Today, Beethoven’s good friend Tobias Haslinger visits him in Baden, arriving mid-morning and bringing with him Joseph Blahetka and Reinhold Schultz, a Prussian living in England. Beethoven’s hearing was unusually good today, because Beethoven is able to understand most of what Schultz and Haslinger say verbally; only Blahetka uses the …
At a restaurant, the proprietress could not make a lot of a chicken dish because they only had one chicken. Karl says he was upset that his expenses were off by 12 kreuzer, but then he remembered that the old woman [housekeeper Barbara Holzmann] had bought a little box of …
Karl returns to his uncle in Baden from his trip to Vienna to run errands. As it turned out, three of the Dutch ducats he was sent to exchange were not full weight, so he didn’t get as much money as he was expecting. [It was common when coins were …
Nephew Karl is in Vienna running errands for his uncle today. He will return to Baden tomorrow. Housekeeper Barbara Holzmann is with him, doing her weekly shopping in the City. After collecting the stipend from Prince Lobkowitz’s cashier, Karl visits the landlady of the new apartment in the Ungargasse to …
Nephew Karl plans on taking the evening coach to Vienna this evening, and then he can spend the day running errands for his uncle. Beethoven reads some newspapers from yesterday, perhaps in a coffee or wine house. He notes down a new style of cooking stoves, and housing, room and …
The prospective new maid, Marie Pamer [who had worked for Beethoven the previous year,] has apparently unexpectedly arrived in Baden and is spending the night at the Adler hotel. She will be back again tomorrow. Karl expects she will be on her best behavior, and (changing his mind from yesterday) …
The maid notes that since her sister was so well trained in cooking, she thought that Uncle Ludwig would be pleased if she demonstrated how chickens were roasted. She appears to be illiterate, and thus has Karl ask whether it is all right. As it turns out, the sister’s chickens …
Karl observes that the village of Vöslau will probably be full of people with the fall festivals. Yesterday he rode the fiacre back from Vöslau for 15 kreuzer. He also reports that Frau von Blöchlinger’s parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Uncle Ludwig asks (probably testing Karl) which anniversary …
Karl and his friend Joseph Niemetz have a little wine today, but since Niemetz is not used to it, he is a little tipsy. The boys are planning a long walk for today, but Uncle Ludwig does not appear to join them. Housekeeper Barbara Holzmann is out taking care of …
Karl notes that they are out of wood; housekeeper Barbara Holzmann uses a great deal. Her daughter-in-law is now in Baden also. Karl suggests that they order meals from the local restaurant. Between the expense and the “innumerable pleasant scenes” with her, he thinks it best that they dismiss her. …
While Beethoven waits for Nephew Karl to return from Vienna, he makes some notes in Conversation Book 42 about several items noted in the newspapers: the book Walter von Montbarry, Grand Master of the Order of the Temple [by Benedicte Naubert (1756-1819)] and elastic neckties in the English style at …
Beethoven writes from Baden to composer Louis Spohr in Kassel today. He says that he did not send a subscription invitation to Hesse-Cassel for the Missa Solemnis, since he had been assured that they would not accept it. But speaking to Hauser [singer Franz Hauser, who had visited Beethoven in …
Nephew Karl and his friend Joseph Niemetz return to Baden this afternoon, having run various errands for Uncle Ludwig. Karl gives his report on their doings. Herr Blöchlinger is not doing well, and they gave him a silver hand lamp (which Frau von Reinlein had purchased for him). Professor Pulay …
Using the to-do list from yesterday, Karl goes with his friend Joseph Niemetz from Baden into the City of Vienna to run his uncle’s errands. The boys will spend the night at Blöchlinger’s Institute. Ludwig probably appreciates the absence of his nephew’s houseguest.
Probably early this morning, Ludwig makes a list of things to do in Vienna, including dealing with the banker Heniksten and hopefully get a payment to Tobias Haslinger at Steiner’s publishing house. He needs to visit the tailor, write a letter to Prince Nikolai Galitzin in St. Petersburg, and visit …
Uncle Ludwig is cranky again this morning, and Karl asks what he has done to make him angry. Karl invites his uncle to walk with him and his friend Joseph Niemetz, but Ludwig refuses, saying he is working [probably on the fourth movement of the Ninth Symphony, or possibly finishing …
Nephew Karl gives his uncle a rundown of how things went in Vienna yesterday. He ended up not running to Steiner and Attorney Bach’s office, since he wasn’t able to get any of the money for the bank shares from Franz Salzmann. [Karl does not explain in the Conversation Book …
Nephew Karl takes the early coach into Vienna to take care of various errands for his uncle, including collecting money from the bank shares through his uncle’s financial advisor Franz Salzmann. He is accompanied by housekeeper Barbara Holzmann, who needs to do some shopping in the City and also to …
The brushbinder is at the apartment, and Nephew Karl suggests that they get two new shoe brushes; the old ones are no longer usable. Uncle Ludwig agrees and Karl makes the purchase. Karl plans to go back into Vienna this afternoon to take care of the matters tomorrow that he …
Nephew Karl’s impoverished friend Joseph Niemetz likes Baden extraordinarily well; it is the first romantic region he has ever seen. But he also sees it is very expensive to stay there. Mid-day dinner includes small donuts filled with mincemeat. They are bothered by swarms of flies, and housekeeper Barbara Holzmann …