“Dear André, you seem to forget, that it does not redound to the credit of your song, that it should require a piece of buffoonery to introduce it; that this song of Schulze was composed upwards of five and twenty years ago, when the notions of song-composition were very different from what they now are; that the melody, which appears antiquated to us, was new at that time, and that you in the end have made no happy selection for your purpose, since this song with all its simplicity of form and melody is nevertheless correctly declaimed, and in the repetition of the: “O selig, wer liebt” at the end of every strophe, has some depth of feeling in it, whereas it is very problematical whether our songs will impart so much pleasure after a lapse of five and twenty years, as this song is still capable of doing when it is well sung.”
André seemed somewhat ashamed, and from that moment evinced much more discretion. I was now desirous to gratify his wish to hear some of my Vienna Quartetts and Quintetts; but the accompaniment was so bad, that I soon relinquished it, and gave no more than the first.
After dinner, Herr Aloys Schmitt gave us a Fantasia upon the piano “A sea voyage with a storm”. Although this trivial style of thing first introduced by Wölffl, was not bad, yet from so clever a virtuoso on the piano I should have expected to hear something more refined and solid.
In the evening, André took us to Herr Ewald, a great lover of music, at whose house the Offenbach Singing-academy had assembled to let him hear three compositions which they had practised with great care. It was called “Die drei Worte” (The three Words) of Schiller, set to music by Aloys Schmitt, a patriotic chorus by André, and “Die Bürgschaft” (The pledge) by Schiller, also composed by Aloys Schmitt, all with piano-forte accompaniment. The chorus numbered about forty eight voices, and the performance succeeded well. The only regret was, that the locality was not more spacious. The music to the “Drei Worte” pleased me very much. It evinced a great talent for that kind of lyrical composition. The poem is also right well adapted to it. The second; “Die Bürgschaft” is less so. In this, the composer distributes the persons represented as speaking, among the several solo-voices; but it sounds very strange to hear these sing what the poet relates. The chorus has its share in the text distributed in the same arbitrary manner. It is nevertheless not to be denied, that several of their entreés have an extraordinary effect, as for instance, where it says: “Und unendlicher Regen giesset herab”. “And neverceasing rain pours down”, and later, where the exhausted wanderer hears the murmering of a spring of water. The whole poem throughout is conceived and rendered with much fancy, yet the music suffers from a want of form through the frequent change of the tempi and measure. The repetition of single words which of themselves express no meaning is very much to be reprehended, and sometimes sounds truly comical. The four handed piano-forte-accompaniment is so rich in ornamentation, passages and modulations, that with very little modification it would not require to be rewritten for the orchestra. André’s chorus was not distinguished by any thing remarkable. At the conclusion, Herr Hasemann of the Frankfurt orchestra, who as violincellist accompanied me in my Quartett in the morning much better than any of the others, astonished us with his skill on the bass-sackbut! He played variations on the well known song: “Mich fliehen alle Freuden” (All pleasures depart from me). But it makes an unpleasant impression upon a hearer of taste, when an instrument is constrained to produce what is neither natural to, nor consistant with its character.
Darmstadt, 9. Febr.
Constrained to nearly a month’s stay by the illness of my good Dorette, I have had ample time to inform myself on the state of music here. Little satisfactory can be said of it. The Grand-Duke is certainly very fond of music, and spends considerable sums of money upon it; but this love of it is one sided, egotistical, and is limited solely to Theatrical music. He takes a pleasure for instance in enacting the Director of music, and Manager, in the Opera-rehearsals; he therefore not only directs the orchestra from a desk in the theatre, but directs also every thing upon the stage. As he considers himself incapable of error in both capacities, nor will allow either the director of the orchestra, or the stage manager to gainsay his regulations in the least, as a matter of course many mistakes occur. For, although of all Grand-Dukes he may be the best director of an opera, that does not make him a good one! He clearly proves this in his selection of the works which he allows to be performed in his theatre. As he has so liberally endowed the theatre that the management has no need to study the taste of the public for the sake of the receipts, they might therefore procure a Repertoire of really good and meritorious works, if he would only allow them the choice. But this he reserves to himself, and therefore not only much of what is given is of mediocrity merely, but many excellent works are wholly excluded, such as the operas of Cherubini, because the Grand-Duke cannot bear them. He may by chance let “Den Wasserträger,” (the Watercarrier) pass, but only the first act of it. Neither do the operas of Mozart seem to please him any better; for when a few days ago the turn came again for “Don Juan”, after nothing else had been given for thirty consecutive nights but Poissl’s “Athalia”, and that the orchestra relieved from the distressing wearisomeness with which that opera had overcome them, executed the first finale with great spirit, the Grand-Duke turning to the director of the orchestra, said: “After Poissl’s opera there’s no relishing “Don Juan!”
Considering the large salaries paid by the Grand-Duke, the personnel of solo-singers might be a much better one, with a few exceptions, than it really is; but it is maintained, that he only wishes for middling talents, so that they may yield more willingly to his regulations. The chorus (thirty females and thirty men) is very excellent. The orchestra is also very numerous, and comprises several very good artists among its members; but there is also a good deal of ordinary talent among them. The Grand-Duke may claim some credit for their ensemble, and particularly in the pianissimo; but as regards pure intonation, and clearness of expression, there is yet much to be desired. No orchestra in the world is so harrassed as this is; for the whole of the members without exception, must attend every blessed evening in the theatre, from 6 to 9 or 10 o’clock. Every Sunday, there is opera; on two other days in each week a play; and on the four remaining days the Grand-Duke has his opera-rehearsals. These never fail unless he is prevented by illness. Then no operas are given. A short time ago he was obliged to keep his room for several weeks with a bad leg; during this time no rehearsal dare be held, nor any opera performed. He seemed to beleive, or wished others to beleive that without him, nothing could be studied.
It is a singular sight, to see the old gentleman already grown quite crooked, seated at the desk in uniform with his star on his breast, giving the time; ordering the chorus and the “statists” to recollect this thing or the other, or calling out piano or forte to the orchestra. If he but understood all this, there would be no better director of an opera; for he has not only great zeal and perseverance, but from his station also, as Grand-Duke, the necessary authority. But his knowledge of scores extends no farther than at most to enable him to read after the violin-voice, and as he once played the violin when a young man, he continually harrasses the poor violinists with his reminiscenses, without making things any better! On the other hand, the singers may sing as false or with as little taste as they choose, or the wind-instruments may be one beat before or behind,—and he does not observe it!
It is just the same with his arrangements on the stage; but there the manager can yet come in unobserved to the rescue, while the director of the orchestra is not permitted the slightest reproval of any error that may occur. That the operas, therefore, despite the numerous rehearsals should come off badly, and invariably worse the more rehearsals that have been held, is sufficiently accounted for above, so that in the end both singers and orchestra become incapable of more attention from sheer exhaustion and disgust. This was the case with the opera “Athalie” of Poissl, which during our stay was rehearsed every evening when no performance took place, and in which on its representation at last, after thirty stage-rehearsals, faults still occured, both on the stage and in the orchestra. Of the music of this opera but little can be said in praise. It is too common-place, and the same kind of thing too frequently heard before. Several of the musical pieces are imitations of the most admired pieces of Mozart and Cherubini, yet without producing any other effect than recalling them to mind: so for instance, the procession of Priests, with its single strokes of the kettle-drum, is exactly like that in the “Zauberflöte” (the Magic Flute) during the “fire and water ordeal.” In the same manner also, the concluding Allegro of the first act, which contains striking reminiscences from the finale of “Don Juan,” and so forth. The first act is besides extremely tedious, from the circumstance that so many slow tempi and prayers succeed each other so closely, so that in point of fact, the opera has neither life nor action.
The Grand-Duke, who considers the music of this opera very fine, perhaps merely, because it was written by a Baron, had the vexation to find that the public considered it very wearisome, which was even loudly expressed close to the box of the Grand-duke. This so much enraged him, that he said in a loud voice: “All those who do not comprehend this splendid opera should have the doors of the theatre closed against them!” If what people say here, is true, that he compels the servants of his Court and officers, to frequent the theatre, by deducting without any ceremony the amount of the subscription for the entrée to the theatre from their salaries, he might readily carry out his threat by releasing them from this soccage!