MUSICAL COMPOSITION

FORM 79to copying the shape and the trend of the modulations,while using his own themes and rhythmical figures tocarry out the design. The painter merely copies outanother man's complete work. The composer writeshis own work on the lines of his predecessor's model.Except to a heaven-born genius, such as Schubert, thissystem of studying form is the only possible one forthe all-important control of shape and proportion. Itmight even, without blasphemy, be said that Schubertwould have been less given to diffuseness if he hadtrained himself systematically, which we know that hedid not; for his "heavenly lengths," as Schumanntermed them, are only carried off by the wealth ofinvention which they contain. Beethoven often writesat as great a length as he (witness the Sonata in B Bat,Op. 106), but his subjects, episodes, and developmentsall increase in proportion to each other and in proportionto the length of the scheme; and just as a man ofperfect proportions will not look like a giant, even ifhe is six feet six, so another of six feet two, whose legsare too long for his body, will give the impression ofabnormal height. It is an almost cruel task to writea movement, bar by bar, modulation by modulation,figure by figure, exactly the same in all respects, savetheme, as a work by another composer; but it is theonly way to get at the root of the matter, and it mustbe faced.For the purpose of explaining how this practice canbe systematically carried out, we will consider the firstmovement of Beethoven's Pianoforte Sonata, Op. 31,No.3, and specify (I.) the ground proportions and (II.)the proportions of the details to each other, and theirplace in the whole scheme.