BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, August 1, 1824
Beethoven today writes from Baden to his attorney, Johann Baptist Bach, regarding his estate plan. “My heartfelt thanks for your recommendation [of Schloss Gutenbrunn at Baden]; I’m really in good hands here. I need to remind you of Karl’s Will and my Will regarding Karl. I will probably be hit with a stroke like my honest grandfather, whom I so resemble. Karl is and remains the universal heir of everything that is mine and that will be found to be mine after my death. But since you have to bequeath something to relatives, even if they are not related to you at all, this is what you should do: to My Brother, my French piano from Paris.” [That was his Erard piano, gifted to him by the maker in 1803.] On Saturday, Karl could bring this testament to me, if it is not too difficult for you.” [If Beethoven does sign a will at this time, it is superseded by a later one and probably destroyed.]
“So far as Steiner is concerned, he will content himself … to see his debt completely paid off at the end of this month and at the end of September. [220 florins W.W. were still due.] If something happens with Mainz, it will take just as long, and the first 600 florins will also need to be paid to two of the noblest people, who helped me when I was almost helpless, who graciously came forward with this sum without charging any interest.” [Franz and Antonie Brentano, who had advanced the money back in 1820 against the sale of the Missa Solemnis to Nikolaus Simrock, which never occurred. Beethoven wanted the first 600 florins installment from B.Schott’s Sons in Mainz to go to repay them. Beethoven had previously repaid 300 florins C.M. of this obligation in 1823.]
“Live well. I embrace you. Yours sincerely, your friend, Beethoven.”
At the end of the letter, Beethoven writes the name BACH in music. This can be done in German, since the German word for B-flat is B, and the German word for B natural is H. Thus, B-flat – A – C – B-natural is represented as B-A-C-H in German. Beethoven was at this time thinking much about this motif, and was considering an Overture on the name BACH in the key of B-flat. Initial work on it had started in 1822, around the time he began the composition of the Ninth Symphony, and at one time Beethoven thought he would have it ready for the Akademie concert. The Overture however never progressed beyond early conceptual ideas. Sketches for this proposed work appear in desk sketchbook Autograph 11/2, used in the autumn of 1824, and the pocket sketchbook Grasnick 4, at 20r, used not long after this, alongside work on the last three movements for the quartet op.127. The sketches for the BACH Overture are catalogued as KH2 Unv 4 and Biamonti 832. More information about the Overture sketches can be found at the Italian Beethoven site https://www.lvbeethoven.it/Unv04/
Brandenburg Letter 1855; Anderson Letter 1302. The original letter was held in a private collection as of Sieghard Brandenburg’s edition of Beethoven’s letters.