No. 280 - Haydn

I am almost finished reading The Report by Jessica Francis Kane, mentioned in Post No. 276, and should be done today. This morning I read the following:

Rev. McNeely lost his voice on several occasions, dabbing at his eyes each time with bandaged fingers and a scorch-marked cuff. During the eulogy he told a story about the eighteenth-century composer Joseph Haydn. The congregation knew McNeely was a lover of music, so this reference did not confuse them. His intended meaning, however, was another matter. During the first performance of Haydn's Symphony no. 102, McNeely said, a portion of the audience got up and moved to the edge of the stage in order to be closer to the great composer. Just then a large chandelier fell from the ceiling, landing on the empty seats. Not a single person was hurt.

I learned that Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony." He was also a close friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a teacher of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Can you imagine these three getting together one night for a couple of frosties and then rocking out for the rest of the evening?