“Last year Madame Paradis quitted Vienna, in order to travel, accompanied by her mother, who treats her with extreme tenderness, and is a very amiable and interesting character. After visiting the principal courts and cities of Germany, where her talents and misfortunes procured her great attention and patronage, she arrived at Paris early last summer, and remained there five or six months; and likewise received every possible mark of approbation and regard in that capital, both for her musical abilities and innocent and engaging disposition.
“When she arrived in England, the beginning of this winter, she brought letters from persons of the first rank to her Majesty, the Prince of Wales, the Imperial Minister, Count Kaganeck, Lord Stormont, and other powerful patrons, as well as to the principal musical professors in London. Messrs. Cramer, Abel, Solomon, and other eminent German musicians, have interested themselves very much in her welfare; not only as their country-woman bereaved of sight, but as an admirable performer.”
She has been at Windsor, to present her letters to the Queen, and has had the honour of playing there to their Majesties, who were extremely satisfied with her performance; and treated her with that condescension and kindness, which all those who are so happy as to be admitted into the presence of our gracious sovereigns, in moments of domestic privacy experience, even when less entitled to it, by merit and misfortunes, than Madame Paradis. Her Majesty was not only graciously pleased to promise to patronize and hear her frequently again, in the course of the winter, but to afford her all the protection in her power: as did his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to whom she has since performed, at a grand concert at Carlton-house, to the entire satisfaction and wonder of all who heard her.
Besides her musical talents, which are indisputable, for neatness, precision, and expression, particularly in the great variety of admirable pieces she executes of her master’s, Kozeluch, Mademoiselle Paradis has been extremely well educated, and is very ingenious and accomplished: as she is able, almost as quick as if she could write, to express her thoughts on paper, with printing types. She understands geography by means of maps, prepared for her use, in which she can find and point out any province or remarkable city in the world; and is likewise able, by means of tables, formed in the manner of draught boards, to calculate with ease and rapidity any sums, or numbers, in the first five rules of arithmetic. She is likewise said to distinguish many colours and coins by the touch: plays at cards, when prepared for her, by private marks, unknown to the company; and, in her musical studies, her memory and quickness are wonderful; as she learns, in general, the most difficult pieces for keyed instruments, however full and complicated the parts, by hearing them played only on a violin: and, since her arrival in this kingdom, she has been enabled, in this manner, to learn to perform some of Handel’s most elaborate and difficult organ fugues and movements, in his first book of lessons, as well as his Coronation Anthem, and more popular compositions.
THE LEGEND OF ST. CECILIA.
As this celebrated patroness of music has given rise to some of the most beautiful poetic productions in our language, the Legend of the said lady, not being generally known, the following particulars of her life and martyrdom, it is presumed, will prove highly acceptable to our readers.
“St. Cecilia, among Christians, is esteemed the patroness of music: for the reasons whereof, we must refer to her history, as delivered by the notaries of the Roman church, and from them transcribed into the Golden Legend, and other books of the like kind. The story says, that she was a Roman lady, born of noble parents, about the year 225; that, notwithstanding she had been converted to Christianity, her parents married her to a young Roman nobleman, named Valerianus, a Pagan, who, going to bed to her on the wedding night, (as the custom is, says the book) was given to understand by his spouse, that she was nightly visited by an angel, and that he must forbear to approach her, otherwise the angel would destroy him. Valerianus, somewhat troubled at these words, desired that he might see his rival, the angel; but his spouse told him that was impossible, unless he would be baptised, and become a Christian, which he consented to. After which, returning to his wife, he found her in her closet, at prayer; and by her side, in the shape of a beautiful young man, the angel clothed with brightness. After some conversation with the angel, Valerianus told him, that he had a brother, named Tiburtius, whom he greatly wished to see a partaker of the grace, which he himself had received: the angel told him, that his desire was granted, and that shortly they should be both crowned with martyrdom. Upon this the angel vanished, but soon after showed himself as good as his word. Tiburtius was converted, and both he and his brother Valerianus were beheaded. Cecilia was offered her life, upon condition, that she would sacrifice to the deities of the Romans, but she refused; upon which, she was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, and scalded to death: though others say, she was stifled in a dry bath, i. e. an inclosure from whence the air was excluded, having a slow fire underneath it; which kind of death was sometimes inflicted, among the Romans, upon women of quality who were criminals.
“Upon the spot where her house stood, is a church, said to have been built by Pope Urban I. who administered baptism to her husband and his brother; it is the church of St. Cecilia, in Trastevere. Within is a most curious painting of the saint, as also a most stately monument, with a cumbent statue of her, with her face downwards.
“St. Cecilia is usually painted playing either on the organ, or on the harp, singing as Chaucer relates, thus,
“And whiles that the organs made melodie,