ed to the full the ineffable sadness of his condition, for
a reverential hush fell suddenly on the gathering. The next moment,
however, the storm of cheers broke out afresh, for a young singer,
named Caroline Unger, who had been taking part in the symphony, went
up to the unconscious composer, and, taking his hand, turned him round
to the audience. As the glance of the deaf man lighted upon the sea of
upturned faces, and he witnessed the emotion which his work had
aroused, he was deeply moved.

[Illustration: '_Taking his hand, turned him round to the
audience._']

The 'Choral Symphony' ranks amongst the greatest of Beethoven's works,
but we should like to mention one of his smaller, though not less
famous, compositions--that which is known by the title of the
'Kreutzer Sonata for Pianoforte and Violin'--because no fitter
illustration could be found of the rapidity with which the composer
worked under pressure than is afforded by the beautiful work which he
dedicated to his friend Rodolphe Kreutzer, a violinist attached to
Count Bernadotte's suite of performers. He had undertaken the writing
of the sonata at the instance of a violinist, a mulatto named
Bridgetower, who was staying in Vienna, and it was to be jointly
performed by Bridgetower and himself. The concert was announced to
begin at 8 a.m., but when the public were hastening to the theatre in
the Augarten at that early hour of the spring morning, the music for
the pianoforte part was practically unwritten, with the exception of a
few scattered suggestions, whilst the variations, which are justly
renowned for their grace and beauty, were hurriedly written in at the
last moment, and had to be played by the violinist at sight from the
rough manuscript. The _andante_ is of unsurpassable beauty, and it was
rendered by the composer in such a manner as to excite the audience to
enthusiasm. Beethoven's powers of playing were never shown to greater
advantage than in his _andante_ movements. His execution of the
quicker parts was apt to be confused by his frequent use of the pedal,
but nothing occurred to mar or obscure the clearness and depth of
expression with which he rendered the slower movements, and it was in
these that his playing was most truly inspired.

The year 1804 is a memorable one in the life of Beethoven, for it
witnessed the completion of his grand symphony, the 'Eroica,' the
rough idea of which had been sketched amidst the woods of Schoenbrunn