"Joy, thou heavenly spark of Godhead!"
A DAY WITH
LUDWIG VON
BEETHOVEN
BY MAY BYRON
HODDER & STOUGHTON
In the same Series.
Schubert.
Mendelssohn.
A DAY WITH BEETHOVEN
At daybreak, on a summermorning, in the year 1815, a short,thick-set, sturdily-built manentered his sitting-room, andat once set to work to composemusic. Not that he disturbedthe slumbers of the other inhabitants byuntimely noises upon the pianoforte: a coursewhich, at three in the morning, might beresented by even the most enthusiastic admirerof his genius. No: he sat down at his table,with plenty of music paper, and addressedhimself to his usual avocation of writingassiduously till noon or thereabouts.
The untidy, uncomfortable condition ofhis room did not distress Ludwig vanBeethoven in the least. True, it was scatteredall over with books and music; here theremains of last night's food, there an emptywine bottle; on the piano, the hasty sketch ofsome immortal work; on the floor, uncorrectedproofs, business letters, orchestral scores, andMSS. in a chaotic pile.
But he thoroughly enjoyed casting aglance, from time to time, at the sunny scenewithout; at the vista towards the BelvedereGarden, the Danube, and the distantCarpathians,—the view for the sake of whichhe had taken up his lodgings at this house inthe Sailer-stätte, Vienna. For if there wasone thing which still could afford a uniqueand cloudless pleasure to this sensitive,unhappy man, it was Nature in all her variedforms of light and loveliness. Nature, that"never did betray the heart that loved her,"still held out open arms of help and solacefor the healing of his afflicted soul.
Beethoven, in his various migrations fromlodging to lodging—and they were verynumerous, and inspired by the most trivialcauses—always endeavoured to select an airy,sunshiny spot, where he could at least feelthe country air blowing to him, and so keepin touch with his beloved green fields. If thesupply of sunshine proved insufficient, thatwas quite a valid reason for another removal.But his restless, sensitive mind was apt tomagnify molehills into mountains, and themost trifling inconvenience into a seriousobstacle to work. Work was his startingpoint, his course, his goal; work was his wholeraison-d'-être, the very meaning and objectof his existence.
It has been observed that if we wouldrepresent to ourselves a day in the life ofBeethoven, one of the Master's own wonderfulcompositions would serve as the best counterpart.Wagner instances the great Quartet in Csharp minor as a notable instance of thisallegoric music,—designating the rather longintroductory Adagio, "than which, probably,nothing more melancholy has ever beenexpressed in tones, as the awaking of a day
'Which through its tardy course
No single longing shall fulfil—not one!'
And yet the Adagio is in itself a prayer, a periodof conference with God