The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-04 00:00:00

ING, APRIL 4, ma.

ANECDOTES OF CHERUBINI.

The Lodoiska of .Cherubini produced a profound
sensation in the musical world; and the impulse
which it gave to art, seconded by the nearly equal
efforts of Mehul, Berton, mid Lesneur, brought to the
French school an era of glory to which one would
have doubted its ever attaining. Lodoiska was fol-
lowed by Elisa, or le Mont St. Bernard, Medea, the
Hotellerie Portugaise, and finally the Deux Jour-
nies, which became rapidly popular. It is in Elisa
that is heard the chorus of monks seeking the tra-
vellers buried in the snow, too rarely executed at the
concerts of the Conservatoire, the character of which
is so true to nature, that it has been said on hearing
it, " This music makes one shiver with cold." In the
same opera the scene of the bell is with equal justice
admired, in which, by turning constantly round the
single note of a bell, the ringing of which is heard
continually from the beginning to the end of the
piece, the master has displayed the harmonic resources
he possessed, and his rare address in the connexion
of modulations.

Cherubini frequently had warm discussions with
the learned Reicha and with Choron upon this sub-
ject; and one day, that a systematic theorist, less
known than these two masters, and very obstinate
also upon the strange doctrine of musical theology,
of which he is at once the disciple and the founder,
persisted in arguing against him, Cherubini, boiling
with anger, and unable to get rid of his obstinate dis-
putant by gentle means, at last exclaimed, " Get out
of my house ; get out, I tell you ; or I will throw
myself out of the window ; and it will be said you
assassinated me !"

His wit had pre-eminently a caustic turn ; his con-
versation abounded in biting sallies, in repartees of a
laconism at once piquant and cutting. One day pss-
sing through the Court of the Menus plaisirs at the
time of the performance of a concert given bya young
composer- of my acquaintance, some one wished to
entice him into the room to hear the new symphony
which was then serving as a text to the most animated
musical controversies. " Let me alone," said Cherubini,
" I do not want to know how I must not compose !"
Another time, at a rehearsal of the grand solemn mass of
Beethoven, having given my opinion against the
fugue in D major, which it contains, with a frank-
ness which my admiration for the author might, I
think, excuse, a pianist, undoubtedly a man of merit,
and who has composed much, undertook the defence
of the fracas fugue of Beethoven. Cherubini came
up in the midst of the discussion ; although I made
signs to my adversary to be silent, he still continued
in a way to attract Cherubini's attention, who turn-
ing round quickly, said—" What is that ?" "It is
this gentleman," replied m adversary perfidiously,
" who does not like the y fugue." " Because fugue
does not like him," said Cherubini.
He was without pity even for his pupils, when a
sally presented itself. One of them was going to give
a new opera; Cherubini was present at the last re-
hearsal in a box. After the second act the young
composer, full of anxiety, entered the box, and waited
in vain for some of those kind words which we desire
so much in a similar case. " Well, dear master,"
said he at last, " you say nothing to me !" " What
the deuce do you wish me to say to you," replied
Cherubini, laughing ; " I have been listening to you
these two hours, and you say nothing to me either."
This was the more harsh, because it was unjust and
ill-judged ; the pupil's work had great success.
A little before the representation of his opera, the
Deux Journees, Cherubini had been nominated one
of the Inspectors of Instruction at the Conservatoire.
This place was for a long time the only one he filled.
Napoleon endeavoured in every way worthy of him,
to make Cherubini feel theidislike he had for his works
and for his person. The motives of this were some
rude replies of Cherubini to some ill-founded obser-
vations of Napoleon upon his music. It is said that
the composer said one day to the First Consul, with a
vivacity quite conceivable, however, on such an occa-
sion : "Citizen Consul, occupy yourself in gaining
battles, and leave me to my trade, of which you
know nothing." Another time, as Napoleon owned
his predilection for monotonous music, that is to say,
for that which pleased his ear, Cherubini replied, with
more finesse, however, than humour, "I understand
you like the music which does not prevent you
• . .
thmkmg of State affairs." These repartees, as
will be seen as we proceed, are quite in the cha-
racter and turn of Cherubini's mind. It is quite
certain that Napoleon constantly sought an opportu-
nity to wound his self-love by praising with excess in
his presence Paisiello and Zingarelli, and setting him
aside as mediocre, and in pronouncing his name in
the French manner, in order to show that he did not
think him worthy of bearing an Italian name. It
was only in 1805 that Napoleon, after the victory of
Austerlitz, hearing that Cherubini was at Vienna,
occupied in writing his opera of Faniska, sent for him,
and showed him sufficient good will to cease pro-
nouncing his name ala Francaise. He even charged
him with the organization of his private concerts, and
failed not when they took place to criticise the ar.
rangement of them, and to exact of Cherubini the
most ridiculous things. For instance, he wished the
air of the father of la Nina, of Paisiello (for.a bass) to
be sung by the soprano Crescentini ; Cherubini ob-
serving to 'him that the povero could only sing it in
an octave higher. " Well, let him sing it," said Na-
poleon, "I am not particular to an octave !" And
it was really very fortunate, for had the great man
been particular to an octave, and had he insisted upon
the singer taking a bass voice, in spite of his good
will, he could not have succeeded.

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN
RAILWAY.—On Saturday forenoon considerable alarm
was caused at the Vauxhall terminus of the. South-
Western Railway, in consequence of the non-arrival of
the up train, which ought to have reached London by
half-past ten o'clock. The train did not arrive until
nearly five hours after the proper time. It was in the
first instance feared that some accident had occurred to
the railway train by its having run off the rails, or in
some other way ; but on the arrival of the train it was
ascertained that the cause of the detention was the fall-
ing in of one of the three tunnels between the Andover
and Winchester stations. The accident took place on
Saturday morning, between six and seven o'clock. The
extent of the accident may be inferred when it,is stated
that, as nearly as could be ascertained in the confusion
consequent on the occurrence, 150 feet of the tunnel
have fallen in. The engineers having for some time
apprehended a failing in the south-west end of the tun-
nel, engaged a great number of workmen to shore it up.
While so engaged the whole of the soil gave way, em-
bedding those in the tunnel, and precipitating those on
the soil with their fellow-workmen. The confusion and
alarm cannot be described, the report being at one time
that fifty workmen had lost their lives, and that one of
the trains containing numerous passengers and persons
of distinctin were buried in one common heap. But we
were glad pz) learn that the sacrifice of life has not been
so great. Nine bodies, it was however reported, were
taken out dead, and several dreadfully mutilated, and the
London terminus was thronged with the friends of those
who had gone by the early train in anxious suspense as
to the real extent of the calamity, and the amount of
life sacrificed, among whom were the friends of Lord
George Bentinck, Lady Fitzroy Somerset, and Lady
Canning, respecting whose fate serious apprehensions
were entertained ; but the safe arrival of the noble
travellers by the eight o'clock train gave the greatest
satisfaction to their friends, for whose fate serious ap-'
prehensions were entertained. Several of the Directors,
with praiseworthy alacrity, hastened to Andover, where
the accident took place, and by their zeal and personal
exertions combined, rescued many a poor creature from
his perilous situation. A great number of workmen
were instantly placed on the road, and strong hopes are
entertained that on Monday or Tuesday the whole line
will be again opened for passengers.
Sir Robert Peel has shown great skill in adapting
his financial policy to the interests of the powerful, and
the ignorance of the humble. By his Corn Bill he
bribes the landed interest to silence. By his refusal to
touch the sugar duties, he bribes the West and East
India proprietors and merchants. By the entire sacrifice
of the duty on colonial timber, he bribes the Canadian
interest. By allowing Ireland to escapeithe income tax,
he bribes the Irish members. By exempting from the
tax all farmers whose rents are below 300 L, he bribes
the bulk of that class. By some excellent points in his
tariff, he bribes a part of the free traders. And by pre-
tending that the tax will only upon capital, and not upon
labour, he conciliates or silences many of the working
classes.—Leeds Mercury.
The New Hamburgh Gazette gives a letter from
Berlin of the 21st inst., in which the report of a military
revolt in St. Petersburgh, and which has been contra-
dicted from more than one source, is again spoken of,
but the present version does not go to the same extent
as the first accounts. It is now said that a regiment
which was being reviewed revolted upon its officers, in
consequence of their tyrannical conduct, and slew 28 of
them. Other troops having been brought up, says the
letter, the revolted regimeht was brought to submissioa,
and after Wards decimated.

THE NEW TARIFF.—The result of the panic-struck
meeting, which we noticed last week, as having been
convened by Mr. Trood's terrific rush into the Globe,
Exeter, was that a deputation should go to Sir Thomas
Acland, at Killerton, on Saturday. The deputation
consisted of the following gentlemen :—E. Trood,
Samuel Drewe, George Turner, Richard Mortimore, W.
Wippell, and Captain Smith, of Traisebeare. Sir
Thomas, although he would have preferred seeing them
on the Monday instead of the Saturday, received them
most courteously. The deputation represented to the
Hon. Baronet most strongly the injurious effects which
the reduction of the cattle duties must have upon the
agricultural interest of Devonshire. They expressed the
deep mortification at having experienced such treatment
as that threatened from the hands of those called the
farmers' friends. Sir Thomas appeared much con-
cerned at the conclusions to which the agriculturists had
come, and recommended, and it was ultimately deter-
mined, that a meeting should be held at the Globe Hotel,
this day, for the purpose of considering what steps
should be p,dopted in the present crisis of affairs.—
Western Times.
LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM AND GREAT WESTERN
BALLWAYS.—We hear there is a tough struggle going on
between the London and Birminnham Company and the
Great Western in the House, relative to that eternal
bone of contention, the Cheltenham and Gloucester por-
tion of railway. They, of course, do not appear openly,
but it is quite certain they do covertly direct and fight
the battle.— Railway Magazine.

RELATIVE-EXPENSE- OF-F-RENCH-1
AND ENGLISH RAILWAYS.

The station of the St. Germain Railroad, in the
Rue St. Lazare, has just been completed. The total
expense of the constructions from the Rue St. Lazare
to the wall of Paris has exceeded eight millions of
francs, whereas, it will be recollected, that the origi-
nal estimate of the whole line to St. Germain only
amounted to 3,900,000 f. It must be allowed, how-
ever, that a large portion of the expenditure of the
works of the Paris terminus arises from the pur-
chase of the ground, which has been paid for at
a high rate, and the construction of the station,
which is exceedingly elegant, and admirably' adapted
for the purposes to which it is destined. It is
composed of three waiting-rooms, those at the sides
being intended for the passengers going to Versailles
and St. Germain, whilst the third is kept as a supple-
mentary room for the increased numbers flocking in
during summer. The whole building covers a super-
ficies of 3,000 metres, and when the part intended for
the passengers of the Rouen Railway shall have been
completed, nearly 4,000 metres. The workshops for
building and repairing steam-carriages cover about
10,000 metres. From the entrance of the station,
in the Rue St. Lazare, to the Place de l'Europe,
where the tunnels begin, the station covers a super-
ficies of 23,500 metres. This is very nearly
the size of the Place du Carrousel (25,000
metres), and a little larger than the garden of the
Palais Royal (21,000 metres). Comparing with it
some of the stations in England, we shall find in them
a considerable inferiority in size. The Birmingham
station in London takes up 14,000 metres only ; the
Grand Junction station at Birmingham covers 11,634
metres ; that of the line to Greenwich, London end,
occupies only 3,024 metres ; that of the Manchester
and Liverpool line, at the latter town, covers 6,475
metres, although it serves for the Bolton and Grand
Junction lines, which join the Liverpool and Man-
chester one. It is true that at Liverpool a station
for goods has been constructsd, which takes up
9,432 metres ; but the St. Germain railroad has one
at the Batignolles of 102,000 metres. At Brussels,
the station covers 15,400 metres, and for incidental
business one is in the course of construction which
will occupy 48,000 metres. Half of the 23,000 me-
tres of the station of the Rue St. Lazare are as yet
unemployed. Not less than 15,000 metres could be
easily added to the above quantity, if required, and
this without pulling down a single house. Whilst on
this subject, we would suggest to the City of Paris
the importance of purchasing the ground now occu-
pied with wood-yards, and which is exactly opposite
the station, in order that a handsome square might be
made, which would not only be a public embellish-
ment, but materially facilitate the free approach and
departure of carriages.