I wrote, apropos most of Spohr:

>>The rest is, particularly in comparison with the visionary work of his
>>major contemporaries or younger colleagues-Weber, Schumann, Mendelssohn,
>>remarkably thin and "formal"-although the technique is impeccable, the
>>structural motivation, harmonic imagination and affective content are
>>minimal.

and Chris Bonds added:

>I recall reading that Beethoven detested what he saw as the incessant and
>pointless chromaticism of Spohr.  He mentioned him by name.  Perhaps that
>puts things in perspective.  Maybe Spohr was chromatic before the world
>(and he himself) was ready for it.  I don't know, of course, but I suspect
>Beethoven would not have made the same remark about Wagner.

--a remark I had forgotten.

The issue is that neither the chromatic harmony nor the expanded use of
distant tonal regions really adds up to an enlargement of vocabulary but
rather to a collection of reflex gestures.  Chromatic, sinuous inner voices
in the style of Spohr seem to persist in such diverse later genres as the
barbershop quartet, the Victorian anthem, and the 20th-century American
alma mater.

What's more interesting historically about his style is the extent to which
a later-but still transitional figure such as Mendelssohn-will incorporate
some features but use them with much more skill and restraint.  Let's also
remember that the life spans of two geniuses of chromatic harmony, Schubert
and Chopin, also took place within Spohr's lifetime.

Joel Lazar
Conductor, Bethesda MD
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