astly superior to most of Haydn's. After Mozart's death, and even for
some years before, Haydn seemed to have caught much of the spirit of
the younger composer. He showed this especially in his London
symphonies, but also in one or two of his later sonatas. "This mutual
reaction," says Jahn, "so generously acknowledged by both musicians,
must be taken into account in forming a judgment on them."

Haydn, though fully conscious of his own powers, practically
acknowledged the superiority of his brother-artist. On learning of
Mozart's death, he exclaimed: "Posterity will not see such talent for
a century to come!"--a prophecy which, at the time it was uttered,
seemed likely of fulfilment.

CHAPTER VI

PREDECESSORS OF BEETHOVEN

I. Muzio Clementi

Muzio Clementi, born at Rome in 1752, was brought to England by
Alderman Beckford, father of the author of _Vathek_, and at Fonthill
Abbey he had leisure to study the works of Handel, John Sebastian
Bach, Emanuel Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, and Paradies. Clementi, like
Scarlatti, was a _virtuoso_; but although both indulged largely in
technical display, they were true and intelligent artists. In
Scarlatti, the balance between his musical ideas and the form in which
they were presented was almost perfect; in Clementi, virtuosity often
gained the ascendency over virtue. With the latter, however, as indeed
with E. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and many other composers, the necessity
of earning a living, and therefore of writing for "long" ears, mixed
with the love of fame, produced works which, like the old Eden tree,
contained both good and evil. To judge such great men really fairly,
the chaff ought to be separated from the wheat; and the chaff ought
to be thoroughly removed, even at the risk of sometimes losing a
portion of wheat.

To the true lover of music, choice selections are more precious than
complete collections; the latter are, of course, necessary to those
whose business it is to study the rise and development of the various
composers. The pianoforte sonatas of Mozart, Haydn, Dussek, and
Clementi might be reduced to very moderate compass. To suggest that
any one of Beethoven's thirty-two should be removed out of its place
would now sound flat blasphemy; but art progresses, and some even now
are falling into oblivion. The catalogue of music performed at the
Popular Concerts during the history of the past thirty-five years
shows pretty clearly which sonatas of Beethove