The Argosy — page 52: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

39 AN OLD RHYME. ia a very old edition of the diary kept ‘by Dr. Burney during his travels, the following quaint verse, said to be by the English violinist, Davis Mell, is inscribed : ‘‘ Fair Italia plays the guitar, while the castanet pleases proud Spain; Lively France touches softly her lute; -Erin’s harp wails her bondage, her slain; The German his trumpet blows loud; England’s violin steals out your soul ; The fife for the Swiss, the drum for the Dutch—the fiddle out-values the whole.”’ To all appearance the violinist Peter Salomon, a born German, had chosen this ditty for his watchword in the year 1789; at which time, he being appointed Royal Musical Director in London, proceeded to organise in Hanover Square those concerts now so well-known under the name of ‘The Philharmonic.” For these he industriously gathered together from all quarters the most excellent of available performers, vocal and instrumental. The old rhyme hung in great letters over his work-table; the words ‘‘the German his trumpet blows loud,” being underscored with red ink. Salomon’s eyes went continually in this direction. The hne was a grievous offence to him. In it his beloved musical Fatherland was mocked at, and depreciated ; and the fact that to Switzerland and Holland only a fife and drum had been allotted proved in no way comforting. In the deepest depths of his heart he had sworn an oath never to rest until he had either discovered in Germany the most wonderful of all trumpeters or had gathered together such an as- semblage of Teutonic musicians as would astonish the world. His orchestra was now almost perfect, and he continually enter- tained the public with some novelty, and brought hither, with his wand, artists from many distant climes. He could have been happy at his vocation had he never met with this wretched verse. But of late vexation had ever been gnawing at his heart. His Germany which had produced already a Gliick, a Handel, a Mozart—that it should be held up to the scorn of Englishmen as a country of trumpeters ! Having duly or unduly fretted over this matter, the Director at length, in the autumn of 1789, resolved to revisit his home; to see how things were with his own eyes; to hear with his own ears; to recruit for his greatest concert; or to find his super-excellent trumpeter, in envy and admiration of whose strains all England was to ring, | ! Salomon went direct to Vienna. He desired much to make the ECOMICHOOKS.€O