Composer Daniel Steibelt challenged one of the greatest composers and pianists who has ever lived to a musical contest with every confidence that he would win. The problem? That composer was Ludwig Von Beethoven.
Steibelt was one of Europe’s most renowned pianists when he came to Vienna in 1800. Soon, the city’s musical patrons agreed that Steibelt should compete against Beethoven in an improvisation contest.
Steibelt walked to the piano, tossing a piece of his own music on the side, and played. He was renowned for creating a thunderous “storm” on the piano.
He rose to great applause, and all eyes turned to Beethoven, who slowly walked to that same piano. Sitting there, he picked up the piece of music Steibelt had tossed to the side, looked at it, showed it the audience ….. and turned it upside down!
He sat at the piano and played the four notes in the opening bar of Steibelt’s music. He began to vary them, embellish them ….. improvise on them.
He played on, imitated a Steibelt “storm”, unpicked Steibelt’s playing and put it together again, in effect, mocking the great Steibelt.
Steibelt, realising he was not only being outplayed but humiliated, angrily left the scene, vowing never to return to Vienna as long as Beethoven lived there.
Oh, and those four notes of Steibelt’s music? They became, in time, the inspiration for Beethoven’s incomparable Eroica Symphony.
King David wrote, “Why do …the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”
When going up against a master musician or the Master of the Universe, defeat is inevitable.
When the religious rulers of his day tried to trick Jesus by asking, “Is it lawful to pay tribute?” Jesus replied, “Render unto Caesar the things that be Caesars and to God the things that be of God”.
You can’t outsmart, or outwit a being with universal, unlimited intelligence. But you can fall at the foot of the cross and say with the good thief, “Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom”.
Jesus said of himself, “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone (Jesus) shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder”.
You only have two choices in this brief time on earth. Fall upon Jesus and be broken so He can remake you into his image, or turn from God and on judgement day, find that the stone you have rejected will be your judge.
