BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, April 30, 1823
Assistant Anton Schindler visits Beethoven late in the morning. Apparently there was some kind of misunderstanding about Countess Keméney promising the apartment to Beethoven; Prónay is none too pleased about the apartment being rented without his knowledge. Despite the great esteem he feels for Beethoven, someone should have told him about these arrangements earlier.
Schindler has just come from poet Franz Grillparzer; he was quite enchanted with Beethoven’s letter. He will have the poem Die Ruinen des Campo Vacchino in Rome, the poem that caused Grillparzer to fall from favor, read to Beethoven. Grillparzer says he wasn’t denounced by the nuncio, but rather the radical priest Zacharias Werner. As a result, the Emperor himself wrote to the police about Grillparzer’s infamy. He had to defend himself in writing. As a result, his position has been reduced to 400 florins per year. There is a vacant Court document drafter position he would be suited for, but they have refused to promote him even though the position has been open for three months. He suspects they are delaying by imperial command, and that someone else will get the position instead. He would have left Vienna, but has too many relatives in the City to leave.
Grillparzer complains that others play tricks on him there wherever they can. He is writing a grand tragedy, Ottokar, but believes that barriers will be put in front of him by his various enemies. Grillparzer was surprised to learn Beethoven liked his libretto Melusine, and thought that it would not appeal to him. He is now working on a second libretto that he thinks will be more worthy of Beethoven.
It turns out the Englishmen are not going to London by a direct route, and won’t arrive there for another 2-3 months. So there is nothing to do but wait for a courier to London to be available. Schindler will go to Baron Müller again this afternoon to make arrangements about the apartment in Hetzendorf for the summer.
Beethoven’s eye infection continues to bother him, and Schindler commiserates, saying he has suffered with eyes for several weeks, especially the last 2 days. Schindler will get the package for Ries with the Diabelli Variations put together, and Beethoven can write the postscript to him, and he will have it deposited with Anton Wocher, the Esterházy secretary, to await the next courier to London.
Beethoven writes on the copy of the Diabelli Variations for Ries, “33 Variations on a Waltz dedicated to the wife of my dear friend Ries, by Ludwig van Beethoven.” This copy is to serve as the engraving model. Beethoven writes a short postscript in pencil, asking him to makes sure the juxtaposition of the notes in the engraving is correct, especially on Variation 14. Brandenburg Letter 1637a. [However, despite Beethoven’s desire for haste, the copy ended up not departing Vienna until July.]
After Schindler departs, Beethoven walks to a coffeehouse and makes a note of a possible apartment for the fall.
Conversation Book 31, 26r-30r.
On this date, according to Carl Maria von Weber’s diary, he sends a letter to Beethoven thanking him for sending the score of the opera Fidelio for the performances in Dresden that Weber is conducting. The score arrived on April 10, and he recounts the success of the performance last night, April 29th. Brandenburg Letter 1638. The letter itself is not known to survive, but it must have been lengthy as Weber notes that he spent all day writing it. Weber’s diary is at the Berlin Staatsbibliothek, Mus.ms.autogr.theor. C.M. v. Weber WFN 1, p.19.
The Vienna Allgemeine musiklische Zeitung for today (Nr.35) at 277-278 includes a substantial review of the recent publication of Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, op.15, by Cappi & Diabelli. The review is generally favorable. “A composer like Herr Schubert, who has already revealed a deep feeling in his generally applauded lieder compositions, in such soul-painting, cannot be anything but gratifying to the musical world. The fantasy begins as Allegro con fuoco. The opening is marked by a simple, short phrase, which forms the basis of the whole musical work. It almost teasingly disappears, now again quite unexpectedly and always surprisingly comes to light. Finally it is replaced by an Adagio, in which the author of lovely melodies emerges. The final Presto in 3/4 time allows the piano player to try to demonstrate his skill in the most brilliant way.” The reviewer does have some criticism of Schubert’s chord progression, and notes that during the engraving a number of mistakes have crept in.
The Wanderer Fantasy is here played at Carnegie Hall by Lang Lang in 2003: