Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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lisher, he wrote a, four-hand Rondo for PF. in ments to his grand Hymn ' to the Holy Ghost '
A, since issued as Grand Kondeau, ' op. 107 a long scena or song for soprano— probably his
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and began his sixth Mass, that in Eb. In this old admirer, Anna Milder—-with pianoforte and
month he paid a visit to Baden—Beethoven's obbligato clarinet (op. 129) ; and a song called
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314 1828 SCHUBERT 1828
themselves give it distinction ; it has all the and so indescribable. The third of tlie three,
poetry and romance of the G major Quartet, that in Btf. dated Sept. 26, has perhaps more
without the extravagant length which will of grace and finish than the other two. The
always stand in the way of that noble production
; while the Adagio is so solemn and yet so Hummel's death, and were then dedicated by
sonatas were not published till a year after
beautiful in its tone, so entrancing in its melodies, Diabelli- Spina to Robert Schumann, who acknowledges
the dedication by a genial though
and 30 incessant in its interest, and the Trio of
the Soherzo, both from itself and its place in hardly adequate article in his Ges. Schriften, ii.
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the movement, is so eminently dramatic, that 239. The second part of the Winterreise ' was
it is difficult to speak of either too highly. put into Haslinger's hands for engraving before
In May we have a grand battle-piece, the the end of this month.'
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Hymn to the HolyGhost,' for eight male voices, In October, prompted by some occasion which
written for the Concert Spiritual of Vienna, at has eluded record, he wrote a new ' Benedictus
first with PF., in October scored by the composer
for a wind band, and in 1847 published and originality in A minor, of which a com-
to his early Mass in C, a chorus of great beauty
as op. 154. Also a Characteristic ' Allegro' for petent critic* has said that ' its only fault consists
in its immeasurable superiority to the rest
the PF. four hands, virtually the first movement
of a Sonata—issued some years later with the title of the Mass.' To the same period may be assigned
' Lebensatiirme ' (op. 144) ; an Allegro vivace
a fine ofiertorium, Intende vooi '
orationis
and Allegretto, in E|> minor and major, for PF. meae,' and an extremely beautiful 'Tantum ergo
solo, published in 1868 as first and second of in Et>, for chorus and orchestra. For some
other occasion, which has also vanished, he
3 Clavieratiicke ; and a song Widerschein.'
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In June, probably at the request of the pub-
wrote accompaniments for thirteen wind instru-
Baden ; since a fugue for four hands in E minor 'Die Taubenpost' ('The carrier pigeon') to
is marked as written there in June ' 1828.' In Seidl's words. The succession of these pieces
the midst of all this work a letter ' from Mosewius
is not known. It is always assumed that the
of Breslau, a prominent Prussian musician, Taubenpost, which now closes the Schwanen-
full of sympathy and admiration, must have gesang, was the last. "Whichever of them was
been doubly gratifying as coming from North the last, was the last piece he ever wrote.
Germany.
The negotiations with Probst and Schott, and
In July he wrote the 92nd Psalm in Hebrew also with Briiggemanu of Halberstadt, a publisher
for the synagogue at Vienna, of which Sulzer
anxious for some easy PF. pieces for a
was precentor. In August, notwithstanding his series called 'MUhling's Museum,' by no means
declaration on completing his last Symphony, fulfilled the promise of their commencement.
we find him (under circumstances already described)
The magnificent style in which the Schotts de-
composing seven aongs of Rellstab's, sired Schubert to name his own terms ^ contrasts
and six of Heine's, afterwards issued as Schwanengesang.
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badly with their ultimate refusal (Oct. 30) to
pay more than 30 florins (or about 253.) for the
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He opened September with a trifle in the PF. Quintet (op. 114) instead of the modest
shape of a short chorus,^ with accompaniment sixty demanded by him. In fact the sole result
of wind band, for the consecration of a bell in was an arrangement with Probst to publish the
the church of the Alservorstadt. A few days long and splendid Eb Trio, which he did, according
after, the memory of Hummel's visit in the
to Nottebohm,' in September, and for which
spring of 1827 seems to have come upon him the composer received the incredibly small sum
like a lion, and he wrote off three fine PF. solo of 21 Vienna florins, or just 17s. 6d. ! Schubert's
sonatas, with the view of dedicating them to
answer to Probst's inquiry as to the
that master. These pieces, though very unequal
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Dedication is so characteristic as to deserve
and in parts extraordinarily diffuse, are reprinting :
yet highly characteristic of Schubert. They
VJEITNA, Aiig. 1.
contain some of his finest and most original Kuer Wohlgeboren, the opus of the Trio is 100. I
music, and also his most affecting (e.g. Andan-
entreat you to make the edition correct ; I am extremely
tino, Scherzo and Trio of the A minor Sonata) ;
and if full of disappointment and wrath, and
the gathering gloom of these last few weeks of
his life, they are also saturated with that nameless
personal charm that is at once so strong
1 K.B. p. 128 (H. 114).
2 K.ff. p. 443 (11. 131). Tfala piece, '
Olaube, Koftnuug, und Liebe/
Ifl not to be confounded with one of aimllar title for a solo voice,
published, Oct. 6, 1828, M op. 97.
—
anxious about it. The worlc will be dedicated to no one
but those who like it. That is the most profitable
dedication. With all esteem,
Franz Schubert.
3 Schubei't'B letter to Jenger, Sept. 25. K.B. p. 437 (ii. 124).
* Mr. B. Prout in the Monthly MvMcai Becord, for 1871. p. 56.
' K.H. p. 424 (ii. 109).
8 ProljBt announces two long lists of new music in the A.M.Z. for
Oct. , but makes no mention of the Trio. It is reviewed most favourably
in the A.M.Z. for Dec. 10, 1828. Alaa ! he was then beyond the
reach of praise or blame.