“He was coming out of the Queen’s apartment one day, after he had been performing one of these pieces for Her Majesty’s approbation, when I followed and congratulated him on the increased success he had met with from the whole band of the opera at every rehearsal.  ’O my dear Princess!’ cried he, ’it wants nothing to make it be applauded up to the seven skies but two such delightful heads as Her Majesty’s and your own.’—­’Oh, if that be all,’ answered I, ’we’ll have them painted for you, Mr. Gluck!’—­’No, no, no! you do not understand me,’ replied Gluck, ’I mean real, real heads.  My actresses are very ugly, and Armida and her confidential lady ought to be very handsome: 

“However great the success of the opera of Armida, and certainly it was one of the best productions ever exhibited on the French stage, no one had a better opinion of its composition than Gluck himself.  He was quite mad about it.  He told the Queen that the air of France had invigorated his musical genius, and that, after having had the honour of seeing Her Majesty, his ideas were so much inspired that his compositions resembled her, and became alike angelic and sublime!

“The first artist who undertook the part of Armida was Madame Saint Huberti.  The Queen was very partial to her.  She was principal female singer at the French opera, was a German by birth, and strongly recommended by Gluck for her good natural voice.  At Her Majesty’s request, Gluck himself taught Madame Saint Huberti the part of Armida.  Sacchini, also, at the command of Marie Antoinette, instructed her in the style and sublimity of the Italian school, and Mdlle.  Benin, the Queen’s dressmaker and milliner, was ordered to furnish the complete dress for the character.

“The Queen, perhaps, was more liberal to this lady than to any other actress upon the stage.  She had frequently paid her debts, which were very considerable, for she dressed like a Queen whenever she represented one.

“Gluck’s consciousness of the merit of his own works, and of their dignity, excited no small jealousy, during the getting up of Armida, in his rival with the public, the great Vestris, to whom he scarcely left space to exhibit the graces of his art; and many severe disputes took place between the two rival sharers of the Parisian enthusiasm.  Indeed, it was at one time feared that the success of Armida would be endangered, unless an equal share of the performance were conceded to the dancers.  But Gluck, whose German obstinacy would not give up a note, told Vestris he might compose a ballet in which he would leave him his own way entirely; but that an artist whose profession only taught him to reason with his heels should not kick about works like Armida at his pleasure.  ‘My subject,’ added Gluck, ’is taken from the immortal Tasso.  My music has been logically composed, and with the ideas of my head; and, of course, there is very little room left for capering.  If Tasso had thought proper to make Rinaldo a dancer he never would have designated him a warrior.’