BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, December 30, 1825
Beethoven writes a shopping list:
- Candles.
- Piping. [Decoration on clothing.]
- Bell.
- Sugar.
- Nails.
The list is interrupted by two items, a four-bar sketch for the first movement of the quartet in C-sharp minor op.131 [seen here in detail from 27v], and an aphorism [as translated by Thayer]: “Only the praise of one who has enjoyed praise can give pleasure.”
Later today, unpaid assistant Karl Holz comes to visit. He is sent to attorney Johann Baptist Bach regarding Karl’s mother Johanna, and asks what Bach’s address is. He hopes to have a report at mid-day. According to the court-ordered compromise, Johanna must pay 200 florins C.M. the day after tomorrow. Otherwise her property will be taken as security. She has a total of over 5,000 florins C.M. in debts. Bach has explained the situation to her. Holz thinks she ought to go see Brother Johann.
Holz is not finished with his New Year’s greetings yet.
Holz has spoken to Reisser about Karl; he says Karl behaves as expected from a reasonable person. Beethoven apologizes to Holz for having him do all these things for him. Holz says Beethoven should not feel embarrassed for his sake; he still has to run errands and he has not been able to run them all. “You know how it goes, if one has the misfortune of having to serve as an official, one must make obeisances.”
Beethoven asks when the next quartet rehearsal is to be held. Holz tells him tomorrow evening, because violist Franz Weiss is not available before mid-day. Beethoven is thinking he would like to attend the rehearsal. Holz asks whether he should so inform Schuppanzigh.
Former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler pays a New Year’s call on Beethoven about today. He sees the references to sister-in-law Johanna’s debts from the conversation with Holz yesterday, and remarks that Brother Johann ought to help, adding sarcastically, “Since he has a compassionate soul anyway.”
They discuss Karl Friedrich Hensler (1759-1825), the manager of the Theater in the Josephstadt, who died suddenly on November 25. He departed without letting anyone know he was ill. “He was only indisposed and didn’t take care of himself, but in the night he suddenly began vomiting, and immediately gave up the ghost; the gall bladder burst.” Reforms will need to be made, because Hensler left very great confusion in his business dealings. To make matters worse, he confided in no one and always wanted to do everything himself. “Therefore he created a Herculean labyrinth to clean it up.” He passed on management of the Josephstadt Theater, where Schindler is concertmaster, to his daughter Josepha von Scheidlin.
Schindler seems aware that Beethoven is busy. “My sublime Master, I am disturbing you; therefore I pour my heart out and say, May God still preserve you very long in the world, and He has blessed you.” Beethoven asks where Schindler is living now. Schindler responds that he is very near the Josephstadt, Herrengasse 193. It is easy to find because there are only five houses in the street.
Although Professor Albrecht suggests that this is a fraudulent entry by Schindler, it seems to us to be genuine. Schindler’s comments fill up the first two-thirds of page 32v, and then Nephew Karl continues with his remarks on the remainder of that page, which can only reasonably have occurred if Schindler’s writing was already there.
Nephew Karl comes to Beethoven’s apartment, probably after 5 p.m. when his classes conclude. He says the housekeeper reports that she has sent messages to the locksmith twice, but he was not at home and nothing was passed on to him.
Karl mentions a sore subject, the failure of King George IV of England to acknowledge the dedication of Wellington’s Victory, op.91, and asks what the King intends to do about it. Uncle Ludwig appears to doubt that he will ever get anything, but Karl points out that he received a gold medal from French King Louis XVIII for the Missa Solemnis. Karl wishes he could take part in the discussions, but there is much to do and over the Sundays it would be horribly neglected.
Uncle Ludwig asks when Karl can do the delivery of the quartet to the banker, Biedermann. Karl says he can deliver it on Monday, at 5 o’clock, after his classes conclude for the day. Uncle Ludwig wants to be sure that is not too late in the day. Karl assures him it is not. He knows the quartet needs to be delivered [Biedermann is traveling to Paris shortly, and the plan is for him to take the copy of the quartet with him to Maurice Schlesinger.] Or perhaps Karl should inquire first, and then take it on Tuesday? Karl decides he will go Monday. The money from Schlesinger is certainly there; Biedermann has instructions from Schlesinger to pay the money on delivery of the quartet. Schlesinger should be happy to get the quartet. Karl says he could also go in the window between noon and 3 p.m., when he does not have classes.
The housekeeper is making Krapfen [fried donuts, made to use up the lard before Lent. These treats are probably intended for New Year’s Day] It is already Fasching [the period between Christmas and before Lent.]
Karl mentions that the subscriptions to the Schuppanzigh Quartet concerts are not being sold as briskly as usual; subscribers are delaying because they have to pay 10 florins three or four times during the winter anyway.
The evening meal includes rice and steamed cabbage. Karl needs to go, but first he asks for some money to buy the New Year’s cards tomorrow, as they had previously discussed. He also would like something to give as a New Year’s gift for the custodian who cleans the desk for Karl and must take care of the ink. The students have been specifically invited to make that gift by the professors, but it doesn’t need to be much.
Conversation Book 100, 27v-35v.
In Frankfurt today, a Kyrie in C minor, today catalogued as MWV B 12, for solo voices and double chorus by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy is performed for the first time. The piece was written when Mendelssohn was just fourteen, but it was not published until much later. This Kyrie, companion to the Kyrie in D minor that had its premiere in October, can be heard here, performed by Kammerchor Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius conducting: