BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, April 18, 1823

You may recall that on January 18, 1823 the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig had commissioned painter Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865) to paint Beethoven’s portrait. Apparently the commission did not reach Waldmüller until the first half of April. About now, Waldmüller contacts Beethoven about a sitting for the portrait. Beethoven grudgingly agrees to such a sitting in a few days. Waldmüller today writes to Breitkopf to report on the status of the commission. Since there were conversation books up through yesterday, and there was no appearance by Waldmüller in them, it seems likely that his call on Beethoven took place today as well.