BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, July 13, 1824

Beethoven takes the coach from Penzing into Vienna this morning, and on the way continues his list:

+Long nails, Landstrasse.
+Thin, though close-woven ribbon.
House number 323 [He seems to have remembered his address, which was a question on yesterday’s list.]
Watch to watchmaker. [This may be the pocket watch seen in the attached anonymous photo.]
+Take tin measures along.
Is the bed quilt in Penzing?

In Vienna, Karl lets his uncle know that someone was telling him that he may not piss there.

Karl runs some of his uncle’s errands. The watchmaker is too busy to do the needed work.

Uncle Ludwig appears to make a remark about not liking that Karl is living alone and unsupervised. Karl waxes philosophical. “It would really be bad if every person, before he lived alone somewhere, would always have to think what would happen if he became ill. What great problem can befall me if I live a normal life, which I do? I have survived all of the childhood illnesses. And if I should become indisposed, I would have the same care as I had at Blöchlinger’s. Because you know yourself how that was done. Now all the more so, since his wife [Henriette] has not lived in the house at all for two months.” Karl recently spoke to one of the students at Blöchlinger’s Institute, where he had studied, who told him the domestic activities are very disorganized now. Frau Blöchlinger moved out on the pretext that she needed to comfort and preoccupy herself after the death of her parents. She lives in another apartment, with her brother. People are very worked up about it.

Besides, Karl plans to continue to share boarding with his friend Carl Enk.

Beethoven writes to publisher Sigmund Anton Steiner today, and the letter is to be delivered by Nephew Karl. Although last year he had to give interest and a deposit for the 600 florins [on his 1200 florin debt], he cannot manage to do that this year. So he asks Steiner to accept two receipts [from his annuity with Prince Kinsky and Archduke Rudolph], and then Steiner can use those to obtain 150 florins, and that will satisfy this obnoxious old debt.

“What I receive through my intellectual products is mostly used to preserve my life and that of my Karl. My enemies will at least allow me to value my life as highly as they value theirs, and so I will do the same thing through my pen, Gloria in excelsis.”

“The receipt for 750 now has to be written on stamped paper; this is the entire advantage ‪from my highest patron [Archduke Rudolph]. The 70 florins W.W. for the engraving will also be paid next.”

Brandenburg Letter 1851; Anderson Letter 1300. The letter is undated, but Steiner has noted the date of receipt on it. The original is held by the Bonn Beethovenhaus, and can be seen here.

https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/4706378044145664/scan/0

Karl’s opinion is that the postal coach between Baden and Vienna is of no use, because it departs at odd hours. For instance, it already leaves Baden by 4 in the afternoon. It travels at a snail’s pace, but it goes fast by the passenger coach. In any event, Karl plans to come out Saturday evening, July 17.

Ludwig asks Karl to deliver a copy of the Missa Solemnis [to whom is unclear, though it is probably one of the subscription copies, perhaps to Odelga, who was on the errand list two days ago.] Karl is unsure how to manage it. He decides he will to go to his lectures at the university, and then at 5 on his way home he will have the house superintendent come with him to carry the Mass. After that, he’ll go to Steiner’s music shop to deliver Uncle Ludwig’s letter.

That evening, after Karl has returned, they go to a coffee house. Uncle Ludwig writes in French, so as not to be overheard, “What did he say there?” [probably meaning Steiner.] Karl says he started about the weather, as if to make conversation, but he hopes to be able to say more later in person.

Karl did not take the copy of the Missa Solemnis after all, but instead plans to have the house superintendent make the delivery, though he’ll need to be paid something. And that assumes the superintendent has the time to do it. It might end up being the same cost as if Karl were to take a fiacre there.

Karl asks how his uncle intends to get to Baden when he goes. Karl plans to take a bath tomorrow, since he feels sticky.

Conversation Book 73, 11v-14v. There is no indication in the conversation books that Beethoven returned again to Penzing before moving to Baden on Saturday, so he may have arranged to move his belongings back to Vienna at this point. Beethoven seems to have developed an intense dislike for the place and its landlord, for unknown reasons, staying there only a few days even though he had prepaid for several months.

Beethoven’s patron, Archduke Rudolph, returns to Vienna in the evening today and moves into the Imperial residence, as reported by the Wiener Zeitung (Nr.160) for July 15, 1824 at 671. However, his stay in the city is a short one, as he plans to leave for Baden already on July 15.