BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, May 18, 1824

Beethoven goes to visit Johann Schickh at his offices at the Wiener Zeitschrift magazine to get his advice about what the best plan for the second Akademie would be. The editor has strong opinions. Schickh frankly thinks it is too late in the summer and he should not do the repeat concert now. That’s more important since, from December 1 of this year, the two Redoutensaals will be back under the control of the Court, and not under Barbaja and Duport. This means these halls would be handled by two of Beethoven’s admirers, Count Dietrichstein and Court Councillor Ignaz von Mosel (1772-1844).

The best time for the repeat Akademie would thus be early next year. They will support Beethoven giving his “sublime musical poems,” which cannot get a proper response unless done with the best execution. A completely different orchestra and singers would certainly make a profit. “Therefore — I advise you as your benevolent friend! –let it rest for now.”

Instead, Schickh thinks that after doing the second Akademie, Beethoven should make a journey to France and England. “If, for the moment, you can do without the meager profit that will come to you, then follow my advice.” Schickh thinks the effect of Beethoven’s sublime works was spoiled by the involvement of the “Gesellschaft of dabblers.” The copying expense has already been paid; it’s best to leave the rest of the expenses to a more favorable time. “The Theater will be empty at the second performance; that will shame us all. By God, you are too good for such a fate!”

Schickh then turns to criticism of the pieces presented at the first Akademie concert. “If I may give you my most candid opinion, I would tell you, confident in your patience, that the individual parts of the Mass and the Symphony are somewhat too long. If you wanted to make the greatest effect with these admirable creations, such a consolidation or shortening must be made. You could do this quite well by early next year, but you haven’t time at the moment.” Schickh suggests Beethoven talk to more connoisseurs to get their opinions.

Beethoven asks Schickh which pieces he thinks need to be trimmed. “Unfortunately, I have heard these compositions only one time, so I am hardly in the position to answer your question precisely. Even so, I believe that the Agnus Dei, and probably even the Kyrie, as well as the last movement of the Symphony could stand some shortening!”

Beethoven may be offended and doesn’t really think that these pieces could be cut to any significant degree. Schickh, backing off, encourages Beethoven to stick to his opinion; it might merely be the inadequate performance that made the works seem too long. Beethoven asks whether he is sure that he should not make some cuts. [This was the same kind of second-guessing by third parties that resulted in the major cuts to Leonore that resulted in Fidelio over a period of nine years.] Schickh, probably recognizing he has overstepped his bounds, tells Beethoven that the cuts will absolutely not be required, but rather just a more solid performance.

Conversation Book 67, 45r-50v. This concludes Conversation Book 67. Despite Beethoven’s disagreement over the cuts, he takes Schickh’s advice about the timing of the second Akademie seriously. Unfortunately, he is in desperate need of cash and has little choice other than to move forward with the repeat concert, but with an awareness that it may not be all that helpful.

A second review of Beethoven’s Akademie concert, again by Ignaz von Seyfried, appears in today’s Der Sammler (Nr.60), at 239-240. Schindler will comment on this review to Beethoven tomorrow. Thanks again to our friend Birthe Kibsgaard for her assistance with the translation.

“For several years now, this great composer has not sought the opportunity to show himself to the public by performing new works, as he had done in the past. But the beautiful works that emerged from his artistic pen speak loudly that his mind was occupied with constant vigor and activity. The true lover of the Art of Music will, despite many not entirely favorable incidents which to some extent hindered the great effect of this Akademie, still be penetrated by the deep spirit which these powerful, grandly conceived compositions must arouse in the minds of every sensitive connoisseur of music.”

“Beethoven’s originality is so clearly expressed in each of these new pieces that the standard of general applause cannot be fully applied when listening to them for the first time. The serious attitude that the character of the Mass demands is already more of an advantage due to the peculiar and beautiful outlook in which Beethoven’s genius has here indulged, which leads the true connoisseur to admiration much sooner than the layman. But Beethoven has controlled his great imagination with high prudence and at the same time placed the stamp of artistic execution on the foreheads of his creations.”

“Because of the novelty of the treatment, his Kyrie goes far beyond what time and custom have roughly accepted to be the law. The serious and thorough attitude of the style in the fugal movements and the extremely effective instrumentation at the same time secure it against the attack of those for whom the freedom of the creative spirit is a merely resounding work without any meaning, or even an abomination. It is true that the length of the pieces could harm the impression of a mixed audience to some extent, if the execution were not kept so interesting.”

“The style in which the solo voices move does not exactly require skill in the throat, but rather the highest musical education and stability in holding the often very complicated ligatures. Beethoven’s harmonic depth often alters the color of the keys so often and unexpectedly that the long retention of a note under changed harmony becomes fearsome, and requires very excellent singers. But the execution of such music, rich in intense beauties, is particularly difficult for those whose biggest efforts are dedicated to the operatic style, and whose perception is thus actually completely distracted from the church style. First of all, the singing individual must forego the aforementioned effect of his performance insofar as each individual member is merely working towards the whole, and should not emerge at all in isolation. Even this kind of sacrifice is too painful for some people, who through their daily activities, have become accustomed to pleasing their listeners more through physical skill rather than through soulful delivery or deep, emotional expression. How different is the sheer skill of the voice and power of the throat, compared to the brilliant delivery of a deeply feeling singer!”

“In the three movements of Beethoven’s Mass, namely in the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus, intonation is also put to a serious test for similar reasons, for the Master uses all the power of the modulations. Even in the midst of a quiet position of harmony, his singing voices are difficult to carry out in execution.”

“In the Credo, the passage: ‘Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem‘ is highly distinguished by its original and expressive treatment. With ‘Et resurrexit,’ everyone who feels will be gripped by the harmonic power and melodic appeal. Beethoven has also deviated from the norm in that he ends entirely pianissimo.”

“The Agnus Dei (B minor) should be the most difficult section for the singers. The entrance of the voices is just so difficult, as is the voice leading, and Beethoven makes the whole thing impressive, particularly through bold ligatures. This is where the stability of the intonation of the solo voices failed the most. The instrumentation is, as one would expect from Beethoven, new, original, and extremely tasteful.”

“As already said, the execution of these Hymns, or rather the parts of a Mass, requires far more rehearsal than the organization of a concert will allow. The choir boys who were used to play sopranos were so insecure that only the extraordinarily skillful manner of conducting by Hrn. Umlauf gave him the opportunity to prove that he could hold the whole thing together.”

“These songs were preceded by a grand Overture, which was very impressive in its majestic style. The often humorous implementation of thoughts makes the work very interesting.”

“After the vocal pieces, Beethoven again treated his friends and admirers to a new Symphony. The realm of instrumental music has always given him the opportunity for many artistic triumphs, and this work also is rich in harmonic and melodic beauties. The Scherzo stood out above all other movements because of the genius with which Beethoven’s spirit here moves. He plays a sublime joke with the wind instruments and timpani in carrying out his ideas, in which the violins are very effectively subordinate and mostly pizzicato. The execution of this piece was interrupted several times by the enthusiastic exclamations of the public. The timpani are here used in the most graceful manner to accompany the dancing movements of the oboes, clarinets and flutes. As usual with Beethoven, the tempo of this Scherzo was again kept at prestissimo.”

“The Adagio has a great deal of melodic appeal and is characterized by the pleasant comprehensibility and clarity of its ideas. The cellos are often used in a very interesting way. This piece also had general appeal.”

“The Finale may be the hardest to understand on a first listen. The construction of the whole is very diverse, and the very unique theme of the double basses is particularly notable. These appear quite isolated with masculine firmness, and then unite very nicely with the entire orchestra.”

“The entrance of the chorus at the end, which performs Schiller’s Lied an die Freude, is a new thing, and the musical composition is very expressive. For some listeners, this one execution may not be enough to fully understand the interesting and artistic construction of this piece of music. One must admit that Beethoven brought the most diverse parts, which initially seemed somewhat confused, into a unity. His great, abundant imagination reveled in its freedom and conjured up the entire splendor of the sounds before our souls.”

“Beethoven was honored with the greatest applause by the enthusiastic crowd of his admirers for each of these pieces, and he was encouraged to create similar new, beautiful works.”

“Hr. Umlauf deserves the prize for this performance, for without him it would hardly have come together well. Mr. Schuppanzigh conducted on the violin. The Dlles. Sontag and Unger, the H.H. Hazinger and Seipelt sang the solo parts. The chorus did their best. One eagerly awaits a second performance, in which the loss of much of the sound in the wings will be remedied.”

Joseph Trentsentzky announces in today’s Wiener Zeitung a litho-stereotyped edition of Shakespeare’s complete dramatic works in German, available in one large volume, or in 18 volumes in pocket format. Prior editions are out of date or lacking in completeness, so this edition will include all of the dramatic works, retaining A.W. Schlegel’s translations for King Lear, Othello and Macbeth. Some of the remaining plays have not yet appeared in Austria, including Much Ado about Nothing, All’s Well that Ends Well, The Winter’s Tale, the Merry Wives of Windsor, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Beethoven, who had a fondness for Shakespeare, may have had a passing interest in this announcement. He will in a few weeks make note of another forthcoming edition of Shakespeare.