MUSICAL COMPOSITION

44 MUSICAL COMPOSITIONNote how the end of the melody is revived so as torecall the opening by the development of IX and P;also that Beethoven founds his theme on the diatonicscale, and treats chromatic intervals only as additionalcolour, of which more anon.It is clear from these specimens that the initial ideaof both themes is the groundwork of what may betermed the inspiration, and that without altering thatfeature he has worked upon every subsequent bar,polishing and improving at every step. The plan;however, both of modulation and of rhythmical balanceremains as it first occurred to him. Many instanceswill be found in these books of themes which wouldmake the reputation of any composer as they stood,but which Beethoven considered crude and unfinished,and are only shown to be so by the wonderful resultsof his refining fires. Perhaps the most amazingexample of this careful weighing and striving afterperfection is to be found on page 55 et 8eq. ofBeethoveniana I., where the last four-bar phrase ofthe variation movement in the String Quartet, Op. 131(C sharp minor) is modified no less than fifteen times,and appears in the printed copy in a sixteenth shape ITo a less scrupulous composer, almost any of the firstfifteen versions would have sufficed.There remains the question as to the diatonic orchromatic treatment of melodies. We possess inwestern music no interval less than a semi tone(except in the form of purtamento). Chromatics are,as their name implies, colour and not drawing. If weuse in excess the only means we have of heighteningeffect, we have nothing further to fall back upon forintensifying contrast.