On the third floor of the house which contained the garret, lived a celebrated Italian poet, Metastasio.  Haydn and the poet struck up an acquaintance, which resulted in the musician’s introduction to the poet’s favorite pupil, Marianne Martinez.  Also through Metastasio, Haydn met Nicolo Porpora, an eminent teacher of singing and composition.  About this time another avenue opened to him.  It was a fashion in Vienna to pick up a few florins by serenading prominent persons.  A manager of one of the principal theaters in Vienna, Felix Kurz, had recently married a beautiful woman, whose loveliness was much talked of.  It occurred to Haydn to take a couple of companions along and serenade the lady, playing some of his own music.  Soon after they had begun to play the house door opened and Kurz himself stood there in dressing gown and slippers.  “Whose music was that you were playing?” he asked.  “My own,” was the answer.  “Indeed; then just step inside.”  The three entered, wondering.  They were presented to Madame, then were given refreshments.  “Come and see me to-morrow,” said Kurz when the boys left; “I think I have some work for you.”

Haydn called next day and learned the manager had written a libretto of a comic opera which he called “The Devil on two Sticks,” and was looking for some one to compose the music.  In one place there was to be a tempest at sea, and Haydn was asked how he would represent that.  As he had never seen the sea, he was at a loss how to express it.  The manager said he himself had never seen the ocean, but to his mind it was like this, and he began to toss his arms wildly about.  Haydn tried every way he could think of to represent the ocean, but Kurz was not satisfied.  At last he flung his hands down with a crash on each end of the keyboard and brought them together in the middle.  “That’s it, that’s it,” cried the manager and embraced the youth excitedly.  All went well with the rest of the opera.  It was finished and produced, but did not make much stir, a fact which was not displeasing to the composer, as he was not proud of his first attempt.

His acquaintance with Porpora promised better things.  The singing master had noticed his skill in playing the harpsichord, and offered to engage him as accompanist.  Haydn gladly accepted at once, hoping to pick up much musical knowledge in this way.  Old Porpora was very harsh and domineering at first, treating him more like a valet than a musician.  But at last he was won over by Haydn’s gentleness and patience, until he was willing to answer all his questions and to correct his compositions.  Best of all he brought Haydn to the attention of the nobleman in whose house he was teaching, so that when the nobleman and his family went to the baths of Mannersdorf for several months, Haydn was asked to go along as accompanist to Porpora.

The distinguished musicians he met at Mannersdorf were all very kind to him and showed much interest in his compositions, many of which were performed during this visit.  The nobleman, impressed with Haydn’s desire to succeed, allotted him a pension of a sum equal to fifteen dollars a month.  The young musician’s first act on receiving this was to buy himself a neat suit of black.