The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume IIThayer, Alexander Wheelock
History
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
To propitiate him for the humiliation which he had suffered, the bust
of his patron had to become a sacrifice; he dashed it into pieces from
its place on a cabinet to the floor. Alois Fuchs recorded an anecdote
which illustrates the feeling which made Beethoven so unwilling to play
before the French officers. After the battle at Jena (October 14, 1806)
Beethoven met his friend Krumpholz, to whom he was warmly attached,
and, as usual, asked him, “What’s the news?” Krumpholz answered
that the latest news was the report just received that the great
hero Napoleon had won another decisive victory over the Prussians.
Greatly angered, Beethoven replied to this: “It’s a pity that I do not
understand the art of war as well as I do the art of music, I would
conquer him!”
A very natural query arises here: how did Beethoven meet the expenses
of these costly journeys? In answer it may be said that there is good
reason to believe that he borrowed and used his brother Johann’s scanty
savings.
[Sidenote: THOMSON AND SCOTTISH SONGS]
A letter by Beethoven, dated November 1, introduces a new topic. At
the time of the Union of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, 1707,
a “Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of Arts and Manufactures
in Scotland” was established. About 1785 George Thomson became its
Secretary. He had some knowledge of musical science, and was an
enthusiastic lover of Scottish airs and melodies. His official position
brought him into correspondence with educated and influential people in
all parts of the kingdom, and afforded him singular facilities for the
execution of an early formed project--that of making the most extensive
collection possible of the music of Scotland. Many compilations,
various in extent and merit, had been published, but all of them, as
Thomson justly remarks, “more or less defective and exceptionable.” In
one of his prefaces he says:
To furnish a collection of all the fine airs, both of the plaintive
and the lively kind, unmixed with trifling and inferior ones--to
obtain the most suitable and finished accompaniments, with the
addition of characteristic symphonies to introduce and conclude
each air--and to substitute congenial and interesting songs, every
way worthy of the music, in the room of insipid or exceptionable
verses, were the great objects of the present publication....
For the composition of the symphonies and accompaniments, he
entered into terms with Mr. Pleyel, who fulfilled part of his
engagement satisfactorily; but having then stopped short, the
editor found it necessary to turn his eyes elsewhere. He was so
fortunate, however, as to engage Mr. Koželuch, and afterwards, Dr.
Haydn, to proceed with the work, which they have finished in such a
manner as to leave him nothing to regret on Mr. Pleyel’s breach of
engagement, etc., etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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