our. He wanted his mornings
for composition, and if visitors must see him they would have to wait
till afternoon. Obviously he was beginning to tire of "the trivial
round."

Unreasoning Rivalries

The Salomon concerts should have begun in January, but London, as it
happened, was suffering from one of those unreasoning rivalries which
made a part of Handel's career so miserable, and helped to immortalize
the names of Gluck and Piccini. It is hardly worth reviving the details
of such ephemeral contests now. In the present case the factionists were
to some extent swayed by financial interests; to a still greater extent
by professional jealousies. The trouble seems to have arisen originally
in connection with Gallini's preparations for the opening of a new Opera
House in the Haymarket. Salomon had engaged Cappelletti and David as his
principal vocalists; but these, it appeared, were under contract not to
sing in public before the opening of the Opera House. One faction did
not want to have the Opera House opened at all. They were interested in
the old Pantheon, and contended that a second Italian Opera House was
altogether unnecessary.

Temporarily eclipsed

Salomon's first concert, already postponed to February 25, had been
fixed for the 11th of March, on which date David, by special permission,
was to appear "whether the Opera house was open or not." The delay was
extremely awkward for both Haydn and Salomon, particularly for Haydn. He
had been brought to London with beat of drum, and here he was compelled
to hide his light while the directors of the professional concerts shot
ahead of him and gained the ear of the public before he could assert his
superiority. By this time also the element of professional jealousy
had come into free play. Depreciatory paragraphs appeared in the public
prints "sneering at the composer as 'a nine days' wonder,' whom closer
acquaintance would prove to be inferior to either Cramer or Clementi;
and alluding to the 'proverbial avarice' of the Germans as tempting so
many artists, who met with scanty recognition from their own countrymen
to herald their arrival in England with such a flourish of trumpets as
should charm the money out of the pockets of easily-gulled John Bull."
These pleasantries were continued on rather different lines, when at
length Haydn was in a position to justify the claims made for him.

Band and Baton

Haydn, meanwhile, had been rehearsing the symphony for his ope