BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, March 14, 1826

Unpaid assistant Karl Holz comes to Beethoven’s apartment, probably not long before 8 a.m. when Frau Lindner is supposed to come and collect her pay for working for Beethoven since January 22. Beethoven complains about the beef bouillon the new housekeeper made being too thin. Holz suggests she should have used more beef.

Holz reports that the prices of the Austrian National Bank shares, which had gone back up to 1001 1/2 florins on Saturday have now fallen to 960 florins as of yesterday, March 13. [They will fall even further to 945 3/4 tomorrow. The bank shares are surprisingly volatile in value.]

Holz reminds Beethoven that he needs the receipt with the testimony from a parish priest that Beethoven is still alive, so he can collect the installment on the Kinsky estate’s annuity to him.

Beethoven asks Holz to tell him more about the Schuppanzigh Quartet concert on Sunday, March 12. [Holz had stopped by only very briefly Sunday night.] “[In the Piano Quartet op.16, pianist Albin] Pfaller played very beautifully; the Quartet aroused enthusiasm. Also, the preceding Haydn [String Quartet i C op.75/3, Hob.III/77 “Emperor“] with the variations on “Gott erhalte,” which quickly got the patriots into the right mood.”

The Quartet will be coming to Beethoven’s apartment tomorrow evening to rehearse the new Quartet, op.130: “On Wednesday, at 7 o’clock in the evening, Beethoven’s personal quartet will march up to the heights of the Schwarzspanierhaus and engage in maneuvers.” Beethoven asks what he should serve the quartet, and Holz suggests coffee [perhaps remembering that at one of the recent quartet rehearsals at Beethoven’s apartment, he got rather drunk.] Holz asks whether he will write to invite Karl, or whether Uncle Ludwig will do so. The rehearsal has to be in the evening, since Schuppanzigh is teaching lessons until about 2 p.m., and he doesn’t have enough time during the midday.

Frau Lindner shows up to collect her pay. She is confronted with the various offsets against her; she accuses Barbara Holzmann of accruing debts in Beethoven’s name all over the City, even at the small-wares merchant’s. She says there are still a few things in the apartment that belong to her that she wants to claim. But she is unsure which things are hers, and which are Beethoven’s. The new housekeeper appears to be satisfactory enough (despite the bouillon complaints) that Frau Lindner’s services will no longer be needed, and she is paid off.

After Holz and Lindner leave, Beethoven makes a notation to himself (vertically on the page) to get a case for his viola. He then adds “2 violins,” which possibly need cases as well.

Conversation Book 106, 29r-30r. The remainder of Conversation Book 106 is used tomorrow night in connection with the rehearsal.