Fragments of an Autobiography |
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Common terms and phrases
amongst answered artist asked Asolo beautiful brass instruments Browning cadenza called child Claude Claude's Collbran colour dear drawing Dupont Ellen Terry eyes father Felix felt Fidelio French Frida friends gave German girl GIUSEPPE MAZZINI give Gobelot godfather Goethe hair hand happy head Herr Jeanne kind knew l'oncle Auguste lady learnt Leipsic letter lived London look Madame Rossini Madeleine Mademoiselle Maestro master Mazzini Mendelssohn mind Monsieur Moscheles mother never occasion once painting Palazzo Rezzonico Paris Parisian particular perhaps pianist piano picture play portrait Quartier Latin realise recollect remember rest Robert Browning Rosa Bonheur round seemed sister soon speak stood sure talk tell thing thought tion told took turned uncle uncon unification of Italy walk wanted whilst woman wonder words write wrote young
Popular passages
Page 281 - That orbed maiden with white fire laden, Whom mortals call the moon, Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor, By the midnight breezes strewn ; And wherever the beat of her unseen feet, Which only the angels hear, May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof, The stars peep behind her and peer ; And I laugh to see them whirl and flee, Like a swarm of golden bees...
Page 281 - I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, From the seas and the streams; I bear light shade for the leaves when laid In their noonday dreams. From my wings are shaken the dews that waken The sweet buds every one, When rocked to rest on their mother's breast, As she dances about the sun.
Page 226 - Mazzini for a series of years ; and, whatever I may think of his practical insight and skill in worldly affairs, I can with great freedom, testify to all men, that he, if I have ever seen one such, is a man of genius and virtue, a man of sterling veracity, humanity, and nobleness of mind ; one of these rare men, numerable, unfortunately, but as units in this world, who are worthy to be called martyr souls ; who, in silence, piously in their daily life, understand and practise what is meant by that.
Page 225 - I have had the honour to know Mr. Mazzini for a series of years, and, whatever I may think of his practical insight and skill in worldly affairs, I can with great freedom testify to all men that he, if...
Page 30 - DEAR MOSCHELES, — Here they are, wind instruments and fiddles, for the son an'd heir must not be kept waiting till I come ; he must have a cradle- song, with drums and trumpets and Janissary music ; the fiddles alone are not near joyous enough.
Page 248 - They have been crucifying Othello into an opera (Otello, by Rossini): the music good, but lugubrious ; but as for the words, all the real scenes with lago cut out, and the greatest nonsense instead ; the handkerchief turned into a billet-doux, and the first singer would not black his face, for some exquisite reasons assigned in the preface. Singing, dresses, and music, very good.
Page 221 - His eyes sparkled as he spoke, and reflected the ever-glowing and illuminating fire within ; he held yon magnetically. He would penetrate into some innermost recess of your conscience and kindle a spark where all had been darkness. Whilst under the influence of that eye. that voice, you felt as if you could leave father and mother and follow him, the elect of Providence, who had come to overthrow the whole wretched fabric of falsehoods holding mankind in bondage.
Page 27 - We must have a bit of tutti between the cadenza and the solo,' said I. ' How long are they to clap their hands ? ' asked Moscheles. ' Ten minutes, I dare say,' said I. Moscheles beat me down to five. I promised to supply a tutti ; and so we took the measure, embroidered, turned, and padded, put in sleeves a la Mameluke, and at last with our mutual tailoring produced a brilliant concerto. We shall have another rehearsal to-day ; it will be quite a picnic, for Moscheles brings the cadenza, and I the...
Page 30 - ... lively enough. May every happiness and joy and blessing attend the little stranger; may he be prosperous, may he do well whatever he does, and may it fare well with him in the world/ So he is to be called Felix, is he? How nice and kind of you to make him my godchild in formal The first present his godfather makes him is the above entire orchestra; it is to accompany him through life, the trumpets when he wishes to become famous, the flutes...
Page 226 - ... more led to heated controversy in the House of Commons. At that time Mr. Stansfeld was a Junior Lord of the Admiralty. His friendship for the champion of Italy's rights had ripened as years went on, and he was ever ready to serve him and the good cause. It happened that the French...