The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-08
ANECDOTES OF MUSICIANS.

Like Mozart, Beethoven was a phe- nomenal extemporizer One day, after a quintet by Steibelt had been per formed, he placed the violoncello part upside down on his desk, and from suggestion it thus presented drummed with one finger subject" from which he evolved such a performance that be- fore 1t was over Steibelt, his rival, had fled the scene, and avoided him after- wards. On the occasion of his first appearance as a Concerto in c major, which was finished in great hurry on the previous afternoon. At the concert he discovered that the piano was a half-tone flat, 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 "K1eutzer Sonata" Scores of such an- ecdotes attach to the memory of this truly great maestro, Beethoven. A characteristic account is given of the Eroica, or Third, Symphony. Com posed in 1894, it had its origin in his ad- miration for Napoleon, whom he looked on as 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 de- stroyed in a rage, to be replaced by the following title: "Sinfonia eroica per festeggiare il souvenire dun grand uomo."
 Of Wagneriana there are volumes. That is an entertaining story anent his l1yte +n vuh vp RpnSt
 dined him. The Chancellor was
 warned that Wagner was to be serena ded by the Prussian party, and political considerations made 1t desirable to avoid a demonstration; but Wagner could not be got rid of. So the chan
 cellor suavely interested the great mu-
 sician in autographs, and by simulated
 accident turned up revolutionary and firebrand document which Wagner had signed in 184S There was no serenade, for Wagner departed the next day.
 How cruel was fate towards him In
 1859, when the Princess Metternich in fluenced the emperor, who ordered the mounting of "Tannhauser" on scale of extraordinary magnificence, at cost of eight thousand pounds. A cabal
 was organized by the Jockey club in opposition to the opera on the ground that it had no ballet, and it only sur
 vived three performances.
 Liszt was the subject of many after dinner stories When in Russia, it is said, playing before the emperor and empress, the former conversed in rather loud tone Liszt suddenly stopped and lowing to the emperor, said: Sire when the king speaks all should remain silent" The Czar did not relish this rash mot. and Liszt was handed his passports the next morning,
 Some interesting things are recorded of Mozart, who, like Mendelssohn and Beethoven, was great at Improvisation,
 At a party of musicians one day he in vited Madame Niclas the vocalist of his day, to suggest a theme, which she did, and from the refrain she sang he evolved a brilliant and charming fanta- sla. Jahn, in his Life, mentions that when as a child lie extemporized a song on the word "Peraao," he became very
 excited struck the clavier like one
 possessed, and several times sprang up from his seat Aftera rehearsal of his "Tdomeneo" a writer says the oboe and horn players went home half era Zy, SO d9llSlillul lO llie iIuslNtttI> was Mozart's music while during the rehearsal of Le Nozze di Figara, " when Benucci was singing Non plu andrai," the orchestra and listeners
 were all at the same moment so eXci-
 ted and enthusiastic over it that they
 rose as one man, crying Bravo, bravo,
 maestro; viva, viva, grande Mozart v
 When the composer of the immortal
 Twelfth Mass produced his 'Entfuh-
 rung aus dem Serail' in 17S2 the Empe-
 TOT of Austria exuressed the opinion
 that it was too fine for our ears, my
 dear Mozart-too many notes!' To which Mozart replied, Exactly as
 many notes as are required, your Ma | jesty. ."-London Stannard.