A contemporary violinist and composer was Benedetto Marcello, whose melodramatic affair has been described by Crowest and may be quoted here, with full permission to believe as much of it as you please.

“Marcello was the victim of a hopeless passion for a beautiful lady, Leonora Manfrotti, and on the occasion of her marriage to Paolo Seranzo, a Venetian of high rank, Marcello was unwise enough to send her a rose and a billet-doux containing words more complimentary to the lady’s beauty than to her taste in the choice of a husband.  This epistle, coming to Seranzo’s notice, caused him so violent a fit of jealousy that he tormented his young wife by supervision and suspicion to such an extent that she actually sank under his ill-treatment and died.  Her body was laid out in state in the church ‘Dei Frari,’ and here Marcello seeing it, learned the ill effects of his rash passion.  He fell into a state of melancholy madness, and at last, having with the craft and ingenuity of a madman succeeded in stealing the body of his love, he conveyed it to a ruined crypt in one of the neighbouring islands, which, bearing the reputation of being haunted, was seldom visited by any one.  Here, watched only by a faithful old nurse, he sat day and night watching the dead form of Leonora, singing and playing to it as though by the force of music he would recall her to life.

“Long ere this, Venice, and indeed Italy, was full of excitement at the composition of some unknown musician (no other than Marcello).  Among other admirers of this music was Eliade, twin sister of Leonora, and resembling her so closely that even friends could scarcely distinguish her.  Eliade had even been effected to insensibility by the strain of the unknown, and hearing one day a gondola pass, in which a voice was singing one of the songs which was an especial favourite, in such a way as she had never heard it sung before, she followed and traced the gondola to the deserted island.  A visit to this island resulted in a meeting with the old nurse, and a few explanations.  The ingenious woman contrived to take advantage of a short absence of Marcello, and, substituting the living sister for the dead one, awaited the mad musician.  This time, however, his usual invocation was not in vain:  as he called on Leonora to awake, a living image arose from the coffin, and Marcello, restored to happiness by the delusion, was quite content with the exchange when he found out that, although the lady was not Leonora, she was a devoted admirer of his musical skill, and professed an ‘affinity of soul’ for him, in which her sister had been wanting.  Their happiness was short-lived, for Marcello died a few years after their marriage.”

This has a faint resemblance to the romance of “The Quick or the Dead,” with a certain vice-versation.

LOUIS SPOHR