with the instrument, the prince lost
no time in letting him understand that he disapproved of such rivalry.
An amusing story is told of Kraft, the Eisenstadt 'cellist, at this
time, who occasionally played the second baryton. Kraft presented
the prince with a composition into which he had introduced a solo
for himself as second baryton. The prince asked to see the part, and
proceeded to try it over. Coming to a difficult passage, he exclaimed
indignantly: "For the future, write solos only for my part; it is no
credit to you to play better than I; it is your duty."

Compositions for Baryton

Haydn, so far as we can make out, never essayed the baryton again,
but he wrote a surprising amount of music for it, considering its
complicated mechanism and the weakness of its tone. In the catalogue
of his works there are no fewer than 175 compositions for the
instrument--namely, six duets for two barytons, twelve sonatas for
baryton and violoncello, twelve divertimenti for two barytons and bass,
and 125 divertimenti for baryton, viola and violoncello; seventeen
so-called "cassations"; and three concertos for baryton, with
accompaniment of two violins and bass. There is no need to say anything
about these compositions, inasmuch as they have gone to oblivion with
the instrument which called them into being. At the best they can never
have been of much artistic importance.

A Reproval

A new epoch began at Eisenstadt with the rule of Prince Nicolaus. He
was a man of unbounded energy himself, and he expected everybody in
his service to be energetic too. There is nothing to suggest that Haydn
neglected any of his routine duties, which certainly gave him abundant
opportunity to "break the legs of time," but once, at least--in
1765--his employer taxed him with lack of diligence in composition,
as well as for failing to maintain the necessary discipline among the
musicians under his charge. It is likely enough that Haydn was not a
rigid disciplinarian; but it must have been a mere whim on the part of
Prince Nicolaus to reprove him on the score of laziness in composing.
In any case, it seems to have been only a solitary reproof. There is no
evidence of its having been repeated, and we may assume that even now
it was not regarded as a very serious matter, from the fact that three
weeks after the prince was requesting his steward to pay Haydn 12 ducats
for three new pieces, with which he was "very much pleased."

Operettas

Life at