Music and musicians, Essays and criticisms

MUSIC AND

MUSICIANS:

ESSAYS AND
CRITICISMS

Robert Schumann

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ROBERT SCHUMANN

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

ESSAVS AND CRITICISMS
ROBERT" SCHUMANN.

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FANNY RAYMOND RITTER.

FIRST SERIES.

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LONDON:
WILLIAM REEVES, 185 FLEET STREET

(PCTBUSHBR OF MUSICAL WORKS}.
1891.

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CONTENTS,

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ROBERT SCHUMANN , a a . > ix

INTRODUCTION (BY ROBERT SCHUMANN) , ♦ . I

AN OPUS 2 s . . s • 4

SHROVETIDE SPEECH BY FLORESTAN . , 8

ANGER ABOUT A LOST PENNY 5 « , I3

THE COMIC IN MUSIC , s , s . 14

A MONUMENT TO BEETHOVEN . 5 » , I?

THE FOUR OVERTURES TO FIDELIO ; ; 21;

ON CORRUPTED PASSAGES IN CLASSIC WORKS . - 2^

LETTERS OF AN ENTHUSIAST 5 j 34

MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN CONCERT . » 45

SCHUBERT'S C-MAJOR SYMPHONY , , , 48

THE devil's ROMANTICISTS ; 5 » , 57

SCHUBERT'S LAST COMPOSITIONS ; ^ , 58

APHORISMS . . . . , 59

REMINISCENCES OF A LADY FRIEND . , S^j

THE MUSICAL UNION OF KYRITZ » . ; 95

THE OLD CAPTAIN s « » 2 « <)8

THE HISTORICO-ARTISTIC BALL . , , , 102

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KEYS , . c «' IIO

THE GUTENBERG FESTIVAL . . , . . L12

THE PRIZE SYMPHONY ; ; » 5 .

VIEUXTEMPS AND LACOMBE » , ^ I25

MOSCHELES ; , , , ^ , I28

I.UDWIG SCHUNKE , , , ^ 131

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

ROBERT SCHUMANN,

ORN at Zwickau, in Saxony, on the 3th of
June, 1810, Robert Schumann was the
youngest of five children, not one of whom,
save himself, evinced artistic genius. His home
atmosphere was so far fortunate, that his father, a
well-known bookseller and publisher, possessed con-
siderable talent for, and appreciation of, poetry (to
which talent his translations of Scott and Byron bear
witness) ; while his mother would seem to have been
a sensitive and sympathetic woman, but for her
opposition to Robert's choice of music as a profes-
sion. Had August Schumann lived beyond his son's
early youth (he died in 1826), Robert's slowly deve-
loping genius, darkly struggling towards the light
during his boyish studies, might have been sooner
understood ; 'his mother, determined to make a jurist
of her son, did not comprehend the opposing bent of
his faculties. But we may often observe, that even

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the most affectionate eyes are so blinded by close

resemblances in small things between members of
their families, as to be wholly mistaken in regard to
great differences in important qualities.

In reading Robert Schumann's sketch of Sterndale
Bennett, we may infer lomething in regard to his
own early trials and reflections, where he says : —
" Those who, called by irresistible talent to a decided
artistic vocation^ have found good musicians and
guides in their fathers, imbibe music with their
mother's milk, and learn, even in their childish
dreams ; with the first awakening of consciousness,
they feel themselves members of that family of
artists, into which others can only purchase their
entrance through sacrifice." After school and
musical studies, and poetic and dramatic youthful
attempts, Robert graduated at the age of eighteen,
leaving school with high honours, but making a
signal failure in the recital of his own poem, "Tasso's
Death.'' He seems from the first to have displayed
creative power, united to a lack of talent for repro-
duction. Then came a delightful tour through
Nuremberg, Munich, &c, with his young friend
Rosen; visits to Heine, Zimmermann, and the grave
of Richter. After a year's residence in Leipzig,
where he studied music under Friedrich Wieck, the
famous singing and pianoforte master, and where he
made many distinguished musical and literary
friends, Schumann entered the university of Heidel-
berg as a law student But not even the lectures of

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ROBERT SCHUMANN. Xt

the learned Thibaut (also well known as a music-
lover, and author of the famous work, Qn the
Purity of Music") could inspire him with juridical
enthusiasm. He became quite popular in society
as a pianist, heard Ernst and Paganini for the first
time, and began to sketch compositions, more
formed and inventive than his early efforts, — among
them some numbers of the Papillons," and the
Toccata in D major. The struggle between law and
apparent duty and interest, on one side, and a
decided artistic vocation on the other, was at last
ended in 1830, when his mother gave her reluctant
but final consent to his adoption of music — which
^e considered too unremunerative, in a pecuniary
sense, to be desirable as a profession.

Taking lodgings in the house of Friedrich Wieck^
at Leipzig, Schumann devoted himself with such
ardour to pianoforte playing, that he even made
mechanical experiments with his right hand, in order
to hasten his proficiency; this operation lamed his
hand, perhaps deprived the world of a great pianist,
but turned Schumann more decidedly than ever to
the study and practice of composition. His masters
in this were Kupsch, and afterwards Heinrich Dorn,
to whom he renders grateful homage in the poetical
little review at page 260 of this volume. He re-
mained an inmate of Wieck's house for three years,
Jiowever; Wieck's daughter Clara, afterwards Ma-
dame Schumann, was then a precociously gifted and
accomplished child, ten years younger than Robert.

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xii MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

It was during this residence in Leipzig, but at the
house in Riedel's Garden, and afterwards in Burg
Street, surrounded by friends, — the Wiecks, Ernestine
von FrickaUy a pupil of Wieck, with whom Schumann
formed an engagement that was afterwards dissolved
by mutual consent, Lyser the painter, Ludwig*
Schunke the pianist, the accomplished Madame
Voigt (see Reminiscences of a Lady," page 85), Carl
Banck, Julius Knorr, and others, — that Schumann
formed the plan of establishing his paper, the Neue
Zeitschrift Air Musik,** of which I shall speak at
length hereafter. He also composed assiduously —
though, so far, without any great success among
publishers — during this period, when he sketched a
symphony and pianoforte sonatas, wrote the Inter-
mezzi, opus 4, some of the Album Leaves," and
published his ** Impromptus on an air by Clara
Wieck."

The arrival of Mendelssohn at Leipzig in 1835,

was, there can be no doubt, highly favourable to the
development of Schumann's genius. The works of
the latter, perhaps partly owing to his study of
Mendelssohn's crystal-clear development and firm
control of form, began to gain in roundness and com-
pletion. And none can doubt Schumann's frank,
noble, disinterested admiration for Mendelssohn,
when they read his fine avowals of it in this volume.
Base envy of gifts differing from his own, had no
place in Schumann's mind. On the contrary, he
seems rather to over-rate the talents of others, and

ROBERT SCHUMANN.

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to esteem them far beyond his own. But the silence
of Mendelssohn (in his " Letters/' with regard
to his friend, appears inconceivable ; the most liberal
construction we can place on this apparent want of
appreciation in Mendelssohn, is to suppose that his
artistic eye and judgement were unaware of the extent
of Schumann s genius. Mendelssohn has been accused
of having had some occult share in the attacks of
his over-zealous partisans on Schumann. But this I
cannot believe. The cast of Mendelssohn's musical
genius was of an opposite nature to that of Schu-
mann ; although his general intellectual faculties
were highly rehned and cultured, either he did not
fully understand Schumann, or else he was not
attracted by his special musical qualities. It is well
known that Mendelissohn frankly expressed his dis-
approval of the tendency of Ciiupia's compositions,
now so universally admired for their rarely exqui-
site poetic character, and for their great originality.
And yet Mendelssohn was the principal cause of
the Bach revival, and often held out the generous
hand of aid to struggling brother-artists. Every
musical reader is aware of the opposition that ex-
istedt on aesthetic grounds^ between the partisans of
Mendelssohn and Schumann, — of elegant, logical,
charming ideas contained in clear forms, on one
hand^ of over*abounding thought and emotion,
heavily fraught with "dainty-swcct and lovely melan^
choly/' overflowing the boundaries of old forms, and
breaking into newer, sometimes darker paths, on the

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other side. This Mendelssohn and Schumann parti-
sanship has had its day ; only to make way, however
—and of course — for another and a hotter contest;
since the continually progressive nature of music,
that mirror of man's soul, necessitates these
alternations of battle and victory, of struggle and
repose.

It would have been strange indeed, if such excep-
tional, artistic natures, as those of Robert Schuniann
and Clara Wieck, had not been attracted towards
each other during their now frequent intercourse;
in the course of the years 1835 to 1838, their affec-
tion became a mutual and durable one.

Clara Wieck had been her father s pupil in piano-
forte playingi from her tenderest childhood ; yet the
development of her great musical gifts had been so
carefully carried on, that her lively feeling for music,
her health) and youthful exuberance of spirits, had
not been injured or overstrained. At the age of
nine she was able to play concertos by Mozart, and
Hummel's A minor concerto with orchestra by heart.
A year later, she began to compose, and improvised
without any difficulty. At this time Paganini visited
Leipzig, and was so astonished at the precocious
genius of the little girl, that he sought her presence
at all his concerts, and the two artists were continu-
ally together. Clara Wieck first appeared in public
at the age of eleven, in Leipzig, Weimar, and other
places^ playing Pixis, Moscheles, and especially
Chopin, whose works she aided much in rendering

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popular. A year afterwards she visited Paris, to
hear Chopin, Liszt, and Kalkbrenner, and was
received with such flattering admiration in society,
that her father allowed her to appear at a public
concert, when her playing, and improvising on two
themes selected by the audience, excited great
delight and surprise. She then returned home, and
gave herself entirely to study, — ^including composi-
tion under Heinrich Dorn, singing under the famous
Mieksch, and even vioiiu playing, for several years.
In 1836 to 1838 she made her first artistic tour
through Germany, accompanied by her father, and
regarded everywhere as a musico-poetic ideal, ''the
innocent child who first unlocked the casket in whicli
Beethoven had buried his great heart," said Grill-
parzer. She not only played the works of the older
masters to perfection, but she established her reputa-
tion as a liberal and thoroughly well-informed artiste,
by playing, often for the first time^ the then little
known works of her contemporaries Liszt, Chopin,
Henselt, and Schumann.

Schumann aspired to marriage with Clara; the
project was not favourably entertained by Friedrich
Wieck, who doubtless looked forward to a brilliant
artistic career for his daughter, while Schumann's
position was as yet an uncertain one. Robert, in
the hope of securing competence — beyond that which
his small private fortune enabled him to offer— ^for
his future wife, endeavoured, in 183S, to establish
Mmself and his paper in Vienna. The attempt wasf

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

fruitless, however; and after a six months' residence
at Vienna, he returned to Leipzig. Schumann's visit
to Vienna was marked by his discovery of several of
Schubert's manuscripts — among them the C major
symphony published in 1840, which Schumann sent
to Mendelssohn, by whom it was brought out at a
Gewandhaus concert in 1839. During this period,
the most important works composed by Schumann
were his "Etudes Symphoniques/' his famous "Car-
nival," the Fantasia dedicated to Liszt, the Scenes
of Childhood," the " Novelettes," and " Kreisleriana, "
&c., &c. As he said, in a letter to Heinrich Dorn,
** Much music is the result of the contest I am
passing through for Clara's sake.*' It is interesting
to read Schumann's modest reference to his own
** Carnival " — a work that has been rendered popular
for many years past, by the greatest European
pianists — in his article on Liszt, page 144, and
then to compare Liszt's allusion to his own per^
formance of the composition, on the occasion referred
to by Schumann. Liszt says:—

''In Leipzig I saw Schumann every day (at the
beginning of 1840), and for days together; and this
acquaintance rendered my understanding of his
works more complete and profound. Since my first
knowledge of his compositions, I had played many
of them in private circles at Milan and Vienna,
without ha^nng succeeded in winning the approba-
tion of my hearers. These works wer^-fortunately
for them — too far above the then trivial level of

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ROBERT SCHUMANN. -Xvii

taste, to find a home in the superficial atmosphere
of popular applause. The public did not fancy
them, and few pianists understood them. Even in
Leipzig, -when I played the * Carnival * at my
second Gewandhaus concert, I did not obtain my
customary applause. Musicians— even those who
claimed to be connaisseurs also — carried too thick
a mask over* their ears, to be able to comprehend
that charming * Carnival,' harmoniously framed as it
is, and ornamented with such rich variety of artistic
fancy. I did not doubt, however, but that this
work would eventually win its place, in general
appreciation, beside Beethoven's thirty-three varia-
tions on a theme by Diabelli (which work it sur-
passes, according to my opinion, in melody, richness,
and inventiveness). The frequent failure of my per-
formance of Schumann's works, whether in public
or private circles, discouraged me in my attempts
to place and retain his compositions on my hastily*
arranged programmes, which I seldom made up
myself, but too often left to the choice of others,
partly from want of leisure, partly from negligence
and satiety during my most brilliant period of fame
as a pianist. This was an error which I recognised
and sincerely regretted afterwards, when I perceived
that it is less dangerous for an artist, who truly
deserves that name^ to displease the public, than
to be led by its caprices. Every artist is exposed
to the latter danger, unless he firmly resolves to
carry out his serious convictions consistently, and

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only to perform such works as he considers best,
whether people hke them or not.

No matter how much the prevailing taste of the
day may have seemed to excuse my hc:^itation in
regard to Schumann's works, I unintentionally set
a bad example, for which I shall scarcely ever be
able to make amends. So controlling is the force
of custom, so binding is the slavery to which that
artist is condemned who depends on the applause
of the multitude for the preservation and increase
of his fame and fortune, that even the best disposed
and most courageous artists — ^among whom I have
the presumption to count myself — find it difficult to
defend their better selves from the deleterious in-
fluence of those whose aims are selfish, confused, and
in every way unworthy."

The year 1840 was perhaps the most important
in Schumann's life ; in February of that year he
was created Doctor of Philosophy in the. University
of Jena, and in September his marriage with Clara
Wieck took place at Schonfeld, near Leipzig. The
marriage of Robert and Clara was not accomphshed
without much opposition on the part of the young-
lady's father ; failing to obtain his consent, the lovers
were obliged to be satisfied with the permission of
the Royal Court of Appeals for their union.

In tliis year Schumann wrote, besides other
works, the amazing number of 138 songs. In this
brief sketch of his life, it is not my intention to
enter into a detailed description, or a complete

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ROBERT SCHUMANN.

xix

enumeration, of the works of Schumann ; but I
must* at least, recall to every admirer of warm,
rich, truthful melody, and of noble, impassioned
declamation, the names of some of those now
universally famous songs, such as the set entitled
"Myrtles," the cyclus of sonj^s from Heine, dedi-
cated to Pauline Viardot, Chamisso's Woman's
Love and Life,** Heine's *' Poet-love/' &c., &a Nearly
all the works written at this period of his life were
composed, he says, under Clara's inspiration
solely.'* Blest with the continual companionship
of a woman of genius, as amiable as she was gifted,
who placed herself, with undeviating self-devotion,
like a gentle mediator between the outward world
and Schumann's intellectual life, he wrote many
of his finest vocal and instrumental compositions
during the years immediately following his mar-
riage — among them the lovely cantata, Paradise
and the Peri," and the ''Faust" music. His con*
ncction with public life was restricted to his position
as teacher of pianoforte playing, composition, and
score playing^, at the Leipzig Conservatory of Music.

This uniform but happy existence was broken in
1844, by an artistic tour undertaken by Robert and
Clara to St. Petersburgh and Moscow ; in the same
year Schumann transferred his paper to Oswald
Lorenz, and removed to Dresden with his family.
The"Neuc Zcitschrift " had fulfilled its mission; it
had erected a barrier between frivolous superficiality
or mechanical routine, and the earnest endeavours of

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poetico-musical art. Schumann felt that his critical
weapon was no longer an absolute necessity to musl-
cal progress, while he longed to devote himself en«
tirely to composition.

This hope was for a time frustrated ; during the
first year of his residence at Dresden, he began to .
suffer severely from the dreadful disorder to which he
fell a victim twelve years later. This disease-^m
abnormal formation of irregular masses of bone in
the brain — was probably inherited (in an aggravated
degree, and intensified in its effects, by study) from
his mother, who, in the latter years of her life,
suffered from unaccountable headaches and morbid
hypochondria. Schumann was now affected with
pains in the head, sleeplessness, fear of death, auri-
cular delusions, &c. ; but after a sojourn at Firna,
repose, and a course of sea baths, he was so far
restored to health as to be able to give himself up to
musical creativeness again. From this time until
1849, Schumann wrote an astonishing number of fine
works during the intervals of health that occurred
between his frequent attacks of illness. Among
these I must mention his opera " Genofeva," his
second symphony, his cantata '*The Rose's Pilgri-
mage," more beautiful songs, much pianoforte and
concerted music, and his exquisite musical illustra-
tions of Byron's " Manfred." Into this wonderful de-
scriptive music, Schumann poured all the riches of his
intellect, all the treasures of his profound feeling. He
was doubtless attracted to ** Manfred " in a threefold

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xxi

manner : b> the force of hereditary example, — for
his father, a passionate admirer of Byron's poetry,
had translated '*Childe Harold" and Bcppo ; " by
the beauty of the fascinating drama itself, which a
man of Schumann's literary culture and poetic taste
was so thoroughly able to appreciate; and perhaps
by a vague sense of mental aihnity to the hero of
the poem. Seldom has a poet met with such sym-
pathetic , musical transfiguration as in this case;
Schumann's ''Manfred " is also Byron's, — ^veiled, per-
haps, in a still deeper depth of melancholy thought
and tragic passion. Of this work, Ehlert has truly
said, Through its fiery leaves passes the road that
leads to a correct understanding of Schumann's
mind."

Schumann's, residence at Dresden was diversified

by occasional artistic tours to other cities with his
wife, by his .direction of the Ltedertafel Sociejty, and
also of the Dresden Chorus Club, which he founded in
1848.

In 1850, he was called to accept the post of City
Music Director at Diisseldorf, and the family removed

to that city, where Robert and Clara were received
with public honours and a reception banquet.
Schumann's position at this time seems to have
been an agreeable one; his works were slowly, but
surely, winning their way to appreciation ; in this
year his opera " Genofeva " was performed at
Leipzig under his own direction; Jenny Lind sang
at his Hamburg concerts; wherever he and his wife

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MUSIC AND MUSiaAKS.

appeared, they were received with homage ; and
his musically creative powers seemed to have
reached their highest development At this period,
his personal appearance has been described as that
of a man of middle height, inclined to stoutness,
of dignified bearing, and slow movements. His
features, though irregular, produced an agreeable
impression; his forehead was broad and high; his
nose heavy ; his eyes, usually downcast, bright-
ened attractively in conversation ; his mouth was
delicately cut ; his hair thick and brown ; his cheeks
were full and ruddy. His head was squarely formed,
of an intensely powerful character, and the whole
expression of his face was sweet and 3^t geniaL
The frequent calls of directorship on Schumann's
time were probably beneficial to his mental health,
in drawing him out of himself, and bringing him
into more general social relationships. But his
position as City Music Director at Diisseldorf did
not last many years ; Schumann, like Beethoven,
lacked the arm of iron, the feet of lead, that con-
stitute a good orchestral conductor— the metronome
of the instrumental army. Nor was Schumann ever
considered a first-class teacher, from the especial
qualities and direction of his mind, inwardly con-
centrated as these were, and opposed to outward
communication; he who found some difficulty in
bringing to light, and fashioning to clear expres-
sion, the treasures of his imagination, had yet
greater difficulty in transmitting his knowledge* to

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ROBERT SCHUMANN.

xxiii

others, and in placing himself en rapport with
natures seldom allied to his own.

During the years 1850 to 1S54, he wrote his
** Rhenish Symphony,'* the overtures to the " Bride
of Messina " and Hermann and Dorothea,'' his
ballad "The King's Son," for chorus and orchestra,
and many vocal and pianoforte works, besides
larger compositions that he had previously sketched.
In 1853, Robert and Clara Schumann travelled
through Holland, — ^aa artistic tcur that resembled
a triumphal progress, so great was the enthusiasm
with which they were received. On their rulurii to
Diisseldorf, the morbid symptoms of Schumann's
malady returned with redoubled force. He busied
himself, notwithstanding, in collecting his essays
from the '*Neue Zeitschrift," and during the pub-
lication of this literary work (''Music and Musi-
cians began to make a collection of all that
had been written about music by poets of all
nations, from the earliest ages to our own day.
* But illness forced him to desist; the pains in his
head became distracting ; he took an unhealthy
interest in spiritualism ; auricular delusions robbed
him of sleep for two weeks; and^ on the 27th of
February, 1854, he endeavoured to end his misery
by plunging into the Rhine. The unhappy master
was saved by some boatmen, brought home, and
conveyed, a few days after» to the private hospital
at Endenich, near Bonn. Every possible care that
reverence and affection could bestow, was lavished

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XXiV MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. /

<

on him in vain ; here he remained until the 29th
of July, 1856, whea kind death, gave him repose
from his sufferings.

Tragic close to so uneventful though beneficent
a life 1 Yet Schumann, blest with the gift of musical
imag^inativeness that has added a new beauty to
the lives of his fellow-men, and enriched the world
with another elevating joy, can scarcely be termed
unhappy. The great poet, the great composer,
possesses such opulence of sensuous and intellec-
tual faculties, that his lot would appear rather that
of the demi-god than of a mere mortal, but for
the compensating trials of suffering or infirmity. /
Though Schumann's genius was not so largely
appreciated as it desei*ved to be during his life,
his was the calm of a respected existence, the ad-
miration of a distinguished circle of friends. And, as
his friend Hiiier writes : " What love beautified his .
life I A woman stood beside him, crowned with the
starry circlet of genius, to whom he seemed at once
the father to -the daughter, the master to the scholar,
the bridegroom to the bride, the saint to the dis*
ciple." And, happily for us, Clara Schumann still
lives, a noble example of conjugal and maternal
fidelity and devotion, the woman whose virtue,
genius, patience, fortitude, and artistic disinterested-
ness, the world, to its own honour, still delights to
honour.

In a letter to me (in 1871) Madame Schumann
expressed her opinion that the time had not yet

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ROBERT SCHUMANN. XXV

arrived for a complete philosophical and analytical

biography of Schumann, and suggested to me the
idea of translating his complete works. She wrote •
"I have long been occupied with the plan of a new
and correct biography ; those by Wasieiewsky, Reiss-
n^ann, and others, are wanting in many points,
and partially incorrect. I could have wished Schu-
mann to hgve be^n placed more truthfully before the
public as a man ; his works'speak sufficiently for him
/as a musician, while his writings testify to the dis-
^ crimination of his judgment, and the variety of his
talents. But the purity of his life, his noble aspira*
tions, the excellence of his heart, can never be fully
known, except through the communications of his
family and friends, and from his private correspon-
dence. I have not yet collected suflicient -materials
for such 'a plan; but perhaps you, whQ display so
much appreciation of my husband's character and
works, might hnd it a not ungrateful task to translate
his writings, which give so much, insight into his
. heart, at least to the reader who is himself qualiiied
to understand." /

After having com]pleted the laborious yet interest-
ing task of translating Schumann's entire collection
/ of essays and reviews, ais arranged by himself, I was
naturally desirous of publishing them in full, in the
precise chronological order in which they were
published by Schumann. I was dissuaded from this
by experienced advisers, who thought that so volu-

minou9 a work on the subject of music only, would

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XXVi MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

find its way with difficulty to the appreciation of the

general public in England or America. I finally
decided to publish at first a series of selections from
my translation, — about half the entire work, — ^in the
order in which the papers stand in the present
volume. A second volume, including the remainder
of Schumann's collection, will follow in due course
of time *

Robert Schumann made his first public appearance

as a critic, in 1831, when he published his famous
article on Chopin's Opus 2, in the " Allgemeine
Musikalische Zeitung/' which article he afterwards
placed at the head of his collected essays and re-
views (see page 4 of this volume). He describes the
circumstances and feelings that, in 1834, led to the
establishment of the Neue Zeitschrift fiir Musik," in
his own introduction, placed at the beginning of the
present volume. Previous to that time, other critics,
— Rochlitz in the "Allgemeine Zeitung," Marx in
the *' Berliner Zeitung," Thibaut, Rellstab, Hoffmann,
C. M. von Weber, and others, had accomplished much
in the domain of musical aesthetics, literature, and, to
a certain extent, of criticism also ; but this latter had
been, apart from that of the distinguished writers
above-mentioned, principally confined to the discus-
sion of technical subjects. This kind of criticism
was felt to be one-sided and narrow, by minds of

* The dates affixed to the articles in tlie present volume have been
added by ir.c, to lead to a better understanding, from a musical point
of view, of ilie period at which they were writleo.

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ROBERT SCHUMANN.

Schumann's stamp, who were warmly desirous that
the poetry and aesthetic significance of their art
should be generally recognised and honoured. Under
his editorial banner, therefore, some of the best
musicians, connaisseurs, and aesthetic writers of the
day assembled, including Von Zuccamaglio, Friedrich
Wieck, Carl Banck, Kossnialy, Julius Knorr, the
painters Lyser and Simon, Fischhoff, Dr Kriiger,
Schunke, Oswald Lorenz, Becker, August Kahlert^
and a number of others.

The Davidite Society, which appears so often in
Schumann's criticisms, was an invention of his own
fancy. It may be that Richter's Walt and Vult partly
suggested the idea ; but Schumann felt that different
works and individualities appealed to different sides
of his nature, and he expressed the varied sympa*
thies thus awakened by the invention, of opposite
personalities. Florestan embodies the impulsive,
passionate, humorous side of his character, Eusebius
represents its dreamy, reflective attributes, while
Master Raro appears as the reasoning, philosophical
mediator between those two extremes. Friedrich
Wieck is also occasionally personified as Master
• Raro* Those articles, in the subject of which Schu-
mann felt wholly interested, he signed R. S., and
where he was touched in a comparatively superficial
manner, he signed with the figures 2 or 12. Among
other members of the Davidite Society, who aided
Schumann, either practically or by their encourage*
ment, in his opposition to the Philistines of art and

xxvUi

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

criticism, we find Carl Banck entitled Serpentinus,
and Ludwig Schunke Jonathan ; Madame Voigt was
Leonora or Aspasia ; Mendelssohn, Meritis ; von
Zuccamaglio was Wedel the village sexton ; Clara
Wieck appeared as Cecilia, Zilia, or Chiara. The
influence of Schumann's views on hts associates, and
the unity of their aim, is quite striking-, when we turn
to those pages of the Neue Zeitschrlft/' published
during his editorship ; though, to quote Goethe on a
similar situation, By Apollo ! it must have been a
serious thing to dance to such a pipe!" At one
time, Schumann contemplated writing a musical
romance, to be called ''The Davldites," but never
carried out his plan; and, as time wore on, he
gradually dropped his own fanciful literary pseu-
donyms.

At the close of the year 1834, Wieck and Knorr

already gave up their connection with the "Neue
Zeitschrift;" in the same year, Schumann lost his
dear friend Ludwig Schunke, who died of consump-
tion (see page 131), and became sole proprietor, as
well as editor, of his paper. In 1836 he was advised
by many friends to give up editorship, and devote
himself entirely, to composition ; they even told him
that his literary talent had diverted public attention
from his achievements as a composer; but Schumann
refused to yield to their counsels, arguing that to do
so would be to deprive artists of that spontaneous
and disinterested support which they ought in justice
to receive. In 1840, however, he b^n to feel it his

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ROBERT SCHUMANN. Xxix

duty to allow his literary and critical labours to fall
into the back-ground ; and, four years later, he
resigned his editorship into the hands of Oswald
Lorenz, After that time, he contributed only a few
articles to the Zeitschrift ; among" these we find his
generous early recognition of the then promising
talent of Johannes Brahms.

It would be difficult to over-estimate the value of
Schumann's labour as a critic His influence was
not destructive or depressing; it was beneficent and
inspiring. The claim of some of his German
admirers, that he has served the world even more
as an art critic than as a composer, goes far beyond
the truth. His art criticism, though it will remain
one of the best models of this kind of Uterary labour,
has already fulfilled its mission, at least in Ger-
many, while the iniiuence of his achievements as a
composer, on musical progress, is not yet wholly
understood by the public at large ; and the com-
positions themselves will remain as long as any
musical immortality remains, to delight, with an
elevated pleasure, every nature capable of under-
standing them. On the other hand, it cannot be
truly said that we have passed beyond Schumann's
critical point of view. A man of genius is always in
advance of his time. Was it not Schumann who
wrote — as early as 1846— of Wagner's " Tannhaiiser,"
— *' It is deep, original, a hundred times better than
his earlier operas ; and I consider the composition
and instrumentation extraordinary, far beyond what

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XXX

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

he ever accomplished before"? The musical opiniofid
of so highly distinguished a musician as Schumann,
must of course appear of the greatest importance to,
and carry great weight with, every one who is in-
terested in music ; supported by a solid basis of
thorough knowledge and practical experience, en-
livened by the glow of enthusiasm and lofty creative
faculties, his criticism is equally removed from dry
technical analysis, as from vague aesthetic specula-
tion unsupported by science. His just, generous
recognition of merit in his brother composers, has
fully proven how utterly free was his kind and genial
nature from the base cankers of envy, jealousy, or
cynicism. He understood and carried out the true
mission of the critic, — ^to discover and encourage real
merit ; to frown down, to ridicule, if need be, all in-
fluences, personal or otherwise, which are erroneous
in themselves, and deleterious to art ; to point to the
remediable or involuntary fault, and at the same
time, to the best means of correcting it Schumann's
writings are a complete refutation of the often
repeated assertion, that the artist must necessarily
be an unjust judge of the achievements of his brother
artists; a most illogical assertion, it seems to me.
Are artists in words, for instance, — are Lessing,
Sainte-Beuve, Hazlitt, Schelling, Taine, Hunt,
Schlcgel, Baudelaire, Botta, Gauticr, &c., untrust-
worthy judges of the works of other authors, merely
because they labour with similar tools? No; even
allowing for partizan bias, or even for individual

ROBERT SCHUMANN,

xxxi

vanity, the poet stiii remains the best possible judge
of the poet, the composer of the composer, the painter
of the painter ; all genuine artists feel this at heart,
and work more with each other's approbation in view,
than for that of the general pubh'c. Schumann's
criticism, which, if it errs at all, does so on the side
of indulgence, has only once been accused of in-
justice, — ^in his attack on Meyerbeer's ** Huguenots.**
But no one can deny that Meyerbeer sold his great
gifts to the merely pleasure-seeking crowd; he
dedicated his talents, not to the service of artistic
progress, but to those superficial aims which
Schumann despised. He, one of the truest priests
of art, burned with divine indignation when he found
another priest setting up a golden calf, round which
* the populace might dance their delighted mazes.
Schumann never denied Meyerbeer's great qualities,
he only protested against the misuse of them ; and
let us not forget that amid Schumann's many titles
to our gratitude, the world may thank him in great
part for its early comprehension of the works of
Berlioz, Bennett, Chopin, Robert Franz, Henselt,
Gade, and many others.

From his reviews and criticisms — ^based as they
are on the firm foundation of thorough knoukdge,
enlivened by the vital breath of poetical and philo-
sophical reflection, and by such an occasional flash
of humour as sheds a clear light on many questions,
whose solution we may vainly seek by the gleam of
the study lamp, — a code of musical aesthetics might

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MUSIC Am> MUSICIANS,

be gathered ; his " Rules for Young Musicians **
contain a treasure of golden advice that will become
proverbial; and his ^ Aphorisms'^ abound in fine
and truthful reflections, whose meaning, however, —
i, la Jean Paul,— does not lie on the surface.

Schumann, familiar with the works of Scott,
Byron^ Heine, — the modern romantic school, — was
so possessed by the spirit of Jean Paul Richter, that
the rich obscurity and overflowing disregard of form,
so remarkable in that author, have left their traces
on Schumann's literary style, as well as in his music
He acknowledged, indeed, in a letter to his master,
Heinrich Dom, that Jean Paul and Sebastian Bach
had exercised unbounded influence over his mode of
intellectual labour until the age of thirty, when he
became more independent Richter's influence on '
Schumann may be accounted for in his wonderful
power of rather suggesting than depicting emotions
and moods, for which it is difficult to find expression
in words, and of which music is the fullest and fittest
exponent.

Schumann's readers will find this influence very

perceptible in some of the papers that form this
volume, especially in Florestan's Shrovetide Speech,
in the charming letters of an Enthusiast to Chiara —
doubly interesting from their personal character — in
many of his proverbial rules and observations — ^in the
little rhapsody over the seventh concerto of John
Field, the gifted and erratic Irish composer (page
2^7 ), and in the humorous, fanciful inventiveness of

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ROBERT SCHUMANN.

xxxiii

some of the reviews^ such as those of dance music, at
pages I02 and 325, where criticism is interwoven with
a blight narrative. His notices of the first published
works of Rubinstein and Robert Franz, his sketches
of the performances, and occasionally of the personal
traits, of some of his friends and contemporaries, such
as Ernst, Liszt* Camilla Pleyel, Clara Novello, Niels
Gade, Sterndale Bennett, and others, possess more
than merely historical value, considering the source
from which they emanate ; and musical students will
remember that the long analytical review of Berlioz*
symphony, Episode de la vie d'un artiste " (page
228), had the startling effect, at the time of its publi-
cation in Germany, of a revolutionary artistic mani-
festo.

But I will no longer detain my readers on the

threshold i and noifr take leave of them, certain that
all who admire Schumann's rare creative genius in
his own exquisite art, all who appreciate his distinc-
tion as one of the profoundest tone poets of our age,
will gladly recognise, in this collection of his writings,
that the essentially subjective character of Schumann's
musical thought did not exclude variety of talents,
geniality, and a nobly disinterested perception and
acknowledgment of the merits of his brother artists.

Fanny Raymond Ritter,

Kkw York,

April, i87C^

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INTRODUCTION.

OWARDS the end of the year 1853, a
number of musicians — ^most of them young

—met together, as though by accident,
every evening in Leipzig ; these meetings were partly
the result of a desire for social intercourse, as well as
for the exchange of ideas in regard to that art which
was the meat and drink of life to them, — Music, ^he
musical situation was not then very encouraging in
.Germany. On the stage Hossini reigned, at the
pianoforte nothing was heard but Herz and Htinten ;
and yet but a few years had passed since Beethoven,
Weber, and Schubert had lived among us. It is true
that Mendelssohn's star was ascending, and wonder-
ful things were related of Chopin, but the deeper
influence of these only declared itself afterwards.
Then one day the thought awakened in a wild young
heart, Let us not look on idly, let us also lend our
aid to progress, let us again bring the poetry of art
to honour among men ! " Then the first sheets of a
new musical paper were published (Die ^Neue
Zeitschrift filr Musik But the joy of closely
holding together was not of long duration with this

2 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

union of young forces. Death claimed a sacrifice in
the person of one of its most cherished members^
Ludwig Schunke. Others left Leipzig for a time.
The undertaking was on the point of breaking up.
One of the party — ^the musical visionary of the
society — who had dreamed away his life until then
rather over the pianoforte than among books, decided
to take the editorship of the paper in his own hands,
and carried out his decision for ten years, until 1844.
This was the origin of a number of sketches, a selec-
tion from which is given in this collection. Nearly
all the opinions there expressed, yet remain those of
the author. That which, hoping and fearing, he
declared to be his opinion respectincj many artists
and artistic events, has been justihed in the course
of time. And here I may mention a society, a more
than secret society, which never existed save in the
heart of its founder ; that of the Davidites. It
seemed a fit idea, in order to express different views
on art, to invent opposite artistic characters, among
whom Florestan and Eusebius were the most remark-
able, while Master Raro stood half way between
them. This society of Davidites wound itself like a
red thread through the musical paper, binding together
truth and poetry in a humorous manner. These
characters, which were favourably received by the
readers of the Zeitschrift," gradually disappeared
from its pages, and since the time when a Peri * led

* Sdramum hare refers to his cantata ** Paradise and the PerL"
This was composed hi 1843 ; hi the summer of the following year he

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. INTRODUCTION.

them to remoter climes, nothing more has been heard
from them in the domain of authorship.

If these pages, which faithfully mirror a time once
full of rich vitality, should attract the attention of
contemporaries to many past artistic events and per-
sonalities worthy of remembrance, yet that otherwise
would have been overwhelmed by the stream of the
present, their object will have been fulfilled.

withdrew from literary labour, as editor of the "Neue Zeitschrift."
This brief introduction was written by Schumann in 1854, as a preface
to the collection of essays and articles then selected from his contribu-
tions to the **Zeitschrift," and published in four volumes under his
own supervision. {Tramlaior,)

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AN "OPUS 2."

^Although this Essay appeared in the "Allgemeine Musikali^sche
Zeitung'Mn the year 1831, place is given to it here, on account
of its having been the first sketch in which the *' Davidites **
made their appearance.}

g^^USEBIUS entered, not long ago. You know
his pale face, and the ironical smile with
which he awakens expectation. I sat with
Florestan at the pianoforte, Florestan is, as you
know, one of those rare musical minds that foresee,
as it were, coming, novel, or extraordinary things.
But he encountered a surprise to-day. With the
words, "Off with your hats, gentlemen,*— a genius T'

Eusebius laid down a piece of music. We were not
allowed to see the title-page* I turned over the leaves
vacantly ; the veiled enjoyment of music which one
do^s not hear, has something magical in it. And
besides this, it seems to me that eveiy composer
presents a different character of note^forms to the
eye ; Beethoven looks very different from Mozart, on
paper; the difference resembles that between Jean
Paul's and Goethe's prose. But here it seemed as if
tyes, strange to me, v/ere glancing up at me, — flower

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AN ''OPUS 2." 5

eyes, ba^lisk eyes, peacock's eyes, maiden's eyes ; in
many places it looked yet brighter — I thought I saw
Mozart's La ci darem la mano " wound through a
hundred chords, Lcporcllo seemed to wink at me, and
Don Juan hurried past in his white mantle. Now
play it/' said Florestan. Eusebius consented ; and
in the recess of a window we listened. Eusebius
played as though he were inspired, and led forward
countless forms, filled with the liveliest, warmest life ;
it seemed that the inspiration of the moment gave to
his fingers a power beyond the ordinary measure of
their cunning. It is true that Florestan's whole
applause was expressed in nothing more than a
happy smile, and the remark that the variations
might have been written by Beethoven or Franz
Schubert, had either of these been a pianoforte
viVtuoso ; but how surprised he was, when, turning to
the title page, he read, ** ' La ci darem la mano/ varie
pouf le pianoforte par Fr^d^ric Chopin, Oeuvre 2,"
and with what astonishment we both cried out ** An
Opus 2 ! " how our faces glowed, as we wondered,
exclaiming That is something reasonable once more
— Chopin— I never heard of the name — who can he
be ? — in any case a genius — is not that Zerlina's smile ?
^and Lep'orello " — &c, &a I could- not describe the
scene. Ilcatcd with wine, Chopin, and our own
enthusiasm^ we went to Master Raro, who, with a
stnile, and displaying but little curiosity for Opus 2,
said, Bring me the Chopin I I know you and your
new-fangled enthusiasm ! " We promised to bnng it

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6

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

«

the next day. Eusebius soon bade us good-night;

I remained a short time with Master Raro; Florestan,
who had been for some time without a habitation,
hurried through the moonlit streets to thy house. At
midnight I found him lying on the sofa with his eyes
closed. Chopin's variations/' he b^an as if in a
dream, are constantly running through my head ;
the whole is dramatic and Chopin-like ; the introduc-
tion is so self-concentrated— do you remember Lepo*
rello's springs, in thirds ? — that seems to nic
somewhat unfitted to the whole : but the thema—
why did he write it in B flat ? — ^The variations^ the
finale, the adagio, these are indeed something ;
genius burns through every measure. Naturally,
dear Julius, Don Juan, Zerlina, Leporello, and
Masetto are the dramatis personae ; Zerlina's answer
in the thema has a sufficiently enamoured char*
acter ; the first variation expresses a kind of
coquettish courteousness, — the Spanish grandee
flirts amiably with the peasant girl in it This
leads of itself into the second, which is at once
comic, confidential, disputatious, as though two lovers
were chasing each other, and laughing more than
usual about it. How all this is changed in the third!
it is filled with moonshine and fairy magiC ; Masetto
keeps at a distance, swearing audibly, without
making any effect on Don Juan, And now the
fourth, what do you think of that ? Eusebius played
it altogether correctly — how boldly, how wantonly it
springs forward to meet the man, though the adagio

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AN "opus 2."

7

(it seems quite natural to me that Chopin repeats the
first part) is iQ B-ilat minor, as it should be, for in
its commencement it presents a moral warning" to
Don Juan. It is at once mischievous and beautiful
that Leporello listens behind the hedge, laughing
and jesting^, that oboes and clarionettes enchantingly
allure, and that the B*flat major, in full bloom, coir*
irectly designates the first kiss of love. But all this
is nothing compared to the last ; — have you any mor^
wine^ Julius? — ^that is the whole of Mozart's finale,
popping champagne corks, ringing glasses! Lepo-
rello's voice between, the grasping, torturing, demons,
the fleeing Don Juan-»and then the end^ that
beautifully soothes, and closes all/* Florestan con-
cluded by saying that he had never experienced
feelings' similar to those awakened by this finale,
except in Switzerland. When the evening sunlight
of a beautiful day gradually creeps up towards the
highest peaks, and when the last beam vanishes,
there comes a moment when we think we see the
white Alpine giants close their eyes. We feel that
we have beheld a heavenly apparition. And now
•awake to new dreams, Julius^ and sleep ! " — " Dear
Florestan," I answered, ''these confidential feelings
are perhaps praiseworthy, although somewhat subjec-
tive ; but as deeply as yourself I bend before Chopin's
spontaneous genius, his Ipfty aim^ his mastershipl''-^
and after that we fell asleep,* JULIUS.

• This article on Chopin's variations to "La ci darem la mano " \va=;
the first public journalistic recognition of Chopin's genius, and it

c

(8)

SHROVETIDE SPEECH BY FLORESTAN

(i83S).

[After a performance of Beethoven's last Symphony.]

Florestan ascended the grand pianoforte, and
said :«^Assembled members of the Davidite Society I
ye who ought to be slayers of the Philistines,
^ musical aad otherwise» especially the tall ones (see
the last numbers of ** The Comet *' for 1833) ! I never
extravagate^ my friends! But truly, I understand
tks symphony better than myself. I will lose no
words about it; talking on such a subject is lifelessly
dull. I have celebrated O vidian stanzas, I have
listened to anthropological lecture courses. One can
scarcely be angry at many things ; one can hardly
sit so deeply sunk in the balloon car as Jean Paul's
Gianozza lest men— as we call the two-legged figures
that wander far down below, in the narrow defile we
call life— should suppose we trouble ourselves about
them. Indeed, I did not grow angry, and as little
did I listen. But I was amused about Eusebius,

speaks nobly for Schumann's discrimination and generosity. The
paper In which it appeared (** Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung,"
for December 7, 183 1 ), however, followed it up by another review
(probably written by Fink?) which severely handled the variations, in
a manner highly amusing from to-day's point of view. The editor
ofaitaTed, in a note, that he had also received a third review df the
work, by Frederick Wieck^ who seemed to be of the same opinion as
bis fmpil, K)r. Sdramanii ; bat the *'Zeitung" bad '*iio space" for
this review. (Th)

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SHROVETIDE SPEECH BY FLORESTAN. 9

when the rogue played a trick on a stout man in the
audience, who^ while the adagio was being played;
asked mysteriously, ''Did not Beethoven write a
battle symphony also, sir ? " ** Yes, sir, the Pastoral
Symphony/' answered £usebius» indifferently. *^ Ah»
ah— true,'* said the stout man, pensively.

Men must certainly deserve ears, or else none
would have been given to them. And yet how
much the patient public will bear! For instance,
once, when you, rogue 1 turned over for me while
I played a Field nocturne. Half the audience seemed
to have turned its light within already ; that is to say,
people dozed over it Unfortunately I was playing
on one of the most miserable of worn-out pianos ;
unintentionally, instead of the pedal, I made use of
the old-fashioned Janizaxy music stop,* softly, indeedi -
—enough so to take advantage of the accident ; and
to make the public believe that a sort of march was
supposed to be heard occasionally in the distance.
Eiisebius made the best of the joke, and spread it
abroad ; but at the time, the public absolutely reeked
with the incense of praise, ' *

Just such follies happened during the adagio, from

the first chord to the end. What more is it, Cantor ? "

(I said to a trembler near me), ''but a triad with the

suspended fifth in somewhat confused transpositions;

for one does not know whether to take the A in the

^ An old attachmait to giand pianofortes, which, when a pedal waa
pressed, caused a number of small instroments, placedin the cas^ to
sound; these weco bells, triangles, cymbals, and even small dnun%-*
sodi aa are used in miUtaiy, Turldsh, or Janiiaiy music. (Th) >

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10 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

kettle drum, or the F in the bassoon as bass tone ?
See Tuerk, 19th part, page 7 1 ^ * ^ Ah, sir, you speak
very loud, and decidedly you are joking!" In a
soft yet threatening voice I then whispered in his
ear: ** Cantor, beware of the storm I The lightning
sends no liveried servants on before he strikes,
Save perhaps the thunderclap. . That is his manner.''
— The other continued " But such dissonances
ought to be prepared/* — "Cantor, the fine trumpet
seventh forgives you."

My patience was quite exhausted by this time ; I
should have been willing to come to blows.

Then you gave me a moment of pleasure, music
director, when you struck just the right line for the
tempo of the deep thema in the basses; I forgot
mucl^ of my anger at the first movement, in which,
spite of the modest veil of the superscription "un
poco maestoso/' the slowly stalking majesty of a
god is disclosed. '

**I wonder what Beethoven meant by that bass?*'
''Sir,-' I answered, unwillingly enough, ''genius is
fonrf of a jest ; it sounds to me a sort of night watch-
man's song." The fine moment was over, and the
devil let loose' again. And then I l6oked round me
at these Beethovenians, standing there with staring
eyes, and saying : — " That is by our Beethoven, that
is a German work— in the last movement there Is a
double fugue — ^he had been reproached with the ina-
bility to write one— but Aow has he not written iti—

♦ D. G. Tuerk's book, ** Anweisung zum General bass-spielcn."(7r.)

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SHROVETIDE SPEECH BY FLORESTAN. II

yes, that is by our Beethoven." Another chorus ^
joined: ''The work seems to contain ail forms of
poetry' : in the first movement the epos, in the second
the humorouSj the third is lyric, in the fourth (a
union of all) we find the drama.'* Others fell in with
the hymn of praise: "A gigantic work I colossal,
resembling the Egyptian pyramids." Others began*
to describe: "The symphony is the history of the
origin of man, — first, chaos, then the call of the deity,
'Let there be light!' and now the sun rises above
the first men, who are enraptured with all this glory,
— in short, it contains the entire first cliapter of the
Pentateuch*''

I grew more enraged and more silent And while
they busily read the text and applauded, I seized
Eusebius by the arm, and ran with him down the
bright staircase, while every one smiled to see us.
Down below, under the gloom of the lamps; Eusebius
said, as if to himself :— Beethoven I how much lies
in that word ! In the deep tone of the syllables there
seems to sound a presentiment of immortality. I
even think no other written ' characters but these
would suit his name." " Eusebius," I said, com*
posedly, 'Mo you also attempt to praise Beethoven?
He would have risen up before you like a lion, and
asked : Who are you who dare to do so ? — I do not
reproach you, Eusebius, you are a good fellow ; but
\ must a gxeat man always find a thousand dwarfs at
^his heels ?^ When they smile and applaud, do they
fancy they understand the man who fought and

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12

MUSIC AND MUSICL\NS,

struggled in uncounted battles ? Those who are
unable to explain to me the simplest musical laws,

presume to judge the master in them all? These,
whom I put at once to flight, merely by pronouncing
the word counterpoint,— these, who perhaps feel some
things (after him) as he felt them, — and then cry out,
< 0h, that is done exactly as we would have done
it I —these, who talk of exceptions when they do
not understand rules, — these who cannot appreciate
the proportion of such gigantic strength, but only
its excess, — shallow men of the world, — wandering
sorrows of Werther, — ^^used-up existences, decrepit
boys, — do these dare to love, to praise him ?

I cannot think, at this moment, of any one who
has done this better than a Silesian country gentle-
man, who lately wrote to a music dealer as follows :
— *Dear Sir, — My cabinet for music will soon be
arranged. You should see how handsome it i&
Alabaster pillars, glasses with silk curtains, busts
of composers ; in short, splendid. But its most '
precious ornament is still wanting, so pray send me
the complete works of Beethoven, as I like that com*
poser miick!

I had more to say ; but contempt has put it all

out of my head.

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(13)

''ANGER ABOUT A LOST PENNY.''

[Rondo by Beethoven.*]
(Posthumous.)

It would be difficult to find anything merrier than

this whim ; I laughed heartily about it the other day,
when I played it over. But how amused I was on
playing it through for the second time, when I read
the following remark on its contents: "This caprice,
found among Beethoven's posthumous works, is en*
titled, in the manuscript, * Anger about a lost penny,
seething over in a. caprice!* It is the most harm-
less» amiable anger, similar to that one feels with
the passive, phlegmatic boot that its owner vainly
endeavours to get rid of." Now I have^you, Beetho-
venians! I could be angry with you in quite
another way, when you gush over with enthusiasm,
and turn up the whites of your eyes, and rave
about Beethoven's freedom from earthliness, his
transcendental flight from star to star. "To-day I
feel altogether unbuttoned/' was his favourite expres-
sion when he felt inwardly cheerful. And then he
laughed like a lion, and shook himself, untamable as

♦ The titlepnr^^? of this interesting and rather difficult rondo-caprice
bore the following motto, in Beethoven's handwriting : ** Die Wuth
iiber den verlorenen Groschen, ausgetobt in einer Caprice." Pro-
gramme music again, messieurs the conservatives I as is also Bach's
* capriccio with the motto, " Sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilet*

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14 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

he was 1 But I have you all in this caprice. You will
think it low, unworthy of a Beethoven, like the

melody to " Pleasure, heavenly spark of Godhead !
in the D-minor symphony; yon will place it far, far
beneath the Eroical and should we have a new
renaissance of art — should the genius of truth hold
the balance^ ivith this comic caprice on one side, and
ten of the newest pathetic overtures on the other —
the overtures would fly up to heaven. Young and
old composers, there is one thing you may learn from
it, v/hich, above all things, it; is necessary to remind
you of,— nature, nature, nature I

ON THE COMiaiN MUSIC.

Half-educated people are generally unable to
discover more than the expression of grief and
joy, and perhaps melancholy, in music without
words; they are deaf to the finer shades of
passion — anger, revenge, satisfaction, quietude, &c.
On this account, it is difficult for them to understand
great masters like Schubert and Beethoven, who
have translated almost every possible condition of
life into the speech of tones. I have fancied, in
certain *' moments musicaks ** of Schubert's, that I
could perceive a sort of Phiiister-likc vexation in
them, as though he were unable to meet his tailor's
accounts. And Eusebius declare^ that wh<5n he

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OK THfi COMIC ZN MUSIC 15

hears one of his inarches, he sees the whole Austrian
national guard pass before him^ preceded by their
bagpipers, and carrying sausages and hams on the
points of their bayonets. But this is really too sub«
jectivea fan^I

Among purely comic instrumental effects, I must
mention the kettle-drums, tuned in octaves, in the
scherzo of Beethoven's D-minor symphony,— the
horn passage • • . . .

i

3^

in the A-major symphony, the various periods in
D-major in slow tempo, with which he suddenly stops
and then frightens us ^ree times again (indeed the
whole last movement of ' this symphony is the highest
specimen of humour that instrumental music has to
show), and the pizzicato in the scherzo of the
C-minor symphony, though something seems to
threaten behind that

The members of a well-known and experienced
orchestra always begin to laugh at a passage in the
last movement of the F-major symphony, because in
this bass figure

they fancy they heard the name (Belcke) of one of
their favourite member s; The questioning figure of

l6 * MUSIC Aim MUSICIANS;

the contrabassi in the C-minor symphony has a
comic effect

That in the adagio of the B-flat major symphony

is, in the basv— or in the kettle-drums» — a regular
Falstaff A comic effect is produced by this snappish
figure

in the last movement of the quintetto, opus 29, until
the sudden entrance of the f time measure* which
tries to crush the struggling f. It is quite sure that
Beethoven himself enters in the andante scherzoso
(something like Grabbe with the lantern in his
comedy), or else holds a conversation with himself
that begins : Heavens 1 what hast tliou done there t
how the old fogies will rattle their wigs!" Merry are
the closes in the scherzo of the A-major symphony,
and in the allegretto of the Eighth* One sees the
composer throw down his pen, which probably had
become a very bad one. Then the horns, at the close '
of the scherzo of the B-flat symphony.

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A MONUMENT TO BEETHOVEN. * 1/

which here seem to grow genially prolix I How
man3r^such examples may be found in Haydn!
Fewer in the ideal Mozart. Among the moderns
one should not foiget— ^Desides Weber — Marschner,
whose comic far exceeded his lyric talent

Florestan,

A MONUMENT TO BEETHOVEN.

[F our Tdoes on the ntgect.]
I.

The future monument stands viiddly before me
already ; a moderately high pedestal, a lyre upon it
with the dates of birth and death, heaven above, and
a few trees about it.

When a Grecian sculptor was spoken with, regard-
ing the plan of a monument to Alexander, he
proposed to cut down Mount Athos to a statue of
him, the statue to hold out, in one hand, a city. The
sculptor was pronounced insane, iie may have
been so, but his plan was more sensible than these
German penny subscriptions. Fortunate, Napoleon
Buonaparte, that thou art sleeping soundly amid the
waters, and that we Germans cannot persecute thee
with monuments in memory of the battles thou didst
win against and with us ! else thou wouidst arise from
thy grave with the glorious list, Paris, Marengo, the.

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13

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

passage of the Alps, the Simplon," and the mauso^
leum would fall, dwarfed and crushed* But as for
thee, Beethoven, neither thy D-minor symphony, nor
all thy lofty songs of grief and joy are great enough
for us to spare thee the honour of a monument ; thou
shalt not escape our recognition I

I see well enough, Eusebius, that I make thee
angry, and that out of mere goodness of heart thou
wouldst allow thyself to be petrified into a statue
for a Carlsbad fountain, were the committee once
determined on it. Yet do not I also regret that I
never saw Beethoven, that my burning forehead was
never pressed by his hand, — and I would gladly give
a considerable part of my life to be able to say the
contrary 1 I walk slowly towards No. 200 Schwaras
Spanier House (the house in which Beethoven died)>
and mount the steps ; all is hushed around me ; I
enter his room ; he rises like a crowned lion, yet with
a splinter in his paw. He speaks of his griefs. In
the same moment, a thousand enraptured listeners
roam beneath the pillared temple of his C-minor
•symphony. But the walls may fall together; he
longs to get out; he complains that he is left alone,
that people care little about him. Then the basses re^t
on that deepest tone in the scherzo of the symphony;
not a breath is heard ; silently a thousand hearts are
suspended over that fathomless deep; but now the
glory of the highest created things seems to dawn ;
rainbow on rainbow rises above that splendour.— And
still we roam through the streets; but no one knows

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A MbNUMENt TO BEETHOVEN.

him^ no one greets him. — The last chords of the
symphony resound ; the public rubs its hands,
enthusiastic Phih'stines exclaim, " Ha, that is true
music.**-— And thus ye treated him during his life;
none cared to offer him true companionship ; full of
grief he died, and, like Napoleon, without a child
beside him ; alone in the solitude of a city. Erect a
monument to him now ; perhaps he deserved it ; but
do not forget to engrave Goethe's verses on the
pedestal-—

(Bo (angc bet Xud^ttge IcBt unb t^ul^

SWcd^ten |ie i^n gem jieinigtn. . ^

3f^ er l^iutetl^cr abet tcU,
®tei^ fantmcln fic grope (BptwUn
3u @f)ren [einer gcbcn^not^
Cin 3)enfi«a( tjoUcnben.
2)o(^ t^ren SSort^cil foKte banii
IDie SKcngc hJoH crmeffcn,
©cfd^eutet toai'i, ben gutcn SRann

■ II.

If any one, however, deserves to be set upon the

pillory of notoriety, it is a critic of Beethoven who
wrote, in the General Musical Times " for 1799^ page
151 : Should Mr. Van Beethoven decide, however,
to give up denying his own style, and should he
determine to follow the path of nature, a person of
30 much talent and industry will certainly be able
to accomplish good things for an instrument that,"
&c.i &C, Seven-and-thirty years passed ; the name

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90 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

of Beethoven is glorious with a sun-bright halo,
while the wretched critic's life withered up like
a nettle in the comer of a garret But if I knew the
fellow, or had known him, I would have opened a
subscription to save him from the pangs of death
from starvation.

Boerne says : We shall end by erecting a monu-
ment to God Himself 1 " / say, that even one monu-
ment looks toward ruin (just as a ruin reminds one
of a monument), not to speak of two or three. We
suppose that the Viennese feel jealous of the people
of Bonn, and determine to have a monument
also : what a farce when people shall ask which of them
is the real and correct thing ? Both cities hold owners
ship in Beethoven ; he figured in the church registers
of both places ; the Rhine calls itself his cradle, the
Danube (mournful celebrity), his bier. Poetically
the latter is preferable, as it flows towards the east,
and into the^ vast ocean; but some people will chatter
about the happy shores of the Rhine and the majesty
of the North Sea. Finally, Leipsic will step in as a
sort of oential ground for German cultivation, with
this especial claim to regard, that it was the first
city to interest itself in Beethoven's compositions—
quite independently of all else that heaven had
gifted him with. So I yet hope for three monuments.

I went one evening to the Leipsic churchyard, to
seek for the resting-place of a great departed one ;
I searched for many hours, found no "J. S. Bach,*'
and when I questioned the sexton, he shook his head

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A MONUMENT TO BEETHOVEN*

21

about the obscurity of the man, and observed,
*' There have been so many Bachs." On my way
home I thought to myself-^how poetically accident
displayed itself here I that we may forget decaying
dttst, that no picture of the common mortality may
be associated with him in our minds^ his ashes have
disappeared on the four winds ; in future I will only
think of him seated upright at the organ, in court
dresSj while under him the instrument thunders, while
the congregation looks piously up^ while perhaps the
angels look down.— Not long after^ Felix Mentis
(Mendelssohn), man of the high heart and lofty brow,
you played one of Bach's varied chorals ; the text
was ^ Adorn thyself^ O my soul I the canttts firmus
was interlaced with golden garlands, the whole work
breathed forth such a sense of happiness^ that you
said, "When life seems void of hope and faith, this
choral inspires us anew with both feelings."

I answered nothings but soon after I returned,
almost mechanically, to the churchyard, and I felt a
thrill of pain, disappointed as I was of being able to
lay a flower on his tomb« The Leipsic people of
1750 have greatly fallen in my estimation. Pray
excuse me from giving an opinion with regard to a
monument for Beethoven* Jonathan.

. III.

One should walk on tiptoe in church, — ^but your
sudden entrance offeQd3 me, Florestan. At thg

^2

MUSIC AMI> MUSICIANS.

present moment, we give our attention to many
hundreds of men; the question is German; Ger-
man's noblest artist, the first representative of the
German mind, not even excepting Jean Paul, is to
be honoured : he belongs to out art ; they have been
labouring at the Schiller monument for many years ;
that to Guttenberg is yet at the commencement. If
you let the affair drop, or even set about it indif-
ferently, you will deserve all the kicks of insolent
Byronian poetry, the mockery of French Janins, the
coarse reproof of Boeme I

. Let me give you an example; and behold your-
selves in the mirror! Four poor sisters from
Bohemia came to our city, long ago ; they played
the harp and sang. They had great talent, but
little education. But an artist interested himself
(Hiller, cantor of the Thomas School) in them ; he
educated them, and through him they became happy
• and cultivated women. After about twenty years,
the sisters wrote from foreign lands, sending means
to erect a tablet or monument to their good master.
It stands under the windows tiiat were once those of
J. S. Bach ; and when strangers look for relics of
him^ their eyes are met by this simple work of
sculpture, this touching memorial of gratitude to,
and benevolence in, another. And shall not a whole
nation, taught patriotism and greatness of heart hy
the creatio^ks of a Beethoven, make public evidence
of gratitude that should be greater a thousand-fold ?
Were I a princ^ I would build a temple in the

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A MONUMENT TO BEETHOVEN. 23

style of Palladio, to his memory ; ten statues should
stand within it» and if Thorwaldsen and Dannecker
would not execute them all, they should at least see
that all were executed under their superintendence ;
nine they should be, these statues, like the number
of the muses, and of his symphonies, — Clio the
Eroica, Thalia the Fourth, Euterpe the Pastoral,
and so on, — ^himself the divine ApoUo. There the •
German people should assemble from time to time,
to celebrate festivals, and there his own works should
be performed in the highest stage of perfection. Or
else ; take a hundred century-old oak-trees, and write
his name with them, in giant letters^ on a plaia Or
carve his likeness in colossal proportions, like Saint
Borromeus on Lake Maggiore, that he may gaze
above the mountains, as he did when living; and
when Rhine ships pass, and foreigners ask the name
of that giant form, every child may answer — It is
Beethoven, and they will think it is the name of a
German Emperor. Or would you dedicate to him a
living monument, build in his name an academy for
German music, where music, his word, may be taught,
not as a trade that any mechanic may choose, but a
school of poets, a school of music in the Grecian sense,
to be opened by the hands of a pure priesthood to
the chosen ones only. Rise, throw o£f your indif*
ference, and remember that his monument will also
commemorate yourselves ! EUSEBIUS.

24 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

• *

IV.

■

Your ideas need a handle ; Florestan is a destroyer,

Eusebius allows things to fall of themselves. It is
certain that when we act in the manner preferred by
the beloved dead, we give the highest proof of rever-
ence and gratitude ; but Florestan must acknowledge
that any kind of reverence requires an outward manir
festation, and that so long as the commencement is
delayed, one generation will blame another for pro-
crastination. Under the brave mantle which Flores*
tan throws ovfer the affair, avarice and low motives
may here and there take refuge, as well as fear
that people may be taken at their word when they
incautiously praise monuments in honour of great
men. . Unite your views I ^

Collections should be made throughout Germany ;
concerts, operatic representations, performances in
churches should take place^ nor would it be unsuit-
able to solicit gifts from great singing or musical
festivals. Ries in Frankfort, Chdlard in Augsburg,
L. Schuberth in Kdntgsberg have lately commenced
the work, Spontini in Berlin, Spohr in Cassel, Hum-
mel in Weimar, Mendelssohn in Leipsic, Reissiger in
Dresden, Schneider in Dessau,'Marschner in Hanover,
Lindpaintner in Stuttgard, Seyfried in Vienna, Lach-
ner in Munich, D* Wf^ber in Prague, Eisner in War-
saw, Loewein Stettin, Kalliwoda in Donauschingen,
Weyse in Copenhagen, Mosewius in Breslau, Riem in
Bremen, Guhr in Frankfort, Strauss in Carlsruhe^

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FOUR OVERTURES TO "FIDEUO/' 25

Dorn in Riga, — see! how many honourable artist
names I lay before you, and yet what forceSp means^
and cities remain. May a lofty obelisk or p3nramid
apprise posterity that the contemporaries of a great
man« though they esteemed his intellectual creations
as his noblest monument, yet spared no pains to
evince their admiration by an extraordinary outward
manifestation 1 * Raro.

THJ^ FOUR OVERTURES TO FIDELIOr

It should be written in golden letters, that on last
Thursday the I^ipsic orchestra performed—^/ tfu
Jour (overtures to Fidelia^ one after another. Thanks
to ye, Viennese of 1805, that the first did not please
ye; and that Beethoven, in divine n^e therefore
poured forth the three others. If he ever appeared
powerful to me, he did so on that evening, when,
better than ever, we were able to listen to him, form-
ing, rejecting, altering, in his own workshop, and ever
glowing with inspiration. He was most gigantic in
his second onset The first overture was not effec-

* It seems ahnofit mmeceasaiy to lendnd the mder that the plan of
a monnment to Beethoven was finally carried ont, and took the fonn of
a statne, which was .erected and unveiled at Bonn, on the 12th August^
1S45, with imposing musical solemnities. It is mere justice, however,
to mention also^ that Lisst^ the generous artist, in his desire to render
thb celebration all it ought to have heen— less for the honour of Beeth-
oven than for that of cultured humanity—nnweaiiedly expended his
enetgy and talent^ and half mined himself in purser at the time. (7h)

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26

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

tive ; hold ! thought he, the second shall upset all
your calculations,— and so he set himself to work
anew, and allowed the thrilling drama to pass by,
and again sang the joys and sorrows of his heroine.
This second overture Is diabolical in its boldness, still
bolder, in certain details, than the third, the well-
known great one in C-majon But it did not satisfy
him ; he laid this also aside, merely retaining certain
passages, from which, already artistically quieter, he
formed the third. This was afterwards followed by
the more easy and popular one in E-major, which is
generally heard at the theatre as an opening piece.

Such is the great Four-Overture work. Formed
after the manner of Nature's formations, we first find
in it the root basis, from whichi in the second^ the
giant trunk arises, stretching its arms to the right
and to the left, and finally completed by its airy
crown of blossoms. Florestan. .

ON CERTAIN PROBABLY CORRUPTED READINGS
OF PASSAGES IN THE WORKS OF BACH,

MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN (1837).

If we were acquainted with all of these, folios might
be written about them ; and if earthly tones pene-^
trate beyond the grave, I think the masters must
smile when they hear the errors that custom, tradi*
tion, and even anxious reverence, have introduced

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WORKS OF BACH, MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN. 2^

into their works. It has long been my intention to

mention a few in some of the better known works of
the above masters, with the request that all artists
and connaisseurs should test them, whenever possible,
by comparison with the original manuscripts. Even
these are sometimes incorrect; no composer dare
swear with certainty that his manuscript was entirely
free from errors. It is quite natural that among the
hundred thousand dots that he writes in an incredibly
short space of time, a dozen or so should be scribbled
down a little too high or too low ; indeed, composers
sometimes write the wildest harmonies.

With all this, the original manuscript remains the
authority that must be first referred to. I should be
glad if all persons who are in possession of the doubt*
ful passages which I am about to speak of, in the
handwriting of the composer, would compare the
written with the printed copies, and kindly communi-
cate the result to me. This comparison is not even
necessary in some cases where the error is clearly
visible.

The greatest number of these errors will be found
in the old editions of Bach's works. It would be a
meritorious labour — though one requiring much time
*— in some musical connaisseur, thoroughly conversant
with Bach, to undertake the correction of all hitherto
incorrectly printed passages. The Peters* publishing
house in Leipsic has made a fine b^inning ; but it is
limited to the pianoforte compositions. A criticism
on the ''Well-tempered Clavier," with an addition of

28

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

the different readings (Bach himself made many alter*
ations), would alone demand a volume to itself. I
shall here only refer to a few other instances.

In the grand and beautiful ** Toccata with Fugue
for the Organ," published by Peters, Leipsic, com-
mencing thus.

both parts move on the key-board, over an organ-
point, in strictly canonical progression. Is it pos-
sible that this has been overlooked by the proof
reader ? For he has allowed a number of notes to
stand, that are plainly erroneous in a canon. Similar
oversights occur in the course of the piece at the
parallel passac^es on pages 4 and 5. Though this
may be easily corrected, the explanation of another
passage in the . same piece is more difficult My
readers will remember the grandiose pedal solo, no
doubt ; by comparing this with the parallel passage
on the fourth below, they will find that a number of
errors have crept in. Two measures are wholly
wanting on page 4, between measures 3 and 4 ; these
may be seen at the transposition on page 5, staff 6,
in the second and third measure. This can only be
decided by the original manuscript If Herr Hauser»
in Vienna, posse^^es it, as is possible, he should be

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WORKS OF BACH, MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN, 29

solicited to allow a comparison. The publication of
so extraordinary a composition as this, in its genuine
form, is not an indifferent subject to any musician.
We can no more overlook such errors, than a gap in
a painting, or a missing leaf in a volume.

Another curious accident, which only Bach's hand-
writing can explain, is to be found in the ** Art of the
Fugue." Fugue No, 14, four pages long, appears
already in number 4; to verify this, compare the Peters
edition, page 30!, staff 5, from the 2nd measure on.
How did this happen ? Bach would surely not haVe
written four pages, note for note, twice over in the same
work ? In the Nageli score also, the two fugues are
thus printed, and the fact that this repetition has
remained so long unobserved, is only to be ex-
plained by the similarity of the keys and themes
that occur throughout the work.

But he who is feasting on Bach's harmonies,
cannot think of everything,— least of all, of errors.
Thus, I for years overlooked one in a Bach fugue
which was very familiar to nie, until a master — ^who
certainly possesses an eagle eye— directed my atten-
tion to it. The fugue is in E minor, on a won-
derful theme, and the sixth in the Haslinger edition.
If we insert, between the third and fourth measures,
the single note

it wiU be correct. This admits of no doubt

30

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

And now we shall mention passages^ still more
interesting, perhaps, to our readers, in works which
they may have heard and played countless times,
without suspecting that anything was amiss. I must
request them, however, to refer to the scores in
question — as the passages would occupy too much
space for reproduction here — and as a correct judg-
ment cannot be arrived at without the closest exami>
nation.

Our first doubtful passage will be found in
Mozart's G-mtnor symphony, a work in which every
note is gold, every period a treasure ; and yet, will it
be believed, four entire measures have slipped into
the andante, which, according to my firm conviction,
do not belong to. it From the 29th measure on
(excepting the quaver up-beat), occurs a period of four
measures, leading from D-flat major to B-flat minor,
which is repeated in the following four measures, with
simplified instrumentation ; it cannot be possible that
Mozart intended this. It is improbable ; the wholly
un-Mozartean, anything but masterly union of the
32nd with the 33rd measures must often have struck
musicians even when listening superficially. And
now, the question is, which of the two four-measure
periods should be cut out, — ^the first or the second ?
On a careless glance, it looks as if the first should be
retained; the sudden entrance of the wind instru-
ments, rising to a forte, is not without artistic mean-
ing. But the other reading seems to me far more
natural in the progression of the parts, clearer.

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WORKS OF EAcH, MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN. 3 1

simpler, yet not without climax; and according to
tills the 29th to the 32nd would be cut out, where
all instruments, after a clear crescendo, unite in a
forte. The same four-measures too much are also to
be found on the repetition in the 2nd part, where the
measures 48 to 51 should be omitted. The manner
in which these errors have entered the score, can only
be discovered througfh the original, now in the pos-
session of Councillor Andre. We believe the most
probable suppontion is»— that Mozart first wrote the
passage as we think it ou^ht to stand, — that he then
introduced it into the score, more fully instrument
tated, — ^and that afterwards returning to his first
idea, he forgot to strike out the first manner of
reading. Other musicians should express their
opinion regarding this point, which is of much con-
sequence, and then a general agreement could be
arrived at^ to produce the andante everywhere in
the manner designated. But we should then request
publishers to insert the four measures (within
parentheses) in the score, with a remark explaining
the reason why they do so. I have been told that
when the andante is performed at the Paris con*
servatoire, the four measures are omitted in both
places. Mendelssohn has also long adopted this
reading.

I will finally mention some passages in Beethoven
symphonies, that may be recognised almost at first
9ight as errors of the copyist One of these I have

32 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS*

already spoken of on a former occasion ; it is to be
found at the close of the first movement of the
B-flat major symphony, where, of the three measures,
fortissimo (eight measures before the end), one is
evidently too much. The error was very likely to

happen, on account of tlic complete similarity of the
notes in all the parts. Beethoven himself might
have passed it over.

The fact that we listen, year after year, to the
following passage in the Pastoral Syrp.piumy, — stand-
ing so, indeed, in the scor^ — without correcting it,
is only to be excused bjr liie magic influence of
Beethoven's musics wiaiA moves us so deeply^ that
we almost forget thinking and hearing, while sub-
diifid by it.

In the first movement (pa^e 35 of the score» from

the 3rd measure on) we find—

VioLL

^ — • * '

1

1 =i

viola.

t^ir ■ 1

-

W 1

Vclli. Mm.

7-p 1 1

F — -

:id Its.

■

r -

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WORKS OF BACH, MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN. 33

(Tlie rest are silent)

&C.

d % • m

1 * * * 1

-1 ^-■

How would it be, iT, Instead of the sudden rest in
the first violins, we made simili signs (^) ? would it
not sound different and better? Is not this suggested
b^liie loversion from measure 5 on, even where the
violas have the passage that fust lay in the fust
violins ? Certainly it should be sa The copyist
mistook the simili signs for rests, or some other
roguish imp had to do with the matter. Ries tells
us how enraged Beethoven was about a passage in
the Eroica Symphony, which Ries had altered with
the best intentions. I think if Beethoven had once
really heard this passage in the Pastoral Symphony,
things would not have gone better with orchestra or
director than with Ries.

Enough for to-day ; I hope very many may take
the above into consideration I How can we better
prove our admiration and reverence for our great
masters, than by endeavouring to remove from their

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34 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

works those injuries that may have accrued to them
from accident or error ? and only with such inten-
tiotts were the above lines written.

LETTERS OF AN ENTHUSIAST.

(These letters might also be termed "Truth and Poetry." Tliey
refer to the hrst Gewandhaus ConcertS| held under Mendelssohn's
diiectioQy in October, 1835.]

L

Eusebius to Chiara.

Amid all oar musical feasts of soul, one angel head

peeps through everywhere, and it strangely resembles
a certain Clara, even to that roguish trait of the
chin. Why art thou not with us, and what didst
thou think of us Firlenzers (Leipsicers) last night,
from the Meeresstille " to the up-rushing close of
the B-flat Symphony ?

Except a concert, I know nothing better than the
hour before one^ while I hum etherial melodies at
the point of the lips, cautiously walking up and down
on tiptoe, and leading entire overtures on the window
panes; but the clock strikes three quarters. And
now, with Florestan, I mounted the polished steps.
*' Sebb " (Eusebius), said he, ** I rejoice in many
things this evening ; first, in the music itself, for which
I have thirsted through the dry summer long, then iu

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LETTERS OF AN ENTHUSIAST. 35

Mentis (Mendelssohn), who for the first time enters
the fight with his orchestra; then in the singer
Maria with her vestal voice, and finally in the public
that awaits these wonders — the public that I usually
consider too little, as you know." And now we
stood before the old castellan with his face like the
commander's (in " Don Juan who had a great deal
to do, and at last admitted us, though with a very
morose look, for Florestan, as usual, had left his
entrance ticket behind him. As I stepped into the
gilded concert hall» had I spoken as my face perhaps
spoke, I should have said : " Here I must tread
softly, for this place is haunted by the spirits of those
few gifted ones, to whom was granted the great
privilege of enchanting and elevating the minds of
hundreds in the same moment There I see Mozart, ^
stamping to a symphony, until his shoe-buckle
breaks j there old Master Hummel extemporising at
the pianoforte ; there Catalani, angrily tearing off her
shawl because a carpet has been forgotten on the
platform; here Weber, Spohr, and many others."
And I thought of thee too, Chiara, dear one, pure
one ! How thou didst use to look down from the box
with the lorgnette so charmingly becoming I Amid
these thoughts I caught Florestan's angry eye, as he
stood in his old corner near the door as if he had
grown there, and in it I read something like this;

So, so, my Public, I have you again I once more
wc can harass each other ; how long have I not de-
sired to found concerts for the deaf and dumb, to set

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36

UUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

you an example of ^obd behaviour, of which you

display little, even in the finest concerts ! And if you
dared to gossip about the wondrous things you heard in
the enchanted land of music, I would have you petri-
fied, like Tsing-Sing, into a stone pagoda." These
reflections were interrupted by the sudden silence of
the public. Mentis entered, attracting towards him
a hundred hearts at once. Dost thou remember, how
we drove away from Padua along the Brenta one
evening ? The glowing Italian night oppressed us,
and one after another the travellers closed their eyes.
Towards morning a voice cried, **Ecco, ecco, Slgnori,
Venezia I " The sea, still, immense, outspread before
us— only on the far horizon, fine sparkles played
up and down, as though the small waves softly spoke
together in dreams. So does it interweave, and
sparkle, and throb, in Mendelssohn's '^Meeresstille:^'
we dream sleepily, listening to it; we become a
thought — rather than that we then think. The
Beethovenian chorus after Goethe, and the accentu*
ated words, sound almost rough beside these spider-
web tones of the violins. Near the close, such
harmony is unloosed and resolved, where the poet
surely looked too deeply into the eyes of a daughter
of Nereus, seeking to draw him down ; but then up-
springs a higher wave, the sea grows more murmurous
everywherCi the sails flap, the pennants waye^ and
now away, away, — Which of Mentis' overtures do
you like the best ? " asked a simpleton near me, —
and as then the keys £-minor, B-minor, and D-major

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USTTERS OF AN ENTHUSIAST.

37

embraced in a triad of the graces, I could think of no
better answer than the best, "All of them.'' But
indeed. Mentis conducted as if he had composed the
overture himself, and the orchestra played worthily ;
and then a remark of Florestan's struck me — It was
played, he said, much as he used to play when he
came from the provinces to study with Master Raro ;
this middle point between art and nature was his
most fatal crisis \ then came such a hesitation, such a
stiffness, that he doubted his own talent ; fiery as I
was, and fervidly as I conceived every work, yet now
I must take everything slowly, -distinctly ; but luckily
the crisis was soon over.'' For iny part, I disliked
the conductor's stick in the overture as in the S3rm-
phony. (When Matthai stood at the head of the or-
chestra, before Mendelssohn, orchestral works were
performed without a time-beating conductor.) I
sounded Florestan, who remarke4. that the orchestra
should stand like a republic in a s3rmphony, refusing
to. acknowledge a superior. And yet it was delight-
ful to watch Meritis ; in his eyes we read beforehand
the mental windings of the composition, and its
shadings, from the most refined to the most powerful
effects ; like a seer he forewarned us of what was to
come. How different from those chapel-masters who
seem ever threatening to whip score, orchestra, and
public with their batons 1 Thou knpwest how the
foolish quarrels about the tempo annoy me, and that
the inward measure of movement alone decides^with
me. The swift allegro of a phlegmatic man always

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38

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

drags more than a slower tempo in a nervous con-
ductor. Then, with the orchestra, masses come into
question ; rough, heavy players give to details, as to
the whole, more weight and meaning ; smaller, finer
ones, like our Firlenzers (Leipsicers), must be helped
out of their lack of resonance by hurrying the time.
In a word, the scherzo of the symphony seemed
to me too slow, the restlessness of the orchestra,
trying to be at ease with it, made this very observ-
able.

Yet what dost thou, in Milan, care about it all ?

And I as little, since at any moment I can imagine
the scherzo played as it ought to be played. Thou
hast asked me whether Jif ^ria is likely to find the
same favour in Firlenz (Leipsic) as formerly ; why
shouldest thou have any doubts? However, she
had selected an aria that gained her more honour
as an artist, than applause as a vlrtuosa. A West-
phalian music-director played a violin concerto by
Spohr — ^well enough, but pale and haggard. Every
one saw, in the choice of pieces, that a change of
government had taken place; if, formerly, in the
first Firlenz concerts, Italian butterflies fluttered
round German oaks, at least these stood alone,
shadowy, strong. A certain party insisted on seeing
a reaction in it ; I think it was rather accidental than
intentional We all know how necessary it is to^ pro-
tect Germany from the intrusion of thy favourites;
but it must be done carefully, and more as an encour-
agement to youthful native talent, than by useless

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LETTERS OF AN ENTHUSIAST.

39

opposition to a power that comes and goes like a
mere fashion*

Towards midnight, Florestan came in with Jona-
than/ a new Davidite ; the two were quarrelling about
the aristocracy of mind and the republic of opinion.
At last Florestan has found an opponent who gives
him diamonds to crack. Thou shalt hear more about
him at some future time.

But enough for to-day. Forget not to look often
in the calendar for the 13th' of August; there and
then an Aurora interweaves thy name and mine.t

EUSEBIUS.

IL

To C/Uara.

The letter-carrier seemed transformed to a flower^

when I saw the bright red Milano " post-stamp on
thy letter. I, too, think with delight of thy first
entrance into the theatre La Scala, when Rubini was
singing with Picric- Lalande. For one must hear
Italian music among the Italians; German music
.may be enjoyed under every heaven.

I was right in not recognising any reactionary
views in the programme of the first concert, for the
next brought Hesperian things. I was, however,
amused with Florestan, who wearied of it all, princi-

* Ludwig Schunke. (TV.)

f In the Saxon calendar, the I2th,i3th, and 14th days of August arc
(Ic^i^oated as tliosc of St. Clara, Aurora, and £u$ebitt& (Tr.)

40

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

pally on account of certain Handelians and others
who talk as if they had themselves composed the
•* Samson " in robe de chambre ; for this reason he
could not quite enter into the Hesperides/' and
compared it to a fruit dessert, or Titian flesh without
spirit, &c., &c., and all in so comic a tone, that one
would have been obliged to laugh at him, but for that
eagle eye of his, glowering at one so fiercely. " It
has been for a long time unfashionable to get angry
about theltalian style/' said he; and|indeed, it isfolly
to fight against the perfume of flowers (floating hither
and then away), with awkward clubs I I scarcely
know which world I should prefer, one peopled with
refractory Beethovens, or one filled with dancing
swans of Pesaro. But two things astonish me : first,
that the songstresses, who never know what they
should sing (all or none excepted), do not sometimes
take a fancy to small works — ^a lied by Weber, Schu-
berti Wiedebein; next, that German song writers,
who complain that tlieir compositions so seldom reach
the concert room, do not write arias, scenas, concert
songs essentially calculated for public performance ?

The songstress (not Maria), who* sang something
from Torwaldo^ began her Dove son ? chi m'aita ? "
so tremblingly, that I inwardly answered her, ** In
Firlenz, excellent creature ; aid yourself, and heaven
will aid you I " But then she got into a better mood,
and the public applauded heartily. " Would that our
German iady singers^" remarked Florestan, " could
recollect that they are not children — ^who fancy they

LETTBRS OF AN ENTHUSIAST. 4<X

are unseen, when their e>'es are closed ; — most oi

them hide so modestly behind their music, that one
has to keep a good look-out, to catch a glimpse of the
face. Ah, how different are the Italian songtresses !
When I saw them in the Milan Academy, singing- at
each other, rolling their fine eyes, I was almost afraid
the artistic passion would make too lively a demon-
stration* I wish I could read something of the
dramatic situation, something of the music's joy and
pain, in German eyes ; fine singing, issuing from an
inexpressive, colourless, wooden, or marble face, leads
one to doubt the existence of any inward feeling ; I
mean tliis in general.

Thou shouldest have been there^ to hear and see the
Mendelssohnian concerto in G minor played! As
simply as a child, he sat down to the pianoforte^
taking one heart after another captive, and drawing
them along with him ; and when he let them free
again, we all knew that we had flown past a Grecian
isle of the gods, and again alighted safely in the
Firlenz concert hall. " You are a heavenly master of
your art i said Florestan to Meriti^ rightly enough,
when it was over. I knew my Florestan again
yesterday, though he spoke not a word to me of the
concert. I saw him turning over the leaves of a
book, and pencilling something in it. When he was
gone, I found that beside this passage in his journal,
''There are some things in the world about which
nothing" can be said ; for instance, the C-major
Symphony with fugue by Mozart, many works of

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Shakespeare*s» some of Beethoven's/' he had pencilled
on the margin, " or Mentis, when he plays his own
concerto/' — We much enjoyed the performance of a
powerful Weber overture (the mother of a numerous
lame posterity), and a violin concerto, played by

young ; it does one good, when one can safely

predict of a striving artist^ that he is on the road to
mastership. I shall not attempt to entertain thee
about the old humdrum, annually-repeated things —
symphonies excepted. I remember that once thou
saidst, that although thou hadst heard Onslow's
symphony in A but twice, thou hadst it already by
heart, bar for bar ; my impression is the same, yeft I
can give no reason for this rapid mental acceptation
of the work. For on one side I find the instruments
clinging too closely to each other, ^crowded too hetero-
geneously together, while on the other, the principal
and secondaiy melodic threads penetrate this heavy
instrumental combination in a remaricable manner.
Certain conditions must exist here, which I cannot
explain to myself, as they are unknown to me. Yet
they may excite thee to reflection. I am best pleased
with the elegant ball tumult of the minuetti where
ever3^hing sparkles with pearls and diamonds;
durinor the trio I am witness to a scene in the
boudoir, while, through the often opened ball-room
door, the violin music enters and drowns the con-
fessions of love. This reminds me of Beethoven's A.-
major Symphony, which we lately heard ; and after it,
soberly eni:apturedy we we^t, late in the evening, ta

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LETTERS OF AN ENTHUSIAST.

43

Master Raro. Thou knowest how Florestan, while
he sits improvising at the pianoforte, talks as if in his
sleep, smiles, weeps, rises, begins again from the
beginning, and so on. Zilia was in the bay-window
recess, other Davidites grouped here and there.
Many things were discussed. Florestan began to
talk, at the same time commencing the A-major
Symphony. Said he : "I must laugh when I think
of the dry old registrar, who discovered in this a
battle of the giants, with a very effective annihilation
of them all in the last movement, while he slyly
passed over the allegretto, because it did not fall in
with his fancy; and I must laugh at those who
eternally preach about the innocence and absolute
beauty of music ; to be sure, art has no business to
imitate *the unlucky octaves and fifths of life^it
should rather conceal them^ yet in some consecrated
arias (of Marschner's, for example) I often find beauty
without truth, and in Beethoven (though seldom)
sometimes truth without beauty. But I shiver to the
finger-tips when I hear some people declaring that
Beethoven gave himself up, while writing his sym-
phonies, to the greatest sentiments — lofty thoughts of
God, immortality and the course of the spheres ; the
genial man certainly pointed to heaven, with his
flowery crown, but his roots spread broadly over his
beloved earth. But-«— to return to the symphony.
The idea is not mine, but taken from an old number
of the musical paper, the * Cecilia;' and was perhaps
suggested by delicacy of feeling towards Beethoven,

44

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

who was to be spared from entering some courtly hall
or other.

" It is the merriest wedding, the bride, a heavenly
maid with one rose in her hair. If I do not err, in
the introduction the quests arrive, greeting each other
with many bows; and the airy flutes remind us, that
in the village, gay with May bloom and ribbon
favours, every one rejoices for and with the bride,
Rosa. And if I am not mistaken, her pale mother
asks her, with a tremulous glance, * Knowest thou not
that we must part ? * and then Rosa, overcome,
throws herself in her mother's arms, yet draws the
hand of her bridegroom with her. And now all is
still in the village" (here Florestan broke into the
allegretto), *' only the butterflies float past, or a cherry
blossom falls. The organ sounds ; the sun rises
high ; long lance-like beams play with the motes in
the church ; the bells ring loudly ; church-goers enter,
one after the other ; pew doors are opened and shut ;
countrymen study their hymn books; others look
up to the choir ; the procession comes nearer— first
the choir boys, with lighted tapers and incense, then
friends, often turning round to look at the bridal pair
accompanied by the priest, the parents, the brides-
maids, and all the young people of the village at last
They range themselves in order, the priest ascends
the altar, and talks, now to the bride, then to the
happiest of men; he tells them of the duties and
- aims of the sacred bond, he paints to them the joy
tliat is found in virtuous love and peace — and as he

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Mendelssohn's organ concert. 45

demands the 'yes' that embraces in it an eternity,
and they respond, firmly, slowly— I cannot continue
the picture — fancy the finale as you will !" Florestan
hroke off, and finished the allegretto so that it rang
as though the sexton threw the door to, and it echoed
throughout the church.

But enough ! Florestan's description has awakened
something within me; the letters seem to tremble.
I would tell thee much, but I must off and away,
into the fresh air without And in hopes of a better
beginning than this ending, the pause must last until
my next letter. EUSEBIUS.

MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN CONCERT (^1840).

Would that I could record last evening in these
pages with golden letters I It was a concert for men,
for a change, a complete whole from beginning to
end Again I thought how.we are never at aa end
with Bach, how he seems to grow more profound the
oftener he is heard. Zelter, and afterwards Marx,
wrote excellent and striking things concerning him;
and yet, while we listen, we perceive that we can
only very distantly approach him through a verbal
description. The best illustration and explanation
of his works will always be found in the music itself ;
and by whom can we expect to find t.his warmly and
truthfully performe(( if not by the artist who yester-

46

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

day delighted us, he who has devoted the greatest
part of his life to precisely this master, who was the
first to refresh, with all the strength of his own enthu-
siasm, the memory of Bach in Germany, who now
also gives the first impulse towards bringing his
image nearer the eyes of our contemporaries by an
outward token? One hundred years passed before
this was attempted ; shall another hundred go by ere
it can be realised ? It is not our intention to beg for
a Bach memorial by means of a formal summons;
those of Mozart and Beethoven are not yet ready,
and this may therefore wait also. But the idea that
emanated from this place, should be urged in other
places, especially in Berlin and Breslau, which cities
have lately honoured themselves by performances of
Bach's works, and where there must be many people
well aware of what art owes to Bach; nothing less,
in the small sphere of music, than what a religion
owes to its founder. In his concert circular, Mendels-
sohn expresses himself clearly and simply on this
subject Until now, no outward symbol has
betokened the former presence, in Leipsic, of the
greatest artist this city ever possessed. One of his
successors has already been honoured with a memo-
rial in the vicinity of the Thomas school, which,
above all, should hsLve been bestowed on Bach ; but
as his intellect and his works seem to gain stronger
influence now than ever, and as sympathy with these
can never become extinguished in the hearts of the
true lovers of music, it is hoped that such an under-

Mendelssohn's organ concert, 47

taking may meet with appreciation and assistance
from the inhabitants of Leipsic/' &c., &c.

As might have been expected, the beginning of
this undertaking, conducted by such an artist's hand,
was a worthy one, and its aim crowned with rich
success and support. How thoroughly Mendelssohn
knows how to treat Bach's royal instrument, is well
and widely known; and yesterday he laid before us
the most precious jewels, in a glorious arrangement
of change and gradation, prefaced by a prelude, and
closed by a fantasia of his own. After a short intro-
duction, he played a fugue in E-iiat major, a noble
one, containing three thoughts, built upon each other;
then a fantasia on the choral Deck thyself, beloved
soul," as priceless, profound a piece of music as ever
sprang from a true artist's imagination ; then a grandly
brilliant prelude and fugue in A minor, both very
difficult, and only for masters of organ playing.
After a pause, these were followed by the Passecaille
in C minor, with twenty-one variations, genially inter-
twined with each other, and admirably handled in the
registers by Mendelssohn ; then a Pastorella in F
major, thought out from the deepest deeps in which
such a composition may be found ; closed by a
Toccata in A minor with a humoristic Bachian
prelude. Mendelssohn finished the concert with a
fantasia of his own, when he displayed the fullest
glory of his art ; if I am not mistaken, it was based
on a choral, with the text Head, stained with blood
and wounds," into which he afterwards introduced

48

MUSIC AND MUSICIANa

the name Bach and a fugued movement, rounded to
such a clear and masterly whole, that if printed, it
would have appeared a finished work of art. A fine
summer evening shone through the church windows ;
even outside, in the free air, many basked in the
wonderful tones, thinking that in music there is no
greater enjoyment than that of the double pre-^mia*
ence displayed when one master interprets another.
Fame and honour to the old and to the young 1

FRANZ SCHUBERT S C-MAJOR
SYMPHONY.

The musician who visits Vienna for the first time,

awhile delights in the festive life of the streets, and
often stands admiringly before the door of St
Stephen's Tower ; but he soon remembers how near
to the city lies a cemetery, containing something
more worthy— for him— of regard than all the city
boasts, — the spot where two of the glorious ones of
his art rest, only a few steps apart No doubt, then,
many a young musician has wandered like me (183S)
to the Wahringer Cemetery, after the first few days of
excitement in Vienna, to lay his flowery gift on those
graves, even were it but a wild rosebush, such as I
found planted on Beethoven's grave. Franz Schu-
bert's resting-place was undecorated. One warm
desire of my life was fulfilled ; I gazed long on tliose

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FRANZ SCHUBERf S OUAJOR SYMPHONY. 49

sacred graves, almost envying the one buried between
them — a certain £arl O'Donnell, if I am not mistaken.
The first time of gazing on a great man, of pressing
his hand, is for every one an earnestly-desired
moment It had never been possible for me to meet
either of the two whom I venerate most highly
among all modern artists ; but after this visit to their
graves, I wished I could have stood by the side of a
man who loved either one of them most dearly — if
possible, his own brother. On the way home, I
remembered that Schubert's brother Ferdinand, to
whom he had been much attached, was still living.
I sought him out, and found that he bore a strong
resemblance to the bust that stands beside Schubert's
grave; shorter than Franz, but strongly built, with
a face expressive of honesty as well as of mu^t-
cal ability. He knew me from that veneration
for his brother, which I have so often publicly pro-
fessed; told me and showed me many things, of
which, with his permission, I have already spoken in
our paper, under the heading *' Reliques." Finally,
he allowed me to see those treasures of Schubert's
composition, which he still possesses. The sight of
this hoard of riches thrilled me with joy ; where to
begin, where to leave off 1 Among other things, he
directed my attention to the scores of several sym-
phonies* many of which have never yet been heard*
but are laid on the shelf and prejudged as too heavy
and turgid. One must understand Vienna, its
peculiar circumstances with r^rd to concerts, and
the difficulties attendant on bringing together the

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50 MUSIC AND ilCUSICIANS.

necessary material for great performances, before one
can forgive the city where Schubert lived and
laboured, that only his songs, but his grand instru-
mental works seldom or never, are brought before
the public* Who knows how long the symphony of
which we speak to-day, might not have lain buried in
dust and darkness, had I not at once arranged with
Ferdinand Schubert, to send it immediately to the
direction of the Gevvandhaus concerts in Leipzig, or
rather, to the directing artist himself, whose &ne
glance perceives even the most timid of new*budding
beauties, — and necessarily, therefore, the dazzling
splendours of masterly perfection. My hopes were
fulfilled. The symphony went to Leipzig, was listened
to, understood, again heard, and received with joyous
and almost universal admiration. The busy publish-
ing house of Breitkopf and Haertel purchased the
work, and now it lies before me in separate parts ; for
the benefit of the world, I hope it will soon appear
in score also.

I must say at once, that he who is not yet ac*
quainted with this symphony, knows very little about
Schubert; and this, when we consider all that he
has given to art outside of this work, will appear to
many as too exaggerated praise. Partly, no doubt,
because composers have been so often advised, to
their own injury^ that it is better for them — after
Beethoven — to abstain from symphonic plans ; which
advice, notwithstanding, with the state of feeling that
has given rise to it, we can scarcely consider as un«

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FRANZ SCHUBERT'S C-MAJOR SYMPHONY, 5I

reasonable. For we have lately had few ordiestral

works of consequence; and those few have rather
interested us as illustrations of their composers' pro*
gress, than that of art, or as creations of decided
influence with the masses. Many have been abso-
lute reflections of Beethoven; and it is scarcely
necessary to mention those tiresome manufacturers
of symphonies, with power enough to shadow forth
the powder and perruques of Mozart and Haydn, but '
not indeed the heads that wore them. Berlioz is
thoroughly French, and we are too much accustomed
to regard him merely as an interesting foreigner and
rattle pate. The hope I had always entertained—
and many, no doubt, with me — that Schubert, who
had shown himself, through many other kinds of
composition, so firm in form, so rich in imaginative-
ness, so many-sided, would also treat the symphony
and find that mode of treatment certain to impress
the public, is here realised in the noblest manner.
Assuredly he never* proposed to excel Beethoven's
ninth symphony, but, an industrious artist, he con-
tinually drew forth his creations from his own re-
sources, one symphony after another. The only thing
that seems to us objectionable in the publication of
this seventh symphony, or that may lead even to a mis-
understanding of the work, is the fact that the world
now receives it without having followed its creator's
development of this form through its forerunners.
Perhaps, however, the bolts may now be drawn from
the others ; the least of them must possess Schuber«

52 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

tian significance; Viennese symphony writers did not
need to wander very far in search of the laurel they
are so much in need of, for in a suburb of Vienna, in
Ferdinand Schubert's study, they might have found
sevenfold richer booty^ leaf heaped on leaf. And
here, too, was the place of all others which they
should have crowned witli laurel I But it often
happens in the world that such opportunities are

neglected ! Should the conversation turn upon ,

the Viennese never know how to finish with their
praise of their own Franz Schubert ; when they are
only among themselves, it does not seem as if they
thought much of one or the other. But let us leave
these things, and refresh ourselves with the wealth of
mind that in its fulness overflows this glorious work !
Vienna, with its tower of St Stephen, its lovely
women, its public pageantry, its Danube that garlands
it with countless watery ribbons ; this Vienna, spread-
ing over the blooming plain, and reaching towards
the higher mountains ; Vienna, with its reminiscences
of the great German masters, must be a fertile
domain for the musician's fancy to revel in. Often
when gazing on the city from the heights above, I have
thought how frequently Beethoven's eyes may have
glanced restlessly over the distant line of the Alps;
how Mozart may have dreamily followed the course
of the Danube, as it seems to vanish amid bush and
wood ; and how Haydn may have looked up to the
tower, shaking his head at its dizzy height. If we
draw together the tower, the Danube, and the distant

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FRANZ SCHUBER'fs C-MAJOR SYMPHONY. 53

Alps, casting over the whole a soft Catholic incense-
vapour, we shall have a fair picture of Vienna ; and
when the charming, living landscape stands before us,
chords will vibrate that never resounded within us
before; On leaving Schubert's symphony, the bright^
blooming, romantic life of Vienna appears to me
clearer tlian ever; such works ought to be born
amid precisely such surroundings. But I shall not
attempt to set the symphony in its fitting soil ;
different ages select different bases for their texts
and pictures ; where the youth of eighteen hears a
world-famous occurrence in a musical work, a man
only perceives some rustic events while the musician
probably never thought of either, but simply gave
the best music that he happened to feel within
him just then. But every one must acknowledge
that the outer world, sparkling to-day, gloomy to-
morrow, often deeply impresses the inward feeling
of the poet or the musician ; and all must recognise,
while listening to this symphony, that it reveals to
us something more than mere £ne melody, mere
ordinary joy and sorrow, such as music has already
expressed in a hundred ways, — that it leads us into
a region which we never before explored, and conse-
quently can have no recollection o£ Here we find,
besides the most masterly technicalities of musical
composition, life in every vein, colouring down to the
finest grade of possibility, sharp expression in detail,
meaning throughout, while over the whole is thrown
that glow of ronianticism that everywhere accom*

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54 MUSIC AND liUSICIANa

panics Franz Schubert And then the heavenly
length of the symphony, like that of one of Jean
Paul's romances in four thick volumes, never able to
come to an end, for the very best reasons — in order
to leave the reader able to go on romancing for him-
self. How refreshing is this feeling of overflowing
wealth I With others we always tremble for the con-
clusion, troubled lest we find ourselves disappointed.
It would be incomprehensible whence Schubert had
all at once acquired this sparkling, sportive mastery of
the orchestra, did we not know that this symphony had
been preceded by six others, and that it was written
in the ripest years of manly power (on the score is
the date» ''March, 1828 Schubert died in Novem-
ber). We must grant that he possessed an extraor-
dinary talent, in attaining to such peculiar treatment
of separate instruments, such mastery of orchestra?
masses— rthey often seem to converse like human
voices and chorusses — ^although he scarcely heard
any of his own instrumental works performed during
his life. Save in some of Beethoven's works, I have
not elsewhere observed so striking and deceptive a
resemblance to the voice, in the treatment of instru-
ments; Meyerbeer, in his treatment of the human
voic^ attains precisely the opposite effect Another
proof of the genuine, manly inspiration of this sym-
phony, is its complete independence of the Beethoven
symphonies. And how correct, how prudent in judg-
ment, Schubert's genius displays itself here! As if
conscious of his own more modest powers^ he avoids

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FRANZ Schubert's c-major symphony. 55

Imitating the grotesque fernifl^ -the bold proportions

that meet us in Beethoven's later works ; he gives us
a creation of the most graceful form possible, which,
in spite of its novel intricacies, never strays far from
the happy medium, but always returns again to the
central point Eveiy one who closely studies this
symphony, must agree with me. At first, every one
will feel a little embarrassed by the brilliancy and
novelty of the instrumentation, the length and breadth
of form, the' charming variety of vital feeling, the
entirely new world. that opens to us— just as the first
glance at an3rthing to which we are unaccustomed,
embarrasses us ; but a delightful feeling remains, as
though we had been listening to a lovely tale of
enchantment, we fed that the composer was master
of his subject, and after a time, its intricacies and
connections all become clear to us. The feeling of
certainty is produced at once by the splendid,
romantic introduction, over which, notwithstanding,
a mysterious veil seems to have been drawn here
and there. The passage from this into the allegro
is wholly new ; the tempo does not seem to change,
yet we reach the port, we know not how. It would
not give us or others any pleasure to analyse the
separate movements ; for to give an idea of the novel-
like character that pervades the whole symphony, the
entire work ought to be transcribed. Yet I cannot
take leave of the second movement which speaks to
Its with such touching voices, without a few words.
There is a passage in it, where a horn calls from a

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56 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

distance^ that seems to have descended from another
sphere. And every other instrument seems to listen,
as if aware that a heavenly guest had glided into the
orchestra.

The symphony produced such an effect among us,
as none has produced since Beethoven's. Artists and
connaisseurs united in its praise, and I heard a few
words spoken by the master who had studied it with
the utmost care for its perfect success, that I should
have been only too happy, had such a thing been
possible, to report to the living Schubert, as the
gladdest of glad tidings. Years must pass, perhap%
before the work will be thoroughly made at home in
Germany ; but there is no danger that it will ever be
overlooked or f oigotten ; it bears within it the core of
everlasting youth.

And thus my visit to those honoured graves, re-
minding me of a relation of one of the great departed,
became doubly a reward to me. I received my first
recompense on the day itself ; for I found, on Beeth-
oven's grave, a steel pen, which I have treasured up
carefully ever since. I never use it save on festal
occasions, as to-day; I trust that good things may
have proceeded from it 1

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THE DEVIL'S ROMANTICISTS.

m

Where do the devils romanticists hide themselves ?
The good old music director M. ■ in Breslau^ has
suddenly declared himself their most deadly enemy^
and the " Universal Musical Times " for ever
thunders against them. Where are they and who
are they? Perhaps Mendelssohn, Chopin, Bennett,
Hiller, Henselt, Taubert? What have the old
gentlemen to say against these? Are Vanhal,
Pleyel, Herz, or Hiinten of more value ? But if
those and no others are meant, people should speak
more plainly about it And if some people twaddle
about the " torment and martyrdom of this epoch of
transition/' there are grateful and far-sighted ones
enough, who entertain different opinions. A stop
oug^ht to be put, however, to this mixing up of every-
thing together, and of throwing suspicion on the
endeavours of every young composer, merely because
there are weak and objectionable points in the
German-French school, as in Berlioz, Liszt^ &&
And if you are not satisfied, old gentlemen, why not
give us works yourselves^— works^ works, not only
words?

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■ *

FRANZ SCHUBERVS LAST
COMPOSITIONS.

If fertility be a distinguishing mark of genius^ then
Franz Schubert is a genius of the highest order.
Not much over thirty when he died, he wrote an
astonishing quantity of things, about half of which,
perhaps, have been published ; a part of these^ only,
are widely known, while a still greater part will
never, or not for a long time, attain publicity.
Among his first-mentioned works, his songs obtained
the quickest and widest celebrity ; he would have
gradually set the whole German literature to music ;
he was the man for Telemann, who claimed that "a
good composer should be able to set wall advertise-
ments to music." Whatever he felt, flowed forth in
music ; /Eschylus, Klopstock, so stiff in composi-
tion, yielded under his hand, while he added a
deeper sense to the light lyrics of Miiller and others.
Then what a multitude of instrumental works of
every form and kind; trios, quartettes, sonatas,
rondos, dances, variations, Tor two and four hands,
large and small, full of wonderful, rare beauties,
which our paper has more closely characterised, in
other articles. Among the works that still await
publication, masses, quartettes, a great number of
song% and other things have been mentioned to us,

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A7B0SISMS.

5$

as >vell'*as'h]s greater compositions, several operas;
church pieces^ several symphonies and overtures—*
now in the possession of his heirs.

APHORISMS.
[By the Davidites.]

COMPOSER-VIRTUOSOS.

Experience has proven that the composer is not
usually the finest and most interesting performer of
his own works, especially of his newest, last created,
which he cannot yet be expected to master from an
objective point of view. It is more difficult for a
man to discover his own ideal within his own hearty
than in that of another. — Eusebitts.

Right. And should the composer, who needs rest

at the conclusion of a work, strive at once to con-
centrate his powers on its performance, his judgment
— ^like overfatigued sight that tries to fix itself on one
point — would become clouded, if not blind. We
have seen examples of this, when composers have
wholly misinterpreted their own works by such a
forced manner of procedure. — Raro.

LOOKING AT MUSIC.

* While playing Kalkbrenner's four-part, one-handed

fugue, I thought of the excellent Thibaut, author of
the book On the Fuhty. of Music," who told me

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

that once, at a concert given by Cramer in London,

a polite Lady somebody, an art-amateur, actually
rose, against all English convention, and stood on

tiptoe to stare at the artist's hands. The ladies near
her imitated her example, until at last the whole
audience ivas standing ; the lady, and after her the
ladies, whispered around Thibaut, Heavens, what
trills! — what trills I — ^and with tlie fourth and fifth
fingers I^and with both hands at once 1 The whole
audience murmured in accompaniment, " Heavens I
what a trim what trills I — ^and with both/' &a
Sara*

It seems to me this is a very common character-
istic of every public, especially at a concert ; people
like to see something of a virtuosa— -^ias^^W.

Would to heaven that a race of monstrosities could
arise in the world of artists, players with six fingers
on each hand ; then the day of virtuosodom would
be at an end l—FiansUm,

PLAYING IN PUBUC FROM MEMORY.

Whether it be done out of chaurlatanism or daring^
it is always a proof of uncommon musical powers.
Wherefore the prompter's box, the dancer's leaden
soles, when the brain is winged ? Do we not know
that a chord played from notes— no matter how
freely — is yet never half so free as one that is played,
note and fancy free? We are all alike; and I,

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APHOiaSMS. 6 1

though I am a German, and consequently wedded
to tradition,— I, too, should be astonished, cpold I
see the reader, actor, danseuse^ produce his or her
written part in public, in order to execute it with
more certainty ; and yet, I, too, am like the pedant,
who, seeing a virtuoso quietly continue playing
when his music had fallen from the desk, cried out
in hot excitement, Look, look, that is indeed artl
He knows it by heart ! " — Florestan*

SUPPORT.

Had Shakespeare not existed, would Mendelssohn's

** Midsummer Night's Dream " have seen the light —
though Beethoven has written many, indeed (but
unchristened) ? The fan^ makes me melancholy.—
Fhresian.

Yes. Else why does it happen that so many
characters only first display their individuality when
they can lean on another I? Like the great

Shakespeare himself, who, it is well known, found
much of the material of his plays in novels and
older writers^ works.— Eusedius.

Eusebiiis speaks truly. There are many minds
that only work effectively when they do so under

compulsion. — Raro.

ROSSINL

It would be one-sided in us to condemn Rossini,
but that the encouragement he meets with is great,

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MUSIC ilNb MUSiCIANS.

out of all comparison with that bestowed on Germaii
eiforts. Rossini is an admirable scene-painter; but
take away tbe artistically managed light, and the
alluring stage distance, and see what remains I

When I hear so much foolish twaddle about him
as saviour and consoler, I thrill with anger to my
very finger-tips. We treat the public with too much
delicacy ; it begins already to grow obstinate, where
formerly it listened modestly from a . distance, glad
to learn a little from the artist. Is this an unfounded
declaration ? Do not people go to a performance of
" Fidelio " to hear Schroeder now (not entirely with-
out reason), and to oratorios out of mere pity i And
is it not true that Herz, the stenographer, who pos*
.sesses no heart (Herz) save that in his fingers, makes
four hundred dollars by a set of variations, while
Marschner scarcely obtained more for the entire
opera of " Hans Heiling " ? Once more I say — I
quiver to the tips of my fingers when I think of it

ROSSINI'S VISIT TO fiEETHOVEN.

The butterfly flew in the way of the eagle; he
moved aside lest he might have crushed the insect
with the beating of his yrmgs.—Euse6ius.

ITALIAN AND GERMAN.

See the lovely, floating butterfly I yet brush away
his coloured dust, and he becomes a miserable, unre*

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APHORISMS.

garded creature; but after the flight of centuries, the
skeletons of gigantic creations exist, to the astonish-
ment and admiration of posterity, — EuseUus.

ON FOLLOWING A PERFORMANCE WITH THE SCORK

As Eusebius observed a young student of musics

dih'gently following a rehearsal of Beethoven's eighth
symphony, score in hand, he remarked : There is a
good musician 1" — **By no means,*' said Florestan;
"he is a good musician, who understands the
music without the score, and the score without the
music The ear should not need the eye, the eye
should not need the (outward) ear." "A great re-
quirement,'' concluded Master Raro, ^' but I agree
with you, Florestan 1

AFTER THE D-MINOR SYMPHONY.

I am like a blind man who stands before the cathe*

dral of Strasbourg, listening to its bells, but unable to
find the entrance. Leave me in peace, young men, I
no longer understand humanity. — Vot^^,

Who blames the blind man, if he stands before the

cathedral, unknowing what he should say ? Let him
only take. oS his hat in reverence, while the bells are
ringing above,— EusMus. .

Yes, love him, love him well, but never foi^et that

he reached poetic freedom only through the study of
long years ; and reverence his unresting moral ibrcci

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64 MUSIC AND MUSICIAN&

Do not search for what was abnormal in liim, return
to the source of his creativeness ; do not alwa3rs illus-
trate his genius with the ninth symphony, colossal as
are its dimensions there, although that utterance was
bolder than any that had yet spoken — he gives as
great an evidence of his genius in the Greek-like,
slender symphony in B-flat major! And do not
grow arrogant about rules that you never thoroughly
worked out. Nothing is more slippery; even an un-
talented person^ in the second moment of meeting
you, may draw that mask from your ashamed face. —
Floresiati,

And when they had ended, the master said, in a
voice full of emotion : ** No more words about it 1
Let us for ever love that lofty spirit, who looks down
with unspeakable love on the life that gave him so
little in return, I feel that we are now nearer to him
than before. Young men, you have a long and diffi-
cult road before you. A wondrous rosy blush
lightens the heavens — ^whether morning or evening
red I know not But onward to the light ! **

As time runs on, sources draw nearer to each other.
Beethoven, for instance, did not need to study all
that Mozart studied — Mozart needed to make less
research than Handel — Handel than Palestrina —
because these had already absorbed their prede*
eessors. But from one source only, something
new is ever to be obtained; from John Sebastian
BachI— 7?: :

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APHORISMS.

There are untalented people who have been at-
tracted by, and hold to, music from the force of out-
ward circumstances^ and who have learned a great
deal;— musical mechanics. — F»

Where is the use of dressing a hair-brained youth
in his grandfather s furred dressing-gown, and putting
a pipe In his mouth, to make him regular and orderly ?
Let him keep his flowing locks and easy attire.
— -F.

I lom not the men whose lives are not in uoison

with their works. — F*

Warn the youth who composes. Fruit that ripens
too early, falls before its time. The young mind
must often unlearn theory, before it can be put in
practice. — Raro,

It is not enough that I know something, unless I
am able to make use of iifaat X have learned, in the

conduct of my life. — E,

THE WEALTH OF YOUTH.

What I know, I throw away ; what I have, I give
away 1—^.

Every man must defend himself. If any one is my
enemy, I do not therefore need to be his also, but
rather his ^Esop who makes a fable of him, or his
Juvenal who transforms hina into a satyr,^/^.-

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MUSIC AND MUSICIAKS,

» • * ■ . . ■ •

CRmcSi

Music induces nightingales to sing, pug-d<^ to
yelp.

Sour grapes ; bad wine.

^ They mince the timber of the lofty oak into saw-
dust.

Like the Athenians, they declare war by means of
sheep-bleating.

Music speaks the most universal of languages, one
by means of i^lch the soul is^ freely, yet vaguely
inspired ; but it is then at home.

DISCIPLES OF THE PLASTIC.

At last they will hear the grass growing in
Haydn's " Creation " I—

The artist should be cheerful as a Grecian god, in
his intercourse with life and men; but when these
dare to approach too near, he should disappear, leav-
ing nothing but clouds behind him. —

The characteristic of the extraordinary^ is» that it
cannot always be understood ; -the majority under-
stand best what ;is superficial-virtuoso music, for
example>^j?.

Music resembles chess* The (jueeh • (melody) has

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APHORISM& 67

the most povver, ^ut the king (harmony) turns the
scale.— i^.

The artist should preserve his equilibrittm with

life, or else his position becomes difficult. — F,

In every child there lies a wondrous depth.

CLARA (1833).

As I know people, who, having but just heard
Clara, yet rejoice in the anticipation of their next
occasion of hearing her, I ask— what sustains this
continual interest in her? is it the wonder child"
herself, at whose stretches of tenths people shake
their heads, while they are amazed at them ? or the
most difficult difficulties which she sportively flings
towards the public like flower garlands? Is it the
especial pride with which a city regards its own
natives ? is it, that she presents to us the most inter*
esting productions of recent art in as short a time as
possible ? Is it that the masses understand that art
should not depend on the caprice of a few enthusiasts,
who would direct us back to a century, over whose
corpse the wheels of time are hastening ? I know
not; I only feel that here we are subdued by genius,
which men still hold in respect In short, we here
divine the presence of a power of which much is
spoken, while few indeed possess it —

Early she drew the Isis veil aside. Serenely the

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS;

child lool^s up ; older eyes would perhaps have beea
blinded by that radiant light—

To Clara we dare ho longer apply the measuring

scale of age, but only that of fulfilment — Raro,

Clara Wkck is the first German artist — if.

Would that the silver threads of imagination ever
entwined themselves amid the fetters of disci-
pline I — E.

Pearls do not float on the surface ; they must be

sought for in the deep, often with danger* But Clara
is an intrepid diver i —

ANNA DE BELLEVILLE * AND CLARA.

They should not be compared. They are different
mistresses of different schools. The playing of the
Belleville is technically the finer of the two; Clara's
is more impassioned. The tone of the Belleville flat-
ters, but does not penetrate the ear ; that of Clara
reaches the heart Anna is a poetess; Clara is po etry
itself.

GENIUS.

We forgive the diamond its sharp edges ; it is a
costly labour to round them. —

* Mademoiselle de BdlerCle, a native of Augsburg, though ofFiendi
paxentage, who afterwards became Madame Ouiy (wife of Oorf the
Englisli violinist). {Tr.)

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' • APHORISMS. 69

It is the curse of talent that, although it labours
more steadily and perseveringly than genius, it does
not reach a goal ; while genius, floating on the

summit of the ideal^ gazes above, serenely smiling.

The misfortune of the imitator is, that he can only
appropriate the salient points of his original; ah

involuntary awe disables him from copying its peculiar
beauties. — *

It is not a good thing to have acquired too much
facility in any occupation. — R,

We were at the goal ? We err. Art is a great
fugue, into which different individualities and nationa-
lities step and become resolved, like the different

subjects, one after another, — F,

One voice that blames has the strength of ten that
praise,— A.

Unfortunately.— ^iij^^jmr.

It is foolish to say we cannot understand

Beethoven's last period. Why not ? Is his last music
too difficult of comprehension in its harmonies ? too
singular in form? Do the thoughts contrast too
strongly I There must be something in it, for
nonsense in music is an impossibility, and madness
itself cannot suppress harmonic laws. — F,

The extraordinary in an artist is unfortunately not
always recognised at once.—-i?am .

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70 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

He who sets limits to himself^ will always be
expected to remain within them.—

By means of comparison, we arrive at the result

through circuitous routes; judge the subject rather as
it is, with its own inward reasons and counter-argu-
ments. — K

PURITANS m MUSIC

That would be but a small art indeed that merely
possessed sounds, but no speech, no symbol fitted to
express the varying movements of the soul. —

Intellect is to be found in all novel productions,

THE CONTRAPUNCTILIOUS.

Do not deny the spirit while you acknowledge the
letter; you torment yourselves*, trifling with confused
harmonies. Yet if any one, who owes nothing to
your school, dares to write down anything that is not
in your styl^ he is angrily abused. A time may
come when that saying, already denounced by you as
the saying of demagogues : ** That which sounds well
is not wrong," may become altered to All that does
not sound well is wrong." And then woe to your
canons^ especially those in contrary motion 1 —

THE ANTI-CHROMATIC SCHOOL.

They should remember that the seventh once dis«
pleased as much as >tiie diminished octave does now;

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*' APHORISMS. 71

it is through harmonic development that music has
attained such a high rank amoi^ arts, and has

acquired the power of expressing the finest shades of
passion, the deepest feelings of the soul —

To chastise the Philistines, a Haman, with a Les-
sing under his arm, ought to appear; may that time .

not be far off I — F.

Psyche in repose, with her wings folded, is only
half beautiful ; she should float through air ! — £.

£qual forces counterbalance each other; unequal
powers betray their varying welght^Hara.

* •

PIANOFORTE PLAYING. * .

The word " playing " applies well here, for the play-
ing of an instrument must be one with itself ; he who
cannot play with it, cannot play it at all— j&

I was greatly amused to find the Schroeder-

Dcvrient's name as subscriber to C, Gollmich's
" critical terminology." — K

• •■ tip

CHOPIN.

He considers different subjects; but his views in

considering them are always the same.— i^.

I do not think it very remarkable that people
begin to value Bach's and Beethoven's compositions
in Berlin! — F,

O

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

The triad = epochs. For the third, like the present,
is tfa^ mediation between past and future. — E.

What a daring comparison l-^Xar&.

Men like S. (an artist whose life was somewhat

dissipated) ought to be economical. The richer their
powers may have been, in comparison with those of
others, the more painfully will they miss their wasted
strengtli, in old age. — Raro.

How few presents are made disinterestedly 1 —

Forgive the errors of youth 1 There must be marsh
lights to point out the right path to the wanderer ;
the path over which those will-o'-the-wisps do not
pass.—

There is fame enough for one man in the overture
to the " Midsummer Night's Dream ; " his other works
should be allowed to bear the names of other com«
posers. — £,

The youthful works of masters who have become
great, are looked upon with very different eyes than

are the works of composers who promised as mucli,
but did not keep their word. — Raro.

It is remarkable^ that weak points, which^ as y ouths^
we scarcely observe in others, strike us afterwards, as

intellectual, poverty, lack of talent, &c. — Raro,

• • • , *

. Dare talent permit itself to tal^e the same liberties,
as genius

o

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APHORISMS.

73

Yes ; but the former will perish where the latter
thumphs. — Raro.

Maanerism is already displeasing m the original

to say nothing of the same fault in copyists (Spohr
and his pupils). — E.

The emptiest head thinks it can hide its weakness
behind a fugue ; but a true fugue is the affair of a
great m^sX^x.-Raro.

Consider how many circumstances must favourably
unite* before the beautiful* in all its honour and glory*
can appear! We need, i. lofty, deep intention, and
great ideality ; 2. enthusiasm in description ; 3.
technical power and faafmonic facility closely com*
bined ; 4. an inward need of giving and receiving, a
momentarily favourable mood both in artist and
listener; 5. a fortunate combination of outward cir-
cumstances; 6. sympathy of impressions, 'feelings,
views; a reflection of artistic joy in the eyes of
others. Is not such a combination a happy cast*
with six dice* of six times six ? — E,

THE OVERTURE TO ''LEONORA."

When it was played for the first time in Vienna,
and almost wholly failed* it is said that Beethoven
wept; in the same situation* Rossini would have
laughed. He was induced to write the new one in
£ Major, which i^ight have been written by some

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74 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

other composer. — ^Thou didst err ; yet thy tears were
noble^ — E. •

The first conception is always the most natural
and the best The understanding may err, but not
the feelings. — Raro,

Ye peddlers in art, do ye not sink into the earth
when ye are reminded of the words uttered by Beeth-
oven on his dying bed : *^ I believe I am yet but at
the beginning," — or Jean Paul : " It seems to me that
I have written nothing as yet " ? —

A SYMPHONY BY N. (1S33).

How deeply moved I feel» when an artist— whose

development cannot be called unsolid or unnatural,
receives nothing from the public for the sleepless
nights he has devoted to his labour, destroying,
rebuilding, despairing, here and there encouraged
by a flash of genius — ^receives nothing, not even
appreciation of the youthful faults he has escaped
from ! How I felt for him as he stood there, ex-
cited, sorrowful^ restless, hoping for one encouraging
voice ! —

Talent labours, genius creates. — F.

CRITIC AND REVIEWER,

The armed eye beholds the stars; the unarmed
sees nought but cloud shadows.— ^ .

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APHORISMS.

R£VI£W£R&

They are confectioners who labour for le bmg&ut^

nrithout tasting a morsel themselves — who can no
longer profit by le bon gout^ because they have
ivorked at it until they have become nauseated

Musical plagues {diaSotint), When I am obliged
to pass over a grain of sand, in order to write further
-^when I turn over two pages of music at once—
when a key sticks — when a doubt arises as to the
time and key signature — when, in the heat of com-
position, no paper is at hand. But the worst of all is
when the stick flies off while one is conducting. —

The Great is admirable, even in ruin. Dismember
a symphony by Beethoven, and one by Gyrowetz,
and then observe what remains. Works of mere
talent or compilation, when destroyed, seem but
overturned card houses; while, after the expiration
of centuries, pillars and capitals of ruined temples
still exist —

A drama without a living representation will always
appear dead, foreign to the public, like a musical
tone-poem, deprived of its instrumental embodiment
But when the executant comes to the aid of the
creator, much time is won in artistic progress. — E,

The cultivated musician may study a Madonna by
Raphael, the painter a symphony by Mozart^ with

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

equal advantage; Yet more: in the sculptor the
actor^s art becomes fixed, the actor transforms the

sculptor's work into living forms, the painter turns a
poem into a painting, the musician sets a picture to
music — E.

The esthetic principle is the same in every art;
only the material differs. —

It is difficult to believe that music, the essentially
romantic art, can form a distinctly romantic school
within it — F.

Paganini is the tuming-pdnt of virtuosity.—

Fingers and hands must be made easy and rapid
in movement during childhood ; the lighter the hand^
the more perfect the performance.— i?.

That which is learned in childhood is never for-
gotten. — F.

THE CONTRAPUNCTILIOUS.

They are not satisfied when a young student
works out the old classic form, as a master, and

according to his own understanding of it ; he must
do so according to theirs. —

Music is the most modern of all arts; it com-
menced as the simple exponent of joy and sorrow

(major and minor). The ill-educated man can
scarcely beheve that it possesses the power of ex-
pressing particular passion^ and therefore it is difB-

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APHORISICS.

cult for him to comprdiend the more individual
masters^ such a$ Beethoven and Schubert. , We have
learned to express the finer shades of feeling by
penetrating more deeply into the mysteries of har-
mony. — E,

The masses demand masse&-^F*

If you wish to understand a man, you ask him
whp are his friends; if you want to judge a public,
you observe what It applauds, what sort of a
physiognomy, it presents after listening to music
As music — so different from painting-^is thti ut
which we most enjoy when gathered together soci-
ally (a symphony, performed in a chamber, would
please ime hearer but little), and which is compre-
hended by a thousand at once, in one moment;
an art which lifts mankind above life, as above a
sea, whichy instead of swallowing and slaying us,
mirrors us like flying genii, until we are laid to
repose in Grecian grove%— so there are works, to
be respected as the highest, that exert an equal
power over different minds, over youth, as over age.
I remember to have been present at a performance
of the C-minor symphony, and when the passage that
leads towards the finale was played — exciting every
nerve to the utmost tension — a little boy pressed
closer and closer to me, and when I asked him why
he did so, he answered—'* I am afraid 1 " — £,

There is a difference when Beethoven writer chi^

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

matic scales^ and when Herz does it (Written after
listening to the E-flat major concerto).—/^.

Great thoughts often circulate in similar words and

tonci), through different minds, — F.

The oldest man was the youngest ; the last comer
is the oldest ; how is it, then, that we accept as laws
the rules of past centuries ? — F.

Your declaration, Florestan, that you admire tlie

pastoral and heroic symphonies less, because Beeth-
oven has so designated them, and thus set limits to
our imagination, seems to me to be founded on a
just feeling. But if you ask me why, I scarcely
know how to answer. —

Nothing worse can happen to a man, than to be

praised by a rascal.—/*.

The saying, I have thrown it in the fire," hides
a piece of shameless modesty; the world is not
rendered unhappy by the loss of an unworthy work ;
the remark is often but a shameless boast I de-
test people who throw their compositions in the
firel— i?:

Two different readings of the same work are often
eq^ually good.— J?.

The original one is generally the best. — Rare.

I grow angry when I am told that a Kalli-
wpd$ symphony U. xiot Beethoveniaiu The lover

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of caviare smiles^ when a child thinks an apple
piquant^E. •

There is a ** Scliool of Politeness ** (by Rumohr) ;
I wonder that nobody has yet thought of writing

a ** School of Polemics," which would be much
richer in ideas. The arts should only be cultivated
by people of talent ; I mean, that the speech of
good-will would be a natural consequence in musi-
cal criticisnii if one only had. to do with talent
But combat is too often a necessary thing. Musi-
cal polemics present a still wider field, because few
musicians know how to write well, and few aiithors
are practical musicians, neither party thoroughly
understanding their business ; consequently^ musical
controversies too often end with a general retreat,
or a general embrace. Would the real combatants
but make their appearance speedily — ^those who
know how to fight in earnest l—F,

, TROPICAL MUSIC.

Until noW| we have had three principal schools
of music — ^Italian, French, German. . How will it

be when other nations step in, even from Patagonia ?
Then some new ELiesewetter will only be able to
express his utterances in folios.-*-F.

UNDERSTANDING OF THE PASSING MOMENT^
) - ' WHILE rr PASSES.

Orlando Furioso could not have written the poem ; '

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

could Franz Liszt look steadily into the phantasma^
goria of his compositionS| these would acquire a
clearer form. Only in such an objective manner can

the mysteries of mental creativeness be investigated.
We must not stand on what we wish to advance.
Opposed to this is the coarse materialism of mediae-
val faces, from whose mouths depended placards with
descriptive mottoes. — F.

Why not nail every noble Prometheus to the
rock, because they brought down the heavenly spark

too soon ? — F,

It is not enough that a newspaper mirrors the
present ; the critic must be beforehand with the
timeSp and ready armed to fight for the future^ —

We yet need an organ to defend the ''music of
the future.** Only such men eould fitly edit it, as
the great blind cantor of the Thomas school (Bach),
and the great deaf chapel master (Beethoven), who
sleeps at Vienna. — F.

He who is anxious to preserve his originality, is
in danger of losing it — E.

Few strikingly original works of genius have be*
come popular (Don Giovanni ?).— i^.

Do not forestall time; give the old masters as a

study to the young, but do not expect them to
carry plainness and simplicity to the verge of affec-
tation. Teach them to make an intelligent use of
modern technicalities. — Raro,

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AFHOKISafS. 8l

BERLIOZ (1838).

Berlioz has erred in having published so few of his
works as ye^ in not yet having decided on making an
artistic tour through Germany, If he has been so
unfortunate as to be sometimes confounded with De
Beriot — ^whom he resembles as little as turtle-soup
resembles lemonade— something, at least, is known
about him here and there, and Paganini is not his
only, though perhaps his greatest; admirer. Our
" New Musical Periodical " was the hrst paper that
repeatedly drew public attention to Berlioz, and
Leipzig was the first German city in which one of
his compositions was performed in public. This
was the overture "Les Francs Juges;" a youthful
work, with the failings usually attendant on a bold
work. It was then played in other cities, Weimar,
Bremen, and, if I mistake not, in Berlin also* In
Vienna they laughed at it But Vienna is the city in
which Beethoven lived ; and there is no place in the
world where so little is talked about, or played by
Beethoven. There they are afraid of everything new,
everything that deviates from the beaten track ; even
in music, they object to a revolution.— i^.

GOTTHOLP WEDEL'S PROPOSED GERIfANISATION

OF FOREIGN MUSICAL TERMS.

Our highly esteemed and witty friend Wedel must
have already observed that we think this subject

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82 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

deserves consideration. Our periodical always Ger«
manises the titles of compositions as much as pos-
sible ; the eye will grow accustomed to the change,
and people will at last wonder why " mit inniger
Empfindung" is not as suitable as con gran' espres-
sione," — nor need it then be written on every page.

But we doubt whether such extraordinary transla-
tions as *'Bardiet" for "symphony," will ever be
accepted, and we cannot approve of them ; no one
can deprive us of our " Lied/' and let us accept
** Sonata " and ** Rondeau " as they are ; it would not
be possible to give the same significance to a German
translation of them — ^perhaps, for example^ the
affected Klangstueck or " Tanzstuck." Don*t cany
things to extremes, but throw the compasses et
d/diees** overboard, however I

In my opinion, it would be a good plan to express
these musical terms by a series of symbols, which
have more affinity with notes than letters have.
^ How much more quickly the eye takes in the symbol
< than its Italian verbal equivalent, crescendo ;
there is a pretty charm in the different signs, bows,
lines, &c., used with musical characters, and I have
sometimes thought that the style in which com-
posers illustrate their works by signs of expression,
enlightens us sooner as to their aesthetic cultivation,
than do the very tones they combine. —

Bad teadiers and badly conducted operas are
partly the cause of the decline of music ^ It is almost

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APHOR^HS.

incredible how long the influence — based on guidance
and cultivation— of the former may endure; some-
times, favourably or injuriously, for an entire genera-
tion. — Raro.

Falconers tear out the feathers of their hawks, lest
they should fly too high. —

Red is the colour of youth. Oxen and turkeys are
always enraged when they see it —

Critics and reviewers are not alike; the former
stands nearer to the artist, the latter to the mechanic^
—

So that genius exists, it matters little how it
appears, whether in the depths, as with Bach \ on the

heights, as with Mozart ; or in the depths and on the
heights at once, as with Beethoven.— i^,

MAST£RY.

Long ago I was struck by the rarity of trills in
Field's compositions,— except slow ones; beats,
rather. Field habitually practised the trill, with
great industry, in a pianoforte establishment in
London. One day a robust fellow entered, and lean-
over an instrument, played a trill, with such
roundness and rapidity, standing meanwhile, that
Field left the pilace', observing, that if such a fellow
could trill finely, it vyas not ^wprth his while to learn
the trick. May we not recognise in similalr feelings,

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

the deep sense of reverence with which men bend
b^ore things that a^re not to be iaaitated mechani-
cally?— 7?.

DILETTANTEISM,

Beware, Euscbius, of despising the better kind of
diiettanteism^ so inseparable from artist life. The
saying, ''No artist, no connaisseor*" can only be
regarded as a half truth ; for we cannot point to
any period in which art has really blossomed without
reciprocal action between these classes. — R.

. ThoM must invent new and bold melodies.

People say, " It pleased ; " or It did not please."
As if there were nothing higher than the art (ApUas^
fn;^ the public 1

•

It is the artist's lofty mission to shed light on tlie

depths of the human heart

No one does more than l^e knows. No one knows
more than he does.

The person who is unacquainted with the best

things among modern literary productions, is looked
upon as uncultivated. We should be at least as
advanced as this in music.

Shall dilettanti pooh-pooh things aside that

have cost artists dayai, weeks, months, years of
reflection ?

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( 85 )

REMINISCENCES OF A LADY FRIEND.

[By EVSB8III8.I

In the artistic circle that began to form itself at the
b^inning of the year 1834, in our city, Henriette
Voigt, our lately deceased young friend, occupied
a remarkable position ; a few words must be devoted
to her in these pages, which perhaps may thank the
social circle, in which the departed one took so lively
an interest, for their existence. This was princi-
pally owing to the co-operation of Ludwig Schunke»
her friend and master. Up to the period of her
acquaintance with this esteemed artist, Henriette
Voigt had been occupied more exclusively with the
older school. A pupil of Ludwig Berger in Berlin,
she played his compositions with enthusiastic pre-
ference, but, besides his, only Beethoven'a We all
knew of this ; and as ! lorestan finds it difficult to
agree with the so-called lady Beethovenians, it was
a long time before he, with Schunke, made this
acquaintance, the consequences of which were so
happy and eventfuL But an artist needed only to
make one visit to that house, before feeling himself,
thoroughly at home. Over the grand pianoforte
hung the portraits of the great masters ; a choice
musical library stood conveniently for reference; it
seemed that Apollo was the master of the house, and

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

^ Music its presiding divinity ; and host and hostess
anticipated every wish that a musiciaa could form.
Many foreign and then yet unknown visitors will
remember this hospitable house. Schunke became
at home there immediately ; by him Henriette's
attention was directed to the modern tendencies
that had made their way since the deaths of
Beethoven and Weber. Then Schubert was taken
up ; and no compositions more quickly excite musical
sympathy than his for four hands, which persuade
heart and intellect more quickly than words. Then
came the turn of Mendelssohn and Chopin ; the
enchantments of the former awakened a feeling
that amounted to reverence in the lady, while she
rather preferred to hear the compositions of the
latter played by others, than to play them her-
self.* Another respected guest of the house was
counsellor Rochiitz, who delighted to hear the lives
and deeds of modem artists described by the lady,
or their works, as she interpreted them in her play-
ing. She also entertained a lively correspondence
with many famous artists, and did not exclude foreign
names from her sympathy. She who had in a great
measure called this delightful life, with its pleasures,
duties^ and relationships, into being, was only too
soon deprived of, and withdrawn from, it Ludwig

• Madame Henrietta Voigt, the lady to whom these reminiscences *
are dedicated, was a musical and cultivated lady, the wife of Herr Carl
Voigt, a Leipzig merchant. In the fanciful Davidite Society, Madame
Voigt sometimos called Aqpasia, sometimes LeononL

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REMINISCENCES OF A LADY FRIEND. 87

Schunke's illness began to take a threatening form

in the year 1834. He could not have found a more

devoted nurse than our friend, and if human hands

could have disarmed death, such power would have

been hers, who inspired him with courage, and

bestowed consolation until his last moments. He

died, too young, before he had reached his goal as

an artist, but unforgotten, and well-beloved of many.

Many artists afterwards knocked at the door of the

hospitable and well-known house, and many new ties

were formed; but none became so profound and

complete in their nature as that had been ; the

broken string re-echoed long aften Five years later

she died of the same illness, consumption, illusive

disease, which nature so kindly hides from the

declining one, that he sometimes seems to gain

strength daily ; and our patient was so strangely

deceived, until the day when sinister presentiments

overcame her, that she found it impossible to believe

death approaching, and even gathered fresh hopes of

life from those very presentiments. Up to the last

moment she retained her devotion to music and

musicians, proving it even in her smallest actions, as

when she purchased fruits and flowers^ to send,

openly or secretly, according to circumstances, to

some admired artist. Schunke's grave was often

decked with garlands by her; she had previously

caused a monument to be erected over it. In every

way she contributed to the success andJhappiness of

music and musicians ; favourable circumstances, and

H

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

the approbation of a husband who never denied to
her any favourite wish, enabled her to do this.

Her album was an object of especial care ; it was
her dearest treasure, nor would she have exchanged
it for the most precious jewels; nearly all the dis-
tinguished musicians of to-day had a place in iL
Her letters were remarkable for their easy grace;
these, with the answers of her correspondents, would
form a very interesting collection, from which we find
it difficult to make a selection here, as they princi*
pally touch on events of too recent occurrence. In
her diaiy she wrote prose and poetry by tums^
generally treating of art and artists; her mind
was seldom at rest, as she felt that something
should be done for the progress of music every day.
With all this, she was a pattern housewife and
mother.

Her playing possessed all the good qualities of
Ludwig Berger's school ; it was correct, elegant, and
easy, though not without restlessness when many
listeners were present She remained so long faithful
to the tradition of her fundamental school, that it
was not without difficulty that she could be brought
to make use of the enlivening pedal But we pever
heard her play a single bad composition, and she
never encouraged anything inferior j; though some-
times obliged, as a hostess, to endure it, she betrayed
her displeasure by her silence, in spite of the regard
she might feel towards the artist in question per-
sonally.

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REMINISCENCES OF A L/IDY FRIEND. 89

In the winter of 1836, Ludwig Bergcr gave her the
pleasure of visiting her, and living in her house for

some time. The letter announcing this may be in-
serted here as characteristic :—

Dresden, October 183d

••Best and Dearest Jetty, — ^After long delay,
the hour of trial for you also, has at last appeared I
Meet it, then, with Christian resignation ; for no one
can escape his destiny.

•^This very week, on Thursday or Friday, perhaps,
some one will knock at your door, imploring shelter
for a few days and nightSi with homeopathic fare;
nor need the menu be long or various — soups and
plainly-dressed meat will suffice I His request and
desire will be : to meet Mesdames Voigt and Lipsia,
and a few male friends and acquaintances. Then he
hopes to sell some of his own — ill or well-bred-
children, of legal or left-handed marriages, when with
you ; some are comely, others ungraceful enough,
but it is now time for them all to mal^e their own
way in the world. The visitor will bring a pair of
tiiem with him ; the rest he purposes to sell in a
sack, or else they must be slaughtered witli the once
celebrated club of the Mttncheberg gate. But; dear
Jetty, don't be too seriously alarmed. You, your
dear lord and house -warden (Hausvoigt), and
daughter, may rejoice beforehand about the visit of
your old friend ; . and be sure that you meet him
Qierrily and civilly with • Come in, come in, dear

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90

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

good friend 1 You are heartily welcome if you can
content yourself among simple, quiet people, best
old friend, Ludwig Berger,

Of Berlin.".

He departed this life only a few months before his

pupil, in February of the same year. In Henrietta's
<liary we find a poem on his death, in which the
following passage occurs :—

Smnterbat funb' ic^ mit 8ufl, wa« JDu aU JDcnfmal gelaiicn,.

SBag JDu Begciflcrt fd^uffl, JDu, tin ^unjller, une gabjl.
J^o^crcn (Strcbcnt? erfuKf, Hicb freniD JDir baS Sliebrc, ©cmeiut^

aBa0 au« ber ©nifi 3)ir quofl, mal^nt an bie beifcrc Beit,
SBo nod^ bic l^eilige Jhjnjl, »erebclnb bie ^^en bee SKcnge, .

9lid^t nut but(^ dufjeren ®(an} ©dnger unb $drer mbanb.
@d^m€t)U<^ rrfuKt mtf ba< IBiIb, anc^ SDit gst Ciul^e grgangen,

ijKitevbet®eiti0mti^,biebagef4%ti^(Re^t

««« 24. Seat. 1839.

But her nature will be better understood by a few '
passages from her diary, than through my descripr
tions: —

August 31J/, 1836.— ** I cannot avoid regarding the
present tendency of music as that of a period of
transition (I except certain events and creations)|
which must result in better and clearer tilings for
the future. It is a combat and a struggle, but
victory is not far distant"

Septetnher lothy 1 836. — "Why do people learn
so many languages in our day ? Truly, but to
repeat the sanu^ insipidities with many tongues^

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REMINISCENCES OF A LADY FRIEND. 9I,

Would every one speak and write his mother-tongue
correctly ! **

September 13^.— ''Chopin was here yesterday, and.

played for half an hour on my grand pianoforte —
fantasies and new itudes of his own. Interesting,
xnan-— yet more interesting^ performance — he affected
me to a most uncommon degree. The sensitiveness
of his imaginative style and. character communicates
itself immediately to the sensitive hearer : I held my
breath while I listened. Wonderful is the airy grace
with which his fingers glide^ almost fly, over the key
board, producing a velvet-like tone. I cannot deny
that he enchanted me to a degree, and in a manner
to which I had been until now a stranger. And I
was also especially delighted with his childlike,
natural demeanour ; it was the same, too, when he
played.'*

October lOth, — " How strangely our early, childish
likes and dislikes cling to us in later years 1 I always
felt an aversion to rope-dancers' and equestrians'
feats, and the same feeling seems to have glided
into my artistic views ; for if a virtuoso chances to
astonish me for a moment, the wonder is immediately
replaced by involuntary repugnance. No rope
dancing in music for me ; it profanes the sanctuary*
Artificiality is not art — ^but how often are these
mistaken for each other in our dayl All art must
rest on nature; for though the younger and more
aspiring sister strives towards a more intellectual
sphere, her very foundations are rooted in her prede*

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92 MUSIC ANB MUSICIANS.

cessor— can art exist independent of nature, — a world
without a divinity ? Yet how often is the God for^

gotten 1 **

October 20///, — " What true pleasure I enjoyed

«

to-day, while gazing, as it were, into a highly refined
and uncommon mind ! I read an article by Moscheles
on Schumann's sonata, and thought it a masterpiece
of clearness and insight ; he always sees the predse
truth, and gives us, in a few words, the most perfect
judgment possible* How delightful it is to gather
such golden fruit in an epoch that seems choked
with unripe growths ! If Moscheles had been here,
he would have envied me for the pleasure I felt in
his own words."

October 21st — "How well Moscheles describes
father Haydn's exquisite symphony in B-flat major !
—and what sunny clearness I felt in that music to-
day I Its tones breathe a celestial euphony, ignorant
of the satiety of life, and only exciting pleasure,
cheerfulness, delight in life, childlike happiness ; —
/ what great qualities in an epoch like ours, a morbid
musical epoch, when one so sddom feels any ntward
contentment from art ! "

November 3rd. — Mendelssohn played Beethoven's
G-major concerto to-day with a perfection and power

•

that carried everything before it It was one of the
happiest moments of my life, and I sat motionless
and almost breathless, for fear of disturbing my own
joy. But what a bore it was to hear commonplace
talk at the end of it — people exchanging their ' clevei;

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REMINISCENCES OF A LADY FRIEND^ 93

remarks and opinions I I left the hall, and went out
into the fresh air."

February 20lA, iS$y,—** I never felt so deeply the
meaning of the Lord's prayer as to-day, when kneel-
ing by my child's bed; with how much fervour I
prayed, and how well I knew that in God's own
presence my knees were bent I "

3fune iii/i, — 1 cannot understand— what I never-
theless see every day— *how mothers can find it in
their hearts to send their children away, to obtain
breathing time for themselves i I can only breathe
freely when my child is there ; otherwise I have no
repose. How can they deprive themselves of the
pleasure of seeing their children as often and as long
as possible ? "

Marc/i izth, 1838.— " Mendelssohn's *St Paul'
is a model work, and if any of his compositions will
render him immortal, surely it is this oratorio. I said
so after the hrst rehearsal, in which I sang, when
everything went directly to my ear and heart ; and
now my opinion seems borne out by the reception
which this work meets with everywhere. How for-
tunate are we, who hear it brought out under the
master's own direction I "

April 12th. — ^"'What a melancholy impression I
always receive when I hear the performances of a
family of virtuosos ! When the whole existence of a
man is spent on mechanism, he squanders the very
essence of his mindt How sad the playing of
children Aiakes me — ^poor unripe or over-ripe crea*

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94 MUSIC AND MtJSICiANS.

tures, whipped to music, or whose music has been
whipped into them! I cannot admire; I pity, in

disgust, and long to lead the poor things into other
paths."

April 25/^—" The opinion— thought or spoken-o-
of the world, becomes more and more indifferent to
me. I know people say of me, that I play a great
deal, and live np to my favourite caprices and occu-
pations ; while in reality, weeks pass by without my
finding leisure to open the pianoforte. They think
I practise, read, or do anything rather than write
these lines while others sleep or spend the precious
moments in company. However, when a human
being has higher aspirations^ it is possible to think,
watch, and progress, under any circumstances, and
even while performing a lower order of labours. Few
people understand this sort of progress ; they fancy
it is only to be found in study ; but that cannot
always be the case, for many studious heads produce
nothing but sticks and straw."

September i$th, — To-day we sang *St. Paul* in
the illuminated church. This year as well as last, I
practised at every rehearsal, and now know the work
by heart. I cannot remember any that impresses
me with such a happy feeling as this ; it is so full of
exalted, yet deeply sincere sentiment. What delight,
to sing it under his direction, to perform it according
to his own wishes ! ^

Septefnber 22nd. — " To-day I was in a store where
the novelties of the fair were displayed in great

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COMMUNAL MUSICAL UNIOF OF KYRITZ. 95

quantities, and all were articles of dress 1 What a
crowd of buyers and sellers, rushing and hurrying
like insane people! Pushing each other about, and
losing their senses about wearing apparel ! In spite
of myself, the tears came into my eyes, and I felt
unhappy. Why and to what end is all this striving ?
I thought. Not to live: to decorate life, then?
There are people whoiwould cover even our Creator:
with artificial flowers !"

Her diary for 1839 contains nothing but these few
words of foreboding :—

January ird, 1839. — '*With anxiety I greet the
new year. Will it bring me joy or sorrow ? Will its
close still find me on earth? Courage and faith I r
God will aid me certainly, however it may be 1 "

THE CITY AND COMMUNAL MUSICAL
UNION OF KYRITZ.

[A droU occurrence^ related by Florestan, and symbolically referring
to circumstances that happened in a famous musical city.]

The little city of Kyntz has always been distin*,
guished by its love for music There are villages

devoted to chess-playing, others that possess an ^
entire theatrical establishment; but Kyritz resem*
bled the great house of some musical magnate, from
the windows of which musical instruments may be.

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

heard sounding all day and all night Every one
there was musical, from the cantor down to the
watchman. But those who should suppose harmony
at home in Kyritz, would find themselves mistaken.
Secret parties had long been forming within its
breast ; had not whole groups of piping, blowing,
and fiddling dependents gathered before the door of
the principal drummer of the regiment, Fresser (a
declared romanticist), on Walpurgis night, with the
intention of piroceeding, under their chief, to the
house of the chief bellows-blower, KnifT (the leader
of the opposite musical party), in order to serenade
him with the overture "Les Francs Juges," and
other nonsense, while Kniff ordered his players to
strike up The Caliph of Bagdad " in opposition ? It
was a hideous noise, this combat between the old
and the new ; all Kyritz was in effervescence. But
matters became much more involved. Every one in
Kyritz was acquainted with Lippe the hairdresser and
band player, who played every instrument, every one
badly. It was Lippe who had dressed the hair of
Lafont and hundreds of others in Paris, yet whom the
Government had, notwithstanding, transported and
escorted home; a confounded wind-bag, who made
love to Fresser's daughter, while he assured Kniff
that he would exterminate all Fresser's romanticists,
as they deserved. At the bottom of his heart, how*
ever, he hated both parties, though he hoped to
elevate himself on their shoulders to the musical
dictatorship of Kyritz« and eventually to wed Fresser^s

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COMMUNAL MUSICAL UNION OF KYRTTZ. 9/

pretty Sabina. Kyntz, how wast thou dazzled,
when thou didst believe in the following article of
faith, signed G. S., which appeared in thy weekly
paper ! " Music, which should be the harmony of
the eternally beautiful, which ought to unite God .
and humanity more closely, has for some time led
to the most deplorable results in our city. Might
not such occasions be avoided by a combination of
our resident notabilities? And would not this be
most easily reached by the formal establishment of
a City and Communal Musical Union/' similar to
the societies that are to be found elsewhere ? Could
not honorary members be chosen also (and corres-
ponding ones also, of course), and might not our
excellent Mayor Kaulfuss be induced to accept the
presidency of this union

Lippe's affairs were at this time in a bad state.
He had many debts and few customers ; his playing,
like his hairdressing, was superficial, though he was
more industrious in the former, more talented at the
latter; he was but half musician, half hairdresser.
He now dung to music with all his strength, until
the Kyritzers* hair and wigs slipped through his
artistic fingers ; but he declared that he would leave
the finest head k la Titus half dressed, rather than
lose a note of Mozart's "Tito." The day after that
famous notice appeared in the paper, he scurried
about the streets, with the flocks of frightened geese
flying before him. He ran from house to house, with
the statutes of the communal society in his pockety

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98 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

threatening everybody with honorary membership ;
even the worthy Kaulfuss hesitated an instant, and
smih'ngly acquiesced, handing Lippe a peruke to be
dressed, — and other perukes followed this one. Lippe
already foresaw his own triumph, and set Fresser's
and Kniffs partisans at each other's ears worse than
ever, in order to draw benefit to himself from their
discord. Heavy storm clouds hung over Kyritz;
but the piping, and fiddling, and blowing, went on
madly. In the midst of the uproar it was heard:
"Where is Lippe? The rascal I the wind-bag 1 the
braggart!" His lantern betrayed him, and — but
we will draw a veil over the scene. Rarely has a
man been thrashed to such complete satisfaction—
of his friends. The hornists blew in his ears, the
violinists drew their bows over his lips, two little
drummers hung to his ankles, until Fresser, satisfied
with his victory, sounded a retreat.

Duni^ the hurly-burly, a couple of Davidites
came towards the city gate, and cut through the
parties. While Lippe was borne, half dead, to the
suburb where he lived, they laughingly noted down
the occurrence described above.

THE OLD CAPTAIN.

While the storm raved furiously at my windows
yesterday, seeming to drive complaining voices before
it» thy form arose upon my mental sight, poetic old

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tHE OLD CAPTAm. 99

captain, and caused me to forget the tumult without,
in quiet thoughts of thee.

In the year 183-, a thin, dignified form had taken
a place in our circle, we scarcely knew how. No one
knew his name, no one asked whence he came or
whither he went ; he was known as "the old captain."
He sometimes remained away for weeks, and then
he would come every day, especially when we had
music, and then he sat quietly in a corner, as though
he fancied himself unseen, leaning his head in his
hands, but sometimes making thoughtful, admirable
observations on what was performed. **Eusebius,"
said I one day, ''our wild, romantic life needs a
harper out of 'Wilhelm Meister;' how would it be
if we took the old captain for one, allowing him to
retain his incognito ? "

And he retained it a long time.' • But, little as he
alluded to himself, and carefully as he avoided any
allusion to his circumstances, correct information " at
last firmly established the lact that he was a Herr von
Breitenbach, a retired oihcer, formerly of the s ian
Service^ with sufficient means for his own wants, and
a love for the society of artists sufficient to induce
liim to give them all he possessed if necessary ; and-^
w^hat was of yet more consequence — ^he had journeyed,
partly on foot, to Rome, London, Paris, and Peters-
buig^, where he had seen and heard the most distin-
guished musicians; then he played Beethoven's con-
certos charmingly, as well as Spohr's for the violin,
'Which be used to cariy inside his travelling coat on- his

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lOO MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

journeys. Besides this, he had painted the portraits
of all his friends in his album ; he read ThucidideSy
studied mathematics, wrote wonderful letters, &&

Th^re was some truth in all this, we found on
closer acquaintance^ But we could not verify the
reports of his musical powers, until Florestan acci-
dentally overheard him, and returning home» told us
in confidence that the captain's playing was fearful,
and that he must beg his (Florestan's) pardon because
he bad been overheard. It reminded him of the
anecdote about old Zelter, who, walking through the
streets of Bciiin with Chamisso one evening, over-
heard pianoforte playing, and listened to it for a
while, then seizing Chamisso's arm, said, ''Come
along, that fellow's music is only fit for his own ears."
Of course he is lacking in firm mechanism. But as
his deeply poetic eye was able to reach at one glance
the heights and depths of Beethoven, he did not
commence his musical studies with scales and a
master, but with Spohr's concerto (the ''Gesangs
Scene "), and Beethoven's last great B-flat major son-
ata. We have been assured that he practised each
of these pieces for ten years. Sometimes he would
joyfully inform us that the sonata was growing
obedient, and we should soon hear it from him;
sometimes he told us in a discourai^cd manner, that
though he often reached the summit, it was only to
be again precipitated below ; and yet he could not
avoid making the attempt once more.

But if his practical knowledge was not vety greaV

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«

THE OLD CAPTAIN. lOt

it was ceilainly a great enjoyment to sec him listen-
ing to music I never played better, or more gladly,
to any man, tiian to him. His presence was inspiring ;
I mastered him, led him whither I would, and yet it
seemed as if I received all my power from him. And
when he began to speak, in a clear, soft voice, about
the high value of art, his ideas seemed to proceed
from a source above us^ so clear, impersonal, and
true were they. He did 'not know what the word
"blame " meant When he was obliged to listen to
something insignificant, one saw that it had no exists
ence for' him ; as a child knows not sin, so in him a
feeling for what is vulgar or trivial had not yet been
awakened.

For several years he came and went among us,
always regarded as some beneficent supernatural
being might be ; but lately he remained away for a
longer time than usual. We supposed he was on
one of those long pedestrian excursions tliat he made
every year, until one evening we read, in a news-
paper announcement, of his death.

Eusebius wrote the following epitaph upon him
"Beneath these flowers I dream, a silent chord. I
cannot wake my own strings to music, but under the
hands of those who comprehend me, I become an
eloquent friend. Wanderer, ere thou goest, try me.
The more trouble thou takest with me, the more
lovely will be, the tones with which I shall reward
thee.**

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( )

REPORT OF THE LAST HISTORICO*
ARTISTIC BALL AT EDITOR -t—

[Addressed to. Jeanqiurit ia Augsbuig,]

R£AD and wonder, my dear friend ! the editor of the
most modem ''Musical Times^' is accustomed to
give, at least once a year, a sort of art-historical ball;
the guests suppose it is given on their account ; the
rogue laughs quietly to himself, however, for this is
the only way he can escape the tiresome reviewal of
dance musi^ and grow cleitr, at the same time, about
its impression on the public, awakening lively criti-
cisms on the subject at the feast. You should learn
to know our host. Reports had indeed reached me
regarding the small amount of really danceable
music, which we, as its machinists, were expected to
polish underfoot; but why need a young artist refuse
such an invitation on that account ? On the con-
trary, we chose to march in herds, like sacrificial
oxen, through the ball-room. Then the editor has
daughters, whom we might hope to impress favour-
ably, — one uncommonly tall, who writes a good
many reviews, and then a younger one, something of
a painter already, innocence itself, — ^a maiden, Jean-
quirit, who has brought limitless misery on mel But
I wished for you more than ever oa that evening.
Composers promenaded up and down, pretty mothers
of young lady performers, the ambassador with

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ARTISTIC BALL AT EDITOR — *S. lOJ

his rister, music publishers^ a couple of rich Jewesses*

Davidites leaning against the pillars, — in short, it
was difficult for me to conduct the assistant-editress
(the giantess is called Ambrosia) through the crowd
to the first polonaise. Here is the programme of
dances:—

First Part

. Great pathetic polonaise, by J. Novakowski, opus 1 1.
Waltz, by F. Chopin, opus 12.
Four mazurkas, by J. Brzowsky, opus 8.
Six four-hand waltzes, by C H. Zollner.

Grand polonaise, by F. Ries, opus 174.

During the intermission, boleros, by Chopin,
opus 19.

Second Fart.

' Three four-hand polonaises, by C. Kragen, opus 15.
Grrand bravura waltz, by! Liszt, opus 6.
Four mazurkas, by C. Wolff, opus 5.
Two polonaises, by Chopin, opus 22.

We talked a great deal togetfier ; for instance, of

the peculiar nature of the polonaise, and how, even

in it, we show ourselves to be German, and how we

dance after the most varied nationalities, and how

Strauss has been our real saviour in this respect

(and only in this, interposed Ambrosia), and how the

last measure of the polonaise makes me melancholy,

&C. ''Since the conquest of Warsaw/ said my

I

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IC4 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

partner, I have always felt, in dancing the polo«

naise, a fear lest the Kosacks miorht step in with
their veto. Poor Poles \ " she sighed ; Beda cannot
play Chopin without teart."— ** How nobly you feel,**
said I, " and how charmingly melodious is the polo-
naise we are dancing, by the new Polish composer I
** Indeed, the trio pleases me much," ssud she, but
how much a la Chopin it is ! " — ^And so she dragged
the Romantic school into the conversation twice/ to
obtain my views about it With all the slyness and
amiability I could call up, I endeavoured to impress
her favourably on my own account, and for the sake
of my future works ; but the oftener she turned her
languishing eyes upon me, the more diiUcult it
became. At last, thank heaven, the dance wa$
ended. On leaving me, she whispered, " To be led
to the last polonaise, Chopin's, by so artistic a hand,

would" *• Would make me very happy," of course I

continued, bowing. A battle was won, but now began
the romance. My next thought was to secure Beda,
the youngest sister, for the waltz by Chopin. I was
enchanted with her angelic face, which I saw for the
first time that evening, delighted with the dance, and
charmed to hear from the disappointed Eusebius
that she, blushing, had just refused to dance it with
him. If I ever floated rejoicingly on the air, it was
at that moment. To be sure, I was only able to
coax a yes from her now and then, but it was
always pronounced so soulfuUy, so finely shaded
according to its various meanings, that I became . as

i

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ARTiaTIC BAIXVAT EDITOH *S. lOj

ecstatic as any nightingale. Beda, thought I, would
rather be. silent than pronounce a contradictory no ;
I could, scarcely understand how she had refused to
dance with Euscbius. And now, while Chopin's
body and soul inspiring waltz veiled us in its soft
dark flood, while Beda gazed pensively towards the
assembly, I gently led the conversation to Chopin
himself. She scarcely heard his name pronounced,
whea she looked towards me with kind, wide-opened
eyes. " You know him ? " — " Yes," I said. — " And you
have heard him» have conversed with him ? " Her
whole frame seemed to become transfigured. And
then I told her that I should never forget how
I had seen him sitting at the pianoforte like a
visionary seer, and how his playing seemed a dream
evoked by himself, and how it was his habit, at the
close of every juece, to .strike the keys with one
finger up and down, as if to tear himself forcibly
from his dream, and hoiV careful he was obliged to
be of his delicate health ; and theti she came nearer
to nje in anxious joy, and wished to know more and
more about him. Chbpin, handsome robber of hearty
I never envied thee until that moment ! I was stupid,
however, stupid, Jeanquirit, nothing but the pencil
that for the first time brought the living likeness ot.
her saint closely before her. At the close she said,
" I am childish, but I will confess to you that, with-
out ever having seen him, I have painted his picturb ;
I will bring it, and you shall say whether it is correct,
l^ut you must not tell any one else about it" And*

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106 HUSIC AMD MUSICIANS.

then she pressed my hand. At parting I invited
her to another dance. She said she was engaged
for all except the last polonaise by Chopin» and she
would gladly dance that with me. I cannot tell you,
my friend, how tedious I found the next dances.
But I made one discovery, by means of which I shall
revenge myself on the double-tongued editor and
ball-giver of the evening. As I was walking .up and
down in a dimly-lighted side-room, I chanced to see
a tuning-fork and a sheet of paper. To my surprise I
read as follows:— "Mazurkas byBrzowsky : comical,
unclear, flat stuff ; more nasal than chest tones,
yet not wholly uninteresting. — Waltzes by ZoUner:
rather tedious and tindanceable, but clever, and
rather too good for dance-music ; they seem to have
been written by an organist for a colleague's wed-
ding and so on. Laying down the paper and walk-
ing on, I saw the editor return, and from the other
side of the curtains I watched him writing, while he
often struck the tuning-fork. When a dance was
over, he softly opened the door leading into the ball-
room, apparently to catch the vox foptdi^ and then
wrote on. I pitied the man he was criticising-.
While I was attentively watching, some one came
behind me. and put his hands over my eyes. I was
almost angry when I recognised in the jester a
Flemish fagotto -player, a certain Monsieur De
Knapp, — a face that looks like the war-cry of
scandal, not to mention his baldness, and the im-
moral cast of his nose; a poor fingerery who hates

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ARTISTIC BAU- AT EDITOR — 'S. I07

me because I once gave him to understand in Brussels
that '*a fagotto- player who cannot also play the
violin like Paganini does not need to torment himself
in my presence;" in short, whenever I think of him,
I discover a whole Shakespearian dictionary of abuse
within me. "Excuse the joke," said he (he is an
intimate friend in the editorial mansion, and Ambro-
sia s acknowledged shawl-bearer), but Fraiilein Beda
is now beginning the boleros." Reason enough for
me to turn my back on him. You know this tender
composition, this intoxicating picture of Southern
glow and timidity, of reserve and abandonment ; the
lovely, enthusiastic Beda at the pianoforte, the pic-
ture of her adored composer within her heart, per-
haps now resting upon it, before it is shown to
me. I rushed away as the last thought struck me,
with no other hope save in the final polonaise to
come. Events now crowded upon me; Let me pass
over the next polonaises (the composer himself was
present — a pleasant, gentle sort of man, like his polon-
aises). Ambrosia hammered more out of the Liszt
waltz than she was aware of, perspiring visibly mean-
while. ^ Such a monster can only be vanquished by
the courageous^" I whispered in her ear, ^and you do
well not to spare yourself." She smiled sweetly on
me. There were now only a few mazurkas to go
through with before the dance with Beda, which was
to decide the fate of the evening. The fine melodies
of these dances followed me as I once again found
myself beside the curtain behind which the editor

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-f 08 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

talked up and down. I had scarcely taken my place
there, when some one again blinded my eyes.

Finding De Knapp behind me again, I said to him,
''It is scarcely alk>wable to repeat a joke; no one
has a right even "to attempt 7W joke!* And as De
Knapp does not understand much German, I trans-
lated it into Flemish for him with my eyes. Excuse
me, man chcr'' he stuttered, ** but Fraiilein Ambrosia
waits for the polonaise.'' And now I fully realised my
dreadful position. Had I not engaged Beda for the
same dance ? On the other hand, would Ambrosia
ever forgive me? Would she not hereafter dip the
arrows of love, with which she now besieges me, in
critical aqua toffana^ and bring me down with a
storm of notes ? One glance at Beda, — I gave up all
hope of the laurel, and seizing her hand, I led her to
the dance. Friend, you know I can bear much— •
champagne or sorrow— but to move by her side to

such music, to float through scther on pinions of
iiame with such a maiden, — I could scarcely support
myself for giddiness. I took care not to remind hier
of Chopin, lest she should drive me down like a
criminal from this lovely, blessed height. But when
she asked me whether she might show me die por-
trait, I grasped it mechanically. The picture was
admirably painted, the head a likeness, even to that
revolutionary trait round Chopin's mouth; but the
figure was somewhat too large. Leaning backwards
slightly, he shaded his eyes with his hand* while they
sparkled brightly in the gloom ; in the background.

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ARTISTIC BALL AT EDITOR . *S. 1 09

flashes of lightning seemed to illumine the whcAc
"Good!** said I, somewhat roughly perhaps, for she *
asked me whether the picture reminded me of any-
thing sad in the past ^'No/' I answered ; " rather of
the future." Stiffly and silently I continued tlie
dance. Ambrosia, who salt partnerless and bit-
ing her lips near De Knapp, moved away as we
approached her. De Knapp hastily whispered some-
thing to Beda ; she grew pale, and, excusing herself,
said she could not dance any longer. You may
imagine my surprise I But the sight of De Knapp
recalled me to myself; and when, at the end of the
dance, he let fall to a third party some remark about
my " intolerable behaviour to a daughter of the house/'
I of course challenged him without more ado.

I was greatly surprised, however, when Eusebius,
beckoning me into a corner with a mysterious air,
told me that Beda had refused to dance with him
on my account ; Father Editor had forbidden her to
accept me, Florestan, for a partner, because I was an
orthodox Romanticist, a three-quarter Faust, who was
to be avoided like a Liszt composition. Beda had
mistaken us for each other on account of our great
similarity, and had on this account left me during
the last dance, after De Knapp had whispered to
her the real state of the case. And.yet this editor,
this unimaginative brain, whose critical tuning-fork-
behaviour I will yet uninask to the world, actually
requested me, on the door-^tep, to conti bute som^
thing about the dance-music I bad just listened tf?

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MUSIC AND ucssaiats.

for his next number, assuring me that he hoped to
attach me to his house (Ambrosia wants a husband^
I suppose^ and so on. That I should answer con-
fusedly was to be expected ; but I never shall forgive
myself for standing before him like a sheep and say-
ing nothing, on Beda's account; or rather Chopin
was the cause of it all. — F.

Postscript. — As I foresaw, No. 37 contains a review
of our Carnival; ''Here is another monster onion,
in face of which, notwithstanding, we are unable to
weep, from pure pity. Composers should allow their
works to pass the equator before they uncork them,
and should not suppose that a legion of noughts will
add value to their ideas," &c. — — De Knapp
skedaddled last night 1

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KEYS.

A GR£AT deal has been said on both sides; the
truth, as usual, lies in the middle. With as little
truth can we say that this or that feeling, in order to
be correctly expressed in music, must be translated
in but one especial key (anger, for example, in C
sharp minor), as that we can agree with Zelter, who

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I

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KEYS. Ill

declares that any feeling may be expressed in any
key. The analysation of this question was already
commenced in the past century ; the poet Schubart
especially professed to have found in some keys
the characteristic expression of some feelings. Though
a great deal of poetic tenderness is to be found in
his characterisation, though he was the first to signa-
lise the great differences that exist between the major
and minor scales, there is too much small description,
epithet, and specification in his work — though this
would be well enough were it all correctly applied.
For instance, he calls E minor a girl dressed in
white, with a rose-coloured breastknot 1 In G minor
he finds discontent, discomfort, worrying anxiety
about an unsuccessful plan, ill-tempered gnawing
at the bit Now compare this idea with Mozart's
symphony in G minor — that floating Grecian grace I
—or Moscheles* concerto in G minor! No one
will deny that a composition, transposed from its
original key into another, produces a different effect,
or that this alteration is produced by a difference
in the character of the keys: only try the "D^r*'
valtz in A major, or the "Bridal Chorus" in B
major! The new key seems contradictory to the
feeling ; the normal state of mind which every com*
position awakens is carried into a foreign sphere.
The process by means of which the composer
selects this or that principal key for the expression
of his feelings is as little explainable as the crea-
tive process of genius itself, which chooses a certain

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112 / MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. •'.

form as the vehicle in which to enclose a thought
with certainty. The composer will select the right
key without more reflection than the painter employs
in choosing his colours. A good idea — had we space
for it — w;ould be to compare the predominant char*
acter of classic master-works set in the same keys,
in order to discover whether or not a stereotyped
character had or had not gradually established Itself
in each key during various epochs. The difference
between major and minor must be granted before-
hand. The former is the activCt iaanly principle;
the latter, the suffering, the feminine. Simple feelings
demand simple keys ; th^ more cx)mplicated ones
require those that mote rarely meet the ear. Thus
one might observe the rising and falling of the
temperature of feeling by means of the interwoven
successiofi of dominant chords, and accept F sharp—
the middle point in the octave, the so-called tritone
— as the highest point, which 9gain descends through
the flat keys to the simple, unadorned C major.

GUTENBERG FESTIVAL IN LE/PSIC

Our art also assisted, — with her wonderful power in
touching the masses, joyfully or sorrowfully,— to
ennoble this festival (1840). And we must consider

it as a happy accident that two composers, — the

agreeable creati^ns^ in a certain style^ of one of whom

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GUTENBERG FESTIVAL IN LEXPSia 1 1 3

have rendered him well known throughout Germany,
while the fame of the other is European, — ^reside
among us ; and that they only needed a suggestion
to become interested in the festival. Certainly the
musical portion of a festival is not the smallest, and
everything was arranged on this occasion with such
an understanding.

For the eve of the festival, Herr Albert Lortzing
wrote a new comic opera, ** Haus Sachs/* which is
said to exceed all his former compositions in pleasing
freshness and lightness. I was not present at the
representation, but am told that it was most satis-
factory to the audience, and gratifying to the com*
poser. Many numbers were redemanded, and there
was no lack of applause, showers of wreaths, and
recalls* A second performiunoe will take place in a
few days. For the festival itself, the unveiling of a
press at work, and the Gutenberg statue (which had
been preceded, at eight o'clock in the morning, by an
ecclesiastical celebration, and a cantata (T occasion by
Herr Richter, director of the Singing Society of
Zittau), Dn Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy composed
a cantata for two male choruses with trumpet accom-
paniment, &c.| to words^ by Herr M. Prolz of Freibei^gy
ndiidi wad •sung early on Wednesday in the open
market-place. The at first threatening sky had
cleared, and the whole scene preisented a most im-
pressive aspect. One chorus was directed by Dr.
Mendelssohn, the other by concert-master David.
Every one knows how difficult it is to render music

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114 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

effective in the open air. A hundred voices more or
less scarcely make a shade of difTerence more or

less. In so large a space, the composition, joyful
and characteristic as it is, ought to have been sung
by at least a thousand throats. This, however, is a
bold wish, allowable to express, but difficult to realise.
But where music would have been most effective — at
the moment of unveiling — it was missing ; this was
overlooked. The whole assemblage was then at the
height of expectation and excitement; theintroduo*
tion of music here — perhaps precisely what was after-
wards sung, " A firm fortress is our God '* — would have
been exceedingly effective. The following day was
fully occupied with the festivities that other papers
report in fulL

Yesterday afternoon a great musical performance
took place in the Thomas Church, on the spot where
Sebastian Bach so often exercised his noble art, now
practised by his most admiring disciple, who leads
great masses with so energetic a hand. The per-
formance was very brilliant, and every comer of the
church was filled. Chorus and orchestra numbered
about five hundred. The works brought out were
Weber*s "Jubilee" overture, accompanied by the
organ at the close in " God save the King ; " Handel's
" Dettingen Te Deum ; " and a " Hymn of Praise by
Mendelssohn. It is not necessary to say anything
of the two first world-famous compositions. But the
last was new, and completed on purpose for the
festival by its composer ; a few words respecting it

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GtTENBERG FESTIVAL IN LEIPSIC. II5

may therefore be welcome to his distant admirers.
Mendelssohn^ who is always so correct m the bap-
tism of his works, has named it " Hymn of Praise."
But the hymn itself is preceded by three orchestral
symphonic movements, so that its form may be com*
pared to that of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, save
for the distinguishing difference, that the three
orchestral movements proceed without any pause
between them — an innovation in the symphonic form.
Yet this form can scarcely be termed a happily
selected one for its especial aim. However, the work
was enthusiastically received, and in its choral num-
bers especially must be counted among the mas-
ters freshest and most charming creations. Every
one who has followed the progress of his labours
kaows what this means, after such great performances
as have preceded this. We did not intend to give a
detailed description, but we must mention a duet,
interrupted by a chorus, " I waited for the Lord," at
the conclusion of which a whisper rustled through
the entire assemblage, — ^which means more in a
church than loud applause in a concert-hall. It was
like a glance into a heaven filled with the Madonna
e3res of Raphael, And thus the celebration of the
discovery of intellectual light brought to light a new
work, for which we all should express our gratitude
to its creator; and may we all, like the composer
who has so nobly set the words to music, for ever
"abjure the works of darkness, and put on the
armour of light"

♦

( Ii6 ).

THE PRIZE SYMPHONY*

pin order to render the meaning of No.' % dear, it was necessary fbt
to publish the following, by Gottschalk Wedd (A. von Zuccal*
maglio)].

I*

A GREAT many waking dreams stand noted on my
tablets; why then should I hesitate about relating
a genuine one ? I dreamt last night that I had deter-
mined to win the prize offered by the Art Union of
Vienna for the best symphony. I had made up my
mind that the Viennese judges favoured the new
French school of art, which already begins to mak«
its appearance here and there in Germany, and that I
must make myself master of this in order to succeed;
I did so, far more easily in my dream than I could
have done when awake, and when it was accomplished
"—ii^ about the time one usually takes to change
one's shirt— I reflected : — Gluck, the Ritter, when he
created his Iphigenia," used to recline on fresh green
meadow turf, while a flask of champagne lay cooling
under a tuft of wild flowers ; Sarti used to work in

* The first pkrt of this article was written by a contributor to
Schnnuum's paper, I{err Anton von Zuccalmaglio, who wrote nodes
the pseudonyms of Wilhehn von Waldbriihl and Gottschalk Wedel
der IX)rlkuster. It was intended as a satite on Berlios's manner of
composidon, with which the writer felt no sympathy. The second
part->by Schamann himself — refers to the symphony written by
I.Achner| which gained the prize oHered for the best new symphony
(and which Zuccalmaglio feared might have been obtained fay Berlios)
by the directors of the Concerts Spirituels at Vienna in i835.^Tb,

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THE PRIZE SYMPHONY. 1 1 7

the silent night hours, shut up in empty rooms,
while Cimamsa omceived the idea of his M atri<«i
monio Scgreto " amid the merry tumult of g"ay
society ; Sacchini was inspired by the companionship
of his young wife, while Traetta pursued his refleo*
tions within the pillared forest of the cathedral ; old
Paer's inexhaustible fountain of melody flowed forth
while he sat opposite to his friends, and Father
Haydn always saw that h ' dress was daintily
arranged, his peruque carefully combed, before ht
placed himself at his davUr, and entered his own
world of tone. Zingarelli read the Church Fathers to
gather inspiration for his Rom^o e Giulietta," while
Marc Antonio Anfossi, on the other hand, had the
table spread with savoury viands, and worked away
at roast capon and sucking-pig, according to the
measure of his inspiration. Like an elfin king,
Mozart best loved to gather the ever dewy, ever
blooming flowers of his art on clear moonlight nights
amid the haunted forests, while Rossini wrote how,
when, and where people wanted his music, and
Paesiello most willingly followed the chase of fancy,
as I now do, inched. But not one of these artists, not
one of the equally famous unmentioned here, placed
himself in a position to Compose a symphony like
that which whispers in my head, — ^such a one as
modern prepress demands^ To do so, we must visit
the Rabenstein and ascend the scaffold. AH the
ordinary events of life have been so long and so often
repeated, that no one cares to write, much less to.

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Il8 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

read them more ; so storytellers now give us extra*
ordinaiy events, and Paris offers us neatly copied

infernal machines, pillories, and gunpowder-plots,
that cannot fail to impress eveiy respectable man.
It is the same thing in music ; and we Germans are
old fogies to believe that music came to an end in
the bardic— is not the word very suitable to a
symphony? — ^works of Haydn, Mozart, or Beeth-
•oven; that their compositions are of any account, or
that it is worth a cultivated man's while to listen
to them. We must acknowledge that Berlioz the
Frank has opened a new path, that he has been the
first to follow up that which good Father Ha3^n
tapped in his "Child's Symphony," and Beethoven
discovered in his Battle of Vittoria."

We must remember that a well-chosen sign fills a
tavern or a shop, that man is not fed with bread
alone^ but also with words; a superscription, and
a good one, is necessary to our work; therefore,
instead of giving up my bardic hero to the use of
opium, condemning him to the galley or the
scafTold — instead, indeed, of creating such a hero at
all, I will simply baptize each movement with the
name that seems most suitable to it

I will write "Lamennais" over my introductory
* movement, long sustained, capriciously broken up,
yet undertaken with such wild fury that the wondrous
saint, my advocate, shall not be offended. Balzac
shall be the flood that bestows the first baptism.
And then life begins jto grow meny, and the devil

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THE PRIZE SYMPHONY. HQ

and a spice of madness mingles with it (this cannot
fail to prove effective), especially as in the ensuing^

slow movement I place Victor Hugo, and under his
banner invent a dance of death such as no Holbein
has yet painted. I shall not fot^t my minuet, and,
to make it as enticing as possible, shall dedicate it
to the intellectual Madame Dudevant, the bayadere
of the day, whose sensuous pirouettes enchant the
refined aristocratic world ; and in the closing move-
ment I shall invoke Eugene Sue,— until on . the
stream of my own melodies I ascend to the pirate's
banqueting hall, which I shall perfume with the
spice of their own cruelty and ferocity, while the
stage is illuminated with the burning of Lima, as
with Bengal fires. Hell and the devil, that will be a
masterpiece i Mozart and Beethoven already lie 1>e-
neath me like silent, heaven-reflecting Alpine lakes;
Haydn looks like a little shepherd hut ; before me
I see the avalanche and the glacier. Then to work
bravely I Yes, I feel how easy is labour to those who
believe they can outfly others ; how strongly creative
minds overlook the common rules and laws on which
common minds tamely lean ! Now sweep up every-
thing together as with an intellectual broom— it will
sound all the newer, the grander— only leave mis-
takes> octaves, and hfths standing, like weeds on. the
fruitful meadow t For no one can yet tell what a good
ear may become accustomed to. The old Florentine
painters, of the so-called, corrupt school, painted in
cellarS|.in orderto rehdear the effects of jight dtrongei*

K

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120 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

and more promineat; composers of our tempet
should write in stamping-mills and forges, sa that
they might learn the value of melody after the rush
of tumultuous noise. Until now, there have always
been weak souls who valued the flow, the current of a
movement, and who overlooked the fact that intellect
does not flow, but spouts heavenwards in a hundred
' varied directions— as well as those who have sought
to conceal their poverty of mind under the cloak of
unity. . Like every man of our day, I seek to let
myself out; novelty is my desire, and the cultivated
world will know how to appreciate it, when one little
tune after another thaws from my war-song, like the
tunes that formerly thawed from Munchausen's
posthorn. Is it not tiresome to be forever entangled
within the circle of a couple of ideas, n6 matter how
cleverly they may be led in and out ? In the new
style, everything possesses a novel charm^it is a
banquet from soup to dessert Mind, -mind is the
great desideratum, and if one would make a show
with it, one must not be indolent And when once
at work, we should reflect on all that lies before us,
and leaving not one instrument unused, rush like a
tempest throtigh drummers and fiddlers. It is cer-
tainly difficult to invent new instruments for the tone-
stage, no matter how necessary it may be to had
adequate m^ans to express one's ideas; but we can
manage the affair more easily when we observe that
every instrument, forced beyond its compass, carried
beyond its sphere, wiU sound like a new invention^

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«

THE PRIZE SYMPHONY. 121

a thing that weak heads, however, wagging over our
scores, will find hard to digest

So I shall turn trumpets into clarinettes, clarinettes
into flutes, horns into oboes, contra-basses into violins,
and vice versa; and through these changes I shall
seem to possess a thousand-voiced orchestra, and I
shall be certain to carry off the prize, even from
those on the shore of the Seine, who throw sand into
the eyes of fools.

Heaven knows what I should have put tc^ether, had
I not fortunately awoke. My first waking glance fell
on a paper, which informed me that my endeavours
would be in vain, as the prize had been already won
by my countryman Lachncr of Munich. I heartily
congratulate my brother, though his work may be
written in quite another style from that I contem*
plated. Nor does a sense of rivalry torment me so
much as formerly ; I will gladly turn away, with
him, from the false idols of the day to the old lights,
from which the cloud must now roll away. It is a
line, a praiseworthy thii^^ to preserve art, pure and
untroubled as a dwelling of the gods, from all errorr
of life, instead of dragging it down to the muddy
road, and degrading it into a base servant of the
passions.

II.

Our gentle, roguish (Gottschalkischer) Wedel has
worked himself into a passion about Berlioz the
Frank. But we are not all pious village sextons in

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122 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

art, like you ; and nations, even individuals, prefer to
say their prayers in their own way. Berlioz; though
he sometimes behaves himself like an Indian fakir,
and slays men at the very altar^ means it just as
honestly as does Haydn when he offers a cherry
blossom with his modest air. We can never make
others accept our- own belief perforce. As for the
"Meissiah" which you hope to find in Lachner's
symphony, I am sorry to say that you will be dis^
appointed, or only able to admire it because it con-
tains not a spark of Victor Hugo*s or Lamennais*
fire (which you hold in such horror) ; though I
certainly detect in it a trace of Meyerbeer's half-and-
half creatures, among which we may reckon mermaids,
ilying-fish, &c., which sometimes astonish the many
with their strange forms, yet really only form a por-
tion of the ugly transitions of creation.

In a word, the symphony is devoid of style ; it is
fabricated from German, French, and Italian material,
like the Romaunt language. Lachner uses German
imitations in canon form, Italian cantilenas, and
French transitions and cadences. When this is done
cleverly and strikingly, as with Meyerbeer in a good
humour, one can listen to it ; but when it is pierc^iyablc
to a tedious extent (as the faces of the Leipsic audi-
ence betrayed it to be), only the most indulgent of
critics will avoid repudiating the work. And this
excessive eclecticism is the reason why the symphony
will not be admired by the public either, .though
critics and connoisseurs , should be wiiUog to clQSi^

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J^E PRIZE SYMPHONY^

123

their eyes. Some one has said, that during a twenty^
line long adagio in an E-flat quartette by Beethoven,
he fancied that he revelled through a whole year;
in quite another sense, this symphony would fill
out an eternity. With all this unnecessary length
(Beethoven's last great symphony occupies 226 pages,
but this has 304), we find an extraordinary uniform-
ity of rhythm. Thus the first and second parts
move entirely in the often-used rhythm beginning
with the three quaver up-beat, to which so many com-
posers have already fallen victims. Had it been
managed, however, something as Beethoven has
managed it in the C-minor symphony, there would
be good reason to fall at the composer's feet But
we cannot deny the fact that the form of the idea
is so light from . the first, that, growing thinner and
thinner in working out, it finally disappears in empti-
ness. This is especially the case in the adagio ; the
same thought, in a hundred times* smaller space, has
been expressed in Schubert's " D6sir " waltz, first
part ; here it ought to finish on every page of this
hundred times' longer movement, but never comes to
an end. If it contained grave errors, weaknesses of
form, extravagances, there would be an opportunity
for improvement, encouragement ; but, alas ! here we
can only say "Very good," or "It is rather tiresome,''
or sigh, or think of something else.

The first movenient is decidedly the best and
freshest part of the symphony; a sort of passion
speaks in it, though not resting on a very poetic

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124 MUSIC AND MUSICUNS.

basis. Some one has said that " the first part of tlie
symphony expresses the striving for the prize, the
adagio a sh'ght doubt; in the scherzo we detect a
faint shimmer of hope, which, in the last movement,
widens into a happy certainty." Setting aside the
l^rosaic nature of this annotation, it seems quite
natural that works created under such circumstances
must betray a character of constraint and anxiety.
Many of the competitors would doubtless have written
quite different symphonies, but for the precious,
disturbing thought of the crown. More would be
obtained by offering a prize for the best already
composed symphony. It is really saddening to
think, if we must think so, that amid the great
number of works sent in, nothing better or more
original came to light, especially on account of the
noble views which the founders of the prize undoubt-
edly were moved by, but which, if they have not
actually injured art, have certainly not had an elevat*
ing influence on it. Yet we would not have it sup-
posed that we measure this symphony by a severer
standard than usual, because it has been preferred to
. so many others, or that we expected more from it
than from any other composition to be read or lis-
tened to. The mere appearance of a new symphony
is a cause of joy to us, and we are always inclined
to favour works of such consequence when we take
them up. The first movement, full of fine details
(as, for example, some crescendos, the imposing
melody for the bass instruments, which, however, is

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HENRI VISUXTOMPS AND LQUIS LACOMB£. 1 25

Incomprehensibly repeated in reply by the hi^^hest
ones), yet also full of tiresome weaknesses (as the
jcontinual repetition of certain harmonic periods, the
commonest imitations), caused our hopes to waver
somewhat. At the same time we saw that, as far as
a siiperiicial display of strength went^ not much more
was to be expected in the future movements. In
the adagio all our hopes were blasted. As the two
.first movements scarcely brought us a single living
staccato idea, we hoped for a contrast in the scherzo
.(the tempo of which, be it observed, is misprinted).
But it .is wholly wanting in humour, as the trio is in
mind. In the last movement, at last, we discover
two pretty principal motivos^ which are well inter-
woven and worked out in fugato style. But public
interest had already fallen off to such a degree, that
even the strongest massing went by without effect o|i
■ear or heart A few indeed applauded as the fault-
less performance deserved to be ; but the rest of the
listeners were glad when they arrived at the finale.

HENRI VIEUXTEMPS AND LOUIS

LA COMBE.

An accidental union of two young Frenchmen (1834)
' who met on the way. " Every style is good except
the tiresome style,'' consequently the style of these
artists is a good style. If one should judge of their
performances according to the applause they excited.

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126 fttrsic iu^D itostCiAifs* '

then they were most extraordinary. Applauded on
their appearance— often in the course of their playing
—universally at the end— Henri recalled — and all this
in the Gewandhaus concert-room at Leipsic.

Certainly a dozen of applauding Frenchmen accom-
plish more than a room full of German Beethovenfans
falling asleep with rapture. Every French nerve
. clashes from head to foot: enthusiasm seems to
strike them together like cymbals. The German,
before deciding on an opinion, briefly compares differ-
ent musical epochs— hence the mezzo forte enthusiasm
that distinguishes us from the others. It was differ-
ent on this occasion. But who did not rejoice in that
fiery audience, above all, because the artists were
worthy of it ? He who steps before the world must
not be old or young, but in ripe bloom ; and not
merely here or there, but all over the tree. When
we listen to Henri, we can close our eyes with con-
fidence. His playing is at once sweet and bright,
like a flower. His execution is perfect, masterly
throughout

When we speak of Vieuxtemps, we are apt to

think of Paganini. When I heard him for the first
time, I expected him to begin with a tone such as
had never been heard before. But with how small,
how thin a tone he commenced ! Then he began
to weave his spells; invisibly he threw out his
magnetic chains among the public; they oscillated
above and around. And then the rings became
more an$i more intricate ; even the audience seemed

ft

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HENRI VIETJXTEMPS AND LOUIS LACOMBE. 127

to contract, while he interlaced his tones until they
seemed melted into one — one with the master himr
self, all coanterbalandng each other with sympathetic
infl licence. Other art-magicians employ other for-
mulas. With Vieuxtemps we cannot grasp at
isolated beauties, noir do we find Paganini's gradual
contraction ; neither have we here that giving out of
himself to his audience, as with other great artists ;
but we find ourselves unawares, from the first to the
last tone, in a magic circle, which has been drawn
xound us without our having been able to find its
beginning or end.

Concerning Louis : I should style him a small but
fiery pianist, full of talent and courage. Assuredly
the ripe artist will not press either physical or
psychical strings to breaking, as they now break.
And candidly it must be confessed that ithe tender
A-minor concerto became, in the hands of the little
artist, a perfect Orlando Furioso, rounds whom, as

• * * « ■

every one know;?, men fell dea,d as soon as he gnashed
his teeth. I do not care much for this musical-box
playing. The excess of power falls back on itself
finally. In the "Herz" variations, that would fain
make us believe they are the most difficult and
significant that ever were comppsed, I found all this
brilliancy, decision, and strong colouring in its place,
required by the composition, and admired by the
public As it is not to be denied that both pieces
had been carefully studied, especially in the French
spirit, . and that they were played yrith that self-con*

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128 MUSIC AlO) MUSICIANS.

fidence which exacts applause, we must be^ of the
young artist's master not to keep him too long at the
study of certain pieces, particularly of badly qom*
posed ones. This is the death of good taste in youtli,
and trammels further prioress. This was plainly to
be percdved in his accompaniment (to the violin
playing), which was far beneath his other perform-
ances. And we all know that a cultivated taste may
be exactly measured by skill in accompaniment.

Onward, dear young artists 1 and if you do not
wholly understand me to-day, in a few years it will
be otherwise I * Florestan.

IGNATZ MOSCHELES.

[CONCBRT ON THB 9TB OCTOBER 1835.]

It is difficult to say an)rthing new about older and

well-known artists. But in his last concerto
Moscheles has taken a step that will necessarily
influence him as a virtuoso. As he formerly sparkled,
full of life, in his E-flat major concerto, and in his
Eniiat major sonata, as he developed himself, more
artistic, more thoughtful, in the G-minor concerto
^nd the etudes^ so now he treads a more gloomy
and mystic path, caring not, as once he cared,
whether it may please the many. In his fifth concert
he showed an inclination towards the romantic ; and

* This was the first artist tour of tlie foung Frenchmen. It is
vnneoessBfj to refer to Yieuxkemps' subsequent world-wide &nie.

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IGNATZ MOSCHELE& ,X2g

{h the last, that leaning which yet seemed to waver
between old and new^ stood forth complete and
assured. And yet, the romantic vein that comes to
the light here, is not that which hurries forward
beyond the culture of to-day — as in Berlioz, Chopin,
and others— but rather the backward flowing romance
of antiquity, such as confronts us in the bold Gothic
temple-work of Bach, Handel, and Gluck. In this
respect, his works show a resemblance to many by
Mendelssohn, though the latter still writes with the
fresh vigour of youth*

Few persons would venture on offering a judgment,
irreversible in correctness, on this concert Though
the pubhq was not b^cchantic in its applause, it
seemed thoughtful, and desirous of showing its
sympathy with the master by means of great attenr
tion. It grew enthusiastic, however, after the duo,
played by Moscheles and Mendelssohn, not merely
like two masters^ but like two friends, like a pair of
eagles, one rising, one sinking, boldly circling around
each other. This composition, dedicated to the
memory of Handel, we consider one of the most
successful and original of Moscheles' works. Op Inions
varied, even among connoisseurs, regarding the over-
ture to Schiller's ''Maid of Orleans;" as for us, we
beg Moscheles' pardon that we formerly judged this
work from the pianoforte score, which is so poor in
comparison with the brilliant orchestratioiu Further
remarks would be the affair of a critic by trade ; but
wp niust observe^ that we.re^iogaised the shepherdess^

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I

1 30 MtfSIC AND MUSICiAllS.

from the passage where she girds on her armour, W
that where her fair corse Js buried under waving
banners. The overture displays a genuine tragic vein
of expression.

Besides these pieces, the artist gave us the first
movement of a new pathetic " concerto, and an
entire "fantastic" one — both of which might rather
be termed duos for pianoforte and orchestra, so
independently does the latter step into the fore-
ground. We consider them both as works of such
consequence, yet so different in form from Earlier
ones, that we are anxious to have them soon in the
power of our own hands, to confirm the high opinion
we entertain of them — ^with the exception of a few
V less inspiring passages. No one who has once heard
this master can be uncertain as to his elasticity of
touch, his healthy power of tone, his certainty and
taste in the higher style of expression. And though
formerly we felt the want of youthful enthusiasm
and sympathy with the most modem«fantastic style
of performance, the artist now makes amends for it
by sharp diaracterisation and intellectual strength.
There shone some fine movements in the free fantasia
with which he closed the evening.
• We still rciflect, mth deep joy, on the dehght
afforded us a few days before this concert, by the
rare union of three masters, and a youth who pro-
mises to become one. They played^ Bach's D-minor
concerto for three pianofortes ; the artists were
Moschel^y MendelssobHf and Claxa, Wieck-; tb^

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A SONATA BY LUDWIG SCHUNKE. I3I

youth was Mr. Louis Rakemann from Bremen.
Mendelssohn .played th^ ofthestral scare. What ai

noble thing it was to hear I

A SONATA BY LUDWIG SCHUNKE.

Dost thou remember, Florestan, an August evening
in the remarkable year 1834? . Thou and I and
Schunke walked arm-in-arm. A tempest, in all its
beauty and terror, hung above us. I still see the
lightning playing round his form, and his upturned
eyes, as he said in a scarcely audible tone, One flash
for us ! " ■ But heaven opened without, its lightnings
for him, and a divine hand raised hiin from earth
so softly that he hardly knew it himself. Should
the spirit-prince call to that world in which the
finest human faith believes — but may that moment
yet be far ofif I — all the gifted ones who have borne
the German name of Ludwig, what noble 50uls lyould
arise at the call, and gaze on each other - joy-
fully — Ludwig Beethoven, Cherubini, Spohr, Berger,
Schunke I The youngest of theses was the first to
follow Beethoven, on a Sunday morning, the seventh
of last December, a few days before his twenty-fourth
birthday. " . ' , : . .

, The winter before, one evening in K 's tavern,

a young man advanced towards us., , All eyes were
directed to htib.' Some called j|iim a model, for St

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

John; others said that if so statuesque a head as
his should be disinterred at Pompeii, it would be
pronounced that of a Roman emperor. Florestan
whispered to me : There goes the real Sdiiller after
Thorwaldsen, only still more Schilleresque." All
agreed, however, that he must be an artist — nature
had stamped him as one even in outward form. Yes !
you all remember his visionary eyes, his* aquiline
nose, his finely ironical mouth, his long, clustering,
corling hair, and underneath his delicate, thin body,
that rather seemed to be borne, than to carry. On
that day of our first encounter, before he quietly gave
us his name, ^Ludwig Schtinke from Stuttgart," I
heard an inward voice, " That is he whom we seek ; "
and in his eyes I read a similar feeling. Florestan
was then melancholy, and ttpubled himself little
about the stranger. A circumstance which perhaps
you have not yet heard of brought them nearer
together.

Some weeks after Schunke's advent, a BerUn com*
poser (Otto Nicolai) passed through the town, and
these two met in society. Ludwig thought much of
the virtuoso fame of his family, especially the horn*
players. Heaven only knows how the conversation,
during dinner, turned on horns ! The Berlinese said
abruptly, "Upon my life, the horns should never
have anything to blow but C, £, and 6 ; and even
then the first-horn theme in the C- minor symphony,
which is easy enough now, would be made a mess
of«" Ludwig said nothing; but an hour after, he

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A SONATA BY LUDWIG SCHUNKE. 1 33

hurried into our room and related the affair, said
that be had written to the Berlinese about his family
name having been called in question, had given him
the choice of pistols or swords, — and Florestan must
second him. We burst out laughing, and Florestan
reminded us of the saying of the famous old lute-
player Rohhaar : ** A musician with courage is a—— ;
no matter I dear Schunke, you give the lie to th«
lute-player." He^ however, took our jesting almost
angrily, and hurried down to the street for weapons.
Only after twenty-four hours had passed, an answer
came from the Berlinese, written on brown paper :—
Mr. Schunke must certainly be out of his mind— he
would have fought with S. with pleasure, but at the
moment his answer would reach S., the postillion
would be driving him through the gate on the road

to Naples, &c., &c. Schunke stood before me
with the letter, angry as the god of the Muses, and
so excited that every vein could be counted on his
white hand, and then broke out into so merry a
laugh that one felt inclined to embrace him. The
whole affair delighted Florestan, and they began to
chatter together like a couple of cliildren about their
bvourite dishes up to Beethoven. The next even*
ing, the bond of friendship drew them still closer
together, and for ever.

Up to that time, we had not heard anything by
him except some brilliant variations that he had
composed in Vienna, where he had made extraor*
dtnary pr(^ess as an executant.. From the very

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134 MUSIC AND. MUSICIANS.

first chords he showed .himself a master in pianoforte-
playihgf, Florestan remained cold, however, and on
the way home let loose his old anger with virtuoso
players; he did not consider that virtuoso worth a
pinch of gunpowder who could not afford to lose
eight fingers, and then play or write his compositions
with the two remaining ones ; wias it not their fault
that the most divine composers had been half
starved ? &c., &c. The subtle Schunke saw how he
had failed with Florestan. : Then came that evening
when the Davtdites met together at our house. We
were not thinking of music;. the piano opened as if by
itself; Ludwig sat down as thot^fh accidentally ; we
were drawn unawares down the stream of an unknown
composition. I still see all before me, the expiring
light, the quiet walls that seemed to listen, the
friends grouped around and scarcely venturing to
breathe^ the pale face of Florestan,. the thoughtful
master, and Ludwig the central figure, the enchanter
who held us spell-bound within his circle. When he
had ended, Florestan said : You are a master in
your art, -and I call the sonata your best work,
especially when you play it yourself. Truly, the
Davidites would be proud to number such an artist
as one of their order."

Ludwig became one of us. Shall I relate to you
the happy days th^t followed this hour ? Away with
memories I Like rose crowns, they shall be enclosed
in the most hidden chest , for, the great festival days
on which they may be: brought to light, are v^ry few.

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LUDWIG SCHUNKE. 1 35

While the Davidites talked together in this way»
th^ drew daser to each other» and related many

joyful and sorrowful things. Soft tones reached
them from Florestan's apartment, and the friends
became silent, recognising^ the sonata. When
Florestan had ended, the master said : No more
words I we have drawn nearer to him than ever
to-night. Since he departed from us, there shines a
fresher blush in heaven. I know not whence it
comes ; but in any case, young men^ strive onward
towards the light I "
They parted at midnight; R. S.

L UD WIG S CHUNKS.

FIRST CAPRICE, OPUS 9 ; SECpND CAPRICE, OPUS la

In the spring of the year 1834, Schunke entered my
chamber one day (nothing but an open door separated
us), in his accustomed hasty manner, and told me
that he was going to play at a concert, asking me
what he should call the piece, as caprice " seemed
to say too little. He had been lately working at
the grand pianoforte, full of fire, busy with his
second in C minor. I jestingly told him to christen
it " Beethoven, Scene Dramatique," and so it ap-
peared on the concert-bill; but iii truth the piece

only shadowed forth one thousandth part of Beeth-

I.

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136 MUSIC AKB MUSICIAK&

oven^s soul-life, one little dark line on his brow.
Two ytaxs have sped since that spring. When a.
virtuoso dies, people often "say, " Would he had left
his fingers behind him ! " This could not be wished
in Schunke's case, for everything with him was the
growth of his mind and a part of his life. I enjoyed
hearing him study for an hour, or even his practice
on' the keys C, D, £, G, more than many a concert
Though he did not reach .that hfeight as composed
which he attained as virtuoso (the boldness and
certainty of his playing, especially in the last months
before his death, rose to the incredible, and savoured
of morbidity), yet this second caprice alone seemed
to hold out the certainty of a fruitful and famous
future. It contains much of himself, his native
politeness, his eccentricity, his quick brilliancy ; but
the first one struck me as cold,' even prosaic, and it
only gained on me by his own performance. Yes, it
was something to hear him play! He flew like an
eagle over the keys, every nerve f^U of music, with
Jupiter flashes, his eyes sparkling yet full of repose;
and were, a painter near, then he certainly $too4
on the paper at once, a god of the Muses. As he
objected to appearing in public, suspecting that he
might not be worthily r^ognised, and became quit?
obstinate in this fancy, which naturally influcrxcd his
public performances^ it cannot be supposed that those
who only heard him once in this way could judge
him with the high appreciation of those who were in
daily communion with hi|n« But I will mention s|

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LUDWIG SCHUNKE.

circumstance that gives a slight idea of the breadth
of his mastership. For many reasons, I had dedi-
cated one of my most difficult pianoforte pieces, a
toccata^ to him ; and when we dedicate something to
any one, we generally wish that person especially to
perform it. As I lost not a tone that he played, I
was slightly angry that he did not set to work 'at the
toecdia, and, t(k excite :him to study, played tt at hlnti
in my own room, adjoining his. But all remained
still in that chamber. Some time aft^, a strangef
came to pay us a visit and to hear Schunke. What
was my astonishment at hearing him play my toccata
perfectly I • He told me afterwards, that) while listen*
ing to my playing of it two or three times, he had
iBtudied and worked at it in his mind, without using
tiie^ pianoforte. Unfortunately, his fears of non*
recognition led him to entertain unjust ideas some*
times; Once he entertained the fancy that his per-
formance was' yet imperfect, talked With enthusiasm
of new Paganini ideals which he fdt within him, and
said that he would shut himself up for half a year td
study mechanism; once he projected laying music
entirely aside, and so on* But such fancies were only
a passing expression 6f pain on ft noble face, and he
remained deeply devoted to his art to his last hours,
when, la the delirium of fever, he besought those who
Stood around his bed to bring him a flutei :

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MUSIC AND MUSICIAN&

THEODORE STEIN.

We should be less severe judges were not our sub*

ject a rare talent that has not yet been sufficiently
prized. We love youthful prodigies. But one who
accomplishes much in youth should accomplish far
more extraordinary things at a ripened age. Certain
technicalities should be brought to periiection as
early as possible. But that by means of which our
young artist has especially obtained his reputation
we oppose as thoroughly false — ^we mean public
improvisations during childhood and youth* We do
not address ourselves to him, whose uncommon talent
we recognise, but to his mentor^ his teacher, whoever
he may be.

Who would seek again to close the bud that has
once blossomed ? It were useless to do sa It would
be unnatural to repress a powerful, early-ripened
inclination. It is common enough to see some parti*
cular sense sooner developed in one person than in
another. But the rare flowers of January should be
long fostered and protected io still seclusion before
they are exhibited to the gaze of the cold world.
\Ve would not have had the future of our youthful
artist grasped at in advance. It might have been a
brilliant one, and, in certain respects, may yet become
sa But it seems to us that so many things have
been omitted in his cultivatioUi so many errors have

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THEODORE STEIN.

been committed, that we must beseech his teacher
no longer to sacrifice a later, a lasting recognition to
a useless, an unripe reputation. The excellences of
his pupil are at present only those of talent, while all
his faults are those of mistaken instruction. Among
the former we find decided, instantaneous apprehen-
sion, and its translation into the language of tone, a
happy interlacing and disentangling of his material,
an often astonishing architecture of parts in his
harmonies; among the latter, we may mention a
dull uniformity in his feeling, drawling melody, and
a continual preference for minor keys. He places
forms before u^ but they are pale^ exhausted with
weeping. This should not be. Though this ten-
dency is not perhaps without relation to the direction
taken by our most recent musical past, it is no
apology for the absence of blooming, young, fresh,
strong life. Do not give Beethoven to the children ;
strengthen them with Mozart, brimming with rich
vitality. There are sometimes natures that seem to
develop in opposition to the ordinary way, but there
are natural laws which, if opposed, resemble the
overturned torch, that consumes its bearer when it
should have illumined his path.

Our amiable young artist, if thoughtful and thor-
oughly musical, must feel that much is yet lack-
ing ; — even the correct use of his instrument, besides
the technical repose which betrays a perfected school*
ing, certain execution, which is only attained by
continual study, and above all things, healthy tone.

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t40 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

that no one can acquire instinctively. If we are not
mistaken^ in a few years he will thank us for placing
firmly before him the future, which is not to be
jested with. But should he not do this, we shall be
forced to say that in him a talent has been lost that
deserved a better fate.

In any case, let him not forget the significant old
legend. Apollo once bestowed his friendship on a
beautiful mortal youth, who grew more and more
god-like^ more and more akin, in form and spirit, to
his divine protector. But too soon he betrayed the
secret of this intercourse to men. The enraged god
appeared to htm no longer, and the youth, over*
whelmed with grief, looked unceasingly in the eyes
of the sun, his beloved friend, until he died. Betray
not thy divine gifts to men until commanded by the
Muse who bestowed them upon thee, and of whom
thou hast become w orthy. His own imagination is
to th^ artist what the Grecian god was to the youth
of old.* EusEBiua

WILLIAM STERNDALE BENNETT.

After much thought as to what we could best
present to our readers at the beginning of the year
1837, nothing better struck us than the idea of

* We biye never been able to leam wbat bectme of tbe joiing aitiit
from whom 'fine things were expected at the time the above aitique
was written.

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WILLIAM STERNDALE BENNETT. I4I

placing before them (with many good wishes besides)
a very delightful individuality. It is not a Beethor
venian one, drawing years of strife after it, no
Berlioz, preaching revolution with heroic voice, and
spreading destruction and fear around, but rather a
gentle, quiet spirit, that labours on high, no matter
how storms gather below him, like an observer of the
stars, faUowmg their counse, and remarking the nature
of their peculiarities. His name may be found
above ; as his fatherland is that of Shakespeare, his
christian name is that of the poet Are the arts of
poesy and tone so foreign to each other that the
famous land which has already given us Shakespeare
and Byron cannot bring forth a great musician ?
An old prejudice already begins to waver by means
pf the names of Field, Onslow, Potter, Bishop, and
others ; much more will be done towards abolishing
it by this artist, whose very cradle was watched by a
kind Providence* Though it is: true .that great
fathers have rarely produced sons who have become
great in the same art or science as their progenitors^
fortunate are those Artists who, like Haydn, Mozart,
Beethoven, called by birth and individual gifts to a
decided artistic vocatioj;i, have found good musicians
and guides in their fathers. They imbibe music
with their mother's milk ; they learn even in their
childish dreams ; With the first awakening, of con*
^ciousness th<ey feel themselves members of that
great family of artists into which others must often
purchase their eatrahce. through sacrifice, Ourartist»

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142 MUSIC AND MUStGIAKS.

too, was fortunate, and may often have listened,
astonished yet happy, under the great organ whien
his father, an oi^anist at Sheffield in Yorkshire,
played it. No nation is so conversant with Handel
as the English nation ; no fault is found with him
there, save, perhaps, that his name was German.
He is listened to devoutly in the churches, sung with
enthusiasm at festivals. Lipinski relates that he
heard a postilion blow Handel airs on his horn.
Amidst such favourable surroundings even a partially
gifted nature must develop itself symmetrically.
All that I know of the result of a careful education
in the Royal Academy of London, under masters like
Cipriani Potter and Dr. Crotch, besides self-imposed
studies, is, that from the cocoon of the schools so
brilliant a butterfly iias taken wing, that we would
fain follow its flight with outstretched arms as it
bathes in ether or gives and takes from the flowers.
But as the earth on which he was bom does not
alone suffice to a winged spirit, his lopging^ thoughts
have often turned towards the land where Mozart
and Beethoven flrst saw the light; so, lately, the
favourite of the London public, the pride of all
England, has lived for some time in close vicinity
to us.

The first thing that strikes every one in the
character of his compositions is their remarkable
family resemblance to those of Mendelssohn. The
same beauty of form, poetic depth yet clearness, and
ideal purity, the same outwardly satisf3dng impresr

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WILLIAM STERNDALE BENNETT. 1 43

sion, — but with a difference. This difference is still
more observable in their playing than in their com-
positions. The Englishman*s playing is perhaps
more tender, more careful in detail; tliat of Men-
delssohn is broader, more energetic. The former
bestows fine siiading on the lightest thing, the latter
pours a novel force into the most powerful passages ;
one overpowers us with the transfigured expression
of a single form, the other showers forth hundreds of
angelic heads, as in a heaven of Raphael. Some-
thing of the same kind occurs in their compositions.
If Mendelssohn produces, in fantastic sketches, the
whole wild faerie of a ''Summer Night's Dream," Ben-
nett in his music evokes the charming figures of the
•* Merry Wives of Windsor ; " * one spreads out before
us the broad, deep, slumbering surface of the sea,
the other lingers beside a balmy lake, on which the
beams of the moon are trembling. This brings us to
three of Bennett's most lovely pictures which have
appeared in Germany (as well as two other of his
works) ; I mean those entitled The Lake,'' The
Mill-stream," and ''The Fountain:*' These are, for
truth to nature, colour, poetic conception, musical
Claude Lorraines, living tone-landscapes; the last;
especially, becomes, under the hands of its cbm«
poser, really magical in effect

I should like to tell my readers a great deal more
about him ; for these are only short poems com-
pared to Bennett's greater works, — six symphonies»
*. lie has wfitten m overtm to Shakespeare's play.

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. .

three pianoforte concertos, overtures to " Parisina,**
the Naiads/' &c., — ^and how he plays all Mozart's
operas at the piano until we fancy we see the living
master before us. But I cannot drive him away ; he
peeps over my shoulder, and twice has asked me.
Now, what are you writing ? My dear friend, if
you only knew I ** EUSEBIUS.

FRANZ LISZT.

•

L

Still fatigued by a series of six* concerts which he

gave ill Prague during an eight days' stay there,
Herr Liszt arrived in Dresden last Saturday (1840),
Ferhitps he was never more anxiously expected, any
where than in the residence where pianoforte music
^nd playing are so much admired. On Monday he
gave a concert ; the hall was brilliant with an assero*
blage of our aristocratic society, including several
members of the royal family. All eyes, were fixed
on the door at which the artist was to enter. Many
portraits of him were in circulation, and that by
Kriehub^ry who lus n|09t correctly seized his Jupiter
profile, is excellent; but the youthful Jupiter him-
self, of course, interests us to quite a different degree.
There is a great dqal said about the prQs^ of our day»
the air of courts, the spirit of the railway, &c. ; but
let the right man only appear, and we piously watch

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FRANZ USZT.

145

his every movement So it was with this artist,
whose phenomenal accomplishments were talked of
twenty years SLgo, whose name we have been accus-
tomed to hear mentioned among the very first — before
whom, as before Paganini, every party has bowed
in apparently instantaneous recognition. The whole
audience greeted his appearance with an enthusiastic
Storm of applause, and then he began to play, I
had heard him before ; but an artist is a different
person in the presence of the public compared with
what he appears in the presence of a few» The
fine* open space, the glitter of light, the elegantly-
dressed audience — all this elevates the frame of mind
in giver and receiver. And now the demon's power
began to awake ; he first played with the public as
if to try it, then gave it sometiiing more profound,
until every single member was enveloped in his art ;
and then the whole mass began to rise and fall pre-
cisely as h^ willed it I have never found any artist,
except Paganini, to possess in so high a d^;ree as
Liszt, this power of subjecting, elevating, and lead-
ing the public A Viennese writer has made a poem
on Uszt, consisting merely of the letters used in the
titles appertaining to his name. This tasteless poem
has a certain apphcability, for there the letters and
meanings crowd upon us from a dictk)nary, and here
we are overwhelmed by the flood of tones find feel-
ings. It is an instantaneous variety of wildness,
tenderness, boldness, and airy grace ; the instru-
ment glows under the hands of its master. All

146

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

this has been described a hundred times already/
and the Viennese, especially, have tried to catch
the eagle in every way, — with pitchforks, poems,
by pursuit, and with snares. But he must be heard/
—and also seen ; for if Liszt played behind the
scenes, a great deal of the poetry of his playing
would be lost

He played and accompanied at this concert from
beginning to end. Mendelssohn once entertained
the idea of composing music for an entire concert
—overture, vocal, and other pieces — (one may safely
publish this idea for the general benefit !) — and Liszt
nearly always gives his concerts unassisted. Only
Madame Schroeder Devrient— almost the only
artist capable of maintaining a position in such
company — ^took part in this one, singing Schubert s
•'Erlking," and some of his smaller songs.

I am not sufficiently familiar with the Dresden
public's thermometer of applause to be able to
decide what impression this extraordinary artist
made there* I should term the enthusiasm im-
mense ; but the Viennese is less sparing of his hands
than any other German, and, like an idolater, prides*
himself on the torn gloves that he has sacri&ced to
IJszt. Things are very different in North Germany.

Liszt went to Leipsic early on Tuesday. Oul
next will treat of his appearance there.

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FRANZ LISZT.

IL

Would that I could, ye distant ones and foreigners,
who can scarcely hope ever to see this surpassing
artist, and who therefore search out every word that
is spoken or written concerning him, — would that I
could give you a correct idea of him 1 But the task
is a difficult one. It is more easy to speak of his
outward appearance. People have often tried to
picture this by comparing Liszt's head to Schiller^s
or Napoleon's; and the comparison so far holds
good, in that extraordinary men possess certain
traits in common, such as an expression of energy
and strength of will in the eyes and mouth. He
has some resemblance to the portraits of Napoleon
as a young general — ^pale, thin, with a remarkable
profile, the whole significance of his appearance
culminating in the head. But his resemblance to
the deceased Ludwig Schunke is remarkable, and
this resemblance extends to their ait. While listen-
ing to Liszt's playing, I have often almost imagined
myself listening again to one I heard long before.
But this art is scarcely to be described. It is not this
or that style of pianoforte-playing; it is rather the
outward expression of a daring character, to whom
Fate has given, as instruments of victory and command,
not the dangerous weapons of war, but the peaceful
ones of art. No matter how many and great artists
we may possess, or have seen pass before us during
recent years, . though som^ of them equal hioi ia

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

single points, all must yield to him in energy and
boldness. People have been very fond of placing
Thalberg in the lists besides him, and then drawinnr
comparisons. .But it is only necessary to look at
both lieads to come to a conclusion. I remember
the remark of a Viennese designer, who said, not
inaptly, of his countryman's head, that it resembled
^that of a handsome countess with a man's nose;'^
while of Liszt he observed, that " he might sit to
every painter for a Grecian god." There is a similar
✓ diflbrence in their art « Ghopin stands hearer to
Liszt as a player, for at least he loses nothing be-
side him in fairylike grace and tenderness ; ']iext to
him, Faganini, and, among women, Madame Miali-^
hraii ; — from these Liszt himself acknowledges that
he !has learned the most ;

Liszt is ndw probably about thirty years ^oWj
Every one knows well that he was a child-pheno-
menon, how he wks early transplanted to foreign
lands j that his name afterwards appeared here and
there among the most distinguished; that then the
rumout* of it occasionally died away, untiLPaganint
appeared, inciting the youth to new endeavours;
and that, he suddenly appeared in Vienna two years
ago,' rousing the imperial city to enthusiasm. Since
the establishment of our paper, we have followed
Liszt's career, concealing nothing that has been
publicly said for or against his art though by far
the greater number of voices, especially those of
all . great artists, have sounded his . praise. Thus

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FRANZ LISZT«

H9

he appeared among us of kte, already hbnoured

with the highest honours that can be bestowed oil
an artist and his fame firmly establisju^d. It would
be difficult to raise this, or to say anything new about
him, though it would be easy enough to try to . un-
settle and injure it, as pedants and rascals are fond
of doing at all times. This was lately tried here;
Not from any fault of Liszt^ the publjp ^had been
made restless with previous announcements, and
rendered ill-humoured by mistakes in the concert
arrangements. A writer, notorious here for his
lampoons, made usjs of this to attaclf Liszt anony->
mously, on account of his visit to us, — made with,
no object except to satisfy his insatiable avarice,*^
Such vileness is unwcurthy of further thought >

The lirst concert, on the 17th, was a remarkable
one. The multitudinous audience wa$ so crowded;
together^ that even the harll lookf^d altered. The
orchestra was also filled with listeners, and among
them-— Liszt , v * - ^

He began 'with the sckmta and finale of Beethoven's -
Pastoral Symphony, The selection was capricious
enough, and, , on many 'accounts/ not li^pp]^* At:
home, in ^ tete^A-^te^ a highly^reful transcription
may lead one almost to forget the orchestra; but.
in a large h%il, in. the same place, where we haVie been,
accustomed to hear the symphony played frequently/
and perfectly by the orchestra, the weakness of the
pianoforte is stiriking, aitd the more 36 the more an,
attempt is made to represent masses in their strength..

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

A simpler arrangement, a mere sketch, would perhaps
have been more effective here. Let it be understood,
with all this, that we had heard the master of the
instrument; people were satisfied ; they had at least
seen him shake his mane. To hold to the same
illustration, the lion presently began to show him-
self more powerful. This was in a fantasia on themes
by Pacini, which he played in a most remarkable
manner. But I would sacrifice all the astonishing,
audacious bravura that he displayed here for the sake
of the magical tenderness that he exf»ressed in the
following ttude. With the sole exception of Chopin,
as I have already said, I know not one who equals
him in this quality. He closed with the well-known
chromatic galop ; and as the applause this elicited
was endless, he also played his equally well-known
bravura waltz.

Fatigue and indisposition prevented the artist from
giving the concert promised for the next day. In
the meanwhile, a musical festival was prepared for
him, that will never be forgotten by Liszt himself,
or by the other persons present. The giver of the
festival (F. Mendelssohn) had selected for performance
some compositions yet unknown to his guest : Franz
Schubert's S3rmphony ; his own psalm, As the hart
pants ; " the overture, A calm sea and a prosperous
voyage ; " three choruses from " St Paul ; " and, to
close with, the D-minor concerto for three pianos by
Sebastian Bach. This was played by Lisst, Mendels-
K>hn, and Hiller. It seemed as though nothing had

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FRANZ LISZT. I5I

been prepared, but all improvised instantaneously.

Those were three such happy musical hours as years
do not always bring. At the end, Liszt played alone,
and wonderfully. The assembly broke up amid the
most joyful excitement, and the gaiety and happi-
ness that sparkled in all eyes must have sufficiently
attested the guests' gratitude towards the giver of
a festival offered by him in homage to the artistic
talents of another.

Liszt's most genial performance was yet to come —
Weber's Concertstuck, which he played at his second
concert Virtuoso and public seemed to be in the
freshest mood possible on that evening, and the
enthusiasm during and after his playing almost
exceeded anjrthing hitherto known here. Although
Liszt grasped the piece from the beginning, with
such force and grandeur of expression that an attack
on a battlefield seemed to be in question, yet he
carried this on with continually increasing power,
until the passage where the player seems to stand
at the summit of the orchestra, leading it forward in
triumph. Here indeed he resembled that great com-
mander to whom he has been compared, and the
tempestuous applause that greeted him was not
unlike an adoring **Vive rEmpercurl" He then
played a fantasia on themes from the Huguenots/'
the " Ave Maria," and Serenade,** and, at the request
of the public, the " Erlking " of Schubert. But the
Concertstuck was the crown of his performances on
this evening*

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152 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

I do not know who* originated the Idea of the pre**
sent of flowers handed to him at the close of the

concert by a favourite songstress, but the crown was,
certainly npt undeserved; and how spiteful, how
envious a nature is necessary to disparage such a.
friendly attention in the way this was done by a
"critic" in one of the papers here I The artist has
devoted his whole life to procure for you the joy you
receive from him ; you know nothing of the fatigue
his art has cost him ; he gives you the best he has —
his heart's blood, the essence of his being ; and shall
we then grudge him even a simple crown of flowers?.
But Liszt was determined not to remain a debtor.
With visible delight in the enthusiastic reception he
had received at his second concert, he declared him-
self at once ready to give one for the benefit of any
-charitable institution, the selection of which he left
to the decision of experienced persons. So, for the
third time, he played again last Monday, for the.
benefit of the pension fund for aged or invaUd
muaictans, though he had given a concert for the poor
in Dresden the day before; The hall was completely
crowded ; tiie object of the concert, the programme^
the assistance of our most famous songstress^ and»
above all, Liszt himself, had created the highest
interest in the concert. Still fatigued with his
journey and from his frequent playing in recent con-
certs, Liszt arrived in the morning, and went at once
to the rehearsal, so that he had little time to himself
before the concert hour. It was impossible for him

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FRANZ LISZT. ' ' I53

totake any rest I would not leave this anmention^bd :

a man is not a god ; and the visible effort with which
Liszt pUyed on that evening was but a natural con-
sequence of what had preceded the concert With i
the most friendly intentions, he had selected three
pieces by composers residing here, — Mendelssohn,
Hiller, and myself; Mendelssohn's latest concerto,
dttddes by Hiller, and several numbers from an early
work of mine, entitled "The Carnival" To the
astonishment of many timid virtuosos, I roust state
that Liszt played these compositions almost at sight.
He had had a slight former acquaintance with the
HueUs and ''The Carnival,'' but he had never seen
Mendelssohn's concerto until a few days before the
concert He was» however, sd^ continually occupied,
that he had beea unable to find time, at such short
notice, for private study. He met my doubt as to
whether such rhapsodical sketches as mine of carni*
val life would make any impression on a general
public with the decided assurance that he hoped
they would And yet I think he was inistaken.
Here I may perhaps be allowed to make a few
observations regarding this composition, which owed
its origin to chance. The. name of a city, in which
a musical friend of mine lived, consisted of letters
belonging to the scale which are also contained in
my name; and this suggested one of those tricks
that are no longer new, since Bach gave the example.
One piece after another was completed during the
carnival season of X83S1 in a serious mood of mind»

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154 * MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

and under peculiar circumstances. I afterwards gave
titles to the numbers^ and named the entire collection

*'The Carnival." Though certain traits in it may please
certain persons, its musical moods change top rapidly
to be easily followed by a general public, that does not
care to be roused anew every moment. My amiable
friend did not consider this ; and though he played
the work with such great sympathy and geniality
that it could not fail to strike a few, the masses were
not excited by it It was different with Killer's
Etudes, that belong to a more recognised form ; one
in D flat major, another in C minor, both very tender
yet characteristic^ awakened warm interest. Men*
delssohn's concerto was already well known through
its composer s clear, masterly, reposeful playiog. As
I have already observed, Liszt played these pieces
almost at sight ; no one will be very well able to imi-
tate him in this. He displayed his virtuosity in its
fullest force, however, in the closing piece, the Hex«
ameron," a cyclus of variations by Thalberg, Herz,
Fixis, and Liszt himself. Everybody wondered where
he found the strength to repeat half of the Hexa«
meron," and then his own galop, to the delight of the
enraptured public How much I hoped that he
would give us some of Chopin's compositions, which
he plays incomparably, with the deepest sympathy I
But in his own room he amiably plays anything that
as asked from hinu How often have I thus listened
to him in admiration and astonishment I .
On Tuesday evening he left us,

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( 155 )

ANTONIO BAZZINL

The public has lately (1843) begun to observe that
there are too many virtuosos, and we think so too,
as we have frequently remarked in these pages. The
virtuosos themselves seem to feel this, if we may
judge from a recently-awakened fancy among them for
emigrating to America; and many of their friends
secretly hope they will remain over there ; for, taken
all in all, modern virtuosity has benefited art very
little. But when it appears before us in the charm-
ing shape given to it by the young Italian named
above, we gladly listen to it for hours together ; and
for years we have not heard any artist who has given
us so much real pleasure as * BazztnL He is too little
known, and is not appreciated, even here, to so high
a degree as he deserves to be. The North German
public decide very slowly about making any artist's
reputation ; though, if he comes from Paris, perhaps,
atso^ with an order, that already helps them consider**
ably out of their doubts. Bazzini came here almost
without any name, and appeared unpretendingly.
During the excitement of the fair, too^ it is of course
more difficult for an artist to make himself known;
and a salon-^\d.y^x was expected in him — such a one
as may be found by dozens. He is, however, a great
deal more than this ; and even if he were deprived
of his left hand — as a violinist — ^he could yet write^

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t56

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

and sustain his honourable position among cele*

brated Italian composers. In short, his is a pro-*
ductive talent, and with a little more theatrical
knowledge be would make an excellent opera-com-
poser. His concerto most fully proved this; the
natural flow of the wholes the geneially discreet
instrnmentation, die really charming mellowness and
euphony of separate passages — few virtuosos have
wen an idea of all this. He is an Italian through
and throug;h, but in the highest sense ; often, while
listening to his music, it seemed to oie that he came
from the genuine land of song — ^the unknown, ever
joyous land,— but not that he belonged to this or
that nationality.

As a player, he ranks among the greatest of the
day. I cannot recall one who excels him in remark-
able execution, in grace and fulness of tone, and
especially in clearness and lasting power. He ex-
ceeds the majority in the original freshness, youth-
fulness, and soundness of his performance; and
when I realise to myself the heartless, soulless, blasi
nature of many — especially Belgian — virtuosos, he
seems to me a manly, blooming youth among worn-
out greybeards; while a yet more brilliant future
smiles before him, although he now stands on such a
shining height.

To arrive at this opinion, I only needed to hear
him in the scJierzo on themes from Weber's " Invita-
tion to the Walta/' and his concerto. - In the follow-
ing pieces, I was ftorty to perceiye that he did not

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I

CAMILLA PL£Y£L, 1 57

disdain to flatter the public. In these we had less^
* music, but a heaping up of violin difficulties in which
no one can yet excel Paganini. In this way he
never will be able to rise beyond that artist, or him*
self; indeed, the style seems to lie outside his nature,
which only needs to reveal its own simple charm in
order to please and enchant; he does not need to
take refuge in the artifices of coquetry.

We trust the world will bestow on the young,
amiable, and great artist that sympathy which it
often so extravagantly throws away on unworthy
objects. He is distinguished by yet another great
quality — ^that of modesty ; he has no desire to create
excitement and astonishment in his hearers^ We
are tired of world-weary^ pallid virtuoso faces ; let
us once more rejoice in a powerful, blooming, youth*
ful countenance, in eyes clear and bright with cheer-
fulness and content, such eyes as alone can truly
reflect a sincere and happy nature.

CAMILLA P LEY EL.
1.

On Madame Camilla Pleyel's concert programmes
(1839) we found compositions the selection of which
led us to entertain the highest opinion of this lady's
artistic tendencies. Mendelssohn's G-minor concerto
we had heard played a short time previously by .the

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158 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

J composer himself. It was interesting to coikipar^

the playing of the lively French artiste with that
of the master ; she took the last movement much
quicker. On the whole, the composer must have
been satisfied with her very musical interpretation,
except in a few melodic details, which we could
have wished to hear more simply and inwardly, and
less affectedly played. While other pianoforte vir«
tuosos are sometimes afraid to give us one entire
concerto, Madame Pleyel gave us a second — ^Weber's
Concertstiick. This presented a double interest to
us, since it was the forerunner of Mendelssohn's con-
certo, and may have often floated alluringly through
the young artist's imagination while he wrote his
own, though in tenderness and fine finish of detail
it scarcely equals its successor. Madame Pleyel
most happily performed it, with the same impas-
sioned warmth that she bestows on all music. And
she inspired the public with that sympathetic plea-
sure which is the certain result of the enjoyment
of masterworks played in a masterly manner. We
wish we could say the same thing of the piece with
which this artist closed a rich musical evening ; but
in tl|is composition, by the lady herself, creative
talent fell much behind her execution of the varia-
tions on Weberian themes» which might have been
much more finely worked out. Yet even in this
her performance was fine enough to excite a stormy
demand for repetition.

Madame Pleyel will give another concert next

CAMILLA PL£Y£L«

Saturday, and then visit Dreisden and Viennai on

her way back to France. This highly-interesting lady
will please everywhere by her art, and still more
from her preference for,, and desire to popularize^

all that is noblest in art

IL

Madame Pleyel's performances seemed to Improve
with the enthusiasm she excited, and again the ap-
plause increased as she rose in inspiration. This
genial lady had made a fine selection — ^Beethoven's
C-minor concerto, and Hummel's Oberon's En-
chanted Horn and yesterday, at the subscription
concert, Kalkbrenner^s E-minor concerto, and Weber's
Concertstiick again to close with. Kalkbrenner was
long her master at one time, and hence her choice
of his concerta She played it can amare^ as one
repeats for one's own pleasure, in later years, a poem
one has learned by heart in youth; the finished
school was interpreted by its mistress. Other sides
of her musical nature appeared in Beethoven s eon-
certo ; she played it admirably, faultlessly, so
completelyi in the German sense, that the music
became to us as living as a picture ; while in Hum-
mel's fantasia we listened to tones that really
seemed to reach us from the airy land of elves
and sprites. Weber's concerto was succeeded by
a joyful uproar ; flowers and garlands were showered
upon its poetical interpretress ; the public was alive

Dig

^6o MUSIC AND MUSIOANS.

*

with enthusiasm. " There is more poetry in this
woman than in ten Thalbeigs/' cried out one
auditor ; and. the emotion lasted a long time.
The fine flower-like grace of the artiste's form and
movements, her child-like gestures of denial, as
though she thought herself unworthy of such ap-
plause, not to mention the profundity of character
which her art displayed, will long haunt the memory
of those who heard and saw her. ^^th the mncerest
wishes for her success, we take leave of the lady,
trusting that a happiness equal to that she bestows
on her listeners may always be her own good for-
tune. Flokestan,

ALEXIS L WOFF.

Tu£ composer of the famous Russian National Hymn,
as well as of other works that yet await publication,
Colonel Alexis Lwoff, adjutant to the Czar of Russia,
arrived here a few days ago (1840). .Although his
talents have been chiefly exercised in the aristocratic
circles to which he belongs through his position, he
has nevertheless acquired an almost European fame ;
therefore we shall not be misunderstood if we allow
ourselves openly to add another modest leaf to his
laurel crown. This respected guest' gave a small
circle the opportunity of becoming acquainted with
hia remarkable skill a3 a violinist The writer of this

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ALEXIS LWOFF.

I6l

article considers that occasion as one of the most
delightful that music and its votaries have ever
afforded him. Herr Lwoff is so remarkable^ so rare
a player, that he can only be placed beside the very
first artists. Himself an apparition from to. foreign
sphere, his music streams forth as if from the purest
inward fount ; music so fresh, so new, so original in
every tone, that it completely rivets the attention,
and we long to hear it again and again. The merely
mechanical artist unfortunately often loses, in the
tumult of the world, his most priceless possession —
that ingenuous, unaffected, cheerful art-power which
he sacrifices to the lower demands of the masses,
until it is completely buried under the commonplace
routine of life. Many an even great artist will be
reminded when listening to this man, so highly
favoured by fortune, that he has felt how superior
to the enjoyment which merely technical mastery
offers us is that presented by some artistic nature
that has preserved its inward, elevated freshness
entire. I say this after listening to only two quar-
tettes, one by Mozart and one by Mendelssohn,
in which Herr Lwoff played the first violin, Men-
delssohn himself was present, and seemed to think
..that he had perhaps never heard his music more
finely played. It was a perfect enjoyment If there
are many such dilettanti in the Russian capital, many
artists may learn more there than they can teach.
And should these lines ever meet the eyes. of. this
admired musician, we trust he will accept them as aa

1 62 MUSIC Aim MUSICIANS.

expression of the thanks of many whom he delighted
on that evening, and who place his name beside the
^ most honoured names that belong to modern art.

ERNST. .

Berlioz's prophecy that Ernst would one day be

talked of as was Paganini, begins (1840) to be ful-
filled. I have heard nearly all the great violin-
players of modem days, from Lipinski down to
Prume. Every one found enthusiastic support from
the pubhc Some were constant to Lipinski; his
imposing personality impressed at once^ and it was
only necessary to hear a couple of his grand tones to
judge him. Others began to rave at once about
Vieuxtemps, most genial of young masters, who
already stands so high, that we can scarcely look
forward to his future without secret fear, Ole Bull
found many opponents, though he presented us with
an enigma of deep meaning, difficult to unriddle;
while De Beriot» Prume, David, Molique, C MUller,
all found their own especial admirers, as well as their
K shield-bearers, among the critics. But Ernst, like
Pagaiiini, is able to satisfy, to win all parties when*
ever he pleases ; for he^ of a varied individuality, has
made himself familiar with all styles and schools.
He even approaches Paganini in gtnius for improvi*

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ERNST.

sation — most fascinating of virtuoso gifts t<-and this
quality may have been influenced by his early and
frequent intercourse with Paganini. Ernst was born
in Briinn^ came when very young to the Conserva<-
toire of Vienna, became acquainted with Paganini,
and made his first tour up the Rhine in 1830 at the
same time as Paganini. His remarkable execution,
though openly displaying much of Paganini's manner,
created a sensation already. In the arrogance of his
3routh, he always gave concerts an those cities where
Paganini had played but a short time before him.
I joyfully remember some of those concerts in the
Rhine cities^ to which he, like ansApoUo, attracted
all the Heidelberg Society of the Muses. His name
was generally known. Not much was heard of him
for a long time after this; he had gone to Paris,
where one must spend a considerable time before
one can be even heard. He improved more and
more through persevering study; Paganini gradually
ceased to influence him ; and of late years his name
has again appeared, placed on an equality with the
names of the best artists in Paris. His old desire .
to see his fatherland, and especially his home, again,
and to display his greatly increased proficiency there,
reawakened within him. Having travelled through
Holland during the past winter, giving sixty to
seventy concerts there in a few months,^ he went
straight to Germany af^er a short stay in Paris;
a genuine artist, secure in his art, he disdained to
announce his visits beforehand. Through the to-

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x64

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

ducements of Marschaer, he &st appeared in Han-
over, and then in many concerts at Hamburg and

in neighbouring cities. And thus, almost unpre-
paredy and unaware of his coming, we heard him
here. The hall was not over full, but the applause
was so rapturous, that the usual public seemed to
have doubled its numbers. The most briUiant point
of the evening was his performance of Mayseder's
variations, which he interwove enchantingly with his
own, and closed with such a cadence as we had never
heard except from Paganini, when, overflowing with
humoristic boldness, he let loose all the sorceries
of his bow. This feat met with applause that far
exceeded the usual bounds of North German enthu-
siasm ; and if wreaths had been prepared beforehand,
they would have been showered by scores upon the
master. But this will yet be his fate, though, one
of the most modest and self-conscientious of men,
he would doubtless escape it if he could. We shall
hear him again next Monday. The railroad has
borne him away for a few days to the neighbouring
capital And then, if he plays the Carnival of •
Venice," we shall have something to report of him,-
to whom, it seems, the famous Italian magician, on
departing from the artist world, bequeathed the
secrets of his power, that masters may make com-
parisons^ youths become emulous^ and all the world,
^njoy. ■ ' . . :

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( i6s > '

■ ' - , ' ' ■ ■ r . t

» » ^ • • • • ' t

J

NIELS W. GADE. "\ '

The following might lately (1845) have been read in a

French paper: — "A young Danish composer excites
much interest in Germany at present ; he is called
Gade, and often wanders, with his violin on hi^
shoulder, from Copenhagen to Lcipsic and back ;
he looks as if he were Mozart himself•^^ The first
and last parts of this information are correct; a little
romance is mixed up with the rest of the sentence.
The young Dane really came a few months ago to
Leipsic (in the ordinary traveller's style, however,
violin and all), and his Mozart head, with hair as thick
axid heavy as if cut in marble, agreed very well With'
the good opinions which his Ossian overture and
his first symphony had won beforehand among our
resident artists. <

little that is eventful can be told of his life. Bom
in 1817 in Copenhagen, the son of an instrument-
maker of that place, he possibly dreamed away his
first years surroisnded by more instruments than
men. His first instruction in music was obtained
from one of those commonplace teachers who esteem
mechanical industry beyond talent, and it seems that
mentor was not very well satisfied with the progress
of his popiL He learned a little about giutar, violin, '
and pianoforte, without accomplishing much on
either instrument Later, he met with more able

l66

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

masters in Werschall and Beiggreen, and the es-
teemed Weyse also gave him kind advice. Composi-
tions of very different kinds were the result, and their
author thinks very little of them; no doubt many
of them were the overflowings of an uncommon
imagination. He afterwards entered the royal or-
chestra at Copenhagen as violinist, and here had
an opportunity to listen to the secrets of the instru-
ments, which he has since related to us in some of
his compositions. This practical school, denied to
some, used without understanding by many, was
doubtless the principal agent in educating him up
to that point of mastery in instrumentation which
must undeniably be conceded to him. Through his
" Ossian " overture, which, on the approval of Spohr
and Schneider, was crowned with the prize awarded
by the Copenhagen Musical Union, he attracted the
attention of his music-loving king ; he then received,
like many other talented men in Denmark, a really
royal stipend, intended, in his case, to assist him in a
foreign journey; thus, for the first time, he turned
towards Leipsic^ where he has been introduced, for
the first time, to a larger musical public. He is still
here, but intends shortly to visit Paris, and Italy
afterwards. We will, therefore, take advantage of
the moment, in which he is yet freshly present to
. us, to give a brief sketch of the artistic originaUty of
^ this man, who has favourably impressed us, to a far
greater degree than most young composers of to-day.
He who, from Cade's, resemblance to Mozart»

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. NIELS W. GADE^ tSj

which is really quite suiprising, should straightway
conclude that these two men resembled each other
musically, would be greatly mistaken. We see quite
a novel artistic character before us. It really begins,
to Uook ais if the nations bordering on Germany
desired to emancipate themselves from the influence
of German music; this might. annoy a German na-
t4vist^ but it could only appear natural and cheer-'
ing to the more profound thinker, if he understood
human nature. So we see the French-Pole Chopin,
Bennett the Englishman, Verhulst the Hollander,
besides the representatives of Hungarian music,
giving promise and performance that must lead them
to be regarded as most worthy enibodiments of the
artistic tendency of their native lands. And though
they all seem to regard Germany as their;, first and
favourite teacher of music, we cannot wonder tibat
they try to speak their own musical language to their
own nation,' without becoming untrUe to their former
instructor. For no land can yet boast of masters
that equal our greatest ones; who will declare the
contrary^ >

In the further North of Europe we also see national
tendencies displaying themselves. Lindblad in Stock-
holm transcribes old folk-songs, for U3, and even
Ole Bull, though by no means a man of the first rank
of talent, has tried .to make the tones pf his own
home at home with us. Perhaps the appearance of
60 many distinguished modern poets in Scandinavia
has given a powerful ipipulse to musical talent ther^

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r68' MUSIC .AND MUSICIANS.

if the artists of that country have not been sufficiently -
reminded by their lakes, mountains, aurora boreali%
and antique runes, that the North may well dare to
speak its own language.

Our young composer has also been nourished by
the poetry of his fatherland : he knows and loves aU
its poets; old legends and traditions accompanied
him on his boyish wanderings, and Ossian's giant
harp resounded from the shores of England. A de-
cided Northern musical character makes its appear-
ance for the first time in Gade's music, and especially
in his " Ossian " overture ; but Gade will be the first
to acknowledge all that he owes to German masters.
They have rewarded the great industry with which
he has devoted himself to the study of their works
(he knows nearly ail, by all) by the gift they bestow
on those who remain true to them — the consecration
of mastership. '

In the ''Ossian" overture we can detect the influence
of Mendelssohn in certain instrumental combinations,
and in the symphony we find much that reminds
us of Franz Schubert; but a very original turn of
melody is observable throughout these— a national
character such as has not hitherto displayed itself in
the higher forms of instrumental musia But the
symphony excels the overture in every respect, in
natural power as well as in the mastery of technic)
calities.

We only hope that this artist may not be crushed,
as it were, by his nationality that ius^imaginatioOf

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NIELS W, GADE,

169

''iUumined by the Northern lights" as some one has
said, may prove its richness and variety, and that he

may study other regions of life and nature. Every
artist should be advised, first to win, and then to
reject, originality ; let him cast off the old skin, ser-
pent-like, when it begins to compress him too
closely.

But the future is dark; much happens otherwise
than as we expect ; we can only express our hopes
of the worthiest and iinest things to come from such
remarkable talent And as if his very name — ^like
that of Bach — had had an influence in making a
musician of him — odd accident — the four letters .
of his name are those that designate the four violin-
strings. Let no one jest away this little sign of the
Muse's favour ; or the other, that his name, by means
of four clefs, may be written in one note,* which
cabalists will And easy to discover.

We may expect a second symphony by Gade this
month ; it differs from the first, in being lighter and
softer. While listeninj; to it, we think of the lovely
Danish beech-woods.

* This note is A in the treble clef, which becomes G in the tenoi^
P in tlie mezaoBOpxano^ and £ in tiie baritone clefs ^—

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( I70 )

A VISION ON THE EVENING OF

SEPTEMBER ^th, 1838.

CONCERT BY C W.

From heaven descendedi «a angel cfaild.
Of music dieaming, sits 'fhoughtfui, mild;
But when she strikes the ivory keys.
In magic circle the Ifstener sees

Form float past form,
Like clouds unrolled :

Young Mignon warm,
Dread Erlking old,

The weaponed glitter

Of warlike Ritter,

And nuns, low kneeling

In fervent feeling.
Loud plaudit sweU to a stormlike roar,^
Ko pofect songstress is worshipped more ;
But praise detains not that modest maid,
Who speeds to her home's protecting diadem

F. AND E. ^

SIGISMOND THALBERG.

[Concert for thb Musicians' Pension Fumd on the 8th

FEBauARY XS41.]

•

In his passing flight, the master's pinions rested here
a whiles and, as from the angel's pinions in one of

Riickert*s poems, rubies and other precious stones fell
from them, and into indigent hands, as the master
ordained it It is difficult to say anything new of
one who has been so praise-bcshowercd as he has.
But every earnest virtuoso is glad to hear one thing.

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•said at any 'time — that he lias progressed since he
iast delighted us with his art. This best of all praise
we are conscientiously able to bestow on Thalberg ;
■for during the last two years that we have not heard
iiirn^ he has made astonishing additions to his acquire-
ments, and» if possible, moves with greater boldness;
grace, and freedom than ever. His playing seemed
to have the same effect on every one, and the delight
that lie probably feels' in it himself was shared by
all. True virtuosity gives us sometliing more than
mere flexibility and execution ; a man may mirror
his own nature in it ; and iri'Thalberg*s playing, it
becomes clear to all .th^t h^ i§ one of the favoured
ones of fortune, one accustomed to wealth and
elegance. Accompanied by - happiness, b^towing
pleasure, he commenced his^c^treer; under such cir-
cumstances be has so far pursued it, and so be will
probably continue it. The whole of yesterday even-r
ingy and every number that he played^ gave us a
proof of this. The public did not seem to be there
to judge, but only to enjoy ; they were as certain of
enjoyment as the master is certain in his art. The
compositions he performed were all new : a sere*
nade and minuet from "Don Giovanni," a fantasia on
Italian airs^.a grand /iude, and a caprice on airs from
Sonnambula ; all highly effective transcriptions
of the original melodies, which everywhere looked
pleasantly forth from the arpeggios and scales by which
they were surrounded. His working out of the ^ Don
Giovanni " themes was highly artistic^ and his. per-

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tJ2 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

formance of them surprisingly beautifuL The //Mtflf

seemed to us the most valuable as a composition;
at its foundation lay a charming theme^ of a sustained
Italian folk-song style, and the last variation, with its
enlivening triplets, was too fine ever to be forgotten,
and no one will be able to play it after him in stith
magical perfection. Honour to him, then, for that
beautiful evening, on which he secured to himself a
deep-felt and lasting remembrance among us; and
may bis return to his admirers be a speedy one.

NORBERT BURGMULLER.^

• ■

Since Franz Schubert's premature death, none has
moved us more painfully than Burgmiiller s. Destiny,
instead of thinning the crowded ranks of medioc-
rity, has robbed us of our most commanding talent.
Schubert, to be sure, was somewhat appreciated
during his life ; but BuigmilUer had scarcely b^fun
to enjoy the beginning of a public recognition, and,
even so, was known but to a limited circle, and in
that more as a ^ queer fellow than as a musician.
It is therefore our duty to pay that honour to the
dead which we were unable to show to the living,
partly, perhaps, through his own fault

And yet we know but little of him : a symphony,
the remembrance of which still excites pleasure^

• Menrlelssohn's "Funeral March** (Opus 103) wa3 wriUen on tbe
deatU of Uiis promising yooiig composer. — Tsl, • - - -

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NORBERT BURGMULLER. 1 73

though we heard it but once ; a book of songs,
publicly praised and recommended by us ; a sonata;
a rhapsody ; and then another book of songs, the
last three only recently published. Yet this little
was enough to lead us to deplore most deeply die
fulness of strength that has fallen in its prime. He
was endowed with such brilliant talent, that only a
blind man could have his doubts regarding it; and
I even believe that he would finally have become
popular with the masses, whom the wealth of his
melodies would have captivated, though his truly
artistic working out of details might only have been
partly understood

Born, like Beethoven, on the German Rhine^ he
was early influenced by the charming neighbourhood
that surrounded him; nor was he probably unin*^
iluenced by the exciting artist life in Diisseldorf near
by. We find him afterwards in Cassel. The influ-
ence of Spohr, with whom he studied there^ though
not to be overlooked, yet sounds to us with but a faint
echo in such of Burgmiillers works as we are
acquainted with. His scholardom soon became in*
dependence; and no doubt Spohr was pleasantly con-
scious of this when he dismissed him with, it is said*
the highest encouragement in regard to his pupil's
future distinction. Nor must Hauptmann, the
thorough yet finely-inventive composer, be for-
gotten; with him, also, Burgmiiller studied. His
individual power is most strongly displayed in the
' rhapsody; it is.only six pages long, but its jeifect is

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1 74 MUSIC AND .MUSICIANS..

almost equal to the first effect produced by Goethe'd
Erlking.". What a masterly picture 1 it seems to
have been thought out, sketched, and perfected in
a moment ; and with how much facility 1 It is a
questionable thing to try- tb sound a musician's
fancy ; but in this rhapsody I think I sec further
motive beyond the creation of music, — a poem, a
picture, au actuid occurrence. A poet who was also
a good musician mi^ht perhaps most easily get at
its meaning. However this may be^ the rhapsody
produces an effect such as 'might be made by an
apparition from another world ; when it has dis-
appeared) we look about us for a long time, unable
to believe our own eyei •

As a work, the sonata is not less excellent. The
only reproach an arrogant musician could cast upon
it, would be the repetttroit of the second theme in the
second part, which defect we find in the first and
second movements of the sonata. Expressive as the
cantilena is, Fancy might have broken for itself a
•bolder pathway in this place. But it is far more
difficult to create than to advise* The whole work
is so filled with impassioned power, and its poet
appears so completely master of it, in spite of his fine
passion, that while he excites, he tranquillises us. I
know not at what age he wrote the sonata, but I
fancy it was at the turning-point between youth and
manhood, when we bid farev^ell- to so many dreams^
in order to make way for realities. The following
movements are stamped with the same, character oi

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175

resignation and vital courage, though I cannot deny
that, after sudi a first movement, I expected more
profound combinations in the last Yet Burgmiiller's
well-wishers may be quite satisfied with what he has
given u&

His latest published boolc of songs does not fall
behind his first in value. The texts display refinement
in their selection, the subjects bear an. affinity ta the
melancholy, impassioned nature of the composer: they
are " He who never ate his br^a^d with tears " (Goethe),
" Clear glow the stars in the dark blue " (Stt^litz),
*' Silent and stunned I wander" (Platen), Wounded
hearty O . cease complaining (I. Schopenhauer)^ and
** I. journey, into the gloomy land . (Uhland). We
find everything here that we dare ask from a song
— poetic conception^ lively detail, happy connection
betfeireen' Vioice aiid insitrument, careful' selection^
insighty .and warm vitality. I can least explain,
however, his setting of the Goethe poem ; its form^
though pointing to the part played, seems to me too
outward, too accidental, while it yet drowns the
tender life of the poem. - In Franz Schubert, this
holding to one musical figure throughout was a
new thing in the Lied ; younger song- composers
must be warned lest they turn it into mannerism*
The other songs seem to spring from a deeper source;
the last, especially, is so admirably fitted to the text^
that a more peifect execution of it can scarcely be
imagined. ; , .

We trust that the publisher, who pos&es^es many

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

othet manuscripts by Bui^miiller, will soon give them
to his admirers ; it is certain that the venture will be
successful. Publishers are like fishermen ; not know*
ing what luck and accident may bring in, they cast
their nets, and catch the ordinary prey, big and little,
until a heavy weight betrays the rare guest, one
of the most precious treasures of the. deep. Such a
fortunate draught was BurgmuUer.

OPERATIC NOTE-BOOK, 1847-50.

* Jean de Parish' by Boieldieu, March 4//;, 1847, in

Dresden^

A MASTERLY Opera. Two acts, two scenes» two

' hours in representation — all admirably planned.
•'Jean de Paris Figaro's Wedding "—the "Barber
of Seville" — ^the three first comic operas in the world,
truthfully reflecting the nations of their composers !

Instrumentation (my observation is principally
directed to this at present) masterly throughout;
the wind - instruments, especially clarinettes and
horns, treated with great care^ never covering the
voice ; the violoncellos effectively used here and*
there as independent parts. . •. .

Horns are made, use of in their highest compass,
when the voice lies still higher ; very good ; the two
int^rminglQ .well ! . ■ ;• : • : .

*

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OPER^C note-boob; 1847-50. l^^

^ The Templar and the Jewess!* Marschner^

May Zth, 1847,

I enjoyed listening^ to it. The composition is rest-
less here and there, and is not clear in its instrumen-
tation, but it contains a wealth of intellectual melody.
Very dramatic ; some Weberian reminiscences. This
is a gem» unable wholly to free itself from its rough
outer coating.

The treatment of the voices is not always good,
and the orchestra crushes them— too many trum
pets.

The choruses were miserably sung", but some of
them ought to produce a considerable effect

On the whole, the most remarkable modem Ger-
man opera since Weber.

^Tphtgenia in AnUs^ by Gluck^ May i^thy 1847.

Cl3^emnestra^ Schroeder • Devrient ; Iphigenia,

Johanna Wagner ; Agamemnon, Mitterwurzer ;
Achilles, Tichatschek. '

Richard Wagner was stagtf-manager ; costumes
and decorations were very appropriate. I think I
heard some of his additions to the music here and
there. The close, ^ On ta Troy,'' was also added.
This is inadmissible. Gluck would probably make
use of a contrary process with Wagner's opeia^— he
would cut out

. What can I say about this opera ? As long as the
world exists^.fiuch music must occasbiiaUy be heajrd»

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i^S ; kustc And musicians.

for it never grows old. A great, onglnal composer;
Mozart plainly looks over his shoulder; Spontini
often copies him, note for note. The close of the

opera is highly effective, Hke his " Armida.^'

** Tannhauserl^ by Richard Wagtier^ August jt/t^

1847.

An opera that cannot be spoken of in this brief
manner. It is certainly a genial work. Were he
as melodious a composer as he is an intellectual
onct he would be the man of our time. I defer to
a> future article the many things this opera deserts
to have said about it '

" La Favorite^' by Donizetti^ August %oth^ 1847.
X only -heard two acts. Marionette stage-music 1

** Euryanthe^' by C* M. v. Web^^ September z^rd^

1847.

We raved about this as we had not done about

anything for a long time. This music is too little
known and appreciated. It is Weber's noblest
hearts blood, and this opera Certainly cost him a
part of his life — but to render him immortal by its
means.. It is a chain of sparkling jewels from be-
ginning to end — all intellectual, masterly. How
glorious, how characteristic are some of the details,
.especially in the music, of Eglantine^ an(i Euryanthe

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OPERATIC NOTE-BOOK, i847-5a 179

^and how the instruments ring ! They speak to us
from the profoundest, most inward depths. We were
full of it'T^talked long of it 1 think the most genial
number of the opera is the duet between Lysiart and
^lantine in the second act The march in the third
act is also admirable. However, the crown must be
awarded to the entire work, and not to separate
passages.

Barbiere di Seviglia^* by Rossini^ N^vmbetf

1847,

*

With Viardot-Garcia as Rosina. Witty, enliven*
ing music ; the best Ros>sini ever wrote. Viardot
transfonhed the entire opera into a gr^t variation ;
she scarcely left one melody untouched. What a
false view of the liberty of a virtuoso 1 Yet this is
her best character. *

La MueiU de Partich" by Auber, February 22nd, '

- " - 1848.

This opera is a musical child of good fortune.' Its

subject has kept it up. The music is too rough, has
no feeling, and the instrumentation is wretched.
Flashes of mental power l^re and there, however.

_ "^Oberonl' by Weber, Mardt iSti, 1848.

. Too lyrical a subjett The musics too, is behind

that of Weber's other operas in freshness. A slovenly
performance.

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lS6 ttUSIC AND' IHUSICIANS.

"^Fmumd Cortezl' by SpofMni, July 2^th, 1848.

' I heard this with rapture for the first time.

■ I
Fideliol' by BeetJwven, August lUh. .

. Bad performance; incomprehensible tetnpi; under
Richard Wagner.

il Matrimmio Segretol' hy Cmarosa^ June igtA,

1849.

" Masterly throughout; in a technical sense, as to
composition and instrumentation, but uninteresting,
and i&nally tiresome.

^ * • « * *

**LesDeuz Journ^es^* by ChmibinU jfuiy ^tJu ;

I listened with great pleasure to this clever, mas-
terly opeca, for the first tio^e in ^ev^i^ years. Dall'
Aste made an admirable water-carrier.

• • . • . ' •

: Prophku!* by Gia. Meyerbeer^ FAruany 2nd^

i8sa* f.

t

* In bis iesiay on the Huguenots " j[aee page 302), Sdnmuum
fianUy declares his opposition to M^erheer^s seeking after effect at
any cost ; after hearing Le Prophite,"4ie doubtless buried all further
posiible hope in M^erbeer as a composer.— Ta.

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( xSi y : '

♦ • 4 • • • ■

i

MUSEUM.

■

W£ have lately received some contributions from
the Davidites, under the above title^ with the ques-
tion whether they might not insert a collection of
sketches of interesting headsi to be termed "Museum,"
in our paper, as they believe that many things pass'
unnoticed in the wholesale reviewing that has be-
come fashionable. They trust the editor will believe
they have no aristaeraHe ends in view, &c. Laying
aside the last observation^ the editor replies ; Let
the Davidites come on I

VARIATIONS FOR THE PIANOFORTE. .

Wt ADOLPH HENSELTy OPUS I.

Mv friendship for thee has increased^ Florestan^

since thou hast had judgment enough to select the
best from an army of young composers, and to intro-
duce them to the world in thy pages as future honotir-
bearers, if not laurel-wearers. They belonged to the
most • vatried nationalities : Chopin a French-Pole, .
Berlioz a Frenchman, Bennett an Englishman, be» *
sides many lesser talents that I do. not at present.

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t82 MUSIC A^fD MU^ICIAlfS.

recall If, 1 often sadly thought, a German would at
last make his appearance I And here he is — ^the fine
fellow, with heart and head in the right place —
Adolph Henselt i I agree with the lady Davidite,
Sara, who ranks him — rarely as' he hai^ yet been
heard, with Opus I scarcely yet behind him-»-
among the very best in the young artistic ranks.
Thou kndwesty Florestaii, how much we have studied,
toi^ether at the pianoforte, rioting in finger-exercises
and Beethoven, striving to attain the finest tone^.
But what I call euphony, the magic of tone^ has never
so struck me, to the highest degree, as in Henselt's
compositions* And yet this euphony is but the echo,
of inward amiability, uttered with an openness and
truth such as rarely strikes the ear through the
spectre-dance of our day. Other young artists
possess this quality in common with him, but they
do not understand their instrument as well, nor are
they able to expresis their thoughts in so charming
a manner/ ' I do not allude to the variations now,
with which one can fall in love without being too
deeply touched, — ^which is not their aim,— but many
men, even when they have said but little, and not
yet shown their best, impress jus at once with the
idea that they possess a warm heart and a harmoni**
ously-cultivated mind. And then 1 have lately-
heard played by Clara Wieck, like a friend of the
^composer, a number of short pieces that brought 2
tears of pleasure to my eyes, so unmistakably they-
went to^ the heart. If such qualities in ^n artistic •

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ADOLPH HENSELT. 1 83

Spirit cannot make me forget the deeper qualities
of others^ such as the highly passionate Chopin,-*
though the genius of Scott does not obliterate Byron,
—yet these quaUties deserve imitation, as well as the
«ncerest refcognition, in such a time as ours, when
a distorted and destructive Meyerbeer reigns, sur-
rounded by a dazzled and applauding crowd* Re-
joice, then, in the views which this artist opens to
you ; lovely nature always conquers at last. Let
him also rejoice in his significance, and continue to
spread happiness among us with his art

One thing more. It has been lately asked whether
Henselt does not mentally resemble Prince Louis of
Prussia* Yes; but they chanced on inverted times.
If we accord a classic or romantic character to music,
then Prince Louis was the Romanticist of the classic
period, while Henselt is the Classic of a romantic
period ; in this manner they resemble each other.

EUSEBIUS.

ADOLPH HENSELT.

TWELVE ^TUDESy OPUS 2* '

A DESCRIPTION of these Etudes comes tardily now,
and not unlike a fifth wheel to a car of triumph ; for
ihey were known to so many people, even before
their publication, that, had note-engraving not yet
been invented, they would already have been banded^

o

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XS4 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

•

like Homeric poems, from mouth to "mouth, or rather
frooi hand to hand. But now that their publication
is known, there is scarcely one good pianoforte-player
—of course all desire to be considered as such — who
will not immediately procure^ try, and study them*
It would be difficult to say anything new about
them, but notliing could be easier than to consider
the work a fine one ; for with Henselt there can only
be a question of the beautiful— mediocrity is here a
foreign subject.

And so we are the richer by one more excellent
work, and rarely is opinion so unanimous , regarding
the value of a publication. But we should often lose
heart from discouragement, if, amid the vulgar run-
ning and driving of the day, some young hero did not
occasionally step forth like a genuine champion o{
artistic interests, following the true path with fresh-
ness and bravery. Nor need he complain of the
indifference of the world ; for true talent always takes
Time captive, and honours have fallen to his share
of which not even a Mozart need have felt ashamed.

The cause of this rapid success lies in the most
attractive quality of a social or artistic character—
the amiability of our hero. His limbs move freely
and gracefully; his sword throws out perfume and
sparks at once, as tradition tells of Damascus blades ;
on his helmet there waves a brilliant plume. As I
have seen him at the pianoforte^ he has often seemed
to resemble one of the troubadours who softened the
spirits of a wild, contradictory timei whp reminded oi

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ADOLPH HENSELT. 1 85

eaflief^ simpler, more moral lives, while beckoning to
new action, and youths and maidens hung their faith
upon him while he passed from song to song, scarcely
knowing when to come to a dose. But he was also
able to please more impassioned natures ; his songs
are full of deep-felt love and self-devotion. Perhaps
Destiny had something to do with his mission as a
Romanticist, and his whole being has expanded into
love.

So we find in his second work, twelve love-songs,

and in an elegant golden inscription he writes above
each one the meaning of his griefs and raptures. I
am inclined to censure him for selecting French
mottoes, for, in my opinion, no language is so rich as
our German one in terms and phrases of love,— na
other can boast more sincere, heartfelt, tenderly-
veiled expressions of that kind. However, we will
accept his choice as a characteristic one ; for we must
acknowledge that chivalry, galUntry, and what may
be termed manly coquetry, never comes with a better
grace than from French lips. Take a few mottoes in
proof of this : '

Pensez un peu k moi,
Qui pense toujouxs k vous

Si oiseau j'^tais,
A toi je volerais/'

" Cest la jeunesse qui a des ailes dories.''

By such feelings, and similar ones, all these pieces
are enlivened; and though they might possibly have

l86 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

been expressed in a more intellectual, profound^
half-concealed manner, they could not have been
spoken more unfeignedly, gracefully, or warm-heart-
edly. To a man with such a character, one art
par excellence belongs— the speech of the heart, our
beloved music. Is the heart of such a gifted man
but honest and upright, has he thoroughly studied,
then let him sing out as carelessly as bird on bough ;
music, the truest music, is certain to be the result.
Then there is no need, no use for sifting, tormenting
one's self! He who loves thinks in music; and the
bell must freely swing if it is to sound. Love is our
singer's theme ; he makes no secret of it, but sings,
on into the darkest night. Therefore we hear but
Am, alone, only that which touches him;* he cares
for nothing beyond himself, nor cares to place any-
thing extraordinary before us; he sings of himself,
and we must hear it.

Thus the melody of a single part predominates,
in nearly all these etudes, over the others ; not acci-
dentally, yet not necessarily either. Some may be
styled single-voiced from beginning to end, and we
are almost left to discover the ornamental harmo-
nies ourselves. Yet this solo-singing seems such a
necessary growth from the kernel, has such fulness
of single tones, such roundness and weight in the
whole, that it cannot be altered witliout destroying

* If these remarks seem to contradict the preceding ones, in whidi
I have texmed Hen^elt a troubadour, I would observe that I moie
especiaUy refer, in the former, to his style of peifonika]ioe»

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. ADOLPU HEKSELT* > l if

it Though in the melodic progressions of good
masters we nearly always find small breaks^ springs^
contradictory ideas, that might be advantageously
altered, in these Etudes I do not find one note that
should be altered, save perhaps in, at the most, two
or three little places.

In this his cantilena resembles that of Gluck so far
as the work of such widely-differing epochs can dis-
play any resemblance ; — and if we oppose the simply
grandiose style of Gluck to the boldly labyrinthine
one of Sebastian Bach, we may, in the narrow circle
ot pfanoforte-music, place the clear melodies of
^Henselt in opposition to the veiled ones of Chopin.
But this is not meant to imply that Gluck carried
music to a higher point than Bach, or that Henselt
has left Chopin behind him. Henselt himself might
as well deny the source from whence he has drawn
nourishment, as we deny in Chopin his far more
tender enthusiasm, his divinely light vivacity, his
unspeakably finer organisation. Yes; many of
Henselt's iiiidcs would never have existed but for
Chopin's prior creations. This is said parentheti-
cally, to prevent the appearance of ingratitude.

Henselt's already charming melodies become alto-
gether so from the mysterious figuration in which he
conceals them— rich fruit issuing from green leaves
and branches. And we rejoice in the careful industry
with which he treats the basses and middle parts
(not in a melodic sense, but in a harmonic one) ; the
conscientiousness with which he orders all, so that

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t88 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

the work produces a favourable effect in its entirety;

though every detail stands out finely and separately.
One iigure» the first root of which I think I recognise
in the itude in B major (which this collection unfor-
tunately does not contain), is especially peculiar to
iiim ; he uses it frequently^ and always with a remark*
«tbly euphonious effect

All this should be heard from himself when he sits
in a favourable moment at the pianoforte (he some-
times fancies he is the worst of players), wrapt in his
instrument, one with it, forgetful of time and place,
careless whether artists or princes sit round him ;
then he at once begins to sing, and goes on un-
weariedly to the closing chord, when he begins again
from the beginning, until one must acknowledge that
he is a divinely-inspired singer, and truly then we feel
that his is also the hand of genius. . .

Many and varied thoughts are si^ested by the
appearance of this admired artist : — the happy con-
viction that, in order to create, he only needs to. lay

his hand on die keyboard ; the more serious one»

♦

that the distractions, the unsettled nature of the
virtuoso life, are opposed to and injure lofty research
and productiveness, whidb require happiness and
complete isolation from the world. But he is yet in
the first flush of youth, and we hope to meet him
soon again, when we shall have much to say that we
for the present withhold.

( i89)

THREE IMPROMPTUS FOR THE
PIANOFORTE.

BY STBPHBK HELLER, OHTS 7.

Lest my £usebiu3 should foam over the brim, like
a g'oblet lifted on high, I oppose to him another
young German artist, Stephen Heller, who, if he does
not possess the qualities of Eusebius' favourite in so
high a degree, has an abundance of wit and fancy,
besides much variety of invention. A few years ago,
an unknown person wrote to us that he had been
informed that the Daviditcs would accept even poor
manuscripts. "We cannot," the letter continued,
^be sufficiently thankful for this. Some hard«
hearted publisher, some Herz publisher, may, through
just criticism of such manuscripts, turn his attention
to young talent, may become more favourably dis^
posed towards it, or strengthened in his hardness of
heart. In me, honoured Davidites, you behold one
of the many who desire to see their compositions
(so-called works) published, and, at the same time,
one of the few who desire it, not merely to be printed
or engraved, but rather to be judged, to receive the
. blame, instruction, or encouragement which may be •
my due," — ^and so on. The whole letter bore witness
to naTveti, simplicity, and clear-headedness. At last
came the manuscript, accompanied by a letter, from
which I make the following extract I might hope

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I90 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

for great consideration from you, could I prove my-
self to be a remarkable hearer, a rare seer. I have
often seen Beethoven and Schubert^ in Vienna too,
and the very best Italian opera-company there;
and what combinations! Mozart's and Beethoven's
quartettes played by Schuppansig and others, and
Beethoven's symphonies played by the Vienna
orchestra. But seriously^ honoured Davidites, am I
mt a rarely favoured seer, a hearer especially
favoured by Providence ? ** •* Dear friends/' I said to
mine, "after such epistolary passages, nothing more
is to be done but to fly to the compositions, and
learn to know the man, to the root, whose name
forms such a fatal contrast to the apparent qualities
of its possessor " (Heller, clearer).

I am satiated with the word Romanticist," though
I have perhaps not pronounced it ten times in my
life ; and yet, if I wished briefly to characterise our
young seer, that is what I should entitle him. Thank
heaven, however, our young composer knows nothing
of that vague, nihilistic, no-stylc, behind which many
scribblers ape Romance, or of that roughly-scrawled
materialism which the French new Romanticists
favour ; on the contrary, he generally feels naturally,
and expresses himself clearly and cleverly. Then we
feel that there is, in the background of his composi-
tions, a peculiar, attractive twilight, or rather dawn,
that places his otherwise clear forms in a foreign
light ; but such an efiect is better described by a
picture than ifi words, and so I would compare this

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IMPROMPTUS FOR TPIE PIANOFORTE. I9I

mental halo to those circles which, in morning
showers on certain days, we may observe sunounding
the shadow outlines of many heads. On the whole,
there is nothing more supernatural about him than
a sensitive soul in a lively body. He finishes off
finely and carefully ; his forms are new, fantastic,
and free ; he seems afraid of getting quickly rid of
his subject, — always a sign that there is something in
it. He does not possess the harmonious euphony
that is so delightful in Henselt ; on the other hand^
he has more wit, and knows how to mingle contrasts
in unity. Many little details displease me; but he
murders blame instantaneously by some cleverly^
managed turn. These and many other qualities
distinguish my favourite. Nor must I overlook the
dedication! The coincidence is odd. You may
remember, Eusebius, that we once dedicated some-
thing to Wina in the " Flegeljahren j " the dedication
of the impromptus is also to one of Jean Paul's
heavenly creations — Liane de Froulay, — so we have
something in common. May no one falsely interpret
the resemblance~it is clear enough. So I recom-
mend the impromptus to you* Truly this talent has
a future before it Florestan.

A. RUBINSTEIN ; UNDINE,*' ETUDE FOR THE PIANOFORTB,

OPUS X*

Th£ first work of the talented boy (in 1843) who has
already won such fame as a pianist From this pre-
Kminary composition wc cannot yet affirm or deny
that he possesses uncommon creative gifts. But since *
the little piece is predominantly melodious, without
actually presenting us with fine or novel melody, we
are led to hope that , he has already begun to under-r
stand the true essence of 'music, and may continue
to develop his talents happily in this sense. The
title of the stiuU is principally justified by the wave-
like form of the figure of the accompaniiment Any^
thing truly successful and thoroughly original it
would of opurse be vaiitt to expect from so young
a composer. But incorrect harmonies like the fol*
lowing

should not have been allowed \o stand ; any passably
educated musician could have corrected the errors
for him.

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( »93 )

«

... ' .

STUDIES FOR THE PIANOFORTE.

BY I, K. HUMMELy OFUS 125.
1.

Cheerfulness, repose, grace, the characteristics of

antique works of art, are also those of the school
of Mozart. The Greek gave to "The Thunderer"
a cheerful face, and with a cheerful face Mozart
launches his h'ghtnings.

A true master does not attract scholars, but other
masteid. With reverence I return continually to ikis
master, who laboured so fully, deeply, broadly.
Should this transparent manner of thinking and
poetising ever be supplanted by a more formless and
mystic one, as Time — that casts a shadow even upon
Art — ^may ordain, yet may that beautiful period of
art never become foi^otten during which Mozart
reigned, and which Beethoven's mighty revolution
shook to its depths, perhaps not without the aoquies^
cence of his princely predecessor, Wolfgang Amadeus.

Afterwards Carl Maria von Weber and a few
foreigners re-ascended the royal throne. But when
tli'ese had also departed, the people were led more
and more astray, until they now stretch and tofs
tfaemsdlves in a weary, uhcomfortable, dassio-romitn-
tic torpor. «

. The advice has been given ta older artists, that;

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194 MUSIC i^D MUSICIANS*

when they reach their culminating point, they should
still continue to create, but anonymously; because
that which would be considered as progress in young
unknown writers, could only be looked upon as a
posthumous artistic legacy from them* But no
matter how long an artist's name may have been
esteemed famous, it would be arrogance in a critic to
attempt to &x the culminating point of that artist's
creative power. Who dared to hope for an eighth
Beethoven Symphony after the seventh, and, after
an eighth, a ninth? Only the last fully-perfected
work will be regarded by the pure ever-progressive
artist as that culminating point

It would be unjust to place this work by the old
master beside his sixtieth or eightieth opus, as the
equal in beauty of either of those ; when he wrote
thojse works of art, all his powers flowed together in
harmony. Here» indeed, we have the same stream,
still majestic, still worthy of respect, but at that
point where it leans towards the all-absorbing sea,
where the mountains are less lofty, where the shores
that embrace the retreating flood are less rich in
floweiB. Yet honour the river in its course, and re*
member how truthfully it once mirrored the outer
world in its bosom !

Music develops and transforms itself with a rapid-
ity of which no other art offers an example ; and
it often happens that even the best is only esteemed
among contemporaries for the space of a decennium.
The iutolcrance qf ypung. mind§, thanklessly forgetful

STUDIES FOR THE PIANOFORTE. 1 95

of this, and unr^ardful of the fact that they are
merely building up a height of which they did not
lay the foundation, is an experience that has been,
and will be, made in every epoch of art*

Young as I am, on this subject I would fain have
nothing on my conscience, in common with a so-
called very dear Florestan. Florestan ! if thou wert
a great king, if thou shouldst lose a battle, and if thy
subjects should tear the purple from thy shoulders,
wouldst thou not cry out angrily to them — " Oh, ye
ungrateful ones I " EUSEBIUS.

11.

Dearly beloved Eusebius, in truth, you force me
to laugh. And though you should put back the
hands of all your watches, the sun would rise at the
usual hour. Highly as I prize your talent for placing
everything in the right light, I esteem you as
but a masked Romanticist,— with a certain shyness
in regard to names that Time will one day obliterate.
• Indeed, my friend, if things went on according to
the wishes of certain people, we should soon arrive at
that golden age when putting the thumb on a black
key was rewarded with boxes on the ears. I will not.
enter into the falsehood of some of your reveries,^
but proceed to the business itself at once.

Method, school mannerisms, advance improvement
indeed, but narrowly, one-sidedly. Ah, teachers!
how ye sin against yourselves! With your school of
Logier you strive to drag the bud from its sheath

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196 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

by force. Like falconers, you pull out your own
pupils' feathers, lest they should fly too high I You
should be guide-posts to point out the way, but not
to run along the road yourselves alsa

Already, while I was studying Hummers piano-
forte school (ye know, ye Davidites, what an im-
mense machinery I applied to it, because the musio^
desk would not hold firm), I fdt a faint suspicion
that Hummel, having been an extraordinary virtuoso
in his own day, might be a mere pedagogue to future
times. I found in that work so much that was aim-
less, and even put there to fill up, beside so much
that wto useful, so much good advice near so much
that obistructed one's formation, that I positively
recoiled from Haslinger's edition of the work. Of
course I forgave it for containing many examples of
Hummehsm; for every one understands his own
productions best, and can make the best choice
among them. I then failed to understand that
Hummel had not kept up with the rapid march of
improvement I learned that partly afterwards ;
and these very ^ Studies " have fully enlightened me.
* Studies," ye excellent Davidites, are studies ; that
is to say, one should learn from them something one
did not know before.

The unsurpassable Bach, who knew a miUion times
more than all the rest of us put together even
suppose, was the first who undertook to write for
learners ; but he did it in so gigantic a manner,
that only after many years he was enthroned oefore

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STUDIES FOR THE PUNOFORTE. 1 97

the world as the founder of a strong, thoroughly
healthy scbooly by a few men who, in the meanr
while, had been progres^ng (up to the point of
understanding Bach) in their own way.

Bach's son, Emanuel, inherited fine talent He
filed, refined, caused at beautiful cantilena to flow
through predominating harmony and iigurated me-
lody; but as a creative musician he remained very
far behind his father : as Mendelssohn once said, " It
was like the advent of a dwarf among the giants."

Clementi and Cramer followed. The former, on
account of his contrapuntal, often cold art, could
find, no acceptance with young minds.. Cramer was
preferred on account of the transparent clearness of
his eizide music. •

Other writers distinguished themselves by some
excellences, yet no school was preferred to Cramer^s
as a general cultivation of hand and head.

But now something was required that would also*
cultivate the feelings {Gemiitk), People found out
that all these etudes were unsatisfactory from their
intellectual monotony; they also discovered, thahk
heaven! that' it was not neces&ary td learn one
after another in order to improve.
. The subtle Moscheles then thought out his inter-
esting character-pieces, by means of which he sought
to employ the fancy also.

Then came HummeL Eusebius, I shall speak
out! his studies came a few years too late. If you
possessect an abundance of ripe, golden fruit, would

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iqB MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

you give bitter roots to an imploring child ? No, no ;
you would rather lead it back to the rich, early world
of his works, that it migbt revel in the mind and
fancy that glow there in a thousand brilliant colours.

Who will deny that most of these studies are put
together and finidied in a scholarly manner—- that a
fixed form is displayed in each of them — that all are
perfected with the mastery that is the result of a
long exercise of ability ? But that which charms
youth so greatly that the beauty of a work causes
the £atigue of mastering it to be forgotten — the love*
liness of imagination — is utterly wanting.

Believe me, Eusebius — and it may be told in
your own flowery speech — ^if Theory be the true yet
lifeless mirror th^t reflects truth speechlessly, and
that remains dead without an object full of life»
Imagination is the seeress with blindfolded eyes
from whom nothing is withheld, and who often
appears most charming in her errors. What do you
say to this, master ? Florestan.

III.

Young men, you are both wrong t A famous

name has embarrassed one of you, and made the
other defiant* How is it said in the Westostlichen
Divan?"

toenn ba« auf 9lamen nil^te,

fS^ai fx^ }dim\iyn't) nur Qcftattet
£ieb' ic^ bcc^ baa [c^one ®utf,

Raro,

Uigiiizeo by

*

( 199 )

TWELVE &TUDES FOR PIANOFORTE

BY FREDERIC CHOPIN, BOOK 2, OPUS 25.

The name to which we have so often pointed, as to
a rare star at a late hour of the night, must not be
wanting in our Museum. Whither its course may
lead, how long may last its sparkling light, who
can tell ? But it can always be distinguished when-
ever it shows itself, even by a child, for it always
displays the same core of flame, the same deeply
dark glow, the same brilliancy. And thus I remem-
ber that I have heard Chopin play nearly all of them,
and very much ^ la Chopin he plays them," whis-
pers Florestan in my ear. Imagine that an iEolian
harp possessed all the scales, and that an artist's
hand struck these with all kinds of fantastic, elegant
embellishments, ever rendering audible a deep fun-
damental tone, and a. softly flowing upper voice—
and you will have some idea of his playing. No
wonder, then, that we were charmed with the pieces
at once, hearing them played by himself, and most
of all with the flrst, in A flat major, rather a poem
than a study. But it would be a mistake to suppose
that he allowed us to hear every small note in it;
it was rather an undulation of the A flat major
chord, brought out more loudly here and there with
the pedal^ but, exquisitely entangled in the har-
mony \ we followed a wondrous melody in the sus*

P

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

tained tones, while, In the middle, a tenor voice
broke clearly from the chords, and joined the prin-
cipal melody. And when the etude was ended, we
felt as though we had seen a lovely form in a
dream, and, half awake, we strove to seize it again ;
— but such things cannot be described, still less can
they be fitly praised. Then he played the second
in the book, in F minor, one in which his individua-
lity displays itself in a manner never to be for-
gotten. How charming, how dreamy it was I Soft
as the song of a sleeping child. That in F major
followed; hne again, but less novel in character;
here the master showed his admirable bravura
powers — but what are words for all this ? They
are all models of bold, indwelling, creative force,
truly poetic creations, though not without small
blots in their details, but, on the whole, striking and
powerful Yet, if I give my complete opinion, I must
confess that his earlier lai^e collection seems more
valuable to me. Not that I mean to imply any nar-
rowness in Chopin's artistic nature, or any deteriora-
tion, for these recently-published studies were nearly
all written at the same time as the earlier ones, and
only a few were composed a little while ago — ^the
first in A flat, and the last magnificent one in C
minor, both of which display great mastership. It is
unfortunately true, however, that our friend writes
little at present, and does not write tirorks in large
forms at all now. No doubt the distractions of Paris
are to blame for this. But an artist's heart needs

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FREDERIC CHOPIN. ' 20I

rest after the storm. May this oae, strengthened and
renewed, hasten towards those yet unknown and

distant suns which genius is ever discovering to us 1

EUSEBIUS.

FREDERIC CHOPIN.

m

TWO NOTTURNOS, OPUS 37 ; BALLADE, OPUS 38 ; WALT2
FOR PIANOFORTB^ OPUS 42.

Chopin may now publish an3rthii^ without putting

his name to it ; his works will always be recognised.
This remark includes praise ^nd blame; that for
his genius, this for his endeavour. He possesses
such remarkable original power, that, whenever it
displays itself, it is impossible to be for a moment
uncertain as to its source; and he adds to this an
abundance of novel forms, that astonish us as much
by their tenderness as their boldness. But, though
ever new and inventive in the outward forms of his
compositions, he remains the same within; and we
are almost beginning to fear that he will not rise
any higher than he has so far risen. And although
this is high enough to render his name immortal in
the modem history of art, he limits his sphere to
the narrow one of pianoforte-music, when, with his
powers, he might climb to so great an elevation, and
from thence exercise an immense influence on the

202 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

general progress ot our art But we must fain
content ourselves. He has already created such

noble things, he gives us so much at present, that
we ought to be satisfied; for we should certainly
congratulate any artist who could accomplish merely
the half of what he has accomplished. It is not
necessary to write thick volumes to deserve the
name of poet ; two true poems are enough for that,
and Chopin has written many more. The above
named notturnos are also poems ; they are essentially
distinguished from his earlier ones by simpler deco-
ration and more gentle grace. We all know how
Chopin was' formerly strewn with pearls, spangles,
and golden trinkets. He has altered and grown
older; he still loves decoration, but now of that
nobler kind under which poetic ideality gleams more
transparently. We must allow that he possesses
the most refined taste possible, but it will not be
understood by thorough bassists, for they give their
thoughts entirely to the detection of consecutive fifths,
and every succession of these exasperates them. But
even they may learn much from Chopin, about con-
secutive fifths above alL We must direct attention '
to the Ballade " as a most remarkable work.
Chopin has already written one composition of
the same name— one of his wildest and most ori-
ginal compositions; the new one is difiierent— a
less artistic work than the first, but equally fan-
tastic and intellectual. Its impassioned episodes
seem to have been afterwards inserted. I recollect

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FREDERIC CHOPIN.

203

ver)r welly that when Qiopin played the '^Ballade"
here, it finished in F major; it now closes in A
minor. He then said that he had been inspired
by some poems of Mickiewitz to write this Ballade.^'

On the other hand, his music would inspire a poet
to write words to it. It thrills one's inmost heart.
Andy fmally, the waltz is, like his earlier ones, a
isalon piece of the noblest kind ; if he played for
dancers, f lorestan thinks half of the ladies should be
countesses at least And he is right, for Chopin's
waltz is aristocratic through and through.

FREDERIC CHOPIN.

FIRST CONCERTO FOR PIANOFORTE, WITH ORCHESTRAL ACCOM-
PANIMENT, OPUS II ; AND SECOND CONCERTO (BV THE

same) for piano AND ORCHESTRA, OPUS 21.

I.

As soon as young artists meet with antagonists, they
regard it as a sign of their fo^rce of talent^ and
they esteem the greatness of this in exact proportion
to the perversity of these. It is remarkable, how-
ever, that in the very dry year 1830, when one
ought to have thanked heaven for every tolerable,
blade of straw, when even the critics (but they are
always behind the times, unless themselves creative),
who had long shrugged their shoulders about Chopin's
recognition, might have, come forward at last, a

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204 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

reviewer dared to say that Chopin's compositions
were good for nothing but to tear in pieces*
Enough 1 The Duke of Modena has not yet recog-
nised Louis Philippe, but if the throne of the barri-
cades does not stand on golden feetf the Duke has
had nothing to say about it I may here mention,
en passant^ that a famous tie-wig newspaper, as I
hear (I say heart because I do not read it, and
flatter myself, in this respect, that I resemble Beeth-
oven sh'ghtly ; see Beethoven's Studies," edited by
Seyfried), smiles at me with dagger-like eyes under
a mask, because I once said in jest of one of
its journalists, who had written something about
Chopin's Don Juan " variations, that he, the
journalist, had a couple of feet too many, like a
bad verse, and that it would be a kindness to cut them
off for him. But shall I remember these things
to-day, just as I have fallen in with Chopin's
F-minor concerto? Heaven forbid. Milk versus
poison, cool blue milk I What is a whole yard of
a musical paper compared to a Chopin concerto ?
What is a magister's anger compared to poetic rage ?
What are ten editorial crowns (compared to an adagio
in the second concerto ? And believe me, Davidites,
I should not think you worth the trouble of address-
ing, did I not think you capable of writing such
works as those you write about, with the exception,
indeed, of a few, like this second concerto, which,
united, we cannot hope to reach, save with our
lips to kiss its margin. Away with your musical

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FREDERIC CHOPIK. 205

journals! It would be the victory, the triumph of
a good one, could it bring matters so far (and many
are working *with this aim), that no one would read
criticisms any more; that the world, from pure
creativeness, would hear nothing that was written
about it. It should be the highest endeavour of a
just critic to render himself wholly unnecessary
(as many try to become); the best discourse on
music is silence. What stupid ideas are those of
music-journalists regarding their own importance!
They imagine themselves the idols of artists, yet
without artists they would starve. Away with
musical journals! No matter how high criticism
aspires, it is but the poor manure of works td come ;
and God's blessed sun will accomplish the work far
better. Once more, why write about Chopin ? Why
weaiy one's readers? Why not create at first hand,
— play, write, compose ? Once more, away with all
musical journalsi in general and especial I

Florestan.

11.

If the world wagged according to the hair-bratned
Florestan's wishes, he would be capable of dubbing
the above a review, and closing the paper with it.

But he should recollect that we have a duty to
Chopin to iulfiL Respecting him we have not yet
written in our books ; and the world will at last at-

tribute our silence — prompted by reverence — to other
motives. If we have not yet verbally glorified the

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

composer who already reigns in a thousand hearts,
it has been for several reasons — timidity in treating
of a subject that is very close to our hearts, fear lest
we may not speak in proper terms of it, lest we may
not have sufficient grasp to reach its heights and
depths; then there is the artistic connection in
which we stand to this artist, — and, finally, it has
been delayed until now because Chopin in his last
compositions seems to have struck into a higher, if
not a difTcrcnt way, the direction and end of which
we hoped to understand more clearly before giving
a trustworthy account of it to interested outsiders.

Genius creates kingdoms, the smaller states of
which are again divided' by a higher hand among
talents, that these may organise details which the
former, in its thousandfold activity, would be unable
to perfect As Hummel, for instance,, followed the
call of {ifozart, clothing the thoughts of that master
in a flowing, sparkling robe, so Chopin followed Beeth-
oven, Or, to speak more simply, as Hummel imi*
tated the style of Mozart in detail, rendering it en-
joyable to the virtuoso on one particular instrument,
so Chopin led the spirit of Beethoven into the con«
cert-hall.

Chopin did not make his appearance accompanied
by an ordiestral army, as great genius is accustomed

to do ; he only possesses a small cohort, but every
soul belongs to him to the last hero.

He is the pupil of the first masters-— Beethoven,

Schubert, Field. The first formed his mind in bold-

FREDERIC CHOPIN.

207

ness, the second his heart in tenderness^ the third his
hand to its flexibility.

Thus he stood, well provided with deep knowledge
in his art, armed with courage in the full conscious-
ness of his power, when, in the year 1830, the great
voice of the people arose in the West Hundreds
of youths had waited for the moment ; but Chopin
was the first on the summit of the wall, behind which
lay a cowardly renaissance, a dwarfish Philistinism
asleep. Blows were dealt right and left, and the
Philistines awoke angrily, crying out, Look at the
impudent one ! while others behind the besieger
cried, *' The one of noble courage 1 "

Besides this, and the favourable influence of period
and condition, Fate rendered Chopin still more indi-
viidual and interesting in endowing him with an
original, pronounced nationality — ^Polish, too; and
because this nationality wanders in mourning robes,
in the thoughtful artist it deeply attracts us. It was
well for him that neutral Germany did not receive
him too warmly at first, and that his genius led him
straight to one of the great capitals of the world,
where he could freely poetise and grow angry. If
the powerful Autocrat of the North knew what a
dangerous enemy threatens him in Chopin's works, in
the simple melodies of his mazurkas, he would forbid
music. Chopin's works are cannons buried in flowers.

In his origin, in the fate of his country, we iind
the explanation of his great qualities and of his
failings. When we speak of grace, entliusiasm.

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208 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

presence of mind, nobility, and warmth of feeling,

who does not think of him ? . But who does not,
when the question is of eccentricity, morbid sickli-
ness, even wildness and hatred ?

Many of Chopin's earlier creations bear this im-
press of the sharpest nationality.

But Art requires more. The cosmopolitan must
sacrifice the small interests of the soil on which he
was bom. Chopin's later works h^in to lose some-
thing of their especial Sarmatian physic^nomy, and
to approach partly, and more nearly, that universal
ideal which the divine Greeks cultivated, and which
we find again, on another path, in Mozart.

I say " partly ; " for he never can, never ought,
wholly to disown his origin. Btit the further he
removes from it, the greater will his consequence in
the general world of art become.

Chopin has contributed to the general improve-
ment of art the idea that progress in it can only be
attained through the formation of an intellectual
aristocracy among artists. This would not merely
demand a complete knowledge of mechanism, but
would also require as indispensable in its members
the possession of all the qualities they might require
from others, as well as active sympathy, and a lively
faculty of comprehension and restoration. Such a
union of productivity and reproductivity would cer-
tainly hasten the epoch of general musical cultiva-
tion, in which there would be as little doubt as to
what should he. regarded as cprrect and true, as

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FREDERIC CHOPIN.

209

there is regarding the manifold forms in which it
appears.

Of new compositions by Chopin, we must men-
tion a remarkable collection of preludes, besides a
book of mazurkas and three waltzes. His forms
seem to grow ever brighter and lighter — or are
we becoming accustomed to his style ? These
mazurkas (Opus 33) will charm every one instantly,
and seem to us more popular in character than
his earlier ones; but his three waltzes (Opus 34)
will delight above all things, so different in type^
as they are, from the ordinary ones, and of such a
kind as only Chopin dare venture on or even invent,
— while gazing inspired among the dancers whom
he has just called up by his preludes, and while
thinking of far different things than those that are
to be danced there/ Such a wave of life flows
through them, that they seem to have been impro-
vised in the dancing-room. I must signalise the
preludes as most remarkable (Opus 28). I will
confess that I expected something quite different,
carried out in the grand style, like his etudes. It
is almost the contraty here ; these are sketches,
the beginnings of studies, or, if you will, ruins;
eagles' feathers, all wildly, variegated ly intermin-
gled. But in every piece we find, in . bis own
refined hand, written in pearls, " This is by Frederic
Chopin ; " we recognise him even ia his pau$es^ and
by his impetuous respiration. He is the boldest,
the proudest poet-soul of to-day. To be sure, the

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

book also contains some morbid, feverish, repellant
traits; but let every one look in it for something
that will enchant him. Philistines, however, must

keep away. And what is a Philistine ?

din fjo^jUx IDarm

Or let us close more gently with Schiller's fine
lines—

3cne6 ®efc^, fca^s mil eljernem (Stab ben ^trdubenben tcnfet,
Vix ni^t giit'^. SBotf bu tl^ufl, bit gefaUt, i)l ©efe^.

EUSEBIUS.

WILLIAM STERNDALE BENNETT.

SIX £TUD£S IN CAPRICE FORM, OPUS II.

TH£ reader has long known that our paper has
selected a little corps of favourites among the
younger composers; the Englishman above named
is not the least esteemed of these^ for in certain
things he leaves all the rest behind him. He pos*
sesses the most rehned taste, the most lively sense
for what is genuine, real. His inborn artistic under-
standing early raised him above tfa6 errors and
trivialities under which so many courageous young

WILLIAM STERNDALE BENNETT. 211

minds, desirous of speedy recognition, sink alto-
gether. He always does that of which he is cap-
able, and as his nature is a very fine one, he always
does it in a fine manner. These itudes are not, in any
way, great inventions; but, from his economical
manner of setting to work, beginning carefully,
neglecting nothing, yet never doing too much, bring-
ing out all his strength precisely at the point where
it will be most effective, all may learn the points
that denote the master ; promises that have already
been fulfilled ia the finest manner. For it should
be known that he composed these studies in his
eighteenth year, since which time his imagination
and knowledge have been greatly enriched. But
already in these his thoughts stream forth to the
end, freely and uninterruptedly, so that the itude
aim seems to have become subordinate, as is but
natural in an artist like him, one the very opposite
of all dry mechanism, and who longs to feel that
more: Is reached through the study of iiudes than
mere empty dexterity. The title, therefore^ dis-
tinctly expresses the contents of the work ; we have
caprices of stricter form than usual, with always
different kinds of difficulties ; pretty genre pictures,,
by means of which the hands may acquire more
grace and facility. I compare most of these to
the earlier ettides of Berger, though his were written
at a riper s^e. Certain truths seem as if they must
appear to all as clear as the sun — in spite of some
bad contrary experience^.; but I am this time nearly

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

ccrtaia that tlie majority will agree with me ia the
above-expressed judgment The most striking ot

these etudes is the last, in G minor.

WILLIAM STERN DALE BENNETT.

THIRD OONCERTOy OPUS 9*

*'An English composer; no composer," said some

one before the Gewandhaus concert of a few weeks
ago, at which Mr. Bennett played the above concerto.
When it was over, I turned to him, questioning, ** An-
English composer?" "And truly, an angelic one,"-
answered the Anglophobe. A few words will suffice
to-day. Eusebius has already written so warmly
on this subject, that I can add little to his sketch.-
When we remember that the above concerto was*
written three years ago— that is to say, in its
composer's nineteenth year, — we are astonished at
the early dexterity of tins artist-hand, the connec-
tion of the whole, its reposeful arrangement, its
euphonious language, its purity of thought. Though
perhaps I could have wished certain lengthened
passages more concentrated in the first movement,
yet that is individual. Nothing, on the whole, is
out of place; there is nothing in the work that
does not appear inwardly related to its funda-
mental plan ; and even where new elements step

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WILLIAM STERNDAI^ BENNETT. 213

in, the golden ground-threads still shine through^
led ' as only a master-hdnd can lead them. How

•

delightful it is to find an organic, living whole amid
the tra^h of student-work ; and how doubly delightr
ful it was to find the Leipsic public, so little preparec)
for this, refcognising it quickly and joyfully! And
public opinion was here put to quite a different
trial from that it undei^oes in the case of ordinary
virtuosos. In this case it was not sufficient merely
to recognise technical ability, to mark the distinc-
tion between schools, to draw comparisons between
artists. We need first to recognise the modesty
with which our artist rejects all exaggerated means
of pleasing, to discover whether this springs from a
fine, rich foundation, and whether we are in the
presence of one of tliose rare, inward, artist natures,
that, if they permit the outside world a glance into
their soul-life, are themselves uninfluenced in their
self-communion and contemplation. After the first
movement, a purely lyrical pieces full of fine human
feehng, such as we meet with only in the best
master-works, it became clear to all that they had
here to do with an artist of the most refined nature;
Still, he was not rewarded with that general thunder
of applause^ such as only bold virtuosos excite:
Expectation was visibly awakened, more was de-
manded, people wished to make the Englishman
understand that he was in the land of music. Then
began the romance in G minor — so simple that the
notes can almost be counted in it. Even if I liad

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214

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

not learned from the fountain-head that the idea
of a fair somnambulist had floated before our poet

while composing, yet all that is touching in such
a fancy affects the heart at this moment. The
audience sat breathless, as though fearing^ to awaken
the dreamer on the lofty palace-roof; and if sym-
pathy at moments became almost painful, the love*
liness of the vision soon transformed that feeling
into a pure artistic enjoyment. And here he struck
that wonderful chord, where he imagines the wan-
derer, safe from danger, again resting on her couch,
over which the moonlight streams. This happy trait
set at rest all doubt respecting our artist, and in the
last movement the public gave itself wholly up to the
delight we are accustomed to receive from a master,
whether he leads us on to battle or to peace.

Should it appear that I have been too anxious to
take refuge, in the preceding lines, in the public
judgment, should it seem that I have interpreted
that too favourably, I am ready to be answerable
alone for all that I have said regarding the excel-
lence of the concerta For it is more than necessary
that honour and praise, if deserved, should be be-
stowed on all true artists, when laurels are unthink-
ingly heaped on virtuosos who have only their fingers
to thank for them ; and we should learn the distinc-
tion between these two kinds of artists. Yes ; were
there many artists like Stemdale Bennett, all fears
for the future progress of our art would be silenced

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( "5)

« THE lake;;' " the mill-stream:' and

" THE FOUNTAIN."

4

BY STERNDALE BENNETT.

We have frequently published our opinion of Ben-
nett's compositions, and of his remarkable talent;
and Eusebius has lately spoken of these exceedingly
fine sketches in a long article, with the eulogistic
nature of which every one will unite who has heard
the pieces performed by their composer. It is true
that we are all captivated by his personality; yet
the lovely traits of these pictures seem to me so
prominent, that I cannot ascribe to those who dis-
agree with me — even when they have not heard
them played by their author— any very great degree
of cultivation. Not a word ought to be lost of
certain things. However, we have never declared
Bennett to be a natural phenomenon^ and have only
claimed for him the honour that such a union of
artistic gifts deserves. The sketches are entitled,
«The Lake," "The MtU-Stream," '^The Fountain," and,
had Art nothing more than these to thank him for,
they would preserve his name from oblivion. In sim-
plicity and tenderness they seem to me to exceed
everything I know in the way of musical ^^snre-pzinU
ing, and like a true poet, he seems to have overheard
and reproduced Nature in her most musical scenes.
Or have we never listened to the music that has

Q

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2l6 MUSIC AND MUSIQANS.

called to us, at evening, from the opposite shores of
the lake^ or the swift rush of the wheel while the
foam sparkles and flies? The manner in which
these sketches arose, whether from within to without,
or the reverse^ has nothing to say to the matter, and
none of us can decide that question. Composers
themselves cannot always tell ; one is so, another so ;
an outward picture often leads onward, one succes-
sion of tones calls forth another. But if music and
independent melody are the result, let us not be
hypercritical, but enjoy. I had almost forgotten the
*' Fountain," and how delightedly we heard it from
him, while all his poet-soul seemed to flow out in it ;
how all things were heard through it,— a hundred
voices prattling and splashing! Schiller himself
could not sketch it for us more clearly when he
said--

" The flowers are bending to the west wind's kiss,
The fountain springs and falls in crystal gushes ;
All happy creatures give and take life's bliss,
WhUe round mine ear a flood of music rashes."

These lines are the best criticism on these caprices

that could be given.

The impromptus are not inferior to them — true
poems, though less original, and sometimes remind-
ing us of Mendelssohn's "Songs without Words;*
their forms and rhythms are also very graceful, if
somewhat too reposeful and easy. A great step in
advance, — as regards deep, even strange, harmonic
combiaatioQs, and a bold* broad construction, — ^is to

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" THE LAKE," THE MH-L-STREAM/' ETC. 2 1 /

be found in the three romaiiceis. They have been
written lately, and may be regarded as the highest

result of the composer's endeavours until now. They
resemble his earlier works in richly flowing m^ody,
and the melody of the upper part predominates in
them ; but they excel them in their highly impas-
sioned character. • The first romance is even fiery ;
the others are only somewhat more quiet, and the
last overflows with complaining aspiration. It would
be as difficult to analyse them as a fine poem ; the
right people will understand them. I must call at-
tention to the always newly-harmonised entrance of
the melody of the second romance, and to its fine
deep basses, as to an especial beauty : it is often
principally in his basses that we detect the hand of
the artist

Sterndale Bennett thoroughly delights us in his
Three Diversions/' Opus 17, for pianoforte (four
hands). Here too, are small forms ; but what re-
finement in detail, what art in the whole ! This care-
fulness is the trait that distinguishes the lofty artist
from the mediocre one ; for the former handles even
his smallest work with attentive love, while the other
throws his off in a slovenly manner, fancying that
little things do not deserve more care, and that they
may be shaken out of one's sleeves by armfuls.
Save Mendelssohn, I know no other living artist but
Bennett who has so much to say at so little expense,
who can so well arrange and round off a piece, —
whO| in shorti is able to write such diversions'

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BCUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

There may be bolder and more gifted ones^ but none
more neat and tender. There is an amiability in
these pieces that must put rough workmen to

shame, a wealth of grace in .every lightest movement,
and innocence and poetry in alL It seems to me as
if this tenderly phenomenal, rare foreign flower were
now in its sweetest bloom ; so let all hasten to gaze
on it. Foreign lands give us so little just at present ;
Italy only sweeps over to us her butterfly dust, and
the knotted outgrowths of the wondrous Berlioz
frighten us all But this Englishman, among them
all, comes nearest to German sympathies ; he is a
born artist, such a one as Germany herself possesses
few to boast of. To return to his compositions; it
will do no harm that they need the hands of two
persons to enjoy them. Perhaps the pieces might be
cleverly arranged for two hands only, however ; the
first of them was at first composed so, and afterwards
arranged for four hands.

Bennett's Opus i6 is a work of far larger propor-
tions, and only finds place in this review of smaller
works through its title. Like a sonata, it is divided
into four long movements, completely worked out
and reciprocally connected. Yet the last does not
seem to make a decided conclusion, — perhaps be-
cause it was written before the others. We can only
repeat, in praise of its imaginativeness, what we have
said of Opus i6, though this, according to its plan,
moves in another sphere, and is far more complicated*
difhcult. and ambitious. As for lovely melodies,

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CONCERT OVERTURES FOR ORCHESTRA. 2 1 9

rings with tliem as over-richly as a nest of night-
ingales* Nor is it lacking in Bennett's own peculiar
harmonic treatment. The character of the first three
. movements is altogether lyrical, while the last rises
to a dramatic height of considerable imaginative
power; here musician, painter, poet, may find su1>
jects. Only genuine artists will be equal to its per-
formance. There is more in it than the majority of
amateurs dse able to master.

CONCERT OVERTURES FOR ORCHESTRA.

. J. T. H. VERHULST ; W. STERNDALE BENNETl' ; BERLIOZ.

Accident has brought together the above three
names, the bearers of which may be r^arded as
representatives of the younger generation of three
very different nations, Holland, England, and
France* The name of the last is already known,
the second is beginning to obtain recognition ; the
hrst is emerging from obscurity through frequent
mention, especially in our pa^es* They may be
reviewed together; we believe that with time all
three will attain consequence in the musical art-
history of their native lands.

I have, unfortunately, not heard those overtures,
of which I am about to speak, played by the or*

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220 MUSIC AND MUSICIANSi

ehestra. But tny judgment urill be assisted by my

familiarity with most of the otlier works of these
composers, as well as by my personal acqumntance
with the two first^mentioned artists, Berlioz promises^
from year to year, to visit Germany, in order to
make us better acquainted with his music ; he has
lately sent us a new overture, which is a new ex-
ample of his remarkable views.

Holland, hitherto famous in art through Us
painters alone, has lately distinguished itself by
an awakened sense for music. The Society for
Advancement of Music has doubtless had its in-
fluence in this — a society that extends a hundred
branches throughout the whole country, the aim of
which is to encourage native as well as foreign art
The composer of whom we speak is a protege of
this Society ; if I am not mistaken, he has won, in
several contests, the prize of composition. At pre-
sent he is residing among us, and last winter earned
an excellent reputation as conductor of the Euterpe
Society's concerts, &c. We have also to thank this
Society in the Netherlands for its publication of
some of Verhulst's compositions; a work for the
church and an overture have already been men-
tioned by us as productions of decidedly uncommon
talent A new overture lies before us Ouverture
en Ut mineur, a grand ordiestre," &a ; publi^e par
la Societe de Pays-Bas pour I'encouragement de
Fart musical) ; it was written for the tragedy, well-
known in Holland, " Gysbrecht van Amstel," for

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CONCBRT OVERTURES FOR ORCHESTRA. 221

4

which play Verhulst has already composed entr'acte
mtssic. The overture, whidi has been much played
in Leipsic, pleases much, and naturally so ; there
is something in it for all — public, musician, critic;
and it stands at just that height of musical progress
which the masses respect, and artists, in general,
are able to sympathise with. A friendly spirit has,
until now, kept this artist safely removed from those
attempts, errors, and breakers that often so dan-
gerously influence other young composers ; he
understands where his own path lies, and ventures
on nothing of which the success does not seem
certain to him. If we may judge this quite remark-
able Hollander by his works, his mind must be of a
cheerful and vivacious cast, while he certainly pos-
sesses a correct judgment in regard to the measure
of his powers — ^powers that have already attained
an uncommon height. As a musician, he possesses
such a fine instinct for instrumentation, that he
never hesitates between the points, but always hits
the correct one ; he pleases especially in masses,
which he well, knows how to direct and move with-
out neglecting details ; and though he does not
attain extraordinary effects, he always places good
models before him, while working out generally
recognised and agreeable forms. This overture is
now several years old, and must not be regarded
as the latest result of his endeavours. Talent of
this order certainly does not progress quickly, but
its step is therefore more certain ; but industry.

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222 MUSIC AND MUSiaAK&

observation^ acquaintance with masters of their art;
open encouragenient, accomplish much, and there
Is no doubt but that the yotin^ branch will, from
year to year, produce ever richer and riper fruit :
its roots already tend to ^ German earth, and the
flowers that bloom above droop towards the land
that has given nourishment and strength to so many
great tone-poets. As, from circumstances, we count
among foreign-bom poetic names those of CElen-
^hlager, Chanusso, aQd others as our own, we
also greet Verhulst as an honorary member of that
German brotherhood of art which continually grows
in numbers*

Bennett also belongs to it, though more apart by

nature, as an Englishman ; but the English will
probably claim him as their property alone, as we
also claim Handel from theni as our own — by
which remark no comparison between Handel and
Bennett is intended. Bennett's latest overture is
entitled ** The Wood Nymphs*' (*• Overture for grand
orchestra," arranged for four hands, by William
Sterndale Bennett; Opus 20); its title is the only
not quite happy trait about it. I know that we can-
not mortify a composer more than by objecting to
his child's name, as, according to his opinion, he
must best understand what he meant by it ; we
may also suppose that, as Bennett had already
Written " The Naiads," he baptized this ** The Wood
Nymphs* as a pendant to that; still the title is
unfitting, and unfavourable to the work. To be

CONCERT oVERTtTRES'P'OR ORCHESTRA* 223

sure it is poetic, and characterised by an individua-
Jity rehited to that which we iiad in Mendelssohn's
"Lovely Melusina," portraying the century - old
romance that glides before us under the transparent
waters; yet the name does not suit this especial
example, and, had I been Bennett, I would have
given it the more general name of " Pastoral Over-
ture/' or something of the kind. This secondary
consideration disposed of — which, nevertheless, is of
unfavourable influence on the effect of the work—
the overtuiTe is sufficiently raised above its sisters*
in its wonderfully tender, slender construction, to
breathe the breath of the clearest, purest poetic
vitality. The pianoforte arrangement generally
gives only half an idea of an orchestral work, but I
have been told by good judges that this is not the
case here. Bennett is a pianist above all things ;
and no matter with what tact and care he manages
• the orchestra, his favourite instrument pierces through
his orchestral compositions. But a beautiful thing is
effective, even in a small form, as a charming idea
delights us pronounced by the lips of a child.

And the overture is charming ; indeed, save Spohr
and MendelssohUi what other living composer is so
completely master of his pencil, or bestows with it
such tenderness and grace of colour, as Bennett ?
In the completeness of the whole, we forgive and
foiget all that' he has overheard of those masters'
tones, and I think he never before gave so much
of himself as in this work. Essay measure aftei

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234 MUSIC AMD MUSICIANS.

measure; what a firm, yet delicate web it is from

beginning to end I How closely, how nearly every-
thing is united here, while in the productions of
most men we are accustomed to find gaping holes
as wide as one's hand I Yet this overture has
been blamed for too great length of treatment ;
but this reproach strikes all Bennett's compositions,
more or less ; it is his manner ; he must finish every-
thing, even to the smallest detail He also repeats
often, and note for note, after the conclusion of the
middle period. But let any one try to alter his works
without injuring them ; it will not do; he is no pupil,
to be improved by touching up ; what he has thought
out stands firmly« and may not be displaced. .

It is contrary to Bennett's simple-minded, inwardly
poetic character, and to his corresponding inclina-
tion, to set great levers and weights in motion ; the
splendour of decoration is foreign ' to him ; he loves
best to linger in fancy on the lonely shores of the
lake, or in the green^ mysterious wood: he does
not grasp at drums and trombones, with which to
sketch his quiet yet lonely happiness. He must,
then, be taken as he is, and not mistaken for what
he is not, — namely, the creator of a new epoch
in art, a hero whom it is impossible to fettery— -
but a genuine, deeply-feeling poet, who passes on
his peaceful way, all untroubled because a few hats,
more or less, are raised and waved in his honour ;
but whose prc^fress, though no triumphal chariots
inay await it, shall be at the very least embellished

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CONCERT OVERTURES FOR ORCHESTRA. 22$

by the wreath of violets that Eusebius here oflfers
him.

Other crowns seeks Berlioz, whom the Philistine

dreads as a raging priest of Bacchus, a hairy monster
with fiery eyes. But where do we find him to-day ?
Beside the blazing hearth in the house of a Scottish
laird, among hunters, hounds, and laughing country
lassies. An overture to " Waverley " lies before me
(Opus I, score), an overture to that most Scotch of
romances with the English stamp, which is to me
in its enchanting wearisomenesss^ its romantic fresh-
ness, the dearest of all comparatively recent foreign
novels. And now Berlioz writes music to it. It
will be asked. To which chapter, which scene^^whyt
and vnth what aim? For critics always wish to
know what the composer himself cannot tell them,
and critics sometimes hardly understand the tenth
part of what they talk about. Good heavens! will
the day ever come when people will cease to ask
us what we mean by our divine compositions t Pick
out the fifths, but leave us in peace. However, we
find a hint in the motto printed on the titiepage
of the overture :

. ** Dreams of love and lady's charms
Give place to honour and to arms.**

This brings us on the track; but at this moment

I wish an orchestra were here to play the overture,
while my readers sat round me to hear jt with
their own ears. It would be an easy thing to give
a sketch of the overturCf either poetically, by a

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226 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

description of the manifold pictures it calls up in
my mind, or by an analysis of the mechanism of
the work. There is something to be said in favour
of both these ways of describing music, and the
former has at least less dry insufficiency than the
latter. But Berlioz's music must be heard ; even
the recording of the score is not enough to under-
stand it, and it is labour lost to try and make it out
at the pianoforte. Sometimes a result is produced
by mere tone effects, a group of chords thrown oflT,
sometimes by a singular veiling of the tone» which
even the experienced ear is unable to appreciate
by a mere reading of the notes. Yet if we penetrate
to the root of some of its separate thoughts, they
often appear, judged alone, as commonplace, even
triviaL But the entire effect of his music possesses
an irresistible charm for me, spite of many things
in it that are foreign and repellant to a German ear.
Berlioz shows himself different in all his works : in
each one he ventures on new ground ; it is hard to
know whether we should term him an adventurer
or a genius; he dazzles like a flash of lightning;
but he leaves behind him the smell of brimstone ;
he sings to us of noble truths, and then falls back
into a mere student-like stammer. Many not yet
past the first beginnings of musical feeling and
cultivation (and how few ever get beyond this!)
must look upon him as insane; and he must ap->
pear doubly so to pedantic musicians by profession,
who move during nine-tenths of their lives in the

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narrowest circles; and he dares to do things that
none ventured to do before him. For I have often
observed that the greatest amount of prejudice
and stupidity is to be found among mechanical
musicians, though, on the other hand, they usually
possess a great deal of a certain kind of cleverness.
Necessarily, his compositions meet with great oppo--
sition, and years pass before any of them attain
a clear, perfect public performance, though this
Waverley " overture will win its way more speedily ;
for the novel and its hero are well known, and
its motto speaks of love and fame. We only wish
the overture already published and performed in
Germany; small talent alone, unlikely to progress,
even from listening to finer thing^s, can be injured by
the hearing of such music It is singular that this
overture bears a distant resemblance to Mendelssohn^s
** Calm Sea ; " and an observation on its title-page is
not to be overlooked. Berlioz there remarks of this
work (numbered Opus i) that he has destroyed the
work which he formerly published and numbered as
his first, Eight Scenes from Faust/' and that he now
wishes the " Waverley" overture to be considered as
his first But who can answer for it that his second
Opus I niay not hereafter also cease to interest him ?
Then let every one now hasten to make its acquaint-
ance ; for, in spite of all its youthful shortcomings,
it is, in grandeur and originality of invention, the
most remarkable creation in the domain of instru-
mental music that France has recently produced.

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ.

** AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF AN ARTIST,"

0FI7S 4.

The varied materials which this symphony presents
for reflection may easily become involved ; and
therefore I prefer to go through it regarded from'
those four points of view which should be brought to

bear on a musical work : — as to form (the whole, the
separate movements, the period, the phrase) ; musical
composition (harmony, melody, style, workmanship) ;
as to the especial idea which the artist intended to
portray; and mind, which should rule over form,
idea, materiaL

Form is the receptacle of the mind. Great spaces"
require great minds to fill them. By the word
** symphony" we designate the largest proportions
hitherto attained in instrumental music.

We are so accustomed to form our opinion of a
thing according to the name it bears, that we require
other qualities in a fantasia from those we demand
in a sonata.

If talent of the second rank masters the form it
finds and makes use of, we are satisfied ; but from
talent of the first rank we demand that the form
should be enlarged. Genius naust bring forth in

freedom.

After Beethoven's ninth symphony, outwardly the*

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greatest instrumental work, limit and proportion
appeared to be exhausted.

And here I must cite: — ^Ferdinand Ries, whose
remarkable originality was only overshadowed by
that of Beethoven ; Franz Schubert, the imaginative
painter, whose pencil was steeped now in moonbeams^
and then in the full glow of the sun, and who, after.
Beethoven's Nine Muse% might have borne to us a
tenth;* Spohr, wliose tender language did* not echo,
loudly enough in the great vault of the symphony
where he spoke; Kalliwoda, the cheerful, ham^o-
nious man, whose later symphonies, with a more,
laboured foundation, did not reach the fanciful heights,
of his first. Of recent writers, we know and esteem
Maurer, Schneider, Moscheles, Miiller, Hesse, Lachner^
and Mendelssohn, — intentionally we name him last

None of the preceding, who still (in 1835), except
Franz Schubert, live among us, had ventured to make
any essential alterations .in the old form, save for a. '
lew alterations such as we find in Spohr*s latest
symphony. Mendelssohn, a remarkably productive
and reflecting artist, saw, perhaps, that nothing was
to be gained on this road, and struck into a new
path, in which, however, Beethoven had laboured
before him, with his great ''Leonora*' overture.
With his concert-overtures, in which he compressed
the idea of the sympiiony within a smaller circle,
he won crown and sceptre above all the other instru*
mental composers of the day. It began to look,

* Tlie lynfhaikj in C had not yd appeared.

230 ^ MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

possible that the name of the symphony would soon
become a merely historical one.

All was silent abroad. Chenibini had worked for
years at a symphony, but he himself, perhaps too
soon and too modestly, declared bis inability to
compose one. In France and Italy they only cared
to write operas.

Meanwhile^ in an obscure comer of the northern
coast of France, a young student of medicine thought
over new plans. Four movements are too few for
him. As if for a play, he takes five. At first (not
on the last-mentioned account, which is no reason at
all, as Beethoven's ninth symphony has four move-
ments, but on another), I took Berlioz's symphony
for a consequence of Beethoven's ; but it was played
at the Faris Conservatoire in 1820, and Beethoven's .
was only published afterwards, so that the idea of
imitation falls to the ground. And now, courage!
and to the symphony itself! If we look at the five
movements in their relation to each other, we shall
find the old order of succession up to the two last,
which two scenes from a dream, seem^ however, to
form but one whole. The first part begins with an
adagio, followed by an allegro, the second takes the
place of the scherzo, the third that of the middle
adagio ; both the last give the allegro finale move-
ment. In the keys, also, they hang well together;
the large introduction is in C minor, the all^^ in
C major, the scherzo in A major, the adagio in F
major, the. last parts are in .G minor and C major.

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So far all is smooth enough. May I succeed in
giving my reader a true picture of the separate cham-
bers in this adventurous building, as I conduct him
up and down stairs through it I

The slow introduction to the first allegro differs
little from those of other symphonies (I speak here *
of forms only), but for a certain order of succession
and interweaving of the larger periods, which is quite
striking. They are really two variations on a theme,
with free inUrmejseL The prindpai theme extends
to bar 2, page 2 ; the incidental phrase to bar 5,
page 3 ; the first variation to bar 6, page 5 ; the
incidental phrase to bar 8, page 6. Second varia-
tion on the sustained basses (at least I find the
intervals of the theme in the horn obligato, though
only as reminiscences) to bar i, page J* Then a
striving towards the allegro. Preliminary chords.
We pass from the ante-chamber to the inner room.
Allegro. He who stops at details will not lose his way, '
but neither will he arrive at the goal. Run rapidly
over the whole to page 9, the first ammato. Three
ideas were placed closely together here: the first,
which Berlioz calls " la double id6e fixe," for reasons
to be explained hereafter, goes to the words Sempre
dolce e ardammte; the second, borrowed from the
adagio, to the first sf, until, on page 9, the last
joins in to the animato. What follows may be taken
in general up to the rinforzando of the basses on
page 10, and overlook, at the same time, the passage

from riienuto il tempo^ up to the animato on page 9^

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANa

With the rinforzando we arrive at a singularly bright
spot (the second theme), from whence we obtain a
backward view of what went before. The first part
ends and is repeated. From this place it seems as
though the periods were intended to move in clearer
progression, but with the onward pressing of the
music they become now longer, now shorter, from
the beginning of the second part to the cm fuoco^
page 12, and from there to the division, page 13. A
pause. A horn in the far distance. Something well
known seems to resound, up to the first ps^e 14.
And now the trace grows more difficult and myste-
rious. Two thoughts, one four, one nine measures
long. Passages of two measures each. Free moves
and changes. The second theme, in ever smaller
compass, appears afterwards in its perfect brightness
up to the p, p.y page 16. Third thought of the first
theme in ever deeper position. Darkness.

Gradually the shadowy forms seem to put on
life up to the disperaio^ page 17. The first form of
the principal theme, in the most abrupt breaks, up
to page 19. And now the whole first theme in
astonishing splendour, to the anhnato^ page 2a
Fantastic forms, only once, as though shattered,
reminding us of the former oneSi Disappearance.

I believe that Berlioz, when a young student of
medicine, never dissected the head of a handsome
murderer with greater unwillingness than that I feel
in analysing his first movement And have I, at
the same time, somewhat assisted my readers with

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 233

the foregoing analysis? I bad three motives for

writing it : I first wished to prove to those persons
who are wholly unacquainted with the symphony^
how little it can be described by an analytic criti-
cism ; I then wished to point out a few principal
points to those who have superficially looked it over,
and then laid it aside without comprehending its
ins and outs ; and lastly, I desired to prove to
those who know the work, yet do not recognise its
merit, that, in spite of an apparent formlessness,
yet, measured according to great- dimensions, a cor-
rect symmetrical order dwells within it — ^and this,
too, without speaking of any inner connections of
thought At the bottom of all misunderstanding,
the unaccustomed novelty of this new form and ex-
pression is perhaps the chief hindrance. Too many
persons lay stress on details when they first hear a
work, with the same result as with the reading of a
difficult handwriting; he who, in deciphering it,
holds too much to the meaning of every word, needs
more time, obtains less results, than he who glances
over the whole at once, in order to obtain an idea
of its meaning and contents. At the same time,
nothing is so unfavourably received as a new form
under an old name. If, for example, one should
style a composition, written in five-four time, a
march, or, in twelve short successive parts, a sym-
phony, he would certainly find everybody prejudiced
against him beforehand ; though it is the listener's
duty to find out what a piece contains. The more

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234 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

remarkable and artistic a work apparently is, the
more carefully we should judge it Have we not
had a warning and example in Beethoven? Were
not his last works, though no one could deny their value
as intellectual achievements^ treated as unintelligible
in r^ard to construction and form» in which they
are so inexhaustible ? Now, if we take the whole
first allegro en grand^ without troubling ourselves
about any sharp corners here and there^ we find this
form : —

First Theme,
. . , (G major.)

Middle period, Middle period,

with a second theme. with the second theme.
First theme. First theme,

(C major) ^ .(C major.)

Commenoemeat. Oote^
(Cmajor) (G major; Eiiiinor)..M...(E minor; Gmajor) (Cma|or.)

Which we compare with the older model : —

Middle Period.
(A minor.)

Second theme. First theme.

(G major) ...(C major.)

First theme. Second theme.

(C major) .....vorldiig ontof bo0l tiwoiM....M«...(C major.)

We know not whether the latter form really
requires greater variety and unity of treatment than
the former, but we wish we possessed a magnificent
imagination, to be able to write it sans fagon.
Something more is to be said in regard to the
structure of sing^le phrases. Recent times have not
presented us with \vork in which equal and

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SYMFHOlNY BV HECTOR BERLIOZ, 235

unequal rhythm and measure relations are more
freely united and made use of than they are in
this <one. Scarcely ever does the latter part of
a period correspond with the former, the answer
witii the question. This is so peculiar in Berlioz, so
natural to his Southern character, so opposite to
that of the North, that the first unpleasant moment
q£ feeling, the complaints of gloominess, are at
once excused and explained. Only by reading
and hearing can we become convinced of the bold-
ness with which this is done, and see, too, that
nothing can be added to or taken away without
depriving the idea of its strength, its penetration.
It seems as though the music sought to return to
its origin before it was confined by the laws of
time, and to elevate itself to more unfettered
language, more poetic accent — such as we find
in the Grreek choruses, the language of the Bible,
the prose of Jean Paul. We will not enlarge
further on this, but remind, our readers of the
remarks made, many years ago, prophetically, by
the child-like, poetic Carl Wagner. "When it
becomes possible to render the tyranny of measure
in music wholly imperceptible and invisible, so that
this art is made apparently free; when it attains
self-consciousness, then it will possess the complete
power of embodying lofty ideas, and become, from
that moment, the first of the fine arts."

It would lead us too far, and to nothing, if we
should analyse the other movements of the sym-

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236 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

phony like the first. The second moves in varied
windings, like the dance it represents; the third,
which is also the finest, vibrates ethereally up and
down hke a semicircle; the two last are without
a centre, and strive continually towards the end.
In spite of the outward formlessness of this woik,
we must recognise its intellectual coherence, and
perhaps recaU the somewhat warped judgment
regarding Jean Paul, of a certain writer who termed
him a bad logician and a great philosopher.

So far we have only had to do with the garment ;
but now we speak of the material by means of
which the effect is produced, — musical composition.

And here I must at once observe, that my judg-
ment is formed only from the pianoforte score, in
which, however, the most salient points for the
instruments are indicated. And even were they
not so, a good musician, well versed in those new
combinations and orchestral effects, where Berlioz
is so creative, would be able to form a tolerable
idea of the full score; for the work is thoroughly
thought out and invented in tlie orchestral character,
every instrument in its right place, and made use
of according to its essential tone-powers.

If ever I found a judgment unjust, it was that of
F^tis : I saw that it was wanting in harmonic and
melodic ideas." Though he should deny to Berlioz
(as he has) ail his qualities — ^imagination, invention,
originality, how could he be deaf to his richness of
melody and harmony? I should not have thought

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 237

of opposing this cleverly-written review of Fitis,

had I not perceived in it, besides injustice and some
personalities, ah utter want of sense for this descrip-
tion of music, a positive blindness to its qualities.
Yet my reader need not believe me without seeing
for himself 1 Though brief extracts from a work
are usually rather prejudicial to it than otherwise,
yet, with a few such examples, I shall endeavour
to make my meaning more clean

And when we consider the harmonic worth of our
symphony, we must observe its eighteen-year-old
composer, unassisted, pausing not at the right or
the left, and running straight to his principal object
If Berlioz wants D flat after G, without any compU*
ments he passes over (example i), see page 16 of
the symphony. One may well shake one's head
at such a beginning I Yet reasonable musical
people, who heard the symphony in Paris, declared
that the passac^e could not be otherwise, and every
one observed of Berlioz's music, It is all very fine,
though perhaps it may not be music** This is
rather airy talking, but still it may be listened to
for once. Such crooked places, besides, are only
the exceptions.* I will even say that, spite of the
manifold combinations into which Berlioz works up
small material, his harmony is distinguished by such
raciness, penetration and simplicity as we only find
—though certainly more thorough and complete
—in Beethoven. Perhaps he wanders too far from

* See p. 6z of the score, bars i to 2.

238 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

the principal key. Take the first movement : First

section ; * C major, decidedly ; then he brings in
the same intervals of the iirst thought in £ flat
major; f then he rests long on A flat,t and returns
easily to C major. As the allegro is built on the
simple C major, G major, and £ minor, it can be
understood from the outline I have given above.
And so it is throughout In the second movement A
major predominates, in the third the idyllic F major,
with its related keys C and B flat majors. In the
fourth we have G minor with B flat and £ ilat
majors; it is only in the last that, in spite of the
predominating C, the keys chase and interlace each
other in the most infernal fashion ! Yet we are often
repelled by flat and common harmonies,§ or mistaken
ones forbidden by old rules, some of which, however,
sound well U — ^unclear and vague ones,l[ or some that

♦ p. 1-3, B. 3-5. t P. 3, B. 6. t P. 6, B. 4.

§ P. 2, B. 6, 7, P. 6, B. 1-3, P. 8, B. 1-8, P. 21, last staff, 1-4.
In the second movement, P. 35, S. 5, P. 1-18.

II In the first measure, P. I, the B. (probably an error of print), P. 3,
B. 2-4, P. 9, B. 8, 9, B. 15-19, P. 10, B. 11-14, P. 20, B, 8-18, P. 37,
B. 11-14, 28-29, P. 48, S. 5, B. 2, 3, P. 57, S. 5, B. 3, P. 62, B. 9-14,
P. 78, S. 5, B, 1-3 ; and what follows, P. 82, S. 4, B. 1, 2 ; and what
bllows, P. 83, B. 13-17, P. 86, B. 11-13, P. 87, B. 5,6. I repeat,
that I only judge from the pianoforte score ; it may be often different
in the full one.

IT P. 20, B. 3. Probably the harmonies are :—

6^7 6^6j 6b/--.6ll 6^6j{

3*— 3—' 3b— 37-
BJl; E, F, Ff,&a

P. 62, S. 5, B. I, 2, P. 65, S. 4, P. 3, perhaps a jest of Liszt's, who
wished to imitate the cessation of the cymbals; P. 79^ B. 8-10^ P. 81,
B. 6^ P. 88, B. i-^

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 239

sound badly, tormented, twisted.* May the day
in which such passages will be sanctioned never
come I And yet they seem quite proper to Berlioz ;
and when we try to alter, improve, or take away
anything, how flat one's alterations sound I

In the first outbreak of a powerful, youthful mind,
we generally find an inexhaustible original fount of
strength ; though rough, it is of forcible effect, the
more so the less it is polished by criticism into the
usual form of artistic efforts. It is vain to seek to
refine it by art, or to confine it forcibly within
bounds, until it has learned to be prudent with its
means, and to find the right direction and the goal
in its own way. Berlioz does not try to be pretty
and elegant ; what he hates, he grasps fiercely by
the hair; what he loves, he almost crushes in his
fervour — a few degreeis weaker or stronger ; pardon
the fiery youth, and seek not to measure him with
the retailer's yard measure I But now let us point
out the many tender and beautiful original passages
that balance what is rough and bizarre.

Such are the whole harmonic formation of the
first song-theme throughout,+ and its repetition in
Eb.f The Ab, held out for fourteen measures in the
basses, is highly effective,$ as is the ofgan point in
the middle parts, || The chromatic heavily ascend-

« P. a, S. 4, P. 5, B. I, P. % B. 15-19^ P. i7,froin Imut 7 onwsid
|br a little while; P. 50^ S. 4, a 6» 7, P. 2$, K 19-19, P. 88, BL i-S*
t P. I, from B.3,011, iP. 3,B.€L

1 P. 6^ B. 4. I P. II, B. la

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240 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

ing and descending chord of the sixth,* is nothing^
in itself, though it may be uncommonly imposing
in its place here. The progpression, where, in imita^
tions between bass (or tenor) and soprano,"|" we dis-
tinguish octaves and false progressions painfully,
must not be judged from the pianoforte score; if
the octaves are well covered, it must thrill marrow
and bone.

The harmonic foundation of the second movement

is, with few exceptions, simple and less deep. The
third may» on purely harmonic grounds^ be measured
with any other symphonic masterwork; here every
tone is alive. In the fourth all is interesting, the
style marrowy, concise. The fifth raves and rages
too crookedly ; up to certain new passages,! it is
ugly, harsh, repulsive.

Though Berlioz neglects details, and sacrifices
them to the whole, he understands finely worked-out
artistic detail very welL He does not squeeze out
his themes to the last drop, nor does he embitter our
pleasure in a good idea by tiresome thematic treat-
ment, as so many others do; he gives rather hints
that he might have worked it out more severely, had
he chosen, and had it just been the place; — sketches
in the short, intellectual manner of Beethoven. His
iinest thoughts he generally utters in a passing

* p. 12, B. 13, t p. 17, B. 7.

i p. 76, from S. 4 on, P. 80, where the tone £b is held out in the
middle parts through twenty-nine bars, P. 81, B. 20. The organ point
on the dominant, P. 82, B. 1 1, where I vainly sought to bring back the
unpleasant fifth on S. 4, from fi. i to 8.

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 24 1

manner, as it were (2).* The principal motivo of the
symphony (3), insignificant in itself, and unsuited to
contrapuntal treatment, wins more and more upon us
in its later positions.

It is already more interesting at the beginning of
the * second part and onward,t (2) until, through
clamorous chords, it winds itself into C major^ In
the second part it builds itself into a trio, note on
note, with a new rhythm and new harmonies.§
Towards the close it comes in again, but dully and
spun outl In the third part it appears as recitative,
interrupted by the orchestra (pag^e 43, last measure) ;
here it takes an expression of frightful passion, up to
the shrill where it seems to plunge down as
though exhausted. Later (page 49, b. 3—13), it
appears softened, calmed, and led by the principal
theme. In the ''Marche du Supplice*' it strives to
speak again, but is cut off by the fatal stroke (p. 63,
b. 4). In the vision, it is played on a common £.
and E|7 clarinet (p. 67, b. i ; p. 68, b. i), withered,
ruined, degraded. Berlioz did this intentionally.

The second theme of the first movement seems to

flow directly from the first (p. 10, s. 5, b. 3) ; they

grow together so closely, that we cannot rightly

distinguish the beginning and close of the period,

until the new thought at last frees itself (4), to

reappear soon, and almost unobserved, in the bass

* P.3,B. a,S. I4,K 6-1^ P. i6^S.(>,B. i-^P. 19^ S.5,B. 1-15,
P. 40V S. 4» B.
t P. 16, S. 6, B. 3. $ P. 19^ & 7.

S P. 39, B. 1. !1 i^* 35» S. 5.

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242

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

(p. II, b. 5 ; p. 12, b. 7). He takes it up later, and
sketches it intellectually (5) ; in this last example, his
style of modulation is very apparent. Ht afterwards,
with equal refinement, designs a thought that seems
to have been forgotten (p. 9, b. 19; p. 16, b. 3).

The motives of the second movement are less
artistically woven ; yet the theme in the basses
appears to excellent advantage (p. 12, b. 7); his
tarrying out of one measure of the same theme is
very fine (p. 28, b. 10),

He brings back the one-*toned principal idea of the
third movement charmingly (p. 39, b. 4 ; p. 42, b. i ;
p. 47, b. i) J.Beethoven himself could scarcely have
worked it out more industriously. The whole move^
ment is full of admirable traits. Once he springs
from C to the major seventh below; afterwards he
uses this insignificant passage excellently (6).

In the fourth movement he counterpoints the
principal theme very finely (7) ; and the careful way
in which he transposes it in £b major (8) and G
minor (9) must be mentioned (p. 87, b. 8).

In the last movement he brings the Dies Irae "
first in whole, then in half, then in eighth notes (p.
71, s. 4, b. 7 ; p. 72, b. 6, b. 16) ; at stated intervals of
time^ the bells strike the tonic and dominant. The
following double fugue, which he modestly terms fugato
(10), if not wholly worthy of Bach, is highly correct
and clearly built The " Dies Irae " and the ^ Ronde
du Sabbat " are well interwoven (11). The theme of
the last does not entirely satisfy, and the new accom*

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 243

paniment is as frivolous as it can be, built on ascend-
ing and descending thirds. On the last ps^e hot
one, it goes head over heels ; the " Dies Irae '*
recommences, pianissimo, at this place (p. S5> b. 15 ;
p. 57, b. 12, p. 58, b. 5 ; p. 60, b. I, 10, and in the
inversion, p. 61, b. 3). The last pages are ill de-
scribed without the score.

If, as M. Fftis declares, not even Berlioz's best
friends dare break a lance for him in regard to
melody, then I must be counted among his enemies.
' We know very well, before we begin, that we have
nothing Italian to expect in this case, however.

It is true that the oft-repeated principal melody of
the whole symphony has something flat about it.
Berlioz praises it rather too much, when, in the
pn^ramme, he attributes to it '^a somewhat impas-
sioned character, but noble yet timid." However, we
must remember that he did not intend to embody a
great thought here, but rather a haunting persistent
idea, such as one finds it hard to get rid of through
an entire day. Uniformity, insanity, could hardly
have been better sketched. In the review I have
mentioned, \vc are told that the principal melody of
the second pari; is common and trivial; but there
Berlioz leads us into a dancing-hall (as Beethoven
does in the last movement of the A-major symphony),
nothing more and nothing less. It is just so with
the first melody (12) of the third part, which F^tis,
if I reipember rightly, styles gloomy and tasteless.
But wander ampng the Alpine shepherd paths, and

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244 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

listen to the Alpine horns and reed pipes ; this is a
reproduction of such effects. Equally natural and
original are all the melodies of the symphony. In
some episodes they leave what is merely characteristic
behind them, and attain a lofty, universal beauty.
What can be said against the melody with which the
symphony begins ? Never exceeding — ^by more than
one degree-»the limits of an octave, it is unrivalled
for melancholy. And if that painful melody of the
oboe in one of the preceding examples, springs a
little too much, shall we point to everything with
the finger ? If I were to reproach Berlioz, it would
be for his n^lected middle parts; but they meet
with a peculiar obstacle, such as we seldom remark
in any other composer. His melodies are distin*
guished by such intensity o£ almost every tone, that,
like some old folk-songs, they will scarcely bear a
harmonic accompaniment, and even seem to lose in
fulness of tone when accompanied On this account,
Berlioz generally harmonises them with a sustained
ground bass, or with the chords of the surrounding
upper and lower fifths (first example, p. 19, b. 7 ; p. 47,
b. I ; the second in the principal melody of the " Ball,"
where the ground harmonies are A, D, £, A, and
then in the ** March, " p. 47, b. i). His melodies are not
to be listened to with the ears alone, else they will
pass by misunderstood by those who do not know
how to sing them in their hearts; but for those who
do, they possess a meaning that seems to grow
deeper the more often they are heard.

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 245

Not to omit anything, I will here add a few
remarks on the symphony as an orchestral work,
and on Franz Liszf s pianoforte arrangement of it

A born virtuoso in regard to the orchestra, Berhoz
demands great requirements from the individual as
from the mass»— more than Beethoven, more than
any other writer. Nor does he merely demand great
mechanical dexterity from the instrumentalist — ^he
requires study, understanding, sympathy. Individu-
ality must annihilate itself in the service of the
whole, and the latter, again, must submit to ,the
will of the commander. Nothing will be attained
with merely three or four rehearsals. As orchestral
music, the s3anphony takes the place of a Chopin
concerto in pianoforte-playing, though the works
cannot be compared with each other. His instru-
mentation-instii^ct forces justice even from his
opponent Fctis, I have already said that merely in
the pianoforte arrangement we discover the passages
for obligato instruments. Yet it would be difficult
for the most lively imagination to form a complete
idea of his great and varied effects^ contrasts, and
combinations, without hearing them. He despises
nothing that bears the name of tone, sound, clang ;
he makes use of unbraced kettledrums, harps, horns
with sordines, English horns, and even bella Flores*
tan wishes Berlioz would, and hopes he will, set all
musicians playing together — ^though he could write
such witty pauses that it would be difficult for
listeners to avoid laughing,— and add, in future,

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246

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

scores^ warbling nightingales and accidental thunder-
storms. Enough I further experience will teach us
whether or not the composer has stuff in him that
will justify such expectations, and whether the clear
gain of enjoyment will increase in proportion. It is
doubtful whether Berlioz could accomplish as much
with small means ; but let us be satisfied With what
he has given us.

Liszt's pianoforte arrangement deserves an ex-
tended description; we will, however, reserve that,
as well as certain remarks on the possible symphonic
treatment of the pianoforte, for a future occasion.
Liszt has worked this out with so much industry and
enthusiasm, that it may be regarded as an original
work, a resiimt of his own studies, a practical piano-
forte school in score-playing. This art of reprodu^
tion, so wholly dilTcrcnt from the detail-playing of
the . virtuosOj the many kinds of touch that it
demands, the effective use of the pedal, the clear
interweaving of separate parts, the collective com-
prehension of masses, in short, the understanding of
the means and possibilities yet hidden in the piano-
forte, can only be the business of a master, a genius
in performance, dbtingruishcd among all others, as
Liszt is. Only in such a case may the pianoforte
arrangement be listened to, accompanying the or-
chestra itself, as Liszt lately, in Paris, played an
accompaniment to a more recent symphony by
Berlioz, " Le Retour k la Vie," a meloiogue in con-
tinuation of this symphony.

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SYMPHONY BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 247

And now let us take a backward glance over the
path we have so far trodden. According to our first
plan, we intended to treat form, musical composition,
idea, and spirit, in separate sections. We saw that
the form of the whole differed little from the estab-
lished one, that the different parts moved, for the
most party in novel figures, that the periods and
phrases differed from others in their uncommon
relations to each other. In musical composition we
observed the harmonic style, the intelligently laboured
detail, the alterations and positions, the oriirinality
of the melodies ; an,d we gave a glance at the instru-
mentation and tiie pianoforte arrangement We will
close with a few remarks on the idea and spirit of the
work.

Berlioz has written down, in a programme, that
which he wishes us to think of while listening to his
symphony. We will give an abbreviation of this.

The composes intended to' sketch, in music, a few
moments in the life of an artist. It seemed neces-
sary that the plan of this instrumental drama should
be explained in words beforehand. The programme
should be regarded in the light of the text that
accompanies an opera. First part. — ^Reveries, pas-
sions. The composer imap^ines a young musician,
consumed by that moral sickness which a famous
author had characterised as *'the\vague of passion ;^
he then sees, for the first time, a woman who seems
to realise all tha^t ideal perfection which he has

already preconceived By a j:emarkable freak of

8

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248 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

accident, the beloved form never appears to him
unaccompanied by a musical thought, in which he
imagines he traces the character of the maiden,
somewhat passionate yet timid and noble ; this form
and this melody haunt him continually like a double
fixed idea. Dreamy melancholy, only broken by a
few soft tones of joy, until it rises to the heights of
a lover's frenzy, — pain, jealousy, inward fervour, —
the grief of first love, in short, forms the contents of
the first movement Second fart— A, balL Amid
the joy of a festival, the artist stands and gazes, in
an exalted mood, on the beauties of nature ; but
ever3nvhere, in the city» in the country, the beloved
form follows him, and troubles his every mood.
TJUrd part — scene in the country. At evening
he hears the chant of two shepherds answering each
other from afar. This duet, the spot, the soft
rustling of the leaves, a gleam of hope that he is
loved in return, all unite to shed an unaccustomed
repose over his spirit, and to give his thoughts a
more happy direction. He reflects that perhaps he
will not stand alone much longer. But if he is
deceived ! This interchange of hope and fear, light
and darkness, is expressed in the adagio. At the
close, one of the shepherds repeats his chant, the other
does not reply. Thunder in the distance. Loneli-
ness. Deep silence. Fourth /ar/.— 'The joumiey to-
execution (** Marche du Supplice"). The artist is now
aware that his love is not returned, and poisons him*
•elf with opiuoL The narpotic,. too weak to.kiU him.

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f

steeps him in a sleep filled with frightful visiona
He dreams that he has murdered her, and that he,
condemned to death, is yet the witness of his own
execution. The cort^e b^ns to move; a march,
now wild and gloomy, then jo}^ous and brilliant,
accompanies it ; there is a dull sound of footsteps,
a murmurous noise of the crowd. At the end of the
march, the fixed idea appears, like a last thought of
the beloved one ; but broken in half by the axe of
the block. Fifth part — dream in a witches'
sabbath night. He stands among imps, witches,
misformed creatures of all sorts, who have gathered
together to his interment. Howls, laughs, cries of
pain, complaints. The beloved melody is again
heard, but as a common, vulgar dance theme now :
it is she who comes. Loud rejoicings at her arrival
Demoniac orgies. Death bells. The Dies Irae "
again, but travestied.

Such is the programme. All Germany greeted it
with the declaration that such signboards have an
unworthy and empirical air. In any case, the five
principal titles would have sufficed ; the further sup-
positions in regard to the composer's personality^ and.
the possibly interesting fact that he had lived his
own symphony through, might have been confided
to tradition. The German, averse to personalities^
does not care to be accompanied in his reflections ;
he was already sufficiently offended that Beethoven
in the Pastoral Symphony did not trust its character
to Us divioatory comprehension. It seems as if mei|

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250 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Stand somewhat in awe of the workshop of genius ;
they do not care to know of the causes^ tools, and
mysteries of creation. Does not Nature herself tenderly
cover her roots with earth ? Then let the artist also
shut himself up with his griefs. We should go through
dreadful experiences could we see all works to the
very foundation of their origin.

But Berlioz wrote for his own nation, on whom
ethereal modesty imposes but little. I can under-
stand how a Frenchman, reading the programme as
he listens, would applaud the countryman who so
intelligently, treated the whole; music alone, in
itself, is secondary with him. Whether a listener,
unaware of the composer's intention, would see similar
pictures in his mind's eye to those which Berlioz has
designated, I cannot decide, as I read the programme
before I heard the wprk. If the eye is once directed
to a certain point, the ear can no longer judge inde*
pendently. And if one asks whether music is capable
of accomplishing that which Berlioz has demanded
of it in his symphony, one should endeavour to attach
different, opposite ideas to it I confess that the
programme at first spoiled my enjoyment, my free-
dom; but as this faded into the background, and
my own fancy began to work, I found more than
was set down, and almost everywhere in the music
a wanxii vital tone. Many look too seriously at the
difficult question as to how far instrumental music
dare venture in the attempted realisation of thoughts
and. fiivents. Pipopl^ en* when they suppose, tha^

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coinposers prepare pens and paper with the deliberart^
predetermination of sketching, painting, expressing
this or that Yet we must not estimate outward
influences and impressions too lightly. Involuntarily
an idea sometimes develops itself simultaneously
with the musical fancy ; the eye is awake as well as
the ear, and this ever-busy organ sometimes holds
fast to certain outlines amid all the sounds and
tones, which, keeping pace with the music, form and
condense into clear shapes. The more elements
congenially related to music which the thought or
picture created in tones contains within it, the more
poetic and plastic will be the expression of the com-
position; and in proportion to the imaginativeness
and keenness of the musician in receiving these
impressions will be the elevating and touching
power of his work. Why is it not possible that the
idea of immortality occurred to Beethoven while
extemporising ? Why should not the memory of a
great fallen hero excite him to composition ? Why
could not the remembrance of past and happy days
inspire another ? Shall we be ungrateful to Shake-
speare, who has called from the heart of a young
tone-poet a work not unworthy of himself — ungrate-
ful to Kature, denying that we borrow of her beaut3r
and nobility wherewith to deck our own creations?
Italy, the Alps, the ocean, spring, twilight — ^has
music told us nothing yet of these? Music bestows
. so charmingly firm a character on even small, special
pictures^ that one is often astonished at her power of

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i$2 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

fixing such traits. Thus a composer once told me
how, while writing, he had been continually haunted
by the ima^ of a butterfly floating down a brook
on a leaf: the idea had given to the composition
just such a tenderness and simplicity as the actual
object possessed. In this fine kind of ^enre painting
Franz Schubert was a master. Apropos, I cannot
refrain from relating an anecdote of my own experi-
ence while playing a Schubert march vnth a friend.
I asked him whether he saw any fixed picture before
his mind's eye, and he answered, " Yes I I was in
Seville more than a hundred years ago, among Dons
and Donnas, with their trains^ pointed shoes^ and
daggers, &c." Strange to say, our visions were the
same, even to the name of the city.

We will leave it undecided as to whether there are
many poetic moments in the programme of Berlioz's
symphony. The principal question is, docs the unex-
plained and unaccompanied music contain any mean-
ing in itself, and, above all, does a spirit of its own
inhabit it ? As to the first, I think I have already
said something ; the second no one can deny, even
where Berlioz openly fails. And if we would combat
the spirit of the day, which tolerates a burlesque
^'Dies Irae,** we should only repeat what has been
said and written for years against Crabbe, Hetne^
Byron, Hugo, and others. For a few moments in an
eternity, Poesy has put on the mask of irony to
cover her grief-worn face. Perhaps the friendly hand
of Genius may also loosen iU

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SYlfPHONT BY HECTOR BERLIOZ. 253

There is yet much of good and ill to say; but
bere^ for to-day, I must break off. Could I hopq
that the^ lines would have the effect of inducing
Berlioz to restrain his inclination towards eccen-
tricityy — should they aid in obtaining complete
recogpiition for his symphony, not as the master-
piece of a master, but as a work distinguished by its
originality from all that stands beside it, — should
they inspire German artists (to whom Berlioz
stretches out the hand of brotherhood — a strong
hand, ready to fight with them against dull, pedantic
mediocrity) to new production, then the aim of their
publication will have been fully attained.

254
1.

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

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SYICPHOMY BY HECTOR BBRLOIZ. 255

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irnimoNY by hector beruoz. 259

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26o

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

HEINRICH DORirS TONE-FLOWERS.
(bouqust musicale, opus la)

What says the hyacinth ? She says, " My life was
as beautiful as my death, for by the fairest of the
gods I was loved and slain. But from my ashes
sprang the flower that shall console thee,"

And the narcissus ? — Think of me, lest thou
shouldest become over-vain of thy beauty. Sinee I
beheld my own form in the waters, I have never been
able to forget my loveliness — not even for the sake
of Echo, whose passion I repulsed. Therefore the gods
transformed me into the fair, pale, proud flower."

The violet speaks,—** It was a lovely moonlit night
in May. A night-butterfly floated past, whispering,
' Kiss me 1 ' but I drew my perfume so far down into
my cup, that he thought I was dead. Then came a
wanton little zephyr, murmuring, * See ! I always
find thee out Come into my arms and into the
world ; no one sees thee down there.' I answered,
'I am sleepy;' and he flew onward, saying, 'Thou
art ever but a Sleepy, obstinate creature ; I will play
with the lily.* Then a large drop of dew fell on me,
saying, * How pleasant it must be to lie in thy lap
by moonlight 1 ' But I shook my bead so that tiie
dew rolled downwards and away. Then a moon-
beam stole in from afar, and I prayed the honey-
suckle to hide me ; but the tall lily said to me, * Fic^

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SOIREE FOR THE PIANOFORTE. 261

for shaiiie I look how I hold up tny head. Butterflies,

zephyrs, dewdrops, and moonbeams kiss me, and
evea men linger beside me and call me beautiful;,
but no one sees you in your hiding-place.' I
answered, * Leave me in peace, tall lily ; for lately a
timid youth came to me and gently said, ''How
charming thou art I wait until evening, and I will
gather thee for /ler" ' The lily said, * Do you really
believe he will gather you? Ypu are a conceited
thing ; he has promised me.* I would have replied,
'That is false, tali lily;' but then the youth and
maiden, arm in arm, advanced. He bent down to me,
saying, * How dost thou resemble her! ' and gathered
me, and now I willingly lie on her gentle breast,"

• • • • • • ■ ,

All this I could imagine of you, ye flowers^ had ye
not been nurtured by the man who first stretched out

the hand of assistance to me, striving upwards ; who,
when I began to despair, drew me yet higher above
the vulgar pursuits of men into the pure ether of Art.
Dear artist 1 may this page greet you in the North,
where you now live, and remind you of that happy
past! Eusi^iiius.

SOIREES FOR THE PIANOFORTE,

BY CLARA WIECS, OPUS 6.

How can I better celebrate to-day — ^the eve of that
which gave birth to an admired artiste— than by

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

dedicating a part of it to the consideration of one of
her creations ? These Soir6es " are the out^^wth
of so rich a fancy, that mere practice will not suffice
to follow their deftly- woven arabesques; they are
the fruit of so profound a spirit, that the merely
formal in them fades into the background, while their
dreamy character, the essence of an inwardly reflective
nature, will render them at first difficult of compre-
hension. On this account many will lay them down
as quickly as they may have taken them up ; and
should they be sent in, amoHgf a hundred others, to
any of our ordinary prize academies, it is doubtful
whether the prize would be adjudged to them, — so
few pearls and laurel wreaths float on their surface.
Still I should be anxious about the judgment of the aca-
demicians, for while, on the one hand, these ** Soir^ "
betray a delicate yet overflowing life, that seems to
stir at the faintest breath, on the other, they dis-
play a wealth of uncommon qualities, a power of
interweaving and disentangling the deep, mysterious
threads of harmony, such as we are only accustomed
to meet with in experienced artists and men. We
all know that the first-mentioned characteristic is the
result of the composer's youth; to. understand the
other, we must remember that, as an artiste, she
already stands on the topmost peak of our time, at a
height where nothing is hidden from her. Of those
deeps where Sebastian Bach has' penetrated so pro-
foundly that even the miner's lamp threatens to
become ' extinguished in their darkness^ of those

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SOIREES FOR THE PIANOFORTE. 263

clouds which Beethoven grasped with his Titanic fist,
all that our modern day has united of these heights
and depths, the young artist knows, and tells of them
with charming maidenly wisdom ; yet with all this she
has raised expectation regarding herself to such a
height, that one is troubled when one considers what it
must all lead to. I will not venture to predict ; where
such talent exists, veil hangs behind veil ; time dissi-
pates one after another, but always in a different man-
ner from that which we anticipated. So extraordinary
a nature cannot be regarded with indifference ; she will f
be followed, step for step, in her intellectual develop- :
ment, by all those who see in our remarkable present
the natural, inner union of the related minds of yester-
day and to-day, and not the loose confusion of chance.

What, then, do we gain in these Soirees " ? What
do they relate, whither do they tend ; are they a
result worthy of comparison with the works of a
master ? They tell us much about music, and how f
it leaves the enthusiasm of poetry behind it, and how
we may be happy in grief and sad in joy ; and they
will be understood by those who can rejoice in music
even without the pianoforte — those whose inward
.singing almost . breaks their hearts — ^those who are
already acquainted with the mysterious passwords of
a rare order of artists. Finally, are they a result?
Yes, as the buds are before their coloured petals
have opened in full beauty, fettering attention like
all things that bear a future within them. And now,
to hear all this by her I But then we should scarcely
know how to write it all down, to describe it For

T

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264 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

thisy too, is one of the remarkable arts, peculiar to
her alone, about which we listen to whole volumes
full of vain dissertations. Distrusting the forces of
our Davidites, we lately requested an excellent con-
noisseur to write an article for our paper on the
characteristics of Clara Wieck's playing. He promised^
and, after two pages of discussion* closed as follows:
"It would be very desirable to arrive at a well-
founded opinion r^arding the technical ability of
this artiste," &c. We know very well what ship-
wrecked him, and why we break off here ; but all this
cannot be expressed in words.

FLORESTAN AMD £USEBIUS»

September the i2th^ 1837.

LUDWIG BERGER.

FIFTEEN EXUDESt OPUS 22.

Among the older artists, Berger, like Moscheles, has
not looked idly on at the new impulse given to
pianoforte music. If old recollections sometimes
overcome him^ he lifts himself above them, and is
yet active while daylight shines. After the long
silence of this already elderly artist, who enjoys so
wide a fame, considering the small number of his
works, we should have expected something quite
different from these studies. We should rather have
expected to find him restfully floating on the stream
of harmony^ and rejoicing in the recollection of his

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LUDMfIG BERGER.

long and successful labour. Instead of this» we are
allowed to gaze upon a deeply agitated life, that
seeks, with strong endeavour, to support itself at the
high level of the day. Here and there we find
gloomy expressions, mysterious hints, and then a
sudden concentration of force, a feeling of approach-
ing triumph, — all emanating, however, from a deeply
poetic heart, and accompanied by artistic conscious-
ness up to the moment when it becomes overwhelmed
by its own impetuosity. And precisely here we re-
cognise the poet. Here no forms or considerations
Stand in the composer's path ; here he is troubled by
no distinction between old and new ; here he goes on
his own way."*^ A desire for rest and an impulse
towards action characterise most of these studies;
an opposition that is, however, in no way foreign ot
unfavourable to the music. But this has given to
the plan of a few an uncertainty and hesitation that
we do not find in Berger*s older, finely formed ^udes.
It would be a very pardonable mistake, should any
one suppose these 6tudes to have been written early
in life, and his former ones at a later period. Not-
withstanding, both books excite our highest sym-
pathy, admiration, and respect But if I confess
that Nos. 4 and 5 among these new ones strike
me as somewhat behindhand in idea and execution,
a little antiquated, we much confess that a few others

• I should like to signalise these particular passages :— They are
in the ist etude towards the close ; in many parts of the 6lli, whidi is
eccentric throughout ; on the last page of the Sth ; the 4th page of the .
lOth ; at the close of the 14th ; in many parts of the I5tlu

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

cannot be regarded as mere Etudes, but belong to the
firsf class of art works in the smaller ^<?«r^. Among
these I place first that in D minor for the left hand
alone» which is a masterpiece of invention and labour
with such restricted materials ; then the first in C
major, sublime, original throughout ; then the one
in D major, half sad, half glad ; and the tender,
dreamy one in A flat major. And no one must
overlook the eighth, in which jesting gradually dies
away, until at last we perceive a melancholy poet
face behind the loosened mask. There is a musician
in Leipsic whose . physiognomy is able to express,
with great mimic truth, the transition from laughter
to tears : seeing him, it is difficult to avoid imitation
with one's own face. And one feels something of
the same kind with this 6tude. I must not omit
to mention Nos. 2 and 14^ on account of tlieir
peculiar nature; the last, especially, seems ever to
weave itself inward more softly and deeply, as
though it wished to be no longer seen. The close
of these forms a pendant to the last of the earlier
Etudes ; it is a challenge from the composer to him-
self, seeming to ask whether the older artist has
equalled the younger in creative power. If we give
the preference to the first, the original, yet the
pendant is of. such reiined eccentricity, that the
opposition of which we have spoken above, steps out
most strongly at the close, like a seal upon the whole
work. And yet we hope that some friendly spirit may
more often unveil the cheerful, smiling side of life to
this artist, and inspire him to new labours.

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^OHN FIELD.

I

SHVENTH CONCERTO, WITH ORCHESTRAL ACCOMPANIMENT.

The best* though indeed a very dear, review of this
concerto, would be a distribution of a thousand

copies of it to our readers. We are delighted with
it, can do nothing more reasonable about it than to
praise it endlessly. When Goethe says, **He who
praises stands equal to the thing praised," he is
right as usual; and I would allow this artist to
cover my eyes and bind my hands, and would say
nothing, save that I chose to follow him blindly,
a complete, uncomplaining prisoner. Were I a
painter, I would endeavour to illustrate the work
through a picture — ^as, for instance, a Grace defend-
ing herself from a satyr— or, were I a poet, I would
only review it in the Byronian stanza, — so English
(in a double sense) I find the concerto. The original
MS. score lies open before me, brown as though it
had crossed the equator, notes like posts, clarinettes
glancing through thick cross-beams over whole
pages, in the middle a notturno woven from the
odour of roses and the lily's snow, which reminded
me of old Zelter, who, at a certain passage of the
Creation," fancied he saw the moon rise, and used
to rub his hands at the place, and say, delightedly,
^Ahal there we have it again;" — ^then there is a
**Nota Bene" with erased measures, and above it;

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268 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

written in large letters, " Cette page est bonne." Yes,
indeed, all is bon, fit to kiss ; above all, thou last
movement, in thy divine tedium, thy charm, thy
delightful awkwardness, thy soulful beauty, bewitch-
ing enough to kiss from beginning to end. Away
with your ferules and thorough bass formulas t All
your school-benches had first to be cut from the
cedar-wood of genius. Do your duty, that is, possess
talent ; be Fields, write what you will ; be poet% be
men, I beseech ye I

PRELUDES AND FUGUES FOR THE

PIANOFORTE.

BY FELIX MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY, OPUS 35.

A HOT-H£AD£D fellow (now in Paris) has defined
the meaning of " Fugue " to be a composition in

which one voice rushes out before the other {fuga a
fugere)^ and the listener first of all ; " on which account
he always began to talk loud, and often to scold, at
concerts, whenever he met with a fugue. Really he
did not understand anything about it, and. resembled
the fox in the fable — i^.^ he could not write one him-
self, however much he secretly wished to do so.
Those who can— finished students of music, cantors
and others — describe it quite differently. According
to these, Beethoven never did or could write fugues ;

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PRELUDES ANV FUGUES. 269

even Bach has taken liberties with them, at which we
must shrug our shoulders: Marpurg is the only
guide ; and -so on. Others, again, think otherwise ;
I, for instance, who can luxuriate for hours in Bach's,
Handel's, and Beethoven's fugues ; and I had thought
that only poor, watery, insipid, patchwork things in
comparison could be written to-day, until these by
Mendelssohn dissipated such ideas. Those with whom
the pattern fugue is a hobbyhorse, deceive themselves
greatly when they fancy they have carried out any of
the fine old artificialities, the imitaiianes per augmm^
tationeni duplice^n^ tripliceniy occ, or caiicricantcs niotu
conirario^ &c — as also do the Romantic deserters, who
hope to find an undreamt-of Phoenix in them arising
from the ashes of the old form. Had they a sense
for sound, natural music, they might succeed toler-
ably, though I would not adjudge them blind praise,
for I know that Bach wrote, poetised, quite different
fugues. But were he to arise from the grave now,
he would— first, perhaps, laying about him right and
left in regard to the general condition of musical
matters — certainly rejoice that a few, at least, still
gather flowers from the field where he planted such
giant-armed oaks. In a word, these fugues have a
Sebastian-like air, and might really deceive a sharp-
sighted reviewer, were it not for the melody, the finer
fiow which savours of modern times, and here and
there those little touches peculiar to Mendelssohn,
which betray him among a hundred other composers.
Whether reviewers find this out or not, it is certain that

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270 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

the composer did not write them for pastime, but
rather to call the attention of pianoforte-players to
this masterly old form once more, and to acaistom
them to it again ; while he has chosen the right way
to succeed in this, by avoiding all useless imitations
and small artificialities, allowing the melody of the
cantilena to predominate, and holding fast to the
Bach form. Whether the latter, however, might not
be advantageously transformed without losing the
true fugue character, is a question which many will
endeavour to answer. Beethoven *shook at that
foundation ; but he was too largely occupied else-
where, too busily occupied on high, building the
cupolas of so many other cathedrals, to find time for
laying the new foundations of a new fugue form.
Reicha also made an effort, but his creative powers
lagged far behind his good will ; yet his often
peculiar ideas are not to be overlooked. However,
the best fugue will always be that which the public
takes for — a Strauss waltz ; in other words, where the
artistic root-work, like that of a flower, is so beautifully
concealed that, we only perceive the flowers. I know
a by no means contemptible connoisseur of music
who mistook a Bach fugue for a Chopin ^tude — to the
honour of both ; and many young girls might fancy
the second part of a Mendulssohnian fugue to be a
song without words (the entrance of the parts at the
beginning would puzzle them) ; while the grace and
softness of their forms will cause their dreaded name
and ceremonious dwelling-place to be forgotteiL In

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PRELUDES AND FUGUES. 27 1

short, these are not fugues worked out with the head

alone> according to a receipt, but pieces of music
sprung from the mind, and carried out in poet
fashion. But as the fugue is the organ of cheerful*
ness and i^aicly, as well as of dignity, the collection
contains many of that short, fiery kind, such as Bach
has thrown off in abundance with his own master*
hand. Every one will find them out ; but these
especially betray the polished, intellectual artist, who
plays with fetters as though they were garlands of
flowers. To mention the preludes : many of tliese,
like many of Bach's, do not seem to have been
originally connected with the fugues, but rather
appended subsequently to these. Most players will
prefer them to the fugues, as, even when played
separately, their effect is complete; the very first
charms at once, from beginning to end. Players may
find out what the others are like for themselves
The work is valuable in itself, and would be found so
without the surety of the composer's name.

JEANQUIRIT.

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OVERTURE TO THE LEGEND OF THE

FAIR MELUSINA.

BY F. MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDT*
[Heard for the first time in Leipsic Concerts, December 1835.]

It is difficult for many persons to decide which of
Mendelssohn's overtures is the best and finest We
had enough to do with the earlier ones — and here is
a fourth ! Florestan divides parties into the Summer
Night's Dreamers (the stroi^est by far), the Fingal-
lians (not the weakest, especially among the fair sex),
and so on« The Melusinians must be called the
smallest party, as this overture has not yet been
heard in Germany outside of Leipsic, and England—
where the Philharmonic Society first performed it as
their own property—can only be used as a reserve
force in case of necessity.

There are works of such delicate intellectual frame,
that the greatest bear of a critic is ashamed to meet
them with anything but compliments. As this was
the case with the ''Midsummer Night's Dream"
overture,— I can only remember to have read poetical
(were not this term a contradiction here) reviews of
it^ — ^so is it now with the legend of the fair Melusina.

In order to understand it, it is not necessary to
read the long-spun-out, though very fantastic, account
of the legend by Tieck, but simply to know:— That

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OVERTURE^ *^TH£ FAIR MELUSTNA.*^ 2^$

the fair Melusina was deeply in love with, and loved

by, the handsome knight Lusignan, and exacted a
promise from him that he should allow her to retaiain
alone on certain days in the year. At last, Lusignan
discovers that Melusina is a mermaid, half woman,
half fish. This foundation is worked out a great deal
in words and in tones. But \\ c may just as little in
this overture, as in that to Shakespeare's ** Midsum-
mer Nighfs Dream," pursue the bare historic thread
further. An inquisitive person once asked Mendels-
sohn what signification the overture to Melusina
possessed especially. He answered quickly, ^'Hml
a misalliance." Poetically as Mendelssohn always
conceives a subject, in this he merely sketches the
characters of the proud knight Lusignan and the
alluring, yielding Melusina ; but the waves seem to
mingle with their embraces, to cover and separate
them again. And here the pictures beloved of
youthful fancy seem living — the traditions of exist-
ence in the sea deeps, of shooting fish with golden
scales, of pearls in open shells, of treasures washed
^way from men, of emerald castles rising tower-like
above each other, and so on. In this respect it
differs from former overtures ; they merely related,
but did not live through similar legendary subjects.
At first sight, the surface appears somewhat cold and
still; but the life and motion of the depths is far
more clearly described in tones than we can hope to
describe the overture in words.

»

After two hearings and a few glances into the

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274 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

score, we have merely to observe, in regard to its
musical composition, that it is scarcely necessary to
say, the work is that of a master in the treatment
of form and means. The whole begins and ends with
an enchanting, water-like motivOy which ebbs and
flows with such effect, that w^e seem to be carried
from the battle-ground of violent human passion to
tiie midst of the sublime, earth-embracing ocean,
especially where it modulates from A flat through G
to C. The rhythm of the knightly motivo in F
minor would gain in pride and significance, were it
taken in a slower tempo. The melody in A flat is
so tender and caressing, that we think we see
Melusina's lovely face behind it Among fine instru-
mental details, we still seem to hear the fine B flat of
the trumpets (near the oommencement)^ forming the
seventh of the chord — ^a tone of primeval times. '

At first we fancied the overture to be written in six-
quaver time. This misapprehension was caused by
the swift tempo in which it was played on the first
occasion (the composer absent). The six-crotchet
measure which we found in the score has a less
passionate, more fantastic appearance, and quiets
the player ; yet it seemed to us too broad and spread
out This observation may seem insignificant, yet it
arises from a feeling we could not repress, and merely
express here, without upholding it as correct But
however written, the overture is fine. 2,*

* Scbumaiui occasionally signed his papers for the A^aii ZtUseMft
with the i^gure s.—TaAN8.

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MENDELSSOfflpS ''ST. PAUL'' m

VIENNA.

[from a lbttbr of march 2, 1839.]

''St. Paul" has been given here at last-— last of all
In the greatest musical city of Germany. The fact
that Mendelssohn's compositions have been so slow
in nuiking way here is one too closely connected with
our inward musical life to permit me to enter into
details regarding it ; but I think of returning to the
subject For the present I will merely observe, that
the Viennese generally distrusts foreign musical
celebrities (except some Italian ones) ; but if he is
once'wpn over» he may be turned and twisted in any
direction — he scarcely knows where to stop with his
praise, and embraces the object of it unceasingly.
Then there is a clique here, the continuation of the
clique that formerly hissed " Don Juan " and the
" Leonora " overture^-^ clique that believes Mendels^
sohn composes merely to puzzle it, and that intends
to hinder the spreading of his fame with canes and
pitchforks — a. clique so mean, so ignorant, so incap-
able in judgment and accomplishment, that it is as
bad as any clique in Flachsenfingen. It is quite
unnecessary to annihilate dwarfs with the apostolic
thunderbolts of a St. Paul ; they creep into their
holes as soon as the truth looks them steadfastly
in the eyes. But our St.. Paul" has done greater

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

wonders. Like a festal fire, its continuous chain of
beauties communicated the composer^s inspiration to
the listeners. Such wealth, such masterly power,
and above all, such melodic charm, was not ex*
pected. When I counted the public at the close, it
was as numerous as at the commencement, — and one
must know Vienna to know what that means. Vienna
and three-hour-long oratorios have lived until now
in a wretched misalliance ; but ** St Paul" has made
all right again* What more can I say? Every-
number took, three were encored, there was most
emphatic applause at the close. Old Gyrowetz
declared that, according to his judgment, this was
the greatest work of modern times ; " old Seyfried
said, I did not hope to experience such an event in
my latter da3rs." In short, the victory was quite a
passable one. And when we consider that the per-
formance took place after only two previous orches-
tral rehearsals, we must respect the acquirements of
the Viennese players. The representation was not,
could not be, perfect in all its details ; but such a
chorus as this, singing with all its physical powers,
requiring rather to be softened than inspired, is very
rarely to be found in North Germany, where the
singers intrench themselves behind their printed
parts, and are quite happy if they do not upset
things altogether. In this the Viennese is thoroughly
unique ; give him something to sing, and he becomes
as loudly, gayly melodious as a nest of canaries.
The solo parts were not performed by the first nota-

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Mendelssohn's **st. paul** in Vienna, 277

bilities of the city, but they were satisfactory ; a few,
like the bass, quite excellent The performance took
place at the suggestion of the Society of the Frietids
of Music, a very honourable society, that has lately
displayed a fund of fresh new life. Doctor Edler of
Sonnleithner deserves especial mention, as his un-
wearied endeavours made the performance possible ;
for no one would believe how much management is
necessary to bring together an orchestra of a hun-
dred here, where, with more discipline and es/frii de
carps among the forces, a thousand might easily be
brought into the field. Honour also to those who,
filled with admiration for this work, one of the
brightest jewels of our day, took a zealous pleasure
in presenting it to the true friends of art in a man-
ner worthy of it and of themselves. This cannot fail
to bring forth fruit, even among the masses, and the
cry "Sleepers wake" will find its echo in many
souls. There is already question of a second and
third performance.

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• THE MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM.

t

[epistolary.]

You are naturally the first to obtain a report of the
Midsummer Night's Dream " from me» dear friend.
It was at last performed yesterday (1843) ^oi*
first time after about three hundred years ; and the
theatrical director showed his good sense in beauti-
fying a winter evening with it ; in summer, of course,
we should be more pleased with A Winter s Tale*
I assure 3rou that many went to see Shakespeare in
order to hear Mendelssohn ; the case was the reverse
with me. Though I know very well that Mendelssohn
is not like those inferior actors who put on grand
airs when they are placed in accidental association
with great ones, his music (with the exception of
the overture) only pretends to be an accompaniment,
a conciliation, a bridge between Oberon and Bottom,
without which it would be almost impossible for us
to enter fairyland, however much in vc^ue that was
in Shakespeare's time. Those who expected more
from this music must certainly have been disap-
pointed ; it retires even more modestly into the back-
ground than that to "Antigone/' where, certainly,
the choruses forced the musician to a richer use of
his powers. This music does not interfere with the
action, with the love entanglements of the four young
people. Only once^ m speaking accents, it sketches

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"the midsummer night's dream/' 279

Hermia's search for her beloved ; and this is an
admirable number. On the whole, the music only

accompanies the fairy portion of the piece. Here
Mendelssohn is in his place, no one more so, as we
all know. The world has long been of one opinion •
regarding the overture — ^though, of course, there are
transformed Bottoms to be found everywhere. The
bloom of youth sparkles upon it more brightly than
is the case with any other of the composer's works ;
here the finished master reached his highest flight in
his happiest hours. It was almost touching to me
to hear fragments from the overture in some of the
more lately written numbers ; but I could not wholly
approve of the finale, which repeats the close of the
overture almost word for word. The composer's in-
tention in rounding off the whole is clear ; but this
seems to me to be done only in accordance with the
dictates of reason. He should have beautified this
scene with his freshest tones; here, where music
might have produced its greatest effect| I expected
something quite originaL Imagine the scene where
the elves dance their magic rounds in every nook and
corner of the house. Puck leading them—

** I am sent with broom before,
To sweep the dust behind the door*

Oberon scattering blessings,—

^ Widi this fi^d-dew consecrate^
Every fairy take his gait ; —
And each several chamber bless.
Through this palace with sweet peace.*

U

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28o MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Nothing better adapted for music could be invented.
Would Mendelssohn compose something quite new

for us at this passage ? So it seemed to me that the
highest effect of the piece was wanting at the close.
Though we well remembered the many charming
preceding musical numbers, though Bottom's ass's
head no doubt enlivens many persons to-day, though
the enchantments of that night in the greenwood, and
its complications, can never be forgotten, yet the
whole produced more the impression of a rarity than
of anything else. For the rest, believe me that the
music is as fine and intellectual as it can be. From the
first entrance of Puck and the elves, the instruments
chatter and jest as if the elves themselves played
them ; we hear quite new tones there. The speedily
following song, closing with the words —

^ So, good night, with lullaby,"

is especially lovely, like all this music when the
fairies are in question. There is also a march (tlie
first, I believe, that Mendelssohn ever wrote) before
the close of the first part. It somewhat resembles the
march in Spohr's " Consecration of Tones," and might
have been more original, though it contains a very
charming trio. The orchestra played admirably
under Dr. Bach s direction, and the actors took all
the pains possible, but the mounting of the piece was
almost poor. The performance will be repealed
to-day.

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PIANOFORTE MUSIC.

It is some time since Any pianoforte music was
reviewed in our paper. Very little of consequence has
appeared lately, in spite of the quantity that is written
daily for this instrument. The masters of the more
recent period have either departed from among us, or
keep silence; those of our own day either pursue
those tendencies that have been frequently written of
and pointed out in our pages, or they have degene-
rated. Besides these, the weeds still flourish that
have flourished at all times ; but Czerny, Herz, and
Hiinten have lost much of their former favour with
the public. Since as little can be said of a certain
class of music, as of a very similar style in circulating-
library literature, this merely deserves a very cursory
mention in an art paper. A new, genuinely artistic
talent, devoting its powers to the pianoforte, has not
recently appeared. We shall afterwards refer to a few
pleasing or hopeful manifestations.

Among the pianoforte composers who laboured
during the period immediately preceding the most
recent one, we had only Moscheles and Kalkbrenner,
with the exception of Cramer, who belonged to a still
earlier epoch, but who published, quite lately, a few
new compositions, the finest of which—" Studies for
Four Hands" — we have not yet been able to meet with.
Moscheles, in his " Romanesca/' Opus 104, played a

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282 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

joke on that pseudc^Romanticisiii, which is at home in

the Parisian Grand Opera, but which has stolen thence
into pianoforte music, and even penetrated beyond
the Rhine ;— a capital joke, the sense of which will
be mistaken here and there, so that some may be
inclined to class its author among the crazy fellows
he intended to sketch. The merry piece is worth
the trouble of learning to know it. Another but a
serious piece by the same composer (Opus 103) again
proves him to have taken an interest in the excite-
ment of the last pianoforte epoch, though we are not
inclined to consider it as one of his best efforts.

We still find Herr Kalkbrenner's name attached to
a few fantasias on themes from operas that are
favourites in Paris, but little is to be said regarding
the style and aim of these.

A curiosity lies before us in the bravura variations
(Prague, published by T. Hoffmann) of a very old
composer, F, D. Weber, Director of the Prague
Conservatory. We look on the piece as an amiable
caprice in the old musician. But we can only smile
at those German critics who have ecstatically praised
the piece, declaring this to be the genuine classic
bravura style. It is a piece d'occasioji, like a hundred
similar ones, and there can be no question of genuine
music in connection with it. We do not consider even
the theme remarkable, and the liarmonisation of two
measures before the next to the last one is very
unmusical. No doubt, however, the work would
appear to better advantage in its original form, which.

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PIANOFORTE MUSIC. 283

as we learn from a note on the title-page, was ac<*
companied by the orchestra with ritornelles»

These are the most celebrated among the older
composers who have given us new works recently.
The selection is certainly not very numerous'.

We have unfortunately missed Mendelssohn for a
year among those modern composers who occupy
themselves with the pianoforte* His last works
were the fourth book of " Songs without Words," and
a set of variations for the Beethoven album — both of
which compositions have already been mentioned in
our paper. Taubert in Berlin, whose fruitful begin-
ning led us to expect a rich harvest, also keeps holi-
day, we are sorry to say. Let us hope that these
composers are only, like many others, withholding
their gifts from us for a time.

We again find much spirituality in a few separate
compositions by Chopin. These are a concert
all^ro (Opus 46)^ a ballade (Opus 47), 2 notturnos
(Opus 48), and a fantasia (Opus 49) ; and, like every-
thing that issues from his pen, they may be instantly
recognised as Chopin's compositions. The concert
allegro has the complete form of the first movement
of a concerto^ and was originally written with an
orchestral accompaniment. A fine middle melody is
wanting, though the cantilena is rich in new and
brilliant passages ; but it floats, past us too restlessly,
and we feel the absence of a slow after-movement,
an adagio, — for the entire plan suggests a complete
concerto in three movements. The idea of raising

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284 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

the pianoforte to the highest point of independence
possible, and of rendering the orchestra unnecessary,
IS a favourite one with young composers, and it seems
to have influenced Chopin in the publication of his
allegro in this form; but this new attempt again
proves the difficulty of the task, though it will by no
means serve as a warning against future endeavours.
We place the ballade — Chopin's third — ^far higher
chan the allegro ; it differs in a striking manner, in
form and character, from his earlier ones, and must
be counted among his most original creations. The
finely intellectual Pole, accustomed to move in the
most courtly circles of the French capital, will be
distinctly recognised in it We shall not attempt to
analyse its poetic atmosphere any further. The
nottumos must be placed, from their melancholy and
graceful manner, among Chopin's earlier ones. The
second especially will speak to many hearts. In the
fantasia we again meet with the bold, stormy tone-
poet, as we have often learned to know him. It is
filled with genial traits in detail, though the whole
did not choose to subject itself to the limits of a fine
form. We can only make suppositions as to the
figures that floated before Chopin when he wrote
this» but the pictures were certainly not cheerful
ones.

Since Sterndale Bennett published his " Diver-
sions," charming pieces which we described in our
paper a year and a day ago, he has only given us a
single pianoforte composition, Suite de Pieces," Opus

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PIANOFORTE MUSIC 285

24 ; but this is sufficient to refresh our respect for his
fine talent. This collection contains six pieces, very
similar in character, all proving the genuine creative
power of their author, so fully able to accomplish
anything with sportive ease. Here it is not the pro-
found, the sublime, that awakens thought in and
imposes on us, but the delicate, playful, often fairy-
like grace, that leaves small yet deep traces behind
it in bur hearts. No one will style Bennett a great
genius, but he has a great deal of one kind of genius.
In these days, when so much uninspiring music is
published, when what is merely outward and mecha-
nical is cultivated to an unreasonable and immeasur-
able degree, we take double delight in that natural
grace, that tranquil inward feeling, which is an
innate quality in Bennett's compositions. We do
not doubt but that this style of musics with its
relatively higher and lower tendencies, will gain
more and more in favour, and that« no matter how
opinions may vary regarding its cultivators, the
history of the art of our period, which endeavours
to unite all that is soulful and artistically rich, will
establish and ensure to it a lofty place, above iall that
mere fashion and the caprice of fortune has set up on
high. Much has already been done; and among
those composers whose tendency is of this rare and
noble kind, Bennett deserves an honourable position.
He ought to write more, however. But it seems
as though he feels himself moving in but a small
domain, on which he should not always remain ; for

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2S6 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

though we love fairy sports, we prefer manly deeds ;
and in order to accomplish these, the realm of the
pianoforte is too confined; they need an orchestra or
a stage. But we are straying too far from these
compositions, which will be an honour to their
author, no matter what his future may become. Of
course, in his case there can be no question as to
errors of form, &c. ; he rounds the commencement,
progression, and conclusion of his pieces in a
masterly manner. The resemblance of his composi-
tions to those of Mendelssohn has often been r^
marked ; but those who think they have sufficiently
designated Bennett's character by such a remark,
do him great injustice, and betray their own want
of judgment. Resemblances are common between
different masters of the same epoch. In Bach and
Handel, in Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in his
earlier period, we find a similar aim, like a bond of
union between them, and which often outwardly
expresses itself, as though one were calling unto the
other. But this inclination of one noble mind to
another should never be misnamed imitation, and
Bennetfs likeness to Mendelssohn is involuntary.
Yet Bennett's works have continued to increase in
originality; and in the one that lies before us, we are
merely reminded of the artistic striving that inspires
him in common with Mendelssohn, We think more
frequently of older masters, into whose nature the
English composer seems to have penetrated. The
study of Bach and of Domenico Scarlatti, whom

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PIANOFORTE MUSIC. 287

Bennett prefers among pianoforte composers^ has not
been without influence on his development And he
is right to study them ; for he who desires to be a
master can only learn this from masters — though
of course we do not place Scarlatti at the same ele*
vation as Bach. Among the separate pieces of the
"Suite" — a good old word — ^we find it difficult to
give the preference to any single one. Every one
will select according to his views. We fancy the
second and fourth are the most original, the former
on account of its very peculiar and delicate construc-
tion, the latter because of its fantastic character.

Adolph Henselty like Bennett, has been rather
unproductive of late, unfortunately for us. Perhaps
merely outward causes are to blame for this. We
cannot believe a fountain that sprang forth so gladly
and freshly from the beginning is already exhausted.
His latest piece for pianoforte alone is entitled
Tableau Musical " (Opus 16). A Bohemian-Russian
folk-melody is followed by a pastoral theme, and
these meet again afterwards in a graceful manner ;
the result is such a picture as that presented by
the meeting of gipsies with modern peasants ; and
perhaps, as we half surmise from the title, some
such idea floated before the composer. The whole
work creates a cheerful and almost picturesque imr
pression, while it is vivified by the euphony that
characterises all the compositions of this artist

Among famous virtuosos, who have again lately
busied themselves with the pianoforte, we must first

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

mention Thalberg, who, besides his second fantasia
on themes from Don Juan/' which differs little from
his other fantasias, has published, under the title

Th£me Original et Etude (Opus 45), one of his
most effective pieces, the same with which he has
so often created a furore in his concerts. Its charm
lies, first, in its graceful theme, which some one has
compared to an Italian muleteer-song — a remark
that may suffice to describe the general character
of the melody; but its sparkling variations are the
cause of its great effect with the public, and when
we hear them played by their composer, we wonder
from where he gets all his iingera But the eUtde
sounds more difficult than it is. If a more solid
introduction and a rather longer close had been
added, the piece would have been found worthy of
unreserved praise. For the public, however, it is
still excellent enough, •

Liszt has lately brought out, besides some fan-
tasias on operatic themes, his most extensive, and,
we believe, his most remarkable work, his ^'Peleri-
nage," which will fill three large volumea We have,
so far, only seen the first volume, and therefore
reserve our opinion for a later, separate article, when
we have learned to know the entire work.

Among young composers who are already widely
known in other branches, but who have, until now,
published little or nothing for the pianoforte, we
must mention Otto Nicolai and Julius Rietz, two of
whose pianoforte compositions now lie before u&

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PIANOFORTE MUSIC 289

•

And as we are always glad to meet with new
sonatas, the very title-page of Nicolai's compositions
pleased us, because it is that of a sonata (Opus 27).
This composer has often been attacked on account
of his Italian sympathies. We do not know those
of his operas which he wrote in Italy, but we find
enough good German blood in this sonata. Or is
he so much a master of his pen that he can write
to-day in the Italian manner, and to-morrow in any
other ? This is the dangerous sort of cleverness to
which Meyerbeer has already fallen a sacrifice. How-
ever, we know too little of Nicolai's compositions
to hazard an opinion on this point regarding them.
At all events, this sonata betrays its German origin,
and also displays j^reat ease of invention and execu-
tion. If the former is not exactly profound, the
latter not extraordinarily and artistically rich, the
whole piece attracts and rivets attention from its
other good qualities, such as its eager, swift vitality,
which does not hold, in too mole-like a manner,
to small details, but produces a highly favourable
(to the composer) total effect The last movement
appears to us the least successful, the tempo is too
often altered in it — a fault that only a very intelligent
performer will lead the hearer to forget On the
other hand, the first movement, the scherzo, and
especially the trio, are admirable. The composer has
taken a Swedish folk-melody, and one of the finest,
for the principal motive of his allegro ; yet we fail to
discover its connection with the rest of the work.

290

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Julius Rietz, who has won for himself a note-
worthy reputation through his two overtures, makes
his debtit as a composer for the pianoforte in a

Scherzo Capriccioso " (Opus 5). His imitation of
Mendelssohn's manner has often been spoken of ; we
also have often been disagreeably struck by it in
many passages of his compositions. It is difficult
to explain why reminiscences displease 11s more in
some composers than in others (Bennett, for ex-
ample), unless because copyists lack the tact neces-
sary in cases where outside material needs to be
assimilated ; while in other cases (as those of Bennett
and Mendelssohn),certain characters seem to have pos-
sessed features of resemblance between them, from their
first appearance in the world. However, the highly
talented composer of whom we speak has so much
cultivation, and displays so decided a character, that
perhaps only a little more caution is necessary on
his part, to avoid reminiscences altc^ether. On the
whole, this scherzo does not much remind us of
Mendelssohn; it has a discouraged, almost doubt-
ing tone But behind the not too cheerful humour
of the piece, an excellent artist is hidden, so much
at home in his art that we cannot but wish that he
might feel more happy in it

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FRANZ SCHUBERT.

VOVR IlIPROIiPTIIS FOR THE PIANOratTE, OPUS 142.

He should have lived to sec how he is idolised to*
day ; it would have inspired him to do his best and
highest. Now that he has long Iain at rest, we care-
fully endeavour to collect and examine all that he
left behind him; and there is nothing among all
this that does not betray its origin. Few authors
have left the stamp of their minds so clearly im-
pressed on their works as he has done; Every ps^e
in the two first of the above impromptus whispers
** Franz Schubert," as we know him in his inex-
haustible moods ; as he charms^ deceives, and again
fetters us, we find him here. And yet I can scarcely
believe that Schubert really entitled these move-
ments *' impromptus." The first is evidently the first
movement of a sonata, so perfectly carried out and
concluded, that no doubt can exist about it. I con-
sider the second impromptu to be the second move-
ment of the same sonata ; in key and character it
fits it precisely. Schubert's friends must know
what has become of the conclusion of the sonata, or
whether he ever concluded it. Perhaps the fourth
impromptu may be regarded as the finale, yet, if
the key be in favour of this supposition, the volatility
of the whole plan is opposed to it These are only
eonjectures, which a glance into the original manu-

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

script might clear up. Yet I do not consider them
of no consequence ; titles and superscriptions are of
little value, while a fine sonata is so great an oma*
ment in the wreath of a composer's productions, that
I would willingly imagine another — ^yes, twenty —
added to Schubert's many works in this form. I
should scarcely have attributed the third impromptu
to Schubert, unless, indeed, as the work of his boy-
hood ; it is a set of indiffereiit or insignificant varia-
tions on a similar theme. They are wholly devoid
of invention or fancy — qualities which Schubert has
displayed to so high a degree in the variation style
in other places. But if the two first impromptus are
played in succession, and rounded with the fourth
to make a lively close, we shall possess, if not a
complete sonata, one more fine souvenir of Schubert
To those who are well acquainted with him already,
it needs but a single performance for the complete
understanding of it The ligh^ fantastic embroidery
between the melodic pauses in the first movement,
is precisely what should lull us to slumber; the
whole seems to have been written during a pensive
hour, as if while meditating on the past The second
movement is of a contemplative character, like. many
things of Schubert's ; the third (the fourth impromptu)
is quite difierent ; it pouts, yet softly and good
naturedly. Its mood is diihcult to comprehend; it
reminded me often of Beethoven's amusing, little-
known piece, " Anger over a Lost Penny.*'
. This is a fitting opportunity to mention Franz

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FRANZ SCHUBERT.

293

Liszt's transcriptions of Schubert's songs, which have
found su,ch favour with the public Performed by
Liszt, they must be highly effective, but other than
master-hands will vainly labour with them ; they
are perhaps the most difiicult things for the piano-
forte in existence. A witty fellow wonders ** whether
an easier arrangement could not be published, and
also whether the result of such a one would be the
original Schubert Lied again ? " Not always. Liszt
has added to and altered ; the way in which he has
done it betrays the powerful nature of his conception
and execution ; others would think and write differ-
ently. And now the old question suggests itseli',
whether the executive artist shall be allowed the
privilege of modifying the works of the creative
artist, so as to suit his individual powers? The
answer is easy. A bungler is ridiculous when he does
it badly, but we approve of the intelligent artist's
arrangement, unless he destroys the sense of the
original. This kind of workmanship forms a separate
chapter in a method of pianoforte-playing.

The last of Schubert's compositions which have
appeared are entitled Grand Pianoforte Duo for
Four Hands," Opus 140, and F. Schubert's last com-
position, three grand sonatas for pianoforte.

There was a time when I talked unwillingly of
Schubert, whose name, I thought, should only be
whispered at night to the trees and stars. Who is
not, at some period, enthusiastic ? Enraptured with
this new mijid, wAose wealth seemed to me measure-

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294

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

less and boundless, deaf to everything that could
bear witness against him, I thought of him alone.

Who is the master we can esteem the same at every
period of our lives? With increasing years, with
increasing demands, the circle of our favourites grows
smaller and smaller. The cause of this lies within
ourselves as well as in thenu In order to value
Bach properly, we must have passed through ex-
periences impossible in youth ; even the sunlit heights
of Mozart are at that time under-estimated. Mere
musical studies are not enough to enable us to under-
stand Beethoven, who inspires us more in certain
years with certain works. It is at least sure that
equal ages exercise a reciprocal attraction on each
other, that youthful enthusiasm is best understood by
youth, and the power of the mature master by the
full-grown man. Schubert will always remain the
favourite of youth. He gives what youth desires —
an overflowing heart, daring thoughts, and speedy
deeds ; he tells of what youth loves best— of knights
and maidens, romantic stories and adventures; he
mingles wit and humour with these, but not to so
great a degree that the softer ground- tone is dis-
turbed. He gives wings to the performer^s own fancy,
as no other composer has done save Beethoven.
Some of his peculiarities, which may be easily
imitated, allure to imitation ; we carry out a thousand
ideas which he only lightly suggests. Such is the
effect he produces, and thus he will long influence us.

Ten years ago I should have declared, without

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F&ANZ SCHUB£KT. 295

tnor^ ado, that liiese lately published works were

the finest in the world, — and, compared with the
productioiis of to-day, stich they still appear to me.
But, as compositions by Schubert, I do not place
tihem in the class where I place his quartet in D
minor for string instruments, his trio in £ flat
major,* and many of his lesser songs and piano-
forte pieces. The duo, especially (which I regarded
as a symphony arranged for the pianoforte, until
the original manuscript, in which, in his own hand,
it is entitled a Sonata for Four Hands," taught
me otherwise), seems to me still to stand within
Beethoven's influence. And, in spite of Schubert's
handwriting, I still hold to my own opinion respect-
ing the dua One who wrote as much as Schubert,
cannot have given much time to reviewing or reflect-
ing on his titles, and thus he probably wrote in haste
over his work ** sonata," while symphony ** was what
he had in his mind. Then, to give a more vulgar
ground for my opinion, it is probable that at a time
when his name was only beginning to be known, he
was more likely to find publishers for a sonata than
for a S3miphony. And, in comparing this work with
his other sonatas, in which the purest pianoforte
character is expressed, I can only, familiar as I am
with his style and his manner of treating the piano-
forte, regard it as an orchestral work. We hear
string and wind instruments, tuttis, solos, the mutter
of drums; and my view is also supported by the

* The Symphony in C was not known at the time this article was written.

X

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

broad symphonic form, even by its reminiscences of
Beethoven's symphonies, such as, in the second move-
ment, that of the andante of Beethoven's second, and,
in the last, that of Beethoven's last in his A major
symphony, as well as several paler passages, which
seem to me to have lost in the arrangement In this
way, too, I shield the duo from the reproach of being
unfitted to the pianoforte, that something has been
attempted with the instrument of which it is in-
capable ; while, as an arranged symphony, it must be
looked at in a different light. If we so accept it» we
are the richer by one symphony. I have mentioned
the reminiscences of Beethoven ; but do we not all
subsist on his treasures? Yet even without this
noble forefather, Schubert would have been the
same, though his originality might have found its
way out later. To one who has some degree of
cultivation and feeling, Beethoven and Schubert may
be recognised, yet held apart, on their very hrst
pages. Schubert is a maidenly character compared
to the other, far more talkativ^e, softer, broader; com-
pared to him he is a child, sporting carelessly among
the giants. Such is the relation these symphonic
movements bear to those of Beethoven, and, in their
inwardness^ they could not have been imagined by
any other than Schubert. To be sure, he brings in
his powerful passages, and works in masses ; but
there is always a masculine and feminine contrast;
one commands, and one beseeches and persuades.
This, however, is in contrast to Beethoven alone |

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/ ' FRANZ SCHUeERT, .297

coiApared to others he is.maa enough, and even the
boldest and most freethinklhg . of musicians. With
this conviction we should take up the duo. It is not
« necessary to seek for its beauties.; they meet and win
tis more and more the oftener we consider it ; indeed,
this loving poet-soul cannot fail to win us all com-
pletely. And though the adagio so strongly reminds
me of Beethoven, yet I scarcely know anything in
which Schubert is more distinctly himself; he stands
bodily before us — ^with the first measures his name
passes our lips. And all will agree that the work
sustains itself at the same height from beginning to
end — SL quality that should always be insisted on, yet
one which modern works seldom offer to us. No
musician dare remain a stranger to such a work, and
if so many among them fail to understand some
creations of to-day, and some of the future, it is their
own fault; their insight is blind to transition. The
new (so-called) Romantic school is not woven from
the air ; everything has its own good foundation.

The sonatas are sufficiently distinguished and n»
markable, as being the last work of Franz Schubert.
Probably those to whom the period of their creation
was unknown would judge them differently— as I
did, placing them at an earlier epoch in the com-
poser's career, while I always considered the trio in
E flat major as Schubert's last work, as well as his
most original one. It may be, however, that these
sonatas were really the last work of his hand, for il

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99^ llUStC AND MUSICIANS.

would be something more than human in a man
who wrote so much and so continually as Schubert
were he to improve and surpass himself in eveiy
succeeding effort. I cannot learn whether he wrote
these sohatas on his sick-bed or not; from the music
I rather surmise that he did ; and yet it may be that
one's opinion and fancy are influenced beforehand
by the sad ideas awakened by the word *'last'' on
the title-page. However it may be^ these sonatas
seem to me to differ from his others in their greater
simplicity of invention, their voluntary resignation of
novel brilliancy (just where he formerly made such
great demands on his powers), and through a general
spinning out of musical ideas where he formerly
joined period to period with new threads. It flows
on from page to page, ever more musical and melo-
dious, as if it could never come to an end or lose its
continuity, broken, here and there, by a somewhat
more lively emotion, that is» however, soon quieted
again. Colder judges must decide whetiier or not
my opinion has been influenced here by the thought
of his illness ; but the work affects me as I describe
it Then it closes so lightly, cheerfully, courageously,
as though he would be ready to begin again the next
day. But it was otherwise ordsuned. He met his
last moments with composure. And if the words
are written on his tombstone, that " a rich possession,
but still fairer hopes," lie buried there, we will thank-
fully remember only the first. It will lead to no-

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TW£LY£ BY ROB£RT FRANZ. 299

■

thing to guess at what more he might have attained.

He did enough ; and those must be honoured who
have striven and accomplished as he iaas done*

TWELVE LIEDER BY ROBERT FRANZ.

OPUS I.

There is much to say regarding these lieder by
Robert Franz ; tbqr are not isolated productions, but
bear an inward relationship to the whole development
oJ our art dua:ing the past ten years. It is wqU known
that in the years 1830-34, a reaction took place in
opposition to the reigning taste. On the whole, the
struggle was not a difficult one ; it was principally
waged with that empty flourish of manner that dis-
played itself in nearly every department of art
(always excepting the works of Weber, Loewe, and a
few others), and especially in pianoforte musia The
first attack was made on this last; more thoughtful
pictures b^an to take the place of mere passage
work» and the influence of two masters^Beethoven
and Bach — became perceptible in these. The young
musical party grew numerous^ the new life pene-
trated into other branches. Franz Schubert had
already worked on th^ lied form, but principally in
the Beetbovenian manner^ while the influence of
Bach was more perceptible in North German song.

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300 • MUSIC AND MUSICIANS^ •

Development was hastened by the appearance of a
new school of German poetry. Eichendorff and
Riickert, though they began to write before this time,
had now became familiar to musicians, and Uhland
and Heine were frequently set to music. Thus arose
that more artistic and profound style of song, of which
earlier composers could of course know nothing, since
it was the new spirit of poetry reflected in music.

The songs of Robert Franz thoroughly belong to
this noble new style. Hurdygurdy sing-song writ-
ing, the reciting penny verses with the same indiffer-
ence as a poem by Riickert, for example, is beginning
to be estimated at its proper value ; and though this
progress has not yet reached the mass of the public,
the better class has long been aware of It. And
indeed the lied is the only form of composition in
which a remarkable improvement has taken place
since Beethoven^s time. If, for instance, we compare
the industry which has been made use of in the songs
before us, to interpret the ideas of the poems almost
word for word, with the negligence of the former
mode of treatment, in which the poem was considered
of very secondary importance ; the whole harmonic
construction here, with the slovenly formulas of ac-
companiment which earlier times found so difHcult
to shake off ; only narrow-minded prejudice will fail
to perceive this great improvement Robert Franz's
characteristics as a lied composer are expressed in
the preceding sentence. He desires more than well
or ill sounding music ; he • strives- to. risflect the poem

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TWELVE LIEDER BY ROBERT FRANZ. 3OI

with lifelike profundity. He is most successful in
the quietly dreamy mood, but we find in him some
simple, charming traits, as in the first song, then the
*^ Dance-song in May," and some yet more cheerful
out-wellings to some of Robert Bums's texts. This
double book of songs, suggests the most varied
pictures and feelings, and all bear a ti'ace of melan-
choly. For the performance of these songs we need
a poet as well as a singer ; but they will please best
sung when alone and at evening. A few things in
them arc painful to my ear, as the beginnings of the
7th and I2th songs^ and the often-returning £ in the
last . I wish the 7th had been omitted from the collec-
tion ; it seems to me too artificial in melody and
harmony. The others are interesting, remarkable,
often uncommonly fine. Tieck's slumber-song should
have had a more richly musical close, but it is, not-
withstanding; one of the happiest. It would be an
endless task to describe separately the fine musical
features of these songs ; musicians of feeling will dis-
cover them for themselves.

These lieder, then, differ remarkably from others.
But he who has thus commenced, must not wonder
if higher things are demanded from him in future.
Success in a small style often leads to one-sidedness
and mannerism. We trust that the young artist
will protect himself from this by grasping new artistic
forms, and by expressing his rich inward feelings
otherwise than in songs. Our sympathy, however,
will be with bm on any path.

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( 302 }

MEYERBEER AND MENDELSSOHN.

L— Meyerbeer's " Huguenots."

I FEEL to-day like a brave young warrior who draws
his sword for the first time in a great cause* As if
musical questions should also be settled in our little
Leipsic^ where universal ones have ahready been dis«
puted, it happens that the two most powerful com-
positions of modern da5rs— Meyerbeer's " Huguenots"
and Mendelssohn's " St Pajuli" — ^bave been brought
otst here together — together for the first time» appa*
rently, until now. Where shall we commence the
subject, where leave off? There can be no question
here of rivalry, of preference, for our readers know
well to what aims our pen is devoted ; they know
too well that when Mendelssohn is the subject there
can be no question of Meyerbeer, their paths lie in
such diametrical opposition ; and^ if we would point
to the characteristics of one» w^ have simply to marie
those qualities which the other does not possess,
always excepting talent, which they possess in com-
mon with each other* One is often inclined to grasp
one's brow, to feel whether all up there is in the
right condition, when one reflects on Meyerbeer's
success in healthy, musical Germany, when one
hears otherwise worthy people, musicians even, who
look, too, on Mendelssohn's quieter victories with
pleasure, declaring that there is really some value

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MEY£RB£ER AND M^NMLSSOHN. ' 303

in his music. Still warm from Scbroder^Devrient's
lofty portrsuture of Fidelio, I went for the first time
to hear the " Huguenots." Who does not rejoice in
novelty, who does not gladly hope ? Had not Ries
himself written that many things in the " Huguenots'*
might be placed beside some by Beethoven, &c. I And
what said others, what said li I agreed at once with
Florestan, who, shaking his fist towards the opera,
let fall the words : In ' II Crodato/ I still counted
Meyerbeer among musicians ; in * Robert le Diable/
I began to have my doubts ; in ' Les Huguenots,'
I place him at once among Franconi*s circus people*"
I cannot express the aversion which the whole work
inspired in us ; we turned away from it — we were
weary and inattentive from anger. After frequently:
hearing it I found much that was excusable, that
impressed me more favourably in it; but my hnai
judgment remained the same as at firsts and I must
shout incessantly to those who place " Les Hugue-
nots " at ever so great a distance beside " Fidelio,"
or anything of the kind, that they understand nothing
about it — nothing, nothing ! As for proselytism, I
will not liear a word ; there would be no end of con-
troversy.

I am no moralist, but it enrages a good Pro-
testant to hear his dearest choral shrieked out on the
boards, to see the bloodiest drama in the whole his-
tory of his religion degraded to the level of an annual
fair farce, in order to raise money and noise with it
Yes» the whole opera, from the overture^ wilh its

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304 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

ridiculously trivial sanctity, enrages him, to the

close, after which we should all be burnt alive
together as soon as possible.* What is the impres-
sion left behind it by Les Huguenots " ? That we
have seen criminals executed, and flighty ladies
exposed to view. Reflect on the whole, and what
does^ it amount to? In the first act we have an
orgy of many men, with — oh, refinement I — only one
woman, but veiled ; in the second, an oigy of bathing
women, and, among them, a man scratched up with
the nails to please Parisians, with bandaged eyes ; in
the third, we have a mixture of the licentious and the
sanctimonious ; slaug;hter spreads in the fourth, and
in the fifth we have carnage in a church. Riot,
murder, prayer, and nothing more, does *^ Les
Huguenots" contain; in vain we seek one pure,
lasting idea, one spark of Christian feeling in it.
Meyerbeer nails a heart on the outside of a skin, and.
says, " Look I there it is, to be grasped with hands."
All is made up, all appearance and hypocrisy. And
now to the heroes and heroines — ^two, Marcel and St
Bris, who do not sink so low as the rest, excepted.
There is Nevers, a finished profligate,! who loves

* Jti» only necetsBiy to read the closing lines of the opera 8—

*' Par le fer et I'mcendie
Exterminons la race impie,
Frappons, pounolTons lli^tique t
Bieit lo ipcnt, BStn. vpat le sang^
Oiii, Diett vent le sang^ ! " '

f Words like ''Je ris da Dieu de runivers," &c., are little things ia
duatext. ' •

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MEYERBEER AND MENDELSSOHN. 305

Valentshe^ then gives her up, then accepts her as his
wife, — Valentine herself, who loves Raoul, marries

Nevers, swears she loves him,* and then betroths
herself to RaouL Raoul, who loves Valentine, rejects
her, falls in love with the Queen, and finally takes
Valentine to wife, — and then the Queen, the queen of
all these dolls! And people can be pleased with
this, because it looks prettily, and comes from Paris! <
And respectable German girls do not shut their eyes
before it 1 And the arch-clever one of all composers
rubs his hands for joy 1 An entire book would be
insufficient for the discussion of the music; every
measure is full of meaning ; there is somethings to be
said about everything. "To startle or to tickle," is
Meyerbeer's maxim^ and he succeeds in it with the
rabble. And as for the introduced choral, which sets
Frenchmen beside themselves, I declare that if a
pupil brought such a lesson in counterpoint to me^ I
should certainly beg him to do better in future.
How overladen yet empty, how intentional yet super-
ficial I what blacksmith's work, that the mob may not
fail to observe it, is this eternal chanting of Marcel's.
**A firm fortress!" Then a great deal is said about
the dedication of the swords in the fourth act. I ac-
knowledge that it has much dramatic movement,
some intelligent, striking turns, and that the chorus
especially is of great outward effect ; situation* sceneiry»
instrumentation, work together, and as the horrible
is Meyerbeer^s element, he has written ^this with

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306 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

warmtlL And if we look at the melody bom a'

musical point of view, what is it but a vamped- up
Marseillaise? Is there real art in producing aa
effect with such means at such a passage ? I do not
blame the use of every means in the right place ; but
we must not exclaim ** Glorious 1 " when a dozen of
drums, trumpets^ and ophiclddes are heard at a little
distance, in unison with a hundred singing men.
One Meyerbeerian refinement I must mention hera
He knows the public too well not to know that an
excess of noise stupefies at last* How cleverly he
goes to work then I After such explosions as that
mentioned above, he gives us whole arias with the
accompaniment of a single instrument, as if he meant
to say, Behoki what I can do with but small means t
Look, Germans, look 1 " Some esprit he possesses, we
cannot deny ; but time will not allow us to go through
every detail of Meyerbeer's outward tendency; his
extreme non-originality and want of style are as
well known as his talent ia dramatic treatment, pre-
paration, polish, brilliancy, instrumental cleverness,
as well as his very considerable variety in forms. It
is easy to point, in Meyerbeer, to Rossini, Mozart,
Herold, Weber, Bellini, even Spohr ; in short, to the
whole musical repertory. But one thing belongs to
him alone^^that famous, unbearable, bleating rhythm,
which appears in almost every theme of the opera.
I was beginning to point to the pages where it may
be found (pages 6, 17, 15, 6S, 77, 100^ 1x7), but got
tired of it* Only envy and hatred cu deny that the

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MEYERBSER KSTD HENHELSSDHN. 307

work contains many better things, many noble,
sublime emotions ; — ^thus Marcel's battlexsong is
effective, the page's song lovely ; the most of the
third act is interesting through the living portraiture
of its national scenes, the first of the duet be-
tween Valentine and Marcel from Its^diaracter; so is
the sextet interesting ; the jesting chorus is in a
comic vein ; the dedication of the poniards has more
than Meyerbeer's usual originality; and above all,
the following duet^ between Raoul and Valentine,
has flow of idea and musical workmanship;— but
what is all this compared to the commonness, dis-
tortion, unnaturalness, immorality, unmusical char-
acter of the whole? Thank heaven, we are at the
^oal, for nothing worse is to come after this, unless
we transform the stage into a scacfold; and in such a
ease, the last agonised cry of a talent tortured by the
spirit of our day will be followed by the immediate
hope that matters m$4si now take a turn for the
better.

*

IL— Mendelssohn's "St. Paul."

And now we turn to a nobler subject Here we
are again attuned ta hope and faith ; here we learn

to love mankind once more; here we rest, after a
weary search, under the palm-trees, while a flowery
landscape lies at our . feet '^Paulus" is a work of
pure art, the creation of peace and love. We should
injure ourselves and grieve the poet if jre .souglit

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308; HVSIQ AND MUSICIANS.

to compare it, even distantly, with a Bach or Handel
work. In certain traits, all church-musicy all temples
of religion, ail painted Madonnas, resemble each
other, as do the works of the masters in question ;
but Bach and Handel were men when they wrote
their oratorios, while Mendelssohn was yet little
more than a youth. So " St. Paul " is the work of
a young master, with whose senses the Graces sport,
who is yet inspired with delight in life and the
future ; and it ought not to be compared to those
of a more severe day, by any one of those divine
masters, whose long and almost holy life lay in a
great measure behind him, while his glance already
reached beyond the clouds.

We have spoken before, in our paper, of the
manner of treatment, the resumption of the choral,
as we find it in old oratorios, the division of choruses
and solos into active and passive masses and
persons* the character of these, &c. It has already
been correctly observed, that the principal events
lie, to the injury of the general effect, in the first
part ; that the character of Stephen, if not of more
consequence than St Paul, at any rate lessens our
interest in the latter; that, in the music, Saul is •
more effective as a convert than as a converter ; and
that the oratorio is very long, and might easily have
been divided into two. Mendelssohn's conception of
the appearance of the Lord invites artistic discus-
sion ; but I think that a subject is sometimes spoiled
by harping on it; and one could not o£fend the com*

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MEYE^g^R ANJ> MJ^NDELSSOHN. 30^

poser more than. here, in one of his finest inventions*
I believe that the Lord God speaks in many tongues,
and that He unveils His will to His chosen ones by
angel choruses. I think that a painter can express
the near presence of the Highest more poetically by
means of cherub heads looking out from the edge
of the picture, than by the form of an old man, the
symbol of the Trinityi and so on. I know not that
beauty could offend where truth cannot be attained
It has also been remarked, that the simplicity of
certain chorals in ''St. Paul!' has been sacrificed to
the rare decorations with- which Mendelssohn has
surrounded them. As if choral music were not as
good a symbol of joyful ^rustin God as of supplicat-
ing prayer ; as if there were no possible difference
between Sleepers, wake I " and Out of the depths;"
as if a work of art were not intended to satisfy other
demands than those of a singing congregation !
And, finally, they have tried to classify " St. Paul/*
not as a Protestant, but as a concert-oratorio, though
one clever person has struck on the middle path, and
baptized it a " Protestant concert-oratorio." We see
objections* made, — and the zeal of^ true criticism
must be acknowledged. But at the same time we
must acknowledge those qualities which no criticism
can take away from the oratorio, — its masterly
musical perfection, its noble melodies, the union of
word and tone, of speech and music, that cause
us to gaze into the whole as into a living depth, — the
charming grouping of personages^ the grace that

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3IO MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

seems to have been breathed over the work, the
freshness, the inextinguishable colour of instrumental
tion, the perfectly formed style, its masteriy sporting
with every form of composition, besides its inward
heart, the deeply religious feeling which is expressed
throughout it,— and we ought to be satisfied, I think.
One observation I will venture on, however. The
music of '*St Paul" is sustained in so clear and
popular a tone, impresses so instantaneously yet
lastingly, that it seems as if the composer had
intended, while writing, to be effective among the
people. Fine as this aim may be, it will certainly
deprive future compositions of something of that
power and inspiration which we find in the works of
those who yield themselves, regardless of conse-
quences, without aim or limit, to their grand sub-
jects. Let us reflect that Beethoven wrote a Christ
on the Moont of Olives," and also a " Missa solemnis ; "
and let us believe that, as the youth Mendelssohn
has written one oratorio, the man will perfect
another.* Until then, we will be satisfied with, and
learn from, and enjoy this.

And now to arrive at a conclusive judgment on
the works of two men who, in those works, most
sharply point the tendency and confusion of our day.
The noise made about Meyerbeer seems to me con-
temptible in its cause ; for in his " Huguenots " we
simply find the collective type of all the errors, and
some few of the excellencies, of the time But the

* - - * Mendelssohn fulfilled tliis -prophecy in his " Ciijah.**

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MEYERBEER AND MENDELSSOHN. 3II

Mendelssohnian "St. Paul" ought to be honoured
and lovedy for it is the prophet of a finer future, in
which his works, and not the narrow applause of his
contemporaries, will ennoble the artist This road
leads to good, the other is the path to evil*

* The above article ^ave rise to a great many attadcB on its antiior,
especially in Paris and Hambufj^ papers; but«at the same time it
awakened the approbation of a very worthy man — Fr. Rochlitz. It

happened in this way : A musical lady friend, the game lo whom the
*' Recollections of a Lady Friend " are dedicated, had made herself the
medium of communication between him and the rising young artists,
by playing pianoforte works by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Flores'au,
Eiisebius, and others, to him, and occasionally making him acquainted
with critical articles like the above fragments. After reading the last,
Rochlitz handed to her a communication, which, bequeathed to me as a
remembrance by the lady, bears witness to the decided views entertained
by the noble judge of art^ who had then akeady attained an advanced

*^S^emher \(^ 1837,
^ My gratefiil thanks for the comnmnicatioo, which I return with this.
Fur years I have read nothing, absolutely nothings about mnsic that

has so truly pleased me — such as I am constituted — as this. Clear,
decided, firmly grounded, these views will be valuable wherever justice
and reason possess value ; pure, honourable^ noble ideas, — and that
not merely in respect to the works in question or in respect to music.
A method of declaring these views and ideas which is at once thought-
fully and moderately carried out, while it is at the same time full of
motion, freshness, and free life; this is what I find in the article, from
the first to the last line. Besides this, it is so free from partisanship,
that it recognises all that is clever and able in the devil himself, and
allows that one's friend may not be aiiogeiher an angel; yes, and even
grants to angel and devil a great deal more humanity than others (I,
for example) are willing to recognise in them. I believe that all readers
who possess a sense of justice and reason a n d of course only such
leaders win be of any consequence to the author— will discover these
qualities in thb artide, as I have done. In this way— and I do not
mean merely witb leferenoe to the two wmlcs here treated of— the
, author wiU certainly attain a good result, and a just, honest, penetimt*
ing uiihience. When he has acquired this power, which, sooner ot

Y

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

THE CONSECRA TION OF TONES.

riRST PERFORMANCE IN LKIPSIC OF SFOHR'S SyifPHONTy

FEBRUARY, 183$.

In order to describe this symphony well to one who
has not heard it, one should give the subject a poet-
ical form for the third time; for the poet owes his
inspired thanks once more for the art with which
Spohr has translated his words- ktto music. If we
could find a hearer, uninstructed by the poem or
the different headings to the movements of the
symphony, able to give us a description of the
pictures called up before him by the work, it would
be a partial test of the composer's success in the
fulfilment of his undertaking. Unfortunately for
myself, I knew the design of the symphony before-
hand, and was reluctantly obliged to throw the
material garment of PfeifTer's poetry over the musical
forms that obtruded themselves only too distinctly
on my imagination.

Setting all this aside, I will touch on something
quite different to-day. But if I handle somewhat
freely the setting to music of just this text, and the
inner essence of the idea, it must yet be understood

later, he necessarily must, all the rest will follow of itself. And sadi
a oondttsion I most heartily hope for our anthor.

^ But what matters all this to you? Ndthtiig^ dear lady, it may be ;
but it will prove to you at least that I was in earnest about my thanks
for your communication. RoCKUTZ."

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THE CONSECRATION OF TONES. 313

that no attack is intended on what is in other respects
a musical masterwork.
Beethoven understood the danger he ran with his

Pastoral Symphony. In the few words with which
he headed it, Rather expressive of the feeling than
tone-painting," lies an entire aesthetic system for
composers. But how absurd is it in painters to
make portraits of him sitting beside a brook, his
head in his hands, listening to the bubbling water!
With this symphony, I thought the aesthetic dangei
would be still greater*

If any composer ever differed from another, if
any one ever remained true to himself from the
first tone on, it is Spohr, with his fine immortal
lament But as he looks at ever3rthing as though
through tears, his figures run into each other like
formless, etherial shapes, for which we can scarcely
find a name. It is a continuous resonance certainly,
held together by the hand and mind of an artist — we
all know that Later he threw his powers into the
opera. And as nothing better can be recommended
to an overweening lyric poet than to study dramatic
models, aiid to make dfamatic attempts himself, in
order to gain greater formative strength, it was to
be expected that the opera, in which he would be
obh'ged to follow the situations, and to cany out
action and character, would tear him from his vision^
ary uniformity. Jessonda seems the very growth of
his own heart Yet after this he remained the same
in his instrumental works; his third symphony

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314 KIXJSIC AND MUSICIANS.

possesses but an outward difference from his first.
He felt that he must dare to take a new step. It

was perhaps the example of Beethoven's ninth
symphony — ^the first movement of which contains
perhaps the same poetic ground-thought as Spohr's
first — ^that induced him to take refuge in poetry.
And what a peculiar choice he made — ^how true to
his nature, to his bein^ 1 He did not grasp Shake-
speare^ Schiller, or Goethe, but a poem more form*
less than music itself (if this is not too boldly said) ;
a poem in praise of music, and painting its effects;
describing in tones the tone described by the poet,
eulogising music with musia When Beethoven
caught and expressed his own thoughts in the
Pastoral Symphony^ it was not a single* short spring
day that inspired him with his cry of joy, but the
dark commingling of lofty songs above us (as Heine,
I think, says somewhere) ; the eternal-voiced creation
moved around him. The poet of the ** Consecration
of Tones '* caught these up in a somewhat dull mirror,
and Spohr again reflected that which he found
mirrored within it.

But I, who look up with veneration to the creator
. of this symphony, may not accord the rank it de-
serves as a work of art among recent musical crea-
tions. I leave judgment to the famous veteran^ who
has already promised to declare his views upon the
work in our paper.

* Ignaz von Siegfried of Vienna.

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I

1 315 )

^ - •

JOHN HUSS.""

ORATORIO BY PROF£SSOR DR. A. Z£UN£| COMPOS£D BY
DR. C LdWE (1843)1 OPUS 82.

We rejoice in the activity of the talented man who
gives us a new proof of this in the above work.
This new work must, from its tendency, be placed
side by side with other similar ones by Ldwe. It is
not — on the poet's side either, — ^suited to the church ;
but, proper for the concert-hall or for festival musi*
cal occasions, it stands half way between opera and
oratorio. We have no fitting title for this medium
style. ''Sacred Opera" suggests something quite
different, and "Dramatic Oratorio " does not express
the idea. In fact, this whole genre of art has been
much opposed. But must music withdraw alto*
gether from the presence of characters hke Huss,
Luther, Gutenberg, Winkelried, and other heroes of
faith and freedom, because they do not wholly suit
either the ope;ra or the church ? It seems to me that
Lowe deserves praise for continuing to cultivate this
style, which, if it has not yet given us any epoch-
marking work, has not yet been finally thought out
The purely biblical oratorio -cannot suffer in con*
sequence ; it will always find its composers. And
we rejoice that history possesses many grand charac-
ters^ which music only needs to appropriate in order

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

to render them effective and expressive from a novel
point of view. L&we seems also to have reflected on
this, since he again returns to the path which he.
formerly trod And let him not be led away from
it because he has not achieved a great triumph now.
A work may fail to create a furore, and yet it may be
deemed worthy of honourable remembrance in the
history of art We must also accord to Lowe the credit
of having beaten out a new artistic path.

Would that he had done so in the first flush of his
manly powers, or at the time which we have to
thank for his fresh and forcible ballads ; though,
iadeedy it is easy to review the past development of
an artist, but difficult to foresee what it may become.
Life and circumstances exert too powerful an influ*
ence upon it The opera composer Handel became
an oratorio composer; Haydn the instrumentalist
gives us the " Creation " in his old age ; Mozart pro-
claims the Requiem" in the midst of a triumphant
operatic career. Though such apparent phenomena
may be deeply grounded in the inmost nature of art,
life, surroundings, circumstances^ are often the only
ripening causes*

To make use of a metaphor, — Lowe was thrown at
an early period on a solitary island. All that goes
on in the outer world reaches him but as a tale that
is told, while, on the other hand, the worjd seldom
hears of him. To be sure, Ldwe is king of his
island, and builds on and beautihes it, for nature has
bestowed poetic powers on him. 9ut he cannot.

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•'JOHN HUSS/- 317

and probably does hot care to, exert a greater influ-
ence on worldly affairs.

And therefore Lowe may almost be said to belong
to the past, in spite of his continuous productivity.
His early ballads are still sung, and his "What passes
and sounds up the street ** still rings from the throats
of a few old students ; but his later and greater works
are scarcely known even by nan^e. This is unjust,
but natural. And here I must express a thought
that I announce unwillingly, and so introduce it with
Goethe's words : " He who courts solitude is soon
alone." A too long-continued absence from the
world finally affects the artist injuriously ; he accus-
toms himself to certain forms and mannerisms, until
he becomes an exception, a visionary. So far all
may yet go well with him. But should a voice from
the public cry to him, ** Beware, my friend 1 " he
begins to mine within, to doubt himself; and pedan-
try is too often the ally of discouragement and of
hypochondria, deadliest enemy of creativeness.

We are far from applying the above remarks, in
their entire significance, to Lowe ; but there lies his
danger. Though his ''Huss" contains innumerable
passages that testify to the elasticity and freshness of
its creators mind, in many others we fancy that we
can perceive the injurious influence of an isolated or
self-isolating position. There is a pedantic simpli-
city bearing the same relation to genuine artistic
naivet^ that mannerism bears to or^nality. The
amateur is sometimes satisfied with this; but we
artists must be musically interested, and "Huss'*

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3lS MUSIC AND MtJSICIAKS.

does not always fulfil this requirement. It may be
that the composer felt this himself; for he occasion*
ally falls into the opposite extreme, and gives us — in
the third part of his vfotk, for example — a highly
artistic canonical mass. But we cannot help wishing
that he would always remain in the medium between
too great simplicity and artificiality^ — the only true
artistic style. Of course, it is also the most difficult
one, and, presupposing the existence of great talent,
can only be obtained by means of continual study,
and experience of one's self and among others. May
our true poet prove kind to his own genius, and lead
it into this path. But even genius is not enough to
reach it without unremitting industry, continual
watching of one's own powers, and an iron will
cultivated until the ripest age.

And now, in order to justify some of the above
remarks, we shall proceed to a closer examination of
the oratorio, first thanking the poet — certainly in a
composer s sense — ^for his text It is one that re-
wards the reader, even when unaccompanied by the
music, on account of its natural arrangement, noble
idiomatic language, and thoughtful meaning. He
who picks out faults in detail, who grumbles at
separate words, must seek among the gods for a text.
We should regard that composer fortunate who was
never obliged to write to worse texts than this.

We of course presume that the story of the text
is well known; the nature of the subordinate char-
acters will be treated of in the following description.

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*JOHN HUSS."

The oratorio begins with an introduction, which,

though not extraordinarily interesting from a musical
point of view, suitably prefaces the prologue. The
prol<^ue follows, describing in a few words the epodi
and significance of the events treated of. This is
simply but originally done by the chorus alone. In
the postlude to this chorus we find a passage of
so-called sequences, similar to those we afterwards
too often meet in the oratorio* We mention this at
once, and once for all, as the passages would occupy
too much space should we mention them evexy time
separately. The next short movement in A major is
taken up in a later chorus. But as it appears here,
it has no real meaning, and is not effective either.

No. I is a chorus of scholars and students of
Prague, rejoicing in their studies. This number is
^ight and characteristic, but almost amateurish in its
simplicity. It lacks the finer polish and labour in
detail that would entitle it to the term artistic; and a
hard passage occurs—

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In No. 2, Hieronymus, a friend of Huss, enters, and
announces that the latter has been commanded to

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320 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

appear before the Council of Costnitz. From all
Ldwe's earlier works it will be naturally concluded
that he has handled this recitative finely; and every
recitative, ia the oratorio merits equal praise for
equally fine treatment

The following chorus, " Huss, go not forth," pos-
sesses a theme of great vitality; but we think it
has been rather superficially worked out

No. 3. Huss appears, and gives explanations.
Hieronymus warns him, Too boldly, Huss/' && ;
and the aria for bass is excellent; but we must
oppose such passages as this —

— • — 1

• benl

It reminds one too strongly of the Graun pigtail
period. We present the close also, as this conduct
of the voice* into the' depths towards the close of
a number seems to be a favourite mannerism with
the composer (we find it at the close of Nos. 9, 12,
and 17 again), one that we could wish to meet less
frequently.

Na 4 gives us the fine choral '' May the will of
God be ever done.** It is a refined and living trait
in its treatment that the first period is entoned by
Huss alone. But genuine talent may be displayed

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*JOHN HUSS/'

3^1

in trlflingf traits. In No. 5, after a recitative- like
introduction, Wenzel, Spiia, and Huss sing a ter-
zette. The two first are the. royal Bohemian pair ;
Huss attacks the Papacy. In the terzette they
unite in praise of faith, hope, and love. The form
of the poem gave the composer a fine opportunity
for an artistic interweaving of the voice parts, which,
however, he has allowed to escape him. The return
from A fiat to £ flat, on page 36, does not seem to
us to have been accomplished in a masterly style ;
but, on the whole, the number contains much feel-
ing. And here is a nut for theorists of the genuine
sort to crack —

yd

-ift

H — "

But according to our judgment, this is not a mortal
sin — but rather the kind of pedantry and intellectual
indolence in art matters such as ts most frequently to

be found among thorough bassists.

The second part begins with a gipsy chorus, from
which we expected more. Euphony and grace
should never be found wanting, even when gipsies
are the singers. Weber has done these things better
in his " Preciosa."

On the other hand. No. 7, in which the distant

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322 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Hussite chorus is heard through the gipsy voices^
must be extremely effective.

In the chorus, No. S, the former gipsy character
returns, quite too simply^ and based, it seems to us,
almost entirely on the tonic and dominant And
if we have hinted above at passages that seem to
prove the composer's isolated position, we referred
to such choruses as this one.

In No. 9 the Hussites ask their way to Costnitz ;
a gipsy woman warns them against the journey in
an aria that possesses little meaning, and seems to
us ill-chosen, melodiously and formally. So it
appears, at least, in the pianoforte edition, though
its effect may be increased by orchestration.

No. ID. Huss displays no fear ; and then he has
been promised a safe-conduct by the Emperor Sigis-
mund. The chorus jests: ''Safe conduct?" and
then " Sigismund of the lying lips.** These choral
outbreaks are very short; in the second, the en-
trance of the basses on the dominant does not seem
to us very finely managed.

No. II. Huss takes leave of the friends who
accompany him in expressive music.

No. 13 is almost a verbal repetition of the chorus
No. 6. The gipsies are going. The d that seems
to float before the e in the close (page 64), is an
overheard, natural sound. Such tones are only
caught up and breathed SLgsin by poet ears and
minds.

f *

In No. 14 we first meet with the words " Lovely

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•'JOHN HUSS/*

Wiesenthal/' which denote the place in which the
acticHi occurs. It seems unnecessary, as the oratorio
has evidently not been intended for stage performance ;
and it is equally unnecessary to endeavour to assist the
hearei^s fancy by such hints. Besides, the music
sketches the scene, in cheerful A major, more dis-
tinctly. Huss, who has entered the pastoral valley,
asks the shepherds for a drink of milk. Chlum warns
him against poison. This is characteristically done
in a duet between Huss and Chlum (page 67).
The later words of the shepherd, "God send you,
also, happiness and salvation," &a, though expres-
sively recited by the composer, we could have wished
set to music by a Beethoven. Deep emotion could
have been reached in this passage.

The following number begins with the words of
the psalm, "The Lord is my shepherd," and breathes
the right character; yet the whole remains too con-
tinuously in A major. But the chorus introduces
more movement in the piece. The second part also
closes gently, like the first.

In the third part, we find ourselves in Costnitz.
Barbara, the Emperor Sigismund's wife, entreats that
Huss shall be pardoned. He resists. Bells ring,
which is rendered by the music in the well-known
succession of fifths. The succeeding air of Barbara's,
Eyes are the true mirrors," &c., is full of feeling,
though not new. The next duet seems to us of far
more consequence as a composition, and much more
impas^oned in colouring.

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Then folio ws^ under the title ''Missa canonica,**
that artificial piece<i£aMisic» of which we Jiave already

said that it is an exception, in the extremest senses
, to the predominant simplicity of the whole oratorio.
Still, such writing does honour to any musician. The
form is that of a double canon on the fifth below. In
Bach's Pasdon according to St John," we remember
a similar one, though of course more artistic^ on the
word ** crucify."

No* 20 contains the scene of accusation* Huss's
air, which follows, seems to us one of the best in the
work. Resignation to the will of Heaven, and scorn
of his persecutors^ are the most striking features of
this warm, enei^etic number. Once more he sings
the choral that he has already sung in the first part ;
then comes a somewhat insipid t:horus, then the scene
with the peasant who brings a large billet of wood to
increase the funeral pyre. Here follows the famous
sancta simplicitas" of Hus^ most intelligently
composed.

We could have wished tp hear the closing chorus
in its complete setting, for it must be remarkably
effective, especially at the passage where Huss cries,
. " Miserere mei, domine," between the chorus of Hame
spirits, and then, with- continually decreasing power^
closes on the words " Non confundar in aeternum.**
The composer seems to have worked with enthusiasm
at this number, which we consider the worthy crown,
of the whole.

In the above sketch we have done our best to-

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TOE UTERATURB OF DANCING. 325

render its due value to this oratorio, as far as is
possible with merely a pianoforte arrangement The
world has long agreed as to the capability of the
composer ; but there are many paths. Lowe has
selected a difficult one. May he not weary of it;
but even if he does, his will still be the merit of
having struggled in the first ranks towards reaching
a new goal. With this rea^nition^ which we have
already awarded to him at the commencement of this
article also, we take our leave of him, trusting to hear
frequently from him in further works.

THE LITERATURE OF DANCING. -

J. S. K£SSL£&^ THR££ POLONAISES, OPUS 2$. — S, THALBERG,
TWELVE WALTZES, OPUS 4. — CLARA WIECK, VALSES ROUAN-

TTQUES. — L. EDLER VON MEYEii, SALON, SIX WALTZES,
OPUS 4. — FRANZ SCHUBERT, FIRST WALTZES, OPUS 9,
BOOK I. — THE SAME, GERMAN DANCES, OPUS 33.

''And now, play, Zilia! I will dive deeply beneath
the tones, and only peep out from time to time, lest
you should think I have drowned myself out of melan-'
choly ; for dance-music makes me sad, instead of'
cheerful and busy, like church-music," said Florestan,
while Zilia already floated into the iir^t of Kessler's:
polonaises. ** It was truly charming," he continued,;
half speaking, half listening; ''a dozen of lady

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326 MUSIC kSD MUSICIANS.

Davidites made the evening one that could never be
forgotten, and embraced each other as at a festival of
the Graces. Jean Paul has already said that girls
should only dance with girls (which would decrease
the number of weddings), and men should never dance
at all (I agree with him there)/' Eusebius remarked,
" Though it should happen so, yet, at the trio, one
must say to the lady, ' How simple and good thou
art ! ' and it would be well if at the second part she
let her bouquet fall, that he might pick it up again,
and dare to look into her grateful eyes.*' However,
this was more a mental than a verbal remark of
Eusebius, and the music certainly suggested it.
Florestan looked up several times, especially at the
third polonaise, full of horn and violin tones.

" Now something swifter. Play us Thalberg, Euse*
bius. Zilia's fingers are too weak for that,** said
Florestan. But soon he begged that the parts should
not be repeated, as the waltzes were too water-clear,
especially the ninth, which moved for ever on one
line, in one measure, from tonic to dominant, domi-
nant to tonic Yet it was good enough for the one
who listened to it below. He who listened (a
student) actually encored it in earnest, and all
laughed at Fiorestan*s n^e while he told the student
to take himself off as fast as possible, and not to
disturb people with such encouragement, or else an
hour^s practice of trills in thirds should bring him
to reason.

So I By a lady (as a critic would begin, on jseeing

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THE LITERATURE OF DANCING. 327

the " Valses Romantiques "). Ay, ay ! Now- we shall
not have far to look for the melody or the fifths

either.

Zilia sustained four soft moonshine chords. All
listened attentively. A branch of roses lay on the
grand pianoforte (Florestan always keeps vases with
flowers there, instead of candle), that, with the
vibration, approached the keyboard nearer and
nearer. As Zilia reached towards a bass key, she *
touched the branch suddenly, and then drew hastily
back, as her finger bled. Florestan asked what it
was ? ** Nothing,*' said Zilia. " No great pain, at
leasty like these waltzes-— only drops of blood,
drawn forth by roses.'* May she who said this
never know greater griefs I

After a pause, Florestan rushed into Meyer^s
drawing-room, full of sparkling countesses and am-
bassadresses. How pleasant is this display of wealth
and beauty of the highest rank and degree' illustrated
by music I All speak, but no one hears the other, for
waves of tone overwhelm them. " With such a piece,'^
said Florestan, ''one needs an instrument with an
additional octave right and left, to spread out com-
fortably.*' No one has any idea how Florestan
storms out such a piece, and carries us away with
him. The Davidites grew warm, and cried out for
more in their ^citement (musical excitement is
insatiable), until Serpentin proposed a choice between
Schubert's waltzes and Chopin's boleros, Florestan
placed himself in a comer far from the piano, saying,

z

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328 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

"Now if, grasping at the keys in a hurried run, I
chance on the first chord of the l^st movement of
the D-minor symphony, it must be Schubert/* Of
course he chanced, and Zilia played the waltzes by
heart.

First waltzes by Franz Schubert ! ye are little,
lovely genii, floating above the earth at about the
height of a flower. Though I love not much " Le
D^sir," in which a hundred maiden fancies bathe
themselves, or the three last, and cannot forgive
this aesthetic error in the whole to their creator,—
yet how the rest circle round these, entangling them
more or less in their perfumed threads, and what a
dreamy thoughtlessness wanders through them all I
We forget to think, listening to them, and when we
play the last one^ we fancy we have not yet got
beyond the first.

An entire carnival dances through his " German
Dances." How admirable it would be,'' screamed
Florestan in the ear of Fritz Fried rich (the deaf
painter), "if you should bring your magic-lantern,
and follow the thread of this masked ball on the
wall for us in shadows ! " Off he hurried delighted,
and soon returned. The group in the chamber was
as interesting as any the magic-lantern could show.
The room was dimly lighted ; Zilia sate at the
pianoforte, the wounding rose in her hair ; Eusebius
leaned over the back of his chair ; Florestan, dressed*
like him, in black velvet, stood at the table play-
ing the cicerone; Serpe^tin sometimes rested with

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THE LITERATURE OF DANCING. 329

his feet on the dog Walt's neck, sometimes rode
about on its back; the painter, d la Hamlet, \nth

great ox-eyes, worked away at his shadow figures^
of which a few spider-legged ones already ran up
the wall to the ceiling. Zilia began to play, and
Florestan commenced his description something in
this wise, though more at length :—

"No. I in A minor. A crowd of masks, drums,
trumpets, an extinguisher, a wig block. Na 2. A
comic figure scratching its ear, and whispering " Pst i
pst I " It disappears. No. 3. Harlequin with his
hand on his hips ; turns a somersault out of doors.
No. 4. Two stiff, polite masks, dancing, and convers-
ing very little with each other. No. 5. A slender
cavalier following a mask. I have you at last; fair
zither player I ** — Let me go I ** She escapes. No.

6. An upright hussar with sabretash and plume. Na

7. Two reapers merrily waltzing together. He says
softly, ** Art thou she ? ^ They recognise each other.
No. 8. A farmer from the country prepares for the
dance. Na 9. The folding-doors open widely. Bril-
liant procession of knights and noble dames. No.
10. A Spaniard says to an Ursuline nun, ''Speak,
at least, though you dare not love.** She answers,

would renounce speech, could I hope to be un-
derstood 1 "

But in the middle of the waltz, Florestan sprang

from the table to the door. They knew what ha
meant by it^ so Zilia ceased playing, and the others
separated.

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330 - MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Florestan is in the habit of breaking off at the

moment of highest enjoyment, perhaps to embalm
it in memory, in its full freshness and completeness.
This time he succeeded, for when the friends talk
of their merriest evening, it is to recall the 28th of
December — .

FERDINAND HILLER.

[Tbii paper was written in 1S35, after the pnblicatkm of Hfllei's

Stixdiei, Opus 15.]

L

One feature of the Beethovenian romanticism, which

may almost be styled Provencal, was cultivated by
Franz Schubert, in his own peculiar spirit, to the
point of virtuosity. On this basis a not yet fully
developed school has established itself, either con-
sciously or unconsciously, which may be expected to
mark a distinct epoch in the history of art,

Ferdinand Hiller belongs to its young members^
its most remarkable individualities.

With him I include an entire youthful genera-
tion, whose task seems to be that of unchaining a
whole century, still hanging, by a thousand links,
to an antiquated period. With one hand they labour
at unloosening the chain, with the other they point
to a future in which they will command a new king-

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FERDINAND HILLEIU 3$ t

dom, suspended^ like Mahomet's earthy on wondrously

interlaced diamond fillets, and concealing within it
strange things, yet unseen, though faintly foretpld
by Beethoven's prophetic spirit, and whispered by
the gifted Franz Schubert in his own wise, yet
child-like, fairy-like manner* For as it was with
the poetic art of Jean Paul, which, as soon as he
had been laid within the earth, streamed forth like
a life-giving fountain from a dark min^ inspiring
and leading back into the sunshine two youths
whom I need not name, and heralding the com-
mencement of a new epoch, so it was with the
music of Beethoven. Like that of a divinity, his
influence aroused, commanded a few intellects to
the instant work of overthrowing that idolatry to
which the masses had been given up through long
and tedious years. And he recommended them to
use in combat, not the smooth, soft language of
poesy, but the free, unfettered speech he had so
often made use of himself. This, indeed, these
yomig intellects fashioned into new formulas, instinct
with deep feeling.

The old people laughed a good deal, and re-
marked, like the giant in Albano's dream: Triend,
the waterfall does not run up!** The young people
answered, ''Aha I but we have wings 1" A few
among the people accepted the youthful voices,
and cried, ** Hear, hear 1 " The world still expec-
tantly awaits the result

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33^ MUSIC AND MUSICIAMS.

IL

It is unfortunate that to a review we cannot append
a performance of the composition reviewed, by a vir-
tuoso able to play it perfectly, or» better still, a copy
of the entire work ; then many difficulties would be
obviated. It is, however, well to give at least a few
examples, lest the reader should be unable to use
his own judgment, but be forced to believe us blindly,
on our bare word*

With a sigh I proceed. In no other art is demon-
stration so difhcult as in music . Science fights with
mathematics and logic; poetry wields the golden^
decisive, spoken word ; other arts have chosen
Nature, whose forms they borrow, as their judg^
— ^but music is an orphan, whose father and mother
none can name ; and perhaps in the mystery of
her origin lies half her charm.

The editors of this paper have been i^proached
with laying too much stress on the poetical side of
music, to its disadvantage as a scipnce ; they have
been told that they are young enthusiasts who do
not thoroughly comprehend Greek and other music,
&c, &c. This blame touches precisely those points
that distinguish this paper from others. We will
not venture to decide in what manner art is best
and most quickly served, but we must declare that

«

* In the collected editioii of his criticisms, Schnmsim was o1)lige4
from want of spacer to omit these musical eiamples (Trs.)

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FERDINAND HILLER. 333

we reg^aM that critidsm as the highest which leaves
behind it an impression resembling^ that awakened
by its subject In this sense, Jean Paul, by means
of a poetic companion picture, may contribute more
to the understanding of a 'Beethoven symphony or
fantasia (even without mentioning either symphony
or fantasia) than a dozen so-called art critics, who
place their ladders against the Colossus, and measure
him carefully by the yard. But to awaken such
impressions, a great poet^ somewhat similar in gifts,
is required. With studies which do not merely
teach, but from which we expect to learn beautiful
things, 3ret other questions come into play ; and on
this account we shall investigate Killer's work, not
only on the aesthetic^ but also on the theoreticalt and
even the pedagogic side.

And as a pedagogue, I must search for three
objects — ^root, flower, and fruit; or for the mechani-
cal, harmonic, melodic, and poetical contents, or for
the gain offered to heart, ear, and hand.

Many works are wholly above discussion ; for
instance, Mozart's C-major symphony with fugue,
many things by Shakespeare, some of Beethoven's.
But those which are principally intellectual^ indi-
vidually characteristic, stamped with mannerism,
excite us to many thoughts. On that account, I will
divide this review into three parts, like an ordinary
sermon, and close the whole with a description of
the character of each study in itselil

First Part, — ^The poetgr of the work, bloom, spirit

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334 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

I believe that Hiller will never be imitated. Why ?
Because he, original in himself, attracts to himself
so much of other originals, that this native-foreign
mind breaks forth in most peculiar rays. An imi-
tator would be forced to enter into this union of
originality and unoriginality, and would merely make
nonsense out of it. I do not mean to say that Hiller
intends to imitate— who would do that?— or that
he has not strength enough to defend his own nature
from outside influences ; on the contrary, he possesses
so much, that he has iteson to fear it may not be
intelligible in its highest manifestations; — but he
strives towards the first and best of all times with
so much daring~will not be too intricate, as Bach
sometimes is, will not merely be etherial like Mozart,
will not write of the unmeasured depths like Beeth*
oven, but seeks as far as possible to unite the highest
qualities of these and others, that it is not astonish-
ing that a great deal of this striving comes to nothing.
Discontent dogs the heels of such insatiable spirits ;
as in Schiller's Berg-Alten/' the giant form leans
over, and calls to us, ^Dare not advance further,
friend ; this is my region." This is perhaps a reason
for a peculiarity that strikes us in each itude, I
mean a sudden pause, a failure of the wings in the
midst of their flight. He starts for the race boldly^
like a conquering steed, to fall short before he reaches
the goal; indeed, this seems to recede more and
more the nearer we should approach it ; and so we
lose the golden delight of feeling that presentiment

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FERDINAND HILLER.:

of conquest which convinces us at the first word
uttered by a strong mind«

Perhaps I see too mttch here. Perhaps I em
But at least I believe myself certain of the excel-
lences which I can lay in the other side of the scale.

These are fancy and passion (though not the
enthusiasm and inspiration of a Chopin), veiled in
a Romantic clear-obscure that may one day become
elevated to serenity* In the meanwhile^ let the com*
poser take heed of his next step — there kobolds and
gnomes may run riot»— and let him bear in mind ^e
overturfes to the Hebrides and the "Midsummer
Night's Dream*' (which bear the same relation to
each other that Shakespeare does to Ossian)> through
which the spirit of Romanticism floats at such a
height .that we entirely forget the material means,
the tools used. And yet» though Hiller is not so
poetically at home as Mendelssohn in adventurous
and fairy-like regions^ he is very happy there ; and
his 2d, 17th, 22d» and 23d studies are among the best
in the collection, as well as among the best things
written of that kingdom of wonders which Franz
Schubert in many works; and Beethoven jn his
F-minor sonata, first opened to us,
. If to this we add a strong power of invention, and
a diaracter that somewhat too often and too ground*
lessly falls back into the ordinary, we see before us a
young artist well worthy of inspiring interest, who
owes much to nature, but who has not yet acquired
that manner of using his gifts which leads to self*

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33$ MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

knowledge, and which will render him master of his
inborn mental wealth.

I hope to make this assertion clearer as I proceed.
Second Part — Theoretic; relation of melody to
harmony, form, construction of periods. Where
Killer's talent does not suffice, his knowledge cannot
either. He has learned much, but, like certain lively
intelligences that desire early prominence, he some-
times seems to have studied and turned over the last
pages, while his teacher is still explaining the com-
mencement.

That such an ambitious character will seek out a
way of concealing his weaknesses may be well sup-
posed. Thus he tries to deceive us as t6 the supet^
ficiality of his work with varied harmonies ; he strives
to dazzle us ; he seizes something quite dissimilar^ or
suddenly breaks off with a pause, &c.

The first example may be found in the first study
from the 9th bar oh ; there are many such places in the
20th study ; in the 15th from the 4th bar on the 45th
page ; in the 24th in the last measures of page 73 at
the passage into C minor; in No. 7, page 19^ bar 5,—
indeed, in several places in the same study. When
he seeks to lead it out in a serious, workman-like
manner, as in the fugue No. 12, and in No. 18, which,
by the way, is the weakest (and I well know why) ; in
No. I2» also, where he brings in the theme of the
seventh meastire again, he becomes gloomy, stiff, and
weak.

Unfortunately I do Qot exactly know . how to

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'FERDINAND HILLEIL 337

advise a distinguished poetic talent, that has perhaps
passed too quickly through a course of study. In
the case of a genius it would be easier ; genius falls
and rises again unaided. Would it be best for him
to retrace his steps, to begin again from the begin-
ning, to forget what he has already learned ? Should,
he study nature and simplicity, as is so often
advised ? Should he write a la Mozart ? But who
can lay down the law, ''so far shalt thou go, and no
farther " ? Shall we condemn a fine idea because it
is not finely expressed and carried out? I do not
know how far Hiller may progress ; but he must be
made attentive in spite of himself — ^he must learn to.
distinguish a success from a failure and to deliberate
how far a thing is suitable for publicity, questioning
well-wishers in whose judgment he confide^ and
who will not be afraid to say to him, " One cannot be
great from morning to night ; beloved children must
be chastised ; within our own four walls we do as we
please, but when we step into the sunlight of pub-
licity, we must submit to be shone on/'

We return to the. studies. One thing strikes me»
Hiller often seems to value the word, the expression,
more than the sense, the thought; he prepares the
decoration without possessing the beauty that should
give it value ; he has the cradle ready before a
thought has been bestowed on the mother ; he is like
the jeweller who is indifferent in regard to the head
that wears his diadem, whether a proudly beautiful
RomaA girl . or a grey-haired governor s lady, so

0

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338 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

that he sells his wares. Although this incongruity Is
less objectionable in itudes than in higher styles of
composition, yet I would have recommended the
suppression of studies in which the form is made
principal, the thought secondary, as in Nos, 4, 8, 18,
which contrast disadvantageously with Nos. 5, 6, 10,
16^ and 23, in which the object of study and nobili^
of thought are united.

His melodies are subordinate to his harmonies;
the latter are rich, even Oriental, and yet they pro-
gress stiffly. It is difficult to understand how any
one who has lived through, and written, so much
music as our composer, can allow harmonies to stand
in his own works that are not merely false according
to certain washed-out, antiquated rules, but that
sound so repugnant to us, that if I did not know him
better, I should say, "You do not possess a musical
ear." Among such examples I would signalise the
first notes in the 2d measure of the 9th study. At
first I suspected errors of the press, but I found the
dreadful doubled third again at the repetition.
Almost in every study I found such insupportable
intervals. And now we come to the —

Third Pari. — ^Mechanism. For young composers
who are also performers, nothing is more inviting
than to write studies, the more difficult the better.
A new figure, a difficult rhythm, are so easily in*
vented and carried out ; one learns while composing
these, without knowing it; one practises one*s own
compositions in preference to. others ; reviewers can«

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FERDINAND HILLER,

not blame us for writing too difficult things — what
else is the use of studies ? Hiller has a name as a
virtuoso, and wishes to deserve it. Early instructed
by Hummel, he went to Faris^ where rivals were not
lacking. In his intercourse with Chopin, who under*
stands his instrument as no other man does, this and
that suggested itself: — ^in short, he sat down to write.
It is questionable whether he had certain aims in
view when he first began, to which his ettides were
devoted, — whether he wrote for his own practice or
for that of his scholars — ^who knows? But the
pianoforte-playing reader and teacher will want to
know whether he should procure the studies, what he
has to expect, how difficult they are, what class of
players they are especially suited to. These ques-
tions can be uiswered. In some of the. studies an
exercise peeps out, here and there a new difficulty ;
but it is evident that the composer thought more of
writing character pieces, and adding wings to the
poetic feeling^s, than of improving piano-playing
capacities. On this account, I suppose, we do not
find any fingering ; and there are few directions for
the use of the pedal, and except the observation at
the beginning of every study, which applies to the
entire piece, no direction as to the performance, in
words such us '^animato," &c. All this presupposes
the possession of such skill. as a performer does not
bring with him into the world. And if I should
mention the class of players in whose hands the
studies may be placed with most advantage^ it would

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349 HUSIC AND MUSICIAiqS,

•

be those clever and fanciful ones who already possess
great masteiy over their instrument, but who d6 not
expect to acquire it through these studies ; above all,
musical men who have got too far to be spoiled I
mil close these general observations with a short
characterisation of the separate studies.

Na I. An exercise in the heavy staocata Strong
and weak alternately, lively rhythm, antique colouring.

No. 2. A dream. Subterranean pursuits. The
gnomes sing .and hammer; fairies nod on dia«
mond flowers ; all goes on spiritedly. The dreamer
awakes; ''What was that?"

No. 3. A Gothic churd^piece. On a catUtts fir^
tntis other voices move up and down. A good idea,
but unsuccessfully carried out

Na 4. Says nothing. A passable exercise for
keeping the right hand steady while the left makes
leaps.

No. 5. A tender picture; reminds one of a be-
seeching child. A reversal of the preceding exer-
cise. The right hand leaps quick octaves, while the
tenor carries on a flowing melody, which towards the
middle, however, is stiff and overladen,
. No. 6. Although in form and keeping this is per-
haps the most successful of the collection, it is not
very rich in invention. A wave-like movement of
tenths for one hand, while the other holds £ftst to the
melody. Pure harmonies.

No. ;r. Somewhat artificial, and vague as an exer«
* ciaeaka

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• FERDINAND* HILLER* 34 1

No. 8. Lively, but, unattractive. Good as an exer-
cise for the rapid passing under of the thumb. On
the third staff of the 25th page there are so many
errors of prints that one is obliged to compose for
one's self.

No. 9. A pretty accompaniment, a cold melody.
Exercise for the turn. A masterly performance
would lead one astray in regard to the value of

the piece.

No. 10. With more care, in a more restricted form,
this would have been excellent The rapid pro-
gression on the return of the first theme in for-
tissimo is brilliantly effective, A weak close. An
exercise with leaps in the bass for the left hand ; a*
melody held to by the thumb of the right, while the
other fingers accompany this.

No. II. Full masses of ascending and descending
triads, reminding one of the manner in which Handel
often accompanies his choruses. Noble, with a few
weak moments.

No. 12. A fugue in Bach's style ; in the " well-tem-
pered clavichord" there is one similar to this in key
and style. Yet the contrapuntal treatment of this is
not remarkable. There are too many free entrances
of the theme ; the parts are dropped too often. An
excellent theme, one tliat allows much to be done
with it.

Na 13. Kgigui in the old style. Admirable; full

of beauties up to the point mentioned above. From
the 5th bar on^ at page 41, 1 cannot hnd a resolution.

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34*

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

f

Na 14. To be played rapidly. Possesses a certain
charm. In the D-sharp minor passage a melody

torments itself in vain. As an exercise this has no
difficulty.

No. 15. Empty of idea, yet a fine staccato per-
formance might lead one to forget this. The middle
phrase, good in itself, would be better if well con-
nected with the beginning and the continuation.
The feeling of the piece is a zigzag ascent and
descent.

No. 16. Very fine almost throughout. The flat
close is vexing, however. I would skip from the
second measure of the 5th staff to the 8th of the 6th.
The pedal, too, which Hiller so seldom uses, seems
in this study out of place, and renders the inner
melody indistinct Useful as an exercise in the
springing of the left hand over the right.

No. 17. Perhaps the most desirable of all for the
player, especially when played presHssimo. Spectres,
shadowless, one-legged men, mirages, pass through
it,— in short, it must be played.

No. 18. I have already said that this was the
weakest of all, and that I knew why. Because
Chopin has written two etudes, one in F, the other
in C minor, and Hiller must have known them, even
before he wrote Nos. 7 and 8.

No. 19. This has been already sufficiently de«

scribed.

No. 20. May be imposing when played quickly,
but is too fierce in its harmonies^ In the 4tb measure

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F£RDlKAND RILLER. ' 343

of the 5th staff a fine harmonic passage begins. As
a study tbia is useful, but fatiguing;

Na 2u The fifth' fingers of both hands at^ at rest
while the others move in double notes. A good
execcise for extensions and catching at the upper
key& Good as a compontion.
. No* 22. Belongs to the fairy style ; light through-
out; aity, perftuned, i£oliaa-harp musia An excellent
exercise, and perhaps unique in one particular, that
the thumb and three first iingers of the right hand
touch titc keys the same number of tinies/sidy the
little finger 324 times. Any one may find it out in
a minute, as I did,, and smile.

No. 23. Original and (antastic. A study for short
trills in both hands*

No. 24. Octave passages m both hands. A
strong rhythm in the first theme, but afterwards
confused and without unity. The principal thought,
however, is so freely and hapfnly accompanied, that
it excels all other /fade- in tlws. The incoming (as
we say) of the leading idea at the repetition is really
a stroke of genius;*

And now we end. Hiller, when he wrote his
^Fiu" at the close of No. 24, could hardly have
been more happy than our reader, whoni we tiow
set free. With interest and care I have many times
played and gone through these studies. If the
editors of this paper have devoted a greater space
to their reviewal than they ordinarily allow, let this
be a proof to the young German that he is not

2 A

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344 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

overlooked at home. If he finds more blame than

praise, let him remember his own desire to be judged
by th^ highest standard. And if the reader wishes
for a final, judgment, I can do no better at parting
than to repeat the words of Wilhelm Meister, which
have been in my mind while writing this review;—
"The narrowest man may be complete while he
moves within the bounds of his own capacities and
acquirements; but even fine qualities become clouded-
and destroyed if this indispensable proportion is
exceeded. This unwholesome excess, however, will
begin to. appear frequently; for who can suffice to
the swift progress and increasing requirements o£
the ever-soaring present time ? " ; * !

SIXTEEN NEW ETUDES. '

^ . • • • *

The title-page is lost, and I know how to review
yi^ithout the aid .of Cupid's fillets; for names de*-
prive vks of freedom, and personal acquaintance^p
takes us wholly prisoners. If these studies are by.
Moscheles^ I shall not |ear to blame them too .much
for want of t character-— if by Chopin, dreamy eyes'
shall not allure me — if by Mendelssohn, I shall feel
him a ^pu$and feet distant in my finger-ends— if by
Th^Iberg, he shall know the meaning of truth — and •
if by .the^, Florestan, who art capable of surprising
US at last with violin studies for the pianoforte, no^ '
tjiing shall be k?pt hidden from our Goliaths. :

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SIXT££N N£W £TUD£S. 345

After throwing a searching, wholesale glknce mto
the collection (I think a good deal of the /oq^ of
printed music), I see something more than commonly,
solid, even neat, finical^ such as old persons like to
wear on Sundays, but, above all, something well
known, something that I have already met at least
once in my life. I hear nothing at all of romantic
torrents, only elegant fountains in well-cut yew-tree
alleys.' But these are only optical presentiments;
and it will be more safe to open, at page 30, Mode-
rata en carillotis—

' A carillon is a ring of bells, and I cornpare this
/tudf to a resounding Chinese tower, when the wind
wanders through its silly little bells. It is very
pretty, worthy of a good musician, and has a touch
of Cramer. Further, at page 32 —

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Melody does not seem to be thy forte, veiled artist,
and yet, at page 34, thou canst feel deeply. That
looks as when a gleam from earlier times glows in
a greybeard's face, transfiguring it for a moment,
ere he sinks back again, fatigued, on his bed of rest.
I will swear this etude is not one by Chopin. Page 20 —

i ^ —

^ Mezzo. nst3

— T'-i-P —

— 1 —
•

m.

L_ti_j_El

XT-

Moscheles might have had something to say here,
did it not move too long in the primeval scale ; but
how happily it leads to the goal in newer motion—

\

ai

leggiero.

mi

-i-»-r — T

Then I find, at page 23 —

Can affetto e soave.

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SIXTEEN NEW ETUDES.

347

Xiudwig Berger is in the habit of polishing a work
for years: I strongly suspect him here. It speeds

so steadfastly through the stream of harmony,
without the slightest fear of shallows or shoals ;
in C major it lands, and suns itself on the green
turf, but then hastens back again into the waves.
Back to page iS —

which puzzles me regarding its composer, and leads
me to suspect a Southern tinge. Ves, it has some
resemblance to a quartette in an opera of Bellini's.
I began to suspect it a posthumous work of
Clefilenti*8, but here I feel more modem influences.
Yet page 2 seems very old-fogyish to me ; pages
28 and 42 dry and tiresome. But what is this on
page 26, that s|)aricles and breathe petfume towards

me?

-t— -T — ( 1 — ^ • — * ! b

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348 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

A woven tone-play of six and niore voices, a happy
interlacmg, a whispering of beloved lips ;< and here
I gladly let fall my dagger, for only a master ca«
write such things. .Yet this passage puzzles me —

9vn

leer.

\

TT x I I I " I I i j I I I I i' I I

I I i

fc

And, to my astontshment» I see at the head of one

of the etudes^ No. 99 1 Can they be, after all, by old
J. B ?

Yes, Eusebitts, they are^ after all I - Bdiold tiie

title-page : — " Seize nouvelles etudes pour le piano-
forte, compos6es et d^di^es M. A. A. Klengel,
organiste 4 la cour de sa Majesty le Roi de Saxe,
par son ami J. B. Cramer, membre de TAcademie
Royale de Musique k Stockholm. CBuvre 81 (Nosl
Ss-ioo.) Propri^ti des Miteurs. £nregistr6 danar
l*archive de T Union. Vienne, chez T. Haslinger,
Miteur de musique^ &c." ■ EUSEBIUS.

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( 349 ) '

* ... *

■ * t

£TUDES, OPUS I, AND GRAkD ETUDES,

NOS. 1,2.
BY FRANZ LISZT. •

We must make our readers acquainted with a dis-
covery of ours concerning these etudes^ that will
certainly increase their interest in the works. We
refer to our collection, published by Hofmeister,
numbered Opus i, and termed on the title-page
Travail, de la Jeunesse,'' and to another published
by Haslinger, and entitled "Grandes Etudes/* But
on. closer acquaintance we find the latter to be, in
most of its numbers^ a working over of certain youth"^
ful compositions that appeared in Lyons about
twenty years , ago, that disappeared on account of
the obscurity of their publication, and that have been
hunted up and newly published by the German firm.
Though we cannot term this collection, beautifully
brought out by HasUnger, a new original work, it
must be doubly interesting, on account of the cir-
^mstances above related, to any professional pianist
who has an opportunity of comparing it with its first
edition* On making this comparison, we at once
perceive the difference between the piahism of then
and now, and hnd how the latter has gained in
richness of means, brilliancy, and fulness, while we

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350 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS*

cannot fail to observe that the original simplicity
which is natural to the first flow of youthful talent is
almost entirely suppressed in the present form of
the work. Thus^ this new working out enables us
to measure the artistes everywhere increased power
of thought and feeling, and to glance at his more
inward intellectual life, while we remain undecided
as to whether the boy was not more to be envied
than is the man, who scarcely seems able to attain
to a peaceful content in his art.

Opinions r^rding Liszt's talent for composition
vary so greatly, that it may not be out of place if we
take a glance at the most significant points in these
works. This is somewhat difficult, for there is much
confusion in the opus numbers of Liszt's compositions,
while some are not numbered at all : so that it is
sometimes only possible to conjecture as to the time
of their appearance. There can be no doubt, how-
ever^ that we have here , to do with a remarkable,
variously gifted, and most inspiring mind. His own
life is to be found in his music. Early parted from
his Fatherland, throwiv amid the excitement of a
great city, already admired when but a child, we
find him, in his earlier compositions, by turns aspir-
ing, longing for home, or foaming with the light and
effervescent life of Paris. lie does not seem to have
enjoyed the repose necessary to persistent study ;
perhaps he never found a master suited to him ; he
therefore practised the more as a virtuoso, his lively
musical mature perhaps, preferring quickly-tawakened.

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ETUDES AND GRAND ETUDES. 35 1

tones to dry labour on paper. He carried his poweis
as a .pianist to a|i astonishing height^ but remained
somewhat behindhand as a composer; and it is
probable that this disproportion will be felt even
in his final works. Other personalities stimulated
the young artist in another manner. While he en-
deavoured to present the ideas of French romantic
literature^ among whose celebrities he lived, in his
music, he Avas incited by the appearance of Paganini
to try the . powers of his instrument to the verge
of impossibility. Thus, in his Apparitions/' we
find him mining for the most wonderful of fancies
and indifferently bUsi^ and then giving way un*
restrainedly to virtuoso art ; jesting then, and again
wildly daring. A glance at Chopin, it would seem,
brought him first, bade to his senses. For Chopin is
a master of form ; under his wonderfully musical
figuration we can always trace a cosy thread of
melody. But it already b^it to be too late for the
extraordinary virtuoso to recover what the composer
had naissed. No longer^ perhaps, satisfying himself
in the latter capacity, he took refuge in the works
of others, embellishing them with his art, spiritedly
transcribing Beethoven aiud Schubert for the piano;
or else, in his desire to give something of his ow^,
he endeavoured to improve his earlier pieces, and
to surround them with the pomp of his acquire4
virtuosity.

These remarks must be taken as an .attempt t^
explain, th^ unde^,. often interrupted, progress of

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352 . ' ; M USIC AiiD ^ MUStCIANS.

Liszt as a composer by the preponderatiag influence
of his genius as an deecutive artist But i sincerely
believe that had Liszt, with his eminently musical
nature, devoted the same time to composition and
to himself that he has given to his instrument
and to the works of others, he would have become
a very remarkable composer. What may yet be
expected from him we lean - only conjecture. To
win favour, he must, above all things, return to
simplicity and cheerfulness, such as so agreeably
meets us in these "old must subject his com-

posi^ons to a process the reverse of the usual one —
must simplify ratiier than render them more weighty.
However, we must not forget that these are itudeSy
and that the difficulties and complications he has
added in this new working over of them are excused
by the object of such compositions, namely, the over-
coming of the greatest difficulties.

To aid the reader in his judgrment respecting the
itudes, their original form, and the manner in which
they have been wprked over, we annex a few
examples.

No. \4 As fonMrly*

•

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ETV.DES AND GRAND ETUDES.
.The same now.

353

Bva-

Nas. Asfonnerly;

;-=•

-sjTp-

-t—

The same now.

J ' 4bk* iranquiilo.

Na 9. As formerly.

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1

*

354 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

The same now.

Here we may trace the resemblance and the dif-
ference. The fundamental mood on which they were
based has been retained at the outset of nearly all
of them, though they are hung with more exuberant
figuration, supported by richer harmonies, all empha*
sised more strongly; we find many alterations^ how«
ever, during the course of the pieces, so that the
original often almost wholly disappears. Thus the
second iinde^ in A minor» has received a number of
additions and a new close. In the third, in F major,
the early itude is still less recognisable ; its motioa
has become quite different, it has acquired anotheiT
melody, while the whole piece has gained in interest
(even to the more trivial middle period in A major).
In the fourth, D minor, he has constructed a melody
above the figuration of the first original, inserted a
middle period of quieter character, and at the dose
given new accompaniments to the new melody. The
fifth has undergone a total transformation. The
following three are wholly liew, and the greatest

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ETUDES AND GRAND £TUD£S.

355

Studies we know in regard to length, not one of

Ihem covering less than ten pages. It would be
useless labour to attempt to criticise them in th^
ordinary manner, or to seek for and correct con-
secutive fifths and false harmonic relations. Such
compositions must be heard; they are wrung from
the instrument with the hands ; they must be made
audible to us again through them. And one should
see their composer play them also ; for if any virtuosity
be elevating and strengthening, how imich more so
is it when the tone-creator himself sits at the instru-
mcatf struggling with and subduing it to his will i
These are etudes of tempest and dread, etudes for
at most ten or twelve of this world's players ; weaker
executants will only raise a laugh ia attempting
them. They greatly resemble those of Paganini for
the violin, some of which Liszt is now engaged in
transcribing for the pianoforte. The next succeeding
numbers of the new edition are also founded on the
old one No. 9^ has received an introduction, and
several interesting additions throughout Na lo
appears in broader form, and ten times more dii&-
cult than before. In Now ii, the principal ideii~

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356

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

is thus transposed—

In the course of the new ^tude^ a new figuratioa
appears above a somewhat insipid idea» while the
middle cantilena is charming", and the most deeply-
felt melody of any in the whole collection. The new
figuralioii then appears again in die fullest pianoforte

masses.

Finally, No*. 12 is a working out of the last itude
in the earlier work, in which the melody, originally,
in 4-4 time, is broken up into 6-8 ; it presents a
number of highly diihcult modes of acoompanimeat,'
which one scarcely knows how to linger. Nos.
8, and IX of the Hofmeister edition are omitted in*
the new one (three new numbers inserted in their
places); perhapS'Liszt will introduce them' in suo*
ceeding collections, as he intends to go through, the>
enture circle of the keys*

As we have said, these should all be heard
played by a master, and, if possible, by Liszt
himself* Even then» some passages in them might
offend us, where he transgresses all forms and*
boundaries, where the effect attained does not suf«
ficiently atone for the beauty that is sacrificed. But

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SpC BTUDES D£ CQKCSRT. 357

we 190k forward in an^cious expectation to the visit
he has promised to pay usjnext winter,, Duringf
his late residence in Vienna he made the most
astonishing impressiox^ with precisely these studies;
but great effects can only be produced by great
causes, and the public does not become enthusiastic
for nothing, . So let every o^e prepare himself for
this artist by prepava^c^ examination of .both coUec-,
tions; he himself will giye us the best criticism upon
them at bis pianofortet , ; t *

Six StUDES DE CONCERT. . '■ ",

•■-4-.. « V

- AFTEPv CAPRICES BY PAGANINI. BY R. S., OPUS lO, '

I SET an opus number to the above itiides^ because
the publisher told me that they would then ^'^gq''
better ; and to such a reason my objections were
obliged to yield. Secretly, howevjejr, I considered the
loth (for I have not yet ajrrived at the 9th Muse) as
the symbol of an unknown quantity, and the com-
position a . very Paganini-like one, with the exception
of the basses, the richer middle parts, the fuller har-
monisation, and the smoother finish of the forms.

if it be a praiseworthy thing , to absorb, ^dapt,;
s^d reproduce the thoughts of one higher than one's,
self, with love and self-sacrifice^ then I am perhaps,
entitled to a little praise.

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358

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Faganini is said to have fated his merit as a com-
poser more highly than his talent as a virtuoso. If
general opinion has not, until now, agreed with him,
it must at least be allowed that his compositionK
contain many pure and precious qualities, worthy of
being firmly fixed in the richer setting required by
the pianoforte. This is especially true of his violin
caprices (the ortginat title was ''24 capncci per il
violino solo, dedicati a gli artisti : opera i, Milano,
Ricordi''), from which the above etudes m taken;
they are imagined and carried out with rare freshness
and lightness. When I formerly edited a book of
studies after Paganini (^Studies for the pianoforte,
after violin caprices by Paganini ; with a preface.
Leipsic : Hofmeister I copied the original, perhaps
to its injury, almost note for note, «nd merely enlarged
a little harmonically ; but in this case I broke loose
from a too closely imitative translation, and strove to
give the impression of an original pianoforte composi-
tion, which, without separating itself from the original
poetic idea, had forgotten its violin orvgia It must
be understood that, in order to accompKsh ^is, I was
obliged to alter and do away with much, especially
in regard to harmony and form, but it was done witii
all the consideration due to such an honoured spirit
as Faganini's. It would occupy too much space
were I to point out all these alteration?, and my
reasons for making them. I leave the decision as to
whether they have been always well chosen, to com.
petent judges, by means of a comparison^^wfaicl)

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SIX ETUDES DE CONCERT. 359

cannot provt uninteresting— the original with the
jpianoiforte.

■ But, in order to excuse much in the original, the
manner in whidi the ^Hmk was composed, and its
speedy publication, should be made known. Lipinski
says that Uie caprices were written at different hours
and places, and the MS. sent by Faganini to his
friends immediately. When Ricordi the publisher
proposed to have the whole set published together, F,
hastily wrote them down from memory. With the
affix ** de concert," I sought to make a distinction be-
tween these Siudes and those I had formerly arranged ;
bemdes, their brilliancy renders them snitable for
public performance. But as most of them enter
quite brosqttely into the principal motive^o which
trait a mixed concert audience is unaccustomed—
they are best introduced by a brief but free prelude.
« I b^ my readers' attention to the few folloiiring
observations.

In No. 2 I selected a different accompaniment^
as I thought the tremolo of the original would fatigue
player and hearers too much. I consider this number
especially fine and tender, and sufficient in itself to
assure Paganinils position as 6ne of the first amon^
modern Italian composers. Florestan says that here
he is an Italian stream that opens on German soil
into the sea.

Na 3 is scarcely showy enough, considering its
difficult;, but he who has vanquished, this has con-
quered many other things with it.

2 B

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360 /MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

la the* working out of No. 4^ the funeral march
from Beethoverfs "Eroica" symphony floated ever

before me Perhaps others will find that out This
whole number is full of Romanticism.

In No. 5 I intentionally omitted the marks of
expression, leaving students to find out its heights
and depths for themselves. This will afford a good
opportunity for testing the scholar's power of com-
prehension. ' ' '

I doubt whether No. 6 will be at once recognised
by any one who has played the violin caprices.
Played faultlessly as a pianoforte piece, it is charm-
ing in the flow of its harmonies. I may mention^
that the left hand, crossing the . right (to the 24th
bar), has but one key to strike,-^that of the highest
note on the staff' The chords sound fullest when
the (crossing) finger of the left hand sharply meets
th^ fifth of the right, hand, The following allegro
was difficult to harmonise. The hard and somewhat
fiat return to £ major (pago^ Zo to 21) wa$ Jiot to be
softened without almost CQmp6sing it c>ver again.

These etudiS are of the highest difficulty through-
put, each one of especial difhculty besides. Those
who take them up for the first tim^^iU do well to
read them over before playing, as even a lightning-
swift eye and finger will sc^^rcely .be able to. «any
out the //!e^^^ correctly ^ /riVwtf zr^/^f. • : .

It is nQt to be expected that tjje number of .tiaose
able to'perfpmi th^e 4tiide^ in . a pita^t^ly- manner,
will ever be very gt^t;; but tbey .cootajA sp: much'

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FRANZ' LISZT. 36I

gcnfality, that it is impossible that those who have
once heard them executed perfectly should not often
think of them with pleasure*

FRANZ LISZT.

BRAVURA STUDIES, AFT£R PAQANI^l'S CAPRICES, ARRANGED
FOR THE FIANOlbRTB (iN TWO PARTS)*

fl

The original work is entitled 24 caprice! per inolino
solo, composti e dedicati agli artisti, da N. Paganini,
op. ID." An anrangement of twelve, of thes^ by
Robert Schumann, appeared (in two books) in the
years 1833 and 1835. An arrangement of a few of
them was also published in Paris, but we have for*
gotten the name of the arranger. The Liszt collec-
tion consists of five numbers from the capriccios ; the
sixth is an arrangement of the well-known **Beir'
rondo. Here there is of course no question of any
pedantic invitation or a bare harmonic iiliing out of
the violin part; the pianoforte is effective through
other means than those of the violin.

But to produce the same effects^ through whatever
means, was here a difficult task for the arranger.
Every one who has heard Liszt, however, knows
that he .understands all the means and effects of his
instrument It must be highly interesting to find
the compositions of thq greatest violin virtuosa of

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362

MUSIC. AND MUSICIANS.

our century in regard to bold braviira^Pi^toini-^

illustrated by the boldest of modern pianoforte
virtuosos — Liszt A glance into the collection, on the
wonderful, seemingly overturned, scaffolding of notes,
is sufficient to convince the eye that simplicity is not
to be found here. It is as though Liszt had resolved
to lay down all his experience in the work, to be-
queath the secret of his playing to posterity; nor
could he better evince his admiration for the great
deceased artist than by this transcription, carefully
worked out into the smallest detail, and reflecting
the spirit of the original in the most truthful manner.
Though Schumann's arrangement was intended to
bring out the poetic side of the composition more,

■m

that of Liszt, without ignoring its poetry, rather aims

at placing its virtuosity in relief. He correctly entitles
the pieces Bravura Studies," such as may be per-
formed in public for the purpose of display. To be
sure, very few will be able to master them ; perhaps
only four or five in the world But this need not
restrain others from studying them, nor need they be
therefore ignored. It is pleasant to approach the
highest point of virtuosity, though even iat some
distance. If we look more closely at many things
in the collection, we undoubtedly find that the
purely musical foundation is not correctly propor-
tioned to the mechanical difficulties. But the word
''study" covers many things here. They must be
practised, no matter at what cost.
The collection is probably the most difficult ever

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TlSiANZ LI$ZT«

written for the pianoforte, as its original is the most
difiicult work that exists for the violin. Faganini
knew this weU» and expressed it in his fine short
dedication, " agli artisti," — that is to say, " I am only
accessible to artists." And so it is with Liszt's piano-
forte arrangement ; this ot^ only be understood by
virtuosos in profession and of rank. The collection
can only be judged from. $uch ^ point of view. We
must deny ourselves a- comparative .analysis of the
original and the arrangement ; it would occupy too
much space. This goes best with both works in the
hand. But it is interesting to compare the first etude
here with Schumann's arrangement of the same, which
comparison Liszt has thoughtfully invited by printing
Schumann's above his own, measure with measure.
It is the. si^th caprice in the Italian edition. The
last number i^ves us the variations with which the
original edition also closes, the same that apparently
excited Ernst to his '' Venetian Carnival" We con-
sider Liszt's tianscription of these the most musically
interesting number of the whole work ; but here also,
we find, often in the smallest space of a few; bars,,
immense difficulties, and of such a nature that even
Liszt hinaseif may have to study them. He who is
ab}e to mooter these variations, and in such an easy,,
sportive manner tiiat they glide past the hearer — ^as.
they shoulci, — like the scenes of a marionette show,,
may travel securely round the world, to return
crowned with the golden laurels of a second Liszt-

Paganini* . ,

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. ( 364 )

FRAGMENTS FROM LEIPSia

(«837-)

• • ♦ .

£xc£LL£NT reader, it was impossible for tts> beforb
to-day, to'sit down to' write to you about the del^t-

ful abundance of music and musicians which has
been showered on us during the past two montiis^
because enjoyment prevented us from writing. Men-
delssohn, Lipinski, the Lachner prize symphony,
Henriette Grabau, Oiopin, — passing through, — the
opening of the "Euteq^e/' Henriette Carl, Dohler,
eight subscription and as many extra concerts,
Ludwig Berger, the beginning of the quartette^
Elizabeth Fiirst, Polish, French, and English artists
(Novakowsky, Brzowsky, Stamaty, Bennett), several
others with letters, ''Israel in Egypt," Reissiger^s
symphony, the theatre, Bach's motettes, — in short,
one flower blossomed after another; every week,
every day brought something.

First, as all know, Mendelssohn conducted the
principal events, at the head of his faitliful orchestra,
with the power that is peculiarly his own, and with a
zeal which must be partly inspired by the kindliness
that greets him on all sides. If ever an orchestra,
without a single exception, believed in and depended
on its director, ours thoroughly deserves praise for
doing so. Of intrigues and cabals we have not heard

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FRAGMENTS FROM LEIPSIC 365

a word; and the result of this harmony has been
most favourable to art and artists.

Beside him stands David, the support of the or-
chestra, a musician of the very finest grain. Nor
must we forget the well-beloved, accustomed presence
of the first songstress, Fraiilein Grabau, from whose
Madonna voice Time has only taken that which was
too earthly in it Then therd were the excellent
musicians Queisser, god of the trombone, C. G.
Miiller, Ulrich, and Grenser, who, when others begin
to grow tired, first warm thoroughly to their work.

Supported and elevated by such forces, we have
had eight concerts in the Gewandhaus rooms.

It will be impossible for me to mention here, more
than the most remarkable things which our resident
or travelling artists have given us, of new composi-
jtions or virtuoso performances.

We must not, however, fail to mention (among
new compositions, or such, as have not until now
been played here), the little-known first overture to
" Leonora " by Beethoven, which, at the height of
creative power, holds the middle point between the
usual one in E major and the sublime one in C
major — perhaps the most striking work of musical
art This sublime production failed in Vienna on its
first performance (Beethoven wept about it), and this
is the reason why we have so many " Leonora over-
tures, as my readers are doubtless aware. Herr
Schindler in Aachen has one of them (this has since
been published as Na 2 by Breitkopf and Haertel).

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366

. MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

So I an entirely new overture to (Shakespeare's ?)
" As You Like It " by Ferdinand Hiiler. It would be
wrong to estimate its value» or tbat of public opinion,
according to the reception it received. The reason
for the coldness, or at least quietness of tiiis^ is to be
sought for in the finely concealed humour of the
composition, which rather excites reflection and com«
parison than enthusiasm. The public, like an indir
vidual, has its bright and its gloomy hours. If we
play the overture once more, the curtain becomes a
veil, behind which the astonished eye will detect a
multitude of gay or melancholy forms, meeting or
parting in changeful variety. Besides this quiet
peculiar ground-tone, Hillei's work is distinguished
by its national growth — if I may so express it — and
its artistic drapery. In mind, it far outweighs all the
overtures "i/W<ra^fi7V' with which Heaven has lately
so often punished us.

Then, amid countless drums and trumpets^ Lach-
ner*s prize symphony came and went. Our paper has
already given an account of this.

The overture, some single numberd» and a £nate
from Lindpaintner's new conlic opem fell below est^
pectation. Every artist nature feels doubly grieved
at such failures, knowing that fote^ers are so often
undeservedly greeted with an honourable reception.
The public showed itself almost dictatorial on this
occasion, imposing instantaaedus silence- M a few

applauders at the close. Yet the opera would per-
haps be otherwise eflfectiveLon the stage^ ,

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FRAGMENTS 7JIQM .L£IP$IC 36^

■

■ The latest novelty was a first symphony by
Rdssigen Tboiigh possessing more enduranicis^ iow
ward strength, and brevity, with lesis pretension, than
that by Lachner, it falls sonlewhat within the domain
of the overture. As the stately chapel-master con-
ducted it himself, its favourable reception was xuttural
and correct. .

Tiiese works, though containing^ on the whole;
little that was enjoyable, were the most remarkable
of the new compositions. Among old ones, we heard
most of Beethoven- and Weber.

I must mention the 27th October, which many
Gewandhaus musicians most have marked for reool-!
lection with a red line. The* desire for repetition of
an entire orchestral composition may be an ordin^.ry
occurrence in other cities^ but is in Leipsic an extraor-
dinary one; and the inspiring performance of the great
" Leonora " overture by the orchestra on that evening
deserved this distinction. Then it was that art nobly
drew towards each other the varied, remarkable
natures that cross in such a spot, uniting their
perhaps unavoidable inward and outward divisions
under her reconciling influence. ' '

We may style these works, in large form, the
p}llar$ .of musical li£^ while the virtuoso petfor^
mances may be compared to perfumed wreaths that
garland them ab0ut Of these, the finest were
A violin cohcerto, played ift miasterly style by David;
Italian bravuras^ sung,,by Fraiilein Fiirst with an
Italian- like voice and an original style; pianofortii

36S MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

pieces, played charmingly, and composed distress-
ingly, by Theo. Doehler; an interesting, though per-
haps too much involved, violoncello concerto by J.
B. Cross; as well as an easy quartette on a bar*
Carole, played enchantingly by him and Messrs.
David, Ulrich, and Queisser ; above all, the G-
major Beethoven pianoforte concerto, with its grand
adagio, so full of mystery, played by Mendelssohn "
in an inspired and enrapturing manner ; violin varia-
tions* by Franz Schubert, brilliantly performed by
Ulrich; German arias by Weber and.Spohr, sung
well by Herr Sosselmann from Darmstadt; and,
finally, a flute concerto by lindpaintner, played by
Herr Grenser, with the agreeable mastery that has
won so high a position for this artist

IL

While I was turning over the programmes of the
last twelve subscription concerts, and recalling^ here
wholly, there in part, the music which I had listened
to in those prc^rammes, my imagination strove to
gather all these reminiscences* into one picture. A
blooming mount of the Muses seemed to stand
before me, upon which, under the eternal temple
of the older masters, I saw new pillars, pathsi
arcades laid, while lovely sonj^stresses and gay
virtuosos wandered among them as birds and but*
terflies might all this so rich, so varied in aspect
that the common and insignificant disappeared of
itself.

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FRAGMENTS FROM LEIPSIC. 369

We have already chronicled the older compositions
that were given lately. Many people think they are
doing all that can be expected of them when they
remind us of a Mozart, a Haydn, as great masters ;
as if it were not a matter of couise Hiat their music
should be known thoroughly by heart I But the D
'minor, symphony gives such people something to
think about yet, and they ask whether it does not
perhaps transgress the boundaries of the purely
human. Assuredly Beethoven must be measured
by inches (but with King Learns) ; and the study of
the score accomplishes the rest.

We recognise with gratitude that the directors,
especially during last season, have given opportunity
for the production of manuscripts^ novelties, and
little*- known works. In this, great . capitals can
scarcely compare with small Leipsic. And if we
were disappointed in some things, yet judgment
was awakened, opinion was confirmed, and here and
there cheerful prospects were opened to us. We
had new symphonies by Molique from Stuttgart,
chapel-master Strauss of Carlsruhe, and M. D.
Hetsch of Heidelberg. . The judgment of the public
ranked them almost tc^ether, though the first named
undoubtedly desenred the preference. In all we
found clever workmanship, euphonious instrumenta-
tion, firm hold on old forms ; but in Strauss's work
we found so striking a sympathy in tone, time, form,
and idea with the past, that we seemed to behold
the first movepnent of the heroic. symphony mirrored^

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I

37P MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

like a form in water, though pale and reversed, cer-
tainly.

' We owe especial mention to tfie arrangement for
grand , orchestra by Edward Marxsen of Beethoven's
so-called Kreutser sonata, which it deserves (although
Ritter von Seyfried has already praised it in our
paper) on account of the Beethovenian fancy, care,!*
and instrumental knowledge with which the score ia
written. But I think it was an unfortunate idea to
introduce as a scherzo (which the original lacks) that
of the great B flat major sonata, which was written
at so different an epoch of Beethoven's life and art.
Even the instrumesitation of this movement seems to
have been written by another hand, and is awkward
enough in comparison with the rest to set ^n ortho-^
dox Beethovenian raging, rather than agreeing with
the good humour of the Lelpsic public. Yet the
dithyrambic flight of the last movement makes one
* forget the preposterous insertion. We advise con-
cert directors to produce this splendidly painted life^*
^e copy, but to omit the inserted scherzo, though
they .should make the reproducing composer their

deadly enemy in consequence.

If the new symphonies moved in almost equal-
circles, the inner and outer differences between
the new overtures were therefore the more remark-
able. Florestan lately asked, roguishly, To which of
Shakespeare^s plays have the greatest number of*
overtures been written ? " But his question does not
apply to the four we now allude to* Oiie by J.^

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«

FRAGMENTS FROM LEIFSIC. 37 (

Rosenhain of Frankfort, to tbe opera ^ A Visit to

Bedlam,'^ betrayed much sympathy with our western
neighbours; and the hne, the common and the
uncommoti siicceeded each other in it so quieklyf
that we found it impossible to grasp either. Still
it displayed talent, that, if it hopes to accomplish
greater tilings, must keep close watch over its inborn
frivolity. In a fantastic prelude to Raupach's
*•* Daughter of Air/' by Spohr,:his well-known origin-*
ality was more than ever prominent ; while in his
elegiac violins, his sighing clarionets, we recognised
once more the noble, suffering SpQhr ; but I do not
feel quite clear about it all, and have not been able
to procure the score for enlightenment I dis*
tinctly perceived- in Fetdinand Miller's overture
entitled " Fernando," a Spanish character, interesting
throughout, cavalier-like, every where finely and care-^
fully worked up, striving towards Beethovenian signi-^
ficance ; but, unfortunately, so built, note for note, in
its principal rhythm, on a thought of Franz Schubert's
(from a march in C major) , that it seemed to me in this;
as well as in its fundamental character, nothing but a
broader development of the Schubert march.

I have often delightedly read through William •
Sterndale Bennett's overture "The Naiads," a rich^
charming, nobly executed picture. If it leans towards
the Mendelssohn ^^enre (as Mendelssohn has leaned
towards the " Leonora " overture), though it has dis*
covered- all that is graceful and feminine in Weber,
Spohr, and Mendelssohn, to mingle all in one stream

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372 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

of tone, and to reach overflowing goblets of this to
us, yet it is but in consequence of the intellectual

brotherhood that has led him to absorb and assimi-
late the excellences of others in living union with his
own. And then, what fr^h poetry is to be found irt
the work ! how heartfelt its melody, how tender its
construction^ how softly fine its instrumentation!*
Yet we can scarcely defend It from the imputation
of too great monotony ; the two principal themes^ at
least, bear a close resemblance to each other*

The detached scenes from "Faust" by Prince
Kadzivil were very interesting. With all respect for
the endeavours of the noble dilettante^ I think the
work suffered in consequence of the excessive praise
it received in Berlin and elsewhere. The downright
cUunsily instrumentated overture must have opened
the eyes of musicians at once, even if the choice of
the Mozartean fugue had not enlightened the critics-
beforehand. If the composer did not feel himself
equal to the demands of the overture and the by no
means contemptible idea of opening a Faust " drama
with a fugue — the most profound of musical forms —
others might have been found of a more Faust-like
character than that by Mozart, which no one can
%em^ a masterpiece compared to some by Bach and
HandeL The introduction of the harmonica, and
the succeeding triads; are at first* original and
thrilling in their effect, but in their continuance-
become so painful that we wish them away. And^
indeed^ I think that too little musical art is deve*.

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FRAGMENTS FROM LEIFSIC 573

loped in a C-sharp major chord that lasts for two
minutes at least It is impossible to deny that some
of the succeeding numbers possess original value
and a princely simplicity, an unstained fancy, ^
power of invention, that often strikes at the very root

of the subject.

Novel:— that is to say, now a hundred years old-^
sounded J, S. Bach's D-minor pianoforte concertO;
played by Mendelssohn with a strengthened string
quartette accompaniment* I should like to speak
of many thoughts that were awakened In my mind
by this noble work, as well as by some scenes in
Cluck's '* Iphigenja^" although a glance towards the
broad road over which we have still to pass some*
what hinders me. However, the world shall be made
acquainted with one of them. Will it be believed
that on the music shelves of the Berlin Vocal Aca-
demy, to which old Zelter bequeathed his library, at
least seven such concertos, and a countless number
of other Bach compositions, z« manuscript ^ are care-'
f uUy stowed away ? Few persons are aware of it \
but they lie there, notwithstanding. Is It not time,
would it not be useful for the German nation, ta
public a pefrfect edition of the complete works of
Bach ? * The idea should be considered, and the*
words of a practical judge, who speaks of this un-
dertaking oh p^e 76 of this volume of the Keue
Zeitschrift," would serve as a motto. He says : —
The publication^ of the works x>f Sebastian Bach \4
^ This idea mi'K*r«ed, to ^ dell^lit of aU4U^, m 1853.^ J

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374 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. '

an enterprise which I hope soon to see in execu*
tton«-K>nef that delights my hearty wfaidi beata wholly

for the great and lofty art of this ancestor of har-
mony."

Let. this be looked to speedily!

And now, a few words regarding the songstresses
and virtuoso6» who^ like ambedqoes, formed the de«
coration of these kiever to be suiiSciently praised
concerts. I pass over the more ordinary ones to
speak of the lirst, among whom were: — FraUlein
Grabau, always firm, ready, correct, artistic ; FraU-
lein Werner, a novice full of talent, fresh and young
in voice and form; B. Molique^ whose masterly

playing of his D-minor concerto has already been
mentioned in our pag^ We have also spoken of
the inwardly musical, life of 4Sterndale Bennett's
performance. Among art enjoyments of the very
first .descriptioai we must not foxget Spobr^s £-minor
concerto, pla3^d by David ; trombone variations by
C. G. Muller, played by Queisser; Beethoven's E-
flat major concerto, and Mendelssohn's in G minor»
played by 'Mendelssohn that is to say, cast in
bronze in his own manner.

Beethoven's ninth ^ympkony closed this year's
cydus of concerts. The hitherto iinheard-of rapid
time in which the first ^lovement was played, de-
stroyed, for TDd^ the ecstatic pleasure which we are
all accustomed to feel while listefting to this luitu-*
riant music This complaint may appear incom-
prel-ensible to the directing master, who knows and

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FRAGMENTS FROM L£IPSIC 375

hondurs Beetboven as few will know and honour him

again ; and who, indeed, could truly decide in such
a case, except Beethoven himself, to whom, perhaps,
such an impassioned hurrying of the time, accom-
panied by faultless execution, might have appeared
correct? Therefore I will count this feeling as one
among my many remarkable* musical es^periences,
and with a certain grief, as when, regarding the
outward appearance of the Highest, a division of
opinion arises. . But how the heavens opened to
receive Beethoven, a soaring saint, in the adagio;
how then the littlenesses of the world were foi^otten,
while a presentiment of the glad hereafter thrilled
those who listened, looking after him in soul I '

III.

About ten years^ ago^ a few young musicians met
together in a plain room here, to perform or listen
to good old works, or else their own latest ones.
New members joined them ; the public began to
hear of these meetings ; sympathy and curiosity
attracted many persons ; the little seqret society
took courage, brought out greater works with in-
creased resources, took the name of " Euterpe,*'
selected a committee, and a director in a well-
known, good musician, Herr C G. MuUer. Already
in the winter of 1835, company removed from its
practising-rooin to a convenient, handsome halL
llie crowded attendance there proved the increasing

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376

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS*

favour of the public — and so, during the past winter

season, we had twelve of these concerts, from the
1 2 th of November to the 14th of March ; and if any
one asked, on Mondays, whether anything was ''going
on ? " the answer, in true Leipsic style, was pretty
certain to be " It's Euterpe to-night." The worthy
society was, in fact, obliged almost to borrow its
concert evenings, as most of its members play in
the theatre or in Gewandhaus, extra, or other con*
certs ; and few c^ys passed on which they had not
something to do. This uncertainty about any espe-
cial concert evening, however, gives the institution
a slight touch of poetic freedom ; and when the
Euterpists really stand before their well-lighted
desks, they play with such freshness that they give
more pleasure than a princely orchestra, in presence
of which one dares not wink one's eyes, or feel really
happy in the music. But to th6 subject! The ori-
ginal object of the society, that is to say, the pro-
duction of the best works by the best masters^ as
well as recent compositions (by natives or foreigners),
and the performance of solo and ensemble pieces by
members or non-members of the society, is still
carried but ; but its degree has become more ele«
vated, its kind more select. Song is excluded alto-
gether; this peculiarity has its bad side, but the
society has thereby acquired an original colour, estab-
lished wholly on an instrumental foundation.

The execution of symphonies and overtures by thisi
society is not much behind that of the Gewandhaus

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FRAGBfENTS FROM LEIFSIC. 377

coiicertists, and naturally, as most of the members of
this play in that also. There we have more respect^
here more daring; there the director is firm as a
rock in the tempo, here they rush over head and
heels to the end, in a Beethoven scherzo. Both of
these institutions are useful to each other, both of
great influence on the varied standing of thair audi*
ences, . 'Certain failures^ however, ought never to
take place, and must be punished with death ; thus
a Euterpist blew, in the first njeasure of the alle-
gretto of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, a damned
C sharp ; but we will lay such i^ccidents to the account
of rc^uish cobolds, who may have hidden once, per*
chance, in an oboe tube. They gave us Beethoven's
symphonies in C minor, D major, A major, and the
Pastoral; by Mozart, the Jupiter; Haydn's in E flat
major, and Spohx's " Consecration of Tones;" by
members of the society we had C. G. Miiller's older
one in D major, and one, long promised, in C minor ;
one in F minor by F. Schubert; and one by a
non-member, Gabrich (in G minor). The finest choice
of overtures was made among antiques, of which a
very noticeable one was that to **Samori/' by the
pedantically genial Abb^ Vogler; of the moderns,
we had some by Attem and Conrad, besides Ber-
lioz's '^Francs-juges/' which has been declaimed
against as a monster. But I can only discover in
it a well-cut, clearly sustained, but^ in detail, still
unripe work, by this true genius of French music ;
liere and there it shoots forth a few lightning fiasheS|

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3/8 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

precursors of the tempest that thunders from his
symphonies. To return to our own Euterpe hall,—
after such thunderstorms, such things as a concertino
for the horn certainly sound weak enough ; so we will
pass over the performances by unknown soloists, which
cannot stand the test of that severe criticism with
which our well-known players, such as Grabau,
Uhlrich, and Queisser are suihciently familiar. I do
not mean to say that the Euterpe should exclude
the first efforts of young virtuosos ; on the contrary,
it is to be hoped that this society will continue to
keep its doors open as ^ preparatory practical school
of public performance and concert routine.

Those who were not satisfied with the thirty-two
concerts in the Gewandhaus and the Hotel de
Pologne, could quietly enjoy the quartettes per-
formed by Concert-master David, Messrs. Uhlrich,
Grenser, and Queisser. Unfortunately, they only
gave four, but next winter that number must be at
least doubled. The gentlemen are known; may
heaven preserve to us the concert- master, at least !

When we point with pride to three institutions
like thes^ vital with enthusiastic devotion to the
noblQst works of our masters, which scarcely any
other German city can rival, our readers may ask
why we have not always given immediate and
detailed accounts of single performances. The
writer of these lines confesses that his double posi-
tion as editor and musician is the cause of this.
The musician is only interested in the whole, or only

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FRAGMENTS FROM LEIPSIC. 379

in the most important details ; while^ as an editor,
he would like to mention all things. As a musician,
he would fain be silent on many subjects, which the
editor, for the sake of completeness, would fain speak
of. But how is time enough to be found to treat
of every subject thoroughly, and in a manner that
will be really useful to artists I For phrases like " He
was greatly applauded," **Met with a sympathetic
reception," " She won an encore," " A splendid perfor-
mance, a crowded audience/' &c.) &c, cannot wash
out stains, or do honour to any one ; they stretch the
pupil and the master on the same last. It is our future
intention — the deed ever more in view than the doer
—to group significant events in larger frames, in
which a sharp sketch of the whole will appear pro-
minently, while small things.will disappear of them-
selves; and this, in order to present to our contem-
poraries and to posterity a cheering picture of that
youthful strength and soaring life, which the musical
history of our city presents to an almost unequalled
degree in our day«

• #

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(38o)

A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF MUSICAL
LIFE IN LEIFSIC DURING THE WINTER
OF 1837-38.

In order to judge of the spirit and taste tiiat pre-*
dominates in our subscription concerts, we only need
to observe the choice of pieces performed, and the
masters preferred there. And, as is but right, we
find Mozart's name oftenest (17 times), then Beet-
hoven (15 times), 7 numbers by Weber, 5 by Haydn,
from 3 to 5 by Cherubini, Spobr, Mendelssohn, and
Rossini ; Handel, Bach, Vogler, Cimarosa, Mehul,
Onslow, Moscheles, were each heard twice ; Nau-
mann, Salieri, Righini,* Fesca, Hummel, ^ontini,
Marschner and others were played once. We also
heard a few works by the most recent composers, and
even three new symphonies by.Taglichsbeck, Robert
Burgmiiller, and Gabrich, the last of whom was
most applauded, though Taglichsbeck's symphony was
not inferior to it, while BufgmuUer's left both the others
behind ; it almost seems to me the most remarkable,
the noblest work in symphonic style that recent times
have produced, on account of its musical nature, its
uncommonly fine and powerfully marked instrumental
character, and this in spite of certain reminiscences
of Spohr, which, however, do not appear to be the
result of imitation and weakness of intellect, but
rather of that noble endeavour that gratefully strives

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A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW. 38 1

to follow in the path of its instructor. A book of
songs by R. Burgmiiller, published by Hofmeister,
has been highly praised lately; we, also, made ac-
quaintance with it, to count these songs as among the
finest that have recently appeared. And such a gifted
one must die I The trio of the scherzo may be termed
worthy of a master ; the close of the entire symphony
sounds like a presentiment of the death that robbed
us too early of this young composer* In the sym-
phonies of the other gentlemen^ we found many
Beethovenian reminiscences, besides very clever work-
manship and instrumentation.. The brevity of the
separate movements was a remarkable trait in
Gabrich's symphony, if we except the adagio, — but
few succeed in adagios now-a-days t

A new psalm by Mendelssohn was an event of great
importance ; it commences with the words, " As the
hart pantSy" and the great difference between it and
the same master^s earlier sacred music, might have
been observed at a concert for the benefit of the poor,
when an older psalm by Mendelssohn was given pre-
vious to this* Though Mendelssohn has long been
recognised as the most finished, artistic nature of our
day, in all styles^ whether of church or.concert-room,
original and of masterly effect in the chorus as in the
Lied, yet we believe that in this 42d psalm, he has
attained his highest elevation as church composer;
yes, the highest elevation that modern church-music
has reached at alL The grace, the art of workman-*
ship which such a style demands^ is fully displayed

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382 MUSIC AND MUSICIAKS.

here ; tenderness and purity in the treatment of
details, power and inwardness of the mas^es^ but,
above all, what we cannot term other than the intel-
lectuality of the whole, delights us, and proves what
art is to him, as well as what it is to us through him.

And, indeed, when we consider what a standard is
demanded, and what comparisons are made, young
artists, whose works are brought out here, find them-
selves in a dangerous position, though the direction
always , insists on such a performance, with the very
best means at its disposal, that an3rthing better can
scarcely be wished for. Thus we have heard a new
overture by Dn JL Kleinwachter, the only new one
this winter has given us (though, if we include the
concert for the benefit of the poor, we must also
mention Onslow's overture to the ** Due de Guise,"
which pleased us but little); we can say of this, that its
cheerful character and lively movement caused it to
be pretty well received by the public, though we do
not attribute to it any great artistic merit.

So much for the compositions, recently brought
out here, of young artists. Besides theses one of the
earlier concerts brought us Beethoven's "Glorious
Moment," the origin of which is well known. The
performance of this work under Beethoven's personal
direction, at a momentous historical period, in the
presence of great men, potentates, and ambassadors,
must have been an event never to be forgotten by
those who were present ; and even without all this, as
in our performance, there are many passages of the

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A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW.

tnuslc that will yet produce their effect after the
lapse of centuries. It would be unjust to compare
such works, written for occasional events, by great
composers, with the independent inspirations of their
own genius ; yet we discover here, beside the gleam
of accident and fugitive feeling, that geniality which
masters who can appreciate such things find to a
high degree in even the shortest and slightest of
Goethe's poems. Such a spirit vitalises this work also,
with an almost ironical breadth and splendour, that
seems at once, in certain moments, to bring the
master's figure in ail the fire of life before us. Add
to this a poem as peiverse, for composition, as a
Pindaric hymn, and one has a faint idea of the
jembarrassments, in spite of which the composer ended
a work that must have been dear to his patriotic
heart.

But something unheard of, truly new, that is to
say very old, was presented to us in some of the last
concerts, when works by masters from Bach to
Weber were performed in chronological order. It
was a lucky thing for our forefathers that they
were unable to establish historical concerts stretching
into the future. Honour bright I they would have
but sorrily stood the test Happy though we were
to hear what was performed on these occasions, we
were as much annoyed to hear what was said about
it all, here and there. A great many people con-
ducted themselves as if they thought we were doing
Bach an honour, as. if we were wiser than fbe olden

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384 MUSIC AKD MUSIOAKS.

time^ and thought it all both curious and interesting t
The connoisseurs were the worst of all, smiling as if
Bach had written for them — ^he who could have
swung us all, together or separately, on his little
finger-— Handel, too, firm as the heavenly vault above
us — or Gluck, not less sol And people listen, praise,
and tliink no more about it I prize our own times
thoroughly, and understand and respect Meyerbeer ;
but let anyone guarantee that in a hundred — what
do I say ? — ^in the next fifty years, historical concerts
shall be given, in which a note of Meyerbeer's will be
performed, and I will confess that Beer is a god, and
I have been entirely in error.

There is little to be said respecting the Bach music
that was performed; we must take it in our own hands,
study it as much as possible,, and then — ^he remains
as unfathomable as before. Handel is more human ;
we reject Giuck's arias, and let his choruses pass;
that is to say, we take away the ornamental curls
from the brow of the statue of a god, and then praise
the torso. It would be most desirable to give many
such concerts yearly ; the ignorant would learn from
them, the wise would smile at them; in short, the
retrogression would probably be a step in advance.

After these great composers, presented at the first
concert (in which a concerto by Viotti was introduced,
played happily by Concert-master David, and greatly
applauded), we had in the second, Haydn,.Naumann,
Ciniarosa, Righini ; in the third, Mozart, Salieri,
Mehul,.A. Romberg; in tlie fourth, the Abb^ Vpgler^

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A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW. 385.

Beethoven, and Weber. Among their works wq heard
Haydn's *^ Farewell " symphony (it is known that in:
this the musicians— ours also— extinguished theip
lights and went softly away ; and no one laughed,
for;, .indeed» it was no laughing matter) i a highly
Mozartean, still unpublished quartette from his
** Zaida an overture by the Abb^ Vogler, whom,
according to our opinion, his contemporaries did not
appreciate half enough ; and a symphony by Mehul,
most interesting of all on account of its difference
from the German s3anphony style, yiet so thorough and
so spirited, in spite of some mannerisms, that we
cannot sufiiciently recommend it to outside orches-
tras. . There is a remarkable resemblance between its
last movement and the first of Beethoven's C-minor
q^mphony, as also between the scherzos of both these
works ; it is so striking, that there can be no doubt of
a reminiscence on one side or the other; on which
side I cannot decide, as I am not certain of the date
of MehuPs birth« Such were tiie four historical con-
certs, which many will envy us. It would be easy to
object to the choice of pieces, their position on the
programmes, fee, in order to make a show of great
historical learning; but we accept what was offered
to us with gratitude,, but with the wish that We may
not come to a stand-still with this beginning.

To complete the agreeable picture we will close
wiUi soine account of the different* artists with whose
assistance the grander orchestral performances took
place* — • - . * -

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386 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Miss Clara Novello was the most interesting of
these. She came to us from her friendly London
circle, heralded as an artist of the first rapk ; and
this weighed with us in Leipsic For years I have
heard nothing that has pleased me more than this
voice, predominating over all other tones, yet breath-
ing tender euphony, every tone as sharply defined
as the tones of a keyed instrument; besides the
noble performance, the simplicity, yet art, which
seemed to desire prominence for the composer and
his work only. She was most in her element with
Handel, amid whose works she has grown up and
become great People asked each other, in astonish-
ment, "Is that Handel ? Did Handel write so? Is
it possible ? " From such a performer the composer
himself may learn ; when we hear such a performance
we again feel respect for the executive artists, who
give us caricatures so often, because they leave school
too soon ; such art at once snaps asunder the stilts on
which ordinary virtuosity strides and thinks it looks
over our shoulders. Miss Clara Novello is not
Malibran, and not a Sontag, but she possesses her
own highly original individuality, of which no one
can deprive her.

Before and after her we had Fr^ulein Schlegel,
Madame Biinau - Grabau, and Madame Johanna
Schmidt as solo singers; and, last of all, Fr^ulem
Auguste Werner and FrUuietn Botgorschek, from
Dresden, appeared. The first was a success as a
beauty; the other ladies had to combat the favour-

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A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW. 387

able impression that Clara Novello had inspired us
with ; and therefore we must praise ourselves for
acting as if nothing had happened, and for re-
ceiving the always gladly-heard songstresses with
the customary applause. Fraulein Werner had
returned to us from Dresden, where she went to
Study for a year. Fraulein Botgorschek is a true
heroic contralto, possessing a brilliant Italian method^
and a sort of defiance such as we find among operatic
prima donnas. She earned the highest degree of
applause, the tone of which is not to be mistaken^
and repeated one aria.

Of stranger singers we had only one, Herr Genast^
from Weimar, who sang a ballad, " Schwerting," with
a very full orchestral accompaniment, above which a
manly voice alone could soar; the composer repro-
duced his work with fire and passion.

We had . counted on Liszt and Lipinski among
foreign instrumental performers, but they disap*
pointed us ; and Henselt only played once, in his own
concert. But we heard many good and ^e things
played by Messrs. Kotte from Dresden, Blagrove.
from London, Concert-master Hubert Ries and C
Schunke from Berlin, Th. Sack from Hamburg, the
youthful Nicolai SchUfer, M. D. Alscher (contra«*
basso), Schapler from Magdeburg, Louis Anger from
Clausthal; and, besides these, performances by our
own orchestral members, the most distinguished
among whom were Messrs. Queisser, Uhlrich, Grenser,
Heiuse, and Haake. We remember, too, with especial

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388

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS,

pride^ the frequent and masterly performances of

Mendelssohn and David, as well as those of the
finest yet boldest of ail lady artists, Clara Wiedc

Before we take leave of the Gewandhaus concerts
for half a year, we must award a crown of merit to its
forty or fifty orchestral members. We have no solo-
players like Brod in Paris, or Harper in London ; but
even these cities can scarcely boast such fine, united
symphony playing. And this results froru the nature
of circumstances. Our musicians here form a family ;
they see each other and practise together daily ; they
are always the same, so that they are able to play .a
Beethoven symphony without notes. Add to these
a concert-master who can conduct such scores from
memory, a director who knows them by and reveres
them at heart, and the crown is complete. A separate
leaf should be awarded to the kettle-drummer, Herr
Pfund, who is swift and certain as thunder and light-
ning ; he plays excellently.

We meet nearly the same orchestra, or, at least,
its youngest members, in the concerts of the Euterpe
Society. The number of their concerts was twelve,
as formerly ; their place of meeting, the hall in the
Hotel de Pologne, which is ill adapted to the per«
formance of music. The writer of this article has
been obliged to trust to the opinion of a third party
regarding a few of their performances, as he was
not present at all of them. An examination of the
programmes shows Beethoven to have been the pre-
ferred master here; six of his symphonies were

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A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW^

played. Haydn is wholly, perhaps accidentally,
absent; Mozart appears twice; Spohr onoe. There
were two new symphonies— one by the director of
the concerts, C. G. Miiller, the other by W. Sorgel.
The latter, though not an extraordinary pr^oduction,
showed itself to be the work of a clever musician who
has grown up in the orchestra. We have already
briefly mentioned the former in an earlier number
of our paper ; it is the composer's fourth, and this
is apparent in the more rapid execution of it, and
a pen that no longer delays at small flguration, single
details, and so on. We may also term it cheerful ;
but its feeling does not seem to come from within,
and is more a reflection of cheerfulness. As if the
composer himself were doubtful of his talent for
merriment, he often interrupts his separate periods
with slower inserted ones, in the manner we often"
find in Beethoven's later works, the impression of
which on our composer is often distinctly visible.^
The intermezzo (in place of a scherzo), in four-
crotchet time, is quite originaL The last move-
ment has a wonderful headlong rush ; ' yet I miss in^
it that finer poetical perfume, which renders humour
amiable and lovable. As to overtures, we had
usually two on the Euterpe evenings ; here we also
heard Weber, Cherubini, and others. Beethoven's
in E major, with its truly annihilating geniality, was
most successfully performed ; it is the same, I think,
on the title-page of which Beethoven makes use of
the words "poetised by" {^gedkhtet van) instead of

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390 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

** composed by." Besides these, there were overtures
to a new opera, ** Oleandro/' by C. G. Muller, as well
as to the oratorio "Gutemberg," by Lowe — ^the latter
as superficial as the former is industriously worked
out Among the new overtures in manuscript, en-
trusted to the Society for performance, we find —
besides those by F, Rohr (of Meiningen), J. Miihiing
(of Magdeburg), C Conrad (of Leipsic) — ^a very
interesting one to Schiller's ** Robbers," by Ernst
Weber from Stargard, which, wildly and barbarically
instrumentated, revealed some uncommon instru-
mental beauties, of a kind that the composer
himself must wonder at, when he hears them; for
they did not all seem to me to have proceeded from
artistic consciousness. The fragmentarily introduced
robber song, Free Life," seemed to me highly
effective, and the close of the whole on the dominant
of quite peculiar meaning. Had this overture come
to us from Paris, it would have been listened to more
attentively, as was the now well-known overture by
Berlioz, '^Les Francs-juges," with which the first
concert opened.

There were many m^iocre numbers among the
solo performances, as every one who wishes to ap-
pear at these concerts is permitted to do so, -More
exclusiveness is desirable. The best performance
was that of Herr Uhirich in a Lipinski concerto, — in
D major, if I am not mistaken, — the Sarmatian wild-
ness of which our virtuoso humanised, so to say ;
indeed, he played it more tenderly than the com*

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I

A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW.

poser himself, who, however, has also his own
peculiar and other excellences. In the concert com-
positions of 4>thers» we are always annoyed by vulga*
rities, but a very noble tone is often audible in those
by Lipinski ; this difference is worthy of remark,
although the works in which ft does or does not exist
may otherwise occupy an almost equal artistic rank.

The quartettes in the small Gewandhaus hall, by
Messrs. David, Uhlrich, Queisser, and Grenser, also
. gave us many artistic treasures this winter. We had
four evenings and twenty numbers, among which
the brilliants of first water were Beethoven's quar-
tettes in E flat major (opus 127), and C sharp
minor, the grandeur of which no words can express.
They seem to me to stand, with some of Bach's
choruses and organ pieces, on the extreme boun-
dary of all that has hitherto been attained by human
art and imagination; but verbal analysis and de-
scription would shipwreck them. Then two quit^
new quartettes by Mendelssohn wandered through
a finely human sphere ; just as we might expect
from him as man and artist And in such a sphere
we must award the palm to him among all his con-
temporaries, and only Franz Schubert, had he lived,
would have been worthy to award Mendelssohn that
palm without disputing it; two such individualities
can exist side by side. Only the excellence of a
work like Schubert's D-minor quartette— and of
many other things — can in any way console us for
the early death of this eldest son of Beethoven ; in a

2D

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39?

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

short time he accomplished arid perfected more than
any one before him* Finally, we meet, in this year's
C3^us, with a new composition by C G. Miiller,
thorough, clear, interesting, displaying true quaiLcUe
taste, and truly worthy of publicity.

And now we draw the curtain over the rich, en*
liveninfT scene. Aspiration everywhere, strength of
fulfilment, the worthiest of aims ; aU things repeat
themselves in higher transforo£3ttions I

MUSICAL LIFE IN LEIPSIC DURING THE

WINTER OF 1839-1840.

It will be allowed, that though nature has treated
Letpsic too much as a stepmother, yet German mu^c
blooms so finely here, that, without arrogance, our
city may venture to compare its productions to those,
of the richest fruit and flower gardens of other cities.
What a multitude of great works of art were pro-
duced for us last winter, how many distinguished
artists charmed us with their skill 1 And though the
vitality of musical art among us is in a gr^at measure
due to our existing concert establishment, yet, as
compared with other cities, we find much that is
encouraging in other directions. The theatre^ like
Somb good exhibition of fashions, provides us With
the latest Parisian novelties and its company pos-
sesses a few. very valuable pemb^s*. . Kor: is the
1

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MUSICAL UF£ IN LEIBSIC

395.

church idle, though, with the means at its disposal,
liner things might be accomplished. But our concert
music stands at the inost brilliant summit of all. It
is well known that a worthy home for German music
has been secured in the now fifty-years*old Gewand-.
ha^B concerts, and that this institution accomplishes
more at present than it ever did before. With a
famous composer at. its head, the orchestra has
brought its virtuosfty to still greater perfection
during the last few years. It has probably no Ger-
man equal in its performance of symphonies, while
among its members many finished masters of the
several instruments are to be found. This year, too,
the direction made such satisfactory engagements
with vocalists, that we scarcely felt the absence of
the famous English singers who visited us last year.
Variety was never lost sight of, either, both in r^ard
to the selection of compositions and the appearances
of foreign or native artists.. We shall hrst allude to
the former, the more lasting, element of our concert
programmes; and again, as before, we find prefer-
ence given to works of the older classic schooU We
find Beethoven's name most frequent on the bills,
and, next to his, those of Mozart and Haydn* A
taiste 'for Weber, Cherubini, and Spohr, is manifest
Bach, Handel, and Gluck each appeared once, and
most frequently among the singers, the opposite ex-
tremes Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti ; nearly all dis-
tinguished Germail composers of the present day
were represented, such as Mar^chperi Schneider, Kalli«

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

woda, Onslow; though Lachner and L5we were

entirely, perhaps accidentally, missing. Finally, a
few compositions by hitherto unknown writers were
produced, and of these, as well as of the works
brought out in Leipsic for the first time this winter,
we shall first speak, though briefly and sketchily,
since we heard these works only once, and must
necessarily also mention others.

In the highest style of instrumental music, the
symphony, we heard three new works for the first
time, by Lindblad, Kittl, and Kalliwoda, of which
composers the first obtained the least, and the last
the most applause. The author of the first — already
published — composition is a Swede, who has often
been favourably ntentioned by us as a song com-
poser. I was able to study his work before hearing
it ; it contains much labour, order, and thought, and
possesses all those good, yet naodest qualities, which
the public is indifferent to. The foreign author cer-
tainly won the. sympathy of connoisseurs for bis
work; to obtain that of the public also, he only needs
to add certain qualities to those he already possesses,
which tact will enable him to do, without sacrificing
his artistic principles. The " Hunting Symphony,"
by Herr Kittl, a young Prague composer, displays a
more lively and sanguine temperament; it obtained
a popular success that increased with every move*
ment, as indeed every movement increased in effect.
The first is entitled Summons to, and oonmienoe*
ment of the Hunt;" the andante. is a " Rest from

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MUSICAL UFB m LEIPSIC.

Hunting,^* the scherzo is termed an " Encampment,"
followed by the End of the Chase." The subject
seems to bring with it, and the music certainly pes- ^
sesses, a thoroughly cheerful colouring, and the horns
rang out in a thoroughly sportsmanlike way. And
the composer has rendered himself still more accept-
able by such originality of style as is rarely betrayed
by young symphony writers, and whidi causes ns to
look forward with pleasure to his future symphonies,
when we hope to meet the merry hunter in another
sphere of feeling, if such a one is not too contraty to
his natural disposition. By the by, the symphony
will appear in print this very day*

We have already spoken, in a short notice, of the
pleasure Kalliwoda's Afth symphony afforded us ; it
is a peculiar one^ and in respect of tenderness and
charm, which it displays from b^finning to end,
quite unique in the symphonic world. Had the
composer intended to give us something like music
to *^ Undine,'* such qualities might have been ex-
pected ; but as he did not, we only prize his" sym-
phony the higher. How delightfully he has disap-
pointed us with this work ! We believed that this
composer, dwelling in a small retired place, had
grown indifferent to his own talent, and that he was
rusting in repose, when his symphony, especially in
its instrumentation, betrays the highly progressive
master, and leads us into one of those rarely entered
regions of imagination from which sprang the fairy
above mentioned 1 Then the four m^ovements accord

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MUSIC AND^MUSICIAKS.-

so perfectly with each other, that they seem to liave
been created in a single day ; and the symphony is
full of artistic, finely worlced out details^ Which the

master seems to have half connected from the ear, that
the eye might iirst become fully aware of them. We

m

greet in Kalliwoda'a still fresh and evergreen brahcH

of the German wood of poet»musicians; and we hope
to meet him soon again on tke.field where he .has
already sustained himself honourably on five occa*
sions. As he is a modest master, I shall relate the
following anecdote, too characteristic of him to be
forgotten, for the benefit of his future biographers!—
Only a few years ago, he took it into his head that
he did not yet know enough, so he addressed himself
to -a composer in Prague (Tomaschek), in order to
Obtain instruction from him in double counterpoint,
the fugue, &c; If any cne supposes the Prague
artist answered, " Teach me first to make such sym-
phonies as yours, and then you will be welcome to
all that I know,'' he is mistaken. The brothei" in
Apollo — as Beethoven often used to term his friends
among the chapelmasters— was quite willing to in*
struct, but demanded such enormous terms for doing
so, that the excellent conductor, whose income is not
large,, very properly withdrew, and went on ^mpos*
ing as before.. This pretty little story ought not-
to be overlooked by future biographers, as I said
before.

These were the three new S3miphonte»; weheatd*
the .same number of new overtures, one by Benedict

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MUSICXL LIFE IN LEIPSIC. 397

to "The Grpsy*s Warning,." to "The Genoese/' by
.Lindpaintner, and one by Julius Rtetz of Dilsseldorf.
The two first, which have been already printed, can-
not be regarded as art works of the first rank, but
•rather as theatrical overtures, such as are to be found
by the dozen, and. written wholly with an eye to
applause. But the third seems to me a work of con-
sequence, thoroughly German, highly artistic, almost
overladen with finished detail that cannot be appre-
ciated on a first . hearing ; in character, an orchestral
roniance, excellent to open a Shakesperean play.
The title, " Concert Overture," does not betray its
having been intended for any special subject, but we
have our suspicions about Shakespeare* We trust it
may soon be published ; it deserves to be so, more
than its sisters above mentioned ; indeed, compared
to these, it deserves to be printed on vellum.*

Our readers have already been informed that we
heard all the overtures which Beethoven wrote to
^ Fidelio/' performed on a Gewandhaus concert
evening; we then gladly recognised this great under-
.'taking on the part of our orchestra. For the further
information of our readers, respecting these overtures
and what concerns them, we may observe — that
performed on the. evening in question as No. i, has
already appeared in score, published by HasliAger of
Vienna^ with this note on the title page, " From the
posthumous .works; ".it is in C msgor, is the fitst
Beethoven ifxate X6 this opera, and ple^ised but little

* This U the overture^ sinoe putilithedi m A Major.

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

on Its first performance. That played as No, 2 fts
at present still in manuscript, in the possession of
Messrs Breitkopf & Haertel^ is also in Q and plainly
the ori^anal from which Beethoven afterwards worked
out his well-known great one (Na 3)» published in
score by Breitkopf & Haertal; the fourth is that
light one in E major, which is so often heard in
theatres. The different editors should agree to pub-
lish the four overtures in one volume ; for masters
and scholars such a work would be a memorable
example on one side of industry and conscientious-
ness, and on the other of the almost playful creative
and inventive power of this Beethoven, in whose
mind nature prodigally poured the gifts that she is
accustomed to distribute among a thousand. To the
multitude it is, of course, a matter of indifference that
Beethoven wrote four overtures to one opera, as it is
whether or not Rossini gives one overture to four
operas. But the artist should endeavour to follow
every trace that leads him to the more secret work-
shop of a master ; and that this may be facilitated,
since it is not possible to find an orchestra able and
willing to play all four overtures for him, I trust the
idea of a collective edition of them may be con-
sidered, and that I may not have expressed such a
wish in vain.*

Every one knows, from earlier reports, that, besides
old and new qrmphonies^ great concerted operatic
pieces, sacred choruses, and similar works were per*

* This wisk hat-bMii daoe fulfilled.

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MUSICAL LIFE IN LEIPSia 399

Tormed at the Gewandhaus concerts. And, first
among the interestiiig novelties, we must menticm a
composition by ChapelmasHer Ciielard, an overture^
the second act, and finale to his opera, The Her-
manns^schlacht" It is quite unnecessary to inform
any one, we should suppose, that this music was not
written for the concert-hall, and that its effects were
calculated for the stage» The instruments and voices
seemed almost smothered in this narrow space, and
the little concert-hall might have been compared to
an old Silbermann piano under the hands of a Liszt.
In the theatre, the opera would produce its proper
effect, and has already done so;, as we have been
informed by advices from Munich, where the entire
opera was performed. This composer's path in pro-
gress may be r^arded as quite interesting; he is a
reversed Meyerbeer, a French musician transplanted
to German ground, with an unmistakeable striving
towards deeper characteristics, and with a remarkable
talent for instrum^tation, as these fmgments clearly
proved. The overture, especially, contains a great
deal of originality and beauty. The composer con«
ducted the work himself, and was often greeted with
applause by the public As this amiable artist has
approached us more nearly aince his appointment to
Hummel s situation, we hope he will speedily give us
opportunities of becoming familiar with his works in
manywaya . -

Another novelty was the prayer, " Grant us peace^
in Thy mercy," by Mendelssohn, to words by Lutherjj

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VVSLC AND .MUSICIANS.

which was heard here for the first time oa the eve of
the Keformation festival;. a composition unique io its
beauty, of the effect of which it is scarcely possible to
form an idea from a mere reading of the score. The
composer wrote it during his residence in Rome^ to
which we owe several of his othei^ church, composi-*
tions. How I wished that our Gottschalk Wedel
could have heard this prayer. His article on the
** Transformation of Church Music " would have been
quite different. The little piece deserves, and will
attain, a universal iante; Raphael's and Murillo's
Madonnas cannot long remain concealed.

The same master gave us, on New Year's Day, a '
lately completed Psalm in larger form, to' the words
of the 114th, "When Israel went out of Egypt"
He who writes many works successively^ in the same
style, naturally suggests comparisons with himself*
And so it was here. Mendelssohn's beautiful older
Fsalm» As the hart pants^" was yet fresh in the
memory of all. There was some difference of opinion *
regarding the merits of the two works, but the majo-
rity of votes was for. the older one* .We point to
this as a proof that our public here, in spite of its
admiration, for the composer^ does not blindly admire
him. No one entertains any. doubt respecting the
special beauties of the new Psalm, though I cannot
deny that, ia regard to freshness .of invention (par-
ticularly in the latter half), it falls somewhat, behind
the other, and even reminds us of some things we have

fU^jSfiidy heard by Mendelssohn*. ... \ \^ :

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401

■ .And finally, the last concert introduced us to
another novelty in the shape of the overture, judg-
ment scene^ and finale, from Cherubini'3 " Les Aben-
cerrages/' which I was prevented from hearing. The
music must have been superb ; but no connoisseurs
acquainted with this master's music need to be told
this.

In gratitude, we must mention the artistes and
artists who embellished the Gewandhaus concerts
by their performances. Fraiilein Elise Meerti of
Antwerp was engaged as first songstress, Fraiilein
Sophie Schloss of Cologne ^as second. ^ The sym-
pathies of the public for the first-named lady in-
creased visibly with every evening ; she is not one of
those brilliant bravura singers who subdue* the public
on their very first appearance ; her good qualities are
only thoroughly appreciated after she has gradually,
revealed them in all their charm. When she first
arrived, she understood too little German to sing to
us in our own language, and, therefore^ her selections
were principally of the Italian and German-French
schools (Spontini, Meyerbeer, Dessauer). She sang
in German — a song by Mendelssohn — for the first
time in her farewell concert, and we shall remember
this more than all the rest, for it seemed to come
from the very depths of her soul ; indeed, there is
something essentially noble and modest in her voice
and performance. She left us at tl^e ea4 January,
to return again next winter, however, as we hear with
pleasure. After her departure, the other ^songstress.

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402 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

FraClein Schloss, was more frequently occupied; of
course she had been at first embarrassed by our— to
her — ^new public, as well as by tiie proximity of
Mdlle. Meerti, But now, without a competitor, pos-
sessed, as she certainly is, of a true concert bravura
voice, she made incredible progress in a short time.
Her intonation, which had been at first uncertain,
seemed to improve eveiy time she appeared, while
her execution gained in smoothness, and her voice in
power, until our public received her with continually
increasing favour, making full amends for its earlier
coldness. We believe that we do not err in predict-
ing a fine future career to this songstress, who is
industrious, still young, and appears, besides, to
possess a strong healthy constitution. We venture
to prophesy a not less brilliant future for another
artist, a violinist named Christopher Hil( who was
heard twice in the subscription concerts, and whose
execution appeared to us the most extraordinary
we had heard for some time. We had already
learned, through other papers, that he was born in
the little town of Elster in Saxony, and was by trade
a linen weaver ; for many years he played at dances,
&c., in taverns ; but, about a year and a half ago, with
his violin on. his shoulder, he turned towards Leipsic^
drawn thither by his irresistible love for music,
which, ever since his childhood, had led him to look
forward to this city as the shining goal of his
wanderings. And so he came here, rough and
unhewn as a block of marble, and awaited his

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MUSICAL LIFE IN LEIFSIC 403

destiny. He fell into the best hands, those of our
Concert-master David, who at once perceived that to
lay bare the inner beauty of this remarkable talent,
he needed only to remove the rough outside, and
that this must be executed with precaution, lest
injury should be done to the material. In the
2i£venth concert he allowed his pupil to try his
powers in the arena. Happy fellow I He seemed
not to feel one pulse of the fear that paralyses so
many other incipient or fading artists, who play as
though the sword of Damocles hung over them ; he
lost himself in the good violin that has so far helped
him through the world, and will, apparently, carry
him much further ; he did not seem to play from the
notes opened before him, but rather, freely out into
the public^ as it ought to be. He had selected De
Beriofs Swedish concerto, and in his powerful hands
the work seemed to gain in strength and sap, to the
great delight of all listeners, — though perhaps about
a hundred of them would have preferred to hear the
concerto played in a niore gallant and Parisian style;
but I haV6 rarely heard- such original freshness and
ndivetSy or such a vital tone. Did he but possess
talent for composition, he would soon be talked of
far and wide. I half believe that he must eventually
fall back on his own invention, for few published
compositions will suffice to such execution as his.
At a subsequent concert he played variations by
David with the same virtuosity, earning the same
brilliant success. We consider that the above ex*

404 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

tended descripton of this otherwise unassisted artist
is simply his due. We shall speak more briefly of
the many already famous artists, who appeared in
the subscription concerts^

Among foreign and non-resident artists we had
Madame Camilla Pleyel, Prume, Chapel-master Kal-^
Uwoda, Herr F. A. Kummer, violoncellist to the
Dresden orchestra, all of whom have been frequently
mentioned in our pages. Messrs, Tretbar and
Nehrlich, chamber musicians, one froni Brunswick,
the other Prussian, proved themselves excellent clario-
nette players; Messrs. Hausmann from Hanover,
and Berhhard Schneider from Dessau (a son of
Chapel - master Fred. Schneider), displayed their
powers as violoncellists. Hausmann is a talented
composer for his. instrument also; and the Saxbn'
chamber musician G. H. Kummer, though now more
than sixty years old, is still an admirable master
on the fagotto. All these artists were warmly re-
ceived, the three first mentioned were enthusiastically
applauded. On the other hand, we were all bored
by a violinist from Weimar. We also heard a few
other songstresses from other cities, such as Madame
Johanna Schmidt from Haile^ whose name is favottr**
ably known to our readers ; FrSlulein von Treffis fromr
Vienna, and Fraulein Augusta Loewe and Fraulein
Caspari from Berlin; among theses Fraulein Treffz
seemed to be the most gifted, musically, and Fraulein
Loewe possesses the best voice — if we may venture
to judge after only one or two heatings.

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MUSICAL UFB IN LXIPSIC. 40$

' Among artists residing here, besides our Madame
Schmidt (wife of :the operatic tenor), who gave us
some masterly performances, we heard Dr. Mendels-
sohn-Bartholdy in his G-minor concerto. Dr. Ferdi-
nand Hiller with him in Mozart's concerto for two
pianofortes (never heard here in public before), and
in Moscheles' " Hpmmage k Handel ; " Concert-
master David in variations and in a concerto ; the
above-named C. Hilf twice; C. Eckert, from Berlin
once (a pupil of Mendelssohn and Pavid, in a violin
concerto, displaying. industry and talents); and the
principal members of our orchestra, Queisser (trom-
bone), Uhlrich (violin), Grenser (flute), Haake (flute),
Heinze (clarionette), Grabau (vt6loncelIo), Diethe
(oboe), and Pfau (horn). Messrs. Pogner, Anschiitz,
and Weiske^ assisted in several vocal ensemble
pieces.

The concert for the benefit of the institute-fund
for old and invalid musicians^ gave us this winter, as
usual, very attractive selections ; amonsj them a
symphony by Weber, now flrst published, a fresh and
clear work of the master^s youth. Mendelssohn
• played his serenade and allegro enchantingly on the
same evening, and the otheir assistants, Madame
BUnau, Misses Meerti and Schloss, and Herr David,
also performed with remarkable anima.

At th^ concert for the poor of the city, F. Hillei^s
oratorio,' •The Destruction of Jerusaleift," was per-
formed, as I: hav.e already mentioned in a former
article* *

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MUSIC AND MUSICUNS.

By frequent study and comparison of the vocal and
orchestral pieces performed at the subscription con-
certs, we find that the direction is obliged to make out
its repertoire principally from old and frequently-heard
works; and it must necessarily do so, as there is an evi-
dent lack of new works suited to concert programmes^
especially of symphonies and vocal compositions.
We trust that our composers will not hear this said
in vain. We have wholly missed Berlioz from the
repertoire. It is true that only a few of his overtures
are printed ; but it would certainly not be difficult to
obtain one of his symphonies^— only a hint is wanting
for this. But he should no longer be absent from
our programmes. It will be as impossible to cause him
to be forgotten, by ignoring him, as to sink a histori-
cal fact in oblivion by passing it over* And the
hearing of his music is a positive necessity to all who
would obtain a correct judgment respecting the de-
velopment of modem music. The extra requirements
which his compositions demand should be obtained
by the Gewandhaus concert management, or else,
where these become too daring for us, tiiey might be
carefully simplified, and we enabled to gain at least
an idea of the principal pdnts.

And would that the idea of giving, in historical
concerts, a general view of different musical epochs^
might be again resumed in the year to come 1

Besides the Gewandhaus and Euterpe concerts,
we had, in the second half of the winter, six evening
entertainments, established by the direction of the

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MUSICAL LIFE IN LEIPSIC. 407

Geivandhaus concerts^ and which took the place of
the earlier Matthai and later David quartettes. Con-
curring, to a certain extent, with the wishes of the
public, the directors widened the former limits so far
as to admit large ensemble pieces and solos in these con-
cert programmes. And, to the further advantage of the
music and the listeners, the small antichamber in which
the quartettes were formerly played was abandoned,
and the large concert hall was used. The promise of
masterworks and performances always attracted a
large and select audience; it would be difficult to
£nd better things performed in a better manner.
Those who played in the quartette were Concert-
master David, Messrs. Klengel, Eckert, and Witt-
mann; the quartettes chosen were' by Mozart;
Haydn, Beethoven, Cherubini, Franz Schubert, and
Mendelssohn. Besides these, we had a nonette
and a double quartette by Spohr, an octette by
Mendelssohn, a quintette by Onslow, trios by
Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Hiller, *a double
sonata, and some other things of that kind, by
Mozart, Beethoven, and Spohr. Among these
pieces, those that were either new here, or that
had not yet been publicly performed among us,
were a trio, by Mendelssohn, for pianoforte, violin,
and violoncello, which was received most warmly;
an interesting youthful work, by Hiller, a trio that
has already been described in our paper ; and a rondo
k la Spagnuola for violin and pianoforte, by Spohr,
a very tender and impulsive miniature piece, that is

2 E

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408 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

already published Mendelssohn also played, with

his ever fresh mastership, Bach's chromatic fantasia
and fugue, as well as his iive-part fugue in C sharp
minor ; and Concert-master David gave us, in the most
admirable manner, accompanied by Mendelssohn, two
pieces— priceless as compositions— -from Bach's sonata
for violin alone,— the same of which it has been said
that " no other part could even be imagined to it," a
declaration which Mendelssohn contradicted in the
finest manner by surrounding the original with many
parts, so that it was a delight to listen.

We trust that these evening entertainments, con-
ducted by a truly artistic spirit, may be continued
next year. Singing was this time excluded. But an
occasional song would be gratefully listened to.

If we now consider the performances of the different
institutions devoted to our art which we possess, the
opera, the churches, the different societies not men-
tioned above, such as the Sing Academy conducted
by Dr. Pohlenz, the "Orpheus" under Oiganist
Geissler^s direction, the Liedertafel, the Pauliner
Singing Union, and others, our readers will probably
agree with us in what we said at the commencement,
of this article : that, in our little Leipsic, music, above
all, good German music, flourishes to such an extent
that it need not fear comparison with what is pro-
duced in the largest foreign cities. And may the
genius of music long keep watch over this little
comer of earth, once consecrated by the presence
of Bach, and now by that of the famous younger

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RULES AND MAXIMS*

master, who may, we trust, with all those who stand
near him, be preserved to us many year% for the

benefit of true art 1

RULES AND MAXIMS FOR YOUNG

MUSICIANS.

The cultivation of the ear is of the greatest im-
portance. Endeavour, in good time, to distinguish
tones and keys. The bell, the window-shutter, the
cuckoo — ^try to find out in what the sounds

these produce.

You must industriously practise scales and other
finger exercises. There are people, however, who
think they may attain to everything in doing this;
until a ripe age they daily practise mechanical
exercises for many hours. That is as reasonable as
trying to pronounce a b c quicker and quicker every
day. Make a better use of your time.

*' Dumb key-boards " have been invented ; practise
. on them for a while, in order to see that they lead to
nothing. We cannot learn to speak from dumb
people.

Play in timel The playing of some virtuosos

resembles the walk of a drunken man. Do not make
such your models,

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410 MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Learn the fundamental laws of harmony at an
early age.

Do not be afraid of the words^ theory, thorough-
bass, counterpoint, &c.; they will appear friendly
enough to you when you are familiar with them.

Never strum t Play carefully always^ and never
try a piece half through,

"1>ragging and hurr^^ing are equally great faults.

Try to play easy pieces well ; it is better than to
play difficult ones in a mediocre style.

Take care that your instrument is always in
perfect tune.

It is not enough to know your pieces with your
fingers j you should be able to remember them, to
yourself, without a pianoforte. Sharpen your powers
of fancy, so that you may be able to remember
correctly, not only the melody of a composition, but
its proper harmonies also.

Try to sing at sight, without the help of an instru-
ment, even if yon have but little voice ; your ear will

thereby gain in fineness. But, if you possess a
powerful voice, do not lose a moment, but cultivate
it immediately, and look on it as the best gift
Heaven has bestowed on you.

You should be able to understand a piece of music
merely on reading it.

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411

When you play, do not trouble yourself as to who
is listening.

Yet always play as though a master listened to
you.

If any one places a composition, with which you

are unacquainted, before you, in order that you
should play it^ read it over first

If you have finished your daily musical work, and
feel tired, do not force yourself to further labour. It
is better to rest than to practise without pleasure or
freshness.

When you are older, avoid playing what is merely
fashionable. Time is precious. If we would learn to
know only the good things that exist, we ought to

live a hundred human lives.

No children can be brought up to healthy man-
hood on sweetmeats and pastry. Spiritual, like
bodily nourishment, must be simple and strong.
The masters have suffidently provided for this;
hold to it.

Executive passages alter with the times ; flexibility
is only valuable when it serves high aims.

You should not aid in the circulation of bad
compositions, but, on the contrary, in their sup-
pression, and^ith all your powers.

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

You should never play bad compositions, and
never listen to them when not absolutely forced to

do so.

Do not try to attain mere technical facility, the so-
called bravura* Try to produce the same impression
with a composition, as that which the composer
aimed at; no one should attempt more; anything
beyond it is mere caricature

Look upon the alteration or omission of anything,
or the introduction of modem ornaments, in the

works of good composers, as a contemptible impertin-
ence This is perhaps the greatest injury that can
be offered to art

Question older artists about the choice of pieces
for study ; you will thus save much time.

You must gradually learn to know all the most
remarkable works by all the most remarkable
masters.

Do not be led astray by the applause bestowed
on great virtuosos. The applause of an artist should

be dearer to you than that of the masses.

All that is fashionable again becomes unfashion-
able ; and if you cultivate fashion until you are old,
you will become an imbecile* whom^o one can
respect.

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RULES AND MAXIMS. 413

Playing in society is more injurious than useful
Study your audience; but never play anything of
which you feel ashamed in your own heart

Lose no opportunity of playing music, duos, trios,
&C., with others* This will make your playing
broader and more flowing. Accompany singers

often.

If all were determined to play the first violin, we
should never have a complete orchestra. Therefore
respect every musician in his proper place.

Love your instrument, but do not vainly suppose
it the highest and only one. Remember that there
are others equally fine. Remember also, that there
are singers ; and that the highest expression possible
to music, is reached by chorus and orchestra.

As you grow older, converse more with scores
than with virtuosos.

Practise industriously the fugues of good masters;

above all, those of J. S. Bach.

The "well-tempered pianoforte" should be your
daily bread. You will then certainly become an
able musician.

Seek, among your comrade3» for those who know

more than you da

Rest from your musical studies by industriously
reading the^oets. Exercise often in the open air 1

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MUSIC AND IfUSICIANS.

A great deal is to be learned from singers and
soQgstiessea. But do not believe eveiything they
tell you.

People live on the other side of the mountain too.
Be modest I You never thought of or invented
anything that others had not already thought of or
invented before you. And even if you had done so,
you should consider it a gift from above, which you
ought to share with others.

The study of the history of music, and the hearing
of masterworks of different epochs, will most speedily
cure you of vanity and self-adoration,

Thibaut's work " On the Purity of the Tone-art " is
a tine book about music. Read it frequently when
you are older.

If you pass a church while the organ is being
played, go in and listen. If you long to sit on the
organ-bench yourself, try your little fingers, and
wonder at this great musical power.

Lose no opportunity of practising on the organ;
there is no instrument that so quickly revenges itself

on anything unclear or impure in composition or
playing as the organ.

Sing in choruses industriously, especially the

middle voices. This will make you a good reader,
and intelligent as a musician.

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RULES AND MAXIMS. 415

What is it to be intelligently musical ? You are
'not so when, with eyes painfully fastened on the
notes, you laboriously play a piece through; you
are not so when you stop short and find it im-
possible to proceed, because some one has turned
over two pages at once. But you are so when, in
pla3ring a new piece^ you almost foresee what is
coming, when you play an old one by heart; in
short, when you have taken music not only into your
fingers, but into your head and heart

■ How may we become musical in that sense?
Dear child, the principal requisites, a fine ear and a
swift power of comprehension, come, like all things,
from above. But this foundation must be improved
and increased. You cannot do this by shutting
yourself up all day like a hermit, and practising
mechanical exercises, but through a vital, many-
sided musical activity, and especially tlirough famili-
arity with chorus and orchestra.

You should early understand the compass of the

human voice in its four principal kinds ; listen to
these in the chorus, try to discover in which intervals
their principal strength lies, and in which they best

express softness and tenderness.

Listen attentively to all folk songs ; these are a
treasure of lovely melodies, and will teach you the
characteristics of different nations.

Practise reading in the old clefsi at an early age

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4l6 MUSIC AND MUSICIAK&

Else many precious relics of the past will remain
unknown to you.

Observe the tone and character of the different
instruments; txy to impress their peculiar tone-
colours on your ear*

Never omit hearing a good opera.

Honour the old, but bring a warm heart to what

is new. Do not be prejudiced against unknown
names.

Do not judge a composition on a &rst hearing of it ;
that which pleases most at first is not always the

best. Masters must be studied. Many things will
only become clear to you when you are old.

In judging compositions, make a di^nction be*

tween them, as to whether they belong to art, or
merely serve as the entertainment of amateurs.
Stand up for the first I But it is not w<^h while to

grow angry abotit the others.

" Melody " is the amateur's war-cry, and certainly
music without melody is no music. Therefore you
must understand what amateurs fancy the word
means ; anything easily, rhythmically pleasing. But
there are melodies of a very different stamps and
every time you open Bach, Beethoven, Mozart; &c.,
they will smile out at you in a thousand different
ways; yon will soon weary, if you know these^ of the
faded monotony of modern Italian opera melodies.

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KULES AND MAXIMS. 417

It Is a pleasant sign if you can pick out pretty
melodies on the key-board ; but if such come to yoa
unsougfhty and not at the pianoforte, rejoice, for it
proves that the inward sense of tone pulsates within
you. Fingers must do what the head wills; not the
reverse.

When you b^n to compose, do it all with your

brain. Do not try the piece at the instrument until
it is ^nished. If your music proceeds from your heart
it mil touch the hearts of others.

If heaven has gifted you with lively imagination,
you will often, in lonely hours, sit as though spell-
bound, at the pianoforte, seeking to express the
harmony that dwells within your mind; and the
more unclear the domain of harmony is yet to you,
the more mysteriously you will feel yourself attracted,
as if into a magic circle. These are the happiest
hours of youth. But beware of giving yourself up,
too often, to a talent that will lead you to waste
strength and time on shadow pictures. You will
only obtain mastery of form and the power of clear
construction through the firm outlines of the pen.
Write more than you improvise therefore.

You should early learn to conduct ; observe good
conductors; when alone, practise conducting occa-
sionally. This will help you in becoming clear
r^arding the compositions you are studying.

Closely observe life as well as the other arts and
sciences.

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MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

The laws of morali^ are also the laws of art

You are certain to rise through industry and per«
severance*

•

From a pound of iron, that costs only a few pence,

many thousand watch-springs, the value of which
runs into the hundreds of thousands, may be made.
Faithfully use the pound heaven has - entrusted to
you.

Without enthusiasm you will never accomplish
an3rthing correctly in art.

Art is not a means of amassing wealth. Become a
continually greater artist; the rest will happen of
itself.

Your mind will only become clear when form has
become clear to you. *

Only genius wholly understands genius.

Some one has said that a perfect musician should
be able to ims^ne a complicated ordiestral work,
which he listens to for the first time, in the written
score before hinu This is the most complete musi-
cianship that can be supposed possible.

Study is unending.

niKTBD BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO.
BOINBVRCIf AND LONOOK

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1HE UMVRSnY OF iMKMGAN

^iv. of Mjj

APR 1 8 2008

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIQAN

3 0015 06606 9256