The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1927. BEETHOVEN.

Evening Star, Issue 19517, 26 March 1927, Page 6

The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1927. BEETHOVEN.

One hundred years ago, on Monday, March 26th, 1327, Ludwig Van Beet, hoven .died in Vienna. The centenary of that great passing is now being observed in many countries irrespective of nationality, for Beethoven is a world possession. Such a genius as he was could hardly fail to win recognition in his lifetime. In all civilised countries his pre-eminence was freely conceded while ho had still his greatest works to write. His later compositions undoubtedly puzzled and mystified most of his musical contemporaries, even some of his most faithful admirers. Posterity has judged them slneo. and the verdict of the general body of critics and students of his works is that in tho«»> later years—particularly when his increasing deafness cut him off from the outside world more and more and drove him within himself—he explored heights and depths never suspected before and never achieved since in the world of music. By his bold travelings he toot mankind into a new world; by his extras ordinarily original development of an art which had been engaging men for centuries he has won a place apart Of all musicians ho is the one who in a peculiar sense has been hailed as immortal. He was something more than a masterful musician; with him music was tho language of a great mind. It is not alone tho technical or material aspect of Beethoven’s music that is so overwhelming ; bub it is its mental and spiritual characteristics which so possess the attentive mind. And that is tho reason why in all countries homage is being paid to his name, not merely as a musician, but as one of the greatest intellects this world ias known. We have already said that recognition of his genius came to Beethoven during

his lifetime. Bub ft was not easily or instantaneously conceded. It had to be won step by step. Ho was the last of tho great Vienna school, whoso products are the backbone of the world’s musical library. His first introduction to tho city of culture on tho Danube was as a pianist. Tomaschek, who heard all tho greatest players of Europe between 1790 and 1840, declared Beethoven to bo tho greatest of them all. But it was composers whom tho world needed to take up and carry on tho pioneering work of Haydn and Mozart. Tho untimely death of Mozart, who was Haydn’s natural successor, together with the latter’s advancing years, left the field open for a man of genius. At first llio Viennese regarded Beethoven doubtfully as a composer. They complained that his writings lacked tho ingenuousness of Haydit and the daintiness of Mozart. But soon they began to roah.se that in Beethoven’s woiks there wore other and more profound ualitie.s. It is pleasant to learn that the uninstrncted public grew to like their Beethoven before tho critics did. Tho rst groat critic to appreciate Beethoven at what wo now aro assured was his real worth was perhaps Berlioz. No ohe before him had over said such good things about Beethoven, who was his great musical passion. Berlioz saw in Beethoven a fellow revolutionary who had broken new technical ground at the imperious need of emotional expression. The critical studies ot Berlioz take us back t-o the Paris of the eighteen-twenties. There ouo musician, wo aro told, ran away, fingers in ears, from the Second Symphony. Lcsueur, tho only one of his teachers whom Berlioz respected, was prevailed on by him to go and hear the Fifth Symphony. It was great, ho confessed, but such music ought not to bo written; when ho had tried to put his hat on after the performance he couldn’t find the top of Ids head! This story gives well the sense of emotional perturbation, almost of moral outrage, felt in the dovecotes of French academicism and triviality. According to Berlioz, Paris current opinion declared Beethoven’s music “ bizarre, incoherent, diffuse, bristling with harsh modulations and crude harmony, deficient in melody, tho expression far-fetched, too noisy, and howibly difficult.” But it has ever been thus with tho pedants when a great man has come upon them. Beethoven himself was, if not indifferent to his musical contemporaries, at least quite impervious to their criticism. No tmgo of jealousy ever intruded into Lis artistic career. Ho went along ([into conscious of his own powers, his consuming desire being to make the greatest use of them during life’s allotted span. For Beethoven was a tremendous worker. One of his biographers writes that “ tho keynote of Ids whole character may bo touched in tho bravo step ho took when Jus unhappy father died. He gathered the reins and kept things together—working with might and main to preserve tho humble home. Then, his whole artistic life affords a grand model for every earnest student plodding on towards some high aim. There never was a more genuine worker. The art of taking infinite [wins was tho real secret of his vast success.” His sketch books give some indication of Ids methods. These ho took everywhere with him, particularly on those long solitary walks when ho communed with Nature, They are perhaps tho most remarkable relic that any literary man or artist lias left behind him. Many of them have been dispersed, but some remain intact. There are in each of these hooks about 200 pages of coarso music paper, with sixteen staves to the page, and these are tilled from cover to cover with close-crowded writing. Every theme that occurred to him was duly noted and improved over and over again, for he was insatiable in his standard of perfection. But, once ho was satisfied, nothing external could make him alter one note. It was characteristic of him that, aware of the mt maturity of some of his earlier works, beautiful though they were, ho kept them in reserve and held them back from publication until ho could approach the world with a masterpiece. On his deathbed in Vienna, in his fiftyseventh year, he lamented that the material for his projected ‘ Tenth Symphony ’ was in his sketch books in his desk and he would never be able to make use of it. Within a few days his remains were carried to the Wahring Cemetery, followed by twenty thousand people, among whom the prevailing feeling was one of griel and regret that they had to some extent failed to appreciate the manner of man who had been amongst them. To-day Vienna begins an elaborate seven days’ programme in honor of the great composer, varied by pilgrimages to the places in the neighborhood associated with his life and work. In Germany arrangements have been made to produce Beethoven’s only opera, 1 Fidciio,’ in every opera-house; in many of the cities performances of the ‘Ninth Symphony’ are being given in tho great open squares in the market places; and tho wireless will broadcast other of his works under tho directorship of the best conductors. Berlin is also planning a new concert hall as a permanent memorial. Paris, even, is erecting a statue of Beethoven in tho Rois do Vincennes. In other European capitals special Beethoven programmes are being presented; on Thursday last the ‘ Mass in D ’ was sot down for performance in the Albert Hall, London. It is understood that later on a Beethoven programme is to bo given in Dunedin. It is our misfortune that opportunities of hearing Beethoven’s orchestral and concerted chamber music occur but rarely here. Yet in countless homes his immortal pianoforte sonatas keep his genius before us. it is still our hope that these may bo n preparation for hearing and appreciating at some future time the wonderful treasures, in other forms of composition, which aro our heritage from one of the world’s greatest men.