The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume IIIThayer, Alexander Wheelock
History
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
[69] In Vol. IV of the German edition of this biography, Dr. Deiters
presents a long and extremely interesting descriptive and critical
analysis of the mass from the point of view held by a devout
Roman Catholic churchman; wherefore, in spite of his enthusiastic
appreciation of the music, he is obliged to point out its departure
from some of the dogmas of the church, as well as the rubrics which the
composers had long disregarded. All this is, however, far outside the
scope of this biography as originally conceived by Thayer and to which
the editor has sought to bring it back in this English edition.
[70] These pieces, we learn later, were to be an offertory, a graduale
and a _Tantum ergo_.
[71] Beethoven’s mind reverts to the choral movement of the Ninth
Symphony which is occupying him.
[72] Were it not for the very general confusion which still exists
touching musical terms, it might be set down as a bit singular that
neither Beethoven nor Schindler seems to have known that the French
equivalent of “oratorio” is “oratorio,” and nothing else. The letter,
however, reads: _elle se prète de même a etre executée en Oratoire_. In
France an _oratoire_ is still an oratory, a room for prayer.
[73] The blanks were filled according to the formula.
[74] “Papageno” was the name applied to Schindler in his notes when
Beethoven wished to enjoin silence on his factotum; the allusion, of
course, being to the lip-locked bird-catcher in Mozart’s “Magic Flute.”
[75] If this note refers to the Mass, Schindler’s date must be a year
too late.
[76] In view of what will have to be said later about the controversy
which raged for years after Beethoven’s death about the financial
dealings between Prince Galitzin and Beethoven, it was thought best to
establish at this time the fact that Galitzin subscribed for the Mass
and paid the fee in the manner which has been set forth.
[77] The letter is incorrectly dated July 1, by Kalischer. Thayer’s
transcript and also one made by Dr. Kopfermann of the Royal Library at
Berlin for Dr. Deiters give June as the month.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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