Unpaid assistant Karl Holz returns from Baden today. Beethoven mentions that he has been thinking about Adolph Schlesinger publishing his complete works. Holz cautions that they need to be careful with Schlesinger; he is very smart. At minimum, they need to get in writing his declaration that he will pay …
Beethoven writes to unpaid assistant Karl Holz at his rooms in the Saeurhof hotel in Baden today. “Very worthy one! One can see what better and purer air, as well as the women, do, for in barely 3 days your icy crust has already thawed. I notice this from your …
This is a holiday, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Beethoven makes a day trip to the village of Nussdorf in the country today to escape the heat of the City. There are no remarks from this trip in Conversation Book 120, which suggests that another …
Uncle Ludwig visits Nephew Karl in the hospital again today, or possibly very early tomorrow before he goes to Nussdorf for the day. Ludwig asks Karl about his doctor. “The old physician is a doctor of medicine and therefore has little to do with me. The oldest one of the …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz visits Beethoven briefly before he departs for Baden. He notes that it is the one-month anniversary [of Karl’s suicide attempt.] Beethoven asks how much this month in the hospital will cost; Holz tells him 40 florins. “I deposited the money. Without receipt. The bill will only …
Beethoven writes a short letter to unpaid assistant Karl Holz early this morning, or possibly last night. “Dear friend!” “I am finally able to fulfill my wish to take an escape of several days the day after tomorrow. In this regard, I ask you to tell Herr Mathias A.[rtaria] that …
Beethoven writes a short letter to unpaid assistant Karl Holz, sometime between September 2 and 5: “I hope and remember to see you at my table. Should you come here before then, and wish to make your way to Karl, it would be good to know when the chocolate must …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz appears to go to Rannersdorf to visit his friend Franz Gross today, as he had advised Beethoven yesterday he would be doing. Holz had invited Beethoven to accompany him, but Beethoven declined. Having completed the arrangement of the Grosse Fuge for four-hands piano, Beethoven can now …
By now, Beethoven has completed the arrangement of the Grosse Fuge for four-hands piano, which will eventually become his opus 134. Beethoven sends the score to unpaid assistant Karl Holz probably today, for delivery to publisher Mathias Artaria. On an additional copy of the last page of the autograph, bearing …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz meets up with Beethoven later today. They probably go to see the magistrate about Karl first. However, an unspecified number of pages are torn out of Conversation Book 119 at this point, so exactly what is discussed is unknown. They discuss Nephew Karl in the general …
Possibly late yesterday or this morning, Beethoven is visited by portrait painter Willibrord Joseph Mähler (1778-1860). He writes his home address in Beethoven’s conversation book, perhaps attempting to get a sitting from Beethoven for another portrait. [Mähler had at least twice painted Beethoven, in 1804 and 1815, and he also …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz visits Beethoven, probably today. Former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler came to see him about how to handle Nephew Karl. Schindler thinks Karl should stay here under his uncle’s watchful eye. Holz thinks otherwise, and that Beethoven can still consider sending him off to work in an …
Beethoven goes in the late afternoon to unpaid assistant Karl Holz’s government office, and Holz joins him to visit Attorney Johann Baptist Bach to discuss the resignation from Nephew Karl’s guardianship. On the way to Bach’s office, they run into former unpaid assistant Anton Schindler, who has just come from …
The conversation book entries for today are very lengthy; they fill the rest of Conversation Book 118 and nearly half of Conversation Book 119. We are therefore forced to greatly compress the content for purposes of this column, retaining references to musical matters and the questioning by the examining police …
Today, the examining magistrate questions Nephew Karl at the hospital regarding his attempted suicide about three weeks ago. Uncle Ludwig does not attend, but unpaid assistant Karl Holz does, and will report to Beethoven tomorrow about the inquest. Beethoven makes a shopping list but cannot keep his morbid thoughts out …
Beethoven makes some morbid memoranda in his conversation book, indicating a depressed state of mind: [Birthe Kibsgaard suggests that these may be possible excuses or explanations in the event Beethoven is interrogated about Karl’s suicide attempt; he is no doubt troubled, shocked, and frightened, and dreads that he will be …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz stops by Beethoven’s apartment today, after checking in on Nephew Karl’s status in the hospital. “The doctor cannot say anything definite about when he will be fully recovered; it is going to take a while yet. However, you can be assured about his safety.” Beethoven objects …
Unpaid assistant Karl Holz delivers to Archduke Rudolph’s offices Beethoven’s receipt for the 6-month payment of his annuity. Holz advises Beethoven he could have made the receipt as two semiannual receipts for 300 florins C.M. because he can save a florin on the stamp tax that way. [The tax is …
Beethoven writes a short note to unpaid assistant Karl Holz, probably today. “Best one, so, come tomorrow a few hours before dinner; then you won’t miss so much — My salary is already due from the Archduke. I don’t know what stamps go on the sheets — the sooner the …
Beethoven writes a letter, rather informally, to someone he knows well, probably today. “You see what is happening here, so if you would ask there whether they would expect us today at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, as I cannot appear without an escort, and you yourself are informed of …