New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-26
SCHUBEHT-AN ANECDOTE.
From The Pau M1H Gazette.

ron The Idil MIU Gazette.
In the course of some recent Investigations into
the biography of Franz Schubert the composer. a
little incident hos turned up which will not he
without interest to many readers with whom this
writer is great and Just a favorIte. IL Is wei
known that very shortly before his death he made
arrangements for course of lessons IN counterpont
that is to say the art OF writing iugues, or, III
other words of combining various melodies III mar
mOny-frOm Sechtcr, well-known professor OF
the day in Vienna So close 10 his end was this that
his mortal sickness may be said to have been upon
him at the time: and although the textbook was
CHOSEN and the dates arranged between the pro.
fesSar and his pupil, no single lesson was taken or
probably no sketch Of Schuberts career has ever
been gwen in which the fact Is not named. None
Of these biOgraphers, however, tells us what was
the occasion on which Schubert took the step IN
question-what it WAS that led hun 10 choose this
particular disastrous moment rather than an eafler
one. Dr. krci,sle Won HcllbOrn alone informs u.s.
and that not IN his larger and well-known blog
raphy OF the composer but IN smaller sketch
Which he Published first and which Is all bat un-
known. The incident Is however, given on the
very best authority. 1t seems that at the time IN
question OF very shortly before, number OF scores
OF Handles 0rat0rIos had fallen into Schubert
hands. and the perusa of these works, IN the
chorusc, of which polyphonic counterpoint is used
at once with freedom AMI a strctneSS surprising
that of al other writer's had made a great impress
sion him so great that he remarked to his friend
Anna FTOiich. the singer, now see how very den,
cient am in this respect but il Is not too late.
Will work hard with Sechtcr, and make mp for lost
time This itself, from man who had written
50 very much and so very beautifully as Schubert
had, is charming exhibition OF that natural
mOdesty and lTanhness which form striking traits
in his character.
BIT his is not ALL We may well ask the ques-
ton How did a set of scores OF Handlers oratnrloS
thus happen to fall into Schuberts hands Ihey
were published in London. Handel has never
taken rep root the Continent, and his oratoros
were comparatively little known n Vienna. Was
there any collection of them likely TO have become
available to Schubert about this date Tins cues
tiop also can be answered with some probability.
There was. Not two years beiOrethe time we are
sppaiing of a set of ArnOld's edition Of Handel III
forty volumes had been sent by Mr. Stumpil, OF
LONDON to Vienna, to cheer the dcathbed OF the
giant of the Choral Symphony and the Mass IN u;
Beethoven had the big volumes on to his bed and
read them eagerly He Is the greatest of al must
Clans" said he. can still learn from HIM. But The
pcrusal even of such splendid music was not
sufficiently powerful cordial 10 sare the great com
poser's lie. Beethoven died on the 2ith OF March,
lSy7 and bV the following Christmas his looks and
possessions were sold. Among them the catalogue
ia still extantl figure the forty volumes OF
IIandeps works; half-bOund. London edition.
which fetched the modest figure of lO4 HORNS or at
the then worth of money about fl los. Less than
twelve months after came Schnoerts appeal To
Seclter Surely the volumes which revealed his
shortcomings were those which had sOOthed the last
hours of "A still greater genius than himself! AT any
rate the question is well worth investigating
little further and hope someone may he found
with sufficient command of tho musical history OF
Vienna 10 DO IT.