r as St. Cecilia in a lovely picture
which he sent to the Royal Academy exhibition in 1775,--the year of
"The Rivals." It remained in the artist's possession till 1790, when
Sheridan bought it for one hundred and fifty guineas. It is now owned
by the Marquis of Lansdowne.

HAYDN.

In 1790 Haydn had been capellmeister at Esterhaz, the magnificent
palace which Prince Nicolaus Esterhazy had created in imitation of
Versailles. For nearly a quarter of a century, Esterhaz, though built
on an unhealthy site, was the favourite residence of the prince, who
never tired of altering, extending, and improving the palace and
grounds, and whose greatest ambition was to make the musical and
theatrical entertainments given there the best of their kind. In many
ways Haydn was most happily situated at Esterhaz, and though his
isolated position there became more irksome to him as time went on, he
would not, though frequently approached with flattering offers from
abroad, leave his well-beloved master, of whom he wrote, in 1776, "My
dearest wish is to live and die with him."

The King of Naples, an ardent admirer of the composer, had urged him to
go to Naples with him. Haydn's presence was also much desired in
Paris, and from London, especially, he had received many overtures.
Cramer, the violinist, had written to Haydn in 1781, offering to engage
him at his own figure for the Professional Concerts, and Gallini, the
owner and manager of the King's Theatre in Drury Lane, urged him to
compose an opera for him. Salomon, still more enterprising, in 1789,
sent Bland, a well-known music publisher, to treat with Haydn, but
without success. The composer gave him the copyright of several of his
productions, among them the "Stabat Mater" and "Ariadne," and the
"Razirmesser" quartette. This composition is said to derive its name
from Haydn's exclaiming one morning, while shaving, "I would give my
best quartette for a good razor!" Bland happened to enter the room at
that moment, and at once hurried back to his lodgings and, returning
with his own razors of good English steel, gave them to Haydn, who
thereupon kept his word by tendering in exchange his latest quartette.

The death of Prince Esterhazy, in September, 1790, gave Haydn the
opportunity he had long wished for, as Prince Anton, who succeeded
Nicolaus, had little taste for music, and dismissed most of the
performers, at the same time, however, increasing Haydn's pension of a