BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Thursday, September 7, 1820

Conversation Book 16, leaves 57v through 58r

As promised (after many delays), piano maker Matthäus Andreas Stein delivers the modified Broadwood piano to Beethoven in Mödling today. The other hearing mechanisms are not yet ready, but will be delivered in a few days. Stein will bring them himself. Beethoven invites Stein to accompany him somewhere [perhaps to observe the solar eclipse at 2 p.m.] Stein agrees to come, but he is busy and will not be able to stay for dinner. But at last Beethoven has his beloved Broadwood piano back.

Here is a portion of a British documentary about the restoration of the Broadwood in 1992, which includes Melvyn Tan playing Beethoven’s Fantasia op.77 on it. As you can tell even from the poor sound on this video, it is quite sonorous and would serve Beethoven well for a few more years until his hearing loss became nearly total.