Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

a
1814 SCHUBERT 1814 283
To avoid a similar danger * Schubert elected to
were also many concerts, including those at
I
Quoted b7 S.B. m- lOS, 101 (L lOS, 103>.
which Beethoven prodnced his 5th, 6th, and 7th, enter his father's school, and after the necessary
Symphonies, the Choral Fantasia, portions of study for a few months at the Normal School of
the Mass in C, the Overture to ' Coriolan,' and St. Anna, did so, and actually remained there for
others of his greatest compositions. Schubert three years as teacher of the lowest class. The
probably heard all these works, but it is very duties were odious, but he discharged them
doubtful whether he heard them with the same with strict regularity, and not with greater
predilection as the operas just mentioned. We severity than might reasonably be expected
might infer with certainty from the three earliest from the irritable temperament of a musician
of his symphonies, that Beethoven's style had condemned to such drudgery. The picture of
as yet taken but little hold on him, notwithstanding
Pegasus thus in vile harness, and the absence
the personal fsiscination which he seems of any remark on the anomaly, throws a curious
to have felt for the great master from first to light on the beginnings of a great composer.
last. But, indeed, we have his own express Out of school hours, however, he had his relaxations.
There was a family in the Lichten-
declaration to that effect. Coming home after
a performance of an oratorio of Salieri's, June thal named Grob— a mother, son, and daughter
16, 1816, he speaks of the music in terms which —whose relations to him were somewhat like
can only refer to Beethoven, as 'of simple those of the Breunings to Beethoven (vol. i. p.
natural expression, free from all that bizarrerie 218J). The house was higher in the scale than
which prevails in most of the composers of our his father's, and he was quite at home there.
time, and for which we have almost solely to Therese, the daughter, had, a fine high soprano
thank one of our greatest German artists ; that voice, and Heinrich Grob played both PF. and
hizarre/rie which unites the tragic and the comic, violoncello ; the mother was a woman of taste,
the agreeable and the repulsive, the heroic and and a great deal of music was made. It is not
the petty, the Holiest and a harlequin ; infuriates
impossible that Therese inspired him with a
those who hear it instead of dissolving softer feeling.3 The choir of the Lichtenthal
them in love, and makes them laugh instead of church, where his old friend Holzer was still
raising them heavenwards.' Mozart was at the choirmaster, was his resort on Sundays and
time his ideal composer ;
this, too, is plain from feast days, and for it he wrote his first mass, in
the symphonies, but here also he leaves us in F—begun May 17, finished July 22, 1814—
no doubt. Three days earlier we find in the fitting pendant to the symphony of the previous
same diary,' apropos of one of the quintets of October. He was not yet eighteen, and the
that great master ' Gently, as if out of the mass is pronounced by a trustworthy critic*
distance, did the magic tones of Mozart's music to be the most remarkable first mass ever produced,
strike my ears. With what inconceivable alternate
excepting Beethoven's in C, and as
force and tenderness did Sehlesinger's striking an instance of the precocity of genius
masterly playing impress it deep, deep, into my as Mendelssohn's Overture to the Midsummer
'
heart ! Such lovely impressions remain on the Night's Dream.' It seems to have been first
soul, there to work for good, past all power of performed on Oct. 1 6, the first Sunday after St.
time or circums'tances. In the darkness of this Theresa's day, 1814—Mayseder, then twentyfive
life they reveal a clear, bright, beautiful prospect,
and an acknowledged virtuoso, leading the
inspiring confidence and hope. Mozart, first violins ; and was repeated at the Augustine
immortal Mozart ! what countless consolatory Church ten days after. This second performance
images of a bright better world hast thou was quite an event. Franz conducted, Holzer
stamped on our sotds. ' There is no doubt to led the choir, Ferdinand took the organ, Therese
which of these two great masters he was most Grob sang, the enthusiasm of the family and
attached at the time he wrote this. [At the friends was great, and the proud father presented
same time it is fair to add that even now his
his happy son with a five-octave piano.^
allegiance was divided. In the instrumental Salieri was present and loud in his praises, and
compositions of this period, though the style is claimed Schubert as his pupil. He had indeed
modelled on Mozart, the subjects are occasionally begun to take some interest in the lad before *
reminiscent of Beethoven's ideas ; and there is he left the Convict, and continued it by daily
a significant story that when a friend praised lessons ' for a long time. ' ' That interest was
some of his settings of Elopstock, and hailed probably much the same that he had shown to
him already as one of the great masters of Beethoven fifteen years before, making him
composition, he answered diffidently, ' Perhaps, write to Metastasio's words, and correcting the
I sometimes have dreams of that sort, but who prosody of his music. But there must have
can do anything after Beethoven ? been some curious attraction about the old man,
']
We have seen what a scourge the conscription to attach two such original geniuses as Beethoven
proved in the case of Eies (see ante, p, 97), and
3 He yraa three times suniiDoned to enlist. See Ferd. p. IS-I.
the uneasiness of Mendelssohn's family till the
3 See K,H. pp. 141 (i. 144).
* Prout, in MimtKy Mu*ical Record, Jan.
risk of it was over in his case (vol. iii. p. 121a).
and Feb. 1871.
5 Ferd. p. I33S. ' K.B.i.^ note.
">
Bauemfeld, in W.Z.K. June 9, 1829.