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"She was a staunch friend of mine," he says; " I was a standing dish at all her musical parties, unless I happened to be engaged at a public concert. Her songs were always melodious ; several became great favourites. She was a pupil of Molique, and would have achieved some solid, enduring work had she not allowed enthusiasm to override discretion ; she possessed the i fatal facility' which has militated against the lasting success of many composers of higher rank."
I have left to the last in this chapter the songs of Wilhelm Ganz, because, though his first song was published in this period of " Fifty Years Ago," the majority of his songs have been written since, and he is still writing to-day.
The song referred to was "Sing, Birdie, Sing," which was dedicated to Louisa Venning, a famous soprano of her day, who sang it in 1859 at the composer's concert at the (then) New St. James's Hall. "The Murmuring Sea," Ganz's second song, was published about the same time.
His next song, "The Nightingale's Trill," was composed for Madame Parepa, another famous soprano with a wonderfully high and flexible voice. The composer went round to her house with it, but she was unwell and confined to her room, so he sent it up to her. |
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