Page:Great Men and Famous Women Volume 8.djvu/171

 HAYDN 317 waves running mountains high, the pitching and tossing, the roll of thunder, and the howling of the wind ; and Haydn produces all sorts of ugly, jerky, and noisy music, but none of it is in the remotest degree like a storm at sea, or anywhere else. At last, after Kurz had become hoarse with his nautical disquisitions, and Haydn's fingers were tired of scrambling all over the piano, the little musician in a rage crashed his hands down on the two extremes of the instrument, exclaim ing : " Let's have done with this tempest ! " " Why, that's it; that's the very thing !" shouted the clown, jumping up and embracing him ; and with this crash and a run of semitones to the centre of the piano this troublesome tempest was most satisfactorily represented. When, many years afterward, Haydn was crossing the Straits of Dover to England, amid his sufferings he could not help laughing at the ludicrous recol- lections of this early experience of his. Things still went on improving, and Haydn, who was always lucky in the patrons he secured (at least according to the notion about patrons that then pre- vailed), was invited to the country-house of Herr von Furnberg, a wealthy ama- teur, to stay there and compose quartettes for him — a style of music for which von Furnberg had an especial liking. To his prompting it is that we owe the lovely series of quartettes which Haydn wrote — still as fresh and full of serene beauty as when first tried over by the virtuosi of Weinzirl. The next piece of good fortune was Haydn's appointment as director of the band and composer to Count Fer- dinand Morzin at Lukaver near Pilsen ; and here, in 1759, his first symphony was written. His salary was very small, only 200 florins a year (or .£20), with board and lodgings ; but on the strength of it he unfortunately determined on the seri- ous step of embarking in matrimony. A barber, named Keller, is said to have been very kind to him in the days of his poverty, and out of gratitude Haydn gave music-lessons to his daughters. One of them, the youngest, was very pretty, and Haydn fell in love with her. But she became a nun ; and the father then pre- vailed upon Haydn to marry the elder one, who was three years older than he — a sour-tempered, bigoted, and abominably selfish woman, who contributed little to the happiness of his life, and was always bringing priests and friars to the house and worrying her good-tempered husband to compose masses and other church music for these men. Count Morzin was compelled to give up his band in 1761 ; but Haydn did not remain long without employment, as Prince Esterhazy, who had heard his symphonies at Morzin's house, engaged him to assist Werner, his Capellmeister. As director of Prince Esterhazy's band, Haydn was fated to remain for many years living at Esterhaz, the prince's country-seat, composing there nearly all his operas and songs, and many of his symphonies. In 1785 Haydn received a commission which showed the wide reputation he had then gained. The Chapter of Cadiz Cathedral requested him to write some instrumental music for performance on Good Friday. " The Seven Words of our Saviour on the Cross " was in consequence written by him. Several invitations had been sent from England for Haydn to pay a visit