BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, February 18, 1825

The Newspaper for an Elegant World for today (Nr.35) contains a short anecdote about Beethoven at 278. “The poetic interpretation of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, which the readers of this newspaper recently read in the witty article by my worthy friend Mosengeil in these pages [which compared Mozart and Beethoven (January 3) and Shakespeare and Beethoven (January 10)], has reminded me of a statement by this composer that is completely consistent with it, and which I cannot refrain from sharing with the friends of this great genius. A respected stranger visited the composer some time ago in his rural residence in Mödling near Vienna. Beethoven invited him to climb the mountains of this charming region along with him. The stranger follows him, although the climb becomes somewhat difficult after a while due to his physical constitution.”

“Just as they reached a considerable height, which afforded a free and wide view of the rich surrounding landscape, the stranger, who had already found the climb to be a little too much, stopped, and in order to finally hear an interesting word about music from the original composer, called out to him: ‘But, Herr Beethoven, please tell me where you got the wonderful ideas for your pastoral symphony from.” Absorbed in looking at the landscape glowing in the evening light, the latter called back to him enthusiastically, ‘Don’t you see? There they all stand, there I have copied them out, and there are still many more that I cannot copy out.'”

“How could the deep appreciation of nature of this powerful spirit be more accurately characterized!” Our thanks to frequent contributor Birthe Kibsgaard for pointing out this anecdote.

A concert is given at 7 p.m. today in the Landständischen Hall by Ernst and Mad. Caroline Krähmer, which opens with an unspecified Overture by Beethoven, and includes on the program the first movement of Ferdinand Ries’ Piano Concerto Nr.7 (“Farewell to England”) among other pieces. Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Nr.12) of March 23, 1825, at 193. “The artist couple are well known, and rightly so.” The concert and its program are advertised in today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.39) at 174.