BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, May 25, 1822 (approximately)

Franz Brentano, receiving Beethoven’s letter of May 19th with instructions to share it with Nikolaus Simrock, makes a copy of the letter almost instantly upon receipt. He forwards the copy to Simrock, retaining the original in his files. The mails were traveling very quickly this week, with the letter making its way from Vienna to Frankfurt and thence to Bonn in only ten days.