The first work with which Spohr occupied himself after his return to Cassel, was a fourth quartet for stringed instruments (G minor), which was published by Paul of Dresden as Op. 106, both in its original form and as arranged by Spohr himself for the pianoforte for four hands.—About the same time he received the very unusual order to make arrangements for a concert at court, which after frequent and long deliberations, at length took place on the 19th. September at the palace of Wilhelmshöhe. The instrumental pieces were performed by the members of the electoral chapel, but the vocal subjects were at Spohr’s recommendation confided to Firnhaber, a distinguished dilettant professor from Hildesheim, who himself had a court appointment, and had been for some years tutor to Baron Scholley, stepson to the Prince. With a very fine high tenor voice, he combined a good musical education, and a lively sentiment for art, and Spohr’s compositions, with the manifold beauties of which he had made himself more and more acquainted during his residence in Cassel, soon inspired him with real enthusiasm. As Spohr also took as much pleasure in his society as in his charming style of singing, he was a constant assistant at all music parties, and his presence in Cassel suggested to Spohr many of his most pleasing and favorite songs, of which were: the book of songs from Op. 101 to 105; the duet for soprano and tenor Op. 107, (both published by Simrock) and Franz Dingelstedt’s “Mitternacht” (midnight), which song was published by itself by Paul of Dresden. Respecting the last, the author of the words, who had then an appointment at the gymnasium of Fulda, wrote to Spohr at a subsequent period, expressing the greatest satisfaction: “Yesterday evening I heard your song ‘Mitternacht’ sung, and still deeply impressed by it, I hasten to thank you, and to express both my delight and my pride therein. I will not say that you have entered into the spirit of my words—for what are they after all? No, it is you who have caught the long, low, solemn whisperings of midnight. For the first time I regret that I am not sufficiently acquainted with music to understand and express the enthusiasm of the initiated in matters of change of tempi, tone &c.; in your art I am a naturalist merely, but I enjoy this production of it yet more deeply and intimately than they all; for I feel as a poet in the matter!—Not a word more now of common-place praise and song of thanksgiving! You have afforded me an hour of delight, and stirred within me emotions such as alas! I can feel here but seldom: a reward for my aspirations, an incentive to future efforts! You, I am sure, understand me!”....
In October 1838 Spohr, following the example set by many of the larger towns of Germany, succeeded at length in carrying out his reiterated proposition to give a concert at the theatre in aid of the funds for the erection of the testimonial to the memory of Mozart. The first part of the concert comprised among other things Mozart’s symphony in D minor; and in the second, tableaux vivants, with appropriate music, from Mozart’s operas, in which at the conclusion, the last chorus of the requiem resounded, and the bust of Mozart, placed in the foreground of the stage, was crowned by genii with wreaths of laurel.—A similar festival took place the following spring in aid of the fund for the memorial to Beethoven, but with this difference, that the programme contained besides the choicest selection from the works of that honoured maestro, a composition of Spohr’s also, his most recent concertino: “Sonst und Jetzt,” which he had performed for the first time shortly before at one of the regular winter concerts, and upon this occasion reproduced at the express desire of the Prince. The success upon both occasions was extremely great.
At the commencement of the same year, several other remarkable concerts took place, and among others, Ole Bull performed twice in the theatre, to overflowing houses, notwithstanding the increased prices of admission, and filled the public with astonishment and admiration of his play. Spohr himself took the warmest interest in the wonderful play of his colleague in art, and gave a musical party at his own house in his honour, in which he first played one of his own quartets, but in the following he resigned the first place to Ole Bull, and even took the second violin. His opinion respecting Ole Bull’s play may here be given in his own words, when writing to his friend Speyer upon the subject: “Ole Bull has lately given two concerts at the theatre and greatly charmed the public. His many-toned strokes and the accurate certainty of the left hand are remarkable, but like Paganini, he sacrifices too much to the tricks of the art. His tone on the weak strings is bad, and he can only use the A and D string on the lower part and pianissimo. This gives to his play a great monotony when he cannot bring in his tricks of art. We found this in two of Mozart’s quartets, which he played at my house. On the other hand, he plays with much feeling, but not with a cultivated taste.” With every acknowledgment made by Spohr of the extraordinary performances of Ole Bull, certain features of charlatanism, so foreign to his own simple nature, did not escape him, and he frequently related at a subsequent period with a good-natured smile to his own friends, and to others, how Ole Bull at a passage which offered him an opportunity of shining in one of his incomparable pp, kept his bow hovering over the strings for several seconds, so that the public who listened in breathless silence for the last sound of his constantly decreasing tones, might believe they still continued dying away in ppp.
About this time also, the representation of a small opera: “Der Matrose,” in the composition of which Spohr had assisted, was frequently repeated. The text, adopted from the French, was written by the admired comedian Birnbaum, and at his wish set to music by four composers of this place, Spohr, Hauptmann, Baldewein (director of music), and the song-writer and teacher of music Grenzebach, collectively. Besides the overture, Spohr had undertaken the song of a home-returning mariner, together with the finale and all these “numbers,” and the whole operetta met with lively approbation from the public. Unfortunately Spohr, at a later period, was no longer in possession of these, as they remained in the hands of Mr. Birnbaum, for whose benefit the first representation of the opera was intended. The highly characteristic mariner’s song only appeared some time afterwards, arranged by himself with four-handed accompaniment for the pianoforte, and was published by Paul of Dresden.
In April 1839 Spohr received a pressing invitation from England to direct the performance of his oratorio “Des Heiland’s letzte Stunden” at the grand musical festival which was to take place in September at Norwich. After he had succeeded in obtaining the requisite leave of absence from the Prince, the customary tour during the summer holidays was this time limited to a shorter excursion, in which he made visits to his relatives and friends. He next proceeded to Holzminden—where Spohr’s younger brothers Augustus and Charles resided with their families, the former, as a fiscal assessor, and the latter a law official of the duchy of Brunswick. Thence he went on to Gandersheim to visit his venerable parents, and lastly to Catlenburg, to Councillor Lüder. As a matter of course on this journey he was not without his violin, and wherever Spohr came he found grateful hearers, who considered themselves superlatively happy in listening to his play. More than any of the other pieces that he executed, his newest, charming composition, a Spanish rondo for pianoforte and violin, afforded them delight; this soon became one of the most favorite pieces of music in Cassel also, and remained so up to a very recent period. At a later period, when it was published by Mechetti in Vienna as Op. 111, there appeared simultaneously a pianoforte arrangement of it for four hands by Czerny, which was certainly most welcome to all who had not the advantage of hearing the original composition executed by a distinguished violinist.
Returned to Cassel, Spohr finished his “Historical Symphony in the style and taste of four different periods” which he had begun before he set out on his journey. (Theme the first: The period of Bach-Händel, 1720. Adagio: Haydn-Mozart 1780. Scherzo: Beethoven period 1810. Finale: The most modern period 1840) a work, which afforded him not only during its creation, but also upon the occasions of its closely following performances in Cassel, the greatest satisfaction. Abroad also, and first in London, where he sold it to the Philharmonic Society for the term of one year, and subsequently in Germany, where he was permitted to make it known after the lapse of that period, it met with the most lively reception. Many voices were, however, raised in blame, and of these that of Schumann, in his musical journal, was the severest in tone. On the other hand Baron Lannoy, in Vienna, reported that the work had been received with great favour: Mendelssohn sent in a most flattering account of its reception at Leipzic; and many letters full of praise arrived from England.
In the beginning of September Spohr set out upon the journey to England, accompanied by his wife and his friend Mrs. von Malsburg, with whom he had been many years acquainted.[36]
After an exceedingly rough passage, which delayed his arrival in London by six hours, Spohr was very agreeably surprised in the midst of the confusion incidental to such circumstances, on being addressed by a gentleman, a stranger to him, exhibiting an order from the custom-house authorities, to deliver Spohr’s luggage without examination, and who then took him and his female fellow-travellers speedily and safely to land in a boat, where a coach was in waiting to take him to the hospitable house of professor Edward Taylor. In the amiable family-circle of that gentleman and surrounded by the genuine English usages and comforts which had so many charms for the guests, they soon found themselves at home, and a few days sufficed to lay the foundation of a life-long friendship. As their farther journey permitted but a short stay in London, it was necessary to make the best use of the time to see the objects most worthy of notice in the metropolis, which filled the travellers with wonder and admiration. The visit to Westminster Abbey made a deep impression upon all, and this was expressed in the letters they sent home:[37] “The very entry into this majestic structure, which is certainly the finest of all the objects of note in London, makes an impression so deep and solemn upon the mind, that we could scarcely repress our emotion; and in reality one seems to move no longer among things of this world. The tones of a splendid organ may have contributed to this feeling,—for divine service was just being performed,—and this was followed by sacred psalmody sung in double chorus so pure, so sweet and executed with such feeling, that they seemed like the voices of angels from the realms of bliss. We had neither of us ever heard any thing like it before. Now again the notes of the organ pealed forth, and we distinguished harmonies of Spohr’s, and soon recognised the touching sounds of his mass for ten voices; and then the grand overture to “Des Heilands letzten Stunden” was splendidly performed by the celebrated organist Tarle....”