BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, July 29, 1826

Nephew Karl visits Uncle Ludwig again today, and delivers the letter to Schott’s under today’s date. His uncle reviews it and signs it so Karl can put it into the mail.

“I hasten to inform you of the proper receipt of your bill of exchange under cover of your letter dated the 19th of this month.”

“At the same time, I inform you that in a few days I will deliver the quartet [op.131], as well as your letter, to Herr Frank [sic, of the banking house Franck & Co.]. This would already have been done were it not for my endeavor to send you the work completely correct for engraving, which compelled me to review it once more in the most precise manner.” [In fact, although the quartet is probably finished, it is still in the process of being copied. Beethoven possibly has begun proofreading the first part of the copy by this point, so he may be partially telling the truth.]

“I thank you most sincerely for forwarding your bill of exchange and repeatedly request that you do not consider this request from my side as a sign of distrust towards your esteemed house. You will receive the metronome markings shortly.”

“As much as I now wish to write you about a matter of equal importance to both you and me, I am so overwhelmed with business that it is impossible for me today. I therefore postpone the explicit declaration until the next postal day, and am, Your most devoted Beethoven.”

Brandenburg Letter 2173; Anderson Letter 1494. The letter is postmarked WIEN. The “matter of equal importance” is presumably hinting at the planned complete edition of Beethoven’s works, which he has dangled before Leidesdorf, Haslinger and Maurice Schlesinger, and now intends to offer to Schott’s, whom he has found easy to work with.

The original of this letter is held in the Mainz City Library (Ms.III 71 Nr.21a), and can be seen here:

https://www.dilibri.de/dilibri_kalliope/content/titleinfo/2115417

Beethoven, Nephew Karl and unpaid assistant Karl Holz meet violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh today for dinner at a restaurant. Ignaz Dembscher received Beethoven’s letter and has written to Schuppanzigh informing him that he will pay the 50 florins as Beethoven directed, so that he can use the parts to the op.130 quartet for a private concert. Now that he has made the proper acknowledgement, Holz tells Beethoven he can send Dembscher the canon, Es muss sein [It must be], WoO 196. Holz jokes that the payment is a gift for Mylord’s [Schuppanzigh’s] name day [July 31].

Nephew Karl notes that Prince Rasoumovsky has come to Vienna [he arrived July 27] but without the money from Prince Nikolai Galitzin. [Karl seems unaware that Rasoumovsky returned from Paris, not St. Petersburg.]

Karl notes that since Matthias Artaria will soon be publishing the quartet in B-flat major [op.130], Uncle Ludwig should let Dembscher have the parts soon. Dembscher also would like to see Ludwig at his place some time.

Nephew Karl reports that Tobias Haslinger has already made a new title page for the two works that had so upset Uncle Ludwig, the March and Chorus op.114, and the Terzet Tremate, empi trempate op.116, which had suggested that the piano reductions were the original versions. On the piano reductions, the word “original” has been left out on the new ones. Holz thinks this will suffice with a small alteration. Holz adds, “That will be easy to obtain; it will come to him like a bolt of lightning out of the blue.”

Karl tells his uncle that he is really short on money. [Given that he just sold his textbooks surreptitiously, either he used the money from that to buy the pistols he has hidden in his rooms, or he is paying off gambling debts, or some combination of the two. In any event, Uncle Ludwig would not approve if he knew the truth.]

Beethoven in turn complains that he still has not received the 50 ducats from Russian Prince Nikolai Galitzin for the third quartet he commissioned, op.130. Schuppanzigh believes that Galitzin is willing to pay, but he probably has no money now, which is often the case. Schuppanzigh knows him well. Beethoven misunderstands and thinks they are talking about Prince Rasoumovsky, and Holz corrects him, that they mean Galitzin. Karl interjects that this Galitzin comes from a poorer family line. Holz comments on the treatment of Russian serfs, “The whip has not yet been abolished.” [Serfdom would not be abolished in Russia until 1861 by Czar Alexander II.]

Karl complains about the fish; there is no liver. It was a milter [a male fish in breeding condition] but there was nothing good in it. “Everything is unsatisfactory.” [These oddly overreacting comments are unusual for Karl and may be indicative of depression.]

Schuppanzigh, lightening the conversation, jokes that Holz [in German, Holz means wood] is not a precious wood; however, he is suitable for burning. Holz agrees, “That is how it is.”

Karl continues complaining about the food; they are out of oil, and the next course is not ready. But they would be just as happy if it does not come. He also mentions that he smokes.

Holz takes a more positive tone about the food today: “The pastry is good; I said that recently we had pies which could have withstood the grinding stone.”

Karl acknowledges that Mylord is very satisfied. Schuppanzigh begins telling a scandalous story about an unidentified woman. “She is nothing but a w[hore]. She had a lot of misfortune with her children. The daughter had sold herself to Prince Kaunitz and she declared her mother to be the procuress, who for more than a year was involved in a criminal process until she was found innocent; her son was working at a cash office, where he committed a theft, for which he is still having to pay by lying in prison. The respect!”

Karl sarcastically adds, “Fratello [Brother Johann] would not have done that.” [Ludwig frequently called Johann’s wife Therese a whore.] After dinner, Holz and Nephew Karl accompany Beethoven to his apartment in the Schwarzspanierhaus.

Holz asks where the canon for Dembscher, Es muss sein WoO 196, is. [He will later make a copy of the canon.]

The housekeeper, Marie Stiegel, wants to go to the theater again today, Karl says. Why does she want to do that? Uncle Ludwig asks. Is the maid going out too? “She is always at home. The other one [the maid] stays here; she won’t go out.” Holz says that the work is too strenuous for Stiegel. She objects, and tells Karl that in order to keep her position, she will do as much spraying as she can. [She had previously earned Beethoven’s wrath by not wanting to do the spraying of the dust outside, since it made her cough.] Uncle Ludwig thought she was refusing, but Karl tells him that she does do it anyway. Holz adds, “Nevertheless, how long can it still last? Then you will be moving to the countryside anyway.” [At this point, Beethoven has vague plans to go to the baths at Ischl, but he does not do so.]

Holz says that the proofreading of the quartet op.130 is finished. Next week they’ll print a new version at Artaria’s. “You will receive the next copy.” Holz also mentions that “the matter with Diabelli has been arranged.” [This may relate to either the sonata for piano duet or a string quintet, both of which Beethoven has promised to Anton Diabelli.]

Ludwig asks where they visited the Bogners last Sunday. Holz tells him it was in Döbling.

Uncle Ludwig asks Karl whether he can now visit him more often with his written examinations finished. Karl is evasive: “It will be more difficult now for me to get off.”

Karl asks for a book, Metrik der Deutschen [probably Heinrich Voss’s book on meter in German poetry]. “In passing, I’ll ask how much it costs; I could eat with you tomorrow; Holz could easily buy it.” [Karl does not in fact come tomorrow, but does meet with his uncle on the next day, Tuesday, August 1.]

Conversation Book 116, 5r-10r.

A new set of pedagogical materials by Beethoven’s former pupil Carl Czerny is advertised in today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.172) at 726 by Anton Diabelli & Co., Mnemosyne musicale for Youth: A selection of easy, brilliant, and instructive compositions for the pianoforte, with and without accompaniment, in 8 volumes thus far, with the promise of more to come. The first five of these volumes include Czerny’s previously published Two Easy and Brilliant Sonatinas op.49; Two Easy and Brilliant Sonatinas for piano four hands op.50; Two Easy and Brilliant Sonatinas for piano and violin op.51; Easy Concertino for piano with obbligato string quartet accompaniment, and ad lib flute and two horns, op.78; and Six Rondeaux mignons for piano duet op.90. The three next volumes listed were not previously advertised and appear to be newly published: Three Easy and Brilliant Sonatinas for solo piano, or with ad lib accompaniment of violin and violoncello, op.104; Sonate militaire et brillante for piano duet with ad lib accompaniment of violin and violoncello op.119; and the Sonata sentimentale for piano duet with ad lib accompaniment for the same instruments, op.120.

The publisher writes (probably Czerny’s own words): “For those piano players who have already outgrown the usual supplementary pieces, but cannot yet venture into the study of the difficult works of the great masters, there has always been a palpable lack of compositions specifically designed for each age and level of ability, combining ease of performance with all the effects that the high level of brilliant playing of our time, the current refined taste, and the brilliant perfection that the present Viennese fortepiano players demand and make possible. The author of this collection, whose primary occupation is giving instruction, has endeavored to contribute to this end through its publication, and the publisher may add that all the compositions included here are equally suitable for production and practice, even for small children’s hands, and a correct score makes them equally agreeable to teachers and students.”