BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Sunday, September 14, 1823

Probably early this morning, Ludwig makes a list of things to do in Vienna, including dealing with the banker Heniksten and hopefully get a payment to Tobias Haslinger at Steiner’s publishing house. He needs to visit the tailor, write a letter to Prince Nikolai Galitzin in St. Petersburg, and visit Attorney Bach.

Beethoven also starts drafting requirements for an advertisement for a housekeeper, about 30 or 40 years old, or even older, but not too much older. “Upright, honorable, and she must understand and practice cooking well. She will have testimonials about her morality, in a house where only 2 persons need to be served; who is well experienced in the art of cooking and also practices it well.”

Karl, having second thoughts, suggests that they would be wiser to wait longer, rather than burden themselves with an even worse housekeeper. “We have made enough experiments.” [This is quite a defense from Karl, who previously has been anxious to get rid of Holzmann.]

As Karl understands the plan, he will get the money from the banker tomorrow, take it to Attorney Bach, and get a receipt. He is then to go to music publisher Steiner, to whom he owes a great deal of money, and tell him to get the funds from Bach.

Holzmann is cooking calves’ feet for dinner. There is some discussion about the difference between the language that they use, and the peasant language spoken by the servants, and how they are often not understanding each other. Karl notes that she has made enough strudel for an army of workmen. She says, and Karl agrees, that the butter, while not fresh since it doesn’t keep in warm weather, is not yet rancid. It may have been fresh yesterday, but there is no suitable place here to store it, especially if the water where it is kept is not cold enough.

Conversation Book 42, 13r-16r.