BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, May 6, 1824
It is the day before the Akademie concert, and there remains much to be done. But first Beethoven gets a delivery of firewood. Beethoven writes a variant of the figure he put in the conversation book yesterday at Conversation Boot 65, 34r, perhaps rethinking the cello and bass recitative a day before the concert.
Uncle Ludwig instructs Karl as to exactly what the receipt should say for the 50 ducat fee for one of the subscription copies of the Missa Solemnis at Geymüller’s banking house.
Unpaid assistant Anton Schindler again comes to pick up Ludwig and Karl at around 8:30 a.m. for the final rehearsal of the concert, at the large Redoutensaal. He has arranged for the doubled winds to attend today’s performance; Schindler reserved them all yesterday. Only 4 or 5 of them will have to be paid, so most of them are volunteers.
If Beethoven wants, the poster for tomorrow, the day of the concert, will add, “Member of the Royal Academies of Stockholm and Amsterdam.” While Schindler likes this best, Beethoven would prefer to add to “Royal Academies” the phrase “of Arts and Sciences.” Both Schindler and Karl agree that this is surplusage; every Royal Academy is an Academy of Arts and Sciences. But Ludwig is firm. [The poster used to advertise the concert today, May 6, does not include any of this language.]
Karl cannot go claim the bill of exchange for the ducats since Geymüller’s is not open until 1 o’clock. But Uncle Ludwig can sign the receipt now, and Karl will deliver it when he picks up the funds.
The three depart for the rehearsal, picking up soprano Henriette Sontag and alto Caroline Unger along the way. Michael Umlauf has many questions, so Beethoven will need to go through the entire score with him before the concert. The two female soloists, soprano Henriette Sontag and alto Caroline Unger are not yet secure in their parts, so Umlauf will have a separate rehearsal just with them this afternoon. Schindler and Karl agree that the lyrics of the Ode to Joy when sung by the chorus cannot be understood, so they will need to print it out for the audience. 500 copies should suffice.
At a little after 11, Schindler leaves to talk to Kärntnertor Theater manager Louis Antoine Duport and scenery director Philipp von Stubenrach (1784-1848) about the scaffolding for the concert tomorrow, and expects to be back in an hour.
When Schindler returns, he observes that Umlauf is tiring too much. He discusses the erection of the scaffolding also.
Beethoven and Karl return to their apartment after the rehearsal. Stainer von Felsburg [the likely author of the Petition] wonders whether he might be able to get a large box of seats from Beethoven. Tomorrow he will ask again. Karl reminds his uncle that he still needs to go driving to pass out the private invitations to the nobility.
When Schindler arrives later that afternoon, Beethoven still has not delivered the invitations. Schindler tells him he doesn’t have to go inside. But he needs to go to Chancellor Metternich; Prince Franz Joseph von Saurau, the Minister of the Interior; Prince Johann von Liechtenstein, Privy Councilor and Chamberlain; Prince Joseph von Schwarzenberg, another Privy Councilor and Chamberlain; Prince Franz Joseph von Koháry, the Hungarian Court Chancellor; August Reichmann, the Government President; Prince Ferdinand zu Trauttmannsdorf-Weinsberg, High Chamberlain, and various other Great Ones. He can simply drive up to the door, and hand the flyer with the invitation along with his visiting card. The invitations for the Archdukes can be delivered early in the morning tomorrow.
Beethoven is concerned about the lack of progress this morning. Umlauf is doing what he can, Schindler observes. “I truly believe that he still isn’t thoroughly acquainted with the score.”
The discussion turns to the ticketing. Karl will be going tomorrow to supervise the ticket sales at the box office of the theater. Schindler thinks they should have sold them at attorney Bach’s office instead. He fears confusing situations. The poster should also state that the seats are to be had at the Theater office. Schindler suggests that various friends of Beethoven, such as Wiener Zeitung editor Joseph Bernard and attorney Johann Baptist Bach and others should get seats. The singers Unger and Sontag should get some seats, as should Franz Rzehaczek for the loan of his valuable Stradivarius and Amati instruments for the concert, as well as Beethoven’s physician, Dr. Staudenheim. Karl thinks financial advisor Franz Kirchhoffer should get one ticket. Brother Johann is getting 3 seats in the 4th gallery. Schindler will arrange for two tickets for each person on this list. Karl thinks the place will be very full.
Schindler checks Beethoven’s hair, and thinks it needs to be cut only a very little bit. He thinks that after the concert is over, Beethoven should go to the country on Monday May 10. Karl suggests he relax by reading a chapter of a book. Schindler mocks this opinion, saying Karl is preaching from his Book of Experience.
It is after 4 o’clock; Schindler asks Beethoven to get ready by 5 in order to deliver the invitations. There will be time enough to do that.
Schindler is annoyed with violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, who could not be bothered to check the scaffolding, so Schindler will have to do it himself tomorrow. “He doesn’t want to do anything at all.”
None of the soloists have any performances this evening except Caroline Unger. But Sontag is 10 times more accurate than Unger, in Schindler’s opinion. The men are fine. After the invitations are delivered, they can go visit Sontag, if Beethoven wants.
The editor of the Beobachter newspaper, Joseph Anton Pilat, has suggested that announcing the concert on the morning of the day would have the most impact. Bernard agrees it would be of the greatest interest if it were published in the foremost newspapers on the last day.
While Beethoven is getting dressed, Schindler goes to see Duport and the printer about the last minute alterations to the poster. [The final poster with Beethoven’s approved text reads, “Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences in Stockholm and Amsterdam, also Honorary Citizen of Vienna.” The poster, courtesy of the Berlin Staatsbibliothek, can be seen nearby.] He will be back before 5.
Beethoven gets dressed, but makes some more last minute notes about revisions on page 40v of Conversation Book 65:
“Contra bassoon
[musical examples on 40v, with a possible variant on “freudenvollere” for the bass soloist]
+Unger — Credo: [F note]
+Chorus–Dona nobis: b-natural in the tenor.”
On 41r, he writes “17th bar after the faster”
When Schindler comes back, Beethoven asks him whether there is a piano backstage at the theater [presumably so he can demonstrate the changes needed]. There is a little spinet there that can be placed wherever Beethoven wants.
Conversation Book 65, 34r-41r.
The balance of Conversation Book 65 is filled with Schindler’s forged entries, including talk about a green coat since Beethoven doesn’t own a black one.
Conversation Book 66 continues with entries from this afternoon. This book consists of 22 leaves and covers the days of May 6 through 8, though some of the pages are out of order and some of them may have been torn out of Conversation Book 65 and added to 66. Some of the chronology for the next few days is therefore conjectural, but as usual we are following Prof. Albrecht’s order.
Schindler lets Beethoven know that he is receiving 18 boxes and 261 locked seats to sell. [These locked seats were reserved by a locked barrier, and an usher would have to unlock them for the ticketholders.] If he wants more boxes to sell, he needs to let the theater know how many today. Everything in the box office needs to be in order by 9 a.m. tomorrow, otherwise Beethoven will receive no individual seats to sell. From the sales already, it’s noted that many have overpaid. If only there were 100 of them!
Karl needs to be there with the cashier by 8:30 tomorrow morning. There may be some confusion about the boxes, because the prior posters didn’t mention the box office, but nothing will be lost by it, Schindler thinks. [Likely he expects the concert to sell out regardless.]
Schindler asks the maid to summon the carriage to make the deliveries of the invitations. A dozen stops need to be made, according to the list above, plus Finance Minister Count Johann zu Stadion-Thannhausen; Prince Joseph Palffy; Count Johann Czernin, Treasurer and President of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts; and to Prince Esterházy. They finish around 7:30 p.m. The ones for the Archdukes can be delivered tomorrow at around 8 in the morning. Schwarzenberg lives in a garden house near by, so his can be dropped off then now.
Having completed their task, they go to see Henriette Sontag, as Beethoven had desired. It is unclear whether she is at home, however, as there are no entries in the conversation book indicating if the visit was successful. Beethoven may have been tired and opted to just go home.
Back at the apartment, Beethoven again writes a reminder about the contrabassoon, without specifying what he intended. Karl picked up the money from Geymüller’s banking house, but he was given bad ducats, with some of the gold shaved off to make them slightly underweight. But not that much is missing.
Beethoven grumbles about Schindler [probably over his insistence that the invitations be personally delivered by Beethoven.] Karl defends Schindler, saying “Be assured that without him the Akademie would still not have taken place even next week. Uncle Ludwig thinks others would have stepped in. Karl rejects this idea: “No-one would have taken over these errands.”
Karl, probably recognizing his uncle’s foul mood, changes the subject and mentions that he saw Brother Johann driving in the Prater with his stepdaughter Amalie Waldmann. Uncle Ludwig tells Karl that he will need to be in the box office tomorrow night as well, but Karl says he can’t do it; Johann has to be there then.
Ludwig mentions his haircut that’s needed in the morning. Karl can’t accompany him because he has to be at the box office at 8:30.
Conversation Book 66, 1r-4r.
Today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.104) at 444 includes an advertisement for Beethoven’s Akademie concert:
Grand Musical Academy
of Herrn
Ludwig van Beethoven
on the 7th of May, in the Imperial Hoftheater next to the Kärntertor
for his own benefit.
The pieces of music featured are the newest works of Herrn van Beethoven.
1) Grand Overture.
2) Three Grand Hymns, with solo and choral voices.
3) Grand Symphony, with solo and choral voices entering in the Finale.
The Dlles. Sontag and Unger and Messrs. Heizinger and Preisinger will perform the solo parts. Herr van Beethoven himself will lead the entire program, with Herren Umlauf and Schuppanzigh.”
This advertisement was obviously placed before Preisinger was replaced by Joseph Seipelt as the bass.
The same issue of the Intelligenzblatt supplement to the Wiener Zeitung at 742-473 includes an advertisement for Bäuerle’s Wiener Allgemeine Theater-Zeitung. Among the many other selling points listed, there is reference to a letter to Beethoven, i.e., the Petition from February, which caused a rift in Beethoven’s circle when it was published.
Today’s Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, Nr.19 at 299 contains a report of concerts over the winter in Magdeburg. At the Freemason’s Lodge, numerous symphonies were performed, including Beethoven’s symphonies Nr.2 in D and the Eroica, and the last movement from Beethoven’s symphony in C minor. “It was a strange mistake to perform this final movement, which, as is well known, is connected to the Menuet, as a single piece of music in one of the first concerts, without the latter. One might well have felt that a minuet could not be a proper introduction, but then why not give the whole symphony? They wanted to serve the audience one of their favorite pieces, but they didn’t consider that the roots were missing. For what is the extraordinary effect of the theme, which enters in D major [sic] with all the power and splendor of the instruments, calculated upon, other than the sharp contrast of the restless form of the Menuet set against it? And does this beginning without any preparation sound like a beginning? Such treatment unnecessarily dismembers a masterpiece and only creates longing for what is missing.”
The same issue of the AMZ contains at 312 a correction to its review of Beethoven’s sonatas op.110 and 111 in issue 14 of this year [April 1, 1824 edition]. In that review, Cappi & Diabelli was named as the publishers. However, these two sonatas were first published by the Schlesinger firm in Berlin, as their legal property in a decent edition, which was later reprinted by Cappi & Diabelli in Vienna. [No mention is made of the significant corrections Beethoven made to that reprint.]
Regular readers of our column will be familiar with Professor Theodore Albrecht, whose ongoing series of the English language editions of the conversation books are the framework that this feature is built upon, with his kind permission and assistance. Prof. Albrecht has a new book on the premiere of the Ninth Symphony from Boydell & Brewer press, and there’s no better way to celebrate the bicentennial of this event than to read the detailed accounts that reconstruct and clarify the historic events leading up to these epochal concerts.
Prof. Albrecht has arranged for a coupon code that will allow our readers to purchase his book at a greatly reduced price, from $105 US to $49.95 (individuals only; the coupon cannot be used by institutions). The coupon code is:
BB245
and the book may be ordered here:
https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781837651054/beethovens-ninth-symphony