which the town was over-whelmed, into forgetting the boyish
impressions which Signor Sassaroli had stamped upon my mind, when
another miracle--which also came to us from Dresden--suddenly
gave a new direction to my artistic feelings and exercised a
decisive influence over my whole life. This consisted of a
special performance given by Wilhelmine Schroder-Devrient, who at
that time was at the zenith of her artistic career, young,
beautiful, and ardent, and whose like I have never again seen on
the stage. She made her appearance in Fidelio.

If I look back on my life as a whole, I can find no event that
produced so profound an impression upon me. Any one who can
remember that wonderful woman at this period of her life must to
some extent have experienced the almost Satanic ardour which the
intensely human art of this incomparable actress poured into his
veins. After the performance I rushed to a friend's house and
wrote a short note to the singer, in which I briefly told her
that from that moment my life had acquired its true significance,
and that if in days to come she should ever hear my name praised
in the world of Art, she must remember that she had that evening
made me what I then swore it was my destiny to become. This note
I left at her hotel, and ran out into the night as if I were mad.
In the year 1842, when I went to Dresden to make my debut with
Rienzi, I paid several visits to the kind-hearted singer, who
startled me on one occasion by repeating this letter word for
word. It seemed to have made an impression on her too, as she had
actually kept it.

At this point I feel myself obliged to acknowledge that the great
confusion which now began to prevail in my life, and particularly