is something quite extraordinary," and every other possible
exaggeration. I became first hot and then cold from nervousness.
This Graf is a brother of the two who are in Harz and Zurich. He
would not give up his intention, but took me straight to him--a
dignified gentleman indeed; he wore a dressing-gown that I would
not be ashamed to wear in the street. All his words are on
stilts, and he has a habit of opening his mouth before knowing
what he is going to say; so he often shuts it again without
having said anything. After a great deal of ceremony he produced
a concerto for two flutes; I was to play first violin. The
concerto is confused, not natural, too abrupt in its modulations,
and devoid of all genius. When it was over I praised it highly,
for, indeed, he deserves this. The poor man must have had labor
and study enough to write it. At last they brought a clavichord
of Stein's out of the next room, a very good one, but inch-thick
with dust. Herr Graf, who is director here, stood there looking
like a man who had hitherto believed his own modulations to be
something very clever, but all at once discovers that others may
be still more so, and without grating on the ear. In a word, they
all seemed lost in astonishment.



66.

Augsburg, Oct. 17, 1777.

WITH regard to the daughter of Hamm, the Secretary of War, I can
only say that there can be no doubt she has a decided talent for
music, for she has only learned three years, and can play a