Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

He
1821 SCHUBERT 1821 295
' Waldesnaoht, ' a very long song of extraordinary
beauty, variety, force, and imagination.
With February 1821 Schubert entered his
twenty-fifth year, and it was a good' omen to
receive such a birthday present as the three
testimonials of this date which Kreissle has
preserved. The first is from von Mosel, then
Court Secretary ; the second from Weigl, Director
of the Court Opera, Salieri, and von Eichthal
tlie third from Moritz Count Dietriohstein,
whom Beethoven addresses as 'Hofmusikgraf,'
and who appears to have been a sort of Jupiter-
Apollo with general sway over all Court music.
These influential personages waiinly recognise
his eminent ability, industry, knowledge, feeling,
and taste, and profess the best intentions
towards him. The three documents were
enclosed by the Count in a letter to Vogl, full
of good wishes for the future of his friend.
Still more giatifying was the prospect, which
now at last opened, of the publication of his
songs. It was the first good epoch iu Schubert's
hitherto struggling life. He had now been
writing for more than seven years, with an
industry and disregard of consequences which
are really fearful to contemplate ; and yet, as
far as fame or profit were concerned, might
almost as well have remained absolutely idle.
Here at. length was a break in the cloud. It
was not less welcome because it was mainly due
to his faithful friends, the Sonnleithners, who
had made his acquaintance through the accident
of Leopold Sonnleithner's being at school with
him, and ever since cherished it in the most
faithful and practical way, Ignaz, the father,
having, since 1815, had large periodical musicmeetings
of artists and amateurs in his house
at the Gundelhof, which were nothing less
than Schubert propaganda. Here, before large
audiences of thoroughly musical people, Schubert's
pieces were repeatedly performed, and at
length, on Dec. 1, 1820, the ' Erl King ' was
sung by Gymnioh, a well-known amateur, with
a spirit which fired every one of the audience
with the desire to possess the song, and appears
to have suggested to Leopold and Gymnich the
possibility >of finding a publisher for the inspirations
which had for so long been their delight
and astonishment. They applied to Diabelli
and Haslinger, the leading houses of Vienna,
but without success ; the main objections being
the insignificance of the composer, and the
difiBculty of his PF. accompaniments. On
this they res >lved to take the matter into their
own hands ; and, probably not without misgivings,
had the ' Erl King ' engraved. The
fact was announced at the next Concert at the
Gundelhof, and a hundred copies were at once
subscribed for in the room—sufficient to defray
the cost of the engraving and printing, and of
engraving a second song as well. Meantime
the ' Erl King ' had been sung in public (for
I K.B. p. 20a (1. 208).
';
—
—;
:'
the concerts at the Gundelhof were, strictly
speaking, private, limited to the friends of the
host) by Gymnich, at an evening concert of the
Musikverein, in one of the public rooms of the
city, on Jan. 25, 1821, Schubert himself
appearing on the platform, and playing the
accompaniment. Everything was done by the
young enthusiasts to foster the Schubert /mtot-c,
even to the publication of a set of Erl King
'
waltzes ' by A. Hiittenbrenner, which at any
rate must have made the name familiar, though
they provoked Schubert, and drew from Kanne
some satirical hexameters and pentameters
which may be read in Kreissle. ^ On Feb. 8 the
programme of the Musikverein Concert included
three songs of his, the Sehnsucht ' ' by Schiller,
'Gretchen am Spinnrade," and Der Jiingling
'
auf dem Hiigel ' ; and on March 8 the Gruppe
'
aus dem Tartarus.' On March 7 the ' Erl King'
was again sung, this time by Vogl himself, at
an unmistakable public concert, at the Kai'nthnerthor
theatre, a concert supported by all the
most distinguished ladies of the Court, vho
received the song with loud applause. Think
what the first appearance of these godlike
pieces must have been ! It was the rising of
the Sun ! is now an everyday sight to us ;
but how was it the first time that he burst in
all his brightness on the eyes of mortals ? In
the midst of all this enthusiasm the ' Erl King
was published on the 1st of April 1821, by
Cappi and Diabelli, on commission. It was
dedicated to Count Moritz Dietrichstein, whose
kindness well deserved that recognition. On
April 30, 'Gretchen am Spinnrade' appeared
as op. 2. The succeeding publications—each
made to depend on the success of the last
were as follows :
May 29. Op. 3. Scliafers Elagelied ; Meeres-Stille ;
Heidenroslein ; Jagers Abendlied.
Do. Op. 4. Der Wanderer ; Morgenlied ; Wanderers
Nachtlied.
July 9. Op. 5. Rastlose Liebe ; Nahe des Geliebten ;
Der Fischer ; Erster Verlust ; Der Konig
in Tliule.
Aug. 23. Op. 6. Memnon ; Antigone und Oedip ; .^ m
Grabe Anselmos.
Nov. 27. Op. 7. Die abgebliihte Linde ; Der Flug der
Zeit ; Der Tod und das Madchen.
Here the publication by commission stopped,
the Diabellis being evidently convinced that the
risk might be profitably assumed ; and accordingly
op. 8 appears on May 9, 1822, as 'the
property of the publishers.' The dedications
of the first seven numbers no doubt furnish the
names of Schubert's most influential supporters
1. Graf von Dietrichstein ; 2. Eeichsgraf Moritz
von Fries ; 3. Ignaz von Mosel ; 4. Johann Ladislaus
Pyrker, Patriarch of Venice ; 5. Salieri
6. Michael Vogl ; 7. Graf Ludwig Sz^chteyi.
It must be admitted that the above are very
good lists, and that if Schubert had waited
long for the publication of his works, the issue
HansUck, Cmicertwesen, p. 284 ; and K.H. p. 60 (i. 60).