Besides some compositions for the church, and a few part songs, Franz has
confined himself to the cultivation of the German "Lied" with a wonderful
concentration of all his faculties, reaching the highest perfection,
richness, depth, and beauty in this one _genre_, as Chopin did in his
field of pianoforte compositions. As regards his practical occupation in
Halle, he held several positions, with which he had been entrusted soon
after his first success as a composer, being organist at the St. Ulrici
church and director of the singing Academy and the symphony concerts, as
well as at the University. However, his increasing nervous and auricular
maladies obliged him in 1868 to resign all these offices and to live from
the limited earnings of his compositions. A generous gift in money started
by the always noble minded Liszt, and supported by admirers in Germany,
England and America, released him from all further anxieties. Thus the
dear master, invalid in body but young in spirit, lived in retirement
in his native city, with his wife, Maria Hinrichs, slowly winning the
recognition of the musical world. Letters received from him in the summer
of 1892 still showed an unusually bright and active mind, so that the
announcement of his death, which occurred Oct. 24th in Halle, came as a
sad surprise. Many an honor has been conferred upon him, the title of a
royal music director, of an honorary doctor of the Halle University, and
Bavarian and Prussian orders. Yet greater than all these is the honor of
living forever through his works in the hearts of his people, and in the
high esteem of all students of music and its history.
The collection of Robert Franz's songs may be well compared to a lovely
garden, most carefully adorned with beautiful flowers of every variety,
each of which attracts and deserves our special and close attention.
Indeed, whoever takes pains, in an earnest and loving mind to review these
songs one by one, and to penetrate into their peculiar nature, style and
beauty, will be surprised to observe that the composer has allowed not
one to be published without having perfected it in every detail. Even the
simplest folk-song had to be a true work of art, worthy of his name and
genius, before he would send it upon its wanderings through the world.
Another significant fact, which also does him great credit, is that each
song impresses us most forcibly as being born out of a deep, sympathetic
comprehension of the peculiar genius of the poet, and the language,
sentiment, and spirit of the poem. There is no conventionality, no
mannerism, no following of certain patterns, which so often characterize
ancient and modern manufacturers of songs. Every number presents, in
closest harmony with the text of the poem, an individual musical organism,
bearing the mark of Franz's artistic individuality, but forming with the
poem such a perfect union that we do not wish to separate the music from
the words, nor are we able to fully enjoy either independent of the other.
The music of his songs is not of such a character as to detract from the
beauty and interest of the poem. The musical setting is designed mainly to
enhance the charm of the poetic gem, and display it to best advantage.
[Illustration: [Music]