BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, February 4, 1826

Nephew Karl joins his Uncle Ludwig at the Schwarzspanierhaus, probably late in the morning or early in the afternoon. The old woman, Barbara Holzmann, has completed the shopping and Karl gives an accounting:

6 pounds of meat @ 1 florin 40 kreutzers
2 pounds of butter @ 1 florin 30 kreutzers
19 Eggs @ 1 florin 45 kreutzers
Liver, 6 kreutzers
Marrow, 3 kreutzers
Vegetables, 3 kreutzers

In all, 4 florins, 22 kreutzers.

Karl reports that a prospective housekeeper [possibly the one recommended by Frau Vivenot] was earlier in service, and now appears to want to settle down. She pays half of everything. The other potential housekeeper widow was at Karl’s place again yesterday. “She by all means would like to come to be your housekeeper. She can write.” Karl asks whether the housekeeper, Frau Lindner, told his uncle that she prefers to sleep in the room. [One of the previous housekeepers, Theresia Adelmann, preferred to sleep at home.]

Uncle Ludwig is indecisive about moving out of the Schwarzspanierhaus at Georgi in late April, and Karl throws up his hands. “You will do what you consider best. I just believe that a move elsewhere causes a very great loss of time, which I could use to study, since I can be home in just a couple minutes.” [Karl likes the current arrangement where it does not take so long to walk to his Uncle’s apartment.] But in the summer, moving would not be as disruptive. Uncle Ludwig is lonesome with just the servants and wishes that Karl would live with him again. Karl says it’s the final year of his schooling, then they’ll no longer need to live apart. [As it happens, Ludwig does not move in the springtime, but stays at the Schwarzspanierhaus into the summer.]

Uncle Ludwig has questions about the current housekeeper, Frau Lindner, being forgetful and absent-minded. Karl responds that she may be very disorganized and absent-minded. He would just remind Uncle Ludwig not to believe unconditionally everything that Holzmann says about her. Did Uncle Ludwig not like the one he met at Karl’s rooms? Also, when can the woman that Frau Vivenot sent come?

The current servant should stick to a cookbook, Karl thinks. “No one who has made soups and the usual meat dishes one time can forget how to do it. Along with it, she needs to understand fine pastries and baking, and it is easy to get help for that.” Perhaps Uncle Ludwig will try one of the women Karl suggested. Karl says he can have her cook a trial meal for him. Karl asks how expensive the wood was that Ludwig bought. Uncle Ludwig tells Karl he needs more paper, and Karl confirms that, then departs for the day. He promises he will be back tomorrow.

Conversation Book 103, 5r-6v.

Later today, unpaid assistant Karl Holz attends a ball at the home of a stock exchange broker, Franz von Bogner. In May of next year, Holz will marry one of the broker’s daughters, Elisabeth Maria Bogner (born April 30, 1802) so it’s possible that he meets her at this ball.