New-York tribune., 1874-10-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
KILLERS MENDELSSOHN.
= prrrpe AND RECOLLECTIONS. by Df FEKDINANl
t1Hh iE.S Tp INsIA AIEn NJ. i. Won GLEHN. l2m(

LETTERS ANp NTpiSstEIEp by NJ E. Won GLENN l2mo
pp 223 Macmillan d Co.
In the absence of any complete biography OF fehx
Mendelssohn, whose personal character possessed
not little of the charm of his musical compositions
almost every line of his correspondence no less than
the "reminiscences Of his friends is of singularly at
tractive interest to those who cherish his memory
as man. even without reference to his gifts as an
artist. The present volume contains the recoilec-
tions of one of his most intimate musical cOmpan-
IONS with numerous extracts from his letters snow
ing the chldike simplicity of his character and the
afectionate traits of his disposition by which he
won degree of admiration little short of luoiatry
within the favored circle of his familiar acquaint-
snee Dr. Hitler makes no concealment OF the en-
thusiasm with which he watched every movement
of his friend. He writes with certain German
fran,5ness, which may be regarded as an excess oi
JUNCTION by the fastidiOus reader, but which WIN
due allowance for personal feeling Will be found de-
hghtful by those who are not too critical 10 ENJOY
the naive utterance of heartfelt emotion HIS hrst
introduction to the boyish prodigy was in this wse
In the Summer of 1872 living in my native town
Frankfort-beautiful Frankfort-dnd' tholsn oarey
eleven, just beglDung TO be known IN the Iow r s
little player with the long no
long har the best known thing about me- thlnk'
for it very long s haG sctuay yTsa II Won
der 6ad been ggnt the piano by AOys SIa tyaTnIa ~
but he was fond OF me. and had quite passion Ior
him The Winter before, Schmitt had been in Berln'
and on ms return told us of wonderful boy, grand
son o Moses Mendelssohn the philosopher whOwas not
only "a splendid PLAYER but had composed quaTtets ~ IN III
phones operas! Now had composed too-P"ionalses
snl Rondos, aud Variations on sehone Minka, whGh
thought extremely brilliant; and worked most dill
gently al harmony ana cOunterpOnt, under tue Venefd-
BILE Vollweer. But that boy only two or three years
older myself should De conducting ms own operas,
eeemed 10 me unheard Of True, had read the same
thing about Mozart; but then 1t was lzlrt ana ne was
more demigod :han q musician 50 was not q litte M
excited whCn Schmitt came 10 us one day WIN tne NC
that Felix Maudelssohn was in Frankfort WIN
his father, otner bTOthe: and sisters aud that he
echmtt. would bring hun TO see US the next day.
The house in which the parents of Hitler were
living was one of the quaint old fashioned dwell
ings of FranlIfort-on- Man, on one side looking on
the river while window at the back commanded
the narrow passage which led from the court to the
house door.
At this window took my stand at the hour which
ecnmtt named for his VISIT and after waiting some
tme IN the greatest inpatience rewarded by see
In. the door open aud nv master appear. BE
myself who kept leapin2 up TIL ne contrved 10
get hands Schmitts shoulders so "a TO hang on
clip of again. Hes Jolly enough" thought and ran
OIL TO the sittingrOom 10 tell my parents that the
eagerlyexpected visitor had arrived. Bat great was
my astOnisnment when saw tins same wild boy enter
the room in quite dignihed way, and. though very
lively and laxative yet all the time preserving GER
tain forInality He himself impressed me even more
than tue account his performanc had done, and
could help feeling little shy during the whole OF
the VISIT
The acquaintance thus commenced made a deep
impression on the susceptible Hitler. He was con-
stantiy on the watch for news of him from the
many artists who came from Berlin to Frankfort,
and vino were never tired of singing his praises
But it not till years after that he became
fully sensible to the splendor of his genius.
The "Cecia" Society then in all its freshness
aud vIgOr under the admirable direction OF schelble
McndesOhn happened TO be present at of the pra
ticemeelinCs in the Spring OF 1926 he was passing
through Frankfort on holiday tour and was asked to
play. We lad been singing choruses from Judas Mac
la fpnk al lie
especially see the C0Dquerlng Hero IND began TO
e1temporize on them. | hardly know which was the
wonderful the skul cOnnterpOlDt. the flow and
continuity OF the thoughts, or the fire. expression. and
He must nave been very full of Handel at that
time for the figures which he used were thoroughly
IN thirds, sixths aud octaves really grand and
yet 1t all belonged 10 the subiectmater with no pre-
tension to display and thoroughly true genuine
living music. Ii quite carried me away, and though
often heard his wonderful playing afterward. do not
think that ever produced such an ovepowerng effect
did on that occasion, when he was out boy
Si sixteen The next day, Tiie SIN tnli OF wat had
twenty. long dead. We talked about Mendelssohn,
and he asked how long Thought IL would take 10 he
able TO do all that laughed, he Thought that with
two years extra hard work II might be done. 1t was
the 1rst though by the last time tnat came
any one so foolish as to think that genius can be
got by practice.
The first visit of Mendelssohn to Paris which took
place in 1881 naturally formed epoch in his life.
Just succeeding the revolution of July, it time
of peculiar interest in French society Everything
had received new impetus. The excitement of the
"Three Days was still fresh in peoples minds. Lit
eTature and the arts filled with an active and
exuberant life Music especially felt the general in
spiratiOu.
The ocalled ConservatOre under Hsbeneck,
in all their freshness and BeehOyeu's symptom
hes were played there with perfection. aud received
never since Witnessed Cherubib was writing his Masses
for the Cnp in tne Tuieries at the Grand Opera
Meyerbeer beginning his OF tTiumphs with
"ROhert the Devil:" Rossnt writing william
Tel :; Scribe ana Auber were at the hight of their
nylty aud all the best sinSers were collected at the
Italian Opera Artists Of all degrees OF distraction lived
In Paris or came there TO wIn Partisan laureis.
Ballot though advancing in years stu PLAYED with
al the IRE and poetry OF youth Ptgan1i mad zen a
brenner with hIs brilliant execution, represented the
Clement school; Cdopth had estaGlShed hHh,eI IN
PARIS q f- '; mOnfhs before MeDdesso1s arrival and
Lisz still inspired by the tremendous impetus ne paa
received from PIgdnlni though seldom leAlQ IN p9pUcI
performed the most extraordinary feats. German cham
bermusc not 50 mucd ID vogue as IL afterwafd be.
came, but st Bdlota quartet party had lis fanatical
supporters ana 10 naIy Tndh "hu tench houses the
most serious music was anectOatey cuitlyated a0d
good players we're welcomed with dengh Uuder such
circumstances. II may easily be imagined how warmly
AeudelSso1u was greeted III tue best musical circles
MendesSohn was impatient TO bring his compost
tions to the attention OF his friends His earliest
performance was the Walpureisnacht," which he
had brought with him from Italy, aud produced
with wonderful effect.
IL was peculiarly OF his. that wnen he PLAYED new
things OF hls own to intimate friends he always did
with a certain reticcnce winch evidently founded
wish not TO allow ms playing to increase the iln
preston made the actual work itself IL only IN
works. where his attention was July occu
pied, that he allowed himself TO lie carried away But
In the music OF the great masters he all IRE and
glow. heard hun Otteuest and at his best tnat Winter,
at Ballots house. and at that Of an old and much re
spected lady Madame kieDe whose daughter. Madame
BgOt then DEAD. had gwen Felix few music LESSONS
when "A boy. With Ballot he play ed Bach and
Beethoven SOuatas Mozart COncertOs with quartet
accompaniment, and splendid extempOre cadenZas; also
PiaDO-fOrte QIartet In minor. and Other
tLIugs Ballots circle was small. but thoroughly mus
cal aud cultivated aud everything was listened to WIG.
sort OF religious devotion. MendelssOhn 1ad brought
him 10 Paris the drAught-scOre OF the Hebrdes'
Overture He told me that not only was It's general
suggested 10 him by the sight OF FngaPs
lriff fhnfi hraI 4 haIa