Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern . ch a connection must beaccepted with reserve. So must be takenmuch admirable writing as to the art inwhich the critic or teacher has are not necessarily literature. Per-haps the best basis of determining the right to literary recognitionof men and women who have written and printed more or less with-out actually professing letters, will be the interest of the matter theyhave left to the kind of reader who does not care a pin about theirreal life-work, or about their self-expression as it really comes down to us. In
Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern . ch a connection must beaccepted with reserve. So must be takenmuch admirable writing as to the art inwhich the critic or teacher has are not necessarily literature. Per-haps the best basis of determining the right to literary recognitionof men and women who have written and printed more or less with-out actually professing letters, will be the interest of the matter theyhave left to the kind of reader who does not care a pin about theirreal life-work, or about their self-expression as it really comes down to us. In painting, the dual capacity —for the brush and for letters —has more shining examples than in music. But with Boito, and Wagner, comes a striking succession of menwho. as to autobiography or criticism or verse, present a high qualityof interest to the general reader. In the instance of Beethoven thecritical or essayistic side is limited. It is by his letters and diarythat we study (only less vividly than in his music) a character of. Beethoven j„ro LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN profound depth and imposing nobility; a nature of exquisite sensitive-ness. In them we follow, if fragmentaril3% the loattle of personalityagainst environment, the secrets of strong but high passion, theartist temperament, — endowed with a dignity and a moral majestyseldom equaled in an art indeed called divine, but with children whofrequently remind us that Pan absorbed in playing his syrinx has agoats hoof. Beethoven in all his correspondence wrote himself down as whathe was, — a superior man, a mighty soul in many traits, as well asa supreme creative musician. His letters are absorbing, whetherthey breathe love or anger, discouragement or jo3^ rebellion againstuntoward conditions of daily life or solemn resignation. The reli-gious quality, too, is strong in them; that element more in touchwith Deism than with one or another orthodoxy. Withal, he is assincere in every line of such
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectliterature, bookyear1
