Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-11
MUSIC IN vienna
Seven Centuries of Develop
ment of MeIodious Art.
NOTED FOR COMPOSERS
Friedhof Cemetery, Where Memo
rails Are Numerous.
BODIES OF MANY REST THERE
Stories About the Men Who Have
Made Austrian Capital Famous
as Musical Center.
BODIES OF MANY REST THERE
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Both the general government, the in
dividual states and many municipalities
of the United States have done much
TO promote agriculture and education.
Some of them have been generous in pro-
noting art
But i do not remember hearing of
financial or other assistance having been
given for the development of the musical
tastes of the people
In all the European countries the opera,
and in some of them the theater. is sub
sidized as a matter OF public education
In some Of the capitals there are nation
al as well as municipal opera houses
and theaters. Musical and dramatic
schools are supported and assisted by the
state.
Music is considered as much a feature
of civilization as reading or writing or
religion. 1t is considered as much the
duty Of the government to provide musi-
cal and dramatic entertainment as to fur
nish roads and bridges and fire engines.
Vienna has done more than any other
city 10 encourage and develop musical
genius. The statues Of composers and
squares, are as numerous as those of
soldiers and statesmen and kings.
That city has been the home of many
famous musiclans-the most famous in
history. Their memory is reVered and
the coming generate ms are to be remind
ed of them by tablets of bronze upon
the walls of the houses in which they
lived.
Musical Corner in Cemetery.
In the musicians corner OF the
Friedhof cemetery (Which means the
house of peace). in a single group, are
monuments to Mozart, Beethoven, Schu-
bert, Brahms. Chuck, the Strauss
brothers and several others of lesser
fame.
They were not buried there originally.
When that great municipal cemete y was
laid out the bodies were removed from
other cemeteries, except those Of q uck.
who Is buried in Matzleindorf cemetery,
and Mozart, whose grave Is unknown.
Mozart died on the morning CT Decem-
Der 5, 1871. He was buried the next day
in the churchyard of st. Marx. In so
violent a storm that the me urners were
compelled to turn back before reaching
the cemetery.
The undertaken and sexton buried the
great composer in the first open grave
they reached. which was in the section
allotted to paupers. AS fate would have
IL
burial died from fatigue and exposure.
When the widow was sufficiently re-
covered to go to the grounds, no one
could tell her where her husband was
identified and no serious attempt was
made to identify II for more than uIy
years, when 1t was too late i
The city has endeavored to atone. for
this neglect by erecting disnifed and
beautiful monument to Mozart In the
center OF circle in the Friedrich. .Thei
shaft stands upon granite pedestal In
closed in an iron railing and surrounded
by bed Of flowers. Four bronze candle
sticks stand at the corners.
On one face of the shaft is a medallion
portrait in bronze; on another side Is the
figure of a seraph and other symbolical
designs; on the third side Is the inscrip-
ton:
''W A. Mozart. born January q, 1856.
died December o, 1Ie1."
ON the fourth side are the words:
Dedicated by the City Of Vienna in 1850. "
Beethoven and Schubert Monuments.
The Beethoven monument. which
stands opposite, Is a marble shaft, orna-
mented at the top with gilded serpent
incIosing the letter 3D." On the center
Of the shaft is gilded Tyre: a panel on
the pedestal bears the name Beethoven"
and on the base is an inscription in Ger
man, Wnlcn, tranSidteu, Is rs IOllOWS.
1.-The Original Burial Of Beethoven was
in the Walhringer Cemetery. and this
Monument was Erected by Subscriptions
from the City of Vienna, the Philhar-
monte Society and the Friends of Music
IN 1855"
Several punches Of faded flowers are
always lying at the foot Of the shaft.
Schubert's monument nearby is marble
shaft about the size of Beethovens, with
a bronze panel. in relief. representing
the goddess of music browning the bust
of the composer with laurel. An inscrip-
ton tells us that this memorial was
erected by the Mems Singing Society Of
Vienna, the same that went to the United
States last year for a concert tour and
sang TO the President at the White
House.
Upon the monument to Johann Brahms
is the bust of an old man with long
hair. mustache and beard. leaning upon
book OF music. His head Is resting
upon his right hand.
Behind him is a nude figure Of a woman
holding a Tyre. On the other side an
angel with his finger upon his lips.
The only inscription Is: Brahms. 1888
1897"