BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, April 11, 1826

Unpaid assistant Karl Holz comes to pick up Beethoven after work. They are going to dinner this evening at the home of violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh and his wife Barbara. Holz mentions that Mozart’s Requiem, which has lately been the subject of much discussion in Beethoven’s circle, was given today at the Hofkapelle. In eight days, the Requiem written by Joseph Eybler will be given. [Actually seven days, Tuesday, April 18, though Holz sometimes appears to count the present day when counting the number of days.]

At Schuppanzigh’s, the violinist expresses his and his wife’s regrets that Nephew Karl could not come. He asks whether Beethoven is going to retire. Holz introduces Schuppanzigh’s daughter, Theresia, saying she has a great gift for music. Her piano teacher Fraulein Katharina Hohenadel is also at the dinner, as is poet Christoph Kuffner. Holz comments on the thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. Schuppanzigh offers them genuine Ofner wine, which was one of Beethoven’s favorites.

Holz is expecting to hear from Augustin Lipscher, the Imperial courier who travels to Russia, with hopes for transmitting the ducats owed for the op.130 quartet from Prince Nikolai Galitzin without dealing with the banking houses. Holz says Schuppanzigh is not a Krumpholz [Wenzel Krumpholz (1750-1817), violinist from Bohemia, who had given Beethoven lessons for a while.] Krumpholz’s sudden death by stroke was unexpected and is against the law of nature.

Nephew Karl is the subject of discussion, as they talk about his skills and his desire to become a businessman. She [probably his mother Johanna] let him learn how to dance. Holz wants to discuss Karl’s pension. “Mylord [Schuppanzigh] has grown very fond of him.” “The apothecary” [Brother Johann] cannot be compared to Karl’s father, Caspar Carl (1774-1815).

Schuppanzigh jokes that Johann says that if he were Ludwig, he would be swimming in money. There are also pokes fun at the typographical error on Steiner’s proof of the Terzet op.116, which in place of “Tremate, empi tremate” has the nonsense word “Tromate.” There is discussion of the habits of various violinists.

“An old flame never dies. Stay single! says Papageno.” There is discussion of an unidentified female singer, whose husband will not let her sing any more, out of jealousy. She has sung at his concerts before.

The head censor, Franz Sartori could not remember whether he had granted Tobias Haslinger permission to print the works by Beethoven. If the publication of the works [op.114 and 116 with the implication that they were originally written for piano, rather than orchestra] had occurred, it would not be easy to remedy. If they have been published that way, they can still put it in the proper light in the foreign newspapers. Steiner has asked Holz to come tomorrow; the Secundus [Haslinger, the “second Tobias”] will probably have been with him today.

Someone, possibly Fraulein Hohenadel, brings up instructional books for beginners. She opines it is best to begin with the scales in all keys with both hands, and asks Beethoven whether that is true. Beethoven disagrees, and Holz comments that it also tires a child and completely extinguishes the joy of playing. But she regularly comes to the Schuppanzigh Quartet concert; she is always attentive and has told Holz that the quartets by Beethoven were the best in her opinion.

As the evening is drawing to a close, Kuffner approaches Beethoven and says he wants to give his opinion on Bernard’s libretto to Der Sieg des Kreuzes in writing. But he thinks Bernard “completely missed the target.”

Holz has to leave; he is going to the concert of Jacques-Féréol Mazas, held at the Theater an der Wien. Holz crudely remarks about Mazas, “He likes the men from behind, an idler. Rich parents’ son, a Dutchman, just a gentleman with money.” Beethoven appears to leave at the same time as Holz, but presumably goes home instead of to the concert.

Conversation Book 108, 5r-11r.

Today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.82) at 359 includes an advertisement for Carl Czerny’s Musical Decameron collection of brilliant and easy compositions, for piano solo (op.110) and piano four hands (op.111), offered by Cappi & Co.