Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 July 1895 — Short Way With Intruders. [ARTICLE]

Short Way With Intruders.

Hans von Bulow was taking infinite pains in drilling his orchestra for an early performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and the musical epicures of Meiningen were reveling in the anticipation of a huge treat. A high personage at court, more impatient than the rest, expressed an ardent wish to attend one of the rehearsals. The conductor was greatly annoyed, but could not decline the honor. However, he planned a little scheme for speedily getting rid of his unwelcome audience. When the exalted lady and her attendants had taken their seats and the rehearsal was about to begin, Bulow called upon the bassoonist to play his part alone from beginning to end. The man obeyed, and began to draw from his weird instrument a series of incoherent grunts and groans which were painful to listen to when unaccompanied by the other parts. It was the most horrible solo that had ever been heard . Bulow occasionally interrupted the performance, demanding a repetition of certain particularly discordant passages with suggested modifications, and whon the bassoonist had finished he ordered him to play the whole of his part over again. This was too much for the great lady. She hastily rose and confessed to the conductor that the affair had been rather different from what she had been lead to expect, adding that “it was very interesting, no doubt, but somewhat fatiguing, ’’whereupon she took her departure. Bulow’s face beamed with satisfaction, and he gave the signal for the rehearsal proper to commence.