concert of which he conducted on February 20, 1851. M. Pasdeloup had now found his vocation, which was neither that of a government official, nor a composer, but of an able conductor, bringing forward the works of other masters native and foreign. At the concerts of the 'Société des jeunes artistes' in the Salle Herz, Rue de la Victoire, he produced the symphonies of Gounod, Lefebure-Wely, Saint-Saëns, Gouvy, Demersseman, and other French composers, and there Parisians heard for the first time Mozart's 'Entführung,' Meyerbeer's 'Struensee,' and several of Schumann's standard works. After two years spent in forming his young band,[1] and struggling against the indifference of the paying portion of the public, M. Pasdeloup resolved on a bold stroke, and moved his quarters to the Cirque d'hiver, then the Cirque Napoléon, where on October 27, 1861, he opened his 'Concerts populaires,' given every Sunday at the same hour as the concerts of the Conservatoire. The striking and well-deserved success of these entertainments roused universal attention, and procured their conductor honours of various kinds. Baron Hausmann had already requested him to organise and conduct the concerts at the Hôtel de Ville; the Prefect of the Seine appointed him one of the two directors of the Orphéon [Orphéon]; and M. de Nieuwerkerke, Surintendant des Beaux Arts, frequently called upon him to select and conduct the concerts which formed the main attraction of the soirées given by the Director of the Museum of the Louvre. He also received the Legion of Honour. Time passed on, and M. Pasdeloup increased his exertions, striving year by year to add fresh interest to the 'Concerts Populaires,' at which he produced much music previously unknown in Paris. By engaging the services of first-rate artists, and by care in the selection and execution of works classical and modern, he has done much to form the taste and enlarge the knowledge of his audiences, and has thus contributed to raise the level of music throughout France.
An ardent admirer of Wagner, M. Pasdeloup made use of his short managership of the Théâtre Lyrique (1868–1870) to produce 'Rienzi' (April 6, 1869). He undertook this office on disadvantageous terms, and lost heavily by it. The Franco-German war gave a serious check to his career, but when it was over he resumed the 'Concerts populaires,' which are still (March 1880) carried on, with the aid of a government subsidy of 25000 fr. But the 'Concerts du Châtelet,' and the numerous 'Matinées dramatiques' have drawn off many of his old subscribers. Elwart compiled a history of the concerts, but he does not go beyond their first start, and they have now been in existence 19 years. During this lengthened period the indefatigable conductor has never once broken faith with the public, and is still as ardent, as energetic, and as heartily devoted to his art, as on the first day on which he held the baton.
PASQUALATI, a name frequently recurring in Beethoven's life. Ries states[2] that Beethoven in 1803–4 had four sets of rooms at once. The fourth, which had been taken for him by Ries,[3] was in a house on the Mölker Bastei,[4] near the Schottenthor or Scottish gate, on the fourth floor, with a fine view over the glacis towards the Kahlenberg mountains. It is now No. 8. Beethoven frequently left, but always came back again, and the landlord, Baron Pasqualati, used to refuse to let the apartment, saying 'Beethoven is coming back again,' which was literally true, as we find him here in 1800, 1804 to 1808, 1810, 1812 to 1816. Joseph Benedict Baron von Pasqualati-Osterberg, a distinguished physician from Trieste, built the house (two thrown into one) in 1795. On his death in 1799 his property passed to his two sons and three daughters, and the house was occupied by the eldest son Johann Baptist, born March 2, 1777, died April 30, 1830. That Beethoven's friendly intercourse with him was undisturbed even after he had finally left the apartments,[5] is shown by his letters, which always begin with 'Verehrter Freund' (Respected friend) and end with 'Mit herzlicher Hochachtung' (with sincere esteem). In his last illness Pasqualati sent him wine and delicacies, and Beethoven, writing to thank him, says, 'Heaven bless you above all for your loving sympathy.' Only ten days before the end, he sent a pencil note in a visibly shaky hand—the last lines ever received from him—to ask for more nourishing food. In 1812, though Pasqualati continued to live there, the house became the property of Peter von Leber, whose son married Mathilde von Frank. She was a niece of Baroness Ertmann,[6] whom Beethoven met in Feb. 1809 at the house of her sister, the wife of Frank a banker, and to whom he dedicated his sonata, op. 101. Fran von Leber, who died in 1875, was fond of talking of her aunt and of her friendship for the great composer. Thus there was a pleasant bond of intercourse between the Pasqualati family and Beethoven, from which we gain a glimpse of the best side of his life. [App. p.744 "Add that Beethoven's 'Elegischer Gesang' (op. 118), was written in memory of Eleonora Pasqualati, who died in 1811, and dedicated to her husband, Baron Pasqualati. [See vol. iv. p. 537.] ]
PASQUINI, Bernardo, one of the most important musicians of the latter half of the 17th century, born Dec. 8, 1637, at Massa Valnievola in Tuscany, died Nov. 22, 1710, according to his monument in the church of S. Lorenzo in Lucina, at Rome, which also states that he was in the service of Battista Prince Borghese. His masters were Vittoria and Antonio Cesti, but the study of Palestrina's works did more for him than any instruction. While still young he came to Rome, and was appointed organist of Sta. Maria Maggiore. Among his numerous pupils were Durante and Gasparini; the Emperor Leopold also sent young musicians to benefit by his instruction. Special mention is
- ↑ Recruited from the pupils of the Conservatoire.
- ↑ 'Biogr. Notzen,' pt. ii. p. 112. He gives the name incorrectly—Pasquillati. See also Thayer ii. 258.
- ↑ See Beethoven, vol. i. 172.
- ↑ Or Melker-Bastei, so called from the large house belonging to the monastery of Melk, which adjoins it.
- ↑ His only son, Baron Joseph Benedict von Pasqualati-Osterberg, born in 1802, and still living, confirms the statement.
- ↑ See vol. 1. 493.
