Morning journal and courier., 1883-09-01
WhIIns of Celebrated Men. TF.o,, AIa Dkvanolo0iaaI IO,1rr al I

Some amusing features from the lives of l celebrated men have been brought together by German writer. Auber wrote on horse back !. it was nof possibls. for him to write in any other place than in Paris, however beaus | tiful another residence might be and however many attractions 1t might offer. Adam com | posed best when he lay, with his clothes on, ! in bsd, and showed as great antipathy to all ! landscape beauty as love to his cats. The same antipathy to all natural beauty is charged to Donizetti, who always slept when he went upon @ journey, when he should have given his attention to the romantic ! scenery of Switzerland and Italy. Cimarosa l couli not write without having a lot of 1 friends around him, with whom he kept up l an active conversation about art matters. l Sacehini's train of thought was interrupted 1 when his cats did not play their antics upon his writing desk. Sarti could only become i inspired in room without furniture and ! which was dimly lighted. Spontini could | only compose in the dark, and Meyerbeer ! composed best during violent thunder | storms, under the roof of his house. Salisri Il gained his inspiration while he walked quick | ly through the streets filled with human | thtong, meantime eating great quantity of ! confections. Haydn, in order to compose, ! sat in soft arm chair, with his gaze directed to heaven. Gluck composed in the open air, | best in the glaring sunshine. He liked cham psgne by his work, and gesticulated very vi
 olently, as if he were an actor on the boards Handel wandered in the church yard, and when he wished to become inspired he sat himself down in. one cerner of it \ which was shaded by weeping willows. PaesieIIo composed in bed, and did not leave ! it until he had finished a whole operatic ! scene or act. Mehul was great worshipper ! of flowers and often fell into silent reVerie | in observing them. He felt happiest in a quiet garden. Mozart gained his inspiration | from reading Homer, Dante, Petrareh; Yer di must read passages from Shakespeare, | Goethe, Schiller, Ossian and Victor Hugo Schiller inspired his muse by the smell of rotten apples, which he kept constantly in l his desk besides this, he liked to live amid surroundings corresponding to the subject on which he worked. When he wrote the | last act to "Mary Stuart" he had his ser wants clothed in black; and 80 long as he worked on 'sWallenstein' he neglected no re- view or other military spectacle, and at home his wife must sing battle pieces to him.
 Goethe loved to have plastic works of ast before him as he wrote. It is known that in the creation of his Iphigenia he had the i'm age of an antique female before him, in or der to see if that which he made his heroine say would suit the features before him. Jean Paul replenished his ideas while taking a walk, and drank a glass of beer now and then on the way. In writing he loved the strong smell of flowers. Herr von Kleist worked with great difficulty, and when he made poetry, it was as if he had conflict with an invisible fiend. Just the opposite was the case with Father Wieland. In mak- ing his poems he. trilled 8 lively song, and
 sometimes would spring away from his work
 and cut 8 caper in the air. Kotzebue, in the
 composing of his dramas, was also actor.
 He himself acted single scenes in his study.
 It is related that when Sand murdered him,
 his little son, as he saw him reel and then
 writhe upon the ground, cried to his mother,
 ''See, mamma father plays comedy again !'
 Burger, the immortal poet of Leonore, is
 said to have whistled street songs as he wrote
 his verses on paper. His conversation in
 such moments is said to have been obscene.
 Holderlin was often found crying when he
 composed poems. Similar things are said of
 the French romance writer, Lafontaine. His
 wife once found him before his writing desk
 swimming in tears. "Oh, it is too sad, " he
 sighed. ''It don't go at all, !" he sobbed; 'I
 am still in the first volume.' Matthison
 wrote his poems by moonlight, while stand
 ing at the window. Lamartine wrote his
 best things in the morning, before breakfast,
 while sitting before the fire. A contempora-
 Tv of Dumas wrote thus The writing
 desk of Alexander Dumas presents picture
 of classical disorder. The study floor is cov-
 cred with books and papers, behind which he
 is seated, formally barricaded. Also a quan- tity of dogs, cats. poultry, pigeons, singing feeds, strokes and keeps out of mischief while writing. In the background stand g number of printers devils waiting for copy, and booksellers and such people, who have business with him. He writes very rapidly, and carries on, very often, & conversation at the same time. He is very negligent in his
 dress"