The enthusiastic director collared his prize, and was soon deep in
explaining a wonderful libretto, entitled "The Devil on Two Sticks."
To write music for this was no easy matter; for it was to represent all
sorts of absurd things, among others a tempest. The tempest made Haydn
despair, and he sat at the piano, banging away in a reckless fashion,
while the director stood behind him, raving in a disconnected way as
to his meaning. At last the distracted pianist brought his fists
simultaneously down upon the key-board, and made a rapid sweep of all
the notes.

"Bravo! bravo! that is the tempest!" cried Kurz.

The buffoon also laid himself on a chair, and had it carried about the
room, during which he threw out his limbs in imitation of the act of
swimming. Haydn supplied an accompaniment so suitable that Kurz soon
landed on _terra firma_, and congratulated the composer, assuring him
that he was the man to compose the opera. By this stroke of good luck
our young musician received one hundred and thirty florins.


II.

At the age of twenty-eight Haydn composed his first symphony. Soon after
this he attracted the attention of the old Prince Esterhazy, all the
members of whose family have become known in the history of music as
generous Mæcenases of the art.

"What! you don't mean to say that little blackamoor" (alluding to
Haydn's brown complexion and small stature) "composed that symphony?"