Page:Anecdotes of Great Musicians.djvu/182

170 A chorus was once heartily rebuked by von Weber in a manner that no doubt left a permanent impression. He was conducting a rehearsal of his "Jubel Cantata" in London. In the course of this work occurs a beautiful prayer for chorus. The singers attacked it with a loud and lusty tone, in a "hammer and tongs" style, as a German would say, when suddenly Weber called a halt, saying:—

"Stop! do not sing like that. Would you bawl in that manner in the presence of God?"—words that might appropriately be framed in almost every choir loft.

Not only in chorus and choir, but especially in church and Sunday school do we find people singing prayerful words in a manner which cannot be better described than in Weber's language—"bawling in the presence of God."  

Mozart once created quite a sensation in a theater he was visiting. It was at Marseilles. He had gone to the opera incognito to hear one of his own works performed. All went well till, in a certain passage, through some error in the copyist, the orchestra played "D" where Mozart had written "D sharp." This change of one note made a decided difference in the harmony, and turned the superior harmonic effect intended into a very ordinary sounding affair.

No sooner was this done than Mozart sprang to his feet, crying out: "Play D sharp, will you; play D sharp, you wretches!" It may be imagined that such actions produced quite a sensation. The orchestra and singers stopped their performance and the audience began to hiss him down and cry, "Put him out!" and he was about to be summarily ejected from the theater, when he announced who he was.

When it was known that it was Mozart, the tumult subsided, and cries of "Mozart! Mozart!" rang through the house. The very ones that were about to expel