Mental processes like these write their lines deeply on the
faces of gifted people.
Of the thirty-one members of the orchestra some had already attained
fame, and others achieved it in after years. In this collection of
geniuses the attrition of mind on mind must have been of benefit to
each. The conductor, Joseph Reicha, had a nephew, Anton Reicha, whom he
adopted, who played the flute in the orchestra. He and Beethoven were
intimate, and the prominence which Beethoven gives to the flute in his
orchestral works may in part be explained by this intimacy. Reicha
afterward joined Beethoven at Vienna, remaining there until 1808, when
he took up his residence in Paris. He was a prolific composer and the
author of numerous theoretical works. Many of his operas were produced
in Paris during his lifetime. He taught at the Paris Conservatoire, and
was a member of the Institute. Then there was Bernhard Romberg, and his
cousin Andreas Romberg. The latter was a musical prodigy, having played
the violin in concerts as early as his seventh year.
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