BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, June 21, 1823

After some preparation, a solicitation is finally sent to the Philharmonic Society in St. Petersburg. The letter, written in French, was most likely sent to Prince Nikolai Galitzin for his presentation of it to the appropriate parties. Besides the standard solicitation language asking for 50 ducats, Beethoven includes some flattery: “He [Beethoven] flatters himself that he does not make a mistake in hoping to find among the Russian nation, so noble and enlightened, connoisseurs of the arts who will wish to take part in this work.” He also includes the notation that the Kings of France and Prussia as well as the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt have already subscribed. The letter was probably written by Karl, taking dictation from Uncle Ludwig.

Brandenburg Letter 1676. The letter was last known to be in the archives of the Philharmonic Society, when it was transcribed in 1884 by E.K. Albrecht, but is not known to have been seen since.

Also on this date, the Wiener Zeitschrift in a supplement publishes Beethoven’s canon “Edel sei der Mensch” WoO 185, which he had recently written as a gift to Louis Schlösser. Beethoven had offered to proofread the work in a letter on June 6, but it is unclear whether editor Johann Schickh took him up on that. The canon is here performed by the Ensemble Cantus Novus Wien:

S.A. Steiner & Co. repeats its advertisements in today’s Wiener Zeitung at 574 for Carl Czerny’s Rondeau brillant for piano four hands op.44, an arrangement of Beethoven’s Violin Romance #2 op. 50; and Czerny’s Variations on a Bohemian Theme op.46.

Sauer & Leidesdorf announces in the same newspaper the publication of the first volume in its magnificent subscription edition of the Complete Operas of Rossini, Armida, arranged for pianoforte by M.J. Leidesdorf.