young George (afterwards Sir George)
Smart, who was sitting among the violinists. Smart, who lived to become
the doyen of the musical profession in England, had never handled a
drumstick before, and naturally failed to satisfy the conductor. Haydn
took the drumstick from him and "showed to the astonished orchestra a
new and unexpected attitude in their leader." Then, turning to Smart,
he remarked: "That is how we use the drumsticks in Germany." "Oh, very
well," replied the unabashed youth, "if you like it better in that way
we can also do it so in London."

New Acquaintances

Haydn made several new acquaintances during this visit, the most notable
being, perhaps, Dragonetti, the famous double-bass player, who had
accompanied Banti, the eminent prima donna, to London in 1794. Banti had
been discovered as a chanteuse in a Paris cafe, and afterwards attracted
much notice by her fine voice both in Paris and London. "She is the
first singer in Italy, and drinks a bottle of wine every day," said one
who knew her. In her journeys through Germany, Austria and Italy she won
many triumphs. Haydn composed for her an air, "Non Partir," in E, which
she sang at his benefit. As for "Old Drag," the familiar designation of
the distinguished bassist, his eccentricities must have provided Haydn
with no little amusement. He always took his dog Carlo with him into the
orchestra, and Henry Phillips tells us that, having a strange weakness
for dolls, he often carried one of them to the festivals as his wife!
On his way to Italy in 1798 Dragonetti visited Haydn in Vienna, and was
much delighted with the score of "The Creation," just completed. Several
eminent violinists were in London at the time of Haydn's visit. The most
distinguished of them was perhaps Felice de Giardini, who, at the age of
fourscore, produced an oratorio at Ranelagh Gardens, and even played
a concerto. He had a perfectly volcanic temper, and hated Haydn as the
devil is said to hate holy water. "I don't wish to see the German dog,"
he remarked in the composer's hearing, when urged to pay him a visit.
Haydn, as a rule, was kindly disposed to all brother artists, but to be
called a dog was too much, He went to hear Giardini, and then got even
with him by noting in his diary that he "played like a pig."

The accounts preserved of Haydn's second visit to England are,
as already remarked, far less full than those of the first visit.
Unconnected memoranda appear in his diary,