BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, July 23, 1825

Nephew Karl is at his uncle’s apartment in Baden today. He notes that according to “the old woman,” housekeeper Barbara Holzmann, someone borrowed 4 20-kreutzer coins on account. [More will said about this tomorrow. The German editors suggest it may be former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler, who makes an unrecorded visit to Baden sometime about now to try to mend fences.] Max Leidesdorf rode out to Baden in the same carriage this morning as Karl did.

Karl saw Brother Johann before he left for Gneixendorf early this morning. He was very pleasant. Karl had to give him the letter that Uncle Ludwig sent Karl via Johann.

The vice-director of the Polytechnic, Franz Michael Reisser, says Karl doesn’t need to take any tests. So long as he keeps the tutor, he only need to remain diligent to learn calligraphy, business math, and business theory. Also, he will need to attend all the discussion sections.

Karl agrees with Johann that Uncle Ludwig can set a price of 100 ducats for his quartet.

Karl mentions that in the evening, he went for a walk on the Wasserkunst Glacis, where there were a lot of people. A dog lost his master and decided that he belonged with Karl, and ran after him. The puppy was still quite young, so he couldn’t tell the difference.

Later in the afternoon, Ludwig makes a note in the conversation book:

• Heiliger Dankgesang eines Widergenesenen…beym 3/8, neue Kraft fühlend. [These are further drafts for the inscriptions in the third movement of the quartet in A minor, op.132. Beethoven made quite a few of these drafts, indicating he was giving these headings a good deal of thought, and that they were highly significant to him.]

Karl gives his uncle an account of his expenses for the last week:
Tip going into Vienna on Sunday 15 kreutzers
Carriage out to Baden 2 florins 15 kreutzers
Breakfast in Neudorf 18 kreutzers
Two letters from Uncle Ludwig 10 kreutzers
1 florin for Karl for a snack 1 fl.
1 book of foolscap paper 1 fl.
Total: 4 fl. 58 kr. Of the 5 florins given him by Uncle Ludwig, Karl still had 2 kreutzers left over.

Uncle Ludwig continues his errand list:

• Testament.
• Metronome most necessary at the 3/8. [The last 3 words may have been added by Anton Schindler after Beethoven’s death.]

Conversation Book 91, 13v-16r. Karl spends the night with his uncle in Baden and will return to Vienna tomorrow.