New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-25
MUSICAL COMMENT.
AND LETTERS-WHY THE BEETHOVEN
BIOGRAPHY WAS NOT FINISHED

When Alexander Wheeock Thayer died in
Trieste. Austria, few days ago America lost
one of her sons who had brought her more
nown in the world of music than any Of her
composers, performers singers, though he
wrote no music and had only an amateurs in
terest in the executive branch of the art. An
obituary notice in The Tribune last Tuesday gave
brief account of his life and work The saddest
feature in it for a music student was the ex-
pressed doubt whether or not he had succeeded
in completing the work to which he had conse-
Grated his life-the biography Of Beethoven He
began his labOrs forty years ago. but when he
printed the last page of his Volume III there
were still eleven years Of the great composers
life to account for, eleven years full of incident
and big with significance for the history Of music.
Many will wonder why the concluding volume
(ol Volumes for despite the succinctness Of his
narrative, outside Of the controverted points, it
Is scarcely to be conceived that he could have
encompassed so long and important a period In
single voume) was Tor were) not completed in
the eighteen years which elapsed between the
publication of Volume III and his death Only
his friends know; and their knowledge is largely
based on conjectur The explanation will prob
ably be that the vast amount of work which he
did in gathering material. sitting and presenting
1t made him fatally brain-weary before the con-
cluSlOn was reacneO. ferndpS MS ZedI TeiaAeu'
though this is scarcely to be believed when it is
considered how warm his interest in everything
appertaining to Beethoven remained to the end.
OF this evidence will be brought forward In the
course Of this article.
Mr. Thayer was once member Of the editorial
staff Of The Tribune. That was forty-fve years
ago. He was an interested reader OF 1t ever
thereafter and no one scanned its columns more
eagerly than he for information touching musl-
cal progress in his native land and for evidence
Of the growing appreciation OF BeethoVehs
music. It owing to this fact that for years
he kept up a correspondence with the Tribune
music reviewer That correspondence. much OF
1t full Of the charm of a delightful personality
so far as his contributions are concerned DE-
trayed the condition suggested above Harui!
one of the letters. which began early in 1883,
lacks remark about the condition or ms neai'h
which made such work on the Beethoven bi-
ography as was essential to its completion I'M
possible for him. In November, 1885, he wrote:
Ibone now To be able to take up the Beethoven
without breaking down on it. Several times l
have attempted it and been forced by my heaa
troubles to lay it aside My doctor hnany to,d d
me to take up some less perpexing topic ana
busy myself with it until such time as coulo
(probably) stand the labor / therefore TOOK up
my Hebrews in Egypt and the EXODUS, ana
have brought to an end and freed my mind OF It,
There is here suggestion Of the kind of work
which he did while resting from the Beethoven
strain He also wrote a long treatise on the
theory of the Baconian authorship. and even
musical story for children called THE Wander
child" short time before the writer had formu-
lated n plan for insuring the completion OF the
.Beethoven" He proposed to Mr.. Thayer to see
10 if that a man of literary attainments should
he sent to him to whom he might dictate in the
rough leaving the secretary to write out the
matter which could then be revised by him.
This would save him the drudgery or writing
and the care Of polished presentation. HIS New
York friend knew that he was frequently in need
of money and that, indeed, he was giving lessons
In English % exc Out his income. His propo-
sition how err met with no favor Mr.. Thayer
replied:
AS TO getting me pecuniary aid in my labors-
better let that matter drop. If no new mis-
fortune befals me | think can continue to i've
within my income by not leaving trieste IN
simmer and by denying myself all sorts OF
pleasures and luxuries, to which long experience
has r. ndered me habituated SO we VIII not
bother the No-or-an -othervelos or fellows.
and | will plod away during my ~ 10 - hours
(generally) a day when my head and eyes ailo"
me to work
Nevertheless, the New-York friend continued
his efforts and Noveo Co c'No-or-any-
otbcr-veos'O actually offered to send score
tary to Trieste at their own expense on condition
that they should have the privilege OF publish
ing the English edition of Beethoven's Lie
When this fact was communicated 10 MI
Thayer ne replied in a tone OF gratitude Tor the
profered help but said he did not want the origi-
nal manuscript Of the Life printed, intending
when he finished the German work to write an
entirely new biography in English-"the ideal