“_Jan. 14, 1811._
“I received a packet from M. Le Breton, &c., addressed,
“_A Monsieur le Docteur Burney_,
“_Correspondant de l’Institut de France_.
“This packet found its way to my apartment at Chelsea
College, by means of Mr. West, President of the Royal
Academy. Its contents were—
“_Notices historiques sur la vie et les ouvrages de M.
Pajon. Par M. Joachim le Breton. Du. 6 Otto. 1810._
“_Notices historiques sur la vie, et les ouvrages, de
Jos. Haydn. Par le même._
This memoir _sur la vie_ de Haydn, sent by M. le Breton, drew from the
Doctor, nearly at the close of his own annals, the following paragraph
upon that great musician, who, for equal excellence in science and
invention, he held to be at the head of all his compeers:
“Haydn, 1810.
“It has been well observed, by Haydn’s excellent biographer,
at Paris, M. le Breton, that the public everywhere, by whom
his works were so enthusiastically admired, took more care of
his fame than of his fortune. He, however, himself, always
modest, upright, and prudent, supposed it possible that he
might survive his talents; and wished, by rigid economy and
self-denial, to accumulate a sufficiently independent income
for old age and infirmities, when he might no longer be able
to entertain the public with new productions. This humble and
most rational wish he was unable, in his own country, from the
smallness of remuneration, to accomplish.
“I began an intimate intercourse with him immediately on his
arrival in England; and was as much pleased with his mild,
unassuming, yet cheerful conversation and countenance, as
with his stupendous musical merit. And I procured him more
subscribers to that sublime effort of genius—the Creation,
than all his other friends, whether at home or abroad, put
together.”
Of the year 1811, no species of event, nor detail of circumstance, has
reached this Memorialist, except the following letter, which is copied
from Doctor Burney’s own handwriting near the conclusion of his Journal:
“To Mr. Kollman, who had left a parcel for me.
“_March 24, 1811._
“Dear Sir,
“I was sorry when you did me the favour to call, that I
had not left my bedroom, where I had been confined, and
unable to see my friends ever since the beginning of the
present year; and I was then in daily fear of the baleful
ides of March: but on opening the valuable parcel which
you had been so good as to leave with my servant, I have
found the contents to be such as to furnish my eyes and
my mind with agreeable employment ever since. I have
often admired your musical science and ingenuity; but I
think your fugues and double counterpoint in four parts,
for two performers on one piano-forte, considerably
surpass in clearness, contrivance, and pleasing melody,
any of your former elaborate and learned productions that
I have seen. And if it is so considered, and we count
how many folio pages there are of letter-press in your
introductory explanations, the works which you left for
me would be a cheap purchase at £1. 1_s._, which I have
the pleasure to send, with thanks for my entertainment.
“Your different harmonics to the original melody of the
100th psalm is a work of great study and knowledge.
“I am very seldom, now, in health and spirits to read
or comment on works of complication in music, or of
speculation in literature, as age, infirmities, and
sickness, have made the use of a pen a very heavy task,
and rendered me only fit to peruse old authors, that
were in high estimation when I was young; but, being
now forgotten, are become new to me again; or at least
interesting by their antiquity to one who has wholly
quitted the modern world.
* * * * *
“The above was written last night to Mr. Kollman. The
following is a memorandum of what I have long thought
concerning Parochial Psalmody. After justly estimating
the varied harmonies which the ingenious organist of his
Majesty’s German chapel has found for the original melody
of the 100th psalm, I add the following record of an idea
of my own long since conceived.
“If the simple tune which is sung in our parish churches
throughout the kingdom, in notes of the same length,
without the least discrimination of lōng and shŏrt
syllables, (bad in prose, but worse in metre,) was sung
in the same measure of 3/2 as the 100th psalm, which is
in favour everywhere, the objection would be removed
against calvinistical psalmody, which is drawled out,
and bawled out, as long and as loud as possible. Indeed,
all our old psalm tunes, in simple counterpoint of note
against note, received and established at the time of the
Reformation, might be correctly accented, without losing
the idea of the old melodies when sung in 2, 3, 4, or
more parts.”
* * * * *