BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, July 14, 1826
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz visits Beethoven today. He says he will fetch Beethoven’s violins from Bernhard Stoss’s shop, where they are being restrung.
Holz shows Beethoven the first part of Christoph Kuffner’s oratorio Saul for consideration by Beethoven for setting to music. “With this oratorio, Kuffner wants to leave the ordinary form, so that you can treat it more freely. Therefore, he has completely discarded the usual way to stipulate arias, duets, terzets, and kind of walling them in, and he leaves it to you to find a place where you think an aria, duet, etc. would fit in. Therefore, the first part is meant to be a test, so that he knows whether he can continue like that.”
“He has considered the chorus as a consistent participant in the whole plot, such as is done in the Greek tragedies; that is why it is always divided into two parts: the main choruses (as here in the first part at the beginning and the end) and then the shorter choruses in between.” Holz reconsiders, contemplating the disorderly nature of Beethoven’s apartment; since Kuffner does not have a copy, Holz will copy it for Beethoven since it might get lost. “The verses are good.”
The housekeeper, Marie Stiegel, bought something improper; Holz cautions that Beethoven needs to address it because if he lets it go this time, it will be much more the next time.
Holz mentions an article (likely in the Morgenblatt Nr.159 from July 5, 1826 at 636) about soprano Henriette Sontag, who sang in the premiere of the Ninth Symphony and visited Beethoven several times. She was at the Théâtre royal italien in Paris and was a big sensation. She is considered excellent in Rossini’s operas. “In Don Giovanni, she sang the grand aria of Donna Anna so beautifully, the Parisians said that she has brought honor to Mozart again, for previously they thought that in this aria Mozart showed that he did not understand the singing voices!”
Marie Stiegel, who is actually the maid, is continuing to act as housekeeper; Holz asks whether Beethoven is paying her a full housekeeper’s salary. “She is honest and not obsessed with dressing up.” Beethoven grumbles about her, but Holz points out that she is at least better than the former housekeepers, whom Beethoven paid well.
Kuffner asks for Beethoven’s honest opinion about the oratorio. “He will gladly change things, wherever you want him to…He only wants to know your opinion, your objections, before he starts on the second part.” Beethoven appears to tell him that he’ll read it over the weekend. Holz is satisfied, then he can tell Kuffner his opinion next week.
The first performance of a French theater troupe yesterday [July 13] at the Kärntnertor Theater was very well attended. [There are 30 performances planned. Yesterday, Boieldieu’s opera buffa “Ma tante Aurore” and the vaudeville “Gastronome sans argent” were performed.]
Holz has some tabac des etrennes [New Year’s tobacco] that was given to him by Dr. Vivenot. He will be going to visit Frau Heimerle with Dr. Vivenot on Sunday [July 16. This may be the widow of Franz von Haymerle (c.1747-1825), who had died last December. He had been the court agent and court councilor to Prince Liechtenstein. However, there are at the time other persons named Haymerle and Haymerl who are prominent and there are insufficient clues here to narrow down the possibilities.]
Beethoven has the new book “Ischl and its Salt Water Spas” by Franz Wirer von Rettenbach. Holz asks how the description of Ischl is. [Beethoven has been considering spending part of the summer there.]
Conversation Book 115, 1v-4v.