BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, April 25, 1822

Engraving of Hieronymus Payer by Godefroy Engelmann after Pierre-Roch Vigneron. Source: New York Public Library.

On Tuesday, Weigl’s book and music shop advertised Joseph Schmid’s easy variations on the Hunter’s Chorus from Weber’s Der Freischütz; today Weigl is selling an arrangement of that Hunter’s Chorus, op.76, by Hieronymus Payer (1787-1845). Payer had moved to Vienna in 1816 where he was a sought-after improviser, prolific composer and sought-after piano teacher. In 1824 he will move to Amsterdam, where he takes on a position as Kapellmeister. Over 150 of his works were published, but they fell into oblivion after his death. As a pianist he was at the time ranked with Hummel, Moscheles and Beethoven’s student Ferdinand Ries. Payer would also contribute a variation to Anton Diabelli’s notorious set of variations on a waltz; Beethoven would end up writing 33 variations of his own on that theme, op.120.