BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Monday, August 28, 1826

Unpaid assistant Karl Holz picks up Beethoven to visit the Polytechnic Institute. Ludwig wonders when Nephew Karl might be able to take his make-up examinations. Not until November, Holz tells him. Holz is also concerned that a grade in moral conduct may be part of the school reports at the Polytechnic. If so, then passing the examinations will be of no use because he will necessarily get a bad grade in moral conduct because of his suicide attempt.

Despite Karl’s claims to the contrary, Beethoven cannot help but believe that the upcoming exams prompted Karl to take these rash actions. Holz jokes that he would be the first student to shoot himself because of exams. “I do not see the exams as being the cause, because he has already earlier proven himself reckless enough to be able to endure a harsh rebuke from you about this; but it is still a far leap to shooting one’s self.”

They arrive for their appointment at the offices of Franz Michael Reisser, vice-director of the Polytechnic and Karl’s co-guardian. He advises that Karl can retake the exams. “On the 6th, I’ll be leaving for Upper Austria and I’ll be back on October 15, then he can take the exams. The grade in moral conduct depends on me, and he always behaved well in school.”

At Reisser’s office they finally meet Karl’s tutor, Herr Klaps. It turns out that Ludwig was giving Karl 40 florins W.W. per month for the tutor’s fee, but Klaps only got 30 florins monthly, and Karl was pocketing the difference. In addition, Klaps was never paid for June at all. Karl always paid in arrears, not in advance. Karl stopped coming to Klaps in July. He asks Holz not to tell Beethoven that he still has not been paid, though it is too late for that. He was never paid more than 30 florins; Reisser seems to have been unaware of the actual amount being paid.

Klaps says that Karl probably would not be able to pass the exam in mathematics, because he did not copy all of the things he needed for that. He spent his whole time in the coffeehouse, etc. [Karl played billiards in the coffeehouse at the Freihaus] Reisser had no idea of all this until now. Nevertheless, Reisser says Karl can catch up on the exams.

After they depart, Beethoven mentions their appointment with attorney Johann Baptist Bach at 5 p.m. Holz says he forgot to mention, Bach has a meeting with other lawyers today, so he does not have time at 5, but asks that they come tomorrow [Tuesday, August 29] at the same time.

So, they can then go to the magistrate’s office the day after tomorrow [Wednesday, August 30.] The official records will need to be handed over to the government, but only the essentials. [Holz may be thinking about holding back the conversation books.]

How is Karl to pass his examinations, Ludwig asks. Holz says there is no choice but to have Klaps go to him. Ludwig is angry that Karl has been spending his time at coffeehouses. Holz feeds into this a bit. “It would only be that he also played cards.” Holz asks whether Ludwig kept the letter Karl wrote in English to Joseph Niemetz.

Johanna needs good soup for Karl while he is in the hospital. Holz says he told her that if it was necessary, Beethoven might provide another half pound of meat. Beethoven asks whether the police are keeping an eye on Karl. Holz tells him there are people observing Karl all the time, dressed in civilian clothes. [This claim seems unlikely for someone with a serious head wound in the hospital; this remark may be a fib to reassure Beethoven that Karl will not make another attempt on his own life.] Beethoven asks whether they can believe Karl’s testimony to the magistrate. Holz tells him that it is under oath, and they normally demand an oath.

Holz wonders if they should ask at the coffeehouse whether Karl still owes them money. Or they could leave that up to the magistrate.

Karl’s “dictionaries have probably also gone to hell,” Holz opines, referring to Karl having sold his books to get the money to buy pistols.

Holz computes the amounts given to Johanna thus far for Karl’s care, totaling 15 florins, 55 kreutzers. She still needs another 7 florins.

Beethoven suggests that tomorrow when he goes to see Attorney Bach, he should meet Holz somewhere. Holz says he will wait for Beethoven at the office, since he will have to pass that way anyway. Beethoven is concerned about whether his office will be annoyed if he shows up, but Holz assures him that they are only concerned that he is doing his job. “I always work on my own there.” It won’t take long, anyway.

Beethoven discusses the possibility of the Schuppanzigh Quartet playing the new quartet, op.131 in C-sharp minor at some point. Holz asks whether the movements must be played without any pauses. Beethoven tells him yes, that’s what the score indicates. Holz jokes, “But then we cannot repeat anything!” [It was common for the audience to demand a repeat of a particularly beautiful or effective movement.] Holz suggests that they will need to at least take time to tune, perhaps before the Presto [fifth movement.] Beethoven tells him no, it needs to be done without a break. Holz says they will need to do it on a cool evening, then, so they stay in tune. “We’ll order reliable strings. Mylord [Schuppanzigh] has to order very high quality strings.”

Beethoven mentions that he knows the listeners like to have witty conversation between movements. Holz jokes, “The conversation between one movement and the next is never so witty to make anything more than a relatively short interlude. I mean the conversations among the listeners between the movements.”

Beethoven asks Holz’s opinion about the quartet. Holz says he is “very happy, especially since it does not give Mylord any troubles.” Holz will take the quartet with him, since he is going to the place where he will copy out the parts. Beethoven suggests that an unspecified copyist, possibly Wenzel Rampl, could do that work. Holz says that he takes too long and will take pity on him, doing the work himself. Holz departs.

Later today, Beethoven gets together with Stephan von Breuning and his family for dinner on the occasion of Gerhard’s birthday and to watch the balloon ascension and parachuting by aeronaut Elisa Garnerin into the Prater, which was postponed from yesterday due to the weather. A portrait of Elisa Garnerin is seen nearby, courtesy of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. This incident is recounted by Gerhard von Breuning in Memories of Beethoven at 78:

”The first balloon ascent of Mme. Garnerin in Vienna was scheduled for August 28, 1826. She was to let herself down to earth by parachute from a dizzy height: a spectacle never yet seen in Vienna. Everyone was interested. But the day was also my thirteenth birthday, and Beethoven was invited to dinner for the celebration, and then after dinner to see from our windows, which looked over to the trees of the Prater, how Mme. Garnerin’s new experiment turned out.”

“He brought with him a copy of the Stieler portrait ‘with the Missa Solemnis,’ which M. Artaria had just published in lithograph [actually lithographed by Friedrich Dürck and printed by I. Selb]; my father was to send it to Wegeler in Coblenz. While we were waiting for the aeronautical performance to begin, comparisons were made of the similarity of the portrait to the original. My father’s opinion was that although none of Beethoven’s portraits were a perfect likeness, this one resembled him more than any of the other recent ones, especially if the small details are disregarded and it is viewed through the window from the back, so that its sharp outlines are softened. Beethoven was much pleased by this observation.” A copy of the Dürck lithograph of the Stieler portrait is nearby, courtesy of the Bonn Beethovenhaus, B 379.]

Stephan von Breuning points out amongst the observers Joseph von Arneth (1791-1863), the husband of Antonie Adamberger (1790-1867), the actress who had played Clärchen in Goethe’s Egmont in 1810, for which Beethoven had written the incidental music op.84.

Conversation Book 119, 21v-29r.

Katharina Konradi sings Freudvoll und Leidvoll (Clärchen’s Lied) from op.84, accompanied by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock:

Probably in the evening, Beethoven writes a short letter to his brother Johann, who has invited them to come and stay with him in Gneixendorf. Ludwig’s response: “I am not coming — Your Brother??????!!!!” [Punctuation per the original.]

Brandenburg Letter 2189. The original is held in the Trier City Library, in the Autograph Collection. Beethoven was unsure what the date was; the letter bears the date of the 26th, and is changed by him to the 28th.