New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-20

n,saes the Eleef0r Max Franz appoint young Dec
tisoyen assistant court organist; p. ls3, DO attv
n,es this TO the powerful influence OF Count Waio'
STEIN who. o. 1917, Is the cause OF sending tne
Youth to Vienna in 1857 On all THESE poiD.s no
isutterly mistaken, as well ON the real relations
between the EIector and the Count. ana the score
Of pages founded upon them fall deadi suppose'
however. the reproducer adopts and inserts IN sno
toxt Nohrs subsequent corrections; aniess no pVs
sesses that knowledge OF the subject whien wouiu
AZ hin, to DO the author rather than the translator
of biography of Beethoven. ne can only 40 20 ~
tbe risk of coufounding the confusion into when
Nohl lras brought all that part OF tie composers me-
p 25b The unlucky hypothesis that the Young
Beethoven was disappointed lover OF Eienofe w"
Brenning first meets us here. AS all Existing e'r
dence On tbs pont is against him. the me wrisine
here and esew here, based upon 10, espeeaiy "noi
he makes this supposed passion one OF 'ne isplis-
tions Of the Fidclio" music fifteen years iatei'
wasted.
p. SOC. The superhuous chapter entitled he.o-
lutIon.s beginning on this page, Relates " .no
French history of those days. ana prepares 'nS s
rcader for his account, commencing on page 3d. "a
paetboven's journey in 1892 to Vienna. Inc grea'
event according to this narrative, OF that Journey
as tbe eFeet prodnced upon tho young Traveller "
his hearing Mt Mayence the Marseilaise rs piayeu
aud snno Inv the French bands and soldiers. oiio
roads with amazed delightful he oring Suin0,onO
"a of the subject to the perusal-of the deep
and abiding influence upon the susceptible NINA Oh
the youpg man made by this stirring melouS' anu
narticularly its effect upon his poht'eai ophlonS
and sympathies that finally found their aaeau"'e
expression fourteen years later IN the Heroic - III
nborv II ia the misfortune of Here Noh that Beet
boyen on SAID journey approached no nearer May
ence than Coblenz--a point by the river, Etty-slN
Though
read. all these pages historically are but loitV-
oonnain0 nonsense. With this droll absurdity the
first volume eliminates aud ends.
Vol H. n IS, letter quoted here ara subse-
auently often was enormously dated py "eSeiel
probably 1900" There is also an error OF memory
Tor of the press) in Ress "Notizen" as to the year
when he came 70 Vienna Nohl discovers neither oil
them and vet they obviously vitiate all attempts
10 arrange the chronology OF events III beethoNeh
life and of his compositions Tor seVerai yours
the rcproducer introduces the correctlons ne ihuss
write anew all that part of the book 10 prevent
elaring Inconsistencies.
p ll5. Here beginneth the lesson on Juna
Gl,iceiardi-and long one it is Schinders guesses
in relation TO her aud to love letter, which he sup
| nosed IN have been addressed to her, are all ac-
cened as facts by Herr NOhl, save that he relecIs
Schindlers correct date, 1906, because the oulcoi
| ardi had then been married nearly three years.
| THAT this lettor NAV have been written to some
other person is the last thought to occur to Rn'
This ardent but fleetng passion Of Beethoyens
was for years favorite subject for Nohis elo-
| ouenco It's Investigations" were hunDeriesS'
e never ,year1es Of expatiatiug upon Beethoven IN
| love- whether tho object be Elenore Won breuung'
Iuia (uicciari, the fourteen-years.oid but fully
| deyelopedD Theresa Malfatti, or anybody else
Ant the letter TO the Guiceiard gave her an adyan-
| tore over the Others. very simple process OF
reasoning has since proved that the letter was NOT
| addressed to her, What will the reproducer OI
| Nohls book do in this easel
p. 90. Here we read that Johann van Beet
hoyen had in 1907 @by his business as an apothe-
cary in Linz become rich That apotheca1y did
not settle in Linz until 1908, as Nohl wonid nave
learned IT, in passing that town, which no oiteh
did he had stopped and prosecuted some oil his IN
denenaent researches there. Thisis fair specimen
| az the results Of those researches in all that
relates to the apothecary, whose memory he
has pursued with relentless hate for nearly twenty
vaafs In ail sorts OF publications In this volume
we have the story of NALL and the Battle SYM
pbony 80 told that Beethoven, poor innocent. Is
made the victim of the arch swindler Mazl. Yet III
ruth the wrongdoing was in this case Wholly on
tho mart OF the composer. How will the translator
manage i'll
Through the last quarter OF this volume, also' Is
| scattered an account of the proceedings between
| beethoven and the administrators OF the kinsky
and Iobkowitz estates in the matter OF his annuity
The numerous errors in particulars Vtlate inc mar
ratiye as q whole, and 10 subsequent corrections
uiee tn enable translator TO arrive at the truth
or correct the very false impression left as to the
character of Lobkowitz whose love OF splendor ana
| enthusiasm for music had deranged his pecuniaIY
! affairs. bnt who was otherwise noble example Oh
/ the generous and magnificent Austrian nobility
| The man Who according to a vague Gadlton,
| once read Coopers aMohicans'-it German
scholar still alive and enjoying mems cana IN co'Pore
| sano-should try his hand ut NohPs volume ILL.,
| nearly thousand pages strong. one Is oddlS re-
| minded by il OF BoswelTs Johnson" though only
In this one respect: that it covers no more THAN the
last twelve years of Beethovens life, and yet occ-
pies the larger half of the work. NOM Is no DOS
well To PASS from his Beethoven to the others
johnson . is like coming from dark. damp vault
of noisome odors 10 the sweet sunlight OF fresh
airing day. barring this last period Beethoven was
| go famous that his goings out and eomings M
| were noted 10y many watchful eyes and 80 many
sources OF easily accessible information exist that
the most careless biographer cannot easily go
astray In regard to its leading events. Nor has
Nohl done So Bat in his masses of verbiage one
can rarely obtain any clear and distinct view OF
topic; and when he docs, the preIudiccs OF the
author have 30 distorted the pletute tnat ~ 10 ih
elect apt to DO false. For instance Nohl is ever
throwing a lurid light upon the few remaining rel
atiyes of Beethoven. Nothing is too vial for his
book. 30 that it tells against them. Accepting and
intensifyina Schindlcrs prejudlced statements, he
adds to them the gossip OF the conversation books
angry words from the composers correspondence.
anything and everything to his purpose, and
spreads it all at large upon his pages. III johann
and Carl van Beethoven were really the Villains
which he would fan make them appear, what must
we think Of the composer for not utterly long be-
fore his death discarding therni So, too, In the
Gallitzin matter. The Prince is wholly in the