BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, February 16, 1825

Today is Ash Wednesday. Beethoven’s shopping list includes chamomile tea. The housekeeper, who announced yesterday she was departing, suggests as her replacement a woman who currently works as a housekeeper at Court Councilor Franz Haymerle (1748-1825). [This woman may be an applicant who has come to the door.]

Beethoven makes a note, “On January 31, after she gave notice, she was told to leave in 14 days.”

He continues his shopping list:

• 2 napkins.
• Stamped sheet of paper at 2 fl. [officially stamped paper for making affidavits that Ludwig and Karl are alive and can collect on their annuities, or the monies for Karl being held by the magistrate.]
• Clock.

[Finding a blank page here after Beethoven’s death, Anton Schindler adds a fraudulent comment making it look like he was consulted about Ries and the music festival in Aachen.]

Karl says the current housekeeper says she is not to be looked upon as a servant. Already on her first day, when she had just cooked a sample, she showed what she is like. If she is persuaded that she must be off to her next position, then it will be better that she goes.

Brother Johann arrives at the apartment about mid-day. Someone told him that the fine new apothecary shop on the Stephansplatz exploded half an hour ago, as the result of a chemical preparation being prepared in the laboratory there.

Ludwig is not feeling well. Johann suspects he caught cold in the night. One of his symptoms can come from blockages. Johann cautions Ludwig about drinking water, because it causes a poor stomach. [The polluted water of Vienna would have been rather dangerous.]

Joseph Bernard, editor of the Wiener Zeitung and author of the libretto to the proposed oratorio Der Sieg des Kreuzes, comes to visit Ludwig. The London trip is still the topic of discussion. Johann, like Joseph Bernard, thinks he should take with him a new oratorio. After all, Haydn went to London twice.

Bernard thinks that now is the time to write the oratorio. The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, which commissioned the work, has come into a substantial amount of money, and “they are now rich.” Vincenz Hauschka, a member of the Friends of Music and a friend of Beethoven, authorized him to say that, and he will come to see Beethoven very soon on another matter.

Ludwig asks whether Bernard thinks Nephew Karl is making progress in his studies. “His conduct as well as his commentary about everything concerning knowledge really appear to come from serious effort. Furthermore, I believe that it is good to know with whom he associates.” If he follows the right path and pursues a subject with diligence, he really can succeed.

Ludwig would like Karl to visit him more often in the summer. Bernard thinks that it will be easier with the rental carriages. Karl can gain some time by getting up early, even if he has to come back to Vienna on foot. Bernard himself walked between Vienna and the villages of Döbling and Meidling himself every day. [Döbling was an hour and a half’s walk to the north, while Meidling was about the same distance to the south.]

Bernard asks whether Beethoven was satisfied with his summer lodgings last year in Penzing. Beethoven did not like the landlord, a master tailor, whom he found intrusive. He only stayed there about a month.

Bernard saw Johann at the ball last night. [Balls on Fat Tuesday began at 8 p.m. and then ended abruptly at midnight, according to editor Theodore Albrecht.] They briefly talked about the upcoming Akademie benefit concert, and Johann will see that everything necessary will be taken care of.

Bernard mentions that there was a recent concert in Paris where the music was so difficult they had to enlist amateurs, since the French Opera singers could not be used.

Conradin Kreutzer’s recent opera Libussa is to be translated into Italian, for a premiere in Naples. Caroline Unger [who was the alto at the premiere of the Ninth Symphony] is also going to Naples.

After Bernard leaves, Johann returns to the apartment. The current housekeeper hasn’t cooked very much. If Ludwig wants, Johann will speak to her about cooking more.

On Saturday the 19th, the new play by Grillparzer [King Ottokar, which had been buried by the censor] is to be performed.

Wine dealer Fayence has brought some wine in.

Nephew Karl arrives, and says the current housekeeper will now be leaving tomorrow. Karl computes the pay owed to her as 12 florins, 30 kreutzers for the first 15 days of the month. Since they paid her 5 florins in advance, there is 7 florins, 30 kreutzers remaining to be paid to her. He asks how his uncle liked the woman who was here today. She would like to cook a sample for them.

The current housekeeper writes, “She cannot stay. She can.” Ludwig writes so as not to be heard, “Her bad attitude is the reason that she did not fit in here, even being generous.” [The paper is badly damaged, so the exact text of the comment is difficult to make out.] The maid later says that the housekeeper has left, and will return in the morning to collect all her things remaining behind.

Conversation Book 84, 45r-52v. This concludes this conversation book. Conversation Book 85 picks up again in mid-March, so there are at least two, and possibly more, conversation books that are lost covering the period in between. Our updates will therefore be shorter and a bit more sporadic over that period of time, though we still expect to have an update most days.