BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, May 30, 1824
Again, Conversation Books 70 and 71 appear to be both in use today.
In the morning, Nephew Karl is at his uncle’s apartment. He believes that Brother Johann will probably go visit Kärntnertor Theater manager Louis Antoine Duport today, to see whether he wants to do a third Akademie. If he does, it will in any case be in the Theater rather than the Redoutensaal.
Karl leaves to run errands, including a visit to Brother Johann. While he is out, artist Stephan Decker comes by to show Beethoven his chalk drawing. This is only the sketch; it will then be etched into stone. Beethoven approves it, so Decker goes to the Lithographic Institute with his drawing.
The original chalk drawing, signed “St. Decker,” is held by the Vienna Museum, Inv. Nr. 61.086. Sometimes described as a charcoal, and other times as a crayon, Elisabeth Noggler of the Vienna Museum confirmed for us that it is indeed drawn in chalk. The original drawing, which measures only 10.5 x 10.5 centimeters (the paper is 19 x 15.7 cm) is seen nearby. In our opinion, the drawing is quite interesting since it seems to be a somewhat less idealized portrayal of the composer than one usually sees; it also has a spark of life in it.
Returning after Decker’s departure, Karl asks whether Decker achieved a good likeness. Uncle Ludwig thinks so. Karl notes that the portrait of actor Ferdinand Esslair, also done by the Lithographic Institute, is a superb portrayal. [The original Esslair drawing was not done by Decker, but by an artist named La Roche.]
Publisher Maximilian Leidesdorf comes by the apartment and says they would like 10 to 12 more days to complete their business [for various works that Ludwig had given Brother Johann in payment of loans]; his partner will have returned from Leipzig by then, and they want to consult with him regarding how they should go about it. Leidesdorf therefore asks for the additional time, and that Ludwig accept no other propositions. Johann is leaving tomorrow for his estate in Gneixendorf, but will return within that time and settle it. They would have also liked to have gotten the Six Bagatelles op.126 with it. The plan is that in 12 days, after Leidesdorf’s partner has arrived, Johann will give them the bagatelles and get cash for them, against an exchange of receipts.
Johann makes arrangements to meet Ludwig and Karl at Neuling’s beer garden in the Landstrasse, three long blocks south of Ludwig’s apartment.
Once there, Johann again offers to let Ludwig stay with him at Gneixendorf for the summer, if he doesn’t like being in Penzing. Then he won’t have complaints about his servants, at least for the summer. Ludwig asks how he plans things for the estate for the entire year. Johann doesn’t, since he doesn’t know about everything at the place for the whole year. If something isn’t good, he has it changed. Karl, still annoyed about the rancid butter at dinner, points out that Uncle Johann has fresh butter churned every 3 days on his estate. He will be leaving tomorrow morning at 4 a.m.
Johann points out that Ludwig shouldn’t eat so much bread, since it gives him gas. Karl thinks the gas is caused by the butter. Nothing can be done with housekeeper Barbara Holzmann, the “old woman,” who is back working for the Beethovens temporarily. “She is drunk most of the time. Today she stank horribly of wine.”
Johann confirms that he has a letter in which it says that they [presumably Sauer & Leidesdorf] will pay him as soon as everything is delivered to them. Probst in Leipzig has the same arrangement.
Johann mentions that he encountered former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler earlier today. Johann told him that Peter Gläser has been paid enough and he is not to come back. He also warned Schindler that Ludwig is very angry about the pair of them. Ludwig wonders whether Schindler will make trouble, but Johann expects he will be very quiet. “I told him that he should be on the lookout for music lessons to give.” He agreed that he will take on pupils. Schindler finally admitted that Gläser was merely speculating about whether there was still anything owed to him. But Johann thinks the Mass should be given to Frau Schlemmer to copy.
Johann says that Schindler went to Duport [before the second Akademie] about the payment to Ludwig out of revenge. He made a low offer, which Duport jumped at, since he financially gained an evening thereby. But in the end, Duport ended up harming himself, since he had the concert in the Redoutensaal, where the orchestra and chorus did not have to collaborate, so he had to pay everyone. Johann thinks it will result in another Akademie. The main problem in his opinion is that it was not generally known. There was nothing said in the Beobachter or the Wiener Zeitung about the concert. Ludwig brings up the posters, but Karl says that posters are not enough. Many people won’t look at them at all. Karl personally was looking for it and had trouble finding it among all the other posters on street corners. Johann also blames Schindler for the concert being on a Sunday rather than a Friday evening, because he proposed doing it in the Redoutensaal.
Calisto Bassi wrote an ode in honor of Beethoven, “A Lodovico van Beethoven,” in 20 stanzas. Karl will translate it tomorrow. Translating poetry is not easy. In general, poetry in Italian is far different from prose, moreso than in French. He saw the poet Bassi today. He’s a passionate Italian. Uncle Ludwig asks what he had to say, but Karl only saw him on the street. Ludwig asks what he looks like, and Karl says he has coal-black hair.
Conversation Book 70, 26v-28v; Conversation Book 71, 3r-6v.