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330 JOHANN PETER EMIL HARTMANN.

classed together as the accredited representatives of the Scandinavian nations in the realm of musical art.

was born in Copenhagen in 1805. He was of Danish blood only on the mother's side, his father being the son of a German violinist who had taken up his residence in Denmark, and who is remembered as the composer of the song, "King Christian stood at the towering mast,' now accepted as the distinctive national song of the Danes. Johann, like most other musical geniuses, showed his artistic aptitude at an early age, and, like certain others, he had difficulty in persuading his parents to allow him to follow out his natural bent, and, for a time, he was set to the study of law. Later, however, outside pres- sure from musicians who recognised his talent obtained for him the opportunities he desired, and he definitely entered a musical career. After his studies were com- pleted, he became a master at the Conservatoire, but at the age of twenty-three he was fortunate enough to receive a State appointment, which secured him from want, and gave him leisure for his art. In the next few yeai-s he produced a good many operas and other works, but his experience was not yet rich enough to afford material for his best powers. To acquire a wider range of interest, and a greater wealth of ideas, he set out in 1836 for a tour through France and Germany, in the course of which he had the good fortune to meet with many kindred spirits, from wliom he could receive quickening influences. Among these were Chopin, Rossini, and Spontini,but more especiallj' Schumann and Spohr, both of whom greeted him warmly, and prophesied great things for him. On his return to Denmark, Hartmann again de'oted himself to composition, and his long life has been simply a record of his productive activity, varied by the dis- charge of the duties of an organist, and a teacher in the Conservatoire. In Denmark his fame naturally is secure, resting on an appeal to what is best in the national sentiment ; and if he is not widely known in other countries, his genius has at least obtained a generous recognition from musicians all over Em-ope. His compositions are largely based on subjects drawn from Scandinavian mythology and history, and belong to every variety of musical form, from the symphony and the opera to the simple lyric. They all show a strong individuality and a fine melodic fancy, while in many cases they rise to the expression of ideal grandeur and tragic pathos. Niels W. Gade, the fellow-citizen and son-in-law of Hartmann, was born in Copenhagen in 1817. He was the son of an instrument-maker, and was thus early brought into contact with musical associations of a kind. His education, however, was somewhat desultory, and the most important part of his training was perhaps his practical experience as a violinist in the Royal Orchestra. At the age of twenty-four he obtained the prize offered by the Musical Union with his overture Ossian, and having thus attracted the attention of the King, was enabled by him to extend his education by travel. He proceeded to Leipsic, where, his C Minor Symphony having preceded him, he was warmly re- ceived by Schumann and by Mendelssohn, with whom he became associated in the conductorship of the Gewandhaus concerts. After travelling in Italy he continued to conduct these concerts after Mendels- sohn's death, but in 18-iS, owing to the political com- plications between Germany and Denmark, he returned to his native city, where he has since continued to live. In course of time he was appointed Hof-Kapellmeister and Professor of Music, and the time that has not been absorbed in composition has been devoted to teaching and conducting. He has twice visited England, first in IS'f), and again in 188^, when his cantata Psijc/ie was i)erformed at the Birmingham Festival. Gade's works, like Hartmann's, cover a wide range of musical form, including eight symphonies, five overtures, and many works for the voice, for the piano, and for vai-ious combinations of stringed instruments. From Mendels- sohn's letters and Schumann's writings we learn what a vivid impression was produced by the early works and the personality of the young composer. Schu- mann, especially, believed that he had a great future before him, and suggested that it was a happy auguiy that the four letters of his name were those that desig- nated the four violin-strings. It can scarcely be said that this promise has been entirely fulfilled, for al- though Gade's genius is undeniable, it is neither of the kind that seeks out new paths of expression, nor of the kind that is able to fill the traditional forms with the fullest poetic meaning. All that a marked individu- ality, an artistic sense of fitness, a mastery of technical