New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-08-23


most beautiful one in the world, anu az uhoo ooui
mencod tho Minuet from Don Juan. Goethe stood
Inv the u,ano his eyes sparkling with pleasure. He
then asked for the Overture but the lutte enthusiast
refused on the spot declaring, 1t can't be played
as II Is written and it would not beGight te alter it
in the lesstp As he played the Overture TO Figaro
instead. the effect was overpowering. Goethe be-
came moro and more genial and lively, and tried all
manner Of Jokes on his little friend
$50 far" said he, "you have only played me what you
knew before now WI" lie sS went y ont and reurne with
number OF sheets of written music. Here sald ne
are some things out my collection Of manuscript
Now we will put you to the test If you can play
that" and ne placed on the desk sheet OF mnsiS ~
clear hut very small writing. 1t was an autograph OF
Mozarts The boy solved the task as readily as II ne rag
known the piece by heart for years lhaa nVtnakJ
other people can read that too but now am gong 20
give you something in which you will break down, 90
take care" Aud with this Joking threat he got out an
other manuscript and put It on the desk This one did
indeed look strange It difficult to say whether Il
spattered with ink and smudged all over tex Dnrst
out laughing and exclaimed, What vFltngl DOW is ~
possible read ~" But suddenly he became seroas
Tor when Goethe asked, NOV guess vho wrote that
Zeer looking over the boys shoulder rs ne "a. az ne
piano, called out: why it's Beethoyens wiring one
can see that mile off, He always writes rs u nc useda
broOnstck and then wiped his sleeve over me Wet INK
Ihave several manuscripts OF ms they are sooh reeos
Felix kept his eyes rcverently fixed on Che papeT,'
as out OF the SdSSs 5terOed a and Written
ov9r one another, he brought to light some Iotty
thought Of beauty, or some deep noble senu-
severe one left him time consider but kept urging
him on a. You see, didn't tell you that you would
break down. Now Try, ana snow What you eau ~; w.,
Felix began to play at once 1t was simple song put
TO distinguish the right notes. among those that had
been scratched out and halt smeared out Ieomrea
rare qucness and sharpness Of perception AT the first
reading Felix had often 70 point laughngly with ms
finger TO the right mute which was to be found IN quite
another place; and many mistake had 70 DC corrected
with hurried No, that's it, But at the end ne sald
Now will play it to you and the second time there
was not single wrong note. That's Beetnoyen, ne
exclaimed once as he came upon phrase wch seemeu
10 him TO bear the stamp OF the composer dlyduay
that is quite Beethoyen should have known NM ny
that" With this trial Goethe let him on lie concealed
his praise under pleasant h o ss you p bnt
easy 10 ee what keen artistic pleasure he TOOK
in the boys triumph.
few days after when the youthful composers
first quartet had been performed, and Felix him
self had run off into the garden, Goethe remarked to
the other players: Musical prodigies, as far as
mere technical execution goes are probably no
longer so rare; but what this little man can do in
extemporizing and playing at sight, borders on the
miraculous, and could not have believed it posi-
BILE at so early an age' And yet You heard Mozart
in his seventh year at Frankfort said Zelter.
Yes answered Goethe; at that time / myself
md only Just reached my twelfth year, and was
certainly like all the rest of the world, immensely
astonished at bis extraordinary execution; but
what your pupil already accomplishes, bears the
same relation to the Mozart of that time, that the
cultivated talk of a grown-up person does
TO the prattle of child The CONVERSE
ton turned upon the young artists talents
for composition. The musicians hoped that
as Felix's ideas were more independent
than those of Mozart at the same age, most
brilliant future might be predicted for him. May
if be So said Goethe But who can tell in what
manner mind may ultimately unfold ITSELF One
sees SO much talent full of the highest promise take
false direction, and disappont the most sanguine
expectations However from this fate our young
genius viii be preserved by the master whom
good fortune has provided him with in Zelter'
Zelter would not let these words pass unques-
toned. True he observed; / feel my re-
sponsibility about the boy, and besides his own
voluntary work keep him seriously to the point
with severe studies in counterpoint, but it
will not be long before he escapes from
my discipline. Even now he has learned
almost everything that is essential; and
once free it will then first be seen
what his actual bent will be- Yes, and
above all remarked Goethe, : the influence
of a teacher is always problematical That
which constitutes the real greatness and indi-
vduality of artist must be produced out of him
self alone To what teachers did Rafaele, Michel
Angelo Haydn, Mozart, and all the great masters,
owe their immortal creations
The little Berliner soon became an established pet
with the whole Goethe family, and indeed with the
Weimar society in general. The chief lady-in-
waiting of the Grand Duchess began to make
drawing of him. and the ladies were all so ridicu-
lous about him that Goethe complained to Zeter,
"These women here are doing all they can to spoil
the boy for me7 Often when sitting at the piano.
CO.. oil If fauo
ite airs he would jump up and have a good chase
round the room with the younger ladies. Once he
leased one of the ladies-in-waiting with
bellows, which he mischievously directed against
her cmls. In the poetic atmosphere of Weimar it
was natural that round-games of rhymes should
form part of the days amusements. Felix and the
ladies had many contests of this kind often ending
with noisy appeal to the great master himself to
decide upon their doggerel. Every afternoon"
saws Felix Goethe opens the Streicher piano with
these words have not heard yOu at all to-day, 80
you must make little noise for me- Then he sits
down by me, and when have finished generally I'M
provising) beg for kiss, OF else take one. You
can have conception of his goodness and kindness
nor of the quantity of minerals, busts engrayngs,
statuettes, and large drawings which this Poe-star
of poets has IN his possession. That be is an impOs
ing figure, cannot see he is really not much
bigger than my father But his look, his language,
his name, they are imposing His voice has an
enormous sound in it, and he can shout like ten
thousand fighting men. His hair is not yet white,
his walk is steady, and his manner of speaking
gentle"
The remainder of the volume furnishes many in
terestng details Of the intimacy between Goethe
and MendelssoLn in subsequent years, with yari-
ETY. Of extracts from the correspondence of the lat
ter which for the union of naive simplicity and
admirable sense is rarely matched in epstOlary lIte-
nature Although the fragmentary character of the