BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, July 22, 1824

In the Wiener Zeitung (Nr.166) at 699, the Lithographic Institute offers a number of lithographic portraits. Among them is Ludwig van Beethoven, lithographed from the life drawing by Decker, for the price of 2 florins W.W. The 1823 portrait of Beethoven’s patron, Archduke Rudolph, lithographed by Lanzedlly, is also available and costs a whopping 4 florins W.W.

Today’s Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung Nr.30 at 484 reports on certain subscription concerts held in Kassel over the preceding months, without specifying the dates. The fourth such concert opened with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, “excellently performed by our well-disciplined orchestra.”

The same issue of the Leipzig AMZ at 485 reports that between Michaelmas 1823 and Easter 1824, several Beethoven symphonies were performed in Leipzig. These were the symphonies in C minor [the Fifth], in B-flat [the Fourth] twice, the heroische [the Third], then in F major [the Eighth] and the exuberant one in A major [the Seventh]. Also, the music for Goethe’s Egmont was performed with the well-known poetic declamation. “Our orchestra distinguishes itself laudably in its performances, most of all in Beethoven’s and Mozart’s symphonies.”

The same report at 488 mentions that Beethoven’s Ah perfido, op.65, was sung in Leipzig in the same period by Madame Kraus-Wranitzky.

The Yorkshire Amateur Music meeting concludes with its second day in Sheffield. The concert program today includes only one Beethoven composition, the Overture to Leonore. [What is now known as Leonore Overture Nr.3, the only one of the three that had been published as of this date.] The Harmonicon, August, 1824 (Nr.XX) at 157.