strictures on Beethoven’s music must have embarrassed him.  Weber had stated on hearing the Seventh Symphony for the first time that Beethoven was now fit for the madhouse, and his criticisms in general had been adverse.  This, however, was something which Beethoven had never objected to; moreover, time had amply vindicated him as to the symphonies, so he could afford to be generous to his youthful critic.  Beethoven was genial and kindly, and the younger man was deeply impressed by the master’s reception of him.  Euryanthe proved a failure and Weber called again to ask Beethoven’s advice as to remodelling the work.

The libretto Melusina, which was submitted to him by Grillparzer found such favor in his eyes as to lead to its acceptance, but when he came face to face with the project, his former experience with opera was sufficient to deter him, and he abandoned the idea, giving as an excuse the inferiority of the German singers.  That this was only an excuse, is plain, since only a short time afterward Mlle. Sontag was intrusted with the exceedingly difficult soprano parts of the Mass in D and the Ninth Symphony.  He was hard at work on this Symphony at the time, which will serve to explain and accentuate his reluctance to again attempt operatic composition, a style of work diametrically opposed to that which had engaged his attention for many years previously.  It would too, have necessitated shelving the Symphony indefinitely, and, although he needed the money which the opera would have yielded, his interest in the Symphony was paramount; he could not bring himself to abandon it.  With failing powers superinduced by his excessive labors on the Mass, it was being borne in on him that he was nearing the end of his life-work.  Under such circumstances the Symphony was sure to have the preference.  The long cherished plans for another oratorio, and for a Requiem Mass also insistently came up for consideration, crowding out all serious intention of an opera.

The project of a Requiem Mass was of particular interest to him; it comes to the fore frequently.  He mentioned it shortly after the completion of the Mass in C. Then, when his brother Karl died it is again considered.  It is also mentioned on the occasion of the tragic death of Prince Kinsky, who had acted so liberally by him in the matter of the pension.  It is probable that the work of writing a Requiem Mass would have proved congenial to him.  He was in the right mood for it on completion of the Mass in D, and it is rather singular that he did not undertake it instead of the Symphony.  Religious questions were occupying his mind more and more in these years.  It must be admitted that his religion was as peculiar to himself as was his music.  He affiliated with no church, although baptized as a Catholic, and brought up in that church; but the frequent appeals to the Divinity in his journals, show his belief in, and reliance on, a higher power.  He formulated his own religion