BEETHOVEN 200 YEARS AGO TODAY: Wednesday, September 20, 1826 (approximately)

Beethoven is in a good humor and writes an undated note, probably this morning, to publisher Tobias Haslinger. “Dearest Herr North American Music Dealer and Small Trader!” [A small pun between ‘Notenhändler” and “Klein Handelnder,” one who is acting in a petty manner.]

“I am only here for half a day, and ask you what the Clementian piano method costs, translated into German. I kindly request that you provide me with information about this immediately, and whether you yourself have it, or where else it can be found?”

“Dearest Herr Hm, Hm, Hm!”

“I hope you are doing very well in your freshly painted shop. See to it that the former dump becomes a beer house, since all beer drinkers are good musicians and must also go to your establishment. — “

“Your most devoted Beethoven.”

Brandenburg Letter 2201; Anderson Letter 1432. The letter bears Haslinger’s notation that it is received today. The letter is addressed “To the well-born Tobias Haslinger, former b[ee]r d[eale]r, now art dealer.”

Beethoven writes an undated letter to Karl Holz about now. “Herr Lovesick! I am here sending you the symphony. Please indicate to the messenger [probably Beethoven’s current maid] the location of Hasslinger’s [sic] shop, so that the symphony can be handed over to be bound without vomiting. [An untranslatable pun; “übergeben” can mean both “to hand over” and “to vomit.”] Could I have the copies of Clementi’s Piano School picked up from you this afternoon? If I receive one free, one will be paid for; if not free, only one will be taken and paid for properly.”

“Carl asks you for cigars; if all this and that were in your hands by this afternoon, it would be momentous — if you only thought about how necessary it is for you to go to the hospital with me again, at least by the morning after tomorrow, because we still have something to learn. I believe that my dear brother will certainly not come, so would you at least bring a quarter of yourself from Döbling to me the day after tomorrow around 7 o’clock — in the afternoon it probably wouldn’t be possible.”

“Herr Lovesick One, I bend my knee before the omnipotence of love, your most devoted B——-n.” This is followed by a cross and the words, “Memento mori.” Beethoven then adds a postscript: “P.S. It would be good if you could ask T.[obias] to have the bookbinder bind it properly and have all the dirt removed. V — l — t — r [Verliebter, or Lovesick One, a reference to Holz’s recent engagement to Elisabeth Bogner, who lived in Döbling.]”

Brandenburg Letter 2205; Anderson Letter 1525. The whereabouts of the letter are unknown; the text is derived from TDR V at 375, from a copy then held by the estate of Otto Jahn.

Beethoven sends along with it another undated letter, addressed to Tobias Haslinger, regarding the dedication score of the Ninth Symphony for King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, probably also intended to be delivered by Beethoven’s maid. “Best Herr! If you would be so kind as to have the enclosed score bound as beautifully as befits a king, you would be doing me a great favor. Of course, it would have to be done as quickly as possible. I will immediately reimburse you or the bookbinder for the costs. You are certainly very skilled at binding, just as I am at letting go. I am counting on your kindness, and I only say, dear sir, I am your best friend.”

“Herr l. v. Beethoven.”

Beethoven adds a postscript: “Nb: I believe that on the first page of the book, my name should be erased, and a new, beautiful sheet of writing paper, on which the title will then appear, will be pasted over it.”

Brandenburg Letter 2204; Anderson Letter 1526. The original is held by the Bonn Beethovenhaus, H.C. Bodmer Collection Br 148, and can be seen here:

https://www.beethoven.de/de/media/view/5918644877918208/scan/0

Roughly about now, publisher Mathias Artaria visits Beethoven. His friend composer and conductor Mathurin Auguste Barbereau (1799-1879) would like the pleasure of being introduced to Beethoven. His first teacher was Anton Reicha (1770-1836) from Bonn; perhaps Beethoven knew him. Yes, they served together in the Electoral Chapel in Bonn.

Beethoven asks if Artaria knows of a source to borrow Handel’s oratorio Saul. Artaria tells him that the library is closed, but that they have a copy. Artaria made a copy of all the works of Handel in full score for Baron von Swieten, copied from the London edition [published by Samuel Arnold from 1787-1797].

Artaria mentions that Luigi Cherubini started work on an opera three years ago, but the King’s chapel, for which he writes, leaves him no time to finish the opera.

Archduke Rudolph suffered another attack of epilepsy yesterday, Artaria advises Beethoven.

Wenzel Rampl meets briefly with Beethoven about how much he is willing to offer for the score of Saul; 5 silver twenties [i.e., 100 florins C.M.] is not much. Rampl will talk to his source one of these days.

Unpaid assistant Karl Holz meets with Beethoven for dinner at a restaurant. Former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler visited Holz today. “He wanted to know whether you had gone into the countryside; one of these days he will introduce Frau Schechner to you.”

Tobias Haslinger will be happy to provide Beethoven with a copy of Muzio Clementi’s piano method [which he intends as a gift to young Gerhard von Breuning.] Haslinger did not have a copy in his shop, but he will have a copy delivered tomorrow for free.

Today, Haslinger showed Holz the test printing of the new title page for the Terzet, Tremate, empi tremate, op.116. “I found a new error at once; the printer had put con tutta Orchestra; but had left out estratto per il Cembalo.” The revised version will be made by the day after tomorrow. Why does this need to be changed, Beethoven asks, impatient to finally get this piece published. Holz explains that he doesn’t want someone to think they are buying the full score, rather than a piano reduction.

Holz reports that Sigmund Anton Steiner, Haslinger’s retired partner, told Berlin publisher Adolph Martin Schlesinger, that he had another plan hidden, which would be the only way to publish Beethoven’s works, and which no Schlesinger would think of. It was the idea of Beethoven’s brother, Caspar Carl; perhaps Beethoven no longer remembers it. [Caspar Carl’s plan was for Steiner (now Haslinger), Breitkopf & Härtel, C.F. Peters, and perhaps also Mollo, to form a partnership to create an attractive set of Beethoven’s complete works by subscription.]

Holz jokes that unpeeled potatoes with fresh butter are much better than the current housekeeper’s cooking.

Holz notes that there are only a few days left to subscribe to Goethe’s complete works; the cutoff date is October 1. There will be 10 volumes issued per year. [Nephew Karl appears to have sold off Uncle Ludwig’s set just before his suicide attempt.]

Breuning will take on Karl’s sole guardianship. If Karl’s mother Johanna is summoned, then Beethoven will also need to appear. But since he did not receive any summons, and Breuning did, his appearance will not be necessary.

Beethoven tells Holz that Breuning thinks the best assignment for Karl is with the Archduke Ludwig regiment. Holz says that this regiment is based in Znaim, which is a little too close [today Znojmo; Holz is incorrect, however. This regiment, the 8th Moravian regiment, is stationed in Iglau, now Jihlava. Both cities are presently in the Czech Republic.] Holz does not think much of it, but that is what Karl wants; that is where the most disreputable Viennese go; it is a “miserable hole, a semi-town, mere provincials.”

Holz received the Ninth Symphony score for the King of Prussia that Beethoven sent him. He asks whether it should be bound in leather. Holz can go to the prince [Hatzfeld, the Prussian ambassador in Vienna] and ask how it is to be handed over. It would be best to let Haslinger take care of it, since he understands such things.

Conversation Book 121, 39v-44r.

Today’s Leipzig Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Nr.38) at 626 mentions in the reports of the concerts and operas given in Braunschweig last season, that reportedly Fidelio by Beethoven is being rehearsed.

The Intelligenzblatt supplement (Nr.XIII) to this issue of the AMZ contains several advertisements related to Beethoven, though neither is actually by him. The first, from C. Bachmann in Hanover, is the horn sonata op.17, arranged for piano solo by an unidentified hand. The same publishing house offers the song “Mädchen, du liebst mich,” based on the “Sehnsuchtswalzer” by Beethoven. This is not, in fact, by Beethoven, but a publication under Beethoven’s name of an amalgam of Schubert’s Trauerwalzer (D.365/2) and as the Trio, Dance Nr.2 from the Three German Dances D.972 (which was as yet unpublished). The same fraudulent piece for piano solo had previously been published earlier this year by Schott’s in Mainz, and had originally appeared in Stockholm in 1823 under the name German Waltz by Beethoven. This waltz, spuriously attributed to Beethoven, was incredibly popular, and appeared in over 70 different editions by 1830, including several vocal versions. Of course, Beethoven did not see a single kreutzer from these publications bearing his name.

The same works are advertised by Bachmann in the Literarisch-artistisch-musikalischer Anzeiger supplement (Nr.11) to today’s Berliner allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (Nr.38). That same supplement also includes advertisements from Nikolaus Simrock in Bonn for Friedrich Kuhlau’s op.72, Brilliant Variations on an Air by Beethoven for piano four hands, “Herz, mein Herz, was soll das geben?” [Neue Liebe, neues Leben, op.72/2); Franz Liszt’s Impromptu brillant [on themes by Rossini and Spontini] for piano, op.3 [S.150]; a March for pianoforte, op.140/1 and 3 Flute Quartets op.145 by Beethoven’s former pupil Ferdinand Ries.

Liszt’s Impromptu brillant op.3/S.150 is heard played here by Leslie Howard:

The 3 Flute Quartets by Ferdinand Ries, op.145, are performed here by the Oxalys Ensemble: