"How glorious it is to live one's life a thousand times!" Beethoven...

The following brief sketch can lay no claim to originality; it is merely a slight résumé of the principal events in the master's life (from the works of Schindler, Ries, and Wegeler, and more especially from Marx and Thayer), and is intended for those who, without the leisure to go deeply into the subject, yet desire to know a little more about the great Tone-poet than can be gathered from the pages of a concert programme, however skilfully annotated. The few letters introduced have been transla

The first edition of this little book was exhausted within a few months of publication, and I have repeatedly been asked since to reprint it, but have hitherto withheld my consent, trusting to be able to undertake a more comprehensive work on the subject. As, however, the necessary leisure for this is still wanting to me, and the demand for the "Memoir" continues, it is fated to reappear, and I can but commend it again to the kind indulgence of the reader. Several rectifications as to dates, &am

" Quasi Fantasia. " The year 1749 brought us Goethe; 1756, Mozart; 1759, Schiller; and 1770, Beethoven. Thus, within the short space of twenty-one years four of the greatest poetic geniuses were born—four men of whom not only the German Fatherland, but all mankind must be proud. And even more happy than proud, since the most splendid gift which the Divine Being from time to time vouchsafes to poor humanity is that of genius. Through it we receive the highest good in which we are capable of parti

INTRODUCTORY Origin of the family Van Beethoven —The Electorate of Cologne—Court of Clemens August the Magnificent—Ludwig van Beethoven the Elder—Johann van Beethoven—Bonn in 1770. owards the middle of the seventeenth century there lived in a Belgian village near Louvain a family of the name Van Beethoven . To their position in life we have no clue, unless it be that contained in the name itself ( beet , root; hof , garden), which after all only indicates that the occupation of some remote proge

BOYHOOD. Birth—Early Influences and Training—Neefe—First Attempts at Composition—The Boy Organist—Max Friedrich's National Theatre—Mozart and Beethoven—Disappointment. n the 17th of December, 1770, in the old house in the Bonngasse, Ludwig van Beethoven first saw the light. He was not the eldest child, Johann having about eighteen months previously lost a son who had also been christened Ludwig. Beethoven's infant years flew by happily, the grandfather being still alive, and able to make good an

YOUTH. Despondency—The Breuning Family—Literary Pursuits—Count Waldstein—National Theatre of Max Franz—King Lux and his Court—The Abbé Sterkel—Appointment as Court Pianist—First Love—Second Visit of Joseph Haydn. ow "flat, stale, and unprofitable" must everything in Bonn have appeared to our Beethoven after the charms of Vienna—charms real in themselves, and surrounded by the ideal nimbus of his fresh young hopes and strivings! The desolate, motherless home, his neglected orphan brothers, his dr

LEHRJAHRE. Arrival in Vienna—Studies with Haydn—Timely Assistance of Schenk—Albrechtsberger—Beethoven as a Student—His Studies in Counterpoint—Letters to Eleanore v. Breuning. ehold, then, our young musician at the long-desired goal—free from all depressing, pecuniary cares, with his pension secure from the Elector, and a little fund of his own to boot. He reached the capital about the middle of November, alone and friendless; nor is there any proof that the advent of the insignificant, clumsily

THE VIRTUOSO. Family Occurrences—Music in Vienna—Van Swieten—Prince Lichnowski—Beethoven's Independence, Personal Appearance, Manners—Rasoumowski Quartet—Occurrences in Lichnowski's Palace—First Three Trios—Artistic Tour to Berlin—Woelfl—Beethoven as an Improvisatore—Steibelt. eethoven's period of study embraced over two years, during which many events took place that produced a revolution in his circumstances, and left him at their close in a very different position from that in which they had

CONFLICT. Deafness and its Consequences—His Brothers' Influence—Letters to Wegeler—"Mount of Olives"—Beethoven's Will—Beethoven as an Instructor—a Conductor—Sinfonia Eroica—"Leonora" ("Fidelio")—"Adelaïde." uffering and genius! apparently so far apart, in reality so near! The bitter cry of Milton,— "Dark, dark, dark, amidst the blaze of noon!" has gone up from many a thousand hearts to the eternal throne; but who may presume to fathom the dispensations of a mysterious providence? or to question

LOVE. The Fourth Symphony—Julia Guicciardi—Letters to her—To Bettina Brentano—Beethoven's Attachments—Domestic Troubles—Frau Nanette Streicher—Daily Life—Composing im Freien . "In love with an Ideal, A creature of his own imagination, A child of air, and echo of his heart; And like a lily on a river floating, She floats upon the river of his thoughts." hence comes it that after a storm of darkness and gloom—after the disappointment of his "Leonora"—the next offspring of the poet's fancy should b

VICTORY AND SHADOW. Period of Greatest Intellectual Activity—Hummel—The Battle of Vittoria—Congress of Vienna—Maelzel—Pecuniary Difficulties—Adoption of Nephew—The Philharmonic Society—The Classical and Romantic Schools—The Ninth Symphony—His Nephew's Conduct—Last Illness. he period between the years 1805 and 1814 may be considered that of Beethoven's greatest creative energy. It is almost impossible to keep pace with the stream of colossal works which flowed without intermission from his pen. T

1. Op. 49, No. 2, in G major. 2. Op. 49, No. 1, in G minor. 3. Op. 14, No. 2, in G major. 4. Op. 14, No. 1, in E major. 5. Op. 79, in G major. 6. Op. 2, No. 1, in F minor. 7. Op. 10, No. 1, in C minor. 8. Op. 10, No. 2, in F major. 9. Op. 10, No. 3, in D major. 10. Op. 13, in C minor ( Pathétique ). 11. Op. 22, in B flat major. 12. Op. 28, in D major ( Pastorale ). 13. Op. 2, No. 2, in A major. 14. Op. 2, No. 3, in C major. 15. Op. 78, in F sharp major. 16. Op. 7, in E flat major. 17. Op. 26, in

1. Three Trios for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello, in E flat, G major, and C minor; ded. to Prince Lichnowski; composed 1791-92. 2. Three Sonatas for piano, in F minor, A major, and C major; ded. to Joseph Haydn; pub. 1796. 3. Trio for violin, viola, and violoncello, in E flat; composed in Bonn in 1792. 4. Quintet for two violins, two violas, and violoncello, in E flat (from the octet for wind instruments, Op. 103); pub. 1797. 5. Two Sonatas for piano and violoncello, in F major and G minor

No. 1 a . Twelve Variations for piano and violin, in F major; Theme: " Se vuol ballare ," from Mozart's " Figaro ;" ded. to Eleanore von Breuning; pub. 1793. 1 b . Thirteen Variations for piano, in A major; Theme: " Es war einmal ein alter Mann ;" pub. 1794. 2. Nine Variations for piano, in A major; Theme: " Quant è più bello ;" pub. 1796. 3 a . Six Variations for piano; Theme: " Nel cor più non mi sento ;" composed 1795. 3 b . Two Minuets for piano, for four hands. 4. Twelve Variations for pian

a. Trio for piano, violin, and violoncello (in one movement), in B flat; ded. to "my little friend, Maximiliana Brentano, for her encouragement in pianoforte playing;" composed 1812. b. Rondo for piano and violin, in G major; pub. 1800. c. Andante for piano, in G. d. Sonata for piano, in C major ( incomplete ); composed 1796. e. Two easy Sonatinas for piano, in G major and F major; composed in Bonn. f. Three Sonatas for piano, in E flat major, F minor, and D major; ded. to the Elector Max. Fried

a. " Beethoven's Heimgang ," for voice and piano. b. " An Sie ," Song, in A flat major. c. Two Songs :— 1. " Seufzer eines Ungeliebten. " 2. " Die laute Klage. " d. " Die Ehre Gottes in der Natur ," for four voices and orchestra, in C major. e. Cantata: "Europa steht." f. Song, "Gedenke mein." g. " Empfindungen bei Lydia's Untreu ," in E flat. h. " Equali ," two pieces for four trombones. i. Allegretto for orchestra. k. Three Quartets. l. Rondo for piano and orchestra. m. Octet for wind instrume

"We can sincerely congratulate Mr. Graeme on having achieved a decided literary success.... The story is written in a lively and agreeable style ... the simple life of the worthy Director is charmingly told.... Several of the portraits are evidently taken from life.... The interest of the story centres in Mala, the beautiful girl, who inherits her father's genius.... The characters of Mr. Chesney, the stately and somewhat pompous rector, and of his anti-type, a parson of quite another school, ar