BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, August 12, 1825 (approximately)

Beethoven makes a few notes to himself in the conversation book sometime probably this week, between August 7 and August 13:

“This is absolute proof that there were witches back then, and in the Dark Ages were banished as evil spirits.” [This probably relates to housekeeper Barbara Holzmann, whom Beethoven has taken to calling “the old witch,” rather than his former description, “the old woman.”]
“Dedicate [probably the 9th Symphony] to the Russian Empress. [The German editors point out that Beethoven had dedicated the Polonaise for piano op.89 to Czarina Elisabeta Alexeievna (1779-1826) and received 50 ducats in return, so he may have been hoping for a similar reward. He does not, in the end, dedicate the symphony to her.]
“For this reason, a strong attack and already [two unclear words] by Beethoven, especially if he should give cause, such [remainder of the line smudged and illegible. Professor Albrecht suggests that “strong attack” or “Vorstoss” is a pun on the names of the instrument makers Stoss, who had been mentioned by Nephew Karl on his last visit.]

Conversation Book 92, 21r. Page 21v of Conversation Book 92 is empty, crossed out with a pencil.

In today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.183) at 775, there is an advertisement from the A. Pennauer Art and Music Shop in Vienna, promoting the newest published lied from Franz Schubert, Suleika’s Second Song, op.31, on a text by Goethe. [The poem is in fact now known to be by Goethe’s muse, the 35-years-younger Marianne von Willemer (1784-1860).] Schubert’s setting is available with both piano and guitar accompaniment (the guitar version is 15 kreutzers cheaper). The song, written in 1821, is now catalogued as Schubert’s D.717.

This lied is here sung by Katharina Konradi, with Daniel Heide on piano.