This was followed by the presentation of a double breast-pin set with diamonds, accompanied with a poetical address to Spohr—the subject represented by the pin being a violin, and bass-clef. A “Hymn to Spohr,” composed by H. Stähle, was then sung; and in conclusion, at the banquet which followed, a discourse was delivered relative to the origin and services of the society for the prosperity of which the speaker himself (Mr. Weinrich), in the triple character of singer, librarian, and treasurer, had laboured with unwearied zeal for many years.
In 1848, shortly after the outbreak of the disturbances in France, Spohr, somewhat under the influence of ideas of liberty, &c., composed his sextet for two violins, two viols and two violincellos (Op. 140, published by C. Luckhardt of Cassel), on making entry of which in the list of his compositions, he appended the words: “Written in March and April, at the time of the glorious revolution of the peoples for the liberty, unity and grandeur of Germany.” And this composition, so rich in freshness of melodies, in genuine ætherial harmony, that scarcely any other of Spohr’s works surpasses it, furnishes an eloquent testimony to the state of his feelings and his aspirations, which, soaring above the storms of the present, speak only of peace, hope and concord, as in spirit he beheld them spring out of the momentary struggles. Satisfied as Spohr might feel with this composition—the first since the dawning of the new æra upon Germany—he nevertheless for some time wholly abandoned all further composition, feeling, as he complained in a letter to his friend Hauptmann, that “the excitement of politics and the constant reading of the newspapers incapacitated him from giving his attention to any serious and quiet study.”
On the 6th. August a grand popular festival took place in Cassel, which kept the whole of the inhabitants in a state of joyous mobility for the day. It commenced early in the morning, with the public recognition of the imperial administrator by the garrison assembled upon the “Forst.” This was followed by the consecration and presentation of colours to the newly-formed corps of body-guards, combined with a grand church service in the presence of the Electoral family upon the Bowling-green in the Karlsaue, and in the afternoon there was a people’s festival, in which the whole population of Cassel—a mixed troop of all classes—flocked to the Aue, either as participators in, or spectators of, the popular games, the dancing and the music. Towards evening, to the surprise of everybody the Elector, in plain black dress-coat, was seen threading his way among the joyous crowd, with looks expressive of the cheerful interest with which he acknowledged the cheers of the people who thronged every part of the park. The festivities of the day were terminated by a concert under Spohr’s direction, executed by the singers and members of the choral societies of Cassel in front of the orangery, at which also the Elector appeared, and after a lengthened conversation with Spohr, asked him expressly for the song “Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland.”
In June 1849 Spohr set out for Carlsbad, and stopped on his way thither a few days at Leipzic, where in the circle of his musical friends, he again passed many happy hours devoted to his noble art. On the first evening, at the house of his friend Mr. Vogt, two of his latest and as yet unpublished compositions—the fourth double quartet (G minor) and the but recently finished 31st. quartet (C major)—both of which were subsequently published by C. Luckhardt in Cassel as Op. 136 and 141. The double quartet was received more especially with such warm admiration, that Spohr gratified the wish expressed by several of his auditors to repeat it once more on the following day at the conservatory before a large circle, among whom were the teachers and pupils of that institution. On the last evening, his old friend Moscheles prepared for him a brilliant fête, and embellished the musical part of it by his own masterly performance of Spohr’s first trio, and his pianoforte quintet with wind instruments, after which the strains of a choral song, “Honour to Spohr,” were suddenly heard from the garden in front of the house, and some of his four-part songs, some of Mendelssohn’s and some of Hauptmann’s, were executed in a most effective manner.
The now ensuing stay in Carlsbad, extending to several weeks, was upon this occasion particularly pleasant in many respects. In the intercourse with several distinguished men well known for their public activity, Spohr took great pleasure. Among these especially were Hansemann of Berlin and Simson of Königsberg, to the latter of whom, from the thorough community of sentiment in their mutual political creed, he was especially attracted. As both men evinced at the same time a warm love of music, they, together with their families were soon admitted into the small circle of the elect who had the entrée to the musical performances of Spohr and his wife. With these and other charming families the afternoons were then passed in excursions on all sides into the beautiful environs, in which Spohr, although long since well acquainted with every spot, always experienced a new delight and one equally shared by his wife.
From his stay in Carlsbad Spohr also experienced the most desirable benefit to his health, resulting in so complete and permanent a relief to the liver complaint which had recurred at previous frequent intervals, that, grateful as he felt for the pleasant and health-restoring time he had passed there, he had now no further necessity to resort to the wonderful efficacity of its waters.
Strengthened and refreshed in body and mind, he returned to Cassel, and shortly afterwards began the composition of his fifth pianoforte trio (C minor, Op. 141, published by Schuberth in Hamburg); which was followed by three duets for two soprani, published by Peters of Leipzic, which for their sweetly expressive melodies and their ease of performance, like those which had previously appeared from the pen of Mendelssohn, soon became favorite pieces in musical circles.
Towards the end of the year 1849 Spohr was afflicted by a heavy sorrow, in the sudden illness that befell his wife the day after Christmas Day, and which increased so much in severity as to imperil her life at the entry of the new year. At length, however, her good and unimpaired constitution, aided by the most unremitting care, overcame her malady, and Spohr hailed once more with delight the day when she could again resume her accustomed seat by his side at the dinner-table. But on the next day (January 22) an untoward accident befell himself. While on his usual daily way to the theatre rehearsal, a sharp unexpected frost having set in during the night, he slipped, and fell with such violence as to inflict a very severe blow on his head, from the consequence of which the unremitting care of his experienced medical attendant Dr. Harnier did not re-establish him till after the lapse of several weeks. Shortly after his recovery, he wrote his ninth symphony, “Die Jahreszeiten” (The Seasons), the plan of which had much occupied his mind during his illness, and as he himself complained, “regularly haunted him during the long sleepless and feverish nights.” He gave in so far a new form to it, that he divided it into two grand themes, with the designations: Part I.: Winter, transition to spring, spring. Part II.: Summer, transition to autumn, autumn. Although Spohr wrote the symphony in the dull cold days of winter, the result nevertheless was just the least characteristic of his winterly intentions. While in the spring theme every note rings joyous with the glad awaking of nature,—in that of summer, the sultry heat is expressed in tones the effect of which is such, that the astonished hearer positively seems to feel it—and lastly the autumn, with its exhilarating music of the chase, and the masterly interwoven Rheinweinlied (vintage song of the Rhine)—can scarcely fail in inspiring the hearer with the most lively enthusiasm.
About this time Spohr, with every lover of music in Cassel, experienced great pleasure from the visit of a young female artiste nearly related to him. This was Rosalie Spohr, the second daughter of his brother William. From early childhood she had evinced a passionate love of music, and subsequently devoted herself with unwearying zeal to the study of the harp. Although at first it was not the wish of her parents that their daughter should perform in public, yet when they had subsequently become convinced of her real artistic talent, they could no longer oppose her ardent wishes, and at the age of 22 she proceeded, accompanied by her father, upon her first musical tour. After she had given proof of her abilities in several public performances at Hamburg and Leipzic, she visited Cassel, where she played several times in private circles, and at one concert at the theatre under the direction of Spohr, on which occasion she not only earned the warmest approbation of a delighted auditory but a yet more gratifying reward in the commendatory words of her highly-esteemed uncle. The young musician subsequently achieved many a brilliant triumph in her further visits to the larger cities of Germany and Holland; but her promising artistic career was shortly brought to an unexpectedly early termination, first by deaths in her immediate family circle, and afterwards by her marriage with count Xavier Sauerma.
During the summer vacation, in order at length to pay his long-promised visit to Breslau, Spohr proceeded thither by way of Leipzic in the hope of hearing Schumann’s new opera of “Genoveva;” but to his great regret, upon his arrival there, he was informed of the delays that had intervened to defer its performance, and was obliged to content himself with attending several rehearsals, but which, on account of the frequently interrupting repetitions, could naturally afford him but a very imperfect conception of the whole work. Although by no means an admirer of the compositions of Schumann so far known to him, in which he had frequently found a want of euphony and melodious breadth of harmonies, he formed a very favourable opinion of the opera, and it especially pleased him to observe that the same method of treatment which he had resorted to in the composition of the “Crusader” had been followed, in that Schumann did not permit the unnatural interruption of the action by a wearisome and constant repetition of words. It was no less interesting to Spohr to become acquainted with some of his larger pianoforte compositions, the desired opportunity for which was afforded him at the musical parties given to him, at which Mrs. Clara Schumann played a trio and pianoforte-concerto of her husband’s with the most finished excellence, with which exception all the rest were compositions of Spohr’s, among which the sextet he wrote during the March revolution: and at an extra-concert at the Gewandhaus his newest symphony, “The seasons,” was performed to the great delight of all who heard it.