BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, June 8, 1825
Beethoven is again reading yesterday’s newspapers at a coffeehouse. He makes note of two communal carriages from certified provincial coachmen that can carry 9 persons. They go from Adlergasse 9 in Vienna to Pfarrgassse 53 in Baden, or from Zur goldenen Kugel in the Wieden in Vienna. One leaves Vienna every morning at 5:30, and one leaves Baden at the same time. In the afternoons, the same thing, departures from both Vienna and Baden at 4 o’clock. The ride is two and one-half hours [the trip is faster than the normal public coach since it does not stop in Neudorf], for 30 kreutzers C.M. [1 fl. 15 kr. W.W., which is half the price of the coach that Karl typically takes.]
He also makes a note of a broker looking for someone to buy an apothecary shop, no doubt for Johann.
Carl August Reichardt, who had tried to see Beethoven in Vienna over the weekend, but was turned away with the excuse he was too busy, comes to visit him at Schloss Gutenbrunn. [Reichardt is a music teacher and composer who lives in Leipzig currently. His arrival in Vienna and departure are unfortunately not noted in the Wiener Zeitung column devoted to such matters.] He introduces himself, “My name is C.A. Reichardt; I live in Leipzig and bring you a thousand greetings from your admirers.”
Beethoven as usual complains about his poor health and his financial condition. “I am deeply touched and cannot find words to express my feelings concerning your misfortune and those concerning my good fortune [presumably, in meeting Beethoven].”
Reichardt makes the mistake of asking Beethoven to play for him. “Couldn’t you play just a single note for me on your piano? Or tell me briefly whom you have to thank for your musical education? I would like to know the best way to become educated in composition. I have fully devoted myself to music.” Beethoven as usual refuses to play. Reichardt asks Beethoven for his recommendation of a book on counterpoint, and Beethoven suggests the text by his own old teacher, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Gründliche Anweisung zur Composition.
Reichardt acknowledges that the main subject needed is genius. But he believes he shall accomplish something in the future. “I don’t want to disturb you any further, my dear fellow, and thank you most sincerely for your kindness not to see me as unworthy of a conversation!” He asks if he could please send Beethoven one of his compositions in the grand style for his criticism or correction.
Beethoven asks where his visitor is from again; Reichardt repeats that he will be living in Leipzig. In several years, once he has become stronger in his art, he will probably return to Vienna, at which time he hopes to confer with Beethoven again. “For now, therefore, a thousand thanks!”
Reichardt departs. Housekeeper Barbara Holzmann comes to Beethoven with a story about the maid. She has had her overcoat pawned, and now she has to pay to get it back. The cost is 25 florins to redeem the overcoat. Beethoven asks whether the maid is sick, and Holzmann tells him she is not. A coachman could leave for Vienna at 5 o’clock and then return with it.
Beethoven makes several musical notes that are of obscure meaning:
Flutes
viol Bass
correct.
Conversation Book 89, 36r-39v. That concludes Conversation Book 89. Conversation Book 90 begins being used today and covers the next five weeks of Beethoven’s stay in Baden. This book has 42 leaves, though the last two in the present binding actually should be at the beginning of the book, which continues to be used today. Pages 4r through the top of 7r were for some reason left blank, so former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler filled them with comments after Beethoven’s death to make it look like they were intimate friends at this time, which is hardly the case.
Holzmann also makes a note about the copyist, probably for proofreading.
Beethoven adds columns of financial figures, coming up with a sum of 7 florins, 30 kreutzers. [His math is a little off; the correct sum is actually 7 florins 20 kreutzers.]
Conversation Book 90, 41r.
Beethoven also writes to publisher B. Schott’s Sons today. Brandenburg Letter 1986. Unfortunately, the letter is today lost and the only indication of its existence is the fact Beethoven will tomorrow make a note in the conversation book that he wrote to Mainz today. In this letter, he may have forwarded the canon WoO 190, Ich war hier, Doktor, to Schott’s, since he had drafted a description of how the canon came to be a few days earlier. Nephew Karl will on June 11 mention that there is a letter that says the music was enclosed; whether this letter to Schott’s is what he means is unclear, but if so, that would support this theory.
The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Nr.23) includes at 381-382 coverage of the concerts held in Magdeburg in May of 1825. Among these performances was one of Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony Nr.6. The Wind concerts there included Beethoven’s symphonies Nr.2 in D major, Nr.5 in C minor, the Eroica Nr.3 and the first movement of Nr.1 in C major.
The Magdeburg Musikverein’s concerts included Beethoven’s Symphony Nr.5 in C minor, while the Friendship Society’s concert included his Symphony Nr.2 in D major.
The same issue of the AMZ includes a report of concerts held in Amsterdam in April 1824, which included unidentified symphonies by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Romberg and others, conducted by Herr Mühlenfeldt, the current music director, who has “exceeded our expectations. Through his tireless zeal the orchestra has already triumphed a great deal.” The reviewer adds at 389, “Overall, the taste of our audience cannot be praised very much. The most beautiful symphony of Beethoven only enjoys a few reverent listeners, and in our opinion the silence during the solo pieces must rather be ascribed to the certain bonhomie and feelings of decorum, rather than to the true sense of Art.”