Walter Bache died April, 1888, and the London _Figaro_ gives the
following sketch of this artist:
"The awfully sudden death of poor Walter Bache on Monday night sent a
shock through the whole of the London world of music. Some of his most
intimate friends were present at the final popular concert on that
evening, but none of them knew anything at all of the death. We have it
on the authority of a member of his family that not even those whom he
held most dear were in the slightest degree aware that he was in any
danger. Only a few days ago he was present at a concert in St. James'
Hall. But it seems he caught a chill. Next day he became worse, the
cold doubtless settled upon his lungs, and the third day he died.
Notification of the death did not reach even the daily papers until
midnight. The obituary writers were then certainly not assisted by Sir
George Grove, who, in the thousands of pages which form the four
gigantic volumes of his so-called Dictionary of Musicians, could not
spare a paragraph to narrate the story of the life of one who for a
quarter of a century has been a central figure of English musical life,
and who from his gentleness, his gifts and his son-like affection for
his master Liszt will shine as a bright picture in the pages of English
musical history.
"We need not go very deeply into the history of Walter Bache's life. He
was born in June, 1842, at Birmingham, and was the son of an Unitarian
minister. From his birth till his death two special points stand out
boldly in his career. Until his 'prodigy' brother Edward died in 1858 he
was taught only by Stimpson, of Birmingham. The death of his brother was
the first great incident of his life. His own education was then more
thoroughly cared for than before, and he was sent to Leipsic, where,
under Plaidy, Moscheles, Richter (not the conductor) and Hauptman, he
was a fellow student of Sullivan, Carl Rosa, J. F. Barnett and Franklin
Taylor. All five boys have since become eminent, but each one in a
totally different line, and, indeed, it may fairly be said that to a
great extent the Leipsic class of that period held the fortunes of
modern musical England. When the class broke up in 1861 Bache travelled
in Italy, and in 1862 at his meeting with Liszt occurred the second
great incident in his career. From that time Liszt and Bache were fast
friends. But Bache to the day of his death never aspired to be more than
the pupil of his master.
"Teach he must do for daily bread, but compose he would not, as he knew
he could not surpass Liszt, although all his savings were devoted to the
Liszt propaganda. It is not for us, standing as we do on the brink of
the grave of a good man, to determine whether he was right or wrong. It
will suffice that Walter Bache's devotion to Liszt was one of the most
beautiful and the most sentimental things of a musically material age.
Liszt rewarded him on his last visit to London by attending a reception
which Bache, at great expense, gave in his honour at the Grosvenor
Gallery. Bache is now dead; a blameless and a useful life cut short in
its very prime."