DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

LETZEN DINGE, DIE LEVASSEUR 685
Hector Berlioz. [In the latter's Lcs Musicien^^
etc., pp. 59 and 6S, there are interesting essay's
on Lesneur and his oratorios.] g. c.
LETZEN DINGE, DIE. See Last Judgment.
LEUTGEB, or LEITGEB, Josef, a horn
player to whom Mozart was much attaelied.
They became acquainted in Salzburg, where
Leutgcb was one of the band, and on Mozart's
arrival in Vienna he found him settled there,
in the Altlerchenfeld, No. 32, keeping a cheesemonger's
shop and playing the liorn. Mozart
wrote four Concertos for him (Kiichel, 412, 417,
447, 495), a Quintet (407), which he calls 'das
Leitgebische,' and probably a Rondo (371).
This shows that he must have been a good
pilayer. There must also have been something
attractive about him, for with no one does Mozart
appear to have pilayed so many tricks. When
Leutgeb called to ask how his pieces were getting
on Mozart would cover the floor with loose leaves
of scores and parts of symphonies and concertos,
which Leutgeb must pick up and arrange in
exact order, while the composer was writing at
his desk as fast as his pen could travel. On one
occasion he was made to crouch down behind the
stove till Mozart had finished. The margins of
the Concertos are covered with droll remarks
' "W. A. Mozart has taken pity on Leutgeb, ass,
ox, and fool, at Vienna, March 27, 1783, etc'
The horn part is full of jokes—
' Go it. Signer
Asino '— ' take a little breath '— ' wretched pig
— ' thank God here's the end '—and much more
of the like. One of the pieces is written in
coloured inks, black, red, gi-een, and blue,
alternately. Such were Mozart's boyish romp-
Leutgeb throve on his cheese and
ing ways !
his horn, and died richer than his great friend,
Teb. 27, 1811.1 o.
LEVA, Enrico de, famous for his very
numerous songs, chiefly Neapolitan ' oanzonette,'
was born in Naples, Jan. 19, 1867. In
early youth he studied the pianoforte under
Pannain and Rossomandi, receiving lessons in
harmony, counterpoint, and composition from
Puzone and D'Arienzo, professors at the R.
Conservatorio Musicale of Naples. He appears,
however, to have owed his success less to
theoretical acquirements than to his very distinct
individuality and natural gifts, which he began
to exercise in composing pianoforte pieces and
songs at the age of fifteen. While still very
young, he was so fortunate as to attract the
favourable attention of the firm of Eicordi, who,
after the extraordinary success of his Neapolitan
canzonetta, ' Non mi guarda,' entered
into a contract with the young composer to
write for them five songs each year. De Leva's
celebrity was still further increased in 1890
by royal favour, Queen Margherita having been
so favourably impressed by de Leva's music at
a concert given by him in Rome that she
1 Bee Jahn's Mozart, 2iid ed. ii. 26.
commissioned him to write a vocal piece for an
open-air festivity at the Royal Palace of Capodimonte.
This work, a serenata entitled ' A
Capomonte,'was directed by the composer, wdiose
songs enjoyed, thenceforward, the advantage of
being interpreted by the foremost singers of
the day. Of the hundreds of songs written by
Eniico de Leva, it must suffice to mention
only a few of the most successful, such as ' 'E
spingole frangese, '
' Triste aprile, ' Voi siete
r alba,' ' Ultima Serenata,' ' Voce fra i campi,
'Ammore piccerillo,' 'Hosognato,' and 'Lacrime
amare. ' Some of his best have been written
for popular local festivals. In these, the composer
has skilfully preserved the spirit of the
old Neapolitan folk-song, adapting it to the
re(|uirements of modern harmony with admirable
spontaneity. Among de Leva's more
important works may be mentioned his ' Sirenetta,'
a setting of some verses from D'Annunzio's
Gioconda. He has also written innumerable
pieces for the piano and violin, and suites for
orchestra. His most ambitious efibrt was an
opera in four acts, 'La Camargo,' produced in
Tmin in 1898 at the Teatro Regio, and in
Naples at San Carlo.
De Leva is widely known as a teacher of
singing in its higher branches, and as a success-
ful advocate of improved methods in the culti-
vation of choral singing in elementary schools
tliroughout Italy. His writings on this and
other musical sulijects have attracted considerable
attention. H. A. w.
LEVASSEUR, Nicholas Prosper, was born
March 9, 1791, at Bresles, Oise, the son of a
labourer. He entered the Paris Conservatoire
in 1807, and became a member of Carat's singing
class, Feb. 5, 1811. He made his debuts
at the Academic as Osman Pacha (GriStry's
' Caravane '), Oct. 5, 1813, and as CEdipus
(Sacchiui's ' QLdipe il Colonos '), Oct. 15, and was
engaged there. According to Fetis he was successful
only as the Pacha ; the repertory was
either too high for his voice, or unfavourable to
the Italian method wdiich he had acquired. He
made his debut at the King's Theatre, London,
in Simon Mayr's ' Adelasia ed Alderano,' Jan.
10, 1815, and played there two seasons with
success in ' La Clemenza di Tito,' in ' Gli Orazi,'
as Pluto (Winter's ' Ratto di Proserpina ') at
Mme. Vestris's debut, July 20, 1815 ; in Paer's
'Griselda, ' Farinelli's 'Rite d'Efeso,' Ferrari's
' Heroine di Raab, ' and Portogallo's ' Regina di
Lidia.' He reappeared there with some success
in 1829, and again in French as Bertram on
production of 'Robert,' June 11, 1832. He
reappeared at the Academic about 1816, and
remained there as an under-study, but obtained
nuich reputation in concerts with his friend
Ponehard. He made his drbut at the Italiens
as Figaro, Oct. 5, 1819, and remained there
until about 1827, where he sang in new operas
of Rossini, inMeyerbeer's 'Crociato, 'andVaccaj's