BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, November 23, 1824 (approximately)

About today, Beethoven writes to music publisher B. Schott’s Sons in Mainz regarding the delay in getting the promised compositions to them. “I regret to inform you that it will take a little longer to send you the works. There was not that much left to review in the copies, but since I did not spend the summer here, I now have to give two hours of lessons every day to His Imperial Highness Archduke Rudolf. This is taking so much of my time that I am almost incapable of anything else, and I cannot live off the income I have, which is provided only by my pen. Despite this, no one takes any consideration of my health or of my precious time. I hope that this situation will not last long, so that I can then do the little that needs to be looked over straight away and the two works [the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony] will be delivered to you immediately.”

“A few days ago I received a proposal in respect of you, in which it says that a foreign music shop intends to take 50 copies of both works from you immediately, and to join forces with you in order to prevent piracy. I denied the whole thing outright, because I have already had bitter experiences in such matters (perhaps just spying), but if you want to arrange something like that, I will be happy to find out more.”

“Now, about another proposal: My brother, to whom I am obligated, has been given the following works in lieu of a sum owed to him, namely the Great Overture [Consecration of the House, op.124], which was performed here at my Akademie, 6 Bagatelles, or trifles, for the piano alone [op.126], some of which are somewhat more elaborate and probably the best of this kind of thing that I have written – three songs, two of which have choirs and have accompaniments, the first with solo piano or with wind instruments; the other accompanied with a full orchestra or piano solo. The third song is performed entirely with piano alone. [op.122, op.121b, and op.128, respectively.] The Overture already has a reduction for piano solo and for piano four hands, both of which you will receive. [Carl Czerny had done these arrangements in October.]”

“My brother is asking for a fee of 130 ducats in gold for everything, as he is a landowner and wealthy. It is completely a matter of indifference to him how you wish to handle the payment arrangements. He leaves this to you to arrange at your leisure, but I ask you very much to give me an answer about this immediately, as someone else wants these works (without boasting, which is never how I do things). [Beethoven had already promised these same compositions to Heinrich Albert Probst in Leipzig for 100 ducats, but had yet to turn over the scores to him.] It is therefore necessary to hurry. I thought you might not be unhappy to own a larger group of my works, and therefore asked my brother for a delay in this matter.”

“Do not worry about the Quartet or the other two works. Everything will be handed over by the first days of next month. You will have already convinced yourself of my open character, so do not think there is any trickery or ambush, etc. Who knows what great connection may still take place between us!”

“As always, your, Beethoven.”

Brandenburg Letter 1901; Anderson Letter 1321. The first leaf (of two) is held by the Mainz City Library (Hs III 71, Nr.5). The rest is from the transcription by Ludwig Nohl (Neue Briefe Beethovens (Stuttgart, 1867), p.252f, Letter 275). An unknown hand has written “Nov 1824” on the letter. As usual, Beethoven was months late in fulfilling his promises for these works.

The letter is undated, but it is clearly a follow-up to Beethoven’s letter of November 16 to Schott’s, in which he hinted at a forthcoming proposal, and thus must come after that. Schott responded to both letters on November 30, so allowing travel time for this second letter to Mainz, today seems the correct approximate date, though it may also be from a day or two earlier. From the letter, it is clear that Beethoven liked and trusted the Schott firm.

Today’s Wiener Theater-Zeitung (Nr.141) at 563-564 contains a review of the “Common Good and Cheerful Home Calendar for the Austrian People” published by Anton Strauss in Linz. This attractive book is filled with essays, facts, and trivia, such as the reasons for the inequality of the length of the day in different seasons, methods of measuring the earth, and various statistical tables, as well as a compact history of the world from 1711 through 1823. “Among the gallery of remarkable Austrians, Beethoven’s biography particularly appealed to us. Although he was born in Bonn in 1772 [sic] and was the son of the former tenor in the royal chapel there, he can still be considered a fellow countryman, since he lives among us and came to Vienna as a student of Haydn in his twentieth year….Among the songs shared are a little song composed by Beethoven in his thirteenth year, which like Carl Maria von Weber’s Canon, should be pleasant for music lovers.” The source for this biographical information may have been Beethoven himself, since he believed he was two years younger than he actually was for much of his adult life.