BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, April 29, 1823
Anton Schindler visits Beethoven in the late morning or early afternoon today. He is having trouble finding a reliable courier to London. If he had had the Diabelli Variations yesterday, he had a courier going to Paris. Now they will have to wait until another one goes. However, one of the English cavaliers staying at Baron Müller’s, Esquire Malcolm, is going to London on Saturday and Müller will ask if he would be so kind as to deliver the manuscript to Ferdinand Ries to arrange for publication. Both of them are said to be extremely nice people and who can be trusted. Schindler thinks this would be good as it would save package expenses, and if he goes directly to London it would be the fastest means possible to get it to Ries.
Baron Mengden, a Russian nobleman, has said he is en route to Lausanne, where the Music Society will be performing Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge, op.85 in August. Schindler wrote him about the Missa Solemnis, a subscription to which Mengden is to offer to the Society.
Over glasses of schnapps while Johann Goll works on repairing the Broadwood piano, Schindler wonders when Diabelli will come with the proofs of the variations for Beethoven to approve. Beethoven feels old; Schindler tries to cheer him up saying that “in new works, you will live completely anew again.” Goll needs a tuning hammer.
Countess Kemény, who is actually only renting the place in Hetzendorf but is going to Karlsbad and would like to have someone else rent it, arrives. Schindler writes in the conversation book on her behalf. She has a place there which is large enough to hold a ball. She says she will provide wood and if need be coal in Hetzendorf. Because her dear friend is the Imperial wood inspector in Schönbrunn, they always have good wood. She is pleased to be in contact with Beethoven, and says she can overlook 100 florins for a Beethoven (she wanted 500 florins for the summer, and Beethoven countered 400 florins.) Her daughter is also a great admirer of Beethoven; she plays all of his compositions very well, with special affection.
Goll is impressed with the construction of the Broadwood piano. He has studied it, and if he had the money he would make one such as Europe has never heard. He has suggested to Stein that they go into partnership, but Stein wanted to know his secrets first and Goll would not tell him.
Schindler tells an anecdote about poet Franz Grillparzer. “Two years ago, Grillparzer had a poem about present-day Rome placed in the Aglaja, in which he said: There, where the proud Roman once celebrated his victory, etc., there stands today the Cross tenuously propped up by 10,000 priests. The nuncio raised a complaint against him; the poem had to be torn out of the journal, and Grillparzer lost his pension from the empress and all prospects for a position at court.” Schindler leaves to run errands, and Goll continues working.
Beethoven starts a shopping list that includes matches. Schindler returns later in the afternoon. He has spoken to Baron Müller about the two Englishmen. They have already stayed at his place for 4 months, and he speaks highly of them. There is no other courier to London for at least a week, so if they will deliver the parcel that would be best and save the most time.
Goll leaves, saying the carpenter will be coming; he said he would be there after 3 o’clock. Schindler says he attempted to visit Grillparzer, but he wasn’t at home. Schindler left a note saying that he would come back later. Although he is most noble, he has no friends in his employment as a drafter’s apprentice in the Court treasury.
Barbara Holzmann goes to arrange for a carriage. Schindler says that if Beethoven he wants to send a note to him, he can tell the letter carrier to bring it early in the morning, when he is always at home. Schindler says the embassies all know how to reach him. If need be, he will go directly to the ambassadors to get the subscriptions resolved. [This discussion may be related to Schindler staying in Beethoven’s apartment while the composer is in Hetzendorf.]
Schindler and Brother Johann both agree Ludwig should take the place in Hetzendorf. Moritz Lichnowsky also wants the place. Beethoven’s sister-in-law Therese intends to prejudice Baron Müller against Beethoven so Lichnowsky will get the apartment. Schindler says he doesn’t want to raise discord. He will go to see the countess tomorrow and give a prompt report.
Conversation Book 31, 14v-25v.
Today, or possibly yesterday, Beethoven writes an undated letter to poet Franz Grillparzer. Beethoven apologizes for being the innocent cause of trouble. The libretto that Grillparzer has written [Melusine] is beautiful, and he thanks Grillparzer for sacrificing his highest Muse to Beethoven. Beethoven hopes Grillparzer’s health improves soon; Beethoven’s health is also poor and he plans to move to the country shortly, perhaps within 5 days. “Life in the country alone can bring me relief.” He hopes Grillparzer will be able to visit him there, and they can discuss whatever changes may be necessary. Because of the press of business and his own ill health, Beethoven is unable to come to him presently. He hopes to be able to communicate in person what words cannot adequately convey, about “the great pleasure you have given me with your magnificent poem. I might almost say that I am prouder of this than the greatest honors that could have ever been conveyed to me.” Brandenburg Letter 1639, Anderson Letter 1169. The original is at the Bonn Beethovenhaus, H.C. Bodmer Collection BBr 131, and can be seen here:
https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/6111800697290752/scan/0
The Dresden production of Fidelio, conducted by Carl Maria von Weber, premieres this evening.
The Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung for August 13, 1823 (Nr. 33) at 526 gives a brief description of the three Dresden performances of Fidelio, conducted by Weber and featuring Wilhemine Schröder (still only 18 years old) in the title role. Primarily trained as an actress, she had at this point only been singing professionally for a little over two years, but had made a sensation as Agathe in Weber’s Der Freischütz on November 3, 1821. Schröder, who had played Fidelio/Leonore in Vienna to Beethoven’s great approval last November, would remain in Dresden for most of the next 24 years.
The reviewer had many nice things to say about the soprano. “We owe a great deal of thanks to Dem. Schröder, who is now the foremost singer of our German opera, since she was at least the reason why we finally heard this wonderful opera in our house. This wonderful work, full of power and character, and richly, very richly orchestrated, will of course not please the masses as much as many a shallow fashionable composition; but it will survive them for a long time. The role of Fidelio seems perfectly suited to Dem. Schröder, whose acting and singing tend to be heroic and tragic; she gave it with all the fire, strength and expression of her beautiful youthful, fresh voice, so that one was prompted to wish that she would moderate her strength even more and learn to use her voice even better. But this will probably even out in the future. She was called out unanimously at the end of the opera. Incidentally, it hardly needs to be said that the orchestra performed this rather difficult music excellently. It would probably be desirable if the very long final number were to be shortened somewhat.”
Wagner’s autobiography notes that he saw Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient in Beethoven’s “Fidelio“. He described this initiation experience as follows: “Wenn ich auf mein ganzes Leben zurückblicke, finde ich kaum ein Ereignis, welches ich diesem einen in betreff seiner Einwirkung auf mich an die Seite stellen könnte. Wer sich der wunderbaren Frau aus dieser Periode ihres Lebens erinnert, muß in irgendeiner Weise die fast dämonische Wärme bezeugen können, welche die so menschlich-ekstatische Leistung dieser unvergleichlichen Künstlerin notwendig über ihn ausströmte.“ (“When I look back upon my entire life I hardly find an event that compares with this one with regards to its influence on me. Whoever remembers this wonderful woman at this period of her life has to, one way or another, attest to the almost demonic warmth that the so humanly-ecstatic achievement of this unique artist wrapped around him.” Wagner, Mein Leben, p. 49). [But scholars suggest more likely it was actually a performance of Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi in March 1834, with Schöder-Devrient as Romeo.]