[102] Mr. Stumpff, the proprietor of a harp manufactory in London, presented to Beethoven, the year before, the complete works of Handel, in upwards of forty folio volumes, of the rare and costly London edition. He was more delighted with this present than if he had received the Order of the Garter. At the sale of his effects, M. Tobias Haslinger bought this work for 100 florins!!! and from this it is easy to imagine what prices were paid at that auction for articles of less value.
[103] This gentleman, my particular friend, was for many years attached to the house of Baron von Eskeles, at Vienna, as tutor and companion to his only son. The reader will find some letters from him in the Supplement No. VI., Vol. II.—ED.
[104] It was not possible, and I therefore complied with his desire immediately after his decease, and conveyed his thanks to these two worthy men.
[105] Beethoven would have designated his career more accurately had he said—drama finitum est.
[106] It is worthy of mention that Beethoven for several weeks obstinately rejected the advice of Dr. Bach and myself, to place the property to be left for his nephew in the hands of trustees, till he should attain his majority, for which there existed the most urgent reasons. He wished that after his death his heir should come into the immediate possession of it, and dispose of it just as he pleased. It was not till after he had received the plainest proofs of the indifference of this heir to his misfortunes—since he often left Beethoven's letters for weeks together unanswered—that he agreed to our proposal, and accordingly wrote with his own hand his will, consisting of but three lines, by which, after the death of his nephew, the property was to devolve to his natural heirs.
[107] This will be more fully elucidated by M. Rau's letters. See [Supplement, No. VI., Vol. II.]—ED.
[108] For an account of the funeral, see Supplement, No. VII., Vol. II.
[109] This part properly belongs to the historical section of the biography, of which it forms the completion. But as its incorporation with the historical matter would frequently have occasioned an interruption of the narrative, I have thought it better to make the exclusively musical part of the work the subject of a distinct section.
[110] In like manner, Clementi has characterized his grand Sonata, No. 3, Op. 50. Having taken his ideas from the History of Dido, he illustrated his composition by the superscription:—"Didone abbandonnata—Scena tragica;" and besides, in the course of the work, not only the different movements, but also single passages, are rendered intelligible by particular superscriptions. It is truly unpardonable that this noble work, deserving to be ranked on a level with Beethoven's Sonatas, should be unknown to most of the pianoforte players of the present day. In the judgment of modern musicians and dilettanti, Clementi belongs to the old school; but I may here take the opportunity of recording Beethoven's opinion of him. Among all the masters who have written for the pianoforte, Beethoven assigned to Clementi the very foremost rank. He considered his works excellent as studies for practice, for the formation of a pure taste, and as truly beautiful subjects for performance. Beethoven used to say,—"They, who thoroughly study Clementi, at the same time make themselves acquainted with Mozart and other composers; but the converse is not the fact."
[111] With few exceptions, the Sonatas were all composed at the two periods alluded to.