the modern short story in the field of literature; which,
in distinction to the old "three-decker" novel, often really _says
more_ and says it so concisely that our interest never flags. This
tendency to the short, independent piece had been begun by Beethoven
in his _Bagatelles_ (French "trifles"); but these, as has been aptly
said, were "mere chips from the work-shop" whereas in a short piece of
Schubert we find the quintessence of his genius. He was a prolific
composer in the field of chamber music, and the Trios for Violin,
'Cello and Pianoforte, the A minor Quartet, the C major Quintet and,
above all, the posthumous Quartet in D minor, which contains the
entrancing Variations on the song _Death and the Maiden_, are still as
fresh as when they were composed. In these works we do not look for
architectonic power--we must admit, in fact, at the risk of seeming
ungracious, that Schubert is diffuse at times--but our senses are so
enthralled by the imaginative freedom and by the splendor of color,
that all purely intellectual judgment is suspended. The magician works
his wonders; it is for us to enjoy. We have from Schubert seven
complete Symphonies and the so-called _Unfinished in B minor_, _i.e._,
the first two movements and the fragment of a Scherzo. Of these the
_Fourth_ (_Tragic_), composed in 1816, foreshadows the real Schubert
and is occasionally heard to-day. But the immortal ones are the B
minor and the C major, the latter composed in 1828 (the last year of
his life) and never heard by its author.[180] Of this work Schumann
said that "a tenth Muse had been added to the nine of Beethoven." This
symphony is specially characterized by the incorporation of Hungarian
types of melody, particularly in the first and in the last movement.
It is indeed a storehouse of beauty, but the "high moments" are in the
last two movements--the fairly intoxicating Trio of the Scherzo, which
seems as if Nature herself were singing to us, and the gorgeous Finale
with its throbbing rhythms. The first movement is laid out on a vast
scale and holds the attention throughout, but the second movement,
notwithstanding its wondrous theme, suffers from a lack of
concentration; the sweetness is so long-drawn out that we become
sated.

[Footnote 177: Schubert was of incredible versatility and fecundity;
he literally tried his hand at everything: operas, church-music,
ensemble combinations. Since, however, he exercised little power of
selection o