The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-07 00:00:00

MEMORANDA OF A MUSICIAN

BY GEORGE J. 0. ALLMANN.

" Notes, notes, forsooth, and noting !"
Sitmisrnmr.

No. XVI.
GUISEPPE TARTINI.
' The greater portion of my readers must have heard of
the singular anecdote related of La Sonata di D. :unto,
but inasmuch as accounts have differed so materially as
to wake a reasonable doubt of its veritability, the follow-
ing relation, which M. de Lalande informs us he heard
frcm Tartini's own mouth, may accurately be relied on.
" I dreamed one night," said the eccentric Musician, "in
1713, that I had made a compact with the Devil, who
promised to be at my service on all occasions, and,
during this vision everything succeeded according to my
mind, my wishes were prevented and my desires always
surpassed by the assistance of my new servan'. In short,
I imagined that I pra sente3 the Devil my vio'in, in order
to discover what kind of a musician he was, when, to my
great astonishment, I heard him play a solo so singularly
beautiful, which he executed with such superi,r taste and
precision, that it surpassed all the music which I had
ever heard or conceived in my life. So great was my
surprise and so exquisite my delight upon this occasion
that it deprived me of the power of breathing. I awoke
with the violence of my sensations, and instantly seized
my violin, in hopes of expressing what I had just heard,
but in vain. I, however, then composed a piece which
is, perhaps, the best of all my works, and called it the
Devil's Sonata.' " Tartini was wont to say that it was
immeasurably inferior to that which he dreamed the
"illustrious Stranger" executed, and furthermore de-
clared that could he have obtained a subsistence by other
means he would have destroyed his instrument and
abandoned music for ever.

GUADAGN I
Was not only remarkable but famous for his politesse
towards the fair sex. An amusing instance of this is
recorded. One day, while he was engaged in conversation
with a lady, a domestic, entering the apartment in haste,
announced to the musician that the King of Sardinia was
in the ante-chamber. "Is he," returned Guadagni
coolly, as if lie were the monarch receiving the musician
at his levee," is he? Then request hls Majesty to wait
till this lady has finished her business with me."

Of this wonderful magician ofPAGANINI the violin the following
interesting anecdote is related. Travelling in Germany,
the great artist arrived without the gates of Frankfort,
where he alighted, and instead of entering the city pro:
ceeded to a quiet and retired auberge in the suburbs.
After having partaken of his usually slender supper,
Paganini, absorbed in reverie, mounted the narrow stairs
to the place assigned for his repose, a narrow and mean
looking garret. By that time the night, which was,
however, remarkably beautiful, had considerably ad-
vanced, yet Paganini seated himself at the open window,.
and gazing into the night saw the brilliant eyes of
heaven only through the medium of his own, while the
spirit of his dreamy and imaginative fancy peopled the
surrounding space with strange forms and shadows that
to the rapt musician were not phantasms, but partook of
substantiality and real existence. Suddenly the clock
of some neighbouring kirche struck one, and in the space
of a moment

"A change came o'er the spirit of his dream;"
for instantly the remembrance of an occurrence of which
he had been an ear-witness occurred to his mind. The
Wizard-violinist abruptly caught up his instrument and
endeavoured to pourtray sounds that still echoed through
his ears. The moans and cries of a newly- born infant,
the agonized sobs and shudders of the mother, were
imitated with the most consummate fidelity by his won-
derful bow. The unaccustomed sounds soon awakened
the host, who precipitately arose, marvelling through
what means such ♦isitors could ha►e entered his house
unknown to himself. Arousing his son also, they
hastened together to the apartment from whence the
sounds proceeded. Their astonishment may be guessed
when they perceived the tall, gaunt, almost unearthly
figure of a man—or of a disembodied spirit—for it
seemed as much like the one as the other—strangely
gesticulating. But they were soon calm enough to be-
hold that it was a man apparently lost in intense thought,
who not (van noticing their entrance caused his violin to
utter, so it appeared, distinct human sounds, while the
pale moonlight lit up his cadaverous face with an ex-
pression not of the earth. They retirei immediately,
without daring to disturb the " midnight recollections"
of the performer, and it was not till some time after-
wards that they discovered their guest was the renowned
Paganini.