Two or three pages might be compiled of spicy matter upon the beautiful Mme. Vigano’s lavish display of the Venus-like graces and charms of her exquisite form; but her name, long before the “Prometheus” ballet, had disappeared from the roll of the theatre and Fräulein Cassentini reigned in her stead. There was nothing derogatory to Beethoven in his acceptance of the commission to compose the music to a ballet by Vigano; but by whom commissioned, upon what terms, and when--concerning these and similar particulars, we know nothing. We only know, that at the close of the season before Easter, on the 28th of March, “Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus” was performed for the first time for the benefit of the prima ballerina of the ballet corps, Fräulein Cassentini, and that the whole number of its performances this year was sixteen, and in 1802 thirteen. The pecuniary result to Beethoven must therefore have been satisfactory. True, the full score did not appear in print in Beethoven’s lifetime or for a long time thereafter; it was not published, indeed, until the appearance of the critical Complete Edition, in which it figures as No. 11 of Series II; nothing is known of the original manuscript. A copy revised except as to two numbers, is in the Royal Imperial Court Library at Vienna. A pianoforte arrangement of the score was published in June, 1801, by Artaria with the opus number 24 and a dedication to Prince Lichnowsky. Hoffmeister printed the orchestral parts and a pianoforte score in 1804 as Op. 43 (the number 24 having meanwhile been assigned to the Violin Sonata in F). Mention ought, perhaps, also to be made of a pianoforte arrangement of No. 8 for four hands “composé pour la famille Kobler par Louis van Beethoven. Cette pièce se trouve aussi à gr. Orchestre dans le même Magazin.” The Kobler family was frequently in Vienna, among other times in 1814; it had nothing to do with the “Prometheus” music. Alois Fuchs has preserved a characteristic anecdote which came to him “from the worthy hand of a contemporary”: When Beethoven had composed the music to the ballet “Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus” in 1801, he was one day met by his former teacher, the great Joseph Haydn, who stopped him at once and said: “Well, I heard your ballet yesterday and it pleased me very much!” Beethoven replied: “O, dear Papa, you are very kind; but it is far from being a ‘Creation!’” Haydn, surprised at the answer and almost offended, said after a short pause: “That is true; it is not yet a ‘Creation’ and I can scarcely believe that it will ever become one.” Whereupon the men said their adieus, both somewhat embarrassed. From the period immediately following we have another letter from Beethoven to Hoffmeister, dated April 22, 1801, in which he says: