The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-13
A MUSICAL "REMINISCENCES.
A Charming Little Story of Moonlight Nights
in Bernie.

Charming Little story OF moonlight NiSht
in Bernie.
On lovely summer evening, many year
AFRO. was passing through one ei the street
OF Burne on the way to my lodgings "hei
nv attention WAS attracted 10y the sound ut
plano. evidently an Erard, and nyoluntaIii!
paused To listen
Some one with mastery touch was Idl,
preiudins and undulaling, when suddenly TN
ftful cadence ceased, and then sounded Oh
clearly and distinctly the inst IL" notes %
that delicious Chopin NOcturne III Ii. major
almost the last one written by him; first, th'
running arpeggio, Dos-omlng INTO HE Su>
pended chord, and then the theme, with H.
longing, its questioning and lis patent ICsIG
nation | had often aud often played TINS de-
lCiOus nocturne hut | NV perceived tbNl
had hitherto failed utterly to comprehend lt-
inner meaning. Under the fingers OF Tie an
seen musician il became tp me II revocation.
Moved rresistiOly by the power, The tcclisg,
the loving tenderness displayed III The render
ing of the composition, forgot til..e, place,
everything, add wept.
Suddenly | WAS seized with u curiosity H.
see this wonderful artist. Until that momcnt
| had scarcely thought To notice any ui the
dwellings. or, indeed, any ot The surroundings,
for NV whole soul had been absorbed IN The
exquisite music. | nov proceeded to examine
the houses near me, with the purpose al Oh
tanning, if possible glimpse oi the pianist
Directly before me stood one oi those quaint,
curious structures peculiar to old Swiss towns,
and from It's interior evidently came Tie lull,
clear notes of the Erard.
| hurried across the narrow street placed
myself near window and managed to Obtain
such position as would enable me to cons.
maud a view of the interior without danger OF
being seen by any Of the inmates At the
grand piano, which stood Bt the further eN-
tremlty of the apartment was seated young
glrl whose long flowing hair WAS just touch
ed with gold by the last rays OF the setting
sun; there were no other persons in the room,
and the fair artist had evidently yielded to the
inspiration of the hour, and was playing "twl-
light music"
In The meantime the maiden, UNCONSCIOUS
that any listener fingered near, had not ceased
TO play. Under her deit fingers there breathrd
out another Nocturne that lovely prelude in
+ sharp minor three heavenly "GOndellieder "
by MendelssOhn; SChumanns "Des Attends"
and, finally, that lovely Nocturne In + minor,
which was written by Chopin when he WAS
vet a mere boy. 1t had pow grown q1lte dark,
and the outline Of the artists head was scarce
Nv dlstin1ulshable in the gloom which pcrvau.
ed the apartment; then there Was pause, II
hush and lust AS the moon was rising above
the tops of the houses, softly, quietly, but dis
tncty ripplcd along the opening bars OF the
so-callcd "MoOnlight' sonata, with It's wealth
of sadness and unavSiing regret This won
derful girl played with the most perfect pre-
csiOn and delicacy OF touch, and every note of
the wavelike accompaniment was distinct
though yelled, while the theme, full and
clear rose above 1t in its marvellous beauty
How long my enchantment might have last
al aft, In Al .I,, #
the first movement of the sonata the music ceas-
ed and although | waited for some time in
vague expectation, all was silent,
The next evening, and for many subsequent
evenings | was at my post, and was never dis
appointed. Sometimes the music was fiery,
imprisoned, with wild, tempcstuOus rush Of
emotion sometimes sad and tender, yet always
the last thing would be the dreamy Nocturne
in b which had heard ON that first evening.
During the summer events took place in
England which made it necessary that | must
visit that country in the early autumn. | did
so, but remained in Great Britain only twenty
days, and having transacted the business
which had called me from Switzerland, made
all my arrangements Tor returning 10 Bcrne,
and to my IDLE artist life there.
The evening before my departure for the
Continent had retired at an early hour, and
had suffered much from an unaccountabe un-
easiness, and from II strange depression of
spirits, which lrew sleep from my eyes. had
at last however fallen INTO Ii sort OF heavy,
lcthargC d0ze, when suddenly | was rs it
seemed wide awake and listening intcntly
above, around and about NE heard that well.
remembered Nocturne, in b; twice did the
ethereal, harp-like harmony float and vibratc
through the apartment and then, with n long,
climbing arpcggio the music melted away.
Gloomy tOreOodngs and pIescntiments filled
my soul, and felt--although | knew not why
that some horrible calamity had beiallen the
girlartst The next morning | was on my
way to Switzerland.
On my arrival at Bcrne | made inquiries
about her and learned that on the very night
when had heard the weird mysterious music,
she had fallen into the Aar, and had been swept
away by It's rapid current After playi at
twilight, rs WAS her custom she had gone out
for q walk upon the banks Of the river, had IN.
cautiously vcntured too near the stream had
fallen into the rushing torrent aud been drown.
ed before any assistance could possibly reach
her. All these facts | learned from the garru.
lous old cObDler who occupied the house ad-
Joining that in which poor Constance had
lived with her aged parents.
lief, Berne the next day, and have never re.
visited that city; and although many years
have elapsed since the sad occurrence which |
have related, never play the Nocturne with
out thinking Of Constance and those summer
evenings IN the old Swiss town-NuSic Trade
Reoieu.
New Weather Theory
Rev. Henry Roe OF England sends to the
London ItHaes u new theory of the weather
He claims TO have determined by careful oh.
seryatlOns covering nearly 30 years that dry