BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, August 4, 1825
Beethoven writes two letters today. The first is to Brother Johann at his estate in Gneixendorf. “Dear Brother! I request you to come here as soon as possible, since it is impossible to continue to endure this old witch [housekeeper Barbara Holzmann], who would have been burned 200 years ago. It would be too low for a person of my ilk to list all the reasons why. It’s easy to talk about inns [to have food brought], but this only lasts so long as there are people here. It’s just as unworkable now as it was before. The main reason is the evil nature of this female monster, by which she often makes herself unable to bring out the slightest good. I therefore request that you appear in a few days. Otherwise I would have to take Herr Schindler back, who was also already here and kissed my hand, but I would like to say, like the Viennese, ‘I kiss your hand’ to Herr Bastard–you are indeed a scoundrel, pseudo-brother–meanwhile, if I have to have someone around me, then my brother always has the next priority.”
“In anticipation of seeing you when you come, [send] a few lines about when you will come. Your most faithful brother.”
Lebe wohl [Farewell]
Lebt [lives]
leben Sie [you live]
leb er [he lives]
adje!!
Brandenburg Letter 2024; Anderson Letter 1408. The letter is addressed to “Herr Johann van Beethoven, landowner in Gneixendorf, Krems Post Office.” The original is in the Vienna City and State Library. It was forwarded to Nephew Karl, who wrote out the address. Sieghard Brandenburg identified Schindler as having spoken to Beethoven on July 12th in Vienna, but those entries in the conversation books that he bases that upon are almost certainly forgeries added much later. More likely the visit, if it occurred, was during the period that a now-lost conversation book was used. If the meeting was particularly humiliating to Schindler, he may well have destroyed those pages and given the others in the book out as souvenirs, explaining why there are only scattered single leaves extant from that hypothetical book.
Beethoven then writes a cover letter to Nephew Karl, forwarding the letter to Johann. “Dear Son! This letter should go immediately to the Pseudo-Brother — write a few more things. It is impossible to let this go on any longer. No soup, no beef, no egg today — a roast came from the innkeeper’s house at last.”
“Recently, when Holz was staying here, there was almost nothing left to eat in the evening. Her bold, indecent behavior [continues] despite all that. I told her today that I will tolerate her only until the end of this month at most.”
“All I can do today is write a note to the magistrate so that you can collect the money. [The money in question is the semi-annual interest payment on the 2,200 florins invested in chamber bonds, belonging to Karl.] Incidentally, it is good that you also inquire then about what can be done to convert this chamber’s obligations into Rothschild bonds.” [Beethoven had been trying to arrange for this conversion since May of 1825. Since they were owned by Karl, the magistrate would need to approve the conversion as the ultimate guardianship authority.]
“No more for today, only that I always see you as my precious son who deserves it.”
“As little as I have complete need of subsistence, as you know it’s still too much to bear, and I am in danger of being poisoned at every moment.”
“Farewell, take care of your health in this heat.”
“Dear son, stay healthy. Flee from everything that can enervate and diminish your youthful strength. Farewell, oh God, conversation would be better.”
“Yours always, pressing you close to his heart, your faithful father.”
Brandenburg Letter 2025; Anderson Letter 1397. The original is held at the Krakow Biblioteka Jagiellonska (Mus. ep. autogr. Beethoven 33).
Beethoven spends part of the afternoon at a coffeehouse in Baden reading yesterday’s newspapers. He copies down an advertisement from the August 3 Vienna newspaper for original Falkensteiner mountain wine from 1811, bottled under Prince Mortiz Lichtenstein’s seal.
Conversation Book 91, 42v.
Publishers Sauer & Leidesdorf announce in today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.176) at 747 the publication of the newest and nineteenth volume of their Collection of the Complete Operas of Rossini for piano solo, Elisabetta, for a price of 10 florins W.W. (6 florins for subscribers). The same firm also once again advertises Beethoven’s “Variations favorites pour le Pianoforte à 4 mains,” the unauthorized arrangement (probably by Maximilian von Leidesdorf) of the third movement Allegretto con Variazioni from Beethoven’s Violin Sonata op.30/1.