BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, August 20, 1825

Karl Holz is spending the weekend in Baden again. A page seems to be missing from Conversation Book 92 before 36r because Holz and Beethoven appear to be mid-conversation as Holz says, “I’ll look right after it.” He adds the tempo indication, “piu presto.”

There appears to be some mention of Johanna, Karl’s mother. Holz says, “There’s still something in the mother’s nature.” Holz says he owes his parents the greatest gift of gratitude.

Holz suggests that if the weather were warmer, it would be better for Beethoven to drink soda water.

Holz, expecting the corrected copies of the op.132 quartet parts soon from Beethoven, says he will give Wenzel Rampl a firm deadline to have the copies made. If Rampl doesn’t have time to do it, Holz will have to give it to copyist Benjamin Gebauer [whose work Beethoven does not approve of.]

Beethoven has clearly looked through the parts, and found a significant number of errors. Holz is apologetic, “I am not accustomed to copying, otherwise I could almost guarantee correctness.” Holz finds it easier to copy from the score than to copy parts. They agree that Karl will come to Baden on Tuesday, and pick up the corrected parts and deliver them to Holz that day. But Holz will talk to Rampl in advance, and reach an agreement with him as to what he will be paid to make the copies of the parts for Prince Nikolai Galitzin, who commissioned the quartet.

After Holz leaves, Beethoven goes to a coffee house to read yesterday’s newspapers. He finds an advertisement about a noble official’s widow who wants a position as a housekeeper, and she says she is well experienced in cooking. Beethoven copies down the particulars.

Conversation Book 92, 36r-36v, 15v.