‘Outsider Amongst the Thespians’ derived from two sources. First, my 25-year-long commuting career in Los Angeles provided me with approximately 5, 000-6, 000 hours of uninterrupted music listening. Second, my love for Haydn eventually pointed towards a book of some sort. The combination of these two impetus (?impeti) resulted in the present novel. Since this is a work of fiction, I took liberties with some dates, such as the original performances of Mozart’s three great Italian operas, as well as with a few details in Luigia Polzelli’s adventurous life. For the purposes of the story, I’d also simplified the complexities of the then existing London theater companies. (Anyone interested in all the arcane details is hereby referred to the Theatre Museum and Library in Covent Garden!)
I’ve also conjured up Lorenzo da Ponte for a brief, cameo appearance. And, ‘Wien, Wien nur Du allein’ was written about 100+ years after these events.
Otherwise, I tried to be as accurate as I knew how. Le Matin, Le Midi and Le Soir refer, of course, to three early Haydn symphonies by those names. The three books which helped me most were:
1) Karl Geiringer: Haydn, A Creative Life in Music, U. of California Press, Revised 1982 (Originally published in English in 1946).
2) H.C.C. Taylor: Goldoni: A Biography, (London, 1914).
3) M. Dorothy George: London Life in the Eighteenth Century, Academy Chicago Publishers, 1984. (First published in London in 1925)
Visits to Drottningholm, Eisenstadt and Eszterhaza were of paramount importance; my last theatrical journey to London cemented in earlier impressions. The two final Haydn operas were revelations, in spite of their poor librettos. Regardless of the circumstances, Haydn, a consummate professional, always did his best.
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I would like to express my deepest thanks to my sister, Mrs. Sioretine Gyepes Judit for her detailed editorial comments, and to Dr. Linda Schubert for her advice on the musical aspects of this book.
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