The Washington herald., 1912-11-26

the poets, In the lives of men like Shell
ley and Byron and Goethe, are equaled
in pathos and tragedy, II not in numbers,
by the musicians. Only there seems to
be this difference between the former
and the latter, the poet has the capacity
for making himself unhappy over his
love affairs. while the musician leaves
that to the other party. There are ex-
ceptions on both sides, but that is the
rule. Why this should be SO is not diff
cult to understand. The poet worships;
the musician is worshiped. He is a
conspicuous figure in the public eye; and
in his circle, II the pen is mightier than
the sword the baton Is mightier than
| both,
The lives OF the greatest musicians are
full OF romantic episodes. Even the ia
nous Handel, with his morbidity, irasci-
BILE temper land fondness for sausagel,
competed with a friend for the hand
of a lady at the age OF nineteen. or,
rather he competed for the place of Or
| ganist OF Lubbock, which was to be had
on condition of marrying the daughter OF
the retiring incumbent No doubt there
is piquant story contained in that sin
gular visit. but through delicacy or care
| lessness II has been lost to us, and all
that we know is that Handel and his
| friend returned TO Hamburg as free as
/ they left. The Lubbock maiden probably
found a more satisfactory, II less cele-
| brated, lover in her fathers successor.
A storm-tossed tragic figure was poor
Mozart. one of the immortal names in
| music, whose transcendent genius gave
| him nothing better materially than a life
| OF struggle with privatiOn and a paupers
burial. He was a brave, bright spirit,
| but scarcely practical, and certainly not
| provident. He loved and would marry,
| even though he hadn't sufficient to keep
himself About the age Of twenty-three
he fell deeply in love with a beautiful
singer. and followed her to Munich to
propose to her. Mozart was plain to the
point Of ugliness. and Miss Weber, who
saw nothing alluring in his person or
prospects, Tilted him after a long en-
gagement. But her sister Constance saw
sufficient of a something in the young
musician to make her fall desperately in
love with him. As the object of Mo-
zart's first love was only fifteen. Con-
stance must have been very young indeed
to he capable OF such a passionate at
| tachment. The elder sister eventually
married an actor named LanGe, and was
very unhappy. Years after Mozart's
death she expressed bitter regret for
her inCOnstant treatment of the great
musician. whom she recognized and char
acterized sorrowfulIy as the little man"
Mozart and his wife were never far from
the grip Of penury. but they loved each
other and were happy To the end.
\ less happy. though even more ro-
mantle story is that Of the famous COM
poser Berlioz who fell in love with the
beautiful ShakesPearean actress. Harriet
Smithson. and woOed her ''tumultuously."
She feared him. and would have none OF
him until she became involved in a diff
Guilty in Paris on the failure of an at
tempt to force Shakespeare on the ''fickle
Gauls.' In addition to this misfortune, a
broken leg kept her OF the stage, and
when Berlioz appeared and though poor
himself chivalrously offered TO pay her
debts and arrange for her future she
married him out OF hand. and made him
repent his action speedily. Nine. Bcrlioz
proved peevish, frctful. bad-tempered
woman. and after a few miserable years
together they separated.
BeethOven's life shows a curious aloof-
ness from women. He was attracted by
them but it would be too much to say
that any one of his many attachments
ever had the slightest influence on his
life or his art. lie had all Of the fire
and strength of ardOr which men of
genius invariably display. The Countess
Gincei-Ardi, for whom, perhaps, he held
the deepest affection, as witnessed by his
letters terming her angel" life" i'm !
mortal beloved" is testimony to this
fact; for when the Immortal beloved
preferred rank and wealth to genius and !
married count. Beethoven seemed not
disturbed. He promptly transferred his
affections 10 the beautiful Marie PaChIer !
and. after her. to the wonderful Bettina, !
that clever child woman. made famous !
lN. CIOthp " loved al
All the world knows Of Chopin's re- !
latiOns with the gifted Nine. Georges !
Sand. In the winter of 1887 Chopin fell /
seriously i'll. and went 10 Maiorca TO re- |
cuperate. Nine Sand was his constant |
and most devoted nurse. and they spent |
long, golden days together; but for some |
reason she declined the famed musi- |
clans proposal of marriage. She left !
him, and it is said that Chopin never |
got over her loss
Haydn. when a mere boy and living in |
penlfry in a garrct lent him by a friend |
feu in love with his landlords daughter, |
Anne Keller. who made him pay dearly !
as his wife for his youthful susceptibility |
Another famous musician. Gluck, also !
suffered in his love affair: but rather be
cause of his position and calling in the
eyes OF his prospective father-in-law.
than through his inamOrata. II was in |
Vienna in las. after the production of his
opera "Semiramide' that he met and |
loved Marianne Pergin. the daughter of
a banker. whose opposition to having
musician for sOn-in-law lasted until |
1850 when the young couple finally were
married with the parental blessing. The
two operatic classics. "IphGenic" were
the result of his happy and Contented
mood.
Schubert affected the role of woman
hater, but he contrived to fall in love
with a beautiful singer named Theresa
Grobe, who afterward married a baker.
The strongest attachment OF his life,
however was for the Countess Caroline
Esterhazy, a beautiful young Hungarian.
who took his devotion as a tribute to
her nobility and grace without under
standing that it was devotion.
VerdTs love story is a veritable ro-
nance In his early days of stress and
penury Chis parents were poor Italian
peasants) he was befriended by a rich
merchant. whose daughters playing had
attracted Verdi to the house and held
him spellbound, until the merchant no.
ticed him and invited him to enter. Soon
after he had obtained his appointment as
organist of the parish church he married
that daughter.
Bellini the famous composer. was less
happy in the romance of his life. In
his early years he fell in love with the
daughter of a Neapolitan judge who re-
turned his affection, but her father sent
him away on account of his humble po-
sition. Years after, when Bellini had be-
come famous, the judge wanted to make