Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-20
NJ y S &c
BY HELEN FETTER.

IRENE. and the present generation
has come to regard Beethoven as
kind o. inspired diot---a genius
where music was concerned: a mere
dolt III every other respect save that
of driving bargain.
Yet surely. as this writer contin-
ues, such attitudes belittle the intel
ligence obviously necessary for the
first of the Romantics. To show
that some of his letters are quite
literary enough. as we'll as being
valuable from purely sentimental
point of view. we quote the following,
taken from one Of Lawrence Gil
mans columns, entitled Beethoven
as a Pianist"
The excitement of reading eight
hitherto unpublished letters written
by Beethoven is provided by that
admirable henchpan of musical art,
the Beethoven Association. which
has Just issued i'll a handsome vol
ume collection of the master
letter owned in America. These are
printed in facsimile, with transla-
tons and commentary by the emi-
nent inusicologist. Mr. O. G. Son
neck (former chief of the music
division. Library of Congress-. The
volume contains reproductions of IS
Beethoven letters. of which almost
one-quarter are now made generally
known for the first time.
THE majority of Beethoven's pre-
served letters, as Mr.. Sonneck tells
us in his introduction, have found a
n Hcf he
libraries of Berlin and Vienna. or are
jealousy guarded in the archives
OF the descendants of his publishers
and friends or of such institutions
as the Beethoven House. in Bonn,
But many are scattered through the
private manuscript collections of
Europe. 1t is practically such letters
only which occasionally appear on
the market and then disappear again
from public gaze. Of this floating
population naturally some emigrated
to America, but how many will hard
ly ever be known with certainty"
In speaking of Beethoven's per-
sonal talent for the piano, in this
same article. Mr.. Gilman says. quot
ing Mr.. Sonneck's work again
Beethoven must be conceded to
have had but very few rivals as
pianist during his prime, before adj
vancing deafness and neglect of
technical practice impaired to his
playing its later characteristic and
somewhat slovenly roughness. though
even then his powerful improvisa-
tons and his prima vista playing re-
manned unequaled And Beethoven
could move his auditors-much to
his own disgust-to tears at will.
precisely because he made them feel
that one could sing on the piano
forte. Yet Beethoven. who show
cred on the world so many priceless
sonatas and concertos for the piano
forte, never seems quite to have
overcome an aversion against com
posing Tor it. Perhaps he instinc-
lively felt that his style of treatment
might not be the last or even the
best. Al any rate. this exclamation
of June ?, 1904, in his journal. would
seem to go deeper than merely tenn
porary outburst of mood: God only
knows why my piano music still
makes on me always the worst i'm
preston, especially if badly played
is described as the
- "Michelangelo of music" by
Ely Ney. the official Beethoven
pianist in the March issue of the
American Monthly. She gives a
novel and entertaining picture of the
great composers personality.
Tradition and romance have done
their best TO represent Beethoven as
q musical hero should be- she saws.
But in movie or best seller. or in
drama like The Music Master / fear
that the sturdy. swarthy little man
who glorifed Vienna century ago
would have been an artistic failure.
He did not look the part.
The poetical painters OF his dav.
untrammeled by the realistic art of
the photographer. did their utmost
to idealize the composer. But all the
help he could give them was his
tousled shock of thick black hair.
his expanse of forehead, his excel
lent white teeth and his small and
graceful feet.
He had thickset, muscular. but
rather stopped. figure. 5 feet S inches
IN height; short neck, large head
and wide strong face with heavy
Jaws. The large brilliant poetic eyes
with which painters tried to endow
him were small, black, penetrating
and businesslike; although their wide
distance apart evinced the frankness
and sincerity of his disposition.
His nose was short. broad and
rounded his mouth downdrawn. his
lips protruding and petulant. His
swarthy complexion. deeply pock
marked and seldom well shaved
aided in nicknaming him the Span
lard even as youth His legs were
short, his hands thick and dumpv.
his fngcrs-which should have been
long, tapering and artistic. as every
saxophonist in Greenwich Village
knoWs-were short. thick. blunt
unitarian.
Quite properly Indifferent TO his
dress, the great sonatist wasted more
water on his own hands and head
than his laundress used upon his
linen. But nerves, not ncatncss,
were the reason for this profusion
His strange drenchings' were a part
OF the eccentricity which he con-
coded TO tradition whenever he was
composing. He spent happy hours.
indeed, improvising at his piano.
But he did his serious work of COM
position at his desk with pen in hand.
And while his huge brain throbbed
with celestial transports of beauty
and OF grandeur. he did not burst.
a Ia Hollywood. into glorious song.
Instead, jumping from his chair, he
would dash pitcher after pitcher of
cold water impartially over his head,
his hands. the lodging house floor
and the unlucky roomer underneath.