerous, and yet at eleven o'clock he 
 hurried off to a large party given by Mrs. Coutts, as he was 
 to be handsomely paid for his services. How we grieved 
 at his thus overexerting himself ! " 
 
 On the 13th of March Weber is a guest at Moscheles' 
 dinner-table. " What a treat ! And yet even here the sight 
 of him moved us to intense pity ! for he could not utter a 
 word when he entered our room ; the exertion of mounting 
 the small flight of stairs had completely taken away his 
 breath ; he sank into a chair nearest the door, but soon 
 recovered, and became one of the most delightful and 
 genial of guests. We took him to the Philharmonic con- 
 cert, the first he ever heard ; the next was conducted by 
 himself. The following was the programme : — 
 
 Overtures to ' Euryanthe ' and ' Freyschiltz.' 
 
 Aria by Weber, composed for Mme. Milder, sung by 
 
 Madame Caradori. 
 Scena from 'Der Freyschtitz,' sung by Sapio. 
 
 Then Schuncke, a German, played the following pastic- 
 cio, conducted by the great German composer : — 
 ist Movement — Concerto C minor. Ries. 
 2d „ Part of Beethoven's E flat major Con- 
 
 certo. 
 3d „ Hungarian Rondo by Pixis. 
 
 "On the nth of April I was present at the dress re- 
 hearsal of ' Oberon ' at Covent Garden ; people attended 
 it like a regular performance ; the costumes, scenery, and 
 the stage moon introduced with the air ' Ocean, thou mighty 
 Monster,' were admirable. This air, which was written 
 expressly for Miss Paton by Weber while in London, made 
 a grand eflfect, and so did the scena written for Braham 
 
 4* 
 
82 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 (HUon). Both singers were allowed an opportunity of dis- 
 playing their fine voices, and producing certain striking 
 effects, which told powerfully on the audience. Weber, as 
 he sat . at the conductor's desk, must have felt that it was 
 not merely an audience, but a nation rising to applaud, and 
 that his works would long survive him." 
 
 Poor Weber himself, in the midst of these triumphs, 
 became weaker and weaker, yet he continued to persevere in 
 active work, and conducted at several concerts where Mos- 
 cheles played his overtures to " Freyschutz," " Oberon,"' 
 etc. " On the i8th of May," says Moscheles, " we both 
 assisted Braham in quite an original fashion : it was his 
 annual benefit (at Covent Garden Theatre), and he, the 
 most popular of English singers, used always on this occa- 
 sion to please the ' gods ' by singing sailors' songs, so we 
 had to endure a similar state of things to-night. Madame 
 Vestris, the popular singer, who appeared in the operetta 
 ' The Slave,' found willing listeners among the occu • 
 pants of the galleries, who ruled the house, and were de- 
 lighted with such nursery ditties as ' Goosie Goosie Gander,' 
 etc. So far so well, but Braham had calculated without his 
 host in setting before such an audience as this good music 
 for the second part of the concert, which he called ' Apol- 
 lo's Festival,' and which, after the poor stuff that had been 
 played and sung, began with the overture to the ' Ruler of 
 the Spirits.' Could no one see that Weber himself was 
 conducting ? I'm sure I don't know, but the screams and 
 hubbub iri the gallery while the overture was played, with- 
 out a note being heard from beginning to end, made my 
 blood boil ; in a state of high indignation, I sat down to 
 my piano on the stage, and gave a sign to the band beneath 
 me to begin my ' Recollections of Ireland.' At the opening 
 bar of the introduction, the roughs in the gallery made 
 themselves heard by whisthng, hissing, shouting, and call- 
 ing out ' Are you comfortable. Jack ? ' accompanying the 
 question with volleys of orange peel. I heard the alter- 
 nate crescendos and decrescendos ; and fancied that in this 
 chaos all the elements had been let loose, and would over- 
 power me ; but, thank heaven, they did not, for in this new 
 and unexpected situation I resolved not to come to any 
 sudden stoppage, but to show the better part of my audience 
 
WEBER'S CONCERT. 83 
 
 that I was ready to fulfil my engagement, I stooped down 
 to the leading violinist, and said, 'I shall continue to move 
 my hands on the keyboard, as though really playing. 
 Make your band pretend to be playing also ; after a short 
 time I will give you a signal and we will leave off together.' 
 No sooner said than done. On making my bow as I retir- 
 ed, I was overwhelmed with a hurricane of applause. The 
 gods cheered me, being glad to get rid of me. Next came 
 Miss Paton, with a scena for the concert room. She met 
 with a similar fate. Three times she stopped singing, but 
 came forward again, in answer to the calls of the well-be- 
 haved portion of the audience, who shouted ' silence.' At 
 last the poor lady went away, burst into tears, and gave it 
 up. Thunders of applause followed her exit, and when 
 common ballads and songs began afresh, the gods were 
 once more all attention and good behavior." This affair 
 went the round of all the papers. Moscheles was highly 
 commended for his calmness and self-possession, while the 
 tears of poor Miss Paton were rather severely commented 
 upon. 
 
 " I shall never forget," says Mrs. Moscheles, in one of 
 her weekly letters, "the 20th of May, the day of Weber's 
 concert ; for the composer, now so near his end, had made 
 great exertions for a performance to be held in the Argyll 
 Rooms, and yet met with so little support from the public. 
 Lovers of music and the papers express their regret that it 
 should be so, but say : Why hold it on the Derby-day, or 
 allow it to clash with private concerts which monopolize 
 the fashionable world ? It was badly timed. As to the 
 middle classes, they can only attend the theatres, and must 
 not be charged with the neglect of his enterprise. Be that 
 as it may, Weber conducted the never-failing overtures to 
 ' Oberon' and ' Euryanthe ; ' his still unknown cantata, 
 ' The Festival of Peace ; ' and a new ballad, written for and 
 sung by Miss Stephens ; Braham gave the air from ' Frey- 
 schiltz ' very finely ; Fdrstenau, the flute-player, was heard 
 for the first time, in some variation from ' Oberon ; ' Kiese- 
 wetter played his inevitable Mayseder Variations in E ma- 
 jor, and Moscheles took his subject for improvisation from 
 the Cantata ' Festival of Peace,' interwoven with ' motives ' 
 from the ' Freysch iltz.' Madame Caradori and Braham 
 
84 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 were the soloists in the cantata. To think of such music 
 in an empty room." Weber's disappointment at his ill-suc- 
 cess was so intense that he determined on forfeiting the 
 receipts of his proposed benefit at the theatre, where " Der 
 Freyschiitz " was to be performed under his direction, and 
 occupied himself solely with preparations for his journey 
 homewards. 
 
 In spite of the anxiety about Weber, Moscheles' birth- 
 day was not allowed to pass without some attempt at gayety. 
 " This time," his wife writes to relatives, " we had a tableau, 
 quite unique in its way, but alas ! matters are growing 
 worse and worse with Weber." On the 4th of June Mos- 
 cheles writes in his diary : " Sunday : When I visited the 
 great man to-day, he talked very confidently of his return 
 to Germany, but the .frequent attacks of a dreadful convul- 
 sive cough, which left him completely prostrate, filled our 
 minds with the utmost anxiety. When with great effort he 
 managed to tell me that he intended starting in two days' 
 time, that I was to prepare my letters, and he hoped to see 
 me again to-morrow, I was deeply moved, although I never 
 suspected that I was looking on him for the last time as a 
 living man. I left him with his friends. Kind and F;'.rstenau, 
 and exchanged a few sad words with his kind host, Sir G. 
 Smart, who told me that on no account would Weber suffer 
 any one to sit up with him ; that every night he locked the 
 door of his bedroom, and that only to-day he had yielded 
 to the earnest entreaties of his friends, and promised to 
 leave it open, adding that he had peremptorily refused to 
 allow anybody, either friends or paid attendant, to watch be- 
 side him. 
 
 "June 5th. — Early this morning I was summoned in all 
 haste to Sir G. Smart's. At eleven o'clock last night P'iirs- 
 tenau had conducted Weber to his bedroom ; his friends 
 went to his door at an early hour, but found it locked inside, 
 contrary to Weber's promise. To do this he must have got 
 up during the night. It was in vain to knock or call for 
 admission ; no answer came. So Sir George sent to me 
 and other friends, and the door was broken open in our 
 presence. The noise did not disturb the sleeper ; it was 
 his sleep of death. His head, resting on his left arm, wag 
 lying quietly on the pillow Any attempt to describe 
 
DEATH OF WEBER. 8$ 
 
 the depth of my sorrow would be profanation. I thought 
 Weber a composer quite sui generis ; one who had the im- 
 perishable glory of leading back to our German music a 
 public vacillating between Mozart, Beethoven, and Rossini. 
 On his dressing-table lay a small washing-bill written by 
 him. This I put in my pocket-book, where I carried it ever 
 after. I helped Sir G. Smart and Fiirstenau to seal up 
 Weber's papers, and Sir George, feeling kis great responsi- 
 bility, sent for my own private seal. 
 
 "June 6th. — This morning, after the body of the great 
 composer wks placed in a leaden coffin, we opened and ex- 
 amined all his letters and papers, and ipade a list of all the 
 property. Besides the thousand pounds which he must 
 have earned in London, there was a further sum of a thou- 
 sand pounds which he had received from the publishers, 
 Walsh and Hawes, for the pianoforte edition of ' Oberon.' 
 We found the manuscript of that opera, and came upon a 
 song which he had composed for a Mr. Ward, who had 
 paid him 25/. for it. The pianoforte accompaniment was 
 unfinished. Sir George eagerly pressed me to complete it. 
 (This was done in after-years.) I appropriated to myself a 
 few sheets of the first sketches of ' Oberon.' " 
 
 A committee was now formed to decide upon the mode 
 of conducting Weber's funeral. It consisted of the music 
 publishers, Chappell and D'Almaine, W. Collard, from the 
 firm of Clementi and Co., Preston and Power, Sir G. Smart, 
 his brother, Mr. Smart, the composer. Sir John Stevenson, 
 Mr. Attwood, organist of St. Paul's Cathedral, Braham, the 
 singer, and Moscheles. It was proposed to give Mozart's 
 Requiem in the Catholic Chapel, Moorfields, the receipts to 
 be appropriated to raising a monument to Weber. But fail- 
 ing to secure the permission of the Roman Catholic Bishop, 
 who wished his congregation to have free admission, appli- 
 cation was made to the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, 
 with a view of securing a performance of the Requiem in 
 their Cathedral. These gentlemen would not hear of a Re- 
 quiem being performed in the Cathedral, and thus, after a 
 deal of useless discussion and writing, the body of the great 
 man was deposited on the 21st of June in the Catholic 
 Chapel of Moorfields. The public were admitted without 
 payment, so that no money was collected for a monument. 
 
86 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " We artists," says Moscheles, " assembled for the funeral 
 at nine o'clock in the morning, in the house of Sir G. Smart, 
 and the procession moved on to the chapel in Moorfields. 
 After the usual service, Mozart's Requiem was sung. Then 
 twelve musicians (myself among the number) carried the 
 body into the vault, while the funeral march from Handel's 
 ' Saul ' was played. Those solemn strains touched all of us 
 most deeply." 
 
 On the i2th of June the Philharmonic Society began their 
 concert with the "Dead March in Saul,'' noted in the pro- 
 gramme "as a fribute to a departed genius. " On the 17th of 
 the same month " Oberon" was given in Covent Garden The- 
 atre for the benefit of Weber's family, but only two-thirds of 
 the house was filled. " This again passes my comprehension." 
 
 We read in a letter of Mrs. Moscheles : " Everything 
 that my husband plays in public is trumpeted forth to you 
 in the newspapers as ' matchless,' ' unrivalled,' and what 
 not ! They must soon invent some new epithet. But /can 
 only tell you of the kindly use he makes of his art in a quiet 
 way. Yesterday, for example, our good old friend, Madame 
 G., told me, with tears in her eyes, that for the first time 
 since her sorrow she had enjoyed a happy quarter of an 
 hour, and that was when Moscheles played to her. He 
 went to the house for the very purpose, and we spent the 
 evening quite alone with the family. His sympathy is al- 
 ways shown by acts, not words, and yet every hour of the 
 evening is of consequence to hira." 
 
 In the course of this season we find Moscheles playing 
 constantly for the benefit of his friends and for several 
 charitable institutions. Being unable to spare much time 
 for rehearsals, he often extemporized, choosing generally 
 for his subject the raotivo of some piece which had par- 
 ticularly pleased the audience that evening. Of his own 
 works, " Clair de Lune," the " Rondo in D major," and the 
 " Recollections of Ireland" were invariably welcome. The 
 most distinguished of his pupils at that time was Thalberg, 
 who, although still a young man, was already an artist of 
 distinction and mark. It was a source of great satisfaction 
 to Moscheles, who had pioneered the young pianist, to see 
 him recognized, not merely by the public in general, but by 
 such men as Cramer and Clemen ti. 
 
VISIT TO GERMANY. gy 
 
 Many a fashionable soiree, entailing preparation, and 
 leaving nothing behind but a feeling of ennui, was voted an 
 interruption in Moscheles' household, but the assemblage 
 of celebrated rnen at the Rothschilds and some other 
 houses is noted as interesting, and Prince Dietrichstein's 
 invitation to a grand fancy dress ball in Covent Garden 
 Theatre, from the brilliancy of the scene and the crowds 
 that attended, quite unique in its way. Pit, stalls, and 
 proscenium were formed into one grand room, in which the 
 crowd promenaded. The costumes were of every conceiv- 
 able variety, and many of the most gorgeous description. 
 The spectators in full dress sat in the boxes. On the stage 
 was a Court box, occupied by the Royal Family, and bands 
 played in rooms adjoining, for small parties of dancers. 
 " You will have some idea," says Mrs. Moscheles, " of the 
 crowd at this ball, when I tell you that we left the ball-room 
 at two o'clock, and did not get to the Prince's carriage till 
 four." 
 
 Moscheles could not escape from the whirl of a London 
 season until early in August, when he started for Hamburg. 
 He marks the 7th of August, when he and his wife met 
 their relatives, as a red letter day in his calendar. Six 
 quiet happy weeks . were enjoyed at Hamburg, and his 
 intercourse with musical men, especially Bernhard Rom- 
 berg, is often enlarged upon in the diary. The C major 
 concerto was written during this visit. Leaving Hamburg, 
 Moscheles, accompanied by his wife, halted first at Leipzig, 
 where he played his newest compositions with great suc- 
 cess, and had a pleasant meeting with his old friend Grill- 
 parzer, whose tragedy, ' Medea,' was given at the Theatre, 
 in honor of the poet. During the next few weeks he 
 played alternately in Leipzig and Dresden, and at the latter 
 place speaks of an enjoyable evening at Tieck's (the trans- 
 lator of Shakespeare,) who recited his satirical play " Die 
 Verkehrte Welt." After a short visit to Prague, Moscheles 
 gave two concerts at Vienna with the same unvarying 
 success. In private circles, too, his return was eagerly 
 welcomed, and his wife affectionately greeted. They never 
 failed to attend the levees of his former patroness, Frau 
 von E., which took place daily between four and six, the 
 interval between dinner and theatre. The old lady, painted, 
 
88 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 rouged, and reclining on her luxurious sofa, received 
 company. Abbds, poets, savants, such as Carpani^ the 
 friend and biographer of Haydn, and others, met at these 
 afternoon receptions, where the last new thing in politics, 
 or Vienna gossip, was discussed by officials and statesmen. 
 Ladies appeared in evening dress. The conversation was 
 carried on in rather poor French, and the atmosphere 
 generally seemed artificial and difficult to breathe. Mos- 
 cheles also saw much of Czerny, the Abbe Stadler, and 
 Schindler (I'ami de Beethoven, as he styled himself on his 
 visiting cards). He was prevented from listening to the 
 tempting offers of new engagements at Vienna, by a sum- 
 mons to attend his sister's marriage in Prague, where he 
 gave two crowded concerts in the theatre. He notes the 
 following: "During my improvisation, I interwove the 
 melody in Cherubini's ' Wassertrager,' a combination which 
 
 -X 
 
 lE# 
 
 i: 
 
 :?2= 
 
 4E? 
 
 m 
 
 (Sec. 
 
 with the Bohemian National Air : 
 
 ll* 
 
 3E5t: 
 
 ?=i=#~ 
 
 f 
 
 iS^ 
 
 i 
 
 lE3^ 
 
 ■t=jii 
 
 1 — ^-r 
 
 &a. 
 
 was received with rounds of applause. I delighted in see- 
 ing my mother and. wife, who sat together, enjoying my 
 triumph." Again we find him at Dresden. "I gave 
 another successful concert, in the presence of Royalty, and 
 was presented by Prince Max and Princess Louise with a 
 pin — a laurel wreath of diamonds with a sapphire for the 
 centre." 
 
 "November loth. — Visited poor Frau von Weber; 
 talked a great deal about her irreparable loss, and the 
 
SON TAG. 8g 
 
 many sad circumstances connected with it. I promised 
 her my best exertions to settle some business for her when 
 I got back to London." 
 
 Next day Moscheles travelled to Berlin, and of course 
 visited the Mendelssohns immediately after his arrival. 
 
 " Nov.ember 12th. — Fanny's fourteenth birthday cele- 
 brated with music and dancing. 1 relieved the young 
 composer Dorn by playing some of the dance-music, and 
 had an earnest conversation with A. B. Marx on the sub- 
 ject of music." 
 
 Owing to the worry incidental to preparations for his 
 own concert, the sociable and delightful meetings with the 
 Mendelssohns, Beer, Bendemann, and others were sadly 
 interfered with. His friend Blume assisted him, although 
 he and Sontag had been forbidden by the manager of a 
 rival theatre to sing for him. 
 
 "November 21st. — Day of the concert. Practiced a 
 great deal on an instrument which Madame Spontini 
 (Erard's sister) sent me, with an urgent request that I 
 would play on it at my concert. Friiulein Sontag, who was 
 not allowed to help me positively, 'did so negatively, by 
 giving out that she was hoarse. Instead of singing in the 
 ' Sargin,' she went with my wife to the concert, and escaped 
 observation by hiding in the back of the box. When I 
 thanked the famous artiste, she said with her peculiarly 
 sweet smile, ' But, dear Moscheles, should not an old Vien- 
 nese friend help to frustrate the cabals of a theatrical 
 director?' S'Jettl is immer noch's Jettl."* In spite of 
 her good-nature and Moser's proficiency as leader of the 
 band, the room was only two-thirds full, probably on 
 account of the late announcement and other unfavorable 
 circumstances." 
 
 The meeting with Felix Mendelssohn and his family was 
 the source of many happy hours to the Moscheles'. " How 
 delighted I was when he and his sister Fanny played as a 
 pianoforte duet his new overture to the ' Midsummer Night's 
 Dream,' and how grand I thought his sonata in E major j 
 He played me also his great overture in C, with the leading 
 subject for trumpets, and a small caprice which he called 
 
 * " S'Jettl (familiar name for Henrietta) is still S'Jettl." 
 
90 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 'Absurdite.' This great and' still youthful genius has once 
 more made gigantic strides, but, strange to say, these are 
 but little recognized except by his teachers, Zelter, Louis 
 Berger, and a select few. This prophet, too, is not honored 
 in his own country ; he must go elsewhere. I am glad that 
 he, Marx, and some connoisseurs show much interest in my 
 ' Studies,' by repeatedly coming to me to hear them played. 
 Marx declares he is prepared to score one in C minor, 
 entitled ' The Conflict of Demons,' which he thinks particu- 
 larly well suited to a band." The origin of this C minor 
 Study is curious. Moscheles had composed for his wife 
 the " Rondo Expressif" in her favorite key of A flat major, 
 and she practiced it with great zeal, but never satisfied 
 herself in the running scale passage at the end, and com- 
 plained to him of this. " Very well," said he ; " every one 
 who feels this difficulty like you shall have a whole study 
 of such runs to practice, and then they will soon learn them 
 well enough." 
 
 The Chevalier Spontini was very friendly towards Mos- 
 cheles, and never classed him among the rivals and envious 
 foes of whom he constantly complained ; he consulted him 
 privately with reference to the sum he should ask for the 
 sale of his operas in England, and as to what means he 
 should adopt for bringing out his works there. 
 
 At the KOnigstadt Theatre the charming Sontag de- 
 lighted Moscheles in the " Sargin," the " Dame Blanche," 
 and the " Italiana in Algieri." Blume showed Moscheles 
 his new opera, "Der Bramine," in manuscript. Moser was 
 just then studying Beethoven's ninth symphony, and Mos- 
 cheles attended the orchestral rehearsals and the perform- 
 ance with an ever-increasing interest and admiration for 
 that colossal work. 
 
 On the 28th of November, a second concert took place 
 in the Grand Opera House, that was filled to overflowing. 
 The whole Court attended. Moscheles played, among 
 other things, the E flat major Concerto, dedicated to the 
 King. 
 
 The last month of the year was spent at Hamburg, 
 where he finished his " Twenty-four Studies," op. 70, and 
 the Fantasia, "Anticipations of Scotland." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 1827. 
 
 Tour in Germany — Spohr — Elector of Hesse-Cassel — Musical Pupils — 
 Tyrolese Singers — Escape from a Difficulty — Liszt — Letters from 
 Beethoven — His Melancholy Condition — Correspondence with 
 Schindler and Rau — Beethoven's Relatives — Karl van Beethoven 
 — Generous Assistance of the London Philharmonic Society — 
 Death of Beethoven — Stars in London — Dinner to Clementi — 
 Heine the Poet. 
 
 MOSCHELES inaugurated the year 1827 by giving 
 concerts in Hanover and Gottingen, availing himself 
 of his opportunity in the latter place of attending a few 
 lectures of the most learned men in the University, while 
 he was warmly welcomed by the inhabitants of the town 
 itself and the students. 
 
 At Cassel he writes : " I am so delighted at seeing 
 Spohr again, the consciousness that I understand this great 
 man, the mutual interest we take in each other's perform- 
 ances — all this is delightful. His garden is charming even 
 in winter." The diary gives frequent evidence of Spohr's 
 devoting his time to Moscheles. On the 8th of January, 
 he assists him in making his concert arrangements. On 
 the following day we read : '• To-day Hauptmann, Gerke, 
 and others met at Spohr's, and there was no end of music. 
 On the loth of January with Spohr at Wilhelmshohe, and 
 dined at his house. Next day, during the rehearsal of my 
 concert, received (to the astonishment of every one) an 
 order from the Electoral Prince, intimating that my concert 
 must be changed from the Town-hall to the Theatre, since 
 the Elector and suite wished to attend." A letter from 
 Mrs. Moscheles supplements these remarks. "This Elec- 
 tor, you must know, has not chosen hitherto to attend any 
 concert in the Town-hall because there are no boxes there, 
 and as a rule refuses the theatre for concerts (he has done 
 
g2 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 SO to Hummel) ; you see, he honors my husband as much 
 as it is in the power of an Elector of Hesse-Cassel to do." 
 The success of this concert is recorded in the diary, the 
 band under Spohr's leading called "splendid," and the 
 singing of Wild and Heinefetter highly praised. We again 
 quote from the diary : " When we can find a quiet hour, it 
 is devoted to my ' Twenty-four Studies.' I write the title- 
 page, and prefix some observations to each separately, to 
 make the pupil correctly understand my intention, each 
 study being meant to overcome some special difiiculty. 
 My wife makes a translation straight off into French and 
 English, for Probst publishes the 'Studies' for Germany 
 and Schlesinger for France. In England I have stipulated 
 with Cramer and Beale for a share of one-fourth in the 
 profits." 
 
 At the next halting-place — Elberfeld — Moscheles want- 
 ed to escape giving a half-promised concert, but the local 
 music-director had already circulated a subscription list, 
 and assured Moscheles that the public would take no re- 
 fusal. " At last," he writes, " I saw that it was a point of 
 honor, and consented. The programme will, or should raxv 
 thus : — Symphony by Beethoven, played as well as possible 
 by a set of fiddlers calling themselves an orchestra ; my E 
 major concerto, played by me with every possible precau- 
 tion, that the band may not lag behind ; Alexander Varia- 
 tions ; air to be sung by a soprano, supposing such a one 
 to exist ; four-part songs for male voices, as a makeshift if 
 the lady is not forthcoming ; the whole to conclude with an 
 extempore performance, after which I suppose, they will let 
 me depart in peace. The expenses will be deducted from 
 the receipts — all clear profits to go to oats and hay for the 
 post-horses. Forgive all this nonsense. I only want to 
 show you that we are in excellent spirits " 
 
 Aix is their next station, and there Mrs. Moscheles 
 ■vvrites : " On the very day of the Elberfeld concert half the 
 streets were under- water, so that only some of the band 
 came to rehearsal — a fraction of a fraction I The people, 
 however, swam to the evening performance in coaches. 
 The room was crammed. Here, in Aix, our old friends 
 are so taken up with us, that you must forgive me for only 
 sending you a hasty scribble." " I, too," adds Moscheles, 
 
MUSICAL PUPILS. Q3 
 
 " will send ray scribble ; if only to tell you how pleased I 
 am to think that this tour, if nothing to speak of in the 
 pecuniary way, will give me fresh impetus as an artist. 
 Here, where I have been so often heard, my subscription 
 list bears witness to the eagerness with which my concert 
 is expected, and for such honors I gladly forfeit my London 
 lessons, but must say I delight in the thought of sending 
 you my next letter from our dear little home in England." 
 Shortly after his return we find him speaking in the highest 
 terms of an Erard piano, sent to Bath expressly for him, 
 and in the spring of this year he completes his " Fifty Pre- 
 ludes for the Piano," " Les Charmes de Londres," and a 
 second rondo for the "Album des Pianistes." He wrote, 
 too, at the instance of enterprising publishers, a number of 
 fugitive pieces, to suit the fashion of the day. These, com- 
 posed off-hand, were, in his eyes, of such little value as not 
 to be catalogued among his regular works, but they were of 
 use to him in teaching a certain class of pupils which mus- 
 tered in great force this year. " They shrink," he says, 
 "from all serious study. Occasionally a mamma says: 
 ' Will you give her something with a pretty tune in it, bril- 
 liant, and not too difficult ? ' To meet this wish I try to 
 avoid full chords and uncommon modulations, but this 
 makes me look upon such pieces as spurious bantlings, not 
 as the genuine offspring of my Muse." 
 
 Allusions like these to the prevalent taste for easy flow- 
 ing music, account for England's welcoming as a pleasing 
 novelty a family consisting of four singers of the name of 
 Rainer (three brothers and a sister), who made a pilgrim- 
 age from the Zillerthal to London. Like almost all artists 
 fresh from the Continent, they had letters of recommenda- 
 tion to Moscheles. He arranged for their daily perform- 
 ance in the Eg)rptian Hall, where they sang their exquisite 
 Tyrolese melodies, varying the entertainment with their 
 national dances. Their freedom from affectation, the pure 
 delivery of their characteristic songs, their dress — the genu- 
 ine Tyrolese costume — all these together proved very at- 
 tractive and delightful to a constantly increasing crowd of 
 hearers. In spite of the moderate entrance-fee, the under- 
 taking answered. More than this, these Tyrolese folk 
 became the fashion. At the most brilliant and fashionable 
 
94 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 soirees, they relieved with their national melodies the songs 
 of the greatest operatic singers. King George IV. was so 
 delighted when he heard them, that he presented them with 
 new costumes, in strict imitation of their own, of which they 
 were very proud. These Rainers, who were constantly 
 running in and out of Moscheles' house, either to ask his 
 advice, or to tell him of their successes, did him quite un- 
 expectedly a great service. There was a regular fatality 
 attending the arrangements of his annual concert. One 
 singer was hoarse, another was unavoidably absent, and all 
 this at the eleventh hour. When we consider that the pro- 
 gramme still contained the names of Caradori, Stockhau- 
 sen, Galli, and de Begnis as singers, and that not only De 
 Beriot, but also Cramer and Moscheles were to play, one 
 would suppose that the omission of a few vocal pieces 
 would do no harm ; but your regular concert-goer is tena- 
 cious of his rights, and this made Moscheles apply to the 
 Rainers. " I hurried off to them. ' Can you do me the 
 favor to slip away for a little time from your soiree at 
 Lady. . . . ? Will you sing twice for me ? I am in a diffi- 
 culty.' ' Of course we will,' said the whole quartet, uniso- 
 no. They came and sang, and the gaps in the programme 
 were filled up capitally." 
 
 Moscheles, yielding to an importunate music-publisher 
 in London, wrote somfe slight pianoforte pieces on the Tyro- 
 lese melodies ; but the favored firm was sued by another, 
 whose offer had been rejected, and the rival publishers went 
 to law. Moscheles' publisher won his suit, and sustained 
 no injury. 
 
 During this season the youthful Liszt was in London ; 
 although he appeared often, playing in his magnificent bra- 
 vura style, his concert on the 9th of June was but thinly at- 
 tended. Moscheles thus alludes to the performance. " The 
 'Concerto in A minor' contains chaotic beauties ; as to his 
 playing, it surpasses in power and mastery of difficulties 
 everything I have ever heard." 
 
 These were busy days for Moscheles, who frequently 
 played at two concerts on the same evening. In the midst 
 of this cheerful and active life, the news of the mighty Beet- 
 hoven's illness fell upon Moscheles like a thunderbolt. His 
 first impressions on receiving the intelligence are thus re- 
 
LE TTERS FROM BEE THO VEN. 05 
 
 corded. " Shocking news from Stumpff! He tells me he 
 has received a letter giving details of Beethoven's dangerous 
 state. What a fearful misfortune for art, and how disgrace- 
 ful that there should be a question of Beethoven's being 
 properly supplied with the necessaries of life ! Such a thing 
 seems to me absolutely incredible. I can't bear to think 
 of it." 
 
 In the first flush of emotion, Moscheles wrote to his old 
 friend, Herr Lewinger, in Vienna, for accurate information 
 about Beethoven's health and. circumstances, but before the 
 arrival of the answer so eagerly looked for (the postal com- 
 munications in those days were slow, and in the winter par- 
 ticularly unreliable) the following letter from Beethoven to 
 Moscheles came to hand : a letter which left no further 
 doubt of the great man's unhappy condition. 
 
 "Vienna, 22d Feb. 1827. 
 
 ■" My dear Moscheles, — I am convinced you will not 
 take it amiss if I trouble you, as well as Sir Smart, for whom 
 I enclose a letter, with a petition. The matter shortly told 
 is this : — Some years ago the Philharmonic Society, in Lon- 
 don, made me the handsome offer of arranging a concert for 
 my benefit. At that time, thank God, I was not in such a 
 position as to be obliged to make use of their generous offer. 
 Now, however, I am quite in a different position ; for nearly 
 three months I have been laid low by a terribly wearisome 
 illness. I am suffering from dropsy. Schindler will give 
 you more details in the letter which I enclose. You know 
 of my old habit of life. You also know how and where I 
 live. As for my writing music, I have long ceased to think 
 of it. Unhappily, therefore, I may be so placed as to be 
 obliged to suffer want. You have not only a wide circle of 
 acquaintances in London, but also important influence with 
 the Philharmonic Society. I beg you, therefore, to use this in- 
 fluence as far as you can, to induce the Philharmonic Society 
 to resuscitate their generous resolution, and carry it out 
 speedily. I enclose a letter to the same effect to Sir Smart, 
 and have sent another already to Herr Stumpff. Please 
 give the letter to Sir Smart, and unite with him and all my 
 friends in London for the furtherance of my object. I am 
 
g6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 SO weak, that even the dictation of this letter is a difficulty 
 to me. Remember me to your amiable wife, and be assured 
 that I shall always be your friend, 
 
 " Beethoven. 
 
 "Answer me soon, so that I may hear if I am to hope 
 for anything." 
 
 This letter enclosed another of the most distressing 
 kind, written by Schindler, Beethoven's friend, who nursed 
 him in his illness. 
 
 "Vienna, 22d Feb. 1827. 
 
 " Dearest Friend, — You will see, on reading through 
 the letter of our unfortunate friend Beethoven, that I too 
 propose addressing a few lines to you. I have much to 
 write to you about, but will confine my remarks solely to 
 Beethoven; for at present his state is to me the all-impor- 
 tant subject and one closest to my heart. His letter to 
 you contains an expression of his requests and most ardent 
 wishes. His letter to Sir Smart is in the same vein, as 
 well as an earlier one in my hand writing written to Stumpff, 
 the harp-manufacturer. 
 
 On the occasion of your last visit here, I described to 
 you Beethoven's position with regard to money-matters, 
 never suspecting that the moment was so near when we 
 should see this great man drawing near his end, under 
 circumstances so peculiarly painful. We may well say 
 ' his end,' for, judging by his present state, recover}' is out 
 of the question. Although we keep the truth from him, he 
 must, I think, have his presentiments. It was not before 
 the 3d of December that he and his good-for-nothing 
 nephew returned from the country. On his journey hither, 
 he was obliged, from stress of weather, to pass the night in 
 a small and wretched pot-house, where he caught so bad a 
 chill that it brought on an immediate attack of inflammation 
 of the lungs, and it was in this condition that he arrived 
 here. The bad symptoms had just yielded to treatment, 
 when dropsy of so determined and violent a character set 
 in, that Beethoven had to be operated on on the i8th of 
 
HIS MELANCHOL Y CONDITION. gy 
 
 December. His state was such that there was no alterna- 
 tive. This operation was followed by a second on the 8th 
 of January, and a third on the 20th of the same month. 
 Scarcely was the wound allowed to heal, when the pressure 
 increased so rapidly that I often feared the patient would 
 •be suffocated before another operation could be effected. 
 It is only.now that I find him partially relieved, and should 
 he go on favorably, we may, I think, allow from eight to 
 ten days to elapse before he undergoes a fourth operation. 
 
 " Now, my friend, remembering his impatience, and 
 more than all, his quick temper, just picture to yourself 
 Beethoven iti such a fearful illness. Think of him, too, 
 brought to this .sad state by that wretched creature, his 
 nephew, and partly, too, by his own brother ; for both 
 doctors, Malfatti and Professor AVawruch, declare that the 
 good man's illness arises in part from the fearful anxieties 
 of mind to which his nephew had for a long time subjected 
 him, and that the disease had been aggravated by Beet- 
 hoven's staying too long in the country during the wet 
 season. This could not well be helped, for by order of the 
 police the young man was obliged to quit Vienna, and it 
 was not easy to get a commission for him in any regiment. 
 He is now cadet to the Archduke Ludwig, and treats his 
 uncle just as he always did, although living entirely on 
 him, as in former days. A fortnight ago Beethoven sent 
 him the letter to Sir Smart, to translate into English ; we 
 have had no answer at all yet, although he is at Iglau, only 
 a few stations from here. 
 
 " Should you, my dear Moscheles, succeed jointly with 
 Sir Smart in inducing the Philharmonic Society to comply 
 with Beethoven's wishes, you would certainly be doing an 
 act of the greatest kindness. The expenses of this tedious 
 illness are unusually great; so much so that the apprehen- 
 sion of being impoverished, and in want, troubles Beet- 
 hoven night and day, for he would die rather than be forced 
 to accept anything from his odious brother. 
 
 "Judging by the present symptoms, dropsy will turn to 
 consumption, for he is now worn to a skeleton, and yet his 
 constitution will enable him to struggle for a long time 
 against this painful death. 
 
 " It pains him still more to find that not a soul here 
 
g8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 takes any notice of him, and certainly this lack of sympathy 
 is most surprising. In former times, if he was slightly, 
 indisposed, people used to drive up to his door, and in- 
 quire for him. Now he is completely forgotten, as though 
 he had never live'd in Vienna. Mine is the greatest trouble, 
 and I sincerely hope matters may speedily change in one 
 way or another, for I lose all my time, I alone having to do 
 everything for him, because he will not allow any one else 
 to come near him, and it would be inhuman to forsake him 
 in his absolutely helpless condition. 
 
 "Just now he speaks frequently about a journey to 
 London after his recovery, and is calculating on the cheap- 
 est way we can live during our absence from home. Mer- 
 ciful Heaven ! I fear his journey will be a further one 
 than to England. His amusement, when he is alone, con- 
 sists in reading the old Greek classics, and several of W. 
 Scott's novels, which delight him. 
 
 " If you, my dear friend, feel certain that the Philhar- 
 monic Society will carry out the project which they started 
 years ago, pray don't omit to let Beethoven know at once ; 
 it would put life into him. Try to persuade Sir Smart to 
 write to him as well, so that he may receive a double assur- 
 ance of the good tidings. May God be with you ! Give my 
 kindest regards to your excellent wife, with the highest es- 
 teem. Your most devoted friend, 
 
 "Ant. Schindler. 
 
 " P. S. — If the Concert proposed by the Philharmonic 
 Society for Beethoven's benefit comes ofiF, the committee 
 should most distinctly give Beethoven to understand that 
 the money must be appropriated to his own wants, and not 
 to that of his most unnatural relatives, least of all to his un- 
 grateful nephew. This would be a most beneficial plan ; if 
 it is not carried out, Beethoven will give the money to his 
 nephew, who will merely squander it, while he himself suf- 
 fers want." 
 
 " Sick — in necessity — abandoned — a Beethoven ! " ex- 
 claims Moscheles. The excitement in the house was intense. 
 Moscheles hurried off to Smart, and their first impulse was 
 to send the great man 20/., thus enabling him to procure 
 
CORRESPONDENCE WITH SCHINDLER AND RAU. gg 
 
 small comforts, and to show him that a Beethoven should 
 never be allowed to feel want. It occurred, however, in 
 time to Moscheles that the 20/. would probably be looked 
 on by Beethoven as. a kind of alms, that he might not only 
 be offended, but probably enraged ; so, abandoning the 
 idea of sending the money, they applied without delay to 
 the leading members of the Philharmonic Society. These 
 gentlemen, equally shocked and as eager to help as Smart 
 and Moscheles, reasonably asked for a short delay, so as to 
 call together the members of their society, and to take coun- 
 sel as to the ways and means of helping Beethoven. Mean- 
 time Beethoven's second letter, with an enclosure of Schind- 
 ler's, arrived. They run thus : — 
 
 "Vienna, 14th March, 1827. 
 
 " My DEAR GOOD MosCHELES, — I have lately heard, 
 through Herr Lewinger, that in a letter of the loth of Feb- 
 ruary, you asked for information on the subject of my illness, 
 about which people spread such various rumors. Although 
 I feel no kind of doubt that you duly received my first letter 
 of the 22d of February, which will explain to you every- 
 thing you want to know, still I cannot help thanking you 
 heartily for your sympathy with my sad condition, and en- 
 treating you once more to take to heart the request made 
 in my first letter, I anticipate with something like assur- 
 ance that you, acting jointly with Sir Smart, Herr Stumpff, 
 Mr. Neate, and others of my friends, are certain to succeed 
 in obtaining a favorable result for me from the Philharmonic 
 Society. Since then, happening by chance to find Sir 
 Smart's address, I have written again to him, pressing my 
 request very earnestly. 
 
 "On the 27th of February I was operated on for the 
 fourth time, and now the return of certain symptoms makes 
 it plain that soon I must expect a fifth operation. What 
 will come of it? What will become of me, if this state of 
 things continues ? Truly my lot is a very hard one, but I 
 bow to the decree of fate, and only pray to God constantly 
 that, in His holy wisdom, He may so dispose of me that, 
 however long I must suffer death in life, I may still be 
 shielded from want This' conviction would fortify me to 
 
lOO RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 bear my lot, however hard and terrible it may be, with res- 
 ignation to the will of the Most High. So, my dear Mos- 
 cheles, once more I commend my cause to your care, and 
 remain always with the greatest esteem,' 
 
 " Your friend, 
 
 " Beethoven. 
 
 " Hummel is here, and has paid me several visits al- 
 ready." 
 
 Schindler's letter was as follows — 
 
 " My dearest Friend, — I add a scrap to Beethoven's 
 letter, from which you can gather information about his 
 present state. Thus much is certain that he is nearer death 
 than recovery, for his whole frame is wasting away. Still 
 matters may go on thus for many months, for his lungs even 
 now seem made of steel. 
 
 "In the event of the Philharmonic Society granting 
 Beethoven's request, pray contrive that the money shall be 
 lodged with some safe person — i.e., a banker — on whom 
 Beethoven could draw by instalments. The Philharmonic 
 Society might unreservedly explain to Beethoven that they 
 adopt these means solely for his benefit, as they know but 
 too well that the relatives who are around him do not act 
 honestly by him, etc. He is sure to be sta^rtled by this an- 
 nouncement, but I and others in whom he confides, will 
 make him thoroughly understand that such a linfe of con- 
 duct is meant in real kindness, and he will be satisfied. In 
 any case, whatever property he leaves behind will come into 
 the hands of the most unworthy people, and it were better 
 it was left to the House of Correction. 
 
 "Hummel and his wife are here. He travelled as fast 
 as he could, with the hope of finding Beethoven still aUve, 
 for it was commonly reported in Germany that he was in ex-- 
 iremis. The meeting of these two men last Thursday was a 
 truly affecting sight. I had previously warned Hummel to 
 betray no emotion at the interview with Beethoven, but he 
 was so overpowered at the sight that, in spite of all his 
 struggles, he could not help .bursting into tears. Old 
 Streicher came to the rescue. The first tiling that Beet- 
 
GENEROUS ASSISTANCE. iqi 
 
 hoven said to Hummel was, ' Look here, my dear Hummel, 
 here is a picture of the house where Haydn was born ; it 
 was made a present to me to-day. I take a childish pleas- 
 ure in it — to think of so great a man bfein'g born in so 
 wretched a hovel ! " 
 
 " As I looked on these two men, who never were the 
 best of friends, they seemed to forget all the differences and 
 quarrels of their past lives in this most affectionate conver- 
 sation. They have both appointed to meet next summer in 
 Carlsbad. Alas ! alas ! My heartiest remembrance to 
 your amiable wife, and now, adieu ! 
 
 " Your constant and sincere friend, 
 / " Ant. Schindler." 
 
 Meantime the Philharmonic Society had determined on 
 and carried out a scheme that must of necessity be advan- 
 tageous to poor Beethoven. It was resolved unanimously 
 at a meeting, which Moscheles attended as a member, that 
 Beethoven should not be kept waiting until a concert could 
 be arranged. The season of the year was unfavorable, and 
 a concert in a great city like London involves a delay of 
 from four to six weeks for preparation. They desired, there- 
 fore, to hand him over at once, through Moscheles, loo/. ; 
 but, to spare his sensitive feelings, resolved to suggest that 
 the money was merely in anticipation of the proceeds of a 
 concert already in preparation. The following letter from 
 Rau (one of Moscheles' oldest Viennese friends) proves that 
 the money was sent and reached Vienna without delay 
 
 " Vienna, 17th March, 1827. 
 
 " Dear Friend, — After a very severe attack of inflamma- 
 tion of the eyes, which kept me closely confined to my room 
 for three weeks, I am, thank God, once more so far recovered 
 that I can take up my pen, although writing is an effort. 
 Make a guess at anything you can't read, and don't be hard 
 on me where you find me illegible. 
 
 " Your letter, with the 100/. sent to Beethoven, came 
 safely to hand. It gave me great and unexpected pleasure. 
 The great man, whom all Europe justly delights to honor, 
 the noble-hearted Beethoven, lies here in Vienna on his bed 
 of sickness. He is in dire distress, and although alive, still 
 
I02 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 in imminent danger, and tliis news we must receive from 
 London ! There it is that his high-minded friends eagerly 
 try to sooth his affliction, alleviate his wants, and save him 
 from despair.* 
 
 '■ I drove off at once to his house, that I might satisfy 
 myself about his condition, and inform him of the help at 
 hand. It was heart-breaking to see him clasp his hands 
 and shed tears of joy and gratitude. You, his noble- 
 hearted benefactors, would have been rewarded and 
 delighted to witness a scene so deeply touching. 
 
 " I found poor Beethoven in the most wretched condi- 
 tion, more like a skeleton than a living being. He was in 
 the last stage of dropsy, and it has been necessary to tap 
 him four or five times. His medical attendant is Doctor 
 Malfatti, so he is in excellent hands, but Malfatti gives him 
 little hope. It is impossible to say for certain how long his 
 present state will continue, or if recovery may yet be possi- 
 ble ; but the recent news of the help afforded him has 
 worked a remarkable change. The emotion of joy was so 
 excessive as to rupture, in the course of the night, one of 
 the punctured wounds that had cicatrized over ; the water 
 which had accumulated for fourteen days flowed away in 
 streams. I found him on my visit next day remarkably 
 cheerful, and feeling a wonderful sense x)f relief. I hurried 
 off to Malfatti to tell him of this occurrence, which he con- 
 siders a very favorable one. They intend to apply a hollow 
 probe for some time, so as to keep this wound open, and 
 allow the water to escape freely. May God bless these 
 human means ! 
 
 " Beethoven is satisfied with the attendance and services 
 of his cook and housemaid. His and our friend, the well- 
 known and worthy Schindler, dines daily with him, and 
 manages for him in a very friendly, honest way. He also 
 looks after Beethoven's correspondence, and controls as far 
 
 * On the margin of the original letter we find the following remark 
 in Moscheles ' handwriting: — " I have, however, several proofs of the 
 interest and sympathy called forth in Vienna at that time by Beet- 
 hoven's dangerous illness. It is clear that several of his worshippers were 
 eager to offer him help and consolation, if they could only get at him. 
 Access to Beethoven, or those nearest to him, owing to his life of iso- 
 lation, was, however, a difficult matter." 
 
BEE TffO VEN'S RELA TIVETs. 103 
 
 as possible the expenditure of the household. I enclose 
 in my letter, dear friend, Beethoven's receipt for the 1000 
 florins presented to him. When I proposed to him to take 
 only 500 florins at first, and leave the remaining 500 in the 
 safe custody of Baron von Eskeles, until he wanted them, 
 he confessed candidly to me that the 1000 florins came to 
 him like a perfect godsend, for he was actually in the pain- 
 ful condition of being forced to borrow money. This being 
 so, I yielded to his earnest entreaty, and handed him over 
 the whole sum of 100/., or 1000 florins. 
 
 " Beethoven will tell you in his own letter how he 
 intends to show his gratitude to the Philharmonic Society. 
 If, in the course of events, you wish to be useful to him, 
 and I can give you a helping hand, you may rely upon my 
 hearty and zealous co-operation. The whole of the Eskeles 
 family desire their kindest rernembrance to you, your wife 
 and little son, and in these I join. 
 
 " Your sincere friend, 
 
 " Rau." 
 
 It is plain, from Moscheles' observation on the margin 
 of Rau's letter, and from notes in the diary, that he had 
 written to many friends at Vienna asking whether it could 
 be true that people neglected Beethoven, prostrated by sick- 
 ness, and in want, and that he received, in every instance, the 
 information that, owing to Beethoven's repelling manner, and 
 his brother's and nephew's jealousy, friends had been kept 
 back from visiting him. " I doubt if they could have pre- 
 vented me," says Moscheles, and probably with good cause. 
 
 A very affecting letter from Beethoven himself, and one 
 over which many tears were shed, followed that of his 
 friend Rau. It was written on the 17th of March. Beet- 
 hoven dictated it to Schindler, and signed it with his own 
 hand. 
 
 " Vienna, i8th March, 1827. 
 
 " My dear good Moscheles, — The feelings with which 
 I read your letter of the ist of March, I cannot describe in 
 words. The splendid generosity of the Philharmonic 
 Society, which well nigh anticipated my request, has moved 
 me to my inmost soul. I entreat you, therefore, dear Mos- 
 
I04 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 cheles, to be my spokesman and communicate to the Phil- 
 harmonic Society, my earnest, heartfelt thanks for the 
 sympathy and assistance they have rendered me. I ifcas 
 compelled at once to call in the whole sum of looo florins, 
 as I was just reduced to the painful necessity of being 
 oblig-ed to borrow money, and thus becoming further 
 involved. With regard to the concert which the Philhar- 
 monic Society have determined to give for my benefit, let 
 nie beg of them not to abandon their generous project, but 
 to deduct from the gross receipts of that concert, the looo 
 florins now presented to me in advance. Should the 
 Society kindly allow me the surplus, J undertake to prove 
 my deep gratitude, either by writing for them a new 
 symphon}', the sketch of which already lies in my desk, or 
 a new overture, or something else the Society may wish for. 
 May Heaven only soon restore me to health, and I will 
 prove to the noble-hearted English how highly I appreciate 
 their sympathy with my sad fate. I shall never forget your 
 noble conduct, and hope soon to send a special letter of 
 thanks to Sir Smart and to Herr Stumpif. Farewell, with 
 sentiments of true friendship, I remain, with the greatest 
 esteem, 
 
 " Your friend, 
 
 "LuDwiG VAN Beethoven. 
 
 " P. S. — My hearty greeting to your wife. I have to 
 thank the Philharmonic Society and you for a new friend in 
 Herr Rau. Pray give to the Philharmonic Society the 
 symphony marked by me with the metronome tempi ; these 
 I enclose." 
 
 Marking, according to the metronome of the Tempi in 
 Beethoven's last symphony, op. 125 : — 
 
 Allegro, ma non troppo, e un poco maestoso 88 = T 
 
 Molto vivace 
 
 Presto 
 
 Adagio molto e cantabile 
 
 Andante moderato 
 
 Finale presto 
 
 116 =r 
 116 =1^ 
 
 60 = r 
 63 = r 
 96 =r 
 
BEETHOVEN'S LAST SYMPHONY. 
 
 lOS 
 
 Allegro, ma non troppo 
 
 
 
 88 = f 
 
 Allegro assai 
 
 
 
 80 = r 
 
 Alia marcia 
 
 
 
 84 = r 
 
 Andante maestoso 
 
 
 
 72 = f 
 
 Adagio divoto . 
 
 
 
 60 = r 
 
 Allegro energico 
 
 
 
 84 = r 
 
 Allegro, ma non tanto 
 
 
 
 120 = f 
 
 Prestissimo 
 
 
 
 132 = f 
 
 Maestoso 
 
 
 
 60 = f 
 
 We give a letter by Schindler, six ds 
 
 lys la1 
 
 ter in point ( 
 
 date, but posted at the same time as Beethoven's : — 
 
 Vienna, 24th March, 1827. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — Don't let yourself be misled by 
 the difference of date between the two letters. I wished 
 purposely to keep back that of Beethoven for a few days, 
 because, on the day after it was written, we feared our great 
 master would breathe his last. God be thanked, however, 
 that event has not yet happened ; but, my dear Moscheles, 
 by the time you read these lines, our friend will be no 
 longer among the living. Death is advancing with rapid 
 strides, and there is but one wish among us all, to see him 
 soon released from these terrible sufferings ; nothing else 
 remains to be hoped for. He has been lying all but dead, 
 for the last eight days, and can only now and then muster 
 sufficient strength to put a question, or to ask for what he 
 wants. His condition is fearful, and appears by all ac- 
 counts to be very similar to that which was lately endured 
 by the Duke of York. He is in an almost constant state 
 of insensibility, or rather stupor — his head hanging down 
 on his chest, and his glazed eyes fixed for hours together upon 
 the same spot. He seldom recognizes his most intimate 
 friends, except when people tell him who is standing before 
 him. In fact it is dreadful to look at him. This state of 
 things, however, can only last a few days longer, for all the 
 bodily functions have ceased since yesterday. He, and we 
 with him, will therefore, please God, soon be released. 
 
I06 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ■' People come in shoals to see him for the last time, 
 although none are admitted except those who are bold 
 enough to force their way into the dying man's room. The 
 letter to you, even to the few sentences at the introduction, 
 is, word for word, written at his dictation. I expect this 
 will be his last letter, although to-day he contrived to whis- 
 per to me in broken accents, ' Smart, Stumpff, write ; ' if 
 possible for him even yet to sign his name on the paper, it 
 shall be done. He feels his end approaching, for yester- 
 day he said to me and Herr von Breuning, 'Plaudite, amici, 
 comoedia finita est ! ' We were fortunate enough yesterday 
 to arrange everything respecting his last will, although 
 there is hardly anything left but some old furniture and 
 manuscripts. He had in hand a quintet for stringed in- 
 struments, and the tenth symphony, of which he makes 
 mention in his letter to you. Two movements of the 
 quintet are entirely finished, and it was intended for Dia- 
 belli. The day after the receipt of your letter he was 
 greatly excited, and talked to me a great deal of the plan 
 of the symphony, which was to have been on a grand scale, 
 as being written expressly for the Philharmonic Society. 
 
 " I much wish you had made plain in your letter that 
 Beethoven could only draw on this sum of looo florins by 
 instalments, for I had agreed with Herr Rau on this mat- 
 ter, but Beethoven adhered to the last sentence in your 
 letter. Well, with the receipt of the money all trouble and 
 anxiety at once vanished, and he said quite cheerfully, 
 ' Now we shall be able to give ourselves a better day occa- 
 sionally,' for there were only 340 florins left in the drawer, 
 and we therefore restricted ourselves for some time past, to 
 beef and vegetables, a privation which grieved him more 
 than anything else. The next day being a Friday, he im- 
 mediately ordered his favorite dish of fish, but could merely 
 taste them. In short, his delight with the generosity of the 
 Philharmonic Society borders upon the childish. We 
 were obliged to procure him a great arm-chair, which cost 
 fifty florins ; he rests on it daily for half an hour at least 
 while his bed is being made. His obstinacy is as dreadful 
 as ever, and this falls particularly hard upon me, for on no 
 account will he have anybody about him but myself. I had 
 no alternative but to give up all my lessons, and devote to 
 
DEATH OF BEETHOVEN. 
 
 107 
 
 him every spare moment of time I could get. Everything 
 he eats or drinks I must taste first, to ascertain whether it 
 might not be injurious to him. Glad as I am to do all this, 
 it lasts too long for a poor devil like myself. I hope to 
 heaven, however, matters will right themselves if I continue 
 to keep in good health. Whatever remains of the 1000 
 florins we intend to expend on our friend Beethoven's fu- 
 neral which will be performed without much ceremony in the 
 churchyard at Dobling, a constant and favorite haunt of 
 Beethoven's. There is the rent due on the 13th of April, 
 that must be paid for another half-year. Then there are 
 several small debts (the doctor's fees among them), so that 
 the 1000 florins may just cover what is owing, without 
 leaving much balance in hand. 
 
 " Two days after your letter we received one from the 
 worthy Mr. Stumpff, who speaks of you in terms of the 
 highest praise. The reading of this letter excited Beet- 
 hoven rather too much, for he was fearfully reduced and 
 weakened. We heard him to-day say repeatedly, ' May 
 God requite them all a thousand times.' 
 
 " You can well understand that the generosity of the Phil- 
 harmonic Society has created a general sensation here. The 
 English are praised up to the skies, and the Viennese mil- 
 lionaires loudly abused. 'The Beobachter has an article on 
 the subject, and so has the Wiener Zeitung. I enclose 
 them. — (Interval of some hours.) — I have just left Beet- 
 hoven : he is actually dying, and before this letter is beyond 
 the precincts of the city the great light will be extinguished 
 jor ever. He is still, however, in full possession of his 
 senses. I hasten to dispatch my letter, in order to run to 
 his bedside. The enclosed lock of hair 1 have just cut 
 from his head, and send it you. God be with you ! 
 " Your most devoted Friend, 
 
 "Ant. Schindler." 
 
 A few days later a letter from Rau brought the sad tid- 
 ings of Beethoven's death. 
 
 " Vienna, March 28th, 1827. . 
 
 " Dear Friend, — Beethoven is no more ; he expired on 
 
[08 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the evening of the 26th of March, between five and six 
 o'clock, after a painful struggle and terrible suffering. On 
 the day before he died all consciousness had completely 
 gone. 
 
 " I must say a word about the property he has left be- 
 hind him. In my last letter I told you that Beethoven, ac- 
 cording to his own statement, was absolutely without money 
 or resources, consequently in the greatest need, and yet, 
 when an inventory of his things was taken in my presence, 
 we found, in an old half-mouldy box, seven Bank shares. 
 
 " Whether Beethoven purposely concealed them (for he 
 was very mistrustful, and looked hopefully for a speedy re- 
 covery), or whether their possession had escaped his own 
 memory, is a problem I cannot venture to solve. The 
 thousand florins sent over by the Philharmonic Society were 
 found still untouched : I laid claim to the money in con- 
 formity with your instructions, and was obliged to deposit it 
 with the magistrate until further notice from the Philhar- 
 monic Society. I would not consent to the funeral expenses 
 being paid out of this money without being authorized by 
 the Society so to act. Should you have it in your power to 
 dispose of any part of the money, pray let it be done in 
 favor of the two poor servants who nursed the sufferer with 
 endless patience and devotion. ' There is not a syllable 
 about them in the will. Everything goes to the sole heir, 
 Beethoven's nephew. As to the present which Beethoven 
 intended sending to the -Philharmonic Society, Herr Schind- 
 ler will communicate with you in due time. Let me know 
 soon, and definitely, what steps I am to take, and you may 
 rely on me for strictly carrying out your intentions. Beet- 
 hoven will be buried on the 29th of this month. An invi- 
 tation has been sent to all artists, members of the different 
 orchestras, and theatres. Twenty musicians and composers 
 will act as torchbearers at the funeral. Grillparzer has 
 written a very affecting address to be spoken by Anschlitz at 
 the grave. Indeed everything which can be done to render 
 the solemnity worthy of the deceased, seems to be in 
 preparation. 
 
 " The family of Eskeles joins me in kindest remem- 
 brances to you and yours. 
 
 " Your friend, 
 
 " Rau." 
 
INVITATION TO BEETHOVEN'S FUNERAL. log 
 
 We find among Moscheles' papers several relating to 
 Beethoven's death : 
 
 INVITATION 
 
 TO 
 
 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN'S FUNERAL, 
 
 Which will take place on the 2gtli March, at 3 o'clock 
 in the afternoon. 
 
 The company will assemble at the lodgings of the deceased, in 
 the Schwarz-spanier House, No. 200 on the Glacis, before the 
 Schottenthor. 
 
 The procession starts from that point to the Trinity Church, at 
 the Father's Minorites in the Alser Street. 
 
 The musical world -sustained the irreparable loss of the famous 
 composer about six o'clock in the evening, on the 26th March, 1827. 
 
 Beethoven died of dropsy, in the 55th year of his age, after re- 
 ceiving the Holy Sacraments. 
 
 Due notice of the day, " der Exequlen,'' will hereafter be made 
 known by L. VAN Beethoven's 
 
 ADMIRERS AND FRIENDS. 
 
 (The distribution of these cards is at the music establishment 
 of Tob. Haslinger.) 
 
 BEY LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN'S LEICHENBEGANGNISS. 
 {am 29 Man 1827). 
 Von J. F. Castelli. 
 
 Achtung alien Thranen, welche fliessen, 
 
 Wenn ein braver Mann zu Grabe ging, 
 Wenn die Freunde Trauerreihen schliessen, 
 
 Die der Selige mit Lieb' umfing. 
 
I I lo RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS, 
 
 Doch der Trauerzug, der heute wallet, 
 Strecket sich, so weit das Himraelszelt 
 
 Erd' umspannt, so weit ein Ton erschallet, 
 Und um diesen Todten weint die Welt. 
 
 Doch um Euch allein nur milsst Ihr klagen ! — 
 Wer so hoch in Heiligthume stand, 
 
 fCann den Staub nicht mehr — er ihn nicht tragen, 
 Und derGeist sehnt sicli in's Heimathland.' 
 
 Darum rief die Muse ihn nach oben, 
 Und an ihrer Seite sitzt er dort, 
 
 Und an ihrem Throne hort er droben 
 TSnen seinen eigenen Accord. 
 
 Aber hier sein Angedenken weilet, 
 
 Und sein Name lebt im Ruhmes-Licht, 
 
 Wer, wie er, der Zeit ist vorgeeilet. 
 Den ereilt die Zeit zerstSrend nicht. 
 
 AT BEETHOVEN'S FUNERAL. 
 
 Yj^'ttj tear that is shed by the mourner is holy ; 
 
 When the dust of the mi^ty to earth is resigned. 
 When those he held dearest move sadly and slowly 
 
 To the grave of the friend in whose heart they were shrined :• 
 
 But our grief-stricken train is a wild sea that surges. 
 
 That spreads to yon starry pavilion o'erhead 
 And girdles the globe : for all nature sings dirges. 
 
 Where'er rings an echo, to-day o'er the dead. 
 
 But weep not for him : for yourselves sorrow only : 
 Though proud was his place in the hierarchy here. 
 
 This earth might not hold him ; his spirit was lonely. 
 And yearned for a home in a loftier sphere. 
 
 So Heaven to the minstrel its portals uncloses: 
 The Muse thither calls him, to sit by her side 
 
 And hear, from the throne where in bliss she reposes, 
 His own hallow'd harmonies float far and wide. 
 
 Yet here, in our memories homed, he abideth ; 
 
 Round his name lives a glory that ne'er may grow dim ; 
 Time fain would o'ertake him, but Time he derideth ; 
 
 The grisly Destroyer is distanced by him. 
 
POEMS ON SEE THO VEJTS DEA TH. m 
 
 AM GRABE BEETHOVEN'S. 
 (den 29 Marz 1827). 
 
 Es brach ein Quell vom hohen Felsen •nieder, 
 
 Mit reicher StrSmung iiber Wald und Flur. 
 Und wo er floss, erstand das Leben wieder, 
 
 VerjUngte sich die alternde Natur. 
 Ein jeder kam zur reitzgeschmilckten Stelle, 
 
 Und suchte sich Erquickung an der Welle. 
 
 Nur wenige von richtigem Gefuhle, 
 
 Empfanden seine Wunderkrafte ganz, 
 Die tibrigen erfreuten sich am Spiele 
 
 Der schSneu Fluth und ihrem Demantglanz : 
 Die meisten aber fanden sein Gewasser 
 
 Dem Andern gleich, nicht edler und nicht besser. 
 
 Der Quell versank. Nun erst erkannte Jeder 
 
 Des Bornes Kraft, nun erst, da sie zerstob ! 
 Und Pinsel, Klang, der Meissel und die Feder, 
 
 Vereinten sich zum langst verdienten Lob ; 
 Jedoch kein Lied, nicht Schnsucht, nicht die Klage 
 
 Erweckten ihn und biachten ihn zu Tage. 
 
 Du, der hier liegt, befreyt von Schmerz und Banden, 
 Du warst der Quell, den ich zuvor genannt ! 
 
 Du grosser Mensch, von Wenigen verstanden, 
 Bewundert oft, doch Sfter noch verkannt ! 
 
 Jetzt werden AUe jubelnd Dich erheben : 
 Du musstest sterben, sterben, um zu leben ! 
 
 SCHLECHTA. 
 
 AT BEETHOVEN'S GRAVE. 
 
 From the high rock I marked a fountain breaking ; 
 
 It poured its riches forth o'er glade and plain ; 
 Where'er they streamed I saw new life awaking. 
 
 The grandam world was in her prime again ; 
 To the charm'd spot the tribes of earth came thronging, 
 And stoopt to that pure wave with eager longing. 
 
 Yet of these hosts few only, keener-sighted 
 Than were their fellows, all its glamor knew : 
 
 The simple multitude surveyed, delighted, 
 Its diamond glitter and its changing hue ; 
 
 But — save unto those few that saw more clearly^ 
 
 That wondrous fountain was a fountain merely. 
 
1 12 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 At last its source dried up, its torrent dwindled ; 
 
 And all mankind discerned its virtue then : 
 In minstrels' breasts and bards' a fire was kindled. 
 
 And brush and chisel vied with harp and pen : 
 But wild desire, and minstrelsy, and wailing 
 To call it back to life were unavailing. 
 
 Thou who sleep'st here, thy toil, thy bondage ended ! 
 
 Lo ! in that fountain's tale is told thine own. 
 Marvelled at oft, more oft misapprehended, 
 
 By the few only thou wast truly known. 
 All shall exalt thee, now that low thou liest ; 
 That thou inayst live, O deathless one, thou diest 
 
 The following letters from Schindler, Rau, and others, 
 although giving some further details about Beethoven's 
 death, turn chiefly on the subject of the loo/. presented by 
 the Philharmonic Society, a matter which gave rise to all 
 sorts of discussion, without coming to any really satisfactory 
 conclusion. Schindler writes : — 
 
 " Vienna, April 4th, 1827. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — I find myself induced to write to 
 you once more, and thus to insure the safety of the letter I 
 enclose for Sir Smart. It contains Beethoven's last ex- 
 pression of thanks to Smart, Stumpff, the Philharmonic 
 Society, and to the whole English nation. Beethoven, 
 during the last moments of his life, urged me most earnestly 
 to carry out his wishes about this letter. Let me entreat 
 you, therefore, to give Sir Smart the letter as soon as possi- 
 ble ; Mr. Lewisey, of the English Embassy, has had the 
 kindness to translate it into English. 
 
 " On the 26th of March, at a quarter to six o'clock in 
 the evening, during a heavy thunderstorm, our immortal 
 friend breathed his last. From the evening of the 24th 
 until he died, he was almost constantly in a delirious state ; 
 but whenever he had a moment of relief, he remembered 
 the kindness shown him by the Philharmonic Society, and 
 praised the constant friendliness of the English nation. 
 
 " His sufferings are not to be described, especially from 
 
BEETHOVEN'S FUNERAL. 
 
 "3 
 
 the moment when the wound gave way, occasioning a fearful 
 drain on the system. His deathbed was remarkable for the 
 magnanimity and Socratic wisdom with which he prepared 
 to meet his doom. I shall probably publish an account 
 of his death ; it would be of rare value to his biographers. 
 
 " Beethoven's funeral was, as in justice it should be, 
 that of a great man. Some 30,000 persons crowded on the 
 glacis, and surged through the streets where the procession 
 was to pass. I cannot describe the scene. If you remem- 
 ber the f-3te in the Prater, on the occasion of the Congress 
 in the year 1814, you will have some idea of it. Kght 
 Kapellmeisters were pall-bearers, among them Eibler, 
 Weigl, Gyrowetz, Hummel, Seyfried, etc. There were 
 sixty-and-thirty torchbearers, among them Grillparzer, Cas- 
 telli, Haslinger, Steiner, Schubert, etc. 
 
 "Yesterday Mozart's Requiem was performed as a 
 commemorative service in the St. Augustine Church. The 
 church, although a large one, could not contain the crowd 
 that thronged there. Lablache sang the bass part. The 
 leading publishers of Vienna suggested this service. 
 
 " You have Beethoven's last letter, that of the i8th of 
 March, and Schott in Mainz has his last signature. 
 
 " With regard to his personalty, seven Baak shares, 
 and several hundred gulden have been found, and now the 
 Viennese talk and write about Beethoven's having had no 
 need of aid fi-om a foreign nation, etc., without reflecting 
 that Beethoven, old and powerless at the age of 56, could 
 make the same claims as if he had been a man of 70. If he 
 had ceased working for years, as the doctors told him he must, 
 he would certainly have been forced to sell one share after 
 the other, and for how many years, think you, could he 
 have lived on the proceeds of these shares, without falling 
 into the greatest distress ? In short, dear friend, I and 
 Herr Hofrath von Breuning beg of you earnestly, in the 
 event of such monstrous reports reaching England, to ap- 
 pease the manes of Beethoven, by publishing in one of the 
 most largely circulated German newspapers, such as the 
 Angsburger AUgemnm Zeitung, the letters that you have of 
 Beethoven's upon the subject ; the Philharmonic Society 
 might do this on its own account, and thus silence these 
 scribblers at once. 
 
1 14 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 "The Philharmonic Society has the honor of having 
 defrayed the expenses of the great man's funeral ; without 
 their help, this certainly could not have been done in a 
 suitable manner. 
 
 " The universal cry was, ' What a shame for Austria ! 
 This mustn't go further, for everybody will contribute his 
 share ! ' but with this outcry the matter ended. The Musik- 
 Verein determined, the day after the funeral, to have a Re- 
 quiem performed in Beethoven's memory, and that was all. 
 But we people of the Karntnerthor, intend to get up a grand 
 concert in April, and raise a sum for a handsome monument. 
 
 " I have further to inform you that the sexton of Wah- 
 ring, where Beethoven lies buried, was with us yesterday, 
 and showed us a letter in which he was offered rooo florins 
 if he would deposit Beethoven's head at a certain spot. 
 This stirred the police to active inquiries. The funeral cost 
 a trifle over 300 florins ; our friend Rau will have written to 
 you about it. Should the Philharmonic Society wish to 
 leave the rest of the money here, allowing me, for instance, 
 to appropriate a small sum to my own use, I should regard 
 it as a legacy from my friend Beethoven. I don't possess 
 the smallest trifle to remind me of him, and in this respect 
 I fare the same as others, for his death was a surprise to him 
 and to all of us around him. 
 
 " Do write me a few lines, and say if you have received 
 the letters of the 22d February, the i4tli and the i8th of 
 March ; and let me know, too, if Sir Smart has also had his. 
 Beethoven's relations, when his death was imminent, be- 
 haved in the meanest way ; he was still breathing when his 
 brother came and wanted to carry off everything, even the 
 1000 florins sent from London, but we turned him out of 
 doors. Such were the scenes enacted by the side of Beet- 
 hoven's deathbed. Call the attention of the Philharmonic 
 Society to the gold medal of Louis XVIIL ; it weighs fifty 
 ducats, and would be a noble reminder of that great man. — 
 Adieu. 
 
 " A. SCHINDLER, 
 
 " Hummel plays to-morrow in the Karntnerthor Theatre. 
 Mr. Lewisey begs to be remembered to Mr. Neate." 
 
COMMENTS ON THE VIENNESE. 
 
 "5 
 
 Another letter was received from Schindler shortly 
 afterwards : — 
 
 Vienna, April nth, 1827. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — You will be shocked at the quan- 
 tity and length of my letters, but read and believe if you 
 can ! To save your honor, that of our friend Beethoven, and 
 of the Philharmonic Society, there was nothing left to us, 
 but to put you in possession of every detail. You heard in 
 my last letter, that there is a great deal of talk as well as 
 public comment on the generous conduct of the Society. 
 But the Allgemeine Zeitung contains an article of the most 
 offensive character to every one, so much so, that we have 
 thought it our duty to answer it through Holfrath Breuning, 
 who undertook to write the enclosed truthful account, which 
 Pilat will send this very day to the editor of the AUgameine 
 Zeitung. Although you have never seen the original article 
 in the Allgemeine Zeitung, on reading our answer you will at 
 once guess its object and general purport. What you and 
 Smart have further to do, is to publish in the Allgemeine 
 Zeitung your letters as well, so that these wretched scribblers 
 may be thoroughly humiliated. Rau and Pilat think our 
 article too courteous, but neither Breuning nor I dare come 
 out with the whole truth, although we should like to do so, 
 and think the disclosure due to the world. Apart from the 
 fact of my having already, as Beethoven's friend and cham- 
 pion, made myself many enemies, I think it would be base 
 conduct, were I to remain silent when his memory is slan- 
 dered, now that he is dead and buried, and his well-intention- 
 ed friends are publicly attacked, and their generous efforts 
 misinterpreted. 
 
 " I wrote to you lately that the Philharmonic Society 
 should enter the lists by publishing in its own name the 
 letters to yourself and Smart ; we are all of this opinion. 
 The Philharmonic Society should state what is perfectly 
 well known in London, that Beethoven, after his first con- 
 cert in the Karntnerthor Theatre, two years ago, after 
 deducting all expenses, which came to 1000 florins, and 
 paying the managers for the hire of the theatre, had only 
 300 florins of clear profit, not a single subscriber paying a 
 
I iQ RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 farthing for his box; not even did the Court appear at the 
 concert, although Beethoven, by my advice, gave a personal 
 invitation to every member of the Imperial household. 
 Every one promised to come, and not only in every instance 
 failed to redeem that promise, but never sent Beethoven 
 the smallest contribution, a present of some sort being the 
 invariable rule, even at the benefits of ordinary concert- 
 givers. 
 
 " At his second concert, given at the Redoutensaal, in 
 the same month, the committee, who undertook the man- 
 agement on their own account, were obliged to pay 300 
 florins out of their own pockets; and I had the greatest 
 difficulty in preventing Beethoven from making up the 
 deficit out of the 500 florins guaranteed to him for his 
 services on the occasion. It gave him the greatest pain to 
 feel that the committee lost money on his account. 
 
 •' When the subscription was started for his last Grand 
 Mass, not a soul at Vienna, no, not even the Court, would 
 subscribe, and there were other countless insults and 
 humiliations that poor Beethoven was obliged to endure. 
 Now is the best opportunity of making all these things 
 known. All Vienna knew that Beethoven had been lying 
 on a sick-bed for two or three months, and no one took 
 the trouble to inquire into his state of health and circum- 
 stances. With such sad experiences of Vienna, could he 
 be expected to look for help here ? I declare to Heaven 
 that had not the Philharmonic Society, by its generosity, 
 aroused the Viennese from their inaction, Beethoven would 
 have died and been buried like Haydn, who was followed 
 to the grave by fifteen persons. 
 
 " As to the concert to be given by the collected forces 
 of our theatre for raising a monuthent, matters stand thus : 
 ' Norma,' which was to have been given after Easter, has 
 been fixed for this week, so we lose our evening by this 
 extra opera night. An afternoon concert Weigl thinks un- 
 favorably of, and proposes its postponement until next 
 autumn. But by that time, what little zeal there is will have 
 completely cooled, and no one will think of doing anything 
 more in the matter. 
 
 " I cannot help telling you about the conduct of the 
 medical men. At the very beginning of his illness. Beet- 
 
BEETHOVEN'S MEDICAL ADVISERS. 
 
 117 
 
 hoven asked the doctors he had formerly consulted to 
 attend him. Dr. Braunhofer excused himself on the plea 
 of his being too far from the house. Dr. Staudenheim, 
 after three days' solicitation, came at last, and retired after 
 one professional visit The consequence of this was that 
 Beethoven had to trust himself to the care of a professor in 
 the general hospital, whose services he obtained in a very 
 singular way. Gehringer, the proprietor of a coffee-house 
 in the Kohlmarkt, happened to have a sick servant whom 
 he wished to place under the care of this practitioner. He 
 therefore wrote to Professor Wawruch, asking him to re- 
 ceive the patient, and requesting him, at the same time, to 
 visit Beethoven, who was in want of medical aid. Con- 
 siderable time elapsed before I ascertained that Beethoven's 
 amiable nephew Karl, while playing one day at billiards in 
 this coffee-house, entrusted the proprietor with this com- 
 mission. The professor knew neither Beethoven nor his 
 constitution, treated him in his regular routine fashion, 
 prescribing for him, during the first four weeks of his illness, 
 seventy-two bottles of medicine, often three different sorts 
 in one day, so that, as early as the ist day of January, the 
 patient was more dead than alive. At last I could not 
 look any longer on this gross mismanagement, and went 
 off straight to Dr. Malfatli, formerly Beethoven's friend. 
 He required a great deal of persuasion, and when Beet- 
 hoven himself implored him, most earnestly at the first 
 consultation, to attend him professionally, Malfatti replied 
 he could not, out of respect for the other doctor, and came 
 at most once or twice a week to the consultation. During 
 the last week, however, he came daily. In short, to you, I 
 can and will Say it ; Beethoven might have lived ten years 
 longer, had he not been sacrificed to the most contemptible 
 meanness and ignorance of others. All these matters will 
 be more fully explained at a later period. 
 
 " Hummel went back again to Weimar on the 9th. His 
 wife and his pupil, a Mr. Hiller, from Frankfort, were with 
 him here. The latter sends you his kind remembrances, 
 and so does Hummel. The expenses of the funeral are 
 now nearly settled, and amount to 330 florins. 
 
 " I might tell you a great deal more, but I must con- 
 clude., Our friend, Lewinger, sends both of you his kind 
 
1 1 8 RECENT M USIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 remembrances. He is so kind as to send this letter by 
 Rothschild. Rau also desires to be remembered. Write 
 to us soon. Say everything that is kind for me to Herr 
 Stumpff, and tell him that it was Beethoven's intention to 
 dedicate to him one of his newest works. This shall be 
 done, if we can only find some one work that is completed. 
 A kind farewell from 
 
 " Your old friend, 
 
 " SCHINDLER." 
 
 After a few months Rau writes to Moscheles on this 
 matter : — 
 
 "Vienna, June 17, 1827. 
 
 " Do not accuse me of neglect, dear friend, because I 
 have left you so long without information respecting the 
 state of Beethoven's affairs. I told you already that I put 
 in a claim to the 1000 florins sent by the Philharmonic 
 Society before he died. Herr Hofrath Breuning, the execu- 
 tor of the will, could and dared not take any steps in the 
 matter, until Beethoven's creditors had been publicly sum- 
 moned in the usual way. They met on the 5th of June. 
 By the advice of Herr Baron v. Eskeles, I sent a legal friend 
 of mine to the meeting, desiring him to renew my claim, but 
 the ' Masse-Curator,' Dr. Bach, steadily opposed it. So in 
 order to expedite matters, and bring them to a successful 
 issue, I want a power of attorney from the Philharmonic 
 Society which, duly proved at the Austrian Embassy, may 
 confer on me full powers to demand back, by legal process, 
 the 1000 florins, and to appoint a legal friend to settle this 
 business. I propose Dr. Eltz as a fitting person. 
 
 " After the meeting I went off to Dr. Bach, to talk over 
 the matter confidentially, for I could not understand the 
 difficulties which people thrust in the way of this righteous 
 demand. He answered me honestly and openly that it was 
 his duty, acting on behalf of the nephew, still a minor, to 
 dispute every counter-claim that interfered with that neph- 
 ew's interests. But his opinion was that a lawsuit, and its 
 heavy attendant expenses, would be best avoided if the 
 Philharmonic Society would generously be induced to con- 
 
BEETHOVEN'S MS. MEMORANDA. 
 
 119 
 
 sider this sum as a contribution to Beethoven's monument, 
 the remainder to be lodged in the house of Eskeles or Roth- 
 schild for remittance back to the Society. Under this sup- 
 position, Dr. Bach would do his best to further this remit- 
 tance. Baron Eskeles, and many experienced jurists, glad- 
 ly entertain this scheme, especially as, since Beethoven's 
 death, one of our most important witnesses, I mean Hofrath 
 von Breuning, has also died. This excellent man caught 
 cold while attending the sale of Beethoven's property by 
 auction, and died after three days. He was the single wit-, 
 ness who could identify the 1000 florins as the same that 
 were sent over by the Society. We shall be guided by 
 your next letter as to our future conduct in this affair. 
 
 " The Eskeles and Wimpffens, one and all, join with me 
 in kind regards to you and your wife. 
 
 " Your friend, 
 
 " Rau." 
 
 Vienna, Sept. 14th, 1827. 
 
 " My dearest Friend, — By the kindness of Mr. Levi- 
 sey, bearer of dispatches to the English Government, 1 
 seize the opportunity of writing and forwarding you the 
 enclosed souvenir of our friend Beethoven. In your last 
 letter you wished for a manuscript of some well-known com- 
 position of the great master. Here then is the last part of 
 the scherzo of his last Symphony, and along with it one 
 of those remarkable pocket-books in which Beethoven, while 
 out walking, used to jot down his ideas, working them up, 
 on his return home, from these skeleton sketches into his 
 full score. I was so fortunate as to rescue several of them, 
 and to me they are of the deepest interest, but they are 
 scarcely intelligible to any but those who can trace the full 
 flower in the germ before them. The book I send contains 
 sketches for one of his last quartets ; and should you ever 
 hear any of these you will see by some of the passages 
 written down at full length to which quartet they belong. 
 I believe I cannot better prove to you my friendship than 
 by sending you this relic, the first and only one I shall ever 
 part with — unless a large sum of money be offered. Lew- 
 inger tells me he has already sent you Beethoven's portrait. 
 
I20 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 I only hope it is that in which he is lithographed writing, 
 for that is the best ; all the others are bad. On the sheet 
 of paper before him are the words 'Missa Solemnis.' I 
 wanted to send everything to you by Mr. Clemeiiti, whose 
 acquaintance I made in London, but I missed him before 
 he left, and had not heard of his intended departure. 
 
 " Pixis came here from Paris, for a fortnight, and re- 
 turned yesterday, travelling by way of Prague. Spontini, 
 too, has left us. He is beating up recruits, and gave my 
 sister an engagement. She and I may go together next 
 spring to Berlin, as the Karntnerthor Theatre will probably 
 be closed again. This at all events is certain, that Barba- 
 ja's management ends next April. What will happen after- 
 wards is an open question. People talk confidently of 
 Madame Pasta coming here for the next winter. I should 
 exceedingly like to hear the real truth from you. You can 
 easily find it out for me ; I should be glad, for my sister's 
 sake, that she should see and hear such an artiste. Per- 
 haps you would enclose a note for me in a letter to Lew- 
 inger or Rau, and give me information on this subject. I 
 should like, too, to have an acknowledgment of the receipt 
 of these papers, sketches, etc. Tell me how you are, and 
 all your belongings. 
 
 " The Beethoven business proceeds very slowly ; we are 
 met by so many obstacles. In June that most amiable man, 
 Hofrath yon Breuning, died ; and now the ' curator ' has 
 been laid up for the last six weeks. I am only anxious to 
 know what is to be done with the money sent from England. 
 The tombstone is to be placed very shortly. Piringer and 
 others have ordered it. I have heard nothing, seen nothing 
 of it, for everything is done secretly, probably that they may 
 have the sole credit. At Prague, Herr Schlosser has pub- 
 lished a most wretched biography of Beethoven. Here, too, 
 a subscription is circulating for another ' life,' which, I hear 
 will be compiled by Herr Griitfer, although the biographer, 
 selected by Beethoven himself, is Hofrath Rochlitz, of Leip- 
 zig, to whom, by Beethoven's desire, Breuning and I had to 
 deliver very important papers. The newly-appointed guard- 
 ian of Beethoven's nephew has handed over Breuning's papers 
 to Herr Graffer. This was very bad conduct, but no harm 
 is done, for the papers were for the most part connected 
 
LIFE OF MOSCHELES. 121 
 
 with the family history, and I have the most important still 
 in ray own custody. God bless you ! 
 
 " Your very sincere and obliged friend, 
 
 " Ant. Schindler." 
 
 The business in which Moscheles found himself involved 
 by the death of the great Beethoven, and the service he 
 had rendered him, could not be brought to a satisfactory 
 conclusion at once, as the following letter proves : — 
 
 " Vienna, Feb. loth, 182S. 
 
 " To Herr Ignaz Moscheles, Composer of Music, and Member of 
 the Philharmonic Society of London. 
 
 " Most respected Sir, — After the death of Herr von 
 Breuning, which took place in Vienna on the 4th of June 
 1827, I was appointed by the proper authority in that city 
 the legal guardian of Karl von Beethoven, a minor, the 
 nephew and heir of the composer Ludwig von Beethoven, 
 who died — alas ! prematurely for the world of art — on the 
 26th of March last year. I undertook this heavy responsi- 
 bility solely for the purpose of trying to lead this highly- 
 gifted youth back to the paths of virtue, from which (I say 
 it with sorrow) he has to some extent strayed. I did it for 
 the sake of his great uncle, who had befriended him since 
 his childho6d, although he had not always availed himself 
 of the most discreet means to insure his welfare. I have 
 yet another reason. The young man has expressed great 
 confidence in me, and has conducted himself with the strict- 
 est propriety since he entered upon the military profession 
 as a cadet in an infantry regiment. 
 
 " Judging by the legal documents before me, Beethoven's 
 small fortune (after deducting sums for payment of some 
 heavy debts, expenses of his illness, and funeral) consists of 
 little more than 8000 florins in Austrian paper-money. I am 
 on the point of negotiating the legal registration of this 
 property, for according to the terms of the will my ward is 
 only to enjoy a life-interest in the property, while the capital 
 reverts to his heirs, unless otherwise appointed by will, to 
 whom the property will be legally secured. 
 6 
 
122 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " In addition to several other debts legally registered 
 and publicly announced at the general meeting of Lud- 
 wig von Beethoven's creditors, there is a further claim 
 for looo florins, Austrian money, preferred by the advocate, 
 Dr. Eltz of Vienna, as the representative and nominee of 
 your friend Herr Rau ; he is also empowered to act for the 
 Philharmonic Society of London. This sum is said to be 
 identified as the money sent some time since, during Beet- 
 hoven's life-time, as a present in the shape of pecuniary aid, 
 by the Philharmonic Society of London. 
 
 "As it is necessary before the legal settlement of the 
 testator's property to prove that this claim on behalf of Dr. 
 Eltz has been either settled or withdrawn, and as I, acting 
 as guardian, am most anxious to arrange this business as 
 soon as possible, I write to you, sir, as one of Beethoven's 
 most intimate and respected friends, as the representative 
 of that high-minded body, the Philharmonic Society of 
 London, and as one of ourselves whom we delight to honor, 
 although living far from us ; lastly, in the name of a youth 
 full of talent and promise, who when his uncle died lost his 
 sole support, and is left destitute. May I beg of you, sir, 
 to take the necessary steps that the Society may generously 
 withdraw their claim, even assuming it to be a perfectly 
 righteous one, through Herr Rau, and his representative 
 Dr. Eltz ; and that they empower Herr Rau to notify this 
 withdrawal of claim to the proper authorities. 
 
 " I am deeply and, solely concerned for the welfare of 
 this most promising youth, who by the death of his uncle, 
 Ludwig von Beethoven, who idolized him, has lost his only 
 support. I address myself very confidently to the gene- 
 rous Philharmonic Society, trusting they will not ask the 
 return of the sum given to assist Beethoven — money pre- 
 sented so long ago that it is impossible to say that the 
 identical sum still exists. I would further request them, 
 through you, not to curtail the small sum with which I am 
 to maintain my ward, for I can hardly hope to get more 
 than 400 florins in the shape of yearly interest. According 
 to the accounts, more than 1000 florins have been expended 
 in defraying the expenses of the testator's illness and 
 funeral, besides paying other debts ; so that it will be fully 
 believed that I feel great difficulty in securing my ward 
 
CLA IMS OF BEE THO VEA" S NEPHE W. 123 
 
 from want, until he is fortunate enough to get his com- 
 mission as an officer — a position which, in the absence of 
 other support, would actually leave him still in embarrassed 
 circumstances. 
 
 " For these reasons, sir, I shall be excused in express- 
 ing a hope that the Society, and the old friends and admir- 
 ers of Beethoven, will show their honor to his memory by 
 befriending the nephew who sorely needs their assistance. 
 I venture to otfer my services, and bind myself to invest 
 any sum as advantageously as I can. 
 
 " I cannot bring myself to think that the Philharmonic 
 Society would ever persist in enforcing their claim ; nor, 
 if it came to a question of law, do I doubt for a moment 
 the Judge would give a decision in favor of the heir; but 
 still the law expenses and the delay would seriously em- 
 barrass me. The sum left is so small, and I have got to 
 pay law expenses, legacy duties, etc. 
 
 " Finally, I think I can explain to the Society the rea- 
 son why Ludwig von Beethoven complained of poverty 
 before his death, and asked their assistance. He consid- 
 ered his nephew as his son and ward, and thought it his 
 duty to provide for his support. This feeling may con- 
 fidently be asserted to have prompted him to look on the 
 seven shares of the Austrian National Bank, not as his own 
 property, but as that of his favorite nephew, for whose sup- 
 port he destined them in his will. It was a matter of 
 religious feeling with him, and he adhered to it loyally, that 
 the burden of maintaining his poor nephew, for whom he 
 would have sacrificed his own life, imposed on him such a 
 duty. 
 
 "I may safely say that the noblest sacrifice to the manes 
 of Beethoven, and the fulfilment of his dearest wish, for 
 which he toiled throughout all his life, would be the secur- 
 ing of his poor nephew from want. Were I myself blessed 
 with a fortune, and had not duties to my own relatives, I 
 would willingly devote it to him. 
 
 " 1 trust, sir, you will recognize the honesty and purity 
 of intention with which I write to you, and will excuse me 
 the more readily as 1 can assure you that I have, out of 
 pure affection for the nephew of the great man, undertaken 
 the duties and care of a guardian. On this point, and for 
 
124 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 references to my personal character, M. Rau will give you 
 all the information you can wish. 
 
 " Hoping that I shall soon receive a kind and favorable 
 reply, sent to me direct, or through M. Rau, and com- 
 mending myself and the cause of my ward to your kind 
 consideration, 
 
 " I remain. Sir, with great respect, 
 
 " Your most humble servant, 
 
 "Jacob Hotschebar. 
 " Imperial Hofconcipist." 
 
 Rau also wrote as follows : — 
 
 "Vienna, Feb. loth, 1828. 
 
 " Dear Friend, — I send you herewith a letter from the 
 administrator of Beethoven's property, by which you will 
 see that the legal proceedings are drawing to an end. I 
 was called on to give an ofiScial explanation about the 1000 
 florins presented by the Philharmonic Society ; but not hav- 
 ing received further instructions from you, and being un- 
 willing without them to make myself responsible, I asked 
 for a delay, until I heard your wishes on the matter. The 
 enclosed letter will put you in possession of all the facts. 
 
 " Between ourselves, if you can manage to negotiate the 
 surrender of the 1000 florins, we shall be spared much un- 
 pleasantness, and perhaps a lawsuit. Even Dr. Eltz and 
 Baron Eskeles think that the 1000 florins found at Beet- 
 hoven's death would with great difficulty be identified, as 
 Hofrath Breuning, who managed the inventory, is now dead. 
 Should the money, however, be unexpectedly redemanded, 
 a power of attorney must be sent to Dr. Eltz by the Phil- 
 harmonic Society, in order that he may prove his legal 
 claims at the cost of the Society. The legal process might 
 possibly swallow up the entire sum. Pray give me a speedy 
 and definite answer. The Eskeles, Wimpffens, Ephraims, 
 etc., are well, and join me in kind remembrance to you and 
 your wife. — Your friend, 
 
 " Rau." 
 
 On receipt of this note, Moscheles conferred with the 
 
PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY'S CLAIM ABANDONED. 
 
 125 
 
 Directors of the Philharmonic Society, and induced them to 
 abandon altogether their claim to the money, but the whole 
 business and the comments thereon gave him a great deal 
 of annoyance and trouble. Reports came to England from 
 Vienna, where people were naturally ashamed of Beethoven's 
 having had to look to London for assistance, stating that 
 Beethoven, after all, had not been so badly off, that he had 
 not touched the 100/., and besides that he had left some 
 Bank shares ; how could Moscheles have been bold enough 
 to open a subscription for him in London, or the Philhar- 
 monic Society have ventured to force itself upon our Beethoven 
 with their present? Moscheles personally was profoundly 
 indifferent to such insinuations ; it was enough for him to 
 have been called ' friend ' by Beethoven himself, and to 
 have lightened, in however humble a way, the sufferings of 
 his latter days. Still it was due to Beethoven's memory, as 
 well as to the Philharmonic Society, to see that the truth 
 was properly stated, and thus to silence malignant and en- 
 vious tongues. He therefore made a public statement, ■ 
 which went the round of the newspapers. The lock of Beet- 
 hoven's hair, the sketches in his own hand, the metronome 
 tempi of the 9th Symphony, and the sketch-book which 
 Schindler sent him, were always kept and regarded as the 
 most sacred relics, and are now in the possession of his son 
 Felix. 
 
 We here insert a letter of Beethoven's which, although 
 ■ unconnected with the preceding correspondence, is of inter- 
 est to the student of his works ; it is from the collection of 
 autographs in the possession of the late Consul-General 
 Clauss of Leipzig. 
 
 " To Mr. Joseph von Warena, in Gratz. 
 
 " Honored Sir, — Rode was perfectly correct in every- 
 thing he said about me. My health is none of the best, and 
 without any fault of my own, my condition in other respects 
 is perhaps the most unfavorable I have ever experienced ; 
 that, however, and nothing in the world shall prevent me 
 from helping as far as possible, by such small work as I can 
 offer, your • Convent ladies, who, like myself, are suffering 
 from no fault of their own. 
 
126 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " Two completely new symphonies therefore are entirely 
 at your service, an air for a bass voice with chorus, several 
 isolated small choruses, and if you want the overture to 
 ' Ungarns Wohlthater " (overture to King Stephen, Hunga- 
 ry's benefactor), which you performed last year, this is at 
 your service as well. 
 
 " The Overture to ' The Ruins of Athens,' although in 
 rather a small style, is also at your disposal. Among others 
 there is a Dervish chorus, a good signboard for a motley 
 audience (ein gutes Aushangeschild fiir ein gemischtes 
 Publikum). In my opinion you would do wisely to choose 
 a day when you could give the oratorio of "Christ on the 
 Mount of Olives." Since 1 wrote it, it has been performed 
 everywhere. This would make up the half of a concert ; 
 for the second half you might give a new symphony, the 
 overtures, and several choruses, and also the above-men- 
 tioned bass air with chorus. Thus the evening would not 
 lack variety. Still you had best talk over this matter with, 
 and be advised by, the local musical authorities. With re- 
 gard to what you say respecting my remuneration at the 
 hands of a third person, I believe I can guess to whom you 
 allude ; were I in my former position, well, I would say 
 straightforwardly ' Beethoven never takes a farthing where 
 humanity is to be benefited,' but just at present I am so cir- 
 cumstanced by my large charities (a state of things I have 
 no reason to be ashamed of), and by other matters arising 
 from the conduct of men destitute of honor and good faith, 
 that I tell you plainly I shall not refuse my share, if offered 
 to me by a person who can well afford it. The question 
 here is not one of claims, but should the whole business 
 about this third person come to nothing, be assured that I 
 am even now just as ready as I was last year, without the 
 smallest recompense, to do any good turn to my friends, 
 the respected ladies of the Convent, and that I shall be 
 ready to assist suffering humanity as long as I breathe. 
 
 " And now farewell ; write soon, and I shall most zeal- 
 ously look after everything that is required. My best wishes 
 for the Convent, with great respect, 
 " Your friend, 
 
 " LuDwiG VAN Beethoven." 
 
DINNER GIVEN TO CLEMENT! 
 
 127 
 
 The programmes of the Philharmonic Concerts of this 
 season bear witness to the respect paid to Beethoven's mem- 
 ory and that of other German composers, since their master- 
 pieces were to be met with in every programme. Liszt and 
 Moscheles appeared as solo performers, and the best sing- 
 ers were constantly heard. The programme was often com- 
 posed of the masterpieces of Handel, Haydn, and Mozart. 
 Among the vocalists we read of Madame Stockhausen, who 
 had already become a favorite with the public ; her unpre- 
 tentiousness and earnestness made her a model to every 
 young aspirant in the profession. Her voice was lovely, 
 bell-like, and exquisitely flexible. She had created a furore 
 in the salons of Paris with her native Swiss melodies, but 
 devoted her best energies to serious study. When she came 
 to London in search of engagements, a soprano was wanted 
 for oratorios, and Sir George Smart, who at once recognized 
 her talents, offered to study with her the English text, with 
 a view to correct accent and pronunciation. This kind and 
 able man offered to instruct Madame Stockhausen in the 
 traditional method of singing in Handel's oratorios ; with- 
 out his aid her success in England must have remained 
 doubtful. Sir George soon found that his gifted pupil prof 
 ited by his teaching, and she became an indispensable sup- 
 port for the London as well as the great provincial music- 
 festivals. Her fame steadily increased, but she continued 
 as amiable and unpretending as before, and with all her 
 grand performances in oratorios, condescended to charm her 
 audiences with her light Swiss melodies. 
 
 We read in the diary, " We artists gave a dinner and 
 musical entertainment to old Clement!. Cramer and I 
 received him ; he was greeted with rounds of applause, and 
 ninety of us sat down with him to dinner. He was placed 
 between Sir G. Smart and myself, and when the cloth was 
 removed we had speeches, toasts, and music. Of course a 
 wish was expressed and rapturously applauded, that de- 
 menti, the father of pianoforte playing, should be heard on 
 this occasion, and thus prove his right to the title, de- 
 menti rose from his chair ; Smart, Cramer, and I led him 
 to the instrument. The excitement was great, the whole 
 party eagerly listening, dementi had not been heard for 
 years. He extemporized on a theme from Handel, and 
 
128 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 completely carried us away by his fine playing. His eyes 
 gleamed with youthful fire ; those of many of his hearers 
 were dimmed with tears of emotion. Amid shouts of 
 applause, and the heartiest congratulations, he resumed 
 his seat. 
 
 " dementi's pianoforte playing, when he was young, 
 was famed for the exquisite legato, pearliness of touch in 
 rapid passages, and unerring certainty of execution. Even 
 now the remains of these qualities were .recognized and ad- 
 mired, but what chiefly delighted his audience was the 
 charm and freshness of his modulations in improvisation." 
 
 On the day of the dinner given to Clementi, Moscheles 
 writes : " I can only jot down a few words in addition to 
 my wife's letter, before our great dinner comes off, as ten 
 stiff fingers are waiting in the next room for me to make 
 them flexible ; they are like thirsty mill-wheels waiting for 
 a fresh flow of water. 
 
 " Hummel wished to publish his ' New Pianoforte 
 School ' in F^ngland, and I negotiated the matter for him, 
 although I saw the wreck of his scheme in his demand of 
 150/., the pubHsher refusing to give more than 100/. 
 
 " During this season ' Oberon ' was frequently given at 
 Covent Garden, and also Mozart's ' Seraglio,' not, however, 
 the pure unadulterated Mozart music, such as we Germans 
 know, but with whole numbers cut out, and other popular 
 English melodies substituted. A fearful desecration ! The 
 culprit who has this Pasticcio on his conscience is Kramer, 
 of Brighton, director of the King's band. As a compensa- 
 tion for this musical outrage, we had some rich and often 
 amazingly beautiful scenic effects." 
 
 Moscheles played before the Court circle assembled at 
 the Duchess of Kent's in Kensington Palace. " The little 
 Princess Victoria was present, and the Duchess begged me 
 to play at once, so that the Princess, who was obliged to go 
 to bed early, might hear me. She left the room after my 
 second piece. I had to play a great deal (on a Broadwood), 
 and accompanied the Duchess in a song of Beethoven's, 
 besides a duet from 'Zelmira,' sung by her Royal Highness 
 and the Princess Feodora. The Royal party took a very 
 friendly interest in my performances, but what I think 
 pleased them more than all was my improvisation on some 
 
IIEI.VRJCH HEINE. I2g 
 
 of the Tyrolese Melodies, for the Duchess had twice com- 
 manded the attendance of the Rainers at the palace." 
 
 Extracts from Mrs. Moscheles' letters will show that her 
 husband's time was socially and professionally a busy one : 
 " Happily such a day as that of Monday last is a rare 
 occurrence in my poor husband's life, busy as it always is. 
 First came the inevitable nine lessons, then the dinner of 
 the Royal Society of Musicians, where he played, and to 
 wind up, an evening party at Sir Richard Jackson's, which 
 lasted until two a. m." 
 
 This was the first season that Heinrich Heine appeared 
 in London. During his residence in Hamburg, he was on 
 intimate terms with Mrs. Moscheles' family, and since those 
 days had become distantly related. It would have been 
 strange if, in such a commercial centre as Hamburg, Heine's 
 genius had been instantly recognized, and, as a fact, no one 
 suspected it in the youth who, often absorbed in thought, 
 was always satirical, and more than averse to the routine of 
 " business " in a rich uncle's office, though it might prove 
 the surest passport to the income of a millionaire. But a 
 poet he was, and' a poet he would be. Consequently all he 
 retained of his mercantile studies was a horror of business, 
 and a singularly beautiful handwriting. 
 
 So far from agreeable were his recollections of Hamburg 
 that when, in 1830, Mrs. Moscheles asked him to write in 
 her album, he treated her- to a satire on her native town, 
 which we here give in the original, and an English version 
 of the same : — 
 
 Dass ich bequem verbluten kann, 
 Gebt mir ein weites edies Feld ! 
 O lasst mich nicht ersticken hier. 
 In dieser engen Kramerwelt ! 
 
 Sie essen gut, sie trinken gut, 
 Erfreu'n sich ihres Maulwurfsgltlcks ; 
 Und ihre Grossmuth ist so gross, 
 Als wie das Locli der Armenbiichs'. 
 
 Cigarren tragen sie im Maul, 
 Und in der Hosentach' die Hand', 
 Auch die Verdauungskraft ist gut — 
 War sie nur selbst verdauen konnt ! 
 
 6"^ 
 
I30 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 O, dass ich grosse Laster sSh', 
 Verbrechen blulig, colossal — 
 Nur diese satte Tugend nicht, 
 Und zahlungsfahige Moral ! 
 
 Ihr Wolken droben, nehmt mich mit, 
 Gleichviel, nach welchem femen Ort — 
 Nach Lappland oder Afrika, 
 Und sei's nach Pommern, immer fort ! 
 
 O nehmt mich mit !— Sie hSren nicht — 
 Die Wolken droben sind so klug ! 
 Vorriiberreiseiid dieser Stadt 
 ^ngstlich beschleun' gen sie den Flug. 
 
 H. Heine. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 I crave an ampler worthier sphere : 
 
 I'd liefer bleed at every vein. 
 Than stifle mid these hucksters here 
 
 These lying slaves of paltry gain. 
 
 They eat, they drink ; they're every vifKit 
 
 As happy as their type tlie mole , 
 Large are their bounties, as the slit 
 
 Through which they drop the poor man's dole. 
 
 Cigar in mouth they go their way 
 And hands in pockets, they are blest 
 
 With grand digestions — only they 
 Are such hard morsels to digest ! 
 
 The hand that's red with some dark deed. 
 Some giant crime, were white as wool, 
 
 Compared with these sleek saints whose creed 
 Is paying all their debts in full. 
 
 Ye clouds that sail to far off lands. 
 Oh, waft me to what clime ye will , 
 
 To Lapland's snows, to Libya's sands. 
 To the world's end — but onward still ! 
 
 Take me, O clouds ! they ne'er look down : 
 
 But proof of a discerning mind. 
 One moment hang o'er Hamburg town. 
 
 The next they've left it leagues behind. 
 
HEINE IN LONDON. 
 
 131 
 
 After the publication of his " Reiscbilder," he made 
 many enemies ; some persons, of whose identity with char- 
 acters portrayed in that work there could be no doubt, 
 smarted under the merciless lash of the poet, and would 
 have retaliated on him if they could, while lookers-on at a 
 distance chuckled with delight at the biting satire. Heine's 
 prose was acknowledged to be that of a master. His 
 originality of thought, striking imagery; terseness and 
 vigorous language, contrasted wonderfully with the involved 
 periods of some of his contemporaries. His great reputa- 
 tion had reached England before his arrival, and naturally 
 his appearance in London created a sensation. 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes : " My old Hamburg acquaint- 
 ance, the famous Heinrich Heine, is here. We delight in 
 seeing him. He often invites himself to dinner, and I 
 flatter myself that he feels quite at home with us. His 
 genius and writings are a constant source of delight to me, 
 yet I can't help feeling some slight misgiving, knowing as I 
 do the keenness of his satire. At his very first visit we had 
 a very curious conversation. I scarcely know how I came 
 to muster courage, but when he told me of all the lions he 
 wanted to see, I said, ' I can get you tickets of admission 
 to numbers of private galleries and other sights, and shall 
 consider it an honor to do so, but I must stipulate for one 
 thing in return. This is that you will not mention Mos- 
 cheles by name in the book you are no doubt going to write 
 about England. He was completely taken by surprise, and 
 I gave additional reasons. Moscheles' specialty is music ; 
 this, I know, interests you — but you have no thorough 
 knowledge of it as an art, and consequently cannot fully 
 enter into it. On the other hand, you can easily find in 
 Moscheles a subject for your satirical vein, and introduce 
 him in your work ; I should not like that.' He laughed, or 
 rather simpered, in his peculiar way, and then we shook 
 hands over our bargain." 
 
 Again Mrs. Moscheles writes : " Heine took a walk 
 with us in Grosvenor Square, the key of which had been 
 lent us : he was very facetious on the number of chimney- 
 pots, which are certainly bewildering to a gaping foreigner. . 
 Two days ago he came here, wet through, for a change of 
 clothes. I sent him into ray husband's dressing-room. 
 
132 RECENT MUSIC AMD MUSICIANS. 
 
 He sent back the things shortly before he left England, 
 
 with the following note : — 
 
 " My dear Mr. Moscheles, — On the point of starting, 
 I bid you heartily farewell, and take the opportunity of 
 thanking you for the sympathy and kindness you both have 
 shown me : I am sorry I did not find Mrs. Moscheles at 
 home the day before yesterday. You, Mr. Moscheles, 
 were ' engaged ; ' and I did not like to have you called 
 away. I am just packing my trunk, and at last return your 
 property, thinking it a good joke to ask for my boots, as 
 well as the second volume of the ' Reisebilder,' left as a de- 
 posit in your dressing-room. If I possibly can I will pay 
 you another visit, if only to assure you by word of mouth 
 that I highly, very highly esteem and love you both. 
 
 "Your devoted, 
 
 «H. Heine. 
 
 " 32, Craven Street, Strand, 
 July, 1827." 
 
 Carl Klingemenn, the gifted poet, and friend of Men- 
 delssohn, who arrived in London this year, as Secretary to 
 the Hanoverian embassy, became, after the lapse of a few 
 weeks, a constant visitor and intimate friend of the Mos- 
 cheles. His delightful verses, which Mendelssohn set to 
 music, are well known. He was not only welcome to the 
 Moscheles as a man of letters, but his vocal gifts and 
 musical talent gave exceptional value to his criticism 
 of musical compositions. In later years family ties helped 
 to strengthen the sincere friendship which had arisen be- 
 tween the two families. During this season, Oury. an 
 admirable violinist, gave Chamber Concerts ; De Beriot 
 and Cramer were shining lights, and Camillo Sivori, a boy 
 of nine years of age, Paganini's pupil, appeared on the 
 musical horizon. " Truly a prodigy for power, purity of 
 tone, and execution." On one occasion, when the Ham- 
 burg relatives are invited to London, Moscheles writes : — > 
 
 " We have plenty of room for you both ; should you find 
 it too narrow, there is plenty more in our hearts. Besides, 
 you ought to see my boy clambering about me, and chatter- 
 ing an obligato accompaniment to my letter." 
 
FIRST APPEARANCE OF SIVORI. 
 
 ni 
 
 Shortly after the arrival of the guests, Moscheles re- 
 joices at the birth of a first daughter, and a few months after, 
 we find the whole family travelling to Scotland, Moscheles 
 fulfilling, as he went along, professional engagements in 
 several of the great northern towns. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 1828. 
 
 Edinburgh — Curious Architecture — Sir Walter Scott — ^A Delightful 
 Visit — Highlanders and the Bagpipes- — Scott's Appreciation of Ger- 
 man Literature — Contribution to Moscheles' Album — Scotch 
 Church Service — Visits to the Lions of Edinburgh — Spurzheim 
 the Phrenologist — Life of a Musician in London — Mademoiselle 
 Sontag — Peter Pixis — Fete at Vauxhall — Scott and the Prima Don- 
 na — Mademoiselle Mars. 
 
 EDINBURGH, 3d January.— Yesterday's walk through 
 the streets was a series of surprises. As I looked at 
 the old houses, consisting in some instances of sixteen 
 stories, inhabited by the poorest families, renting single 
 rooms, each with its dimly lighted window, I seemed to look 
 at a feeble attempt at illumination. Standing on the viaduct 
 which connects the Old and New Town, I had these old 
 houses to my left, on the right, the handsome Princes 
 Street, and the whole of the new quarter, now in the pro- 
 cess of building, which is to consist of a number of crescents, 
 squares, and streets, filled with palatial houses, built of free- 
 stone. Such buildings are to be seen elsewhfere, but Princes 
 Street is certainly unique in its way ; there is a long row of 
 houses on one side, intersected by sloping streets, from 
 which you get a view of the Frith of Forth, while the oppo- 
 site side opens to your view Edinburgh Castle on its rock, 
 to which you ascend by a terrace garden. As I was taking 
 my evening stroll, I saw a party of Highlanders, kilt and 
 all, coming off guard. They marched down from the Castle 
 and passed close by me, regaling my ears with genuine 
 Scottish music of drum and fife. 
 
 " Our lodgings in Frederick Street, which were taken for 
 us beforehand, were curious specimens of architecture. 
 One peculiarity consisted in a raised ground-floor, that ran 
 under the neighboring house, but disconnected with any 
 staircase leading to the upper stories. The next house to- 
 
VISIT TO EDINBURGH. 135 
 
 that, on the contrary, had no rooms on the ground-floor, 
 and the visitor, after mounting a staircase, found a bell, 
 which secured his admission to the first story. House- 
 doors and steps were quite open ; many other houses were 
 constructed on this curious principle." 
 
 The success of this winter expedition, undertaken by 
 Moscheles for professional purposes, was seriously imperiled 
 by an Italian Opera Company which had forestalled him, 
 and he was obliged to put up with a third-rate orchestra, 
 got together any how from regimental bandsmen ; the High- 
 landers, with their bare legs and kilts, being the poor sub- 
 stitutes for a well-trained orchestra. 
 
 The concert room was only two-thirds full, but Mos- 
 cheles, in his fantasia, the " Anticipations of Scotland," 
 created great enthusiasm ; and the newspapers, one and all, 
 condemned the apathy shown by this poor attendance at 
 his concert. This appeal to the good sense of the Edin- 
 burgh folk had its effect, for the two next concerts were 
 filled to overflowing. 
 
 The Moscheles', on the occasion of this visit to Edin- 
 burgh, made the acquaintance of Sir Walter Scott, in whom 
 the reading world had discovered " the Great Unknown," 
 and to whose intellectual eminence thousands upon thou- 
 sands looked up with feelings of the deepest gratitude and 
 homage. The sickliness and sentimentality characteristic 
 of the romance writers before the days of Scott, it is true, 
 were avoided by Miss Austin, Miss Edgeworth, and some 
 few others, who found materials for their fictions in the 
 episodes of private life, but Scott was the first to introduce 
 characters of real historical interest, and clothe them with 
 flesh and blood. 
 
 The world in those days knew nothing of the stimulants 
 supplied wholesale by Eugene Sue, Alexandre Dumas, etc., 
 and revelled in the simplicity, picturesqueness, and whole- 
 some truths conveyed in the fictions of the " Great Wizard 
 of the North." 
 
 To the delight of Moscheles, Sir Walter sent an imme- 
 diate answer to his letter of recommendation, saying that, 
 being confined to his house with an attack of gout, he 
 hoped Moscheles and his wife would come to breakfast, 
 instead of waiting for him to visit them. 
 
136 RECENT MUSrC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Next morning, at 10 a. m., they called at No. 6, Shand- 
 wick Place, wher£ the illustrious man was staying for the 
 winter, with his second, and unmarried, daughter. "He 
 opened the door himself," says Moscheles, " and welcomed 
 us heartily : he was suffering from gout, and walked with a 
 stick. Before we had taken off our things we felt com- 
 pletely at home, and my wife's anticipated awe of the great 
 man had entirely vanished. We sat down to breakfast 
 forthwith, and a genuine good Scotch breakfast, we had, 
 served on handsome silver plate, by two servants in powder 
 and livery. Scott's conversation was extremely animated 
 and delightful : he understands German, and is thoroughly 
 versed in our literature, and an enthusiastic worshipper of 
 Goethe. He told us many anecdotes, but when he asked 
 me, ' How do you like my cousin the piper ? — you know, we 
 Scotch are all cousins' — I am afraid my answer must have 
 done violence to his sense of music, which by nature, was 
 very limited. It was impossible for .me to pretend to any 
 enthusiasm for the bagpipes. Sir Walter had expected as 
 much, but expatiated on the wonderful effect the national 
 music has on the native Highlanders, arguing that a wan- 
 dering piper would attract crowds in the streets of Edin- 
 burgh ; also, that in battle the sound of bagpipes would 
 inspire Scotch soldiers with a desperate valor. '' You 
 should hear my cousin the piper play and -sing "The 
 Pibroch o' Donald Dhu," but with the Gaelic words,' said 
 he ; ' those words are the only appropriate ones to convey 
 spirit and animation, but the melody itself carries one 
 away.' He began to hum the tune, and beat time on the 
 carpet with his stick, which was always by his side ; ' but,' 
 added he, ' the whole thing is wrong ; I sing so badly : my 
 cousin, who has just come in, must play the tune for us up 
 stairs in the drawing-room.' Accordingly, we went up stairs ; 
 the cousin played me the subject; I extemporized upon it, 
 and completely won the heart of our ever-youthful-minded 
 and genial host. This was the prelude to my playing 
 several Scotch airs, which I had to vary and interweave in 
 all manner of ways. At last we parted, after a delightful 
 visit, ever memorable to us ; the amiability and sweetness 
 of Scott's manner are never to be forgotten. Kindness, 
 indeed, is written in every feature, and speaks in every word 
 
LETTER FROM SIR WALTER SCOTT. 
 
 137 
 
 that falls from him. He treated my wife like a pet daugh- 
 ter, kissed her on the cheek when we went away, and 
 promised he would come and see the children, and bring 
 them a book. This he did, and his gift was the ' Tales of 
 a Grandfather.' He had written in the title-page, ' To Adol- 
 phus and Emily Moscheles, from the Grandfather.' 
 
 " After our visit, Sir Walter was unfortunately confined 
 to his bed with a fresh attack of gout ; he got better, how- 
 ever, and on the occasion of my third concert, which was a 
 matinee, to the surprise of a crowded and fashionable 
 audience, Sir Walter stepped into the room before the 
 music began. My wife," says Moscheles, '■ sat as usual in 
 a remote corner of the room ; Scott, however, found her 
 out instantly, and sat down by her side, drawing upon her 
 the envious eyes of many a fair beholder. His hearty 
 bravoes and cheers, when I played, stimulated the audience 
 to redouble their applause, which reached a climax when I 
 gave them the Scotch airs. Between the parts he asked 
 ray wife if she knew B".rger's poem ' Der Dichter liebt den 
 guten Wein,' and, on her answering in the atfirmative, he 
 told her how he delighted in this poem, which he had trans- 
 lated into English, adding, ' Would you like to have it 1 I 
 shall send it you.' She begged him to recite the song in 
 the original ; this, to m}- wife's great delight, he willingly 
 assented to, while all around listened eagerly. On the 
 following day, the last before we left Edinburgh. Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles received the following note : — 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Moscheles, — As you are determined 
 to have me murder the pretty song twice, first by repeating 
 it in bad German, and then by turning it into little better 
 English, I send the promised version. 
 
 " My best wishes attend your journey, and with best 
 compliments to Mr. Moscheles, 
 
 "'l am truly and respectfully yours, 
 
 " Walter Scott. 
 
 " The day before we left Edinburgh we were amused to 
 see our kind friend sitting in the Court of Justice, with a 
 wilderness of official papers before him." 
 
 Moscheles sent Sir Walter his a!bum,.with the request 
 
138 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 that he would contribute to its pages. Finding the follow- 
 ing poem by Grillijarzer, he translated it : — 
 
 Tonkunst dich preis' ich vor Allen 
 Hcichstes Loos ist dir gefallen, 
 Aus der SchwesterkUnste drei, 
 Du die frei'ste, einzig frei. 
 
 Denn das Wort, es lasst sich fangen, 
 Deuten liisst sich die Gestalt ; 
 Unter Ketten, Riegeln, Stangen 
 Halt sie menschliche Gewalt. 
 
 Aber du sprichst hoh're Sprachen, 
 Die kein Hascherchor versteht, 
 Ungreifbar durch ihre Wachen 
 Gehst du, wie ein Cherub geht. 
 
 Darum preis' ich dich vor Allen 
 In so angstlich schwerer Zeit ; 
 Hcichstes Loos ist Dir gefallen, 
 Dir, und wer sich dir geweiht. 
 
 This outburst of the poet, groaning under the censorship 
 of Austria, and gagged in every generous effort for the 
 emancipation of his countrymen, must have touched Scott's 
 sympathies. A few hours afterwards he sent back the 
 album, with the following translation of Grillparzer's poem, 
 headed with these words, " I am afraid Mr. Grillparzer's 
 verses, and Mr. Moscheles' valuable album, are only dis- 
 graced by the following rude attempt at translation : " — 
 
 Of the nine the loveliest three 
 Are painting, music, poetry. 
 But thou art freest of the free, 
 Matchless muse of harmony. 
 
 Gags can stop the poet's tongue. 
 Chains on painters' arms are flung, 
 Fetter, bolts, and dungeon tower 
 O'er pen and pencil have their power. 
 
 But music speaks a loftier tone. 
 To tyrant and to spy unknown ; 
 And free as angels walk with men. 
 Can pass unscathed the jailor's ken. 
 
 Then hail thee, freest of the free ! 
 'Mid times of wrong and tyranny : 
 Music, ihe proudest lot is thine. 
 And those who bend at music's shrine. 
 
SCOTCH CHURCH SERVICE. 
 
 139 
 
 This translation, evidencing Scott's accurate knowledge 
 of the German language, Moscheles prized as one of the 
 gems of his album. 
 
 The poet and the musician parted, Moscheles promising 
 to find a London publisher for some pretty songs set to 
 music by a Miss Browne, with words by her sister, Felicia 
 Hemans. Scott, on his part, engaged to pay an early visit to 
 the Moscheles. The music was published, and the visit paid. 
 
 Moscheles observes upon Edinburgh : " The church ser- 
 vice, from which the organ is banished, struck rne as pecu- 
 liar. The Psalms are intoned by a four-part choir, in which 
 the congregation joins. But the basses are usually in 
 unison with the sopranos, instead of forming the support of 
 the other voices. Dr. Thomson's sermon was very good in 
 itself, but the nasal twang and Scotch accent coupled with 
 the vehement gesticulation of the preacher, made it more 
 singular than elevating. The Scotch Sunday, I must say, 
 is wearisome to a degree. Twice or three times at church, 
 more prayers at home, or sitting twirling one's thumbs ; no 
 music, no work, no visiting — a perfect blank. I have had 
 to endure all this. It's a difficult matter to steal quietly off 
 to one's own room and write letters, or clandestinely to read 
 books of a secular kind. If I didn't do this I should not 
 survive. The deep snow this winter only allowed us to take 
 short walks or drives about the city ; here is a description 
 of one. 
 
 " To-day we visited Calton Hill, and had a glorious view. 
 On one side the blue line of sea, on the other Holyrood 
 House ; above us the rock of Arthur's Seat, on which 
 Nelson's monument stands. It is an unwieldy mass, and 
 seems too heavy for the rock. We could hardly keep our 
 balance here from the violence of the wind. We drove to 
 Roslyn Castle and Salisbury Craigs, but the weather was so 
 cold we could not enjoy ourselves. Holyrood House is 
 very interesting ; the arrangement of the rooms is the same 
 as in the days of Mary Stuart ; the bed-hangings and furni- 
 ture, as well as coverlets and tapestry, worked by the unfortu- 
 nate Queen, have turned yellow from age. Time has left 
 its stamp on everything. Still, nD one standing in these 
 rooms can fail to think with sympathy of the fair — possibly 
 guilty — ^but ill-fated Queen. There are to be seen Darnley's 
 
140 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 armor, boots, and gloves ; the small window out of which 
 the infant James I. was handed, because his royal mother, 
 weak and helpless, was under arrest in this little room ; and 
 last of all, the hidden side door, near the Queen's boudoir 
 and bedroom, which leads to an underground passage. 
 When the Queen was surprised by her husband, while she 
 was with her favorite Rizzio, the unfortunate musician, it is 
 said, was repeatedly stabbed with daggers, and dragged to 
 the door leading to an outer passage, where darks stains are 
 seen on the floor. We looked at these incredulously, and 
 treated them as mythical ; but to vouch for their genuine- 
 ness, or rather of the poet's belief in it, Mr. Ballantyne, 
 Scott's friend, and the printer of his entire works, showed 
 us a note which, .as the testimony of the poet, is certainly of 
 some weight. ' I have no doubt,' says he, ' of Rizzio's blood 
 being genuine. I will look at the plan of the place ; but I 
 think I am right.' 
 
 " Another day we were shown the High Court of Justice 
 crowded with Scotch advocates in their wigs and gowns. 
 The din was fearful ; but the judges contrived to follow the 
 speeches of the opposing counsel, although the mere effort 
 of listening in the midst of such a buzz seemed a mystery 
 to me. I stood close to Mr. Murray — one of the greatest 
 advocates in Scotland. He was in the act of speaking, but 
 every word was drowned by the noise, and escaped me. I 
 could see his mocfth moving, and his hands raised ; that was 
 all. If the listening to the legal arguments of counsel be 
 such a difficulty, I asked myself, what must be the task of 
 the judges in forming an opinion, or delivering a judgment? 
 Flights of steps behiud the Court of Justice lead to a per- 
 fect labyrinth of small courts, lanes, and odd corners. Pass- 
 ing by these back-stairs, and through these tortuous passa- 
 ges, one thinks of poor Efiie Deans, and for the first time 
 begins to realize the feasibility of her seducer's escape." 
 
 Among the numerous acquaintances made by Moscheles 
 in Edinburgh, was that of Sir John and Lady Sinclair. 
 He also called on the great phrenologist Spurzheim, and, 
 wishing to test his powers, gave no name, but requested him 
 to examine his skull. Spurzheim merely uttered a few un- 
 meaning common-places, such as a " disposition for fine art," 
 and the like ; afterwards, however, on hearing the name of 
 
LABORS OF A LONDON SEASON. 
 
 141 
 
 Moscheles, he explained in a learned manner, how nature 
 had stamped him for a musician. Spurzlieim gave a public 
 lecture on the anatomy of the human brain, and Moscheles 
 and his wife were present. 
 
 During the whole time of his stay in Edinburgh, Mos- 
 cheles was obliged to give lessons, in spite of the almost 
 prohibitory fee of two guineas an hour. " Some ladies," he 
 says, " are bent on galloping through my compositions with 
 me at their side, no matter how difficult the music is, or how 
 short the time." But he was soon weary of ail this. 1 
 shall be off as fast as I can," he writes, " and be proof against 
 the numerous offers they make me j I can't be plagued with 
 endless concerts." He was true to his word, and was soon 
 back in London. 
 
 The " dead time of the year " is supposed to commence 
 when the season is over ; but to a busy professional man in 
 London, all months are full of life. During February Mos- 
 cheles was much occupied. April, May, and June were 
 crowded with engagements, there was leisure in July and 
 August for him to ask himself why he had not been crushed 
 by the weight of private and public business which had 
 pressed so heavily on him, why the avalanche of nine hours' 
 lessons per diem did not sink him at once and forever, and 
 how he managed to survive at all. He had to keep up his 
 social position, too, to give and attend parties, to keep late 
 hours incessantly, and play at his own and others' concerts ; 
 always remembering that his reputation — perhaps his liveli- 
 hood — depended on his playing up to a standard very diffi- 
 cult to maintain when the artist is jaded and worn. Com- 
 ing home in the small hours of the night, he would find a 
 . heap of business letters, calling for an immediate answer, 
 before he could retire to rest. Happy the man who, after 
 three-and twenty years of such a life, does not feel utter pros- 
 tration. The real talisman against it is in a happy, cheer- 
 ful home, and in a total surrender of professional business 
 during the autumn months. Let him enjoy country air, in 
 lieu of heated rooms and the gas of theatres ; salt waves in- 
 stead of deluges of lessons, and the privacy of home for the 
 rush of society. This is well enough in theory : it is a diffi- 
 cult matter to reduce to practice. There are tempting invi- 
 tations for a professor to make a Continental tour, and lucra- 
 
142 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 tive offers from the managers of provincial festivals in- 
 England. Every watering-place has its quantum of fashion- 
 ables, glad to find a musical celebrity for teaching their 
 daughters or playing at their parties. If an artist is not 
 firm as a rock against these varied solicitations, he will carry 
 London with him, as the snail does her house, and come 
 back from the country to re-open the campaign : his pock- 
 ets full of money, but his body and soul unrefreshed. If, 
 on the other hand, he will exorcise for awhile the spirit of 
 money-getting, his muse will commune with him in his soli- 
 tary walks, and, so far from forsaking him, remain his steady 
 friend. 
 
 When Moscheles returned from Scotland in February, 
 he found a letter from his friend Peter Pixis, who wished to 
 spend the next season in London, as Sontag's accompanist. 
 This lady was engaged at the Italian Opera, and Pixis was 
 to act as her secretary and entrepreneur as well. She came 
 to London on the 3d of April, and was a constant visitor 
 at Moscheles' house, where her beauty and fascinating gifts 
 were a source of delight to her friends. Her simplicity was 
 her great charm. " Sitting with her," says Moscheles, " at 
 our homely dinner, we entirely forgot the famous prima 
 donna whose debut all London is awaiting with the greatest 
 eagerness. 
 
 " She sang to us repeatedly in private, and with her 
 splendid voice and gifts gave us a foretaste of that delight 
 and fascination which was to keep her public audience 
 spell-bound." " To-day," says Moscheles, " I was present at 
 the dress rehearsal of the ' Barbiere,' she enchanted every 
 one with her Rosina. When the lovely girl appeared on 
 the balcony, she was applauded to the echo, and the magic 
 of her voice and style captivated us in the opening air 'Una 
 voce poco fu.' Her representations in London were a con- 
 tinued series of triumphs. The pressure In the pit of the 
 Opera House was so great that gentlemen, by the time they 
 found their Seats, were minus coat-tails, and the ladies lost 
 their head-dresses. We used to witness the rush from Mad- 
 emoiselle Sontag's own box, which was always at our ser- 
 vice." "I can't say," says Moscheles, "which of her char- 
 acters I consider the most successful, for her vocalization 
 is always enchanting ; if I feel the absence of grand dramatic 
 
SON^TAG'S FIRST APPEARANCE IN LONDON. 
 
 143 
 
 effect, I am more than compensated by the beauty, natural 
 grace, and the combined charm of her voice and person. 
 Her variations on the ' Schweizerbue ' are absolutely perfect 
 in their own way, and it never occurs to me to ask myself 
 " How can she sing such trash ?' because she sings it so 
 perfectly." 
 
 " April 6th. — Making arrangements for my own and 
 Sontag's first concert. That wonderful creature brought 
 Pixis to dine with "us. In the evening we had some friends 
 who were in ecstasy at hearing the German Nightingale." 
 
 " April 8th. — At a grand dinner given in Sontag's honor, 
 by Prince Esterhazy, Prince and Princess Polignac, Baron 
 Bulow, Count Redern, the Marquis of Hertford, Lord and 
 Lady EUenborough, Lady Fitzroy Somerset, Countess St. 
 Antonio, etc. etc., were present. Sontag sang exquisitely 
 in the evening. Pixis and I played solos and duets." 
 
 " No success is without its alloy, for some captious news- 
 paper scribbler volunteered to inform the world that Sontag 
 was unfit for the position of prima donna ; her success soon 
 gave a contradiction to this libel." 
 
 On the 4th of May we read in the diary, " Busy with a 
 musical work which brought back some painful recollec- 
 tions. I wrote for Willis, the publisher, an accompaniment 
 to Weber's last composition — an English song, which he had 
 written for Miss Stephens,* who had sung it at his last con- 
 cert. Only the vocal part, and a few bars of the accompa- 
 niment, were sketched in his manuscript. I filled in what 
 was wanting, carefully distinguishing my own writing from 
 that of the composer, by using red ink." 
 
 On various occasions this summer, the Moscheles, Pixis, 
 and other German friends and acquaintance of Sontag, joined 
 her in short excursions, as to Epsom races, Chiswick, etc. 
 The prima donna was in great request socially. The Duke 
 of Devonshire danced with her at his own ball, where her 
 beauty and grace made a great sensation. 
 
 The director of the Italian Opera had determined to 
 allow his artists the privilege of engaging singers only on 
 condition that the concert should be held in the hall adjoin- 
 ing the theatre ; he also stipulated for a share of the re- 
 
 * The present Dowager Countess of Essex. 
 
144 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ceipts. Pixis consented to this arrangement, and gave a 
 concert, where Sontag sang and Moscheles played. 
 
 "July 8th. — To-day we attended a fashionable fete at 
 Vauxhall, given on behalf of the poor Spanish and Italian 
 refugees. The ' Battle of Waterloo ' was performed, and 
 the Duke saw himself admirably represented. The evening 
 concluded with a concert, in which both Pasta and Sontag 
 sang." 
 
 " July 19th. — Velluti's shrieks in the opera were abso- 
 lutely unendurable ; his false intonation drove me wild. I 
 may be severe upon him, but the wounds he inflicted 
 were hardly to be cured by the flute-like voice of Sontag." 
 
 " On one occasion (we quote Mrs. Moscheles' letter) we 
 had the happiness of entertaining the famous Sontag at a 
 large party at our own house — she was enchanting as usual. 
 Sir Walter Scott, who happened to be in London, was pres- 
 ent. He was delighted at meeting, Sontag, whose introduc- 
 tion to Sir Walter, on the eve of her appearing in the 
 ' Donna del Lago,' was singularly well-timed. Lockhart, it 
 is true, tells us in his biography that Sir Walter felt annoy- 
 ed at being besieged by a crowd of flatterers and strangers, 
 who made a pilgrimage to Abbotsford, and overwhelmed 
 him with compliments, their knowledge of his works being 
 based possibly on a single attendance at the 'Donna del 
 Lago,' at the Italian Opera ; but in the presence of Sontag, 
 the great man was all ears, and eyes too, I think. When 
 • she questioned him about her costume as the Lady of the 
 Lake, he described to her with the utmost minuteness every 
 fold of the plaid, and was greatly pleased when I produced 
 a genuine satin clan plaid, the present of Lady Sinclair, 
 while in Edinburgh, the loan of which I was delighted to 
 promise to Sontag. He showed her the particular way the 
 brooch should be fastened at the shoulder, and would nor 
 allow any alteration. Henrietta had two worshippers that 
 evening, the second being Clementi, who seemed as much 
 fascinated as Scgtt. He got up from his chair and said ' To- 
 night I should like to play also.' The proposition was re- 
 ceived with acclamation." " He extemporized with all the 
 freshness of youth," writes Moscheles, " and we listened 
 with intense delight, for Clementi very rarely played before 
 company. You should have seen the ecstasy of the two 
 
SONTAG.—MAXS. 
 
 145 
 
 old men, Scott and Clementi ; they shook each other by the 
 hand, took it in turns to flirt with Sontag, without seeming 
 jealous of one another ; it was a pretty duet of joint admi- 
 ration, of course the poet, musician, and songstress were the 
 observed of all observers." 
 
 On the 24th of July Sontag finished gloriously at the 
 Opera, with the " Amena'ide." 
 
 Moscheles composed, during the season, for Cramer "and 
 his niece, a four-hand Rondo in E flat, " La Belle Union," 
 performed at the annual benefit concert of " Glorious 
 John." He also wrote his G major sonata for pianoforte 
 and flute. " I launched forth," he says, " my ' Gems a la 
 Sontag,' and it was immediately caught hold of by my nu- 
 merous pupils, and afterwards by th^ whole tribe of would- 
 be pianists, attracted by my close imitation of the roulades 
 and cadenzas of the illustrious Sontag." 
 
 That delightful concert-singer Madame Stockhausen 
 was, in this her second London season, a recognized favor- 
 ite with the English public. She had now become com- 
 pletely mistress of the language, and was constantly heard 
 in Handel's oratorios. The famous Mars, old in years, 
 young in appearance and performance, still delighted every 
 one with her acting. " None that saw her in the part of Val- 
 erie, or in the ' Ecole des Vieillards,' can ever forget her." 
 
 " To-day a strange episode varied my daily duly of les- 
 son-giving," writes Moscheles; "I appeared in a small 
 court, among a wretched crowd of men and women who 
 were sued for small debts. I myself figured as defendant, 
 having (as it was said) refused to pay for an advertisement 
 of my own concert. Of course the loss of time was more 
 serious to me than paying at once the sum demanded, but I 
 hate being cheated. I took up the matter more earnestly 
 than the plaintiff" reckoned on, but he was non-suited, as 
 he could not even prove that he belonged to the newspaper 
 which he pretended to represent." 
 
 Moscheles and his family passed the month of Septem- 
 ber very pleasantly at Hastings, and composed there a light 
 piece written to order — " Strains of the Scotch Bards ;" 
 giving it some importance afterwards by a dedication to Sir 
 Walter Scott, whose answer, upon being requested to ac- 
 cept it, ran thus : — 
 
146 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 "My dear Sir, — I regret that my absence upon short 
 journeys from home should have caused your obliging pro- 
 posal to inscribe the music of ' Donald Dhu ' to me to re- 
 main some time unanswered. Believe me, I feel obliged 
 by the proposal, and will accept it with great pleasure. Tell 
 my fair friend, Mrs. Moscheles, that I send my best com- 
 pliments, and beg to retain a place in her recollection ; and 
 when you see the fine old gentleman Mr. Clementi, will you 
 oblige me by remembering me to him ? 
 " 1 am always, dear Sir, 
 
 " Your obliged humble servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott. 
 
 " Abbotsford, Melrose, October 18." 
 
 On his return to London, Moscheles began to write his 
 long-meditated Symphony in C, which he finished- about the 
 end of November. Mathews and Yates had taken a lease 
 of the Adelphi Theatre. " Mathews," says Moscheles, 
 "who is an immense favorite with the English public, de- 
 lighted us with his inimitable comic acting. The last 
 piece — 'London and Paris' — with the steamer crossing the 
 Channel, was now and then rather too spicy, but we nearly 
 died with laughing. 
 
 Moscheles plays at a concert in Brighton, but again com- 
 plains of a wretched orchestra. 
 
 In London, besides private teaching, he was frequently 
 engaged as pianoforte instructor at the Royal Academy of 
 Music, and attended the pupils' concerts in the Hanover 
 Square Rooms. 
 
 We read again : " Erard presented me to-day with a 
 grand concert piano, of the value of 160 guineas. I cer- 
 tainly owe him my best thanks for such a present. Exter- 
 nally the instrument is all that can be wished for ; but 
 the tone of the higher notes is somewhat dry, and 1 find 
 the touch still too heavy. My Clementi, therefore, still 
 remains my favorite, although Erard's instruments have 
 begun steadily to make their way. Madame de Rothschild, 
 now that she has heard my Erard, wants to invest in one." 
 
 Moscheles kept his Christmas in the good old German 
 fashion ; for we find allusions to the Christmas tree — so 
 suggestive of absent friends and home associations. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 1829. 
 
 Moscheles' Productions — Fugitive Pieces — Expense of Private Con- 
 certs — Domestic Sorrows — Visit of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy — 
 The Chevalier Neul<omm — A Cinque-cento of Vocalists — De Ber- 
 iot — " Troubadours" and " Bohemian Brothers" — Artists' Concerts 
 — Power of the Italian Opera — Laporte — Handel's " Acis and 
 Galatea" — Visit to Hamburg — -Reminiscences of a Tour in Den- 
 mark and Sweden. 
 
 IN reading musical biographies, we often meet with 
 elaborate dissertations on the works of composers, 
 with an abstruse analysis of the writer's " intentions." If 
 we look for a parallel in the history of letters, we find the 
 commentators of Shakespeare ascribing to him intentions 
 which do more credit to their ingenuity than to their judg- 
 ment. Beethoven's works have undergone a similar ordeal. 
 The great man wrote down simply what he thought and 
 felt ; but since his death critics, in tlieir fancied wisdom, 
 have interpreted his works in all manner of ways. Of 
 course the sentiment expressed in the " Moonlight Sonata" 
 affects most minds alike ; the " Eroica" is always majestic, 
 but such sonatas as " Les Adieux," " L' Absence et le Re- 
 tour," are open to different reading, according to the feel- 
 ings of the executant, and will make a different impression 
 upon each individual listener. " And so it should be," 
 Mendelssohn used to say ; " if the composer can only move 
 the imaginative power of his hearers, and call forth some 
 one image, some one thought — it matters not what — he has 
 attained his object." In accordance with this view we pur- 
 posely abstain from attempting a critical analysis of Mos- 
 cheles' compositions. Whatever their merits or defects, 
 this is certain — that works which when first published made 
 an impression, and are now listened to with delight and 
 interest after a lapse of from thirty to forty and fifty years, 
 must possess more than ephemeral value. Such compo- 
 
148 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 sitions are to be found in the G minor concerto (1820), the 
 "Twenty-four Studies" (1825 and 1826), the " Hommage :\ 
 Handel," the Rondo in A, the E fiat major Sonata, the 
 Sonata Mjlancolique," the "Recollections of Ireland," the 
 three Allegri di Bravura, "La Force," "La Logferet'', " Le 
 Caprice," and others. 
 
 From about the year 1840 Moscheles' appearances in 
 public were less frequent than formerly. His later concer- 
 tos (in C major, the fantastique, pathetique, and pastorale) 
 did not become so popular as his earlier compositions, the 
 proper readings of which he himself made known to the 
 public. He used' frequently to complain that people only 
 played his G minor concerto, the other seven being noways 
 inferior in his estimation. He would have desired that his 
 twelve grand characteristic studies, intended for practiced 
 artists, able to master their difficulties, should all have 
 been played in turn, without exclusive preference being 
 given to the "Nursery Tale." Of these twelve studies, he 
 thought the " Dream," " Terpsichore," and others more 
 especially adapted to the concert-room. 
 
 As to the light fugitive pieces which publishers from 
 time to time demanded of him, he says: "They are my 
 poor-box ; with what .hey fetch I can support many a poor 
 devil in Germany who writes well and is ill-paid. I have 
 raised the price to thirty guineas apiece, so that I may not 
 be molested too frequently with such orders." 
 
 We see the rate of remuneration current in those days, 
 by the following account of payments made to artists for 
 private concerts. Moscheles writes, "I had the manage- 
 ment of Madame de Rothschild's concerts, and paid on her 
 account the following sums: — Madame Stockhausen, 35/. 
 for two evenings ; M. de Beriot, 5/. for one ; M. Mori 
 (violin-player), 7/. for one ; Mile. Pisaroni, 20/. for one ; 
 Sch;itz and wife, 15/. for one; De Begnis, 25/. for two; 
 myself 40/. for two ;. making in all 167/., — a pretty little sum 
 according to our German notions." 
 
 In January Moscheles, when playing at a concert in 
 Bath, says : " Certainly I thought myself so much out of 
 practice that I doubted my success ; the public, however, 
 thought otherwise." 
 
 In the early spring of this yeir, Moscheles is deeply 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S VISIT TO ENGLAND. 
 
 149 
 
 moved by domestic sorrow and anxiety. His eldest boy 
 died on the 23d of March, and the only remaining child was 
 in delicate health all winter. " The poor mother," he says 
 in his diary, " knows nothing but anxiety, sorrow, and sleep- 
 less nights. One of our darlings is in his grave ; with 
 God's help she will be spared her one remaining treasure. 
 As a man I have a load of sorrow to bear, as an artist I 
 belong to the public." Moscheles was spared the fresh 
 sorrow that at one time seemed so imminent. Change of 
 air and scene worked so beneficially on the child's health, 
 that as early as June the parents were free from all anxiety, 
 and able to enjoy the society of artistic friends who visited 
 London in this year, and were carried off by Moscheles to 
 spend their Sundays with him in the country. During this 
 season Malibran reappeared, Pisaroni also was engaged at 
 the Italian Opera, and Sontag earned fresh laurels ; but 
 by far the most delightful and interesting visit of all was 
 that of a young friend from Berlin — no other than Felix 
 Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, at that time a youth of nineteen 
 years of age. " Felix's father," says Moscheles, " had asked 
 me in a letter if I thought, and believed, and counselled 
 that his son should visit London, bringing some of his com- 
 positions with him, among them the Midsummer Night's 
 Dream Overture. Well, I thought and believed that the 
 young man was a genius, so I counselled that he should 
 come to us at Easter, and I promised with all my heart to 
 introduce him to the great London world." 
 
 Further on we read — "I took for him a lodging in 203, 
 Portland Street, and I have enjoyed the purest happiness 
 in his friendly and musical intercourse. As a friend, he is 
 of untold value ; cheerful, yet full of sympathy with us in 
 our recent loss, and our anxiety for the frail treasure still 
 left to us ; he is always ready to exchaijge the attractipns 
 of London for our rural solitude, where his society acts like 
 healing balm on our wounded spirits. He seems to have 
 set himself the task of compensating us for our sufferings. 
 How delightful it is, when he brings some of his new com- 
 positions, and after playing them, waits with childlike mod- 
 esty for an expression of my opinion. Any other would 
 long since have become aware that in him I recognize 
 my own master, and that I am in raptures where he is ex- 
 
I 50 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 pecting to be sharply criticised. Do what I will to give 
 liim a correct view and appreciation of our relative posi- 
 tions, he always insists on subordinating himself to me as 
 his teacher. The brilliant reception given to the public 
 performance of his Midsummer Night's Dream Overture 
 did not dazzle him. ' I must do better in everything,' was 
 his motto ; and to my praises he merely answered : ' Do 
 you like it? Well, I am glad of that.' He showed me the 
 manuscript of his sacred cantata on a chorale in A minor ; 
 an unpublished chorus in sixteen parts, ' Hora est ; ' and a 
 stringed quartet in A minor. ' He was always fond of bend- 
 ing his genius to the composition of little pieces — vocal or 
 instrumental — as presents to his friends." In Moscheles' 
 album, for instance, he wrote a charming piece, entitled 
 " Perpetuura Mobile " (in C major) ; and another day 
 brought the pretty Miss C — an English ballad, written ex- 
 pressly for her, etc. etc. 
 
 At the same time with Mendelssohn there appeared in 
 England the Chevalier Neukomm, Haydn's pupil, a noble- 
 minded and highly cultivated man, and the most loyal of 
 friends ; but, unfortunately, without artistic genius ; he was 
 merely a solid, well-intentioned, and correct composer, 
 " with a pitiful lack of Attic salt," says Moscheles. His 
 oratorios, the " Ten Commandments " and " Christ," were 
 performed, and he had written some effective things, such 
 as the " Midnight Review," for the favorite singers Braham 
 and Phillips. At first these pieces roused the audience to 
 enthusiasm ; but in the long run they failed to obtain for the 
 composer the lasting recognition of an English public, 
 which is, generally speaking, faithful in its devotion to 
 artists. 
 
 Mendelssohn and Neukomm, who often met in the quiet 
 home of Moscheles, became very friendly ; their mutual 
 appreciation, however, being confined to the social virtues 
 of one another ; for Neukomm, a tame musician, found, by 
 force of contrast, his friend Mendelssohn too impetuous, 
 noisy, and lavish in the use of wind-instruments, too exag- 
 gerated in his Tempi, too restless in his playing ; whereas 
 Mendelssohn would turn on his heel, exclaiming in a fit of 
 youthful impatience, " If only that excellent man Neukomm 
 would write better music I He speaks so ably, his language 
 
DE BERIOT.— MADAME DULCKEN. 
 
 151 
 
 anij letters are so choice, and yet his music — how common- 
 place ! " 
 
 Fetis, and his lectures upon music, were equally dis- 
 tasteful to Mendelssohn. " What is the good of talking so 
 much about it ? " he says ; " it is better to write well ; that 
 is the chief matter. What is the good of this embodiment 
 of ' la musique mise a la portee de tout le monde,' lectured 
 on in French to an English audience, who certainly under- 
 stand only half of the technical expressions ; and perhaps 
 do not realize for the lecturer one-half of the receipts he 
 expects .' " Fetis at this time joined Moscheles in sketching 
 the plan for the " Methode des Methodes," in the joint 
 publication of which, Fetis's skill as a linguist was of the 
 greatest service to Moscheles, as he translated into excel- 
 lent French his friend's musical treatise on the study and 
 higher branches of pianoforte playing. 
 
 In the world of vocalists there was an " absolute cinque- 
 cento," to quote Moscheles' own words, " for besides Mali- 
 bran, Sontag, and Pisaroni, we have Madame Stockhausen, 
 Camporese, Velluti, Donzelli, and other singers. In addi- 
 tion to these, a German opera company, under Schiitz, he 
 and his wife are excellent singers." Sontag, always kind 
 and charitable, gave a " concert monstre " on the 13th 
 of July, for the benefit of the sufferers by the inunda- 
 tion in Silesia, and every one lent a helping hand. Men- 
 delssohn's " Overture to a Midsummer Night's Dream " 
 was given for the second time, and more vehemently ap- 
 plauded than before. His double Concerto, too, in E ma- 
 jor (manuscript), which Moscheles played with him, was a 
 great success. The receipts amounted to 500/. 
 
 The favorite violinist of this season, beyond all question, 
 was De Beriot — then at the very zenith of his power. His 
 latest composition, the B minor Concerto, written after his 
 marriage to the unrivalled Malibran, and possibly with her 
 aid, was more interesting than his former bravura pieces. 
 With regard to pianoforte players, the most important of the 
 new-comers was Madame Dulcken, the highly-gifted and 
 distinguished sister of Concert-meister Ferdinand David. 
 She left Hamburg to settle in London, and was welcomed 
 by all genuine artists and connoisseurs. 
 
 The "one-shilling" performances were represented by 
 
152 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the so-called " troubadours " and " Bohemian brothers," "the 
 former French, the latter village musicians from Bohemia. 
 These performers, common-place as they were, reaped a 
 plentiful harvest for their employers, Messrs. Bochsa and 
 Logan. 
 
 " We artists fare worse," says Moscheles, in noticing 
 these exhibitions ; "we look to something more than mere 
 gain, regarding our concerts as the means of producing our 
 newest works before large musical audiences, and subject- 
 ing them, year after year, to the ordeal of criticism at the 
 hands of competent judges. The speculation of Laporte, 
 ■ the Opera Director, places a great stumbling-block in our 
 way." 
 
 The state of things was this. Those artists who had 
 annual concerts were anxious to let their patrons hear the 
 best dramatic singers, and accordingly often engaged them 
 with a view of enhancing the attractions of their pro- 
 gramme. 
 
 Laporte, who had become in 1828 the lessee of Her 
 Majesty's Theatre, was peremptory in his dealings with con- 
 cert-givers, his dictum being : "Hire my opera concert-hall, 
 or you must do without ray singers," and the high price he 
 put upon this arrangement made the acceptance a very dif- 
 ficult matter. The pill of course was sugared over with 
 many honeyed French conversational terms and phrases, 
 but Bochsa, the " manager's manager," knew how to trans- 
 late them into good English, while negotiating with Mos- 
 cheles behind the scenes during the opera performance — 
 the only time one was tolerably sure of meeting with these 
 gentlemen. Moscheles had several novelties ready for his 
 concert, a Symphony, a Fantasia, " Strains of the Scotch 
 Bards," which, from being dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, 
 was sure to excite great interest; "and yet," he says, " I 
 was obliged, like the rest of us, to have Italian singers, and 
 to experience all the endless worry of negotiating their costly 
 services ; I hired Laporte's concert-room at great expense 
 — not only this, I had to offer the owner of the Argyll Rooms, 
 which I had already engaged, a forfeit of 10/. This he con- 
 temptuously refused, and threatenfed me with a lawsuit ; I 
 always had a wholesome dread of lawsuits, and so I con- 
 sulted a legal friend, who at last persuaded the man to ac- 
 
BOCHSA.—ZVCCHELI. 1 53 
 
 cept the 10/." Laporte knew his advantages only too well; 
 he was master of the position, virtually monopolizing the 
 services of Malibran and Sontag, the idols of the public. 
 Indeed, the power of the Italian Opera was such that none 
 of the national theatres could compete with it. 
 
 We read on the 2.2A of June : — " One of the choicest en- 
 tertainments this season was the dramatized representation 
 of Handel's ' Acis and Galatea,' performed at Bochsa's con- 
 cert; the music allotted to the chief characters was admira- 
 bly sung by Miss Paton and Braham ; Zuccheli, with a gi- 
 gantic eye in the middle of his forehead, was a very good 
 Polyphemus. In spite of his Italian name, he is an English- 
 man by birth, and, loyal to his Handelian traditions, gave 
 every word and note of that master's music in the classical 
 and orthodox manner. What else had we ? Next in order 
 after Handel's music, the Grave-scene from ' Romeo and 
 Giulietta,' exquisitely sung in Italian, by Sontag and Mali- 
 bran, and for a finale, that German trifle the ' Pastoral Sym- 
 phony ; ' but that I missed, for an overdose of music is not 
 good for the health." 
 
 On the 31st of July, when the Moscheles were free to 
 embark from England for Hamburg, he exclaims : "Who 
 so happy as we ? — we leave the chronic miseries of concerts 
 and the whole season behind us, and join our friends and 
 relations, among whom, if sorrow for our recent loss be re- 
 awakened, we shall find comfort and sympathy." Moscheles 
 during this holiday planned several sketches for his later 
 compositions. 
 
 Pressing offers were made to Moscheles to give concerts, 
 but he refused them as being foreign to the purpose of his 
 visit to Hamburg. The German theatre, however, now that 
 he and his wife had become half Anglicized, offered much 
 that was novel and attractive ; and they were enchanted 
 with Auber's " Stumme von Portici." the cast including 
 Cornet and the younger Fraulein Schroder, the sister of 
 Devrient. 
 
 Moscheles travelled alone to Copenhagen ; and we in- 
 sert some passages from letters written to his wife during 
 his two months' absence. 
 
 " Schleswig, Sept. 27, 1829. The entire road hither is 
 extremely like the Liineburger heath. At times the carriage 
 
 »7* 
 
IS4 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 was all but upset, but I should only have landed on the 
 sand. I have wandered through Schleswig, which in length 
 and narrowness is only to be compared to miles of German 
 sausages. Ahlefeld, the Kammerherr, was very friendly, 
 but to give a concert here, and realize from sixty to seventy 
 thalers, would be a ridiculous waste of time. So the horses 
 are put to, and I shall drive on to Flensburg." 
 
 On the 29th of September he crosses the Little Belt, but, 
 no steamer being ready, is forced to pass a long dull day 
 (30th) at N3'borg. On the 2d of October he passes the 
 Great Belt, and' after a night's journey reaches Copenha- 
 gen. After describing his delight with the beauties of the 
 place and its art treasures, he observes : " I heard for the 
 first time Weyse, the musical theorist, and a perfect idol 
 here, play an extempore fugue upon the organ in the Frauen 
 Kirche. When it was over, 1 went home with him, and 
 read several of his interesting works. I also made the ac- 
 quaintance of Kuhlau, the clever composer. Both these art- 
 ists amuse themselves by constructing musical canons in 
 the shape of riddles, and by finding their solution. At a 
 party given by Mr. W., I met not only these two men, but 
 also the poet Oehlenschlager, and all the connoisseurs and 
 art critics of the place. Kuhlau and others played, and 
 then came my solo. When urged to improvise, I begged 
 to hear Weyse, who could not be prevailed upon, so to the 
 piano I went, and found myself, as it were, fenced in by a 
 wall of listeners, who were silent as death, while I was col- 
 lecting my thoughts ; I would try to be learned as Kuhlau 
 and Weyse, interesting in harmony, plaintive and sentimen- 
 tal, and I would wind up with a storm of bravura passages. 
 I must have succeeded, for the burst of applause was uni- 
 sono, and the astonishment on the faces of all was such as 
 neither you nor I have ever witnessed. Old Professor 
 Schall fell on my neck and kissed me ('for shame!' the 
 English would say). Kuhlau and Weyse besieged me till I 
 gasped for breath. For shame ! 1 say to myself, to be 
 blowing my own trumpet in this way ; but for whom am I 
 writing ? This success promises well for my concert ; but 
 another fortnight must elapse before that can come off ; a 
 second or a third is out of the question. I might have to 
 wait till 1830. It can't be done I 
 
LETTER FROM GOTHENBURG. 
 
 155 
 
 " 1 had to play before the Court ; and here I give you 
 
 the programme and all particulars When my solo 
 
 and duet with Guillou were finished, and I was asked to 
 improvise, the old Queen came up, and making a thousand 
 excuses, hoping she would not be in the way, etc., sat by 
 my side at the piano, where she was soon joined by the 
 King. I let myself go like a race-horse — fire, passion, even 
 coquettishness — I tried everything to act on the royal 
 nerves. First of all, I Rossinified a little, for I knew that 
 the Rossini fever rages at the Court here. Then I was a 
 Dane, and worked up some national melodies. The shouts 
 of applause made me desperately confident, and I wound 
 up with the Danish 'God save the King' ('Kong Chris- 
 tian'). When I had finished — I leave you to imagine the 
 rest, only it certainly was a novelty to see a King running 
 about among the musical veterans present, to express his 
 astonishment and hear them confirm it." 
 
 The next letter is from Helsingborg, on the way to Go- 
 thenburg, where Moscheles, instead of waiting at Copen- 
 hagen, wishes to give a concert. '' The passage from Co- 
 penhagen to Elsinore took six and a half hours, and three- 
 quarters of an hour in the afternoon to cross the Sound. 
 Here I was advised to hire a carriage, and a compound of 
 coachman and servant, styled a ' Husar,' for the journey to 
 Gothenburg. ' Glacklicher Prinz,' I can call myself as 
 usual, for I have the most lovely weather." 
 
 From Gothenburg he writes r " The day before yester- 
 day, after despatching my few lines from Helsingborg, I had 
 a very successful although fatiguing journey. My hired car- 
 riage, as they called it, was nothing more than a small seat, 
 attached to a four-wheel car. M}' box and portmanteau I 
 had between my legs. I was knocked and thumped about 
 most unmercifully. I could not make out a word my talka- 
 tive Husar said, but I could converse all the more freely 
 with lovely nature, glorious in every climate and under every 
 zone ; here on the shores of the Cattegat 'displaying an end- 
 less variety of romantic rocky scenery, interspersed with no- 
 ble forests. Generally speaking, the roads were good ; a 
 notice sent on twelve hours before insured us fresh relays 
 of horses, but, alas ! we got the start at Kungsbacka, and 
 found out to our dismay that we had in consequence two 
 
1 56 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 hours to wait. The comforts of the hostelry consisted of 
 a sort of measly-looking buscuit, and a tallow candle, at 
 which I lighted my cigar, then on we went again in the 
 dark and rainy night. A halt at eleven o'clock, but not at 
 Gothenburg, merely to fetch an extra horse, as we had a 
 stiff mountain pass before us. At one o'clock, however, the 
 welcome light greeted us from the lantern at the Gothen- 
 burg Custom House, more welcome than the police search 
 I had to submit to on alighting. After tremendous knock- 
 ing at ' Blone's Hus,' we aroused a servant girl from her 
 slumbers, but although my bed had been ordered before- 
 hand, all I could get was a room on the topmost story, 
 where my head touched the ceiling. To my question 
 whether I could not have an empty room on the first story, 
 I was answered by a Swedish shrug of the shoulders, Vi'hich 
 was Greek to me. I had a fire lit in my garret, allowed the 
 dense smoke to fill it, wrapped m3'self up in my furs, and 
 went to bed. My bad temper vanished at the thought of 
 you. Th. Hell's poem ' Macht der Frauen' (Woman's 
 Power), which I lighted on accidentally, expressed sympa- 
 thetically my own thoughts. This morning I gpt the identi- 
 cal rooms I saw last night, they had been bespoken for me. 
 My concert is advertised and arranged for the 2 7lh, three 
 days hence, and immediately afterwards I go back to Co- 
 penhagen. I am incessantly occupied with calculations 
 about the Danish and Swedish postal arrangements, to see 
 that our correspondence may not be interrupted. In a for- 
 eign town like this, I always mount the ramparts, from which 
 I can command a view over the town : how awfully grand 
 these precipices and torn fragments of rock around the har- 
 bor, and actually in it ! The winding river ' Gota-Elf ' re- 
 minded me of our Elbe, and I was no longer alone. . . . 
 The city has spacious streets and squares, one of which 
 really reminds one of the Linden. The weather is clear and 
 beautiful." 
 
 He goes on to tell of two great families, who in all mu- 
 sical matters are the despots of the place, and of course 
 rivals. " One has a Clementi piano, and the other a Graf. 
 Which shall I choose for my concert ? That is ' the burn- 
 ing question,' and I answer it by playing on both. Before 
 the concert I attended a real Swedish dinner. The host 
 
A SWEDISH DINNER-PARTY. 
 
 157 
 
 a regular character, a fit subject for Hogarth, did the honors 
 at his large dinner party in the queerest fashion, as you will 
 see. First, I must tell you that, before the company sat 
 down, schnaps and herring were relished by gentlemen, 
 standing at a side table, only three glasses being allowed 
 for twenty-five people. We had veal, pike and soup to be- 
 gin with, then roast goose, plum-pudding, and splendid fruit 
 for dessert. My ' original ' is a stumpy man, over sixty years 
 of age, with sparkling eyes peering out from under his grey- 
 ish-brown wig, his upper teeth gone, four under teeth remain- 
 ing as a sort of palisade to his enormous, pendent, moist 
 under-lip. He starts every topic of conversation, entirely 
 regardless of all the notabilities present, while his wife must 
 have signed a silence-clause in her marriage contract. Herr 
 S. was so full of the great event of seeing Professor Mos- 
 cheles in Gothenburg, and beneath his own roof, that he 
 continued to shower down jDraises on the Professor in the 
 most ridiculous style. He too has travelled in foreign parts, 
 there to learn (or unlearn) manners — his wanderings are a 
 la Wilhelm Meister, he is as sentimental as Sterne ; he has 
 been in England, and feels bound to toast 'the Professor.' 
 I give you a slight sample, as faithfully as I can, of his rig- 
 marole nonsensical speech : ' Gentlemen, would it be bold, 
 may I with some confidence use my privilege as master of 
 the house, and make a speech ? Heaven defend that I en- 
 joy the honor and the chance — you, my honored friends, 
 who know me as a plain honest man to speak — the chance, 
 do I say? What is chance .' Gothenburg enjoys the honor, 
 etc' Here followed the most silly compliments to myself, 
 and then again, ' Heaven defend, without trenching too near 
 on the modesty of this man — all admiration set apart — will, 
 no doubt, make a lasting impression. Long may he live, 
 the master of music in the kingdom of the beautiful.' You 
 can imagine my state of mind on hearing such a farrago of 
 nonsense ; I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from 
 laughing. The Governor, the Rath, the Commandant of the 
 place, and the other guests, did not seem at all surprised ; 
 they must know him. When he had finished his speech, a 
 part song was performed by one amateur, ' the refrain,' sug- 
 gested by the occasion, always being the words : ' Es lebe 
 der Meister.' There was a jingling of glasses as I rose 
 
158 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 from my chair to return thanks, but hardly had I said that 
 it was no accident that brought me there, but a wish on my 
 part to be heard by the art-loving public in Gothenburg, 
 when Herr S. cut me short by modestly interrupting me 
 with : ' Heaven defend that the Professor thinks that I think 
 that accident (for everything in the world is accident) has 
 given us, not him, the happiness of seeing a man in our walls 
 whose modesty — Heaven defend — I should offend.' More 
 trash followed. Then the ladies left us, and the gentlemen 
 remained sitting round an enormus bowl of cold bishop. 
 Our host's silly tongue never stopped wagging. Songs were 
 sung, they did not much edify me ; as far as I could I re- 
 mained a passive spectator. After leaving the spacious 
 dining-hall, we passed through several elegant salons, to a 
 room where the Clemen ti piano stood, and I was obliged to 
 extemporize. This I did in a way to humor the particular 
 kind of audience ; and you may easily guess the result. 
 Schwartz, the pianoforte teacher, and Birnroth, organist of 
 the Cathedral, proposed that I should play on the organ. 
 This I did the following afternoon, in the presence of tlie 
 same company. I dashed into it,' and worked away at the 
 pedals as though I had Vestris's feet. 
 
 " My concert was attended by every one with any real 
 or fancied taste or ear for music, so that I had a brilliant 
 and crowded audience. You will see the programme in the 
 newspaper. In obedience to a challenge from the company, 
 I improvised on Swedish airs, which were given to me in 
 writing. I think I must have been pretty successful, for 
 they cheered me lustily, and flocked round me on all sides. 
 All invitations after the concert I firmly refused, for I want 
 to get back as fast as I can. . . . To-night, in spite of all my 
 hurry, 1 must remain in Helsingborg, where I am writing 
 to you. I have sent you a short extract from my last letter 
 by another and shorter route than usual, that I may insure 
 your hearing from me." 
 
 Moscheles would not go to Stockholm, although he had 
 half promised to play there ; travelling alone was not at all 
 to his taste. From Copenhagen he afterwards writes : " I 
 can't think of a second concert here, as it would cost a whole 
 fortnight of my time ; consequently there is a great rush to 
 secure seats at my one public performance. 
 
WE YSE.—KUHLA U. I 5 n 
 
 "I have seen the favorite Liederspiel ' Elverhoy ' (found- 
 ed on an old Danish fable, with characteristic songs and 
 choruses) and most tastefully arranged by Kuhlau. The 
 overture, which is a compendium of all the music that follows, 
 pleased me exceedingly. I have again paid a two hours' 
 visit to Weyse, for I think him the most interesting person 
 here ; he entertained me with learned dissertations on art, 
 considered technically and aesthetically. His fugues are good, 
 his enigma canons really masterly. To-morrow he comes 
 to me, and we shall frequently exchange visits." 
 
 On the loth of November he writes from Copenhagen : 
 " Yesterday was a memorable day in my calendar. I was 
 literally besieged from eight o'clock in the morning until 
 six -in the evening. People scrambled to get the most ex- 
 pensive boxes, and almost went on their' knees for single 
 tickets ; many had to pocket their money again, for no more 
 tickets were to be had, and I advertised to-day that no 
 money would be taken at the doors. Everything has been 
 sold at double prices; the result is a net profit of 1500 
 thalers. Notwithstanding I should lose too much time were 
 I to give a second concert, as Guillou and Milder are fighting 
 for the only possible nights. They both gave their first 
 concerts at the usual prices and had a good attendance. 
 What can I say about my reception? Nothing; you can 
 guess what it was like. Well, the applause grew louder and 
 louder. In spite of my own disloyalty towards the Alex- 
 ander Variations, I was obliged to play them, as you will see 
 b}" the programme herein enclosed ; and the Improvisation — 
 well, on that subject I cannot write. Guillou, who was 
 going to give bis second concert at the usual prices, offered 
 me to join him, and we would have double prices. It only 
 made three days difference to me, so I ajjccepted the offer. 
 Well, these three days, we can bear like the rest, can't we ? 
 The concert is announced in G.'s name, with my assist- 
 ance." 
 
 Later on he writes : " The same scene enacted at my 
 last concert has now repeated itself, and that too directly 
 the first announcement appeared. Everything again sold 
 off at double prices ; 641 thalers came to my share. Be- 
 sides this, I shall turn snuff-taker, for His Majesty honored 
 me with the present of a gold enamelled box. Prince 
 
l6o RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Christian sent me a diamond ring: Frau a gold watch- 
 chain ; I had besides all sorts of complimentary messages 
 from the Court." 
 
 The month of December was spent in Hamburg, and 
 at the close of the year we find Moscheles in Paris. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 1830— 183 1. 
 
 An Accident — Hummel — Madame Malibran — Music in England — 
 Failure of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony — Erard's Pianos — 
 Henry LitolfF — Neukomm — Philharmonic Concerts — First Rail- 
 way Journey — -Operatic Celebrities — Field's Return to London — 
 Paganini — Prodigies from the Continent — Visits of Intimate 
 Friends — The Reform Agitation — A Musical Festival — Celebra- 
 tion of Christmas. " 
 
 AFTER the first six weeks, spent happily in Paris, the 
 family returned to London. There Moscheles met 
 with an accident. He was thrown from his carriage, but, 
 however serious the accident at first appeared, fears of any 
 permanent injury happily proved groundless. Scarcely was 
 his wife relieved from anxiety on his account, when her 
 serious illness (after the birth of a second daughter) weighed 
 heavily on his mind for nearly three months. No wonder 
 that in the diary there is a comparative scantiness of musical 
 incident, when measured by the richer harvest of former 
 years. 
 
 " Hummel is here, he intends giving a concert, and 
 happily I can distribute many of his tickets among my 
 pupils. I wish I could have talked him over, and prevented 
 his appending so curious a notice to his advertisement ; it 
 was to this effect; 'People were not to suppose he would 
 play at the Philharmonic Concert ; only in case a very 
 profitable engagement were offered him, could he be heard 
 anywhere except at his own concert.' He hoped by this 
 announcement to undeceive the frequenters of the Philhar- 
 monic who might reckon on hearing him there, without 
 going to his own concert. A few days later, at Malibran's 
 matinee, he made a mistake, in improvising on ' God save 
 the King,' for while George IV. was still lying dead and 
 unburied, people hardly thought of William IV. For this 
 
l62 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 he was taken to task by the public and the press, and, gen- 
 erally speaking, he added nothing to the well-deserved 
 laurels he had gathered in Vienna. It was noticeable that 
 he began to dislike trouble and exertion, for he possessed 
 no longer the elasticity requisite for plunging successfully 
 into the whirl and maze of London life ; besides that, 
 England, proud of Cramer, discovered that his legato was 
 equal to Hummel's; and preferred native to foreign talent. 
 Hummel, annoyed possibly at seeing this view adopted by 
 many of the newspapers, refused when asked by Cramer to 
 play a duet with him at his concert, and this refusal created 
 an unpleasant feeling against him. At that time Malibran's 
 genius and sad fate attracted the liveliest sympathy. Mar- 
 ried in very early years to a husband who had been forced 
 upon her, but liberated afterwards by special favor of the 
 Pope, she had clung to De Beriot with true devotion, and 
 now appeared in London as his wife ; but, in this marriage 
 also, hers was the unselfish, self sacrificing, part ; for out 
 of affection for her husband she not only sang in the opera, 
 but, after the fatigues of performance at the theatre, ap- 
 peared at private or public concerts, " and," says Moscheles, 
 " she always sings exquisitely, and with true inspiration ; 
 she is never the mere vocalist, but a musical genius. If 
 obliged to repeat a cavatina, as is generally the case, she 
 improvises new passages more beautiful and original than 
 the first, unsurpassable as they seemed. Her very smile 
 captivates the orchestra and conductor, and she kindles 
 with a spark of her own spirit the most inanimate of orches- 
 tral players. Of this fire she has such a quantity in reserve, 
 that she can scatter it about without harm to herself. 
 Some of her lightnings she has darted upon De Beriot's 
 smooth, finished, but occasionally lukewarm performance, 
 and I "plainly enough see Madame in Monsieur's 'B minor 
 Concerto.' " 
 
 In a season so beset with domestic anxieties, Moscheles 
 could think of no serious original compositions, but was 
 obliged in pursuance of a contract to finish some of his 
 light fashionable pieces, such as the " Gems a la Mali- 
 bran ; " a light pot-pourri of her most popular songs, written 
 in the closest possible imitation of her original ' fioriture,' 
 which Moscheles had committed to memory. On the eve 
 
FAILURE OF BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY. 163 
 
 of his own concert already advertised, and with a view of 
 bringing out some novelty, he put together within a few 
 days his "Recollections of Denmark," the echo of his trav- 
 els in that country ; and these national melodies lost none 
 of their effect by the composer's treatment. 
 
 We find constant complaints this year about the con- 
 dition of music. " It is a mistake to give at every Phil- 
 harmonic Concert two symphonies and two overtures, 
 besides two grand instrumental and four vocal pieces. I 
 never can enjoy more than half" Another time we read : 
 " Beethoven's Ninth Symphony failed ! What am I to 
 think of this? Must the fault be laid at the director's 
 door ? Are the orchestral players or the public to blame ? 
 I do not know; but things shall not remain so." And as a 
 fact they did not remain so, for when the Directors, after 
 this and another abortive attempt in the year 1824, deter- 
 mined never to produce the work again, persuading them- 
 selves into the belief that the deaf composer had written 
 some senseless trash because he never heard it, the 
 German press beat the alarm so furiously and lashed so 
 mercilessly the depredators of this colossal work, that the 
 production and proper appreciation of it in England was 
 made a point of honor. It took several years to convey to 
 the English public the correct perception and appreciation 
 of this Symphony, and later on we shall see that the Phil- 
 harmonic Society turned to Moscheles for directing the 
 study and rehearsals of the work, and making it accessible 
 to the public. This once done, the Symphony maintained 
 its place in the programmes of the Society. 
 
 Looking further on in the diary, we find the following 
 notice : — " What musical follies are daily perpetrated, for 
 one shilling a head, in the Egyptian Hall ! Michael Boai, 
 a German, who hits his chin with his fists, producing 
 thereby sounds in which a tune is discernible and variations 
 thereon, and an Englishman who pretends he can produce 
 two tones at once by humming like a clarionet and mutter- 
 ing a bass tone simultaneously. What rubbish all this ! 
 Equally ineffective is a band of Russian horn music, each 
 member having a reed-pipe capable of producing but one 
 note, which, in the performance of pieces, he brought in 
 with unerring precision." 
 
164 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Important in the history of pianoforte-playing is the 
 fact that Erard's pianos became very popular, having 
 attained this year a great excellence. " The touch in par- 
 ticular is vastly improved, I begin to revel in these instru- 
 ments." 
 
 When the season was over the family went to Ryde, in 
 the Isle of Wight, the Revolution in Paris interfering with 
 their intended visit to that city. " Charles X. set aside for 
 Louis Philippe, and now an exile with his family at Castle 
 Lulworth. What a change ! " At Ryde, where Moscheles 
 revelled in his Erard piano, he composed the " Recollections 
 of England," which he dedicated to Queen Adelaide, and 
 the C minor Trio, dedicated to Cherubini. In the latter 
 half of the autumn Moscheles moved to 3, Chester Place, 
 Regent's Park, where he lived for more than sixteen years, 
 before he finally quitted England and settled in Leipzig. 
 At one of the first parties given in his new house, the new 
 Trio was played, with Lindley and Cramer, before many 
 enthusiastic friends, and Moscheles' home henceforth 
 became a place where artists were always welcome. With 
 so kind a host — himself free from envy and jealousy — they 
 could forget all rivalry and meet on neutral ground. In 
 January of 1831, Moscheles made a short professional tour 
 to the provinces (York, Leeds, Derby), where he labored 
 to improve much that was defective in the condition of 
 music. 
 
 We have seen how Moscheles, starting as a bravura 
 player, gradually took broader views of his art both as a 
 composer and player. His powers steadily matured, and 
 this year we find in his compositions and execution a depth 
 of feeling and expression in advance of former years ; 
 witness the adagio of his Concerto in C major, written 
 about this time, and the new Trio, upon hearing which 
 Hummel said that no modern pianoforte player but Mos- 
 cheles could write such an adagio. It should, however, be 
 stated here that this progress, although mainly originating 
 with Moscheles himself, was greatly favored by the improve- 
 ments made in Erard's pianos ; their organ-like tone and 
 full resonant sounds gave Moscheles such pleasure that no 
 doubt he had every incentive to bring into relief these great 
 excellences, and display them in his adagios. "A very 
 
HENR Y LITOLFF.—NE UKOMM. 165 
 
 violoncello," he used to say, praising the tone, which he 
 could prolong without using the pedals ; to the eixcessive 
 use of these he had a rooted aversion. " A good player," 
 he used to say, " must only rarely use the assistance of 
 either pedal, otherwise he misuses it." Frequently he 
 would listen to an excellent pianoforte player, praise him in 
 many respects, adding, " I wish he had not his feet so per- 
 petually upon the pedals. All effects now it seems must be 
 produced by the feet— what is the good of people having 
 hands ? it is just as if a good rider wanted forever to use 
 spurs." 
 
 Among his pupils of those days was Henry Litolff, then 
 a boy of ten years of age, who was introduced to him by 
 his friend Collard, as a poor, clever, but rather neglected 
 child. Moscheles immediately recognized his talent. His 
 father — an Alsatian, who with difficulty supported his large 
 family by playing dance-music — was too poor to have a 
 piano for his son Henry, who practiced in Collard's ware- 
 house, and was so well prepared at every lesson that he 
 delighted and surprised Moscheles with the playing of his 
 Studies and Concertos. 
 
 The leading musical star on the dreary horizon of this 
 winter's season in London was Neukomm. He had written 
 for the impending Philharmonic Concerts a new Symphony 
 in E flat major, which, according to Moscheles, was "lack- 
 ing in Attic salt," and yet in the course of this year he was 
 destined to achieve great popularity, which he owed to some 
 extent to some spirited verses by Barry Cornwall. " David's 
 Lament for Absalom," declaimed in deep tragic tones by 
 Braham, and " The Sea," by Phillips, given with all the 
 spirit due to a national song, were frequently items in the 
 programme, but so powerful an impression was made by 
 the " Midnight Review," that Moscheles was obliged to 
 write a Fantasia upon it. This production, regarded by its 
 author as a step-child, was called by his pupils "charming" 
 and " delightful," and was played by many a fair lady. 
 About this time Neukomm's more serious works were given, 
 and his oratorio the "Ten Commandments" put into 
 rehearsal for the musical festival at Derby in September, 
 after having been given with the greatest applause by the 
 Classical Harmonic Society in London. A performance 
 
1 66 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 of the work on a small scale was arranged at Moscheles' 
 house, with Madame Stockhausen and Clara Novello for 
 the solo singers. Moscheles, who appreciated the high mu- 
 sical cultivation and artistic aims of his friend, says of him : 
 " I am sorry he writes such an inordinate quantity of music, 
 and carries out the principle which he advocates : that one 
 must be writing daily. What becomes then of inspiration, 
 which alone shields one from vulgarity?" Neukoram's 
 society was highly prized in Moscheles' household, where 
 he went by the name of the " Encyclopsedia ;" for whoever 
 wanted information on any subject was sure to get it from 
 him. 
 
 In criticising the Philharmonic Concerts of this year 
 Moscheles finds fault with the "conductor still sitting at 
 the piano, and turning over the leaves of his score ; without 
 a baton of course he has no influence over the band, which 
 is under the sole command of the first violin — a process 
 leading to constant unsteadiness in the performance of large 
 orchestral works. In the programmes the most hetero- 
 geneous things are often huddled together, orchestral works 
 alternating with chamber music; then again, we have the 
 first part of Spohr's ' Last Judgment ' and a miscellaneous 
 second part by other composers. That doesn't suit a Ger- 
 man ear ; what would Spohr say to it? " 
 
 In February Moscheles, on a professional tour in the 
 north of England, speaks of his first railway journey. " On 
 the i8th I went by rail from Manchester to Liverpool ; the 
 fare was five shillings. At 1.30 I mounted one of the om- 
 nibuses, which carried all passengers gratis to the great 
 building called the ' station.' Eight to ten carriages, each 
 about as long as an omnibus, are joined closely to one 
 another ; each carriage contains twelve places with seats 
 like comfortable arm-chairs ; at a given signal every travel- 
 ler takes his place, which is marked with the number of his 
 ticket, and the railway guards lock the carriages. Then, 
 and not before, the engine is attached to the foremost car- 
 riage ; the mjtion, although one seems to fly, is hardly per- 
 ceptible, and the traveller is amazed when he looks out of 
 the window and observes at what incredible speed the 
 train approaches the distant object and suddenly whirls by 
 it. Words cannot describe the impression made on me by 
 
TA GLIONI.— FIELD. 
 
 167 
 
 this steam excursion on the first railway made in England, 
 and the transports I felt with an invention that seemed to 
 me little short of magic. The famous engineer, Sir John 
 Stephenson, has realized his project amid untold struggles 
 and difficulties." 
 
 Coming back to London, he reports of his visit to the 
 theatre. " A new opera by Pacini — ' Pompeii ; ' the beau- 
 tiful scenery is the only part I cared for, the horrors of the 
 night of the city's destruction being represented in a mas- 
 terly way." 
 
 Then again : " Saw Kean as Richard the Third ; he 
 makes one shiver in one's shoes, but rants too much — per- 
 haps because he is too old, and yet determined to make his 
 points." 
 
 He is enthusiastic on the subject of Pasta and her mag- 
 nificent acting. " The voice, at first veiled, comes out 
 triumphantly at a later stage, like the sun breaking through 
 the mist. 
 
 " Lablache, with the grandest of all voices — the ' voce 
 sul labbro' — his drollery, especially in the ' Barbiere,' and 
 his deaf old man in the Matrimonio Segreto, can never be 
 surpassed. Rubini, too, is exquisite ; the ballet of ' Kenil- 
 worth,' representing the whole of Scott's romance, is beau- 
 tifully put upon the stage. Taglioni, in every ballet in 
 which she appears, is as ladylike as she is graceful, a dan- 
 seuse quite unique and enslaving every one." 
 
 Moscheles says of Field, who after a twenty-five years' 
 absence appeared once more in London : " His legato play- 
 ing delights me, but his compositions are not at all to my 
 taste ; nothing can afford a more glaring contrast than a 
 Field's ' Nocturne ' and a Field's manners, which are often 
 of the cynical order. There was such a commotion yester- 
 day among the ladies, when at a party he drew from his 
 pocket a miniature portrait of his wife, and loudly proclaim- 
 ed the fact that she had been his pupil, and that he had 
 only married her because she never paid for her lessons, 
 and he knew she never would. He also bragged of going 
 to sleep while giving lessons to the ladies of St. Petersburg, 
 adding that they would often rouse him with the question, 
 ' What does one pay twenty roubles an hour for, if j'ou go 
 to sleep 1 ' He played to us a good deal in the evening ; 
 
1 68 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICI-ANS. 
 
 the delicacy and elegance, as well as the beauty of his touch, 
 are admirable, but he lacks spirit and accent, as well as 
 light and shade, and has no depth of feeling." 
 
 At evening parties Moscheles had to endure a great 
 deal of amateur music, and often played as a matter of 
 self-protection, where otherwise he would have declined. 
 On the other hand he never wearied of making music with 
 his brother artists. At his annual concert, which was dense- 
 ly crowded, he introduced the "Recollections of Den- 
 mark," with their original northern melodies, and, for the 
 first time on such an occasion, used an Erard in preference 
 to a Clementi piano. 
 
 Paganini made his appearance in London, and public 
 attention was concentrated on him. All sorts of scandalous 
 stories about him had already circulated in England, as well 
 as upon the Continent. He was supposed to have murder- 
 ed his own wife, and during the years of his imprisonment 
 to have taught himself upon the single G string which re- 
 mained to his violin those "tours de force " with which he 
 astonished foreigners first, and the English afterwards. 
 Then his avarice was supposed to border on the fabulous, 
 and his appearance reminded one of an apparition from the 
 realm of ghosts. 
 
 Mr. Embden (Mrs. Moscheles' father), a great lover of 
 music, had, previous to Paganini's visit to England,_ render- 
 ed him substantial service by securing him an engagement 
 of a most lucrative kind, which but for such timely aid, he 
 would never have succeeded in obtaining. "On his first 
 visit to us, his gratitude found vent in such exaggerated 
 expressions as are known only to an Italian vocabulary ; 
 we were the children of his ' onoratissimo, etc.,' and be took 
 down from the mantelpiece a miniature portrait of his bene- 
 facto'r, covered it with kisses, and addressed it with the 
 most high-flown epithets. Meantime, we had leisure to 
 study those olive-tinted, sharply-defined features, the glow- 
 ing eyes, the scanty but long black hair, and the thin, gaunt 
 figure, upon which the clothes hung loosely, the deep sunk- 
 en cheeks, and those long bony fingers. Our study and his 
 deluge of compliments both well over, we began to discuss 
 Paganini's plans, the first of which, that of playing at double 
 prices in the Italian Opera House, had come to nothing, 
 
PAGANINTS FTRST VISIT TO ENGLAND. 169 
 
 owing, it is said, to the opposition of the Duke of Devon- 
 shire. Suffice it to say that only two boxes were sold, and 
 the concert had to be given up. This induced him to play 
 in the Opera House at the usual prices." We read later 
 on : " My assistance is of use to him here, and 1 am paid 
 with quite as many honeyed epithets as my father-in-law 
 received. This face of mine is as much kissed as my father- 
 in-law's painted one. Paganini often comes to us. We 
 receive him well, although I suspect he is rather loo sweet 
 to be genuine." 
 
 The impression made by Paganini at his first concert 
 was overwhelming. " The crowd in the Opera House was 
 wild with excitement. He had to play nearly everything 
 twice over, and was not only greeted with vehement clap- 
 ping of hands, but every lady leaned forward out of her box 
 to wave her handkerchief at him ; people in the pit stood 
 up on the benches, shouting ' Hurrah ! Bravo ! ' Neither 
 Sontag nor Pasta made such an impression here, much less 
 any other artist." 
 
 Moscheles complains in his diary of his utter inability 
 to find language capable of conveying a description of 
 Paganini's wonderful performance. " Had that long-drawn, 
 soul-searching tone lost for a single second its balance, it 
 would have lapsed into a discordant cat's-raew ; but it never 
 did so, and Paganini's tone was always his own, and unique 
 of its kind. The thin strings of his instrument, on which 
 alone it was possible to conjure forth those myriads of notes 
 and trills and cadenzas, would have been fatal in- the hands 
 of any other violin player, but with him they were indispens- 
 able adjuncts, and lastly, his compositions were so ultra origi- 
 nal, so completely in harmony with the weird and strange 
 figure of the man, that, if wanting in depth and earnestness, 
 the deficiency never betrayed itself during the author's daz- 
 zling display of power." 
 
 The fever of enthusiasm continued, and to enable Paga- 
 nini to understand the rapturous phrases in the newspapers, 
 Mrs. Moscheles translated them into Italian for him ; these 
 encomiums, high-flown as they were, were outdone by Paga- 
 nini's own letters of gratitude. Paganini is frequently at 
 friends' houses, where he plays both violin and tenor alter- 
 nately in his own quartets. Mori commissions Moscheles 
 8 
 
170 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 to write for him a piece, " Gems k la Paganini," but takes 
 the precaution of first securing Paganini's consent. A day 
 and a half suffice to complete this composition, and then 
 Mori and Moscheles go together to the wily Italian. Mos- 
 cheles plays to him his " Musical Portrait," a piece written 
 in close imitation of Paganini's roulades and ^cadenzas. 
 Paganini falls on his neck and smothers him with compli- 
 ments. " This wonderful imitation, this manner, this accu- 
 rate rendering of his cadenzas, he found ' stupendous.' " 
 At that moment of course there was but one Moscheles. 
 What was Hummel in comparison ? Hummel and others 
 had also written P'antasias " a la Paganini," but they had 
 displeased him ; he had protested against them. This ar- 
 rangement was the only right one, a real honor to him, etc. 
 etc. He went on in this strain : but we shall see further 
 on what amount of sincerity and truth lay beneath it. 
 
 Of course Moscheles heard him frequently, in order to 
 study his manner and style more accuratel}'. After the 
 sixth concert he makes the following admission : "My mind 
 is peculiarly vacillating about this artist. First of all, 
 nothing could exceed my surprise and admiration ; his con- 
 stant and venturesome flights, his newly discovered source 
 of flageolet tones, his gift of fusing and beautifying. subjects 
 of the most heterogeneous kind ; all these phases of genius 
 so completely bewildered my musical perceptions, that for 
 several days afterwards my head seemed on fire and my 
 brain reeled. I never wearied of the intense expression, soft 
 and melting like that of an Italian singer, which he could 
 draw from his violin, and dazzled as I was, I could not 
 quarrel with him for adopting the ' maniera del gatto,' a 
 term of opprobrium, showing how averse the Italians are 
 to this style, which I dislike so intensely that I should only 
 like to hear it once in every leap year. Suffice it to say, my 
 admiration of this phenomenon, equally endowed by nature 
 and art, was boundless. Now, however, after hearing him 
 frequently, all this is changed ; in every one of his composi- 
 tions I discover the same effects, which betrays a poverty of 
 invention ; I also find both his style and manner of playing 
 monotonous. His concertos are beautiful, and have even 
 their grand moments ; but they remind me of a brilliant fire- 
 work on a summer's eve, one flash succeeding the other — 
 
PAGAN INI THREATENS A LAWSUIT. 
 
 171 
 
 effective, admirable — ^but always the same. His ' Sonate 
 Militaire,' and other pieces have a southern glow about them, 
 but this hero of the violin cannot dispense with the roll of 
 the drum ; and completely as he may annihilate his less 
 showy colleagues, I long for a little of Spohr's earnestness, 
 Baillot's power, and even Mayseder's piquancy. It may 
 possibly be that the man, who grows more and more 
 'antipatico' to me every day, prejudices my judgment of the 
 artist. He is so disgracefully mean. I can't vouch for the 
 truth of the story, that he gave his servant a gallery ticket 
 on the condition of his serving him gratuitously for one day, 
 but this at all events is certain, that Lablache offered him 
 100/. to play at his benefit, but Paganini refused, and the 
 great singer had to allow him one-third of the receipts of 
 his concert. When the Opera concerts, thirteen in number, 
 ceased to command full attendances, he began a series 
 in the London Tavern, in the City. This was thought un- 
 worthy of a great artist ; but it was all one to him, for he 
 makes money there." 
 
 The letter which supplies these extracts was written in 
 July. A few weeks later, immediately after the publication 
 of the second and the third book of the " Gems," Paganini 
 made a legal protest, declaring the work a musical piracy. 
 Of course this was a question concerning the publisher. 
 Moscheles however went to Paganini and asked him : 
 "Why, didn't you give me your permission?" Answer: 
 " Yes, for the first book, but not for the second and the 
 third." The conversation led to nothing ; Paganini went 
 to Scotland, and the lawsuit continued. On his return Paga- 
 nini visited Moscheles, and, after a great deal of circumlocu- 
 tion, offered him the free sale of the three books of " Gems," 
 if he would consent to make a pianoforte accompaniment 
 for twelve small violin pieces of his own. Moscheles gave 
 a rather unwilling consent ; refusing, however, Paganini's 
 further demand that he should put his name to the title- 
 page. This point Paganini gave up, and then a discussion 
 ensued about the law costs. At last Mori was glad to be 
 moderately victimized, Paganini having at first talked about 
 no less than 500/. damages, and Moscheles rejoiced " at 
 being quit of an episode so little worthy of an artist, and 
 having done with those dreadful lawyers." 
 
1/2 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 This business over, Moscheles applied with fresh zest 
 to his peaceful studies, but the following note proves how 
 often they were interrupted. " All the would-be prodigies 
 from the Continent visit me, and I have had such heaps of 
 them lately, that I could almost fill an orchestra with the 
 new arrivals." 
 
 On the other hand, he had the pleasure this year of see- , 
 ing many intimate friends ; Paul Mendelssohn (Felix's 
 brother). Professor Fritz Rosen, and Klingemann. To 
 these must be added the names of Professor Grahl, a por- 
 trait-painter, and a young phrenologist of the name of Holm, 
 who was indebted to Neukomm for an introduction to Mos- 
 cheles. 
 
 That fearful scourge, the Asiatic cholera, made Mos- 
 cheles deeply anxious about his friends and relatives abroad, 
 and we find him writing to them : " True, when thinking 
 of you we have many an anxious hour, but my art, as well 
 as my trust in God's mercy, must help us to tide over our 
 anxiety." Fortunately none of his friends at Hamburg or 
 Vienna were attacked. 
 
 The great political reform at that time agitating Eng- 
 land is frequently alluded to in Moscheles's letters. It was 
 after the rejection of the Reform Bill and the dissolution of 
 Parliament that he happened to go to a ball in Camberwell. 
 "The most interesting part of it was the driving there and 
 back. You know, from the newspapers, that many people 
 illuminated in honor of the dissolution. Many, however, 
 refused to do so, and fared badly, for the mob smashed 
 their windows. The whole way to Camberwell, seven Eng- 
 lish miles in length, nearly every house was illuminated, and 
 many transparencies bore the most ludicrous inscriptions. 
 ' The Bill ! the whole Bill ! and nothing but the Bill ! ' A 
 patriotic butcher flaunted the following sentiment: 'The 
 enemies of Reform, to be sent to the dominions of Don Mi- 
 guel.' ' William the Restorer ! ' and ' William the Patriot 
 King ! ' were to be read a hundred times over, but the own- 
 ers of some houses obstinately refused to illuminate. The 
 principal streets were besieged by an enormous crowd 
 which stopped all traffic in the thoroughfares." At this 
 period Moscheles seems to have been ubiquitous. He was 
 present at the opening of the new London Bridge, and saw 
 
MUSICAL FESTIVAL AT DERBY. 173 
 
 a splendid pageant upon the Thames. King and Queen, 
 with Lord Mayor and, Aldermen in their mediaeval dresses, 
 servants and retinue, made up a picture of costume that 
 took the spectator back to the days of the Tudors. 
 
 After a few quiet days at Richmond, Moscheles went to 
 Derby, to attend a musical festival, where Neukomm's ora- 
 torio, " The Prophecy of Babylon," and his most popular 
 songs were performed. " The mixture of sacred and secu- 
 lar music was rather too much for me, but I was compensa- 
 ted by hearing Handel's ' Messiah.' Among the singers 
 were Madame Stockhausen, Miss Masson, and Phillips — 
 always first-rate." 
 
 " Derby. — The Committee is hardly satisfied with the 
 pecuniary results of the Festival, two hundred tickets at a 
 guinea each, two hundred at twelve shillings, and two hun- 
 dred at seven shillings, being all that were sold." 
 
 On Christmas Eve the Moscheles, after the good old 
 German fashion, have their gorgeous Christmas tree, and 
 Barry Cornwall and Neukomm add to the children's merri- 
 ment — the former writing a poem, the latter setting it to 
 music, with an obligato accompaniment of " Mirlitons." 
 Judging by the encores, which were no less than five, the 
 piece, with its chorus of sighs and the children's laughter, 
 must have been a grand success. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 1832. 
 
 Moscheles as an Orchestral Writer — Death of Clementi — German 
 Opera in London — The Italian Opera — " Robert Le Diable" — 
 Centenary of Haydn's Birth — Tlie Elder Mathews — Pianists and 
 Prime Donne — Literary and Artistic Friends — Mendelssohn's 
 " Lieder Olme Worte" — Art Congress — Anecdote of Schroder — 
 Moscheles' Birthday — Paganini — Visit to Berlin — Intercourse 
 with the Mendelssohns — Leipizg and Weimar — Souvenir of 
 Goethe — At the Pavilion, Brighton — Beethoven's " Messe Solen- 
 nelle." 
 
 WRITING about the Philharmonic Society, Moscheles 
 says : " I had the honor of being made a Director, 
 and I was elected, they tell me, without a single black ball ; 
 there are seven of us, however, six of whom agree in their 
 views ; they are the conservatives, while I alone advocate 
 musical reform. Several matters are uncongenial to me — ■ 
 but I ara out-voted. Grand orchestral works and quartet 
 music are played at one and the same concert, third-rate 
 singers are engaged ; the antiquated Trio by Corelli is to 
 be heard year after year, played by those old campaigners 
 ■ — F. Cramer, Lindley, and Dragonetti, radiant with com- 
 placent smiles and triumphant airs. Lindley, with his 
 inevitable Cadenza, seems to lead up to a happy close, but 
 it is only to return to his everlasting arpeggios and flageolet 
 tones. It reminds me of the fly which will come back to 
 the sugar on the plate. And yet this has its charms for a 
 certain class of subscribers. No wonder they don't venture 
 on Beethoven's last quartets. 
 
 Moscheles gave his new Symphony, and played his new 
 C major Concerto. "I don't set much store," he says, 
 "upon the praise bestowed on my new things, for this 
 audience applauds even common-place music." The Sym- 
 phony was repeated several times, but Moscheles (who was 
 always a severe critic of his own playing and compositions) 
 
DEA TH OF CLEMENT!.— SCHRODER. 
 
 175 
 
 soon discovered his inferiority as an orchestral writer to 
 many of his contemporaries, and acknowledged that his 
 beloved Mendelssohn had already far outstripped him. 
 The instrumentation of Moscheles' G minor Concerto, 
 which to this very day is so effective, warranted people in 
 expecting that the composer, who was very young at the 
 time, would further distinguish himself as an orchestral 
 writer, and the ballet " Les Deux Portraits," composed in 
 his earliest days at Vienna, had won for him the favorable 
 suffrage of competent art judges ; but Moscheles, although 
 he made some attempts later on in life, saw clearly that 
 the piano was always his peculiar and legitimate field — that 
 in composing for that instrument he could benefit and 
 delight others. He therefore confined himself chiefly to 
 pianoforte compositions, and not unfrequently introduced 
 into these great orchestral effects. In the early part of this 
 year Clemen ti died, at the age of eighty-four years, and was 
 followed to his grave in Westminster Abbey by many of 
 his brother-artists. The Philharmonic Society, wishing to 
 honor his memory, gave a performance of Mozart's " Re- 
 quiem," but that noble work was utterly out of place in the 
 midst of all sorts of secular music. Cinti on the same 
 evening created a "furore" with the cavatina from the 
 " Barbiere," while no one seemed to understand Men- 
 delssohn's "Hebrides Overture," which was coldly received. 
 Here was a commemorative festival, which did no honor to 
 Clementi nor to those who survived him ! 
 
 The melodrama " Rob Roy" — founded on Walter Scott's 
 romance — was successful, and at a time when the poet, 
 alas ! lay dangerously ill in a London hotel. Braham, in 
 spite of his advanced years, was still admirable in " Fra 
 Diavolo ; " and the ininaitable Mars as great as ever in the 
 part of Valerie. 
 
 The German opera, with SchrOder-Devrient, Haizinger, 
 Hauser, etc., had a long run of unbroken successes. Schro- 
 der's Fidelio, always grand, need only be alluded to in 
 these pages, which frequently record her triumphs. The 
 charming artiste used to sing in Moscheles' house, to the 
 delight of her host and hostess, and when they thanked her 
 she would reply, " It's a pleasure, children, to sing to you ; 
 here I can do as I like, but oh ! the horror of a stiff Eng- 
 
176 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 lish soiree, where the ladies stare at me, and quiz my be- 
 havior." 
 
 The new director of the Italian Opera was Monk Mason. 
 He had bought the score of "Robert le Diable" for Eng- 
 land, but the pianoforte edition had only just been published 
 when the English theatrical managers laid violent hands 
 upon it, having it scored by English composers and sung 
 by English singers. "I attended," says Moscheles, "one 
 such mongrel representation, and found in that piece of 
 patchwork, ' The Demon,' Meyerbeer's best intentions 
 utterly destroyed ; fine scenery and ignorant listeners could 
 alone save this performance from complete failure. Drury 
 Lane, in rivalry with Covent Garden, wanted to produce 
 another version, and having better singers, partially suc- 
 ceeded ; still there was no Meyerbeer in it." 
 
 On the 31SI of March, the centenary of Haydn's birth 
 was celebrated by a banquet, which is alluded to in the 
 diary. " Ninety-two of us musical men attended the din- 
 ner ; the ladies occupied the gallery. Barry Cornwall wrote 
 a song in praise of the great musician, and Neukomra 
 introduced into his commemorative ode a number of his 
 old master's most beautiful airs. Field, Bohrer, and I 
 played ; we had choruses out of the ' Creation,' and the 
 music was worthy of the occasion, but the endless toasts 
 spoilt everything. Not only did we drink to the memory 
 of the ' immortal Haydn,' but all musical celebrities, living 
 and dead, absent and present, were toasted ; the conse- 
 quence was that some of the executants' fingers were rather 
 heavy when it came to the second part of the music. We 
 Germans on this occasion had clearly the best of it." 
 
 We again find allusions to formal and distasteful 
 musical soirees ; but on the other hand Moscheles speaks 
 with delight of Mathews, the famous comedian, who at a 
 private party improvised scenes illustrating the recent 
 opening of the new London Bridge. " His changes of 
 voice and exquisite drollery belonged to a high order of 
 wit." 
 
 On the 14th of April we read : " Yesterday, the Reform 
 Bill was passed, and to-day, at a dinner party, we heard 
 interesting discussions on this subject ; but, alas ! a great 
 musical soiree followed, attended by the whole Tory party, 
 
LITERARY AND ARTISTIC FRIENDS. 
 
 177 
 
 the Duke of Wellington at the head. One cannot play one's 
 best in the presence of these great men, who concentrate 
 all their attention upon an Italian prima donna ; it doesn't 
 matter whether I or any other artist plays the piano, they 
 don't care about it ; their applause on these occasions, I 
 regard as an expression of delight that they have got rid of 
 me. My wife and I sacrifice as short a time as possible to 
 such soirees, and hurry home again, as soon as good man- 
 ners will allow us." 
 
 In the quiet of his own home, Moscheles found his real 
 element of happiness, brightened as it was by the faces of 
 many dear and distinguished friends. More than one is 
 still among us to remember that home where social inter- 
 course and the cultivation of art for its own sake were so 
 happily blended, and will recall to mind the image of Mos- 
 cheles as he would alternately play, listen, or converse, or 
 as he would sit correcting proof sheets, not only of his own 
 works, but of those of friends who frequently delegated 
 such duties to him. 
 
 Chorley, the well-known art-critic of the Athenaum who 
 now settled in London, soon became intimate with the 
 Moscheles' and was for many years their highly-esteemed, 
 generous, and often indispensable friend. The respected 
 authoress, Mrs. Bowdich Lee, whom Cuvier complimented 
 as a first-rate naturalist, was not only a constant visitor at 
 Chester Place, and a keen enthusiast for good music, but 
 she took pleasure in instructing and amusing the children. 
 We read in the diary of Meyerbeer's arrival, and of many 
 interesting meetings with that amiable and gifted artist, 
 who, as an old friend, soon felt himself at home under Mos- 
 cheles' roof, but the crowning joy of all was the arrival of 
 Mendelssohn, who, to the delight of Moscheles, appeared 
 in London on the 23d of April. "We had been long 
 expecting him, but a slight attack of cholera detained him 
 in Paris. He now swam back to us islanders laden with 
 his precious cargo of new compositions ; now the glorious 
 days return again." 
 
 To illustrate the great intimacy existing between Men- 
 delssohn and Moscheles, we need only let the diary, the 
 record, as it is, of an almost daily meeting of the two 
 friends, speak for itself: — 
 
178 RECENT MUSrC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 On the 24th of April, the day after tus arrival, Men- 
 delssohn, after dinner, played to Moscheles for the first 
 time his so-called " Instrumental Lieder ftlr Clavier," now 
 the famous " Lieder ohne Worte,"* and his " Capnccio in 
 B minor ; " " all his music breathes spirit and life ; the 
 Lieder are full of deep feeling and tenderness, and his 
 ' Capriccio' is suited to the concert room. He was par- 
 ticularly pleased with the Adagio in my new C major Con- 
 certo." 
 
 "April 25th.— Mendelssohn, Klingemann, Meyerbeer, 
 and Madame Schroder-Devrient dined with us. Fehx and 
 I played his Symphony; he made me repeat my Concerto, 
 and Schroder delighted us with her singing." 
 
 " April 28th. — Rehearsal of the Philharmonic Concert, 
 where a regular Art Congress assembled, including Men- 
 delssohn, Lablache, Field, and J. B. Cramer ; in the evening 
 we joined Meyerbeer in his box at the Opera, and saw 'II 
 Barbiere' with Cinti and Lablache ; it was a first-rate per- 
 formance." 
 
 " April 30th. — To-day Mendelssohn played us his 
 Cantata ' Die Erste Walpurgisnacht,' which 1 had heard 
 and adniired in former days in Berlin. Now that he has 
 completely re-written it, I admire it still more. He also 
 played me that charming Liederspiel, ' The Son and 
 Stranger,' written for the silver wedding of his parents, and 
 lastly his overture to the ' Hebrides.' My wife's invitation 
 for this evening he answered in the following way, ' I thank 
 Mr. Moscheles exceedingly for wishing to see something of 
 my new compositions, and if he promises to tell me when 
 he has had too much of me, I will bring a whole cab-load 
 of manuscripts to your house, and play every one of you to 
 sleep.' " 
 
 " May ist (Sunday). — Mendelssohn and Klingemann 
 came to the children's one o'clock dinner. The former 
 gave me the score of his overture to the ' Hebrides,' which 
 
 * In the original MS. in my possession, the title-page, in Men- 
 delssohn's handwriting shows that he first named these " Six Songs for 
 the Pianoforte alone," which he corrected to " Melodies for the Piano- 
 forte," composed by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. London : pub- 
 lished (for the author) by Novello, 67, Frith Street, Soho. Bonn, by 
 N. Simrock. Paris, by Maurice Schlesinger. — F. Moscheles. 
 
PERFORMANCE OF " FIDELIO." 
 
 179 
 
 he had finished in Rome on the i6th of December, 1830, 
 but afterwards altered for publication. I often thought the 
 first sketch of his compositions so beautiful and complete 
 in form that I could not think any alteration advisable, and 
 during our stroll in the Park we discussed this point again 
 to-day. Mendelssohn, however, firmly adhered to his 
 principle of revision." 
 
 Madame Moscheles writes : — " Our interesting guests 
 at dinner were the Haizingers ; he the admirable tenor 
 singer of whom the German opera company here may well 
 be proud, she pretty and agreeable as ever ; we had too our 
 great Schn'Jder, and our still greater Mendelssohn. The 
 conversation of course was animated, and the two ladies 
 were in such spirits that they not only told anecdotes, but 
 accompanied them with dramatic gestures. Schroder, when 
 telling us 'how he drew his sword,' flourished her knife in a 
 threatening manner towards Haizinger, and Mendelssohn 
 whispered to me, ' I wonder what John (the footman) thinks 
 of such un-English vivacity ? To see the brandishing of 
 knives, and not to know what it is all about ! Only think ! ' 
 
 We had the most beautiful music in the evening, 
 
 one artist surpassing the other." 
 
 "May 7th. — To-day with Mendelssohn at a dinner 
 party, where he would not play, and Field was a poor sub- 
 stitute." 
 
 " May 8th. — A charming, homely evening with Mendels- 
 sohn and Klingemann ; we cut a thousand jokes, while 
 planning our programme for our evening party on the loth 
 of May." 
 
 " May 9th. — In Meyerbeer's box to see the first German 
 representation in the Italian Opera-house. ' Der Freischtitz,' 
 was given, with Madame Meric, Maschinka, Schneider, 
 Haizinger, and Hauser the chief singers, Chelard conductor, 
 Everything went well ; the public called for the singers re- 
 peatedly, and cheered them enthusiastically." 
 
 " May loth. — Our grand soiree ; we had a happy union 
 of German and English music." 
 
 Between the nth and i6th of May, the friends met 
 every evening. 
 
 " May i8th. — First representation of ' Fidelio' for the 
 dubut of Schroder-Devrient : she and Haizinger inimitable. 
 
I So RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS, 
 
 and the public-so enthusiastic during the whole evening that 
 the ' Overture,' the ' Canon,' the ' Prisoners' Chorus,' and 
 the whole ' Finale' were encored." 
 
 The following comic episode will perhaps be new to 
 some of our readers : — ''•In that deeply tragic scene where 
 Madame Schroder (Fidelio) has to give Haizinger (Flores- 
 tan) a piece of bread which she has kept hidden for three 
 days for him in the folds of her dress, he does not respond 
 to the oifer ; she in rather strong language whispers to him, 
 with a coarse epithet : ' Why don't you take it ? Do you 
 want it buttered ? ' All this time, the audience, ignorant 
 of the by-play, was intent solely on the pathetic situation." 
 
 " May 2oth. — Mendelssohn breakfasted with me, and 
 we began the day with music, and afterwards strolled into 
 the Park. In the evening Haizinger came, and I tried with 
 him a new variation which he is to sing at rny concert, in 
 the ' Abschied des Troubadours.' " 
 
 '' May 2ist. — With Mendelssohn, at John Cramer's con- 
 cert." 
 
 " May 24th. — Second representation of ' Fidelio,' if pos- 
 sible, finer than the first. But is it credible that the Direct- 
 ors made Lee, the able violoncello-player from Hamburg, 
 play some variations after the opera was finished, and had 
 an act of ' Otello ' to wind up with ? We could not stay out 
 such a tasteless exhibition." 
 
 "May 25th. — After giving my inevitable nine lessons 
 I was permitted to enjoy Mendelssohn's society at dinner. 
 In the evening he played his charming ' Capriccio in B 
 minor,' at Mori's concert." 
 
 "May 28th. — Rehearsed for my concert 'Mozart's Con- 
 certo for Two Pianos,' with Mendelssohn at Erard's. Felix 
 dined with us, and in the evening we went together to the 
 Philharmonic Concert : he won a genuine triumph by the 
 performance of his new ' G minor Concerto.' Invention, 
 form, instrumentation, and playing : everything gave me 
 perfect satisfaction. The piece sparkles with genius." 
 
 " May 29th. — My wife had prepared a pleasant surprise 
 for me. Mendelssohn and the German artists came to dine 
 with us on the eve of my birthday. Madame Haizinget re- 
 cited a Prologue by Klingemann, explaining that to-morrow 
 being a busy day, they had anticipated the celebration. A 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S G MINOS CONCERTO. igl 
 
 packet was then handed to me, containing a sheet of paper 
 on which Mendelssohn had transcribed a regular catalogue 
 of the themes of my works, illustrating them with humorous 
 drawings in the margin. I was, however, allowed no time 
 to study the interesting present, for a four-part song broke 
 in upon us ; then Schtodes, the Haizingers, and Hause,'sang 
 a Canon by Mendelssohn, upon four lines of a stanza writ- 
 ten for the occasion by Klingemann ; the music founded on 
 the motive of my ' C major Concerto.' It was a charming 
 fiite for me, as an artist and a man." 
 
 " May 30th. — Mendelssohn, Klingemann, and our mutual 
 friend, Dr. Fritz Rosen, Professor of Sanscrit in the Univer- 
 sity of London, at dinner." 
 
 In the month of June we find Mendelssohn playing with 
 Moscheles at his own concert, besides giving a masterly 
 performance of fugues in St. Paul's Cathedral, and playing 
 at the Philharmonic Concerts, where he is obliged- to repeat, 
 amid salvos of applause, the whole of his " G minor Con- 
 certo." " The quiet evenings," observes Moscheles, " when 
 we chat and make music together, are incomparably delight- 
 ful. To-day we went carefully through his pianoforte duet 
 arrangement of the ' Midsummer Night's Dream ;' this is 
 just about to appear in print. The dinner party to-day at 
 Sir George Smart's — the first since his marriage with the 
 charming Miss Hope — was very agreeable ; the music was 
 worthy of the occasion." 
 
 Further on Moscheles writes : " Mendelssohn and I ad- 
 mire Horsley's glee ' Cold is Cadwallo's Tongue.' The 
 death of the Celtic hero could not have been bewailed in 
 
 more tragic tones than in this glee Again we agree 
 
 about Paganini ; he has just returned to London and played 
 in public, but no longer exercised the old charm over us. 
 That eternal mawkishness becomes at last too much of a 
 good thing." 
 
 On the 22d of June Mendelssohn comes to take leave. 
 " We were in high spirits, talked in riddles ; but when the 
 parting moment came, it was a melancholy business." 
 
 As late as the 24th of June we still find Moscheles busy. 
 " I slept for once up to eight o'clock. This morning I 
 listened, as I was dressing, to little Litolff, who had come 
 for his promised lesson. Then a hasty breakfast, but while 
 
1 82 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 I was sipping my first cup of coffee, in came the Ladies B., 
 who staid so long that I had to make up my mind to 
 give Litolff his lesson in their presence. Next in turn was 
 a Viennese pianist, who brought a Rondo, the chief feature 
 of which was a ' Crescendo a la Rossini.' Close on his heels 
 came the two Eichhorn boys, who had to wait while I saw 
 the doctor. No sooner had he gone than I had the exquis- 
 ite treat of hearing the boys play, and as a finale : — enter a 
 musical friend, with an insatiable appetite for my perform- 
 ances." 
 
 The month of July, allowing for business " poco a poco 
 decrescendo," differs very slightly from its predecessor, but 
 the hour of release is at hand, and on the 14th of August 
 Moscheles gets away for his quiet holiday-time with his rel- 
 atives in Hamburg. His ideas of happiness consisted, as 
 we know, in composing and playing ; and this he did pri- 
 vately with the best artists of the town, publicly for chari- 
 table objects. 
 
 On the 4th of October the family went to Berlin to 
 meet Moscheles' mother, who for the first time enjoyed the 
 happiness of seeing her grandchildren. 
 
 Of course the great centre of attraction was Felix Men- 
 delssohn, and the house of his parents. The father was 
 Moscheles' confidential adviser in matters of business, and 
 as to music, Moscheles says : " I practice daily on Felix's 
 magnificent Erard, and he is going to lend it to me for the 
 concert ; we often extemporize together, each of us trying to 
 dart quick as lightning on the suggestions inplied by each 
 other's harmonies, and to construct others upon them. Then 
 Felix, whenever I introduce any motive out of his own works, 
 breaks in and cuts me short by playing a subject from one 
 of my compositions, on which I retort, and then he, and so 
 on ad infinitum. It's a sort of musical blindman's-buff, 
 where the blindfolded now and then run against each other's 
 heads." 
 
 On the nth of October Moscheles was present at a de- 
 lightful performance of the " Walpurgis Night," given at 
 the house of Felix's parents ; the solos were performed by 
 Mantius, the Devrients and Frau Thiirschmidt. Beethoven's 
 Polonaise and Moscheles' Sonata in E flat were played by 
 him and Felix, and Mantius and Devrient sang from the 
 
MOSCHELES CONCER T AT BERUN. 1 8 3 
 
 Liederspiel, " The Son and the Stranger." It was a charm- 
 ing evening. A similar party is alluded to on the 14th of 
 October. 
 
 "Neukomm's arrival in Berlin was generally welcome. 
 I^elix and I heard his oratorio, the ' Ten Commandments ' 
 in the Academy, as well as the ' Crociato,' given for the first 
 time on the birthday of the Crown Prince. Unfortunately 
 the Crociato himself was quite hoarse, but Frau Kraus Wran- 
 itzky was excellent as Palmyra — the men nothing to speak 
 of; choruses and scenery splendid." The Moscheles ad- 
 mired in the Exhibition just opened, ' Die Trauernden Juden,' 
 a picture by Edward Bendemann, a youth of twenty-one 
 years of age, whose great reputation, dated from the pro- 
 duction of this work. 
 
 Moscheles says again : " I enjoyed the privilege, but only 
 once during my short stay in Berlin, of hearing Schleier- 
 macher preach." 
 
 On the 17 th of this month Moscheles' crowded concert 
 was given at the Opera House. He says : "My third of 
 the receipts amounts to 301 thalers net. Graf $.edern, In- 
 tendant of the Royal Opera, met me in a very friendly man- 
 ner, and the public so heartily applauded my C major Con- 
 certo, the Danish Fantasia, and an iraprovisatipn upon ' Che 
 faro,' ' Voi che sapete,' and ' Namenlose Freude,' that I was 
 in great delight, especially as my mother and my wife were 
 both present at my triumph. Felix supped with us at 
 'Jagor's.' He was in high spirits." 
 
 On the following day, the last that Moscheles spent in 
 Berlin, there was a matinee at Mendelssohn's. Felix play- 
 ed, with the violinist Ries, Beethoven's C minor Sonata, and 
 Moscheles his Trio, the scherzo of which he was obliged to 
 repeat. At dinner the whole family begged him to play 
 once more at the Opera House, and Felix jumped up from 
 table to ask Redern if a concert could be arranged by Sun- 
 day. The answer was that it could not be done before 
 Wednesday, and this confirmed Moscheles in his resolve to 
 leave Berlin immediately, but not before he got from Felix 
 a promise, with reference to an expected event, that he 
 would come to London and be sponsor to a child, which, if 
 a boy, was to bear the name of Felix. 
 
 On' arriving at Leipzig, Moscheles found two hundred 
 
1 84 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 subscribers' names down for his concert ; the instrument to 
 be used was lent by Wieck, "whose dear little clever 
 daughter played to me." 
 
 The arrival at Weimar, and a visit to Hummel, are next 
 recorded, and Moscheles, speaking of a dejeuner at Frau von 
 Goethe's, says: "There was plenty of titled people who 
 made a great deal of me and my playing, but my wife and 
 I thought sorrowfully of Goethe, the great genius of the 
 place, who had died some months since. We were in his 
 house, but were not even allowed to see his own rooms, as 
 everything in them was still disarranged. Frau von Goethe 
 gave us, as souvenirs, a few fac-similes of the great man's 
 handwriting, the last medal that was struck of him, and a 
 lock of his hair. The ladies of the court were of opinion 
 that the Grand Duchess would keep Sunday disengaged for 
 my concert ; she was very gracious and well-disposed towards 
 me. There was an obstacle however, for the Grand Duke 
 had to receive two foreign ambassadors on that day ; I play- 
 ed once before the Court, was treated with marked kindness, 
 and presented with a diamond ring." 
 
 "October 26th. — Dined at Hummel's. We extempo 
 rized on the pianoforte, and delighted our audience. Hum- 
 mel, however, 1 felt, was no Felix. We were soon in our 
 travelling dress, and drove on to Erfurt." 
 
 On arriving at Frankfort, he writes : "Hofrath Andre, 
 in Offenbach, showed me an unfinished Opera, by Mozart, 
 ' Bettulia Liberata.' The printed Libretto shows that the 
 composer, Gassman, wrote the music to it in 1786. An- 
 dre undertook to complete Mozart's work, and showed me 
 the score of his overture. I played it, and think it has 
 merit." 
 
 On the 7th of November Moscheles gives a successful 
 concert at Frankfort, and after fulfilling an engagement at 
 Cologne, hurries back to London. Once at Chester Place, 
 he records in his diary his delight at finding himself home 
 again, and the success of this winter campaign, adding: 
 "To-day, the first after my return, I gave a lesson to a 
 pupil who had been waiting many anxious weeks." On the 
 30th : "True to my habit of composing something new on 
 my wife's birthday, I began, this year, not as hitherto, a 
 mere trifle, but a Septet, which I am commissioned to write 
 
THE RO YAL CONCERT A T BRIGHTON: 185 
 
 for the Philharmonic Society. It is to be their exclusive 
 property for two years, after which I may publish it." 
 
 As he worked at the Septet steadily every evening, a 
 royal command to play before the Court at Brighton was an 
 unwelcome interruption, but being assured by a friend that 
 he would play immediately after his arrival, he started on 
 the evening of the nth of December. 
 
 " All alone in the Brighton coach with Goethe's ' Gotz ' 
 as my companion. Arrived at two o'clock, gave my letter, 
 but didn't meet a soul. Great crowds in the street. on 
 account of the impending elections. The two candidates 
 paraded the streets with bands of music and the shouts of 
 their partisans. Theatre deserted, empty and cold, the 
 farce of ' Harvest Home ' was a dreary ballet, but Mr. and 
 Mrs.Keeley in 'Master's Rival' were excellent." 
 
 " December 12th. — Matters did not go as smoothly as 
 I had been led to anticipate, and from the difficulty I had 
 in procuring a personal interview with Sir Andrew Barnard, 
 for the purpose of talking over the necessary arrangements 
 for my appearance at the Pavilion this evening, I feared 
 that there was truth in the report that he was prejudiced 
 against German art, and reserved his courtesies for the 
 Italians. When at last he did condescend to admit me to 
 his presence, he apologized for having kept me waiting, and, 
 after a few polite phrases, asked me if I would try the Erard 
 in the Pavilion. I found the instrument stiff and unman- 
 ageable from having stood so long in a cold room, but I 
 was obliged to get my hand in somehow, and had not a 
 single moment to spare for rehearsal with the King's band. 
 We met in the evening in the fantastically decorated and 
 beautifully lighted music-room attached to the Pavilion. 
 The scene was a brilliant one. King William IV., Queen 
 Adelaide, and their suite, sat at the farthest corner of the 
 room. The guests were a long way from the piano, and I 
 was not presented. I played my new ' Fantasia upon Eng- 
 lish J^Tational Songs,' which was dedicated to the Queen. 
 During my performance the King alone approached me and 
 seemed to be listening ; he bowed condescendingly when I 
 rose, but did not say a syllable ; the company talked loudly. 
 Sir Andrew asked me to play on the organ, and later in the 
 evening had to accompany eight imperfectly trained per- 
 
1 86 JiECEiVT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 formers, in some selections from Haydn's 'Creation.' Only 
 the Princess Augusta and the Marchioness of Cornwallis 
 took any interest in my 'Alexander Variations ' and extem- 
 pore playing, and that in spite of the general buzz of con- 
 versation. Seme'numbers of ' Robert le Diable ' were given 
 by the band, and the performance finished with ■ God save 
 the King.' The Court withdrew after Sir Andrew had 
 handed to the Queen a copy of my ' English Fantasia,' an 
 honor I myself had solicited, but been refused. Sir Andrew 
 dismissed me as before with a few polite courtly phrases 
 about the satisfaction felt by their Majesties, but none of 
 the company exchanged a word with me." No wonder that 
 Moscheles left Brighton in a bad humor, and was only too 
 glad to get home again after this cold reception, if only to 
 forget the unpleasant impressions he brought away with 
 him. Mr. Grimal, a great musical enthusiast, brought him 
 Beethoven's Mass in D (op. 123), a work hitherto unknown 
 and unheard in London, requesting him to conduct it at the 
 house of Mr. Alsager, the contributor of the city article to 
 the Times, and a complete fanatic in his Beethoven worship. 
 In his large music-room Beethoven's works were given with 
 full orchestral accompaniments. On the 23d of December, 
 Moscheles first acted there as conductor of a most efficient 
 band, although consisting partly of amateurs, and subse- 
 quently his services as conductor were repeatedly called for. 
 " I had," writes Moscheles, " become by dint of study, com- 
 pletely absorbed in that colossal work (the Messe Solen- 
 nelle). Occasionally isolated phrases seemed unequal to 
 the elevation of church music, but these compared with the 
 work in its entirety, are as the details of a broadly conceiv- 
 ed picture. The enthusiasm of my English friends also fired 
 my zeal to give an interpretation worthy of the great work. 
 Miss Novello and Miss H. Cawse did their best. The 
 ' Benedictus,' with the heavenly violin solo (Mori), enchant- 
 ed us all." 
 
 After Christmas, Moscheles finished his sketch of the 
 Adagio of the Septet, devoted a few days to copying the 
 parts and arranging the music for the orchestra, and then 
 had the satisfaction of successfully rehearsing his music on 
 the 31st of December before some musical friends. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 1833- 
 
 Concerts in the North of England — Birth of a Son — Congratulatory 
 Letter from Felix Mendelssohn — John Parry — Herz — Handel's 
 Messiah — Pasta — Madame Malibran — Chopin's " Studies " — Men- 
 delssohn in London — Illness of Mendelssohn's Father — Cole- 
 ridge- — Moore — Lockhart— Seaside Music — Lessons given during 
 the year. 
 
 THE Septet, begun in the old year and finished in the 
 new, became a special favorite with Moscheles, and 
 with Mendelssohn too, who asked in his child-like modest 
 way, " Will you allow me to arrange it as a duet for the 
 piano ? " And later on, when engaged on the work, " Do 
 you like it ? — T am certain you would have done it better 
 yourself." We used to smile at such speeches as these, and 
 call them his " culpable modesty " (frevelhafte Bescheiden- 
 heit), but were for all that quite satisfied that the great 
 artist, underrating his own value, was thoroughly sincere in 
 what he said. 
 
 The following extracts from letters to his wife, refer to 
 concerts in the north of England : 
 
 "York, February 4th, 11.30 a. m. — The concert is over. 
 I may say, without self-assertion, that I was the only one 
 applauded at all this evening ; we had but one solo-singer, 
 a few glees, some miserable overtures, in which the flute 
 was the sole support of the harmonies. O, misery ! Any- 
 one less thick-skinned than I am, would have died straight 
 off, but I could listen without as much as a fainting fit. I 
 assure you I was obliged to nerve myself, as I should have 
 to do if I were attending an execution. I was not only 
 enthusiastically received, but forced to improvise twice. 
 The singer, Mr. W., wanted to have ' The Midnight Re- 
 view,' accompanied by the orchestra, and at the rehearsal I 
 took all possible pains to make the thing go, but there was 
 
1 88 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 no more life or spirit to be got out of the band than from 
 stones or pebbles. I advised him to give up the band, and 
 offered my services to save a catastrophe, by accompanying 
 the cantata myself. At six in the morning I start in the 
 mail-coach for Sheffield, and as I have to pack up, I must 
 finish," 
 
 "Sheffield, February 5th, 11 o'clock. — The concert is 
 over. To-day was a busy one, and while writing to you I 
 feel like a stage-coach horse just arrived, and steaming after 
 his work is over. I was up at 5, started at 6, here by 3.30. 
 Immediately went off to rehearsal ; then dinner and con- 
 cert. They wanted the ' Fall of Paris ' again, but I only 
 played the finale twice, and escaped a threatened en- 
 core of my extempore playing by bowing ray acknowledg- 
 ments." 
 
 On the very day of his return to London, his son was 
 born. Great was the joy in the house of Moscheles who 
 writes : " I sat up half the night writing the happy news to 
 relations, and the expectant- godfather, Felix Mendelssohn, 
 expressing to tlie latter a hope that he would come, and 
 hold the child in his own hands at the font." 
 
 The following letter, with the annexed pen and ink 
 sketch, came by return of post, in answer to Moscheles' let- 
 ter :— 
 
 " Dear Moscheles, — Here they are, wind instruments 
 and fiddles, for the son and heir must not be kept waiting till 
 I come ; he must have a cradle-song, with drums and trum- 
 pets and Janissary music ; the fiddles alone are not near joy- 
 ous enough. May every happiness and joy and blessing at- 
 tend the little stranger ; may he be prosperous ; may he do 
 well whatever he does ; and may it fare well with him in this 
 world ! So he is to be called Felix, is he ? How nice and 
 kind of you to let him become my grandchild in forma, and 
 the first present his godfather makes him is' the above entire 
 orchestra ; it is to accompany him all through life : the trum- 
 pets when he wants to become famous, the flutes when he 
 falls in love, the cymbals * when he gets a beard ; the pi- 
 
 * The German word " Becken" has the double meaning of cymbals 
 and basin. 
 
CONGRATULATORY LETTER. 
 
 189 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 r 
 
 s^ 
 
 an 
 
 •i 
 
 ■^ 
 ^ 
 
IQO RECEXT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 anoforte explains itself, and should people ever play him 
 false, as they will do to the best of us, there stand the kettle- 
 drums, and the big drums in the background. Dear me ! 
 forgive this rubbish, but I am ever so happy when I think 
 of your happiness, and of t-he time when I shall have my 
 tull share of it. By the end of April at the latest I intend 
 to be in London, and then we will give the boy a regular 
 name and introduction to the big world. It will be grand ! 
 '' To your Septet I look forward with no small pleasure. 
 Klingeraann has written out eleven notes of it for me, and 
 those I like ever so much ; I can quite imagine what a 
 
 bright lively Finale they would make. He has also de- 
 scribed and analyzed for me the Andante in B flat major, 
 but after all it will be better to hear it. Don't expect too 
 much from the compositions I shall bring with me. You 
 are sure to find frequent traces of a moodiness which I can 
 only shake off slowly and by dint of an effort. I often feel 
 as if I had never composed at all, and had to begin and 
 learn everything over again ; now, however, I have got into 
 better trim, and my last things will sound better. 
 
 " Nice it was too, that your letter really found me, as 
 you said it should, alone and in the quiet of my own room, 
 composing to my heart's content, and- now I only wish my 
 letter may find you some quiet evening at home, with your 
 dear ones well and happy around you. We will see whether 
 I am as lucky at wishing as you were. I am in a hurry, 
 and must end. I had but half an hour to write to you in, 
 and that beautiful bit of art has taken up all my time ; 
 besides, I have nothing further to say but this : I wish you 
 joy, now and hereafter, and may we soon meet again.. My 
 friends here send their kindest remembrances and congratu- 
 lations, and are well ; all but my father, who suffers con- 
 stantly from his eyes, and is in consequence much depressed. 
 This re-acts upon us, and we pray that there may soon be 
 a change for the better. My sister and I just now do a 
 
CONGRA TULA TOR Y LE TTER. 
 
 191 
 
 great deal of music ; every Sunday morning we have 
 stringed accompaniments, and I have just received from 
 the bookbinder a big gi-ass-green volume of ' Moscheles,' 
 lor next time we are going to play your Trio. Farewell, 
 farewell, and remain happy. 
 
 " Yours, 
 " Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
 " Berlin, 27th Feb. 1833. 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Moscheles, — To-day, although I can 
 write but a few lines, I must send you my best congratula- 
 tions, and tell you how I can enter heart and soul into 
 your happiness. How delightful it is, but I shall soon 
 make the personal acquaintance of the new arrival, and 
 how delightful that he is to be called after me ; mind you 
 wait, please, till I am there, so that I may really avail my- 
 self of the old invitation to the christening ; I will come 
 with all possible haste, and be in London as early as I can. 
 I'm glad it's a boy ; he must become a musician, and what 
 we all would fain do, and cannot, may it be his destiny to 
 achieve, or if not, it matters little, for a good man he will 
 become, and that's the great point. To be sure, I see it 
 plainly, that the two grown-up sisters. Misses Emily and 
 Serena, will tyrannize over him ; by the time he is four- 
 teen he will have to suffer from many a side-glance at his 
 too long arms, and his too short coat, and his bad voice ; 
 but by-and-by he will become a man, and protect them in 
 their turn, and do them all manner of services, and he will 
 have to go through the boredom of many a soiree as their 
 chaperon. I am sure you are a little, perhaps very, angry 
 with me as being so lazy a correspondent, but only pardon 
 me, and I promise to amend, more particularly so when I 
 am once in London, and can myself carry and improvise 
 my answers and questions ; but I will improve even before 
 that. 
 
 " My sisters send you heaps of good wishes and con- 
 gratulations ; so do my parents, and we all heartily rejoice 
 in the event of the first-born son. I must now begin the 
 last movement of my Symphony, which, lying as it does on 
 
Ig2 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the tips of my fingers, spoils my style and robs me of my 
 time. Pardon these hurried lines ; you know how they are 
 meant. 
 
 " Your devoted 
 
 " Felix Mendelssohn." 
 
 The question of shifting the place of their meetings gave 
 rise this winter to violent discussions among the members 
 of the Philharmonic Society. In the Argyll Rooms there 
 were boxes for the more fashionable members among the 
 subscribers, in the Hanover Square Rooms there was but 
 one large box (called the Royal Box from being reserved 
 for the Court) ; the proposal to have stalls was hotly con- 
 tested, but not carried. The orchestra was differently ar- 
 ranged in the new room, the basses being separated and 
 placed more in the background than hitherto, and on trying 
 the overture to the " Zauberflute " the new arrangement 
 proved effective. The programmes included among the 
 works of the great masters — Mendelssohn's Symphony in 
 A major, performed with great applause on the 13th of 
 May, and on the same evening Mendelssohn played Mo- 
 zart's Concerto in D in a masterly style. Hummel also was 
 heard in his new Concerto in F major, and Moscheles in 
 his new Septet written for the Society, accompanied by 
 Dragonetti, Lindley, Mori, and others. 
 
 At the conclusion of this season's concerts, there 
 was a first performance of Mendelssohn's Overture to 
 " Ruy Bias ; '! the unrivalled Malibran appeared again, 
 and Moscheles was re-elected a Director of the Philhar- 
 monic. 
 
 Moscheles found an opportunity of introducing at Mr. 
 Alsager's meetings Beethoven's Sonatas, op. 109 and ni, 
 and remarks : " I found some of ray hearers listening with 
 deep devotion, while at my own house artists seem com- 
 paratively indifferent ; some certainly are moved, while oth- 
 ers are scared by the extravagances of the master, and do 
 not recover their equanimity until I favor them with the 
 more intelligible D minor Sonata." 
 
 At a concert given by the Royal Society of- Musicians 
 " there was an amusing performance, for old Parry, dressed 
 in the costume of a Welsh bard, carrying his harp, sang his 
 
OLD PARR Y.~" PRECIOSA " VARIA TIONS. 
 
 193 
 
 national melodies. He is a favorite with us musicians, who 
 gave him a complimentary dinner and a present of silver 
 plate, in recognition of his many years' services as one of 
 our guild, and in token of his efforts on behalf of poor 
 musicians. His gratitude and emotion were very touch- 
 ing." 
 
 The influenza, which first appeared in a virulent form in 
 London this spring, attacked Moscheles and his household 
 severely. We read : " We are now in the middle of April ; 
 my annual concert is announced for the ist of May, and the 
 indispensable novelty (with which alone I can meet my 
 public with a good conscience) has still to be composed. 
 How can I tell whether my fingers will be fit for action, 
 and whether I should not act wisely in giving up this con- 
 cert ? " 
 
 Mendelssohn came to London ; his visit seems to have 
 acted on Moscheles like a panacea, and the joy of see- 
 ing Felix once again to have contributed to his recovery, 
 for a few days later, Moscheles, resolving to venture on his 
 concert, the two friends determined to write and play to- 
 gether a piece for two pianos. They agreed on the necessi- 
 ty of a brilliant piece, but were at a loss to select one out 
 of a number of popular subjects. Several were proposed ; 
 at last the Gypsy March out of Weber's " Preciosa " was 
 chosen. 
 
 " I will make a variation in minor, which shall growl 
 below in the bass,", exclaimed Felix; "will you do a bril- 
 liant one in major in the treble?" And so it was set- 
 tled that the Introduction as well as the first and second 
 variations should fall to the lot of Mendelssohn, the third 
 and fourth, with the connecting Tutti, to that of Moscheles. 
 " We wished to share in the Finale ; so he began with 
 the Allegro movement, which I broke in upon with a ' piii 
 lento.' " 
 
 In two days the music was written, and they went from 
 the Philharmonic at a late hour to Erard's, to have iheir 
 first rehearsal. " We found two pianos ready, and our 
 hasty patchwork delighted my wife, our solitary listener. 
 If this midnight pianoforte rehearsal was a hurried affair, 
 the orchestral one on the morning of the 30th of April was 
 still more so ; we had only half a band, in consequence of 
 
ip4 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the long rehearsal at the Opera, and only a few over-tired 
 players arrived, and hastily ran through the new piece. In 
 spite of all these obstacles the Concert on the ist of May 
 was a real success. Not a soul observed that the duet had 
 been merely sketched, and that each of us was allowed to 
 improvise in his own solo, until at certain passages agreed 
 on we met again in due harmony. The scheme which 
 seemed so very hazardous, ended triumphantly, and was 
 received with applause. 
 
 Mendelssohn, having undertaken the conductorship of 
 the Ddsseldorf musical festival, was for a short time with- 
 drawn from his friends in London, but soon returned, and 
 this time accompanied by his excellent father. The two 
 friends were rejoiced to meet again, and, at the christening 
 ofhttle Felix, Mendelssohn presented his godchild with an 
 album, which, in spite of the repeated calls on his time in 
 London, he had inaugurated with two sketches and a piece 
 of music. " One of these drawings is a view of our own 
 house, and the other a charming view in the Regent's Park. 
 The composition is the ' cradle song,' with Klingemann's 
 words, now so well known as ' Slumber and Dream.' There 
 probably never was a happier christening fete than that of 
 to-day. Our friends Neukomm and Barry Cornwall cele- 
 brated it with music and poetry." 
 
 We find several notes which illustrate the constant 
 intercourse between Moscheles and Mendelssohn. On one 
 occasion the latter answers an invitation thus : " Alas ! we 
 cannot ! To-day we have a dinner party of our own. I 
 have just ordered salmon and lobster sauce for five people, 
 so I must ' present my regrets.' Seriously speaking, Rosen, 
 Henzler, and Klingemann have promised to spend the 
 evening with us, and therefore, alas ! we cannot come to 
 you. My father hopes to see you this morning to thank 
 you." Here is a note of Mendelssohn to Mrs. Moscheles : 
 "Dear Mrs. Moscheles, — -It is two o'clock, I am just back 
 from the country and have received your note. At ten 
 o'clock I ought to have been in Grosvenor Place. I should 
 like to have done what you wanted ; but you must own that 
 the fates won't allow either of my appearing to be, or really 
 being fashionable. Lately you were kind enough to say to 
 me that we might all three come to dine to-day (for Dr. 
 
HERZ.—CRA MER.— HUMMEL. 
 
 19s 
 
 Franck has actually arrived), but now I should like to know 
 if you mean this in earnest, or if you do not., or if we may 
 come. Please send by bearer a verbal decision ! " 
 
 The answer was of course in the affirmative. On the 
 6th of May Moscheles complains : " How deadly slow and 
 monotonous was H. in his Fantasia this evening at our 
 house ; Mendelssohn yawned an obligate accompaniment. 
 When we were once more alone, Felix and I had some 
 glorious extempore playing together." 
 
 H. Herz, the brilliant player, suddenly appeared on 
 the musical horizon. His rapidity of finger, his marked 
 accent, as well as his light, melodious, and easily intelli- 
 gible music produced a great effect. We read in the diary, 
 " H. Herz completely drowned me with his furious bass, in 
 the duet on subjects out of Auber's ' Philtre,' which I played, 
 as a favor, with him at his own concert." This duet, how- 
 ever, ultimately became a favorite. 
 
 Very comical was the contrast when J. B. Cramer con- 
 sented to play, as a pianofore duet, with Herz at his con- 
 cert, the brilliant ' Polonaise' of Beethoven. Moscheles 
 compares Herz to a "young frisky colt," and Cramer to a 
 " well-fed, cream-colored state-horse, harnessed on great 
 occasions to the royal carriage." Cramer and Hummel 
 played in this same Concert Mozart's Fantasia in F minor, 
 and that was far more effective. 
 
 The concerts now follow closely on one another ; in 
 that given by young Schulz, Moscheles took part, as one 
 of six pianoforte players of the " Zauberfljte" overture. 
 At Mori's he played with Mendelssohn the new piece on 
 the " Preciosa" march. 
 
 On the loth of July all the musicians gave a grand con- 
 cert for the benefit of a poor artist's family ; and Men- 
 delssohn and Moscheles were two of the players in a piece 
 written by Czerny for four pianos. 
 
 On the rath of July, Mr. Hope, owner of the famous 
 picture-gallery, lends his house for a concert given for the 
 benefit of the Hospital for Sick Children. " The music, to 
 which I contributed my mite, was performed in the room 
 of the masters of the Italian school ; if inclined to migrate, 
 one could enjoy a stroll in a room full of Dutch pictures, 
 but as Malibran and Paganini were among the performers. 
 
196 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 every one was satisfied to stop and listen." On one occa- 
 sion, when Paganini ventured upon Beethoven's " Kreutzer 
 Sonata," Moscheles called it " a desecration." 
 
 Incidentally, we read of a performance of Handel's " Mes- 
 siah." " I swallowed my dinner hastily, so as not to miss 
 a note of this masterpiece, but, after listening with close 
 attention for some time, I was mortified at finding that 
 the small .amount of vigor left to me after the rough-and- 
 tumble of the season, was not enough to enable me to take 
 in and digest such a colossal work. Such considerations 
 always lead me back again to the thought of enjoying here- 
 after in Germany the fruits of my independence, won by 
 my active exertions in England. What a melancholy even- 
 ing last Thursday, when I heard Pasta's ' Romeo ; ' she 
 sang terribly out of tune. This great artiste, long past her 
 prime, has lost her voice, and actually consents to barter 
 her reputation for a heap of guineas ; it shocks me." 
 
 The first performance of '• Euryanthe," on the 29th of 
 June, in Covent Garden Theatre, and the admirable sing- 
 ing of Schroder and Haitzinger, were some compensation 
 for Pasta's shortcomings. 
 
 At Drury Lane the sparkling, and in the vocal and 
 histrionic way unique Malibran made a " furore" in the 
 " Devil's Bridge" and " Sonnambula" set to English words. 
 She was thoroughly realistic, and in her dress and move- 
 ments despised everything conventional. Thus, in the 
 sleep-walking scene, unlike other great representatives of 
 the part, whose muslin ncgligo would have suited any lady, 
 she adopted the bona-fide nightcap of the peasant girl, 
 and the loose garment of a sleeper ; her " tricot" stockings 
 were so transparent as to veil her feet but imperfectly. 
 Her acting in this opera was exquisitely touching, her out- 
 burst of sorrow so natural that she enlisted the sympathy 
 of her audience from beginning to end of the piece. 
 
 Moscheles' studies of Chopin's music led him to make 
 the following observation : " I gladly pass some of my 
 leisure hours of an evening in cultivating an acquaintance 
 with Chopin's Studies and his other compositions. I am 
 charmed with their originality, and the national coloring of 
 his subjects. My thoughts, however, and through them my 
 fingers, stumble at certain hard, inartistic, and to me incon 
 
MENDELSSOHN. 
 
 197 
 
 ceivable modulations. On the whole I find his music often 
 too sweet, not manly enough, and hardly the work of a 
 profound musician." 
 
 Again we find Mendelssohn mentioned in a letter : 
 " What endless music we have made together ! I m.ade 
 him play over and over again his own things, which I 
 followed in the score. He would on these occasions imitate 
 some One wind-instrument, or take up a point in-a chorus 
 with his clear tenor voice. Whenever he has arranged one 
 of his overtures as a pianoforte duet, we try it over together, 
 until we find it perfectly suitable for the piano." 
 
 They often play to one another Beethoven's Sonatas, 
 which not unfrequently diverge into joint improvisations of 
 the maddest kind, and musical caricatures. On one occasion 
 the nursery song, " Polly put the kettle on," is chosen for a 
 subject on purpose to please the two little girls, with whom 
 Felix liked to laugh and play ; in a jovial mood he would 
 often take them to the Zoological Gardens, and amuse them 
 with all kinds of jokes. Among the many kind friends who 
 visited at Chester Place, the children had the discrimination 
 to fix on Mendelssohn as prime favorite. He and Mos- 
 cheles were mutually attracted to one another as much by 
 kindred tastes and sympathies as by music. Moscheles 
 admired his friend's genius, and watched, without a particle 
 of envy, the steadily increasing fame of the young com- 
 poser, his former pupil ; Mendelssohn, on the other hand, 
 was all devotion, all gratitude for the rich treasure of 
 experience which the older master had stored up in his 
 pianoforte works. They loved and esteemed each other, 
 these feelings were reciprocated mutually in the two families, 
 and the strength of this friendship was proved when the 
 days of sorrow" came. 
 
 Mendelssohn, hearing of the death of his old master 
 Zelter, goes off in haste at an early hour in the morning to 
 Moscheles, announcing himself in such words as : "I can- 
 not work, I should like to spend the day here." On one 
 occasion, Mrs. Moscheles being too unwell to accompany 
 her husband away from home, Felix goes to spend the even- 
 ing with her, and she records his conversation in letters to 
 her father. If Felix came to her complaining of weariness, 
 she used to make him sit down quietly on the sofa in a dark 
 
1 98 RECENT MUSIC. AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 corner ; there he would rest for a few minutes while the 
 children would stop their game and keep perfect silence. 
 Then, after taking some slight refreshment, he would rouse 
 himself and discuss with his usual animation some severe 
 musical rehearsal, a morning concert, or a political meeting, 
 where he was constantly to be found. She could venture to 
 lecture him on his yesterday's visit, to tell him that he had 
 fidgeted and been fretful and impatient, in fact thoroughly 
 unamiable, whereupon he would say, " Yes, but why does 
 that person come just at that particular moment when I 
 should have so enjoyed making music with Moscheles." 
 Whenever about to leave England, he asks her to write. 
 She is to tell him of this, that, and the other, for Moscheles 
 has so little time ; she promises this, adding, " But don't 
 answer; you are a celebrated man, you have something 
 better to do," — a thing he would never allow. In his 
 letters he frequently setids Serena messages about the 
 carnation, his and her favorite flower. In the midst of the 
 worries incidental to a musical festival, or on the journeys 
 which Moscheles and he take together, he would add some 
 words or pen-and-ink sketches to the letters of his friend, 
 and when abroad send a first copy of his later published 
 " Lieder," neatly written in the letter, immediately after they 
 were composed, to Mrs. Moscheles. " A little song has 
 just come into ray head ; " or, " Here is a song ; unfortu- 
 nately it does not suit your voice (referring to the tenor 
 song ' Leucht' heller als die Sonne') ; I send it, however. 
 Moscheles, perhaps, will hum it.' . . . Pages such as these 
 are carefully preserved among the family treasures. 
 
 During this visit to London, the elder Mendelssohn was 
 laid up for weeks by a tedious illness, and the family were 
 very anxious about him. His weakened sight made con- 
 stant reading impossible, so his friends, Mrs. Moscheles in 
 particular, spent all their spare time with him. She writes 
 to her father, "I read him the Times aloud, as I did to you, 
 and he gives me very sound views about the education of 
 children. I hope they will benefit my own, but whatever 
 amount of time I am in his company, the hours fly rapidly, 
 his conversation is so agreeable." On one occasion during 
 this illness, Felix sends the following note to Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles : — 
 
MOORE— COLERIDGE. jgg 
 
 " My father begs to say that he cannot accept the offer 
 of your carriage to-day ; the Miss Alexanders have sent 
 him theirs ; but, that if you can make him a present of your 
 time, you will oblige him by walking over with it to his 
 house. This is expressed in very bad style ; but anyhow 
 it's not your Platt-Deutsch, but rather my Berlinese — no 
 offence — yours, 
 
 " Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. 
 
 " P. S. — Yesterday the doctors were very hopeful. 
 Brodie does not want to come again. Second postscript 
 (the chief point) : How are you ? " 
 
 Felix did not recover his good spirits and capacity for 
 work until his father had been completely restored to 
 health, and the departure of their two friends on the 4th of 
 August was a melancholy event to the Moscheles family. 
 
 Among a number of commonplace and tedious soirees 
 mentioned in the diary, Moscheles makes an exception in 
 favor of one at the Lockharts. " His wife, Sir Walter 
 Scott's eldest daughter, has all her father's amiability. We 
 saw there for the first time Thomas Moore, the poet, a little 
 lively sparkling Irishman, who, on the strength of his pas- 
 sion for music, immediately made acquaintance with me. 
 He sang his own poems, adapted to certain Irish melodies, 
 harmonized and accompanied by himself on the guitar. ' Le 
 genre est petit,' thought I, but the novelty made it interest- 
 ing to us. The poet Coleridge was there too, still bright 
 and cheerful, although looking an old man. Of authoresses 
 we had the Ladies Stepney and Charlotte Bury. After 
 Moore had given us his Irish melodies, I was obliged to go 
 to the piano, and share with the poet the exaggerated com- 
 pliments paid us by the company.". 
 
 In August Moscheles and his family went to Hastings. 
 " What a pity," writes Moscheles, " that a bevy of lady- 
 lodgers in the house spoil, by their strumming, all my musi- 
 cal enjoyment, not to mention my musical thoughts. They 
 play on the piano and guitar, ' La ci darem,' as a presto, 
 and Reissiger's Waltz as a sentimental Andante." To bear 
 this for any length of time was intolerable ; and, finding 
 
200 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 no suitable lodgings in Hastings, the Moscheles withdrew to 
 St. Leonard's. 
 
 On returning to London, we read of visits to both 
 Houses of Parliament, an interesting debate in the Com- 
 mons, when O'Connel spoke, and of a four hours' discussion 
 on " Captain Napier's victory on behalf of Don Pedro." 
 
 On the I ith of November Moscheles writes : " Yester- 
 day at the performance of ' Hamlet,' at Drury Lane, I was 
 forcibly reminded by a celebrated passage of what I am al- 
 ways preaching to my pupils, ' Self command in the midst 
 of a difficult performance, and a quiet mastery over oneself.' 
 The great poet makes Hamlet say, ' Do not saw the air 
 too much with your hand thus, but use all gently, for in the 
 very torrent, tempest, and, I may say, whirlwind of your 
 passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that 
 may give it smoothness." With regard to the first per- 
 formance of Auber's "Bal-masque," we read : "The music 
 is often deafening, but often piquant, the ball wonderfully 
 brilliant." 
 
 Moscheles' chief employment this winter was composing 
 during his evenings at home the B major Concerto (fantas- 
 tique). Besides fliis he wrote the Impromptu in E flat major 
 and the more common-place Divertimento, " Operatic Rem- 
 iniscences." His well-known good nature was put to the 
 test by frequent interruptions of these labors. " A friend," 
 he says, " brings me his ' Swiss Divertimento ' for revision. 
 I deal with it as Kotzebue makes his amanuensis do, who 
 only leaves the words, ' My dear friend,' standing at the top 
 of the page, and adds the rest. Adding the rest cost me 
 two quiet evenings. A third I was forced to sacrifice to the 
 Hungarian Baron Rathen, who wanted to play over to me 
 from beginning to end his ' musical love-scene interrupted 
 by a storm.' On his English card he calls himself Teacher 
 of the Organ, Piano, and Doro-Bass (thorough-bass)." 
 
 On the 31st of December, Moscheles writes in his Diary, 
 " On reckoning I find I have given this year 1457 lessons, 
 of which 1328 were paid, and 129 gratis. Of the latter 
 class, those I gave to Litolff, who is making rapid strides, 
 were the most interesting." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 1834. 
 
 Stars of the Italian Opera — Grisi, Rubini, and Tamburini — De Vragt 
 — Vieuxtemps — Lady violin-players — Festival in Westminster Ab- 
 bey — Distribution of the Chorus — Comparison of the two Festi- 
 vals in 1784-1834 — Solo-Singers — Tenor and Sopranos — "Israel 
 in Egypt " — The " Messiah" — Demeanor of the Audience — Fes- 
 tival at Birmingham — Overture to " Joan of Arc" — Byron's " Man- 
 fred" at Covent-Garden. 
 
 MOSCHELES writes at the beginning of the year, 
 " We are in January, and already the chief topic of 
 conversation is the grand music festival to be given next 
 June in Westminster Abbey. It is the musical event of the 
 year." 
 
 Before that takes place we should record the sensation 
 created by the stars of the Italian Opera, Grisi, Rubini, and 
 Tamburini. Grisi, although inferior as an actress to Pas- 
 ta, as a musician to Malibran, and lacking the charm and 
 loveliness of Sontag, still captivated her listeners by her 
 youth, beauty, and the freshness and glory of her voice. 
 Rubini maintained his long-recognized position as a master 
 of his art, and Tamburini, with his classical profile and fine 
 mellow voice, contributed his full share to the triumph of 
 this world-renowned trio. Ivanhoff, an Italianized Russian, 
 attracted the public by his great flexibility of voice, but dis- 
 pleased my German ear by using his head voice too fre- 
 quently, particularly when singing Schubert's " Serenade." 
 His sickly sentimental style became so wearisome, that 
 some wag circulated a joke about him, declaring his real 
 name was, " I've enough." 
 
 Moscheles played his new Concerto Pathetique at the 
 Philharmonic, and directed on the same occasion Mendels- 
 sohn's still unknown overture to " Melusine ; " both novel- 
 ties were received coldly. Mrs. Moscheles writes an ac- 
 count of the concert to Mendelssohn, whose characteristic 
 
 9* 
 
202 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 answer we commend to our readers : " So the people at the 
 Philharmonic did not like my 'Melusine?' Heigh-ho! 
 The news won't kill me. I certainly was sorry when I got 
 your letter, and I played off my overture right through, to 
 see if I too dislike it now; but \\. does give me pleasure, so 
 there's not much harm done, or would you have me believe 
 that you would receive me in a less friendly way at my next 
 visit ? That would be a pity, that would distress me very 
 much. But I hope not, and perhaps it may please some- 
 where else, or if not I will write something else, and that 
 may please better. But after all, my chief delight is in the 
 fact that such a thing exists in writing; and if besides that, 
 such kind words are bestowed on it as you and Moscheles 
 send me, it has been well received, and I can quietly go on 
 working. I utterly fail to understand what you tell me in 
 your letter, of the cold reception given to Moscheles' new 
 Concerto. I should have thought it as clear as noonday 
 that that must please them, and still more so when he plays 
 it to them. But when will it be published t I am longing 
 to attack it." 
 
 We find Moscheles less inclined than ever to come to 
 terms with the Manager of the Italian Opera. He writes ; 
 " Now I will see if I am not able to be quit of an extortion- 
 ate impressario, and to fill my room without the assistance 
 of his Italian singers. If I don't succeed, so much the 
 more shame for me, and 1 must hang up ' my harp and mu- 
 sic on the willow-tree.' " He did succeed, however, some 
 artists supported him, among them a new tenor just arrived 
 from Holland, De Vrugt, who soon made himself a name ; 
 he engaged Madame Stockhausen — the room was full, and 
 the audience enthusiastic. At the beginning of the season, 
 a host of artists put in an appearance ; among them Vieux- 
 temps, a wonderful boy, who attracted great attention by his 
 fine violin-playing. There were two lady violin-players as 
 well, Filiepowitz and Paravicini, who were much talked 
 about. Mrs. Anderson, the favorite English pianist, had 
 been selected by the Duchess of Kent to teach the Princess 
 Victoria. Her concert this year, patronized and attended 
 by these Royal ladies, was' one of the most brilliant of this 
 season. 
 
 With regard to the festival in Westminster Abbey, it is 
 
HANDEL FESTIVAL. 
 
 203 
 
 owing to Moscheles' scrupulous care in arranging and pre- 
 serving the accounts written at the time, that we are ena- 
 bled, after a lapse of eight-and-thirty years, to give an accu- 
 rate and faithful description of all that took place. 
 " Handel," observes a writer of the day, '• introduced the 
 oratorio into England : no wonder the festival named after 
 him should be held in Westminster Abbey, where he lies 
 buried." According to the paper we quote from, the pro- 
 ceeds of a series of Festivals between the years 1784 and 
 1791 amounted in all to 50,000/., and were entirely devoted 
 to charitable purposes. It mentions,, too, the legacy left by 
 Handel to the " Society of Decayed Musicians and their 
 Families," and eulogizes King William IV. and Queen 
 Adelaide, who, after a lapse of fifty years, zealously pro- 
 moted this new festival, devoted to the same charitable ob- 
 jects, and for which the sympathies and aid of the English 
 nobility were called forth by the generous support of the 
 Royal patrons. 
 
 With regard to the festival itself, Moscheles writes to 
 his relatives : " The festival took place in the nave, which 
 was covered over with stout deal boards ; at one end of the 
 Abbey was seen the Royal box, with its heavy red satin cur- 
 tains, rich ornaments, and luxurious velvet carpets and 
 cushions, and adorned with the Royal Arms artistically 
 carved. The Directors of the festival sat immediately 
 under the Royal box, with a canopy above them. The pub- 
 lic, on this occasion, as in 1784, occupied seats arranged 
 in the style of an amphitheatre, and reaching as high as 
 the capitals of the pillars. 2700 persons found accommo- 
 dation J the best seats cost two, and the others one guinea 
 each. These seats, covered with red cloth and gold orna- 
 ments, contrasted tastefully with the white and gold lyres 
 on red draperies, which were hung upon the walls. The 
 orchestra, on this, as on the former occasion, was erected 
 opposite the Royal box, and in the following fashion. In 
 front were the solo singers, then the small chorus, 40 strong \ 
 close to this chorus, at a piano, sat Sir George Smart, the 
 director of the music ; behind him, the band, ranged in 
 tiers ; the cellos on either side, the violins in the centre, 
 then the wind-instruments ; above all, the magnificent organ, 
 built by Gray for the occasion, and adorned with a richly 
 
204 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 carved Gothic fa9ade ; by a clever arrangement the player 
 was made to face the Director instead of the organ. The 
 distribution of the vocalists forming the grand chorus greatly 
 prejudiced the effect of the music with numbers who were 
 packed closely in the side aisles and niches of the Abbey ; 
 in fact, the choral music to a part of the audience sounded 
 as though it were smothered by the orchestra ; in other 
 parts of the Abbey the effect was reversed, and the perform- 
 ance as a whole could only be enjoyed in a small part of the 
 vast building." 
 
 We give a list of the executants as represented on the 
 occasion of the two Music Festivals in 1784 and 1834 (the 
 list of the first is copied from Dr. Burney's Musical His- 
 tory) :— 
 
 Instrumental. 
 
 1834. 
 
 1784. 
 
 Vocal. 
 
 1834. 
 
 1784. 
 
 Violins . 
 Tenors . 
 Violoncello 
 Double Ba 
 Flutes . 
 Oboes . 
 Clarinets 
 
 s . . 
 
 ses . 
 
 80 
 32 
 18 
 18 
 10 
 12 
 8 
 
 .-. 95 
 . . 26 
 . . 21 
 
 ■ ■ 15 
 .. 6 
 . . 26 
 
 Sopranos . . . 
 Sopranos (boys) 
 Altos .... 
 Tenors . . . 
 Basses .... 
 Solo-Singers . . 
 The above Instru 
 
 "3 
 
 32 
 
 74 
 
 70 
 
 103 
 
 5 
 
 . I'l 
 ■ 47 
 . 48 
 • 83 
 . 84 
 2 
 
 Bassoons 
 
 
 12 
 
 ■■ 27 
 
 ments . . . 
 
 223 
 
 . 250 
 
 Horns . 
 
 Trumpets 
 
 Trombones 
 
 Ophicleide. 
 
 Serpents 
 
 Kettle-drun 
 
 is . . 
 
 10 
 8 
 8 
 2 
 2 
 3 
 
 223 
 
 . . 12 
 . . 12 
 .. 6 
 
 .. 4 
 250 
 
 Tota 
 
 1 620 
 
 525 
 
 We quote from the diary : " On the 20th of June at 
 twelve o'clock in the forenoon. Sir George Smart for the 
 first time raised his baton, and Handel's Coronation Anthem, 
 performed by such a host, in such a place, was so grand that 
 none present are likely to forget it ; the newspapers talked 
 of several ladies weeping, and some actually fainting. I was 
 deeply moved by these sounds, and must confess I never 
 heard such an effect produced before. We had the whole 
 of the ' Creation,' and a part of ' Samson.' The solo singers 
 were old Bellamy, who had sung in 1784, E. Seguin, a young 
 
PERFORMANCE OF THE " MESSIAH." 
 
 205 
 
 pupil of the Royal Academy of Music, and the admirable 
 Phillips ; the tenors were represented by Hobbs and the 
 inimitable Braham ; Miss Stevens and Madame Caradori 
 Allan, both excellent, sang the soprano parts. The chorus 
 and orchestra were first rate, and the first day might deserve 
 to be called a perfect success." 
 
 The second day was opened by another Coronation An- 
 them by Handel ; and the " Hallelujah " electrified the audi- 
 ence. Then with a view of producing certain effects in 
 preference to giving any one work in its entirety, a selection 
 had been made of sacred pieces, in which singers, as 
 well as wind-instrument players, could have an opportunity 
 of display. 
 
 Everj'body was to have his or her chance, Rubini, Zuc- 
 chelli, with Lindley's violoncello, and Braham, with Harper's 
 trumpet-obligato. Phillips had a song with a bassoon ac- 
 companiment. Miss Stevens and Grisi also had parts assign- 
 ed them in this selection. Then followed the finest per- 
 haps of all Handel's oratorios, " Israel in Egypt," which 
 was splendidly performed. The newspapers were rapturous 
 on the subject. With reference to the closing numbers of 
 that Oratorio, the Athenaum said, " One feels so elevated by 
 this music that we seem to live in those great days when 
 the Lord went before His people in the cloud or pillar of 
 fire. But once let the celestial strains end, and We wake 
 again to the pale reality of our shadow-like everyday exist- 
 ence." " My own impression," adds Moscheles, " far ex- 
 ceeded all that I ever dreamt of realizing, and 1 believe my 
 feelings were in unison with nearly all of those who were 
 present." On the 3d day, unfortunately, a medley of airs, 
 choruses, and ensembles was again given; a programme with 
 abrupt transitions from ancient to modern compositions. For 
 the 4th day the Queen, following the precedent of Queen 
 Charlotte, had commanded the " Messiah." To a German 
 musician it seems but natural that the chief interest should 
 be concentrated on this majestic work. The tickets for ad- 
 mission to the performance, as well as for the rehearsals, 
 were soon bought up, and the public, unable to procure any 
 at the regular prices, was forced to pay exorbitantly. Every 
 nook and corner of the Abbey was occupied, and a truly 
 devotional spirit seemed to prevail. The Times, which during 
 
2o6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the previous days had never resented the want of taste shown 
 in giving disjointed works, found room in its columns, when 
 the festival was over, for imparting as a piece of advice : 
 " The effect of such performances would be enhanced, if the 
 oratorios were given, not piecemeal, but in their entirety, 
 just as the composer intended they should be given." Mos- 
 cheles writes on this subject : — " The advice on this point 
 came certainly too late — of course to a German musician, 
 much of the arrangement of these programmes was an 
 offence, and yet the general effect was so grand that it would 
 be thankless to point out the obvious anomalies. The ven- 
 eration with which the English traditionally regard their 
 noble abbey, found expression in the dignified attitude and 
 frame of mind observable in the audience, which crowded 
 within the sacred walls, and the thrill of awe which pene- 
 traled these large masses spoke more eloquently than any 
 cheers or clapping of hands. The King and- Queen, who 
 attended daily, were regarded as the patrons of a great and 
 beneficent work, that was fittingly supported by the whole 
 nation. Such are my feelings — you may call them fanciful 
 if you please, but they were suggested to me by the bearing 
 and demeanor of the crowd that was present." 
 
 Moscheles had only just returned from the seaside, where 
 he had gone for fresh air and change, when he found him- 
 self once more obliged to prepare for a grand musical festi- 
 val at Birmingham ; there he performed his " Alexander 
 Variations " and the " Recollections of Ireland." The 
 powerful tones of the Erard were heard all over the colossal 
 and crowded hall, which was not intended for solo instru- 
 ments ; and the Spectator went so far as to say that a large 
 crowd outside enjoyed the performance. The proceeds of 
 the whole festival realized 14,000/. 
 
 " i6th October. — I was hard at work with my overture 
 to 'Joan of Arc,' " Moscheles writes, " when the fearful news 
 reached me that the House of Lords was on fire. The fact 
 was only too soon confirmed by flames appearing on the 
 horizon." .... When the overture was finished and arranged 
 as a pianoforte duet, he substituted for the brilliant and 
 noisy finale a soft pathetic strain, which he thought more 
 suitable to Johanna's death. On this subject we read in a 
 letter of Moscheles : " In this overture I have aimed at ele- 
 
BYRON'S " MANFRED:' 
 
 207 
 
 vation, harmony, and unity of ideas. Assuming I have the 
 proper audience, the work might please ; but whoever looks 
 for trivial, easy, Italian sing-song, will find nothing in it ;• 
 nor will those be pleased who think a minute working out of 
 individual parts, or the introduction of unexpected harmo- 
 nies, too learned. They just give the "keenest relish to those 
 initiated in the secrets of counterpoint. I hold that the 
 treatment of a melody, and clearness as well as unit}' and 
 an interesting fusion of the leading subjects, are the most 
 important ingredients in a composition, and shall always 
 
 strive to attain these objects Mendelssohn's 
 
 Octet, in which you complain of an absence of melody, has 
 a tendency to the elaborate (kiinstlich), and yet the frequent 
 hearing of that admirable work, and that, too, in a spirit of 
 careful analysis, is well worth the trouble, if it leads to the 
 proper appreciation of an originality which never degene- 
 rates into anything extravagant There is not 
 
 much sympathy here with Spohr's ' Weihe der Tone.' Has- 
 linger offered through me to the Philharmonic Society the 
 copyright of the work for two or three years, but the 
 Society refused." 
 
 " This winter Byron's ' Manfred,' with choruses set by 
 Bishop, was given as a novelty in Covent Garden Theatre. 
 There was an immense outlay in scenery and decorations, 
 the music was not much more enjoyable than that of the 
 ' Bravo,' by Marliani ; a melange made up of the well-worn 
 phrases of Rossini, Pacini, and Mercadante. The beauty 
 of the miseen'-scine would have done equally well, apart 
 from the ear-torture." 
 
 "My wife," writes Moscheles, " who reads aloud to me 
 while I correct my work, happened at this time to select 
 ' Uhland's Poems.' This suggested to me vocal settings of 
 ' Der Schmidt,' ' Das Reh,' and ' Das Giirtnerslied.' " 
 
 Towards the end of the year he was busy with prepara- 
 tions for a private performance of the " Israel in Egypt." 
 Some chorister boys from the Westminster Abbey Choir, 
 and some well-trained amateurs, were asked to join. The 
 chief supporters, however, were Madame Caradori-Alan, 
 Rockel and Taylor. This performance was a worthy finale 
 for the year 1834. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 1835- 
 
 " Trial Night" of the Philharmonic Society — An Unmannerly Noble- 
 man — Litolff s Compositions — Berlioz' " Symphonie Fantastique"— 
 Musical Pains and Pleasures — Julius Benedict — -Cramer's Retire- 
 ment — Visit to Germany — Leipzig — Intercourse with Musical Art- 
 ists — Felix Mendelssohn — Letters to Madame Moscheles — Con- 
 cert — Berlin — A Family Fete — Musical Absurdities — A Painful 
 Affair — Death of Mendelssohn's Father — Holland and Belgium. 
 
 AT the beginning of this year, the Philharmonic Society 
 held its first "Trial Night" for new compositions, 
 when Spohr's " Weihe der Tone " was conducted by Sir 
 George Smart. " This able conductor," says Moscheles, 
 "succeeded at this first rehearsal in carrying the band 
 through the whole of the work correctly, although of course 
 without that delicacy, light, and shade requisite for so in- 
 tricate a work, the Andante of which, with its 3-8 and 9-16 
 time, constituted in itself a considerable difficulty. I fol- 
 lowed the performance with the score, and was delighted 
 with the solidity of the entire work, as well as the beauty 
 of its details ; still, the too great predominance of Spohrish 
 color and form to some extent quenched my enthusiasm. 
 Nothing but genius and wealth of invention can kindle me 
 into rapture." 
 
 When Moscheles conducted, there was a successful per- 
 formance of his overture to "Joan of Arc," and the youth- 
 ful Sterndale Bennett, a pupil of Cipriani Potter, played a 
 pianoforte concerto of his own composition ; Moscheles 
 thought highly of the performer, his playing, and the con- 
 certo as well. 
 
 Moscheles' services as a public performer and teacher 
 were in constant requisition at this time in Bath, Manches- 
 ter, and other places. In the midst of all his numerous en- 
 gagements, he never neglected his habit of writing daily to 
 
AN UNMANNERLY NOBLEMAN. 
 
 209 
 
 his wife, but his letters at this period, being for the most 
 part of a domestic character, are omitted. 
 
 When once back in London, business engagements ac- 
 cumulate, and Moscheles might exclaim with Figaro in the 
 " Barbiere di Siviglia," " Tutti mi chiedono, tutti mi vogli- 
 ono." To one treated, as we have seen, with marked cour- 
 tesy by all with whom he came in contact, the following ep- 
 isode must have been eminently distasteful. " I had," he 
 says, " during the last season given lessons to two young 
 ladies, the daughters of Lord — . The treatment I experi- 
 enced in this household, where even the servants were dis- 
 respectful, was only to be met by the independent airs I was 
 forced to assume, to assert my rights as a gentleman. 
 Although not'offered a chair, I sat down in presence of the 
 lady, and insisted on walking up the principal staircase, 
 although I was shown the back one. After waiting in vain 
 for nearly nine months for 35/. due to me, a steward appear- 
 ed at my house, and, finding only my wife at home, produc- 
 ed my account, on which the noble lord had written — ' Pay 
 this man 15/. on- account.' My wife remonstrated, where- 
 upon the steward answered in a sympathizi ig tone, ' Well, 
 Ma'am, I advise you to take it while you can get it.' It 
 then occurred to her that, the family being reported some- 
 what impecunious, she had better accept the man's advice. 
 Soon afterwards my lady sent to beg I would jgain resume 
 my lessons with her daughters. I refused. Then came an 
 exceedingly polite question from my lord, asking the rea- 
 sons of my refusal, and would I state them verbally ? etc. 
 
 I did so. Lord and Lady overloaded me with civility, 
 
 and I agreed once more to give four lessons a week. Such 
 people should be taught manners as well as music." 
 
 Moscheles says of himself in a letter: "I am always 
 longing to compose, but how am 1 to find time ? To be 
 sure I have published two little Lieder ; one a setting of 
 Byron's ' There be none of Beauty's daughters,' and ' Im 
 Herbste,' by Uhland. Owing to interruptions, I have not 
 succeeded in finishing my ' Concerto Pathetique ;• besides 
 these, I should like to write a new Introduction to my 
 ' Homraage k Handel,' which I composed in the year 1822." 
 This intention he carried out at this period, and the work 
 in its entirety has frequently been performed in public, 
 
2IO RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Later on we read: "To-day Klingemann brought us 
 two organ fugues, arranged as duets by Mendelssohn. My 
 wife and I attacked them instantly; they are admirable, 
 like everything else that he presents to the musical world." 
 
 Just at this time Litolff published many of his early and 
 very promising compositions, and at the same time Chopin's 
 graceful " Scherzo" and "Grand Studies" appeared. "I 
 am a sincere admirer of his originality," says Moscheles ; 
 "he has given pianoforte- players all that is newest and 
 most attractive. Personally, I dislike his artificial and 
 forced modulation. My fingers struggle and tumble over 
 such passages ; practice them as I will, I never can do 
 them smoothly." With regard to Berlioz' " Symphonie 
 Fantastique," which the publishers sent him in a pianoforte 
 edition, he observes : " I can hardly form an opinion of 
 the work before I know the score, but I cannot reconcile my- 
 self to the eternal unisons, octave passages, and tremolandos. 
 I do not find a healthy sequence of harmonic progressions. 
 His ' Dies Irte' and the ' Witches' Sabbath' .seem to me 
 indicative of a diseased fancy ; and the development of 
 figures heaped one on another often ends in a tight Gor- 
 dian knot — who will cut it asunder ? The young man, 
 however, has warmth and poetic feeling, and certain isola- 
 ted passages remind rne in their grandeur of an ancient 
 Torso." 
 
 Moscheles is amused and displeased alternately with his 
 strange experiences during the London season. " If called 
 on to reckon up our musical pains as well as pleasures, I 
 must compare the swarm of foreign musicians who obscure 
 the horizon, to the locusts which darkened the Egyptian 
 sky. One of our visitors carries the German simplicity to 
 such an extent as to speak no other language but his own ; 
 yet he travels hither on purpose to be recognized by the 
 English. In language and conduct he is an exact counter- 
 part of Dominie Sampson, and insists on bringing with him 
 each time his pupil — a tiresome young Dutchman. Yester- 
 day they both njet with that strange fellow H — , with his 
 odd medley of French and German ; the party were joined 
 by a regular John Bull, who speaks and composes only in 
 his own language. The result of these compounds is a 
 strange medley of discords. At dinner, the German takes 
 
ARRIVAL OF BENEDICT. 21I 
 
 kindly to everything on the table ; but the Frenchman turns 
 up his nose at every little grain of pepper, and the English- 
 man, before he touches anything, covers the rim of his plate 
 with mustard, cayenne, and spices, so that it looks like a 
 painter's palette. Having to do the part of interpreters, we 
 didn't get much dinner, and it was all we could do to 
 smother our laughter ; for at last, in despair of communi- 
 cating with one another, the German and the Englishman 
 talked Latin, but were out in their reckoning — for each one 
 pronounced it in a different way, and confusion became 
 worse confounded." 
 
 In this year Julius Benedict first became a member of 
 the great musical guild in London, and asserted his posi- 
 tion at once as an excellent musician and pianoforte player. 
 His long residence in Italy made him peculiarly fitted as 
 an accompanist to the Italian singers : and in Moscheles' 
 house he was heartily welcomed as a distinguished com- 
 patriot. 
 
 J. B. Cramer, wishing in his old age to retire to Munich, 
 gave a farewell concert, and was invited by his friends to a 
 musical banquet. " We pianoforte players," says Moscheles, 
 " had selected Cramer's compositions for our performance ; 
 he himself played with much grace and delicacy Mozart's 
 Concerto in D. Lastly, when called on to extemporize, I 
 selected themes out of his works ; this delighted and affect- 
 ed him also." Cramer did not long remain in Munich, but 
 chose to end his days in strict retirement in England. 
 
 In July, Moscheles writes: "The season is closing, and 
 soon I shall have no ladies' fingers to doctor. I cannot 
 undertake to doctor the ears of my pupils." He travels to 
 Hamburg, leaves his family there, and goes to Leipzig, 
 where Mendelssohn has just entered on his duties as con- 
 ductor of the Gewandhaus Concerts. He writes from 
 Leipzig : — ■ 
 
 " My Dear Wife. — You may fancy how I enjoy this 
 meeting with my mother and sister. Kistner, who is very 
 zealous in my interests, accompanied me to Mendelssohn, 
 who is comfortably and agreeably settled outside the town, 
 in Reichel's Garden. He received me with his usual sim- 
 plicity and heartiness, making eager, nay, affectionate in- 
 quiries for you. 1 don't think him looking handsomer or 
 
212 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 more blooming (being as he is between youth and man- 
 hood), but he, was more full of wit, liveliness, and clever- 
 ness than ever. He played me three new 'Lieder ohne 
 Worte,' which are worthy successors to those already writ- 
 ten. I have played him nothing of my own as yet. My 
 mother looks remarkably well. People on all sides call 
 her a handsome old lady, and she really seems to me much 
 younger than she is. I visited the Wiecks, and Clara 
 played to me a good deal ; among other things a manuscript 
 sonata by Schumann — very labored, difficult, and some- 
 what intricate, although interesting music. Her playing 
 was admirable, and void of all affectation. After dinner, I 
 returned to my mother's, and then adjourned with Felix to 
 Hauser's for a cup of coffee. We amused ourselves by 
 serious and desultory playing upon his Streicher piano, 
 which I shall probably bespeak for my concert, although 
 Felix has offered me his own. Felix took me afterwards 
 to Dr. Hartel's new country-house, close to the rampart. 
 In the evening I was again at the Wiecks, to meet Schu- 
 mann, who is a retiring but interesting young man. Again 
 I made Clara play to me, and again she distinguished her- 
 self. I gave them a taste of my extempore playing." 
 
 On the 2d of October he writes : "8 a. m. — I expect 
 Felix ; meanwhile I will begin the day as I like best, by 
 asking after you and the children. Is Emily composing.' 
 Serena learning an epic poem by heart .' Felix storming a 
 fortress somewhere ? On all these points I hope informa- 
 tion is on the road to me. Nine o'clock — Felix is here, and 
 I am going with him to his lodgings, to hear him play over 
 his new oratorio." " And now" — Mendelssohn adds — "let 
 me slip in with all haste between the envelope and wafer, 
 my hearty greetings and thanks. I hope one of these da)'S 
 to write more fully ; at present we are in all the hurry and 
 confusion of Moscheles' first day, and all my morning will 
 be occupied in hearing a deal of his new music. You may 
 fancy how eagerly I look forward to that ! But you really ■ 
 spoil me by sending me such a wonderfully pretty present. 
 We must be off; good-bye for to day. My love to your 
 little ones, among whom Emily can't any longer be 
 reckoned." 
 
 On the following day, Moscheles sa)'s : " Kistner 
 
MENDELSSOHN "EN GARCON." 
 
 213 
 
 accompanied me on a visit to that dear venerable old man, 
 Hofrath Rochlitz, who received me most kindly, and was 
 very communicative. After expressing his gratification 
 with my present visit, ray playing, and my compositions, he 
 recapitulated the various impressions which I made on him 
 since my first appearance with the Alexander March in the 
 year 1815, and said many flattering things about my devel- 
 opment in art. He was to me quite as interesting as his 
 ' Essays for Musical Amateurs,' the reading of which we 
 used to enjoy. Towards evening I spent an hour with my 
 mother, amusing her with stories about our London life. 
 1 then went to Felix, who asked me to drink tea with him 
 every evening ; he is very comfortably settled — it reminded 
 me of my own bachelor days. His Erard stands in the 
 middle of the room, and in his book-case — a perfect store- 
 house of musical scores — I saw a splendidly-bound edition 
 of Handel. On the table his silver inkstand, presented by 
 the Philharmonic Society, on the walls two charming 
 engravings, one of Titian's daughter ; and the other a por- 
 trait of Schlitzel (a celebrated singer), on the piano a 
 delightful litter of scores and new music, still cleanliness 
 and neatness prevailing everywhere. We drank tea and 
 chatted until the advocate Schrey (one of the concert- 
 directors) joined us. He is a musical enthusiast, with a 
 fine tenor voice, and sang a couple of delightful new Lieder 
 by Felix, which I hope to copy and bring to you. I played 
 my ' Concerto Fantastique' and the ' Pathjtique,' about 
 which many kind things were said, and lastly the Rondo 
 which Felix dedicated to me. We played together my 
 Overture and his Octet ; everything went smoothly, as you 
 may fancy. We went on till eleven o'clock, and Felix lent 
 me his cloak, that I should not catch cold after the number 
 of ' hot notes.' He is a glorious fellow. By-the-by, Felix 
 cheerfully consented to play my last duet with me at my 
 concert, but the Committee must be duly apprized of the 
 fact. Yesterday, when he called upon my mother, she 
 wanted him to play, but he had a fit of his well-known 
 modesty, and declined. I must now tell you what befell 
 
 me to-day I went with Felix to the rehearsal ; his 
 
 admirable conducting, speeches, and observations — in fact, 
 his general behavior to the orchestra — fills his subordinates 
 
214 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 with affection and respect. His overture to the ' Calm Sea 
 and Prosperous Voyage' (of which one can get no idea 
 from the pianoforte arrangement), as well as Beethoven's B 
 flat Symphony, went beautifully. The rehearsal lasted 
 until 12.30 ; then I went to my mother, and thence with 
 Felix to the table d'hute. We were invited to Wieck's to 
 meet Schumann and others ; Clara Wieck played in Beet- 
 hoven's great Trio superbly. I went to the theatre to hear 
 Auber's ' Cheval de Bronze ; ' but oh, misery- ! bad music, 
 singers, and subject ! What a pity to lose my evening, and 
 be forced to pay dearly for my curiosity ! " 
 
 " Eleven at night. — Late as it is, I must tell you that I 
 made my concert arrangements with Kistner, and then went 
 to Felix, with whom I tried over, from the proof-sheets, my 
 'Hommage a Handel,' but in a curious manner. He has 
 but one piano — his own Erard — but he remembered to have 
 heard some one practicing occasionally in the next room, 
 occupied by an elderly lady. Before his door, leading to 
 her room, stood a wooden press, too big to be moved with- 
 out great trouble. Felix went to the lady, and asked her 
 leave to play in her room while I played in his ; the lady 
 gladly consented ; we opened the doors, but the press 
 remained immovable. The instruments happened to be in 
 tune together, and the whole thing went capitally ; Kistner, 
 and an organist of the name of Reichard, were present, and 
 were so delighted that we determined to play this piece at 
 my concert. Among the new things which Felix played 
 again to me are two pianoforte Capriccios and a Fugue in 
 quick-time in F minor — all admirable in their way. We 
 dined at Hauser's (the bass singer at the theatre and Felix's 
 intimate friend), and after dinner played all sorts of music, 
 grave and gay, upon his Streicher, which he lends me for 
 my concert. Felix played me a Concerto by J. S. Bach, 
 out of Hauser's fine collection ; Hauser then sang a very 
 funny song by the old composer Hjlller, in which the word 
 ' nose' plays a conspicuous part; I intend to copy it and 
 bring it to you. (Hauser wished to do this himself, and 
 sent the song to Mrs. Moscheles, who still has it.) I took 
 my mother and sister to the subscription concert, and re- 
 mained the whole evening with them. Felix was very well 
 received. His 'Meeresstille' was delightful, and received 
 
BA Cir S CONCER TO. 21; 
 
 with great applause. The rest I will tell you by word of 
 mouth. After the concert I took my ladies home, met 
 Felix and Ilauser at supper in the hotel, afterwards accom- 
 panied and walked home with them in the bright moonlight, 
 and now I bid you good night." 
 
 "October 5, 11.30 P. M. — I am just entering my room, 
 which I have not seen since early this morning : only fancy, 
 I could not have a piano in it, there is such a dearth of good 
 instruments in Leipzig. Your letter came early to hand. 
 Felix and I are so glad you have been playing his Octet. 
 He tells me how grieved he is at not having as yet been 
 able to thank you in writing. In fact he speaks of his grat- 
 itude as he would write it. . . . Table d'hote, with Schumann, 
 the tenor, Wild, and others." 
 
 " October 6. — I went on with my letter at noon, when 
 all business in Leipzig, save that of knife and fork, is at a 
 stand-still. I wanted, just now, to go through my part of 
 Bach's triple concerto, but found all the pianoforte ware- 
 houses shut. I had no time to go to Felix before dinner at 
 one o'clock ; I am sure to do justice to it, for I am in un- 
 usually good health here. To-day I visited my mother, and 
 amused her with my album. I have come across a little 
 volume called ' Bettina's Diary,' which precedes her corre- 
 spondence with Goethe. If you are curious in the matter, 
 you can easily get a copy." 
 
 " Five in the afternoon. — I am just come from Wieck's, 
 where Clara played admirably in one of Schubert's trios. 
 Bach's Concerto for three pianos, performed by her, Felix, 
 and myself, was very interesting ; I am having it copied for 
 London. You ought to have seen poor Felix accompanying 
 a very inferior singer, and watched him as he sat on the 
 stool of penitence, with thirty listeners around him. His 
 eyes sparkled like those of a baited tiger, and you could 
 have lit a candle at his cheeks, they burned so. I am just 
 going to mark my newly-printed concert tickets. I miss 
 your helping hand, but as I write each separate ticket, I 
 can think quietly of you, which is a delightful feeling. To- 
 day Felix told me the Directors wished me to play next 
 Sunday in the second subscription concert. He advised me 
 to make them give me room and lights, gratis, for my con- 
 cert, instead of the customary five or six louis d'or, and I 
 
2 l6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 find he is right. One thought troubles me about my return 
 home. The coach only goes on Monday mornings early at 
 five, and on Tuesday evenings at nine. The first is too near 
 to the Concert, the second too late for my impatience." 
 
 "October 9. — I am writing to you just after I have re- 
 ceived your letter. . . . My one absorbing thought is when 
 I shall talk to you. On Sunday I play at the subscription 
 concert my G minor Concerto, and I hope I shall find some 
 time for writing before the coach leaves. My concert will 
 be a brilliant one this evening ; there is a great rush for 
 tickets ; seven hundred and fifty are already disposed of, 
 and probably as many will have to be sent back from the 
 doors. My mother and sister send best love." 
 
 " October 10. — I wish I could give the post wings to tell 
 you the news of my unusually brilliant concert at Leipzig. 
 The crowd was immense. My mother felt quite young 
 again. My overture was admirably played. The Con- 
 certos 'Pathetique' and ' Fantastique' received with immense 
 applause. My duet with Felix created a regular ' furore.' 
 They wanted to encore it, but we resisted, the heat was so 
 great. My Fantasia, too, was very well received. The 
 gross receipts were 497 thalers, expenses 70 thalers, so 
 there is a surplus of 427. By playing at the subscription 
 concert I shall defray the other expenses. Besides the G 
 minor Concerto, which went very well at-the rehearsal to- 
 day, my overture was repeated, as well as our duet, which 
 we played by request. Felix is so good to me, so amiable 
 and unpretending ; he told me that, before I came, he had 
 been thinking, and hoping, and wondering whether 1 would 
 like to play a duet with him, and how he intended to have 
 . written to me on the subject. He is idolized here, and lives 
 on the most friendly terms with many musicians and nota- 
 bilities, although he is intimate with but few, and reserved 
 towards many. He is particularly attentive to my mother. 
 You are right ; my intercourse with him quickens my ener- 
 gies, independent of the pleasure I have in his society." 
 
 " Sunday. — We had to attend a dinner, which was any- 
 thing but pleasant, and when we went away together, Felix 
 fired off a volley of indignation. I spent one part of the 
 evening with my mother, and the other t jte-i tete with Felix. 
 We drank tea, and after a cosy chat he played me several 
 
MOSCHELES IN BERLIN. 217 
 
 of his glorious fugues, and ' Lieder ohne Worte' (manuscript). 
 To-morrow, early, my mother leaves us. My time will 
 hang heavy when she goes, but I must act like a man." 
 
 " Afternoon. — I have just come from a very pleasant 
 dinner at Kistner's. Hauser, Dr Schleinitz, Weise, Fink, 
 and others were there, and I write you a few lines before I 
 dress for the concert. Felix had just heard that his young- 
 est sister had arrived ; his parents write, asking me to take 
 her on to Berlin, and stay with them ; Felix begs me to do 
 this, but I don't know if I can spare the time. Before din- 
 ner Felix and I went to my mother's house, where he played 
 a great deal to her. Adieu 1 Au revoir ! " 
 
 The next letter is dated from Berlin : " 14th October. 
 I received your letter, with which I was delighted, on Mon- 
 day, at Leipzig. After my mother's departure it came like 
 soothing balsam." 
 
 " Monday. — Now that you had encouraged me, so heart- 
 ily, I felt inclined to allow myself the trip to Berlin. You 
 set all my doubts at rest. Felix and I accompanied his 
 sister hither. Monday night we were' up till twelve o'clock 
 at a party given by Hartel, where 1 played solos and duets 
 with Felix ; then I packed my things from one to two, and 
 by six A. M. we were seated in the carriage. We had plenty 
 of cheerful and delightful talk — you were a constant topic. 
 Felix, whose sister is a very nice, amiable creature, had sent 
 a letter to his parents, giving them notice of our intended 
 arrival, but the letter miscarried, for, when we came after 
 midnight, not a soul was stirring. The servants had to 
 prepare our beds as best they could. There was nothing to 
 eat, and we were all ravenous, so a big slice of my cake, 
 brought by my mother from Prague, did excellefit service. 
 The meeting of the aged parents and their children next morn- 
 ing was a family fete, and gave me, a mere spectator, feelings 
 of indescribable delight. This was enhanced by the fact of 
 my being received and welcomed as affectionately as if I 
 were a son. I see I shall be besieged on all sides, to aban- 
 don my purpose of starting off agam this evening, and that 
 it will end in my leaving Berlin twenty four hours later. My 
 nights, which have been broken into, ray happy time here, 
 and your words of encouragement, will, 1 suppose, make me 
 fix on to-morrow." 
 
2 1 8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIA NS. 
 
 Felix adds : — ■ 
 
 " If you want to be angry at Moscheles' staying away 
 from you a few days longer, you must be wroth with the 
 whole of No. 3, Leipziger Strasse ; they are all guilty. He 
 wanted to go away, although he only came yesterday (or 
 rather to-day) at half-past one in the morning ; but we hum- 
 bly memorialized him and would have called in the police 
 to detain him ; besides, you will have him again in Hamburg, 
 and Holland, and London, whereas we must separate to- 
 morrow, and shall not exchange words for a long time to 
 come. In short, I entreated him, as fervently as I could, 
 and hope you will put yourself in my position, for then I am 
 sure you would have done just the same thing ; when you 
 meet, Moscheles will bring you all my and our greetings. 
 The post is just going, so farewell, and don't be angry with 
 " Your sincere friend, 
 
 "F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
 In addition to this, Felix's father had dictated to him 
 the following lines. " I must add my best remembrances, 
 and in telling you of my delight in the unexpected visit of 
 our excellent friend brought here by Felix, express my re- 
 gret at the shortness of his stay. Pray accept my thanks 
 for prevailing on him to give up this real pleasure. I hope 
 you will thank me too for having induced Moscheles, after 
 travelling all night, not to start off again this evening in a 
 ' Beiwagen,' whereas to-morrow evening he will have a 
 place in the ' Postwagen.' Farewell, and remember me 
 kindly, etc., etc." 
 
 During this short visit Moscheles was an eye-witness of 
 Felix's child-like sunny cheerfulness and' perfect happiness 
 in the bosom of his family. In a letter which Moscheles 
 wrote to his wife late one evening, he says : " We have had 
 a regular day of it. First of all I played with Felix Mo- 
 zart's ' Duet in D,' for two pianofortes ; and my ' Hommage 
 a Handel.' We then allowed ourselves all manner of ex- 
 travagances, extemporized jointly and alternately on two 
 pianos — an intellectual sort of tournament. I played Felix's 
 ' Rondo Brillant in E flat,' and my ' Concerto Fantastique,' 
 he supplying a substitute for an orchestral accompaniment 
 on a second piano. We played by turns his 'Lieder ohne 
 
THE MENDELSSOHN FA MIL V. 2 ig 
 
 Worte,' and then perpetrated all sorts of musical absurdities. 
 Fanny Hensel pleased me immensely by the playing of her 
 own compositions ; Felix and I had a good hunt in his col- 
 lection of old music. Suffice it to say, I shall never forget 
 the hours I passed here, and I unwillingly part from my de- 
 lightful hosts, but I must pay a visit here and there before I 
 leave." 
 
 During this short stay in Berlin, curiously enough, the 
 theft practiced on Moscheles in the year 1823, and mention- 
 ed in page 54 of this volume, was once more brought under 
 Moscheles' notice. He knew well enough who had defraud- 
 ed him, but the young man's confession and repeated prom- 
 ises to restore the property, induced Moscheles to abandon 
 all idea of going to law. On the eve of Moscheles' depart- 
 ure from Berlin, the young man writes that he has met and 
 recognized him in the streets, invokes on him all kinds of 
 blessings for his forbearance, and, after informing him how 
 he has hitherto subsisted as a literary man, ends by saying 
 that he is unable at present to compensate Moscheles for 
 his loss, offering however to give him a written acknowl- 
 edgment of the debt. Moscheles declines this as an un- 
 necessary formality, but on being told, by Felix's father, 
 that the young man belongs to a respectable family in Ber- 
 lin, requests the elder Mendelssohn to act on his behalf, and 
 obtain, through some other member of the family, a restitu- 
 tion of the property. Several letters during the next few 
 days pass on the subject, when on the 29th of October he 
 hears of the young man's sudden death. Mr. Mendelssohn 
 then offers to proceed in the matter, and writes : — 
 
 " The whole history, told in your simple language, is 
 certainly a wonderful one, and illustrating, as it does, your 
 discretion, kindness, and forethought, reminds me of Schil- 
 ler's golden words, ' Und die Tugend, sie ist kein leerer 
 Schall!' (And virtue is no hollow sound.) Unhappily the 
 poor young man had no opportunity of redeeming himself; 
 after making so many false steps, one would have hoped he 
 had just begun to improve — that again reminds me of the 
 golden rule of the Rabbis : ' Bessere dich eine Stunde vor 
 deinem Tod (Try to improve an hour before your death).' 
 Further, it shows how talent and the best education are 
 mere delusions, which lead their possessor to certain de- 
 
220 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 stmction, if the true inner light, character, and conscience 
 do not sustain him in the right path. It shows, moreover, 
 that all sin avenges itself in this world. " Well, 'Requies- 
 cat in pace.' 
 
 " Always yours, 
 
 " A. Mendelssohn Bartholdy." 
 
 The sequel of this episode was as melancholy as it was 
 unexpected. Felix's honored father, Moscheles' faithful 
 friend, died on the rpth of November in the same year, and 
 the blow so prostrated Moscheles as to mal?e him utterly 
 indifferent to take any further action. To institute legal 
 proceedings was utterly distasteful to him. He remained a 
 considerable loser ; the family of the young man, although 
 reputed wealthy, having never thought it worth the trouble 
 to clear the memory of their relative. 
 
 After a short stay at Hamburg with his relatives, the 
 last two months of the year were devoted by Moscheles to 
 the pains and pleasures of concert-giving in Belgium and 
 Holland. Writing from Amsterdam, he observes ; " I 
 can't complain of the phlegmatic Dutch. In the year 1820 
 I enjoyed the hospitality of my friends the Konigswarters, 
 and there wrote my Concerto in G minor, which was re- 
 ceived as warmly as my subsequent compositions are now. 
 I mu-st play everywhere, and the pecuniary results are very 
 gratifying." "But," adds Mrs. Moscheles, "in spite of all 
 the musical honors heaped on my husband, we find some 
 odd customs here. At the Subscription Concert, the first 
 part is scarcely finished when all the gentlemen vanish. 
 Where are they ? My olfactory nerves soon answer the 
 question, as the tobacco fumes issue from the adjoining 
 room. The ladies meanwhile drink chocolate and lem- 
 onade, and I, in my solitude, found time for studying the 
 bareness of the four whitewashed walls of the concert room." 
 Moscheles, here as elsewhere, complains of the bad orches- 
 tra. "The Directors take every imaginable pains. I my- 
 self seldom sit at the piano, when I rehearse a concerto, but 
 run about between the leading violin and double drum, up 
 and down, whispering the note into the ear of every player ; 
 after all my trouble, the music will not 'go.' I often omit 
 a difficult Adagio, and in Rotterdam, where I had a very 
 
CONCER rS IN HOLLA ND. 221 
 
 poor instrument to play upon, extemporized on Mozart's 
 air, ' I can do nought but pity you,' and applied the words 
 to myself. In spite of a violent attempt to encore me, I 
 would not a second time face a struggle with the refractory 
 keys of the pianoforte." 
 
 The troubles of concert-giving in the Belgian towns are 
 largely compensated for by visits to the galleries, churches 
 and museums. Once returned to England, Moscheles can 
 look back upon Holland as a store-house of happy memo- 
 ries for future years. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 1836. 
 
 Letters from Members of the Mendelssohn Family — Braham at St. 
 James' Theatre — Malibran— Thalberg — De Beriot — ^John Parry— 
 The Duke of Brunswick's Bouquet — Death of Malibran — Ole Bull 
 — Holiday Occupations — Felix Mendelssohn's Betrothal — The 
 Oratorio of St Paul at Liverpool — Thalberg's Compositions — 
 Schumann — Account with Cramer and Co. — Twelve Characteristic 
 Studies. 
 
 WE read the following passages in a letter written by 
 Moscheles in January. " As yet not a word from 
 our friend Felix Mendelssohn ; he has not recovered from 
 the shock of his father's death, or he would certainly have 
 written. What I do hear of him is anything but consolatory, 
 they say he cannot work, from feeling an indescribable void 
 in the loss of one whom he regarded as the chief mainstay 
 of his life ; but such a state of things cannot last. I can 
 well understand his grief when my mind goes back to the 
 autumn days I spent with him in his old home. His father, 
 old, weak, and almost blind, was a man gifted with such 
 activity of mind and clearness of judgment that I could not 
 only understand the deep reverence my friend felt for him, 
 but also share it with him. The following letters from other 
 members of the Mendelssohn family testify to their sorrow. 
 The first is from Mendelssohn's widow : — 
 
 " Berlin, 12th January, 1836. 
 
 " I know you have a deep sympathy with me, dear Mrs. 
 Moscheles, prostrate as I am under this terrible and utterly 
 unexpected blow, and I know that you will find some alle- 
 viation of your own sorrow in my honestly assuring you that 
 the two days your excellent husband spent with us in Oc- 
 tober were among the brightest and most cheerful that gild- 
 ed /22> declining days ; nay, they left a remembrance which to 
 
LETTERS FROM THE MENDELSSOHN FAMIL V. 223 
 
 the last gave him the deepest joy. Everything then seemed in 
 harmony with his wishes, and events appeared to shape 
 themselves as he would have thought best for his own happi- 
 ness. He was deeply sensible and grateful for such bless- 
 ings, and what a noble, gentle, beneficent spirit his was, day 
 after day ripening, aspiring to higher aims ! How thought- 
 ful his observations the very last night he was with us, as he 
 sat listening to our reading the ' Profession de Foi du Vi- 
 caire Savoyard,' out of Rousseau's ' Emile.' How sweet, 
 how cheerful our interview, before that last sleep, the sleep 
 of death ! I had never thought death possible in that pain- 
 less, ethereal form, I could not realize the dread face. 
 Without any foreshadowing of my sorrow, I found myself 
 bereaved and in deepest misery. My children, one and all, 
 behave like angels, and I were ungrateful indeed, if in my 
 hour of agony, I were blind to the many blessings still left 
 to me. Felix's struggle with the sorrow brought on him 
 made me at first very troubled and anxious ; when we are 
 with him tears seem to give him relief and courage for the 
 battle of life before him. It is a good thing we should have 
 him just now living near us ; he has twice visited us since 
 the event. Pray accept, my dear friend, my warmest thanks 
 for all the kindness you showed to my dear one when he 
 was in London ; he always spoke of it with emotion and 
 gratitude, at last, when the state of his eyes prevented him 
 from working, he would repeatedly say : ' I don't feel in the 
 least dull, I have seen in the course of my life much that is 
 beautiful and interesting!' And his visits to London, and 
 your friendship, he reckoned among his highest enjoyments. 
 He never forgot any of his numerous friends, pray assure 
 them all how deeply sensible I am of their kindness. 
 
 " L. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
 We give an extract from a letter of Fanny Hensel, to 
 the Moscheles ; she was Mendelssohn's elder sister in point 
 of years, but like a twin-sister in her tastes and suscepti- 
 bility for art. After acknowledging, in language similar to 
 that in her mother's letter, the care and attention paid to 
 her father while he was in London, she continues : " Do you 
 remember, dear Mrs. Moscheles, how Felix one autumn 
 evening you spent with us played the exquisite Adagio in F 
 
224 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 sharp major from one of Haydn's quartets ? My father had 
 a special love for Haydn's music, the movement was new to 
 him, and so powerfully affected him that he wept as he lis- 
 tened, confessing afterwards that it impressed him as being 
 so deeply sorrowful. Felix was much struck by this view, 
 for although ' mesto ' was marked, we had all been impress- 
 ed rather the other way. My father's judgment in musical 
 matters was often wonderfully acute, and singularly correct 
 for one uninitiated in the technicalities of the art. For you, 
 dear Mrs. Moscheles, he had the greatest esteem and affec- 
 tion. My anxiety about Felix is at an end, he has collected 
 all his energies, and deep though his sorrow be, it is natural, 
 and not of that distressing kind that deepened our sorrow 
 and made us doubly solicitous on his account. The coming 
 season and travelling will, I trust, completely restore him to 
 that state of mind that he must recover, if he wishes to live 
 up to his father's standard, as he never failed to do while 
 they were together. Such intense sympathy as theirs is 
 very rarely found in the world. I now bid you both heartily 
 farewell. 
 
 "Fanny Hensel." 
 
 Moscheles' sympathy and thoughts were far away with 
 his afflicted friends, but the duties incidental to his position 
 in England were paramount considerations, and he found it 
 impossible to withdraw from the busy vortex of London. 
 Adverting to theatrical matters he says : " Braham has 
 taken a lease of a small house, the St. James's Theatre, and 
 had it decorated very tastefully in the Louis XIV. style. 
 He has an excellent company, headed by Jenny Vertpre, 
 and other well-known celebrities of the French stage ; they 
 attract the best society of London by their exquisite render- 
 ing of dramas which have already become popular in Paris." 
 At a later period French operas were given, with the lovely 
 Cinti and famous tenor Nourrit, who shone particularly in 
 two pieces, " La Reine de Seize Ans" and " La Jeunesse de 
 Charles IL" Once at this theatre Moscheles joined Mali- 
 bran and other stars in a concert, which began after the 
 opera and lasted till midnight. Balfe produces with great 
 success his first opera, " The Siege of Rochelle." " The 
 music light, after the manner of the composer himself, but 
 
MALIBRAN.—DE BERIOT. 225 
 
 cheerful and pleasing like the author ; " after this he writes 
 for Malibran " The Maid of Artois." That versatile artist, 
 equally at home in the English, Italian, French, and Span- 
 ish languages, was engaged as an English prima donna at 
 Drary Lane Theatre. " Did Balfe intend her to do battle 
 with those incredibly difficult passages at the beginning, or 
 were they improvised by her on the spur of the moment ? I 
 can't say ; somehow or other the enchantress conjured them 
 forth. I don't like her so well in Fidelio, and prefer our 
 own unrivalled Schroder-Devrient in the part. Malibran's 
 forte lies in passionate acting, which contrasts too violently 
 with the enduring womanly love of Fidelio, and why she 
 brings two pistols into the prison, neither I nor any one else 
 can understand." 
 
 Malibran's protracted stay in London led to a close in- 
 timacy with the Moscheles, at whose house she was a con- 
 slant visitor. She was married to De Beriot. Her spark- 
 ling genius, sunny cheerfulness, and never-failing spirit and 
 humor contrasted forcibly with his apathy, not to say cold- 
 ness, more especially as the two artists were constantly seen 
 and judged together. Other singers may captivate by their 
 art, and gifted and amiable women by their manners and 
 conversation, but Malibran had magic power to lead us cap- 
 tives, body and soul. In Moscheles' house she had every 
 one at her feet, the children looked on her as their pwn 
 property, she alone knew the right way to play with the 
 doll's house, and none other but Malibran had a certain 
 black silk bag of irresistible attraction to the little ones. ■ 
 The contents of this bag were not, however, the common- 
 place things — toys or sugar-plums — ^but a paint-box, paper, 
 and brushes. She would come into the room, and the min- 
 ute afterwards she would be down on the carpet with the 
 children, letting them pull out everything, and then the pic- 
 ture-making began, and she would throw her whole energies 
 into the work, and share the children's intense delights 
 
 We quote from the diary of the 12th of June : " Sunday. 
 — I began my day with setting Goethe's ' Meeresstille und 
 Gluckliche Fahrt' as a song for Malibran. We had great 
 fun the other day, when she and De Beriot joined our early 
 dinner. The conversation turned upon Gnecco's comic 
 duet, which Malibran sang so frequently and charmingly 
 
226 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 with Lablache. Man and wife ridicule and abuse one 
 another, caricaturing alternately each other's defects — 
 when she came to the passage ; ' La tua bocca e fatta 
 apposta pel servizio della posta;' 'just like my mouth,' 
 said Malibran, ' as broad as you please, and I'll just put this 
 orange in, to prove it' One must have known De Beriot 
 to appreciate his amazement and agony at seeing his wife 
 open her mouth wide, and discover two beautiful rows of 
 teeth, behind which the orange disappears. Then she 
 roared with laughter at her successful performance. 
 
 " She came at three o'clock ; with her were Thalberg, 
 Benedict, and Klingemann. We dined early, and imme- 
 diately afterwards Mahbran sat down to the piano, and 
 'sang for the children,' as she used to call it, the Rataplan 
 and some of her father's Spanish songs ; for want of a 
 guitar accompaniment she used, while playing, every now 
 and then to mark the rhythm on the board at the back of 
 the keys. After singing with exquisite grace and charm a 
 number of French and Italian romances of her own compo- 
 sition, she was relieved at the piano by Thalberg, who 
 performed all manner of tricks on the instrument, snapping 
 his fingers as an obligato to Viennese songs and waltzes. 
 I played afterwards with reversed hands, and with my fists, 
 and none laughed louder than Malibran. At five o'clock, 
 we drove to the Zoological Gardens, and pushed our way 
 for an hour with the fashionables. When we • had had 
 enough of man and beast, we took one more turn in the 
 Park, and directly we got home Malibran sat down to the 
 piano and sang for an hour. At last, however, she called 
 out to Thalberg: 'Venez jouer quelque chose, j'ai besoin 
 de me reposer,' her repose consisting in finishing a most 
 charming landscape, in water-colors (an art in which she 
 was self-taught). Thalberg played by heart, and in a most 
 masterly way, several of his ' Studies,' and fragments of a 
 newly written Rondo, then my 'Studies,' 'Allegri di Bra- 
 vura,' and ' G minor Concerto.' We had supper after- 
 wards ; there again it was Malibran who kept us all going. 
 She gave us the richest imitations of Sir George Smart, the 
 singers Knyvett, Braham, Phillips, and Vaughan, who had 
 sung with her at a concert given by the Duchess of C. ; 
 taking off the fat Duchess herself, as she condescendingly 
 
MALIBRAN.— JOHN PARRY. 227 
 
 patronized 'her' artists, and winding up with the cracked 
 voice and nasal tones of Lady — , who inflicted 'Home, 
 sweet Home' on the company. Suddenly her comic vein 
 came to a full stop j then she gave in the thorough German 
 style the scena from Freyschiitz, with German words, and 
 a whole series of German songs by Mendelssohn, Schubert, 
 Weber, and my humble self; lastly, she took a turn with 
 'Don Juan,' being familiar not only with the music of 
 Zerlina, her own part, but knowing by heart every note in 
 the opera, which she could play and sing from beginning to 
 end. She went on playing and singing alternately until 
 eleven o'clock, fresh to the last in voice and spirits. When 
 she left us, we were all rapturous about her music, lan- 
 guages, painting ; but what we liked best was her artless- 
 ness and amiability." 
 
 Moscheles composed for her a song with Klingeroann's 
 words, " Steigt der Mond auf." (" The moon rises.") She 
 made him play to her constantly, knew several of his 
 " Studies" by heart, and told us that her father made her 
 practice them. 
 
 Moscheles, speaking in one of his letters of a concert 
 at his own house, adds, " Malibran and De Beriot appeared 
 at eleven o'clock, after our eighty guests had satisfied their 
 musical appetite with English vocal music, solos by Lipinsky 
 and SerVais, and my own ' Concert Fantastique.' She 
 looked weary, and, when she sang, one scarcely recognized 
 Malibran, she was so voiceless. We only heard subse- 
 quently that she had been thrown from her horse when 
 riding in the park. Although suffering no injury, she had 
 not yet recovered from the violent shock. She was soon 
 herself, however, and sang two ' Freyschiitz' scenas in 
 German, a comic English duet with John Parry, three 
 Spanish, Italian, and French songs, winding up with the 
 duet, ' Cadence du , Diable,' for herself and De Beriot, in 
 which she prefaces his daring and marvellous violin pas- 
 sages with the words, ' Voyez comma le diable prelude." 
 The proper name of the piece is ' Le Songe de Tartini,' and 
 the supposition being that the master has, in a dream, seen 
 the devil, and heard him play the piece right through, every 
 latitude is allowed for whims and eccentricities. When my 
 wife showed some anxiety lest she should over-exert herself, 
 
228 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 she replied, ' Ma chere, je chanterais pour vous jusqu'S, 
 extinction de voix.' It was interesting to watch her raptures 
 in listening to a duet composed and played by Benedict and 
 De Bcriot ; certain passages in the work seemed to me 
 possibly to have emanated from her pen. I was called on 
 at the end of the evening to improvise ; and that the comic 
 element might be properly represented, young John Parry 
 amused us with his masterly parody of the scena in the 
 Wolf's Glen in the ' Freyschiitz.' With a sheet of music 
 rolled up, with one end in his mouth and the other resting 
 on the music desk, he produced the deepest horn or trom- 
 bone notes ; his hands worked the keys, and his feet a tea- 
 tray. There was the 'Wilde Jagd' complete. Thalberg 
 had a bad finger, and couldn't play ; but he and De B''riot 
 staid with us uiitil three in the morning, gossiping and 
 commenting on the events of the evening." On the nth 
 of May Moscheles is assisted by De Beriot at his concert 
 given in the Italian Opera House. " I had an ' embarras 
 de richesses ; ' besides the great star Malibran, there were 
 Lablache, Grisi, and Clara Novello. I played a concerto 
 of Bach's that had never been heard in England, and my 
 own ' C minor Concerto.' It was a tremendous success for 
 all concerned. After a performance of the ' Maid of 
 Artois,' in which Malibran performed marvellously, we 
 went to see her in her dressing-room. There she sat, 
 surrounded by wreaths and an enormous bouquet in her 
 hand. She talked and laughed with us, adding : ' Si vous 
 vouliez me debarrasser de cette machine, c'est cet abomina- 
 ble Due de Brunswick qui vient de me I'apporter,' and so 
 saying, threw a colossal bouquet at me, which I caught. 
 What must ' the abominable Duke' have thought, when, a 
 few moments later, he saw me mount my carriage and carry 
 off his bouquet ? For so it happened at the entrance-door 
 of Drury Lane Theatre." The exertions of the famous 
 artiste were incessant ; for, independent of her three 
 operatic performances per week, she was repeatedly en- 
 gaged for morning and evening concerts, and accepted all 
 sorts of invitations to fashionable breakfasts, f^tes cham- 
 petres, and private parties. To attend three parties on the 
 same evening was a matter of constant occurrence. "On 
 the 1 6th of July," writes Moscheles, "before the De 
 
MALIBRAN. 220 
 
 Beriots started on their journey, we spent an hour with 
 Malibran, by appointment ; we found her at the piano, and 
 Costa standing by her. She sang us a comic song that she 
 had just composed : A sick man weary of life invokes death ; 
 but when death, personified by a doctor, knocks at the 
 door, he dismisses him with scorn. She had set this sub- 
 ject so cleverly, and sang the music so humorously, that we 
 could scarcely refrain from laughing ; and yet we couldn't 
 endure to lose a single note. After this, she wrote in my 
 album a charming French romance; this she sang to us, 
 and presented my wife with one of her original water-color 
 landscapes. At last we parted ; they went to Brussels for 
 a few days, and returned to Manchester for the music festi- 
 val, where she sang so bewitchingly, on the 20th of Septem- 
 ber, that the audience boisterously called for an encore. 
 Malibran, already in a very dangerous state, and one 
 requiring absolute rest and cessation from work, summoned 
 all her remaining energies ; after repeating her song, and 
 her inimitable shake on the high C, she fainted away and 
 became unconscious. She was taken to the hotel ; the 
 doctor bled her, and she awoke to apparent consciousness ; 
 but alas ! this only lasted till the 23d of September, when 
 she died." ... . " Expressions of sorrow are inadequate, 
 for such a loss as this penetrates the whole world of art, 
 and plunges into grief the more confined circle of her 
 friends. I felt impelled to clothe my sorrow in sound, and 
 composed a fantasia on Malibran's death." 
 
 Thalberg, who in the year 1826 had parted from Mos- 
 cheles as a pupil, now returned as a master. " I find his 
 introduction of harp effects on the piano quite original," 
 writes Moscheles. " His theme, which lies in the middle 
 part, is brought out clearly in relief with an accompaniment 
 of complicated arpeggios which remind me of a harp. The 
 audience is amazed. He himself remains immovably calm ; 
 his whole bearing, as he sits at the piano, is soldier-like ; 
 his lips are tightly compressed, and hiS coat buttoned 
 closely. He told me he acquired this attitude of selfcon- 
 trol by smoking a Turkish pipe while practicing his piano- 
 forte exercises ; the length of the tube was so calculated as 
 to keep him erect aiid motionless." We quote from a 
 letter : — 
 
230 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " At 10 in the evening of the zd of May, we heard a 
 knock at our door, and Ole Bull, the Norwegian violinist, 
 stepped in ; this was his first visit to us. In less than five 
 minutes he had poured forth a torrent of talk, giving us his 
 exalted opinion of himself, and rattling on in such an im- 
 petuous, eccentric fashion that we were completely dumb- 
 foundered. Is this the genuine _/ez< sacref The descrip- 
 tion he gave of his own life (it has appeared in print) is so 
 full of adventure that it threw Paganini completely into the 
 shade, and we asked ourselves, when he was gone, whether 
 his talent as a violin-player would do as much. His play- 
 ing, no less than his demeanor, at his own concert, created 
 a sensation. I shouldn't like to mention Spohr's name in 
 connection with his, nor that of other musicians, his infe- 
 riors in execution, for they will permanently be recognized 
 as first-rate artists, when the impetuous Norwegian, pitted 
 against them, is forced to succumb in the art arena. I 
 must add," says Mrs. Moscheles, "that Ole Bull, shortly 
 before he announced his concert, stepped in to see us at 
 our dinner hour, when Moscheles had just come home aftei 
 a weary day's lesson-giving. I can't say he was a welcome 
 guest, much less did we relish his request that Moscheles 
 would play for him. Moscheles tried to get off, and for a 
 time withstood manfully his tormentor, but consented at 
 last. Such incidents are time-killers." " To-day," she 
 says in another letter, " I will enumerate for you some 
 of the strange contrasts we are subjected to. The other 
 day we had a small party on purpose for the Lockharts, 
 when my husband's respected friend and colleague, the 
 famous Schnyder von Wartensee, turns up unexpectedly, 
 and, as if he were not enough, in comes Sanklow, the Po- 
 lish Jew, in his robes ; he is not attractive to the olfactory 
 nerves, and while Moscheles is playing his trio with Lipin- 
 sky and Servais, he is all impatience for the last bar, that 
 he may have his turn, and give us the benefit of his straw 
 and wood fiddle, with its petty shakes and passages. He 
 is not up to the mark of Gusikow, his compatriot and pre- 
 decessor, on the poverty-stricken instrument. And how 
 would you have liked a grand performance of Handel's 
 oratorio, ' Solomon,' in Exeter Hall, and immediately after- 
 wards the dance-music of a ball-room, where we were 
 
HERZ AND BROADWOOD. 
 
 231 
 
 obliged, in spite of the unpleasant contrast, to look in for 
 an hour or so, or we should have been thought rude ? In 
 London, no fete, ball, or evening party is thought successful 
 unless ' one has everybody,' therefore, that we might have 
 ' everybody,' our friends the H.'s, who, as you know, are a 
 good deal mixed up with Indian affairs, brought to our 
 house, a few evenings since, his Excellency Prince Jara- 
 hod-deen, the tawny son of Tippoo Sa'ib. On this evening, 
 however, we had only a few select listeners, bent on enjoy- 
 ing with us the Kreutzer sonata with Lipinsky, and the 
 Bach concerto, with quartet accompaniments. How the 
 tawny prince must have longed for his tam-tam ! We find 
 the parties at Lady — 's very agreeable. She is a zealous 
 pupil and admirer of Moscheles, engages the entire troupe 
 of Italians at an immense cost, and fills her three splendid 
 reception-rooms with the rank, fashion, and beauty of the 
 day. When invited on such nights, we are given to under- 
 stand that there is no design to make my husband play to 
 a set of people who would only talk during an instrumental 
 performance." 
 
 H. Herz introduced his seven-octave piano in the con- 
 cert market, but the tone was declared to be thin, and his 
 invention met with but faint praise. Broadwood, on the 
 other hand, made his first essay with his bichord (semi- 
 grand) piano, and proved the possibility of gaining a power- 
 ful tone through the medium of only two strings. These 
 instruments attained most deservedly a large circulation, 
 and Moscheles always delighted to play on them. 
 
 Moscheles, writing from Ramsgate, talks with delight 
 of shaking from his finger tips the dust of lesson-giving, and 
 adds : — 
 
 " If my wife asks me the reason of my not utilizing my 
 spare time for composing, I can only answer that my con- 
 science will not allow me. After the harum-scarum of a 
 London season, the mind and fingers become paralyzed, 
 and the former can only be healed by the latter, which 
 means that I must play a great deal of the best music before 
 I can allow myself to indulge in an idea of my own, or 
 commit it to paper, otherwise it would be mere shallow 
 hackneyed stuff. After escaping illness, the exhausted 
 patient should take strengthening medicine, before he again 
 
2y. 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 resumes his professional calling." During the close of his 
 visit to the seaside he writes a Greek war-song for Phillips, 
 who, on receipt of it, replies, " I shall sing it at the Phil- 
 harmonic, and everywhere else, and will answer for its 
 success." Besides this he composes music for Uhland's 
 beautiful poem, " Schiifers Sontagslied," and is so delighted 
 with his holiday time that he gives it in one of his letters 
 the epithet of "heavenly." 
 
 The happy news of Mendelssohn's being engaged to be 
 married surprises him on his return to London. Four 
 years before, on the 3d of September, 1832, Mendelssohn 
 had written to Mrs. Moscheles: "Klingemann still remains 
 a knight of the order of bachelors, and so do I ; thirty 
 years hence we shall both want to get married, but then no 
 girl will care to take us. When you burn the letter, cut 
 this prophecy out, and preserve it carefully, in thirty years 
 it will be seen whether it was worthy of credit." On the 
 6th of October, Mrs. Moscheles receives the following letter, 
 in a different strain, from Mendelssohn's mother. 
 
 " Berlin, October edi, 1836. 
 
 " Dearest Mrs. Moscheles, — You have probably al- 
 ready heard by report, which travels now-a-days so much 
 more rapidly than people or railways and steamers, that 
 Felix is engaged to be married. I cannot, however, deny 
 myself the pleasure of personally communicating to you 
 and your husband, Felix's excellent friend, the news which 
 is a matter of such happiness to us all. You, an affection- 
 ate mother, can imagine how strange it seems to me, riot 
 lo know either his bride elect, or any one of her numerous 
 relations ; nor can I recollect ever to have heard the name 
 of the family. As a penalty for excessive liveliness, quite 
 out of place, considering what an old lady I am, I shall be 
 forced to wait a long time before I can see the fair un- 
 known, who is already so precious to me. You know, how- 
 ever, how disinterested are a mother's feelings, and will 
 form a correct estimate of the joy we all feel, for Felix him- 
 self seems so completely happy. There is, however, a bit- 
 ter drop to this cup of joy, and the thought is constantly 
 arising in my mind, had his dear father but lived to share 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S BETROTHAL. 
 
 233 
 
 our happiness ! He desired such a blessing for Felix so 
 earnestly, and yet scarcely ventured to hope for it. That 
 sad event (his father's death) supplied Felix perhaps with 
 the strongest incentive for taking such a resolve. When he 
 paid us his last Christmas visit, he was so inexpressibly 
 wretched, so thoroughly heart-broken, so absorbed in silent 
 suffering, so vacillating and purposeless even in his art 
 schemes, that his sisters persuaded him he must turn over 
 a new leaf, and give his mind a fresh start. 
 
 " His acquaintance with a young lady in Frankfort soon 
 enabled him to shake off the thraldom of low spirits, and 
 he is now happily betrothed to his Cecile ; Madame Jean- 
 renaud, her mother, was a Miss Souchay, and is related to 
 the Beneckes and Schunck. 
 
 " Malibran's death has shocked and grieved me exceed- 
 ingly ; Felix always reckoned her talents as among the 
 greatest in our times. What a loss ! As you may imagine, 
 a mother's egotism too puts in its word, for she was to 
 have sung in ' St. Paul,' at Liverpool, on the third of this 
 month. You, and your dear husband, and our London 
 friends will excuse him if he has not written for a long 
 time j I too am not favored with many letters just at pres- 
 ent. Rebecca, who on returning from Eger, is paying a 
 fortnight's visit to her brother, writes, as a justification, that 
 he is in the midst of whirl and bustle, without a quiet mo- 
 ment to himself. Pray excuse him, and heap kindness on 
 kindness by announcing his engagement, in his and my 
 name, to our London friends. 
 
 " Your ever faithful and devoted, 
 
 " L. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
 The happiness of Mendelssohn's friends on hearing of 
 his engagement with Cecile Jeanrenaud was perfectly intelli- 
 gible, for it soon became plain that he had found a mind in 
 harmony with his own, a woman who understood him and 
 knew how to value him as he deserved. At the same time 
 he was to enjoy a great musical triumph in England, 
 although he was not present to witness it ; for the oratorio 
 of " St. Paul" was given for the first time in Liverpool, and 
 received with the greatest enthusiasm. Moscheles, who 
 had undertaken the correction of the work for England, 
 
2 34 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 writes in his diary : " To my great delight, I am constantly 
 busy with the magnificent ' St. Paul,' and often become com- 
 pletely absorbed in the work. Its chief qualities are, in my 
 judgment, majesty, a noble simplicity, deep feeling, and an 
 antique form. In this work he has given the most brilliant 
 proofs of a mastery already generally recognized." In the 
 quiet time of his autumn holiday Moscheles had begun to 
 work at the " Characteristic Studies," and to send occasion- 
 al contributions to musical periodicals. The song, " What- 
 ever sweets -we hope to find," the Terzet, " An' Argument," 
 etc., belong to these fugitive pieces. 
 
 " The proper ground for finger gymnastics," he writes in 
 his diary, " is to be found in Thalberg's latest compositions ; 
 for ' mind' (Geist) give me Schumann. The Romanticism 
 in his works is a thing so completely new, his genius so 
 great, that to weigh correctly the peculiar qualities and weak- 
 nesses of this new school I must go deeper and deeper into 
 the study of his works. He sends me his sonata ' Flor- 
 estan and Eusebius,' which has just been published, accom- 
 panied by the flattering remark that I am the only person 
 who can review the work properly, and would I do it for the 
 ' Neue Zeitschrift der Musik,' in Leipzig." 
 
 This was done conscientiously and earnestly, and Schu- 
 mann inserted the review in his " Gesammelte Schriften : " 
 he also dedicated to Moscheles his " Concerto without Or- 
 chestra," which the latter zealously studied. He objected 
 to the title as contradictory, and disagreed with Schumann's 
 method of translating the musical signs — such as piano, forte 
 etc. — into German, as not being generally feasible, and 
 whenever he discovered in one and the same piece both 
 German and Italian terms employed, he found fault with the 
 practice. 
 
 Taking a retrospective glance at his dealings with his 
 publishers, Moscheles again complains that only his arrange- 
 ments of operas and pieces of a similar calibre prove rerau- 
 ■ nerative, whereas his larger and important works command 
 inadequate terms, and the sum paid for the elaborate and 
 conscientiously prepared edition of Beethoven's pianoforte 
 works is actually no compensation for the time expended 
 upon it. After some discussion Moscheles obtained better 
 terms for his larger compositions, and agreed, in addition 
 
CHARACTERISTIC STUDIES. 235 
 
 to his already prepared arrangement of Balfe's operas, to 
 edit a pianoforte version of Donizetti's " Belisario." He 
 cannot suppress a sigh in his diary with reference to the lat- 
 ter. His chief work, however, was upon the twelve great 
 characteristic " Studies." " They are not intended for pu- 
 pils," he writes; "there are difficulties in them which only 
 a master can overcome. Thalberg, Liszt, all such players 
 will find their work cut out for them." "Juno," "The 
 Dream," " The Bacchanal," were finished when the lovely 
 " Nursery Tale," was begun, a harbinger of the coming 
 event — the birth of a third daughter — a circumstance 
 which occurred soon afterwards under very happy auspices. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 1837- 
 
 Recitals for Pianoforte Music — Production of Beethoven's Ninth Sym- 
 phony — An Old Harpsichord — Revival of Old Masters — British 
 Concerts — Popularity of Italian Music and Musicians — Thalberg's 
 Second Season in London— Foreign Guests — Assaiit de Pianos 
 — Chopin — Remarks on Pianoforte Makers — BchrSder-Devrient — 
 Operatic Affairs — The Antient Concerts — ^The Beethoven Monu- 
 ment in Bonn — Holidays in Hamburg — Return to London. 
 
 IN the course of the preceding winter many delightful 
 evenings had been devoted to stringed quartets, which 
 were repeated in the present year. Hitherto there had been 
 no recitals for pianoforte music, and these were introduced 
 by Mosclieles. Many of his colleagues called this a ven- 
 turous undertaking. Moscheles, however, held to his pur- 
 pose, taking the precaution to interweave a little vocal mu- 
 sic with the instrumental, so as to relieve the monotony 
 which people warned him against. He was like the farmer 
 in the fable, however, who was advised by some to ride him- 
 self, by others to put his son on the saddle. The news- 
 papers were loud in their praises of the new scheme, but 
 censured the introduction of vocal music, adding that it was 
 an interruption, and the one blot in an otherwise perfect en- 
 tertainment. On three successive occasions Moscheles play- 
 ed some music of Scarlatti and his contemporaries on a harp- 
 sichord, built in the year 1771, and still in possession of 
 Messrs. Broadwood. Externally the instrument was shaped 
 like an old Viennese piano. When the cover was lifted, one 
 saw a contrivance somewhat in the shape of a Venetian 
 blind, which, like the shutter covering the swell part of the 
 organ, was acted upon by the pedals — by using this, greater 
 sonority was given to the tone, which otherwise, was rather 
 thin, and less agreeable. Moscheles gave much attention 
 to the invention, and turned it to good account. The upper 
 and lower keyboards of the instrument were evidently in- 
 
BACH'S D MINOR CONCERTO. 
 
 237- 
 
 tended for the rendering of such passages of Scarlatti and 
 other masters as on modern pianos require constant crossing 
 of the hands ; and one row of keys being connected with 
 two, and the other with three strings, certain shades are 
 produced in the quality of the sound. 
 
 Bach's D minor concerto, with quartet accompaniment, 
 was now heard for the first time, and all agreed that a real 
 feeling for music was fostered and promoted by an acquaint- 
 ance with such masters ; the papers expressed a hope that 
 the crowded audience in Moscheles' three concerts would 
 induce him to repeat them next winter, and introduce in his 
 programmes even older composers than Sebastian Bach. 
 A novelty in England was to be seen in the " British Con- 
 ceits," the introduction of which was well timed, for the 
 fashionable world was so prejudiced in favor of the light 
 and often shallow Italian music, that young native talent 
 felt piqued, and ready to measure itself with the vapid pro- 
 ductions of Italian rivals, in the event of a series of perform- 
 ances being given, in which none but English artists and 
 English music should be heard. " Exclusiveness," remarks 
 Moscheles, " is a constant hindrance to art-progress ; in 
 this case, there was such a frequent want of originality in 
 the composition, and such inadequacy of performance, that 
 the fashionable world remained loyal to their favorite Ital- 
 ians, and only third-rate people took any pride or delight 
 in "native talent." One of the great successes of the sea- 
 son, however, in which all classes joined, was obtained b)' 
 Litolff, who brought out the first concerto he had composed. 
 " Here, anyhow, is originality," says Moscheles, " although 
 rather unpolished, and his powers as an executant are un- 
 deniable ; the storm of applause and enthusiasm was on this 
 occasion perfectly justified." 
 
 The diary, as well as the letters of this winter, show how 
 earnestly Moscheles, as a joint-director of the Philharmonic 
 Concerts, again labored to bring out Beethoven's Ninth 
 Symphony, which, in the year 1824, had been pronounced 
 impossible, and failed in consequence. Great as were the 
 obstacles thrown in his way by his colleagues, they at last 
 resolved to hand over to him the leadership in this purely 
 venturous scheme ; as for success, not a soul dreamt of 
 such a thing. Now began a series of weeks of labor. In- 
 
238 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Stead of one orchestral rehearsal, Moscheles was allowed 
 two, but that was all, and, consequently, he seized the op- 
 portunity of rehearsing every difficulty with each individual 
 player. Every singer and instrumentalist knew his part ; 
 owing to Moscheles' accompaniment and explanations, each 
 man had some knowledge of the colossal work before the 
 time of the first orchestral rehearsal ; the second he used 
 for the acquirement of light, shade, and expression, and al- 
 though much was wanting, and two solo-singers not perfectly 
 up to their work, still the performance was brilliantly suc- 
 cessful. Moscheles writes in high spirits to his relatives, 
 and says, " You can imagine my excitement before and dur- 
 ing the concert on the 17th of April. 1 don't speak of my 
 work and labors, for by this accompanying article, out of the 
 Atlas, you will see how they have been rewarded. I don't 
 know who the critic is, but I send you this article, because 
 it deals with the chief points of the performance shortly and 
 concisely ; all the newspapers are fairly in raptures with this 
 colossal music, and unanimously insist on its remaining a 
 fixture in the ' Repertoire,' and being performed, on a 
 grander scale, either in Exeter Hall or at the Birmingham 
 Festival. Suffice it to say that wealthy England has en- 
 riched herself by one additional treasure, and ho^ I rejoiced 
 that I have been permitted to disinter it ! " The weightiest 
 part of the article lying before us consists in the remark that 
 conductors who have not a thoroughly deep knowledge of 
 the work itself, would labor in vain to make it understood, 
 and that the performers themselves, if not penetrated with 
 a sense of its beauties, would impose on the audience an in- 
 tolerable ennui. Moscheles' peculiar capabilities and efforts 
 are enumerated, and a due meed of praise is awarded both 
 to singers and orchestral players. 
 
 In his second season in London, Thalberg enjoyed ex- 
 traordinary success. His Fantasia on " God save the King" 
 acquired a sort of political significance, as it was produced 
 during the last days of King William IV.'s fatal illness — at 
 Moscheles' own concert, on the 31st of May. Thalberg 
 played, with him and Benedict, Bach's triple concerto — 
 it was a regular triumph, and more enjoyed by the aud- 
 ience than Scarlatti's " Cats' Fugue," performed by Mos- 
 cheles on the harpsichord ; the " Characteristic Studies," 
 
A MUSICAL CmCLE. 
 
 239 
 
 the " Concert Path6tique," both novelties, were very well 
 rjceived. 
 
 In a letter from Moscheles to his relatives, the following 
 passage occurs: "You might well suppose I was tired after 
 the concert, but how could I be so ? An exquisite perform- 
 ance was in readiness for me when I returned home — this 
 was in honor of my birthday — nothing more or less than the 
 'Abt und Kaiser' dramatized, in which Felix appeared 
 mounted on a horse — I beg his pardon, a rocking-horse .... 
 Everything else analogous, and to a father's eyes unsurpass- 
 able." 
 
 In a letter from Mrs. Moscheles, written in the month 
 of May, we read : — 
 
 " Certainly ' Dame Music' is more than ever the guar- 
 dian patroness of this house, and you will believe this 
 when you hear of all that passes in it. Czerny from Vienna, 
 Jaques Rosenhain, the brothers Ganz and Franchomme, 
 Mtihlenfeld from Rotterdam, Gerke from St. Petersburg, 
 Concertmeister Moser from Berlin, with his wife and tal- 
 ented son, all are our welcome foreign guests. Thalberg 
 and Benedict often join our circle as habitues. Every one 
 wishes to exchange music with Moscheles — /. ^., the piano- 
 forte players produce their new compositions, listen to his, 
 and the instrumentalists have their solos accompanied, or 
 take part with him in Sonatas and Trios. Besides this, 
 Ries has the score of a new oratorio, ' Saul and David,' 
 Neukomm an incredible amount of sacred and secular 
 music ; all this Moscheles reads through with them at the 
 piano, and often says to me, " Thank Heaven I have such 
 good eyes, for Neukomm's delicately written small scores 
 are a veritable eye-dust( Augenpulver), and I can prophecy 
 no future life for the music itself. We are forced, alas ! 
 this year to do without our ' ace of trumps,' Felix Mendels- 
 sohn ; instead of him, however, we have a third series of 
 ' Lieder ohne Worte,' and a new series of 'Lieder' dedicated 
 to Miss Julia Jeanrenaud, and we revel in both. Only 
 think, I had lately to fight a pitched battle with, and, to 
 save his interests as an artist, against — . He and his 
 family can't speak a single word of English, and his son 
 being about to give a concert, I had offered myself as trans- 
 lator of the advertisements, programmes, etc. But the 
 
240 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 
 
 worthy concert-giver brings me a regular German essay, 
 reminding me more of a ' Cafe-chantant' than a Concert- 
 room, and I decline the task of a faithful translation, being 
 determined to omit all the laudatory epithets lavished on 
 his son, a boy of ten. It was long before he consented, 
 but out of regard for his position as an artist I remained 
 firm. I must now tell you a good thing. At an evening 
 party lately at our house, when half-a-dozen pianoforte- 
 players were present, an awkward pause ensued ; no one 
 wished to be the first to play, every one, when asked, 
 declared this one or the other must begin. My husband 
 of course could have filled up the time by his own playing, 
 but the great thing we wanted was to make the foreign 
 artists and English amateurs acquainted with one another. 
 What was to be done? In my difficulty, I proposed to 
 write down on paper all the names of the gentlemen, and 
 throw them into a hat, if they would promise to play in the 
 order in which they were drawn. This was agreed to, and 
 we had a regular " Assaut de Pianos.' Luckily the pres- 
 ence of Mrs. Shaw, with her fine alto voice, and Miss 
 Masson, as well as Balfe, with his tenor, enabled us to give 
 our friends some vocal music as well. Chopin, who spent 
 a few days in London, was the only one of the foreign 
 artists who did not go out, and wished no one to visit him, 
 for the effort of talking told on his consumptive frame. He 
 heard a few concerts and disappeared." 
 
 "I wrote to you lately about pianoforte-players" (we 
 are quoting from another letter), "to-day, therefore, you 
 shall have a chapter on pianoforte-makers ; I shall call 
 them only birds of passage this season, for ' birds of prey' 
 would certainly be too strong an expression. And yet I 
 see P.'s vinegar face, whenever at our house or at concerts 
 he hears Moscheles upon an Erard or Clementi, and can 
 fancy him muttering to himself, as he hears the Erard : 
 'Anch' io sono pittore,' or the Clementi: 'We are far 
 ahead of that,' or the Broadwood, upon which Moscheles 
 occasionally plays : " How can one prefer those to a P. ? ' 
 G. too, who came here with Czerny, wanted to hear every 
 instrument, to visit all the pianoforte-makers, and finds the 
 touch of this instrument too heavy, the tone of another too 
 muffled, and will allow his pianos alone to be brilliant. 
 
SA TIRE ON THE ITALIANS. 
 
 241 
 
 We have, too, an inventor of a method for the art of tuning 
 pianofortes ; last year it was a Crefeldman, this year a 
 Parisian, Monsieur le Pere, but in spite of his assurances 
 that it is so easy a matter to tune a piano half a tone higher 
 or lower 'que vous le feriez faire par votre domestique, ou 
 votre femme-de-chambre,' the thing didn't turn out practi- 
 cal. I could name many more, but it would weary you. 
 Every one consults his own interests, but all agree in ask- 
 ing my poor husband for verbal introductions and written 
 certificates to contain nothing but praise. ' And one can't 
 help having a conscience,' he very correctly observes. ' One 
 would not like to pay such equivocal compliments as the 
 great M. has done occasionally ; those who are commended 
 are enchanted, but the recipient, if he is wide awake, knows 
 how to interpret such stereotyped overwrought phrase- 
 ology." 
 
 Schroder-Devrient appeared again; her Fidelio was 
 incomparable as ever, her Norma, however, not up to 
 Pasta's mark. The German Opera was obliged to close 
 for want of support. " Love in the City," an opera by W., 
 was given once in the English Opera House and then 
 withdrawn. Puzzi, the fashionable horn-player, brought to 
 London an operabuffa company, in which Ronconi, who 
 afterwards became so famous, appeared j he, however, was 
 the only star. 
 
 The Royal Opera House in the Hay market had the 
 great vocalists we have already mentioned ; but the " Puri- 
 tani," and such operas, were given so repeatedly that an 
 amusing article appeared in the Atlas, headed " On Oper- 
 atic Affairs." Director and company were treated as evil- 
 doers, and subjected to a severe cross-examination. For 
 instance, questions are asked of Grisi : " How often this 
 year has she sung ' Son vergin vezzosa '(her cavatina out of 
 ' Puritani') ? Has she sung it morning, afternoon, and 
 evening, waking and sleeping? " And on her answering in 
 the affirmative, the cross-examiner proceeds : " Does she 
 like that music ? "— " Not particularly." " Why does she 
 sing it then?" — "Because she has for three years electri- 
 fied the public ; and the effect is as strong to-day as three 
 years ago." " But isn't it better to please than to aston- 
 ish?" — "Oh yes; but the public is only able to gape with 
 
242 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 astonishment because it lacks intelligence." Then comes 
 Lablache's turn, and he is made to say : " John Bull loves 
 him for his powerful voice. John Bull cares for nothing 
 but loud bellowing and roaring, and such old hackneyed 
 things as have been thoroughly drummed into his ears — 
 that's enough to kill every good singer." Rubini, on the 
 other hand, admits that he " enjoys singing the same things 
 over and over again ; that the composer may give him one 
 note, but receives fifty in return ; that Bellini, Donizetti, 
 and Mercadante have become immortal by means of ' the 
 broderie' lavished on their music by him and his colleague 
 David, men whose singing can melt hearts of stone." 
 "And what of Mozart.'" is next asked. "Rubini knows 
 him, and is obliged to sing his music occasionally. ' But, 
 to make a hit, give me other operas.' " 
 
 The bitter truth underlying the humorous form of this 
 article may thus be summed up : Mozart when sung by Ital- 
 ians, really lacked warmth ; performers and audience were 
 equally indifferent, and not once in the evening do the glo- 
 rious voices show to advantage. 
 
 In the year 1776 the " Antient Concerts " had been or- 
 ganized by the Earl of Sandwich, and during Moscheles' 
 residence in England, from 1820 to 1836, they alternated 
 with the fortnightly Philharmonic Concerts, each Society 
 giving yearly a series of eight. The intention was to bring 
 out the very oldest music, English, Italian, German, and 
 French ; to use for this purpose old instruments which had 
 slumbered for years in cabinets of antiquities, and thus to 
 mark the progress of modern days by showing the improve- 
 ments on old inventions. A ' viol di gamba,' ' viol d'amore,' 
 etc., were heard among other instruments. During 
 these concerts the music was sometimes interrupted by' 
 the loud observations of the Duke of — . "In spite of his 
 fondness for music," says Moscheles, " he puts no restraint 
 on himself; the subscribers are quite aware of the inevitable 
 drawback ; if a stranger happens to say, ' What noise is that ? ' 
 he is simply told, ' Oh, it's only the Duke,' and that's 
 enough. His abrupt sentences burst in like beats on a 
 drum that is out of time with the orchestra.' This year 
 Moscheles introduced as a novelty at the " Antient Concerts," 
 Bach's " D minor Concerto," which could not fail to be re. 
 
NINE WEEKS' HOLIDA VS. 
 
 243 
 
 ceived with great enthusiasm. Lord B., one of the directors 
 of these " Antient Concerts," summond the artists to a con- 
 sultation and meeting, with reference to the Beethoven mon- 
 ument in Bonn. He wished England to raise a splendid 
 subscription, to be realized from a grand performance of 
 Beethoven's compositions. The noble lord, however, was 
 opposed by every one. It was said in one newspaper, " that 
 the Germans never contributed a shilling to the monuments 
 of illustrious Englishmen." In another Lord B. was re- 
 proved for never troubling himself about German music, 
 and only caring really for the shallowest works of the Ital- 
 ian masters. At one of the meetings, Moscheles gave his 
 decided vote against Lord B.'s proposition. " For," he 
 said, " we are already in July, and besides, owing to the 
 King's death, many a concert has been a failure." His 
 opinion, however, although backed by all the other artists, 
 was not allowed to prevail, and a concert was given on the 
 20th of July to empty benches. Happily, some subscriptions 
 raised by Beethoven's admirers defrayed the costs of the 
 concert ; but the exaggerated promises made by Lord B. to 
 the Bonn Committee evaporated in a letter of apology to 
 Baron Schlegel. 
 
 The nine weeks' holidays were again spent very happily 
 among Moscheles' Hamburg relatives at Flottbeck, one of 
 the prettiest spots on the banks of the Elbe. Two " Studies " 
 were composed there, and Moscheles' during his walks in 
 the park, thought out the preface and characteristic marks 
 and directions affixed to the twelve grand " Studies " which 
 were published in the course of the winter. Moscheles sent 
 the E flat fugue which is in these Studies to Schumann, with 
 whom he frequently corresponded. It was a matter of re- 
 gret to the Moscheles that Mendelssohn was in London 
 during their absence, and afterwards in Birmingham, where 
 he conducted at the Festival his oratorio of " St Paul," with 
 what success is well known. 
 
 Returning in autumn to the half-deserted streets ot 
 London, Moscheles found Neukomra, Benedict, and Thal- 
 berg still there ; these artists, as well as his friend Klinge- 
 mann, were constant visitors ; the house, as in all former 
 years, was a musical centre, one evening every, week being 
 devoted to chamber music. Moscheles' chief occupation 
 
244 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 
 
 was reading pieces of ancient and modern music ; for in the 
 early part of the year, 1838, he intended giving a series of 
 historical concerts, and among so many art-treasures much 
 had to be examined before he made the iinal selection. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 1838. 
 
 Historical Concerts — The Trial Nights at the Philharmonic Concerts 
 — Musical Pupils and Publishers — Influx of Foreign Artists — 
 Johann Strauss's Music — Alfred De Vigny — Lady-Morgan — Great 
 Event of the Season — A Month at Hastings — Beethoven — Cham- 
 ber Music — Flattering Offer from Weimar. 
 
 " ]\ T Y fingers are in proper order," he writes on the ist 
 j\\_ of January in his diary, " and the programmes for my 
 coming concerts are already made. I have burrowed again 
 and again into the ash-covered treasures of the musical 
 Pompeii, and brought many grand things to light. Beet- 
 hovea is great — whom should I call greater? — but as the 
 public is forever listening to his. music^ alternating with 
 modern pieces written merely for display, I intend to intro- 
 duce, first of all, those composers who gave the. impetus to 
 Beethoven's eagle flight To have a proper appreciation of 
 the art of our own day, we should not forget its past history ; 
 although I have begun with the old masters, I intend to lead 
 my audience gradually up to our own time, and then they 
 can compare and draw their own conclusions." After the 
 second performance, he says : " The success of these con- 
 certs certainly proves that the public is capable of receiving 
 true impressions of the really beautiful, that to rivet their at- 
 tention, one has no need to worship at the shrine of fashion ; 
 my audiences rejoiced with me over these old specimens, 
 whole and entire, such as I gave them ; as dessert, Lindley 
 and I indulged them in Beethoven's variations on a theme 
 by Handel." The newspapers were loud in their praises 
 of the undertaking, and improve the occasion to hurl anathe- 
 mas at the Italian ' swindle,', and point to Moscheles as the 
 representative of a higher order of musical devolopment ; 
 they all eulogize warmly his new characteristic " Studies," 
 some of which he played on these occasions. "Why did he 
 
246 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 not play all the twelve ? " they say ; " people wish to hear 
 them all, and repeatedly; Moscheles should not carry his 
 modesty too far," etc. Mrs. Moscheles writes : " The Duke 
 of Cambridge quite took the lead at these concerts, he often 
 asked. for an encore, and the audience backed him in spite 
 of the lengthy programmes. He is so kind to my husband, 
 and after every concert asks him : ' Pray when is the next? 
 I must make a memorandum not to forget.' This winter 
 there are classical quartet concerts, wind-instrument concerts, 
 British concerts — in short, music without end. In Febru- 
 ary Moscheles, as one of the conductors of the Philharmonic 
 Concerts, had to be present at the two " trial nights," of 
 new compositions ; these he called " very unsatisfactory." 
 " Some German and some English symphonies and overtures 
 have no vitality; an orchestral Fantasia, with a printed ex- 
 planatory programme, containing ' Conspiracy, Revolution, 
 and Deliverance,' is fit for a melo-drama in a suburban 
 theatre; one symphony and a couple of overtures are better, 
 but nothing much to speak of; not one of them found a 
 place in the programme of the eight concerts given this year, 
 for the Directors rather than risking a fiasco preferred ad- 
 hering to the classical masters." 
 
 The Philharmonic Society opened this year's series of 
 concerts with a funeral march in honor of their member, 
 Ferdinand Ries, who had lately died. There were several 
 novelties in the way of pianoforte compositions. Mrs. An- 
 derson played Mendelssohn's Concerto in D minor, which 
 was greeted, and justly, with great enthusiasm. Madame 
 Dulcken was well received in Hummel's posthumous Con- 
 certo in F major, Moscheles played his own " Sonate Pathet- 
 ique," a work which, in spite of the general sympathy of the 
 public and the press, provoked one angry article, in which 
 the writer took him to task for again conducting a perform- 
 ance of the Ninth Symphony, and parodied a short address 
 which Moscheles made to the band on that occasion. The 
 circumstance is only worth recording, inasmuch as it brought 
 into rehef the calmness and equanimity of Moscheles' char- 
 acter, whenever he became the victim of such petty annoy- 
 ances. The hostile pages, let us add, had a short life, and 
 the Ninth S3'mphony rewarded the Directors with fresh ex- 
 pressions of thanks and recognition on the part of the pub- 
 
FOREIGN ARTISTS. 247 
 
 lie ; he found an ample reward in the accomplishment of so 
 great a task, contrasting as it did with the yoke of lessons, 
 and the exacting caprice of fashion, which necessitated those 
 inevitable piano arrangements for the use of his pupils. 
 Occasionally, when some importunate publisher would press 
 on him some sensational title, we find remarks in the diary 
 like the following : " The man positively drives me wild. 
 He insists on dictating to me laws about title pages, mak- 
 ing alterations without asking my leave. I don't allow this, 
 he has no right to do so." 
 
 Frequently, too, does he complain of the multifarious 
 duties, many so " unartistic," of the professional man in Lon- 
 don ; he regrets also that he has so little time for epistolary 
 intercourse with his musical friends. Mrs. Moscheles 
 writes in May : " My husband says it is far better you should 
 accustom yourselves to my letters, even when dealing with 
 musical matters, for we hear music together. He tells me 
 exactly what he thinks of everything, so that, although it is 
 second-hand, you have a minute and ungarbled account, and 
 more in detail. He cannot write, so long as, independent 
 of his own business, he must be the ' Deus ex machind' who 
 is to conjure up honor and appreciation for foreign artists. 
 And how are they to get ways and means when their artistic 
 means and ways are so slender? As in the case of H.'s 
 son. Heaven keep our boy from becoming such a nullity, 
 and trading on his father's name ! The poor fellow gave 
 a concert, and he excited nought but compassion. Once 
 more we have numbers of strangers here, Madame Oury, 
 nke Belleville, with her husband, the violinist ; Kapellmeister 
 Bott, from Oldenburg, an excellent musician, and his daugh- 
 ter, a pianiste ; besides these, two Poles, one a pianoforte, 
 the other a violin player, the latter decked in a superlatively 
 white waistcoat, watch-chain, and with other mighty preten- 
 sions besides; two worthy Hanoverians, the flute player 
 Heinemeyer, and Hausmann the cellist ; Miiller, the double 
 bass player, whose variations on the lovely ' Alexis' are an 
 infliction ; Braum, the hautboy player, and a whole family 
 of trumpeters, the Distins ; just imagine, a father and four 
 sons, all trumpeting together ; rather too much of a good 
 thing. These artists are all more or less excellent, and 
 from their repeated visits to our island will appropriate much 
 
248 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 of its gold dust; but as the competition is immense, the 
 speedy success they expect for their undertakings is an im- 
 possibility, and we often find ourselves in the unpleasant 
 position of helping less than they expect. Every one comes 
 in and goes out of the house without any ceremony, so I call 
 it the artists' kaleidoscope, which brings us daily new com- 
 binations, sometimes in glaring and obtrusive, at others in 
 soft and sympatiietic tones. Of course Thalberg is again 
 higli up in the world of pianists. Herz, Rosenhain, and 
 Dohler have also their public, and belong to the brilliant 
 stars of my kaleidoscope ; when on a sudden is discovered 
 Johann Strauss, then it is no longer a kaleidoscope, but 
 Oberon's horn ; where he fiddles, all dance — dance they 
 must. In the concerts which he gives with his small orches- 
 tra, people dance as they sit ; at Almack's, the most fash- 
 ionable of all the subscription balls, aristocratical little feet 
 hop to his tunes, and we too the other night at a party had 
 the good fortune to dance to his fiddling, and, old married 
 folk as we are, felt ourselves young again. " He himself 
 dances ' corps et ame,' while he plays, not with his feet, but 
 with his fiddle, which is continually going up and down, 
 while the whole man marks the accent of every bar ; he is a 
 good-tempered Viennese, not of the refined type of a draw- 
 ing-room man, but amusing and always cheerful ; one has 
 had quite enough of the melancholy specimens. We are al- 
 ways delighted to make the acquaintance of a literary celeb- 
 rity, as for instance Alfred de Vigny, the arch-enemy of 
 George Sand. ... 
 
 " Sir Charles and Lady Morgan had been very kind to 
 my husband when he was in Ireland. He had told me al- 
 ready a great deal about them, and lately introduced me to 
 the famous authoress. I am quite aware that it is to her 
 sincere respect for my husband's talent that I am indebted 
 for her kindness and friendliness shown towards mi^self. 
 Her eyes still sparkle with fire in spite of her sixty years. 
 She must have been very beautiful, and her liveliness is of 
 the genuine Irish sort." 
 
 Barnett wrote a new opera, " The Mountain Sylph," and 
 was still a popular composer. Benedict produced "The 
 Gipsy's Warning," Lord Burghersh, "II Torneo," and "Lu- 
 cia di Lammermoor" was still in the ascendant, the people 
 
CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA. 249 
 
 never tiring of Rubini's "Fra Poco." The warbling of the 
 lovely Cinti enchanted the public, and Fanny Elsler, the 
 essence of all grace, made a furore. The great event of the 
 season, however,' was the Coronation of Queen Victoria. 
 Sir George Smart put Moscheles into a surplice, and placed 
 him as a bass singer in Westminster Abbey, that he might 
 witness the splendid ceremony, for tickets were not to be had 
 for love or money. We quote from the diary : " What an 
 imposing sight, the gorgeously decorated temple, crowded 
 with splendidly dressed women, and what an impression 
 was created by the sight of the youthful Queen in her robes, 
 surrounded by all the grandees in her kingdom ! Everything 
 was imposing, but most of all Handel's chorus "Zadock the 
 Priest," and his ' Hallelujah,' which moved one almost to 
 tears ; it was a deeply interesting moment when the venera- 
 ble Archbishop of York placed the Crown upon that virgin 
 brow. We were rather roughly recalled from our poetical 
 dream to the work-a-day world by W. K.'s Coronation An- 
 them — new and yet old-fashioned — composed expressly for 
 this part of the ceremony ; the materials were borrowed ; it 
 was as a composition grammatically correct, but utterly un- 
 interesting." Mrs. Moscheles copies this extract from the 
 diary for her relatives, and adds, " Before Moscheles drove 
 to the Abbey, he took me, my daughter, and niece to Lady 
 A.'s. We were invited to be there not later than nine in the 
 morning, so as to avoid the crush, and there we were well 
 taken care of. The house, as you know, is in Piccadilly, 
 almost opposite Constitution Hill. The A.'s had had a set 
 of benches erected in the shape of an amphitheatre, reaching 
 from the drawing-room door down to the street. The seats 
 were covered with scarlet cloth, and from our point of van- 
 tage we could see on the left the whole length of Piccadilly, 
 along which the Coronation Procession passed, coming and 
 'going, and to the right, into the Park beyond. There was 
 a numerous and fashionable company assembled, so that the 
 time passed quickly, and Lady A. had provided an excel- 
 lent cold collation for her friends ; I needn't tell you how 
 choice it was. Shortly after nine o'clock the streets began 
 to fill with a surging crowd, all London was out in the streets, 
 mothers with babies in their arms, fathers holding up their 
 little ones to get a view, boys climbing on lamps and rail- 
 
250 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ings ; such a medley and crowd as you can scarcely realize. 
 I may further add that the gold State-coach, drawn by eight 
 cream-colored horses, is a splendid specimen of mediseval 
 furniture ; that the young girl of eighteen, 'England's Queen, 
 looked very pretty, and that the Mistress of the Robes, the 
 Duchess of Sutherland, who sat opposite her, is a really noble 
 and majestic beauty." 
 
 August and the first half of September were a pleasant 
 holiday time, spent partly with some dear friends in Sussex. 
 Moscheles writes : I have found a good organ in the church 
 here, and the other day, at a funeral, I played the people 
 out of church with Handel's 'Dead March.' I am puzzled 
 to know what the farmers, rustics, and gravediggers think 
 of my playing." After a month spent in Hastings, he writes 
 in the middle of September : " Our bright holidays are at an 
 end, and ' sweet home ' sounds once more comfortable ; to- 
 day, however, the sky has caught a cold, and the rain pours 
 in such torrents that it almost invites men to drown them- 
 selves ; to escape the invitation I shall hold fast like Haydn, 
 ' an meinem Spinettl ' (by my piano). I play all the new 
 works of the four modern heroes, Thalberg, Chopin, Hen- 
 selt, and Liszt, and find that their chief effects lie in pas- 
 sages requiring a large grasp and stretch of finger, such as 
 the peculiar build of their hands enables them to execute ; 
 I grasp less, but then lam not of a grasping school. With 
 all my admiration for Beethoven I cannot forget Mozart, 
 Cramer, and Hummel. Have they not written much that 
 is noble, with which I have been familiar from early years ? 
 Just now the new manner finds more favor, and I endeavor 
 to pursue the middle course between the two schools, by 
 never shrinking from any difficulty, never despising the new 
 effects, and withal retaining the best elements of the old 
 traditions. . . . The 'Pastoral Concerto' I am writing just 
 at present, has the shorter modern forms of three connected 
 movements, and is more light and lively than my last con- 
 certos ; I don't want to repeat myself in my own manner. 
 My lessons, about which you ask me, are just enough this 
 autumn to pay my tradesmen's bills." We quote a passage 
 from another letter: "I recommend you a small pamphlet 
 by Ries and Wegeler upon Beethoven, it has just been pub- 
 lished at Coblentz by Biideker ; and gives one an insight into 
 
PASTORAL CONCERTO. 
 
 251 
 
 the wonderful life and works of Beethoven. I consider every 
 part of it authentic. What a pity it is that his last letters 
 are not complete, for they end with those written to Ries, 
 after which his correspondence with me began. I must call 
 your attention to the fiftieth page, where Beethoven says he 
 laas dedicated his last symphony with choruses to the King 
 of Prussia, and has sent him the manuscript. For all that, 
 at each of the three performances of the Ninth Symphony, 
 which I have conducted this year, I have had a score before 
 me corrected by Beethoven's own hand, and the title also 
 in his handwriting runs thus : ' Ninth Symphony, composed 
 for the Philharmonic Society in London, by Beethoven.' " 
 
 In another letter he writes : " We intend having Cham- 
 ber Music every Saturday, and Emily will help us ; our 
 chief pillar of strength will be that painstaking cellist Haus- 
 mann. On the very first evening Emily played the first and 
 second movement of Mozart's ' Quintet in E flat, major ; ' 
 she has studied it thoroughly in the three days, and certainly 
 is very gifted by nature." Moscheles himself plays Beet- 
 hoven's grand Sonata op. 102, and says : " I am not quite 
 on good terms with that very learned fugue ; in my judg- 
 ment Beethoven's ' genius ' ranks higher than his learning." 
 Later on he pla)'S Schubert's new Trios in E and B flat, 
 " with their admirable construction and beautiful thoughts, 
 only occasionally a trifle too diffuse." On one occasion we 
 read in the diary : " Yesterday, our Saturday soiree intro- 
 duced us to some less interesting Ensembles, but for all 
 that, we must go through all the novelties, invariably, how- 
 ever, interspersing them with classical works." There were 
 also two delightful Mendelssohn Saturdays, one for the 
 whole of " St. Paul," the other for pianoforte music. Mos- 
 cheles writes : " I tried my Pastoral Concerto ; it pleased 
 my friends, but occasionally doubts arise in my mind as to 
 whether my mode of composing on fixed principles does 
 not spoil that easy flow and freshness which in my early 
 youth was so attractive, and yet I am glad to show the 
 musical world my greater earnestness and deeper aims, 
 however short my present success may be of what I might 
 wish." 
 
 In the course of this winter Moscheles wrote his Study 
 in A, 6-8 time, and the song " Liebesfruhling." Progress 
 
252 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 
 
 was made with the edition of Beethoven's works, and proof- 
 sheets corrected of Mendelssohn's " Andante and Presto in 
 B Major and B Minor," and of Liszt's new " Studies." We 
 read : " I declined the honor of being a director of the Phil- 
 harmonic for next season : for what can I do among seven ? 
 I, a passionate musical reformer, stand always alone ; it 
 ends always with my being made responsible for what I con- 
 sider the mistaiies of others." Hummel was dead, and 
 Moscheles had the flattering offer made him to fill his place 
 at Weimar. He hesitated for a moment, but preferred the 
 freedom of- his position in London to the restraints of a 
 court and theatre, although he was very devoted to the 
 Grand-Ducal family, and convinced of their kind feelings 
 towards hira. . 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 1839. 
 
 Ferdinand David— Successful Concert — Composers and Publishers — 
 Bernhard Romberg — Musical Novelties — Prince Louis Napoleon 
 ■ — A New School of Playing — Paris — Chopin — Musical Entertain- 
 ments — Impressions of Artists — Aime Martin — Cremieux — Rachel 
 — Plays, Operas, Actors, and Singers — Performance before the 
 Court of St, Cloud — Chamber Music — Musical Education — Men- 
 delssohn — Adams the Organist. 
 
 THE Moscheles passed a very cheerful time in Janu- 
 ary with their friends the Flemings at their country 
 seat in Hampshire. The winter was spent as usual ; and 
 as early as March he writes : " I am already very busy, and 
 must swim with the tide." 
 
 The visit of Ferdinand David from Leipzig was a 
 great delight to the Moscheles. This worthy pupil of Spohr 
 played his master's music in a grand and noble style, his 
 own bravuras with faultless power of execution, and his 
 quartet playing at Mori's and Blagrove's soirees delighted 
 every one with any genuine artistic taste ; before he came, 
 such a perfect ensemble had never been realized. David 
 and Moscheles appeared together at the second Philhar- 
 monic Concert, David with a Concerto of his own, and 
 Moscheles with his new " Pastoral Concerto." On this his 
 first appearance, David gained the high position which he 
 always retained, and the reception given to Moscheles' 
 new concerto was most favorable. From that time the two 
 artists frequently played-together " At the house of Sir W. 
 Curtis, the great amateur violoncello player ; at Madame 
 Dulcken's concert given in Sir William's drawing-room ; 
 
 at , where, before the echo of our ' Kreutzer Sonata' 
 
 had died away we heard the lively strains of a quadrille ; 
 and finally in our own house, in the presence of, and with, 
 other artists ; it is there after all we enjoy music most." 
 
254 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND M USICIANS. 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes : " To-day I must teli you that 
 Moscheles intends giving his concert jointly with David, 
 who was quite ready merely to assist as a friend ; but Mos- 
 cheles preferred to share the undertaking with him, for by 
 that act he would prove to the public in what high esteem 
 he held his brother-artist. In him he has found a powerful 
 colleague of the German school, and one he is proud to in- 
 troduce to the English public." In a subsequent letter she 
 says : " This letter is a concert dispatch. It is over, and 
 gloriously over. The room was excellently filled without 
 the aid of Italian singers ; the Russian Grand Duke took 
 two tickets ; Prince Napoleon was in the stalls." Mos- 
 cheles played his new composition, the " Pastoral Con- 
 certo," dedicated to Mendelssohn ; it was received with 
 great applause. 
 
 " German and French artists," writes Moscheles, " the 
 latter with faultless gloves, meet at our house with English 
 friends, music forming a bridge of communication between 
 the different nationalities. If I could but link together 
 composers and publishers ! Just now, for instance, I am 
 annoyed at being unable to bring about the publication of 
 Bernhard Romberg's ' Violoncello School.' The fashion- 
 able wares of his rivals are now the order of the day, and 
 yet the work of this excellent man is of great value to the 
 students of that difficult instrument. Talking of difficulties, 
 Thalberg again astonished me at his concert ; he is a per- 
 fect Jupiter in power and bravura, and in his new ' Studies' 
 he has achieved the labors of Hercules. Mendelssohn, 
 with whom I correspond upon the subject of all musical 
 novelties in our days, . shares my opinion. He and I are 
 greatly delighted with Bennett's overture to the ' Naiades,' 
 and the public greets it with enthusiasm." 
 
 This overture is so highly appreciated in Germany that 
 to this day it retains its place in the programmes of the 
 Gewandhaus and other concerts. 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles says in a letter : " We frequently meet 
 Prince Louis Napoleon at large evening parties, and are 
 naturally interested in seeing the lion of the season. He 
 talked in a very friendly way to Moscheles of years gone 
 by, when his mother, the Queen Hortense, took such de- 
 light in his playing, adding that he would never forget the 
 
MODERN P TAN I ST S. 255 
 
 impression he had received as a boy. He was very polite 
 and agreeable to me, but I was not struck particularly with 
 anything he said ; generally' speaking, on such occasions as 
 these he remains in some quiet corner of the room, as 
 though he preferred looking-on to talking." We find an- 
 other meeting recorded : " Our friend Lowenstern has 
 brought back from his travels all sorts of remarkable things, 
 and when by invitation I took the children to visit his new 
 museum, we met Prince Louis Napoleon there ; not a soul 
 was there besides. Again he admired in silence, examined 
 the beautiful armor with the airs of a connoisseur, and 
 was, as on the former occasion, very obliging ; we had no 
 opportunity of a regular conversation." 
 
 During this summer the subject of Moscheles' ceasing 
 to play in public was often discussed. Hitherto he had 
 basked in the sunshine of admiration, and the success of 
 his performances was beyond dispute. " How delightful 
 it would be to retire in the full tide of popular favor, in fiill 
 consciousness of powers; to leave the field open to others, 
 and thus to escape being made the butt of such remarks 
 as : ' So-and-so plays still very beautifully, although he is 
 no longer what he was ten years ago ; he has lost his vigor, 
 his improvisation is no longer what it used to be,' etc. It is 
 the old story of a beauty famous in her day, but now faded, 
 who ought to give place to her more youthful rivals. I 
 think of Clementi, who has bequeathed to Art and her 
 disciples an imperishable treasure, and who gave up play- 
 ing while his juniors in the profession flourished by the 
 adoption of his method, only slightly modifying it and using 
 it as the basis of a new school. The leading features of 
 this school are the cultivation of amazing powers of execu- 
 tion, overwrought sentimentality, and the production of 
 piquant effects by the most rapid changes from the soft to the 
 loud pedal, or by rhythms and modulations, which, if not to 
 be completely repudiated, are only allowable on the rarest 
 occasions. It is .quite natural that I should not ally my- 
 self to this modern faction ; a great deal they do, I would 
 not ; their power I could not imitate, although in my own 
 school of playing I feel in full vigor without any trace of 
 age or want of nerve. In my school such a prodigal 
 display of mechanical power was a thing unknown. For 
 
256 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the future, should the world take less interest in my per- 
 formances as an executant, my desire will be the more ardent 
 to cultivate music in accordance with my own taste and 
 convictions. As to how and what I shall compose, this too 
 is veiled in the future. Hitherto I have introduced my 
 works to the public by the medium of my own piano- 
 forte playing ; will the musical world when I retire con- 
 tinue to take interest in them ? ' Nous verrons.' " 
 
 In the course of the summer his father-in-law suggests 
 his doubling the price of his lessons, in order to diminish 
 their number, but he replies: "I can't make up my mind 
 to such a step, for people might well accuse me of selfish- 
 ness, and that too in a country to which I am very mainly 
 indebted for my present position ." 
 
 The family enjoyed their stay at Boulogne before going 
 to Paris for two months, and forgetting for awhile public 
 concerts and professional duties, made themselves acquaint- 
 ed with the environs of Paris, and explored the Louvre, 
 Luxembourg, and other galleries. Such things of course 
 delighted him, but we find Moscheles always glad to turn to 
 musicians for his real interest, and one of his letters shows 
 us he was about to gratify his long-harbored wish of mak- 
 ing Chopin's acquaintance. " We are living here in the 
 fullest enjoyment of our freedom and independence, and at 
 Leo's, where I love to make music, I first met his friend 
 Chopin, who had just returned from the country. His ap- 
 pearance is completely identified with his music — they are 
 both delicate and sentimental (schwarmerisch). He played 
 to me in compliance with my request, and I now for the first 
 time understand his music, and all the raptures of the lady 
 world become intelligible. The «^ //fo/«»z playing, which 
 in the hands of other interpreters of his music degenerates 
 into a constant uncertainty of rhythm, is with him an ele- 
 ment of exquisite originality ; the hard inartistic modula- 
 tions, so like those of a dilettante — which I never can manage 
 when playing Chopin's music — cease to shock me, for he 
 glides over them almost imperceptibly with bis elfish fingers. 
 His soft playing being a mere breath, he requires no power- 
 ful forte to produce the desired contrasts ; the consequence 
 is that one never misses the orchestral effects that the Ger- 
 man school demands of a pianoforte-player, but is carried 
 
CHOPIN. 
 
 257 
 
 away as by some singer who troubles himself very little 
 about the accompaniment, and follows his own impulses. 
 Enough ; he is perfectly unique in the world of pianoforte- 
 players. He professes a great attachment for my music, 
 and at all events knows it perfectly. He played me some 
 of his Studies, and his latest work, ' Preludes ; ' I played 
 in return several ihings of m}' own." Who would have be- 
 lieved that Chopin, with all his sentimentality, had also a 
 comic vein ? And yet among repeated notices about the 
 playing and listening to music in artist and amateur circles, 
 we read the following : " Chopin was lively, cheerful, nay, 
 extremely funny in his imitations of Pixis, Liszt, and a hump- 
 backed pianoforte connoisseur." Again: "To-day he was 
 quite a different Chopin from the Chopin last week. I visited 
 him by appointment with Charlotte and Emily, who are his 
 enthusiastic admirers : they were profoundly impressed with 
 the Prelude in A flat major in 6-8 time, with the perpetually 
 recurring A flat resembling the pedal bass of an organ. 
 Chopin's excellent pupil Gutmann played his manuscript 
 Scherzo in C sharp minor, Chopin himself his manuscript 
 Sonata in B flat minor, with the Funeral March." On 
 another occasion Moscheles plays his own Trio and Men- 
 delssohn's D minor Concerto, which to his annoyance is " not 
 understood." Beethoven, Weber, his own " Studies," his 
 Irish Fantasia, and Mozart's Fugue in F minor, with Cramer 
 (who is living at the time in Paris), and Moscheles' Sonata 
 in E flat major, for four hands, are never-failing items in the 
 programmes of these musical entertainments. Stephen 
 Heller is called in the diary " an interesting and pleasant 
 young artist," Bertini's "Studies" "admirable for practice, 
 but diffuse in form." "Thalberg is here, and after crowded 
 concerts receives as much blame as praise ; but when one 
 of the wise reviewers goes so far as to compare him with 
 Van Amburgh the lion-tamer, one can only .laugh." Mos- 
 cheles says in one of his letters : " I have now come to the 
 end of my round of visits to artists, and have received very 
 varied impressions. Berlioz, whose acquaintance I was anx- 
 ious to make, was very cold and unsympathizing. His ex- 
 quisitely-penned score of ' Romeo and Juliet' lay upon the 
 table ; I turned over some of the pages, but found the work 
 so complicated, and the noise (at my very first glance) so 
 
258 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 overwhelming, that I cannot venture as yet to give any judg- 
 ment on the music. One thing, however, is certain — that 
 there must be new effects in it. At the house of Auber, 
 who received me in the most friendly way, 1 was greatly 
 interested by seeing the square piano on which he has com- 
 posed his operas. He made me play on his Erard as well, 
 and Zimm'ermann, the professor of the Conservatoire, hap- 
 pening to come in, between them they kept me at the piano 
 some time. Cherubini, usually not the most courteous of 
 men, was very friendly ; we had a good hour's earnest con- 
 versation on art matters. He said that, with the exception 
 of his Directorship at the Conservatoire, he had nothing 
 more to do with music ; he couldn't write another note, he 
 wasn't strong enough to hear and enjoy musical impressions. 
 I think I might have assured him without flattery that he 
 belongs to the few who even in their lifetime have already 
 earned immortality. Heine I found the genius I have ever 
 known him to be. As for my poor Lafont, I saw him lying 
 in his coffin while the funeral service was being held in the 
 church of St. Roch ; the music was Cherubini's, but without 
 organ accompaniment, to my taste an indispensable 
 adjunct. 
 
 " We were delighted to make the acquaintance of Aime 
 Martin, the writer ; his work ' Sur I'Education du Genre 
 Humain paries M6res de Famille,' had been long known to 
 us, and we found the author's conversation as entertaining 
 and instructive as the book itself. Cremieux is charming 
 also, but in atiother style; As an advocate he speaks with 
 ease and fluency ; as a man he is highly intellectual, fond 
 of art and artists. He calls the great Rachel his adopted 
 daughter, although her parents are still alive ; poor thing, 
 she is just recovering from a severe illness, and consequently 
 we unfortunate people cannot get a glimpse of her. A bach- 
 elor party at Meyerbeer's yesterday was very interesting. 
 Halevy, Duponchel, Duprez, Habeneck, and Kiistner, the 
 Intendant of the Munich theatres, were there. Habeneck 
 and I entertained each other at dinner by talking about the 
 Conservatoire and the Philharmonic, as two ministers of 
 different States discuss their politics. He wanted me to 
 send him something of my own for his orchestra. I prom- 
 ised him my overture to the ' Joan of Arc' He offered to 
 
CHOPIN. 259 
 
 come to-morrow and hear me play. Meyerbeer acted as ray 
 friend on all occasions ; he said aloud at dinner that I was 
 the only one who could play Beethoven perfectly." 
 
 Of course the Moscheles, during their stay at Paris, were 
 in the way of every theatrical novelty, and actors and artists 
 are constantly discussed in letters. " Arnold's comic 
 acting," says Mrs. Moscheles, " is very amusing ; but the 
 piece, ' Passe Minuit,' is too realistic to my taste. The new 
 opera, ' La Jacquerie,' is said to be nicknamed by Auber 
 ' An Opera in D,' from the fact of that key being so. prom- 
 inently used throughout the work." " Guido and Gincvre," 
 by Halevy, Moscheles calls " excellent well-written music ; " 
 but he cannot feel any enthusiasm for it. After seeing 
 " Robert le Diable," a great part of which Moscheles ad- 
 mired and praised, Mrs. Moscheles writes : " Can you under- 
 stand how people can set such horrors to music ? The one 
 writes about the plague ; the other worse. I am no saint ; 
 but organ-playing and church music are out of place in a 
 theatre. And when the graves open, and the dead nuns 
 rise, I can't help shuddering." " And I ditto," adds Mos- 
 cheles, "when deafened by such a mass of horns, bassoons, 
 and ophicleides that they drown the rest of the orchestra, 
 and make a buzzing in my ears, much as I honor and re- 
 spect Meyerbeer's, great talent. The chorus was much too 
 weak to struggle against these orchestral masses. The 
 scenery, even including that of the nuns, fell short of my 
 expectations. Mario and Dorus Gras were admirable ; the 
 rest only second-rate. Halevy's ' Sheriff' is a clever piece 
 of mosaic, but not so neatly joined." Again : " Doesn't 
 one see and hear every mortal thing in Paris ? We, for in- 
 stance, heard the ' Huguenots ' for the first time ; it is a great, 
 nay, Meyerbeer's greatest work, and it produced a power- 
 ful effect upon me. Rossini's ' Barber of Seville,' with Pau- 
 line Garcia, Rubini, and Tamburini, is also not to be despis- 
 ed j for the extraordinary vocal powers of these three artists 
 cannot fail to excite wonder. Duprez is an admirable Tell. 
 Bouffe at the Gymnase, Dejazet at the Palais Royal, and 
 Sanson and Mars at the Theatre Fran9ais, give us enjoy- 
 ments we would fain share with you ! To-day I got a note 
 from Count Perthuis, Adjutant to King Louis Philippe. The 
 Count has often heard Chopin and myself play my ' E flat 
 
26o RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 major Sonata.' 1 expect he has talked a good deal about 
 it at Court, 'for,' he writes, 'the Royal Family wish to h'ave 
 the great treat I lately enjoyed.' " Accordingly Chopin and 
 Moscheles were both commanded to go to St. Cloud. iVIos- 
 cheles writes on the 30th of October : " On the day when 
 Kalkbrenner called I said, ' To-day I shall play on a piano 
 of yours at St. Cloud.' He jumped up from his chair and 
 declared that not a moment was to be lost ; he must see if the 
 instrument was in the best order. He also told me that 
 the Duchess of Orleans, having taken lessons from him in 
 playing and composition, knew perfectly well how to appre- 
 ciate good music. At nine o'clock Chopin and I were called 
 for by P. and his charming wife. We all four went off in a 
 pelting storm of rain, and felt more comfortable when we 
 entered the warm and brilliantly lighted palace. We passed 
 through some splendid apartments, to a ' salon carre,' 
 where only the Royal Family was assembled ; the Queen at 
 a round table, with an elegant work-basket before her (I 
 wonder whether she was knitting a purse for me ?). Next 
 to her was Madame Adelaide, the Duchess of Orleans, and 
 the ladies of the Court. They one and all treated us kindly, 
 as if we were old acquaintances. The Queen as well as 
 Madame Adelaide, declared that they still remembered with 
 gratitude the delight I gave them at the Tuileries. The 
 King came up to me to say the same thing, adding, he sup- 
 posed an interval of between fifteen and sixteen years had 
 elapsed since that time. I said he was quite correct, but 
 thought all the while of the poor Count d'Artois, who had then 
 been present. The Queen then asked if the instrument — ^a 
 Pleyel — was placed as we liked it; was the lighting what 
 we wanted 'i if the chairs were the right height, etc. ; and 
 was as anxious for our comfort as a Citizen Queen might 
 well be. First of all Chopin played a 'melange of Noc- 
 turnos and Etudes,' and was extolled and admired as an old 
 Court favorite. I followed with some old and new ' Studies,' 
 and was honored with similar applause. We then sat down 
 together at the instrument, he again playing the bass, a 
 thing he always insists on. The small audience now listened 
 intently to my ' E flat major Sonata,' which was interrupted 
 by such exclamations as ' divin! dolicieux!' After the An- 
 dante the Queen whispered to one of her suite: ' Ne serait- 
 
MOSCHELES AND CHOPIN AT ST. CLOUD. 261 
 
 il pas indiscret de le leur redemander ? ' which was tanta- 
 mount to a command ; so we played it again with increased 
 abandon., and in the Finale gave ourselves up to a ' musical 
 delirium.' 
 
 " Chopin's enthusiasm throughout the whole performance 
 of the piece must, I think, have kindled that of his hearers, 
 who overwhelmed us both with compliments equally divid- 
 ed. Chopin played another solo as charmingly as before, 
 and met with the same reception. I then improvised on 
 some of Mozart's sweetest airs, and finally dashed away at 
 the ' Zauberflote ' overture. Better than all the words of 
 praise which flow so glibly from the lips of princes, was the 
 king's close attention during the entire evening. Chopin 
 and 1 revelled like brothers in the triumph achieved by the 
 individual talent of each, there was no tinge of jealousy on 
 either side. At last, after being allowed to enjoy some re- 
 freshments, we left the palace at i r.30, this time only under 
 a shower of compliments, for the rain had ceas'ed, and we 
 had a clear night." Naturally after this time Chopin and 
 Moscheles were called upon almost daily in musical circles 
 to repeat the Sonata, which came at last to be called and 
 only known by the name of " La Sonate." Shortly after 
 this Moscheles is asked privately whether the legion d'hon- 
 neur or any other mark of royal favor, would be valued as a 
 reward for his playing at St. Cloud. He prefers something 
 else to the order so lavishly bestowed, and receives a valua- 
 ble dressing-case, on which are engraved the words " Donn6 
 parle Roi Louis-Philippe." 
 
 When the Moscheles return to London, chamber music 
 on Saturdays is again revived ; he works on the " Methode 
 des M^thodes," to be published with Fetis, and writes the 
 " Lieder :" " Mit Gott " and " Liebeslauschen." 
 
 In answer to a question, whether constant piano-forte 
 studies under a teacher are beneficial, after a certain pitch 
 of excellence has been attained by cultivation, he says : 
 " Any one who has heard and studied a great deal that is 
 good, ought to need no teacher to spur him on. The stu- 
 dent should always bear in mind the greatest models and 
 emulate them, playing a . great deal with accompaniment; 
 he should become more and more familiar with masterpieces, 
 and enter earnestly into a sense of their beauties : thus 
 
262 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the gradual development the pupil attains, will place him a- 
 bove the common run of amateurs." This year there was 
 an improvement at the Philharmonic, for the directors de- 
 termined at a meeting to put a stop to the mischief of ad- 
 mitting a large audience to rehearsals. '' We had however 
 a violent debate," says Moscheles, "before we carried our 
 point." 
 
 With regard to Handel's " Solomon," he writes : " That 
 glorious work could not be spoiled by the organ being below 
 pitch, painful as it was. Clara Novello, Phillips, and the 
 other singers were admirable." " Mendelssohn," writes Mrs. 
 Moscheles, " has not merely written a letter, but copied into 
 it a new, and of course exquisite Lied, set to old German 
 words : ' Es ist in dem Wald gesungen.' Nobody like him 
 for kindness and real friendship. At present the song is 
 sung constantly in the 'room,' not in the 'wood ;' and each 
 time it seems prettier than the last. Last week we heard 
 the two new organs built by Gray, one for Belfast, the other 
 for Exeter Hall, and Moscheles admires exceedingly the fin- 
 ished execution and extempore playing of Adams the organ- 
 ist, who tried them. On the last night of the old year we 
 had charades, etc., the musical friends taking the chief 
 parts : Thalberg, grave and solemn at the piano, is up to any 
 fun away from it. Benedict, the hard-worked, enters into 
 the mirth of the masqueraders ; last, not least, Moscheles 
 enlivens the scene with his gymnastics on the piano." 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 1840. 
 
 Letter to a Friend — Sir Gardner Wilkinson — ^Appointed Pianist to 
 Prince Albert — Literary and Artistic Acquaintances — Liszt — Po- 
 litical Questions — Mendelssohn at Birmingham — Visit to Germany 
 — Correspondence— Intercourse with Artists at Leipzig — Chorley 
 — Prague — Moscheles' Mother — Reception at Concerts — Dionys 
 Weber — Auf Wiedersehen — A Hit at Thiers — Works on Music — 
 Letter from Mendelssohn. 
 
 T 
 
 HE first letter now before us is to Frau von Lewinger, 
 one of the oldest of Moscheles' friends : — 
 
 " London, 8th January, 1 840. 
 
 " Dearest Frau von Lewinger, — You must allow your 
 old friend Moscheles to have a little chat with you, and 
 question you to find out what you are about, and if you still 
 love him. I fear that, judging by my scanty letters, I must 
 have sunk considerably in the scale of your good opinion, 
 and I can only hope to find the old indulgence. . . . The gifted 
 Thalberg is brilliantly successful, and is now on his way to 
 Scotland. It interests me to watch the younger artists 
 making their career, as I now begin to play the part of a 
 quiet looker-on, and to follow my art-vocations with an ever- 
 increasing devotion, but still in greater privacy than before. 
 Accordingly I hold a weekly meeting of friends and artists 
 at my own house, where none but the most select music is 
 performed. My eldest daughter, now twelve years old, con- 
 tributes her mite, and develops a solid power of execution 
 on the pianoforte. I delight in giving my" children a thor- 
 ough education, without having the ambition of seeing them 
 pass for prodigies. Besides that, I don't wish them to make 
 music their profession." .... "Thalberg intends to go to 
 America. The clashing here with Liszt is, I suppose, too 
 much for him." 
 
264 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 At this time Moscheles received his appointment as 
 pianist to Prince Albert, but it was little more than nomi- 
 nal, for, much as he would have liked to have had close 
 artistic relations with that music-loving Prince, he was 
 never called on to examine any of the Prince's composi- 
 tions. As we have already mentioned, piafioforte-playing 
 in public became more distasteful to him, but, in spite of 
 his resolution, he did not like to refuse the often repeated 
 invitation of the directors to play at the Philharmonic, 
 where he again enjoyed a triumph. Among Moscheles' 
 literary acquaintance at this period were Sir Gardner Wil- 
 kinson, Mr. Grote, the famous historian, Mrs. Austin, Mrs. 
 Jameson, and others ; of musical celebrities, we read the 
 names of Djhier, Litolff, Liszt — the latter never looked on 
 as a rival, but as a friend of the family. How sincerely 
 Moscheles appreciated Liszt, will be seen from the follow- 
 ing letter : — 
 
 " At one of the Philharmonic Concerts, he played three 
 of my ' Studies' quite admirably. Faultless in the way of 
 execution, but by his powers he has completely metamor- 
 phosed these pieces ; they have become more his Studies 
 than mine. With all that they please me, and I shouldn't 
 like to hear them played in any other way by him. The 
 Paganini Studies, too, were uncommonly interesting to me. 
 He does anything he chooses, and does it admirably, and 
 those hands raised aloft in the air come down but seldom, 
 wonderfully seldom, upon a wrong key." "His conversa- 
 tion is always brilliant," adds Mrs. Moscheles ; " it is 
 occasionally dashed with satire, or spiced with humor." 
 "The other day he brought me his portrait, with his 'hom- 
 mages respectueux' written underneath, and, what was the 
 best ' hommage' of all, he sat down to the piano and played 
 me the ' Erl-King,' the ' Ave Maria,' and a charming Hun- 
 garian piece. He now intends making an excursion to 
 Baden-Baden, after that a tour of the English provinces 
 with Cramer (at 500/. a month), and then to go to St. 
 Petersburg for recreation." 
 
 Moscheles writes : " We have now to tell you of a Rus- 
 sian episode in our mad harum-scarum life in the height of 
 the season- It is merely this ; that LwofF, recommended 
 to me by Mendelssohn, is distinguished as a violin-player, 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S " HYMN OF PRAISE." 265 
 
 and is a downright good musician. I delight in making 
 music with him before other enthusiastic Russian amateurs 
 now in London. Yesterday, I am sorry to say, a letter 
 came from Mendelssohn to Charlotte, in which he repre- 
 sents himself as tired and weak, adding that possibly he 
 will be obliged by his doctor's advice to give up the Bir- 
 mingham Music Festival. This question will not be set- 
 tled until he returns from Schwerin ; so we still hope, in 
 spite of his letter, which is a Job's comforter." 
 
 During the summer holidays Moscheles, by request of 
 Mr. Murray the publisher, put together his recollections of 
 Beethoven. 
 
 Anxiety on Mendelssohn's account is at last relieved by 
 a letter from Felix himself, announcing his intended arrival 
 in September. Before he came there was a private rehear- 
 sal of his "Lobgesang" at the Hanover Square Rooms. 
 Moscheles writes on the subject thus : " I am greatly 
 charmed with his composition, and as Knyvett, the con- 
 ductor, and F. Cramer knew of my thorough knowledge of 
 the work, they asked me to sit close to the organist, in the 
 centre of the orchestra, that they might consult me about 
 the Tempi. I was like a general sitting in his tent and 
 issuing orders for operations on the field of battle ; at the 
 same time, I carefully guarded against any appearance of 
 wishing to usurp the duty of the regularly appointed con- 
 ductor. In spite of this, the Morning Post says that the 
 rehearsal was conducted by me and Knyvett." 
 
 We see by the following letter that Moscheles interested 
 himself in the political questions of the day : " Let me 
 begin with Prince Louis Napoleon. I pity him, for I know 
 him personally as a polite, well-educated young man. 
 Certainly one would not have predicated of him that he 
 ever meditated the scheme that has now proved abortive. 
 Dark clouds are still lowering on the political horizon, 
 although in my judgment they do not immediately threaten. 
 1 have been trying zealously to make out the cause of dis- 
 cord between the opposing states ; between ourselves, I 
 think Mohammed Ali unfairly treated. I don't believe that 
 the Allies will allow England to be involved in a war with 
 them merely on the ground of France being excluded from 
 the treaty. Let the worst come, the Continent will not be 
 
 T3 
 
266 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 SO shut out from England as to prevent Prince Albert's 
 pianist from travelling unmolested to and fro between the 
 two countries ; consequently we are always thinking of 
 our trip to Boulogne. To-day we are impatiently expecting 
 Mendelssohn ; on Saturday he is to have a rehearsal in 
 Birmingham." 
 
 On the 20th of September Moscheles and his friend, 
 who had safely arrived, go to Birmingham together ; Mrs. 
 Moscheles, who is to follow next day, receives the follow- 
 ing letter from her husband : — 
 
 " Take fresh courage when you read these lines, and 
 fly to Birmingham as fast as we did. My conversation 
 with Mendelssohn was lively as it was interesting ; you 
 often were the subject, and our thoughts were constantly 
 of you. I put up at once at the comfortable Stork Hotel, 
 and dined with Mendelssohn and Ayrton at the house of 
 Mr. Moore — one of the Festival committee — where Men- 
 delssohn is staying. I wrote in his bedroom, from whence 
 we were called away to dinner, and now, instead of taking 
 my siesta, I resume my pen, to tell you that the choral 
 rehearsal is to be this evening. Before it begins I am to 
 go with Mendelssohn to the Music Hall, where he is going 
 to play on the organ. I will receive you at the station." 
 Mendelssohn writes : — 
 
 " I must be allowed to smuggle in ray greetings, and 
 say how delightful and kind and affectionate he was to me 
 during our journey hither ; how the hours flew by as if they 
 were minutes, and how I am forever thinking what one 
 could do in return for such real kindness. Such a return, 
 however, I cannot find, not even in writing ; but all the 
 more in my heart. To our happy meeting to-morrow ! My 
 best love to the children. 
 
 " Ever yours, 
 
 " Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
 At the same time Mrs. Moscheles writes : — 
 
 " Our dear Mendelssohn — I can call him by no other 
 name— arrived at 4 p. m. on the 8th. At seven o'clock he 
 was with us ; the same hearty, cheerful, delightful old 
 friend as ever. In a word he is a model man. At dinner, 
 
MENDELSSOHN A T BIRMINGHAM. 267 
 
 and the whole evening, we talked over memories of bygone 
 happy hours; then he drew Moscheles to the piano and 
 made him play all his favorite 'Studies;' and as each is a 
 favorite, and kindled him to fresh enthusiasm, it was not 
 before midnight that he paid any heed to my third sum- 
 mons to be off to bed and rest. On Saturday he was again 
 with us between four and five o'clock, and Moscheles being 
 called away to a pupil, he and I were left for an hour alone 
 together. He played with Emily his overture to the 'Fin- 
 gal's Cave,' and was greatly pleased with her performance, 
 and with her own little compositions. Chorley and Klinge- 
 mann came to dinner, and in the evening little Felix en- 
 joyed such a game of romps with his famous godpapa that 
 the whole house trembled. Who would have thought that 
 the same man who romped about with a tiny boy could 
 extemporize as he does ? For the two M.'s improvise to- 
 gether on themes for each other's works ; when 1 call this 
 ' glorious,' ' fine,' ' remarkable,' etc., the epithets all fall 
 short of true description. I hadn't heard them play to- 
 gether for seven years, and my impression was, it was 
 worth the trouble of waiting seven years for. On Sunday 
 at nine o'clock Mendelssohn was again with us ; he and 
 Moscheles started, and the children and I accompanied 
 him and papa to the railway station, for Birmingham, and I 
 followed next day. Early on Tuesday morning we strolled 
 down to the Music Hall, and Mendelssohn sat by us until 
 he got up to play the organ. He played a fugue of Bach's 
 in a most masterly way ; besides this we had ' Israel in 
 Egypt,' and the inevitable ' Miscellaneous Selection.' We 
 did not go to the evening concert, but sat at home chatting 
 with Mendelssohn, who had much to tell us about his wife. 
 The fwrtrait he showed us makes her very pretty, and ac- 
 cording to him she must be an angel." 
 
 On the 23d of September Moscheles writes : " Men- 
 delssohn's appearance here has given me fresh enjoyment 
 of life. After my own family, he ranks next in my affec- 
 tions. I see him in various characters, as a brother, son, 
 lover ; but chiefly as a fiery musical enthusiast, who ap- 
 pears but dimly conscious to what a height he has- already 
 attained. He knows so well how to adapt himself to this 
 commonplace world, although his genius soars so high 
 
268 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 above it. While Birmingham prided herself on bringing 
 out his newest work, he still found time to make a pen-and- 
 ink drawing of Birmingham for our children. We have a 
 view of the town with its chimneys, warehouses, Town Hall, 
 and the railway carriage in which he and I sat — the per- 
 spective is throughout remarkably good, and there are 
 some witty explanations added. In the evening I walked 
 home with him ; our chat was so delightful that he insisted 
 on walking back with me two good English miles, but I 
 would only allow him to go part of the way. The night 
 was coldish : he had only just recovered from an illness, 
 and with so much work before him, I knew he wanted rest. 
 Yesterday at an early hour the Town Hall again looked 
 very imposing. The second part of the performance was 
 devoted to Mendelssohn ; he was heartily received with 
 ringing cheers, but seemed all anxiety to make his bow to 
 the public, and get the thing over. Of course this was 
 sheer modesty. His conducting of the band in this per- 
 formance of the ' Lobgesang' effected a marvellous unity 
 and precision, and one of the chorales of this glorious work 
 told so powerfully that the whole audience rose involun- 
 tarily from their seats — a custom usually confined in Eng- 
 land to the performance of the Hallelujah Chorus. At 
 three o'clock in the afternoon, when the hall was emptied, 
 Mendelssohn, fresh as ever, played for three-quarters of an 
 hour upon the organ before a select circle, as though his 
 day were but just beginning. The same evening we heard, 
 first of all, in the theatre, one act of the ' Gazza Ladra,' 
 with Caradori and Lablache, then Mendelssohn's ' G Minor 
 Concerto,' played by himself with wonderful fire and deli- 
 cacy, and last of all, Lablache, who had joined the party, 
 gave his irresistible comic scene from the ' Prova d'un 
 Opera Seria.' What a musical maw the English must 
 have, to be able to digest such a quantity in one day ! 
 
 " To-day at an early hour we leave Birmingham. Char- 
 lotte has started the idea of my accompanying Mendelssohn 
 to Germany to see my mother, who is in ill health. Men- 
 delssohn will remain in London until I have installed my 
 own family in some country place." 
 
 Before leaving they ask Chorley to join them in their 
 journey, and as a parting gift to Mrs. Moscheles, Men dels- 
 
THE DOVER MAIL-COACIT. 269 
 
 sohn fills a whole sheet of her album with pen-and-ink 
 sketches. Chorley illustrates these with doggerel verses. 
 Moscheles adds some parting words, and at midnight the 
 Dover mail-coach rolls away with the three travellers. Un- 
 fortunately there is a fourth seat occupied by a stranger, 
 happily asleep. One of the friends remarks, " What shall 
 we do with him when he wakes up? " " Kill him, that's the 
 only way," says another. At that moment the sleeper stirs. 
 Of course the speakers are alarmed, fearing they have been 
 overheard ; but Moscheles, with that admirable presence 
 of mind peculiar to him, breaks in with the following words 
 in English, ' And afterwards she said she never would have 
 that man for a husband," a sentence which from that mo- 
 ment became a proverb among the party. Mendelssohn, 
 like the people in Homer, "laughs through tears," and the 
 fit becomes- contagious. What must the man, still asleep, 
 have thought of his companions.' 
 
 When the three friends, after a roughish eight hours' 
 passage to Ostend, are sitting in Moscheles' warm bedroom, 
 it is his first business to write to his wife. Chorley supple- 
 ments the letter with a few words j Mendelssohn again 
 makes a pen-and-ink sketch, a steamer rolling about in a 
 stormy sea, and underneath the words ; — 
 
 " Heiss mich nicht reden, heiss mich schweigen." — Schiller. 
 
 " Es giebt Augenblicke im Menschenleben." — Goethe. 
 " Here the ship gave a lurch, and he grew sea-sick." — Byron. 
 
 " But," says Mendelssohn, " all three of us are sitting 
 very comfortably around the fire in Moscheles' room, and 
 think of you." 
 
 They proceed in Mendelssohn's carriage with post-horses, 
 and Moscheles writes from Lioge : — 
 
 " Sunday Evening, 4th October, 1840. 
 " Hotel du Pavilion Anglais. 
 
 " We had an excellent journey with sunny weather to 
 help us, and I had much confidential talk with Mendelssohn. 
 We have communicated to one another many details of our 
 courtship days, as to the where and how we came to pop the 
 
270 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 question, ending by declaring that we were thoroughly sat- 
 isfied with our choices. He reckons on my staying eight 
 days with them in Leipzig." 
 
 " Same Evening, Eight o'clock. 
 
 " We wanted to sleep at Aix, but are obliged to stay 
 here, as the axle of the carriage is broken. He is inconso- 
 lable, particularly on our account, although we tried to put 
 him in spirits. He was expecting letters here from his wife, 
 and as I had unfortunately none to expect from mine, I ran 
 to the door to fetch his letters, making believe it was for 
 myself. The letter I brought him restored him his natural 
 good humor. At dinner, Chorley proposed, in champagne, 
 the healths of the Frau Professorin a;nd Frau Doctorin ; and 
 then Mendelssohn and I read in the Cafe of the abdication 
 of the King of Holland, Napier's taking of Beyrout (I fear 
 it's a bad business for Mehemet Ali, now seventy-one years 
 old), and Louis Napoleon's defence by Berryer, and here I 
 begin to nod." 
 
 " Aix-la-Chapelle, Monday, 5th October, 1840. 
 " Eleven at Night. 
 
 " Not having chatted with you all day, let me do so be- 
 fore I go to bed. This is my third letter. While waiting 
 for Mendelssohn's carriage, we found time to see some 
 churches. The journey was a satisfactory one, and h^re 
 we have had no end of friendly meetings, first with the 
 Mayers, whose geniality delighted Mendelssohn as well as 
 myself ; then Ole Bull and Eicke, the singer, joined us : 
 afterwards in came a long gaunt figure of the Don Quixote 
 kind, and embraced me — ^it was Schindler. He greeted 
 Mendelssohn, who returned the salutation, although, as I 
 saw, with some mental reserve. I purposely did not intro- 
 duce him to Chorley, and only gave him a secret hint that 
 he had the biographer before him. To Schindler I said 
 that the Englishman was our common friend. Ole Bull 
 bored Mendelssohn to death on the subject of G. Schelling, 
 who had attacked him fiercely in print. Schindler emphati 
 cally annihilated music and musicians of the present day. 
 
DINNER-PARTY AT DA VID'S. 271 
 
 Mayer fondly recalled old days, and there sat Chorley look- 
 ing on, biting his handkerchief, and getting materials for 
 the AthencEum." 
 
 The travellers go by way of Cologne and Frankfort to 
 Leipzig ; there Moscheles writes to his wife : " We arrived 
 late last night, and I have a great deal to tell you. Felix, 
 in the room next to me, is teaching his little boy to sing. I 
 have been very heartily received in his house, his wife is 
 very charming, very unassuming, and child-like, but not in 
 my judgment a perfect beauty, because she is a blonde. 
 Her mouth and nose are like Sontag's, her way of speaking 
 is pleasing and simple, her German is ' Frankforty,' there- 
 fore not pure ; she said naively at dinner : ' I speak too 
 slowly for my Felix, and he so quickly that I don't always 
 understand him.' She is so simple in her ways that she 
 often got up to hand us something. I told her I hoped you 
 and she would become intimate, and she echoed the wish ; 
 meanwhile you are often the subject of our conversation. 
 
 " At this morning's rehearsal I was received with open 
 arms by the Concert Directors as well as David, Schumann, 
 and his wife. They, as well as Mendelssohn, keep on say- 
 ing ' Do stay and play ; ' but I am undecided. I intend, 
 however, to be as fresh and lively as Mendelssohn, who 
 jumps about with his children. Dear children, I can only 
 kiss you in imagination, but when I return, 1 shall have a 
 pretty story to tell you. Dear Clara ! Adieu ! 
 
 "The Mendelssohns send affectionate messages." 
 
 " Leipzig, Monday, I2th October, 1840. 
 " Eleven o'clock at Night. 
 
 " A little about myself. Yesterday afternoon I was a 
 long time alone with Mendelssohn, who played me some 
 numbers which had been intended for ' St. Paul,' but which 
 were never performed or printed. They are admirable, 
 only treated in a more dramatic way, and therefore .per- 
 haps more adapted for isolated pieces in the concert-room 
 than to be heard in connection with the oratorio itself. 
 He played me also some charming MS. 'Lieder ohne 
 Worte.' At 2.30 we dined at David's, where we met Ce- 
 cile's sister, Madame Schunck, and her husband ; she is a 
 
2/2 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 bright, clever woman. Madame David too was a new and 
 very agreeable acquaintance ; her manners are very refined. 
 David played us after dinner his new violin ' Concerto in 
 D major,' which is certain to create a general sensation ; 
 Mendelssohn accompanied, then I had to extemporize, and 
 I hope tolerably well. At 6.30 we went to the Gewandhaus, 
 which was already filled to overflowing. I was in the 
 orchestra with Mendelssohn who was received with accla- 
 mations, well warranted by the performance of the Euryanthe 
 Overture and Beethoven's B. flat Symphony. His influence 
 over the band gave it the fire, tenderness, and requisite 
 ' nuances.' I was in ecstasies. Fancy the concert over at 
 eight o'clock ! It rained heavily, and no cabs to be had at 
 Leipzig ! When once home we found the warm room and 
 tea most comfortable ; then Mendelssohn sang me some of 
 his recently published songs, which I shall bring with me, 
 and said : ' Cecile, you must venture on singing a little 
 Leid to Moscheles, and let him accompany you.' She 
 made the same excuses that certain people always do, and 
 then sang the old German Leid 
 
 i 
 
 -N— P- 
 
 and two others ; her voice is small, but her intonation 
 correct. 
 
 "Monday. — I called on Schumann and Rochlitzj 
 Madame Schumann played me a fugue of Bach's. I staid 
 a long time at Hofrath Rochlitz's. The directors came, 
 wanting me to play a week hence, but I refused. 
 
 " Tuesday, Midnight. — the Mendelssohns gave an even- 
 ing party, when David's quartet playing was admirable. 
 I played my ' E major Concerto' and ' Studies.' To end 
 up, Felix called for my repertoire of tricks on the piano, 
 and we extemporized together as a finale, a production quite 
 as good as our last efifort in London. Now G-o-o-d Night." 
 
 On the nth of October Chorley gives Mrs. Moscheles 
 a long account of all the doings at Leipzig, and Mendels- 
 sohn adds : " Dear Mrs. Moscheles, a thousand, thousand 
 thanks for the plan of your own and no one else's devising, 
 
CARL MENDELSSOHN. 
 
 273 
 
 and to which we are now indebted for such delightful, such 
 glorious days. Would that you were present ! for your 
 absence is a radical fault, only too obvious to every orie of 
 us here ; I wish I had insisted on carrying off your ward- 
 robe myself j we are so happy and cheerful here altogether ; 
 still I fancy I often see how Moscheles longs for quite 
 another part of the world. How gloriously he played again 
 yesterday, enchanting us all. ' Had you been present,' that 
 is the old song with the old burden. Cecile wants to write 
 to you herself. A thousand loves to the children, and 
 yourself. 
 
 "From yours, 
 " Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
 Moscheles adds a postscript: "For the last two days 
 we have had the most glorious summer weather, but the 
 vintage, they tell me, will be very bad. Mendelssohn's 
 Carl, as usual, is in my room while I dress myself; he is 
 an excellent, lively, clever boy, and helps to compensate 
 me for my absent pair of juveniles, Felix and Clara. His 
 ear for music is the most subtle I have ever observed in a 
 child. He sings the following Prussian Posthorn signal as 
 a duet with his father : 
 
 Text : Da da da da da. 
 
 ^m 
 
 ^m 
 
 r=--tt 
 
 -^-^ — i — I— f- 
 
 Karl, 
 
 Fe - lix. 
 
 " Leipzig, i8th October, 1840. 
 " (A day worthy to be remembered.) 
 
 " Chorley, being unwell, had to stay in his hotel, and 
 
274 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Mendelssohn in his kindness sent him an Erard piano, 
 upon which he played for him Schubert's 'Grand Sym- 
 phony' and my 'Grand Sonata.' Mendelssohn arid I had 
 again some glorious hours at the piano. Yesterday we 
 were together at Schumanns', who gave a party in their 
 own house. Madame Schumann played my ' Trio' and 
 Mendelssohn's in a consummate way ; David accompanied, 
 and as a finale I was made to play some ' Studies.' Frau- 
 lein List sang some ' Leider' in a pretty, cultivated style. 
 On Friday a gigantic dinner at Kistner's .... In the 
 evening with Schleinitz at Mendelssohn's ; we passed most 
 of our time at the piano, and rummaging among old and 
 new manuscripts. 
 
 " The Directors have been to me repeatedly, to per- 
 suade me to play on the 22d ; Mendelssohn did the same j 
 I remained firm. ' Possibly,' said I, ' I may be here again 
 for the concert on the 29th, and shall write about it from 
 Prague.' I will not plague you with a volley of questions, 
 for I know that you write to me of everything that is agree- 
 
 Mis. Moscheles 
 is invited to a Musical Party on Monday the Iqth inst. at 6 
 o'clock precisely, in the Concert-room of the Gewandhaus by 
 
 Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy , 
 
 to hear there his " 42nd Psalm/' with orchestra and full Chorus, 
 as well as the overture to the " Hebrides " and that to " Joan 
 of Arc." The veteran pianoforte-player (as Fink calls him in 
 the Musik-Zeitung) Moscheles, will play his G minor Concerto 
 and Bach's Triple Concerto with Madame Schumann and Dr. 
 F. Mendelssohn ; some Characteristic Studies will also be heard. 
 
 This card you will be asked to show on entering the door of 
 the Concert-room, 
 
 [If the card be not produced. Prof. Moscheles is to be sent 
 back to London, in order to meet with that applause which here 
 can only be incomplete.] 
 
 Please answer by return of post. 
 
VISIT TO PRAGUE. 2^$ 
 
 able to you — don't, spare me should you have to write to 
 me of anything disagreeable ; I will bear it manfully . . . 
 . . Yesterday evening, at a party given by David, Mendels- 
 sohn's Octet was admirably played, and 1 tried my Septet." 
 The preceding card of invitation accompanied the letter. 
 
 Moscheles writes from Prague : — 
 
 " Prague, 2ist October, 1840, 10 A. M. 
 " ( One hour after arrival.) 
 
 " Hurrah ! I have seen all, — my mother better than I 
 expected." . . . . " And now a few words about Leipzig. 
 At the F^te in the Gewandhaus, given me by Mendelssohn, 
 there were about three hundred connoisseurs invited, who 
 surrounded the three Hartel pianos, the room was bril- 
 liantly lighted, there was a full orchestra and chorus, a 
 hundred and forty strong. It was so pretty to watch Men- 
 delssohn and his lovely wife, before the music began, doing 
 the honors for the various guests, and taking care that 
 every one had refreshments offered them. Here is the 
 programme : — 
 
 FIRST PART. 
 
 The two ' Leonora Overtures,' gloriously performed. 
 Mendelssohn's ' 42d Psalm.' A noble woric. The Solos excellently 
 
 given by Madame Frege. 
 
 ' Hommage S, Handel.' Played with fraternal enthusiasm by Felix 
 
 and myself. 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 ' Overture to the Hebrides.' 
 My ' G minor Concerto.' 
 
 " The orchestra, conducted by Felix, played splendidly ; 
 there was not a slip. I played ' con amore,' Chorley de- 
 clares, better than ever I did before. Applause deafening. 
 S. Bach's ' Triple Concerto' with Madame Schumann, 
 Felix, and me — ^judge how it Vvent. To wind up I played 
 some ' Studies.' 
 
 ■ " The day I started, kind Madame Mendelssohn wanted 
 
276 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 US to dine at 12.30 j but what with leaving cards, and pre- 
 paring for my journey, T had often to get up from table, and 
 finally to leave my pudding unfinished ; a help of it how- 
 ever was handed me into the railway carriage ; Felix and 
 Chorley escorted me to the station. Truly the hospitality 
 of the Mendelssohns knows no bounds. 
 
 " At Dresden, I visited Schroder-Devrient, who inquir- 
 ed kindly for you and the children." 
 
 " Prague, 24th October. Evening. 
 
 ....'■' To m}' intense delight, my dear mother, who had 
 been kept in doors for several weeks past, walked out with 
 me ; she had to lean on my arm, but was sufficiently bright 
 in the evening to play the part of hostess to a family party, 
 which she had actually ventured on giving. Since that day 
 she has got much better, and one evening when the young- 
 sters wanted to dance, and I had to play Strauss' Waltzes, 
 who should attempt to dance but my juvenile mother.' It 
 was a pleasure never to be forgotten. I could laugh and cry 
 over it." 
 
 On the 31st of October he writes : " I have just played 
 for the benefit of the Charitable Institutions of the town, 
 but decline all other concerts. I was recalled five times — 
 all other particulars when we meet. 
 
 "To-day I have many congratulatory visitors after my 
 success of yesterday ; among them Dionys Weber, who is 
 loud in my praise. He organized for my special sake an 
 orchestral performance by his pupils at the Conservatoire, 
 and took me to the library, where, in accordance with his 
 suggestion, the authorities have put up a marble bast of 
 Mozart, of whose works they have a collection." 
 
 The next letter is from Hof in Bavaria : " The dreaded 
 event of my departure from Prague had been so well and 
 skilfully managed that my mother did not break down as 
 hopelessly as I feared she would. By various innocent 
 devices, I kept her mind intent on anything but the ap- 
 proaching hour of separation. I made her help me to pack " 
 my things, and diverted her thoughts all the while by all 
 manner of jokes ; she couldn't help laughing, and I could 
 scarcely suppress my tears. To blurt out ' Auf Wiederse- 
 
LETTER FROM. MENDELSSOHN. 277 
 
 hen,' to kiss away the tears that would come, and to rush 
 down stairs — all this was the work of a moment ! . . . . My 
 people are the worst off, I have you to look forward to." 
 
 " WUrzburg, 5th November. 
 
 " My fellow-travellers, a brewer, a commercial clerk and 
 an exciseman, were such dull people that Walter Scott could 
 not have drawn thiem out." 
 
 " Frankfort, Friday Morning, 4 A. M. 
 
 . ..." I wonder if the last political squib about Paris 
 has travelled as far as England. In Magdeburg, where 
 there is an illumination in honor of the King of Prussia, 
 some one showed a transparency, on one side of which was 
 an eagle in full flight, on the other a cock crowing, and 
 under it these words, • Honor the eagle, and don't mind the 
 chattering of the little Thiers ' (Thiers being the German 
 equivalent of ' animal ')." 
 
 Writing to Hamburg from London, where his family and 
 numerous pupils so impatiently awaited his arrival, Mos- 
 cheles says : " I am so glad you are in the presence of that 
 rare art-phenomenon, Liszt ; he is a connecting link in the 
 chain of art-development, and his extraordinary powers are 
 sure to be appreciated among you. I have always stood 
 
 well with him You ask about myself Well I have a 
 
 great many irons in the fire. A series of German Lieder is 
 to be brought out by Kistner ; the ' Methode des Methodes,' 
 by myself and Fetis, must be published in a fortnight from 
 hence. I have therefore to correct, not only these proof- 
 sheets, but also those of the Beethoven Biography, which 
 are pressingly demanded by the publishers." 
 
 In the midst of all these occupations, Moscheles and 
 his wife are gladdened by the following letter from Men- 
 delssohn : — 
 
 " Dear Mrs. Moscheles, — I am now thinking of Mos- 
 cheles once more at home with you, ' comfortable at the 
 fireside ' (that can't be said in German), and I must now 
 write and tell you how much, how often, and with what 
 
2/8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 heartfelt gratitude, I recall the time just gone by. After we 
 parted from you at the London Post Office, we had some 
 delightful days, which M. and Chorley have described to 
 you at length in their letters ; but the quiet peaceful time 
 since Moscheles started in the railway, and Chorley in the 
 mail-coach, is no theme for description ; in fact happiness 
 cannot be defined, and certainly, I ought neither to have 
 nor to express any wish, seeing that I happen just now to 
 be hard at work, with my wife and children in good health 
 and spirits around me. ' We were all of us, however, very 
 grieved to receive a letter from Moscheles, in which he an- 
 nounces definitely that he is not coming. During his few 
 days with us, he had become just like a member of the family, 
 so that we all felt his departure. My wife, too, he seems to 
 like— at least, if it be true that such sympathies are usually 
 reciprocal, for that she liked him I knew the first day. When 
 will my old prophecy at last be realized, that you too are 
 to love my Cecile, and become confidential and feel at home 
 with her ? I'm afraid this can't be next spring, and it is 
 still a question whether Germany has made so favorable an 
 impression upon Moscheles that he would like to renew it. 
 Still I do hope that be has thoroughly felt, what we all had 
 very close at heart, what each one of us would gladly have 
 shown and expressed (were not demonstrativeness and out- 
 spokenness the weak side of us Germans), what he can find 
 nowhere stronger than among us here — I mean the most 
 intense respect and affection for him personally, and his art 
 as well, and the sincerest gratitude for the intellectual feasts 
 he has given us. These are daily the subjects of our con- 
 versation, even little Carl lets no day pass without asking : 
 ' Papa, how does Uncle Moscheles play ? ' And then I try, 
 as well as I can, to imitate his fist playing in ' E flat major 
 6-8 time,' but it's a miserable failure. Now comes a song.* 
 .... I will now hand over the pen to my wife, merely add- 
 ing my best greetings for Emily, Serena, Felix, and Clara; 
 be sure and remind the dear children of me occasionally. 
 The letter is partly for Moscheles. I needn't say how 
 delighted I was with his success at Prague ; may he too 
 
 * This ii the Shepherd's Winter Song: "O Winter, schlimmer 
 Winter." 
 
LETTER FROM MENDELSSOHN. 
 
 2;9 
 
 sometimes think of us as a friend, and not keep us too long 
 waiting for the news of his happy arrival home. Farewell, 
 dear Mrs. Moscheles. 
 
 " Always your devoted 
 
 " Felix Mendklssohn-Bartholdy." 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 1841. 
 
 The Philharmonic Society — Moscheles as Conductor — Generosity of 
 Liszt — The Kemble Family — Madame Viardot — German and Ital- 
 ian Artists — Mendelssohn's " Leider ohne Worte " — Mendelssohn 
 and Spohr — Rachel — Thorough Bass — Pianoforte Practice — Some 
 weeks in Boulogne — Musical Publications. 
 
 DURING this winter the peace of the musical world 
 was much disturbed by the proceedings of the Phil- 
 harmonic Society, where injudicious counsels, and a too 
 rigid conservatism on the part of the Directors, had resulted 
 in a poor subscription list and inadequate performances. 
 Most of the performances, notably that of the "Lobgesang," 
 were found fault with. In deference to public opinion, 
 which called loudly for novelties, Berlioz's overture to the 
 " Francs Juges" was given, but most unfavorably received. 
 " Was the composition, or was the bad performance to be 
 held responsible for that chaos ? I can't settle that question 
 after one hearing." 
 
 Again we read : " Strangely enough, the ' Melusine ' was 
 coldly received, the music was not understood, and failed 
 to kindle any enthusiasm, perhaps for the want of a brilliant 
 finale. Suffice it to say that the jealous and thick-headed 
 are already glad to talk about failure, while we are up in 
 arms against them." 
 
 There was a loud call for the Ninth Symphony, and 
 Moscheles, who this year had not been re-elected as one 
 of the Directors, was now requested to conduct it. 
 
 He writes in his diary : " A truce to selfishness. If I 
 can make this gigantic work accessible to the public, it is 
 my duty to do so." How successfully he performed this 
 duty, we may gather from the following passages in the 
 Times of the 4th of May : " Artists and amateurs now are 
 glad to own that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is as much 
 
MOSCHELES AS CONDUCTOR. 28 1 
 
 remarkable for majesty and grandeur as for simplicity. 
 For this recognition we are in a great measure indebted to 
 Moscheles, who conducted the work with great care and 
 conscientiousness. As a conductor he surpasses almost all 
 our musicians, for whenever he swings his baton he leads 
 the orchestra, whereas others are led by it. Nothing 
 would so much tend to elevate the character of these con- 
 certs as the permanent appointment of Moscheles as a 
 conductor ; he is one who inspires the orchestra with a re- 
 spect due to him, and would always lead it onwards to new 
 tuccesses." 
 
 At the eighth concert the attention of the audience was 
 entirely centred upon Liszt. " When he came forward to 
 play in Hummel's Septet, one was prepared to be staggered, 
 but only heard" (we quote the diary) " the well-known 
 piece which he plays with the most perfect execution, 
 storming occasionally like a Titan, but still, in the main, 
 free from extravagance ; for the distinguishing mark of 
 Liszt's mind and genius is that he knows perfectly the 
 locality, the audience, and the style of music he brings be- 
 fore that audience, and uses his powers, which are equal to 
 everything, merely as a means of eliciting the most varied 
 kinds of effects." 
 
 After this season Liszt made a tour with Lavenu in the 
 provinces ; this scheme proving unsuccessful, the generous 
 pianist released the entrepreneur from his pecuniary obliga- 
 tion. Liszt and Moscheles were heard several times to- 
 gether in the " Preciosa " variations, on which Moscheles 
 remarks : " it seemed to me that we were sitting together on 
 Pegasus." When Moscheles showed him his F sharp and 
 D minor '■ Studies," which he had written for Mechetti's 
 Beethoven album, Liszt, in spite of their intricacies and 
 difficulties, played them admirably at sight. He was a con- 
 stant visitor at Moscheles' house, often dropping in unex- 
 pectedly, and many an evening was spent under the double 
 fascination of his splendid playing and brilliant conversa- 
 tion. " The other day he told us : ' I have played a duet 
 with Cramer ; I was the poisoned mushroom, and I had at 
 my side my antidote of milk.' " 
 
 The Kemble family was a favorite topic with Moscheles. 
 " What an interesting and gifted family the Kembles ! 
 
282 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Charles Kemble, for so many years one of the chief glories 
 of the English stage, has two daughters — the eldest, Mrs. 
 Butler (illustrious in her maiden days as Fanny Kemble), 
 and the youngest Adelaide, gifted with a glorious voice, 
 which she uses with equal success in Italian bravuras, Ger- 
 man Lieder, or old classical music. She is so thoroughly 
 versed in languages that when she sings you can fancy you 
 are listening to an Italian, French, or German ; she is 
 gifted with an extraordinary musical memory. Kemble 
 and Mrs. Butler read to the family circle scenes from Shake- 
 speare's plays ; no wonder such intellectual reunions attract 
 the most select and cultivated audiences. The other day 
 Kemble, after reading some scenes from ' As You Like It,' 
 ended by way of a joke with the words, ' Come, let us sing, 
 cousin ;' whereupon Madame Viardot and Miss Kemble 
 set the example, and we other musicians followed. 
 
 " Miss Kemble's version of the ' Erl-King' at her own 
 concert, accompanied by Liszt, was really thrilling. In the 
 following winter her ' Norma' and other characters won for 
 her the reputation of being the first singer and actress of 
 the day. A worthy scion of the Kembles ! " 
 
 The gifted Viardot is thus referred to : " Viardot is a 
 musician to the core ; she not only knows and understands 
 the classical masters, but overcomes all the technical diffi- 
 culties of modern ' fioriture.' One can justly apply to her 
 the French expression, ' Elle crt-e son role.' I seem to 
 realize and understand a character after seeing Viardot in 
 it — not before ; she is a linguist and composer as well ; in 
 a word she is one of the greatest phenomena of our time." 
 Persiani performs incredible difficulties, but, says Mos- 
 cheles : " Her high, thin voice is like a violin with very 
 thin strings ; I can't say I care much for her ' Beatrice di 
 Tenda.' Madame Dorus Gras, in the matter of organ and 
 flexibility of voice, is in reality a second Persiani; Meerti 
 an excellent and sympathetic concert-singer, and so simple 
 and amiable. Our Germans, Frau Stockl-Heinefetter, 
 Staudigl, and Haizinger, were perfect in ' Jessonda' and 
 the ' Zauberfl.-Jte.' " 
 
 " Staudigl often sings in our house," writes Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles ; " his sound German style is the healthiest antidote 
 I know of for the mawkish sentimentality of the Italians." 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S RESPECT FOR SPOHR. 283 
 
 Although separated from one another, Mendelssohn 
 and Moscheles were constantly in communication. Mos- 
 cheles, referring to Mendelssohn in one his letters, ob- 
 serves : " It is refreshing to my mind and heart that I have 
 to revise the proofs of the fourth book of ' Lieder ohne 
 Worte ;' I play them and the ' Variations Serieuses' over 
 and over again — each time I enjoy their beauties afresh." 
 When Moscheles in return sends his friends copies of his 
 new MS. Studies in F major and D minor, he remarks : 
 " Felix will play them at sight quite as well as Liszt." 
 
 Not only was there a constant interchange of composi- 
 tions, but also of home news. Mrs. Moscheles had allud- 
 ed in one of her letters to a newspaper article, in which 
 some busybody had indulged in ill-natured comparisons 
 between Mendelssohn and Spohr. To this Mendelssohn 
 replies : " The only thing that vexes me in your charming 
 letter is that you have taken any interest in the strange 
 comparisons and the ' cock-fights ' which have been start- 
 ed in England between Spohr and me. These things are 
 unaccountable, and I heartily deplore them ; in truth, not 
 the slightest idea of such a competition or comparison has 
 ever entered my mind. You will smile, or be angry with 
 me for answering so seriously such a ridiculous matter ; but 
 something serious lies at the bottom of it all, and this com- 
 petition, suggested Heaven knows by whom, does good to 
 neither of us, but injures both — let alone the fact that I 
 never can or should like to be pitted as an opponent to a 
 master of Spohr's standing. Even from boyhood I have 
 had far too deep a respect for his character and person 
 (this has not bated a jot with my riper judgment) to choose 
 to enter the lists with him now. Pardon, as I said, this 
 dreary tone in answer to so amiable a letter, but it all oc- 
 curs to me involuntarily, whenever I think of the cross- 
 grained T. and his behavior generally." 
 
 " Moscheles writes : " A Mr. B., one of my most zeal- 
 ous pupils, came to me to-day with the request that Spohr, 
 Mendelssohn, and I would each write for him a psalm with 
 orchestral accompaniments, and he offers to pay 20/. for 
 each. Mendelssohn chose the 13th, I the 93d Psalm, and 
 Mr. B. wishes them to be published with the utmost care. 
 
 " We saw Rachel in ' Les Horaces.' How noble, how 
 
284 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 grand is her declamation, appearance, and movement ; she 
 inspired me with awe, and in writing about her genius, I 
 feel the insignificance of my praise. What I most admired 
 in her was her power of rising gradually to a climax, an ele- 
 ment in any art production, and yet so seldom met with. 
 As she stands leaning against a pillar, motionless as a 
 statUL-, one has time to admire her classical profile, and the 
 no less classically arranged folds of her drapery; during 
 the story of the battle she becomes a living being, her feat- 
 ures betraying every shade of emotion, and, when at last 
 she speaks, her tones peal" forth like a solemn measured 
 hymn ; as she proceeds she seems to gather inspiration, 
 the measured 'Tempo' becomes a 'Vivace,' then a 'Pres- 
 to,' and then a ' Tempo rubato.' But throughout this scene 
 the voice retains its full pawer, articulation, and clearness ; 
 not a syllable is lost, and it is only when she stops that one 
 is sensible of having followed her breathlessly." 
 
 Moscheles writes from Boulogne : " Hei-e we are. I 
 breathe freely, and can say with pride I am a free man. 
 There is a noise below in the harbor, tri-colors and flags 
 are waving in every direction to celebrate the anniversary 
 of Louis Napoleon's abortive attempts to land ; but all 
 honor to the first Napoleon, whose birthday, on the 15th of 
 August, is to be kept with great festivities." 
 
 How earnestly Moscheles interested himself in his 
 children's music we gather from the following letter : . . . . 
 "While writing this, I hear Emily playing my ' Nursery 
 Tale' and ' Reconciliation,' and am happy to say that she 
 gathers my intentions from the slightest hint, and can be 
 left to practice without fear of her adopting a fault. As to 
 my little Serena, she has learned her scale in C as a sur- 
 prise to me, and I, to try her as a timist, have accompanied 
 her in the bass in different rhythms ; as this does not put 
 her out I augur well of her taste for music. Thus I take 
 great delight in my children's education, my own, I fear, 
 being past praying for. They must play before company ; 
 one can't get them too, early over that dilettante shyness 
 which borders so closely on affectation ; one must teach 
 them not to think of their own petty selves, but of the great- 
 ness of the work of art they are to interpret." . . . . " You 
 ask me if your daughters ought to learn thorough bass ? I 
 
WORKS WRITTEN A T BOULOGNE. 285 
 
 say yes. Of course no practical application can be made 
 of the study unless it be pursued for a number of years, yet 
 even when followed in a dilettante way, it helps to the bet- 
 ter understanding of good compositions and the rules of their 
 structure ; being the grammar of the art of sound, it is an 
 indispensable aid to the deeper comprehension of music. 
 The reading of a figured bass is necessary, as a step to the 
 reading of scores. Choose for your teacher a good theorist 
 or organist." 
 
 Writing to a friend in Vienna, he observes : " In reply 
 to your question about your children's technical studies, let 
 me advise you to bestow particular attention to the .vorking 
 of the fourth and fifth fingers, which are naturally the 
 weakest, and ought to acquire the firmness of the others. 
 The ' hand-guide' (Hand-leiter) I consider quite unnecessa- 
 ry. The pupil must from the first be made to hold the 
 arms and hands in a natural manner, neither raising the 
 elbows or wrists too high, nor allowing them to drop too, low. 
 A careful teacher will attend to this, and of course the chil- 
 dren must work up to good models ; time and expression 
 should be cultivated also, a little later, however. Varia- 
 tions and fantasias upon operatic airs are less fitted for the 
 cultivation of individuality of style, because in such music 
 the ear depends too much on well-known forms; original 
 works by good masters are more useful. But if all that is 
 practiced with the ' hand-guide' (as Kalkbrenner recom- 
 mends, and still daily uses), all feeling must be dormant, 
 while the hand moves with admirable accuracy and stiffness. 
 What would have become of us older pianoforte-players, 
 and of Thalberg and Liszt, if they had used the hand- 
 guide !' Would art have stood higher .? " 
 
 During these weeks at Boulogne Moscbeles wrote his 
 " Tarantella" (dedicated to his daughter Emily), the " Ser- 
 enade" (for Ihe two works and arrangements Chappell 
 gave the sum of 80/.), besides these, the " Romanesca," 
 two very difficult " Studies," a small Barcarole in D flat 
 major, " to remind me that I am at the sea-side." He also 
 arranged Beethoven's Septet as a pianoforte duet. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 1842. 
 
 The Bunsen Family — Performance before the King of Prussia — A 
 Trying Time — Correspondence with Madame Moscheles — Ros- 
 sini's " Stabat Mater" — Conversatioh with Neulcomm — Family 
 Trials — Rehearsal of Spohr's Symphony — Anton Rubinstein — 
 Dedication of a Work to Prince Albert — Presentation to the 
 Prince — Great Fire at Hambm-g — Concert in Aid of the Sufferers 
 — JuUien's Concerts. 
 
 AT the beginning of this year Moscheles alludes to his 
 acquaintance with Bunsen, at that time the represent- 
 ative of Prussia in England, and the recognized centre of 
 all that was distinguished in politics, science, and art. At 
 the end of January Moscheles, at a party given by the Bun- 
 sens, plays before the King of Prussia on an Erard piano. 
 "I chose it by command of the King ; it is to be sent to 
 Berlin, and I was glad the King approved of it. Neukomm 
 played pn the ' orgue expressif." Alexander von Hum- 
 boldt, and other famous compatriots in attendance on his 
 Majesty, took a very friendly interest in my performances." 
 February was a month of severe trial for Moscheles and 
 his family, for the scarlet- fever broke out in the house. 
 Remembering Dickens's words : " They sat together and 
 talked of their illness," we shrink from inflicting a dreary 
 story on our readers. Suffice it to say that Moscheles was 
 obliged to leave the house, to avoid spreading infection 
 among his numerous pupils. Between his lodgings and the 
 sick-room innumerable letters passed, and from these we 
 extract a few passages. " I trust to Providence and your 
 strength of mind J if your strength to bear our separation 
 increases, I will fancy myself on a journey, returning home, 
 the road a rugged one, the diligence dragging lazily along, 
 and occasionally stuck fast in the mud, the arrival home de- 
 layed, until finally the conductor calls out, 'You are now 
 at the last stage,' and the custom-house officer, ' You can 
 
JiOSSINrS " STABA T MA TER." 287 
 
 pass.' " . . . . Sometimes he forgets his office as consoler, 
 and strikes another key : " A cell in Newgate couldn't be 
 so repulsive to me as a lodging separated from you." A 
 more favorable bulletin suggests the remark : " This was 
 sent to me at the ' Singverein,' and in the joy of my heart I 
 immediately ordered a ' Gloria' to be sung. Tell Felix I 
 shall empty a whole cask of wine to his health. Since we 
 parted, Rossini's ' Stabat Mater,' which we were so anxious 
 to hear, has become known to me, and Benedict and I are 
 now studying it with our class. It is, as you may imagine, 
 a model of ' singableness' (if I may say so), but it is not • 
 sufficiently church-music to my taste ; his solitary fugue is 
 clumsy. The criticisms on the work are very various, some 
 agree with me, but the majority delight in the captivating 
 Italian. phrases, which I admire too, but which I cannot 
 think are in the right place. Now, I hope the time is 
 not so far distant when you will again take part in the class, 
 and become acquainted with this work. . . . Pray, let 
 us settle as to the exact time when I can see you at the 
 window ; certainly it is a plague of Tantalus, but whenever 
 I look out for you, and you are not there, I feel as if I had 
 missed a correct Tempo." 
 
 He often tries to amuse his wife by telling stories of his. 
 friends and acquaintance. " I heard B. M. play a piece of 
 his own composition, but it was a paraphrase of Thalberg 
 and Djhler, consequently dilution twice diluted." .... 
 " How my ears suffered at a soiree, where Rode's Varia- 
 tions and Weber's ' Concertstiick' were played in amateur- 
 ish fashion. At last I determined on scaring away all these 
 unpleasant sounds by playing myself" Speaking of a very 
 small and overluxurious house, he says : " It seems to me 
 like a child who has put on his grandfather's court dress. 
 .... At a dinner the lady of the house gives her orders, 
 the husband his, the sons issue fresh ones, and two poor 
 inexperienced maid-servants run about like sheep which find 
 themselves separated from their flock, and are driven to- 
 gether by dogs." . ..." I had a curious conversation 
 with Neukomm, and played him my Psalm (93) ; he said 
 repeatedly, ' Fine ! Good, good I ' and declared that the 
 second number, a chorus full of melody, was his favorite. 
 I asked for criticism, and lie showed me some harmonic 
 
288 RECENT MUSfC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 progressions, which he declared were too bold. I thought 
 how useful they would be to his classically correct but of- 
 ten monotonous compositions, but merely said : ' The un- 
 approachable Beethoven has ventured still further.' He 
 added : ' There you follow a bad example.' To this asser- 
 tion I would only give modest evasive answers, and young 
 Bunsen came in most opportunely to interrupt us." .... 
 " Last Saturday we sang some of Neukomm's music, a vocal 
 piece in sixteen parts, for which Bunsen had written a com- 
 mentary. Neukomm has in this music harmonized and ar- 
 ranged Chorales, a 'Miserere,' by Palestrina, and the Lit- 
 urgy of Passion Week (with pianoforte and organ accompa- 
 niment). I sang my bass part only a trifle weaker than 
 Lablache." 
 
 His gratitude for the preservation of his son and the re- 
 covery of his wife, his deep sorrow on receiving the news 
 of his mother's death, and his resignatioh to the Divine 
 will — all these feelings find expression in the following lines : 
 " This blow has almost stunned me. Never was a son 
 loved more affectionately. Never has a son more heartily 
 responded to such love than I did. This gap must remain 
 unfilled. But God has wonderfully preserved to me wife 
 and children. To Him be thanks ! " 
 
 During this saddest of winters, Moscheles had, by ex- 
 press wish of the composer, to study and rehearse Spohr's 
 Symphony for double orchestra, which was to be performed 
 at the Philharmonic Concert. 
 
 " The work," says Moscheles, "has all the great qualities 
 which one knows and loves in Spohr : beautiful treatment 
 of the subjects, admirable modulation and instrumentation, 
 but there is a want of novelty in the leading ideas, and I 
 should like more episodes and contrasts ; so much unity 
 leads to monotony. It may satisfy the harmonist, but there 
 is too much sameness throughout. The orchestra played 
 zealously and ' con amore,' but the work was only moderate- 
 ly applauded." 
 
 This season was memorable for the deluge of foreign art- 
 ists Among them was the youthful Anton Rubinstein. 
 " This Russian boy," says Moscheles, " has fingers light as 
 feathers, and with them the strength of a man." Native 
 artists, too, were on the alert. Blagrove gave quartet even- 
 
MOSCHELES A T BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 289 
 
 ings, Bennett published his Sestet in F sharp minor ; and 
 the Royal Academy of Music performed Spohr's •' Last 
 Judgment." About this time Bunsen secured for Moscheles 
 the permission to dedicate his great " Pianoforte School " 
 to Prince Albert, and on the day fixed by the Prince for re- 
 ceiving the presentation copy, Moscheles finds himself in 
 Buckingham Palace, where he writes to his wife as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 " Ante-chamber, Buckingham Palace. — It is now a quar- 
 ter-past one, and I have been sitting all alone here since 
 twelve o'clock, giving audience to my thoughts without keep- 
 ing them waiting as long as the Prince does me, or I do my 
 pupils. On one side I am warmed by the sunbeams as 
 they pour through the large window, and on the other by 
 a large fire — isn't that bliss ? But freedom ! golden free- 
 dom ! would you were mine once more, and that I was sit- 
 ting at home instead of looking at these bleak walls ! Luck- 
 ily I found writing materials, and can thus prove to you in 
 black and white, that on all occasions I think of you . . . 
 Two o'clock. — At last Dr. Schenck appeared in my pri.son, 
 and told me, with an air of great embarrassment, that ow- 
 ing to the forgetfulness of one of the pages, the Prince, who 
 happened to be busy when I arrived, had not been reminded 
 that I was in waiting. He said the Prince would certainly 
 
 reprove the page for his neglect Five o'clock. — I am 
 
 back again to what I, poor exile, call my home, and must 
 give you the sequel of my Court adventures. The Prince 
 walked in after Dr. Schenck, made his excuse, and said he 
 was vexed I had lost so much of my time. He was so ami- 
 able that my impatience vanished. I handed to him the 
 'Pianoforte School,' and he turned over several of the pages, 
 saying he thought he would have to work at the easiest of 
 the ' Studies ; ' to this I naturally answered, that he had only 
 to command me, whenever he might want to hear me play 
 him the difficult ones. He answered me kindly, but a page 
 entering the room with ' Her Majesty the Queen is ready,' 
 the Prince took a hasty farewell of me and Dr. Schenck ; \ 
 too hurried off to my lessons." 
 
 In May Moscheles received the news of the great fire at 
 Hamburg. When all anxiety about the safety of his rela- 
 tions was over, and it became evident that the misery of the 
 
290 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 thousands left without a roof to shelter them required imme- 
 diate assistance, he conceived the plan of giving a grand 
 concert for the benefit of the sufferers. The selection of a 
 day and place, and the means of reducing the expenses of 
 preparation, were matters for anxious deliberation. The 
 ball for the Spitalfield Weavers, the number of impending 
 concerts, the Director of the Italian Opera, with his enor- 
 mous demands, were serious obstacles, but Lablache most 
 kindly came to the rescue, promising his own assistance, 
 and that of all his compatriots. German and English artists 
 also joined, but the Hamburg Committee tried to hamper 
 Moscheles with doubts as to the success of the scheme, and 
 hinted at the advisability of another well-known pianist 
 sharing the enterprise ; this he steadily refused. The ad- 
 mission tickets had a rapid sale, and at the eleventh hour 
 Mendelssohn appeared in England and eagerly joined. 
 When all the tickets were disposed of, the orchestra was 
 converted into stalls; the boxes let at high prices; some 
 of the Royal Family attended, and for the accommodation 
 of crowds unable to get admission, tables and chairs were 
 ranged like seats in an amphitheatre, at the entrance door. 
 Moscheles wrote for the occasion a Study in F major, 2-4 
 time, always after this called the ' Hamburg Study.' 
 We give the sum total of receipts and expenditure : 
 
 £ s. d. 
 
 Lumley, director of the theatre 50 o o 
 
 Refreshments for the Artists 2 10 g 
 
 Extra seats 236 
 
 Police i85 
 
 Porters aad Billposters 470 
 
 Paper-hangers — Joiners 880 
 
 Advertisements 23 o o 
 
 ;^9i 17 9 
 Gross Receipts .... £,Ti'i 2 3 
 Surplus £i'^'}, 4 6 
 
 "Of this sum I asked the Senate," says Moscheles, "to 
 allow me 1000 marks for distribution among families select- 
 ed by myself The Town afterwards presented me with a 
 medal made of the molten bronze of the Church bells ; it 
 bore the inscription ' Hamburg thanks.' " 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S CECILE. 
 
 291 
 
 Mendelssohn's hopes that his C6cile would not belie the 
 anticipations raised by his letters were abundantly realized. 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes : " At last my ardent wish is fulfilled ; 
 I have learnt to know the charming and beautiful Cecile. 
 Mendelssohn was quite right in anticipating that we should 
 learn to understand and love each other, I for my part had 
 not to learn this, for to see her was to feel at once attracted 
 towards her, We spent some delightful days with them at 
 her aunt's ; in fine weather we had running matches in the 
 garden, when Mendelssohn's feet proved to be as active as 
 on the organ pedal. We performed charades too, Felix 
 acting as stage-manager, and Moscheles doing the orchestra. 
 But when the time came for serious music, then were the 
 two M.'s in their real element ; then did they give us their 
 very best, winding up as usual with a grand improvisation a 
 quatre mains. Then followed such remarks as these : 
 ' How insane of you to bring in my madcap Scherzo while I 
 was just fairly launched in your A flat major Study, which I 
 wanted to do ever so sentimentally ; ' or, ' Isn't it a wonder 
 it went at all ? Upon my word, we have been too reckless 
 to-day ! ' " 
 
 " One must congratulate the excitable and effervescent 
 Mendelssohn that he has met with a wife so gentle, so ex- 
 quisitely feminine ; they are perfectly matched." Moscheles 
 says ; " He played me his Choruses from ' Antigone,' sing- 
 ing or humming the voice parts ; even with this hearing I 
 see plainly that the work is grand and noble. The Bacchus 
 Chorus is in the true genuine spirit. His new A minor 
 Symphony is a gem ; the subscribers to the Philharmonic 
 are quite ready to acknowledge it as such, how much more 
 then we artists ! " 
 
 The Handel Society, of which Moscheles was a member, 
 was founded for the purpose of publishing an improved 
 edition of Handel's works, and the scheme necessarily in- 
 volved a number of meetings and consultations. " The 
 children were differently occupied," Mrs. Moscheles writes ; 
 " we have a novelty more interesting to them than Christ- 
 mas trees — I mean Jullien's new Promenade Concerts. 
 Drury Lane Theatre is converted into a large room, in 
 which the ' one shilling ' public freely circulates, regardless 
 of the music ; the boxes are filled by the ' haute vol6e.' 
 
292 RECENT MUSIC AND M USICIANS. 
 
 Jullien directs a good orchestra, sometimes with a bdton, 
 sometimes playing a ' flauto piccolo,' which with its shrill 
 tones marks the rhythm. After each piece he throws him- 
 self back as if he were exhausted, on a red velvet arm chair ; 
 his dress-coat discovers half a mile of white waistcoat ; his 
 dance tunes, strongly spiced with drum, bassoon, and trum- 
 pet, are attractive to all, but specially to the schoolboy, who 
 would not think it Christmas if he did not go to JuUien's 
 concerts." 
 
 Moscheles, while enjoying with his children this kind of 
 entertainment, was contemplating for them a musical pas- 
 time of a very different description. " Since I accompanied 
 my little girl in the C major scale, I have had an idea run- 
 ning in my head of making a ' harmonized work on scales.' 
 This is to make the dry mechanical practice of the different 
 scales pleasant to the pupil, and form her taste by hearing 
 a melody ; it will also make her a good limist. Such a 
 work might possibly become useful to the world of piano- 
 forte-players ; the sooner the purely mechanical part of 
 study is put into the background, the higher will be the cul- 
 tivation of the artistic element." The idea of writing this 
 new work was soon realized. 
 
 We quote from the diary : — " I advise the pupil to prac- 
 tice the scales with both hands, and that too ' con amore ; ' 
 the master, who has the responsibility of listening to his 
 pupil while he practices his scales, should not weary over his 
 work, as too often happens ; both should be agreeably em- 
 ployed, the master in reading his own part and paying, at- 
 tention to that of his pupil, the latter in hearing a rhythmi- 
 cal piece, a melody, and accustoming himself to count, in- 
 stead of having to run up and down the bare scales. " You 
 wouldn't believe," says Moscheles, " with what enthusiasm 
 the children rush at every newly finished piece of the work 
 on scales ; Emily naturally acts as Professor ; they must 
 play it all even before the ink is dry, and 'La Danse des 
 Fees ' is their favorite." 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 1843. 
 
 Operatic Arrangements — John Parry — Mrs. Shaw and Clara Novello 
 at Exeter Hall — Halle the Pianist — Inauguration of the Leipzig 
 Conservatoire — Alexander Dreyschock — Sivori and Ernst — Spohr 
 in lyondon — Concert by HuUah's Pupils — Anecdote of Fontenelle 
 — Music and Drawing — Heinrich Lehmann— Playing to the 
 Blind in Paris — visit to Halevy in Prison. 
 
 MOSCHELES has, early in the year, to make two 
 books of operatic arrangements — this time on " Don 
 Pasquale" — for Cramer; he next revises three numbers of 
 "Fidelio," published after Beethoven's death. "We had," 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes, " a l(5ng musical evening in Exeter 
 Hall — too much for the German taste ; I give you the pro- 
 gramme in extenso: — Anthem, by Dr. Crotch, Beethoven's 
 Mass in C, and the ' Lobgesang.' How did we possibly 
 manage after this to go to Mrs. Sartoris ? how could Mos- 
 cheles play, and successfully too ? how could we laugh 
 even at John Parry's performances ? Without him no party 
 is thought complete ; I have already told you how he sings 
 a trio all by himself; every one laughs, as soon as he sits 
 down to the piano, over which he has perfect mastery ; in 
 his ' parlando' songs, which are for the most part in verse, 
 he generally satirizes some folly of the day. He may truly 
 be called the musical Moliere of our time." Again : '' We 
 have had a performance of Beethoven's oratorio 'The 
 
 Mount of Olives,' at Exeter Hall There was a 
 
 strange scene the other evening, when the ' Messiah' was 
 given. Those excellent artists, Clara Novello and Mrs. 
 Shaw, stirred the audience to great enthusiasm ; it literally 
 rained encores. Mrs. Shaw seemed willing to comply with 
 the wishes of the audience. Miss Novello the reverse ; she 
 withstood all the shouts, clapping of hands, and other 
 noisy demonstrations, and Phillips' song, 'Why do the 
 
294 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 heathen rage?' seemed well suited to the occasion, and 
 was only half listened to by an audience shouting ' Miss 
 Novello ! ' ' encore ! ' It was no good, she declined to 
 repeat her song, and left the orchestra. At last the music 
 was allowed to proceed without interruption, and when it 
 came to the heavenly air ' I know that my Redeemer liveth,' 
 Miss Novello stepped forward again, this time accom- 
 panied by a member of the committee, who was about to 
 speak, but some one shouted out ' bad temper,' and the 
 Witch's Sabbath began afresh, so that the poor lady sang 
 the greater part of her sublime song amid the alternate 
 hisses, applause, and screams of the audience. At last, 
 however, her fine singing prevailed, and the turmoil was at 
 an end." 
 
 At this time Moscheles, in a letter to his father-in-law, 
 says, in reference to Berlioz's great symphony, which had 
 just been heard in Hamburg, "I only know this work 
 from the pianoforte copy, and am therefore not competent 
 to form a judgment upon it, but I shall be with difficulty 
 won over to it, because I feel' very strongly Berlioz's want 
 of melody, rhythm, phrasing, and contrapuntal proportions. 
 I have heard his overtures ' Francs Juges' and ' Benvenuto 
 Celhni' performed with full orchestra, but his effective 
 instrumentation could not compensate, in my judgment, 
 for the loss of the qualities 1 have referred to, especial- 
 ly in passages where he attempts to be melodious and 
 poetical, but lapses into prose. Generally speaking, I am 
 too glad to prove to the world and my friends that I am 
 not ultra-conservative, and know how to value the modern 
 composers. Just now I play Chopin a great deal, nay, I 
 try to master his music, although it is not quite my 'genre.' " 
 
 Moscheles writes : " Halle, the pianist, has lately ar- 
 rived from Paris. He is very fond of playing Chopin's 
 music, and brings with him, no doubt, the correct tradition 
 of the Notturnos and Mazurkas. He is applauded also for 
 his playing of other compositions." .... 
 
 "Just at present the Tableaux mania is our specialty, 
 and we are assisted by such distinguished people as Land- 
 seer, Horsley, and Westmacott. Mrs. Sartoris as the ' Sib- 
 ylle' was quite classical. Her musical parties are very 
 choice." .... "I expected great things from the Han- 
 
ERNST— DREY SCHOCK. 29S 
 
 del Society, but we lose much precious time in discussion, 
 and the preliminary conferences are not as pleasantly 
 conducted as I should like. At last, however, matters 
 look more business-like, for we have agreed that three 
 Coronation Anthems are to be published as the first num- 
 ber of the new edition, and that later on I am to undertake 
 the ' Allegro' and ' Penseroso.' ... I am once more to 
 conduct the Ninth Symphony for the Philharmonic Society." 
 
 Moscheles thus records an event of great importance in 
 the annals of modern music : " The Leipzig Conservatoire 
 was inaugurated on the loth of April when pupils were 
 admitted for the first time. With Mendelssohn at the 
 head, one may expect great things of the young Institution ; 
 Felix is always trying to persuade me to join him and 
 become one of the staff of teachers. It would be a noble 
 vocation to work in conjunction with him, to shake off the 
 yokes of lesson-giving and dilettantism In order to educate 
 young artists." 
 
 Alexander Dreyschock, lately arrived in London, is 
 thus alluded to : " He is still young in the art, but his 
 powers as an executant are marvellous ; he has an exquis- 
 itely, delicate touch, and performs astonishing ' tours de 
 force' with his left hand ; but alas ! his playing is restricted 
 to twelve pieces, which he has toiled at incessantly. He 
 has no style, and can not read music, as our little girl dis- 
 covered. You shall hear the story : he was trying over 
 with me some ' Scale pieces,' and played the ' Pupil's part,' 
 but was so often at fault with the time, that Clara ran up 
 to her mamma, calling out (luckily in English, which Drey- 
 schock probably did not understand), ' Mamma, hasn't Mr. 
 D. learned the scales ? ' You may imagine my horror at 
 the ' enfant terrible.' " 
 
 Sivori gave four crowded concerts, earning golden lau- 
 rels, especially in his " Carnaval de Venise." Ernst also 
 appeared, charming every one with his grand tone and 
 fine German reading of the great masters. At a concert 
 given for the benefit of the newly opened German hospital, 
 Ernst first displayed his great and versatile powers before 
 an English audience, selecting such music as Spohr's 
 " Gesang Scene;" the " Carnaval de Venise," and varia- 
 tions from " Otello." 
 
296 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 The arrival of Spohr, the king of violinists, created a 
 considerable sensation in London, where his great artistic 
 gifts met with a very wide spread recognition. ' The musi- 
 cal societies in London vied with each other in welcoming 
 the great musician. His " Macbeth," his " Weihe' der 
 Tone," and the oratorio "The Fall of Babylon," were per- 
 formed under his own direction. "We artists, making up a 
 party of ninety, gave him a grand dinner at Greenwich ; I 
 was placed next to him to interpret the proceedings and 
 numerous speeches ; I also accompanied him in three of 
 his manuscript duets. In my improvisation at a later pe- 
 riod of the evening I endeavored to be completely ' Spohr- 
 ish,' and worked up themes out of his Symphony, ' The 
 Consecration of Sound.' " A grand party in his honor 
 was given by the Moscheles, and another by Mr. Alsager. 
 The music was Spohr throughout, and Moscheles played 
 his Quintet. He says : '" You know our friend is not de- 
 monstrative, but after the first movement he came to the 
 piano to shake hands with me. Halle turned over the 
 leaves, while all the native and foreign pianists in London 
 formed the audience. Spohr's ' Nonet' was a great treat ! 
 so finely played too by the author, now a man of fifty-nine 
 years of age ! " 
 
 Hullah's pupils gave a grand performance at Exeter 
 Hall, when Moscheles' four-part song " Daybreak " was 
 well given by the admirably-trained choir, and encored. 
 
 Moscheles says : " They tell me that some newspaper 
 has sharply criticized my song ; I can't help being reminded 
 of an anecdote of Fontenelle, who all his life long was the 
 King of humor, and worshipped by the million as an elegant 
 and refined writer. There was a little room in his house, 
 that was always kept locked, no one ever entered it but 
 himself When it was opened after his death, it was found 
 crammed full to the ceiling with all kinds of newspapers 
 and periodicals, containing attacks upon him, and this la- 
 conic comment upon them: 'I have never read aline of 
 these. I have never answered them.' I too am ready to 
 endorse Fontenelle's views." 
 
 In August Moscheles writes from Boulogne : " Our 
 good ship Harlequin, when crossing the Channel, certainly 
 bounded like his namesake, but that's all forgotten now. 
 
H. AND R. LEHMANN—HALEVY. 
 
 297 
 
 We have been very kindly received here In watching 
 
 my children at their studies, I discover that they are as 
 fond of drawing as of music. In my young days I was 
 just like them, only my profession tied me exclusively to 
 music, by which I was to earn my bread, so that pencils 
 and paint-boxes were soon laid aside." 
 
 The family leave Boulogne for Paris, and we read : 
 " Our cousin Heinrich Lehmann has become a famous 
 painter. His frescoes in the church of St. Mary, his orna- 
 mentation of the Chapelle des Aveugles, are very fine." 
 This artist has executed many important works in churches 
 and public buildings ; the most deservedly celebrated of 
 these were destroyed at the burning of the Hotel de Ville, 
 during the days of the Commune. His brother Rudolf liv- 
 ed many years in Rome, where he produced his well- 
 known pictures of Italian life. " When we went to see the 
 frescoes," says Moscheles, " I was asked to play something 
 for the poor blind people in the hospital. They stood 
 round me, and their enthusiasm deeply affected me ; not 
 only did they thank me, but kissed my hands with an earn- 
 estness that brought tears into my eyes. We have passed 
 many happy hours in Paris with Meyerbeer, Ernst, Halle 
 etc." 
 
 On the 3d of October we read : " I was extremely 
 amused with my visit to Halevy, who, having been guilty 
 of some breach of duty as a ' garde national,' was locked up 
 for eight and forty hours. Many famous painters before 
 him must have endured the same fate in the same place, 
 for artistic sketches and eccentric caricatures were drawn 
 and painted on the walls. We chatted as' easily in ' Aux 
 Haricots' (the nickname of the prison) as we should have 
 done in his own house ; all the more as his young wife was 
 present." Balzac's drama, ' Pamela Rigault,' and a repre- 
 sentation by Madame Georges, who was famous even in the 
 days of the Empire, are marked as specially interesting, 
 but on returning home to London, Moscheles' first exclam- 
 ation is, " What a delight my Erard and my Collard give 
 me ! They are not even out of tune ; my new ' Study ' in 
 C sharp minor, 6-8 time, sounded well." 
 
 This winter Mr. Hullah gave at his own house an ex- 
 cellent performance of Mendelssohn's "Athalie," which 
 
 13* 
 
298 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Moscheles accompanied on the piano ; Balfe produced his 
 opera the " Bohemian Girl." " Jullien still thrives ; he has 
 actually taken to Beethoven's Symphonies, and by way 
 of contrast we are favored with Roch Albert's Tone-picture 
 the ' Destruction of Pompeii/ with storms, crashes, prayers, 
 Bacchante dances, oracles, utter darkness, and then a blaze 
 of fireworks ; great and small effects, for great and small 
 children ! . . . . Jullien is witty too, or he pretends to have 
 discovered an echo on some Irish lake which repeats the 
 final notes the wrong way round, as for instance : 
 
 i 
 
 X 
 
 Echo: 
 
 1^ 
 
 =^ 
 
 Other similar effects are produced, one and all equally be- 
 wildering to a musician." 
 
 Moscheles ends the year with the following commentary 
 on a reporter who from an opponent had become an admi- 
 rer, "I am always the fortunate Prince, my detractors can- 
 not do me any harm, so they are obliged at last to become 
 my friends." 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 1844. 
 
 New Year in Austria and England — ^Joachim — Teaching the Theory 
 of Music — Mendelssohn in London — Golden Hours — Moscheles 
 Visited by Nesselrode — Visit to Germany— Concert at Frankfort 
 — Chairs for the Concert — Auerbach — Kaulbach — ^The Artist's 
 Studio — King Louis — Musical Life (vnd Doings in Vienna — Ernst 
 Pauer — An Imposing Scene in Vienna — Court Concert — Leipzig. 
 
 THE following is the entry for the ist of January : " I 
 was struck witli the contrast between the modes of 
 celebrating this day in Austria and England. There it is a 
 regular holiday, here a day of business. To do at Rome as 
 the Romans do, I worked at the Pianoforte edition of the 
 ' Allegro and Penseroso' for the Handel Society. . A prop- 
 osition was made to Mendelssohn to undertake the editing 
 of the ' Messiah,' but he felt scruples on account of Mo- 
 zart's additional accompaniments, and therefore the ' Israel 
 in Egypt' was offered to him instead." 
 
 The arrival of one who since those days has become 
 world-renowned, is thus briefly recorded : " Joachim, a boy 
 of thirteen years of age, has come to London, bringing with 
 him a letter of recommendation from Mendelssohn ; his tal- 
 ent, however, is his best introduction. We organized a 
 small party expressly for him ; I listened with delight to 
 him and Emily playing in Mendelssohn's lovely ' D minor 
 trio ; ' after that I was fairly taken by surprise by Joachim's 
 manly and brilliant rendering of David's ' Variations' and 
 De Bjriot's ' Rondo.' Mendelssohn is right, here we have 
 talent of the true stamp." 
 
 . ..." At Drury Lane Theatre, I heard Benedict's op- 
 era ' The Brides of Venice ; ' there are fine orchestral effects 
 and the vocal parts are well treated, and worthy of special 
 commendation. The music was well received, and the 
 composer called for. . . . Incredible, and yet true. At 
 
300 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Caradori's morning concert I accompanied some twenty-two 
 vocal pieces, in which the concert-giver and a host of vocal- 
 ists took part; the legion of instrumentalists was headed by- 
 Joachim, who played Ernst's ' Otello' Fantasia in the most 
 masterly way. Of the newest pianist importation, Leopold 
 von Mever, I can only say he thundered forth a Fantasia 
 of his own upon ' Lucrezia Borgia,' with immense force and 
 execution ; but where was the soul ? " 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes : " Fancy what we went through 
 the evening after Caradori's concert : first of all Sivori's 
 concert, then the quarter party given by Macfarren and 
 Davison, the chief feature of which was Ernst leading Beet- 
 hoven's posthumous quartet in C sharp minor, and lastly, 
 Mrs. Sartoris's musical sbiree, which we were unable to en- 
 joy — we had had too much of a good thing." 
 
 The one incomparable delight of this season was the 
 presence of Mendelssohn, who conducted five of the Philhar- 
 monic Concerts, and a full rehearsal of the Schubert and 
 Gade Symphonies, which were heard for the first time in 
 England. " When Mendelssohn appeared in the orchestra," 
 Moscheles. writes, '• he was received, as he deserves, with 
 raptures and enthusiasm. With him for a permanent con- 
 ductor the Philharmonic Concerts must improve. The me- 
 diocre performances were often a source of annoyance and 
 regret to me, and the onp remedy, the appointment of a 
 permanent conductor, was unwisely from time to time post- 
 poned ; now I feel quite relieved. Once more, to my great 
 delight, I heard Mendelssohn's ' A minor Symphony,' with 
 its fine piquant and original instrumentation. His ' Mid- 
 summer Night's Dream' music, given at the fifth, was re- 
 peated at the sixth concert, when the Court was present; 
 last of all we' had the ' Walpurgis Night,' all the more de- 
 lightful to me as I had studied its beauties in the pianoforte 
 score. The ' Suite of Bach' is a most interesting novelty — 
 this too, we owe to my dear friend. He played himself 
 Beethoven's ' G major Concerto,' improvising splendid ca- 
 denzas, and introduced his young friend Joachim in the 
 same great master's Violin Concerto — both performances 
 were triumphant. Of course Felix was the- bright star of 
 my birthday party on the 30th of May. He brought a 
 most welcome contribution to my album. It was a sequel 
 
MENDELSSOHN IN LONDON. 
 
 301 
 
 to the illustrated catalogue of my works, the first page of 
 which he had filled in 1832 ; the present continuation is as 
 witty and clever as its predecessors. At the bottom of the 
 page he had written the words, ' God willing, to be con- 
 tinued.' It was decreed otherwise." 
 
 After a performance of the oratorio " St. Paul," we find 
 an allusion to a conversation on the subject of the publi- 
 cation of Mendelssohn's works, and Moscheles endeavored 
 to impress Felix with the necessity of dealing fairly by him- 
 self, instead of undervaluing writings the sterling worth of 
 which was everywhere acknowledged. Mrs. Moscheles 
 writes : " Mendelssohn is the amiable friend we have ever 
 known him. He gave out that after conducting the last 
 Philharmonic Concert, on the 8th of July, he should leave 
 England, but he arranged with us to meet our common 
 friends at our house, and at Klingemann's, on the 9th. 
 You may imagine how delighted ' nos intimes' were, and 
 what glorious instrumental music we had ; Mrs. Sartoris, 
 too, was in splendid voice. Our guests were so grateful 
 and happy, not happier than the hostess herself, for those 
 were golden hours indeed ! " 
 
 In the record of this year we find the names, more or 
 less famous, of politicians, authors, and artists, who -be- 
 came acquainted with or brought letters of introduction to 
 Moscheles. One visitor was the son of the illustrious C. 
 M. von Weber ; he came to London charged with the sad 
 duty of superintending the removal of his father's remains 
 from Moorfields' Chapel to their final resting-place in 
 Dresden. We read, too, of the painters Magnus and Jacob, 
 of Berlin, Mrs. Jameson, the accomplished authoress, and 
 the'distinguished Nesselrode, who expressed a wish to hear 
 Moscheles, and honored him with a visit. He was attended 
 by Baron Brunow, the Russian Ambassador. Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles writes : " The great man was very amiable, and 
 called on Moscheles to play several of his own composi- 
 tions ; ETiily also was made to play, and Nesselrode not 
 only paid elaborate compliments to father and daughter, 
 but expressed an earnest hope that he would meet us in 
 Russia." The invitation was endorsed by Michael Viel- 
 hoursky, called by Moscheles " one of the first amateurs in 
 St. Petersburg." The project of going to Russia, which 
 
302 RECENT MUSrC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 had almost been determined on, was abandoned in conse- 
 quence of the death of the Grand-Duchess Alexandra. 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes : " I really think a man like Nessel- 
 rode can't sneeze, without the fact being noticed in the 
 newspapers ; his visit to Chester Place is not only recorded 
 but prettily embellished by a highly imaginative reporter, 
 in the Morning Pjst. I suppose a blank had to be filled 
 iip with some gossip." 
 
 The journey to St. Petersburg being abandoned, Mos- 
 cheles realized the project of taking his wife and daughter 
 with him on a visit to " dear old Vienna." Halting awhile 
 at several German towns for the sake of "Auld Lang 
 Syne," and exploring the beauties of " Father Rhine," they 
 reach Frankfort, and, to their great delight, find that the 
 Mendelssohns are at Soden, " only half an hour from us." 
 " There is a regular congress of pianists here, and in spite 
 of that people insist on my giving a concert." Mendels- 
 sohn insisting too, a concert was arranged for the 25th of 
 September, and the two friends played the " Hommage a 
 Handel " to a crowded audience. 
 
 An amusing incident is described in a letter from Mos- 
 cheles' daughter : — " The room, long before the concert 
 began, was crammed full, but still people came ; there was 
 a small empty room adjoining. ' What will the Frankfort- 
 ers say when they find no seats ? " said Mendelssohn to 
 Rosenhain. 'Let us be ofif together and hire chairs, with- 
 out bothering Moscheles just before the concert." Our 
 good friend Rosenhain jumped at the proposal, but it was no 
 such easy matter to get chairs, for it was the time of the fair, 
 and there were none to spare in the crowded hotels. At 
 last they found four dozen in a small pothouse. ' These 
 must be sent immediately,' says Mendelssohn. 'But who 
 is to pay \ ' inquires the landlord. ' A great artist — Mos- 
 cheles — who is giving a concert, and the room is so full that 
 more chairs are wanted ; your money's safe.' 'Those 
 artist gentlemen,' says the canny landlord, ' often give con- 
 certs, pocket the money and bolt — 1 must have something 
 down.' Our two friends empty their pockets, which hap- 
 pened to be poorly filled. The landlord, however, is satis- 
 fied j they then mount a ' Droschke' Mendelssohn shoves 
 two of the chairs inside, and two more in front of the 
 
ELSLER—KA ULBACH. 
 
 303 
 
 driver, and then calls out, ' Now off with you as fast as you 
 can drive to the M iihlens'schen Saal.' When they get 
 there the other chairs are sent after them, and all the 
 audience are seated, although Madame Mendelssohn, mam- 
 ma and I had to make shift with two between us. What 
 pleased Mendelssohn far more than the history of the 
 chairs, was my father's addition of the deep bass C in his 
 A flat ' Study.' ' You surprised me with that, he said ' it has 
 a splendid effect, which ought not to be forgotten; I will write 
 it in Mrs. Moscheles' album at once.' He did so, drawing at 
 the same time a picture of the Droschke, Rosenhain, and 
 himself, and the chairs and all, but only half a horse. , ' I 
 can't draw that by heart he said." 
 
 " Darmstadt, Heidelberg, Carlsruhe, are all visited in 
 turn, and at the latter place the Grand-Duchess (a Wasa), 
 a truly amiable and gifted princess, delighted in play- 
 ing pianoforte duets with me and Emily. Here, too, 
 we made Berthold Auerbach's acquaintance, and were 
 struck with the originality of the extracts he read to us 
 from his works." At Stuttgart the public insist upon a 
 second concert. " At Augsburg," Moscheles writes, " I 
 went to the theatre to engage some vocalists. They were 
 just rehearsing 'La Clemenza di Tito;' to me too, the 
 'Tito' was 'clemente.' Vitellia smiled condescendingly, 
 Sesto, in her costume (more becoming at a distance), 
 claimed acquaintance as an old Viennese friend, while the 
 chorus director embraced me, and Hummel's son offered 
 me his services as accompanist'" 
 
 From Munich Mrs. Moscheles writes : " Here the feet 
 of Fanny Elsler are in opposition to Moscheles' hands. It 
 is impossible to secure band or public, as she is forever 
 dancing. When Moscheles talks of leaving without giving 
 a concert, his friends, with Kapellmeister Lachner at their 
 head, are up in arms, so he has made up his mind to stay 
 till the 9th of November." 
 
 During the interim we have frequent notices of visits to 
 Kaulbach's studio. " He comes repeatedly in the dusk of 
 evening to my hotel when I am practicing, and sits by my 
 side a rapt listener." Mrs. Moscheles describes a comical 
 adventure that took place in Kaulbach's studio : " The ar- 
 tist's atelier consists of several rooms. In one, the largest, 
 
304 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 he is just now painting his great picture of ' The Destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem.' It is nearly finished, and we so delight 
 in watching the great artist putting the final touches to this 
 masterpiece. In an adjoining room stands the piano ; there 
 Moscheles was playing away to his heart's content, when 
 suddenly King Louis, who is quite at home in any artist's 
 studio, and more especially in Kaulbach's, walks in. With 
 ready wit, he says, ' Ah ! came to see one artist and find 
 two ! — and the ladies ! ' The ladies were duly introduced 
 to him, and had to stand the fire of his abrupt but friendly 
 conversation. 
 
 " Moscheles has to play and be complimented, 'and when 
 H. M. has left, Kaulbach tells us how the King was much 
 displeased at his working for ' the Prussian,' and had 
 severely taken him to task for it. (The picture is one of the 
 series executed in Berlin.)" Asher, a pupil of Kaulbach's, 
 makes a hasty sketch of this scene for Emily's album. 
 Count Pocci presents us with some of his inimitably beauti- 
 ful pen-and-ink sketches ; and Kaulbach gives Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles one of his original and masterly drawings for Schil- 
 ler's " Robbers." This is so elaborately finished that it 
 requires a practiced eye to tell it from an engraving. 
 
 The Munich Concert is described as a most brilliant 
 one. The Court attended ; the King between the parts 
 made (as usual) the round of the room. The young ladies 
 are not a little in awe of His Majesty, for he will come up 
 to them and ask, " How old ? " They have to shout their 
 answer, as he is very deaf, upon which he will retort, " What! 
 no husband yet ! " 
 
 Moscheles is impatient to reach Vienna. He writes to 
 Frau von Lieben : 
 
 " My heart beats, dear friend, when I think of the pros- 
 pect before me, that of once more seeing my old Viennese 
 life reflected as in a mirror. With God's hqlp, you and I 
 will revel in the memories of happy days and old associa- 
 tions. 
 
 "Until then, as ever, your old friend, 
 
 "I. Moscheles." 
 
 From Vienna Mrs. Moscheles writes : " Moscheles, when 
 
VISIT TO VIENNA. 
 
 305 
 
 visiting old friends and brother-artists, is received with open 
 arms, and Emily and I share this kind reception. This 
 journey, never intended as a professional tour, has become 
 one, we scarcely know how ; but we rejoice in the fact, for 
 the hearty reception he has met with, being in no way in- 
 ferior to that experienced in former days, has refreshed him 
 in body and mind." 
 
 His busy life in Vienna leaves him little time to devote 
 to his diary. We give a summary of his short entries : " I 
 heard Haydn's 'Seasons,' — ' Hasselt-Barth excellent.' In- 
 stead of Beethoven, Donizetti is now the sun of the music 
 world. That sun does not warm me, nor does it light me 
 
 forward on my path There was an evening party at 
 
 Court yesterday, where the Improvisator, Professor Wolff, 
 of Jena, was the attraction. There was music as well ; 
 Klatke, on the Jew's-harp, and Moreau on the guitar. . . . 
 Frau von Cibbini still lives, a remnant of the good old 
 times, and the Baroness Erdmann, nee ErdiJdy. I was not 
 to be put off, and insisted on hearing Beethoven's C sharp 
 Minor Sonata, which she played splendidly as of old. She 
 is an interesting relic of the great days of real pianoforte 
 
 playing To-day I had a delightful reminder of my 
 
 youth, in Frau von Beer's highly successful trial and per 
 formance with me of my Rondo in A for four hands, which 
 
 I wrote for her when she was Friiulein Silny Aloys 
 
 Fuchs visited me for the purpose of showing me Handel's 
 MS. Cantate con Stromenti, * Hero and Leander,' written 
 in Rome for Cardinal Ottoboni in the year 1709. It came 
 into Fuchs' possession in the year 1834. It begins thus : 
 
 te^^^^i 
 
 W 
 
 ^S^E^^^^^31 
 
 Qual ti ri - veg - go oh Die. 
 
 "Jaell brought me his marvellous boy Alfred: he is only 
 ten years old, and played my ' Nursery Tale' wonderfully 
 well. Heard Nicolai's opera ' Die Heimkehr der Verbann- 
 ten,'good in a dramatic poini of view, but too much Italian- 
 ized. At Saphir's concert Heindl opened with his flute 
 variation — Furore. I played my ' Serenade,' without ap- 
 plause, ' Nursery Tale,' ditto, ' Hungarian March,' vehe- 
 
306 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 mently encored. Saphir wound up with a speech full of 
 humor and wit, giving us to understand that his best points 
 were cut out by the public censor— he only hoped he might 
 live to recover'his capital so cruelly withheld." 
 
 " After some passing remarks on new and unimportant 
 operas, we find severe strictures on the constant usage of 
 the Tyrolese or Italian cadence, while great eulogy is be- 
 stowed on a performance of " Don Juan" with Hasselt and 
 Draxler. Young Strauss's playing of dance-music is allowed 
 to equal that of his father. " At the ' Concordia,' I find 
 again many of the old Ludlamists, among them the cele- 
 brated poets Castelli and Grillparzer, with several others of 
 note. Fischhof, the great collector of manuscript music, 
 brought me, to my great delight, ' Bach's MS. Concertos,' 
 which we tried over. He promises to let me have some of 
 his treasures for production in London." 
 
 At his three concerts in Vienna, Moscheles played the 
 old favorite pieces, and many of his new compositions as 
 well ; among the latter was the " Hommage a Handel." 
 " This time the applause pleased me more than ever, for it 
 was shared by my young and highly gifted friend Ernst 
 Pauer." Mrs. Moscheles writes : " People laugh when we 
 talk of a three weeks' stay here. ' A Moscheles,' they say, 
 ' who has not been in Vienna for eighteen years, could just 
 as well pass a winter here as Liszt.' It rains concerts ; to- 
 morrow, for instance, there are five. 
 
 " I must tell you of a splendid fote we attended lately, 
 where the youthful Archdukes, who looked charming in 
 blue and white satin, were made ' Knights of the Golden 
 Fleece." Ferdinand, the poor, puny, weakly Emperor, 
 when about to invest the youths with the accolade, could 
 only lift the massive old-fashioned sword with the help of 
 his Kollowrat. The Imperial family in their box, the Hun- 
 garian 'Noble Guard,' covered with jewels, the picturesque 
 turbans and mantles of the knights of the order, made the 
 whole scene a very imposing one." 
 
 After much deliberation, it had been decided that Mos- 
 cheles should prolong his stay in Vienna, and that his wife 
 and daughter should precede him to Hamburg. Moscheles 
 writes: " I chained myself to my piano, in order to scare 
 away my melancholy and sense of loneliness. You are now 
 
COURT CONCERT. 30; 
 
 driving out into the cold night ; I am just home from the 
 Court concert, and will sit up with you, in order to give you 
 particulars about it. . . . Suffice it to say the Imperial 
 family were kind as ever; they inquired for you both, and 
 reminded me of the concert at Prague after my illness. 
 I really came to grief with my extempore performance, 
 for, on 'asking their Majesties for a theme, they chose 
 something out of Donizetti's 'Linda di Chamouni.' 
 Of course I was forced to confess my ignorance of that 
 'most glorious of all operas,' so they proposed to me 
 'the old-fashioned perruque,' out of Mozart's operas. I 
 took ' Balti, batti' and the ' Champagne' song, and after- 
 wards, with an eye to the heroic, Archduke Carl wound up 
 with ' See, the conquering Hero.' In answer to the Em- 
 peror's question, ' Wasn't the last the march from the 
 ■' Vestalin ? ' " I said, ' Something similar, your Majesty,' 
 and the Empress quickly interposed a question, 'Had I 
 studied in Vienna or Prague ? ' At 10.30 the Court with- 
 drew, ices were handed round, and I put some sweetmeats 
 in my pocket for the children. Good night." 
 
 On the 13th of December Moscheles writes: " It is well 
 that we have made up our minds to this temporary separa- 
 tion, for my stay here seems to me endlessly protracted, as 
 the Archduchess Sophie wants me to play at her concert 
 on the 19th. My improvisation on Handelian themes 
 seems to have impressed her and the Archduke so favora- 
 bly that they now wish to hear me treat subjects from 
 Gluck's operas. In addition to this, they request me to 
 give a regular ' menu' of my compositions, with the ' Nur- 
 sery Tale' as dessert. I had a funny conversation with 
 Count Moritz D — , of which I give you a faint outline ; it 
 would require a Hoffmann to describe it properly. After 
 some hemming and hawing, he said : ' I have to hand over to 
 you, as a fee for your glorious playing at Court, this small 
 rouleau of ducats ; there are sixty of them.' I pleaded for 
 a souvenir instead. He cried down such presents as use- 
 less ; but I was a match for him, for it ended in his taking 
 back the ducats, and bringing me next day three diamond 
 studs, for which I thanked him. My patience has been 
 sorely tried at a performance of Mendelssohn's ' Lobge- 
 sang.' You may imagine how I delighted in hearing that 
 
3o8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 music — I, a fervid worshipper of Mendelssohn — while the 
 public sat listening in stolid indifference ; no clapping of 
 hands disturbed my ecstasies. The Chorale, and song, 
 ' Watchman, will the night soon pass ? ' moved me even to 
 tears. Herr Hoschek, a music-master, came up to me and 
 said, ' Isn't this music ver)' artificially strung together ? ' 
 My sensations were those of a man pitched head foremost 
 out of a balloon, but I smothered my anger, and said, 
 ' That's as people choose to take il.' " 
 
 The next letter is from Prague : " Yesterday, accom- 
 panied by my brother and sisters, I visited the grave of my 
 parents ; a sweet if sad pilgrimage. On the whole, I feel 
 greatly refreshed by my quiet time here, spent as it is with 
 those near and dear to me, and far away from busy Vien- 
 na." The letter concludes with words of affection and ad- 
 vice, addressed individually to each of his children : " My 
 dear Emily, by this time you are beginning to settle down 
 after the harum-scarum life you have led in Vienna. Now 
 I look forward to your devoting more time to yourself, and 
 pioneering your brother and sisters in their studies. You, 
 dear Serena, will regard the meeting with your mother as a 
 happy turning-point, after the crucial time of separation, 
 and enjoy it all the more because you have kno.wn what 
 parting means. As for you, dear Felix, if the ' optime' 
 marked under your exercise by your tutor relates to your 
 general behavior, you may feel always certain of my love 
 and gratification ; take the ' optime' as a motto to accom- 
 pany you through life. As for thee, my Benjamina, I ex- 
 pect to find a great big girl, and take care, when you jump 
 up to hug papa, that you don't upset him.' 
 
 At Leipzig the meeting with Hauptmann, David, Gade, 
 Joachim, and Frau Frege, has all the old fascination for 
 Moscheles. He writes: "Here I find a genuine artistic 
 atmosphere, where good music seems native to the place. 
 .... Yesterday I had a quiet evening with David, who 
 played me the new violin Concerto, which Felix has ex- 
 pressly written for him. It is most beautiful, the last 
 movement thoroughly Mendelssohnian, tripping like a 
 dainty elf Gade, a young man who conducts the concerts 
 this season, has something in his features that reminds one of 
 Mozart's, judging by the portraits of that illiistrious man." 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 1845. 
 
 Dresden — Intercourse with Musical Artists — The Leipzig Conserva- 
 toire — Proposed Appointment — Berlin — The Opera House — 
 Jenny Lind — Article in a German Paper, and Reply — Bach's 
 ■Concertos — Foreign Artists in London — Beethoven as a Conduc- 
 tor — Bonn — Musical Festival — Meyerbeer, Liszt, Chorley, Spohr 
 — Inauguration of Beethoven's Statue — Tumultuous Banquet at 
 the " Stern"— Paris. 
 
 ly /r OSCHELES writes to his wife :— 
 
 " Leipzig, 1st Januaiy, 1845, 7 A. M. 
 
 " May every happiness and blessing attend you in the 
 new year ! Last night I wrote to you ; to-day I will add 
 an important postscript. Schleinitz talked to me about 
 ray taking a post in the Conservatoire, and gave me a 
 letter bearing on the matter to the Saxon Minister, von 
 Falkenstein. Of course, I could only answer that, being 
 unprepared for so sudden a proposal, I must take time to 
 consider. .... The concert is over ; this is my first 
 spare moment. This morning, after rehearsing my Trio 
 with David and Wittman, I heard Bach's glorious Motet (G 
 minor, 3-4), and dined at David's with Gade, Hauptmann, 
 and Joachim. I send you our Gewandhaus programme of . 
 this evening: — 
 
 Mendelssohn's 95th Psalm. 
 
 Overture — Gluck's Iphigenie. 
 
 Beethoven's C minor Symphony ; the piano passages 
 marvellously done by the orchestra. 
 
 Miss Lincoln, a relation of the Dilkes, sang twice, and 
 beautifully. My.G minor Concerto very well accompanied, 
 and as well received. After the concert, went to David's 
 with Gade, Schleinitz, and others." 
 
 "January 2d. — I went to Dresden — attended Dohler's 
 
3IO 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 concert. He played beautifully, and so did Piatti. After 
 the concert spent a pleasant hour with Hiller." 
 
 "January 3d. — Paid interesting visits to Madame 
 Schruder-Devrient, Wagner, and R. Schumann. At 2 
 o'clock, back to Leipzig, and in the evening played my 
 Trio with Wittman and David." 
 
 "January 4th. — Back again to Dresden, immensely 
 pleased with Gutzkow's 'Urbild des Tartuffe;' Emile 
 Devrient excellent in the part of ' Molifere." 
 
 " January 5th. — My room was as full of visitors as at 
 Vienna, and, there being many 'prodigies' among them, I 
 am glad I had no piano. Hiller gave me a grand Matinee ; 
 we played my E major Sonata together ; I followed with 
 several solos, all of which were enthusiastically received. 
 In the evening went with Hiller, Lipinsky, and Reissiger to 
 hear Marschner's new opera, ' Adolf von Nassau.' I'm 
 afraid he has helped himself to Spohr and Donizetti." 
 
 "January 6th. — I passed a sad hour with Weber's wid- 
 ow ; .'she has my deepest sympathy, for quite recently she 
 has lost a son ; poor soul ! After such trouble as she has 
 already gone through. My visit seemed to please her." 
 
 "January 7th. — My concert to-day was beyond all 
 measure brilliant, Court and audience equally enthusiastic, 
 the ' Nursery Tale' encored ; my extempore performance, 
 they tell me, better than ever ; recalled after each piece, 
 and one recall here is equivalent to half a dozen in Vienna. 
 Bach's Triple Concerto made a great sensation ; Madame 
 Schumann played a Cadenza composed by me, Hiller and 
 I extemporized ours Tea at Hiller's I for- 
 got to tell you that Minister von Falkenstein, after reading 
 Schleinitz's letter, received me in the most friendly manner, 
 and corroborated everything my friend had said to me 
 about the Leipzig Conservatoire ; nothing, he said, was 
 more ardently to be desired than that Mendelssohn and I 
 should take the joint direction of the Conservatoire, only 
 that the funds hitherto raised were inadequate for the pro- 
 posed appointments. He and Schleinitz would submit the 
 plan for the King's approval. I think that both are well- 
 disposed towards me, so I have the prospect of once more 
 becoming a German artist and ridding myself of the fash- 
 ionable teacher and all conventionalism." 
 
JEN-N V LIN D— ME YE R BEER. 3 j i 
 
 The next letter is from Berlin : "January loth, 1845 2 
 p. M. — To-day I played at Hartel's, before some artists and 
 connoisseurs, my manuscript Studies, which I leave for 
 publication with Kistner ; they are intended for the ' Mo- 
 zart Stiftung.' .... I got to Berlin in time for Meyer- 
 beer's opera, ' The Camp of Silesia.' The magnificence of 
 this opera-house defies all description ; the house, the 
 piquant music, costumes, dancing, decorations, completely 
 took away my breath. Jenny Lind has fairly enchanted 
 me ; she is unique in her way, and her song with two con- 
 certante flutes is perhaps the most incredible feat in the 
 way of bravura singing that can possibly be heard ; I shall 
 have a great deal to tell you about this. Unfortunately I 
 could not get a word with Meyerbeer, who was forced to 
 hurry straight away from his desk as conductor to the bed- 
 side of his daughter Bianca, who was very dangerously ill. 
 All our friends here have received me with open arms, and 
 as usual wish to detain me, but a concert would cost me 
 too much time, and at present the King and all the aris- 
 tocracy are absent How lucky I was to find Jenny 
 
 Lind at home ! What a glorious singer she is, and so 
 unpretentious withal !....! had an hour with Meyer- 
 beer, who was as kind as ever, and would gladly detain me 
 at Berlin, but cannot clear away the difficulties ; I am glad 
 to tell you his daughter is on the way to recovery. He 
 talked with me about Mendelssohn's intimacy and friendly 
 
 relations with the King If railways and coaches 
 
 suit, I shall be with you all in Hamburg the day after to- 
 morrow." 
 
 In pursuance of this plan, Moscheles arrives in Ham- 
 burg, where he spends a few days with his family ; on their 
 return to London, Moscheles is glad to find that Mendels- 
 sohn's music to the Antigone of Sophocles is being re- 
 hearsed at Covent Garden. 
 
 " My friend Hullah helped me by bringing some of his 
 choir to our house for a performance of some of Felix's 
 music ; we actually ventured, too, on some numbers of 
 Bach's Passion music. Sir Henry Bishop is elected per- 
 manent conductor of the Philharmonic Concerts. How is 
 it possible to prefer him to Bennett, who is so immeasura- 
 bly his superior ? The experience of such anomalies con- 
 
3 [2 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 firms me in my intention of retiring some time or other to 
 Gemiany, but for the present I cling in gratitude to Old 
 England. After all, in Germany, too, I have my annoy- 
 ances ! Witness this article which I enclose, although I 
 am afraid it will vex you. As for my detractors I feel to- 
 wards them like a general, not afraid of small wounds, if 
 only he can keep to the field of battle ; nor should I have 
 answered my calumniator, if the Hamburg correspondent 
 had not taken up the wretched gossip. Please send him 
 the article and the repb .* 
 
 About this time Moscheles had the misfortune to lose 
 his brother ; it was a severe blow, and only by degrees and 
 under the in.luence of his art, does he recover from it. . . . 
 
 * The article alluded to was this : " Moscheles during his last stay 
 iiiGermany has lost exactly as much as he made on the occasion of his 
 first visit — viz. 800/. (9600 florins). This sum has been spent partly in 
 travelling expenses, and partly in unsuccessful concerts. He him- 
 self writes to a friend in Prague ; ' Liszt costs me a great deal ; I 
 couldn't believe that now-a-days people form a different opinion of pi- 
 anoforte playing ;• it is unfortunately true. I vi^as in Germany to expe- 
 rience the fact that, since Liszt, I have become " rococo." Happily, I 
 have so much money that the loss doesn't hurt me, and my talent is 
 quite as much as is required for England. What pains me most of all 
 is that I have not succeeded in Vienna ; tliere, where I lived such 
 happy days, 1 had not contemplated dying.' " 
 
 Here is the reply : — 
 
 " London, March, 1845. 
 " When some German friends sent me the above article, I intended to 
 pass it over with that silence which I take to be the most j^roper reply to 
 such a production ; finding, however, that since its first appearance in 
 an obscure paper, it has found its way into other publications, I consid- 
 er it to be my duty towards all the courts in Germany, which daring 
 last autumn and winter received me with so much distinction, as Veil 
 as to the public of the various towns where I was so kindly welcomed, 
 hereby to declare that the whole contents of the article are untrue. In 
 the course of last September, October, November, and December, I gave 
 concerts at Aix, Frankfort, Darmstadt, Carlsruhe, Stuttgart, Augsburg, 
 Munich, "Vienna, Dresden, and Leipzig, and have had as little oppor- 
 tunity of complaining of the damage said to be done to me by my 
 friend Liszt, as was the case some years since, when we gave our con- 
 certs in London at the same time As regards the attack against Eng- 
 land, I, as a man of honor, should not be capable of expressing myself 
 so ungratefully towards a country where I have lived and prospered 
 for the last twenty-two years, and I therefore repeat my entire disavow- 
 al of the article above named. ■ " I. Moscheles." 
 
DA VIVS " DESER T." 
 
 3J3 
 
 • " The thought of my loss is interwoven with everything I 
 undertake, and yet when I played yesterday at Alsager's I 
 felt the power of art both to soothe and elevate ; they 
 made me play four of Beethoven's Sonatas and an Impro- 
 visation, and I was glad that my powers did not fail in the 
 B major Sonata. In the Adagio in F sharp minor my feel- 
 ings were most powerfully moved, but in the fugue it pain- 
 ed me to find so many extravagances. It contains more 
 discords than concords, and Beethoven seems to me all the 
 while to be saying, ' I intend working up a subject in a 
 learned manner, it njay sound well or not.' " 
 
 Professor Fischhof, of Vienna, sent the promised G 
 minor Concerto of Bach, which (with the Concerto in D 
 major) Moscheles introduces at his Matinee for classical 
 pianoforte music. The duke of Cambridge came to Mos- 
 cheles' house for the express purpose of hearing Bach's 
 music. " The Duke, accompanied by his groom, rode up 
 to our door, and came in quite unceremoniously. He seemed 
 in great delight with the music, applauded enthusiastically, 
 and behaved so kindly to my children. He asked Felix 
 what profession he was going to follow. The answer was, 
 ' I'm going to be an architect.' The Duke replied, 'Well, 
 you'll be too late to do anything for me, but you can build 
 me a mausoleum.' On leaving us he expressed his grati- 
 tude in the most friendly way, adding that it had been one 
 of the most enjoyable hours he had spent for a long time." 
 
 Moscheles soon after this receives the Royal command 
 to play at a concert in Buckingham Palace, and shares the 
 honor with other artists. " There is a legion of them here 
 this season," Mrs. Moscheles writes ; " you ask me who is 
 best ? I don't know ; Vieuxtemps is admirable, so is Sivori ; 
 Teresa Milanollo is certainly astonishing; as German vocal- 
 ists, Pischek, Staudigl, and Oberhoffer are rivals, and of pi- 
 anists, we have two of murderous capacities. Vocal France 
 is represented by Viardot Garcia, Dorus Gras, etc., etc." 
 
 Moscheles writes : " I heard Felicien David's ' Desert,' 
 with its piquant original melodies and harmonies illustra- 
 tive of Oriental life. The ' March of the Caravans,' with 
 its Clarinet Obligato, and the descriptive scene with the 
 sunrise pleased me, but on the whole the subject is treated 
 ill the light Frenchified manner. I have heard also a 
 
 14 
 
314 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 'Quadrille and Polka Opera,' by Verdi; for voices, key- 
 bugles, trombones, and big drums ; it is called ' Ernani.' 
 The next evening, by way of a contrast, we had at the An- 
 tient Concert a ' Concerto by Emilio del Cavaliere,' com- 
 posed in the year 1600, for the violino francese, chitarra, 
 teorbo, arpa, organo, violino, etc. The well known ' Roman- 
 esca of the 15th Century' reminded me of hoop-petticoats 
 and powder." 
 
 Sir Henry Bishop had directed the first three Philhar- 
 monic Concerts, the remaining five were entrusted to 
 Moscheles, who, at the rehearsal, addressed the band to 
 the following effect : '■ Gentlemen, as we are here assembled 
 together, I should like to compare your performances with 
 the fingers of an admirably trained pianoforte-player's hand. 
 Now, will you allow me to be the hand which sets these 
 fingers in motion, and imparts life to them .' May I try to 
 convey to you all the inspirations I feel when I hear the 
 works of the great masters? Thus may we achieve ex- 
 cellence." Another time when a Beethoven Symphony was 
 to be played, he tells the band how he heard this and 
 other great works of Beethoven when they first came out, 
 and how he had kept the traditions of the " Tempi," which 
 at that time were given by Beethoven himself At last he 
 amuses his hearers exceedingly by imitating Beethoven's 
 movements as a conductor ; his stooping down more and 
 more until he almost disappeared at the " piano" passages, 
 the gradual rising up at the " crescendo," and standing tip- 
 toe and bounding up at the " fortissimo." Moscheles does 
 not forget to add : " Inasmuch, however, as I cannot ^ 
 emulate the great man in his works, I abstain from copying 
 him in his attitudes ; with him it was all originality, with 
 me it would be caricature." 
 
 At the last of these concerts, Moscheles played Bach's 
 " D major Concerto," and is gratified by the marked im- 
 provement of the orchestra in the " piano" passages. " In 
 time I should educate these clever fellows to observe even 
 still more light and shade." 
 
 Moscheles, at the end of the season, sets off for the 
 Musical festival at Bonn, and writes to his wife from Co- 
 logne : " The unsettled and gloomy weather resembled ray 
 frame of mind, for the separation had disturbed my equa- 
 
M USICAL FESTIVAL A T BONN. 315 
 
 niroity. My philosophy must aid me I have visited 
 
 Meyerbeer here and met him alone with Pischek. Mutual 
 kisses were the beginning and prelude to a number of in- 
 quiries after you, and then we talked of the festival. Mey- 
 erbeer is beside himself with the press of business ; by 
 to-morrow he must begin the rehearsals of the Court Con- 
 certs. The best of the vocal music is to be without orches- 
 tra, and only with pianoforte laccompaniment ; in the 
 interval between the rehearsals, Meyerbeer will go to Bonn 
 to hear the performance there." On the loth of August, 
 Mo.scheles comes to Bonn and writes : "I am at the Hotel 
 de I'Etoile d'Or, where are to be found all the crowned 
 heads of music — brown, grey, or bald — all wigged or lack- 
 ered pates ; this is a rendezvous for all ladies, old and 
 young, fanatics for music — all art-judges, German and 
 French reviewers and English reporters, lastly, the abode 
 of Liszt, the absolute monarch, by virtue of his princely 
 gifts outshining all else. Dr. Bacher, from Vienna, offers 
 me a share of his room — no small boon when the streets 
 are crowded with houseless travellers, like the roofless after 
 a great conflagration. Gentlemen and ladies, several En- 
 glish among them, with a whole army of porters and 
 bandboxes, are begging for a shake-down in hotels or 
 private houses ; friends and acquaintances meet one another ; 
 flags of various colors are waving — such a hurry-skurry 
 everywhere. I have already seen and spoken to colleagues 
 from all the four quarters of the globe ; I was also with 
 Liszt, who had his hands full of business, and was sur- 
 rounded with secretaries and masters of ceremonies, while 
 Chorley sat quietly ensconced in the corner of a sofa. 
 Liszt, too, kissed me, then a few hurried and confused 
 words passed between us, and I did not see him again 
 until I met him afterwards in the concert room. We sat 
 dovm about 400 of us to dinner, and the first concert took 
 place, under Spohr's direction, in the new Beethoven Hall. 
 The Grand Mass in D major gave me certainly exquisite, 
 although not quite unalloyed pleasure, for occasionally I 
 could not help feeling that the composition diverges from 
 the genuine church style, and thereby loses that unity of 
 color which I prize ' so highly in other works of the 
 master. The 'Ninth Symphony,' which followed after- 
 
3 i6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 wards, was given almost faultlessly, the soprano par-t 
 in the choruses not only better than in London, but 
 better than I have ever heard anywhere. Staudigl inimita- 
 ble, but the kettledrums not better tuned than in London. 
 Mr. Jager a member of the committee, gave me a place of 
 honor among the artists ; Liszt behaves to me with marked 
 kindness whenever we meet. I write you these lines after 
 the public supper in the hotel, by way of preparing myself 
 pleasantly for a night's rest, meanwhile I remain con 
 amore languendo, poco a poco agitato, ma sempre Giusto, 
 yours." .... 
 
 From the Diary. 
 
 "August nth. — Anew steamer was christened 'Beet- 
 hoven ' with great ceremony. Amid salvos of cannon, the 
 vessel, accompanied by one other, sped merrily to Nonnen- 
 werth, where a cold collation was in readiness. I was capi- 
 tally placed between Spohr and Fischhof Pickpockets 
 active. We escaped untouched." 
 
 "August 1 2th. — From eight o'clock this morning the 
 streets were alive with bands of students, guilds, etc. Waited 
 at the Rathhaus, and afterwards managed to get into the 
 Cathedral with the throng. Beethoven's Mass in C gave 
 me exquisite enjoyment. From the Cathedral went to the 
 galleries which are erected around the Beethoven monument. 
 I was exposed for a long time to the burning rays of the sun 
 — a great annoyance — released at last by the arrival of the 
 distinguished guests upon the balcony of the Fiirstenberg 
 House. These were the King and Queen of Prussia, 
 Queen Victoria, and Prince Albert, with a numerous suite. 
 Speech by Professor Breidenstein. I was deeply moved 
 when I saw the statue unveiled, the more so because Hahnel 
 has obtained an admirable likeness of the immortal com- 
 poser. Another tumult and uproar at the table-d'hotel in 
 the ' Stern ' Hotel. 1 sat near Bacher, Fischhof, and Vesque, 
 Liszt in all his glory, a suite of ladies and gentlemen in at- 
 tendance on him, Lola Montez among the former. At live 
 o'clock the Concert. Dr. Breidenstein asked me if I would 
 accompany the ' Adelaide ' at the morning concert As 
 Madame Pleyel was to play a concerto on that occasion, I 
 
LAST DA Y OF THE FESTIVAL. 317 
 
 thought it infra dig. to perform an inferior service, so I 
 refused." 
 
 " August 13th. — Last day of the festival, which began 
 with Liszt's Cantata. It has much that is well thought and felt, 
 as, e.g. the introduction of the Andante of the B major Trio, 
 which is cleverly managed ; there are also some good instru- 
 mental effects ; as a whole, however, it is too fragmentary. 
 Liszt, who was vehemently applauded, received an orchestral 
 flourish. The Court arriving late, the Cantata was repeated, 
 and the King made a selection from the programme of the 
 concert, which he staid to hear. Overtures ' Egmont ' and 
 'Coriolan' admirably conducted by Spohr. Violoncello 
 solo, Ganz. Weber's Concert stiick, Madame Pleyel. Air 
 from ' Fidelio,' Miss Sabilla Novello. Liszt accompanied 
 Frdulein Kratky in a song. 
 
 " Liszt's performance of Beethoven's Concerto in E flat 
 major, almost entirel}- satisfied one : I can't imagine any one 
 playing the energetic and spirited part of the work better 
 than he did. In other parts I should have preferred a little 
 more warmth and tenderness. 
 
 " When the Court had gone, some other pieces were 
 performed, others omitted. At two o'clock banquet at the 
 ' Stern.' Crowd even greater than before. Immediately 
 after the King's health had been proposed, Wolff, the Im- 
 provisatore, gave a toast which he called the ' Trefoil.' It was 
 to represent the perfect chord, Spohr the key-note, Liszt the 
 connecting link between all parties, the third — Professor 
 Breidenstein, the Dominant, leading all things to a happy 
 solution. Universal applause. Spohr proposes the health 
 of the Queen of England, Dr. Wolff that of the Professor 
 Hilhnel, the sculptor of the monument, and also that of the 
 brass founder. Liszt proposes Prince Albert ; a professor 
 with a stentorian voice is laughed and coughed down, peo- 
 ple will not listen to him, and then ensued a series of most 
 disgraceful scenes which originated thus : Liszt spoke rather 
 abstrusely upon the subject of the festival. ' Here all nations 
 are met to pay honor to the master. May they live and 
 prosper, the Dutch, the English, the Viennese, who have 
 made a pilgrimage hither ! " Upon this Chelard gets up in 
 a passion and screams out to Liszt, ' Vous avez oublie les 
 Francais.' Many voices break in, a regular tumult ensues, 
 
31 8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 some for, some against the speaker. At last Liszt makes 
 himself heard, but, in trying to exculpate himself, seems to 
 get entangled deeper and deeper in a labyrinth of words, 
 seeking to convince his hearers that he has lived fifteen 
 years among Frenchmen, and would certainly not inten- 
 tionally speak slightingly of them. The contending parties, 
 however, become more uproarious, many leave their seats, 
 the din becomes deafening, and the ladies pale with fright. 
 The fete is interrupted for a full hour. Dr. Wolff, mounting 
 a table, tries to speak, but is hooted down three or four 
 times, and at last quits the room, glad to escape the Babel 
 of tongues. Knots of people are seen disputing in every 
 part of the great salon, and on the confusion increasing, the 
 cause of dispute is lost sight of. The French and English 
 journalists mingle in this fray, by complaining of omissions 
 of all sorts on the part of the Festival Committee. When 
 the tumult threatens to become serious, the landlord hits 
 upon the bright idea of making the band play its loudest, 
 and this. drowns the noise of the brawlers, who adjourned to 
 the open air. The waiters once more resumed their services, 
 although many of the guests, especially ladies, had vanished. 
 The contending groups outside showed their bad taste and 
 ridiculous selfishness, for Vivier and some Frenchmen got 
 Liszt among them, and reproached him in the most shame- 
 ful way. G. ran from party to party, adding fuel to the fire, 
 Chorley was attacked by a French journalist, Mr. J. J. 
 would have it that the English gentleman, Wentworth 
 Dilke, was a German, who had slighted him : I stepped in 
 between the two, so as at least to put an end to this unfair 
 controversy. I tried as well as I could to soothe these 
 overwrought minds, and pronounced funeral orations over 
 those who had perished in this tempest of words. I alone 
 remained shot-proof and neutral, so also did my Viennese 
 friends. By six o'clock in the evening I became almost 
 deaf from the noise, and was glad to escape ; I assure you 
 that a cup of coffee and some music at the Countess Almasy's 
 were very refreshing after the events of the afternoon. I 
 didn't go to the festival ball, preferring to write this account, 
 and to spend a couple of hours with Fischhof, who showed 
 me his ' Theory of Transposing.' " 
 
 In an old French poem, the following passage occurs : 
 
LETTER FROM MEYERBEER. 
 
 319 
 
 " Vous m'envoyez le lendemain un billet date de la veille." 
 Moschf.ies was destined to experience a similar fate when 
 the Musical Festival at Bonn was over. He had received 
 no invitation from Meyerbeer or Liszt for the Court Con- 
 certs in Stolzenfels and Coblentz, for which many of his 
 art-brethren had been summoned by circulars. He trav- 
 elled, therefore, on the 14th to Cologne, where he met his 
 family and spent a couple of days, and it was not until the 
 lyth, and consequently after his departure, that the follow- 
 ing letter reached Cologne : 
 
 '• Honored Friend, — His Majesty the King, who has 
 heard that you are in these parts, has commanded me to 
 invite your attendance in the Court Concerts, which the 
 King intends giving in his castle at Coblentz to-morrow 
 evening, Saturday the i6th. Count von Radern has this 
 moment commissioned me to write to you in the name of 
 the King, but it is now midnight, the concert in Stolzenfels 
 is just over, and it is, therefore, impossible to forward the 
 invitation before Saturday. I hope it will not reach you too 
 late. In any case it will show you the friendly remem- 
 brance and the hearty esteem the King has for you. Fare- 
 well, dear friend. 
 
 " Your most devoted, 
 
 " Meyerbeer." 
 
 Mr. Lefebre, of the house of Eck in Cologne, had added 
 to this note a few lines expressing regret, for he foresaw 
 that the letter would not reach Moscheles in time. When 
 Moscheles sends his father-in-law copies of these letters, he 
 observes : " I leave to your sagacity the fathoming of the 
 ' why' and ' wherefore' of this transaction. Why, when I 
 was actually in Bonn, did I not get an invitation to the 
 Court Concerts at the same time with the other artists ? 
 How was it that the King's command did not reach me at 
 the right time? One might suppose that a Royal messen- 
 ger, despatched from Stolzenfels at an early hour on Sat- 
 urday the i6th, would reach me quick enough in Cologne." 
 
 Whatever little disappointment Moscheles may have felt 
 at the time, it was soon forgotten in the quiet repose he en- 
 joyed at Lichtenthal, near Baden-Baden. There he met his 
 
320 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 friends the Rosenhains, and Felicien David, and the pleas- 
 ure of musical intercourse with them was varied by the en- 
 joyment of frequent excursions in the neighborhood. Of 
 Felicien David's Symphony in E flat, he says: " The music 
 has plenty of flowing melody, it is not commonplace, the 
 instrumentation is richly colored, but the unity of style is 
 not preserved throughout." 
 
 From Baden Moscheles goes to Paris, where he compo- 
 ses his " Sonate Symphonique," and is summoned to St. 
 Cloud to play his new composition before the Court. " Ac- 
 cordingly," he says, '-the day before we left Paris, Emily 
 and I set off for St. Cloud, and were very graciously receiv- 
 ed by the Royal family. When we arrived, the Queen, 
 Madame Adelaide, the Duchess of Orleans, with their suite, 
 were at tea ; the King came from an adjoining gallery to 
 hear thd Sonata, which Emily played to my entire satisfac- 
 tion ; she had to play a solo loo. I improvised a la Gretry, 
 the King's favorite 'genre.' Our Royal listeners were evi- 
 dently gratified." 
 
 In December Moscheles receives an important letter 
 from Mendelssohn, who is anxious to ascertain if his friend 
 intends to carry out the idea of migrating to Germany which 
 they have so often discussed, arid settling down at Leipzig 
 to work with him at the Conservatoire. "What grand re- 
 sults for art might fairly be expected if you could make up 
 your mind to accept the post ! I don't doubt for a moment 
 that the life here would suit you, as I know in what light 
 you look upon your present professional life. Besides, I 
 candidly own that from all I hear about the doings there, 
 and from what I witnessed myself to a certain extent a year 
 and a half ago, I can well understand how from year to year 
 you get less satisfied with your surroundings, and wish to 
 
 escape from them Now please, if you want in any way 
 
 to move in the matter, let me know, and give me an oppor- 
 tunity of opening a negotiation, which possibly may become 
 one of the most beneficial in its results that the musical 
 world here has ever experienced." 
 
 Moscheles was from the first inclined to accept the post, 
 but wrote to his friend, asking for time to weigh the matter. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 1846. 
 
 Leipzig Negotiations — The Appointment Accepted — Benedict's 
 " Crusaders" — Farewell Concert — Marriage of Moscheles' Eldest 
 Daughter — Birmingham Musical Festival — Mendelssohn's " Eli- 
 jah " — Remarkable Episode — Farewell to London — Reception in 
 Leipzig — Professors of the Conservatoire — Congratulatory Dinner 
 — Attraction of Leipzig — Evening with the Mendelssohns — Exam- 
 ination of Candidates for the Conservatoire. 
 
 AS early as the 2d of January Moscheles receives the 
 formal offer of his appointment at the Leipzig Con- 
 servatoire, and Mendelssohn writes : " On the day that you 
 accept, T intend drinking my best wine and a glass or two 
 of champagne into the bargain." After giving particulars 
 relative to the cost of living, household expenditure, etc., in 
 Leipzig, he continues : " The universal wish of the people in 
 Leipzig, and their joy at the prospect of your coming, al- 
 though honorable to yourself, are in no way commensurate 
 with the honor you would confer on them by your settling 
 among them ; but such an interchange of feelings must be 
 fruitful of good, and is the earnest of a happy future. In a 
 word, I wish you would come !" Moscheles writes to his 
 father-in-law on the 21st of January : "You will understand, 
 fron) the enclosed copies of letters just received, the progress 
 of my Leipzig negotiations. I feel more inclined than ever 
 to give up my position here.* ... Of course, my wife and I 
 fully discuss the all-important point; we are completely 
 agreed in this, that in the matter of material comforts we 
 shall not expect to find London in Leipzig, but these luxu- 
 ries we shall not miss, if I realize all I anticipate from the 
 art atmosphere, and in my new vocation I shall find some 
 
 * As a proof that Moscheles, in abandoning his brilliant position in 
 London, was actuated by his desire to serve the cause of art, it need 
 only be stated that his salary as Professor of the Leipzig Conservatoire 
 was 800 thalers (120/.) per annum. 
 
 II 
 
322 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 compensation for the many dear and kind frietids we leave 
 behind. Parting from them individually, and, indeed, from 
 the English nation generally, will dost us a bitter pang, for 
 twenty-four years of unswerving kindness has laid upon us 
 obligations which we can only pay with life-long gratitude. 
 On the other hand, we shall come nearer to you all — that will 
 be delightful. My acceptance of the post must, however, be 
 weighed well, as I am the father of a family. I beg you 
 will continue your duties as President of the Council on the 
 Moscheles interest, and send me the protocol of each .sitting ; 
 but don't let us worry ourselves upon the matter, for, what- 
 ever fortune may have in store for us, my wife and I are 
 such a happy pair that we should be quite content to live in 
 a cottage, as long as we could educate our children so well 
 that they may never feel the want of great riches. With re- 
 gard to yourself, I shall ever remain the same in London or 
 Leipzig, " Your faithful son-in-law, 
 
 "I. Moscheles." 
 
 On the 24th of January Moscheles receives a letter from 
 Mendelssohn, which is so satisfactory an answer to all his 
 questions that on the 25th we read in the diary : — " To-day 
 I sent my letter of acceptance to the directing body of the 
 Leipzig Conservatoire. I have crossed the Rubicon." 
 Mendelssohn was not long in sending the expressions of his 
 joy. " When you do come, I'll have some houses painted 
 rose-color, but your arrival alone will give a rose-colored 
 tinge to the old place." Before the news had spread through 
 the musical world, Moscheles received an offer from Bir- 
 mingham to direct the grand musical festival there in Sep- 
 tember. Mendelssohn's " Elijah" was to be the only work 
 given under the composer's own direction. Nothing could 
 be more flattering or honorable to Moscheles at the close 
 of his residence in England, and he gladly accepted the 
 offer. He wished to secure the services of Mile. Jenny 
 Lind and Pischek, but unfortunately they had other engage- 
 ments. 
 
 In the course of this season Benedict's new opera, "The 
 Crusaders," was published. " The music is pleasing, and 
 often dramatically effective ; the work gorgeously put upon 
 the stage. Cramer, Beale, and Co. published it, and Bene- 
 
FAREWELL CONCERT IN ENGLAND. 
 
 323 
 
 diet wanted me to make a pianoforte arrangement of the 
 most favorite airs. This, however, I declined, seeing they 
 had refused to publish fny ' Sonate Symphonique" on the 
 ground of its being too serious a work." 
 
 Moscheles' "Four Matinees for Classical Pianoforte 
 Music" were brilliantly successful, but before long he was 
 . absorbed in the cares and anxieties of preparations for his 
 fart" well concert. He wished to show the public on this oc- 
 casion that to the last he would act consistently with the 
 creed he had adopted throughout his professional career in 
 England — there should be no " concert monstre," with a 
 host of Italian singers and a crowd of rival instrumental 
 players ; he wotild be no slave to fashion ; the programme, 
 therefore, was short and pithy. With Madame Pleyel as a 
 coadjutor in his " Sonate Symphonique," and Pischek, and 
 a few vocalists to assist him, he augurs well for the result, 
 and on the 19th of June he writes to his father-in-law : — 
 " The outburst of enthusiasm every time I appeared, the 
 waving of handkerchiefs, the cheering — every one standing 
 upon the benches — all this affected me, and when I came to 
 make my parting bows, I could hardly restrain my emotion ; 
 I remained another hour surrounded by friends and acquaint- 
 ance ; really my public farewell could not have taken place 
 under more favorable auspices." "And," adds Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles, " we are pleased to find that our real friends think 
 Moscheles acts well and wisely in electing to fill a public 
 situation, with his dear friend Mendelssohn for a colleague. 
 Besides this, he needs some repose after his many laborious 
 years in London." 
 
 During the summer months, however, Moscheles is 
 busier than ever, for there are the Birmingham programmes 
 to be made, and many public engagements to be attended 
 to. Moscheles gives a farewell party, and over 200 invita- 
 tions are accepted. 
 
 " 1 usually get to bed about one or two o'clock ; thank 
 heaven, my constitution seems made of iron, otherwise I 
 could not stand the day and night work. Yesterday, or 
 rather this morning, I saw the sun rise at four o'clock, as I 
 was going to bed. It is now eight o'clock, and we are up 
 and writing. Our party last night began with music, and 
 ended with dancing. I, old as I am, tripped it lightly with 
 
324 RECENT MUSIC AATD MUSICIANS. 
 
 the youngsters. To-day I have six lessons, and at 5 o'clock 
 I must be in the Freemasons' Hall ; to-morrow, besides the 
 jessons, I have to conduct a concert a mile long for a 
 ■pupil. 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes : " Since the farewell concert, the 
 jiewspapers never cease trumpeting Moscheles' praises, and 
 deplore the loss that art will sustain by his leaving England. 
 Chorley has used the occasion for suggesting a question 
 which seems to me very near to the point : ' Could not the 
 great City of London, as well as the small burgher-town, 
 offer the great artist an appointment which should be made 
 so advantageous and desirable as to keep him permanently 
 fixed in England.'"' 
 
 This year was an eventful one to Moscheles in more 
 ways than one, for his eldest daughter, Emily, was married 
 to Mr. Roche, who had long been a friend of the family, and 
 had already made a reputation as a Professor of French 
 Literature. 
 
 At the end of the season, Mr. Bartholomew, the transla- 
 tor of the German text of Mendelssohn's "Elijah," brought 
 to Moscheles the score of the first part. 
 
 " The beauties of the work become more apparent to me 
 each time I sit down to the piano to study it ; doubly so at 
 the preliminary rehearsals." The first rehearsal, under 
 Mendelssohn himself, took place at Moscheles' house on the 
 loth of August, and the two others, with full band, follow 
 shortly afterwards in the Hanover Square Rooms. The 
 lady singers give Mendelssohn some trouble; one finds fault 
 with the song, and insists on its being transposed ; Mendels- 
 sohn resists with studied politeness, but afterwards, " when 
 we are alone, most unreservedly expresses himself about the 
 ' coolness of such a suggestion.' " The scene now changes 
 to Birmingham, where Moscheles conducts a first rehearsal, 
 but is so unwell that Mendelssohn takes his place at the 
 second. He recovered however so far as to conduct the 
 ' Creation' at the first morning performance, the second part 
 of which consisted of numbers from Rossini's " Stabat 
 Mater," with Grisi, Bassano, and Mario for the principal 
 singers ; after that a mixed Italian programme, which took 
 three hours, and " thoroughly satisfied the public. In the 
 evening I had more rehearsals of various pieces." Mrs. 
 
jrmST PERFORMANCE OF " ELI J AH." 325 
 
 Moscheles writes ; " On our arrival we went to the Town 
 Hall ; that splendid building greatly impressed me, and, at 
 the overwhelming reception given to my husband by the 
 orchestra, I was deeply moved. After the rehearsal he 
 studied his scores, while I helped Mr. Bartholomew in cor- 
 recting the text, and so we went on till one o'clock in the 
 morning. The festival promises to be a very profitable one, 
 an unusual number of seats having been sold." 
 
 On the following day Moscheles writes : " August 26th7 
 — Mendelssohn achieved his most brilliant triumph in 
 this day's performance of his ' Elijah.' In my opinion 
 this work has more vividness and more dramatic variety 
 than ' St. Paul,' and yet it is written in the purest oratorio 
 style, and places him yet another step higher." Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles adds : "Yes, Mendelssohn's triumph at yesterday's 
 performance was something quite unparellaled and unheard 
 of I think eleven numbers had to be repeated, and that 
 too amid a storm of applause and clapping of hands, de- 
 monstrations usually forbidden ; but on this occasion all at- 
 tempt at restraint was hopeless, the noisy scene reminded 
 me of the pit in a theatre. Staudigl was a magnificent Eli- 
 jah, Philip, the bass singer, admirable, and Mendelssohn 
 was particularly pleased with the singing of the two Misses 
 Williams." 
 
 In the course of this Festival Moscheles played his 
 " Recollections of Ireland," and with Mendelssohn his 
 " Hommage a Handel." The veteran Braham sang the 
 first recitative and air in the " Messiah," and Mendelssohn 
 gained fresh laurels with his lovely music to the " Midsum- 
 mer Night's Dream." 
 
 On the 28th August Moscheles notes the following epi- 
 sode : " We had a miscellaneous selection ; the chief feat- 
 ure consisting of pieces from Beethoven and Spohr. The 
 orchestral parts of a short recitative, the words of which 
 had been printed in the books for the audience, were not 
 forthcoming ; we were all in a difficulty, but Mendelssohn 
 came to the rescue. He quietly betook himself to an ad- 
 joining room; and there, while the preceding pieces of the 
 programme were being played, he composed the recitative, 
 scored it, and copied the parts, and these were admirably 
 played, with the ink scarcely dry, at first sight, by the band 
 
32b RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 — the public knew nothing of what had happened — that's 
 the way a Mendelssohn manages." 
 
 On the 29th August Mrs. Moscheles writes from Lon- 
 don : " Yesterday at four o'clock, with a final beat of Mos- 
 cheles baton, the great Birmingham Musical Festival came 
 to an end ; in the opinion of every one present, it was one 
 of the most brillant and beautiful ever celebrated. The 
 committee has, in the most flattering terms, expressed to 
 my husband their obligation and complete satisfaction. 
 Moscheles' short, but for the time anxious illness, was the 
 only awkward occurrence, but it served to show us Men- 
 delssohn once more in the light of a real friend." " Yes," 
 adds Moscheles, " his sympathy was like that of a brother ; 
 his frequent visits when everybody would so gladly have 
 detained him, his attentions to me with such great work be- 
 fore him, were most touching. When he came away from 
 the preliminary rehearsal, which he had conducted for me, 
 he appeared exhausted ; Charlotte handed him a glass of 
 champagne, and the effect was magical, for it completely 
 revived him." 
 
 The friends soon have to separate, and the Moscheles 
 return to Chester Place, but only to bid it a last farewell. 
 Who can wonder that a feeling of sadness crossed the mind 
 of Moscheles, now on the eve of breaking up a home, the 
 scene of sixteen years of happiness. To a man the master 
 bias of whose mind was always leaning -- 
 
 " To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes ;" 
 
 the nursery where his children played, the study where he 
 passed so many hours of joyful and conscientious labor, the 
 rooms endeared by the memory of birthday festivals, and 
 identified with the presence of beloved friends — to part 
 from all these things cost him a wrench, and, however 
 bright the future, it was a painful task to bid farewell to the 
 old familiar scenes. 
 
 At Frankfort the Moscheles had the good fortune to 
 hear the enchanting Jenny Lind, and arrived at Leipzig on 
 the 2istof October. We quote from the diary: "There 
 Felix Mendelssohn and his wife received us most affection- 
 ately : owing to their thoughtfulness, we found every ar- 
 
STAFF OF PROFESSORS A T CONSER VA TOIRE. 
 
 327 
 
 rangement made for our comfort. No courier could have 
 catered so skilfully, none but real friends have acted so 
 kindly." On the 26th of October Moscheles writes : " I have 
 now probably arrived at the final chapter in my art career ; 
 sure as I am of your sympathy> I should like to give you 
 the fullest information about my life in this place. It has 
 begun, with God's help, under the best auspices, and if you 
 ask who is the mainspring of our present happiness, we say 
 Mendelssohn, and always Mendelssohn, my more than 
 brother ! 
 
 * On the evening after my arrival, three directors of the 
 Conservatoire came to give me a kindly welcome, and to 
 express a hope that I should find my new duties agreeable ; 
 they assured me they would do all in their power to meet 
 my wishes in the Conservatoire. Next day I returned these 
 visits, and in the evening had the great delight of hearing 
 a Gewandhaus Concert. Mendelssohn's conducting was as 
 admirable as ever, the band obeyed his slightest hint. 
 Madame Schumann played Beethoven's ' B major Concerto' 
 to great perfection ; I felt this to be a real atmosphere of 
 art. Many of the elder members of the orchestra greeted 
 me warmly, and after the concert we supped very cosily at 
 the Mendelssohns. Yesterday, I talked with Schleinitz 
 about the Conservatoire, and he showed me the following 
 list of the Professors : — 
 
 Dr. F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy — Composition and So- 
 lo playing. 
 
 Organist — C. F. Becker — Organ Playing, Practice in 
 the Art of Conducting. 
 
 David, Klengel, Sachse — Violin Teachers. 
 
 Gade — Harmony and Composition. 
 
 Hauptmann — Harmony, Counterpoint. 
 
 Moscheles — Head of the Department for Playing and 
 Composition. 
 
 Plaidy, Wenzel — Pianoforte Playing. 
 
 Bjhme — -Solo and Choral Singing. 
 
 Brendel — Lectures on Music. 
 
 Neu m an n ^Italian. 
 
 Richter — Harmony and Instrumentation. 
 
 " Through Schleinitz I heard that Mendelssohn earn- 
 estly objected to his name standing first on the list, instead 
 
328 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 of following the rest in alphabetical order. Yesterday we 
 heard Divine service in the Nicolai Church — a good sermon 
 and admirable organ. Afterwards I attended a dinner 
 given in my honor by the whole body of professors, with 
 Felix at their head. The fete was held in ^ckerlein's Cel- 
 lar. I was greeted cordially on all sides, my place as chief 
 guest marked with a bouquet of flowers, and, after a sump- 
 tuous dinner and plenty of champagne, Felix spoke to the 
 following effect: 'Although he had no talent or gift for 
 speaking, on this occasion he must express the feelings up- 
 permost in his mind. It had long been his wish to see me 
 settled in Leipzig, and in active duty at the Conservatoire, 
 and he rejoiced in the sympathy evinced by his colleagues 
 and the public, now that these wishes had been realized. 
 He could never forget the impression which my talent had 
 made upon him, as a boy, how I had kindled the sacred fire 
 within him, and spurred him to higher aims. I had always 
 assisted and cheered him on, and he felt proud of my last- 
 ing friendship ; he was sure that those present shared his 
 feelings, and would join with him in drinking my health.' 
 Musical cheers were given ; I felt much moved, and could 
 only stammer out a few words of thanks in answer to one 
 who, I said, had far outstripped me as an artist, and whom, 
 as a man, I sincerely loved and honored. 
 
 " By degrees we dropped the sentimental, and drank 
 every one's health ; we blew large clouds of tobacco, and 
 the hours from one till six sped along cheerily. Then I 
 took another long walk with Felix, and, in the course of our 
 confidential talk, asked him why he preferred Leipzig as a 
 residence, while the greatest cities in Europe were ready to 
 do him homage. He explained his preference by saying 
 that the art atmosphere and tendencies of Leipzig had 
 special attractions for him, and that the Conservatoire was 
 a subject so near his heart that, even during the composi- 
 tion of his last Oratorio, he had not neglected his pupils. 
 We spent the evening at the Mendelssohns' in a social 
 quiet way, and were joined by their relatives, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Schunck, who inhabit the same house with us. After sup- 
 per we amused ourselves on two pianos, and at last had a 
 grand improvisation together, in which Felix was so inspired 
 
RECEPTION IN LEIPZIG. 
 
 329 
 
 that in my enthusiasm I almost forgot my own part in 
 listening to him. 
 
 " Just imagine, this evening we hardly recognized our 
 good friend Mendelssohn, for his children had painted on 
 his face an imperial and moustache. He had been playing 
 with his children at ' Schwarzen Peter,' and had had to suf- 
 fer the usual penalty. We live in the second floor in Ger- 
 hard's Garten ; the Schuncks have the first, and they are 
 charming neighbors." 
 
 On the 26th October, we read in the diary: " Felix, with 
 his usual thoughtfulness, had prepared for me a musical 
 performance by his best pupils to be given at the Conserv- 
 atoire, and I heard some excellent pianoforte-players. 
 Stadtrath Seeburg made a speech in which he alluded to 
 my appointment at the Conservatoire as an important 
 event ; I replied that I only regarded myself as a single 
 stone of the beautiful building which rested upon firm 
 foundations," etc. 
 
 "October 27th. — Trial of candidates for the Conserva- 
 toire. Mendelssohn assisted ; his feeling animated both 
 teachers and pupils. Tn the evening I was at his house, 
 where we talked a great deal about musical matters and 
 household arrangements ; he gave me much good advice. 
 I saw a chorus he had lately composed with the title, ' To 
 the Sons of Art' Joachim played with him the ' Kreutzer 
 Sonata.' " On another occasion Moscheles admires some 
 new and still unpublished " Lieder ohne Worte." He can 
 hardly understand that Mendelssohn should wish, after the 
 performance at Birmingham, to make still further alterations 
 in his " Elijah." " I asked him if that beautiful work is 
 intended to becorne still more beautiful, and he said, ' Yes,' 
 without being quite clear in his mind what and how much 
 he was going to alter. I replied, ' Your genius is too ex- 
 acting in its demands, it has already surpassed itself in this 
 " Elijah ; " now employ your powers upon new works.' 
 My arguments, however, were inefifective, and he abided by 
 his determination that changes must be made. The violin 
 quintet in B flat major is next examined, Mendelssohn de- 
 claring tliat the last movement is not good ; he also shows 
 me the ' Lauda Sion.' " Later on the great composer is 
 full of anxiety about his faithful servant Johann, who lies 
 
330 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 dangerously ill in his house. Mendelssohn daily visited 
 the sick-room, and read aloud to him ; he tended him till 
 the hour of his death, and sincerely lamented his loss. 
 
 Moscheles and his wife often take long walks with the 
 Mendelssohns, or meet them at supper at ^ckerlein's after 
 the subscription concerts ; there they are frequently joined 
 by a third couple, David and his wife ; Mendelssohn gives 
 in honor of Moscheles, a grand musical evening ; " for a 
 Moscheles,'' said he, " we take care to make good music ; 
 he is not everybody." 
 
 "November i6th. — Morning rehearsal. In the even- 
 ing Schumann's Concert. His symphony in C major, con- 
 ducted in accordance with his wish, by Mendelssohn. 
 Madame Schumann and her younger sister played. 
 
 '' December 7th. — Mendelssohn paid us a long visit, his' 
 first in our new abode, where the Erard, too, had been in- 
 stalled as an honored member of the family ; he walked 
 about the rooms, rubbing his hands and muttering, ' Nice, 
 nice,' as he was. wont to do when he was pleased with any- 
 thing. He had once shocked a Leipzig friend whom he 
 met in Switzerland, by applying the word 'hdbsch' to the 
 grand scenery before them, but with him that word meant 
 more than any high-flown epithets." 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes ; " We are truly happy in our in- 
 tercourse with the Mendelssohns ; not only he, the amiable, 
 intimate friend, but his wife and their charming children 
 becoming daily more and more attached to us ; and what a 
 happy household it is ! The abundant means at his com- 
 mand are never squandered upon outward show, but judi- 
 ciously spent on a well-regulated, comfortable household. 
 Their principles and ideas are entirely in conformity with 
 our own ; they, like ourselves, love to welcome friends or 
 interesting guests cordially, but without ceremony." 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 1847. 
 
 Life and Society in Leipzig — Mendelssohn's Birthday — A Forgetful 
 Artist — Chopin's Music — Visit to London — Musical Notes — Jen- 
 ny Lind— Meeting of Artists— Julius Rietz— Walks with Mendels- 
 sohn — Mendelssohn and Qiieen Victoria — Madame Frege — 111- 
 ness and Death of Mendelssohn — Excitement in Leipzig — Fu- 
 neral Ceremony in Leipzig and in Berlin^Mendelssohn's corre- 
 spondence. 
 
 ON their return home from a Christmas visit to Ham- 
 burg, the Moscheles are pleasantly impressed by the 
 comfortable appearance of their new home. The house 
 which they share with the Schuncks stands on historical 
 ground. Gerhard's Garden was the scene of the most 
 disastrous episode of the famous battle of Leipzig ; it was 
 in the Elster, a small but rapid stream, bounding the gar- 
 den on one side, that Poniatowsky, in his attempt to cross 
 with the retreating French army, met with his end. The 
 spot is thus memorable as marking one of the greatest 
 disasters in modern warfare. In a little summer-house 
 erected for the purpose in the garden, are preserved many 
 relics of that famous day. This historical site has passed 
 iito the hands of Mr. Gerhard, well-known throughout 
 Garmany as a man of high literary attainments, and as 
 having been a personal friend of Goethe. His translation 
 of Burns' poems is one of his best works. 
 
 Moscheles, speaking of his house, says : " Our friends 
 seem to like it as well as we do. Some object to the 
 small dimensions of our music-room, but I think that good 
 music is to be made everywhere, and I have always be- 
 longed to a school which aimed rather at clearness and 
 accent than at loud hammering — at a correct understand- 
 ing and truthful rendering of music rather than at surprising 
 effects. As for the people themselves, they load us with 
 polite attentions, and the whirl and rush of society hither 
 
332 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 and thither would be just the same thing as in London, 
 were it not that the earlier hours made the matter easier. 
 I need hardly tell you that the frequent interviews with the 
 Mendelssohns, at their house or ours, are constant sources 
 of enjoyment. On the last occasion Joachim, our favorite, 
 was there ; Felix accompanied him in his violin Concerto, 
 and both played the music by heart ; afterwards Felix let 
 us hear some ' Lieder ohne Worte,' written by his sister 
 Fanny. Although close imitations of his own, they are 
 interesting, and treated in a genuine musical spirit. He 
 then played us that part of the 'Elijah' where the widow 
 invokes the prophet's help. It has been remodelled, and I 
 must confess that the part of ' Elijah' acquires more dignity 
 and importance than it had at the performance in Birming- 
 ham, where I considered the whole work already perfect. 
 The angel trio is now really lovely. We had at our house 
 (besides the Mendelssohns and Madame Frege, whose 
 
 singing of his songs was indescribably beautiful), Mr. , 
 
 with his deafening ' Fortissimos.' Happily Mendelssohn 
 put an end to the noise by playing the first book of his 
 ' Lieder ohne Worte,' the manuscript of which he has given 
 to me. David's society and playing are never-failing sour- 
 ces of enjoyment. I am beginning to realize my dream of 
 emancipation from professional slavery ; in the Conserva- 
 toire I am engaged sixteen hours a week, at home I have 
 but eight private lessons to give ; what is that after the 
 daily steeple-chase in London ? " 
 
 On another occasion Moscheles writes : " After dining 
 with Mendelssohn, I went with him to the Berlin piano- 
 forte maker, SchJnemann, who has brought here his new 
 invention of octaves. By a pressure of the pedal you 
 can add an octave to each note ; a key-board on a diminu- 
 tive scale can be screvred on to any piano, and enables the 
 player to span two octaves, but this is at the cost of tone, 
 and altogether the invention is yet in its infancy. Still, we 
 amused ourselves alternately by playing octave passages, 
 eight times doubled ; what good are D.'s bravuras after 
 this ? Soon afterwards Mendelssohn was standing by the 
 conductor's desk in the Gewandhaus, and I had the pleas- 
 ure of hearing his overture to a ' Calm sea and a prosper- 
 ous voyage.' 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S LAST BIR THDA Y. 333 
 
 "Mendelssohn took good care not to miss the chil- 
 dren's party at Moscheles' house ; our conversation was 
 purely on musical subjects, while the others laughed and 
 played with the children. I had to put before him an offer 
 from Chappell, who wanted to have the copyright of an 
 opera which he was to write. The subject proposed was 
 ' The Tempest,' the opera was to be In the regular Italian 
 style, for Lumley. Not a note has been written, and yet 
 the work is already announced for Jenny Lind's appearance 
 in the coming season." Later on Mendelssohn completely 
 abandons the plan of setting music to the subject, and 
 writes to say io, to the disappointment of the Directors. 
 
 " We and the Schuncks had combined to celebrate 
 Mendelssohn's birthday. The proceedings were opened 
 with a capital comic scene between two lady's maids, acted, 
 in the Frankfort dialect, by Cecile and her sister. Then 
 came a charade on the word ' Gewandhaus.' Joachim, 
 adorned with a fantastic wig, a la Paganini, played a hare- 
 brained impromptu on the G string; the syllable 'Wand' 
 was represented by the Pyramus and Thisbe wall-scene 
 fro'm the ' Midsummer Night's Dream ;' for ' Haus,' Char- 
 lotte acted a scene she had written herself, in which she is 
 discovered knitting a blue stocking, and soliloquizing on 
 the foibles of female authoresses, advising them to attend 
 to their domestic duties. By way of enforcing the moral, 
 she calls her cook — the cook was I myself, and my appear- 
 ance in cap and dress was the signal for a general uproar. 
 Mendelssohn was sitting on a large straw arm-chair which 
 creaked under his weight, as he rocked to and frp, and the 
 room echoed with his peals of laughter. The whole word 
 ' Gewandhaus' was illustrated by a full orchestra, Mendels- 
 sohn and my children playing on little drums and trumpets ; 
 Joachim leading with a toy violin, my Felix conducting a 
 la Jullien. It was splendid." Such was Mendelssohn's 
 last birthday ! 
 
 On the 17th of February we read : " I fully unburdened 
 my mind to Mendelssohn on the subject of my refusal to 
 play at Gade's Historical Concert, and explained to him 
 myreluctance to appear too frequently before the public. 
 I have played on two occasions lately to please the Direc- 
 tors, and proved I did not consider it a professional mat- 
 
334 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ter, by devoting the proceeds to the Orchestral Fund. 
 Compositions must now-a-days have so many inches of 
 Italian phrases, the pieces so' many scores of octaves, in 
 order to please ; this is most distasteful to me, as it is to 
 him. I could not, however, approve of his resolve to take 
 no part in the performance of 'St. Paul,' intended for 
 Good Friday, and I succeeded in persuading him to an 
 opposite view, so that he soon began the rehearsals ; but 
 he, as well as I, would not play in the ' Gewandhaus,' and 
 told the Directors so.' 
 
 After the second rehearsal of ' St. Paul' we read : 
 " Mendelssohn's strictness with the large amateur chorus 
 was as great as his keeping together the entire force by his 
 pianoforte accompaniment was remarkable." Moscheles 
 attends all the rehearsals, and writes after the Good Friday 
 performance : " I have only now arrived at a perfect appre- 
 ciation of this glorious work. Here, as in London, I am 
 beset with a host of modern pianoforte players, all writing 
 Arpeggios and octave passages. These gentlemen all 
 belong to the same regiment, and wear the same uniform, 
 the only difference being this, that their epaulettes and 
 gold lace are more or less gaudy. 
 
 " We were in a pretty fix the other night at the Pupils' 
 Public Concert, when four young ladies were to play 
 Czerny's piece for eight hands : Miss F. had forgotten her 
 music. Mehdelssohn was up in arms at once. ' What ! ' 
 he exclaimed, ' forget your music for a public performance, 
 as if it were a mere trifle! This is too bad. There sits 
 the public, and has to wait because you have forgotten your 
 music! ' etc., etc. In this dilemma I fetched the tuner out 
 of the corner where he was waiting. ' Sit down,' said I ; 
 'busy yourself with tuning the two pianos, and don't leave 
 off until you see that the messenger who has been dis- 
 patched brings Miss F.'s music' He did as I desired, an 
 awkward pause was filled up, not agreeably, but to the 
 purpose. 
 
 " So the youthful G. has gone to Paris in order to learn 
 pianoforte playing in republican fashion, the more so as his 
 master is to be Chopin, who in his Mazurkas and ballads 
 bewails the annihilation of national freedom ! Seriously 
 speaking, he may learn a great deal that is good by listen- 
 
BEA Tff OF MENDELSSOHN'S SISTER. 
 
 335 
 
 ing to Chopin's playing, but in his compositions Chopin 
 shows that his best ideas are but isolated ; he leaves them 
 fragmentary, and fails to produce a work of complete unity. 
 In his Sonata with the violoncello which has just been pub- 
 lished, I often find passages which sound to me like some 
 one preluding on the piano, the player knocking at the 
 door of every key and clef to find if any melodious sounds 
 are at home." 
 
 Again : " I amused myself with David by trying over 
 Killer's six ' Studies' for pianoforte and violin. They are, 
 even as drawing-room pieces, thoroughly piquant and 
 effective. We played also the 'Pensees Fugitives,' by 
 Ernst and Heller." Moscheles composes songs for single 
 and four voices; among the latter " Winternacht" and 
 " Maifeier," among the former, " Freie Kunst," " Die Ges- 
 pielen," and " Die Botschaft," which has become a great 
 favorite. A "Fantasia" he is writing on some Swedish 
 songs, sung by Jenny Lind, interests him on account of the 
 charming original melodies, as well as the memory of the 
 illustrious songstress, whose characteristics he endeavors to 
 depict in this composition. 
 
 The happy event, the expected birth of a first grand- 
 child, called the Moscheles to London, where they had 
 hoped to meet Mendelssohn, who had gone to England to 
 superintend the performance of his " Elijah." He had, 
 however, hurried away to Frankfort, there to hear the sad. 
 news of the death of his beloved sister Fanny. This sad 
 event struck him a blow from which he never recovered. " He 
 writes to me from Baden-Baden," says Mrs. Moscheles, 
 " and under this heavy trial shows great fortitude and resig- 
 nation. It is not certain now whether the Mendelssohns 
 will continue their journey into Switzerland or return to 
 Leipzig ; although deeply afflicted, they are, thank God, all 
 in good health." 
 
 Moscheles writes : " Musical matters are in no way 
 changed here. Besides Lablache and Madame Castellan, 
 there are heaps of ' inis' and ' ettis,' with their shakes and 
 quavers ; but nowhere a full room. By Benedict's desire, I 
 have written a piece for eight hands, expressly for his con- 
 cert ; it went as well as it was received, and yet I feel con- 
 scious that the ladies would have preferred a piece upon 
 
336 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICMNS. 
 
 operatic airs. Besides that, think of an audience wading 
 through nine-and-forty pieces at one concert! There are 
 sinners who perform penance by hunger and fasting; here 
 one does penance by gorging oneself with endless musical 
 menus; and what a sacrifice of time ! Benedict wished to 
 play a duet with me at his concert, Willmers and Bennett 
 also at theirs ; but I refused to play in public. I heard 
 Spohr's and Mozart's music at the Philharmonic; since my 
 experience of the Gewandhaus, these concerts have lost 
 much of their charm, but Ella's Matinee, where Joachim 
 played, was a real treat to me. 
 
 " What shall I say of Jenny Lind ? I can find no words 
 adequate to give you any real idea of the impression she has 
 made. Independent of the fact that the language of 
 panegyric is exhausted, this wonderful artiste stands far too 
 high in my judgment to be dragged down by commonplace 
 complimentary phrases, such as newspaper writers so copi- 
 ously indulge in. This is no short-lived fit of public enthu- 
 siasm. Everybody wants to see and hear her, or, having 
 seen her, to see her and hear her again. I wanted to know 
 her off the stage as well as on ; but as she lives some dis- 
 tance from me, I asked her in a letter to fix upon an hour 
 for me to call. Simple and unceremonious as she is, she 
 came the next day herself, bringing her answer verbally. 
 So much modesty and so much greatness united, are seldom 
 if ever to be met with, and although her intimate friend Men- 
 delssohn had given me an insight into the noble qualities of 
 her character, I was surprised to find them so apparent at 
 first acquaintance. I had to play her my ' Fantasia ' on her 
 Swedish songs. Mendelssohn had chosen the subjects with 
 me ; and she said many pretty things about ray characteris- 
 tic treatment of these national airs. We returned her visit 
 in Old Brompton, where she lives, far from the noise rf the 
 capital and the arena of her brilliant performances." 
 
 Greatly as Moscheles enjoyed his five weeks' stay in his 
 daughter's home and among old friends, he was anxious to 
 get back to Leipzig, although by virtue of his agreement he 
 was allowed three months' absence every year, independent 
 of the regular holidays (the time to be chosen to suit his 
 own convenience) ; he was always longing to get back to his 
 pupils, and carried out to a nicety his resolve to act con- 
 
AURA NGEMENT OF BEETHO VEN'S SYMPHONY. 
 
 337 
 
 scientiously and laboriously in his new sphere. In July, 
 while ai his post at the Conservatoire, he makes a new edi- 
 tion of some classical works and most carefully compares 
 his arrangement of Beethoven's " Symphony in A," with one 
 formerly made by Hummel. We read in the diary : " Hum- 
 mel, who takes every possible liberty, wishes to improve 
 upon Beethoven's directions to the band, as well as the notes 
 themselves ; for instance, in the beginning of the first Alle- 
 gro, he gives the bass an altered rhythm. 
 
 This 
 passage 
 
 he writes 
 thus: 
 
 ^-- 
 
 ^=f- 
 
 =l^|--T^ 
 
 fI=!- 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 
 7 f 
 
 ^ u ? 
 
 
 =&= 
 
 -=^ 
 
 ' / 
 
 
 " Towards the end of the movement on the eleventh 
 page, he cuts out ten bars ! ! On the thirtieth page two-and- 
 twenty bars ! ! " 
 
 In August Moscheles writes : " Ferdinand Killer's visit 
 to us was a most agreeable diversion ; for the rest, I enjoy 
 the quiet, and even the sameness of my life, looking for 
 novelty in books and periodicals. I am much interested in 
 the ' Girondins' and Dahlmann's excellent History of the 
 French Revolution. 
 
 " The editor of the local musical journal here has called 
 together a meeting of artists for the 13th and 14th of this 
 month, on which occasion the ' Weal and Woe' of art is to 
 be discussed. I don't expect much good will come of it, 
 but allow my name to figure among them. 
 
 " August 13th. — Brendel opened the meeting to day with 
 a speech on the diffusion of classical music ; Schumann, in 
 a letter, expresses his wish that the German language may 
 be adopted on the title-pages of music. A wise suggestion 
 was made that some useful guide to pianoforte teaghing 
 should be published ; I mentioned my ' Methode des Meth- 
 odes.' 
 
 '' Debate between me and Herr Knorr about his edition 
 
 IS 
 
338 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 of ' Cramer's Studies,' in whicii lie has substituted his own 
 fingering for that of the author. I defended ray opinion that 
 it is best to give the pupil different ways of fingering, as I 
 have done in my ' Studies.' " 
 
 Every artist passing through Leipzig made a point of 
 calling on Moscheles, and he received them all with invari- 
 able kindness, but he writes : " 1 must listen to everything, 
 but in return it is my duty to show that one can play the 
 piano without hammering ; that such a thing as a pianissimo 
 can be obtained without a soft pedal. The pedals are aux- 
 iliaries ; whoever makes them of primary importance puts 
 in evidence the incapacity of his own fingers, and he who 
 writes a ' Polka du Diable,' ' Valse Infernale/ ' Menuet a la 
 Demon,' or by way of contrast, ' Moonshine Elegies,' and 
 ' ^Eolian Harp Sonatas,' seeks to attract by the title, not by 
 original ideas. As for L.'s ' Spring is coming,' I would call 
 it ' Autumn has come,' for the composition is as withered as 
 autumn leav&." 
 
 On the 17th of September the Mendelssohn family re- 
 turn home from Switzerland. " In mind dear Felix is the 
 same as ever, but physically he seems altered ; he is aged, 
 weakened, and his walk is less elastic than before, but to 
 see him at the piano, or hear him talk about art and art- 
 ists, he is all life and fire. To his great joy his friend Ju- 
 lius Rietz is just entering upon his duties as Kapellmeister 
 in Leipzig. Of him he says : " Here is another earnest- 
 minded musician, producing much that is good, and capa- 
 ble of guiding the performances of others to the highest 
 pitch of perfection ; his conducting must lead to great 
 things at the Gewandhaus Concerts, and what fine music 
 we shall have among ourselves ! Rietz is a capital violon- 
 cello player, we shall have a glorious winter.' He then fixed 
 on an evening when Rietz and I were to come to his house 
 for music. My new piece for eight hands, written for Ben- 
 edict's Concert, gave rise to an animated discussion ; it 
 was to bear the title of ' Jadis et Aujourd'hui ;' Mendels- 
 sohn opposed this, and I affirmed ' that the introductory 
 fuguesSvere meant to illustrate the good old times, the 
 lighter movements the music of our own day.' 'But why 
 so ? ' argued Mendelssohn ; ' are not interesting fugues 
 written now-a-days ? Surely our time produces still some 
 
WALKS WITH MENDELSSOHN. 33^ 
 
 good things.' ' But the fashionable taste is a vitiated one,' 
 I replied, ' people will only listen to light music and easy 
 rhythms.' ' Yes, they will,' Mendelssohn broke in, eagerly ; 
 ' but they shall not. Don't you and I live ? Don't we in- 
 tend to write good music ? We will prove that our time 
 is capable of good ; so please to give up this title.' This 
 request was not to be withstood, and therefore for ' Jadis 
 et Aujourd'hui,' we substituted ' Les Contrastes,' with 
 which my friend declared he was satisfied." 
 
 We read again : " October 3d. — After the Mendelssohns 
 had dined with us, Felix and I amused ourselves at the pi- 
 ano with fugues and gigues by Bach ; he then gave us an 
 admirable imitation of the town musicians at Frankfort, 
 whose Polkas he had been condemned to listen to hun- 
 dreds of times. 
 
 " October 5th. — Delightful afternoon at Mendelssohn's, 
 and had much friendly talk about art-matters. , He played 
 me his last quartet, all four movements in P minor ; the 
 passionate character of the whole, and the mournful key, 
 seem to me an expression of his deeply agitated state of 
 mind ; he is still suffering and in sorrow for the loss of his 
 sister. He also showed me some of her manuscript Lieder 
 — everything deeply felt, but not always original. 
 
 " October 7th. Mendelssohn came to take me out for 
 a walk, although it rained ; we strolled along in the Rosen- 
 thal, having such an interesting conversation that the 
 hours flew unheeded by. 
 
 " October 8th. — Examination at the Conservatoire. 
 Mendelssohn wrote on a slate, with a piece of chalk, a 
 thorough bass exercise, to test the pupils ; while they 
 worked it out, he made some charming pen-and-ink sketch- " 
 es. What a sleepless genius ! .... In the afternoon and 
 evening we were at his house. He played with Rietz, his 
 D major Sonata with Cello, and the two by Beethoven, op. 
 102 ; with me, my ' Senate Symphonique ; ' Emily and I 
 played 'Les Contrastes.' 
 
 '" On the 9th of October Mendelssohn came to see us ; 
 we watched him as he walked slowly and languidly through 
 the garden on his way to our house. My wife felt much 
 concerned, and in answer to her inquiry after his health, he 
 replied, ' How am I .' Rather shady' (Grau in grau) 1 She 
 
340 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 assured him that a walk and the fine weather would do him 
 good, so we — Charlotte, I, and our Felix— went to the 
 Rosenthal, and certainly during our strolls he became so 
 fresh and animated that we forgot his previous words. 
 Charlotte said, ' You have never told us all about your last 
 stay in London,' and this remark elicited from him much 
 about our common friends that interested us. Then he 
 gave us an account of his visit to the Queen. She had re- 
 ceived him very graciously, and he was much pleased with 
 her rendering of some of his songs, which he had accom- 
 panied ; he had also played to the Queen and the Prince. 
 She must have been pleased, for, when he rose to depart, 
 she thanked him, and said, ' You have given me so much 
 pleasure, now what can I do to give you pleasure ? ' Men- 
 delssohn deprecating, she insisted ; so he candidly admitted 
 that he had a wish that only her Majesty could fulfil, 'i^e., 
 himself the head of a household, felt mightily interested in 
 the Queen's domestic arrangements ; in short, might he see 
 the Royal children in their Royal nurseries ? The Queen 
 at once entered into the spirit of his request, and in her 
 most winning way conducted him herself through the nur- 
 series, all the while comparing notes with him on the home- 
 ly subjects that had a special attraction for both. 
 
 "Talking of Cecile's birthday, he told us of a mantle 
 he had bought her for a present ; he had a second and 
 priceless gift in store for her, for when he and Klingemann 
 had made a tour of Scotland together, they both joined 
 in keeping a diary, Klingemann jotting down their ad- 
 ventures in verse, Mendelssohn illustrating them. These 
 fugitive pages, arranged and bound, were to be presented 
 to his wife, but alas ! he had already been attacked with 
 deadly illness before the next day dawned. 
 
 " We parted about one o'clock in the most cheerful 
 mood. That very afternoon, however, Felix was taken very 
 ill in Frau Frege's house ; he had gone thither to persuade 
 her to sing in the next performance of his ' Elijah.' ' She 
 is afraid of appearing in public,' Mendelssohn had said 
 some days before, ' and of not being in good voice ; but no 
 one can sing at all like her; I must go and encourage 
 her." 
 
 We are indebted to Frau Frege for the following ac- 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S LAST VISIT TO FRAU FREGE. 341 
 
 count of what occurred in her house on the 9th of October ; 
 " These were his words when he entered the room, ' I come 
 to-day, and intend coming every day, until you give me 
 your consent, and I now bring with me again the altered 
 pieces (of the " Elijah") ; but I really feel miserable, so 
 much so that lately I actually cried over my Trio. To-day, 
 however, before we talk of" Elijah," you must help me to 
 put together a book of songs ; the Hiirtels are pressing me 
 so to publish it.' He brought the book, Op. ji, and as a 
 seventh Lied, the old German Spring Song, ' Der triibe 
 Winter ist vorbei,' which he had composed in the summer 
 of this year, but had not written out until the 7th of Octo- 
 ber. " I knew pretty well," said Frau Frege, " how he would 
 wish the songs to follow, and arranged them in order, one 
 by one, upon the piano. After I had sung the first, he was 
 very much moved, and asked for it again, adding, ' That 
 was a somewhat serious birthday present for Schleinitz on 
 the ist of October, but it is quite in accordance with my 
 state of mind, and I can't tell you how melancholy Fanny's 
 still unchanged rooms in Berlin made me. But I have in- 
 deed so much to be thankful to God for — Cecile is so well, 
 and little Felix, too' (his youngest son, who was often out 
 of health). He then made me repeat all the Lieder sever- 
 al times, and I still clung to my opinion that the ' Spring 
 Song' was a little out of place in the book. He then said, 
 ' Be it so ; the whole book is serious, and serious it must go 
 into the world.' Although he looked very pale, I had to 
 sing him the first song for the third time over, and he thank- 
 ed me most kindly and amiably. He continued : ' If you 
 are not tired, let us try the last quartet out of the ' Eli- 
 jah.' I left the room to order lamp.s, and on my return 
 found him in the next room on the sofa ; his hands, he said 
 were cold and stiff, and it would be better and wiser to take 
 a turn out of doors, he really felt too ill to make music. I 
 wanted to send for a carriage, but he would not allow me, 
 and after I had given him a saline draught, he left about 
 5.30. When he got into the air, he felt it would be better to 
 go home instantly ; once at home, he sat down in the cor- 
 ner of the sofa, where Cecile found him at 7 o'clock ; his 
 hands were cold and stiff as before. On the following day 
 he suffered from such violent pain in the head, that leeches 
 
342 RECENT MUSIC AND M USICIANS. 
 
 were applied ; the doctor thought the digestive organs were 
 attacked, and only at a later period pronounced the dis- 
 ease to be the result of an overwrought nervous system. 
 Ever since Fanny's death I had been struck with his pale- 
 ness when he conducted or played ; everything seemed to 
 affect him more intensely than before." 
 
 The news of Mendelssohn's illness created quite a panic 
 in Leipzig, but as he seemed so rapidly to recover, all fears 
 were for a time allayed. " On the 15th October," we quote 
 from the diary, " 1 had to tell Felix a great deal about Kil- 
 ler's new opera ' Conradin, der letzte Hohenstaufe' the fa- 
 vorable reception of which delighted him heartily. David, 
 Benedict, and I had gone over to Dresden to hear it ; Wag- 
 ner and Tichatschek took the leading parts. The perform- 
 ance was a remarkable one, the music, I thought, full of 
 dignity and passion." 
 
 In the course of a few days Mendelsshon so far recov- 
 ered that his friends find him not only cheerful, but actu- 
 ally making his plans for conducting his " Elijah" in Vien- 
 na. To Madame Frege, who visited him, he said : ' Well, 
 I must have given you a pretty fright the other day — a 
 cheerful sight I must have been ! " On the 28th he felt so 
 much stronger that he took a walk with Cecile, and felt in- 
 chned to go out again. At her persuasion, however, he 
 abandoned the idea ; but alas ! shortly afterwards he sud- 
 denly broke down. It was declared to be an attack' of apo- 
 plexy. The anxiety of all Leipzig cannot be described. 
 Once more he seems to rally, but only to relapse into a 
 state of feverish excitement ; his mind wanders, and he 
 talks in English. On the 3d of November, at half-past 
 two in the afternoon, a third attack supervenes and deprives 
 him of all consciousness. 
 
 The bulletin was read again and again by anxious 
 crowds. Thus the 4th of November dawned. We give 
 Moscheles' own words, just as he wrote them in Mendels- 
 sohn's house on the morning of the fatal day. " Nature ! 
 demandest thou thy rights ? Angels above, in heavenly 
 spheres, do ye claim your brother, whom ye regard as your 
 own, as one too high for intercourse with us ordinary mor- 
 tals ? We still possess him, we still cling to him ; we hope 
 by God's grace, to keep still longer among us one who has 
 
MEA'DELSSOHA'S DEA TH. 
 
 343 
 
 ever shone upon us, a pattern of all that is noble and beau- 
 tiful, the glory of our century ! To Thee, O Creator, it is 
 known why Thou hast lodged those treasures of heart and 
 soul in so frail a tenement, that now threatens to dissolve ! 
 Can our prayers win from Thee the life of our brother ? 
 What a glorious work hast Thou accomplished in him ! 
 Thou hast shown us how high he may soar heavenwards, 
 how near he may approach Thee ! Oh ! suffer him to en- 
 joy his earthly reward — the blessings of a husband and 
 father, the ties of friendship, the homage of the world ! " . . 
 
 " Noon. — Drs. Hammer, Hofrath Clarus, the surgeon, 
 Walther, all take their turn by the bedside ; Schleinitz 
 writes out a bulletin which gives no hope. Dr. Frege and 
 his wife, David, Rielz, Schleinitz, my. wife, and I, are wait- 
 ing anxiously near the sick room. The doctors say that if 
 no fresh attack on the nerves or lungs supervenes the appa- 
 rent calm may lead to a happy turn, even to ultimate re- 
 covery. This calm, however, was in reality only the utter 
 prostration of all physical power. 
 
 "Evening. — From two o'clock in the afternoon, at the 
 hour when another paralytic stroke was dreaded, he gradu- 
 ally began to sink ; he lay perfectly quiet, breathing heavily. 
 In the evening we were all by turns assembled around his 
 bed, contemplating the peaceful, seraphic expression on his 
 countenance. The memory of that scene sunk deeply into 
 oiir hearts. Cecile bore up with fortitude under the crush- 
 ing weight of her sorrow ; she never wavered, never betrayed 
 her struggle by a word. The children had been sent to bed 
 at nine o'clock. Paul Mendelssohn stood, transfixed with 
 grief, at the bedside of his dying brother. Madame Dirich- 
 let and the Schuncks were expected in vain, Dr. Hiirtel had 
 travelled to Berlin to fetch them and Dr. Schonlein^ but 
 they could not arrive in time to witness the closing scene. 
 
 " From nine o'clock in the evening we expected every 
 moment "would be the last ; a light seemed to hover over his 
 features, but the struggle for life became feebler and fainter. 
 Cocile, in floods of tears, kneeled at his pillow ; Paul Men- 
 delssohn, David, Schleinitz, and I, in deep and silent prayer, 
 surrounded the deathbed. As his breathing gradually be- 
 came slower and slower, my mind involuntarily recurred to 
 Beethoven's Funeral March, ' Sulla Morte d'un' Eroe,' to 
 
344 " RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 that passage where he seems to depict the hero as_ he hes 
 breathing his last, the sands of life gradually running out. 
 
 0=E$tErn^Z3^z^FiS^ 
 
 'JbJ 
 
 The suppressed sobs of the bystanders, and my own hot 
 tears, recalled me to the dread reality. 
 
 " At twenty four minutes past nine he expired with a deep 
 sigh. The doctor persuaded the widowed Cecile to leave 
 the room. I knelt down at the. bedside, my prayers followed 
 heavenwards the soul of the departed, and I pressed one 
 last kiss on that noble forehead before it grew cold in the 
 damp dew of death. For several hours we bewailed together 
 our irreparable loss ; then each one withdrew, to sorrow in 
 silence. 
 
 "What poor consolations are funeral honors, however 
 grand and impressive, how miserably inadequate as expres- 
 sions of grief for the loss of my beloved friend, whose mem- 
 ory will be sacred to me for the rest of my days." 
 
 All Leipzig mourned ; the Gewandhaus on this 4th No- 
 vember did not give its usual concert ; the soul of music 
 seemed to have fled ! who would have cared for concerts at 
 such a time ? Moscheles, during the next few days, meets 
 with his friends to consult about the funeral, and scores for 
 the sad occasion Mendelssohn's " Lied ohne Worte " in E 
 minor. The body was soon afterwards carried to Berlin ; a 
 service takes place on the 7th November, in the Pauliner 
 Church. 
 
 The Berlin Staatszeitung gives the following account of 
 the funeral in Leipzig : " On the 6th November lyiendels- 
 sohn's body was brought to the Pauliner (University) 
 Church, preceded by a band of wind instruments, playing 
 Beethoven's 'Funeral March.' The procession consisted 
 of the members of the Gewandhaus orchestra and the 
 pupils of the Conservatoire ; the pall-bearers were Mos- 
 cheles, David, Hauptmann, and Gade. The professors of 
 the Conservatoire, with Mendelssohn's brother as chief 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S FUNERAL. 
 
 345 
 
 mourner, and several guilds and societies from Leipzig and 
 Dresden, followed the coffin. After the pastor's funeral 
 oration in the church, an organ prelude and chorales out 
 of ' St. Paul ' and Bach's ' Passion' were played by the 
 orchestra, under Gade's and David's direction. During 
 the service the coffin remained open ; the painters, Bende- 
 mann, Hiibner, and Richard, of Dresden, made drawings 
 of the great man with the wreath of laurel upon his brow. 
 At ten o'clock at night the coffin was closed and carried 
 by the punils of the Conservatoire to the station of the 
 Berlin Railway. A torchlight procession of more than a 
 thousand persons followed the funeral train through the 
 crowded streets of Leipzig, and similar honors accompanied 
 with funeral mu.sic, were paid to the dead at Cothen, Des- 
 sau, and other towns on the road to Berlin, which was 
 reached between seven and eight o'clock in the morning. 
 There the coffin, adorned with ivy leaves andalarge wreath 
 of laurel, was carried on a hearse drawn by six horses 
 draped in black, to the churchyard of the Holy Trinity. 
 Thousands of people followed the bier, and Beethoven's 
 ' Funeral March' was again played. Two clergymen and 
 other friends of the deceased pronounced orations at the 
 grave, and a chorus, consisting of six hundred voices, sang 
 a hymn by Groeber, ' Christ and the Resurrection.' It is 
 impossible to describe the mournful scene ; the men threw 
 earth, and the women and children flowers, on the coffin 
 when it was finally lowered into the grave. Mendelssohn 
 sleeps near that beloved sister whose death so fatally im- 
 pressed him." 
 
 The King of Prussia had sent Mendelssohn a letter, in 
 appreciation of the " Elijah," the first performance of which 
 he had heard in Berlin ; unfortunately, however, this letter 
 reached Leipzig a day after the death of the great master. 
 'At the Gewandhaus Concert, on the nth November, the 
 performance was as follows : — 
 
 First part : Overture to St. Paul. Motet, " Lord, now 
 lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace ;" " Vergangen 
 ist der lichte Tag," beautifully and feelingly sung by Frau 
 Frege. Overture to "Melusine." 
 
 Second Part : Beethoven's "Eroica." 
 
 The dreary sense of isolation, now that Moscheles had 
 
 15* 
 
346 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 forever lost his art-colleague, made the idea of residence in 
 Leipzig almost intolerable to Mrs. Moscheles ; the object 
 of all ambition seemed annihilated ; Moscheles, however, 
 argued otherwise : " He invited me to take part in an in- 
 stitution that was so dear to him ; to have labored there 
 with him would have been a daily joy and satisfaction, to 
 work on there without him is my duty, which I regard as a 
 sacred trust committed by him to my keeping. I must 
 now work for us both." 
 
 Bent on carrying out this resolution, Moscheles once 
 more resumes his classes at the Conservatoire on Monday 
 the 7th of November, and derives from the conscientious 
 performance of his duties some comfort in his deep sorrow. 
 " In spirit, though not in presence, Mendelssohn is with us 
 throughout the dreary winter. The constant visits to 
 Cecile and the dear children, the reading over of his beau- 
 tiful letters to us both, the perusal of his music, from the 
 ' Kinderstticke' that Clara learns, to the duets that I play 
 with Serena, and his great pianoforte works which I study 
 myself — such are the consolations which he has bequeathed 
 to his sorrowing friends." 
 
 The King of Saxony is present at a performance of 
 the " Walpurgisnacht" in the Gewandhaus ; the fragments 
 of the " Loreley" are also given. Many sketches of Men- 
 delssohn's life appear, but none represent him so faithfully 
 as his own letters. In these we find reflected the noble 
 mind of the man, and his unswerving devotion to all those 
 that he loved. He regarded art as a gift from heaven, as 
 a glorious possession which he must cultivate and guard, 
 and while so many of his contemporaries wrote for the 
 world and the prevailing taste and fashion of the public, he 
 strove, singly and solely, to clothe his poetical and majestic 
 thoughts in the noblest and loveliest harmonies. He, too, 
 had his detractors — who has not? But none could re- 
 proach him with ever having been unfaithful to his art- 
 convictions. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 1848— 1849. 
 
 Commemorations of Mendelssohn — Concert in aid of a Pension Fund 
 — Performance of the " Elijah" — Political Agitation — Prague and 
 Vienna — Nestroy the Actor in Leipzig — Change in Musical Taste 
 — The Volunteer Guards — Anniversary of Mendelssohn's Death — 
 A Mendelssohn Foundation — Mark of Royal Favor — Schumann 
 — Mendelssohn's " Athalie" — Madame Dulcken — Lindley— Liszt's 
 Playing — Visit to Prague — Musical Events. 
 
 IT would be no exaggeration to say that in Germany and 
 England, if not throughout Europe, Mendelssohn's 
 death was regarded as a public calamity. In Leipzig, the 
 scene of so many of his great achievements, there were fa- 
 mous artists still left to carry oq the work of the Conserva- 
 toire. There remained such men as Hauptmann, David, 
 Rietz, Cossmann, and Joachim. The mere mention of these 
 names will suffice to show that art, so far from being para- 
 lyzed, was sure to develop all its best energies under the 
 care and skill of men of European eminence. Friedrich 
 Schneider, Besker, Reinecke, Griepenkerl, and others, join- 
 ed in upholding the reputation of Leipzig as a musical cen- 
 tre, and, to crown all, Robert and Clara Schurrjann gave an 
 historical eclat and interest to the Gewandhaus Concerts of 
 the winter of 1848. '■ And yet," says Moscheles in one of 
 his letters, " we live daily in the memory of Mendelssohn. 
 We are constantly with his dear children, and Cecile has 
 the courage to be present at all the performances where her 
 husband's works are executed, and to listen to such deeply 
 touching compositions as the last quartet in F minor, and 
 the ' Nachllied,' sung as only Frau Frege can sing it. On 
 the 3d February, his birth-day, the ' Elijah ' was given for 
 the first time here. I have attended all the rehearsals, and 
 Emily and Serena sang in the chorus. A medallion exe- 
 cuted for this special occasion by the sculptor Knaur, had 
 been fixed in its place over the orchestra. Behr sang the 
 
348 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 part of the Prophet ■ with earnestness and energy ; Frau 
 Frege, with her clear intonation and fine expression, ren- 
 dered the music of the widow in her own pure and expressive 
 style, and Fraulein Schloss was an excellent contralto. 
 Gade's conducting, generally speaking, was painstaking and 
 effective, except in certain ' Tempi,' which Mendelssohn had 
 taken differently in Birmingham, where the organ had fre- 
 quently enhanced the orchestral effects. The concert, given 
 for the benefit of the ' Pension Fund,' was, strange to say, 
 only two-thirds full, and the silence with which the work 
 was received, left it doubtful whether the audience had been 
 duly impressed. Certainly some papers headed what was 
 actually an opposition. We were all indignant at so equiv- 
 ocal a reception, and even my Felix was not to be restrain- 
 ed from writing on the subject to the papers, and protesting 
 against it. 
 
 . . . . " Cecile asked me yesterday to revise the orches- 
 tral parts of Felix's A major Symphony, for it may possibly 
 be given at the last Gewandhaus Concert. I have been to 
 the theatre to hear a new opera, which was a complete fail- 
 ure, the music so bad and commonplace that it actually dis- 
 turbed me in a nap. David, the picture of misery, frequent- 
 ly looked up to me from the orchestra for a sympathetic 
 glance. I pitied him." 
 
 The political storm which had so suddenly burst in Paris, 
 the Revolution which cost Louis Philippe his throne, found 
 an echo in several parts of Germany. That Moscheles was 
 no passive spectator of these events, we gather from many 
 
 passages in his diary: "Robert Blum, a Radical, is 
 
 elected a member of the German Parliament, and gladly ac- 
 cepts Schleswig-Holstein is in a most excited state. 
 
 God forbid there should be a war ! I lead the sad accounts 
 the newspapers give of petitions, barricades, and tri-colored 
 flags 
 
 " It was odd that I .should find in the Wimer Zeitung an 
 article, taking the King of Prussia to task for refusing civil 
 liberties until he conceded them over the dead bodies of the 
 citizens. And this from Austria ! What a state of things 
 we have come to ! Do you recollect seeing in the Ballet 
 that quaint old-fashioned gentleman who suddenly turns 
 round and displays a figure all youth and bloom — Austria 
 
TROUBLED TIMES. 
 
 349 
 
 seems to me as double-sided as that figure ! . . . . The States 
 appear to me to be affected with cancer, while a consultation 
 of surgeons is held at Frankfort. Artificial arms, legs, eyes, 
 and noses are being substituted for the decayed members 
 of the mutilated State-body, and our age unhappily is des- 
 tined to look on at these operations ; it is a hard trial, but 
 God wills it so ! I am not carried away by the hue and 
 cry for liberty. I should like a monarchical 'juste milieu,' 
 without coming under Nicholas' scourge or seeing my neigh- 
 bors writhing under it. And my old Vienna, with her tri- 
 umph won over the corpses of her citizens ! My light- 
 hearted, musical Vienna ! it costs me much more of an effort 
 to realize her in a state of fermentation than Berlin, where 
 the tragedy is deepening, and becoming more and more ter- 
 rible. Heaven preserve us from a repetition of the Reign 
 of Terror ! On Friday evening we and all our friends heard 
 the debates at the patriotic meeting : Laube, who had just 
 arrived from Vienna, spoke well on the state of things in 
 Austria ; Flathe proposed emigration as the only remedy 
 for a distressed population ; Zestermann defended his fellow- 
 citizens, the people of Zittau, whose patriotism had been 
 suspected. All the discussions were carried on amid clouds 
 of tobacco, rather bad for the ladies, but better anyhow than 
 the smoke of gunpowder." "In the midst of this crisis," 
 Mrs. Moscheles writes, "art and professional avocations are 
 a real comfort, and my husband can be serenely happy in 
 the midst of all -the turmoil round him." " Whenever 1 play, 
 1 forget everything," adds Moscheles, " but I certainly can- 
 not now-a-days concentrate my thoughts enough for compos- 
 ing." On a visit to some friends at Ltitzschena, he moral- 
 izes thus : " How beautiful the world is, after all ; this misery 
 will pass, and liberty will dawn upon us ! May we soon see 
 her make her entrance in triumphal procession, as we have 
 seen kings and ministers make their entrance, and — their 
 exit." 
 
 Frau Frege, assisted by Moscheles and several artists, 
 gives a very successful concert for the benefit of impover- 
 ished artisans. A private gallery of pictures is opened to 
 the public for the same charitable purpose, and the Mos- 
 cheles try to raise a fund for the members of the orchestra, 
 who have been deprived of their pay owing to the troubled 
 
350 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 state of the times. Again we read of Moscheles' raptures 
 with the Ninth Symphony: "This work revealed new beau- 
 ties to me, and this I owe to certain effects and ' nuances' 
 which with all ray hearty exertions I could not succeed in 
 bringing out with a London orchestra. The work itself 
 stands relatively to other Symphonies like the Cathedral 
 of Cologne to other churches. Rietz conducted in true 
 musicianly style." 
 
 The 30th of May, Moscheles' birthday, evokes the fol- 
 lowing letter : "Your wishes were doubly welcome to me, 
 at a time when State ties threaten to dissolve, and family 
 ties are loosened by those dreadful politics. Nothing was 
 omitted in my family circle to make me forget the gloom 
 of the present time ; accordingly, 1 allowed myself patiently 
 to be led blindfold by the children to the birthday table. 
 What gave me the greatest delight was a water-color draw- 
 ing of Mendelssohn's study, painted on the spot by my 
 Felix, exactly as it was left at the time of liis death — every 
 detail, even to the most insignificant, faithfully represented. 
 C^cile presented me with an apparatus for striking a light 
 (Zandmaschine), which her husband had used ; a precious 
 souvenir, like everything that comes from him." 
 
 Nestroy, the famous comic actor from Vienna, comes 
 upon the gloomy days of Leipzig, with his " Freiheit in 
 Krtihwinkel," exactly at the right time, to inspirit every 
 one. Moscheles says : " None but a Nestroy could parody 
 government reform and liberty without becoming weari- 
 some or giving offence. Formerly this piece would have 
 given him free admission to the ' Spielberg' (the State- 
 prison); now he can actually introduce Metternich as a 
 comic figure, without any fear of the Censor or police." 
 
 At a concert for the destitute artisans, Moscheles plays 
 his E major Concerto, and says : " Germany has my good 
 wishes for such unity as was displayed by the orchestra under 
 Ristz and David. I thank God that I am not now obliged 
 to begin to earn my bread by my art ; I should certainly 
 
 have to turn rope-dancer Formes as ' Leporello' the 
 
 other night was very humorous and powerful, but I was 
 annoyed at his exclaiming in the churchyard scene, 'This 
 sounds like trombones.' The public liked it, but the public, 
 when applauding that kind of thing, is like a will-o'-the- 
 
RE FORMA TION S Y MP HON Y. 351 
 
 wisp — it leads artists astray. Rietz took several of the 
 ' Tempi' too slowly, which surprised me in a modern Kap- 
 ellmeister." 
 
 There are signs of Leipzig becoming infected with revo- 
 lution, and as an extra precaution, it is thought necessary 
 to organize a volunteer guard, in which Moscheles is en- 
 rolled as a member. He used, however, to joke about his 
 want of taste for soldiering, and having one night mounted 
 guard with Brassin (the bass singer in the theatre), he told 
 his family when he came home that he had been very com- 
 fortable, having had a long conversation with his brother- 
 sentinel about " Don Juan ;" so that the two amateur sol- 
 diers managed to kill time very pleasantly. 
 
 "The unpublished music left by Mendelssohn is in the 
 hands of Schleinitz, who is also guardian of the children. 
 One of these works, the ' Reformation Symphony,' was 
 yesterday rehearsed privately. It is in the true ecclesiasti- 
 cal style, and pleased me, however much Felix himself 
 found fault with it. He was as much at home in the sacred 
 style as in the romantic forms of his Lieder, or the fairy 
 music of hobgoblins and dancing elves." 
 
 Moscheles mentions in affecting language the commem- 
 orative festival at the Conservatoire, on the anniversary of 
 the day of Mendelssohn's death. " Only the professors 
 and their wives were invited, and everybody was dressed 
 in mourning. After preliminary music, one of the Direct- 
 ors, standing before Mendelssohn's bust, made a speech to 
 the pupils, exhorting them to emulate their great model, the 
 founder of the Institution. The ceremony was very im- 
 posing, and we were particularly struck with one of the last 
 songs of Mendelssohn, which Frau Frege gave with exquis- 
 ite pathos. Joachim led the F minor Quartet admirably, 
 and with the correct conception of the work." 
 
 Outside the art-world, the political horizon grows darker 
 and darker. Moscheles writes : " All the reforms which the 
 new time is to bring us seem still unripe, and I wish we 
 could put them upon straw, as we do fruit to ripen. Per- 
 haps such a process might obviate the necessity of 
 deluging the soil with human blood ; but then eternal peace 
 would be like eternal spring; neither is to be. found." 
 
 On the 17th December we read: "Unfortunately, in 
 
352 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 spite of my ten days' exertions and a great deal of begging, 
 I did not succeed in securing for the blind singer, Miss A. 
 Z., a full room at her Matinee to-day. My warmth on the 
 subject had failed to melt the iceberg which blocked the 
 entrance to the purses of the Leipzigers. Rietz accompa- 
 nied, Joachim played Bach's 'Chaconne' admirably, and 
 Pelz the piatiist appeared for the first time, with an Andante, 
 all embroidery. The poor singer gave her Swiss melodies 
 and some other pieces with much feeling, but after all she 
 only realized twenty-six thalers, twelve of which went to the 
 expenses." 
 
 In a letter of the 2d of Januar}', 1849, we read : "There 
 is one piece of news worth telling, as a matter of importance 
 for Leipzig. I allude to the death of an old patroness of 
 art. She had reached her fiftieth year, having flourished in 
 the days of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and was received 
 on the Continent with honor and distinction. Occasionalfy 
 she dealt with novelties, and retailed gossip, but her con- 
 versation was often instructive. She never travelled with 
 hard cash, but only with notes. Her name was the Leip- 
 zigef Allgemeine Zdtung far Musik. In the farewell number, 
 the editor says that art-productivity is now in such a stag- 
 nant state tha^ material is wanting for a musical journal. 
 Schleinitz publishes the statutes for a Mendelssohn Insti- 
 tute, the aim of which is to co-operate with the Conserva- 
 toire in assisting art-students, and, by scholarships and other 
 benevolent means, to perpetuate the memory of Mendels- 
 sohn. The King has undertaken to act as patron and pro- 
 tector ; and I am to be a joint director of the new institute. 
 His Majesty has recently presented me with a gold snuff- 
 box, accompanied by a letter acknowledging my dedication 
 of the ' Contrastes ; ' but I don't talk about this, or it will 
 
 go straight into the newspapers On a second hearing 
 
 of Schumann's Symphony in C, I feel more and more that 
 he follows boldly in Beethoven's footsteps, reminding me of 
 him in daring, but scarcely in tenderness. I think his D 
 minor Trio a composition of the most passionate character ; 
 it is based less on intensity of ideas than On his power of 
 moving in the most varied keys. The Scherzo is the most 
 piquant movement, the Adagio very gloomy. 
 
 ' The Schumanns, Frau Schroder, and Frau Frege last 
 
MENDELSSOHN'S " A THALIE." 353 
 
 night gave us lovely music, when of a sudden we heard a 
 serenade from the garden ; this was a chorus of men's voices ; 
 the strangers might well appreciate the compliment, for it 
 rained heavily. The one great drawback 1 feel in Schumann's 
 society is his extreme reticence ; try as I will, I cannot in- 
 veigle him into a conversation upon art. 
 
 " Paul Mendelssohn asked me, in the name of his sister- 
 in-law, to join Hauptmann, David, and Rietz in editing his 
 brother's posthumous works, a service which I shall render 
 with affection and reverence. The very next evening some 
 movements of the posthumous quartet were tried at David's. 
 One in F minor is, I think, the most valuable ; the Quintet 
 in B major, too, is a great work " 
 
 Mendelssohn's " Athalie " is performed, and Edward 
 Devrient recited, between the separate numbers, some lines 
 of his own, written as connecting links to the dramatic 
 scenes. "Felix, when in London, had played me the whole 
 of the music of ' Athalie,' trumpeting — ' tu'ting,' as he called 
 it — every wind-instrument, especially in the 'March of the 
 Priests,' so that I well remembered the most startling mod- 
 ulations. Even then the work pleased me ; now, after at- 
 tending the performance and rehearsals, I glory, in it. In 
 certain passages I was deeply affected, what must he have 
 felt when he wrote it ? But, strange to say, the Leipzig 
 public remained cold, as at the ' Elijah ' performance." 
 
 Family matters take Moscheles for a fortnight to Lon- 
 don. The first letter to his wife begins in the following way : 
 
 " I remain your faithful and loving husband, I. Mos- 
 cheles. I begin with the end, just as formerly I began my 
 C major Concerto with the finale cadence, because in both 
 cases my leading idea is expressed : 
 
 ' b I 
 
 i 
 
 ^^ 
 
 4-^ 
 
 m 
 
 " Now then about matters here. I was offered an en- 
 gagement at Exeter Hall immediately on my arrival, but with 
 a gratification bordering on self-complacency, I declared I 
 did not wish any more to play in public. Every one receives 
 me with open arms 
 
354 RECENT- MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " The musicians and their publishers are still absorbed 
 in their business ; I met a congress of them at Chappell's. 
 Osborne immediately claimed me for his new pianoforte 
 duet in F flat minor ; I ventured to attack it, six flats and all, 
 and I think my friend was greatly pleased. Then Dulcken 
 appeared, and told me that his concert on the 20th (he forgot 
 that his wife gave it) would be crowded even if the Hanover 
 Square Rooms were three times the size. 'Why not give it 
 in Exeter Hall?' I asked. 'Because Jenny Lind, whose 
 intimacy with my wife dates from Stockholm days, kindly 
 consents to sing for us, and does not like Exeter Hall.' 
 Subsequently, when I visited Madame Dulcken, she asked 
 me to play a duet with her in the same concert, but for the 
 reasons known to you, 1 refused. 
 
 " Beethoven's Mass in C was a rare treat, and so was 
 Mendelssohn's ' Hymn of Praise.' Costa wields his bdton 
 more in Italian than German style, but he kept the 700 per- 
 formers admirably together, although the ' Tempi ' were not 
 always what I am used to. My neighbor, Mr. Gladstone, 
 asked me several musical questions. When the room was 
 almost empty, I saw the veteran Lindley still sitting by his 
 violoncello. This reminded me of his having been upset in 
 a coach, when he quietly sat down in an open field to see if 
 
 his instrument had received any injury This is a long 
 
 letter. You shall soon hear more by word of mouth." 
 
 Moscheles, soon after his return to Leipzig, writes : 
 " Ernst gave a Matinee which, I grieve to say, was poorly 
 attended. He looks wretchedly ill, but played with great 
 
 energy and passionate feeling We had a novelty in 
 
 F. Hiller's Symphony in E major, with the motto : ' Es muss 
 doch Frahling werden,' a work in grand style, with excellent 
 points in it. I recognize in all Hiller's music a composer 
 aiming at what- is true and beautiful. Liszt played part of a 
 concerto by Henselt, and his Don Juan Fantasia, with all 
 his gigantic power. The tossing about of his hands, which 
 he seems to think a mark of inspiration, I still regard as an 
 eccentricity, although it is no doubt remarkable that he ac- 
 complishes the most perilous jumps with scarcely a single 
 mishap. 
 
 " 'Christus,' the fragment left behind by Mendelssohn, is 
 now being studied by our pupils ; it consists of five or six cho- 
 
VISIT TO PRAGUE. 
 
 355 
 
 ruses, recitatives, a trio of a dignified kind sung by the three 
 magi, to the words, ' Say, where is He that is born King of 
 Judah ? ' a chorus, ' Daughters of Zion,' and another of the 
 people, ' Crucify Him ' — these are masterpieces, and 
 although fragmentary in character are sure to become fa- 
 mous The time of publication is not yet fixed on. 
 
 " Yesterday, for the first time, we saw Halevy's ' Thai 
 von Andorra ' — music of a genuine dramatic character, 
 which has more flow of melody than his other operas. The 
 subject is cleverly worked up and very expressive. It 
 was so finely given, that the entire body of performers was 
 called forward. I read Berlioz' ' Fejiilleton' upon Meyer- 
 beer's ' Proph^te.' The libretto is certainly frightful, and 
 contains sensational scenes enough to make one shudder : 
 the music, however, is said to be worthy of Meyerbeer, and 
 I look forward to hearing another work from the pen of my 
 old friend. Lrfrtzing's opera ' Roland's Knappen,' reminds 
 me of the busy bee which sucks its honey out of many flow- 
 ers." 
 
 The winter and spring of this year were saddened by 
 the war in Holstein, and the revolution in Dresden. " A 
 Schroder-Devrient, a Richard Wagner, haranguing the 
 Dresden people ! What can it lead to ? Alas ! we were 
 soon able to answer that question when the barricades 
 were raised in Leipzig, and one of the worthiest citizens, 
 and our excellent friend, was shot dead by a ruffian." 
 
 When the storms in the political atmosphere are calmed 
 down, Moscheles takes his children to Prague. "I will 
 show them," he writes, " the birthplace and the house their 
 father was born in, the graves of my own parents, the place 
 on the ' Ring,' where I delighted, as an urchin, to hold the 
 music for the bandsmen, the house of Dionys Weber, nay, 
 the actual corner stone on which I smashed the wine-bot- 
 tle which I was commissioned by him to carry to his friend, 
 the worthy prelate. Lastly, I want the children to make 
 acquaintance with their relatives." " Returning to Leip- 
 zig," he says, " I found Spohr — he played in Voigt's house, 
 that place of rendezvous for good musicians, his Quartet in 
 C major and Double Quartet in G minor, both from the 
 proof sheets, the composition as interesting as ever, but 
 Spohr unchanged ; his playing is still noble and fresh. In 
 
3 56 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the Conservatoire we gave him an ovation, and his bust 
 was covered with garlands ; he played several things to a 
 delighted audience, and our pupils gave him a serenade 
 afterwards. A short visit from Cecile Mendelssohn, on 
 her way through Leipzig, revived the memory of old days ; 
 I had to play to her the march from ' Athalie,' his bust 
 looked down on us, she said but little, but was full of grati- 
 tude and tenderness." 
 
 Mrs. Moscheles had been summoned to London, where 
 she receives the following letter : 
 
 " Leipzig, i2t]i .^ly. 
 
 " Your letter found me at the Conservatoire, it put me 
 into such good humor that from that moment I was all for- 
 bearance with false notes and bad fingering In to- 
 day's Times I read of the triumph of our old, still youthful 
 friend, Henriette Sontag ; I hope you will meet her. I have 
 to set to music a song written by our Legationsrath, the 
 ' Schmetterling and Liebchen.' The text is poetical, and 
 touches a sympathetic chord, whether it deserves to be a 
 pendent for the ' Botschaft' you will see. I shall soon join 
 you in London." 
 
 Shortly afterwards Moscheles writes from London : " I 
 am determined to hear the ' Prophet ;" all the good places 
 are taken, so I must put up with two bad ones, better them 
 than none at all ... . Madame Viardot is not only an ad- 
 mirable Fides, but she has, as the French say, 'cr6e le 
 role ; ' she is Kapellmeister, Regisseur, in one word, the 
 soul of the opera, which owes one-half of its success to her. 
 There are fine things in the work, but after one hearing it 
 does not appear to me to come up to the ' Huguenots.' 
 Besides, one listens at times with only one ear ; in the aw- 
 ful church scene, in which Viardot is inimitable, the situa- 
 tion is absolutely absorbing. The skating scene made us 
 envious, sitting as we were in oppressive heat." 
 
 After a month's stay at Treport, the Moscheles visit 
 Rouen and Paris. From the latter place Moscheles writes : 
 " I was much interested in seeing Beaumarchais' ' Marriage 
 de Figaro ' — the original of the subject which inspired Mo- 
 
DEA TH OF CHOPIN. 
 
 357 
 
 zart with his immortal music. The performance was, as 
 formerly, slightly dashed with some interpolated music-; 
 instead of the beautiful romance of the Page there was a 
 sentimental vaudeville song, at the wedding a trivial 
 march, anything but Spanish, but as entr'acte we had the 
 genuine Mozart Romance. Roger had re-appeared in the 
 ' Favorita ; ' he is an admirable singer, with a full-toned 
 voice, but he and all his colleagues here adopt that dread- 
 ful ' tremolo,' which they in professional language call ' vi- 
 brando ;' in addition to that we often hear regular bawling, 
 and the louder it is the louder they are applauded. The 
 last duet was repeated three times, the bawling increased 
 each time, and with it the applause. There was a shower 
 of bouquets on the stage We heard, alas! of Chop- 
 in's dangerous illness, and on inquiry found our worst fears 
 confirmed. His sister is nursing him : he suffers greatly." 
 
 After the dreaded event, Moscheles writes : " Art has 
 lost much in poor Chopin, for if not a classical writer or 
 one who created masterpieces, he possessed the rarest gifts 
 — a depth of feeling, tenderness (Gemtlth), and individuality. 
 Jules Janin writes, in the yournal des Dhbats, that shortly 
 before his death he ordered a Polish national song and 
 Mozart's ' Requiem' to be played "to him." 
 
 From Leipzig Moscheles writes : " How am I to under- 
 stand this? The very same public which rationally and 
 justly was enthusiastic in favor of Schumann's great work, 
 the B major Symphony, was now completely carried away 
 by a lady-harpist and Parish Alvars' bravura playing ! This 
 is your so-called art-enlightened audience ! Again I was 
 displeased with the lukewarm reception given to Mendels- 
 sohn's works. O Clique ! as if in a city where the genius 
 of a Schumann is worshipped, it should be necessary to cry 
 down Mendelssohn as pedantic, and inferior to his brother 
 in art ! The public loses all judgment, and subordinates 
 every feeling and musical instinct to one leadership, which 
 cozens it as much as the Radicals do the German people." 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 1850—1851. 
 
 Moscheles and his Pupils — Schumann's " Genovena" — Performance of 
 some of Mendelssohn's Works — Visit to Berlin — The Silver Wed- 
 ding — Paul David — Brendel — A Musical Quarrel — Bach Society 
 — Joachim — Political Agitation in Germany — Occasipnal Criti- 
 cisms — Pianoforte Players — Beethoven's " Mount of Olives"— 
 Lohengrin — Summer Excursion — Reception in Weimar — David 
 — Ferdinand Hiller. 
 
 WE are confident that any one of Moscheles' old pu- 
 pils who happens to read these pages, will call to 
 mind the friendly ways and words of their former teacher, 
 whose wise discipline was invariably tempered with kind- 
 ness, and who enforced obedience by sympathy. He de- 
 lighted in organizing small fetes, where his pupils could 
 meet him on equal terms, where the classical musician 
 would cheerfully put aside Beethoven and Mozart, and play 
 a waltz or polka for the merry dancers. He was a true 
 friend, for to any deserving pupil about to leave the Con- 
 servatoire he gave credentials, which were sure to be of 
 value to the recipient. These were honestly and scrupu- 
 lously worded, and thus became the best of passports for an 
 aspiring artist. How carefully he weighed every word in 
 these certificates, we gather from his numerous notes in ref- 
 erence to the qualifications of the pupils, and from his drafts 
 for the framing of testimonials ; a whole mass of such mem- 
 oranda was found among his papers after his death. The 
 diary also catalogues with scrupulous accuracy the morning 
 and evening serenades, the tokens of affection, and proofs 
 of gratitude which were matters of constant occurrence. 
 
 His health seldom prevented him from attending to his 
 duties at the Conservatoire, but when indisposed and con- 
 fined to the house, he would have the pupils at home rather 
 than allow them to miss their lesson. If further proof were 
 needed of the warm interest he took in the welfare of those 
 
SCflJMANN'S •■ GENOVEVA." 
 
 359 
 
 entrusted to his care, we would quote the following note in 
 the diary : " As regards my pupils, I don't allow myself to 
 be trifled with j 1 have fought a battle for some of them. 
 In the composition of the programmes for the Pupil Con- 
 certs, I will not stand any favoritism ; each and all shall 
 have their turn, according to their merits." 
 
 Moscheles, ever ready to acknowledge rising talent, took 
 great delight in the youthful Wilhelmine Clauss, whose.play- 
 ing at the Gewandhaus he warmly admired. Of Schu- 
 mann's opera, " Genoveva," he says : " Madame Schumann 
 played it through to me. In dealing with the plot, Schu- 
 mann is still undecided whether the final reconciliation shall 
 take place in the desert or in the castle. In whatever way 
 he treats the subject, this opera is sure to be interesting to 
 any artist ; whether it will be popular, I cannot judge from 
 hearing it once on the pianoforte." In the course of the 
 following summer, after the first performance in the Leip 
 zig Theatre, Moscheles writes : " First impression : — Over- 
 ture excellent, full of passion ; choruses characteristic, the 
 whole vocal part passionately felt, although not strikingly 
 developed. There is a want of intelligible, flowing, rhyth- 
 mical melody ; I am one of Schumann's worshippers, but 
 cannot conceal fi-om myself this weakness. We applauded 
 enthusiastically, and called him forward at the end, but 
 there was not a single ' encore.' " 
 
 " At the quartet meetings we had a great variety : In 
 the first place, Schumann's quartet in A major, strongly 
 Beethovenish in character ; then back to one of Haydn's, 
 by way of transition to the Mozart school, and lastly, Beet- 
 hoven's quartet in B major, op. 130. In this 1 work Beetho- 
 ven storms heaven itself, and yet again what child-like sim- 
 plicity and passionate grief! Now a reaction for you, wor- 
 thy of record : ' Our friend Thalberg has played Mozart's 
 concerto at the Philharmonic ; there's a triumph for the old 
 school ! We had a lovely performance of Mendelssohn's 
 ' The Son and Stranger,' at Frau Frege's. The orchestra 
 was under Rietz, David with Joachim and other great art- 
 ists assisting. Frau Frege, in the part of a naive rustic 
 maiden, sang and acted charmingly ; Friiulein Buck and 
 Pogner acted the old parents; Widemann was the lover; 
 scenery and decoration charming. We sat next to Cecile, 
 
360 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICTANS. 
 
 Paul and Frau Dirichlet, all of whom had come from Ber- 
 lin to witness the performance. Cecile was alternately 
 moved, interested, and pleased, the other guests were de- 
 lighted, and all declared that this small idyll would certainly 
 take honorable rank among comic operas on the public 
 stage. The fragments of the opera, 'Lorelei,' in which 
 Mendelssohn shows clearly unmistakable power as a dra- 
 matic composer, seemed to intensify our sorrow at his pre- 
 mature death. The passionate strains allotted to ' Lorelei' 
 were superbly rendered by Frau Frege. What a pity that 
 so gifted an artiste should be withheld from the public ! I 
 myself may yet have to thank this gifted lady for many a 
 melody, for the style in which she interprets my new songs 
 delights me, and spurs me on to new efforts. We have 
 heard Mendelssohn's ' CEdipus ; ' the deep pathos of the 
 choral music, the 'ring of ancient days,' acted like magic 
 on my senses, and I felt recalled to the classic times of 
 Grecian poetry." The audience forgot to applaud, whether 
 from ignorance or excess of delight, I cannot say. Cecile 
 attended this performance, and early on the morning of 
 the 26th of February the Moscheles travelled with her to 
 Berlin, and were soon settled in the old house, Leipziger 
 Strasse, No. 3, consecrated by the memory of the happy 
 hours spent there with one now at rest. We read in the 
 diary : — " Cecile received us in her usual charming manner, 
 the dear children were overjoyed to see us ; little Felix is 
 well again. I could not help sitting down at the very Erard 
 piano the keys of which had so often responded to the mas- 
 ter's fingers, and playing, among other things, his' Fruhling- 
 slied.' It was too much for poor Cecile.". ... 
 
 On the 27th of February the Moscheles go to Hamburg 
 and celebrate there their silver wedding. 
 
 On the ist of March' we read: " The all-merciful God 
 has raised me from a bed of sickness, and allowed me to 
 spend this joyous time with all that I love best in the 
 world. I was awoke in the morning by hearing the Cho- 
 rale ' Nun danket Alle Gott,' then followed the Wedding 
 March out of the ' Midsummer Night's Dream,' a sorrowful 
 reminder of my departed friend, who would have so rejoiced 
 in our happiness." 
 
 Moscheles, on returning to Leipzig, hears Paul David, 
 
SPOffR'S '• SEASONS." 261 
 
 a promising young pupil of his father, play a Rode Con- 
 certo : " He held his own bravely, just like a plucky boy 
 riding on a big horse ; he may be thrown once or twice, 
 but he is up again in the saddle in no time. I predict a 
 future for him." 
 
 " Spohr is still complete master of his violin, and con- 
 ducted his ' Seasons' with great precision. The invention 
 in this work is weak, but the treatment and instrumenta- 
 tion are as artistic as ever. The ' Coming of Spring' has 
 a lovely melody, but art and counterpoint outweigh the 
 poetic vein. The music drags on slowly like a cart through 
 deep sand, one wheel creaking and groaning ; the ' Autumn' 
 has its share of brightness, and the Rheinlied is cleverly 
 interwoven in the movement. The contrapuntal links of 
 the different subjects interest the thoughtful artist, but 
 fail to elevate him as does the music of a certain Beet- 
 hoven." 
 
 In addition to the sources from which we have hitherto 
 drawn materials for our compilation, we now have Mos- 
 cheles' letters to his son Felix, who at this time left for 
 Paris. Hitherto the son's classical education had been 
 pursued in Leipzig under the father's eye ; this was now to 
 be exchanged for the study of painting, an art to which he 
 intended to devote himself professionally. The corre- 
 spondence ranges (with some interruptions) over a period 
 of twenty years, and we shall frequently interweave ex- 
 tracts from it in our narrative. 
 
 " I went through Neukomm's Mass with him at the 
 pianoforte ; he keeps me strictly to the slowest of all tempi ; 
 for an ' accelerando' or ' animato' I would have given a 
 kingdom. These are sacrifices which one can make only 
 for an old and tried friend. I endure a trial of patience 
 of another kind, in arranging for four hands Chopin's ' Vi- 
 oloncello Sonata.' I find it a wild overgrown forest, into 
 which only an occasional sunbeam penetrates." 
 
 In the Gewandhaus, Otto Goldschmidt played with 
 great success Mendelssohn's " G minor Concerto," a " Ca- 
 priccio" of his own, and Liszt's "Lucia-Fantasia," with its 
 avalanche of shakes. 
 
 " My colleagues are up in arms against Brendel (him- 
 self a professor at the Conservatoire), for having inserted 
 16 
 
362 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 an article headed 'Judaism in Music,' in his periodical. 
 In this article the author endeavors in every possible way 
 to depreciate Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer. I say ' en- 
 deavors,' for what harm can a malicious article do to such 
 men ? Nevertheless, Brendel has given great offence, and 
 Rietz suggests the following letter to the Committee of 
 Directors : — 
 
 " ' It cannot have escapedthe notice of the, honorable 
 Directors of the Conservatoire that the Neue Zeitschrift far 
 Musik has aimed for some time past at depreciating the 
 state of music and the musical performances at Leipzig, 
 and this in a tone which oversteps the limits of fair criti- 
 cism. Men are attacked whose merits are recognized 
 throughout the whole musical world, and whose works are 
 precious to every unprejudiced artist and connoisseur. 
 We. the undersigned, would completely ignore these mat- 
 ters if the editor of that journal, I3r. Brendel, was not one 
 of our colleagues at the Conservatoire. As his views are 
 in direct opposition to ours, and we believe they may exer- 
 cise a bad influence over the pupils of the Conservatoire, 
 we now call on the honorable Directors at once to dismiss 
 Dr. Brendel from his post. Signed : Backer, Bohme, 
 David, Hauptmann, Hermann, Joachim, Klenge), Mos- 
 cheles, Plaidy, Rietz, Wenzel.' 
 
 "The Directors, however, only thought fit to reprimand 
 Dr. Brendel, but much curiosity was naturally excited about 
 the authorship of the article in question.- Dr. Brendel, how- 
 evel", very properly refused to divulge the name, and years 
 were to elapse before people ascertained that Richard Wag- 
 ner was the author." 
 
 Moscheles writes : — "Revised, for the engraver, Men- 
 delssohn's seventh book of the ' Lieder ohne Worte,' three 
 songs for a contralto voice, a setting of Goethe's words, 
 ' Ein Blick von Deinen Augen,' which struck me as very 
 curious in rhythm, but I found it was correct when I com- 
 pared it with the manuscript." 
 
 During this winter a Bach Society is formed, consisting 
 of Becker, David, Hiirtel, Hauptmann, Jahn, Moscheles, and 
 Rietz, and it is determined to bring out as a first publica- 
 tion the B minor Mass. 
 
 Joachim; who had already become the great Joaehim, 
 
JOACHIM. 363 
 
 left Leipzig in course of the winter, and went as ' Concert- 
 meister' to Weimar, where he was received with the distinc- 
 tion he merited ; Raimond Dreyschock became second Con- 
 certmeister and teacher at the Conservatoire. Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles writes :— " I rejoice to tell you that the composition 
 of the violoncello sonata ray husband has just begun, com- 
 pletely absorbs him, and diverts his thoughts from the 
 troubles of the day ; " and Moscheles himself says, " I thank 
 you for all the enlightenment which you strive to give me, a 
 dilettante in politics, about the gloomy condition of Europe. 
 I deplore this ceaseless conflict now rife between the upper 
 and lower classes, which unsettles our poor Germany. ■ If 
 you shake a bottle of good old port, the dregs will rise to 
 the surface, and spoil the wine. I read every kind of news- 
 paper, and could almost wish the bad old times back again, 
 when we had only to fight with the foreign foe. But now, 
 German against German ! Fie, fie ! they ought rather to 
 have their differences settled by diplomatists, or lawyers in 
 wigs and gowns, and write their annals in red ink instead 
 of red blood. Here, as elsewhere, people are desponding, 
 but I cling fast to my art, and lean upon ' Frau Musica' for 
 support. 
 
 On the ist of January, 185 1, Moscheles, glancing over 
 the events of the past year, says : " I thank God for the 
 preservation of all -those most dear to me, for health and 
 
 strength, for power of work This being my frame of 
 
 mind, the concert made a great impression on me. We had 
 the Cantata ' Ein' feste Burg,' by J. S. Bach, a grand con- 
 trapuntal work; the hautboys, trumpets, and trombones 
 here and there effectively doubled by Rietz ; Mendelssohn's 
 beautiful ' 95th Psalm,' with its pathetic Canon in C minor 
 — the whole performance a worthy inauguration of the 
 year. 
 
 " Schubert's Symphony in C has beautiful and well-de- 
 veloped motives, but there is too much repetition ; one-half 
 
 of it would produce double effect ' Papa' Haydn's 
 
 Symphony was as fresh and healthy as ever ; nothing of the 
 demon in that. The rehearsal of the ' Antigone' filled me 
 with admiration as far as the music is concerned, but I do 
 not think it very well suited for the Concert-room. Men- 
 delssohn's Finale to the opera of ' Lorelei' is impressive'and 
 
3$4 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 highly dramatic, every instrument is ennobled, even to the 
 big drum. The general impression was electrical, and even 
 the champions of a new art-system, who hitherto have been 
 pleased to pronounce Mendelssohn and his creations as old- 
 fashioned and out of date, applauded enthusiastically. 
 Should this fragment never be produced on the stage, it will 
 always be a valuable acquisition to the concert-room ; it is a 
 gem from Mendelssohn's posthumous treasures. Beethoven's 
 Ninth Symphony, ' in the whirlwind of its passion,' carried 
 away the audience ; the performers grappled bravely with all 
 the difficulties, and the victory was glorious'; the ' Ode to 
 Joy- found an echo in the hearts of all." 
 
 With regard to Litolff, Moscheles writes : " I admire his 
 light-fingered bravura, his weird-like effects and ' verve ; ' 
 his execution, although stormy and restless, is always piquant 
 — he at least does not, like so many others, write sickly Ital- 
 ian music, half thunder, half sentiment. Schumann's ' Re- 
 quiem for Mignon' does not please me so much as his more 
 important compositions. In the ' Waldscenen,' too, which 
 I have lately played, I thought the form too sketchy. I 
 well understand that he, like a good poet, wishes to give an 
 outline, and leave to the fancy of his hearers the filling in 
 of the whole picture ; but I prefer a more definite form and 
 elaboration to that peculiar dreaminess, that irresolution 
 and groping about. In his symphonies4ie is great. At the 
 Subscription Concerts, Castellan is creating a furore. 
 Handsome and imported from the Italian operas in Paris 
 and London ! No wonder that with such advantages the 
 classical Leipzigers opened their ears and hearts to the airs 
 of all the ' inis' and ' ettis.' The enthusiasm created by the 
 hackneyed roulades of the Rode Variations, proved that 
 genuine Italian music can move even a German audience. 
 
 " I have finished my Sonata for pianoforte and violon- 
 cello, and have already played it over with Rietz and 
 Gr^ttzmacher ; David, who heard it, wishes to arrange it for 
 violin. I do not think of publishing it yet — I like to let my 
 compositions lie by for awhile that they may go through the 
 process of fermentation, that is, I like to give myself the 
 opportunity of using the file after working with the sledge- 
 hammer, as one does in the first heat of composition 
 
 The'y wanted me to play it at the Quartet Concerts ; I hesi- 
 
WAGA^ER'S" LOHENGRIN." 365 
 
 tated, but at last took heart, and played it with Rietz, who 
 assisted me valiantly. . . . We have also heard at the theatre 
 Mendelssohn's operetta, ' The Son and Stranger.' Although 
 the idyllic character charmed the connoisseurs and artists, 
 a tew hisses were mingled with the applause when the piece 
 was ended ; these were like the occasional ' k has' which 
 are heard among the public cheers for a crowned head." 
 
 Moscheles, on being asked whether Beethoven's 
 " Mount of Olives " had not been treated in too secular a 
 vein, answered : " No doubt that objection has been repeat- 
 edly made to the work, but even suppose there is some 
 truth in it, who would like to find fault with so great a 
 man ! Who, as Gottfried Weber has done in his ' Cacilia,' 
 would attack Mozart's 'Requiem' on the ground of its not 
 being sufficiently severe in style ? In judging such beauti- 
 ful music, one ought not to draw a hard and fast line be- 
 tween the ecclesiastical and drama:tic element." 
 
 In the month of May after hearing the opera of " Lohen- 
 grin " in Weimar, he remarks : " Liszt directed the admira- 
 bly trained orchestra ; the singers were excellent. From 
 the very first note of the Introduction, with its high violin 
 passages and gradation effects, the instrumentation seemed 
 to me to be strikingly original, in fact rather too original in 
 its liarshness. There is much dramatic life in this music, 
 but I do not like the predominance of recitatives ; I should 
 prefer more rhythmical melodious phrases or movements in 
 the ordinary form. Wagner's treatment frequently wearied 
 me, from being too monotonous and too overloaded ; for 
 one leading theme well worked out, for one well-sustained 
 vein of thought, I would gladly have bartered many of his 
 bright but transient effects ; for all that the work interested 
 me extremely. One must have heard it, and one must hear 
 it again, to form a correct judgment. 
 
 •• My reception in Weimar was of the most cordial de- 
 scription ; the Grand-Duke showed me the art-treasures of 
 his palace. A request to write something for the " Schiller 
 illbum' in Weimar led to my composing a Fantasia for pi- 
 anoforte solo on the poem ' Die Erwartung.' 
 
 " To-day at the rehearsal of the Pupils' Concert I would 
 have my way. ' Studies' by Chopin and Thalberg for two 
 pianos were to be played by two pupils at once ; I opposed 
 
366 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 this, and successfully. No, the piano is not an orchestral 
 instrument like the violin ; mere strictness in keeping time 
 is not enough, and above all it will not do for Chopin's 
 music ; all its poetry would be lost if played on two pianos 
 unisono." 
 
 For a summer excursion, the Moscheles explore the 
 Harlz Mountains in all directions. He writes : — " Certain- 
 ly many of the tavern pianos and small organs are afflicted 
 with consumption, but try them I must, and everywhere 
 there is a cantor, an organist, or at least a waiter or a Ge- 
 heimrath, who listens with due astonishment, not to men- 
 tion the fair sex, occasionally rather plain." At Alexisbad 
 Moscheles is most cordially received by the Duchess of 
 Bernburg, and meets with a no Jess friendly welcome at 
 Meiningen. In reference to an excursion to the " Alten- 
 stein," Moscheles says : — " As I was alone with the Duke 
 in the carriage, our conversation took a practical turn, and 
 he commissioned me to send him one of our best pupils 
 from the Conservatoire, to teach his youngest daughter. 
 Another good berth for some one." 
 
 Shortly after his return to Leipzig, Moscheles writes : — 
 " Few of the pianists appearing at the Gewandhaus this 
 year have found favor with the critical Leipzigers ; on one 
 or two occasions their disapproval has been most discourt- 
 eously expressed. Hisses should be tabooed ; have 
 them if you must, in the theatre, but they are out of place 
 in the concert-room. I found Schumann's Overture to the 
 ' Bride of Messina,' at the second hearing, full of power, 
 character, and passion ; but the audience, although it num- 
 bered many of Schumann's friends, was divided in its ap- 
 preciation of the work. 
 
 "For my own special benefit, and to acquire' that partic- 
 ular style, I play Liszt's new Concert solo, the Paganini 
 Studies, and other modern things. As for Liszt I made a 
 fine mistake the other day. Just before he came in, I had 
 received Scudo's book, which had been sent me from Paris. 
 I asked him, 'Do you know this ? The first article I see 
 bears your name.' 'Yes; it gives me some very hard 
 raps,' said he, laughing, and began to read aloud the au- 
 thor's attacks. I had expected eulogy, and was at first 
 alarmed, but soon laughed with him." 
 
DA VID. 367 
 
 During the latter part of the year, much uncertainty 
 prevailed among David's friends as to whether he would 
 continue to act as Concertmeister in Leipzig, or would ac- 
 cept an appointment at Cologne. The first letter that 
 Moscheles pens in 1852 mentions the subject : " The best 
 news that the new year could bring is the certainty that we 
 keep our David here. You know he threatened seriously to 
 migrate to Cologne ; he has now come to terms with the 
 authorities, who have not only lightened his labors but in- 
 creased his salary. Ferdinand Hiller, who is at Paris, will, 
 it is said, return to Cologne — another gain for Germany." 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 1852. 
 
 Madame Sontag— The Bach Society — St. Matthew's Passion — Otto 
 Goldschmidt — Complaints About the Conservatoire^Moscheles 
 and his Pupils — Silencing a troublesome Neighbor — The Tann- 
 hauser — Berlioz's Music — Moscheles as Player and Lecturer — 
 Modern Pianists — A Magnificent Gift — ^Vacation in Saxon Switz- 
 erland. 
 
 " OONTAG appeared this winter in Leipzig," writes 
 »^ Moscheles ; •' a little older, a little less sylph-like, but 
 lovely, kind, and unassuming, her voice still well-preserved, 
 and her execution faultless. The growing enthusiasm for 
 her completely upsets the good people of Leipzig — they 
 are quite intoxicated; she is triumphant everywhere, and 
 the students gave her a torch-procession on her way home 
 from the theatre. We have seen her in all her great parts ; 
 • the voice is still perfectly sufficient for our small Leipzig 
 house. Comparisons are odious, but, charmed as I was, 
 I could not forget, when looking at her quiet lady-like act- 
 ing, the intense fervor of Jenny Lind, the excessive passion 
 of Malibran. How ungrateful a creature is roan ! I am 
 delighted when 1 hear her sing my ' Lieder,' which she does 
 to perfection and 'con amore.' I am now composing a 
 bravura piece for her ; it was suggested thus : I frequently 
 play to her, and the other day when she heard my Fantasia 
 on Hungarian airs, she was so pleased with one of the mel- 
 odies that she said: 'I would like to sing that ; do write 
 me some variations on it, Moschel^es.' Her wishes are 
 commands, and so I am busy inventing something impossi- 
 ble in the bravura line." Shortly afterwards she left for 
 Dresden, and Moscheles writes : " All Leipzig is still mad 
 about her, people think and talk of nothing else; they 
 nearly forget to start the railway trains and to wind up the 
 church clocks." After she had sung in Weimar, there 
 appeared in the Neue Zeitschrift fiXr Musik an article mak- 
 
BA CH'S " PA SS/OAT MUSIC" ggg 
 
 ing a furious onslaught on Sontag, who was described as 
 the " Sorceress of Song" (Gesang-Nixe). Jenn}' Lind also 
 came in for her share of depreciation. This attack brought 
 no good to Weimar ; for Count Rossi wrote to the Grand 
 Duke, enclosing the article, and explaining that his wife 
 would never again perform where she had been so mis- 
 represented. She must revoke her promise, lately given, 
 to sing for a charity at Weimar. Sontag took the matter 
 lightly, adding : " They not only cry down my singing, but 
 my personal appearance as well ; they give me not only 
 false teeth, but a sham throat into the ba;rgain." 
 
 " I cannot always agree with the Bach Society ; my 
 proposition to publish the first volume with pianoforte 
 accompaniment was outvoted ; I think that village school- 
 masters, and ignoramuses unable to decipher a score, 
 ought to become acquainted with Bach by means of the 
 
 pianoforte edition The old music-room, in which 
 
 Sebastian had his practices with the pupils, has been rebuilt, 
 and [ attended the inauguration, where there was four-part 
 singing under Hauptmann's direction — the old portrait of 
 Bach, which has been carefully restored, seemed to preside 
 over our meeting. One of the pupils made an admirable 
 oration. On Good Friday the ' St. Matthew Passion' was 
 performed. I am deeply moved by the work," says Mos- 
 cheles, "and have published my impressions of this most 
 magnificent music in the Deutsche Allgemeine. But what 
 are words? Those double choruses, interspersed with 
 majestic chorales, the moment when Peter ' weeps bitterly' 
 at his own treachery, the air in C minor, ' Ich will bei 
 meinem Jesu wachen' — in fact, one and all of the numbers 
 — how inadequate our praise must be ! You must hear it 
 all at the first opportunity. Schneider sang the Evangel- 
 ist's part admirably, the other singers, with Rietz and David 
 
 in the orchestra — all were equal to their great task 
 
 When you read this, and see me so deeply immersed in art, 
 you will hardly expect me to give my opinion on bank- 
 shares, government securities, and the like. It is just as 
 if I called on you to give me your opinion upon a score ; 
 please act for me in these matters. I gladly put myself 
 into your hands. Talking of our friends, do you know that 
 one of your fellow-citizens. Otto Goldschmidt, has had the 
 16'= 
 
370 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 good fortune to marry our great artiste, Jenny Lind ? He 
 has won a great prize, and she has given her hand to a 
 .man of high honor; he is a thorough musician, and aspires 
 to all that is best and purest in art." 
 
 Foremost among Moscheles' most loyal and devoted 
 pupils in the Conservatoire were J. O. Grimm, Radecke, 
 the brothers Brassin, Gernsheim, von Sahr, Jadassohn, 
 Mertel, etc. ; with such as these he delighted to draw on 
 the past years of his artistic experience, hoping to steep 
 their minds in the traditions of his own school. Always 
 conscientious in his duties as a teacher, he was naturally 
 impatient of interference. " To-day," he says, " I have 
 spoken freely my mind — I must insist on my classes ad- 
 hering to the readings and 'Tempi' as I give them myself. 
 .... What am I to say to this ? One of my lady pupils, 
 on the examination day,- plays a posthumous manuscript 
 Study in F major by Mendelssohn, a work entirely new to 
 me; on'this occasion I learn quite by chance that there 
 still remains among Mendelssohn's papers much that is of 
 artistic value, and yet I and a few others were selected 
 specially by his widow to look through the posthumous 
 works, with a view to their publication. So a favored pupil 
 is allowed the privilege of playing an unheard work of 
 Mendelssohn's before I know even of its existence ! " 
 
 This year the summer vacation is spent in Saxon Switz- 
 erland. "We arrived late in the evening at Tetschen, hun- 
 gry and tired to death, and ordered supper in our room ; 
 but oh, misery! the sound of a piano suddenly breaks up- 
 on us ! Just imagine, only a thin door between me and 
 Weber's 'Invitation a la Valse,' strummed by an unprac- 
 ticed hand, and drawled out (to quote Mendelssohn) as ' a 
 slow Presto.' I rang the bell, and frightened the abigail 
 with: 'Who is playing there.'' 'Oh, only a young man 
 who, being engaged all day long in business, usually plays 
 for a couple of hours of an evening.' 'A delightful pros- 
 pect this ! ' thought I. I tried to eat, but that was impossi- 
 ble, so, without saying a word to my astonished family, I 
 seized my hat, rushed out, and knocked at my neighbor's 
 door. The ' come in' brought me face to face with the in- 
 nocent delinquent. Assuming an air of feigned politeness, 
 I began the conversation: ' Your playing has allured me, a 
 
ADVENTURE IN SAXON SWITZERLAND. 
 
 371 
 
 perfect stranger, and I venture to call. I play a little too 
 and happen to have studied that identical piece ; would 
 you like to hear my reading of it ? " I went straight to the 
 piano — the young man, quite abashed, made way for me — 
 and without waiting for his answer, I dashed through the 
 piece in the wildest style and at a tearing pace, introducing 
 double octaves wherever 1 could get them in ; this had its 
 effect. ' Alas ! ' he said, with a sigh, ' I shall certainly nev- 
 er play it like that ! ' ' Why not ? ' replied I, ' if you work 
 hard, but — good evening to you ! ' My object was attain- 
 ed; my nightly tormentor became mute, whether for ever I 
 can't say — at all events, I could eat and sleep in peace. 
 My wife and children, with their ears close to the wall, lis- 
 tened and enjoyed the joke immensely." 
 
 In October, Moscheles hears the " Tannhauser," given 
 in Dresden under Reissiger's direction : " I was often sur- 
 prised both by the peculiarities of the composer's genius and 
 his original instrumentation ; on the whole, however, I still 
 feel as I did after hearing ' Lohengrin.' There are too many 
 recitatives, too much that is fragmentary, in fact monotony, 
 the result of shapelessness. In saying this I bear in mind 
 passages full of genius and surprising effects ; but heart 
 and soul are not warmed by being so overloaded with pas- 
 sionate music." 
 
 In November Moscheles goes to Weimar, there to make 
 acquaintance with another novelty — Berlioz's music. " Ber- 
 lioz was very cordially received, his desk was wreathed 
 with laurels ; my expectations were not at a high pitch but 
 he certainly has surpassed them. A great deal is no doubt 
 over eccentric and disconnected, but there is much that is 
 grandly conceived and carried out. In the ' Faust,' his in- 
 troduction of the Rikoczy March is electrifying ; this was 
 repeated, as well as the soldier's song, and the waltz. The 
 music given to Queen Mab in ' Romeo and Juliet,' is not 
 only effective and charming, but worthy of being placed by 
 the side of Mendelssohn's works of a similar kind. Ber- 
 lioz's conducting inspired the orchestra with fire and en- 
 thusiasm, he carried everything as it were by storm ; I am 
 glad to have made acquaintance with him, both as a com- 
 poser and conductor." 
 
 Next day, Moscheles, Berlioz, and Liszt are invited to 
 
372 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 dine with the Dowager Grand-Duchess, and adjourn in the 
 evening to the Theatre, where Liszt conducts a perform- 
 ance of Berlioz's opera of " Benvenuto Cellini." " I was 
 delighted by the flow of melody, and the occasionally very 
 discreet instrumentation ; a great deal, however, I find ob- 
 scure, and the finale, the ' Carnival at Rome,' completely 
 unintelligible. The audience generally was in favor of the 
 music, although there was nothing encored. Berlioz was 
 called for after every act. After the opera, we all met. at 
 Liszt's, it was a most interesting evening, and Berlioz was 
 hero of it. I had much conversation with him j he is a 
 great thinker." 
 
 At a social union of the Leipzig Professors, Moscheles 
 appeared in the twofold character of player and lecturer. 
 First of all he played Beethoven's Sonata, op. 53, and after- 
 wards prefaced his rendering of the solo Fantasia, op. 77, 
 by some remarks about its origin and character. " This 
 Fantasia," he said, " is rhapsodical, eccentric, and on that 
 account but little known amoijg musical connoisseurs. It 
 seems to me as if Beethoven had wished to represent him- 
 self in this work as sitting down unprepared, and perhaps 
 in a very bad humor, to the instrument, and then roving 
 about without a plan in the kingdom of his fancies. I my- 
 self occasionally heard him play in such a fashion, and 
 whenever I hear this Fantasia such moments involuntarily 
 recur to my mind." 
 
 The winter brings a number of modern pianists. " One 
 plays in a style cold and clear as a bright December night, 
 and just as frosty ; another, with his crashing chords, shakes, 
 and arpeggios, is really too merciless on my unfortunate 
 Erard, which is not only beaten out of tune, but somehow 
 or other has been severely injured. I know the culprit; 
 with such handling how could it be otherwise ? " The 
 damage could not be repaired in Leipzig, and Mos- 
 cheles in great straits wrote to the Erards for advice. 
 " Should he send the injured part to Cologne or Paris ? 
 How long must he be kept waiting without his Erard ? " 
 "Not long," was the obliging answer; "just long enough 
 for one of our best grand pianos to be sent to you ; you 
 have had yours for seven or eight years already ; since 
 those days we have made great improvements, and you 
 
A NOBLE GIFT. 
 
 373 
 
 ought to have our very best instrument." Moscheles, all 
 gratitude and delight at receiving this answer, eagerly look- 
 ed forward to the arrival of the piano, a noble gift, and 
 doubly valued as coming from his old friend, Pierre Erard. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 The New Erard — The Bach Society — Franz von Holstein — Visit to It- 
 aly — Scene in a Church of the Tyrol — Zither and Vocal Concert 
 Residence at Venice — A Musical Adventure — Carl Werner — Ser- 
 enade Per Canale — Festa di San Rocco — Milan — The Musical 
 Conservatoire — Fumagalli — The Teatro Radegonda — Lake of 
 Como — Visit to Pasta — Zurich — A Musical Treasure — Liszt — Dr. 
 Reclam — Brahm's Compositions. 
 
 " 'T^HERE are sundry novelties this winter," writes Mos- 
 _|_ cheles. " Gade, conductor of the Gewandhaus Con- 
 certs, has produced his Symphony with an obligato part for 
 the pianoforte ; the instrumentation of the work is beautiful, 
 but the addition of pianoforte a useless innovation, as the 
 band drowns it. The next new thing is Schumann's impet- 
 uous overture to ' Julius Caesar,' but the newest of the new 
 is my Erard, with which I am intensely delighted. It has 
 the power of an organ and the softness of a flute, with a 
 touch light enough even to satisfy me. As for the lovely 
 case, I think of Schiller's words : ' In dem schonen Korper 
 mus auch eine schone Seele wohnen ' — ' In a beautiful body 
 must dwell a beautiful soul.' Really I can act upon it as 
 upon a kindred spirit, and slowly spin out the tone as upon 
 a stringed instrument, and that, too, without using the loud 
 pedal ; as for the soft pedal I do not require it to produce a 
 pianissimo, and can rely solely on my touch. No wonder 
 I celebrate the new arrival by inviting all my friends to hear 
 it." Afterwards, when the old instrument is sent back, 
 Moscheles writes in the following lugubrious strain : " My 
 faithful harmonious friend, how sorry I am to part with him ! 
 We feel as though some loved being were leaving us. I 
 looked out from my window and saw ' my friend ' carted 
 away from our door : did I see a coffin instead of a piano? 
 Cheer up, ' Le roi est mort, vive le roi ! ' " • 
 
 With regard to the Bach Society Moscheles writes : " I 
 
AMUSING INCIDENT. 
 
 375 
 
 have sent in my resignation, because at a conference with 
 the two Hartels, Hauptmann, Becker, and Otto Jahn, a pro- 
 posal was made by the latter and adopted, that Becker 
 should edit the pianoforte music. Under the circumstances 
 I considered myself of little further use on the Committee, 
 and so I told my colleagues ; all the more zealously, how- 
 ever, have I worked at Bach's newly published Concerto 
 (with violin and flute parts added), for I have been partic- 
 ularly requested to play it with the full band at the Gewand- 
 haus Concert, and not as I had intended previously at the 
 
 Chamber Concerts I examined a new pupil for the 
 
 Conservatoire, Franz von Holstein, formerly an officer in 
 the array ; his fingers are not flexible, but he seems to have 
 much talent, and wishes to devote himself exclusively to 
 music. * 
 
 " Athens on the Pleisse" (as it is often called) is be- 
 sieged by artists who concentrate their fire on the Hotel 
 Moscheles. " All who fail to secure engagements at the 
 Gewandhaus wish to drag me into the Scylla of their woes, 
 while I try to escape this as well as the Charybdis of their 
 medisance. How refreshing after this to find all our 
 troubles and joys shared by our dear friends the Geibels, in 
 whose house we live, our two families almost merging into 
 one. 
 
 The Moscheles this summer carry out their long pro- 
 jected scheme of visiting Italy — taking the Tyrol on their 
 way. An amusing incident occurs at Gries, a village in the 
 Tyrol. One bright Sunday morning they entered the pret- 
 tily decorated church, and saw a number of neatly-dressed 
 peasants, who were all engaged in devotion ; apparently 
 some " festa" was going on. Moscheles found his way to 
 the organ loft. The organist was in the act of playing the 
 " Kyrie ;" Moscheles slipped behind him, placed his fingers 
 between the organist's, and taking up the organ part at the 
 correct point, quietly ousted the surprised player. How- 
 ever anxious the poor man might at first have been at the 
 intrusion of a stranger, he soon became reconciled, dictat- 
 ing to him what came next in the service, telling him when 
 
 * Franz von Holstein has lately achieved great successes throughout 
 Germany with his opera, ' Die Haideschacht,' and other works. 
 
376 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 to prelude, when to accompany the " Gloria," etc. At a 
 particular moment -the organist had to resume his seat, 
 which the other vacated, bidding 'him "good-bye." _ "Do 
 not leave me without telling me who you are," said his 
 newly-acquired friend to Moscheles, who wrote his name on 
 the music. The effect was half comic, half pathetic ; our 
 organist, at the sight of the name, was fain to throw him- 
 self on Moscheles' neck; his hands, however, were not at 
 liberty to leave the key-board for an instant. Before he 
 had finished his . duties Moscheles had disappeared, and 
 was on the point of entering his carriage (all this happeii- 
 ing while the^ horses were being changed), when his enthu- 
 siastic friend rushed after him, and gave him the' long- 
 delayed embrace. 15th July. — " The constant Tain disap- 
 pointed us yesterday of our intended walk, so we allowed 
 ourselves to be enticed to a ' Zither' and vocal concert, 
 that was said to be national, and was not enough so for our 
 taste. The costume was Tyrolese, the zithers also ; but the 
 worm of modern music had gnawed its way into the healthy 
 Tyrolese fruit. We had to endure in the first part some 
 pieces of ' Martha,' all kinds of waltzes, and a ' Strapazier 
 Polka;' we ran off before the second part began." 
 
 The travellers are next at Venice; where they stay a 
 month in the Palazzo Mocenigo, once occupied by no less 
 a personage than Lord Byron. The house belongs to the 
 Contessa Mocenigo ; portraits of her ancestors, the Doges, 
 are painted by Giarabellino on the ceilings. " The Count- 
 ess is a picture herself ; when she steps majestically into 
 her richly-ornamented gondola, and seats herself on her 
 gilded chair, her old servant preceding her with her breviary, 
 we all rush to our balcony to see this embarkation — the 
 scene carries us back to bygone ages. I have a good 
 piano, which probably acquires a fictitious brilliancy from 
 standing on a marble floor. Need I say that the very 
 atmosphere breathed by Byron— ^the lagoon, the palaces, 
 the moon shining down on St. Marc's, mirrored on the 
 silvery waters — all these bright visions and associations 
 
 make my improvisations run glibly from my fingers." 
 
 Again Moscheles writes : " I had much wished to make 
 myself acquainted with the state of music and its professors 
 here;' but I find on all sides shallowness and mediocrity. 
 
VENICE. 
 
 377 
 
 The ' Teafxo Fenice' is closed, so also is' the ' San Samuele.' 
 The wandering musicians, who play in the Piazza of St. 
 Marc or in eating houses, for small coin payment, are more 
 deafening than animating ; the tone, however, of both men 
 and women violinists has often something piquant about it, 
 reminding one of the style of Paganini, by which I mean 
 that the Leipzig Schneckenberg resembles Mont Blanc. 
 At sunset we hear from the Palazzo Foscari (now a bar- 
 rack) the shrill trumpet signals, which grate harshly on our 
 ears, although the canal lies between us ; we hear, too, the 
 gondolieri of the neighboring ' Traghetto' singing with 
 their pretty, soft voices their vapid Barcaroles ; we are also 
 favored sometimes with a jingle of guitar and piano, with 
 stale, hackneyed ' fioriture,' which I don't like half as well 
 as good fritture.' The only good music we have is that of 
 the Austrian military band, which plays three evenings in 
 the week on the Piazza of St. Marc. Now let me tell you 
 of my musical adventure. On walking through one of the 
 back-streets .1 hear some showy pianoforte playing. 'Oho! 
 Oho ! that — that is no amateur, but a professional hand.' 
 I pull the bell, and ask boldly if " II Professore di Cam - 
 balo sia di casa ? ' 'Si, Signore,' is the answer, and I am 
 soon conducted into a room, where a man of some thirty 
 years of age is playing a Bravura Mazurka by Fumagalli, 
 the beginning of which I had heard below ; near the player 
 sits a young Abb6. I make him understand by signs that 
 I am anxious not to interrupt him. When he has finished, 
 I ask, ' Will you give me lessons ? ' and he consents. He 
 now plays Fumagalli's ' Carnovale di Piu,' making all kinds 
 of brilliant skips and octave passages ; I repeatedly inter- 
 rupt him with a ' bravissimo.' After this I am called on to 
 try the instrument, and both teacher and Abbe follow my 
 improvisation with increasing interest ; afterwards the 
 pianist in a state of great perplexity, asks, ' Whose pupil 
 are you ? ' . ' Moscheles' ! ' ' Ah ! I know that famous 
 name.' ' Do you also know his compositions ? ' 'In Ven- 
 ice we don't play such serious music' ' What music do 
 you choose for your regular art-studies ? ' ' Generally 
 speaking, the arrangements from favorite operas.' ' I will 
 play to you a study by Moscheles,' said I, and chose the 
 chromatic one in D major. On my rising to leave, he stop- 
 
378 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ped me, ' You don't want lessons from me, that is clear, 
 only I hope you will tell me your name ; mine is Carlo 
 Fortunati.' When I gave him my own name, he embraced 
 me with all the impetuosity of a Southerner, and rained 
 kisses and epithets on me ; so we parted as musical friends, 
 and shall often meet in that capacity. The Abbe too is a 
 musical enthusiast." 
 
 " Fortunati comes, occasionally as a hearer, sometimes, 
 too, as a player. When he brought the overture to Verdi's 
 'Nabucco' arranged as a pianoforte duet, to try it over with 
 Serena, she lost all patience with his inability to keep time, 
 while at every claptrap rhythm he exclaimed exultingly, 
 ' Oh ! che bella sinfonia !' " During their stay at Venice the 
 Moscheles became acquainted with the famous water-color 
 painter, Carl Werner, whose works, and whose studio, with 
 its rich decorations and art treasures, were so celebrated, 
 and he and his gifted pupil Passini became frequent visitors 
 
 at the Palazzo Mocenigo " Yesterday there was a 
 
 ' Serenata per Canale.' A great wooden vessel, gayly decked 
 with red and white cloth, and illuminated with two pyramids 
 festooned with lamps, floats down the canal when night be- 
 gins to set in; it is large enough to receive a complete or- 
 chestra, two grand pianos, and solo performers ; there is 
 singing and flute, fiddle and pianoforte playing, but all in 
 the commonest Italian hum drum style, nothing for the mu- 
 sically-cultivated ear, everything for the beauty-loving eye ; 
 Bengal lights illuminating the canal, a complete scene out 
 of the Arabian Nights. The brilliant vessel is closely sur- 
 rounded by black gondolas ; four gondolas take it in tow, 
 and its course is often impeded by the small craft. We en- 
 joyed the sight, first from our own balcony, then from the 
 
 Rial to On the eve of the ' Festa di San Rocco' a 
 
 ' Musica a Grand Orchestra' was performed at the church ; 
 but how ? Pretty waltzes and polkas were played upon the 
 organ, then a fugue full of discordant fifths and octaves, 
 with occasional utterances from a priest's hoarse voice at 
 the high altar, and the tones of a wheezy and discordant 
 organ ! The Director marked each rhythm by thrashing 
 his desk as heartily as the poor saint may have been beaten 
 in his lifetime, often drowning the sharp metallic ring of the 
 orchestra, and murdering the effect of the solo, which was 
 
VERDrS " LUIS A MILLER." 
 
 379 
 
 sung by a fine tenor, with the usual ' tremolando.' Occa- 
 sionally the clapping of hands, like castanets, but oftener 
 like the crack of a postillion's whip, was heard in the midst 
 of music. The beautiful marble pillars of the unhappy 
 churcli were veiled under a covering of red damask, large 
 wax candles dimly lighted up the oppressive atmosphere, 
 and the olfactory nerves suffered from snuff and garlic, which 
 rose in clouds from the dense crowd." 
 
 From Venice the Moscheles proceed, viA Mantua and 
 Brescia, to Milan. There Moscheles visits the Musical Con- 
 servatoire, " originally a cloister, now half barrack, half 
 school for young musicians. The Professors show me great 
 respect, my ' Studies' are adopted, that is all they know of 
 my music, of Beethoven or Mendelssohn they know abso- 
 lutely nothing. I played them my ' Grande Valse' in order 
 to give tbem a little of our German Bravura. Fumagalli 
 played a song by Gordigiani, 'O santissima Vergine Maria,' 
 very gracefully ; afterwards he displayed great powers of ex- 
 ecution and novel effects in his ' Carnevale di Piil,' which in 
 humor and dash is not inferior to Paganini's. The Teatro 
 Radegonda has a second-rate theatre band, and singers for 
 the most part rough and untrained ; the prompter, not hid- 
 den as elsewhere, occasionally joins in the fray, the good 
 voices are often shipwrecked in the howling storm of the 
 finales, but at that certain passage where the prima donna 
 steps forward with outstretched arms and rolling eyes, the 
 public applauds vehemently. The opera was ' Luisa Miller' 
 by Verdi ; it has no overture, only some hackneyed ideas, 
 screaming noise, and here and there one or two good vocal 
 effects, which barely sufficed to keep me awake." 
 
 A visit to Pasta, is next recorded. " This famous ' Can- 
 tatrice' lives in a small house adjoining her own villa, on 
 the lake of Como. Close to the door we stumbled on some 
 prosaic matters — dirty saucepans, kitchen utensils, and the 
 like, not to mention the leavings of an early dinner. _ Amid 
 this debris sat three unkempt girls, not one of them in love 
 with soap and water. At my bidding one of them took in 
 our cards, and the great lady soon appeared. We did not 
 see her at her best, for having just risen from her siesta in 
 which we had disturbed her, she was only half awake. We 
 found her very friendly, and evidently gratified with our 
 
38o RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 visit. Her mouth and teeth are still lovely, the great eyes 
 full of fire, her black hair was in a dishevelled state, and her 
 dress an extremely original medley of oddities. She never 
 ceased talking of old times, and told us she had given up 
 living in the villa, because both her mother and her husband 
 had died there. She afterwards wrote something for our 
 albums, and gave us some beautiful flowers." .... 
 
 After exploring the Lago Maggiore, etc., the Borromean 
 Islands, etc., Moscheles finds his way to Zurich, where he 
 calls on the son of his old friend Nageli. " He possesses 
 a treasure," says Moscheles, " in the manuscript of Bach's 
 B minor Mass, of which his father became possessed, through 
 Schwenke, in Hamburg. I made him show it to me, and 
 have no doubt of its genuineness. The Bach Society of 
 Leipzig would gladly have purchased it from him, but he 
 stoutly refused to part with it. Besides this he possesses a 
 still unpublished Concerto for four pianos by Bach ; it is in 
 the key of A minor." 
 
 Immediately after the return to Leipzig, we find Mos- 
 cheles receiving Liszt at the Conservatoire. " He seemed 
 satisfied with the performance of the pupils, and spoke kind- 
 ly and encouragingly to them, but would not play before 
 them ; that was a great disappointment. At David's we 
 heard him play a pianoforte arrangement of his Fantasia on 
 the ' Prophet,' originally written for the organ. Hiins v. 
 Billow plaj'ed the pedal part in the bass. The first and last' 
 movements consist of violent and stormy Fugues ; I prefer 
 the middle one with its quieter subject. He also played his 
 very piquant waltz in A flat major, introducing many over- 
 strained effects by first using the soft pedal, and then sud- 
 denly introducing strongly accentuated notes." 
 
 In a letter of the 28th Sept. we read : " To-day I write 
 to you during the examination of our 118 pupils, who must 
 one and all be heard in the course of this week ! The Di- 
 rectors and Professors sit as judges, the former have their 
 little chat occasionally, the latter, when their own pupils are 
 not playing, while away the time as best they can, David is 
 
 drawing, I am writing I am going through several 
 
 things : Czerny's op. 800, ' Gradus ad Parnassum' with diffi- 
 culties well adapted to the hand, but now out of date ; 
 Liszt's ' Rhapsodie Hongroise,' interesting as a faithful 
 
DK\ RECLAM. 
 
 381 
 
 transcription of national music ; I even try to take off Fuma- 
 galli in his ' Carnevale di Piii' .... There is some 
 first-rate work in Griltzmacher's trio." " Our friend F., 
 with his bumptious ways, is particularly offensive to me ; 
 he, like so many others, comes to me for advice, advice 
 meaning praise. How infinitely superior to such profes- 
 sionals are amateurs of the stamp of Frau B. ! Her per- 
 formance of my ' Concert Pathetique' was so good, that I 
 took to playing the piece again myself. To the best of my 
 belief, it is not only in advance of my former compositions 
 in form and style, but a maturer work, and yet it has re- 
 mained comparatively unnoticed ! " 
 
 . . . . " The heavens mourn in sackcloth and ashes ; am 
 I to do so likewise, because Eastern affairs seem threaten- 
 ing, or because I am laid up with a bad knee ? No, let the 
 contending Powers keep guard over Europe's equilibrium, 
 leave me to my musical nursery, and let Dr. Reclam look 
 out for my knee. I believe that, with his electro-galvanic 
 apparatus, he has hit upon the right remedy to cure me. 
 With my fingers and my advice I can still make myself use- 
 ful, for the pupils come to my house, and I play a great 
 deal." 
 
 Dr. Reclam's treatment rapidly proved effective, he him- 
 self became Moscheles' life-long friend, attending him and 
 his family with skill and devotion. Frau Reclam, one of 
 the best interpreters of sacred music in Leipzig, was a fre- 
 quent visitor at Moscheles' house, and delighted him with 
 her artistic rendering of his songs. 
 
 To return to the diary : " Brahm's compositions are of 
 a really elevated character, and Schumann, whom he has 
 chosen as his model, recommends him as the ' Messiah of 
 Music' I find him, like Schumann, often piquant, but oc- 
 casionally too labored. Even Beethoven's music was ob- 
 jected to, people say, when it first appeared, as being too 
 far-fetched, and difficult to understand. True it is, that 
 Beethoven's genius lured him away to paths never trodden 
 before, which are not accessible to every one, and yet since 
 that time it has been proved, that he not only sought but 
 found what he wished to express in music. Let us hope 
 that this also may be the lot of the younger composer. B.'s 
 technical powers, his reading from sight, do him and his 
 
3S2 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 teacher Edward Marxsen great credit. ... I have heard a 
 good deal of Berlioz, and give him my closest attention. 
 My opinion of his music remains unshaken, I acknowledge 
 his merit, but cannot always understand him — or is such 
 music as the 'Witches' Sabbath,' not meant to be under- 
 stood ? Curious ! one now listens again with pleasure to 
 the simple opera, ' Doctor und Apotheker,' by Dittersdorf, 
 in which Behr and Schneider sing and act so admirably ; 
 one forgets, how Rossini, in his ' Tell,' and Meyerbeer in 
 his ' Roberto,' have crammed us with their loaded instru- 
 mentation and scenic effects, and how Wagner has gone 
 beyond both. Les extremes se touchent." 
 
 The end of the year was marked by the happy event of 
 Moscheles' second daughter becoming engaged to Dr. 
 George Rosen, at that time Prussian Consul at Jerusalem. 
 Congratulations from friends contrast sadly with reflections 
 confided to the diary, on the death of Cecile Mendelssohn, 
 the great musician's devoted lover. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 • 1854—1855. 
 
 Madame Lind Goldschmidt — Fritz Gernsheim — Musical Critics — Abor- 
 tive Works — Asiatic Music — David — Music of the Future — Schind- 
 ler and Ferdinand Hiller — Summer Holidays — Munich — The 
 Theatre — Fraulein Seebach — Evening at the Schaffrath — Rauch — 
 Pianos in the Exhibition — Egern— Rubinstein — Arabella Goddard 
 — Public Appearances — Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony. 
 
 AN event, that Tvas joyfully welcomed by all of us at 
 Leipzig, was the appearance here of the Lind-Gold- 
 schmidts, for the first time since their marriage. Madame 
 Lind-Goldschmidt sang for the ' Pension Fund,' and was 
 our star at the Subscription Concert. She can tone down 
 her glorious voice to a pianissimo whisper, and the sound, 
 however attenuated, is distinctly audible in the remotest 
 corner of the Concert room ; she is wonderfully versatile. 
 After astounding every one with her ' fioriture,' and stirring 
 all hearts with her deeply expressive singing, she becomes 
 at once exquisitely naive and sings a ' Kinderlied ' by 
 Taubert, or the ' Sonnenschein,' in a style that makes her 
 hearers feel young again. Goldschmidt played us a great 
 deal of beautiful music ; in Chopin's Concerto, Mendels- 
 sohn's ' Variations Serieuses,' a prelude by Bach and some 
 drawing-room pieces, he proved himself a genuine artist, 
 earnest and thoughtful, with no straining for show or effect 
 I was so glad to be able to be of service to him, and to 
 prove my great respect and esteem for him by lending him 
 my Erard piano." 
 
 Again we read : " We have passed some delightful 
 hours with the Goldschmidts, meeting them at a family din- 
 ner, and at a matinee given by Preusser, where Otto Gold- 
 schmidt played his trio, a well-written, clear, and melodious 
 composition, which gave me great pleasure. The Gold- 
 schmidts paid us a visit at the Conseivatpire, and seemed 
 
384 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 perfectly satisfied with the performances of the pupils, 
 especiall)' that of the youthful Fritz Gernsheini, who highly 
 distinguished himself 'in Mendelssohn's Serenade and Alle- 
 gro. Madame Goldschmidt repeatedly expressed her esteem 
 for an institution to which her husband owed his musical 
 education ; and this she did not only in words, but in songs 
 as well, for she sang Mendelssohn's Psalm, ' Hear my pray- 
 er,' so exquisitely that none who heard it can ever forget the 
 impression she created." 
 
 "I am sorry to say there are many students here who, 
 instead of employing their time in the study of composition, 
 abuse it by writing pungent criticisms for the musical press, 
 a practice which always reminds me of Mendelssohn's 
 words : ' Why on earth do they talk and write so much ? 
 let them compose good music instead !' I doubt if he would 
 have found much good music in the pieces so full of sple- 
 netic moanings that I am occasionally compelled to listen to. 
 What would he have said of the pupil who ordered music- 
 paper with forty staves to write an opera upon ? I failed to 
 discover in the forty lines four thoughts ! .... Hauptmann, 
 it seems, endorses my opinion ; the other day he wrote to 
 the following effect : ' The results of the method of study 
 
 adopted by Mr. are shown in his progressive aptitude 
 
 for obscurity and confusion !'.... A new Sonata, thirty-two 
 pages long ! but it does not inspire me. What chaos ! 
 Thoughts, ambitious ones, occasionally glimmer through the 
 darkness, but the whole region is as dreary as a churchyard 
 with all its slabs and tombstones turned topsy-turvy by a 
 shock of earthquake. Grinning skulls stare out of the open 
 graves, among them one of a strictly orthodox contrapuntist, 
 who seems to scoff at all the sacrilegious Italian roulades. 
 The corpses of the women begin their witches' howl ! When 
 I went to bed I felt completely stunned, and passed a restless 
 night — perhaps I should have done better, if I had sat up 
 all night smoking, and sipping coffee, to recover my equi- 
 librium." 
 
 A letter from Mrs. George Rosen, giving her father an 
 account of the state of music in Jerusalem, elicits the follow- 
 ing answer: "The unrefined Asiatic music, with its dreamy 
 monotones such as you describe, certainly contrasts 
 strangely with our own fixed canons of art, which are so 
 
SCHINDLER'S PAMPHLET. ^ 385 
 
 diametrically opposed to theirs. To the natives I grant 
 this style may be just as interesting as Handel or Mendels- 
 sohn is to usj very likely they would be bored by the 
 ' Eroica ' Symphony. But even the European ladies who 
 reside near you, and do not get beyond a song or chorale, 
 are characteristic in their way. They will find it a difficult 
 matter to soar up to the regions of Beethoven's latest works, 
 whereas our young Germany alreadyconsiders this hero as 
 'rococo,' and spreading its wings, strives to soar to higher 
 regions above." 
 
 " I heard ' Don Juan ' the other night ; Miterwurzer was 
 admirable. I am glad to say that, instead of the dialogues, 
 we had the original Recitatives, and the stupid scene with 
 the messengers of justice was cut out. As often as I hear 
 this opera, and think of the ' music of the future,' I feel as 
 if 1 had suddenly emerged from a dark wood, where toads 
 and hobgoblins make a hideous concert, and was coming 
 forth into the sunny light of day, and Apollo playing me 
 heavenly melodies David withdraws from the direc- 
 tion of the Gewandhaus Concerts, and resumes his duties as 
 Concertmeister. The rude attacks made upon him in the 
 public papers are so irritating that I think he is perfectly 
 justified in declining to expose himself any more to such 
 annoyances. I have a fellow-feeling for him in this matter, 
 and when we discussed the subject yesterday, I handed him 
 Schindler's lately published pamphlet, ' On the Development 
 of Pianoforte playing since Clementi,' in which I am very 
 roughly bandied. His egotism is the chief feature through- 
 out ; it is '■ I' perpetually; 'Clementi, Cramer, Beethoven, 
 and I' worked together for the promotion and welfare of 
 art. ' Hummel and Moschele's have perverted pianoforte- 
 playing. The latter (says he) has actually had the audacity 
 to set to metronome Tempi works of Beethoven,- whom he 
 never heard play ' — he, Schindler, has already paid him out 
 properly for this. He makes a dead set at Liszt, who face- 
 tiously prays for a respite of three years, that he may learn 
 to do better, Schindler allows him four, but these having now 
 expired, he announces that he gives him up. . . . Ferdinand 
 Hiller published a letter to Schindler in reply, in which he 
 showed to demonstration the absurdity of his pretending to 
 be the intimate friend of Beethoven, and asked him, "if he 
 
 17 
 
386 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ever got so far in his whole life, as to be able to play Cra- 
 mer's first Study ? Can he show him a single trace any- 
 where of any one composition by Schlinder? or has he, as 
 a conductor, a past history only known to himself? What 
 are his claims to the position of Beethoven's Stadtholder 
 and alter ego ? " Hiller concludes with Goethe's words, 
 " Nur die Lumpen sind bescheideu," (None but good-for- 
 nothings are modest); therefore pray discard all modesty, 
 and enlighten on the subject your, so far as possible, humble 
 servant, F. Hiller." 
 
 " Meanwhile I employ myself," says Moscheles, " writing 
 Cadenzas for Beethoven's Concertos, which Sneff intends to 
 publish. 'Of course, self-reliant artists, able to write for 
 themselves, have no need of these ; they can follow their 
 own inspirations. I hope, however, to make myself useful 
 to less gifted executants 
 
 " I have lately seen some remarkable title-pages to 
 pianoforte pieces : ' Le Torrent ' — let that pass, because it 
 is a veritable shower-bath of notes ; but others, ' From the 
 Highlands,' ' Sunset,' ' Storm,' etc., are mere misnomers. 
 If you give a title at all, let it cap the subject as the dot 
 caps the ' i ; ' otherwise, I would much rather draw the 
 stroke as through the ' t.' " 
 
 Moscheles was only too glad to spend his summer holi- 
 days in Munich, where his son Felix was pursuing his art 
 studies. " Such a bustle and hurry here ! " lie writes ; " all 
 the world topsy-turvy and Exhibition mad ! It rains cats 
 and dogs, as even the visitors to the Exhibition find to their 
 cost, although they fancy they are safe in their promenade 
 under the big glass dome. We have one half-ounce sun- 
 shine to a pound of rain — that's about the proportion. In 
 spite of soiBe drawbacks, however, we have great enjoyment ; 
 the galleries, museums, etc., are a constant resource, and 
 well may the Munich theatre boast of its ' model perform- 
 ances ; ' there is a galaxy of all the grand actors in Germany, 
 who condescend by turns to fill the smallest parts in the 
 pieces represented. You can fancy what it is to hear a man 
 like Devrient make something out of nothing, and invest 
 even a third-rate part with dignity. A few evenings since 
 we heard Friiulein Seebach read ' Hamlet ' in Kaulbach's 
 house. She is an enthusiastic student of Shakespeare, and 
 
MUNICH. 387 
 
 every inch an artist. After the reading was over we danced, 
 and I had the honor of a waltz with Madame Kaulbach ; it 
 was only due to me because I resigned myself to polka-play- 
 ing for the universal good." 
 
 Moscheles describes an evening at the artists' club-house 
 (Schaffrath) : " There was a special ceremony in honor of 
 old Rauch, who was presented with a diploma and greeted 
 with tremendous cheers. In spite of his seventy-one years, 
 he is most dignified and graceful in his ways ; amid foam- 
 ing beer cans and thick clouds of tobacco, I made the ac- 
 quaintance of all the celebrated painters here. ... I leave 
 the newspapers to tell you all particulars about the Exhibi- 
 tion J I report only of my special department — the pianos. 
 The Commissioners allow me to try them before the public 
 are admitted, but, however early I come in the building, I 
 find ' their fond fathers ' collected together out of the differ- 
 ent provinces of Germany. Their name is legion, but I 
 must notice a Klems from Diisseldorf as being marked by 
 Clara Schumann, and Andre's so-called Mozart-Clavier 
 fi-om Frankfort. The specialties of the different instruments 
 I discover without any difficulty, and endeavor by my treat- 
 ment to bring into relief all the best points of each. You 
 know my old saying, 'A good rider should be able to sit any 
 horse.' " 
 
 To escape the dangers of cholera, which broke out in 
 Munich, Moscheles and his family withdrew to Egern on 
 the Tegernsee, where they were joined by many of their 
 distinguished friends ; among them were Baron Liebig, 
 Professor Seibold, Stieler, David, and Bodenstedt, the well- 
 known translator of Shakespeare's sonnets. " That dreadful 
 cholera," Moscheles writes, " has happily as yet not reach- 
 ed this beautiful little spot ; it is only a pity that the moun- 
 tains have the bad habit occasionally, of putting on their 
 cloudcaps and weeping over their own ugliness. To-day 
 umbrellas are no good at all, the puddles more like 
 wells, but in fine weather we boat on the lake, scramble 
 up the mountains, plunge into cow-keepers' cottages, de- 
 mand pancakes, sing four-part songs, and laugh in unison. 
 If the grasshoppers only knew that we, like them, are mu- 
 sical, they would i^erhaps give us a little less chirping. . .' 
 Mierdel, Jule, and Liese, with their dark head-gear and blondf 
 
388 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 complexions, and brown feet, do double duty as models for 
 Felix and my teachers of national songs, which I note down 
 as being extremely pretty. Bodenstedt has written some 
 words for me ; I have set these to music, and his wife (our 
 prima donna) sings them." This song — " Wenn der Friih- 
 ling auf die Berge steigt" — has become very popular in 
 Germany. 
 
 Leipzig. — "Rubinstein, whom we heard fourteen years 
 ago in London as a prodigy, appeared now as a composer 
 of a Symphony, which he has named ' Ocean.' The clear- 
 ness of the first movement had the same soothing effect on 
 me as a calm unrufHed summer sea ; afterwards, however, 
 we had all the storming and roaring that are now the fash- 
 ion, and the boisterous elements became so hopelessly in- 
 comprehensible that my thoughts could find no anchorage 
 in their unfathomable harmonic depths. I fully recognize, 
 however, in Rubinstein a pre-eminent talent for composi- 
 tion. In his Concerto there are true beauties and high 
 flights of imagination ; here and there are to be found out- 
 rageous extravagances ; his shorter movements, generally 
 speaking, are to be commended for their rational form ; in 
 power and execution he is inferior to no one. Rubinstein's 
 features and short irrepressible hair remind me of Beetho- 
 ven j I delight in his simplicity and sincerity ; he is always 
 a welcome visitor at our house, and so also is our young 
 friend Arabella Goddard. In her very young days I heard 
 her play in Paris, and prophesied for her at that time a 
 brilliant future ; I think events have proved the clearness 
 of my prophetic vision. Miss Goddard conquers enormous 
 difficulties with consummate grace and ease, her touch is 
 clear and pure as a bell. Here, as everywhere, she found 
 that recognition which not even the severest art critic could . 
 withhold I will spare you Ihe infliction of my poli- 
 tics, which bear the same relation to yours as an engraving 
 to an oil-picture. I will only add that I am pleased with 
 the attitude of Austria, and that the King of Prussia and I 
 are animated with the same feelings for the unity of Ger- 
 many. May the Emperor of Russia learn to feel that baths 
 in the free mouth of the Danube are more effective than 
 blood-baths ! With this wish, I speed the parting year ! " 
 
 " Spohr's Symphony for double orchestra, ' Irdisches 
 
THE " FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER." 
 
 389 
 
 und Gottliches,' has a subject worthy of a Beethoven ; but 
 the artificial construction cramps the free outpour of feel- 
 ing It was remarkable in the Gewandhaus yester- 
 day that, after the stormy overtures to the ' Fliegende Hol- 
 lander,' not a single hand was raised to applaud, not even a 
 single hiss heard. There is a great deal of Geist' in the 
 music, but it is of the scorching kind, and to me such 
 masses of instrumentation and such a piling up of diminish- 
 ed sevenths and discords of all kinds, are distracting and 
 joyless. Gluck, no doubt, has his musical demons, and 
 Mozart his hell in ' Don Juan,' but they do not give one a 
 headache ; and yet the papers will maintain that, just as 
 Beethoven's latest works were not immediately understood, 
 so it will take time to become familiar with Wagner. . . . 
 Every performance of Beethoven's overture in C, op. 115, is 
 especially interesting to me, for it reminds me of the old 
 Vienna days, when Beethoven lent it me in manuscript for 
 one of my concerts. Yesterday it went splendidly." 
 
 In writing to his relatives, Moscheles alludes to the se- 
 vere illness of his son Felix, who was confined to the house 
 for several months : " Sickness still hovers over our house 
 like a heavy thunder-cloud, and we are often so depressed 
 that everything seems dark to our eyes. But there is a 
 silver lining to every cloud, and we have never lost our 
 trust in Providence. My time is equally divided between 
 my business and my dear patient ; I intend to screw my- 
 self up to a public appearance." (He refers to a concert 
 given for a charity, when he played Mozart's A minor Con- 
 certo, with his own cadenzas.) " I thank God that the 
 powers of artistic enthusiasm enabled me to suppress many 
 a gloomy thought ; I do not think the audience noticed any 
 change in me ; nothing could be more flattering than my 
 reception, I was cheered to the echo. I could not help say- 
 ing to myself over the adagio, ' What divine music ! ' nor 
 can I wonder at its giving the audience such exquisite pleas- 
 ure. It gratifies me also to find that there is no necessity 
 as yet for my hanging up my harp upon a willow-tree ; pub- 
 licity, however, has no longer any charms for me. I hope 
 that to my life's end I shall retain enthusiasm and freshness 
 for appreciation of the beauties of Mozart, which have be- 
 come a part of my very self." A few weeks later he plays 
 
3Q0 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 again for a charity. " I chose Beethoven's trio in D, and 
 heard for the first time Fraulein Tietjen's glorious voice." 
 
 " Such a curious Fantasia I heard to-day. It was a mis- 
 erably weak commentary on the motto it bore, ' Emotion is 
 only fit for women, man's spirit should strike fire.' Mighty 
 Beethoven ! thou couldst make women weep and inspire 
 men, but thy imitators are more diseased in mind than ever 
 deafness made thee ! — that Fantasia in three movements, E 
 flat minor, A major, and E flat minor, with twenty-three 
 other keys besides, stormed and whined, and any glimmer- 
 ing of spirit, depth, or poetry, was diluted in the length and 
 monotony, the hopeless want of formand evenness of con- 
 struction. I don't think the young composer answerable 
 for this ; he has talent and judgment enough to do some- 
 thing much better in time. Why not show him, in charity, 
 his faults, and tell him to wait patiently for the ripening of 
 his gifts ? " 
 
 " I heard Wagner's overture to Faust, which I place 
 higher than his other works. The demoniacal element is 
 well worked out, and the better emotions are indicated by 
 clear melodious thoughts. In compliance with the wish of 
 several members of the orchestra, it was proposed to give 
 a posthumous work by Mendelssohn, the ' Reformation 
 Symphony.' Felix himself was dissatisfied with this com- 
 position, and did not wish to publish it ; his brother, whom 
 we consulted about the performance, left the question to be 
 decided by Rietz, David, Hauptmann, and myself. We 
 tried it at a rehearsal. In spite of many beauties which- 
 the work contains, we resolved not to give it, as the whole 
 symphony does not stand on the same high level with Men- 
 delssohn's other compositions, and we were afraid that the 
 work might have to encounter unfriendly criticism. We 
 did not escape some harsh comments in England for having 
 kept back the work of one whose music it was considered, 
 ought to be the heritage of the world. 
 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
 1856—1860. 
 
 Centenary of Mozart's Birth — Programme of the Concert — ^Julius 
 Stockhausen — Ernst Pauer — Birds of Passage — Behr's Benefit — 
 Louis Brassin — A Charming Present — Max Bruch — Arthur Sul- 
 livan — Jubilee of the Prague Couservatoire — Visit to Antwerp — 
 Concours de Chant at Brussels — Schiller Festival — Intercourse 
 with Liszt — Visit to Paris — Rossini. 
 
 ON the 27th of January, 1856, the centenary of Mo- 
 zart's birth was celebrated at the Gewandhaus by a 
 performance, the proceeds of which were to be devoted to 
 the foundation of a Mozart Scholarship, to be competed 
 for by members of the Leipzig Conservatoire. We here 
 insert the Programme, interesting on account of the histori- 
 cal dates : 
 
 Overture to the " Re Pastore." Romance and duet 
 out of the same Opera. Composed in 1775 in 
 Salzburg as a Festival Opera, and performed for 
 the first time to commemorate the visit of the 
 Archduke Maximilian to Archbishop Hieronymus. 
 Concerto for Violin and Viola, composed in the year 
 1778, played by Herr Dreyschock and David. 
 Overture to Idomeneo. Scene, Air, and March out 
 of the same Opera. Given for the first time 29th 
 January, 17S1, in Munich. 
 March of Priests, Air and Choruses, out of the " Zauber- 
 flote." Performed for the first time in Vienna, 30th 
 September, 1791. 
 Overture to " Titus." First performance in Prague, 
 
 1791. 
 Last Scene, Second Act, " Don Juan." First perform- 
 ance in Prague, 28th October, 1787. 
 Symphony in C major, with the Final Fugue. Composed 
 
 in August, 1788. 
 It cannot escape observation that, as a composer for the 
 
3Q2 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 pianoforte, Mozart was not represented on this occasion, a 
 fact in every way distasteful to Moscheles, who would 
 gladly have shown his devotion to the great master by pub- 
 licly interpreting one of his works. 
 
 " Julius Stockhausen's first appearance here has given 
 us all great pleasure. I can pay him and his singing no 
 higher compliment than to say that he is the worthy son 
 of one whose gifts as a vocalist were of the highest order ; 
 his pronunciation and method are faultless. Our public, 
 never over-demonstrative, enthusiastically applauded him." 
 
 During the winter of 1856, Moscheles writes the " Humor- 
 istische Variationen," which, as we find from the diary, 
 were originated in the hours of a sleepless night. " Unwell 
 and restless as I was, the intellectual employment diverted 
 ray thoughts." .... 
 
 Ernst Pauer is here, a star in our musical firmament ; 
 with his light touch and light heart, he is very sympathetic 
 to us. His stay of eight-and-forty hours was much too short 
 for us ; but how can a great London professional devote 
 more time to an appearance at the Gewandhaus ? In Beet- 
 hoven's ' Concerto in G,' he developed his full technical 
 powers, and I was much interested to find that Haslinger 
 has allowed him to copy the original Manuscript Cadenzas 
 by Beethoven which he had lent me on a former occasion, 
 although he would never publish them. I do not think 
 them up to the exalted level of the grand Concerto, and dis- 
 card them in consequence. Pauer played one, without mak- 
 ing any marked effect with it, not a soul asked who wrote 
 it ; in fact the Cadenzas do not bear the stamp of Beethoven's 
 
 genius We heard Beethoven's ' Men of Prometheus,' 
 
 a work that certainly reminds one of his earliest time, but 
 is redolent of the noble spirit of the master ; then Schu- 
 mann's overture to ' Hermann and Dorothea,' breathing 
 poetry throughout. 
 
 " The influx of pianists is as large as ever. I confess I 
 am annoyed when such birds of passage come pecking sen- 
 timentally at my Erard, or boldly smashing a chord or two. 
 They show no curiosity to hear how I would treat the poor 
 thing, in fact to them I am simply dead ; they do not see 
 that music is still to me as my own life-blood, and while 
 they are burying me, I am quietly feeding on the Toccatas 
 
BIRDS OF PASSAGE. 303 
 
 and Fugues of old Bach, the moderns, too, furnish an occa- 
 sional meal. I have just fetched the scores of some ot 
 Liszt's works ; his ' Preludes' and ' Mazeppa' will be per- 
 formed here, and I must have studied them thoroughly be- 
 forehand." The performances alluded to are commented 
 on in the following letter : " The Weimar folk have fought 
 a battle with the Leipzigers ; but there were no slain, only 
 a few wounded. Liszt is reported to have said before the 
 concert: 'I suppose they will prepare a defeat for me,' but 
 they did no such thing. He conducted his 'Preludes,' 
 which, although rather obscure, have many grand effects. 
 His stormy ' Mazeppa' music, and his pianoforte Concerto, 
 played with extraordinary power by Billow, were warmly 
 but not enthusiastically received. 
 
 " Behr gave for his benefit the ' Tannhauser,' under 
 Liszt's direction, some of the Weimar company assisting. 
 My chief objection to the innovators is that they aspire to go 
 beyond Beethoven, and altogether -dethrone Mozart and 
 Haydn, hitherto the acknowledged keystones to the founda- 
 tion of music ; of course, we lesser lights are to be buried 
 under the ruins of the tottering temples, and I for ray part 
 consider myself honored by such sepulture ; who knows if 
 we shall not some day or other be dug up Hke Herculaneum 
 and Pompeii?" 
 
 " Yesterday Louis Brassin played in the Gewandhaus my 
 C minor Concerto, with so much roundness of touch and 
 warmth that he earned great applause, although his amazing 
 execution in the last movement made him run away with the 
 'tempo.' Concertmeister Miiller of Brunswick, and Stern 
 from Berlin, who were present, hailed him as a citizen of the 
 musical commonwealth. They would not do as much for 
 S., whose compositions I am just reading through, but the 
 greedy ogres, who require enormous quantities of notes for 
 their daily consumption, will welcome him to their common- 
 wealth with open mouths." 
 
 " You know how my father reads through" adds Felix. 
 " At every not quite orthodox bar he stands stock-still, leav- 
 ing the guilty chord to do penance in the purgatory of his 
 displeasure ; till, after all the tortures of suspense, it is at 
 last released, and may chime in with the loyal and virtuous 
 chords in the Paradise of Harmony." 
 
354 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 " New Year's Day (1858) I had a charming present — an 
 original picture of Mozart, talcen in the musician's early 
 days in Italy. I at once stored away the treasure in my al- 
 bum, close to the autograph Cadenza of the master. 
 
 " We had a new overture by Reinecke, and heard his 
 Trio and Variations on a theme by Bach, which he played 
 at the Quartet Meetings. He is a thorough musician, and 
 we may hope great things of him. A young composer. Max 
 Bruch, showed me a number of Studies he has lately written. 
 His Lieder are finely felt, and the two Cantatas, ' Rinaldo' 
 and 'Jubilate' are fresh and original compositions. Arthur 
 Sullivan, a lad of great promise, has been sent here for his 
 musical education. He has already distinguished himself 
 by winning the Mendelssohn Scholarship recently founded 
 in London, and I feel sure he will do credit to England." 
 We may here state that Moscheles took the liveliest interest 
 in the career of the 'first Mendelssohn Scholar' and treated 
 him invariably with marked kindness. The success of the 
 ' Tempest Music' gave Moscheles sincere pleasure, and he 
 regarded it as the inaugur^ation of a genuine artist-career. 
 
 David had conceived the idea of arranging for the violin 
 the "Twenty-four Studies" of Moscheles, who himself wrote 
 the pianoforte accompaniments. Besides this, Moscheles 
 prepared a new edition of the Clementi Sonatas, and the 
 " Gradus ad Parnassum"' for Hallberger. " They shall 
 not make blunders for v/ant of a proper system of fingering, 
 or strict marking of the expression and tempi," he used to 
 say, " so I conscientiously consult all previous editions." 
 He also revised the catalogue of his works for publication 
 by Kistner."* 
 
 In July the Conservatoire of Prague celebrates its jubilee, 
 and the sister institute of Leipzig sends David and Mos- 
 cheles with congratulations ; we can well realize the feelings 
 of Moscheles on visiting his native city, from which fifty 
 years before he had gone forth full of hope to begin the 
 battle of life, and we can picture to ourselves the pride of 
 his compatriots and the cordial way in which they received 
 him. \Vhen the busy days of fetes and concerts were over, 
 the Moscheles set out for Dresden, on their way to Antwerp. 
 
 * We give, at the end of the volume, a translation of the complete 
 catalogue. 
 
VISIT TO ANTWERP. 
 
 395 
 
 " Our journey might have been very unpleasant, for the 
 rain poured in torrents, but what do wandering minstrels 
 care about the weather ? There is ever sunshine in art. 
 We managed to get a coupe to ourselves, and David, who 
 never separates from his violin, played all the finer for the 
 obligato steam accompaniment ; we had one Concerto 
 after another, and then he tried passages from the ' Stud- 
 ies.' The hours flew past, and before we were aware of it 
 we found ourselves in Dresden." 
 
 The summer holidays of this year Moscheles spent at 
 Antwerp, on a visit to his son, and many were the valued 
 friends who welcomed him. He was thoroughly at home 
 among the art-treasures of the old city, and daily associated 
 with such men as De Keyser, Leys, Van Lerius, Jacob 
 Jacobs, Alma Tadema, Lies, Bource, and Heyermanns. 
 At Brussels he was cordially greeted by Fetis, Kufferath, 
 Leonard and others, and proceeding through the Ardennes, 
 pays a short visit to the little town of Huy. Mrs. Mos- 
 cheles says : " One can scarcely get along in the streets 
 from the flowers, flags, barrel-organs, and festive decora- 
 tions. It was the septennial ' Fete de la Vierge.' After 
 reading the announcement of a 'Concours de Chant,' and a 
 Concert to be given by the famous royal band, the ' Guides 
 du Roi,' Moscheles sent his card to the Director, to ask for 
 tickets, which, it was said, had been all bought up. Five 
 minutes later this gentleman arrived, and would not leave 
 till Moscheles had promised him to preside over the 'Jury 
 des Concours de Chant' " 
 
 " My duty as a Juryman rather taxed my powers of 
 endurance, as for eight hours we sat on a high platform in 
 the open market-place with the sun scorching us. Round 
 about us Was the band, a surging crowd, and a host of fash- 
 ionables ; it was a very animated scene. The Choral 
 Unions, one after another, marched up to the front, banners 
 unfurled, and sang. Not one could be called bad ; several 
 were really good." 
 
 The Schiller Festival and the King's birthday happen- 
 ing to be solemnized on the same day, Moscheles was asked 
 by the Committee if he would allow his overture to the 
 " Maid of Orleans" to be performed on the occasion. " I 
 refused," he says, " on account of the inferior orchestra, and 
 
396 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 proposed as a substitute that Mertke, my clever pupil, 
 should play my Fantasia on. Schiller's ' Sehnsucht,' and I 
 promised at the same time to write a brilliant piece on 
 Schiller's poem, the 'Tanz.'" The piece composed origi- 
 nally for one performer, he subsequently arranged for four 
 hands, and presented the copyright olf the work to the 
 Schiller "Stiftung." 
 
 "A grand musical tournament is coming off at Leipzig. 
 The Neue Zeitschrifi fiXr Musik celebrates in June its twenty- 
 fifth anniversary, and the faction, the principles of which 
 are chiefly represented by this journal, has a grand gathering 
 of artists to commemorate the event. The Riedel Choral 
 Union is studying with great zeal the ' Graner Mass' for 
 the occasion, and I have accepted an invitation to become 
 a member of the Committee of Management. Programmes 
 of the Festival are distributed, and the performances an- 
 nounced in all directions. Liszt, appearing for a short 
 visit to Leipzig in May, persuades Moscheles to join him in 
 playing his 'Hommage k Handel' at the Festival. He says 
 that I, as one of the pillars of pianoforte-playing, am indis- 
 pensable. I call myself the connecting link between the 
 old and the new school." 
 
 Shortly afterwards Moscheles had an opportunity of 
 returning Liszt's visit at Weimar. He writes : " Liszt sat 
 down to the piano, and I heard, to my no small astonish- 
 ment, my old Op. 42, Variations on the pretty Austrian 
 melody 
 
 I 
 
 1= 
 
 j^ 
 
 t 
 
 ^ 
 
 which I had consigned to oblivion for the last forty years. 
 He played them by heart, and introduced startling effects. 
 He then gave us his own organ Fantasia on the letters 
 B-a-c-h, a piece full of extraordinary combinations, and 
 stupendously played. 
 
 The next meeting was again at Leipzig. " I invited 
 several of my colleagues to meet Liszt at dinner ; it was a 
 regular artistic gathering. After dinner Liszt, puffing his 
 cigar, rummaged among my music, and found my 'Tanz' 
 
LISZi 
 
 397 
 
 and the 'Humoristische Variationen ;' he made me sit down 
 there and then and piay them with him. It was a genuine 
 treat to draw sparks from the piano as we dashed along 
 together. Liszt's genius seemed to culminate when he 
 played my old 'Variations,' and finally, my ' Sonata Melan- 
 cholique.' I wish I could equally admire his style of com- 
 position, but there stands the barrier to a perfect artistic 
 
 intimacy A number of our musical visitors, with 
 
 Liszt at their head, called on me the other day to hear me 
 play ; they wanted to take the measure of an old-fashioned 
 pianist ; but old-fashioned or not, my relations with Liszt 
 are most cordial, and we know exactly how far we are on 
 common ground ; when we are harnessed together in a 
 duet, we make a very good pair ; Apollo drives us without 
 whip." 
 
 " The crash and din of war have nearly driven out of 
 my head the music of the future. Only last May I wrote 
 my ' Patriotic March,' in which I introduced the Austrian 
 ' Volkslied' and the Prussian air, Liitzkow's ' Wilde Jagd,' 
 dealing first of all with each subject separately, and then 
 cordially interweaving the two together. Alas ! the union 
 of our two leading states seems more hopeless than ever, 
 so I, an old musician, have reckoned without my host. 
 .... Talking of compositions, my dear Clara, I am glad 
 to hear of your zeal and progress in the art of transposing; 
 but do not jump from one thing to another in your attempts 
 at composition. I recommend you always to express some 
 one deiinite thought, be it serious or gay, cheerful or anx- 
 ious ; when you have succeeded in doing this in short 
 pieces, you may venture upon more important ones, in 
 which a succession of dramatic ideas may alternate. Think 
 always of a scene taken from real life, and despise using 
 merely mechanical means for the purpose of producing an 
 effect. The technical power should only serve as a means 
 to heighten the effect of the principal idea, and give it 
 strength and individuality. Your handwriting is much 
 improved, but I have still to set the heads of many of your 
 notes to rights for the sake of distinctness. Avis au lec- 
 teur." "You will be sorry to hear that Rietz is go- 
 ing to leave us and take up his abode in Dresden ; I do 
 not know what we shall do without him. But what say you 
 
3^8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 to — , who is just arrived from Paris ? I asked him if he 
 had ever seen ' Orfeo?' Answer : ' Yes ; it is a sparkling 
 little operetta, and has had a long run.' But I mean the 
 real 'Orfeo.' Answer : 'Never heard of it.' And this too 
 after Madame Viardot has sung it already half a hundred 
 times in Paris. You know how strenuously I have always 
 opposed the 'reviewing' in musical newspapers, to which 
 some pupils have lately devoted themselves, also how very 
 averse Mendelssohn was to the practice. The following 
 poem is grist to our mill. I found it in Gutskow's ' Unter- 
 haltungen am hauslichen Heerd' : — 
 
 DEM ZUKUNFTSMUSIKER VON LUDWIG SEEGER. 
 
 Welch tolle Laune plagt den Mann 
 Beim Handwork nicht 2u bleiben ? 
 Wer singen iind Laute spielen kann, 
 Was braucht der Biicher zu schreiben ? 
 
 Wer zu dera Schwerte greift, der fallt 
 DuTch's Schwert, das mei-k' sich Jeder, 
 Wer durch die Feder sundigt, erhalt 
 Ein Urtheil durch die Feder. 
 
 Die Zukunftsgrillen verscheuche sie. 
 Lass Andre sich kritisch befehden ! 
 Dein ist die That, die Melodic, 
 Die Andern mSgen reden. 
 
 TO THE MUSICIAN OF THE FUTURE. 
 
 BY LUDWIG SEEGER. 
 
 Why, hair-brained Cobbler, leave your last ? 
 Why, Carpenter, your hammer? 
 Ye Singers sing, ye Players play. 
 Why write a Latin Grammar ? 
 
 The Bobadils, who cut and slash. 
 
 Are felled by their pursuers : 
 Acritic brains his brother ; both 
 
 Are " Saturday Reviewers." 
 
 Let others " but offend their lungs 
 
 By talking" loud detraction. 
 Find ye in melody your balm. 
 
 And happiness in action. 
 
VISIT TO PARIS. 
 
 399 
 
 In the summer of i860 Moscheles spent his holidays in 
 Paris. He writes, " The Erards, Cr6mieux, and Madame 
 Viardot overwhelm me with kindness, and seem rather anx- 
 ious to know how the Moscheles of old days adapts himself 
 to the new style of pianoforte-playing. When the people 
 cry me up, I think to myself, ' Rabattez la moitie et march- 
 andez sur le reste.' At my Matinee I translated into cor- 
 rect prose the flowery epithets heaped on me, like bouquets 
 
 on a ballet-dancer For the impending ' Concours du 
 
 Conservatoire' Herz has given my E flat Concerto to the 
 pupils to study, but alas ! in what a broken, fragmentary 
 fashion. Auber, the director, does not allow more than 
 four or five minutes to each pupil for his playing at the 
 ' Concours' ; eight bars, therefore, are taken from the ' tutti' 
 and the half of the first solo jumbled together with the sec- 
 ond half of the third. How is it possible to test by such 
 a process the capabilities of the performer ? I was invited 
 to sit on the jury with Auber, Ambroise Thomas, and oth- 
 ers, but declined ; now I am beset with troops of fair pian- 
 istes about to contend for the prize, who wish me to hear 
 their rendering of my dislocated Concerto. Like jockeys 
 before the race, they all hope to get the first prize, and ask 
 for my protection, as one asks for a vote when canvassing 
 
 for a seat in Parliament I have tried many fine 
 
 pianos at the different warehouses, among others, those of 
 Pleyel ; their quality surprised me, and I am to have an 
 opportunity of further appreciating them, as the firm has 
 most liberally offered to send me one of their finest to Leip- 
 zig. George Pfeiffer, one of the partners, is a first-rate 
 pianist, who has already written very excellent things." 
 On one of the earliest days of his stay in Paris, Moscheles 
 drives over with his son to Passy, to visit Rossini. 
 
 " Felix had been made quite at home in the Villa on 
 former occasions. To me the ' Parterre Salon,' with its 
 rich furniture, was new, and before the Maestro himself ap- 
 peared, we looked at his photograph in a circular porcelain 
 frame, on the sides of which were inscribed the names of 
 his works. The ceiling is covered with pictures illustrating 
 scenes out of Palestrina's and Mozart's lives ; in the middle 
 of the room stands a Pleyel piano. When Rossini came in 
 he gave me the orthodox Italian kiss, and was effusive in 
 
400 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 expressions of delight at my re- appearance, and very com- 
 plimentary on the subject of Felix. In course of our con- 
 versation he was full of hard hitting truths, and brilliant 
 satire on the present study and method of vocalization. ' I 
 don't want to hear- anything more of it,' he said, ' they 
 scream ! All that I want is a resonant, full toned, not a 
 screeching voice, I care not whether it be for speaking or 
 singing ; everything ought to sound melodious. He then 
 spoke of the pleasure he felt in studying the piano ; and ' if 
 it were not presumption' (he added), 'in composing for that 
 instrument; in playing, however, his fourth and fifth fingers 
 would not do their duty properly.' He complains that the 
 piano is, now-a-days, only maltreated. ' They not only 
 thump the piano, but the armchair, and even the floor.' 
 He then talked of the specialties of the different instru- 
 ments, and said that the guitarist Sor, and the mandoline- 
 player, Vimercati, proved the possibility of obtaining great 
 artistic results with slender means. I happened to have 
 heard both these artists, and could quite endorse his views. 
 He told me that, arriving late one evening at a small Ital- 
 ian town, he had already retired to rest when Vimercati, 
 the resident Kapellmeister, sent him an invitation to be 
 present at a performance of one of his operas. In those 
 days he was not yet as hard-hearted as he is now, when he 
 persistently refuses to be present at a performance of his 
 works ; he not only went to the theatre, but played the 
 double bass as a substitute for the right man, who was not 
 forthcoming. This reminded me of what I once experi- 
 enced to my cost at York, when the parts of the tenor and 
 the lowest bassoon for Mozart's Symphony in D Major were 
 missing. On the piano I showed Rossini what the effect 
 was. He laughed heartily, and then asked for a little real 
 music: after 1 had extemporized, he said : 'Is that print- 
 ed ? It is music that flows from the fountain head. There 
 is reservoir water and spring water; the former only runs 
 when you turn the cock, and is always redolent of the vase, 
 the latter always gushes forth fresh and limpid. Now-a- 
 days people confound the simple and the trivial ; a motif 
 of Mozart they would call trivial if they dared.' When we 
 talked of the Leipzig ' Conservatoire,' be was delighted to 
 hear that encouragement was given to the serious study of 
 
SOSSINI. 
 
 40 1 
 
 organ-playing, and lie complained of the decay of Church 
 music in Italy. He was quite enthusiastic on the subject 
 of Marcello's and Palestrina's sublime creations. Before 
 we parted he made me promise to call on him again before 
 the day fixed upon to dine with him. When I next came, 
 Rossini, yielding to my request, but not without modestly ex- 
 pressing diffidence in his own powers, played an Andante 
 in B fiat, beginning somewhat in this style : 
 
 k- 
 
 3: 
 
 dSt 
 
 :^z*z 
 
 
 in which, after the first eight bars, the following interesting 
 modulation was introduced : 
 
 The piece is what we Germans would call tame. He then 
 showed me two manuscript compositions, an Introduction 
 and Fugue in C major, and a sort of pastoral Fantasia, with 
 a brilliant Rondo in A major, which I had to play him. 
 When I added a jjf to the manuscript, he declared ' it was 
 worth gold to him. ' Clara, who was with me, and had al- 
 ready mustered up courage sufficient to sing my ' Friih- 
 lingslied' and ' Botschaft,' to Rossini's satisfaction, was 
 obliged to repeat both songs before the singers Ponchard 
 and Levasseur, who had just stepped in. I accompanied, 
 and in answer to Rossini's observation that I had enough 
 flow of melody to write an opera, rejoined, ' What a pity 
 that I am not young enough to become your pupil ! ' I 
 then had to play from his manuscripts, and that raised me 
 ' to the kingship of pianists.' ' Whatever I am,' I replied, 
 ' is due to the old school, the old master dementi,' and on 
 my mentioning that name, Rossini goes to the piano, and 
 plays by heart fragments out of his Sonatas.' ". . . . 
 
 On other occasions Moscheies phays to the Maestro, 
 who insists on having discovered barricades in the "humor- 
 istic variations," so boldly do they seem to raise the stand- 
 
402 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 ard of musical revolution ; his title of the " Grande Valse," 
 he finds too unassuming. " Surely a waltz with some an- 
 gelic creature must have inspired you, Moscheles, with this 
 composition, and that the title ought to express. Titles, in 
 fact, should pique the curiosity of the public." " A view 
 uncongenial to me," adds Moscheles, " however I did not 
 
 discuss it A dinner at Rossini's is calculated for 
 
 the enjoyment of a ' gourmet,' and he. himself proved to be 
 one, for he went through the very select menu as only a 
 connoisseur would. After dinner he looked through my 
 album of musical autographs with the greatest interest, and 
 finally we became very merry, I producing my musical 
 jokes on the piano, and Felix and Clara figuring in the 
 duet which I had written for her voice, and his imitation of 
 the French horn. Rossini cheered lustily, and so one joke 
 followed another till we received the parting kiss and ' good 
 night.' .... At my next visit, Rossini showed me a 
 charming ' Lied ohne Worte,' which he composed only 
 yesterday ; a graceful melody is embodied in the well- 
 known technical form. Alluding to a performance of 
 ' Serairamide,' he said with a malicious smile, ' I suppose 
 you saw the beautiful decorations in it ? ' He has not re- 
 ceived the Sisters Marchisio for fear they should sing to 
 him, nor has he heard them in the theatre ; he spoke 
 warmly of Pasta, Lablache, Rubini, and others, then he 
 added that I ought not to look with jealousy upon his bud- 
 ding talent as a pianoforte-player, but that, on the con- 
 trary, I should help to establish his teputation as such in 
 Leipzig. He again questioned me with much interest 
 about my intimacy with Cleraenti, and calling me that 
 master's worthy successor, he said he should like to visit 
 me in Leipzig, if it were not for those dreadful railways, 
 which he would never travel by. All this in his bright and 
 lively way, but when we came to discuss Chevet, who 
 wishes to supplant musical notes by ciphers, he maintained 
 in an earnest and dogmatic tone that the system of notation, 
 as it had developed itself since Pope Gregory's time, was 
 sufficient for all musical requirements. He certainly could 
 not withhold some appreciation for Chevet, but refused to 
 endorse the certificate granted by the Institute in his favor ; 
 the system he thought impracticable. 
 
ROSSINI. 
 
 403 
 
 The never-failing stream of conversation flowed on until 
 eleven o'clock, when I was favored with the inevitable kiss, 
 which on this occasion was accompanied by special fare- 
 well blessings. 
 
 Shortly after Moscheles had left Paris, his son forwarded 
 to him most friendly messages from Rossini, and continues 
 thus : " Rossini sends you word that he is working hard at 
 the piano, and when you next come to Paris, you shall find 
 
 him in better practice The conversation turning 
 
 upon German music, I asked him ' which was his favorite 
 among the great masters ? ' Of Beethoven he said : ' I 
 take him twice a week, Haydn four times, and Mozart 
 every day. You will tell me that Beethoven is a Colossus 
 who often gives you a dig in the ribs, while Mozart is al- 
 wa)-s adorable ; it is that the latter had the chance of going 
 very young to Italy, at a time when they still sang well.' 
 Of Weber he says, ' He has talent enough, and to spare' 
 (II a du talent a revendre celui-lii). He told me in refer- 
 ence to him, that when the part of 'Tancred' was sung at 
 Berlin by a bass voice, Weber had written violent articles 
 not only against the management, but against the composer, 
 so that when Weber came to Paris, he did not venture to 
 call on Rossini, who, however let him know that he bore 
 him no grudge for having made these attacks j on receipt 
 of that message Weber called and they became acquainted. 
 
 " I asked him if he had met Byron in Venice ? ' Only 
 in a Restaurant,' was the answer, ' where I was introduced 
 to him; our acquaintance, therefore, was 'very slight; it 
 seems he has spoken of me, but I don't know what he 
 says.' I translated for him in a somewhat milder form, By- 
 ron's words, which happened to be fresh in my memory : 
 'They have been crucifying Othello into an Opera, the 
 music good but lugubrious, but, as for the words, all the 
 real scenes with lago cut out, and the greatest nonsense 
 instead, the handkerchief turned into a billet-doux, and the 
 first singer would not black his face— singing, dresses, and 
 music very good.' The Maestro regretted his ignorance of 
 the English language, and said, ' In my day I gave much 
 time to the study of our Italian literature. Dante is the 
 man I owe most to ; he taught me more music than all 
 ray music-masters put together, and when I wrote my 
 
404 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 Otello' I would introduce those lines of Dante — you know 
 — the song of the Gondolier. My librettist would have it 
 that gondoliers never sang Dante, and but rarely' Tasso, 
 but I answered him, ' I know all about that better than 
 you, for I have lived in Venice, and you haven't. Dante I 
 must and will have.' From the sublime to the ridiculous, 
 we came to discuss my drawing of the Sisters Marchisio, 
 and Rossini showed me the title-page of the duet out of 
 ' Semiramide,' on which they are represented. He has at 
 last condescended to receive them ; they have .sung to him, 
 more than that, he has written a piece for them, and I am 
 soon to meet them at his house. Rossini has in the kind- 
 est way composed a piece expressly for my imitation of the 
 French horn, and written it into my album ; it is exactly 
 adapted to my voice, or rather to my blowing powers. 
 Above is this inscription : 
 
 " Theme of Rossini, followed by two variations and Coda 
 by Moscheles pire," offered to my young friend Felix Mos- 
 clieles. 
 
 "G. Rossini, Eassy, 20th August, i860." 
 
 On receipt of a copy of this piece, which was forwarded 
 to Moscheles, he at once carried out Rossini's suggestion, 
 and after writing the ' Two Variations and Coda,' asked the 
 Maestro's permission to dedicate to him the work in the 
 amended form. The following answer was received : — 
 
 " Paris, Passy, 186 1. 
 
 ' MoN Maitre (de Piano) et Ami, — 
 
 " Permettez moi de vous remercier de voire aimablelet- 
 tre. Rien ne pouvait ni ne devait m'^tre plus agreable, plus 
 flatteur, qu'une dedicace de vous. Ce tumoignage de votre 
 affection est d'un prix inestimable a, mes yeux, je vous en 
 remercie avec toute la chaleur qui me reste, et qui n'a 
 point encore glace mon vieux ccEur. 
 
 " Vous me demandez I'autorisation de faire graver le 
 petit thume que j'ai note pour votre cher fils ; — elle vous 
 est accordee. Rien de plus honorable, -cher ami, que d'as- 
 socier mon nom au votre dans cette petite publication, mais, 
 helas ! quel est le role que vous me faites jouer en si glorieux 
 mariage ? Celui du compositeur vous octroyant a vous, le 
 
MOSCHELES' REPLY. 
 
 405 
 
 grande patriarche, Texclusif du pianiste. Pourquoi ne vou- 
 lez-vous done pas m'adraettre dans la grande famille un de 
 plus, hein ! quoique je me sois place tres modestement (mais 
 non sans vive peine) dans la categorie de pianiste de 4^™8 
 classe ? Voulez-vous done, cher Moseheles, me faire mourir 
 de chagrin ? 
 
 " Vous y reussirez, vous autres grands pianistes, en me 
 traitant en Paria, oui, vous serez responsables, devant Dieu 
 et devant les hommes, de ma mort. 
 
 " Veuillez me rappeler au souvenir de Mme. etdeschers 
 enfants, en agreant pour vous I'affeetion sincere de voire 
 ami de cceur, 
 
 "G. Rossini."* 
 
 Here is an extract from Moseheles' reply : " Mon cher 
 Maitre ! Savez-vous quel est mon numero favori ? C'est le 
 numero 4 ; nous lui devons I'harmonie la plus parfaite ; 4 
 voix humaines, les quatre instruments du Quatuor, le pian- 
 iste enfin de 4^™® classe, qui en lui seul reprcsente I'harmonie 
 de toutes les voix et de tous les instruments. N'allez pas 
 me dire, cher Maitre, que vous detestez le m6me num6ro 4, 
 
 * Paris, Passy, 1861. 
 My Master(of Piano) and Friend, — 
 
 Permit me to thank you for your charming letter. Nothing could 
 or would be more agreeable to me, or more flattering, than a dedication 
 from you. This testimony of your affection is of inestimable value in 
 my eyes ; I thank you for it with all the warmth that remains in me, 
 and which has not yet frozen my old heart. 
 
 You ask me for authority to print the little melody which I have 
 written for your dear son — it is granted. Nothing could do me more 
 honor, dear friend, than to associate my name with yours in this little 
 publication, but alas ! what is the part you make me play in so glorious 
 a marriage? That of the composer making over to you a monopoly of 
 the titles : " Grand Patriarch and Ma.ster of Pianoforte playing." Why 
 on earth will you not admit me one member more in the great family, 
 although I have placed myself very modestly (but not without infinite 
 pains) in the category of pianists of the 4th class ? Or do you mean, 
 my dear Moseheles, to make me die of vexation i 
 
 That's what you will accomplish, all you great pianists, by treating 
 me as a Pariah ; yes, you will be responsible before God and man for 
 my death. 
 
 My kindest remembrances to Madame and the dear children, and 
 believe me in all sincerity your aifectionate friend, 
 
 G. Rossini. 
 
4o6 KECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 puisque c'est la 4^™ lettre que je vous §cris depuis peu 
 puisque c'est le 4^™" protege que j'autorise ^ frapper a 
 votre porte hospitalifere." * . . . . 
 
 On his return to Leipzig, Moscheles says : " Reinecke 
 has just entered on his duties as Director of the Gewand- 
 haus Concerts, and begins well by inaugurating his reign 
 with a programme in which the music of the old masters is 
 conspicuous." The Musical Society of London sends a 
 complimentary letter enclosing Moscheles a diploma of 
 honorary membership. He composes a Toccata in F sharp 
 minor for the Mozart album, a two part Christmas song, and 
 observes in a letter to a friend : " I should write music on a 
 larger scale for my instrument, were it not that I am con- 
 vinced that people now-a-days will not care to play such com- 
 positions. Only Beethoven's, Mendelssohn's, Schumann's, 
 and Chopin's Concertos are now the fashion, Mozart and 
 Hummel are completely ignored. Of my eight Concertos, 
 that in G minor is becoming every day a greater rarity as 
 an item in programmes. I flatter myself that my ' Character- 
 istic Studies,' my ' Grande Valse,' and some of my other 
 compositions, might hold their own as Bravura pieces, that 
 my ' Nursery Tale ' and my Study in A.flat could sing in 
 competition with the modern Notturnos ; but not one of my 
 colleagues plays them in public. I no longer appear at con- 
 certs, and — to speak with Byron — ' I still hold myself too 
 good for the sexton of authorship, the trunkmaker.' Should 
 the rats and mice want such food to gnaw, it shall not b^ 
 music of mine as long as I am alive. Consequently, at in- 
 tervals, I compose a piece for a charity concert, or write 
 Lieder and smaller pieces for home use for the granachil- 
 dren. I indulge myself in this kind of desultory work, not 
 from loss of power, but from a feeling of pride. The old 
 year (i860) is waning, but let me whisper into your ears 
 this my musical confession." 
 
 * My dear Master, — Do you know what is my favorite number ? 
 It is number four ; we owe to it the most perfect harmony, the four hu- 
 man voices, the four instruments of the quartet, and though last, not 
 least, the pianist of the fourth class, who in himself represents the har- 
 mony of all voices and all instruments. Do not tell me, dear Master, 
 that you detest that same number four, since it is the fourth letter that 
 I have recently written to you, since it is the fourth protege that I au- 
 thorize to knock at your hospitable door. 
 
CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 1861 — 1870. 
 
 Ovation to Concertmeister David — Sebastian Bach's Preludes — Visit to 
 London — Mazzini — The Goldschmidts — Modern Music — Gounod's 
 " Faust" — A Musical Treasure — Kcimer — Anniversary of the Bat- 
 tle of Leipzig — War between Austria and Prussia — Handel Festi- 
 val in London — ^Wagner's " Meistersanger" — Visit to Belgrade 
 — Illness — Strange Dream — Death of Moscheles. 
 
 A WELL merited ovation was given to Concertmeister 
 David, on the 25th anniversary of his appointment at 
 the Leipzig Conservatoire, and the members of the Ge- 
 wandhaus joined with his pupils and friends to do him hon- 
 or on the auspicious occasion. " When I congratulated 
 him," writes Moscheles, " he showed me the letter in which 
 Felix Mendelssohn oifered him the post of Concertmeister ; 
 this, like everything from his pen, is charming both in feel- 
 ing and expression. Surely his letters breathe as noble a 
 spirit as his works, and how his youthful artistic spirit 
 seems to brighten and expand under the genial influence of 
 his first experiences of Italy ! He enjoys everything doub- 
 ly, keenly alive as he is to the beauties of the sunny south, 
 and grateful for the parental sanction at last vouchsafed 
 to his plans of travel. What a sensation these ' Reise- 
 briefe' will create. I should like to give them the title : 
 ' School for the artist and man.' 
 
 "My pupils, Dannreuther, Lienau, and Miss Schiller 
 give me great delight, the Trial Concerts came off brilliant- 
 ly ; Sullivan's music to Shakespeare's 'Tempest' sounded 
 fresh and clear, and the composer was, as he deserved to 
 be, unanimously called forward at the end. ... I cannot 
 approve of the ' broderies' in Liszt's arrangement of the 
 Mendelssohn ' Midsummer Night's Dream,' they are about 
 as much in keeping as a crinoline would be on the Venus 
 of Milo At David's I saw six or eight MS. Quar- 
 
4oS RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 tets and Quintets by Beethoven ; they belong to Paul Men- 
 delssohn, who lent them to David to edit for Breitkopf 
 and Hiirtel ; they contain a precious mine of inspiration, 
 even in the erased passages or single notes." 
 
 It was in this year (1861) that Moscheles became ac- 
 quainted with Gounod's Violoncello Obligato to the first 
 of Sebastian Bach's famous " Forty-eight Preludes." The 
 idea, so happily treated in this instance, suggested to him 
 the setting of some of the other " Preludes" with melodies 
 for the violoncello ; these were subsequently re-arranged 
 with increased effect for two pianos. This work was to 
 Moscheles a labor of love, although he was severely cen- 
 sured by some pianists, who questioned the propriety of 
 making additions to Bach ; the majority however of ama- 
 teurs and art-judges were charmed with the orchestral 
 effects and the contrapuntal treatment of these composi- 
 tions. 
 
 Moscheles thus states his own opinion : "I am praised 
 or soundly rated for my setting of these 'Preludes,' but pos- 
 sibly my Melodies may promote the study of these works 
 among students, who, in the absence of the accompani- 
 ments, would find them dry and unattractive. If so, shall I 
 be perfectly satisfied ; a deeper insight into Bach's works 
 cannot fail to further the progress of art. Awhile setting 
 these melodies, I am in the same position as our romance 
 writers, who can ventilate an important question of the day 
 more effectively in some fictitious disguise than in a dry 
 treatise." 
 
 During the season of 1861, Moscheles once more visits 
 London, and, yielding to the persuasions of his old friends, 
 the Directors of the Philharmonic Society, agrees to play 
 at one of their concerts, giving them to understand that he 
 wished to do so .as a friend, and not as a professional. He 
 had not appeared before the English public for fifteen 
 years, and observing an anxious look on his wife's face as 
 she came into the room on the evening of the Concert, he 
 cheered her up with the words : " Surely you feel no mis- 
 givings : I intend to play like my former self, and do you 
 honor. At the rehearsal, no doubt, I was rather upset by 
 their affectionate demonstrations, but to-night no amount 
 of fiddle-bow rapping, or the like, shall unnerve me, so pray 
 
VISIT TO LONDO.V. 409 
 
 do not distress yourself." He was as good as his word. 
 Tlie storm of cheers and waving of handkerchiefs, when he 
 appeared, only served to animate him, and he played so 
 finely that his friends eagerly congratulated him on a per- 
 formance quite on a level with those of his best days. 
 
 Notwithstanding the busy life Moscheles led during his 
 stay in London, surrounded as he was by a host of friends, 
 with claims on his time and attention, he found leisure for 
 keeping up his correspondence, a duty at all times pleasant 
 to him. ..." In answer to a question about Beethoven's 
 sentiments on the subject of religion, I am under the im- 
 pression that he was a Catholic, but a free-thinker at the 
 same lime. Of his piety I have no doubt, for his music 
 speaks to the hearts of all nations, just as the sacred works 
 of a Bach, a Mozart, or Mendelssohn do. Talking of free- 
 thinkers, let me tell you of my acquaintance with Mazzini. 
 Felix is painting a portrait of him, and so I have plenty of 
 opportunities of meeting him. I had formed an utterly 
 mistaken idea in my estimate of one whom I had always 
 heard cried down as a conspirator ; he seems to me agree- 
 able and unassuming ; his conversation even on the subject 
 of politics is mild and apparently inoffensive ; he is keenly 
 interested in the subject of music. As a proof of this, I 
 may tell you that his guitar is his inseparable companion, 
 even in his hiding-places, and Meyerbeer is his favorite 
 composer. Cavour's death, Garibaldi's illness, the quasi 
 imprisonment of the Pope — on all these matters he dis- 
 courses, and ends invariably with an observation of this 
 kind : 'Providence is sure to do all for -the best' He lives 
 in rooms of the plainest description, in Onslow Terrace, 
 and goes by the name of 'Ernesti;' everything about him 
 savors of Republicanism ; the only luxury he seems to in- 
 dulge in is that of smoking ci'gars ad libitum. From Maz- 
 zini's rooms to Argyle Lodge, where the Goldschmidts re- 
 side, is rather a leap ; elegance and comfort rule here ; 
 there is no oppressive luxury, and one feels quite at home. 
 And then the music. With Otto Goldschmidt I played my 
 ' Hommage k Handel,' and that too without having in any 
 way to sacrifice my artistic convictions ; on the contrary I 
 felt that I was understood, and joined by him in my con- 
 ceptions. We also played the Bach Preludes, and he 
 i3 
 
4IO RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 warmly expressed his approval of the idea and its execu- 
 tion. Madame Goldschmidt's voice is as fine as ever ; if 
 anything could enhance the pleasure her singing gives me, 
 it would be to hear her, as I did the other day, in her own 
 drawing-room. I reminded her of her last appearance at 
 the Gewandhaus Concert, when she electrified us with a 
 certain Cadenza, which recurs three times in one of Chop- 
 in's Mazurkas : 
 
 if: 1^' 3S: 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
 -* — i- 
 
 Vi^ I \ --^ I 
 
 i 
 
 s ^^f rnffs j^ 
 
 EEEE^E^ 
 
 " I know many think me old-fashioned, but the more 1 
 consider the tendency of modern taste, and the abrupt and 
 glaring contrasts indulged in by many composers of the 
 present day, the more strenuously will I uphold that which 
 •I know to be sound art, and side with those who can ap- 
 preciate a Haydn's playfiilness, a Mozart's Cantilena, and 
 a Beethoven's surpassing grandeur. What antidotes have 
 we here for all these morbid moanings and overwrought 
 effects ! When I hear one of old Sebastian Bach's glorious 
 fugues in the midst of all these fantasias, I accept it as a 
 kind of musical peace-offering ; not that I am completely 
 reconciled, for it is usually taken 'Prestissimo.' Here as 
 elsewhere I miss the right 'Tempi,' and look in vain for 
 the traditions of my youth. That tearing speed which 
 sweeps away many a little note ; that spinning out of an 
 Andante until it becomes an Adagio, an 'Andante con 
 moto,' in which there is no 'moto' at all, an 'Allegro co- 
 modo ' which is anything but comfortable — all such anom- 
 alies mar my enjoyment. 
 
 "At Boulogne, the other evening, a pianoforte-player 
 brought me a Notturno of so restless a description that it 
 threatened to disturb my nocturnal rest ; he calls it too 
 learned for Paris, I call it not learned enough for Germany. 
 
GOUNOD'S " FA UST.' 
 
 411 
 
 I gladly allow that he and his colleagues have a special 
 aptitude for transferring the melodious Italian element to 
 pianoforte pieces, but such music becomes very wearisome 
 to the genume musician, and can only be tolerated by those 
 whose ears and feelings are accustomed to the ' dolce far 
 niente.' When he told me he thought the German music 
 was too dry and learned, I played him scraps from Mozart, 
 Beethoven and Mendelssohn ; there I had him. At last 
 he said, ' But those were men of genius,' to which I replied, 
 ' No doubt, and only men of genius ought to compose ; oth- 
 ers should study the great masters until a portion of their 
 spirit falls upon them.' 
 
 " In Gounod I hail a real composer. I have heard his 
 'Faust' both at Leipzig and Dresden, and am charmed 
 with that refined piquant music. Critics may rave, if they 
 like, against the mutilation of Goethe's masterpiece, the 
 Opera is sure to attract, for it is a fresh, interesting work, 
 with a copious flow of melody and lovely instrumentation." 
 
 In the summer of 1863, Moscheles and his family were 
 at Loschwitz, and found an interesting neighbor in Kapell- 
 meister Dorn, who happened to be the possessor of Mozart's 
 original score of the opera of " Figaro," which was ultimate- 
 ly purchased by the firm of Simrock for the sum of 800 
 dialers. " He told me that the father of a Mr. Schurig, a 
 music-master in Dresden, had bought this treasure from a 
 wandering operatic company for a mere trifle, and that it 
 had been bequeathed to the son in the ordinary way." 
 There before my eyes were the immortal notes, thrown 
 down off hand upon score-paper with fourteen lines, the 
 Italian text and Recitatives in Mozart's handwriting, the 
 German translation written in by another hand. I longed 
 to be wealthy enough to buy this jewel at the high price 
 put upon it by its present possessor. The pianoforte edi- 
 tion (Simrock's) occasionally differs from the original, as, 
 for instance, in the Cavatina of the page " Non so pill." 
 Curiously enough, I. have just nOw had in my hands the 
 manuscript of another immortal work, the autograph score 
 of the ' Zauberflote ' which Andre showed me forty years 
 ago in Off'enbach. Count Baudissin asks me to examine 
 it, and vouch for its authenticity to Count Ratzan, who is 
 in treaty for purchasing this treasure. Every bar of the 
 
412 
 
 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 music is evidence of the divine inspiration and truth of 
 Mozart ; the alterations are very interesting ; two bars of 
 solo in the overture are erased, and in the duet, ' Bei Man- 
 nern,' the Tempo is changed from 6-8 to 3-8." 
 
 Of Moscheles' scrupulous conscientiousness in editing 
 the works of great musicians, we have had many proofs in 
 the course of this narrative ; the house of Peters was in- 
 debted to him for the loan of a manuscript copy of Bach's 
 Prelude and Fugue in C, as well as that of the Trio in A 
 minor, by the same master, so anxious was the owner of 
 the" autograph that the public should have correct versions 
 of the best works. His knowledge of Beethoven's music 
 was extraordinarily accurate ; we read in the diary : " Beet- 
 hoven's Quintet was played the other day in the Gewand- 
 haus ; in this passage 
 
 I 
 
 12^ 
 
 & 
 
 ^^ 
 
 -?-^ 
 
 I heard an intercalated note, which was strange to me ; thus — 
 
 P 
 
 km^ 
 
 -?-?- 
 
 L examined the original score, and found that Beethoven 
 added this quaver for the violoncello." 
 
 His powers of musical analysis were occasionally put to 
 the test in a less agreeable way. He writes on the 26th of 
 August: " Of course the KOrner Festival interests me ; it 
 not only ap])eals to my patriotic feelings, but reminds me 
 of my intercourse with Korner in old Vienna days. I knew 
 him when he was writing his drama ' Toni,' for Fraulein 
 Adamberger. To-day all the Guilds turned oiit, and I fol- 
 lowed the procession as far as the Japanese Palace, where 
 I heard festival songs, festival speeches, and afterwards 
 the anything but festival hodge-podge made by bands of 
 music as they marched away and interlaced each other's 
 
FETi. AT LEIPZIG. 
 
 413 
 
 tune in the following edifying fashion, waves of sound cross- 
 ing one another thus — 
 
 i 
 
 :tt 
 
 m 
 
 ±f= 
 
 a 
 
 ff 
 
 I ri 
 
 %i^^\^^=4=^^=^^^ 
 
 ^iA 
 
 i9c: 
 
 tr 
 
 i 
 
 fc 
 
 =e 
 
 i*-^g- 
 
 m 
 
 tfe.^ 
 
 I was utterly distracted, and pushed ray way through dust 
 and throngs of people back to the Altstadt." . . . 
 
 Moscheles alludes to the celebration at Leipzig of the 
 fiftieth anniversary of the great battle : " Fortunately we 
 had the best of weather for our fete ; all our veterans who 
 had served in the battle were handsomely entertained in 
 private houses ; two old Griitz artillery-men were quartered 
 on us, and uncommonly jovial they were. The procession 
 was really a very pretty and touching sight, for each old 
 soldier was attended in his march through the streets by a 
 ybung girl dressed in white, who walked by his side : spring 
 
414 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 and winter contrasted beautifully. As the procession came 
 under our windows, the Pauliner and other musical societies 
 did me the honor of waving their flags and calling me out to 
 receive their greetings. Everything was admirably man- 
 aged, the music in the market-place, the torch-procession, 
 
 illuminations, etc Talking of ' veterans,' I suppose I 
 
 may speak of my fingers; I do not allow them to take it 
 easy, but set them their daily task of difficult passages and 
 scale-gymnastics. I thoroughly believe in Riehl's words : 
 ' A man of fifty years of age, who allows his physical and 
 mental energies to slacken, is sixty within a couple of years ; 
 a man of seventy, who by dint of healthy energetic work has 
 aspired to retain all his youthful vigor, is a man in his best 
 years.' And yet, continues Moscheles, ' I am at issue with 
 him in that part of his excellent letter where he deals v/ith 
 the subject of the Musical Education of the people, since 
 he would have the violin taught before the piano. Organ 
 and piano offer the best opportunity for an understanding 
 of the relations of tones and connection of harmonies j and 
 therefore I think they should be studied first of all." 
 
 Moscheles, on the happy occasion of the marriage of his 
 third daughter, Clara, to the advocate. Dr. Adolar Gerhard, 
 was the very embodiment of Riehl's "ideal man of seventy," 
 for he was radiant with happiness, and took an active part 
 in the festive proceedings. Dr. Gerhard had inherited his 
 father's gift for poetry, and some of his verses suggested to 
 Moscheles the melodies of two charming Lieder. 
 
 In the summer of 1866 Moscheles was in London. 
 Two years previously he had been painfully interested by 
 the Schleswig-Holstein question ; now the absorbing topic 
 of the day was the war between Austria and Prussia. " I 
 will not, [ cannot believe, in Germans wishing to take up 
 arms against Germans." The occupation of Leipzig by the 
 Prussians soon undeceived him, and the dreadful miseries 
 that followed prompted him to join with Madame Jenny 
 Lind-Goldschmidt in giving a concert for the wounded 
 soldiers. ''For such a purpose I am glad once more to play 
 in public, and will cheerfully put up with hearing myself 
 called old-fashioned, if I, a venerable curiosity, can earn a 
 good harvest of guineas for others. What I could afford 
 out of my own purse is too little for these thousands of 
 
THE " FAMILIENLEBEN." 
 
 415 
 
 unfortunate beings. Therefore — Art versus War — and let 
 us see if she, the peaceful one, cannot make head against 
 the destroyer. Let us have harmonies, not the din of bat- 
 tle." Moscheles handed over his half of the proceeds, 1400 
 thalers, to the Fund for the sufferers by the war. 
 
 " We were present at Mrs. Schwabe's, who gave a 
 farewell dinner to the poet Freiligrath. Our great musical 
 episode was the Handel Festival in the Crystal Palace ; 
 Costa steered his ship very cleverly through the giant rocks 
 of this locality, and Titiens, with her colossal voice, sang 
 splendidly ; the effect at times of the double choruses was 
 so thrilling that I thought to myself, 'Fancy old Handel 
 standing and conducting his gigantic works in this gigantic 
 place !" 
 
 After all the excitement of a London season, Moscheles 
 rejoiced to find himself at the sea side, where, surrounded by 
 his grandchildren, and under the influence of that bright 
 and sunny picture of happy childhood, he composes the 
 " Familienleben !" " These small pieces for four hands are 
 intended as a bequest to the grandchildren ; to my own, first 
 of all — after them, to all my grandchildren in art, Who, I hope 
 wUl find amusement in them. Each piece depicts some inci- 
 dent gathered from the little world of children, some story they 
 may listen to with pleasure ; and if, while learning to play 
 these pieces, their little minds are active, or their miniature 
 feelings awakened, they will be learning to play well." At 
 a later period he added to the twelve numbers of the Famil- 
 ienleben" three others: "The Little Prattlers," "Grand- 
 mamma's Night Thoughts at the Spinning-Wheel," and 
 "The Boy on his Rocking-Horse." Moscheles' playing 
 would often attract a grateful crowd of rustics, who stood 
 outside and listened by the window, and one evening the 
 grandchildren were greatly impressed by the spectacle of a 
 working-man, who, after mounting the shoulders of his com- 
 panion and peering in at the window, called out in a sten- 
 torian voice: "God grant that gentleman for a long time 
 the use of his hands." 
 
 At this time Felix painted his father's portrait, an en- 
 graving of which forms the frontispiece of the present work, 
 and certainly no more favorable moment could have been 
 chosen to do justice to the original. Moscheles both men- 
 
4i6 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 tally and physically was at his best, and enlivened the hours 
 of sitting by conversation on the points of comparison be- 
 tween the sister arts ; this was always a favorite topic with 
 him. 
 
 Moscheles spent his seventy-third birthday at Leipzig, 
 and records that anniversary in language of simple truth 
 and gratitude : " How can I reckon up this great number 
 of years without thanking the Almighty for His having 
 guided me so far under His protection, and that too by the 
 side of my loving and beloved wife ! Old age is something 
 of everyday occurrence, but to be old and to feel at the same 
 time young and susceptible of all the enjoyments of life, is a 
 consciousness rarely bestowed." .... 
 
 The letters as well as the diary of this year testify to 
 Moscheles' full capacity of musical enjoyment. On two oc- 
 casions he goes to Dresden ; on the first he hears a per- 
 formance of Franz von Holstein's opera, " Der Haides- 
 chact ; " on the second, Wagner's " Meistersanger" is the 
 attraction. Of the former be says : " I was very much 
 pleased with this music, after playing it on the piano from 
 a copy of the score ; the orchestral performance has com- 
 pletely justified all the hopes raised in ray mind by that first 
 examination. The music is flowing and melodious, the in- 
 strumentation effective, and there is abundance of dramatic 
 force ; the artists, one and all, sang ' con amore' — nay, with 
 positive enthusiasm. I think this composer has a great fu- 
 ture before him." With regard to Wagner's " Meistersang- 
 er," he writes : " I find more unity in this opera than in 
 Wagner's earlier works for the stage, although the compos- 
 er's views of the relation between orchestra and singers are 
 here, as everywhere in his music, peculiar — the singers with 
 long declamatory recitatives, and often 'parlando,' have to 
 struggle, as best they can, with overwrought orchestral mod- 
 ulations and effects. I thought 1 caught some echoes of 
 ' Don Juan,' in that scene where Lerporello in a minuet 
 rhythm invites the ' maschere' to the ball. Next day 
 Rietz and I had a long conversation on the subject of the 
 eccentricities, as well as the undeniably great qualities, of 
 the ' Meistersanger ; ' we examined the printed score too, 
 and admired the well-calculated instrumental effects. The 
 old-fashioned lute, used by Beckmesser in the Serenade, 
 
VISIT TO BELGRADE. 
 
 417 
 
 was effectively represented by a small harp with metal 
 instead of the ordinary strings ; the effect certainly was very 
 good." 
 
 So little had old age begun to tell on Moscheles, that he 
 fearlessly set out on so distant a journey as to Hungary and 
 Servia, on a visit to his daughter Serena, whose husbaiid 
 (Dr. Rosen) had been appointed by the Prussian Govern- 
 ment Consul General at Belgrade. From the latter place 
 Moscheles writes: " We . certainly move here in European 
 society, and indulge in European music ; on the other hand, 
 our surroundings are rather strange and primitive. We 
 have seen the park of Topschidere, where the Prince Michael 
 was insidiously murdered ; the market place with people in 
 their national costumes, the Turkish quarter, with Prince 
 Eugene's half-ruined palace, and the gipsies' street, with its 
 squalid, half-naked denizens. Servian tailors, weavers, and 
 shoemakers pursue their trade in open stalls ; there is a 
 brisk demand for frippery and second-hand goods of all 
 kinds. Behind a clump of faded oleander trees, you can see 
 people munching fruits, vegetables, and meat, and washing 
 it all down with ' Slibowitz,' their favorite beverage 
 
 " The other day we saw a Servian wedding procession. 
 I counted twenty open caliches, all the occupants were 
 dressed in different colored costumes, even the horses were 
 decorated with ornamental cloths, part of the wedding pres- 
 ents made to the newly-married couple." 
 
 Moscheles, on his return from Belgrade, visits some old 
 friends at Pesth, where a complimentary banquet is given 
 in his honor. At the theatre he was received with an or- 
 chestral flourish, by way of prelude to the overture of the 
 national opera " Hunyady," and a performance of that 
 most graceful and charming of all national dances, the 
 " Csardas." 
 
 On his return to Leipzig, Moscheles writes : " I have 
 indeed, cause to be thankful, as I look back upon the inci- 
 dents of my journey. I have travelled many a mile to meet 
 with those dear to me. I have enjoyed art and nature with 
 them, seen a country new and interesting to me, have met 
 with the kindest reception by art brothers and friends, and 
 now I return home hale and hearty." 
 
 This he wrote at the beginning of August ; yet when, in 
 18* 
 
41 8 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 the following October, his four children were once more 
 assembled in Leipzig on a visit to their parents, they ob- 
 served with apprehension symptoms of debility, which, as 
 being so unusual with their father, gave rise in their minds 
 to anxious forebodings. In November he suffered much 
 from want of sleep, and it was not until the following month 
 that the skill of his friends. Professors Reclam and Wagner, 
 gave him any relief. What his friends were to him and his 
 wife, during that sad time, cannot be told in words. May 
 they all, on reading these pages, feel that the poor but im- 
 perfect tribute to their sympathy comes from the heart of 
 her who writes them ! Under the date of the 6th of Decem- 
 ber we find these few bars of music with a motto over them, 
 both in his handwriting : 
 
 " Auflosung ist das Ziel unseres irdischen Lebens." 
 (" Dissolution is the goal of our earthly life.") 
 
 Tempo ad liMtnm. 
 
 i 
 
 m'-^-- 
 
 ^ 
 
 fl-y- 
 
 ig j j i- 
 
 -^-j- 
 
 r 
 
 ^1 
 
 ill 
 
 ^ "jg — ^1 ~^ 
 
 -^-^ 
 
 -^1- 
 
 i 
 
 -SKZ- 
 
 SH^ 
 
 -ig— gfe 
 
 PE^ 
 
 321 
 
 f-^ 
 
 dim. 
 
 
 zsz 
 
 zsz 
 
 ^ 
 
 i: 
 
 On the Sth December, 1869 : For my diary : 
 " In my feverish restlessness and wretchedness last 
 night, I could not get out of my head Mendelssohn's Ca- 
 priccio (in A minor, op. 33, No. i) ; from the first to the 
 last bar it exactly expresses my condition. That faultless 
 piece has, however, one awkward passage which did not 
 
DREAM ABOUT BEETHOVEN. 
 
 419 
 
 escape me, awkward when judged by the strictly orthodox 
 laws of harmony ; it is the sequence of the 263d bar to the 
 next." 
 
 :^= 
 
 -e>- 
 
 =37- 
 
 #— 1*- 
 
 u 
 
 *£ 
 
 etc. 
 
 £^ 
 
 On Tuesday, the 20th of December, 1869, he writes in 
 the diary : " Towards morning, after a restless, almost 
 sleepless night, I had the following highly exciting dream. 
 I chanced to hear (I wonder where?) that, since the day of 
 Beethoven's death in Vienna, a couple of old servants were 
 in charge of the room in which he died, and declared that, 
 on each anniversary of Beethoven's birthday, he could be 
 conjured up to appear in bodily form, but only to those 
 with whom he had been personally acquainted in his life- 
 time. The watchers had had printed a description of his 
 last moments, and sold it to any one for a few kreutzers. 
 I must go there (I said to myself,) and told Charlotte what 
 I proposed doing. She eagerly caught at the idea, and 
 begged and prayed I would take her with me. I was much 
 embarrassed, and explained to her that such a thing was 
 impossible, as she had not known Beethoven personally. 
 She would not be put off, and begged hard I would allow 
 her at least to see the manes of the great departed ; surely 
 I could make him understand that my wife ought to be 
 pardoned this act of indiscretion. After much hesitation 
 I consented ! On the appointed day we came to Vienna, 
 and demanded admission to the room. We sat upon the 
 bed in which Beethoven had pronounced his last words, 
 ' Plaudite, amici, comoedia finita est.' The servants made 
 some mysterious movements with their hands, and soon 
 afterwards Beethoven, in bodily form, arose slowly like a 
 statue of white marble, the body draped in classical Gre- 
 cian folds. The apparition came near, and stretched out 
 
420 RECENT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. 
 
 its cold hands towards me ; I clasped them immediately 
 and kissed them. Beethoven turned his head towards me 
 in a kindly way, as if he wanted to ask me questions ; I 
 intimated to him by signs that he could not hear my 
 answers. He shook his head sorrowfully, withdrew his 
 hands from mine, and vanished into the upper air — then I 
 awoke." 
 
 "December 31st, 1869. — My thoughts were turned to- 
 wards the Creator, who, after my long and laborious career, 
 has brought me to the winter of my existence, and tended 
 by my faithful Charlotte, linked by the chain of love to all 
 my family, I find, although an invalid, quiet and comfort. 
 With these words I take leave of the year 1869 — Finis." 
 
 In January and February he rallies sufficiently to be 
 able to enjoy music. " It was a great undertaking," he 
 says, " but I have at last realized my desire to hear Cheru- 
 bini's ' Medea,' with Franz Lachner's Recitatives, but the 
 intense interest with which I followed every note was too 
 much for me." A few days later he gives words of counsel 
 and encouragement to the youthful Emma Brandes,_whose 
 musical endowments had a special charm for him, as being 
 in harmony with his own art-creed. When she had played 
 to him, he sat down to the piano to show her his rendering 
 of the " Concert Fantastique," but as he wrote afterwards, 
 " I could only play it "Mezza voce.' " 
 
 The ist of March, 1870, was the forty-fifth anniversary 
 of his wedding-day, and Moscheles, making every effort to 
 take part in the home fete, played, with his daughter and 
 two friends, an overture to " Der Freyschutz," for four per- 
 formers. The day afterwards, although he was palpably 
 unfit for any physical exertion, he insisted on going to the 
 Gewandhaus Rehearsal. This was to be his last effort. 
 
 In his last illness, Moscheles, the best of fathers, hus- 
 bands, sons, and friends, faced death with calm confidence, 
 and retained his cheerfulness unto the last moment of his 
 life. On the loth of March, 1870, when the angel of death 
 hovered over the sick man's chamber, Moscheles still had 
 an affectionate smile of recognition for the dear ones around 
 him. His faith failed not when the hour of departure was 
 at hand, and he died, as he had lived, in peace, and in the 
 fear and love of God. 
 
A COMPLETE CATALOGUE 
 
 OF COMPOSITIONS 
 
 BY I. MOSCHELES. 
 
 A. — Compositions marked with the Number of the Work. 
 
 Op. I. Variations on a Theme from Mehul's Opera, " Una Folie." 
 
 For Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 Op. 2. Ten Variations on a Favorite Air from the Opera, " Der 
 
 Dorf Barbier." For the Piano. Vienna: Haslinger. 
 Op. 3. Polonaise for the Piano. Leipzig: Hofmeister. 
 Op. 4. New Sonatine, easy and popular. For the Piano. Vienna ; 
 
 Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 5 . Favorite Air, by Weigl, " Wer liSrte wohl," with Variations. 
 
 For the Piano. Vienna : Spina. 
 Op. 6. Variations for the Piano, on an Austrian National Air. 
 
 Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 7. Variations on a Cavatina from the Opera, " Trajano in 
 
 Dacia." Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 8. Ten Waltzes for the Pianoforte. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 9. Five German Dances for the Pianoforte. Vienna : Spina. 
 Op. 10. Triumphal March, with two Trios, for four hands on the 
 
 Pianoforte. Vienna : Spina. 
 Op. II. Two Rondos for the Piano, on Themes introduced in the 
 
 Ballet, " Les Portraits." Leipzig : Kistner. 
 Op. 12. Introduction and Rondo, for the Piano, on a Venetian 
 
 Barcarolle. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 Op. 13. Fantasie Heroique. For the Piano. Vienna : Spina. — New 
 
 Edition. Leipzig : Hofmeisten 
 Op. 14. Rondo Brilliante. For the Piano. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 15. Variations, for the Piano, on a Theme from the Opera, ".The 
 
 Oculist." Vienna : Spina. 
 Op. 16. Three Love Songs, by E. Ludwig, with Pianoforte Accom- 
 paniment (Dream and Reality, The Kiss, The Eternal). 
 
 Leipzig: Hofmeister. 
 Op. 17. Introduction et Variation Concertantes. For Piano, Violin, 
 
 and Violoncello. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 Op. 18. Three Rondos for the Pianoforte. Vienna : Spina, 
 
422 
 
 CATALOGUE OF 
 
 Op. 19. Polonaise, preceded by an Introduction. For the Piano- 
 forte. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. 20. Grand Duo Concertant. For Piano and Guitar. Vienna : 
 Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 21. Six Variations for Piano and Flute, or Violin. Vienna: 
 Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 22. Sonata for the Pianoforte. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. 23. Variations for the Pianoforte, on a Russian Theme. Vienna : 
 Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 24. Rondo Espagnol. For the Piano. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. 25. Cap'rice. For the Piano. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. 26. Triumphal Entry of the Allies into Paris— a descriptive 
 piece. For the Piano. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 27. Sonata (characteristic). For the Piano. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 28. Six Divertissements, for the Piano. Vienna: Spina. 
 
 Op. 29. Variations for the Piano on a Tlieme of Handel. Vienna : 
 Spina. 
 
 Op. 30. Rondo Brilliant, for Four Hands. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. 31. Trois Marches Heroiques, for Four Hands. Vienna: 
 Spina. 
 
 Op. 32. " La Marche d' Alexandre," virith Variations. For the 
 Piano and Orchestral Accompaniment. Vienna : Artaria 
 & Co, Arranged with Quartet ; Piano Solo ; Pianoforte 
 Duet. Leipzig : Breitkopf and Hartel. 
 
 Op. 33. Six Waltzes, with Trios for Pianoforte Duet. Vienna : 
 Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 34. Grand Duo Concertant. For Piano and Violoncello, or 
 Bassoon. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 35. Grand Sextuor. For Piano, Violin, Flute, Two Horns, and 
 Violoncello. Leipzig : Hofmeister. Arranged as a Sonata 
 for Piano, for two Pianos ; for Pianoforte Duet. 
 
 Op, 36. Variations on an Austrian National Melody. For Piano 
 and Violin. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 37. Grand Caprice, followed by a Potpourri. For Piano and 
 Violoncello, or Violin Concertants. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. 38. Fantasia (in the Italian style), followed by a Grand Rondo. 
 For Piano. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 39. Introduction and Variations, for the Piano, on an Austrian 
 National Air. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 40. " Les Portraits" — Ballet ChampStre et Coniique. Arranged 
 for Pianoforte. Vienna : Artaria & Co. Overture for Piano- 
 forte Solo and Duet. Three Divertissements for Piano, on 
 Subjects taken from the Ballet " Les Portraits." Leipzig : 
 Hoftneister. 
 
 Op. 41. Grand Sonata. For Piano. (Dedicated to Beethoven.) 
 Vienna : Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 42. Grand Variations on an Austrian National Melody. For 
 Piano, Two Violins, Viola, Violoncello, and Double Bass, 
 or withocft Accompaniment. Vienna ; Artaria & Co. 
 
 Op. 43. Grand Rondeau Brilliant. For Piano, accompanied by Two 
 
COMPOSITIONS BY I. MOSCHELES. 
 
 423 
 
 Violins, Viola, Violoncello, and Double Bass (ad lib^, 
 
 Vienna ; Artaria & Co. For Pianoforte Solo or Duet. 
 
 Leipzig : Hofraeister. 
 Op. 44. Grand Sonate Concertante. For Piano and Flute. Vienna : 
 
 Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 45. Concert de Societe. For Piano, with Accompaniment for 
 
 small Orchestra. Vienna : Spina. 
 Op. 46. Fantasia, Variations, and Finale, on the Bohemian National 
 
 Song, " To Gsau K6ne." For Piano, Violin, Clarinet, and 
 
 Violoncello. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 Op. 47. Grand Sonate. Piano, for Four Hands (E major sonata). 
 
 Vienna: Artaria & Co. New Edition, Hamburg: Cranz. 
 Op. 48. French Rondo. Arranged for Piano and Violin, with a 
 
 small Orchestra, or without. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 Op. 49. Sonate melancholique. For the Piano. Vienna : Artaria 
 
 & Co. Berlin ; Schlesinger. 
 Op. 50. Fantasia and Variations, on the favorite air, " Au clair de 
 
 la Lune." For the Piano, with accompaniment for the 
 
 Orchestra. Berlin : Schlesinger. With Quartet, for Piano- 
 forte Solo. 
 Op. 51. Allegri di Bravura (La Forza, La Legerezza, II Capriccio). 
 
 Leipzig : Peters. 
 Op. 52. La Tenerezza. Rondoletto for the Pianoforte. Vienna : 
 
 Spina. New Edition, Hamburg : Cranz. 
 Op. 53. Colonaise Brillante. For the Piano. Leipzig: Hofmeister. 
 Op. 54. Les Charmes de Paris. Rondo Brillante. For the Piano, 
 
 Berlin : Schlesinger. 
 Op. 55. Bonbonniere Musicale ; Suite de Morceaux Faciles for Piano. 
 
 Paris : Schlesinger. 
 Op. 56. Grand Concerto in E major. For the Piano, with Orchestral 
 
 Accompaniment. Leipzig : Klemm. With Quartet, as 
 
 Pianoforte Solo, Rondo Brillalla Polacca for Pianoforte 
 
 Duet. Leipzig : Hofmeister. 
 Op. 57. Fantasia for the Piano, on Three Favorite Scotch Airs. 
 
 Leipzig : Breitkopf & Hartel. 
 Op. 58. "Jadis et-Aujourdhui," a Gigue and Quadrille Rondeau. For 
 
 the Piano. Hamburg : Cranz. 
 Op. 59. Grand Potpourri Concertant. For Piano and Violin, or 
 
 Flute (By Moscheles and Lafont). Berlin : Schlesinger. 
 Op. 60. Third Concerto (G minor). For Piano, with Orchestra. 
 
 Leipzig : Klemm. With Quartet. For Pianoforte Solo. 
 Op. 61. Rondoletto, on a Favorite Nocturne by Paer. For the 
 
 Piano. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 Op. 62. Impromptu. For the Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 Op. 63. Introduciion, and Scotch Rondo. Concertante, for Piano 
 
 and Horn, or Violin and Viola. Leipzig: Kistner. Ar- 
 ranged as Pianoforte Duet. 
 Op. 64. Fourth Concerto. For the Piano, with Orchestral Accom- 
 paniment. Vienna : Steiner & Co. 
 
424 
 
 CATALOGUE OF 
 
 Op. 
 
 66. 
 
 Op. 
 
 67. 
 
 Op. 
 
 68. 
 
 Op. 
 
 69. 
 
 Op. 63. Impromptu Martial, on the English Air, " Revenge, he 
 cried." For the Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 La Petite Babillarde. Rondo tor the Piano. Leipzig : 
 
 Kistner. 
 Three Brilliant Rondos for the Piano, on Favorite Motives 
 from the Vaudeville, " The Viennese at Berlin." Berlin : 
 Schlesinger. 
 Fantasia and Rondo, on an Austrian March. For the Piano. 
 
 Leipzig : Kistner. 
 Souvenirs d'Irlande. Grand Fantasia. For the Piano, with 
 Accompaniment for Orchestra or Quartet. Leipzig : 
 Hofmeister. Arranged as Pianoforte Solo and Duet. 
 
 Op. 70. Twenty-four Studies for Advanced Players. Leipzig : 
 Ki.stner. ^ 
 
 Op. 71. Rondeau Expressif, on a favorite Theme of Gallenberg. For 
 Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. . 
 
 Op. 72. No. I. Fantaisie Dramatique, in the Italian Style, on a Favor- 
 ite Air sung by Madame Pasta. For the Piano. Leipzig : 
 Kistner. 
 
 Op. 72. No. 2. Bijoux a la Sontag. Fantaisie Dramatique. For the 
 Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 72. No. 3. Bijoux a la Malibran. Fantastique Dramatique (two 
 books). Kistner. 
 
 Op. 73. Fifty Preludes in the different Major and Minor Keys. For 
 Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 74. Les Charmes de Londres. Brilliant Rondo for Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 75. Echoes from Scotland. Fantasia on Scotch National Airs. 
 For the Pianoforte, with Orchestra or Quartet. Leipzig : 
 Hofmeister. — Arranged for Piano Solo. 
 
 Op. 76. " La Belle Union." Brilliant Rondo, preceded by an Intro- 
 duction for the Piano. For Four Hands. Leipzig : Kist- 
 ner. 
 
 Op. 77. Allegro di Bravura. For the Piano (Dedicated to Mendels- 
 sohn). Berlin ; Schlesinger. 
 
 Op. 78. Divertissements a la Savoyarde. For Piano and Flute or 
 Violin. Liepzig : Hofmeister. 
 
 Op. 79. Sonata Concertante. For Piano and Flute, or Violin. Leip- 
 zig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 80. Fantasia on Airs of the Scotch Bards. For Piano with Or- 
 chestra (ad lib), Leipzig : Kistner. Arranged for Piano- 
 forte alone. 
 
 Op. 81. First Symphony in C. For Grand Orchestra. I^eipzig : Kist- 
 ner. 
 
 Op. 82 a. Rondeau Sentimental. For Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 82 b. Quatre Divertissements. For Piano and Flute. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 83.' Recollections of Denmarli. Fantasia on Danish National 
 Airs. For Piano, with Orchestra. Kistner. Arranged for 
 Pianoforte Solo. 
 
 Op. 84. Grand Trio. For Piano, Violin, and Violoncello (Dedicated to 
 Cherubini). Kistner. 
 
COMPOSITIONS BY I. MOSCHELES. 425 
 
 Op. 85. La GaietS. Brilliant Rondo for the Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 86 a. Easy March, with Trio. For Pianoforte Duet. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 86 b. Souvenir de Rubini. Dramatic Fantasia for the Piano, on a 
 Cavatina from the Opera "Anna Bolena." Kistner. 
 
 Op. 87. Fifth Concerto (C Major). For the Piano and Orchestral 
 Accompaniment. Vienna : Haslinger. With Quartet for 
 Pianoforte Solo. 
 
 Op. 87 a. Souvenir de I'Opera. Dramatic Fantasia for the Piano, on 
 Favorite Airs sung in London by Madame Pasta. Leipzig : 
 Kistner. 
 
 Op. 87 b. Duo Concertant. For two Pianos, with Orchestral Ac- 
 companiment in the form of Brilliant Variations on the 
 Bohemian March, from the Melodrama " Preciosa." Com- 
 posed by F. Mendelssohn and I. Moscheles. Kistner. For 
 two Pianos without Accompaniment. For Pianoforte Duet. 
 
 Op. 88. Grand Septet. For Piano, Violin, Viola, Clarinet, Horn, 
 Violoncello, and Double Bass. Kistner. For Pianoforte 
 Solo or Duet. 
 
 Op. 8g. Impromptu. For the Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 90. Concerto Fantastiqe ( No. 6). For Piano, with Orchestra. 
 Vienna.: Haslinger. With Quartet. For Pianoforte 
 alone. 
 
 Op. 91. Overture, for Full Orchestra, to Schiller's Tragedy, "Joan of 
 Arc." Leipzig : Kistner, Arranged for Pianoforte Duet. 
 
 Op. 92. Hommage a. Handel. Grand Duet for Two Pianofortes. 
 Kistner. Arranged as a Pianforte Duet. 
 
 Op. 93. Concerto Pathetique. For Piano with Orchestra (No 7). Vi- 
 enna : Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 94 3. Rondeau Brilliant on Dessauer's Favorite Romance, "Le 
 Retour des Promis." Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 94 b. Hommage Caracteristique to the Memory of Madame Mali- 
 bran de Beriot, in the form of a Fantasia, for the Piano. 
 Kistner. 
 
 Op. 95. Characteristic Studies for the Piano, for the Higher Develop- 
 ment of Execution and Bravura. Kistner. 
 
 [Passion — Reconciliation — Contradiction — Juno — Nurse- 
 ry Tales — Bacchanal — Tenderness— National Holiday 
 Scenes — Moonlight by the Sea-shore — Terpsichore — The 
 Dream — Anxiety.] 
 
 Op. 96. Pastoral Concerto (No 8). For Piano with Orchestral Accom- 
 paniment. Vienna : Haslinger. 
 
 Op. 97. Six Songs, with Accompaniment for the Piano. Leipzig : 
 Kistner. Stamme Liebe der Schmied. Zuversicht — Das 
 Reh im Herbste — Sakontala. 
 
 Op. 98. Two Studies — " Ambition — Enjoyment ; " taken from " La 
 Methode des MethodSs." Berlin : Schlesinger 
 
 Op. 99. Tutti Frutti. Six new Melodies, For the Piano. Paris : 
 Pacini. 
 
 Op. 100. Ballad. For the Piano. Brunswick : Spohr. — Arranged for 
 Piano Duet. 
 
426 CATALOGUE OF 
 
 Op. lol. Romance and Brilliant Tarantella. For the Piano. Leipzig: 
 Hofmeister. 
 
 Op. 102. Hommage a; Weber. Grand Duet for the Piano, on subjects 
 from Euryanthe and Oberon. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 103. Serenade. For the Piano. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 104. Romanesca. For the Piano, Kistner. 
 
 Op. 105. Two Studies for the Piano (written for the Beethoven Al- 
 bum). Vienna : Spina. 
 
 Op. io6. Brilliant Fantasia, for the Piano, on a Cavatina from Ros- 
 sini's Opera, " Zelniira," and a Ballad from Mozart's " Ser- 
 aglio." Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 107. Daily Studies in the Harmonic Scale, for Practice in differ- 
 ent Rhythms. A Series of Fifty-five Pieces, for Four 
 Hands (Two Books). Kistner. 
 
 Op. iq8. Two Brilliant Fantasias for the Piano on Favorite Airs from 
 Balfe's " Bohemian Girl " (Two Books). Kistner. 
 
 Op. log. Melange for the Piano on the " Serenade'' and other favor- 
 ite airs from '" Don Pasquale.'' Leipzig : Hofmeister. 
 
 Op. 109 a. Brilliant Fantasia, on Favorite Themes from the Opera, 
 " Don Pasquale." For the Piano. Leipzig : Hofmeister. 
 
 Op. no. Gondolier's Song. For the Piano. Rotterdam. 
 
 Op. III. Four Great Concert Studies. For the Piano. Leipzig: 
 Kistner. [Reverie et AUegresse — Le Carillon — Tendresse 
 et Exultation — La Fougue.J 
 
 op. 112. Grand Sonate Symplionique, (No 2) for Four Hands. Ber- 
 lin : Friedlander. 
 
 Op. 113. Album of the Favorite Songs of Pischek. Transcribed for 
 the Piano, in the form of a Brilliant Fantasia. Leipzig : 
 Kistner. 
 
 Op. 114. Souvenirs de Jenny Lind. Brilliant Fantasia for the Piano, 
 on Swedish Airs. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 115. Les Contrastes. Grand Duo for Two Pianos. Arranged for 
 Four or Eight Hands. Kistner. 
 Freie Kunst. A Poem, by Uhland. For a Bass or Alto 
 
 Voice with Pianoforte Accompaniment. Kistner. 
 Six Lieder, with Pianoforte Accompaniment. [Liebeslaun 
 schen — dem Liebesanger. Warum so stumm — Botschaft 
 — Schafers Sonntagslied. Friihlingslieder.] Kistner. 
 Grand Waltz. For the Piano. Kistner. 
 Six Songs, with Pianoforte Accompaniment. [Abends — Die 
 Zigeunerin — Strenge — Jemand — Der Liebenswiindigen — 
 Der dreifache Schnee.] Kistner. 
 Mazurka Appassionata. For Piano. Kistner. 
 Sonata. For Piano and Violoncello ; for Piano and Violin ; 
 
 for Pianoforte Duet. Kistner. 
 " Expectation" (after Schiller). Fantasia for the Piano. 
 
 Hamburg : Cranz. 
 Magyaren KlSnge. Original Fantasia for the Pianoforte. 
 
 Brunswick : LitoIfF. 
 " Longing" (Schiller's Poem). Fantasia for the Pianoforte. 
 Leipzig : Siegel. 
 
 Op. 
 
 116. 
 
 Op. 
 
 117. 
 
 Op. 
 Op. 
 
 118. 
 119. 
 
 Op. 
 
 Op. 
 
 120. 
 
 121. 
 
 Op. 
 
 122. 
 
 Op. 
 
 123. 
 
 Op. 
 
 124. 
 
COMPOSITIONS BY I. MOSCHELES. 
 
 427 
 
 Op. 125. Spring Song. For a Soprano or Tenor Voice, with Piano- 
 forte Accompaniment. Cologne : Schloss. 
 
 Op. 126. Grand Concert Study. For Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 127. Scherzo. Kor the Piano. Leipzig : Payne. 
 
 Op. 128. Humoristic Variations. Scherzo and Variations for the 
 Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 129. The Dance. Characteristic Piece (after Schiller). For the 
 Piano. Leipzig : Breitkopf & Hartel. 
 
 Op. 130. Symphonesque-Heroic March on German National Songs. 
 For Piano (Four Hands). Arranged for Two Pianos. 
 Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 131. Six Songs, with Pianoforte Accompaniment. Kistner. 
 
 Op. 132. Four Duets, for Soprano and Alto, with Pianoforte Accom- 
 paniment. [Gieb uns teglich Brod — Friihlingsliebe, 
 Schmetrering und Liebchen — Am Meere, Inniges Ver- 
 stendniss, Tauz Reigen der Donischen Kosaken.] Kist- 
 ner. 
 
 Op. 133. Reverie M^lodique. For the Piano. Stuttgart : E. Hall- 
 berger. 
 
 Op. 134. Toccata. For the Piano. (In the Mozart Album). 
 
 Op. 135. Pastoral in the Organ Style. Erfurt : Bartholomaus. 
 
 Op. 136. To G. Rossini. " To the Rivulet." Song, with Horn (or 
 Viola) Obligate, and Piano. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 137. Studies in Melodious Counterpoint. A Selection of Ten 
 Preludes from J. S. Bach's " Well Tempered Clavier," 
 with an obligato Violoncello part added by Moscheles. 
 Also Arranged for a Second Piano instead of Violoncello. 
 Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 Op. 138. Feuillet d' Album de Rossini. An Original Theme for 
 Piano and H<Sm ; for Piano and Viola ; for Two Pianos. 
 Kistner. 
 
 Op. 139. " Lied im Volkston,'' with Variations, on an Original Theme. 
 Leipzig : Klemm. 
 
 Op. 140. Domestic Life. -Twelve Progressive Piano Pieces for Four 
 Hands. Two Books. Leipzig: Kistner. 
 
 Op. 141. March and Scherzo as Rhythmical Exercises. Hamburg: 
 Cranz. 
 
 Op. 142. Three Character Pieces for Pianoforte Duet. Leipzig: 
 Kistner. 
 
 B. — Various Compositions. 
 
 1. Souvenir de Belisaire. Two Fantasias for the Piano. Leipzig : 
 
 Kistner. 
 
 2. Fantasia for the Piano, on Motives from Balfe's " Falstaff." May- 
 
 ence : Schotts fils. 
 
 3. Fantasia on Favorite Themes from the Opera " Oberon." For the 
 
 Piano. Berlin : Schlesinger. 
 
 4. Fantasie a la Paganini. For Pianoforte Solo. Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
428 COMPOSITIONS BY I. MO SCHEIE S. 
 
 5. Fantasia on Motives from Balfe's Opera, " The Siege of Rochelle." 
 
 For the Piano. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 6. Bouquet des Melodies. Fantasia on Favorite Airs. Hamburg : - 
 
 Cranz. 
 
 7. The Popular Barcarolle, " Or che in Cielo." Sung by Signor 
 
 Ivanhaff in Donizetti's Opera " Marino Faliero." Arrang- 
 ed as a Fantasia with Variations for the Pianoforte. Lon- 
 don : Addison and Hodson. 
 
 8. Pensees Fugitives for the Piano. Vienna : Spina. (Romance — 
 
 Impromptu — Nocturne — Rhapsodic.) 
 
 9. Andante and Rondeau on a German Theme. For the Piano. 
 
 Leipzig : Kistner. 
 
 10. Echo des Alpes. Divertissment for the Piano on three Swiss Pas- 
 
 toral Airs. Kistner. 
 
 11. The Tyrolese Family, 3d "Divertissement." For the Piano. 
 
 Leipzig : Hofmeister. 
 
 12. Divertissement on Tyrolese Airs. Sung by the Rainer Family. 
 
 For the Piano. Leipzig : Paters. 
 
 13. Divertissements on Swiss National Airs. For the Piano. Leip- 
 
 zig : Kistner. 
 
 14. Rondeau on a Favorite Scotch Melody. For the Piano. Vienna : 
 
 Haslinger. 
 
 15. Rondeau Militaire, for the Piano, on the favorite Duett, " Enten- 
 
 dez-vous," from Auber's " Fiancee." Leipzig: Kistner. 
 
 16. Farewell March of The Emperor Alexander Regiment. Vienna : 
 
 Spina. ^ 
 
 17. Two Grand Marches for the Imperial Alexander Regiment. 
 
 Spina. 
 
 18. March of the 2d Regiment of Viennese National Guard. For 
 
 the Piano. Spina. 
 
 19. Favorite March with Trio, of the Regiments Kutschera and Max 
 
 Joseph. For Pianoforte Duet. Spina. 
 
 20. Rhapsodic ChampStre. For tlie Piano. Berlin : Schlesinger. 
 
 21. The Departure of the Troubadours. Romance with German and 
 
 Italian words. Variations by Moscheles, Giuliani, and 
 Mayseder. Vienna : Spina. Czerny's Arrangement for 
 Two Pianofortes, for Pianoforte Duet. 
 
 22. Music Composed for the Sledging Party of the Allied Princes. 
 
 Vienna t Artaria & Co. 
 
 23. Three Fashionable Waltzes. For the Piano. Artaria & Co. 
 
 24. Twelve German Dances Complete. Vienna. 
 
 25. Six Waltzes, for the Piano. Vienna : Spina. 
 
 26. Six Ecossaises for the Piano. Vienna : Artaria & Co. 
 
 27. Six Waltzes for the Piano. Leipzig'; Peters. 
 
 28. Concord (words by T. Probald). For Voice and Piano. Leipzig : 
 
 Payne. 
 
 29. Fantasia for the Piano on Airs of Neukomm. London: Cramer & Co. 
 
 30. L'Elegante. Rondeau for the Piano. London : Chappell. 
 
 31. Variations on Handel's " Harmonious Blacksmith," for the Piano 
 
 For Four Hands. Leipzig ; Kistner. 
 
INDEX OF NAMES 
 
 MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE WORK. 
 
 A BAMBERGER, Mile, 412. 
 Adams, 263. 
 AimS-Martin, 25S. 
 Albert, 305. 
 Albrechtsberger, 6. 
 Almasy, Countess, 31S. 
 Alsager, 1S6, 192, 296, 310. 
 Ambrogetti, 36. 
 Anderson, Mrs.* 302, 346. 
 Andre, Hofrath, 184. 
 Arnold, 259. 
 Artaria, 5. 
 Asher, 304. 
 Auber, 359, 399. 
 Auerbach, Berthold, 303, 
 Austin, Mrs., 264. 
 Ayrton, 366. 
 
 BACH, Sebastian, 337 
 Bacher, Dr., 315. 
 Bader, 65. 
 Baillot, 28. 
 Balfe, 234, 240, 298. 
 Barbaja, 37. 
 Barlow, 48. 
 Barnard, Sir A., 185. 
 Bamett, 348. 
 Bamroth, 158. 
 Bartholomew, 334. 
 Bassano, 324. 
 Batthyany, 15. 
 Baudisson, Count, 413. 
 Bauer, F., 
 Bauerle, 58, 65, 68. 
 Becker, C. F,, 380. 
 Beer, Frau von, 305. 
 Beethoven, Karl, 7, 121. 
 Beethoven, 7, 10, 59, 93, 251, 380, 317, 
 
 409. 
 Bellamy, 304. 
 Bendemann, E., 183. 
 Benedict, J., 58, 311, 336, 239, 362, 387, 
 
 399. 
 Benelli, 68. 
 
 Bennet, W. Sterndale, 208. 389, 310. 
 Beriot, 0e, 132, 323. 
 Berlioz, 337, 294- 
 Bemburg, Buchess of, 366. 
 Besker, 347. 
 
 Bishop, Sir Henry, 311, 
 
 Blagrove, 388. 
 
 Blum, C, 30. 
 
 Blume, S9. 
 
 Boai, M., 163. 
 
 Bochsa, 44, 133. 
 
 Bock, Frau von, see Schriider-Devrient. 
 
 Bodenstedt, 387. 
 
 B5hm, 36. 
 
 BOhme, 337, 362. 
 
 Bohrer, Max, 136. 
 
 Bombelles, 33. 
 
 Bonnemaison, Madame, 37. 
 
 Bordogni, 39. 
 
 Bott, Kapellmeister, 347. 
 
 Bou^e, 39 E. 
 
 Bource, 395. 
 
 Braham, 37, 173, 224. 
 
 Brandes, Emma, 420. 
 
 Brassin, Brothers, 343. 
 
 Brassin, Louis, 370. 
 
 Braum, 347. 
 
 Breidenstein, Professor, 317, 381. 
 
 Brendel, F., 337, 363. 
 
 Broadwood, 331. 
 
 Brunow, 391. 
 
 Buck, Mile., 339. 
 
 Bull, Ole, 230, 370. 
 
 Biilow, Hans von, 380. 
 
 Bunsen, 2S6, 388. 
 
 Burch, Max, 394. 
 
 Butler, Mrs., see Kemble, Fanny. 
 
 Bury, Lady Charlotte, 179. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE, Duke of, 313- 
 Campani, 11. 
 Camporese, 37. 
 
 Caradori-AUan, 203, 307, 368, 300. 
 Carpani, 88. 
 Castellan, 331, 364. 
 Castelli, 38, 113, 306. 
 Catalani, 36, 39, 42* 
 Cawse, Miss, 186. 
 Cello, 339. * 
 
 Chelard, 179. 
 Cherubini, 37, 338. 
 Chopin, zio, 340, 250, 260, 366. 
 Chorley, 177, 267, 269, 37S, 373. 
 Cibbini, Frau von, 303. 
 
430 
 
 INDEX OF NAMES. 
 
 Cinti, 29, 44» i75» 224. 
 
 Clarus, Hofrath, 243- 
 
 ClauKS, Szarvady Wilhelniine, 359. 
 
 Clementi, 2,34. 5ij 72* lao* 127, 144, 175. 
 
 Coleridge, 19.9. 
 
 CoUards, 72. 
 
 Cornwall, 176. 
 
 Costa, 73, 229. 
 
 Cramer, J. B., 34, 43» A^t 178* i95> an, 
 
 293- 
 Cramer, F., 44, 174. 
 Cr^mieux, 358. 
 Crotch, 49, 293. 
 Curtis, Sir W., 53, 353. 
 Czerny, C, 239. 
 
 DANNREUTHER, 407. 
 David, F., 151, 253, 271, 275, 308, 320, 
 327. 330, 332, 335j 342, 344. 347» 348, 
 350. 353, 359, 362, 364, 367, 385, 387, 
 3?o, 391, 394, 407. 
 
 David, Louisa, see Dulcken. 
 
 David, Felicien, 313. 
 
 David, Paul, 360. 
 
 Davison, 300. 
 
 D^jazet, 255. 
 
 Devrient, Emile, 310. 
 
 Devrient, Edward, 353. 
 
 Dietrichstein, Prince 87, 
 
 Dilke, Wentworth, 318. 
 
 Dirichlet, 343, 360. 
 
 Distins, 247. 
 
 Dotzauer, 22. 
 
 Dizi, 35, 44- 
 
 DOhler, Th., 248, 264, 309. 
 
 Donizetti, 305. 
 
 Donzelli, 151. 
 
 Dorn, Kapellmeister, 89, 411. 
 
 Dorus-Gras, 382, 313. 
 
 Dragonetti, 36, 192. 
 
 Draxler, 306. 
 
 Dreyschock, A., 293. 
 
 Dugazon, 30, 31. 
 
 Dulcken, Madame, 151, 246. 
 
 Duponchel, 238. 
 
 Duprez, 258, 259. 
 
 T^ICHPIORN, 183. 
 j^ Eicke, 270. 
 Ella, 336. 
 
 Elsler, Fanny, 249, 303. 
 Eltz, nS, 122. 
 Embden, Charlotte, 69. 
 Erard, 27, 70, 193. 
 Erdmann, Baroness, 305, 
 Ernst, 29s, 300. 
 Eskeles, 5, 108. 
 
 FALKENSTEIN, von, 309. 
 Ferdinand I. Emperor of Austria, 
 306. 
 Ffitis, 151. 
 Field, 167. 
 Fink, 217. 
 
 Fischhof, Professor, 306, 313. 
 Flathe, 349. 
 
 Fleming, 53, 73. 
 
 Fodor, 35. 
 
 Formes, Karl, 350. 
 
 Forti, 58. 
 
 Fortunati, Carlo, 378. 
 
 Franchomme, 239. 
 
 Frege, Livin, 308, 347, 349, 3S1, 353, 359, 
 
 360. 
 Frege, Professor, 343. 
 Fuchs, Aloys, 305. 
 Fumagalli, 379. 
 Furstenau, 80, 83. 
 
 GADE, Niels, 308, 309, 333, 348, 374. 
 Galitzin, Prince, 16. 
 Gall, the Phrenologist, 38. 
 Ganz, 239, 317. 
 
 Garcia, Pauline, 259, 282, 313. 
 Geibels, 375. 
 Genast, 64. 
 
 Gerhard, Adolar, 331, 414. 
 Gerke, 339. 
 Gernsheim, 370. 
 Giuliani, 11, 14. 
 Gladstone, 354. 
 Goddard, Arabella, 388. 
 Goethe, Frau von, 184. 
 Goldschmidt, Otto, 361, 369, 383, 410, 
 Goldschmidt, Madame, see Liad. 
 Gounod, 408, 411. 
 Graf, 60. 
 
 Grahl, Professor, 172. 
 Griepenkerl, 347. 
 Grillparzer, F., 58, 108, 306. 
 Grimal, 186. 
 Grimm, J. O., 370. 
 Grisi, Giulina, 301, 305, 338, 241* 
 Griinbaum, 58. 
 Griitzmacher, 364. 
 Guillon, 155, 159. 
 Gusikow, 330. 
 Gutzkow, 310. 
 G3rrowetz, 58. 
 
 HABENECK, 37, 358. 
 Hahnel, 316, 317. 
 Haidl, 305. 
 
 Haizinger, 58, 175, 179, 180, aSfl. 
 Haizinger, Madame, 400. 
 Hal^vy, 258, 297 
 Halle, 394. 
 Hammer, Dr., 343. 
 Hardegg, Countess, 13, 17. 
 Hartel, Dr. 312, 311. 
 Haslinger, 307, 393. 
 Hasselt-Barth, 3015. 
 Hauptmann, Moritz, 308. 
 Hauser, 175, 181, 314. 
 Hausmann, 247, 351. 
 Haydn, 22, 176. 
 Heine, Heinrich, 129. 
 Heinemeyer, 247. 
 Heller, Stephen, 357. 
 Hemans, Felicia, 139. 
 Hensel, Fanny, 219, 333. 
 Henselt, A., 350. 
 
INDEX OF NAMES. 
 
 431 
 
 Henzler, 194. 
 
 Hermann, 363. 
 
 Herz, H., 195, 331, 248. 
 
 Heyermanns, 395. 
 
 Hiller, Ferdinand, 53, 117, 310. 
 
 Hobbs, 305. 
 
 Holm, 173. 
 
 Holstein, Franz von, 375, 416. 
 
 Hope, Mr., 195. 
 
 Horschek, 308. 
 
 Horschelt, 56. 
 
 Horsley, 294. 
 
 Hotschebar, 134. 
 
 Horzelsky, 3. 
 
 Hubner, 345. 
 
 HuUah, 396. 
 
 Humboldt, Alexander Von, 386. 
 
 Hummel, 100, 1S4, 193, 353. 
 
 JACOB, 301. 
 Jacobs, Jacob, 393. 
 adassohn, S., 370. 
 Jaell, Alfred, 303. 
 Jager, 316. 
 Jabn, Otto, 362, 373. 
 Jameson, Mrs., 364, 301. 
 . 'am-hod-deen. Prince, 331. 
 . anin, Jules, 357. 
 
 Jeanrenaud, Cecile, see Mendelssohn. 
 Jeitteles, 58. 
 Joachim, Joseph, 399, 300, 308, 309, 329, 
 
 333. 333. 336. 347» 353, 359. 363. 
 JuUien, 291, 398. 
 
 TTALKBRENNER, 34, 35, 39. 357- 
 
 JV Kaulbach, W. von, 303. 
 
 Kaulbach, Madame, 385. 
 
 Kean, Edmund, 167, 386. 
 
 Keeleys, 185. 
 
 Kemble, Charles, 283. 
 
 Kemble, Fanny (Mrs. Butler), 383. 
 
 Kemble, Adelaide, 383. 
 
 Keyser, De, 373. 
 
 Kiesewetter, 36, 44, 83. 
 
 Kind, F„ 63, 80. 
 
 Kistner, 311, 317, 377. 
 
 Klatke, 305. 
 
 Klems, 387. 
 
 KJengel, A., 23. 
 
 Klingemann, C, 133, 172, 178, 180, 194, 
 
 310, 226, 267, 300. 
 Knaur, 347. 
 Knorr, Julius, 337. 
 Knyvett, 226. 
 KOnigswarter, 220. 
 KOmer, 406. 
 Kramer, 46- 
 Kratky, Mile, 317. 
 Kraus-Wranitsky, Madame, 183. 
 Krebg, 36. 
 
 Kreutzer, Rudolf, 26. 
 Kufferath, 393. 
 Kiihlau, 154, 159. 
 Ktistner, Hofrath, 64, 358. 
 
 T ABLACHE, 167, 178. 338, 368. 
 
 J.J Lachner, Franz, 303. 
 
 Lafont, 37, 39, 39. 
 
 Landseer, 394. 
 
 Laporte, 132. 
 
 Latour, 35, 36. 
 
 Laube, 349. 
 
 Lavenu, 381. 
 
 Lecerf, 42. 
 
 Lee, 180. 
 
 Lee, Mrs. Bowditch, 177, 
 
 Lefebre, 319. 
 
 Lehmann, Heinrich, 397. 
 
 Lehmann, Rudolf, 397, 
 
 Leitgeb, 37. 
 
 Leo, A., 41. 
 
 Leonard, 395. 
 
 Le P§re, 341. 
 
 Lerius, Van, 395. 
 
 Leschin, 59. 
 
 Levasseur, 28. 
 
 Leys, 395. 
 
 Lewinger, 95, 117, 
 
 Lewinger, Frau von, 363. 
 
 Lieben, Frau von, 304. 
 
 Liebig, 387. 
 
 Lienau, 407. 
 
 Lies, 393. 
 
 Lincoln, Miss, 309. 
 
 Lind, Jenny, 311, 323, 326, 333, 333, 336, 
 
 368, 370, 383, 410, 414. 
 Lindley, 174. 
 Lipinsky, 230, 310. 
 List, Mile., 274. 
 Liszt, Franz, 94, 364, 277, 281, 318, 319, 
 
 . 354» 365, 366, 373, 393. 396. 407. 
 Litolff, 163, 181, 210, 237, 264. 
 Lockhart, 199, 330. 
 Logier, 36, 79. 
 Lortzing, 355. 
 
 Louis, King of Bavaria, 304. 
 Louis Napoleon, 363, 354. 
 Louis Philippe, 261, 320. 
 LOwenstern, 255. 
 Lunin, Baroness, 16. 
 Liittichau, 62. 
 LwofF, 364. 
 
 MACFARREN, 300. 
 Magnus, 301. 
 Malibran, Maria, 149, 193, 193, 334, 3351 
 
 226, 227. 
 M^lzel, 41. 
 Mantius, 182. 
 Mara, 36. 
 
 Marchisio, Sisters, 404. 
 Mario, 239, 334. 
 Mars, Mile, 31, 143, 359. 
 Marschner, H., 310. 
 Marx, 89, 90. 
 Marxsen, Edward, 333, 
 Mason, Monk, 176. 
 Masson, Miss, 173, 240. 
 Matthews, 146, 176. 
 Matthili, 20. 
 Mayer, J. A., 53. 
 
432 
 
 INDEX OF NAMES. 
 
 Mayseder, r4, 60. 
 
 Mazzini, 409. 
 
 Meerti, 2S2. 
 
 Mendelssohn-Bartholdyj Felix, 63, 65, 
 68, 89, 149, 177, 181, 183, 1S8, 193, 194, 
 197, 199, 211, 214, 2i5i 216, 218, 220, 
 222, 223, 232, 233, 343, 254, 262, 265, 
 266, 267, 269, 271, 274, 277, 283, 290, 
 3CM, 301, 302, 320, 321, 332, 324* et seg. 
 
 Mendelssohn, Cecile, 233, 271, 275, 391, 
 333. 340, 341. 343. 346* 347. 35o. 356, 
 360, 383. 
 
 Mendelssohn, Paul, 172, 343, 353, 360. 
 
 Mendelssohn, A., 220, 
 
 Mendelssohn, Fanny, 219, 223. 
 
 Mendelssohn, Mme., 375. 
 
 Merck, 11, 14. 
 
 Meric, Madame, 179. 
 
 Mertel, 370. 
 
 Mesny, 27. 
 
 Meyer, Leopold von, 371, 300, 
 
 Meyerbeer, 8, 12, 177, 258, 259, 397, 311, 
 315) 319^ 355- 
 
 Milanollo, Teresa, 313. 
 
 Milder, 159. 
 
 Milder-Hauptmann, Madame. 65. 
 
 Mitterwurzer, 385. 
 
 Mock, Mile,, see Pleyel. 
 
 Mocenigo, Contessa, 376. 
 
 Molique, 56. 
 
 Montez, Lola, 316. 
 
 Montgereau, 27. 
 
 Moore, Thomas, 199. 
 
 Moreau, 305. 
 
 Morgan, Lady, 78, 248. 
 
 Mori, 70,74, 171, 195. 
 
 Morlacchi, 22, 62. 
 
 M5ser, 89, 239. 
 
 Miihlenfeld, 339. 
 
 Miiller, Ivan, 27, 42, 247. 
 
 Murray, 263. 
 
 "VTAGELI, 79. 
 
 x\ Nageli, Jun, 380. 
 
 Nesselrode, Count, 301. 
 
 Nestroy, 350. 
 
 Neukomm, 150, 165, 173, 183, 239, 243, 
 
 286, 287, 361. 
 Neumann, Louise, 327. 
 Nourrit, 42, 234. 
 ■ Novello, Clara, 166, 186, 228, 363, 393. 
 Novello, SabiUa, 317. 
 
 OBERHOFER, 313. 
 Oehlenschiager, 154. 
 Offenbach, 411. 
 Oom, Mrs., 53. 
 Orleans, Duchess of, 320. 
 Osborne, 354. 
 Oury, Mme., 247. 
 
 pACINI, 167. 
 1 Paer, 27. 
 Paganini, 16S, 171, iSi. 
 Palffy, 14. 
 Pankouke, 28. 
 
 Pape, 37, 43- 
 
 Paravicini, 202. 
 
 Parry, Jobni 193, 393. 
 
 Pasta, Madame, 167, ig6, 379. 
 
 Paton, Miss, 80, 83. 
 
 Pauer, Ernst, 306, 393. 
 
 Persian!, Madame, 382. 
 
 Perthuis, Count, 359. 
 
 Phillips, 73, 173, 305, 362, 325. 
 
 Piatti, 310. 
 
 Pigott, 78. 
 
 Pisaroni, 149. 
 
 Pistrucci, 53. 
 
 Pixis, P., 120, 142. 
 
 Plaidy, W., 327. 
 
 Plantade, 27, 38. 
 
 Pleyel, Madame, 42, 333. 
 
 Pocci, Count, 304. 
 
 POgner, 359. 
 
 Poif§r^ de Cdre, Baron, 26, 
 
 PoUedro, 33. 
 
 Ponchard, 37, 401. 
 
 Potier, 31. 
 
 Preusser, 383. 
 
 Puzzi, 341. 
 
 RACHEL, 358, 383. 
 Radecke, Robert, 370. 
 Radezki, 14. 
 Radern, Count, 319, 
 Rahel, 67. 
 Rainers, 93, 139. 
 Ratzan, Count, 411. 
 Rathen, Baron, 200. 
 Rau, loi, 106, 107, 118, 119, 123, 134, 
 Ranch, 387. 
 Reclam, Dr., 381. 
 Reicha, 26. 
 Reichard, 214. 
 
 Reinecke, Carl, 347, 394, 406. 
 Reissiger, 310, 371. 
 Richard, 345. 
 Richter, 327. 
 Riehl, 414. 
 
 Ries, F., 34, 35, 183, 239, 346. 
 Rietz, Julius, 338, 339, 343, 347, 350, 353, 
 
 353) 359» 363. 364. 390> 397- 
 Rigaud-Pallard, 28, 32. 
 Rigel, 38. 
 Roche, 324. 
 
 Rochlitz, F., 64, 313, 372. 
 ROckel, 207. 
 Roger, Gustave,3S7. 
 Rolla, 62. 
 Romberg, A., 58. 
 Romberg, B., 64, 87, 354, 
 Ronconi, 341. 
 Ronzi de Begnis, 50. 
 Roscoe, 74. 
 
 Rosen, F., 172, 181, 194. 
 Rosen, Dr. George, 383, 417. 
 Rosen, Mrs. George, 384. 
 Rosenhain, Jacques, 339, 348, 303, 320. 
 Rossi, Count, 369. 
 Rossini, 399. 
 Rothschild, Madame de, 146. 
 
INDEX OF NAMES. 
 
 433 
 
 Rubini, 167, 301, 305, 34a, 249, asq. 
 Rubinstein, Anton, 388, 38S. 
 
 SACHSE, 337. 
 Sahr, von, 370, 
 Salieri, 9, 13, 59. 
 Salmon, 31, 37. 
 Sandrini, 22. 
 Sanklow, 330. 
 Sanson, 359. 
 Saphir, 305. 
 Sartoris, 393, 300, 301. 
 Sassaroli, 22, 63. 
 Schall, 154. 
 Schauroth, D., 53. 
 Schelble, 56. 
 Schenck, Dr., 389. 
 Schicht, Cantor, 19. 
 Schiller, Miss, 407. 
 Schindler, 88, g6, 100, 105, H3, 114, 115, 
 
 270, 3S5- 
 Schleiermacher, 183. 
 Schleinitz, 217, 374, 309, 310, 337, 343, 
 
 35i» 353. 
 Schenk, Dr., 389. 
 Schlesinger, 37, 30. 
 Schloss, Mile., 348. 
 Schmitt, AIo^s, 56. 
 Schneider, Friedrich, 64, 347, 383. 
 Schneider, Maschinka, 179. 
 Schhyder, von Wartensee, 230. 
 SchOnemann, 332. 
 Schrey, Adv., 213. 
 Schroder, Mile., 153. 
 SchrOder-Devrient, 173, 178, 179, 335, 
 
 341, 276, 310, 333, 355. 
 Schubert, 23. 
 Schulz, 195. 
 
 Schumann, Clara. See Wiecfc. 
 Schumann, 16, 313, 314, 315, -^34, 371, 
 
 374. 3W» 337. 347. 353. 359. 364. 374. 
 
 381. 
 Schumann, Mme., 310, 327, 330, 347, 
 
 353. 387- 
 Schunck, Mme., 371. 
 Schunck, 81. 
 Schuppanzig, 11. 
 Schuncks, 328, 343. 
 Schutz, 151. 
 
 Scbwabe, Frau von, 415. 
 Schwartz, 158. 
 Scott, Sir W., 135, 144, 146. 
 Seebach, Marie, 386. 
 Seeburg-, Dr., 339. 
 Seeger, Ludwig, 39S. 
 SegTiin, E., 204.' 
 Seibold, Professor, 387. 
 Senff, Barthold, 386. 
 Servais, 3J7, 230. 
 Sessi, Mile., 18. 
 Shaw, Mrs., 340, 293. 
 Siddons, Mrs., 46. 
 Sina, 26. 
 
 Sivori, Carlo, 132, 395, 300, 313, 
 Smart, Sir George, 46, 53, 84, 99, 127, 
 
 181, 303, 308. 
 
 Sontag, Henrietta, 36. 89, 90, 143, 144, 
 
 356. 
 Sophie, Archduchess, 307. 
 Sor, a guitar-player, 400. 
 Speier, Wilhelm, 53. 
 Spohr, 9, 34, 36, 27, 330, 388, 396, 313, 
 ^ 355, 361, 3S8. 
 Spontini, Chevalier, 120. 
 Spray, Dr., 78. 
 Stadler, Abb6, 88. 
 Staudigl, 3S3, 313, 316, 333. 
 Stepney, Lady, 199, 
 Stern, 393. 
 Stevens, 203. 
 Stiler, 387. 
 
 Stockhausen, Julius, 392. 
 Stockhausen, Mme., 127, 145. 
 StOckl-Heinefetter, Frau, 283. 
 Strauss, 248, 306. 
 Streicher, 3. 
 Stumpf, So, 99. 
 Sullivan, Arthur, 394, 407. 
 Sutherland, Duchess of, 250. 
 
 'TAGLIONI, 167. 
 
 J. Taylor, 207. 
 
 Tadema, Alma,' 395. 
 
 Thalberg, 86, 226, 239, 334, 333, 238, 343 
 
 248, 230, 254, 237, 363, 283, 387, 359. 
 Thomas, Ambrose, 399. 
 TuiM^son, Dr., 139. 
 Thiirschmidt, 183. 
 Tibaldi, 63. 
 Tichatschek, 343. 
 Tieck, 87. 
 
 Titjens, Mile., 390, 415. 
 Tomaschek, 3. 
 
 ALENTINS,37. 
 Vaudemont, Princess, 27. 
 Veliuti, 144. 
 Vernet, Horace, 31. 
 Vertpr^, Jenny, 224. 
 Vesque, 316. 
 Vestris, Mme., 83. 
 Viardot, Pauline, see Garcia. 
 Vielhoursky, Michael, 301. 
 Vieuxtemps, 202, 313. 
 Vigny, Alfred de, 348. 
 Vimercati, player on the mandolinf 
 
 400. 
 Vitzthum, 33. 
 Vivier, 318. 
 Voss, Julius, 18. 
 Vrugt, De, 202. 
 
 ACH, 18. 
 Wagner, Richard, 31a 
 Wallis, Count, 16. 
 Walther, 343. 
 
 Weber, Carl Maria von, 58, 63, 80, 84. 
 Weber, Frau von, 89, 310. 
 Weber, Dionys, 3, 62, 376. 
 Wegeler, Richard, 350. 
 Weitte, 64. 
 Wenzel, 363. 
 
 Y^ 
 
 W^ 
 
434 
 
 INDEX OF NAMES, 
 
 Werner, Carl, 378. 
 
 Westmacott, 294. 
 
 Weyse, 154. 
 
 Widemann, 359. 
 
 Wiecks, the, 184, 213. 
 
 Wiecke, Clara, 64, 213, 314. 
 
 Wild, 215. 
 
 Wilkinson, Sir Gardner, 264. 
 
 Williams, Miss., 325. 
 
 Willmers, R., 336. 
 
 Wilson, 37. 
 
 Winter, s6- 
 
 Wittmann, 310. 
 
 Wolff, Professor, 305. 
 Wranitski-Seidlerj 65. 
 
 YATES, 146. 
 
 i Young-, C, 46. 
 
 ZADRAKHA, 3. 
 Zelter, 19, 56, 67, 68, 90, 197 
 Zestermann, 349. 
 Zeuner, 22. 
 
 Zimmerinann, Professor, 258. 
 Zucchelli, 153, 203. 
 
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