80.—SCHUBERT'S SERENADE.
Franz Schubert, like Beethoven, was accustomed to carry with him a note-book in which he could jot down musical ideas as they happened to occur to him. Many a beautiful theme would have been lost had it not been for this practical habit of these great composers. There are times when the muse is asleep, when the ideas will not come; then it is that such a note-book becomes valuable and the inspirations of other times may rouse the dormant muse.
Wherever Schubert happened to be, in the city or the fields, in the tavern or the beer garden, did a valuable idea occur to him, out came the note-book and it was hastily scratched down for further treatment. When he was seized by an idea it must go down on the first scrap of paper that came to hand. This was the manner in which that beautiful and well-known "Ständchen" first appeared, though it is also told of "Hark, the Lark."
One Sunday, during the summer of 1826, Schubert, with several friends, was strolling about among the suburban villages in the vicinity of Vienna. As was their custom, they stopped at a beer garden where they sat chatting and enjoying the good company they found. Schubert picked up a book of poetry one of his acquaintances had laid down, and, after turning over the leaves, suddenly stopped, and pointing out a poem exclaimed: "Such a delicious melody has just come into my head; if I but had a sheet of music paper with me!"
One of his companions hastily drew a few staves on the back of a bill of fare and passed it to him, and in the midst of the hubbub of a German beer garden Schubert wrote out that beautiful melody that has pleased such a multitude of music lovers since his day.