Dr. Burney bestowed, also, in the opening part of this year, a portion
of his time and his thoughts to a purpose of benevolence that may
almost be called pious.
Mademoiselle Paradis, a young German, equally distinguished by her
talents and her misfortunes, was strongly recommended to the Doctor, by
his Vienna correspondents, as an object at once of admiration and of
charity.
When only two years old, she had been suddenly deprived of sight by
a paralytic stroke, or palsy of the optic nerves. Great compassion
was excited by this calamity; and every method was essayed that
could be devised for restoring to her the visible light of heaven,
with the fair view of earth and her fellow creatures; but all was
unavailing. At seven years of age, however, she began to listen with
such ardent attention to the music that she heard in the church, that
it suggested to her parents the idea of having her taught to play on
the piano-forte; and, soon afterwards, to sing. In three or four years
time, she was able to accompany herself on the organ in the _stabat
mater_ of Pergolese; of which she sung the first soprano part in the
church of St. Augustin, at Vienna, in the presence of the Empress
Queen, Maria Theresa, with such sweetness and pathos, that her Imperial
Majesty, touched with her performance and misfortune, settled upon her
a handsome pension.
She then pursued her musical studies under the care of Kozeluch; who
composed many admirable lessons for her use. But, on the death of the
Empress Queen, the pension of Mademoiselle Paradis was withdrawn,
indiscriminately, and inconsiderately, as it was a charity, with all
other pensions that had been granted by her Imperial Majesty.
In 1784, Mademoiselle Paradis quitted Vienna, with her mother, in order
to travel; and, after visiting the principal courts and cities of
Germany, she arrived at Paris, where she received every possible mark
of approbation. She then brought letters to England from persons of the
first rank, to her Majesty, Queen Charlotte; to his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales;[4] to the Imperial Minister, Count Kageneck; to Lord
Stormont;[5] and to other powerful patrons; as well as to the principal
musical professors in London.
Dr. Burney exerted all his influence to obtain for her some new
benefactors. He invited her to his house, where he gave a concert that
caused her to be heard and seen by those who were best able to aid as
well as judge: and to render this concert the more piquant, he asked
to it our own celebrated blind musician, the worthy Mr. Stanley; who
was extremely pleased to meet her, and took great interest in her fate.
Dr. Burney translated, or rather imitated, into English, a cantata that
had been written by her own blind countryman and friend, M. Pfeffel
of Vienna; and set to music by her master, M. Kozeluch. This cantata
contains a poetical, yet faithful history of her life and sorrows; and
could not but prove affecting to whoever heard it performed by herself.
Dr. Burney took measures for having this narratory effusion set before
our Queen Charlotte, both in its vernacular and its adopted tongue;
and her Majesty, to whom charity never supplicated in vain, humanely
cheered and revived the blind minstrel with essential tokens of royal
liberality. No efforts, however, succeeded in forming any establishment
for her in London; though there is reason to believe that the state of
her finances was considerably amended by her expedition.
The following is the simple and plaintive cantata, which, with a brief
account of her life and situation, Dr. Burney printed and dispersed, at
his own expense, in her service.