by something else. These simple sequences of harmony, consisting almost
wholly of triads, this mixing and sustaining of the voices, at one time
increasing to the most tumultuous _forte_, at another dying away into
the softest _pianissimo_; the continual and lengthened sustaining of
single tones to a degree attainable only by the lungs of a castrated
person, and then especially the soft introduction of a chord, while
that of other voices is still faintly sustained, give to this music, in
spite of all its deficiencies, something so peculiar, that one feels
irresistibly attracted by it. I can now therefore readily understand
that in former times, when the choir was much better, this must have
made an immense impression upon foreigners who had never heard pure
vocal music and the voices of castrated persons. It might even now be
made most charmingly effective, if the singers of the choir had only
a director of more extensive knowledge. But as it is, they do not
generally sing even with purity.
On this first day, two compositions of _Allegri_ and _Baini_ were
given, and each of them repeated once. Between each of these ten
not very long divisions a prayer was recited in a low tone by the
cardinals, bishops, and other clergy, which from its resemblance to
the roll of distant thunder had a good effect. At the conclusion of
the ceremony however, the servants, scraping and treading upon the
foot-boards, made a very unpleasant noise for musical ears, which
greatly disturbed and then obliterated the impression made by the
music, to which one would willingly have abandoned oneself a little
longer. This noise they tell me is to represent an earthquake!
On the second evening I managed things in such a manner as to arrive
at the chapel just at the commencement of the real singing, and on the
extinguishing of the last taper. The crowd was so great, that I was
obliged to remain standing some time at the entrance surrounded by
Englishmen, who during the whole time of the music spoke to each other
in a very loud tone of voice, and would not even allow themselves to
be restrained from it by any signs to keep silence. Besides this, the
singers sang much more carelessly than the day before, and frequently
very false, so that I was very glad when the earthquake came to put an
end to the ceremony. Three new compositions were added to the two of
yesterday, for which reason each required to be sung but once. In other
respects everything was exactly the same as the first time.
At a later period I had an opportunity of seeing the Miserere
collection published by _Kühnel_ of Leipsic, but did not find a single
one of those which we heard in Rome. The library of the Sixtine chapel
must however be so rich in such compositions, that they are enabled to
select different ones for many years in succession.
Both evenings after the Miserere we saw the illumination of the cross
in the church of St. Peter. Upon entering by the grand entrance, whence
one sees the illuminated cross at the farthest distance, it makes an
imposing impression, but so soon as one approaches nearer, it loses
greatly. The effect would be far greater if all the other lights in the
church were extinguished. But as it is, not only hundreds of lamps burn
round the entrance to the subterranean chapel, but innumerable other
lights besides in every part of the church. The brilliant illumination
in the cross casts therefore no prominent shadow. The Pantheon was also
illuminated this evening, which must have had a magnificent effect.
Unfortunately we arrived just as the lights were being extinguished.
On the previous evening prince _Frederick_ took me to a party, at which
the fiftieth psalm, or the Miserere of _Marcello_, was exceedingly well
sung by dilettanti. But as the orchestral accompaniment was, as is
usual in Rome, very bad, and the composition throughout monotonous, I
soon got tired of it and was glad when it came to an end.
On Saturday forenoon we took a long walk to St. Paul to see the
magnificent ancient pillars in that otherwise very ugly church. On our
way back, we saw the pyramid of _Cestius_ and the so-called mount of
pot-sherds. At noon we met at the eating-house at the sign of “The
Ermine” a German drawer, Herr _Rösel_, who easily persuaded us to take
another walk in his company. He first pointed out to us an arched,
old Roman subterranean canal, the _Cloaca maxima_, I think; we then
went to a small, insignificant church, but which contains many fine
antiquities, in order to see the divine service of the Greek church,
which is celebrated on this day only; but the crowd was so great, that
we could not obtain an entrance. Upon this we went to see the temple of
Vesta, and lastly ascended the mount Aventino, where our companion led
us before the door of a garden and shewed us through the key-hole one
of the most startling sights imaginable. Through a long arched gallery
overgrown with wild shrubs and verdure the dome of the church of St.
Peters is seen magnificently lit up and gilded by the rays of the
setting sun. We had then the door of the garden opened for us, in order
to admire closely, a very large and beautiful palm tree which was just
then in full bloom.
On the following morning the ringing of bells and salves of artillery
from the castle of St. Angelo reminded us that it was Easter Sunday,
and of the necessity of a speedy toilet if we would not lose the sight
of the great ceremony in the church of St. Peter’s. But the fearful
crush of the crowd upon the bridge almost compelled us to turn back.
Completely carried along by the throng, we at length arrived on the
other side of the Tiber, and then hastened to get into a less crowded
side street, which also led to the grand square in front of the church.
We there found many thousand persons assembled, and among them many
pilgrims, with their hats ornamented with shells collected from every
quarter of the world, who were impatiently awaiting the moment when
the Holy father should give his benediction from the balcony. But some
time was to elapse before that would take place, and we therefore first
took a turn through the church, where we found every part decorated
just the same as at Christmas, and as we could hope to see very little
of the ceremony, we preferred taking a walk in the open air as the
weather was so fine. We got back again about 12 o’clock, and found
the populace still in a state of acute suspense. The balcony over the
grand entrance to the church was decorated with crimson velvet, and to
shield it from the rays of the sun a gigantic tent was stretched over
it. In the gallery above the pillars on the left-hand side a box had
been erected for the accommodation of the most distinguished foreign
visitors. A number of pages bearing tapers first made their appearance
on the balcony, then followed the cardinals, and lastly the Pope, borne
upon a sedan, and having on each side of him the white fans of ostrich
feathers. As soon as he appeared, all the people fell upon their knees
and a solemn stillness took the place of the wild tumult which had
previously prevailed. There was something exceedingly imposing in the
reverential awe impressed by this moment upon the feelings. The pale
old man then arose, and with a slow and dignified movement of the
hands, blessed the assembled multitude. In the mean-time, two folded
papers were thrown down from the balcony, one of which, as I was told,
contained the damnation of all heretics, and the other the papal
indulgence for all good believers then present. The damnatory-bull did
not however reach the ground, but flew driven by the wind into a window
that stood open, while the bull of indulgence was caught by the people
who struggled for its possession.
On our way to the eating-house, we were joined by Herr _Kelle_ of
Stuttgard, whose acquaintance we had previously made in Dresden. He
asked us among other things whether we were satisfied with our tour in
Italy and with what we had seen. Upon which I complained that we had
found many things which did not realise the expectation that had been
raised in our minds by previous travellers. He found that very natural,
and considered that it arose from the circumstance that not one of the
travellers upon his return would confess, that he also had been made an
April-fool of by his predecessors. It reminds me, he continued, of the
well-known anecdote of a man who advertised that he had a horse in his
stable which had its head where other horses had their tails. But the
curious who went to see it found nothing more than a horse fastened to
the crib by the tail, yet took good care to conceal it from the others
who were waiting outside the door--because they were ashamed. The
application of the story is easy!
After dinner we took another walk in the villa Borghese, and then
made our preparations for our departure, which was fixed for the next
morning.
In company of two persons from Stuttgard and one from Munich, with whom
we had collectively hired a vetturino, we this time performed the far
more interesting return-journey by the way of Perugia to Florence, in
six days. On the evening of the second day we arrived at Terni, and
hastened before the sun had set, to visit the celebrated waterfall,
about two hours’ walk from that place. We proceeded as far as the
foot of the mountain and then hired some asses already saddled for
the purpose in the very romantically situated village, to which half
Terni attracted by the mildness of the Sunday evening had repaired as a
pleasant promenade. These soon and safely carried us up the ascent to
the waterfall. The view from the mountain, before one turns into the
valley into which the waterfall precipitates itself, is very varied and
charming. The scene then, as one approaches nearer to it, becomes more
and more wild and romantic. As the sun was now about to set, we did not
tarry long but made all possible haste to reach the waterfall before
nightfall, in part to see the imposing spectacle in a proper light, and
partly for security’s sake, as the country hereabouts has not a very
good reputation. With the last declining rays of the sun we reached
the rock which rises out of the dark foaming abyss opposite the fall,
and where for the convenience of visitors a pavillon furnished with
benches has been erected. The view of the majestic spectacle from this
point of sight is beyond the power of language to describe. We were all
riveted as it were to the spot with admiration and wonder. Certainly at
no former period of my life did any of the beauties of nature, not even
the first sight of the Alps, make so deep an impression upon me. After
we had stood here for full ten minutes and fully feasted our eyes with
the magnificent sight, we returned to Terni without accident, on one of
the mildest and finest evenings of spring, exceedingly delighted with
our charming excursion.
On the fourth day of the journey it became suddenly very cold, so much
so that towards evening snow even began to fall, and lay upon the
ground till the morning. But when we entered the deep valley in which
Florence lies, we found everything in bloom.
We remained one day only in Florence, which we nevertheless turned to
good account. In the forenoon we visited the cathedral, the baptistery
and the Boboli gardens. Unfortunately, as it was a holiday, we could
not get admittance to see the tomb of the Medici and the Pitti Palace.
In the afternoon we took a walk to the Cascini.
Next morning, the 14th April, we resumed our journey, to Bologna
without our previous companions, who remained some time longer in
Florence. We found a great deal of snow in the Apennines, and once
more got into complete winter. In dismal Bologna we stopped one day
only. The host of the “Pellegrino” had made out a somewhat shamefully
long bill against us, in abatement of which I resorted to a means I
had frequently put in practice; that is, I deducted a third from the
account, which after some discursive wrangling, he was obliged to
submit to. Subsequently I always resorted to this expedient, and found
it answer better than the previous plan of pre-arrangement, which I had
hitherto followed, but in which after all I always found that I was
cheated.
We now proceeded by way of Modena, Reggio, Parma and Piacenza, to
Milan. As we did not stop long any where, I can say nothing more of
those cities than that we everywhere found similar crowds of ragged
beggars, the same system of cheating among the hotel keepers, and the
same dirt. On the market place of Piacenza, we saw the two gigantic
bronze statues. Whether they have any artistic merit, I cannot take
upon me to say, as we saw them only in the evening twilight.
In Milan we put up at the _Pension Suisse_, which I recommend to all
travellers for cleanliness and cheapness. We were again struck on our
first going out by the magnificence and beauty of the exterior of the
cathedral. It is without doubt the finest building that we ever saw,
more noble and richer than the _façade_ of the church of St. Peter’s.
The celebrated _Grassini_, to the imitation of whose singing _Rode_
is said to be indebted for his peculiar method of play, which differs
from the school of _Viotti_, had announced six representations in the
theatre _della Scala_. As they were however but thinly attended, three
only took place, at the last of which we were present. It consisted
of unconnected scenas from “the Horatii and Curatii” of _Cimarosa_,
and some other airs, among which also _Ombra adorata_. _Grassini_, who
in the flower of her age was without doubt a distinguished vocalist,
is now somewhat _passée_. In that however which time could not steal
from her she still stands alone; that is, she has a good style, and
plays and sings with much intensity of feeling--in truth with far
more feeling and expression than _Catalani_, but she is nevertheless
greatly behind the latter in brilliancy of execution and as regards
voice.--Hence whenever the production of a brilliant effect alone,
was the desideratum, she did not altogether give satisfaction, but in
impassioned recitative she charmed the audience by her truthful force
of expression.
I found this time also, the della Scala theatre admirably adapted to
give effect to music. I know of no place in which the voices as well as
the orchestra sound so grandly, and so distinctly at the same time; it
is therefore immeasurably preferable in an acoustic point of view to
the San Carlo theatre.
As upon our first appearance at the theatre our speculation had been so
unprofitable, we tried this time the music hall of the conservatorium,
fixed the price of entrance at three francs, and on account of the
theatre gave our concert in the forenoon. Whether attributable to the
unusual hour or to the already too advanced season of the year--suffice
to say, it was again very thinly attended, and did not return much more
than the expenses.
In the company of two Englishmen, the younger of whom was tolerably
amiable, we set out from Milan on the 2nd of May, slept in Arona, and
on the following morning were anew enraptured by the heavenly scenery
round the _Lago maggiore_, which we now again found in the garb of
spring, and arrived towards evening at the village of Simplon, at the
foot of the Simplon pass. Here, upon taking leave of Italy, we were
again cheated in real Italian style, being compelled, for instance, to
pay two francs for each cup of coffee.
The next morning we commenced the at this season of the year somewhat
difficult journey over the mountain pass, and reached the snow region
one hour after leaving Simplon. Here it was necessary to take the
carriage to pieces; the body was placed upon one sledge, the wheels
upon another, and our luggage upon a third; and in this manner the
caravan proceeded with several additional horses at a slow rate. In
the higher regions of the pass, where the snow remained hard, there
were not many stoppages, but further down, where the warmth was already
considerable, and the snow not very deep, we came every moment to
a standstill. Sometimes the horses sank in up to their bellies, at
others the carriage would get jammed fast between walls of snow as high
as a house, when it became necessary to clear a passage for it; and
then again the road had to be cleared of the fallen avalanches that
encumbered it and obstructed our progress. We therefore went on before,
and arrived two hours earlier at the fourth refuge station, wet through
up to the knees, it is true. At this place the snow had disappeared,
and here we refreshed ourselves with a simple breakfast, and rested
from the fatigues of our toilsome promenade. We heard many avalanches
come thundering down, and were in constant fear that it might fare
with us as with some travellers who had passed the day before. These,
arrived near to one of the galleries pierced through the rock, saw
a fearful avalanche sweeping down upon them, and had but just time
sufficient to take refuge in the gallery. To their horror, however,
they found both exits had been blocked up by the snow, so that for
three fearfully anxious hours they were shut in, until the inspector of
the road had worked his way through to them.
When at length the carriage arrived, we drove on to Brieg, where
we passed the third night, and for the first time again heard our
mother-tongue spoken, which sounded right welcome to our ears. Our
fourth day’s journey brought us to Sion, where French is spoken. In the
Valais we found the spring much less forward than on the other side.
Here, the cherry-trees were scarcely in bloom, while in Lombardy and on
the _Lago maggiore_ they had long passed their bloom. We thus once more
found ourselves in spring, in which we had constantly been since the
beginning of February.
On our fifth day’s journey we came to the celebrated Pissevache,
which is close to the road. But our expectations were not altogether
satisfied; for in comparison with the waterfall at Terni, this looked
very insignificant in our eyes. We slept at Bex, a charmingly situated
little village, which the inhabitants call not without reason _un
paradis terrestre_. The inn here may compete with the largest hotels of
many capitals.
On the sixth day we travelled continuously along the lake of Geneva
through Vevay to Lausanne. This place, so much lauded, and also
much resorted to in summer by the English, is not so beautiful as I
expected. The views on the lake of Thun, and still more on the lake of
Zurich, are far more varied; but all the Swiss lakes are in my opinion
far behind the _Lago maggiore_. On the seventh day we arrived at length
at Geneva.
* * * * *
In consequence of a severe cold I was confined for some days to my bed.
During this time Herr _Dupont_ and the Rev. Pastor _Gerlach_, with some
other musical friends, took some pains to make arrangements for a
concert. But it was easy to see beforehand that it would not be a very
brilliant affair, for in part the prevailing distress and dearness of
provision were still too great; and partly because several concerts had
taken place shortly before for the benefit of the poor. The season was
also too far advanced, and the majority of the wealthy families had
already retired to their country-seats. In fact it did not much more
than cover the expenses. We also permitted ourselves to be persuaded to
play at Herr _Piclet Rochemont’s_ and Herr _Dupont’s_ private parties;
and the very numerous company assembled at both their tea-parties then
thought it no longer worth while coming to our concert. The brothers
_Bohrer_, who had been there a month before we came, did not meet with
better success. Taken as a whole the Genevese have very little taste
for art, and are always speculating how they can best squeeze the
numerous foreigners who reside there summer and winter. At any rate
they know very little of _German art_ and _German artists_, and do not
know our classical composers even by name. The foreign language, and
the long French rule to which they were subjected, explains all this
sufficiently.
Of all towns of Switzerland Geneva may boast the greatest number of
distinguished artists, but who here, as almost everywhere else, are
split into two or more parties, and live a regular cat-and-dog life
among themselves. Of these the brothers _Hensel_ and _Wolf_ and Herr
_Berger_ (properly _Münzberger_) are the most prominent. I was so
fortunate as to bring these gentlemen together at my concert, who
otherwise never played together, and had thus for a Swiss town a
really good orchestra. The Rev. Pastor _Gerlach_ received us in the
most friendly manner, and rendered us even many obliging services;
he even gave up to us the Lutheran church for our concert, in which
music has a very good effect. Without that we should been compelled to
give it in the dark and cheerless theatre, which would have occasioned
considerable expense (300 Francs).
In Geneva I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting once more my old
teacher _Kunisch_ of Brunswick. This worthy man had experienced every
possible caprice of fortune. When a young man he was a first-rate
hornist, but from its inducing at last a spitting of blood, he was
obliged to abandon that instrument to save his life. By the most
untiring application he then in three years attained to a considerable
skill on the violin, and subsequently procured an appointment as first
violin at the national theatre in Berlin. When after the battle of
Jena the Prussian court was obliged to fly from Berlin and the royal
orchestra was dispersed, he was driven from Berlin by the intrigues
of Herr _Schick_, who much wanted to obtain his place. He then first
went to Switzerland, when already advanced in years he learned the
French language, and, afterwards went to Lyons, where he again procured
an appointment as first violin at the theatre. Well pleased with his
situation here, he had just begun to feel comfortably settled down,
when by an unluckly fall he dislocated his left hand, which soon
became perfectly rigid, so that he could no longer play the violin,
and consequently was obliged to give up his situation. He was now for
a third time compelled to learn another instrument, and thenceforth
earned a scanty subsistence as a teacher of the piano-forte. He was
exceedingly pleased to meet me again, and seemed very proud to be able
to call me his pupil.
* * * * *
Upon perusing the here intercalated diary of the Italian journey I miss
some incidents which even now (in 1847) are so vividly impressed on my
memory that I cannot forbear appending them here in continuation.