The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-01
Anecdotes Of Musicians.

Like Mozart, Beethoven was a phenom-
enal extempor.zer. One day, after Quin-
tet by Steibelt had been performed, he
placed the v.oiincello part upside down on
his desk, and from suggestion 1t thus pre-
sented drummed with one finger sub
Ject from which he evolved such per-
Torrance that before it was over Steibelt.
his rival. had fed the scene, and avoided
MIN afterwards On the occasion of his
nrst appearance as pianist he performed
his first concerto in C major. which was
nn1shed n a great hurry on the previous
afternoon At the concert he discovered
that the piano was a half-tone fat, but
this did not seem to disconcert him much,
for he settled the matter by playing in c
sharp-a great feat, performed also by
Brahms in like circumstances IN connection
with the 'Kreutzer Sonata" Scores of
such anecdotes attach 10 the memory OF
this truly great maestro, Beethoven. a
characteristic account IS given OF the Fro
lea, or Third, Symphony. Composed in
1904, IL had its origin in his adm.ra ton for
Napoleon, whom he looked on as a model
OF republican virtue. His design was to
call it the Bonaparte Symphony. when the
news came that the FIRST Consul had made
himself an Emperor. The dedication was
destroyed in a rage, to be replaced by the
following title: 'S:nfonia ercka per fes-
teggiare il souvenire dun grand uomo."
OF Wagneriana there are volumes. That
Is an entertaining story anent his visit
to Vienna, when Count Won Beust dined
him. The chancellor was warned that
Wagner was to be serenaded by the Prus-
san party. and political considerations
made II desirable to avoid demonstration;
but Wagner could not be got rid of. So the
Chancellor suavely interested the great
musician in autographs, and by simulated
accident turned up a revolutionary and
frebrand document which Wagner had
signed IN 1S4S. There was no serenade, for
Wagner departed the next day. How cruel
was fate towards him in 1889. when the
Princess Metternich influenced the Emper-
or. who ordered the mounting Of Tam
hauser' on a scale of extraordinary mag
niicence, at cost of $500. A cabal was
organized by the Jockey club in opposition
to the opera on the ground that it had
no ballet, and it only survived three per-
formances.
List was the subject of many after-din-
ner stories. When in Russia, il is said.
playing before the Emperor and Empress,
the former conversed in a rather loud tone.
List suddenly stopped and, bowling to the
Emperor, said: Sire, when the King
Car did not relish this rash mot and List
was handed his passports the next morn
ing.
Some interesting things are recorded of
Mozart, who, Ike Mendelssohn aud Bee
ttoven, was great at improvisation. At
party of musicians one day he invited Mad
anne Niclas, the vocalist of the day, TO sug
gest a theme, which she did, and from the
refrain she sang he enjoyed a brilliant and
charming fantasia. jain, in his Life.
mentions that when as child he extempo-
rized song on the word, "Perfdo,' he
became very excited, struck the clav:er like
one possessed, and several times sprang up
from his seat. After a rehearsal OF his
'Idomeneo" a writer says the oboe and
horn players event down half crazy" so
delightful to the musicians was Mozarts
music; while during the rehearsal of lie
Nozze di Figaro when Benucci was sing
ing Non piu andrai," the orchestra and
listeners were all at the same moment SO
excited and enthusiastic over it that they
rose as one man. crying, Bravo. bravo,
maestro; viva, viva, grande Mozart"
When the composer of the immortal
Twelfth Mass produced his 'Entfuhrung
aus dem Seraii' in 1852, the Emperor of
Austria expressed the opinion that it was
''too fine for our ears, my dear Mozart
too many notesI' To which Mozart re-
Piled: Exactly as many notes as are re-
ouired your Majesty