The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-15
WIT OF COMPOSERS.
ANECDOTES WHICH SHOW THE Pc
CULlARlTlES OF THE MASTERS.
they Were Not Generally Amiable Critics
~ Each other Comments That Were
Usually Caustic and Frequently Brutal.
Rossini's Witticisms.


Never surely was composer more witty |
than the master who gave US an immor-
tai setting of William Tell. 4" Rossini's |
whimsicality extended even to his birth
day Having been born in leap year, on
Feb. 20, he had, of course, u birthday only |
once IN four years, and when he was ~ he |
facetiously invited his friends TO celebrate
his eighteenth birthday. Some of the best !
specimens of his wit were shown I'm con-
nection with brother composers. "You
know" he said one day, speaking to Il
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 mae
stro seldom went 20 the opera or to any
place of amusement, but he could not re-
sst the temptation of hearing one of Wag-
ner's works. 1t was "Tannhauser. After
ward, when asked to give his opinion of
the opera, he said sit is too important
and too elaborate work to be judged aft
er a single hearing, but 50 far as / am con-
cerned shall not give it u second"
Upon amateurs he was especially severe.
A few days after Meyerbeer's death
young admirer of his called upon the COM
poser of civilian Tell with an elegy
which no had written in honor of his idol.
"Well," said Rossini, after hearing the
composition played over, eff you really
want my honest opinion, / think it would
have been better If you had died and Mey-
erbeer had written an elegy." Sometimes
the amateurs would endeavor to bride him
| into compliment by sending him little
present. The ruse, however, was but sell
dom effectual. A budding composer once
| accompanied his new composition with a
| Stilton, hoping, of course, to have letter
praising the work. The letter came, but
all it said was: "Thanks. L like the cheese
very much"
| Rossinis witticisms indeed dubbed
| forth at all times and under all circum-
| stances. On one occasion gentleman
| called upon him to enlist his aid in procur-
ing for him an engagement at the opera.
He was drummer, and had taken the
precaution to bring his instrument Ros-
SIM said he would hear him "play," and
it was decided that he should show off in
the overture to "Semiramide." The very
first bar of the overture contains tremolo
for the drum, and when this had been per-
formed, the player remarked, 'Now have
rest of rs bars; these, of course, L will
skip" This was too good "a chance to be
lost. ooh, no." said the composer; "by
all means count the 70 bars. particular
ly wish to hear those "
Some of these anecdotes of Rossini re-
mind us that composers, as u rule, have
not figured amiably as critics of each
other Handel swore that Gluck knew no
more about counterpoint than his cook
Weber pronounced Beethoven a mailman,
and Haydn said of brother musician that
} she played the fiddle like hog" List
| orlv
lists. Some one was once playing TO him
IA composition he evidently did not care
for. "What is thatY" he asked. sit ii
Bennett's Maid OF Orleans sonata, was
the reply. "Ah, " said the virtuOso, "what
a pity that the original manuscript did MOI
meet with the same fate as Joanp' In this
connection u good story is told of the lat
Victor Masse He was informed one ola!
! that rival composer took every opportu
, nifty of declaring that his (Masse's) musi
was execrable. 'He maintains l have m
) talent" said Masso; Il always declare h
has plenty. We both know we lie" Blu
pcrhaps better than this was the opinion
5 of Wagner expressed by Offenbach. Wag
0 nor had just published his "Rienzi," ant
4 off went copy to Offenbach, with re
quest that he would say what he though
( of it. Now Offenbach had previously rea'
some of Wagner's poems and had mad
$ fun of them, u circumstance well know
! to Wagner. After some three weeks TN
j score of "Rienzi" was returned to its com
= poser with slip on which was written
q Dear Wagner, your music is trash; site
to poetry" This of course enraged Wagne
d greatly, and some months later he was on
q with one of his celebrated brochures dc
:, , nouncing the Jews. 1t was fine opportu
all f,r hainp an 1
y raelite-and the brochure was in the hand
II of Offenbach in no time. Two days elapsed
y and Wagner had the pamphlet bach
When no opened it, this Is what he foun
written on the front page, Dear Wagner
your brochure Is rot; stick to music"
II Haydn was a great admirer Of the fai
It sex, and some of his prettiest things WEI
'r said about women. One specimen mus
y suffice. The celebrated Mrs. Billingto
,. was great friend of his, and Sir Joshu
N Reynolds had painted her portrait. Hayd
ir went to see the picture when 1t was FL
II ished. eyes, he said to the artist, sit
ir very good. But you have made one mi
,e take. You have painted Mrs. Billingto
IT listening to the angels, whereas the ange
ir should be listening to her."
y Berlioz, the eminent French compose
1T had caustic wit. He could not endul
ir Bach, and he used to call Handel "a b
st hog" musician Of the stomach" Fl
Of this he was paid out by Mendelssohn, wi
ar declared that after touching score
t. Berlioz soap and hot water were nece
OF sary. Berlioz, however, had his music
* hero, and that hero was Beethoven. Tou'
Beethoven irreverently and his Ire w
kindled. There Is a certain passage 4
the double basses in one of the master
u scores which was at one time believed
~ be almost impossible of execution. No
W Habeneck conducted performance of I'll
work in Paris, and gave the passage
question to the cellos. Berlioz who W
Is, present, met Habeneck soon after, al
~ asked him when he meant to give the pa
sage as Beethoven intended it To be give
Never as long as / live, said Habenec
d. "well, we'll wait" replied Borlic
Don't let it be long"
Speaking of Beethoven, that master
humor was rather of the grim kind, !
er sembling more the satire of Carlyle TIN
u anything else. The composers broth