|
From Ascot he went to Slough, where he was introduced to Herschel.
In this case there was something like real community of tastes, for
the astronomer was musical, having once played the oboe, and later
on acted as organist, first at Halifax Parish Church, and then at
the Octagon Chapel Bath. The big telescope with which he discovered
the planet Uranus in 1781 was an object of great interest to Haydn,
who was evidently amazed at the idea of a man sitting out of doors
"in the most intense cold for five or six hours at a time."
Visits were also paid to Vauxhall Gardens, where "the music is
fairly good" and "coffee and milk cost nothing." "The place and
its diversions," adds Haydn, "have no equal in the world."
|
|
