rose

Charles Burney

The Present State of Music in France and Italy (2nd, corrected edition)

London: T. Becket and Co., 1773

Paris


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From the name of this place it was na-
tural to look for a garden, but none was
to be found.

In the coffee-houses on the Boulevard,
which are much frequented, there are
bands of music, with singing, in the
Sadler's-Wells way, but worse. The
women who performed there, go about
with a plate to collect a reward for their
trouble. Here, though they often sing airs
a l' Italienne, the original sin of vulgarity
in the expression, sticks as close to them
as to us, at such places, in England.

Wednesday, June 13. This morning
I spent in the library of the College des
Quatre Nations
, founded by cardinal Ma-
zarin. It is a noble one. I consulted
the catalogues, and found several of the
books I wanted.

In the evening I heard two musical
dramas at the Theatre Italien, in which
the singing was the worst part of the
performance. Though the modern French

com-