THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

I WAS at Vienna in 1808, whence I wrote to a friend some letters respecting the celebrated Haydn, whose acquaintance an accidental occurrence had fortunately procured for me, eight or ten years before. On my return to Paris, I found that my letters had acquired some celebrity; and that pains had been taken to obtain copies of them. I am thus tempted to become an author, and fairly to shew myself in print. I accordingly add a few illustrations, I remove some repetitions, and present myself to the friends of music, in the form of a small

octavo.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

THE Public are here presented with a work for their amusement.

Independently of the interest with which musical men will always regard whatever relates to names so eminent in their art as those of Mozart and Haydn, the general reader will find in the following pages, a variety of anecdote, and an elegance of criticism, on all subjects connected with the fine arts, which can scarcely fail to gratify him.

The epistolary form of the work is stated, in the short preface which precedes it, to have arisen from its having been originally written to satisfy the inquiries of a friend at Paris, without any intention of publication; as the frequent allusions to the private circumstances and feelings of the author, and the numerous digressions and criticisms in which he indulges, sufficiently shew. He appears to have been driven from France by the storms of the Revolution, and to have resided in Germany and Italy, during an exile of twenty years. He asserts, at the commencement of Letter II., that he received the information which he has given respecting Haydn, from his own lips, or from those of his intimate friends; and in a note at the close

of his narrative, (page 317) he declares that he is prepared to verify his statements, if called in question.

It may be further satisfactory to the reader to state that, in all the principal facts, his relation agrees with the Historical Notice of the Life and Works of Haydn, read before the French Institute, October 6, 1810, by M. Le Breton.

The Memoir on Mozart was originally published in Germany, where the accuracy of the facts referred to must have been generally known.

The Translator is not aware that any equally authentic account of these celebrated composers has yet appeared in this country.

The object of the Letter on the Genius of Metastasio is to shew that the merits of the Poet of Music have not been duly appreciated. In the opinion of his superiority to Petrarch, the author is supported by M. Sismondi; but it will probably be thought that his enthusiasm has carried him too far, when he asserts that his favourite has occasionally surpassed Anacreon, and Horace.

The letter on the present state of music in France and Italy, contains a brief account of the most distinguished composers, and vocal performers, of the present day, and is further interesting from the observations made on the different character of the two nations, in the same style of lively and judicious criticism, as prevails in the former part of the work.

Of the Notes, such as are without signature are found in the original. To these the Translator has added others, marked by the letter T, which are for the most part explanatory, though he has occasionally animadverted on certain opinions of the author, which appeared to him erroneous.

But the greater part are by a gentleman, whose taste in music has already been exhibited to the public in the "SACRED MELODIES;" a work, published under the most illustrious patronage, and which, it is to be hoped, will, ere long, succeed in its object of banishing the barbarous ditties of Sternhold and Hopkins from our churches. Of the subjects of many of these Notes, the Translator is not a competent judge; but to those who, like himself, find great pleasure in music, without much practical acquaintance with it, he presumes they will often be found to convey useful information: and to those possessing a more scientific knowledge of it, they will occasionally supply materials for curious and amusing speculation. To all these the initial letter G is attached.

The Translator is sensible that the office he has undertaken is one, which, while it is exposed equally with the higher branches of literary occupation, to criticism, is attended with little credit, even when successful. The knowledge of the French language is now so generally diffused in this country, that some persons may be disposed to question