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Count Torre Taxis, during which, I
had the pleasure to hear his excellency
perform on the harpsichord, of which
instrument he is an able master ; he
played voluntaries for a considerable
time, in which he discovered much skill
in modulation, and I found him worthy
of a place in the upper form of the Tar-
tini school. He shewed me a great num-
ber of masses, motets, and oratorios of
his own composition, for though young,
he is already a very voluminous writer.
He is possessed of a very curious keyed
instrument which was made at Berlin,
under the direction of his Prussian Ma-
jesty: it is, in shape, like a large clavi-
chord, has several changes of stops, and
is occasionally a harp, a harpsichord, a
lute, or piano forte; but the most curi-
ous property of this instrument is, that
by drawing out the keys the hammers
are transferred to different strings, by
which means a composition may be trans-
posed half a note, a whole note, or a flat
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