BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, October 7, 1824
Beethoven writes to his friend Tobias Haslinger a followup to his panicked letter of last night. “Our Benjamin arrived here this morning, which is why I had 17 and half a cannon fired. Previous events without being his fault et sine mea culpa [and without being my fault] have made me afraid. Thanks be to heaven, despite my agitato, sometimes everything goes as well as can be desired. It is no wonder that in these poor institutions one has fear for a developing young person, with this poisonous breath of the dragon’s blood!” [Beethoven here appears to be referring to his suspicions of the influence of Karl’s mother Johanna.]
“So far as Max Stumpf [sic] is concerned, I hear that he refers to me as his lost Son – Lost? This picture, etc.” [Stumpff (it is not clear why Beethoven calls him “Max”) may have lost the picture that was given to him on the carriage ride back to Vienna.]
“As Great Seal Keeper, you will soon receive your diploma, but so far as paternost[er]gäßlerey is concerned, we believe that this should remain completely secret. There would at last be a fear that it would come to this, calling out etc. to look at one’s self and say: There goes a paternoster Gäßler – As far as my dear Lord is concerned, he can’t do anything other than follow the example of Christ, i.e., he has to suffer unfortunately and il maestro no less – pretty much duty-free thoughts – on joyful suffering, here’s to suffering joy – I hope for your sake that one or the other things will happen for you today.”
“Farewell best one – you should come again together with the conductor Piringer. Yours, Beethoven.”
Brandenburg Letter 1894; Anderson Letter 1316. The original is held in the Bonn Beethovenhaus, H.C. Bodmer Collection Br 146, and can be seen here:
https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/5344091499921408/scan/0
Clearly a very relieved Beethoven is in a much better mood today.
The Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung for today (Nr.41) at 660 includes in its report for concerts held in Dresden between May and August, a mention that Beethoven’s Fidelio was performed once there during that time frame. Weber’s Euryanthe was performed twice, while his Der Freischütz was given four times. Mozart’s Don Juan and The Abduction from the Seraglio were each given twice, and The Magic Flute three times during that same period.
Today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.231) at 966 includes an advertisement from T. Weigl’s Art and Music Shop for a number of piano works by Beethoven’s former pupil Carl Czerny, including the Rondo and Waltz in C major for piano, op.66 as well as his piano sonata Nr.5 in E major, op.76. On the same page, Anton Diabelli & Co. also advertises Beethoven’s three piano trios op.1 arranged for piano four hands, for 5 florins 45 kreutzers W.W. each.
Martin Jones here plays the first movement of Czerny’s sonata op.76: