1707
[Jan 14 NS]
|
Histoire du Musicien Haindel. [P. 176:] Pendant le sejour que j’ai fait à Rome, le fameux Haindel Musicien Allemand y vint, dont la réputation à la vérité n’étoit pas encore établie au point quelle l’a été depuis; j’eus occasion de le voir chez les fameux Musiciens du Pape nommez Pasqualini; comme ils avoient été [p. 177:] long temps à Paris au service du Duc d’Orleans, ils étoient charmez quand ils rencontroient des François ils leur faisoient mille honnêtetez; ils venoient même quelque fois chez moi manger la soupe à la Françoise. Monsieur Haindel rendoit visite à Rome à tous ces Messieurs Musiciens qui avoient quelque réputation, il vint par consequent chez ceuxci, qui m’invitèrent à cette occasion. M’y étant rendu, j’y trouvai tout ce qu’il y avoit à Rome d’habiles Musiciens tant pour les voix que pour les instrumens. Nous y fumes d’abord regalez de Rinfreschi, comme on dit. Après une petite conversation, Monsieur Haindel s’étant approché d’un Clavessin, le chapeau sous le bras, dans une figure fort génante, il toucha cet instrument d’une maniere si savante, que tous en furent surpris, & comme Monsieur Haindel étoit Saxon, par concequent Lutèrano, celà les fit entrer en soubçon, que son savoir jouer étoit plus que naturel. J’entendis même quelques [p. 178:] uns qui disoient, qu’il ne gardoit pas pour rien son chapeau. Je [355] ris en moi même de cette plaisante idée, & m’étant approché de Monsieur Haindel pour le voir jouer, je lui dis en Allemande, afin qu’ils ne m’entendissent pas, le ridicule soupçon de ces Signori Virtuosi. Un moment après il laissa, comme par hazard, tomber son chapeau, se mit à son aise & joüa beaucoup mieux qu’auparavant. Le lendemain il fut à Saint Jean de Latran, pour jouer des Orgues, où il y eut un concours extraordinaire, sur tout des Cardinaux, Prélats & de la Noblesse. En passant à Florence pour retourner en Allemagne, le gran Duc l’arrêta quelque tems, il y composa un Opera qui fut généralement applaudi. Du depuis sa réputation a beaucoup augmenté, & il passe à présent avec justice pour le plus habile Musicien de l’Europe. Il est actuellement à Londres. Ce qui arriva au fameux Monsieur Haindel, me fait revenir dans l’idée, [p. 179:] combien les Italiens sur tout les Romains sont dans des préjugez sur le pouvoir du Diable & des sorciers.[1] |
Story of the Musician Haindel During my sojourn in Rome, the famous German musician Haindel, whose reputation truly was not yet as well established as it has become since, came there. I had the occasion to see him with the pope’s famous musicians, called ‘Pasqualini’. Since they had been in the service of the Duke of Orleans in Paris for a long time, they were charmed when they met Frenchmen and gave them a thousand honors. They even came to my house sometimes to eat French soup. Monsieur Haindel visited in Rome all of those musicians who had some kind of reputation and consequently came to those gentlemen who invited me on this occasion. Having gone there, I found there all of the most able musicians of Rome, both for voices and for instruments. We were first treated to rinfreschi, as they say. Following a brief conversation, Monsieur Haindel, having approached a harpsichord, his hat under his arm, in a very awkward position, touched this instrument in such a knowledgeable manner that all were surprised by it, and since Monsieur Haindel was a Saxon, consequently Lutheran, it caused them to suspect that his ability to play was more than natural. I even overheard some of them say that it was not for nothing that he guarded his hat. I laughed to myself at this amusing idea, [355] and having approached Monsieur Haindel in order to see him play, I told him — in German, so that they would not be able to hear me — [about] the ridiculous suspicion of these signori virtuosi. A moment later, as if by chance, he dropped his hat, made himself comfortable and played even better than before. The next day he was at St. John in Lateran to play the organs, where there was an extraordinary crowd, especially of cardinals, prelates, and aristocrats. As he was passing through Florence, returning to Germany, the Grand Duke detained him for some time. There he composed an opera which was applauded by all. Since then his reputation has greatly grown and he is now rightfully considered the most able musician of Europe. He is currently in London. What happened to the famous Monsieur Haindel brings back to my mind how much the Italians, especially the Romans, are [immersed] in prejudices about the powers of the devil and of sorcerers.[2] |
April
[Handel’s signature at the end of Dixit Dominus]
|
S. D. G. G. F. Hendel 1707 li <> d’aprile. Roma[3] |
|
[Annibale Merlini to Prince Ferdinand dei Medici] He is a lad of twelve years, a Roman by birth, who, though of so tender an age, plays the arciliuto with such science and freedom that, if compositions he has never even seen are put before him, he rivals the most [430] experienced and celebrated professors, and wins great admiration and well-deserved applause. He appears at the concerts and leading academies of Rome, as, for instance, that of His Eminence Cardinal Ottoboni ... and all this can be testified by the famous Saxon, who has heard him in the Casa Ottoboni, and in the Casa Colonna has played with him and plays there continually.[4] |
[Count Antonio Maria Salviati to Marquis Pier Antonio Gerini, 19 October 1707; facsimile reproduction of the letter][5]
[1] Voiage historique et politique de Suisse, d’Italie, et d’Allemagne. Avec Figures. Tome second (Frankfurt: Fracois Varrentrapp, 1737), 176-79; repr. (French original) Ursula Kirkendale, “Orgelspiel im Lateran und andere Erinnerungen an Händel – Ein unbeachteter Bericht in Voiage historique von 1737,” Die Musikforschung 41/1 (1988), 1-9: 3-4; and “Organ Playing in the Lateran and other Remembrances on Handel: A Report in the Voiage Historique of 1737,” in Warren and Ursula Kirkendale, Music and Meaning: Studies in Music History and the Neighbouring Disciplines (Florence: Olschki, 2007), 351-60: 354-55.
[2] “Organ Playing in the Lateran and other Remembrances on Handel: A Report in the Voiage Historique of 1737,” in Warren and Ursula Kirkendale, Music and Meaning: Studies in Music History and the Neighbouring Disciplines (Florence: Olschki, 2007), 351-60: 354-55.
[3] facs. repr., Colin Timms, “Handel and Steffani: A new Handel signature,” The Musical Times 114 ([no. 1562, April] 1973), 374-77: 375.
[4] R. A. Streatfeild, “Handel, Rolli, and Italian Opera in London in the Eighteenth Century,” The Musical Quarterly 3 (1917), 428-45: 429-30.
[5] Carlo Vitali and Antonello Furnari, “Händels Italienreise – neue Dokumente, Hypothesen und Interpretationen,” Göttinger Händel-Beiträge 4 (1991), 41-66: 62.