Mr. Dombey rose and stood beside her, listening.  He had little taste for music, and no knowledge of the strain she played; but he saw her bending over it, and perhaps he heard among the sounding strings some distant music of his own.

Yet when she went to the piano and commenced to sing Mr. Dombey did not know that it was ’the air that his neglected daughter sang to his dead son’!

Piano

Lady musicians are numerous, and of very varied degrees of excellence.  Amongst the pianists is Miss Teresa Malderton, who nearly fell a prey to that gay deceiver Mr. Horatio Sparkins (S.B.T. 5).  Her contribution to a musical evening was ‘The Fall of Paris,’ played, as Mr. Sparkins declared, in a masterly manner.

There was a song called ‘The Fall of Paris,’ but it is most probable that Dickens was thinking of a very popular piece which he must have often heard in his young days, of which the full title was

THE SURRENDER OF PARIS.  A characteristic Divertimento for the Pianoforte, including the events from the Duke of Wellington and Prince Blucher’s marching to that capital to the evacuation by the French troops and taking possession by the Allies, composed by Louis Jansen, 1816.

Not the least curious section of this piece of early programme music is a moderato recording the various articles of the capitulation.  These are eighteen in number, and each has its own ‘theme.’  The interspersion of some discords seems to imply serious differences of opinion between the parties to the treaty.

There was also a song called ‘The Downfall of Paris,’ the first verse of which was

    Great news I have to tell you all,
      Of Bonaparte and a’ that;
    How Paris it has got a fall,
      He’s lost his plans and a’ that.

    Chorus.

    Rise up, John Bull, rise up and sing,
      Your chanter loudly blaw that;
    Lang live our auld and worthy king,
      Success to Britain, a’ that.

The instrument beloved of Miss Tox (D. & S.) was the harpsichord, and her favourite piece was the ‘Bird Waltz,’ while the ‘Copenhagen Waltz’ was also in her repertoire.  Two notes of the instrument were dumb from disuse, but their silence did not impoverish the rendering.  Caddy Jellyby found it necessary to know something of the piano, in order that she might instruct the ‘apprentices’ at her husband’s dancing-school.  Another performer was Mrs. Namby, who entertained Mr. Pickwick with solos on a square piano while breakfast was being prepared.  When questioned by David Copperfield as to the gifts of Miss Sophy Crewler, Traddles explained that she knew enough of the piano to teach it to her little sisters, and she also sang ballads to freshen up her family a little when they were out of spirits, but ‘nothing scientific.’  The guitar was quite beyond her.  David noted with much satisfaction (though he did not say so) that his Dora was much more gifted musically.