A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Thayer, Alexander
THAYER, Alexander Wheelock, the biographer of Beethoven, was born near Boston, U.S.A., at South Natick, Massachusetts, Oct. 22, 1817, and is descended from original settlers of 1629. In 1843 he graduated at Harvard University, took the degree of Bachelor of Laws there, and was for a few years employed in the College library. In 1849 he left America for Europe, and remained for more than two years in Bonn, Berlin, Prague, and Vienna, studying German, corresponding with newspapers at home, and collecting materials for a life of Beethoven, the idea of which had presented itself to him while at Harvard, and which has since been his one serious pursuit for 30 years. In 1852 he tried journalism on the staff of the New York 'Tribune,' but only to the detriment of his health. 'Dwight's Journal of Music' was started at Boston in April 1852, and Thayer soon became a prominent and favourite writer therein. In 1854 he returned to Germany, and worked hard at the rich Beethoven materials in the Royal Library at Berlin for nearly a year. Ill-health and want of means drove him back to Boston in 1856, and amongst other work he there catalogued the musical library of Lowell Mason. In the summer of 1858, by Mason's help, he was enabled to cross once more to Europe, remained for some months in Berlin and Frankfort on the Oder, and in 1859 arrived at Vienna more inspired than ever for his mission. A severe and able review of Marx's Beethoven in the 'Atlantic Monthly,' republished in German by Otto Jahn, had made him known in Germany, and henceforth the Biography became his vocation. The next year was passed in Berlin, Vienna, Gratz, Linz, Salzburg, Frankfort, Bonn, etc., in intercourse with Hüttenbrenner, Wegeler, Schindler and other friends of Beethoven, in minute investigation of documents, and in a fruitless visit to Paris for the sake of papers elucidating the history of Bonn. His next visit was to London, where he secured the reminiscences of Neate, Potter, and Hogarth (Neate's particularly valuable), and received much substantial kindness from Chorley. From England he returned to Vienna, and in 1862 accepted a small post in the U.S. Legation there, afterwards exchanged for that of U.S. Consul at Trieste, where he still resides. His book is entitled 'Ludwig van Beethoven's Leben.' It was written in English, translated into German by Herr H. Deiters of Bonn, and published by Weber of Berlin—vol. 1 (1770–1796) in 1866; vol. 2 (1792–1806) in 1872; vol. 3 (1807–1816) in 1879. Vol. 4 is in preparation, but can hardly finish the work, since 11 full and complicated years are still left to be described.
The quantity of new letters and facts, and of rectifications of dates, contained in the book is very great. For the first time Beethoven's life is placed on a solid basis of fact. At the same time Mr. Thayer is no slavish biographer. He views his hero from a perfectly independent point of view, and often criticises his caprice or harshness (as in the cases of Mälzel and Johann Beethoven) very sharply. When the work is completed it will be a mine of accurate information, indispensable for all future students. With some condensations an English edition would be very welcome.
Besides the Biography, Mr. Thayer is the author of countless articles in American newspapers; of 'Signor Masoni' (Berlin, Schneider, 1862); of 'Ein kritischer Beitrag zur Beethoven-Literatur' (Berlin, Weber, 1877); and of 'The Hebrews and the Red Sea' (Andover, Mass., Draper).