New-York tribune., 1901-06-16
4 PICTURE AND ITS STORY
Ni'A' ELLINGTON AS ST. CECILIA
ia IN PRETTY COMPLIMENT AND
THE WOMAN WHO CALLED
1T FORTH.

Tor over half century has hung on the wall ~
A"ih gallery, and which has long been
Hee 10 public inspection Yet il MAY be ones
""h'd u one out oi a thousand who have looked
"p"" me painting made 10y famous master
i"'"""s singer OF the eighteenth century
was familiar with the dainty legend connected
WIN Il. Perhaps il is all legend hut il 50. il is
oid enough To deserve respect and a car,i,,
amount az credence; for il has been known il,
i-"hu'a since lNl1 and was printed IN Ital, 6ya
80 'aiief-"nly score of years after the
period IN which it is SUPPOSED To have arisen
~'i'"NeF, II has Likelihood on its side. and a
uilllg discrepancy in dates pointed out IN a
To" 'Aactng critic, ought not L. be permitted 10
f"o 'he pasos o. musical anecdote of SO perfect
a Specimen.
The painting in question is one made bv Sir
Joshua Reynolds Of Mrs. Ellington in the char
A0'er 81 81 Cecilia. 1t is No. ~ in the cafa-
l"gue 81 the LenoN Gallery and is there de-
scrlhed a canvas ~ inches hv - inches II,
size. exhibited at the Royal Academy in l7ao
ana bought 10y Mr. Grant 6afterward Sir Francis
Gian0 FOR Mr. LenoN in June. ls4s II shows Mrs
killington in fun length with a choir of angels
hutitring and singing above and about her
head. c r. Leslie the hiograI her Of Sir Joshua.
SAYS il Was painted in l7s;, in which wear Mrs
Jordan, the famous actress. also sat to him.
Now for tn story which. So far a. this writer
knows, was first put into musical literature 10y
Giuseppe Carpani the Italian poet who wrote
tn exquisite poem beginning In quest a
tomha." which Beethoven mas immorlaIized In
1872 Sigaor Carpani published a book entitled
lie HaNdine ovVero Lettere sula Vita le
opere del celehre maestro Giuseppe Haydn"
Two years later Henri Beyle, a French literary 4
adventurer brought out French paraphrase of
TINS book under the title "I.ettros scrites DE- 4
Nienne sur le celeire J. Havdn." and the I
Iseudonyme 1. A. C. Bomtet. In lsl5 this work 4
APPEARED in an English version. which was 4
printed London and reprinted in Providence, 4
r. J.. in ls2O. and Boston IN ls@ l. Is a
charming book and its story il thus given In \
dc;an because us author Cwho also wrote over
the mann. ~ Siendhall Is stil Frequently spoken /
az as BoInhei and credited with Cariau!'s work 4
Ia al the editions from the original Italian 10
the last reprint 81 the English translation from
the French paraI.hrase TN story = told of how /
Haydn. ms nrs1 visit to London, often met /
Mrs Ellington for whom he felt great ad-
miration. one day he found her sitting 10 Sir
Joshua reynolds. who painting her ~ The 4
character 81 -. Cecilia listening 10 celes-
tial choir Mrs. Ellington showed TN picture
To HAYDN i, is Like" said the composer, 'but /
there is a strange mstake
What IS thate" asked Reynolds hastily.
You have painted her listening 10 the angels; /
sou ought have represented the angels listen |
ing TO her"
Thereupou. the story goes, Mrs Ellington
sIrang uI and threw her arms around IN" COM
t,os,.r's neck Probably she did than that;
al any rate. he deserved more. But now comes
the carpine critic ard points out that SiT Joshua
Tainted the picture in l7s9 any rate. *
iilted il in the Royal Academy in l1:.Hl, some
time before Haydn came To London. Very wei.
Il Is not necessary that the scene should have
occurred while Sir Joshua painting the
yiciur.-as a matter of fact il couldn't hecauss
Haydn noticed IA, expression ~ -. Cecilia
listening To the angels and ths rcsj is draperE;
Haydn Was a lion ia London. an1 may have seen
the painting al Mrs. Isili.ngt as OF elseWh-rt
when tho painter present
Haydn was a susceptible old gentleman 81
fftv-u.ne years when h. FIRST went o. London
ana he put down in his diary not only a record
II M, scandal which Mr.. Ellington caused m
h..r day. nut also one 81. has admiration for her-
III Is said that her character Is very faulty,
~ wrote in his notebook (which The Tribune
,,s, gaV. 10 IA. world three years ago. hut.
neverth.less she Is a great genius, and al the
women nat. her hccaCse sne u 50 beautiful
srs Ruluetnr though - German T'arentage.
Ms tn greatest singer that England had pre-
duced Her father, naEed Meloilsr., VAS a
,larinrt tlaver al the Kings Theatre Che first
- an ms instrument in London ~ The time,
and h,.r mother an admired singer ~ NauAhail
Gardens she sang m ruu.ic Win her mother