Encyclopædia americana. A popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, a new ed.; including a copious collection of original articles in American biography; on the basis of the 7th ed. of the German Conversations-lexicon. Ed. by Francis Lieber, assisted by E. Wigglesworth ...

34 BEET-BEETHOVEN.
principally used at table, in salad, boiled, its production be encouraged by bounties
and cut into slices, as a pickle, and some- and prohibitions.
times stewed with onions; but, if eaten in BEETHOVEN, Louis von, born in Bonn,
great quantity, it is said to be injurious to 1772, was the son of a man who had been
the stomach. The beet may be taken out a tenor singer in that place (according to
of the ground for use about the end of another account, in Fayolle's Dictionary
August, but it does not attain its full size of Musicians, a natural son of Frederic
and perfection till the month of October. William II, king of Prussia). His great
When good, it is large, and of a deep red talent for music was early cultivated. He
color, and, when boiled, is tender, sweet astonished, in his eighth year, all who
and palatable. It has lately been aseer- heard him, by his execution on the violin,
tained, that beet roots may be substituted on which he was in the habit of performfor malt, if deprived of the greater part of ing, with great diligence, in a little garret.
their juice by pressure, then dried, and In his 11th year, he played Bach's Wohl
treated in the same manner as the grain Temperirtes clavier, and, in his 13th,
intended for brewing. The beer made composed some sonatas. These promisfiom the beet has been found perfectly ing appearances of great talent induced
wholesome and palatable, and little infe- the then reigning elector of Cologne to
rior to that prepared from malt. —From send him, in 1792, in the character of his
the white beet the French, during the organist, and at his expense, to Vienna,
late wars in Europe, endeavored to pre- that he might accomplish himself there
pare sugar, that article, as British colo- in composition, under the instruction of
nial produce, having been prohibited in Haydn. Under Haydn and AlbrechtsberFrance. For this purpose, the roots were ger he made rapid progress, and became,
boiled as soon as possible after they were likewise, a great player on the piano forte,
taken firom the earth. When cold, they astonishing every one by his extempore
were sliced, and afterwards the juice was performances. In 1809, he was invited
pressed out, and evaporated to the con- to the new court of the king of Westphasistence of sirup. The sugar was obtain- lia, at which several men of distinction,
ed from this sirup by crystallization. 110 and among them his pupil in music the
pounds weight of the roots yielded 41. archduke Rodolph, now bishop of Olmfitz,
pounds of juice, which, on further evap- persuaded him to remain, by the promise
oration, afforded somewhat more than 4. of a yearly salary. He composed his
pounds of brown sugar; and these, by a principal works after 1801. A few years
subsequent operation, produced 4 pounds before his death, a cold, which he had
of well-grained white powder sugar. The caught by composing in the open air,
residuum, together with the sirup or mo- produced a deafiess, which became, by
lasses which remained, produced, after degrees, very great. He lived, afterwards,
distillation, 3J quarts of rectified spirit, very much retired, in the village of Moidsomewhat similar to ruin. But many lingen, near Vienna. Instrumnenxtal music
subsequent experiments, both in France has received from his compositions a new
and in Prussia, have tended to prove, that character. Beethoven united the humor
sugar can never be advantageously man- of Haydn with the melancholy of Mozart,
ufactured from the beet upon a large and the character of his music most
scale, it yielding, upon a fair average, resembles Cherubini's. His boldness is
barely enough to defray the expenses of remarkable. Reichhardt, in a comparison
making. The leaves of the beet, when of Beethoven with Haydn and Mozart,
raised in richly-manured soil, have been says, " The Quartett of Haydn was the offfound to yield a considerable quantity of spring of his amiable and original characpure nitre, proceeding, in all probability, ter. In naivete and good humor he is
fronm the decomposition of the animal unrivalled. The more powerful nature
matter contained in the manure; but this, and richer imagination of Mozart embralike the sugar of the root, will probably ced a wider field, and many of his comnever pay the expenses of cultivation, positions express the whole height and
which will also increase rather than depth of his character. He placed more
diminish; so that it may be considered value also on exquisite finish. Beethoven,
valuable, at present, only as an esculent early acquainted with Mozart's composiplant. The French, however, and other tions, gave a still bolder cast to his ideas."
European nations, still persevere in man- Besides his great symphonies and over,
ufacturing beet sugar, and make great tures, his quintetts, quartetts, and trios
quantities of it, although it can never for stringed instruments, his numerous
supersede the use of common sugar, unless sonatas, variations, and other pieces tor