vement,
Beethoven struck him somewhat roughly on the hand, pushed him from the
stool, and, placing himself on it, played and _explained_ the sonata.
Then Schindler says: "Two principles also in the middle section of
'Pathetique,'" as if the teacher had called upon him to give
illustrations from other sonatas of what he had explained concerning
Op. 14. But there is another record of a conversation which took place
between Beethoven and Schindler in the very month (March, 1827) in
which the composer died. "As you feel well to-day," says the disciple,
"we can continue our talk concerning the poetic basis ("wieder etwas
poetisiren") of the Trio in B flat." And after some remarks about
Aristotle's views of tragedy, and about the _Medea_ of Euripides, we
come across the following:--"But why _everywhere_ a superscription? In
many movements of the sonatas and symphonies, where feeling and one's
own imagination might dictate, such a heading would do harm. Music
ought not, and cannot, on all occasions give a definite direction to
feeling." Beethoven must have been alluding to some scheme of his for
indicating the nature of the contents of his works, and its boldness
seems to have astonished Schindler. It is possible that Beethoven,
conscious that his end was not far distant, carried away by the
enthusiasm of the moment, and desirous of giving all possible help to
the right understanding of his music, went far beyond the modest lines
by which he was guided when writing his "Pastoral" Symphony.[98] But
let us return to the conversation.

"Good!" says Schindler, "then you will next set about writing an
_angry_ sonata?" Beethoven would seem to have declared even that
possible, for Schindler continues: "Oh! I have no doubt you will
accomplish that, and I rejoice in anticipation." And, then, as if
remembering that his master was an invalid, and that it would not be
right to excite him by prolonging the argument, he added, probably in
a half-jocular manner: "Your housekeeper must do her part, and first
put you into a towering passion." The above extracts show pretty
clearly that the poetic basis of his music was a subject which
Beethoven took pleasure in discussing with his friends. Beethoven's
back was, however, at once up if he found others pushing the matter
too far. Of this we will give an instance. In the year 1782 Dr.
Christian Mueller of Bremen organised concerts among the members of his
family, and, already at the beginning of