The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-05-31
Curious Case for the spiritualists.
In the Paris gossip of the Nation, we find
the following curious story:

In the Paris gossip of the Nation, we find
the following curious story:
Monsieur N. G. Bach, the great grandson of
the celebrated composer Sebastian Bach one
ofthe professors of the Paris conservatoirc,
and for four years past one of the most es-
teemed pianistS of the capital, is just bringing
out, under the auspices of Legouix, the we'll
known music publisher of the Boulevard
POissonniere, a song and a saraband which,
according to his account of the matter have
come into his possession in the following sim
gular manner:
According to this gentleman's statement,
his son, NJ. Leon Bach, having discovered an
old spinette, admirably carved, bought it and
presented it to his father on the 4th of last
May. After making long examination of
this interesting piece of antiquity, the father
discovered on a board in the interior OF the
instrument an inscription stating that it was
made at Rome, in April 1854. He passed
part of the day in contemplation of his prec-
ious spinette he thought of it as he went to
bed, and, having iallcn asleep, he had the fol-
lowing dream: He thought that man stood
beside his bed, with long boards EOes round
ed at the toes, and with large bows of ribbon
at the instep; large full breeches, doubet
with sashed sleeves, stiff collar, and hat with
pointed crown and broad brim. This person
bowed to the musician, and said: "The spin
cite that you possess belonged to me. 1t fire.
quently served me to entertain my master.
King Henri Ill. When he was young he
composed an air with words which he was
fond of singing, and which L frequently play
ed to him. This air and these words he had
composed in memory of young lady that he
once met in hunt, and OF whom he became
deeply enamored. She was taken away and
it is said that she was poisoned, and that the
king was deeply distressed at her disappear
ance. Whenever he was sad he hummeI this
song, and then, to divert his mind played on
my spinette saraband of my composition,
which he much loved Thus came to con-
found together these two pieces, for was
continually playing them one after the other
The speaker then appeared to approach the
spnette, played few notes by way of prelude,
and sang the air with so much pathos and ex-
preston that M. Bach awoke in tears. He
Lit candle, and looked at his watch; it was
just two o'clock. He soon fell asleep again;
but what was his establishment on awakening
in the morning, to find on his bed page of
music paper covered with notes, microscope
cally small, and very fine writing. Being very
near-sighted, he had great difficulty in deciph-
ering them, even with an eye-glass.
He then tried the air on the spinette The
song, the words, and the saraband were eX-
actly as he had heard them in his dream. NJ.
Bach is no sOmnambuliSt, and has never writ
ten verse in his life. The song consists of
three stanzas and a refrain, sweet, plaintive,
and, in turn OF. expression as in photography,
exactly in accordance with the style in vogue
in the reign of Henri LII. The melody is SIM
pie, naive, penetrating; and the style in which
the music is written is as ancient as that of
the spelling. The notes are of a different
form from those of the present day, and the
air is written in different key from the bass,
though intended for mans voice. The three
verses tell how the singer, "during the chase"
seeing his lady-love for the first time, thought
he had seen an angel, and became the happi-
est OF kings; how he would give "all his king
DOM to see her again for one instant; how,
E'sad and clustered" his 'pauvre belle" was
far from him in her last days; and how, while
''she no longer feels her cruel sorrow" he,
"alas! suffers always" 1t is known that
Henri Ill. had great passion for Marie of
Cheves, Marquis d'lsles, who died in convent
in the flower of her age, on the 18th of Octo-
Der, 1874. Was she the "pauvre belle, triste
ct cloistree," mentioned in these verses? 1t
is also known that an Italian musician named
Baltazarini went to France at that epoch, and
became fayorite with the king. Did the
spinette belong to Baltazarini? and was this
the mysterious visitor who brought the song
and the saraband to M. Bach?