The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-06-10
MASTERS OF MUSIC.
The GREAT COMPOSERS AND THEIR
PECULIAR METHODS OF WORK.

Eccentric Habits, as Rule, Are
Linked With This Phase of Genius.
Hnydn's Dress suit and sapphire
ring and BeethoNen's wild walks.
All the great musical composers had
their own peculiar ideas and manner
of working. They had their peculiar
traits, their moods, their eccentric hab-
lis, such as are generally said to mark
lie genius In Musical Education" NJ
I.avignac tells of their peeulIarities.
Haydn was very early riser" lie
writes, and yet he never worked eX-
cept In full dress, In which he was
like Button. He began by shaving
himself carefully, powdered himself
and put on his finger certain ring,
sapphire, believe, surrounded with
brilliants, which had been given him
by the great Frederick, unless ii was
Prince EsterhaZy That done, he shut
himself up in quiet room and wrote
for several consecutive hours, five or
six, without stopping.
Mozart, the gentle and pious Mo
Fart, was sometimes less particular
and composed little everywhere and
under all conditions. Happily the
ideas came often enough and pursued
him even into the restaurants of Wen
m, Prague and Munich, where he was
very fond of playing billiards and
smoking Il pipe and composing in his
head.
"Rossini composed almost constantly
md in all Ways, rarely mt the piano,
most often in the evening or ut night,
and, like Mozart, often found inspira-
lion in II csVriage or post chaise. In
the irregular joltings of these vehicles
he perceived rhythm, and of these
rhythmS melodies were born. There Is
no doubt that he would have found
them in the trepidation of the railroad
If he had dared to try, but he Ind such
Il dread of this mode of loeom0tion that
no one was ever able To induce him to
set foot In ear.
"Gluck composed violently gcsticu-
lating. walking up and down and act
ing all his characters, often In the open
mir, on the lawn, In a garden.
"Bccthovcn also undoubtedly found
II powerful auxiliary to inspiration In
motion and walking Whatever the
season, every day after dinner, which
WAS at / o'clock according to the Wien
nesc custom, he set out for walk,
aud with big strides twice nude the
circuit of the city of Vienna. Neither
cold nor heat nor rain nor hail was able
10 stop hin. Then 1t was that his heat
of fancy attained its full ardor. He
would enter restaurant, sit down for
mn instant and ask the stupeGed waiter
for the bill. without having ordered
anything Ills cumsiness was pro
digious. lie usually broke everything
he touched. Not single piece of fur
niturr in his house. and any article of
value less than anything else, was safe
from his attacks, and many times his
ink pot fell into the plano by which he
was working, which, rellgIously pre-
served in the museum ut Bonn, still
retains its indeliblc traces, Although
lie had always lived in the midst of the
high Niennese aristocracy, In which
drawing room dances We're held in
high honor, he never succeeded In dane
ing IN time.
''llcrold composed while walking,
humming OF singing. often in the
Champs Elysees, and often passed his
best friends by without recognizing
them
"Gounod composed especially at the
table or nj least in his head When he
wrote, everything was absolutely clear
in his brain. His manuscripts prove
this.
Wagner liked to write standing up
before Il large table desk like the cash
desks in the shops. His scores were
written without crasures. In IL superb
photographic hand. admirable for its
clearneSS aud iirmness aud worthy Of
professional copyist.
"RcrioH, who played no Instruments
but the gutar Autc and hageolct, nee
essarly worked at the table.
"Frnnck who was the hcnd of n
school, scarcely composed mt all till
after . O'Clock in the evening.
"MCNVrhecr wrote in II regular man
her In the evening, and his servant had
orders 10 drag him away from the
piano at the stroke of midnight Schu-
mann would not admit that any one
could write otherwise than at table.
MondclSSohn made much use of the
piano and preferred To work In the
morning. Auber generally worked at
night and very late, TIL or 3 o'clock
in the morning, In order To avoid out
side noises
"llalcNy had II table piano that had
been made for him by pleyel From
time To time he would draw out his key
board, strike few chords on II. and
then push it back like a simple drawer
and continue Ia write.
"Boicldieu also wrote ut the piano.
felicicn David, not being much of a
pianist, sometimes sought the aid of
his violin Adolphe Adam almost al
ways worked nj his grand piano. the
right hand side of whose keyboard
was stained with innumcrahle splashcs
of ink. He played eight, ten or twelve
bars, and then wrote them down. Bizct
worked especially in the evening and
still more ut night: he often made use
of piano bureau 10y Pleyel, like Gou-
nod and IlaicNy