The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-03

/ present dsy would-bs leader Of the
German people. Adolph Hitler.
The van" In Beethovsn's name
was 10 token Of noble blood Ills
mother vas \ COG and his father
and grandfather merely musi-
clans" Worse sui. his father vas
. dissoluts. shiftess drunkard. who
scarcely had even the respect q
those In his own class. How Bee
thoven. through sheer force Of his
own genius. vas able to command
an independent position and rise
above the groveling sycophancy
through which musicians expected
10 naftsr an existence from their
titled patrons. IL one Of the most
interesting pages In musical his
tory.
Beethoven wanted 20 embrace
the whole world with his BIZ heart.
As he says in his ninth tehoralD
symphony: 20, ye millions. EN-
brace ye. Here's joyful kiss
for all In contrast. Hitler can
give only slavery OF death.
As We study Beethoven's works
we find love Of freedom the motive
Of the third Eroica symphony; the
purity Of ~Fidelio.n his only opera;
the human Independence OF the
FIFTH symphony. the love Of ma
ture in the sixth: love Of life IN
the seventh. and the omnipotenee
Of the creator In -Mlssa solemnis"
and the ninth symphony.
Beethoven's democratic tend
snciss were fundamental He was
not merely = hsir-brained revelu-
tionary desiring to overthrow
monarchy without putting some
thing sdbstantiai In its place. He
upheld Unlimited liberty and ma
tionsl independence. He thought
every citizen should take part In
the government Of the state.
AZ u was astonishing for any
one living In a monarchy over i25
years ago to preserve the attitude
which Beethoven held, Il was
equally difficult for a composer to
write In the iconocisstic mold
which he adopted. II IL not sur
prising that even In Prague the
critics found the "Eroies" SYM
phony. the musical apotheosis OF
democracy. "A dangerously immor-
al composition"
II In well know that when
Beethoven wrote this symphony be
had Napoleon In mind. The origin
al manuscript still bears the title.
'Bonaparte. when he heard OF
the coronation OF Napoleon his an
ger knew no bounds. Tearing off
the dedication page Of his sym
phony. he screamed:
He II only an ordinary mani"
In its place he wrote "sinfonia
Eroica composite per festeggisre II
souvenlre de un grand nomo."
Heroic symphony composed TO
commemorate the recollection Of
great mani
Later. when ne heard OF Napo-
Icons Imprisonment on ST. Helena.
he thought OF the funeral march
In his great symphony. and said;
Seventeen years ago ! composed
music for this tragedy"
Beethoven's stormy life In pic
tured In splendid verbal imagery
by the great French critic. Roman
Roland. and no more appropriate
ending TO this appreciation can be
found He pictures the life Of
Beethoven as a stormy day, begin
ming with . fresh. clear morning.
scarcely . breath OF air stirring.
but in the quietness there In a
dark foreboding. Shadows loom.
and there are the furious winds Of
the Eroica. and the fifth SYM
phony.
But after All this. says Roland.
JOY remains and he concludes with
these lines:
what . conquest was this,
What Nspoleonic battle can Be
iikened TO a., what was Austria
litx glory to the radiance Of this
superhuman effort. Sorrow per-
sonisied. TO whom the world re-
fused Joy, himself created Joy to
give 10 the world. He forged IL
from his own misery. And indeed.
a. -. A. --ss- =. "a. ..~A.f. ~