BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Tuesday, September 7, 1824

Beethoven goes apartment hunting with Nephew Karl. Housekeeper Barbara Holzmann may, as Karl suggested, come along, but there is no positive indication of her presence in today’s conversation book entries.

They look at an apartment in the Himmelpfortgasse that has an inconvenient place for a stove. Beethoven suggests another wall, but the landlord says it cannot go there because the wall is too thin and dangerous. The rent would be 250 florins C.M. or 625 florins W.W. for the rental period. This seems to be the apartment that the gardener named Fischer was the contact for, as discussed a week ago on August 31.

A second apartment is interesting to Beethoven, and he would like to meet with the landlord tomorrow. Karl notes he can only come along in the morning. He has his lecture at 11:30, and it lasts until 1 p.m. He could go before. It is not really much further than from the Augustiner church. Karl notes it is not as windy as it had been yesterday. The apartment has light the whole day, the woman showing it says. There is also a coffee house there.

This building belongs to a Countess. She is out on her estates in Upper Austria, and nothing can be arranged without her. The building superintendent, however, believes she would approve. He will write to her, and report to Beethoven in Baden in a week. The apartment is for rent, but it cannot be leased without her approval. Someone applied for it a week ago but she refused him. Beethoven presses the superintendent, but he says he doesn’t have the authority to rent it out. Beethoven asks why she refused the approval to the other person; the answer is that he only wanted to take it for half a year. Karl tells the superintendent that as soon as he writes, he will come to Vienna immediately and pay the deposit. The Countess’ reply is expected either today or tomorrow, and it will get to Baden either Thursday, September 9, or Friday, September 10.

At a restaurant (likely the one below Beethoven’s current apartment, but possibly a restaurant regularly frequented by Karl), they have wild duck. Karl asks whether his uncle wants to go see Dr. Staudenheim in the morning tomorrow, but Uncle Ludwig intends to visit him this afternoon. Karl points out that someone has noticed his uncle from the outside. They make note of an apartment available at Bäckerstrasse 746. The restaurant keeper says that someone was there about the pension [probably Uncle Ludwig’s annuity from Archduke Rudolph, and Princes Kinsky and Lobkowitz, though it might be related to Karl’s pension from his father’s estate.] He said a claim needs to be made for it before the current installment can be paid. [Beethoven and his nephew both had to get affidavits from a priest saying they were still alive in order to receive the current payments on their pensions.] They get hard-boiled eggs and goose liver to take home for supper. Karl asks whether his uncle wants the eggs peeled.

Karl mentions that he saw his uncle walking arm in arm with someone in the Helenental, and wonders who that was. [Uncle Ludwig’s response is not recorded.]

Karl mentions that the money could still be gotten today on his uncle’s annuity to avoid problems with Steiner not getting paid. “He is already sullen like an old man anyhow.”

Karl needs to go see the ambassador for Tuscany and Nassau, Carl von Odelga. [Probably about the Missa Solemnis subscriptions.] After he does that, he needs to go to the priest for the affidavit for his own pension. Ludwig was currently living in the parish of St. Rochus Church, about 2 blocks from his apartment.]

Karl tells his uncle to go to Dr. Staudenheim on his own; otherwise they would be too late to do their packing this evening. The pair go their separate ways to run their errands. Karl goes to Odelga, and then will go home to get stamped paper, on which Ludwig can write his name. Afterwards, Karl will write the necessary letters and pick up the money.

Assuming Beethoven visits Dr. Staudenheim, the doctor does not appear to write in the conversation book. This is consistent with his regular practice, probably because others could read what he wrote. Schindler’s page numbering here goes from 25 to 27, but there is no indication that a page was removed after he numbered them, so this may simply be a clerical error on his part.

Beethoven visits a coffee house in Vienna and reads the newspapers. He makes note of a rental house for sale for 7500 florins that brings in 600 florins in rent, tax-free. He is continuing to think about purchasing a home, rather than renting apartments year by year.

Nephew Karl meets up with his uncle, probably at the coffee house, with the stamped paper for his uncle to sign so he can arrange for the pension money. He notes that by October it will be too cold to be outside. The doctor gave Uncle Ludwig enough medicine for two weeks. Archduke Franz is to be married October 18, so Archduke Rudolph must be in Vienna. [The wedding of the Archduke to Princess Friederike Sophia of Bavaria was delayed until November 4.] Karl makes the cryptic comment, “Christ triumphed over the Heathen.”

Karl notes that Dr. Joseph Biehl died yesterday, September 6. [He is described as a “licensed doctor for injuries, births, and teeth.” He may have treated Beethoven, or served as his dentist. If so, Dr. Biehl’s death will become important in November when Ludwig suffers a toothache and needs to find a new dentist.]

Karl suggests that if they are still in Vienna tomorrow, they should look for an apartment in the Leopoldstadt and in the Spaliermacherhaus [Tapestry Maker’s House at the corner of the Glacis and Platzl Haupstrasse, where artist Stephan Decker lived, and which he had recommended as having good morning light.]

Karl observes his uncle look tired. Karl makes a remark about someone else’s music verbally (indicating his Uncle is able to hear a little today) and Ludwig responds in writing, apparently so as not to be heard, “What do you think about my music, do you have the same, or a different impression?” Karl says his Uncle’s music is “Deeper, and not merely upon the ears.” The bill for the coffee and food comes to 1 florin 21 kreutzers.

Ludwig and Karl probably go to the Leopoldstadt to look at an apartment, taking a fiacre since Ludwig is worn out.

They return home, worn out from a day of apartment hunting. There will be more tomorrow, and then they can return to Baden in the evening. Conversation Book 74, 18v-28v.

In today’s Wiener Zeitung (Nr.206) at 864, Sauer & Leidesdorf announces the publication of the first of three string quartets by Franz Schubert, op.29/1. Today catalogued as Schubert’s Quartet Nr.13, D.804, this work is also known as the “Rosamunde” quartet, since the second movement is based on the Entr’acte Nr.3 from Schubert’s incidental music to Rosamunde, D.797.

Here is a 2019 live performance of the Rosamunde Quartet by the Parker Quartet:

Today in Paris, Rossini gives the first performance there of his Donna del Lago. “In order to have everything done according to his wishes, the composer himself conducted all the rehearsals, and the administration, in order to take greater advantage of this circumstance (for many claimed that Rossini’s works were not performed here [in Paris] in the spirit he intended), had the first performance in the larger hall of the Grand Opera [rather than the Théatre Italien]. Everything here suggested a brilliant success, but the opera was a failure. However, it should not go unnoticed here that in the Grand Opera all Italian performances are always less well received than in their own house. Also, the hissing was mostly of Sgra. Mari, while most of the applause was for [Adelaide] Schiassetti, heard here for the first time.”

“The second and third performances, which took place in the Italian theater, were more successful, but Rossini’s admirers themselves spoiled it, because, incited by the unexpected failure of the first performance, they felt it had to be made up for in the following one. This actually happened in an all too obvious way, as everything was, so to speak forcibly applauded. Indeed, a large part of the stalls stepped onto the benches at the end of the play and worked with their hands and throats. This service, which the uninvited enthusiasts believed they owed to the presence of their idol, was very badly interpreted in the public newspapers both as to them and their master. They say, among other things: ‘So long as there was no composer present, we knew of no intrigue in this theater, but as soon as he is here to conduct his work himself, the author’s cabal turned up with him.'” The correspondent disputes this interpretation, but acknowledges Rossini suddenly left after the third performance. Subsequent performances were calmer and there was less partisanship. Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung Nr.46 (November 11, 1824) at 739-740.