BEETHOVEN: THE MAN AND THE ARTIST, AS REVEALED IN HIS OWN WORDS

By Ludwig van Beethoven

Edited by Friedrich Kerst and Henry Edward Krehbiel

This edition of "Beethoven: the Man and the Artist, as Revealed in hisown Words, " was translated into English and published in 1905 by B. W. Hubsch. It was also republished unabridged by Dover Publications, Inc. , in a 1964 edition, ISBN 0-486-21261-0. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH PREFACE CONCERNING ART LOVE OF NATURE CONCERNING TEXTS ON COMPOSING ON PERFORMING MUSIC ON HIS OWN WORKS ON ART AND ARTISTS BEETHOVEN AS CRITIC ON EDUCATION ON HIS OWN DISPOSITION AND CHARACTER THE SUFFERER WORLDLY WISDOM GOD APPENDIX

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is widely considered to be one of thepre-eminent classical music figures of the Western world. This Germanmusical genius created numerous works that are firmly entrenched in therepertoire. Except for a weakness in composing vocal and operatic music(to which he himself admitted, notwithstanding a few vocal works likethe opera "Fidelio" and the song "Adelaide, "), Beethoven had completemastery of the artform. He left his stamp in 9 symphonies, 5 pianoconcertos, 10 violin sonatas, 32 piano sonatas, numerous string quartetsand dozens of other key works. Many of his works are ingeniouslyimaginative and innovative, such as his 3rd symphony (the "Eroica"), his9th Violin Sonata (the "Kreutzer"), his "Waldstein" piano sonata, his4th and 5th piano concertos, or his "Grosse Fugue" for string quartet. (Of course, each of Beethoven's works adds its own unique detail toBeethoven's grand musical paradigm. )

It is difficult to sum up briefly what his musical works represent orsymbolize, since taken together they encompass a vast system of thought. Generally, however, those who apprehend his music sense that it reflectstheir own personal yearnings and sufferings. It egoistically, and alwaysintelligently, "discusses" with its listener his or her feelings in thewake of personal failure and personal triumph, from the lowest depthsof despair to the highest heights of happy or triumphant fulfillment. In his music, he represents the feelings felt by those attempting toachieve their goals within their societies, whether they are competingfor love, status, money, power, mates and/or any other thingsindividuals feel naturally inclined to attempt to acquire. 

In a thematic sense, Beethoven does not promote anarchist ideas. Thelistener cannot, in listening to Beethoven's music, apprehend ideaswhich, if applied, would compromise the welfare of his society. Themusic is thus "civically responsible, " as is the music of Bach orMozart. For Beethoven, the society exists as a bulwark with which theindividual must function in harmony, or at least not function such asto harm or destroy it. And, should the society marginalize or hurtthe individual, as it often does, the individual must, according toBeethoven, humbly accept this, never considering the alternative actof attempting to harm or destroy the society in the wake of his or herpersonal frustrations. But, thanks to Beethoven, such an individualis provided with the means to sooth his or her misery in the wake offeeling "hurt" at the hands of society. The means is this music andthe euphoric pleasure that it can provide to minds possessing thepsycho-intellectual "wiring" needed to apprehend it. 

Some post-World-War-II composers, such as the late, LSD-using John Cage, reject the music of Beethoven because of its predominant reliance on"beauty" as way of communicating idealized concepts. Also, since themusic intimately reflects the cravings and thought-processes ofthe natural human mind, which in numerous ways is emotionally andintellectually irrational, the music may itself be consequentlyirrational. 

The following book consists of brief biographical commentaries aboutBeethoven, each followed by sections of quotations attributed to themuse. In these quotes, Beethoven demonstrates his intense preoccupation(or obsession) with thinking artistically and intelligently, and withhelping to alleviate man's suffering by providing man with musicalartworks that could enlighten him, so as to become educated enough topull himself out of his misery. He felt immediate, strong disdain at anyartistic statement that was not truly intelligent and artistic, suchas, in his view, the music of Rossini. Although not prudish, he hadhigh standards when it came to marriage, and was morally against"reproductory pleasure" for its own sake, or any form of adultery. Henever married. Interestingly, experimental psychologists have discoveredthat people who have an intense love of humanity or are preoccupied withworking to serve humanity tend to have difficulty forming intimate bondswith people on a personal level. 

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PREFACE

This little book came into existence as if it were by chance. Theauthor had devoted himself for a long time to the study of Beethoven andcarefully scrutinized all manner of books, publications, manuscripts, etc. , in order to derive the greatest possible information about thehero. He can say confidently that he conned every existing publicationof value. His notes made during his readings grew voluminous, and alsohis amazement at the wealth of Beethoven's observations comparativelyunknown to his admirers because hidden away, like concealed violets, inbooks which have been long out of print and for whose reproduction thereis no urgent call. These observations are of the utmost importance forthe understanding of Beethoven, in whom man and artist are inseparablyunited. Within the pages of this little book are included all of themwhich seemed to possess value, either as expressions of universaltruths or as evidence of the character of Beethoven or his compositions. Beethoven is brought more directly before our knowledge by these his ownwords than by the diffuse books which have been written about him. Forthis reason the compiler has added only the necessary explanatory notes, and (on the advice of professional friends) the remarks introductory tothe various subdivisions of the book. He dispensed with a biographicalintroduction; there are plenty of succinct biographies, which set forththe circumstances of the master's life easily to be had. Those who wishto penetrate farther into the subject would do well to read the greatwork by Thayer, the foundation of all Beethoven biography (in the newrevision now making by Deiters), or the critical biography by Marx, asrevised by Behncke. In sifting the material it was found that it fellnaturally into thirteen subdivisions. In arranging the successionof utterances care was had to group related subjects. By this meansunnecessary interruptions in the train of thought were avoided andinteresting comparisons made possible. To this end it was important thattime, place and circumstances of every word should be conscientiouslyset down. 

Concerning the selection of material let it be said that in all casesof doubt the authenticity of every utterance was proved; Beethoven iseasily recognizable in the form and contents of his sayings. Attentionmust be directed to two matters in particular: after considerablereflection the compiler decided to include in the collection a fewquotations which Beethoven copied from books which he read. From thefact that he took the trouble to write them down, we may assume thatthey had a fascination for him, and were greeted with lively emotion asbeing admirable expressions of thoughts which had moved him. They arevery few, and the fact that they are quotations is plainly indicated. Bycopying them into his note-books Beethoven as much as stored them awayin the thesaurus of his thoughts, and so they may well have a placehere. A word touching the use of the three famous letters to Bettinavon Arnim, the peculiarities of which differentiate them from the entiremass of Beethoven's correspondence and compel an inquiry into theirgenuineness: As a correspondent Bettina von Arnim has a poor reputationsince the discovery of her pretty forgery, "Goethes Briefwechsel miteinem Kinde" (Goethe's Correspondence with a Child). In this alleged"Correspondence" she made use of fragmentary material which was genuine, pieced it out with her own inventions, and even went so far as toturn into letters poems written by Goethe to her and other women. Thegenuineness of a poem by Beethoven to Bettina is indubitable; it willbe found in the chapter entitled "Concerning Texts. " Doubt was thrown onthe letters immediately on their appearance in 1839. 

Bettina could have dissipated all suspicion had she produced theoriginals and remained silent. One letter, however, that dated February10, 1811, afterward came to light. Bettina had given it to Philipp vonNathusius. It had always been thought the most likely one, of the setto be authentic; the compiler has therefore, used it without hesitation. From the other letters, in which a mixture of the genuine and thefictitious must be assumed so long as the originals are not produced, passages have been taken which might have been thus constructed byBeethoven. On the contrary, the voluminous communications of Bettinato Goethe, in which she relates her conversations with Beethoven, werescarcely used. It is significant, so far as these are concerned, that, according to Bettina's own statement, when she read the letter to himbefore sending it off, Beethoven cried out, "Did I really say that? Ifso I must have had a raptus. "

In conclusion the compiler directs attention to the fact that in a fewcases utterances which have been transmitted to us only in an indirectform have been altered to present them in a direct form, in as muchas their contents seemed too valuable to omit simply because theirproduction involved a trifling change in form. 

--Elberfeld, October, 1904. Fr. K. 

CONCERNING ART

Beethoven's relation to art might almost be described as personal. Artwas his goddess to whom he made petition, to whom he rendered thanks, whom he defended. He praised her as his savior in times of despair;by his own confession it was only the prospect of her comforts thatprevented him from laying violent hands on himself. Read his wordsand you shall find that it was his art that was his companion in hiswanderings through field and forest, the sharer of the solitude to whichhis deafness condemned him. The concepts Nature and Art were intimatelybound up in his mind. His lofty and idealistic conception of art led himto proclaim the purity of his goddess with the hot zeal of a priestlyfanatic. Every form of pseudo or bastard art stirred him with hatred tothe bottom of his soul; hence his furious onslaughts on mere virtuosityand all efforts from influential sources to utilize art for other thanpurely artistic purposes. And his art rewarded his devotion richly; shemade his sorrowful life worth living with gifts of purest joy:

"To Beethoven music was not only a manifestation of the beautiful, anart, it was akin to religion. He felt himself to be a prophet, a seer. All the misanthropy engendered by his unhappy relations with mankind, could not shake his devotion to this ideal which had sprung in toBeethoven from truest artistic apprehension and been nurtured byenforced introspection and philosophic reflection. "

 ("Music and Manners, " page 237. H. E. K. )

1. "'Tis said, that art is long, and life but fleeting:--Nay; life islong, and brief the span of art; If e're her breath vouchsafes with godsa meeting, A moment's favor 'tis of which we've had a part. "

 (Conversation-book, March, 1820. Probably a quotation. )

2. "The world is a king, and, like a king, desires flattery in returnfor favor; but true art is selfish and perverse--it will not submit tothe mould of flattery. "

 (Conversation-book, March, 1820. When Baron van Braun expressed theopinion that the opera "Fidelio" would eventually win the enthusiasm ofthe upper tiers, Beethoven said, "I do not write for the galleries!" Henever permitted himself to be persuaded to make concessions to the tasteof the masses. )

3. "Continue to translate yourself to the heaven of art; there is nomore undisturbed, unmixed, purer happiness than may thus be attained. "

 (August 19, 1817, to Xavier Schnyder, who vainly sought instruction fromBeethoven in 1811, though he was pleasantly received. )

4. "Go on; do not practice art alone but penetrate to her heart; shedeserves it, for art and science only can raise man to godhood. "

 (Teplitz, July 17, 1812, to his ten years' old admirer, Emilie M. In H. )

5. "True art is imperishable and the true artist finds profound delightin grand productions of genius. "

 (March 15, 1823, to Cherubini, to whom he also wrote, "I prize yourworks more than all others written for the stage. " The letter askedCherubini to interest himself in obtaining a subscription from KingLouis XVIII for the Solemn Mass in D). 

[Cherubini declared that he had never received the letter. That itwas not only the hope of obtaining a favor which prompted Beethoven toexpress so high an admiration for Cherubini, is plain from a remark madeby the English musician Cipriani Potter to A. W. Thayer in 1861. I foundit in Thayer's note-books which were placed in my hands for examinationafter his death. 

One day Potter asked, "Who is the greatest living composer, yourselfexcepted?" Beethoven seemed puzzled for a moment, and then exclaimed, "Cherubini. " H. E. K. ]

6. "Truth exists for the wise; beauty for the susceptible heart. Theybelong together--are complementary. "

 (Written in the autograph book of his friend, Lenz von Breuning, in1797. )

7. "When I open my eyes, a sigh involuntarily escapes me, for all that Isee runs counter to my religion; perforce I despise the world which doesnot intuitively feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdomand philosophy. "

 (Remark made to Bettina von Arnim, in 1810, concerning Viennese society. Report in a letter by Bettina to Goethe on May 28, 1810. )

8. "Art! Who comprehends her? With whom can one consult concerning thisgreat goddess?"

 (August 11, 1810, to Bettina von Arnim. )

9. "In the country I know no lovelier delight than quartet music. "

 (To Archduke Rudolph, in a letter addressed to Baden on July 24, 1813. )

10. "Nothing but art, cut to form like old-fashioned hoop-skirts. Inever feel entirely well except when I am among scenes of unspoilednature. "

 (September 24, 1826, to Breuning, while promenading with Breuning'sfamily in the Schonbrunner Garden, after calling attention to the alleysof trees "trimmed like walls, in the French manner. ")

11. "Nature knows no quiescence; and true art walks with her handin hand; her sister--from whom heaven forefend us!--is calledartificiality. "

 (From notes in the lesson book of Archduke Rudolph, following someremarks on the expansion of the expressive capacity of music. )

LOVE OF NATURE

Beethoven was a true son of the Rhine in his love for nature. As a boyhe had taken extended trips, sometimes occupying days, with his father"through the Rhenish localities ever lastingly dear to me. " In his daysof physical health Nature was his instructress in art; "I may not comewithout my banner, " he used to say when he set out upon his wanderingseven in his latest years, and never without his note books. In thescenes of nature he found his marvelous motives and themes; brook, birdsand tree sang to him. In a few special cases he has himself recorded thefact. 

But when he was excluded more and more from communion with his fellowmen because of his increasing deafness, until, finally, he couldcommunicate only by writing with others (hence the conversation-books, which will be cited often in this little volume), he fled for refuge tonature. Out in the woods he again became naively happy; to him the woodswere a Holy of Holies, a Home of the Mysteries. Forest and mountain-valeheard his sighs; there he unburdened his heavy-laden heart. When hisfriends need comfort he recommends a retreat to nature. Nearly everysummer he leaves hot and dusty Vienna and seeks a quiet spot in thebeautiful neighborhood. To call a retired and reposeful little spot hisown is his burning desire. 

12. On the Kahlenberg, 1812, end of September:

 Almighty One In the woods I am blessed. Happy every one In the woods. Every tree speaks Through Thee. 

 O God! What glory in the Woodland. On the Heights is Peace, -- Peace to serve Him--

 (This poetic exclamation, accompanied by a few notes, is on a page ofmusic paper owned by Joseph Joachim. )

13. "How happy I am to be able to wander among bushes and herbs, undertrees and over rocks; no man can love the country as I love it. Woods, trees and rocks send back the echo that man desires. "

 (To Baroness von Drossdick. )

14. "O God! send your glance into beautiful nature and comfort yourmoody thoughts touching that which must be. "

 (To the "Immortal Beloved, " July 6, in the morning. )

[Thayer has spoiled the story so long believed, and still spookingin the books of careless writers, that the "Immortal Beloved" was theCountess Giulietta Guicciardi, to whom the C-sharp minor sonata isdedicated. The real person to whom the love-letters were addressed wasthe Countess Brunswick to whom Beethoven was engaged to be married whenhe composed the fourth Symphony. H. E. K. ]

15. "My miserable hearing does not trouble me here. In the country itseems as if every tree said to me: 'Holy! holy!' Who can give completeexpression to the ecstasy of the woods! O, the sweet stillness of thewoods!"

 (July, 1814; he had gone to Baden after the benefit performance of"Fidelio. ")

16. "My fatherland, the beautiful locality in which I saw the light ofthe world, appears before me vividly and just as beautiful as when Ileft you; I shall count it the happiest experience of my life when Ishall again be able to see you, and greet our Father Rhine. "

 (Vienna, June 29, to Wegeler, in Bonn. )

[In 1825 Beethoven said to his pupil Ries, "Fare well in the Rhinecountry which is ever dear to me, " and in 1826 wrote to Schott, thepublisher in Mayence, about the "Rhine country which I so long to seeagain. "]

17. "Bruhl, at 'The Lamb'--how lovely to see my native country again!"

 (Diary, 1812-1818. )

18. "A little house here, so small as to yield one's self a littleroom, --only a few days in this divine Bruehl, --longing or desire, emancipation or fulfillment. "

 (Written in 1816 in Bruehl near Modling among the sketches for theScherzo of the pianoforte sonata op. 10. )

[Like many another ejaculatory remark of Beethoven's, it is difficult tounderstand. See Appendix. H. E. K. ]

19. "When you reach the old ruins, think that Beethoven often pausedthere; if you wander through the mysterious fir forests, think that. Beethoven often poetized, or, as is said, composed there. "

 (In the fall of 1817, to Mme. Streicher, who was at a cure in Baden. )

20. "Nature is a glorious school for the heart! It is well; I shall be ascholar in this school and bring an eager heart to her instruction. HereI shall learn wisdom, the only wisdom that is free from disgust; here Ishall learn to know God and find a foretaste of heaven in His knowledge. Among these occupations my earthly days shall flow peacefully alonguntil I am accepted into that world where I shall no longer be astudent, but a knower of wisdom. "

 (Copied into his diary, in 1818, from Sturm's "Betrachtungen uber dieWerke Gottes in der Natur. ")

21. "Soon autumn will be here. Then I wish to be like unto a fruitfultree which pours rich stores of fruit into our laps! But in the winterof existence, when I shall be gray and sated with life, I desire formyself the good fortune that my repose be as honorable and beneficent asthe repose of nature in the winter time. "

 (Copied from the same work of Sturm's. )

CONCERNING TEXTS

Not even a Beethoven was spared the tormenting question of texts forcomposition. It is fortunate for posterity that he did not exhaust hisenergies in setting inefficient libretti, that he did not believe thatgood music would suffice to command success in spite of bad texts. Themajority of his works belong to the field of purely instrumental music. Beethoven often gave expression to the belief that words were a lesscapable medium of proclamation for feelings than music. Neverthelessit may be observed that he looked upon an opera, or lyric drama, as thecrowning work of his life. He was in communication with the best poetsof his time concerning opera texts. A letter of his on the subject wasfound in the blood-spotted pocketbook of Theodor Komer. The conclusionof his creative labors was to be a setting of Goethe's "Faust;" except"Fidelio, " however, he gave us no opera. His songs are not many althoughhe sought carefully for appropriate texts. Unhappily the gift of poetrywas not vouchsafed him. 

22. "Always the same old story: the Germans can not put together a goodlibretto. "

 (To C. M. Von Weber, concerning the book of "Euryanthe, " at Baden, inOctober, 1823. Mozart said: "Verses are the most indispensable thing formusic, but rhymes, for the sake of rhymes, the most injurious. Those whogo to work so pedantically will assuredly come to grief, along with themusic. ")

23. "It is difficult to find a good poem. Grillparzer has promised towrite one for me, --indeed, he has already written one; but we can notunderstand each other. I want something entirely different than he. "

 (In the spring of 1825, to Ludwig Rellstab, who was intending to writean opera-book for Beethoven. It may not be amiss to recall the factthat Mozart examined over one hundred librettos, according to his ownstatement, before he decided to compose "The Marriage of Figaro. ")

24. "It is the duty of every composer to be familiar with all poets, oldand new, and himself choose the best and most fitting for his purposes. "

 (In a recommendation of Kandler's "Anthology. ")

25. "The genre would give me little concern provided the subject wereattractive to me. It must be such that I can go to work on it with loveand ardor. I could not compose operas like 'Don Juan' and 'Figaro;'toward them I feel too great a repugnance. I could never have chosensuch subjects; they are too frivolous. "

 (In the spring of 1825, to Ludwig Rellstab. )

26. "I need a text which stimulates me; it must be something moral, uplifting. Texts such as Mozart composed I should never have beenable to set to music. I could never have got myself into a mood forlicentious texts. I have received many librettos, but, as I have said, none that met my wishes. "

 (To young Gerhard von Breuning. )

27. "I know the text is extremely bad, but after one has conceivedan entity out of even a bad text, it is difficult to make changes indetails without disturbing the unity. If it is a single word, on whichoccasionally great weight is laid, it must be permitted to stand. He isa bad author who can not, or will not try to make something as goodas possible; if this is not the case petty changes will certainly notimprove the whole. "

 (Teplitz, August 23, 1811, to Hartel, the publisher, who wanted somechanges made in the hook of "The Mount of Olives. ")

28. "Good heavens! Do they think in Saxony that the words make goodmusic? If an inappropriate word can spoil the music, which is true, thenwe ought to be glad when we find that words and music are one andnot try to improve matters even if the verbal expression iscommonplace--dixi. "

 (January 28, to Gottfried Hartel, who had undertaken to make changes inthe book of "The Mount of Olives" despite the prohibition of Beethoven. )

29. "Goethe's poems exert a great power over me not only because oftheir contents but also because of their rhythms; I am stimulated tocompose by this language, which builds itself up to higher orders asif through spiritual agencies, and bears in itself the secret ofharmonies. "

 (Reported as an expression of Beethoven's by Bettina von Arnim toGoethe. )

30. "Schiller's poems are difficult to set to music. The composer mustbe able to rise far above the poet. Who can do that in the case ofSchiller? In this respect Goethe is much easier. "

 (1809, after Beethoven had made his experiences with the "Hymn to Joy"and "Egmont. ")

ON COMPOSING

Wiseacres not infrequently accused Beethoven of want of regularity inhis compositions. In various ways and at divers times he gave vigorousutterance to his opinions of such pedantry. He was not the mosttractable of pupils, especially in Vienna, where, although he washighly praised as a player, he took lessons in counterpoint fromAlbrechtsberger. He did not endure long with Papa Haydn. He detested thestudy of fugue in particular; the fugue was to him a symbol of narrowcoercion which choked all emotion. Mere formal beauty, moreover, wasnothing to him. Over and over again he emphasizes soul, feeling, direct and immediate life, as the first necessity of an art work. Itis therefore not strange that under certain circumstances he ignoredconventional forms in sonata and symphony. An irrepressible impulsetoward freedom is the most prominent peculiarity of the man and artistBeethoven; nearly all of his observations, no matter what their subject, radiate the word "Liberty. " In his remarks about composing there is acomplete exposition of his method of work. 

31. "As regards me, great heavens! my dominion is in the air; the toneswhirl like the wind, and often there is a like whirl in my soul. "

 (February 13, 1814, to Count Brunswick, in Buda. )

32. "Then the loveliest themes slipped out of your eyes into my heart, themes which shall only then delight the world when Beethoven conductsno longer. "

 (August 15, 1812, to Bettina von Arnim. )

33. "I always have a picture in my mind when composing, and follow itslines. "

 (In 1815, to Neate, while promenading with him in Baden and talkingabout the "Pastoral" symphony. )

[Ries relates: "While composing Beethoven frequently thought of anobject, although he often laughed at musical delineation and scoldedabout petty things of the sort. In this respect 'The Creation' and 'TheSeasons' were many times a butt, though without depreciation of Haydn'sloftier merits. Haydn's choruses and other works were loudly praised byBeethoven. "]

34. "The texts which you sent me are least of all fitted for song. Thedescription of a picture belongs to the field of painting; in this thepoet can count himself more fortunate than my muse for his territoryis not so restricted as mine in this respect, though mine, on theother hand, extends into other regions, and my dominion is not easilyreached. "

 (Nussdorf, July 15, 1817, to Wilhelm Gerhard, who had sent him someAnacreontic songs for composition. )

35. "Carried too far, all delineation in instrumental music loses inefficiency. "

 (A remark in the sketches for the "Pastoral" symphony, preserved in theRoyal Library in Berlin. )

[Mozart said: "Even in the most terrifying moments music must neveroffend the ear. "]

36. "Yes, yes, then they are amazed and put their heads together becausethey never found it in any book on thorough bass. "

 (To Ries when the critics accused him of making grammatical blunders inmusic. )

37. "No devil can compel me to write only cadences of such a kind. "

 (From notes written in his years of study. Beethoven called thecomposition of fugues "the art of making musical skeletons. ")

38. "Good singing was my guide; I strove to write as flowingly aspossible and trusted in my ability to justify myself before thejudgment-seat of sound reason and pure taste. "

 (From notes in the instruction book of Archduke Rudolph. )

39. "Does he believe that I think of a wretched fiddle when the spiritspeaks to me?"

 (To his friend, the admirable violinist Schuppanzigh, when the lattercomplained of the difficulty of a passage in one of his works. )

[Beethoven here addresses his friend in the third person, which is thecustomary style of address for the German nobility and others towardsinferiors in rank. H. E. K. ]

40. "The Scotch songs show how unconstrainedly irregular melodies can betreated with the help of harmony. "

 (Diary, 1812-1818. Since 1809 Beethoven had arranged Folksongs forThomson of Edinburgh. )

41. "To write true church music, look through the old monkish chorals, etc. , also the most correct translations of the periods, and perfectprosody in the Catholic Psalms and hymns generally. "

 (Diary, 1818. )

42. "Many assert that every minor piece must end in the minor. Nego! Onthe contrary I find that in the soft scales the major third at theclose has a glorious and uncommonly quieting effect. Joy follows sorrow, sunshine--rain. It affects me as if I were looking up to the silveryglistering of the evening star. "

 (From Archduke Rudolph's book of instruction. )

43. "Rigorists, and devotees of antiquity, relegate the perfect fourthto the list of dissonances. Tastes differ. To my ear it gives not theleast offence combined with other tones. "

 (From Archduke Rudolph's book of instruction, compiled in 1809. )

44. "When the gentlemen can think of nothing new, and can go no further, they quickly call in a diminished seventh chord to help them out of thepredicament. "

 (A remark made to Schindler. )

45. "My dear boy, the startling effects which many credit to the naturalgenius of the composer, are often achieved with the greatest ease by theuse and resolution of the diminished seventh chords. "

 (Reported by Karl Friederich Hirsch, a pupil of Beethoven in the winterof 1816. He was a grandson of Albrechtsberger who had given lessons toBeethoven. )

46. "In order to become a capable composer one must have already learnedharmony and counterpoint at the age of from seven to eleven years, so that when the fancy and emotions awake one shall know what to doaccording to the rules. "

 (Reported by Schindler as having been put into the mouth of Beethoven bya newspaper of Vienna. Schindler says: "When Beethoven came to Vienna heknew no counterpoint, and little harmony. ")

47. "So far as mistakes are concerned it was never necessary for me tolearn thorough-bass; my feelings were so sensitive from childhood thatI practiced counterpoint without knowing that it must be so or could beotherwise. "

 (Note on a sheet containing directions for the use of fourths insuspensions--probably intended for the instruction of Archduke Rudolph. )

48. "Continue, Your Royal Highness, to write down briefly youroccasional ideas while at the pianoforte. For this a little tablealongside the pianoforte is necessary. By this means not only is thefancy strengthened, but one learns to hold fast in a moment themost remote conceptions. It is also necessary to compose without thepianoforte; say often a simple chord melody, with simple harmonies, thenfigurate according to the rules of counterpoint, and beyond them; thiswill give Y. R. H. No headache, but, on the contrary, feeling yourselfthus in the midst of art, a great pleasure. "

 (July 1, 1823, to his pupil Archduke Rudolph. )

49. "The bad habit, which has clung to me from childhood, of alwayswriting down a musical thought which occurs to me, good or bad, hasoften been harmful to me. "

 (July 23, 1815, to Archduke Rudolph, while excusing himself for nothaving visited H. R. H. , on the ground that he had been occupied in notinga musical idea which had occurred to him. )

50. "As is my habit, the pianoforte part of the concerto (op. 19) wasnot written out in the score; I have just written it, wherefore, in order to expedite matters, you receive it in my not too legiblehandwriting. "

 (April 22, 1801, to the publisher Hofmeister, in Leipzig. )

51. "Correspondence, as you know, was never my forte; some of my bestfriends have not had a letter from me in years. I live only in my notes(compositions), and one is scarcely finished when another is begun. As Iam working now I often compose three, even four, pieces simultaneously. "

 (Vienna, June 29, 1800, to Wegeler, in Bonn. )

52. "I never write a work continuously, without interruption. Iam always working on several at the same time, taking up one, thenanother. "

 (June 1, 1816, to Medical Inspector Dr. Karl von Bursy, when the latterasked about an opera (the book by Berge, sent to Beethoven by Amenda), which was never written. )

53. "I must accustom myself to think out at once the whole, as soon asit shows itself, with all the voices, in my head. "

 (Note in a sketch-book of 1810, containing studies for the music to"Egmont" and the great Trio in B-flat, op. 97. H. E. K. )

54. "I carry my thoughts about me for a long time, often a very longtime, before I write them down; meanwhile my memory is so faithful thatI am sure never to forget, not even in years, a theme that has onceoccurred to me. I change many things, discard, and try again until Iam satisfied. Then, however, there begins in my head the developmentin every direction, and, in as much as I know exactly what I want, thefundamental idea never deserts me, --it arises before me, grows, --I seeand hear the picture in all its extent and dimensions stand before mymind like a cast, and there remains for me nothing but the labor ofwriting it down, which is quickly accomplished when I have the time, forI sometimes take up other work, but never to the confusion of one withthe other. 

"You will ask me where I get my ideas. That I cannot tell you withcertainty; they come unsummoned, directly, indirectly, --I could seizethem with my hands, --out in the open air; in the woods; while walking;in the silence of the nights; early in the morning; incited by moods, which are translated by the poet into words, by me into tones thatsound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes. "

 (Said to Louis Schlosser, a young musician, whom Beethoven honored withhis friendship in 1822-23. )

55. "On the whole, the carrying out of several voices in strictrelationship mutually hinders their progress. "

 (Fall of 1812, in the Diary of 1812-18. )

56. "Few as are the claims which I make upon such things I shall stillaccept the dedication of your beautiful work with pleasure. You ask, however, that I also play the part of a critic, without thinking thatI must myself submit to criticism! With Voltaire I believe that 'a fewfly-bites can not stop a spirited horse. ' In this respect I beg of youto follow my example. In order not to approach you surreptitiously, butopenly as always, I say that in future works of the character you mightgive more heed to the individualization of the voices. "

 (Vienna, May 10, 1826. To whom the letter was sent is not known, thoughfrom the manner of address it is plain that he was of the nobility. )

57. "Your variations show talent, but I must fault you for havingchanged the theme. Why? What man loves must not be taken away fromhim;--moreover to do this is to make changes before variations. "

 (Baden, July 6, 1804, to Wiedebein, a teacher of music in Brunswick. )

58. "I am not in the habit of rewriting my compositions. I never did itbecause I am profoundly convinced that every change of detail changesthe character of the whole. "

 (February 19, 1813, to George Thomson, who had requested some changes incompositions submitted to him for publication. )

59. "One must not hold one's self so divine as to be unwillingoccasionally to make improvements in one's creations. "

 (March 4, 1809, to Breitkopf and Hartel, when indicating a few changeswhich he wished to have made in the symphonies op. 67 and op. 68. )

60. "The unnatural rage for transcribing pianoforte pieces for stringinstruments (instruments that are in every respect so different fromeach other) ought to end. I stoutly maintain that only Mozart could havetranscribed his own works, and Haydn; and without putting myself on alevel with these great men I assert the same thing about my pianofortesonatas. Not only must entire passages be elided and changed, butadditions must be made; and right here lies the rock of offence toovercome which one must be the master of himself or be possessed ofthe same skill and inventiveness. I transcribed but a single sonata forstring quartet, and I am sure that no one will easily do it after me. "

 (July 13, 1809, in an announcement of several compositions, among themthe quintet op. 29. )

61. "Were it not that my income brings in nothing, I should composenothing but grand symphonies, church music, or, at the outside, quartetsin addition. "

 (December 20, 1822, to Peters, publisher, in Leipzig. His income hadbeen reduced from 4, 000 to 800 florins by the depreciation of Austriancurrency. )

[Here, in the original, is one of the puns which Beethoven was fond ofmaking: "Ware mein Gehalt nicht ganzlich ohne Gehalt. " H. E. K. ]

ON PERFORMING MUSIC

While reading Beethoven's views on the subject of how music ought to beperformed, it is but natural to inquire about his own manner of playing. On this point Ries, his best pupil, reports:

"In general Beethoven played his own compositions very capriciously, yethe adhered, on the whole, strictly to the beat and only at times, butseldom, accelerated the tempo a trifle. Occasionally he would retardthe tempo in a crescendo, which produced a very beautiful and strikingeffect. While playing he would give a passage, now in the right hand, now in the left, a beautiful expression which was simply inimitable; butit was rarely indeed that he added a note or an ornament. "

Of his playing when still a young man one of his hearers said that itwas in the slow movements particularly that it charmed everybody. Almostunanimously his contemporaries give him the palm for his improvisations. Ries says:

"His extemporizations were the most extraordinary things that one couldhear. No artist that I ever heard came at all near the height whichBeethoven attained. The wealth of ideas which forced themselves on him, the caprices to which he surrendered himself, the variety of treatment, the difficulties, were inexhaustible. "

His playing was not technically perfect. He let many a note "fall underthe table, " but without marring the effect of his playing. Concerningthis we have a remark of his own in No. 75. Somewhat critical isCzerny's report:

"Extraordinary as his extempore playing was it was less successful inthe performance of printed compositions; for, since he never took thetime or had the patience to practice anything, his success dependedmostly on chance and mood; and since, also, his manner of playingas well as composing was ahead of his time, the weak and imperfectpianofortes of his time could not withstand his gigantic style. It wasbecause of this that Hummel's purling and brilliant manner of play, welladapted to the period, was more intelligible and attractive to the greatpublic. But Beethoven's playing in adagios and legato, in the sustainedstyle, made an almost magical impression on every hearer, and, so faras I know, it has never been surpassed. " Czerny's remark about thepianofortes of Beethoven's day explains Beethoven's judgment on hisown pianoforte sonatas. He composed for the sonorous pianoforte of thefuture, --the pianoforte building today. 

The following anecdote, told by Czerny, will be read with pleasure. Pleyel, a famous musician, came to Vienna from Paris in 1805, andhad his latest quartets performed in the palace of Prince Lobkowitz. Beethoven was present and was asked to play something. "As usual, hesubmitted to the interminable entreaties and finally was dragged almostby force to the pianoforte by the ladies. Angrily he tears the secondviolin part of one of the Pleyel quartets from the music-stand where itstill lay open, throws it upon the rack of the pianoforte, and beginsto improvise. We had never heard him extemporize more brilliantly, withmore originality or more grandly than on that evening. 

"But throughout the entire improvisation there ran in the middle voices, like a thread, or cantus firmus, the insignificant notes, whollyinsignificant in themselves, which he found on the page of the quartet, which by chance lay open on the music-stand; on them he built up themost daring melodies and harmonies, in the most brilliant concert style. Old Pleyel could only give expression to his amazement by kissing hishands. After such improvisations Beethoven was wont to break out into aloud and satisfied laugh. "

Czerny says further of his playing: "In rapidity of scale passages, trills, leaps, etc. , no one equaled him, --not even Hummel. His attitudeat the pianoforte was perfectly quiet and dignified, with no approach togrimace, except to bend down a little towards the keys as his deafnessincreased; his fingers were very powerful, not long, and broadened atthe tips by much playing; for he told me often that in his youth he hadpracticed stupendously, mostly till past midnight. In teaching he laidgreat stress on a correct position of the fingers (according to theEmanuel Bach method, in which he instructed me); he himself could barelyspan a tenth. He made frequent use of the pedal, much more frequentlythan is indicated in his compositions. His reading of the scores ofHandel and Gluck and the fugues of Bach was unique, inasmuch as he put apolyphony and spirit into the former which gave the works a new form. "

In his later years the deaf master could no longer hear his own playingwhich therefore came to have a pitifully painful effect. Concerning hismanner of conducting, Seyfried says: "It would no wise do to make ourmaster a model in conducting, and the orchestra had to take great carelest it be led astray by its mentor; for he had an eye only for hiscomposition and strove unceasingly by means of manifold gesticulationsto bring out the expression which he desired. Often when he reached aforte he gave a violent down beat even if the note were an unaccentedone. He was in the habit of marking a diminuendo by crouching down lowerand lower, and at a pianissimo he almost crept under the stand. With acrescendo he, too, grew, rising as if out of a stage trap, and withthe entrance of a fortissimo he stood on his toes and seemed to take ongigantic proportions, while he waved his arms about as if trying to soarupwards to the clouds. Everything about him was in activity; not apart of his organization remained idle, and the whole man seemed like aperpetuum mobile. Concerning expression, the little nuances, the equabledivision of light and shade, as also an effective tempo rubato, he wasextremely exact and gladly discussed them with the individual members ofthe orchestra without showing vexation or anger. "

62. "It has always been known that the greatest pianoforte playerswere also the greatest composers; but how did they play? Not like thepianists of today who prance up and down the key-board with passagesin which they have exercised themselves, --putsch, putsch, putsch;--whatdoes that mean? Nothing. When the true pianoforte virtuosi played itwas always something homogeneous, an entity; it could be transcribed andthen it appeared as a well thought-out work. That is pianoforte playing;the other is nothing!"

 (In conversation with Tomaschek, October, 1814. )

63. "Candidly I am not a friend of Allegri di bravura and such, sincethey do nothing but promote mechanism. "

 (Hetzendorf, July 16, 1823, to Ries in London. )

64. "The great pianists have nothing but technique and affectation. "

 (Fall of 1817, to Marie Pachler-Koschak, a pianist whom Beethovenregarded very highly. "You will play the sonatas in F major and C minor, for me, will you not?")

65. "As a rule, in the case of these gentlemen, all reason and feelingare generally lost in the nimbleness of their fingers. "

 (Reported by Schindler as a remark of Beethoven's concerning pianofortevirtuosi. )

66. "Habit may depreciate the most brilliant talents. "

 (In 1812 to his pupil, Archduke Rudolph, whom he warns against toozealous a devotion to music. )

67. "You will have to play a long time yet before you realize that youcan not play at all. "

 (July, 1808. Reported by Rust as having been said to a young man whoplayed for Beethoven. )

68. "One must be something if one wishes to put on appearances. "

 (August 15, 1812, to Bettina von Arnim. )

69. "These pianoforte players have their coteries whom they often join;there they are praised continually, --and there's an end of art!"

 (Conversation with Tomaschek, October, 1814. )

70. "We Germans have too few dramatically trained singers for the partof Leonore. They are too cold and unfeeling; the Italians sing and actwith body and soul. "

 (1824, in Baden, to Freudenberg, an organist from Breslau. )

71. "If he is a master of his instrument I rank an organist amongstthe first of virtuosi. I too, played the organ a great deal when Iwas young, but my nerves would not stand the power of the giganticinstrument. "

 (To Freudenberg, in Baden. )

72. "I never wrote noisy music. For my instrumental works I need anorchestra of about sixty good musicians. I am convinced that only such anumber can bring out the quickly changing graduations in performance. "

 (Reported by Schindler. )

73. "A Requiem ought to be quiet music, --it needs no trump of doom;memories of the dead require no hubbub. "

 (Reported by Holz to Fanny von Ponsing, in Baden, summer of 1858. According to the same authority Beethoven valued Cherubini's "Requiem"more highly than any other. )

74. "No metronome at all! He who has sound feeling needs none, and hewho has not will get no help from the metronome;--he'll run away withthe orchestra anyway. "

 (Reported by Schindler. It had been found that Beethoven himselfhad sent different metronomic indications to the publisher and thePhilharmonic Society of London. )

75. "In reading rapidly a multitude of misprints may pass unnoticedbecause you are familiar with the language. "

 (To Wegeler, who had expressed wonder at Beethoven's rapid primavistaplaying, when it was impossible to see each individual note. )

76. "The poet writes his monologue or dialogue in a certain, continuousrhythm, but the elocutionist in order to insure an understanding of thesense of the lines, must make pauses and interruptions at places wherethe poet was not permitted to indicate it by punctuation. Thesame manner of declamation can be applied to music, and admits ofmodification only according to the number of performers. "

 (Reported by Schindler, Beethoven's faithful factotum. )

77. "With respect to his playing with you, when he has acquired theproper mode of fingering and plays in time and plays the notes withtolerable correctness, only then direct his attention to the matterof interpretation; and when he has gotten this far do not stop him forlittle mistakes, but point them out at the end of the piece. AlthoughI have myself given very little instruction I have always followed thismethod which quickly makes musicians, and that, after all, is one of thefirst objects of art. "

 (To Czerny, who was teaching music to Beethoven's nephew Karl. )

78. "Always place the hands at the key-board so that the fingers can notbe raised higher than is necessary; only in this way is it possible toproduce a singing tone. "

 (Reported by Schindler as Beethoven's view on pianoforte instruction. He hated a staccato style of playing and dubbed it "finger dancing" and"throwing the hands in the air. ")

[PG Editor's Note: #79 was skipped in the 1905 edition--error?]

ON HIS OWN WORKS

80. "I haven't a single friend; I must live alone. But well I know thatGod is nearer to me than to the others of my art; I associate with Himwithout fear, I have always recognized and understood Him, and I haveno fear for my music, --it can meet no evil fate. Those who understand itmust become free from all the miseries that the others drag with them. "

 (To Bettina von Arnim. [Bettina's letter to Goethe, May 28, 1810. ])

81. "The variations will prove a little difficult to play, particularlythe trills in the coda; but let that not frighten you. It is so disposedthat you need play only the trills, omitting the other notes becausethey are also in the violin part. I would never have written a thingof this kind had I not often noticed here and there in Vienna a manwho after I had improvised of an evening would write down some of mypeculiarities and make boast of them next day. Foreseeing that thesethings would soon appear in print I made up my mind to anticipatethem. Another purpose which I had was to embarrass the local pianofortemasters. Many of them are my mortal enemies, and I wanted to have myrevenge in this way, for I knew in advance that the variations would beput before them, and that they would make exhibitions of themselves. "

 (Vienna, November 2, 1793, to Eleonore von Breuning, in dedicating toher the variations in F major, "Se vuol ballare. " [The pianist whomBeethoven accuses of stealing his thunder was Abbe Gelinek. ])

82. "The time in which I wrote my sonatas (the first ones of the secondperiod) was more poetical than the present (1823); such hints weretherefore unnecessary. Every one at that time felt in the Largo of thethird sonata in D (op. 10) the pictured soulstate of a melancholy being, with all the nuances of light and shade which occur in a delineationof melancholy and its phases, without requiring a key in the shape of asuperscription; and everybody then saw in the two sonatas (op. 14) thepicture of a contest between two principles, or a dialogue between twopersons, because it was so obvious. "

 (In answer to Schindler's question why he had not indicated the poeticalconceits underlying his sonatas by superscriptions or titles. )

83. "This sonata has a clean face (literally: 'has washed itself'), mydear brother!"

 (January, 1801, to Hofmeister, publisher in Leipzig to whom he offersthe sonata, op. 22, for 20 ducats. )

84. "They are incessantly talking about the C-sharp minor sonata (op. 27, No. 2); on my word I have written better ones. The F-sharp majorsonata (op. 78) is a different thing!"

 (A remark to Czerny. )

[The C-sharp minor sonata is that popularly known as the "MoonlightSonata, " a title which is wholly without warrant. Its origin is due toRellstab, who, in describing the first movement, drew a picture of asmall boat in the moonlight on Lake Lucerne. In Vienna a tradition thatBeethoven had composed it in an arbor gave rise to the title "Arborsonata. " Titles of this character work much mischief in the amateur mindby giving rise to fantastic conceptions of the contents of the music. H. E. K. ]

85. "The thing which my brother can have from me is 1, a Septett per ilViolino, Viola, Violoncello, Contrabasso, Clarinetto, Cornto, Fagotto, tutti obligati; for I can not write anything that is not obligato, having come into the world with obligato accompaniment. "

 (December 15, 1800, to Hofmeister, publisher, in Leipzig. )

86. "I am but little satisfied with my works thus far; from today Ishall adopt a new course. "

 (Reported by Carl Czerny in his autobiography in 1842. Concerning thetime at which the remark was made, Czerny says: "It was said about 1803, when B. Had composed op. 28 (the pianoforte sonata in D) to his friendKrumpholz (a violinist). Shortly afterward there appeared the sonatas (now op. 31) in which a partial fulfillment of his resolution may beobserved. ")

87. "Read Shakespeare's 'Tempest. '"

 (An answer to Schindler's question as to what poetical conceit underlaythe sonatas in F minor. Beethoven used playfully to call the little sonof Breuning, the friend of his youth, A&Z, because he employed him oftenas a messenger. )

["Schindler relates that when once he asked Beethoven to tell him whatthe F minor and D minor (op. 31, No. 2) meant, he received for an answeronly the enigmatical remark: 'Read Shakespeare's "Tempest. "' Many astudent and commentator has since read the 'Tempest' in the hope offinding a clew to the emotional contents which Beethoven believed tobe in the two works, so singularly associated, only to find himselfbaffled. It is a fancy, which rests, perhaps, too much on outwardthings, but still one full of suggestion, that had Beethoven said: 'Hearmy C minor symphony, ' he would have given a better starting-point tothe imagination of those who are seeking to know what the F minor sonatameans. Most obviously it means music, but it means music that is anexpression of one of those psychological struggles which Beethoven feltcalled upon more and more to delineate as he was more and more shut outfrom the companionship of the external world. Such struggles are in thetruest sense of the word tempests. The motive, which, according to thestory, Beethoven himself said, indicates, in the symphony, the rappingsof Fate at the door of human existence, is common to two works whichare also related in their spiritual contents. Singularly enough, too, in both cases the struggle which is begun in the first movement andcontinued in the third, is interrupted by a period of calm, reassuring, soul-fortifying aspiration, which, in the symphony as well as in thesonata, takes the form of a theme with variations. "--"How to Listen toMusic, " page 29. H. E. K. ]

88. "Sinfonia Pastorella. He who has ever had a notion of country lifecan imagine for himself without many superscriptions what the composeris after. Even without a description the whole, which is more sentimentthan tone painting, will be recognized. "

 (A note among the sketches for the "Pastoral" symphony preserved in theRoyal Library at Berlin. )

[There are other notes of similar import among the sketches referred towhich can profitably be introduced here:

"The hearer should be allowed to discover the situations;"

"Sinfonia caracteristica, or a recollection of country life;"

"Pastoral Symphony: No picture, but something in which the emotions areexpressed which are aroused in men by the pleasure of the country (or)in which some feelings of country life are set forth. "

When, finally, the work was given to the publisher, Beethoven includedin the title an admonitory explanation which should have everlastingvalidity: "Pastoral Symphony: more expression of feeling than painting. "H. E. K. ]

89. "My 'Fidelio' was not understood by the public, but I know that itwill yet be appreciated; for though I am well aware of the value of my'Fidelio' I know just as well that the symphony is my real element. Whensounds ring in me I always hear the full orchestra; I can ask anythingof instrumentalists, but when writing for the voice I must continuallyask myself: 'Can that be sung?'

 (A remark made in 1823 or 1824 to Griesinger. )

90. "Thus Fate knocks at the portals!"

 (Reported by Schindler as Beethoven's explanation of the opening of thesymphony in C minor. )

["Hofrath Kueffner told him (Krenn) that he once lived with Beethoven inHeiligenstadt, and that they were in the habit evenings of going downto Nussdorf to eat a fish supper in the Gasthaus 'Zur Rose. ' One eveningwhen B. Was in a good humor, Kueffner began: `Tell me frankly which isyour favorite among your symphonies?' B. (in good humor) 'Eh! Eh! TheEroica. ' K. 'I should have guessed the C minor. ' B. 'No; the Eroica. '"From Thayer's notebook. See "Music and Manners in the Classical Period. "H. E. K. ]

91. "The solo sonatas (op. 109-ll?) are perhaps the best, but also thelast, music that I composed for the pianoforte. It is and always will bean unsatisfactory instrument. I shall hereafter follow the example of mygrandmaster Handel, and every year write only an oratorio and a concertofor some string or wind instrument, provided I shall have finished mytenth symphony (C minor) and Requiem. "

 (Reported by Holz. As to the tenth symphony see note to No. 95. )

92. "God knows why it is that my pianoforte music always makes the worstimpression on me, especially when it is played badly. "

 (June 2, 1804. A note among the sketches for the "Leonore" overture. )

93. "Never did my own music produce such an effect upon me; even nowwhen I recall this work it still costs me a tear. "

 (Reported by Holz. The reference is to the Cavatina from the quartetin B-flat, op. 130, which Beethoven thought the crown of all quartetmovements and his favorite composition. When alone and undisturbedhe was fond of playing his favorite pianoforte Andante--that from thesonata op. 28. )

94. "I do not write what I most desire to, but that which I need tobecause of money. But this is not saying that I write only for money. When the present period is past, I hope at last to write that which isthe highest thing for me as well as art, --'Faust. '"

 (From a conversation-book used in 1823. To Buhler, tutor in the houseof a merchant, who was seeking information about an oratorio whichBeethoven had been commissioned to write by the Handel and Haydn Societyof Boston. )

95. "Ha! 'Faust;' that would be a piece of work! Something might comeout of that! But for some time I have been big with three other largeworks. Much is already sketched out, that is, in my head. I must be ridof them first:--two large symphonies differing from each other, and eachdiffering from all the others, and an oratorio. And this will take along time, you see, for a considerable time I have had trouble to getmyself to write. I sit and think, and think I've long had the thing, butit will not on the paper. I dread the beginning of these large works. Once into the work, and it goes. "

 (In the summer of 1822, to Rochlitz, at Baden. The symphonies referredto are the ninth and tenth. They existed only in Beethoven's mind and afew sketches. In it he intended to combine antique and modern views oflife. )

["In the text Greek mythology, cantique ecclesiastique; in the Allegro, a Bacchic festival. " (Sketchbook of 1818)]

[The oratorio was to have been called "The Victory of the Cross. " It wasnot written. Schindler wrote to Moscheles in London about Beethoven inthe last weeks of his life: "He said much about the plan of the tenthsymphony. As the work had shaped itself in his imagination it might havebecome a musical monstrosity, compared with which his other symphonieswould have been mere opuscula. "]

ON ART AND ARTISTS

96. "How eagerly mankind withdraws from the poor artist what it has oncegiven him;--and Zeus, from whom one might ask an invitation to sup onambrosia, lives no longer. "

 (In the summer of 1814, to Kauka, an advocate who represented him in thelawsuit against the heirs of Kinsky. )

97. "I love straightforwardness and uprightness, and believe thatthe artist ought not to be belittled; for, alas! brilliant as fame isexternally, it is not always the privilege of the artist to be Jupiter'sguest on Olympus all the time. Unfortunately vulgar humanity drags himdown only too often and too rudely from the pure upper ether. "

 (June 5, 1852, to C. F. Peters, music publisher, in Leipzig whentreating with him touching a complete edition of his works. )

98. "The true artist has no pride; unhappily he realizes that art hasno limitations, he feels darkly how far he is from the goal, and while, perhaps he is admired by others, he grieves that he has not yet reachedthe point where the better genius shall shine before him like a distantsun. "

 (Teplitz, July 17, to an admirer ten years old. )

99. "You yourself know what a change is wrought by a few years in thecase of an artist who is continually pushing forward. The greater theprogress which one makes in art, the less is one satisfied with one'sold works. "

 (Vienna, August 4, 1800, to Mathisson, in the dedication of his settingof "Adelaide. " "My most ardent wish will be fulfilled if you are notdispleased with the musical composition of your heavenly 'Adelaide. '")

100. "Those composers are exemplars who unite nature and art in theirworks. "

 (Baden, in 1824, to Freudenberg, organist from Breslau. )

101. "What will be the judgment a century hence concerning the laudedworks of our favorite composers today? Inasmuch as nearly everything issubject to the changes of time, and, more's the pity, the fashions oftime, only that which is good and true, will endure like a rock, and nowanton hand will ever venture to defile it. Then let every man do thatwhich is right, strive with all his might toward the goal which cannever be attained, develop to the last breath the gifts with which agracious Creator has endowed him, and never cease to learn; for 'Life isshort, art eternal!'"

 (From the notes in the instruction book of Archduke Rudolph. )

102. "Famous artists always labor under an embarrassment;--thereforefirst works are the best, though they may have sprung out of darkground. "

 (Conversation-book of 1840. )

103. "A musician is also a poet; he also can feel himself transported bya pair of eyes into another and more beautiful world where greater soulsmake sport of him and set him right difficult tasks. "

 (August 15, 1812, to Bettina von Arnim. )

104. "I told Goethe my opinion as to how applause affects men like us, and that we want our equals to hear us understandingly! Emotion suitswomen only; music ought to strike fire from the soul of a man. "

 (August 15, 1810, to Bettina von Arnim. )

105. "Most people are touched by anything good; but they do not partakeof the artist's nature; artists are ardent, they do not weep. "

 (Reported to Goethe by Bettina von Arnim, May 28, 1810. )

106. "L'art unit tout le monde, --how much more the true artist!"

 (March 15, 1823, to Cherubini, in Paris. )

107. "Only the artist, or the free scholar, carries his happiness withinhim. "

 (Reported by Karl von Bursy as part of a conversation in 1816. )

108. "There ought to be only one large art warehouse in the world, towhich the artist could carry his art-works and from which he could carryaway whatever he needed. As it is one must be half a tradesman. "

 (January, 1801, to Hofmeister, in Leipzig. )

BEETHOVEN AS CRITIC

The opinion of artist on artists is a dubious quantity. Recall thestartling criticisms of Bocklin on his associates in art made publicby the memoirs of his friends after his death. Such judgments are oftenone-sided, not without prejudice, and mostly the expression of impulse. It is a different matter when the artist speaks about the disciples ofanother art than his own, even if the opinions which Bocklin and Wagnerheld of each other are not a favorable example. Where Beethoven speaksof other composers we must read with clear and open eyes; but evenhere there will be much with which we can be in accord, especiallyhis judgment on Rossini, whom he hated so intensely, and whose airy, sense-bewitching art seduced the Viennese from Beethoven. Interestingand also characteristic of the man is the attitude which headopted towards the poets of his time. In general he estimated hiscontemporaries as highly as they deserved. 

109. "Do not tear the laurel wreaths from the heads of Handel, Haydn andMozart; they belong to them, --not yet to me. "

 (Teplitz, July 17, 1852, to his ten-year-old admirer, Emilie M. , who hadgiven him a portfolio made by herself. )

110. "Pure church music ought to be performed by voices only, except a'Gloria, ' or some similar text. For this reason I prefer Palestrina;but it is folly to imitate him without having his genius and religiousviews; it would be difficult, if not impossible, too, for the singers oftoday to sing his long notes in a sustained and pure manner. "

 (To Freudenberg, in 1824. )

111. "Handel is the unattained master of all masters. Go and learn fromhim how to achieve vast effects with simple means. "

 (Reported by Seyfried. On his death-bed, about the middle of February, 1827, he said to young Gerhard von Breuning, on receiving Handel'sworks: "Handel is the greatest and ablest of all composers; from him Ican still learn. Bring me the books!")

112. "Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncovermy head and kneel on his grave. "

 (Fall of 1823, to J. A. Stumpff, harp maker of London, who acted verynobly toward Beethoven in his last days. It was he who rejoiced thedying composer by sending him the forty volumes of Handel's works (see111). )

["Cipriani Potter, to A. W. T. , February 27, 1861. Beethoven used towalk across the fields to Vienna very often. B. Would stop, look aboutand express his love for nature. One day Potter asked: 'Who is thegreatest living composer, yourself excepted?' Beethoven seemed puzzledfor a moment, and then exclaimed: 'Cherubini!' Potter went on: 'And ofdead authors?' B. --He had always considered Mozart as such, but since hehad been made acquainted with Handel he put him at the head. " From A. W. Thayer's notebook, reprinted in "Music and Manners in the ClassicalPeriod, " page 208. H. E. K. ]

113. "Heaven forbid that I should take a journal in which sport is madeof the manes of such a revered one. "

 (Conversation-book of 1825, in reference to a criticism of Handel. )

114. "That you are going to publish Sebastian Bach's works is somethingwhich does good to my heart, which beats in love of the great and loftyart of this ancestral father of harmony; I want to see them soon. "

 (January, 1801, to Hofmeister, in Leipzig. )

115. "Of Emanuel Bach's clavier works I have only a few, yet they mustbe not only a real delight to every true artist, but also serve him forstudy purposes; and it is for me a great pleasure to play works that Ihave never seen, or seldom see, for real art lovers. "

 (July 26, 1809, to Gottfried Hartel, of Leipzig in ordering all thescores of Haydn, Mozart and the two Bachs. )

116. "See, my dear Hummel, the birthplace of Haydn. I received it as agift today, and it gives me great pleasure. A mean peasant hut, in whichso great a man was born!"

 (Remarked on his death-bed to his friend Hummel. )

117. "I have always reckoned myself among the greatest admirers ofMozart, and shall do so till the day of my death. "

 (February 6, 1886, to Abbe Maximilian Stadler, who had sent him hisessay on Mozart's "Requiem. ")

118. "Cramer, Cramer! We shall never be able to compose anything likethat!"

 (To Cramer, after the two had heard Mozart's concerto in C-minor at aconcert in the Augarten. )

119. "'Die Zauberflote' will always remain Mozart's greatest work, forin it he for the first time showed himself to be a German musician. 'DonJuan' still has the complete Italian cut; besides our sacred artought never permit itself to be degraded to the level of a foil for soscandalous a subject. "

 (A remark reported by Seyfried. )

["Hozalka says that in 1820-21, as near as he can recollect, the wifeof a Major Baumgarten took boy boarders in the house then standing wherethe Musikverein's Saal now is, and that Beethoven's nephew was placedwith her. Her sister, Baronin Born, lived with her. One evening Hozalka, then a young man, called there and found only Baronin Born at home. Soonanother caller came and stayed to tea. It was Beethoven. Among othertopics Mozart came on the tapis, and the Born asked Beethoven (inwriting, of course) which of Mozart's operas he thought most of. 'DieZauberflote' said Beethoven, and, suddenly clasping his hands andthrowing up his eyes, exclaimed: 'Oh, Mozart!'" From A. W. Thayer'snotebooks, reprinted in "Music and Manners in the Classical Period, "page 198. H. E. K. ]

120. "Say all conceivable pretty things to Cherubini, --that there isnothing I so ardently desire as that we should soon get another operafrom him, and that of all our contemporaries I have the highest regardfor him. "

 (May 6, 1823, to Louis Schlasser, afterward chapel master in Darmstadt, who was about to undertake a journey to Paris. See note to No. 112. )

121. "Among all the composers alive Cherubini is the most worthy ofrespect. I am in complete agreement, too, with his conception of the'Requiem, ' and if ever I come to write one I shall take note of manythings. "

 (Remark reported by Seyfried. See No. 112. )

122. "Whoever studies Clementi thoroughly has simultaneously alsolearned Mozart and other authors; inversely, however, this is not thecase. "

 (Reported by Schindler. )

123. "There is much good in Spontini; he understands theatrical effectand martial noises admirably. 

"Spohr is so rich in dissonances; pleasure in his music is marred by hischromatic melody. 

"His name ought not to be Bach (brook), but Ocean, because of hisinfinite and inexhaustible wealth of tonal combinations and harmonies. Bach is the ideal of an organist. "

 (In Baden, 1824, to Freudenberg. )

124. "The little man, otherwise so gentle, --I never would have creditedhim with such a thing. Now Weber must write operas in earnest, one afterthe other, without caring too much for refinement! Kaspar, the monster, looms up like a house; wherever the devil sticks in his claw we feelit. "

 (To Rochlitz, at Baden, in the summer of 1823. )

125. "There you are, you rascal; you're a devil of a fellow, God blessyou!. .. Weber, you always were a fine fellow. "

 (Beethoven's hearty greeting to Karl Maria von Weber, in October, 1823. )

126. "K. M. Weber began too learn too late; art did not have a chanceto develop naturally in him, and his single and obvious striving is toappear brilliant. "

 (A remark reported by Seyfried. )

127. "'Euryanthe' is an accumulation of diminished seventh chords--alllittle backdoors!"

 (Remarked to Schindler about Weber's opera. )

128. "Truly, a divine spark dwells in Schubert!"

 (Said to Schindler when the latter made him acquainted with the "Songsof Ossian, " "Die Junge Nonne, " "Die Burgschaft, " of Schubert's "Grenzender Menschheit, " and other songs. )

129. "There is nothing in Meyerbeer; he hasn't the courage to strike atthe right time. "

 (To Tomaschek, in October, 1814, in a conversation about the "Battle ofVictoria, " at the performance of which, in 1813, Meyerbeer had playedthe big drum. )

130. "Rossini is a talented and a melodious composer, his music suitsthe frivolous and sensuous spirit of the times, and his productivity issuch that he needs only as many weeks as the Germans do years to writean opera. "

 (In 1824, at Baden, to Freudenberg. )

131. "This rascal Rossini, who is not respected by a single master ofhis art!"

 (Conversation-book, 1825. )

132. "Rossini would have become a great composer if his teacher hadfrequently applied some blows ad posteriora. "

 (Reported by Schindler. Beethoven had been reading the score of "IlBarbiere di Siviglia. ")

133. "The Bohemians are born musicians. The Italians ought to takethem as models. What have they to show for their famous conservatories?Behold! their idol, Rossini! If Dame Fortune had not given him a prettytalent and amiable melodies by the bushel, what he learned at schoolwould have brought him nothing but potatoes for his big belly. "

 (In a conversation-book at Haslinger's music shop, where Beethovenfrequently visited. )

136. "Goethe has killed Klopstock for me. You wonder? Now you laugh?Ah, because I have read Klopstock. I carried him about with me for yearswhen I walked. What besides? Well, I didn't always understand him. Heskips about so; and he always begins so far away, above or below; alwaysMaestoso! D-flat major! Isn't, it so? But he's great, nevertheless, anduplifts the soul. When I couldn't understand him I sort of guessed athim. "

 (To Rochlitz, in 1822. )

135. "As for me I prefer to set Homer, Klopstock, Schiller, to music; ifit is difficult to do, these immortal poets at least deserve it. "

 (To the directorate of the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde" of Vienna, January, 1824, in negotiations for an oratorio, "The Victory of theCross" [which he had been commissioned to write by the Handel and HaydnSociety of Boston. H. E. K. ]. )

136. "Goethe and Schiller are my favorite poets, as also Ossianand Homer, the latter of whom, unfortunately, I can read only intranslation. "

 (August 8, 1809, to Breitkopf and Hartel. )

137. "Who can sufficiently thank a great poet, --the most valuable jewelof a nation!"

 (February 10, 1811, to Bettina von Arnim. The reference was to Goethe. )

138. "When you write to Goethe about me search out all the words whichcan express my deepest reverence and admiration. I am myself about towrite to him about 'Egmont' for which I have composed the music, purelyout of love for his poems which make me happy. "

 (February 10, 1811, to Bettina von Arnim. )

139. "I would have gone to death, yes, ten times to death for Goethe. Then, when I was in the height of my enthusiasm, I thought out my'Egmont' music. Goethe, --he lives and wants us all to live with him. Itis for that reason that he can be composed. Nobody is so easily composedas he. But I do not like to compose songs. "

 (To Rochlitz, in 1822, when Beethoven recalled Goethe's amiability inTeplitz. )

140. "Goethe is too fond of the atmosphere of the court; fonder thanbecomes a poet. There is little room for sport over the absurdities ofthe virtuosi, when poets, who ought to be looked upon as the foremostteachers of the nation, can forget everything else in the enjoyment ofcourt glitter. "

 (Franzensbrunn, August 9, 1812, to Gottfried Hartel of Leipzig. )

141. "When two persons like Goethe and I meet these grand folk must bemade to see what our sort consider great. "

 (August 15, 1812, in a description of how haughtily he, and how humblyGoethe, had behaved in the presence of the Imperial court. )

142. "Since that summer in Carlsbad I read Goethe every day, --when Iread at all. "

 (Remarked to Rochlitz. )

143. "Goethe ought not to write more; he will meet the fate of thesingers. Nevertheless he will remain the foremost poet of Germany. "

 (Conversationbook, 1818. )

144. "Can you lend me the 'Theory of Colors' for a few weeks? It is animportant work. His last things are insipid. "

 (Conversation-book, 1820. )

145. "After all the fellow writes for money only. "

 (Reported by Schindler as having been said by Beethoven when, on hisdeath-bed, he angrily threw a book of Walter Scott's aside. )

146. "He, too, then, is nothing better than an ordinary man! Now he willtrample on all human rights only to humor his ambition; he will placehimself above all others, --become a tyrant!"

 (With these words, as testified to by Ries, an eye-witness, Beethoventore the title-page from the score of his "Eroica" symphony (which borea dedication to Bonaparte) when the news reached him that Napoleon haddeclared himself emperor. )

147. "I believe that so long as the Austrian has his brown beer andsausage he will not revolt. "

 (To Simrock, publisher, in Bonn, August 2, 1794. )

148. "Why do you sell nothing but music? Why did you not long ago followmy well-meant advice? Do get wise, and find your raison. Instead of ahundred-weight of paper order genuine unwatered Regensburger, floatthis much-liked article of trade down the Danube, serve it in measures, half-measures and seidels at cheap prices, throw in at intervalssausages, rolls, radishes, butter and cheese, invite the hungry andthirsty with letters an ell long on a sign: 'Musical Beer House, ' andyou will have so many guests at all hours of the day that one will holdthe door open for the other and your office will never be empty. "

 (To Haslinger, the music publisher, when the latter had complained aboutthe indifference of the Viennese to music. )

ON EDUCATION

Beethoven's observations on this subject were called out by hisexperiences in securing an education for his nephew Karl, son of hislike-named brother, a duty which devolved on him on the death of hisbrother in the winter of 1815. He loved his nephew almost to idolatry, and hoped that he would honor the name of Beethoven in the future. Butthere was a frivolous vein in Karl, inherited probably from hismother, who was on easy footing with morality both before and after herhusband's death. She sought with all her might to rid her son ofthe guardianship of his uncle. Karl was sent to various educationalinstitutions and to these Beethoven sent many letters containing adviceand instructions. The nephew grew to be more and more a care, not whollywithout fault of the master. His passionate nature led to many quarrelsbetween the two, all of which were followed by periods of extravagantfondness. Karl neglected his studies, led a frivolous life, was fond ofbilliards and the coffee-houses which were then generally popular, and finally, in the summer of 1826, made an attempt at suicide in theHelenental near Baden, which caused his social ostracism. When he wasfound he cried out: "I went to the bad because my uncle wanted to betterme. "

Beethoven succeeded in persuading Baron von Stutterheim, commander ofan infantry regiment at Iglau, to accept him as an aspirant for militaryoffice. In later life he became a respected official and man. SoBeethoven himself was vouchsafed only an ill regulated education. Hisdissolute father treated him now harshly, now gently. His mother, whodied early, was a silent sufferer, had thoroughly understood her son, and to her his love was devotion itself. He labored unwearyingly at hisown intellectual and moral advancement until his death. 

It seems difficult to reconcile his almost extravagant estimate of thegreatest possible liberty in the development of man with his demands forstrict constraint to which he frequently gives expression; but he hadrecognized that it is necessary to grow out of restraint into liberty. His model as a sensitive and sympathetic educator was his motherlyfriend, the wife of Court Councillor von Breuning in Bonn, of whom heonce said: "She knew how to keep the insects off the blossoms. "

Beethoven's views on musical education are to be found in the chapters"On Composition" and "On Performing Music. "

149. "Like the State, each man must have his own constitution. "

 (Diary, 1815. )

150. "Recommend virtue to your children; that, alone can bringhappiness; not wealth, --I speak from experience. It was virtue alonethat bore me up in my misery; to her and my art I owe that I did not endmy life by self-murder. "

 (October 6, 1802, to his brothers Karl and Johann [the so-calledHeiligenstadt Will]. )

151. "I know no more sacred duty than to rear and educate a child. "

 (January 7, 1820, in a communication to the Court of Appeals in the suittouching the guardianship of his nephew Karl. )

152. "Nature's weaknesses are nature's endowments; reason, the guide, must seek to lead and lessen them. "

 (Diary, 1817. )

153. "It is man's habit to hold his fellow man in esteem because hecommitted no greater errors. "

 (May 6, 1811, to Breitkopf and Hartel, in a letter complaining of faultyprinting in some of his compositions. )

154. "There is nothing more efficient in enforcing obedience upon othersthan the belief on their part that you are wiser than they. .. Withouttears fathers can not inculcate virtue in their children, or teacherslearning and wisdom in their pupils; even the laws, by compelling tearsfrom the citizens, compel them also to strive for justice. "

 (Diary, 1815. )

155. "It is only becoming in a youth to combine his duties towardeducation and advancement with those which he owes to his benefactor andsupporter; this I did toward my parents. "

 (May 19, 1825, to his nephew Karl. )

156. "You can not honor the memory of your father better than tocontinue your studies with the greatest zeal, and strive to become anhonest and excellent man. "

 (To his nephew, 1816-18. )

157. "Let your conduct always be amiable; through art and science thebest and noblest of men are bound together and your future vocation willnot exclude you. "

 (Baden, July 18, 1825, to his nephew, who had decided to become amerchant. )

158. "It is very true that a drop will hollow a stone; a thousandlovely impressions are obliterated when children are placed in woodeninstitutions while they might receive from their parents the mostsoulful impressions which would continue to exert their influence tillthe latest age. "

 (Diary, spring of 1817. Beethoven was dissatisfied with Giannatasio'sschool in which he had placed his nephew. "Karl is a different childafter he has been with me a few hours" (Diary). In 1826, after theattempt at suicide, Beethoven said to Breuning: "My Karl was in aninstitute; educational institutions furnish forth only hot houseplants. ")

159. "Drops of water wear away a stone in time, not by force but bycontinual falling. Only through tireless industry are the sciencesachieved so that one can truthfully say: no day without its line, --nulladies sine linea. "

 (1799, in a sketch for a theoretical handbook for Archduke Rudolph. )

ON HIS OWN DISPOSITION AND CHARACTER

So open-hearted and straightforward a character as Beethoven could nothave pictured himself with less reserve or greater truthfulness than hedid during his life. Frankness toward himself, frankness toward others(though sometimes it went to the extreme of rudeness and ill-breeding)was his motto. The joyous nature which was his as a lad, and which wasnot at all averse to a merry prank now and then, underwent a change whenhe began to lose his hearing. The dread of deafness and its consequencesdrove him nearly to despair, so that he sometimes contemplated suicide. Increasing hardness of hearing gradually made him reserved, morose andgloomy. With the progress of the malady his disposition and characterunderwent a decided change, --a fact which may be said to account for thecontradictions in his conduct and utterances. It made him suspicious, distrustful; in his later years he imagined himself cheated anddeceived in the most trifling matters by relatives, friends, publishers, servants. 

Nevertheless Beethoven's whole soul was filled with a high idealismwhich penetrated through the miseries of his daily life; it was full, too, of a great love toward humanity in general and his unworthy nephewin particular. Towards his publishers he often appeared covetous andgrasping, seeking to rake and scrape together all the money possible;but this was only for the purpose of assuring the future of his nephew. At the same time, in a merry moment, he would load down his table withall that kitchen and cellar could provide, for the reflection of hisfriends. Thus he oscillated continuously between two extremes; but thepower which swung the pendulum was always the aural malady. He grewpeevish and capricious towards his best friends, rude, even brutal attimes in his treatment of them; only in the next moment to overwhelmthem most pathetically with attentions. Till the end of his life heremained a sufferer from his passionate disposition over which hegradually obtained control until, at the end, one could almost speak ofa sunny clarification of his nature. 

He has heedlessly been accused of having led a dissolute life, ofhaving been an intemperate drinker. There would be no necessity ofcontradicting such a charge even if there were a scintilla of evidenceto support it; a drinker is not necessarily a dishonorable man, least ofall a musician who drinks. But, the fact of the matter is that it isnot true. If once Beethoven wrote a merry note about merrymaking withfriends, let us rejoice that occasions did sometimes occur, though butrarely, when the heart of the sufferer was temporarily gladdened. 

He was a strict moralist, as is particularly evidenced by the notes inhis journal which have not been made public. In many things which befellhim in his daily life he was as ingenuous as a child. His personality, on the whole, presented itself in such a manner as to invite theintellectual and social Philistine to call him a fool. 

160. "I shall print a request in all the newspapers that henceforth allartists refrain from painting my picture without my knowledge; I neverthought that my own face would bring me embarrassment. "

 (About 1803, to Christine Gerardi, because without his knowledge aportrait of him had been made somewhere--in a cafe, probably. )

161. "Pity that I do not understand the art of war as well as I do theart of music; I should yet conquer Napoleon!"

 (To Krumpholz, the violinist, when he informed Beethoven of the victoryof Napoleon at Jena. )

162. "If I were a general and knew as much about strategy as I, acomposer, know about counterpoint, I'd give you fellows something todo. "

 (Called out behind the back of a French officer, his fist doubled, on May 12, 1809, when the French had occupied Vienna. Reported by awitness, W. Rust. )

163. "Camillus, if I am not mistaken, was the name of the Roman whodrove the wicked Gauls from Rome. At such a cost I would also take thename if I could drive them wherever I found them to where they belong. "

 (To Pleyel, publisher, in Paris, April, 1807. )

164. "I love most the realm of mind which, to me, is the highest of allspiritual and temporal monarchies. "

 (To Advocate Kauka in the summer of 1814. He had been speaking about themonarchs represented in the Congress of Vienna. )

165. "I shall not come in person, since that would be a sort offarewell, and farewells I have always avoided. "

 (January 24, 1818, to Giannatasio del Rio, on taking his nephew Karl outof the latter institute. )

166. "I hope still to bring a few large works into the world, andthen, like an old child, to end my earthly career somewhere among goodpeople. "

 (October 6, 1802, to Wegeler. )

167. "O ye men, who think or declare me to be hostile, morose ormisanthropical, what injustice ye do me. Ye know not the secret cause ofwhat thus appears to you. My heart and mind were from childhooddisposed for the tender feelings of benevolence; I was always wishing toaccomplish great deeds. "

 (October 6, 1802, in the so-called Heiligenstadt Will. )

168. "Divinity, thou lookest into my heart, thou knowest it, thouknowest that love for mankind and a desire to do good have their abodethere. O ye men, when one day ye read this think that ye have wrongedme, and may the unfortunate console himself with the thought that he hasfound one of his kind who, despite all the obstacles which nature put inhis path, yet did all in his power to be accepted in the ranks of worthyartists and men!"

 (From the Heiligenstadt Will. )

169. "I spend all my mornings with the muses;--and they bless me also inmy walks. "

 (October 12, 1835, to his nephew Karl. )

170. "Concerning myself nothing, --that is, from nothing nothing. "

 (October 19, 1815, to Countess Erdody. )

[A possible allusion to the line, "Nothing can come of nothing. " fromShakespeare's "King Lear, " Act 1, scene 1]

171. "Beethoven can write, thank God; but do nothing else on earth. "

 (December 22, 1822, to Ferdinand Ries, in London. )

172. "Mentally I often frame an answer, but when I come to write it downI generally throw the pen aside, since I am not able to write what Ifeel. "

 (October 7, 1826, to his friend Wegeler, in Coblenz. "The better sortof people, I think, know me anyhow. " He is excusing his laziness inletter-writing. )

173. "I have the gift to conceal my sensitiveness touching a multitudeof things; but when I am provoked at a moment when I am more sensitivethan usual to anger, I burst out more violently than anybody else. "

 (July 24, 1804, to Ries, in reporting to him a quarrel with Stephan vonBreuning. )

174. "X. Is completely changed since I threw half a dozen books at herhead. Perhaps something of their contents accidentally got into her heador her wicked heart. "

 (To Mme. Streicher, who often had to put Beethoven's house in order. )

175. "I can have no intercourse, and do not want to have any, withpersons who are not willing to believe in me because I have not yet madea wide reputation. "

 (To Prince Lobkowitz, about 1798. A cavalier had failed to show himproper respect in the Prince's salon. )

176. "Many a vigorous and unconsidered word drops from my mouth, forwhich reason I am considered mad. "

 (In the summer of 1880, to Dr. Muller, of Bremen, who was paying him avisit. )

177. "I will grapple with Fate; it shall not quite bear me down. O, itis lovely to live life a thousand times!"

 (November 16, 1800, or 1801, to Wegeler. )

178. "Morality is the strength of men who distinguish themselves overothers, and it is mine. "

 (In a communication to his friend, Baron Zmeskall. )

179. "I, too, am a king!"

 (Said to Holz, when the latter begged him not to sell the ring whichKing Frederick William III, of Prussia, had sent to him instead of moneyor an order in return for the dedication of the ninth symphony. "Master, keep the ring, " Holz had said, "it is from a king. " Beethoven made hisremark "with indescribable dignity and self-consciousness. ")

[On his deathbed he said to little Gerhard von Breuning: "Know that I aman artist. "]

[At the height of the popular infatuation for Rossini (1822) he said tohis friends: "Well, they will not be able to rob me of my place in thehistory of art. "]

180. "Prince, what you are you are by accident of birth; what I am, I amthrough my own efforts. There have been thousands of princes and will bethousands more; there is only one Beethoven!"

 (According to tradition, from a letter which he wrote to PrinceLichnowsky when the latter attempted to persuade him to play for someFrench officers on his estate in Silesia. Beethoven went at night toTroppau, carrying the manuscript of the (so-called) "Appassionata"sonata, which suffered from the rain. )

181. "My nobility is here, and here (pointing to his heart and head). "

 (Reported by Schindler. In the lawsuit against his sister-in-law (themother of nephew Karl) Beethoven had been called on to prove that the"van" in his name was a badge of nobility. )

182. "You write that somebody has said that I am the natural son of thelate King of Prussia. The same thing was said to me long ago, but I havemade it a rule never to write anything about myself or answer anythingthat is said about me. "

 (October 7, 1826, to Wegeler. )

["I leave it to you to give the world an account of myself andespecially my mother. " The statement had appeared in Brockhaus's"Lexicon. "]

183. "To me the highest thing, after God, is my honor. "

 (July 26, 1822, to the publisher Peters, in Leipzig. )

184. "I have never thought of writing for reputation and honor. What Ihave in my heart must out; that is the reason why I compose. "

 (Remark to Karl Czerny, reported in his autobiography. )

185. "I do not desire that you shall esteem me greater as an artist, butbetter and more perfect as a man; when the condition of our countryis somewhat better, then my art shall be devoted to the welfare of thepoor. "

 (Vienna, June 29, 1800, to Wegeler, in Bonn, writing of his return tohis native land. )

186. "Perhaps the only thing that looks like genius about me is that myaffairs are not always in the best of order, and that in this respectnobody can be of help but myself. "

 (April 22, 1801, to Hofmeister, in Leipzig excusing himself fordilatoriness in sending him these compositions: the Pianoforte sonataop. 22, the symphony op. 21, the septet op. 20 and the concerto op. 19. )

187. "I am free from all small vanities. Only in the divine art is thelever which gives me power to sacrifice the best part of my life to thecelestial muses. "

 (September 9, 1824, to George Nigeli, in Zurich. )

188. "Inasmuch as the purpose of the undersigned throughout his careerhas not been selfish but the promotion of the interests of art, theelevation of popular taste and the flight of his own genius towardloftier ideals and perfection, it was inevitable that he shouldfrequently sacrifice his own advantages and profit to the muse. "

 (December, 1804, to the Director of the Court Theatre, applying for anengagement which was never effected. )

189. "From my earliest childhood my zeal to serve suffering humanitywith my art was never content with any kind of a subterfuge; and noother reward is needed than the internal satisfaction which alwaysaccompanies such a deed. "

 (To Procurator Varenna, who had asked him for compositions to be playedat a charity concert in Graz. )

190. "There is no greater pleasure for me than to practice and exhibitmy art. "

 (November 16, 1800, or 1801, to Wegeler. )

191. "I recognize no other accomplishments or advantages than thosewhich place one amongst the better class of men; where I find them, there is my home. "

 (Teplitz, July 17, 1812, to his little admirer, Emile M. , in H. )

192. "From childhood I learned to love virtue, and everything beautifuland good. "

 (About 1808, to Frau Marie Bigot. )

193. "It is one of my foremost principles never to occupy any otherrelations than those of friendship with the wife of another man. Ishould never want to fill my heart with distrust towards those who maychance some day to share my fate with me, and thus destroy the loveliestand purest life for myself. "

 (About 1808, to Frau Marie Bigot, after she had declined his invitationto drive with him. )

194. "In my solitude here I miss my roommate, at least at evening andnoon, when the human animal is obliged to assimilate that which isnecessary to the production of the intellectual, and which I prefer todo in company with another. "

 (Teplitz, September 6, 1811, to Tiedge. )

195. "It was not intentional and premeditated malice which led me to acttoward you as I did; it was my unpardonable carelessness. "

 (To Wegeler. )

196. "I am not bad; hot blood is my wickedness, my crime isyouthfulness. I am not bad, really not bad; even though wild surgesoften accuse my heart, it still is good. To do good wherever we can, tolove liberty above all things, and never to deny truth though it be atthe throne itself. --Think occasionally of the friend who honors you. "

 (Written in the autograph album of a Herr Bocke. )

197. "It is a singular sensation to see and hear one's self praised, andthen to be conscious of one's own imperfections as I am. I always regardsuch occasions as admonitions to get nearer the unattainable goal setfor us by art and nature, hard as it may be. "

 (To Mdlle. De Girardi, who had sung his praises in a poem. )

198. "It is my sincere desire that whatever shall be said of mehereafter shall adhere strictly to the truth in every respect regardlessof who may be hurt thereby, me not excepted. "

 (Reported by Schindler, who also relates that when Beethoven handed himdocuments to be used in the biography a week before his death, he saidto him and Breuning: "But in all things severely the truth; for that Ihold you to a strict accountability. ")

199. "Now you can help me to find a wife. If you find a beautiful womanin F. Who, mayhap, endows my music with a sigh, --but she must be noElise Burger--make a provisional engagement. But she must be beautiful, for I can love only the beautiful; otherwise I might love myself. "

 (In 1809, to Baron von Gleichenstein. As for the personal reference itseems likely that Beethoven referred to Elise Burger, second wife ofthe poet G. August Burger, with whom he had got acquainted after she hadbeen divorced and become an elocutionist. )

200. "Am I not a true friend? Why do you conceal your necessities fromme? No friend of mine must suffer so long as I have anything. "

 (To Ferdinand Ries, in 1801. Ries's father had been kind to Beethoven onthe death of his mother in 1787. )

201. "I would rather forget what I owe to myself than what I owe toothers. "

 (To Frau Streicher, in the summer of 1817. )

202. "I never practice revenge. When I must antagonize others I do nomore than is necessary to protect myself against them, or prevent themfrom doing further evil. "

 (To Frau Streicher, in reference to the troubles which his servants gavehim, many of which, no doubt, were due to faults of his own, excusablein a man in his condition of health. )

203. "Be convinced that mankind, even in your case, will always besacred to me. "

 (To Czapka, Magisterial Councillor, August, 1826, in the matter of hisnephew's attempt at suicide. )

204. "H. Is, and always will be, too weak for friendship, and I lookupon him and Y. As mere instruments upon which I play when I feellike it; but they can never be witnesses of my internal and externalactivities, and just as little real participants. I value them accordingas they do me service. "

 (Summer of 1800, to the friend of his youth, Pastor Amenda. H. Wasprobably the faithful Baron Zmeskall von Domanovecz. )

205. "If it amuses them to talk and write about me in that manner, letthem go on. "

 (Reported by Schindler as referring to critics who had declared him ripefor the madhouse. )

206. "To your gentlemen critics I recommend a little more foresight andshrewdness, particularly in respect of the products of younger authors, as many a one, who might otherwise make progress, may be frightened off. So far as I am concerned I am far from thinking myself so perfect as notto be able to endure faulting; yet at the beginning the clamor of yourcritic was so debasing that I could scarcely discuss the matter when Icompared myself with others, but had to remain quiet and think: they donot understand. I was the more able to remain quiet when I recalled howmen were praised who signify little among those who know, and who havealmost disappeared despite their good points. Well, pax vobiscum, peaceto them and me, --I would never have mentioned a syllable had you notbegun. "

 (April 22, 1801, to Breitkopf and Hartel, publishers of the "AllgemeineMusik Zeitung. ")

207. "Who was happier than I when I could still pronounce the sweet word'mother' and have it heard? To whom can I speak it now?"

 (September 15, 1787, from Bonn to Dr. Schade, of Augsburg, who had aidedhim in his return journey from Vienna to Bonn. His mother had died onJuly 17, 1787. )

208. "I seldom go anywhere since it was always impossible for me toassociate with people where there was not a certain exchange of ideas. "

 (February 15, 1817, to Brentano of Frankfurt. )

209. "Not a word about rest! I know of none except in sleep, and sorryenough am I that I am obliged to yield up more to it than formerly. "

 (November 16, 1801, or 1802, to Wegeler. In Homer's "Odyssey" Beethoventhickly underscored the words: "Too much sleep is injurious. " XV, 393. )

210. "Rest assured that you are dealing with a true artist who likes tobe paid decently, it is true, but who loves his own reputation and alsothe fame of his art; who is never satisfied with himself and who strivescontinually to make even greater progress in his art. "

 (November 23, 1809, to George Thomson, of Edinburgh, for whom Beethovenarranged the Scotch songs. )

211. "My motto is always: nulla die sine linea; and if I permit the museto go to sleep it is only that she may awake strengthened. "

 (October 7, 1826, to Wegeler. )

212. "There is no treatise likely to be too learned for me. Withoutlaying claim to real learning it is yet true that since my childhood Ihave striven to learn the minds of the best and wisest of every periodof time. It is a disgrace for every artist who does not try to do asmuch. "

 (November 2, 1809, to Breitkopf and Hartel, of Leipzig. )

213. "Without wishing in the least to set myself up as an exemplar Iassure you that I lived in a small and insignificant place, and made outof myself nearly all that I was there and am here;--this to your comfortin case you feel the need of making progress in art. "

 (Baden, July 6, 1804, to Herr Wiedebein, of Brunswick, who had askedif it was advisable for a music teacher and student to make his home inVienna. )

214. "There is much on earth to be done, --do it soon! I must notcontinue my present everyday life, --art asks this sacrifice also. Takerest in diversion in order to work more energetically. "

 (Diary, 1814. )

215. "The daily grind exhausts me. "

 (Baden, August 23, 1823, to his nephew Karl. )

THE SUFFERER

216. "Compelled to be a philosopher as early as my 28th year;--it is notan easy matter, --more difficult for the artist than any other man. "

 (October 6, 1802; the Heiligenstadt Will. )

217. "Compelled to contemplate a lasting malady, born with an ardentand lively temperament, susceptible to the diversions of society, I wasobliged at an early date to isolate myself and live a life of solitude. "

 (From the same. )

218. "It was impossible for me to say to others: speak louder; shout!for I am deaf. Ah! was it possible for me to proclaim a deficiency inthat one sense which in my case ought to have been more perfect thanin all others, which I had once possessed in greatest perfection, toa degree of perfection, indeed, which few of my profession have everenjoyed?"

 (From the same. )

219. "For me there can be no recreation in human society, refinedconversation, mutual exchange of thoughts and feelings; only so far asnecessity compels may I give myself to society, --I must live like anexile. "

 (From the same. )

220. "How great was the humiliation when one who stood beside me heardthe distant sound of a shepherd's pipe, and I heard nothing; or heardthe shepherd singing, and I heard nothing. Such experiences brought meto the verge of despair;--but little more and I should have put an endto my life. Art, art alone deterred me. "

 (From the same. )

221. "I may say that I live a wretched existence. For almost two yearsI have avoided all social gatherings because it is impossible for me totell the people I am deaf. If my vocation were anything else it might bemore endurable, but under the circumstances the condition is terrible;besides what would my enemies say, --they are not few in number! Togive you an idea of this singular deafness let me tell you that in thetheatre I must lean over close to the orchestra in order to understandthe actor; if I am a little remote from them I do not hear the hightones of instruments and voices; it is remarkable that there are personswho have not observed it, but because I am generally absent-minded myconduct is ascribed to that. "

 (Vienna, June 29, 1800, to Wegeler. "To you only do I confide this as asecret. " Concerning his deafness see Appendix. )

222. "My defective hearing appeared everywhere before me like a ghost; Ifled from the presence of men, was obliged to appear to be a misanthropealthough I am so little such. "

 (November 16, 1801, or 1800, to Wegeler, in writing to him about hishappy love. "Unfortunately, she is not of my station in life. ")

223. "Truly, a hard lot has befallen me! Yet I accept the decree ofFate, and continually pray to God to grant that as long as I must endurethis death in life, I may be preserved from want. "

 (March 14, 1827, to Moscheles, after Beethoven had undergone the fourthoperation for dropsy and was confronting the fifth. He died on March 26, 1827. )

224. "Live alone in your art! Restricted though you be by your defectivesense, this is still the only existence for you. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

225. "Dissatisfied with many things, more susceptible than any otherperson and tormented by my deafness, I often find only suffering in theassociation with others. "

 (In 1815, to Brauchle, tutor in the house of Countess Erdody. )

226. "I have emptied a cup of bitter suffering and already won martyrdomin art through the kindness of art's disciples and my art associates. "

 (In the summer of 1814, to Advocate Kauka. "Socrates and Jesus were myexemplars, " he remarks in a conversation-book of 1819. )

227. "Perfect the ear trumpets as far as possible, and then travel; thisyou owe to yourself, to mankind and to the Almighty! Only thus can youdevelop all that is still locked within you;--and a little court, --alittle chapel, --writing the music and having it performed to the gloryof the Almighty, the Eternal, the Infinite---"

 (Diary, 1815. Beethoven was hoping to receive an appointment aschapelmaster from his former pupil, Archduke Rudolph, Archbishop ofOlmutz. )

228. "God help me. Thou seest me deserted by all mankind. I do not wantto do wrong, --hear my prayer to be with my Karl in the future for whichthere seems to be no possibility now. O, harsh Fate, cruel destiny. No, my unhappy condition will never end. 'This I feel and recognize clearly:Life is not the greatest of blessings; but the greatest of evils isguilt. ' (From Schiller's "Braut von Messina"). There is no salvationfor you except to hasten away from here; only by this means can you liftyourself again to the heights of your art whereas you are here sinkingto the commonplace, --and a symphony--and then away, --away, --meanwhilefund the salaries which can be done for years. Work during the summerpreparatory to travel; only thus can you do the great work for your poornephew; later travel through Italy, Sicily, with a few other artists. "

 (Diary, spring of 1817. The salaries were the annuities paid him forseveral years by Archduke Rudolph, Prince Rinsky and Prince Lobkowitz. Seume's "Spaziergang nach Syrakus" was a favorite book of Beethoven'sand inspired him in a desire to make a similar tour, but nothing came ofit. )

229. "You must not be a man like other men: not for yourself, only forothers; for you there is no more happiness except in yourself, in yourart. --O God, give me strength to overcome myself, nothing must hold meto this life. "

 (Beginning of the Diary, 1812-18. )

230. "Leave operas and all else alone, write only for your orphan, andthen a cowl to close this unhappy life. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

231. "I have often cursed my existence; Plutarch taught me resignation. I shall, if possible, defy Fate, though there will be hours in my lifewhen I shall be the most miserable of God's creatures. Resignation! Whata wretched resort; yet it is the only one left me!"

 (Vienna, June 29, 1800, to Wegeler. )

232. "Patience, they tell me, I must now choose for a guide. I havedone so. It shall be my resolve, lastingly, I hope, to endure untilit pleases the implacable Parca: to break the thread. There may beimprovement, --perhaps not, --I am prepared. "

 (From the Heiligenstadt Will. )

233. "Let all that is called life be offered to the sublime and becomea sanctuary of art. Let me live, even through artificial means, so theycan be found. "

 (Diary, 1814, when Beethoven was being celebrated extraordinarily by theroyalties and dignitaries gathered at the Congress of Vienna. )

234. "Ah! it seemed impossible for me to leave the world until I hadproduced all that I felt called upon to produce; and so I prolonged thiswretched existence. "

 (From the Heiligenstadt Will. )

235. "With joy shall I hasten forward to meet death; if he comes beforeI shall have had an opportunity to develop all my artistic capabilities, he will come too early in spite of my harsh fate, and I shall probablywish him to come at a later date. But even then I shall be content, forwill he not release me from endless suffering? Come when you please, Ishall meet you bravely. "

 (From the Heiligenstadt Will. )

236. "Apollo and the muses will not yet permit me to be deliveredover to the grim skeleton, for I owe them so much, and I must, on anydeparture for the Elysian Fields, leave behind me all that the spirithas inspired and commanded to be finished. "

 (September 17, 1824, to Schott, music publisher in Mayence. )

237. "Had I not read somewhere that it is not pending man to partvoluntarily from his life so long as there is a good deed which he canperform, I should long since have been no more, and by my own hand. O, how beautiful life is, but in my case it is poisoned. "

 (May 2, 1810, to his friend Wegeler, to whom he is lamenting over "thedemon that has set up his habitat in my ears. ")

238. "I must abandon wholly the fond hope, which I brought hither, to becured at least in a degree. As the fallen autumn leaves have withered, so are now my hopes blighted. I depart in almost the same conditionin which I came; even the lofty courage which often animated me in thebeautiful days of summer has disappeared. "

 (From the Will. Beethoven had tried the cure at Heiligenstadt. )

239. "All week long I had to suffer and endure like a saint. Away withthis rabble! What a reproach to our civilization that we need what wedespise and must always know it near!"

 (In 1825, complaining of the misery caused by his domestics. )

240. "The best thing to do not to think of your malady is to keepoccupied. "

 (Diary, 1812-18. )

241. "It is no comfort for men of the better sort to say to them thatothers also suffer; but, alas! comparisons must always be made, thoughthey only teach that we all suffer, that is err, only in differentways. "

 (In 1816, to Countess Erdody, on the death of her son. )

242. "The portraits of Handel, Bach, Gluck, Mozart and Haydn in myroom, --they may help me to make claim on toleration. "

 (Diary, 1815-16. )

243. "God, who knows my innermost soul, and knows how sacredly I havefulfilled all the duties but upon me as man by humanity, God and naturewill surely some day relieve me from these afflictions. "

 (July 18, 1821, to Archduke Rudolph, from Unterubling. )

244. "Friendship and similar sentiments bring only wounds to me. Well, so be it; for you, poor Beethoven, there is no outward happiness; youmust create it within you, --only in the world of ideality shall you findfriends. "

 (About 1808, to Baron von Gleichenstein, by whom he thought himselfslighted. )

245. "You are living on a quiet sea, or already in the safe harbor; youdo not feel the distress of a friend out in the raging storm, --or youmust not feel it. "

 (In 1811, to his friend Gleichenstein, when Beethoven was in love withthe Baron's sister-in-law, Therese Malfatti. )

246. "I must have a confidant at my side lest life become a burden. "

 (July 4, 1812, to Count Brunswick, whom he is urging to make a tour withhim, probably to Teplitz. )

247. "Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men. At my age I need a certain uniformity and equableness of life; can suchexist in our relationship?"

 (June 7, 1800 (?), to the "Immortal Beloved. ")

248. "O Providence! vouchsafe me one day of pure joy! Long has the echoof perfect felicity been absent from my heart. When O, when, O ThouDivine One, shall I feel it again in nature's temple and man's? Never?Ah! that would be too hard!"

 (Conclusion of the Heiligenstadt Will. )

WORLDLY WISDOM

249. "Freedom, --progress, is purpose in the art-world as in universalcreation, and if we moderns have not the hardihood of our ancestors, refinement of manners has surely accomplished something. "

 (Middling, July 29, 1819, to Archduke Rudolph. )

250. "The boundaries are not yet fixed which shall call out to talentand industry: thus far and no further!"

 (Reported by Schindler. )

251. "You know that the sensitive spirit must not be bound to miserablenecessities. "

 (In the summer of 1814, to Johann Kauka, the advocate who representedhim in the prosecution of his claims against the heirs of PrinceKinsky. )

252. "Art, the persecuted one, always finds an asylum. Did not Daedalus, shut up in the labyrinth, invent the wings which carried him out intothe open air? O, I shall find them, too, these wings!"

 (February 19, 1812, to Zmeskall, when, in 1811, by decree of theTreasury, the value of the Austrian currency was depreciated one-fifth, and the annuity which Beethoven received from Archduke Rudolph and thePrinces Lobkowitz and Kinsky reduced to 800 florins. )

253. "Show me the course where at the goal there stands the palm ofvictory! Lend sublimity to my loftiest thoughts, bring to them truthsthat shall live forever!"

 (Diary, 1814, while working on "Fidelio. ")

254. "Every day is lost in which we do not learn something useful. Manhas no nobler or more valuable possession than time; therefore never putoff till tomorrow what you can do today. "

 (From the notes in Archduke Rudolph's instruction book. )

255. "This is the mark of distinction of a truly admirable man:steadfastness in times of trouble. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

256. "Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things. "

 (April, 1815, to Countess Erdody. )

257. "Force, which is a unit, will always prevail against the majoritywhich is divided. "

 (Conversation-book, 1819. )

258. "Kings and Princes can create professors and councillors, andconfer orders and decorations; but they can not create great men, spirits that rise above the earthly rabble; these they can not create, and therefore they are to be respected. "

 (August 15, 1812, to Bettina von Arnim. )

259. "Man, help yourself!"

 (Written under the words: "Fine, with the help of God, " which Moscheleshad written at the end of a pianoforte arrangement of a portion of"Fidelio. ")

260. "If I could give as definite expression to my thoughts about myillness as to my thoughts in music, I would soon help myself. "

 (September, 1812, to Amalie Sebald, a patient at the cure in Teplitz. )

261. "Follow the advice of others only in the rarest cases. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

262. "The moral law in us, and the starry sky above us. "--Kant. 

 (Conversation-book, February, 1820. )

[Literally the passage in Kant's "Critique of Practical Reason" reads asfollows: "Two things fill the soul with ever new and increasing wonderand reverence the oftener the mind dwells upon them:--the starry skyabove me and the moral law in me. "]

263. "Blessed is he who has overcome all passions and then proceedsenergetically to perform his duties under all circumstances careless ofsuccess! Let the motive lie in the deed, not in the outcome. Be not oneof those whose spring of action is the hope of reward. Do not letyour life pass in inactivity. Be industrious, do your duty, banish allthoughts as to the results, be they good or evil; for such equanimity isattention to intellectual things. Seek an asylum only in Wisdom; forhe who is wretched and unhappy is so only in consequence of things. Thetruly wise man does not concern himself with the good and evil ofthis world. Therefore endeavor diligently to preserve this use of yourreason--for in the affairs of this world, such a use is a precious art. "

 (Diary. Though essentially in the language of Beethoven there isevidence that the passage was inspired by something that he had read. )

264. "The just man must be able also to suffer injustice withoutdeviating in the least from the right course. "

 (To the Viennese magistrate in the matter of Karl's education. )

265. "Man's humility towards man pains me; and yet when I considermyself in connection with the universe, what am I and what is he whom wecall the greatest? And yet here, again, lies the divine element in man. "

 (To the "Immortal Beloved, " July 6 (1800?). )

266. "Only the praise of one who has enjoyed praise can give pleasure. "

 (Conversation-book, 1825. )

267. "Nothing is more intolerable than to be compelled to accuse one'sself of one's own errors. "

 (Teplitz, September 6, 1811, to Tiedge. Beethoven regrets that throughhis own fault he had not made Tiedge's acquaintance on an earlieropportunity. )

268. "What greater gift can man receive than fame, praise andimmortality?"

 (Diary, 1816-17. After Pliny, Epist. III. )

269. "Frequently it seems as if I should almost go mad over myundeserved fame; fortune seeks me out and I almost fear new misfortuneon that account. "

 (July, 1810, to his friend Zmeskall. "Every day there come new inquiriesfrom strangers, new acquaintances new relationships. ")

270. "The world must give one recognition, --it is not always unjust. Icare nothing for it because I have a higher goal. "

 (August 15, 1812, to Bettina von Arnim. )

271. "I have the more turned my gaze upwards; but for our own sakesand for others we are obliged to turn our attention sometimes to lowerthings; this, too, is a part of human destiny. "

 (February 8, 1823, to Zelter, with whom he is negotiating the sale of acopy of the Mass in D. )

272. "Why so many dishes? Man is certainly very little higher than theother animals if his chief delights are those of the table. "

 (Reported by J. A. Stumpff, in the "Harmonicon" of 1824. He dined withBeethoven in Baden. )

273. "Whoever tells a lie is not pure of heart, and such a person cannot cook a clean soup. "

 (To Mme. Streicher, in 1817, or 1818, after having dismissed anotherwise good housekeeper because she had told a falsehood to spare hisfeelings. )

274. "Vice walks through paths full of present lusts and persuadesmany to follow it. Virtue pursues a steep path and is less seductive tomankind, especially if at another place there are persons who call themto a gently declining road. "

 (Diary, 1815. )

275. "Sensual enjoyment without a union of soul is bestial and willalways remain bestial. "

 (Diary, 1812-18. )

276. "Men are not only together when they are with each other; even thedistant and the dead live with us. "

 (To Therese Malfatti, later Baroness von Drossdick, to whom in thecountry he sent Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister" and Schlegel's translation ofShakespeare. )

277. "There is no goodness except the possession of a good soul, whichmay be seen in all things, from which one need not seek to hide. "

 (August 15, 1812, to Bettina von Arnim. )

278. "The foundation of friendship demands the greatest likeness ofhuman souls and hearts. "

 (Baden, July 24, 1804, to Ries, describing his quarrel with Breuning. )

279. "True friendship can rest only on the union of like natures. "

 (Diary, 1812-18. )

280. "The people say nothing; they are merely people. As a rule theyonly see themselves in others, and what they see is nothing; away withthem! The good and the beautiful needs no people, --it exists withoutoutward help, and this seems to be the reason of our enduringfriendship. "

 (September 16, 1812, to Amalie Sebald, in Teplitz, who had playfullycalled him a tyrant. )

281. "Look, my dear Ries; these are the great connoisseurs who affectto be able to judge of any piece of music so correctly and keenly. Givethem but the name of their favorite, --they need no more!"

 (To his pupil Ries, who had, as a joke, played a mediocre march at agathering at Count Browne's and announced it to be a composition byBeethoven. When the march was praised beyond measure Beethoven broke outinto a grim laugh. )

282. "Do not let all men see the contempt which they deserve; we do notknow when we may need them. "

 (Note in the Diary of 1814, after having had an unpleasant experiencewith his "friend" Bertolini. "Henceforth never step inside his house;shame on you to ask anything from such an one. ")

283. "Our Time stands in need of powerful minds who will scourge thesepetty, malicious and miserable scoundrels, --much as my heart resentsdoing injury to a fellow man. "

 (In 1825, to his nephew, in reference to the publication of a satiricalcanon on the Viennese publisher, Haslinger, by Schott, of Mayence. )

284. "Today is Sunday. Shall I read something for you from the Gospels?'Love ye one another!'"

 (To Frau Streicher. )

285. "Hate reacts on those who nourish it. "

 (Diary, 1812-18. )

286. "When friends get into a quarrel it is always best not to call inan intermediary, but to have friend turn to friend direct. "

 (Vienna, November 2, 1793, to Eleonore von Breuning, of Bonn. )

287. "There are reasons for the conduct of men which one is not alwayswilling to explain, but which, nevertheless, are based on ineradicablenecessity. "

 (In 1815, to Brauchle. )

288. "I was formerly inconsiderate and hasty in the expression of myopinions, and thereby I made enemies. Now I pass judgment on no one, and, indeed, for the reason that I do not wish to do any one harm. Moreover, in the last instance I always think: if it is something decentit will maintain itself in spite of all attack and envy; if there isnothing good and sound at the bottom of it, it will fall to pieces ofitself, bolster it up as one may. "

 (In a conversation with Tomaschek, in October, 1814. )

289. "Even the most sacred friendship may harbor secrets, but you oughtnot to misinterpret the secret of a friend because you can not guessit. "

 (About 1808, to Frau Marie Bigot. )

290. "You are happy; it is my wish that you remain so, for every man isbest placed in his sphere. "

 (Bonn, July 13, 1825, to his brother Johann, landowner in Gneisendorf. )

291. "One must not measure the cost of the useful. "

 (To his nephew Karl in a discussion touching the purchase of anexpensive book. )

292. "It is not my custom to prattle away my purposes, since everyintention once betrayed is no longer one's own. "

 (To Frau Streicher. )

293. "How stupidity and wretchedness always go in pairs!"

 (Diary, 1817. )

[Beethoven was greatly vexed by his servants. ]

294. "Hope nourishes me; it nourishes half the world, and has been myneighbor all my life, else what had become of me!"

 (August 11, 1810, to Bettina von Arnim. )

295. "Fortune is round like a globe, hence, naturally, does not alwaysfall on the noblest and best. "

 (Vienna, July 29, 1800, to Wegeler. )

296. "Show your power, Fate! We are not our own masters; what is decidedmust be, --and so be it!"

 (Diary, 1818. )

297. "Eternal Providence omnisciently directs the good and evil fortunesof mortal men. "

 (Diary, 1818. )

298. "With tranquility, O God, will I submit myself to changes, andplace all my trust in Thy unalterable mercy and goodness. "

 (Diary, 1818. )

299. "All misfortune is mysterious and greatest when viewed alone;discussed with others it seems more endurable because one becomesentirely familiar with the things one dreads, and feels as if one hadovercome it. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

300. "One must not flee for protection to poverty against the loss ofriches, nor to a lack of friendship against the loss of friends, nor byabstention from procreation against the death of children, but to reasonagainst everything. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

301. "I share deeply with you the righteous sorrow over the death ofyour wife. It seems to me that such a parting, which confronts nearlyevery married man, ought to keep one in the ranks of the unmarried. "

 (May 20, 1811, to Gottfried Hartel, of Leipzig. )

302. "He who is afflicted with a malady which he can not alter, butwhich gradually brings him nearer and nearer to death, without which hewould have lived longer, ought to reflect that murder or another causemight have killed him even more quickly. "

 (Diary, 1812-18. )

303. "We finite ones with infinite souls are born only for sorrows andjoy and it might almost be said that the best of us receive joy throughsorrow. "

 (October 19, 1815, to Countess Erdody. )

304. "He is a base man who does not know how to die; I knew it as a boyof fifteen. "

 (In the spring of 1816, to Miss Fanny Giannatasio del Rio, whenBeethoven felt ill and spoke of dying. It is not known that he was evernear death in his youth. )

305. "A second and third generation recompenses me three and fourfoldfor the ill-will which I had to endure from my former contemporaries. "

 (Copied into his Diary from Goethe's "West-ostlicher Divan. ")

306. 

 "My hour at last is come; Yet not ingloriously or passively I die, but first will do some valiant deed, Of which mankind shall hear in after time. "--Homer. 

 ("The Iliad" [Bryant's translation], Book XXII, 375-378. )

 (Copied into his Diary, 1815. )

307. "Fate gave man the courage of endurance. "

 (Diary, 1814. )

308. 

 "Portia--How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. "

 (Marked in his copy of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice. ")

309. 

 "And on the day that one becomes a slave, The Thunderer, Jove, takes half his worth away. "--Homer. 

 ("The Odyssey" [Bryant's translation], Book XVII, 392-393. Marked byBeethoven. )

310. 

 "Short is the life of man, and whoso bears A cruel heart, devising cruel things, On him men call down evil from the gods While living, and pursue him, when he dies, With scoffs. But whoso is of generous heart And harbors generous aims, his guests proclaim His praises far and wide to all mankind, And numberless are they who call him good. "--Homer. 

 ("The Odyssey" [Bryant's translation], Book XIX, 408-415. Copied intohis diary, 1818. )

GOD

Beethoven was through and through a religious man, though not in theconfessional sense. Reared in the Catholic faith he early attained to anindependent opinion on religious things. It must be borne in mind thathis youth fell in the period of enlightenment and rationalism. When ata later date he composed the grand Mass in honor of his esteemed pupilArchduke Rudolph, --he hoped to obtain from him a chapelmastership whenthe Archduke became Archbishop of Olmutz, but in vain, --he gave it formsand dimensions which deviated from the ritual. 

In all things liberty was the fundamental principle of Beethoven's life. His favorite book was Sturm's "Observations Concerning God's Works inNature" (Betrachtungen uber die Werke Gottes in der Natur), which herecommended to the priests for wide distribution among the people. Hesaw the hand of God in even the most insignificant natural phenomenon. God was to him the Supreme Being whom he had jubilantly hymned inthe choral portion of the Ninth Symphony in the words of Schiller:"Brothers, beyond you starry canopy there must dwell a loving Father!"Beethoven's relationship to God was that of a child toward his lovingfather to whom he confides all his joys as well as sorrows. 

It is said that once he narrowly escaped excommunication for having saidthat Jesus was only a poor human being and a Jew. Haydn, ingenuouslypious, is reported to have called Beethoven an atheist. 

He consented to the calling in of a priest on his death-bed. Eye-witnesses testify that the customary function was performed mostimpressively and edifyingly and that Beethoven expressed his thanksto the officiating priest with heartiness. After he had left the roomBeethoven said to his friends: "Plaudite, amici, comoedia finita est, "the phrase with which antique dramas were concluded. From this factthe statement has been made that Beethoven wished to characterize thesacrament of extreme unction as a comedy. This is contradicted, however, by his conduct during its administration. It is more probable that hewished to designate his life as a drama; in this sense, at any rate, thewords were accepted by his friends. Schindler says emphatically: "Thelast days were in all respects remarkable, and he looked forward todeath with truly Socratic wisdom and peace of mind. "

[I append a description of the death scene as I found it in thenotebooks of A. W. Thayer which were placed in my hands for examinationafter the death of Beethoven's greatest biographer in 1897:

"June 5, 1860, I was in Graz and saw Huttenbrenner (Anselm) who gave methe following particulars: . .. In the winter of 1826-27 his friends wrotehim from Vienna, that if he wished to see Beethoven again alive he musthurry thither from Graz. He hastened to Vienna, arriving a fewdays before Beethoven's death. Early in the afternoon of March 26, Huttenbrenner went into the dying man's room. He mentioned as personswhom he saw there, Stephen v. Breuning and Gerhard, Schindler, Telscherand Carl's mother (this seems to be a mistake, i. E. If Mrs. V. Beethovenis right). Beethoven had then long been senseless. Telscher begandrawing the dying face of Beethoven. This grated on Breuning's feelings, and he remonstrated with him, and he put up his papers and left (?). 

"Then Breuning and Schindler left to go out to Wohring to select a grave. (Just after the five--I got this from Breuning himself--when it grewdark with the sudden storm Gerhard, who had been standing at the window, ran home to his teacher. )

"Afterward Gerhard v. B. Went home, and there remained in the room onlyHuttenbrenner and Mrs. Van Beethoven. The storm passed over, coveringthe Glacis with snow and sleet. As it passed away a flash of lightninglighted up everything. This was followed by an awful clap of thunder. Huttenbrenner had been sitting on the side of the bed sustainingBeethoven's head--holding it up with his right arm His breathing wasalready very much impeded, and he had been for hours dying. At thisstartling, awful peal of thunder, the dying man suddenly raised hishead from Huttenbrenner's arm, stretched out his own right armmajestically--like a general giving orders to an army. This was but foran instant; the arm sunk back; he fell back. Beethoven was dead. 

"Another talk with Huttenbrenner. It seems that Beethoven was at hislast gasp, one eye already closed. At the stroke of lightning and thethunder peal he raised his arm with a doubled-up fist; the expression ofhis eyes and face was that of one defying death, --a look of defiance andpower of resistance. 

"He must have had his arm under the pillow. I must ask him. 

"I did ask him; he had his arm around B. 's neck. " H. E. K. ]

311. "I am that which is. I am all that was, that is, and that shall be. No mortal man has ever lifted the veil of me. He is solely of himself, and to this Only One all things owe their existence. "

 (Beethoven's creed. He had found it in Champollion's "The Paintingsof Egypt, " where it is set down as an inscription on a temple to thegoddess Neith. Beethoven had his copy framed and kept it constantlybefore him on his writing desk. "The relic was a great treasure in hiseyes"--Schindler. )

312. "Wrapped in the shadows of eternal solitude, in the impenetrabledarkness of the thicket, impenetrable, immeasurable, unapproachable, formlessly extended. Before spirit was breathed (into things) hisspirit was, and his only. As mortal eyes (to compare finite and infinitethings) look into a shining mirror. "

 (Copied, evidently, from an unidentified work, by Beethoven; thoughpossibly original with him. )

313. "It was not the fortuitous meeting of the chordal atoms that madethe world; if order and beauty are reflected in the constitution of theuniverse, then there is a God. "

 (Diary, 1816. )

314. "He who is above, --O, He is, and without Him there is nothing. "

 (Diary. )

315. "Go to the devil with your 'gracious Sir!' There is only one whocan be called gracious, and that is God. "

 (About 1824 or 1825, to Rampel, a copyist, who, apparently, had beena little too obsequious in his address to Beethoven. [As is customaryamong the Viennese to this day. H. E. K. ])

316. "What is all this compared with the great Tonemaster above!above! above! and righteously the Most High, whereas here below all ismockery, --dwarfs, --and yet Most High!!"

 (To Schott, publisher in Mayence, in 1822--the same year in whichBeethoven copied the Egyptian inscription. )

317. "There is no loftier mission than to approach the Divinity nearerthan other men, and to disseminate the divine rays among mankind. "

 (August, 1823, to Archduke Rudolph. )

318. "Heaven rules over the destiny of men and monsters (literally, human and inhuman beings), and so it will guide me, too, to the betterthings of life. "

 (September 11, 1811, to the poet Elsie von der Recke. )

319. "It's the same with humanity; here, too (in suffering), he mustshow his strength, i. E. Endure without knowing or feeling his nullity, and reach his perfection again for which the Most High wishes to make usworthy. "

 (May 13, 1816, to Countess Erdody, who was suffering from incurablelameness. )

320. "Religion and thorough-bass are settled things concerning whichthere should be no disputing. "

 (Reported by Schindler. )

331. "All things flowed clear and pure out of God. Though often darklyled to evil by passion, I returned, through penance and purificationto the pure fountain, --to God, --and to your art. In this I was neverimpelled by selfishness; may it always be so. The trees bend low underthe weight of fruit, the clouds descend when they are filled withsalutary rains, and the benefactors of humanity are not puffed up bytheir wealth. "

 (Diary, 1815. The first portion seems to be a quotation, but Beethovencontinues after the dash most characteristically in his own words and achange of person. )

322. "God is immaterial, and for this reason transcends everyconception. Since He is invisible He can have no form. But from whatwe observe in His work we may conclude that He is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. "

 (Copied, with the remark: "From Indian literature" from an unidentifiedwork, into the Diary of 1816. )

323. "In praise of Thy goodness I must confess that Thou didst try withall Thy means to draw me to Thee. Sometimes it pleased Thee to let mefeel the heavy hand of Thy displeasure and to humiliate my proud heartby manifold castigations. Sickness and misfortune didst Thou send uponme to turn my thoughts to my errantries. --One thing, only, O Father, doI ask: cease not to labor for my betterment. In whatsoever manner it be, let me turn to Thee and become fruitful in good works. "

 (Copied into the Diary from Sturm's book, "Observations Concerning theWorks of God in Nature. ")

APPENDIX

Some observations may finally be acceptable touching Beethoven's generalculture to which the thoughts of the reader must naturally have beendirected by the excerpts from his writings set forth in the precedingpages. His own words betray the fact that he was not privileged to enjoya thorough school-training and was thus compelled to the end of his daysto make good the deficiencies in his learning. As a lad at Bonn he hadattended the so-called Tirocinium, a sort of preparatory school for theGymnasium, and acquired a small knowledge of Latin. Later he made greatefforts to acquire French, a language essential to intercourse in theupper circles of society. He never established intimate relationswith the rules of German. He used small initials for substantives, orcapitalized verbs and adjectives according as they appeared importantto him. His punctuation was arbitrary; generally he drew a perpendicularline between his words, letting it suffice for a comma or period asthe case might be (a proceeding which adds not a little to theembarrassments of him who seeks to translate his sometimes mysticalutterances). 

It is said that a man's bookcase bears evidence of his education andintellectual interests. Beethoven also had books, --not many, but acharacteristic collection. From his faithful friend and voluntaryservant Schindler we have a report on this subject. Of the booksof which he was possessed at the time of his death there have beenpreserved four volumes of translations of Shakespeare's works, Homer's"Odyssey" in the translation of J. H. Voss, Sturm's "Observations" (several times referred to in the preceding pages), and Goethe's"West-ostlicher Divan. " These books are frequently marked and annotatedin lead pencil, thus bearing witness to the subjects which interestedBeethoven. From them, and volumes which he had borrowed, many passageswere copied by him into his daily journal. Besides these books Schindlermentions Homer's "Iliad, " Goethe's poems, "Wilhelm Melster" and "Faust, "Schiller's dramas and poems, Tiedge's "Urania, " volumes of poems byMatthisson and Seume, and Nina d'Aubigny's "Letters to Natalia onSinging, "--a book to which Beethoven attached great value. These bookshave disappeared, as well as others which Beethoven valued. We donot know what became of the volumes of Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch andXenophon, or the writings of Pliny, Euripides, Quintilian, Ovid, Horace, Ossian, Milton and Thomson, traces of which are found in Beethoven'sutterances. 

The catalogue made for the auction sale of his posthumous effects onSeptember 7, 1827, included forty-four works of which the censorshipseized five as prohibited writings, namely, Seume's "Foot Journey toSyracuse, " the Apocrypha, Kotzebue's "On the Nobility, " W. E. Muller's "Paris in its Zenith" (1816), and "Views on Religion andEcclesiasticism. " Burney's "General History of Music" was also in hislibrary, the gift, probably of an English admirer. 

In his later years Beethoven was obliged to use the oft-quoted"conversation-books" in his intercourse with friends and strangersalike who wrote down their questions. Of these little books Schindlerpreserved no less than 134, which are now in the Royal Library inBerlin. Naturally Beethoven answered the written questions orally as arule. An idea of Beethoven's opinions can occasionally be gathered fromthe context of the questions, but frequently we are left in the dark. 

Beethoven's own characterization of his deafness as "singular" issignificant. Often, even in his later years, he was able to hear alittle and for a time. One might almost speak of a periodical visitationof the "demon. " In his biography Marx gives the following descriptionof the malady: "As early as 1816 it is found that he is incapableof conducting his own works; in 1824 he could not hear the stormof applause from a great audience; but in 1822 he still improvisesmarvelously in social circles; in 1826 he studies their parts in theNinth Symphony and Solemn Mass with Sontag and Ungher, and in 1825 helistens critically to a performance of the quartet in A-minor, op. 132. "

It is to be assumed that in such urgent cases his willpower temporarilygave new tension to the gradually atrophying aural nerves (it is saidthat he was still able to hear single or a few voices with his leftear but could not apprehend masses), but this was not the case in lessimportant moments, as the conversation-books prove. In these books a fewanswers are also written down, naturally enough in cases not intendedfor the ears of strangers. At various times Beethoven kept a diary inwhich he entered his most intimate thoughts, especially those designedfor his own encouragement. Many of these appear in the preceding pages. In these instances more than in any others his expressions are obscure, detached and, through indifference, faulty in construction. For thegreater part they are remarks thrown upon the paper in great haste. 

 END OF THIS EDITION