The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-05-05
THE WIT OF COMPOSERS.

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 birthday. Having been born in
leap-year, on February 20, he had or
course birthday only once In four
years; and when he was seventy-two
he facetiously invited his friends to cell
citrate his eighteenth birthday. Some
of the best specimens of his wit were
shown In connection with brother COM
posers. you know" he said one day,
speaking to 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 maestro 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." After
wards, when asked to give his opinion
of the opera, he said: ut is too i'm
portant and too elaborate q work to be
judged after a single hearing, but so
far as am concerned, / shall not give
1t a second"
| Upon amateurs he was especially Sc
we're. A few days after Meyerbeers
death a young admirer Of his called
upon the composer of civilian Tell
with an elegy which he had written in
honor of his idol. WELL" said Rossini
after hearing the composition played
over 'if you really want my honest
! r III IL hot
ter If you had died and Meyerbeer had
written an elegy." Sometimes the
amateurs would endeavor to bride him
into a compliment by sending him a
little present. The ruse, however, was
but seldom effectual. A budding COM
poser once accompanied his new compo-
stion with a Stilton, hoping, of course,
to have letter praising the work
The letter came, but all 1t said was:
Thanks, l like the cheese very much. =
Rossini's witticisms indeed dubbed
forth at all times and under all cir
cumstances. On one occasion a gen.
tleman called upon him to enlist his aid
in procuring for him an engagement at
the Opera. He was a drummer, and
had taken the precaution to bring his
instrument. Rossini 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 I
have a rest of seventye eight bars; these
of course I will skip This was too
good a chance to be lost. "Oh, no."
said the composer; "by all means count
the seventy-e eight bars. I particularly
wish to hear those
Some of these anecdotes of Rossini re-
mind us that composers, as a rule, have
not figured amiably as critics of each
other. Handel swore that Gluck knew
no more about counterpart than his
cook; Weber pronounced Beethoven
mailman; and Haydn said of broth
err musician that che played the fiddle
like a hog" List was particularly Sc
we're upon fellowa rtistes Some one
was once playing to him composition
he evidently did not care for. What
is that?" he asked. "It Is Bennett
Maid of Orleans sonata" was the re-
ply "Ah," said the virtuoso, what a
pity that the original manuscript did
not meet with the same fate as JOAN
In this connection good story is told
of the late Victor Masse. He was in
formed one day that rival composer
took every opportunity of declaring
that his (Masse's) music was execrable
HE maintains l have no talent" said
Masse; 81 always declare he has plen-
ty We both know we lie" But per-
haps better than this was the opinion
of Wagner expressed by Offenbach
Wagner had just published his 'Rien-
I'll" and off went a copy to Offenbach
with a request that he would say what
he thought of it. Now Offenbach haC
previously read some of Wagner's po-
ems, and had made fun of them, cir.
cumstance well known to Wagner. At
ter some three weeks the score OF
"Rienzi" was returned to its composer
with a slip on which was written
Dear Wagner, your music is trash
stick to poetry" This of course en-
ragged Wagner greatly, and some
months later he was out with one of hi.
celebrated brochures denouncing the
Jews 1t was fine opportunity for re.
venge-Offenbach being an Israelite-
and the brochure was in the hands O.
Offenbach in no time. Two days
elapsed, and Wagner had the pamphle
back When he opened it this is wha
he found written on the front page
Dear Wagner, your brochure is rot
stick to music"
Haydn was a great admirer of the
fair sex, and some of his pretties
things were said about women. On'
specimen must suffice. The celebrated
Mrs. Ellington was a great friend o
his, and Sir Joshua Reynolds hat
painted her portrait. Haydn went t.
see the picture when it was finished
YES" he said to the artist, 'it is very
good. But you have made one mistake
. lie