Chapter 4, continued Summary

That Sunday, while the cousins listen to a band concert on the verandah, Settembrini contrasts the written word as the "bearer of the human intellect" with music. Settembrini has a "political" distaste for music, since it inflames the emotions - even though he enthusiastically agrees with Joachim that music, like all art, can also perform the reasonable function of measuring time and can awaken the intellect. He even tells Hans that music is especially dangerous for him personally.

The following Monday, Hans takes a long hike in the mountains instead of resting before attending Dr. Krokowki's lecture. He sings love songs at the top of his voice, but still feels feverish. After stopping by a brook, he suffers a sudden nosebleed. The loss of blood causes him to hallucinate that he is back in middle school, where, he now remembers, he...