A Very Early Perspective - ADOLF FURTWÄNGLER
Note: Adolf Furtwängler (1853-1907) was the father of Wilhelm Furtwängler. These notes are from Elisabeth Furtwängler’s private archive in Clarens. The wording and punctuation are as in the original. [Originally published in the booklet 1. Wilhelm Furtwängler-Days: Jena 6-9 -November 1997, pp. 44-51. English translation by Hanni Raillard.]
WILHELM

From Autumn 1900 to September 1901:
a) corporeal progress, strong development, fully a teenager. Dark voice, Adam’s apple, unfortunately the blushing more pronounced nascent nose - thick blond hair - the blond mustache now already quite noticable, as well as the beginning of some fuzz on the chin. Vigorous; broad, strong arms, will definitely be stronger than me. Weighs in May 1901 already 68 1/2 kilo [just over 150 pounds] in his clothes.

b) musical imagination: again enormous development astonishing maturity of judgment especially. Now the conscious thinking, analyzing, getting to the basis of the form. This naturally hinders the free flowing of his own production, which is now sparser. The main thing is, that he is developing himself out from Romanticism and surveys it as something behind himself. Brahms and Schubert, whom he previously so esteemed, tread backward from him - Beethoven steps into the lead for him. Now he really studies Beeth., will soon know the symphonies and now in Tanneck [the Furtwänglers’ summer home] also the later sonatas almost entirely by heart.

Recognition of the value of the fixed form. Music is for him now in no way the expression of sentiments, which he totally rejects, but the working out of musical ideas in fixed forms. His earlier compositions he now condemns as too brahmsish, is ruthlessly severe towards himself. The modern trend, that he now has occasion enough to learn to know is t. exact opposite of his own tendency, and he distains it - the theory, that music is supposed to express definite things, is for him stupid talk of such as do not know music at all. - All this with him absolutely independent development, influenced by no one. As he above all goes his own inner way, remarkably uninfluencable, propelled by innermost necessity.

His delightful piano trio from last year, the beauties of which open up for me more and more with repeated -listening, is being performed at our home. (Riezler violin, Waldhauer cello). To which we invite people we know. Upon Cornelius’ recommendation I sent this trio to old Simrock, who returned it with a very foolish letter, one musician had missed the Modern in it!

Plays for me the splendid motifs and constantly says it doesn’t suit him - he wants still others, better ones - complains, that no ideas come to him - but when he improvises he is full of inventions, from which others would cook up the heartiest soups - this just falls off from him thus. He doesn’t pay attention to it - he now always has the Highest, Beethovenish in mind and then nothing is good enough for him.

Willi plays 2nd violin in string quartet by Hyden. Also plays Mozart violin sonatas already. Has regularly two hour violin lessons. Moreover piano technique with Mrs. Sulzer and counterpoint with Beer. Furthermore with Dohrn once weekly many a new thing in partitur [full musical score].

We stay with private lessons, which treats Willi’s independence with the most consideration. Also Willi himself definitely wanted it this way. He now indeed lacks the support of such an organism, but he really doesn’t need it and is himself strong enough.

As I travel to Aegina at the end of September, I wind up taking him along, to refreshen him with new impressions. He was however during the entire trip not really open with regard to the outside world. Too much occupied with his own ideas. Correspondence with his Bertele. Goethe’s poems and the letters in the pouch. Dissatisfied with himself. Feeling, to be able to immediately grasp the striven-for high goal.

On Aegina he tries a fugue as the last movement of his sextet. However he doesn’t quite succeed. Instead of taking a proper look at the land and people he is kept busy with himself.

Has Beethoven’s quartets along and reads in them. The style of the later quartets, especially the fugue, hovers before him as the ideal.

The trip naturally also brings a wealth of great new impressions and comes back very refreshed.

Winter 1901/2 and Summer 1902.
Greek lessons as before by Curtius. Daenzler starts History and Mathematics and Essays, the latter give the best information about his intellectual maturity.

Remarkably different from what I was in those years: so absolutely nothing of that immature bubbling-over, so much clearer, calmer, more understanding and no letting-go of the emotion.

Strikingly mature judgment and independent thinking.

We form a relationship with Schillings to whom he now likes to go and hears something different, that he comprehends, without allowing himself to be swayed in the least.

Schillings explains to him, it would be impossible, what he wants; W. however feels and knows, that it is possible and he can do it. Impatience, to be able to prove it.

He has started a major symphony in Florence. Endlessly much, that displeases him, he rejects. He improvises wonderfully, eminently united and clear in form, with a firm grasp of a motif and very polyphonic always forceful. One can’t believe it’s possible, that this is improvised, it moves forward with such self-contained finality. Only when one asks him, what that was, he says: “Nothing. - You don’t understand how much better my compositions are than this!” If he only would write down more. He is also very severe and reserved with the idea of publishing. Only the choir and one song he wants to have printed, nothing else, since it doesn’t totally satisfy him. Such harsh severity in one so young. He reads only the Earnest and Great. Goethe, Shakespeare again and again. Faust especially.

Summer 1902 to 1903

Physically strong, without illness. The beard grows more and more. Only the nose unfortunately still somewhat thick and protruding; lower face somewhat weak. Lack of energy in the jaw, also with eating very distinct, eats quite slowly. Also in posture and walk sometimes a little slack. In his entire deportment nothing dashingly lively, triumphant. But when it matters very agile and energetic. Always modest and plain. Just like a Man of Antiquity - it keeps worrying me, that I never see him at all conscious of victory - when he has played the most wonderful things he yet always acts as if it were nothing. Indeed, he says, in music there’s absolutely nothing new anymore to be done. Beethoven has surely already done everything and what he does, would really just be imitating the later Beethoven. He also shows no trace of ambition, absolutely no striving to become known and to show his strength. At the same time, however, he knows full well that he can do what no one else can, and none of the living musicians actually impresses him. - The year passed without any travels and therefore quietly. He doesn’t have classes anymore, only violin lessons and piano with Mrs. Sulzer. Moreover he went to Schillings regularly to discuss his own and others’ things with him and to learn to conduct. Towards the spring he then composed again with vigor.

He practices piano very regularly this year, so that therein too he has made good progress. Plays the later Beethoven sonatas splendidly. - Plays violin and viola in quartets together, these occasionally here at our house.

Sept. 1903 to May 1904
At the start of November 1903 his 1st Symphony was scheduled to be performed in Breslau. He travels there a bit early to participate in the last rehearsals. Unfortunately Dohrn didn’t have the courage, to allow him to conduct himself. In Breslau he immediately catches a sore throat and is only at one rehearsal, which goes very poorly. I come to Breslau for the performance. He was allowed to get up and attend the concert.

No one knew anything about Willi; they were astonished by the music & didn’t know what to make of it; they applauded moderately and, as someone tells me afterwards, I however didn’t hear it, - some also whistled [a sign of disapproval] quite a bit. I noticed nothing whatsoever in W.; with perfect composure and head proudly raised he left there - not understood, whistled at - he was not at all depressed by it. - Then came the reviews - a very nasty one by the chief critic (the Schles. Nwsp.), who had something against Dohrn and made use of the opportunity, now Willi had to serve him as whipping boy.

W. still stayed a few days half-sick in Breslau.

Then onto Berlin. Our intention was, that W. should get to know the Berliner circle; we believed, that understanding for his music might be there.

He was also to hear Univ. lectures. With an interruption during t. Christmas holidays W. stayed in Berlin, for the first time living alone Augsberger St. 19.III.

Berlin didn’t please him at all. He found the musical conditions very poor, absolutely no fresh independent view, just feeble continuation in old ruts. Joachim esp. was a bitter disappointment. He had been asked to listen to W.’s quartet; after he had long put it off, finally in Jan. or Feb. he got around to it; W. played it for him, he didn’t even listen to the end, but interrupted W. & declared to him, “Why! This is nonsense, it’s not even music,” or sim.

Unbelievable - the man is old and dense, but all the same - he could never have really understood the later Beethoven, if he didn’t notice, that here truly for once was a going-further along the same path. Unbelievable the coarseness of feeling that fails to notice the inwardly refined, transcendentally spiritual, deeply profound feeling with which this quartet has spoken to every sensitive listener so far. It is the best quartet, that has been made since Beethoven, this W. knows very well & Joachim hasn’t confused him in the least about it. This blow too he bore so quietly and calmly with absolute inner superiority and -certainty.

It is always so totally different than what others want. To notice and to feel this, how alone he stands, was a major result for W. of the stay in Berlin.

It is natural, that this depressed him very much.

I often think now, whether it was really right, that we didn’t bring him out in front of the great public in his child-blossom-time, when his success would have been easy and certain, whereas he now will have to work so hard for it. No one volunteers to help him unselfishly - only opposition and indifference and mistrust against his manner so far removed from the fashion - in addition to that his modesty & shyness & inability, to make his influence felt. Now patience is called for. We will only go into print, when a sure success with a performance has been had. - But it’s painful to see, how other very young people, miserable phrase-mongers, make headway with their music and with approval are performed. But W. himself endures this with unbelieveable composure. And perhaps it is better for his development, that he must fight his way through. The lightness, fluidity, the simple enchantment, that his music had before the crisis around 1901/2, he has not yet again attained - only in improvisation occasionally. Ponderous, austere, but deep and powerful is it now.

Until now he has had absolutely no desire to be a conductor or for any other practical occupation. As long as it’s not necessary, let it be.

May 1904 to August 1906

In summer 1904 we let W. go to Russia with Harald and Wolf Dohrn to the estate of Mrs. Dohrn’s father - long trip - we hoped, that it would bring him some sleep; but it didn’t do it much good; our worry & anxiety over this insomnia - and W. himself very depressed by it. - he was not accepted by the military. 1904 - had to undergo First-year exam. - Addy [Adelheid Furtwängler, Adolf’s wife and Wilhelm’s mother] arranges through Georg Dohrn in Breslau a position for him as correpetitor [assistant -director of vocalists] at the Theater, which he starts autumn 1905, but gives up Christmas 1905/6. - Winter 1904/5 at home. Summer 1905 he follows t. invitation of his friend von Glenau (Danish composer) to Denmark, on the sea by Hellebaek. There’s also always the trouble with sleeping. - also in 1905 not accepted by the military. -

Nothing but disappointments in addition to that - Mottl, upon whom we had set our hopes, conducts himself very courteously, it is true, but negative towards Willi - doesn’t even listen to something by him - he looks at a ms. (choral work) fleetingly and says only that its instrumentation is impractical - Schillings has absolutely no “guts”, doesn’t dare to stand up for W. The clique in Munich won’t give him a chance. - Now we realize our earlier stupidity more and more clearly, that we didn’t bring him before the public as a child, when success was absolutely certain. For success in front of the public is the only thing before which all grovel. There we let ourselves be held back - and no one gave us good advice - No one who knew the situation & actually meant us well - those who meant well were not worldly-wise.

Then he would have had a position he would have been unique - for what he achieved as a child was absolutely unique & now he must stand in a row with all the miserable bunglers and no one sees the difference so easily. - He himself endures all this wonderfully. - These were bitterly difficult years. -

In Breslau he now nevertheless got some experience. When he returned home Christmas 1905, he surprised us with the decision, to come to the fore publicly. That is as conductor. Agreement with the Kaim Orchestra. The prospect is presented to Willi, that he would become Kaim Orch. conductor, if t. concert is successful. But Kaim deceived him, he kept the previous band leader & told W. only after t. concert. - It cost us over 1400 M. - Until then W. never had the opportunity to conduct; now only 3 rehersals! In addition to that he chose the difficult 9th symphony by Bruckner besides t. movement of his own symphony. Concert in February - was extremely full and a great success, although his own music was not understood at all & although the critical reaction was very restrained. None ventured to say, what nevertheless most of them noticed: here is an altogether grand powerful fellow.

Wonderful for us was the impression, to see W. conducting for the first time. I was at the dress rehearsal. How W. really put his back into it, how free and grand, how fresh and strong, how powerfully he stepped out of himself - this was something to see - the shy quiet youth, all at once a man, sweepingly forceful. His gestures were naturally full of youthful exaggeration, but delightful to see. The orchestra was bad, but he did all that was possible. The dull fellows were even enthusiastic for him. - After Kaim had thus mislead him, W. now searched for another position.

Addy & W. for that purpose onto the bureau in Berlin. Finally is found the position of a 3rd band leader and correpetitor at the Zurich City Theater. - W. is asked, how much he demanded monthly, answers 80 to 100 M. - they give him 100 - he should have demanded 200 Fr.!

Compositions at this time: the choir from Faust finale - wonderful - supremely uplifted feeling - but too difficultly demanding on voices and too impractical in instrumentation for performance, directed only on the ideas. - The festive overture, with which he had spoiled his sleep in spring 1904, he works over, but leaves it lying aside. Spring 1905 the splendidly grand symphony movement, that then gets performed in t. concert. - 1906 completion of this symphony. - In addition to that 1905 draft of a great Te Deum, that 1906 just now in Tanneck got finished. Works slowly now, revising again and again - seeking ever clearer form. His music always with supremely uplifted powerful feeling, that stirs everything up, never broad and calmly flowing. It presumes listeners, that are able to follow this feeling - otherwise incomprehensible. Unfortunately he doesn’t do anything anymore for piano. - The most wonderful improvisations he leaves unused. -

Whence came the sudden decision, to go into practice & become band leader? Perhaps Miss Bertele, who obv. presses him to marry, has a part in it? Together with Bertele 2 times this summer in Tanneck, very dear and nice - also in Salzburg along. He himself yet seems not to be in a hurry at all. However the two do seem inseparable.

Still nothing printed from his works. And therefore he has no success or rather he wants to debut with absolute perfection and nothing is good enough for him. Such a pity about the splendid things that just lie there and no one knows. - His working hours are short, since he must be so careful because of the insomnia. He always gets up late, for he is awake much of the night and then still sleeps a little in the morning. His chief time for composing is towards -midday. Evenings he has to avoid all excitement.

-
(April ’07) Visited W. in Zurich in October ’06. How he here so briskly came out of t. theater. That he could thus get into an external activity to a cert. degree, I didn’t think; and he takes his assignments conscientiously and seriously. However he is just merely the 3rd band leader & has only to do with the ordinary theater-buffs; he doesn’t come into contact with the better people in Zurich and to show himself, that unfortunately he just cannot do. So of course it weighs on him, to have to perform unworthy tasks in unworthy surroundings. At the same time he is extrememly strained all day long and there is no time left him for himself.

With the sleeping still not quite in order.

Pity that he writes so very little & is so slow in communicating. Thus so infinitely much of his rich inner life passes without leaving a trace behind. If only he would at least finish & publish his compos. and also hang onto smaller things.

(Sept. ’07) The summer with us; also works on his symphony in Tanneck - revising again and again - torments himself with the sleeping, that is always varying and worse than it was in Zurich. To form personal relationships, to show himself to others, to finish up his old things - he doesn’t do it and one can’t press him. Wanted to make his First-year [examination] in autumn, but one has set him back again. He is also now in fact too weakened, is far-removed from the way he was earlier, can no longer endure exertions. All this is a deep pain for us! - Perhaps -marrying soon would now do him good? He himself doesn’t seem to think about it, he only wants to get healthy & sleep normally again.

Adolf Furtwängler died October 9, 1907, in Athens.

Adelheid Furtwängler (nee Wendt) was an art-loving woman and gifted painter, in whose parents’ home also Johannes Brahms associated.