Evening star., 1949-02-13
Goethe, Pushkin
Anniversaries
Fall This Year
By Alice Eversmon

by observances OF the death
centenary Of Chopin, 1t is also
an anniversary year Of two great
poets intimately associated with
music, Johann Wolfgang Won
Goethe, born August %. 1749, and
Alexander Pushkin, born In 1899.
These two great men died within
five years Of each other, Goethe
at the ripe age of 83 and Pushkin
at 38. The thread of influence
of these men on musicians dur
ing two centuries can be traced
in a great number of immortal
works brought into being by the
music Of their poetry or the dra-
mas of their prose writings.
While Pushkin's influence was
confined mostly to composers of
his native land, that of Goethe
spread to musicians of every coun-
try. Even today recourse to his
poems is had for another setting
aimed at still clearer union with
the text. The similarity between
the character and lives Of the
two poets is close, although the
one was cut off in his prime and
the other had twice as many years
to mellow and to philosophize. Al
though occupying positions Of i'm
portance in governmental circles
of their respective countries, their
special gifts never suffered, but
flourished and ripened. Goethe's
little house Of four rooms in Wei
mar was his refuge from the court
life of which he was a prominent
member and in the quiet of his
garden he found tranquility OF
mind and inner converse.
Goethe Tried Composing.
Music was necessary to Goethe
and he fostered 1t whenever pos
sible. A choral group met at his
house each Thursday to practice
and on Sunday afternoons for a
performance before invited guests.
The poet would join in the singing
and supervise the programs. His
study of music leaned more to it's
scientific side, his interest in
counterpart leading him to try
himself out as composer. He
planned also at one time to write
treatise on acoustics.
! Emil Ludwig, in letter to
George Bernard Shaw that forms
the preface to his biography of
Goethe. calls the poet "a brother
Of our great musicians" His at
tiude toward them. however, was
not always fraternal. Only to
Mendelssohn did he show un-
varying kindness. begging him to
extend his visits. both as boy
and grown man. beyond the
couple of days originally set. Daily
Mendelssohn played to him on
these visits and Goethe named
him the gentle ruler of the pi-
ano." Yet years later he pub
lished the letters that had passed
between him and the 12-year- -old
boy under the title "Goethe's Cor
respondence With a Child" and
shocked the Mendelssohn family
by his tactlessness.
The two giants of the period,
Goethe and Beethoven. met sew
eral times during a three-day pc
riod, and the poet sat beside Bee
thoven in his dingy rooms as the
composer played. Their admira-
ton was mutual. Beethoven tell
ing the writer when your poems
coursed through my brain, they
left music behind" and Goethe
wrote His talent has utterly
amazed me-" tempering the praise,
however, with But unfortunate
ly his is a most savage PERSONAL
ity." OF Schubert he would take
no notice. declaring that he dis
liked Schubert's setting of his
poems. only some years after the
composers death, acknowledging
that he was overcome with emo
tion on hearing a splendid per-
formance of The Erlking."
20 Poems Set to Music.
More than 70 of Goethe's poems
were set to music by Schubert
alone and many found favor with.
other composers. Goethe's Faust"
was an unceasing source Of in
spiration to composers even Bee