Moscheles writes to say that he has secured rooms for Mendelssohn at No. 203 Great Portland Street, Oxford Street. He urges him to bring with him for performance in London some of his compositions, more especially his Overture to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and his sixteen-part Cantata, “Hora est,” and adds that he will encounter no difficulty at the custom-house.
On the 21st of April Mendelssohn arrived in London; on the 23d Moscheles notes in his diary, “I took him a round of calls to introduce him to Chappell, Cramer, Collard, etc.;” and then follow daily memoranda, recording pleasant hours spent in and out of Moscheles’s house. The following note refers to Mendelssohn’s offers of assistance in copying out a Fantasia for pianoforte and orchestra, “Strains of the Scottish Bards,” which Moscheles had just written and dedicated to Sir Walter Scott (Op. 80),—a composition which had been put on the programme of Moscheles’s concert announced for the 7th of May.
London, April 25, 1829.
Might I request you, dear Mr. Moscheles, to send me by bearer the promised part of your Fantasia to copy? I hope to have some time to spare to-day and to-morrow morning, and will endeavor to distinguish myself to the best of my ability by putting large heads to my notes and being generally correct, so that I may frequently be allowed to assist you; and if you are satisfied with my copying, I trust you will prove it by giving me further orders. I only beg you will send me some sheets of music paper, as I do not know your size and have none by me.
I regret that Professor Rosen,[1] who has just called on me, has reckoned on my coming to dinner to-day, and I must therefore request you to apologize for my absence to Mrs. Moscheles. At any rate, I shall be with you on Saturday at about eight o’clock, as you have allowed me to do so.
Your respectfully devoted
F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy.
Thursday.