we must not too rashly conclude that these wealthy noblemen were all animated by artistic enthusiasm.  Ostentatiousness had, I am afraid, more to do with it than love of art for art’s sake.  Music was simply one of the indispensable departments of their establishments, in the splendour and vastness of which they tried to outdo each other and vie with sovereign rulers.  The promiscuous enumeration of musicians, cooks, footmen, &c., in the lady’s description of a nobleman’s court which I referred to in the proem, is in this respect very characteristic.  Towards the middle of the last century Prince Sanguszko, who lived at Dubno, in Volhynia, had in his service no less than two bands, to which was sometimes joined a third belonging to Prince Lubomirski.  But, it will be asked, what music did they play?  An author of Memoirs of the reign of Augustus III tells us that, according to the Polish fashion, they had during meal-times to play national airs, polonaises, mazurkas, &c., arranged for wind-instruments, with or without violins.  For special occasions the Prince got a new kind of music, then much in favour—­viz., a band of mountaineers playing on flutes and drums.  And while the guests were sitting at the banquet, horns, trumpets, and fifes sounded fanfares.  Besides the ordinary and extraordinary bands, this exalted personage had among his musical retainers a drummer who performed solos on his instrument.  One is glad to learn that when the Prince was alone or had little company, he took delight in listening to trios for two violins and bass, it being then the fashion to play such ensemble pieces.  Count Ilinski, the father of the composer John Stanislas Ilinski, engaged for his private theatre two companies, one from Germany and one from Italy.  The persons employed in the musical department of his household numbered 124.  The principal band, conducted by Dobrzyrnski pere, a good violinist and conductor, consisted of four violins, one viola, one violoncello, one double bass, one flute, one oboe, one clarinet, and one bassoon.  Villagers were trained by these players to assist them.  Then there was yet another band, one of wind instruments, under the direction of Karelli, a pupil of the Russian composer Bartnianski [Footnote:  The Russian Palestrina, whose name is oftener met with in the forms of Bortnianski and Bortniansky].  The chorus was composed of twenty four voices, picked from the young people on Count Ilinski’s estates.  However questionable the taste of many of these noble art patrons may have been, there were not wanting some who cultivated music with a purer spirit.  Some of the best bands were those of the Princes D. Radziwill, Adam Czartoryski, F. Sulkowski, Michael Lubomirski, Counts Ilinski, Oginski, and Wielhorski.  Our inquiry into the cultivation of music at the courts of the Polish magnates has carried us beyond the point we had reached in our historical survey.  Let us now retrace our steps.