The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-05
THE WIT OF COMPOSERS.
Anecdotes of Rossini, Liszt, Haydn
and Beethoven.

anu beethOVens
From Chambers Journal.
Never, surely was composer more witty
than the master who gave US an immortal
setting of william Tell" Rossini's
whimsicality extended even to his birth
day. Having been born in leap year, on
Feb. %. he had, of course. a birthday only
once in four years: and when he was 70
he facetiously invited his friends to Gel
citrate his eighteenth birthday. Some Of
the best specimens of his wit were shown
in connection with brother composers.
you know" he said one day. speaking
to a friend, ..'you know what pretty dance
tunes Auber has always written"-Auber
being as likely to write dance tunes as
Rossini was to write a sermon. The macs
tro seldom went to the opera or to any
place OF amusement, but he could not
resist the temptation of hearing one of
Wagner's works. 1t was "Tannhauser."
Afterwards. when asked to give his opin
ion of the opera, he said: 1t Is too inn
portant and too elaborate a work to be
Judged after single hearing, but so far
as I'm concerned, / shall not give 1t a
second"
UPON amateurs ne was tbDIIAuiA9 HNfNANs
A few days after Meyerbeer's death
young admirer Of his called upon the COM
poser of william Tell' with an elegy
which he had written in honor OF his
idol Well" said Rossini, after hearing
the composition played over, IF you real
" want my honest opinion, think II
would have been better If you had died
and Meyerbeer had written an elegy
Sometimes the amateurs would endeavor
10 bribe him into a compliment by sending
him a little present The ruse, however.
was but seldom effectual. budding
composer once accompanied his new COM
position with a Stilton. hoping. OF course,
10 have a letter praising the work. The
letter came but all Il said was: THANKS,
| ike the cheese very much.
Rossni's wltticisms Indeed dubbed
forth al all times and under all clrcum-
stances on one occasion q gentleman
called upon him TO enlist his aid In pro-
curing for him an engagement at the OPP
era He was a drummer, and had taken
the precaution TO bring his instrument.
Rossini said he would hear him play,
and Il was decided that he should show
off In the overture to "Semiramde." The
very first bar Of the overture contains a
tremolo for the drum. ana when this had
been performed the player remarked
Now have a rest OF seventy-elght bars;
these. OF course. ] will skip" This was
too good a chance to be lost. "Oh, no."
said the composer; by all means count
the soventy-eieht bars. 1 particularly
Wish TO hear those"
Some Of these anecdotes Of Rossini re-
mind us that composers. as a rule, have
not figured amiaby as critics Of each
other. Handel swore that Gluck knew no
more about counterpart than his cook;
Weber pronounced Beethoven a mailman;
and Haydn said OF a brother musician that
The played the fiddle Ike a hog" Liszt
was particularly severe upon fellow ar
tlstess Some one was once playing 20
him a composition he evidently did not
care for. What Is that7' he asked. 1T
ls Bennotrs Mad Of Orleans sonata"
was the reply. "Ah." said the yirtuoso.
what a pity that the original manuscript
did not meet with the same fate as joan"