The newspaper., 1908-11-06

teresting circumstances was his last composition
Though not intended, it as he himself pre-
dcted, his funeral dirge. He had the notion
that he had been poisoned. No one knows that it
was true although there those who had been
heard to wish him out of the way
1t is difficult assign him his place in music His
influence largely temporary, but none the less in
dspensible to musical progress: for had he never
written, music know it would have lacked
something in pure, noble melody. He was at his best
in the opera. His melodies 'sng divney." To
there is never ending charm in such OF his works
1 know. Their melody sings its way straight into
the heart, by its clear sweetness and simple beauty
Beethoven born in the little town of Bown
the Rrne in 11O His early life very different
from that of Mozart. who had loving parents and
careful training. Beethoven's father dssipated
singer and his mother rather incapable person. At
the of eleven he played the Viola in Orchestral
he could also play the piano and organ well and at
little past twelve made assistant conductor with
out salary In this school the boy grew up, arrang-
ing, adapting. training and composing. lie
attractive both in appearance and manners and yet
he made friends all through his life. especially with
the arstocracy. After his mothers death he
Vienna where the remainder of his life spent.
After reaching manhood although subject of course
to some draw backs-he was in comfortable crcum-
STANCES In his later years he became deaf which
must have saddened his last days. He also had
troublesome nephew who shared his bachelor life
with whom it would seem he took little comfort. His
death occurred March % 1927, at the age OF
His reputation $ musician rests first upon the
nine symphonies, then upon the string quartettes;
next upon the Concertos some of which for pleasing
beauty and poetical meaning. have never been
equaed lie also wrote sonatas for piano-and for
violin and plano. His place in music Is the head.
Taine, the French critic, in his work
four great souls belonging to the highest order of
genius; Dante, Shakespeare, Michael Angelo and
Beethoven. In comparing the three Hayden.
Mozart and Beethoven-one writer says: Hayden
provided the form the order of keys and the general
character Of the contrasts between subjects Mozart
invented myriad of tender nuances which Illustrated
the fine points of music and parted To the works n
sweetness and pleasing quality which everybody rec
oenized Irresistible Beethoven added to these in
gradients of popular music depth, soulful quality
enrnestness. which has stood to all the world
since. = models
Schubert the great song writer born of poor
parents 1871. He early showed fine ear for music
put to- studying the violin. and began composing
when little more than eleven years of and I'm the
school which he attended he became first violin
player and assistant conductor. lie an indefati-
gable worker. In one year-and that while teaching
schoo-he wrote hundred and thirty songs.
some of them very long-as Beethoven said ten in
one" Schuman said. Everything he touched turned
into music lie had n strange mental quality in
that whenever he read poem heard story IL i'm
mediatey began to take the form of musical
lima ges in his mind. Some has said of him: ''He
musical painter whose colors were not initiated
from something without himself. but inspired
from within" He seemed to have fancy for uncanny
subjects One OF HIS works Is called Corpse Fan
tasa." another is entitled Lament OF Hager." His
III ASIDE from tnc ne genius
OF first order is that of creator of the artistic
Now / might go TO tell of Weber Wagner,
Listz, Schuman and Mendelsohn to say nothing of
the present day writers such Brahues. Bruch and
the Strauss family besides others that do even
mention 10y name.
But the fact Is German musicians" is far to large
subject for one paper. In this case my embarrass-
is due to wealth rather than poverty of
ial There IL much of n most interesting nature
that could be told about at least fifteen great men,
any of whom would he n large subject Musicians
said to be, in personality very unsatisfactory
characters. But find this is not always true,
OF these have talked about were most beauti-
fu and charming. wish might have told you more
OF them.