interesting circles of artists. In the first room were assembled the
most famous painters, engaged in drawing several things for their own
amusement. In the midst of these was Cherubim, also drawing. I had the
honor, like every one newly introduced, of having my portrait taken in
caricature. Bégasse took me in hand and succeeded well. In an adjoining
room were musicians and actors, among them Ponchard, Levasseur, Dugazon,
Panseron, Mlle, de Munck, and Mme. Livère, of the Theatre Français. The
most interesting of their performances, which I attended merely as
a listener, was a vocal quartet by Cherubini, performed under his
direction. Later in the evening, the whole party armed itself with
larger or smaller 'mirlitons' (reed-pipe whistles), and on these small
monotonous instruments, sometimes made of sugar, they played, after
the fashion of Russian horn music, the overture to 'Demophon,'
two frying-pans representing the drums." On the 27th of March this
"mirliton" concert was repeated at Ciceri's, and on this occasion
Cherubini took an active part. Moscheles relates of that evening:
"Horace Vernet entertained us with his ventriloquizing powers, M. Salmon
with his imitation of a horn, and Dugazon actually with a mirliton solo.
Lafont and I represented the classical music, which, after all, held its
own."

The distinguished pianist, in further pleasant gossip about Cherubini,
tells us of hearing the first performance of a pasticcio opera, composed
by Cherubini, Paër, Berton, Boïeldieu, and Kreutzer, in honor of the
christening of the Duke of Bordeaux. Of the part written by Cherubini he
speaks in the warmest praise, and says quizzically of the composer:
"His squeaky sharp little voice was sometimes heard in the midst of his
conducting, and interrupted my state of ecstasy caused by his presence
and composition."