BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, May 8, 1825

Today, Conversation Book 89 begins being used. It is a little thinner than the last few, comprised of only 39 leaves. Former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler correctly dated this book to 1825 in Baden. The pages appear to be maintained in the correct order. The book covers approximately the next month of time.

Nephew Karl comes to Baden, as promised yesterday. They appear to almost instantly get into a row, possibly over Karl wanting on some Sundays to have dinner with the Reinlein family, where he has gone frequently after Sunday Mass. Uncle Ludwig is upset by this, and he himself writes “It is not the point that Karl is to be here on Sunday, that he on [five illegible lines follow, accompanied by a very faintly penciled musical excerpt, which is an idea for the canon he has promised for Dr. Braunhofer. See attached detail of page 1r, contrast-enhanced for legibility.]

Housekeeper Barbara Holzmann is also with Beethoven and she writes the fragment “6 o’clock in the morning, I” and then breaks off.

Karl writes almost nothing more in the book today, though he does help Beethoven get settled in. The administrator of the rental comes by while they are working. He tells Beethoven he can get a receipt once it pleases him to pay the rent. But there is no hurry for that. Karl tells his uncle that Frau Holzmann is going to go get wood. The administrator continues, “Always stay with us — in this splendid region and fresh air.”

Karl returns to Vienna without writing anything further in the book, a harbinger of their rocky relations to come over the summer. Beethoven makes several columns adding up various expenses, clearly trying to keep to a budget.

Conversation Book 89, 1r-1v. Because Beethoven is alone with Holzmann, and she does not write much, the conversation book entries over the next few weeks tend to be shorter and more sporadic. Often they are just Beethoven’s shopping lists (always a favorite) or ads he copies out of yesterday’s newspaper. However, this feature will continue to have entries for nearly every day.