and record only what she has sung. It is, however, the
inheritance of us weak mortals that, clinging to the clods, we are only
too fain to draw down what is above the earth into the miserable
narrowness characteristic of things of the earth. Thus it comes to pass
that the singer becomes our lover--or even our wife. The spell is
broken, and the melody of her nature, which formerly revealed glorious
things, is now prostituted to complaints about broken soup-plates or
ink-stains in new linen. Happy is the composer who never again so long
as he lives sets eyes upon the woman who by virtue of some mysterious
power enkindled in him the flame of music. Even though the young
artist's heart may be rent by pain and despair when the moment comes
for parting from his lovely enchantress, nevertheless her form will
continue to exist as a divinely beautiful strain which lives on and on
in the pride of youth and beauty, engendering melodies in which time
after time he perceives the lady of his love. But what is she else if
not the Highest Ideal which, working its way from within outwards, is
at length reflected in the external independent form?"

"A strange theory, but yet plausible," was Edward's comment, as the two
friends, arm in arm, passed out from Sala Tarone's into the street.

* * * * * * *

FOOTNOTES TO "THE FERMATA":

[Footnote 1: Johann Erdmann Hummel, born 1769, died 1852, a German
painter, studied in Italy, painted various kinds of pieces, and also
wrote treatises on perspective and kindred subjects. The picture here
referred to became perhaps almost as much celebrated from the fact of
its having suggested this amusing sketch to Hoffmann as for its
intrinsic merits as a work of art.]

[Footnote 2: The keeper of a well-known tavern in Berlin, at about the
time when this tale was written, 1817 to 1820.]

[Footnote 3: The third son of the Sebastian Bach--_the_ Bach--just
mentioned above. He was sometimes called "the Berlin Bach," or "the
Hamburg Bach."]

[Footnote 4: See note, p. 12 above.]

[Footnote 5: This was one of a species of musical composition called
_Singspiele_, a development of the simple song or _Lied_, by Johann
Adam Hiller, (properly Hueller), born 1728, died 1804.]

[Footnote 6: Agostino Steffani, an Italian by birth (1655), spent
nearly all his life in Germany at the courts of Munich and Hanover. He
wrote several operas, and was renowned for his duets, motets, &c.]