Among the Great Masters of Music: Scenes in the Lives of Famous MusiciansRowlands, Walter
History
Among the Great Masters of Music: Scenes in the Lives of Famous Musicians
Rowlands, Walter
Music in art; Musicians -- Biography; Musicians -- Portraits
The King of Naples, an ardent admirer of the composer, had urged him to
go to Naples with him. Haydn's presence was also much desired in
Paris, and from London, especially, he had received many overtures.
Cramer, the violinist, had written to Haydn in 1781, offering to engage
him at his own figure for the Professional Concerts, and Gallini, the
owner and manager of the King's Theatre in Drury Lane, urged him to
compose an opera for him. Salomon, still more enterprising, in 1789,
sent Bland, a well-known music publisher, to treat with Haydn, but
without success. The composer gave him the copyright of several of his
productions, among them the "Stabat Mater" and "Ariadne," and the
"Razirmesser" quartette. This composition is said to derive its name
from Haydn's exclaiming one morning, while shaving, "I would give my
best quartette for a good razor!" Bland happened to enter the room at
that moment, and at once hurried back to his lodgings and, returning
with his own razors of good English steel, gave them to Haydn, who
thereupon kept his word by tendering in exchange his latest quartette.
The death of Prince Esterhazy, in September, 1790, gave Haydn the
opportunity he had long wished for, as Prince Anton, who succeeded
Nicolaus, had little taste for music, and dismissed most of the
performers, at the same time, however, increasing Haydn's pension of a
thousand florins a year, left him by Prince Nicolaus, by the addition
of four hundred florins.
Haydn, being now his own master, went to live at Vienna, with his old
friend Bamberger, and, declining an invitation to become capellmeister
to Count Grassalcovics, was working with his usual industry when, one
day, a visitor was announced. He turned out to be Salomon, the London
manager, who, on his way back from Italy, whither he had been to engage
singers for the Italian opera in London, had heard of the prince's
death, and hastened at once to Vienna in the hope of inducing Haydn to
visit England. This, after much negotiation, was at last accomplished.
Mozart, to whom Haydn was like a father, felt the separation deeply,
and vainly strove to prevent it. He said to Haydn: "Papa, you have not
been brought up for the great world; you know too few languages." Haydn
replied: "But my language is understood by the whole world." Mozart
spent the day of his departure with him, and bade him farewell in
tears, saying, "We shall see each other no more in this world!" a
presentiment which was sadly fulfilled.
Haydn and Salomon left Vienna on the 15th of December, 1790, and
journeyed by way of Munich, Bonn, and Brussels to Calais, where they
arrived on the evening of December 31st. At half-past seven the next
morning they embarked for Dover, but, the wind being contrary, they had
a stormy passage, and did not reach the English port until five in the
afternoon. Haydn, whose first voyage it was, remained on deck the
whole time, in spite of the unfavourable weather.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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