1792 – The Year part 5 - England as Haydn saw it; a Gallery

 

Haydn / Hardy in the style of Warhol
Minnesota Dave (2016)

One of the things I have really enjoyed during our all-too-brief sojourn in England is the abundance of visual aids available to help us to feature many of the things which Haydn notes down. So in this essay, the last one for the First London Trip, I want to pick up a few loose ends of the hundreds which I passed over, and couple them with some of the plethora of fine paintings which have remained to serve as illustration.

William Hodges  ^     The Pantheon in 1790 and 1792                                              JMW Turner     ------------->

As we saw earlier this year, Haydn enjoyed some times at the Pantheon.

Exterior of the burned out Pantheon
JMW Turner (1792)

London Notebook N^o. 1
On 31^st Dec. [1791] I was with Pleyel in the Pantheon Theatre. They gave La Pastorella Mobile by Guglielmi. Mad. Cassentini played the leading role and Laza[rini] die primo huomo. The thin Calvesi had l'ultima parte. The opera did not please. Neither did the ballet, even though the great [Mad.] Hillisburg danced.

 

But then:

London Notebook N^o. 1
On 14^th January 1792, the Pantheon Theatre burned down 2 hours after midnight.

 

[To LUIGIA POLZELLI, PIACENZA. Italian, "Tu" form]

London, I4th January 1792.

My dearest Polzelli!
This very moment I received your letter, and hasten to answer it. I am relieved that you are in good health, and that you have found a position in a little theatre; not so much because of the payment but to have the experience. I wish you every possible success, in particular a good role and a good teacher, who takes the same pains with you as did your Haydn. [snip]

My opera was not given, because Sig. Gallini didn't receive the license from the King, and never will; to tell you the truth, the Italian opera has no success at all now, and by a stroke of bad luck, the Pantheon Theatre burned down just this very day, two hours after midnight. Your sister had been engaged in the last piece; I am sorry for all of them.

In January, 1792, a sixteen year old student artist, one J.M.W. Turner, arrived for his morning session in the scenery painting room in the Pantheon, to find the London landmark reduced to a pile of rubble. Like any artist worth his salt (and Turner would prove to be worth plenty of salt!), he immediately set up his easel and memorialized the occasion. The resulting watercolors were shown later that year at the Royal Academy, and today, one hangs in the Tate Museum, the other in the Victoria and Albert. I imagine Turner's feelings were a bit more mixed than Haydn's; to Turner it was a job painting scenery. Haydn realized the larger import to the music world in general and the loss to his friend and mistress' sister in particular. This is one of many things which would be different when he returned to London in 1794.

The Hardy Portrait
Paintings were the only means available in 1792 to preserve pictorial memories. Turner's reaction to the disaster which confronted him that morning was just like a modern news photographer's would be. While today, a painting of a current event or just a person is an unusual thing, in Georgian England it was the rule, rather than the exception. And like all rules of art, it came along with a large list of generally agreed-upon conventions, much like the operas we looked at in the 1770's.

In his hugely informative essay, The Face of a Musical Genius: Thomas Hardy's Portrait of Joseph Haydn, Alan Davison partially quotes a letter from Haydn to John Bland which doesn't appear in Collected Correspondence, but gives us the fact that Bland wished badly to have a portrait of Haydn;

Haydn evidently thought highly of Bland, referring to his 'valued friendship' in a letter of 12 May 1790, and he even stayed at the publisher's house on his very first night in London. In this same letter Haydn wrote: 'Concerning the portraits you ask for, you must be patient until I arrive in Vienna. I shall then be able to satisfy you.' Bland was clearly seeking a portrait or portraits of Haydn, no doubt to support the marketing of Haydn's music…

But there is a lot more represented in this painting than our 21^st century culture and background reveals to us. There is a great piece of propaganda here, which is very strongly selling the still somewhat controversial belief in Haydn as musical genius.

Genius is another one of those words which has lost much of its meaning through overuse. Any handy and modestly clever idea which comes down the road these days is 'genius!'. But in the 18^th century, which was a period with numerically fewer members of the intellectual elite, and with a far finer idea of what was required for membership in their club, genius was a much rarer, more closely defined commodity.

For Burney's good friend Salomon there was the pressing concern of the publicity campaign being waged over Haydn, notably in connection with the competing concert series and the advocates of Ignace Pleyel. Salomon's rivals at the Professional Concert began a campaign to discredit Haydn by trying to convince anyone that would listen that he was past his prime.

Bland was keen to stress his personal connection with the composer even prior to Haydn's first stay in London, and Bland's commission for the Hardy portrait, of course, served to confirm this connection at the expense of rivals.

                   The Face of a Musical Genius: Thomas Hardy's Portrait of Joseph Haydn
                      Alan Davison

 

JOSEPH HAYDN. OXFORD DOCTOR of MUSIC From an Original Picture in the Possession of J. Bland London. Published as the Act directs / February 13 1792 by J. Bland No. 45 Holborn

To the modern viewer, who hasn't had the opportunity to look at hundreds of Georgian Era portraits, this may seem like a very typical and rather straightforward job. What would be overlooked in that view are things such as the posture, three quarters and yet with the face turned to the viewer, the fact that the hand is visible, in order to be holding a richly hardbound music text, which text atypically serves to separate him from the pianoforte in the background. If one were well-acquainted with portrait symbolism from the time, one would immediately recognize the sitter being presented as a composer rather than a musician, and a clearly well situated one. He looks more like a business man perusing an account book! Virtually every other portrait of a musical personality of the time shows a background with loose sheet music prominently situated near an instrument, but here is different. Haydn, himself, has been airbrushed just a little, as we say today. Where is the swarthy complexion? The pockmarks? Certainly he has been idealized a bit! And the richly bound score, which he has clearly been contemplating (note his finger marking the page) takes pride of place over the instrument in the background.   

All of this is not incidental; every little daub of paint costs money. And so the little cabal which have been championing Haydn since before his arrival; i.e. – Bland, Salomon and Burney, clearly made some significant effort to maximize their gain when they had Bland commission this work. One of the multitude of goings-on, which time has forced me to elide, is the tremendous debate between Burney and William Jackson, whose essay Observations on the Present State of Music in London, was published as a pamphlet in October 1791. Jackson was as well known as Burney, and he was the spokesman for a rather large faction of musical conservatives who firmly believed that pretty much all the music composed after Handel's death was essentially junk. This debate wasn't confined to pamphleteering, but spilled over into the Royal Academy, the Monthly Review, into books, and even into the newspapers! So against this background, it is easy to see why there was a perceived need for a major piece of propaganda art, and Hardy painted it. On the day of Haydn's benefit concert, May 3^rd, The Morning Chronicle noted that the original oil portrait was being displayed with some other Hardy pieces at the Royal Academy's gallery, and that Bland had copies of the engraving for sale in his shop. So this useful tool was being maximized! Something to remember next time a CD with this painting on the cover is released; in its time, it was intended as a handy grenade to lob at the enemy. Whether it will work or not is a question to be answered in time!

March for Prince

Hob 8	Key	Instruments	Notes
3	Eb	2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns, Trumpet & Serpent	March for The Prince of Wales
British Army Band - a regiment of Foot Guards in front of St. James Palace anon. engraving 1791

 [Rebecca Schröter to Haydn]

Aprill 24^th '792
MyD.
I can not leave London without sending you a line to assure you my thoughts[,] my BEST WISHES and tenderest affections will inseperably attend you till we meet again.

The Bearer will also deliver you the March, I am verry sorry, I cou'd not write it sooner, nor better, but I hope my D: you will excuse it, and if it is not passable, I will send you the DEAR original directly: If my H. wou'd employ me oftener to write Music I hope I shou'd improve, and I know I shou'd delight in the occupation… [snip]

All hands on deck before a storm! Busy times in London, and to top it off, Haydn had to attend (read: perform at) a concert at Carlton House just two days later. The concert featured three of Haydn's Notturni, N^o.'s 3, 4 & 7 (Hob. 2:27, 28, & 31). Given the timing, and the apparent rush which necessitated having his lady friend copy out the score (!), we can only surmise this was the occasion at which Haydn presented this superb little March to the Prince. As for the engraving above, St. James Palace was walking distance from Haydn's apartment, and the instruments match up to the music right down to the serpent player in the middle. It is almost as though Haydn was writing the music while sitting alongside the painter/engraver, watching the little parade!

All four manuscripts, the three notturnos and the march, are still in the King's Library. And it isn't as though he came away empty handed; I am here to tell you, this punch recipe he noted down is worth any 2 notturnos…

The Second London Notebook
The Prince of Wales' punch: 1 bottle champagne, 1 bottle Burgundy, 1 bottle rum, 10 lemons, 2 oranges, 1 lbs. of sugar.

 Being for the Benefit of Dr. Haydn

Charlotte Papendiek's own ticket to Dr. Haydn's Benefit. On the back is written "Presented to Mr. Papendiek by Dr. Haydn himself, at which concert the Duchess of York was presented for the first time in England"
	Mrs. Charlotte Papendiek and Child - Anonymous

Even though Burney's daughter, Fanny, dismisses Charlotte Papendiek as a windy airhead, Charlotte has done us some great services in her rôle as journal keeper. The interesting fact on the ticket above, which demonstrates what a major social occasion Haydn's Benefit was, is a prime example. It may be that one of the newspapers mentioned The Duchess of York's presentation into society, but if so, it is one of the few notable items which Landon missed! He does tell us, however, that Rebecca has purchased eighteen tickets for herself and friends, so quite a little party is going on there!

This evening, 3^rd May, 1792, will be performed a
Grand Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Music

Part I

Grand Overture, M.S. – Haydn

Aria, Signor Calcagni

Concertante for Violin, Violoncello, Oboe Bassoon.
Messrs. Salomon, Menel, Harrington, and Holmes – Haydn

Cantata, Miss Corri – Haydn

Concerto Violin, Mr. Janeiwetz [sic]

 Part II

Grand Overture, M.S. – Haydn

Song, Signor Simoni

Concerto Pedal Harp, Madam Krumpholtz

Song, Madam Mara

Finale 'The Earthquake' - Haydn

Nice concert! We don't know the first symphony, but the second one has been determined to be the world première of N^o. 97, which would be repeated the next night at Salomon's Concert N^o.10. It is a pity we can't determine the identity of the cantata sung by Miss Corri, but the Sinfonia concertante is an old friend by now, and the interesting finale: Il terremoto from The Seven Last Words. To those hearing it for the first time it must have been quite a novel way to end the concert! Mrs. Papendiek goes on to tell us that "1500 people entered the door", and this in a room designed to hold a mere 800!

And for those who view Haydn as an invariably jolly old soul:

The First London Notebook
On 22^nd May [1792], Giardini's [N.B. – a famous violinist] concert took place in Renalag [Ranelagh] Gardens. He played like a pig.

The Trip to Windsor and Ascot Races
One of the things I really love about the London Notebooks is how they show Haydn's true character in his fascination with what had to be wholly new experiences to him.

The First London Notebook On 15th June [1792] I went from Windsor to Slough, to Doctor Hershel [Herschel], where I saw the great telescope. It is 40 feet long and 5 feet in diameter. The machinery is very big, but so ingenious that a single man can put it in motion with the greatest ease. There are also 2 smaller [telescopes], of which one is 22 feet long and magnifies 6000 times. The King had 2 made for himself, each of which measures 12 feet. He paid him 1000 guineas for them. In his younger days Dr. Hershel was in the Prussian service as an oboe player. During the seven-years' war he deserted with his brother and went to England, where he supported himself as a musician for many years: he became an organist at Bath, but gradually turned more to astronomy. After having provided himself with the necessary instruments, he left Bath, rented a room near Windsor, and studied day and night. His landlady was a widow, fell in love with him, married him, and gave him a dowry of 100,000. Besides this he has a yearly pension for life of 500 from the King, and his wife, at the age of 45, presented him with a son this year, 1792. Ten years ago he had his sister come, and she is of the greatest assistance to him in his observations. Sometimes he sits for 5 or 6 hours under the open sky in the bitterest cold weather.

 

The Second London Notebook The castle chapel [NB - St. George's Chapel] at Windsor is a very old but splendid building; the high altar cost 50,000 fl. It shows the ascension of Christ in stained glass. This year, 1792, in the side altar to the right, a smaller one, showing Christ appearing to the Shepherds, was completed. This small one is valued more highly than the large one. The view from the terrace is divine.   As a technical clarification, it should be noted that all of the 'stained glass' which Haydn saw were the creations of Benjamin West. They were not stained glass, they were enameled paintings on glass, a technique which West perfected and which had a short-lived peak of popularity near the end of the 18th century.

The Epsom Derby (1821)                                                      Racing at Ascot (1751)                      Jean Louis Théodore Géricault                                                                        J.N. Sartorius

The Second London Notebook
On 14^th June [1792] I went to Windsor and from there 8 miles to Ascot Heath to see the races. These horse races are run on a large field, especially prepared for them, and on this field is a large circular track 2 English miles long and 6 fathoms wide. It is all very smooth and even, and the whole field has a gentle upward slope. At the summit the circle stops curving and becomes a straight line about 2000 paces long; along this straight line, stalls of various sizes, or rather an amphitheater, have been erected, some of which hold 2 to 3 hundred persons. The others are smaller. In the middle there is one for the Prince of Wales and high personages. The places in these stalls cost from 1 to 42 shillings per person. Opposite the Prince of Wales' stall is erected a high platform with a bell over it, on which platform stand several persons who have been specially chosen and sworn, and they give the first signal with the bell for the performers to line up in front of the platform. When they are ready, the bell is rung a second time, and at the first stroke they ride off at once.

Whoever is the first to traverse the circle of 2 miles and return to the platform from which they started, receives the prize. In the first Heeth [heat] there were 3 riders, and they had to go round the circle twice without stopping. They did this double course in 5 minutes. No stranger will believe this unless they have seen it themselves. The 2^nd time there were seven riders; when they were in the middle of the circle, all 7 were in the same line, but as soon as they came nearer some fell behind, but never more than about 10 [HRL; originally"20"] paces; and just when you think that one of them is rather near the goal, and people make large bets on him at this moment, another rushes past him at very close quarters and with unbelievable force reaches the winning place. The riders are very lightly clad in silk, and each one has a different color, so that you can recognize him more easily; no boots, a little cap on his head, they are all as lean as a greyhound and lean as their horses. Each one is weighed in, and a certain weight is allowed him, in proportion to the strength of the horse, and if the rider is too light he must put on heavier clothes, or they hang some lead on him. The horses are of the finest possible breed, light, with very thin feet, the hair of their neck tied into braids, the hoofs very delicate. As soon as they hear the sound of the bell, they dash off at once with the greatest force. Every leap of the horses is 22 feet long. These horses are very expensive. The Prince of Wales paid £8000 for one some years ago, and sold it again for £6000; but he won £50,000 with it the first time. Among other things a single large stall is erected, wherein the Englishmen place their bets. The King has his own stall at one side. I saw 5 heats on the first day, and despite a heavy rain there were 2000 vehicles, all full of people, and 3 times as many common people on foot. Besides this, there are all sorts of other things puppet-plays, hawkers [Ciarlatony][me; charlatans], horror plays [Grusl Possen] which go on during the races; many tents with refreshments, all kinds of wine and beer, and many Io-players (in English it is written Eo), a game which is forbidden in London. This horse racing went on 5 days in succession. I was there on the 2^nd day; the beginning was at 2 o'clock and it went on till 5, the 3rd day till half-past 6, though there were but 3 Heaths, because it happened twice that 3 riders came in first together, and thus they had to race four times to decide the winner.

Clearly, British horse racing struck a chord with Haydn. And looking at Géricault's painting at Epsom, it is surely not difficult to understand why! As nearly as I can determine, this is the single longest entry in any of the Notebooks!

Preparations / Departure

[To PRINCE ANTON ESTERHAZY
(in Eisenstadt?). German]

Most Serene Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Gracious Lord and Sire !
Since I must leave England in a short time, I hasten to place my entire faithful services in all matters, as far as I shall be able to fulfill them, at Your Serene Highness' disposal. Our concerts will be finished at the end of June, after which I shall begin the journey home without delay, in order to serve my most gracious Prince and Lord again.

 I am, in humble submission,
Your Serene Highness' Most humble

Joseph Haydn m.p.,
Capellmeister.
London, 10^th April '792.

We don't know the exact details of Haydn's departure from England, or even the date he left. It has long been thought that Salomon, Haydn and Mozart had agreed to have the 'Second Journey' be undertaken by Mozart, rather than Haydn. Mozart's unexpected death in January of 1791 rendered that plan moot, if indeed it ever existed. By way of salvaging some of the original plan, Haydn must have made an agreement with Salomon to return in time for the 1793 season, but in the event, we shall see it didn't happen that way.            

By end of June, the 'benefit season' was over, and Haydn had fulfilled his commitment to other Oxonian Doctors of Music by hosting a dinner for them at Parsloe's Coffee House in St. James. Then:

[Rebecca Schröter to Haydn]

My D : I hope to hear you are in good HEALTH, and that you SLEPT WELL last Night. I shall be VERY HAPPY to see you on Monday morning permit me to remind you about Mr. Frasers, and you will be so good as to let me know on Monday how it is settled. God Bless you my D : Love, my thoughts and best wishes are your constant attendants, and I ever am with the tenderest Regard my D : H:

Most et[c],
June the 26^th '92.

"Monday" was 2^nd July, and it is the very last word we hear about Haydn still being in England. It has been an outstanding year and a half, one in which our country lad has seen the world, and they have most certainly seen him!

Next time, on the road to Vienna.

Thanks for reading!