BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, June 27, 1824

Beethoven comes into the City today, and probably stays there for at least a week. There is no indication in the balance of Conversation Book 72 that he goes back to Penzing, and Beethoven seems to be in Vienna on most days, so if he does go back to the country this week, it is not reflected in the writing. Having been at the Penzing apartment for only two weeks, he seems to have quickly become disenchanted with the place as he will soon begin looking for a new place in Baden. The reason for his dissatisfaction with Penzing is not clear, but he may have had some unpleasant run-ins with the landlord.

Page 17r of the conversation book opens with a fragment of a sentence continued from the previous torn-out page. Nephew Karl notes it is going to rain again [it had rained Friday and Saturday] before noon, most likely.

The frame for the gold medal awarded to Beethoven by King Louis XVIII of France has arrived, which should protect it from any further damage.

Karl says he must take with him the bill from the book printer [for the text of the Ode to Joy for the Akademie concerts, 500 copies of which were printed for each.] Since Kärntnertor Theater manager Louis Antoine Duport had covered the expenses such as this for the first Akademie concert, there is no reason why he shouldn’t do the same for the second. There were roughly 800 people present in the Redoutensaal. Karl observes, “The announcement, however, came too late; so that many knew absolutely nothing about it. It should have been announced 2 days beforehand.”

Uncle Ludwig wishes that the Akademie concert had been held earlier. Karl agrees, “If it had been in the [Kärntnertor] Theater on Friday [May 14 or 21], the house would have been jam-packed full.” Karl writes on the printer’s bill, “Since Herr Duport has assumed all of the expenses for my Akademie, the bearer has to appeal to him.” Uncle Ludwig laughs that Duport will certainly appreciate that. Karl jokes, “It would give him endless joy.”

Talk turns to the help. Housekeeper Barbara Holzmann says the young maid is an enormous eater; she can hardly believe it. In the evenings, after Holzmann goes to bed, the maid cooks something for herself.

Karl suggests that if his uncle isn’t too tired, maybe they should take a little walk before the rain starts. Ludwig suggests that someone [the maid?] could come along, but Karl says she would rather stay here. [They do not appear to go out on a walk at all.]

The new temporary maid’s try-out is again for a two-week period. She is an orphan who lived with her guardian till now, but she wants to become a servant. [She seems to have regifted to Ludwig a present received from a soldier boyfriend.] Karl told her it wasn’t very nice of her to give away the gifts from her beloved. “She says it is a sign that she likes you better than the artilleryman, because she gives you his gifts.” Karl thinks she has a great deal of good will. She would like a reference letter as a cook.

Ludwig would like to know Karl’s plans for investing his share of the pension. Karl says he will invest the capital at 4 percent. The interest will not be paid out, but added to the capital, and thus compounded. Ludwig thinks this is a good plan, and Karl notes it will also be secure. [Uncle Ludwig had a few weeks ago had trouble understanding simple interest, so the concept of compound interest was probably unfamiliar to him.] Karl says he could take out the percentage, but he would gain nothing by doing so. If he doesn’t need the interest to live on, then he will make a significant gain after a few years, “because it is monstrous how capital multiplies.”

Either today or tomorrow, Beethoven talks to his Penzing landlord, Johann Hörr, probably in Vienna. Hörr is also tailor to Beethoven’s patron Archduke Rudolph, and he notifies Beethoven that the Archduke is returning to Vienna within 10 days. The chamber servant, Johann Sandner, wrote Hörr yesterday. Sandner was a chamber servant along with Franz Zips, who died last year.

Beethoven says he had heard one of the Emperor’s brothers had died and he feared it was Rudolph, but it was Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Rudolph’s elder brother. Hörr says that they should not have bled Ferdinand; they were said to have bathed him in oil for 4 days, and he died right away after the bleeding. Ferdinand’s son Leopold (1797-1870) is 30 years old, Hörr says. Leopold has no son, only one princess, Carolina Augusta, who is two years old.

Conversation Book 72, 17r-20v.