BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Friday, September 26, 1823

Karl returns to his uncle in Baden from his trip to Vienna to run errands. As it turned out, three of the Dutch ducats he was sent to exchange were not full weight, so he didn’t get as much money as he was expecting. [It was common when coins were made of valuable metals for the unscrupulous to shave off some from the coins to be melted down and sold.]

Karl fills in his uncle about his doings in the city, and lets him know that Tobias Haslinger will be coming on Sunday to visit him. Karl thinks he is very friendly, and even though he is mercantile, he doesn’t seem as greedy as Steiner. Ludwig questions whether rather than cashing in one of his bank shares, Steiner might accept it directly as payment. Karl thinks that’s a good idea, since it would be principal that would yield better interest than cash. But he should ask Haslinger directly when he comes whether that would be acceptable.

He observes that Holzmann didn’t think to give him the note until it was late afternoon. He lets his uncle know about the rent and the lantern fee for the new apartment. The people in the Landstrasse who rented the first floor [second floor American] are moving to the second floor [third floor American.] According to the landlady, someone else came by the apartment wanting to rent it for Beethoven; from her description of him, Karl recognized it as Schindler, apparently trying to get back into the composer’s good graces. Uncle Ludwig is incredulous, but Karl affirms, “That’s what she told me.” Ludwig observes that if he can only have half of the apartment, he may not have sufficient light to work; Karl suggests he take that up with the landlord.

Karl delivers the two pairs of eyeglasses that he retrieved from the optician, Rospini. He also checked in with Frau Schlemmer, the copyist’s widow, about the copies of the Missa Solemnis. She reports that two copies of the Mass will be finished by Tuesday, September 30. She asks Karl to come and get them and make payment immediately, since her copyists need to be paid as they have to pay their rent. [They would already be late, since Tuesday would be after the rent due date of September 29.]

Ludwig appears to again accuse Karl of enjoying himself in Vienna; Karl replies, “I had absolutely no thoughts of myself.”

Conversation Book 43, 32v-34v.

Today is the final day of the York Musical Festival, held in the cathedral. During the day, a number of excerpts from works by Haydn, Handel and others are performed. Among them, in part II, is the Hallelujah Chorus from Beethoven’s Mount of Olives, op.85. The Harmonicon of October, 1823 (Nr.X) at 152.