BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, February 15, 1825

The mid-day dinner menu for Fat Tuesday today is:

Noodle soup
Meat with mashed potatoes
Kraut with Kaiserfleisch [young smoked pork]
Preserves.

For supper tonight:
A chicken with rice.
Cake.
Potato cake.

The housekeeper announces she is going back to her old position, because there is too much to do here. Karl already needs his laundry done. Today is the last Ball, since Lent starts tomorrow. [Uncle Johann discourages Karl from attending the ball, though he goes himself.]

After dinner, Ludwig goes to a coffee house and reads the newspapers. He sees several apartments being advertised. He also notes thick ice is for sale.

Back at the apartment, Karl says he has to be in his discussion section tomorrow at 8 a.m. The lecturer is Dr. Stöger.

Karl observes that Schiller drank wine while he wrote poetry.

Conversation Book 84, 45r-46v.

The Wiener Zeitung of today (Nr.36) at 160 announces a musical evening’s entertainment on this Friday, February 18 at 7 p.m. in the Landständischen Hall, given by Ernst and Caroline Krähmer, member of the Imperial Court Capelle. The first section of the concert is to open with an [unidentified] “Overture, by L. van Beethoven.” Ernst will play several compositions on the Hungarian Czakan, a faddish walking stick/recorder. [Beethoven knew the Krähmers, having made their acquaintance a few years ago. Nephew Karl had gone to at least one of their concerts.] Fraulein Antonia Ofter is to perform the new piano concerto, Farewell to England, by Beethoven’s former student Ferdinand Ries as well. Tickets are available at Steiner & Co., Diabelli & Co., and also at the box office on the evening of the concert, for 3 florins W.W.

At page 161 of the same issue of the Wiener Zeitung, Weigl’s Music Shop advertises the Forty New Waltzes for Piano-forte, which includes as the contribution from Beethoven his Waltz in E-flat, WoO 84.