--HERDER: _Ideas Toward a History of Mankind_.

As life broadens with advancing culture, and people are able to
appropriate to themselves more of the various forms of art, the artist
himself attains to greater power, his abilities increase in direct ratio
with the progress in culture made by the people and their ability to
comprehend him. When one side or phase of an art comes to be received,
new and more difficult problems are invariably presented, the
elucidation of which can only be effected by a higher development of the
faculties. There is never an approach to equilibrium between the artist
and his public. As it advances in knowledge of his art, he maintains the
want of balance, the disproportion that always exists between the genius
and the ordinary man, by rising ever to greater heights.

If Bach is the mathematician of music, as has been asserted, Beethoven
is its philosopher. In his work the philosophic spirit comes to the
fore. To the genius of the musician is added in Beethoven a wide mental
grasp, an altruistic spirit, that seeks to help humanity on the upward
path. He addresses the intellect of mankind.

Up to Beethoven's time musicians in general (Bach is always an
exception) performed their work without the aid of an intellect for the
most part; they worked by intuition. In everything outside their art
they were like children. Beethoven was the first one having the
independence to think for himself--the first to have ideas on subjects
unconnected with his art. He it was who established the dignity of the
artist over that of the simply well-born. His entire life was a protest
against the pretensions of birth over mind. His predecessors, to a great
extent subjugated by their social superiors, sought only to please.
Nothing further was expected of them. This mental attitude is apparent
in their work. The language of the courtier is usually polished, but
will never have the virility that characterizes the speech of the free
man.

As with all valuable things, however, Beethoven's music is not to be
enjoyed for nothing. We must on our side contribute something to the
enterprise, something more than simply buying a ticket to the
performance. We must study his work in the right spirit, and place
ourselves in a receptive attitude when listening to it to understand his
message. Often metaphysical, particularly in the work of his later
years, his meaning will be revealed only when we