DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

354 1769- HAYDN —1780
Lidl (1769-1774) who played in London soon
after leaving tiie band. J. B. Krumplioltz tlie
harpist was engaged from 1773 to 1776.
In March 1769, the whole musical establisliment
%'i3ited Vienna for the first time ; and,
under Haydn's direction, gave a performance of
his opera, ' Lo Speziale ' (comp. 1768), at the
house of Freiherr von Sommerau ; and a repetition
in tlie form of a concert. On their second
visit, in the summer of 1777, they performed at
Schonbrunn an opera and a marionette-opera of
Haydn's, and also played during the Empress's
dinner. The Prince would often take them to
Pressburg during the sitting of the Hungarian
diet, or for the festival of Count Grassalcovich,
and in 1772 Haydn conducted the Count's own
orchestra even at a ball.
In 1771 Haydn composed a ' Stabat Mater'
"
' and a Salve Regina.' In 1775 followed his first
oratorio, ' II Ritorno di Tobia, ' which
was per-
formed in Vienna by the Tonkdnstler Societal,
"with solo-singers from Esterhaz, and repeated in
1784 with two additional choruses.' To this
period belong four Masses (two small ones of an
early date have been lost)—in G (1772) ;
in C,
' Cacilienmesse '
; in Ej, with organ obbligato ;
and in Bjj, with organ solo (Nos. 7, 5, 12, and
8 in Novello's edition). The last is a small
hut particularly charming work, and, like the
first, is still often heard ; but that in Eb is
old-fashioned. ' The Cacilienmesse ' has many
fugues, and is seldom performed on account of
its length. (Novello's edition is taken from
Breitkopf's curtailed score.)
In 1773 the Empress Maria Theresa visited
Esterhaz from Sept. 1 to 3, and was entertained
with performances of a newsymphony of Haydn's
—now known by her name (list, No. 12)— his
Philemon und
opera ' L' Infedelta delusa,' and '
Baucis,' a marionette piece (see M.4EI0nette).
One song and the overture— or ' symphony '
in two movements have survived. Similar
festivities took place on various occasions— a
visit from one of the Imperial family, or an
event in the Prince's own circle. Even Eisenstadt
gave a glimpse of its old splendour when
the Prince de Rohan, French Ambassador, stayed
there in 1772.
In 1776 Haydn composed 'La vera Costanza,'
for the court theatre of Vienna. The intrigues
against it were, however, too strong, and eventually
Anfossi's opera of the same name was
preferred. Haydn withdrew his score, and produced
it at Esterhaz. It was revived in 1790
at the theatre then in the Landstrasse suburb of
Vienna, and Artaria engraved six of the airs and
aduet. In 1778 the Tonkiinstler Societal offered
Haydn a strange affront. He wished to join the
society, and had already paid his deposit, when
he was asked to sign an agreement binding him
to furnish compositions of importance whenever
' ' ' Tobi^ wa.s rearranged by Neukomm in 1808, and performed at
the TonkUnstler Societiit concerta.
SO required. He naturally declined, and withdrew
his money. No rejiaration was made for
this indignity till after his return from London
in 1797, w-hen he was introduced at a special
meeting by Counts Kufstein and Johann Esterhazy,
and, amid general acclamation, appointed
' Assessor senior ' for life. This compliment he
acknowledged by presenting the society with the
' ' Creation and the ' Seasons, ' to which gifts its
prosperity is mainly owing. ' L' Isola disabitata,
one of his best operas, composed in 1779 to a
libretto Ijy Metastasio, procured Haydn's nomination
as a member of the AccademiaFilarmonica
at Modena, He sent the score to the King of
Spain, and received in return a gold snuff-box
set in brilliants. The opera was performed at
the court theatre in Vienna, at a concert given
by Willmann the violoncellist in 1785.
On Nov. 18, 1779, the theatre at Esterhaz
was burnt down, and during the rebuilding the
Prince went to Paris. This interval will enable
us to mention the origin of the famous 'Farewell
Symphony. ' It has been often asserted that
Haydn intended it as an appeal to the Prince
against the dismissal of the chapel, but this is
incorrect ; the real object was to persuade him
to shorten his stay at Esterhaz, and so enable
the musicians to rejoin their wives and families.
As one after another stopped playing and left
the orchestra, until only two violins were left
(Tomasini, the Prince's favourite, being one),
the hint was unmistakable. ' If all go, ' said the
Prince, ' we may as well go too ' ; and Haydn
knew that his object was attained.
This seems also the place to speak of a subject
closely affecting Haydn's private life. In
1779 a couple named Polzelli were admitted
into the chapel—the husband, Anton, being an
indifferent violinist, and the wife, Luigia, by
birth a Roman of the name of Moresohi, a
second-rate singer. For the latter Haydn conceived
a violent affection, w^hich she returned
by shamefully abusing his kindness and continually
importuning him for money, and even
extracting from him a wTitten promise that if
his wife died he would marry no one but her.
This paper he afterwards repudiated, but he
left her a small annuity in his will. Before his
death she had been married a second time, to
an Italian singer, and died at Kaschau in 1832.^
Mme. Polzelli had two sons, of whom the elder
died in 1796, while the younger entered the
chapel, and eventually became its music-director.
He was a pupil of Haydn's, and was popularly
supposed to be his son, but the fact is doubtful.
Haydn was certainly very fond of him ; but he
left him only a small sum in his first will, and
revoked it in the second.
On Oct. 15, 1780, the beautiful new theatre
2 The Symphony was published in parts by Sieber fyo. 16) : a new
edition by .Sinirock (371 ; in score by Le Due (9) ; and for four hands
Trautwein 128). Andre's edition is the Finale only, transposed into
E minor. See list. p. 368, No. 8.
3 F'rtis says that her death, 1790, induced Haydn particularly to
go to London 1