BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Monday, February 21, 1825

Hans Georg Nägeli writes to Beethoven today from Zurich. His book of poetry, Liederkränze, has been published, and as promised last year, he is sending nine copies in the next few days to the Vienna post office, with a message that the parcel contains a book shipment that Archduke Rudolph has subscribed to. [This may have been a measure to avoid the books being tied up with the censor.] Six copies are for the Archduke, two for Herr Bihler, and one copy is for Beethoven. He would have liked to add a dedication to Rudolph, but as a Protestant and republican poet, he did not dare to do so. He expects that the Archduke, as an enlightened spiritual and secular prince, will not take offense. The publication of Nägeli’s volume of lectures on music is being postponed until next winter.

Brandenburg Letter 1936; Albrecht Letter 395. The letter is addressed to “His Excellency Herr L. van Beethoven, famous composer in Vienna.” Nägeli had asked Beethoven to convince the Archduke and anyone else interested to subscribe to his book. The Archduke agreed to do so in September, and Bihler in November. Nägeli did see his way to dedicating his volume of lectures to Archduke Rudolph, as Beethoven had suggested, despite Nägeli’s misgivings as stated here. The original letter is in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek (aut.35,50), and bears a “ZURICH” postmark.

The first concert of the London Philharmonic Society’s season is given this evening. The concert opens with Beethoven’s Symphony Nr.4 in B-flat op.60. The reviewer in the Harmonicon of March, 1825, Nr.XXVII at 48 states that the symphony “by Beethoven has few traits that strike generally, and at once, but possesses much to please the true connoisseur; it is written carefully, and betrays none of these eccentricities that are often at variance with established rules.” The original plan had been to give Beethoven’s Ninth its premiere at this concert, but it is not ready in time and the Fourth is substituted.

Cappi & Co. repeats its advertisement for its new edition of Beethoven’s three piano trios, op.1 (6 fl. W.W. each) in today’s Wiener Zeitung, Nr.41, at 185.