1831.] Stories of Living Musicians. 269 



forbidden to be performed on the Venetian stage by Metternlch ; and his 

 Majesty of Spain, having been present at the first performance of Otello 

 at ]\Iadrid, interdicted its repetition on the ground of its immoralilif. 

 The propriety of a man's taking away the life of his lady, may abstract- 

 edly be questionable ; but it must be recollected that the Moor was not 

 a Christian, a circumstance that might have pleaded for him with the 

 tender conscience of the Most Catholic King. 



The transition from parts of di'amatic dignity to the character she 

 supported in private life, was never more easy than in the case of Ma- 

 dame Catalani. In person, manner, and discourse, she was noble: and 

 one was too often disposed to confound Catalani with Semiramide. The 

 unusual respect shewn to her by crowned heads, seemed less accorded 

 to the actress than the woman; and Avhethcr on the stage or at court, it 

 ever seemed that elle aspirait a descendre. The last word pronounced, it 

 is said, by the King of Bavaria, was the name of the Roman songstress. 

 The Grand Duke of Hesse Darmstadt took his seat in the orchestra of 

 his theatre, as leader of the band, in honour of her genius ; and even 

 the Emperor of Austria forgot all meaner arts in admiration of Catalani. 

 Charles John of Sweden himself conducted her through the Royal 

 Museum at Stockholm, in 1827, where two magnificent vases of por- 

 phyry attracted her admiration ; and some time after a similar pair was for- 

 warded to her, at Paris, by the gallant prince, who deemed twenty- 

 thousand francs a not too costly tribute to the enchanting actress. Yet 

 all her sympathies were not devoted to royalty ; for having visited Cra- 

 cow, and consented to sing for one night at the public theatre, when 

 the enormous amount of her engagement was tendered her, she returned 

 more than the moiety of the sum in aid of the erection of the monument 

 in memory of the patriot Kosciusko. 



At Weimar it was Catalani's good or ill fortune to be placed at table 

 next to the venerable Goethe. It was intended by her illustrious host 

 as a mark of respect to the fair Italian ; but the lady was little acquainted 

 with literature in general, or any other poetry than that which the fair 

 translator to the King's Theatre murders so exquisitely for the benefit 

 of its British frequenters. The peculiar attention paid to her neigh- 

 bour, added to his imposing appearance, attracted the curiosity of the 

 syren ; and she inquired his name. " The celebrated Goethe, Madam." 

 " Pray on what instrument does he play ?" was the next interrogation. 

 " Madam, it is the renowned author of Werther." " Oh ! yes, yes, I 

 recollect." Then turning to Goethe, resolved in her turn to compliment 

 the aged poet, " Ah ! Monsieur," she exclaimed, " how greatly do I 

 admire Werther." A low bow answered the distinguished eulogist. 

 " I never read any thing so truly laughable in my life. What a com- 

 plete farce. Sir !" "Madame! The Sorrows of Werther?" "Ah, Sir, 

 was anything ever more truly ridiculous \" continued the laughing lady, 

 as she i-ecalled to memory — What? a Parody upon Werther, produced 

 at one of the minor theatres at Paris, where all the sentimentality of 

 the Teutonic swain had been cruelly, but laughably burlesqued. The 

 poet's nerves were sadly affected by the applause so equivocally lavished 

 on his unsuspected talent, and the lady's credit was sensibly diminished 

 at tlie court of Weimar, by her ignorance of Werther and Goethe- 

 sentimentality. 



