Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-24
ROSsISI.
His Opinion or Himself and
Mozart.

A correspondent sends the Pail Mall
I Gazette Rossinps own account OF bis
withdrawal from public life:
Some fourteen or fifteen years ago I
went TO see ROsslni at his house in Flor
ence, where he was then residing. In
the course OF conversation he inquired
what there was in Paris, whence L had
lately come, and / mentioned piece by
Scribe (the Bastile des Dsmes," think
1t wss) as the latest novelty. Now"
said Rossini, there is q thing cannot
understand. Why on earth should Scribe
go on at his age writing for the stsge
What has he to gain? Money he does
not want, any increase Of fame he can
hardly expect, and if he get It, what diff
ference could il make to him? His DO.
sition in life is fixed. But, with some
people, il seems to be a rsgs. They can
not leave Off writing. For my own
part, | have always steadily resisted the
entresties with which, for mole than
twenty years, have been asssilsd to st.
tempt the stage once more. / know
very well tnat l can do nothing better,
II as good, as l have done alrssdy.
When | had written the iBarbierre,'
the 'Gazzs,' 'Semiramide,' and Gull
iaume Tell to say nothing of crowd OF
other operas, l felt my best powers had
been exeFted. After reaching his prime,
a man does not expect 70 grow taller or
stronger, be nsy grow iatter-nlGis pour
7llG pat js ne me so1tcie pas que ma nlsl-
S3QNe fTenHe du ventrs." "But you began
eomPo5ing very early In life, you kaeW,n
SAID MS wife. "What age were you
when you wrote the Barbierre?l pwer-
ty-thTee, wss it notsD "Yes, 1 do not
pretend 20 fix the age at which a writer
should cease to publish. Ali I say Is.
that when you have reached your great
est hight you must necessarily decline.
so think it better 20 leave of at the
top. l write still. shall do 50 de tennis
en- temps, l dare say, SIS long as live
but there IS no reason why should ex-
pose myself 70 the caprice of q public
whose praise do not care for, and whose
blame might annoy me.u Talking of
his age on this same evening, he told me
that he was born only eight weeks after
the death Of IL aaFt (i792 "Now you
speak OF MoZsrt, HtGeStrO,D said /, al
must read you what my brother, an ae-
eompiished musician, says in q letter ]
received yesterday. He Is in an out,of-
the way place in India, WHARF he hears
no music, and ass 40 iDstrumsnt, and he
consoles himself by studying the scores
OF Don GioTanni,' 'GniIlsams Tell,i
Sbu c4A lS4usf MakS up Gls mlnd which
to piSee highest" Rossini shook his
head. I" II a tort. u ne JatIt pas dire
cetd And on my making a depreca
tory gesture, he continued, laying his
hand on mine, Non .je UOlis Le dis tres
seriEilseHleFlt ct en- conscience. ,Je Mai
jG8l0is etc q Ia h0utel!T t}e Mdzdrt.
When young composers c3me to me for
always give them thisl Take
every opportunity of studying Mozart.
De has excelled 10 every kind of music
IN his works you will find every sort OF
effect, and always produced by the most
means l never heard him
speak so emphstieslly. In general there
was so much OF peTsifisge cencesled IN
der his pretended bonhommie, that the
simple and unsuspeeting might easily be
.aken in but on this subject he was un-
in earnest,