BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, February 2, 1825

The visitor from yesterday comes to Beethoven’s apartment this morning. It is a representative from the Joseph Loydl Co., which acts as the business agent in Vienna for publisher Heinrich Albert Probst in Leipzig. Probst is furious that he has read in the musical press Schott’s announcement they are publishing the works that he had been promised, including the Consecration of the House Overture. Beethoven explains that his brother Johann owned these compositions, and that he has sold these works to Schott. He confirms that the works are no longer available. The representative asks whether there are new works available, and what they are. Beethoven says he has a number of quartets that he is working on, but they are not finished. The man from Loydl asks Beethoven, “Will you be so kind as to notify Herr Probst when something new is finished?” Beethoven assures him that he will. [He does not.]

The representative from Loydl continues, “Herr Probst is an extremely fine and busy man. He pays well, but he wants the honor of only dealing with you directly.” He tries to paper over this issue as a misunderstanding. The representative makes a little joke, “Jew Propst.” [“Propst,” a phonetic spelling of Probst’s name, in German meaning a Catholic prior or provost, essentially making the publisher a Jewish/Catholic priest, and comparing Probst’s practices to Jewish bankers.]

Even though he has tried to make light of the issue, the man from Loydl continues in a serious vein, “Probst will be angry, since he has corresponded directly with you. If the works belonged to your brother, that should have been made known to Herr Probst.” He asks whether Beethoven has written to Probst to tell him the same things he has been told, and Beethoven confirms that he has. [He did, on January 26, which Probst received on January 31. But there has not been enough time elapsed for Probst to contact Loydl in Vienna, so Probst must have independently contacted Loydl before receipt of that letter to get an explanation from Beethoven about his conduct.]

The Loydl representative departs. This evening, Brother Johann takes Nephew Karl to the Lutheran ball at the small Redoutensaal, as he had promised. [As editor Theodore Albrecht points out, Candlemas (today) is a Catholic holiday, with churchgoing but no such frivolous entertainments allowed for Catholics.] Arriving back at the apartment a bit after 10 p.m., Karl hears about the visit from the representative from Loydl. Uncle Ludwig jokingly asks Karl whether he feels more Lutheran than Catholic now; Karl denies that it made any difference, and says, “To me it is just as if I had not been to the ball at all.”

Conversation Book 83, 39r-39v.

In the Vienna Landständischen Hall today, singing teacher Joseph Mozatti gives a private Akademie concert with vocal pieces sung by himself and by his students, which opens with Beethoven’s Overture to Prometheus, and later features a Terzet for soprano, tenor and bass by Beethoven, sung by Dem. Betty Schröder and Herren Schoberlechner and Mozatti. [“Tremate, empi, tremate” op.116] The Vienna correspondent observed that the concert giver today repeatedly demonstrated his wonderful talent for giving singing lessons in the excellent training of such well-disciplined students. Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Nr.12) of March 23, 1825, at 190. The Wiener Theaterzeitung (Nr.19) of February 12, 1825 at 75, in its report of the concert notes that, “The hall was full; an audience of connoisseurs gave encouraging applause.”