New-York tribune., 1905-06-11
MUSICAL COMMENT.
An Interesting Beethoven Auto
rraph-TroubIe in Cincinnati.

-. oF studv of the composers sketchbooks.
GA of these are small, and were carried by
.,sethoven for the reception OF ideas which oo-
,--e6 TO him while taking hts walks In the
country Others are groups of large. oblong
xheets sometimes merely laid, sometimes loosely
.,rched together, these containing the sketches
% cor,pesitions In process of formulation and
sevelopment. BY means OF them 1t has been
-ossible to trace the progress of many compost
cans from the first inception to the finish, some
t,n,es years afterward; also to discover what
,orks were occupying Beethoven's mind at the
came time. Historically and psychologically
.bsz are Of the greatest interest and importance.
,sAaders of The Tribune may remember series
of articles on Beethoven which appeared in this
.o,,rnal in January, February and March, 1898,
which were illustrated by facsimile reproduc-
,ions Of a number of sketches which had come
n Boston among the posthumous papers Of the
,raa+ Beethoven biographer, A. W. Thayer. who,
many years ago. was member of the editorial
stas of The Tribune. From one of the manu-
srripts the melody which Beethoven had COM
,osed for Goethe's "Erlking' was deciphered and
Mr.. Henry Holden Huss gave it setting. IN
fortunately all of Mr.. Thayers autographs were
eojd In London, and thus lost, temporarily at
least TO his native land. Recently, however.
something like an exchange has been effected.
T7ro1n q rare collection of musical autographs
made by the English poet, Frederick Locker
Tampson, DR.. Christian Herter purchased half
a dozen more of great interest-an entire
church cantata in score Gin Allen Meinen
Tnaten'O by Johann Sebastian Bach, an aria by
Handel set Of variations for pianoforte by
Eaydn, eight pages from one or BeethoVenS
sketchboohs and Mozart'S own arrangement for
-5snoforte. four hands. of the Fantasia in T
minor originally composed for an automatic
musical instrument. Arranged for string orches-
ira and organ, the Fantasia had its first per
formance in America at one of Mr.. Franko's
concerts of Old Music last December.
What Beethoven's sketches look like may be
sem from the portion of one OF the pages of Dr.
Herters prize reproduced on this page of The
Tribune It is by no means as undecipherable
rs the composers sketches generally are. and
shows the work In hand in considerable state
of forwardness. The eight pages are all devoted
10 studies for the great Trio in B fiat for piano
forte violin and violoncello. On the first
Beethoven is cropping for the close of the theme
of the variations which constitute the third
movement OF the composition; the other seven
belong TO the Scherzo. The melody Of the
scherzo has already assumed the form which 1t
has in the published composition; a fact that in
dicates pretty plainly that Dr.. Herters manu-
script dates back to the last few weeks of 1910
or the first few Of 1911. The autograph of the
Trio bears date March g. 1911" In a sketch
book which Beethoven used between January
and September 1910, thirty-four pages are de-
voted 70 the Trio in B fiat, and the Scherzo mel
as II appears IlSTe IN various ShSlCHeS 10
never complete, IS in Dr. Herter's manuscript,
but is disclosed as gradually taking shape.
AS a consequence of the death Of Theodore
Thomas the Cincinnati Festival Association has
fallen upon evil days. The chorus has seeded
and been abandoned by the festival directors
and it is a question which only prophet could
answer whether not there win be a festival
next May This unfortunate condition of affairs
b-,& &ra oro i-,aTT7
ately after Mr. Thonas's death TO give memo
rial concert True to the traditions which Mr..
Thomas had instiIled into them, the managers
Of the affair, ignoring the Cincinnati Orchestra,
invited the Chicago Orchestra to come to the
city and take part in the concert The consent
Of the Chicago organization was given, but when
the time came for setting the date the chor1sters
found that unexpected obstacles had obtruded
themselves in the path of the enterprise. The
festival directors-or at least the powers tnat De
among them-were found TO be opposed TO the
concert and the disappointed singers did not
hesitate TO say that visit by one of the off1-
GERS 10 Chicago had resulted in the Illustration
Of their pious intention. Explanations were de-
rnanded singers and officials scolded each other
by letter and in newspaper interviews. the presi-
dent ordered the rehearsal hail closed 10 the
chorus meetings. and now, within less than a
year before tc - fer the next festival, every
thing is in a state = chaos.
tits a pity. for the Cincinnati festivals. though
which local enthusiasm attributed to them. were
very dignifed and beautiful functions. It was
On the cards that Sir Edward Elgar should con-
duct his Apostles at the next meeting, and II
& festival is given next year this feature Of the
programme viii probably be preserved. Sir Ed
ward is due here within a week. and 1t will be
possible for the agents Of the association to have
9 heart to heart and face to face talk with him
But ne is not an eminent conductor. and there
must be somebody else to do the rest of the
work Mr. Weingartner is under consideration,
and an attempt is making to enlist Mr.. Van der
StuckeE, who conducts the Cincinnati Orchestra,
in come of the work; but he is not likely to
take subordinate position. since his organiza-
ton has systematically been ignored at all the
festivals held during Mr.. Thomass Chicago So
iourn. Hiring conductors. be they never so emf
neat, viii not make festival, however. There
must be a chorus and TO have one familiar with
the traditions OF the festivals and in at least
moderate state of preparedness peace must be
brought about between the quarrelling factions.
The Tribune ought to be privileged to suggest
this much. since it has been represented at every
festival since the first, in 1873, but one Its
columns give complete history Of the enter
prise from the beginning, and the choral diff
eulties Of The present day were anticipated In its
criticisms long ago. They were sowed in 1880.
nASl hr. JnOnlaS prevailed Oh
abandon the system of forming the festival
chorus by uniting the various singing societies
OF Cincinnati and surrounding towns ana cities.
making q permanent festival chorus, which
Should be under the mana cement Of the dlrec-
tors The result was the immediate disruption
q the principal oratorio society In the city, the
Harmonic Society, and the gradual extinction of
choral music except the biennial irruptfon at the
festivals. 1t was Mr. Thomas's notion that ne
could have a body Of virtuosi in the choir as
vel trained and capable as his orchestra But
The scheme WAS quixotic: choristers are anna
teurs who practise music for the love of II, as
the term implies, and il foolish to think
that q hnSr. nf 400 singers could be kent At