BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, May 12, 1825 (approximately)

Beethoven changes his mind about going in to Vienna from Baden himself, probably not feeling well enough to make the trip. Instead, he writes an undated letter to Karl, probably today.

“Dear son! I have just received your letter. I am still very weak and alone [he underlines the word alone] – and just read this horrible letter from this man.” [Who he means is unclear and cannot be determined from context. It might be a reference to Traugott Trottwein’s notice published in several newspapers, claiming his arrangement of the Consecration of the House Overture for piano is legitimate, but that is only a guess.]

“I am sending you what the books cost, 25 fl., from which you can buy the books immediately, and you can use the rest if you need it. You can bring the note from H. von Reisser with you. [He starts to write “Monday,” then crosses it out.] Saturday, May 14th I’m sending a carriage from here to the City for you to bring you up here. They’re still cheap. The old woman [housekeeper Barbara Holzmann] will inquire in the morning when is the best time for you. You will have time to leave until 6 p.m. so as not to miss anything. Perhaps I’ll come too and we could buy you shirts. In this respect, it would be good if you could leave by 4 p.m.. But if I don’t come, which is easily possible, then drive straight here at 5 or 6 p.m. You won’t be so exhausted then, and you can leave on Sunday, or if you won’t miss anything, on Monday.”

“You can take the money for the tutor from here. Do you know that the whole thing with the tutor and board and lodging comes to 2,000 florins a year?”

“I can’t write any more today – my pen can hardly move. Your faithful father.”

Brandenburg Letter 1969; Anderson Letter 1369. Enclosed with this letter is a short note intended for Karl to show to Franz Michael Reisser, vice-director of the Polytechnic Institute and Karl’s co-guardian. Although Beethoven got Reisser’s name correct above, he also refers to him multiple times as “Reissig.” Beethoven commonly seems to have confused Reisser’s name with that of the poet Christian Ludwig Reissig (1783-1822), who wrote several poems set to music by Beethoven (Der Jüngling in der Fremde, WoO 138; Der Liebende, WoO 139; and Der Kriegers Abschied WoO 143.)

“All the best and best wishes imaginable to my most esteemed co-guardian Dr. von Reissig. I find myself too weak to write any more myself. I hope that H. v. R. will have no objection to you coming here Saturday evening; you know that I have never abused the privilege, even with Blöchlinger. I am confident you will use it wisely with his support anyway. Your faithful father, Beethoven.”

The original of both letters is in the Krakow Biblioteka Jagiellonska (Mus. ep. autogr. Beethoven 19 and 20). Karl had to use a tutor to catch up on his studies, since he began at the Polytechnic in the middle of the term.