LIBRARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS EDITED BY A. EAGLEFIELD HULL MUS. DOC. (OXON) BEETHOVEN LIBRARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS EDITED BY A. EAGLEFIELD HULL, Mus. Doc. (Oxon). Crown 8vo. Occasionally Illustrated HANDEL. By ROMAIN ROLLAND. SCRIABIN. By the EDITOR. BEETHOVEN. By ROMAIN ROLLAND. BACH. By the EDITOR. (Shortly). MUSSORGSKY. By M. P. CALVOCORESSI. (Shortly). BRITISH COMPOSERS. (First Series) By the EDITOR. EARLY FRENCH COMPOSERS. BY MARY HARGRAVE i BEETHOVEN AT THE AGE OF 21. (From a Miniature by Gerhard von Kiigelgen.) Frontispiece.] & a ^"BEETHOVEN BV ROMAIN ROLLAND TRANSLATED BY B. CONSTANCE HULL WITH A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF THE SONATAS, THE SYMPHONIES, AND THE QUARTETS BY A. EAGLEFIELD HULL WITH 24 MUSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND 4 PLATES and an Introduction by EDWARD CARPENTER, Author of Towards Democracy, &c. THIRD EDITION (REVISED) LONDON KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER AND CO., LTD. BROADWAY HOUSE, 68-74 CARTER LANE, E.C. 1919 /f/0 f 19 PREFACE " / want to prove that whoever acts rightly and nobly, can by that alone bear misfortune " BEETHOVEN (To the Municipality of Vienna, Feb. I, 1819.) THE air is heavy around us. The world is stifled by a thick and vitiated atmosphere an undigni- fied materialism which weighs on the mind and heart hindering the work of governments and individuals alike. We are being suffocated. Let us throw open the windows that God's free air may come in, and that we may breathe the breath of heroes. Life is stern. It is a daily battle for those not content with an unattractive mediocrity of soul. And a sad battle it is, too, for many a combat without grandeur, without happiness, fought in solitude and silence. Weighed down by poverty and domestic cares, by excessive and senseless tasks which waste the strength to no purpose, without a gleam of hope, many souls are separated from each other, without even the con- Vi PREFACE solation of holding out a hand to their brothers in misfortune who ignore them and are ignored by them. They are forced to rely on themselves alone; and there are moments when even the strongest give way under their burden of trouble. They call out for a friend. Let them then gather around themselves the heroic friends of the past the great souls who suffered for the good of universal humanity. The lives of great men are not written for the proud or for the ambitious ; they are dedicated rather to the unhappy. And who really is not ? To those who suffer, we offer the balm of their sacred sufferings. No one is alone in the fight. The darkness of the world is made clear by the guiding light of the souls of the heroes. I do not give the name hero to those who have triumphed by infinite thought or by sheer physical strength but only to those made great by goodness of heart. Beethoven wrote, " I recog- nise no sign of superiority in mankind other than goodness." Where the character is not great, there is no great man, there is not even a great artist, nor a great man of action ; there are only idols unearthed for the cheap and short-lived applause of the multitude ; time will efface them altogether. Outward success matters little. The only thing is to be great, not to appear so. PREFACE Vii The lives of the great heroes were lives of one long martyrdom ; a tragic destiny willed their souls to be forged on the anvil of physical and moral grief, of misery and ill-health. They were made great through their misfortune. Because these mighty souls complained little of their unhappi- ness, the best of humanity is with them. Let us gather courage from them; for torrents of quiet strength and inspiring goodness issued from their great hearts. Without even consulting their works or hearing their voices, we read in their eyes the secret of their lives that v it is good to have been in trouble, for thence the character acquires even more greatness, happiness and fruition. The strong and pure Beethoven himself hoped in the midst of his sufferings that his example would give help to other unfortunate ones " that the unhappy being may be consoled in find- ing another as unfortunate as himself, who in face of all obstacles has done everything possible to be- come worthy of the name, MAN." After years of battling with almost superhuman efforts to rise superior to his sufferings and accomplish his life's work to breathe a little more courage into poor weak humanity, this conquering Prometheus oh- viil PREFACE served to a friend who called too much on God, " O man, help thyself! " May we be inspired by his noble words. Ani-" mated by the example of this man's faith in life and his quiet confidence in himself, let us again take heart. ROMAIN HOLLAND. INTRODUCTION By EDWARD CARPENTER IT is not very generally recognised that Beethoven was not only a great musician, but a great leader and teacher. He freed the human spirit from in- numerable petty bonds and conventions, he re- corded the profoundest experiences of life, and gave form and utterance to emotions hardly guessed certainly not definitely expressed before his time. Personally I feel I owe much more to Beethoven in these respects than I do to Shake- speare : and though this, of course, may be a pure- ly personal or accidental matter, yet I mention it in order to show that the music of such a man has, after all, the closest bearing on actual life. M. Romain R.olland in his excellent little study has brought this prophetic and inspiring quality of Beethoven's life and music out very strongly. He has traced the tragedy of Beethoven's life and experience, and its culmination in a kind of libera- tion of his spirit from the bonds of mortality; he X INTRODUCTION has shown how this connects up with the com- poser's strong sentiment of democracy and sym- pathy with the suffering masses; and how it leads to the utterance of that strange sense of joy which penetrates and suffuses his later work. In all these respects M. Rolland regards Beethoven as one of the greatest benefactors of humanity. On the other hand our author builds in the pic- ture of Beethoven's life and character with a great number of small touches derived from all sorts of writers and biographers and so succeeds in giving a life-like impression of his personality. EDWARD CARPENTER. As bearing on the subject of M. Remain Rol- land's book, Mr. Carpenter has kindly given per- mission to insert the following few extracts from his own book, " Angels' Wings.' 1 " Everything conspired in Beethoven to make his utterance authentic, strong, unqualified like a gushing spring which leaps from the inaccessible depths of the mountain. His solitary habits kept his mind clear from the mud and sediment which the market-place and the forum mistake for thought; his deafness coming on at so early an age (twenty-eight), increased this effect, it left him fancy-free in the world of music; Wagner even mentions the excessive thickness of his skull (as- INTRODUCTION xi certained long after his death), as suggesting the special isolation of his brain. From a boy Beet- hoven was a great reader. He fed his mind in his own way. Unlike the musicians who went before him, he could brook no dependence upon condescending nobilities. He was not going to be a Court fool The man who could rush into the courtyard of his really sincere friend and ' patron/ Prince Lobkowitz, and shout ' Lobkowiitz donkey, Lobkowitz donkey,' for all the valets and chamber- maids to hear ; or who could leave his humble lodg- ings because the over-polite landlord of the house would insist on doffing his hat each time they passed on the stairs; must have had 'something of the devil in him ! ' (This was the verdict of Hummel, Vogler, Gelinck, and others when they first heard him improvise on his arrival at Vienna). In politics, in a quite general way, he evolved .radicalism or republicanism as his creed ; in re- ligion, though nominally a Catholic, he was quite informal. A pantheist one might perhaps call him, or a mystic after Eckhardt and Tauler. Finally, one may mention, as an indication of the great range and strength of his personality, its exceed- ingly slow growth. While Mozart at the age of twenty-three had written a great number of Operas, Symphonies, Cantatas and Masses many of them of quite mature character Beethoven at the same xii INTRODUCTION age had little or nothing to show. His first Sym- phony and his Septett, which he always looked back upon as childish productions, were not written till about the age of twenty-seven; and his first great Symphony (the Eroica) not till he was thirty- two." Angels' Wings, pp. 141-2. " Beethoven came at the culmination of a long line of musical tradition. He also came at a mo- ment when the foundations of society were break- ing away for the preparation of something new. His great strength lay in the fact that he united the old and the new. He was epic and dramatic, and held firmly to the accepted outlines and broad evolution of his art, like the musicians who went before him; he was lyrical, like those who followed, and uttered to the full his own vast individuality. And so (like the greatest artists) he transformed rather than shattered the traditions into which he was born. " Beethoven was always trying to express him- self ; yet not, be it said, so much any little phase of himself or of his feelings, as the total of his life-experience. He was always trying to reach down and get the fullest, deepest utterance of which his subject in hand was capable, and to relate it to the rest of his experience. But being such as he was, and a master-spirit of his age, when he reached into himself for his own expression, he reached to INTRODUCTION Xlii the expression also of others to the expression of all the thoughts and feelings of that wonderful re- volutionary time, seething with the legacy of the past and germinal with the hopes and aspirations of the future. Music came to him rich already with gathered voices; but he enlarged its language beyond all precedent for the needs of a new hu- manity." Ibid, pp. 146-7. " Bettina Brentano, writing to Goethe of Beet- hoven, says : ' I am, indeed, only a child, but I am not on that account wrong in saying (what perhaps no one yet perceives and believes) that he far sur- passes the measure of other men. Shall we ever attain to him ? I doubt it. May he but live till the lofty problem of his spirit be fully solved; let him but reach his highest aim, and he will put into our hands the key to a glorious knowledge which shall bring us a stage nearer to true blessed- ness. . . He said himself, " I have no friend, I must live alone; but I know that in my heart God is nearer to me than to others. I approach him without fear, I have always known him. Neither am I anxious about my music, which no adverse fate can overtake, and which will free him who understands it from the misery which afflicts others." ' 11 These are wonderful words which are put into Beethoven's mouth. Though their authenticity XIV INTRODUCTION has been doubted, it is difficult, almost impossible, to suppose that the ' child ' or any one else in- vented them. On the other hand, they agree strangely with those authentic words of his already quoted, ' Every day I come nearer to the object which I can feel though I cannot describe it.' " Beethoven is the prophet of the new era which the nineteenth century ushers in for mankind. As things must be felt before they can be acted out; so they may be expressed in the indefinite emo- tional forms of music, before they can be uttered and definitely imaged forth in words or pictorial shapes. Beethoven is the forerunner of Shelley and Whitman among the poets, of J. W. Turner and J. F. Millet among the painters. He is the great poet who holds Nature by the one hand and Man by the other. Within that low-statured, rudely-outlined figure which a century ago walked hatless through the fields near Modling or sat oblivious in some shabby restaurant at Vienna, dwelt an emotional giant a being who though his outer life by deafness, disease, business-worries, poverty, was shattered as it were into a thousand squalid fragments in his great heart embraced all mankind, with piercing insight penetrated intel- lectually through all falsehoods to the truth, and already in his art-work gave outline to the re- ligious, the human, the democratic yearnings, the INTRODUCTION XV loves, the comradeship, the daring individualities, and all the heights and depths of feeling of a new dawning era of society. He was in fact, and he gave utterance to, a new type of Man. What that struggle must have been between his inner and outer conditions of his real self with the lonely and mean surroundings in which it was embodied we only know through his music. When we listen to it we can understand the world-old tradi- tion that now and then a divine creature from far heavens takes mortal form and suffers in order that it may embrace and redeem mankind." Ibid, pp. 205-7. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE - v INTRODUCTION by Edward Carpenter - - ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - xix His LIFE - .... i His WILL - 5.7 His LETTERS To Carl Amenda - 65 To Fraulein Gerardi . - 68 To Frl. Eleonore von Breuning 69 To Dr. Wegeler - 7 2 I, M ..... 78 To Capellmeister Hofmeister - - - 81 Wegeler and Eleonore von Breuning to Beethoven 84 To Dr. Wegeler - 91 To Sir George Smart in London - - 92 ? ) ~ " " " 93 Schindler to Messrs. Schott ? 96 xvij XV111 CONTENTS PAGE THOUGHTS * . ..... IOI His WORKS (By the Editor) The Symphonies ...... IO g The Piano Sonatas - . * * - * ^The Piano and Violin Sonatas .' - 169 The String Quartets - - . -179 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . - 195 CLASSIFICATION OF PIANO SONATAS - . . 209 COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS - - . -213 INDEX .... 239 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. BEETHOVEN AT THE AGE OF 21 - Frontispiece From a miniature by Gerhard von Kiigelgen. 2. BEETHOVEN IN 1818 - - > facing p. 40 From a painting by Kloeber. 3. BEETHOVEN - ,, 64 From an engraving by Blasius Hoefel after the drawing by Louis Le- tronne, 1814. 4. PAGE OF AUTOGRAPH OF MOON- LIGHT SONATA IN BEETHOVEN HOUSE AT BONN ... 100 BEETHOVEN Woltucn, wo man kann Freiheit iiber alles lieben, Wahrheit nie, auch sogar am Throne nicht verleugnen. Beethoven (Album-leaf, 17S2) To do all the good one can, To love liberty above everything-, And even if it be for a kingdom, Never to betray truth. HIS LIFE HE was short and thick set, broad shouldered and of athletic build. A big face, ruddy in complexion except towards the end of his life, when his colour became sickly and yellow, especially in the winter after he had been remaining indoors far from the fields. He had a massive and rugged forehead, extremely black and extraordinarily thick hair through which it seemed the comb had never passed, for it was always very rumpled, veritable bristling " serpents of Medusa." 1 His eyes shone 1 J. Russell (1822). Charles Czerny who, when a child, saw him in 1801 with a beard of several days' growth, hair bristling, wearing a waistcoat and trousers of goats' wool, thought he had met Robinson Crusoe. B 2 BEETHOVEN with prodigious force. It was one of the chief things one noticed on first encountering him, but many were mistaken in their colour. When they shone out in dark splendour from a sad and tragic visage, they generally appeared black ; but they were really a bluish grey. 1 Small and very deep- set, they flashed fiercely in moments of passion or warmth, and dilated in a peculiar way under the influence of inspiration, reflecting his thoughts with a marvellous exactness. 2 Often they inclined up- wards with a melancholy expression. His nose was short and broad with the nostrils of a lion ; the mouth refined, with the lower lip somewhat promi- nent. He had very strong jaws, which would easily break nuts, a large indentation in his chin imparted a curious irregularity to the face. " He had a charming smile," said Moscheles, " and in conversation a manner often lovable and inviting confidence ; on the other hand his laugh was most disagreeable, loud, discordant and strident " the laugh of a man unused to happiness. His usual expression was one of melancholy. Rellstab in 1825 said that he had to summon up all his courage to prevent himself from breaking into tears when he looked into Beethoven's " tender eyes with their speaking sadness." Braun von Braunthal met him in an inn a year later. Beethoven was sitting 1 The painter Kloeber's remark, when he painted his portrait about 1818. 2 Dr. W. C. Miiller observed particularly " his fine eloquent eyes sometimes so kind and tender, at other times so wild, threatening and awe inspiring " (1820). HIS LIFE 3 in a corner with closed eyes, smoking a long pipe a habit which grew on him more and more as he approached death. A friend spoke to him. He smiled sadly, drew from his pocket a little note- tablet, and in a thin voice which frequently sounded cracked notes, asked him to write down his request. His face would frequently become suddenly transfigured, maybe in the access of sudden inspiration which seized him at random, even in the street, filling the passers-by with amazement, or it might be when great thoughts came to him suddenly, when seated at the piano. " The muscles of his face would stand out, his veins would swell ; his wild eyes would become doubly terrible. His lips trembled, he had the manner of a wizard controlling the demons which he had invoked." " A Shakespearean visage ' King Lear 1 ' " so Sir Julius Benedict described it. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN was born on Decem- ber i6th, 1770, in a little bare attic of a humble dwelling at Bonn, a small University town on the Rhine near Cologne. He came of Flemish l Kloeber said " Ossian's." All these details are taken from notes of Beethoven's friends, or from travellers who saw him, such as Czerny, Moscheles, Kloeber, Daniel Amadeus Atterbohm, W. C. Muller, J. Russell, Julius Benedict, Rochlitz, etc. 4 BEETHOVEN origin. 1 His father was an illiterate and lazy tenor singer a " good-for-nothing fellow " and a confirmed drunkard. His mother was the daugh- ter of a cook. She had been a maidservant and by her first marriage was the widow of a valet de chambre. Unlike the more fortunate Mozart, Beethoven spent an unhappy childhood devoid of domestic comfort. From his earliest years life was for him a sad, even a brutal, fight for existence. His father wished to exploit the boy's musical talents and to turn him to lucrative purposes as a prodigy. At the age of four he compelled the boy to practise on the harpsichord for hours together and he shut him up alone with the violin, forcing him to work in this way. It is astonishing that the boy was not completely disgusted with music, for the father persisted in this treatment for many years, often resorting to actual violence. Beethoven's youth was saddened by the care and anxiety of earning his daily bread by tasks far too burdensome for his age. When he was eleven years old he was placed in the theatre orchestra; at thirteen he be- came an organist of the chapel. In 1787 he lost his mother whom he adored. " She was so 1 His grandfather, Ludwig, the most remarkable man of the family and whom Beethoven most resembled, was born at Ant- werp, and only settled at Bonn in his twentieth year when he became choir master to the Prince Elector. \Ve must not forget this fact to understand properly the passionate inde- pendence of Beethoven's nature and so many other traits which are not really German in his character. HIS LIFE -5 good to me, so worthy of love, the best friend I had ! How happy was I when I could utter that dear name of mother and she could hear it!" 1 She died of consumption and Beethoven believed himself to be affected with the same complaint. Already he suffered continually, and a depression of spirits even more terrible than the physical pain hung over him always. 2 When he was seventeen he was practically the head of the family and re- sponsible for the education of his two younger brothers. He suffered the humiliation of being obliged to beg for a pension for his father, that his father's pension should be paid to himself, as the father only squandered it in drink. & These sad experiences made a profound impression on the youth. However, he found great affection and sympathy from a family in Bonn who always remained very dear to him the Breuning family. The gentle " Lorchen," Eleonore von Breuning, was two years younger than Beethoven. He taught her music and she initiated him into the charms of poetry. She was the companion of his youth and there may have been between them a still more tender sentiment. Later on Eleonore married Dr. Wegeler, one of Beethoven's best friends; and up to Beethoven's last day there ex- isted between the three a deep, steady friendship, amply proven by the regular and loving epistles of 1 Letter to Dr. Schade at Augsburg, i$th September, 1787. 2 Later on, in 1816, he said : " He is a poor man who does not know how to die! I myself knew, when I was but fifteen." 6 BEETHOVEN Wegeler and Eleonore, and those of their old faithful friend (alter treuer Freund) to the dear good Wegeler (guter lieber Wegeler). These friendly bonds became all the more touching as old age crept on all three, and still their hearts remained warm. 1 Beethoven also found a safe guide and good friend in Christian Gottlob Neefe, his music master, whose high moral character had no less influence on the young musician than did his broad and his intelligent, artistic views. Sad as was the childhood of Beethoven, he always treasured a tender and melancholy memory of the places where it was spent. Though com- pelled to leave Bonn, and destined to spend nearly the whole of his life in the frivilous city of Vienna with its dull environs, he never forgot the beautiful Rhine valley and the majestic river. " Unser Vater Rhine " (our father Rhine) as he called it, was to him almost human in its sympathy, being like some gigantic soul whose deep thoughts are beyond all human reckoning. No part is more beautiful, more powerful, more calm, than that part where the river caresses the shady and flowered slopes of the old University city of Bonn. There Beethoven spent the first twenty years of his life. There the dreams of his waking heart were born in the fields, which slope languishingly down to the water side, with their l We quote from several of these letters in a later part of the book, pages 65, et seq. HIS LIFE 7 mist-capped poplars, their bushes and their wil- lows and the fruit trees whose roots are steeped in the rapid silent stream. And all along lying gently on the banks, strangely soft, are towns, churches, and even cemeteries, whilst away on the horizon the blue tints of the Seven Mountains show in wild jagged edges against the sky, form- ing a striking background to the graceful, slender, dream-like silhouettes of old ruined castles. His heart remained ever faithful to the beautiful, natural surroundings of his childhood, and until his very last moment he dreamt of seeing these scenes once again. " My native land, the beauti- ful country where I first saw the light of day ; it is always as clear and as beautiful in my eyes as when I left it." 1 He never saw it again. In November, 1792, Beethoven removed to Vienna, the musical metropolis of Germany. 2 The Revolution had broken out. It threatened to spread over the whole of Europe. Beethoven left Bonn just at the moment when the war l To Wegeler, agth June, 1801. 3 He had already made a short stay there, in the spring of 1787. On that occasion he met Mozart who, however, took little notice of him. Haydn, whose acquaintance he made at Bonn in December, 1790, gave him some lessons. Beethoven also had for masters, Albrechtsberger and Salieri. The first- named taught him Counterpoint and Fugue, the second trained him in vocal writing. 8 BEETHOVEN reached it. On his way to Vienna he passed the Hessian armies marching to France. In 1796 and 1797 he set the war poems of Friedberg to music : a Song of Farewell, and a patriotic chorus ; Ein grosses deutches Volk sind wir (A great German people are we). But it was in vain that he sang of the enemies of the Revolution ; the Revolution overcame the world and Beethoven with it. From 1798, in spite of the strained re- lations between Austria and France, Beethoven became closely connected with the French, with the Embassy and General Bernadotte, who had just arrived in Vienna. In this intercourse strong republican sympathies showed themselves in Beeth- oven, and these feelings became stronger and stronger with time. A sketch which Steinhauser made of him at this time gives a good idea of his general appearance at this period. This portrait of Beethoven is to later ones what Guerin's portrait of Napoleon is to the other effigies. Guerin's face is rugged, almost savage, and wasted with ambition. Beethoven looks very young for his age, thin and straight, very stiff in his high cravat, a defiant, strained look in his eyes; he knows his own worth and is confident of his power. In 1796 he wrote in his notebook, "Courage! in spite of all my bodily weakness my genius shall yet triumph. . . . Twenty-five years ! that is my age now. . . . This very year the man I am, must reveal himself en- HIS LIFE 9 tirely." 1 Both Madame von Bernhard and Gelinck say that he was extremely proud with rough and clumsy ways and spoke with a strong provincial accent. Only his intimate friends knew what exquisite talent lay hidden under this rough exterior. Writing to Wegeler about his suc- cesses, the first thought that springs to his mind is the following : " for example, I meet a friend in need; if my purse does not allow me to help him at once, I have only to go to my work table, and in a short time I have removed his trouble. . . See how charming it is to do this." 2 And a little further on, he says : " My art shall be devoted to no other object than the relief of the poor " (Dann soil meine Kunst sich nur zum Besten der Armen zeigeri). Trouble was already knocking at the door; it entered never more to leave him. Between 1796 ,> and 1800, deafness began its sad work. He suf- fered from continual singing and humming in his ears. 8 His hearing became gradually weaker. 1 It can hardly be called his dbut, for his first Concert in Vienna had taken place on 3oth March, 1795. * To Wegeler, agth June, 1801 (Nohl 14). " None of my friends shall \vant whilst I have anything," he wrote to Ries about 1801. 3 In his Will and Testament of 1802, Beethoven says that his deafness first appeared six years before very likely in 1796. Le us notice in passing that in the catalogue of his works, Opus one alone (Three Trios) was written before 1796. Opus 2, the first three Piano Sonatas appeared in March, 1796. It may, / therefore, be said that the whole of Beethoven's work is that of '/ a deaf man. See the article on Beethoven's deafness by Dr. Klotz Forest 10 BEETHOVEN For several years he kept the secret to himself, even from his dearest friends. He avoided com- pany, so that his infliction should not be noticed. But in 1801 he can no longer remain silent; and in his despair he confides in two of his friends, Dr. Wegeler and Pastor Amenda. " My dear, good, loving Amenda, how often have I longed to have you near me ! Your Beethoven is very un- happy. You must know that the best part of me, my hearing, has become very weak. Even at the time when we were together I was aware of distressing symptoms which I kept to myself; but my condition is now much worse Can I ever be cured? Naturally I hope so; but my hopes are very faint, for such maladies are the least hopeful of all. How sad my life is ! For I am obliged to avoid all those I love and all that are dear to me; and all this in a world so miserable and so selfish ! . . . . How sad is this resignation in which I take refuge ! Of course I have steeled in the " Medical Chronicle " of i5th May, 1905. The writer of the article believes that the complaint had its origin in a general hereditary affliction (perhaps in the phthisis of his mother). The deafness increased without ever becoming total. Beethoven heard low sounds better than high ones. In his last years it is vnid that he used a wooden rod, one end of which was placed in the piano sound-box, the other between his teeth. He used this means of hearing, when he composed. (On the same question see C. G. Cunn : Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift, February-March, 1892 ; Nagel : Die Musik March, 1902); Theodor von Frimmel : Der Merker, July, 1912). There are preserved in the Beethoven museum at Bonn the ticoustical instruments made for Beethoven, about 1814, by the mechanician Maelzel. HIS LIFE II myself to rise above all these misfortunes. But how is this going to be possible? 1 . . . ." And to Wegeler : "....! lead a miserable life indeed. For the last two years I have completely avoided all society, for I cannot talk with in}- fellow-men. I am deaf. Had rny profession been any other, things might still be bearable; hut as it. is, my situation is terrible. What will my enemies say ? And they are not few ! .... At the theatre I always have to be quid* near the orchestra in order to understand the actor. 1 cannot hear the high notes of the instruments or the voices, if I am but a little distance off. .... When anyone speaks quietly I only hear with difficulty, .... On the other hand. 1 find it unbearable when people shout to me. .... Often \ have cursed my very existence. Pin larch has guided me to a spirit of resignation. U it be possible at all, T will courageously bear with my fate ; but there are moments, IP my life when 1 feel the most miserable of all God's creatures. . . . Resignation ! What a sorry refuge ! And yet it is the only one left to me! 1 ;, This tragic sadness is expressed in some of the works of this period, in the Sonate pathetique Op. 13 (1799), and especially .m the Largo of the Piano Sonata in D, Opus TO, No. 3 (1798). It is a l I have translated these extracts from M. Rolland's text. Mr. Shedlock's translation from the original German may be seen, on pages 65 et seq. B.C.H. 12 BEETHOVEN marvel that we do not find it in all the works; the radiant Septet (1800), the limpid First Sym- phony (C Major, 1800), both breathe a spirit of youthful gaiety. There is no doubt that he is determined to accustom his soul to grief. The spirit of man has such a strong desire for happi- ness that when it has it not, it is forced to create it. When the present has become too painful, the soul lives on the past. Happy days are not ef- faced at one stroke. Their radiance persists long after they have gone. Alone and unhappy in Vienna, Beethoven took refuge in the remem- brances of his native land ; his thoughts were always of Bonn. The theme of the Andante for the Variation in the Septet is a Rhenish Song. The Symphony in C Major is also inspired by the Rhine. It is a poem of youth smiling over its own dreams. It is gay and languorous; one feels there the hope and the desire of pleasing. But in certain passages in the Introduction, in the shad- ing of the sombre bass passages of the Allegro, in this young composer, in the fantastic Scherzo, one feels with emotion the promise of the great genius to come. The expression calls to mind the eyes of Botticelli's Bambino in his Holy Families those eyes of a little child in which one already divines the approaching tragedy. Troubles of another kind were soon to be added to his physical sufferings. Wegeler says that he never knew Beethoven to be free of a love passion carried to extremes. These love affairs seemed HIS LIFE 13 to have always been of the purest kino!. With him there was no connection between passion and pleasure. The confusion established between the two things nowadays only shows how little most men know of passion and its extreme rarity. Beethoven had something of the Puritan in his nature; licentious conversation and thoughts were abhorrent to him ; he had always unchangeable ideas on the sanctity of love It is said that he could not forgive Mozart for having prostituted his genius by writing Don Giovanni. Schindler, who was his intimate friend, assures us that " he spent his life in virginal modesty without ever having to reproach himself for any weakness." Such a man was destined to be the dupe and victim of love; and so indeed it came about. He was always falling violently in love and ceaseless- ly dreaming of its happiness, only however to be deceived and to be plunged in the deepest suffer- ing. In these alternating states of love and passionate grief, of youthful confidence and out- raged pride, we find the most fruitful source of Beethoven's inspiration, until at length his fiery, passionate nature gradually calms down into melancholy resignation. In 1 80 1 the object of his passion appears to have been Giulietta Guicciardi, whom he immortalised in the dedication of the famous, (so-called) " Moon- light " Sonata, Opus 27 (1802). " I now see things in a better light," he writes to Wegeler, " and associate more with my kind This 14 BEETHOVEN change has been brought about by the charm of a dear girl ; she loves me and I love her. These are the first happy moments I have had for two years." 1 He paid dearly for them. From the first, this love made him feel ^-more keenly the misery of the infirmity which had overtaken him and the precarious conditions of his life which made it impossible for him to marry the one he loved. Moreover, Giulietta was a flirt, childish and selfish by nature; she made Beethoven suffer most cruelly, and in November 1803, sne married Count Gallenberg. 8 Such passions devastate the soul; indeed, when the spirit is already enfeebled by illness, as was Beethoven's, complete disaster is risked. This was the only time in Beethoven's life when he seems to have been on the point of succumbing. He passed the terrible crisis, how- ever, and the details are given in a letter known as the Heiligenstadt Testament to his brothers Carl and Johann, with the following direc- tion: "To be read and carried out after my death." 3 It is an outcry of revolt, full of the most poignant grief. One cannot hear it without 1 To Wegeler, 16 November, 1801. 2 She was not afraid either of boasting of her old love for Beethoven in preference to that for her husband. Beethoven helped Gallenberg. " He was my enemy ; that is the very reason why I should do all possible for him," he told Schindler on one of his conversation note-books in 1821. But he scorned to takt advantage of the position. " Having arrived in Vienna," he wrote in French, " she sought me out and came weeping to me, but I rejected her." 3 6th October, 1802 (see page 57). HIS LIFE 15 being cut to the heart. In that dark hour he was on the verge of suicide. Only his strong moral force saved him. 1 His final hopes of recovering his health disappeared. " Even the lofty courage which has hitherto sustained me has now dis- appeared. O Providence, grant that but a single day of real happiness may be mine once again. I have been a stranger to the thrill of joy for so long. When, O God, when shall I feel joy once more ? . . . . Ever again ? No, that would be too cruel!" This is indeed a cry of a torn heart, and Beethoven was destined to live yet twenty-five years longer. His powerful nature would not refuse to Sink beneath the weight of his woe. " My physical strength improves always with the growth of my intellectual force Yes, I really feel that my youth is onl> just beginning. Each day brings me nearer to my goal, which I can feel without being oble to define clearly O, if I were only free from :ny deafness I would embrace the world ! .... No rest ! At least, none that I know of except sleep; and I am so unhappy that I have to give more time to it than formerly. If only I could be free of a part of my 1 " Bring up your Children to be virtuous. That alone can make them happy ; money will not. I speak from experience. It is that which sustained me in my misery. Virtue and Art alone have saved me from taking my own life." And in another letter, 2nd May, 1810, to Wegeler : " If I had not read somewhere that a man ought not to take his own life so long as he can still do a kind action, I should long ago have ended my existence, and doubtless by my own hand." 1 6 BEETHOVEN infirmity ; and then .... no, I can bear it no longer. I will wage war against destiny. U shall not overcome me completely. Oh, how hne it would be to live a thousand lives in one I" 1 This love of his, this suffering, this resignation, these alternations of dejection and pride, these " soul-tragedies " are all reflected in the great compositions written in 1802 the Sonata with the Funeral March, Opus 26; the Sonata quasi una Fantasia, Opus 27, No. i ; the Sonata called the " Moonlight," Opus 27; the Sonata in D Minor, Opus 31, No. 2, with its dramatic recita- tives which seem like some grand yet heart-broken monologue; the Sonata in C minor for Violin, Opus 30, dedicated to the Emperor Alexander; the Krpiifypr Sntuttg, Qpnfi ^7 ; -^ "* the Six Re- ligious Songs, heroic yet grief-laden, to the words of Gellert, Opus 48. The Second Symphony writtan in 1803 reflects rather his youthful love; and here one feeb that his will is decidedly gain- ing the upper hanc An irresistible force sweeps away his sad thought?, a veritable bubbling over of life siiows itself in the finale. Beethoven was determined to be happy. He was not willing to believe his misfortune hopeless, he wanted health, he wanted love, and he threw aside despair. 2 1 To Wegeler. 2 Hornemann's miniature, of 1802, represents Beethoven dressed in the fashion of the day with side whiskers, long hair, the tragic air of one of Byron's heroes, but with the firm Napoleonic look which never gives way. HIS LIFE 17 In many of his works one is struck by the powerful and energetic march rhythms, full of the fighting spirit. This is especially noticeable in the Allegro and the Finale of Second Symphony, and still more in the first movement, full of superb heroism, of the Violin Sonata dedicated to the Em- peror Alexander The war-like character of this music recalls the period in which it was written. The Revolution had reached Vienna. Beethoven was completely carried away by it. " He spoke free- ly amongst his intimate friends," said the Cheva- lier de Seyfried, "on political affairs, which he esti- mated with unusual intelligence, with a clear and well-balanced out-look. All his sympathies leaned towards revolutionary ideas." He liked the Republican principles. Schindler, the friend who knew him best during the last period of his life, said, " He was an upholder of unlimited liberty and of national independence , . . . . he desired that everyone should take part in the government of the State For France he de- sired universal suffrage and hoped that Bonaparte would establish it, thus laying down the proper basis of human happiness." A Roman of the revolutionary type, brought up on Plutarch, he dreamt of a triumphant Republic, founded by the god of victory, the first Consul. And blow by blow he forged the Eroica Symphony, Bona- parte, I8O4, 1 the Iliad of Empire, and the Finale l It is a fact that the Eroica S) mphony was wricten for and around Bonaparte, and the first MS. still bears the title, " Bona- parte." Afterwards Beethoven learnt of the Coronation of G . 1 8 BEETHOVEN of the Symphony in C minor, 1805 to 1808, the grand epic of glory. This is really the first music breathing the revolutionary feeling. The soul of the times lives again in it with the intensity and purity which great events have for those mighty and solitary souls who live apart and whose im- pressions are not contaminated by contact with the reality. Beethoven's spirit reveals itself, marked with stirring events, coloured by the re- flections of these great wars. Evidences of this, (perhaps unconscious to him) crop up everywhere in the works of this period, in the Coriolanns Overture (1807), where tempests roar over the scene; in the Fourth Quartet, Opus 18, the first movement of which shows a close relation to this Overture; in the Sonata Appassionato, Op. 57 (1804), of which Bismarck said, " If I heard that Napoleon. Breaking out into a fury, lie cried : " He is only an ordinary man " ; and in his indignation he tore off the dedication and wrote the avenging and touching title : Sinfonia Eroica composta per festeggiare il souvenirs di un grand Uomo. (Heroic Symphony composed to celebrate the memory of a great man). Schindler relates that later on his scorn for Napoleon became more subdued ; he saw in him rather the unfortunate victim of circumstances worthy of pity, an Icarus flung down from Heaven. When he heard of the St. Helena catastrophe in 1821, he remarked : " I composed the music suitable for this sad event some seventeen years ago." It pleased him to re- cognise in the Funeral March of his Symphony a presentiment of the conqueror's tragic end. There was then probably in the Eroica Symphony and especially in the first movement, a kind of portrait of Bonaparte in Beethoven's mind, doubtless very different from the real man, and rather what he imagined him to be or would have liked him to be the genius of the Revolution. Beethoven, in the Finale of the Eroica Symphony, used again one of the chief phrases of the work he had already written on the revolutionary hero par excellence, the god of liberty, Prometheus, 1801. HIS LIFE IQ often I should always be very valiant " j 1 in the score of Egmont; and even in his Pianoforte Con- certos, in the one in flat, Opus 73 (1809), where even the virtuosity is heroic : whole armies of warriors pass by. Nor need we be astonished at this. Though when writing the Funeral March on the death of an hero (Sonata, Opus 26), Beeth- oven was ignorant that the hero most worthy of his music, namely Hoche, the one who approxi- mated more closely than Bonaparte to the model of the Eroica Symphony, had just died near the Rhine, where indeed his tomb stands at the top of a small hill between Coblentz and Bonn He had twice seen the Revolution victorious in Vienna itself. French officers were present at the first production of Fidelio in Vienna in November, 1805. It was General Hulin, the conqueror of the Bastille, who stayed with Lobkovitz, Beethoven's friend and protector, to whom he dedicated the Eroica and the C minor Symphony. And on 10 May, 1809, Napoleon slept at Schonbrunn. 2 1 Robert de Keudell, German Ambassador in Rome : Bismarck and lu's family, 1901. Robert de Keudell played this Sonata to Bismarck on an indifferent piano on 3oth October, 1870, at Versailles. Bismarck remarked regarding the latter part of the work : " The sighs and struggles of a whole life are in this music." He preferred Beethoven to all other composers, and more than once affirmed " Beethoven's music more than any other soothes my nerves." 2 Beethoven's house was situated near those fortifications of Vienna which Napoleon had blown up after the taking of the city. "What an awful life, with ruins all around me," wrote Beethoven to the publishers, Breitkopf & Hartel, on a6th June-, l8o himself through his tears : " Thou wert so lovely and great, so like to an angel!" The friend with- drew, and returning a little later found him at the piano, and said " To-day, my old friend, there are no black looks on your face." Beethoven re- plied " It is because my good angel has visited me." The wound was deep. " Poor Beethoven >: he said to himself, " there is ho happiness for you in this world ; only in the realms of the ideal will you find strength to conquer yourself." 2 In his notebook he wrote, " submission, com- plete submission to your destiny. You can no longer live for yourself, only for others. For you there is happiness only in your art. O God, give me strength to conquer " myself." ' " . . . Love then abandoned him. In 1810 he was once more alone ; but joy had come to him and the consciousness of his power. He was in the prime of life. He gave himself up to his violent and wild moods regardless of results, and certainly without care for the opinions of the world and the 1 This portrait can still be seen in Beethoven's house at Bonn. It is reproduced in Frimmel's Life, of Beethoven, page 29, and :n the " Musical Times," isth December, 1892. 2 To Gleichen stein. HIS LIFE 27 usual conventions of life. What, indeed, had he to fear or to be careful of ? Gone are love and ambition. Strength and the joy of it, the necessi- ty for using it, almost abusing it, were left to him. ' Power constitutes the morality of men who dis- tinguish themselves above the ordinary." He returned to his neglect in matters of dress, and his manners now became even freer than before. He knew that he had the right to speak freely even to the greatest. " I recognise no sign of superiority in mankind other than goodness," he writes on 17 July, I8I2. 1 Bettina Brentano, who saw him at that time, says that " no king or emperor was ever so conscious of his power." She was fascinated by his very strength. " When I saw him for the first time," she wrote to Goethe, " the whole ex- terior world vanished from me. Beethoven made me forget the world, and even you, O Goethe. . . . I do not think I am wrong in saying this man is very far ahead of modern civilisation." Goethe attempted to make Beethoven's acquaintance. 2 . l " The heart is the mainspring of all that is great " (to Giannatasio del Rio). 2 " Goethe's poems give me great happiness," he wrote to Bettina Brentano on igth February, 1811. And also " Goethe and Schiller are my favourite poets, tog-ether with Ossian and Homer, whom, unfortunately, I can only read in translations." To Breitkopf & Hartel, 8th August, 1809, Nohl. New Letters, LIII. It is remarkable that Beethoven's taste in literature was so sound in view of his neglected education. In addition to Goethe, who he said was " grand, majestic, always in D major " (and more than Goethe) he loved three men, Homer, Plutarrh and Shakespeare. Of Homer's works he preferred the Odyssey to the Iliad; he was continually reading Shakespeare (from a 28 BEETHOVEN They met at a Bohemian spa, Toplitz, in 1812, but did not agree well. Beethoven passionately ad- mired Goethe's genius; but his own character was too free and too wild not to wound the sus- ceptibilities of Goethe. Beethoven himself has told us of this walk which they took together, in the course of which the haughty republican gave the courtly councillor of the Grand-duke of Weimar a lesson in dignity which he never forgot. " Kings and princes can easily make profes- sors and privy councillors ; they can bestow titles and decorations, but they cannot make great men, or minds which rise above the base tur- moil of this world .... and when two men are together such as Goethe and myself these fine gentlemen must be made conscious of the differ- ence between ourselves and them. Yesterday, as we were returning home on foot, we met the whole of the Imperial family. We saw them approaching from a distance. Goethe let go my arm to take his stand by the road side with the crowd. It was in vain that I talked to him. Say what I would I could not get him to move a single step. I drew my hat down upon my German translation) and we know with what tragic grandeur he has set Coriolanus and the Tempest in music. He read Plutarch continually, as did all who were in favour of the revolution. Brutus was his hero, as was also the case with Michael Angelo ; he had a small statue of him in his bedroom. He loved Plato, and dreamed of establishing his republic in the whole world. " Socrates and Jesus have been my models," he wrote once on his notebooks (Conversations during 1819 and HIS LIFE 29 head, buttoned up my overcoat, and forced my way through the throng. Princes and courtiers stood aside. Duke Rudolph raised his hat to me, the Empress bowing to me first. The great of the earth know me and recognise me. I amused myself in watching the procession pass by Goethe. He remained on the road side bow- ing low, hat in hand. 1 took him to task for it pretty severely and did not spare him at all." 1 Nor did Goethe forget the scene. 2 In 1812 the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies L - 1 To Bettina von Arnim. The authenticity of Beethoven's letters to Bettina, doubted by Schindler, Marx and Deiters, has been supported by Moritz Carriere, Nohl and Kalischer. Bettina has perhaps embellished them a little, but the foundation remains reliable. > a " Beethoven," said Goethe to Zelter, " is, unfortunately, possessed of a wild and uncouth disposition ; doubtless, he is ^ not wrong in finding the world detestable, but that is not the way to make it pleasant for himself or for others. We must excuse and pity him for he is deaf." After that he did nothing against Beethoven nor did he do anything for him, but he ignored him completely. At the bottom, however, he admired Beethoven's music and feared it also. He was afraid it would cause him to lose that mental calm which he had gained through so much trouble. A letter of young Felix Mendelssohn, who passed through Weimar in 1830, gives us a very interesting glimpse into the depths of that storm-tossed passionate soul controlled as it was by a masterly and powerful intellect. "At first," writes Mendelssohn, "he did not want to hear Beethoven's name mentioned, but after a time he was persuaded to listen to the First Movement of the Symphony in C minor, which moved him deeply. He would not show anything out- wardly, but merely remarked to me, ' that does not touch me, it only surprises me.' After a time he said ' It is really grand, it is maddening, you would think the house was crumbling to pieces.' Afterwards, at dinner, he sat pensive and absorbed until he began to question me about Beethoven's music. I saw quite clearly that a deep impression had been made on him. . . ." (For information on the relations between Goethe and Bee- thoven, see various articles by Frimmel). <-?, 30 BEETHOVEN were written during a stay of several months at Toplitz. These works are veritable orgies ot rhythm and humour; in them he is perhaps re- vealing himself in his most natural and as he styled it himself, most " unbuttoned " (aufge- knopft) moods, transports of gaiety contrasting unexpectedly with storms of fury and disconcert- ing flashes of wit followed by those Titanic explosions which terrified both Goethe and Zelter 1 and caused the remark in North Germany that the Symphony in A was the work of a drunkard. The work of an inebriated man indeed it was, but one intoxicated with power and genius; one who said of himself, " I am the Bacchus who crushes de- licious nectar for mankind. It is I who give the divine frenzy to men." Wagner wrote, " I do not know whether Beethoven wished to depict a Dionysian orgy 2 in the Finale of his Symphony, though I recognise in this passionate kermesse a sign of his Flemish origin, just as we see it like- wise in his bold manner of speech and in his bearing so free and so utterly out of harmony with a country ruled by an iron discipline and rigid etiquette. Nowhere is there greater frankness or freer power than in the Symphony in A. It is a 1 Letter from Goethe to Zelter, 2nd September, 1812. . . . Zelter to Goethe, i4th September, 1812 : " Auch ich betuundere ihn mit Schrecken " (" I, too, regard him with mingled ad- miration and dread '*). Zelter writes to Goethe in 1819, " They say he is mad." 2 At any rate, this was a subject which Beethoven had in his mind ; for we find it in his notes, especially those for the proposed Tenth Symphony, HIS LIFE 31 mad outburst of superhuman energy, with no other object than for the pleasure of unloosing it like a river overflowing its banks and flooding the sur- rounding country. In 'the Eighth Symphony the power is not so sublime, though it is still more strange and characteristic of the man, mingling tragedy with farce and a Herculean vigour with the games and caprices of a child." 1 The year 1814 marks the summit of Beethoven's fortunes. At the Vienna Congress he enjoyed European fame. He took an active part in the fetes, princes rendered him homage, and (as he afterwards boasted to Schindler) he allowed him- self to be courted by them. He was carried away by his sympathy with the War of Independence. 2 In 1813 he wrote a Symphony on Wellington's Victory and in the beginning of 1814 a martial chorus, Germany's Rebirth (Germanias Wieder- gebiirt). On November 2Qth, 1814, he conducted before an audience of kings a patriotic Cantata, The Glorious Moment (Der glorreiche Augen- blick), and on the occasion of the capture of Paris in 1815 he composed a Chorus, It is accomplished (Es ist vollbracht). These occasional pieces did more to spread his fame than all the rest of his music together. The engraving by Blasius Hoefel 1 There was a very tender intimacy between Amalie Sebald and him about this time, and it is possible that this may have supplied the inspiration. 2 Differing from him in this, Schubert had written in 1807 a piece d' occasion, in honour of Napoleon the Great, and conducted the performance himself before the Emperor. 32 BEETHOVEN from a sketch by the Frenchman Latronne and the savage-looking cast by Franz Klein in 1812 pre- sent a lifelike image of Beethoven at the time of the Congress of Vienna. The dominating charac- teristic of this leonine face with its firm set jaws scored with the furrows of anger and trouble, is determination a Napoleonic will. One recog- nises the man who said of Napoleon after Jena, " How unfortunate that I do not know as much about warfare as music ! I would show myself his master." But his kingdom was not of this world. " My empire is in the air," he wrote to Franz von Brunswick. 1 After this hour of glory comes the saddest and ' most miserable period. Vienna had never been sympathetic to Beethoven. Haughty and bold genius as he was, he could not be at ease in this frivolous city with its mundane and its mediocre spirit, which Wagner laughed to scorn later on. 2 He lost no opportunities of going away ; and 1 " I say nothing- of our monarchs and their kingdoms,'' he wrote to Kauka during the Congress. " To my mind, the ii empire of the spirit is the dearest of all. It is the first of all kingdoms, temporal and spiritual." 2 Vienna, is that not to say everything? All trace of German Protestantism eradicated, even the national accent lost, Italianised. .... German spirit, German habits and ways explained from textbooks of Italian and Spanish origin The country of debased history, falsified science, falsified religion. ... A frivol- ous scepticism calculated to undermine all love of truth, honour, and independence ! (Wagner, Beethoven, 1870). Grillparzer has written that it was a misfortune to be born an Austrian. The great German composers of the end of the igth Century who have lived in Vienna, have suffered cruelly HIS LIFE r . 33 towards 1808 he thought seriously of leaving Austria to go to the court of Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. 1 But Vienna had abundant musical resources; and one must do it justice by saying that there were always noble dilettanti who felt the grandeur of Beethoven, and who spared their country the shame of losing him. In 1809, three of the richest noblemen of Vienna, the Arch- duke Rudolph, a pupil of Beethoven, Prince Lobkovitz and Prince Kinsky undertook to pay him annually a pension of 4,000 florins on the sole condition that he remained in Austria. " As it is evident," they said, " that a man can only devote himself entirely to art when he is free from all material care, and that it is only then that he can produce such sublime works which are the glory of art, the undersigned have formed a resolution to release Ludwig van Beethoven from the shadow of need, and thus disperse the miserable obstacles which are so detrimental to his flights of genius." Unhappily the results did not come up to the promises. The pension was always very irregu- larly paid ; soon it ceased altogether. Also Vienna had very much changed in character after the from the spirit of this town, delivered up to the Pharisaical cult of Brahms. The life of Bruckner was one long martyrdom. Hugo Wolf, who battled furiously before giving in, has uttered implacable judgments on Vienna. l King Jerome had offered Beethoven an annuity of six hundred ducats of gold and 150 silver ducats for travelling expenses, for playing to him occasionally and for managing his chamber-music concerts, which were not long or very frequent. Pepthoven was eager to go. 34 BEETHOVEN Congress of 1814. Society was distracted from art by politics. Musical taste was spoilt by Italianism, and the fashionable people favoured Rossini, treating Beethoven as pedantic. 1 Beethoven's friends and protectors went away or died : Prince Kinsky in 1812, Lichnovsky in 1814, Lobkovitz in 1816. Rasumowsky, for whom he had written the three admirable Quartets, Opus 59, gave his last concert in February, 1815. In 1815 Beethoven quarrelled with Stephen von Breuning, the friend of his childhood, the brother of Eleonore. 2 From this time he was alone. 3 " I have no friends. I am alone in the world " he wrote in his notebook of 1816. His deafness became complete. 4 After the l Rossini's Tancredi sufficed to shake the whole German musical edifice. Bauernfold (quoted by Ehrhard) notes in his Journal this criticism which circulated in the Viennese salons in 1816: " Mozart and Beethoven are old pedants; the stupidity of the preceding period amused thsm : it is only since Rossini that one has really known melody. Fidelia is quite devoid of music ; one cannot understand why people take the trouble to weary themselves with it." Beethoven gave his last concert as pianist in 1814. * The same year Beethoven lost his brother Karl. " He clung to life so, that I would willingly have given mine," he wrote to Antonia Brentano. 3 Except for his intimate friendship with Countess Maria von Erdody, a constant sufferer like himself, afflicted with an incurable malady. She lost her only son suddenly in i' >T 6. Beethoven dedicated to her in 1809 his two Trios Op. 70 ; ana in 1815-17, his two great Sonatas for Violoncello Op. 102. 4 Besides his deafness, his health grew worse from dav to day. During October, 1816, he was very ill. In the summer of 1817 his doctor said he had a chest complaint. During the winter, 1817-18, he was tormented with his so-called phthisis. Then he had acute rheumatism in 1820-21, jaundice in 1821, and several maladies in 1823. HIS LIFE 35 autumn of 1815 he could only communicate with ' his friends by writing. 1 The oldest conversation- ^/ book is dated i8i6. 2 There is a sad story recorded by Schindler with regard to the representatio.n of Fidelio in 1822. " Beethoven wanted to conduct the general rehearsal From the duet of the First Act, it was evident that he could hear no- thing of what was going on. He kept back the pace considerably ; and whilst the orchestra fol- lowed his beat, the singer hurried the time. There followed general confusion. The usual leader of the orchestra, Umlauf, suggested a short rest, without giving any reason ; and after exchanging a few words with the singers, they began again. The same disorder broke out afresh. Another interval was necessary. The impossibility of con- tinuing under Beethoven's direction was evident; but how could they make him understand ? No one had the heart to say to him, * Go away, poor unfortunate one, you cannot conduct.' Beethoven, uneasy and agitated, turned from side to side, trying to read the expression of the different faces, and to understand what the difficulty was : a silence came over alL Suddenly he called me in his imperious manner. When I was quite near to him, he handed me his pocket-book, and made signs to me to write. I pu^ down these words : 1 A change of style in his music, beginning with the Sonata Op : 101, dates from this time. 2 Beethoven's conversation-books form more thap 11,000 manu- script pages, and can be found bound to-day in the Imperial ^ Library at Berlin. 36 BEETHOVEN ' I beg you not to continue ; I will explain why at your house.' With one leap he jumped from the platform, saying to me, ' Let us go quickly.' He ran straight to his house, went in and threw him- self down on a sofa, covering his face with his hands; he remained like that until dinner-time. At the table it was impossible to draw a word from him ; he wore an expression of complete de- spondency and profound grief. After dinner when I wanted to leave him, he kept me, expres- sing a desire not to be left alone. When we separated he asked me to go with him to his doctor, who had a great reputation for complaints of the ear. During the whole of my connection with Beethoven I do not know of any day which can compare with this awful day of November. He had been smitten to the heart, and until the day of his death, he :etained the impression of this terrible scene." 1 Two years later, on 7 May, 1824, when conduct- ing the Choral Symphony (or rather, as the pro- gramme said, " taking part in the direction of the concert ") he heard nothing at all of the clamour of the audience applauding him. He did not even suspect it, until one of the singers, taking him by the hand turned him round ; and he sud- denly saw the audience waving their hats and clapping their hands. An English traveller, l Schindler, who had been intimate with Beethoven since 1819, had known him slightly since 1814 ; but Beethoven had found it very difficult to be friendly ; he treated him at first with disdainful haughtiness. HIS LIFE 37 Russell, who saw him at the piano about the year 1825, says that when he wanted to play quietly the notes did not sound and that it was very moving to follow in silence the emotion animating him expressed in his face, and in the movements of his fingers. Buried in himself, 1 and separated from all mankind, his only consolation was in Nature. " She was his sole confident," says Theresa of Brunswick, " she was his refuge." Charles Neate, who knew him in 1815, says that he never saw anyone who loved flowers, clouds and nature so devotedly 2 ; he seemed to live in them. " No one on earth can love the country so much as I," wrote Beethoven. " I love a tree more than a man." When in Vienna he walked round the ramparts every day; In the country from day- break till night he walked alone, without hat, in sunshine or rain. " Almighty God ! In the woods I am happy, happy in the woods, where each tree speaks through Thee. O God, what ' splendour ! In the forests, on the hills, it is the calm, the quiet, that helps me." His unrestfulness of mind found some respite there. 3 He was harassed by financial cares. He 1 See the admirable notes of Wagner on Beethoven's deafness (Beethoven, 1870). 2 He loved animals and pitied them. The mother of the his- torian, von Frimmel, says that for a long white she had an involuntary dislike for Beethoven, because when she was a little girl he drove away with his haadkerchief all the butterflies that she wanted to catch. 3 He was always uncomfortable in his lodgings. In thirty-five years in Vienna, he changed his rooms thirty times. 38 BEETHOVEN wrote in 1818, " I am almost reduced to beggary, and I am obliged to pretend that I do not lack necessities"; and at another time, " The Sonata Op. 1 06 has been written under pressing circum- stances. It is a hard thing to have to work for . bread." Spohr says that often he could not go out on account of his worn-out shoes. He owed large debts to his publishers and his compositions did not bring him in anything. The Mass in D, published by subscription, obtained only seven subscribers (of whom not one was a musician). 1 He received barely thirty or forty ducats for his / fine Sonatas, each one of which cost him three months' work. The Quartets, Opp. 127, 130, and 132, amongst his profoundest works, which seem to be written with his very heart-blood, were written for Prince Galitzin, who neglected to pay for them. Beethoven was worn out with domestic difficulties, and with endless law suits to obtain the pensions owing to him or to retain the guardianship of a nephew, the son of his brother Carl, who died of consumption in 1815. He had bestowed on this child all the care and devotion with which his heart overflowed. But he was repaid with cruel suffering. It seemed that a kind of special fate had taken care to renew cease- lessly and to accumulate his miseries in order that Iiis genius should not lack for food. At first he 1 Beethoven had written personally to Cherubini, who was " of all his contemporaries the one whom he most esteemed." Cherubini did not reply. HIS LIFE 39 had a dispute over Carl with his mother, who wanted to take him away. " O, my God," he cried, " my shield and my defence, my only re- fuge ! Thou readest the depths of my soul and Thou knowest the griefs that I experience when I have to cause suffering to those who want to dispute my Carl, my treasure. 1 Hearken unto me, Great Being, that I know not how to name. Grant the fervent prayer of the most unhappy of Thy creatures ! " " O God, aid me ! Thou wilt not leave me en- tirely in the hands of men ; because I do not wish to make a covenant with injustice ! Hear the prayer which I make to Thee, that at least for the future I may live with my Carl I .... O cruel fate, implacable destiny ! No, no, my un- happiness will never end! " Then this nephew, so passionately loved, proved unworthy of the confidence of his uncle. The correspondence between Beethoven and him is sad and revolting, like that of Michael Angelo with his brothers, but more simple and touching. " Am I to be repaid once again with the most abominable ingratitude ? Ah, well, if the bond must be broken, so be it! All impartial people who hear of it will hate you. If the compact be- tween us weighs too heavily, in the name of God, may it be according to His will ! I abandon 1 '* I never avenge myself," he wrote besides to Madame Streicher. u When I am obliged to act against others, I only do what is necessary to defend myself or to prevent them from doing one harm." i- -o- 40 BEETHOVEN you to Providence ; I have done all that I could; I am ready to appear before the Su- preme Judge ! " Spoilt as you are, that should not make it difficult to teach you to be simple and true; my heart has suffered so much by your hypocritical conduct, and it is difficult for me to forget God is my witness, I only long to be a thousand miles from you and from that sorry brother and from this abominable family I shall never more have confidence in you." And he signed " Unhappily your father or rather, not your father." But pardon came almost immediately. " My dear son ! No more of this ! Come to my arms. You shall not hear one harsh word. I will receive you with the same love. We will talk over what is to be done for your future in a friendly manner. On my word of honour there will be no reproach. That would do no good. You have nothing to expect from me but sym- pathy and the most loving care. Come, come to the faithful heart of your father. Come immediate- ly you receive this letter, come to the house." (And on the envelope in French, " If you do not come, you will surely kill me.") " Do not deceive me," he begged, " be always my beloved son. What a horrible discord it would be if you were to be false to me, as many persons maintain that you already are. . . . Good-bye, he who has not given you life but who has certainly preserved it, and who has taken all possible care HIS LIFE 41 with your moral development, with an affection more than paternal, begs you from the bottom of his heart to follow the only true path of the good and the just. Your faithful foster-father. 1 After having cherished all kinds of dreams for the future of this nephew, who was not lacking in intelligence and whom he wished to take up a University career, Beethoven had to consent to make a merchant of him. But Carl frequented gambling dens and contracted debts. By a sad phenomenon, more frequent than one believes, the moral grandeur of his uncle, instead of doing him good, made him worse. It exasperated him, im- pelling him to revolt, as he said in those terrible words where his miserable soul appears so plainly, " I have become worse because my uncle wished me to do better." He reached such a state that in the summer of 1826 he shot himself in the head with a pistol. He did not die from it, but it was Beethoven who just missed dying. He never re- covered from this terrible fright. 2 Carl recovered; he lived to the end to cause suffering to his uncle, 1 A letter which has been found in Berlin to M. Kalischer, shews with what deep feeling Beethoven wished to make his nephew " a citizen useful to the state " (February ist, 1819). 2 Schindler, who saw him then, says that he suddenly became an old man of seventy, utterly crushed and broken of will. He would have died had Carl died. He died soon afterwards. 42 BEETHOVEN whose death he hastened in no slight measure. Nor was he with him at the hour of his death. "God has never abandoned me," wrote Beethoven to his nephew, some years before. " He will find someone to close my eyes." This was not to be the one whom he called " his son." 1 It was from the depth of this abyss that Bee- thoven undertook to chant his immortal Ode to Joy It was the plan of his whole life. As early as 1793, he had thought of it at Bonn. 2 All his life he wished to celebrate Joy; and to make it the climax of one of his great works. He was always striving to find the exact form of the Hymn, and the work where he could place it. He was far from being decided, even in his Ninth Symphony. 1 The dilettantism of our time has not failed to seek to re- instate this scoundrel. This is not surprising. 2 Letter from Fischenich to Charlotte Schiller (January, 1793). Schiller's Ode was written in 1785. The actual theme appeared in 1808 in the Fantasy for piano, orchestra and Choir, Op. 80, and in 1810 in the Song on Goethe's words : Kleine Blumen, Kleine Blaetter. I have seen in a note book of 1812 belonging to Dr Erich Prieger at Bonn, between the sketches of the Seventh Symphony and a plan for an Overture to Macbeth, an attempt to adopt some words of Schiller to the theme which he used later on in the Overture Op. 115 (Namensfeier). Several instrumental motives of the Ninth Symphony appeared before 1815. Thus the definite theme of Joy was put down in notes in 1822 ; also all the other airs of the Symphony, except the Trio, which came a little after, then the andante moderato, and later the adagio, which appeared last of all. For references to Schiller's poem and the false interpretation which is given nowadays by substituting for the word Joy the word Liberty, see an article by Charles Andler in Page's Libres (July , '905). HIS LIFE 43 Until the very last moment, he was on the point of putting off the Ode to Joy to a Tenth or Eleventh Symphony. One ought to notice that the Ninth Symphony is not entitled Choral Sym- phony, as it is now invariably called, but Sym- phony with a Final Chorus on the Ode to Joy. It narrowly missed having another conclusion. In July, 1823, Beethoven still thought of giving it an instrumental finale, which he used later on for the quartet Op : 132. Both Czerny and Sonnleithner say that even after the performance in May, 1824, Beethoven had not abandoned this idea. He found great technical difficulties in introduc- ing the Chorus into the Symphony, as is shown by Beethoven's note-books and his numerous at- tempts to make the voices enter at another part of the work and in a different manner. In the sketches for the second subject of the Adagio 1 he wrote -" Perhaps the Chorus could enter con- veniently here." But he could not decide to part from his faithful orchestra. " When an idea comes to me," he said, " I hear it on an instrument, never on a voice." So he put back the place for employing voices as late as possible. At first he wanted to give the instruments not only the re- citatives of the Finale 2 but even the Theme of Joy itself. But we must go still further into the reason of these hesitations and delays. The explanation is 1 Berlin Library. 2 Exactly as if it had words beneath. 44 BEETHOVEN very deep. Continually tormented by grief, this unfortunate man had always aspired to sing the excellence of Joy ; and from year to year he put off his task, held back ceaselessly by the whirl- wind of his passion and grief. It was only at the very last that he succeeded. But with what a success ! At the moment when the Theme of Joy appears for the first time, the orchestra stops abruptly, thus giving a sudden unexpected character to the entrance of the Song. And this is a true touch ; this theme is rightly divine. Joy descends from heaven enveloped in a supernatural calm ; it soothes the suffering with its cool breath ; and the first impression that it makes, is so tender as it steals into the sorrowing heart, that a friend of Beethoven has said " One feels inclined to weep, as one looks into those soft, calm eyes of his." When the Theme passes first to the voices, it is the Basses who present it first with a solemn and rather weighty character. But, little by little, Joy takes possession of us. It is a real battle, a fight with sorrow. We can hear the rhythms of the marching armies. In the ardent panting song of the tenor, in all these quivering pages we can almost feel the breath of Beethoven himself, the rhythm of his breathing and his in- spired cries as he wandered across the fields, com- posing the work, transported by a demoniacal fury like King Lear in the middle of a storm. After the warlike joy comes religious ecstacy." HIS LIFE 45 Then follows a sacred orgy, a very delirium of love. A whole trembling humanity lifts its arms to the sky, utters powerful outcries, rushes forth towards this Joy and clasps it to the heart. This Titanic work overcame the indifference of the public. The frivolous crowds of Vienna were moved for an instant, but they still favoured Rossini and his Italian operas. Humiliated and saddened, Beethoven was on the point of going to live in London and thought of giving his Ninth Symphony there. A second time, as in 1809, some noble friends sent him a petition asking that he would not leave the country. They said " We know that you have written a new composition of sacred music 1 in which you have expressed senti- ments inspired by your profound faith. The supernatural light which penetrates your great soul illumines the work. We know besides that the garland of your inspired symphonies has been increased by an immortal flower. . . . Your absence during these last years has troubled all those whose eyes are turned to you. 2 Everyone sadly thought that the man of genius placed so high amongst living beings remained silent whilst another kind of foreign art sought to plant itself in our country, causing the productions of German art to be forgotten. . . . From you only, the 1 The Mass in D, Op: 123. 2 Harassed by domestic quarrels, misery, cares of all kinds, Beethoven only wrote during- the five years from 1816 to 1821, three pieces for the piano (Op., 101, 102, and 106). His enemies said he was exhausted. He began to work again in 1821. 46 BEETHOVEN nation awaits new life, new laurels, and a new reign of truth and beauty, despite the fashion of the day Give us the hope of soon seeing our desires satisfied. And then the springtime which is coming will blossom again doubly, thanks to your gifts t us and to the world ! m This noble address shews what power, not only artistic but also moral, Beethoven exercised over the elite of Germany. The first word which occurs to his followers who wish to praise his genius is neither science, nor art; it is faith. 2 Beethoven was deeply moved by these words. He stayed. On May 7th, 1824, the first perform- ance in Vienna of the Mass in D and the Ninth Symphony took place. The success was amazing; and his greeting almost of a seditious character for when Beethoven appeared he was accorded five rounds of applause; whereas according to the strict etiquette of the city, it was the custom to give three only for the entrance of the Royal Family. The police had to put an end to the manifestations. The Symphony raised frantic enthusiasm. Many wept. Beethoven fainted with emotion after the concert ; he was taken to 1 February, 1824. Signed Prince C. Lichnovsky, Count Maurice Lichnovsky, Count Maurice de Fries, Count M. de Dietrichstein, Count F. de Palfy, Count Czernin, Ignace Edler de Mosel, Charles Czerny, Abb6 Stadler, A. Diabelli, Artari & Co., Steiner & Co., A. Streicher, Zmcskall, Kiesewetter, etc. 2 " My moral character is publicly recognised," Beethoven proudly said to the Vienna Municipality, on February ist, 1819, *o vindicate his right to the guardianship of his nephew. Even distinguished writers like Weisenbach have considered him worthy of the dedication of their works. HIS LIFE 47 Schindler's house where he remained asleep all the night and the following morning, fully dressed, neither eating nor drinking. The triumph was only fleeting, however, and the concert brought in nothing for Beethoven. His material circum- stances of life were not changed by it. He found himself poor, ill, 1 alone but a conqueror 2 : con- queror of the mediocrity of mankind, conqueror of his destiny, conqueror of his suffering. " Sacri- fice, always sacrifice the trifles of life to art I God is over all ! " He had then completed the object of his whole life. He had tasted perfect Joy. Would he be able to rest on this triumph of the soul which ruled the tempest ? Certainly he ought to feel the relief from the days of his past anguish. Indeed his last quartets are full of strange forebodings. But it seems that the victory of the Ninth Sym- phony had left its glorious traces in its nature. The plans which he had for the future : 3 the Tenth 1 In August, 1824, he was haunted with the fear of sudden death " like my grandfather to whom I bear so much resem- blance," he wrote on August i6th, 1824, to Dr. Bach. 2 The Ninth Symphony was given for the first time in Ger- many at Frankfurt on April ist, 1825 ; in London on March 25th, 1825; in Paris at the Conservatoire on March 2yth, 1831. Mendelssohn, then aged seventeen, gave a performance of it on the piano at the Jaegerhalle in Berlin on November i4th, 1826. Wagner, a student at Leipzig, re-copied it entirely by hand ; and in a letter, dated October 6th, 1830, to the publisher, Schott, offered him a reduction of the Symphony for pianoforte duet. One can say that the Ninth Symphony decided Wagner's career. 3 " Apollo and his Muses would not wish to deliver me up to death yet, for I still owe them so much. Before I go to the 48 BEETHOVEN Symphony, 1 the overture on the name of BACH, the music for Grillparzer's Melusina, 9 for Korner's Odyssey and Goethe's Faust, 9 the Biblical ora- torio of Saul and David, all shew that he was attracted by the mighty serenity of the old German masters Bach and Handel and more still to the light of the South the South of France or Italy, where he hoped to travel. 4 Elysian fields I must leave behind me what the spirit inspires and tells me to finish. It seems to me that I have scarcely written anything." (To the brothers Schott, Sept. i7th, 1829.) 1 Beethoven wrote to Moscheles on March i8th, 1827 : " The complete sketch of a Symphony is in my desk with a new overture." This sketch has never been found. One only reads in his notes : " Adagio cantique. " Religious song for a symphony in the old modes (Hcrr Gott dich loben ivir. Alleluja), may be in an independent style, may be as introduction to a fugue. This Symphony might be characterised by the entrance of voices, perhaps in the finale, perhaps in the adagio. The violins in the orchestra, etc., increased ten times for the last movements. The voices to enter one by one ; or to repeat the adagio somehow in the last movements. For words for the adagio, a Greek myth or an ecclesiastical canticle, in the allegro, Bacchus' Feast (1818). As has been seen the choral conclusion was intended to be reserved for a Tenth Symphony and not for the Ninth Symphony. Later he said that he wished to accomplish in his Tenth Symphony " the reconciliation of the modern world with the ancient, which Goethe had attempted in his Second Faust." 2 The subject is the legend of a horseman who is loved and captured by a fairy, and who suffers from nostalgia and lack of liberty. There are analogies between this poem and that of Tannhauser. Beethoven worked at it between 1823 and 1826. (See A. Ehrhard Franz Grillparzer, 1900). 3 Since 1808 Beethoven had made plans for writing the music to Faust. (The first part of Faust appeared under the title of Tragedy in the autumn of 1807). It was then his dearest plan. 4 " The South of France ! It is there, there ! " (from a note- book in the Berlin Library). " To go away from here. Only on this sole condition will you be able to rise again to the HIS LIFE 49 Dr. Spiker, who saw him in 1826, said that his face had become smiling and jovial. The same year when Grillparzer spoke to him for the last time, it was Beethoven who had more energy than the worn-out poet : " Ah ! " said the latter, " if I had a thousandth part of your strength and deter- mination." Times were hard; the monarchial re- action oppressed their spirits. " The censors have killed me," groaned Grillparzer. " One must go to North America if one wishes to speak freely." But no power could put a stop to Beethoven's thoughts. " Words are bound in chains, but, happily, sounds are still free," he wrote to the poet Kuffner. Beethoven's is the great voice of freedom, perhaps the only one then of the whole of German thought. He felt it. Often he spoke of the duty which was imposed on him to act by means of his art "for poor humanity, for hu- ^/manity to come, to restore its courage and to /shake off its lassitude and cowardice." "At the present time," he wrote to his nephew, " there is need for mighty spirits to lash into action these wretched rebellious human souls." Dr. Miiller said in 1827 that "Beethoven always expressed himself freely on the subjects of government, the police, the aristocracy, even in public. The police knew him but they looked on his criticisms and satires as harmless fancies, and they did not care to interfere with the man whose genius had such high level of your art . . A Symphony, then to go away, away, away. The summer to work during a voyage Then to travel in Italy and Sicily with some other artist." 50 BEETHOVEN an extraordinary reputation." 1 Thus nothing was able to break this indomitable will. It seemed now to make sport of grief. The music written in these last years, in spite of the painful circum- stances under which it was composed, 2 has often quite a new, ironical character of heroic and joyous disdain. The very last piece that he finished, the new Finale to the Quartet, Op. 130, is very gay. This was in November 1826, four months before his death. In truth this gaiety is not of the usual kind; for at times it is the harsh and spasmodic laughter of which Mocheles speaks; often it is the affecting smile, the result of suffering con- quered. It matters not; he is the conqueror. He does not believe in death. It came, however. At the end of November, 1826, he caught a chill which turned to pleurisy : ^he was taken ill in Vienna when returning from a journey undertaken in winter to arrange for the future of his nephew. 8 He was far from his friends, 1 In 1819 he was followed by the police for having said aloud " That, after all, Christ was only a crucified Jew." He was then writing the Mass in D. That work alone is enough to show the freedom of his religious inspirations. (For the religious opinions of Beethoven,, see Theodor von Frimmel ; Beethoven, 3rd Edition, Verlag Harmonic ; and Becthovenia, edited by Georg Miiller, Vol. n, Blochinger). No less free in politics, Beethoven boldly attacked the vices of the government. He attacked amongst other things, the administration of justice, hindered by the slowness of its process, the stupid police regulations, the rude and lazy clerks in office, who killed all individual initiative and paralysed all action : the unfair privileges of a degenerative aris- tocracy, the high taxation, etc. His political sympathies seemrd to be with England at that time. 2 The suicide of his nephew. 3 See an article by Dr. Klotz Forest on the last illness and HIS LIFE 51 He told his nephew to go for a doctor. The wretch forgot his commission and only remembered two days after. The doctor came too late and treated Beethoven unskilfully. For three months his iron constitution fought against the illness. On Janu- ary 3rd, 1827, he made his well-loved nephew his chief executor. He thought of his dear friends on the Rhine; he wrote again to Wegeler : " How I would like to talk with you ! But I am too weak. I can do no more than embrace you in my heart, you and your Lorchen." Poverty would have made his last moments more gloomy, had it not been for the generosity of some English friends. He had become very gentle and very patient. 1 On his death-bed on February iyth, 1827, after three operations and awaiting a fourth, 2 he wrote with perfect calmness, " I am patient and I think that all misfortune brings some bles- sing with it." This boon was deliverance " the end of the comedy," as he said when dying. We might say rather the end of the tragedy He died in the climax of a violent storm, a tempest of snow, heavily punctuated with terrible thunder death of Beethoven in the Chronique Mcdicale of April ist and 1 5th, 1906. There is also exact information in the conversation books where the doctor's questions are written down, and in the article of the doctor himself (Dr. Wawruch) in the Vienna Times, in 1842. 1 The recollections of the singer, Ludwig Cramolini, which have been published, relate a touching visit to Beethoven during his last illness. He found Beethoven possessed of a calm serenity, a touching kindness. (See the Frankfurter Zeitung, of September 29th, 1907). 2 The operations took place on December 2oth, January 8th f February 2nd, and February ayth. 52 BEETHOVEN claps. A strange hand closed his eyes, 1 March 26th, 1827. Beloved Beethoven ! So many others have praised his artistic grandeur. But he is easily the first of musicians. He is the most heroic soul in \ modern art. He is the grandest and the best friend of those who suffer and struggle. When we are saddened by worldly miseries, it is he who comes near to us, as he used to go and play to a mother in grief, and without uttering a word thus console her by the song of his own plaintive resignation. And when we are utterly exhausted in the eternal battle uselessly waged against mediocrity, vice and virtue, it is an unspeakable boon to find fresh strength in this great ocean-torrent of strong- will and faith. An at- mosphere of courage emanates from his personality, a love of battle, 2 the exultation of a conscious 1 The young musician, Anselm Huttenbrermer. " God be praised," said Breuningf. " Let us thank Him for having- put an end to this long and pitiful martyrdom." All Beethoven's MSS. books and furniture were sold by auctior for 1,575 florins. The catalog-ue contained 252 lots of manuscript' and musical books which did not exceed the sum of 982 florins 37 kreutzer. The conversation-books and the Tagebucher were sold for i florin 20 kreutzer. Amongst his books Beethoven possessed: Kant's Natural Science and Astronomy; Bode' Knowledge of tht Heavens; Thomas a Kempis The Imitation of Christ. The Censor confiscated Seum's Walks round Syracuse Kotzcbue's Over the Add, and Fessler's Views on Religion an^der him and mere instruments on w T hich when it pleases me I play; but they HIS LETTERS 67 can never become noble witnesses of my inner and outer activity, nor be in true sympathy with me; I value them according as they are useful to me. Oh ! how happy should I now be if I had my perfect hearing, for I should then hasten to you. As it is, I must in all things be behind- hand; my best years will slip away without bringing forth what, with my talent and my strength I ought to have accomplished. I must now have recourse to sad resignation. I have, it is true, resolved not to worry about all this but how is it possible ? Yes, Amenda, if six months hence my malady is beyond cure, then I lay claim to your help. You must leave every- thing and come to me. I will travel (my malady interferes least with my playing and composition, most only in conversation), and you must be my companion. I am convinced good fortune will not fail me. With whom need I be afraid of measuring my strength ? Since you went away I have written music of all kinds except operas and sacred works. Yes, do not refuse; help your friend to bear with his troubles, his infirmity. I have also greatly improved my pianoforte playing. I hope this journey may also turn to your advantage ; afterwards you will always remain with me. I have duly received all your letters, and although I have only answered a few, you have been al- ways in my mind, and my heart, as always, beats tenderly for you. Please keep as a great secret 68 BEETHOVEN what 1 have told you about my hearing; trust no one, whoever it may be, with it. Do write frequently; your letters, however short they may be, console me, do me good. I expect soon to get another one from you, my dear friend. Don't lend out my Quartet any more, because I have made many changes in it. I have only just learnt how to write quartets properly, as you will see when you receive them. Now, my dear good friend, farewell ! If, perchance, you believe that I can show you any kindness here, I need not of course, remind you to first address yourself to Your faithful, truly loving, L. v. BEETHOVEN. II. To Fraulein GERARDI. DearChr. ( ' 798?) You let me hear something yesterday about a portrait of myself. I wish you to proceed somewhat carefully in the matter. I fear if we return it through F., the disagreeable B. or the arch-fool Joseph might interfere, and then the matter might be meant as a mean trick played on me, and that would be really most annoying. I should have to avenge myself, and the whole populasse does not deserve it. Try to get hold of the thing as well as you can. I assure you that after this I should put a notice in the news- HIS LETTERS 69 paper, requesting all painters not to take my portrait without my consent, were I afraid of falling into perplexity over my own countenance. As to the matter of taking off my hat, it is al- together stupid, and at the same time too impolite for me to retaliate. Pray explain to him the truth about the walk. Adieu. The devil take you. III. To Frl. ELEONORE VON BREUNING in Bonn. Vienna, November 2, 1793. Honoured Eleonore, my dearest friend. I shall soon have been in this capital a whole year, yet only now do you receive a letter from me, but you were certainly constantly in my thoughts. Frequently, indeed, did I hold converse with you and your dear family, but, for the most part, not with the tranquility of mind which I should have liked. Then it was that the fatal quarrel hovered before me, and my former behaviour appeared to me so abominable. But the past cannot be undone, and what would I not give if I could blot out of my life my former conduct so dishonouring to me, so con- trary to my character. Many circumstances, indeed, kept us at a distance from each other, and, as I presume, it was especially the insinua- tions resulting from conversations on either side 70 BEETHOVEN which prevented all reconciliation. Each of us believed that he was convinced of the truth of what he said, and yet it was mere anger, and we were both deceived. Your good and noble character is, indeed, a guarantee that I have long since been forgiven. But true repentance con- sists, so it is said, in acknowledging one's faults, and this I intended to do. And now let us draw a curtain over the whole story, and only learn from it the lesson that when friends fall out it js always better to have no go-between, but for friend to turn directly to friend. Herewith you receive a dedication from me to yourself, and I only wish that the work were more important, more worthy of you. I have been worried here to publish this small work, 1 and I make use of this opportunity to give you, my adorable Eleonore, a proof of my high esteem and of my friendship towards you, and of my constant remembrance of your family. Accept this trifle, and realise that it comes from a friend who holds you in high esteem. Oh, if it only gives you pleasure, I am fully rewarded. Let it be a small re- awakening of that time in which I spent so many and such happy hours in your home; it may, perhaps, keep me in your remembrance, until one day I return, but that will not be for a long time. Oh, how we shall then rejoice, my dear 1 The variations mentioned were those for Piano and Violin on the well-known theme, Se vnol ballar, from Mozart's Figaro. (See page 226, IA). HIS LETTERS 7 I friend. You will then find your friend a more cheerful being, for whom time and his better fortune have smoothed down the furrows of the horrid past. If you happen to see B. Koch, please tell her that it is not nice of her not to have sent me a single line. For I have written twice; to Malchus I wrote three times and no answer. Tell her that if she would not write, she ought to have urged Malchus to do so. As conclusion to my letter, I add a request; it is that I may be lucky enough, my dear friend, again to possess an Angola vest knitted by your hands. Forgive this indiscreet request from your friend. It arises from the great preference I have for everything coming from your hands, and, as a secret, I may say to you that in this there is at bottom a little vanity, viz., to be able to say that I possess something given to me by one of the best, most worthy young ladies in Bonn. I still have the first one which you were kind enough to give me in Bonn, but it is now so out of fashion that I can only keep it in my wardrobe as a precious gift from you. If you would soon write me a nice letter, it would afford me great pleasure. If, perchance, my letters give you pleasure, I cer- tainly promise that I will willingly send news as often as I can. For everything is welcome to me whereby I can show you in what esteem you are held by Your true friend, L. v. BEETHOVEN. 72 BEETHOVEN IV. To Dr. F. WEGELER in Bonn, Vienna, June 29, i8o(Jl My good, dear Wegeler. I am most grateful to you for thinking of me; I have so little deserved it, or sought to deserve it at your hands. And yet you are so very good, and are not kept back by anything, not even by my unpardonable negligence, but always remain a faithful, good, honest friend. That I could ever forget you, and especially all of you who were so kind and affectionate to me, no, do not believe it ; there are moments in which I myself long for you yes, and wish to spend some time with you. My native land, the beauti- ful country in which I first saw the light of the world, is ever as beautiful and distinct before mine eyes as when I left you. In short, I shall regard that time as one of the happiest of my life, when I see you again, and can greet our father Rhine. When that will be I cannot yet say. This much will I tell you, that you will only see me again when I am really great; not only greater as an artist, but as a man you shall find me better, more perfect; and if in our native land there are any signs of returning prosperity, I will only use my art for the benefit of the poor. O, happy moment, how fortunate I think myself HIS LETTERS 73 in being able to get a fatherland created here ! You want to know something about my present state; well, at present, it is not so bad. Since last year, Lichnowsky, who, however in- credible it may seem when I tell it you, was al- ways my warmest friend, and has remained so (of course, there have been slight misunderstandings between us, but just these have strengthened our friendship), has settled a fixed sum of 600 florins on me, and I can draw it so long as I fail to find a suitable post. My compositions are bringing in a goodly sum, and I may add, it is scarcely possible for me to execute the orders given. Also, for every work I have six, seven publishers, and if I choose, even more. They do not bargain with me; I demand and they pay. You see how pleasant it is. For example, I see a friend in dis- tress, and if my purse do not allow of my helping him, I have only to sit down and in a short time he is relieved. Also I am more economical than I was formerly. If I should settle here, I shall certainly contrive to get one day every year for concerts, of which I have given some. Only my envious demon, my bad health, has thrown obstacles in my way. For instance, my hearing has become weaker during the last three years, and this infirmity was in the first instance caused by my general health, which, as you know, was already, in the past, in a wretched state. Frank wished to restore me to health by means of strengthening medicines, and to cure my deaf- J. BEETHOVEN ness by means of oil of almonds, but, prosit! nothing came of the^e remedies; my hearing became worse and worse, and my ill-health al- ways remained in its first state. This continued until the autumn of last year, and ofttimes I was in despair. Then an Asinus of a doctor advised cold baths ; a more skilful one, the usual tepid Danube baths. These worked wonders; the state of my health improved, my deafness remained, or became worse. This winter I was truly miserable. I had terrible attacks of colic, and I fell quite back into my former state. So I remained for about four weeks and then went to Vering, for I thought that this state required medical aid, and in addition I had always placed faith in him. He ordered tepid Danube baths, and whenever I took one I had to pour into it a little bottle full of strengthening stuff. He gave me no medicine until about four days ago, when he ordered an application of herbs for the ear. And through these I can say I feel stronger and better; only the humming in my ears continues day and night without ceasing. I may truly say that my life is a wretched one. For the last two years I have avoided all society, for it is impossible for me to say to people ' I am deaf.* Were my profession any other it would not so much matter, but in my profession it is a terrible thing; and my enemies, of whom they are not a few, what would they say to this ? To give you an idea of this extraordinary deaf- HIS LETTERS 75 ness, I will tell you that when at the theatre, I am obliged to lean forward close to the orchestra, in order to understand what is being said on the stage. When somewhat at a distance I cannot hear the high tones of instruments, voices. In speaking it is not surprising that there are people who have never noticed it, for as a rule I am absent-minded, and they account for it in that way. Often I can scarcely hear anyone speaking to me; the tones, yes, but not the actual words; yet as soon as anyone shouts, it is unbearable. What will come of all this, heaven only knows ! Vering says that there will certainly be an im- provement, though perhaps not a perfect cure. 1 have, indeed, often cursed my existence; Plutarch taught r~ - resignation. If nothing else is possible I will defy my fate, al- though there will be moments in my life when I shall be God's most wretched creature. I beg you not to tell anyone about this; don't say even a word to Lorchen. I only tell it you as a secret; I should be glad if you would open up cor- respondence with Vering on the subject. Should my present state continue, I would come next spring to you. You would take a house for me in some beautiful place in the country, and so I would rusticate for six months. By that means there might come a change. Resignation ! wha- a miserable refuge, and yet it is the only way for me. Pray forgive me for telling you of a friend's 76 BEETHOVEN trouble, when you yourself are in sad circum- stances. Stephen Breuning is now here, and we are together almost daily. It does me good to hark back to old times. He is really a good, noble young fellow, who knows a thing or two, and whose heart, as with all of us more or less, is sound. I have very fine rooms now, which look on to the bastion, and this for my health is of double value. I really think I can arrange for Breuning to come and live with me. You shall have your Antiochus, and a rare lot of my new compositions, unless you think it will cost you too much. Honestly speaking, your love for art gives me the highest pleasure. Only write to me how it is to be managed, and I will send you all my works, of which the number is now pretty large and it is daily increasing. In place of the portrait of my grandfather, which I beg you to send as soon as possible by stage coach, I send you that of his grandson, your ever good and affectionate Beethoven. It is coming out here at Artaria's, who, also other art firms, have often asked me for it. I will write shortly to Stoffel, and read him a bit of a lecture about his cross temper. He shall hear what I have to say about old friendship, he shall promise on his oath not to grieve you any more in your, apart from this, sad circumstances. I will also write to kind Lorchen. I have never forgot a single one of you, my dear good people, although you never get any news from me; but writing, as you well HIS LETTERS 77 know, was never a strong point with me years, even, have passed without my best friends ever receiving anything. I only live in my music, and I have scarcely begun one thing when I start another. As I am now working, I am often engaged on three or four things at the same time. Write often to me now; I will see to it that I find time sometimes to write to you. Greetings to all, also to the good wife of the privy coun- cillor, and tell her that I still, occasionally, have a " raptus." I am not surprised at the change in K; fortune is fickle, and does not always fall to the most worthy, the best. A word about Ries, to whom hearty greetings. As regards his son, about whom I will write shortly, although I am of opinion that to make his way in the world, Paris is better than Vienna. The latter city is overcrowded, and even persons of the highest merit find it hard to maintain themselves. By the autumn, or the winter, I will see what I can do for him, for then every one is returning. Farewell, good, faithful Wegeler. Rest as- sured of the love and friendship of Your, BEETHOVEN. 78 BEETHOVEN V. To Dr. FRANZ WEGELER in Bonn. November 16 (1801 ?) My good Wegeler. I thank you for the fresh proof of your anxiety concerning myself, and all the more as I am so little deserving of it. You want to know how I am, what I am taking; and however un- willingly I may discuss the matter, I certainly like best to do it with you. For the last few months, Vering has ordered herb plasters to be constantly placed on both arms; and these, as you will know, are composed of a certain bark. This is a most unpleasant cure, as, until the bark has sufficiently drawn, I am deprived for a day or so of the free use of my arms, to say nothing of the pain. 1 cannot, it is true, deny that the humming with which my deafness actually began, has become somewhat weaker, especially in the left ear. My hearing, however, has not in the least improved; I really am not quite sure whether it has not become worse. My general health is better, and especially after I have taken luke warm baths a few times, I am fairly well for eight or ten days. I seldom take any tonic; I am now applying herb-plasters ac- cording to your advice. Vering won't hear of shower baths, but I am really very dissatisfied with him ; he shows so little care and forbearance ***, LETTERS 79 for such -a .alr t jy f if I did not actually go to him, and that costs me a great effort, I should never see him. What is your opinion of Schmidt? I do not like making a change, yet it seems to me that Vering is too much a practitioner to be able to take in new ideas through books. Schmidt ap- pears to me a very different kind of man, and per- haps would not be so remiss. I hear wonders of galvanism; what do you say about it ? A doctor told me he had seen a deaf and dumb child in Berlin who had recovered his hearing, also a man who had been deaf for seven years. I have just heard that your Schmidt is making experi- ments with it. My life is again somewhat pleasanter, for I mix in society. You can scarcely imagine what a dreary, sad life I have led during the past two years. My weak hearing always seemed to me like a ghost and I ran away from people, was forced to appear a misanthrope, though not at all in my character. This change has been brought about by an enchanting maiden, who loves me, and whom I love. Again during the past two years I have had some happy moments, and for the first time I feel that marriage can bring happiness. Unfortunately, she is not of my station in life, and now for the moment I certainly could not marry I must bravely bustle about. If it were not for my hearing, I should already long ago have travelled half over the world, and that I must do. For me there is no 80 BEETHOVEN greater pleasure than that of practising and dis- playing my art. Do not believe that I should feel happy among you. What, indeed, could make me happier ? Even your solicitude would pain me ; at every moment I should read pity on your faces, and that would make me still more miserable. My beautiful native country, what was my lot when there ? Nothing but hope of a better state, and, except for this evil, I should already have won it ! O that I could be free from it, and encompass the world ! My youth, yes I feel it, is only now beginning; have I not always been sickly ? My strength, both of body and mind, for some time has been on the increase. Every day I approach nearer to the goal; this I feel, though I can scarcely describe it. Only through this, can your Beethoven live. Don't talk of rest ! I know no other but sleep, and sorry enough am I, that I am compelled to give more time to it than formerly. If only half freed from my infirmity, then as a thorough, ripe man I will come to you and renew the old feelings of friendship. You will see me as happy as my lot can be here below, not unhappy. No, that I could not endure; I will seize fate by the throat; it shall certainly never wholly overcome me. Oh ! life is so beautiful, would I could have a thousand lives! I feel I am no longer fit to lead a quiet life ! Do write as soon as you can. See to it that Stephen makes up his mind to get an appointment in the Order of German Knights. HIS LETTERS 8 1 For his health, life here is too fatiguing. And besides, he leads such a retired life, that I do not see how he can get on. You know how it is here; I do not mean to say that society would render him less languid; he can never be per- suaded to go into it. Some time ago I had a musical party at my house ; but our friend Stephen did not turn up. Do advise him to take more rest and to be more steady. I have done all I could; without he takes this advice, he can never become either happy or healthy. Now, tell me in your next letter, whether it matters if I send you a great deal of my music. What you really don't want you can sell, and so you will have your postage also my portrait. Best re- membrances to Lorchen also Mamma and Christoph. You do really love me a little, do you not? Be as well assured of this (of my love), as of the friendship of your BEETHOVEN. VI. To CAPELLMEISTER HOFMEISTER in Leipzig. Vienna, i$th (or something like it), January, 1801. With great pleasure, my dearly beloved brother and friend, have I read your letter. I thank you right heartily for the good opinion you have expressed concerning me and my works, 82 BEETHOVEN and hope I may prove myself really worthy of it. Please also convey my dutiful thanks to Herr K. for his courtesy and friendly feelings towards me. Your undertakings likewise make me glad, and I hope, if works of art can procure gain, that it will fall to the lot of genuine true artists, rather than to mere shopkeepers. That you wish to publish the works of Sebastian Bach rejoices my heart, which beats in unison with the high art of this forefather of harmony, and I desire soon to see the scheme in full swing. I hope that here, so soon as golden peace has been pro- claimed, I shall be able to be of great assistance in the matter, when you issue a subscription list. As regards our special business, since you wish it, I hope this may be to your liking : I now offer you the following : Septet (concerning which I have already written to you ; by arrang- ing it for pianoforte, it would become better known and be more profitable) 20 ducats, Sym- phony 20 ducats, Concerto 10 ducats, Solo Sonata (Allegro, Adagio, Minuetto, Rondo) 20 ducats. This Sonata is Ai, dearest brother! Now for a word of explanation; you will perhaps be surprised that I here make no difference be- tween Sonata, Septet, Symphony, because I find that there is not such a demand for a Septet or a Symphony as for a Sonata ; that is why I do so, although a Symphony is undoubtedly of greater value (N.B. the Septet consists of a short HIS LETTERS 83 introductory Adagio, then Allegro, Adagio, Minuetto, Andante with Variations, Minuetto, another short introductory Adagio, and then Presto). The Concerto I only value at 10 ducats, because, as I have already written, I do not give it out as one of my best. All things considered, I do not think you will find this excessive; any- how I have tried to name prices for you as moderate as I possibly could. ' Concerning the money order, since you leave me the choice, you could make it payable atGeimiiller'sorSchiiller's. The full amount would therefore be 70 ducats for all four works. I do not understand any other money than Viennese ducats; how many thalers and gulden that makes, is no affair of mine, for I am a bad business man and reckoner. There is an end of the troublesome business. So I name it, because I only wish it could be otherwise in the world. There ought to be an artistic depot where the artist need only hand in his art-work in order to receive what he asks for. As things are, one must be half a business man, and how can one understand, good heavens ! that's what I really call troublesome. As for the Leipzig Oo(e&) let them just go on talking; they will never by their chatter confer immortality on any one, neither can they take it away from any one for whom Apollo has destined it. Now, may heaven have you and yours in its keeping. For some time I have not been well; and so it is now somewhat difficult for me to write notes. 84 BEETHOVEN still more so alphabet letters. I hope that we shall often have opportunity to assure ourselves that you are a great friend to me, and that I am Your devoted brother and friend, L. v. BEETHOVEN. VII. Letter from Wegeler and Eleonore von Breuning to Beethoven. Coblentz, 28 December, 1825. My dear old Louis. I cannot allow one of Ries' ten children to leave Vienna without recalling him to your remembrance. If during the twenty-eight years since I left Vienna, you have not received a long letter from me every two months, you must put it down to your own silence after the first letters which I sent you. It should not be so and especially now that we other old people live so entirely in the past and derive our chief pleasure in recollections of our youth. For me at least, my acquaintance and my firm friendship to you, thanks to your good mother whom God now blesses, is a guiding star in my life, to- wards which I turn with pleasure. ... I raise my eyes to you as to a hero, and I am proud to be able to say : ' I have had some influence on his development; he confided in me his ambitions HIS LETTERS 85 and his dreams; and when later he was so often misunderstood, I knew quite well what he wanted.' God be praised that I have been able to speak of you with my wife, and now with my children ! My mother-in-law's house was more your home than your own home, especially after the death of your good mother. Tell us still once more, ' I think of you both in joy and in sorrow.' A man, even when he has risen as high as you, is only happy once in his life : when he is young. Your thoughts should hark back happily many times to the stones of Bonn, Godesburg, P6piniere, etc. Now I want to speak of myself, of ourselves, to give you an example of how you ought to reply to me. After my return from Vienna in 1796, things went rather badly with me. For a long time I had to rely for a living on my consultations as a doctor, and that lasted for several years in this wretched country, before I could even make a bare livelihood. Then I became a professor with a salary, and I married. A year later I had a daughter who is still living and who is quite accomplished. In addition to a very clear head, she has the quiet ways of her father; and she plays admirably some of Beethoven's Sonatas. She can claim no merit for this, for it is an inborn gift with her. In 1807 I had a son who is now studying medicine in Berlin. In four years I shall send him to Vienna. Will you look after him for me? I celebrated, in August, my 6oth 86 BEETHOVEN birthday by a party of sixty friends and ac- quaintances, including the chief people of Bonn. 1 have lived here since 1807, and have a fine house and a good position. My superiors are satisfied with me, and the King has given me some orders and medals. Lore and I are con- tent. Now that I have told you all about our- selves, it is your turn. . . . Do you never wish to turn your eyes from the tower of St. Stephen's? Has travel no charms for you ? Do you never wish to see the Rhine again ? With , every good wish from Madam Lore and myself, Your very old friend, WEGELER. Coblentz, 29 December, 1825. Dear Beethoven dear for such a long time ! It was my wish that Wegeler should write to you again. Now that this is done, I should like to add a few words not only to recall my- self to your remembrance, but to renew the pressing question whether you have not a desire to see the Rhine and your birthplace again, and to give Wegeler and me the greatest joy possible. Our Lenchen thanks you for so many happy hours; she delights in hearing us speak of you; she knows all the little adventures of our happy youthful days at Bonn of the quarrel and the reconciliation. . . . How happy she would be to see you ! Unfortunately, the little one has HIS LETTERS 8? no special aptitude for music; but she has done so much by application and perseverance that she can play your Sonatas, Variations, etc.; and as music is always the greatest relaxation for Wegeler, she is thus able to give him many happy hours. Julius has some talent for music, but up to the present it has been neglected; for the last six months, he has been learning the violoncello with zest and pleasure ; and as he has a good teacher in Berlin I believe that he will get on well. The two children are tall and re- semble their father; they also possess that fine cheery disposition which Wegeler, thanks to God, has not even yet lost. . . . He takes great pleasure in playing the themes of your Varia- tions; the old ones have the greater preference, but he oftens plays the new ones, too, with in- credible patience. Your Opferlied is placed above everything. Wegeler never goes to his room without putting it on the piano. So, dear Bee- thoven, you can see how lasting and real a thing is the remembrance which we always have of you ! Tell us then just once that this is not worth- less to you, and that we are not quite forgotten. If it were not so difficult to do as one wishes, we should already have been to Vienna to see my brother, and have the pleasure of seeing you again ; but such a journey is out of the question now that our son is at Berlin. Wegeler has told you how everything goes with us we should do wrong to complain. Even the most difficult 88 BEETHOVEN times have been better for us than for hundreds of others. The greatest blessing is that we all keep well and that we have such good and noble children. Yes, they have hardly given us any trouble, and they are such merry and happy little people. Lenchen has had only one great grief ; it was when our poor Burscheid died : a loss none of us will ever forget. Adieu, dear Beethoven, and think of us as the most loyal of friends. ELN. WEGELER. VIII. To Dr. FRANZ WEGELER. Vienna, *]th October, 1826. My dear old friend. I cannot tell you how much pleasure your letter and that of your Lorchen gave me. Cer- tainly, a reply ought to have been sent with lightning speed, but I am generally somewhat careless about writing, because I think that the better sort of men know me without this. I often compose the answer in my mind, but when I wish to write it down, I usually throw the pen away, because I cannot write as I feel. I re- member all the love which you have constantly shown me, for instance, when you had my room whitewashed, and so pleasantly surprised me. It is the same with the Breuning family. If we were separated, that happened in the natural HIS LETTERS 89 course of things; every one must pursue and try to attain distinction in his calling; but the eternal unshaken foundations of virtue held us ever firmly united. Unfortunately, I cannot write to you to-day so much as I wished, as I am bed- ridden, and therefore confine myself to answering certain points of your letter. You write that I am somewhere spoken of as a natural son of the late King of Prussia; I, likewise, heard of this long ago, but have made it a principle never to write anything about my- self, nor to reply to anything written about me. So I willingly leave it to you to make known to the world the uprightness of my parents, and especially of my mother. You write about your son. I need not say that if he comes here he will find in me a friend and father, and if I can help, or be of service to him in any way, I will gladly do so. I still have the silhouette of your Lorchen, from which you will see that all the goodness and affection shown to me in my youth are still dear to me. Of my diplomas, I will only tell you briefly, that I am honorary member of the Royal Society of Sciences of Sweden, as well as of Amsterdam, and also honorary citizen of Vienna. A short time ago a certain Dr. Spiker took with him my last great Symphony with chorus to Berlin; it is dedicated to the King, and I had to write the dedication with my own hand. I had already 9O BEETHOVEN sought permission through the Embassy to be , allowed to dedicate this work to the King, and it was granted. At Dr. Spiker's instigation, I was obliged myself to hand over to him the manuscript for the King, with the corrections in my own handwriting, as it was to be placed in the Royal Library. Something has been said to me about the red order of the Eagle, 2nd class; what will come of it, I do not know, for I have never sought such tokens of honour; yet in these times, they would not be unwelcome to me for many reasons. Moreover, my motto is always : ' Nulla dies sine linea,' and if I ever let the Muse sleep, it is only that she may awaken all the stronger. I hope still to bring some great works into the world, and then, like an old child, to end my earthly career amongst good men. You will also soon receive some music from Schott Brothers of Mainz. The portrait which you receive enclosed, is certainly an artistic masterpiece, but it is not the last which has been taken of me. With regard to tokens of honour, which I know will give you pleasure, I may also mention that a medal was sent to me by the late King of France with the inscription : ' Donne par le Roi a Monsieur Beethoven,' ' accompanied by a very obliging letter from the premier gentilhomme du Roi Due de Chatres. My dear friend, for to-day, farewell. For the rest, the remembrance of the past takes hold of HIS LETTERS 91 me, and not without many tears will you receive this letter. A beginning is now made, and you will soon get another letter, and the more fre- quently you write, the more pleasure will you give me. No inquiry is necessary on either side concerning our friendship; and so, farewell. I beg you to kiss and embrace your dear Lorchen and the children in my name, and at the same time to think of me. God be with you all. As always, your true friend who honours you, BEETHOVEN. IX. To Dr. F. G. WEGELER in Bonn. Vienna, February 17, 1827. Fortunately I received your second letter through Breuning. I am still too weak to answer it, but you may believe me that every- thing in it is welcome and desirable. My re- covery, if I may call it so, is very slow; a fourth operation is to be expected, although the doctors do not say anything about it. I am patiently thinking that every evil has sometimes its good. But now I am astonished to see from your last letter that you have not received anything. From the present letter you will perceive that I wrote to you already on the tenth of December last year. With the portrait, it is the same, as you will see from the ds^e when you receive it. 92 BEETHOVEN 1 Frau Steffen said,' 1 in short. Stephen wished to send you these things if some opportunity offered, but they remained lying here up to this date; moreover until now, it was difficult to send them back. You will now get the portrait by post, through Schott and Co., who also send you the music. I should like to tell you still much more, but I am too weak, thus I can only embrace you and your Lorchen in spirit. With true friendship and affection to you and yours, I am Your old, true friend, BEETHOVEN. X. To Sir G. SMART in London. March 6, 1827. I do not doubt that you, dear Sir, have received through Herr Moscheles my letter of the 22nd of February; but as I have found by chance among my papers, S.'s address, I do not hesitate to write direct to you and recall my re- quest again to your mind. Up to now I cannot look forward to an end of my terrible illness; on the contrary, my suffer- ings, and with it, my cares, have still increased. On the 29th of February I underwent my fourth operation, and it may be, perhaps, my fate to undergo a fifth or even more. If this continues, l Quotation from a well-known song. HIS LETTERS 93 my illness will surely last till the middle of sum- mer, and what will then become of me? How shall I then manage to live till I have recovered strength enough to gain my own living by my pen ? In short, I will not trouble you further with my complaints, and refer only to my letter of the 22nd of February, asking you to use all your influence to induce the Philharmonic Society to carry out their former resolution concerning the concert for my benefit. XL To I. MOSCHELES in London. Vienna, March 14, 1827. My dear Moscheles. Some days ago I found out through Herr Lewinger that you inquired in a letter to him of the loth of February regarding the state of my illness, of which so many different rumours have been spread about. Although I have no doubts whatever that my letter of the 24th of February has arrived, which will explain every- thing you desire to know, I can but thank you for your sympathy with my sad lot, and beseech you to be solicitous about the request which you know of from my first letter, and I am quite convinced that, in union with Sir Smart and other of my friends, you will succeed in bringing about a favourable result for me at the Philharmonic 94 BEETHOVEN Society. I have once more written to Sir Smart about it. On the 27th of February I underwent the fourth operation, and there are visible symptoms that I shall have to suffer a fifth. What does it tend to, and what will become of me if it continues for some time longer? A hard lot, indeed, has fallen upon me ! However, I submit to the will of fate, and only pray to God so to ordain it in His divine will, that I may be pro- tected from want as long as I have to endure death in life. This will give me strength to bear my lot, however terrible it may be, with humble submission to the will of the Most High. Therefore, my dear Moscheles, I entrust once more my affair to you, and remain with greatest respect ever Your friend, L. van BEETHOVEN. Hummel is here and has called on me several times. XII. To I. MOSCHELES in London. Vienna, March 18, 1827. With what emotion I re..d your letter of the ist March is not to described in words. This magnanimity of the Philharmonic Society, with which they anticipated my request, has touched HIS LETTERS 95 my inmost heart. I, therefore, ask you, dear Moscheles, to be the organ through which I can express my most heartfelt thanks to the Phil- harmonic Society for their sympathy and help. Tell these worthy men that if God restores me to health, I shall try practically to show my gratitude by works, and that I leave it to the Society to choose what I shall write for them. A whole sketched Symphony (the loth) is in my desk, also a new Overture, or even some- thing else. As regards the concert which the Philharmonic Society has resolved on giving for my benefit, I beg the Society not to give up this intention. In short, I shall try to fulfil any wish expressed by the Society, and never have I undertaken a work with such ardour as will now be displayed. May it only please God to restore me soon again to health, and then I shall prove to these magnanimous Englishmen that I know how to value their sympathy to me in my sad condition. I was compelled to accept the whole sum of 1,000 fl., since I was then in the disagreeable position of having to draw out invested money. Your noble behaviour I shall never forget, and I shall soon render my thanks in particular to Sir Smart and Herr Stump. The metronomised Ninth Symphony please hand to the Phil- harmonic Society. Enclosed find the markings. Your most devoted friend, BEETHOVEN. '33 96 BEETHOVEN XIII. SCHINDLER to B. ScHOTT SOHNE, Mainz. Vienna, April 12, 1827. I would already have liked to take the liberty of forwarding to you the enclosed document in the name of our Beethoven as his dying request; but after the passing away of our friend, there was so much business to attend to that I found it impossible. Unfortunately, it was not possible to get the document legalised, for that Beethoven would have had to sign it at the law court, which was utterly impossible. Beethoven, however, requested Court Councillor v. Breuning and myself to add our names as witnesses, as we were both present. We, therefore, believe that it will serve the purpose for which it was drawn up. I must further mention that in this docu- ment you possess the last signature of this immortal man ; for this was the last stroke of his pen. I cannot now refrain from telling you some- thing about the last hours when he was still conscious (namely, on the 24th of March, from early morning until about one o'clock in the afternoon), for to you, sirs, this will surely be of great interest. When I came to him on the morning of the twenty-fourth of March, I found his fees quite drawn; moreover, he was so weak that with the greatest effort he could only utter HIS LETTERS 97 two or three intelligible words. The Ordinarius soon arrived, and, after watching him for a few moments, said to me: 'Beethoven's end is rapidly approaching.' As the business of the Will had been settled, so far as was possible, the previous day, there remained for us only one ardent wish : to get him reconciled with heaven, in order that the world might also be shown that he ended his life as a true Christian. The Professor Ordinarius wrote it down, and begged him in the name of all his friends, to partake of the Sacrament for the dying, where- upon he answered calmly and steadily: * I will.' The doctor went away, leaving me to see to this. Beethoven then said to me : * My only request is that you write to Schott and send him the document : he will need it. And write to him in my name, for I am too weak, and say that I much desire him to send the wine. Also, if you have still time to-day, write to England.' The clergyman came about twelve o'clock, and the religious ceremony took place in the most edifying manner. And now for the first time he seemed to feel that his end was approaching, for the clergyman had scarcely gone when he said to me and to young v. Breuning : ' Plaudite amid, comoedia finita est! y Have I not al- ways said that it would be thus? He then, once again, begged me not to forget Schott; also again to write in his name to the Philharmonic H 98 BEETHOVEN Society 1 to thank them for their great gift, and to add that the Society had comforted his last days, and that even on the brink of the grave he thanked the Society and the whole English nation for the great gift. God bless them. At this moment the chancery servant of v. Breuning entered the room with the case of wine and the decoction, about quarter to one o'clock. I put the two bottles of Riidesheimer and the two other bottles of the decoction on the table at his bedside. He looked at them, saying: 1 Tis a pity, a pity, too late ! ' These were his last words. Immediately after, commenced the death throes, so that he could not utter a sound. Towards evening he lost consciousness and be- came delirious, which lasted up to the evening of the 25th, when visible signs of approaching death appeared. In spite of it, he died only on the 26th at quarter to six o'clock in the evening. This death struggle was terrible to behold, for his constitution, especially his chest, was like that of a giant. Of your Riidesheimer, he took still a few spoonfuls until he passed away. Thus I have the pleasure of acquainting you with the last three days of our unforgettable friend. In conclusion, accept the assurance, etc., ANTON SCHINDLER. 1 This English Society had sent him a present of 100 and a magnificent edition of Handel which gave him the greatest pleasure during his last days. THOUGHTS , ; :: . - \ A 1 1 1 # 1 W- 'I td t \ r r v. V \ 1 ">vf I ^ r J VI - O a - o O 2 a 2 > a, O < S as H o w 2 g [To /ace />a^e 100. THOUGHTS ON Music. " 7? n'y a pas de regie qu'on ne pent blesser a cause de SCHONER " (There is no rule which one cannot break for the sake of BEAUTY). This ex- pression appears in the original in French except for the last word Schoner. y 4I Music ought to create and fan the fire of the spirit of man." < < Music is a higher revelation than the whole of wisdom and the whole of philosophy He who penetrates the meaning of my music shall be freed from all the misery which afflicts others." (To Bettina, 1810.) " There is nothing finer than to approach the Divine and to shed its rays on the human race." 101 102 BEETHOVEN " Why do I write? What I have in my heart must come out; and that is why I compose." 11 Do you believe that I think of a divine violin when the spirit speaks to me and that I write what it dictates?" (To Schuppanzigh.) " According to my usual manner of composing, even in my instrumental music, I always have the whole in my mind ; here, however, that whole is to a certain extent divided, and I have afresh to think myself into the music." (To Treitschke : from correspondence concerning Beethoven 's musical settings to some of his poems. Treitschke was the man who revised the libretto of Fidelia when it was seriously thought of reviving it.) " One should compose without a piano Th*- faculty of expressing what one desires and feels, (which is so essential a need to noble natures) comes only by degrees." (To the Arr.hdi.ke Rudolph.) THOUGHTS ON MUSIC 1 03 " The descriptions of a picture belong to paint- ing; even the poet in this matter may, in compari- son with my art, esteem himself lucky, for his domain in this respect is not so limited as mine, yet the latter extends further into other regions, and to attain to our kingdom is not easy." (To Wilhelm Gerhardi in Leipzig from Nussdorf, July, 1817.) " Liberty and progress are the goals of art just as of life in general. If we are not as solid as the old masters, the refinement of civilization has at least enlarged our outlook." (To Archduke Rudolph.) " I am not in the habit of altering my compo- sitions when they are once finished. I have never done this, for I hold firmly that the slightest change alters the character of the composition." (To George Thomson, publisher, Edinburgh.) " Pure Church music ought to be performed entirely by the voices only, except for the Gloria or words of that kind. That is why I prefer Palestrina ; but it would be absurd to imitate him 104 BEETHOVEN without possessing his spirit and his religious con- i (To the organist Freudenberg.) " When your piano pupil has the proper finger- ing, the exact rhythm and plays the notes correctly, pay attention only to the style; do not stop for little faults or make remarks on them until the end of the piece. This method produces musicians, which after all is one of the chief aims of musical art For the passage work (virtu- osity) make him use all the fingers freely Doubtless by employing fewer fingers a ' pearly ' effect is obtained as it is put ' like a pearl.' But one likes other jewels at times." (To Czerny.) (The Baron de Trdmont wrote in 1809, " Beethoven's piano play- ing was not very correct and his manner of fingering was often faulty ; the quality of his tone was not beyond reproach. But who could dream of the player? One was completely absorbed by the thoughts which his hands tried to express as well as they could.") " Amongst the old masters, only Handel and j Sebastian Bach had true genius." (To the Archduke Rudolph, 1819.) THOUGHTS ON MUSIC 105 " My heart beats in entire concord with the lofty and grand art of Sebastian Bach, that patri- arch of harmony (dieses Urvaters der Harmonie.") (To Hofmeister, 1801.) " I have always been one of the greatest ad- mirers of Mozart, and I shall remain so until my latest breath." (To the Abbe Stadler, 1826.) " I admire your works above all other pieces for the theatre. I am in ecstasy each time I hear a new work by you, and I take more interest in them than in my own. In brief, I admire you and I love you. . . . . You will always remain the one I esteem most amongst all my contemporaries. If you wish to give me an extreme pleasure do write me a few lines. That would give me great satis- faction. Art unites everybody, how much more true artists, and perhaps you will consider me also worthy of being counted one of this number." (To Cherubini, 1823.) (The words in italics are in French in the original with some defective spelling. This letter to Cherubini was not answered.) 106 BEETHOVEN ON CRITICISM. " In all that concerns me as an artist, no one has ever heard me say that I pay the least atten- tion to what has been written about me." (To Schott, 1825.) " I think with Voltaire that mere fly-stings will not hold back a run-away horse." (1826.) ** As for these idiots, one can only let them talk. Their prattling will certainly not make anyone immortal, any more than it will raise to immortality any of those whom Apollo has destined for it." (1801.) THE NINE SYMPHONIES THE NINE SYMPHONIES SYMPHONY No. i in C major, Opus 21. Dedicated to the Baron van Swieten. Adagio molto Allegro con brio Andante canta- bile con moto Minuetto e Trio Finale. Although this Symphony was originally per- formed at the first of the composer's personally- arranged concerts in Vienna, on April 2nd, 1800, the sketches for it extend over the preceding five years. Though the symphony is in the composer's first period style, it does not rank amongst the very finest works of this period. The slow intro- duction starts on a dominant seventh out of the key. Adagio moho. ^^^ m The musical quotations are taken from E. Pauer's excellent piano solo arrangements of the Symphonies (Augener Ltd.). 109 110 BEETHOVEN The first movement proper is orthodox in form, and only once or twice do we catch a glimpse of the Beethoven to be, notably in the muttering bass passages near the end of the exposition, The Andant^ which is also jn Sonata-form proper and, opens fugally. contains some original drum-work. The Minuet, purely Haydnesque, shows a certain delight in orchestral colour. Allegro mtilto e "h ace In the trio the first chord is struck no less than nine times, as though the young composer was entirely occupied with the charm of his orchestral colouring. The Finale is not highly individual. The work is scored for strings, wood-wind, two horns, two trumpets and two drums. 2nd SYMPHONY in D, Opus 36. Dedicated to Prince Carl Lichnovsky. Adagio molto Allegro con brio Lar ghetto Scherzo and Trio Allegro molto. In the Second Symphony, which is a great ad- vance on the first, the composer's hold of his THE NINE SYMPHONIES III subject is much firmer and the subjects themselves are more striking. AUfegro con brio. The Larghetto is full of lovely curves, and there is some charming conversational work between the wood-wind instruments. The horn passage is the precursor of many fine symphony subjects of a martial nature for the horns. Whilst the ch romatic^harm nay is purely Mo- zartjan, the Seller zn is a genuine Beethovenian outburst, full of verve and piquant in touch. Allegro. . . - i r t 1 here is a feeling of-bror cdftSS-.ahout the brilli- ant and energetic Finale which is- absent from the JUttoZfi of the First^Syirpho_ny- 112 BEETHOVEN 3rd SYMPHONY, Opus 35, " Eroica " in E flat. Dedicated to Prince Lobkovitz. Allegro con brio Marcia funebre Scherzo and Trio Finale. This Symphony was completed in August, 1804, and first performed on April 7th, 1805. The French Ambassador at Vienna had suggested that Beethoven should write a work on the grand scale based on his admiration for Napoleon as the saviour of France from the horrors of the Revolu- tion ; and it is a fact that Beethoven actually dedi- cated this Symphony to Napoleon, but when the news came that the First Consul had declared himself Emperor, Beethoven tore up the title page in a rage and added the following super- scription : Sinfonia Eroica, composta per festeggiare il Souvenire di un grand' Uomo, E dedicata A Sua Altezza Serenissima 11 Principe di Lobkovitz da Luigi van Beethoven, Op. 55 No. III. delle Sinfonie. This is one of the grandest and most powerful of the works in the Second Period style. It is note- worthy that all the principal themes are based on the intervals of the common chord, or on the little pendant of the diminished third which forms the tail of the first subject. THE NINE SYMPHONIES The work opens in medias res with two strong chords, the chief subject entering on the cellos. A'flfgro ccc brio There is some lovely responsive work between the wood-wind and the string bands for the second subject. The development is masterly and em- braces a wonderful new subject, first entering on the oboes in the strange key of E minor. The recapitulation is approached in a marvellous way the climax of the development being reached with a chord in C flat, the echoing reflections of which gradually die away until they reach a mere shimmering of violins, into which is suddenly thrown an unexpected entrance of the horn with the chief theme in the tonic key. Was it a slip? Of course not. Rather a stroke of genius. The movement has an immense coda, which with Beethoven at this period amounts to a second development. The Funeral March is one of the grandest things in music. It is a pageant of a great world tribulation rather than an elegy for Napoleon, who was certainly not dead at that time. More prob- ably Beethoven's mind was occupied with the BEETHOVEN misery and wretchedness caused by war than with the single hero of that period who reaped both glory and dishonour at one blow. The oboe subject in the Trio portion is only one of many wonderful passages in this piece. Xbe speaking bass melo- .dies^the majestic secondLsubjec^ on the not but buoyed irgL b the - Any attempt to connect the Sffor^cTand Finale with Napoleon must fail ludicrously. The Scherzo is simply one of Beethoven's finest productions in one of his bubbl- ing, vivacious mood. The three horns have a subject which appears to be a genuine hunting call. It is a seven-bar phrase, the echoes to which are enchantingly coloured. The common chordal for- mation of the duple time interjection near the end suggests something more massive, and the little coda figure, E flat, E natural, F, comes from th^ opening theme of the Symphony. The a n ar n??jP-g g f*t Qf vflriptjnnsij th" hn^g pf fh 1 ha.r theme hpin liebte, 1890. The historical value of this book has been frequently contested. Marian Tenger was the confidential friend of Theresa in her last years. It is very likely that Theresa, then aged, may involuntarily have idealised her remembrances; but the foundation of the story appears reliable. A. EHRHARD. Franz Grillparser, 1900. THEODOR VON FRIMMEL. Ludivig van Beethoven (in the collection of Beruhmtc, Musiker), Berlin, 1901. JEAN CHANTAVOINE. Beethoven, Paris, 1907. DR. ALFRED CHRISTIAN KALISCHER. Beethoven und seiner Zeitgenossen Beitrage sur Ges- chichte des Kunstlers und Menschen. 4 vols., 1910. A collection of documents of the greatest interest on the whole circle of BIBLIOGRAPHY 2OI Beethoven's friends. This wealth of informa- tion renews in a great part the psychology of Beethoven. PROF. DR. RICHARD STERNFELD. Zur Einfuh- rung in Ludivig von Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. IGNAZ VON SEYFRIED. Ludivig von Beethoven im Generalbass, Kontrapunkt, und in der Com- positions Lehre, 1832. W. DE LENZ. Beethoven et ses trois styles. (Analysis of his pianoforte sonatas), (out of print), 1854. OULIBICHEFF. Beethoven, ses critiques et ses glossateurs, 1857. WASIELEWSKI. Beethoven, 2 volumes, Berlin, 1886. R. SCHUMANN. Music and Musicians. Trans- lated by Fanny Raymond Ritter, London, Reeves. RICHARD WAGNER. Beethoven. Leipzig, 1870 VINCENT D'lNDY. Beethoven. Paris, 1911. 202 BEETHOVEN BEETHOVEN'S PORTRAITS. 1789. Silhouette of Beethoven at eighteen years. (Beethoven's house at Bonn; reproduced in Frimmel's Biography, page 16). 1791-2. Miniature of Beethoven by Gerhard von Kiigelgen. (In the possession of George Hens- chel, London; reproduced in " Musical Times" of December, 1892, page 8). 1801. Drawing "by G. Stainhauser, engraved by Johann Neidl. (Reproduced in " Les Musi- ciens," celebres by Felix Clement, 1878, page 267 ; Frimmel, page 28). 1802. Engraving by Scheffner, after Stainhauser. (Beethoven's house at Bonn; reproduced in " Die Musik," of March i5th, 1902, page "45); 1802. Miniature of Beethoven, by Christian Hornemann. (In the possession of Madame de Breuning at Vienna; reproduced in Frimmel, page 31). 1805. Portrait of Beethoven by W. J. Mahler. (In the possession of Robert Hcimlcr, Vienna; reproduced in " Musical Times," December, 1892, page 7; " Frimmel," page 34). 1808. Drawing by L. F. Schnorr de Carols f eld, lithographed by J. Bauer. (Beethoven's house at Bonn). PORTRAITS 2O3 1812. Cast of Beethoven, modelled by Fran2 Klein. 1812. Bust of Beethoven, by Franz Klein, from the cast. (BelongtfTg to E. Streicher, piano manufacturer, in Vienna; reproduced in Frimmel, page 46; " Musical Times," De- cember, 1892, page 19). 1814. Drawing by L. Letronne, engraved by Blasius Hoefel. (The finest portrait of Beethoven; Beethoven's house at Bonn con- tains the original, which he offered to Wegeler; reproduced in Frimmel, page 51 ; " Musical Times," December, 1892, page 21). 1815. Drawing by L. Letronne, engraved by Riedel. (Reproduced in " Die Musik," page 1147). 1815. Second portrait of Beethoven, by Mahler. (In the possession of Ignace von Gleichenstein of Fribourg-en-Brisgau. Reproduction in Beethoven's house at Bonn), 1815. Portrait of Beethoven, by Christian Heckel. (In the possession of J. F. Heckel, of Mannheim; reproduction in Beethoven's house at Bonn). 1818. Engraving from the drawing of Beethoven by Aug. von Kloeber. (Reproduced in " Musical Times," December, 1892, page 25). The original drawing by Kloeber is in the collection of Dr. Erich Prieger at Bonn. 1819. Portrait of Beethoven by K Joseph Slieler, 204 BEETHOVEN (The property of Alex. Meyer Cohn, Berlin; reproduced in Frimmel, page 71). ,3 2I . Bust of Beethoven by Anton Dietrich. (In the possession of Leopold Schrotter, of Kris- tell i; reproduction in Beethoven's house at Bonn). 1824-6. Caricatures of Beethoven walking, by J. P. Lyser. (Original in the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna; reproduced in Frimmel, page 67; " Musical Times," December, 1892, page 15). 1823. Caricatures of Beethoven walking, by Jos. van Boehm. (Reproduced in Frimmel, page 70). 1823. Portrait of Beethoven by Waldmueller. (Belonging to Messrs. Breitkopf and Haertel, Leipzig; reproduced in Frimmel, page 72). 1825-6. Drawing of Beethoven by Stepan Decker. (In the possession of George Decker, Vienna; reproductions in Beethoven's house at Bonn). 1826. Drawing of Beethoven by A. Dietrich, lithographed by Jos. Kriehuber. (Repro- duced in Frimmel, page 73). 1826. Bust of Beethoven a la antique, by Schaller. (The property of the Philharmonic Society of London; copy in Beethoven's house at Bonn; reproduced in Frimmel, page 74, and in " Musical Times," December, 1892). 1827, Sketch of Beethoven on his death-bed, by PORTRAITS 205 jos. Danhauser. (In the possession A. Ar- taria, Vienna; reproduced in the " Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung " of April igth, 1901. 1827. Three sketches of Beethoven on his death- bed, by Teltscher. (In the possession of Dr. Aug. Heymann; published by Frimmel; repro- duced in the " Courier Musical " of November 1 5th, 1909). 1827. Mask of Beethoven dead, modelled by Dan- hauser. (Beethoven's house at Bonn). Numerous portraits of Beethoven have been made since his death. The most remarkable work which has been dedicated to his memory is the monument of Max Klinger (Vienna, 1902). CLASSIFICATION OF BEETHOVEN'S PIANOFORTE SONATAS IN ORDER OF STUDY CLASSIFICATION OF BEETHOVEN'S PIANOFORTE SONATAS, IN ORDER OF STUDY % 1. Op. 49, No. 2, in G major. 2. Op. 49, No. i, in G minor. 3. Op. 14, No. 2, in G major. 4. Op. 14, No. i, in E major. 5. Op. 79, in G major. 6. Op. 2, No. i, in F minor. 7. Op. 10, No. i, in C minor. 8. Op. 10, No. 2, in F major. 9. Op. 10, No. 3, in D major. 10. Op. 13, in C minor (Pathetique), 11. Op. 22, in B flat major. 12. Op. 28, in D major (Pastorale). 13. Op. 2, No. 2, in A major. 14. Op. 2, No. 3, in C major. 15. Op. 7, in E flat major. 16. Op. 26, in A flat major. 17. Op. 31, No. i, in G major. 1 8. Op. 31, No. 3, in E flat major. 19. Op. 90, in E minor. 20. Op. 54, in F major. Op. 54, in F major 209 2IO BEETHOVEN 21. Op. 27, No. i, in E flat major. 22. Op. 27, No. 2 in C sharp minor. (Moon- light). 23. Op. 31, No. 2 in D minor. 24. Op. 53, in C major. 25. Op. 81, in E flat major. (Les Adicux). 26. Op. 78, in F sharp major. 27. Op. 57, in F minor. (Appassionato). 28. Op. no, in A flat major. 29. Op. 109, in E majorv . 30. Op. 101, in A rrfajor. 3 Op. in, in C minor 32. Op. 106, in B flat major. (The Giant). COMPLETE LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S WORKS. Compiled from Marx and Thayer. I. COMPOSITIONS WITH OPUS NUMBER Opus 1. Three Trios for pianoforte, violin, and vio- loncello, in E flat, G major, and C minor; dedicated to Prince Lichnovsky; com- posed 1791-92. 2. Three Sonatas for piano, in F minor, A major, and C major; dedicated to Joseph Haydn; published 1796. 3. Trio for violin, viola, violoncello, in E flat; composed in Bonn before 1792. 4. Quintet for two violins, two violas, and violoncello, in E flat (from octet for wind instruments, Op. 103); published 1795. 5. Two Sonatas for piano and violoncello, in F major and G minor; dedicated to Frederic William II. of Prussia; composed in Berlin in 1796. 6. Sonata for piano, for four hands, in D major; published 1796-97. 7. Sonata for piano, in E flat; dedicated to 214 BEETHOVEN the Countess Babette von Keglevics; published 1797. 8. Serenade for violin, viola, and violoncello, in D major; published 1797. 9. Three Trios for violin, viola, and violon- cello, in G major, D major, and C minor; dedicated to the Count von Brovne; published 1798. 10. Three Sonatas for -piano, in C minor, F major, and D major; dedicated to the Countess von Brovne; published 1798. 1 1 . Trio for piano, clarionet (or violin), and vio- loncello, in B flat ; dedicated to the Countess von Thun ; published 1798. 12. Three Sonatas for piano and violin, in D major, A major, and E flat major; dedi- cated to F. A. Salieri ; published 1798-99. 13. Sonata Pathetique for piano, in C minor; dedicated to Prince Lichnovsky; published 1799. 14. Two Sonatas for piano, in E major and G major; dedicated to the Baroness Braun ; published 1799. 15. First Concerto for piano and orchestra, in C major; dedicated to the Princess Odescalchy, nee Countess von Keglevics ; composed 1795. 16. Quintet for piano, clarionet, oboe, bassoon, and horn, in E flat major; dedicated to the Prince von Schwarzenberg ; performed 1798. 215 iy. Sonata for piano and horn, in F major; dedi- cated to the Baroness Braun ; composed 1800. 1 8. Six Quartets for two violins, viola, and violoncello, in F major, G major, D major, C minor, A major, and B flat major; dedicated to Prince Lobkovitz; published 1800-1801. 19. Second Concerto for piano and orchestra, in B flat major; dedicated to M. von Nickels- berg; composed 1798. 20. Grand Septet for violin, viola, violoncello, horn, clarionet, bassoon, and double-bass, in E flat; performed 1800. 21. First Symphony for orchestra, in C major; dedicated to the Baron van Swieten ; per- formed 1800. 22. Grand Sonata for piano, in B flat; dedicated to the Count von Browne; composed 1800. 23. Sonata for piano and violin, in A minor; dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries; published 1801. 24. Sonata for piano and violin, in F major; dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries; published 1801 (originally together with Op. 23). 25. Serenade for flute, violin, and viola, in D major; published 1802. 26. Sonata for piano, in A flat; dedicated to Prince Lichnovsky; composed 1801. r 2i6 BEETHOVEN 27. Two Sonatas quasi Fantasia, for piano, No. i, in E flat major, dedicated to the Princess Lichtenstein; No. 2, in C sharp minor, dedicated to the Countess Julia Guicciardi; composed 1801 (?). 28. Sonata for piano, in D major; dedicated to M. von Sonnenfels; composed 1801. 29. Quintet for two violins, two violas, and violoncello, in C major; dedicated to Count von Fries; composed 1801. 30. Three Sonatas for piano and violin, in A major, C minor, and G major; dedicated to the Emperor Alexander I. of Russia; composed 1802. 31. Three Sonatas for piano, in G major, D minor, & E flat major; composed 1802 (?). 32. To Hope, words from the Urania of Tiedge; published 1805 (first setting; see Op. 94). 33. Bagatelles for piano; composed 1782. 34. Six Variations for piano, in F major, or an original theme; dedicated to the Princess Odescalchy; composed in 1802 (?), 35. Fifteen Variations with a Fugue, for piano, on a theme from " Prometheus "; dedi- cated to Count Maritz Lichnovsky; com- posed 1802. 36. Second Symphony for orchestra, in D major; dedicated to Prince Lichnovsky; composed 1802. 37. Third Concerto for piano and orchestra, in LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 217 C minor; dedicated to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia; composed 1800. 38. Trio for piano, clarionet (or violin), and vio- loncello (from the Septet, Op. 20), pub- lished 1805. 39. Two Preludes through all the major and minor keys, for piano or organ ; composed 1789. 40. Romance for violin and orchestra, in G major; composed 1802 (?). 41. Serenade for piano and flute (or violin), in D major; from Opus 5. Published 1803. 42. Notturno for piano and violoncello, in D major (from Op. 8); published 1804. 43. Ballet, " The Men of Prometheus "; com- posed 1800. 44. Fourteen Variations for piano, violin, and violoncello, on an original theme ; com- posed 1802 (?). 45. Three Marches for piano, for four hands, in C major, E flat major, and D major; dedicated to the Princess Esterhazy ; com- posed 1802 (1801 ?). 46. Adelaide, words by Matthison ; composed 1796. 47. Sonata for piano and violin, in A major; dedicated to the violinist, Rudolph Kreutzer; composed 1803. 48. Six spiritual songs, by Gellert ; published 1803. 2l8 BEETHOVEN 49. Two easy Sonatas for piano, in G minor and G major; composed 1802 ( ?). 50. Romance for violin and orchestra, in F major; composed in 1802 (?). 51. Two Rondos for piano; No. I in C major, published 1798 (?); No. 2 in G major, dedicated to the Countess Henriette von Lichnovsky; published 1802. 52 . Eight Songs ; words by Claudius, Sophie von Mereau, Burger, Goethe, and Lessing; partly composed in Bonn before 1792. 53. Grand Sonata for piano, in C major; dedi- cated to Count Waldstein ; composed in ^ 1803 (?). 54. Sonata for piano, in F major; composed 1803 (?). 55. Third Symphony (Eroica) for orchestra, in E flat; dedicated to Prince Lobkovitz; composed 1803-4. 56. Triple Concerto for piano, violin and violon- cello, with orchestra, in C major; com- posed 1804-5. 57. Grand Sonata for piano and orchestra, in G major; dedicated to the Count von Brunswick; composed 1804. 58. Fourth Concerto for piano and orchestra, in G major; dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph; composed 1806 (?). 59. Three Quartets for two violins, viola, and violoncello, in F major, E minor, and C major; dedicated to Prince Rasumovsky; composed 1806. LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 219 60. Fourth Symphony for orchestra, in B flat; dedicated to Count Oppersdorf ; composed 1806. 61. Concerto for violin and orchestra, in D major; dedicated to Stephan von Breun- ing; composed 1806. 62. Overture, " Coriolanus," in C minor; dedi- cated v to the dramatist, Heinrich von Collin ; composed 1807. 63. Sonata for piano, violin, and violoncello (from the Octet, Op. 103); published 1807. 64. Sonata for piano, violin, and violoncello from the Trio, Op. 3); published 1807. 65. Scena and Aria, " Ah, perfido! " for soprano voice and orchestra ; dedicated to the Countess Clari ; composed 1796. 66. Twelve Variations for piano and violoncello, in F major, on the theme, Ein Madchen oder Weibchen, from Mozart's Zauber- flote ; published 1798. 67. Fifth Symphony for orchestra, in C minor; dedicated to Prince Lobkovitz and Count Rasumovsky; composed 1808 ( ?). 68. Sixth Symphony (Pastoral) for orchestra, in F major; dedicated to Prince" Lob- kovitz and Count Rasumovsky; composed "1808 (?). 69. Sonata for piano and violoncello, in A major ; dedicated to Baron von Gleichenstein ; published 1809. 220 BEETHOVEN 70. Two Trios for piano, violin, and violoncello, in D major and E flat major; dedicated to the Countess Marie Erdody; composed 1808. 71. Sextet for two clarionets, two flutes, and two bassoons; performed 1804-5. 72. Fidelio (Leonora) opera in two acts; com- posed 1804-5. 73. Fifth Concerto for piano and orchestra in E flat; dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph; composed 1809. 74. Quartet (tenth) for two violins, viola, and violoncello, in E flat; dedicated to Prince Lobkovitz; composed 1809. 75. Six Songs; words by Goethe and Reissig; dedicated to the Princess Kinsky; com- posed 1 8 10. 76. Variations for piano, in D major, on an original (?) theme, afterwards employed as the Turkish March in the Ruins of Athens; dedicated to his friend, Aliva; published 1810. 77. Fantasia for piano, in G minor; dedicated to the Count von Brunswick; composed 1809. 78. Sonata for piano, in F sharp major; dedi- cated to the Countess von Brunswick; composed 1809. 79. Sonatina for piano, in G major; published 1810. LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 221 80. Fantasia for piano, orchestra, and chorus, in C minor; words, " Schmeichelnd hold und lieblich klingen," by Kuffner; dedi- cated to Joseph Maximilian, of Bavaria ; performed 1808. 8iA. Sonata for piano, Les Adieux, in E flat; dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph ; com- posed 1809. 8iB. Sextet for two violins, viola, violoncello, and two horns (obbligato) in E flat; published 1810. 82. Four Ariettas and a Duet, with pianoforte accompaniment; words of Nos. 2, 3, and 5, by Mestastasio ; published 1811. 83. Three Songs; words by Goethe; dedicated to the Princess Kinsky ; composed 1810. 84. Overture and Incidental Music to " Eg- mont " ; composed 1809-10. 85. " The Mount of Olives," an oratorio; text by Franz Xaver Huber; composed 1800 (?) 86. First Mass for four voices and orchestra, in C major ; dedicated to Prince Esterhazy ; composed 1807. 87. Trio for wind instruments, in C major; per- formed 1797. 88. " Das Gluck der Freundschaft " for voice and piano; published 1803. 89. Polonaise for piano, in C major ; dedicated to the Empress Elisabeth Alexievna of Russia; composed 1814. 222 BEETHOVEN 90. Sonata for piano, in E minor; dedicated to Count Moritz Lichnowski ; composed 1814. 91. The Battle of Vittoria for orchestra; dedi- cated to the Prince Regent of England; composed 1813. 92. Seventh Symphony for orchestra, in A major; dedicated to Count Fries; com- posed 1812. 93. Eighth Symphony for orchestra, in F major: composed 1812. 94. " To Hope," words from the " Urania " of Tiegde (second setting see Op. 32); com- posed 1816. 95. Quartet for two violins, viola, and violon- cello, in F minor; dedicated to Secretary Zmeskall ; composed 1810. 96. Sonata for piano and violin, in G major; dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph ; composed 1810. 97. Trio for piano, violin, and violoncello, in B flat ; dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph ; composed 1811. 98. An die feme Geliebte, (a Liederkreis) ; words by Jeitteles; dedicated to Prince Lobkovitz; composed 1816. 99. Der Mann von Wort, for voice and piano; words by Kleinschmid; published 1815. 100. Merkenstein, for one or two voices and piano ; words by Rupprecht ; composed, LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 223 101. Sonata for piano, in A major; dedicated to the Baroness Erdmann ; composed 1815. 102. Two Sonatas for piano and violoncello, in C major and D major; dedicated to the Countess Erdody; composed 1815. 103. Octet for wind instruments, in E flat major; composed in Bonn before 1792. 104. Quintet for two violins, two violas, and violoncello, in C minor (from the Trio, No. 3, of Op. i); published 1819. 105. Six themes varied for piano, with violin ad libitum; composed for George Thomson, Edinburgh, 1818-19. 1 06. Sonata for piano, in B flat; dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph; composed 1818. 107. Ten 'Themes varies russes, ecossais, tyro- lienne for piano, with violin ad libitum; composed for George Thomson, 1818-20. 1 08. Twenty-five Scotch Melodies for one or two voices, and chorus (obbligato); published 1825. 109. Sonata for piano, in E major; dedicated to Fraulein Brentano; composed 1821 (?). no. Sonata for piano, in A flat major; composed 1821. in. Sonata for piano, in C minor; dedicated to, the Archduke Rudolph; composed 1822. 112. Meeresstille und gliickliche Fahrt for four voices and orchestra; dedicated to "the Author of the Poem, the immortal Goethe, " composed 1815. 224 BEETHOVEN 113. Overture, " The Ruins of Athens " ; com- posed 1811-12. 1 14. Marches and Choruses from " The Ruins of Athens." 115. Overture, f< Namensfeier," in C major; dedi- cated to Prince Radzivill; composed 1814. 116. Terzetto for soprano, tenor, and bass, with orchestral,, accompaniment ; composed 1801. 117. Overture and Choruses, " King Stephen " ; performed 1812. 1 1 8. Elegy in memory of the Baroness Pasqualati, " Sanft wie du lebtest hast du vollendet " dedicated to the Baron Pasqualati ; com- posed 1814. 119. Twelve Bagatelles for piano; composed 1820- 1822. 1 20. Thirty-three Variations on a waltz by Dia- belli; dedicated to Madame Brentano; composed 1823. 1 21 A. Adagio, Variations and Rondo for piano, violin, and violoncello, in G major; theme, " Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu " ; published 1824. 1 2 IB. Opferlied for solo, chorus, and orchestra; words by Matthison ; composed 1822. 122. In alien guten Stunden, for solo and chorus, with two clarionets, two horns, and two bassoons; words by Goethe; composed 1822. LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 225 123. Missa Solemnis for four voices, chorus, and orchestra, in D major; dedicated to the Cardinal Archduke Rudolph ; composed 1818-1822. 124. Overture, " Weihe des Hauses," in C major; dedicated to Prince Galitzin ; com- posed 1822. 125. Ninth Symphony with final chorus on Schiller's " Ode to Joy" for orchestra, four voices, and chorus, in D' minor ; dedi- cated to Frederick William III of Prussia; composed 1822-3. 126. Six Bagatelles for piano; composed about 1821. 127. Quartet for two violins, viola, and violon- cello, in E flat; dedicated to Prince Galitzin; composed 1824. 128. " The Kiss," Arietta for voice and piano; composed 1822. 129. Rondo capriccioso, in G major. 130. Quartet for two violins, viola, and violon- cello, in B flat; dedicated to Prince Galitzin; composed 1825. 131. Quartet for two violins, viola, and violon- cello, in C sharp minor; dedicated to the Baron von Stutterheim ; composed 1826. 132. Quartet for two violins, viola, and violon- cello, in A minor; dedicated to Prince Galitzin; composed 1825. *33 Grand Fugue for two violins, viola, and g 226 BEETHOVEN violoncello, in B flat ; dedicated to the Car- dinal Archduke Rudolph ; composed 1825. 134. Grand Fugue, Op. 133 (arranged for piano for four hands). 135. Quartet (the sixteenth) for two violins, viola, and cello, in F major; dedicated to Herrn Wolfmeier; composed 1826. 136. Der Glorreiche Augenblick, cantata for four voices and orchestra; text by Dr. Weissenbach ; dedicated to Franz I Em- peror of Austria, Nicholas I Emperor of Russia, and Frederick William III King of Prussia; composed 1814. 137. Fugue for two violins, two violas, and cello, in D major; composed 1817. 138. Ouverture caracteristique, " Leonora," No. i, in C major. II. COMPOSITIONS DESIGNATED SIMPLY BY NUMBERS. IA. Twelve Variations for piano and violin, in F major; Theme, Se vuol ballare, from Mozart's Figaro; dedicated to Eleanore von Breuning; published 1793. (See page 70). LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 227 IB. Thirteen Variations for piano, in A major; Theme, Es war einmal ein alter Mann; published 1794. 2. Nine Variations for piano in A major; Theme, Quant e piu bello ; published 1797. 3A. Six Variations for piano; Theme, Nel cor piu non mi sento ; composed 1795. 3B. Two Minuets for piano, for four hands. 4. Twelve Variations for piano, in C major; Theme, Menuet a la Vigano ; published 1796. 5A. Twelve Variations ior piano, in A major; Theme from the ballet of the Wood maiden; published 1797. 5B. Twelve Variations for piano and violoncello, in G major; Theme, " See, the Conquer- ing Hero comes! " published 1804. 6. Twelve Variations for piano and violoncello, in F major (see Op. 66). 7. Eight Variations for piano, in C major; Theme from Gretry's Richard Coeur de Lion; published 1798. 8. Ten Variations for piano, in B flat major; Theme, La stessa, la stessissima; pub- lished 1799. 9. Seven Variations for piano, in F major; Theme, Kind willst du ruhig schlafen; published 1799. IOA. Eight Variations for piano, in F major; Theme, Tdndeln and Schersen; com- posed 1799. 228 BEETHOVEN i OB. Seven Variations for piano and violoncello, in E flat ; Theme from The Magic Flute ; composed 1801 (?). 11. Six very easy Variations on an original Theme; composed 1801. 12. Six easy Variations for piano or harp, in F major; Theme, Swiss Air; published 1799 (?). 13. Twenty-four Variations for piano, in D major, on a Theme by Righini ; composed about 1790. 14-23. Missing. 24. Der Wachtelschlag for voice and piano; words by Sauter; published 1804. 25. Seven Variations for piano, in C major; Theme, God save the King; published 1804. 26. Five Variations (favourite) for piano, in D major; Theme, Rule Britannia; pub- lished 1804. 27. Six Variations for piano, for four hands, in D major, on an original Theme; com- posed 1800. 28. Minuet for piano. 29. Prelude for piano, in F minor; published 1805. 30-31. Missing. 32. To Hope by Tiedge (see Op. 94). 33-34. Missing. LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 229 35. Andante for piano in F major (originally in the Sonata, Op. 53); composed 1803 (?). 36. Thirty-two Variations for piano, in C minor, on an original Theme; published 1807. 37. Missing. 38. Die Sehnsucht four melodies for voice and piano; text by Goethe; published 1810. III. COMPOSITIONS DESIGNATED BY LETTERS. A. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC. (a) Trio for piano, violin, and violoncello (in one movement), in B flat ; dedicated to " My little friend, Maximiliana Brentano, for her encouragement in pianoforte play- ing "; composed 1812. (b) Rondo for piano and violin, in G major; published 1800. (c) Andante for piano, in G. (d) Sonata for piano, in C major (incomplete); composed 1796. (e) Two easy Sonatinas for piano, in G major and F major; composed in Bonn. 330 BEETHOVEN (f) Three Sonatas for piano, in E flat major, F minor, and D major; dedicated to the Elector, Max. Friedrich ; composed at the age of ten. (g) Rondo for piano, in A major; published 1784. (h) Andante on the text, " Oh Hoffnung, du stahlst die Herzen." (Ex. for the Arch- duke Rudolph). (i) Favourite March of the Emperor Alexander, (k) Eight Variations for piano, in B flat ; Theme, Ich habe ein kleines Huttchen nur. (1) Variations for piano, on a March by Dressier ; composed at the age of ten. (m) Variations for piano, for four hands, on an original theme, (n) Variations for piano, for four hands, in A major, (o) Triumphal March for orchestra, in C major; performed 1813. (p) Second and Third Overtures to " Leonora " (" Fidelio "), in C major, (q) Overture to " Fidelio " (" Leonora," No. 4), in E flat. (r) Triumphal March for orchestra in G major, (s) Three Duos for clarionet and bassoon, in C major, F major, and B flat; composed about 1800. (t) Minuet for piano (from the Septet, Op. 20). (u) Quintet (MS.), for two violins, two violas, and violoncello in F major. LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 231 B. DANCE MUSIC. Twelve Contre-danses. Twelve Minuets for orchestra. Six Minuets for piano. Twelve Danses Allemandes for two violins and bass. Seven Country Dances for piano. Six Country dances for piano. Twelve Ecossaises for piano. Six Allemandes for piano and violin. Twelve Waltzes with Trios for orchestra. Six Waltzes for two violins and bass. Two Minuets for piano, for four hands. Six Country Dances for piano. Two favourite Waltzes for piano, in B flat major and F minor. C._ VOCAL MUSIC. a. Six Songs from Reissig's " Blumchen dei Einsamkeit " : 1. Sehnsucht, in E major. 2. Krieger's Abschied, in E flat. 3. Der ] tingling in der Fremde, in B flat. 232 BEETHOVEN 4. An den fernen Gcliebten, in G major. 5. Der Zufriedene, in A major. 6. Der Liebende, in D major. b. Three Songs : 1. An die Geliebte, in B flat. 2. Das Geheimniss, in G major. 3. So oder so! Nord oderSud. c. Italian and German Songs : 1. La Parlensa (" ecco quel fiore "). 2. Tnnklied. 3. Liedchen von der Ruhe. 4. An die Hoffnung. 5. Ich Hebe dich, so ivie du nich. 6. Molly's Abschied. 7. Ohne Liebe. 8. Wachtelgesang. 9. Marmotte. 10. Maigesang. 11. Feuerfarbe. 12. Ecco quel fiori islanti. d. Songs for one or more voices, from Shake- speare, Byron, and Moore. e. Der Glorreiche Augenblick for four voices and orchestra. f. Lied aus der Feme. 233 g. Three Songs from Tiedge. h. Three Songs. i. Three Songs. k. Oh! dass ich dir vom stillen Auge. 1. Sehnsucht nach dem Rhein. m. Die Klage. n. Three Andantes. o. Ruf vom Berge. p. Der Bardengeist. q. Als die Geliebte sich trennen wollte. r. Elegy on the death of a Poodle. s. Arietta in A flat major. t. Canon in E flat major. u. Zartliche Liebe. v. Resignation, and Lisch* aus, in E major. w. Canon for six voices. x. Canon for four voices. y. Canon for three voices. z. Canon written in the album of Director Neide. tz. Song of the Monks* from Schiller's William Tell. a2. Song of the Nightingale. b2. Germania's Wicdergeburt for four voices and orchestra. C2. Abschiedsgesang an Wiens Biirger. 62. Fi/?a7 Songs from (i) Dt Ehrenp forte, in D major ; (2) Die gute Nachrichl. Q* 234 BEETHOVEN f2. Andenken von Matthison allegretto, g. Three -part Song. IV. COMPOSITIONS WHICH APPEARED AFTER BEETHOVEN'S DEATH, WITH- OUT BEING DESIGNATED AS OPUS OR NUMBER. a. Beethoven's Heimgang for voice and piano. b. An Sic, Song, in A flat major. c. Tivo Songs : 1. Seufzer eines Ungeliebten. 2. Die laute Klage. d. Die Ehre Gottes in der Natur for four voices and orchestra, in C major. e. Cantata, " Eunpa steht." f. Song, " Gedenke mei.n." g. Empfindungen bei Lydia's IJntreu, in E flat. h. E quali, two pieces for four trom- bones. i. Allegretto for orchestra. k. Three Quartets. 1. Rondo for piano and orchestra. LIST OF BEETHOVEN'S COMPOSITIONS 235 m. Octet for wind instruments. n. Rondino for eight-part harmony. o. Two Trios for piano, violin and Violoncello. p. Military March for piano, q. Lament at Beethoven's Grave. r. The Last Musical Thought. INDEX INDEX Amenda, Carl, 10, 65 Antwerp, 4 n. Appassionato,, sonata, 18, 154 v. Arnim, Bettina, 29 n. " Art unites everybody," I0 5 B Bach, J. S., 21, 48, 82, 104, 105 ; his fugues, 1 60 Beauty, 101 Beethoven, Carl, 14, 38, 39; Johann, 14 BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG : Birth 3 ; Flemish origin 3, 30 ; his Father, 4 ; his Mother, 4; his Grand- father, 4 n. ; his Re- publican sympathies, 8, 17 ; his deafness, 9 ; his first concert in Vienna, 9; unhappiness, 15; in love, 22 ; his short- sightedness, 22 ; love- letter, 23 ; conscious- ness of power, 26; his taste in literature, 27; "pedantic," 34; his | deafness, 34; conver- sation-books, 35 n. ; unrestfulness of mind, 37 ' !dgings, 37 n. ; foster-son, 41 ; note- books, 43 ; death-bed, 51 ; operations, 51 n. ; his will, 57-61 ; his letters, 65-98; his bad health, 73 ; deafness, 74;5>78; "raptus,"77; prices for his copy- rights, 82-3 ; approach- ing end, 97; his Thoughts on Music, 101-6; his piano-play- ing, 104 Bernhard, Mme. de, 9 Bibliography, 195. Bilingual tempo indica- tions, 158 Bonaparte, Jerome, 33 , Napoleon, 19^ 31, 112 239 240 INDEX Bonn, 3, 6, 85 Botticelli's Bambino, 12 Brahms, 165 Braunthal, 2 Brentano, Bettina, 27 Maximiliana, 162 v. Breuning, Councillor 96, 98 v. Breuning, Eleonore, 5, 69, 84 v. Breuning, Stephen, 34, 76,80 v. Brunswick, Franz, 32, 154 v. Brunswick, Theresa, 20, 25, 37, 156 Brutus, 28 n. Cherubini, 38 n., 105 Choral Symphony, 36, 43 Chorus, 43 Christ, 28 n. Church music, 103 C Minor, 53 Coda, 165 Composing-, 102 Coriolanus Overture, 18 Critics and Criticism, 106 D Divine, The, m Music, IOJ Egmont, 19 Elgar, Enigma Varia- tions, 115 " Englishmen, magnani- mous," 95 v. Erdody, Maria, 34 n., 54 Eroica, 53 Symphony, 17 Ertmann, Freun Doro- thea, 160 " Fate knocks at the door," 118 Fidelio, 35, 102 First Symphony, 12 Fourth Quartet, 18 Freudenberg, 104 Fugue, 162, 164, 165 Funeral March, 16, 19, Galitzin, Prince, 38 Gallenberg, Count, 14 Gelinck, 9 Gellert, 16 Gerardi, Fraulein, 68 Gerhard, Wilhelm, 103 Godesburg, 85 Goethe, 27, 28, 29 n., 30 n. Goethe, Faust. 48 INDEX Grillparzer, 49, 53 - Melusina, 48 Guicciardi, Giulietta 13 H Hammerclavier, Sonata for the, 161 Handel, 48, 104 Heiligenstadt Testament, 14, 60 Hoche, 19 Hofmeister, Capellmeis- ter, 81 Homer, 27 n. Hornemann's miniature of Beethoven, 16 n. Hulin, General, 19 Hummel, 94 " Immortal Beloved," Beethoven's, 23 d'Indy, Vincent F., 164 Italy, 48 K Kempis' Imitation of Christ, 52 n. King Lear, 44 Kinsky, Prince, 33 Klein, Franz, 32 Korner's Odyssey, 48 Kreutzer Sonata, 16 Kuffner (poet), 49 L'Adieux, 155 " Lebe-wohl," 158 Lichnovsky, Prince 60, 73 Lobkovitz, 19, 33 Lorchen, 77, 81 M Macbeth, 42 n. Malchus, 71 Martonvasar, 20 Mass in D, 38, 162, 163 Mendelssohn, 157 Michael Angelo, 28 n., 39 Military band, 129 Modulation, 128 Moonlight Sonata, 16 Moscheles I., 2, 48, 93, 94 Mozart, 4, 105 Don Giovanni, 13 Muller, Dr., 49 N Napoleon I., 19, 31, 112 Nephew, Beethoven's, 50 Ode to Joy, 42 " Opera, An " 21 Opferlied, 87 Orchestra, 119 2 4 2 INDEX Palestrina, 103 Passage work, 104 Pe"piniere, 85 Philharmonic Society, 93, 94-5 > 97 Philosophy, 101 Pianoforte Concertos, 19 Plutarch, n, 27 n., 75 Q Quartets analyzed, 179 Quartets, Op. 59, 34 Quartet, Op. 130, Finale, 132, 38 Quartets, Op. 132, 43 Quartet, Op. 130, Final, 5 Quips and sallies, 117 Revolution, French, 7 Rhenish Song, 12 Rhine valley, 6, 51, 72 Rhythm, 123 Rossini, 34, 45 Rudolph, Archduke, 33, 102, 103, 161, 165 Russell (English tra- veller), 37 Scale, Perversity of, 124 Scherzo, 114, 119, 162 Schindler, 31, 35, 36 n., 47 > 159 Schmidt, Professor, 59, 60 Schott, Brothers, 90, 96 Schiller, 42 n. Schumann, 53, 115 Second Period Style, 112 Septet, 12 Shakespeare, 3, 27 n., 28 n. Shedlock, J. S., 65 n. Six Religious Songs, 16 Smart, Sir George, 92 Socrates, 28 n. Sonatas analyzed, 133 Sonata in D, n Sonata in F sharp, 23 Sonata with the Funeral March, 16 Sonata in D Minor, Op. 3 1 , J 6 Sonata, Moonlight, 16 Sonata, Kreutzer, 16 Sonata, Appassionata 18, '54 Sonata, Op. 106, 38 Sonata, L'Adieux, 155 Sonate pathetique, n Song of Farewell, 8 Spiker, Dr., 49 Stadler, Abb., 105 Steinhauser's sketch of Beethoven, 8 String Quartet, in A minor, Finale, 126 INDEX 243 String Quartet, Opus 132, 164 String Quartet, i, Opus 18, No. i, in F, 179 String Quartet, 2, Op. 18, No. 2, in G major, 179 String Quartet, 3, Op. 18, No. 3, in D, 180 String Quartet, 4, Op. 18, No. 4, in C minor, 181 String Quartet, 5, Op. 18, No. 5, in A, 181 String Quartet, 6, Op, 18, No. 6, in B flat, 181 String Quartet, 7, Op. 59, No. i, in F, 183 String Quartet, 8, Op. 59, No. 2, in E minor, 184 String Quartet, 9, Op. 59, No. 3, in G major, i85 String Quartet, 10, Op. 74, in E flat, 186 String Quartet, n, Op. 95, in F minor, 186 String Quartet, 12, Op. 127, in E flat, 187 String Quartet, 13, Op. 130, in B flat, 188 String Quartet, 14, Op. 133, in C sharp minor, String Quartet, 15, Op. 132, in A minor, 190 String Quartet, 16, Op. 135, in F major, 191 Symphonies (The nine), analysed : No. I, 109 2, IIO 5 II 7,v ,, 6, 120 7> I22 ,, 8, 124 ,, 9, 126 Symphony, Eroica, 17 Second, 16 C Minor, 19 Fourth, 21, 22 Seventh, 29, 30 Eighth, 29 Ninth, 42, 46, 47 n. Ten to, 43 , 4, 48 n. Eleventh, 43 Ninth, met- ronomized, 95 Ninth, 115 Pastoral, 120 Tannhduser, 48 n. 244 INDEX 'Tedesca," 156 Theme of Joy, 43 Thomson, George 103 Toplitz, 28 Touch in Piano-playing, 104 U Umlauf, 35 Una corda, 164 V Variations, 165 Vienna, 6, 7, 31, 32, 45, 109 Violin Sonatas analyzed, 169 Violin Sonata, i, Opus 12, No. i, in D, 169 Violin Sonata, 2, Op. 12, No. 2, in A, 170 Violin Sonata, 3, Op. 12, No. 3, in E flat, 170 Violin Sonata, 4, Op. 23, in A minor and major, 170 Violin Sonata, 5, Op. 2* in F, 171 Violin Sonata, 6, Op. 30 No. i, in A, 172 Violin Sonata, 7, Op. 30 No. 2, in C minor, 173 Violin Sonata, 8, Op. 30, No. 3, in G, 173 Violin Sonata, 9, Op. 47, in A, 174. Violin Sonata, 10, Op. 96, in G, 175 Voltaire, 106 W Wagner, 32 Woodland Mur- murs, 121 Waldstein, Count, 153 Wegeler, Dr. F., 6, TO, J5 n -> 5 r 54 n -> 7 2 > 78, 84, 88, 91 Wegeler, Julius, 87 W T egeler, Eln., 88 Z Zelter, 29 n., 30 n. 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