cultural resources in henrik ibsen's early environment - Ibsen.net

Since here I touch upon the dances' rhythms, which Ibsen soon mastered, the
thought is led away to his poems, also in this respect excellent. Even in his first literary
works there was always the most exemplary verse construction, and when he wrote the
poem discussed in an earlier chapter about the story of the horse, which was not short, it
jigged as was mentioned before after melodies which were used in Neighbors, without a
single syllable in the meter failing. And yet Ibsen was not musical. When we in the
circle of friends sang, he certainly came along, but incorrectly, since he lacked an ear for
music. This seems to be almost the only ability that failed him. In other respects he
could try almost anything, and it always appeared that his eminent gifts were equal to it.
CATILINE
One evening while we were sitting at Ibsen's place, he surprised his two loyal
friends with a most interesting announcement, namely that he was writing a drama,
“Catiline,” intended for production. As is known we then possessed almost no national
literature in the dramatic field. If I mention Bjerregaard's The Mountain Fairytale
(Fjeldeventyret), A[ndreas] Munch's King Sverre's Childhood (Kong Sverres Ungdom),
with which the theatre in Bank Place opened its performances, and Wergeland's The
Campbells (Campbellerne), which all lay rather far back in time, one has indeed most of
the scattered attempts. And at hearing Ibsen's fiery description of the idea for his drama,
how his republican sympathies made themselves evident through the rebel Catiline's wild
and daring plans, we, his most interested listeners, were of course infected by his
enthusiasm. This was not least the case when he read aloud the first scenes of the drama.
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