BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, September 4, 1823

This morning, Nephew Karl is getting ready to leave Baden later today to run errands in Vienna tomorrow. He needs to get alcohol for them, and his summer trousers. His plan is to take the 6 P.M. coach back tomorrow evening. Uncle Ludwig has a long list of errands for him to run. Among the tasks are to have another copy of the Missa Solemnis made, and Karl suggests that they employ Matthias Wunderl, or the student, Joseph Niemetz. Karl’s plan is to spend the night at Blöchlinger’s Institute.

Among the errands to be run:
Write to Attorney Joseph Baptist Bach
Write to bookkeeper/financial advisor Salzmann
Go to banker Joseph von Henikstein
[these preceding entries suggest that one of Karl’s tasks was to arrange another loan on the bank shares.]
Visit Franz Kirchhoffer, who was the go-between with Ferdinand Ries in London
Letter to Hessen-Kassel regarding the Mass
Letter to Frankfurt regsrind the Mass

Karl notes that the letter from Brentano suggests that the best method of getting the manuscript to London is to send it via Trieste.
Take the calendar, about moving out
Buy paper from the City
Cookbook

Uncle Ludwig adds to this list:
+Receipt for Salzmann
+Letter paper and ordinary
+At [publisher S.A.] Steiner’s, say that he is to come to Dr. Bach’s at 4 o’clock.
+At Steiner’s: Wellington’s Victory score and trombone parts
+At Steiner’s: Ruins of Athens
+Take the house key from the [Windmühle] apartment and from Hetzendorf
+Wine
+Address of the Mineral Water Institute in Vienna [probably referring to the Mineral Water Curative Institute of Friedrich Pelikan, a coffee house on the Glacis, which also sold mineral waters.]

They head to the coach station before 3 p.m. and see the people lining up. It’s best to be early, in order to avoid the seat above the wheels, which vibrates too severely. The coach is filthy and has been for years, but there are respectable people in line. Karl sees no harm in riding the carriage; no know knows him, and even if they did ordinary people ride in the same carriage.

Karl notes that housekeeper Barbara Holzmann asked whether she shouldn’t get wine for Wenzel Schlemmer’s widow, at 48 kr. per measure. Karl snorts that it’s not coming out of her money.

At a restaurant nearby, the boeuf à la mode is being put away, and they can’t understand why no one wants it. Karl suggests it’s because the meat was too fresh; the ox had been killed only yesterday. Karl says again that he needs to buy alcohol, then asks whether he should still go. The planned trip is postponed, possibly due to Ludwig’s objections regarding the carriage. Someone wanted to join them at dinner; Karl suggested that they would instead join him. He said they didn’t need to trouble themselves, and he would come over afterwards. But then he left instead, to the amusement of Karl, who calls him a rogue.

Karl observes that today is his 17th birthday. He believes he first had wine 8 years ago, when Uncle Ludwig took him away from his mother.

Back at their apartment in Baden, the housekeeper has prepared a chicken and wants to know whether they would prefer it baked or fried. Karl questions whether it is spoiled. [He has previously remarked that the housekeeper has no sense of smell and cannot tell whether things have gone bad. Karl may be right, because Uncle Ludwig’s stomach will be upset tomorrow.] He doesn’t think they should retain her much longer.

Karl notes that there are four voices singing under the window; he doesn’t know who they are singing for or what the occasion is.

Conversation Book 41, 7v-13v.