he cared for her well enough to leave her an annuity in his will,
notwithstanding that she had married again. She survived him for
twenty-three years, and her two daughters were still living at
Pesth in 1878.

Returning to 1779, an untoward event of that year was the
destruction by fire of the theatre at Esterhaz. The re-building
of the house was set about at once, the prince having meanwhile
gone to Paris, and the re-opening took place on October 15, 1780,
when Haydn's "La Fedelta Premiata," already mentioned, was
staged.

Correspondence

It was about this time that he began to correspond with Artaria,
the Vienna music-publisher, with whom he had business dealings
for many years. A large number of his letters is given in an
English translation by Lady Wallace. [See Letters of Distinguished
Musicians. Translated from the German by Lady Wallace. London,
1867]. They treat principally of business matters, but are not
unimportant as fixing the chronological dates of some of his
works. They exhibit in a striking way the simple, honest,
unassuming nature of the composer; and if they also show him
"rather eager after gain, and even particular to a groschen," we
must not forget the ever-pressing necessity for economy under
which be laboured, and his almost lavish benevolence to
straitened relatives and friends. In one letter requesting an
advance he writes: "I am unwilling to be in debt to tradesmen,
and, thank God! I am free from this burden; but as great people
keep me so long waiting for payments, I have got rather into