BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, January 26, 1826
Today, the full body of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna votes to confirm the election of Beethoven to honorary membership. The board of directors had named Beethoven, as well as a number of other eminent composers and musicians, for this honor on November 29, 1825. However, for some reason the diploma evidencing Beethoven’s election is not issued until October of this year.
Beethoven writes an undated and unaddressed note, likely to unpaid assistant Karl Holz, roughly about now regarding trouble with the kitchen maid. “She had monthly 8 florins 20 kreutzers.”
“Her month ended on the 5th of January, counting from this date 20 days. Since she left on the last day of that period, she should not be paid for that. A penalty must be imposed for such a thing. She left on Tuesday, the 24th of January, and had the bread money for the whole week. Since she only stayed a few days over 6 weeks, I had the right to deduct her New Year’s gift and the earnest money from it, which, however, did not happen. I also paid for the stamped tax sheet. It’s a warning to her that if she sneaks away again, she will end up at the police tribunal. It is the first time that this has happened to me, that I was summoned to have to give testimony about such a thing. She is on a bad path.”
“It goes without saying that the first whole month has long since been paid.”
“That is all. Dinner will be ready at 1:30—I surely hope to see you—now I must chase away that fat lout; that will be yet another lovely thing I have to deal with.”
“Most urgently, your Beethoven.”
Brandenburg Letter 2109; Albrecht Letter 426. The original is held at the institute for Russian Literature in St. Petersburg (Pushkin House, A.F. Onegin Collection, Signature 9770). Given the reference to “Tuesday, the 24th of January,” the letter is likely written no earlier than about the 26th, and in context, probably on or not long after that date. The 8 florins 20 kreutzers would be the drangeld, earnest money upon conclusion of a contract, which could be reclaimed in the event of non-performance as a penalty. Beethoven usually referred to his sister-in-law Therese as a “fat lout” (Fettlümmerl), but given the context he probably means the current housekeeper. Without the conversation book for this week, the letter probably cannot be dated with any more certainty.
At page 36 of the February 1 Berliner allgemeine musikalischer Zeitung (Nr.5), there is reference to Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony in A having been performed complete today in Berlin at a concert given by Jean Emanuel Bliesener (1771-1842). “Today’s concert was also graced with a complete performance of Beethoven’s symphony in A major. The performance was more successful in the last parts than in the first. The tempo of the introduction was taken at too fast a tempo and lacked attention from the players – some instruments fell out altogether, and the delightful introduction became endlessly and unclearly forced. In particular, the tempo made it virtually impossible for the wind players to perform the delightful movement entrusted to them in a sufficiently calm, delicate and meaningful manner.”
“An inevitable consequence of this mistake was that the following Allegro movement, although it was played at the appropriate speed, did not come out with enough movement or spring after the rushed opening movement, and this was probably due to the fact that the players, exhausted by the now insufficient tempo, did not emphasize the accents and dotted notes sharply enough: a neglect that is nowhere more painful than in this Allegro, in which the notes seem to wind themselves into the freshest, most airy dance.”
“On this occasion, one could see quite clearly how important it is that the beginning of a performance in particular should be concentrated on as much as possible. A wrong beginning often leaves listeners and players with a paralysis or disquiet that cannot be dispelled afterwards.”