1 SHE .-'.-■'■ Si SI WnMJugBflmiiii £B9b mm mm Warn Bm W&mwm GTfje ILibvavp . of tfjc Wlnibttxity otMovtf) Carolina fee LIB* ^.SlTAf, THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ENDOWED BY THE DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETIES V780.9U B967P v.l MUSIC LIBRARY This book must not be taken from the Library building. J4Jfc=5=3966 MAR21S70 THE FRE8 E NT S T ATS O F M U SIC ■ I N GERM AN Y, THE NETHE R L A ND S, . AND UNITED PROVINCES. O R, The JOURNAL of a TOUR through thofe Countries, undertaken to colled Materials for A GENERAL HISTORY OF MUSIC. By CHARLES BURNEY, Muf. D. IN TWO VOLUMES. V O L. I. W QSirfuofen fet) Mu ©etmanfen, bie &u mmtt ; 3n Si-anfreid) unD 233elfc5lanD ftnE> groffei'e nicltf. L O N D O NT, Printed forT. Becket and Co. Strand 5 J. Robson, New Bond- Street j and G, Robinson, Paternofter Row. 1773, Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 ■ http://archive.org/detajls/presentstateofjliuOOburn THE INTRODUCTION. IT is well known that fuch merchan- dize as is capable of adulteration, is feldom genuine after paffing through many hands ; and this principle is ftill more generally allowed with refpect to intelligence, which is, perhaps, nevtr pure but at the fource. Mufic has, through life, been the fa- vourite object of my purfuit, not only with refpect to the practice of it as a profeffion, but the hiftory of it as an art; and that my knowledge might be free from fuch falmood and error as the plained and fimpleft facts are known to A 2 gather - [ iv ] gather up in fucceffive relations, I have made a fecond tour on the continent, tak- ing nothing upon report, of which I could procure better teftimony, and, ac- cumulating the mod authentic memo- rials of the times that are paft -, and as I have, in a late publication, endeavoured to do juftice to the talents and attain- ments of the prefent muficians of France and Italy, I mall now make the fame at- tempt with refpecl; to thofe of Germany, hoping that the teftimony of one who has himfelf been witnefs of the particu- lars he relates, will have a weight which integrity itfelf cannot give to hear-fay evidence, and that the mind of the reader will be more entertained, in proportion as it is more fatisfied of the truth of what is written. For if knowledge be me- dicine for the foul, according to the fa- mous infcription on the Alexandrian Li- brary *, it feems as much to concern us to obtain it genuine, as to procure un- adulterated medicine for the body. [ V ] Travelling for information concerning the tranfactions of remote countries, was much more practifed by the writers of antiquity than it has been by thofe of later times, who have found it more con- venient to compile books at their own fire-fide, from books which have been compiled before, than to crofs feas, mountains, and deferts, in foreign coun- tries, to {Qck for new and authentic ma- terials. But Homer, Herodotus, Plato, Plutarch, and Paufanias, who were great travellers, either lived in times when there were few bocks to conmlt, or, if they were not poll fled of more wealth than modern authors, muft have met with more than modern hofpitality j for long voyages, however necerTary, would other- wife have been fcarcely practicable. For my part, who have travelled with- out thefe advantages, and who pretend not to the character o£ Jage, if it be faid, that the object of my purfuit is by no means f vi ] means equivalent to my labour and ex 1 - pence ; I can only anfwer, that though I am unwilling to allow the knowledge of a fcience which difFufes fo much blame- lefs pleafure, through a circle of fuch vaft extent, to be offmall importance, yet I moft fincerely wi(h that I could have pro- cured it upon eafier terms, and have vi- iited remote countries after the delibe- rate and pariimonious manner of Afcle- piades, who, according to Tertullian,' made the tour of the world on a cow's back, and lived upon her milk. It is however certain, that whatever will juftify my rambling through France and Italy after the materia mujica, or apo- logize for it, may with the fame force and propriety be pleaded for my having vifited Germany y for though Italy has carried vocal mufic to a perfection un- known in any other country, much of the prefent excellence of injlrumental is certainly owing to the natives of Ger- many, t Vii ] many, as wind and keyed inftrumen.t? have never, perhaps, in any age or coun- try, been brought to a greater degree of refinement, either in conftruction or ufe, than by the modern Germans. The notice and afjiftance with which 1 was honoured by feveral perfons of dif- tinclion on the continent, are acknow- ledged in the courfe of my narrative ; but to avoid repetitions in my book, and to follow an impulfe of gratitude, per- haps not unmixed with vanity, I muft here declare, that for thefe and many other advantages wjiich my journey pro- duced, I am principally indebted to the patronage of the Earl of Sandwich, who, to aflift me in calling the attention of the public to the hiftory of his favourite art, and in recording the talents of its moft illuftrious profeifors in remote countries, was pleafed to honour me with recom- mendatory letters, in his own hand, to every nobleman and gentleman of this coun- [ viii ] country who refided in a public character in the feveral cities through which I paus- ed ; the influence of which was fo power- ful as to gain me eafy accefs to thofe who were not only the mod able, but whom I was fo fortunate as to find the mod will- ing to forward my undertaking. THE PRESENT STATE O F MUSIC, &c St. O M E R S. IMuft confefs, that my appetite for French mufic was not very keen when I now landed on the conti- nent, July 6th, 1772. However, being detained at St. Omers a day longer than I expected, I vilited fome of the churches there, as well as the theatre ; but heard nothing in either which inclined me to change my fentiments concerning the national tafte of France, for mufic. B A com- c 2 * A company of flrolling players, front Dunkirk, acted, on the night of my arri- val, a tragedy and a comedy. I went to' the playhoufe, which I found fmall and dirty 5 and though the tragedy was half over when I arrived', there was no other company in the boxes, than two or three Englifh families, and a few of the officers of the garrifon. It is impoffible for Englifhmen to judge, accurately, of French acting, and declamation -, but thefe performers feemed much more at their eafe, and appeared more like the characters they were to reprefent, than thofe on the Englifh ftage, who, except a few of the principal actors, are gene- rally fo aukward and unnatural, as to deftroy all illufion. At the cathedral of St. Omer thtt'6 is a very fine fixteen feet organ, which is played in a maflerly, but old ftyle, by a prieft, father Thomas, who teaches the harpfichord to many Englifh people, as' well as other inhabitants of that city. But' [ 3 1 But the mbft confiderable inflrument there, in figure and grandeur, is the or- gan at the abbey of St. Bertin : it was built but live years ago, by a country mechanic, who could neither write, read, nor play on his- inflrument when it was made. I had, as yet, feen nothing fo elegant and magnificent as the cafe and ornaments of this organ ; the flops are numerous, and the movements light and tolerably quiet ; there are pe- dals, but there is no fwell, or great variety in the folo flops, nor do I think the tone fo fweet as that of the cathedral. But the bed organ in this part of the world, for fweetnefs of tone, is an old one at the monaflery of Clairmarais, about a league from St. Omers. The organift there is a friar ; and that of the abbey of St. Bertin is a nephew and fcholar of father Thomas. There is a little organ, called a pofi- tift confiding of four flops only, in the chancel of the abbey, which is ufed on B 2 com- [ 4 ] common occafionsj It is nearly fuch a one as I remember to have feen and heard Colifta play upon, to accompany the voices, at the church of St. John La- teral!, at Rome, in 1770." r At mounting guard in the Grande "Place of St. Omer, I obferved that the fer- pent was ufed in the military band, as a double bafe to a great number of baf- foons, horns, arid hautboys, and had a very good erTecl:. LISLE. • < To perfo r ns'who flay but a fhort time in French garrifoned towns, the military affords confiderable amufement j there are not at prefent above four batta- lions, or two.thoufand men, quartered in the city -, though it is ufual for the garrifon to confift often thoufand. The mounting guard upon the Grande Place, or fquare, is, in itfelf, a gay and en- tertaining fight ; yet it always gives me a melancholy, and painful fenfation, to [ 1 I to fee the people out-numbered by the military. So many flout and robuil fel- lows kept from the plough, and from manufactures, muft be a great burden upon the community, and totally ufe- lefs in time of peace, to any thing, but ambitious and oppreflive views. Having vifited this city, in queft of mufical information, fo lately as the year 1770, I expected to find nothing new, that Was very interefting ; how- ever, I attended to the military mulic, which is much changed here iince I was laft in France. The marches, as well as mufrcians, are chiefly German. The crotolo is ufed here as I had feeft it at Florence : it ferves verv well to mark the time in marching, though it has only one tone, like that of a fide drum : it is the fame inftrurnent as that which the ancients called the cymbalum. The Turks were the firfl among the moderns who ufed it in their troops ; the f«im B i is E <* ] as that of a bafon, or the cover to 4 difli ; there is one for each hand. It is made of brafs, but the vibration is fo flopt by its being in contact with the hand, that it cannot be called fonorous, it is rather a claming than a founding inftrument of percuffion ; however, its effect in marking the time is fo power- ful as to be diftinctly heard through the ftunning noife of forty drums. Jn fpeaking of military mufic, it feems not unworthy of remark, that drums, monotonous as they are, fre- quently play in two parts. I obferved to-day, at mounting guard, that, of forty drums which began to beat together ifochronous, or in equal time, one half continued to beat the march, and the other half accompanied them with a continual roll for feveral bars : the effect of this is admirable, as it contributes to animate the troops, without deftroying or altering the divifion of time, by which they are to meafure their fleps. In f 7 ] In other mufic, during a long note, which is either fimply fuftained in a jfwell, or diminuendo, or has a continued ihake, the time is wholly unmarked, unlefs its accents and proportions are pointed out and regulated by fome other part; a fingle drum, while one hand rolls, has frequently the time marked by the fingle Strokes of the other, given at Stated periods. The ufe of muSic, in marching, as well as in dancing, is more to mark the Steps than delight the ear ; and the beft instru- ments, perhaps, for both purpofes, are the drum and tabor, neither of which has more than one found. After Moliere's Ecole des Maris, J heard here VAmitie a TEfreuve, taken from one of the Contes Moraux of Mar- montel, by Favart, with ariettes by Gretry : the mufic is full of pretty things, and it is an honour to the French to admire the compositions of this ingenious compofer, who feems, in B 4 gratitude. [ 8 ] gratitude, to conform, as much as he can, to the national tafte; though his melodies are more frequently Italian than French, and his modulation and accompaniments are new and plealing. To criticife the execution of this pretty opera would be firing at carrion crows, not worth powder and ihot. But in this fevere cenfure I mud diftinguim the actors from the fingers, and the voices from the corruption and abufe of them. Both the pieces were well acted; but, as to Jinging, nothing could be more of* fenfive ; and yet there was not one bad voice among the performers; one of the young actreffes had, indeed, a voice that was fweetly toned, and of great compafs ; but the fongs were too dif- ficult for her execution, and me joined to the national falfe direction of voice, to forcing, fcreaming, and bad tafte, that incurable and infufrerable expreffion, which is equally difgufting to the learned and the ignorant of other countries. In [ 9 ] In travelling through French Flan- ders, I could not help obferving that the finging of the common people is ftrongly tinctured with the plain-chant 9 which they hear fo frequently at church. All the labouring people and bourgeois go to matins as foon as it is light on common days, and on Sundays and fes- tivals two or three times in the courfe of the day ; fo that by their cdnftantly hearing the priefts, and finging with them, they acquire that kind of melody and expreffion which is ufed in the church, and apply it to their fongs, in their work-fhops, and in the ftreet. Though I omitted no opportunity of hearing all the inftruments and perfor- mers I could, in my way through French Flanders, yet they furnifhed no new ideas or reflections concerning either thetafte, orflyle, of French muficians. To defcribe them, therefore, would be only to repeat what I have already laid on the fubject, in my former mufical tour through [ " J .through this country. I muft, however allow, and it would difcover a total want of candour to be filent on the fub- ject, that upon keyed inftruments, parti- cularly the harpfichord, the French, jn point of neatnefs, precifion, and bril- liancy of execution, are not excelled by the people of any other country in Eu- rope ; and i,t is but juft to obferve like- wife, that the French military mufic is now not only much better in itfelf, hut better performed than it was a few years ago : and a very intelligent Eng r lifh officer, who was with me on the parade, remarked the fame improve- ment in the difcipline, drefs, and ap- pearance of the French Jroops in the fame fpace of time. The men are now felect, the manoeuvres fhortened, and there is fome appearance both of the gentleman and the foldier, even in thq common men. COUR, II COURTRAY. When I arrived at this place, whicfy is the firft confiderable town in the Auftrian Netherlands, I found a re- markable change in the language, man- ners, and mulic of the people. It is very embarraffing to a ftranger to find within the cotnpafs of a hundred Englifh miles, four languages very dif- ferent from each other : French, Fle- mish, Walloon, and Low Dutch. At Courtray, the common people fpeak the Walloon language : I accofled feve- ral in the ftreets, in French, but they did not underftand me; fo that the Abbe du Bos' alTertion, and the confe- quence he draws from it, that French is the univerfal language of the Fle- mings, fall to the ground, for it is a common thing, even at Lille, for two people to converfe in two different lan- guages 3 the inhabitant of Lille aiks the pountry-man, who comes to market, the [ " ] the price of his commodities in French, and is anfwered in Flemi(h ', and both underftand each other's dialed, though unable to fpeak it. In the town of Courtray, the organ, at the collegiate church of Notre Dame, is difpofed of in a very lingular manner 5 it is placed in a gallery at the weft end of the building ; but, in order to pre- ferve the window, which was nece Mary to light the body of the church, the organ is divided in two parts, one of which is fixed on one. fide of, the win- dow, and one on the other -, the bet- lows run qnder the window, and com-* municate with both parts of the inftru^ ment, which is a large one of fixteeri feet, with pedals, and feems to have been but lately erected. The keys are in the middle, under the window, but not to be fecn below ; the choir is accom- panied, even when the organ does not play, with a ferpent, as at Paris, and a double bafe, as at Rome, It was in this [ '3 1 this town that I firft perceived the paf- fion for carillons, or chimes, which is fo prevalent throughout the Nether- lands. I happened to arrive at eleven o'clock, and half an hour after the chimes played a great number of chear* ful tunes, in different keys, which awak- ened mycuriofity for this fpecies of mufic fo much, that, when I came to GHENT, I determined to inform myfelf, in a particular manner, concerning the caril- lon fcience. For this purpofe, I mounted the town belfrey, from whence I had a fult view, not only of the city of Ghent, which is reckoned one of the largeit, in Europe, but could examine the mecha- nifm of the chimes, as far as they are played by clock work, and likewife fee the Carilloneur perform with a kind of keys communicating with bells, as thofe of the harpfichord and organ do with firings and pipes. I foon f H 1 1 foon found that the chimes irf thefe countries had a greater num- ber of bells thart thofe of the largeit peai in England -, but, when I mounted the belfrey, I was aftonimed at the great quantity of bells I faw ; in fhort, there is a complete feries or fcale of tones and femitones, like thofe on the 2 harpfichord and organ. The Caril- hneur was literally at work, and hard work indeed it muft be; he was in his fhirt with the collar unbuttoned/ and inf a violent fweat. There are pedals com- municating with the great bells, upon which, with his feet, he played the bafe to feveral fprightly and rather difficult airs, performed with the two hands upon the upper fpecies of keys. Thefe keys are projecting flicks, wide enough afunder to be ftruck with vio- lence and velocity by either of the two hands edge ways, without the dan- ger of hitting the neighbouring keys. The player has a thick leather covering' for t i if ] for the little finger of each hand, other'- wife it would be impoflible for him to fupport the pain which the violence of the ftroke necefTary to be given to* each key, in order to its being dif- tin&ly heard throughout a very large town, requires-. The carillons are faid'to be originally of Aloft, in this country, and are ftill here, and in Holland, in their greateft perfec- tion. It is certainlv a Gothic invention, and perhaps a barbarous tafte, which nei- ther the French, the Englim, nor the Ita- lians have imitated or encouraged. The Carilloneafy at my requeft, played feve- ral pieces very dexteroufly, in three |>arts, the fkft and fecond treble with the two hands on the upper fet of keys, and the bafe with the feet on the pedals. The Carillo?ieur- plays four times a week, Sunday, Monday, Wednefday, and Friday, from half an hour pad eleven till twelve o'clock : it is conftant 2 employment f '6 ] employment for a watch or clock-maker to attend the works of the common chimes ; here he has an apartment un- der the belfrey, and it is by him that the Carilloneur is paid. This place and Antwerp are, according to the inhabitants, the moll celebrated cities in the Netherlands, and perhaps in the world, for carillons and chimes. The great convenience of this kind ofmufic is, that it entertains the inhabi- tants of a whole town, without giving them the trouble of going to any parti- cular fpot to hear it ; but the want of fomething to flop the vibration of each bell, at the pleafure of the player, like the valves of an organ, and the red cloth in the jacks of a harp- fichord, is an intolerable defect to a cultivated ear : for by the notes of one paffage perpetually running into an- other, every thing is rendered fo inar- ticulate and confufed as to occafion a very difagreeable jargon. As to i the t '7 ) the clock-work chimes, or thofe worked by a barrel, nothing, to my thinking* can be more tirefomej fbr, night and day, to hear the fame tune played every hour, during fix months, in fuch a ftiff and unalterable manner, requires that kind of patience, which nothing but a total abfence of tafte can produce. As Ghent was the firft town which t had been in, that had a German garrifon iit it, or, rather, troops in the pay, and under the difcipline of Germany, I was curious to hear the military malic. I found two Walloon regiments here ; and though no general officer was on the fpot, yet there were two bands attending every morning and evening, on the Place d'Armes> or parade. The one was an extra-band of profefTed muficians, confifting of two hautbois, two clarinets, two balloons, and two French horns; the other were enlided men and boys, belonging to the regiments -, the number of thefe amount- ed to twenty. There were four trum- C pets. . [ i« ] pets, three fifes, two hautbois, two clarinets, two tambours de bafque> two French horns, one crotolo, or cymbal, three fide-drums, and one great kettle- drum. All thefe fonorous inftruments, in the open air, have a very animating and plcafing efTecl:. I foon found, in vifiting the churches of this country, that fplitting an or- gan in twain, in order to preferve a window* was no uncommon thing. At the Jefuit's church, for Jefuits have ftill an exiftence here, there is a fmall organ, for this country, placed in a gallery at the weft window, divided in that man- ner. I found but one fet of keys, from C, to G, no pedals, and but few flops, the tone was coarfe and noily when heard near, but, by the fize and conflruction of the building, it was fo foftpned and meliorated, as to found very agreeably, at a diftance. At the great church of St. Bavo, two ferpents and a double bafe accompany the chant, t '9 ] chant, when fung in parts, even- when the organ is not played. The organ here is placed under the arch of the left-fide aile, at the entrance into the choir, in order to preferve the center, or broad aile, from being interfered with an or- gan-loft, which frequently deftroys all the fymmetry and proportions of a building ; as an organ, when placed over the weft door, frequently darkens the whole church, by {hutting up a principal win- dow, originally intended for other pur- pofes, by the architect, than mere external ornament. I did not quit Ghent without vifiting the principal libraries there, in hopes of meeting with ancient manufcript mulic, which might afcertain the afTertion of Lod. Guicciardini, that counter-point took its rife, and was firft cultivated in Flanders ; but I neither found at the abbey of St. Peter (the oldeft and richeft in Flanders) nor at the Auguftines, or C 2 Domi- i " j Dominicans, where the libraries are very confiderable ? any thing to my purpofe. A L O S T. Here I found, in the church of St. Mar- tin, a noble organ, built by Van Petig- ham, and fon, of Ghent, but five years fuice, which fills the whole weft end of the church y its form is elegant, and the or- naments are in a good tafte. It has fif- ty-three flops, three fets of keys, greafc organ, choir organ, and echo, down to F, on the fourth line in the bafe *. The touch is not fo heavy as might be expect- ed from the great refiftance of fuch a 5 column of air as is necefiary for fo con- fiderablc a number of? (lops. The reed- flops are well toned, the diapafons well voiced, and the effect of the whole cho- rus rich and noble : I was the more par- ticular in my obfe-rvations- upon this instrument, in order to enable myfelf to compare its contents with thofe of the large organs- * The pedals went down two octaves lower, [ 2! ] organs which I expected to fee hereafter in Holland and Germany. The French organ-builders are much efteemed by the Germans themfelves, for the fimpli- city of their movements, and the me- chanifm of the whole j but the variety which thefe flops afford is not propor- tioned to their number; we have fre- quently more foio flops in an Englifh organ of half the fize and price -, however, Silbermann, the mofl celebrated organ- builder in Germany, who died not long ago, refided and worked many years in France, from whence he brought feveral improvements in the conftruction of or- gans, that he afterwards applied to thofe which he erected in his own coun- try. The voices in the church at Aloft are accompanied, befides the organ, with fix or eight inftruments every day, and on fef- tivals by a great band ; and the muflcal tafte here, as far as I could judge by the C 3 per- [ ?| ] performance of the organift and his fon, is more Italianifed, or at leaft Germanif- ed, than in any of the churches of France, BRUSSELS. The theatre in this city is one of the moft elegant I ever faw, on this fide the Alps ; it is conflrucled in the Italian manner; there are five rows of boxes, nineteen in each, which, feverally, con- tain fix perfons in front. There are feats in the pit, five or fix of which are railed off for the accommodation of ftrangers, who, other wife, would be in danger of ob- taining no good places, as the boxes are ufualjy let to fubfcribers, and there are no galleries. The orchefira of this theatre is cele- brated all over Europe. It is, at prefent, under the direction of M. Fitzthumb, a very active and intelligent maejiro di ca-* fella, who beats the time, and is inde- fatigable t 23 ] fatigablc in preferving good difcipline, and M. Vanmaldere, brother of the com- pofer of that name, whole fymphonies are well known in England. M. Vanmal- dere, fince the death of his brother, plays the principal violin, though the violoncello is his inftrument. The piece that was performed to night, July 15th, 1772, was Zemire and Azor, a fpecies of Comedie larmoyante, written by M. Marmontel, and fet by M. Gretry 1 it is interfperfed with airs and dances. As the drama is French, the perform- ance was after the French manner, and confequently fubjecl: to much criticifm. As an opera, it might be divided into the following conftituent parts : Poetry, Mufic, Singing, ABing, Dancing, Orc/ief- tra, Theatre, Scenes, and Decorations; and, it is but juftice to fay, that, of thefe, a great majority were good ; however, let us difcriminate, for to judge a perform- ance of this kind in th» grofs, by faying that the whole was very good, bad, or in- C 4 different, [ 24 3 different, would be unjuft as well a$ taflelefs. The fubject of the Poetry is a fairy tale, which is wrought into ari interefting drama with great art, tafte, and genius ; and is wholly worthy of its elegant and refined author. If it were, however, permitted to doubt of the per- fection of particular parts of the pro- duction of fo able a writer, jt might perhaps be faid that fome of the fongs contain too many words and ideas for a fimplicity of air, if compared with thofe of Metaftalio, the true model of perfection in this particular; it alfo ftruck me, as an impropriety, for the daugh- ter of a great Periian merchant to fin; two or three duets with her father's Have. Several parts of the piece too are made to be fung, which mould, in this kind of drama, be declaimed, particular- ly in the laft fcene of the firft act. The Mufic of this opera, is, in general, admirable; the overture is fpirited and full of effects j the ritornels, and other pieces [ 25 ] pieces of fymphony, are full of new ideas and imagery ; now and then, in- deed, with the affiftance of the iinging, the airs bordered too much on the old ftyle of French mufic, However, the melody is more frequently Italian than French, and the accompaniments are both rich, ingenious, and tranfparent, if I may be allowed the expreffion, by which I mean, that the air is not fuf- focated, but can be diftinctly heard through them. The Singing may be pronounced to have been but indifferent : there were three male and three female voices employed, no one of which was good, and out of the whole number, not one had either a make, or the faculty of finging in tune ; at beft, they would have been called in England, only pretty ballad-fingers. One of the females, Defoix, who performed the part of Z entire, had fomething like execution, and a compafs of voice ; yet, with theie advantages, her performance was unfteady and unfiniihed. The r 26 j The ABing was, in general, charming, full of propriety and grace. The Dancing was below criticifm. The Orchejira was admirably conducted, and the band, taken as a whole, was nu- merous, powerful, correct, and attentive : but, in its feparate parts, the horns were "bad, and out of tune; which was too difcoverable in the capital fong of the piece, when they were placed at diffe- rent diftances from the audience, to imi- tate an echo, occafioned by the rocks, in a wild and defert fcene. The firft clarinet, which ferved as a hautboy, was, though a very good one, too fharp the whole night ; and the bafes, which were all placed at one end of the orcheitra, played fo violently, that it was more like the rumbling reverberation of thunder, than mufical found. The four double bafes, employed in this band were too power- ful for the reft of the inftruments. There was no harpfichord, which, as there were but two pieces of recitative, and thofe accompanied, was perhaps not wanted. The I *7 I The Theatre has been defcribed above, and I have only to add, that it is lofty and noble ; but though conftructed much after the Italian model, it is far inferior in fize to mod of the theatres of -Italy. The Scenes and Decorations were rich, ingenious, and elegant. July 1 6. This evening, after a pretty comedy, by BoifTy, called le Mercure Galant, the Huron was very well acted, though poorly fung. However, the little Defoix, who did the part of Ze~ mire laft night, was much more at her eafe now, as all her fongs were fuch as fuited her powers. She is rather lefs French in her manner of finging than the reft ; but fhe is ignorant of mu- iic, and a Frenchwoman, no trivial ob- jections to her finging well. The method of playing the march in this piece had a very fine effect, by the judicious ufe of the Crefcendo and Dimi- nuendo. It was begun behind the fcenes, at the end of the fhge, fo foft as to be i fcarcely I 28 ] scarcely heard ; and after the band had gradually approached the audience, and were arrived at the greateft degree of force, they retired in the fame flow man- ner, infenfibly diminifhing the found to $he laft audible degree of Piano. ANTWERP. It was in this city, that I expected to meet with materials the raoft important to the hiftory of counter-point, or mufic in dif- ferent parts, as it was here, according to Lodovico Guicciardini, and, after him, feveral others, who took the fact upon truft, that moft of the great Flemifh muficians, who fwarmed all over Europe in the fixteenth century, were bred. I arrived here Friday evening, July 17th: it is a city that fills the mind with more melancholy reflections concerning the viciffitudes of human affairs, and the tranfient ftate of worldly glory, than any other in modern times : the exchange, which [ 2 9 I which ferved as a model to Sir Th. Gref- ham, when he built that of London, arid which, though ftill intire, is as ufelefs to the inhabitants, as the Colofeo at Rome : TheTown-houfe,'Conftru&ed asa tribunal, for the magiftrates, at the head- of two hundred thoufand inhabitants, which ar£ now reduced to lefs than twenty thou- sand : the churches, the palaces, the fquares, and whole ftreets, which, not two hundred years ago, were fcarce fufficient to contain the people for whom they were defrgrifed, and which are now almofi: abandoned : the fpacious and commo- dious quays, the numerous canals, cut with fuch labour and expence, the noble' river Schelde, wider than the Thames at Chelfea-reach, which ufed to be co- vered with fhips from all quarters of the world, and on which now, fcarce a fiming boat can be difcovered : all contribute to point out the in (lability of fortune, and to remind us that, what Babylon, 7 Car- 1 .3* 1 Carthage, Athens, and Palmyra now are, the mod flourishing cities of the prefent period, muft, in the courfe of time, in-* evitably become ! The cathedral of Notre Dame, ex- cept the choir, was deftroyed by fire, in the year 1533, as a great part of Rome was in 1527, which renders it difficult to find any manufcript mufic of anterior times, in either of thefe cities. It was. rebuilt again the year following, more beautifully than ever, and is efteem- ed fuperior to all the Gothic buildings of this country, efpecially the fteeple, which is extremely light and elegant. The church was, however, pillaged and much defaced in 1 560 by\ the Iconochjis, or image breakers, as the Dutch rebels, or heretics, are called -, but ever fince the year 1584, when it was taken by the duke of Parma, it has continued to be enrich- ed with fuperb altars and monuments, together with paintings by the firft maf- ters j C 3' 3 ters ; it Is five hundred feet long, two hundred and forty wide, and three hun- dred and fixty high, and is fupported by a hundred and twenty-five pillars ; it was firft built in the thirteenth century. The emperor Charles V. laid the firft ftone of the prefent choir. In 1521 the chapter of canons was inflituted by God- frey of Boulogne, king of Jerufalemj their number at firlr. was only twelve, but it is now twenty-four j there are eight minor canons, with a number of chap- lains, &c. which altogether form an af- fembly in the choir, to the amount of feventy beneficed clergy. There are three organs in this church, one very large, on the right hand fide, at the weft end of the choir, and a fmall one in a a chapel on each fide the broad aile. The organift at prefent is M. Vanden Bofch, he is a fpirited and mafterly player. The chanting here, as in other churches of this country, is accompanied t ■ .» 1 by the double bafe and ferpent j an ex- cellent fervice was fung on Saturday af- ternoon, July, 1 8th, out of a printed book* which had for title, OBo Cantica Diva Maries Virginis, fecundum Ocio Modos t Audlore Arturo Aux-Couteaux, Parifiisj 1641. At the Jefiiit's college, I was treated with great politenefs, and affifted in my refearches by the learned father Gef* quiere, together with father Newton and brother Blithe, two Englifhmen of that college. The former mewed me a ma- nufcript treatife on mufic, which, from the kind of writing, is judged to be nine hundred years old; and a fine ancient ma- nufcript of our famous Magna Chartd; both of which feem to have come from England, or at lead to have been in the* poiTeffion of an Englifhman, as there io the fignature of John Cotton in both. At the Dominicans church, there are two organs, which are efteemed the belt t 33 ] in the town ,• the one is very large, with pedals, fifty-four flops, and three entire fets of keys, from C to c; it was built in 1654. I found the pipes of thefe in- struments well toned, but fo miferably out of tune, as to give more pain than pleafure to the hearer. One of the four monkifh organifts who attended me in a very obliging manner, pleaded poverty upon this occafion, and faid, they could afford to have their inftruments put in order but feldom, on account of the expence. As no picture worth looking at here ? is fhewn to a ftranger, without a Schelling or two, a curtain being placed before each, which Simony only can draw, I afked, not indeed with much expectation that itwould be taken, whether I might venture to tender any thing to the venerable perfon above- mentioned, and, upon an anfwer in the affirmative, I made my humble offering, which was, as elfewhere, received with great good nature and condefcenfion. D Sundayy [ 34 ] Sunday, 19th. I this morning at feven o'clock attended the firft mafs. There were a few violins, two baffoons, and a double bale placed with the voices in the organ-loft, over the weft door of the choir ; but before thefe were employed, a considerable part of the ferviee was chanted in Canto Fermo, with only a ferpent, and two baffoons in accompa>- niment ; and, afterwards, the voices and inflruments in the organ-loft performed the ufual ferviees in three or four parts, I mean voice parts, with inflruments-. However, the fmall number of vioHns y in fo large a building, and thofe not of the firfl clafs, had but a mean effect. At nine o'clock high mafs began, and continued upwards of two hours. I at- tended this in the choir, in different parts of the church, and in the organ-loft, to hear the mufic, and its effects, at different diflances, and in different fituations i but I found none which pleafed me. Theperfor- mances to which I had been accuflomed m Italy* f 35 i Italy, and, indeed, in the choirs of London,* were greatly fuperior to this. Whatever merit the Antwerpians may have had, in furpaffing the reft of Europe, in arts, fcieneesj and commerce, two hundred years ago, they certainly have no clairri to pre-eminence now; no part of their ancient grandeur is vifible at prefent, but in the church : there, indeed, riches, fplendor, and expence are ftill as con- spicuous as ever, though but a frriall part of this expence is appropriated to muiic. The church revenues are applied to the maintenance of the Several orders of the clergy, to that almoft innumerable quan- tity of wax-lights, for ever burning, and to thofe fumptuous veftments, and tawdry- ornaments, with which they dazzle the eyes of the multitude; but as fqr raufic, they have been fb long accuftomed to inaccurate and flovenly execution, that they feem to have loft all diftinction. t did not meet with one lingle organ iri the whole town that was in tune ; and Da as t 36 ] as to the few violins employed in the church, they are mere fcrapers. The baf- foons, players in common ufe, are worfe than thofe nocturnal performers, who, in London, walk the ftreets during winter, under the denomination of Waits ; and for the ferpent, it is not only over-blown, and deteftably out of tune, but exactly refembling in tone, that of a great hungry, or rather angry, EfTex calf. Before the fervice in the choir began with the organ, the canons and boys marched in proceffion round the church, with each a lighted taper in his hand, chanting the pfalms, in four parts, with the tWo baffoons, and ferpent above-mentioned; but all was fo diflbnant and falfe, that notwithstanding the building is immenfe, and very favourable to found, which it not only augments, but meliorates, and in fpite of two or three fweet and power- ful voices among the boys, the Whole was intolerable to me, who remained in the choir, from whence I expected to enjoy [ 37 ] tfnjoy the natural Diminuendo and Cres- cendo, of a large body of found retreating and advancing by fuch flow degrees. While that part of the fervice, which fucceeded this proceffion, was performing, I went up into the organ-loft, and was very politely treated by the organift, M. Vanden Bofch, who is a man of confider- able merit in his profeffion ; his ftyle of playing is modern, and he is very dex- terous in the ufe of the pedals *. This inftrument of Notre Dame, contains up- wards of fifty flops, and has a full com- pafs; it has been built about a hun- * When I ufe the epithets old and new, I mean neither as a term of reproach, or ftigma, but merely to tell the reader in what ftyle a piece is conceived, or written j and he will fuppofe it to be better or worfe, as he pleafes. In Italy, though an old opera is as ufelefs and neglected as an almanac of laft year, yet an old compofition, if it be the beft of the time in which it was made, I mall always fpeak of with refpecl: j but as to Performance^ an old fafliioned manner, whether the confequence of ignorance or obftinacy, will not, perhaps, be treated with equal indulgence. D 3 dred [ 38 J $red and fifty years, and would be wel} toned, if it were in tune. After church, I went home with M. Vanden Bofch, who was fo obliging as, to {hew me his inftruments and books. Several compofitions for the harpfichord of this matter, have been engraved at Paris ', he has a very good tafte, and great fire, both in writing and playing. In my refearches after old mufic in fhis place, I was directed to Monf. — — ? the fin gin g mafter of St. James's churchy a Frenchman. Indeed, I was obligingly conducted to his houfe, by one of the canons, and upon my acquainting him with my errand, and afking him the queftion I had before put to all the mu- ficians, and men of learning that I had met with in France and Italy, without obtaining much fatisfaction, " where, and * { when did counter-point, or modern har- *' mony begin V* the Abbe's anfwer was cmick, and firm. " O Sir, counter-point i*. was certainly invented in France.'* a But. [ 39 ] ** But, faid I, L. Guicciardini, and the *' Abbe du Bos, give it to the Flamands." This made no kind of impreffion on my valiant Abbe, who ftill referred me to France for materials to afcertain the facl, " But, Sir, faid I, What part of France " mutt I go to ; I have already made all f( poffible enquiry in that kingdom, and " had the honour of being every day " permitted to fearch in the Bibliotheque ft du Roi y at Paris, for more than a ff month together, in hopes of finding " fomething to my purpofe, but in vain ; " and as you were in pofTeffion of the " old manuscript mufic belonging to your " church, I was inclined to believe it *' poffible, that you could have pointed " out to me fome compositions, which, ** if not the Jirfi that were made in " counters-point, would at lead, be more " ancient than thofe which I had found fe elfewhere." " Mais, Monf.foyezfure que ft tout cela etoit invent e en France." This Was all the anfwer I could get, and upon D 4 my [ 40 ] my preffing him to tell me where I might be furnifhed with proofs of this after tion, Ah> mafoijje rienfais rien, was his whole reply. I had been for fome time preparing for a retreat from this ignorant coxcomb, by fhufHing towards the door, but after this I flew to it as faft as I could, firft making my bow, and alluring him, ftncerely, that I was extremely forry to have given him fo much trouble. In the afternoon I attended vefpers at the church of our Lady 3 there were ra* ther more inftrumental performers than in the morning, but all of the fame kind, as to excellence. The refponfes in the cathedral here, and indeed in all the other churches of Flanders, where inftruments are employed, are made in four vocal parts ; but the inftrumental performers ftourifh and fcrape with as much violence as at our theatre, when Richard the Third enters, or the king of Denmark caroufes 5 which, in my opinion, betrays a barba- rous tafte, and total want of decency. The only [ 4i ] only entertainment I received from the whole mufic, was that which the long vo- luntary afforded me, which M. Vanden Bofch was To obliging as to play, at my requeft, after church, in which he dif- played great abilities. After this I went to a very large build- ing on a quay, at the fide branch of the Scheld, which is called the Oofiers Huys, or Eafterlings houfej it was formerly ufed as a ware-houfe by the merchants trading to Lubec, Hamburg, and the Hanfeatic towns ; it is a very handfome ftructure, and has ferved, in time of war, as a barrack for two thoufand men. I fhould not have mentioned my vifiting this building, if I had not found in it a large quantity of mufical inftruments of a peculiar conftruclion. There are be~ tween thirty and forty of the common- flute kind, but differing in fome parti- culars j having, as they increafe in length, keys and crooks, like hautbois and baf* foons ; they were made at Hamburg, and [ 42 ] and are all of one fort of wood, and by- one maker; casper ravchs scraten- bach, was engraved on a brafs ring, or plate, which encircled moft of thefe in- struments ; the large ones have brafs plates pierced, and fome with human figures well engraved on them ; thefe laft are longer than a baffoon would be, if unfolded*; The inhabitants fay, that it is more than a hundred years fince thefe instruments were ufed, and that there is no mufician, at pre- fent, in the town who knows how to play on any one of them, as they are quite differ- ent from thofe now in common ufe. In times when commerce flourished in this city, thefe instruments ufed to be played on every day, by a band of muficians who attended the merchants, trading to the Hans towns, in proceffion to the exchange; they now hang on pegs in a clofet, or rather prefs, with folding doors, * The long trumpet, played lately in London, feems only to have been an ordinary trumpef Straitened. made [ 43 1 made on purpofe for their reception j though in the great hall there ftill lies on the floor, by them, a large (ingle cafe, made of a heavy and folid dark kind of wood, fo contrived, as to be capable of receiving them all ; but which, when filled with thefe infcruments, requires eight men to lift it from the ground ; it was of fo uncommon a fhape, that I was unable to divine its ufe, tjll I was told it. At fix o'clock this evening a fplendid procefiion palled through the flreets, in honour of fome legendary faint ; confin- ing of a prodigious number of priefts, who fung pfalms in canto fermo, and fometimes in counter-point, all the way to the church, with wax tapers in their hands, accompanied by French horns, and Jerpents ', a large filver crucifix, and a Madonna and child, as big as the life, pf the fame metal, decorated this folem- The [ 44 ] The Spaniards have left this good people a large portion of pride and fuper- ftition ; the former is ihewn by the drefs and inactivity of the nobles, and the latter by the bigotry and lively faith of the reft ; there are more crucifixes and virgins, in and out of the churches here, than I ever met with in any other Roman catholic town in Europe. The proceffion above mentioned feem- ed to have been as much the occafion of riot and debauchery, among the cpmmon people, as the beer and liberty with which an Englifh mob is ufually in- toxicated on a rejoicing night in London; there were bonfires all over the town, and the huzzas, rockets, fquibs, and crackers, were fo frequent, and fo loud, all night, in the Place de Mer 9 where I lodged, that it was impoffible to fleep ; and at two o'clock in the morning the mob was fo vociferous and violent, that I thought all the inhabitants of the town had fallen together by the ears ; and yet a on t 45 ]; on other nights, no one of the citizens is allowed to walk in the ftreets later than half an hour after ten, without a parti* cular permiffion from the governor. This morning, at feven o'clock, I at- tended the finging mafter of St. Andrew's church, M. Blaviere, a Liegeois, in whofe pofTeffion I expected, in old manu- fcript mufic, to meet with examples of the early progrefs made in counter-point by the Flamands. I found him to be very rational, intelligent, and well read in mufical authors, of which he {hewed me feveral ; but there was only one among them which I had not feen before, and that was a treatife in Italian, by Francef- co Penna, Bolognefe, printed at Antwerp, in 1688. He Hkewife fhewed me feveral of his own compofitions, for the church, which convinced me that he had ftudied hard, and was an able contra-puntift. I fpent the reft of the morning in the Jefuit's library, with father Newton, iand father Gefquiere, who were indefa- tigable in ferreting out books and manu- fcripts [ 46 ] fcripts that were likely to furnifh any thing neceftary to my work ; the latter is one of feveral Jefuits who have been long employed in writing the lives of the faints, as they are placed in the Romiifr calender of each month of the year $ it is the intention of thofe authors to purge the lives they are writing, of all the fables which have crept into the legendary ac- counts of faints : upwards of fifty vo- lumes in folio are already printed, and more than twenty are ftill behind. The work is written in Latin, and has for title, ABa Sanctorum a Johanne Bollandoi S. I. Collegi felkita capta a Godfredo IHenfchenio, et Daniele Pabebroehio, auBdi digejla, & illujlrata. Antwerpiae, 1768. I confulted feveral articles in the volumes already printed, for information concern- ing the firfl eftablifhment of chanting in the church, its reformation by pope Gregory the Great, with other particulars relative to the hiftory of church muficj in fome of thefe I obtained more fatis- Jaction than other books, which I had fre- 2 cmently [ 47 ] quently read on the fubject, had afforded me. The famous harpfichord makers, of the name of Ruckers, whofe works have been fo much, and fo long admired all over Europe, lived in this city: there were three, the firfc, and the father of the other two, was 'John Ruckers, who flourished at the beginning of the laft century. His instruments were the mod efteemed, and are remarkable for the fweetnefs and fullnefs of their tone. On the left hand of the found- hole, in the bellies of thefe instruments, may be feen a large H, the initial of Hans, which, in the Flemifh Language, means John. A?idre t the eldeft of John's fons, diftinguimed his work, by an A, in the found-hole. His large harpfi- chords are lefs efteemed than thofo made by any one of that name ; but his fmall work, fuch as fpinets, and vir- ginals, are excellent. -Jean, the youngefl fon's harpfichords, though not fo good as thofe of the father, are very much ef- teemed [ 48 ] teemed for the delicacy of their tone % his inftruments may be known by the letter I, in the found hole. The harpfi- chord-maker of the greateft eminence, after them, was J. Dan. Dulcken ; he was a Heffian. At prefent there is a good workman at Antwerp, of the name of Bull, who was Dulcken's apprentice, and who fells his double harpfichords for a hun_ dred ducats each, with only plain painted cafes, and without fweli or pedals j the work too of Vanden Elfche, a Flamand* has a confiderable fhare of merit; but, in general, the prefent harpfichords, made here after the Rucker model, are thin, feeble in tone, and much inferior to thofe of our bed: makers in England. I cannot quit this city, without men- tioning a particular mark of attention j with which I was honoured by father Gefquiere, the night before my departure. In the morning he had communicated to ttte a very ancient Latin manufcript upon tnuftc ; but though the writing proved it I t0 t 49 ] to be of great antiquity, we could not exactly fix the date of it 5 there were like- wife fome letters of the alphabet, ufed as mufical characters in it, which were not eafy to determine, as it was difficult to diftinguiih an A from an O, or a D, on account of the great refemblance of thefe letters in the manufcript -, but by a note written in elegant Latin, with which he favoured me at night, I found that thefe difficulties had occupied his mind the whole day j indeed he feemed entirely to have fpent it in trying to clear up the firft, and offered his future fervice in re- ' moving the laft. BRUSSELS. At my return hither, from Antwerp, I employed myfelf in vifiting churches, 2s I had before only been at the theatre, CXn the day after my fecond arrival, there was a mafs, in mulic, performed in the little, but neat and elegant, church of Mary Magdalen j here are a few good E pictures, t 5° 3 pictures, with fome excellent fculpture in wood; and the portraits of the Apoftles are boldly reprefented in relief, or medallions, at the fides of this church. The band of muficians, on occafion of the feflival, to day, was but fmall ; however, the organ was played in a mafterly manner, by M. Straze, who is efteemed the beft per- former upon keyed inflruments in Bruf- fels ; and feveral fymphonies were well executed by the whole band, during the courfe of the fervice. Some pieces of Italian church mufic were fung, not in- deed fo well as they would have been in their own country; but the voices here were far from contemptible. Two boys, in particular, fung a duet very agreeably; but there is generally a want of fteadinefs . in fuch young muficians, which makes it to be wifhed that females were per- mitted in the church, to take thzfopra- no part, which is generally the principal, as the voices of females are more perma- nent than thofe of boys, who are almoft • always [ 5' ] always deprived of theirs before they know well how to ufe them. From this little church I went to the cathedral of St. Gudula, where high mafs was likewife performing, by a confider- able band of voices and inflruments. This is the largeft church in BrufTels, the pil- lars are too maffive, but, upon the whole, it is a neat and noble building; all the ben: pictures, and fome very fine tapeftry, were expofed on occafion of this feflival, which, on common days, cannot be feen; it is rather loaded with tawdry orna- ments, and too much begilded, as is the cafe of moil of the Brabant churches, which the inhabitants think they can never make fine enough. There is fome admirable old painting upon glafs, in this church, with figures, as large as the life, well preferved ; thefe paintings were by Rogiers, cotemporary with Holbens ; they were prefents from feveral princes of thofe times, particular- ly John, king of Portugal, Mary, queen E 2 of [ 5* ] of Hungary, Francis the nrft, of France, Ferdinand, brother to the emperor Charles the fifth, and by Charles the fifth himfelf. The maefiro di capella, who directed the band here, was M. Van Helmont. The mufic had no great effect:, as the inftruments were too few for fo large a building ; but there was a performer with a tenor voice, who fung feveral Latin motets, compofed by Italian mailers, rea- fonably well; his voice was good, and he fung in tune. The finging in the churches here is lefs French than at the theatre, as the words are always Latin, and lefs likely to corrupt the voice, and the tafie of the performer, than French words and French mufic. In the evening I heard two mufical pieces, at the theatre, in the Flemifh lan- guage ; both were translated from the French ; the one was le Tonnelier, origi- nally fet to mufic by M. Duni, and the other, Toinon et Toinetti, fet by M. GoiTec ; the [ 53 } the natives feemed highly diverted by thefe performances, which, as dramas, have great merit, in the original. The mufic of meffrs. Duni and GofTec, was preferved entire, except in a very few places, which had been altered for the accommodation of tfye Flemifh poetry, by M. Fitzthumb. In hearing this performance, I could not help reflecting how eafy it was to adapt Italian mufic to any language, however rough and barbarous j that of the pieces in queftion, is, for the mod part, certainly compofed of paffages ta- ken from Italian fongs and fymphonies, though grafted on French words ; all the prefent compofers of French comic operas imitate the Italian ftyle, and many of them pillage the buffe operas of Italy, without the leaf! fcruple of confcience, though they afterwards fet their names to the plunder, and pafs it on the world as their own property. I wifh this may not, fometimes, be the cafe in England; but, however that may be, it is certainly E 3 an [ 54 ] an irrefragable proof of the fuperiority of that melody which is become the com- mon mufical language of all Europe : not like the French tongue, by conqueft, or policy, but received every where, by the common confent of all who have ears fuf- ceptible of pleafure from found, and who give way to their own feelings. Indeed, the French feem now the only people in Europe, except the Italians, who, in their dramas, have a mufic of their own. The ferious opera of Paris is ftill in the trammels of Lulli and Rameau, though every one who goes thither, either yawns or laughs, except when roufed, or amufed, by the dances and decorations. As a Spectacle, this opera is often fuperior to any other in Europe; but, as MuJiCs it is below our country pfal- mody, being without time, tune, or ex- preffion, that any but French ears can bear : indeed the point is fo much given up, by the French themfelves, that no- thing but a kind of national pride, in a few individuals, keeps the difpute alive ; the I SS ] the reft frankly confefs themfelves afham- ed of their own mufic -, and thofe who defend it, muft foon give way to the ftream of fafhion, which runs with too much rapidity and violence to be long ftemmed. July 23d. Prince Charles, and the principal perfonages of his court, were at the play to -night. The Gageur, a French comedy, written by Sedaine, was admir- ably played, in which Mad. Verteil, an excellent aclrefs, did the principal part; after which, I heard, for the firfl time, Les deux Miliciens, a comic opera, fet by Gretry ; the mufic was worthy of that fertile and ingenious compofer *. The ♦inftrumental parts were extremely well * This author, in his (cores, is however fome- times negligent of the moil common rules of coun- ter-point, which may proceed from writing with too much rapidity ; as it is hardly to be conceived that a man of fuch acknowledged genius fhould have ftudied feven or eight years, in a Confervatorio at Naples, without acquiring a competent knowledge of mufical grammar, and the mechanifm. of his art. E 4 exe- [ 56 3 executed j great effects were produced in the ritornels, and the poetry was much heightened by the rich and varied co- louring of the orcheftra. In a mufical drama, it frequently happens that a nu- merous and well difciplined band, has the power of imagery, of awakening ideas, and defcribing the paffions, more than a iingle voice, or even a chorus of many voices can attempt, with propriety ; indeed the little opera of to-night near- ly approached perfection in all its parts, as it was well written, well fet, well fpo- ken, well acted ; and, with refpect to the inflrumental parts, was well played: how forry I am that truth will not allow me to add, that it was we// Jung ! During my refidence at Bruffels, I had the pleafure, of being made acquainted with M. Girard, fecretary to the literary fociety in this place. He is now employed, in arranging and cataloguing the books and manufcripts of the Burgundy library* which have been more than two centu- ries [ 57 1 ries here -, but they have Co long remained in obfcurity and diforder, that it is not yet known, what they all contain. It was by the zeal and good offices of prince Starhemberg, that thefe books had a new room built for their reception, and that they will foon form a public library. The manufcripts are the beft, and mofl beautiful, in point of illuminations, which I ever faw : moil: of them were brought to Bruffels from Burgundy, and are very ancient. It it even wonderful, to what a degree of perfection miniature painting has been carried in fome of them, parti- cularly in one tranfcribed and illumi- nated at Florence, in 1485 : it was a prefent from Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary, to the duke of Burgundy. The arms of Burgundy are pafledin all thefe ancient manufcripts, which are divided into there claffes ; theology, hif- tory and arts, poetry and romances. In the two 'firft, -I found feveral curious and in- terefting particulars, relative to my work. In r ss ] In j 745, at which time the French were in poffeffion of BrufTels ; the com- mirTaries, and even fome of the officers, took away books andmanufcripts from the Burgundy library, notwithftanding the cartel -, fome of them were, indeed, re- turned, after the peace, upon being claimed, particularly, fuch as had been carried to the king's library, at Paris ; but many others of great value, are now in the Sorbonne, and in other private hands, and cannot be recovered. I was very politely treated by M. Gi- rard, who attended me at the library at fix o'clock every morning, and afforded me all poffible affiflance, even to the helping me to make extracts. He like- wife favoured me with a vifit at my lodgings, and gave me a letter to the elector Palatine's librarian at Manheim, and all from a very flight acquaintance, brought about by means of a note, writ- ten by M. Needham, celebrated for his micro- [ 59 1 microfcopic difcoveries, and his difference with M. de Voltaire. At BrurTels I heard a young lady play ex- tremely well on the harp with pedals, fome pretty pieces compofed by Godecharle, a German, who likewife plays a good violin, and accompanied the young lady in thefe pieces; me is his fcholar: the harp is very much played on by the ladies here, and at Paris. It is a iweet and becom- ing inftrument, and, by means of the pedals for the half notes, is lefs cumbrous and unwieldy than our double Welfh harp. The compafs is from double Bb to f in altijjimo ; it is capable of great expreffion, and of executing whatever can. be played on the harpfichord \ there are but thirty-three firings upon it, which, except the laft, are the mere natural notes of the diatonic fcale ; the reft are made by the feet *. * This method of producing the half-tones on the harp, by pedals, was invented at BruiTels, about fifteen years ago, by M. Simon, who ftill refides in that city. It is aa ingenious and ufeful con- [ 6° ] In attending the high mafs at the col- legiate church of St. Gudula, on Sunday 26, 1 again heard the performance of a con- fiderable band of voices and instruments; and I was glad to find among the former two or three women, who, though they did not fing well, yet their being employed, proved that female voices might have ad- miffion in the church, without giving of- fence or fcandal to piety, or even bigotry. If the practice were to become general, of admitting women to fing the foprano part in the cathedrals, it would, in Italy, be a fervice to mankind, and in the reft of Eu- rope render church-mufic infinitely more pleafing and perfect ; in general, the want of treble voices, at leaft of fuch as have had fufiicenttime to be polimed, and rendered fteady, deflroys the effect of the belt, compoiitions, in which, if contrivance, in more refpecrs than one : for, by reducing the number of firings, the tone of thofe that remain, is improved ; as it is well known, that the lefs an inftrument is loaded, the more freely it vibrates. the [ 61 ] the principal melody be feeble, nothing but the fubordinate parts, meant only as attendants, and to enrich the harmony of the whole, can be heard. LOVAIN. This is the laft coniiderable city of the Netherlands, in the emprefs queen's dominions, eaft of Bruffels ; it has a univerlity, in which the youth of the ten catholic provinces are educated, as Leyden has for the other feven. It was founded by John the Fourth, duke of Brabant, in 14255 at prefent the number of ftudents is faid to amount to upwards of two thoufand, I remained but a mort time in this place, as I was informed, that the library, which is faid to be very rich in manufcripts, was in. fuch great diforder, that it would be dif- ficult to find any one to my purpofe, with- out a longer refidence than the work which I had allotted myfelf in Germany would allow. I therefore contented myfelf, with 7 gating r 62 ] gaining what information I could, rela- tive to the ilate of modern mufic in that city ; and I found, that M. Kennis is the moft remarkable performer on the violin, in point of execution, not only of Lovain, but of all this part of the world. The folos he writes for his own inftrument and hand, are fo difficult, that no one hereabouts attempts them but himfelf, except M. Scheppen, the Caril- Joneur, who lately, piqued by the high reputation of M. Kennis, laid a wager, that he would execute upon the bells one of his moft difficult folos, to the fa- tisfadion of judges, appointed to deter- mine the matter in difpute j and he gained not only his wager, but great honour by his fuccefs, in fo difficult an enterprize. This circumftance is mentioned in order to convey fome idea to my Englifh rea- ders, of the high cultivation of this fpe- cies of mufic in the Netherlands. For there, the inhabitants of every city think it an indifpenfible point of honour, to tell every t 63 ] every ftrariger, that their carillons arc better than all others. At Lovain,M.Van- dengheim, the organift, has the care of the chimes, and M. Scheppen plays them, by his appointment. LIEGE. This city has lately produced feverai good muficians, which I had met with in the Low Countries ; but I found in it little worthy of remark. The organ in the cathedral is fmall, and divided into two parts, placed on each fide the choir. There is a theatre here for Flemifh plays, and fometimes for comic operas ; but it was not open while I continued at Liege. The organift of the cathedral is likewife Carillo?2eur, as is often the cafe in the Netherlands; but here the paffion for chimes begins to diminim. M A E S.T R 1 C K. Here I vifited the collegiate church, belonging to the catholics, and found in 1 it [ 64 ] it a very large organ, but it was out of tune ; and the organift, M. Houghbrach, who is like wife Carilloneur, is no con- jurer. There was a Heffian regiment, in the Dutch fervice, quartered in this city, which had an excellent band of mufic, confifting of hautbois, clarinets, cymba- la, or baffins, great drum, fide-drums, and triangles 5 and at the time of beating la retraife, I heard them play a confider- able time on the Place dArmes ; at the inn too, where I lodged, I was entertained on the dulcimer, by a {trolling boy, who feemed to have a mufical genius, far fu^ periour to his inftrument and fituation. AIX LA CHAPELLE. It was here that I firft remarked the High Dutch, or German language, to be fpoken by the common people, and ^POtjjk letters to be ufed by printers. Where the Englifh acquired their pro- nunciation of th, I know not : it was na- tural to fuppofe that they had it from their f % 1 their Saxon anceftors, and to expect to find it in Germany j but it is as much a Shibboleth to the inhabitants of that coun- try, as to thofe of all the reft of Europe. In words where this combination of let- ters is ufed in orthography, it has no other effect in pronunciation, than if the words were written without the h. 23ettf)> which fignifies worth, in Eng- li{h, is pronounced wert ; 2(jt*0tt, a throne, Trone } and 2J)€0fO($U& a theo- gift, Teo/agus. It is no lefs difficult to trace our peculiar found of the vowel I; and as to thofe guttural graces of pronun- ciation in the ch and g, of the German language, which are fo difficult to def- cribe, and to learn, they are flill retained here, and regarded as indubitable proofs of the high antiquity of the Teutonic dialect, though nearly loll in her daugh- ter the Englifh. As to mufic, my expectations from this city were by no means anfwered. I could find neither books nor muiicians F worthy [ 66 ] worthy of much attention. M. Kuckel- korn, organift of the famous cathedral where Charlemagne, and feveral fucceed- ing emperors, were crowned, accompa- nies the church fervice very judicioufly, but has no hand for extemporary playing. M. Wenzlaer has, however, a great hand on the violin ; but he is a wild, half mad character, and not a deep theorift. The paffion for carillons* and chimes, feems here at an end ; however, in the ftreets, through which a proceffion had lately pafTed, there were hung, to feftoons and garlands, a great number of oblong pieces of glafs, cut and tuned in fuch a manner, as to form little peals of four and live bells, all in the fame key, which were played on by the wind. In walk- ing under them, I was fome time un- able to difcover from whence the founds I heard proceeded ; they are hung fo near each other, as to be put in contact by the moll gentle breeze, uhich may truly be called the Can'llo/ieur. JU- r 67 ] J U L I E R & 111 my way through this town, to Co- logn, I was entertained at the poft-houfe, while I changed horfes, by two vaga- bonds, who, in oppofite corners of the room, imitated, in dialogue, all kinds of wind inftruments, with a card and the corner of their hats, fo exactly, that if I, had been out of their fight, I mould not have been able to diftinguifh the copy from the original ; particularly in the clarinet, French horn, and baffoon, whicfo were excellent. After this they took off the bellowing noife of the Romifh priefts, in chanting, fo well, that I was quite frightened ; for, being in a catho- lic town, where the inhabitants are very zealous for the honour of their religion, I thought it might be imagined that this ludere facrd, was at the mitigation of the Englifh heretic. F 2 C O- t 68 I C O L O G N. I have but little to fay concerning the mufic of this place. There was no pub- lic exhibition during the time I remain- ed in it; however, I vifited the great churchy or cathedral, which is built up- on the model of the Duomo at Milan, but of common ftone ; whereas, that at Mi- lan is of white marble. There is a (imi- larity likewife in the fate of thefe two fa- mous churches, as both have remained many ages unfinished. The plan of that at Cologn is not above half completed j perhaps it is owing to this, that the choir appears much more lofty than that at Milan. What was intended as the approach to the choir is very low, and arched over with bricks. In a very fmall chapel, behind the altar, I was fhewn the famous fhrine, in which, it is faid, are the entire ikulls of the three kings, who came with offerings to our Saviour, immediately after his birth ; it has been faid that every great town has a lion [ 69 ] lien to mew to ftrangers, and this Jhrine is the "lion of Cologn : it is immenfely rich in gold, fculpture, jewels, antique gems, intaglios, and cameos. The organ in this cathedral is of the moft noble and beautiful form I ever faw ; its front is flat, and fpreads from pillar to pillar, over the nave of the church -, it has three columns, or rather compartments, of great pipes on each fide; in the middle are three ranks of fmall pipes over each other, which form three complete and elegant buffets, and which, feparately, would be regarded as complete fronts to fmall organs j the choir organ is placed below all thefe, at the back of the player. Mr. Weftmann is at prefent the organift, I only heard him accompany the choir in the firft fervice, which was begun when J entered the church -, the fecond was chanted in panto fermq, without jn-. ftruments. It is very difficult jn Roman catholic countries, to hit upon a proper time for trying an organ, or hearing an organift, as the feveral fervices continue F 3 from [ 7° ] from five o'clock in the morning, till twelve at noon -, and, afterwards, from two, till near night ; and even during the fmall recefs from duty, the fervanis of the church are either at dinner, or from liome uoon their own concerns j fo that, except during the time of divine fervice, I could hardly ever get an opportunity of hearing an organift or an organ. In the church of St. Cecilia, I heard a mm play the organ, to the coarfe fing- jng of her fillers ; her interludes would have been thought too light for the church in England : I foon difcovered that they were jnot extemporary ; how^- ever, they were pleating, and well exe- cuted. BONN. The eleclor of Cologn was not here, fo that I heard no mufic in this city; however, during winter, his highnefs has a comic opera, at his own expence, per- formed in his palace. Mod of his rau- ftcians [ 7* ] ficians were now at Spa, they are all Italians, and the maejiro di capella is Signor Lucchefe, who is a very pleating compofer ; when I was in Italy, I heard Manfoli fing a Motet of his composition, in a church near Florence, which was charming. I had the honour of being very well received by Mr. CrefTener, his majefty's minifter plenipotentiary at this court, who, not only countenanced me during my fhort ftay at Bonn, but kindly fur- nished me with recommendatory letters to feveral perfons of diftinclion in my route. COBLENTZ. Italian operas are frequently performed at this court. The elector has a good band, in which M. Ponta, the celebrat- ed French horn from Bohemia, whofe tafle and aftoniftiing execution were lately fo much applauded in London, is a performer. F 4 The [ W ] The princefs Cunegonde, fitter to th© elector of Treves, and you ngeft daughter of Auguftus, king of Poland, is a very great harpfichord player. There is like- wife a moft extraordinary performer on the double bafe at this court, who plays folos on it, even worth hearing. The maejiro di capella of this court is Signor Sales, of Brefcia. FRANKFORT upon the Main, In travelling on the banks of the Rhine, from Cologne to Coblentz, I muft own, that I was aftonifhed and dif- appointed, at finding no proofs of that paffion for muiic, which the Germans are faid to poffefs, particularly along the Rhine ; but even at Coblentz, though it was Sunday when I arrived there, and the ftreets and neighbourhood were crowded with people walking about for their recreation, I heard not a fingle voice or inftrument, as is ufual in moll other Roman catholic countries ; I [ 73 ] had therefore a mind to try another part of Germany, and croffing the Rhine, and the terrible mountains of Wetteravia, arrived at Frankfort on the Main, much more fatigued than I was formerly after paffing mount Cenis. Here indeed, I found a little of that difpofition for mufic, which I expected ; and though I met no great performer vocal or instrumental, mufic, fuch as it was, might be heard in all parts of the town. The great church of St. Bartholomew, famous for being the place where the emperors are crowned, was not furnifhed with lingers of great talents, but yet there were a number of girls, who, though the fervice was that of the Roman catholics, were many of them Lutherans or Calvi- nifts, that chanted with the priefts and canons, without the organ*. * Though the Catholics have the great church here, yet the Lutherans are in poffeffion of the fteeple, upon which they conftantly keep a guard. A precaution, which, in peaceable times,- is faid to be ufed in order to give the alarm, in cafe of fire; but, in war, they make no fcruple to confefs, that 8 In [ 74 ] In the ftreets, at noon, there was like- wife a number cf young ftudents finging Hymns in three or four parts, attended by a chaplain ; thefe are poor fcholars defigned for the church, who in this man- ner excite the benevolence of pafTengers, that contribute towards their cloathing. At the inn, called the Roman Emperor, where I lodged, after dinner there was a band of ftreet muficians, who played fe- veral fymphonies reafonably well, in four parts. All this happened on a day which was not a feftival, and therefore it is natu- ral to believe, that the pradice is common. The organift of the cathedral is one of the vicars, and much in years ; the in- ftrument is not ill toned, but, like mod of the others which I had heard in my route, miferably out of tune, and the touch fo heavy, that the keys, like thofe of a carillon, feverally required the weight of the whole hand, to put them down. it is to watch the motions of the catholics, from whom they are in fear of a maflacre. The [ 75 ] The labels of jfome flops in this in- flrument excited my curiofity ; fuch as the Pofaun, Solicional, Cymbel, Suavial, Violoriy &c. in the great organ, and in the choir organ, the GrofgeduSt, Kk- ingedukt, Violdgamba, &c. but, from be- ing out of order, they were totally unfit to bs played, as folo flops. I could jufldif- cover that the Juavia/ was meant for that fweet Mop in Mr. Snetzler's organs, which he calls the Dulcian ; and the Violon, for the Violone, or double bafe ; it is a half flop, which goes no higher than the middle C. There has been a contrivance in this organ for tranfpofing half a note, a whole note, or a flat third, higher; but it is now ufelefs : the inflrument was built many years ago by Meyer, and re- paired, with an addition of new flops, fix or feven years ago, by GrofTwald, of Hanau. But an organ whofe foundation is not good, is generally rendered worfe by attempts at mending it j and I re- member Mr.Snetzler honeflly telling fome church-wardens, who afked him, what he [ 7« ] he thought an old organ, which they Wanted to have repaired, was worth, and what would be the expence of mending it: he appraifed it at one hundred pounds, and faid, if they would lay out another hundred upon it, perhaps it would then be worth fifty. The nrft inftrument I heard during my ftay at Frankfort, was the organ, at the Dominicans church ; it was better toned, and more in tune than the ren\ but it was not fo good as many I have heard in England, nor was the Vox hu- mana remarkably fweet, or like the hu- man voice, though it is much admired here. This organ has an arch cut through it, to let the light into the church from the weft window; it is in a handfome cafe, the ornaments over the arch are in a good tafte, and the fide columns are well difpofed. The keys are on the right hand Jide of the inftrument, over which there is a fmall front -, the compafs is from [ 17 J from C to C, the pedals have an Oclave below double C. The principal muficians in this city are, at prefent, M. Sarrazin on the vio* lin, M. Pfeil, a gentleman performer on the harpfichord, and M. Haueifen, organift to the Calvinifts of Frankfort, at their church at Berkenheim, a little diftance from the city, in which they are not allowed a place of public worfhip. DARMSTADT. In paffing through this place to Man- heim, I was fo fortunate, as to alight from my chaife juft as the landgrave's guards were coming on the parade. I never heard military mufic that pleafed me more; the infcruments were, four hautboys, four clarinets, fix trumpets, three on each fide the hautboys and cla- rinets, and thefe were flanked by two baffoons on each fide ; fo that the line confided of eighteen muficians ; in the rear of thefe were cornets and clarions. The [ $ ] The whole had an admirable effect, it was extremely animating, and though trumpets and clarions are ufually too thrill and piercing, when heard in a fmall place, yet here, the parade or fquare where they mounted guard is fo fpacious that the found has room to expand in all directions, which prevents the ear from being hurt by too violent a mock. Before I proceed further in my mufical narrative, I muft make two or three me- morandums concerning the villainous and rafcally behaviour of poftmafters and poftilions, in this part of the world j the effe&s of which it is impoffible to ef- cape. In going over the mountains of Wetteravia, under the pretence of bad roads, three horfes were tied to the hur- dle, called a pofl-chaife, and after I had once fubmitted to this impofuion, I ne- ver was allowed to Air with lefs. At Frankfort I tried hard, but in vain, though the inn-keeper and his guefts, who were natives, all affured me, that they never had more than two horfes, when [ 79 ] when they travelled extra po/i j yet here, though no mountains were to be crofTed, the fands were made a plea, notwith- standing the roads from Frankfort to Manheim are, in every particular, the leaft bad of any that I had yet travelled in Germany. The women, among the common people in the country, are miferably ugly, not, perhaps, fo much in feature, as from drefs, and a total neglect of com- plexion. They entirely hide their hair, by a kind of a fkull-cap, ufually made of tawdry linen or cotton ; they are hardly ever feen with fhoes and {lockings, though the men are furnidied with both, fuch as they are. I could wifli to fpeak of thefe people with candour and temper, in defpight of the bile which every ftranger, travel- ling among them muft feel at work within him ; but, as I neither mean to abufe or flatter them, I muft fay, that the numberlefs beggars, clamoroufly im- portunate, though often young, fat, ro- 6 bud, [ So ] bufi, arid fit for any labour -, the embaf- rafTments of perpetual change and lof9 of money ; the extortion, fullennefs, and infolence of poftmafters and poftilions, are intolerably vexatious. M A N H E I M. The firfl: raufic I heard here was mi* litary. I lodged on the Place d'Armes, or parade j the retraite had only drums and fifes ; and in the morning there was nothing worth liftening to. If I had had an inclination to defcribe, in a pompous manner, the effects of wind inftruments in martial mufic, there had been no occafion to quit London ; for at St. James's, and in the Park, every morning, we have now an excellent band j and hi- therto, as I had not feen more foldier^ like men in any fervice than our own, fo the mufic and muficians, of other places, exceeded ours in nothing but the num- ber and variety of the inftruments ; our military mufic at prefent muft feem to have made great and hafty ftrides towards per- fection, [ 8i ] tioilj to all fuch as, like myfelf, remember, for upwards of twenty years, no other compofition niade ufe of in our foot- guards, than the march ill Scipio* and in our marching regiments, nothing but fide-drums. The expence and magnificence of the court of this little city are prodigious; the palace and offices extend over alraoft half the town ; and one half of the inha- bitants, who are in Office, prey on the other, who feem to be in the utmoft in- digence. The Jefuitshoufe, built by the prefent Elector, clofe to the palace, has thirty windows in front, apart from the church, which is the moll fuperb in the city; the front of the theatre, which is only a fmall wing of the palace, has likewife thirty windows. The town itfelf is more neat, beauti- ful, and regular, than any which I had yet feen ; its form is oval ; the ftreets, like thofe of Lille, are tirees an corr dean, running in ftrait lines from one G -end t «a ] end to the other. There is a great number of fquares ; it contains about 1548 houfes, and in the year 1766, its inhabitants amounted to 24190. Thurfday, Augufl 6th. In the even- ing I wentto the public theatre in this town, where Zemire and Azor, tranflated into German, and accommodated to the pretty mufic of Mr. Gretry, was perform- ed; it was the firft dramatic exhibition at which I was prefent in Germany. In fummer the Elector Palatine refides at Schwetzingen, three leagues from Manheim ; and during that time a ftrolling company is allowed to entertain the citi- zens. The performance was in a tem- porary booth, erected in the fquare of the great market-place. Yet, though nothing better than deal boards appear without, the flage was well decorated, and the fcenes and dreffes were not with- out tafte. or elegance. I was curious to hear a German play, but ftill more curious to hear German finging : and t 83 ] and I muft own, that I was aftonimed to find, that the German language, in fpite of all its claming ccnfonants, and gutturals, is better calculated for mufic than the French. 1 am forry to return again to the charge ; but I muft fay, that the great number of nafal founds and mute fyllables in the French language, feem to corrupt and vitiate the voice, in its paflage, more than the defect, of any other language, of which I have the leaft knowledge. The girl who played the part of Zemire had not a great voice, but her manner of finging was natural and pleafing. She had a good make, and never forced her voice, or fung out of tune; there were two of the men who had reafonable good voices, and whofe 'portamento and expreflion would not have offended fuch as had been long converfant with the heft finging of Italy. Upon the whole, I was more pleafed with this finging, than with any which I had G 2 heard [ 8 4 ) heard fince my arrival on the continent i indeed the Germans are now fo forward in mufic, and have fo many excellent- compofers of their own country, that it is matter of aftonifhment to me, that they do not get original dramas for mu- fic written in their own language, and fet by the natives : or, if they muft have tranflations, why they do riot get thofe tranflations new fet *. The orcheftra here was far inferior to that at BrufTels, in number and difcipline j for all the great performers of this place were now with the elector at Schwetzin- gen, fo that the fingers had no fupport but their own merit. Auguft 7. I fpent in the public li- brary, which is a very fine room, with * When I advanced farther into Germany, T found that M. Hiller, of Leipfick, had furnifhed his countrymen with a great number of comic operas, in which the mufic was fo natural and pleafing, that the favourite airs, like thofe of Dr. Arne in England, were fung by all degrees of people ; and the more eafy ones had the honour of being fung in the ftreets. 6 fine C s 5 3 fine books, but none very ancient, and few manufcripts, thefe being all taken away by the Bavarians in the war of 1622, and given to the Pope : they are well known in the Vatican library, by the name of the Heidelberg or Palatine Col- lection. Theprefent library is faid to con- fift of forty thoufand volumes - y but though the pompous account in the Etrennes Palatine, fpeaks of manufcripts, and fays, that they are kept in a chamber apart, M. Lamey, the librarian, to whom I was favoured with a letter by M. Girard, of BrurTels, confeffed to me, that the collection had been too fhort a time in forming to be yet very rich in manufcripts, and that it contained but few of any confequence. SCHWETZINGEN. A lift only of the performers in the fervice of his electoral highnefs, would convey a very favourable idea of the ex- cellence of his band ; it confifts of near G 3 ahun- t 86 3 a hundred hands and voices. I (hall only mention here, however, fome of the principal muficians employed in this orcheftra, whofe names are already known in England. M. Holtzbauer, is one of the chapel mailers. M. Chriftian Canabich, and Charles Toefchi, are the principal violins; the former leads in the Italian operas, and the latter in the French and German. Thefe three maf- ters are authors of feveral excellent Jym- phoniesy fome of which have been print- ed in England. M. J. Baptifl Wendling, is the principal flute here, and among the violins are John Toefchi, Frenzel, Fr. and Charles Wendling, and Kramer. This laft is reckoned one of the be(t folo players in Europe ; however, I (hall fay but little about him here, as he is now in England, and my countrymen have an opportunity of judging of his talents for themfelves. There are twenty- three vo- cal performers in ' this band, feveral of which deferve to be diftinguiihed, parti- cularly [ §7 1 cularly Mademoifelle Wcndling, Made- moifelle Danzv, and Madame Kramer. Signori Roncaglio, Pefarini, and Sa- porofi. Many of the performers on the court lift, are either fuperannuated or fupernu- meraries ; but of the former, after having ferved the elector for a number of years, if by ficknefs or accident they happen to lofe their voice or talents, they have a handfome penfion, which they enjoy as long as they live at Manheim ; and even if they chufe to retire into their own country, or elfewhere, they are fti]l al- lowed half their penfion. I wanted very much to come to my principal point of hearing the beft of thefe performers -, but nothing can be done precipitately in Germany. Fejiine lente feems here a favourite motto. It was neceffary to vifit, the firft day, and to be vifited the fecond ; and, on the third, there was fome chance, but no certainty, of obtaining the favour I required. G 4 It [ 88 ] It ha^ frequently been faid, that blunt- nefs, and a thorough contempt of every perfon and thing, which is not entirely Eng- lifh, mark my honeit countryman, John Bull, in every part of the world. I am un- willing to indulge national reflections j however, now and then a Jingle character certainly appears, which calls to mind, all that has been faid of a whole people. The French Abbe I met with at Antwerp, was what many would have called a true Frenchman ; and I met with feveral af- terwards, who would be called true Ger- mans, for flow apprehenfion and in- activity. If, in the morning, I had ex- plained as clearly as I could, the object: of my journey, and fhewn the general plan of my future work, to a man of letters, a librarian, or a mufician, it was common for that individual, in the even- ing, to fay " the Hiftory of Munc, I think *f you are going to write — hum— ay, "the Hiftory of Mufic — hum— well, *' and what do you wifli I, fhould do for you 2 L s 9 J *' you ?" Here I was forced, ill a painful JDa Capo, to tell my flory over again, and to beg his affiftance. Travelling is not very common in this country 5 and people here, like the Eng- lish, are my of Grangers, and wiming to (hake them off. In France, and Italy, the inhabitants are ufed to do the ho- nours, and do them well. As to my particular enquiries here, which, in fact, concerned their honour more than my own, I gained but little affiftance; it was diffi- cult to difcover who could afford me any, and much more to find thofe that would. I fometimes wiffied to employ the town cryer, at my firft entrance into a Ger- man city, to tell the mufical inhabitants who I was, and what I wanted ; for it frequently happened, where his majefty had no minifter, that I was on the point of quitting a place before this was known. Sunday, 9th Auguft. This evening I was at the reprefentation of La Cpitddi- na [ 9° ] na in Corte, a comic opera, at the Elector's theatre, adjoining to his palace. The mufic was compofed by Signor Sacchini, and was full of that clearnefs, grace, and elegant fimplicity, which characterife the productions of that author. The vocal parts were performed by Signor Gior- gietto, an Italian foprano, v/hofe voice was but feeble, nor were his abilities very considerable in other particulars. Sig- nora Francefca Danzi, a German girl, whofe voice and execution are brilliant ; fhe has likewife a pretty figure, a good fhake, and an expreffion as truly Italian, as if me had lived her whole life in Italy ; in fhort, {he is now a very engaging and agreeable performer, and promifes ftill greater things in future, being young, and having never appeared on any ftage till this fummer. Signor Zonca, an Ita- lian tenor, who was in England fome years ago ; his higheft praife is, that he does not offend 5 and Signora Allegrante, a young Italian, under the care of M. Holtz- [ 9* ] Holtzbaur, fings in a pretty unaffected manner -, and though her voice will not allow her to afpire at the firft part in an opera, (he feems likely to fill the ieeond in a very engaging manner. There were two dances between the acts, one ' of which, reprefenting a German fair, was the mod entertaining I ever faw ; one of the principal dancers here is the daughter of the late celebrated Stamitz, from whofe fire and genius the prefent ftyle of Sin- forties, fo full of great effects, of light and made, may in a considerable degree be derived. The Elector, Eleclrefs, and princefs royal of Saxony, were prefent at this per- formance. The theatre, though fmall, is convenient j the decorations and drefles ingenious and elegant, and there was a greater number of attendants and fi- gurers than ever I faw in the great opera, either of Paris or London : in the dance, reprefenting a German fair, there were upwards of a hundred perfons on the flage at [ 92 ] at one time ; but this opera is very in* considerable, compared with that at Manheim, in the winter, which is per- formed in one of the largeft and mod fplendid theatres of Europe, capable of containing five thoufand perfons ; this opera begins the fourth of November, and continues generally, twice a week, till Shrove-Tuefday. I was informed that the mere illumina- tions of the Manheim theatre, with wax lights, coft the elector upwards of forty pounds, at each reprefentation -, and that the whole expence of bringing a new opera on this ftage, amounted to near four thoufand pounds. The great theatre, the enfuing winter, was to be opened with an opera compofed by Mr. J. Bach, who was daily expected here from Lon- don, when I was at Manheim. I cannot quit this article, without do- ing juflice to the orcheftra of his electo- ral highnefs, fo defervedly celebrated throughout Europe. I found it to be indeed [ 93 ] indeed all that its fame had made me expect i power will naturally arife from a great number of hands; but the judi- cious ufe of this power, on all occafions, muft be the confequence of good difci- pline ; indeed there are more folo players, and good compofers in this, than perhaps in any other orcheftra in Europe ; it is an army of generals, equally fit to plan a tattle, as to fight it. But it has not been merely at theEle&or's great opera that inftrurnental mufic has= been fo much cultivated and refined, but at his concerts, where this extraordinary band" has " ample room and verge enough," to difplay all its powers, and to produce great effecls without the impropriety of deftroy- ing the greater and more delicate beauties, peculiar to vocal mufic ; it was here that Stamitz firft furpaned the bounds of com- mon opera overtures, which had hitherto- only ferved in the theatre as a kind of court cryer, with an " O Yes !" in or- der to awaken attention, and befpeak filence, [ 94 ] filence, at the entrance of the fingers. Since the difcovery which the genius of Stamitz firft made, every effect has been tried which fuch an aggregate of found can produce ; it was here that the Crefcendo and D'wiinuendo had birth ; and the Piano, which was before chiefly ufed as an echo, with which it was gene- rally fynonimous, as well as the Forte, were found to be mufical colours which had their fiades, as much as red or blue in painting. I found, however, an imperfection in this band, common to all others, that I have ever yet heard, but which I was in hopes would be removed by men fo at- tentive and fo able ; the defect, I mean, is the want of truth in the wind in- ftruments. I know it is natural to thofe inflruments to be out of tune, but fome of that art and diligence which thefe great performers have manifefted in vanquish- ing difficulties of other kinds, would furely be well employed in correcting this [ 95 ] this leaven, which fo much fours and cor- rupts all harmony. This was too plainly the cafe to-night, with the baffoons and hautbois, which were rather too (harp, at the beginning, and continued grow- ing (harper to the end of the opera. My ears were unable to difcover any other imperfection in the orcheftra, throughout the whole performance ; and this imperfec- tion is fo common to orcheftras, in general, that the cenfure will not be very fevere upon this, or afford much matter for tri- umph to the performers of any other or- cheftra in Europe. The Elector, who is himfelf a very good performer on the German flute, and who can, occafionally, play his part upon the violoncello, has a concert in his palace every evening, when there is no public exhibition at his theatre ; but when that happens, not only his own fubje&s, but all foreigners have admiffion gratis. The [ 96 3 The going out from the opera at Schwetzingen, during fummer, into the electoral gardens, which, in the French flyle, are extremely beautiful, affords one of the gayefr. and moil fplendid fights imaginable -, the country here is flat, and naked, and therefore would be lefs favourable to the free and open manner of laying out grounds iri Englifh horticulture, than to that which has been adopted. The orangery is larger than that at Verfailles, and per- haps than any other in Europe. His electoral highnefs's fuite at Schwet- zingen, during fummer, amounts to fifteen hundred perfons, who are all lodged in this little village, at his expence. To any one walking through the ftreets of Schwetzingen, during fummer, this place muft feem to be inhabited only by a colony of muficians, who are conftant- ly exercifing their profeffion : at one houfe a fine player on the violin is heard ; at [ 97 1 at another, a German flute; here an excel- lent hautbois -, there a baffoon, a clarinet, a violoncello, or a concert of fever al in- flruments together. Mufic feems to be the chief and moil conftant of his Elec- toral highnefs's amufements ■; and the operas, and concerts, to which all his fubjecls have admiffion, forms the judg- ment, and eftablifhes a tafte for mulic, throughout the electorate. LUDWIGSBURG. It is no uncommon thing, in Ger- many, for a fovereign prince, upon a difference with his fubjects, to abandon the ancient capital of his dominions, and to erect another at a fmall diftance from it, which, in procefs of time, not only ruins the trade, but greatly diminishes the number of its inhabitants, by attract- ing them to his new reiidence : among the princes who come under this predi- cament, are the elector of Cologn, re- moved to Bonn ; the Elector Palatine, H removed [ 98 ] fefnoved from Heidelberg, to Manhelm ; arid the duke of Wiirtemberg, from Stut- gard to Ludwigjhurg. The ground upon which this town is built, is irregular and wild, yet it contains many fine ftreets, walks, and houfes. The, country about it is not pleafant, but very fertile, efpecially in vines, producing a great quantity of what is called Neckar wine. Though Stutgard is nominally the ca- pital of the dutchy of Wurtemburg, it has not, for ten years part, been the refi- dence of its fovereign ; and though the operas, and mufical eftablifhments of this prince, ufed, during the feven years di- rection of Jomelli, to be the bell and iiioft fplendid in Germany, they are now but the fhadow of what they were : in- deed the expence fo far exceeded the abili- ties of his fubjeclsto fupport, thattheGer- mans fay the duke of Wurtemberg's paf- fion for mu fie was carried to fuch excefs as to ruin both his country and people, and to 8 oblige [ 99 3 bbiige his fubjects to rem on ft rate againft his prodigality at the diet of the em- pire. At prefent his highnefs feems cecono*- mifing, having reformed his operas and orcheftra, and reduced a great number of old performers to half 'pay : but, as moft mulicians have too great fouls to live upon their whole pay, be it what it will, this reduction of their penfions is regard- ed, by the principal of thofe in the fervice of this court, as a difmiffion ; fo that thofe who have vendible talents, demand permiflion to retire, as fad as opportu- nities offer, for engaging themfelves elfe- where. The German courts are fo much daz- zled by their own fplendor, as to be wholly blind to v*hat is doing at the diftance only of a day's journey among their neighbours; hence, I never found, in any of them, exactly what report had made me expect. Upon quitting Schwet- zingen, I deviated fomewhat from the direct: H 2 road road to Vienna, in order to vifit Ludwigf- burg, at which place I was told I mould not only find the duke of Wiirtemburg, but likewife hear fine operas, concerts, and great performers; but, alas! after being roafted alive, and jumbled to death, in a wagon, which the Germans call a poft-chaife, for fourteen or fifteen hours, while I travelled feventy ~ five miles; when I came to Ludwigfburg, I found the information which I had received fo far from exact, that the duke of Wurtemburg was at Gravenic, thirteen leagues off, and fcarce a mufician of eminence left in the town. However I obtained an exact ftate of the prefent mufical eftablifhment of the Wirtemburg court, ftage, and church. The firft maeftro di capella, is Signor Boroni. The foprano voices are, Signora Bonani, and Seeman, Signor Muzio, and Signor Gurreieri, Cajlrati -, Contralti, Rubinelli, and Paganelli. Among the tenors, the duke had lafl winter a great lofs by the death of the admirable Cav. Ettori, [ m ] Ettori, who was reckoned, by the Ita- lians, the beft finger of his kind on the ferious opera ftage : there are eighteen violins, with Signor Lolli at their head, among the reft, are Curz, and Baglioni; this laft is a very good player, and of the famous Bolognia family - } there are fix tenors, three violoncellos, and four double bafes 5 the principal organifts are, Fre- derick Seeman, and Schubart j four haut- bois, Alrich, Hitfch, Blefner, and Com- meret ; flutes, Steinhardt, a very good one, and Auguftinelli ; three horns ; two balloons, Schwartz, an admirable one, and Bart. For the Opera Buffa, Signore Bonani, Seeman, Liberati,Frigeri : SignoriMeffieri, Rofli, Cofimi, Liberati, and Righetti. Dancers, male and female, thirty-two ; principals, Balliby, Franchi, and Riva. Upwards of ninety perfons are on the pen- lion lift for thefe operas ; but many are kept in it long after they become unfk for fervice; and it is likewife fwelled H 3 with [ 102 ] with the names of perfons of no great importance, fuch as inftrument carriers', eopyifts, and bellows -blowers. This prince had two new ferious ope- ras laft winter, the one compofed by Jo- inelli, and the other by Sacchini. The theatre is immenfe, and is open at the back of the ftage, where there is an am- phitheatre, in the open air, which is fometimes filled with people, to produce effects in perfpeclive ; it is built, as are all the theatres which I had yet feen in Germany, upon the Italian model. The duke of Wiirtemburg, who is fo expenfive in the mufic of his court and theatre, has no other inftruments among his troops, that I heard, than trumpets, drums, and fifes. The moif fhininp- parts of a German court, are ufually its military, its mnjie, and its hunt. In this laft article the expence is generally enor- mous ; immenfe forefts and parks, fet apart for a prince's amufement, at the expence of agriculture, commerce, and, indeed,, [ *°3 ] indeed, the necefTaries of life, keep vafl tracts of land uncultivated, and his fub- jects in beggary. The foldiery of this prince's prefent capital are fo numerous, confiding ne- ver of lefs than fix thoufind in time of peace, that nothing like a gentle- man can be feen in the ftreets, except officers. The foldiers feem difciplined into clock-work. I never faw fuch mechanical exactnefs in animated beings. One would fuppofe that the author of V Man a Machine" had taken his idea from thefe men : their appearance, how- ever, is very formidable ; black whinkers, white peruques, with curls at the fides, fix deep 5 blue coats, patched and mend- ed with great ingenuity and diligence. There are two fpacious courts, one before, and one within the palace, full of military. This prince, who is himfelf a good player on the harpfichord, had, at one time, in his fervice, three of the greater! performers on the violin in Europe, Fe^ H 4 rari, [ 104 1 rari, Nardini, and Lolli ; on the haut- bois, the two Plas, a famous balloon, Schwartz, who is ftillhere; and Walther, on the French horn ; with Jomelli to compofe ; and the beft ferious and comic fingers of Italy. At prefent, indeed, his lift of muficians is not fo fplendid ; how- ever, his ceconomy is, I believe, more in appearance than reality; for at Solitude, a favourite fummer palace, he has, at an enormous expence, eftablifhed a fchool of arts, or Confervatorio, for the education of two hundred poor and deferted chil- dren of talents; of thefe a great number are taught muiic, and from thefe he has already drawn feveral excellent vocal and instrumental performers, for his theatre : fome are taught the learned languages, and cultivate poetry; others, acting and dancing. Among the fingers, there are at prefent fifteen Caftrati, the court hav- ing in its fervice two Bologna furgeons, expert in this vocal manufacture. At Lud- wigfburg there is likewife a Conferva- torio t i°S 3 torio for a hundred girls, who are edu- cated in the fame manner, and for the fame purpofes ; the building conftruc"ted at Solitude, for the reception of the boys, has a front of fix or feven hundred feet. It is the favourite amufement of the duke of Wurtemburg to vifit this fchool; to fee the children dine, and take their leffons. His paflion for mulic and mews, feems as ftrong as that of the emperor Nero was formerly. It is, perhaps, upon, fuch occalions as thefe, that mufic be- comes a vice, and hurtful to fociety ; for that nation, of which half the fub- jects are ftage-players, fidlers, and fol- diers, and the other half beggars, feems to be but ill governed. Here nothing is talked of but the adventures of actors, dancers, and muficians. — In this article I have perhaps gone beyond my laji. I can proceed no further in my ac- count of this place, without making my acknowledgements to M. Schubart, organift of the Lutheran church : he was the firit, real great harpfichord player that [ io6 ] that I had hitherto met with in Ger- many, as well as the firft who feemed to think the object of my journey was, in ibrne meafure, a national concern. I travelled not as a mufician ufually travels, to get money, but to fpend it, in fearch of mufical merit and talents, wherever I could find them, in order to difplay them to my countrymen. M. Schubart feemed fenfible of this, and took all pof- iible pains to pleafe my ears, as well as to fatisfy my mind. He is formed on the Bach fchool ; but is an enthufiafl, and original in genius. Many of his pieces are printed in Holland ; they are full of tafte and fire. He played on the Clavichord, with great delicacy and ex?- preffion ; his finger is brilliant, and fancy rich ; he is in poffeflion of a perfect dou- ble make, which is obtained but by few harpfichord players. He was fome time organift of Ulm, where he had a fine inftrument to play on; but here he has a moft wretched one. His [ i°7 1 His merit is but little known where he is at prefent planted : the common peo- ple think him mad, and the reft overlook him. We communicated our thoughts to each other in a lingular manner : I was not, as yet, able to keep pace with his ideas, or my own impatience to know them, in German ; and he could nei- ther fpeak French nor Italian, but could converfe in Latin very fluently, having been originally intended for the church ; and it amazed me to find, with what quicknefs and facility he exprefTed what- ever he would, in Latin j it was literally, a living language in his hands. I gave him the plan of my Hiftory of Muiic to read, in German; and, to convince me, that he clearly underftood my meaning, he translated it, that is, read it aloud to me in Latin, at firft fight. My pronuncia- tion of Latin, if 1 had been accuftomed to fpeak it, would not have been intelli- gible to him; but as he underftood Ita- lian, [ io8 ] lian, though he could not fpeak it, our converfation was carried on in two dif- ferent languages, Latin and Italian ; fo that the queftions that were afked in one of thefe tongues, were anfwered in the other. In this manner we kept on a loquacious intercourfe the whole day, dur- ing which, he not only played a great deal on the Harpfichord, Organ, Piano forte, and Clavichord j but (hewed me the thea- tre, and all the curiofities of Ludwigf- burg, as well as wrote down for me, a character of all the muficians of that court and city. And, in the evening, he had the atten- tion to collect together, at his houfe, three or four boors, in order to let me hear them play and fing national mujic, con- cerning which, I had expreifed great curiofity. The public library here has not been formed many years, and is as yet not very rich in manufcripts, or ancient books ; the hiflory profeffbr and librarian 6 M. [ io 9 ] M. Urot, a native of France, was very- polite, and took great pains to fatisfy my curiofity, particularly, in mewing me a very extraordinary aftronomical machine or orrery, which M. Hahn, mi- nister at Onftmettingen, in the bailiwic , of Balingen, invented and executed, in the fpace of eighteen months, and which his ferene highnefs the duke of Wur- temburg has purchafed for the public library. It is compofed of three parts, that are put in motion by the weights of a com- mon clock, which is wound up every eight days, and whofe pendulum vibrates feconds. In the middle part are three dials, placed perpendicularly. The upper one fimply marks hours, and minutes. The next, in which are fixed the figns of the zodiac, indicates the hours of the day, the days of the week, and the days of the month, without its ever being [ MP J being neceffary to regulate the index, for the unequal number of days in different months. And the laft dial, upon the great cir- cle, on which are diftinguifhed, the cen- turies of 8000 years, has two principal indices, one of which points out the prefent century, and the other, the pre- fent year. Of the two collateral parts of this machine, that on the right hand repre- fents the Copernican fyftem ; and that on the left, the apparent courfe of the hea- venly bodies. Thefe parts are put in motion, by the principal fpring of the clock in the middle, and correfpond fo perfectly, that no variation in their movements, or in the different afpe&s of the heavenly bodies has ever been difco- vered -, and both have been found con- ftantly conformable to the calculations of the moll exact ephemeris. This whole machine is fo constructed, that without any rifle of putting it out of order, [ m i order, or fpoiling it, the reciprocal por- tions of the planets and conftellations, fuch as they will be in any future mi- nute, or fuch as they have been, in any one that is paft, may be feen ; fo that this machine takes in all time; the pall, prefent, and future ; and is, not only an orrery for thefe times, but a perpetual, accurate, and minute hiftory of the hea- vens for all ages. The defcription of this piece of me- chanifm, by profeflbr Vifcher, librarian of the public library, taken from the writings, and experiments, of theinventor, M. Hahn, will give the public a more perfect idea than I am able to do of this amazing machine, which in Germany, is greatly admired by the learned in aftronomy and mechanics *. * This defcription was publifhed at Stutgard, in the German language, in 1770. It contains twenty-eight pages, in quarto, and has for title, ^efcl)rcibung ciner 2iftronomifci)en stfiaifyWr tKlcfre fid) in bcr 6ffent(M)en #erje>(}!ic!)en Q3iblt- ot[)ctf jti £uDtt>i(} ^ burg keftn&et. U L M. [ "2 ] U L M. I cannot fay much for the beauty of this old city j however, its cathedral is one of the largeft, higheft, and beft pre- served Gothic buildings I have feen. Its organ is fo much celebrated by travellers, for fize and goodnefs, that it excited in. me a great defire to fee and examine it; but I was fomewhat difappointed in finding it neither fo ancient, fo large, or fo full of flops as I expected. It was built but thirty-eight years ago; the builder, M. Schmahl, is ftill living, and he and his fon, who were cleaning it, were fo obliging as to furnifh me with an account of its contents. The Gallery, and ornaments of this inftrument, are a hundred and fifty feet high; it contains forty-five flops, three fets of keys, and pedals ; the largeft pipes are fixteen feet long, and the fum total of pipes amounts to 3442. The German flute in this organ feems the beft of the folo ftops, the reed- work is pretty good, but there is no fwell. i »3 i The prefent organifl is not reckoned a great player; and I could not find, upon enquiry, that this city is now in pofTef- fion of one capital performer upon any inftrument. Ulm ufed to be famous for its com- pany of SRWWejancjeVg, or Laudifti, like that at Florence $ but it now no longer fubfiits. My nearer! and cheaper! way, from hence to Vienna, would have been down the Danube, which is a pafTage of 600 miles by water; but I could not rend the defire of feeing Augfburg and Mu- nich, or indeed reconcile to myfelf the neglect of thofe two cities, which had fo fair a claim to my notice among the principal places in Germany. I there- fore determined to crofs, not defcend, the Danube, in order to vifit AUGSBURG. I arrived here on Saturday morning, the 15th July, about feven o'clock, after T tra- t "4 I travelling all night, and luckily went to the cathedral between eight and nine y where I heard part of a German fermon, and a mafs, in mufic, performed by two choirs * -, being a feftival, the church was very much crowded. It is a fmall and ordinary building, but richly and tawdrily ornamented; there are, how- ever, two large and elegant organs, one on each fide the weft end of the choir. One of thefe was well played, but in a way more mafterly than pleafing ; the rage for crude, equivocal-, and affected modulation, which now prevails gene- rally all over Germany, renders voluntary playing fo unnatural, that it is a perpe- tual difappointment and torture to the ear; which is never to expect any thing, that comes, or to have one difcord refolv- ed, but by another. A little of this high * This church is in the pofTeffion of the Ca- tholics, one half of the inhabitants of this free city are Proteftants, who have not only churches allowed them, but alfo an equal fhare in the go- vernment. sauGSjp I JI 5 ] fauce, difcreetly ufed, produces great and furprifing effects ; but, for ever to be feeking for far-fetched and extraneous harmony, is giving a man that is hun- gry, nothing but Chian to eat, inftead of plain and wholefome food. The mufic of the mafs was in a good flyle; there was an agreeable mixture of ancient and modern, and fome of the vo- cal parts were pleafingly performed ; particularly by two boys and a tenor, whofe voices were good, and who had fe- veral folo verfes and duets given them \ and from what I heard this day, I was confirmed in my opinion, that, except theltalian, the German manner of finging is lefs vicious and vulgar, than that of any other people in Europe. There was a folo concerto introduced on the violin, which, though difficult, was neatly exe- cuted. The reft of the violins were weak and ordinary. There was a rude and barbarous flourifh of drums and trumpets at the elevation I 2 of I n6 ] of the Hod, which was what I had: ne^ ver heard before, except at Antwerp. Having been told, that M. Seyfurth, the cantor, a celebrated linger, and fcho- lar of M. G. P. E. Bach, to whom I had letters, was out of town, I flayed but a fhort time at Augfburg; for, to fay the truth, I was fomewhat tired of going to imperial cities after mufic j as I fel- dom found any thing bat the organ and organiil: worth attending to, and not al- ways them -, for they, like thofe in our country towns, are fometimes good, and fometimes bad. Thefe cities are not rich, and therefore have not the folly to fupport their theatres at a great expence. The fine arts are children of affluence and luxury : in defpotic governments they render power lefs infupportable, and diverfion from thought is perhaps as ne- ceflary as from action. Whoever there- fore feeks mufic in Germany, mould do it at the feveral courts, not in the free im- perial cities, which are generally in- habited [ *>7 3 liabited by poor induftrious people, whofe genius is chilled and reprefled by penury; who can beftow nothing on vain pomp or •luxury; but think themfelves happy, in the pofTeffion of necefTaries. The resi- dence of a fovereign prince, on the contra- ry, befides the muficians in ordinary of the .court, church, and ftage, fwarms with tpenfioners and expectants, who have how- ever few opportunities of being heard. . Augfburg is a very large and fine old .city; fome of the houfes are whimfically pretty, from the manner in which they are plaiflered and ornamented, and a few of the ftreets are rather wide ; but the generality of the houfes have their gable ends in front, as in the Nether- lands. The town-houfe, with fome of the fpires are well worth feeing ; and at going out on the Munich fide, there is a ,very fine building, juft conftructed, for the ufe of a cotton manufactory, which is of an immenfe fize, and in a pleafitJg (Lyle of architecture. I 3 The I nS ] The head drefs of the women here is very fingular ; they wear a kind of gold fkull-cap -, forrre a broad border of gold lace,* and the reft filled up by work in different colours, but moftly all gold embroidery ; and here, as well as throughout Bavaria, the Roman catholic women conftantly walk the flreets with a rofary in their hands, which is a famion and ornament here as much as an implement of devotion. I was much diftreffed during my lhort flay in this city, by the following adven- venture. I had fent my fervant, and, at prefent, my interpreter, Pierre, a Lie- geois, that I had brought with me from Antwerp, to enquire out, while the mafs was performing, the habitation of M. Seyfurth, to whom I had been recom- mended by a friend at Hamburg. I had defired him to return to the church when he had executed his commiffion, in order to conduct me back to my inn. I waited pati- ently till ten o'clock,when all the mufic was over, but no Pierre ! I walked about the- church, r "9 i church, till I was tired, and afhamed to ftay any longer, but no Pierre ! I walked round the church, and up and down the itreets in fight of it, for I durfl venture no farther, not knowing even the name of my inn j and I had, indeed, very little language in which to explain my fituation to thefe cold, and, in appearance, furly people. What could I do, but return to the church and walk about again ? this I did till pail: two o'clock, when I feared being fufpected as a ftranger, of a defign to rob the church of feme of its treafures ; but no Pierre ! at length I was compelled to take courage, and try to make my cir- cumftances, known : I perufed every idle countenance to difcover good nature in it. I accofted feveral in vain, till an old beg- gar-man applied to me for relief; I gave him two or three creuzers> and thought that " one good turn deferved another." I recollected the having been fet down by the pofl-wagon, on my arrival, at a poft-houfe: there are feveral in large Ger- man cities. 2Be(cf)eg ijI&ei'SSBefl nadj bent I 4 3>ofc [ 120 ] 9>0flljaUg gittCt gVClinb ? here was a git*, ble-gabble, which ended with, t>lC SSlicfe 4 meaning, was it the pofl-houfe for let-. ters ? Sftew, faid I, fcev ^otfwagen nad) Ulm debet ftievab — 3a, ja, id) feerflefoe (tC. At length we found this houfe; but then I knew not either what to fay or do, I blundered out as well as I could, that I wanted the ,f)flU$ where my baggage had been carried in the morning. But could not recoiled the word SBtrtf)& an inn; it turned out to be the Lamb, t>CU? Satlltlt*. and when I found it, my joy was as great as that of a good chriftian pilgrim would have been in a Pagan country, at the light of an Agnus Dei. Where mould the faithful Pierre, my honeft Liegeois, have been all this while, but on his bed, comfortably and fan: aileep ? and I did not difcover, till two months after, that he had never fought Mr. Seyfurth, to whom I had fent him, but had deemed it eafier to find a bed, and to make me believe he was out of town, than to wear put his ffooes in ftrolling about a ilrange place, [ I" ] place, after a perfon, with whom he had np bufinefs which concerned himfelf. But, in order to make thedifappointment fome- what more palatable to me, he faid, that the gentleman was only gone to Mu- nich, for a few days, and that I mould certainly find him there. MUNICH. I was amply rewarded for the trouble I took in viiiting this city, as I not only found in it materials of great importance to my Hiftory, but a great number of mo- dern muficians of the flrft clafs, whofe performance and converfation were de- lightful and inftrucYtve. I had likewife the honour of being well received, and even affifted in my enquiries, by perfons of all ranks j a happinefs for which I am greatly indebted to the friendly and active zeal of our minifter at this court, M. de Vifme, whofe learning, knowledge, and experience, joined to a fleady benevo- lence and hofpitality, all confpired to render [ *22 1 render my refidence at Munich both pro- fitable and pleafant. I arrived here on Sunday morning, the 1 6th Auguft. The firft thing I did was to wait on M. de Vifme, with my cre- dentials, that is, my recommendatory let- ters; which having read, and received a more particular information of the object of my journey from myfelf, he fent im- mediately to Signor Don Panzachi, an excellent tenor finger, of the Elector of Bavaria's ferious opera, who having re- lided feveral years in this city, was well qualified to inform me of fuch perfons as were beft worth hearing and conven- ing with y and he gave every day, dur- ing my reiidence here,. proofs of his zeal and intelligence. I was likewife indebted to this gentleman for a very particular ac- count of the muiic of Spain, where he had refided nine years; and he was not only fo kind as to lend me many curious Spanifh books, on the ftibjecl; of mufic, but to ling to me feveral Tonadillas and Sevuidillas, which he [ I2 3 ] he is faid, by perfons who have been in Spain, to do as well, that is, as truly, as is poffible for one not a native of that country. I was fo fortunate as to find here, Signor Guadagni, and Signora Mingotti, who both rendered me very Angular fer^ vices, in themofr, polite and agreeable man- ner; and I was the more flattered and pleafed by their attention, as they are performers of fuch high rank, who have (ecn fo much fervice, and by whofe great abilities, in their profeffion, I have been fo frequently delighted in England. They both profefs the higheft refpecT:, gratitude, and reverence for individuals in England, but make great complaints againft the public, with what reafon I ihall not pretend to determine, as it is not my intention to light the battles o'er again, of two fuch able champions : I own myfelf fo partial to talents, where- ever I find them, that when they are at- tacked, I conftantly incline to their fide. Gua- [ 124 3 Guadagni complains of illiberal treat- ment from the public, who, when he fung In the opera of Orfeo, merely to oblige them, and Sir W. W. without fee or reward, hifTed him for going off the ftage, when he was encored, with no other de>- iign than to return in charaBer. Signora Mingotti fays too, that fhe was frequently hifTed in England, for having the tooth-ach, a cold, or a fever, to which the good people of England will readily allow every human being is liable, except an actor or a ringer. I know that the public are infidels in thefe matters, and with reafon, as their hearts are hardened by repeated impofition; but, however, notwithftand- ing the many pfeudo colds and fevers among theatrical performers, it is juft poffible for thefe people to have real dis- orders, otherwife they would bid fair for immortality. Signor Guadagni came to Munich from Verona, with the Ele&refs dowager of Saxony, Saxony, fitter to this Elector, and daugh- ter of the emperor Charles the feventh. This princefs is celebrated all over Eu- rope for her talents, and the progrefs {he has made in the arts, of which me is a conftant protedtrefs. Her highnefs is a poetefs, a paintrefs, and fo able a mufician, that fhe plays, fings, and compofes, in a manner which Dilettanti feldom arrive at. She has, among other things, written in Ita- lian, two operas, which fhe has herfelf fet to muiic, Taleftri, and il Trmifo della Fedelta ; both are printed in Score, at Leip- fic, and are much admired all over Ger- many, where they have frequently been performed. This is bringing about a re- conciliation between mufic and poetry, which have fo long been at variance, and feparated. Among the ancients, the poet and mufician were conftantly united in the fame perfon ; but modern times have few examples of fuch a junction, except in this princefs, and in M. RouiTeau, who was [ 126 ] was not only author of the poetry, but ■of the muiic of his little drama, the Deviti du Village, Signora Mingotti has not, as I could find, any penfion from this court -, but fhe has friends, to whom me is attached, and fays that {he can live much cheaper here than in England, otherwife me mould have fpent her fmall income, and the remainder of her days, there. The firfi: finger in the ferious opera here, is Signer Rauzzini, a young Ro- man performer, of lingular merit, who has been fix years in the fervice of this court; but is engaged to iing in an opera compofed by young Mozart, at the next carnival at Milan -, he is not only a charming finger, a plealing figure, and a good actor -, but a more excellent contrapuntift, and per* former on the harpiichord, than a finger is ufually allowed to be, as all kind of ap- plication to the harpiichord, or compofi- tion, is fuppofed, by the Italians, to be prejudicial to the voice* Signor Rauzzi- ni [ I2 7 ] fri has fet two or three comic operas here* which have been very much approved j and he (hewed and fung to me feveral airs of a ferious cad, that were well writ- ten, and in an exquiiite tafle. The day after my arrival, I had the pleafure of dining with Guadagni, Rauz- zini, and Ravanni, an Italian counter- tenor, in the ferviee of this court, and after dinner of hearing them ling trios mo ft divinely. At night I went with them to the co- mic opera, at the little theatre ; at which were the Elector, the Eledrefs, the Elec- trefs dowager of Saxony, the Margrave or Baden, and the Duchefs of Bavaria; the piece was called / ' Amore fenza Malizia* and was fct by Signor Ottane, of Bolog- na, a fcholar of Padre Martini, mention- ed in my Italian mafical journey. Sig- nora Lodi, who performed the principal woman's part, pleafed me much, by the clearnefs and brilliancy of her voice, as well as by her elegant manner of fing- § . * n g t »8 ■■! ing and ailing ; if there is any defect iri her voice, it is that fometimes it meets with a little obftruction in the throat j and one would wim that (he had, as to perfon, a little lefs embonpoint. There was a tenor in this opera, a German, M. Adamont, whofe voice and manner of finging were very pleafing; and a Bari- tono, Signor Guglielmini, a man whofe action and humour make fome amends for a total want of voice. After the opera, I fupped with the fame company which I had dined with, and was again delighted with trios, fung in fuch a way* as one never can hope to hear in public, and the chances are many againfl it in private. The library of the Elector is more rich in old mufical authors, and in old com- pofitions, than any one that I have yet feen in Europe. M. de Vifme, the day after my arrival, not only fent his fecretary with me to the librarian, in the morning, but did me the honour of going to the library [ 129 1 library with me himfelf after dinner 1 . The books I wanted were not claffed under one head, in the general catalogue* but mixt with mathematics and other arts ; it was necefiary, therefore, before I began to feek, arid examine thefe books, to draw them out of the mifcella- neous catalogue : the reader will form fome judgment of the number of mulicai authors, when he is informed that the lift of their works only, when extracted from the reft, filled near twenty large folio meets of paper; and thefe are chiefly confined to the fixteenth century. There were few books of any kind printed iri the fifteenth, and fince the fixteenth this library has received but a fmall augmen- tation ; in the chapel, however, there is an immenfe quantity of manufcript mu- fic, from the earlieft time of counter- point to the prefent. £ N Y M- [ ^° ] NYMPHENBERG. During fummer the court ufually re- fides here ; it is a magnificent Chateau, belonging to the Elector, three miles from Munich, where the principal mu* ficians attend, and where his ferene high- nefs has a concert every evening. On my arrival at Munich I had the pleafure of meeting with M. Naumann, the celebrated maejiro di capella of the Elector of Saxony, who was brought up in Italy, and who was now on his way thither, to compofe an opera for Venice, and another for Naples, tie did me the favour to call on me, and to carry me, on Wednef- day morning, to Nymphenberg, where I Was engaged to dine with Signor Gua- dagnL During our ride I obtained from M. Naumann an account of the prefent ftate of mulic in Saxony, from which court he was juft come. At Nymphen- berg he attended the rehearfals of the Eleclreis [ *jl ] Electrefs dowager of Saxony's opera of Takjlriy which was on the point of being performed at court, and in which Signor Guadagni was to fing. Here I found M. Kroner, the Elector's firil violin, Rauz- zini, and Panzachi, who, as well as M. Naumann and myfelf, dined with Gua- dagni. The g-ardens of this Chateau are rec- koned the fined in Germany, and are real- ly as beautiful as they can be made, with innumerable fountains, canals, jets d'eau, cafcades, alleys, bofquets, ftrait rows of trees, and woods, where, ei Grove nods at grove," in the true French ftyle. There is a beautiful porcelain manu- facture at Nymphenberg, which the Ba- varians fav rivals that of Drefden. Upon my arrival here, I was inform- ed by Signor Guadagni that he had mentioned me, and the bufinefs I was upon, to the Electrefs dowager of Saxony, and to the Elector, and had arranged every thing for my being prefented to that princefs before dinner, and to his K 2 Elec- t *3 2 1 Electoral highnefs, and the reft of the family, afterwards. Accordingly, about half an hour paft one, a page came to acquaint us that theEledtrefs dowager was ready to receive us ; and I was conducted through a great number of mod magnifi- centapaftments, by Signor Guadagni, to an anti-chamber, where we waited but a very fhort time 3 before the Electrefs entered the Sale d Audience) into which' we were called, and I was very gracioufly received. I had enquired into the Etiquette of this ceremonial : 1 was to bend the left knee upon being admitted to the honour of killing her hand; after this was over, her highnefs entered into conversation with me in the moil condefcendinp- and o eafy manner imaginable; (he was pieafed to fpeak very favourably of my undertak- ing, and to add, " that it was not only " doing honour to mu(ic, but to myfelf, as he fiid, it was the bed of all his mufi- cal productions \ and even a promife of this was granted before my departure*. * Both thefe compositions were tranferibed for me, after 1 left Munich, and delivered to M. de Vifrne, by whofe care and kindnefs they have been fince tranfmitted to me in London. 2 The [ T42 j The lords in waiting offered us re- frefhments ; and the Elector condefcend- ed to afk Guadagni, if he gave a fupper to the Englifhman, and his other com- pany ? meaning Panzachi, Rauzzini, and Naumann ; he anfwered, that he mould give us bread and cheefe, and a glafs of wine. " Here," cried the Ele&or, emptying two dimes of game on a plate, " fend that " to your apartments.'* His highnefs was implicitly obeyed. We fupped to- gether, after which I returned to Mu- nich, abundantly flattered and fatisfied with the events of the day. MUNICH. The next morning was fpent in the li- brary. I had afterwards the pleafure of dining with Signora Mingotti, who in- vited to meet me, father Kenedy, a wor- thy Scotfman, of real parts and learning. After dinner, a long and fpirited conver- fation took place ; for the lady is ani- mated, eloquent, and well informed :^ flic (he related her adventures in Spain, and other parts of the world, and interfperfed them with reflections concerning mulic, upon which it is impofiible to hear her fpeak unimproved, as (he treats the fub- ject with uncommon depth, precifion, and perfpicuity. From hence I went to fee the Elec- tor's theatre, where his ferious operas are performed in winter. It is not large, having but four rows of boxes, fifteen in each j but it is more richly fitted up, than any that I had ever feen. On Thurfday, father Kenedy was fo obliging, as to carry me to the academy, where he fhewed me all that was worthy of notice, in machines, mathematical inftruments,- models, minerals, foffils, and other curiolities ; but what mod attracted my attention, as coming neareft to my bufinefsy if not my bofoni, was a collection of thirty-fix thoufand tracts and ditfertations on different fubjects, bound up in near nine hundred volumes; they [ H4 1 they were bought for the prefent Elector, at Leipfic. There is an index of author but as yet, none completed of things ; therS is one begun, but it goes no farther than the letter M, and this father Ke* nedy, who is at the head of the acade- my, was fo obliging as to lend me. This inflitution has not been founded above eleven years ; however, feveral volumes of its Tranfactions are already printed, and it feems, at prefent, to be carried on with fpirit. To-day I had the honour of dining xvith M. de Vifme, who after dinner, was fo kind as to go with me to the Jefuit's college, where I had a very particular , enquiry to make, which not only con- cerned the Hiftory of Mufic, but its prefent flare. In my progrefs through Germany, I had frequently heard mufic' performed in the churches, and ftreets by poor Jcholars, as they were always called, but never could make out how, or by whom they were taught, till oil my t H'5 1 my arrival here. M. de Vifme, who heglected to inform me of nothing, which in the leafl related to my defign, told me, that there was a mujic fchool at the Jefuits college. This awakened my curiofity, and made me fufpect, that it was a kind of Confervatorio j and, upon a more minute enquiry, I found, that the poor fcholars whom I had heard ling, in fo many different parts of Germany, had been taught, in. each place, where the Roman catholic religion prevailed, at the Jefuits college; and, further, I was informed, that in all the towns throughout the empire, where the Jefuits have a church or college, young perfons are taught to play upon mufical inftruments, and to ling. Many muficians have been brought up here, who afterwards have rendered themfelves eminent. This will, in fome meafure account for the great number of muri- cians, with which Germany abounds, as L well [ i4« ] well as for the national tafle and paffion for mufic. The mufic fchool in Munich takes in eighty children, at about eleven or twelve years old; they are taught mufic, read- ing, and writing, and are boarded, but not cloathed. A Jefuit, to whom we applied for information, promifed to write down, in Latin, an account of this foun- dation, as far as it might be neceiTary to the Hiftory of Mufic in Germany, and fend it to M. de Vifme next day ; and he kept his word. The boys that are admit- ted here, in order to be taught mufic, mull: play upon fome inftrument, or know fomething of the art, to qualify them for admittance. They are kept in the col- lege till twenty years of age; and, during the time of their refidence there, they are taught by matters of the town, not by the Jefuits themfelves. There are others, under the denomi- nation of poor fcholarsy who are intended for [ 147 3 for the church, and who are taught the learned languages, mathematics, and theology. From hence I went to the burletta of Le Finte Gemelli* Farza per mufica, a quat- tro vociy fet by Matteo Rauzzini, bro- ther to the finger of that name, a young man of only eighteen years of age. The mufic was mod of it common, but pretty, and in good tafte. The Lodi fung charm- ingly j her voice and figure would make her a capital finger in a ferious opera, if {he were well taught. Her voice wants only a little more room in its paflage through the throat; in every thing elfe, me is admirable ; having a pretty figure, a good expreffion, and an exquifite man- ner of taking appogiature. The fecond finger of this company, Signora Manfervifi, deferves to be men- tioned ; her figure is agreeable, her voice, though not flrong, is well-toned, ihe has nothing vulgar in her manner, lings in tune, and never gives offence. L 2 There [ 148 ] There was a tenor, Signor Fiorini, who fung to-night, whom I had not heard before j he has perhaps been a better finger than he is at prefent -, but now, neither his voice, nor manner, had any- thing interefting in it, though both were free from any common defects ; for he fung in tune, had a fliake, and was far from vulgar. In going home from the opera, I heard a very good concert in the ftreet , it was performed at the door of M. de Vifme, by torch-light, and attended by a great crowd : after I returned to my lodgings, I heard the fame performers at the inn door ; upon enquiring who they were, I was told, that they were poor fcholars -, but I did not difcover till the next day, that this concert was intended, as a regale, for M. de Vifm-e and me, on account of our having been at their college to inform ourfelves concerning their inftitution. Friday. I fpent the greateft part of this morning with Signor Rauzzini ; he [ M9 ] was fc obliging as to fing to me a great number of excellent fongs, in different styles, among which there were many of his own compofition. As to his abilities in finging, I think his (hake is not quite open enough, nor did I then think his voice fufliciently powerful for a great theatre; but in all other refpecls he is a charming performer j his tafte is quite modern and delicate ; the tone of his voice fweet and clear ; his execution of paifages of the moft difficult intonation amazingly neat, rapid, and free : and his knowledge of harmony is far beyond that of any great ftage-finger I ever knew : he has like- wife a very good perfon, and, I am told, is an excellent actor. The reft of this day was employed in, the Elector's, and in other libraries. At night I heard the poor fcholars again in the ftreets, where they performed fome full pieces very well : there were violins, hautboys, French horns, a violoncello, &nd balloon-. I was informed, that they L 3 were [ '5° ] were obliged frequently to perform thus in the ftreets, to convince the public, at whofe expence they are maintained, of the proficiency they make. Saturday 22d. I was this whole morning at Signora Mingotti's, from whom I ob- tained, in converfation, a fketch of her mufical life. I am doubtful as to the propriety of publishing thefe anecdotes; however, as no fecrecy was enjoined, and as they contain nothing difgraceful to the perfon who furnifhed them, I fhall venture to do it, fuppofing a cu- riofity concerning the mod trivial cir- cumstances, relative to eminent per- sons, to be as ftrong in others as in my- felf. Her parents were Germans -, her father was an officer in the Auftrian fervice, who being called to Naples, upon duty, his wife travelled with him thither during her pregnancy, and was there brought to bed of this daughter ; who, however, was carried to Gratz, in Silefia, before [ 15' ] me was a year old -, and her father dying while (he was young, her uncle placed her in a convent of Urfulines, where (he was educated, and where fhe received her firfl leffons of rnufic. She told me, that during her child- hood, fhe remembers being fo pleafed with the mulic performed in the chapel of her convent, particularly with a Li- tany fung there one feftival, that (lie went to the abbefs, with tears in her eyes, and trembling, both with fear of anger, and ofarefufal, to intreat her to teach her to ring, as fie did in the chapel. The abbefs put her off, with faying, that ihe was very bufy that day, but would think of it. The next day {he fent one of the elder nuns to afk her who bid her make that requert, when the little Re- gina (as me was then called) replied, that nobody had bid her, but that it was merely her own love for muiic, which infpired the thought. After this the abbefs fent for her, and told her, that L 4 {he t J 5 2 1 fhe had very little time to fpare y but, if (he would promife to be diligent, (he would teach her herfelf ; adding, that me could only afford her half an hour a day; but with that, me would foon find what frer genius and induftry were likely to produce, and {he mould go on with, of difcontinue, her inductions, accordingly, Regina was in rapture with this com- pliance of the abbefs, who began to in- ffcrucl: her the next day, a table Jec, as {he expreffed it, without a harpiichord, or any other inflrqment *. In this manner me was taught the elements of mulic, and Jolfeggi, with the principles of harmony, and was obliged to ling the treble, while the abbefs fung the bafe. She mewed me a very fmall * She applied herfelf to the harpfichord feveral 3?ears after, and ftill accompanies upon it very well. But it was perhaps owing to her manner of learn- ing to fing without an inftrument, that fhe ac- quired the firmnefs in her performance, for which Ihe has always been remarkable. book, [ *53 1 book, in which all her fir ft leflbns were written •, the explanations were in the German language. She remained in this convent till fhe had attained her fourteenth year, at which time, upon the death of her uncle, (lie Went home to her mother. During the life of her uncle, fhe had been intended for the veil. When (he quitted the convent, me appeared, in the eyes of her mother and lifters, to be one of the moft ufelefs and helplefs of beings ; they looked upon her as a fine lady, brought up in a boarding fchool, without knowing any thing of houmold concerns j and her mother nei- ther knew what to do with her, or her fine voice, which both fhe and her fitters defpifed, not forefeeing that it would one day be productive of fo much honour and profit to the pofTefibr. Not many years after fhe quitted the convent, Signor Mingotti, an old Vene- tian, and manager of the opera at Dref- $en, was propofed as a hufband for her. She [ *54 ] She detefled him, but was at length wor- ried into a compliance, which Was the fooner extorted from her, perhaps, as (he, like other young women, imagined that by lofing, me mould gain her liberty. People talked very much of her fine voice, and manner of iinging. Porpora was at this time in the late king of Po- land's fervice, at Drefden : he had heard her fing, and fpoke of her at court as a young perfon of great expectations; which occafioned a propofal to her hufband for her entering into the fervice of the Elec- tor : he had before marriage promifed never to fufTer her to fing on the ftage ; however, he came home one day, and afked her, if me mould like to engage in the fervice of the court. She thought this was done in derifion, and gave him a fhort and peevifh anfwer -, but he con- tinuing to teize her on the fubject, at length convinced her that he was in earneft, and had a commiflion to treat with her, She liked the thoughts of [ i$5 1 finging, and turning her voice to fome account, and therefore gladly entered in- to articles for a fmall ftipend, not above three or four hundred crowns a year. When her voice had been heard at court, it was fuppofed to raife a jealoufy in Fauflina, who was then in that fer- vice, but upon the point of retiring; and confequently in HaOe, her hufband, particularly when he heard that Porpora, his old and conftant rival, was to have a hundred crowns a month for teaching her. He faid it was Porpora's laft flake ; the only twig he had to catch at ; um clou pour s'accrocher. However, her ta* lents made fuch a noife at Drefden, that the fame of them reached Naples, to which place fhe was invited, to iing at the great theatre. At this time (he knew but little Italian ; however, me now went ferioufly to work in fludying it. The firft character fhe appeared in was Arijlcea, in the opera of the Olimpiade, fet by Gajuppi. Montecelli performed i the [ '•# ] the part of Megacks. On this occaficm her talents, as an a&refs, gained her as much applaufe as her ringing : fhe was bold and enterprifing j and, feeing the character in a different light from what others had done before her, would, in fptte of the advice of old actors, who durft not deviate from cuftom, play it in a way quite different from any one of her predeceffors. It was in this original and courageous manner that Mr. Garrick firft furprifed and charmed an Englifh audience ; and, in defiance of contracted rules, which had been eftablifhed by ig*- norance, prejudice, and want of genius, {truck out a ftyle of fpeaking and ailing, which the whole nation has. ever fince continued to approve with acclamation, rather than applaufe. After this fuccefs at Naples, Signora Mingotti received letters from all parts of Europe, to offer her terms for engag- ing at different operas -, but fhe was not then at liberty to accept of any of them, being [ *57 I being obliged to return to the couft of Drefden, in which fervice fhe was flill a penfioner; however, her falary was con- siderably augmented, and fhe frequently expreffes her gratitude to that court, and fays fhe owes to it all her fame and for- tune. Here fhe repeated, with great ap- plaufe, her part in the Olimpiade-, every one agreed, that in point of voice, exe- cution, and acting, her powers were very great ; but many thought that fhe was wholly unfit for any thing pathetic or tender. HafTe was now employed to fet Demo- foonte* -, and fhe imagined that he kindly gave her an Adagio, accompanied by the violins, Pizzicati, merely to expofe and fhew her defects. But fufpecting the fnare, fhe fludied hard to efcape it ; and in the fong, Se tuiti i Mali Miei* which fhe afterwards fung in England, with great applaufe, fhe fucceeded fo * This happened in 1748, well, [ 158 ] well, as to filence even Fauftina her- felf. Sir Ch. H. Williams was English minifter here at this time, and being in- timate with HafTe and his wife, had joined their party, publicly declaring that Mingotti was utterly unable to fing a flow and pathetic fong ; but when he had heard her, he made a public recan- tation, afked her pardon for doubting of her abilities, and ever after remained her firm friend and adherent. From hence fhe went into Spain, where fhe fung with Gizziello, in the operas under the direction of Signor Farinelli ; who, fhe told me, was fo fever e a difci- plinarian, that he would not allow her to fing any where but in the opera at court, or even to practife, in a room next the ftreet. She was requested to fing at private concerts, by many of the firft nobility and grandees of Spain, but could not obtain permiffion from the di- rector ; who carried his prohibition fo far, as to deny a pregnant lady, of great rank, [ *59 3 rank, the fatisfaction of hearing her, though fhe was unable to go to the thea- tre, and declared that {he longed for a fong from Mingotti. The Spaniards have a religious refpecl for thefe involuntary and unruly affections in females thus circum- ftanced, however they may be treated as problematical in other countries *. Thehufband, therefore, of the lady, com- plained to the king of the cruelty of the opera director, who, he faid, would kill both his wife and child, if his majefty did not interfere. The king lent a fa- vourable ear to the complaint, and order- ed Mingotti to receive the lady at her houfe, in which his majefty was impli- citly obeyed, the lady's defire was fatis- fied, and the child prevented, perhaps, from being marked, in fome part of its body, with a mulic paper, or from having an Italian fong written with indelible characters on its face. * Secl'Hi/loire Naturelle, de M. de Buffbn, torn. ji. Sig- t 160 ] Sigtlora Mingotti remained two years in Spain, from whence (he came to Eng- land, for the firit time. How much me was then admired, at our opera, is too recent to need being mentioned here. She afterwards fung in every great city of Italy •, but me always regarded Dref- den as her home, during the life-time of the Elector Auguftus, late king of Po- land. She is now fettled at Munich* more, it is thought, from cheapnefs than attachment. She has no penfion from this court, as was reported, but, with ceconomy* ihe has juft fufficient, from her favings, to bring her through the year. She feems to live very comforta- bly, to be well received at court, and td be efleemed by all fuch as are able to judge of her understanding, and to enjoy her converfation. It gave me great pleafure to hear her fpeak concerning practical mufic,which me does with as much intelligence as znymaef- tro di capella with whom I ever converfed. 2 Her Her knowledge in ringing, and powers of expreffion, in different ftyles, are iiill amazing, and muft delight all fuch as can receive pleafure from fong, uncon- nected with the blandimments of youth and beauty. She fpeaks three languages, German, French and Italian, (o well* that it is difficult to fay which of them is her own. Englifh (he likewife fpeaks, and Spanifh, well enough to converfe in them, and underftands Latin j but, in the three languages firfl mentioned, me is truly eloquent. In the afternoon father Kenedy was fo obliging as to attend me again at the academy, in order to affift in finding fuch tracts, among the great number which are bound up together, as I had marked in the catalogue. From hence I returned, by appoint- ment, to Signora Mingottu She had got her harpfichord tuned, and I prevail- ed on her to fing, to no other accompani- ment, for near four hours. It was now M that [ >62 ] that I difcovered her fuperior knowledge in ringing. She is wholly out of practice, and hates mufic here, fhe fays, as (he can feldom be well accompanied,or well heard ; her voice is, however, much better than when me was la ft in England. Prince Sapieha, a Polifti nobleman, and his princefs, lodged at the fame inn as myfelf, the Golden Hart. The prince is very mufical, and plays well on the violin. I had the honour of being known to him a little by living in the fame houfe; but M. de Vifme was fo kind as to explain to him the nature of my mu- fical enquiries, and to tell him how cu- rious I was after national mufic of all kinds: upon which his high nefs was pleaf- ed to fend me word, that if I would call upon him about nine o'clock, any morning, he would gladly give me a fpecimen of the mufic of his country, as it dependedfo much on the coup d'archet, that feeing it on paper, without hearing it performed, would af- ford but a very imperfect idea of it. The [ t6 3 ] The day before my departure from Mu- nich, when I had the honour of paying my fefpe&s to this prince, hecondefcended to receive me in a mod obliging manner, and to play to me a great number of very pretty Polifh pieces, which he executed very well, and to which he gave an expreffion that was at the fame time delicate and fingular. He had two German mufi- cians to accompany him in thefe pieces; the one on the violin, and the other on the violoncello ; every movement was in triple time, or | with the clofe constant- ly on the fecond note in the bar, inrlead of the firft; but upon my afking if there was no fuch thing as Poliih mufic, in common time, the prince told me that there were fome Coffack tunes in 4 , ufed chiefly in dancing, and he played me fome of them. The accompaniment was conftantly the \ and |, of the key, played a bar full, or four quavers of each, alternately. M 2 His t 164 ] His highnefs told me that they have no church mufic in Poland, which is not Italian ; and the kind of mufic which we call Polonoife, is played quicker for dancing than at other times. The mili- tary muiic of Poland is like that of other countries, confifting only of marches in the ufual time. I enquired after the Po- lifh inftruments, in order to know if there were any of a different conflruc~tion from ours, but found that they had only guit- tars and lutes, fomewhat differing in form, and in tuning, from thofe in other parts of Europe. The Poles have no plays, with fongs intermixt, or operas, but fuch as are either French or Ita- lian. After anfwering thefe queftions, the prince played a very pretty minuet, and two or three Polonoifes of his own com- pofition ; and, upon my expreffing ap- probation, he was pleafed to make me a prefent of them : he like wife ordered fome of the beft pieces which he had played { i6| } played before, to be tranfcribed for me, which he Tent to me at nisht, together with a fpecimen ofCoffack melody ; and, when I retired, he condefcended to fay that he fhould be very glad to meet me again, in the courfe of my journey, and to render me every fervice in his power. Prince Sapieha told me, that he had long had in his fervice an Englimman, who was an excellent mufician, and of fo good a character, that he had not only made him his maejiro di capella, but alfo his homme de confiance. He had been brought into Poland very young. This prince is young and handfome in perfon. He is a diffident, and retired hi- ther, from the troubles and defolation of his country, with his princefs, a fenfible and accomplished lady, as I was informed by a perfon who had feveral times con- verfed with her *. * Since my departure from Munich, his eftates in Poland have been confifcated, by order of the Emprefs of Ruflia, on account of his having re- fufed to do homage for them to that princefs, and M 3 confefs [ '66 ] I went again to court at Nymphen- berg, before my departure, and was again honoured by the notice of the Elector and his fitter, and obtained a reiterated pro- mi fe from both of a piece of murlc of their compofition. The Elector at firft made fome difficulty, left I mould pub- lish it -, as his Stabat Mater had been flolen, and printed at Verona, without his permiffion, and would have been publiih- ed, had not his highnefs purchafed the plates, and the whole impreffion ; but upon my alluring him that without li- cence I fhould never make any other ufe of the piece, with which he mould ho- nour me, than to enrich my collection of fcarce and curious compofitions, he was pleafed to give orders for its being tran- fcribed. The Electrefs dowager told me that her difpofition, in this particular, was different from her brother's ; for, inftead confefs her legal fovereignty to the Polifli territories, pf which, by force of arms ? {h,e has poflefTed her- felf. of [ i<7 ] of concealing what fhe was able to produce, fhe took as much care to have it known, as the birth of a legitimate child; and had, accordingly, printed and published her two operas in fcore : fo that fhe feared fhe had nothing left among her papers, worth bellowing -> however, fhe gave Guadagni permiffion to look them over, and to let me have whatever he thought beft worth my acceptance. After this I had the honour of being prefented, by M. de Vifme, to the Dutchefs of Bavaria, the widow of the Elector's brother, and filler to the Elec- trefs Palatine of the Rhine -, fhe is of a very pleafing figure and character. It was at the defire of this princefs that M. de Vifme called me to her : they had previoufly been talking of my having been at Manheim and Schwetzingen ; and, up- on her being told that I had not been prefented to her brother, the Elector Pa- latine, for want of a minifter, or proper perfon at that court, to do me that ho- M 4 , nour, [ 168 ] nour, (he exprefled great furprize, and indeed concern. She was pleafed to fay that it would have given her brother great pleafure to have converfed with a perfon whofe purfuits were fuch as mine, as he was particularly fond of raufic; and added, that he not only read and fpoke Englifh, but had a natural partiality to all who were of my country. I told her highnefs how I was circumflanced; that I had been favoured with a letter from Mr. CreiTener, our minifter at Bonn, which had not operated fo foon as I could have wifhed ; and that I was too much preffed in time to be able to wait long enough for it to take effect ; and added, that all I afpired at in this journey, was to obtain an opportunity of hearing the beft performers, and feeing the works of the be(t compofers of Germany, in order to be enabled, in the courfe of my Hif- tory of Mulic, to do juftice to their ta- lents and genius. The Dutchefs was pleafed to fay, that me was certain her I M>? ] brother, the Elector Palatine, would be lorry to find, that I had been at his ca- pital, and at Schwetzingen, without his having been apprized of it. After this M. de Vifme was fo kind, as to carry me back to Munich as fail; as poflible, in order to attend at a concert, which Signora Mingotti obligingly made for me, of the bell muficians which me could get together upon fhort notice, whom I had not heard before. M. Kroner, whofe performance I had only heard at Nym- phenburg in full pieces, was firft vio- lin. There was M. Sechi, a very good hautboy, who, if I had not lately heard Fifcher, would have charmed me ; M. Rheiner, the baffoon, who, when in England, was fo ill, that he was unable to play more than once in public, and whom I had not yet heard, was here to- night, and had quite recovered his health. His tone is fweet, and execution neat, and he mud be allowed by every compe- ls tent [ i7° ] tent and impartial judge, to be a very able and pleafing performer. Madame la Prefidente, a lady of fafhion, a friend and neighbour of Signora Min™ gottij opened the concert, by a leffon on the harplichord, which fhe executed with uncommon rapidity and precifion. A quint etto was played next, that was compofed by M. Michel, a young man that had been brought up at the Jefuit's mufic fchool. He has a genius> that wants only the pruning knife of time and experience to lop off luxuriance ; every performer in this piece had an opportu- nity of fhewing the genius of his inftru- ment, and his own powers of execution. There was, in the folo parts, the bril- liant, pathetic, and graceful, by turns ; and the tutti parts had iio other imper- fection, than being too learned, and re- cherchees in modulation. I hardly ever heard a compofition, that difcovered more genius and invention, one that re- quired [ «7> 1 quired more abilities in the execution, or that was better performed ; it was made for a violin, a hautboy, tenor, balloon, and violoncello. Signor Guadagni and Signer Rauzzini were both at this concert, and the latter, whom I had only heard before, in one fong, with full accompaniments, was (o obliging, as to ling a very pretty air of his own compoiition, and another admi- rable one, by Signor Sacchini, in the Eroe Cinefe. In the execution of thefe airs, he manifefted great and captivating powers : a fweet and extenfive voice, a rapid brilliancy of execution, great ex- preffion, and an exquifite and judicious tafte. I was to-day even furprifed by the ftrength of his voice, which had be- fore appeared rather too feeble for a great theatre ; but it was want of exertion, for now it made its way through all the in- ftruments, when playing fortijfimo. A duet by Sechi and Rheiner, which finimed the concert, put me in mind of the [ '7* 1 the two Bezozzis, at Turin ; as their in- iiruments, fo their genius and abilities feem made for each other, there being a Lke correfpondence in both. After thefe charming performances were over, I hafiened to the comic opera, at which were the Elector, and all the elec- toral family. Count Seeau, intendant of the Elector's mulic, had mofl obligingly changed the opera, in order to afford me an opportunity of hearing Signora Lodi in her beft character. The burletta of to-night was the Moglie Fedele, compofed by Signor Guglielmi ; her voice is bril- liant, and ityle of fmging charming ; but as 1 had, in London, feen Signora Guadagni in the fame character, her acting did not ftrike me fo much as it would otherwife have done. After the ' opera, there was a long dance, which was an ingenious and entertaining panto- mime, and of which/ the fcenes and decorations were well contrived, and fplendid. The [ l 71 ] The next day, which was that of my departure from Munich, at nine o'clock in the morning, Signora Mingotti, who was indefatigable in rendering me every fervice in her power, had prepared another fmall, but felecl band, for me at her houfe, in order to afford me an oppor- tunity of hearing two fcholars of Tartini on the violin j M. Holtzbogn, and Lobft, which political reafons had prevented her from inviting the day before. They are both good performers ; had been in the fervice of the late duke of Bavaria, and have (till a penrlon, though but few op- portunities of being heard. Holtzbogn has a great hand, a clear tone, and more fire than is ufual, in one of the Tartini fchool, which is ra- ther remarkable for delicacy, expreffion, and high fmifhing, than for fpirit and va- riety. This performer writes well for his inftrument, and played a very mafterly concerto of his own compofition. Lobfl: played a concerto of Tartini with great delicacy ; [ 174 J delicacy ; he is naturally timid, and want of practice added nothing to his courage ; however, through thefe difadvantages, he difcovered himfelf to be a worthy difciple of the great Tartini. After thefe pieces Signora Rofa Capra- nica, in the fervice of this court, and fcho^ lar of Signora Mingotti, brought hither from Rome by the Eleclrefs dowager of Saxony, fung a very difficult fong by Traetta, with great neatnefs, and in apleaf- ing and agreeable manner. This per- former' is young, and has natural powers capable of great things, at which if fhe does not arrive, under fuch a miflrefs as Signora Mingotti, it mud be totally attri- buted to want of diligence. The city of Munich is one of the beft built, and moft beautiful in Germany ; I am afhamed to mention all the honours and favours, which were undefervedly conferred upon me, during my fhort re- fidence there. All that I can add to this article is, that I quitted it with great re- gret i t '75 I gret ; as I had Co numerous an acquain- tance, and fo many protectors, that I lamented the not being able to fpare more time, to avail myfelf of their kind- nejfs and good offices. * * # * I went from Munich to Vienna, down the two rivers Ifer and Danube ; and as the mufical incidents during this voy- age are but few, and no itinerary or book of travels, that I remember to have Cttn, has defcribed the courfe of thefe rivers, or the method by which perfons are con- veyed upon them, from one place to another, I (hall not fcruple to add to my few mufical memorandums, fuch other remarks and obfervations as I find fet down in my mifcellaneous journal. The Ifer, upon which the city of Mu- nich is fituated, and which empties itfelf into the Danube, about a hundred miles below, though very rapid, is too much fpread and fcattered into different chan- nels, to be fufhciently deep for a bark, I ' _. or [ 176 ] cr any kind of paflage-boat, that has a bottom to float upon it. The current of this river is even too rapid for any thing to be brought back againft it -, but Bavaria be- ing a country abounding with wood, par- ticularly fir, rafts, or floats made of thofe trees, lamed together, are carried down the ftream, at the rate of feventy or eighty miles a day. Upon thefe rafts, a booth is built for paffengers in common ; but if any one chufes to have a cabin to himfelf, he may have it built for about four florins. I preferred this, not only to avoid bad company and heat, but to get an opportunity of writing and di- gesting my thoughts and memorandums, being at this- time very much in arrears with my mufical journal. I quitted Munich at two o'clock in- the afternoon. The weather was in- tenfely hot, and I was furnifhed with no means of tempering it ; a clear fky and burning fun, reflected from the wa- ter, having rendered my fir cabin as in- fupportable as the open air. It was con- ftru&ed [ . *77 3 conftrucled of green boards, which ex-* tided as much turpentine as would have vanquished all the aromatics of Arabia. As I was utterly ignorant of the coun- try, through which I was to pafs, and the accommodations it would afford, all that my forefight had fuggefled to me, in the way of furniture and provisions, were a mattrefs, blanket, and meets ; fome cold meat^ with bread, and a bottle of wine ; there was water in plenty always at hand. But I foon found my- felf in want of many other things j and, if I were ever to perform this voyage again, which I hope will never happen, experience would enable me to. render the cabin a tolerable refidence, for a week or ten days. In quitting Munich by water, the city is a beautiful object ; but the country we paffed through is a wretched one, to all appearance; there being nothing but willows, fedge, fand, and gravel in fight. The water was fo mallow in fe- N venal. E '78 ] veral places, that I thought our float would have ftuck faft. At fix o'clock we arrived at Freifing, the fee and fove- reignty of a prince bifhop ; his palace is placed on a high hill at a little diftance from the town, which is on another hill, and looks very pretty from the water- fide. I would not go on more to pay for a bad bed and fupper, with which I was already furnimed in my cabin j my fervant however went with the common com- pany, which amounted to upwards of fifty perfons, in order to get fome frefh bread, but which the place did not afford. There had been no rain in thefe parts of Germany for fix weeks ; but, when we arrived at Freifing, I faw a little black cloud to the weftward, which, in lefs than half an hour, produced the moft violent ftorm of thunder, lightning, rain, and wind, that I ever remember to have feen. I really expected every moment, that the lightning would have fet fire to my ca- bin ; it continued all night with prodi- gious [ 179 1 gious fury, fo that my man could not get back, and I was left on the water, fole inhabitant of the float, which was fecured by a hawfer to a wooden-bridge. Two fquare holes were cut in the boards of my cabin, one on each fide, by way of window j the pieces were to ferve as cafements, one of thefe was loft, fo that I was forced tofaften with pins, a handkerchief againft the hole, to keep out wind and rain ; but it anfwered the purpofe very ill, and moreover, it rained in, at a hundred different places; drop, drip, drop, throughout my little habita- tion, fometimes on my face, fometimes on my legs, and always fomewhere or other. This, with the violent flames of lightning and burfts of thunder, kept off drowfinefs ; luckily, perhaps, fori might have caught cold, lleeping in the wet. I had been told, that the people of Bavaria were, at leaft, three hundred years behind the reft of Europe in phi- lofophy, and ufeful knowledge. No- Is 2 thing [ i8o ] thing can cure them of the folly of ring- ing the bells whenever it thunders, or perfuade them to put up conductors to their public buildings; though the light- ning here is fo mifchievous, that laft year, no lefs than thirteen churches were deftroyed by it, in the electorate of Ba* varia. The recollection of this, had not the effect of an opiate upon me; the bells in the town of Freifing were jingling the whole night, to remind me of their fears, and the real danger I was in. I lay on the m.ittrefs, as far as I could from my fword, piitols, watch-chain, and every thing that might feive as a con- ductor. I never was much frightened by lightning before, but now I wifhed for one of Dr. Franklin's beds, fufpend- ed by filk cords in the middle of a large room. I weathered it out till morning, without a wink of ileep -> my fervant told me, that the inn on more was mi- ferable; it rained into every room of the houfe, and no provisions could be found 2 for t m 3 for thefe fifty people, but black bread and beer, boiled up with two or three eggs- At fix, we got into motion, the rain and wind continuing with great fury, and from violent heat, the air grew fo chill and cold, that I found it impofiible to keep myfeif warm with all the things I could put on. For though I added to my drefs a pair of thick moes, woollen ftockings, a flannel waiftcoat, great-coat and night-cap, with all the warm gar- ments in my pofleffion, yet I was be- numbed with cold. We advanced for four hours through a dreary country, as far as I was able to defcry, but the weather was fo bad, that I could not often examine it. At ten o'clock fome fir trees appeared, which enlivened the view, and at eleven, nothing elfe could be feen on either fide. There was a very high and fteepmoreon the right, covered with firs, and on the left, trees fcattered near the water, and groves at a diftance. At eleven, the float flopped N 3 at [ 1®. ) at Landfhut, where the paffengers dined. I fluck to my cabin and cold meat : if it had not rained in, I mould have thought myfelf very well off* but, in my prefent circumftances I was fo uncomfortable, that I could not, for a long time, write a word in my journal books; the weather had fo lowered my fpirits, and ftiffened my fingers ; however, towards the after- noon, I made an effort, and tranfcribed many things from my tablets, which were full. At fix o'clock, the float ftopt at Dingelfingi in the evening I got a candle, which was a luxury denied to me the night before in the thunder-dorm. Rain, rain, eternal rain, and wind made the water nothing lefs than pleafant. The next morning was clear, but cold, The paffengers landed at Landau about ten; at one we entered the Danube, which did not appear fo vaft a river here as I expected. However, it grew larger as we defcended : we ftopt at tw r o o'clock at a miserable village, with a fine con- vent in it, however. Here the wind be- came L '83 ] came fo violent, that I thought every minute it would have carried away both my cabin and myfelf j at three, it was determined to ftay here all night, as it was not fafe to flir during this wind ; but as this feems, and is called, Le Pais des vents, it was an excercife for patience to be flopt at a place, where I had nothing to do. My provisions grew fhort and ftale, and there were none of any kind to be had here ! I had fufTered fo much the night before, that I now ferioufly fet about contriving how to keep, myfelf warm. The blanket bought at Munich for me, by my knave, or fool ofafervant, and which I had not feen foon enough to change, was a fecond-hand one, and fo filthy, ragged, and likely to contain all kinds of vermin, and perhaps difeafes, that hitherto I could not find in my heart to touch it 1 however, cold and hunger will tame the proudeft {tomachs. I put the blan- N 4 ket [ 184 ] ket over the meet, and was gladdened by its warmth. At three in the morning, the paf- fengers were called, and foon after the fioat was in motion -, it was now a huge and unwieldy machine, a quarter of a mile long, and loaded with deals, hogf- heads, and lumber of all kinds. The fun rofe very bright ; but at fix there was a ftrong eafterly wind, full in our teeth, and fo great a fog, that not a fingle object could be feen on either fide %\\6 river. When I agreed to live night and day, for a week, upon the water, I forgot to bargain for warm weather; and now it was fo cold, that I could fcarcely hold the pen, though but the 27th of Auguft ! I have often obferved, that when the body is cold; the mind is chilled like- wife j and this was now fo much the cafe with myfelf, that I had neither fpirits nor ideas for working at my mufical journal. At { i35 ] At eight o'clock we flopt at Vilfcho-* fen, a fweet fituation. Here is a wooden bridge, of iixteen arches, over the Da- nube. The hills on the oppoiite fide of the town are covered with wood, and exceedingly beautiful. The fog was dif- fipated, and the fun now fhone on them in great glory. There is a gentle vifit here from the cuflom-houfe officers ; the feals were cut off my trunk, being the lafr. town in Bavaria. They threatened hard as to the fevere examination I was to undergo upon entering Auftriaj however, I had little to lofe, except time; and that was now too precious to be patiently parted with to thefe inquifitorial robbers. At half an hour pair, nine we fet off for PafTau, in very fine weather, which revived my fpirits, and enabled me to hold my pen. The Danube abounds in rocks, fome above water, and fome be- low, which occafion a great noife by the rapidity of the current, running over, or againft them. We [ '86 ] We met this morning a gang of boats, laden with fait, from Saltzburgand PafTau, dragged up the river by more than forty horfes, a man on each, which expence is fo great, as to enhance the price of that commodity above four hundred per cent. We did not feem to move fo fail now as upon the Ifer, which had frequent caf- cades; and fometimes the float dipped fo deep, as to have three or four feet of water rufli fuddenly into my cabin. P A S S A U. This is the boldeft, and at the fame time the pleafanteft fituation, that I ever faw« The town is built on the fide and fummit of a fleep hill, on the right of the Da- nube. There is a hill on the other fide, anfwering to that on which the town is built j however, there are but few houfes upon it. PafTau is a large imperial city. In the cathedral, which is a very beautiful mo- dem [ x«7 ] dern building, of the Corinthian order, there is a very magnificent organ, to look at. The cafe is finely carved and gilt, and the pipes are highly polifhed : it is divided into two columns of large pipes, one on each fide, and has a complete little organ in the middle, which joins them together, and faves the weft window : it is what builders call a thirty-two foot organ. M. Snetzler, when it was lafi; repaired, made fome of the front pipes, but there is little variety in the infide ; he like wife made the vox humana, and octave dulciana, in the little organ, which are the two beft folo ftops that the inftru^- ment contains. On each fide of the choir, in this, church, there is likewife a fmall organ, with the pipes fo highly burnifhed, that I cannot help fuppoling them to be of filver : indeed the perfon who (hewed me the great one, affured me that they were filver pipes j but as he likewife would have perfuaded me that the front of the great organ was of that metalj in which I I was; [ iSS ] I was certain he was miitaken, I cannot depend on his word. At the end of this town is the. con- fluence of three rivers ; the Ink, on the right hand 5 the lltz, on the left ; and the Danube in the middle. After this jun&ion, the Danube becomes more and more rapid : the more on each fide, for a considerable way below PaiTa'u, has hills and rocks as high as thofe at Briflol ; but thele are covered with fpruce fir trees and box, and look much lefs ter- rible, though quite as high. Thefe rocks deprived us of the fun at three in the afternoon. About four miles be- low PafTau, Auflria is on the left, and Bavaria on the right, as far as Ingelhart- zeil, when we were fairly entered into Auftria. Here is the cuftom-boufe with which I had been threatened, and which I approached with trepidation ; but my trunk was not opened, and nothing was examined except my writing box, which the officers would have unlocked. A feal was, however, fet on my trunk, which [ i8 9 3 which I hoped would have enabled me to pafs on to Vienna, without further plague, and then I expected to pay for all. Thus far the Danube runs between two high mountains, and fometimes it is fo comprefTed and fhut up, as to be narrower than the Thames at Mortlake. The defcent is often fo confiderable, that the water cannot be {ccn at the diftance of a quarter of a mile, and fometimes the noife againft rocks is as violent, and as loud as a cataract. At the entrance into Auflria the value of money is lowered ; fo that a filver piece, worth twelve crei/zers, in Bavaria, is inftantly lowered to ten ; a florin, of fixty creuzers, becomes only worth fifty ; a ducat of five florins, is lowered to four florins, twelve creuzers ; and a fovereign of fifteen florins, to twelve florins thirty creuzers ; a louis d'or, from eleven to nine florins, twelve creu- zers ; and a great crown to two florins. We went upwards of eight leagues, between f 19° ] between two mountains, and ftopt for the night, at a wretched place, which afford- ed no kind of refremment ; though I had indulged the hope of fupplying myfelf here for two days to come, which being Friday and Saturday, among Auitrian catholics, I knew would be kept ftri&ly maigre r I had now filled up the chinks of my cabin with fplinters, and with hayj got a new button to the door, reconciled my- felf to my filthy blanket, and made a pair of {buffers out of a chip of deal ; but alas ! the effential failed : this was all external, and I wanted internal comfort ! the lafl bit of my cold meat was fly- blown, to fuch a degree, that, ravenous as I was, I threw it into the Danube ; bread too, that ftaff was broken ! and nothing but $P0H1p£fntdjt was to be had here ; which is fo black and four, as to difguft two fenfes at a time. Friday morning, Auguft 28th. This river continues'running through the fame woody, t *9* 3 woody, wild, and romantic country; which? to pafs through, is pleafant and entertain- ing, to a ftranger, but produces nothing, except firing, to the poor inhabitants. For fifty miles not a corn field or paflure is to be feen. Sheep, oxen, calves, and pigs, are all utter ftrangers in this land. I afked what was behind thefe moun- tains, and was anfwered, huge forefts. At Afha the country opens a little. V/hat an aggregate of waters is here ! river after river, comes tumbling into the Danube, and yet it grows rather more deep than wide, by thefe acceffions; but many fmall rivers detach themfelves from it, and iflands are frequently formed in the middle and fides of this world of waters : before we arrived at Lintz, how- ever, a flat fenny country appeared, with high mountains, covered with trees, at a distance. L I N T Z. • t x 9 i j L I N T Z. The approach to this town, by wat&v is very beautiful. There is a road on each fide the Danube, at the foot of high mountains and rocks, covered with trees> by which the river is again bounded. The caftle is feen at adiftance, and houfes and convents, upon the fumfnit of fome of the highelt hills, have a fine appear- ance. There is a bridge over the Da- nube of twenty very wide arches. The town is built on the fummit and fides of high hills, and in fituation much refembles Paflau. The churches were fhut up, as it was twelve o'clock when we arrived ; however, I obtained permiffion to enter the collegiate church, where I found a large organ. There is fuch an appearance of piety here, as I never faw before in the mofi bigoted catholic countries. All along the Danube, near any town, there are littler t *93 ] little chapels erected, at only twenty of thirty yards diflance from each other, fometimes on the fides of thefe moun* tains, and in places too narrow for a foot-path * j and I faw not a houfe in Lintz that had not a Virgin or a faint, painted or carved, upon it. I walked about the town for near two hours. It was market day, though but for poor fluff; as nothing eatable appear-* ed, perhaps, becaufe it was Friday, but SSt'Oth vile cheefe, bad apples, pears, and plums 3 and of other wares, only tape* toys, ordinary MiiTals, and wretched prints of virgins and faints. I faw not a good mop in the town, though there are many mowy and fine houfes. Gable ends and pear-topt fteeples, in the Ba- varian flyle, are ftill in fafhion here. At Spieburg, which is only the fhell of an old caftle, upon a little ifland, is the firft of the two water-falls in the Da- * Thefe chapels are not fufficiently fpacious to Contain either perfons or prieft, they are only in- tended as receptacles for a crucifix or a Virgin. O nube, [ 194 ] nube> faid to be fo dangerous % however, now, there was nothing formidable in it but the noife. Ens, a large city, is here in fight, up- on the right hand ; we Went through an ugly country till it was dark j the river is fometimes like a Tea, fo wide that there is fcarce any land in fight ; at other times it is broken, and divided into fmall ftreams, by iflands. The raft ftopt at a hovel, on the left bank of the river, where the parTengers landed, and fpertt the night. I remained in my cabin, where, I believe, I was much better off, as to bed, than any of them j but, for provifions, we were ail on a footing. Pierre, with great difficulty, clambered up the rocks, to a village, and procured me half a dozen eggs, with which he returned in triumph. But, alas! two of them were addled, and a third had a chicken in it; which, being fail: day, I could not in confcience eat. I Saturday, [ "95 3 Saturday, we fet off at five o'clock, but were ftopt, after having gone three or four miles, by a violent fog, which rendered the navigation dangerous, among fo many rocks, fhoals, andiflands. When this was difpelled, we foon reached Stru- del, which is fituated in a wilder country than ever I faw in paffing the Alps. Here is the famous water-fall and whirlpool, which the Germans fo much dread, that they fay it is the habitation of t)CU 'Xtllfcly however, they had talked fo much about it, that it appeared to me lefs formidable than I expected. The mooting London bridge is worfe, though not attended with more noife., The company prayed and eroded themfelves mod devoutly; but though it may, efpecially in winter, oe a very dangerous pafs in a boat, this raft may dip into the water, but it covers fuch a furface, that it cannot poffibly either fink or be overfet. At Ips, a pretty town, with a i>ew, handfome, and large caferne, or barrack, O 2 jufl: [ i 9 6 J juft: by it, the country opens, and is very beautiful. Hereabouts they begin to make Auftrian wine : the white wine is a pretty, pleafant fort, but fmall. At Mslk, on the right of the Danube, 1 is a moffc magnificent convent of Bene- dictines > it feems to cover two thirds of the town > the architecture is beautiful, and it has the appearance of being but lately built : here are vines all along the more, on the left hand. Harveft was quite got in hereabouts $ indeed there is but little appearance of agriculture in this wild country. I believe I re- marked before, that the quantity of ufe- lefs woods and forefts, in feveral parts of Germany, indicate a barbarous and favage people ; and, to fay the truth, except in the great trading towns, or thofe where fo- vereign princes refide, the Germans feem very rude and uncultivated. The country becomes more and more wild, as far as Stein. The rocks were often fo high, on each fide, as to prevent m [ »97 '] us from feeing the fun at two or three o'clock in the afternoon. At Stein there is a wooden bridge of . twenty-five or twenty-fix very wide arches, which leads to Krems, where the Jefuits have a moil fumptuous college, beautifully fituated on a hill j it has more the appearance of a royal palace, than any, thing that we can boaft of in England. Stein is on the left, and Krems on the right hand of the Danube, going dov/n. Here our Boat anchored for the night, though it was but five o'clock : indeed it had not ftopt, except early in the morning, for the fog, the whole day. We had now near fifty miles to Vienna ; and the fcoundrel SioftftlCijIci*/ or waterman, aflured me, and every body at Munich, that we fhould certainly be there on Saturday night. At Krems there is an immenfe organ, in the Jefuits' church. Here, and all the way to Vienna, the common people, in the public houfes, and the labourers, at their work, divert themfelves with fing- O 3 ing- • [ *9* ] ing in two, and fometimes more parts. Near Ips there was a great number of Bohemian women, whom we mould call gypfies, on a pilgrimage to St. Mary Ta- fel t a church placed on the fummit of a very high mountain, facing the town of Ips, on the other fide the Danube. No one could inform me why it was called St. Mary Tqfel'i but, in all probability, , it had this appellation from the form of the mountain on which it is placed, which refembles a table. Thefe women, however, did not ling in parts, like the Auftrians, but in canto fermo, like the pilgrims that I heard in Italy, who were going to Affili -, the found was carried feveral miles, by the ftream and wind, down the river, upon whofe fmooth fur- face it patted, without interruption. The mufical events of this week are fo trivial, as fcarce to deferve recording. I muft, however, add, to what I have al- ready faid, concerning the turn for mufic which I found among the Auftrians, that at [ *99 ] at Stein, oppofite Krems, I heard feveral fongs and hymns, fung very well, in four parts ; who were the fingers I could not learn, as I was on the water -, but it was a fortunate circumftance for me to be placed, by accident, where I heard as good a performance as could have been procured by premeditation and deiign j it was a woman who fung the upper part, and the melody was not only ex- prefTed with fimplicity, but the harmony had all the advantages of being fwelled and diminifhed, which, to me, had the effect of advancing and retreating ; and the performers feemed to underfland each other, and what they were about, fo well, that each chord had that kind of equa- lity, in all its parts, which is given to the fame number of notes, when played upon the fwell of an organ. At this place the foldiers, and almoft all the young people that were walking by the water fide, were frequently finging, and never in lefs than two parts. O 4 It [ 200 ] It is not eafy to account for this facility of finging in different parts, in the people of one country, more than in thofe of an- other : whether it arifes in Roman ca- tholic countries, from the frequency of hearing mufic fung in parts, in their churches, I cannot fay ; but of this I am certain, that in England it cofts infinite trouble, both to the matter and fcholar, before a young pra&itioner in finging is able to perform, with firmnefs, an under part to the moft fimple melody imaginable ; and I never remember hear- ing the ballad fingers, in the flreets of London, or in our country towns, at- tempt finging in two different parts. Sunday, Augufl 30. This day was trifled away without getting to Vienna with the float, as I had been fully made to expect : an officer on board, tried with me to procure a land carriage for that purpofe, but in vain. As we approach- ed Vienna, the country became lefs fa- vage. There are vineyards on the fides of all [201 ] all the hills, and large iilands innumer- able which divide the Danube. Tuln is a little fortified town, with a fine church, 2nd a fine convent, which, with a fine cuftom-houfe, ufually confti- tute all the finery of Auftria. At Kor Neuburg, there is a very ftrong citadel, on the fummit of an extreme high hill, which commands the river and city. At Nusdorf, a village within three miles of Vienna, with nothing in it but a church and a cuftom-houfe, I was quite out of patience, at being told, that the. float could not, as it was Sunday, on any account, enter Vienna. It was now but five o'clock, and the feventh day of my being immured in a fly, where, indeed I might have grown fat if I had had any thing to eat j but that not being the cafe, hunger as well as lofs of time, made me very impatient to be releafed -, and after an hour loft in trying to procure a chaife, 7 , I at [ 202 ] I at laft got a miferable boat to carry me and my fervant to Vienna. This voyage added but little to my knowledge of German mufic, but a great deal to that of the people, and couqtry through which I parTed : indeed I had an opportunity of landing at every coniiderable town in the paflage, where I vifited the churches, though I had not time to make acquaintance with mufical people, or to colled: hiftorical materials ; but as to national mufic, perhaps the rude fongs which I heard fung by the boors and watermen, gave me a more genuine idea of it, than is to be acquired from the cor- rupted, motley, and Italianifed melody, to be heard in the capitals of this ex-* tenfive country. VIENNA. This city, the capital of the empire, and refidence of the imperial family, is fo remote from England, has been fo imper- [ 2o 3 ] imperfectly defcribed, by writers of tra- vels, and is fo feldom vifited by English- men, that I mould have prefented my readers with a minute account of its public buildings and curiofities, if it had not furniihed me with ample materials for a long article, relative to my princi- pal fubjecl, music, to which every other mufl give place. I mall, however, bef- tow a few words on its peculiarities, and then proceed to my muiical journal. The approach to Vienna from the river, is not very unlike that of Venice, though there is much lefs water, for the Danube divides itfelf into three ftreams, about a mile and a half above the town; forty or fifty towers and fpires may be feen irom the water. The cultom-houfe did not difappoint my expectation of its being remarkably troublefome, particularly, in the article of books ; all are ftopt there, and read more fcrupuloufly than at the inquifi- tion of Bologna, in Italy -, and mine, which, [ 2 °4 3 which, except mufic, were merely geo« graphical and deferiptive, were detained near a fortnight before I could recover them ~, and his excellency lord vifcount Stormont, his majefty's ambaffador at this court, afterwards told me, that this was the only thing in which it was not in his power to affift me. On entering the town, I was informed, that if a iingle book had been found in my fac de nult, or travelling fatehel, its whole contents- would have been forfeited. The ftreets are rendered doubly dark and dirty by their narrownefs, and by the extreme height of the houfes -, but, as thefe are chiefly of white Hone, and in a uniform, elegant ftyle of architecture, in which the Italian tafte prevails, as well as in mufic, there is fomething grand and magnificent in their appearance, which is very ftriking; and even many of thofe houfes which have mops on the ground-floor, feem like palaces above. Indeed the whole town and its fuburbs, appear, r 205 ] appear, at the firft glance, to be com- pofed of palaces, rather than of common habitations. The churches and convents are chiefly of Gothic architecture 5 how- ever, the Jefuits' college is an extend ve and elegant modern building; and the church of St. Sophia, built on the model of St. Peter's at Rome, but upon a much imaller fcale, is a beautiful copy of that ftructure in miniature 5 as is the Auflin Friars, of the chapel of Loretto. The emperor's prerogative of having, the rirft floor of almoft everv houfe in Vienna for the ufe of the officers of his court and army, is as lingular in itfelf, as it .is inconvenient to the inhabitants. The houfes are fo large, that a Cmgle floor fuffices for moft of the firft and Iargeft. families in the city. The inhabitants do not, as elfewhere, go to the {hops to make purchafes ; but the (hops are brought to them -, there was literally a fair, at the inn where I lodged, every day. The trades-people fee in [ 206 J feem to fell nothing at home, but, like' hawkers and pedlars, earry their goods from houfe to houfe. A flranger is teafed to death by thefe chapmen, who offer to fale wretched goods, ill manufactured, and ill-fafhioned. In old England, it is is true, things are very dear, but if their goodnefs be compared with thefe, they are cheap as dirt* I mufi: obferve, that I have never yet found, in any country on the continent, that the trades-people, like many in England, could be fruited, without beat- ing them down, and fixing the price of what is purchafed of them, previous to porTeflion. In London there is little danger of being charged unreafonably for any thing that is had from a reputable mop, though the price is not afked, when the goods are fent for, nor • paid, till the bill is brought in, perhaps a year after. A little way out of the town, there is a famous walk, or rather ride, called the / t *°7 3 $D?At ; it is an extenfive wood, or open grove* with a coach-road cut through it. There is verdure on the ground, and fhade from fome of the largeft trees that I ever faw, with frequent views of the Danube. It is the Hyde-park of Vienna, but more flat and gloomy than that of London. The firfl time I went to a theatre, I was, by miftake, carried to a German tragedy, though there was a burletta performed in Italian, the fame night, at another theatre, at which were the emperor and his lifters, the arch-du- chefTes ofAuftria; but my ignorance of this, at the time, contributed to fortify, in me, that accommodating principle, which feeks profit and enjoyment from the prefent fituation, by whatever acci- dents thrown into it, without repining at the lofs of remote pleafures, that are unattainable. I hoped, however, that there would be finging in this piece, but was wholly dif- [ 208 ] difappointed ; it was tin ZWMXfyidt V>0U ©ottfeofb gp&raini Mm, called <£- miiia ©alottu I fhould fuppofe this play to have been well acted ; there were energy and paffion, and many fpeeches were much applauded 5 but I was fo young at Ger- man declamation, that I could only catch a fentence now and then. However, I made out the drift of the piece, which very much refembles, in the cataftrophe, that of Virginia. A prince of Guaftallo, formerly in love with a countefs, named Orfina, be- comes inconftant upon feeing Emilia Ga-* lotti, the daughter of a country gentle- man, who was engaged to a worthy ©i'Clf/ or count. He meets with this lady, at mafs, on the morning, which was fixed on for her marriage with the Graf. Princes et rois vont trh vite en amours fays M. de Voltaire. This prince has among his courtiers, a friend and confi- dent, named Marinelli, - who is a more hateful i 209 i hateful character, than Jago, in Shaken fpeare's Othello. This perfonage readily Undertakes td pander for his maflef ; and having, in vain, endeavoured to perfuade the be^ trothed Graf, to accept of a foreign ap- pointment, he hires a banditti to attack the carnage, in which "Emilia, her mo- ther, and the Graf, were proceeding td a country-houfe, in order to celebrate their marriage. The Graf is killed by the aflaffins, and Emilia is conveyed, in a feeming friendly and hofpitable man- ner, to a Chateau, or country feat, of the prince, near the road. Orfina, the deferted miftrefs of the prince, meeting with Emilias father, insinuates, that the unhappy young lady had confented to the plan, of her being carried off, and to the murder of her lover ; which induces the irritated far- ther* to receive from her a dagger, with the barbarous defjgn of plunging it into his daughter's bofonu P Marl- [ 21° 3 Marinelli affumes the char after of the friend and avenger of the deceafed Graf, and acquaints the father, that, as it had been rumoured, that a lover of Emilia had been the murderer, it would be ex- pedient to have her fep arated from her family, till the affair was cleared up. The alarmed old man, defires permif- fion to fee his daughter, alone j as foon as £he is made acquainted with her dan- ger, from the artful plan of Marinelli, me feizes the dagger which her father had (hewn her, with a refolution to def- troy herfelf. He, however, prevents her ; but is at length prevailed upon, to give the fatal ftroke himfelf, ftimulated by her entreaties, and exaggerations of the danger to which me was expofed, from the lawlefs pailion of the prince, who enters at this inftant, with Mari- nelli. The father confeffes the fact to the prince, and, with favage ferocity, afks him, whether he likes her now ? Emilia has i but [ M ] but j Lift ftrength fufficient left, to vindi- cate the act of her father before fhe ex- pires. The old man delivers himfelf into the hands of juftice; the mother runs diffracted; while Marinelli, the chief caufe of all the mifchief, receives no other puniihment, with which the audience is made acquainted, than to be ordered by the prince, to get out of his fight. Lady Mary Wortley Montague, gives a curious defcription of the ftate of this j. theatre, when fhe faw the comedy of Amphitrion reprefented here, in the year J716. "I could not eafily pardon, fays " her ladyfhip, the liberty the poet has " taken of larding his play with not only " indecent expremons, but fuch gt*Oi r s " words, as I don't think our mob would " fuffer from a mountebank ; befides the * c two Socias very fairly let down their " breeches, in the direct view of the ** boxes, which were full of people of ** the fivd. rank, who feemed very well P 2 "pleafed [ 212 ] " pleafed with their entertainment, and af- " fared me, this was a celebrated piece *.". This ribald tafte has taken another turn, and in tragedy feems now to ex- hale itfelf in impious oaths and execra-* tions -, for, in the piece of to-night, the interlocutors curfe, fwear, and call names, in a grofs and outrageous man- ner. I know not, perhaps, the exact ideas annexed by the Germans to the following expreflions, of ^gct) (BOtt I ©Ott Uert>amm'tljtt/&c. but they mock- ed my ears very frequently. However, there is an original wild- hefs in the conduct and fentiments of this piece* which renders it very inte- resting. It is concluded by the prince himfelf, with the -following bold and admirable exclamation - 3 " Gods ! is it " not a fufficient curfe to mankind, that ** princes ihould be men, but mud * Letters of the right honourable lady Mary Wortley Montague, vol. I. '< devils [ 2'3 ] fe devils take the femblanee of their " friends * !" This theatre is lofty, having five or fix rows of boxes, twenty-four in each row. The height makes it feem fhort, yet, at the firft glance, it is very flrik- ingj it does not appear to have been very lately painted, and looks dark ; but the fcenes and decorations are fplendid. The flage had the appearance of being oval, which, whether is was produced by deception or reality, had a pleaf- ing efFect, as it correfponded with the other end of the theatre, which was rounded off at the corners, and gave an elegant look to the whole. The orchedra has a numerous band, and the pieces which were played for the overture and act-tunes, were very well performed, and had an admirable * ©oft ! ©off ! — 3(1 e& sum Ungfucfe fo manner/ md)t gmug, D'af* gurjten SD}enfcl)en flnb ; muflfen (id) aucfj 110$ %mfc\ in tyxm Sreimb wrfMen ? P 3 efTe-ft; [ 2i 4 ] effect; they were compofed by Haydn, Hoffman, and Vanhall. The firffc time I went to the cathe- dral of St. Stephen, I heard an ex- cellent mafs, in the true church ftyle, very well performed -, there were violins and violoncellos though it was not a fcC^ tival. The great organ at the weft end of this church has not been fit for ufe thefe forty years ; there are three or four more organs' of a fmaller fize in different parts of the church, which are ufed occafion- ally. That which I heard in the choir this morning is but a poor one, and as ufual, was much out of tune; it was played, however, in a very maflerly, though not a modern ftyle. All the refponfes in this fervice, are chanted in four parts, which is much more pleaf- ing, efpecially where there is fo little melody, than the mere naked canto fer mo ufed in moil: other catholic churches ; the treble part was fung by boys, and very well ; particularly, by two of them, whofe r 2>5 i whofe voices, though not powerful, had been well cultivated. I cannot proceed farther in the jour- nal of my mufical tranfactions at Vienna, without mentioning the flattering man- ner in which 1 was received, protect- ed, and even affiiled in my enqui- ries there, by his excellency lord vif- count Stormont, his majefty's ambalTa- dor extraordinary at that court ; as it was to his lordfhip's influence and acti- vity, that I owed the greater!: part of my entertainment, and the information I acquired during my refidence at Vienna. His lordfhip had been prepared for my arrival by a letter, which Mr. de Vifme had been fo kind as to write in my behalf, before I left Munich, in which he had explained the nature of my journey and purfuits ; fo that I very foon obtained an audience, and he condefcended to enter heartily into my views, and to intereft him felf about them immediately on my arrival. This was a moil fortunate circuraftance P 4 for [ *i6 ] for me, as his long residence here, hail furnifhed opportunities for his being perfectly acquainted with all fuch per- sons and things as I wifhed to know j and that univerfal efteem and refpect, which a fteady, judicious, and amiable conduct had acquired him, joined to his high rank and ftation, rendered him all powerful in whatever caufe he ef- poufed. One of the firft fignal favours which his lordfhip conferred on me, was do- ing me the honour of prefenting me to the countefs Thun, a mod agreeable and accomplished lady of very high rank, who, among many other, talents, poifeiTes as great ikill in mufic as any perfon of difiindtion I ever knew; me plays the harpfichord with that grace, eafe, and delicacy, which nothing but female fingers can arrive at. Her favourite author for the inflru- ment, is a dilettante, M. le Comte de Becke. His pieces are very original, and in [ 217 ] in a good tafte : they (hew the inftru- rnent much, but his own delicacy and feelings more. He was, unluckily for # me, in Bohemia at this time, fo that I could not have the honour and advantage of his converfation. The fecond evening after my arrival, I. went to the French theatre, where I faw a German comedy, or rather a farce of five ads : however, I mould not fup- pofe the piece to be without merit, as the natives feemed much pleafed with it. This theatre is not fo high as that at which I had been the night before, but it is (till better fitted up ; here the beft places feem to be in the pit, which is divided in two parts, and all the feats are fluffed, and covered with red baize; the fcenes were feldom changed during the piece ; but the principal, that is, the fcene of longer! continuance, was flat in front, where there were two large folding doors, as in the French theatres, for [ 2>S ] for the entrance and exit of the principal characters. At each fide there was an elegant projection, in the middle of which there was likewife a door, ufed chiefly by the fervants, and inferior characters. The comedy was often too groily farcical % but there were fcenes, as well as characters, of real humour, and one or two of the Comedie larmoyante kind, that were truly pathetic. Premiums aFe now no longer given, as heretofore, in this theatre, to actors who voluntarily fubmit to be kicked and cuff- ed, for the diverfion of the fpectators. It is but a few years fince, that bills were regularly brought in, at the end of each week ; " So much for a flap on the " face;" " So much for a broken head ; " and fo much for a kick on the breech," by the comic actors. But, in procefs of time, the effect of thefe wearing out, it became neceflary to augment their num- ber, and force, in order to render the - plea- [ 219 ] pleafure of the fpectators more exquiilte,* till the managers, unable any longer to fupport fo intolerable an expence, totally abolifhed the rewards for thefe heroic fufferings. And now, fince this active wit has ceafed to be praclifed, it is obferved that the theatre is not only more feldoni crowded than formerly, but the audience is become more difficult to pleafe. In- deed the confequences feem to have been fo fatal, that many attribute the frequent bankruptcies of the managers to the z/z- Jufferable dullnefs and inactivity of the performers *. The orcheflra here was full as linking as that of the other theatre, and the pieces played were admirable. They were fo full of invention, that it feemed to be rnufic of fome other world, info-> * In confederation of their great utility, it is hoped that the worthy managers of our theatres do not let " the fpurns and patient fufferings" 'of our pantomime clowns, go unrewarded at the end of the week. much, f 2 2p ] much, that hardly a pafiage in this was to be traced ; and yet all was natural, and equally free from the fHffnefs of la- bour, and the pedantry of hard ftudy. Whofe muiic it was I could not learn $ but both the compofition and perform- ance, gave me exquifite pleafure *. At the end of the play, there was a very fpirited and entertaining dance, planned by the celebrated ballet-mafter, M. Noverre, in which the four prin- cipal performers difplayed great abili- ties, in point of grace, activity, and pre- cifion. Three large boxes are taken out of the front of the firft row, for the imperial fa- mily, which goes frequently to this theatre; it was v built by Charles the fixth. The emprefs queen continues in weeds, and * The fymphonies of Manhelm, excellent as they are, have been obferved, by perfons of refined tafte, to be Manierees, and tirefome to fuch as continue there any time, being almoft all of one caft, from the writers cf them giving too much into imita- tion. has [ 221 ] has appeared in no public theatre fince the death of the late emperor. At night two of the poor fcholars of this city fung, in the court of the inn where I lodged, duets in falfet, foprano y and contralto, very well in tune, and with feeling and tafte. I fent to enquire whe- ther they were taught mufic at the Jefuits' college, and was anfwered in the affirma- tive. Though the number of poor fcho- lars, at different colleges, amounts to a hundred and twenty, yet there are at prefent but feventeen that are taught mulic, After this there was a band of thefe fingers, who performed through the ilreets a kind of glees, in three and four parts ; this whole country is certainly very mufical. I frequently heard the foldiers upon guard, and centinels, as well as common people, fing in parts. The mufic fchool at the Jefuits' college, in every Roman catholic town, accounts in fome meafure for this faculty ; yet other [ 222 ] other caufes may be affigned, and, among thefe, it mould be remembered, that there is fcarce a church or convent in Vienna, which has not every morning its mafs in mujic : that is, a great portion of the church fervice of the day, fet in parts, and performed with voices, ac- companied by at leaft three or four vio- lins, a tenor and bafe, befides the organ ; and as the churches here are daily, crowd- ed, this mufic, though not of the moffc exquilite kind, muft, in fome degree, form the ear of the inhabitants. Phyfi- cal caufes operate but little, I believe, as to mulic. Nature diftributes her favours pretty equally to the inhabitants of Eu- rope; but moral caufes are frequently very powerful in their effects. And it feems as if ,the national mujic of a country was good or bad, in proportion to that of its church fervice '> which may account for the tafte of the common people of Italy, where indeed the language is more mufical than in any ether country of Europe, [ 22 3 3 Europe, which certainly has an effect upon their vocal mufic; but the excel- lent performances that are every day heard for nothing in the churches, by the common fteople, more contribute to refine and fix the national tafte for good mufic, than any other thing that I can at prefent fuggeft. I had the good fortune to meet with the admirable poet Metaftafio here, and the no lefs admirable mufician Hafle, as well as with the chevalier Gluck, one of the raoft extraordinary geniufes of this, or, perhaps, of any age or nation ; and as I was fo happy as to enjoy the converfation'*>f thefe illuftrious perfonages very frequent- ly, during my refidence in this city, it will incline m« to be very circumftantial concerning them, which I hope my readers will pardon in behalf of their extraordinary merit, and the enthufiafiic admiration of it, with which I confefs my mind to be imprelfed. Be- t 2 24 1 Before I had the honour of bei$g in* troduced to Signor Metaftafio, I obtairiedj from undoubted authority, the following particulars relative to this great poet* whofe writings have perrraps more con^ tributed to the refinement of vocal me-^ lody, and, confequently, of mulic in ge-<- neral, than the joint efforts of all the great compofers in Europe j this fuppo- iition I fhall hereafter endeavour to ex- plain and confirm, in fpeaking of him only as a lyric poet. The Abate Pietro MetajiaJio> was adopt- ed at Rome, while very young, by the celebrated civilian, Gravina, who difco- vering in him an extraordinary talent for poetry, undertook the care of his educa^ tion ; and, after he had been instructed under his eye, in all the parts of polite literature, he fent him to Calabria, in the kingdom of Naples, to learn Greek, as a living language, it being flill fpoken in that province, by the natives. He 7 had [ Z25 j tad AeK a faculty of fpeaking verfes ex- tempore, fo early as at five years old, that . Gravina ufed to fet him on a table, to perform the part of an Improvvifatore % but this exercife was found to exhauft him fo much, that a phyfician afiured his patron, if he continued the prac- tice, it would deftroy him ,*■ for at fuch times he was fo truly afflatus numine, that his head and flomach fwelled, and became inflamed, while his extremities grew cold. Gravina feeing this, thought it neceffary to take . the phyfician's ad- vice, and would never fuffer him more to improwifare. Metaftafio now fpeaks of the practice as equally repugnant to grammar, and to common fenfc j for whoever accuftoms himfelf in this rapid manner, to diftort every thought into rhyme, deftroys all tafte, and totally pre- cludes fekction : till, by degrees, the mind and genius accommodating themfelves to inaccuracies and abfurdities, not only Q^ lofe [ «6 ] lofe a relifti for labour, but for every thing that is chafte and correct. Gravina made Metaftafio tranflate all Homer into Italian verfe, before he was fourteen years of age -, and this, perhaps, deftroyed fome of that veneration for the ancients, with which moft men of true genius are pofTefTed *. Fielding faid of himfelf, that hebore marks of the difficulty of Homer about him all his life. Gra- vina idolized the ancients, and, perhaps, Metaftafio, taking the contrepied, refpecls them too little. He has opinions fixed and unalterable, peculiar to himfelf, concerning many things, particularly rhyme: he ftill thinks that the Hebrew Pfalms are in rhyme, and that this confonance of verfes is infi- nitely more ancient than is generally ima- gined. He thinks that Milton's Paradife Loft cannot be a perfect poem becaufe it is written in blank verfe, though all * Gravina died in the year 1718, and made Me- taftafio his heir. the [ 22 7 1 the narrative parts of his own dramatic pieces are in meafured profe ; indeed, before each fong, he has a couplet, orclofe, ufually in rhyme, which prepares for the change. The whole tenor of his life is equally innoxious with his writings. He lives with the mod mechanical regularity, which he fufFers none to difturb ; he has not dined from home thefe thirty years ; he is very difficult of accefs, and equally averfe to new perfons, and new things ; he fees, in a familiar way, but three or four people, and them, conflantly every night, from eight o'clock till ten ; he ab- hors writing, and never fets pen to paper but by compulfion : as it was necefTary to bind Silenus, before he would ring; and Proteus, to oblige him to give oracles. He has long been invefted with the title and appointments of imperial' lau- reate ; and when the emperor, emprefs, or any one of the imperial family orders it, he fits down and writes, two. hours Q_2 at [ 22 8 ] at a time only, juft as he would tran- fcribe a poem written by any one elfe ; never waiting for a call, invoking the Mufe, or even receiving her favours at any other than his own ftated periods. He was applied to by the editors of the Encyclopedic, to write the article Opera for that work ; but he politely declined the tafk, fuppofing it impollible that his fentiments on the fubjecl: ihoald be pleafing to the French nation, Taflb is his favourite of all poets -, he likes not Fingal, on account of its wild- nefs and obfcurity * - 3 he reads with his felect friends ancient and modern authors every evening j he is extremely fond of the writings of count Medini, a Bo- hemian, whofe poetical compofitions, he fays, are fuperior to thofe of all other living writers. This count is tranflating * The poems- of Offian are translated into Ita- lian, by the Abate Melchior Cefarotti, and were published at Padua in 1763. the [ 22 9 ] the Henriade, of Voltaire, into Italian Ottave Rime. A perfon of very high rank affured me, that he had been five years in Vienna before he could get acquainted with Me- taflafio, or even into converfation with him j and, after that time, but three vifits had been exchanged between them in feveral years ; indeed, in my applications for letters of recommendation to this exquifite poet, before I left England, I had been mortified by an afiurance, " that " it would be in vain for me to attempt " even a fight of Metaftafio, as he was " totally worn out, incommunicative, " and averfe to fociety on all oCcafions." However, this account had been ex- prefled in too ftrong terms ; for, upon my arrival at Vienna, I found that be- fides the conftant fociety of his particular friends every evening, he had a kind of levee each morning, at which he was vifited by a great number of perfons of high rank and diftinguifhed merit. CL3 if [ 2 3° 1 If he is attended to with complaifance, he converfes very freely and agreeably; but if contradicted, he becomes imme- diately filent ; he is too well-bred, as 'well as too indolent, to difpute j if what he thinks erroneous be advanced, in oppofition to any thing that he has faid, he paiTes it over in filence. He likes not animated difcuffions, fuch as generally fubfift among men of talents and learn- ing ; but rather chufes the eafe and mo- deration of a private individual, than to lay down the law in the decifive manner of a public and exalted character. Indeed there feems to be that foft calmnefs in his life, which fubfifts in his writings, where he reafons, even in paflion, more than he raves ; and that even tenor of propriety and corre&nefs which runs through all his works, is, in fome de-> gree, conftltutional. He is as feldom, perhaps, violently agitated in his writings as in his life, and he may be called the poet of the golden age ; in which fim- plicity t 2 3 l ] plicity and decorum are faid to have reigned, more than the wild and furious paflions. The effufions of patriotifm, love, and friendship, which he pours out with exquifite fweetnefs, are affections of a foft and gentle kind, which his heart felt, and his foul has coloured. He has not, perhaps, the fire of a Corneille, or the wit and variety of a Voltaire; but he has all the pathos, all the correctnefs of a Racine, with more origi- nality. I need only mention his well- known poem, Grazie a gTInganni tuoi, which has been fo many times imitated and tranflated in all languages : this contains a fpecies of wit, peculiar to Me- taftalio, in which he turns trivial circutrw fiances to account. Shakefpeare has faid, in derifion, of one of his characters, that " he has a reasonable good wit," and this is ferioufly true with refpect to Me- taftafio, whofe wit is not compofed of epigrammatic points, or whimfical con- ceits j neither is it biting nor farcaitical ; Q^4 but [ 2 3 2 3 but conMs of familiar and natural things^ highly polifhed, and fet in diamonds. » ■' 'Tis nature to advantage drefs'd, What oft was thought, but ne'er fo well ex- prefs'd. The fweetnefs of his language and verification, give a grace to all that he writes, and the natural tendency of his genius, is to point out rectitude, pro- priety, and decorum ; and though he difcovers in every ftanza of his Nifa, that he is not cured of his paffion for a jilt, yet he plainly proves that he ought to be fo. Party runs as high among poets, mu- sicians, and their adherents, at Vienna as elfewhere. Metaftafio and HafTe, may be faid, to be at the head of one of the principal fects ; and Calfabigj and Gluck of another. The firft, regarding all innovations as quackery, adhere to the ancient form of the mufical drama, in which the poet and mufician claim equal attention from an audience ; the bard [ S33 1 bard in the recitatives and narrative parts ; and the compofer in the airs, duos, and choruffes. The fecond party depend more on theatrical effects, propriety of character, fimplicity of diction, and of mufical execution, than on, what they ftyle, flowery defcriptions, fuperfluous fimiles, fententious and cold morality, on one fide, with tirefome fymphonies, and long divifions, on the other* . It i$ lefs my bufinefs and intention here, to take fides, or to determine which of thefe parties are right, than to point out the different merit of both. For I mould not only be an enemy to my own plea- fure, but unworthy of the title I have affumed, of a faithful hiftorian, if I en- couraged exclufive approbation. I (hall therefore proceed in characterifing the * VAutore a fojiulto alle fiorite defcrizioni, ai Pa- ragoni fuperjlui, e alle fentenzlofe e fredde moralita^ il Unguaggio del cuore, le pajjioni forti, le fituazionl interejfanti, e uno fpettacolo fempre varlato. Dedicaz. d' Alefte, dal cav. Gluck. genius [ H4 ] genius of the two great compofers above- mentioned, to the beft of my judgment and feelings, unbiafTed by the decifions of others. The merit of Signor Haffe has fo long, and fo univerfally been eftablimed on the continent, that I have never yet con- verfed with a fingle profeflbr on the fub- jedb, who has not allowed him to be the moil: natural, elegant, and judicious compofer of vocal mulic, as well as the moll voluminous now alive * ; equally a friend to poetry and to the voice, he difcovers as much judgment as genius, in expreffing words, as well as in accom- panying thofe fweet and tender melodies, which he gives to the finger. Always re- garding the voice, as the firft object of attention in a theatre, he never fuifocates it, by the learned jargon of a multipli- city of instruments and fubjects ; but is * He was born at Bergendorf, in Lower Sax- ony, within eight miles of Hamburg, and is beft known in Italy, by the name of // Sajfone. as [ 2 35 1 as careful of preserving it's importance, as a painter, of throwing the ftrongefl light upon the capital figure of his piece. In 1769, he produced at Vienna the mufic of a little opera, or Intermezzb tragico, Piramo e li/be, a tre voci ; and in 1 77 1, he fet Ruggieroy at Milan, for the marriage of the arch-duke Ferdinand, brother of the emperor, with the prin- cefs of Modena, both written by Metaf- talio*. Dr. Brown pretended to prove, the feparation of muficand poetry; if he was right, it muft, however, be allowed that this poet and mufician are the two halves of what,likePlato's^Wr^7^,onceconfti- tuted a whole-, for as they are equally pof- feffed of the fame characteristic marks of * Thefe pieces are the laft productions of the great poet and mufician, who, with more pro* priety than Pope and Jarvis, might fay, Smit with the love of fitter arts we came, And met congenial, mingling flame with flame. true [ 236 ] true genius, tafte, and judgment ; fo pro- priety, confiftency, clearnefs, and preci- fion, are alike the infeparable compa- nions of both. When the voice was more refpe&ed than the fervile herd of imita- tive instruments, and at a time when a different degree, and better judged kind of ftudy rendered it, perhaps, more wor- thy of attention than at prefent, the airs of Signor HafTe, particularly thofe of the pathetic kind, were fuch as qjiarmed every hearer, and fixed the reputation of the firft lingers in Europe * . His abilities are but little known in England, as but few of his compofitions are printed, and thofe of the mofl trivial kind -, but, as his works are more nume- rous than thofe of any vocal compofer now living, he may, without injury to his brethren, be allowed to be as fu- perior to all other lyric compofers, as Metaftafio is to all other lyric poets. * Such as FarinelU, Fauftina, Mingotti, &c. The ■ j~-j~ [ 237 I " The chevalier Gluck is Amplifying mufic ; and with unbounded invention and powers for creating capricious dif- ficulties, and decking his melodies with meretricious ornaments, he tries all he can to keep his mufe chafte an4 fober, his three operas of Orfeo, Akefte, and Paride, are proofs of this, as they con- tain few difficulties of execution, though many of exprefiion. He has lately fuggefted to an able writer, a plan for a new ode on St. Ce- cilia's day, which difcovers both genius and difcernment. Lord Cowper had, fome time fince, Dryden's Ode performed to Handel's mufic at Florence ; but fet to a literal Italian tranflation given totidem fyllpbis, in order to preferve the mufic as entire as poffible. But this tendernefs for the mulician, was fo much at the expence of the poet, that Dryden's di- vine Ode, became not onlyunpoetical, but unintelligible in this wretched verfion. The mufic has fince-. been performed at 6 Vienna [ 238 ] Vienna to the fame words, and many parts of it were very much liked, in def- pite of the nonfenfe through which it was conveyed to the ears of the audience. Gluck was exceedingly ftruck with the thoughts of our great poet, and wifhed to have an ode on the fame fubjec~t, but written on a different plan, which would preferve as many of them as poffible. His idea was this -, a. poem of fo great a length, could never be fung to modern mufic by one perfon. Now, as Dryden's Ode is all narrative-, there feems no pro- priety in diftributing it among different perfons, in the performance. He wifhed therefore, to have it thrown into a dra- matic form, in which the interlocutors might fpeak what paflion fuggefts -, and this has been done in the following man- ner : it begins with a feaft of Bacchus, at which Alexander and Thais prefide. They agree to call in Timotheus to fing to them ; but before his arrival, the hero and his miflrefs differ in opinion con- t 2 39 J concerning his merit ; the one fuppofes him to be inferior to what has been re- ported of him ; and the other, fuperior. This contention enlivens the dialogue, and interefts the audience till the ar- rival of the bard, who begins to iing of the Trojan war, which animates Alexander fo.much, that he breaks out into the complaints attributed to him by the old ftory of having no Homer, like Achilles, to record his actions. Tuefday, September ift. At vefpers, this afternoon, I heard, in the cathedral, fome admirable old mufic compofed by Fux, not very well performed, indeed, as to iinging or accompaniments ; the former was feeble, and the latter, I mean the violins, were def- picable : however, the organ was very well played, by the organift, M. Mittermeir. M. Hoffman, an excellent compofer of inftrumental mufic, particularly of fym- phonies, is maejiro di capella. The church is a dark, dirty, and difmal old Gothic building, though richly ornamented ; in I it [ 240 j it are hung all the trophies of wary taken from the Turks and other ene-* mies of the houfe of Auftria, for more than a century paft, which gives it very much the appearance of an old wardrobe* At half an hour paft fix this evening* I went to the comic opera of II Bar one. The mufic, compofed by Signor Salieri, a fcholar of M. Gafman. I did not re-* ceive much pleafure from the overture, or the two firfl airs •> the mufic was lan- guid, and the finging but indifferent. There were only four characters in the piece, and the principal woman did not appear till the third fcene ; but then {he gave a glow to every thing around her $ it was one of the Baglioni, of Bologna*, whom I had heard both at Milan and Florence, during my tour through Italy. She is very much improved fince that time, and her voice is now one of the eleareft,. * Qoftanza. fweetefL t *& 1 ITweeteft, trueft, mod powerful, arid ex- tensive I ever heard. In cOmpafs, it is from Bb, on the fifth fpace in the bafe, to D in alt, full, fteady, and equal ; her make is good* and her Portamento ad- mirably free from the hofe, mouth, or throat. There was fuch a roundriefs and dignity in all the tones, that every thing fhe did became interesting ; a few plain flow notes from her, were more accept- able to the audience, than a whole ela- borate air from any one elfe: This finger is young, has good fea* ! tureSj the embonpoint charmant, and is upon the whole a fine figure ; but I can- not attribute all the improvement I now found in her voice to time; fomething muft be given to the difference of thea* tres ; thofe of Florence and Milan, are are at leaft twice as big as this at Vienna, which is about the fize of our great opera- houfe, in the Hay-market. The opera of to-night was performed in the German theatre, where I had before R ken [ 242 ] feen a tragedy. The two theatres of Vienna are never both open together, except on a Sunday or feftival, at other times they are opened alternately. The emperor, the arch-duke Maxi- milian, his brother, and his two filters, the arch-duchefTes Marianne, and Mary Elizabeth, were all at this burletta. The box, in which they fate, was very little diflinguifhed from the reft ; they came in and went out with few atten- dants, and without parade. The em- peror is of a manly fine figure, and has a fpirited and pleafing countenance ; he often changes his place at the opera, to converfe with different perfons, and fre- quently walks about the ftreets without guards, feeming to mun, as much as pof- fible, all kinds of unnecefTary pomp. His imperial majefty was extremely at- tentive during the performance of the opera, and applauded theBaglione feveral times very much. The I 2 43 ] The admiffion into this theatre is at a very eafy rate ; twenty-four Creuzers only are paid for going into the pit; jn which, however, there are feats with backs to them. A Creuzer here, is hardly equal to an Englifh halfpenny; indeed, part of the front of the pit is railed off, and is called the amphitheatre; for places there, the price is doubled, none are to be had for money, except in the pit and the flips, which run all along the top of the houfe, and in which only iixteen Creuzers are paid. The boxes are all let by the feafon to the principal families, as is the cuftom in Italy. The lize of this theatre may be nearly imagined, by comparing with any one of our own, the number of boxes and feats in each. There are in this five ranks of boxes, twenty-four in each ; in the pit there are twenty-feven rows of feats, which feverally contain twenty- four perfons. R 2 Wed- [ 2 44 ] Wednefday, September 2. 'This morn- ing was dedicated to the delivering of letters, with which I was furnimed to different perfons in Vienna. Among whom, I muft diftinguifh two, from whofe acquaintance I derived great plea- fure, as well as affiftance in my mulical refearches ; thefe were the abate Taruffi, nditore e /egret ario di legazione to the pope's nuncio, to whom I was favoured with a letter from Mr. Baretti 5 and M. L'Augier, one of the principal phyficians to the inperial court, to the knowledge of whom I Was indebted to Col. St. Pol, and M. de Vifme, who were both £0 kind as to write to him in my behalf. It afforded me fingular fatisfa&ion to converfe with the abate Taruffi, as I found him to have not only a general know- ledge of every fubjecl that was itartedy butpoffeffedof afuperior tafte in literature and the arts 5 he fpeaks Englim, and is fo perfectly acquainted with the writings of { 245 3 -of our bed authors, both in verfe and profe, that he quotes them as readily and happily as a native of Great Britain. During my firft vilit I made him ac- quainted with the particular object of my journey into Germany, and furnimed him with the printed account of my tour through France and Italy. I was happy ■to find that he was a particular acquain- tance of Metaftafio and of Haffe, and the more fo as he voluntarily offered to in- troduce me to both. He likewife promifed to prefent me to the legate, and to the Duca di Brefciano, not only as to per- fbns whofe influence might be of ufe to me, from their high rank, but whofe converfation, from their knowledge and love of mufic, might furnifh both anec- dotes and reflections well worth my atten- tion. He favoured me with feveral inte- resting particulars relative to Metaftafio, one of which was, that a young lady, the daughter of a deceafed friend, who was born, educated, and who ftill lived in the B- 3 fame [ 246 ] fame houfe with him, had the greateft genius for mufic, in all its branches of playing, finging, and corapoiing, of any- one living. Metaftafio, at firit, instruct- ed her, how to fet his fongs -, but now fhe delights and even aftonifhes the great pcet himfelf. I was extremely curious to know what kind of mufic would befl fulfil the ideas of Metafiafio, when applied to his own poetry ; and imagined that this young lady, with all the advantages of his in- structions, counfel, and approbation, combined with her own genius, muft be an alter idetn, and that her productions would include every muiical embellifh* ment which could be fuperadded to his poetry, without deftroying or diminilhing its native beauty. Lord Stormont had kindly undertaken to bring about an in- terview, between Metaftafio and me) fo that till this had taken place, I was riot at liberty to vifit him with Signor Taruffi ; however, he promifed immedi- ately [ 2 47 1 ately to read my book, and to apprize him of its contents, in order to prepare him for my acquaintance. M. L'Augier, in defpight of uncom- mon corpulency, poffefTes a moft a&ive and cultivated mind. His houfe is the rendezvous of the firfi people of Vienna, both for rank and genius -, and his con- verfation is as entertaining, as his knowledge is extenfive and profound. Among his other acquirements he has ar- rived at great fkill in mufic, has a moft refined and diftiguifhing taite, and has heard national melody in all parts of the world with philofophical ears. He has been in France, Spain, Portu- gal, Italy, and Conftantinople, and is, in fhort, a living hiftory of modern mufic. In Spain he was intimately acquainted with Domenico Scarlatti, who, at feven- ty-three, compofed for him a great num* ber of harpfichord lefTons which he now porTefTes, and of which he favoured me with copies. The book in which they R 4 are t 248 ] are transcribed, contains forty-two pieces, among which are feveral flow mover ments, and of all thefe, I, who have been a collector of Scarlatti's compofitions all my life, had never feen more than three or four. They were compofed in 1756, when Scarlatti was too fat to crofs his hands as he ufed to do, fo that thefe are not fo difficult, as his more juvenile works, which were made for his fcholar and patronefs, the late queen of Spain, when princefs of Afturias. Scarlatti frequently told M. L'Augier, that he was fenfible he had broke through all the rules of compofition in his lerlons j but afked if his deviations from thefe rules offended the ear ? and, upon being an? fwered in the negative, he faid, that he thought there was fcarce any other rule, worth the attention of a man of genius, than that of not difpleafmg the pnly fenfe of which mufic is the object^ * Scarlatti was the firft who dared to give way |;fl fancy in his compofitions, by breaking through There [ 249 3 There are many paifages in Scarlatti's pieces, in which he imitated the melody of tunes fung by carriers, muleteers, and common people. He ufed to fay, that the mufic of Alberti, and of feveral other modern compofers, did not, in the execution, want a har'pfichord, as it might be equally well, or perhaps, better ex?* preffed by any other inftrumentj but, as nature had given him ten fingers, and, as his instrument had employment for them all, he faw no reafon why he mould not ufe them. M. L'Augier fung to me feveral frag- ments of Bohemian, Spanifh, Portuguefe, and Turkilh mufic, in which the peculiar expreffion depended on the contre terns, or breach of Uriel: time - y beat the mea- the contracted prohibitions of rules drawn from, dull compofitions produced in the infancy of the art, and which feemed calculated merely to keep jt ftill in that ftate. Before his time, the eye was made the fovereign judge of mufic, but Scarlatti fwore allegiance only to the ear. 2 fure, [ 2 5° 1 fure, and keep it as exactly as is ne- ceffary, in more refined and modern mufic, and it wholly lofes its effect*. He furnifhed me with an anecdote concerning CafTarelli and Gizziello, fi- milar to that which I have given in my former journal, relative to Senefino and Farinelli. When Gizziello firft fung at Rome, his performance fo far enchanted every hearer,, that it became the general fub- ject of converfation, which not only contributed to fpread his fame through that city, but to extend it to the moft remote parts of Italy j it is natural to fuppofe that the account of this new mu- iical phenomenon foon reached Naples, and equally natural to imagine that it * It has been fuppofed, that the ancient Greeks had fcales of founds, in which the intervals were divided into more minute parts, than any that are to be found in modern mufic • and it feems, as if our prefent divifions of time, were far from in^ eluding every variety of meafure poffible, I was [ *£ ] was not heard with indifference in a place where fo powerful a propenfity to mu- iical pleafure prevails. CafFarelli, at this time in the zenith of his reputation, was fo far piqued by curiofity, perhaps by jealoufy, that he took an opportunity, the firft time he could be fpared from the opera at Naples, to ride pofl all night, in order to hear that at Rome. He enter- ed the pit, muffled up in a pellke, or fur- gown, unknown by any one there ; and, after he had heard Gizziello ling a fong, he cried out, as loud as he poffibly could, bravo ! bravijjimo ! Gizziello, e Caffarelli che tilo dice, 'tis Caffarelli who applauds — and, immediately quitting the theatre, he fet out on his return to Naples the fame night. M. L'Augier told me that the emprefs queen had been a notable mufician. Some years ago he had heard her fing very well ; and in the year 1739, when me was only twenty^-two years of age, and very handfome, me fung a duo with Senefino, at Florence, fo well, that, by her £ 2 5 2 ] her voice, which was then a very fine one, and graceful and fteady manner, ihe fo captivated the old man, Senefino, that he could not proceed without lhed- ding tears of fatisfaclion. Her imperial majefty has fo long been a performer, that, the other day, in pleafantry, (he told the old Fauflina, the wife of HafTe, who is ftill living, and upwards of feven? ty years of age, that me thought herfelf the firit, meaning the oldeft, virtuofa in Europe ; for her father brought her on the court ftage, at Vienna, when (he was only five years old, and made her fing a long. The whole imperial family is mufical j the emperor perhaps juft enough for a fovereign prince, that is, with fufficient hand, both on the violoncello and harp- fichord, to amufe himfelf, and fufficient tafte and judgment to hear, underfland, and receive delight from others. A per- fon of great diftinction told me, that he faw, fome years ago, four arch-duchefTes of t 253 ] of Auftria, the emperor's Mers, appear at court in the opera of Egefia, writterk by Metaftafio, and fet by HalTe, exprefsly for their ufe. , They were then extreme- ly beautiful, fung and aded very well, for princeffes, and the grand duke of Tufcany, who was likewife very hand"- fome, danced, in the character of Cupid. I found that M. L'Augier had himfelf been a good harpfichord player : he now reads and judges of mufic very accurately. During my firft vifit, he was fo obliging as to promife to make me acquainted with HafTe, Gluck, Wagenfeil, Haydn, and all the muficians that were worth my attention, in Vienna 5 and fixed on the next evening for giving me an op- portunity of hearing fome of Haydn's quartettos, performed with the utmofl precifion and perfection, as well as a little girl, of eight or nine years old, who is regarded here as a prodigy, on the harpfichord, I had r 2 54 i I had the honour of dining to-day with his excellency lord Stormont, who had been fo kindly attentive, as to invite a mufical party to meet me j among whom were prince Poniatowfki, brother to the king of Poland, a great lover of mufic, and the count and countefs Thun. The countefs, who interefts herfelf very much in every thing that concerns mufic, and who reads and fpeaks Englifh, honoured my Account of the Prefent State of Ita- lian Mufic with an attentive perufal, as lord Stormont had done before : this enabled them to judge of my mu ileal wants better than I could have done in converfation, without bearing too large a fhare in it. Countefs Thun has nothing about her that reminds one of the pride or heavi- • nefs attributed by travellers to the Ger- mans : on the contrary, me is naturally and innocently chearful and humorous ; has fallies of wit, and excites mirth by a plealant [ 255 ] pleafant irony, peculiar to herfelf. She had been fo kind as to write a note to Gluck on my account, and he had re- turned, for him, a very civil anfwer ; for he is as formidable a character as Han- del ufed to be : a very dragon, of whom all are in fear. However, he had agreed to be vifited in the afternoon ; and lord Stormont and countefs Thun had ex- tended their condefcenfion fo far as to promife to carry me to him. But before we fet out, the duke of Bra- ganza, and much other company, came in ; lord Stormont did me the honour to prefent me to his highnefs, who is an excellent judge of mulic, and who con- defcended to converfe with me a confi- derable time on the fubject. This prince is a great traveller, having viiited Eng- land, France, and Italy, before his ar- rival in Germany. He is very lively, and occaiioned much mirth by his pleafan- tries, which were all feafoned with good humour. His [ 256 I His royal highnefs gave me an account of a Portuguefe Abbe, whom lord Stor- mont and M. Laugier had before men- tioned as a perfon of a very Angular character ,- a kind of Rouffeau, but ftill more original. He is of the moil diffi- cult accefs ; refufes every offer of fervice in the way of money and prefents, though he has nothing but his mafs to fubfift on, which produces him juft fifteen pence a day. He is determined to be indepen- dent, and hates to be talked of by the world, and almoft to talk to any one in it. The duke of Braganza, however* thought he had juft intereft Sufficient to make him and me acquainted ; and as another feled muflcal party was forming on my account, for Friday > to dine with lord Stormont, the duke promifed to do all in his power to bring this extraordi- nary Abate with him. His mufical opinions are as fingular as his character. He plays very well on the large Spanifh guittar, though in a very peculiar ftyle i with [ *57 1 with little melody, but, with refpeel to harmony and modulation, in the mofl pleating and original manner. He is a profeffed enemy to the fyftem of Rameau, and thinks the Baff'e Fonda- inentale the moft abfurd of all inventions; as it deftroys all fancy, connection, and continuity, by perpetually tending to a final clofe and termination of whatever is begun : falling a fifth, or riling a fourth, cuts every thing off mort, or makes the ear, which is accuftomed to a fundamental bafe, uneafy till a paffage is finifhed. At five o'clock lord Stormont's coach tarried madame Thun, his lordmip, and myfelf, to the houfe of the chevalier Gluck, in the Fauxbourg St. Mark. He is very well houfed there ; has a pretty garden, and a great number of neat, and elegantly furnifhed rooms. Pie has no children ; madame Gluck, and his niece, who lives with him, came to receive us at the door, as well as the ve- S teran [ 2 5 8 ] feraff eompofer hinifelf. He is muck pitted with the fmall-pox, and very coarfe in fogure aftd look, bat was foont got into good humour ; arid he talked, fitmg, and played> madame Thun ob- ferved, more than ever fhe knew him at any one time. He began, upon a very bad harpfi- ehord, by accompanying his niece, who fs but thirteen years old, in two of the capital fcenes of his own famous opera ef Alcejle. She has a powerful and well- toned voice, and fung with infinite tafte, fcdlngj expreflion, and even execution. After thefe two fcenes from Alcejle, file fung feveral others, by different compo- fers, and- in different ftyles, particularly by Traetfa. I was allured that mademoifelle Gluckr had learned to iing but two years, which, eonfidering the perfection of her per- formance, really aftonifhed me. She be- gan fmging under her uncle, but he, in a precipitate hi of defpair, had given her op; [ 2 S9 J up; when Signor Millicb, arriving at Vienna about the fame time, and difco- vering that flie had an improvable voice^ and a docile difpofition, begged he might be allowed to teach her for a few months only, in order to try whether it Would not be worth her while ftill to perfevere in her mufical fludies, riotwithftanding the late decifion againfl her ; which he fufpe&ed had its rife from the impatience and impetuofity of the uncle, more than the want of genius in the niece. Her performance now is an equal proof of the fagacity and penetration of Signor Mil- lico, in making this difcovery, and of the excellent method with which he conveys his inftru&ions ; for this young lady has fo well caught his tafte and ex- predion, and made them fo much her own, that they have none 6f the cold- nefs of imitation, but feerh wholly de- rived from her own feelings ; and it is a flyle of finging, perhaps, ftill more irre- fiftibly grateful and enchanting in a fe- S % male, [ $6o J male, than even in Signor Millico hfffl^ feif. Mademoifelle Gluck is thin, feerds of a delicate conftitution, and, as fhe iings fo much in earneft, I mould fear for her health if me were to make iinging a profeffion ; but me is not in- tended for a public performer. When (he had done, her uncle was prevailed upon to finghimfelf j and, with as little voice as poffible, he contrived to entertain, and even delight ttie company, in a very high degree; for, with the richnefs of accompaniment, the energy and vehemence of his manner in the Al- legros, and his judicious expreflion in the flow movements, he fo well com- penfated for the want of voice, that it was a defect which was foon entirely for- gotten. He was fo good-humoured as to per- form almoft his whole opera of Alcejle ; many admirable things in a ftill later opera of his, called Parideed Elena-, and in a French [ 26 1 ] a French opera, from Racine's Iphigenie, which he has juft compofed. This laft, though he had not as yet committed a note of it to paper, was fo well digefted in his heed, and his retention is fo won- derful, that he fung it nearly from the beginning to the end, with as much rea- dinefs as if he had had a fair fcore before him. His invention is, I believe, unequalled by any other compofer who now lives, or has ever exifted, particularly in dra- matic painting, and theatrical effects. He ftudies a poem a long time before he thinks of fetting it. He confiders well the relation which each part bears to the whole ; the general caffc of each character, and afpires more at fatisfying the mind, than flattering the ear. This is not only being a friend to poetry, but a poet himfelf - 3 and if he had language fufficient, of any other kind than that of found, in which to exprefs his ideas, I am certain he would be a great poet ; as S 3 it [ 262 ] it is, miific, in his hands, is a moil co- pious, nervous, elegant, and expreiiive language. It feldom happens that a Jingle air of his operas can be taken out of its niche, and fung fingly, with much, effect ; the whole is a chain, of which a detached fingle link is but of fmall im- portance. If it be poffible for the partisans of old French mujic to hear any other than that of Lulli and Rameau, with pleafure a jt muft be M. Gluck's Iphigenie, in which he has fo far accommodated himfelf to the national tafte, (tyle, and language, as frequently to imitate and adopt them. The chief obftacles to his fame, perhaps, among his contracted judges, but which will be moft acceptable to others, is that there is frequently melody, and always, pteqfure, in his mufic, though fet to French words, and for a Jerious French opera. I reminded M. Gluck of his air, Rq/ft- rena il Mejlo Ciglio, which was in fuch great t *H 3 great favour in England, fo long ago as the year 1745 ; and prevailed upon him, not only to ling th?t, but feveral others of his firft and moft favourite airs. He told me that he owed entirely to Eng- land the ftudy of nature in his dramatic compofitions : he went thither at a very difadvantageous period > Handel was thea fo high in fame, that no one would will- ingly liflen to any other than to his compofitions. The rebellion broke out; all foreigners were regarded as dangerous to the ftate ; the opera-houfe was mut up, by order of the Lord Chamberlain, and it was with great difficulty and ad- drefs that lord Middlefex obtained per- miffion to open it again, with a temporary and political performance, La Caduta de Glganti. This Gluck worked upon with fear and trembling, not only on account of the few friends he had in England, but from an apprehenfion of riot and popu- lar fury, at the opening of the theatre, in which none but foreigners and papiils were employed. S 4 He [ 26 4 ] He then ftudied the Englifh tafle j remarked particularly what the audience feemed moft to feel; and finding that plainnefs and fimplicity had the greateft effect upon them, he has, ever fince that time, endeavoured to write for the voice, more in the natural tones of the human affections and paffions, than to flatter the lovers of deep fcience or difficult execution ; and it may be remarked, that moft of his airs in Orfeo are as plain and fimple as English ballads; and the addir tions that were made to it when firft performed in England, by Meffrs. Bach and Guglielmi, were of fo different a texture, though excellent in another way, that they deflroyed the unity of ftyle and characteristic fimplicity, for which, when performed at Vienna, this production was, io much admired. M. Gluck has developed his ideas of the neceffary requifites of dramatic mufic fp fully, in his dedication of jllcejle, to the grand duke of Tufcany ; and has given his reafons for deviating from the beaten [ & ] beaten track, with fo much force arid freedom, that I mall make no apology foF preferring my readers, with an extract from it. " When I undertook to fet this poem, c it was my defign to divert the i mufic entirely of all thofe abufes f with which the vanity of fingers, or ' the too great complacency of compo- f fers, has fo long disfigured the Italian c opera, and rendered the moft beauti- (I ful and magnificent of all public ex-r ' hibitions, the mod tirefome and ridi- • culous. It was my intention to f confine mufic to its true dramatic pro- e vince, of aflifting poetical expreffion, 1 and of augmenting the interefl: of the ' fable ; without interrupting the action, 6 or chilling it with ufelefs and fuper- -' fluous ornaments; for the office of ' mufic, when joined to poetry, feemed ' to me, to refemble that of colouring fi in a correct and well difpofed defign, fi where the lights and fhades only feem "to [ 266 ] " to animate the figures, without altering w the out-line. " I determined therefore not to flop " an actor, in the heat of a fpirited dia- *' logue, for a tedious ritornel ; nor to " impede the progrefs of paffion, by *• lengthening a fingle fyllahle of a fa- but during this time the Abate Tarujji was giving an account of the views, with which I had already travelled through France and Italy, and which had now brought me to the capital of the German empire. I had but a fhort time to flay* being engaged at M.L' Augier's concert,at which, - .• ' a& [ 2 75 ] as it was made on my account, I mould have been extremely afhamed to arrive late j and yet, I was fo impatient to fee two perfons of fuch diftinguimed merit, as Haffe and Fauftina, that I could not reiift my defire of going with Signor Ta- ruffi, only for a quarter of an hour. At length Signor Haffe begged leave to re- tire to the light, in order to perufe the letter which I had delivered to him ; during which time his two daughters came in -, they are about twenty-eight or thirty years of age, not handfome, but fo perfectly well-bred and agreeable in their manners, that it is eafy to difcover immediately, great care has been taken of their education; they read Englifh, and fpeak it a little. When Mifs Davis, who played the Ar- monica, and her iifter, who fung the firfl woman's part lafl: year, in the great opera at Naples, refided at Vienna, they lodged in the fame houfe with the Haffe family, and it was during this period, that the T 2 daughters [ 2 7 6 ] daughters of Signor Hafle learned Eng- li(h of the two Mifs Davis's -, and that this great matter, by his inftructions, en- abled the youngeft of them to fing the principal part in the firfb opera of Eu- rope. Signor HafTe foon returned, and was Co eafy and foft in his behaviour, that I felt myfelf as well acquainted with him in this quarter of an hour, as if I had known him twenty years. I faid all the civil things to him and the Faus- tina, that fo fhort a time would allow; indeed, nothing more than I feltj for from his works I had received a great part of my mofl early mufical pleafure, and the delight they afforded me in youth, has not been diminimed fince, by a more general acquaintance with the writings of other great compofers -, and therefore faying, that to fee and con- verfe with him were among the molt inte- refting concerns which had brought me to Vienna, that his name was well known in I *77 ] In England, and that he had long been my magnus Apollo, was moft true. He received all this very. humbly, and faid, that he had often been invited, and had often wifhed to go to England, as he had known many perfons of that king- dom, from whom he had received great civilities. I afked him, if it would be poffible to obtain a lift of his works j but he faid he did not know it himfelf. However, he promifed to try to recollect the principal of them, and the Fauftina offered to help him. It was with infinite reluctance that I put an end to my vifit, juft as we had made an acquaintance, and the worn: and formal part of the bufinefs was over ; however, he invited me to come again as often as I could, enquired my lodgings, hoped I mould refide fome time at Vienna, and other fuch common civilities as are little attended to, when beftowed by perfons that are indifferent to us ; but which, when uttered by thofe T 3 we [ 278 ] we love and reverence, make a deep im- preffion. From hence I went to Mr. L'Augier's concert, which was begun by the child of eight or nine years old, whom he had mentioned to me before, and who played two difficult lefTons of Scarlatti, with three or four by M. Becke, upon a fmall, and not good Piano forte. The neatnefs of this child's execution did not fo much furprife me, though uncommon, as her expreffion. All the pianos and fortes were fo judicioufly attended to ; and there was fuch mading off fome pafTages, and foroe given to others, as nothing but the bed: teaching, or greateft natural feeling and fenfibility could produce. I enquired of Signor Giorgio, an Italian, who attended her, upon what inftrument fhe ufually practifed at home, and was anfwered, f* on the Clavichord." This accounts for her expreffion, and convinces me, that children mould learn upon that, or a Piano Forte, very early, and be. obliged 7 to [ 2>9 3 to give an expreflion to lady Coventry's Minuet, or whatever is their firft tune; otherwife, after long practice on a mo- notonous harpfichord, however ufeful for ftrengthening the hand, the cafe is hopelefs. The company was very numerous, and compofed of perfons of great rank ; there was the princefs Piccolomini, to whom I had been honoured with a letter; the duke of Braganza, prince Poniatowfky, lord Stormont, general Valmoden and his lady, count Briihl, the duke of Bref- ciano, &c. &c. It was one of the fined af- femblies I ever faw. When the child had done playing, M. Mut, a good per- former, played a piece on the fmgleharp, without pedals^ which renders it a very difficult inftniment, as the performer is obliged to make the femitones by brafs rings with the left hand, which being placed at the top of the harp, are not only hard to get at, but difagreeable to hear, from the noife, which, by a fudden T 4 motion [ 280 ] motion of the hand they occafion. The fecret of producing the femitones by pe- dals, is not yet arrived at Vienna; and the double harp is utterly unknown there* This player, though highly efleemed, did not fulfil all my ideas of the power of that inftrument. The room was too much crowded for full pieces : fome trios only were played by Signor Giorgi, a fcholar of Tartini, Conforte, a fcholar of Pugnani, and by count Bruhl, who is an excellent per- former on many inftruments, particularly the violin, violoncello, and mandoline. The pieces they executed were com- pofed by Huber, a poor man, who plays the tenor at the playhoufe; but it was excellent mufic, fimple, clear, good har- mony, and frequently fancy and con- trivance. Friday 4. This morning Signor Ta- rufli did me the honour of prefenting me to the bifhop of Ephefus, Monfignore Vif- conti, the pope's nuncio at the imperial court, [ at ] court, and defcended from the famous family of Vifconti, which once pofleffed the fovereignty of Milan * . His excel- lency is a notable mufician, and fings in a very pleafing manner; he condefcended to honour me with a long converfation, on the fubject of mufic, and of my voyage into Italy, and even to fhew and fing with me, fome manufcript canons, of which he was pleafed to permit me to take copies ; he likewife gave me an Ita- lian fonnet, tranfcribed with his own hand, which Metaftafio had written at the de- fire of the prefent king of Poland, to a favourite Polifh minuet, fent- by that prince from Warfaw to Vienna for that purpofe; and he finifhed by inviting me to dine with him on Sunday. The Emperor went this day, for a month, to Laxemberg, where his mother, the * Matthew Vifconti, furnamed the Great, was acknowledged fovereign of Milan, in j 31 3; arid John Galeas Vifconti his grandfon, who died in 1402, was the moft celebrated of all the dukes of Milan. emprefs [ 282 ) Emprefs Queen then was ; on this occa- sion, almoft all the firft people of Vi- enna were preparing to follow him. The night before his departure, at a kind of riding-houfe in the fuburbs, there was a fpecies of tilts and tournaments, which the Germans call ©wroilfef/ etll Xf)tUttier JU tyfat>! OfcCV SftligelminCtt. The Em- peror himfelf was one of the combatants on this occauon; after which his imperial majefty gave fire-works on the Danube, at which he was likewife prefent ; but by vifiting SignorHalTe, and by being at M. L'Augier's concert, I was prevented from going thither myfelf. The mufical party, which dined to-day at lord Stormont's, was felecT:, and in the higheft degree entertaining and pleating* It confided of the prince of Poniatowfki, the duke of Braganza, the Portuguefe minifter, count and countefs Thun, M. L'Augier, the chevalier, madame and mademoifelle Gluck, the Abate Cofta, &c. This Abate is the extraordinary mufician [ 23 3 J mufician that I mentioned before, who, difdaining to follow the fteps of others, has ftruck out a new road, both as com- pofer and performer, which it is wholly impoffible to defcribe : all I can fay of his productions is, that in them melody is lefs attended to than harmony and un- common modulation ; and that the time is always difficult to make out, from the great number of ligatures and fractions ; however, his mufic, when well executed, which happens but feldom, has a very fingular and pleafing effect : but it is certainly too much the work of art to afford great delight to any ears but thofc of the learned. This Abate is poffefTed of as great a love for independence as M. Rouffeau ; he refufes every kind of ailiflance from the rich, though poor, with fuch inflexi- bility, that the duke of Braganza and he had a contention, which lafted a fort- night or three weeks, upon the following occa- f 284 ] occafion, in which, however, the Abate remained victorious. He wanted very much to correct the imperfections of the finger-board of his guittar, which being flrung with catgut, and having three firings to each tone, he found it frequently happen, that thefe firings, though perfectly in unifon, when open, were out of tune when flopped, and this at fome of the frets more than others ; in order to obviate this, an in- genious mechanic was found, who, with great fludy and pains, invented moveable frets for each firing ; but as thefe were made of brafs, and had taken up much of the workman's time to accommodate them, they amounted to four or five flo- rins, a fum the Abate could not afford to pay, and yet he would by no means allow the duke of Braganza to do it. At length the difpute was ended by the duke taking the inflrument at prime coft, and the Abate inventing a more cheap and [ 28 5 1 and fimple method of correcting th§ finger-board of another, and this he ef- fected in the following manner : he placed longitudinally, under the upper covering, or veneer, as many rows of catgut firings as there were firings upon his inftrument; then cutting through the ebony at each fret, and laying thefe under firings open, he placed under them little moveable bits of ebony, which rendered the chords upon his inftrument equally perfect in all keys. He can, at pleafure, take off this finger-board laterally ; and as his modulation is very learned and extraneous, this expedient was the more necefTary. But his compositions are not more original in this particular than in the meafure ; which, from its fingula- rity, is very difficult to feel, and, confe- quently, to keep with any degree of exaclnefs. He played two movements on his guittar, before dinner, the fubjects of which, [ 286 ] which, as nearly as I can remember, were thefe Andante. I fate between this Abate and the chevalier Gluck, during dinner, and we all three talked more than we eat. Gluck recounted to me the difficulties he had met with in difciplining the band, both of vocal and inftrumental performers, at the rehearfals of Orfeo, which was the firft of his operas that was truly drama- tic ; and even after it had fucceeded with the public, at the coronation of the pre- fent [ 2 8 7 ] fent Emperor, as king o£ the Romans, upon which occafion it was firft perform- ed, the Emprefs Queen did not like it; however, hearing every one fpeak favour- ably of it at court, and finding it the general topic of converfation, me deter- mined to give it a fecond hearing, after which her imperial majefty expreffed her approbation of this opera, by fending the poet Calfabigi a diamond ring, and Gluck a rich purfe, lined with a hundred ducats. A few years fince, a comic opera of Gluck's was performed at the Elector Palatine's theatre, at Schwetzingen : his Electoral bighnefs was much ftruck with the mufic, and enquired who had com- pofed it | and, upon being informed that it was the production of an honeft Ger- man, who loved old hock; ls I think, " fays the Elector, he deferves to be *f made drink for his trouble ;" and or- dered him a tun^rtiot indeed quite fo big as f 288 ] as that at Heidelberg, but a very large one, and full of excellent wine. After dinner, a duet, for two violins, by the Abate, was tried by himfelf and M. Startzel, an excellent player, and as good a mufician. This performer is re- markably happy in the compolition of ballet and pantomime mufic, for the theatre -, but the Abate Cofta's duo was fo difficult, both in time and ftyle, that it was never well performed after twenty or thirty trials. At length the company, which was now much encreaied, became impatient to hear mademoifelle Gluck fing, which fhe did, fometimes with her uncle's ac- companiment, on the harpfichord only, and fometimes with more inftruments, in fo exquifite a manner, that I could not conceive it poffible for any vocal per- formance to be more perfect. She executed, admirably, feveral entire fcenes in her uncle's operas, of which the t 2 8 9 j the mufic was fo truly dramatic, pi&u- refque, and well expreffed, that, if my conjecture be adrniffible, of the firft vocal mufic being the voice of paffion and cry of nature, the chevalier Gluck's compe- titions, and his niece's performance, en- tirely fulfill that idea. In fome fcenes of great diftrefs, in which the human heart is torn by com- plicated mifery, by " horrors accumu- late," it is then that M. Gluck, tranfporU ed beyond the bounds of ordinary ge- nius, gives fuch energy and colouring to paflionj as to become at once poet, painter, and mufician. He feems to be the Michael Angelo of mufic, and is as happy in painting difficult attitudes, and fituations of the mind, as that painter was of the body ; indeed, his exprelTion of paffion may fometimes be too flrong for common hearers : but, II echappe fouvent des fons a la douleur, Qui font faux pour 1'oreilic, & font vrais pour le cceur. DORAT. U Be- [ - *9° 1 Between the vocal parts of this delight- ful concert, we had fome exquifite quar-* tets, by Haydn, executed in the utmoft perfe&ion ; the firft violin by M. Startz- ler, who played the Adagios with un- common feeling and expreffion -, the fe- cond violin by M. Ordonetz; count Briihl played the tenor, and M. Weigel, an ex- cellent performer on the violoncello, the bafe. All who had any mare in this concert, finding the company attentive, and in a difpofition to be pleafed, were animated to that true pitch of enthufiafm, which, from the ardor of the fire within them, is communicated to others, and fets all around in a blaze ; fo that the contention between the performers and hearers, was only who fhould pleafe, and who mould applaud the mod ! When this mufical repaft was over, I went home with M. L'Augier, to hear a Florentine poet, the Abate Cafti, re- peat his own verfes, which he did from memory, for feveral hours, without the leaft [ 2 9i 3 Jeaft flop or hefitation. Lord Stormont and mofl of the company came after us; and flayed till twelve o'clock. This poet has energy, humour, fire, and in- vention ; he has Veriifled fome of Boc- caccio's and Voltaire's loofefl tales, and written other very free ones himfelf. Saturday 5th. This morning was fpent in the imperial library, and at the Countefs Thun's, who was on the point of going to Laxemberg for a longer time than I was likely to flay at Vienna. This was an afflicting circumflance, as her houfe was always open to me, and ihe did every thing in her power to pro- cure me entertainment and fervices. She was now furrounded by her friends, who, though they were not in my fitu- ation, but were fure of feeing her again Very foon* either here, or at Laxem- berg j yet they had almofi tears in their eyes, at the thoughts of lofing her, only for a few days. During this Vifit fhe was fo kind as to produce all U 2 her [ 202 ] her mufical curiofities, for me to hear and fee, before we parted. Her tafte is ad- mirable, and her execution light, neat, and feminine ; however, fhe told me that lhe had played much better than at pre- fent, and humouroufly added, that me had had fix children, and that " every " one of them had taken fomething from " her," She is a chearful, lively, and beneficent being, whom every one here feems to love as a favourite fitter. She is niece to the once handfome prince Lobkowitz, who was in England in 1745 and 46, and much connected with the famous count St. Germain, who made fo much noife at that time, not only with his fiddle, but his myfterious conduct and equivocal character. This prince is now retired from the world, and will not fee even his relations and beft friends for many months together. He had cultivated mufic fo far, as not only to play and to judge well, but even to compofe in a fuperior manner; and his [ 293 ] his niece gave me feveral of his pieces, which had great merit and novelty, par- ticularly a fong for two orcheftras, which no mailer in Europe need be afhamed of. In confequence of the application which lord Stormont had kindly made for my being introduced to Metaftafio, his lord- jfhip had received a very polite mefiage from him, with an aflurance that he would be glad to fee him and me, any evening his excellency would be pleafed to appoint This was a mod defirable circumftance, as Metaftafio is ufually inacceffible of an afternoon, to all but his three or four felect friends, and in a morning nothing but a general converfation could be ob- tained. Lord Stormont being engaged every day till Saturday, fixed on that af- ternoon for gratifying my defire of fee- ing and converting with the favourite poet of every mufician, who has the leaft knowledge of the Italian language. Sa- U 3 turday [ 294 ] turday was now come, and I was bfg with expectation for the event. At fix o'clock in the evening lord Etormont carried me to him. We founc| only one of his particular friends with him, who is likewife one of the imperial librarians, and the perfon to whom I had been introduced at the library, and who had arranged the vifit. This great poet is lodged, as many Other great poets have been before him, in a very exalted fituation, up no lefs than four pair of flairs. Whether mo- dern bards prefer the fublimity of this abode, on account of its being fomewhat on a level with Mount ParnafTus, nearer their fire Apollo, or in the neighbour'- hood of gods in general, I fhall not de- termine ; but a more plain and humble reafon can be affigned for MetaftanVs habitation being " twice two ftories high," if we confider the peculiar pre- rogative which the emperor enjoys at Vienna! [ 295 1 Vienna, of appropriating, to the ufe of the officers of his court and army, the Jirji floor of every houfe and palace in that city, fix or eight privileged places only excepted. On this account, princes., ambaftadors, and nobles, ufually inhabit the fecond flories j and the third, fourth, and even fifth floors, the houfes being ^ery large and high, are well fitted up, for the reception of opulent and noble families ; and our poet, though he oc- cupies that part of a houfe, which, in England, is thought only fit for domef- tics to fleep in, has, neverthelefs, an ex- ceeding good and elegant apartment, in which an imperial laureate may, with all due dignity, hold clallianpe with the Mufes. He received us with the utmofl: chearr fulnefs and good-breeding -, and I was no lefs aflonifhed than pleafed at finding Jjim look fo well : he does not feem more jhan fifty years of age, though he is at U 4 leaft [ 296 1 leaft feventy-two*; and, for that time of life, he is the handfomeft man I ever beheld There are painted on his countenance all the genius, goodnefs, propriety, bene- volence, and rectitude, which conftantly characterife his writings. I could not keep my eyes oft his face, it was fa pleafing and worthy of contemplation. His converfation was of a piece with his appearance : polite, eafy, and lively. We got him to open upon mufic much more than we expected \ for, in general, he avoids entering deep into any parti-? cular fubject. He fet off, however, by faying, that he could furnith me with very few new lights upon my fubjecl, as he had never confidered it with fuffi- cient attention; however, in the courfe of our converfation, he difcovered him- * There is an edition of his opera of Giufrino, extant, which was printed in 17x3 ; and as he was faid to have been fourteen when he wrote that poem, \t throws his birth into the Jaft century. felf [ 297 1 felf to have a very good general know- ledge both of the hiftory and theory of mufu j and I was very much flattered to find his fentiments correfpond with my own in many doubtful particulars. We difcuffed the following fubjects : the mufical fcales of the ancient Greeks $ their melody, chorus, modes, and de- clamation ; the origin of modern har- mony and operas -, the fondncfs for fugues in the laft century, and for noife in this, Sec. &c, He feems rather pleafed with Mr. Hoole's tranflation of the two firft vq* lumes of his woiksj but thinks, with me, that if he has failed, it is more in the fongs than recitatives : however, in excufe for Mr. Hooje, he fays, that the cafe is hopelefs in translating Italian poetry, for the language itfelf is fo foft and mufical, that no other can furnifh words equivalent in fweetnefs. He likes no one of the many thoufand tranflations and imitations of his Grazi e ogllnganni tuoL t 298 ] fuoi. I afked him, if he was author of a duo to thefe words, which I had pro^ cured many years ago, and fung him the two or three fir ft bars; and he faid, ft fomething like it." We talked of the different editions of Jiis works ; he thinks thofe of Paris and Turin, in ten volumes, are the moft complete and correct. Thefe contain all that he intended to publifh, except the opera of Ruggiero, performed at Milan laftyearj lord Stormont lamented that the pieces were not arranged in an exact chronological order ; but Metaftafio faid, that it was of little moment to the pub- lic whether he wrote Artaferfe, or Didone firf|:j however, he confeffed, that there were fome particulars which gave birth to feveral of thefe pieces, which perhaps fhould be known. Here he told us, that when his mif- trefs, theEmprefs Queen was going to be married to the duke of Lorrain, he was applied to for an opera on the occafion, 3P4 - [ 299 ] and he had only eighteen days allowed him to write it in. He immediately cried out, that it was impoffible ; but, when he got home, he fketched out the ftory of Achilles in Sciros ; he delineated a kind of argument upon a large fheet of paper; here he was to begin ; thus far the firft a£t -, thefe the incidents of the fe- cond, and this, the cataftrophe of the third. Then he diftributed bufinefs to his feveral characters ; here a fong, here a duo, and here a foliloquy. He then proceeded to write the dialogue, and to divide it into fcenes, which were feve- rally given to the compofer the moment they were finifhed, and by him to the performer to be got by heart. For the eighteen days included the whole arrange- ment of poetry, mufic, dancing, fcenes, and decorations. He faid, that neceffity frequently aug- mented our powers, and forced us to per- form, not only what we thought ourfelves incapable of, but in a much more expedi- tious, [ 3°° ] tious, and often in a better manner, than the operations of our choice and leifure ; he added, that Hypermnejira was produced in nine days, and it is remark- able, that Achilles and Hypermnejira are two of Metaftaiio's beft dramas. Lord Stormont afked if he had ever (tt any of his operas to mufic himfelf, and he anfwered, that he was not muiician fuf- ficient ; he had, indeed, now and then given a compofer the motivo, or fubjecl: of an air, to mew how he wiihed it (hould exprefs his words ; but no more. His lordmip told him, that old Fonte- nelle had faid, in* his hearing, that no mufical drama would be perfect, or inter- efting, till the poet and muiician were one, as in ancient times; and that when Rouf- feau's Devin du Village came out, and fo delighted every hearer, the literary pa- triarch Fontenelle, attributed its fuccefs to that union of poet and mufician. But Metaftafio faid, that mulical com- pofition, was now an aiFair of fo much fkill [ 3 01 ] fkill and fcience, in regard to counterpoint, the knowledge of inftruments, thepowers of a finger, and other particulars, that it required too much time and application for a modern poet, or man of letters, to acquire them. He faid, he did not think there that was now one finger left, who could fuftain the voice in the manner the old fingers were uied to do. I endeavoured to ac- count for this, and he agreed with me, that theatrical mufic was become too inftrumental; and that the cantatas of the beginning of this century, which were fung with no other accompani- ment than a harpfichord or violoncello, required better finging than the prefent fongs, in which the noify accompani- ments can hide defects as well as beau- ties, and give relief to a finger. He feemed to think, that the mufic of the laft age was in general too full of fugues, of parts, and contrivances, to be felt or underitood, except by artifts. All i the. [ 2° 2 1 the different movements of the feveral parts, their inverfions and divisions, he faid, were unnatural, and, by covering and deforming the melody, only occafion* ed confufion. He confirmed to me the flory of his having been forced, by Gravina, to tranf- late the whole Iliad of Homer into Ita- lian Ottave Rime, at twelve years old; He likewife mentioned his having made verfes all* i?nprovvifa when young; but that he had difcontinued the practice before he was feventeen. Severaljok.es efcaped him in thecourfe of our converfation, and he was equally chearful, polite, and attentive, the whole time. We flayed with him juft two hours ; and/at my going away, he fhook me by the hand, enquired where I lodg- ed, and faid he would wait on me ; but I begged he would not give himfelf that trouble, faying that I mould be perfectly happy in a permiffion to pay my refpects to him again : he then defired me to come [ 3°3 1 come whenever I pleafed, and allured me that he fhould be always glad to fee me. He called for candles, and faid it was fo dark that our words could not find the way to their destination. He fpoke to his fervant in German, eftt £tcf)tt upon which I afked him if he had had patience to learn that language ? he replied, " A " few words only, to fave my life :" meaning to afk for neceflaries, or he ihould have been ftarved to death. Lord Stormont faid that news of a re- Volution in Sweden had arrived that morning. This occafioned a political converfation for fome time, which I wifhed very much to have changed — — Ecco; fays Metaftafio, turning to me, utf altra fcena per la drama ! Here's a new fcene for the drama! Heobferved, that the interefls of mankind were fo various and fo oppofite, and even a man's own conceptions were fo frequently at ftrife , with f 3°4 ] with themfelves, that it was not poffible for the world to go on without thefe fud- den events, which mould furprife no one who confiders how full the head of man is of contradictions and caprice. Sunday morning, 6th. In my way to the nuncio's, whence I was to fet of? with the Abate Taruffi, to make M tafio another vifit, I was flopt by a pio-* ceffion of, literally, two or three miles long, finging a hymn to the Virgin, in three parts, and repeating each fianza after the priefts, in the van, at equal diftances 5 fo that the inftant one com- pany had done, it was taken up by an- other behind, till it came to the women in the rear, who, likewife, at eqcal dif- tances, repeated, in three parts, the few fimple notes of this hymn; and even after them it was repeated by girls, who were the laft perfonsin the proceffion. When thefe had done, it was begun again by the priefts, The melody was fomething like this : r $°s j « :d: -a- I was told by an Italian at Vienna, that the Auftrians are extremely addicted to proceffions, portdtijjimi alle procejfioni. There were five or fix of thefe pro- ceffions this morning ; and yet it is ob- ferved, that they are much lefs frequent than formerly : however, not a day pann- ed, while I remained in this city, with- out one or more to fome church or con- vent: but all this helps to teach the peo- ple to ling in different parts. When Signor Tarufli and I arrived at Metaftafio's levee, we found about fix or eight perfons with him, chiefly Ita- lians j his excellency the governor of the city, came in after us. The great poet received me very courteoufly, and placed me on a fopha, juft by him. I now delivered him a letter from Min- gotti, and Signor Taruffi read Mr. Baret- X ti's [ 3°6 ] ti's letter concerning me ; (o that here were many claims upon him : however lord Stormont had done the bufinefs com- pletely, without any other help. After the perufal of thefe letters, the converfation turned upon the poet Mig- liavacca, of Milan, who has long been laureate to the court of Drefden. Me- taflafio mentioned him with great praife : he faid that he was a man of infinite knowledge, and of great genius -, yet he wrote but little, for he had ideas of per- fection which neither himfelf, nor per- haps any one elfe, could fatisfy ; befides, added Metaflafio, f« he has had but little " practice. And all is habit in mankind, (t even virtue itjelf." The difcourfe then became general and mifcellaneous, till the arrival of a young lady, who was received by the whole company with great refpect. She was well dreffed, and had a very elegant appearance : this was Signora Marti- netz, fitter to Signor Martinetz, deputy librarian [ 2°7 3 librarian at the imperial library, whofe father was ah old friend of Metaftaiio. She was born in the houfe in which he now lives, and educated under his eye : her parents were Neapolitans, but the name is Spanifh, as the family originally was. After the high encomiums beftowed by the Abate Tarufti on the talents of this young lady, I was very defirous of hearing and converfing with her ; and', Metaftaiio was Toon fo obliging as to pro- pofe her fitting down to the harpfichord, which £he immediately did, in a graceful manner, without the parade of diffidence, or the trouble of importunity. Her per- formance indeed furpafled all that I had been made to expedt. She fung two airs of her own compoiition, to words of Metaftafio, which ihe accompanied on the harpfichord, in a very judicious and mafterly manner; and, in playing the ritornels, I could difcover a very brilliant finger. X 2 The [ 3°8 } The airs were very well written, in sr modern ftyle ; but neither common, nof unnaturally new. The words were welt fet, the melody was fimple, and great room was left for exprefiion and embel- lishment; but her voice and manner of finging, both delighted and aftonimed me ! I can readily fubfcribe to what Me- taftafio fays, that it is a flyle of finging which no longer fubfifls elfewhere, as it requires too much pains and patience for modern profeffors : e perduta lafcaola ; nonji trova que/} a maniera di can tar-, do- manda troppa pma per i profejjori d'oggi di. I iliould fuppofe that Piftocco, Ber- nacclii, and the old fchool of finging, in the time of cantatas, fuflained, divided the voice by minute intervals, andexprelfed words in this manner, which is not to be defcribed : common language cannot exprefs uncommon effects. To fay that her voice was naturally well-toned and fweet, that fhe had an excellent ihake,. a perfect intonation, a facility of exe- cuting L 3°9 ] cuting the moft rapid and difficult paf- fages, and a touching expreffion, would be to fay no more than I have already faid, and with truth, of others; but here I want words that would dill encreafe the Significance and energy of thefe ex- preffions. The Italian augrnentatives would, perhaps, gratify my wifh, if I were writing in that language ; but as that is not the cafe, let me only add, that in the portamento, and divifions of tones and femi-tones into infinitely minute parts, and yet always flopping upon the exac~l fundamental, Signora Martinetz was more perfect than any finger I had ever heard : her cadences too, of this kind, were very learned, and truly pathetic and pleafing. After thefe two fongs, me played a very difficult leffon, of her own compo- fition, on the harpfichord, with great rapidity and precifion. She has com- nofed a Miferere, in four parts, with fe- X 3 veral [ 3 10 ] veral Pfalms, in eight parts, and is a mod excellent contrapuntist. The company broke up fooner than I wimed, as it was Metaflaiio's time for going to mafs. During this vifit, I dif- covered that Signora Martinetz, among her other accomplifhments, both reads and foeaks Engiiih. She invited me to come again, as did the divine poet ; fo that I now regarded myfelf as amico della cqfa. ' The imperial laureate was carried to church in a very elegant carriage, which I rejoiced to fee : his talents and his vir- tues merit all that can be done for him. His peniion is about five hundred pounds Iterling a year, which, with his regular life and ceconomy, enables him to live in a very reputable, though not fplendid manner. After dining with his excellency Mon- iignore Vifconti, his fecretary carried me a fecond time to the houfe of Signor Ha/Tea r 3" ] Haffe, in the gan&flffl^/ the prettiefi of all the Fauxbourgs of Vienna. It is a delightful drive of about a mile and half beyond the gates, and is within the lines, though without the walls; chiefly through one (ireet, with frequent openings, that let palaces, churches, and fine houfes, into the profpecl:. We found all the family at home, and were very chearful and focial. Signora Fauftinais very con verfable, and is flill pofTefTed of much curiofity concerning what is tranfacting in the world. She has likewife good remains, for feventy- two, of that beauty for which me was fo much celebrated in her youth, but none of her fine voice ! I allied her to fing — Ah non pqffb /-—/id perduto tutte /e miefacolta. Alas ! I am no longer able, faid me, I have loft all my faculties. I was extremely captivated with the converfation of Si z nor Flails. He was eafy, communicative, and rational; equal- ly free from pedantry, pride, and preju- X 4 dice. [ 3 12 I iiice. He fpoke ill of no one -, but, on the contrary, did juftice to the talents of feveral compofers that were occafionally named, even to thofe of Porpora ; who, though his firft mafter, was ever after his. greateft rival. He thinks, with Metafta- fio, that the good fchool for (inging is loft ; and fays, that fince the time of Piftocco, Bernacchi, and Porpora, no great fcholars have been made. I a.fked him again for a lift of his works, and he told me that he had fet all the operas of Metaftafio, ex? cept Temiflocle , fome of them three or four times over, and almoft all of them twice : befides thefe, he had fet many operas, written by Apoftolo Zeno ; for, jn his youth, Metaftafio did not write faft enough for him. To thefe compo- fitions for the theatre, muft be added fourteen or fifteen Oratorios, with Majes, Mifereresy Stabat Maters y'and Salve Reginas, for the church. Befides all which, he added, that his Cantatas, Serenatas, Inter- mezf [ 3 T 3 ] mezzos ,2.ndDz!ets for voices -, his trios, quar- tets, and concertos, for inftruments, were fo numerous, that he mould not know many of them again, if he was either to fee or hear them. He modeftly com- pared himfelf to animals of the greatefl fecundity, whofe progeny were either deftroyed during infancy, or abandoned to chance ; and added, that he, like other bad fathers, had more pleafure in producing, than in preferving his ofF- fpring. However, this cenfure muft be confined to the offspring of his brain, for, as I before obferved, he has taken great care of the education of his daugh- ters. During this vifit, thefe young ladies were fo obliging as to fing to me a Salve Regina, lately fet by their father, in duo. It is an exquifite composition, full of grace, tafte, and propriety. One of his daughters has afweetyS- prano voce di earner a y of which the tone }s delicate and interefting : the other has a rich [ 3H ] a rich and powerful contralto voice, fit for any church or theatre in Europe: both have good makes, and fuch an ex- preffion, tafte, and fleadinefs, as it is natu- ral to expect in the daughters and fcho- lars of Signor HalTe and Signora Fauf- tina. After the Salve "Regina, thefe excellent performers fung feveral airs, in different ityles, of their father's compoiition, in a truly noble and elegant manner. Signor HalTe is fo much afflicted with the gout, that his fingers are ftiff, and diftorted with it; and yet there are re- mains of a great player, in his manner of touching the harpfichord, and of ac- companying; nor is it for want of knowing learned, extraneous, and equivocal mo- dulation, that he is fo fparing of it in his works. He played me an extempore Toccato or Capriccio, in which he intro- duced fome that was truly' wonderful ; but he has too found a judgment, to la- vim upon common and trivial occafions, what [ Ps 1 what mould be referred for extraordi- nary purpofes. His modulation is, in general, fimple, his melody natural, his accompaniments free from confufion ; and, leaving to fops and pedants all that frights, aftonimes, and perplexes, he lets no other arts be difcoverable in his compofitions, than thofe of pleafing the ear, and of fatisfying the under- ftanding. His daughters complain of want of practice, and fay they hardly ever ling ; for their father is always either ill or bu fy. He is going, next fpring, to Venice, the birth-place of Signora Fauftina, and it feems as if they both had determined to fpend the reft, of their days there. It does not appear that Signor HalTe has at prefent either penlion or employ- ment at Vienna. He had great lofTes during the laft war; all his books, ma- riufcripts, and effects were burned at the bombardment of Drefden, by the King of [ 3'6 ] of Pruffia, to a very confiderable amount. He was going to print a complete edi- tion of all his works j the late king of Poland promifed to be at the expence of paper and prefs -, but after M. Breitkopf, of Leipzig, had made a beginning, and got together materials for the whole im~ preffion, the war broke out, and put an end to all his hopes from this enter- prize, and to thofe of the public. He, however, does great juftice to the mu- fical talents of the King of Pruffia; and is even fo candid, as to fay, that he believes, if his majefty had known that contingencies would have obliged him to bombard Drefden, he would pre- viouily have apprized him of it, that he might have faved his effects. FaufHna, who is a living volume of mufical hiftory, furnifhed me with many anecdotes of her cotemporary performers, She fpoke much of Handel's great ftyle of playing the harpfichord and organ when me was in England, and faid, me 2 remem* [ 3*7 ] remembered Farinelli's coming to Ve- nice, in the year 1728, and the rapture and aftonifhment with which he was then heard. Monday 7th. This whole morning was fpent in the public library, in fearch of old Miffals, mufical treatifes, and compofitions. M. Martinetz, brother to the young lady whom I had heard fing and play her own compofitions fa well at MetaftahVs, attended and aflifted me the whole time. I afked him, of whom his flfter learned mufic, and where ihe had acquired her expreffive manner of finging j he faid, ihe had had feveral maf- ters to teach her the grammar and me- chanifm of mufic ; but that it was Me- taftafio who had done the reft. I obtained the following particulars from a perfon of high rank, who has re- fided at Vienna fo long, that he is per- fectly acquainted with the hiftory of mufical people. The t 3'8 ] The great linger fignora Tefi, who was a celebrated performer, upwards of fifty years ago, lives here -, me is now more than eighty, but has long quitted the ftage» She has been very fprightly in her day, and yet is at prefent in high favour with the Emprefs Queen. Her flory is fomewhat lingular. She was connected with a certain count, a man of great quality and diftinction, whole fond- nefs, encreafed by enjoyment, to fuch a degree as to determine him to marry. her : a much more uncommon refolution in a perfon of high birth on the conti- nent than in England. She tried to dif- fuade him ; enumerated all the bad confequences of fuch an alliance ; but. he would lillen to no reafoning, nor take any denial. Finding all rembnftrances vain, fhe left him one morning, went into a neighbouring ftreet, and addreliing herfelf to a poor labouring man, a jour- neyman baker, faid (he would give him fifty ducats if he would marry her ; not with [ 3*9 3 with a view to their cohabiting together, but to ferve a prefent purpofe. The poor man readily confented to become her nominal hufband : accordingly they were formally married ; and when the count renewed his felicitations, fhe told him it was now utterly impoffible to grant his requeft, for fhe was already the wife of another ; a facrifice (lie had made to his fame and family. Since this time (lie has lived, many years, with a man of great rank at Vien- na, of near her own age ; probably in a very chafte and innocent manner. The Teuberinn, another celebrated opera finger, likewife reiides here ; but, fhe is peremptorily ordered by her phy- fician never to fing again. Her health was fo impaired in Ruflia, that it is pro- nounced by the faculty, that the exercife of her former proferlion would certainly be fatal to her. It was the Tefi who taught both the Teuberinn and De Amici to fing as well 8 as t 3 2 o ] as to a£L She had in her youth beeri very fuperior to all her cotemporaries iri both capacities of finger and actrefs, and was afterwards remarkably happy in con-* veying inductions to her pupils. Sept. 8. I expected that this would be a fruitlefs day, with regard to my mufical refearches; it was a great fefli- val ; the library was fhut up, and all the world was in gala, and at their devotions; it is pleafant enough to walk the ftreets on thefe days, and fee the people, freed from toil and care, appear all clean and chearfuL The Portuguefe abate called on me early in the morning, and after a long mufical difeourfe, He invited me to his room, to hear fome of his competitions on the guittar, in peace and quiet, which it had been impoffible to do at lord Stormont's; he hates mortally more than two or three hearers at a time. I follow- ed him to his garret, more than twice two ilories high ; here he played the fame pieces f 321 ] pieces as at lord Stormont's, but with more effect, in ftill filence. He is quite original in his ideas and modulation, but repeats his paffages too often* From hence, I went to St. Stephen's cathedral, where high mafs was juft begun, on account of its being the Nati- vity of the Virgin. The band was rein- forced 1 there were more than the ufual number of inftruments, as well as voices ; but the organ was infufferably out of tune, which contaminated the whole performance. In other refpects, the mufic, which was chiefly by Co- lonna, was excellent in its kind, confid- ing of fugues well worked, much in Handel's way, with a bold and active bafe. Some fine effects were produced with the fortes and pianos, by finking the firft note of a bar loud, the reft foft, F. P. F. P. and by introducing a piece of pathetic Y for [ 322 ] for voices only, in the middle of a noify, full, inftrumental chorus. There was a girl, who fung a folo verfe, in the Credo, extremely well, in a mezzo foprano voice ; her (hake and ftyle of finging were good. There were like- wife feveral fymphonies for inftruments only, compofed by M. Hofman, maejiro di capella of this church, which were well written and well executed, except that the hateful four organ, poifoned all whenever it played. In the muiic com- pofed by M. Hofman, though there was great art and contrivance, yet the mo- dulation was natural, and the melody fmooth and elegant. "As much art as " you pleafe in your muiic, gentlemen'', faid I, frequently, to the Germans, " provided it be united with nature; and " even in a marriage between art and *' nature, I mould always wifli the lady te to wear the breeches ." In the afternoon, I called on M. L'Augier, and there, among other com- pany £ p3 J party met again with the Florentine pdetj Abate Cafti, who repeated feveral of his poems, particularly, a tale from Voltaire* called & Art d'elever une Fille j which was extremely arch and comic. ' . M. L'Augier being in the fervice of the court, was obliged to attend the emperor the next day at Laxembergj I was lorry to lofe him, as his houfe was an excel- lent retreat, when I could fpare time to enjoy it; and his converfation concerning mufic and m.uiicians was in a particular manner entertaining and profitable. He blamed me much for not continu- ing the whole winter at Vienna, but if I had flayed a full year in every great city of Europe, the inhabitants would have thought its curiofities and impor- tance merited flill more attention ; and what a longevity mud I be poflefTed of, to gratify fuch patriotifm ? and wheri would my enquiries, and my hiftory end ? When M. L'Augier faid, that Vienna de- ferved a much longer vifit, I afked him, after HafTe, duck, and Wagenfeil, what Y 2 more* [ 3^4 1 more great muficians were to be found in this city ? Haydn, Ditters, and Scar- latti, the nephew to Dominico Scarlatti, were out of town ; I knew there were Gafman, Vanhall, Hofmann, Mancini 5 and he added Kohaut, a great lutanift, La Motte, a violinift, and Venturini, a hautboy ; but moil of thefe I could fee and hear, before my departure. To get admifiion into the archives of the impe- rial chapel, was now the mod important bufinefs I had to tranfaft ; and my Por- tuguefe Abate had promifed to introduce me to M. Gafman, the Emperor's maefiro di capella, for that purpofe. After quitting M. L'Augier, I vifited M. Wagenfeil, where I found my good friend the Abate Cofta, who had played the precurfor, and prepared him for my arrival. Wagenfeil is rather in years, thin, and infirm; he was confined to his couch, but received me very politely, and con- verfed freely on the fubject of mufic for a con- [ 3*5 3 for a confiderable time ; he has a great refpect for Handel, and fpeaks of fome of his works with rapture j he could not ftir from his feat, and his left hand had been fo ill treated by the gout, that he was hardly able to move two of his fingers. However, at my ur- gent requeft, he had a harpfichord wheeled to him, and he played me fe- veral capriccios, and pieces of his own compofition, in a very fpirited and maf- terly manner ; and though I can eafily believe, that he once played better ; yet, he had furrlcient fire and fancy left to pleafe and entertain, though not to fur- prife me very much; he was fo obliging as to promife me copies of feveral of his manufcript compofitions for the harpfi- chord, and to make a fmall mufical party for me, at his houfe, in order to give me an opportunity of hearing fome of his fcholars. He has been confined to his room thefe feven years by a lamenefs, which came Y 3 on [ 326 ] pn by degrees in a very uncommon man- ner. The linews of his right thigh are contracted, and the circulation flopt -, (o that It is become incurably withered, and ufelefs. He is fifty-eight years of age, was a fcholar of Fux, and many years mailer to the Emprefs Queen, on which account he llill enjoys a peniion of fifteen hundred florins a-year. He is now no- minal matter to the arch-ducheffes, for which he has, likewife, a fmall penfion. Thefe are fortunate circumftances for a perfon totally incapable of quitting his room, in order to exercife his profeffion. However, he teaches at home, and com- pofes, by which he fomewhat augments his income; and, as he is luckily a Angle man, and Vienna not a dear place for the natives to live in, he may be fuppofed in cafy circumflances. The diverlions for the common peo- ple of this place, are fuch as feem hardly fit for a civilized and poliihed nation to allow. Particularly the combats,-^ they arc f 3 2 7 1 are called, or baiting of wild beafts, in a manner much more favage and ferocious than our bull-baiting, throwing at cocks, and prize-fighting of old, to which the legiilature has fo wifely and humanely put a flop*. Thefe * The raoft exact and leaft fufpicious defcription I can give of thefe diverfions will be literally to tranflate a; hand-bill, fuch as is distributed through the ftreets every Sunday and feflival. " This day, by imperial licence, in the great He furprifed me much by the number of fugues, and chorufles, which he fhew- ed me of a very learned and lingular con- duction, which he had made as exercifes and ytb. " Will appear a fierce wild boar, juft * c caught, which will now be baited for the firft t* time, by dogs defended with iron armour, 8th. " A beautiful African tyger. 9th. " This will be changed for a bear. 10th. " A frefh and fierce Hungarian ox, Uth. " And laftly, a furious and hungry bear, *' which has had no food for eight days, will at-. ** tack a young wild bull, and eat him alive up- *' on the fpot j and if he is unable to complete f 1 the bufinefs, a wolf will be ready to help him." [ 3 2 9 3 and ftudies. Some of them were com- pofed in two or three different times, as well as upon two or three different fub- jebis ; and feveral of thefe, he faid, the emperor had pra&ifed. M. Gafman is accufed by fome of want of fire in his theatrical compofi- tions; but the gravity of his flyle is eafi- ly accounted for, by the time and pains he rnu't have bellowed on church mufic. To aim at equal perfection in both, is trying to ferve God and Mammon; and thoie excellent compofers for the church, whofe works have furvived them, fuch as Paleftrina, Tallis, Birde, Allegri, Bene- voli, Colonna, Caldara, Lotti, Perti, and Fux, have confined themfelves wholly to the church flyle. Aleffandro Scarlatti, Handel, Pergolefi, and Jomelli, are excep- tions But, in general, thofe fucceed befl in writing for the church, ftage, or cham- ber, who accuftom themfelves to that particular fpecies of compofition only. I do not call every modern oratorio, mafs, or motet, church mufic, as the fame compofitions t 3'3° 1 Compofitions to different words would do equally well, indeed often better, for the ftage. But by Mujica di Chief a, proper- ly fo called, I mean grave and fcientific compofitions for voices only, of which the excellence confifts more in good har- mony, learned modulation, and fugues upon ingenious and fober fubjedls, than in light airs and turbulent accompani- ments. There are two mufical archives or li- braries belonging to the Imperial theatre and chapel. Of one, the emperor had taken away the key; but it contained only the works of compofers, who had flou- rifhed in the prefent century, fuch as Fux, Telemann, Handel, and Porpora. Of the other, M. Gafman had the key, and promifed to go with me thither the next day : the public library occupied the reft of this. There was mufic every day, during dinner, and in the evening at the inn, where I lodged, which was the Golden Ox; [ 33 1 ] Ox ; but it was ufually bad, particularly that of a band of wind instruments, which constantly attended the ordinary. This confifted of French horns, clarinets, haut- boys, and baffoons; all fo miferably out of tune, that I wiilied them a hundred miles off. In general I did not find that delicacy of ear among the German ftreet-mufici- ans, which I had met with in people of the fame rank and profeSfion in Italy. The church organs being almoft always out of tune here, may be occasioned by the parfimony or negligence of the cler- gy, bimop, or fuperior of a church or convent ; but the being, or Stopping, in or out of tune, among Street muficians, muSt depend on themfclves, and on their organs being acute or obtufe. It is perhaps not eafy to determine what kind of air is moft fit for the pro- pagation of mufical found ; whether thick or thin, moift. or dry; and if this were determined, it might Still be doubted in what [ 33 2 ] what kind of air mufic would be heard to the greateft advantage, becaufe, pofli- bly, that air which is moft favourable to the tranfmifiion of found, abftracledly confidered, may render the organs, by which it is perceived, lefs acutely fen- fible. Thurfday ioth. This morning Signor Mancini, of Bologna, finging mafter to the Imperial court and family, was fo obliging, at the requeft of the auditor Taruffi, as to call on me at my lodgings. He was a fcholar of Bernacchi, and has been fifteen years in the fervice of this court. He has taught eight of the arch- dutcheffes to fing, moft of whom, he fays, had good voices, and had made a con- fiderable progrefs, particularly the prin- cefs of Parma, and the arch-dutchefs Elizabeth, who have good makes, a good portamentOy and great facility of exe- cuting fwift divifions. Signor Mancini fpeaks with much in- telligence of his art, and I was greatly pleafed [ 233 ] plealed with his converfation. He has for fome time been writing a book upon the art of finging, which is in great for- wardnefs ; and it is hoped that a perfon of fuch confummate knowledge, and long experience, will not keep from the world a work fo much wanted, as a well-writ- ten, profound, and, at the fame time, practical treatife on the art of finging. I obtained from this able profeffor, a lift of the Piftocco and Bernacchi fchool. Bernacchi was the fcholar of Piftocco, but his voice was never naturally good; and when he fung, for the firft time, at a church in Bologna, he was fo very much difliked, that fome of his acquaintance peremptorily told him, he mould leave off finging, unlefs he could perform better. This ftimulated and piqued him to take uncommon pains, well knowing that there was then no poffibility of changing his pro- feflion : a caftrato has feldom ftrength or fpirit fufficient for any other employment than that of muficj he therefore went fe- riouily [ 334 ] noufly to work, and, by a fevere ftudy* acquired a ftyle and manner of iinging, which was afterwards the ftandard of perfection in that art. His principal fcholars were Antonio Pafi, Geo. Battifta Minelli, Bartolomeo diFaenza, Mancini, andGuarducci* Signor Mancini thinks it practicable, with time and patience, not only to give a (hake where nature has denied it, but even to give voice ; that is, to make a bad one tolerable, and an indifferent one good, as well as to extend the compafs : always obferving the natural tendency of the organ. He told me of a curious operation per- formed frequently at Naples, of cutting the glands of the throat, when fo in-* flated, or big, as to obftruct the free pafr fage of the voice. For the (hake, he thinks it ruined nine- ty-nine times out of a hundred, by toct much impatience and precipitation* both in [ 335 J in the mafler and fcholar ; and many who can execute paffages, which require the fame motion of the larynx as the fhake, have notwithstanding never ac- quired one. There is no accounting for this, but from the neglect of the mafler to ftudy nature, and avail himfelf of thefe paffages, which, by continuity, would become real (hakes. On quitting Signor Mancini, I haftened to M. Gafman, who was waiting to carry me to the Imperial mufical library. I found in it an immenfe collection of mufical authors, but in fuch diforder, that their contents are, at prefent, almoft wholly unknown. However, M. Gaf- man has begun a catalogue, and is pro* mifed, by the Emperor, a large and. more commodious room for thefe books, than the prefent, in which they are. promifcuoufly piled, one on another, in the mod confufed manner imaginable. Yet I found a great number of cu- rious I [ 336 ] rious things from the beginning of coun- terpoint to the prefent time. Indeed the quantity of mufic here, of the Emperor Leopold's collecting, which is uniformly- bound, in white vellum, with his arms on the back, is almoft incredible ; it feems to be all that Italy and Germany had then produced : and for operas, in fcore, and parts, the lift of fuch only as have been performed at this court, would fill a folio volume. M. Gafman has afTured me, that in the courfe of his writing a complete cata- logue, he will remark all that is curious in this collection, both as to theory and practice, and will communicate it to me by letter ; and for this purpofe he defired me to give him my addrefs in England, which I wrote on parchment, and left in the library. I went again this afternoon to Wa- genfeiPs ; he had with him a little girl, his fcholar, about eleven or twelve years old, f 337 1 old, with whom he played duets upon two harpfichords, which had a very good effect. The child's performance was very neat and fteady. M. Wagenfeil was fo kind as to promife, at my requeft, to getj if pof- iible, fome of his duets, and other new pieces, tranfcribed for me by Sunday, when I was to return to him again, to hear them accompanied by violins, and to take my leave : there was a young Count here, another of his fcholars, who had a very rapid finger, and who exe- cuted fome very difficult harpfichord leflbns with great precifion. My friend, the ingenious and worthy Pcrtuguefe abate, was likewife of the party. From hence I went to the opera, which was i Rovinatiy compofed by Gafman, who was at the harpfichord. Whether his civilities in the morning had operated fecretly on my mind and ears, I cannot tell : but this mufic 'pleafed me much more than any of his compofitions which I had heard before. There was a con- Z traft, [ 338 ] traft, an oppofition and diffimilitude of movements and paffages, by which one contributed to the advantage and effecl: of another, that was charming ; and the instrumental parts were judicioufly and ingenioully worked. A fong of Clementina Baglioni, and a fcolding duo between her and the fecond woman, who was a German, and who, indeed, performed but indifferently, were, encored. The men who fung to- night pleafed me more than thofe I had heard before; a tenor, in particular, dis- covered much tafte, and had a pleafing, though not powerful voice. Thefe vague accounts of anonymous lingers, will afford the reader but fmall fatisfaction ; but it is all I am able to give him of performers of a lower order, as the names of fingers are never printed in the dramatis p erf once of Italian operas in Germany, and me- mory feldom affifts us in retaining the names of either perfons, or things, that are indifferent to us. Friday L 339 ] Friday iith. This morning I went to take leave of the chevalier Gluck ; and, though it was near eleven o'clock, when I arrived, yet, like a true great genius, he was ftill in bed ; Madame told me, that he ufually wrote all night, and lay in bed late to recruit. Gluck, when he appeared, did not make fo good a de- fence but frankly confeffed his iluggim- nefs, je fids nn pen poltron ce matin. The niece too was not yet vifible, and the aunt in her defence, faid, that me en- couraged her fleeping in the morning ; pour fortifier la poitrine, to flrengthen the lungs j and, I believe me was right, for this excellent little performer is far from robuft. M. Gluck and I had a long converfation concerning mufical and dramatic effects; concerning t h oj e 'which had been produced in hhOrfeo atViennatenyearsago, whenit was firft performed ; and three orfour years {Ince, whenit was revived at Parma, upon Z 2 the [ 34» J the marriage of the arch-duchefs, A^ melia, with the prefent duke; as well as at Bologna, lad year. lie is a great dif- ciplinarian, and as formidable as Handel ufed to be, when at the head of a band; but he allured me, that he never found his troops mutinous, though he, on no account, fuffered them to leave any part of their buiinefs, till it was well done, and frequently obliged them to repeat feme of his manoeuvres twenty or thirty times. This was the beft proof he eould give of the wholefomnefs of his difcipline ; for there is a ftrong preemp- tion, that, when it is endured without murmur, by men- not abfolute Haves to their commander, they are convinced of its expediency. Before we parted, which we did on very good terms, he furniihed me with* copies in fcore of his two lad operas of Alcefie & Parhie, and promifed to fend* me a copy of his famous ballet of Don JuaB L 341 3 yuan the next morning ; and he kept his word. From hence I went to Metaftafio where I was immediately admitted, thougn he was in difhabille, and juft going to drefs. Mademoifelle Martinetz was at her mufical ftudies, and writing ; (lie directly complied with my requefl, of fitting down to the harpfichord. Metaftafio de- fired her to fhcw me fome of her befl (ludies ; and fhe produced a pfalm for four voices, with inftruments. It was a mod agreeable Mefcolanza, as Metaftafio called it, of antico e moderno ; a mixture of the harmony, and contrivance of old times, with the melody and taite of the prefent. It was an admirable compofi- tion, and me played and fung it in a very mafterly manner, contriving fo well to fill up all the parts, that though it was a full piece, nothing feemed wanting. The words of this pfalm were Italian, and of Metaftafio V tranflation. Z 3 After [ 34'- ] After this fhe obliged me with a Latin motet, for a fmgle voice, which ^ was grave and folemn, without lan- guor or heavinefs ; and then played me a very pretty harpilchord fonata of her own, which was fpirited, and full of brilliant paffages. I could not finifh this viiit till I had petitioned Mademoifelle Martinetz to ob- lige me with copies of forne of her com- pofitions, which (he readily granted ; and I had my choice of whatever had pleafed me moll among the pieces which I had heard. I had the honour of dining with lord Stormont to-day, for the fixth and laft time, as he was to fet out on a journey at four o'clock the next morning : his lordfhip was extremely kind to the laft, offering me letters to Drefden, Berlin, and Hamburg. The frequent mention of thefe honours, will, I fear, have the appearance of vanity -, but a total filence abou| [ 343 ] about them, would fu rely favour of the worfe vice of ingratitude. After this I made a fhort vifit to fig- nor Taruffi, and then a very long one to Signor HafTe, who to-day read the plan of my hiitory, in German, with great attention, and talked over every article of it with the utmoft cordiality. It was an infinite fatisfa&ion to me, I muft own, to find my ideas fimilar in almoft all points, to thofe of fuch a man as this; whofe merit has been univerfally felt, and is now univerfally allowed. He faid, that his firfl opera was An~ tigono, which he fet, when he was only eighteen years of age, before he went into Italy. On his arrival at Naples, he was thought a very good player on the harpfichord. He ftudied at firft a little while under Porpora, as I had been be- fore told by Barbella ; but HafTe denied, that it was Porpora who introduced him to old Scarlatti. He fays, that the firft time Scarlatti faw him, he luckily con- Z 4. ceiveel [ 344 3 ceived fuch an affection for him, that he ever after treated him with the kind^- nefs of a father. When he went back into Germany, he was taken into the fervice of the E- lector of Saxony, who made him fet Antigono again. After this, he fet a German opera, which, with one more, was all he ever worked upon in that language. As he was born near Hamburg, he told me, that he was not only glad I was going thither, as it was his coun-r try, but, as I mould fee the great Ema- nuel Bach there, whom he very much refpected, and hear the bed organifls and organs, of any part of the world, unlefs they were much degenerated fince he was there. Above all things, he re- commended to me the foliciting Bach, to let me hear him upon the clavichord; and likewife defired me to enquire after afym- phony of that author in E la mi, minor, which he thought the finerl he had ever heard. [ 345 3 I afked him about the difpofition of the orcheftra at Drefden, in 1754, men- tioned by RoufTeau in his dictionary, as the beft poffible. He faid, this author's account of it was fo exact, that he fhould fuppofe him to have been there at the time. The king of Poland had then given Haffe unlimited power; and he had every thing of the bed kind, both in vocal and instrumental mufic, which it was poffible for him to affemble together. He frequently attended that prince to Warfaw, in Poland, where he compofed feveral operas. He faid the Polifh mufic was truly national, and often very tender and delicate. He mentioned to me a fong which he had made in the Polonoife ftyle, which was one of the moft lingular and the beft received of any one of his compofitions : of this he promifed me a copy, as well as of many other of his mod: curious and choice pieces. In fpeaking of compofers, he com- mended, the moil: of all, old Scarlatti, and r 346 j and Keifer * : Keifer, he aflured me, was, according to his conceptions, one of the greatefc muficians the world ever faw. His compoiitions are more voluminous than thofe of old Scarlatti, and his me- lodies, though more that fifty years old, are fuch as would now be thought mo- dern and graceful. This he faid had been always his opinion; and he was not likely to be biaffed by prejudice, as this compofer was neither his relation, his matter, nor even his acquaintance; but having lately looked at fomeof his works, he was aftonifhed to fee fo much more elegance, clearnefs, and grace, than are to be found in mod modern composi- tions, even now. He added, that Keifer compofed chiefly for Hamburg, and, in general, to the German language. He was not very well verfed in Italian, and often blundered in fetting words; but * He was born at WeifTenfels, in Saxony, and was maejlre di capella to the duke of Mecklenburg. 1 had [ 347 3 had always merit of other kinds to com- penfate this defect. He always fpoke refpectfully of Han- del, as a player and writer of fugues, as well as for the ingenuity of his accom- paniments, and the natural fimplicity of his melody, in which particulars he re- garded him as the greateft genius that everexifted ; but faid, that he thought him too ambitious of difplaying his talent of working parts and fubjecls, as well as too fond of noife : and Fauftina added, that his cantilena was often rude. I afked him, if he had ever heard Do- menico Scarlatti play ? he faid that he had : as he came from Portugal to Naples, on a vifit to his father, while he ftudied un- der him; and he allowed him to have been porTefTed of a wonderful hand, as well as fecundity of invention. He could not think Durante, as a con- trapuntist, deferved the place which M. RoufTeau has given him in his dictionary ; frut faid that it was old Scarlatti, whom he [ 348 ] he mould have called k plus grand harmo- nijie d'ltalie, cejl a dire du monde, the greateft mailer of harmony of Italy, that is, of the whole univerfe ; and not Du- rante, who was not only dry, but baroque, that is, coarfe and uncouth *. He fpoke of mademoifelle Martinetz, as a young perfon of uncommon talents for mufic; faid that fhe fung with great ex- preffion, played very neat and mafterly, and Was a thorough contrapuntift ; but, added he, " it is pity that her writing fliould affect her voice." I had obferved, indeed, the fame morning, that fhe took the high notes with difficulty. It is an axiom among all good matters of Ring- ing, that flooping to write, and even fitting much at the harpfichord, hurts the cheft, and greatly afJe&s the voice. * M. Haffe's opinion of Alex. Scarlatti, corref* ponds exactly with that of Jomelli, who told me, at Naples, that his compofitions for the church, tho' but little known, were the bell; of his productions, and perhaps the belt of the kind, Hafle [ 349 ] HafTe faid, that after he was fifty lie had never been able to fing a note ; and, indeed he is now fo hoarfe, that he can with difficulty be heard when he fpeaks. This he wholly attributes to his having been fo confiantly employed in writing. Fauftina faid, that when fhe knew him firft, he had a very fine tenor voice 5 and it was then ufual for m afters to make their fcholars in counterpoint, not only fing, but declaim. I cannot quit HafTe and Gluck, with- out faying that it is very necefiary to ufc difcrimination in comparing them toge- ther. HafTe may be regarded as the Ra- phael, and I have already called Gluck the Michael Angelo of living compofers. If the affected French expreflion of k grand Jimple can ever mean any thing, it muft be when applied to the productions of fuch a compofer as HafTe, who fuc- ceeds better perhaps in expreMing, with clearnefs and propriety, whatever is grace- ful, elegant, and tender, than what is boiflerouS' 2 f 35° I bbifterouS and violent; whereas Gluck's genius feems more calculated for exciting terror in painting difficult fituations, oc- cafioned by complicated mifery, and the tempefluous fury of unbridled paffions. Saturday 12. This morning, after another long vifit to Metaftafio, and hear- ing mademoifelle Martinetz play and fing with new delight and amazement, I de- termined to find out the habitation of Vanhall, a young compofer, feveral of whofe productions, particularly his fym- phonies, had afforded me fuch uncom- mon pleafure, that I mould not hefitate to rank them among the moil com- plete and perfect compositions, for many inftruments, which the art of mufic can boaft. The fpirit of party, in mulical matters, runs high every where ; and I every- where found that it was wifhed that I mould hear, or at leaft like, none but the friends of my friends. However, I foon faw, and heard through all this, and fel- dom [ ill ] dom fufFered myfelf to be the dupe of partial decifions. For I was not con- tented with hearing mufic in fine houfes, theatres, and palaces, but vifited cot- tages, and garrets, wherever I could get fcent of a good performer, or a man of genius. I had fent my fervant, and made fe- veral attempts myfelf, to find M. Van- hall before, but in vain. However, to- day I had been told that he lived with- out the gates of the city ; but, after croflf- ing a branch of the Danube, and walking feveral miles through a very dufly road, to the place where I expected to find him, I was told that he was removed, no one knew whither : this did not dif- courage me from enquiring after him all the way back, and, at length, I luckily found him, in an obfcure corner of the town, and in a more lofty than fplendid fituation. I groped my way up a totally dark, winding (tone ftair-cafe, at the fum- mit of which was his bower. He t & J He is a civil young man ; and though he could fpeak no French, yet he had a little Italian, which is the cafe with many German muiicians. I told him that I was a ft ranger, and in quefl of whatever was moft curious in mufic ; that I had heard fome of his fymphonies per- formed, which had pleafed me very much,- and wifhed to be in pofTeffion of a few of them, if he had any ready tranfcribed* or if he knew of a copyift who had *. We foon came to a right understand- ing, and finding he played the harpfi- chord, I got him to fit down to a little clavichord, and play to me fix leflbns which he had jufl made for that inftru- ment 5 but I found them neither {o wild "*nor fo new as his com portions for vio- lins. * As there are no mufic mops in Vienna, the beft method of procuring new compofitions, is to apply to copyifts ; for the authors j regarding every Englifh traveller as a milord, expect a prefent on thefe occa- fions, as confiderable for each piece, as if it had been compofed on purpofe for him. Though t 353 ] Though there have been many admir- able compofers of vocal mufic, who, for want of voice, could not Jing, yet it feems as if it were abfolutely neceflary to be a great player on an inflrument in order to write in fuch a manner for it, as will beft mew its powers. With re- fpect to the organ and harpfichord, the mod original and flriking pieces for thofe inftruments have been the pro- ductions of great performers, fuch as Handel, Scarlatti, Bach, Schobert, Wa- genfeil, Miithel, and Alberti : but a rage for univerfality, or for gain, tempts many compofers to quit the road which nature and art have made familiar to them, for another ; in which they are either bewil- dered or fo deftitute of the neceffary re- quifites for travelling through it, as to be obliged to rob and plunder every one they meet. A little perturbation of the faculties, is a promifing circumftance in a young mufician, and M. V, be2;an his career A a very E 354 1 very aufpicioufly, by being fomewhat flighty. Enthufiafm feems abfolutely neceffary in all the arts, but particularly in mufic, which fo much depends upon fancy and imagination. A cold* fedate, and wary difpofi tion, but ill fuits the pro™ feffor of fuch an art ; however, when enthufiafm is ungovernable, and impels to too frequent and violent efforts, the intellects are endangered. But as infa- nity in an artiffc is fometimes nothing more than an ebullition of genius, when that is the cafe, he may cry out to ik® phyfieians who cure him, ■ . > < Pol me occidiftis, amici* Non fervaftis. M. V. is now fo far recovered, and poffeffes a mind fo calm and tranquil, that his laft pieces appear to me rather infi- pid and common, and his former agree- able extravagance feems changed into toe* great ceconomy of though t. In the afternoon I went to the play, ie was Romeo and Juliet, new written, by M. Weitz, [ 355 3 M. Weitz. The firft act was almoft over when I arrived ; but I foon found that it was not a tranflation of Shake- ifpeare, by the fmall number of characters in it ; there being only eight in this tra- gedy, and in the Engliih one of the fame name, there are upwards of twenty. The perforiagfis introduced by M. Weitz are Montecute, Capulet, lady Ca- pulet, Romeo, Julie, Laura a Confidant; inftead of the Nurfe, Benvoglio a phyfi- cian, who fupplies the place of Fryar LaW- jrence, and Peter a fervant to Romeo, in- ftead of Balthazar. Though the fpeeches and fcenes were long; the four firft acts were very affect- ing; but the performance both of poet and actors in the laft act was abomin- able. There was no proceffion ; but Ju^ liet, dead at the end of the fourth act, is found buried at the beginning of the fifth. The tomb fcene was bad, ill written and ill acted; and there was fomuch confufiori, £t laft, that it was impofTible to find out A a 2 whe- , [ 356 ] whether Romeo lived or died. He fwal- lowed poifon, indeed, which had racked, tortured and deprived him of his fenfes j but, as the doctor plied him well with drops, and a fmelling bottle, he recover- ed juft enough to fay Juliet ! — oh my Juliet! 3u(te! £)f) metnc 3utte! and the curtain dropped. Sunday 13th. There was a procef- fion through the principal ftreets of this city to day, as an anniverfary commemoration of the Turks having been driven from its walls in 1683, by Sobiefki king of Poland, after it had fuftained a fiege of two months. The Emperor came from Laxemberg to at- tend the celebration of this feftival, and walked in the proceffion, which fet off from the Francifcan's church, and pro- ceeded through the principal ftreets of the city to the Cathedral of St. Stephen, where TV Deum was fung, under the di- j*e£tion of M. Gafman, imperial maejlro di capdla. The mufic was by Reiiter, i an [ 357 1 an old German compofer, without tafte or invention. As there was a very nume- rous band, great noife and little mean- ing characterized the whole perform- ance. I hoped fomething better would have fucceeded this dull, dry fluff; but what followed was equally uninterefting. The whole was finished by a triple dis- charge of all the artillery of the city, and the military instruments were little lefs noify now, than the mufical had been before. From hence I went to Metaftafio, for the laft time ! I found with him much company, and the St. Cecilia Martinetz at the harpfichord, to which {he had been finging. At her defire there was a com- mutation of compofitions between us. She had been fo kind as to have tran- fcribed for me,, among other things, a fong of Metaftafio, fet by herfelf, with which I had been greatly ftruck in a for- mer vifit. A a 3 Th^ t 358 1 The good old poet embraced me he.ar> tily y faid he was forry to lofe me fo foon ; that he muft have my book, when pub- limed, and. defired to hear from me. Thus we parted at Vienna j but I cannot quit him here, without adding a few lines to this article, long as jt is already. I had been told, and it was likewifq fhe opinion of Signer HafTe^ that Metaf- tafio had more of his own manufcript poetry in his pofTeffion, than had hitherto been published j but lord Stormont doubts much of the fact; alledging his principle of never working but when he is called upon, againft his writing verfes merely to lock them up. Metaftafio laughs at all poetic infpiration, and makes a poem, as mechanically as another would make, a {hoe, at what time he pleafes, and with - put any other occafion than the want of it. However,lord Stormont fays, that he has feen a translation of Horace's, Ars Poetica* [ 359 ] in Italian verfe, by Metaftafio, which he .thinks far fuperior to every one that has been made in other languages. He has Jikewife translated the Hoc erat in votis, of the fame poet, admirably well. In this, like Horace, he has told the ftory .of the Town and Country Moufe, as a ferious fact, and kept more clofely, both to the letter and fpirit of the original, than any other who has hitherto attempt- ed it. Metaftafio, like moil other perfons in years, has an averfion to the talking a- bout his own age, about the infirmities of his friends, or the calamities, or death, even of perfons that are indifferent to him. He is extremely candid in his judgment of men of genius, and even of poets with whom he has had a differ- ence, which indeed are very few. For, when he has been attacked by them, it has often happened, that, after writing an epigram or couplet, to fhew his par- ticular friends how he could defend him- Aa| felfj [ 36° ] felf, he has thrown it into the fire j and he has never been known either to print or publifh a line, by way of retaliation, againft the bittereft enemy to his perfon or poems. He has a natural chearfulnefs and pleafantry, in his manner and conven- tion, which give a gaiety to all around him -, and is poffefled of as eafy an elo- quence in fpeaking as in writing. He is, indeed, one of the few extraordinary geniufes who lofe nothing by approxima- tion or acquaintance : for, it is a melan- choly reflection that, very few, like him, are equally intitled to the epithets good and great. The following anecdote has been giv- en me by a perfon of veracity, well in- formed of every particular, relative to this great poet. Many years ago, when Metaftafio's circumftances were far from affluent, and he was only known at Vi- enna as an afliftant writer for the Opera, under Apoftolo Zeno \ a perfon with whsm t 361 ] whom he had contracted a great intima- cy and friendmip, dying, left him his whole fortune, amounting to fifteen thou- fand pounds fterling. But Metaftafio hearing that he had relations at Bologna, went thither in fearch of them -, and hav- ing found fuch as he thought beft inti- tled to thefe poffeffions, told them, that though his deceafed friend had bequeath- ed to him his whole fortune, he could fuppofe it to be no otherwife than in truft, till he mould find out the mofl de- fending of his kindred, in order to divide it equitably among them j which he im- mediately did, without the leaft referve in his own favour. After dinner, I had the pleafure of a long vifit from M. Gafman, who not only furnifhed me with a lift of his works, but obliged me with copies of a great number of his manufcript quar- tets, for various inftruments *. M. * It is but juftice to fay, that fince my return to England, I have had thefe pieces tried, and have found C 362 ] *<3afman is of a middle age, and yet hl§ avorks are very voluminous. For the fe- fious opera, he has compofed a in Italy, Merope, IJfipile, Catone in Utica, Ezio, twice, and Achille in Sciro. At Vienna, Olimpiade, Amore di Ffiche, and II Trionfo dAmore. For the comic opera, at Venice ? TTJccilatore, twice : il Filofafo inamorato, Un Pazzo ne fa Cento, and $ Mondo nella JLuna. At Vienna, i Yiaggiatori ridicoli, tAmore Artigiano t la Notte Critica, Fope? ra Seria, la Cante/Jina, il Filofofo inamorata a fecond time, fa Pefcatrice, and i JRo- vinati. When M. Gafman left me, I went, for the laft time, to M. Wagenfeil, and beard him and his little female fcholar play feveral brilliant duets upon two ibarpfichords : here I again met with my found them excellent : there is pleafing melody, free from Caprice and affectation ; found harmony, and the contrivances and imitations are ingenious, without th? lead confufion. In fhort, the flyle is fober and fe- date, without dulnefs j and mafterly, without pe- dantry. [ 263 ] friend, the Portuguefe Abbe, and, aftep a long converfation upon mufical matters, we parted ; but not til} we had mutual- ly exchanged directions, and promifes to Jseep alive our friendfhip, by a literary jntercourfe. After this I flew home, to pack, and to pay ; here, among other things, I was plagued with copyifts the whole evening ; they began to regard me as a greedy and indiscriminate purchafer of whatever tram, they mould offer; but I was forced to hold my hand, not only from buying bad mufic, but good. For every thing is yery dear at Vienna, and nothing more fo than mufic, of which none is printed. As it was, I did not quit Vienna till I had expended ten or twelve guineas in the purchafe of mufic; which, with what had been given me, what I had tran- fcribed myfelf, and the printed books I had collected, rendered my baggage fo unwieldy, as to coft me an additional 2 horfe t 364 ] horfe to my chaife, all the way to Harr*- burg. Indeed, Vienna is fo rich in compofers, and inclofes within its walls fuch a num- ber of muficians of fuperior merit, that, it is but juft to allow it to be, among German cities, the imperial feat of mu- lic, as well as of power. This might be manifeiled by a recapi- tulation of what I heard, and farw, during my mort refidence there ; but I mall leave that to the reader's recollection, and only mention the names of HafTe, Gluck, Gafman, Wagenfeil, Salieri, Hof- man, Haydn, Ditters, Vanhall, and Hu- ber, who have all greatly diftinguifhed themfelves as compofers; and the fym- phonies and quartets of the five laft men- tioned authors, are perhaps among the iirft full pieces and compofitions, for violins, that have ever been produced. To thefe celebrated names, may be added thofe of Mifliwiceck, a Bohemian, juft [ 36s ] jufl returned from Italy, where he has eftablifhed a great reputation by his operas, as well as inftrumental muflc j Scarlatti, nephew to the famous Domenico Scarlatti ; Kohaut, an excellent lutanift ; Venturini, a hautbois player of the firft clafs ; Albrechtzberger, and Stefani, two eminent harpfichord players, in the fer- vice of the court, and La Motte, a Fla- mand, the beft folo player and fightfman, upon the violin, at Vienna. He was fome time fcholar to Giardini ; and it is related of him, that when he quitted his firft matter, he travelled through Italy, ftill in fearch of another ; and being ar- rived at Leghorn, where Nardini then lived, he would have become his fcho- lar ; but after hearing that performer execute one of his own folos, of the mod difficult kind, and being, in his turn aflted to play, he defired leave to perform the fame folo, which he had juft heard, and which was new, and in manufcript, fo that he never could have pra&ifed it ; how- [ 366 ] however, he acquitted himielf ib weli* that Nardini declined taking as difchofar; one who was already fo able a mailer of his inftriiment. I omit particularizing here, ail the able organifts of this city^ the dilettanti, male and female, and the feveral matters and performers, vocal and inftrumental, whd conftantly relide here, and contribute to the cultivation of mufic, and the pleafure of its votaries^ and protectors i and mail only remark that, rich as this city is at prefent, in muficians of genius and emi- nencei there is no feridus opera either at the coiirt or public theatre. Lady Mary Wortley Montague men- tions an opera that was performed in the open air, when fhe was at Vienna, the decorations and habits of which coft the emperor thirty thoufand pounds fterlingj and, during the reigns of the late em- perors, from the iirft years of Leopold,; to the middle of the prefent century, there ufed to be operas at the expence of the [ 3«7 1 the court, written, compofed, and per-* formed, by perfons of the greatefl: abili- ties that could be affembled from all parts of Europe : but the frequent wars, and other calamities of this country, have fo exhaufted the public treafure, and im- poverifhed individuals, that this expenfive cuftom is now, ." To my mind, " More honoured in the breach, than the obferr- ance," For though I love mufie very well, yet I love humanity better. JEND OF THE FIRST VOLUME, N D E X. Abel, 135, 139. g r x A&ors, French, their excellence, 2. Adamont, finger at Munich, 128. Aix la Chapelle, 64. "Alberti, 353- Albrechtzberger, harpfichord player at Vienna, 365. Ailegrante, Signora, a finger at Schwetzingen, 90. Allegri, 329. Alost, 20. Antwerp, 28. Aftronomicalmachineinthe public libraryatLudwigfiburgj 109. ■ ' Augsburg, 113. ' B. Bach, C. P. E. 344. , John Chriflian, 92. Baglioni, violin player at Ludwigfburg, ipr. , Coftanza, a finger at Vienna, 240. " — , Clementina, finger at Vienna, 338. Bartolomep di Faertza, 334. Bafie fundamentale of Rameau, 257. Benevoli, 329. Bernacchi, 308, 333. Birde, 329. Blaviere, M. finging mafter at Antwerp, 45. Blithe, brother, 32. Bonn, 70. JSrown, Dr. 235. ' Brussels, 22, 49. Bull, harpfichord maker at Antwerp, 48. Caffarelli, 250. Caldara, 329. Calfabigi, 232, 287. Canabich, leader in the Italian operas at Schwetzingen,S6. Capranica, Signora Rofa, finger at Munich, 174. Carilloneur at Ghent, 13. Carillons, 15. At Courtray 13. At Ghent, ibid. Cafti, Abate, poet at Vienna, 290, 323. Coblentz, 71. K -■■■■ • ■ ■ B b Colifte, [ 37° 3 Colifta, 4. Cologn, 68. Colonna, 321, 3? 9. Comedy at Lifle, 7. Conforte, violin player at Vienna, 280. Converfations, with a French Abbe at Antwerp, 38a M. Schubart at Ludwigfburg, 105. Signora Min- gotti, 142. Abate Taruffi, 244. M. l'Augier, 247. Cavalier Gluck, 257, 286, 339. Signor Haffe, 273* 311, 343. Signor Abate Metaftafio, 293, 305, 341, 358. Wagenfeil, 324. Signor Mancini, 332. M. Gafman, 335. Cofta, Abate, 256, 282, 288, 320, 363. Courtray, 11. Cuftom-houfe, at Vilchofen, 185. Ingelhartziel, 188. Vienna, 20?. D. Danzy, Mademoifelle, finger at Schwetzingen, 37, 9Q. Darmstadt, 77. Davis, Mifs, 275. De ^mici, 319. Defoix, Mademoifelle, finger at Bruffels, 25, 27. Ditters, compofer, 324, 364. Diveriions of the common people at Vienna, 326. Dulcimer player, 64. Dulcken, J. D. harpfichord maker, 48. Duni, a French compofer, 52. Durante, 347. E. Englifh pronunciation of th, a fhibboleth to the Ger- mans, 64. Ettori, il cavalier, 100. F. Farinelli, a fevere difciplinarian, 158, 236, 317. Fauftina, Signora, 236, 252, 273, 31 1. Ferrari, 103. Fiorini, finger at Munich, 148. Fifcher, 169. Fitzthumb, M. maejlro di capella at the theatre of Bruf- fels, 22. Frankfort, 72-, - French mafic, 54. _ _ organ builders much efteemed, 21. f 371- 3 French performers upon keyed inftruments excellent, id* plagiarifts in mufic, 54. G. Gardens, at Nymphenburg, 131. At Schwetzingen, g6i Garrick, Mr. 156. Caiman* compofer at Vienna, 324, 328, 337, 362, ;]64^ German language, better calculated for mufic than the French, 83. manner of finging preferable to any except Ita° Han, 1 15. Gefquiere, father, 32, 45, 48. Giorgi, violin player at Vienna, 280. Giorgietto, finger at Schwetzingen, go. Girard, M. 56, 58. Gizziello, 158, 25c. Gluck, chevalier, 223, 232. . His plan for a new ode ori St. Cecilia's day, .253. Vifited by the author, 257. His opera of Iphegenie, 262. His dedication to Alcefte^ 264, 282, 286. The Michael Aiigelo of mufic, 239, 289, 349, 364- , Mademoifelle, 257, 288. Gode-Charle, a German compofer and violin player, 591 Goffec, a French compofer, 52. Gretry, a French compofer, his opera of l'Amitie a l'E- preuve, 7. Zemire and Azor, 23, 82. Les deux Mi- liciens, 55. Groffwald, of Hanau, organ builder, 75. Guadagni, Signor, 123, 130, 138, 140, 172. , Signora, 172. Guarducci, 334. Guglielmi, Signor^ 172. Guglielmini, finger at Munich, 128. Guicciardini, Lodovico, 19, 24. II. Handel, 263, 316, 325, 329, 347, 353. Harp, 279. With pedals, 59. Haffe, M. 223, 232, 253. Vifited by the author, %f£i 311, 343. The Raphael of mufic, 349, 364. , Mefdemoifelles, 275, 313. Haueifon, organift of Frankfort, 77. Haydn, compofer, 214, 253, 293, 324, 364. HiUerj compofer of Leipfic, 84. B b 2 Hofmanrij [ 37* ] Hofmann, compofer, 214, 239, 322, 324, 364. Foltzbauer, chapel mafter at Schwetzingen, 86^ Holtzbogn. violin player at Munich j. 173. Hoole, Mr 297. Huber, compofer at Vienna, 230, 264. Jefuirs college at Munich, 144. Instruments, anciert, at Antwerp, 41. Jomeili, 104, 329, 348. Journey, down the Ifer and Danube, from Munich ttf Vienna, 175 to 202. JULIERS, 67. Keifer, 346. Kenedy, father, 142, 143, 16 r Kennis, violin player at Lovain, 62. Kohaut, lutanift at Vienna, 314, 365. KorNeu'burg, 201. Kramer, violin player at Schwetzingen, 86. - -, Madame, finger at Schwetzingen, %f* KitEMfsV 197. Kroner, violin player at Munich, 133, 13S, 169^ Kuckelkorn, organift at Aix la Chapelle, 66. L. Lamey/ M. librarian at Manheim, 8^5. La Motte, violin player at Vienna, 324, 365. Language, frequent change of it in the Netherlands, if. L'Augier, M. 244, 247, 278, 282, 322, Leffrng, M. Ephraim, his play of Emilia Galotti, 208. , Library, Burgundy, at Bruflels, 57. Manheim, 84^ Ludwigfburg, 108. Munich, 128. Vienna, 270/ 317. Mufical, 335. Liege, 63. Lion of Cologn, 69. L'Isle, 4. Lobfl-, violin player at Munich* 173^ Lodi, Signora, finger at Munich, 127, 147, 172'. Lolli, leader of the opera at Ludwigfburg, 97. Lotti, 329. Lovain, 6r. Lucchefe, maejlro di capella of the Elector of Cologn, 71, Ludwigseurg, 97. Performers there, 100. E 373 ] M. MaESTRICK, 63. Mancini, Signor, finging-mafter at Vienna, 324., 332V Manheim, 80. Manfervifi, Signora, finger at Munich, 147. Marmontel, his Zemire and Azor, 23. Martinetz, M. librarian at Vienna, 317. : — Mademoifelle, 306, 341, 34.8, 350, 358. Martini, Padre, 127. Metaftafio Signor Abate, 223. Sketch of his life, 224; Diflike of extempore verfes, 225. Not partial to the ancients, opinion of blank verfe, 226. His regulaf life, 227, 245. Vifited by the author, 293) 305, 34r, 358. Laughs at poetic infpiration, 359. Isi> ftance of generofity, 361. Meyer, -organ builder, 74. Michel, compofer, 170. Migliavacca, 306, Millico, Signor, 259- Min ell i, Giorgio Battifta, 334. Mingotti, Signora, 123, 142. Sketch of her life, 150^. 169, 173, 236. Mifliwiceck, cornpofer, 365. Mittermeir, organift at Vienna, 239. Mozart, 126. Montague, lady M. W. her account of the theatre at Vienna, 21 1, 366. MWich, i2f, 142. Mufic, military, in France, 5, 6, 10. At Ghent, 17, At Darmftadt, 77. At Manheim, 80. Mut, performer on the harp at Vienna, 279. Mtithel, compofer, 353. N. Nardini, 104, 365. National mufic, 108, 202, 249- Naumann, maejiro di capella of the i£lec~tor of Bararia, 130, 138. Newton, father, 32, 45, 46. Noverre, M. ballet-mafter at Vienna, 220. Nymphenburg, 130, 166. , O. Omer's, St. 1. [ 374 ] Opera, at Brufiels, 23, 27. At Manheim, 82. At Schwetzingeri, 89. At Munich, 127, 147. At Vi- enna, 237, 240. Operation, a curious one performed at Naples, 334. Orcheftra, at BruiTels, 22, 26, 56. At Manheim, 84. At Schwetzingen, 92. At Vienna, 213, 219. Organ, at St. Omers, 2. At Courtray, 12. At the Jefuits church, in Ghent, 18. At Aloft, 20. At Antwerp, 31, 32, 37. At Cologn, 69. At Frank- fort, 74, 76. At Ulm, ii2. At Vienna, 2*4, 272. Ottane, compofer, 127. P. Panzachi, Signor Don, 122, 131, 138, 142. Paleftrina, 329. Pafi, Antonio, 334. Passau, 186. Pfeil, M. 77. Pergolefi, 329. Perti, 329.' Pefarini, finger at Schwetzingen, 86. " Piety, appearance of, along the Danube, 192E. Piftocco, 232, 306. Plain- chant, finging of the common people tinctured with it in French Flanders, 9. Plas, hautbois players, 104. Polifti mufic, 145, 162, 163. Ponta, M. French horn player, 71. Poor fcholars, at Munich, 140, 144, 149. At Vienna, 2o6v Porpora, 139, 143, 154. Pofuif, fmall organ at bt. Omer's,- 3. Poftmafters and poftilions in Germany, 73. Prat, at Vienna, 206. Premiums no longer given at Vienna to a&ors who fub" mit to be kicked and cuffed, 218. Proceffion, through the ftreets of Vienna, 356. Pfoceflions, Auftrians addicted to, 305. R Rauzzini, finger at Munich, 126, 138, 140, 148, 171. Matteo, compofer, 147. Ravanni, finger at Munich, 127. Reflexions, on national characters, 88. On travelling in Germany, 89. On Italian and French mufic, 53. Upon the abufe of mufic, 105. [ 375 ] Reuter, compofer, 357. Rheiner, balloon player at Munich, 169. Roncaglio, fmger at Schwetzingen, 87. Rouffeau, y M. 125, 283, 300, 345. puckers, famous harpiichord makers, 47. s. Sacchini, go, 171. Salierij compofer, 240, 364. Sales, maeftro di capella at Coblentz, 72. Sarazin, violin player at Frankfort, 77. Soporofi, finger at Schwetzingen, 87. Scarlatti, Domenico, 247, 347, 353. Aleffandro, 379, 343, 345, 347. Nephew to Dom. Scarlatti, 324, 365. Scheppen, M. carilloneur at Lovain, 62. Schmahl, organ builder of Ulm, 112. Schobert, 353. Schwetzingen, 85. School of arts, at Solitude, 104. Schubait, organift at Ludwigfburg, 101, 105. Sechi, hautbois player at Munich, 169, 171. Senefino, 251. Seyfurth, cantor at Augfburg, 116, 113. Serpent, 4, 36. Simon, inventor of the harp with pedals, 59. Silbermann, organ builder, 21. Snetzler, Mr. 75, 187, 272. Stephani, harpfichord player at Vienna, 365. Startzel, violin player, and compofer at Vienna, 288, 290. Shops, brought to the inhabitants of Vienna, 205. Singing in parts in Roman catholic countries, 200. • why common at Vienna, 222. Stamitz, 91, 93. Strafe, organift at Bruffels, 50. Street mufic at Frankfort, 74. At Vienna, 330. ' Symphonies, at Manheim, manierees, 220. Soldiers, their mechanical exa&nefs at Ludwigfburg, 103. T. Tallis, 392. Tartini, 138, 173, 180. Taruffi, Abate, 244, 278, 305, 343. - [ 376 3 Tefi, Signora,- 318* Teuberinn, Signofa, 319. Theatre, at Bruffels, 22. At Manheim,82. At Schwet- zingen, 90. At Ludwigfburg, 102. At Munich!, 127, 143. At Vienna, 213, 217, 241. Thomas, lather, organift of St. Omer's, 2. Toefchi, Charles, leader of the French and German operas at Schwetzingen, 86. —- — John, violin player at Schwetzingen, 86. Traetta, 140, 174, 258. Tragedy, German, at Vienna, 207, 354. 'V. ' ■ Vanden Bofch, organift at Antwerp, 3r, 37, 41. Vanderelche, harpfichord maker, 48. Vanhall,-comp6fer, 214. Vifited by the author, 350, 364. Vanhelmont, maejiro di cape/la at Bruffels, 52. Vanmaldere, leader of the band at Bruffels, 23. Vanpetigham, organ builder, 20. Venturini, hautbois player at Vienna, 324, 36^. Verteil, Madame, actrefs at Bruffels, 55. Vienna, 2Q2. The imperial feat of mufic in Germany, 364. Voice, w* king prejudicial to it, 343. Voluntary playing in Germany unnatural, and why, 114. Urot, M. librarian at Ludwigfburg, 103, 109. W. Wagenfeil, vifited by the author, 324, 336, 353, 363, 364. Walther, French horn player, 104. ' Waterfall, famous, 195. Wegerer, organift of Vienna, 273. Weigel, violoncello player at Vienna, 290. Weitz, M. his tragedy, 354. WendlingJ.B. principal flute player at Schwetzingen, 84. — I Francis, violin player at Schwetzingen, 86- Charles, violinplayer at Schwetzingen, 86. Mademoifelle, linger at Schwetzingen, 87. Wenzlaer, violin player at Aixla Chapelle, 66. Weftmann, organift at Cologn, 69. Women, allowed to fing in the church at Bruffels, 60. ■ ■ — their drefs at Darrnftadt, 79. At Augsburg, 118,. Z. Zonca, finger at Schwetzingen, 90. I