Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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1827 SCHUBERT 1827 309
Schubert-propagandist, took the opportunity to
put some of Schubert's songs into his hands.'
He made a selection of about sixty, in print
and MS., including 'Iphigenie,' 'Grenzen der
Menschheit,' ' Allmacht,' Die junge Nonne," ' ^
'
'Viola,' the 'Miillerlieder,' etc. Beethoven
up to this time probably did not know halfa-dozen
of Schubert's compositions, and his
astonishment was extreme, especially when he
heard that there existed at least 500 of the
same kind.
'
How can he find time, ' said he,
to set such long poems, many of them containing
ten others ? ' i.e. as long as ten separate
ones ; and said over and over again, ' If I had
had this poem I would have set it myself ;
'
Truly Schubert has the divine fire in him.
He pored over them for days, and asked to see
Schubert's operas and PF. pieces, but the
illness returned and it was too late. But from
this time till his death he spoke often of Schubert,
regretting that he had not sooner known
his worth, and prophesying that he would
make much stir in the world. ^ Schubert was
sure to hear of these gratifying utterances, and
they would naturally increase his desire to come
into close contact with the master whom he had
long worshipped at a distance. It is possible
that this emboldened him to visit the dying
man. He seems to have gone twice ; first
with Anselm Hiittenbrenner and Schindler.
Sohindler told Beethoven that they were there,
and asked whom he would see first. '
Schubert
may come in first' was the answer. At this
visit perhaps, if ever, it was that he said, in
his affectionate way, 'You, Anselm, have my
mind (Geist), but Franz has my soul (Seele).' *
The second time he went with Josef Hiittenbrenner
and Teltscher the painter. They stood
round the bed. Beethoven was aware of their
presence, and fixing his eyes on them, made
some signs with his hand. No one, however,
could explain what was meant, and no words
passed on either side. Schubert left the room
overcome with emotion. In about three weeks
came the end, and then the funeral. Schubert
was one of the torch-bearers. Franz Lachner
and Randhartinger walked with him to and
from the Cemetery. The way back lay by the
Himmelpfortgrund, and close by the humble
house in which he had drawn his first breath.
They walked on into the town, and stopped at
the Mehlgrube,' a tavern in the Karnthnerthorstrasse,
'
now the Hotel Munsch. There
'
they called for wine, and Schubert drank off
two glasses, one to the memory of Beethoven,
the other to the first of the three friends who
should follow him. It was destined to be himself.
1 Schindler, Beeihotien, ii. 136.
3 Bchindler's lisfc of the songB perused hy Beethoven diifers in hia
two accounts. Compare his BeePi^ven, 11. 136, with K.ff, p. 264
(1266).
3 Schindler, in BSnerle'e Theaterzeitung (Vienna), May 3, 1831.
4 See von IJeitner, Anaelm HHUenhnmner, Graz, 1868. p. 5. The
story has an apocryphal air, but HUttenbrenner was so thoroughly
trustworthy, that it is dllBcult to reject it. At any rate, Beethoven
is not \ike\y to have thus expressed himsell before lie had made
acquaintance with Schubert's music.
Lablache was also one of the torch-bearers
at the funeral. This and the part which he
took in the Requiem for Beethoven [vol. i. p.
260 6] may have induced Schubert to write for
him the ' three Italian Songs for a Bass voice,'
which form op. 83, and are dedicated to the
great Italian basso.
Hummel and HiUer were in Vienna during
March 1827, and Hiller describes meeting Schubert
and Vogl at Madame Lacsny-Buohwieser's,
and his astonishment at their joint performance.
'Schubert,' says Hiller,' 'had little technique,
and Vogl but little voice ; but they had both
so much life and feeling, and went so thoroughly
into the thing, that it would be impossible to
render these wonderful compositionsmore clearly
and more splendidly. Voice and piano became
as nothing ; the music seemed to want no
material help, but the melodies appealed to
the ear as a vision does to the eye. ' Not only
did the boy think it the deepest musical impression
he had ever received, but the tears
coursed down the cheeks even of the veteran
Hummel. Either then or a few evenings afterwards,
Hummel showed his appreciation by
extemporising on Schubert's 'Blinde Knabe,'
which Vogl had just sung— to Franz's delight.
In April Schubert wrote the beautiful ' Nachtgesang
im Walde' (op. 1396) for four men's
voices and four horns ; and a Spring ' Song,
also for men's voices. In July we have the
very fine and characteristic serenade Zogernd
'
leise ' (op. 136) for alto solo and female voices,
it worthy pendant to the NachtheUe, and
'
written almost a Vimpromste.^
'
A fete was
to be held for the birthday of a young lady
of Dobling. Grillparzer had written some
verses for the occasion, and Schubert, who was
constantly in and out of the Frohlichs' house,
was asked by Anna to set them for her sister
Josephine and her pupils. He took the lines,
went aside into the window, pushed up his
spectacles on to his brow, and then, with the
paper close to his face, read them carefully
twice through. It was enough: 'I have it,'
said he, 'it's done, and will go famously.' A
day or two afterwards he brought the score,
but he had employed a male chorus instead of
a female one, and had to take it away and
transpose it. It was sung in the garden by
moonlight, to the delight of every one, the
villagers thronging round the gate. He alone
was absent.
1827 witnessed another attempt at an opera
—the 'Graf von Gleichen,' written by Bauernfeld,
apparently in concurrence' with Mayrhofer.
Schubert had the libretto in August 1826, submitted
it to the management of the Royal
Opera-house, and arranged with Grillparzer, in
case the Censure should cause its rejection, to
6 KunstUrleben (1880), p, 49. 8 K.H. p. 474 (ii. 160).
7 See Schubert's letter [May 1826] with Bauernfeld's statement,
in the PretK of April 21, 1869, and BignaZe, Nov. 1869,