hole thing in the light of a joke, he exclaimed, 'If
all go, we may as well go too!' and immediately quitting the theatre,
he gave directions for the departure of the household.

We must pass over the years which intervened between the date of the
'Farewell Symphony' (the merits of which as a musical work must not be
confused with the circumstances under which it was written), and the
year 1790, when, to his great grief, Haydn lost the master to whom he
had become so deeply attached. The Prince left Haydn a pension of one
thousand florins, on condition that he retained his post as
Capellmeister to the family. Prince Anton, however, who succeeded his
brother, had no taste for music. The Capelle was practically
disbanded, and though Haydn kept his official position, his constant
presence at the palace was no longer necessary, and he took up his
residence in Vienna.

Some three years before this event several attempts had been made by
English musicians of eminence to induce him to come to London and play
at the professional concerts, but he had resisted these offers with
one and the same excuse--he could not leave the master whom he loved.
On the last occasion Salomon, the well-known musician and
concert-director, had dispatched a publisher named Bland to Esterhaz
to endeavour to persuade Haydn to alter his mind. Bland was shown into
a room adjoining that in which Haydn happened to be shaving, and
whilst seated there he overheard the composer growling to himself over
the bluntness of his razors. At length Bland caught the exclamation,
'Ach! I would give my best quartet for a good razor!' and without more
ado, he rushed off to his lodgings and returned in a few minutes with
a pair of razors, which he presented to Haydn. The Capellmeister
accepted the gift with a smile, and rewarded the enterprising
publisher with a copy of his latest quartet, which, later on, was
produced in London, and has ever since been known by the title of the
'Rasirmesser' (Razor) quartet.

The death of Prince Nicolaus removed the only obstacle to Haydn's
undertaking a journey to London; consequently, when one morning he
found a visitor awaiting him at his house, who announced his business
thus: 'My name is Salomon; I have come from London to fetch you; we
will settle terms to-morrow,' Haydn regarded the matter as practically
settled.

Mozart was in Vienna at the date of Salomon's visit. Haydn had been
strongly drawn towards the young musician ev