Ignaz Pleyel

I am aware that there is a multitude of envious persons in London, the most of whom are Italians, but they cannot hurt me, for my credit with the people has been settled many years, he says." and adds with confident feeling, those above them are my support.

As their next move, the professionals sought to secure him for themselves by higher offers, but he would not break his word or injure his manager, whose outlay had been so large by the gratification of sordid motives, so they renewed their assaults upon his age and the pretended decadence of his ability, and announced that they had secured his pupil Pleyel.

the latter a neighbor and countryman of haydn was at that time thirty-four years of age and twenty-five years the younger mozart had expressed a favorable opinion of his talent he writes to his father in seventeen eighty four about pleyel's new quartets if you do not yet know them try to get them it is worth the trouble you will at once recognize his master It will be a good and fortunate thing for music if Pleyel in his day is able to supply Haydn's place for us.

He was unquestionably innocent in the matter of the invitation to come to London and really made his appearance in the season of 1792.

Meanwhile, Haydn had spent two days with the Duke of York, who had married the 17-year-old Princess Ulrike of Prussia, daughter of King Frederick William II.

at a later period he said in a similar strain to griesinger mozart's loss is irretrievable i can never forget his playing in my life it went to the heart in the year eighteen o seven speaking to other musical friends in vienna he said with tears in his eyes pardon me i must always weep at the name of my mozart Indeed, at this time he must have deeply felt the contrast between the brilliancy of this genius and the darkness of his own outer life in these declining years.

And yet he felt all the more the importance of preserving the respect for German art.

In the midst of such times as these, Pleyel arrived.

The following anecdote, told by Czerny, will be read with pleasure.

Pleyel, a famous musician, came to Vienna from Paris in 1805 and had his latest quartets performed in the palace of Prince Lobkowitz.

Beethoven was present and was asked to play something.

As usual, he submitted to the interminable entreaties and finally was dragged almost by force to the pianoforte by the ladies.

Angrily, he tears the second violin part of one of the Pleyel quartets from the music stand where it still lay open, throws it upon the rack of the pianoforte, and begins to improvise.

We had never heard him extemporize more brilliantly, with more originality, or more grandly than on that evening.

But throughout the entire improvisation there ran in the middle voices like a thread, or cantus firmus, the insignificant notes, wholly insignificant in themselves, which he found on the page of the quartet, which by chance lay open on the music stand.

On them he built up the most daring melodies and harmonies in the most brilliant concert style.