Translated from the German of Franz Hoffmann BY GEORGE P. UPTON Translator of “Memories,” etc. THIRD PRINTING CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1910 Copyright A. C. McClurg & Co. 1904 Published October 1, 1904 THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A....

The life-story of Beethoven, contained in these pages, is a résumé of the events of his childhood and youth, those of his maturer years being merely indicated in order to give symmetry to the narrative. It covers just that period of his life in which young readers are likely to be interested. Those who have the leisure and inclination to study the details of his entire career will find them in the biographies of Schindler, Ries, Marx, Thayer, and others, but it is questionable whether any of the

December days are not usually considered the most agreeable or most comfortable days of the year, but no December day could have been more disagreeable or uncomfortable than the seventeenth of that month in 1774. A dense, almost impenetrable fog enveloped that afternoon the city of Bonn on the Rhine, and the country for miles around, in a cold, gray veil of mist, through which hardly a ray of sunshine could find its way. A fine rain, mingled with occasional flakes of snow, drizzled through the f

A divine spring day filled the beautiful Rhine valley with radiance and light. The surface of the river glistened as if strewn with thousands of diamonds. On the not far away “Sieben Gebirge” [10] hung a blue haze, like a fine transparent veil, not concealing, but only beautifying and softening the rugged outlines of the peaks. The island of Nonnenwerth, with its bright green foliage, was set in the river like an emerald, and high above it on the left bank gleamed the red ruins of the old castle

Wegeler kept his word. With a beaming countenance he appeared at Beethoven’s house the next evening and exultantly said: “I have succeeded. Congratulate yourself, friend Ludwig! I shall introduce you this evening to a family with whom you will feel perfectly at home.” “And what kind of a family might that be?” said Beethoven, distrustfully. “You know I am not adapted to all the world, and that all the world is not adapted to me.” “But this family is in no way of the character which you so sweepi

Good fortune often arouses jealousies and enmities, for while there are many good men in the world, there are also many base and evil-minded ones. Beethoven was destined to make this discovery at once. His appointment as court organist was received by most of the members of the electoral chapel with expressions of great discontent, and some of them did not conceal their resentment that such a green young student should have been selected as their colleague. Of course it never occurred to these n

The most distinguished and refined society of that period was accustomed to assemble at the house of Prince Lichnowski, [23] and the best music was often performed there by the most eminent artists. Both the Prince and his amiable wife had received a thorough musical education, and loved and promoted music of the highest kind. Beethoven brought a most cordial letter of introduction from Count Waldstein to the Prince, and consequently received an immediate invitation to a musical evening at the L

Although Beethoven lived to see happy days and happy times in beautiful Vienna, other days and other times succeeded them, darkened by a terrible fate which only a strong and lofty spirit like his could endure and even overcome. One fine summer evening Beethoven and his pupil, Ries, took a pleasant ramble among the beautiful fields around Vienna. The setting sun flooded the earth with a sea of gold and purple. Rosy clouds slowly floated in the sky. High in air the lark sang its sweet-toned eveni

AN ATTRACTIVE SERIES FOR CHILDREN TITLES HISTORICAL MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY LEGENDARY Sold single or boxed in sets of two, four, and eight volumes Uniform size, 5 × 6¾ inches. Green cloth binding, stamped in white and gold. Each, 60 cents net; by mail, 68 cents A. C. McCLURG & CO. PUBLISHERS NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Translated from the German by GEORGE P. UPTON 24 Volumes Now Ready Historical and Biographical Musical Biography Legendary Illustrated. Each 60