BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, December 15, 1824

Beethoven makes a couple of notes for today’s shopping:
+Ordinary pottery plates in the old district of Wieden. [To replace the broken plates that the housekeeper mentioned yesterday. “Ordinary pottery plates” suggests Beethoven expected the servants to continue breaking them.]
+Rubber bands. [For the scores of the Missa Solemnis that are being copied for the subscribers.]

Karl mentions that “the man from Russia” [copyist Reinhold von Duesterloh] was just at the apartment again. He asked about copying work. “He appears to be very musical.” Karl also notes that the next installment [presumably of copying the last remaining subscription copies of the Missa Solemnis] is not yet finished.

Conversation Book 78, 36v, 1r.

Uncle Ludwig probably gives Archduke Rudolph his usual two-hour composition lesson today. Since the Archduke will shortly be leaving for his bishopric in Ölmutz to celebrate the Christmas season, it likely will be the last of these lessons. In fact, according to Prof. Barry Cooper, this will be the last music lesson that Beethoven ever gives the Archduke.

Likely today or tomorrow, Brother Johann writes a letter to Ludwig, giving him the go-ahead to sell the compositions that he owns (given in repayment of Ludwig’s debts) to B. Schott’s Sons in Mainz for the sum of 130 ducats. Brandenburg Letter 1912 The letter does not survive, but its existence and contents are known from Beethoven’s letter to Schott written on December 17.

The Möser Quartet begins its series of subscription concerts today in Berlin with the Hummel Piano Quintet in E-flat minor, op.87, and Beethoven’s first string quartet in F, op.18/1. Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung Nr.3, January 19, 1825 at 42-43.

The string quartet nr.1 is here performed by the Ariel Quartet, live in 2014: