BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, September 23, 1824 (approximately)

Beethoven writes a letter to his friend Vincenz Hauschka (1766-1840), one of the founders of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. [Hauschka played the mandolin and the cello in several different orchestras over the years. Although by now no longer a professional musician, he was a fervent supporter of the musical arts. Nephew Karl does not, as he sometimes does, write the letter or address it for his uncle.]

Ludwig tells Hauschka that he plans to write the oratorio to Bernard’s text [Der Sieg des Kreuzes] when he gets back to the City. He also asks that Hauschka, on behalf of the Musikverein, pay Bernard his half of the fee due him, since he has completed the text. Beethoven addresses Hauschka jokingly as the most powerful director of the singing and humming societies, as well as the imperial General Violoncello, among many other fanciful titles. But he assures Hauschka that he will certainly set the oratorio The Victory of the Cross to music, and finish it as soon as possible in accordance with his signature and seal. He signs as “L. v. Beethoven” and places his seal as he mentioned.

Beethoven then adds three cryptic postscripts on a separate page, obviously as some kind of inside joke between the two of them:

“1st Postscript. Don’t let cats, rats and mice eat the game, understand me! Open yourself up to better ways and competition. Yours in Christ and Apollo, Beethoven.” [The words “Understand me!” are doubly underlined by Beethoven.]

“2nd Posts[cript]. As for the little flag on the white tower [weissen Thurn], we hope it will soon fly again.” [Sieghard Brandenburg suggested this was a reference to actress and writer Johanna Franul von Weissenthurn (1773-1847). She was a member of the Vienna Hofburg Theater from 1789 to 1842. Beethoven had given her the autograph of the song, “Man strebt die Flamme,” WoO 120.]

“3rd Posts[cript]. etc. etc. etc.”

Brandenburg Letter 1882; Anderson Letter 1309. The original is held by the Berlin Staatsbibliothek (Grasnick 34a). The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, which had commissioned the oratorio years ago, had determined back in January, 1824 that it would not pay the fee of 400 florins due until Beethoven had completed setting it to music. Since Beethoven had done nothing on the oratorio nine months later, he appears to have wanted to not make Bernard wait for his half of the fee. Hauschka complied with Beethoven’s request about a month later, on October 22, and paid Bernard. Beethoven, however, never composed the oratorio, though it seems he still intended to do so at this point despite his misgivings about the text.

As the day wears on, Nephew Karl does not return from his trip to run errands in Vienna as expected. Uncle Ludwig grows very concerned, but since the last carriage to Vienna departs Baden at 4 PM, he has little choice but to wait until the morning to go to Vienna to search for Karl and get some answers.