BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, May 16, 1823
There is much to do today since Beethoven intends to move to Hetzendorf tomorrow. Possibly early this morning, Beethoven writes an undated short note to Schindler, querying whether it is better to forward his mail to Hetzendorf through the so-called “Small Mail,” and pick it up from the postmaster there, or to have the post office hold it in Vienna. Brandenburg Letter 1649, Anderson Letter 1178. The original is held by the Berlin Staatsbibliothek, aut. 36,60. After consideration, Beethoven decides to have the mail forwarded via the Small Mail.
This morning, Beethoven goes to visit the tailor to have some vests, trousers and coats made. He pays 57 florins toward the charge of 83 florins. He visits a second tailor, and commissions a cashmere and a blue walking coat. Beethoven’s shopping list for Hetzendorf includes two small buckets, a cooling machine, and a napkin.
Later, meeting up with Karl, he finds that the servants are quarreling. The housekeeper, Barbara Holzmann, is angry with the maid. When she tells the maid to do something, she refuses, saying Holzmann is also a servant.
Schindler comes by later, saying that he has looked at the translation of the Mass in C, op.86, into German by Benedict Scholz (c.1760-1824), and that he finds it especially beautiful. Perhaps Prince Nikoalus Esterházy, who commissioned the work in 1807, can put them in touch with him to do similar work for the Missa Solemnis. Schindler thinks it too bad that they didn’t know about this earlier, or they could have included it in the copies. His text is Protestant in character.
Schindler and Holtzmann installed the bell in the Hetzendorf apartment yesterday. The bellpull is in the first room, and the cord will be placed in what will be Ludwig’s bedroom, but the exact spot will depend on where he wants the bed placed. There is less than an hour’s work to be done on that. The landlord, Baron Prónay, is providing the bell. The landlord was expecting Beethoven to be there already. Everything should be ready next week.
Starting on May 22, the Schönbrunn Garden will be open, since the Court will be going to Laxenburg. In June, they will go to Baden until August.
The Esterházy secretary, Wocher, would like to visit Beethoven along with librarian Georg von Gaal, who has written beautiful lyrical poetry. [Beethoven actually already owned a copy of one of Gaal’s books of verse, published in Dresden.]
Nephew Karl comes back, saying that Johann sent the hatmaker two very old hats, and wanted to trade them for a new hat. “I was downright ashamed when the hatmaker said that he has enough such old hats to cover the floor.” He also walked past a sausage vendor, who Holzmann identified as a sister of Johann’s wife Therese Obermyer. [She was indeed married to a butcher named Fesel.]
Karl saw the positive review of the Dresden performance of Fidelio in the Augsburg Allgemeine Zeitung yesterday. The Bavarian and Saxon courts were in attendance, and it “called forth stormy approbation.”
Karl says that Johann agrees that the Missa Solemnis should be translated into German and published again to double the sales.
Karl also reports that Wenzel Robert von Gallenberg’s fairy ballet Ismanns Grab [Ismann’s Grave], in the style of Rossini, was sold to the Kärntertor Theater for 400 ducats and they were happy to pay that. In Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich or Hamburg it would have cost 500 ducats.
Johann says that there are three seamstresses working on Karl’s shirts. The driver can take him to Hetzendorf tomorrow afternoon until about 2. He reminds Ludwig not to forget to pay the rent on the apartment in Vienna.
About an hour later, Johann accompanies Ludwig to visit a tailor. They give him Karl’s measurements. Johann tells him not to pay before the work is finished. The tailor says he can remake Beethoven’s overcoat into a summer walking coat by Tuesday May 20th.
Ludwig returns home and meets with Schindler. It has been a busy day for him with rehearsals, especially since the new pantomime uses an extraordinary amount of machinery. The play, Der Feuerberg, includes the eruption of Vesuvius and a rain of fire to awe the audience.
Schindler suggests that he write to Breitkopf & Haertel about reprinting the Mass in C, using Scholz’s German text.
Beethoven notices his piano is gone. While he was out with Johann, Schindler had the piano sent to Hetzendorf. Beethoven is furious, but Schindler says the movers had no time to wait around especially since Schindler had no idea when Beethoven was going to return.
Anton Diabelli insists on keeping the manuscript of the variations, op.120. He also wants a certificate of ownership that demonstrates that he has the rights from Beethoven.
Schindler asks whether the letter to Augsburg asking about the edition of Schiller’s works for Karl has been sent.
Wenzel Schlemmer is working on making a copy of the Diabelli Variations. He will bring tomorrow what he has copied. Schindler says it is very neatly written and on white paper. But he is only up to variation 20 at the moment.
Conversation Book 32, 3v-16v.
S.A. Steiner & Co. repeats its advertisement of last week Monday, May 5, for Carl Czerny’s Second Divertissement brillant for piano four hands, op.43. Wiener Zeitung at 449.