BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO: Saturday, January 22, 1825

Beethoven is in high spirits this morning and writes a letter that includes a comical biography of his friend Tobias Haslinger to the Schott publishing house in Mainz. But first, business must be addressed: “On January 16th, both works [the Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony] were delivered to Friess [Schott’s agents in Vienna, actually spelled “Fries”] as I should add in the following letter. [The delivery, by Johann, seems to have in fact occurred on Saturday, January 15th, not the 16th, from evidence of the conversation book entries for those days.] Both are bound, and will certainly be looked after by Friess, who seems to be taking great interest in them. It does not seem possible to me that the Mass should have been engraved [rumors had been circulating about an edition being published in Paris]. I certainly hope that this is nothing but a rumor; it may have been started by a certain Stockhausen, who has formed a singing society. [Franz Stockhausen (1789-1868). Beethoven had written him in December 1823 to offer his society a subscription to the Missa Solemnis.] He wrote me many beautiful things about the Mass and said that the Court had placed its trust in him, and had already allowed him to make a copy of it for his society. But no misuse was to be expected from this. The copy was probably obtained through the Duke of Blacas, who attended his musical performances, because the great are the weakest. I did not have a good feeling about this at the time, but I hope nothing improper has occurred.” [The rumors were in fact not true. No Parisian edition of the Missa Solemnis appeared.]

“Moreover, [Maurice] Schlesinger [music publisher in Paris] is not to be trusted, for both Pere [Adolph Schlesinger, Maurice’s father, who was also a publisher in Berlin] et fils constantly bombarded me about the Mass, etc. I did not deign to answer either of them, since I had long since rejected them both based on experience. I would be very pleased if you would send me something to sign, in which I assure you of the sole ownership of these only correct editions. Something like the following here – I, the undersigned, testify with my signature that the B. Schott’s Sons in Mainz are the only legitimate publishers of my grand solemn Mass as well as my Grand Symphony in D minor. [Beethoven here adds, but then crosses out, similar language for the Consecration of the House Overture in C major, ‘six completely new bagatelles for hammerklavier’, 3 songs, two of them with choir and wind instruments, and one with solo piano accompaniment.] These are the only editions that are legal and correct. January 1825. ludwig van Beethoven [sic]”

“Schlesinger also wanted to publish all of my quartets, and to have me add a new one with each volume, and to pay me what I wanted, but that could only injure my plan of publishing my complete works. I left this request unanswered. And in view of what I have just said, it is better that I do it now than for others to do it after my death. I have already received proposals for this, and plans for it, but these firms do not seem to me as being suitable for such a large undertaking. I would be more confident in you to take on this project. I would be happy to be paid a lump sum for it, and would make the usual small, insignificant corrections, and for every genre of work, such as sonatas, variations, etc., add a similar new work.”

“Here are a few canons for your journal [the new musical journal Cäcilia, to which the Schotts had asked Beethoven to contribute something.] Another 3 will follow – as an appendix to a romantic biography of Tobias Hasslinger [sic], here in 3 parts. First part: Tobias finds himself as an assistant to the famous Kapellmeister Fux [Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741), whose 1725 text Gradus ad Parnassum Beethoven had closely studied] and he holds the swaying ladder to the latter’s Gradus ad Parnassum. Then, as he feels inclined to practical jokes, by the shaking and rattling of it he causes many who had already climbed quite high to suddenly break their necks. He then descends into this clod of earth and comes to light again in the time of Albrechtsberger [Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809), with whom Beethoven had studied counterpoint in the 1790s. “Swaying” in German is “schwenke“, while “Schwänke” are practical jokes, tying this remark to the Canon WoO 189, Schwenke dich ohne Schwänke.]”

“2nd Part. The already existing Fuxian Nota cambiata [changed note, a melodic figure commonly used in early polyphony] is now addressed jointly with A.[lbrechtsberger.] The appoggiaturas are now explained in detail, the art of creating the musical skeleton is driven to the extreme, etc. Tobias now spins himself into a caterpillar and so he transforms again, and appears for the 3rd time in this world.”

“3rd Part. His scarcely grown wings now rush him to the Paternostergäßel. [The very short street where the Steiner music shop was located in Vienna; the reference to the ‘Our Father’ in the street name gave Beethoven endless entertainment and opportunities for jokes and puns.] He becomes the Paternostergäßlerischer Kapellmeister. Having gone through the school of changed notes, he keeps nothing from it but bills of exchange [a pun on Wechsel, meaning both change or exchange], and thus he creates his childhood friend, and becomes a member of several domestic empty societies, etc. [Beethoven here makes an untranslatable pun, writing “geleert” or emptied, as opposed to “gelehrt,” or learned, in his description of the societies. Haslinger had recently been named an honorary member of the Styrian Musical Association.] If you ask him, he will authorize this biography to be published.”

“Yours sincerely and in haste, Beethoven.”

Brandenburg Letter 1925; Anderson Letter 1345. The original is held in the Mainz City Library (Hs III 71, Nr.9). The original can be seen here:

https://www.dilibri.de/dilibri_kalliope/content/titleinfo/2115323

The letter bears a Vienna postmark, and a notation from Schott that it was dated January 22 1825, received February 7, 1825, and replied to on March 5, 1825. With the letter, Beethoven included the two canons, Hoffmann, sei ja kein Hofmann, WoO 180; and Schwenke dich ohne Schwänke, WoO 187. Unfortunately, Schott ignores or does not understand Beethoven’s rather oblique request to get Haslinger’s permission first, and publishes the fanciful biography in the April 1825 issue of the Cäcilia sometime in March. More on this later. Beethoven is also not being quite truthful about the Schlesingers; it was he who approached Maurice Schlesinger about publishing the Missa Solemnis in April of 1824, and Schlesinger was apparently not interested.

Conversation Book 83 begins being used today. It will be used in combination with Conversation Book 82 beginning tomorrow through January 26th, making the chronology between the two uncertain at best. We have in general followed Theodore Albrecht’s timeline for these entries. Conversation Book 83 is fairly thick, comprised of 46 leaves. Schindler tentatively dated this book as “Wintertime 1825.” Thayer assigned the dates from January 25 to February 2, 1825.

Karl says one of the servants is giving her notice, so they will need to find someone else. She is owed 37 kreutzers reimbursement on a bill.

Beethoven writes a shopping list:

  • Our valuable. Fumigating powder.
  • Paper. Blotting paper.

Brother Johann stops by the apartment to say he is going to see violinist Ignaz Schuppanizigh [whom he jokingly calls “Falstaff”] now.

A bookbinder stops by Beethoven’s apartment to collect the 24 kreutzers for the Kalendar. Beethoven asks again what the price is, and the bookbinder’s representative confirms that it is 24 kreutzers.

Johann returns from visiting Schuppanzigh. They discuss copying, likely the copy of the score of the Quartet op.127 for Prince Galitzin. Johann notes that Ferdinand Wolanek copied the Ninth Symphony that is to go to London beautifully. He has also already copied the Missa Solemnis.

Johann also visited Heniksten’s bank. Galitzin sent the money for the first quartet, which was to be 50 ducats, in the form of rubles, and it needs to be changed to ducats or florins. Heniksten wants a fee of 4 ducats for the exchange. Although they are getting more than 4 ducats, but less than 10 ducats. Beethoven asks why, and Johann clarifies that they are entitled to deduct their out-of-pocket expenses.

Beethoven adds up a column of 1200 and four 2400s, arriving at 10,800.

At a coffee house with Johann and Karl later today, Ludwig makes a note of an advertisement in today’s Intelligenzblatt for a new shop selling English and French men’s neckties, made of the lightest to the heaviest silken materials.

Johann remarks that “A husband who doesn’t come home every day until 11 or even 12 o’clock at night is a tyrant, because his wife sits home alone.” [This might be a sarcastic comment about his unfaithful wife Therese.]

Conversation Book 83, 1v-2v.

Today’s Wiener Zeitschrift (Nr. 10) at 84 advertises the new subscription series of the Schuppanzigh Quartet concerts, with the added incentive of a Beethoven premiere. “All friends of music and admirers of outstanding German composers will certainly be pleased to learn that Herr Schuppanzigh’s quartet concerts, which were so enthusiastically received last winter, will begin again on the 23rd of this month. Among others, the following masterpieces are scheduled for performance: The esteemed double quartet by Louis Spohr [op.65 in D minor], the great Trio by Mozart [K.563?], the F minor Quartet [op.95] and Septet [op.20] by L. van Beethoven. A completely new quartet by the same master, still in manuscript. [op.127] These and other pieces of music will be given during the subscription series, which ends on February 27th, to be performed as before in the hall of the Musikverein, under the Tuchlauden, Nro. 558.” [The announcement a few days ago had stated that the new quartet would be performed at the January 23 concert, but that obviously is impossible.]

The Oesterreichischer Beobachter for today (Nr.22) at 106 includes an advertisement for a concert to be held at 12:30 tomorrow afternoon in the Landständischer Saal by thirteen-year-old piano prodigy Antonia Oster. The concert will open with an unidentified Beethoven overture, and that is to be followed by the “Farewell to England,” the new piano concerto Nr.7 by Beethoven’s former pupil Ferdinand Ries, and other works.

Today in Vienna, Italian writer Giuseppe Carpani (born January 28, 1752) dies. He is probably best known for his early biography of Haydn in 1812. Carpani was an acquaintance of Beethoven, who set to music his poem “In questa tomba oscura” (In This Dark Tomb), WoO 133. “One of the first ladies of Vienna” [likely Countess Rosalia Rzewuski (1788-1865)] had arranged for a competition had taken place in Vienna to set the poem, and 63 composers, including Beethoven, took part. Judging by the paper types, Beethoven wrote his first version of the song in 1806 and the second in 1807. All 63 settings, by 46 composers, were published by T. Mollo in 1808. Carpani had also been involved in arranging for Rossini to meet Beethoven, when the Italian composer visited Vienna in 1822.