Schubert Prizes

A busy public, that insists upon labeling every genius with a single superlative, likes to peg Beethoven as the "greatest orchestral composer," Schubert "the greatest song writer." Both were German contemporaries, both suffered cruel affliction, neither married. With that the similarity ends. Where Beethoven, the austere, cried out in the music of every man's sorrow, Schubert, the gentle, preferred a lyrical opiate. Where Beethoven, the Master, died amidst reverence in a thunderstorm, Schubert, the unknown, passed away in ignominy. It is said that they met on one occasion when Schubert, struggling against shyness, made bold to visit the leonine Beethoven. Beethoven, as was his custom, received all visitors with overwhelming cere mony. Schubert was awed by the torrential welcome and when Beethoven, on glancing over some variations dedicated to him by the tim id visitor, appeared to be amazed by what he saw, the panic-stricken composer fled from the house. Such different personalities will soon again be associated together in the news-conscious public mind, for Schubert will be celebrated this year with a centenary festival similar to Beethoven's of last year. The immediate propulsive force of the movement is the announcement by the Columbia Phonograph Co. of prizes for the best composition completing Schubert's unfinished Symphony No. 8, in B Minor. The awards will be apportioned as follows: One first prize ($750), one second prize ($250) and a third prize (honorable mention) to be awarded to winners in each of the following ten zones--U. S.; Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Jugoslavia, Rumania; Denmark, Sweden, Norway; France, Belgium, Switzerland; Germany, Holland; Great Britain; Italy; Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland; Spain, Portugal; Russia, Ukrania. A grand prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the final winner, selected as the best of the first prize winners. The contest will be under the supervision of the Society of the Friends of Music. The awards, in all, total $20,000. Franz Schubert sold many of his most beautiful creations for 20c. He submitted the "Erl-King" to Breitkopf & Hartel, Leipsic publishers. They, suspicious of the MS. from Vienna, wrote to one Franz Schubert of Dresden, Royal Church composer, inquired if he had submitted the song. The answer: "With the utmost astonishment I inform you that this cantata was never composed by me. I will use every endeavor to discover who has so discourteously sent you this bit of patchwork and expose the scoundrel who so misused my name." The "patchwork" was written in 1816, accepted for publication in 1821.