At the commencement of the year 1841 Spohr wrote a fantasia for pianoforte and violin on themes from his opera “Der Alchymist” (The Alchymist), the charming melodies of which were especially favourable to such a reconstruction (Op. 117, Vienna, published by Mechetti); an English psalm for soli, with chorus and organ accompaniment (Op. 122, published by Simrock of Bonn); and a song, “Schill,” for men’s voices, with accompaniment of military music, written for the inauguration of Schill’s asylum for invalids at Brunswick, and which was next publicly given by the Casseler glee society at a concert for charitable purposes, and met with such general approbation that Spohr conceived the idea of sending it to Frankfort and therewith fulfil his promise of a contribution to the “Collection of small compositions to the Mozart institution.” Upon the same occasion he replied to a question which had been put to him concerning a qualified candidate to the first stipend paid by that institution, by recommending Jean Bott of Cassel, although but 14 years of age, and wrote of him in the following terms: “Bott is a virtuose on the violin and pianoforte and even now displays so remarkable a talent for composition, that I anticipate for him a brilliant future. He has been a pupil of mine on the violin for the last six months, and I never yet had one so clever. Hauptmann (his instructor in composition) says the same of him.” Supported by such distinguished recommendations the young musician, after the works which he had sent in had been submitted to the test, received the desired stipend for one year, followed up his studies under Spohr and Hauptmann with great zeal, and while yet a boy received an appointment in the Cassel “Hofkapelle.”

As Spohr had proposed to himself to pass the theatrical vacation this time in a trip to Switzerland, he determined upon going thither by the way of Stuttgard and Hechingen, in order to make the personal acquaintance of the reigning Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, who at various times had written to him, and shown himself to be an enthusiastic lover of music by expressing his admiration of Spohr’s “Weihe der Töne” in terms of great praise.

As Spohr’s intended visit at Hechingen was known beforehand he was welcomed there upon his arrival in the most heartfelt manner. What took place during their stay here was thus described in a letter written home: “On the very first evening Kapellmeister Täglichsbeck and Court-Councillor Schilling came to fetch us from Stuttgard, to drive us about the town, and for the purpose, as they said, of showing us the new concert-hall. But on our arrival there, to our surprise we found a numerous company assembled, and we were received by the Prince in the most gracious and friendly manner. After a short conversation, he led Spohr to an elevated platform, upon which the whole orchestra were assembled, and in front the head Pastor, Reiners (who was also contrebassist in the orchestra), who then adressed Spohr in a solemn and very impressive speech of welcome, at the conclusion of which the hall resounded with such an outburst of enthusiastic greetings, accompanied by music, that one might have thought it was filled with thousands of spectators. After this the Prince seated himself near Spohr, and to our great surprise and pleasure his splendid fifth symphony (C minor) fell upon the ear, and was performed throughout with the greatest finish and inspiration. During its performance the Prince evinced feelings of delight such as we had never yet witnessed, he could scarcely control himself; held Spohr constantly by the arm or hand, and not only whispered to him his admiration at every passage, but frequently gave expression to his feelings aloud....

When the Prince had ascertained whether Spohr would sup or not in the dining-room below, he gave orders for a place to be reserved for him next to Spohr, although, as sovereign Prince, he had never yet partaken of a meal in a tavern. This supper was most remarkable and amusing: besides the Prince, who sat between me and Spohr, and was very lively, the whole beau monde of Hechingen was assembled to see Spohr, and each ordered supper according to his own fancy. Gentlemen of the chamber, clergymen, councillors, and their wives, mingled pêle mêle, did and said a thousand humorous things, and evinced an extraordinary musical enthusiasm. Spohr also was greatly pleased to have made the acquaintance of this happy, music-mad little spot of Germany. Music, particularly that of Spohr, is everything here, and ladies and gentlemen know his symphonies and quartets in a manner such as very few in Cassel know them. If at eleven o’clock at night we had not risen to depart, in spite of the Prince, he would not have done so, for he is quite in love with Spohr. On the following morning before eight o’clock some one knocked again at our door, and his serene highness entered to enquire how we had slept in Hechingen. He then took us into the palace gardens and into the very pretty little palace itself, where we were to rehearse our trio for the music party that had been agreed upon for the evening. When we had played through the first part, he availed himself of the short pause to fetch his wife also, that she might share his pleasure, and thus we were saved the already arranged formalities of a court presentation.... We were invited to dinner at Täglichsbeck’s; but scarcely was the dinner over, than the Prince came again with two court carriages, in which the whole company drove to the charming country palace “Lindig,” the beautiful view round which filled us all, and Spohr especially, with the greatest delight....” Of the evening court-party that followed, the same letter says: “In a vaulted saloon built especially for musical performances a double quartet was first played by Spohr in a manner quite wonderful, then the Prince sang several songs with much expression, and at last came our trio. The company, consisting mostly of officials and of but few musicians, was in raptures of delight, and gave evidence in their remarks of much musical intelligence. At last supper was served up at small separate tables each accommodating four persons; at the chief table Spohr was shewn to a seat next to the Princess, who evinced great amiability and kindness towards him, while the Prince in the best of spirits was my neighbour.

Our departure was fixed for the following morning, but the Prince declaring that he could not yet part with Spohr, expressed the intention of accompanying him one post, and then of dining with us once more, and “not to appear egotistical, to enjoy the pleasure alone,” invited a whole party, who were to accompany us in his carriage. Two gentlemen were sent on in our carriage, to order a dinner for sixteen persons at the small town of Balingen three leagues distant.... During the dinner, which consisted of a great number of excellent dishes, and at which also the champaign, brought from the Prince’s cellars, was not wanting, the conversation was extremely lively and seasoned with many witty sallies, but always intermingled with the prominent sentiment of that musical enthusiasm, in which the Prince is really imbued to a singular degree.

At length however the long-deferred parting moment arrived! The cheerful voice grew silent, and a mournful stillness came over all; the Prince was quite beside himself; he embraced Spohr repeatedly, and when we had at length taken our seats in the carriage, he was once more surrounded by the company, and the Prince declared in the name of all that these days which had brought such happiness to Hechingen should be commemorated the following year by a festival.”

Carrying with him the most agreable recollections of the time they had passed there, Spohr and his wife now resumed their journey to Switzerland, the chief object of which was to enjoy the beauties of nature; but they were also enabled to combine therewith a visit to the musical festival which was about to take place at Lucerne. Although Spohr had declined the invitation which he had received at Cassel to direct at the festival, it afforded him nevertheless much pleasure to be present at it among the auditory. On the first day his oratorio: “Des Heilands letzte Stunden,” was performed in the fine church of St. Xavier, in which the solo parts were sustained chiefly by dilettanti, with the exception of that of Mary, by Mrs. Stockhausen, who had already acquired great celebrity in it at the Norwich festival, and all of whom sang “with truly angelic voices.” The choruses also, were excellent, and the orchestra only did not quite satisfy Spohr’s artistic expectations. The oratorio excited here also general enthusiasm, but the travellers missed here “the deep devotion, the christian-like comprehension and pious mental resignation,” which they had remarked in the English auditory of the year before. The oratorio was followed by a brilliant festal overture by Lindpaintner and another oratorio, the “Christi Himmelfahrt” (the Ascension), by Neukomm, at which the composer was also present, and was greatly gratified by Spohr’s approbation, who praised the choruses and the fugues. In the second concert, which was a miscellaneous one, the songs sung by Mrs. Stockhausen (mother of the recently celebrated baritone) were the points of attraction; but two distinguished dilletanti, doctor Ziegler and his sister, from Winterthur, were likewise much applauded in the duet from “Jessonda.”

On the return journey from Switzerland, Spohr stopped for a few days in Frankfort, in order to be present at the performance of Gluck’s “Iphigenia in Aulis.” The chief characters, Iphigenia and Agamemnon were ably represented by Miss Capitän and Mr. Pischek, and it afforded the more pleasure to Spohr to hear the noble simplicity of this fine music rendered in a satisfactory manner, as his repeated endeavours to introduce an opera of Gluck into the repertory of the Cassel theatre had been always unsuccessful, and he could not hope for any better success for the future.

Scarcely was Spohr returned to Cassel than he began with great zeal a new work, the plan of which he had conceived upon the journey, while in view of the magnificent Swiss mountains and lakes. When once more seated with his wife in the carriage, on his return from the Lucern musical festival, he told her with the greatest joy, that, inspired and refreshed with all the beautiful and pleasing impressions made upon him by nature and art combined,—he felt the strongest impulse to write a truly grand orchestral work, and if possible in some new and more extended form of the symphony. On the half-sportive reply which she made to him: “If the simple symphony does not give sufficient scope to your creative faculty, then write a double symphony for two orchestras, in the style of the double quartet,” he seized the suggestion immediately with much warmth and thereupon sank into a deep reverie, as though he were already beginning the composition, but soon after, added: that, exceedingly attractive as the problem was, it could only be successfully carried out if made subservient to the expression of a determinate idea—and that two orchestras should have given to them respectively the expression of a meaning and sentiment in strong contrast with each other. After long reflection and study; and after successive rejection of many self-proposed formulæ, he at length, as though by inspiration, seized the idea: to represent the two principles of good and evil in the human heart by the two orchestras, and to give the name to the double symphony of “Irdisches und Göttliches im Menschenleben” (the earthly and the divine in the life of man). The first subject should be called “Kinderwelt” (the world of childhood); the second “Zeit der Leidenschaften” (the age of the passions); the third “Endlicher Sieg des Göttlichen” (the final victory of the divine principle); besides which a special explanatory motto was to be given to each theme. After this manner the plan was conceived with a heart overflowing with pleasure, and then carried out with real enthusiasm. As regards the opinion respecting the degree of success with which he achieved the performance of so extremely difficult a task—that was of course a matter to be left entirely to the individuality of the hearers; but in the first performance of the work in Cassel under his own direction and in the spirit of its composer, it excited the greatest admiration in an attentively listening auditory; for while connoisseurs acknowledged the excellence of the music, apart from its special motive or subject, the feelings of the uninitiated were in a high degree moved and satisfied. Such is the report of it contained in one letter out of many written at that time: “Last evening Spohr’s new double symphony for two orchestras took place; the larger and more numerously filled orchestra represented the evil principle, the small one, consisting only of eleven solo instruments represented on the contrary the principle of good. In the subject “The world of childhood” the latter orchestra maintains the superiority in a marked and especial manner; sweet, innocent melodies bring back to us in the most enchanting manner the joys of childhood—its pretty sports, and wiles seem to rise before our vision, and we feel ourselves wholly wrapped in the bright dreams of the past; but the tones of the great orchestra remind us sorrowfully of the reality, and of the struggles of an earthly life scarcely yet begun. This subject, although gaiety is the prominent characteristic, yet speaks to us with a peculiar purity and tenderness of sentiment; and of a surety only a soul as pure and loving as that of our Spohr could so depict in tones the tenderness of the world of childhood.

The second subject: “The victory of the passions,” begins with a very beautiful soft duet between hautboy and clarinet (depicting the first awakening of love), then soon the two orchestras mingle, as it were, wildly and stormily, a true picture of the human heart in the contests of this life; now here now there, the small orchestra is carried away with it, but even then it does not wholly cease to intervene as the good genius with moving and at times warning tones of tenderness. This subject, which is very rich in ideas and harmonies, appeared most to carry away the mass of the public, but the deepest impression made upon every sensitive heart was that made by the third theme: “Eventual victory of the divine principle.” In this, the warning voice of the small orchestra becomes continually more impressive, the earthly passions for the most part become gradually subdued, one almost seems to feel how their force is broken, and then again at frequent intervals they seem to rally, until the solemn moment, in which after a general pause both orchestras at length, in solemn unison of accords announce the victory achieved by the good genius in all its power. From that point nothing but pious, pleasing sounds, as though from the realms of bliss, are heard, now alternately and now from both orchestras in unison, leading as it were the strangely-moved feelings of the auditory to the soft consolatory finale.”