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78 The National Music of America.
price of a music lesson, as gleaned from the old advertisements, was from half a dollar to seventy-five cents, the more eminent teachers contenting themselves with the latter price. The teacher was generally obliged to lend his piano to the pupil for practising purposes (many advertisements offer this advantage), since the instrument was a great rarity at even the beginning of the nineteenth century, in Boston. The pupils played pieces by Gyrowetz and sometimes even attempted Haydn, but far more generally it was " Washington's March " or some " Battle-piece " ' that struck wonder into the hearts of the auditors. The change in manners may be thoroughly shown by the following quotation
1 The " Battle of Prague " was by no means the earliest of these warlike compositions; the author possesses a " Sonata pour le Clavecin ou Forte-piano, qui represente La Bataille de Rosbach " [fought Nov. 5, 1757, between Frederic the Great, and the French] " Composees par Mr. Bach." Evidently by J. Christian Bach, son of the great master. |
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