Haydn’s Strategy
In 1770, Haydn was very ill with a malignant fever, and during his convalescence his physician strictly forbade his doing any work or touching the piano. Soon after, Haydn’s wife went to church, but before going impressed on the maid the necessity of watching her master closely so that he could not get at the piano. Haydn pretended not to have heard a word of this order, but his wife had hardly left the house, when he sent the maid on an errand. He hurried to the piano, and at the first touch the whole idea of a sonata came to him. The first part was finished while his wife was at church. When he heard her returning, he quickly went back to bed and finished it there.
These Brought Contentment
Haydn owned a case filled with snuff-boxes, watches, rings, medals, and other presents from all the crowned heads of Austria, Russia, Prussia, Spain, France, and Naples. He said: “When life seems sometimes hard to bear, I look at all these things, and feel content and pleased to have been honored by all Europe.”
Haydn and the Ship-Captain
One day a ship-captain came to Haydn’s room. “Are you Haydn?”
“Yes, sir; what can I do for you?”
“I’ll give you thirty guineas if you compose a march for my ship’s band; but it must be done to-day, for to-morrow morning we set sail for Calcutta.”
Haydn promised to have it ready early the following morning; went to the piano as soon as the captain had left him, and was soon done with it. It seemed to the composer that he had earned his money too easily, so during the evening he composed two more marches, to give the captain his choice or make him a present of the other two. It was barely daylight when the captain appeared.
“Captain, the march is finished.”