Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

—'
;
;
SCHUBERT 321
programmes of the Concerts of the Conservatoire
attached to three songs only. M. Pasdeloup
introduced the Symphony in C and the fragments
of that in B minor, but they took no hold
on the Parisian amateurs.
Liszt's devotion to Schubert was great and
unceasing. We have already mentioned his
production of ' Alfonso und Estrella ' at Weimar
in 1854, but it is right to give a list of his
transcriptions, which have done a very great
deal to introduce Schubert into many quarters
where his compositions would otherwise have
been a sealed book. His first transcription
'Die Bose,' op. 73—was made in 1834, and
appeared in Paris the same year.i It was followedinl838by
the 'Standchen,' 'Post,'and 'Lob
der Thranen,' and in 1839.by the ' Erl King 'and
by twelve Lieder. These again by six Lieder ;
four GeistUche Lieder ; six of the Miillerlieder ;
the 'Schwanengesang,' and the ' Winterreise.'
Liszt also transcribed the Divertissement h, la
hongroise, three Marches and nine 'Valsescaprices,'
or ' Soirees de Vienne,' after Schubert's
op. 67. All the above are for PF. solo. He
also scored the accompaniment to the 'Junge
Nonne,' 'Gretchen am Spinnrade,' 'So lasst mich
scheinen, ' and the'Erl King, ' fora small orchestra
has adapted the Allmacht for tenor solo, male
chorus, and orchestra, and has converted the
Fantasie in C (op. 15) into a Concerto for PF.
and orchestra. Some will think these changes
indefensible, but there is no doubt that they
are done in a masterly manner, and that many
of them have become very popular.—Heller's
arrangements are confined to six favourite songs.
England made an appearance in the field
with the Moment ' musical ' in F minor in
1831, followed in 1832 by the 'Erl King' and
the 'Wanderer.' In 1836 Mr. Ayrton printed
'The Letter of Flowers' and 'The Secret,' in
the Musical Library, to Oxenford's translation.
Mr. Wessel (Ashdown & Parry) had begun his
'
Series of German Songs ' earlier than this, and
by 1840, out of a total of 197, the list included
38 of Schubert's, remarkably weU chosen, and
including several of the finest though less known
ones, e.g. Ganymed,' An den ' ' Tod,' ' Sei mir
gegriisst,' 'Die Bose,' etc. etc. Ewer's 'Gems of
German Song,' containing many of Schubert's,
were begun in Sept. 1837. Schubert's music
took a long time before it obtained any public
footing in this country. The first time it
appears in the Philharmonic programmes—then
so ready to welcome novelties—is on May 20,
1839, when Ivanoff sang the Serenade in the
' Schwanengesang ' to Italian words, Quando
'
avvolta.' Staudigl gave the 'Wanderer,' May
8, 1843; On June 10, 1844, the Overture to
'Fierrabras' was played under Mendelssohn's
direction, and on June 17 the Junge Nonne
'
was sung to French words by M. de Eevial,
1 These particulars are taken partly from Uias Bamann's H^e of
Ltazt, and partly from IjBzt'9 Thematic Catalogue. The third No.
of the 'Apparitions' is founded on a Waltz melody of Schubert's,
VOL. IV
Mendelssohn playing the magnificent accompaniment.
We blush to say, however, that
neither piece met with approval. The Musical
World (1844, p. 197) says that 'the overture
is literally beneath criticism : perhaps a more
overrated man never existed than this same
Schubert.' Its dictum on the song is even
more unfortunate. It tells us that 'it is a
very good exemplification of much ado about
nothing— as unmeaningly mysterious as could
be desired by the most devoted lover of
bombast.' Mendelssohn conducted the last
five Philharmonic concerts of that season
(1844) ; and amongst other orchestral music
new to England had brought with him
Schubert's Symphony in C, and his own
overture to 'Buy Bias.' At the rehearsal on
June 10, however, the behaviour of the band
towards the symphony—excited, it is said, by
the continual triplets in the Finale—was so
insulting that he refused either to go on with
it or to allow his own overture to be tried. ^
But the misbehaviour of our leading orchestra
did not produce the efiect which it had done
in Paris ; others were found to take up the
treasures thus rudely rejected, and Schubert
has had an ample revenge. The centres for
his music in England have been— for the
orchestral and choral works, the Crystal Palace,
Sydenham, and HaUi's Concerts, Manchester
and for the chamber music, the Popular Concerts
and Halle's Becitals. At the Crystal Palace the
Symphony in C (No. 10) was in the repertoire
of the Saturday Concerts from April 5, 1856 ;
the two movements of the B minor Symphony
were first played April 6, 1867, and have been
constantly repeated. The six other MS. Symphonies
were obtained from Dr. Schneider in
1867 and since, and have been played at various
dates, a performanceof the whole eight in chronological
order forming a feature in the series of
1880-81. The 'Kosamunde' music was first
played Nov. 10, 1866, and the ' air de ballet ' in
G, March 16, 1867. Joachim's orchestration of
the Grand Duo (op. 140) was given March 4,
1876. The overtures to 'Alfonso und Estrella,'
'Fierrabras,' 'Freunde von Salamanka,' 'Teufels
Lustschloss,' and that 'in the Italian style' have
been frequently heard.
' Miriam's Song' was first
given Nov. 14, 1868 (and three times since)
the Conspirators,' ' March 2, 1872 ; the 23rd
Psalm, Feb. 21, 1874 ; the E|> Mass, March
29, 1879.^ At the Popular Concerts a beginning
was made May 16, 1859, with the A
minor Quartet, the D major Sonata, and the
Eondeau brillant. Afterwards the D major
and G major Quartets, many sonatas and other
3 Even fifteen yeaiB later, vben played at the Musical Society
of London, the same periodical that we have already quoted says
of it ;—' The ideas throughout it are all of a minute character, and
the instrumentation is of a piece with the ideas. There is no
breadth, there is no grandeur, there is no dignity in either;
clearness, and contrast, and beautiful finish are always apparent,
but the orchestra, though loud, is never massive and sonorous, and
the music, though always correct, is never serious or imposing.'
(Mutical World, April 3, 18S9|. Is it possible for crtUcism to be
more hopelessly wrong t