The herald., 1897-02-07
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: STORIES OF COMPOSERS :
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more or less marked,

Eccentricity. more or less marked,
seems to be an inseparable property Of
genius, and Is particularly developed
in musical notabilities They are spe-
cially susceptible to external influences.
Thus, Haydn always dressed in his pest
clothes when he wished to compose, had
his hair freshly powdered and put on
his finger ring given to hfxn by Freezer
ick II, without which he used to declare
he had not an idea in his head
Gluck go loved beautiful surroundings
that he used to have his piano moved
into a lovely field when he felt the fire
Of his genius burn, and there. amid
scenery on which ne feasted his delight
ed eyes, ard with a bottle of champagne
at his right hand and at his left, poured
out his soul in harmony. Quite oppo-
site were the conditions which We're nee
essary to the composer Sarti, for his in
spiratior-a large and solemn room,
dHmly lighted by a single melancholy
lamp! gave the pose which suited his
gloomy nature. Paesielo composed IN
bed and Cimaroso wrote INMatrimonio
Sesreto, a once favorite opera, in the
midst of noisy mirth, himself the circle
of a large circle of merry friends.
Gounod declared that his finest In
spirations came while he was having
oI1iet game of cards-Patience for
choice. Sir Arthur Sullivan finds his
ideas flow most freely in railway car
riage. the re- pidI motion and the clang-
ing and whirring noise exciting ms I'M
agination and supplying material for a
host of harmonies.
Rossini was one of the most indolent OF
men. and in his younger days used to 90
the most of his composing in bed. once
he had almost completed trio when the
sheet fell out of his hand and went un-
der the bed. He could not reach 1t, and
rather than get up he wrote another
The lazy man, if he works at all, does
so by spurts, and Rossini, working
against time, wrote the Barber of Seville
in thirteen days. When Donizetti was
told OF this he remarked: ut is very
possible; he is so lazy!" The overture to
the Gazza Ladra was written under Gu
rious circumstances. On the very day
of the first performance of the opera
not a note of the overture was written,
and the manager, getting hold of Ros-
sini, confined him in the upper loft of La
Scala, setting four scene-shifters on
guard over him. These took the sheets
as they were filled and threw them out
of the window to copyistS beneath.
Some of Sir Arthur Sullivan's work
has been performed with equal rapidity.
Contrabandista was composed, scored
and rehearsed within sixteen days from
receipt of the libretto. The overture to
Iolanthe was commenced at y o'clock one
evening and finished at next morning;
the overture to The Yeomen of the Guard
was composed and scored in twelve
hours; and the magnificent epilogue to
the Golden Legend was finished within
twenty-four hours.
Guirand, French composer, who died
some time ago, never opened letters
sent to him. After his death 1000 uno-
pened missives were found in his house
Rubinstein had peculiar horror of let
ter writing, and nothing short of the
most absolute necessity ever induced
him to forego his inclinations in this re-
spect.
Beethoven was a slave to two imperi-
GUS habits-that of moving his lodgings
and that of walking. Scarcely had he
settled in new lodging than he began
to find fault with it and set about looking
for another Every day after dinner,
whatever the weather, rain, wind, 4ail
or snow, he would set out on foot and
take long and fatiguing walk. Indeed,
it may have been his peculiar habits
which occasioned his frequent changes
of abode He was fond of bathing, and
would splash the water until the cell
ings of the rooms below were soaked
and fell When composing he would
howl and groan in SO dismal a manner
that often the people in the same house,