ess a copy of
Woelfl's sonata, that, in any mention of the rivalry between the two
composers, no reference is made to Woelfl's sonata beyond the title.
An examination of the latter, however, would soon solve the mystery.
The plain fact is this: both the music and even the technique are now
absolutely uninteresting. The sonata, in the key of F major, commences
with a brief introductory Adagio, followed by a long, tedious Allegro
abounding in passages of thirds. A brief Andante comes between this
Allegro and the Finale, consisting of flimsy variations on the popular
melody "Life let us Cherish." In a book of small compass such as the
present one, we only wish to dwell upon matters of interest. For some
particular purpose Woelfl's sonatas might possibly prove of importance
and even interest; but not here. The "Non plus Ultra," so far as we
are concerned, may serve to remind us that Woelfl once lived; while
the rest of his music, like some incidents in his life, may be
consigned to oblivion. We cannot say that we have read all his
sonatas, but enough of them, we believe, to judge, generally, of their
contents.

Professor Macfarren's opinion of Dussek, as composer for the
pianoforte, in the _Imperial Dictionary of Biography_, is so
excellent, that we cannot perhaps do better than quote his words:--

"The immense amount of Dussek's compositions for the pianoforte have
by no means equal merit; many of them were written for the mere object
of sale, still more for the purpose of tuition, and some with the
design of executive display. Of those which were produced, however, in
the true spirit of art, expressing the composer's feelings in his own
unrestrained ideas, there exist quite enough to stamp him one of the
first composers for his instrument; and while these are indispensable
in the complete library of the pianist, they are above value to the
student in the development of his mechanism and the formation of his
style. A strong characteristic of the composer is his almost redundant
profusion of ideas;[89] but his rich fecundity of invention is greatly
counterbalanced by diffuseness of design, resulting from the want of
that power of condensation by means of which greater interest is often
given to less beautiful matter."

And then, again, in an analysis of a Dussek Quintet, he remarks that
in that composer's works we may trace "not only the origin of many of
the most beautiful effects with which later writers have been
acc