Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27

TIME Omnipotent Power seemed
to recognize the Importance
of that second when great
genius who brought vital
music to this world slipped out OF
the totally deafened, pan-racked
shell of humanity March %. 1927,
and sent a thunderstorm crashing
over the earth to herald this souls
release. And though he had had
many faults and eccentricitieS OF
personal qualities, the memory of
Ludwig van Beethoven was honored
by 10000 music lovers OF Vienna who
attended his funeral Today, lU0
years later. churches all over the
world hold special Beethoven serv-
ices. In Washington w. L. Darby,
executive secretary of the local
Federation of Churches, has gotten
in touch with pastors, organistS and
choir directors requesting Beethoven
selections be featured in the pro-
grams today. The Bishop OF Wash
ington. James f. Freeman, has issued
similar requests for the churches OF
the Episcopal denomination. One of
the outstanding OF these programs
will be a Beethoven service this
morning at the Chapel of the
Epiphany in Southwest Washington,
where Louise Homer Stires, daugh
ter of the famous contralto and her
self a singer OF renown. will sing
a Beethoven number. There are
many others; some OF which have
submitted the programs which arc
printed elsewhere on this page.
K < X K
IN this connection it is OF absorb
ing interest to find what thoughts
that great composer himself had on
the subject of God DIR. Alicia
Simon, a Polish musician. who has
been doing special work at the
Library OF Congress i'll the music di-
vision for the last few years, and
who will read paper at the Bee
thoven festival TO be held this week
in Vienna, sent this material to the
writer just prior to her sailing for
. Europe. suggesting that in her re-
search on the matter for her speech
she had found these facts which she
thought would be of general inter
est. She states that Beethoven's
favorite book was Sturm's "Obser-
vations Concerning Gods Works III
Nature" and among some OF his
own opinions as expressed in various
diaries or TO special friends are the
following:
He who is above osHe is. and without
Him there is nothing.
Go to the devil with your gracious, sir :"
There is only one who can be called gra-
cious and that is God. tAbout 1924 or
1925. to his copyist. Rampel.l
what Is all this compared with It'll, the Great al
rlghteously the Most High. whereas here be.
high. ITO the publisher. schott. in 1sa4)
Heaven rules over the destiny OF men and
monsters. and so II will guide me. too TO
Y. der Recke.l
Religion and Thorough bass are settled
hings wa Es,d 5heTe h snGad oe no
All things flowed clear and pure out of
God. COPIED from Sturm IN Besth9Yen
Cease not to labor for my betterment. Ii.
whatsoever manner II be. let me turn to
Thee and become fruitful in good works
Certainly the Lord seems to have
answered these fervent prayers, Tor
the WORKS Of Beethoven are increas
ingly appreciated and recognized
throughout the world,
y x
TT was especially significant OF
Beethover1's character that he
scorned the gaudy, melodramatic
), libreftos of SO many opera works
and when he wrote his one opera,
~Fidelio," il was a story of constant
love with a very spiritual vein. Both
the "Fidelio" overture and the most
popular OF the three. now recently
augmented to four, "Leonore" over
tures-that one known as "Leonore
No. 3"-were used this Spring III the
Metropolitan Operas production OF
this work, an unusually inspiring
presentation Of the opera that won
high praise from critics and public
alike. Directed by Arthur Bodansky
Bohnan. Friedrich Schorr. Rudolf
Laubenthai, Larson Todsen, Editha
Fleischer and Gustav Schuetzendorf
in the leading roles, and absolutely
irnbued in the spirit OF the work
they were singing. the second per
Torrance. heard by the writer i'll
New York. was a noble memory to
carry away OF this one opera OF the
great master. Performances of
"Fidelio" also will be given in Vienna
during the festival this week. and it
is listed as a leading attraction for
the music festivals this Summer in
Munich and Salzburg.
Mr.. Bodansky, in an article III
Musical America. said. in part
AS for 'Fidelio,' | consider it the
first great music drama. not only
from musical point OF view. but be-
cause the book itself ! one of the
finest specimens OF tf type Of
' literature In it Beethoven gives ex-
preston TO that pet idea OF his-thc
triumph Of matrimonial love. He
was unhappy always, because he
never found wife So il was that
into 'Fidclio' he put that gorgeous
ideahsm that finds It's outlet in the
lines OF Leonore and Florestan. He
was not very fond OF singers. and
the reason for that. OF course, was
that he never knew how TO handle
the human voice To him il was just
an Instrument and he treated it as
such. TO do their music justice
really. Leonore and Fiorestan need
TO have swallowed d clarinet apiece
The 'Missa Solennis? II is not
liturgical. as so many people seen
TO think. but Yet It has TO DO with
Beethovcn's belief In God. Call hin
Pantheist. If you viii He believed
in Supreme Being. and he put al
his beliefs. al his greatness, into thai
one mas Such intense feeling has
never been c>prcs sed before"
This same "Missa S0lennis" wa
presented Tuesday night as til,
opening feature d the unique