The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-02
ECCENTRIC .musloIsNs.
Famous Composers Who Have Been Noted
for Their Idiosyncracies.
iFrom Tit Bits.l

| w NO oA lASCpdIdblo pIOlcIuy VI Soi'AS"s
and is particularly developed in musical
notabilities. They are specially suscepti-
Bile to external influences. Thus Haydn
always dressed in his best clothes when
he wished to compose, had his hair fresh
ly powdered, and put OH his finger ring
given him by Frederick H., without
which he used to declare he had not an
idea in his hea,l.
Gluck SO loved beautiful surroundings
that he used to have his piano moved
into lovely field when he felt the FIRE OF
his genius burn, and there, amid scenery
on which he Toasted his delighted eyes,
and with a bottle of champagne at his
right hand md at his left, poured out
his sonl in harmony. Quite opposite
were tho conditions which were necessary
to ths composer Sarti, for his inspirn-
tlon-a large and solemn room, dimly
lighted by single melancholy lamp.
gave the tone which shifted his gloomy
nature. Paesiello composed in bed, and
Cimaroso wrote "Il Matrimonio Segretce
a once favorite opera, in the midst of
noisy n,irth, himself the centre of lArgr
circle Of merry friends.
GouEod declared that his finest inspira-
lions came while he was having quits
game Of cards" Patience'' for choice.
Sir Arthur Sullivan finds his ideas flow
most freely in IL railway carriage, The
! rapid motion and the changing and wh:r'
ing noise exciting his Imagination and
| for i,1 hoe+ Of 4
| monies.
| Rossini was one CT the most indolent of
men, and in his younger days used to do
most Of his composing In bed. Once he
had almost completed q trio when the
sheet fell out of his hand and went under
rather than get Fup he wrote another.
The lazy man, if he works at all, does so
by spurts, and Rossini, working Eagninst
time, wrote "The Barber of Seville:' Iii
thirteen days. When Donizetti was told
of this he remarked. sit is very possible
he is SO lazyP' The overture to the
"Gazza Ladrn' was written under Curl
Gus circumstances.
On the very day of sthe first perform
ance CT the opera not note Of the over
tuTe was written, and the manager, get
ting hold of Rossipi, confined him in the
upper loft of La Scala, setting four
sceno-shfters on guard.over him. These
took the sheets as they were filed and
| threw them out of the window to copy
lists beneath.
Some OF Sir Arthur Sullivan's work
hos been performed with equal rapidity.
Contrabandista' was composed,
scored, and rehearsed within sixtt en-
days from receipt of the 1ibrstto. The
overture to 'Iolanthe" was commenced
at 9 o'clock one evening and finished at
seven next morning; the overture to
The Yeoman of the Guard" was COM
posed and scored in sEtwelve hours; and
the magnificent epilogue t. the Golden
Legend" was finished within twenty
| four hours.
| Guirand, q French composer, who died
some years ago, never opened letters sent
TO him. After his-death 2.000 unopened
missives were found In garrett In his
| house. Rubinstein had peculiar hor-
ror of letter writing, and nothing short
of the most absolute necessity ever In
duced him to forego his inclinations in
this respect.
| Beethoven was slave to two imperious
hahits-that Of moving his lodgings and
| that of walking. Scarcely had he settled
in new lodging than he began to find
| fault with 1t, and set about looking for
another. Every day after dinner, what
over the weather-rain, wind, hail, CT
snow-he would set out ON foot and take
long and fatiguing walk. Indeed, it
may have been his pt liar habits which
occasioned his frequent changes of abode.
He was fond Of bathing, and would
splash the water until the ceilings of tho
rooms below were soaked and fell. When
composing he would howl and groAn in
so dismal a manner TINT often the people
in the same house ignorant of his ways
rushed in. thinking he was Ill. He used
to go about dressed in an old coat, with
slippers trodden down at the heels.
Verdi. the veteran composer, is great
lover of horses; his stables near Genoa
contain some of the finest horsefesh in
Italy. His equine friends are his hobby,
aud he cares for them as much as for
music.
Mendelsshon was like child in, the
matter of pastry. He could never resist
it, especially cherry pie, and always ate
of it, and it always disagreed with him.
Musicians have very different idens on
the subject of celebrity. Saint-Saens,
the eminent French composer. dislikes
public notice. Once he disappeared, just
before the production of one OF his opera,
leaving no address, and sensational
rumors of foul play.were current in Paris
Eventually he was discovered snugly en-
sooned in hotel in tho Canary Islands,
where he had retired to obtain little
quiet after the excitement attendant on
the preparation of the opera.
The tenor is said to be even more jeal-
Gus of his position and reputation than
the prima donna, if that were possible.
An American lady had secured Cam