Hermann Hesse’s "Gertrude," a summary

The book is based on the memoirs of the aging violinist and composer Peter Kuhn about his youth, friendship, and unrequited feelings for a woman who became the wife of another musician. The narrator looks back on the decades he lived through the prism of a sonic harmony that displaces the unsettledness of life. Written in 1909 in Gaienhofen on Lake Constance and first published as a book in Munich in 1910, the novel embodies the author’s deep passion for music, particularly the works of Mozart.

The turning point and the birth of music

Peter Kuhn’s school years passed without incident. He was not easily influenced, gravitated toward the violin, and, against his father’s wishes, enrolled in the Moscow Conservatory. The first three years of study brought bitter disappointment in his own abilities. Classes seemed like a dry, tedious chore, piano lessons became torture, and his dream of virtuoso brilliance faded. The student resigned himself to the lot of an ordinary orchestra member. A desire to drown his sorrows pushed him into the company of his peers and the flighty singer Liddy.

During a snowy outing in the countryside, Liddy urged Peter to drive his sled off a steep cliff. The accident occurred instantly. The sled crashed into a tree trunk, injuring both riders. Liddy escaped with only a fright, while Kun spent several months in the hospital with a severely broken leg.

The limp remained for the rest of his life. The injury cut off his former idle connections and opened the door to creativity. Liddy came to visit the sick man out of sentimental remorse, was met with calm politeness, and disappeared forever.

Peter spent the summer after his hospitalization in a quiet village in the canton of Graubünden, surrounded by rocks and alpine meadows. The cool water of the mountain streams and the silence brought peace to his soul. Here, observing the motionless old man in the inn, Kuhn composed his first sonata for two violins.

Heinrich Muoth

Returning to the conservatory, the budding composer showed the sheet music to his theory teacher. The work was accidentally discovered by baritone Heinrich Muoth, a soloist with the court opera. The singer sought out the student, promptly performed his mournful song about an avalanche on his home piano, and invited him to his January birthday party.

A gathering of spoiled connoisseurs took place in Muoth’s spacious home. The invited virtuoso Stefan Kranzl agreed to perform Peter’s sonata as a duet. The success culminated in a sumptuous feast rife with sherry. During the evening conversation, Muoth mocked Peter’s attempts to find solace in art and sang a song about an avalanche at the top of his voice. The offended young man left the house, offering to escort the actress Marion, the opera star’s companion, home. On the way, the companion attributed the baritone’s irascibility to his inner turmoil and self-harm.

In the morning, Kun returned for his forgotten violin. Heinrich Muoth greeted his guest as if nothing had happened, offered friendship, and expressed a desire to perform his songs in concerts. Peter spent ten months after graduating at his home, unsuccessfully teaching three students. A sudden call from Muoth brought the musician to the city of R., where a position as second violinist had become available at the opera house.

Kapellmeister Rösler greeted the cripple harshly, tested his sight-reading skills, and hired him. Theatrical life was in full swing. Kuhn became close with the orchestra’s first violinist, the Styrian Teiser. The good-natured Austrian had a perfect understanding of orchestral craft and Mozart’s scores.

Soon, Muot’s former lover, the stately Lotta, arrived at Peter’s apartment in tears. The guest begged for help. Through her sobs, the woman confessed that the singer had assaulted her and now coldly kicked her out. Kuhn refused to get involved in other people’s quarrels. The storms of love seemed incomprehensible and terrifying.

Meeting Gertrude

In the fall, a local manufacturer, Imthor, invited Peter to play a string trio in his old mansion with a sycamore garden. Before the concert began, the owner’s daughter entered the dimly lit music room. The tall, dark-haired girl shook the violinist’s hand and addressed him by name.

Her name was Gertrude. The sweeps of the bow carried the musician into the distance, and for the first time, sounds were born of genuine love. During the performance, Kun mentally dedicated every phrase to his new acquaintance. Later, Gertrude subtly analyzed the flaws of the trio’s finale, revealing a profound understanding of the concept.

The meetings became frequent. In the spring, a poet friend sent Peter the libretto for a future opera. A happy secret united the violinist and the young woman: she learned the soprano parts, copied the final scores, and sang arias to his accompaniment.

The completion of the soprano part disrupted the harmony. Sitting at the piano, Peter couldn’t contain his tenderness and kissed Gertrude on the forehead and lips. She gently stroked his shoulder, accepting the caress without protest. To move forward, they needed to find a performer for the lead male role. Muoth readily accepted the score and promised to help before leaving on tour.

That summer, languishing away from his lover who had gone to Switzerland, Peter sent her a passionate confession. A reply cooled his ardor. Gertrude asked him to leave their relationship as is until they could speak in person.

In the autumn, Kun brought Heinrich Muoth to the manufacturer’s house for a rehearsal. The singer behaved impeccably, sang a duet with Gertrude, and captivated her with the power of his baritone.

Blows of fate

In winter, the Imtors’ social gatherings resumed. Muot began frequenting the plane-tree-lined mansion, while the master of the house tried unsuccessfully to protect his daughter from a dangerous infatuation. Kun went to his parents’ house for the holidays, where he had a long conversation with his ailing father about duty and the nature of human egoism.

Returning to the city, Peter visited Muoth and noticed an envelope with Gertrude’s handwriting on his desk. His bitter suspicions were confirmed when he met the girl. She confessed her love for the operatic baritone.

The violinist locked himself in his room, determined to shoot himself with a revolver. Preparations proceeded methodically. Peter tidied up his music notebooks, composed a will to Teiser, and went out to return the library books before the shot.

On the stairs, a postman with a telegram blocked his way. His mother begged her son to come urgently to his dying father. The shot cancelled itself. Kun rushed to the station, spent the night on the train, and found his father in a hospital bed in the throes of blood poisoning. The old man managed to give his son a weak smile before he died.

After the funeral, Peter tried to ease his grieving mother’s burden. Following the legacy of his late father and his former high school teacher, Lohe, he sought to overcome his coldness through service to others. However, a domineering relative, Fraulein Schneebel, took over the old house. An attempt to take his mother to Grindelwald, Switzerland, ended in complete failure. The exhausted woman wished to return, and Kuhn handed over the household chores to his cousin, returning to R.

Wedding and premiere

Muoth transferred to the Munich theater, and his wedding with Gertrud was scheduled for November. On the eve of the wedding, Heinrich visited his friend. He urged Peter to bring the completed opera to the Munich stage, treated him to wine, and chided the violinist for his excessive secrecy. On the day of the ceremony, Kuhn ascended the cathedral choir and played a short organ prelude for the newlyweds.

Then he had to return to his father’s house to free his mother from the tyranny of Fraulein Schneebel. Kuhn tactfully kicked the dependent out, providing her with separate quarters, sold the family estate, and moved his mother to live with him in R. Brigitte Teiser helped maintain the family comforts. His friend’s sister secretly loved Peter, catching his every glance.

The opera’s long-awaited Munich premiere took place in winter. Peter and the Teiser siblings attended the performance. Muoth shone in the title role, the audience applauded, and Brigitte, in her triumph, burst into tears, realizing the futility of her hopes.

The Death of Muot

Gertrude’s marriage quickly began to crumble. The singer returned to his former drinking binges, was tormented by outbursts of jealousy, and tormented his wife with his suspicions.

That summer, Gertrude went to her father to recuperate. Muot rushed after her, created a huge scandal, demanding her immediate return, and left empty-handed. Her pride prevented her from submitting to this brutal pressure.

In late autumn, Peter received a summons to Munich. The singer’s empty house was awash in desolation. The owner lived on champagne alone, complained of his aversion to his craft, and dreaded the approach of old age. That evening, they uncovered the newly arrived portrait of Gertrude, drank to the distant woman’s health, and peacefully retired to their rooms.

That night, a terrified servant knocked on Kun’s bedroom door. Heinrich Muoth lay on the blood-soaked bed, his face contorted in agony. He died before the doctors arrived. Gertrude arrived at the funeral in black mourning. Later, after receiving a posthumous bouquet of roses from her late husband, the widow withdrew from the outside world for a long time.

Peter returned to the violin and composing sacred choirs. His aging mother and dear Brigitte Teiser passed away. Gertrude recovered from her stroke and began singing again, remaining for Kuhn an unattainable memory of spring.