BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, July 30, 1823

Unpaid assistant Anton Schindler visits Beethoven in Hetzendorf today with bad news. He reports that the Prussian ambassador, Prince Hatzfeld, is enraged at the delays over the score of the Missa Solemnis. He says he will give Beethoven two more weeks, and then either he will have the Mass or his 50 ducats back. Schindler did deliver the testimonials from the Archduke, as requested. But Hatzfeld threatens a lawsuit and reporting Beethoven to the authorities.

Schindler also visited the Russian embassy yesterday; they expect a letter from St. Petersburg any day now. Since the delays are becoming significant, Schindler suggests it might be good to write to Prince Radziwill as well [the Prince appears not to have paid for his subscription yet.]

Beethoven is also mad about the dividends on some of his bank stock [which he apparently had Attorney Johann Baptist Bach serve as security for another loan.] The borrower claimed the dividend, and Bach made him turn it over. The total dividend amounted to 28 florins. Schindler will talk to Attorney Bach about getting an inexpensive apartment in Baden. He will get back the bank share on Monday August 4, and either send it to Beethoven or bring it personally. He is concerned that Bach may not recognize a usurer’s dirty dealings.

Schindler asks whether Schlemmer visited Beethoven yesterday. With everything going on, it would drag on too long [Schindler may mean here the idea of adding three additional movements to the Mass.] The courier to London departed with the Diabelli Variations at the beginning of the month, so Ries should have had them two weeks ago. The publishers are quite taken with Allegri di Bravura. Although Beethoven disdains them, Ries has written several, op.99.

Kapellmeister Drechsler played the organ in Baden before the Archduke last Saturday the 26th [according to Archduke Rudolph, the concert was Monday the 28th]; the entire Court was present and the Archduke was very satisfied. Schindler would like Beethoven to write to Rudolph in recommendation of Drechsler as the second court organist. [Beethoven has already done so.] Sechter, who is being promoted by Abbe Stadler for the position, in Schindler’s estimation lacks merit.

Poet Franz Grillparzer had taken a clerical position that would allow him to keep his mornings free for writing. That only lasted two weeks, however, and now he is acting as chamber servant for Count Stadion, President of the ministry of finance, and he is kept so busy that he has no private hours for himself day or night. “He is inconsolable that he doesn’t have a single moment free to write.” Tomorrow morning, Beethoven and Schindler will need to visit with Grillparzer at 6 a.m., since he has to report for duty at 7 o’clock, and they will be going to Moravia later in the day.

An unnamed copyist guarantees that the copy of the Mass is correct. [This may refer to the copy to be sent to Ries in London to find a publisher.] It will be sent to England by Franz Brentano.

Conversation Book 36, 24v-28v. That concludes this Conversation Book; the next one, Conversation Book 37, starts immediately with tomorrow morning’s early visit to Grillparzer.

Beethoven writes to Archduke Rudolph in Baden sometime shortly before the end of the month.