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But we have passed somewhat out of our chronological order. The
absence of love at home, as we all know, often encourages love
abroad. Haydn liked to have an occasional flirtation, as ardent
as might be within the bounds of decorum. Sometimes, indeed,
according to our insular ideas of such things, he exceeded the
bounds of decorum, as in the case of which we are now compelled
to speak. Among the musicians who had been engaged for the
Esterhazy service in 1779 were a couple named Polzelli--the
husband a violinist, the wife a second-rate vocalist. Luigia
Polzelli was a lively Italian girl of nineteen. She does not seem
to have been happy with Polzelli, and Haydn's pity was roused for
her, much as Shelley's pity was roused for "my unfortunate
friend," Harriet Westbrook. The pity, as often happens in such
cases, ultimately ripened into a violent passion.
We are not concerned to adopt an apologetic tone towards Haydn.
But Signora Polzelli was clearly an unscrupulous woman. She first
got her admirer into her power, and then used her position to dun
him for money. She had two sons, and the popular belief of the
time that Haydn was the father of the younger is perpetuated in
several of the biographies. Haydn had certainly a great regard
for the boy, made him a pupil of his own, and left him a small
sum in his first will, which, however, he revoked in the second.
Signora Polzelli's conduct was probably natural enough in the
circumstances, but it must have been rather embarrassing to
Haydn. After the death of her husband, she wheedled him into
signing a paper promising to marry her in the event of his
becoming a widower. This promise he subsequently repudiated, but
he cared for her well enough to leave her an annuity in his will,
notwithstanding that she had married again. She survived him for
twenty-three years, and her two daughters were still living at
Pesth in 1878.
Returning to 1779, an untoward event of that year was the
destruction by fire of the theatre at Esterhaz. The re-building
of the house was set about at once, the prince having meanwhile
gone to Paris, and the re-opening took place on October 15, 1780,
when Haydn's "La Fedelta Premiata," already mentioned, was
staged.
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