A legendary imagination     

Has it ever happened to you? You’re sitting in a café or restaurant and some tables away, you spot your idol. You admire him/her immensely and wish to speak with him/her. However you aren’t able to muster the courage to approach him. The opportunity passes.

This happened in the early 19th century to Franz Schubert, who would become a renowned classical music composer. Today, January 31, is his birth anniversary.

Schubert was a great admirer of Ludwig van Beethoven, considered as one of the finest composers ever. You have surely heard Beethoven’s work, even if you haven’t heard of him. For instance, this piece.

Schubert yearned to imbibe certain qualities that Beethoven possessed—his ability to be unaffected by prevailing music fashions, and his courage in introducing new styles in music. He is reported to have said: ‘Secretly I still really hope to be able to make something of myself , but who can do anything now after Beethoven?’

One day, as the legend goes, Schubert spotted Beethoven a few tables away in the same coffee house. However Schubert didn’t rush to meet him, and we don’t know if the two ever crossed paths again. History has no record of such a meeting.

Still, some say they must have at least shaken hands; others say they must have conversed. If that were so, Schubert would surely have written about the meeting or recorded the event somewhere. This is a mystery that will perhaps never be solved. The tale will live on in conjectures.

While we don’t know if they ever met, do we know if Beethoven heard or read any of Schubert’s compositions? It’s said that on his deathbed, Beethoven listened to and admired Schubert’s works. But by the end of his life, Beethoven was almost deaf. So did he really listen to Schubert or read his music? Again, we’ll never know.

Beethoven died in 1827. Schubert was among the torchbearers at the funeral. He died the following year, in 1828, aged 31.

And that brings us to one cold, hard fact about Schubert’s admiration for Beethoven that can’t be refuted. Schubert was such a fan of Beethoven that he asked to be buried alongside him. His wish came true. Beethoven and Schubert are buried in Vienna, side by side.

His reluctance in meeting Beethoven at the coffee shop reminds me of a couplet by poet Munir Niazi:

The important words I ought to say

The promises I ought to obey

To call out a name and say I remember

Come back to me – just this much to say

Alas, always, I always delay.

(translation by author)