Wednesday, November 10, 2004

You would have murdered Beethoven

Maurice Baring once told this story:
One doctor said to another doctor, "About the termination of a pregnancy, I want your opinion. The father has syphilis. The mother has tuberculosis. Of the four children born, the first was blind, the second died, the third was deaf and dumb, the fourth also has tuberculosis. What would you have done?"

"I would have ended the pregnancy," the other doctor replied.

"Then you would have murdered Beethoven."
Baring is also known for this:
In Mozart and Salieri we see the contrast between the genius which does what it must and the talent which does what it can.

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