BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, July 6, 1823
Nephew Karl visits Uncle Ludwig, probably still in Vienna. Karl has just come from visiting Brother Johann, who jokingly said that it would certainly be useful if Ludwig were to thrash his stepdaughter Amalie just a little. Nothing is to be done with her mother Therese. Karl doesn’t think they would offer much resistance to the both of them together. He thinks they should be punished like a deserter. Karl believes it would be best if Johann were shut in and have no visitors. Johann has to wait until after Therese gets up to have breakfast [Schindler noted before that she sometimes does not get up until after noon.] At least Johann is coming to his senses. Reproaches do no good, but he can be influenced. Things might have been different had Ludwig spent more time with Johann.
Henriette Blöchlinger’s Name Day, the Feast of St. Henry is next Sunday, July 13, and they will be having a celebration the evening before, on the vigil of the Feast. Karl intends to have Uncle Ludwig as his guest. The celebration will likely last all night, and Karl needs to stay in Vienna since he has to have everything back in order for his studies Monday morning. Everyone has contributed 300 florins to the cost, but the parents must, yes, still send dishes. Karl thinks Frau Blöchlinger is honorable and very religious. Uncle Ludwig refuses to commit as to whether he will attend.
Karl talked to the old woman, housekeeper Barbara Holzmann, and she passed on some juicy gossip about Beethoven’s landlord in Hetzendorf, Baron Prónay. It seems that the situation with the baroness is not what they had thought, and they are not married. What’s more, the baron cannot marry her because her husband is still alive. Prónay is rumored to have abducted her from him. She is quite commonplace and speaks with even more Wienerisch [local Vienna dialect] than Holzmann, the housekeeper.
Schindler meets with them, and reports he is hearing the most scandalous reports about Therese. She won’t let Johann have coffee, only tea. Yesterday again she left at noon, did not eat dinner at home, and came back home late in the evening. “It would be terrible if, for example, he were to die today and all of his property were to come into such hands.” Dr. Saxinger reports that Johann likely will need to be confined to his room for about two more weeks. Saxinger is aware of the whole affair. He is quite different from the rest of the family [Saxinger was married to Therese’s sister Agnes] “because he abhors his dear sister.”
Schindler had an argument with Amalie last night. Johann had a falling out with the nurse, so Amalie had to go to him, full of resentment. Schindler gave her his opinion and reconciled Johann with the nurse again, who is back today. She lives in the neighborhood and is well aware of the details. Schindler thinks it best if they no longer be permitted to come to him, but that will require his consent. If Ludwig had stayed in the City, Schindler would have been able to avoid all of this.
Schindler changes the topic to the announcement of the Diabelli Variations. He believes that the flowery and lavish description in Diabelli’s advertisement for that work was written for him by Carl Czerny; he sometimes edits music for the Cappi & Diabelli publishing house.
Schindler also spoke to poet Franz Grillparzer. He would like Beethoven to get an apartment in the Heiligenkreuzer Hof, a monastery that offered rental buildings. [Karl and Ludwig will visit the site on October 10, 1824, so it was certainly a possibility.] The patriarch of Venice, Jan Ladislaus Pyrker von Felsö-Eör (1772-1847) is a great admirer of Beethoven, and he will arriving in Vienna soon. He may be able to arrange such an apartment at a reasonable rate since they’re not supported by the rental. Grillparzer continues to have throat ailments that don’t allow him to leave the house often.
Ludwig Spohr says that he would be willing to urge Wilhelm II, elector of Hessen-Kassel to subscribe to the Missa Solemnis.
Karl notes he has a new type of tooth powder, Hufeland’s, which gets rid of the tartar; his old tooth powder did not.
Ludwig suggests that Karl or the housekeeper could go to attorney Bach and see whether he would see Ludwig the day after tomorrow [Tuesday, July 8. This intended visit may be about Johann, since the conversation next turns to Johann and Therese.]
Schindler notes that Johann and Therese have quarreled often, but it hasn’t changed things in his mind. Schindler swears he hasn’t told Johann anything, he’s just reporting what Johann told him. Johann has a score that Ludwig would like back [possibly the Overture to Consecration of the House.] Schindler thought that Ludwig gave it to him for safekeeping. [It was actually turned over to Johann as repayment of debts owed.]
Karl reports that Therese, while they were in Krems, fell in love with an officer who wanted nothing to do with her. She would not leave him alone and he eventually had to apply to be transferred out of Krems to get rid of her. He also notes that they did not give the nurse anything to eat in the evening. Johann should not be forsaken, despite his faults. He is worthy of compassion.
Schindler tells an anecdote about Kapellmeister Ekschlager. A choral singer went out to audition for the part of Agathe in Der Freischütz. He told her he could tell from two notes whether she could do it. He let her sing only part of an aria and declared that she cannot perform. The girl is a student of Beethoven’s friend Caroline Unger, and she actually sings very well. But that’s what happens with an all-powerful provincial Kapellmeister!
Schindler says that when he visited Johann yesterday, he was quite angry and said he wanted to put Amalie into domestic service because she has no other way to improve herself. But it is too late for that really. [She is about sixteen.] Karl says Johann has not been able to walk for four weeks. Schindler and Karl agree with Ludwig that the police should be involved to make the visits to the house by Therese’s lovers stop. The other matters can wait to be dealt with until after Johann has recovered and then he can handle them himself. Karl notes that he cannot forget the sting of Johann’s riding crops.
Karl says that he can’t go very early in the day; Johann doesn’t get up until 7, and even then there is no one to let him in until Therese gets up. Schindler says Johann’s “nerves are so badly afflicted that the smallest thing affects him.” Karl would very much like to go visit Johann with Uncle Ludwig, but early in the day they would disturb his soundest sleep, which he desperately needs. And Karl cannot be away from the Institute very late; he can move his 7 a.m. lesson to 9 a.m., but that is about as far as he can accommodate it.
Karl has no idea what Johann does with his money. He has no reason to believe that Johann is attached to another woman. But he still may not be able to tear himself away from this one. Karl suspects it is tied in to Johann’s avarice. He wonders how much dowry she brought with her, because that may form a substantial part of Johann’s income. She has often talked about her own money, and how she doesn’t need his. Karl’s initial reaction when he heard about Johann’s condition was to be angry as well, but the pathetic sight of him made him more compassionate.
Karl asks again whether Uncle Ludwig will come to the celebration at Blöchlinger’s on Saturday night. There will be many commonplace folk there, he thinks.
Schindler thinks it best if Johann goes back to his country estate in Gneixendorf. Otherwise everything there is likely to fall into ruin. He thinks that Johann is doing better; he probably will be on his feet by Thursday, July 10th.
Beethoven asks how long Archduke Rudolph has been in Vienna. Schindler says he has been here 3 days. [Two, actually, if the Wiener Zeitung report is accurate, but Schlemmer had also heard rumors that he arrived on the third of July rather than the fourth.]
Schindler remembers that he met Prince Karl Egon von Fürstenberg yesterday, and he is very fond of the arts. The prince is leaving Vienna in a few days, and would like one of the invitations to subscribe to the Missa Solemnis.
After a very long and stressful day, Karl and Schindler depart.
Conversation Book 35, 14v-30v.