BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, March 7, 1823 (very approximately)

At some point during early March, Beethoven writes a short note to Schindler. Exhausted from his lengthy lessons with the Archduke at the castle, he is still in bed. He asks Schindler to come to dinner on Sunday, since he hardly has time to eat. But he would also like Schindler to come this morning, as they have some urgent business to deal with regarding the Missa Solemnis.

Brandenburg Letter 1595. The letter is part of the H.C. Bodmer Collection, BBr 130 at the Bonn Beethovenhaus, and can be seen here:

https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/4514846729043968/scan/0

The letter is undated, but clearly dates from the four weeks that the Archduke was in Vienna. Since the first orders for subscriptions to the Missa Solemnis were beginning to come in during early March, a decision probably needs to be made regarding whether the subscription copies will be lithographed, or copied by hand. The decision is likely made about now that the subscription copies will be copied by hand. There is little further discussion of lithography of the subscription copies after this. Beethoven is still interested in the process, however, and leaves open the possibility of self-publishing the Mass through lithography when it comes time to have an edition for the general public.