1865.1 费利克斯-门德尔松-巴托尔迪从1833年到1847年的信件

shiyi18

BOOKS
Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy From 1833 to 1847. Two Volumes
JANUARY 1865 ISSUE
SHARE
Philadelphia : F. Leypoldt.
THERE are many people who make very little discrimination between one musician and another, — who discern no great gulf between Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, between Rossini and Romberg, between Spohr and Spontini: not in respect of music, but of character ; of character in itself, and not as it may develop itself in chaste or florid, sentimental, gay, devotional, or dramatic musical forms. And as yet we have very little help in our efforts to gain insight into the inner nature of our great musical artists. Of Meyerbeer the world knows that he was vain, proud, and fond of money, - -but whether he had soul or not we do not know; the profound religiousness of Handel, who spent his best years on second-rate operas, and devoted his declining energies to oratorio, we have to guess at rather than reach by direct disclosure ; and tili Mr. Thayer shall take away the mantle which yet covers his Beethoven, we shall know but little of the interior nature of that wonderful man. But Mendelssohn now stands before us, disclosed by the most searching of all processes, his own letters to his own friends. And how graceful, how winning, how true, tender, noble is the man ! We have not dared to write a notice of these two volumes while we were fresh from their perusal, lest the fascination of that genial, Christian presence should lead us into the same frame which prompted not only the rhapsodies of “ Charles Auchestcr,” but the same passionate admiration which all England felt, while Mendelssohn lived, and which Elizabeth Sheppard shared, not led. We lay down these volumes after the third perusal, blessing God for the rich gift of such a life, — a life, sweet, gentle, calm, nowise intense nor passionate, yet swift, stirring, and laborious even to the point of morbidness. A Christian without cant ; a friend, not clinging to a few and rejecting the many, nor dirtusing his love over the many with no dominating affection for a few near ones, but loving his own with a tenacity almost unparalleled, yet reaching out a free, generous sympathy and kindly devotion even to the hundreds who could give him nothing but their love. It is thought that his grief over Itis sister Fanny was the occasion of tiie rupture of a blood-vessel in his head, and that it was the proximate cause of his own death ; and yet lie who loved with this idolatrous affection gave his hand to many whose names he hardly knew. The reader will not overlook, in the second series of letters, the plea in behalf of an old Swiss guide for remembrance in “ Murray,” nor that long letter to Mr. Simrock, the musicpublisher, enjoining the utmost secrecy, and then urging the claims of a man whom he was most desirous to help.

The letters from Italy and Switzerland were written during the two years with which he prefaced his quarter-century of labor as composer, director, and virtuoso. They relate much to Italian painting, the music ol Passion Week, Swiss scenery, his stay with Goethe, and his brilliant reception in England on his return. They disclose a youth of glorious promise.
Magazine Cover image
View This Story as a PDF
See this story as it appeared in the pages of The Atlantic magazine.

Open
The second series does not disappoint that promise, The man is the youth a little less exuberant, a little more mature, but no less buoyant, tender, and loving. The letters are as varied as the claims of one’s family differ from those of the outside world, but are always Mendelssohnian. — free, pure, unworldly, yet deep and wise, They continue down to the very close of his lire. They are edited by his brother Paul, and another near relative. Yet unauthorized publications of other letters will follow, for Mendelssohn was a prolific letter - writer ; and Lampadius, a warm admirer of the composer, has recently announced such a volume. The public may rejoice in this; for Mendelssohn was not only purity, but good sense itself; he needs no critical editing ; and if we may yet have more strictly musical letters from his pen, the influence of the two volumes now under notice will be largely increased.
It is not enough to say of these volumes that they are bright, piquant, genial, affecdonate ; nor is it enough to speak of their artistic worth, the subtile appreciation of painting in the first series, and of music in the second ; it is not enough to refer to the glimpses which they give of eminent artists, — Chopin, Rossini, Donizetti, Hiller, and Muscheles, — nor the sideglances at Thorwaldsen, Bunsen, the late scholarly and art-loving King of Prussia, Sclvadow, Overbeck, Cornelius, and the Düsseldorf painters ; nor is it enough to dwell upon that delightful homage to father and mother, that confiding trust in brother and sisters, that loyalty to friends. The salient feature of these charming books is the unswerving devotion to a great purpose ; the careless disregard, nay, the abrupt refusal, of fame, unless it came in an honest channel ; the naive modesty that made him wonder, even in the very last years of his life, that he could be the man whose entrance into the crowded halls of London and Birmingham should be the signal of ten minutes’ protracted cheering ; the refusal to set art over against money ; the unwillingness to undertake the mandates of a king, unless with the cordial acquiescence of his artistic conscience ; and the immaculate purity, not alone of his life, but of his thought. How he castigates Donizetti’s love of money and his sloth ! how his whip scourges the immorality of the French opera, and his whole soul abhors the sensuality of that stage ! how steadfastly he refuses to undertake the composition of an opera till the faultless libretto for which he patiently waited year after year could be prepared ! We wish our religious societies would call out a few of the letters of this man and scatter them broadcast over the land: they would indeed be “leaves for the healing of the nations.”
There is one lesson which may be learned from Mendelssohn’s career, which is exceptionably rare : it is that Providence does sometimes bless a man every way,—giving him all good and no evil. Where shall we look in actual or historic experience to find a parallel to Mendelssohn in this ? He had beauty : Chorley says he never looked upon a handsomer face. He had grace and elegance. Pie spoke four languages with perfect ease, read Greek and Latin with facility, drew skilfully, was familiar with the sciences, and never found himself at a loss with professed naturalists. He was a member of one of the most distinguished families of Germany : his grandfather being Moses Mendelssohn, the philosopher ; his father, a leading banker ; his uncle Bartholdy, a great patron of art in Rome, while he was Prussian minister there ; his brother-in-law Hensel, Court painter ; both his sisters and his brother Paul occupying leading social positions. He was heir-apparent to a great estate. He was greeted with the applause of England from the outset of his career ; “ awoke famous,” after the production oi the “Midsummer Overture,” while almost a bov ; never had a piece fall short of triumphant success ; in fact, so commanding prestige that he could find riot one who would rationally blame or criticize him,— a “ most wearying ” thing, he writes, that every piece he brought out was always “wonderfully fine.” lie was loved by all, and envied by none ; the pet and joy oi Goethe, who lived to see his expectation of Mendelssohn on the road to ample fulfilment; blessed entirely in his family, “the course of true love ” running “ smooth ” from beginning to end ; well, agile, strong; and more than all this, having a childlike religious faith in Christ, and as happy as a child in his piety. Ilis life was cloudless ; those checks and compensations with which Providence breaks up others’ lot were wanting to his. We never knew any one like him in this, but the childlike, sunny Carl Ritter.
We still lack a biography of Mendelssohn which shall portray him from without, as these volumes do from within. We learn that one is in preparation ; and when that is given to the public, one more rich life will be embalmed in the memories ol all good men.
We ought not to overlook the unique elegance of these two volumes. Like all the publications of Mr. Leypoldt, they arc printed in small, round letter; and the whole appearance is creditable to the publisher’s taste. The American edition entirely eclipses the English in this regard. 1 hough not advertised profusely, the merit of these Letters has already given them entrance and welcome into our most cultivated circles : but we bespeak for them a larger audience still ; for they are books which our young men, our voting women, our pastors, our whole thoughtful and aspiring community, ought to read and circulate.



书籍
费利克斯-门德尔松-巴托尔迪从1833年到1847年的信件。两卷本
1865年1月号
价值
费城: F. Leypoldt.
有许多人对一个音乐家和另一个音乐家的区别很小，他们在门德尔松和梅耶贝尔、罗西尼和隆伯格、斯波尔和斯邦蒂尼之间没有发现巨大的鸿沟：不是就音乐而言，而是就性格而言；就性格本身而言，而不是因为它可能在贞洁或华丽、感伤、快乐、虔诚或戏剧性的音乐形式中发展自己。在我们努力深入了解我们伟大的音乐艺术家的内在本质方面，我们还没有得到什么帮助。关于梅耶贝尔，全世界都知道他虚荣、骄傲、喜欢钱，--但他是否有灵魂，我们不得而知；亨德尔的深刻的宗教性，他把最好的年华花在了二流歌剧上，而把他衰退的精力用于清唱剧，我们不得不猜测，而不是通过直接披露来达到；直到塞耶先生拿掉覆盖在他的贝多芬身上的幔子，我们对这个了不起的人的内在本质才知道得很少。但门德尔松现在就站在我们面前，通过所有过程中最具有探索性的方式，即他自己写给自己朋友的信来披露。这个人是多么的优雅，多么的有魅力，多么的真实，多么的温柔，多么的高尚啊！我们还不敢写下他的名字。在我们刚读完这两卷书的时候，我们还不敢写下关于这两卷书的通知，以免那个和蔼可亲的基督徒的魅力把我们带入同样的框架，这个框架不仅促使 "Charles Auchestcr "的狂想曲，而且在门德尔松活着的时候，全英国都感到同样的热情崇拜，而且伊丽莎白-谢泼德也分享而不是领导这种热情崇拜。在第三次阅读之后，我们放下了这些书卷，为这样一种生活的丰富馈赠而祝福上帝，这种生活是甜蜜的、温和的、平静的，既不激烈也不激情，但却迅速、激昂，甚至努力到病态的程度。他是一个无怨无悔的基督徒；他是一个朋友，不依附于少数人而拒绝多数人，也不把他的爱凌驾于多数人之上，对少数亲近的人没有支配性的感情，而是以一种几乎无与伦比的坚韧来爱他自己的人，但甚至对那些除了爱之外什么也不能给他的数百人伸出自由、慷慨的同情和善良的奉献。人们认为，他对妹妹芬妮的悲痛是导致他头部血管破裂的原因，也是他自己死亡的近因；然而，以这种偶像般的感情去爱的人，却向许多他几乎不知道名字的人伸出了手。读者不会忽视，在第二系列的信件中，为一位瑞士老导游在《默里》中的回忆而提出的请求，也不会忽视那封给音乐出版商西姆洛克先生的长信，信中要求最大限度地保密，然后敦促他最想帮助的一个人的要求。

这些来自意大利和瑞士的信件是在他作为作曲家、导演和演奏家的四分之一个世纪的工作之前的两年里写的。这些信与意大利绘画、受难周音乐、瑞士风景、他与歌德的相处以及他回国后在英国受到的热烈欢迎有很大关系。它们揭示了一个具有光辉前景的青年。
杂志封面图片
以PDF格式查看本故事
请看这个故事在《大西洋》杂志的页面上出现。

打开
第二辑并没有让人失望，这个人就是那个年轻人，他不那么张扬，也不那么成熟，但他的活力、温柔和爱心却丝毫不减。这些信就像一个人的家庭要求与外界的要求不同一样多种多样，但始终是门德尔苏尼式的。- 这些书信自由、纯洁、不谙世事，但却深刻而睿智，一直持续到他去世的最后一刻。它们由他的兄弟保罗和另一位近亲编辑。门德尔松是一个多产的书信作者，他的热情崇拜者兰帕迪乌斯最近宣布将出版这样一卷书，但是其他信件的未经授权的出版物也将随之而来。公众可以为此感到高兴；因为门德尔松不仅是纯洁的，而且是有理智的；他不需要批评性的编辑；如果我们还能从他的笔下得到更多严格意义上的音乐信件，现在注意到的这两卷书的影响力将大大增加。
仅仅说这两卷书明亮、生动、和蔼可亲是不够的；仅仅说它们的艺术价值、第一辑中对绘画的精妙鉴赏和第二辑中对音乐的鉴赏也是不够的。仅仅提到它们对杰出艺术家的一瞥是不够的，如肖邦、罗西尼、多尼采蒂、希勒和穆谢尔，还有对索瓦尔德森、本森、已故的学者和热爱艺术的普鲁士国王、斯克瓦多、奥弗贝克、科内利斯和杜塞尔多夫的画家们的侧影；对那种对父亲和母亲愉快的敬意、对兄弟姐妹的信任和对朋友的忠诚也是不够的。这些迷人的书的突出特点是对伟大目标的坚定不移的奉献；对名声的漫不经心的漠视，不，是突然的拒绝，除非它是通过诚实的渠道来实现的；天真的谦虚，使他甚至在生命的最后几年都怀疑自己会成为这样一个人，他进入伦敦和伯明翰拥挤的大厅应该是10分钟的持久欢呼的信号。他拒绝将艺术与金钱对立起来；不愿意承担国王的任务，除非得到他的艺术良知的真诚默许；不仅是他的生活，而且是他的思想都是完美无瑕的。他是如何指责多尼采蒂的爱财和懒惰！他的鞭子是如何鞭挞法国歌剧的不道德，他的整个灵魂是如何憎恶那个舞台的感官！他是如何坚定地拒绝创作一部歌剧，直到他耐心等待的无懈可击的歌词能够准备好！我们希望我们的宗教团体能够呼吁，除非有他的艺术良知的默许，否则他的任务是不可能完成的。我们希望我们的宗教团体能从这个人的信中召出几封，并将它们散播到全国各地：它们确实会成为 "医治万民的树叶"。
从门德尔松的职业生涯中可以学到一个罕见的教训：那就是普罗维登斯有时会祝福一个人，给他所有的好处，不给他任何坏处。我们应该从实际或历史经验中去寻找与门德尔松相似的人？他有美貌：乔利说他从未见过一张更英俊的脸。他有风度和优雅。他能说四种语言，阅读希腊文和拉丁文，绘画技巧娴熟，熟悉科学，对自称的自然学家从不感到茫然。他是德国最杰出的家庭之一：他的祖父是哲学家摩西-门德尔松；他的父亲是一个主要的银行家；他的叔叔巴托尔迪在罗马担任普鲁士部长时，是一个伟大的艺术赞助人；他的姐夫亨塞尔是宫廷画家；他的姐妹和他的弟弟保罗都占据了主要的社会地位。他是一个大庄园的继承人。他的职业生涯一开始就受到了英国人的热烈欢迎；在制作了《仲夏序曲》之后，他就 "出名了"，当时他几乎还是个孩子；从来没有一部作品不成功；事实上，他的声望如此之高，以至于没有人愿意理性地指责或批评他，这是一件 "最令人厌倦 "的事情，他写道，他带来的每一部作品都是 "非常好的。 "他受到所有人的爱戴，没有人羡慕他；他是歌德的宠儿和喜悦，歌德活着看到他对门德尔松的期望充分实现；他的家庭完全受到祝福，"真爱的历程 "从开始到结束都很顺利；身体健康，敏捷，强壮；而且更重要的是，他对基督有着孩子般的宗教信仰，在虔诚中像孩子一样快乐。他的生活是无忧无虑的；普罗维登斯打破别人命运的那些制约和补偿对他来说是不存在的。在这一点上，我们从未见过任何像他这样的人，只有像孩子一样的、阳光的卡尔-里特。
我们仍然缺少一本门德尔松的传记，它将从外部描述他，就像这几卷书从内部描述他那样。我们得知，一本传记正在准备之中；当它被公之于众时，又有一个丰富的生命将被埋葬在所有好人的记忆中。
我们不应忽视这两卷书的独特风采。与莱波尔特先生的所有出版物一样，它们以小而圆的字体印制；整个外观值得称赞，符合出版商的品味。美国版在这方面完全超越了英国版。虽然没有大肆宣传，但这些书的优点已经让它们进入了我们最有修养的圈子，并受到欢迎：但我们还是希望它们有更多的读者；因为它们是我们的年轻人、我们的女选民、我们的牧师、我们整个有思想、有抱负的社会应该阅读和传播的书。