BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, July 3, 1824

Beethoven spends most of the day with Johann, who is leaving Vienna for his estate in Gneixendorf today. There is some pressing business that needs to be taken care of. First, Ludwig needs to write to Schott in Mainz immediately. The mail goes out into the Empire every day. Johann asks how Ludwig determined the 600-florin price for the Ninth Symphony. [Unfortunately, Ludwig’s response is not recorded.]

Johann suggests some language for a letter relating to how the bill of exchange is to be set up, payable on delivery of the works. But the payment cannot go beyond the time period that they have discussed. The entire sum should, Johann thinks, be specified in the exchange note, namely 1000 florins for the Missa Solemnis, 600 florins for the Symphony, and 50 ducats (i.e. 225 florins) for the in-progress quartet op.127.

They cannot lay their hands on one of the pieces of correspondence with Schott. Johann knows that Ludwig kept it, because Karl had read it and found several errors in it. He will write to Karl when he gets to Gneixendorf and have him locate it.

Ludwig drafts a letter to Schott’s. He says it was impossible for him to respond to their last letter from May, and now can write only the bare minimum. He is now ready to send the quartet too, which was quoted at a fee of 50 ducats. He expects they will receive the quartet within six weeks [it is not finished until 1825]. For the other two works, then the payments will be due on three fixed dates. The scores will be delivered to the bankers, and he’ll recommend the best way to ship the scores to Frankfurt.

As much as he would like to tell them a lot of things, the press of being busy does not permit it, but he will reserve that pleasure for another time.

Brandenburg Letter 1848; Anderson Letter 1299. The original is held in the Mainz City Library (Hs III 71, Nr.14). The address on the envelope is in Johann’s hand. Schott did not receive the letter until July 19th. A note in red ink from J.J. Schott to G. Weber says, “The following letter is for your review and we kindly request that you send it back. We expect the manuscripts of the Mass and Symphony every day, and the Quartet is expected to be received next month. It would be very pleasant for us if you were to announce such works of art in the Caecilia with all the fire of your spirit. We will be publishing these three works in score and in parts; we will decide on other arrangements later. We intend to announce and publish these works on subscription, and for this purpose we ask you to give us a really brilliant announcement or solicitation, which we will translate into French and Italian, to be sent out to all countries and to all high-ranking persons. We hope that it will be dedicated to the greatest monarchs in order to accomplish a sale, and the same for the acceptance of the other works being looked forward to. The names of all subscribers will be pre-printed in each work, and this could lead some people to join the subscription in honor of Beethofen [sic]. Give us your view on this, and we hope you will have ideas about the timing of the announcement and solicitation.”

Ludwig writes a second letter to publisher Heinrich Albert Probst in Leipzig. Again, Beethoven pleads that he has been extremely busy, and has been holding Akademie concerts. But the requested works [Opferlied op.121b, Bundeslied op.122, Consecration of the House op.124, Six Bagatelles op.126 and the Arietta Der Kuss op.128] are copied and ready to be sent. He therefore asks that 100 ducats [i.e., 450 florins] be sent to Hr. Loydl [a leather dealer acting as financial intermediary], with instructions to notify Beethoven immediately upon receipt.

Brandenburg Letter 1849; Anderson Letter 1298. Johann owned these works, so he is obviously interested in the deal being concluded promptly. Like the letter to Schott, this envelope is addressed by Johann, and thus was written while he was still with Ludwig. The original is in the Bonn Beethovenhaus, NE 20, and can be seen here:

https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/5112891833319424/scan/0

Johann says he will take the letters to the post office; he will leave for Gneixendorf immediately after that. He is very much needed there for the harvest. Ludwig asks how he is traveling. Johann is taking the public coach. They are quite convenient, for they leave every hour.

Ludwig asks whether the reviews of the Akademie concert have been of any use in selling his works. Johann says they are greatly needed. Kanne’s essays in the Vienna Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung about Ludwig’s works have many times been sent out to foreign countries.

Johann mentions that Professor Joseph Böhm [who had briefly served as unpaid assistant for Ludwig, and performed in both Akademie concerts] sends his hearty greetings.

The Italian operas have reached their end, in Johann’s opinion. Even though notables such as soprano Josephine Fodor-Mainville, bass Luigi Lablache, and tenor Domenic Donzelli, are singing, the house is consistently empty. The opera is being subsidized over the summer with over 100,000 florins. Things are bad at the Theater an der Wien as well; many evenings they take in only 50, 60 or 100 florins W.W., so no one has been paid for three months.

Johann wants to buy the house from the tailor [Joseph Hörr, Ludwig’s current landlord in Penzing] as soon as he has sold his estate in Gneixendorf. Ludwig asks whether he will be investing in bank shares. Johann thinks not; he expects bank shares to fall in the next two months. The kind of bond he is going to invest in will be the best of all, and better than bank shares. Johann takes his leave of Ludwig, mails the letters and then departs via the coach for Gneixendorf.

Ludwig has now reached terms on almost all of his current works, and thus needs to get the commissioned quartets finished, since he has very little new left to sell. The process will, however, take far longer than he anticipates.

The third morning of the Klopstock music festival in Quedlinburg features a concert at the local playhouse, opened by an unidentified Overture by Beethoven. Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung Nr.30 (July 22, 1824) at 479.

The Literarisch-artistisch-musikalischer Anzeiger Nr.4 (July 3, 1824) supplement to the July 8, 1824 Berliner Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung on its second page includes an advertisement for various new musical publications by Heinrich Albert Probst in Leipzig. Among these is a set of Morceaux choisis à Grand Orch. arranged by Ignaz von Seyfried. This was a set of orchestral arrangements of five movements of piano and violin sonatas by Beethoven. The works so arranged are 1) Violin Sonata Nr.3 op.12/3, third movement; 2) Piano Sonata Nr.3 op.2/3, third movement; 3) Violin Sonata Nr.2 op.12/2, second movement; 4) Piano Sonata Nr.2 op.2/2, second movement; and 5) Violin Sonata Nr.2 op.12/2, third movement.