New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-27

I desired to have explained. and Il never
failed 10 answer me.
Later speaking Of the loss or caste an"
poverty Of her brother-in-law, Count DeSih
who had changed his name TO Muller De-
cause OF a duel fought before ne had at
tanned his ma jority. and conducted an ART
museum. and who. after his marriage ~
Thereses sister Josephine tried in vain 10
take the position in society TO when MS
rank entitled him), the Countess writes
The aristocracy turned its back on him
because he had gone into business. ts
could not hunt up his former ricn aCpu.at..iN
ances. Beethoven was the faithful Visltor
at The house Of the young Countess ne gays
J her lessons gratis. and TO % tolerated Ollc
had 10 be a Beethoven. Inc numerous
relatives. the sisters OF her father ana tneir
children frequently visited their aHlldDlo
niece Tableaus were occasionally gwen,
Deym. being himself an artist; was at
home in such matters they gave nih pIeds-
IRE There were musical soirees.
Ny brother came in vacation time and piade
the acquaintance Of Beethoven Inc Two
musical geniuses became intimately asso-
cated with each other. and my brother
mover deserted his friend I'm his frequent
financial troubles. until his, alas too early
, death.
II was about this time $50 that Baron
c. p came very often 10 MartOnvasar. Tie
was fond OF nv brother anc wanted 20 learn
Z
the science Of agriculture from him and MS
men. We played chess with each other
ne conceived passion for me ana trled 70
embrace me. From that moment onward
he frequently repeated hs offers and walt
ed two years for my assent. for ] always
answered that I should have 20 ponder the
matter and mad had no time 10 10 so.
| had remained cold an earlier passion had
deyoured my heart. Josephine needed me
her children. who were very promising.
loved me and / them-hOw could / Win
drgW nv A
When was active with the Womens Assoc
citation. after the great famine OF 1919 We
met on the street was in carriage anu
had the coachman stop at a signal from
him. He came 20 the carriage and said
significantly. Have you pondered. dear
Therese2 II is the last time | shall ask
YOU. am going 20 Dresden and shall there
take a bride unless YOU make up your
mind" I laughingly gave him my old an
swer. heart and head being occupied with
the widespread misery II really haven't
had time. dear Carl" We parted-he be-
came my enemy
shortly after the appearance Of IA
Msras essay in 1909 a singular contribu-
ton TO the controversy touching the I'm
mortal Beloved" came from France The
essay had been reviewed in the Revue des
Deux Mondes." whereupon the editor OF
lie Temps" asked one n its contributors
to make inquiry as to possible family ira
q grandniece Of the Countess Therese This
was done. but the lady would hear nothing
Of an Identification Of her grandaunt with
the object OF Beethovens passion. Then
came journalistic insinuations that family
pride had much 10 do with the denial This
provoked NJ. de Gerando. who undertook. in
the "Mercure de France 70 answer the
arguments Of Thayer and La Mara. There
hi
and a new revelation. He disposed OF the
kiss sent 20 Therese by Beethoven through
her brother. Count Franz, saying II was
only such familiarity as an old man
might be permitted to indulge toward
young pupil: this Notwithstanding that
ITherese was born in 1875 and Beethoven in
! 1870 and at the time he wrote the love
/ letter was still laboring under the delusion
that the year Of his birth was 1872. The
revelation consisted in the circumstance set
forth by him that among the letters Of the
Countess Therese he had found thick
portfolo inscribed The Journal Of Ny
Heart No Romance which u quote
now from an article contributed by Mr..
/ Philip Hale 10 THE New Music Review in
/ the numbers for July and September, 1900 :
CONTAINED many letters notes. messages
/ written az all hours, and addressed 10
man whose Christian name was LOUIS MI.
! de GerandO. who has been unaDie 10 ledIn
! the family name Of this man. thought az
first and naturally, that Beethoven was
/ the one. but this Louis with whom Therese
| was paSsiOnately in love. 10 whom she was
/ betrothed without the knowledge OF others,
/ was a Young man OF noble family much
Younger than Therose, ana nad neen euu-
/ Gated at the Thereslanurn, IN VIENNA a
school frequented by young noDieHltu.
Van Beethoven was older than inc
. Countess Brunswick. lie was NOT NONE ny
. birth. lie never attended the Ihtresia
; mum" The letters reveal "A strange ana
B violent passion. They are AZ times cold
and philosophical When Therese signed
/ them with her name they We're true IoEe
letters When she signed them WIN tHe
| Creek word "DiOtima,' the name or
priestess Of beauty and love mentioned Dy
/ Plato they were etaphysical speeulatlous'
7 long winded discussions on the END OF NJ
! and the nature Of love. = 90 not llnuh
/ that Beethoven would have been contented
with this correspondence or encyclo-
{ pspdists." There were few letters rom
louis one OF them sealed with coat-ot-
arms, and thus there is hope OF ldentlilca-
ton.
one might answer. continues Mr.. Hale
that Therese loved twice; that there were
TWO Louis IN the field. Mr. de Gerando
does not ind this probable
Therese was cerebral in her passion. She
knew passion. but her Intellectual SIDE re-
VOTED al IL. and. when her brain con-
troIIed her she could write phrases IKE
tbis.-"To think that / could have lowered
myself TO the point NJ marrying HlI li, aoii
one might reply the Countess nlEnt "th
have said this with reference 10 Beethoven
who was beneath her in stauonD Shs
rained contempt the man VINO ia"
awakened i'm her the love that she de-
tested and when she had driven MN. LIol!!
be- mind she wrote eXultantly. fr''.
Eraai Free" Mr. de CierandO argues from
this that she would not a second time nave
given IN her independence, but nothing
that a woman ike Therese would NAYS
done should surprise even sreat-srahu-
nephew. -
~, dc Gerando does not understand how
any love affair between Therese ana bee
fboven could have escaped the curious eoS-
GINS i'm societv eager for news and scan
dan .The adventure Of Therese de bruns-
vik with Louis appears 10 me 10 ne SUI
ficient reason 20 Judge the tneory oL ll.aso -,
inane At the same time II explains 10 US
the genesis Of this theory. II Is now GER
,afp AZ far as [ am concerned. that some
resern blance Of the affair between mo
Countess of Brunsvik and Louis had come
do1-n 10 Thaver The similarity OF the
names, the letter in when the KISS ,ssaas
sent and other and more vague lndlces
led the American biographer 70 turn ne
noble Hungarian dame into the wel-oe-
loved OF Beethoven.
sucb was in substance the article Or NJ.
10 Cerando II Is fair 20 ask nlm now Lns
love affair between Therese ana we niysv
riOus Louis. young. noble, etc, escaped nc
curious gOssips escaped them so complete.
" that even the great grandnephe" OF
Therose is unable 10 md out the tanlly
name Of her lover .,...-,,--,
The End