BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, November 16, 1823

In the late morning, Uncle Ludwig is feeling antisocial. Karl asks him if he doesn’t want to at least go out and read the newspaper? He doesn’t want to go to the midday concert at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde either. Karl says if his uncle won’t go, he’d like to take his old language professor Pleugmackers from Blöchlinger’s Institute along. He has done Karl a great many favors, including loaning him books. Ludwig suggests that he take along Wilhelm Wildfeyr, who had recently visited Beethoven. Karl shrugs that suggestion off, since Wildfeyr is not as poor as Pleugmackers and can buy his own ticket.

Karl then writes, “If a hero performs an extraordinary deed and a poet takes this as a subject of a theatrical piece, then this play, if it pleases, will be performed often, even though the hero has not done such a deed more than once. In just this way, it is the case with you, because since you assailed the housekeeper one time, then you cannot complain that I remind you of it so often, because it is just the same as can be seen in the theater.” Uncle Ludwig apparently appreciates Karl’s wit on this point, and Karl humorously responds, “Read, and marvel at my genius.”

It is about time to buy a new calendar; Karl asks what type his uncle would like. He then leaves with enough time to find Professor Pleugmackers and they go to the concert in the Grosser Redoutensaal at 12:30 p.m.

Not long after Karl departs, Franz Kirchhoffer comes by Beethoven’s apartment again to discuss the finances related to the three quartets commissioned by Prince Galitzin in St. Petersburg. He appears to bring with him piano maker Joseph Ries, Ferdinand Ries’s brother, as promised, to work on Beethoven’s Erard piano. Kirchhoffer asks who Beethoven is using as a copyist since Wenzel Schlemmer died. Beethoven is working with Schlemmer’s widow Josepha, who is subcontracting with Wenzel Rampl and Matthias Wunderl.

Kirchhoffer thinks that 50 ducats is not enough for the quartets. Beethoven should have charged more. And now he has to write the works to get paid: “First the wares, then the money.” The 100 pounds from the London Philharmonic Society comes to around 1000 florins; the 150 ducats for the three quartets would be about 675 florins [1 ducat=225 florins]. It will take six weeks for any answer to come from St. Petersburg, so Beethoven should begin composing the quartets right away; there is no doubt that Galitzin will take them. But Beethoven needs to write Galitzin before they are done, or he will wonder what is happening. [They were commissioned a year ago, and Galitzin has so far only received the Missa Solemnis in their place.]

Beethoven inquires after Ries’s brother Joseph. He says he is getting along well by giving lessons and working as a piano tuner; he also builds instruments for himself.

Kirchhoffer asks whether Beethoven is going to the Gesellschaft’s concert, and Beethoven says he is not. Kirchhoffer wants some samples of Beethoven’s handwriting to use as examples to establish authenticity. He jokes that he will be able to raise them up as a sacred relic. [He is not far wrong.]

Joseph Ries [who is semiliterate and writes phonetically; he addresses the composer as “h. v. Behoffen.”] reports that there is a problem; at the bass end of the Erard piano, there is an opening [presumably a crack in the soundboard there], and if it increases too much, the whole will be pulled toward the upper register. Beethoven asks where he lives, and Ries responds by the church of Maria Trost, at 12 Himmelzeichen, Nr. 15 on the 2nd floor [3rd floor American]. Kirchhoffer says that if Beethoven has a piece of wood, he can fix the piano right away; he’ll need a candle but he has the necessary glue with him.

After the repairs are completed, Kirchhoffer and Ries depart. Karl returns after the concert, probably around 3 PM. Karl has learned that he must acquire the Feder books on philosophy, so he ordered his Logik und Metaphysik for 2 florins a few days ago. The Psychologie book can be had at a used book dealer.

Karl notes that fired unpaid assistant Anton Schindler was at the concert today. He says he has some of Beethoven’s books that he will send very soon. Karl also, as feared, ran into Joseph Bernard, who was very cold to him. Uncle Ludwig asks why, and Karl responds, “Naturally because of the oratorio.”

Karl says the concert was not very well attended. The crowd all depends on the compositions being played. “Even the best execution is without effect in the case of bad compositions; that was the case today.” [The concert featured a symphony by Krommer and an overture by Lindpaintner.] Uncle Ludwig asks how the performance was, and Karl admits “They took all pains with it.” He thinks Schindler wants to get back in his uncle’s good graces again. Uncle Ludwig wants nothing to do with him, and Karl says “You are quite right.”

Karl thinks that the conductor, Vincenz Hauschka, has “a peculiar way of beating time; I have never seen its like.” But he is a state official, and everything they do is mechanical, like a machine. “What he did today, he will also do tomorrow, and so it goes on and on forever.”

Later that afternoon, Beethoven is reading the newspapers and jotting down memoranda, and seems to be falling asleep or had too much to drink, as his copying, usually very precise, is often misspelled, words are missing, or an address is muddled. He does make note of a tobacco and lottery shop, little footwarmers, a stove, knife and scissors and carpenter tools. He also makes a note to give something to Dr. Staudenheim. [That may have been the foot warmers, since Staudenheim complained of chills while he was in Baden.”

Conversation Book 45, 25r-31v, 38r. There do not appear to be any conversation book entries for tomorrow, Monday, November 17th. Karl would be attending classes and Beethoven seems not to have had any visitors.