Louis Spohr an Franz Joseph Keppner in St. Georgen

Cassel, Oct 2, 1859¹

Dear Sir,

The new compositions which you have sent me show me, as well as the old ones, that you are not wanting in imagination and invention, but in mastery of form and correctness of the harmony. Before every thing else, you must go through a regular and thorough course of harmony. If you have no master, you must study diligently and industriously good compositions, especially the older ones of Mozart and the earlier ones of Beethoven. But these you must not only read, but also play as well as you can on the piano, in order that your ear may become used to correct harmony and to impress upon your mind how the musical ideas must be put together, or rather developed one from the other. When you have continued in these proceedings for some time, you will feel and see the incorrectness of your former trials, and learn how to avoid them for the future.
But for the present, I should advise you to chiefly study good music, and to make new trials only after having a thorough appreciation and understanding of the music you have studied. If you will then send one of your efforts again, I shall be happy to be useful to you by further counsels.

Respectfully yours,
Louis Spohr.