radiant; instinctively opening his lips, he sang in an enthusiastic
and ringing voice words which he had never known before--words
which, with the melody, had spontaneously gushed from his soul. What
his lips sang was a prayer, and, at the same time, a hymn of
victory--full of innocent and child-like piety:

"Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser,
Unsern guten Kaiser Franz,
Lange lebe Franz den Kaiser
In des Gluckes hellem Glanz!
Ihm erbluhen Lorbeerreiser,
Wo er geht, zum Ehrenkranz!
Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser,
Unsern guten Kaiser Franz!"
[Footnote: The celebrated Austrian hymn, "God save the Emperor
Francis."]

Profound silence prevailed while Haydn was singing, and when he
concluded with a firm and ringing accord and turned around, he saw
that his wife, overcome with emotion, with folded hands and eyes
lifted up to heaven, had sunk down on her knees, and that old
Catharine and Conrad were kneeling behind her, while the cat stood
between them listening to the music as it were, and even the parrot
below seemed to listen to the new hymn, for its screams had ceased.

A smile of delight played on Haydn's lips and rendered his face
again young and beautiful. "Now, sing with me, all three of you," he
said. "Sing loudly and firmly, that God may hear us. I will commence
again at the beginning, and you shall accompany me."