lived to see. Our stay at Marienbad had not given her any permanent
relief, and as her sufferings returned once more with the commencement
of the winter, it became necessary for her to resume the attempt at
cure in the next vacation. This time we met at Marienbad the brothers
_Bohrer_, and after I had renewed my former acquaintance with these
talented artists, we had frequent quartet parties together, in which
we also prevailed upon the old linen-weaver, who was a good violin
player, to join us. These music-parties enlivened my wife as well,
who benefited so much by the waters that we returned to Cassel with
the mostly lively hope of her ultimate recovery. But soon afterwards
her condition again became worse, and I now felt but little disposed
to proceed with my new oratorio which I had begun in April. Already
the year before, on our return journey through Leipzic, Councillor
_Rochlitz_ had offered me an oratorio of the passion written by him:
“Des Heilands letzte Stunden” [the last moments of the Saviour]
to set to music. Although it had already been once set to music,
under the title “The end of the just,” by _Schicht_, I nevertheless
took it with pleasure, as he assured me that although the previous
composition had been played and with some applause, yet it had not
produced sufficient effect; for which reason he had again remodelled
the text and had made it more suitable to the object proposed. As,
however, I became informed that he had proposed this new text to
_Mendelssohn_ also for composition, before proceeding with the work
I first wrote of the latter, requesting him to inform me whether he
had the intention of composing the oratorio? As he replied in the
negative, and informed me that he himself intended to put a text
together from scripture (“Paulus”), I began my work in the spring
of 1834, which was subsequently interrupted by our journey to the
baths. As I nevertheless remarked that my wife, notwithstanding her
suffering condition, interested herself as much in my present work as
she had done in my previous ones, I soon forgot every thing in the
inspiration with which I devoted myself to it. Although upon my return
home from the rehearsals at the theatre _Dorette_ received me always
with sad looks and anxious observations respecting her health, she
nevertheless evinced again so great an interest in the progress of my
work, and listened with such lively attention to that which when ready
I rehearsed at the St. Cecilia society, that again I always resumed the
continuation of the work with new courage. Frequently nevertheless she
would interrupt me with the melancholy question: “What will become of
our _Theresa_, should I sink under my illness?”--for her anxiety for
_Theresa_ had at that time become her fixed idea--and when I made reply
to her: “A happy wife, as our other children have become,” a radiant
smile overspread her face, for she had also doubtless remarked, that
_Theresa_, in spite of her youth, had already many aspirants for her
favour, and she herself received with no displeasure the attentions
of a member of our St. Cecilia society. In this manner I got to the
end of the first part of my oratorio, and my wife had the pleasure
of seeing the interest and enthusiasm with which it was sung by the
society; but after that her strength quickly declined and she was
obliged to take to her bed. When I saw the thoughtful expression of
face of our physician and family friend Dr. _Bauer_, I called in also
the most reputed physician of our town, Dr. _Harnier_, to consult with
him. But he also shook his head and could give me little hope to save
her. As my daughters _Emilia_ and _Theresa_ took upon them the closest
care of their mother, I was enabled to comply with _Dorette’s_ wish to
continue my work during the day upon the completion of the oratorio,
in which she greatly interested herself, but was obliged to watch by
her bed at night in turn with _Emilia_. I had scarcely got to the third
“number” of the second part, when her malady assumed the form of a
nervous fever, which carried her off, and to the present day I think
with bitter sadness of the moment when I pressed the last kiss upon her
forehead.
My son-in-law _Wolff_ took upon himself all the mournful preparations
for the funeral, for which in my despair I was wholly incompetent,
and by that means I was enabled to leave the town for a week with my
youngest daughter, who was quite beside herself for grief at the death
of her mother, and who moreover had passed the last day by the side of
her sister _Ida_, who was likewise ill. I hired apartments at an inn
at Wilhelmshöhe, and we strove to regain the necessary self-possession
by long and fatiguing wanderings in the neighbouring bare and wintry
woods. When we were at length obliged to return into town we felt the
solitude of our house but the more intensely. It was therefore long
before I could find resolution sufficient to continue the score upon
which I had inscribed a memorandum of the day of my wife’s decease, the
20th November; until at length the disposition to work returned, and I
finished the oratorio by the end of the winter. On Good Friday 1835 I
gave an entire performance of it. The thought that my wife did not live
to witness the completion and performance of the oratorio diminished
greatly the satisfaction I experienced at this most successful of my
works, and I did not attain a full conception of its effect until
in its later performances. An opportunity for a repetition of the
oratorio presented itself the same summer on Whitsunday, on which day
the Prince, contrary to custom, had granted us permission to give a
concert in the church. The theatrical vacation coming soon after this,
I was obliged to seize the opportunity, and comply with the advice of
my physician to proceed to a sea-bathing place, and I selected for the
purpose Zandford, a newly-established and as yet not much frequented
watering-place about 3 miles[33] from Haarlem. Besides _Theresa_,
my sister-in-law, _Minchen Scheidler_, who for some years since the
death of my mother-in-law had resided with us, and who during our
former journeys was accustomed to visit her brother professor _Charles
Scheidler_ at Jena, accompanied me on this journey, and both were
exceedingly pleased with it. We descended the Rhine to Dusseldorf,
where I had projected staying for a few days, as _Mendelssohn_, who had
accepted the situation of director of music in the new theatre built
by _Immermann_, now lived there. The wife of Councillor _von Sybel_,
at whose house I lived during the musical festival, had heard of our
intention to make a short stay in Dusseldorf, and urged me to take up
my lodging in her house, which I did the more readily as I had heard
that _Immermann_ was a visitor in her house and generally spent his
evenings there.
[33] English.
I took my violin with me, and my last works also, among which a
second recently finished concertino, _E major_, Op. 92, published
by _Breitkopf_ and _Härtel_ of Leipzic. We first went to Frankfort,
stopped there one day only at _Speyer’s_ house, and then continued our
journey from Bieberich by the steamboat. At Dusseldorf we were received
at the house of Mrs. _von Sybel_ in a very friendly manner, and
already on the first evening had the pleasure of making _Immermann’s_
acquaintance, who to the special delight of my sister-in-law read to
her his charming “Tulifäntchen.” Of _Mendelssohn_, who was not there,
I heard, that he also was one of the friends of the house, but never
appeared there on those evenings when _Immermann_ came, because with
him, who devoted his whole attention to the spectacle only, he had
disagreed about the opera.
The next morning, when I paid a visit to _Mendelssohn_ and met his
sister there, he played to me the first “numbers” of his oratorio
“Paulus,” with which I was not altogether quite pleased because it was
too much in the style of _Händel_. He and his sister, on the other
hand, appeared greatly pleased with my concertino in _E major_, in
which there occurred a characteristic _staccato_ in one long stroke,
by way of novelty, such as he had never before heard by any other
violinist. Accompanying me then in a very clever manner from the
score, he could not hear this _staccato_ often enough, and repeatedly
requested me to begin with it again, saying the while to his sister:
“See, this is the famous _Sporish staccato_, which no violinist can
play like him!” Thence I went to see _Immermann_, who proposed to
me to pay a visit to _Grabbe_, who at that time, at _Immermann’s_
invitation, was staying at Dusseldorf, and I thus on the same day made
the acquaintance of that strange being. When, upon my entering his
lodging, the little fellow set eyes upon a giant like me, he drew back
timidly into a corner of the room, and the first words he spoke to
me were: “It would be an easy matter for you to throw me out of that
window.” I replied: “Yes, I certainly could, but I am not come here
with that intention.” This comical scene over, _Immermann_ then first
introduced me to the foolish yet interesting creature.
In the house of our hospitable hostess we passed some pleasant days
alternately in _Mendelssohn’s_ and _Immermann’s_ society, and then
resumed our journey on board the Dutch steamer to Cleves, where I
was desirous of visiting my old friend _Thomae_ for a few days. We
found him a widower also; for he, too, had recently lost his wife.
The nut-tree in his garden, of which we had set the nut in 1818 with
such solemnity during our stay with his family, was in full leaf and
flourishing amazingly. _Thomae’s_ children, who were now all grown
up, and of whom the eldest son had now taken his father’s place as
notary, were all in good health, but he himself seemed low-spirited and
ill. Our visit nevertheless afforded him great pleasure, and upon our
departure he presented _Theresa_, as god-daughter of his deceased wife,
with a gold watch, and entreated us to visit him again on our return.
In this manner, after quitting the steamboat at Rotterdam, we arrived
safely at Zandford, by way of the Hague, Amsterdam and Haarlem. When we
had hired apartments at the bath-house and looked out of our windows
upon the sea for the first time, my sister-in-law uttered the ominous
words: “Here I could wish to remain for ever!” After I had arranged
with the physician of the bathing-establishment, who came from Haarlem
daily to visit the bathers, respecting the terms for his attendance
during my bathing cure, and had immediately begun to bathe, I soon went
into the sea with real pleasure, and took great delight in swimming
about in it. Our fellow inmates of the bath-house and guests at the
dinner-table were some puritan families from Elberfeld and Barmen,
whose religious notions I had soon sufficient opportunity to learn by
their conversation at table, but which by no means inspired me with a
wish to make their nearer acquaintance. After dinner we used to take
our walks in the wood, which, beginning immediately behind the downs,
extended almost as far as Haarlem, and in this manner we passed the
fine weather with which we were favoured in the summer of 1835, very
happily in our retirement. This was, however, soon to be interrupted by
an unexpected artistic enjoyment; for the lovers of music of Amsterdam,
who had been informed of my presence in Zandford, invited me and my
fellow travellers to a concert which they had arranged in my honour.
We proceeded therefore by omnibus to Haarlem, and thence by the canal
boat to Amsterdam, where we alighted at the house of Mr. _Tenkate_,
a former acquaintance of mine. In his company we went to the concert
given in the concert room of _Felix Meritis_, at which several of my
compositions were given; first one of my symphonies, then the duet from
“Jessonda,” sung by Mr. _de Vruecht_ of Haarlem and the prima donna
of the German theatre; after which Mr. _Tours_ of Rotterdam played a
violin-concerto of mine, and Mr. _Vruecht_ terminated the concert with
some songs. After we had supped at the house of our host, and were on
the point of going to bed, a serenade was given me, which we listened
to from the balcony of the house.
My sister-in-law, who during the concert had complained of a head-ache,
now probably caught cold, for despite my warning she would stand out
also in the chill night air on the balcony to hear the serenade; and
upon our return to Zandford, upon consulting the bath-physician next
morning, he found that a cutaneous eruption had made its appearance
in the night, which, however, he did not consider dangerous. The
vacation meanwhile was drawing to a close, and the physician was of
opinion that after the invalid had kept her bed for a few days, we
should soon be enabled to set out upon our return journey. But on the
evening of the same day, while I was sitting at the bed-side of my
sister-in-law, as the sun was going down, and speaking with her of our
return home, she requested in a tone of anxious and nervous agitation
to be allowed to get up, and while exerting my utmost strength to
prevent her from rising, she fell back suddenly upon the pillows, and
losing all consciousness, breathed her last. Both _Theresa_ and I,
seized with alarm, called for assistance, upon which a young man, a
medical student whose apartment was contiguous to ours, came in with
all his instruments and immediately proceeded to open a vein. But it
was without success. No blood would flow, the surgeon pronounced her
dead and was now using every effort to bring _Theresa_ to her senses,
who had fainted away with fright. Thus was sadly realised the ominous
desire of my sister-in-law: “Here I could wish to remain for ever!”
What we felt as we followed her a few days afterwards to her last
resting-place, and how sadly this scene resuscitated the mournful
recollection of that we had witnessed the year before in Cassel, I need
not attempt to describe.
We now proceeded with all possible speed on our return journey, and
at the landing-place of the steam-boat near Cleves met our friend
_Thomae_, who, when he learned our new loss, persisted no further
in his desire that we should again stay a few days at his house. As
my leave of absence was moreover expired, we continued our journey
to Cassel without further delay. But I there felt the lonesomeness
of our home yet more keenly, deprived of the one whom we had left
behind, and I therefore began to experience the want of a partner
through life who would also take an interest in my musical labours.
The meetings of our society of St. Cecilia were near at hand, where
at our weekly rehearsals the opportunity might present itself to me
to make unperceived such observations as would perhaps enable me to
select a lady in whom I might hope to find a solace for the remainder
of my life, and one fitted to restore to me my lost happiness. I there
bethought me especially of the sister of my deceased friend _Karl
Pfeiffer_, whose serious tone of mind and warm interest for high-class
music I had observed during her constant punctual attendance for
several years at the concerts of the society, and who, moreover, as I
knew through her brother, had a particular predilection for my music.
Besides this, in my almost daily walks on the Cologne Alley, which
took me past the garden of Chief Councillor _Pfeiffer_ of the court of
appeal, I had for a long time past the opportunity of witnessing at a
distance the happy and unpretentious manner of life of the family. As
at that time (September 1835) the electoral troops were concentrated
for the autumn manœuvres, and had formed a camp in the neighbourhood of
the castle of Wilhelmsthal, whither the Casselers now resorted as their
chief promenade, I bethought me of making a party thither, and through
my daughter _Theresa_ requested the parents _Pfeiffer_ to permit both
their daughters to accompany us.
During this little excursion, I had the opportunity in the course of
conversation to become acquainted with the high and varied intellectual
culture of the two sisters, and so I became fully confirmed in my
resolve to sue for the hand of the eldest sister, _Marianne_, whose
knowledge of music and skill in pianoforte play I had already observed,
when she sometimes gave her assistance in accompaniment at the concerts
of the St. Cecilia society. As I had not the courage to propose for
her by word of mouth, there being more than twenty years difference in
our ages, I put the question to her in writing, and added, in excuse
for my courtship, the assurance that I was yet perfectly free from
the usual infirmities of age. I now awaited the answer with the most
anxious expectancy. To my great joy it proved one of assent, upon which
I hastened to her parents, and in due form asked her in marriage. They
wished every happiness to our union, and we now daily learned to know
each other better. As at my age there was not much time be lost, I
urged that the wedding should take place immediately after the new
year, which after some opposition from the relations and the bride,
was consented to. Our wedding was fixed for the 3rd of January 1836,
and I asked my parents to become witness to my new happiness. Yet, on
the appointed day our wedding nearly failed to take place, for the
required permission of the co-regent Prince had not yet been received,
notwithstanding all the exertions of my friend Mr. _von der Malsburg_,
whose office it was, as marshal of the court, to have it made out.
My father-in-law, who in former years had given private readings in
public law to the Prince, and then did not stand very high in his
favour, had totally lost it since, as a member of the first parliament
(from 1831 to 1832), he had effected by his able and convincing report
to the assembled states a great diminution of the disproportionate
amount of the military expenditure. The Prince bore this doubtless in
mind, and therefore delayed granting his permission for the marriage of
his daughter. Neither did we receive this until my bride had signed a
bond, which was expressly required of her, whereby she waived all claim
to a future pension. As I, in case of my death, was enabled to provide
for my wife by other means, we consented to this requisition; and in
this manner our wedding did yet take place on the day which had been
appointed. The nearest relatives of the family of my parents-in-law,
to the number of three and thirty, together with my own parents, my
daughters and their husbands, were assembled on the occasion. The
marriage ceremony, at the request of my bride, was performed by her
favorite preacher _Asbrand_, whom she knew personally and highly
esteemed.
I now lived again in my former and accustomed domestic manner and felt
unspeakably happy with my wife! As we frequently played together, I
became more and more acquainted with her high sentiment for the noble
in the science of music, and from her great ability for reading at
sight, was enabled in a short time to play with her not only all that I
had previously written for the violin with pianoforte accompaniment,
but many new things in that style of art, and which I had not
previously known, were suggested to me by her. This inspired me with a
great desire to try something for once in duets especially written for
pianoforte and violin. The first I wrote for ourselves was the duet in
_G minor_ (Op. 95 published by _Breitkopf_ of Leipzic). Thus engaged I
frequently observed with great pleasure the lively interest she took
in my works, in the same manner as my departed wife had afforded me
so much happiness and stimulated my labours. When I had written out a
passage, upon playing it with her I could immediately hear its full
effect, which interested and made us both equally happy. Besides the
above I composed at this period six songs for a counter tenor voice,
published by _Simrock_ of Bonn as Op. 94.
When the summer and the season of vacation drew nigh, we resolved
upon a journey to visit our respective relatives. But as there was no
railway at that time, we were obliged as formerly to travel with post
horses, and proceeded by way of Eisenach to Gotha, where we visited a
step-sister of my late wife, who had married a tradesman of the Name
of _Hildt_ of that place. We found them in their flower-garden, spent
a pleasant evening with them, and left the next day for Erfurt. As the
musical amateurs of that place had heard of our coming beforehand, we
were immediately received at the hotel of “The Roman Emperor” by a
deputation, who invited us in a most flattering address to the festive
entertainments which had been prepared for us. At the banquet which
was given on the first day, I was welcomed in a poem composed for the
occasion, after which my health was drunk with an enthusiasm which
afforded great gratification to my wife and daughter. In the evening we
drove to the “Steiger,” the favorite place of resort of the citizens
of Erfurt; but as it shortly afterwards began to rain, we could not
much enjoy the beautifully laid out gardens, and were compelled to
take refuge in the saloon itself. Fortunately they had taken care to
provide a good pianoforte and I could therefore let the company hear
my new duet for violin and piano, and also my concertino in _E sharp_,
both of which I played with my wife. After that, _Theresa_ sang some of
my newest songs, and by some of the ladies and gentlemen of Erfurt my
bass duet from “Faust” and several songs were sung. This improvisated
musical party appeared to please the company greatly, and thus, despite
the rain, we returned to town very satisfied with our day’s pleasure.
Early on the following morning we were taken by surprise with a
serenade performed in our honour by the military-band drawn up on the
square in front of the hotel. It began with the well-known sounds of
one of my symphonies, which was followed by several other pieces, and
lastly by the first finale from “Zemira and Azor.” We then went to see
objects of note in the town, particularly the fine cathedral, upon
entering which we were greeted by the pealing notes of the celebrated
organ, and afterwards, the introduction to the “Last moments of the
Saviour,” as also several other melodies, chiefly from my earlier
oratorios, were executed in a very impressive manner. After we had
partaken of a magnificent repast at the house of Major _von Rommel_,
whose wife was a cousin of Mrs. _Spohr’s_, we drove to the theatre,
where preparations had been made for a grand concert, at which, with a
brilliantly lighted house, the “Weihe der Töne” and my “Lord’s Prayer”
were performed in a very satisfactory manner.
The next morning we continued our journey to Leipzic, and there
again attended several interesting musical parties, which my old
friends _Rochlitz_ and _Weiss_, as also the distinguished pianiste
Mrs. _Vogt_, gave at their houses in our honour, and where I played
some of my more recent quartets, which were as yet unknown to the
Leipzickers, particularly the _Quatuor brillant_ in _A major_, which I
had composed in the previous autumn (Op. 93, published by _Haslinger_
of Vienna). In Dresden, at the hotel of the “Stadt Gotha,” we met the
family _Kleinwächter_ of Prague, father, son and daughter--as also my
friend _Adolph Hesse_, the celebrated organist of Breslau, whom I
had personally known since 1828, when he first visited me in Cassel,
and who entertained a great friendship for me. With him we proceeded
on a preproposed tour through Saxon Switzerland, and performed the
first distance, to the entrance of the Uttewalder Ravine, in the
carriage, which, when we became tired of climbing the steep heights
which offered the chief points of view, always took us again and
carried us conveniently from one magnificent rocky aspect to the other.
We had nevertheless some long and fatiguing pedestrian trips, for
instance that of the ascent of the great Winterberg, when the heat was
very oppressive. From Hirniskretschen, the limit of our journey, we
descended the Elbe to Schandau, partook of a pleasant dinner there,
during which we rallied each other mutually upon our fatigue, which we
endeavoured as much as possible to conceal from the visitors at the
baths, who sat with us at table, and which gave rise to many comical
incidents.