BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, June 22, 1826 (approximately)

Beethoven starts another shopping list with “+ rose water,” then realizes he already wrote that on the list yesterday and crosses it out.

Unpaid assistant Karl Holz briefly visits Beethoven to drop off some of the oratorio Saul for Beethoven to review. “He is working hard on the text, but he is worried that his efforts are in vain, if you let other doubts hold you back from keeping this material. He therefore asks you once again to confirm to him that you will stick to it; then he will deploy all his strength to make it all worthy of you. If you would write to Kuffner, it would be good, I think. It will cheer him up.

Beethoven seems to have received word that the envoy to St. Petersburg, Augustin Lipscher, is on his way to Vienna and will be there soon. He shows the letter to Holz. Holz comments sourly, “They promise a lot. He comes via Berlin together with an ambassador; he is already on his journey. Perhaps he also brings money [from Prince Nikolai Galitzin] with him.”

Holz then departs.

Conversation Book 113, 31r-32r. According to the Wiener Zeitung of June 24, 1826 at 606, it is rainy and chilly all day today so Ludwig would not go to the baths with Nephew Karl as they had discussed as a possibility yesterday.