BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Monday, September 18, 1826 (approximately)

A fragment survives of a letter, most likely to unpaid assistant Karl Holz, written roughly about now since it makes reference to the negotiations for a collected edition with Adolph Martin Schlesinger. “I find this best. In a matter of discretion, I will not entrust myself to a person who has already acted so treacherously against me — that is the ultimatum — absolutely no modifications — either one way or the other —”

“I ask you to come to me at noon; incidentally, no delay in this matter except for that of the money; he can pay the fee in 6 weeks or even longer.”

Brandenburg Letter 2199; Anderson Letter 1254. This letter probably belongs to the period of time Schlesinger was in Vienna, arriving on September 4 and meeting Beethoven on September 5. The description of him as acting “treacherously” may relate to Mathias Artaria’s revelation on Friday, September 15 that Schlesinger lied to Artaria about having bought three quartets from Beethoven. The original is held by the Berlin Staatsbibliothek (Grasnick 35,21).

Unpaid assistant Karl Holz comes by Beethoven’s apartment for mid-day dinner, but he has to be back to his office by 3 o’clock. He asks when Brother Johann will be coming, and whether Beethoven has secured his bank shares. [It may be at this time that Beethoven shows Holz the hidden compartment in his cabinet, in which he keeps the bank shares, and, as will be discussed after Beethoven’s death, the Heiligenstadt Testament and the letter to the Immortal Beloved.]

Holz tells Ludwig that Karl will be subject to a curfew once he is released from the hospital; if he is not at home by 10 o’clock in the evening, he will be placed under house arrest for several days.

Discussion turns to the competing publishers, Tobias Haslinger and Adolph Martin Schlesinger. Holz says Haslinger is a shrewd man; while the other is a Jew. Haslinger claims that he will publish the cantata [Der glorreiche Augenblick, op.136], and he will pay whatever fee Beethoven demands. Beethoven suggests 2000 ducats. Holz tells him that would be 23,000 florins W.W. Holz suggests that if he would pay 2000 ducats, then he would also pay 10,000 florins C.M. [which would be 25,000 florins W.W. ].

Holz tells Beethoven again that he is to be married [the wedding will occur May 16, 1827.]

Holz, freshly returned from his vacation, has a lot to do at the office, so he needs to stick to his timetable. He says he will come at 5 o’clock in the evening tomorrow, before he goes to Döbling to visit his fiancée. At mid-day he has lessons until 2 o’clock and the time would be too short. If Beethoven is not at home tomorrow evening, then Holz can come early the day after tomorrow [Wednesday, September 20.] He will be going past the Schwarzspanierhaus anyway.

Holz would like to formally become Beethoven’s secretary, if managing his correspondence is getting too difficult for him, especially since Nephew Karl will not be much help in the future. “It would be good if you had your own concept book, like merchants have, for your correspondence, as frequently one does not recall what one has written. In this book I’ll write the letter, then you improve what you find necessary, and then I’ll copy it.” The idea is not to cause any trouble for Beethoven, and that will give him more time for composing. With Beethoven being such a famous name, this step has become necessary.

Holz asks whether Beethoven gave Wenzel Rampl the score of the dedication copy for the Ninth Symphony to be corrected. [Rampl had written the bulk of the score; Beethoven has noted corrections in the margins, which then were made in the score by Rampl. Rampl will come to visit Beethoven tomorrow afternoon.]

Holz mentions that cellist Joseph Linke has a friend in Berlin, Martin Gottlieb Deetz (1769-1842), who has a great deal of power over the king and admires Beethoven. He could also support the petition for an award of an honorary order by the king. [Holz refers to him as “the mayor,” but Deetz had served as temporary mayor of Königsberg, not Berlin.]

Holz heads back to his office. Beethoven reads the newspapers in a coffee house on the way to see Nephew Karl in the hospital. Beethoven makes a note of an advertisement in the Intelligenzblatt for a corn cutting instrument.

At the hospital, Beethoven warns Karl about trying to slip away. Karl tells him, “I know very well how far my freedom extends — I am not going to sneak away from here, you can rely on that.”

Karl has his choice of beef or venison for his dinner, but cannot have both.

The brevity of this visit suggests that uncle and nephew may have had an argument that cut it short.

Conversation Book 121, 30v-33v.