While we were in Strasburg Messrs. Berg and Kuttner gave together a public Concert, in which both shewed themselves good pianistes, and Herr Berg a talented composer. He gave an Overture, a Pianoforte Concerto and variations for two Piano’s. The allegro of the overture pleased me especially, on account of its natural flow and the manner in which the theme is carried out. But Herr Berg is not free from the complaint common to all modern composers, who are always striving after effects, and in so doing miss the carrying out of their ideas.
We went a few times to the theatre, and with the exception of the Prima Donna Madame Dufay, found the Opera very bad, but the Comedy and Vaudeville excellent. I became again convinced, how greatly the French excel the Germans in the two last kinds of entertainment. The company here, which is generally considered but very middling, perform nevertheless their Comedies with roundness, and life like truth, such as is seldom seen on the stage of the best theatres in Germany.
Münster, near Colmar, March, 26.
For the last fortnight nearly we are here in a small manufacturing town in the Vosges mountains, on a visit to a wealthy manufacturer Jacques Hartmann. Our host, who is an ardent lover of music, was informed by Herr Kapellmeister Brandt of Carlsruhe, that we should pass through Colmar on our journey. He had ascertained from Strasburg the day on which we should pass through; he therefore way laid us and with friendly force compelled us to follow him to his house at Münster. Arrived there at nightfall, we were welcomed by his family in the most hearty manner, and conducted immediately through the garden to a brilliantly lighted Concert-Room, which was decorated all round with the names of our great Composers, among which probably from to-day mine also has found a humble place. The Orchestra of Herr Hartmann was already in their places and received us upon our entry with a by no means ill executed Overture. The Orchestra consists of Herr Hartmann’s family, and in part of some of the employés, musicians and workmen employed in his Cotton-manufactury. As he as much as possible engages those only who are musical, he has succeeded in getting together an almost completely appointed Orchestra, which executes in a very decent manner compositions that are not too difficult and which it has diligently practised.[17] Herr Hartmann himself is a virtuoso on the bassoon and has a fine tone and much skill. His sister and his daughter play the pianoforte. The latter a child, eight years of age is the star of this Dilettanti orchestra. She already plays very difficult compositions with wonderful facility and precision. But more than this, her fine musical ear surprised me, with which (though at a distance from the Piano) she distinguishes the intervals of the most complicated discordant accords that can be struck for her, and will name consecutively the tones of which they consist. Of this child for a certainty if properly guided will one day be made a distinguished artiste.[18] After the family had exhibited their capabilities, we let them hear one of our Duetts and found a very grateful and enthusiastic auditory.
Herr Hartmann does not readily permit a Musician of note to pass through Alsace without calling on him and therefore has already seen many of them under his roof; among others, Rudolpho, Kreutzer, Durand, Turner, Bärmann and the brothers Schunke. And for a certainty all must have been as satisfied with their stay in his house as we were; for a more agreable host, and one more desirous to please than Herr Hartmann could not readily be found. Of the two first mentioned artistes he related the following, which is sufficiently characteristic. Kreutzer gave a Concert at the theatre in Strasburg, which was very fully attended. After the first part, he went and took the receipts, and lost them at Roulette in the refreshment room to the last sous. He was now called for the second part of the Concert, and was obliged to earn wherewith to supply what he had already lost. Durand did still worse! Herr Hartmann had got up a Concert for him at Mühlhausen and accompanied him thither. Durand immediately forgot himself in a beerhouse, and it was a difficult matter to get him away from it to hold the rehearsal. At this he missed his bow, which he had forgotten at Colmar. He declared that he must fetch it, otherwise he would not be able to play in the evening. Herr Hartmann gave him his carriage and urged him to return as soon as possible. The hour of the Concert was fast approaching, but Durand had not yet come back. The public had assembled, the Musicians were tuning up,—but the Concert-giver was still wanting! After waiting for half an hour, as the auditory had become very restless, Herr Hartmann had the Overture played. But as Durand had not yet made his appearance, he was obliged to come forward and explain the absence of the Concert-giver. Exceedingly displeased at this, the public left the Concert-room. Late in the evening the coachman returned without the vainly expected musician, and informed his master that he had sought for him for several hours in all the Coffee-houses and taverns at Colmar but in vain, and that at length he had found him in a beerhouse where in company with other jovial guests he had totally forgotten the concert.
Three days ago, we gave a Concert in Colmar which was very fully attended, and which Herr Hartmann had previously solicited his there resident musical friends to make arrangements for. As the Orchestra which was almost wholly composed of dilettanti was very bad; I was compelled to renounce playing any of my own compositions and chose some of easier accompaniment by Rode and Kreutzer. After the Sonata which I played with my wife, a crown of laurel was thrown to us from a box to which was attached the following poem:
Couple savant dans l’art heureux
Qui fit placer au rang des Dieux
L’antique Chantre de la Grèce.
D’un instrument melodieux,
Et de la harpe enchanteresse
Quand les accords delicieux.
Nous causent une double ivresse,
Faut-il, que les tristes apprêts
D’un depart qui nous désespère,
Mêlent d’inutiles regrets
Aux charmes que votre Art opère!
Ah! près de nous il faut rester!
Quelle raison pour s’en défendre?
A nos voeux, si Spohr veut se rendre,
Il pourra, j’ose l’attester,
Se lasser de nous enchanter,
Jamais nous lasser de l’entendre.
In the second part of the Concert Herr Hartmann played also some variations for the bassoon by Brandt. He seemed very nervous, but played nevertheless right well. The receipts were very considerable for so small a town. The day after the Concert we dined at General Frimont’s, Commander of the Austrian troops in Alsace. We found our host an extremely amiable and jovial man. By his love of justice, his strict discipline and agreable manners, he has acquired in a high degree the esteem of the inhabitants of Colmar.—In the evening we returned here.
Yesterday I received information from the Director of music Tollmann, in Basel, to whom Herr Hartmann had previously announced our arrival, that he had made arrangements for a Concert for us on next Sunday the 31. We must therefore take leave of our kind host and his family. But we have been obliged to promise to come once again if possible during the summer.
Herr Hartmann conducted us several times over the Cotton factory. It is very extensive and produces goods which in respect of taste in the designs greatly excel the English. It gives employment to upwards of one thousand persons, and among these to artists of great talent as Draughtsmen and Engravers on copper. Cotton prints of all kinds are made, common ones by hand-press, the finer sorts by Roll-press, with furniture prints as well as carpets ornamented with large and small designs. The latter are chiefly made for the East Indian and China markets. On the copper-plates for these kinds, artists often work for several years together. The designs are for the most part copies of celebrated pictures. The mechanism by which the copper-plates are printed off upon stuffs is a secret in the possession of the Hartmann-manufactory, which is not shewn to strangers. We were made an exception to the rule. An ingenious machine for rubbing colours was also invented here, and is as yet the only one of the kind. Alsace which is so rich in manufactories, is very discontented with the new government, which does nothing for the encouragement of industry as did the exiled Emperor, to whom the people are devotedly attached. This may be readily imagined when we consider, that in the palmy days of the Empire, the manufactories in this part were in an extremely flourishing condition, which arose in a great measure from the exclusion of English manufactures from the Continent by the celebrated Berlin decrees. But now again when the whole of Europe is inundated with English goods, the factories here are obliged to restrict their labours considerably. People express here without reserve their discontent with the present government, and say quite openly, that the favourable opportunity is only waited for to shake off the present yoke once more. It is true, also, that many things that tended greatly to the public good, such as canal and road making, the distribution of prizes for encouragement of Industry, Art-institutions etc. such for example as the Conservatory of Music in Paris, have been in part suppressed or greatly limited, as hateful reminiscences of the Revolution and of the Empire. All this had made much bad blood, and rendered the new Government extremely hated. People will therefore be by no means displeased, should the report be verified, that Alsace is to be ceded to Austria.