cotch Symphony for the first time
in England. In 1844 the "wonderful little Joachim," then a youth of
thirteen in a short jacket, made the first of his many subsequent visits
to London, and played in the old "Rooms."

Hoops and Swords

So much for the associations of the concert hall in which Haydn directed
some of his finest symphonies. And what about the audiences of Haydn's
time? It was the day of the Sedan chair, when women waddled in hoops,
like that of the lady mentioned in the Spectator, who appeared "as if
she stood in a large drum." Even the royal princesses were, in Pope's
phrase, "armed in ribs of steel" so wide that the Court attendants had
to assist their ungainly figures through the doorways. Swords were still
being worn as a regulation part of full dress, and special weapons were
always provided at a grand concert for the use of the instrumental solo
performers, who, when about to appear on the platform, were girt for
the occasion by an attendant, known as the "sword-bearer." [See Musical
Haunts in London, F. G. Edwards, quoting Dr W. H. Cummings.]

Haydn's first concert, we have said, was an immense success. Burney
records that his appearance in the orchestra "seemed to have an
electrical effect on all present, and he never remembered a performance
where greater enthusiasm was displayed." A wave of musical excitement
appears to have been passing through London, for on this very evening
both Covent Garden and Drury Lane Theatres were packed with audiences
drawn together by the oratorio performances there. Haydn was vastly
pleased at having the slow movement of his symphony encored--an unusual
occurrence in those days--and he spoke of it afterwards as worthy of
mention in his biography. Fresh from the dinner-table, the audience
generally fell asleep during the slow movements! When the novelty of the
Salomon concerts had worn off, many of the listeners lapsed into their
usual somnolence. Most men in Haydn's position would have resented such
inattention by an outburst of temper. Haydn took it good-humouredly, and
resolved to have his little joke.

The "Surprise" Symphony

He wrote the well-known "Surprise" Symphony. The slow movement of this
work opens and proceeds in the most subdued manner, and at the moment
when the audience may be imagined to have comfortably settled for their
nap a sudden explosive fortissimo chord is introduced. "There all the
women will scream," said Haydn, with twinkling eyes. A