BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, November 30, 1824 (approximately)

Nephew Karl is at his Uncle’s apartment after classes, probably this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon. He tells his uncle that Professor Ludwig Rembold (c.1785-1844), a popular professor of Philosophy at the University, has been forcibly removed because of his freely expressed viewpoints, which did not always coincide with the approved opinions [and likely were critical of the Emperor]. “The Director of the Philosophy faculty walked into the lecture room and wanted to halt the lecture immediately, but the students didn’t let him have the floor. At the beginning, they mumbled; finally a cry arose: ‘Vivat Rembold!’ (that was the name of the professor). It became so loud that the Director had to leave. The Emperor learned of it immediately, and had several [students] taken by the soldiers. No spectacle was made of it. He was not even allowed to make his farewells….In the case of great men, it doesn’t take much to incur their disfavor.” [Other accounts of Rembold’s removal, which occurred on this date, November 30, 1824, agree in all essential respects with Karl’s story. Rembold retired with his wife and children to Hungary, where he studied medicine, and after the Emperor’s death he returned to Vienna and practiced as a doctor for some years.]

Karl deals with some woodcutters, either ordering or accepting delivery of two cords of wood. For the transport, they get 2 florins; for stacking, 3 florins. The cost of the wood is 1 florin 30 kreutzers per cord, so it would come to 3 florins for 2 cords of wood. For cutting, another 3 florins, so the grand total would come to 11 florins in all.

Uncle Ludwig today successfully completes the financial computations he had attempted without success on Sunday.

The B. Schott’s Sons music publishing firm in Mainz today writes to Beethoven, having received his last two letters. They request that the engraver’s copies be delivered promptly for both the Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis, as well as the [still-unfinished] Quartet op.127. They accept Beethoven’s offer of Opferlied, op.121b; Bundeslied, op.122; Consecration of the House Overture, op.124; Six Bagatelles, op.126; and Der Kuss, op.128, for the sum of 130 ducats. They suggest that sum be payable in a three-month bill of exchange.

Brandenburg Letter 1903. The letter is not known to exist, but its date and general contents are known from the registration markings on Beethoven’s letter to Schott of August 16, and Beethoven’s letter to Johann passing on the good news on December 10. Beethoven had already sold these same works to Heinrich Albert Probst in March for 100 ducats, which Probst had sent in payment to Vienna but Beethoven had never collected.