Haydn's Own View of The Song
Joseph Haydn seems to have been particularly fond of his creation. During his frail and sickly old age (1802–1809), the composer often would struggle to the piano to play his song, often with great feeling, as a form of consolation; and as his servant Johann Elssler narrated, it was the last music Haydn ever played:
- The Kayser Lied was still played three times a day, though, but on May 26th at half-past midday the Song was played for the last time and that 3 times over, with such expression and taste, well! that our good Papa was astonished about it himself and said he hadn't played the Song like that for a long time and was very pleased about it and felt well altogether till evening at 5 o'clock then our good Papa began to lament that he didn't feel well...
Elssler goes on to narrate the composer's final decline and death, which occurred on May 31.
Read more about this topic: Gott Erhalte Franz Den Kaiser
Famous quotes containing the words haydn, view and/or song:
“To the extent to which genius can be conjoined with a merely good human being, Haydn possessed genius. He never exceeds the limits that morality sets for the intellect; he only composes music which has “no past.””
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“It is not so much that women have a different point of view in politics as that they give a different emphasis. And this is vastly important, for politics is so largely a matter of emphasis.”
—Crystal Eastman (1881–1928)
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”
—Bible: Hebrew The Song of Solomon (l. II, 1)