BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, April 13, 1821

S.A. Steiner & Co., one of Beethoven’s publishers, announces in today’s Wiener Zeitung the third edition of the Anweisung zur Composition (Instructions for Composition), by Beethoven’s old counterpoint instructor, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809). Beethoven thought very highly of this text, and used it in his instruction of Archduke Rudolph for his composition lessons.

Beethoven may have seen this advertisement and remembered with some embarrassment that he owes Steiner a payment of 600 florins on his debt settlement the day after tomorrow. Unfortunately, he has no money to make that payment.