BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Saturday, September 23, 1826

Tobias Haslinger and Prussian Royal Librarian Samuel Heinrich Spiker (1786-1858) visit Beethoven this morning regarding the dedication copy of the Ninth Symphony, which Haslinger is having bound. There are no conversation book entries for this conversation. However, Spiker published his recollections of the visit, in the obituary of Beethoven contained in the Berliner Nachrichten, Nr.96, of April 25, 1827 (and reprinted in Friedrich Kerst, Die Erinnerungen an Beethoven, II, pp. 159ff.)

“It was not easy to see Beethoven in person, even in Vienna itself. The almost complete loss of his hearing meant that only a few people — those whose voices he was accustomed to — were able to make themselves understood to him. And the inconvenience caused by the fact that everyone else who wished to converse with him had to resort to writing may have made it uncomfortable for him to receive visitors at all. Even the writer of these lines, who ardently wished to make Beethoven’s personal acquaintance, had been given little hope of doing so. One circumstance, however, made an introduction easier.”

“Beethoven had, as is well known, after obtaining permission from His Majesty the King [of Prussia] dedicated his last great symphony with choruses to His Majesty, and he wished to have the clean copy of the original score — with all his handwritten corrections and additions — delivered safely and quickly into the King’s hands. Some arrangements were necessary for this, and this became the occasion for announcing a visit to Beethoven, which he accepted.”

“Beethoven lived in the suburb on the glacis before the Schotten Gate, in an open area from which one enjoyed a beautiful view of the capital with all its magnificent buildings and the landscape beyond, in pleasant, sunny rooms. His poor health had made it necessary for him, in recent years, to make frequent use of baths, and we (Herr Tobias Haslinger, a close friend of the deceased, and I) therefore saw the apparatus for this in the anteroom. Adjoining this was Beethoven’s living room, in which, in a rather inspired disorder, scores, books, and so forth were piled on top of one another. In the middle stood a grand piano by the excellent maker Conrad Graf. The furnishings were simple, and the whole appearance of the room was such as one often finds with those who care more for order than without.”

“Beethoven received us very kindly. He was dressed in a simple grey morning coat, which suited his cheerful, jovial face and his unstyled hair very well. After we had admired the beautiful view from the windows of his living room, he invited us to sit with him at a table, and the conversation began — on my part conducted in writing, while Herr Haslinger, whose voice Beethoven was already accustomed to, shouted into his ear whatever he wished to say.”

“Beethoven spoke above all with great enthusiasm about our King, to whose love of the arts, and especially of music, he gave full credit, and he expressed his great joy over the permission granted to him (which had been communicated to him by the late Prince Hatzfeld [then ambassador to Vienna]) to dedicate his last symphony to the monarch. He also recalled with deep emotion a gracious letter from Her Majesty, the now-reigning Russian Empress Alexandra, who had asked him to select a Viennese grand piano for her, and he spoke with great passion about the love of art that prevailed within the royal family.”

“He touched only briefly on his own circumstances in Vienna, and seemed deliberately to avoid dwelling on them. Otherwise, he was extraordinarily cheerful and burst into laughter at every joke with the good-naturedness of someone who harbors no malice and trusts everyone — something that, contrary to the general rumor portraying Beethoven as gloomy and withdrawn, one would not have expected.”

“It was very interesting to see his musical sketchbook, which he told us he always carried with him on walks so that, whenever a musical idea occurred to him, he could immediately jot it down in pencil. It was full of isolated measures of music, suggested figures, and so on. Several large books of this kind lay on the desk beside his piano, containing longer fragments, written in ink.” [Among these would be the Kullak desk sketchbook, which he has been using throughout 1826.]

“Unfortunately, his severe deafness — which was also the reason for a peculiar device attached to his piano, a kind of sound hood under which he sat while playing, intended to collect and concentrate the sound around him — made conversation with him very laborious. He himself, however, seemed to feel this little, given his extraordinary liveliness. Paper and pencil were immediately at hand when we entered, and in a short time a sheet was filled with writing in order to answer his questions and ask him new ones.” [Spiker thus appears not to have used the conversation books at all on this visit; consistent with his account, there is no conversation with Spiker corresponding to today’s date in Conversation Book 121, in use during the second half of September, 1826.]

“Among the many portraits of Beethoven, the one drawn in his younger years by Louis Letronne and engraved by Riedel is, in my opinion, the most accurate. There was something extraordinarily lively and brilliant in his eyes, and the energy of his whole being should not have allowed one to expect his death to be so near.”

“Among the princes of the imperial house, none took a more active interest in his fate than his protector and patron, Archduke Cardinal Rudolph. He now owns the most complete collection of Beethoven’s works in full score, consisting of a large series of folio volumes in which everything known by Beethoven is entered with the greatest elegance. For many works, part of the original manuscript is also included, each provided with an artistically written title, and so on. This collection had formerly been in the possession of Herr Tobias Haslinger — highly esteemed in Vienna for his services to music and its advancement — who, as a friend of Beethoven for many years, had assembled the collection and later transferred it to the Archduke.”

After they depart, Stephan von Breuning tells Beethoven that he can talk about Karl tomorrow, at 2 o’clock. Beethoven tells him he will be there. Beethoven then goes to the General Hospital to visit with Nephew Karl. Karl has a list of books that he would like:
Riemer’s Greek dictionary, 2 volumes. [Karl had also mentioned this abridged Greek-German dictionary on Thursday, September 21.]
Plutarch, perhaps the edition by [Karl] Tauchnitz [Leipzig 1812].
Horace
“The books could be bought second-hand, if someone would deal with it; then they won’t be so expensive.”
[Andres von] Fornasari Italian and [Theodor] Arnold English Language Teaching
Karl speaks highly of someone, perhaps Breuning: “Everything can be entrusted to him; he would also make the best choice [as guardian?] He knows how best to act.”
Karl would also like some writings on Scotland; they give much information about Scotland’s and England’s history.

Beethoven writes a short letter to unpaid assistant Karl Holz today after the meeting with Haslinger and Spiker, and the visit with Karl. “The two gentlemen were there — but they were admonished by both sides to observe the utmost silence regarding the order. Haslinger maintains that they are in this matter a son of the deceased Papageno — pré-nés garde — I told Karl today that it was stipulated that he could only leave the hospital with me or with you. — “

“I’m having dinner at home tomorrow, so it would be convenient for me if you came. Since you don’t have to go to the office tomorrow, you can also come later, which is really necessary. — Portes vous bien, Monsieur terrible amoureux — [Take care, Mister terrible lover] I expect a few lines to confirm that you will definitely come tomorrow, because otherwise I won’t be home. By the way, do you have anything to report about our M — t? [Magistrate Ignaz Czapka]”

“Your indeclinabeler Beethoven“

“Your friend

B — e — e — t

ho—————–

            ven"

Brandenburg Letter 2207; Anderson Letter 1527. The original is held by the Harvard College Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Lowell Autograph). Beethoven had been hoping to be awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, Second Class, for the dedication of the Ninth Symphony.

Holz briefly visits Beethoven later today (possibly at one of his regular coffee houses), having met with councilor Ignaz Czapka regarding Karl. Holz assures Beethoven that Karl will not be released to his mother. “More tomorrow. I have to go now. Please stay calm. Tuesday [September 26] is the commission with Breuning regarding the guardianship; if Breuning accepts that, then he will be discharged from the hospital and given into his custody. He won’t be discharged before that.” [As it happens, Holz is wrong on this point.] Holz continues, “Tell Breuning this tomorrow morning. It only depends on the few days that Karl is here.” [This is the last entry by Holz in the conversation books until after Beethoven returns to Vienna in December.]

While still at the coffee house, Beethoven notes in the conversation book several advertisements from today’s Intellgenzblatt, for white dinner plates with blue edging, a newly invented opaque paint that can cover a wall with two coats and dry in 21 hours, and wallpaper work and horsehair stuff.

Conversation Book 121, 9v-12r.