hoped for. It is true, the audience were at first startled by the
novelty, and were seen whispering together; but when the music began
and the orchestra executed the well-known symphony with unusual power
and precision, the general approbation was shewn immediately on the
conclusion of the first part by a long-sustained clapping of hands.
The triumph of the baton as a time-giver was decisive, and no one was
seen any more seated at the piano during the performance of symphonies
and overtures. On this evening also the concert overture which I
had composed before I left Frankfort was given for the first time.
As it pleased very much the Philharmonic society accepted it as the
composition which according to my contract I was to leave in their
hands. I kept no copy of it and soon forgot it entirely, so that a few
years afterwards when preparing a thematic catalogue of my compositions
I could not recal to mind the beginning of it, for which reason the
theme of it is wholly wanting in the text.
During the delivery of my letters of introduction in London, as also
upon many other occasions, I had so much felt the want of some one
to serve me as interpreter that I was continually making inquiries
for a person to accompany me who could speak German and English. At
length Mr. _Ries_ bethought him of an old servant of the deceased
_Salomon_[25] of the name of _Johanning_, who would be competent
to fill that office. It is true, that he had retired from service,
and as heir to his late master had bought a small country-house in
the neighbourhood of London. Mr. _Ries_ hoped nevertheless that the
yet vigorous old man would consent to take the situation, for which
purpose he sent for him to town, and the offer on my part was made to
him. When he learned that it was to enter the service of a German and
a musician, and furthermore of a violinist, as his deceased master
had been, he immediately expressed his readiness, and even left it
to my option what remuneration I should give him at the close of
the season. Thenceforth he came every morning into town, and having
first interpreted the wishes of my wife to the landlady respecting
the dinner, he then accompanied me on my rounds of business. From his
long residence in London, however, he had forgotten a great deal of
his German, and his English doubtless was not very classic; for in
his interpreting frequent misunderstandings would take place. When I
had thus presented the remainder of my letters of introduction with
less difficulty than before, I again found time and leisure for new
compositions. I first wrote a symphony (the second D flat, Op. 49) and
played it for the first time at one of the Philharmonic concerts, which
I had to conduct, April 10. 1820. At its rehearsal, it met with very
great approbation both from the orchestra and the numerous persons who
were present; but in the evening it was received with real enthusiasm.
I had in part to thank the numerous and particularly excellent stringed
instruments of the orchestra for this brillant success, and in this
composition I had given them a special opportunity of exhibiting
their skill in playing with purity and precision of _ensemble_. In
fact, as regards the stringed instruments, I have never since heard
that symphony given with so much effect as on that evening. The next
morning all the London newspapers contained reports respecting the
new symphony that had been composed in their town, and vied with each
other in their praise of it. Similar favourable notices of my play upon
every occasion of my appearance soon spread my fame throughout the
town, and pupils readily presented themselves to receive instruction
from me on the violin, as well as ladies who were desirous of being
accompanied on the piano. As all expressed their willingness to pay a
guinea for each hour’s instruction, I readily accepted their offers,
as I considered that I owed it to my family to turn the good fortune
I had met with in London as a musician to my pecuniary advantage. In
this manner, after having first devoted a few hours to composition
at home or to music with my wife, I was running or driving about all
day in huge London, and frequently right weary of it; for the greater
part of my pupils had neither talent nor application, and took lessons
of me merely to be enabled to say that they were pupils of _Spohr_.
I nevertheless call to mind with some pleasure several originals who
amused me with their singularities, and therewith somewhat relieved the
bitter trouble I had with them. One was an old general on half-pay,
but who always made his appearance in full uniform, decorated with all
his orders, and with the extreme of high military bearing. He, as an
exception, came always to my house, but, nevertheless, required to play
for three quarters of an hour only, as according to the custom there
deduction was made of the quarter of an hour for the drive. He came
every morning, Sundays excepted, in his old state carriage, precisely
at 12 o’clock, ordered one of his belaced and powdered footmen to
bring up his violin-case, and after a dumb greeting sat himself down
immediately to his music desk. But previous to that he took out his
watch to see at what o’clock the lesson would commence, and then set
it down close to him. He would bring easy duets with him, chiefly of
_Pleyel_, in which I played second violin. Although there were many
things in his play that indicated the unpractised pupil, I soon saw
that it would not be wise to point them out to him; I contented myself
therefore with accommodating my tones as much as possible to those of
the old gentleman, and so we played one duet after the other in the
best concord. As soon, however, as we had played the three quarters of
an hour, the general would stop, though in the middle of the piece,
take from his waistcoat pocket a one-pound note in which a shilling was
wrapped up, and put it upon the table. He would then take up his watch,
and take leave in the same taciturn manner as he had entered.
[25] It was this _Salomon_, who, as concert-giver, induced his friend
_Haydn_ to visit London and compose symphonies for his concerts; and
to him therefore the musical world owes the twelve most beautiful
symphonies _Haydn_ wrote.
The other original was an old lady whom I accompanied on the piano.
She was a passionate admirer of _Beethoven_, against which I had
nothing to say, but she had the whim, moreover, never to play any
other music than that of her favorite. She had all _Beethoven’s_
pianoforte-compositions, as also his orchestral works arranged for
the piano. Her apartment was also hung with every portrait of him
that she had been able to procure. As many of these differed greatly
in resemblance to each other, she urged me to inform her which most
resembled him of the whole. She possessed also some relics of him which
had been brought to her from Vienna by English travellers, among others
a button of his dressing-gown and a piece of music paper with some note
marks and ink-blots from his hand. When I apprized her that I had lived
for some time on terms of great intimacy with him, I rose greatly in
her estimation, and she had then so much to ask that on some days we
never played at all. She spoke French with tolerably fluency, and could
even bring out a few words of German. Her pianoforte play was not at
all bad, so that I was rather pleased to play the sonatas for piano and
violin. But when she subsequently produced the trios also, and played
with me _without_ violoncello, and then even the piano concertos, in
which, with the exception of first orchestral-violin, which I played,
all else was wanting, it became very clear to me that her enthusiasm
for _Beethoven_ was nothing but affectation, and that she had not the
least perception of the excellence of his compositions.
I became acquainted with a third singular character in the following
manner. One morning a servant in livery brought a letter to me, which
my old _Johanning_ translated in the following manner: “Mr. _Spohr_
is requested to call at the house of the undersigned, at 4 o’clock
precisely.” As I did not know the name appended to the note, nor could
ascertain from the servant the purpose for which my attendance was
requested, I replied thereto in an equally laconic manner: “At the
hour indicated I am engaged and cannot come.” The next morning the
servant reappeared with a second much more polite note: “Mr. _Spohr_
is requested to honour the undersigned with a visit, and to appoint
the time himself.” At the same time the servant had been ordered to
offer his master’s carriage, and as I had been meanwhile informed
that the writer was a celebrated physician, who frequently attended
concerts, and interested himself especially in violin music, I no
longer hesitated to go, but indicated the appointed hour to the servant
and was duly fetched in the doctor’s carriage. An amiable old gentlemen
with snow white hair received me at the foot of the stairs, but we
now discovered to our mutual regret that we could not make ourselves
intelligible to each other, for he spoke neither German nor French.
We stood opposite to each other in great embarassment, until he took
me by the arm and led me into a spacious room on the walls of which a
number of violins were hung. Others had been taken from their cases
and placed upon tables. The doctor handed a bow to me and pointed to
the instruments. I now comprehended that I was to give my opinion of
the respective merits of the violins, and immediately began to try
them and to arrange them in order according to their worth. This was
no easy work to do; for there were a great number of them, and the
old gentleman brought them all in succession, without omitting one.
When at length, after the lapse of about an hour, I had found the
best six of them, and still played on these alternately to discover
the very best of them, I observed that the doctor eyed one of them
with looks of particular fondness, and his face lit up with pleasure
every time I struck the strings. I therefore readily gave the kind old
gentleman the satisfaction of indicating that instrument as the matador
of the whole collection. Quite delighted with this announcement, he
now brought a _viola d’amour_, and began to play a fantasia on this
long-unused instrument. I listened to him with pleasure, as I had not
heard the instrument before and the doctor played by no means ill.
Thus terminated the interview to the satisfaction of both, and I had
taken up my hat, to take my leave of him when the old gentleman, with
a kindly expression of countenance and several low bows, handed to
me a five-pound note. Astonished at this, I looked at the note and
the donor, and at first knew not what he meant; when it struck me
that he intended it as a remuneration for my testing his violins, and
shaking my head with a smile, I laid the note on the table, pressed
the doctor’s hand with warmth, and hastened down stairs. He followed
me out into the street, assisted me into the carriage and then spoke
some words with evident emotion to his coachman. This had made so
much impression on the coachman, that he immediately told it to old
_Johanning_, who had come with the carriage, to open the door. He
had said to him: “You are driving there a German who is a perfect
gentleman; and I expect you will take him home to his house with the
greatest care.”--A few months afterwards, when I gave my benefit
concert, the doctor sent for a ticket and forwarded to me at the same
time a ten-pound note.
Meanwhile my wife had by unflagging industry acquired great proficiency
on the new harp, but in doing so--on account of the greater stretch
of arm it required and the stronger tension of the strings--she had
exerted herself over much and now suffered greatly from the exhaustion
it had induced. From former experience I had learned that nothing so
quickly imparted fresh strength to her nerves as the frequent enjoyment
of fresh air. I therefore availed myself of every moment of sunshine
in the first days of spring to take gentle walks into Regent’s Park,
which was very near to our dwelling in Charlotte Street. On Sundays,
when all music ceases in London, and when even without fear of giving
offence we could not play in our own apartments, we used to make more
distant excursions to Hampstead, and to the other parks. Our companion
and guide was alternately the younger _Ries_ and an old amiable man of
the name of _Stumpf_, an instrument maker. I soon had the gratification
of seeing my wife regain fresh strength and spirits from the mild
influence of the English spring, but I adhered strictly to my previous
resolution that she should appear once only at my own concert, and
declined with firmness several offers that were made to her. But as
for myself, I played at all concerts where they were willing to pay
the price I asked, and as this according to English notions was not
excessively high, I was in frequent requisition, and saw my name
announced on almost all the concert-programmes of the season. But
I never could make up my mind to play for remuneration at private
parties, for the manner in which musicians were then treated there, was
to me most unbecoming and degrading. They were not admitted to join
the company, but were shewn into an adjoining room, where they had to
wait until the moment arrived when they were summoned to the apartments
where the company was assembled before whom they were to play; their
performance over, they had to leave the room again immediately. My wife
and I were ourselves once eyewitnesses of this contemptuous treatment
of the first and most eminent artists in London. We had received
letters of introduction to the king’s brothers the Dukes of _Sussex_
and _Clarence_, and as the latter was married to a German, a Princess
of Meiningen, I paid them a visit accompanied by my wife. The Ducal
couple received us in a very kind manner and invited us to a musical
party they were to give in a few days and at which we were also asked
to assist. I then thought in what way I could best extricate myself
from this disgusting exclusion from the company, and resolved if I
could not succeed to return home immediately. When therefore we entered
the palace, and a lacquey was on the point of opening the door of the
room where the other musicians were assembled, I told _Johanning_ to
deliver my violin case to him, and with my wife on my arm, immediately
ascended the staircase before the lacquey had time to recover from his
astonishment. Arrived at the door of the apartments where the company
were assembled, I announced my name to the footman in waiting, and as
he hesitated to open the door I evinced an intention of opening it
myself. Upon this the lacquey instantly threw open the door and called
out the names of the new-comers. The Duchess, alive to German usages,
rose immediately from her seat, advanced a few steps to meet my wife,
and led her into the circle of ladies. The Duke welcomed me also with
a few friendly words and introduced me to the gentlemen around him. I
now thought I had successfully achieved all; but I soon observed that
the servants notwithstanding not did consider me as properly belonging
to the company, for they always passed me by with the tea-tray and
other refreshments, without offering me any. At length the Duke may
also have remarked this; for I saw him whisper a few words in the ear
of the steward of the household. After this the refreshments were also
presented to me. When the concert was to commence the steward of the
household sent a servant to summon the invited artists in the order
in which their names appeared on the programme. They hereupon entered
the apartment with their sheet of music or instrument in hand, saluted
the company with a profound bow, and began their performances. They
were the _élite_ of the most distinguished singers and musicians in
London, and the execution of their respective pieces was almost without
exception charmingly beautiful. This, however, did not appear to be
felt by the noble and fashionable auditory; for they did not cease
their conversation one moment. Once only when a very favorite female
singer entered the room they became somewhat more silent, and a few
subdued _bravas_ were heard, for which she immediately returned thanks
with profound curtsies. I was exceedingly annoyed by this derogation of
art and still more so with the artists who submitted to be so treated,
and I had a great mind not to play at all. When the turn came to me,
therefore, I purposely hesitated so long till the Duke, probably at
a sign made to him by his wife, invited me himself to play. I then
requested one of the servants to bring up my violin case, and I then
began to play the piece I had proposed to myself without making the
customary bows to the company. All these circumstances excited no
doubt the attention of the company, for during the whole time of my
performance the greatest stillness pervaded the apartment. When I had
concluded the ducal pair and their guests applauded. Now also I first
expressed my thanks by making a bow. Shortly afterwards the concert
terminated, and the musicians retired. If our having constituted
ourselves part of the company had furnished matter of surprise, this
was still more increased when they saw that we stopped there also to
supper, and during the supper were treated with great attention by
the ducal hosts. The circumstance to which we doubtless owed this
distinction--one so unheard-of and repugnant to all English notions of
that day--was the fact that the Duchess had known us while yet living
in her paternal house, and had there witnessed the friendly reception
which, at the time when we lived at Gotha, we had frequently met with
at the court of Meiningen. The Duke of _Sussex_, to whom I had brought
a letter of recommendation from the Duke of _Cambridge_, then regent of
Hanover, received me also with great distinction and conversed with me
a good deal. During a conversation we had upon the subject of English
national songs, the Duke even sent for his guitar and sang to me some
English and Irish national songs, which afterwards suggested to me the
idea of working up some of the most popular of these as a pot-pourri
for my instrument, and of introducing the same at my concert.[26]
When the company broke up, which was not till long after midnight, we
returned home greatly pleased with the result of our daring and with
the victory we had gained over the prejudices of London society.
[26] This is the Op. 59, the second of my works written in London.
Among those who solicited me to play solo at their concerts was Sir
_George Smart_, one of the directors of the Philharmonic Society.
During the season he gave a succession of subscription concerts which
he called “sacred concerts,” in which nevertheless a great deal of the
music was “worldly” also. I played at two of them, in return for which
Sir George undertook the arrangements for my benefit-concert--a by no
means light task even for a native well versed in the matter, and which
if I had undertaken in person would perhaps have occupied six weeks of
my time, which I could employ in a much more advantageous manner. My
concert took place on the 18th. June, and was one of the most brillant
and well attended of the whole season. Almost every person to whom we
had brought letters of recommendation--and among them also the Dukes of
_Sussex_ and _Clarence_--had taken either boxes or reserved seats, and
several of those wealthy personages had forwarded considerable sums for
them.
A great number of the subscribers to the Philharmonic Society also
retained their seats, and as the lowest price for a ticket was half
a guinea, and the room held nearly a thousand people, the receipts
were very considerable. I derived a great additional advantage from
the circumstance, that the expenses which otherwise in London are
enormously high, were greatly reduced on this occasion by the refusal
of several of the members of the orchestra to receive any gratuity,
from a friendly feeling towards me, and from the agreement previously
entered into by me with the Philharmonic Society, that the use of the
rooms should cost me nothing. On the other hand, however, I had to pay
all the singers, and I yet well remember that I was obliged to pay Mrs.
_Salmon_, the then most popular female vocalist in London, and without
whose presence my concert would have been considered not sufficiently
attractive, the sum of thirty pounds sterling for a single song; and
she made it a further condition of agreement, that she should not
sing until towards the end of the concert, as she had first to sing
at a concert in the city, six miles off. I must here mention also a
singular custom which prevailed at all concerts in London at that time,
which now, however, like many other strange practices of that period,
has been discontinued. Namely, it was required that the party giving
the concert should provide the auditory with refreshments during the
pause between the first and second parts of the concert. These were
accordingly supplied at a buffet in an adjoining room, and one was
obliged to agree beforehand with the confectioner upon the sum for
their purveyance, which at my concert was undertaken for ten pounds
sterling. If the company consisted for the most part of persons of
rank and fashion, with whom it was not usual to take any refreshments,
the confectioner used to make a good thing of it, but if it was a
very numerous and mixed company, and the heat very great, he might
frequently be a loser. But he never did a better stroke of business
than at my concert.
This took place on the very day that Queen _Charlotte_ of England made
her entry into London on her return from Italy, to make her defence
before Parliament against the charge of infidelity brought against her
by her husband. All London was divided into two parties, the larger of
which, composed of the middle and lower classes, was on the side of
the Queen. The town was in the greatest commotion, and it was a very
fortunate thing for me that I had already disposed of the whole of the
tickets for my concert, as otherwise by this unfavourable circumstance
I might have incurred a very great loss. The bills announcing my
concert, posted at the corners of the streets, were quickly pasted
over and covered with large placards in which in the name of the people
a general illumination of the town was called for to celebrate the
day; and _Johanning_ brought me word that the populace threatened to
smash the windows in every house, where this call was not complied
with. As at that time the police force as well as the few military
were not sufficiently numerous to protect the royal palaces from the
threatened excesses of the populace, the partisans of the king, who
were wholly unable to repress the tumult, were compelled to abide the
worst, and contented themselves with making the best use of the short
notice given by having their windows nailed up with boards, in order
to save their costly mirrors and furniture. In this manner during the
whole of the day the sound of the carpenter’s hammer was everywhere
heard, particularly in Portland Place, close adjoining where many of
the nobility resided, and these preparations of defence were subjects
of great derision and amusement to the young vagabonds of the street.
While we were rehearsing at home the pieces to be performed in the
evening, the people poured in crowds through the streets to meet the
Queen upon her entry. As this took place in the direction of the city,
it became perfectly quiet towards evening at the West-end. We found
therefore, as we drove at half-past eight o’clock to the concert-rooms,
the streets almost less thronged than usual, and met with no obstacle
on our way. But we remarked everywhere active preparations for the
illumination, in order that the sovereign will of the people might be
immediately complied with. My wife, who was somewhat nervous respecting
her first public appearance with the new harp, was in great trepidation
as to what might occur from this excitement of the populace, and I
was greatly afraid that the agitation in which I saw her would be
prejudicial both to her play and to her health. I therefore endeavoured
to soothe her by argument and persuasion, in which I happily succeeded.
The concert-room filled by degrees with a numerous auditory and the
concert began. I am able to give here the entire programme, as Sir
_G. Smart_ upon my last visit to London (in the year 1852) made me a
present of a copy of that which was handed at the time to the audience
upon their entry into the rooms. It runs as follows:
NEW ARGYLL ROOMS.
M^R. SPOHR’S CONCERT.
Thursday, June 18th. 1820.
* * * * *
~PART I.~