BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, May 22, 1824

Tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 is the second Akademie concert, the date and location of which was only settled Wednesday evening, May 19. There is thus only time for one rehearsal, and that is to be held today at noon in the large Redoutensaal.

Before going, Beethoven makes a note that he has to get a tray for visiting cards.

Nephew Karl is at Beethoven’s apartment this morning, after his morning classes at the University. He has arranged the coachman for today and paid him 2 florins 25 kreutzers. They also have firewood delivered; that was 12 florins for the wood and another 6 florins will be due this afternoon for chopping, cutting, and stacking the wood, after they are finished. Karl says he will eat his dinner in the City today.

Karl and Uncle Ludwig presumably pick up soprano Henriette Sontag and alto Caroline Unger as they did for prior rehearsals, and meet unpaid assistant Anton Schindler there around noon. Not all of the chorus parts needed have been copied yet, and Frau Schlemmer, whom Beethoven asked to copy them, is not going to be able to do them. She therefore has offered them to Peter Gläser. He was in turn rather hurt that Beethoven did not come to him directly, since he would have copied the choruses for only 15 kreutzers.

Beethoven justifiably complains that a Rossini aria, “Di tanti palpiti,” has been injected into the Akademie for his own benefit, utterly spoiling the effect of a concert of nothing but his own works. Schindler agrees that by doing this theater manager Louis Antoine Duport embarrassed himself. But they were not able to find tenor Giovanni David in time to get him prepared with another piece.

Beethoven is still unhappy, so Schindler deftly changes the subject to Beethoven’s terzet, Tremate, empi, tremate op.116, which has been added to the program. The rehearsal last night (which Beethoven abruptly left) went very well indeed. “Everything – the singers, their enthusiasm, their love, and their voices–all work together effectively. The Terzet went in such a way, as if it had been rehearsed 10 times.” Umlauf did not attend that rehearsal, as he had another rehearsal in the Kärntnertor Theater scheduled, so Duport himself played the piano. Beethoven asks Schindler what time it is, and he responds 12:30 precisely. An unknown person writes in the conversation book that “The Terzet is going very well, and has to please.”

Schindler talks to the manager of the Redoutensaal, who says that either Beethoven or conductor Michael Umlauf needs to be there by 9 o’clock tomorrow morning. All of the workers will be there by that time. The place will be full of people by 11, so any work needing to be done has to be accomplished well before then.

Concertmaster Ignaz Schuppanzigh believes that the Terzet is sufficiently loud with three voices. “But it is really remarkable how beautifully and grandly the singer performs it.”

Tenor Giovanni David arrives late. He asks Beethoven to write a grand aria for him alone. An exasperated Beethoven says that is impossible to do overnight. Schindler says then Beethoven needs to close one eye, because “Di tanti palpiti” does not belong on this Akademie program, but there is no helping it. David would have sung something different, but he has nothing short that would fit. [The aria is quite brief, only about 3 minutes in duration.] Karl agrees that they do not belong together.

Duport indicates that he is assuming several hundred florins of expenses at the Magistrate’s office. [This sudden demand will be explained tomorrow after the concert.]

Brother Johann is also at the rehearsal. The orchestra manager has told him they can keep all the music there securely; that way he can arrange for everything to be put in order better. He has a room in the theater to store it.

An issue arises over violinist Joseph Böhm. Apparently he did not want to accompany the Italians, and is not playing. According to Schuppanzigh, Böhm stands behind Caroline Unger and the other soloists.

Schindler thinks the tenor Domenico Donzelli, singing in the Terzet, is “especially excellent.”

Umlauf asks Schuppanzigh what kind of effect the change of meter in the Adagio of the Ninth [the change to Andante moderato in 3/4 at bar 25] had upon him. The second violins there have the melody, so Schuppanzigh says that “If the seconds are to play it better, then he [Umlauf] must conduct that way.” Schuppanzigh is unimpressed with the amateur musicians in the second violins under Ferdinand Piringer. They are all “scraping away.” Schindler mentions that at Steiner’s music shop, Schuppanzigh had scolded the dilettantes, that they understood nothing, and steal bread from the professional artists. Schuppanzigh is further annoyed that Piringer is paid extra for leading these dilettantes. Beethoven appears to blame Schindler for this, who responds, “I am innocent of the Blood of the Righteous!”

After the rehearsal, which seems to go well overall, the three Beethovens go to mid-day dinner with Schindler and Schuppanzigh.

Schuppanzigh also complains about the Magistrate’s spy, who wanted to arouse suspicion [apparently about the concert, perhaps because a Mass movement was being performed, even though Beethoven had permission to do so as long as it was publicized as a Hymn.] They are the worst, because they are all engaging in espionage. Schuppanzigh then complains that the beef steaks in England were better than the ones they’re having.

Schuppanzigh is also displeased that Böhm is not accompanying in the Terzet; because he was not doing so, a gap resulted.

Schindler will get the tickets from Duport by 6 p.m. today. He has reserved the orchestral servants, and they will distribute them.

Someone (perhaps Caroline Unger?) is singing upstairs, possibly practicing. Schuppanzigh agrees that she’s upstairs, but she’s singing it wrong.

Schindler is exasperated at Schuppanzigh, and writes to Beethoven, “How much can you endure having such miserable scoundrels around you? Especially the last one! He commanded you that, if he comes out to the country to visit you, he should have his choice among 10 Turkish girls.”

Schuppanzigh ignores Schindler with contempt, and suggests he, Johann and Ludwig take a drive into the Prater tomorrow. It would have to be slowly, because Johann’s horses do not go fast.

Karl mentions that Brother Johann has often promised him overcoats. But that will probably never amount to plural coats, and perhaps not even to one.

A new book by Helminz von Chezy [who wrote the disastrous libretto for Weber’s opera Euryanthe, and thereby nearly killed German opera in Vienna] talks about the performances of the Munich actor Ferdinand Esslair in Vienna during April of this year. Karl sees the book advertised everywhere, and Johann jokes that it’s like she’s giving a concert, there are so many posters for it.

The tab for dinner comes to 12 florins C.M., or 30 florins W.W., so almost 3 ducats.

Schindler notes that poet Franz Grillparzer, whose libretto for Melusine still is supposed to be composed by Beethoven, is not on the list for free tickets. Beethoven asks how many are on the list already? Schindler says 35, but if he asks for more he will certainly get them.

Schuppanzigh laughs that the cloth dealer Johann Wolfmayer [who was at the first Akademie and paid double for his seats as a donation to Beethoven] always cries when he hears something by the composer. Schuppanzigh has dinner with him every Friday at the Gasthaus Zum braunen Hirschen [At the Sign of the Brown Deer]. Beethoven should come along sometime; it would give Wolfmayer endless pleasure.

Johann and Ludwig return to Ludwig’s apartment. Johann suggests that they go to the opera or a theater performance. But they should for once stay until the very end, lest he come home too early and discover his unfaithful wife being immoral.

Johann wants to talk to Ludwig more later. He will wait for Karl and go with him to the theater. But he asks where Ludwig will be afterwards so they can meet in case it is necessary to speak immediately. Ludwig appears to be second-guessing the 500 florin guaranteed payment, and Johann tells him Duport must pay for the 2nd concert. At the rehearsal, he encountered the Secretary, who said Duport is in Baden today, and will come tomorrow. Although Ludwig invited Duport to the dinner afterwards, Johann thinks it would be better if he doesn’t come at all. [Johann had caused difficulties over the Akademies by threatening Duport back in early March, so they were not on good terms at all.]

Johann notes that 6 works have now been sent to London.

Sometime this afternoon, Christian Rummel, who had a letter of introduction from Schott in Mainz, visits Beethoven. He tells the composer that he is employed by Duke Wilhelm of Nassau (1792-1839). They have a very fine wind band there, with excellent artists. Rummel mentions that he has arranged Beethoven’s symphonies for wind band. He asks whether he might come again to visit.

On his return to the apartment, Karl mentions he has been sitting since 8 o’clock this morning and thus would prefer not to go to the theater with Johann. Tomorrow, he can go less than today. He would like not to have to leave today. It’s better though that anything that happens occur today, rather than tomorrow.

Banker Baron Eskeles sends Beethoven a note asking for 6 tickets to the concert Sunday. His daughter Marie (1801-1862) sends her thanks for the kind things Ludwig wrote in her autograph book. [He wrote the canon “Der edle Mensch sei hülfreich und gut,” WoO 151 on January 20, 1823 for her, which was quite kind indeed.] The Baron invites Beethoven to eat with them at their place in Hietzing sometime.

Karl and Uncle Ludwig appear to get into an argument, though it is not clear over what, and Karl tells him “Do as you want to now. I am leaving.”

Conversation Book 68, 22v-30v; Conversation Book 69, 1v (Rummel conversation), 3r-3v (part of the conversation with Johann). That concludes this conversation book. Conversation Book 69 has been used concurrently with the last parts of Conversation Book 68, but will be used beginning tomorrow exclusively for the next couple days.

You may have noticed that the fill-in unpaid assistants, Joseph Böhm and Ferdinand Piringer, have not been present in the last few days, while Anton Schindler has returned to the fore. One unintended effect of this recent change in unpaid assistants is that between them, no one has bothered to inform the newspapers or musical press of the new date and location of the Akademie concert tomorrow. The only announcement was the brief reference in the Wiener Theater-Zeitung of May 20, and that gave both the wrong time and wrong venue.