Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-01-31
MUSICAL MATTERS.
The Anniversary Of the Birth of
Franz Peter Schubert

1
In Vienna, Austria-A Paper Read
Before t n Womans Musical
Club by President Mrs. Julius
Pollock - Many Musical Enter
tainments to Be Crowded Into the
Coming Week.
To-day is the one hundreth anniversary
of the birth of Franz Peter Schubart and
as no society is vet ready TO do him the
homage he so richly merits, it will not be
amiss to reproduce a paper written and
read by Mrs Julius Pollock, on schubert
Davr al the Woman's Musical Club.
The programme was made up entirely of
$ .hubert gems and was cNcellcnuy rem
dered throughout paving the way III i
measure. 10 understandingly speak Of. ana
listen to this style Of music, as 4 preface
to- the programme.
chorus. zee. ...... THE Linden Tree
Choral Club.
Violin Solo .........................'S eIeHaue
Mss Flora Pollock
vc,9l SOLD. ....................The Err King
Mrs. NJ e. Whitaker.
Piano Solo.......Impromptu. opusS0, No. 4
Mrs Nellie Warren Holloway.
Vocal Solo
a) Whittier
th Enquirer
t0 Morning
ODD Hank, Hank! The Lark!
AIRS. Geo. r. Caldwell.
Piano Duet.......... Unfinished Symphonic
Nlesdames Flick and Hupp.
Vocal quartete double. Night
Misses Lettie Marsh and Elenora Nardy
Misses Mary Vardy and Nettie Reymann.
NIes1ames Chas. O. Roemer and J. w.
PhoebuS.
Misses Elizabeth Bickerton and Florence
Phillips.
Mrs. Pollock. president Of the club read:
IN one of the suburbs of the largest city
and capitaI Of the Observation-Disclosures
acknowledgements born on the Slst Of
January, 1891, Franz Schubert He was
one of a family of fourteen children. His
father was a school master, and like all
German masters of the time, required 10
have a certain knowledge of music. 1t
was limited. however. yet it was sutii-
cient to teach little Franz the principles
of the art. toward which he manifested
AT the earliest age. a remarkable predilec-
ton. That We do not read of any display
of this extraordinary precocity which
gained for Mozart and Mendelssohn
the wonder and admiration of people out
side the family circle is because cimcum-
stances were not favorable.
His mother like the mother Of Bee
thoven. was a cook. and they lived most
humbly. In considering the life of Schu-
bert. we must think of him as an obscure
individual. who gained a scanty livelihood
I'm the beginning as a school teacher, and
afterward as a musician, who occupied
his spare time with compositions of all
kinds. which publishers looked upon with
Indifference and grudgingy accepted
very few toward the close of the authors
life
Not for Schubart, the varied expert
ences among noble and princely patrons
of music. which Handel, Haydn. Mozart
and Beethoven enjoyed. Not for him the
sunny existence of MendelsSohn, or the
immediate popularity of Weber, but life
that was commonplace. dreary. bleak
and even sordid. and yet. when we think
but for an instant upon the romantic and
poetical in music. the name of Schubert
is the first that rises to our lips. and the
mighty power of genius, defeat of circum-
stances and surroundings was never bet
ter Illustrated than in the life of this
master Only he could have endured and
not have been crushed by a life so de-
grading and wearisome, and yet. the
dreary years that were occupied teaching
the poorer classes of Vienna the alphabet
were the most prolific of his life, and in
that time he wrote much that made his
name immortal
"Schubert's exterior by no means on
swcred to his genius. He was under the
average height. round shouldered. with
low forehead and thick lips; a round face
and a 81 ort turned-up nose. But his eyes
were magnificent. large and black, ard
though he wore glasses. in animated con-
versation they lighted, showing by their
fire and brilliancy the glorious splondor Of
the mind within.
In society his manner was extremely
awkward, the result of an unconquerable
dihidence, and he was even less fitted than
Beethoven TO shine in the salon Of the
Vienna aristocracy. But among his in
innate acquaintance he was most COM
panionable and possessed the feeling-by
no means rare among the youth of South
Germany-of the romantic attachment for
some of his friends. All writer's dwell
upon his simplicity. and though his music
shows that his sensibility was extreme.
he was never reused by the small things
Of life. nor had that jealous susceptibility
which so often, alas distinguished musi-
clans. Transparent truthfulness. good
humor. appreciation of a joke and 4 de-
sire to remain in the background were his
characteristics This sweet lovableness.
enhanced h,- his reserve was doubtless
his attraction 10 his fri Ids. They ad-
mirCd him. but they loved him more.
Outside of his music re tad no life but
I'm thar l.e find everything mat WAS want
ing elsewhere. Flucncy dop-a. acutenass.
variety of expression. unbounded imagi-
nation. the happiest thoughts. never tir.
ing energy. and sympalhet;c tender
ness beyond belief. These were al the