BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, September 1, 1825
Nephew Karl writes to Uncle Ludwig, likely this morning, or possibly late afternoon yesterday, indicating that he delivered the invitation for publisher Maurice Schlesinger, who is presently in Vienna, to join Uncle Ludwig in Baden on Sunday, September 4, and that Schlesinger accepts. Brandenburg Letter 2047. This letter is lost, but its contents can be deduced from the contents of letters 2046 and 2048.
Upon receipt of this letter, Beethoven writes a letter to Schlesinger dated today. “My dear S! It is with great pleasure that I hear from my Karl the assurance that you will be here along with him next Sunday.”
“You recently surprised me too much for me to be able to behave in a truly composed manner with you, all the more so since I was so busy writing, to be able to immediately afterward do a kind of business, which is as if one were thrown from Etna to the icy glaciers of Switzerland.—You have something else to give me, and I have a lot to ask you, and do I have to tell you how pleasant it is to have a very educated person around, something I was always used to, but—amongst the people of the Fayaken [Phoenicians, a term Beethoven sometimes used for the people of Vienna] this is all too rare, so your presence will please me all the more.”
“Your most devoted Beethoven“
Brandenburg Letter 2048; Anderson Letter 1426. Schlesinger and Czerny had come to visit Beethoven on August 31, but been turned away. The original letter is held in the Bonn Beethovenhaus, H.C. Bodmer Collection Br 215, and can be seen here:
https://www.beethoven.de/de/media/view/6596487320436736/scan/0
Probably also today, Beethoven writes an undated note to publisher Tobias Haslinger, who will be visiting him tomorrow. “Most astonishing, astonishing!”
“You have dared to let me say that you do not consider me worthy of cutting my hair, and are effectively sending me a personal hairdresser.” [There follow a few bars with the lyrics, ‘ah to-bi-as To-bi-as.’] Ha, that’s too bad for that, a 1/2 ducat money box, and a third one also 1/2 ducat, so that makes one ducat to 2 ducats, and it will be a Salade brillant.”
“It would be very good if you came tomorrow for breakfast, but not for late breakfast.” [This is a pun on the German word for breakfast, frühstuck, which contains the word “early,” früh. The same joke appears in Beethoven’s letter of August 19 to Nephew Karl.]
“Consider the Misera bilia of life, that is by no means everything—so as early as possible. I’ll wait until you come, not without the 1/2 money box to slay—Your faithful friend, Beethov.
Brandenburg Letter 2049; Anderson Letter 1457. The original is held in Moscow at the Central State Archive for Old Records (F.1290, op.8 No 231, l.1-2)
The students at the Austrian Conservatory in Vienna give their public examination concert this afternoon in the Landständischen Hall, “in front of an extraordinarily large audience.” The vocal numbers showed the development of progressive education, “as demonstrated by the performance of the Opferlied by Matthisson, set to music by Beethoven, sung by the Demoiselles Champagne, Dinelt, and Herr Wink.” Wiener Theaterzeitung of September 13, 1825 (Nr.110) at 451.
The next issue of the Wiener Theaterzeitung (Nr.111) of September 15, 1825 on the first page (454) contains more coverage of this examination concert, noting that there were approximately 150 male and female students demonstrating their abilities. “The unmistakable progress that this patriotic institution, founded just a few years ago, has made in every respect must fill every true art lover with heartfelt joy. At a time when, due to a confluence of unfavorable circumstances, two temples of art, which otherwise provided the highest musical pleasures, are closed, this lively striving, this active struggle to awaken, cultivate, and develop the talents slumbering in their infancy, appears doubly gratifying and worthy of respect.” [The Kärntnertor Theater is closed since Barbaja’s contract to operate the theater has ended, and no replacement has yet been found.]
…
“The incomparable quartet from Mozart’s Magic Flute, and Matthisson’s Opferlied, set to music by Beethoven, were performed with no less success. The tenor singer, Herr Mink, also participated successfully in the latter. Although not a pupil of the institution, he has enjoyed the instruction of the highly acclaimed Herr Treasurer Hauschka.” [Vincenz Hauschka (1766-1840), Bohemian composer and longtime friend of Beethoven, he had served as treasurer of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde since 1816 and was involved in commissioning Beethoven to write the oratorio Der Sieg des Kreuzes.]
Today’s Wiener Zeitung, Nr.199, at 846 includes an advertisement from Sauer & Leidesdorf for the 20th volume in their long-running series of the Complete Operas of Rossini, transcribed for piano solo by Maximilian J. Leidesdorf, La Pietra di Paragone. The price is 10 florins, but 6 florins for subscribers.
The Harmonicon for September, 1825 (Nr.XXXIII) contains an article at 152-155 about musical education, translated from German, entitled “Advice to the Young Composer,” which makes several mentions of Beethoven, though its main focus is Mozart. The writer identifies several evils, including improperly squandering their resources and losing “the happy moment of inspiration” and overrating the efforts of mechanical labour, practice and industry. The source of both these evils is the way composers have been taught and practice the art of music.
Foremost among these are studying compositions adapted to correct mechanics in execution and the endless reading of notes at sight, which is particularly strong amongst the Germans. “It is true that men of extraordinary genius, such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, even though educated somewhat in the manner here described, have, by the native force of their genius, triumphed over the obstacles presented by this mode of education. But these are exceptions of the rarest kind, and when the question is one of general rule, it is folly to refer to exceptions. Nay, perhaps, those very master-spirits may at certain periods have been betrayed by a recollection, and, as it were, distant re-action of those early impressions, into extremes which they had better have avoided; as, for instance, Haydn in some of his sportive passages, which almost border on buffoonery, and Beethoven in some of his more wild and grotesque caprices.”
Better to be humble and seize the moments of pure inspiration as direct gifts from heaven. Those moments of inspiration are of short duration, and so easily evaporate that such masters wisely grasped them instantly, that they might profit afterwards in the hours of labour. “Their method, with but slight deviation, was that pursued by the great Mozart, as already described: it is known to have been the practice of Gluck, and Haydn, and there can be no doubt but Beethoven and others have nearly a similar method.”
The report from Berlin at 152 of this issue of The Harmonicon includes mention of a recent concert by the celebrated Madame Milder [Anna Milder-Hauptmann (1785-1838)], who premiered a new song by Carl Blum (1786-1844), court composer to the King of Prussia, accompanied by Blum on guitar. The program closed with a terzetto by Beethoven. [Presumably the last item is Tremate, empi, tremate, op.116, which though still unpublished has been in vogue since the second May 1824 Akademie concert.]
At page 164 of this issue, there is a mention that the favorite composers of the British King, George IV, are Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Cherubini, and Beethoven. He also enjoys many things by Rossini.