BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Monday, August 9, 1824

Letters cross in the mails between Beethoven in Baden and Heinrch Probst in Leipzig. Probst notifies Beethoven that he sent the 100 ducats for Beethoven together with a note for him to the H. Joseph Loydl & Co. in Vienna. If Beethoven has still not heard from them, he asks that Beethoven kindly go to them since his absence from Vienna may have prevented their business from being accomplished.

Brandenburg Letter 1859; Albrecht Letter 378. The autograph is in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek (aut.35,71b). The address has a “LEIPZIG 9. Aug. 24” postmark. “Vienna” has been crossed out and “Baden” written in with a red crayon.

Meanwhile, Beethoven as a coincidence today writes to Probst from Baden. Brandenburg Letter 1860. Unfortunately, the contents of this letter are unknown since it is lost, but its existence is known from Probst’s reply on August 16, in which he references Beethoven’s letter dated today. From that reply, it appears Beethoven may have questioned Probst’s desire to have the manuscripts deposited with Loydl and received by Probst, before releasing the payment.