“He knows and understands counterpoint about as well as my cook!” Home Again One evening while Händel was at Dublin, a certain Mr. Dubourg was to sing a solo to an aria, with a cadence _ad libitum_. For some time he strayed about in different keys, but at last he commenced the trill with which the cadence closed and Händel cried loud enough for the whole house to hear, to the great amusement of the audience: “Welcome home, Mr. Dubourg!” Too Particular In 1749, Händel had such poor success with his oratorio “Theodora” that he was pleased when some musicians, who did not play in it, accepted tickets. Later on some of these gentlemen begged permission to hear The Messiah, but Händel said: “Oh, I am your humble servant, gentlemen; you are too infernally particular! You did not care to hear Theodora, when there was room enough to dance, now there is none left for you!” The Villain Händel was holding the last rehearsal of his incomparable and difficult “Te Deum Laudamus” to be rendered at the celebration of the Peace of Utrecht. Before starting, he cried, full of enthusiasm: “Gentlemen! Whoever makes a mistake to-day, is a villain!” The sublime composition, the excellent rendition, carried him away to such an extent, that at the end of a phrase, forgetting everything around him, he stood like one inspired, and when spoken to, shivered and was unable to control his emotion. With the last note, he cried, tears streaming down his face: “Gentlemen, I am the villain!” F. Joseph Haydn While Haydn lived in Ungarn (Hungary) gunning and fishing were his favorite recreations. He never forgot that he once killed three pheasants at one shot, which afterwards graced the dinner table of the Empress, Maria Theresa. Haydn’s Strategy In 1770, Haydn was very ill with a malignant fever, and during his convalescence his physician strictly forbade his doing any work or touching the piano. Soon after, Haydn’s wife went to church, but before going impressed on the maid the necessity of watching her master closely so that he could not get at the piano. Haydn pretended not to have heard a word of this order, but his wife had hardly left the house, when he sent the maid on an errand. He hurried to the piano, and at the first touch the whole idea of a sonata came to him. The first part was finished while his wife was at church. When he heard her returning, he quickly went back to bed and finished it there. These Brought Contentment Haydn owned a case filled with snuff-boxes, watches, rings, medals, and other presents from all the crowned heads of Austria, Russia, Prussia, Spain, France, and Naples. He said: “When life seems sometimes hard to bear, I look at all these things, and feel content and pleased to have been honored by all Europe.” Haydn and the Ship-Captain One day a ship-captain came to Haydn’s room. “Are you Haydn?” “Yes, sir; what can I do for you?”