Page:Anecdotes of Great Musicians.djvu/90

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Paganini's exceedingly great perseverance and practice in his early life gave him such a command over his instrument in later years that he needed no practice other than his frequent concerts gave him. His knowledge of music was so great and his perceptions so quick, that he was reported to be able to play at sight any music written for his instrument.

There was once an artist at Parina who disbelieved these stories of Paganini's wonderful powers. He told the violinist one day that he was the owner of a fine Stradivarius violin, and he would make him a present of it, if Paganini could read at sight a concerto he had in manuscript. "Then prepare to part with your fiddle," said Paganini, and taking the music, he played it at once, and walked off the possessor of a "Strad" worth perhaps £700 or £800.  

Franz Schubert, like Beethoven, was accustomed to carry with him a note-book in which he could jot down musical ideas as they happened to occur to him. Many a beautiful theme would have been lost had it not been for this practical habit of these great composers. There are times when the muse is asleep, when the ideas will not come; then it is that such a note-book becomes valuable and the inspirations of other times may rouse the dormant muse.

Wherever Schubert happened to be, in the city or the fields, in the tavern or the beer garden, did a valuable idea occur to him, out came the note-book and it was hastily scratched down for further treatment. When he was seized by an idea it must go down on the first scrap of paper that came to hand. This was the manner in which that beautiful and well-known "Ständchen" first appeared, though it is also told of "Hark, the Lark." 