Failing Strength--Last Works--A Scottish Admirer--Song
Accompaniments--Correspondence with George Thomson--Mrs Jordan--A
Hitch--A "Previous" Letter of Condolence--Eventide--Last Public
Appearance--The End--Funeral Honours--Desecration of Remains.
Failing Strength
Little is left to be told of the years which followed the production of
"The Seasons." Haydn never really recovered from the strain which that
last great effort of his genius had entailed. From his letters and the
reminiscences of his friends we can read only too plainly the story of
his growing infirmity. Even in 1799 he spoke of the diminution of his
mental powers, and exclaimed: "Oh, God! how much yet remains to be done
in this splendid art, even by a man like myself!" In 1802 he wrote of
himself as "a gradually decaying veteran," enjoying only the feeble
health which is "the inseparable companion of a gray-haired man
of seventy." In December 1803 he made his last public exertion by
conducting the "Seven Words" for the hospital fund at the Redoutensaal,
and shortly afterwards wrote sadly of his "very great weakness." In 1804
he was asked to direct a performance of "The Creation," but declined
on the score of failing strength. Gradually he withdrew himself almost
entirely from the outside world, his general languor broken only by the
visits of friends and by moods of passing cheerfulness. Cherubini,
the Abbe Vogler, Pleyel, the Weber family, Hummel, Reichardt, and many
others came to see him. Visits from members of the Esterhazy family gave
him much pleasure. Mozart's widow also brought her son Wolfgang, to beg
his blessing on the occasion of his first public concert in April 1805,
for which he had composed a cantata in honour of Haydn's seventy-third
birthday. But the homage of friends and admirers could not strengthen
the weak hands or confirm the feeble knees. In 1806 Dies notes that his
once-gleaming eye has become dull and heavy and his complexion sallow,
while he suffers from "headache, deafness, forgetfulness and other
pains." His old gaiety has completely gone, and even his friends have
become a bore to him. "My remaining days," he said to Dies, "must all be
spent in this lonely fashion.... I have many visitors, but it confuses
me so much to talk to them that at last I scarcely know what I am saying
and only long to be left in peace." The condition of a man of naturally
genial and optimistic temperament can easily be imagined from all
this--perhaps even more from the fact of his having a card printed to
hand to inquirers who called, bearing the words:
Hin ist alle meine Kraft; Alt and schwach bin ich.
[Fled for ever is my strength; Old and weak am I.]
Last Works
But while Haydn was thus suffering from the natural disabilities of his
years, he was not wholly divorced from his art. It is true that nothing
of any real importance came from his pen after "The Seasons," but a good
deal of work of various kinds was done, some of which it is impossible
for the biographer to ignore. One rather novel undertaking carries us
back to the end of 1799, about which time he was first asked by George
Thomson, the friend of Burns, to write accompaniments for certain
Scottish songs to be published in Thomson's well-known national
collections. The correspondence which followed is interesting in many
ways, and as it is not noticed in any other biography of Haydn, we
propose to deal with it here. [The letters passed through the present
writer's hands some five years ago, when he was preparing his Life of
George Thomson(1898). They are now in the British Museum with the other
Thomson correspondence.]
A Scottish Admirer
George Thomson engaged at one time or other the services of Beethoven,
Pleyel, Weber, Hummel, Bishop and Kozeluch. But Haydn was his first
love. A genius of the kind, he writes in 1811 "never before existed and
probably never will be surpassed." He is "the inimitable Haydn," the
"delectable," the "father of us all," and so on. On the other hand,
Haydn was proud of what he did for Thomson. "I boast of this work," he
said, "and by it I flatter myself my name will live in Scotland many
years after my death." Nay, if we may trust an authority cited by
Thomson, so highly did he think of "the symphonies and accompaniments
which he composed for my melodies as to have the original score of each
framed and hung all over the walls of his bedroom." Little wonder
that Thomson "loved the dear old man" and regretted that his worldly
circumstances did not allow him to erect a statue to the composer at his
own expense!
We have called this writing of symphonies and accompaniments for George
Thomson a novel undertaking. It was, however, only novel in the sense of
being rather out of Haydn's special "line." He had already been employed
on work of the kind for the collection of William Napier, to which
he contributed the accompaniments of 150 songs. Later on, too (in
1802-1803), he harmonized and wrote accompaniments for sixty-five airs,
for which he received 500 florins from Whyte of Edinburgh. The extent of
his labours for George Thomson we shall now proceed to show.
Song Accompaniments
Thomson addressed his first letter to Haydn in October 1799. There is no
copy of it, but there is a copy of a letter to Mr Straton, a friend of
Thomson's, who was at this time Secretary to the Legation at Vienna.
Straton was to deliver the letter to Haydn, and negotiate with him on
Thomson's behalf. He was authorized to "say whatever you conceive is
likely to produce compliance," and if necessary to "offer a few more
ducats for each air." The only stipulation was that Haydn "must not
speak of what he gets." Thomson does not expect that he will do the
accompaniments better than Kozeluch--"that is scarcely possible"(!); but
in the symphonies he will be "great and original." Thomson, as we now
learn from Straton, had offered 2 ducats for each air (say 20s.);
Haydn "seemed desirous of having rather more than 2 ducats, but did not
precisely insist upon the point." Apparently he did not insist, for the
next intimation of the correspondence is to the effect that thirty-two
airs which he had just finished had been forwarded to Thomson on June
19, 1800. They would have been done sooner, says Straton, but "poor
Haydn laboured under so severe an illness during the course of this
spring that we were not altogether devoid of alarm in regard to his
recovery." Thomson, thus encouraged, sent sixteen more airs; and Straton
writes (April 30, 1801) that Haydn at first refused to touch them
because the price paid was too low. But in the course of conversation
Straton learnt that Haydn was writing to Thomson to ask him to procure
a dozen India handkerchiefs, and it struck him that "your making him a
present of them might mollify the veteran into compliance respecting
the sixteen airs." Straton therefore took upon himself to promise in
Thomson's name that the handkerchiefs would be forthcoming, and "this
had the desired effect to such a degree that Haydn immediately put the
sixteen airs in his pocket, and is to compose the accompaniments as soon
as possible on the same terms as the former."
Mrs Jordan
The handkerchiefs duly arrived--"nice and large"--and Haydn made his
acknowledgments in appropriate terms. At the same time (in January 1802)
he wrote: "I send you with this the favourite air 'The Blue Bells of
Scotland,' and I should like that this little air should be engraved
all alone and dedicated in my name as a little complimentary gift to
the renowned Mrs Jordan, whom, without having the honour of knowing, I
esteem extremely for her great virtue and reputation." Mrs Jordan
has been credited with the air of "The Blue Bells of Scotland." She
certainly popularized the song, whether it was her own or not. In the
note just quoted Haydn must have used the term "virtue" in the Italian
sense.
A Hitch
After this a little hitch occurred in the Thomson correspondence.
Haydn, being asked by Whyte, the publisher of a rival collection, to
do something for his work, at once agreed. Thomson, not unnaturally,
perhaps, felt hurt. He made his complaint through Mr Straton's successor
at the Embassy, Mr Charles Stuart; and in August 1803 Stuart writes to
say that he had broached the matter to Haydn "in as delicate terms as
possible for fear he might take offence." Haydn frankly admitted that he
had done the accompaniments for Whyte, but said the airs were different
from those he had done for Thomson. After "a long conversation, he
informed me," says Mr Stuart, "that being now seventy-four years of
age and extremely infirm, he found himself wholly incapable of further
application to study; that he must therefore beg leave to decline all
offers, whether on your part or from any other person whatsoever. He
even declared that notwithstanding the repeated requests of Prince
Esterhazy, he felt himself utterly incapable of finishing several pieces
of music he had undertaken, and being possessed of a competency he
desired nothing so much as to pass the short time he has yet to live in
repose and quiet." From this letter we learn that Thomson had unluckily
sent a present of a handkerchief for Frau Haydn, who had now been dead
for three years!
A "Previous" Letter of Condolence
In spite of the little misunderstanding just referred to Haydn was
brought round once more, and on the 20th of December 1803 Thomson sends
twenty-four airs, "which will most certainly be the last." Haydn's work
delights him so much that he "really cannot bear the idea of seeking an
inferior composer to finish a work already so nearly finished by you."
He would pay 4 ducats for each air rather than have the mortification
of a refusal. After this there is little of interest to note in the
correspondence, unless it be a very "previous" letter of condolence
which Thomson sent to Vienna. A false rumour had reached him that Haydn
was dead. The following extract from a note which Haydn dictated to
be sent to the friend who received Thomson's letter will explain the
matter:
Kindly say to Mr Thomson that Haydn is very sensible of the distress
that the news of his alleged death has caused him, and that this sign of
affection has added, if that were possible, to the esteem and friendship
he will always entertain for Mr Thomson. You will notice that he has put
his name and the date on the sheet of music to give better proof that he
is still on this nether world. He begs you at the same time to be kind
enough to have Mr Thomson's letter of condolence copied and to send him
the copy.
Haydn's experience in this way was perhaps unique. Burney says he was
reported dead in 1778; and the false rumour which reached Thomson in
1805 led Cherubini to compose a sacred cantata for three voices and
orchestra, which was duly performed in Paris when his death actually
occurred.
Haydn furnished in all some 250 airs with symphonies and accompaniments
for Thomson. In the packet of letters from the composer, docketed by
Thomson himself, the latter has placed a slip of paper indicating the
various payments he had made. According to this statement Haydn had
291 pounds, 18s. for his work from first to last--not by any means an
insignificant sum to make out of a side branch of his art.
Eventide
This interesting correspondence takes us up to the year 1806, by which
time Haydn's work was entirely over. His eventide, alas! was darkened by
the clouds of war. The wave of the French Revolution had cast its bloody
spray upon the surrounding nations, and 1805 saw the composer's beloved
Vienna occupied by the French. Haydn was no politician, but love of
country lay deep down in his heart, and he watched the course of events,
from his little cottage, with the saddest forebodings.
The Last Public Appearance
Once only was he drawn from his seclusion. This was on the 27th of March
1808, when he appeared in public for the last time at a performance of
"The Creation" at the University. The scene on this remarkable occasion
has been described by many pens. Naumann, writing of it, says that "such
an apotheosis of the master was witnessed as has but few parallels," and
this is no exaggeration. The performance, which was under the direction
of Salieri, had been arranged in honour of his approaching seventy-sixth
birthday. All the great artists of Vienna were present, among them
Beethoven and Hummel. Prince Esterhazy had sent his carriage to bring
the veteran to the hall, and, as he was being conveyed in an arm-chair
to a place among the princes and nobles, the whole audience rose to
their feet in testimony of their regard. It was a cold night, and ladies
sitting near swathed him in their costly wraps and lace shawls. The
concert began, and the audience was hushed to silence. When that
magnificent passage was reached, "And there was light," they burst into
loud applause, and Haydn, overcome with excitement, exclaimed, "Not I,
but a Power from above created that." The performance went on, but it
proved too much for the old man, and friends arranged to take him home
at the end of the first part. As he was being carried out, some of the
highest of the land crowded round to take what was felt to be a last
farewell; and Beethoven, forgetting incidents of early days, bent down
and fervently kissed his hand and forehead. Having reached the door,
Haydn asked his bearers to pause and turn him towards the orchestra.
Then, lifting his hand, as if in the act of blessing, he was borne out
into the night.
Next year Vienna was bombarded by the French, and a cannon-ball fell not
far from Haydn's house. He was naturally much alarmed; but there is no
ground for the statement, sometimes made, that his death was hastened
by the fright. On the contrary, he called out to his servants, who were
assisting him to dress: "Children, don't be frightened; no harm can
happen to you while Haydn is here."
The End
But his days were numbered. "This miserable war has cast me down to the
very ground," he would say, with tears in his eyes. And yet it was a
French officer who last visited him on his death-bed, the city being
then actually occupied by the enemy. The officer's name is not given,
but he sang "In native worth" with such expression that Haydn was quite
overcome, and embraced him warmly at parting. On May 26 he seems to have
felt that his end was fast approaching. He gathered his household around
him, and, being carried to the piano, at his own special request,
played the Emperor's Hymn three times over, with an emotion that fairly
overpowered himself and all who heard him. Five days later, on the 31st
of May 1809, he breathed his last.
Funeral services were held in all the churches, and on June 15 Mozart's
Requiem was given in his honour at the Scots Church, when several
generals and administrators of the French army were present. Many poems
were also written in his praise.
Haydn was buried as a private individual in the Hundsthurm Churchyard,
which was just outside the lines, and close to the suburb of Gumpendorf,
where he had lived. The grave remained entirely undistinguished
till 1814--another instance of Vienna's neglect--when Haydn's pupil,
Chevalier Neukomm, erected a stone bearing the following inscription,
which contains a five-part canon for solution:
HAYDN
NATUS MDCCXXXIII. OBIIT MDCCCIX.
CAN. AENIGM. QUINQUE. VOC.
[figure: a musical score excerpt to the syllables non om - nis mo - ri -
ar]
D. D. D.
Discp. Eius Neukom Vindob. Redux. Mdcccxiv.
Desecration of Haydn's Remains
In 1820 the remains were exhumed by order of Prince Esterhazy, and
re-interred with fresh funeral honours in the Pilgrimage Church of
Maria-Einsiedel, near Eisenstadt, on November 7. A simple stone, with
a Latin inscription, is inserted in the wall over the vault. When the
coffin was opened, the startling discovery was made that the skull had
been stolen. The desecration took place two days after the funeral.
It appears that one Johann Peter, intendant of the royal and imperial
prisons of Vienna, conceived the grim idea of forming a collection of
skulls, made, as he avowed in his will, to corroborate the theory of
Dr Gall, the founder of phrenology. This functionary bribed the sexton,
and--in concert with Prince Esterhazy's secretary Rosenbaum, and with
two Government officials named Jungermann and Ullmann--he opened Haydn's
grave and removed the skull. Peter afterwards gave the most minute
details of the sacrilege. He declared that he examined the head and
found the bump of music fully developed, and traces in the nose of the
polypus from which Haydn suffered. The skull was placed in a lined box,
and when Peter got into difficulties and his collection was dispersed,
the relic passed into the possession of Rosenbaum. That worthy's
conscience seems to have troubled him in the matter, for he conceived
the idea of erecting a monument to the skull in his back garden! When
the desecration was discovered in 1820 there was an outcry, followed by
police search. Prince Esterhazy would stand no nonsense. The skull must
be returned, no questions would be asked, and Peter was offered a reward
if he found it. The notion then occurred to Rosenbaum of palming off
another skull for Haydn's. This he actually succeeded in doing, the head
of some unfortunate individual being handed to the police. Peter claimed
the reward, which was very justly refused him. When Rosenbaum was dying
he confessed to the deception, and gave the skull back to Peter. Peter
formed the resolution of bequeathing it, by will, to the Conservatorium
at Vienna; but he altered his mind before he died, and by codicil left
the skull to Dr Haller, from whose keeping it ultimately found its
way to the anatomical museum at Vienna. We believe it is still in the
museum. Its proper place is, of course, in Haydn's grave, and a stigma
will rest on Vienna until it is placed there.
[The great masters have been peculiarly unfortunate in the matter of
their "remains." When Beethoven's grave was opened in 1863, Professor
Wagner was actually allowed to cut off the ears and aural cavities of
the corpse in order to investigate the cause of the dead man's deafness.
The alleged skeleton of Sebastian Bach was taken to an anatomical museum
a few years ago, "cleaned up," and clothed with a semblance of flesh to
show how Bach looked in life! Donizetti's skull was stolen before the
funeral, and was afterwards sold to a pork butcher, who used it as a
money-bowl. Gluck was re-buried in 1890 beside Mozart, Beethoven
and Schubert, after having lain in the little suburban churchyard of
Matzleinsdorf since 1787.]
A copy of Haydn's will has been printed as one of the appendices to
the present volume, with notes and all necessary information about the
interesting document. Two years before his death he had arranged that
his books, music, manuscripts and medals should become the property of
the Esterhazy family. Among the relics were twenty-four canons which
had hung, framed and glazed, in his bedroom. "I am not rich enough," he
said, "to buy good pictures, so I have provided myself with hangings of
a kind that few possess." These little compositions were the subject
of an oft-quoted anecdote. His wife, in one of her peevish moods, was
complaining that if he should die suddenly, there was not sufficient
money in the house to bury him. "In case such a calamity should occur,"
he replied, "take these canons to the music-publisher. I will answer for
it, that they will bring enough to pay for a decent funeral."